I'm flying solo tonight. Part of Ty's Father's Day-of-choice was to spend a little pre-festivities time with his brother tonight. They are hunting tonight. Yes...you read that right.....hunting. Remember how I told you awhile back that Ty is now into bow hunting? Well, there are really big, scary looking wild boars that live in the canyons near our house (Ty and Rod have several pictures of them to prove it! I'll have to post one or two sometime!) and they have spent quite a few evenings camped out in their special little blind (a tent-like camouflage used for hunting) in their little secret spot, as they wait for a little (er....big) piggie to mosie their way. So far, of the 5 or so times they've been out, they have been within shooting distance of a piggie two or three times, but have had no luck in killing one. And I'm not complaining about that AT ALL! I'm happy to have them bond over the 'thrill of the hunt' since it is one of the few things that they do together that reminds them of precious time spent with their dad while he was alive, but I am not so thrilled about the prospect of wild boar meat in my freezer! Ty tells me its the best pork I'd ever come across, as it is much healthier than their grain-fed counterparts from the farm, but I just don't think that I will be able to overcome my mental block about it. Eeewww!!!! So while I eagerly listen to him talk about the adventures of the night, I am also secretly thankful that they did not make a kill. Yuck...yuck...yuck! I can still be a supportive wife and still not be over the moon about the prospect of a stuck pig, right?
Anyway.....'nough about that. My point in saying all that is that Ty is gone for the evening and I am here, typing away in silence. Luke is in bed, getting a MUCH needed and hopefully LONG night of sleep, the house is picked up and the dog is fed. Phew! We had a good day today, but towards the end, Luke was a tired boy, vacillating between giggles and tantrums like a sleep-deprived schizophrenic! Ugh! He was driving me crazy!!!! But I sent him to bed peacefully, and hopefully he will awaken in the morning a new boy!
So what did we do today??? Well....this morning we headed over to Sarah's house to have my 'belly' pictures taken. :) Luke and Ty were there too, and we got some great family shots as well as some really fun ones of just me. I had a blast! And am so thankful to have such a talented friend! (Thanks, Sarah!) When I was pregnant with Luke, I had always dreamed of having maternity portraits done, but both money and his premature birth stole that opportunity from me. I was very sad about that! So, to have them done today was extremely precious and meaningful to me.....even healing in a way! It really meant the world to me! It's a little awkward to have the camera turned on me for a change, but I had a blast nonetheless! Ty took Luke home around lunchtime, while I hung around Sarah's awhile longer to take some more shots, review the pics and chat a bit over lunch. Such a fun morning for me!
Once I made it home, it wasn't long before Ty headed over to his brother's house to 'prepare' for their little adventure, and Luke and I headed back out to prepare for Father's Day! At Ty's request, we will stay home tomorrow (its been an awfully long week for him with having to work Monday through Saturday due to a training/presentation he had to give today) so he is very much looking forward to some R&R with us at home tomorrow. He requested fillet mignon, broccoli (a random choice in my book, but whatever), garlic bread and Newcastle beer for dinner, so we had some grocery shopping to do today. I'm planning on breakfast in bed for him too, so we scooped up a few extra items for omlettes in the morning. In trying to add a little special twist for dessert, Luke and I drove up to Oak Glen to pick up a very yummy, homemade dutch apple pie. They sell the best apple pies up there! MMMMM!! I ended up picking one of for my own dad too....thought he might like that! We stopped at a little country candy store on the way out and Luke picked out a chocolate covered marshmallow on a stick for his special treat, while I opted for the old Oak Glen standby....a carmel apple. Yum! We sat outside in the sunshine and tried to enjoy a little mother-son time, but that schizophrenia I spoke of earlier decided to rear its ugly little head just then, and Luke threw a fun little tantrum 'round the picnic table. Nice. That kinda ruined 'the moment', but oh well. We dropped by my parent's house after that to deliver the pie and wish Grandpa a Happy Early Father's Day, and then it was to the grocery store and home. A busy day. And I'm feeling it now as I sit here. Phew! I think it will be an early night for me.
But before I go........
I'd like to propose a little vote. Wanna play along? Many of you have asked whether or not we have officially decided on a name for the baby yet, and the truth is, we haven't. We have narrowed it down to two, with the middle name being the same for both, but we are both so completely undecided about which one we like best that we cannot seem to make a decision! We really like both names and vacillate almost daily as to which one we like best. Some days I'm sure its one, then the next its absolutely the other. Ty's been the same way. Back & forth and back & forth we go! We've tried asking Luke which one he would prefer, and he always just chooses the last one we say. No luck there, I guess. We've polled just about everyone we know and there seems to be a consensus among you, but I thought it would be fun to have you all vote formally online, just for giggles.
Now....let me just say, that we are in no way choosing the most heavily voted for name simply because it is the favorite.....it can still go either way, but I'm curious to know what you all like. And since I like them equally, well.....I'm just interested in your answers. So here is the deal......if you are a willing participant, you need to click the 'comments' button at the bottom of this posting, choose between the two names I provide, AND tell me WHY you are choosing that name. The 'why' part of it is just as important to me as the choice itself! Also....are there any weird rhyming 'issues' or reasons why we may not want to choose the other name? Simply telling me in person (if I see you or talk to you regularly on the phone) will not suffice this time. I want your answer on the blog for me to keep track of! (Aren't I being a little demanding?! hehe!) And......if you don't like either one, its not nice to tell me so or offer other suggestions! ;) It will be one of these. So.......with all that said, here are your two choices:
Lainey Paige McLaughlin
or
Ellie Paige McLaughlin
Let the voting begin!
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Friday, June 15, 2007
29 weeks today!
