The weather has been sensational. It's the end of August, but instead of dead summer heat we are being gifted early fall weather. Clear, sunny skies with a nice breeze. Cool nights. This is what I call perfect weather. But, of course there's a catch. The weather has brought an early arrival of allergies, and it's bad. The News is reporting the high levels of ragweed. Apparantly, I am allergic to ragweed
My nose feels like the track for a race, a marathon. It is very hard to scratch the itch, and with this constant use of tissues I am sure to soon look like Rudolph.
Its not only the ragweed stuffing me up then making me sneeze, zygie has given me the sense of smell of a canine. I can discern a smell at first whiff. Any aroma, good or bad, that tickles my nostrils causes a sneezing attack. This is rather stressful for Todd, who has said my sneeze is his pet-peeve. Its not that I sneeze, its how I sneeze, or rather how loud I sneeze. I do sneeze loud, I know it. My whole family sneezes loud, even my cousins. Its always the best traits that are dominant. Todd is most agitated by me when we are driving, sitting silently perhaps enjoying the music, and his thoughts are interrupted by a thundering blast. He gets so pissed and shouts a bless you at me, which is equally as agitating. Sometimes I feel bad, like I should apologize, but for what? I am sure with this current allergic condition he can't wait to drive to the shore with me later tonight.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
18 Weeks
The weeks are passing pretty quickly, despite the chore of having to remember I am growing a child inside of me. Lucky to feel good enough to forget, zygie reminds me in subtle ways; by the near hyperventilation as I walk a distance or climb steps (especially when holding a child or two,) by the quick doze on the couch during an episode of Blue's Clues, by the absolute need to have two nectarines and at least one cookie a day, and of course by the growing belly which has officially put on a ridiculous number of pounds in the last two weeks that I may need to consider removing the cookies from the must-have list. Luckily, the nectarines can stay.
I have not yet delighted in feeling the baby move, though from time to time I will feel with my hands a hard, lopsided part of my belly, and know its a body part not yet big enough to really let me know its there.
I am not as exhausted as I was the first trimester and other than first thing in the morning, and contrary to what the scale is telling me, I am not that hungry. This does not,as it never has, stop me from eating.
I continue to search for names to have rejected by Todd and I have begun to browse for bedding. Interestingly, I only look for boy bedding. I am well aware I will find something blue only to need pink, but my instinct has me looking at blues. Maybe its because that is all I know?
I continue to get very little accomplished and I am definitely a bit of a scatterbrain. There really is something to this baby brain theory. With 18 weeks down and 22 weeks to go the excitement builds to meet #3.
I have not yet delighted in feeling the baby move, though from time to time I will feel with my hands a hard, lopsided part of my belly, and know its a body part not yet big enough to really let me know its there.
I am not as exhausted as I was the first trimester and other than first thing in the morning, and contrary to what the scale is telling me, I am not that hungry. This does not,as it never has, stop me from eating.
I continue to search for names to have rejected by Todd and I have begun to browse for bedding. Interestingly, I only look for boy bedding. I am well aware I will find something blue only to need pink, but my instinct has me looking at blues. Maybe its because that is all I know?
I continue to get very little accomplished and I am definitely a bit of a scatterbrain. There really is something to this baby brain theory. With 18 weeks down and 22 weeks to go the excitement builds to meet #3.
Supermom?
I have always wanted to be a mom. For better or worse I knew children were required in making my life complete. Now that I have children I know that I was right. Here is where I was wrong: I had envisioned myself as supermom. I thought I would do crafts with my kids, from art to cooking to gardening. Sure, I would still love to do this stuff, but I was blessed with very active twin boys. Doing crafts results in sniffing glue and eating paints, cooking means dumped flour on a once clean floor, and gardening is nothing more than an opportunity to play in dirt. I don't have the patience for these messes nor the know how to tame these must-touch two year olds. I will keep trying, perhaps at 3 I can wear my S cape.
