Try 3

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The pregnancy

19 weeks starts tomorrow- I can't believe how fast the past few weeks have gone by. This is the typical pattern of my pregnancies though- the beginning drags because it's so completely miserable and every minute feels like hours and now that I feel mostly OK, it flies by. Of course, I know this good feeling won't last- next comes the heartburn, SPD, return of fatigue and exhaustion, etc...but I'll still take all of those over the puking and nausea.

I'm now starting to feel consistent flutters and I even felt some good kicks this morning. They felt so strong for a few seconds that I put my hand on my belly and could feel them from the outside! UNfotunately, I was driving so I couldn't share with daddy or big sister, but their turns will come. Anya still pulls up my shirt several times a day to kiss the baby and talk to it. She's eager (as we all are) to find out the sex so we can at least give "it" a pronoun. Anya is convinced it's a girl, although she does realize that it could very well be a boy and she's OK with that too. As long as we name him/her Angel. Hmmmm.....I hope she doesn't get TOO disappointed!

Mastian

Sebastian's language and general knowledge base have continue to just explode lately. He's now able to count to 10 and then he throws in a few random teens for good measure. He diligently points out EVERYTHING we pass as we drive- cars, trucks, buses, diggers, etc....as well as stores and buildings. Today Nana took him shopping at a supermarket that we pass every day, but I rarely shop in myself. As we passed it on the way home, he pointed it out and told Anya and I how he and Nana shopped there today. He's also great at spotting BJ's and of course MIckey D's (and he reminds me that they have chicken and fries there too).

He's still such a lovey, affectionate little boy.... he never refuses to give a kiss or hug when requested and often offers them unsolicited. The best is when you pick him up and he wraps his arms around you and squeezes as hard as he can. He also puts his head on your shoulder....I'm going to miss that when he's "too big" for that stuff- I wish there were a way to can it up!

Poor kiddo has been battling a cough for over a week now...the fevers have gone away, but his persistent wet cough is around. Thankfully, he's not fighting the nebulizer now so I'm hoping that more frequent treatments will help.

The Princess and the Seam

I think I've mentioned before that Anya is all about comfort. For a loooooong time, it was impossible to keep clothes on her. Finally, that passed and she switched to "comfy clothes" or jammies. She's still in this phase, so all she'll wear out of the house are soft pants like sweats or skirts with tights. Forget jeans- too rough and the buttons pinch her (insert eye-roll here). The second we walk through the door, she changes from these clothes into jammies- no matter what time of day it is. She will take a break from the jammies to play dress-up, but as soon as that's over, it's back to jammies.

The newest phase is her obsession with the seams of her socks or tights. She HATES when they get under or at the tips of her toes. This seriously interferes with our morning routine since George or I have to spend some time adjusting her socks accordingly. This morning was particularly rough since she insisted on wearing a specific skirt and top with her princess boots. Because these boots are padded inside, she refuses to wear socks or tights, which was the start of the battle. When she realized she was going to lose that one, she put on a pair of tights and of course the seams bothered her. After a few adjustments, it was clear that these ones wouldn't do, so I offered her another pair Once again, no dice......and the tantrum began. By now it was time to get packed and into the car, but she was in a tizzy. Somehow, George managed to get her to agree to one of the 3 pairs of socks I offered and we were off. Boy howdy can mornings be rough with a 4 year old drama queen!!!

Sickies again

Poor Baz has been battling another cold for the past week. It started with a croupy cough last Sun night, then progressed to a wet cough and fevers through the week. I had figured that he developed yet another ear infection and planned on calling the ped tomorrow, but he's been fever-free since yesterday (or at least only a low-grade fever at best), so maybe we can avoid the abx. I finally convinced him to do the nebulizer (steam) a few times, which I think has really helped a lot.

Anya picked it up a little but hers has just been a little bit of coughing during the day and a lot of dry coughing throughout the night. What a deep sleeper she is now (after 3.5 years of NOT sleeping)....I felt so bad that I went in with a sippy of water (we've been trying to take that away in the hopes of MAYBE night training her someday) and even though she was actively coughing with me there, she couldn't wake up enough to take a sip.

Another weekend bites the dust

Wow- it's been a while since my last entry...I can't believe how fast the days fly by! I'm up to 18 weeks already and now that food is no longer the enemy, time is passing super quickly. It really is a treat to not feel like crap day in and day out. For the past few days, I've only had little minor waves of nausea here and there. Of course, I'm now really enjoying everything I eat and allowing myself to indulge in things I otherwise wouldn't. Gotta take advantage of the only time it's good (or at least OK) to gain weight, right? My level II ultrasound is this Thurs and we're eagerly looking forward to seeing our newest little bean and finding out the sex (hopefully!)

