So Proud

I think that it is safe for me to say that we have a potty-trained toddler.  At least during the day.  Roo has been using her potty faithfully for sometime now.  We can go out during the day without diapers!!

I have some diapers left so we still are putting them on her at night, only because the few times that we have tried with training pants she woke up wet.  I am not worried about the night time thing quite yet as I know in a few weeks I will be up changing and feeding during the night and figure that I will start getting Roo up at that time to pee.

I am so happy for this milestone, especially since we just waited for her to be ready.  We bought her the potty, showed it to her and she just started to use it....it was minimal work on our part and did not involve "pee candy" like the little girl we encountered at the hospital earlier this week.

I remember trying the treat route when we were training Darian.  She would get a Smartie when she would use the potty...right up until the point where she spent most of her day sitting on the toilet expecting Smarties for every drip she managed to squeeze out.  That idea quickly left the building.

I remember telling Camryn that she couldn't turn 3 until she was trained.  I will never forget the day that she proudly announced that she could "turn free now" because she had used the potty!

I am wondering what it will be like to potty train a little boy but I guess I don't need to worry about it at this moment in time.  I am sure that by the time I get to that point it will happen.  I am fairly certain I don't know of any adult male in my life that is still untrained....at least on the potty.

Junk

I am overwhelmed by the amount of stuff we have.  Not all of it is junk but just stuff we don't need.  

I have literally bags upon bags of clothes that the girls have outgrown.  I have 2 bins full of baby clothes that will never again be used by us.  I don't want to just give them away as we can always use extra money but I don't know what else to do with them.  I know that there is a bunch of stuff that I will be giving away but there is just so much...

Two summers ago we rented a big bin and cleaned out our garage.  We could fit both our vehicles in it....it was glorious.  Now.....there is stuff piled everywhere.  Right now if we don't need it in the house out to the garage it goes.  Soon there is not going to be enough room out there for anything else.

We have new beds for Darian and Roo.  Great...saved us money as we didn't have to buy them.  Not so great....the box spring for Darian's bed will not make it downstairs....guess where it is?  My parents had the bed frame for Roo from when they lived in a bigger house.  They actually had 2 of them.  My parents wanted to bring me both of them so that they didn't have it in their house.  They have 2 people living in their house (which I am sure is bigger than mine) and we are on the verge of 6 people.  I am not sure where they thought we might put this extra bed.

I would love to have a garage sale but I have a broken van in my garage taking up space....I am just ready to cry....I just want my house clean, organized and junk-free.....and my bank account full...but that is a whole different post.

OMG

You see that widget over there...the one with the spinning baby?  Do you see how many days it has left on it?  Do you?  Do you know how much stuff I still have to do in those very few days?  OH. MY. GOD.

As I sit here we have still not finished painting the baby's room.  Although My Dear Nathan and our lovely Darian put on the primer today.  We should be finished painting it sometime this week.  One thing to check off the to-do list.

After said room is painted I have to make curtains.  I found the coolest material this week and it just so happens that we are making a trip to Grandma's house this week (Baby's Grandma...not mine, otherwise that would be Great Grandma....you get the drift).  Grandma knows how to sew curtains and it only takes her an hour where it would take me an hour just to contemplate cutting the material lest I screw it up.

 

Once curtains are taken care of and we return from Grandma's house bearing a new bed for the Roo and Darian then I will be able to proceed to set up the crib, move the futon into the room so I have somewhere to sit for late night feedings and then I need to figure out where to put the dresser and change table.

Once the dresser and change table are appropriately placed then I will have a thousand loads of tiny, blue laundry to wash, dry, fold and put away.  After that then the hard part....you know, the whole having of the baby part.

I have to go have another ultrasound to check on baby's position (which makes me nervous as my Dr. has always been able to tell me how my baby's were positioned but this time....well....she is just giving off uncertain vibes) and meet with the OB at the hospital to get his blessing to try a VBAC.

I really want to avoid another c-section but have realized that as much as I don't want it I should prepare myself just in case.  Speaking of preparing myself....there is also the whole hospital bag to pack.  Yikes....so many things, so little time.....where have the last 8 months gone?

Quickie

I feel so accomplished today!!  Nothing like a visit from the Grandparents to spur on some cleaning.

