stupid pee

A few weeks ago, Taylor woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.  For some reason, I have a hard time falling back asleep once I’m awake, no matter what time it is.  So, I was wide awake at 3:00 am.  I picked up my phone and began scrolling through facebook status updates to pass the time.  I came upon the status update from Rachel and the 20 comments that followed on whether you should use the phrase “peed my pants” or “peed IN my pants”.  It was rather humorous.  Then when I woke up at 5:30, I thought to myself “Crap, I used ‘peed my pants’ in the birth story I wrote for Rachel”.  So I then commented thusly on her wall to learn that she was in fact editing my story when she posed the question.  I was a little embarrassed at my poor grammar, but what can I say, I watched WAY too much Billy Madison back in middle school.

But maybe it wasn’t so bad after all because the phrase made it through the editing process before being posted on the Pregnancy and Newborn Magazine Birth Day Blog.

So I think you should check it out.  And while you’re there, you should read the three other wonderful stories written by friends….and keep checking back for more fun reads every Monday and Wednesday.

The birth of Taylor Grace by me

The birth of Rosie Mae by Rachel

The birth of Sophia by Neely

The birth of Lohi by Ryann

It’s good stuff.

best big sister ever

We (mainly me) worried a lot about how Piglet would handle a new baby and being a big sister.  Beginning the weekend of the gender reveal shower back in March, I think she started worrying a little, too.  She would act excited about having a baby brother, but she also started acting out more than usual – she knew that her world was about to be rocked.  So many of the battles that we had fought for so long and finally won with her were having to be fought again.  She was being aggressive at school, having accidents, waking up at 5:00 am, and taking FOREVER to settle down for naps and bedtime – to the point that there were many times when we were both in tears before it was all over.

We tried everything we could to prepare her for Baby B’s arrival.  She got a cool “Big Sister” t-shirt.  We got a really good “I’m a Big Sister” book that described her situation perfectly and made being a big sister seem really exciting.  We tried to talk about how being a big sister was going to be great and that she could be a big helper (she really likes to help).  And we really stepped up the positive reinforcement – we are HUGE fans of the sticker chart.  She gets a sticker for lots of things and does a little dance when she fills up a row and gets a prize (which is usually just one silly band or a mini-pack of pez – I’m glad she is so easy to please).

So we worried and planned and praised, and she slowly started to come around behavior-wise.  And then Baby B was born, and she totally turned a corner – she began behaving so well.  She has had perfect behavior at school since he was born and has started getting excited about going to school again.  She is completely back on the potty trained train – even waking up completely dry in the morning.  She is staying in bed until 6:00 am (which may seem early to you, but 6:00 am still feels awesome after many mornings at 4:00 and 5:00).  She is laying down by herself for nap and at night and not fighting sleep.

I think it has some to do with our planning and praising and a lot to do with all of the love she got when Baby B was born.   Family and Church Family and even Baby B have spoiled her with gifts for being a big sister.   She got extra attention from Grammy the week before and after Baby B was born.  During the birth, she got some really great quality time with Pops and Aunt Kathryn – they even took her to Old McDonald’s for dinner and let her have chocolate milk.  Russ and I have tried our best to give her lots of love and attention – it has been awesome that Russ quit his 3-week clinical after our bonus hospital stay.   And she is spending this weekend with Papa and Mimi.  She knows that she is loved and shouldn’t be threatened by Baby B.   One afternoon, we overheard her telling her animals in the kitchen that “my mommy and daddy love me so much”.

I also think it has mostly to do with something I forgot amidst all of the acting out and not listening and being difficult:  Piglet is an awesome little kid.  She is sweet and loving.  Caring and helpful.  She loves to give hugs and kisses.  She wants those around her to be happy.  And she thinks babies are cool.

I remember when Piglet was born, I began to appreciate and love Russ in new ways as I saw him be a great father.  The same has been true for Piglet.  I loved her so much before, and you worry that having a second child is going to change or limit how you can love your first.  It has changed how I love my Piglet, but in such a good way.  I love her as my daughter, but now I also love and appreciate her as a big sister.  I love seeing her in this new way.

She is just awesome.

She loves to help. 

She loves to hold him and admire him.

She loves to give him kisses.

When he cries, she tells me that he needs to eat or that he needs his paci.  If she doesn’t see him when she comes in the room, she asks “Where’s my baby brother?” – wanting to make sure he is still here.  I think these two will be good friends with a great love for each other.

