It's almost that time again. Time to decide on a name for yet another child. Here's how the process works; I detailed it 18 months ago when we were struggling to name Lily.
Some people really love naming kids. Perhaps I would enjoy it more if a) I didn't have a last name that makes every other name sound like something the Swedish chef from The Muppets would utter or b) I didn't have to consult Jeff or c) I knew I was having dozens of children so I would know I could use all the names I loved as well as the ones I kind of liked (don't get excited, Linda...3 is it...I'm just saying having dozens of kids could solve my naming problem.).
I think it gets harder with each kid. Because I already have an unreasonably long list of qualifications for names. But now the name must "fit" with Andrew and Lillian. Perhaps I am sensitive to this because of my own weirdo name. My sisters are Kate and Andrea. Thank heavens my mother picked Andrea (named after their friend Andre) instead of Christie (after their friend Christine). Could you imagine? Katie and Christie...cutsie piggie tailed matchy-matchy sisters on the homecoming court and Gigi, their surly, French, moustached, beret-wearing sister. So although Jeff and I both like the name Kaipo (it's Hawaiian)...doesn't it just roll off the tongue?...I'm not going to make him be the odd-ball in our boring, traditional-named family. Our pasty, blue-eyed Hawaiian boy. Hmmmmm.
My mother already has lots of suggestions...which I'm sure she will post in the comments section. Although the due date is on her 60th birthday, I've told her that unless this child is born ON THE DAY, I feel like we should name this one after my husband's side of the family. Andrew JOHN, after my dad, and Lillian JEANNETTE, after my Memere, aunt, and great-aunt...oh and me. This doesn't stop her...she has so far suggested, Linda Sue, SuzieLyn,...you get the idea. My sister Kate has also suggested Katelyn Suzanne. Helpful, eh?
So here we go again. I'm still trying to convince Jeff that we should NOT find out the gender this time around. His main argument? Do we really want to have to find a boy and a girl's name? We have to decide soon...November 16th is the big day.
Any suggestions?
Monday, November 05, 2007
Sunday, November 04, 2007
A reason to move to Arizona
No Daylight Savings!!! Now there's a state that cares about families. None of this screwing with children's schedules. -sigh- Just as Andrew gets old enough that it doesn't matter...Lily is so set and bound in her schedule.
But just in case you are depressed and sleep deprived due to the change in clocks, here are some pictures to heal your soul. Enjoy my little cheerleader:
But just in case you are depressed and sleep deprived due to the change in clocks, here are some pictures to heal your soul. Enjoy my little cheerleader:
A sideways view of Little Miss OSU
Go team go!
Almost a smile...how is it hard to capture a smile already? I thought I had until she was 2 at least.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Birthday parties
Am I the only one in the world that HATES little kid birthday parties? Lame attempts at party games that always end in tantrums and tears. Sugar highs. Heat. Present opening that instantly becomes a mosh pit of 3 year old bodies.
Ugh. I hate them.
We went to one this morning. It was very cute and age appropriate. They went with a bunny theme, and there were bunnies everywhere. Bunny crackers, bunny mac and cheese, bunny streamers, bunny gift bags, bunny favors. Lunch was served, there was a cute "find the carrot gift bags" game, and the mad rush at present opening seemed untraumatic to the birthday girl (amazing!). But the kids were fighting over EVERYTHING, from balloons to discarded strings from the wrappings. The mess we left behind was monumental.
Birthday parties seem a given. People ask how old Lily is, and when I say 1, the immediate response is, "Oh, and how was her birthday party?" Um...we don't really "do" parties here. We have cake and presents and family. But Andrew is turning 4 soon, and I have yet to be brave enough to have other kids over to celebrate. I've kind of been waiting for my kid to ask for it.
Which brings us to this year. Andrew wants a party. Or so he thinks. So I will try and put something together. And every party we've been to this fall makes me dread it more and more. It just seems so hectic. And I can't just invite 4 kids (one kid for every year of age is the old standard). There are at least 10 kids in playgroup, if you count their siblings.
I hate being the party pooper. But the pressure is ridiculous. Here's my rough draft for Andrew's invitation:
Ugh. I hate them.
We went to one this morning. It was very cute and age appropriate. They went with a bunny theme, and there were bunnies everywhere. Bunny crackers, bunny mac and cheese, bunny streamers, bunny gift bags, bunny favors. Lunch was served, there was a cute "find the carrot gift bags" game, and the mad rush at present opening seemed untraumatic to the birthday girl (amazing!). But the kids were fighting over EVERYTHING, from balloons to discarded strings from the wrappings. The mess we left behind was monumental.
Birthday parties seem a given. People ask how old Lily is, and when I say 1, the immediate response is, "Oh, and how was her birthday party?" Um...we don't really "do" parties here. We have cake and presents and family. But Andrew is turning 4 soon, and I have yet to be brave enough to have other kids over to celebrate. I've kind of been waiting for my kid to ask for it.
Which brings us to this year. Andrew wants a party. Or so he thinks. So I will try and put something together. And every party we've been to this fall makes me dread it more and more. It just seems so hectic. And I can't just invite 4 kids (one kid for every year of age is the old standard). There are at least 10 kids in playgroup, if you count their siblings.
I hate being the party pooper. But the pressure is ridiculous. Here's my rough draft for Andrew's invitation:
Come celebrate Andrew's 4th birthday!
Join us November 27th from 11-11:30
Pizza will be laid out with napkins and/or paper plates to eat off of!
Presents will not be opened until after the guests leave.
We will play one game.
Which the birthday boy will not play unless it is rigged so he knows he will win.
There will be cake...but it will be store bought and not hand crafted.
It may not taste good.
How's that sound to you? Not like a party I'd want to go to. Which is why the party planning should be left to people who enjoy doing that sort of thing.
-sigh- It'll all be over in a few weeks, right?
Friday, November 02, 2007
My invention
Okay, so I haven't actually invented this. It's more like a vision...a dream, if you will. It has to do with my future mini-van.
We don't have a mini-van yet. We have a 5 year old Ford Escape that I love. And that is completely paid off. And has never given us major problems. Lovely car. A bit noisy on the inside. But it works fine for me.
3 car seats won't fit in the back of this car. So soon we will have to upgrade to a larger car. I am not against mini-vans. I have no illusions of my perceived "coolness", so I don't have issues with them like some people do. I think they are practical, comfortable, get good gas mileage (as far as big cars are concerned), whatever. I fully plan on removing one captain's chair, putting Lily and Andrew in the way back and the baby in the remaining captain's chair. I am envisioning piling all kids in through one door, and penning them in during the 25 minutes it will probably take me to buckle them all in. Lovely. Practical.
But there is one feature I really wish I could add to the minivan. I'm pretty sure that this feature doesn't exist. Yet. Once my idea hits the public, I'm sure there will be a clamoring for it. So take a deep breath for the unveiling of my latest greatest idea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Retractable soundproof limo glass between the driver area and the backseats.
I know. I know. You're all imagining the possibilities right now.
Situation #1: Child or children are having a screaming temper tantrum in the back. You know the type...blood curdling screams. You can do nothing for them, and they can't hurt themselves because they are all strapped in. Wouldn't it be nice to touch a button on your dash and raise up some soundproof glass? Safer driving conditions, I'll say that much.
Situation #2: Children are clamoring to listen to Hip Hop Harry sing "Old MacDonald" for the 800th time. Or watch Pretty Pretty Ponies of the DVD player. Turn it on for them and touch a button....and...ah, blessed silence in the front. Unless you want to jam to your own tunes at the same time...there would be dual sound systems, of course.
Situation #3: You are stuck in a traffic jam. Idiotic drivers are surrounding you. Want to shield those delicate ears from your swearing? Touch the button...they can be blissfully unaware of the profanities flying in the front seat.
The possibilities are endless. I'll be waiting for the call from Chrysler.
We don't have a mini-van yet. We have a 5 year old Ford Escape that I love. And that is completely paid off. And has never given us major problems. Lovely car. A bit noisy on the inside. But it works fine for me.
3 car seats won't fit in the back of this car. So soon we will have to upgrade to a larger car. I am not against mini-vans. I have no illusions of my perceived "coolness", so I don't have issues with them like some people do. I think they are practical, comfortable, get good gas mileage (as far as big cars are concerned), whatever. I fully plan on removing one captain's chair, putting Lily and Andrew in the way back and the baby in the remaining captain's chair. I am envisioning piling all kids in through one door, and penning them in during the 25 minutes it will probably take me to buckle them all in. Lovely. Practical.
But there is one feature I really wish I could add to the minivan. I'm pretty sure that this feature doesn't exist. Yet. Once my idea hits the public, I'm sure there will be a clamoring for it. So take a deep breath for the unveiling of my latest greatest idea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Retractable soundproof limo glass between the driver area and the backseats.
I know. I know. You're all imagining the possibilities right now.
