Yesterday, we really had a lovely day. We went to church in the morning and stopped by Subway on our way home. One of Nathan's favorite things is to stop by Subway and get the 2/$10 footlong subs on Sunday after church. Then we go home and read the Sunday paper. It has become sort of a special routine for us, so being that it was Father's day, we made sure that it was on the agenda.
Later, I made eye round steaks. I found a recipe from Cooks Illustrated that turns out fabulous, so we have made it for a few special occasions. Luke even devoured his portions.
After dinner, we all went outside. Luke and I went in the pool (which was glorious!), while Nathan sat on the patio and just enjoyed the outside. We have had great evening weather lately and still no mosquitoes to speak of (due to the really bad Texas drought).
Today, I had an appointment with the midwives. They are pretty sure that there will be no baby this week, but I have dilated 1-2cm and am beginning to efface. The baby still has not dropped too low and was at about a -2 station (for those who speak baby positioning language). That is good news for us- on one hand, she will probably wait for Nathan's mom to get here (June 28th), and on the other, I am actually progressing.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
What we have been doing
Here is a list of some things that we have been busy with lately:
1. Today marks 38 weeks of pregnancy. We have been busy getting the final things in order before our little girl comes. Diapers, wipes and other little things are all here. The room is all set up, the baby's bag is packed. I have appointments every week and the midwives have continued to say that everything looks good.
2. I have been working with Luke on a new routine since he has decided that he no longer needs a nap. Now he has a rest time at about 1:30 for about an hour. He stays in his room and listens to Winnie-the-Pooh, Peter Rabbit, or Dr. Seuss. His favorite is Pooh and it has been fun to hear his new vocabulary.
I wish that he would have waited a little longer before dropping the nap since it does make him cranky, but Nathan and I are enjoying the earlier bedtime. Also, if I get really desperate to get him to rest, I can usually take him for a short ride in the car and he will sleep for a little bit.
3. Nathan has been working away on all of his work projects and took a trip to Ohio last week. That was the last trip before the baby comes, and hopefully for a while after that. We have been discussing baby names and still have reached no conclusions. I think that we will just take a list to the hospital and decide when we see her.
4. My dad visited last week and spent countless hours playing with Luke. They went outside and they played with Luke's Thomas the Tank Engine Lego set that I found at yard sale (score!).
We also celebrated Father's Day early with a trip to a BBQ place. It was definitely a Texan way to celebrate. :)
5. Most of my free time has been taken up with selling things on Amazon, Ebay, and Craigslist. We continue to find things that are just taking up space around here and it feels good to see them gone.
Also, selling off stuff is part of our larger plan to pay off debt. We have recently been turned on to Dave Ramsey and his getting out of debt plans. We don't have a whole lot to get rid of, but it would be really nice to finish up paying off Nathan's student loan and a couple of other things. At first, I thought that Dave Ramsey was kind of a used car salesman, but after listening to the testimony of others that I knew and reading The Total Money Makeover, we decided to try it out. It is really motivating to have someone encourage you not to spend money when everything else tells you to buy, buy!
That is about all for now. I'll try to be posting more often and will definitely post when the big event occurs.
1. Today marks 38 weeks of pregnancy. We have been busy getting the final things in order before our little girl comes. Diapers, wipes and other little things are all here. The room is all set up, the baby's bag is packed. I have appointments every week and the midwives have continued to say that everything looks good.
2. I have been working with Luke on a new routine since he has decided that he no longer needs a nap. Now he has a rest time at about 1:30 for about an hour. He stays in his room and listens to Winnie-the-Pooh, Peter Rabbit, or Dr. Seuss. His favorite is Pooh and it has been fun to hear his new vocabulary.
I wish that he would have waited a little longer before dropping the nap since it does make him cranky, but Nathan and I are enjoying the earlier bedtime. Also, if I get really desperate to get him to rest, I can usually take him for a short ride in the car and he will sleep for a little bit.
3. Nathan has been working away on all of his work projects and took a trip to Ohio last week. That was the last trip before the baby comes, and hopefully for a while after that. We have been discussing baby names and still have reached no conclusions. I think that we will just take a list to the hospital and decide when we see her.
4. My dad visited last week and spent countless hours playing with Luke. They went outside and they played with Luke's Thomas the Tank Engine Lego set that I found at yard sale (score!).
We also celebrated Father's Day early with a trip to a BBQ place. It was definitely a Texan way to celebrate. :)
5. Most of my free time has been taken up with selling things on Amazon, Ebay, and Craigslist. We continue to find things that are just taking up space around here and it feels good to see them gone.
