A Day At The Dentist

Let me warn you, this is not a very exciting post. But, I just couldn't resist documenting Jack' first dentist appointment.

Well, it actually wasn't an official appointment--it was what they call a "quick look". They generally don't see boys for a teeth cleaning until about 3 1/2 years old. So instead the office recommends you bring your tot in every three months around age 2 to prepare them for the big visit. And best of all, the "quick looks" are completely free of charge!

The entire appointment itself was no more than 15 minutes. It was 5 minutes of Jack picking out his 'pre see the dentist' sticker and tooth brush. He ended up with a 3D butterfly sticker with flapping wings and a blue and yellow tooth brush. About 3 minutes with the dentist where she "counted" his teeth/checked for any problems. And the final 7 minutes were spent picking his prize out of the toy drawer.

And wow, was that a toy drawer--there were some fancy goodies in there. Jack's final choice?...a plastic egg with a beetle immersed in slimy goo. "Seriously?", I asked him, "of all things?" And his response, "I like insect bugs". Who can argue with that? Now since we've been home, I've tried to hide the egg and it's contents on several occasions. And Jack always seems to ask for it. I'm waiting for the novelty to wear off.

Minus the gooey beetle there were good results from our day at the dentist--Jack got an excellent report on his teeth (which warranted a sigh of relief from me, considering Clay and I are actually the ones taking care of those things) and Jack has asked me several times if we can go back. So until next time, we'll keep brushing away and I'll keep trying to hide his dentist day prize.

Jack intently listened to the dental instructions being shared.

Maggie:33 Weeks

If I sounded a bit negative on my last posting, I apologize. I won't lie, I am still very stressed, extremely tired, and over my head in house repairs. But, all of that was nicely put into perspective on Friday.

On Friday I got to see my sweet baby girl via ultrasound. Is it possible to already be so in love? I'm telling you I was walking on clouds after my appointment. My questioning of her gender was resolved---yes, she is still a girl! And my fear of her being scrawny was was disproven--she is full of chub and big ol' fat cheeks. They did guess that she would be a bit shorter than Jack, who was 22" at birth, but considering her feet were up under my rib cage, it was hard to get an accurate measurement. But, most importantly, she was developing just right!

Now, I know I'm her mother, but I can't help but think she is absolutely beautiful. The tech said, "she has big eyes, a dainty nose, and chubby cheeks". Maggie is also sporting a full grown mullet...ugh! Yes, she has teeny sprouts of hair on her head, a little more on the side, and the back hair was flowing. Of course, that could change in the next 6 weeks. However, if it doesn't--don't think I'll be afraid to cut it. In that brief few minutes of watching her on the ultrasound screen, I forgot all about my flooded basement, leaking laundry room, damaged foyer, and flooring samples. I just watched my precious baby girl wiggle around perfect as could be. I'm telling you it was just what I needed.

The other slightly eventful moment of my appointment was my weigh in. After not gaining any weight at my last 2 week appointment AND measuring a bit small, I decided I needed to eat...a lot. I've spent the past two weeks snacking extra and taking an extra spoonful here and there. I just haven't had a huge appetite this pregnancy, so it took a little forcing. Well, apparently it worked...4 lbs since my last appointment! That's 2 lbs a week...YIKES! I told Dr C. my strategy and she politely responded, "well, I think you can slow down now". And now that I've witnessed Maggie's' chubby self first hand, I think I'll do just that.

I think we have another thumb sucker. But, yum, look at those cheeks!

She already knows how to pose for the camera. Isn't she perfect? Mmmm...love that baby already!

Underwater

Literally! The torrential down pours for the past 7 days have wreaked havoc on my house. Last night, in between commercials for the Dancing With the Stars, I noticed a little puddle in my laundry room, a small wet spot on my ceiling, and an inch or so of water in the unfinished part of the basement. 'Ugh'...is all I could think, because honestly I was too tired to deal with it. Clay made a quick call to our general contractor and it was set that he would come by today and hopefully find the source of our leaks. The best we could do at 9:00 p.m.