The other day, she walked over to him, grabbed his hand, and started singing him the ABCs…and I knew that this having two kids thing was going to be pretty cool.

best week ever

I was planning a “woe is still pregnant me” post because I only have five shirts that still cover my huge belly without constant tugging and fidgeting, and I only got 4 hours of sleep last night, but I decided who wants to read that?!   Instead I want to chronicle the best week ever to remind myself that I can make it through a few more days of pregnancy if they are days like these AND that I am a lucky lucky girl.  I decided last week during a “woe is still pregnant me” moment that I would declare this week “pamper myself week”.   So that is what I’m doing and doing well.  It’s my reward for making it this far without physically harming anyone or having a complete breakdown AND for actually getting all of my work to-do list done LAST week, so that this week (my official last week of work before beginning maternity leave), I am just coasting and getting a few last minute things done.

Day 1 – Sunday (yesterday)

• Last Sunday of work for 8 glorious Sundays.  I love my job and Sundays are my favorite day because that’s when I get to see the wonderful people that make me love my job, but it will be nice to have 8 weeks of not having to lead anything on Sundays and to enjoy some Sabbath.  We look forward to some actual full weekend travel that doesn’t include midnight driving back home so I can be in church in the morning.  We also look forward to some church hopping…maybe some idea getting and mainly just some time to worship as a family and to experience worship in a variety of ways.
• Church Shower.  We were showered with great great love and generosity yesterday after church.  It was truly overwhelming – we have enough diapers, wipes, and gift cards so that we shouldn’t have to expend any personal resources for the whole first year – at least on those practical things.  Plus there were a few precious blue items that just make preparing for a little baby boy oh so much fun.  I had a great time looking through all of it for the third time last night.  We are certainly blessed.
• I asked nicely, and Russ gave the garden tub a good scrubbing so that I could take a nice nice bath and read my new Southern Living.  say it with me….ahhhh….

Monday

• The day started with my favorite time of the month – the Educators gathering.  During the 9 month school year, we meet monthly for Bible study and then an idea sharing session with youth directors.  But during the summer, we just meet for breakfast and to catch up on our busy summers.  It was great fun.

Tuesday

• I just found out that my other favorite gathering is meeting tomorrow.  I did not have it on my calendar so it is a fun surprise!  The lady clergy meet for lunch once a quarter.  They are a wonderful group, and these “lunches” have turned into 3-4 hour group counseling, venting, laughing, idea sharing afternoons.  And what fun that it falls on the same week as the educator gathering.  This is turning out to be the best last week of “work” ever.
• After “work” I am picking Piglet up and we are heading to get her first hair cut.  This is bitter sweet, but I am mostly excited because celebrating firsts are always fun, plus Grammy is coming, so we’ll make a girls’ afternoon out of it.

Wednesday

• I might actually have to work this day, but after work, I am going to cash in a gift certificate for a manicure and pedicure.  Pedicures are something that I rarely do because they are expensive, but I LOVE them, especially when I’m pregnant and can’t reach my toes to make them pretty on my own.

Thursday

• Josh, Kathryn, and baby Roo are coming to town!
• We have a dr. appointment in the morning, at which the doctor should tell me that I can deliver at any moment, right?!  please.
• Then Russ has a CPM meeting to hopefully move forward (FINALLY) in the ordination process in this presbytery.   Because he has been “under care” for seven years, he’s a bit of an oddity.  He is taking me and his session liaison as back-up (and to kick him under the table if he starts to get too feisty).
• THEN, I am cashing in a gift certificate to get a pregnancy massage while Russ takes Piglet to my parents house for the afternoon and night.  I may go hang out with the family (grammy, pops, kathryn, josh, and roo, too)  Thursday evening or I may just go home and enjoy an evening by myself…not sure yet.  What do you think?

Friday

• BEACH with the family

Saturday

• One of my BFFs – definitely my longest, oldest friend is coming into to town.  It will be wonderful to catch up and hug her neck.

So while I’m so so ready to not be pregnant anymore, I am kind of hoping now that I can make it through the week because there is just so much goodness planned.   But wouldn’t a baby be the perfect end to the best week ever?  I think so.

getting ready…or not

This has been a very busy pregnancy; I haven’t really had tome to concentrate on getting ready for a baby.  With Piglet, it was all I could think about..  The nursery was completely set up when I was 6 months pregnant.  With baby B, I was just hoping I get through the last 7 months without going into labor before I was ready (because of stress, I had an intense irrational fear that I would go into preterm labor, which of course caused more stress).   But here I sit at 37 weeks + and ready.