Also, selling off stuff is part of our larger plan to pay off debt. We have recently been turned on to Dave Ramsey and his getting out of debt plans. We don't have a whole lot to get rid of, but it would be really nice to finish up paying off Nathan's student loan and a couple of other things. At first, I thought that Dave Ramsey was kind of a used car salesman, but after listening to the testimony of others that I knew and reading The Total Money Makeover, we decided to try it out. It is really motivating to have someone encourage you not to spend money when everything else tells you to buy, buy!
That is about all for now. I'll try to be posting more often and will definitely post when the big event occurs.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Swim Class
Here are some pictures and a video of Luke's last swim class:
1. Floating on his back with Ms. Brittany
2. Standing on the tower in the middle of the pool, getting ready to jump. Jumping off the tower was one smart way that the instructors got the kids to get comfortable going completely underwater.
3. Into the water with a big splash!
4. Having fun at the end of class on the mat:
And a video:
1. Floating on his back with Ms. Brittany
2. Standing on the tower in the middle of the pool, getting ready to jump. Jumping off the tower was one smart way that the instructors got the kids to get comfortable going completely underwater.
3. Into the water with a big splash!
4. Having fun at the end of class on the mat:
And a video:
Friday, May 20, 2011
34 Weeks and Outdoor Play
Well, here I am at 34 weeks. We are getting close! She should be about 5 and 1/2 lbs right now and I can feel all sorts of feet, elbows, and knees.
Also, I took a few pictures of Luke playing in his water and sand play table. He plays in it about an hour at least everyday and loves it. We find all sorts of things to pour water and sand around with. The current favorites are matchbox cars and the plastic eggs from Easter.
Happy kid:
Oh, yes, and another shot of the garden. So far we have taken in about a dozen cherry tomatoes and 5 beefsteak tomatoes. There are many many more on the vine too!
Our weather has been downright gorgeous- which is really saying something for Houston in mid-late May. Last year, it was already unbearably hot and muggy and the mosquitoes were out in force.
Also, I took a few pictures of Luke playing in his water and sand play table. He plays in it about an hour at least everyday and loves it. We find all sorts of things to pour water and sand around with. The current favorites are matchbox cars and the plastic eggs from Easter.
Happy kid:
Oh, yes, and another shot of the garden. So far we have taken in about a dozen cherry tomatoes and 5 beefsteak tomatoes. There are many many more on the vine too!
Our weather has been downright gorgeous- which is really saying something for Houston in mid-late May. Last year, it was already unbearably hot and muggy and the mosquitoes were out in force.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
Birth is Messy
Luke: You have a big baby in your tummy
Me: Yes, I do here she is (put hand on belly)
Luke: And she isn't going to pop out yet. She is still growing.
Me: Yes, she is growing bigger and bigger.
Luke: (covering his face) Then she's gonna pop out your belly and its going to get all over my head.
Me: (Where in the world did he get that from?)
He has also told me on a few occasions that "You gonna need a new shirt mommy, when the baby pops out."
We haven't shown him any birth videos (and won't). Where does he get this? :)
Me: Yes, I do here she is (put hand on belly)
Luke: And she isn't going to pop out yet. She is still growing.
Me: Yes, she is growing bigger and bigger.
Luke: (covering his face) Then she's gonna pop out your belly and its going to get all over my head.
Me: (Where in the world did he get that from?)
He has also told me on a few occasions that "You gonna need a new shirt mommy, when the baby pops out."
We haven't shown him any birth videos (and won't). Where does he get this? :)
Thursday, May 5, 2011
A little bit of this, a little bit of that
It's about time that I wrote a more substantial blog post. I would have done it earlier, but there has just been too much going on in my head. Here is an update on our family:
Having the baby:
We have really been getting ourselves ready for baby #2. The room, the labor details, the supplies... everything. I am only 32 weeks, but I really have felt the need to get ready. Maybe that is because last week, at my appointment with the midwives, I realized that I didn't even know where to go when I was in labor. With Luke, there was only one place to go- the birth center. Everything happened there- check ups, birthing, the works. I also realized at that appointment that i had to make sure that Luke had a place to go when I go to the hospital. Another complication that we didn't have the last go around. Basically I had not really thought of the important stuff (or aybe shopping for girl stuff was just more fun).
So, since then, I think I have gotten my act together. In the past week, I: 1. hired a doula (labor assistant) that I am very excited to work with, 2. got an appointment to view the labor and delivery ward at the hospital- which happens to be in a completely different building than my prenatal visits. That was kind of important for me to know! 3. found a back up person to watch Luke if his auntie and uncle are still out of town.
I feel better now.
The baby's name:
I have one that I am completely stuck on now. Hopefully Nathan will consent. :)
Luke:
Luke has continued to be an avid reader with me. He remembers books better than I do and will sometimes just break out into a 12 line rhyme from Dr. Seuss.
