All about breastfeeding - sorry!

Well, I'm home from church still, since Arianna's pediatrician wanted her to stay away from church for 8 weeks just to be safe. I am NOT waiting til she is 2 months old, but I figured I'd give it a few more weeks before we go back. I think we'll start going next week.

I just got out of the shower while Arianna is napping, after 9.5 hours of sleep in a row last night. This girl is incredible! I keep waiting for it to all go down the drain...but it just keeps getting better!

HOWEVER, yesterday was another story. Friday evening Dan and I decided that I would only nurse on one side (which is perfectly pain-free), and pump on the other because it was so sore and not healing. I just couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I didn't see how it would ever start feeling better if I didn't do something drastic. So I started using the free manual pump the hospital gave me. I knew I'd have to nurse on the good side a lot more, to counteract not using both sides. Looking back on it now, I wonder why it didn't occur to me to feed her the pumped milk from a bottle. Lol. Duh. Anyways, she woke up halfway through the night to nurse, presumably because she was only getting half of a feeding each time. We got up Saturday, and I proceeded to continue the pumping on one side, nursing only on the other. I was prepared to nurse more often, and didn't mind doing that. But Arianna decided she was going to scream hysterically. All day. No matter what. I nursed her non-stop. She had recently pooped. She was still having plenty of wet diapers. There were no tags/etc. bothering her from her clothes. She wasn't spitting up, or even having any hiccups. She wasn't hot or cold. She just cried. Dan and I both tried every trick in the books. She refused to nap unless she was nursing or on Dan's lap for about 10 minutes at a time listening to his Christian rock music. It was insane.

Poor Marissa didn't have a good day either, since Dan and I were up to our eyeballs trying to deal with Arianna. Marissa took over an hour to settle down in her bed and stop crying and throwing fits (which is SO not like her - she NEVER gets out of bed, NEVER cries to go to sleep).

It was the worst day and all day I kept thinking HOLY CRAP TWO KIDS. I know Arianna was annoyed because she wasn't getting as much to eat as she was used to, but I thought nursing more often would help. Sometime in the afternoon, I was just so frustrated, and although I knew I certainly wasn't starving her, I felt bad that she thought I was. So I gave in and stopped pumping and just nursed her on the other side. Unfortunately, that didn't really help. She was still grumpy, crying, and inconsolable! Dan and I were all prepared for a horrible night of sleep since it had been such an awful day. I nursed her at 10:30, she fell right asleep, and the next thing I knew, Dan and Marissa were coming in at 8am for me to fix her hair for church!

I don't know what yesterday was all about, but it certainly didn't bother her throughout the night, and today already seems to be going better than I expected. Yesterday was the hardest day yet of parenting two kids. But we worked together, tag-teaming both kids during their times of need. And we survived! Phew!

Well, I hear Arianna waking up from her nap. Time to go snuggle some soft cheeks!

Ugh

I'm having a rough few days. Yesterday morning I took the girls with me to the fabric store (I'm going to attempt to sew myself a nursing cover - should be interesting, since I have yet to take my new sewing machine out of the box), and overall it went fine. It was kind of a hassle to juggle the car seat, bags of stuff I bought, and try to hold hands in the parking lot, but it wasn't a total disaster for our first outing without extra help. However, Marissa has been giving me trouble about taking a normal nap, and just generally throwing more fits and is harder to deal with lately. I know it's a big transition for her, just as much as it is for us. And that makes me just wanna forget all our rules and scoop her up, hug her, and let her do/have whatever she wants. But I'm trying so hard to stick to my guns, not compromise, and keep things steady and consistent with discipline. And I know that I need to have some sort of balance with those two extremes, but it's hard to find that line. She is usually independent, but always was willing to discuss things and come to an agreement about what's going on (mainly because I only give her choices that I will be fine with whatever she chooses). But the past few days she has not even really been able to listen to my side of things and just totally set in her mind about what's going to happen. It's so not like her, and it makes me sad that things are changing. I know we did everything on all the lists to prepare her for all of this, but it's still upsetting that she is having a hard time right now. I know it will get better, and she will go back to being the well-behaved child she used to be. She still loves Arianna, and hasn't shown any signs of resentment towards her. She's also still better than some 2-year olds are to begin with. She's just becoming more difficult to reason with, and I'm not used to that! But it makes me so sad every time I have to tell her to wait, or that I can't do a certain thing, because I'm nursing Arianna (every hour). "Mommy, wanna play with me?"

I'm also totally exhausted. Not sleep deprived at all (9 hours in a row is just fine, thank you!). Just worn out. There is NO down time. NO time to just relax. I forgot how easy just having Marissa was. Between Marissa talking non-stop, any time she's awake (and even in her sleep), and always having to be ready to nurse Arianna (oh the PAIN! Why won't it go away?!), plus ALL this ridiculous laundry that I can't seem to catch up on...it's a bit overwhelming. But I know it will get better, I will get used to the way things are, and I know I'll never catch up on laundry.

All this to say...I love my girls. I love our little family. I just needed a place to let out my feelings.

Phew!

Wow, it seems like lots has happened since I posted last. I think bullets will work best today:

• My parents and sister were here for a whole week. It was a little crazy, because my mom can't drive or do everyday things as easily (because she broke her shoulder right after Christmas and it's taking a long time to heal), and of course all the new-baby craziness! But we had so much fun, and they were all so helpful.
• Dan got a short throw-up bug last Monday. Marissa got the same bug Saturday at 4:30am. Dan obviously handled it himself, but this was Marissa's VERY FIRST sickness, and it was awful. She handled it so well though, and mostly managed to get to the toilet/bucket on time. She was so pitiful and cuddly (see pics below), but she's completely back to normal now (aside from not having ANY appetite). The hardest part was keeping germs away from Arianna. So far I haven't gotten sick, but I've been extremely obsessive about hand-washing and Clorox-wiping. My hands are bleeding from all the washing!
• Arianna has still been sleeping amazing at night. We've been trying to go to bed at 10, but she hasn't gotten the memo yet. But by midnight she's usually asleep, and sleeping for 5+ hours, then 3 or 4 more after that. I've been waking her up with us around 9 every morning, and she's starting to take naps around the same time each day already. I've had several 7-8-9 hour nights, and I've been waking up to go to the bathroom/check on her, then I go right back to sleep! It's totally crazy, and I love it, but I keep reminding myself it can't possibly last forever!
• She makes up for all the sleep at night by nursing literally every hour most of the day (except when she takes 2-3 hour naps, or is in the car seat). I really don't mind, except when Marissa wants me to play with her, and except for the fact that nursing is still excruciatingly painful sometimes. Again, I keep reminding myself that it won't last forever, and the pain will go away eventually.
• I am really enjoying her new-baby-ness much more than I did with Marissa, because the pain with Marissa was MUCH worse. I am working on a comparison post about Marissa's birth/newborn-ness and Arianna's birth/newborn-ness. If only I had the time, hehe.
• Arianna is a hiccup queen! The poor girl hiccups multiple times within an hour time period, multiple times each day! Sometimes it's just funny, but sometimes it really ticks her off!
• Marissa is growing up so fast: She used to say "pin-pass" but now pronounces princess correctly! Boohoo...
• I am totally swamped by laundry. Since my parents and sister were here I have all their sheets and towels. Which is a lot, but not horrible. But on top of that, I have tons of extra sheets from Marissa's sickness - two sets from her bed (we thought she was done, but she wasn't!), and our flannel king set (which doesn't even fit in the washer all at once!) cuz she joined us at 4:30am, plus all the pj's she got nasty, plus towels and blankets we used around the house that day. PLUS all the regular laundry that I let myself get behind on since Arianna was born. I didn't do any except for Arianna's clothes, and I didn't really trust Dan to do it properly. I am slowly getting caught up, but the hardest part is folding and putting it all away!
• It has been sooooo gorgeous outside! We were outside for a long time talking with some neighbors, and Marissa got tired of playing on her bike. She went inside through the open garage, opened the door to the mudroom, got her green stool, took it back outside, and put it in front of the front door so she could reach the doorknob! I just cracked up when I saw what she had done
• I keep forgetting to write down how Marissa says Arianna's name: Yah-yanna - it's so cute! And she holds Arianna's hand and makes her wave to people saying "Hi, my name is Yah-yanna', Marissa is my big stister!"
  

