36 week update

Today starts my weekly doctor visits, which really means we're getting close, right? I was really excited to find out if I had made any measurable progress, especially considering I've been having contractions since 21 weeks, and have about 10-15 per day now. But alas, I'm 1cm, which really isn't saying much. Last time I was 1.5 cm for the last 4 weeks. But that's ok, one is better than none. And I'm not chomping at the bit to deliver quite yet.

One little surprise during my appointment was that I got to have another ultrasound. She wasn't able to tell from the exam whether or not the baby was head down, so she wanted to double check. So as a result of the ultrasound, I got some fun facts:

1. The baby is, indeed, head down. *shew*

2. The baby is, undoubtedly, a boy.

3. The baby currently weighs about 6 pounds, so if I go until my due date, he will probably weigh about 8 pounds.

4. The baby is practicing breathing for outside the womb, which is apparently a really good sign of health. (another *shew*)

She also said he was a "really strong mover." Does that translate to "really active boy?" Because I don't exactly have a calm little girl, either, so yikes.

And now...belly shot comparison.

36 weeks with Katy (oh, look at that sunshine and short sleeves! What a difference from February to April)

36 weeks with Katy AND number 2. (In case you didn't notice, there's a toddler behind my belly)

As if that wasn't excitement enough, I also had a professional massage today, as a gift from my mom. It was really, really nice, and I'm optimistic that maybe it will help with some of the pain and discomfort I've been having. I'll keep you posted, but for now, I'm thankful to be 36 weeks along and still cookin'.

First time caller, a new blog, and impatience

This morning we had to make a phone call that I hope we never have to make again: Poison Control. This story makes me feel a little sheepish. Sometimes on the weekends, my wonderful husband gets up with Katy and lets me sleep in (especially when I'm pregnant and not sleeping well in general). So this morning I was snoozing away when Brian abruptly entered the bedroom. He was carrying my daughter (who seemed completely fine) and the box of Cascade dishwasher detergent. I could tell he was panicked. I was still a little groggy, but he explained that he had been unloading the dishwasher (again, me = sheepish), and looked over at Katy and noticed her hands in her mouth and a funny look on her face. He then noticed that not all of the detergent has been rinsed from the soap container, and that there were chunks of detergent left behind. He asked Katy to open her mouth, and sure enough, it was laced with white specks. "Did you eat this?" he asked, and she confirmed with a confused looking nod.

That's the part where he burst into the bedroom. I think being half asleep helped me not to completely freak out. But I also thought: how much could she have consumed? and it is something that we use to clean our dishes, which we eat off of, so it can't be that bad, right? So we looked on the box and said to give her a glass of water or milk and call Poison Control. Brian made the call, while I supervised the completely oblivious whirlwind that is my kid.

We were instantly reassured by the phone call, as they said that usually the worst that happens is that it burns their mouth. They said not to be worried if she vomits once or twice, but to seek assistance if she were to start vomitting alot. So we kept an eye on her throughout the morning, and she never seemed to feel sick at all. So apparently she didn't swallow very much, thank God. Poison Control called back to check on her and offered to send us a free Poison Control packet. Say it with me, everyone: sheepish.

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I tried something new in the bargain hunting arena this week: I went to Meijer. In a very calculated effort, I got the following loot, 30 items, for less than $12.




I cannot take any credit at all for this, because I never would have figured it out if it weren't for my friend Beth, who has taken the deal-searching world by storm. She has even started a blog where we can all copy her brilliance.

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Finally, I'm struggling with a little impatience. Or maybe it's anxiety. My big plan for today was that I would finally be posting the before and after pictures of the Great Room Exchange. But we've had one more delay, so Katy wasn't able to move into her new room this weekend as planned. We received a crib from someone at church who so generously offered to give it to us, but we've had trouble connecting with them to pick it up. Finally this weekend we did, and we got it home to discover that we don't have all the hardware we need or the instructions on how to assemble it. So we're working on that, but it will probably be another week or so before we can get it together. But I'm starting to get anxious because I'm due in 4 weeks and I just like to have things (like a place for the baby to sleep) in place. Not that I'm expecting to go early, but you know... just in case.

I'm also feeling impatient because I'm getting so uncomfortable. I don't want to go early, but I'm having a hard time imagining another 4 weeks like this. I won't give you a laundry list of complaints, but the biggest one is the carpal tunnel. It hurts me throughout the day, anytime I do anything with my hands, and it wakes me up throughout the night. The last time I went to the doctor she said that they could send me to a specialist to get a steroid shot. I'm not sure if I want to go down that road, but maybe it would be worth it for some better sleep, if nothing else.

