Nannie Day Care

So after laying out the rules I waited for my mom (a.k.a. Nannie day care) to throw down a giant "oh hell no!" but she didn't so far she's been a trouper about trying out the things we're doing. The result, 1 week in, is that Layla is already more calm and acting more like her old self.

It's a balancing act. Nannie fun time, Mommy fun time, Daddy fun time all balanced against baths, hair brushing, lunches and naps. Good stuff.

Plus I knew if Nannie was on board it would help tons. After all, Layla worships Nannie most of the time. I think if Nannie had a puppy I'd never see my daughter at all. There are worse things that can happen to a child then spending all day most days wrapped in Nannie love, right?

Dates

So if you read my facebook you know that today I got the email from WebMD that says "welcome to your 8th month new mommy" and then I hyperventilated right there with my laptop on my lap. They jumped the gun... I have 4 days left dang it!

After my "oh my god I'm not ready panic" cleared up I went to work which would have been highly boring except right before my lunch break I got a text from my mom asking me to meet her and Laylabug at McDonald's for a suprise lunch date.

Lunch was yummy... Layla got to play when it was time for me to go back to work and Mom took a picture for me. Isn't she cute?

In the last week Layla's vocabulary has improved dramatically. her annunciation is getting much better and since we've cut back the whining by going back on the schedule she's been much easier to communicate with. Maybe this 2 kids at once thing won't actually kill me...maybe...

Rounding Out

When I was pregnant with Layla I lost a TON of weight but I put most of it back in the course of the 3rd trimester. When the pregnancy was over I was a lot smaller than I started very quickly and I stayed that way for awhile. Eventually though, I lost a job and then another baby and being the stress eater that I am...well... I rounded out a bit.

This time I started off my pregnancy on the heavier side of my normal weight flux. I then proceeded to lose almost 27 lbs in the first half of my pregnancy. Even with the 4 lbs I put back on. I'm still 23 lbs lighter than I started. That means my "maternity" clothes are clothes that I have pretty much always had. I still wear the same size of pants and finally at almost 8 months along I don't have to wear a belt anymore to keep them up. *yes I had to wear a belt around my baby belly for several months*

I know you've all heard this before. The thing is now that I am VERY pregnant looking...Anyah sits so high that I can still wear my pants but my shirts look totally wrong so I had to get a few dresses and I broke out 2 old maternity shirts from last time.

The thing is... I don't know what to pack for the hospital. I mean if I drop weight like I did with Layla from labor... I don't have any pants small enough to wear home and wearing a dress while recovering from a c-section might be a little akward.

Any advise?

To Do List Living

I hate being one of those people who has a to do list a mile long but I guess it's a nesting thing. I'm 31 days from my 31st birthday and while the whole month before my 30th birthday I was counting down and making plans this transition from 30 to 30-something is pretty uneventful. Maybe a birthday lunch with a girlfriend or dinner with friends this year would be awesome. Mainly, I'm really pregnant. I feel huge and I don't want to have to work on anything that doesn't require work.

The things that do require work those are requiring lists otherwise I worry about getting them done. Or worse yet, sometimes I forget to do things all-together. So at the moment I'm all about the dreaded list.

I have a list of lists in my purse. Then I have the actual lists themselves.

I'm a 7 step program away from being a list-a-holic.

Send intervention.

Pajama Dancing

Layla is watching Minnie's Bow-tique (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD) for the 2nd time in a row this morning. Her "pajama dance" is about the cutest tiny butt shaking I've ever seen. The first time she watched it I was in bed so I figure it doesn't count...now I'm letting her watch it once with me.

Jon let me sleep in this morning and when I got up he had made cinnamon rolls, so the house smelt yummy. He went back to bed a bit ago to catch some sleep he's lost this week and when he wakes up I'm going to try and get him to help me with some nesting projects. Our house is a mess.

Now that it's almost my baby shower and my maternity leave paperwork is filled out and the c-section is scheduled with a pre-op arranged... I suddenly feel like I have NOTHING ready. I don't have a hospital bag. I don't have a diaper bag. I don't have a crib set up or the dresser where I want it. Layla isn't ready.

I'm 30 weeks along (give or take) and the only thing that's where it's supposed to be at this point is the giant baby belly that is going to get in my way while I try and nest today. There is something about having a 2 year old that keeps you from ever being able to keep anything organized. I don't know how people do it.

I clean up something, then her nap ends and 5 minutes later you can't even tell I had ever cleaned it up in the first place.

