Odds and Ends

As of Wednesday, I will be 6 weeks away from my due date. This is crazy. At my last OB appointment (which was Thursday), everything looked and sounded good. I passed my 3 hour glucose test (yay!), the baby sounds great, my BP and weight are fine, and everything appears to be right on track. My OB did tell me to get my sub plans and a sub in line by early February. She said 2nd babies can, more frequently, arrive earlier than first babies, so I should be prepared to have a baby at any point in February. This, of course, means I will be late (ha).

Lily's big girl room is finished, and it looks great! I will post some pictures on here as soon as a I take a few. The predominate colors are yellow, purple, and gray. She has a big girl bed in the room, but she is still sleeping in the crib. We figure that Jack will be in a bassinet for the first few months of his live, so Lily can sleep in her crib until she is a bit older and ready for the big bed move.

Jack's room is...well...in some sort of "order". Order meaning...storage. We have what we need to decorate the room; however, 2 bouncy chairs, a pack n play, car seat, stroller, and other odds and ends are being stored in the room. I removed the trash from the room, organized the baby clothing, sorted and organized the cloth diapers, and found space for other baby necessities. Once we get the stroller out of the box and the car seat installed in the car, things will start getting better in the room. I have to say, I am super proud of my clothing and diaper organizing skills. There is a fairly sizeable closet in the nursery, so that definitely helps with storage. The cloth diapers were a bit tricky to figure out how to organize, but I got it all put away.

Speaking of cloth diapers, we have officially decided to use them. I have a mixture of prefolds and all in ones. Prefolds are the cloth diapers your mom may have used. They are just flat cloth diapers that need a diaper cover to make them waterproof. This is the bulk of my stash because they are the cheapest and easiest way to cloth diaper (I think). All of the prefolds are cotton, so washing is a breeze.

Prefold Diapers in various sizes

Diaper Cover

I also have a bunch of fitted diapers (prefolds that have been sewn to look like a diaper and easily fit on baby without having to use pins), that will be easier for night changes (or for daddy).

Fitted Diapers- Basically prefolds that have been sewn for quicker  changings. Cover needed.

All-in-ones are just that, diapers that are just like disposables, except you wash them.

All-in-one Diaper- the cover and lining are all sewn together, so it's like a disposable that goes in the wash.

I stuck to all natural materials (mostly cotton) because it is easiest to wash cotton (as it washes clean very easily). I have an assortment of brands to try, so we can see what works best for Jack. I even have one-size diapers (they are good from about 10lbs-35lbs) that I might try on Lily. After researching (more than I like to admit), I decided that clothing diapering isn't as daunting as I originally thought. My mom, our daycare provider, agreed to try with us (she already cloth diapered me and my brother, so this really isn't new to her), so that made the decision a little easier.

2012 Year in Review

Christmas 2012

Well, Christmas has come and gone. We had a very busy holiday this year. The 23rd we went to Tom's parents to open gifts, the 24th we had Christmas Eve dinner here at our house, Christmas day we went back to Jefferson for Christmas lunch with Tom's family, that evening we had dinner at my parents, the 26th we had Christmas with my mom's family, and the 27th we had lunch with my dad's family. PHEW! After the run around of visiting and Christmas celebrations, we had to work on Lily's big girl room and Jack's nursery. Lily's room is finished, but Jack's still has a bit to go.

Rather than recounting each day, here are some pictures of Lily's 2nd Christmas (and our last as a family of 4 (counting Fred)!)...

18 months!

Due to the holiday, I almost forgot Bean's 18 month update! Whoops!

At 18 months Bean loves...

 

1. ...talking. Not really actual talking, though she says a TON of words now, she mostly babbles to herself while walking around on a play phone.

2. ...the Wiggles. She dances her little booty off.

3. ...baby dolls. Loves to carry one around, sleep with one, feed one...

4. ...drinking out of adult cups.

5. ...building with blocks.

6. ...saying "Ut-oh" when she does things on purpose.

7. ...helping mommy in the bathroom (so, handing me toilet paper and flushing the toilet).

8. ...any and all carbs. She is my carb baby.