As usual, today (Sun) was a whirlwind. I don't know who said that Sunday is a day of rest, but they sure weren't a mommy. Since Baz was up twice between 4 and 4:45, he slept in a little (as in 7:00), but Anya was up at the usual 6:30, so my day started then. After making and cleaning up from breakfast, the playtime began and this involved making many messes (as usual). I did manage to clean and tidy up as we played together and I even got to changing all the beds and cleaning the bathrooms before we headed out to Home Depot. Thankfully, both kids cooperated and it really wasn't painful at all. We even rewarded them with a stop at Wally World for some pink play sand for their sandox. Of course, as we left the stores, the rain was falling, but they forgot about the sand by the time we got home. As Baz took his nap, Anya and I played in the hot tub (ahhhhhh...still loving every second of it!!!), then back to cleaning and laundry. I managed to vacuum all the rugs and even mop the kitchen floor- go mommy!!! By the time Nana and Dada showed up to pick Anya up for her sleepover, even the family room was picked up and looking neat. Another dip in the hot tub with both kids and grandparents and Anya was off for the evening. What a treat it is to only have one kiddo to manage! We had a nice dinner, a little Yo Gabba Gabba, then bath and bed. While George bathed Baz, I folded and put away the rest of the laundry and that was the end of the day. It really is nice to have the entire house in order, even though I know that in a few hours it will all be a disaster again, but I'm enjoying it now!

Whew!

So it seems that Baz is not only learning how to enter the "terrible two's" but how to really be a boy as well. And it's tiring.me.out... THe day started out great (except for the dull headache I woke up with)- a nice dip in the hot tub with the kid followed by a little housework as the kids played together. Of course, there were a few scuffles, but nothing noteworthy. AFter the plumber came and cleaned out the pipes, we were off to the beach. I wonder if these kids will realize just how lucky they are to have so many beaches available to them.

We had our picnic lunch as the kids dug in the sand. Since we got there early, it wasn't too crowded so they could spread out a bit. We had to end that part of our day when Baz became tired of boring sand and shells and wanted to play football with the big kids. Unfortunately for mommy, those "kids" were on the opposite end of the beach and boy can that kid run fast!!!! After chasing and retrieving him twice, we managed to pack up and head over to the playground.

This part was nice for mommy because Anya acted like a fantastic big sister and chased after "her brother" wherever he went. I'm glad I caught my breath because next on the agenda was a trip to the supermarket. It really wasn't bad- my list wasn't long and I didn't need lunchmeat so by the time Baz was seriously trying to climb out of the "car", we were checking out.

Nap was a no-go.....he usually goes down between 10 and 11 and we got home close to 2 so I wasn't sure what would happen. After hearing him scream for 15-20 minutes, I gave up in the hopes of MAYBE getting a full night's sleep tonight. I'll let you know what happens,but I'm not going to hold my breath. As a result of the nap situation, the witching hours were particularly challenging. As I mentioned before, Baz's favorite word and activity is dump and he seeks out water bottles. No matter how high/far away I put them, he manages to get to them. And then open the cap (which I have turned as tightly as I can). And then dump the contents on the floor and himself. Between 3 and 6 I cleaned up no less than 4 such messes. At least it's just water I suppose.

After dumping water and sitting through the resultant time-out, he headed over to the markers and proceeded to color on the counters and floor. TIME OUT again.... (as mommy cleans up the washable mess). Next he decides to pull the stepstool over to the counter and throws EVERYTHING on the counter to the floor. Right on top of the dirt I had just swept up and didn't have time to put into the garbage yet. Ack.

After a deep breath and a little help from George, I managed to get everything cleaned up and put away. Once dinner was out of the way, bedtime was near so I knew it would be OK. I only had Baz to put down since George and Anya are out seeing Muppet Treasure Island. He was out cold in seconds, so now I'm resting. Ahhhhhh..... The joys of a 2-year old boy.....

Milestones

While I'm thinking about it, I want to document what Baz is up to at the 2 year mark. He's easily speaking in 2,3, and 4 word phrases. He's always pointing to things (i.e. a Bandaid on his finger or tools, etc) and saying "mommy did it" or "Pap Pap did it". He's such a happy guy that sometimes whatever he says strikes him as funny and he says "funny" and laughs.