Situation #1: Child or children are having a screaming temper tantrum in the back. You know the type...blood curdling screams. You can do nothing for them, and they can't hurt themselves because they are all strapped in. Wouldn't it be nice to touch a button on your dash and raise up some soundproof glass? Safer driving conditions, I'll say that much.
Situation #2: Children are clamoring to listen to Hip Hop Harry sing "Old MacDonald" for the 800th time. Or watch Pretty Pretty Ponies of the DVD player. Turn it on for them and touch a button....and...ah, blessed silence in the front. Unless you want to jam to your own tunes at the same time...there would be dual sound systems, of course.
Situation #3: You are stuck in a traffic jam. Idiotic drivers are surrounding you. Want to shield those delicate ears from your swearing? Touch the button...they can be blissfully unaware of the profanities flying in the front seat.
The possibilities are endless. I'll be waiting for the call from Chrysler.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Commence movement
Have I mentioned that I'm in a bit of denial in regards to this "Big Surprise" pregnancy? (I now call it the "Big Surprise", because "Holy Shit" seems insensitive). I find myself trying to squeeze into my regular jeans...which I still can...but they hurt. I see my profile in the mirror and think, "I can't possibly be starting to show ALREADY, can I?" Um, denial? I am almost 17 weeks pregnant with my 3rd child. My tummy muscles know exactly where they're headed, and they ain't fighting it this time. They sensed those preggo hormones and went, "Oh, yea, we just did this. RELAAAAAAX." Same thing with feeling this baby move. I felt it 2 days ago, and thought, "No way. It's just gas. It's way too early to feel movement." After two more days of jabs and pokes, I have to admit that this is the exact same time I felt Andrew for the first time.
So, yes. #3 is making himself (or herself...I just can't call the baby "it") known at last. As if making me puke and feel nauseous 24/7 wasn't announcement enough. ;) But just as that icky stage begins to pass, this fun stage begins. I really don't enjoy pregnancy much. But I LOVE feeling baby movement. And these little pokes I've been feeling are just the beginning. Will excitement for this baby follow soon? I hope, I hope. I said to Jeff the other night that November 4th will be 3 months since one of the worst nights of my life. He reminded me that it may not go over well with my 3rd child that his/her positive pregnancy test is a day of infamy. If #3 is reading this someday...don't worry, darling. I love you the best anyway. (If either Lily or Andrew is reading this...no, no, I of course love YOU the best.)
Lily is a miserable bear today. She ran a low fever last night, and is just bi-polar today. Literally going from screaming crying to hysterical laughter to zombie-like zoning back to crying in the span of a few minutes. It is exhausting...for her and me! Andrew is being a real trooper about it. Jeff is of course not going to be home tonight. Okay, he'll be home...but not until the kids are in bed, so it doesn't count. :)
So, yes. #3 is making himself (or herself...I just can't call the baby "it") known at last. As if making me puke and feel nauseous 24/7 wasn't announcement enough. ;) But just as that icky stage begins to pass, this fun stage begins. I really don't enjoy pregnancy much. But I LOVE feeling baby movement. And these little pokes I've been feeling are just the beginning. Will excitement for this baby follow soon? I hope, I hope. I said to Jeff the other night that November 4th will be 3 months since one of the worst nights of my life. He reminded me that it may not go over well with my 3rd child that his/her positive pregnancy test is a day of infamy. If #3 is reading this someday...don't worry, darling. I love you the best anyway. (If either Lily or Andrew is reading this...no, no, I of course love YOU the best.)
Lily is a miserable bear today. She ran a low fever last night, and is just bi-polar today. Literally going from screaming crying to hysterical laughter to zombie-like zoning back to crying in the span of a few minutes. It is exhausting...for her and me! Andrew is being a real trooper about it. Jeff is of course not going to be home tonight. Okay, he'll be home...but not until the kids are in bed, so it doesn't count. :)
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween! I apologize in advance for the poor pictures. Andrew will only keep his mask on for 5 seconds, and I can't get the baby to smile in her costume. She feels funny with a huge trunk on her head...go figure.
Both kids LOVED Trick-or-Treating. Andrew made out with a modest stash, and Lily just had fun holding the glow stick and riding in the wagon. She even kept her elephant hood on the whole ride!!!
Enjoy!
Lily and Andrew in the 5 second mask time. Flash STILL not working. Why don't we realize these things until cute picture opportunities?
Flash working! Hooray! Kids finished posing. Boooo. Is Lily's head really small, or what?
Both kids LOVED Trick-or-Treating. Andrew made out with a modest stash, and Lily just had fun holding the glow stick and riding in the wagon. She even kept her elephant hood on the whole ride!!!
Enjoy!
Lily's first time in her costume at a MOMS Club party. Not thrilled. Flash wasn't working on my camera.
Lily and Andrew in the 5 second mask time. Flash STILL not working. Why don't we realize these things until cute picture opportunities?
Flash working! Hooray! Kids finished posing. Boooo. Is Lily's head really small, or what?
The Trick-or-Treating crew.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Why I hate being pregnant...
I know I should be grateful. There are so many people out there who cannot get pregnant or cannot stay pregnant. Every time I complain, I do think of those women out there. But I still complain.
I hate being pregnant.
I am starting to feel better, tummy wise. I haven't thrown up in I don't know how many days. I still have almost constant nausea, but if it starts to get too bad, I can ease it with a simple piece of minty gum. Easy peasy. Popping jaw problems are nothing compared to sitting on a cold tile floor in front of a toilet. So the light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer.
And just as this misery ends...my back/hip/whatever the hell this pain is starting once again. In an effort to explain how I complain the same with every pregnancy, here is a link to my blog at 16 weeks pregnancy with Lily. After re-reading this entry, I've decided that I don't actually need to blog about this pregnancy...I can just link you to my old blog 18 months ago. (It also makes me realize I've been drastically exaggerating how long I was sick with Lily. Only 18 months and I'm already stretching the story into a tall tale...I'll turn into my grandmother any day now). Anyway, I guess I should just be grateful that my body spaces out these little miseries. I can't imagine if they coincided...I'd be wracked with spasms of pain every time I vomited. Yikes.
Anyhoo, my description of the pain is basically the same as before: that the big nobby part of my femur is coming slightly out of sync with whatever part of my pelvis (the ilium?) it is supposed to nestle inside of. Kind of like popping your elbow out of socket (don't they call that nursemaid's elbow or something). If I sit on the floor or lean forward, when I go to move back into a "normal" sitting/standing position I feel as if my body just doesn't fit together right. How does this feel? Like shooting, agonizing, violent pain. I would rather have natural childbirth...because at least you can feel the contractions building. This catches me totally off guard, which leaves me gasping and screaming in the middle of the night when I turn over. The only solution is to sit in a hard chair until I feel that nobby part of my thigh bone fit back into place deep withing my rear end. Then I can walk and move like nothing ever happened. Until I bend over or sit wrong again. Back to square one. -sigh- Thank God only my left side is affected.
So welcome to my new whine. Stay tuned for the next annoying pregnancy symptom...which one comes next? I can't remember...hemorrhoids or heartburn?
I hate being pregnant.
I am starting to feel better, tummy wise. I haven't thrown up in I don't know how many days. I still have almost constant nausea, but if it starts to get too bad, I can ease it with a simple piece of minty gum. Easy peasy. Popping jaw problems are nothing compared to sitting on a cold tile floor in front of a toilet. So the light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer.
And just as this misery ends...my back/hip/whatever the hell this pain is starting once again. In an effort to explain how I complain the same with every pregnancy, here is a link to my blog at 16 weeks pregnancy with Lily. After re-reading this entry, I've decided that I don't actually need to blog about this pregnancy...I can just link you to my old blog 18 months ago. (It also makes me realize I've been drastically exaggerating how long I was sick with Lily. Only 18 months and I'm already stretching the story into a tall tale...I'll turn into my grandmother any day now). Anyway, I guess I should just be grateful that my body spaces out these little miseries. I can't imagine if they coincided...I'd be wracked with spasms of pain every time I vomited. Yikes.
Anyhoo, my description of the pain is basically the same as before: that the big nobby part of my femur is coming slightly out of sync with whatever part of my pelvis (the ilium?) it is supposed to nestle inside of. Kind of like popping your elbow out of socket (don't they call that nursemaid's elbow or something). If I sit on the floor or lean forward, when I go to move back into a "normal" sitting/standing position I feel as if my body just doesn't fit together right. How does this feel? Like shooting, agonizing, violent pain. I would rather have natural childbirth...because at least you can feel the contractions building. This catches me totally off guard, which leaves me gasping and screaming in the middle of the night when I turn over. The only solution is to sit in a hard chair until I feel that nobby part of my thigh bone fit back into place deep withing my rear end. Then I can walk and move like nothing ever happened. Until I bend over or sit wrong again. Back to square one. -sigh- Thank God only my left side is affected.