Today marks my 29th week of pregnancy! Whoa! 29 weeks! It is going by so fast! (I know, I know! I keep saying that, but its so true!) It's a little surreal for me to think that in 13 short days with Luke's pregnancy, he was here! THIRTEEN days from now?! Crazy! I, in no way, feel that this baby will be here in 13 days! HORRAY! Physically, I feel pretty good..keeping in mind that most women at this stage are all experiencing some level of discomfort. I am no different. I am sleeping very poorly at night due to my alternating crushing rib pain or insomnia. They seem to like to take turns. For the last week or so, I think I've probably only netted about 4 nonconsecutive hours of sleep each night. :( Blegh. But last night, I went to bed a little early (I was actually asleep by 10:10) and when I woke for my nightly pitstop around 1:30am and the rib pain was intensifying, I opted to arrange my pillows for a night of sleeping sitting up. That probably doesn't sound like much fun to you, and if I had the choice, I wouldn't prefer it either, but I was SOOOOO thankful that it took away my pain!! I actually slept on through until Luke came in at 5:45! YIPPEEE! SLEEP! :) Oh! The mental difference between sleep and no sleep! I feel like I can conquer the world this morning! Praise God! Along with my sleeping woes, this little girl has brought me the dreaded pregnancy heartburn (which I never experienced with Luke....not even once!) and lots of other small ales. Varicose veins, lots and lots of Braxton-Hicks, and a few unmentionables. :P BUT.......in the scheme of things, I care not one bit about those things if it means I can get closer to term with her! In fact, when I was talking to Ty about them the other day I even said, "I hope I don't sound like I'm complaining too much. Yes, I am uncomfortable at times, but at-least I'm getting the opportunity to experience the things I didn't with Luke." That is truly how I feel. Hopefully, I don't sound like TOO much of a whiner!
Okay......enough about pregnancy.....almost. Before I end that topic for the day, here is a picture of my Luke-belly at 29 weeks.....just for comparison sake. Do you think I look the same, smaller or bigger????
Speaking of Luke....the cold that threatened him earlier in the week turned out to be not-so-bad! He still has a little bit of a runny nose, but it never really progressed past that! Yay! And so far, I've managed to avoid it. Yay again!!!
He did the sweetest, most compassionate little gesture last night that I have to share with you because it just melted my heart. We work a lot on compassion, kindness and concern for others around here, since most toddlers are naturally very self-oriented at this age. We want to teach him, (over time of-course) that he is not the center of the universe....that other people and their feelings are just as, if not sometimes more, important than himself. And we're working on the whole 'sharing' thing too. But anyway......back to last night. Ty was at bible study late, so Luke and I were flying solo for dinner, bath and bedtime. After our dinner of yogurt, salad (for me) and fruit (that's what he wanted, so I obliged!) we headed out front to ride his bike to the mailbox and to play for awhile. We've been taking short walks as a family after dinner lately, or just spending time outside once the weather has cooled off, and we typically include Tess too. Well....last night, I didn't feel like bringing Tess along, but she got super excited as we headed outside...thinking that she was going to go too! Well....apparently she got TOO excited and when we climbed the stairs to head for the bathtub after our little play time, I discovered that she had piddled on the carpet at the top of the stairs. A VERY BIG NO-NO and something that sparks instant anger in me! She knows better, but when she gets excited like that and hasn't gone outside for awhile, she has been known to piddle. Grrrrr!!!!!
So, as rage against her engulfed my heart, I tried really hard to not loose my cool in front of Luke. Instead, I sternly scolded Tess, placed her in her crate and gathered the rags and cleaners for the cleanup. As I'm sitting at the top of the stair, grunting as I scrubbed the carpet (the belly is definitely in the way now!) Luke says: "Bad dirl, Tessy. Pee'd on the tarpet. Bad dirl!" "Yes," I said. "Tess was naughty and pottied on the carpet instead of outside. That made mommy feel very angry at Tess. Mommy doesn't like it when Tess does that!" And that's when Luke, who was sitting to my left at the top of the stairs, wrapped his little arm over me, rubbed my back in a circular motion and said "Mommy feels angry....its otay, Mommy." And then he leaned over and kissed my side. Awwwwww! My sweet, sweet child. I felt such a mix of pride at his behavior and guilt for the level of anger and frustration I was feeling inside. I rally had wanted to throw a tantrum! I was so mad! But his little reaction was so humbling and comforting. I stopped what I was doing and gathered him into my arms for a hug....thanking him for being so kind and telling him how much better he had made me feel. I don't think I'll forget that moment for a long time. It was just one of those that sticks with you....a teaching, humbling moment from such a tiny child. He had a heart of gold just then! Well...he has a heart of gold always......it just shows through sometimes more than others.
I think I will end my post with that today. Its breakfast time and the natives are restless. :) As I look forward to the weekend ahead, I hope that yours is wonderful!
Okay......enough about pregnancy.....almost. Before I end that topic for the day, here is a picture of my Luke-belly at 29 weeks.....just for comparison sake. Do you think I look the same, smaller or bigger????
Speaking of Luke....the cold that threatened him earlier in the week turned out to be not-so-bad! He still has a little bit of a runny nose, but it never really progressed past that! Yay! And so far, I've managed to avoid it. Yay again!!!
He did the sweetest, most compassionate little gesture last night that I have to share with you because it just melted my heart. We work a lot on compassion, kindness and concern for others around here, since most toddlers are naturally very self-oriented at this age. We want to teach him, (over time of-course) that he is not the center of the universe....that other people and their feelings are just as, if not sometimes more, important than himself. And we're working on the whole 'sharing' thing too. But anyway......back to last night. Ty was at bible study late, so Luke and I were flying solo for dinner, bath and bedtime. After our dinner of yogurt, salad (for me) and fruit (that's what he wanted, so I obliged!) we headed out front to ride his bike to the mailbox and to play for awhile. We've been taking short walks as a family after dinner lately, or just spending time outside once the weather has cooled off, and we typically include Tess too. Well....last night, I didn't feel like bringing Tess along, but she got super excited as we headed outside...thinking that she was going to go too! Well....apparently she got TOO excited and when we climbed the stairs to head for the bathtub after our little play time, I discovered that she had piddled on the carpet at the top of the stairs. A VERY BIG NO-NO and something that sparks instant anger in me! She knows better, but when she gets excited like that and hasn't gone outside for awhile, she has been known to piddle. Grrrrr!!!!!