Last night I had a nightmare that I came home from the hospital from having Anyah and Mom had been watching Layla at the house and the whole place was destroyed and I had to clean 3 days post op. I know it's just that little voice in the back of my head whispering "you can't handle this" and it has me dancing with anxiety...which is not nearly as cute as the pajama dance.

rock star but not a diva

The excellent and peaceful progress of our toddler haulted some time after Christmas. We went from pee in the potty in the morning, happy play most of the day, nap without fuss, good eating and great sleeping (in our bed- that happened in early December) to chaos. Absolute-flippin-chaos.

Part of it is that Mommy is pregnant, tired and had been sick so she wasn't being as hard core of a "right is right and wrong is wrong" Mommy as she used to be. Part of it was Daddy picking up Mommy's slack, trying to keep me in one piece and suddenly getting more hours at work. Part of it was every one is sick and Layla cut her toddler molars. Part of it was that Nannie was watching Layla more and more and Nannie is a sucker...and not just any sucker but one of those giant swirly ones you can only get at theme parks. (love you mom...really...)

So in 2 months we've gone from calm and well behaved 95 % of the time to 80% of the time. While that's still less drama then some other kids I know... it's driving me CRAZY. Soon they are going to have to lock me in a padded room and feed me nothing but jell-o...that kind of crazy.

After the 2 hour plus fit over the toddler wanting to be the boss of us earlier this week there was a line in the sand at our house...a BIG line... it might be a fault line. I'm just saying.

Thusly...now there are rules. Some of them are rules we had before that just have to get reinforced. some of them are new rules that Mommy and Daddy decided life would be better with. It boils down to seven life skill type rules I think every kid needs to have.


1. The toddler is not the boss of us. (Alternately titled-respect your elders and for the love of GOD stop whining and screaming)

2. Follow the daily routine (Layla was doing so well when things always went in the same order with the same rules every day)

3. Clean up after yourself. (New rule- new era...with a baby coming I could use a tiny helper)

4. Eat Smart. (Old rule, long since forgotten by every single person in this house who is EXHAUSTED which I think is all of us)

5. Praise happy toddlers! (I used to hear a lot more praise and a lot less *NO STOP* *LAYLA GRACE* *ONE....two...THREE* and this rule was created because I think it's the first step in having a child behave well is to treat them like they are good when they are good)

6. Learning is fun. (Layla thrives at some things and struggles with others so this will be about focusing time on the things that matter most)

7. Mommy and Daddy get the final veto. (this is a lot like rule #1 but involves getting active support from the Grandparents because sometimes the tiny rules that grandparents break haunt us FOREVER or so it appears)

So why am I posting this here? Well mostly to hold myself accountable. I also sent a copy to my mom (so she can work with us) and I am printing a few out to post up around my house to keep Jon, Nannie and I focused on the daily aspect of going back to the land of calm.

The printout is much more detailed and each rule is a paragraph long with explainations but I didn't want to bore the internet with that...

So ask me how we did in a month would you?

Just counting down

20 days until my baby shower

35 days until my birthday

42 days until Layla gets to hunt Easter eggs at Nannie's house

64 days until I go out on maternity leave

72 days until Layla gets a little sister & Anyah has a BIRTH day

Nothing to see here

Today was a long day. I got up early, went to work, worked a full day, met with the HR person at work to go over pre-leave of absense info, came home and called the supplemental short term disability people to get some more paperwork for maternity leave, went to target and completed the baby registry while Jon dealt with a non-cooperational toddler, ate dinner, took a shower, got layla to bed with Jon's help...and then the heartburn kicked in.

So now I'm up and staring at a blurry computer screen while Jon watches Supernatural and wishing I was asleep. I hate it when that happens.

*sigh*

A Day Like Today

We woke up to sunshine through the window in the bedroom and cuddled through one book, 3 songs and about 15 minutes of poking a pregnant woman and telling her to get up!

We ate eggs and drank apple juice while watching Sesame Street (again)

There was a trip to the store and McDonald's for lunch.

We played with the screen door open and she yelled at the lawn service people telling them they did a "good job".

Naptime took longer than expected and then lasted longer than normal.

Then there was more playing and yelling "ta-da!" and shooting Mommy with a penguin happy meal toy while dinner was in the oven.

There was t-shirts and jeans, hear in buns, pictures to post on blogs and even a little dancing to the radio.

Today is what happens when you plan ahead and then the plan gets blown away.

Sometimes Daddy comes home sick, sometimes the baby cries in the grocery store, sometimes Mommy pulls a muscle getting out of the car, and sometimes... it's still a good day anyhow.