I thought for sure I would have a designated reading time every day. Yes, we read, but not at a designated time. Reading time is often interrupted by a grabbing of the book, a turn to the last page, and a quick "the end" by one or both boys. The library I dreamed of is an unorganized display of half-chewed, frayed, and ripped books. Not the scholars vision, I know. And, despite not being a very rigid person I thought I would easily discipline my children to be the most well-behaved on the block. Perhaps I was delusional, or maybe I just did not have kids to realize you do what you need to to get through each moment. Bribes are acceptable, as are hand slaps and negotiating. And, sometimes, hell most of the time, letting them win even if its not right is not only necessary but required if there will be any peace at all.
I do think I am a pretty good mom, and I know we have good boys. I know I do a lot of things well while rearing them and I also know I make my share of mistakes. Parenting is definitely a very hard job with very big rewards. Cape or no cape we are all getting by with a dose of manners and a whole lot of laughs.
I thought for sure I would have a designated reading time every day. Yes, we read, but not at a designated time. Reading time is often interrupted by a grabbing of the book, a turn to the last page, and a quick "the end" by one or both boys. The library I dreamed of is an unorganized display of half-chewed, frayed, and ripped books. Not the scholars vision, I know. And, despite not being a very rigid person I thought I would easily discipline my children to be the most well-behaved on the block. Perhaps I was delusional, or maybe I just did not have kids to realize you do what you need to to get through each moment. Bribes are acceptable, as are hand slaps and negotiating. And, sometimes, hell most of the time, letting them win even if its not right is not only necessary but required if there will be any peace at all.
I do think I am a pretty good mom, and I know we have good boys. I know I do a lot of things well while rearing them and I also know I make my share of mistakes. Parenting is definitely a very hard job with very big rewards. Cape or no cape we are all getting by with a dose of manners and a whole lot of laughs.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Shower!
Since becoming a stay at home mom I've learned that taking a shower is a luxury. I used to take it for granted; If I had to go to work, I'd take a shower. If I was going out with friends, I'd take a shower. If I had a long day, I'd take a shower. It was pretty simple. No longer is it simple. Nights out with friends become necessary just so I have a reason to get clean. Sure, I am saving a bunch of money on hair care products, but really does it need to be so hard? And, of course, showering is one thing, but having enough time in there to wash, condition and comb the hair in addition to shaving, and perhaps taking a minute to just breathe and relax, well all of that usually takes more time than my shower allotment allows.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Couldn't have said this better myself
So, I was paging through one of the many magazines that I hardly have time to read and found information on a blog I decided I wanted to check out. Somehow, unlike every other time I have come across something interesting I wanted to look into further, I actually remembered to go to the site. The first article caught my attention immediately, I just wished I had written it myself. Here it is below, thanks to mom-101. I do believe I have been through all of these stages, to a degree, and somehow have managed to settle on the final step. Not sure I should be admitting that. And, I promise the last sentence does not pertain to me. I have accepted Barney only for my kids' enjoyment.
On (Psychic) Death and Dying: The 5 stages of grief vis a vis Barney
Denial - Oh my God, I am NOT even watching the third Barney in a row right now with my kids. This can't be happening.Anger Which of you [expletive deleted] grandparents got my kids hooked on this show? Don't you even know that the main character sounds like some nightmare out of a Stephen King movie and that the children tuck their plaid shirts into their khakis and hike them up to their chests, pretty much guaranteeing they will be beat up every single day of their lives? Have you no taste? Have you no sense?
Bargaining I promise I will stop feeding my children cereal for dinner. Just let the TV be struck by lightning right now.
Depression What is the point in fighting it? My life is officially over. I'm going to start wearing scrunchies in my hair.
Acceptance Okay so Barney does have a point about sharing being good and imagination being important. My kids seem to be happy while he's on TV and they're not pummeling each other either. And you know? Under the right circumstances? I'd probably have sex with him.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Andele'
I am and always have been one of the slowest runners. Growing up I was an athlete. I was far from the best but well beyond average. Despite being klutzy, I have sharp reflexes and decent hand-eye coordination. A lot of practice and some g-d given talents made me mildly successful in my sport. None of this, however, included a gift for running. I always had one of the slowest clocked times on the team, be it home to first, second, or third. I vividly remember my high school gym teacher, whom I had a nice relationship with, telling me "you're a good player but have the slowest feet of anyone I have ever known.".