So, as rage against her engulfed my heart, I tried really hard to not loose my cool in front of Luke. Instead, I sternly scolded Tess, placed her in her crate and gathered the rags and cleaners for the cleanup. As I'm sitting at the top of the stair, grunting as I scrubbed the carpet (the belly is definitely in the way now!) Luke says: "Bad dirl, Tessy. Pee'd on the tarpet. Bad dirl!" "Yes," I said. "Tess was naughty and pottied on the carpet instead of outside. That made mommy feel very angry at Tess. Mommy doesn't like it when Tess does that!" And that's when Luke, who was sitting to my left at the top of the stairs, wrapped his little arm over me, rubbed my back in a circular motion and said "Mommy feels angry....its otay, Mommy." And then he leaned over and kissed my side. Awwwwww! My sweet, sweet child. I felt such a mix of pride at his behavior and guilt for the level of anger and frustration I was feeling inside. I rally had wanted to throw a tantrum! I was so mad! But his little reaction was so humbling and comforting. I stopped what I was doing and gathered him into my arms for a hug....thanking him for being so kind and telling him how much better he had made me feel. I don't think I'll forget that moment for a long time. It was just one of those that sticks with you....a teaching, humbling moment from such a tiny child. He had a heart of gold just then! Well...he has a heart of gold always......it just shows through sometimes more than others.
I think I will end my post with that today. Its breakfast time and the natives are restless. :) As I look forward to the weekend ahead, I hope that yours is wonderful!
Monday, June 11, 2007
Weekend Review
6/12/07 Ammendment.....
Had to add this little ammendment into my blog from yesterday for Laura's sake.....just to set the record straight. Poor Laura...I sounded like a very ungrateful friend in my blog....from the way I typed it, it seemed that my visit with her was blase and boring. That is SO not what I meant! My visit with her was actually the highlight of my day, to be honest! How I relish the ability to sit and shoot the breeze with my girlfriends!! I'm such a dork! The REST of the day was rather boring, but to have her come to visit, bring me a yummy lunch and a present.....that was very fun! Sorry, Laura for my lack of clarity! :) Can I blame it on pregnancy brain???? :) LOL!
Why is it that the weekends always fly by and the weekdays seem to drag on a bit longer???? Hate that. Friday is always the true start to our weekends, since Ty is off of work and home around 2pm. LOVE that! As I sit here and type, I can't even recall what we did. Must've been pretty interesting! LOL! Oh wait....yeah.....no...it was pretty boring. Ty and Luke napped together in the afternoon, while I visited with Laura for awhile. She came up to deliver my birthday present (a nice little gift card to Motherhood! Yay! Shopping!) and to bring me a sandwich from my favorite little deli! A belated birthday celebration! After she left and the boys awoke, we all worked on the baby's room for a spell. Ty began putting up the chair rail and I attempted to switch a piece on the crib because it looked like they were backwards. I soon came to realize (after I had already taken half the crib apart!) that I had been wrong in the first place and it was right from the very beginning. I'm a big doofus! I was just a teeny bit frustrated and actually wanted to throw the whole crib out the window, but I soon got it all put back together the right (read: original) way and took a snack break with Luke. Then we headed out to the garage and did this to the back of Baby's dresser:
Fun, huh?! It was Ty's idea, and a good one at that! Speaking of Ty, he had a boy's night out planned, so I took Luke to the park and then to Grandma's and Grandpa's for a surprise visit. We stayed for dinner and were home in time for bath and bed.
Saturday was a busy day for me. Sarah, Hudson, Luke and I decided to hit up a HUGE community garage sale in the Ranch where we used to live in the morning. There must've been upwards of 100 different garage sales going on throughout all the different neighborhoods! I went with the intention of finding Luke some dump trucks and garage-type toys that he can destroy in the backyard (who wants to spend top dollar for toys that are going to be destroyed in the dirt of our backyard?!) and some play clothes for him to wear while he uses those toys! I spent a whopping $10 and came home with 4 cool books, 3 really nice, like-new hand puppets, a grocery sack full of very gently used play clothes and some dump trucks for Luke. Whoohoo! I'd never been garage-sale'ing before, but it was pretty fun! We grabbed Starbucks on the way and got to pal'd around for a few hours. Fun!
I was home in time for lunch, and was happy to find that Ty had nearly completed the chair rail project. We just need to touch up the paint, and then I will post some pictures! Luke and I were both zonked from the early morning and napped together for a few hours in mommy's big bed. He was so sweet when we laid down! He said to me "Cuddle close to you...." and scooted his little body as close as he could get it to mine, nuzzled into my neck and gave me a tiny kiss on my lips before saying "G'night, Mom." Sweet child! After naps, we had plans to drop Luke at my mom's for the night while Ty and I went to a charity fundraiser for Krystal, who is walking in the 3-day breast cancer walk in November. It was a Bunco night and we had a blast!
Sunday was a work day for me. The NICU this week, so I headed to work around 9am and the boys hung out together for the day. Luke is starting to come down with another cold, I think. My Gym must be the culprit this time around. There were a couple snot-nosed kiddos there on Thursday. I'm making sure to keep as far away from his germs as possible this time though! I'm not about to get sick again! After I got home from work, we made a yummy dinner together when I got home, took Luke and Tess for a nice walk and then once Luke was in bed, Ty and I lounged (and fell asleep!) on the couch watching a movie. And that was the end of our weekend.
