Raspberries!

Last week, Graham and Isla and I went on a raspberry picking date. Initially I intended it to be an outing with fellow moms to pick strawberries but when no one was able to join us, Graham volunteered to come along. And as it turned out, it was opening day for raspberries at Remlinger and the strawberries were in sorry shape so we quickly changed plans.

An hour or so later, we were lugging 20 pounds of red berries off to the car. Graham kept telling me "I think we have enough" but I ignored him and kept picking. Over the past week we have stuffed our faces with raspberries--on cereal, in pancakes and with yogurt--and I have 3 gallon size ziplocks of frozen berries that should last me at least until September...if I'm lucky. I also spent about a half hour picking over the sorry strawberries fields in hopes of getting at least 2 cups so I could make a fresh batch of freezer jam. I was successful in the end but the berries were tiny so it took forever.

We brought along Isla's bucket, hoping she might pick at least a couple berries. She stayed very focused in one spot for a long time and I figured she was busy stuffing her face. But when I went to check on her, I realized her bucket was filled to overflowing!!! Graham even admitted she was a better picker than he.

Now I'm anxious to hit up the blueberry fields maybe next week!

Garden Bounty

Despite the lack of consistent sunshine, my garden is becoming quite fruitful! Last night we enjoyed a salad of homegrown butter lettuce with these beautiful golden beets (roasted). They were so delicious that today I moved my rhubarb from a pot into the ground to free up some more space for another batch of beets. I also planted some romaine and arugula which I'm hoping will keep us well-supplied in August and September. My hanging tomato plants are going nuts and Isla has been eating the little yellow cherry ones like candy. I managed to enjoy one before she got to it and I think I hit the jackpot--this variety is awesome! I have a giant zucchini ready to harvest and a few more right behind it. I've pick enough strawberries to accent a bowl of cereal but I certainly don't think I'll have them in overabundance. My pots of thyme, rosemary and sage are thriving as are my recently transplanted basil and chive plants. The oregano I planted a couple years ago is spreading like crazy which I guess means I need to make some tomato sauce! Oh what fun gardening can be when things actually grow!!

Labor

Now that I am 35 weeks along, I can't help but think about the dreaded, aforementioned title of this post. I did my best to play ignorant and pretend that it wouldn't even be a part of this pregnancy but now that we're so close, I think I'm in need of a reality check.

I'm not sure which is worse: a) going into labor not knowing what exactly to expect (i.e. first pregnancy) or b) going into labor having a pretty good recollection of what it is like (pregnancy two). I'll be the first to admit I'm totally scared! And I'd wager a bet that answer b is definitely worse.

I've been mentally reviewing my prior labor experience and it is sort of crazy how much one is able to forget. I don't know that I ever made my "birth story" public on my blog. It wasn't that it was any big secret, I just don't think I ever got around to typing up the hand-written copy I have in my pregnancy journal. Anyway, a lot of it is a bit blurry but there are a few memories that will not fade. Like how I literally thought to myself "I think I'm gonna die. Uh oh, I actually think I might be dying. This is not good. This certainly can't be healthy!" Or how it took my being on pitocin at 8 ml/hr (!!!) to even get the contractions going 12 hours after my water broke (Isla had to be out in within 24 hr of my water breaking since I was GBS+). Oh and how they told me pitocin doesn't effect the intensity of the contractions. YEAH. RIGHT. Or the horrible back labor that was so bad I could barely leave the bed to use the restroom (which I needed to do about every 2.4 seconds or so).

Anyhow, not to scare any of my currently-pregnant friends. It really wasn't all bad and so I'm trying to focus on the positives and the things that worked for me. I hesitated making my "birth plan" public on the Internet as I didn't want people to judge me if I wasn't able to do what I'd hoped to do (because really, NO birth goes the way you "plan"). In fact, I almost wasn't even going to make a birth plan. But then my doctor pointed out that a birth plan is really mostly for me so that I have something to hold myself accountable. And I realized that that's precisely what I need: accountability.

