There are a few things that you should never, ever say to a pregnant woman. Honestly, I thought they were kind of obvious. Apparently not so I'm gonna facilitate a brief review for my readers.
But let's first start off with what you should say. All of the following will certainly be appreciated:
"You look beautiful!" "You're just glowing!" "Wow, you are all baby." "You look so cute pregnant!" "I didn't even know you were pregnant from the back."
But pretty, pretty please, do not ever say any rendition of any of the following to anybody:
"How far along are you again? Wow, you're looking big!" "You're much bigger this time around, aren't you?" "You look tired." "Wow, you already have the back fat!" "You should get up and get it. You need the exercise." "You're showing already??" "I think you're having a boy because you look haggard."
Folks, I'm so excited to announce that tomorrow is my Dad's last day of work!! He will be officially retired by sundown. I'm so proud of him! He has worked faithfully for ARCO/BP for his entire career and is well known by all at the plant after his 30+ years of service there. I have many fond memories of ARCO/BP including numerous camping trips to ARCO Park (the company's employee recreation area) the annual family picnic and collecting rocks and shells on the beach at the rec area. I even spent a summer out there as a paid intern in their medical center during my college years.
CONGRATS DAD ON YOUR RETIREMENT!!!
I'm including a little blurb the company sent out about my Dad:
Back in 1974 when the crude rate was 110 kbpd and 3D process models were plastic, Joe Wilson started his career with ARCO as a young co-op student from Washington State. He made the transition to fulltime in 1977 after receiving his Mechanical Engineering degree. Now after a successful career spanning 37 years Joe will retire at the end of April. During those years he held leadership positions in Engineering, Maintenance, Operations, TAR, and Commercial. Throughout his career Joe’s successful efforts have helped create the Cherry Point we know today. Some of his successes are distant memories like successfully changing out the first hydrocracker catalyst load, and some of his successes will be with us forever like tank 49 and the new crude tower top.
In retirement, Joe plans to continue working with Maranatha Orphanage in Haiti to implement programs that are self sustaining and provide job opportunities for years to come.
Our Easter weekend was packed to the brim and I still feel like I'm catching up on my rest. We were able to spend some time with both sides of the family which was reall nice. I worked the Thursday/Friday leading up to Easter and so Isla took a trip up to Bellingham to spend a night with her grandparents until I arrived with my brother on Friday after work. Graham joined us late Friday after working and leading our church's Good Friday service so we were all able to spend one night together. As much as I don't love all the things Easter has come to represent for most people (bunnies, chocolate, egg hunts etc), I still thought it'd be fun to let Isla go on her first egg hunt. Needless to say, she LOVED it and now I'm left wondering if I should do egg hunts throughout the year, just for entertainment purposes. Here are a few of my favorite shots (by the way, it is impossible to get Isla to look at the camera and smile--I took at least 100 pictures that document that fact):
It wasn't until later that Isla realized that there was something INSIDE the egg. My dad said that it was the most anticlimactic egg hunt ever once he saw the "treats" in Isla's eggs which prompted me to ask my mom whether she let us hunt candy-filled eggs at the age of 1 1/2. I was relieved to hear that we only hunted hard boiled eggs until we were older and that I'm not some crazy dietitian mother. Or something like that. :)
Enjoying the egg "fillings" (graham crackers, goldfish, Cheerios, Wheat Chex and mandarin orange slices). The mandarin orange slices were inhaled in seconds. See Dad, she could care less! :)
At one point, Isla's baskets (she needed Gideon's basket to complete the job) got so full that I had to off load some eggs into a bowl and set them on the porch. We were trying to point Isla in the direction of the hiding place for the final egg when she spotted the filled bowl. You should have seen her face! It was like she'd totally hit the jackpot! She was SOO proud of herself for finding that many eggs in one place.
The rest of our time in Bellingham was filled with eating, studying (for Graham), Ben's baseball game in the glorious SUNSHINE for the rest of us (I got my first sunburn of 2011!!), a Farmer's Market and more eating. We headed back home on Saturday night in preparation for early church responsibilities on Sunday AM. To be continued...
Isla has been such a doll this past month. Graham and I often spend our evenings recounting and sharing the off-the-wall hilarious things that she says and does. She is pretty smart (if I do say so myself) and is really picking up on the world around her.