This was something I had accepted, and in spite of my short-lived jogging habit nearing my wedding I never really loved running anyway.
As it turns out, however, Chase seems to be a really quick runner. This, along with his look, he gets from Todd. Now, granted, he is two and we are no way able to assume from his toddler run that he'll bat lead-off or be a sprinter, but when we watch his quickness we like to think of that possibility.
Ryder, on the other hand, has a run that is amusing as legs go side to side. But, silly as it may look, he too is as quick as can be. He is agile and coordinated beyond his 2 years, yet because he often does things in his own way, he runs as if he lacks both.
Luckily, despite being speed challenged, the fact that my stride is 5X theirs,I am still able to catch them before too long. Let's see how the growth of my belly directly effects the speed (or lack there of) of my run.
This was something I had accepted, and in spite of my short-lived jogging habit nearing my wedding I never really loved running anyway.
As it turns out, however, Chase seems to be a really quick runner. This, along with his look, he gets from Todd. Now, granted, he is two and we are no way able to assume from his toddler run that he'll bat lead-off or be a sprinter, but when we watch his quickness we like to think of that possibility.
Ryder, on the other hand, has a run that is amusing as legs go side to side. But, silly as it may look, he too is as quick as can be. He is agile and coordinated beyond his 2 years, yet because he often does things in his own way, he runs as if he lacks both.
Luckily, despite being speed challenged, the fact that my stride is 5X theirs,I am still able to catch them before too long. Let's see how the growth of my belly directly effects the speed (or lack there of) of my run.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Carrying Only One
I am unusually large for 16 weeks. My doctor says this is not the case, but I tend to disagree. I actually have proof in the pictures. Compare the differences: The first two pictures are my current state, 16 weeks pregnant with one child. The third and fourth pictures are me, 16 weeks pregnant with twins. Do you see the same problem I see?
Fightin' Phils!
Lately, I have been really into watching baseball. True, I have always liked the sport and sure, I enjoyed going to a game or two. I was even willing to watch the occasional game on TV, when summer programming left me with nothing else. But now I want to watch. I find myself searching for the start time on the guide, and though I am willing to flip channels I like to watch the game. This is not normal behavior, I know. Maybe its because Todd is a fan and he is usually watching anyway, maybe it is because they are again and still in first place, maybe it is because there is nothing else on. I think it is because zygie likes it, that and nectarines. When I was pregnant with Chase and Ryder I had a fondness for blue. I wanted to paint the whole house blue, I almost did. This led me to believe I was having boys. I was right;). This is similar. Instead of blue, its red, Phillies red. I just want to watch them play. Boy or girl, I think I may be incubating a ball player.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
25 Months/16 Weeks
Today is August 7th. It happens to be the boys' 25th month birthday, though I promise I am not still counting months, and the start of my 16th week of pregnancy.
It is 5:30am, I am sick, have the sweats, and can not sleep. I thought I'd update this blog (something I am slacking on lately) on both accounts (the boys and the pregnancy.)
My double first born continue to keep me guessing and on my toes. Of course, due to my pending third born, I am much more often on my toes from a seated position.
I am amazed how every day there are still changes in them, enhanced speaking, developing personalities, more mischief.
Chase is extremely fond of his twin yet slightly younger brother, despite his constant torturing and bullying. Ryder has mutual affection for Chase and is uninterested in wrestling nor fighting back. It is amazing to me that twins actual take on personality of older/younger sibling, perhaps there is something to birth order.
Chase is very into declaring his independence and doing things himself. He is also very good at diffusing a situation. If I am trying to discipline him for anything, he immediately puts on a silly face, uses a funny voice, or starts laughing. This is very much like Todd. He is also very polite, especially to other people. He thanks everyone and often uses please, just not always with me. With me, its often a whine.