By this afternoon, the linoleum in our laundry room was bubbled up into tiny hills, the floor was soaked, that little spot on the ceiling had multiplied, and the worst of it all--the finished part of our basement that borders the storage area was drenched. No time to wait on our contractor and definitely time to worry! With Clay out of town and wild Jack home from school, I called a restoration company. (Seeing how there is isn't much I could do on my own 7 1/2 months pregnant & with a 2 year old barreling around.) They were out here within the hour and the work began. Let me rephrase that, the demolition began. I now have...

*a huge hole in my ceiling where the sheet rock has been cut out

*a concrete floor in my laundry room where the previous flooring was

* ripped up carpet in my basement hallway

*bins, tubs, storage materials & other misc. items strewn all of over the place as we wait for the basement storage area to dry

*4 industrial size fans (which are extemely loud), and 3 just as large humidifiers adorning my home in various places

The next step? Well, I meet a different contractor here on Thursday A.M. to go over the re-construction phase of this catastrophe. Then on Friday the resotration company returns to pick up their machinery. That is 3 whole days that we get to live with the obstacle course and hurricane force wind noise, in case you were counting.

Now, I'm sure I just might be able to handle this a wee bit better if I weren't nesting. Not great, but being this pregnant does not make for a patient person. I want my house clean, in order, and absolutely perfect for Maggie's arrival. I'm sure I'll be a mess post her arrival, I don't need my house to be too. Not to mention, I am having the hardest time with her nursery. And now, unfortunately, the nursery goes to the back burner for a while and I get to pick out flooring...how fun!

Of course, in the midst of a small mental breakdown this evening, my oh so calm husband says, "it will all be okay, just count your blessings". At the moment I wanted to throw someting at him. Easy for him to say--he's not pregnant. But now, that I've had time to let it soak in (no pun intended), I've decided he belongs at the top of my list. I could not get through this without him.

My lovely laundry room...floorless!

The new addition to our foyer. And just below that? You guessed it, two large machines blowing wind gusts up into the hole.

Sesame Street Live

We went to Sesame Street Live this weekend. It was Jack's first "theatrical production", can I call it that? Jack, being Elmo's number one fan, was in awe. I mean completely mesmerized through out the entire show. We couldn't get him to even look at us, much less talk to us during the act.

I bought floor seats basically the day they went on sale. We've been waiting for this crew to come to town for a while now. I wanted great seats, at the time I wanted, on the day I wanted. I signed up on the Sesame Street website to get all the news about upcoming shows in our area. So, when I got the email two months ago...I was thrilled.

Well, the floor seats, weren't all they were cracked up to be. It's kind of hard to see if there are Mommy or Daddy heads in front of you, which is why Jack spent the entire time in his Daddy's lap. We had to traipse down quite a slew of stairs to get to the floor and just as many to get back up. And the floor was nasty wet, I'm assuming from all of the rain...still not sure about that one.

However, there were some pros. We REALLY were in the middle of the action. Several characters came down the aisles. Telly even patted Jack on the head! We were right by the balloon man when he came out during intermission-(ha!, that one being a pro for Jack). And we had our own personal bathroom down there with no line and super easy acess -(now, that one was a pro for prego me!)

The show itself was nothing short of fantastic. Lots of catchy tunes, choreographed dancing, and all of the Sesame Street characters. Not to mention is was the perfect length...an hour and a half...not too long, not too short. I would definitely venture out for another. Well, worth the price and the day!

In line at the souvenir stand...we chose a program (or book as J referred to it). $8 well spent, he's read it at least 15 times since the show.

"Book" reading #1. Jack wasn't too shy to cop a squat right on the hallway floor to check out his new purchase.

This is where Jack spent 90% of the show...nestled right in Daddy's lap. Note the mesmerized stare--it did not leave his face.

