Sitting at the table

I'm realizing that Thor is starting to take over my postings recently, but that is because there is much more to post about him. Hermes is fairly self-sufficiant, as far as five year olds go, and I think he is making a point of not doing anything that might land him in the blog. Buddha is growing and eating and sleeping and having a runny nose. I did realise the other night that when he giggles, he has perfectly formed 'hahahas', which is adorable. Thor right now is sitting at the table, not fussing in his chair, not standing in his chair, but happily sitting, I moved his chair enough so he could see what Hermes is up to, and no more squirmy-standy-fussy Thor. I don't know why I didn't think of this before. He is meticulously eating his cereal right now, he really wanted cereal for a post nap-time snack, and I was not going to try to tell him no. He is eating his cereal peice by peice and occasionally laughing out loud. I do not know what he finds so funny, and am not getting any indication from him when I ask. He is happy for the time being, though, and starting to seem more himself after the holidays, so that's good.

sirvived christmas

We all managed to survive Christmas, surprisingly enough. I have the mother of all colds, but am surviving, and am pulling myself far enough away from deaths door to clean the house and assemble the New York Jazz calander for Jazz-dad, I told him to expect it by saturday, as I just don't think I'll be able to get to it tonight, and still be able to make my house a bit more inhabitable.
Buddha did fairly well for his first x-mas, he pulled on peoples hair, chewed on people's fingers, fussed at inoportune times, and would giggle and smile angel-like at people when they needed it.
Hermes thinks that everything he recieved is just the greatest gift EVER!, I am very pleased that he not only enjoys everything he recieves, but he is taking good care of it so far, and he wants to send everyone thank you notes, or e-mail, or calls.
Thor did well. He had a minor meltdown on x-mas eve, and we made a hasty break for it on x-mas day to avoid the meltdown. We opened most of his gifts for him, he doesn't quite grasp that there are still gifts after the first one. It makes me rethink how we're going to handle his birthdays from here on out. The hard part about his being two, and borderline on the spectrum, is in a years time, we could look at him and wonder why we ever worried in the first place, or in a years time, he could be worse. It seems that everytime he improves in one area, he backslides in the other. I keep telling myself that as long as he's happy and relatively healthy, that's all we care about. For the most part this is so, but sometimes I wish ti have him just curl up on my lap, tell me he loves me, and ask for something to eat/drink/do/cuddle/play with.

sanity fleeting

It's been a week from....well...it's just been. We kept Hermes home from school on tuesday and wednesday. He went back on thursday and brought home a massive cold for everyone to share! Buddha is cranky, Thor is cranky, Hermes is cranky, and I, Momma, am cranky. Due to a budgeting snafu, and the cable company telling me they accepted payment arragnements, then not doing it, we were without cable or internet here in housewife land from Monday morning until this morning. I did not think this would be a huge issue at first. We have plenty of computer games that Hermes can play off-line, and plenty of movies for everyone to watch. Hubby and I were particularly thrilled when Thor decided he wanted to watch Firefly with us, and he now says a letter grouping that sound suspiciously like "KaiLee pretty!" which is awesome, but he also gets upset if Dora isn't on at 7:30, and Oobie after that, or if he wakes up from his nap and Mr Rogers is nowhere to be found. We are noticing that Thor is a little more structured in his routine than we thought, but not too terribly bad. Very few thing will upset him. Thursday we had Snow!! This kept Thor occupied at the window for a while...stuff falling from the sky. We also had the last of his evals, and he will be starting, well, something after winter break. His speach is behind, but not too terribly behind. His other skilss are rather advanced, though, which skew the charts some. He has fabulous gross motor skills, rather good fine-motor, excelent comprehension and receptive skills, and is a drop dead mimick. He just wont talk, likes to touch textured things, and occasionally spaces out. Sometimes he goes limp when angry, he has an attachment to bedding, any bedding, and dislikes overly active looking colors. He's 'normal', 'below normal', 'exceptional', and both 'off and on the spectrum' all at the same time.
Basically, all professionals agree, his brain works different, but we don't know how, he CAN talk, he just WONT, and he's very happy and inquisitive.

Buddha is growing, teething, and having a cold-there for miserable.

Hermes is on winter break-therefor exstatic.

Santa is coming soon

Speech Therapy

After Thor's most recent eval, it is determined that his diagnoses of PDD-NOS stands for now, but the only thing anyone can find amiss is that he doesn't talk. Hearing is fine, he IS capable of speech, he just chooses not to. Any other delays he might have, and any personality quirks, might be tied to the lack of speech. The drs all agree that his brain processes info differently, but without him being able to communicate in a way that people other than me can understand, it is complicated to figure out. There is a rather large battery of tests that he was put through, and most of the info garnered from said tests agreed with each other, but the doctors disagreed with the tests. The issue with testing a toddler is you never know how much of what they do, or don't do, is because of their age, lack of sleep, being hungry, putting on the wrong pair of pants in the morning, and interesting cloud out the window, or because they are honestly working within their abilities. Add to that a child who doens't say 'No!' "I don't want to" or "I can't" and you see where the issues come in. At this point, ON PAPER, Thor looks to be about 6 months behind where he should be, not too bad as an adult, but when you are only two, it's quite detrimental. In person, on the other hand, it is obvious that the kid has so many lights on upstairs it a wonder that he doesn't blow a circuit. He is smart, but has very few ways to communicate this, for whatever reason.
The solution? We are starting to teach him to sign basic words and ideas. This will do a few things. Give us another way to communicate to him, give him a way to communicate with us, that we can understand reliably, and, they think that it might actually help him to talk. We are also going to have to be strict about things he already uses words for. Once we have heard the word definitively eg 'Spaghetti', we are to make him use the word. If we have the long pasta for dinner, we will give him a little bit to start, then if he wants more, he will have to say 'spaghetti" or at least 'spagh'. This is to be done with all words he knows. It is going to kill me, I know that before he decided that it's just easier to talk, he will amp up the power of the puppy-dog-eyes, the whining, the tantrums, and the snubbing. I am to ignore these things as much as possible, because even acknowledging the tantrum will encourage him. Lastly, we are in the process of setting up intensive speech therapy. It is being provided through the county, and the therapist will come to us until he is three, at which time he will be going to preschool if therapy is still needed. We will also have access to a teacher if we find that after he starts talking, he is behind the curve.
Life is gonna be interesting.

peanut butter sandwiches

Having children makes you remember things you thought you forgot. Things like: A peanut butter sandwich makes an adequate breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches smell aweful after sitting under a bed for a week or so (sorry Mom!). Dried and crusty pb&j sandwiches REALLY hurt to step on. Crubchy peanut butter DOES taste different from the creamy. Strawberry jam is superior to grape jelly, apricot preserves reign supreme.

I can always get Hermes and Thor to eat pb&j, even when they want nothing else. Hermes can get really, very picky about how his sandwich is presented, Thor could care less, it's gonna get ripped apart either way. Thor is rather fuzzy on the concept of 'sandwich'-two peices of bread holding something in-between them, he feels that the bread is just a wrapper, an edible wrapper, but a wrapper none the less. Sandwiches must be vigorously opened, their contents spilled out on the plate/table/floor and eaten. If the contents stick to the bread, he will eat it, but never the whole slice, he will either eat the crust, or eat the middle, leaving the crust perfectly intact.
Hermes likes his sandwiches to be as even and symmetrical as possible. He will argue with you over how it should be cut, over which side should have the jelly, and tell you that the pb side ALWAYS needs to be on the bottom, otherwise your sandwich gets soggy. Hubby says he sees alot of me in Hermes when it comes to tirades about sandwiches. I know he is right, but I'll never admit it.
I am excited for the day when Buddha gets to partake of the classic childhood food.

Still trucking

Mondays experiment in potty training didn't work too well. Thor decided that instead of going to the potty seat when he needed to, he would just use the floor, but he did let me know, so that's something. Thor is starting to present more repititious behaviour when it comes to repeating sounds, and doing things in certain orders...every time. I don't know if this is a new thing, or if he's always done it, and I'm just now acknowledgin it-either way, it's something to report at his various appointments next week and the following week.
Buddha is having a really big issue trying to cut his top teeth, and his working valiantly to stand. He is also starting to make noises that sound suspiciously like 'bottle', 'momma', 'poppa' and 'up'. Thor and Buddha sit next to each other in the car, and will chatter and giggle at each other for entire rides. Somehow, they understand each other perfectly.
Hermes is gearing up for the weekend, he knows to do his homework tonight, so he can go to the in-laws overnight tomorrow, Thor will be joining him. Hopefully they have fun and behave.
I am having some unexplained, sharp foot pain on the top of my foot, two-thirds of the way between my big toe, and my ankle. If it gets any worse, I will be spending part of my two-thirds child free saturday in the doctor's office, trying to figure out what is up. I have really bad tendonitis and fasciitis, but have never felt anything in my foot before, I am wondering if I somehow frractured or dislocated on of my tarsals (my junior high Boi teacher would be proud, I remembered that right!)

waiting for snow

I love living in MN. The seasons are constant, yet unpredictable. This year we have been oscillating between unseasonable cold, and way above normal highs. This is the perfect breeding ground for colds and allergens, and apparently they are all attacking me! Last night I had to bow out on our families 'second Thanksgiving' because I am uncertain as to whether this is a bad cold and allergies, or something worse and more cynical. My eyes itch, my throuat hurts, for the last week and a half my voice has been debating if it wants to stay or go (often times set to The Clash), my throat hurts, I am sneezing constantly and painfully, and my intestines seem to be anarchists. I figure that until I can get into the doctors office (I might have to do urgent care if I want to be seen in the next week, damn not having a standard doctor, but since I was pregnant with Buddha, if anything came up, I went to my Ob/Gyn, and he would refer me to a DR based on my issues, now that I'm not preggers, I need to get a doc) I'll just try to stay hydrated, rested, and chock full of vitamin C.