Today entailed a quick trip to Dr. Hage's office for my second Rogam shot and grocery shopping. Luke was adorable as always at the doctor's office. As we waited in the waiting room, he kept saying "Our turn now?" and I kept having to remind him that we needed to wait. Then he saw Dr. Hage through the receptionist window, cocked his head to one side, pointed at him and said, "Dr. Haaaage! See him, Mommy!" Of-course, when Dr. Hage did infact peek through the window to say hello, Luke clammed up and wouldn't speak. Silly boy! The same thing happened when we went back to our room for my shot and Dr. Hage was in the hallway. Luke was very supportive during my poke, and offered his hand for me to hold for comfort! Sweet child! And finally, as we got ready to leave, I naturally needed to make a pit stop at the restroom before we headed out (for the umteenth time that day, I might add!) and Luke, being so familiar with our 'doctor's office routine', grabbed the sharpie pen, a specimin cup and said "Here ya doe, Mommy." once we were in the bathroom! When I told me him that I didn't have to go potty in the cup today...that I would be doing that next week, he looked so confused and tried harder to shove the little plastic cup my way! LOL! He cracked me up. Once I had done my thing, he even moved toward to toilet and held the cup right over the opening to the bowl as one would when you give a specimin. Does anything get past this kiddo??!
I also took a some time to snap my 28 week preggo pictures. Here's the next installment for all you who just couldn't wait to see. I know you all must've been early awaiting the new one, huh?! :) I had to re-do the format, since the original one was getting a bit too long to post.
So....that's my day. And my weekend. More to come soon, I'm sure, but the little munchin just peeked around the corner....guess nap time is over! Adios!
Had to add this little ammendment into my blog from yesterday for Laura's sake.....just to set the record straight. Poor Laura...I sounded like a very ungrateful friend in my blog....from the way I typed it, it seemed that my visit with her was blase and boring. That is SO not what I meant! My visit with her was actually the highlight of my day, to be honest! How I relish the ability to sit and shoot the breeze with my girlfriends!! I'm such a dork! The REST of the day was rather boring, but to have her come to visit, bring me a yummy lunch and a present.....that was very fun! Sorry, Laura for my lack of clarity! :) Can I blame it on pregnancy brain???? :) LOL!
Why is it that the weekends always fly by and the weekdays seem to drag on a bit longer???? Hate that. Friday is always the true start to our weekends, since Ty is off of work and home around 2pm. LOVE that! As I sit here and type, I can't even recall what we did. Must've been pretty interesting! LOL! Oh wait....yeah.....no...it was pretty boring. Ty and Luke napped together in the afternoon, while I visited with Laura for awhile. She came up to deliver my birthday present (a nice little gift card to Motherhood! Yay! Shopping!) and to bring me a sandwich from my favorite little deli! A belated birthday celebration! After she left and the boys awoke, we all worked on the baby's room for a spell. Ty began putting up the chair rail and I attempted to switch a piece on the crib because it looked like they were backwards. I soon came to realize (after I had already taken half the crib apart!) that I had been wrong in the first place and it was right from the very beginning. I'm a big doofus! I was just a teeny bit frustrated and actually wanted to throw the whole crib out the window, but I soon got it all put back together the right (read: original) way and took a snack break with Luke. Then we headed out to the garage and did this to the back of Baby's dresser:
Fun, huh?! It was Ty's idea, and a good one at that! Speaking of Ty, he had a boy's night out planned, so I took Luke to the park and then to Grandma's and Grandpa's for a surprise visit. We stayed for dinner and were home in time for bath and bed.
Saturday was a busy day for me. Sarah, Hudson, Luke and I decided to hit up a HUGE community garage sale in the Ranch where we used to live in the morning. There must've been upwards of 100 different garage sales going on throughout all the different neighborhoods! I went with the intention of finding Luke some dump trucks and garage-type toys that he can destroy in the backyard (who wants to spend top dollar for toys that are going to be destroyed in the dirt of our backyard?!) and some play clothes for him to wear while he uses those toys! I spent a whopping $10 and came home with 4 cool books, 3 really nice, like-new hand puppets, a grocery sack full of very gently used play clothes and some dump trucks for Luke. Whoohoo! I'd never been garage-sale'ing before, but it was pretty fun! We grabbed Starbucks on the way and got to pal'd around for a few hours. Fun!
I was home in time for lunch, and was happy to find that Ty had nearly completed the chair rail project. We just need to touch up the paint, and then I will post some pictures! Luke and I were both zonked from the early morning and napped together for a few hours in mommy's big bed. He was so sweet when we laid down! He said to me "Cuddle close to you...." and scooted his little body as close as he could get it to mine, nuzzled into my neck and gave me a tiny kiss on my lips before saying "G'night, Mom." Sweet child! After naps, we had plans to drop Luke at my mom's for the night while Ty and I went to a charity fundraiser for Krystal, who is walking in the 3-day breast cancer walk in November. It was a Bunco night and we had a blast!
Sunday was a work day for me. The NICU this week, so I headed to work around 9am and the boys hung out together for the day. Luke is starting to come down with another cold, I think. My Gym must be the culprit this time around. There were a couple snot-nosed kiddos there on Thursday. I'm making sure to keep as far away from his germs as possible this time though! I'm not about to get sick again! After I got home from work, we made a yummy dinner together when I got home, took Luke and Tess for a nice walk and then once Luke was in bed, Ty and I lounged (and fell asleep!) on the couch watching a movie. And that was the end of our weekend.
Today entailed a quick trip to Dr. Hage's office for my second Rogam shot and grocery shopping. Luke was adorable as always at the doctor's office. As we waited in the waiting room, he kept saying "Our turn now?" and I kept having to remind him that we needed to wait. Then he saw Dr. Hage through the receptionist window, cocked his head to one side, pointed at him and said, "Dr. Haaaage! See him, Mommy!" Of-course, when Dr. Hage did infact peek through the window to say hello, Luke clammed up and wouldn't speak. Silly boy! The same thing happened when we went back to our room for my shot and Dr. Hage was in the hallway. Luke was very supportive during my poke, and offered his hand for me to hold for comfort! Sweet child! And finally, as we got ready to leave, I naturally needed to make a pit stop at the restroom before we headed out (for the umteenth time that day, I might add!) and Luke, being so familiar with our 'doctor's office routine', grabbed the sharpie pen, a specimin cup and said "Here ya doe, Mommy." once we were in the bathroom! When I told me him that I didn't have to go potty in the cup today...that I would be doing that next week, he looked so confused and tried harder to shove the little plastic cup my way! LOL! He cracked me up. Once I had done my thing, he even moved toward to toilet and held the cup right over the opening to the bowl as one would when you give a specimin. Does anything get past this kiddo??!
