The Big Apple

I had a delicious weekend in "The Big Apple" with my Grandma and my Aunt Scrub, (who surprised us at the airport!). Clay took Jack down to Florida to visit his grandparents. It was just me and 'baby to be' in tow. This pregnant girl wore herself out, but it was a great way to do it. We arrived Friday early afternoon and left late on Sunday and we did not stop for one minute in between!

We arrived Friday, checked into the Marriott in Times Square, and headed out on the town. We did the epitome of tourist activities and boarded a Double Decker bus. It was a great way to see every part of the city. We picked out all of the places we wanted to visit on Saturday during the 2 hour tour. The weather was gorgeous and the company was perfect. We topped of the day with a little walking around and dinner. This mama headed to bed early while Grandma and Aunt Scrub explored some more. I am exhausted right now--this baby is wearing me out!

If I thought I was tired on Friday, I didn't know what was coming on Saturday. We woke early and hit Broadway. We grabbed a bagel and some danishes at a local bakery. We then boarded our bus and headed to the largest Macy's department store. After a little browsing and a purchase for baby Cibula we were back to shopping at local boutiques and shops along the streets. After working up an appetite, we traveled to Greenwhich Village for lunch. We shopped some more in the area, stopped for chocolates-yum! and then taxied it to Central Park. Not embarrassed to be tourists, we took a lovely carriage ride around the park. It felt soooo good to rest my spider vein inflicted pregnant legs. We then walked back to the hotel and grabbed a hot dog on the way. Have I mentioned I am a sucker for baseball and street hot dogs? (My special treat!) At the hotel we got cleaned up and a just tiny bit dressed up for our Broadway evening of Mama Mia at the Winter Garden Theatre! More walking to the theatre, this time only about 3 or 4 blocks. I grabbed a slice of pizza on the way---a pregnant girl has got to eat--and often. The show was fabulous. A real feel-good kind of production. Loved it! We went to dinner after the show and this time I only split a meal. I think I was still full off of hot dogs and pizza. After a very long day, I crashed hard around 12:30pm--that's a late night for me these days.

Sunday was another great day, however we got a later start. I slept in until 9:15 (amazing that I consider that sleeping in these days). But by the time we got packed up, checked out, and our luggage taken care of we only had about half a day to enjoy before we needed to get back to the airport. The weather was gorgeous again so we taxied it to the Sea Port. We originally thought we would try out the Staten Island Ferry, but realized the round trip, with browsing, would leave us little time to do much more, even eat. So we nixed that idea and did some more shopping, strolling, and eating. It was a perfect way to end the weekend. I was bummed about heading home, but so thrilled to be on my way back to Jack , Clay and Cosby. We had a such a great time, we decided to try to make this an annual trip. It's hard to believe that next year I would be leaving a 3 year old and a 6 month old--will I be able to do it?

The Name Game

If I've ever needed your help-- it's now. You see, Clay and I are in quite a name dilemma. I realize we don't even know the gender yet. But, because of the "name game" we've been playing, I have more reason to think it's a boy. You see, if it's a girl, we've got a name, no questions, it's a done deal. However, if it's a boy, we are struggling. I can finally say we are getting closer to a conclusion, but not 100% there yet.

The first factor is that I have some rules that I would like to follow (imagine that). I don't have to, but it would be really nice if we could. #1 We need a simple name to go with Cibula-preferably one syllable. Which leads me to #2, no names that end in "s"--it so does not work with Cibula. I would really like it to end in "k" or "t". And #3, we would like something on the traditional side to go with Jack. So here is what we have discussed thus far and the reason we don't or are at least questioning if they work..

Names we like that end in "S":
Max (love it), Thomas, James (family name), Charles (family name)

Names we like that aren't traditional:
Collin (I love it, Clay doesn't), Graham

Clay's Number One Choice, but I can't get past the shortened version:
Patrick (I just can't get past the fact he could be "Pat" one day)

Other traditionals we've tossed around, but can't confirm for one reason or another:
William "will" (too popular?), Peter "Pete" (think about it before you knock it--imagine another little one running around that looked like Jack & how cute does "Jack and Pete" sound?), and Luke (Clay's new fave, but I'm fearful of the popularity issue), Owen

So now your job is to give us some advice. I'm not saying we are going to take it, but I would still like to know your thoughts. Fill in the blanks with each name..." ___ Cibula" and "Jack and ___". Really, it changes a lot--your faves may not be your faves anymore after that little exercise. And if you do have an opinion, please only share the names you like, not the ones you don't. I'm not telling you which one, but I think we are getting close to a final choice and I listed it somewhere up there:)

The First of Many Lasts

Jack had his "first" last day of school on Friday. Somewhat bittersweet...I sure am going to miss my free Friday mornings, but at the same time I'm looking forward to fun summer Fridays with him. Next year he will be in the Tuesday-Thursday 2's room. Initially, I wondered what I would do without him two days a week but,
I got my answer about 14 weeks ago. I don't think I'll be too lonely.