Today, I am going to let Thor run around the house naked as much as possible, I have the potty seat stragically placed, and have to clean anyways, so if he decides to use the floor instead of the potty, no big loss.
Thor will now tell us how old he is, if asked, and will also show you how many fingers old, but varies on which two he will display. Sometimes it is the normal "bunny ear" fingers, sometimes the middle two and sometimes the last two-but it's always two next to each other, and always consistently two. My heart just melts when he looks at me and says "Two! MMMM Two!" Since we have been having play dates for Hermes with kids in his age group, Thor is trying to talk a little more. He is still playing parallel to others more than with others, but any positive change is good right now, any positive change is something I can report to his doctors fairly worry free, even a little proud.
Hermes was sooo happy to be going back to school this morning, I have never seen a passion for learning like that before, and hope it never gets extinguished.
Buddha is trying very hard to stand. He can kneel, and he can "stand" with his hands touching the ground-think yoga-downward dog pose. He is also trying very, very hard to talk. Part of me hopes that as Buddha talks more, Thor will talk more. They jabber at each other all the time in their own language, it would be nice to be included in their conversations.

Holiday time

Growing up, the holiday season (from just before thanksgiving, till after new year, and easter) were always pretty stressful. My parents divorced when I was young, so I got to do the Holiday shuffle. Every other major holiday, alternating yearly, and if you had me x-mas eve/x-mas morning one year, the other parent had me overnight the next. In the most part this wouldn't have been too bad, but I also had to see all the family, every year, and things never worked out as planned. I don't remember how old I was when people on my dad/step-mom's side quit demanding that I have a little something to eat at every get together, but I do remember, vividly, that it came about after vomiting rutebega stew over everyone after what I am fairly certain was my tenth meal in two days (on the eve I had two formal holiday dinners, two and a half hours apart, plus breakfast x-mas morning, plus food with my mom, plus food with my moms family, plus food with my dad's family, plus food with my step-mom's family, plus various and sundry meals sneaked in) My mom never pushed me to eat, but to this day I swear that my step mom believed I was lieing about being fed previous, and "If nothing else, eat a little bit so as not to offend anyone"
Until I was working, which was shortly before everything went to hell-in-a-handbasket with my Dad's family (the first time) I generally had my christmas broken into two hour increments, not including drive time, and felt like a burden to everyone. Meals and gift opening were scheduled around when I would be with who. I remember Step-mom freaking out if I happened to need 15 extra minutes with mom in the morning, but Step-mom had no problem dropping me off late, and blaming it on traffic. When I started working at the toy store, I was thrilled to work x-mas eve, and know that due to vehicles, I wouldn't have to be shuttled to quite so many places by Dad on x-mas day, when I was working at the gas-station the following year? Heaven! I could work all the holidays and not have to be there when Dad didn't call.

Now I have kids of my own, my mom and step-dad are awesome, as are the siblings, and I only have to deal with my family and the in-laws. Last year we only did half of the in-law celebrations (always x-mas eve) and it was liberating. I spent time with the people I wanted to, and had fun. My family's celebrations were hosted at my house, and were not nearly as stressful as I thought, I think a good time was had by all. This year, we have things worked out a litlle smoother yet, and even have time for friends x-mas day night. It is my driving goal to never have my sons feel anything but a sense of excitement and joy for the holidays, never to be dreading the fights, the backhanded comments, the stress ball that forms in your stomach and makes you ill, because if something doesn't go as planned, you'll have to overhear your step-mom bitch to your dad about how much better everything would have been if they didn't have to drive you over hell and highwater, or bitch about your mom dropping you off ten minutes late, when the food and gifts weren't ready yet anyways, and you were on the phone so what do you cere?, the arbitrary rules on sharing gifts (step-mom felt that if one child recieved money as a gift, that child(generally me) should share that gift with the other kids...to be fair, but the other kids always got more presents from step-mom and dad, so how was that fair? When an aunt on my dad's side found out what step-mom was doing, she chewed her out, and made a point of only giving me cash before I went back to my mom's)

I would like to take a moment to thank my mom for rarely talking shit about my dad infront of me during the holidays, for trying to make everything smooth and enjoyable, and for putting up with years of bullshit at the hand of the Evil Step-Momster, just to try and keep the peace. I was aware of some of what you did, and thank you. I would also like to take this moment to tell any divorced parents that I may have as readers-Please, do not bad-mouth your childrens parents in front of them EVER, especially not at christmas or thanksgiving dinner. Do not try to make your kids take sides in something that is already dificult for them, and please realize if you do act like a shithead-it is only hurting your child, and making you look bad-if your ex-spouse is hurt by anything you say/do, it is more than likely because you have upset your kid, and they cannot make it better. No one needs to know that you think their mom is a bad person, just because she divorced you current husband-a man, I might add, you wouldn't even have been able to marry had they not split up.

Playdate!

Hermes is going to have a friend from school over for a while this afternoon. While they are playing, his friend's mom and I will talk, and his friends sister will, hopefully, play with them or with Thor...moreover Thor will hopefully want to play WITH other kids, and not play at them. The Housewifeland social experiment is about to begin. If this goes well, it will lead to more gettogethers, even possible on a weekend day, so our Husbands can play, too! This is the first ever actual 'playdate' Hermes has had, everytime he's played with others it's been fairly informal. Hermes friend is a lot like him, so it will either go well, and they will keep each other occupied, with only a little prompting from the parents, or, worst case, when SistahGirl gets home from work, it will look like the Hindenburg went BOOM!!!!!!!!! in my livingroom.

feeling better

For those who may be wondering, I am feeling much better now. I am much more calm and level, and have my schedule a little more back to normal. Thor Hermes and Buddha are doing good, as is Hubby.

whelmed

I am feeling in over my head at the moment. The rental office informed us, by note, at 5 pm last night that starting at 8 am on wednesday they will be giving all the units their annual review-heating,plumbing and what not-so will need to be in the units, with access to all they need. What is funny, in the 15-16 months that we have lived here, this is the first annual review. So i have to clean, everything, and I know it is my not keeping on top of it that let it get bad in the first place, we had it clean, but I keep letting it slip and slide into a mess. I am worried that there is not enough of me to go around to all my boys and Hubby. Now that we have a tentative diagnoses for Thor, he has a therapy/evel/testing damn near weekly, and not on a regular schedule yet, plus Buddha is developing rapidly, and Hermes is in school, and I fear I am not giving anyone the attention they deserve. When I get overwhelmed I want to crawl on the computer or into bed and curl up with a book, but I cannot do that because that just limits what I have for other people, but I know I need to give to myself as well. I don't talk to HUbby about this as much as I should, because he would just worry, and I know that ultimately, I am fine, just overwhelmed right now, and once I get a schedule figured out it will be fine...honest.

We just got back from a beautiful vacation in mexico, we are getting new cell-phone in the next week-for free(yay upgrades) Hermes' conferences are wednesday night, and his teacher is glowing about him, so no worries there, and Hermes has no school on friday, so we can just chill, and have time just for us when the little brothers are napping. Thanksgiving is not at my place, we are actually going to the in-laws, and X-mas is over a month off-I am fine, I have all the time in the world, and I am sure I just made everyone worry about my mental health unnecesarrily-just needed to vent.

Oh, to be two again!

Thor processes things differently from most children. This is the first year that trick-or-treating was fun for him. He wasn't excited about it beforehand, as dressing up in a costume isn't out of place for him. There are days where I will let thor where whatever he wants, as long as I can put the damn clothes on, so if he decided that he needs to wear his Blue's Clues costume every other day for two weeks leading up to Halloween, who am I to stop him? When Hermes went trick-or-treating at two, he was ready to go, he knew what to do, and what to expect, but there are some key differences between Hermes at two on candy day, and Thor. Hermes' birthday is a few months before halloween, Thor's is two weeks, and in toddler time, devolopmentaly, a few months is HUGE. Hermes was doing everything early, sometimes we forgot he was only two-Thor, though huge, isn't like other kids, so it is sometimes hard to tell if he 'gets' something. Wll, let me tell you, all it took was the first person to open their door, comment on how cute he was, and drop candy in his bag for everything to click. We only went around the block that my in-laws live on, because Thor burned himself out! He was sooo excited that all he had to do was knock on a door, and they gave him candy! We never got a "Trick-or-Treat" out of him, nor a "Thank you!", but most adults figured out he was happy when A)his brother said thank you twice, once just for Thor, and B) When Thor would jump up and down afterwards grinning and saying(well, shouting) "CANDY!!!!"

Candy Day!

It's trick-or-treat day, and here in MN it's friggen cold! Kids might be getting post-halloween-clearance-sale candy this year...brrrr

Fun,fun,fun!

Hermes threw up at school yesterday morning. He was feeling fine, if not tired, when he woke up, but at around tennish, he horked. School called me, I picked him up, he was feeling fine again about an hour later. This morning, we wake up nice and earlyu, got all dressed, grabbed the backpack, and drove to school. After I droped him off and got about three blocks away, my cell phone rang. Aparently, I did not retain as much information from the handbook as I thought. Hermes' school policy is that you must be vomit and diarreah free for a full twentyfour hour period before returning to school. Turned around, picked him up, explained to him that he did nothing wrong, and it wasn't his foult, it was mommy's fault, and came home. I feel silly, but the school assured my I am not the first parent this has happened to, and they will send home a reminder to all the parents about the sick-time policy. It was MEA weekend last weekend, so he was home thurs and fri. He was gone over the weekend, home for the bulk of yesterday, and home today. I think we will work on handwriting, and our english reading. That should help keep me sane.

"Uh-Ohhh! Teef!"

Thor likes to try and help out. His favorite way to help is to take Buddha's pacifier away from him, then give it back after Buddha starts fussing. Thor also likes to put his fingers in Buddha's mouth...or at least he used to.
This morning, after we get home from dropping Hubby off at work, Thor and Buddha are playing together, and I hear a squeek from Thor. Not a scream, shriek, or squeal, but a squeek. I go into the livingroom(I was in the kitchen), to see what had happened, and Thor holds up two fingers and goes "Uh-Ohhh! Teef! (brother's name in only the way thor says it) Teef! Teef! Nooooooo teef, uh-uh, teef!" After examining Thor's fingers, it appears Buddha might have bit him, not very hard, and he only has one tooth on the bottom(upon closer inspection, he has one tooth, and the corners of a second tooth!)so it barely left a mark. After ascertaining that Thor was, indeed, okay, I asked if he was going to stick his fingers in his brothers mouth anymore, he shook his head vigorously 'no', looked at meed, sighed dramaticly, and once again, said "Teef!"

things you anly say as a parent # 157.3

"No honey, don't put the turkey on your head!"