The whole family during intermission. Gotta love the angle--as if I'm not big enough already! And Jack's face?, well that's a product of being told to say 'cheese'.

Yes, we were suckered into an Elmo balloon. $8 not so well spent.

But hey, Jack loved it..and that's what this day was all about.

Bed Time Prayers With a 2 Year Old

After a round of our recited prayers, we started with our blessings...

Mommy: God Bless Jack and Maggie

Jack: yes

Mommy: God Bless Mommy and Daddy

Jack: Who else?

Mommy: God Bless Cosby

Jack: No, not Cosby!

Mommy: Why not? He's part of our family.

Jack: Cosby doesn't go to church!

Cook Out At The Cottage

We hosted our annual cook out this past weekend. Is it still okay to call it annual if this is really only the second time we've done it? The first year Jack was only 5 months old and so were most of his buddies. We called it "BBQ, Babies, and Boccie Ball". Last year, we had just moved and we tried. We really did. But, by the time we got the evite out, most people had plans. And to be honest, I was kind of overwhelmed with the move anyway. So we opted out and here we are this year.

My, my, how have the "once babies" have grown. Most are in their second year, some older and we've even added a couple of younger siblings and friends. Of course, the title of our shindig has quickly changed. I couldn't think of anything catchy with the word "toddler", so I went for "Cook Out at the Cottage". I like to call my house a cottage, because of the style and feel of it. (And this is for Clay...NO, not because I think it's small!!) That really bothers Clay--he thinks of size and I think of style.

Regardless the 'Cook Out at the Cottage' was a great time. I like to consider it my last "hurrah" before our world gets rocked over here (a.k.a Maggies' arrival). Of course, being the hostess, I was running around like crazy...getting more food from the fridge, changing J's diaper, showing off M's half done nursery, feeding & cleaning J, controlling my feisty dog, and making sure everyone was enjoying themselves. I didn't get to engage in as many convos as I would have liked. But, just having everyone here made me happy.

So here are a lot of pictures until next year, when we add another to the brood, (or maybe more than that...wink, wink), and I'm not saying who, but I have a couple suspicions...

An obviously engaging conversation that I missed out on while I was running around playing hostess. (and look at Jack..caught in the act throwing something--hmm, I just noticed that!)

The Toole family...the newest addition, Thomas, who will be a year in October. He missed Babies and BBQ two years ago.

Wesley Kate, the little Bubble Queen. And how sweet is that precious outfit? I can't wait to do that to Maggie!

This is what I get now when I tell Jack that I would like to take his picture...an over animated little ham! (at least he doesn't run,huh?)

Look at the sweet girls playing in their dresses. Meanwhile Jack was somewhere covered in sand, sweat, dirt, and dinner.

Jack and Sophia are truly like brother and sister. When it's good-it's really good and when it's bad, well, you know. This was a good sharing moment.

Nate the Great debating that sand box. Hmm...is the mess worth it?

High School Buddies...okay, Allison made me swear not to use this picture. But, come on, I'm the one huge, exhausted, and hideous looking. Anyone should be thrilled to take a picture next to me!

The Grill Master. His specialty...burgers, dogs, and brats.

Dessert time. Kristen brought the cupcakes, she obviously does not have a toddler yet. They were a hit with the 2 year old crowd...and a GIANT mess!

Jack and Ansley took turns seeing who could make a bigger mess and then laughing hysterically over it.

A couple of Daddies and a game of Boccie Ball. Note Patterson hanging in the wings...he wanted to play with the big boys soooo bad!

Jack liked practicing being a big bro. He is magnet to babies these days. Which is a pleasant surprise, but also makes me a nervous wreck and the little one's mommies too, I'm sure.

Yes, we did manage this. Our secret...bribe them with Jelly Beans. I was literally able to take about 15 of these before the tots got restless. Of course, there was not one pic where everyone was looking, but hey, they sat still. That's pretty impressive. And when it was over, they bombarded me and the jelly beans.