I also took a some time to snap my 28 week preggo pictures. Here's the next installment for all you who just couldn't wait to see. I know you all must've been early awaiting the new one, huh?! :) I had to re-do the format, since the original one was getting a bit too long to post.
So....that's my day. And my weekend. More to come soon, I'm sure, but the little munchin just peeked around the corner....guess nap time is over! Adios!
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Little Earthquakes....
So............
Those of you who know me really well know that I'm a little bit of an earthquake phobic. Living where we do and having gone through several large quakes (one where I was completley alone), I'm a freak about being prepared and I have this immediate instinct to jump up from where ever I am and RUN to the nearest doorway at the slightest threat of one. I can usually hear them coming before they really begin, or I feel that teeny-tiny sense of shaking, and I'm off to the doorway before even I know what's happening. It's kinda funny. It just happens. So....why am I telling you all of this? Well....three times now in the last week, I have felt that 'earthquake instinct' to run to the door, however only once (a few nights ago while laying in bed just before sleep) have I actually RUN for the door. And do you know why? Baby kicks. Tiny, but body bolting baby kicks. Ha! Isn't that hilarious!?! (And kinda embarrassing!) :) Her movements have changed now that she is bigger and she doesn't just kick and nudge in one spot so much anymore. Nope. Now her movements are whole body movements and come from multiple directions at once; jolting out in different directions at the same time and rumbling my innards. In my own defense, the night that I actually jumped out of bed, it really wasn't because of the baby. It was actually the dog's fault. She was laying on Ty's side of the bed where I could not see her and did not know she was there. She did something that rattled our bed and caused that low, deep, quiet rumbling sound for the briefest of instants and sure enough, my flight or flight instinct had me up and halfway to the door before I could say "Boo!". I scared Tess too with my bolting, and she made the dash with me! Ha! I'm laughing at myself as I'm sitting here typing....its pretty funny to think about! But the other two 'episodes' have been when I am sitting really still on the floor, propped against a big pillow for support while I put on my makeup in the morning. I must just be so still in those moments and her little jumps and jiggles feel like an impending quake. I haven't actually gotten UP for those, but I do admit to feeling that very familiar, brief moment of panic until I realize it was just my teeny-tiny babe in my belly. Silly me!
Aside from belly quakes, this week hasn't been quite as humorous! I was car-less for all of Monday and Tuesday, since Ty's car was in the shop AGAIN...costing us WAY too much money to repair. We hadn't really planned on another repair (who does, I guess!) and especially so soon, but so it goes. During the last poop-out on his car, we had talked about how, if the car had more problems, we would re-evaluate as to whether or not to repair or search for a new car. That was our intention this time around, and we told the car repair place to phone us with their repair estimate BEFORE they made the repairs, so that we could decide. But, having the bad luck we do, they just went ahead and made the repairs and then called us. Hmmph! I was miffed, but what are ya gonna do at that point? So, we dumped more money into a car that is worth hardly nothing and now we pray, pray, pray for a good, long while until something else goes wrong with it. We really can't afford a car payment right now.
And how long did our good, long while last before something else happened to it? FOUR HOURS. Yes.....you read that right. Four hours. I picked up his car on Tuesday afternoon at 4pm and Ty had a bow-hunting club meeting at 7pm that night. While he was parked at the meeting, someone backed into the driver-side front wheel well and completely dented/trashed it. So much so, that Ty had to get help from the fellow members to pull the metal out enough so that he could open his door. There was no note....and Ty had no idea who might have been the culprit. Talk about bad luck, eh? Ty went back into the meeting (that was now over) and talked to the president (it was held at his house) and they determined who had been parked next to/kinda in front of him. Ty was quite upset, as you might expect, and the president of the club was very adamant that we would all get to the bottom of it. In his words "If there is some who is a member of this club who behaves in such a way, there will be some serious discussions at the next meeting. I will not tolerate this kind of thing." Most of the members are upstanding, honorable, christian men, so our chances of having a positive outcome were pretty good. Ty got the email of the guy they thought was parked near him....an older gentleman, with a large truck. Ty emailed him last night and sure enough, he emailed back saying that he had in fact felt 'something' when he was leaving, but when he got out to investigate, he didn't see anything and left. He admitted to be in a hurry to leave and anxious to get home, as his wife had just had a biopsy that day. :( Guess that bad luck wasn't just ours. He gave Ty his insurance information and we'll get to figuring out the details today. Thank goodness he was honest! But it still means another trip to a repair shop. Maybe since it was a 'collision' the rental reimbursement from our insurance will actually take effect this time. I won't hold my breath!
Okay...enough gloom. In our time at home the last few days, Luke and I have actually been pretty productive. The baby's dresser is now completely painted and the inside of the drawers sealed, and the chair rail is now ready to be installed (FINALLY!) The paint color came out just fine the second time around and hopefully her room will be ready to 'move into' this weekend.
Since we had to miss Gym on Tuesday due to the lack of car, I took Luke down to the free play session yesterday afternoon and he had a BLAST! I guess he's getting used to the routine because as soon as we walked in the door, he made a b-line for the carpet circle and sat down, just as we do during class time when we begin. Except, during free play, there is no circle time. Kids of all ages just come to play, with no structure. Once I explained this to Luke, he didn't hesitate one moment longer, and he was off running for the remainder of the hour. Literally. He ran from activity to activity; giggling and smiling the entire time at the prospect of doing whatever his little heart desired! He buried himself in the ball pit several times, ran up and down and up and down the carpeted slide/ramp, attempted to climb the rock wall, jumped on the trampoline ump-teen times and even played a cooperative game with an older girl using a gigantic rolling circle. Good times! He was happily exhausted when we left!