Okay!!! Enough whining from me. Back to our regularly scheduled program...

Flashback to Sesame Street

Katy has gotten really interested in Sesame Street lately, so we have collected a few DVD's and CD's, and she is watching some of the new episodes on PBS, too. Of course, I grew up watching Sesame Street, and sometimes something will come on that takes me back with tears in my eyes. Do you remember this?

I've been showered

I've been feeling really overwhelmed lately. I'm tired, physically uncomfortable, not sleeping well, and anxious about the prospect of a new baby in the house in just a few weeks. Not to mention that I still have a big to-do list to complete before the baby comes, much of which I cannot physically fathom accomplishing with this belly. But this weekend really helped.

I really didn't need a baby shower. My friends and family were so generous when I had Katy that I really have everything that I need for the new baby. But my mom and sister planned a casual luncheon to celebrate the anticipated arrival of this baby boy with family and a few close friends. Really the best part was having these women who mean so much to me come together for a couple of hours and enjoy some time away. (Brian kept Katy and brought her for a visit at the end) Of course, because they are kind that way, they also brought some gifts for the little fellow. He will be a well dressed kid, for a full year at least.

So after this get-together, along with some extended visiting with my mom over the long weekend, I'm feeling a little better. Of course, the list is still there and I'm still huge, but I'm feeling a little more like everything's going to be ok. I have such a great support system. So thanks everyone, it really helps me to know that you are there. And I had such a really nice time this weekend. I sincerely feel showered (and I can't wait to schedule the massage certificate my mom gave me at the end of the weekend).

Katy is so lucky to have 3 grandmas: Grandma Sue, Grammy, and Oma

Cousin Gabe had a good ol' time...

A fun couple of ladies...Susan and Pam

Abigail, Beth, and my sister-in-law Kelly

Katy's jealous she didn't get to come for the whole party: no one said Brooklyn would be there!

My 2 Grandmas made the trip from Dayton. Katy loves her Greats.

A friend in need

Hi, all. I've been meaning to ask for some prayers for a friend of mine. Some of you may read my friend Kelsey's blog, Midwest Mom. She is expecting her 2nd child, a boy, in early May, and over a week ago she started experiencing some complications. They had her in the hospital on bedrest, and had told her she would stay there for the remainder of the pregnancy. Now they are suddenly sending her home, to stay on bedrest, of course, but I think it's pretty overwhelming. She's only 29 weeks pregnant, and she has a 3 year old. Yikes. Remind me for the next 5 weeks that all of my complaining should be checked at the door.

So if you could, give her a prayerful word or leave a supportive comment on her blog. I'm stressed for her just thinking about it...

Katy's new 'do

Valentine's balloons from Grandpa

After much debate and discussion, I decided to bite the bullet and take Katy to get her haircut. Much like deciding to get my own hair cut, it was brought about by the shear desperation of the situation. Exhibit A: (i.e. sideburns + mullet = no way for a girl to look)

Knowing how she responds at the doctor's office when strangers try to touch her, I also decided to try the local kids' salon. At least with a slide and a video, I thought, we might have a chance at success. But even armed with a coupon, the price wouldn't be pretty (or at least not in my opinion when they don't wash it or style it, and it takes 5 minutes to cut!)

Katy ran into the place yelling, "Toys! Toys!" She climbed the stairs and went down the slide with Daddy while I checked us in. Then the stylist let her pick the chair of her choice, and of course, she picked the pink car without hesitation, very anxious to climb inside and "drive."




Then came the golden ticket: she got to pick a video. Do you want to watch Elmo? Wiggles? Barney? You might as well ask her if she wants brownies, cookies, or ice cream. So Elmo began playing and we were off.



She really didn't even seem to notice the stylist touching her. She was so enthralled with Elmo just inches from her face that she only glanced out of the corner of her eye a couple of times as if to say, "Hmmm... that lady is doing something weird to my head. Oh, well." The whole thing was over in less than 10 minutes, and I was so excited about the results. No more mullet, and it actually looks like she has a bob!

It's really hard to catch a toddler for an "after" shot. I really should've taken more while she was in the chair watching Elmo. But here's my best effort. It may be hard to tell, but I'm really excited, because I think she looks much cleaner and so cute! Hopefully we won't have to make the trip to the salon very often, but I feel like it was worth it for this first time. First haircut: check!!