So, without further adieu, my (loose!) birth plan:

1) I am going to try my darndest to go au natural but I'm also not going to totally beat myself up if that plan changes. My first line of defense will be IV meds again. I'm planning to remind myself that I'll save money if I can go without!
2) I would like Jim Brickman piano music playing on the laptop (totally random that that's what played during my labor with Isla but hey, it worked!)
3) I want cold wash cloths to my forehead and the back of my neck and my hair pulled back out of my eyes.
4) I think another hand massage with my Satin Hands creams during early labor sounds nice.
5) I would like a tennis ball to my lower back should I experience back labor again (didn't have this with Isla and SOOO wish I did).
6) I plan to have Graham talk me through the relaxation of individual body parts to keep my mind off the pain (also new but potentially helpful).
7) I will likely dwell on the fact that my sister had Gideon completely naturally (a little healthy competition-probably my most powerful motivator!)
8) Please, please, please no pitocin if at all possible (though I'm ok with it if my labor won't progress as I'm GBS+ again).
9) I would like a "vaginal cocktail" as I like to refer to it during crowning/delivery. TMI? Sorry, but it's a part of my plan. At the time I had no idea what was going on but I recall my doctor mixing up some liquid and splashing me with it "down there" when I was delivering Isla. I made sure at my last appointment that it is a part of his usual delivery routine because, whatever it was, it was amazing. Graham tells me it was lidocaine. Whatever it was, bring it!
10) When I start asking for meds or saying I can't do it anymore, I want Graham to tell me I'm in transition. I don't really care if I am or not. But hopefully I will be. Last time, I totally was but no one believed that I could possibly be that far along so ended up giving me the meds way to close to Isla's birth (like 5 minutes before I was ready to push).
11) I will use the fact that we don't know the baby's gender as a huge motivator--need to get the baby out ASAP to figure it out.

Oh boy, I'm sure not looking forward to the process but I can't wait to see the end result!

23 Months

If I had to sum up Isla this month in a few words or phrases I would say she is definitely a morning person. She likes everything "just right." She loves the outdoors and swimming. She has very few fears. She is funny and loves the spotlight. She is a great mommy to all her babies and animals (and has perfected her diaper changing skills!) She is testing her boundaries.

Isla's vocabulary continues to go nuts. She says the most random things and I have no idea where she hears them. Often times she'll repeat the last word of your sentence and that's how you can tell she was listening. The other day, we were driving in the car and she blurted out "Up a hill, down a hill!" And I don't recall ever discussing hills with her...Oh and then we were on our way to some friends' house when she passed some major gas. She followed it up by saying "Scuse me. Isla toot in new van!" Or there was the time we were gathered around the dinner table and she was looking rather suspicious as if she was hiding something in her mouth. I asked her what she had in her mouth and she looked at me with this "No duh!" look and said "FOOD!" It's the little things that just crack me up!

She learned a new phrase this week: "Whazzat?" (What's that?) It's her favorite thing to say. Enough said.

Isla can now sing pretty much all the lyrics to the ABCs, Jesus Loves Me and Happy Birthday. She tends to make up a few words here and there but almost has it all down.

She is really testing us in the area of discipline. She now associates the words "obey" and "naughty" with time outs. The other day we were shopping in the grocery car and she kept standing up in the cart after I told her to sit on her bottom. Finally she looked at me and said "Isla sit bottom. Isla TIME OUT!" with huge emphasis on the time out part. :) It's too bad time outs are no longer doing the trick. She has started leaving the corner or telling us "No!" when we ask her to go to time out.

Despite the testing, Isla is so sweet. She'll randomly look up at us and say "Hug!" and coming running at us, throwing her arms around our neck. Earlier in the week, she asked me to hold her. I put her on my lap but she wanted me to really hold her close, basically hugging her to my chest. I was busy talking to someone else so finally she grabbed my cheeks with both of her hands and said "This way!" in a sing-song voice while turning my head to look her in the eye. It totally melted my heart and she continued to do it any time I tried to look elsewhere. I love that girl!

Isla is beginning to figure out how to dress herself. She loves to try to put on her own pants or socks and shoes. Occasionally she'll show up with a pair of tights around her neck and tell me proudly "Isla dressed!" She usually can take her shoes off and is starting to be able to fetch her shoes or put them away on her own if we leave the closet door cracked. Anyone who is showing bare skin to her is "Nakey"--I find that so endearing.

She's in the process of cutting her two top incisors. I thought she got them awhile back but it turns out those were the outer 2 of her top 4 teeth. She got them in a really weird order that made it hard to tell.

