Break in the precipitation

Happy plants, happy kid, happy Mom

Almost there

Maybe the last night out with the baby bump.

Catching up

1) Yup, I'm holding up.  Drs. are predicting birth weight will be right around 7 lbs, same as Shawn.  (My fundal height is 35", Baby's heart rate is 140 bpm, & I've gained less than 20 lbs total ;] )  I've had a hunch that this baby will be early, but my appt on Friday morning didn't seem to give any medical reason to believe it.  Baby is head-down, but nothing else is going on.  It has been nice to have a little more room for lung capacity since it dropped lower though.  I don't remember being quite so out of breath with Shawn.
I'm get crazy belly waves as it rolls around, jabs, and kicks, especially in later evening / after dinner.  This one pays a lot more attention to my bladder than Shawn ever did and I can rarely make it through the night without a pee break any more.  I usually wake up ready to explode!  This one is also less gentle on my insides than Shawn was - it actually hurts sometimes!  Shawn often had a foot jutting out above my right hip, but he'd just stretch it out & leave it there.  This one also favors my right side, but it feels like it's trying to wring juice from my lower ribs! Drs. have me recording how quickly I can feel 10 kicks/movements after dinner.  The time limit is an hour (that's when they get concerned), but I haven't had to go more than the first 5 minutes yet.
My 2-3 day long headaches seem to be a thing of the past.  I'm having coffee much more regularly than I think I ever have before, especially full caff, but when the drs. said that it can help with headaches, I thought it was better than popping Tylenol all the time.  Pretty counter-intuitive for me to be gulping caffeine like this (even non-preggo, I'd often do decaf!), but it seems to be working, so I'll take it.
My awful eczema outbreak from 2nd trimester is healing now.  I haven't had any more flareups for most of the 3rd trimester, but I have scars inside my elbows from the really bad ones from months ago.  I'm just glad I'm not red & inflammed anymore.  Hopefully, the scars will lighten over time. It's another drastic difference between this pregnancy and before.  With Shawn, I don't think I've ever been more comfortable in my own skin! Every trace of eczema vanished for the entire 9 months! It was great! Just another way this baby lets me know it's not the same kid, I guess!
I was definitely much more achy (hips & knees mostly) with Shawn, but it makes sense that my joints don't need to adjust quite as much the 2nd time around.  This time around, 2nd tri had some bad lower backaches, but they've also improved in 3rd tri.  Of course, it's getting a bit more challenging to roll myself out of bed & reach things I drop on the floor (often), but I knew that would happen!
Last Sunday, I slipped on the sidewalk in the rain as Shawn & I were walking into the library for a free concert (German & Irish music!)  I caught myself with my left knee and hand as my plastic grocery bag of books ripped & spilled across the parking lot... in the rain... swell!  I think it freaked Raj out when I told him about my fall later that afternoon, but really, it was just jarring & there were absolutely no signs for concern.  I just scraped up my knee and 2 knuckles.  I am a little surprised that my knee still can't tolerate any amount of pressure at all though (walking is totally fine, but kneeling on the floor is completely out of the question)! Though I've worn those shoes a million times before this winter, I put them in the back of the closet until the ground isn't so slick with rain & melting snow!
Like I said, I've had a hunch that this baby will be early for some reason, but I'm not quite ready for that to happen, so I'm glad our appt on Friday didn't confirm it! Crib & furniture is in place.  Laundry's done. Car seat bases are installed.  Breast pumps and bottles are cleaned & ready if needed.  Hospital bag is mostly ready.  The room is painted - I'm not thrilled with the results, but it's done.  (Our neighbor, Frank, finally came over & then took over a week to paint 3 trees! ARG!  He did a good job with the bark on the tree trunks, he included some cool cruly twigs to add some interest to the trees, & I like the leaves he painted blowing around the room.  But.  I'm convinced the limbs/branches tuned out more like cacti than trees! I was hoping for a much more realistic "forest" than what we got.  Raj & I are going to look for some decals of forest animals & accents to add to it and see if it helps.  I'd rather not mess with more paint to fix it now that the fumey-ness has almost dissipated.)  Another aggrevation today though - I got blackout blinds from Lowes, which I thought were a step up from Shawn's room in terms of blackout & thermal ratings.  Nope.  They're identical.  Fine.  Then, the guy who cut them to fit the windows apparently didn't trust my measurements & cut them too narrow - I can fit a full finger's width between the sill & the edge of the blinds on both left & right sides!  What's the point of a blackout shade if light streams in all around them?! I measured the windows multiple times for a reason! We do have curtains over the blinds, which help cut down on the light... but still! Arg!
Anyway, we're ready enough if baby really does come early, but there are still a few things that would be great to iron out before the big day... like names, for example!

