Mother Nature

In my mind Virginia is really part of the Midwest. Sure we live only 45 minutes (on a good day, with no traffic) from DC but out here way far away from the beltway there are cows and fields and pastures and occasionally strangers who wave at you while you are driving down the road. Just like where I grew up in Missouri. A little bit rural, a little bit suburban, close enough to a major metropolitan area to enjoy professional sports and 'culture' but far enough away to not be in the hustle and bustle. Weather wise it's like the Midwest too...just without the threat of tornadoes. Nice and safe. Until this past Tuesday.

I was at my desk, in the basement of my building, ALONE (there are no other offices in the basement!) working away when the whole building started shaking. It scared the shit out of me. I questioned what the hell was happening, got on the floor under my desk. Then I decided "I don't want to be here. My desk could collapse on me not to mention the three floors of a building built in the 30s could fall on me." I darted upstairs. There was NO ONE in the hallway. Another flash of where the hell is everyone. I ran outside. Into the arms of a close friend of mine and the "Oh my god! Kelly! We're so sorry." They didn't think to yell downstairs or look for me in the panic.

Most of us had just experienced our first earthquake. A 5.8 quake. The epicenter was 65 miles from our house. I felt an aftershock at 8pm Tuesday night, another around 1am, and another last night at 1am. They scare the shit out of me. I have woken up during both the early morning aftershocks and reached for Phillip in the bed. Praying they pass quickly. I wonder when aftershocks stop being aftershocks and start being earthquakes again. I can not imagine living in California or having lived through the terrible tragedy in Japan this past March.

And now Irene is beating down our door. They keep saying that this hurricane will be something that most of us will never experience again in our lifetime because of how wide the storm is as it heads up the east coast and across major metropolitan areas. I realize we very well may be with out power for several days. We have a camp stove, plenty of gas to operate the stove, drinking water and enough food to last several days. My biggest concern if we loose power is having enough ice on hand to keep my breast milk frozen. If I loose my freezer stash I will be devastated. Luckily my neighbor is part owner of a generator company! I hope he has one at the ready for us.

So we are doing okay. Just waiting for the next event. Trying to stay safe and calm. Batten down the hatches!

Updates

It has almost been a month since I last blogged! I have been loosing sleep because Emma still seems to want to eat every 2 hours so I'm usually too exhausted to blog in the evening and we were on vacation for a week and a half. I have a lot of topics/ideas to blog about its just getting back into the swing of things!

Emma had her four month appointment in the middle of July. She is a little string bean! She was only 11lbs and 11 oz. She is 25 inches long. I believe she was in the 10% for weight!

She rolled over for the first time (okay, she rolled over at 2 months when I put her on my bed but I think that was a fluke) on Monday. She now can't get enough of the rocking and rolling to her tummy. She loves doing it so much that we may have to stop swaddling her! She rolls in her crib when sleeping and can't quiet roll again to her back so she wakes up!

Emma is also drooling like CRAZY! I think she has to have a tooth coming in.

Like I said previously, she is still pretty intent on eating every 2-3 hours. While she gave me the gift of sleeping through the night from month 2-3 she is now waking up in the middle of the night once or twice. It is so exhausting! She is random in her timing and eager to nurse. It usually only take 30 minutes to nurse and get her back to sleep but of course in the middle of the night it is so disruptful. I hope she changes her way soon.

Other than that she is full of smiles, likes to giggle, and still prefers to be held than in the swing or chair!

Although Sophia is just 3 and certainly has her three year old moments she has also said and done some things that are so sweet and mature. For example most nights at the dinner table after grace she will say "thank you for making dinner" to whom ever prepped the meal. This isn't something we taught her. She just started saying it. It melts my heart every time.

Tonight when the girls were playing in their room and I was putting up their laundry Sophia was giving Emma soft baby toys to touch and play with. She would take Emma's hand and help her feel the textures and see the mirrors or pictures on the soft blocks. When Emma would reach out and touch it on her own Sophia would clap for Emma and congratulate her! She exhibited the same enthusiasm when she would roll over. It is so fun to watch Sophia enjoy Emma learning and discovering!