• Crib set up – check
• Bassinet set up – check
• Baby clothes washed, folded, and put away – check
• Baby clothes folded and put away again after Piglet played in them – check
• Diapers and wipes accumulated – check (thanks to Grammy and Kathryn)
• Baby things pulled out of the attic, cleaned, set up, and ooed and ahhed over – check
• Hospital bag packed – check
• Preregistration at hospital – check
• Preregistration with insurance devil – check
• Maternity Leave scheduled and approved at work – check
• Baby name chosen – check (this was one of the more stressful items on the agenda since I had Piglet’s name picked out for 8 years.  Picking a name for a person is hard work – so much pressure.  I tried to let Russ pick, but he was all wishy washy and indecisive.  We got it narrowed down and tried to let our friends vote at the beach, but they came out dead even.  So then we tried to let the youth vote at Montreat and they were dead even again – NO HELP.  So finally, we asked Piglet one day, and she very matter-of-factly said a first, middle, and last name like it had been decided upon weeks ago.   Then it was done.  Thank goodness.

And this weekend was our first weekend with NOTHING to do in a LONG LONG time – no studying, no traveling, no gatherings, no plans, no sermonizing, no working, NADA.  So for the first time in a LONG LONG time, our house is clean, our lawn is mowed, and our laundry is done (for now).  Those things things haven’t happened concurrently since before the beginning of time I feel like.  But nesting took over, and now it is done.   The only things left to do are put the final bedding and curtain touches on the nursery and go to the church shower this Sunday.  SO COME ON BABY!

BUT WAIT!! all this readiness is now sending me into panic mode because HELLO?! I am going in to labor at some point soon and OMG! I’m going to have two kids.  I was sitting at the table with Piglet the other morning, and all of a sudden I looked at her and thought “I’m about to have two kids” as if this hasn’t been an actual reality for the last 8 months because I was too busy to really think about and let it settle in.  How am I going to handle two kids when I can barely handle one?  I keep telling myself that it will be easier when I am no longer pregnant, because SHESH – the sleeplessness and the tiredness and the acheyness and the hugeness make parenting a wee bit difficult.  I hope I’m right and not delusional.

I also realized that all channels containing shows like “Maternity Ward” “Baby Story” and “Special Delivery” should be blocked from our TV because I don’t really need to be reminded about the whole realities of labor.  I was watching one show at 4:30 am when I couldn’t sleep because I had gotten up for the seventh time to use the bathroom and just couldn’t go back to sleep.  The mother was having a normal delivery, but when the baby came out, he wasn’t breathing and they didn’t have a neonatal team on stand by because everything was normal.  AND I LOST IT COMPLETELY.  But then less than a minute later, he was fine – but that must have been the longest minute for that mother.  So, yeah, can’t watch those shows anymore.

So now what do I do?  I just wait and wait.  And I obsess over every twinge and pain because it just might be labor.  I don’t really know what to expect because with Piglet I didn’t have contractions (not even Braxton Hicks really) until I was at the hospital.  My water broke and they actually had to start my labor.   So now, every time I feel something a little weird, I sit up and cock my head to the side and wonder – maybe, maybe…then no, it goes away.

All in all, I think I’m definitely more ready than not ready.   I think.

survivor

I have now survived back to back to back weeks of vacation, VBS, and Montreat at 7-8 months pregnant.  Now it’s onto three days of single motherhood as Russ honkers down for the last few days of studying for the boards.  THEN it’s relaxing and enjoying the calm before the storm.

But for now, I want to take a moment to share a few bits of wisdom I picked up about being 7.5 months pregnant at Montreat.

1. You must do the modified version of energizers.  I felt like I needed one of those workout videos with the woman in the back doing the modified, AKA easier, version of all of the exercises.  I was afraid that I just might Numa the baby out.
2. You must walk VERY slowly from point A to B.  Not only do cracks and debris need to be avoided, but walking fast in the mountains leads to lots of pain later.
3. Naps are a necessity.
4. Hula-hooping is not possible, even if you were once a hula hooping champion.  Attempting this, however, provides lots of laughter from bystanders.
5. People are really nice to you when you look like you are about to pop.
6. Going to bed at 11:30, 12:30, or 1:30 six nights in a row is NOT a good idea.  Especially when you have to be up at 6:30 with a 2.5 year-old and have to get up 4 times a night to pee and have cramps from walking around Montreat (see #2).
7. Anderson is HOT.  This is almost unbearable.  Fortunately, I found out (thanks to Pops) that they have ice at the desk in the lobby.  Slowly consuming a cup of ice make the experience much better.
8. The pews which are “older than your grandmother” have a pregnant sitting limit.  After 45 minutes, I had to get up and walk outside to give my back a break.
9. Montreat at 7.5 months  preggo is much harder than Montreat at 6 months.

People said I was crazy or brave to go this far along in my pregnancy, but I wouldn’t have traded this experience for anything…plus  Montreat weather is much better than Lowcountry weather…not excited to return to 95 and humid today.  ug.