Friday's end of the year party was great. It started out with an outdoor picnic and evolved into recess time. There was lots of food, bubbles, and balls. My favorite part was seeing Jack sit at the picnic tables and eat with his classmates. Amazing how a toddler can follow rules at school. He didn't even think of asking to get up until they were dismissed from the table. At home he must chant "all done, get down" 400 times just to hear me say, "no, dinner is not over". Little weasel. But, you know what they say, 'you'd rather them behave for others'. Although sometimes I have a hard time following that line of thought when I'm the one who spends 20 out of 24 hours a day with him.

Of course, I too had the messiest child of all. Before the picnic even started his neon green spirit day tee was covered in red spots. All the teacher could say was, "Jack sure loved snack today". Well, after the chocolate covered graham crackers, watermelon, and juice, he neon shirt was more like tye-dye. Needless to say, it went straight to the garbage can when we got home. I've been waiting to do that all year and on Friday I finally had an excuse. Please tell me next years tee compliments Jack's skin tone a little better.

On a much brighter note, Jack had a fabulous year. It was his first structured school experience without Mommy and according to his teacher conferences he did great. At our most recent spring conference, Mrs. Angela raved at how smart little J was. (sorry, a Mommy has got to brag every once in awhile) She was very impressed that he knew his colors, shapes, numbers, and letters. She said he was right where he needed to be in social skills--meaning he still was a work in progress when it came to sharing, but he was great at following directions. And he was a model student at story time. I guess it really is nice to know Jack is behaving for others. So here's to summer and hopefully another great year to follow!

End of The Year Picnic. There are 8 sweet little ones in Jack's class and he is the youngest! That April birthday is going to get him every time.

No...Jack didn't seem to like the picnic entree. Poor thing almost starved.

And he especially didn't like the chocolate covered graham crackers & cherries that were made into little mice.

Jack blew his first bubble with Mrs. Angela's help. (He usually just spits through the hole) He looked up at me with those sweet blue eyes and exclaimed, "yeah Mommy, I did it!". What a way to end the year!

Sliding Into 2nd

We are officially in the second trimester--14 weeks and counting. *Sigh* It feels so good to be over the hump. So far so good.

I see the doctor twice a month as opposed to just once at this stage. Every other week, I visit for alternating heartbeat checks and monthly check ups. My next heartbeat check is on Wednesday. At my last appointment the nurse said his " heartbeat was as strong as ever". I pray he keeps it up. Notice how I automatically refer to the baby as a "he". I did the exact opposite with Jack, poor guy was a "she" until I got the shocking, but wonderful, news.

As for the nausea, I am thrilled to say...IT IS GONE!!! Wow, does it feel good to feel good! I can eat, which may not be a good thing. I actually smile from 4:00pm on. And I am cooking for my family again. I still get a little queasy after my prenatal vitamin right before bed. It lasts anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. But let me tell you, that is a cake walk compared to the previous 7 weeks.

I definitely have a little pooch. If you didn't already know, you would never guess I was pregnant. But, if you do know what you are looking for you can easily find it. Again, most of my weight has dispersed to other regions. No buttons for me, I'm all about the stretch waist band or flowing sun dresses.

Just a couple more weeks before we find out if we will be pink or blue again! I have the hardest time waiting for that detail! Ugh! Please continue to keep Baby Cibula in your prayers. We love and appreciate you all for it!

According to Baby Center, this is what Baby Cibula looks like this week! He is about the size of a lemon!

He's Back

I'm referring to my "terrific two year old".

I felt that I needed to post this in Jack's defense. If I've talked to you, emailed you or you've read the blog in the past two weeks, you've probably heard me vent, or at least mention Jack's "difficult" behavior. I've blamed it on being a two year old and I've blamed it on what I thought was a sinus infection.