Isla is saying so many new things now that I don't even think I can keep track. She talks almost constantly (in a cute and totally not annoying way) and has kept me great company while Graham is away at work and class. My absolute favorite new word of hers is "applesauce" but she also can say Papa (Grandpa), broccoli, open, close, basket (for basketball), flower, beer, white trash (don't ask about the last two), hole, purse, coat, wash, peekaboo, crash (which we taught her to say when she falls), couscous, poop, toot, booger, Josh (which she says about 5 billion times a day), thank-you (which she usually says unprompted), taco, smoothie, berry, park, slide and walk. She used to say "mill" for milk but it has evolved into "milch" which cracks me up. She has a special word for Grandma now too but I have no idea how to spell the sound she is making.
Her latest obsession has been with buses and trucks. She LOVES Mondays because that's when we hear the "trash truck" come pick up our trash. When she hears it, she'll drop whatever she's doing to listen and then proceeds to mimic it: "beep, beep, beep." She also loves to spot buses, mail trucks, mailboxes and basketball hoops when we are walking or driving.
"The dreaded dinner hour" has arrived. You always hear other mothers talk about it but now I know it to be true--it really is something to dread! Starting at about 4:30-4:45 PM, the meltdowns begin. The only word I hear for the next hour is "Uppy, uppy, uppy!" Cryyyyyyyyyy! "Uppy, uppy, uppy!" And so on and so forth until I'm finally able to finish preparing dinner and throw it on the table (somehow managing not to kill myself on the cooling racks, tupperware, dish towels, aprons and measuring cups and spoons that have been removed from my drawers and strewn across the floor). After Isla and I eat, it is bedtime at once as it is quite obvious she has "expired" for the day. When we don't have evening activities, she is usually in bed around 6:30 PM.
Speaking of sleep, she usually sleeps until about 6:30 or 7 AM (long gone are the late awakenings at 8 or 9 AM...) After a long and hard fight, I think we finally have her back on a better napping routine. For the past week or so, she has consistently been taking one 1 1/2 - 2 hr nap midday. Oh sweet relief!
Isla LOVES her uncles! She was talking about them all week, even though we hadn't seen them for quite some time. She really took to Josh and Ben when our family hung out early April. She found it quite entertaining to watch them and has been learning to "bump it" (punch fists rather than high five) with them.
Sometimes I wonder why we even give Isla any toys. Honestly, I think she'd be perfectly content playing with her doll, her own diapers/changing supplies and all her former baby gear (the swing, bouncy seat, car seat, blankets etc).
Potty training is, well, going. Actually, if I'd been asked a week or so ago, I would have said that it is going surprisingly well, especially given the fact that we don't have a real "plan of attack" laid out. I'm sure all my readers saw the lovely picture I posted on Facebook that illustrated how her number 2 attempts are going... The first time she pooped on the floor, I laughed until I cried for a good hour. When it happened again the very next day, I didn't find it nearly as funny. Honestly, I don't even know how it happens. I don't know if she squats and lets it drop right on the floor. Or if she does it all on the potty and then just gets up too fast and it flings off. No, it's not because I'm an inattentive mother. It's because my daughter only does her business in private, with the door shut. The girl likes her privacy and I really can't blame her! I think she has only gone potty ONCE when I was in the room. All the rest have occurred once she's left alone. She did successfully poop once in the potty, when Graham was in charge (thankfully!!) Apparently she got a bath right after because she'd proceeded to touch it and smear everywhere. The weekend before last, she peed in the potty every day but then I guess decided to take most of this past week off. But hey, I'm just thankful we're making some progress since we don't really have a set time frame goal other than to have her potty trained by the time baby comes (is that possible?)
Isla has turned into quite the mommy's girl. She always wants "Mommy, mommy, mommy" and will keep saying my name well after I've answered her and am waiting to hear what she wants. She likes being held but not cuddled if that makes any sense. However, if someone else is holding her and I walk in the room, she will immediately want me and only me to hold her. We're working on teaching her that "Sometimes mommy's hand are busy" since she needs to get used to the fact in t-4 months, I won't be at her beck and call. Lately, she's been even wanting me to carry her down the stairs though she is fully capable herself. She also has grown quite possessive of her toys and doesn't like when other kids touch them. This is going to take some work!