Friday night!

Yay, it's Friday night! Dan was gone on a short overnight trip last night, and I'm so glad he's back. And my parents and Rach are coming tomorrow for a whole week!

Things are going pretty well. I've been getting good chunks of sleep at night, and Marissa still loves helping, etc. But yesterday morning I woke up after almost 7 hours of sleep straight through. Arianna was fine, and nursed when I woke her up, but I was not fine. I ended up on the couch, in tears, all morning, shivering. I called my doctor, and they called in a prescription for me. My friend from church, Alicia, and her kids (ages 4, 3, 2) were coming over for dinner and some playtime (lots of fun for Ris and me, and so nice to have some adult conversation since Dan was gone!), so she picked up the prescription for me. I'm pretty sure it's mastitis. It's already MUCH better, but yesterday was rough. Marissa watched tv ALOT, and had some behavioral issues throughout the day, but she's better today too. It was horrible timing though, since I knew Dan wasn't coming home til today! I'm hesitant to say it, but I think I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! It still annoys the crap out of me when people (like LLL) say nursing shouldn't hurt. I can't even describe the misery I've experienced trying to get nursing established with Marissa, and now Arianna. I will be soooooo glad when I can enjoy nursing finally! I really love enjoying Arianna as a tiny baby. When Marissa was this tiny, I was sooooo miserable for 2 months plus, I never felt like I got to enjoy her! But I've been cuddling Arianna lots, and I really don't feel too sleep deprived (yet...). Yesterday I caught her sucking on a few of her fingers - too cute.

Well, we are all watching "The Little Mermaid" (HOLY COW - her questions about this movie are ridiculous! How do you explain every little detail to a 2 year old? So funny, yet slightly annoying!) - Marissa LOVES movie night and popcorn, and Dan and I are enjoying the rest time after a long week. I'm looking forward to our first outing as a family of four - church on Sunday. I have a feeling I should set my alarm pretty early though - gotta love trying on normal clothes for the first time after having a baby!

Arianna Grace (WARNING: Possible TMI)

2/24/09, 3:33am, 7lbs 15 oz, 19.5 in

Monday, the 23rd, I had a NST and they said I wasn't having any contractions (even though I thought I was), but she was looking just fine. When the midwife checked me, she said I was a good 3 cm, which was definitely a change from the week before. She also said I would probably be crampy and spotting a little after the exam, and now I realize I should have asked her if she did anything to make it that way on purpose. Anyways, we went home, and I was a little crampy, but still just felt awful in general like I had been for a while. The midwife mentioned that they could break my water to see if things got going on their own, and I had pretty much decided that I'd call Tuesday to schedule breaking my water on Wednesday morning. Monday night after dinner, we all went to buy groceries together, and I was walking slow, but still fine! We went to bed around 11 and Dan fell asleep really fast, as usual. I never fall asleep fast, but I started feeling slightly different contractions at 11:35. I timed them as much as I could, but I was starting to doze off a little. The ones I kept track of were about 9 minutes apart, but they weren't every 9 minutes. I think I must have slept a little, but at 12:53 Dan woke up to me being pretty miserable. By 1am I knew it was time to get going. I called the midwife on call, and she said to head to L & D to get checked. We woke Marissa up, got everything together, and took her to our friends' house around 1:15. We stopped back home around 1:30 to grab the map of the hospital so we'd know where to go. Contractions weren't extremely consistent at this point, but they were at least 9 minutes apart, and very painful and tight. I made Dan run a red light on our way to the hospital, because since Marissa's labor was so fast, I was worried about the timing of things. We checked in to the hospital at 2am, and were put in just regular L & D, instead of the birth center right away. They wanted to check me first, and I needed an IV for GBS. There was also not enough staff at the birth center, so I had to wait a bit. Thus begins the longest hour of my life. Lol. They had me all strapped with the monitors, the IV for GBS, and I had to lay on the table thing. Contractions were really starting to pick up in pain and timing. At the end of every one, I thought I was going to throw up. I didn't, until towards the end, it was a really bad one, and I threw up 3 times in a row. They finally checked me at 2:30 and I was 5cm. Finally, the midwife came to see me, and she took one look at me and realized I needed to get going! She went to the birth center and started getting the tub ready. At 3 they were finally able to move me, and that was a long ride in the wheelchair (not really, but it seemed like it)! They unhooked the IV, I got right in the tub, and immediately felt some relief. I was cold from the wheelchair ride, and the tub was nice and hot. I got a short rest from contractions, but then they got really bad. I remember thinking that this better mean I'm getting close, because I couldn't do it this way for much longer! During one of the really bad ones, I felt the urge to push. So I asked the midwife to check me when it was over. She said I was 9, and I could push if I felt the urge. So the next one, I started pushing. Dan says I pushed for about 10 minutes. At one point, I remember asking if she was "right there" because it was starting to feel different. The midwife said she was, and I was relieved because I was starting to wonder if I'd make it! After that, I opened my eyes and watched for her to come out! I was gripping a bar in the tub with my left hand, and Dan's hand with my right hand. I was holding on soooo tight (my arm muscles were sore later), and for every push/contraction I completely suspended myself in the water by holding on to the bar and Dan's hand. Arianna was born at 3:33am and I saw her come out! Her head came out underwater, and it took a little while for the rest of her to follow. She didn't just slip out (like it looks like on tv shows), but the second she was out, the midwife put her on my belly. All of a sudden, both nurses and the midwife all lunged at her saying "there's a cord around her neck" - none of them were freaked out, but since they all said it at the same time, it freaked Dan and I out! They took the cord off her neck, and she just sat there and looked at me. They had warned us that waterbirth/natural born babies don't pink up right away, and don't necessarily even cry for a while. We were prepared for that, but when it actually happened that way, it made us nervous! The midwife assured us that she was fine, and I just sat in the tub with her on my belly for several minutes. She was all slimy and calm. It was wonderful (because I totally missed that part with Marissa). After a while (since I wanted to wait to cut it), Dan announced that he thought he might like to cut the cord. I was shocked, since he passed out during childbirth class for Marissa. But he actually cut the cord. They took her from me for the first time, and went to just check her out, while I climbed out of the tub. I went straight to the bed, delivered the placenta, and the midwife stitched me up a little. They brought her back to me as soon as I was on the bed, and she just laid on my belly/chest for a while. She was starting to root around, so I attempted to nurse her. At some point (not sure on the time), she nursed for about an hour on each side. I was never away from her until sometime around 7am when they finally weighed her. Sometime mid-morning, I was able to get up and use the bathroom. They gave me one motrin sometime around 7 probably, and I haven't had another drug since. The plan was to come home Wednesday late morning - until the wee hours of Wednesday morning, when the pediatrician informed me that they always monitor GBS+ babies for 48 hours, especially since I didn't have time to get the full dose. I was VERY upset, not to mention a bit hormonal and overtired, so I cried a lot that morning. It was surprisingly hard to be at the hospital all alone, since Dan went to get Marissa. He stayed til about 9 Tuesday morning, and they came back to visit throughout the day, but I was alone at night. But the thought of facing another night alone was tough. The nurses were so nice though, and one of them spent a long time with me during the night when Arianna wanted to nurse every hour on the hour.

All in all, it was a wonderful birth. It was everything I had hoped for, and I feel really great already. Arianna is a champion nurser already, and we are enjoying every minute of her! Marissa is a wonderful big sister, and is so gentle, understanding, and curious about Arianna. I love my girls!

40 weeks, 6 days

40 weeks, 6 days (about 10 minutes ago)

'Nuff said.

40 weeks, 3 days

Still here. I think we're going out for spicy Indian food tonight, so maybe that'll do the trick

For a while now, we've been getting groceries as a family event. Quite fun, actually. And we don't have to spend extra money. Lol. Anyways, the last time we all went, I was looking for Cadbury Creme Eggs, cuz they are my absolute favorite candy ever, and they're only an Easter thing. I'd found them before at Wal*Mart, but last time I couldn't find them. Well, fast forward to last night, when Dan and Marissa made a quick trip out to just grab a few things. They came inside, and Marissa handed me a Cadbury Egg! Dan said that they were walking down the aisle, and all of a sudden, she spotted something. She ran to the display, grabbed one, and said they needed to buy it for Mommy! How cute is that?! I just thought it was so sweet, and I even shared it with her (which I hadn't been doing with the others, since it's a limited-time-only candy). Even though she's been trying my patience this week (all my patience is used up on being pregnant!), she is such a cutie, and is so much fun to spend time with!