Chase's new favorite thing since spending the weekend with Alexandra and Emma is eating cereal with milk. He actually does pretty well.
Ryder has resumed his love affair with his guitar, he plays it non-stop, singing along to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Happy Birthday, or Hello. Whenever I try to sing along he stops me and tells me not to sing. Perhaps, at 2, he is realizing I am tone deaf. Although he still runs funny he is extremely coordinated. He can climb anything, and has the know how to realize when he needs a boost. He will now move a chair, or even a toy, over to where he needs to climb and begin by stepping up on said item. He is also very coordinated with his hands, and strong, and can open heavy doors, undo locks, twist off caps etc.
He can and will focus intently on any electrical gadget. Today alone he sat for 20 minutes plugging the charger into the phone. He applauded when he did it himself.....every time.
He has been giving us a hard time with bedtime (click here to read) and climbs out of his crib only to fall asleep on the floor, eventually. I know this means its time for a bed, and I vow to work on it, but in case you don't know this about me, I am slow to getting things done, especially these days.
Both boys seem to be their father's son and refuse to wear their shoes. They take them off all the time, maybe its the beach bum's in them.
As for the baby growing inside of me, well I seem to be unusually large for 16 weeks. The doctor says no, and that my uterus is just "stretched" from the twins and therefore I am showing earlier. I can assure you this is not the only thing that is stretched. I am no longer able to sleep, and haven't been for sometime. I still can't always remember I am pregnant but as the baby grows I am sure it appreciates less that his/her brothers use the shell of his/her home for a trampoline.
I was reminded by my friend Ali that I was turned off by coffee with my last pregnancy. That is not the case this time around, proven by my addiction to mocha frappuccinos. I am sort of weird with food. Nothing makes me sick, I just want it easy, simple, comforting, and something I do not have to cook since I am retired from the kitchen for the forseeable future.
I have not felt any movement yet, which I realize it may be too soon, but when I look at my expanding belly I wonder how I don't. The scale continues to creep up, and I guess that is to be expected, but really does it need to creep up so quickly? The baby's heart rate, today anyway, was 143 beats per minute. Not sure what that means exactly, though I think the wives tales say boy, but really I know it means nothing.
We are finding the name game to be even harder this time around. Todd likes nothing, I am unsure what I want. Ironically, we only discuss boys names. This is not because we have a girls name we like but because both Todd and I are convinced number 3 is a boy. We seem to be in the minority, as the peanut gallery all say GIRL.
Either way, we are excited, though fully unprepared. I am glad that I still have about 24 weeks left, because I need at least 30 weeks to get done all that I need to before our delivery arrives. If I am still claiming to be this unprepared come December please, dear reader, get on my case.
These are things that i wonder this time around:
Does every woman going through their 2nd or more pregnancy forget they are pregnant?
Will my child have a name before its a day old?
Do I need to change the name of my blog? And, if so, to what? Suggestions?
Am I showing preferential treatment to the boys by not doing a baby's room until after the baby is born?
What will my baby look like? Chase, Ryder, different all together?
So, that is the update. The boys are great, Todd is great, other than this 24 hour virus I am fighting, I feel good. The baby is growing normally and all is well. Until next time....
It is 5:30am, I am sick, have the sweats, and can not sleep. I thought I'd update this blog (something I am slacking on lately) on both accounts (the boys and the pregnancy.)
My double first born continue to keep me guessing and on my toes. Of course, due to my pending third born, I am much more often on my toes from a seated position.
I am amazed how every day there are still changes in them, enhanced speaking, developing personalities, more mischief.
Chase is extremely fond of his twin yet slightly younger brother, despite his constant torturing and bullying. Ryder has mutual affection for Chase and is uninterested in wrestling nor fighting back. It is amazing to me that twins actual take on personality of older/younger sibling, perhaps there is something to birth order.
Chase is very into declaring his independence and doing things himself. He is also very good at diffusing a situation. If I am trying to discipline him for anything, he immediately puts on a silly face, uses a funny voice, or starts laughing. This is very much like Todd. He is also very polite, especially to other people. He thanks everyone and often uses please, just not always with me. With me, its often a whine.
