Can you guess who rang the doorbell during naptime? Again?!! If you will recall my first encounter with the UPS man prompted me to make a sign. Apparently the UPS man is blissfully unaware of signs, cannot read, or just has a sick sense of humor. So my poor little child was deprived of her afternoon nap, and I didn't get around to cleaning out my freezer. Lucky for the UPS man I am not as hormonal as I was the first time- but seriously, this is getting really old.
We have talked about the new baby, and then baby brother to Hannah from pretty much the beginning of the pregnancy. It is a concept that I feel has been a little lost on her. "Baby" to her means a) an actual baby (or toddler), b) one of her baby dolls, or c) pictures of babies (especially herself). But I have felt that even though it is a tough concept (a baby inside mommy's tummy?!), I feel it is important to talk about it and have her familiar with if not the concept of a baby brother, then at least the term brother, and also the baby's name. Now that I am actually showing (and on Thursday expect to show the first positive weight gain of the pregnancy) I think Hannah is finally starting to get it. Yesterday evening Mike and I were on the floor playing with Hannah and she came over and patted my belly and I said something along the lines of brother being inside of Mommy's tummy. Hannah then gave my belly a big hug, patted it saying, "Baby" and leaned down and kissed my belly. And my heart melted.
This morning when I went into her room to get her out of the crib, she greeted me with an excited "Mamma!" and then proceeded to pat my belly, grinning saying rather affectionately "Baby". And my heart melted again. I think my little princess is on to something.
Getting molars sucks. My delightful little child has morphed into a crying, tantrumy, clingy, toddler who drools. Last night was not good, really not good. So not good that Mike called in and cancelled his morning patients (I love that man) because he thought I needed to sleep. While this morning hasn't gone as smoothly as I would like, we aren't both crying, nor is she on the floor crying as I type. (I confess- the tv is on, while I am normally strict with the amount of time the tv is on, I am waving the flag and picking my battles) Sooo, if I'm not around the next few days, it's because I have a crying toddler who needs consoling. (and possibly Motrin) Hoping your week is molar free (well, not exactly, but you know what I mean)
Monday was kind of a crazy day. Mike's parents came in to town on Sunday evening to bring back the dogs (they stayed with them while we were at the lake) and spent the night and left that morning, Hannah had pictures, and just the general commotion that goes along with returning home after being away. I was tired (and I'm sure hormonal could be added) and found myself with a grumpy toddler. It was the kind of day that I felt I needed Hannah to be extra good. She was not. While she was in no way out of control, she was not her usual easy going self. I don't think I was ever super impatient or anything, but I did feel annoyed that she was being such a grouch, and I found myself wishing for Mike to be home more than usual, and at the end of the day, I was so glad it was over.
Monday night I got to thinking about how I felt, and it occurred to me that perhaps Monday, Hannah needed her mother to be extra patient. While I felt that I needed a child who was on her extra best behavior, I really had a child who needed her mama to be extra patient and understanding while she adjusted to being back home on her "normal" routine. It really made me think about the day from Hannah's perspective (crazy mama- what were you thinking scheduling Halloween pictures the day after returning home from vacation?!) and what I could have done to make it easier for her (and in turn easier on myself). I must say that I feel a little silly, with a side of guilt about our day and my feelings, but I'm also glad that a light-bulb switched and I thought about the day from Hannah's perspective. I hope that the next time I am willing my child to be extra good, I remember that perhaps I have a child who at the same time is willing her mama to be extra patient and understanding.
While my Mommy was in bed, I was very busy doing all kinds of things.
Like playing in my little pool
And swimming in the big pool with Daddy
Playing at the playground
Graduating from my high chair to a big girl chair
And reigning over my new house
It's a very busy world for a toddler on the go! I'm glad my Mommy is feeling better- I enjoy getting out and am looking forward to being a big sister!