She's an awesome helper too. I vacuumed the entire middle floor, the basement stairs, and the entire basement this morning, hoping to get labor started. She followed me around, turned the vacuum on whenever I needed her to, put all her toys away off the floor, and moved anything else out of the way that was on the floor. She'd been begging all morning to help me clean, so when I finally did, she was so excited! She's going to make the world's best big sister!

Ok, I think I'm going to go make some chocolate pudding. I can't seem to get enough to eat these days!

More Rissa stories, and 40 weeks

• "Mommy, I ate all my cereal, and I didn't make a mess or anything!"
  

• "The lights didn't work at church, and it was dark, and I cried like this..." and then she imitated herself crying. This is by far her funniest thing lately. Her imitation of herself crying is quite accurate, and she scrunches her face all up as if she's actually crying.
  

• Lately, she's been coloring tons of pictures. Since we moved some toys down to the basement, she's gradually getting used to playing down here when I'm on the computer. Her crayons and coloring books are also down here. She'll color a picture, and bring it to me, grinning, after she finishes using each color. Then she'll go back and use a different color on the spots she missed. And she'll just keep going until she feels like she finished. I'm kinda surprised at how she actually aims to color just the picture on each page! Yesterday she was coloring a Veggie Tales coloring book, and she said "Look, Mommy, these look like green beans!"
  

• The other night, when Dan and I were getting ready for bed, we both went into her room to check on her (like we usually do), but she was sitting up in bed, obviously not quite fully awake. We kissed her, and told her to lay back down and go to sleep. She laid down, but then asked for more water (she MUST sleep with a full cup of water - probably not a good habit, but it's fine for now), so I went to fill her cup in the bathroom. When I brought it to her, she was already starting to fall back asleep, but she took it from me and said "Thank you." This was at 11pm at night, in the middle of her night of sleep! I just was so shocked that a 2 year old could remember to say thank you in the middle of the night - I love my girl!
  

• Marissa's teacher at church wasn't there on Sunday, because her husband is dying of cancer. I'm not sure if they told the kids she was sick, or if Marissa just assumed she was. But every time we pray before nap/bed, she's been praying: "Dear God, help my teacher friend Pauline to get better soon."

We didn't do anything special for Valentine's Day. I made a yummy dinner, and we rented a movie (The Women - not the greatest, but it was girly enough for the occasion - plus it was funny that it ended with a [very fake] birth - I was hoping to end the day that way too [with a real birth though]). We have always gone to Bravo (Italian) since we started dating. I think this year will be our 8th year in a row (if I'm doing the math right). Anyways, we are still planning on going to celebrate Valentine's Day, but we decided we would wait. To hire a babysitter for Marissa just adds too much $$ to the night. So as soon as I'm up to it after Arianna is born, we will get our date. And I'm sure there will be some grandparents (or an aunt!) that would love to watch Marissa for free! And Arianna will be easy enough to take with us (I hope - Marissa certainly was way back then).

Well, I'm officially due today. Crazy. I didn't really think I'd still be pregnant right now. I just keep telling myself I won't be pregnant forever! But I'm back to sleeping horribly, which is annoying. I wake up every 2+ hours, either dying of thirst, or about to pee my pants. I'm also sooooo hot at night, which is still soooo unlike me. Last night I ended up changing into shorts and a tank top! I even almost went downstairs to make sure the heat wasn't malfunctioning!

I had my 40-week appointment today. I'm starting to worry about getting to deliver in the tub/natural section of the birth center. They will only let me if it's before 42 weeks. But it makes me nervous to wait that long! And they don't do inductions in the birth center. I could easily say "induce me now" and go for a regular (even natural) delivery, just not in the birth center/tub. But I've been planning a water birth since I got pregnant and had my first miscarriage, way back in August 2007. I don't really want to just give it up! Anyways, I'm finally starting to "get ready" down there. The doc said 2-3 cm today, definitely a change since last week! So we'll see - maybe soon!

Guess that's all...I'll have Dan take a 40-week belly pic when he gets home from work. I think I'm going to make some cookies now!

Sadness

So I've been feeling guilty about this baby girl a little. We haven't painted a room for her, and we probably won't - she will eventually share Marissa's room (which we will hopefully paint and decorate this spring). We haven't bought any new decorations for her. And we won't. We still have stuff left from Marissa, but it's not very "modern" and there is really no point in putting anything up since we won't do a whole room for her. She's getting "sloppy seconds" (I think I stole that phrase from someone) for car seats, clothes (well, the ones that will fit), crib, bedding, and toys. Her car seat isn't even a neat modern design - it's plaid. And even though it's from Wal*Mart, I really just wish we could go out and buy all of this for her RIGHT NOW (Love it for a baby room, and LOVE it for a spin-off for a future guest room!!!):

Bedding set: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8112896&findingMethod=rr

(These are wall stickers - coolest invention ever!)

How cute would this all be together?! With green or tan walls. And when it's no longer needed as baby stuff, just add a dark brown or red comforter to our double bed...
Oh well. It's frustrating. But she will be just as loved as Marissa. I just wish we could show it differently...

And while we're at it, I'd buy these wall stickers for Rissa's room:

Some Marissa-isms, and 39 weeks

Before I forget, I wanted to write these funny things down that Marissa is up to lately:

We watched "Finding Nemo" last week for toddler movie night. Now, at random times throughout the day (or at the doctor's office), she will break out into "Mine, mine, mine, mine" and "Just peep (keep) swimming..."

She came home from church last Wednesday night, all excited to tell me all about her night. "So, I did three things..." and then proceeded to list three things!
Then the next morning, she said "We need to go to the store and buy two things: orange juice and chocolate milk" - when did she figure this listing thing out?

Rissa, to her baby, "Hey, you head-butted me!"

"Just in case-y"

She is still telling the story of "I was running with my flower shoes, and I fell on the sidewalk, and got two boo-boos, and Mommy and Ra-ra just put two band-bands on it" - this actually took place in May or June of 2008!

"So, about my problem..."

"What'd you say?"

"What's a-matter with you?"

"I wanna noogie-noogie" - I'm not sure exactly where this came from. I think I saw it on a kids show once, where they were rubbing noses together and saying noogie-noogie. Anyways, I might have done it once or twice with her, ages ago, and all of a sudden, she's asking for it all the time. SO cute!

She was driving some cars on the floor. I asked her where they were driving to, and her answer was "To the office!"

"I wanna hug you all day!" Yesterday as I put her down for nap, I think she knew she could delay it. And it worked, of course. We hugged for 10 minutes or so, and when I whispered "You're wonderful" in her ear, she whispered back "No, you're wonderful!"


39 weeks yesterday. The midwife checked me at my appointment, and nothing is happening yet. But I definitely had some contractions the other night - 3 of them, 15 minutes apart. So maybe soon? Or maybe not...I'm ready though! (yes, I'm wearing short sleeves in the dead of winter - I'm hot all the time these days! It's soooo weird for me, since I am usually freezing COLD everywhere I go!)

38 weeks

I don't have much to write, but I figured I'd at least put up my 38 week picture, and say that I didn't have the baby yet! I've been sleeping really well lately, finally, so at least I should be rested by the time she's born!

This week started with a bang: We were startled awake Monday morning at 6:45 by my mom calling to say my dad had a seizure and they were going to the hospital. Totally freaked everyone out. He had a seizure a few years ago, but other than that, he has no health problems! And the seizure back then was a one-time thing, nothing ever came of it. They did some tests this time, and didn't find anything out yet this time either. So who knows what the deal is. He is fine now, just sore from the actual seizure (hurt his back and neck pretty bad). But the real kicker about this whole thing is that now, legally, he is not allowed to drive until he is seizure-free for 6 months. And if you recall, my mom broke her shoulder right after Christmas, so she still can't drive either. It's so frustrating to be stuck here and not be able to help them out at all! And my brother and sister are both in college, so they can't really drop everything to help either. My dad's parents were able to drive up for a visit to help out, but my parents' church is going to have to help long-term. It's really sad that my parents won't be able to get out here right away after Arianna is born, but Rach has a spring break soon after the due date, so she'll be able to drive them out here then for a visit. Craziness!