I have cleaned my kitchen, including the pain in the ass stove.  I have cleaned the bathroom, which I usually refuse to do.  I have done the laundry (just need to fold it....later).  I have swept the floor and cleared off my dining table.  I cleaned out the baby's room in order to prep for painting (just need to sweep the floor and wash walls).

I even had a nap today.  It was only a cat nap but I feel great.  I am not sure if that feeling is from the nap or the fact that I accomplished something today.  Don't get me wrong, there is still a million other things to do but at least I got started.  And lookie-here....a  blog entry.  I wonder.....has hell frozen over?

Easter Weekend

It is 1:00 a.m.  My house is quiet.  My kids are visiting my Grandparents with my Mom and Dad and My Dear Nathan is sleeping.  My baby is rolling and kicking and just generally doing whatever it is babies do 10 weeks before they are born.

We are painting bedrooms to prepare for our new arrival.  We are moving Roo into her new purple room on Monday.  We just have one more coat of purple to go.  And then we will move on and paint the baby's room.  We are going with blue...because we have never done that before.  This whole blue thing is new.

The Easter Bunny is coming soon.  I hope he brings me some energy.  I don't do chocolate but would like something sweet or beer.  Beer would be good......I miss beer.

I think spring is finally here.  We actually had a thunderstorm tonight.  Thunder shook my house and made my cats crazy.  The lightning was impressive too.  I love thunderstorms.  I am thankful for the rain too because that is what will turn this city from brown to green.  I am so happy to see that the snow is almost all gone.  I couldn't have taken one more second of winter.

9 Already!!

9 years ago....wow, I can't believe it has been 9 years already.

Today is our crazy Camryn's birthday.  She is so funny, outgoing, carefree, compassionate, spirited....and a million other things that I absolutely adore.

Her little sister loves her to bits.  Her big sister loves her too....just in a different way.  Roo affectionately refers to her as her "baby sister" and gets quite upset if she doesn't get a kiss before Camryn leaves the van for school.

I still remember the day that she was born.  I knew that she was going to weigh in around the 8 pound mark and in my head an 8 pound baby was about the size of an average 5 year old.  I still remember being in shock that such a tiny thing could weigh 8 pounds.

I was so anxious to hold her and get to know this little person who insisted on rolling around in my belly when I was trying to eat (not the most pleasant of sensations).  I had to wait a very long 3 hours before I could have her all to myself.  She needed some extra care after her surprisingly fast delivery.

When I finally got to hold my baby they put this bundle of black hair and chubby red cheeks in my arms and I was in love.  Darian loved her so much!!  She was thrilled that she had a sister (something I need to remind her about now) and was so relieved as she wanted nothing to do with a baby brother.....as she said "boys are nothing but trouble".

9 years.....when did time start speeding by?  I am sure that when I close my eyes tonight I will wake up and another 9 years will have flown by but I know that I will love those 9 years just as much as I have the last 9.

Happy Birthday Camryn!!  Love Mommy.

Adjusted....Finally!

See this picture here?  This is my baby.  This is my BOY baby. 

I have known for almost 2 weeks now that this baby is going to be a boy.  I think that I am finally used to the idea.  I honestly didn't think that I would ever have a son.  I thought that My Dear Nathan and I didn't have the ingredients to make a boy.  Lo and behold we did.  My Dear Nathan is convinced that it was all the drugs that I was on shortly before I got pregnant that did it.  Just to clarify....the drugs...they were blood thinners that I was required to inject myself with for 10 days after my surgery to repair a broken ankle.  Nothing exciting.  Nothing illicit.

Our daughters are all so happy that they will have a baby brother.  They have done the little sister thing and are good with what they have.  Everyone else that we tell about our son (I still get goosebumps from that word....son....hee hee) is so very happy for us.  To the point that I am starting to wonder if anyone would have been happy for us had this baby been another little girl.

I must have subconsciously known that this baby was going to be our boy as I could not for the life of me think of a girls name.  We also could not think of middle names for another girl.  All of our daughters are named after family members, middle name wise, and there are only a few people left that we thought to name another girl after...only thing was we really didn't like any of their names.  Bullet dodged.

This boy will also have middle names from a family member.  Unfortunately for our Dads....it will not be them.  Our Dad's name's....not our style.  As much as My Dear Nathan has protested it in the past our one and only son will be named after the most wonderful man I know...his Father.