I found Isla's 4th molar cutting through on April 20th. Then today I found two more teeth making their way out (upper left FRONT tooth and lower left, 2nd from center). It's going to look like Isla got in a bad bar fight pretty soon here if she doesn't start filling in the huge gaps...
Overall, I would describe Isla's personality as being both cheerful and fun. It is very hard not to fall in love with all the cute things she says and does. She definitely has a will to her and can stand up to any boy that comes her way. She loves to run around and wrestle with her Dad but also likes to twirl in her dresses and wear "pretties" in her hair. She likes everything "just right" and wants to do things herself (except when it comes to climbing down the stairs). We love our little bundle of energy!
Isla and I spent some time coloring our eggs last night. She enjoyed watching the eggs change color and ooooohed and ahhhhhhed with me when I removed them from the dye. She even attempted a taste test on one or two, just to make sure they were done. My favorites are the solid red, teal, robin's egg blue, and orange sherbet eggs. Every year, I try to be artsy and create stripes and multicolored eggs but finally decided this year that I actually prefer the ones that are solid color as they look neater. And I like my eggs to be neat before I smash them shells into smithereens. I'm sure you fellow type As out there will understand. :)
I know I keep saying this, but this age is such a joy!
(photo taken 4/6/11 at 19 weeks) (photo taken 4/20/11 at 21 weeks)
We're over halfway there!!!!!
Well, it has finally happened. Over the past couple weeks, I've really started to feel pregnant! As in I can no longer bend over to pick things up off the floor without grunting and breathing is a bit more difficult when I'm in the sitting position. I hate to admit this but it even takes just a wee bit of self-motivational mental talk to get myself up off low surfaces such as the couch or my bed. And baby is just getting big enough to put some nice pressure on my bladder when I exercise which is a super lovely feeling. I'd been putting off painting my toenails (for lack of time) and finally realized the other day that I'd better MAKE time......while I can still reach them. I don't mean to make it sound all bad though as the last couple weeks have been packed with incredible joys too. I just find it so crazy how carrying a baby can quickly convert a young, energetic woman to one who shares quite a few similarities with those in their upper decades. :)
Our ultrasound on the 12th brought a permanent grin to my face. There definitely were a few drips of moisture that fell out of my eyes as I was laying there watching the screen. Tears? Maybe. Or it could have been gravity (does that ever happen to anyone else when lying in the dentist chair and gravity just starts pulling liquid out of your eyes?!) Anyway, I'll keep most of these thoughts strictly in my head, but I was overcome by a sense of wonder seeing our baby in there, realizing we MADE him/her!! And how I've hardly had to do any work and yet there is this little person with 10 fingers and toes and a spine and a rib cage and a mouth that opens and closes swimming around in there. Amazing! After "seeing" our little one for the first time, I think we're having a girl and Graham thinks we're having a boy.
The day after my last pregnancy post, Graham felt our baby kick for the first time (on April 4th at 18 1/2 weeks!) Over the past couple weeks, baby has been somersaulting and cartwheeling (or something) and creating quite the show which is quite the delight. I was able to actually see my belly jump for the first time on April 12th, just shy of 20 weeks. It is so nuts how early everything is happening this time around. I asked my doctor about it and he said it's because all the ligaments "in there" are looser and so that somehow makes movement more noticeable. He also said I am likely just more in tune to what a baby feels like the 2nd time around.
I had a good couple weeks there of solid sleep at night although my new waking time of 6:30 AM seems set in stone. But I'm not complaining! I'm thrilled to have found enough comfortable positions to have a break from the frequent night wakings. I think these glorious stretches of sleep are limited, however as my belly is just getting big enough that it is awkward to lay on my side. Sigh.
I have the pregnancy "glow" (i.e. increased oil production that results in massive breakouts, worse than my teenage years!) Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?) my "glow" is only on the right lower side of my face. It's been here for over a month now which is rather embarrassing but I'm hoping rays of sunshine will soon make it go away.