So welcome to my new whine. Stay tuned for the next annoying pregnancy symptom...which one comes next? I can't remember...hemorrhoids or heartburn?
Monday, October 29, 2007
Backfiring...
A few posts ago, I vowed to write in this blog (on the blog?) every day for the month of November. This plan has backfired, only because it is preventing me from writing in October...probably not the point. I'll think of something I want to write...like my perfect design extra for a mini-van, or the debate in finding out the gender of this baby, or my weird pregnancy dreams...but before I can write it, I think..."Hmmm, this would be a really good filler for a day in November. I'll hold off on writing it." As if I'll be able to remember what those items were two days from now, much less NEXT MONTH. Hmmmm...
I haven't had much time to write this past week anyway, though, because Lily has been an absolutely cute ball of MISERY this past week. She came down with a horrendous cold coinciding nicely with her swollen red gums with 4 teeth erupting at the same time. The positives? I've been getting lots and lots of cuddles with my non-cuddler. Negatives? She will only cuddle with me. Mommy is #1. Rough on Mommy.
Andrew is still spewing football nonsense non-stop. If he runs out of actual football garbage, he simply moves on to his imaginary team, The Starliners. So the football talk never ends. It is actually how I've always envisioned hell. No offense to my BIL, but I always thought the worst thing ever was ESPN on 24 hours a day. Now I realize that at least I can leave the room when ESPN is on. This little sports caster follows me wherever I go. Arghhhh. I'm not exaggerating, either. I am having "Mommy Quiet Time" right now...since naps have recently gone bye bye, we now have an hour of MQT where Andrew is basically not allowed to interact with me. He can stay downstairs and do whatever, but he must not make eye contact or speak. And as I type this, he is sitting at his little craft table with crayons and paper...and he is writing out football plays. Seriously. I hear him saying things like, "And the Redskins defense intercepts the Starliner's ball.... Touchdown pass for the Bengals quarterback. Oh, man what a great catch.... He lost by a mile!" -sigh- Another reason to have another girl. Although then the boys could talk about this and leave me out of it....hmmmm....
Okay, well, I suppose I should wait to write any more until November ;)
I haven't had much time to write this past week anyway, though, because Lily has been an absolutely cute ball of MISERY this past week. She came down with a horrendous cold coinciding nicely with her swollen red gums with 4 teeth erupting at the same time. The positives? I've been getting lots and lots of cuddles with my non-cuddler. Negatives? She will only cuddle with me. Mommy is #1. Rough on Mommy.
Andrew is still spewing football nonsense non-stop. If he runs out of actual football garbage, he simply moves on to his imaginary team, The Starliners. So the football talk never ends. It is actually how I've always envisioned hell. No offense to my BIL, but I always thought the worst thing ever was ESPN on 24 hours a day. Now I realize that at least I can leave the room when ESPN is on. This little sports caster follows me wherever I go. Arghhhh. I'm not exaggerating, either. I am having "Mommy Quiet Time" right now...since naps have recently gone bye bye, we now have an hour of MQT where Andrew is basically not allowed to interact with me. He can stay downstairs and do whatever, but he must not make eye contact or speak. And as I type this, he is sitting at his little craft table with crayons and paper...and he is writing out football plays. Seriously. I hear him saying things like, "And the Redskins defense intercepts the Starliner's ball.... Touchdown pass for the Bengals quarterback. Oh, man what a great catch.... He lost by a mile!" -sigh- Another reason to have another girl. Although then the boys could talk about this and leave me out of it....hmmmm....
Okay, well, I suppose I should wait to write any more until November ;)
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Teeth
Poor Lily. She is having quite a miserable week. Her body has decided that it must need more than just 2 teeth (she got those in the first week of August). Everyone but Lily knew this was inevitable. No human gets by with just 2 teeth. Unfortunately for Lil', her body has decided to get them all at once. She broke through one of the big top teeth on Saturday...and her swollen and red gums show the tips of 4 other teeth just below the surface. She's a teeny bit feverish (I think...I don't actually take my kids' temps much...just feel the forehead...old school), she has an upset tummy...I assume from the extra drool, and she wants to eat, but looks pained by it. She is clingy and whiny. Which is really hard for Lily because she HATES cuddling...it is like torture for her. But she wants her MOMMA (no one else will do) for comfort from all this yuckiness. So we go through this cycle all day...
Lily follows Mommy around whining, hands out to be picked up. Mommy picks Lily up. Lily hugs Mommy and pat-pats her on the back. Lily squirms to be put down. Once one the ground, Lily realizes that she WANTS HER MOMMY. Lily follows Mommy around whining...etc etc etc.
-sigh- It's been a long day.
Other than this ouchiness, Lily is really bursting with new tricks. And it is so much fun. I appreciate this stage so much more than I did with Andrew. You don't realize how happy and fun a 1 year old is until you've dealt with a 2 year old and then a 3 year old. 1 year olds are not schizophrenic like a 2 year old and don't have an agenda like a 3 year old. They just play for the joy of playing. Love it!
Lily's latest tricks...
-Puts both hands up in the air over her head when you say "Touchdown!" Then she claps for herself when she's done.
-Blows kisses with 2 hands if she really loves you. That's basically how she wins the kissing war.
-Says, "Beek-a-boo" when covering her eyes with her hands. So stinkin' cute.
-If she (or anyone else) drops something, she says, "Uh-ooooo" in this cute little high pitched voice. Love it. I purposefully drop things just to hear her say it.
-Plays with her baby doll. She'll see a picture of a baby or her doll and say, "Ba-bee". Then she will pick up the doll and pat pat it. And then usually throw it. But the patting is so sweet.
-Mimics anything and everything that we do. Not all of it...just random things she decides she can do. Andrew was "washing" the walls of the tub (someone's got to do it, right?). Lily kneels right next to him in the tub and starts "washing" with her washcloth. If only I'd had a camera to capture that adorable picture of two naked butts. Other mimicry...I was playing doctor with Andrew and his doctor kit today. Lily was my nurse (because she loves the doctor kit toys). I was about to do surgery on his stomach, and numbed the area with the syringe. Then I pat pat the area to see if he has any feeling. Lily watched me do this once and then grabbed the syringe and started shooting Andrew up everywhere. Especially in the stomach, but also in the nose, arm, whatever. Then she would pat pat the area and pause to look at him. And then she would repeat. Oh, dear Lord, Andrew and I were cracking up. She was so serious about it. She would take his temperature...and then her own...and then mine. She seriously was just copying everything we did with this doctor kit. So...stinkin'...cute.
We all just enjoy her so much. Andrew included. She is just this little ray of sunshine in our house. She does this great fake laugh if we're all laughing...she wants to be in on the joke! She has a cheese-ball smile that goes with it, that I can't capture on camera no matter how hard I try. She crawls around the house like a mad woman babbling away. It really sounds like she's talking...she's using the correct inflections...just no words. And I love it when Andrew responds to her like we do. Nothing melts my heart like them in the back seat of the car. Lily will be babbling away, and Andrew will say, "Oh, really, Lil'? What a great story."
What can I say...I'm in love. Now I hope she gets better so we can keep enjoying her.
Lily follows Mommy around whining, hands out to be picked up. Mommy picks Lily up. Lily hugs Mommy and pat-pats her on the back. Lily squirms to be put down. Once one the ground, Lily realizes that she WANTS HER MOMMY. Lily follows Mommy around whining...etc etc etc.
-sigh- It's been a long day.
Other than this ouchiness, Lily is really bursting with new tricks. And it is so much fun. I appreciate this stage so much more than I did with Andrew. You don't realize how happy and fun a 1 year old is until you've dealt with a 2 year old and then a 3 year old. 1 year olds are not schizophrenic like a 2 year old and don't have an agenda like a 3 year old. They just play for the joy of playing. Love it!
Lily's latest tricks...
-Puts both hands up in the air over her head when you say "Touchdown!" Then she claps for herself when she's done.
-Blows kisses with 2 hands if she really loves you. That's basically how she wins the kissing war.
-Says, "Beek-a-boo" when covering her eyes with her hands. So stinkin' cute.
-If she (or anyone else) drops something, she says, "Uh-ooooo" in this cute little high pitched voice. Love it. I purposefully drop things just to hear her say it.
-Plays with her baby doll. She'll see a picture of a baby or her doll and say, "Ba-bee". Then she will pick up the doll and pat pat it. And then usually throw it. But the patting is so sweet.
-Mimics anything and everything that we do. Not all of it...just random things she decides she can do. Andrew was "washing" the walls of the tub (someone's got to do it, right?). Lily kneels right next to him in the tub and starts "washing" with her washcloth. If only I'd had a camera to capture that adorable picture of two naked butts. Other mimicry...I was playing doctor with Andrew and his doctor kit today. Lily was my nurse (because she loves the doctor kit toys). I was about to do surgery on his stomach, and numbed the area with the syringe. Then I pat pat the area to see if he has any feeling. Lily watched me do this once and then grabbed the syringe and started shooting Andrew up everywhere. Especially in the stomach, but also in the nose, arm, whatever. Then she would pat pat the area and pause to look at him. And then she would repeat. Oh, dear Lord, Andrew and I were cracking up. She was so serious about it. She would take his temperature...and then her own...and then mine. She seriously was just copying everything we did with this doctor kit. So...stinkin'...cute.