Friday, at last!!

Even when I have a slow week of nothingness I am always happy when Friday arrives.  It means no having to get up at a particular time on Saturday and that My Dear Nathan doesn't have to go to work.

We don't have anything spectacular planned for this weekend as it is going to be stupid cold this weekend.  The official definition of stupid cold is approximately 30 degrees colder than it was this time last week.  We are currently under a windchill warning.  It really is somewhat tolerable when it is only -20 but when that wind blows, even in the slightest, that is when it turns stupid.

I have decided that I am going to win the $43 million lottery tomorrow and then head directly to Orlando on Sunday.  I may have to wait until Monday for the pictures with the big cheque and whatnot...but then....off to Florida to soak up the sun.  I will let you know how things are when I get there ;)  (If only it were that easy!)

I have been feeling exceptionally tired again.  Back to having morning naps while Roo watches cartoons.  I think that it has everything to do with the fact that I can't fall asleep until after midnight and then wake up a few hours later to an alarm, or a waking 2 year old, or to pee, or tingly arms, or a plethora of other things that keep me from sleeping.  It is getting really tiresome but I if I don't sleep I am liable to kill the first person who looks at me wrong.  So I sleep, Roo eats cereal in my bed (on Nathan's side of course) and watches cartoons.  So much for the 2nd trimester being the "honeymoon" trimester.  Mine includes sleepless nights and headaches.

Next week should be interesting....I have my ultrasound on Friday and have been anticipating it for sometime now.  Keep fingers crossed that we get to find out what this baby is.  

I should go finish making supper.  My family is hungry...sheesh...they are so demanding!!  Have a great weekend.

Sunday

Last day of the weekend.  I have a love/hate relationship with Sundays.  I love them because there is football on.  At least for 2 more Sundays that is.....then begins the long wait until October.  My Dear Nathan plays hockey on Sunday as well.  Most times I will go and watch, it really just depends on what is going on with football.

I dislike Sundays because it is the last day to our weekend.  Weekends never last...they are just not long enough.  This weekend we just spent an easy, relaxing weekend.  I think that we are all still recovering from a very long Sunday last week and then jumping right back into our non-Disney World life feet first.

We went shopping for a new stroller yesterday.  We know that we are going to need a double stroller for some time after this baby is gone because Roo will only be just 3 years old.  We found one that we really like that will fit our near future needs for a double stroller and our further down the road needs when we can go back to a single.  The only downfall is the almost $600.00 price tag that comes on it.  We still have 5 more months before we meet this little one so we should have that saved in no time.

My Dear Nathan took the girls out shopping with him this afternoon so I am enjoying the quiet in my house.  I know that they will be home pretty soon though as Nathan will have to get ready for hockey.  I should probably go and get ready for that as well.  Darian has to be at the rink early to time-keep the first game.  Her first job....she is so excited about making her own money.

Hope that everyone was enjoying our beautiful weather this weekend.  If it was not beautiful where you are I hope you had beautiful company to share your weekend with.  :D

Honesty

My Roo-baby can be very cuddly when she is in the mood for it.  Last night she crawled up onto my lap and was all cuddled in.  I asked her if she was going to love me that much when the new baby comes....her response?  "Nope".  

Darian then asked Roo is she was still going to love her, "yep", she will still love Darian.  Camryn, same thing.  She will still love Camryn.  And Daddy too, of course.  I asked if she will love the new baby, another affirmative.

"Are you still going to love Mommy?", just thought I would give her a second chance to change her mind...."nope".  Gotta love honesty.

Baby Update

This morning was another prenatal appointment.  I drove half way across the city (on extremely shitty roads) to find out that my doctor was delivering a baby.  The office did try to call me but I was already gone to drop the girls off at school.  Thankfully another doctor in the office had an early opening and so they fit me in to see her.  :)

Everything was good.  I didn't gain or lose a pound this month.  I was wondering what would happen with that seeing as I ate not so great in Florida but I did a lot of walking.  Blood pressure is good and other than being tired from a very long travel day on Sunday, I am feeling more energetic.

I heard baby's heartbeat although very briefly.  Baby was being squirmy so every time the doctor would find the heart beat the little bean would slip away into another corner.  I have been feeling it move every now and then but was still relieved to hear that beautiful little thump-thump.