Another highlight of the last couple weeks is that my headaches are finally gone!!! I took me a while to realize but one day it hit me that I hadn't taken my daily dose of Tylenol for a day or two. That day or two has turned into a week or two and I'm hoping I'm free and clear now!
As I type this, I am sitting outside on the patio, wearing long sleeves and sipping a mug of hot cocoa, the combination of which keeps me just warm enough to fool myself into thinking it might be summer. I can't even tell you how invigorating these past few days of sun have been for me. It's a little bit ridiculous actually, just how giddy I am over the whole thing. All I can say is that this lady was in desperate need of feeling warm again as my maternity attire is more summer-appropriate. I've spent the past couple months shivering and sitting in front of the heater, wrapped in a blanket, waiting for the day when my pregnancy would provide the needed warmth (don't they always say pregnant women are hot?)
I have spent a good number of the sun breaks digging in my dirt, prepping my pots and planters for the fruits of early summer. My blueberry bushes (may they rest in peace) finally found their way into the trash, which saddened my heart greatly. I only hope I can be a better mother to my real children that I (apparently!) was to those bushes. Man, I invested a lot into them though! I checked the acidity of their soil, gave them plenty of mulch, kept them well-watered during the hot summer months and basically did what any good blueberry mother would do. Sigh. Hopefully I will do better next time (if Graham let's there be a next time!!)
The one positive thing that came from the death of my blueberry plants is that I now have 2 large and vacant half barrels in which to plant vegetables. I don't think a lot of people realize what an incredible privilege it is to have sunny patches of yard where raised beds can be created. There are some of us who give up our pinky toe to have that kind of real estate! Isla and I went on a walk yesterday and I found myself in a deep state of garden envy as I passed huge raised beds that were left completely to waste, overgrown with weeds and obviously not in use. I almost knocked on one person's door to say "Umm, excuse me. If you're not going to use this garden bed here, well then can I?!" But I didn't. Instead, I came home to dote on my precious pots, seeing if any "action" had occurred overnight. I just love spring.
So far, I have planted my strawberries (tristar and quinault) in my sort of lovely/sort of trashy-looking hanging strawberry baskets. The tulips in my flower boxes are beginning to pop open. I have butter lettuce and arugula starts going in one long and skinny planter and oregano and cilantro in another (to be joined by basil when it's a bit warmer). I planted a combination of Touchstone golden beets and Bull's Blood (red) beets in one of my barrels and will plant a hill of zucchini in the other when the right time comes. My patio table is now adorned with fresh pots of sage, rosemary and thyme which I must say makes a mighty fine centerpiece (see above). I plan to replace the butter lettuce with romaine later on in the season and plant some miniature yellow peppers in another vacant pot. Oh and I'm gonna see if I can line the back fence with sunflowers just for fun. Of course I'll also plant my hanging tomato baskets (these are definitely trashy-looking and not so lovely but oh well) come Mayish. And as I mentioned before, my rhubarb is rhubarbing at full force in it's pot!
As the weekend comes to a close, my heart is overflowing with joy and thankfulness for all the blessing in my life, sweet Isla in particular. She and I had a great weekend together. We didn't plan anything really special but spent most of Saturday running errands while Graham was in class (with a little break for coffee and a walk in the sunshine with a friend). She was such a trooper as we frequented FOUR grocery stores in all, as well as a trip to UPS, Molbaks and Jo-Ann Fabrics for various items. Isla was so chipper and kept me company during what I thought would be a pretty dull day. She just sat in the car (or cart) singing and chatting and pointing out other babies and favorite objects. I'm LOVING that I can practically converse with her which makes life so exciting.
My favorite tidbits from the weekend:
-How she started shrieking "Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!" every time a stoplight turned green and we got to accelerate. -How she followed me EVERYWHERE around the house and wanted to be by my side at all times. -How when I asked her what she wanted for dinner, she told me very specifically: "Noodles!" and "Apples!" -How she helped me plant my vegetable/herb garden and then was insistent that we walk together to the dumpster holding our buckets. -How when I laid down on the couch, she ran over and exclaimed "MOMMA!!!" followed by a kiss kiss, hug hug and head snuggled next to mine. -How she began singing a silly song in a duck-quack voice to entertain both myself and the other nice man in the seed section of Molbaks. -How she wailed in utter distress when I accidentally sat on and squashed the hamburger bun she'd dropped (picture unbalanced pregnant lady in dress trying to sit on porch swing that is missing it's center support netting so all sitters slide down crash together in center).