Fits of Laughter

Anyone who knows me well knows I like to laugh, a lot.

Having my mom here and two kids has definitly provided me with many fits of laughter these past two weeks.

The other day we were outside and Sophie looked to the sky to see an airplane. It had that cloud trail behind it leaving a streak in the sky. Sophie asked me to get it for her. I told her I couldn't reach it. She turned to Phillip and said..."You get it, you're a tall guy."

Yesterday I went for my two week postpartum check up. Sophie was in tow because we were headed to the grocery store after the appointment. She patiently played with the toys in the room with Gramma. Before we left I asked her if she needed to go potty. She went in the bathroom and got a dixie cup off the counter and told me that she wanted to pee in the cup. Just like the moms do for the urine sample at prenatal visits.

Last night I asked my mom to fix me an ice cream cone. I was changing Emma and getting ready to nurse her. I heard her in the kitchen, alone, laughing hysterically. I couldn't figure out what was so funny. She came back to the bedroom barley able to tell me what was so funny. The ice cream cone was minuscule. I bought "kid cones" because it was the only cake cone I could find. I knew they would be smaller than regular cones but didn't realize they were only 1 1/2 inches tall and 1 inch in diameter. I would have to eat about 10 kid cones to make the equivalent of one regular cone. We laughed about this for at least an hour and throughout the rest of the evening and today would just look at each other an laugh!

There have been many more spontaneous, ridiculous outbursts over the past few weeks. I should have written down some of the other funny things Sophie has said. Laughter sure beats the tantrums!

This, That, and the Other

I have been short on time and/or energy lately to blog so why don't I roll all the things I've been wanting to blog about into one?!
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Phillip and I painted the girls' rooms two weekends ago. We now have to paint the rest of the house because their room looks fabulous and highlights what terrible condition the rest of the walls are in. He did most of the work and put on all the finishing touches. He even took a trip to Target and bought some decals for the walls. He put together the new crib and manged to stash toys away so the room doesn't look too cluttered. I think he is in love with being the papa of two little girls. He was very impressed with the final outcome of the room. And, if you are in need of a crib we got Emma's crib at Target for $150! It's a Graco Lauren convertible crib. I was hesitant at first because it was so inexpensive but it seems to be pretty sturdy.


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Last week I walked into my office to find a home made "outhouse." Co-workers and friends of mine constructed it for me. We often sit together at lunch and have the most off color and hysterical conversations. Much like a mother to her daughter they often have to ask if I peed before I sat down to lunch because they know that if I get laughing too hard we could have an accident. So I walked into work last week and there stood "Kelly's Piddle Pad." Upon walking inside it was outfitted with a toilet and telephone. And a lot of funny advertisements remade with our faces on them! Hopefully it's still there tomorrow and I can get some photos to post.
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This past weekend has brought "The Bug" to our house. I made eggs and sausage for Sophie and I at her request. She also added 4 pepperonis to the meal. She had a few sips of juice and the pepperoni then declared she wasn't hungry and her tummy hurt. I thought perhaps she was mistaking hunger for pain. I didn't push the issue. A while later while attempting to get dressed and run errands she was refusing to put clothes on insisting on "five more minutes." (Her latest go to phrase.) And then she hurled. Delightful. Nothing like being 37 weeks pregnant, on your hands and knees cleaning up puke. We stayed put. But at this point I wasn't sure if it was the combination of pepperoni and apple juice that made her sick or something bigger. When she had her second vomit of the day I knew we were in for a treat. Luckily by the fourth time she totally got the concept of going to the bathroom to puke in the toilet. I felt so bad as she stood there literally hugging the toilet seat.

Monday was a trip to the doctor to have her checked out. He confirmed if the poops hadn't started yet, they would. Oh Goody!