Marching Along

I swear that February didn't really happen. Last time I checked it was January and then today I look at the calendar and February is almost gone. Time flies when you've got a job, husband, toddler and baby on the way.

I literally had an OBGYN appointment and Valentine's day both sneak up on me while I wasn't looking. It's ok, I've got my eye on Easter so at least when April arrives I should be prepared for that one. But, between now and then we've got all sorts of things on the calendar.

March brings my baby shower, my co-worker/work baby shower, my birthday (along with a few other birthdays) and St. Patrick's Day (oh green beer, I will miss you).

Speaking of my birthday. I recently got a request for gift ideas. So um...

Old Navy Giftcards for clothing to be purchased after Anyah comes. I'm already down almost 2 pant sizes without giving birth...so I know I'll need new pants at the very least once the baby comes.

NCIS or Gilmore Girl seasons on DVD. We don't have cable and I'm about to be home ALOT.

Some spa time, I could definitely use a hair color touch up, a pedicure, and an eyebrow wax before I have a baby and people start taking my picture a lot.

Gift cards for places to go eat. The more pregnant I get the less I want to cook.

How pathetic is that list? Very. But the truth is... I have a wonderful daughter and a wonderful daughter on the way and my focus is on the little things.

My Paper Gown Visit

So people following along on facebook already heard that today I had an OBGYN check-up. Due to some high blood pressure and some bizarre hip pain, I got the paper gown treatment.

The result is we now know I'm a little dialated (1 to 1 1/2 inches) and that I have a date for my C-section.

We're looking at May 6th... exceptions of course would be if Anyah decides she'd like to make a natural arrival earlier (in which case we'll have an emergency c-section with no notice) or the date could move up 1 more week if my blood pressure gets worse or we have another complication.

But May 6th... at the latest.

Also, due to high blood pressure concerns my OBGYN thinks it would be best to pull me out of work at 36 weeks. That means I have less than 8 weeks of work left.

Not that I am excited about the loss of income, but I am totally excited about having a little time at home with Layla before Anyah comes, time I can spend mostly in my PJ's...which is also a huge perk.

It was a nice way to end the Tuesday that was my Monday this week. Due to President's Day weekend today was a nightmare at work. It was nice to come home and eat lasagna with my daughter and my hubby while day dreaming about ten new tiny toes.

Of Presidents and Children's Cold Medicine

Two days off in a row.... yessss!! I was excited. Visions of sorting baby clothes, cleaning up messes in my kitchen and rounding out my baby registry at the Target danced through my head. There might even be play time at the park, I thought oh so gleefully. But, that was 2 days ago.

For Valentine's Day my love bug got a cold bug. Yummy. Snot galore. There was lots of whining. We lived. That was my first day off.

Today, she woke up with a cough and a bad mood to match. Eventually, we reached a content toddler level ground but it was HOURS after we got out of bed. She's still in her pjs.

Thanks to my mom stopping by yesterday morning I did manage to sort some baby clothing. I never did make it to Target though.

Yesterday afternoon we had visits from George (Layla's Godfather) and Papa Glen and Teri to see Layla for Valentine's day. Papa and Teri stayed for dinner.

This morning I managed to catch up the dishes. Ironically, last night Teri started doing dishes and I never went to see what she was doing. She ended up rewashing some clean dishes that were still in the dishwasher with the dirty ones from dinner. (In her defense our dishwasher sucks so a few of the dishes probably didn't look clean which always makes one leary)

Jon works this evening and my work week picks back up bright and early tomorrow morning when Tuesday will have the displeasure of being the new Monday.

Well at least I didn't have to use my 1 accrued sick day to take care of my daughter.

International Florist Awareness Day

Single people hate it. Dating couples plan for it. Married people learn that it doesn't matter. Little kids can't wait for the red wrapped candy. Florists wait all year for a chance to celebrate it.

Love

It doesn't require a florist, chocolates in a heart shaped box or a red/pink outfit.

It doesn't ask you to spend your money, your time, or your hard earned happiness on searching out that last.perfect.wonderful. item that you didn't know you needed to get until you saw it.

Love is moments

And I assure you they aren't the planned ones.

So hug a florist if you want to. Get a hallmark card. Buy some chocolates. Make a date.

Because when love finds you, it won't be because the day had a heart around it on your calender.

And that's coming from someone who kissed her husband for the first time on valentine's day. Because what was love then... well it can't even add up to what love is like now that we've had thousands of moments to cultivate it.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I love to love you

Ree over at Pioneer Woman (whose food blog I have read religiously forever and a day and yet do not know in real life) has a list of things she loves on her blog. I loved the idea. So I'm stealing it... Feel free to hop over to her list and check it out/add to it.