A coworker told me (even before I knew that I was expecting) that when I got pregnant again, I'd wonder if I'd ever be able to love a second child as much as I love my first. I thought she was crazy. But now I see what she means. My heart is just bursting over Isla and I wonder how more love for another child can possibly fit in there. But I know it will.
I love this girl to pieces and I can't get enough of her! I love, LOVE having a daughter!! She's my little bud.
We had our ultrasound yesterday and were thrilled to discover that we are having a..................
BABY!!!!
Sorry. That's truly all we know and there is no going back to find out the gender now as it falls off the report once parents request it be kept a surprise. I did ask our ultrasound technician if she was able to tell what we're having had we changed our minds and wanted to know. She was a bit vague, indicating baby didn't quite cooperate which also makes me wonder if baby is a girl since she is questioning. But then Graham thought it was a boy as he thought he "saw something" when she first put the probe on my belly. I was watching the whole time and saw nothing Regardless, we were thrilled to see our little one and to learn that all looks healthy and well!
Graham and I were both struck by how much this baby's facial profile resembled that in Isla's ultrasound pictures (gosh, it's like they're related!) So much so in fact that we asked the technician if babies always have the slightly upturned little noses at this gestation. She confirmed that a lot do but definitely not all. It looks as though this baby has my nose! I know Isla's neck is in sort of a weird position in the picture I have but check the similar nose/mouth shape (this baby on top, Isla below):
Maybe I'm crazy and all baby's profiles look like this? I'm choosing to enjoy the idea of a little look-a-like though!
We had our ultrasound yesterday and were thrilled to discover that we are having a..................
BABY!!!!
Sorry. That's truly all we know and there is no going back to find out the gender now as it falls off the report once parents request it be kept a surprise. I did ask our ultrasound technician if she was able to tell what we're having had we changed our minds and wanted to know. She was a bit vague, indicating baby didn't quite cooperate which also makes me wonder if baby is a girl since she is questioning. But then Graham thought it was a boy as he thought he "saw something" when she first put the probe on my belly. I was watching the whole time and saw nothing Regardless, we were thrilled to see our little one and to learn that all looks healthy and well!
Graham and I were both struck by how much this baby's facial profile resembled that in Isla's ultrasound pictures (gosh, it's like they're related!) So much so in fact that we asked the technician if babies always have the slightly upturned little noses at this gestation. She confirmed that a lot do but definitely not all. It looks as though this baby has my nose! I know Isla's neck is in sort of a weird position in the picture I have but check the similar nose/mouth shape (this baby on top, Isla below):
Maybe I'm crazy and all baby's profiles look like this? I'm choosing to enjoy the idea of a little look-a-like though!
That's me tooting my horn. Or blowing my trumpet. Or something like that. We received some good news yesterday!! I don't recall how much of this I've posted on the blogosphere but we've been at a fork in the road for a few months now and have spent a lot of time waiting, praying, hoping. As I'm sure you are ALL aware, Graham is in grad school, enrolled in the Clinical Nurse Specialist track (I'm dumbing this down a lot so my apologies to all you CNSs out there but basically he would work a lot with hospital policy and as a nurse educator, making sure all practices were evidence-based and up-to-date). He chose this path for a number of reasons, one very important one being that his employer would contribute a small (but significant!) amount of money to cover his tuition. The Monday to Friday schedule was also quite appealing as was the ability to specialize in one specific area.
Over the past year, he has realized that his passion and career desire is actually to be a nurse practitioner. He is so wonderful with patients and their families and has received an overwhelming number of compliments from them in the course of his 5+ years at his job. He has realized that this interaction with people is what invigorates him (trust me, it can also drain him!) and reminds him that he is making a difference in the world. He also will have a much wider degree of opportunity as an ARNP (nurse practitioner), including the potential of traveling abroad to third world countries with me as a medical/nutrition duo, something we have always dreamed about since we started dating.