Tuesday I awoke at 1am to "The Bug" attacking my insides. Also not fun being 37 weeks pregnant and having the stomach flu. I also have a condition from a surgery to correct acid reflux that prohibits me from being able to throw up. I can heave but the only thing that comes up is spit. It's like doing sit ups for hours on end with no results. A lot of pain, no gain.

Wednesday we both stayed home to recuperate after Sophie threw up again last night. It was rounded out by a trip to the ER because she had not urinated in 24+ hours and was refusing to drink. This was punctuated by a "crap up the back" right before we were headed to the ER. After putting her half clothed in the tub to clean up I pray that was the first, last, only exhibit of the bug in that way.

Thursday is wide open.

Currently...

Took this idea from a fellow blogger. Loved it so much I thought I'd do it here too. Feel free to leave your own responses in the comments.

Reading: The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer and just picked up Worst Case by James Patterson at the library...I don't think I've read that one yet!

Looking forward to: Sleeping on my stomach again

Stressing about: How the hell we are actually going to afford two kids

Craving: A BIG glass of cold wine

Wanting: A date night or afternoon or 30 minutes with the husband (keeping this from K's original post!)

Wearing: Anything that fits. Can I just live in yoga pants for the rest of my days?

Sick of: getting up every two hours throughout the night to pee.

Learning: How to have a baby in the water!

Suffering from: Not enough time

Struggling with: How an infant and toddler are going to share a room!

Hoping to: Have Sophia potty trained (and NOT reverse) by the time Emma arrives

Excited for: uhhhh Hello! I'm having a baby!

Relieved by: coworkers/friends that threw a "sprinkle" for me and now I'm stocked up on some of the basics

Splurging on: nothing. pinching pennies these days..but Sophie and I did share a small chocolate milk shake at Chick-Fil-A today!

Pregnancy Tidbits

I'm 28 1/2 weeks pregnant and feeling great. My sciatica has eased off a bit which is quite a relief.
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My feet have grown and this annoys me. I now wear a size 10, up from a 9 1/2. I wonder if they will shrink after the birth.
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I have an appointment with a midwife tomorrow and could not be more excited. I really wanted to use a midwife and do home birth with Sophia but there were a lot of factors that ultimately led us to sticking with our OB and having Sophie in the hospital.

I'm looking forward to having this baby in the water, at home, and recuperating in my own bed. The only thing I might miss from the hospital is the food. They had really good food. But my mom will be in town so I think I'll be fine. As long as she makes more rice krispie treats for me to eat post delivery!

Random Tidbits

Please suggest your favorite pair of maternity jeans. I have two pairs that I hate this time around. A full panel pair from Old Navy that cuts into me where the panel meets the jean. A pair from Motherhood Maternity with a demi panel and the panel rolls and I'm constantly pulling them up.
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Sophie can now say "more" in sign language. It's so cute to watch her concentrate and put her hands together, fingers facing each other, and requesting "more." I'm bummed I didn't try harder to teach her "baby sign language" when she was younger but now that she is learning it at pre-school she should be able to help with teaching the baby!
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Sophie used the potty three times on Saturday and three times on Sunday! She reverted back to her "old" floor model potty instead of the seat that goes on the toilet but I don't care. She used the POTTY! Please, Lord, let this continue. I'm sick of buying Pull-ups.
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We are still indecisive about a name for Baby # 2. Would you like to weigh in?
Emma Louise (or Louisa for all options) Cann
Emma Louise Johnson
Emma Louise Kelly
Emma Louise Bache
Emma Louise Larson
Emma Louise Marie

The Whirlwind

The past few weeks have been such a whirlwind. Let's recap:
Gallbladder attack June 18
6th wedding anniversary June 26
Pregnant July 4
Husband out of town and a concert July 10
Vacation July 14-23
Move July 31/Aug. 1
Mom in town helping for 10 days
Unpacking, doctors appointments and a friend in town.

