Bugs, bugs, go away!

It's like an infirmary around here these days.

Jack and I have both had some kind of stomach bug that has left us keeping buckets handy and eating the BRAT diet. It's so sad to see your baby sick, but he is such a sweet boy that he can be vomiting one second and smiling the next. We've watched a lot of Thomas, The Wonder Pets, and Blue's Clues (Jack asks for this by saying "Boo" and opening and closing his hands like Steve does when he sings the song). He's extra cuddly and has been giving lots of spontaneous kisses and hugs. He likes to say "Awww" while he gives a hug - it's the cutest thing. I'm praying that for his part, he's over the worst of it and will start getting his appetite back.

For myself, I thought I was over this bug when I had it a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, it came back in full force. I'm 9 days away from my due date, and as if there were a "good" time to get a stomach bug, I have to say that this feels like the absolute worst possible time to be hunched over a toilet!

Please say some prayers that we're all feeling better soon - and that Patrick doesn't get sick at all - so that we can be rested and ready to welcome Baby T into the world!

Sixteen days!

Sixteen, people!

I'm so excited. Last Friday, I thought I might actually be starting labor - I had cramps and pressure and pain at the tops of my legs for hours. I had such a hard time getting comfortable in bed and thought for sure I'd wake in the middle of the night with contractions, or from my water breaking. But no - I woke up the next morning at 7am. Still pregnant. Oh well. Maybe I dilated some, as if that means anything really (it doesn't).

Jack has just been learning in leaps and bounds. Here are a few of the words he's started saying lately: "bubble", "mama" (finally!), "tinkle", "treat", "baby", "bee", "ball", "blocks", "apple", "circle". If I write the letters ABC on his little Magnadoodle, and point to them one by one, he can name them (this blows me away). If I draw shapes on there, he can point out a circle, a square, a triangle, and a star. If I draw a big square and a little square, he can show me which is which. If I ask him how old he is, he holds up one little Bugle finger. (I call it his Bugle finger because it's shaped just like those little Bugle snacks - fatter at the bottom than the top and I just want to eat it, it's so cute). He can show me where his eye, ear, knee, elbow, feet, fingers, hands, arms, hair, chin, teeth, cheeks (the face ones), belly, thumb, nose, mouth, and tongue are. It is just so fun to teach him new things and to watch him making connections and learning things!

We've also been gradually introducing the idea of the potty to him. I figure since I'm going 100 times a day lately, I might as well tell him about tinkling on the potty. We got him a little one that he sits on while I'm sitting on "Mommy's potty". He loves it, though he has yet to actually DO anything in it other than drop his toys in there. Here are a few potty pictures to make you laugh:

That's what's been going on around here recently. Now if you'll excuse me, my handsome husband just came home from a three-day conference in Connecticut and, well, I really missed him!

Belly shots

Now that we're just over three weeks away from...well, possibly from nothing more than a date on the calendar that could come and go without incident, I thought I'd put up a few more belly shots. I really envy those people who have the wherewithal to take a photo of their growing stomach every week throughout their pregnancy. For some reason, I tend to reach a point where I think , "Oh yeah, I guess we should take a picture for the baby album" followed soon afterwards by the thought, "Oh yeah, I guess I need to get a baby album."

Before we see any shots of MY belly, Jack wanted to show you guys where his belly button is:

Is there anything cuter than a kid trying to look at his own belly button? He's actually gone face down in the bath water in search of it. His favorite time of day is in the morning when I'm getting him dressed and I give him a little diaper time between jammies off and clothes on. He runs around the living room as if to say "Thank God Almighty, I'm free at last!"

Ok, so now for my belly. These are from Friday at 36 weeks. Now, I have an online friend who is pregnant with her second baby, and still has the nerve to lift her shirt to show off her beautifully bulging belly. I wish I did, but I do not have that nerve. Not only do I just feel funny doing it, but an interesting thing happened to my stomach during my pregnancy with Jack: For the entire 40 weeks, I had no stretch marks whatsoever. As I went overdue, I ended up getting one smallish one just beside my belly button and actually thought it was kind of cool that I got one. When I went into labor, ten days overdue, that was still the only one that I had. When I took a shower after delivering, I looked in the mirror and shrieked. My entire stomach was covered with reddish-purplish stretch marks that looked as if somewhere between the delivery room and my regular room, I'd been mauled by a tiger. I have no idea how it happened. Maybe my hips separated during the delivery just enough to stretch my skin to its breaking point? In any case, these same stretch marks, that had just faded to a silvery hue before I found out I was pregnant again, are now back in their full reddish regalia.