Isla loves sleeping with a blanket now, even despite the occasional warm day we are having here in the NW. Sometimes she'll wake up soaked in sweat but she refuses to go to bed without being covered. She is rather particular about how she is covered and often asks me to "fix it." Usually I have no idea what she wants me to do but if I tweak the blanket a couple times, usually she'll find it satisfactory. :)

It is just within the past month or two that Isla has begun to climb. She just recently figured out how to get up on the couch by herself and she can climb into the new van with ease (I can open the door remotely while inside and she can load herself while I grab my purse--love it!) Then yesterday we were eating a family breakfast and she showed us (repeatedly) that she can climb in and out of her highchair all by herself and even buckle herself in. Who knew!? I think it's time to transition to a big girl chair and get rid of that kitchen-real-estate-stealing high chair!

Isla continues to have a little bit of a harder time with separation. She always cries now when we drop her off at the church nursery but we're told she's able to calm down pretty quickly.

Isla's bedtime has moved to between 7 and 7:30 PM. She sleeps through the night and wakes between 6:30 and 7 AM. She goes down for a nap usually around 1 PM, sometimes 2 if we push her, and sleeps for ~2-3 hr. I am totally ok with this sleeping routine!

A few have alluded to the fact that they think we have the perfect eater. Well, we don't. She's definitely a good eater but we've hit our fair share of food jags and battles, particularly surrounding vegetables as of late. She's pretty good at picking around them and eating everything else on her plate. Her current favorite foods include cherry tomatoes, pasta, pancakes, berries, hummus, mushrooms (love that!), Cheerios & Raisin Bran, crackers and cheese. She goes in phases where she'll drink a lot of milk and then there are days when she hardly drinks a cup. She rarely drinks water unless it comes in a cup with a straw. I love asking her what she wants to eat. It doesn't matter what meals it is but she'll usually respond with something like: "Ummmmmmm, pancakes and rice (pause) and pasta and applesauce (pause) and yogurt and milk (pause) and Raisin Bran...." And it just keeps going.

That's our girl at 23 months!

Bittersweet Farewell

Tonight we parted with our "family car" of 4 years, our Volkswagon Jetta. I've had mixed emotions over the past few weeks as we prepared for this day. For some reason I just felt an absolute need to capture a few shots of Isla in front of "her" first car. I don't know if she will have any recollection of it but parents took pictures of me in one of my first cars and seeing the photos jogs various memories. I want her to have the chance to do the same. It was, after all, the car we took her home from the hospital in, the car she endearingly referred to as "Mommy's Car."

It's been quite the week! I'm not at liberty to share details but a few unexpected happenings occurred which absorbed a lot of our time and will soon absorb a good chunk of our money (in the form of medical bills). And then, in the midst of all this, we've been trying to sell the car to offset the higher-than-planned price tag of our new van. Of course, just prior to listing the Jetta, we'd taken it to the car doctor to get it all spiffy and ready for sale. We've had trouble with the engine light going on and off over the past few years and we wanted it OFF so we could attract buyers. $900 later, the engine light was finally off, only to pop back on on Saturday. We were both feeling super discouraged and just wanted it all to be over. Another trip to the shop would likely set us back another grand and, at this pace, if we kept it up, the car would basically be totaled in no time.

My father-in-law took it into the shop for us today and got the mechanic to turn off the engine light (for free--the car really does work fine, it just has quirky computer wiring) and then THANKFULLY, a buyer surfaced and bought the car in cash tonight. Did I mention he paid the exact amount we were hoping to get out of the deal? And just like that, it's all done!

As crazy as this week has been, I'm happy to report that our To-Do-Before-Baby list is rapidly shrinking. The huge items like:

-buy a car

-sell Jetta

-buy a crib

-sew bedding

-buy a double stroller

are being replaced with more doable items like:

-buy purell

-put up shelf in nursery

-boil binkies

-check medicine cabinet to make sure we have Ibuprofen

I've been feeling totally maxed out and so my in laws stepped up to "babysit" our car since we had no place to park a third vehicle and my father-in-law helped field calls from potential buyers so I wouldn't have to. I am feeling incredibly thankful for the Lord's provision tonight!

And to our former Teal Jetta, you will be missed...at least a tiny bit.