2) Having a turtle was a fun pet, but it can be a huge committment because of their life spans & their need for space.  I did take mine to the vet initially because it was given to me by a stranger at Petsmart and I knew absolutely nothing about it.  Yes, salmonella can be an issue, but I believe it's something you can keep in check if you keep the tank clean, etc.  I got the vet to okay it as a classroom pet and didn't get any grief about it from my administration.  (The fact that it was in a middle school & wouldn't be handled by a room full of little kids on a constant basis probably helped.)  I'm also pretty sure that certain species of turtles have been outlawed as pets, but I don't think it's all turtles in general.  In fact, I think it's something like turtles less than 4 inches long (but I don't know why that makes a difference).  I'm hoping to go to a Pet Expo (just for fun) tomorrow, so if I find a reptile booth, I'll see what other info I can dig up for Jonathan.  Maybe we can skype afterwards?

3) What do we have going on around Aug 19-23? Uh... I have no idea, but I'd love to have visitors from the east! The farthest I've got anything planned is into May and those are tentative, so let me know your plans - what goes on the calendar first, gets priority, right?! ;)
 

4) Raj's birthday was successful.  Shawn wanted to make a lot of the decisions about it.  We took him out to dinner to Buffalo Wild Wings (a sport bar / chicken wing restaurant that we pass on the way to Shawn's school, but that he's never been to before & Raj & I haven't been to since I lived in Lisle).  The restaurant gave Raj 1 bottle of his choice from 20 different chicken wings sauces, rather than the typical b'day dessert that other places often offer.  We gave him 3 golf lessons (he's been talking about wanting to try it for a while now & a place near one of his offices has a year round driving range with video analysis of your swing, etc.) and a gift cert to Sports Authority because he just joined a gym & needs new shoes, etc. We came home for a small icecream cake that Shawn picked out from Oberweiss (the closest thing we have to The Creamery), but Shawn fell asleep on the way home - too much stimulation from all the tv screens & loud sports casters! Raj figured that Shawn would've been devestated if we cut the cake without him, so we had the birthday cake today instead - vanilla cake, birthday cake flavored icecream, silly string icing, & confetti sprinkles with number candles '34' on top.  However, we now have 2 cakes because his Wood Dale office also got him a massive chocolate cake (from Portillo's - a famous hot dog & italian beef joint around Chicagoland) to celebrate on Friday.  Both are delicious, but the sheer quantity is a bit overwhelming!  Beware of the sugar-bugs at our house!

Ok, I think I'm caught up now.  Time for bed.

Did I Jinx It?

Last night was awful - for me. Shawn woke up twice calling out as if he was scared, but when I checked on him, it didn't seem like he was actually awake.  He was able to go back to quiet sleep easily both times.  They were also both fairly early in the night, so there was still plenty of time to get a good night's rest.

Had I been able to actually get one.

I tossed. I turned.  I was hot.  I was freezing. I couldn't blame Shawn for keeping me up.  And, aside from being unable to get my preggo body to relax and just be comfortable, Baby wasn't throwing any in utero parties that kept me up either.

It was all me. Of course, this couldn't have happened on Saturday night when I could sleep in a little on Sunday morning (or possibly even talk my way out of attending the birthday party at Enchanted Castle)!  It was Sunday night, when I need to wake up and be productive.

Ugh.

Still sleeping...

3 nights in a row... I'm actually feeling rested! This might actually be working!
Just in time for us to get ready for a newborn.

Who is this child? Could this be true?