We all just enjoy her so much. Andrew included. She is just this little ray of sunshine in our house. She does this great fake laugh if we're all laughing...she wants to be in on the joke! She has a cheese-ball smile that goes with it, that I can't capture on camera no matter how hard I try. She crawls around the house like a mad woman babbling away. It really sounds like she's talking...she's using the correct inflections...just no words. And I love it when Andrew responds to her like we do. Nothing melts my heart like them in the back seat of the car. Lily will be babbling away, and Andrew will say, "Oh, really, Lil'? What a great story."
What can I say...I'm in love. Now I hope she gets better so we can keep enjoying her.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Too much UNO
You know you are playing too much of one game when your child starts incorporating the rules of the game into every day life.
Andrew was finished eating dinner tonight and was about to get up to leave the table. Jeff reminded him of his polite words with a, "What do you say, Andrew?"
Andrew responded quickly, "UNO!"...instead of his usual, "May I be excused."
And another funny Andrew moment from yesterday. He and Jeff went down to the park to "play tennis" (aka Andrew tries to hit a ball, misses, throws himself to the ground, screaming and crying, Jeff coaxes him up, repeat...repeat). I was at home getting Lily ready to go to "Pumpkinfest 2007!!!". I decided to put her hair in pigtails for the first time in a LONG time. Andrew came home hysterically crying due to a skinned knee (throwing yourself to the ground in frustration is dangerous). In the midst of his tears, as I cleaned him up, he kept glancing over at Lily and her new do, and finally choked out, "-sob- sob- Lily...-hic-...looks...-sob-...TERRIBLE...-cry cry-" Once he'd calmed down he informed me that she looked like an animal. Nice. A supportive big brother already.
Andrew was finished eating dinner tonight and was about to get up to leave the table. Jeff reminded him of his polite words with a, "What do you say, Andrew?"
Andrew responded quickly, "UNO!"...instead of his usual, "May I be excused."
And another funny Andrew moment from yesterday. He and Jeff went down to the park to "play tennis" (aka Andrew tries to hit a ball, misses, throws himself to the ground, screaming and crying, Jeff coaxes him up, repeat...repeat). I was at home getting Lily ready to go to "Pumpkinfest 2007!!!". I decided to put her hair in pigtails for the first time in a LONG time. Andrew came home hysterically crying due to a skinned knee (throwing yourself to the ground in frustration is dangerous). In the midst of his tears, as I cleaned him up, he kept glancing over at Lily and her new do, and finally choked out, "-sob- sob- Lily...-hic-...looks...-sob-...TERRIBLE...-cry cry-" Once he'd calmed down he informed me that she looked like an animal. Nice. A supportive big brother already.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Be a girl...be a girl...
Just another quick thought/story from the last week.
For most of this pregnancy, I have wanted this baby to be a boy. Mostly so Lily will never be just the middle child...she'll always stay special because she's the only girl. Perhaps I am sensitive to this having been the middle of 3 girls, I don't know. I even posted why I wanted a boy early on...but the feedback was quite negative, and I realized that I sounded more pessimistic than even I was willing to.
So, boy thoughts. That's what I've thought. Lily would be close in age to #3, so gender would not matter...she will feel close to this sibling. But if it is a boy, Andrew too will have a special bond with #3.
But last week, something came to my attention that has made me change my mind. Drastically. 180 degrees. See, I didn't grow up with boys. So my only experience living with boys has been with a) my father...a grown man beaten down by living with 4 women for decades b) Jeff...a grown man with surprisingly considerate bathroom etiquette, and c) Andrew...a cute little boy who until recently depended on me to take care of his waste.
But Andrew is changing. It all started with potty training. And now...peeing standing up. Ugh. There are some disgusting side effects to this whole standing up thing. Who thought of this? Oh, probably a man. Last week he called one of us for "help" in the bathroom. I assumed he needed a wipe check (another of the more glamerous parental jobs noone thinks of when they dream of having children). So I hand the baby to Jeff and go to help. Andrew is standing in front of the toilet with pee....EVERYWHERE. Oh, sorry. Not everywhere. There was ZERO pee in the toilet. It had riccoched off the stool, pooled onto the floor, soaked into the rug...eww, eww, eww. I took one look and exclaimed, "Oh, this is a guy clean-up. I think you should just sit down and pee!" Jeff was called to take over. As Jeff cleaned up the clossal mess, I got to listen to Jeff school Andrew on aiming, wiping the seat for the girls, and other things that kind of melted my heart in a strange, gross way. A father passing on info to his son.
But then...I thought...this isn't going to be fixed with one heart to heart from father to son. There will be more pee on the seat and the floor. There will be B.O. galore when the boy refuses to bathe and/or wear deoderant. There will be globs of toothpaste yuckies and dirty underwear in the corner. I had sudden flashbacks to the stench of Jeff's freshman year dorm floor. Always smelled like urine and wet socks. More flashbacks to Jeff's bathroom through the years that he shared with many other dirty boys...oh...gross. I wouldn't even USE their bathroom.
I can't do this to Lily. She should not have to share a bathroom with TWO boys. Poor thing. TWO gross boys? I had not considered this.
So my mantra has changed to "be a girl...be a girl..."
***Disclaimers
---Giselle does not mean to offend any boys reading this post. I realize not ALL boys are smelly and disgusting and leave pee all over the bathroom. But some do. I know. I've just witnessed it. And I do remember some nasty odors.
---Giselle does not mean to imply that she does not want a boy. I want a healthy child. I have a boy...and adore him. I have a girl...and adore her. I really don't care what I have. Especially now that I've considered how gross it would be for Lily to have 2 brothers. Imagine the amount of farting? belching? When all their friends come over in high school...oh the horror!
---Giselle does not mean to offend any of you out there with brothers that you love. I know Lily will love having two brothers if that's what is meant to be.
Have I forgotten anyone? If you are offended...please don't be. And don't leave a comment ;)
For most of this pregnancy, I have wanted this baby to be a boy. Mostly so Lily will never be just the middle child...she'll always stay special because she's the only girl. Perhaps I am sensitive to this having been the middle of 3 girls, I don't know. I even posted why I wanted a boy early on...but the feedback was quite negative, and I realized that I sounded more pessimistic than even I was willing to.
So, boy thoughts. That's what I've thought. Lily would be close in age to #3, so gender would not matter...she will feel close to this sibling. But if it is a boy, Andrew too will have a special bond with #3.
But last week, something came to my attention that has made me change my mind. Drastically. 180 degrees. See, I didn't grow up with boys. So my only experience living with boys has been with a) my father...a grown man beaten down by living with 4 women for decades b) Jeff...a grown man with surprisingly considerate bathroom etiquette, and c) Andrew...a cute little boy who until recently depended on me to take care of his waste.
But Andrew is changing. It all started with potty training. And now...peeing standing up. Ugh. There are some disgusting side effects to this whole standing up thing. Who thought of this? Oh, probably a man. Last week he called one of us for "help" in the bathroom. I assumed he needed a wipe check (another of the more glamerous parental jobs noone thinks of when they dream of having children). So I hand the baby to Jeff and go to help. Andrew is standing in front of the toilet with pee....EVERYWHERE. Oh, sorry. Not everywhere. There was ZERO pee in the toilet. It had riccoched off the stool, pooled onto the floor, soaked into the rug...eww, eww, eww. I took one look and exclaimed, "Oh, this is a guy clean-up. I think you should just sit down and pee!" Jeff was called to take over. As Jeff cleaned up the clossal mess, I got to listen to Jeff school Andrew on aiming, wiping the seat for the girls, and other things that kind of melted my heart in a strange, gross way. A father passing on info to his son.
But then...I thought...this isn't going to be fixed with one heart to heart from father to son. There will be more pee on the seat and the floor. There will be B.O. galore when the boy refuses to bathe and/or wear deoderant. There will be globs of toothpaste yuckies and dirty underwear in the corner. I had sudden flashbacks to the stench of Jeff's freshman year dorm floor. Always smelled like urine and wet socks. More flashbacks to Jeff's bathroom through the years that he shared with many other dirty boys...oh...gross. I wouldn't even USE their bathroom.
I can't do this to Lily. She should not have to share a bathroom with TWO boys. Poor thing. TWO gross boys? I had not considered this.
So my mantra has changed to "be a girl...be a girl..."
***Disclaimers
---Giselle does not mean to offend any boys reading this post. I realize not ALL boys are smelly and disgusting and leave pee all over the bathroom. But some do. I know. I've just witnessed it. And I do remember some nasty odors.