Maggie's Birth Date

It's official...we've set Maggie's date of arrival. The wonderful day we welcome her into the world will be....

November 9th, 2009

11/9/09

It's the closest day to her original due date that Dr. C would let me go. I suppose 4 days early isn't too bad.

However, I have a feeling she is going to be a tiny little thing. I haven't gained any weight since my last visit--that was absolutely unheard of during Jack's pregnancy! And, I measured 3o weeks at my appointment today and tomorrow I am suppose to be 31 weeks...hmm. Dr. C doesn't seem to think anything of it. But, I can't help but wonder how I could from a 9 pounder to this. I suppose it is appropriate for our baby girl to be more petite than J was. It all remains to be seen on November 9th...maybe she's fooling us all.

So please mark your calendars for a hospital visit, if you can manage. Lord knows, we will be there 3 long days at least. I really don't want Maggie's "Who Came to Visit Me At the Hospital" page of her baby book to be empty just because she is our second!

Three's A Charm

Here I am 30 weeks pregnant and nicely into the third trimester. Taking a picture of my pregnant self, much less posting it on the blog, is against everything I believe in. However, I feel it's only fair to Maggie that she get to see that, 'yes, I did indeed carry her for 9 months'. Because other than this picture, there won't be much tangible proof.

It's hard to believe that we really only have 9 weeks before we meet our new precious baby girl-- (don't forget I get that C-section a week early, which I get to schedule this Thursday!) I can honestly say that, 'I am so in love with her already'. Something about preparing for a baby girl, or maybe it's just a baby, makes you fall in love. I visualize her in the pink layettes I've purchased, I see her sleeping in her pink room on her pink sheets, and I imagine Jack loving all over her. I know she belongs with us and I just can't wait for her to arrive and complete our family...and I really hope she likes pink;)

Unfortunately, I do have moments were I imagine how tired I am going to be for the next several months. And I catch myself hearing that ear piercing scream that Jack was so good at. And I also stress about 'how am I going to do all of this?'. It all comes with the territory, I suppose. This time I'm definitely not looking through rose-tinted glasses while waiting for her arrival. I know it's going to be hard, but I also know she will be worth every minute of it. Jack sure was and still is. (remind me of that after her arrival as needed please)

So, what's 30 weeks like? Well, I'm exhausted...a lot of the time. I've hit that peak where I just don't sleep well at night. I'm either uncomfortable, completely wired, thirsty, my sinuses are acting up, or I have to go the bathroom. Not to mention, she is a mover. I'm telling you this baby never sleeps. I can constantly feel her rumbling around, which does not make for a good sleeping environment for me. I must wake up 4-5 times a night easily. I guess it's natures little way of preparing you for what's ahead. Although, I don't really see why I need the preparation considering this is my second??

Believe it or not, I still get bouts of nausea. I have to be very careful about what I eat--no Mexican, pizza, tomato sauce, BBQ, pork, bananas, and I'm sure there is much more that I could turn my nose up at. And that pre-natal vitamin gets me 75% of the time...yuck! However, it is still primarily at night and thankfully not every night. Again, she's worth it.

No swelling this time, which is a complete miracle. If anyone saw me with Jack, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It was a hideous sight. Which makes me wonder how am I gaining the same exact number of lbs this time...hmmm? And on top of that, I don't eat nearly as much as I did with J. I'm guessing she will be a lot smaller than Jack was, I hope not, but most likely she will. I think I'm going to have a lot of excess lbs to shed after this pregnancy.

I've been preparing like crazy for Maggie's November arrival. So far I have....

* family help scheduled one week at a time for the month of November up until Thanksgiving

* hired help from December until needed (look, we have NO family in town & I have a toddler, plus I'll have C-section recovery to deal with)

*(we) bought a small deep freeze for the basement, which I plan on filling up

* scheduled her newborn photography session

* bought her clothing, toiletries, diapers, bibs, burp cloths, etc

* cleaned all of the baby equipment, i.e. the swing, the bumbo, the activity center, etc.