He's starting to talk more

Thor is starting to talk more. He is really reliable with 'Hi!' and getting there with saying brother, poppa and Buddha's name. Chocalate, cake, and icecream have all been in full effect since friday, generally uppercase, generally with exclamation points. He doesn't say momma when I am around, but others have heard him. He still won't say 'no' to me, which is nice but frustrating, he won't say mine either. He says bed now, which helps with sleep time, but still not potty.
I try not to worry, to tell myself everything is fine, but it's hard. He's just doing things at his own rate, and is still easily over stimulated.
Hubby andI got him Bongos for his birthday. Thor seems very pleased with them, which is nice. He is also very pleased with his new bed set. So pleased that he kept trying to sleep in his brothers bed so as not to mess up his own. Hermes was less than thrilled.
Just shy of two weeks and we see the behaviourist for the first time, hopefully the second to the last (he has to do two appointments a week apart). I am pleased to tell them that he is talking more, but it hurts to have to admit that it's hardly anything, compared to the average...who knows, maybe the dam that's been holding his words back will break before then. I see the frustration in his eyes when he wants to tell me something, but either doesn't have the words or cannot ge them out in a way that I understand...I also see the unadulterated pleasure when he gets it right. Here's hopingfor more right with his littleself.

two years ago

Two years ago today, Thor was born. Out of my three baby birthing experiences, his was by far the most painful, which is funny, cause he was also the smallest at birth, which is funny cause he is HUGE now. I remember being very afraid that something might be wrong, he was missing one vessel in the umbilical cord, and it was not a text-book pregnancy. He was fine, thank god, and within a few minutes of being born had everyone in the room giggling. If he was covered and swaddled, no crying, but as soon as he had exposed skin, he screamed and cryed, and stopped! just as soon as he was covered again. Over the course of his life to this point, we have dealed with multiple ear infections, baby asthma, colic, I don't know how many bumps on the heads, falling downs, pinched fingers, and tantrums. Thor has never been a quiet child, ever. When he is not happy, you know, when he is happy, you know. He was eating solids early, and able to suck down an eight ounce bottle in record time by the time he was five months. He was late to crawl, and walk, but jumps like a pro. Now, he goes up and down the stairs, walks backwards, and is trying o stand on one foot and summersault. Every now and then, like last night, he will force himself to stay up so late that he finally has a melt down and passes out, only to wake up two hours later and do it all again. He bullies his big brother and want's to help take care of his baby brother to the point of being an hindrance. Every now and then he will speak a full sentance, or clearly say a word like spaghetti, only to not say anything for hours, sometimes days, after.
After the extreme pain of childbirth, the frustration of colic, the inner turmoil over his not talking and being like other kids, he brings me such joy. He loves music, hugs and kisses, sitting in my lap and being read to, and playing peek-a-boo. He tries sooo hard to be like his big brother, while still being my littleman.

Happy Birthday, Boo,
Momma loves you.

Weight watch '06

Since I have previously posted about my weight here, I figure I will keep posting about it periodically, if for no other reason than to give myself a record. As of this morning, I am at 225, fully clothed in sweatshirt, jeans and tennis shoes. Figure it at about 220 naked. This now has me only 35 pounds away from my prepregnancy weight, and 55 away from my 'ultimate weight loss goal', although honestly, I will be thrilled with pre-baby weight, and, well...even more thrilled with ten pounds under pre-baby. If I actually hit 165 I think I might faint dead away from surprise. Now, though, I am even more aware of the need to exersice and drink plenty of water. When you gain alot of weight, it does weird things to your skin...unnatractive things...almost horror movie things..."AAggh! She's melting...stay away, stay away...DON"T GO UP THE STAIRS! YOUR IN THE HOUSE ALONE! HE'S CALLING FROM IN THE HOUSE!!!!!" Okay, not that bad, but you get the idea. Oddly, now that the weight is coming off, I'm more motivated to make it go away than I was before. Something about realizing you've lost another ten pounds gets ya going. You'd think that the heavier you are the more motivated, but it seems to be the oppisite. Maybe the threat of failure is less now. Either way, I've got a spare kid here now, so am running more, and Thor seems to want to nap early, and who am I to stop him. Bye all. More later from Housewifeland-The Crankiest Place On Earth!

and By The POWER of Greyskull, he is HE-MAN!!!

Thor is HUGE. I don't mean fat, or big, or husky, no, he is proportionate for his size, and at a few days shy of two, his size happens to be that of an average three year-old. HUGE. Over THREE FEET TALL and thirty-two lean muscled pounds. According to the CDCs hight predictor, he could be 6'5" at aged 18, they did give the disclaimer that all estimates are not perfect, there are circumstances that can affect ones hight that cannot be predicted, but they feel that there is a %58 chance of 6'5" a %78 chance that it will be within (over or under) an inch and a half, and a %96 chance of his hight being with 2.5 inches, all things being equal, and barring any major illnesses that stunt his growth. Jeebus. Kids not gonna hafta worry about being the tallest in kindergarten (when that day comes) kid's gonna hafta worry about being the tallest in the school!
What really cracks me up about all of this, Hermes, who is more than three years older than Thor, is very petite. I wonder when Thor's gonna be taller. Once again referencing the CDC's info, Hermes will e lucky to hit 5'9
What has my curiousity really going, Buddha is very tall for his age(as Thor is) and very lean(as Hermes, not quite as lean, but deffinately lean). He is too young to try to guestimate, but time will tell.

trying to use an unbiased eye

On friday, I had to take Thor and Buddha in for their respective check-ups. My Dr, who is just a cutie!, stated after hearing all of Buddha's many accomplishments(he's six months and crawling already!) "How Exciting this must be, but please, don't get me wrong, but you know that's just not normal, right?" And then there's Thor...
When You have a child, that child is born perfect, you have every aspiration for their life, and you know they are going to grow up and change the world. Heaven help the person who tells you that there is something not right, or norma, with that child. Thor has an AMAZING musical talent, one that we will nurture, support, and encourage. One that I tell him, at not-quite-two, is amazing. However, Thor is a little...well..I cannot think of a way to put it. He's stubborn? a perfectionist? manipulative? maybe the smartest of the three, maybe not? Thor has been delayed in his devolopment from a fairly early age. He didn't crawl when he was supposed to, but we were living with the in-laws at the time, including their two dogs and a cat, so we had an excuse. He didn't get as much floor time as we would've liked, and you cannot really crawl in a playpen now, can you? He was kinda late to walk. He would walk when he thought he wasn't being watched, and then only a little. We used his mortal fear of the vacuum against him, and by 18 months, he was walking like a pro, but still, much later than most kids. His speech is an entirely different matter. Sometimes he will speak in full sentances, or damn near, perfectly coherent and intelligable al day long, and then he will go for three days barely utterring a word. There are days where he will talk to innanimate objects, but he'll pointedly not utter a syllable for me. He is very affactionate, plays well, maintains eye contact, etc...so the Dr does not think it is autism, but she wants him to be evaluated to rule out any "issues". I am fine with his hearing test, honestly, but am scared shitless of seeing the "develpmental behaviorist" Two hour and a half long appointments, hopefully they will tell me his is fine, and just does things in his own way, and why the hell did my Dr send me, but when I look with as unbiased an eye as a parent can muster...I don't know. The uncertainty frightens me.

sometimes a flash of brilliant insight makes you feel dumb as a rock

Earlier today I was discussing various housing set-uos with my mother-in-law. Namely, the process of oneday giving Hermes his own room. The subject of Thor, and his bed came up. I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, Thor could last six more months in a crib(yeah right!) until Hermes is in his own room, and then we could transfer Thor into a twin bed with toddler rails on it. Being the boys room would be a little snug, this seemed like a better Idea than trying to fit two twin beds in there. Plus we have a full size futon, and a spare twin bed, downstairs in the basement, so Hermes could have a bigger bed, if he wanted...About this time my mind stutterred. The treason I was debating keeping Thor in a crib longer was because there wasn't enough room for two twins, the reason we would need two twins is because the only toddler bed we have found that we like, and that isn't a plastic or cheap metal base, is over $100, and that's kinda pricey for a bed he will grow out of quickly, granted Buddha could use it...Then I had that mental stutter again. What was it about beds and cribs and the basement that was making my mind twitch???

OOOHHHhhhh! It dawned on me...we DO have a toddler bed that we like in the basement!
Shortly before Buddha was born, Mom-the-hipple brought me out to purchase a 3-peice nursery set-a changing table, a dresser and a fully convertable crib. Convertable cribs are cribs that magically become toddler beds, well magically and through the use of supplied hardware. Thors crib was purchased because it was convertable, but the necessary hardware was sold seperately, we didn't by it at the time, and now is discontinued-but with the exception of a few minor scratches and some grime, it is in fabulous condition. The convertable crib, that came with required hardware, that we bought for Buddha is sturdy, good wood and strong metal. I realized that we can put Thor in the convertable crib, in "Toddler Bed Mode", and put Buddha in Thor's crib, after it is cleaned and inspected. We can pick up a new mattress for Buddha, Thor can keep his lumpy mattress, the New crib will be used, the old crib won't get junked, and I don't have to try to keep Thor in a crib for six more months.

I felt brilliant!! At least until I realized that we have had the convertable crib at the house for about eight months, and I have been on the hunt for a toddler bed for about four months. Well, you can't win all of them, but at least I figured i out before we dropped money on something that we ultimately didn't need!

...he said with absolute love and adoration

Last night, Hermes woke up after about an hour and a half of sleep, so I went into his room to re-tuck him, and to talk for a few minutes. It always helps him get back tosleep to talk about any dreams he doesn't understand, and to know that even if he doesn't see us, we are still here. After our discussion, I go across the hall into the bathroom. Moxie, the cat, wanders in, and instigates the following exchange.
"Mommy, are you in the bathroom?"(Hermes)
"Yeessss"(me)
"Are you going potty?"
"Yeeesss"
"Moxie came in, I bet she has to poop!"
"Well, she can do that in here, it's okay, no go to bed."
"Okay, I love you Momma"
"I love you too!"
"Goodnight Momma."
"Night Hermes, have pleasent dreams."
"I will, Momma,...Cats bury their poop!!"

Ah, how nice to know that he thinks about his love for his momma and cats burying their poop at the same time!

now, 50% more miserable

Tuesday I had a tooth pulled, it sucked, but was needed. I have been on pain killers and antibiotics since then. Buddha is teething, and it doesn't matter how enlightened you are, teething HURTS. Thor is also teething his two year molars, and is having sinus issues because of this. Hermes is home ill from school today, his stuffy nose got the better of him, so he is having a day of rest and fluids. Hubby works outside, so has one hell of a cold due to our shifting weather patterns. On the plus side, my hair is fabulous, and SistahGirl moves in over the weekend. I feel like crap, but at least I have something to look forward to.