I've also been quite the cook the last few days. I've been on a banana bread baking kick this last month, and have actually made at-least one recipe a week of the stuff. I'm been searching for a super-moist, awesome recipe and had to try 4 until I hit the jackpot yesterday with one I picked up on the net and varied a little. Mmmmmm....it was perfectly banana-y and moist! yum! I made a double recipe (I had WAY too many bananas that were ripe) and tucked one away in the freezer to eat when Baby comes home. I made homemade enchiladas on Monday....a tedious process but oh so good, and tucked a tray of those away in the freezer too, for later. And last night, I made our favorite oven-baked fried chicken tenders for dinner. I'm actually pretty proud of myself...in the last week, I've made 5 of the 7 dinners we've eaten from 'scratch' rather than frozen from a bag (read: Trader Joe's gnocci or Orange Chicken with rice). A pretty good track record for me! I am fairly consistent in cooking a sit-down meal for my boys....that is, when Ty is home for dinner, but to make it all from scratch is less of a consistency for me. Yay for me! I guess when you're home ALL day, with no option to leave, you have more time to be Suzie Homemaker! :)
Well....this morning will be our make-up My Gym class for Luke at 10:30 and then a errand to JC Penny to pick up a drapery rod for our curtains in the kitchen, and then home, I guess. Not too much planned. It's just nice to be out and about! :) I'm going to run for now to 'shake a tower' and get ready for my day! Happy Thursday, peeps! :)
Those of you who know me really well know that I'm a little bit of an earthquake phobic. Living where we do and having gone through several large quakes (one where I was completley alone), I'm a freak about being prepared and I have this immediate instinct to jump up from where ever I am and RUN to the nearest doorway at the slightest threat of one. I can usually hear them coming before they really begin, or I feel that teeny-tiny sense of shaking, and I'm off to the doorway before even I know what's happening. It's kinda funny. It just happens. So....why am I telling you all of this? Well....three times now in the last week, I have felt that 'earthquake instinct' to run to the door, however only once (a few nights ago while laying in bed just before sleep) have I actually RUN for the door. And do you know why? Baby kicks. Tiny, but body bolting baby kicks. Ha! Isn't that hilarious!?! (And kinda embarrassing!) :) Her movements have changed now that she is bigger and she doesn't just kick and nudge in one spot so much anymore. Nope. Now her movements are whole body movements and come from multiple directions at once; jolting out in different directions at the same time and rumbling my innards. In my own defense, the night that I actually jumped out of bed, it really wasn't because of the baby. It was actually the dog's fault. She was laying on Ty's side of the bed where I could not see her and did not know she was there. She did something that rattled our bed and caused that low, deep, quiet rumbling sound for the briefest of instants and sure enough, my flight or flight instinct had me up and halfway to the door before I could say "Boo!". I scared Tess too with my bolting, and she made the dash with me! Ha! I'm laughing at myself as I'm sitting here typing....its pretty funny to think about! But the other two 'episodes' have been when I am sitting really still on the floor, propped against a big pillow for support while I put on my makeup in the morning. I must just be so still in those moments and her little jumps and jiggles feel like an impending quake. I haven't actually gotten UP for those, but I do admit to feeling that very familiar, brief moment of panic until I realize it was just my teeny-tiny babe in my belly. Silly me!
Aside from belly quakes, this week hasn't been quite as humorous! I was car-less for all of Monday and Tuesday, since Ty's car was in the shop AGAIN...costing us WAY too much money to repair. We hadn't really planned on another repair (who does, I guess!) and especially so soon, but so it goes. During the last poop-out on his car, we had talked about how, if the car had more problems, we would re-evaluate as to whether or not to repair or search for a new car. That was our intention this time around, and we told the car repair place to phone us with their repair estimate BEFORE they made the repairs, so that we could decide. But, having the bad luck we do, they just went ahead and made the repairs and then called us. Hmmph! I was miffed, but what are ya gonna do at that point? So, we dumped more money into a car that is worth hardly nothing and now we pray, pray, pray for a good, long while until something else goes wrong with it. We really can't afford a car payment right now.
And how long did our good, long while last before something else happened to it? FOUR HOURS. Yes.....you read that right. Four hours. I picked up his car on Tuesday afternoon at 4pm and Ty had a bow-hunting club meeting at 7pm that night. While he was parked at the meeting, someone backed into the driver-side front wheel well and completely dented/trashed it. So much so, that Ty had to get help from the fellow members to pull the metal out enough so that he could open his door. There was no note....and Ty had no idea who might have been the culprit. Talk about bad luck, eh? Ty went back into the meeting (that was now over) and talked to the president (it was held at his house) and they determined who had been parked next to/kinda in front of him. Ty was quite upset, as you might expect, and the president of the club was very adamant that we would all get to the bottom of it. In his words "If there is some who is a member of this club who behaves in such a way, there will be some serious discussions at the next meeting. I will not tolerate this kind of thing." Most of the members are upstanding, honorable, christian men, so our chances of having a positive outcome were pretty good. Ty got the email of the guy they thought was parked near him....an older gentleman, with a large truck. Ty emailed him last night and sure enough, he emailed back saying that he had in fact felt 'something' when he was leaving, but when he got out to investigate, he didn't see anything and left. He admitted to be in a hurry to leave and anxious to get home, as his wife had just had a biopsy that day. :( Guess that bad luck wasn't just ours. He gave Ty his insurance information and we'll get to figuring out the details today. Thank goodness he was honest! But it still means another trip to a repair shop. Maybe since it was a 'collision' the rental reimbursement from our insurance will actually take effect this time. I won't hold my breath!
Okay...enough gloom. In our time at home the last few days, Luke and I have actually been pretty productive. The baby's dresser is now completely painted and the inside of the drawers sealed, and the chair rail is now ready to be installed (FINALLY!) The paint color came out just fine the second time around and hopefully her room will be ready to 'move into' this weekend.
