ARGH!

I just got this email from my MIL

"xxxxx:

PLEASE be careful on the slippery, icy steps and sidewalks!

Love,
xxxxxxxxx"

I KNOW she sent it because she cares. But all caps and an exclamation point?! I mean really, I bet you could ask anyone who knows me and none would describe me as reckless. That she feels the need to send this just drives me wild! I know it shouldn't bug me so much, but it just does.

Thanks for listening to my vent.

Baby Teeth

As I look down at my growing belly it seems almost inconceivable that in a little over three months I will in all likelihood be bringing my baby boy home and that, in the scheme of things, not too many months later that baby will be sprouting baby teeth.

At the same time it is almost inconceivable that my sweet little baby girl, who came into this world 8 weeks early at 4 lbs 2 oz, is now 6 1/2 and LOSING her baby teeth!

She lost her first tooth back in November and has been anxiously awaiting the loss of the second bottom tooth, which became loose shortly after she lost the first one.*
She talks often of the tooth fairy and how she wants her to bring a real magic wand (much as she wanted Santa to bring one). Tonight at dinner she was playing with the wiggly tooth and said to me "I think there could be a tooth fairy, but I think a lot of the time it's parents sneaking into their kids rooms and leaving money." I had a really hard time not laughing, but managed to ask why she thought that and she said "because fairies aren't real." Here's a kid struggling with what she wants to believe versus what she knows. Despite that statement, when the tooth feel out while she was brushing her teeth a mere 20 minutes later, she got so excited and immediately started talking about the note she had to write to the tooth fairy.

Here's that note with the translation below.



Translation: Dear Tooth Fairy: I lost a tooth but please don't take it. Love Lucy
P.S. As for the gift. Please bring me a wand. P.P.S. Please don't take the note. Love Lucy. If you can't give me the wand just give me money and please give me a real picture of yourself. Love Lucy.

I'm glad she gave me an out with the money alternative, but the picture request has me stumped. ;)

*I seriously do not recall it taking so long to lose a tooth once it became wiggly when I was a kid, but with both of the teeth she's lost it's been months.

Inauguration Day

So, we fled the DC area and headed to the in-laws for the long weekend. Now that it's inauguration day I'm more than a little sad to be missing out on the fun, but I need to remind myself how much I hate crowds and being cold! Anyway, I think the baby must be kind of excited about today too, because he's been kicking up a storm for the past 12 hours. When I crawled into bed last night it felt as if he were doing gymnastics in there. Then, for the first time, I was actually woken up in the night by some strong kicks, and he's been a lot more active throughout this morning than usual.

I'm 22 weeks and 3 days today. The last couple of weeks have moved so slowly. I have a feeling the rest of this pregnancy is going to feel like an eternity. Some days I'm pretty comfortable with the idea that everything is fine and will be fine. I even ordered a few items of baby clothes along with some maternity wear from the G.ap last week, and my husband, MIL and I went downtown yesterday to visit a baby store. I'm definitely in full-on shopping mode (I love the internet for that!), but still can't bring myself purchase any of the few "big" things we need.

My next appointment is still 2 weeks away, but then I have another appointment 2 weeks after that and that'll put me at 26 weeks. I know I shouldn't wish away the pregnancy, but a big part of me just wants to skip it and get to the real goal, which is a healthy baby!

21 weeks down and 17 to go

It's 9:30 in the morning and I'm still in bed! This doesn't happen very often so I'm loving it. I wouldn't have minded a little extra sleep, but about an hour ago the Ladybug came in with different plans for me. After about 30 minutes of snuggling and talking, she left to go make pancakes with Hubby while I laid in bed and enjoyed feeling the Bumblebee's morning exercise routine. And now I'm enjoying the convenience and luxury of having both a laptop and a wireless connection!