It's not the end result, it's the weight...

I am really excited, in the last two and a half weeks I have dropped about ten pounds...YAY ME!!!, however, I have found that I still need to lose about 63 pounds to be at an 'ideal weight' for my size. if you do the math, I need to drop 27.5% of myself off somewhere for a permanent vacation. I realize that the craftier readers out there can reverse the math to figure out roughly what I weigh, but I really do not care. I just hope that I can keep this rate of speed up till Mexico...I know logically that there is no way this will happen, as the more I lose the slower it will pro'ly go, but I am going to be the weight that I need to be.

planning and preparation

Next monday is Hermes' first vacation day from school. The school he goes to has one day everymonth off for a teacher enrichment/planning day, plus all the normal school holidays. This will have him finishing school a little later on june than most kids, but will also keep him and the teachers and other students from burning out. Their is a higher risk of student/teacher burnout at an immersion school than at a standard school, but so far, all is well. I am planning on us cleaning his room on his day off, he is really excited to help clean it, and to help me plan on how to arrange it, since Thor is moving to a toddler bed, and Buddha needs to be transitioned into his crib. Hubby and I think that we might just keep the crib in our room until Buddha is a little older, to make things easier for everyone.
Also, SistahGirl is moving in with us at the end of the month. Everyone here in Housewifeland is very excited about the addition to our population, even though it is going to mean some massive restructuring around here. First, I am getting the ENTIRE house, basement and all, CLEAN. Not clean as in presentable, but *CLEAN* as in floors sparkling, everything washed, mopped, sweapt, etc.. a place for everything, everything in its place...clean! I am doing this with Hubby's help(YAY), and it is being done for a few reasons. A) It just needs to be done, really, we are slobs, and it isn't good for us. B) winter is coming and I need to have places and spaces for the kids to play. C) I will be watching a friends baby when she goes back to work, soon, and it will be easier all around if the house is clen and lastly, and high in the order of importance, with SistahGirl moving on in, we need to rearrange. Her room is going to be where the computers are now, the computers need to get moved, and that will have to be downstairs or in the basement. She doesn't have all that much stuff, from the sounds of it, but more stuff in means more stuff has to go out. Hubby and I have been talking about doing a major cleaning/sorting/tossing/donating for a while now, and this is the impetus to get off our asses and do it!
Since the compy room is being turned back into a bedroom, depending on what happens after SistahGirl moves out, in about six months, is we will either put the comps back in(not to fond of that idea, but at the same time rather okay with it), or Bro-in-law and his woman might move in there, or we might make it Hermes room, and then have Buddha and Thir share the room that is now Thor and Hermes'. I like this last idea the best. It gives the younger two a room together, that will be vary spacious with just the younger two's furniture, and a toddler/baby safe place to play. Espessially since this would be happenning in and abouts Buddha's first birthday, so I will be very comfy with him and Thor playing together in a room. It will give Hermes some privacy, so that he can unwind after school in peace, and we can put a desk in for him to do his homework at. Also he coud then have some space to set up soem of his train toys with out having to put them away every night. Hermes makes some really eleaborate track layouts and builds some gorgeous block houses and garages, I would like for him to be able to keep some set up, if he so desires. It will also enable us to put a baby gate in front of Thor's room without having to worry about Hermes tripping over it in the middle of the night, that way we don't have to worry about Thor waking up and wandering the house...if he needs to potty he is certainly loud enough to wake us.
So, I have a lot of planning, prep, arrangeing and what not to be doing...but I think Housewifeland will deffinately benefit from it.

first day of school

Last night, after a frantic search for last minute school supplies, we came home, ate dinner, and gave Hermes a bath. He felt it was very important to be clean today, and who are we to argue. We got him into bed a little later than we would have liked, but it was much less difficult than in the past. The first time he got out of bed, he wanted hugs, so hug Hermes got. Then he wanted to tell me something, that he was hungry, I told him he wasn't and sent him back to bed, then he came to the top of the stairs. I calmly explained to him that if he wants to do well in school, he needs to sleep, ten minutes later...out cold. This morning we woke up, cuddled a little, ate breakfast, then got dressed for school. He looked so grown up in his uniform. He looked so proud walking into the building, and he made a freind in the first five minutes. In an hour, his day will be half way done, and so for no phone calls asking if we are nuts, how could we possibly think this would work, and telling us to get him, so that is good. To my knowledge, he has kept all his clothes on, not hit anybody, and not sassed his teacher. He is probably to wrapped up in trying to figure out what the hell she is saying to even think about misbehaving. I am starting to realize that he isn't here. It is a little quiet. Thor is pleased, he has the run of the place, but Buddha is being abnomally fussy. That could be the teeth coming in though. Now, I am going to go and do some cleaning.

"...MOM!!!They only speak Chinese! How cool is that!!"

Tomorrow is Hermes' first 'official' day of school. He will be attending a non-traditional school, to say the least, a mandarin chinese immersion school. I don't know what I'll do while he's gone. First, I'll get the house clean, and I'll spend more time getting Thor to speak, I suppose, but it'll be strange at first, and quiet, very,very, quiet.

quick, while no one's looking, a blog post!

I have a few minutes break in my cleaning, eating, cooking, mothering...repeat, schedule, so I thought I would post. Hermes is wondering if they will teach him to eat fire in school. Oddly enough, the answer was no, but his momma and poppa know someone who could teach him, when he is much, much, MUCH older, and carrying his own insurance. Thor has persistantly not spoken to me for three days now. TV, books, other people, and food, but not me...I do not know what I did, but I am damn glad he does not posess Mjollner, or my ass would be hurting. Buddha needs to be transitioned to a crib, soon. He is far more mobile than any child still a week of five months should be-rolling both directions, creeping, trying to crawel already, and almost getting himself to a sitting possition.

In other news...my brain, or what remained of it, oozed out my ears about an hour ago, yet I am still functioning. Hah! Take that scientific community and Biology!

time

Buddha is getting older, therefor napping less and demanding more attention. Thor is getting as much attention as I can spare while still making sure Hermes gets his share. With all this attention being passes around the Pantheon, my blogging is sufferring. I will post when I can, but cannot make promisses as to the regularity.

best laid plans...

I had every intention of taking the Pantheon out today to allow them to blow off extra steam. Thor is revelling in his new found freedoms, and Hermes, true to his name, just wants to run. Also, I think Buddha would like some fresh air and looking at the tree colors. The weather people have been saying that it would rain today, but not untill this evening...I believed them. I am now looking out my window at one hell of a thunderstorm. At least I closed up the van this time.

Dr Strangetalk, or How I learned to stop worrying and love the Telletubbies

It is no small secret that I loathe the Telletubbies. They are annoying, kind of frightenning, and I thought they didn't teach children anything.
Enter this morning. Thor is watching TV, Telletubbies come on, and before I get a chance to run over and change the channell, he is TALKING TO THE TV!!!! He sat in rapt attention for 25 minutes. When the Telletubbies would say "Hello!" and wave, he would say "Hello" and wave, when they would cover their mouths and go "Oh oh!" he would, when they said "Goodbye" he said "Goodbye", if they did a littledance and sang, he would do a little dance, and the words he didn't sing, he would humm. I still don't know how I feel about the Telletubbies, but they are able to get through to Thor and have him talking for the better part of half an hoyr, and then, continue using the words for the rest of the day. Also, the screaming and shrieking is less frequent, he also can say "Love you" now. How can I disagree with that.

Blog posting...on a stick!

It's almost time for the MN State Fair. I haven't been in years, largely because I was working during the week and working Ren Fest on the weekends. I remember loving the state fair when I would go with friends in my teens, largely because it gave us a really large area in which to missbehave. I also love the food. No where can you get so much deep fried food on a stick! I have lived in a few other states, and have friends from all over the country, and from what I can tell, we in MN are pretty unique with how big our state fair is for us. I haven't quite decided yet if I'm going this year, but if I do, I will keep a record of everything on a stick that I encounter, and a log of how much I eat...promise.

Swell, plus, new blog-names for the boys!

Littleman, as I have stated many times before, is most certainly not little. At two months shy of two years, he dwarfs many a three year old. He is also extremely strong for his age. He is very good at communicating with people, but not so much at talking, more facial expressions, various noises, and the dreaded shriek. Myself and others have realized he is actually very bright, he understands a goodly portion of what is said to him, and follows directions well, at least when it suits him to do so. In order to coax him into using words more, or at least to move his lips when he speaks, I have begun ignoring the shrieks and screams, and speaking like a very clearly enunciating, broken record. This is paying off! Last night I got 'Cookie', 'HELLoooooo', 'Cup!', 'Yellow', 'Green' and 'Frog!GEEE' added to his repertoire of words that already include - baby; howdee, yeehaw, hiYA!, and Buddha's name, plus momma, poppa, dada, dadapoppadada, EIEIO, brother, and bottle. Not as many words as our pediatrician would like, but still good. Since littleman isn't little, and seems to be a man of action as opposed to a man of words, and because I could see him hurling a large double headed hammer named Mjollner rather nicely, his new blog name will now be Thor!

Bigguy, though older than Thor by a good three years, is oddly enough, not big! He is a little monkey boy who is always climbing and running and jumping and exploring and learning. He is very fine of features, and as I know I have stated here before, has eyelashes to kill for. Everyday, he continues to amaze me by speaking more and more like a little adult, as opposed to a five year old boy. He is devestatingly intelligent and knows it, he also knows enough to have figured out that playing dumb sometimes might be the way to go. He is bery good at getting his point across, and, especially for his age, surpisingly good at relaying messages from one person to another. His favorite passtimes are speaking for his brothers, running wild, playing jokes on people, playing on the computer, learning foriegn languages, and quote him "just being me". I think for these and many more reasons, he will now be called Hermes

Buddha is still Buddha, when one has attained enlightenment, that is that. He stopped crying long enough immediately after his immunizations to smile at the nurse who administered them. He was upset about his teething, until lo and behold! He can chew on his fist or toys, and no more pain! He is generally the happiest, most peaceful baby I have ever seen, and there is something very calming and soothing about his eyes. Eyes which fluctuate between light grey, light blue, bright blue, deep blue, dark blue, and a very dark grey-sometimes in a ten minute period! Hubby says they are Titanium, the Dr says they are gunmetal. My spiritual friends say they are old and wise and serene. So Buddha he stays.