I have my ultrasound scheduled for January 30th.  I am looking forward to seeing my baby for the first time and hopefully finding out whether defied fate and made a boy this time.

On another note....we are having troubles with names...both for a boy and a girl.....suggestions?

Monday

Has it really been so long since my last post?  Ugh!  

So what has happened here in the last few weeks?  I won't spill it all today as then I will have nothing to post about again.  On with the show....

We had a very busy December just like everyone else.  Although we had a very quiet Christmas.  Probably the quietest we have ever had.  We had some company on Christmas Eve and then Awesome-Father-In-Law came over for a few hours on Christmas Day.  

We didn't put up our tree until just a few days before Christmas and then it was down by the 28th.  I loved it.  We didn't have a ton of presents due to our trip to Disney World but everyone seemed happy with what they did get.  The girls got Guitar Hero World Tour so we spent a lot of time playing the Wii.

It was cold over Christmas just as it had been for the better part of December.  Not just normal cold, but stupid cold!!  I really need to move to a warmer climate but My Dear Nathan says it is not going to happen anytime soon.  He has told me that we can retire in Florida though.  Always nice to have something to look forward too!

After Christmas I didn't leave my house for 3 days.  It was great.  I would love if I never had to leave at all.  We took Awesome-Father-In-Law for dinner for his birthday.  It was not really that monumental an occasion but it was the reason I left my house so I thought I would throw it in.

Hmmmm.....not really that exciting of a post.  That was our Christmas in a nut shell.

Today I need to finish unpacking, go grocery shopping and maybe clean something.  All things that I am avoiding by making horrible blog posts.  For now I will end the misery.  I think I have lost my blog mojo.  Has anyone seen it?

Finally!!

Today I went for my prenatal appointment.  I am 13 weeks, 2 days and I finally heard this little one's heartbeat!!  Everything else is in proper working order.  I have even managed to lose 5 pounds!  Ultrasound is booked for the end of January.  Keep your fingers crossed that this baby shows me what it is because I need to know....

We are under the Christmas gun right now.  We haven't gone shopping yet and we still have no tree up.  The plan is to go shopping tonight and I hope we get it all done in one shot because I am not really in a shopping mood.  The plan is for the tree to go up tomorrow and to come down before New Years.

We are only 2 weeks and a few days away from our trip and I cannot wait.  It has been stupid cold here for the last few days and it is expected to hang around for at least another week and beyond that, who knows?  Bring on the Florida sunshine!  There is a 50-something degree temperature difference between here and there (-25 here, +27 there).  I totally live on the wrong side of zero.

Just another note that has absolutely nothing to do with anything else.  My cat snores when she sleeps!

Have a great day.  Will try to update more....if you care.  :D

December

I cannot believe that it is already December.  In 8 days my "baby" will officially be a teenager.  In 24 it will be Christmas.  Have I mentioned that I still have not done any shopping.  This year we are not having a big Christmas so I keep telling myself that everything will be ok.  We have a pretty good idea what we are getting the kids and have pretty much decided to limit our gift giving to our kids, nieces and nephew, parents and my grandparents.  No brothers this year.  I feel kind of bad about it but gift giving is getting increasingly harder as everyone pretty much just buys what they want when they want it.  Honestly, I am just not feeling that creative this year to think about giving an original, thoughtful gift either.  Bah humbug!!  

Actually, I am rather looking forward to Christmas.  As much as I loved being in the Florida sunshine last year there is just something about being home.  Now if home were in Florida....well, things would be perfect.  Speaking of Florida (another reason for a slimmed down Christmas....something has to be slim around here and it isn't me), just a month and a day now.  I cannot wait!!

On other home news.  I have been working with Ryleigh on potty training.  She has been doing really well.  We still use diapers but when we are at home I more often than not find that she has removed her diaper herself and spends the day running around bare bummed.  She is learning new words almost daily.  This is a relief as we had to take her for a speech assessment in October.  I thoroughly disagreed with the speech pathologists suggestions on how to encourage her to start speaking and have completely ignored her advice and Ryleigh seems to be doing just fine.

Camryn and Darian have both recently received their report cards.  Nothing is really shocking on either of them.  They are both good students who just need to put in more effort.  Hmmmm....that sounds vaguely familiar to me.  Could it be that I have heard that for a number of years about myself?