So without further ado, here she is:

I not only cleaned the mirror, but I also brushed my hair this time! And did I mention my $13 haircut from the Cuttery? Hello!? I love it! If you live near the Park City Mall in Lancaster, go see Amanda there - she does a great job.

My belly button is not sticking out in those pictures - that's the knot in my sweatpants. I never seem to "pop". I seriously think it has to do with that extra-long torso. I don't really stick out too far, it's all up and down. I can just picture the baby in there, legs stretched out, ankles crossed, kickin' back. What I do like, though, is that my waist is actually narrower from the front because all of my rolls are pulled forward. It's the only time I don't have any semblance of a "love handle" lately. Yeah, after this baby, it's time to get in shape, Eileen.

So there you have it, folks. Not much longer now until we meet this new babe. And I see that we got some more boy votes, so for the first time in the history of this poll (since my initial boy vote on day one), the ratio of girl to boy votes is less than 2:1. The suspense is killing me!

What's in a name?

You're probably wondering why I haven't posted any pictures in a while. The fact is, I need to get a new memory card for my camera. I filled a 1GB card with pictures from Jack's birth through about two weeks ago, and truthfully, I just can't bring myself to delete them. I'll have to just get another card for this new baby because even though I know they're on the computer, or on my external hard drive, there's just something about having them on that little card that I can put in the strong box, that makes me feel better. So as soon as I get a new card, I promise I'll take some more pictures of Jack and post them.

So....names. We're now about 4 weeks away from meeting Baby T. and, of course, we have some names picked out. I love our names, I mean really love them.

A boy will be a junior - Patrick Joseph - after his daddy, and we'll likely call him PJ, though I just love "Patrick". A girl will be Fionnuala Jane. Fionnuala (fi-NOO-la) is an Irish name that is probably one of the more phonetically easy Irish girls' names out there. Names like Siobhan are beautiful too, but just a little tougher to look at and pronounce in English. We'll call our Fionnuala "Nuala" (NOO-la). I just love the way it looks and sounds.

We have had a few negative responses, though. Has anyone else had negative reactions to their choices in baby names? How did you respond?

The wonder of The Wonder Pets

Do all you toddler mommies know about this show? The Wonder Pets is on Nick Jr. weekdays at 10:30 am (where I live, anyway), and is just about the cutest little kids' show out there. Less bizarre than Yo Gabba Gabba, less (WAY less) annoying than Barney, more entertaining than Thomas the Tank Engine, the Wonder Pets live in a preschool classroom and leave the room, after the class is gone, to help animals in trouble around the world. If your little one hasn't met them, they're definitely worth checking out. I promise you'll find yourself singing the theme song without realizing it at some point.

There you have it: a review of a preschool TV show. This is what my life has come to. I love it!

Speaking of Thomas, though, this show has definitely become one of Jack's favorites too. He asks for it by pointing to the TV and saying "Doo Doo?" (Only a parent could know that's not referring to a poopy diaper, but is Jackspeak for "Choo Choo". Oddly enough, he can say "choo" when he's pretending to sneeze, but it doesn't carry over to the train sound for some reason). It's funny to me that a month or so ago, he couldn't have cared less about Thomas - didn't even give it a second glance if I put it on. Now, though, he could watch it all day if I let him. And let's face it, if I've had a lousy night's sleep (which I often do), sometimes I let him watch a few episodes that I've recorded on the DVR (I love that thing) so I can lay down with my feet up for a little while. Sir Topham Hatt needs to lighten up.

What's with all the parenthetical comments (the ones like this) in this post?

Have you guys noticed the poll over there on the right? Not only is the girl vote way higher than the boy vote, but there are only 38 days left to vote. 38 DAYS, PEOPLE! That's when this baby is due! Holy cannoli! Are you curious about the names we have picked out? Should I share them or let the suspense build?

Right now, Baby T. has the hiccups for the third time today. (What's up with that, anyway?)

Hail to the Cheeks

I've already mentioned how much I love Jack's buns, but I'm just going to say it again. We let him have some diaper-free time at my Mom's house last night before he got in the bathtub, and we were both in hysterics at the sight of that tiny little tushie walking around. It is the cutest thing! (Yes, he's going to hate me when he's older.)