Hubby and I, well, we keep our names.

Beware the Rabid Mommies

I, like all mothers, have moments where I doudbt I know what the hell I am doing, while at the same time being confident that what I am doing is the best thing. I know that I am raising my children the best way I know how, and with the exception of keeping the house as clean as it should be, am doing the right things for them. The key here is that it is right for ME AND MY CHILDREN! Rarely will I tell someone else they are raising their kids wrong. I fully understand that my way isn't the right way for everybody, and is down right the wrong way for a few, I deal with this. If someone asks me for parrenting advice, I let them know that this is what worked for me, but there is no guarentee that it will work for them. Example-out of my three kids, I can count on the fingers on one, maybe both hands, the things that have worked for two, let alone all three of them. Children are suppossed to thrive off of a routine, Littleman does, Bigguy fights it at all cost, so obviously I could not tell another mommie that the routine I use with Littleman is the best there is and if she doesn't use it she is WRONG!!!!! Also, kids devoelop differently, something that is very obvious in Littleman. At 22 months of age, he is very bright, but doesn't talk often. There doesn't appear to be anything wrong, he just doesn't talk. But...but...but...if he's not taaaaalking, how am I ever gonna get him into a goooood pree schooool. I don't plan on him going to preschool till right before kindergarten, and I am most certainly not gonna go on a quest for a preschool that will guarentee him access into Harvard. (Some mommies think this is the worst thing you can do to your child, you know, not have them in the right preschool, fer chrissakes!)
Rabbid mommies are the mommies who their way is the only right way. The tend to be wealthy, or extremely religious, or extremely 'cause"bent somehow (ei-only organic everything), or a combination of the three. I would love to feed my kids only organics, hire a private tutor to teach them everything they will learn in kindergarten and first grade by the time they are four so that their first two years of school are constant tedium, and limit their group of friends based solely on what their parents beliefs are, really, but here in the land of lower middle class suburbia, I do what I think is right from minute to minute- All you want to eat is peanut butter (jif-not organic) and honey on toast, but if I give it to you, you'll drink milk? Okay! Protien and dairy wins! You want to stay up till 9:30 at night, wake up when I do at 6 in the morning, and than nap before dinner? Are you alert during the day and getting the requisite number of hours of sleep? Awesome, you go for it! You want to play under the kitchen sink...no, not gonna happen (make note to get new baby locks.) Wanna help Momma give Buddha a bottle, because he is only four months old and momma is weaning him, Fabulous, see how he smiles at his big brothers when they do this! I don't care if in some countries they nurse till the kid is four, I don't care if you and all your friends are nursing your kids till they are one, I am doing what is best for me and my family. So you can have your kids in bed by eight, never give them soda, never let them play in the mud, jump on a bed, run around like idiots, and wear clothes that do not match. These are my kids, and we're doing what works for us. Oh, and the youngest two...they wear DISPOSABLE DAIPERS..BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!

inhale, exhale, smile, repeat

I am currently sitting at my computer desk, basking in breeze coming through the window. The weather outside this morning is perfect. The house is opened up, all the fresh air is coming in, all the stale air is going out. Screw spring cleaning, spring cleaning has nothing on a late-summer airing-out.

new nipples

After trying to give Buddha a bottle last night using pretty much every type of nipple in the house, and watching how he took the bottle (or didn't), I decided that maybe the problem wasn't that he wouldn't take a bottle of formula, but that, after being breast fed for four months, he wouldn't take the style of bottle we had. Since I had to go out for milk, I figured I would look into some different bottle make and moddles. After browsing the aisle for what seemed a rediculously long time, I found the evenflo Elan. I never thought I would buy a bottle that had a car-like name, but it's the only one I picked up, and I am glad I did. It is a wide bottle, which makes mixing formula easier, it vents air in at the nipple, to keep the fluid flowing, and vents air OUT the bottom, which really keeps babe's from getting gassy tummy aches. The nipple is silicone, the prefferred artificial nipple choice of most nursing mom's, it is a slightly firmer silicone at the tip, which is a little longer than what you would find on other bottles, and the base of the nipple is very soft, flexible, and has a few little bumpies on it. Basically, it is the most breast-like bottle nipple I have ever seen.

When I got home from dropping Hubby off at work this morning, I made Buddha a four ounce bottle, figuring that once again, three or so would go to waste. I would have made two ounces, but I purchased the nine ouncer instead of the six ouncer, I think maybe it was a choice based on color options. Anywho, after a very small initial fuss, Buddha latched right on to the bottle, sucked most of it right down, got angry when I took it away to burp him, then happilly finished. He had very little gas or spit-up, and is now peacefully napping.
I am so pleased I finally found something that works for me. I can now start gently weaning, like I want to, knowing it won't be a constant up-hill battle, knowing that I will not be getting the angry, pouty face every time I attempt to give him a bottle, and knowing, feeling, again, that I am not a bad mommy for doing this. Everything will be all right.

Who knew that one bottle, of the right variety, would do so much.

it's hot, plus formula

It's damn hot out. Has been pretty hot for a while, looking like it might start to cool down a little come the middle of the week, but who knows. The heat index is well over 100 degrees, and everyone is going crazy. We in Housewifeland have central air, which is a good thing. Because of the heat, however, we are prisoners in our home, only leaving if we must. It is way to warm for Buddha to be out, Litttleman can only be out for a few minutes, and Bigguy just a little longer than that. Children need fresh-air, they need to run and frolick and be kids, but the heat is so oppresive that they cannot, and they are going nuts, and in turn, driving me up a wall. All I ask is for a cool day that is not rainny and muddy (because even though we are in draught conditions, if it is cool out, it is generally the rare days with rain) so I can take my boys to the park.
Hubby works primarily outdoors. If it is as hot out tomorrow as they say, we might lose a days pay. They are talking actual temps of over 100, with an index of nearly 115-120.

In a non-heat related note...we are trying to gently wean Buddha. This is not going well. The first type of formula we tried he flat out refuse, and gave anyone who tried to give hime a bottle the most pitiful of pouty faces. Now that we have the type of furmula we will actually be feeding him in the house, we gave it another go. It didn't go over well, but better than the first time. He drank an entire ounce and a half before pitching a fit. I want to gently wean him, but if he keeps being this resistant, we might have to do it all at once, where his only choice is the formula. I'd prefer to keep nursing him, but we live in an imperfect world, a world where Momma needs a new glasses prescription, a world where she cannot get said prescription until she has finished nursing the baby, and her hormones and water levels have regulated.

Hopefully it will cool down, hopefully Buddha will wean without too much fight. We'll see

My roots are showing

Littleman seems to have acquired some of the recessed genes in our family-the blond curly hair in a land or brown haired individuals should be one clue, his gigantic proportions another. Apparently, there is a latent gene that not only controls when and how often you speak, but also what dialect of the language your great-grandparents might have used as well. All day today I have had a 21month old dervish running around my in-laws yelling "YeeHaw!!!!" and "HowdEEEEE!"

I blame the biscuts and gravy, fried chicken, and cornbread.

granted, I am the one feeding him, and the in-laws are soooo not southern...

I'm baaaaack

I got my cable back, and my intraweb, and my home phone!!!!

disconnected

Currenly we are without cable and internet at home. MIL was nice enough to offer me the use of her house for the day today, so that I could be online, and so Bigguy could be on-line and get in some tv time. This is greatly helping me keep my last three threads of sanity intact.

Blink Blink Smile.

I cannot remember what he asked for, even though it was only half an hour ago, I only remember HOW he asked. "Mom, can I please have some ______, pretty please?" head tilted slightly down, looking up, blinking just a little faster than normal, with a very sweet smile. Bigguy has ENORMOUS brown eyes, and lashes that should be illegal for anyone off a fashion runway, let alone a five year old boy. I, as a fully grown adult, who had perfected the power of the eyes at a fairly young age, am overcome at times by him, and can only imagine what it will be like as he gets older. If he retains his looks as he hits his teen years and adulthood he will be devestating. I pitty the crushes who do not have their affections returned. We already have little girls get mad if he ignores them, which he rarely does, and we have almost had fights break out at the park if he switches his attentions from one young lady to the other. High school is going to be hell for his father and I. Of course, if I am to listen to the drag queen contingent of my friends, he could have a lucrative career when he grows up. Apparently, underneath the pudgy cheeks he inheritied from yours truely, he has amazing cheek bones, and since he has my eyes, it is only fitting that he has my brow and ridgeline.

Blink, Blink, Smile...never underestimate the power.

He Speaks!

Littleman is what one would call a 'late bloomer'. He was walking and standing late, and talking late. In fact, he did pretty much everything behind the curve with the exception of eating! I tried not to worry too much about this, every kid being different and all, but was secretly very relieved when he started using intelligable words. It started recently with 'button!', and of course, mama, and papa. From there we got hungry, go home, good puppy, nice puppy, up, go nap, go up, go down, pretty much any word that can have go before it, baby, brother, baby "buddha", kiss, and so on. We are getting more words a day now than I ahd hoped. One issue, however, is assigning words that are confusing or un-clear. If we cannot figure out what he is trying to say, he either melts down, or reverts to 'button!'. This leads to conversations along the lines of "Hungry" -well, what do you want?- "ungamillahrmmmmmmm", -milk?- "noooooooooooo", -cereal- "nooooooooo" -a banana?- "nooooooo, hungry button!", or "good puppy, go button!", or "go nap, button!" you get the idea. We also get randomly placed words, like "nap now, doggy woof."

surrogate

Shortly before the Bigguy's fifth birthday, the in-laws had to put the family dog to sleep. They have another dog, but Buddy was Bigguy's best-friend on four legs. It was very hard on Bigguy, and very hard on us. First, we loved buddy, he was family, second, no one should EVER have to explain mortality to a small child. We have been fielding some dificult questions since then, and doing our best to answer honestly and truthfully, even if that means answering the dreaded "I don't know." In an attempt to lessen Bigguy's pain, and make things easier on os, one of his birthday gifts from us was a stuffed black-lab puppy he named 'Buddy Poe'. Bigguy has a collection of stuffed Rotts and Dobermans, which are his Poe dogs, and they all have assigned names and tittles in the Poe family, Buddy is the only Lab. Having the stuffed dog has done wonders, but has also led to some interesting conversations along the lines of:"Momma, I don't ever want you to die, and I don't want to die, but you said everyone dies eventually, I want you to die before me so I can have a new mommy." "Do you want a new Mommy?" "Only if you die first, then I will need a new mommy, just like I got a new buddy!"
Kids, what ya gonna do?

the daily grind

I wish there was an honest, informative, and truthfull, Housewife Handbook, but there isn't. Why? Because, quite frankly, there are too many variables: How many kids you have, what your income level is, the amount of support you get from family and friends, your kids' ages and the spacing between them, you get the idea. Some things I knew in advance about being a housewife/stay at home mom- I would be the Primary Care Giver-thet being I would be the one to first respond to me kids daily needs, generally even if Hubby is home, as they are used to coming to me for things. I would be responsible for the majority of the cooking and cleaning- In all the jobs hubby has had while we have been together, he averages 50 hours a week, so the cooking is pretty obvious, I do the daily pick-up, and he does his share on the weekends. When he wasn't working, and when I was pregnant, this didn't work so well, but now we are getting back into the swing of things. I love to cook, I do not like to clean, but oh well. I was failry certain that I would crave adult interaction the way some woman crave salt and chocolate when they PMS-I was dead on with that one.