---Giselle does not mean to imply that she does not want a boy. I want a healthy child. I have a boy...and adore him. I have a girl...and adore her. I really don't care what I have. Especially now that I've considered how gross it would be for Lily to have 2 brothers. Imagine the amount of farting? belching? When all their friends come over in high school...oh the horror!
---Giselle does not mean to offend any of you out there with brothers that you love. I know Lily will love having two brothers if that's what is meant to be.
Have I forgotten anyone? If you are offended...please don't be. And don't leave a comment ;)
Ta-DA!!!!!
We have a new computer!!! The ups...I now have unlimited Internet access again. The downs...our old hard drive and all that was stored on it is gone forever. So if I read your blog, but you don't comment regularly on mine, please send me your URL so I can begin reading again. I can trace most of you through your comments, but some of you are secretive ;) (Annie).
Because my posting has been so spotty due to technical difficulties, I'm going to try something that Kelsey is doing in November. She has a fancy name for it...if you really care you can read about it here. It basically just means she is going to post every day in November. So I'm going to try that also. Lily is going through a BURST of new things, so it should be relatively easy to think of something every day. Not to mention my precocious little almost-4-year-old. Precocious makes it sound so much cuter...;) And hopefully by November I won't be puking every day, and I'll start feeling this little booger moving, so I'll be in a better mood. No promises.
So here's what happened in the last week:
Me: I had another doctor's appointment. I had to bring Lily because they had no evening appointments that week, and heaven forbid we schedule the appointment a week late. As if it matters at this point. Whatever. So Lily and I waited through her nap time for 45 minutes. She was just peachy by the time I got called into the room, let me tell you. And I was irritated (what? Me? Irritable?) because everyone there knew I was pregnant. In my normal everyday life, no one can tell (it helps to start pregnancy overweight and to be 5'9"...you can hide a pregnancy for a long time). But at the OB's, every nurse had to comment..."How old is your daughter? Oh, my, your kids are going to be close together. Good luck." Gee, thanks. Your comment is unwelcome, because either A) I planned to have them this close together and you are insulting my judgement...or...B) I didn't plan this, and have already been freaking out for 15 weeks and don't need your doomsday predictions to make me more nervous. -sigh- I suppose I should get used to it. Baby #3 is doing well. He/she seems like a stinker already. The nurse was trying to get the heartbeat, and Baby kept moving away from the doppler. She'd hear it and start to count the beats, and then the heartbeat would suddenly disappear. She'd search around and find it all the way across my belly. After 3 times of this, she laughed and said, "you've got quite a wiggly one in there". Oh dear. I also found out that I'm having the BIG ultrasound next month. WHAT??? This pregnancy is moving WAY too quickly. I feel like I"m going to blink and suddenly be carting around 3 kids. YIKES!
Lily: Lily had her 1 year appointment this week. She charmed the doctor and nurses with her blowing kisses. She has jumped from 25th %tile in height and weight to 60th%tile in height and weight. Go Lily! The doctor seemed impressed with her signs (which Lily happily showed off) and her words (which Lily also performed...to my great shock and amazement). Maybe the doc wasn't impressed and her reaction was just colored by my own pride in my daughter. Whatever.
Andrew: Stinker. He has been on an UNO kick this week. My favorite part of playing UNO with him is when he draws a card that he doesn't need. He says under his breath, "Ahhh, man. What a waste of time." Cracks me up every time.
Jeff: Incapacitated with an earache. The house is officially being run by the children. It is times like this that I dream of having family close enough to say, "HELP! We're out of gas!" But we'll make it. As long as we don't get buried in dirty dishes and toys.
Shadow: Oh, who really cares?
Okay, that's it. I've got to post some pictures soon. Lily and Andrew went to a Halloween party Friday night...and dear God, I love babies in costumes. Lily is the cutest elephant EVER. And Andrew is a pretty cute Spiderman. But babies. They don't get to choose what they are dressed up as, so they always have cute, creative ideas. All the babies at the party were dressed to the nines...lions, pea pods, Frankensteins, elephants, etc. The kids that were 3 or older were pretty much princesses or superheros. That's it. Creativity sparks again once they get to about 7. But there were 5 Spiderman costumes. And about 20 princesses. And all of them LOVED their costumes. ;)
Okay, now I'm really going to log off. Really.
Because my posting has been so spotty due to technical difficulties, I'm going to try something that Kelsey is doing in November. She has a fancy name for it...if you really care you can read about it here. It basically just means she is going to post every day in November. So I'm going to try that also. Lily is going through a BURST of new things, so it should be relatively easy to think of something every day. Not to mention my precocious little almost-4-year-old. Precocious makes it sound so much cuter...;) And hopefully by November I won't be puking every day, and I'll start feeling this little booger moving, so I'll be in a better mood. No promises.
So here's what happened in the last week:
Me: I had another doctor's appointment. I had to bring Lily because they had no evening appointments that week, and heaven forbid we schedule the appointment a week late. As if it matters at this point. Whatever. So Lily and I waited through her nap time for 45 minutes. She was just peachy by the time I got called into the room, let me tell you. And I was irritated (what? Me? Irritable?) because everyone there knew I was pregnant. In my normal everyday life, no one can tell (it helps to start pregnancy overweight and to be 5'9"...you can hide a pregnancy for a long time). But at the OB's, every nurse had to comment..."How old is your daughter? Oh, my, your kids are going to be close together. Good luck." Gee, thanks. Your comment is unwelcome, because either A) I planned to have them this close together and you are insulting my judgement...or...B) I didn't plan this, and have already been freaking out for 15 weeks and don't need your doomsday predictions to make me more nervous. -sigh- I suppose I should get used to it. Baby #3 is doing well. He/she seems like a stinker already. The nurse was trying to get the heartbeat, and Baby kept moving away from the doppler. She'd hear it and start to count the beats, and then the heartbeat would suddenly disappear. She'd search around and find it all the way across my belly. After 3 times of this, she laughed and said, "you've got quite a wiggly one in there". Oh dear. I also found out that I'm having the BIG ultrasound next month. WHAT??? This pregnancy is moving WAY too quickly. I feel like I"m going to blink and suddenly be carting around 3 kids. YIKES!
Lily: Lily had her 1 year appointment this week. She charmed the doctor and nurses with her blowing kisses. She has jumped from 25th %tile in height and weight to 60th%tile in height and weight. Go Lily! The doctor seemed impressed with her signs (which Lily happily showed off) and her words (which Lily also performed...to my great shock and amazement). Maybe the doc wasn't impressed and her reaction was just colored by my own pride in my daughter. Whatever.
Andrew: Stinker. He has been on an UNO kick this week. My favorite part of playing UNO with him is when he draws a card that he doesn't need. He says under his breath, "Ahhh, man. What a waste of time." Cracks me up every time.
Jeff: Incapacitated with an earache. The house is officially being run by the children. It is times like this that I dream of having family close enough to say, "HELP! We're out of gas!" But we'll make it. As long as we don't get buried in dirty dishes and toys.
Shadow: Oh, who really cares?
Okay, that's it. I've got to post some pictures soon. Lily and Andrew went to a Halloween party Friday night...and dear God, I love babies in costumes. Lily is the cutest elephant EVER. And Andrew is a pretty cute Spiderman. But babies. They don't get to choose what they are dressed up as, so they always have cute, creative ideas. All the babies at the party were dressed to the nines...lions, pea pods, Frankensteins, elephants, etc. The kids that were 3 or older were pretty much princesses or superheros. That's it. Creativity sparks again once they get to about 7. But there were 5 Spiderman costumes. And about 20 princesses. And all of them LOVED their costumes. ;)
Okay, now I'm really going to log off. Really.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Pressure
I've been getting some pressure from my son. The pressure to decorate.
I don't decorate. My house is much like myself. Plain, unadorned, comfortable, a bit shabby. Weeds growing long on the outside (my hair is the weed...join me in this analogy, won't you?). No color brightening up the place. Just simple functionality. I have the same broken shades on the windows...because even though they are broken, they still block out the sun. Functional. I haven't bought curtains because I can't figure out what function they serve. I appreciate beauty for beauty's sake in other people's homes. I just don't care in my own home. Until guests come over. But I can't exactly excuse myself from a dinner party to go and order paint and curtains, can I? Once they leave, my motivation follows them quickly out the door...and I once again no longer care that my house isn't pretty. Such is my life. I don't care that I'm not pretty...until there is a special function that I want to get gussied up for. Then I really wish I had a hair style or the skills to put on makeup or the actual makeup to put on. Once the function is over...yup, you guessed it...I no longer care. It's a never-ending cycle.
The once exception to this is Christmas time. I am a little looney for Christmas decorations. My joy in snowmen and wreaths and apple cinnamon candles is a little silly. I have TONS of Christmas decorations. I guarantee I will buy more this year. I can't help it. This bliss is only slightly dampened by the fact we rarely spend Christmas in our home. I'm sure that SOMEDAY I'll be able to wake up on Christmas morning and be surrounded by my own collection of velvety green trinkets. So I continue buying them year after year.