9. ...chocolate! She is her mother's daughter.

10. ...and, of course, mama and dada!

 

 

Christmas Eve!

My family just left after Christmas Eve dinner, and I am winding down for the night, so I thought I would write a quick Christmas Eve update.

Yesterday, we went to Tom's parents for lunch and to open gifts. We usually do this Christmas morning before we go to Nee's, but with Lily's nap schedule, we figured it would be easier to break up the two gatherings. Lily got a Little People Disney Princess Castle, a Water Baby (I had a water baby!), extra princesses for the castle (including Ariel and Eric's underwater chariot thingy), new clothes, a new book, play food, and a rocking horse! She made out very well at grandma and grandpa's. She is a bit scared of the horse, so she won't get on it yet (I think I am going to need Averi or Dillon to show her how it's done). The girls LOVES the castle though. Especially all the noise it makes (and man does it make noise...over and over and over...).

Today, we had a pretty relaxing day. It snowed! Lily saw maybe one brief snowfall last year around Halloween, and then we had a snow free winter. Today, we got a pretty solid dusting, so we were able to go outside and make snowballs and walk around. I think she liked it. Really, she liked being outside. It was fun to see her in the snow for the first time. She was all bundled up, and just looked so cute!

 

 

 

 

 

After the snow fun, we came in and waited for my parents, pop-pop, and Tim and Sara to come over. We had a yummy shrimp dinner (amongst other yummy things), and opened gifts. Lily got new DVDs, new books, a Little People race track, an ornament, a submarine for the tub, a LSU sock monkey, and...I am sure I am missing things...but she tore through her gifts! She really likes the race track and played with that immediately after she got it out of the wrapping (and uncle Time put it together).

Jack even got some Christmas presents this year! Uncle Brad and Aunt Mandy got him a travel sound machine for the car seat, and Uncle Tim and Sara got him very cute onesies and pants. I can't wait to get him in the cute little outfits!

After Lily went to bed, Tim, Tom, and Sara put Lily's gift from Santa-- a kichen-- together. They had SO much fun. We watched some Christmas shows on TV, and now...here I am.

I am pretty sure my cough is never going away. I feel pretty fine except for this nagging cough. The nasal spray has helped a ton with my crazy congestion, so I am just waiting for the cough to go away. Doctors have told me that my lungs are clear, so the cough is just annoying and persistent. I am hoping it goes away on its own soon, or back to the doctor I shall go.

Tomorrow is Christmas! I am looking forward to giving Lily her gifts and spending more time with family. We have a lot of Christmas happening this year-- Wednesday we are celebrating with my mom's family and Thursday with my dad's. This is one busy break!

God

I have been starting and restarting different blog posts in my head. Up until Friday the blog was going to be about how I am 30 weeks pregnant, cannot get rid of a lovely cold, and how big Lily is getting. Then the elementary school shooting in Connecticut happened, and my thoughts shifted. I thought about what I would say, what I would write. Gun control? Talking to kids about violence? How sad it all makes me feel? There are so many directions in which to go...

One of the things that has gone nuts on Facebook is the idea that having prayer, or God, in schools will solve these problems. Honestly, I don't think this could be further from the truth. There is not a doubt in my mind that people were praying in that school when the gunman entered the school. I can gaurentee that teachers who were hiding their kids, or reading them stories were saying prayers that they would be ok, that their kids would be ok. Furthermore, the gunman wasn't from the school; he forced his way into the school. I know God was there when Victoria Soto systematically hid her children, losing her own life when she protected theirs. I know God was there when police and teachers escorted scared children to a safe area. He was there.

At a time in history when a much larger atrocity was occurring (please don't misconstrue this as my saying worse-- any loss of life at the hands of evil is horrible whether it be the loss of 1 life or the loss of 11,000,000- suffering is suffering, tragedy is tragedy), the Holocaust, Elie Wiesel looks back and writes of his experience while watching a young child get hanged:

The two adults were no longer alive. Their tongues hung swollen, blue-tinged. but the third rope was still moving; being so light, the child was still alive...For more than half an hour he stayed there, struggling between life and death, dying in slow agony under our eyes. And we had to look him full in the face. He was still alive when I passed in front of him. His tongue was still red, his eyes were not yet glazed. Behind me, I heard the same man asking: “Where is God now?” And I heard a voice within me answer him: “Where is He? Here He is—He is hanging here on this gallows.”