Well, Dan and Marissa are at church, and I have the entire evening to do whatever I want. It might even be the last time! I keep thinking "this could be the last..." but then it never is. I didn't really expect to have this baby early, but I really hope I don't go too late! I am excited about meeting this new little baby girl, and I want to cuddle her in a more comfortable way that I am right now! All her clothes are washed and put away. The pack-n-play is ready to put up in our bedroom (as soon as Dan vacuums one last time - I am physically incapable of doing that anymore!), and I know exactly where the carseat is - just need to clean the car out a little before we put it in. My hospital bag is all packed except for last minute stuff, and so is the bag I'm sending with Marissa to our friends' house. I've been telling her all about what's going to happen, little by little, and she seems ready and excited. I just hope she doesn't freak out when the time actually comes to leave her there for a while! I think she'll be fine during the day, I'm just not sure how bedtime is going to go, since only family has ever put her to bed (successfully).

Ok, I'm off to enjoy my Wednesday evening!

38 weeks = too big to cut own toenails (ouch!)

Sometimes I forget how huge I am til I see a picture of myself (or I try to roll over in bed!)

I'm not really in the mood to type forever, so I think I'll do a bullet post:

• We had our last meeting at the birth center on Monday. All the paperwork is filled out, so when I go into labor, I won't have to worry about that while I'm in pain. Marissa went to the house of the family that will watch her when I'm in labor - and had a great time! So I'm not as worried about that now (although their kids were sick, and get sick a lot, so hopefully that doesn't become an issue when it's time!).
• It's been kinda a long week for me. It seems like Dan has had a lot of stuff going on this week (some of it work stuff), so it makes the days stretch out longer. But at least Marissa is obsessed with books - reading on the couch is fine with me!
• Tuesday I had a doctor's appointment, and she checked me - NOTHIN'! She did say the baby is down pretty low, but other than that, no signs of "open for business"!
• Tuesday-Wednesday we got a HUGE snow/ice storm. Tuesday morning when I woke up, my ears seemed weirdly clogged. I mentioned it at my appointment, and she looked in them and said one was full of fluid and the other was full of wax. So I went to Walmart to get Sudafed for the fluid and drops for the wax. I came home and took both, then took a nap while Marissa napped. Gradually, throughout the afternoon, my right ear (the one supposedly full of wax) got worse and worse...til it felt like someone stabbed it with a screw driver and was twisting it around and around. I was in tears, it was so painful! I took some Extra Strength Tylenol, and it didn't even touch the pain! By 8pm, I had Dan look up the nearest Urgent Care (I had already tried to get a regular Dr. appointment - but since I would be a new patient, they couldn't get me in til Friday) and we were about to head out into the ice storm to see what they could do for me. I did call the midwife on call, to make sure there would even be any medication I could take (being pregnant and all), and she assured me they would be able to find something. But since the roads were so bad, I decided I could try to wait til the morning to go in. But I told Dan we'd be going for sure in the morning. I had a really hard time falling asleep, since it hurt excruciatingly to lay on either side (and I really can't sleep on my back), but once I did, I slept straight through the night. Dan woke me up as he was leaving for work, and I was shocked to find that I had absolutely NO pain anymore! Weirdest thing to ever happen to me, and I'm SO glad it's gone. Now I completely understand why babies scream bloody murder when they have ear infections!
• Today my friend Susan and her daughter Ingrid came over for the morning. I loved watching Marissa and Ingrid play together (they are only a month apart), and it was so nice to chat with another adult. I love being a SAHM, don't get me wrong! But I am really looking forward to better weather, and not being pregnant anymore, so we can do things like playdates, library story time, etc. more often. I don't necessarily like being stuck inside the house every day all day!

Well, I guess that's all. I completely missed taking a 37 week picture on Tuesday, since I was busy writhing in pain. But here's a pic from today, at 37 weeks, 3 days:

Still here

You would think that since I'm home all the time now, I'd have more time to update. But apparently that's not the case. It's been such a wonderful week at home with my girl. I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday (Day Of Change - that's all I'll say about that), and afterward we went to Elder Beerman to exchange a Christmas present from my mom. Marissa is finally getting used to all the ladies at my doctor's office (gee, it only took her a year and a half!) so it's fun to watch her talk to them. This week, she informed the entire staff that she knew mommy's and daddy's full names in case we're "missing". They thought that was pretty funny. While we were shopping after my appointment, I was waiting at a customer service desk for a while, and she rearranged a display of little kid cameras ever so carefully. She got really upset when I was ready to go because "There's still one more spot left!"

Wednesday, we made another attempt at potty training. It takes a huge amount of effort on my part to be calm and patient and not let her catch on how grossed out I get by the messes. I thought I did pretty well too. But she just isn't getting it, and only knows she needs to go as it's happening. I also had to bribe her to even put on the undies in the morning. So basically, she's not ready, I'm not ready, and we're going to wait until after Arianna is born. I'm so completely exhausted, and sore, that it's hard for me to do much anyways, and there's no need to stress out over it yet. I'm disappointed that we couldn't get this over with, but now I can focus on enjoying our time together alone, instead of stressing over going potty.

Wednesday night we had our Waterbirth class finally. It was scheduled for December, but the instructor never showed up. Then it was rescheduled for last week, but it snowed too much. So we got to attend for free (because the instructor forgot in December) and we were the only couple there! It was a little awkward, but the lady was super nice, and I got to share Marissa's birth story (which she was totally in awe of, a 3 hour labor, and now wants me to call her after this labor to see if it's short too). It was an interesting class, with a few good tips and instructions related to waterbith, but overall it was more like a sales' pitch to convince us that waterbirth is amazing. But I already felt that way, and am already planning on having one if I can, so it was kinda a waste of time! We would have been really ticked if we actually had to pay for it, but since we only had to pay the babysitter (I have discovered that when the babysitter is here, Marissa is the boss! Didn't really see that coming! Should be interesting to find a way to tell the babysitter that it's ok to tell Marissa "No!"), I guess it wasn't so bad. The funny part was that we told the lady about Dan passing out in childbirth classes for Marissa, so she said she would warn him about pictures/videos that were gross. But she totally forgot, and in one video they were even studying the placenta! He didn't pass out, but distracted himself with some snacks. Lol.

Some funny Marissa stories:

• Dan really likes to watch cooking shows on the Food Network, so some evenings we all watch together, while Marissa plays. Well, when Marissa had that slight fever last week, and only wanted to cuddle, I had to occupy myself somehow, so I started watching some too. Now, she begs and begs to watch cooking shows! Today, after Rachael Ray was over, and someone else was on, she asked for "that lady who made pasta" (RR) to come back instead of the other person! She really gets into each show too, and continually asks "What is he making?" "What's he cutting up?" or "Yogurt in pasta? Nooooo!"
  

• Because we've been watching these cooking shows together, she's gotten her first exposure to commercials too. Food Network is at least decent though. Anyways, last night at dinner, she started telling us this story about a monster jumping down onto a road and the car stops and the lady gets out and says "Bunco!" at the monster and he runs away. We just laughed, because we know how her imagination gets sometimes. Until I realized she was telling us about a commercial! It's the one where the lady is driving down the road, and all the fast food signs chase her down the road, til she gets home and holds up the mostly-prepared-steak-dinner-in-a-box and yells at them "Back off!" Her memory of details just astounds us!

• Yesterday, a package came in the mail from my parents and grandparents full of tiny cute little winter outfits for Arianna (since all of Marissa's tiny outfits were springy) and a few goodies for Marissa too. It's so fun to look at those clothes and imagine cuddling a tiny baby in them! I can't wait! One of the goodies for Marissa was a plastic locket and mirror from my grandma. Well, since I opened it up for her, she has spent countless hours putting the necklace on herself, taking it off, putting it on me, taking it off, and every time we have to look at ourselves in the mirror. It's hysterical, and she works so hard getting it on and off!