Baby is doing well I guess.  I don't go back to the doctor for another 2 weeks so there is not much to report there.  I need to schedule myself for some blood work.  Ick.  I hate needles.

On the agenda for the day is some laundry folding and probably some napping.  Oh there is that whole pesky making dinner thing too.  Maybe if I start thinking about what to make now I might have some sort of clue by this afternoon.  For now I must take my children to school.

A Case of the Mondays

I do believe someone would get their ass kicked if they said that.  Let the ass kicking begin.

Monday.  The beginning of the week....a very important week.  Payday week.  Week 10 of pregnancy.  Week 13 of the NFL.  Week of Happy Macy's Parade/Football Day to our American friends.  Well if any of those things are important to you then it would be an important week.

A week in which I am hoping to once again begin to feel human and not sloth-like.  I was all ready to do laundry this morning (as planned yesterday) and then my plans got rail-roaded by a feverish little girl.  Last night I picked up Ryleigh after she had cereal for supper...again (it is the only thing she will eat lately, but at least it is something).  Ryleigh was boiling hot.  Her temperature was almost 102.  We broke out the tylenol just to discover it was expired, just like my prenatal vitamins.  Me thinks it is time to clean out the medicine cabinet.  Fast forward a bit.  My Dear Nathan bought new tylenol, we gave her a shot and hoped that it would help her sleep comfortably.  Well, it did make her comfortable....comfortable enough to stay up until after midnight watching cartoons in my bed while My Dear Nathan slept beside her and I slept on the couch.

I did not do laundry this morning.  I went to sleep while Ryleigh watched cartoons in my bed but this time she slept after a few shows too.  She still had a bit of a fever left but she seems good to go now.  She is good enough to have mimmi-uuush (mini-wheats) for lunch, followed by a bag of cheetos.  All necessarily served in a beebee bow (baby bowl) as the normal bowls are totally unsatisfactory.

This week is also the week that my maid service ends.  Maid service you ask?  How do piss poor people afford maid service?  Well I have a maid thanks to a new route of punishment that I am taking.  Darian had gotten herself into trouble at school and rather than take the grounding route which is not effective on a girl that does not go out anywhere I chose to make her my personal maid for 2 weeks.  I figure that she may not think of it as a punishment but thought that after 2 weeks of being at my beck and call for anything from getting me a drink to washing my floors that she would think twice about fooling around in school.  If nothing else it got some of the housework done.

It is now 2:00 and I am awake.  I should find something more to eat and actually get my ass downstairs to do laundry.  Apparently no one has clean socks....I never know because I don't wear them.  Have a nice Monday.

First Appointment

I went for my first prenatal check up this morning.  Ryleigh did not think it was that exciting.  In fact, it really wasn't that exciting.  I got some paperwork to get needles (I hate needles), I got felt up and I peed in a cup.

I am just over 9 weeks so I didn't think that I would get to hear the baby's heartbeat and I was right.  The nurse practitioner wasn't even going to try due to how not far along I am but decided to give it a shot because apparently my uterus is large.  I guess you would say that is a good sign.

I still don't really feel pregnant.  I am just tired.  I could easily chalk it up to the time of year as it always screws me up.  Short days + no sunshine =  tired Nancy.  No pregnancy needed in that equation.

I will go again in 4 more weeks.  I hope by then I feel something.

November

I cannot believe it is November already.  That means that winter is going to be here soon and I don't much care for winter.  It is cold and snowy and just yucky all over.  

One reason that I am glad that it is November is that I am now less than 2 months away from our trip to Florida.  I can't wait.  I hope that it is nice and warm and sunny in Florida while it is the complete opposite here in Wintertown.

My Dear Nathan will get a few extra days off in November which will be nice on everything except the bank account.  The bank account has taken a hit as of late due to broken ankles, short notice trips to Las Vegas and assholes who break into my van and garage and take my can stash.  The short notice trip to Vegas wouldn't have been so bad had I won a big jackpot like I was supposed to!!  I guess I will have to try harder next time. ;)

November will also see the first of many doctor appointments for me.  I go for my first prenatal checkup on the 18th.  I am excited and so hope that I hear this baby's heartbeat.  I didn't hear Ryleigh's heartbeat on the first visit but she was determined to do everything differently...nothing has changed.