We have no big plans this weekend, so I'm hoping to get caught up on my to do list and relax a bit. I need to collect all the paperwork for the mortgage refinancing that we just initiated (so excited about the great rate we got!). We're also scheduled to go meet with a local builder about possibly knocking down our house and building a new one! I love the houses that this guy has built, so part of me is excited and hopeful, but deep down I really think his homes are much more than we can afford. At the same time, part of me thinks we're crazy to even be considering this right now, with a baby on the way and a lot of unpaid maternity leave on the horizon. But we'll have a better sense in a few hours.

On the baby front, the shopping bug has bit hard. I ordered a bunch of clothes from Baby.style a couple of weeks back. I now have to return a bunch because I forgot how small their stuff runs. It all fits now, but certainly won't as I get bigger. Yesterday I ordered some stuff from G.ap and Ol.d Na.vy and while I was there couldn't resist ordering a few things for the baby! Stills feels a little like tempting fate, but I realize that if something bad happens a few new baby items in the house won't make me feel worse than I already would. I also ordered one new baby sheet. After doing a little research we've opted to go without the traditional bumper. The SIDS awareness groups and some consumer groups recommend against them and I don't need anything to make me feel more paranoid. So, we'll go with a mesh "bumper" AND save lots of money. HaHaHaHaHa. Just means I'll spend it on something else. Um like this wall mural maybe


Though we did get rid of some of the baby stuff like the bouncy seat, the exersaucer, etc, last year when I was getting really frustrated with the lack of space in our house and really depressed about the lack of a new baby in the house, we still have most of the basics, particularly the most expensive stuff. That means I can spend a little money on some fun stuff without feeling like I'm breaking the bank. Ok, now I'm just babbling. Hmmm, it's 10 now, I should really get up and shower now, don't you think?

My Aching Back

hurts so badly right now that I'm seriously about to cry. Trying to actually concentrate and get any work done is futile. I've tried standing, stretching, walking around, practically lying down in my chair, and sitting up as straight as possible in my chair, but NOTHING helps. I hate to complain. I'm sooo grateful to be pregnant and nearly 21 weeks along, but this is just debilitating.

Thank goodness it's Friday. Not that my back feels any better at home, but at least I don't have to worry about trying to get work done when I'm there.

20 weeks 3 days and all is good

This morning we went in for the 20 week anatomy scan. All is well. My blood pressue was 112/62. That was a pleasant surprise because while I hadn't been nervous at all the last couple of days, last night I had a horrible dream and then I didn't feel the baby move when I woke up and I almost always feel him first thing in the morning and before bedtime. So, let's just say I was feeling a bit anxious in the waiting room. Fortunately, the worry was for nothing as the doctor said "everything looked wonderful" and she was glad that I'd finally gained a few more pounds (which I found funny because I feel enormous for 20 weeks!) The baby was actually measuring a few days ahead and is currently 75 percentile (about 14 ounces), so the doc said it was no wonder I was feeling like my belly was suddenly a lot bigger. Next appt in 4 weeks is just a regular appt, but 2 weeks after that I get my glucose loading test and they'll do another weight estimation for the baby.

Like his big sister, the Bumblebee wasn't cooperating so well this morning. The tech couldn't get a very good shot of his face, but after some effort she did finally get a pretty good profile shot. We're looking forward to having something to show the Ladybug tonight that actually looks like a baby!

Welcome 2009!

2008 was definitely a year of ups and downs and I'm happy that it ended on the upside. If the beginning of 2009 is any indication, it should be a good year. We didn't actually do anything to ring in the new year. In fact, we were all in bed by midnight. But the morning of January 1, 2009 found my daughter snuggling next to me in bed like so many other non-work days. As we lay there I felt the Bumblebee kick so on a whim I took her hand and laid it on my belly. I felt a few more kicks, but she didn't feel anything. But after a couple of minutes there was one nice big kick that she felt. She was so excited -- immediately jumped up and yelled to her dad that she'd felt the baby. She said it felt like a "lump".

It's only the 2nd day of the year, and with about 18 weeks to go with this pregnancy I'm still a bit nervous (and impatient), but I have to say that right now I feel pretty hopeful that 2009 is going to be a good year. I sure hope it is for everyone else too!