Fill in work, commuting, regular family duties and tell me when I have down time. I can't figure out if I'm exhausted from go, go, going or the pregnancy.
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This time around I have felt nauseous and dizzy on a regular basis. You can bet at 9am and 6pm I'm not feeling well. Luckily I don't throw up but I am amazed at women who deal with this for all 40 weeks all day!

I haven't taken "bump" pictures each week like I did with Sophie and that makes me a little sad but I still have 30 weeks to hop on that bandwagon.
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I had an ultrasound last week and everything appears to be going well. Our little squirt waved at us and had a heartbeat of 160bpm. Sophie is still clueless. Ignorance is bliss!
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Sophie is doing great. She has taken to changing outfits multiple times a day and seems to prefer "comfy pants" like her mom. PJs often get swapped out for regular play clothes during the day. She also loves to wear her and my winter hats and a tutu that came with a pair of jammies with any outfit!
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Her vocabulary has expanded 10 fold in the past few months. Here is a sampling:
Yes, please.
Pakistan.
I coming! (usually said as I enter the bathroom.)
Read books.
Sophie help.
and mimicking me "Thank you honey."

She is mostly sweet with a two year old tantrum here and there.

The accidental garden

This has nothing to do with kids. It has to do with my accidental garden.

Phillip is the green thumb of the Brown household. Tending to several indoor plants with TLC, plant fertilizer made out of fish (ewww) but high in nutrients. Our outdoor plants are sometimes deliberate, sometimes not.

We have a hard time throwing out potted plants after their prime. Preferring instead to trim back the wilted growth, let the bulb lie dormant and see what happens next year. It seems this is our luck this year.

Last year we had a small patch of herbs off the deck. Two types of parsley, oregano, basil, and rosemary. We used all of the basil. The parsley grew and grew and grew and eventually had to be trimmed back. After the harsh winter it appeared nothing was left. We never used the oregano. To our delight and surprise the parsley and oregano has grown back and reseeded itself in my two planters that once housed inpatients.

I was pleasantly surprised by purple iris that I have no recollection of every owning as bulbs or planting. And just yesterday an Easter Lilly that Phillip must have given me three or four Easter's ago has bloomed yet again.

Our biggest surprise? The pumpkin that is growing in a planter we have used for tomatoes and basil and has rich composted soil. I think when cleaning out our utility room last year we came across open seeds and on a whim tossed them into the planter. I guess we won't have to visit the pumpkin patch this year!

Random

I'm sick and tired of buying diapers. I hate spending money on them. I hate putting the box in the cart. I hate throwing them out. We've wobbled back and forth between disposable and our Bum Genius cloth diapers but to make the BGs work okay I have to stuff them with two inserts. It makes for a thick diaper but Sophie doesn't mind. But she is at the top of the weight limit for the BGs and they still leak even with two inserts. Not happy.
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Potty training. She needs to get with the program. I wonder if I bought a potty training seat insert if she would be more interested in trying to use the potty. We have a potty like this (no lid) and she sits on it for one second at a time and then congratulates herself. I don't think so kid.
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Hair cut? I go through phases with my hair. Short, long, Locks of Love, short, long, short, I want a wig. Sophie's hair is a hot mess. It is super nappy after a long nights sleep or even a nap. Has taken forever (okay, two years) to get to the "length" it is now, and the disheveled mess makes me want to trim it up a bit. I was going to do this in the tub tonight (even ready to call my niece who is a hair dresser for pointers) but my husband talked me out of it. "You always want to cut it, cut it (talking about my own hair) and remember when you got mad at your mom for cutting your hair short in the second grade?" He begged and pleaded for me to leave it alone. I did.
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Sophie likes to look at my breasts. I often wear v-neck shirts so access is easy. She pulls the shirt away from my body, looks in, and says "booboo" "my booboo" "mine." We'll I guess they were yours for eight months but now they are all mine sister. Do your kids (especially if they were breastfed) still like to look at your ta-tas? I may have to start wearing a turtleneck.
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Babies. A good friend and my cousin are both with child. It's a bittersweet time in my heart. I was pregnant right along with them back in late September/early October. My work friend came to me, closed the door, sat down. I looked at her and said she must be quitting or she's pregnant. My cousin and I spoke on the phone and shared our secrets with each other like we kids in pigtails again. We were finally going to be pregnant together! (She has two girls already and we made a pact at our weddings {which were two weeks apart} to be pregnant together, some pact;) My cousin had her baby, a boy, today. And my friend will hopefully go into labor any day now. She did eat a lot of pineapple at lunch! My heart swells with emotion. A twinge of sadness for me and my husband knowing that we too should have been rounding out the third trimester now but also happiness and excitement for these two boys entering the world. I can't wait to squish the tiny ones (gently, of course.)