Since I've been so exhausted and sore sometimes, I've spent a lot of time on the couch this week. So we've been reading books like crazy! Over and over, every single book in sight! It's so much fun, and we just cuddle together under our favorite blanket. I can't begin to tell you how much I've been enjoying my daughter this week. It's such a special time, and although it will obviously change drastically, I don't think it will be too upsetting for her when we have a baby around too. She's just so enjoyable, and happy, and cuddly, and loving, even when things don't exactly go her way.

I guess that catches me up on here. We've got a relaxing weekend planned, and Monday we have the final class/meeting required at the birth center before I could go into labor. It's also our "trial run" with taking Marissa to the friends' house where she'll be during my labor, so hopefully all goes well. Tuesday I have another doctor's appointment, where we will definitely be talking about how to deal with my positive Group B Strep result and my desire for a waterbirth - grrr. Then it's the homestretch, and I'm ready for a baby! The good news is that I'm finally sleeping better - last night I only woke up once, and didn't even stay awake for a long time! It was so nice to wake up refreshed after sleeping like a normal person! I'll leave you with one last Rissa story:

• She has a pirate eye patch that she loves to wear. There are several pirate episodes of The Backyardigans that she loves (I must mention how proud I am about how little tv she has watched since being home all day!), so she loves to wear her pirate patch around the house. She dances around, swinging one leg into the air, singing "A pirate, a pirate, a pirate says ARRGGGGHHHH!" several times in a row, then stops, lifts up the patch to peek at whoever will listen, and says "Ahoy there 'maybe'" - it cracks us up every time because she thinks it's "maybe" instead of "matey" and she says it sooooo pirate-like

Next time I post, I will be "FULL TERM"!

36 weeks, 1 day

U/s, potty talk

Wednesday night, Dan went to a basketball game with some friends, so Marissa and I dug out tiny baby clothes and put them in a dresser. It was so fun to look at all the tiny clothes, remember Marissa in them, and think of Arianna in them! But we discovered a problem: NONE of the clothes are winter clothes until 6-9 months! So the only newborn/0-3 month long-sleeve, warm clothes we have are 2-3 pairs of pjs! For some reason, I thought the end of April was still cold enough for us to have tiny winter clothes from Marissa. But I guess it wasn't, or else we stayed inside long enough for it to turn to spring before we ventured out much. So yesterday Marissa and I headed to Target to see if we could find some clearanced winter tiny baby items. I managed to find 2 warm outfits, but they didn't have much clearance for tiny babies!

Thursday morning I had my final ultrasound. Because of some weird placenta stuff, we've been monitoring Arianna's growth on a monthly basis. She's been growing steadily and consistently, and weighs about 5 lbs 10 oz now, which they said was about the 40th percentile. So they are not concerned about her growth at all! It reminded me of 35 weeks with Marissa, where they started being concerned about her growth, since I was measuring consistently small. Anyways, Arianna is definitely head-down and ready to go! I also got to watch her eyes blinking, and her face scrunching up. I'm soooo excited to meet this little girl! I'm also ready to be done, since I'm still not sleeping (I might as well wake up every hour with a cute baby to hold instead!) and can't really ever find a comfortable position to do anything in, for any length of time. We went to Ikea last night, and I quickly realized it's not a good store for pregnant women! Well, unless you don't mind resting on every couch in every room. Lol. But Dan wanted to get in, get what we needed, and get out, and it was already going to be a late night for Marissa, so we pressed on. It was fun, but I'm definitely not doing that again for a while!

This morning I decided that since our busy week was done, we would give potty training another shot. So we got up and she put princess undies on. Shortly after breakfast, she had an accident in the kitchen (yay for on vinyl floors), so I cleaned it and her up (very calmly, I might add - I tried SO hard to be patient and relaxed about it). She was dry for another hour, then had a complete meltdown over something totally unrelated and trivial, then started begging for a diaper on. Then when I picked her up, I realized she was burning up. After several (failed) attempts at taking her temperature [Butt: screams, 104, can't be right; Mouth: wouldn't even let me put it in the right spot; Under arm: 101 but had to stop because she was freaking out *Guess I need to invest in one of those expensive ear or forehead ones, huh?] I gave up and just cuddled with her all morning. She actually took a nap on my lap, which convinced me she was NOT feeling herself. So we'll try potty training another day. Lol. I'm starting to think it's never going to happen, and I really wanted to get a good start on it before baby-time. UGH!

Well, that's all for now. She's still sleeping, so I'm off to rest myself. Sitting in the same position for a long time is excruciatingly painful for some reason, but when she was cuddling, then napping, on me, I just couldn't make myself move. At least she's hardly ever sick. The last time was probably last January, and before that, only once or twice, which is also why I've never thought I needed a fancy thermometer!

35 weeks?!

Holy cow. How am I possibly 35 weeks pregnant already? The first few months dragged soooo slowly, but the last few have just flown by! I am ready though. Really ready to be done. I haven't been sleeping well for over a month, and it's only getting worse. I have horrible heartburn at nights, plus I just toss and turn (which is no easy task these days!) and wake up in the middle of the night for no reason! I've been having muscle pain everywhere these days, and even cute little kicks are starting to hurt! I had a doctor's appointment today, and I have another ultrasound on Thursday. Things are looking good! I start going every week now, and they said I would be getting the Group B Strep test at my next appointment. I'm really hoping it's negative, because I want to avoid an IV if at all possible, since I want to be in the tub, and that would just be annoying.

We moved a dresser into the guest/baby room, so now all I have to do is get tiny clothes out of the bins and put them in the drawers! And now that I'm home during the days, I can get that done soon! Yesterday was our first day home, and it was wonderful! We had to pick up the living room toys, and vacuum, and I had to clean our master bathroom/shower, and I completely and totally kicked my own butt. It was ridiculous. So I ended up on the couch for a while afterwards. But Marissa was wonderful, we read tons of books, she helped pick up the toys, and it was still a really fun day. Turns out stickers can entertain her for ever! On that note...

• Rissa has this story that must be told, minimum, once a day. Usually, 3-5 times a day. Here is how it goes:
  "Mommy, remember when I ran on the sidewalk in my brown flower shoes, and I fell, and got two boo-boos, and Ra-ra and Mommy put two band-bands on my knees?" (band-band = bandaid)
  And it has evolved since our recent visits with relatives and their boo-boos...
  "So Aunt Kathy's problem is she has a tiny boo-boo on her finger, so she needs a tiny band-band. And Granny's problem is she has a boo-boo on her finger, and she needs a band-band."
  ("______'s problem" is from the PBS show Super Why, not something we usually say)
  

• Every day, on our way to work, we used to pass a big building with big pillars across the front. After we visited DC with Dan's parents, every time we drove by that building here at home Marissa said excitedly "Mommy, we just go there with Granny and Pop-pop!" because it looks like the Lincoln Memorial!
  

• On our way home from work, sometimes Marissa would start to doze off in the car. I'd try to keep her awake by saying "Wait, Marissa, it's not naptime yet! Don't fall asleep!" and she'd reply through half-closed eyes "I'm not sleeping, Mommy, I'm just watching the cars driving!"
• Sunday, on our way home from church, Marissa told us the best story ever. We didn't even have to ask her how her class was, she just volunteered the following:
  "Mommy, today in my class, Cooper gave me a hug, and I hurt my 'fumb' (thumb) and I got a boo-boo, and my teacher cleaned it, and got a paper towel and the paper towel made my fumb feel better, and my teacher gave me a hug, and Cooper said he was sorry and he gave me a hug."
  I just couldn't believe she told us that entire account without any prodding from us about more details. When did my baby get so good at expressing herself? I love hearing about her class at church (or if we have a babysitter) since it's the only time I'm away from her, but I still get to find out everything that happens! (Like when she woke up the morning after an evening with a babysitter, and her diaper was on backwards? I was making fun of the babysitter in my head, because, seriously, DUH, but Marissa told us that she got to put her diaper on all by herself. Lol.)
  

Well, my alone time is quickly going away, so I'm gonna go rest before Marissa wakes up from her nap!