While many passages in Night cut to the core of my soul, make me feel a sadness that not many books have made me feel...this passage is one that is particularly touching. The thought of watching a young boy die on gallows, the thought of seeing him still alive...it is something that is hard for me to think about. The part at the end- the part about God- can be read, I think, in two ways. The first, is that God died on the gallows when the boy died...that, for Elie, God not longer exists. However, I read this a bit differently. When Elie thinks that God is on gallows, I imagine that God is with the young boy. That in his final, horrible moments on Earth, God is there, with the boy, on that gallows.

I have to believe that in their last moments on Earth, that God was with those little children. He was in that school. He was there. He may not be explicitly taught. Formal prayers may not be said. But God is there. It is horrible that 20 little children were killed on Friday, it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. But I know, in their final moments God carried them. He took them home.

It's been...well...a long time.

So...I know, it's been 2 weeks? Maybe more? I, apparently, have lost track of time. Anyhow, things have been busy around here! Thanksgiving happened. Work happened. Christmas is about to happen. I reached week 29 of my pregnancy (woo!). It is just busy around here! That, and Tom got a sinus infection, I got cold...and then...I got another cold! My immune system is not so quick to the uptake this pregnancy. Stinky. I have this awesome cough right now that just does not look good on me.

So-- first update-- my little Beanie Boo. She is almost 18 months (well, in a few weeks) and is just a crazy, wonderful, happy toddler. She is a picky eater sometimes, but overall, eats pretty well. She loves carrots and tolerates peas and green beans. She also loves edamame. She will eat any fruit that is placed in front of her. She loves chicken nuggets. She also likes bacon. She loves yogurt. My food philosophy with her right now is to let her try whatever she shows interest in and not to force anything. I don't want her to hate foods because they were forced-- I want her to come to them herself. She LOVES milk. She prefers water through a straw. She shows a strong interest in coffee (too bad she has to wait for that one). She also LOVES pumpkin spice bagels with cream cheese. If mama or dada is eating it-- she wants it. No matter what it is.

She is running these days. Spinning in circles. "Jumping". Dancing. Rocking in chairs (even ones that don't rock). She crawls through her pop up tunnel. She chases big kids around. She mothers little kids (she checks Kenzi's diaper for poop, even though I am not sure she knows what she is looking for...). She gives hugs and kisses. She can find her brubber Ack. She laughs, and giggles, and smiles.

Her word list includes: mama, dada, Fred, dog-dog, apple (whispered, though), more, all done, rock, walk, baby, nose, moo, pop, mine, hohoho (her Christmas "word"), watch, Elmo, book, duck, hello, bye, hi, caw! (Go Ravens!), car, airplane, thank you (plus the sign), and there are others...but that is all I got right now...haha.

My pregnancy is just reaching the 29.5 week mark. I am pretty uncomfortable. So far things have been pretty easy (except that morning sickness in the first trimester...), but the third trimester is lending itself to pretty significant exhaustion, round ligament pain, and some uncomfortable hips (and lower back). Jack definitely wiggles a lot. He likes to kick and jab and poke and I LOVE it. Feeling him move around is definitely one of, if not the, best part of pregnancy. I love imagining what he will look like and what his personality will be like. I am slowly prepping everything for him. Over break we will work on getting the nursery all really, getting a bassinet, and washing newborn clothes and cloth diapers.

Currently, we are on baby Jack size watch. He is measuring in the 76%, but I am measuring 4 weeks ahead, so the doctor wants to monitor his size closer to the end of the pregnancy. Lily was 8 pounds and 10 ounces, so he could be a big boy. As long as he is a healthy boy...that is what really matters.

Let's see what else...this post is getting lengthy. I have many other things to write, but will save them for other posts. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the holiday season! I am loving it!