Pregnancy 2: Weeks 33 and 34

(Taken 7/20/11, 34 weeks)

Random tidbits:
-Baby keeps kicking my right hip which causes SHARP pains. I thought I was suppose to be carrying him/her in my belly but sometimes I wonder if my uterus hasn't extended down into my thigh. Weirdness.
-The left side of my belly sticks out further than the right.
-I feel the most movement on the way lower right (near my hip) and then in the middle, just left of my belly button.
-There have been a few times lately when I think my belly button is going to split right open. It is still an "innie" but one side of it is being stretched more than the other making it show under my shirts now.
-I enjoy balancing a book or laptop on my belly and watching it jump around (and sometime fall off) as the baby jerks and kicks.
-Graham and I felt the baby hiccup for the first time last night! The baby remained super active for 2 hours straight (the length of an entire movie) which I'll admit grew a little uncomfortable by the end.
-I've been sleeping remarkably well and still am only using TWO pillows. I think having a toddler is quite helpful as she wears me out during the day so I can't help but crash at night. I usually wake up 1-2 times/night but it doesn't bother me because I'm so tired I immediately fall right back to sleep.
-My hip joint isn't hurting much anymore!
-I/baby continue to measure "right on."
-Baby's heart rate at my last appt was 136 which made me briefly think BOY until I asked a dr at work if there was any science behind that idea....
-Tragic news this week: my dr said I can't go to my good friend's wedding which takes place in deep OR, 11 days before my due date (Isla came 12 days early). I'm SO BUMMED. Unless baby comes early (yes please!) or we choose to disobey (could I live with the guilt?) we won't be able to go. Boooooo.
-I'll be honest. As much as I'm DYING for sun, the lower temps have been quite now as my little radiator seems to add an extra 10 degrees to whatever the outdoor temp is running. Maybe being pregnant through the whole summer wasn't such a bad idea after all!
-I washed all of the newborn girl/neutral stuff I own this week. Now to find it a home...

"Summer"

My spirit needed a little bit of a pick-me-up this morning as the weather in the NW has been a bit dreary for the month of July. I feel like everyone around me is complaining about it so really my intent is not to jump on that bandwagon. I just needed a little photo reminder that we HAVE had some periods of summer in recent weeks.

Isla and I have been having picnic lunches in the backyard whenever possible. We also go to go to one of Uncle Ben's baseball games when his team traveled to south Bellevue. Isla frequently asks to go to his games now.

 We spent our first day (of hopefully many) at the lake this summer with some other members of the family on a lazy Wednesday afternoon.

 Isla was fearless and didn't seem to mind that the lake was freezing and dunked completely multiple times. Did I mention she was pretty much the only kid (of MANY) that was brave enough to go in the water? I love her "I-can-do-anything" spirit! You can't tell from this picture but she was shrieking with glee as she climbed up and down the steps into the lake.

The forecast for the remainder of the week is looking pretty grim but I'm hopeful we'll complete at least a couple things on my agenda:

-rest!

-check out the outdoor pool in downtown Kirkland!

-go berry picking!

Happy July to all!

Pregnancy 2: Weeks 31 and 32

(31 weeks, taken 6/29/11)

Phew, I'm definitely slowing over here. At a recent appointment, my doctor made a comment that I should keep up my same level of activity in the 3rd trimester though it may be tempting to slow down. At the time, I brushed it off and thought "He doesn't know me. My activity level certainly won't slow!" And now I'm eating my words. Maybe I felt this way toward the end with Isla-I can't remember-but I'm finding the couch more and more appealing these days. It's not necessarily that I'm sleepy, it's more that my body aches like an 80 year old. I am trying to follow my doctor orders and keep up with the exercise but I definitely pay for it for a while after. If I hit the sidewalk early in the day though, I'm fine and came power through some pretty hefty walks (while pushing two kiddos in a double stroller even!)

Oh, so I know my due date again! It is still August 31st. I asked my doctor if he thought this baby would come early since Isla did. He said that every woman has a 1 in 10 chance each pregnancy of her water breaking to begin labor. He said if my contractions had started 2 weeks early, he might say I had a good chance of delivering this one early too but since it was just my water that broke, he said it was likely a fluke related to my having a cold. Boo hoo. I'll remain optamistic!
I forgot to mention in an earlier post that I've had a little bit of reflux/heartburn over the past month. This is totally new to me and one this that differentiates this pregnancy from my first.

At my last appointment, I was about 30 weeks and measured in a 29 cm which affirmed the fact that I think my belly growth finally is slowing. My doctor said everything looks "Just about perfect!"