All this to say, he began the long and somewhat confusing process of attempting to switch tracks, in hopes that there would be room for him in the nurse practitioner part of his current program. We were quite doubtful at times as he's had a few setbacks but we remained hopeful and continued to pray that God would lead us in His direction.
Well, yesterday Graham attended an orientation for next year (when he'll be doing his clinical rotations) and found out he can make the switch!!!!!! I was elated!! I'm pretty sure Graham was excited too but it just wasn't very evident as he's only on day 10 of Spring quarter and is absolutely up to his ears in reading and complicated assignments. He's taking an advanced clinical assessment class this quarter that in his words is "gonna kick my butt." I know he'll do well as he's always been a little smarty pants but it'll take a lot of readjusting as I think he's going to have to spend every waking and free hour reading the mother-of-a-textbook cuddled here beside me.
There are still a lot of uncertainties and unanswered questions (like whether he'll still be able to graduate "on time" -- June 2012-- and where the tuition money will come from since his employer does not pay for nurse practitioners) but we are so very thankful that the Lord continues to guide and provide.
It has come to my attention that the Gap is heightist. You know heightist. Sort of like being sexist or racist but rather being prejudiced about a woman's height. And so I called them out on it yesterday. You see, after a month-long ordeal of unsuccessful maternity pants shopping, I finally gave in and ordered 2 pairs from the Gap.com, sight unseen, as my lower half was desperate to be clothed. I just couldn't find any size long jeans in stores. Remember how I said in a prior post "Thank goodness for free shipping if they don't work!" Well, I almost ate my words.
The jeans arrived in the mail on Saturday and so I tried them on. One pair fit like a glove (hooray!) and the other made me look like a ragamuffin housewife in her worst pair of chore jeans. Needless to say, the 2nd pair needed to go back. I was printing off what I thought was my "free" return shipping label when I saw the fine print that $6 would be deducted from my account. WHAT?! This was most unfortunate.
So I called customer service to clarify. The kind lady on the line informed me that if I were doing an exchange, return shipping would be free but since I wanted to do an actual return, I'd have to pay the postage. And no, the pants could not be returned store. Of course this frustrated me a wee bit. She finished answering my questions and then sweetly asked if there was anything else she could do for me. I hesitated for only a moment and then decided to tell her exactly what I was thinking.
"Well, not unless you have the power to waive the shipping. You see, I find it a bit frustrating that everyone else can shop in-store and make their returns in-store but then I get penalized because I'm tall. I have to order pants without even trying them on since you don't carry longs in store and then I have to PAY to return them when they don't fit (and undoubtedly there are a lot of miss-fits as jeans are nearly impossible to shop for even when NOT pregnant). It just seems a bit unfair that I have to do this just because I'm tall."
Folks, I'm happy to report that the shipping fee was waived instantly!!!!
I'm not sure if it's the lovely weather we've been having here in Seattle (NOT!) or what, but I have been in a garden-researching frenzy!! Maybe this happens to me every Spring--I can never remember--but this season in particular I am feeling the urge to grow something and this time, grow it successfully. Growing up, I was in active participant in my parents' quite large vegetable garden. I had a pretty green thumb, if I do say so myself, and I earned a good chunk of my spending money by entering my produce in the county fair.
My townhouse gardening experience has turned out to be drastically different, making me question my gardening abilities entirely. Where once I could grow carrots, lettuce, potatoes, beans, corn, dahlias and strawberries almost effortlessly, I am now faced with the sheer limitations that result when all one has is horrible soil filled with rhododendrons (which is what my home owners association chose as our landscape). So I've resorted to container gardening which is a whole new ball game in and of itself apparently. I thought it would be so easy but four summers of more or less of failed crops has convinced me otherwise.
Needless to say, I've tried to grow some rather "odd" items in my containers: carrots, bell pepper, eggplant, cucumber, rhubarb, lettuce and mixed greens, tomatoes, herbs and blueberries. I think in grand total, we've maybe enjoyed 2 salads and one eggplant dish as a result of my efforts in all four years combined--a pretty sorry record if I do say so myself.