Well, yesterday we hit rock bottom. Jack wouldn't eat for the 5th day in a row, he whined incessantly, and then he did the unspeakable. He threw two full out, laying on the ground, screaming, temper tantrums. The first was in public and the second was at home. For the public show, I dragged him by one arm to the car, took him home and put him to bed for a nap. Then I blamed it on being two again. The second one was when I started to get a little suspicious. It was 5 o'clock, I was trying to cook dinner, and Jack sauntered into the kitchen, threw himself on the floor and started raging out of no where. That's when it hit me...we've got an ear infection.

Yes, my child is challenging at times, but temper tantrums are not really his thing. It certaintly happens every once in a while if the mood strikes him right. But, for the past week and a half, we've averaged one a day. And when we hit 2 yesterday, I just knew or at least hoped there was more to this. Don't get me wrong I didn't want my child to be sick, I just wanted an explanation.

I picked Jack up off the floor and held him in my arms right there on the kitchen floor. Within 4 minutes, he was sound asleep. My oven timer was ringing, my microwave was beeping, and I just rocked my sweet baby boy on the kitchen floor. It's almost as if all along those temper tantrums were just Jack's way of asking for his Mommy's arms.

This morning we hit the doctor's office at 8:30am and received a confirmation that Jack had been fighting a double ear infection. He also has an upper respiratory infection which has been the cause for his appetite loss. So the past 12 days, can be blamed on a very sick tot, instead of a budding 2 year old.

I'm happy to say with doses of Motrin and an antibiotic, Jack is already feeling better. The Motrin has obviously lessened the pain and he was in much better spirits this evening. He was full of energy, cooperative, and grinning from ear to ear. Clay and I just looked at each other and smiled a sigh of relief--it's so good to have our Jack "back".

p.s. don't get me wrong--he still acts like a 2 year old ;)

Wild Weekend

My definition of "wild" has significantly changed in the past 10 years. Now, "wild" means more like "busy". And that was exactly what this Mother's Day weekend was.

Friday night we went to a decent family dinner. We knew there really wouldn't be any more opportunities during the weekend so we took advantage of it. Jack did not eat a thing! Yes, my "use to devour an adult entree" child no longer eats. And when he does, he is very particular about the fare. This is where I throw in my answer to everything..."it's just another stage", not to mention he has been fighting a terrible sinus infection/head cold for a while now.

On Saturday morning we hit the zoo. We wanted to get there at opening to get tickets to the Little People show. It was first come first serve. It was crucial that we got tickets. You see, I made the mistake of telling J about our upcoming visit to the zoo and the show a week prior. And let me tell you, he has not dropped it since. The day I told him we happened to be at a restaurant and he got a little confused. He thought the Little People were coming to dine with us. He searched up and down for those characters and literally refused to leave through the front door thinking he was missing out. I finally was able to convince him the Little People were on a bus to our town and would be here in 6 days. And everyday since he has asked, "Little People bus here?". Needless to say, we were able to get tickets, the show was great for Jack, okay for Clay and I, and we saw lots of animals at the zoo. We even met Sophia and her family there. Minus Jack still fighting his sinus infection, it was a great day.

Saturday evening was followed by a Mommy and Daddy only night. Clay and I went to my Uncle's 25th anniversary party of working as the VP of Racetrac gas stations. It was quite a shin-dig considering Racetrac was footing the bill. We were picked up at our house in a limo and transported to a fabulous venue in downtown. I spent the evening toasting with ice water while Clay got to enjoy a few cocktails. We had a great time! Poor J was at home with a new babysitter. Unfortunately, Abby was not available so we called on a neighborhood sitter. When the doorbell rang, J went to the door with a smile. When I opened the door and Jack saw the new face, his face dropped and he very matter of factly said, "No! Abby". Jack made it very hard for us to exit for the evening. I think we may have scared the new sitter away between Jack's sudden stranger anxiety, his whiny behavior due to not feeling well, and just the simple fact he is very 2! Oh well, thank goodness for Abby.

Sunday was the usual--mass and brunch. However, the added bonus was my beautifully hand painted flower pot from Jack. And a fabulous one hour massage from Daddy. Mmmm...got to love Mother's Day. Thank you to my two favorite boys for making it so special. Happy Mother's Day to all!

Jack was very fascinated by the "fingos". At every other animal exhibit, he would announce "all done", but not with the flamingos. Go figure!

Jack and Daddy with the "lillas". There must have 1o of them out there playing...it was great!




Monkeying around, (although, I'm aware, that is technically a gorilla.)