I never thought that I would feel as good about my decicion to stay home as I do. I know I am doing the best by my kids, and I have few regrets. Would it be nice to have a second income? Yes, but it would suck knowing that I came across it by paying for daycare or sacrificing time with my Hubby. Would I have gotten a job if it took any longer for Hubby to find one? Hell yeah, I'm an optimist, but I am not stupid, and I will do my best to make sure my kids never go without.

I never realized that I would be doing the budgeting and bill-paying, but for the most part I am pretty decent at it. I set the amount we must live within, and we do it. I never dreamed that I would be so thrilled about my youngest having a bowel movement, my middle child saying button, or my oldest being quiet for five freaking minutes. I didn't think that it was possible for a woman to stay sane with three kids at home, two of whom are in daipers, but I seem to be holding up pretty well. I didn't realize how much it would fundamentally change me as a person. As much as I miss late night outs drinking overly-priced coffee and chillin' with friends, that time seems trivial to me now. I enjoy my child fre time, but I miss them every second of it. I enjoy doing things without my Hubby, but I wonder how he' doing every minute. I am heavily reliant on my family, but they would fall apart with out me.

I am also keenly aware that my family is my Hubby and boys first. That is another feeling I never expected. That family would be more than Mom, SisterGirl, and Auntie. They are all part of my family, as is Jazz-dad and uncle Rice, and Auntie Step, and the in-laws, but I have a family that is mine, seperate rom all the rest. I also couldn't have told you before I became HW@K that I would voluntarilly sever all ties with my dad and his family. It hurst, but it hurts less than if I stayed involved, and it saves my boys dealing with what I did.

If I were to write a simple Housewife Training Manual, it actually would be very simple-set all preconcieved notions behind you, try to enjoy every minute, and never be afraid to ask for help. No one would buy it, but there it is.

If cleanliness is Godliness...

...Than I am most certainly a minor demon!

To Do List

Things to do today:
Clean out van
Pull trash from in house
Dishes
Laundry, especially the boy's
Plan dinner menu for a few days
Remember to eat lunch
Be on the lookout for giant invading space aliens
Check black market value for reasonably well behaved, precocious, smart-ass, 5 year old children
Excersise
Clean out coat closet

Daiper Chronicles, part...who knows

Littleman is 20 months old, and, quite frankly, doesn't have the speaking skils that he should. I am aware of this, and I am frustrated by this. Frustrated not so much because I think there is a developmental problem, as by the fact that I think he is doing it on purpose, to make me frustrated. How does this tie in to daipers? Simple. He doesn't like to wear them, and has figured out how to remove them under almost any sort of clothing. Pants get taken off, onesies are stretchy and hav leg holes, overalls have an opening you can fit a hand down, and we have yet to figure out how he does it through a sleeper. He doesn't do this daily, mind you, we went about a week with him keeping the daiper on, he just did it FIVE TIMES in FIVE HOURS today. I asked a friend for suggestions and she pointed out that the removal of ones daiper is often considered a sign for potti-training readiness. Well DUH, I knew that, but since he won't speak intelligsbly, how the hell does she propose we go about training him? We cannot leave the bathroom door open, he splashes in the toilet, and he still sleeps in a crib, so would have to wear a daiper at night-hid favorite time to remove them!!!
AAAARRRGGHHHHH!!!!

questions and answers

bigguy is still at that age where he questions everything...I don't think there will ever be a time in his life where he isn't that age! Here is a sampling on the questions I have gotten so far today:
Mommy, can you get (instert web name here) into my computer?

Mom, can I have a jelly sandwich? no peanut butter, just jelly? seriously...just jelly?

Mommy, are you ever going to have another baby?

Why? Why? why? Whyyyy? (these asked mostly to annoy, not out of any innate desire to learn)

How come all the other cars are prettier than ours?

and the one that blew my mind, and made me realize that it's never too soon to teach them tact
Mommy, when are you going to lose more weight? Your tummy is big!

Too cute by half!

WARNING:this post opens with a discussion about my breasts-it is not all about the boobs though.

I have an injury to one of my nipples. It is a casualty of breastfeeding. I let it get a little too severe, so until it fully heals, Buddha is being nursed off of one side only. So as not to cut down on milk production, and to make sure Buddha has enough to eat, AND to make sure that when I wean him he won't starve himself by refusing a bottle, I have been pumping on the injured side, and storing the milk. I was sitting on the couch and feeding Buddha a bottle after nursing, and Littleman is sitting next to us. OK, Littleman is bouncing and climbing next to us, but he sat occasionally. Littleman pats Buddha's head, then leans down and kisses Buddha's head. It was too, too cute. We had to call Littleman's affections off, though, because he was getting a little too carried away, and came very close to hurting the babe. Littleman was upset, but he decided it was OK when he got a sippy of milk.

It's good to know he cares.

Birthday Part E

Today is my Bigguys 5th birthday. Had he taken three more minutes to be born, it would have been tomorrow, but today, the first chold I ever had turns 5. Makes me feel kinda old, also reminds me that hubby and I have been together roughly six years now.

As Bigguy likes to say, today is his birthday, tomorrow is his birthday part E

you take the good, you take the bad

Today was Hubby's first day of work at his new job. Dropping him off this morning was similar to a childs first day of school - making sure he had his linch and phone, scanning the lot to see if the coworkers look like they'll get along with him, waiting a few extra minutes before pulling out...just in case. I was actually surprised at how smoothly everything went this morning. The kids were all up about three hours earlier than normal, Littleman his having his entire daily routine revamped, Buddha seems unfazed by it all, and Bigguy, well....
Last night we got the call from the in-laws that Buddy-the older of their two dogs, and Bigguy's favorite furry companion, was going to be taken to the vets and put to sleep. No parent should have to explain mortality to their small children. God it was heartwrenching. If given the choice, we all would have waited, as Bro-in-law turns 21 today, and Bigguy turns 5 on friday, but it was the dogs time to go. Bigguy seems to be okay for a little while, then not so okay for a little while. We have a picture of him and Buddy taken last night before Buddy had to ge, and that is helping a little. We are being very honest with Bigguy, and making sure he knows that it is OK to hurt, be sad, cry, and miss Buddy. It's okay to be angry, and it is also OK to never want to die. Like I said...so hard.
Right now, he is requesting a peanutbutter jelly sandwich...duty calls....
HOUSEWIFE AWAYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WooHoo!!!

We heard today that pending the results of tomorrows drug test, Hubby has a job. We are very happy.
My sister came over for dinner today. It's always fun when she's around Bigguy, being they are each others favorite people...EVER. Bigguy flat out denied asking me if my boob got cold, bossed her around while they played ship, and generally hammed it up. My sister enjoyed her meal of steak, steakfries, and asparagus(sic?), and understood my joke about the "Renegade Cow", something Hubby never quite found funny, because he never quite understood.

Mooo

How many days?

Bigguy is turning 5 in ten days. I know this because a) I am his mom and distinctly remember giving nirth to him, and b) because every day for the last 3 weeks I have been getting "Momma, how many days 'til my birthday?" at least 5 times a day. I also get asked how many days until he starts school, and how many days until we go to Mexico.

Just in case you're wondering...I don't know about school-they haven't set a specific kindergarten start date yet...and it's 143 days till Mexico

Mammaries

I breastfeed. At just over two months of age, baby Buddha has only had a bottle in his mouth once, at four days old, at the behest of a doctor, and then it was pumped hind-milk. (Hind-milk is the fatty milk that comes at the end of the feeding be"hind" the other milk-it helped him with some infant constipation...I know...TMI) My flagrant breast-feeding exposes Bigguy to alot of boob. He generally ignores it, unless Hubby is trying to take a business related cal and then prospective interviewer hears "Hey Mom! Does your boob ever get cold doing that?" I can only imagine what this is doing for Hubby's job hunting prospects.

fit vs fat...today the fat might win

I am working on getting in shape, and that is more than just phisically, btw. I have been working on keeping my house cleaner-the secret-have a routine and don't waiver, one missed day can through everything off, then your back at ground zero, frustrated, and the couch starts to look too good. I have also been exersicing regularly for the last week(just shy of), but honestly, I didn't last night. Bigguy and Buddha had immunizations, I overslept, and just diddn't feel up to it. Today, I know i need to work out, but I am cramping something fierce, and, in the immortal words of small children everywhere- "I don't wannnnaaaa". I will. Then I will shower. Then I will eat ibuprofin like candy. If I don't, the couch will trap me with it's siren song, and I will be helplessly ensnared by it's soft cushions and pillows of comfiness. Must get up....fat trying to win....need to....move

OMG!!!!

Quite possibly one of the funniest things...ever.

sleep

Currently,the only people awake in Housewifeland are myself and Littleman. Buddha baby and Hubby are napping in our room, and Bigguy is still sleeping. Littleman has been up and at full steam since 7ish this morning, and that's after waking up at 4am, right after I startednursing, needing to be changed. (hubby changed the daiper, btw, and had problems getting back to sleep, hence why he's napping, and not me) Part of me, a very large part of me, knows that I should be waking Bigguy up right now, that to let him sleep past 9 is to mess up his entire schedule and routine, and that he won't be able to sleep in this late once he starts school. Then, the part of me that was dealing with the 4 year old who never sleeps realized that it doesn't seem to matter what I try to do, if he's gonna be up half the night, he's gonna, and moreover, he stays in his room and plays quietly orlooks at books, so Hey..maybe a little extra sleep might actually be a good thing.