Some things that he says a lot right now:
"I got an idea!"
"Let's throw you into the hole top bacon."- we have NO idea where this came from
"It's all right, your friends are all here."
"I'm still hungry mama- my tummy is empty."
Next week, he starts swim lessons. He is very excited about that!
Also, Luke has been better lately. We have still had our moments, but on the whole, I think that he is beginning to get better about obeying and playing nicely with other kids. I found that taking him home really helped me with this. We were at the park on Monday and he whacked a a couple school age kids (Yes, he is fearless) and threw rocks. I picked him up by the arm, took him to the car and told him that we had to go home. He cried for about an hour, but has been a LOT better since.
Nathan:
Nathan has had some good news this past week. His company gave him a raise and a lot more support on the project that he was working on. It was a welcome surprise.
Me:
I have been thinking through a lot of my first birth experience lately. The ups and downs, what I would like to try and do differently. Some of it has just been remembering how things felt. I think it is a grace that most of my sad and difficult labor and post labor thoughts and feelings have dulled or completely been forgotten.
I have also been thinking about how gracious God is to me. This past Sunday at church was a great example. For one, I didn't want to go. Second and third, I knew that Luke didn't want to go and I was feeling really tired from the pregnancy. Luke ended up being very good for me and there were a couple of older mothers who came up to me at lunch and gave me a lot of encouragement. Really, they were exactly the words I needed to hear. I got a little teary.
It is hard to be a mother because you don't always know what to do. I find this especially with church. I want Luke to love God and the Church like I do- and truly much better than I do. I want to bring him often, but I know that he can only handle so much sitting still and such.
Well, I have to go now. We are in the crazy hour before bed and I need to get ready to enjoy some stories with Luke and steel myself for the "I won't go to bed!" routine. :)
Having the baby:
We have really been getting ourselves ready for baby #2. The room, the labor details, the supplies... everything. I am only 32 weeks, but I really have felt the need to get ready. Maybe that is because last week, at my appointment with the midwives, I realized that I didn't even know where to go when I was in labor. With Luke, there was only one place to go- the birth center. Everything happened there- check ups, birthing, the works. I also realized at that appointment that i had to make sure that Luke had a place to go when I go to the hospital. Another complication that we didn't have the last go around. Basically I had not really thought of the important stuff (or aybe shopping for girl stuff was just more fun).
So, since then, I think I have gotten my act together. In the past week, I: 1. hired a doula (labor assistant) that I am very excited to work with, 2. got an appointment to view the labor and delivery ward at the hospital- which happens to be in a completely different building than my prenatal visits. That was kind of important for me to know! 3. found a back up person to watch Luke if his auntie and uncle are still out of town.
I feel better now.
The baby's name:
I have one that I am completely stuck on now. Hopefully Nathan will consent. :)
Luke:
Luke has continued to be an avid reader with me. He remembers books better than I do and will sometimes just break out into a 12 line rhyme from Dr. Seuss.
Some things that he says a lot right now:
"I got an idea!"
"Let's throw you into the hole top bacon."- we have NO idea where this came from
"It's all right, your friends are all here."
"I'm still hungry mama- my tummy is empty."
Next week, he starts swim lessons. He is very excited about that!
Also, Luke has been better lately. We have still had our moments, but on the whole, I think that he is beginning to get better about obeying and playing nicely with other kids. I found that taking him home really helped me with this. We were at the park on Monday and he whacked a a couple school age kids (Yes, he is fearless) and threw rocks. I picked him up by the arm, took him to the car and told him that we had to go home. He cried for about an hour, but has been a LOT better since.
Nathan:
Nathan has had some good news this past week. His company gave him a raise and a lot more support on the project that he was working on. It was a welcome surprise.
Me:
I have been thinking through a lot of my first birth experience lately. The ups and downs, what I would like to try and do differently. Some of it has just been remembering how things felt. I think it is a grace that most of my sad and difficult labor and post labor thoughts and feelings have dulled or completely been forgotten.
I have also been thinking about how gracious God is to me. This past Sunday at church was a great example. For one, I didn't want to go. Second and third, I knew that Luke didn't want to go and I was feeling really tired from the pregnancy. Luke ended up being very good for me and there were a couple of older mothers who came up to me at lunch and gave me a lot of encouragement. Really, they were exactly the words I needed to hear. I got a little teary.
It is hard to be a mother because you don't always know what to do. I find this especially with church. I want Luke to love God and the Church like I do- and truly much better than I do. I want to bring him often, but I know that he can only handle so much sitting still and such.
Well, I have to go now. We are in the crazy hour before bed and I need to get ready to enjoy some stories with Luke and steel myself for the "I won't go to bed!" routine. :)
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