Halloween has never been my favorite holiday. My sister Kate was the real enthusiast for dressing up, creating Halloween illusions, decorating, etc. I just wanted the candy. If I was to be forced to dress up to get said candy...so be it. At least it's easier than Easter, when I have to go LOOKING for the candy. P-shaw!
So our house is undecorated for Halloween. I am pleased to say that my children have always had a Halloween costume...so I'm not a total slacker. And I always have candy for trick-or-treaters (usually I eat the first bag I buy, but I always dutifully buy more so the greedy children can have some...I relate to them ;) ). But that is the extent of my Halloween "celebration." I have a fall wreath and some fall candles that I put out...because I love fall.
This is getting really freakin' long. Is anyone still reading? Wondering why the heck this entry is called "pressure"? Apparently I miss this little blog and am getting all my rambling out in one long entry. Sorry.
So we went to a playdate last week. House fully decorated. Andrew asked, "Why do Jake and Hailey have Halloween decorations up and we don't?" My lame-o answer, "I don't know." Nice. But he let it go...so I thought.
The next morning, Andrew starts the following philosophical discussion with me:
Andrew--"Everybody is different, right Mom? Like some people like different things or look different. And every house is different, right Mom? Like most houses are decorated for Halloween, but ours isn't, right Mom?"
Me--"FINE! WE WILL GO BUY SOME G.D. HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS!!!"
So we now have a few lame-o decorations for Halloween. And no candy yet. What is this world coming to? Have my standards slipped so?
I don't decorate. My house is much like myself. Plain, unadorned, comfortable, a bit shabby. Weeds growing long on the outside (my hair is the weed...join me in this analogy, won't you?). No color brightening up the place. Just simple functionality. I have the same broken shades on the windows...because even though they are broken, they still block out the sun. Functional. I haven't bought curtains because I can't figure out what function they serve. I appreciate beauty for beauty's sake in other people's homes. I just don't care in my own home. Until guests come over. But I can't exactly excuse myself from a dinner party to go and order paint and curtains, can I? Once they leave, my motivation follows them quickly out the door...and I once again no longer care that my house isn't pretty. Such is my life. I don't care that I'm not pretty...until there is a special function that I want to get gussied up for. Then I really wish I had a hair style or the skills to put on makeup or the actual makeup to put on. Once the function is over...yup, you guessed it...I no longer care. It's a never-ending cycle.
The once exception to this is Christmas time. I am a little looney for Christmas decorations. My joy in snowmen and wreaths and apple cinnamon candles is a little silly. I have TONS of Christmas decorations. I guarantee I will buy more this year. I can't help it. This bliss is only slightly dampened by the fact we rarely spend Christmas in our home. I'm sure that SOMEDAY I'll be able to wake up on Christmas morning and be surrounded by my own collection of velvety green trinkets. So I continue buying them year after year.
Halloween has never been my favorite holiday. My sister Kate was the real enthusiast for dressing up, creating Halloween illusions, decorating, etc. I just wanted the candy. If I was to be forced to dress up to get said candy...so be it. At least it's easier than Easter, when I have to go LOOKING for the candy. P-shaw!
So our house is undecorated for Halloween. I am pleased to say that my children have always had a Halloween costume...so I'm not a total slacker. And I always have candy for trick-or-treaters (usually I eat the first bag I buy, but I always dutifully buy more so the greedy children can have some...I relate to them ;) ). But that is the extent of my Halloween "celebration." I have a fall wreath and some fall candles that I put out...because I love fall.
This is getting really freakin' long. Is anyone still reading? Wondering why the heck this entry is called "pressure"? Apparently I miss this little blog and am getting all my rambling out in one long entry. Sorry.
So we went to a playdate last week. House fully decorated. Andrew asked, "Why do Jake and Hailey have Halloween decorations up and we don't?" My lame-o answer, "I don't know." Nice. But he let it go...so I thought.
The next morning, Andrew starts the following philosophical discussion with me:
Andrew--"Everybody is different, right Mom? Like some people like different things or look different. And every house is different, right Mom? Like most houses are decorated for Halloween, but ours isn't, right Mom?"
Me--"FINE! WE WILL GO BUY SOME G.D. HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS!!!"
So we now have a few lame-o decorations for Halloween. And no candy yet. What is this world coming to? Have my standards slipped so?
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Three dreams...YOU'RE OUT!
I've had 3 very vivid dreams in the last week that this baby is a boy.
Dream #1: At a park with Lily, Andrew, and unidentified baby boy.
Dream #2: A giving birth dream. Didn't have time for an epidural, and no one was around, so I had to cut the cord myself. But definitely a boy came out.
Dream #3: Jeff brought the 3 kids into our bedroom to drag me out of bed (even though it always happens the other way around). Andrew and Lily jump on me as Jeff holds a very cute little 6 month old little boy on his lap.
Given my past abilities to predict the gender of the child within my womb, these three dreams lead me to conclude with 98% accuracy that we are in fact expecting a....GIRL!
Yea, I have NO motherly instincts. But my inaccuracy has been very accurate. ;)
Dream #1: At a park with Lily, Andrew, and unidentified baby boy.
Dream #2: A giving birth dream. Didn't have time for an epidural, and no one was around, so I had to cut the cord myself. But definitely a boy came out.
Dream #3: Jeff brought the 3 kids into our bedroom to drag me out of bed (even though it always happens the other way around). Andrew and Lily jump on me as Jeff holds a very cute little 6 month old little boy on his lap.
Given my past abilities to predict the gender of the child within my womb, these three dreams lead me to conclude with 98% accuracy that we are in fact expecting a....GIRL!
Yea, I have NO motherly instincts. But my inaccuracy has been very accurate. ;)
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
R.I.P.
I think our computer has died. May it rest in peace. It has not started since last Thursday night. Despite my husband staying up until the wee hours of the morning working patiently with the damn thing. I swear...if it had been me looking at it, it would have been thrown out the window that first night. I am writing this entry from Jeff's work laptop...maybe illegally...maybe not ;)
I just wanted to let you all know that I have not fallen into the toilet and passed on to the bathrooms in the sky. Although I am still worshipping faithfully to the Porcelain God. Quite faithfully. Just having boring old computer problems.
As a side note, it has been interesting living without a computer. Just 9 years ago, I didn't even own a computer. I simply visited the college computer labs once a week or so and borrowed Jeff's when I needed to type up a paper. Of course, one big difference between now and then? I was living with other people my age and socializing almost 24 hours a day with them. Now I am trapped in a house puking and discussing football stats of an imaginary team (the Starliners). My son doesn't just have an imaginary friend anymore...now he has a whole team. The importance of the computer has been ratcheted up a few notches in the last 4 years. ;) But I have read 3 novels since last Thursday. So that's fun.
Okay, enough talk about neglecting my children. I'm going to quickly type a few posts that need to be written for my own little memories. Hopefully I'll be back up and running in a week or so. If not, I'll soon be posting from an insane asylum...I'm sure they have access to the Internet, right?
I just wanted to let you all know that I have not fallen into the toilet and passed on to the bathrooms in the sky. Although I am still worshipping faithfully to the Porcelain God. Quite faithfully. Just having boring old computer problems.
As a side note, it has been interesting living without a computer. Just 9 years ago, I didn't even own a computer. I simply visited the college computer labs once a week or so and borrowed Jeff's when I needed to type up a paper. Of course, one big difference between now and then? I was living with other people my age and socializing almost 24 hours a day with them. Now I am trapped in a house puking and discussing football stats of an imaginary team (the Starliners). My son doesn't just have an imaginary friend anymore...now he has a whole team. The importance of the computer has been ratcheted up a few notches in the last 4 years. ;) But I have read 3 novels since last Thursday. So that's fun.
Okay, enough talk about neglecting my children. I'm going to quickly type a few posts that need to be written for my own little memories. Hopefully I'll be back up and running in a week or so. If not, I'll soon be posting from an insane asylum...I'm sure they have access to the Internet, right?
Lillian is 1!!!
My baby is officially one!!! Everyone keeps asking me if I had a party for her. Ummmm, I still haven't had a proper birthday party for Andrew, so I can't exactly skip him and give her a great party, right? So it was the typical...grandparents travel hundreds of miles, we eat cake, try to do something that the birthday person likes to do and open presents.
That's what we did for Lily! She woke up to Grandma and Grandpa in her house, with Memere and Pepere quickly coming over from the hotel. She was showered with lots of attention and showed off all her latest tricks (pretending to talk on the phone, patting the floor to get the dog to bring her the ball, trying to cover her eyes to play peek-a-boo, saying all her words, crawling like a mad-woman). She even tried out a few new and terribly cute skills. She now comes up to you and opens and closes her fist saying, "gig-le, tri-gle, igle" saying "tickle tickle tickle" in her own words as she tickles you. So stinkin' cute!!! It kind of sounds like the Islamic call to prayer, but whatever. To us it sounds like tickle tickle...who cares if some Pakistani thinks she's praising Allah. She also now knows how to blow a kiss. Oh, melt my heart right now. If you blow her a kiss, she puts her hand up to her mouth and says ,"Mmmmmmm-ah" as she moves it away from her mouth. So sweet.