Katy's BFF

I've mentioned before that Katy has a friend, Brooklyn, who lives up the street. Brooklyn and Katy were born on the same day (random) and we usually hang out with them once or twice a week. Lately it has been hilarious, because it seems that Katy has her first real girlfriend. They are SO excited to see each other, talk about each other throughout the week, and cry when the other one leaves (we all do that with our girlfriends sometimes, right?). The only difference between their relationship and adult girlfriends is that their playtime involves some pushing and fighting. But hey, when you're 20 months old, that's how you express love.

So today I watched Brooklyn for a little while, and they were in seventh heaven together. Lots of giggling, dancing, and even a little sharing (toys, that is). The thing that cracks me up about seeing these 2 together is the size difference. Although they are exactly the same age, Katy is a peanut and Brooklyn tops the charts. So if you were wondering if Katy will turn out to be short like her folks, behold:

Headed toward 2...

Look what Daddy brought me from Florida! Everyone needs slippers to match their sunglasses...

When you look up the word "ornery" in the dictionary, is there a picture of my daughter? Today I stepped outside to take a bag of trash 3 steps to the dumpster. Our backdoor locks automatically, but you have to slam it pretty hard to get it to close, so I always just leave it open while I take the trash out. You can probably guess what happened next: I turned around and there went the door - slammed harded than I thought possible by a 20 month old. I yelled out, "Katy!!" and ran toward the front door. Yep, it was locked, too.


I only panicked for a couple of seconds as I looked toward our neighbors' house and saw their car parked in front. I ran frantically over to their front door and knocked, probably looking a little flustered in my slippers. I explained the situation and they rushed to get the spare key.


All in all, I was gone for about 3 minutes. I came inside and rolled my eyes at what I saw. She had climbed onto a dining room chair, had my cell phone in her lap (which had apparently been ringing with a missed call), and was soaked to the skin all down the front of her with my Diet Pepsi that she attempted to drink from a can. I can just imagine her little devilish grin as she realized that I was gone and she could finally climb on whatever she wanted, play with my phone, and drink pop. What a stinker...

Husband Appreciation Day

Of course I am always thankful for my wonderful husband and all the work that he does as Katy's father. But one thing makes your really appreciate a person even more: when they are gone.


For the past 4 days, Brian has been in Florida visiting a very close friend of his. Since I am so spoiled and lucky to have him around most of the time, I wasn't sure how well I would fare on my own, so I made plans to visit with my family while he was gone. My mom and Greg would come to our house for the weekend, and then I would go to Dayton to stay with my Dad for a couple of days.


Then Katy threw a little wrench in the system and decided to get croup. My carefree family visit turned into an emotional support group as we dealt with a very fussy toddler. But there was only so much the grandparents could do to help out, because it was mommy, mommy, and only mommy for my Katy girl this week. She wouldn't eat, couldn't sleep, and pretty much insisted on watching videos during every waking hour. My poor parents, trying to help me calm a screaming kid at midnight or take her for a few minutes so I could have a bathroom break. And then I was interrupting Brian's trips to the beach with whether or not I should take her to the Urgent Care. She seems to be doing better today, so I'm hoping that the worst is behind us. We're back home and anxiously awaiting Brian's late return flight. I guess I don't always appreciate how much I rely on him to help me out, both by physically sharing the load of parenting and also helping relieve the burden of some decision making. I wanted to call him constantly and discuss, "Should I do this... or that...?" I don't know how single moms or even moms whose husbands travel alot do it - props to you! I feel like a wimp because I am exhausted!


Despite all of this, Katy got well enough in time for me to see a couple of friends I had been planning to visit. We got a chance to see Kelsey and Harper for lunch (at which I forgot to take any pictures), and it was so nice to compare notes on the preparations for baby #2 - the boy edition.


I also got to go to the local children's museum with my friend Jen and her 3 little ones. Even though Katy was not operating at full capacity, she had such a blast, and it was so neat to see our kids playing together. Jen's oldest, Jacob, kept helping Katy out when she was too scared to do something, it was so cute.

(Almost) 5 under 5 between us

Apparently this tunnel is tall enough for standing...you know, if you're 30 inches tall...

I think Katy's favorite part was the grocery store - she did every step that Mommy usually does

Shew...being cashier is hard work...