DONE

I'm done working! No more working at all (I mean, no more working and getting paid for it - lol)!!!
WOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Holy Heartburn

Well, it has been quite a week. We had a wonderful Christmas at my parents' house in NY. The 9 hours in the car there and back weren't so fun (imagine "Why, Mommy???" every 3 miles, plus bruises from baby kicks in the ribs), but our time spent there was perfect. We were also able to visit with both sets of my grandparents, which provided great entertainment trying to figure out what Marissa was going to call everyone. She eventually figured it out though! They had tons of snow, so Marissa got to go sledding for the first time - she was TERRIFIED! Her exact words are "it was a little bit scary" but she enjoyed watching Daddy, Grandma, and Ra-ra sled very fast down the big hill. We all got so many wonderful gifts from family. Marissa got a bunch of "big girl" toys - I can't believe she is basically old enough for all those elusive "3 and up" toys! It was such a relaxing week for me especially, since my sister and well, everyone else, kinda just took over with Marissa. I barely changed any diapers, didn't feed her many meals, and only put her to bed/nap a few times. Nothing like a break from the everyday mommy tasks to remind me to enjoy them when we get home! On Christmas Day, it took forever to get through all the presents (mainly because my family opens them one at a time, going around in a circle so everyone gets to watch everyone open every present!). We didn't even start eating lunch until after 2, which is usually her naptime. By 3:30, she was in a hysterical meltdown, which is an unusual occurence. But other than a few moments here and there, she was so well-behaved.

I am 33 weeks pregnant today, and I forgot to take a picture! My picture from last week, plus all the Christmas pictures, are on my Dad's camera in NY. It's really starting to hit home that we're about to have another baby around here! And I'm starting to be ready for this pregnancy to be over! I get the most random muscle aches, everywhere, but most of all THE HEARTBURN!!! I never had it with Marissa, but this girl is trying to kill me lately! There's been several nights where I just could NOT fall asleep because it was so bad, and one night it even woke me up at 3am! I was trying to tough it out, but the sleep deprivation is just NOT cool, so I went out and bought some stuff that I'm allowed to take, so hopefully that helps!

My parents are planning on coming out for a week or so when Arianna is born to see her, and so my mom can help out after Dan goes back to work. But yesterday morning she slipped on some ice in a parking lot and broke her humorous bone (upper arm) right below the ball/socket part, and is in excruciating pain! The doc said it could take 6-8 weeks to feel back to normal - so at this point we're just hoping she'll be able to even hold a new baby! But I also can't believe we'll have a new baby in that amount of time! I really hope her arm is mostly healed by then, because I can't imagine not being able to hold a new baby!

Well, I guess that about covers it...although it seems like I'm forgetting something major...AND it just came to me! Lol. I ONLY HAVE 5 DAYS LEFT OF WORK UNTIL I QUIT TO BE A SAHM TO OUR GIRLS!!! I'm off the rest of this week for the holidays, and then next week is my last week!!!!!!!!! After we're done working, I think we'll probably try to see if Marissa is up for potty training again. I don't really want to deal with it, but I kinda don't have a choice here I will be so relieved when it's all over with though, and I think Marissa's ready. Plus, I'm so ready to spend time with Marissa before her whole world gets thrown upside down in February!

Ok, now I'm done. I'm off to enjoy the rest of our week HOME!

31 weeks, 1 day

I am SO looking forward to a week-plus of vacation time! Merry Christmas!!!

Randomness

Well, for the first time since August when she moved up to a big girl bed, Marissa fell out of bed this week. I forget what night it was, but Dan and I were both downstairs watching tv, and suddenly we heard a huge bump/bang upstairs. We both bolted up the stairs (oh yeah, it was Tuesday so Dan was totally exhausted from the dentist [see below] and so was I, and yet we both moved faster than we ever have before!), and found her in the middle of a no-breathing-cry, trying to stand back up on the floor. She was absolutely hysterical/inconsolable for quite a long time. She was crying so hard, and barely breathing, that Dan's first thought was she was having an asthma attack (she wasn't, and she's never had any symptoms, but Dan used to get attacks when he fell out of bed as a kid). She eventually calmed down with plenty of talking, singing, and distracting on our part. But it was sooooo upsetting! I kept asking her if she had any boo-boos, and she kept saying no. I checked her all over, and found no bumps. But we have no idea how she actually landed. It was so scary for me, but she didn't even remember it happening the next morning. Her bed has a trundle under it, and I had put it away when we had a bunch of people over and I was cleaning - and I forgot to pull it back out a little. She uses it as a step to get in bed, and I pulled it back out so in case she falls again, she'll land on that mattress instead of the hard floor!

(Hmm, I think I forgot to post about a huge party we had at our house last weekend. Dan's roommate/best friend from college lives in Oregon, but was in town for a week, so we had a bunch of college friends over for a big party last Saturday. We did a lot of cleaning for it, and Dan grilled lots of burgers and hot dogs, and we had a great time. We sat around and chatted a lot, then played Rock Band quite a bit in the basement on the projector. All the guys thought that was awesome. And one of Dan's friends just had twin boys, so they were the hit of the evening as well. Marissa did so well, talking to everyone, and she was enthralled with the babies. I was worried that she wouldn't say a word to anyone all night, but everyone was really great with her, and it didn't take her long to feel totally comfortable playing with everybody. It was our first time to throw a big party in our house, and I'd say it went really great! I don't think we would have been able to do it if the basement wasn't finished though. It was pretty loud with everyone talking, playing with Marissa, and the babies. But I'd say it was a success!)

Last week was a long week. Dan had two wisdom teeth plus another molar taken out on Tuesday. Marissa and I obviously had to drive him home, so she missed her nap that day, and while he was getting it done, we bought groceries, so I was totally exhausted (and my hips have been acting up lately - yay for random pregnacy problems). But Dan was obviously wiped out and high on vicodin for the pain. So I had to do pretty much everything around here all week. I'm very accustomed to my "naptime" - I really need that rest time, even if I don't sleep. And I didn't get it at all this past week. Marissa missed her nap every other day all week for some reason or another. It made things very difficult for Dan and I to both be invalids all week! Lol.

Wednesday afternoon, Dan and I dropped off the Eclipse (not our family car) to get a tire replaced. Then Wednesday night we had a babysitter for Marissa, because we were supposed to go to my water birth class. But we got there (thankfully just down the road) and no one was there! I called a bunch of phone numbers, and finally got a hold of an instructor, who said the instructor who was supposed to teach just totally forgot! That still doesn't explain why there weren't other couples there for it, but oh well. We get to take it FOR FREE the next time it is offered (Jan. 14 - I'll be 35 weeks - anybody else think that's cutting it a bit close?!). So we came home early, paid the babysitter for a 1/2 hour (lol) and then Rach got here, so Marissa stayed up late to see her.

Then Thursday I had an ultrasound after work, so Rach came to work with us, and we went straight to the appointment (meaning no lunch for us adults, Rissa ate at work, but they don't really have normal adult food). Everything still looks fine. The doctor said the "globular placenta" might be looking smoother, but they had a hard time seeing it for some reason. The cord is still inserted strangely on the side, but they didn't seem concerned at all. In fact, I didn't even schedule another u/s in 4 weeks (like I had been doing, and thought I would continue to do) because they wanted to discuss if it was even needed with my actual doctor. So I'm kinda waiting on them for that, but I'm not worried. Arianna is still growing just fine - estimated to be around 3 lbs now! I don't know if it is because of the ultrasound waves, or just the fact that they're pushing that wand around my belly, but she was going crazy! I have a feeling this little girl is going to be a bit more, uh, ACTIVE than Marissa. Lol. Anyways, after that appointment, we had to take Rach's car to the car place for some major work, and ended up sitting around there forever trying to figure out what was going on with it. Then we had to go pick up the Eclipse (at a different car place of course!) since they were done replacing the tire. And by the time we got home, it was dinner time - again no naptime for anyone!

Friday was normal I think, but then Saturday Marissa had a birthday party for a little girl in her class at church. It started at 2:30 - exactly naptime! So no nap again! Then Saturday night Dan and I went to his work Christmas party, and Rach babysat Marissa. Only the family I work for (Rach watched them way back in July when I was so sick) asked Rach to watch their kids Saturday night too. So Rach took Marissa over there. They had lots of fun, but Marissa ended up staying awake til after 10pm, with no nap! She was interesting Sunday, and took an unprecedented 3-hour nap to make up for all of that! But she was still ok! I can't believe she's getting old enough to skip naps and be fine with it! I, on the other hand, am NOT ok with her skipping naps! Lol.