I digress. She woke up from her morning nap and we packed up a lunch and went to a state park. Lily loves being outdoors and walking around in her backpack. It was in the upper 80s, but nice and breezy...especially under the trees. And it was apparently horse-riding day, so she got lots of excitement over watching the horses stroll by on the trails and of course all the dogs out for a walk. We were right by a creek, and she even got to watch dogs swimming and horses fording the water. I'm telling you, she was in heaven. Andrew was having his own kind of fun catching toads and collecting HUGE leaves. Gotta love fall...even if it was a bit hot.
Came home and watched her mutilate a cupcake. Actually, she didn't know what to do with it, so we asked Andrew to show her. I was expecting him to take a bite to show her how...but instead he tried to put it in her mouth. So cute...it looks like a wedding video. ;) After that one taste, she totally got the idea and was covered from eyebrows to chin in pink icing. After nap, she opened the mountains of presents from her grandparents. After 3 birthdays with Andrew, I've learned to buy virtually nothing...and my children will still receive more than their fair share! Don't worry, I'll have to pay it back when my in-laws move in with us because they've spent all their retirement on baby clothes and toys. ;) Andrew did very well watching Lily open gifts and kept his "helping" to a minimum. This was helped by Memere buying him an Eagles football...he was in heaven. But after watching Lily open her gifts...many of which were fall clothes...he told his grandma, "For my birthday, I want toys, not clothes." Just in case she needed to know ;)
Very nice day. Sweet sweet baby. I can't believe that it's been a year since my most humiliating day ever. She was worth all the puking and back pain and ripping/tearing birthing pain. Such a special girl.
That's what we did for Lily! She woke up to Grandma and Grandpa in her house, with Memere and Pepere quickly coming over from the hotel. She was showered with lots of attention and showed off all her latest tricks (pretending to talk on the phone, patting the floor to get the dog to bring her the ball, trying to cover her eyes to play peek-a-boo, saying all her words, crawling like a mad-woman). She even tried out a few new and terribly cute skills. She now comes up to you and opens and closes her fist saying, "gig-le, tri-gle, igle" saying "tickle tickle tickle" in her own words as she tickles you. So stinkin' cute!!! It kind of sounds like the Islamic call to prayer, but whatever. To us it sounds like tickle tickle...who cares if some Pakistani thinks she's praising Allah. She also now knows how to blow a kiss. Oh, melt my heart right now. If you blow her a kiss, she puts her hand up to her mouth and says ,"Mmmmmmm-ah" as she moves it away from her mouth. So sweet.
I digress. She woke up from her morning nap and we packed up a lunch and went to a state park. Lily loves being outdoors and walking around in her backpack. It was in the upper 80s, but nice and breezy...especially under the trees. And it was apparently horse-riding day, so she got lots of excitement over watching the horses stroll by on the trails and of course all the dogs out for a walk. We were right by a creek, and she even got to watch dogs swimming and horses fording the water. I'm telling you, she was in heaven. Andrew was having his own kind of fun catching toads and collecting HUGE leaves. Gotta love fall...even if it was a bit hot.
Came home and watched her mutilate a cupcake. Actually, she didn't know what to do with it, so we asked Andrew to show her. I was expecting him to take a bite to show her how...but instead he tried to put it in her mouth. So cute...it looks like a wedding video. ;) After that one taste, she totally got the idea and was covered from eyebrows to chin in pink icing. After nap, she opened the mountains of presents from her grandparents. After 3 birthdays with Andrew, I've learned to buy virtually nothing...and my children will still receive more than their fair share! Don't worry, I'll have to pay it back when my in-laws move in with us because they've spent all their retirement on baby clothes and toys. ;) Andrew did very well watching Lily open gifts and kept his "helping" to a minimum. This was helped by Memere buying him an Eagles football...he was in heaven. But after watching Lily open her gifts...many of which were fall clothes...he told his grandma, "For my birthday, I want toys, not clothes." Just in case she needed to know ;)
Very nice day. Sweet sweet baby. I can't believe that it's been a year since my most humiliating day ever. She was worth all the puking and back pain and ripping/tearing birthing pain. Such a special girl.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Psssssstttt.....
Come a little closer. I don't want to talk to loudly, lest I jinx myself.
A little bit closer. I'm just going to whisper this next part.
Okay. I'm 12 weeks pregnant. I'm on Day #3 of no puking. I know, I know, it is a miracle worthy of notifying the Vatican. Today I haven't even been tempted to puke. And I had Skyline for lunch (if you don't know what that is, go to Cincinnati and ask for chili on spaghetti). That makes some non-pregnant people want to puke. Can you grasp the amazingness of this??? I think I was about 16 weeks pregnant before I had ONE puke free day with Lily...and I puked several times a week until well past 20 weeks. Could I possibly pass through the worst of "morning/all day" sickness with the passing of my first trimester? There would be no need to chuck "What to Expect When You're Expecting" right through the window on week 13 when it says, 'By now you should be feeling better, with the nauciousness passing" Oh, Holy Heavens. Now that I've whispered this, I'll probably throw up 5 times tomorrow. But regardless...this is going much better than the last time.
Now back to your regularly scheduled blogging.
Edited to add: I kid you not...15 minutes after smugly posting this, I suddenly went upstairs and turned inside out. Had a magnificent technicolor spew. Ralphed. Upchucked. Puked. Threw up. You get the idea. Luckily, Skyline was long gone. Sadly, the piece of pumpkin pie was not...what a waste. I'll have to see if I can keep another piece of that down. But 2 days ain't shabby, right? I have no one but myself to blame for jinxing day number 3. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
A little bit closer. I'm just going to whisper this next part.
Okay. I'm 12 weeks pregnant. I'm on Day #3 of no puking. I know, I know, it is a miracle worthy of notifying the Vatican. Today I haven't even been tempted to puke. And I had Skyline for lunch (if you don't know what that is, go to Cincinnati and ask for chili on spaghetti). That makes some non-pregnant people want to puke. Can you grasp the amazingness of this??? I think I was about 16 weeks pregnant before I had ONE puke free day with Lily...and I puked several times a week until well past 20 weeks. Could I possibly pass through the worst of "morning/all day" sickness with the passing of my first trimester? There would be no need to chuck "What to Expect When You're Expecting" right through the window on week 13 when it says, 'By now you should be feeling better, with the nauciousness passing" Oh, Holy Heavens. Now that I've whispered this, I'll probably throw up 5 times tomorrow. But regardless...this is going much better than the last time.
Now back to your regularly scheduled blogging.
Edited to add: I kid you not...15 minutes after smugly posting this, I suddenly went upstairs and turned inside out. Had a magnificent technicolor spew. Ralphed. Upchucked. Puked. Threw up. You get the idea. Luckily, Skyline was long gone. Sadly, the piece of pumpkin pie was not...what a waste. I'll have to see if I can keep another piece of that down. But 2 days ain't shabby, right? I have no one but myself to blame for jinxing day number 3. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
No Whining...except from me, that is
Pregnant women are forced to survive without wine for an entire 9 months. I think this wine exclusion should include the word "whine." I feel as though I should have exclusive rights to whining for the next several months at least. Selfish? That's right. Welcome to the "Giselle Selfish Bubble of Misery". I'll be residing here for at least the next several weeks.
So my children are full of whine. Especially Andrew. The child won't sleep. Combine that with the fact that I pay virtually no attention to him (see the "Giselle Selfish Bubble of Misery"). Combine that with the fact he's been eating a lot of CRAP since no one is cooking (see the "Giselle Selfish Bubble of Misery"). You get one grouchy, whiny kid. Seriously. Every word is a whine. And he's so daggone destructive. I can hardly get mad at him because I understand he is neglected and simply begging for attention. But I DO get mad at him, because I feel like crap and my nerves are stretched to their limit just from existing these last few weeks. And getting mad at him only makes him MORE grouchy and whiny. Aren't you starting to feel sorry for Jeff right about now?
And poor Lily. Yesterday I took her to get blood drawn while Andrew was at school. When Andrew turned one, he never had this done. So it was all new to me. And they went to draw blood out of her like a real grown-up...rubber band around her arm...trying to find a vein in the crook of her elbow. Amazing. But she has apparently inherited the slippery, sneaky veins that I have and I believe my mother and Memere also have. Lucky girl. So after digging around in her arm a bit, they decided to get 2 vials of blood from her finger. Seriously. Poor Lily was bathed in sweat and tears at the end of that ordeal. I was sooooooo angry. Why torture this poor little thing? And I didn't realize how bad it would be to have an open wound on her finger. Why couldn't they do it in her heel? Because it is dangerous to have a band aid on her finger (I can't find one...and will be looking for it in her diaper). But because she's crawling around on it, it breaks open and bleeds all over everything all the time. I finally put one of those tattoo band aids (that will only come off with the jaws of life). Lily was so upset to have something stuck to her finger, she just followed me around whining and holding her finger out to me, as if to say, "Mooooooom. This sucks! Take it off!" MORE WHINING.