Manners

Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter which fork you use. ~Emily Post

Phillip and I have been talking about having another kiddo. For most couples deciding on when to start trying to get pregnant and how close or apart to have kids is always a conversation that requires some finesse. If I had it my way I would have each kid two years apart and I'd like to have about four of 'em! But sometimes our bodies, our God, and our pocketbooks have other plans.

To feed my baby craze I have recently found myself lurking and occasionally posting on the baby website TheBump.com. The parent site of The Bump is The Knot. They suck women into their dark and twisty place when we are so bedazzled by our engagement rings we are too awestruck to realize what's happening. You start on The Knot, get hitched and head to The Nest, and then get knocked up and head to The Bump.

Each of the websites feature a "community" section with a large variety of message boards were you can chat about anything. On The Bump the chatter ranges from dinner, gay/lesbian parenting, infertility issues, toddlers, eco-parenting, trying to get pregnant, etc. etc. etc. The point of the forums is to have a place to talk and connect with other women like you-women with the same issues, challenges, fears, disappointments, and successes. It is a place to be heard and share your story. When I was pregnant for the first time I too turned to the community forums. If you are smart you take others advice with a grain of salt but generally the conversation was helpful and supportive. I don't know what has changed in two years but the women I've encountered on there recently are just plain bitches.

For example a woman posted on there today about coming off birth control, not getting her period, negative home pregnancy tests, seeing her dr., getting prescribed a drug to kick start her cycle, and then testing positive for pregnancy today. She was taken aback by the positive test and the unfolding of her cycle. She was excited about what was happening. Then come the comments on the forum. "You should be posting on 1st Tri though, the women here are still TTC." and "No offense, but I don't think you really know how your body works." Jeez louise! So snarky. The newly pregnant lady just found out she was pregnant and wanted to share her story. She doesn't need people biting her head off because she was confused about her cycle. And this example was very tame compared to some of the drama you can witness on there!

I think I'm going to have to deactivate my account. The world doesn't need anymore rude people and they are festering on The Bump.

Sophie the Hippie

If someone says the word “hippie” certain images come to mind. According to the all knowing online resource, Wikipedia, hippies are described as “women wore jeans and maintained long hair,[68] and both genders wore sandals or went barefoot.[37] Men often wore beards,[69] while women wore little or no makeup.” A free lifestyle, living off the earth, using recycled goods, and even “dumpster diving” are also associated with being a hippie in this day and age.

And Sophia is among them.

Let’s start with her birthday: April 20. 4/20. Yup. A day celebrated by those who enjoy recreational marijuana. A big part of the hippie movement. Now, she doesn’t and hopefully won’t ever partake in this activity but when we tell our contemporaries her birth date they smile and give a little chuckle. And ask to pass the Doritos.

Feet: Sophie hates wearing socks and shoes. Although she was very excited about her new sparkly white Easter shoes and didn’t want to take them off for bedtime, she inevitably takes shoes and socks off in the car when we go anywhere and takes them off promptly upon coming inside.She much prefers to be barefoot.

Hair: growing slowly but wildly. Hardly enough to put in pig tails and doesn’t get brushed or combed out each day because there really isn’t enough to properly brush or comb. Sometimes after a particular tossy turny night or nap her hair is a mess and there is no fixing it. And nappy like unkempt dreads.