Dan won a $100 Visa gift card at his work party! We didn't stay very late, but it was well worth going just for that! We had a good time eating and chatting though.

Sunday night our church had their special Christmas program called "The Living Christmas Tree." I was told that Marissa would find it enjoyable and entertaining enough, so we brought her. First of all, they give out tickets for it, so they know they have enough room for everyone, since they perform it like 7 or 8 times. So we had reserved tickets. However, there was not a seat to be found. We had to wait for the pastor to ask everyone to smoosh in, and we still couldn't sit together. Dan sat on the other side of the church, and Rach and Marissa and I squeezed into a space for one person. I really wanted to see Marissa enjoy it, so I insisted on sitting with them, as Rach wouldn't give her up to sit with me. Marissa enjoyed the first few songs, and after that, the only thing she enjoyed was the clapping. She was ridiculous. It was so difficult to keep her contained and still and quiet in that tiny space. Not to mention my huge belly obviously in the way - I don't have much of a lap for her to sit on and she kept switching between sitting on me and sitting on Rach. It was a neat performance, but I really didn't enjoy it too much because of the seating/Marissa issues. And then, during the prayer at the end, she said very loudly, "Mommy, why is everybody sleeping?" Funny, but inappropriate. Granted, there were many other kids there, making just as much commotion, but no one wants it to be their own kid.

Well, this week I need to do lots of laundry, and make some Christmas goodies. I finally finished addressing all our Christmas cards, I just need to pick up more stamps and then they're ready to go out! Most of our Christmas shopping is done, just waiting on some things to be shipped. I'm really looking forward to this week being over, and some wonderful Christmas vacation time with family. I have another doctor's appointment tomorrow, which means I'm 31 weeks, and I'll hopefully remember to take a belly picture. But other than posting that, I'll probably make myself scarce these next few weeks. So Merry Christmas!

30 weeks - HOLY CRAP

• I can't believe I am 30 weeks pregnant! Crazy!
• My sister Rach is coming today and staying for a while! I'm so excited, and I know Marissa will be thrilled to have her Aunt "Ah-ra" back! We also have our "Water birth" class tonight. I'm really looking forward to it, although Dan isn't, and he's concerned about passing out again (like at the class we took for Marissa's birth).

Funny Marissa-isms:

• This week, as I was finishing putting her tights on for church, she said, "Mommy, I look adorable!"
• On our way home from church, her buckle came undone somehow. When she showed me, I jokingly said "Oh no, Daddy, you're in trouble now!" since he had buckled her in. Then she repeated that over and over the rest of the day!
• We were also talking about the snow we got that day. She kept asking why it snowed, why it was cold, why it was winter, etc. So then I started asking her why, why, why everything. She actually answered me for a while, then finally said in an exasperated voice "Because it just happens, Mommy!" Now she knows how I feel!

I talked to the family I work for, and it looks like I won't even have to work as much as I thought before I'm done in the middle of January! It really is a great job - extremely flexible, relatively easy, Marissa loves playing with the kids, and the parents are very understanding about anything. Sometimes it's just hard to see all that positive stuff! I know Marissa will miss going to their house once we're done. But I will not. I can't wait to finally be a full stay-at-home-mom!

Well, I guess that's all. Another ultrasound tomorrow - I always love to see my baby girl!

Thanksgiving

Our week away for Thanksgiving was so nice. Very relaxing, GREAT to not be working, and Marissa had a blast with her Granny and Poppa. We went to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, TN for the entire week. We went to Dollywood one whole day, and discovered Marissa LOVES riding on rides. I also discovered I can't even handle riding a carousel anymore (I used to ride all the craziest, wildest rides anywhere! Guess that's what pregnancy will do to ya!). We did a lot of shopping (found the BEST "Handbag Superstore" ever! Waaaaay too many to choose from though!) and a lot of reading. Marissa roped everyone into pretending a lot of "Super Why" complete with "capes" to run around in. Apparently she has memorized all of the repetitive scenes that all kids shows have, and she recited them the entire week. Hilarious! It's actually a pretty neat show on PBS, but it got annoying hearing it all week!

We got back on Saturday, and had a relaxing Sunday to unpack. Then yesterday Dan had a trip for work, and got back today. Last night, Marissa and I went out to dinner with the wife and kids of the guy Dan went on his trip with. It was so much fun, Marissa did great, and Kate and I had a great time chatting. Rissa and I went shopping after dinner, and then stopped to get gas on the way home. After I finished filling the car up, she asked "Where we going now, Mommy?" I said "It's time to go home now!" and she said "Awesome, man!" - I about died laughing!

This week is full of laundry from our trip, and some general cleaning around here. We're having a get-together on Saturday for some out-of-town friends, so that should be really fun. Then next week Rach is coming for a long visit, we have our "water birth" class, Dan's work Christmas party, and then it's Christmas vacation time! Then I only have a few short weeks of work left (!!!!!), and then BABY time It's finally starting to seem like it's getting closer!

I know I'm due for another belly picture, since I'm 29 weeks today (Holy cow - that's almost 30!), but it will have to wait til tomorrow. I am meeting with a new pediatrician since our old one is just kinda too far away since we moved and they moved. So far I've had a really hard time actually talking to a real person on the phone there, but hopefully once I'm an actual patient, they won't be too busy for me! So tomorrow I'll remember to take a belly pic. Guess that's all!

Birth talk, etc.

My parents were here this past weekend. We had so much fun, and Marissa had a blast. I actually left her home with them on Friday while I went to work as a nanny. It was so weird to be at the family's house without her, but Marissa loved spending time with Grandma and Grandpa, and they loved it too. The funniest part about the weekend was how Marissa said Grandpa. Most of the time, it sounded more like "beanpole" than Grandpa! We just cracked up laughing every time she said it! We tried to get some family pictures taken (for Christmas cards), but I'm really not happy with any of them. In the ones where Marissa was cooperating, I look drugged, and in the ones I look decent (very few), Marissa is going crazy. We may try again, or just go with a picture of Marissa by herself. Frustrating.

Crazy girl in the outtakes

Last night we had our first babysitter for Marissa (besides family) so we could attend the orientation at the birth center I'm planning on delivering at. It finally seems so real that we'll be bringing home a baby in February! The orientation mostly consisted of reading through their information packet of procedures and requirements, etc. Then we got a tour of a room and it's soooo nice! They have queen size beds (which would be great for Dan since when Marissa was born he had to sleep on a strange couch/bed thing - but he will be going home to stay with Marissa once Arianna is born), normal-looking furniture (instead of hospital-looking), and a HUGE bathroom with a HUGE tub where I hope to labor and possibly deliver in. I'm starting to get so excited about this birth. I have absolutely NO complaints/regrets about Marissa's birth, but I have high expectations about this birth! There are a few circumstances that would prevent me from delivering there (a breech baby being the main one, besides other risk factors that we would know about before even going into labor), and so I'm a little worried about those. But even if they happen, they'll just transfer me down the hall to the regular labor/deliver area. There is also a NICU right in the attached hospital, just in case.

We left the orientation excited (well, I did...Dan is still worried about passing out like he did during childbirth classes before Marissa, even though he was fine at her actual birth), only to find a completely flat tire on our "second" car, since we had to put our "family" car in the shop because the heat stopped working! Dan started to change it to the spare tire, but one of the bolts (no idea what they're actually called) was a different size from the rest so the tool he was using wouldn't take it off! He called one of his friends who came with a big set of tools in different sizes, but they still didn't help. Finally, some guy in the parking garage (turned out Dan and his friend sorta knew him from college) came over to help and had the right size tool and even a drill for us to use. An HOUR after we were supposed to get home, we finally made it home!