Then there's my whining. Seriously, poor Jeff. To have to go through this a 3rd time is a testament to his love for me and the kids. Half the evenings, dinner makes me so sick, I crawl upstairs into bed to try and keep food down. Andrew is hyperactive and needy. Lily only wants me, so he's constantly fighting her to allow me some down time. Even the damn dog won't leave him alone...lying on his feet whenever he stops to stand still. Andrew got up in the middle of the night with wet pj's...Jeff had to finish the job, because my becoming vertical at 2 am was punished by throwing up stomach bile. He was trying to finish a project in the basement and I brought Lily down to visit. I coughed and immediately thrust the baby into his arms while I went upstairs and lost my lunch. The stories are endless. He's not allowed to kiss me. I don't even want hugs. I've totally retreated into the Giselle Bubble of Misery. So he's working his tail off with no paybacks.
But I would trade with him any day of the week.
I think.
Although I couldn't stand all the whining...at least I could ease the pain with some real WINE!
So my children are full of whine. Especially Andrew. The child won't sleep. Combine that with the fact that I pay virtually no attention to him (see the "Giselle Selfish Bubble of Misery"). Combine that with the fact he's been eating a lot of CRAP since no one is cooking (see the "Giselle Selfish Bubble of Misery"). You get one grouchy, whiny kid. Seriously. Every word is a whine. And he's so daggone destructive. I can hardly get mad at him because I understand he is neglected and simply begging for attention. But I DO get mad at him, because I feel like crap and my nerves are stretched to their limit just from existing these last few weeks. And getting mad at him only makes him MORE grouchy and whiny. Aren't you starting to feel sorry for Jeff right about now?
And poor Lily. Yesterday I took her to get blood drawn while Andrew was at school. When Andrew turned one, he never had this done. So it was all new to me. And they went to draw blood out of her like a real grown-up...rubber band around her arm...trying to find a vein in the crook of her elbow. Amazing. But she has apparently inherited the slippery, sneaky veins that I have and I believe my mother and Memere also have. Lucky girl. So after digging around in her arm a bit, they decided to get 2 vials of blood from her finger. Seriously. Poor Lily was bathed in sweat and tears at the end of that ordeal. I was sooooooo angry. Why torture this poor little thing? And I didn't realize how bad it would be to have an open wound on her finger. Why couldn't they do it in her heel? Because it is dangerous to have a band aid on her finger (I can't find one...and will be looking for it in her diaper). But because she's crawling around on it, it breaks open and bleeds all over everything all the time. I finally put one of those tattoo band aids (that will only come off with the jaws of life). Lily was so upset to have something stuck to her finger, she just followed me around whining and holding her finger out to me, as if to say, "Mooooooom. This sucks! Take it off!" MORE WHINING.
Then there's my whining. Seriously, poor Jeff. To have to go through this a 3rd time is a testament to his love for me and the kids. Half the evenings, dinner makes me so sick, I crawl upstairs into bed to try and keep food down. Andrew is hyperactive and needy. Lily only wants me, so he's constantly fighting her to allow me some down time. Even the damn dog won't leave him alone...lying on his feet whenever he stops to stand still. Andrew got up in the middle of the night with wet pj's...Jeff had to finish the job, because my becoming vertical at 2 am was punished by throwing up stomach bile. He was trying to finish a project in the basement and I brought Lily down to visit. I coughed and immediately thrust the baby into his arms while I went upstairs and lost my lunch. The stories are endless. He's not allowed to kiss me. I don't even want hugs. I've totally retreated into the Giselle Bubble of Misery. So he's working his tail off with no paybacks.
But I would trade with him any day of the week.
I think.
Although I couldn't stand all the whining...at least I could ease the pain with some real WINE!
Friday, September 21, 2007
The Big Reveal
We finally told Andrew last night that we are indeed having another baby. I had another doctor's appointment, where they found the baby's heartbeat with the Doppler. Even though they warned me about 10 times that it was early and they may not be able to find it...they found it really quickly. Gifted baby. Nice and strong, nice and fast...about 160 beats a minute. No more denying it...this baby is here to stay. (as if throwing up after every meal hasn't been convincing enough). And don't even bother telling me it's a girl because it is 160 beats a minute. Both my kids had high heartbeats at this stage, and both dropped. And Lily's was always lower than Andrew's. So there. Old wives' tale...I poo poo you.
Anyhoo, back to telling Andrew. I had my appointment at night, so Jeff could watch the kids. I had told Andrew earlier in the day that I was going to the doctor to find out why I was so sick all the time. Here's how the conversation went once I got home and found Jeff, Lily, and Andrew in a big pile on our big chair.
Giselle: "Well, Andrew, the doctor found out why Mommy keeps getting sick."
Andrew: looks blankly at me...he has already forgotten that I was gone
G: "The doctor found another baby in my tummy!"
(at this point, Jeff has a completely silent, full-blown panic attack, thinking I am announcing that they found twins. Until he realizes that Andrew didn't know about the first baby, and I am talking about another baby besides him and Lily.)
A: Andrew's eyes get huge. "Is it a boy or a girl?"
G: "Well, they can't tell yet. The baby is too small. It's only the size of a grape right now."
A: "A red grape or a green grape?"
G: "No, the baby isn't really a grape...just the size of a grape."
A: "What are we having for dinner?"
Ah...so sentimental.
Anyhoo, back to telling Andrew. I had my appointment at night, so Jeff could watch the kids. I had told Andrew earlier in the day that I was going to the doctor to find out why I was so sick all the time. Here's how the conversation went once I got home and found Jeff, Lily, and Andrew in a big pile on our big chair.
Giselle: "Well, Andrew, the doctor found out why Mommy keeps getting sick."
Andrew: looks blankly at me...he has already forgotten that I was gone
G: "The doctor found another baby in my tummy!"
(at this point, Jeff has a completely silent, full-blown panic attack, thinking I am announcing that they found twins. Until he realizes that Andrew didn't know about the first baby, and I am talking about another baby besides him and Lily.)
A: Andrew's eyes get huge. "Is it a boy or a girl?"
G: "Well, they can't tell yet. The baby is too small. It's only the size of a grape right now."
A: "A red grape or a green grape?"
G: "No, the baby isn't really a grape...just the size of a grape."
A: "What are we having for dinner?"
Ah...so sentimental.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
I miss my mommy
There's nothing like being sick to make you feel loved. From my little dog nuzzling me and looking at me with worried eyes while I vomit. From my little boy who will rub my back and ask how I'm feeling in such a sweet little voice (again as I worship the porcelain God). From my 11 month old little girl who pushes me out of the way so she can try to play in the toilet water. Oh wait. That's not touching. That's disgusting. And especially from my saint of a husband who has really gotten this loving thing down the 3rd time around. Coming home from work and totally taking over the children, tucking me into bed at 8 pm and then doing the dishes, picking up the kids' toys, making the bottles for the next day, etc etc etc. Yes, I feel very loved these last few weeks.
But I miss my mommy. She's not gone for good, I only have to share her with Russia for a few weeks. But there's just something immensely comforting about being sick and having your mom to worry about you. My friends just don't want to hear about it. My kids don't really care if I don't feel well (except for the few fleeting sweet moments like I mentioned above). Poor Jeff is too haggard from being a single parent to really worry about little old puking me. But when Mom is around, I can always count on a sympathetic call during the day, just to check on how I'm feeling. Even if she knows the answer is going to be, "yuck", she will still call to offer her sympathies and lend a listening ear. No mother likes their baby to be sick...and I will always be one of my mom's babies. That's nice. And healing in some sort of way.
It makes me feel really bad for those of you out there without your moms. Because I hate being without mine for just a few weeks. I can't imagine it being permanent.
But I miss my mommy. She's not gone for good, I only have to share her with Russia for a few weeks. But there's just something immensely comforting about being sick and having your mom to worry about you. My friends just don't want to hear about it. My kids don't really care if I don't feel well (except for the few fleeting sweet moments like I mentioned above). Poor Jeff is too haggard from being a single parent to really worry about little old puking me. But when Mom is around, I can always count on a sympathetic call during the day, just to check on how I'm feeling. Even if she knows the answer is going to be, "yuck", she will still call to offer her sympathies and lend a listening ear. No mother likes their baby to be sick...and I will always be one of my mom's babies. That's nice. And healing in some sort of way.
It makes me feel really bad for those of you out there without your moms. Because I hate being without mine for just a few weeks. I can't imagine it being permanent.
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