I'll be transparent. I've gained 30 pounds already so I'm hoping to limit myself to only 5 more over the course of 8 weeks (don't think that's possible, particularly with my recent ice cream intake....) Thankfully, Graham gained 6 pounds over our long holiday weekend of eating indulgences so we are back to being neck and neck again. :)

I finished all the bedding last week for both Isla and baby!! Most of the pieces had a few unexpected challenges but I think I overcame them for the most part and am happy with the result. I'll post pictures someday but for now, that would involve getting up off the couch.

(32 weeks, taken 7/6/11)

Isla is showing more and more signs of understanding what is to come. We keep telling her that pretty soon the baby is going to come out. Her immediate response is "Baby out! Change baby diaper." Sounds like she's got the routine down! We ask her frequently whether she thinks the baby is a boy or girl and her answer always changes. She also likes to walk up to my belly and point and tell me either "Baby awake" or "Baby sleeping."

I have been struggling a lot of emotions over the past couple weeks. I'm already feeling guilty about the decreased amount of time I will get to spend with Isla once baby comes. It just doesn't seem fair that her whole world is about to change without warning. My mother-in-law reassured me the other day that it will be good for her to realize the world doesn't completely revolve around her so I keep trying to remind myself of that. And in the meantime, I'm trying to savor my last few weeks of having just Isla and I at home.

Our list of potential names is whittling down! We're finding it much harder to agree this time around...

As for the next few weeks, it's time to tackle the nursery! It occured to me the other day that I really need to take inventory of my newborn stuff. I was thinking I'd be totally set if we have a girl but then I remembered that my cousin loaned me a ton last time around and I can't recall what I actually own and what was borrowed! For sure I need to pick up a take-me-home-from-the-hospital girl outfit (we still have our boy one from our last go). Thanks to my wonderful coworker and my sister, I have a pretty good supply of diapers at least. Oh and TONS of blankets from Isla (I think I determined that's what everyone likes to give as gifts when they don't know the gender of the baby--she was given at least 20!)

Hat Island Take 2

I think I'm still coming off of the "high" after returning from a wonderfully relaxing weekend on Hat Island with the Crozier Clan. I think this is becoming my 3rd trimester pregnancy tradition since the last time we went I was 35 weeks pregnant with Isla. Maybe it's because we're thrill seekers (had I gone into labor, the only way off the island in the case on an emergency is to have a helicopter land in the middle of the golf course and fly you back to the mainland.) Anyhow, I remember the last trip well because it was on a beach walk here when my hip first starting popping out of joint in preparation for "things to come" which totally freaked me out. This time around, I was pushing 32 weeks and my hip had already been popping out for many moons. It really is a great vacation spot for pregnant persons but I did tell my sister-in-law that I nominate her to be the pregnant one next time around. :)

Everything about the house we rent is awesome. I'm pretty sure it's the nicest on the island and oober modern. I actually sort of liked the modernity of it though (Graham's usually the one with the modern taste!) I told him that if he built me a house (almost) just like it, I could "handle" it. It'd be a great compromise of our tastes.

The open floor plan is amazing and the fact that pretty much the entire living space is solid windows or sliding glass doors. See, look at the view I had while doing dishes! Can't complain...

We more or less spent 3 full days lounging, eating, walking the island, crabbing or clamming, kayaking, sunbathing, napping and reading (I think everyone finished at least one book except for me who made it to page 264 of my LARGE PRINT version of "The Help." I sorta had a toddler to chase but I'd call that pretty good given my recent reading track record.) I assure you, Graham was wearing pants in this picture!

"Carry please!!!!" Isla still wasn't the biggest fan of sand underfoot...

John caught enough crab to eat it as the main course for TWO dinners--heaven!

Isla slept in the "Monkey Room" with all these stuffed monkeys that she spent much of the time doting on. She wanted ALL the animals in the chair, under the blanket just so and then she would rock them. If ever one fell to the floor (which happened about every 2.3 seconds), she would beg someone to fetch it.

We had GORGEOUS weather for the long weekend with the exception of Sunday which started off a little wet. With all the windows in the house, it didn't even feel gloomy (another reason I want Graham to build me one just like it).

Isla literally spent 1 1/2 hours one evening pouring water from one stacking cup to another. She was soaking wet and freezing by the end of it but refused to stop until someone cut up the watermelon...

We striped off her wet clothes and she went to town on that wedge of melon!

Graham and I even got to watch a sunset ALONE together one evening. Sigh. The glories of traveling with family! As always, I came away from the trip loving my family even more--we are truly blessed!