Month: January 2008

30 Weeks

Published by dee on January 21, 2008

Ten more weeks to go and the nesting has really set in. If I just had a little more energy, my house would be looking fabulous. Unfortunately, after about fifteen minutes of work I’m pretty much drained. I have so many little projects and things that I want to get done before this baby arrives but they will most likely never be accomplished. What I really need is someone to come over who is willing to take orders. If I could just sit in my chair and say, “do this, do that” things might actually get done.

The important things are mostly done though. The crib is up (even though I don’t have the bedding for it yet), the teeny tiny clothes are washed and put away, and the blankets are washed and folded. I still have to take apart and clean the car seat, swing, and vibrating baby seat. I should probably also have some bottles washed and ready to go, but I’ll most likely put all of that off until the last couple of weeks so I don’t have to find places to put it all just yet.

BabyG is definitely making herself known this week. The good news is I have instant entertainment most of the time. I can just sit back and watch my stomach move around. Most of the time I enjoy it, but she has taken me by surprise a few times.

She’s also taking her toll on my body. Sleeping has become more and more difficult over the last couple of weeks. I find myself tossing and turning all night just trying to find a position that is actually comfortable. I haven’t found it yet and I’m pretty sure I won’t find it again until after BabyG is born.

I finally managed to get the 3D sonogram pictures scanned this weekend so I can share them. The pictures didn’t come out as well as I was hoping, but we did get to bring home a video of the session on dvd and she is actually much easier to see on the video. BabyG had her face turned toward my back the whole time so it was difficult to get a clear shot of her face. We did get a great picture of her leg though and re-confirmed that she is indeed a girl.

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My Favorite Maternity Accessory

Published by dee on January 17, 2008

Shortly after Zach was born, I kept seeing all of these really cool pregnancy related things online that I wish I would have had when I was pregnant. I kept thinking to myself, “I really need to remember that for the next time around.” One of those things was the Bella Band. When I first found out I was pregnant with Baby G, I found a cheaper version of the Bella Band at Target and purchased it right away. It was definitely helpful, but not the miracle that I had hoped it would be. It does work great for keeping the belly covered, but doesn’t really keep up those ill-fitting maternity pants that always seem to fall down.

That’s where the Belly Ups come in. I put off buying them because I just kept thinking it would be a waste of money. Then my maternity pants started getting too small and I had to go up a size. The next size up was a little too big and since I can’t exactly wear a belt with this bulging belly my pants were constantly falling down. Fortunately I remembered something about some maternity suspender-type things that hooked onto a bra strap. It only took one quick internet search to find them. Then it was just a matter of finding the lowest price. I lucked out at Amazon and found them for only $12.50 (with free shipping!) and ordered them right away. I was still a little skeptical but figured anything that promised to keep my pants up was worth at least $12.50 and I was so right.

My Belly Ups arrived in the mail on Monday and I’ve used them every day since then. I think I’m in love. I still find myself tugging at my pants from time to time, but I don’t have to worry about them falling to my knees as I walk across the parking lot with my hands full (which was very much a concern only a few days before). The only thing that could make them better is if they could somehow keep my shirt down over my bulging belly that always seems to be hanging out.

My only complaint about the Belly Ups is that I didn’t buy them earlier. I’ve already recommended them to a couple of friends who are currently pregnant and if I ever find myself that way again I will definitely buy some more.

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Yet Another Catch-up Post

Published by dee on January 16, 2008

Wow, time flies when you’re having fun, eh? Things have been busy, busy, busy around my house and for once I’m not complaining about it. The main reason for all the busyness is that I’ve been working on a new web site. It is something that I’ve had in my head for a while now and for some reason I decided now is the time to get it started up. I’m putting a few finishing touches on the site, then need to get a little bit of content going on it, and then it will be time to reveal it to the world…or at least to the few people that actually read my other sites.

When I wasn’t glued to the laptop working on my site, we’ve actually been doing a few other things. Friday night we met some friends at the bowling alley. I wasn’t going to let Zach bowl since there weren’t enough slots left on the lanes, but I quickly discovered that bowling isn’t a great activity for a woman who is 29 weeks pregnant. Even though I used a lighter ball than I normally would, it was putting way too much strain on my already stretched out belly and ligaments. When Zach told me he wanted to “throw the ball” I was more than happy to let him take over. I think I had more fun watching him and hanging out with my friends anyway.

When the bowling was over and done the older kids headed off to play some laser tag and I got some time to chat with my friend while Zach and Daddy spent some time in the game room. They played a few games and then hit the air hockey table. The air hockey was a big hit with Zachary. It’s not often that I manage to capture his big cheesy grin on the camera but it was easy to catch while they were playing. He was having a great time.

Saturday morning Brian and Zach were both up bright and early. I thought they might need a little father-son bonding time, so I went back to bed and slept until noon. I have to say it was the best Saturday morning I’ve had in a long time. After I got up, Hubby and I set up the baby crib in Zach’s room. He asked a few questions about it but in general seemed fine with it being there. I spent the rest of the day doing pretty much nothing and enjoyed every minute of it. I definitely need to work on putting more days like that in my schedule.