So this year, I'm taking advice from my cousin (in-law) Kari and choosing varieties that grow well in the Pacific NW (not just random seed packets that look enticing) and I'm going to keep it simple. My plan at present is to grow arugula, mixed greens and lettuce from seed, sage, basil and thyme from starts, and cilantro and maybe a couple other herbs from seed. I also am getting a little "crazy" and am going to attempt a couple of hanging upside down tomato plants as well as some upside down strawberries (all from starts) to save space (I've run out of pots!!!) I'm going to allow these to be my "experiment" this season as I feel I always have to try at least one new thing. I already have a potted rhubarb plant that came back with full force this year but my blueberry plants were not so lucky. I'll give 'em another week before officially pronouncing them dead. Boo hoo. I got those bushes and Graham got our flat screen tv (see old post here).
I'm hoping this will be "my year" and that we'll enjoy some delicious summer salads, homemade herb dressings, fresh tomato sauce and fresh strawberries!! I feel my thumb getting greener.
That means I am almost halfway done!! *panic* This is going by so quickly!!
This week, I have been spending money like we actually have some. I have been on a desperate search for maternity jeans since my pairs from my 1st pregnancy fit completely different this time around. Even my husband agrees. I asked him about one pair of my pants "Do they look horrible?" and his reply was "They're not too horrible." Perfect. Totally the look I'm going for! Anyway, so I've spent the week searching high and low for any store that carries maternity clothes (having them in-store seems to be a thing of the past!!) and any store that carries pants in long. I finally gave up and ordered 2 pairs from gap.com, sight unseen. Thank goodness for free shipping if they don't work! I've needed a few other pieces to fill in some gaps in my maternity wardrobe and since Graham's been working, I decided it was just easiest to buy the whole store, come home and model everything and then let him choose what I should keep. It feels like I've spent a TON of $$$$ but 3/4 of my purchases have gone back to the store.
The baby is really moving around a lot now. It's not enough yet for Graham to be able to feel it from the outside but we've got a busy little one in there! I'm loving the movement as it is helping it all feel more "real." I'm finding the second time around to be so different since I've more or less "been there, done that."
When I was pregnant with Isla, I found I was super worried that I'd deliver prematurely (given my profession, it sometimes feels like that is the "norm" since it is mostly all I see) so I was totally prepared for an early birth--up to a few months early even! This time around, I'm not as worried about early delivery as I am about congenital abnormalities. I didn't even think to worry about those the first time around but this time I'm super anxious to have our ultrasound to make sure all the apparent body parts are at least as they should be (though I think I will still worry until I'm able to see this little one and hold him/her for myself().
We had a MOPS clothing/baby gear swap this week. I picked out one baby girl item, size 3 months. I looked at the boy stuff too but it just didn't feel right.
I've had a sore throat in the mornings when I wake up. Thankfully it fades midday and then it returns along with a hoarse voice at night.
I'm sleeping pretty well but think my mental alarm clock has been set for 6 or 6:30 AM as I can't seem to sleep any later. This has actually always been my norm though. It wasn't until having Isla that I was able to fall back asleep after a 6AM waking.
Yesterday was "Daddy Day" (i.e. I had to work and Graham was off). The happenings of the day warmed my heart and I came home ever-thankful for my thoughtful, creative husband who also happens to be a pretty awesome Dad. He called me at just after 9 AM as he was heading out the door. What? It is only on extraordinarily rare occasions that Isla and I have even finished breakfast by 9 AM on the average day, let alone be dressed and ready to head out on an adventure at that time. Apparently I am married to super Dad!
I checked my phone at lunch and saw that he'd texted me a picture of their morning together which included finding perfect rainy day entertainment at the indoor kids play toys at Bellevue Square. Why can't I ever think of these things? Apparently Isla loved the slide. They also made a brief stop at the library.
When I arrived home shortly after 5 PM, I was greeted at the door by my sweet girl who ran to give me a hug. I slept in clean sheets last night (courtesy of my husband!) and enjoyed a lovely family dinner together via candlelight, accompanied by wine glassed filled with strawberry lemonade. I noticed that my pan of jello had diminished significantly and later learned that Isla got her first taste of jigglers (the things that happen when mommy is away...) :) Isla and I are lucky girls to have such a great guy!
Oh and Graham captured the following video which (only partially) illustrates the rather hilarious way Isla gets on her potty (in the past, she was never able to back onto it like she did in the end of this video).