*bought most of Jack's Fall/Winter attire because who knows when I will make it out to a store again

*had Jack and Maggie's "first meeting" outfits made

*registered at the hospital

*and worked endless hours on her nursery, which I hope the "drama" that has occurred with that is not a sign of what's to come with a little girl (pictures pending completion:)

And I still have a lot on my To Do List. Like...

*fill out the beginning of her Baby Book

*wash and install the car seat

*make room in the kitchen cabinets for bottles, etc.

*complete her nursery

*buy Christmas gifts--I know that sounds crazy, but I usually Christmas shop in November, which obviously will not be happening this year, considering I can't even drive for 4 weeks after my C-section, and then there is NO WAY that I can complete it in December, the stores will be a zoo, I may not get it shipped in time if I go online, and I will be exhausted--So I've decided to do it in October and I have declared it a "Gift Card" Christmas (minus Jack, of course) I'm going to try to get to every one's favorite stores to make it a little more thoughtful...it's the best I can do this year. Next year I will be back in business.

*buy our clothes for her newborn pictures

*schedule to have the carpets cleaned

*pack hospital bags

*and a million other things that I'm sure will come up between now and then

So that's what 30 weeks looks like so far....very busy, exhausting, and exciting. I'm sure similar to what her arrival will be like also!

Stay tuned....Maggie's Birth Date to be announced soon!!

In Training

We are in training around here....

obviously potty training. We actually have been for several months. Just the v..e..r..y slow motion kind.

In April, we got Jack an Elmo potty seat and Elmo's Potty DVD for his birthday. He took one look at it and was off to more important things. We played the DVD and within 7 minutes he asked us to "turn it off". We sat him on the potty and he screamed. 'Okay', we thought, 'he is obviously not ready for this'.

I left things alone for quite a while. I mentioned here and there that I or Daddy were off to use the big potty. If I saw a big kid heading to the potty, I nonchalantly pointed it out to Jack. But, nothing more. Then one day, out of no where, in June he asked to watch his "potty DBD". And that followed shortly after with asking to "sit Elmo potty". We then began consistently putting Jack on the potty before bath time. Many nights he just sat there and after 2 very short minutes he would declare, "not working". "Okay, we'll try again later", we would tell him.

By July, Jack was consistently pee peeing on the potty every night before bath. Woo hoo! A step in the right direction. We added potty break before nap. And before we knew it he was consistent with that one too. Now, keep in mind he was still in diapers all day.

And so that brings me to August. We have continued the two potty breaks a day...one before nap and one before bedtime. And we even randomly ask at other times of the day, (if we are home). But, the most exciting addition is the introduction to big boy undies. After nap, we head to the potty, strip our diaper off, and then gallop to his room to choose the big boy underwear of the evening. From here on out to bath time, every hour on the hour we are up to our Elmo potty seat. And he pretty much pee pees each time. Don't get me wrong we have had our fair share of accidents. It usually starts with a little tinkle and then Jack informing me of what's happening. I say, "wait lets go the the potty!". He holds it while we run to the bathroom and then completes his duty with Elmo. Of course, bed time we are back to a diaper.

So, as you can see, we have come a long way, but still have a VERY long way to go. He has NEVER had a #2 on the potty, and we are no where close to going to undies all day. Part of the problem is we are out and about every morning between school, music, and gym classes.

I guess my main agenda for this posting is to solicit any advice. I realize very few people really care about our Potty Training adventures. But, I need you to see where we are so you can possibly guide me on where to go next. I'm wondering what September should bring?, should I try Pull Ups? (I'm really unclear about that concept), and what to do about the A.M. when we aren't home?

It looks like we will be 'In Training' this fall too. I'll keep you posted...I know you will be on the edge of your seats....Elmo seat that is.