In reality, I am letting them all sleep so I can have a few moments of relative peace and quiet.

Still here

I've been busy lately, I am still here. Littleman is walking like a pro, Bigguy is the king of junior subversives, and buddha baby is fussing.

beef stupor

Mmmmmm...Steak. We visited Sam's Club this weekend, and, as always, left with a ton of food for a reasonable price. We always stock up on red meat at Sam's, good quality, fabulous price. After living a steak free existance for a while, Hubby grilled tonight. Dinner was heaven. Bigguy, in his insistance to refer to all meat products as the animal they came from, cracked us up when he asked for "Cow sauce" to go with his steak. Steak, Brocolli Normandy(broc, cauliflower, and "bias cut" carrots, for those who don't know) and my awesome oven-baked and broiled steak fries. MmmmmMmmmm, and since it's basement-dwelling-roommies birthday tomorrow, we will even have desert...Life is good

If ya ask, I might even give you my awesome steak fry recipe!

kids are cute

When Bigguy was a wee little babe, we thought he strongly resembled E.T. Littleman, hands down, Alfred Hitchcock. He so resembled Hitchcock that Bro-in-law often joked about buying him some stuffed birds. Today it struck me that Babe#3, yeah...he looks like Yoda. Don't get me wrong, he's not green, but he always has a wrinkly little forehead, his years droop just a little at the top, and are slightly uneven,he often has his fingers interlaced in a thoughtful, knowing manner, and he makes...well..Yodalike mouth movements. Two puppets and a horror/mystery writer...not bad.

Littleman had a peice of parsly from dinner sticking to his forehead, right in the location of the Third Eye. I commented that he had parsley for a third eye, he has found inner peace, and it is tasty. His toddler response - thoughtful pause, followed by "Uh-huh!!" Hubby said I deffinately needed to write that one down for posterity.

less stress, and a cleaner dining room/living room

I just got off the phone with my mom, and that helped to alleviate some of the stress we were under here in Housewife land. Now I am going to go and feed Littleman lunch and work on the rest of the common areas downstairs. I need to keep the cleaning going, it will make life much easier.

stress and a clean kitchen

I realized that there is a sort of nervous energy that surrounds major amounts of stress and worry. In the past, I would think that this nervous energy was my bodies way of telling me I needed to eat, since it closely mimicked the jitterry feeling one can get with low bloodsugar, but Irealized today that I just needed to do something, and since I couldn't do anything at the moment to take care of the problem at hand that i cousing stress, I cleaned. My kitchen isn't spotless, because I really do need to eat now, and there are some things I really should wait till morning to do, but it is greatly improved. I figure if this keeps up, I should have a pretty spotless house by the weekend!

Starting to settle in, at least for now

I am starting to get settled in, getting a schedule down, and all that good stuff. Of course, it'll all get blown to hell soon anyhow. Hubby is currently not working, but looking for a job, he is contacting the agency that got him his old job and letting them know he can start as early as monday. Bro-in-law starts a job on monday, and moves out over the following weekend, which will have little impact on Babe#3, but will greatly impact Bigguy and Littleman. Then, Babe#3 turns two weeks old on friday, and anyone with kids knows that wierd eating and sleeping patterns change about every two weeks for the first two months, then roughly monthly to every other month after than for about a year, then at 18 months(littleman's age) and two years, etc... On top of all of this, I have to try to get Bigguy onto his "school" sleeping schedule, and in reality, trying to get anyone on a schedule until we know what hours Hubby will be working is kinda rediculous, but not having a schedule is insane.
It will all be OK, and it will all work itself out in the end. As long as I tell myself this, we're all good.

posting will become sporadic...

Untill the new baby and myself get some sort of sleep schedule hammerred out, posting will be a little sporadic. Babe#3 was born on friday in what was a rather easy labor and delivery, all said and done. I will give all the stats later. He had a slight issue with not wanting to poop the way he should after leaving the hosp., but came thriugh that with flying colors. I am tired, not wearing my glasses, and typing this one handed so as to keep the surprisingly alert babe from fussing, so Hubby can sleep a little longer before getting up with the older two boys, and then it will be my turn to sleep again!

I've got a golden ticket!

Okey dokey folks, heres the deal. I just recently got back from the Doc's. I get to go in and get induced on friday, if I make it that long. After doing the internal, Dr B said that if I were any other woman, he would guarentee a baby withen the next 24 hours with how for dialated, effaced etc I am, but being it's me, we'll see. Either way, friday at the latest...well, maybe really really early saturday, I'll have Babe # 3 !!!!!
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

it's tuesday

I'm still pregnant. I will be calling the Dr's tomorrow to get that magical mystical same-day appointment so that we can get the paperwork rolling. Of course, we have some friends who assure me that as soon as we get all pre-registered to induce on friday that I will go into spontanious labor. Oh! If only it were true. Either way, it's tuesday night, and friday isn't too far away.

I'm in hell

The earliest they can get me in for a non-emergency induction is friday. If I go into labor before then...great. Dr B stripped the membranes...again, and I am supposed to go in on wednesday if there is still no kid, but ..yeah.. once again in baby limbo.

fixed a typo, more info

First, thanks to the anonymous commenter who, in their own snarky way, pointed out an error in my bio/profile/ Babe #3 is due in april 06 not '05, so
I have not been pregnant for the last three years, although sometimes it feels like it.

Now, for a little medical info, for people in the know. On friday I was at 2 cm, 50 percent effaced, and at a +1 station. This translates into me being really, really physically uncomfortable, and one of the few woman who can somehow manage being at a +1 while still not being in "active" labor. Will wonders never cease. If this kid doesn't come out on his own by 10:15 am tomorrow morning, I get to brive to the clinic attached to the hospital, get induction paperwork filled out, figure out which of two hosp's it'll be done at, and check in to have this kid! I would prefer to go naturally, but at this point, my body is not cooporating, and things are becoming increasingly more complicated. Things like standing, sitting, changing possition, getting dressed, and doing these things without falling over.

Of course, there is a very real possibilaty that I will go into labor tonight, not need the induction, and all will be well, but I am not placing any bets at this point.

How big will baby#3 be?

Last night, Bigguy asked me how big I think the babe is going to be. I told him I didn't know, and asked how big he thought the babe was? Bigguy's response- "Well..not as big as Littleman is now, but maybe only a little smaller?"
Granted, Bigguy has a limited frame of reference for how big a brand new baby is. The smallest babe he has recently seen was Baby Bear, and that's a bigger kid, almost 9 months old now...

Anywho... What all this boils down to is how big do y'all think that Baby#3 will be upon it's birth. The information I can give you beforehand is thus- we are fairlycertain from ultrasound that it is a boy. Littleman was 6lbs, 14 ounces and 19 3/4 inches long. Bigguy was 7lbs 3.8 ounces and 21 inches long. Littleman had a 13.75 inch noggin, Bigguy was 14 even. Littleman had HUGE feet when he was born. According to the doctors and nurses, everything is measuring where it should, sizewise.

self-doubt, self-assurance

I was filled with self-doubt, angst, hurt, confusion, and I don't know what all else this morning. I was so certain when I went to bed last night that I would be in full blown labor when the sun rose...instead, I was stumbling, half asleep, into the bathroom, to pee. Yesterday morning, I went to the hospital with regular, strong, contractions. When they checked me, they saw no change from my friday appointment. After an hour or so of walking the floor, there was still no change in my cervix, and ultimately I was sent home. I am in this wierd limbo-land where my body is trying to do something, but it isn't working. My Dr is still of the oppinion that my body knows what it is up to, and that everything is fine. The lack of sleep and rapidly deteriorating mental state are not reasons enough to induce, since everything else is beautiful. My having a medical history of getting stuck in early stage labor means nothing if I am able to withstand the contractions. Basically, unless I am in unbearable pain, they won't do anything for me yet.
Friday morning I have another appointment with Dr B, and we will talk much more then. I will be at 39 weeks on monday, and I know that elective inductions can be done at that point. I am still unsure if that is the route that I want to go, but I am possitive I do not want to be pregnant anymore...this has surpassed the point of normal pregnancy discomfort by quite a bit.

On the plus side, as the day progresses, I am feeling more sure of myself and my body again. It is frustrating, yes, but it is serving some sort of purpose, otherwise there would have to be issues present. It is funny, though, that two weeks ago we were worried about having to induce early, and now we are wondering how much longer this kid is gonna stick around for.

My father-in-law has been a huge help through all of this, oddly enough. He has been very good with the boys, very patient with me and Hubby, and very understanding that just because I go to the hospital doesn't mean I will be leaving with a baby.

For the people who were not called and notified that I went to the hospital yesterday-- I decided that, with the exception of the FIL(who picked up the boys for the day), that until I was checked into a room, and had some sort of certainty (water break, IV, etc...) that I was going to be having the kid, that wer won't make calls, I don't need people getting all excited just because I am in triage. However, if my water does spontaniously break, or things elevate to the point of no return, everyone will be notified in a timely manor before the babe comes, and after the babe is born.

very, very frustrated

my body is doing half of what it should be. It is working, but not hard enough, or not in the right way. Tomorrow, I plan on toeing the line with my doctor, and hoping I come out victorious. I am hoping that I don't need to do that, however, that my body will come around on it's own and get this kid born. More later.

still no baby yet...

Hubby thinks that the kid will hold out untill saturday, April Fools Day, just because that's the sort of sense of humor innate in both our families. I'm placing my money on sometime in the next forty-eight hours. Granted, I could be drastically wrong, and might very well be so, only time will tell, but
I have insider information the rest of the world just cannot have access to. I'll keep everyone posted.

I know I will not be pregnant forever...

it just feels that way, right now

in praise, and criticism, of sleep

Sleep. Ahh, sweet, sweet, elusive, sleep. I have been lacking sleep until very recently. The last two nights, I have been sleeping fairly well. Normally, I would be all "WOOHOO I got to sleep after weeks of getting barely enough to stay alive!!!!"
The last two days, however, I have woken rested, and pissed off. I need the rest, that is indesputable, however, if I am able to get good sleep, the contractions are slacking off at night. This means that each day starts great, ends in discomfort, and instead of having a kid, I go to sleep, my body rests, and we do it all again.
At this point, I have determined that there is nothing I can do to bring on strong labor, and if nothing else, I have a Dr's appointment on friday. Then, if I still am not far enough into labor to go to the hospital and have this child the "natural" way, I can beg, plead, and demand an induction, so that I can finally be done with this pregnancy.

still laboring away

Still stuck at home, waiting for things to pick up to the point where I can either go in and have the baby, or go in and have the Dr assist me in having the baby. I'd like to avoid pitocin this time, but if things don't change soon, my body is going to be so worn out by the time it's "go time" that I might not have much choice. Oddly, I got a lot of sleep last night, but was still exhausted this morning. will give updates as needed

the beauty of the female form, and, well, not so much...