Here is mine.

I love....

new flavors
dove milk chocolate
baby feet
watching anyah roll around in my tummy
the way my toddler says the word sorry
my borderline hippie husband
snorting laughter
pedicures i don't have to pay for
good books
road trips
pepsi with lots of ice
music that makes you want to move
squishy soft bedroom pillows
girlfriends who understand what you mean when you say the wrong thing
board games
the sound of a baby singing herself to sleep
visits from friends
my dad's laugh
the way having your mommy around makes you feel safer even if you're not
stories that are still funny the 3rd time you hear them
co-sleeping in the family bed
the smell of new baby and dreft detergent
getting saucey
pink laptops
chocolate mice from the local bakery
bubble baths
toddlers who aren't scared of anything
chicken tacos
new shoes
jeans that fit
MAC N5 studio fix concealer
family traditions
pajama days
the way my wedding ring has made a perminent indentation in my finger
christmas morning
cursing
baked potato soup
when my husband and I talk all witty and sarcastic to each other
rainy days
movie nights
when layla pretends to be a puppy
singing along with the radio
margaritas at midnight
festivals and fairs
faeries
my imagination
making lists
you
and you....

I'll add more later... I can think of thousands of things...this is fun and uplifting, you should try it.

I heart you.

Oh internet, how I have missed you. Granted, without you in my life the dishes actually get done in a timely fashion (wait mom did those for me)...nevermind.

This week has been totally random. We had the internet drama. We had the teething toddler that gave herself an asthma attack yesterday in a chinese food restaraunt and then purged her dinner all over the floor. We've had the unborn child who only moves at 2 a.m. making it impossible to sleep.

Valentine's day is quickly approaching, which matters if you like that whole flowers, chocolate, excuse to go to dinner thing. We don't. We might go to dinner some time in the next week or so but it's because we like to eat and we have had some adult time lately and Jon and I like it.

I bought cupcakes. Happy heart day. Take it or leave it.

I don't need a holiday of spending beyond my budget to know Jon loves me. He takes out the trash and tucks Layla into bed every night after he puts her into pajamas and that's enough for me.

AT&T I have 2 words for you

Suck it!

Internet and posting will be down here for awhile because when AT&T makes a mistake they make you wait a week while they fix it. How's that for customer service you tell your friends about?

Is it comcast time in the 209 yet?

What's that?

Ahh the sounds of Monday. Alarm clocks. Work emergency line buzzers. Little girls who talk too fast to be understood. Dinner dishes clanging. Husbands clicking their crops to harvest on Farmville.

Welcome to the week.

Enjoy.

The Cycle of Mornings

Most mornings I get up in the cloak of darkness, stumble to the bathroom and get ready for work while making as little noise as possible. Then I make my way downstairs in the dark and turn on the kitchen light while I try to talk myself into making a lunch for work. When that's done I sit in my favorite chair and wait for it to be time to go to work. Sometimes if I work the later shift (on Saturdays) I throw into the mix entertaining Layla while she tries to mimic everything I do in the bathroom mirror and runs circles around me until Nannie shows up to watch her.

Exceptions to this are my days off. The first day off every week is usually spent trying to reclaim my house. The upside to free childcare is that it's free. The downside is it takes place in your home and because you're not paying for it you can't exactly say...excuse me can you please start picking up after yourselves. So most weeks by Saturday/Sunday my house is a mess. Jon and I both do damage control during the week but a once a week overhaul is usually necessary. I also do baby laundry and at least 2 loads of dishes. Dishes are something that I loathe.

I usually try and make a real breakfast for Layla on my day off. Eggs and sausage or pancakes and sausage are our favorites. I attempt to spent a little time actually playing with my kid (today we busted out the chalkboard already). We watch movies while we eat and usually as a result of picking up and trying to get things done I nap when she naps.

The first day off doesn't really feel like a day off. That's actually my "issue" with the way my work does weekend rotation. On my weekends off I get 2 days in a row (Saturday and Sunday) but on my weekends on I get split days off (Sunday and Wednesday). Usually with my day off during the week I end up scheduling appointments and so those days stay pretty busy. My catch up day ends up being Sunday and I end up feeling like I had no days off. I usually don't get to sleep in at all on my 4 weeks without Saturdays and I can't exactly catch up with my friends when I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off.