He's been able to count as high as 8 on several occasions and can identify numbers 1 and 6 (thanks to Thomas!). He knows a bunch of shapes and can easily place the perfection pieces in the appropriate slots. He's known several colors for a while now- red, pink, black, purple. He still mixes up green and blue, but so did Anya so this must be fairly common. He loves identifying things, such as animals and trucks. After reading his books, he'll seek out cars, trucks, trains, animals, etc everywhere.

Singing is his new fave....he always asks me to sing to him before bed and often wants specific songs. If I start a song he doesn't want, he'll say "no" until I get to the song he does want. My faves are "Hush little baby" and "do-Re-Mi" because he joins in with me. Not only does he get the words right, but he's pretty close to hitting the notes too!

His manual dexterity seems to be pretty strong, too...he picks up most toys and after playing for a short time, figures out how to do it and goes to town.

DUMP

Dump seems to be Baz's favorite word lately. Granted, his vocab explodes even more daily, but this is a fun word. Why? Because it immediately precedes the creation of whatever lovely mess he's imagining. Stupid preggo mommy keeps forgetting about this and leaves partially full water bottles around and he easily twists the caps off and.......DUMP! The other fun one is when he pushes a kitchen chair over to the water and ice dispenser on the refrigerator. He brings a cup with him, fills it with ice and water and once again...DUMP! The problem is that the receptacle underneath doesn't have a drain, so pretty soon there's another mess. I sure hope this "word" passes before I hit the third tri- bending down to clean up water and oodles of toys will not be fun then!

Baz had his 2 year checkup the other day and it was happily uneventful. He's maintaining his weight percentile (10-25th) and increased the length one (25-50th). I suppose that's why he looks like a string bean! He surprised everyone there when he threw a tantrum about getting dressed. Usually, the worst they see is his desire to run around like a lunatic, but this time they saw the full-on crying, thrashing and kicking. Luckily, he followed through as usual- when he realized that I wasn't going to back down, he gave in and reverted to his usual easygoing behavior. I hope that this is a sign that the terrible twos won't be too tough for him (or us), although I know better than to count on that!

Speaking of tantrums, they have definitely picked up lately for both kiddoes. Baz's seem to just be typical boundary- testing, but Anya's are more challenging. She gave us a run for our money before work one morning- it took both of us to calm her down and get her dressed, and it was tough! She's also acting out against Sebastian lately- pinching him when she thinks we're not looking or just hauling off and hitting him. If it weren't for the fact that they play so well together at other times, I'd be concerned.

Sebastian

Wow, where did those 2 years go? It's so amazing to see what this tiny little baby has grown into in that time. The past few weeks have been very busy for him. His language is exploding- he repeats everything he hears, but he also forms his own short sentences. My favorite words right now are "trigangle", "basket-ka-ball" and (I can't rememer the 3rd right now, but it'll come to me).

He's been counting up to 8 so far and he can recognize a few numbers. 1 is Thomas' number and 6 is Percy, so he has those down! Story time is also big with him. We've always had story time before bed with Anya since he was born, but until lately, he usually ran around and played as she sat and listened. All of a sudden,he insisted on reading his own books and they MUST be read every night. It started with Baby's first Animals (he would point out every animal on each page) and Goodnight Moon, but we added in some Saundra Boynton books for variety and he loves them as well.

What a moosh this kid is- he never refuses a kiss or hug when requested and often offers them on his own. Most times when I pick him up, he immediately plants his head on my shoulder and squeezes my shoulders. He never sits alone to watch tv- he's gotta have someone to cuddle with or else he's running around playing instead.

Unfortunately, Baz is still a 2 year old (almost) and true to form, he's learning to test his boundaries. It is amusing because somehow Anya's dramatics have escaped him so when he wants to throw a tantrum, he grabs something close to him and throws it down. When that doesn't get a reaction, he'll first sit, then lay down on the floor and start crying. When THAT doesn't get a reaction, he rolls over and cries as he's laying face down on the hard floor. That's as bad as it gets and he usually gives up after a few minutes.....easy peasy compared to his drama queen sis!!!

I have lots more to tell about him and Anya, but I want to save some for another day..... here's hoping I have a few more days of feeling good!

Pregnancy update

After the past couple of days, I can definitely understand why some women enjoy or at least don't mind pregnancy. I've been able to stay awake a little later but still have energy during the day. In fact, I've gotten tons of things done around the house in addition to playing with the kids. I know better than to count on the rest of the pregnancy being like this, but I'm enjoying it while I can! It's so amazing to be able to enjoy each day without counting the hours (minutes sometimes) until the kids are in bed so I can crash on the couch.

I'm feeling the heartburn beginning and the back pain is starting, but neither is terrible and both are preferable to nausea and vomitting!

How do I love thee?