We’re still working really hard on potty training and it is going very well. Zach is telling me more and more often when he needs to go. He even wore underwear to school yesterday for the first time and stayed dry all day. I’m hoping today goes as well. It is so nice to know that he’s finally getting it.

Baby G and I had our 30 week check up with my doctor this morning. Everything is looking great and it seems that she has already turned head-down in preparation for her arrival. We had a 3D scan done last week and as soon as I manage to scan the prints I’ll be sharing them. We didn’t get very clear pictures of her face, but we saw enough to know that she’s going to look an awful lot like her big brother.

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We May Be Closer Than I Thought

Published by dee on January 10, 2008

Remember just a few days ago when I was complaining because I thought there was no way Zach would be potty trained by the time his little sister arrives? Well, I may have spoken a bit too soon. I may regret actually coming out and saying it, but he is doing very well this week. Not only is he staying dry during the day (generally one accident but that’s major progress!), but he’s also staying dry overnight. If I can get him to the bathroom quick enough after he wakes up in the morning, his pull-up is dry and he pees in the toilet.

Over the last couple of days, he has started actually telling me when he needs to go instead of having to rely on a timer. I still try to take him every hour or so, but I don’t worry so much if we don’t get there right on the dot. I can almost trust that he will tell me when he really needs to go. He seems to be getting much better control over his bladder.

If he keeps at this pace, I may actually let him wear his new Buzz Lightyear underwear to school next week. That will be the true test. Of course I would prefer that he starts pooping in the toilet as well before we do that. He has gone in the toilet several times, but it isn’t very consistent and most often ends up in the pull-up rather than the toilet.

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Child Care Dilemma

Published by dee on January 8, 2008

Back in July, only a few days before I found out I was pregnant with Baby G, Zach started at a new preschool/day care. The home day care provider that he had been with since he was 6 weeks old had decided to stop doing day care so we didn’t really have a lot of choice as to whether to move him or not at the time. I had been feeling like he needed a little more structure and stimulation anyway so I chose a church day care program that offered a preschool program rather than looking for another home day care. The transition was difficult for Zach at first, but after a while he got to where he was really enjoying his new school. He seems to really like his classmates and is learning so much there.

When I found out I was pregnant I freaked out a bit about the cost of sending another child to day care. I asked about infant care costs at Zach’s school and about died when I heard the answer. $175 a week (which is probably $185 now considering the recent $10 a week increase) may not seem like a lot to some, but for us it is pretty much out of the question. This means I either have to take Zach out of a school where he seems to be thriving or I’ll have to have my two children in two different day care centers. That means no multiple child discounts plus two day care drop offs and two pick ups every day.

On top of the money issues, I found out just yesterday that Zach’s day time teacher is no longer going to be there. The afternoon teacher is stepping up into her position. I’m really not upset about the change in teachers because Zach actually seems to prefer the afternoon teacher. The only problem is that the teacher who will now be his full-time teacher is pregnant and is due within a week of me. That in itself isn’t a problem, but Zach has been having a really difficult time with any kind of transition or change lately. So, not only will he be dealing with a major change at home when I have this baby, he’ll also have to deal with a change in teacher at school at the same time. Talk about screwing up his world. I haven’t talked to his teacher or school administrators about this yet so there may be some options available, but right now I’m feeling pretty uneasy about it.

The thought crossed my mind that maybe I should be looking into a new day care now that could accommodate both Zach and the new baby when she arrives. I really hate to move Zach again so soon, and I don’t even know if I could find anything cheaper. I don’t want to put him back in a home day care because I feel like the structured school environment has been really good for him but there is a big difference in cost.

If I really had my way, I would work from home, put Zach in part-time preschool, and keep Baby G home with me for a couple years until Zach is old enough for kindergarten. When you take out the cost of child care from my paycheck (after adding a second child) I’m really not making much at all anyway. I would definitely miss my insurance and other benefits but the benefits of being home with my children would more than make up for it. If I thought I could make enough money working at home to make ends meet I would do it in a heartbeat.

I know before I make any decisions I need to talk to Zach’s school administrators. I need to find out what plans (if any) are in place to transition the kids when his teacher goes on maternity leave. I need to decide what is going to be best for him and get a better idea of what infant care is going to cost for his little sister. I’m sure in the end it will all work out somehow. I have to think that it will anyway or I’ll get myself entirely too stressed out about it and the last thing I need right now is more stress.

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Who Needs a Camera?

Published by dee on January 7, 2008

Just after complaining about my three year old camera yesterday, I saw this in my feed reader this morning. Momsational is giving away a Nikon CoolPix P5100 and I would really love to win it. Telling you all about this increases my chances of winning slightly, but please don’t go enter the contest because that would lower my chances, right? Who am I kidding? I’m not going to win anyway. I’m just not that lucky!

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