Since we had to miss Gym on Tuesday due to the lack of car, I took Luke down to the free play session yesterday afternoon and he had a BLAST! I guess he's getting used to the routine because as soon as we walked in the door, he made a b-line for the carpet circle and sat down, just as we do during class time when we begin. Except, during free play, there is no circle time. Kids of all ages just come to play, with no structure. Once I explained this to Luke, he didn't hesitate one moment longer, and he was off running for the remainder of the hour. Literally. He ran from activity to activity; giggling and smiling the entire time at the prospect of doing whatever his little heart desired! He buried himself in the ball pit several times, ran up and down and up and down the carpeted slide/ramp, attempted to climb the rock wall, jumped on the trampoline ump-teen times and even played a cooperative game with an older girl using a gigantic rolling circle. Good times! He was happily exhausted when we left!
I've also been quite the cook the last few days. I've been on a banana bread baking kick this last month, and have actually made at-least one recipe a week of the stuff. I'm been searching for a super-moist, awesome recipe and had to try 4 until I hit the jackpot yesterday with one I picked up on the net and varied a little. Mmmmmm....it was perfectly banana-y and moist! yum! I made a double recipe (I had WAY too many bananas that were ripe) and tucked one away in the freezer to eat when Baby comes home. I made homemade enchiladas on Monday....a tedious process but oh so good, and tucked a tray of those away in the freezer too, for later. And last night, I made our favorite oven-baked fried chicken tenders for dinner. I'm actually pretty proud of myself...in the last week, I've made 5 of the 7 dinners we've eaten from 'scratch' rather than frozen from a bag (read: Trader Joe's gnocci or Orange Chicken with rice). A pretty good track record for me! I am fairly consistent in cooking a sit-down meal for my boys....that is, when Ty is home for dinner, but to make it all from scratch is less of a consistency for me. Yay for me! I guess when you're home ALL day, with no option to leave, you have more time to be Suzie Homemaker! :)
Well....this morning will be our make-up My Gym class for Luke at 10:30 and then a errand to JC Penny to pick up a drapery rod for our curtains in the kitchen, and then home, I guess. Not too much planned. It's just nice to be out and about! :) I'm going to run for now to 'shake a tower' and get ready for my day! Happy Thursday, peeps! :)
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
10 weeks and 2 days left....
There is only 10 weeks and 2 days left until this baby is scheduled to arrive!! It is coming so quickly now! Ty and I set up the crib last week, and as we were sitting there on her bedroom floor assembling crib parts, I realized just how quickly she will be here! Yikes! I distinctly recall the day that I sat at our computer when I was pregnant with Luke and wrote out my monthly email update for friends and family (no blogger or babies online at that point!) and I was talking about how we only had 9 short weeks left until his due date! I remembering feeling just a little overwhelmed that it was so soon! And I also remember Ty's reaction at the time....which happened to be the opposite of mine. "Oh.....what are you worried about, hun? We still have NINE WEEKS left!" It was four days later that Luke was born. :( Little did we know!
Not that I'm thinking this little one will arrive in the next week or anything. No. I actually feel a LOT more confident these days that I just might make it to my scheduled c-section date, but I have to giggle inside at the reactions that Ty and I are both having at this same point. All I have to say is that at-least we are consistent....we are both feeling the same things we felt with Luke around this time. I'm in a bit of a panic that we won't be ready and am anxious to get every little thing possibly done NOW, and he is a little more on the "What are you worried about" side of the coin. "We'll get everything done....don't worry." he tells me. I sure hope he's right! :)
As far as the room goes, we are making good progress. The crib is assembled, the walls are painted and as of last night there is just one final coat of paint that needs to be put on both the chair rail and the her new dresser, and the big parts of her room will be complete. We brought the dresser home on Friday (thanks to my dad's help!) and Ty worked on painting everything while I worked on Sunday. Too bad that our luck with paint colors is so terrible, because we would have been done yesterday if it wasn't! I had taken a piece of the crib down to the paint store to have them match the white for the dresser and the chair rail, and they did what I asked of them. However, once the paint was actually ON the pieces, it was much more GREY in color than white. Grrrr! The crib apparently is not bright white, it's a little on the grey side of white. And grey is NOT what I had in mind for her room. So.....once Ty arrived home yesterday, I zipped on down to Redlands for a new color and we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the garage painting. I'll be glad when it's done!!!
I guess I haven't blogged since my birthday, eh? Well....the day turned out to be WONDERFUL!!! Very relaxing and rejuvenating! My massage and facial were fabulous! The lady who did my massage was an older, grandmother type, (which I was a little surprised about at first) but who was so grandma-like and nurturing that I wouldn't have wanted anyone else! She was the kind of woman who uses endearing terms when she talks to you like "dear" and "honey" and I felt as though I were one of her grand kids as we talked about the baby coming and she shared in my excitement. So cool. She offered a great prenatal massage, and I found out later that she does in fact have 4 kids of her own and 8 grand kids.....and she still wants MORE! She was definitely a sweet woman!
Anyway..........after my massage, my mom willingly kept Luke and Tess at her house for an extra hour while I went home to a very empty and VERY QUIET house to get ready for our dinner out. I put on some relaxing 'spa' music and took my time readying myself for evening. I was like mush when I picked Luke up for dinner.....all relaxed and happy!
The rest of the weekend was nice too! We didn't do much on Friday except pick up Baby's crib, get Luke a much needed haircut, and hang out at home, but Saturday was a bit busier. I had a photo shoot in the morning, so Ty tagged along and kept Luke entertained at the park while I did my thing. Luke was happy to spend some time swinging and playing with Daddy, even if the morning resulted in a skinned knee! :( He's a trooper though, and it hardly fazed him. Saturday night was our special dinner with my friends, and that was a lot of fun too! Probably the last fancy dinner we'll be sharing for quite some time! The food was delish and the company good...what more could I ask for???? :)
I worked in the ED on Sunday, so most of my day was shot. But we indulged my craving that morning for coffee and doughnuts, which was fun! We NEVER eat doughnuts, but I was craving them intensely Sunday morning, so we all threw on our slippers and a sweatshirt and piled into the car to get some! Luke was impatient in the backseat on the way home as the sweet smell of all that sugar wafted his way and kept asking "Dough-no, peeeeeese!" The inside of my car had just been vacuumed, so there was not a chance he was getting his chocolate sprinkle-covered doughnut in the car! Instead, we snuggled on the couch when we got home and ate them, as Ty and I giggled at how cute Luke was in his attempts to pick off just the right sprinkle! Good times!