I wonder if last night was a turning point for Shawn. On the other hand, I'm nervous to get to excited about it and jinx myself!
Even though he took a two hour nap in on the way home from our busy day out (gymnastics, music, open gym, & school skills), which has been happening slightly more often than usual, he had a pretty easy-going evening!  I was prepared for a later bedtime because of his nap. (When Raj heard that Shawn had taken a late nap, he cemented his plans to go out, whether his friends were going to join him for an evening out or not! He ended up taking  some time for himself to go to the mall, buy some shoes, and see the new Die-Hard movie.)
During dinner, it was pretty obvious that Shawn was no where close to sleepy. So, I took advantage of his energy and gave him a bath (perfect, since he fell asleep early last night and Raj didn't have a chance to bathe him on their usual night). After filling up the tub, I let Shawn have some playtime in the bath on his own and checked on him every few minutes. (Gotta love multi-tasking! It's great that he doesn't need to be supervised every second during his bath anymore!) I gave him a bar of soap, instead of baby wash on a pouf, and he did a great job of lathering  himself. Before I knew it, he had gotten out of the tub, opened the drain, and put on his robe on his own! He's NEVER voluntarily gotten out of the tub! He's always wanted "just a few more minutes!" This time, he was giggling hysterically  at the thrill of his own independence! (Never mind that his hair didn't get washed and there were water dribbles all over the bathroom floor - minor details that we can work on.) He even got his pajamas on mostly on his own, maintaining his grin the whole time. I helped him get his vitamin and brush his teeth, but it really was the only part I had helped with the whole time.
I thought I'd run with his love of independence tonight - strike while the iron was hot. We had a talk about how tired I am because 'someone' wakes me up every night when he needs a drink or company while he pees or can't sleep or whatever! (The last few nights have been especially wakeful, which is probably why he's had spontaneous naps in the car lately! Meanwhile, I'm exhausted.) I told him I had a plan to help him keep doing things by himself. He was intrigued.
We filled a sippy cup (with a lid to avoid nighttime spills) with water and cleared a spot on Shawn's nightstand for it. We practiced reaching for it in the dark with sleepy eyes and then putting it back. I explained that now he could get a sip of water without even getting out of bed (whether it was a technique to defer from sleeping or a late night thirst quench).
I took it a step further and told him that Aunt Jennifer gave him glow in the dark stars a long time ago and we still had some left. (We put some on his light switch that he'd forgotten about, so we took a second to 'super-charge' them with a flashlight and check them out in the dark.) Shawn got very excited about them. I found a drink coaster and covered it with glow in the dark stars. We 'charged' the stickers under his lamp. Then we tested it. Shawn (with pretend sleepy eyes) easily found his water on the glowing coaster in the dark without much more than reaching an arm from under his blankets. Excellent. And to make it even better - he loved it!
We read a bedtime story, I turned off the light, he took a sip of water, we said goodnight, and took Baron outside. Before I left his room, Shawn asked if I'd come back. I explained that I'd check on him, but he was going to practice sleeping by himself tonight. Ok.
When I came back inside with Baron, everything was still dark upstairs, but then I heard Shawn say was in his bathroom. Arg. Was my plan falling apart already?? Apparently not. He explained he could do it "all by myself." Ooookaaay! You got it! I went to my room to put some things away. After a few minutes, I hadn't heard anything, so I went to check on Shawn and hurry him up. He was gone! He had finished in the bathroom and snuck back to bed ON. HIS. OWN! Since I had told him I'd check on him (and because I was in shock), I went into his room and gushed over how proud I was that he didn't need me to help him get back in bed. He was giddy. I was thrilled.
Unfortunately, I woke up every couple of hours anticipating his call.
It never came!
He slept
all
night.
Without me.

If only I could've slept!

Mom & Tot Wore 'Em Out!

We had a Mom & Tot Outing with our Mothers & More friends this morning.  It was simply free play time in a multi-purpose room in a church basement, but the kids had a great time with friends they don’t see often, different toys, and a new location.  There were cones set up for an indoor-obstacle course, a plethora of balls to shoot hoops (or whatever), a variety of tricycles, scooters, and cozy coupes, as well as a variety of other toys (a pretend grill, cash register, gas pump, grocery carts…) to encourage interactive play. There was also a craft project for kids to do, as well as a light snack for the kids.  I was shocked that Abby wasn’t interested in doing the craft project (it was just decorating cut-out hearts with markers and stickers), but she was much too busy playing to want to sit at the table.  She did manage to snag a sticker heart before we left, so that made her happy.  Shawn’s lack of interest in the project didn’t surprise me at all.  I knew he wouldn’t want to tear away from the toys.  Some friends from the playgroup invited us to join them at All Aboard Diner for lunch – how could we turn that down?!  On the way home, both Shawn and Abby fell asleep. 

My FaceBook post:

   A fun and playful morning with Mothers & More friends+ exciting meal at All Aboard Diner+ Full bellies+ Cozy winter coats+ Car ride in the warm sun= Not a fighting chance!

I was able to pick up Freecycled coupons for K-cups for my new Keurig and then across town to Raj’s Wood Dale office to pick up a giant box that he needed to take to his Bartlett office, but couldn’t fit into his own car.  The whole time, the kids were sound asleep.  They eventually woke while I was telling Bill about our day when he came to pick up Abby.  She’ll be well rested for fun a night with her Papa Rock, but I’m a little nervous about how late Shawn will be up tonight (and Raj has a late meeting, so I’m on my own to wear him out)!