Chase's new favorite thing since spending the weekend with Alexandra and Emma is eating cereal with milk. He actually does pretty well.
Ryder has resumed his love affair with his guitar, he plays it non-stop, singing along to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Happy Birthday, or Hello. Whenever I try to sing along he stops me and tells me not to sing. Perhaps, at 2, he is realizing I am tone deaf. Although he still runs funny he is extremely coordinated. He can climb anything, and has the know how to realize when he needs a boost. He will now move a chair, or even a toy, over to where he needs to climb and begin by stepping up on said item. He is also very coordinated with his hands, and strong, and can open heavy doors, undo locks, twist off caps etc.
He can and will focus intently on any electrical gadget. Today alone he sat for 20 minutes plugging the charger into the phone. He applauded when he did it himself.....every time.
He has been giving us a hard time with bedtime (click here to read) and climbs out of his crib only to fall asleep on the floor, eventually. I know this means its time for a bed, and I vow to work on it, but in case you don't know this about me, I am slow to getting things done, especially these days.
Both boys seem to be their father's son and refuse to wear their shoes. They take them off all the time, maybe its the beach bum's in them.
As for the baby growing inside of me, well I seem to be unusually large for 16 weeks. The doctor says no, and that my uterus is just "stretched" from the twins and therefore I am showing earlier. I can assure you this is not the only thing that is stretched. I am no longer able to sleep, and haven't been for sometime. I still can't always remember I am pregnant but as the baby grows I am sure it appreciates less that his/her brothers use the shell of his/her home for a trampoline.
I was reminded by my friend Ali that I was turned off by coffee with my last pregnancy. That is not the case this time around, proven by my addiction to mocha frappuccinos. I am sort of weird with food. Nothing makes me sick, I just want it easy, simple, comforting, and something I do not have to cook since I am retired from the kitchen for the forseeable future.
I have not felt any movement yet, which I realize it may be too soon, but when I look at my expanding belly I wonder how I don't. The scale continues to creep up, and I guess that is to be expected, but really does it need to creep up so quickly? The baby's heart rate, today anyway, was 143 beats per minute. Not sure what that means exactly, though I think the wives tales say boy, but really I know it means nothing.
We are finding the name game to be even harder this time around. Todd likes nothing, I am unsure what I want. Ironically, we only discuss boys names. This is not because we have a girls name we like but because both Todd and I are convinced number 3 is a boy. We seem to be in the minority, as the peanut gallery all say GIRL.
Either way, we are excited, though fully unprepared. I am glad that I still have about 24 weeks left, because I need at least 30 weeks to get done all that I need to before our delivery arrives. If I am still claiming to be this unprepared come December please, dear reader, get on my case.
These are things that i wonder this time around:
Does every woman going through their 2nd or more pregnancy forget they are pregnant?
Will my child have a name before its a day old?
Do I need to change the name of my blog? And, if so, to what? Suggestions?
Am I showing preferential treatment to the boys by not doing a baby's room until after the baby is born?
What will my baby look like? Chase, Ryder, different all together?
So, that is the update. The boys are great, Todd is great, other than this 24 hour virus I am fighting, I feel good. The baby is growing normally and all is well. Until next time....
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Super Nanny!!
I have watched Super Nanny from time to time. I think it is Super Nanny, it could be Nanny 911. It's the one with Jo, the nanny with the British accent. I do not watch it regularly, in fact I am not even sure when it is on. But, the few times I have caught it I am always amazed by what she does and vow to watch it more. When is it on?
Anyway, the last episode I saw was a family with 4 out of control kids. They were having sleep issues with one of the daughters, who happened to share a room with one of her sisters. Jo told the parents to put her back in her bed without saying a word. They did this a number of times, amidst absolute hysterics, and eventually she went to sleep. If my memory serves me correctly, the other daughet was asleep, somehow. When I watched this episode I had no idea I would eventually need to dig through the memory banks of useless TV I've watched to recall the episode. With the way my memory is these days I am surprised I recalled any of it.