What a tremedously great idea it was to get a hot tub for Christmas. Granted, the actual buying, acquiring, and installation were not fun tasks, but now that it's in, I'm in love. The kids and I are in it at least once a day and twice on my days off. George joins us when he can, but his work schedule is a little tougher than mine. Hopefully soon we can enjoy some cool summer nights in the tub sans kids! I'm going to go through withdrawal (as will the kids I imagine) after I pop out this kiddo and won't be able to go in for a while. I'm going to have to do some research and see if it REALLY takes 6 weeks for your cervix to close up!

Oh, how I am looking forward to turning the heat up a bit in the fall when I can safely do that and maybe even enjoy a brown ale as I soak!!!!

Poll

My Level II ultrasound, where we will hopefully find out the sex of the baby, is scheduled for May 1, so I added a gender poll. Guess away!!!!

A great day

After months of feeling like crap all the time, I finally had a day where I felt great. In addition, it was the kind of day that made me think that MAYBE I could hack it as a SAHM. It started with az waking at 5am....kinda sucky, but OK because I planned to take him for his 2 year bloodwork at 7, so I could dose him with some EMLA. I did have to substitute a popsicle for his "shake", but he accepted it as a good alternate.

Once Anya woke up, it only took the promise of doughnuts to coerce her out of her jammies. The kids were incredible at the lab- they sat quietly until our turn. Baz sat perfectly still while his blood was being drawn as ANya hid her head in the chair, but she was ready with the Fantastic 4 Band-aid when the time came. Baz happily deposited his urine specimen, much to the tech's surprise (little did she know that peeing in and on things is his favorite pastime!).

We had a nice breaky at Dunkin Donuts- both kids sat quietly and ate their sugary breakfast, then back home.

Anya's kindergarten registration went mostly well- she easily did her screening test as Baz threw a tantrum. The only snag was that she hasn't had her 2nd MMR dose (it's usually given at the 5year checkup by our ped) and they wouldn't let her even REGISTER without an appt card. HUH???? As if that proves that she will be getting the vax at that appt. If I had known that, I would have pulled out an old card andchanged the date. As it happened, I was able to reach the ped and she faxed over a card, but it was a hassle. Oh well, as long as we accomplished the registration!

Baz fell asleep on the way home, so ANya and I had some time together. After lunch and a dip in the hot tub, I managed to clean some floors and do laundry. It's amazing what I can do when I'm not about to hurl!!! Once Baz woke up, we all spent some time playing and cleaning outside in the lovely spring day. Anya taught Baz how to dig for worms and slugs- yippee!!

Swimming was great- Baz quietly watched Lilo& Stitch as I watched ANya. SHe really is quite a fish nowadays! Dinner and bedtime went smoothly for Baz and ANya is having a special movie night with daddy. A local theater is running Ghostbusters this week, so they're out seeing that.

And now I had a little time to blog....if only every day at home went so smoothly!

Anya and the baby

On the other hand, Anya is so incredibly excited about this new baby. Several times daily, she pulls my shirt up and kisses the baby. She talks to "it" all the time and tries to hear the heartbeat. She thoroughly enjoyed my last OB visit where we scored an ultrasound thanks to an anterior placenta obscuring the heartbeat. Her eyes were so wide as she watched the baby move around and open and close its mouth.

Tomorrow I have to call to schedule her kindergarten screening- how did my baby get big enough for kindergarten??? She just loves playing school, which is nice- obviously she must enjoy it. If only I could get her to write using lowercase letters instead of all caps.

She's also getting excited to take ballet classes. She isn't actually enrolled yet, but we've told her she can start soon. For a while, she insisted that she only wanted to be a dentist, so she couldn't take ballet too! Her swimming is great, particularly since we go into the hot tub at least once a day. Granted, she can't swim far in the tub, but she sure does practice going under a LOT.

Pregnancy

A word to future me (in case I ever actually go back and read this). If for some strange reason, you think you just have to have another baby- ADOPT!!! I'm sure my attitude wil change once I make it to the glorious days of raging heartburn, backaches, SPD, and pure exhaustion, I'll be singing a different tune, but for now, it just plain sucks. I spend a large portion of each day trying to breathe deeply to keep the nausea under control and that's the good days. Granted, I have had a handful of days lately with little or no nausea, but they are far outnumbered by the sick days. Add in the fatigue and mood swings and this is just not pleasant. I am so completely jealous of the women who are able to forget that they're preggo. I don't think I ever get that.

OK- enough about my misery- I just wanted to document that in case I get a case of the baby rabies and somehow only remember the "good" parts (you know, labor and delivery- the END!!!)