Jack and "Fia" waiting for the doors to open to the Little People show. The kiddos were given LP DVDs, so Jack was intently working on getting his open.

Jack was very serious during the show--he didn't want to miss a thing!

Happy 50th Birthday Little People. After the show we climbed on stage and took a few pictures with some of the props. Sophia's little sis, Alexandra, even joined us.

Our last hurrah before heading home--a train ride. Jack was given the choice of a train ride or a carousel ride. He chose the train...he looks thrilled with his choice doesn't he? (I blame it on a combo of being 2 and not feeling well)

Mother's Day with my little angel. This is what makes it all worth it!

How come when you are pregnant you can find so many things about yourself that disgust you? I was mortified with every picture we took over this weekend. I even declared a ban on pictures of me until this baby is born. Yuck...I am not a good pregnant lady...I just feel so gross! (I'm assuming this is NOT just me that feels this way pregnant, right??) I lifted the ban in honor of Mother's Day;)

Details, Details, Details

Well, here they are-- all of the details. Probably more than you care to know, but I like to take note for prosperity's sake. It's been an interesting past couple of months. To say I've been paranoid during this pregnancy would be an understatement. However, I can confidently say, it has felt "real". I feel pregnant this time, which for someone who does not enjoy being pregnant, has been beyond blissfully exciting. We still have a long road ahead of us, but we can't help but dream about kissing tiny toes and fingers and holding our newest family member. We are on our way to becoming a family of 4 and it feels great!

*I've been praying hard and often for this one. If my prayers are answered this will be a healthy full term pregnancy, the baby will grow in a normal and healthy way, the baby will be happy, not have colic and no hemangiomas, Jack will be a great big brother, I will be a patient Mommy, and baby will fit into our family perfectly. I sure hope God is listening.

*I'm sure you all want to know the due date. Of course, that was the first thing I wanted to find out next to the gender, but I have to wait on the latter. Baby Cibula's official due date is November 13th, yes that is a Friday. Call me crazy, but I thought that was pretty cool--just like big brother, Jack's, Friday, April the 13th due date and actual birthday. Unfortunately, the doc has already informed me that we won't be waiting until November 13th. I'm a C-section Mommy, so it looks baby will arrive 7-10 days before the 13th. Regardless we have a November baby coming!

* I am exactly 12 1/2 weeks pregnant, according to ultrasounds and endless blood work over the past 7 weeks. I was considered high risk at the start and now I'm just a normal ol' pregnancy. Quite a relief, but I do miss those extra ultrasounds.

*The past 6 1/2 weeks have been nauseating to say the least. It has been awful on and off ALL DAY. The worst of it is from 4:00ish on into the middle of the night. I didn't have any of this with J, so it has really thrown me for a loop. I hate eating and I hate not eating --nothing makes me feel better. Oh, and the pre-natal pill, that really does me in. I haven't cooked for my poor family for over a month. It's fend for yourself around here. Hence the reason my Grandma came in town and stocked the fridge for my poor hubby. Hopefully, I'm nearing the end of this...don't want to speak too soon though.

*I've gained 6 1/2 lbs in the first trimester alone. The average is 2-5 lbs. Let's just say my weight gain during pregnancies is generally off the charts. If you've seen me recently, I'm sure you've noticed, although no one would ever admit it. I look like I'm carrying twins in my rear end. I can't fit into anything with buttons! Thanks goodness for the warm weather, I've been able to throw on sun dresses and hide everything, (so I think). Only I can feel the friction of my thighs rubbing together which I tell myself is a pleasant reminder of my little Baby Cibula.

*Unlike with Jack, I haven't really had any serious cravings. (With him I could have been considered a carnivore--I LOVED meat). Lots of aversions with this little one though...depending on the day and the time, they can vary anywhere from pork chops to tomato sauce to onions to bananas. The one thing that I can always eat...bread, crackers, bagels, basically any carb. Hmmmm....that might explain the weight gain.

*I am about 85% sure it's a boy. Clay really thinks it's a girl. My Grandma and the ultrasound tech think it's a girl too. None of them have ANY scientific proof--just gut feelings. Both Clay and Grandma were right about Jack and I was obviously very wrong. However, I would place my bets on my intuition this time--I just really have that feeling. Either way, after what we have gone through, I will be ecstatic with a healthy, happy babe in my arms...blue or pink.

As time continues, I will keep you posted. Of course, we cherish your prayers and thoughts for our family and especially Baby Cibula.

Jack's Big News...

Details to come...