Makeup: well she is only 24 months old so no makeup.

Dumpster Diving: Really this is the crux of this story. Prior to Sophie and Phillip returning home yesterday I cleaned out my car-used Kleenex due to the onslaught of spring allergies, part of a newspaper, straw wrapper, stray jelly beans from Sunday’s Church Easter Egg hunt. I recycled the newspaper and put the rest of the debris in the trashcan. After dinner while getting something from my wallet I realized the Easter Bunny forgot to put something in the Easter baskets-scratch off lotto tickets! So we all scratched our tickets, Phillip won $2, and I instructed Sophie to “blah” (i.e. throw away, yucky, blah) the dud tickets. She obliged. Then I have her walk to her bedroom to get her diaper changed. I realize she is eating something.
“Sophie are you eating something?”
“Yea.”
“Open your mouth.”

Hmmm what is she eating?

“Sophie, open your mouth again.” I go in for the smell test. Smells like pineapple and is white and gummy. I quickly rewind and recall throwing away the jelly beans, Sophie “blahing” the lotto tickets…and picking out of the GARBAGE a rogue jelly bean.

EWWW…Hippie.

Shhh She's sleeping

Due to the rotation of the Earth and Daylight Saving Time not yet upon us the sun woke me up naturally at 7 am this morning. I love 7 am. It is the most perfect hour in which to wake-not too early, not too late. Too bad it will be all wonky next weekend. But while Sophie sleeps a little more I'm going to indulge in the quiet, the internet and my coffee.
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Sleep Update: She is still having fits when we put her down at night. I've done a lot of what everyone has suggested: lavender room spray, staying out of our room as much as possible, a little more reading and cuddling right before putting her down, you name it-I've tried it. The fits are getting shorter but they break my heart nonetheless. She also wakes at least once a night but I have just let her cry it out and go back to sleep. We did compromise on a "big girl bed" in which we put a pillow in the bed with her. She seems to like that a lot. I'm not ready for the full transition-I don't want her to be staring at me at the foot of my bed at 2am just yet!
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I would walk 10,000 miles. Since the weather is finally moving from blizzard conditions to bearable we took a walk yesterday afternoon. I had dinner in the oven andwaiting on Comcast to check out our intermittent at a best signal so we could only walk to the end of the street. This was the first "real" walk Sophie has ever been on (sans stroller.) It is about 1/4 mile in distance. We got to the end of the street and turned around to come back and Sophie had a melt down. She wanted to keep walking but definitely not back towards home. She kept pointing across the street for more. I eventually had to just pick her up kicking and screaming and carry her back. All I could do was laugh. I pictured the opposite happening the whole time...not wanting to go on the walk at all. When we returned home we let Phillip go check on dinner and Sophie and I meandered up a different street. When the turn around came she had a temper tantrum again. I guess the endurance is good...maybe our next walk will be enough to make her go right to sleep!
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Time out. After the walk and before dinner she was in a foul mood. She was begging for Elmo.We sometimes watch all Sesame Street has to offer on YouTube and yesterday she wasn't content with my selections and then I had to get dinner on the table. So when we turned the computer off she was NOT a happy camper. Phillip decided it was time for a time out. (Mommy had time out too, Cab/Shiraz by Jacob's Creek.) And you know what-it worked. She sat in her chair in the corner of the kitchen and didn't move. She cried, she settled down, we all felt better.
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I want another kid after all this?
Phillip and I have been talking about when we will have another bun in the oven. After dealing with Sophie's melt downs over Elmo or learning not to throw and her bed time fits I sometimes find myself questioning why? Why do this all over again? Can I handle a toddler and an infant both crying, both needing completely different things? On top of being exhausted during and after pregnancy? Then I think of my parents who did this FIVE times! And I realize why they both like to drink wine and cocktails! Or my brother and sister-in-law who have three kids and have worked through some very difficult times or hell people who have had twins! So, tell me...how do you get through the hard spots to be delirious enough to go for two?