Today I met a friend at the mall for a playdate with her niece, Elizabeth, and I just have to say that little girl has the sweetest face. I could just kiss her cheeks all day, and I don't know how her Mommy hasn't eaten them right off her face, but she's definitely exercised some serious self-control in that area. Jack has his Daddy's metabolism, fortunately for him, so there's just not a lot of extra chub there for me to munch....not that I don't still kiss his face like it's my job. (It is.)

Anyway, today being Presidents' Day, I thought I'd talk about cheeks and chiefs. I find it interesting that we only celebrate the birthdays of two of our nation's presidents. Actually, it's interesting that we celebrate any of their birthdays at all, but that we just chose two is curious to me. Not that they weren't great Presidents who changed the course of our country dramatically and for the better, but I'm just saying. My sister sent me an e-card this morning that said it was a good day to learn which presidents are on our currency, and it reminded me of my promise to myself just to learn the presidents. In chronological order. I'm ashamed to say that I would fail that portion of the U.S. citizenship test. I've told myself several times that I would do it. Oprah would tell me that I'm lying to myself each time I do, but does Oprah know the presidents? That's what I'd like to know.

I probably shouldn't tell you, but I also can't label all 48 contiguous states on a map of the U.S. either. I can get the majority of them, but it's all those rectangular midwestern states that get me. Am I a prime example of the failure of our American public school system? Perhaps, but I can tell you how lightning bugs reproduce, how to say "leave me alone" in French, and a thing or two about Newton's laws of motion. And when you're skidding out of control on an icy road, would you rather know where Kansas is, or how to avoid that oncoming telephone pole? I ask you.

What things do you wish you'd learned?

My funny Valentine

I love Jack's funny faces. He's usually not even trying to be funny - and that's what makes them funnier. I often try to get a picture of him sitting still and smiling. It seems like an easy task, considering the kid smiles about 90% of the day, but it's the sitting still part that's hard. He never sits still - EVER. Well, unless he's watching Winnie the Pooh, but then he's usually not smiling because he's so engrossed in the story. And if I make him sit still without Pooh, then he doesn't smile because he doesn't like it. Are you following this, people?

So the other day, I attempted once again to have him stay still and smile. And once again, I failed. I did catch a few funny pictures, though, and thought they might make you laugh.

It doesn't look like it, since he does it by pulling the corner of his mouth back, but in this one, Jack is doing the "oo" part of his monkey sounds. You know, "oo-ooo-ah-ah-ah". He does this every time he sees any of the four remote controls (see "Pet Peeves", below), in an effort to get us to put on his Baby Einstein DVD that has world animals. It's hosted by a monkey puppet. Please note, he does this sound even if he sees a remote while the DVD is actually playing.

Here is how we play peek-a-boo. He's always got one eye uncovered or is peeking out between open fingers. I think he's afraid he might miss something. He starts the game by doing this and then asking "Oh?"

This is Jack's response to my asking "How big are you?" It always results in my tickling his armpits, which he loves. And yes, he did pick up my cup of coffee and spill it - cold - down the front of his white shirt. Pretend you don't notice.

And here's my little Calvin Klein model. I can't stand how cute his butt looks in these jeans and I'm wondering if that's weird. Do other mommies think their kids have cute buns?

An idea for a nature documentary...

Nature plays a cruel, cruel trick on a pregnant woman in her third trimester. It's at this time that the baby in her belly is gaining weight at the fastest rate, and carrying all that weight around in the front results in her tending to lean back a bit to counter-balance. Her graceful stride is replaced by an awkward, inefficient waddle. Her hips, legs, feet, and lower back really feel the brunt of this extra weight and balancing maneuver. If she has a toddler to chase around throughout the day, by the time she gets that child to bed, the word "exhausted" is the understatement of her lifetime. She can't wait to crawl into bed, put up her throbbing feet, and rest.

And there's the rub, for there is no place less relaxing at this point in her pregnancy.

Rest eludes her as she struggles to find a comfortable position, tossing and turning amidst a sea of strategically-placed pillows. Her hips ache if she lies on her side - relaxin hormone has caused the pelvic bone to stretch and ache. She is forbidden to lie on her back lest she compress an artery that would cut off blood flow to her developing baby, and her stomach is simply not an option at this point. As such, she is forced to lie propped up, practically sitting up in her bed. A perpetual case of shank-neck is guaranteed as her head flops from one side to the other. She wakes to use the bathroom, and to reposition herself or her pillows several times each night. Getting in and out of bed each time is an ordeal, and if she wakes up anytime after 4 am, she may opt to stay awake rather than fight the losing battle for another hour or two of fitful sleep.