Marissa did so great with the babysitter! I was really annoyed that we got the flat tire while we were paying for a babysitter. But when we got home, Marissa told the babysitter "I not want you to go. I need you to stay at my house!" It was so cute, and she was so excited to tell me all the things they did while we were gone. Today she asked if she was coming back! I knew she'd be fine, but I didn't expect her to enjoy it so much! It's such a relief to have a babysitter lined up, and know that Marissa likes her. We have a few other occasions we will need her (or the other one we met a few weeks ago), but for Arianna's birth, a friend from church (with 3 kids of her own, and pregnant again!) offered to watch Marissa. Marissa and her middle girl are in the same class at church some of the time, and my friend watches that class on some Wednesday nights. So I feel very comfortable sending her over there (they also live very close) when the time comes!

Today I had a doctor's appointment (27w, 1d), and now I start going every two weeks instead of four! Crazy! I'm finally starting to gain more weight after that horrible month of misery way back in July! I actually lost over 10 lbs then, but from when the doctor started keeping track, I think I've gained close to 20 lbs. I'm measuring at about 26 weeks, so hopefully that measurement doesn't continue to be small again (like with Marissa). Although I kind of expect it to be small, since I'm small and I make small babies. But they ended up being concerned over nothing with Marissa because I was consistently measuring small for the correct week, and that was part of the reason they induced me.

Well, I guess that's all. I'm so excited that Friday is coming soon! I love the weekends normally, but I'm going to have a full week off from work, and it just doesn't get any better than that (well, until I can quit in January to stay home with my girls!)!

Baby business!

Profile shot

Cute foot

3d - she kept putting her hand by her face and messing up the pictures!

Thumb up her nose

Cute fingers

Finally moved her hand, but it was still a little blurry

My ultrasound last week went fine. The placenta is still "globular" and the "cord insertion" is still on the side of the placenta. So I will continue to go back for ultrasound checks about every 4 weeks until she is born or something doesn't check out ok. She is still growing fine, which was their main worry for the weird placenta stuff. She was measuring right on for 26 weeks, and weighed 1 lb 15 oz! I saw her little tongue moving around inside her mouth, and I saw her "inhaling" and "exhaling" fluid. So cute! Then the lady was just learning how to do 3d on that particular ultrasound machine, so she tried it out on me! I never got to see 3d with Marissa, and it was just sooo cool!

Ok, I need some help here, ladies: Dan and I can't agree on how to spell her name! We want it to be pronounced "ar-ee-ah-na." Dan thinks it should be spelled "Ariana" but I really prefer how it looks with two n's "Arianna" - but Dan thinks it will get mispronounced more often if we spell it that way. We could always do something unique like "Arionna" "Ariahnna" or "Ariyhanna" but then Dan suggested that we just throw a silent "q" in there just for fun. Lol. I'm not really into the odd spellings either. So speak up, and speak your mind - I'm asking for honesty here

A day in the life...

So I was thinking today how soon things are really going to change around here. Soon we will potty train Marissa, which will change many of our routines. I will be done working sometime in January, and then sometime in February, Arianna Grace will join us. And I wanted to have some kind of a record of how we usually spend our days. So ignore if you'd like, but here is a typical day for us:

7:45am - We no longer use a monitor in our room to hear Marissa when she wakes up (she was starting to wake up in the middle of the night for stupid things, and it was really starting to wear me out!), but I assume she usually wakes up moments before my alarm goes off for the first time. Sometimes she comes into our room, but most of the time she gets out of her bed, turns her light on using a chair, and plays with her babies and doll house. She LOVES putting her babies in her old baby swing (which used to be in her closet, til she discovered it when I was digging for baby stuff - now she keeps telling me how she's going to share it with her "baby 'tisser'" i.e. "baby sister"!), changing their diapers, and singing to them. Some days she wakes up earlier (if Dan sees her before he leaves at 7:25) and she still plays for a long time. (Yes, I know this is amazing and wonderful, but as soon as we start potty training we won't do this anymore)
8:00am - I usually hit snooze til this time, and then get myself ready for a day at work. She likes to watch me, or run back and forth between my room and her babies in her room.
8:10am - Time to change her diaper and get her dressed. Most of the time her hair is wild and crazy, so I spray it with some water and brush it out so it curls a little. Some mornings she loves getting sprayed, and begs me to spray her hands, and hair again and again. Other mornings she has a hysterical meltdown because she didn't want to get wet that day.
8:15am - We go downstairs, she puts her purple shoes on, and I start toasting our waffles. We sit down at the table, her next to me in a big-person chair, and eat our waffles. Most of the time she doesn't finish in time, so she gets a plastic baggie to put her waffle in (no syrup obviously!) so she can finish it in the car on the way to work.
8:30am - We drive 25 minutes to work, where I watch H (3 years) and M (15 months).
9:00am - Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, H's mom takes him to preschool as soon as we get there. M and Marissa have about an hour to play before it's time for M's bottle and nap, and they all play together on days H doesn't have school.
10:00am - Diaper change, bottle, and nap for M, tv time for H and Marissa. When I first started this job, the mom told me H watched a lot of tv, and we have kept up with that pattern. Lol. I limit it though, and H and Marissa actually play very well together lately (not so much back in the beginning when they didn't understand each other's "language" and H hit and pushed Marissa all the time). They have conversations with each other, they voluntarily share toys with each other, take turns very nicely, and generally don't need too much interference from me.
11:30am - M wakes up from her nap, and we all head upstairs to play in the bedrooms. H and Marissa love to push around his garbage truck and firetruck, and they take turns nicely. They also love to use H's tools to "fix" everything in M's room.
12:00 - Diaper changes all around, then back downstairs for lunch. I usually scrape together whatever I can find, because the family isn't the greatest at getting regular groceries. But I always manage to find a main dish, veggies, and fruit, and the kids eat pretty well. H and Marissa eat the same thing, and I only make one thing each day. I will not let them be too picky! M is at an awkward stage with eating now (I hate the early-finger-food stage!), and usually only eats fruits at lunch (although I hear she usually eats a huge breakfast, so I guess that makes up for it).
12:45pm - Usually someone has pooped. So more diaper changes. Then play time.
1:00pm - The mom comes home (or downstairs if she worked in her office that day) and we go HOME!
1:45pm - We get home, remove all our cat-hair-covered clothes, and place them in one big pile in the laundry room to be washed at the end of the week. Naptime for Marissa.
2:00pm - My quiet time! I eat lunch, watch tv, and spend time on the computer. I almost NEVER do any housework during this time. It's my ME time!
3:30-4:00pm - Marissa wakes up. Depending on her mood when she wakes up, sometimes we play in her room, I do some laundry, or we come straight downstairs to play. I often clean up the living room now too, because she is such a good helper at putting away toys, and I can't vacuum without her, since she insists it's her job to push the "on" button.
5:00pm - I start cooking dinner, depending on what we're having.
5:30pm - Dan gets home from work. Since he rides his bike to and from work every day, he gets a quick shower, then it's time for dinner! Dan is in charge of motivating Marissa to eat a decent meal for dinner since I feed her every other meal, plus extra kids at lunch. Feeding toddlers is not one of my favorite things to do!
6:00pm - Playtime! Lately Dan has been playing CRAZY WILD games with Marissa, as I have been too tired to blink. Lol. They are hysterical to watch though!
8:00pm - Bedtime for Rissa. We brush her teeth (she loves doing it after us!), read a book, then sing some songs (Jesus loves me, then the "Marissa song" [M-A-R-I-S-S-A, spells Marissa everyday - to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle], then Twinkle, Twinkle). She goes to bed like a pro. No complaints usually, and she lays right down and stays in bed. Sometimes she talks and sings to herself for a while (up to an hour!), but she always falls asleep wonderfully.
8:15pm - Our alone time! We are really into a lot of tv shows this season, so we watch them together.
10:00pm - I shower at night because I'm too tired to get up early enough to shower before Marissa wakes up in the morning.
10:15pm - Bedtime! Dan can fall asleep in seconds even if he's not exhausted. But I've been sooooo tired lately, for obvious reasons. An early bedtime is wonderful, although our friends make fun of us for being "old" already

That's our typical week day. Weekends are lazy, relaxing, boring, and wonderful! And while I definitely wish I didn't have to work my job still, Marissa loves going there and playing with her friends, and I think it's a really good experience for her. It's also taught her a lot about babies, which will obviously be helpful in the coming months.

My parents are coming this weekend! They haven't seen Marissa since July, and she has obviously changed a TON since then. I'm really looking forward to it, and then it's almost time for Thanksgiving break!