What a break I have been on!! I have spent the greater part of the past four months in bed, and was in such lousy shape that the only time I left my house was to go to the doctor. My mom has been at our house taking care of me and Hannah, and Mike has been on calorie patrol trying to get me to gain some weight (because oh the weight kept coming off, and off and off...) Skim milk has been banished (I just can't do whole- it is like drinking heavy cream) and Mike will willingly pick up or fix whatever my stomach desires, in an effort to keep me out of the hospital. For a few weeks I really had to force myself to eat- nothing sounded good and I had a terrible time keeping down whatever I managed to eat. The good news through all of this is that the baby is doing fine, and has been growing normally. We are so unbelievably blessed that we have not had to worry about the health of the baby- and the baby has graced us with a sneak peek: in a few months Hannah will be welcoming home her baby brother! In other good news Saturday I started to feel better!!!! So for three days in a row I have been feeling more like a normal person instead of someone about to die. So I am hoping that I FINALLY have hit my turing point and things will continue to improve. So hello readers! (if there are any of you left) Thank you for all of your emails and comments- I'm afraid I won't be able to respond back- but I really do appreciate them! I am behind on reading blogs (as well as everything else you could possibly imagine) and I am just going to move forward and try to get my house organized and get everything ready for our new little guy. So much has gone on that I haven't blogged about- I can't even begin to name them all- perhaps one of these days I will compose the most random post ever and try to list the highlights. But for now I am so glad to be back!!!
* As rough as the past few months have been I am thrilled beyond words to be pregnant. I know that there are women who would be sick for the whole nine months if it meant a baby, and I know that we are blessed beyond comprehension that the baby is developing normally. So please no mean comments/ emails about being ungrateful.
I am quickly approaching 12 weeks and am unfortunately still not feeling well. The last couple of weeks we have had family stay with us so I can rest and not worry about Hannah. It has been really nice to be able to stay in bed, and know that Hannah is having a good time playing with her cousin/Grammy/PaPa/Grandma/Grandpa. Mike's mom is here through the weekend, and My mom will be coming up after she leaves. I have literally been in bed for the last few weeks, except for my bi-weekly trips to the doctor. I am so tired of feeling so lousy and am anxiously waiting to feel like my normal (pregnant) self. I was really sick with Hannah, but the difference was I didn't have a child to care for or a new house to organize, so this time around feels a little more overwhelming. We are closer to being unpacked- all we have left is Mike's office. I cannot take the credit for this- this effort has been all Mike. Speaking of Mike- can I just say what a wonderful man he is? He has taken on a tremendous responsibility of handling basically everything so I don't have to worry about anything except for resting.
The baby is doing very well and I have enjoyed getting peeks each time I go to the doctor, I on the other hand am not doing so well. I have lost quite a bit of weight and have asked Mike several times "Can I die from________? (insert various pregnancy symptoms). He assures me that I am in the clear. Hopefully I will soon be on the up-swing and will be feeling better. But getting to see the baby every couple of weeks helps. I get teary eyed every time I see/ hear that little heart beating. Wednesday the baby was very active and moving around, and I just can't wait to find out if Hannah will be having a little brother or sister.
I have received so many emails asking about how I'm doing- and I hate that I'm not taking the time to respond to each of you individually, but I just don't have the energy. So thank you all for the emails and comments! Hopefully I will be feeling better soon and can get back to normal!
I wish I had something interesting to write about, but honestly there's not much going on. The first trimester is not easy for me. I was really sick (and tired) with Hannah and the same is proving true with this baby. I haven't worn makeup for about two weeks, I barely leave my house, and have been hanging out in my jammies. This is not like me, but I just don't feel good and all of my energy is going towards watching Hannah. Mike has been a champ and has been doing all of the cooking/ cleaning/ errands- oh I picked a good one! So while Mike is at work, I am basically counting down the hours until it is time for him to come home. 2 more hours, just 2 more hours.
Oh she is just so precious!! Here is Hannah playing at her last play-date with her little friends, she had such a good time and took a very nice nap for her Momma after. We are sad to leave our new friends, but I'm sure that we will be keeping in touch!