It is after a few weeks of this that she begins to hope that her baby comes before its due date. Once she sees that little face, all the pain will be worth it. Until then, though (and actually for the next several months afterwards) she will dread the night.

Think I can sell it to the Discovery Channel?

Pet peeves

Everyone has them. Here are a few of mine:

First off, is there any TV show more annoying than Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee? It's what is inspiring this post. Why does she have to be right between Barefoot Contessa (swoon) and Paula Deen? I like both of these other ladies. I like that they come on right while Jack is sleeping, so I can put my feet up, rest a little bit and maybe get some dinner ideas while he's taking a nap, and to have to change the channel in between is such a pain. But her voice drives me so crazy that I can't get to the remote fast enough. The other day, she did a show featuring all lemon-flavored things, and every time she said the word "lemon" she held the "l" out so long that I was cringing after each one while searching for the remote that would make it stop (which reminds me, four remote controls is another pet peeve - it takes three just to put on a Baby Einstein DVD for Jack). "LLLLLLLemon chicken", "LLLLLLemonade", "LLLLLLLLLemon chiffon cake". Her outfits, the kitchen, her "tablescapes". Ugh - I'm getting nauseous just thinking about it...

Then there's driving across the painted lines in a parking lot. This has always bugged me. I mean, sure, if it's midnight and the lot is otherwise empty, go for it. Or, if you get the Drive-Through Bonus (DTB) - pulling into a spot to find that the spot across from it is empty too, enabling you to front-out instead of backing-out - then you drive right over that line between, no question! But yesterday I was leaving the grocery store with Jack, driving down my little aisle between the lines of parked cars, when this lady in an enormous SUV drives on an angle right across the lines and into my aisle in such a way that I have to slam on my brakes to accommodate her bigass car and to keep it from plowing right into the front right side of mine. Grrrr. Add that she was talking on her cell phone, and I was definitely getting pushed to my limit.

Finally, I'm definitely a stickler for grammar, and while I understand that our everyday spoken vernacular might not exactly be the place to hold someone to non-dangling participles or possessives before their gerunds, I think there is simply no excuse for bad grammar in advertisements. Apostrophe ses for plurals, it's versus its, there is just no excuse for not cleaning these things up before putting them out there for all the world to see - whether on TV or in print. There's one local commercial here that urges viewers at the end that they can "make a difference in you and your family's future!" Doesn't that just sound weird for the announcer to say? I don't know - maybe it's the teacher in me.

Ok, so what's your pet peeve? Come on, people. I can't be the only one who gets unreasonably annoyed at stupid things - and I promise I won't critique the grammar in your comment!

Playdates and Aunt Devon

These things save my sanity. This week, lots of playdates are keeping us busy. It has been so cold out - which, if you know me, you know I love - but, it's hard to get bundled up and go outside with a munchkin who doesn't love holding my hand. Or maybe it's me who doesn't love it - he's still a little too short for me to hold it without having to hunch over, and with a belly the size of, well, something big, that's not easy to maintain for any length of time. Actually, as I write this, I'm realizing that I don't have any belly shots from this pregnancy at all - the second baby syndrome is starting already, poor kid - so let me take a quick one and post it here for posterity's sake.


My jeans aren't dirty - those are just the little spots on the mirror that I didn't bother to clean before I took the picture. And I probably could have brushed my hair too, huh? Geez, Eileen. Anyway, I guess I'm not that big...people think I'm carrying small, but the fact that I have the longest torso on the face of the earth means that my babies get to stretch out and I end up looking like I swallowed a rather large football instead of a beach ball. I'll be 30 weeks on Friday (gulp - only 10 weeks until we meet this baby!), so I guess relatively speaking, I don't look very big. Didn't stop me from having a 22-inch baby last time, though. We grow 'em LONG!

Aunt Devon is a godsend, too! She came this past weekend and stayed with Jack while Patrick and I had a date night Friday. Then, she kept him Sunday morning while we went to church together. It was so nice to actually be able to focus in church instead of shoving graham crackers and juice in Jack's mouth in an effort to keep him quiet. Jack loves his Aunt Devon, and especially loves when she babysits because he gets to do stuff like this:

Still in love with his wagon, Jack's in his happy place laying in there, watching Baby Einstein with a bowl containing some sort of snack. He thinks he's so cool when he gets his own bowl, even if it just has a few "CWAA-cuh" (crackers) in there. In this shot, it's yogurt-covered raisins, and my boy thinks he's died and gone to heaven. Those things are like candy! And as an added bonus, they keep him regular. Actually, maybe I'd better go get me some of those...