Don't get me wrong. I'm greatful to have a job, especially one with good insurance since I have a baby on the way. I just wish everyone always got 2 days off in a row. I think it would increase our rest and help us to help the people we're working with better. But that's just me.

As I sit here thinking about how much I feel like I never have time to rest I wonder how much moer complicated my life is about to get. Soon there will be a baby in this mix. Spiritually that is exhausting for me to think about. I feel stretched thin already, I don't know how much farther I can pull. Today I woke up cranky and then the morning was rough and I can't imagine having this bad of a morning while breastfeeding an infant every few hours.

Egads, what did I get myself into.

Saturday's on the rocks

The first Saturday you work in a rotation is always the hardest. It's hard to leave your toddler as they cry because normally this is the day you hang out and watch movies and do crafts. It's hard to start work an hour later and to stay at work an hour later as a result. It's hard to put up with cranky people and the generally unfun to help when you know you could be home in your pajamas instead.

The hardest part of Saturday for me is the fact that I usually get home AT dinnertime and I have to rush from work to making the toddler something to eat and as soon as she's eaten she's all full of energy and I'm ready for a nap.

I'm cranky and she's acting like she's on crack. I feel bad for Jon.

Wonky Perspective

I feel like I have been pregnant FOREVER. On the opposite side of the spectrum, up until today I felt like I was going to continue being pregnant FOREVER. Isn't April like 990 years away? I thought so.

There is another girl at work that is also pregnant. Her due date is about a week after mine. Today she sends me an email that says "isn't it hard to believe that in about 10 weeks we'll probably be out on maternity leave?"What??

I grab the calendar, in my that can't be right smugness and I count the weeks. Holy crap! Assuming I don't work past 37 weeks (most people don't) I have less than 10 weeks left. Um... someone start the bat signal we're gonna need a super hero.

Ten weeks doesn't seem like enough time. I guess it was the pregnant belly that never really grew but I just feel like I am not even half way done and I'm almost 2/3's of the way done.

Guess I better actually send my baby shower invite list to the person giving me a shower NEXT MONTH. *sigh*

Time got away from me again.

And Away Life Goes

Today was an exceptionally weird day. I took a floating holiday from work so that I could go take a blood test to check on the status of Baby Anyah. I had an appointment at 8 a.m. at the local blood lab so I was totally cool when Layla woke up at 7 a.m. and then my mom ended up running late so I called and canceled my appointment and asked if I could come in as a walk-in. Sure.

So I turn up just before 9 a.m. to get my blood test and there is literally half an old folks home of elderly people in line in front of me. It smells bad in the lab when it's stuffed with people and the heater is running. I haven't eaten since yesterday because it's a fasting test. I get to the front and they let me know it's going to be about a 2 hour and 15 minute wait. Only to try and make it sound nice she says... it will probably be just before 11 a.m. if you want to go somewhere and come back. There is no way I can go to 11 a.m. and then an hour past that before eating. So I make an appointment for my day off next week and then call my OBGYN from the parking lot to explain my test results won't be there before my appointment next week if they want to reschedule me.

So I come home and we decide to go check out the new Hucklebee's in town. It was an ok breakfast but the place was adorable. Layla though went totally bipolar when we got there and alternated every 5 minutes between happy cute toddler and alligator tear crying, with a brief break to eat sausage. Longest 45 minutes of my life.

When we leave we go to the park where we ran into Layla's little friend North with his Grandma. We played at the park for awhile where I played with my daughter and my mom battled her new iPhone addiction by taking a ton of videos and occassionally stopping to play. Then we came home. Layla likes to play with Nannie in the car so they did that for awhile.

When Layla came in she wanted a snack and being as breakfast was late she just got the snack before naptime. I laid down with her just long enough for her to go to sleep then I got up and blogged pictures to the Bug & Bean blog. She woke up from her nap very hot (too many blankets) and aggitated. That can be cured with apple juice and sesamestreet.org video feed. Just saying.

After that Nannie came over to watch Layla and she brought her dinner. Jon and I snuck out to see Book of Eli. Easily the best movie I have ever seen. I love me an end of the world movie with suggestive adult themes and biblical faith. Yes. Yes I do.

Then it was fend for yourself in the pantry/freezer for a later dinner for Jon and I. While Layla watches Sesame Street on DVD I'll go take a shower and then I'll be off to bed so that tomorrow I can get up and go to work.

I work this Saturday which is always a pisser. But with the floating holiday at least I am not working 6 days straight. Silver lining officially noted. It's officially a case of normal parenthood and live in the middle class over here right now.