Anyway, last weekend Ryder decided to return to his favorite past-time of his 16th month and jump out of the crib again. This time he did it only when he woke up in the morning or after a nap. There is nothing better than a 2 year old at your sleeping head at 6 am shouting mommy at an octave forbidden at such hours. Todd and I wondered what steps to take in such a situation, but felt fortunate that he was not giving us a hard time at bedtime.
Tonight that changed. Of course, as luck would have it, Todd was out for the night leaving me to fly solo as Ryder jumped from his crib a total of 6 times. The first time I went and got him, told him he must stay in his crib, put him down, kissed Chase, and headed out. I knew this was just the beginning. Within seconds he was out again. The thing is, however, it was not Ryder that was causing me distress, it was Chase. Chase was behaving beautifully, laying his head down for bed, quiet, but every time Ryder jumped he would cry out "NO RYDER, DON'T DO THAT!! STAY IN YOUR CRIB." The poor kid got so upset. When I took Ryder back in, not saying a word to him as Jo the Super Nanny says to do, I did not have the heart to ignore Chase, which probably defeated the purpose. I would put Ryder down, then hug Chase, tell him how good of a boy he was being and that it was Ryder misbehaving, but his tears made this game difficult. After Ryder jumped out for the 6th time I decided to ignore him all together. He sat at the top of the steps, where a gate he can't climb over (surprisingly) prevented him from coming down to me. He cried, he begged, he called for me, he told me he did not want to take a nap. I, being mother of the year, ignored my hysterical son. It was not easy, luckily there's such a thing as facebook to take your mind off your screaming child. Within 25 minutes he was asleep, blanket in hand, at the top of the steps. When I went to get him, I looked at him, and despite the hysterics earlier heard, I saw him for what he is, so damn cute!!!
Anyway, the last episode I saw was a family with 4 out of control kids. They were having sleep issues with one of the daughters, who happened to share a room with one of her sisters. Jo told the parents to put her back in her bed without saying a word. They did this a number of times, amidst absolute hysterics, and eventually she went to sleep. If my memory serves me correctly, the other daughet was asleep, somehow. When I watched this episode I had no idea I would eventually need to dig through the memory banks of useless TV I've watched to recall the episode. With the way my memory is these days I am surprised I recalled any of it.
Anyway, last weekend Ryder decided to return to his favorite past-time of his 16th month and jump out of the crib again. This time he did it only when he woke up in the morning or after a nap. There is nothing better than a 2 year old at your sleeping head at 6 am shouting mommy at an octave forbidden at such hours. Todd and I wondered what steps to take in such a situation, but felt fortunate that he was not giving us a hard time at bedtime.
Tonight that changed. Of course, as luck would have it, Todd was out for the night leaving me to fly solo as Ryder jumped from his crib a total of 6 times. The first time I went and got him, told him he must stay in his crib, put him down, kissed Chase, and headed out. I knew this was just the beginning. Within seconds he was out again. The thing is, however, it was not Ryder that was causing me distress, it was Chase. Chase was behaving beautifully, laying his head down for bed, quiet, but every time Ryder jumped he would cry out "NO RYDER, DON'T DO THAT!! STAY IN YOUR CRIB." The poor kid got so upset. When I took Ryder back in, not saying a word to him as Jo the Super Nanny says to do, I did not have the heart to ignore Chase, which probably defeated the purpose. I would put Ryder down, then hug Chase, tell him how good of a boy he was being and that it was Ryder misbehaving, but his tears made this game difficult. After Ryder jumped out for the 6th time I decided to ignore him all together. He sat at the top of the steps, where a gate he can't climb over (surprisingly) prevented him from coming down to me. He cried, he begged, he called for me, he told me he did not want to take a nap. I, being mother of the year, ignored my hysterical son. It was not easy, luckily there's such a thing as facebook to take your mind off your screaming child. Within 25 minutes he was asleep, blanket in hand, at the top of the steps. When I went to get him, I looked at him, and despite the hysterics earlier heard, I saw him for what he is, so damn cute!!!
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