I was without a car yesterday since Ty's car is in the shop AGAIN (grrrrrrr!) so Luke and I were home bound yesterday until Ty got home. It was actually kind of nice to have an excuse to NOT go anywhere. We lingered long in our pj's and played silly games in the morning until I decided that I should probably get some laundry and chores done. So Luke helped me dust the house, strip the sheets off his toddler bed for washing, and followed me around while I did my chores. He's actually a pretty good helper 'round the house! Then, like I said, we headed outside in the afternoon to paint and Luke stayed cool playing with the squirt bottle, mister and water cans on the driveway. The afternoon ended at the dinner table with homemade enchiladas (my favorite recipe from my dad) and a little more rough-housing for Ty and Luke before his bedtime. Luke found a deflated Trader Joes balloon in his playroom and we snapped these silly pictures of us.....his impersonation of me! :) He ran around the house giggling with that balloon tucked up under his shirt....he thought he was hilarious!
Well.....I think that's 'bout it for me today. Kinda a boring re-cap post, but oh well! Luke just got up for the day, so I should be going. Look for the next installment of belly pics in the next few days...... :)
Not that I'm thinking this little one will arrive in the next week or anything. No. I actually feel a LOT more confident these days that I just might make it to my scheduled c-section date, but I have to giggle inside at the reactions that Ty and I are both having at this same point. All I have to say is that at-least we are consistent....we are both feeling the same things we felt with Luke around this time. I'm in a bit of a panic that we won't be ready and am anxious to get every little thing possibly done NOW, and he is a little more on the "What are you worried about" side of the coin. "We'll get everything done....don't worry." he tells me. I sure hope he's right! :)
As far as the room goes, we are making good progress. The crib is assembled, the walls are painted and as of last night there is just one final coat of paint that needs to be put on both the chair rail and the her new dresser, and the big parts of her room will be complete. We brought the dresser home on Friday (thanks to my dad's help!) and Ty worked on painting everything while I worked on Sunday. Too bad that our luck with paint colors is so terrible, because we would have been done yesterday if it wasn't! I had taken a piece of the crib down to the paint store to have them match the white for the dresser and the chair rail, and they did what I asked of them. However, once the paint was actually ON the pieces, it was much more GREY in color than white. Grrrr! The crib apparently is not bright white, it's a little on the grey side of white. And grey is NOT what I had in mind for her room. So.....once Ty arrived home yesterday, I zipped on down to Redlands for a new color and we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the garage painting. I'll be glad when it's done!!!
I guess I haven't blogged since my birthday, eh? Well....the day turned out to be WONDERFUL!!! Very relaxing and rejuvenating! My massage and facial were fabulous! The lady who did my massage was an older, grandmother type, (which I was a little surprised about at first) but who was so grandma-like and nurturing that I wouldn't have wanted anyone else! She was the kind of woman who uses endearing terms when she talks to you like "dear" and "honey" and I felt as though I were one of her grand kids as we talked about the baby coming and she shared in my excitement. So cool. She offered a great prenatal massage, and I found out later that she does in fact have 4 kids of her own and 8 grand kids.....and she still wants MORE! She was definitely a sweet woman!
Anyway..........after my massage, my mom willingly kept Luke and Tess at her house for an extra hour while I went home to a very empty and VERY QUIET house to get ready for our dinner out. I put on some relaxing 'spa' music and took my time readying myself for evening. I was like mush when I picked Luke up for dinner.....all relaxed and happy!
The rest of the weekend was nice too! We didn't do much on Friday except pick up Baby's crib, get Luke a much needed haircut, and hang out at home, but Saturday was a bit busier. I had a photo shoot in the morning, so Ty tagged along and kept Luke entertained at the park while I did my thing. Luke was happy to spend some time swinging and playing with Daddy, even if the morning resulted in a skinned knee! :( He's a trooper though, and it hardly fazed him. Saturday night was our special dinner with my friends, and that was a lot of fun too! Probably the last fancy dinner we'll be sharing for quite some time! The food was delish and the company good...what more could I ask for???? :)
I worked in the ED on Sunday, so most of my day was shot. But we indulged my craving that morning for coffee and doughnuts, which was fun! We NEVER eat doughnuts, but I was craving them intensely Sunday morning, so we all threw on our slippers and a sweatshirt and piled into the car to get some! Luke was impatient in the backseat on the way home as the sweet smell of all that sugar wafted his way and kept asking "Dough-no, peeeeeese!" The inside of my car had just been vacuumed, so there was not a chance he was getting his chocolate sprinkle-covered doughnut in the car! Instead, we snuggled on the couch when we got home and ate them, as Ty and I giggled at how cute Luke was in his attempts to pick off just the right sprinkle! Good times!
I was without a car yesterday since Ty's car is in the shop AGAIN (grrrrrrr!) so Luke and I were home bound yesterday until Ty got home. It was actually kind of nice to have an excuse to NOT go anywhere. We lingered long in our pj's and played silly games in the morning until I decided that I should probably get some laundry and chores done. So Luke helped me dust the house, strip the sheets off his toddler bed for washing, and followed me around while I did my chores. He's actually a pretty good helper 'round the house! Then, like I said, we headed outside in the afternoon to paint and Luke stayed cool playing with the squirt bottle, mister and water cans on the driveway. The afternoon ended at the dinner table with homemade enchiladas (my favorite recipe from my dad) and a little more rough-housing for Ty and Luke before his bedtime. Luke found a deflated Trader Joes balloon in his playroom and we snapped these silly pictures of us.....his impersonation of me! :) He ran around the house giggling with that balloon tucked up under his shirt....he thought he was hilarious!
Well.....I think that's 'bout it for me today. Kinda a boring re-cap post, but oh well! Luke just got up for the day, so I should be going. Look for the next installment of belly pics in the next few days...... :)
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