The female body is a miraculous thing, when you think about it. It has the ability to grow and nourish new life. It is round, curvy, soft, comforting, appealing, all at the same time. Being pregnant is a beautiful thing, as is preparing to have a baby...BUT... some of the things the female body does while pregnant and preparing to have a baby, not so much. There's discharge, nausea, diarreah(sic?), profuse sweating, leaking breasts, hemmorhoids, you name it. None of that makes you feel attractive, pretty, or comfy. After the baby there is extreme bleeding, more leaking breasts, even more profuse sweating, hot flashes, cold sweats, and engorgement. Oh, and an increase in flatulence during all of this.

Soon, I will be a mom for the third time, and soon, everything will level back out, but at this precise moment...I feel disgusting!

increasingly uncomfortable

I am becoming increasingly more uncomfortable, and having more problems with concentration, but still nothing significant enough to call the Dr or go in to the hospital. The longer I can hold out at home, and the more progress I can make pre-hospital, the less likely my chances of an induction. Since the contractions are still spaced, I am good, but sore. Soon enough, it will be over, and I will have another babe to show for all my hard work.
I am also at a wierd crossroad of tired, but wanting to do stuff around the house...Damn nesting instinct.

probobilaty

the chances of me having this kid in the next week...pretty good, the chances of me having this kid in the next day?..yeah...not so good. The chances of me having this kid? ONE HUNDRED PERCENT

Dr's appointment today

I have an appointment in 3 hours, 30 minutes. I have no idea why I am awake right now, but I am, and I have this feeling that even though I haven't been bothered by most of my contractions, and even though are are slightly irregular in spacing, and deffinately not closer together than every thirteen minutes, we are going to find out that I am significantly farther along. Maybe not, but I have a pretty good idea of how my body normally feels, and how it is feeling now. Plus, there is that whole joking factor...
I have been joking around with friends and family that I will either go into spontanious labor, water breakage and all, need to go in, in the middle of really bad weather and rush hour traffic, or the kid will come on St patricks day, when a lot of folks'll be out, drinking, so I can be all paranoid about the on-call physicians sobriety. Really, I think I can wait a little bit longer.....
I'll update everyone after I get home from the Dr

progression

things are slowly but deffinately progressing. I am able to feel things more, but still not at a frequency or intensity to worry about. I am hoping that things move faster, rather than slower, largely because I am ready to not be pregnant anymore, and even though nothing is currently painful, it is not comfy-cozy either. More updates as needed

it's tuesday, do you know where your bay update is?

Everything is really, really, good. The babe has dropped, which means labor is impending. When he dropped, something happened that made everything better. We cannot explain it, but everything is...good. No more twice a week non-stress-tests, just my standard, run-of-the-mill weekly check-ups, and we really don't think that I'll need more than my friday appt. before the babe is here. Dr B thinks that maybe, the cord and the Babe had gotten tangled around each other,affecting the heartrate that the monitors were picking up. The nurse thinks the kid just wanted me to be able to get my epidural, if I want it. Either way-I am very happy. I'll keep everyone posted as things develop, and develop quickly, they should.

30 Helens agree

My doctor, myself, my Hubby and most of my family and friends are all of th opinion that the kiddo wants out just about as bad as I want him out at this point. It's looking like if he's not born by the 21(the vernal, or spring, equinox -btw) that we will take stops to get him born. Both of my other sons were born by induction, Bigguy, because my body was not cooperating mith the whole labor process, and Littleman, by scheduled appointment. Babe might go either way, depending, and might not need any chemical help in being born at all. I will keep everyone updated as I know what is going on, and Iwill try and stay coherent, to boot.

I loooove my crockpot!!

Within half an hour of waking up this morning I had everything but the gravy prepared for dinner, and had called maintenece about the clogged tub. Dinner will be done later this evening, and all I have to do is NOT open the lid of my crock-pot. MmmmmMmmm, pork roast and veggies. I love that thing. I put in raw food, turn it on, forget about it, and come dinner time-I have a meal!
According to maintenance I will not have a fully functional bathtub drain until monday, but that's a whole other post.
Oh- and tha Babe is still hanging in there, I will know more on tuesday, but it is looking more and more like I will have a spring equinox baby than an almost easter baby.

everywhere I go...

Everywhere I went today, with one exception, someone wanted to make sure I wasn't going to deliver the baby right then. Because, well, of course, we all know that any ready-to-give-birth-mom will opt for the gas station, grocery store, or a different gas station to deliver in as opposed to say...i don't know... the hospital

my pregnancies and boy scout camping trips don't mix

When I was pregnant with Bigguy, roughly five years ago, I went with the scout troop on a themed weekend camping trip. I was miserable, hugely pregnant, at about seven months along, and surrounded by adolescent and pubescent boys...what was I thinking.

When Bigguy was born, the same scout troop, including the in-laws, were "enjoying" there first day of a weeklong camp-and due to the horrid weather knocking down and taking out cell-phone repeater towers, we were unable to notify them. Luckily, the MIL sensed that something was amiss(given I was in early labor when they left) and turned around to meet Bigguy the next morning.

Many a scout trip was missed by hubby when I was pregnant with Littleman, due to my near constant complications of one sort or another.

This pregnancy, though, well, this is the anti-camping pregnancy all the way. Shortly after we find out about the immpending baby, we did not have enough boys active in the troop to really merit the trips. This weekend, for the first time in about six months, there is a trip scheduled, a trip that is going to have more boys present than adults, a trip Hubby very, very, badly wanted to go on. A trip that he was only going to go on if my doctor cleared it for him to go. I had my first of two scheduled appointment this week, earlier today. My next is on friday. I let Dr B know that I would like his oppinion on if it would be smart to let Hubby go and have fun, something he sorely needs. After assuring me that as long as nothing has changed from the last few weeks it should be no problem, Dr B checks me out, and lets me know that he would be much more comfy if Hubby were to stay, not go.

The changes-well, my contractions are picking up slightly, and I am minorly dilated. This could play out like it did with Littleman, where I spent weeks in limbo, and finally, when we induced, he didn't want to leave his warm womb, or it could be that I will have a new infant in a matter of days. I will keep everyone posted.

So you all know, I am in very minimal discomfort, and I figure I will have to deal with this for at least a full week, if not two. All amniotic fluid is still firmly in place, and being a little dilated (1.5 cm out of ten) with very little effacement, and the kid still hanging out pretty high in the pelvis really is nothing to worry about. I repeat-it could still be weeks. Stay calm, don't all rush out at once to lavish me with baby gifts.

it's friday, that means more baby stuff!!!

Had a rather comical, if not partly frustrating, appointment this morning. C, Dr B's normal nurse, is on vacation for the next week and a half, and R seems to have been assigned to a different Dr, so I had the loverly Nurse Fill-in-for-C, whom will be referred to as That Nurse, for the rest of this post. I get into my examining room, after being weighed. That Nurse immediately asks me why I am having a Non-Stress-Test so early in the pregnancy, I let her know that I am having them twice weekly, why I am having them, and how they have been going so far. while in the precess of taking my once-again-almost-comatose blood pressure, she comments, and I quote-"Oh, Look at that, it's all right here in your chart!"
Where else would the information about my twice-a-week tests be? Hmmmm???
Then, That Nurse gets me up on the table, and starts to hook me up to the machine. "Where does C normally find the baby's heart beat?" - an honest question, and one meant to save us time. I infrom That Nurse that it is normally directly under my belly button. "Well, that can't be right, unless the kids transverse."
"He is"
"Oh, I'm sure he's not, it just feels like he is"
Well, thank you for that amazing bit of insight, That Nurse, like I have not had two other children, and have not discussed the baby's possition, at length, with Dr B and C while weighing the pros and cons of his shifting on his own as opposed to Dr B shifting him.

After 15 minutes of having me lie on my right side, then my left side, then my back, every other variant she can think of, and finally, needing to change out the velcro strap that holds the tranciever onto my belly, because the strap had gotten all gunky with the gel for the tranciever, That Nurse does the unimagineable- she set the damn pick-up right below my belly button, just for a minute, too change out straps. as soon as That Nurse set it down, guess what happened. WE FOUND THE HEART BEAT!!! and did not lose it for the mere thirty minutes that I needed to be hooked up for. Once we had him in the radar, so to speak, Baby#3 was very cooperative. When Dr B came in to let me know all was good, I let him know I never want to have That Nurse again please, and was shocked to find out she had already filled him in on what went down. Dr B understands, and had a chat with her consisting of him infroming her that most of his patients know what's what, and maybe she should remember that, Hmmmmm?

Also, My appointments are now going to be on tuesdays and friday, so as to have a more even spacing to them, so update days will be changing accordingly.

Oh, and everythings cleared till Tuesday, barring any changes.

my first baby is growing up *sniff*

In just over two hours, Bigguy and I will be going to V.V. Elementary School, so that he may meet the kindergarten teachers, see the school, and so that I may get the information and paperwork required to start him in kindergarten in the fall, and a pre-kindergarten summer program. He is so excited! He took a bath, washed his hair, helped me pick out his clothes, and sat nicely while I combed the tangles out.

"Momma," he asked,"Is my hair long enough for a ponytailer yet?"
"Nope, not yet, but as long as we take good care of it, it will get long enough soon, and as long as we take care of it, we'll let you keep growing it. if you stop brushing it, or stop letting me and Poppa brush it, we'll have to get a haircut."
"I know, I know, sheesh, I just wanted to know if I could ponytailer it so I would look good for my teacher and all my new girlfriends!!"

He cracks me up. Of course, he is the child who announced, fresh from the tub, "Mommaaaaa, I need you to help me with this green towel, I am very naked you know!"

Unfortunately, due to a coworkers injury, Hubby has to close up shop at work tonight and will be unable to attend the open house/registration event. I asked him if there was anything he felt the teachers should know right of the bat? His reply was a simple
"May god go with them, and protect them from our evil mastermind overlord"