November is also the month that I plan on continuing the many renovations that need to be finished around here.  I have advised My Dear Nathan that I want the main floor of our house completely renovated by the time this baby arrives.  We will be putting Ryleigh into the bigger bedroom, which will need to be painted again, so that baby can have her room.  The list is long but I think we can do it.  It will involve many cans of paint, a few swear words and eventually new floors.  I hope.  If not...I am moving.

Where has this year gone?  Has it gone by as fast for you as it has for me?  

Oh So...

tired.  The only thing that I have been able to do for the last week is sleep.  I don't think that I slept this much when I was pregnant with any of the girls.  Even while we were in Las Vegas I needed to go have an afternoon nap...what am I?  80 years old.  I napped...in Vegas.

Since we have been home it has not been any better.  Would you like to hear about what a horrible mother I am?  Ok...here goes....no calling Social Services on me though OK?  

My girls wake me up approximately 10 minutes before we need to leave to get them to school on time.  They get Roo ready to go after they are ready.  The only thing I need to do is get dressed and drive.  By the time we get home 30 minutes later I am ready for a nap.  The dilemma then becomes what to do with the 2 year old.  

I make her some breakfast, which is usually peanut butter toast and some milk.  I can usually stay awake while she eats but once she is done...this is when the spectacular mothering begins.  You know those door knob covers that prevent little hands from opening the door?  I have some of those, only one of them....it is on the inside of my bedroom door.

Thats right.  I lock myself and my 2 year old into my bedroom.  I turn on Playhouse Disney for her and she lays on Daddy's side of the bed, watches cartoons and her Mother sleeps.  It is so bad that I know what time it is by whatever cartoon is on.  I don't know what else to do.  I need to sleep otherwise I am liable to snap at the most innocent of requests.

I cannot wait to get through the next 6 weeks.  I am hoping at that time that I will be able to stay awake for stretches longer than a few hours without needing to sleep like I have just been on a week long bender.  On the plus side though...I am only tired.  I do not (yet, knock on wood) have morning sickness and am generally not feeling bad (assuming I get 20 hours of sleep a day).

Now that I have had my morning nap, which today is fueled by the fact that Ryleigh kept me up most of the night, I need to have lunch.  After lunch....probably a nap.

Greetings

from the Calgary International Airport.  The current time is 2:04 a.m.  The current temperature sucks compared to the glorious 30 degrees I was experiencing a mere 12 hours ago in Las Vegas.  My Dear Nathan and I are in the airport waiting for our 7:15 flight from here back to Edmonton.  We arrived here from Vegas just an hour ago and are so very excited about our camp out here :P

Las Vegas was great but another trip is definitely in order...you know one where I am not pregnant or with my family.  Actually I had a great time with my family this weekend.  My little brother got married this weekend.  For those of you who know my brother you will understand when I say that the weekend was not without a little Joe drama.  In the end it all turned out beautifully though.  I have a new sister-in-law who is just made for my brother and I got to go somewhere warm.

I can't wait to get home and have a good sleep in my own bed.  I cannot believe how easily time slips away in a place that literally never sleeps.  I kept wondering why I was so tired only to look at the clock and see that it was some crazy hour.  I think that the earliest that we made it to bed was 2:00 and of course, that was after donating some money to some hard up slot machines.

We didn't arrive until late Saturday night and with all the plans that my brother had made for us we did not have an opportunity to check out any of the Cirque Du Soleil shows, of which there are 6 (by my count...there could be more).  We did go to a burlesque show at the Crazy Horse in the MGM Grand which was pretty neat but not a show I will soon be attending soon again, at least not with my parents and brother that is.

I got to spend an afternoon in the spa at our hotel.  I got my nails done and a pedicure.  My Mom also graciously offered to pay for me to get my hair done.  I am sure that if she knew that it was going to cost her more than $300.00 she may have reconsidered.  I am going to admit right now that I am a horrible pregnant person and got my hair dyed.  I figure that I dyed my hair while I was pregnant with Darian and there isn't anything wrong with her so I should be OK this time too.

I am sure that there is more to tell but as of right now I have t minus 5 hours to go in this god-forsaken airport and I want to go put on some comfy clothes for my long night....

Yay!!!!

A picture paints a thousand words....  :D