Neutral

Dialogue between Art and I today...

Art: Do you ever think about how when you have the baby it's going to suck?

Me: What do you mean it's going to suck?

Art: Like, it's going to hurt a lot.

Me: Yeah, I think about that every day. But, what you have to understand is it's like the worst experience of your life followed by the best reward you could possibly get.

Art: So, you should want to have more kids, right?

Me: No... they cancel each other out. lol

Art: So... you're neutral then.

Me: Yup. :)

30 Weeks

I am 30 weeks pregnant today! I haven't owned a scale for quite some time, but I checked my weight on my boss' scale today and I was shocked to learn that I am about 130 lbs. At my last checkup 3 weeks ago I was like 122, so I definitely didn't estimate that I had gained any 8 pounds in that amount of time! Apparently, my appetite is quite healthy, but I'm thinking maybe it's time to cut back on the chocolate whole milk, fruit salads smothered in whipped cream and marshmallows, and maybe even the brownies. Not that 130 pounds is bad, but at this rate I'm going to end up a little heavier than I want to be.

Yesterday, I went to my mom's house for dinner and talked my sister-in-law, Vivian, into taking a picture of me in my pregnant glory out in one of the orchards. I love the scenery, because it looks like snow, but it's 75 degrees and I'm surrounded by blossoms.

After my next checkup on the 14th, I will be seeing the doctor every 2 weeks until delivery. I can't believe there are only 10 weeks left until my due date- and only 8 more weeks of work (16 work days) at the most. This pregnancy definitely seems to be going by quickly, despite being more physically challenging than my pregnancy with Keira. My lower back has been giving me daily grief and I have also had a lot of pelvic floor pain/pressure this time around. These things combined make it pretty hard to make it through my work day, even though it's only 3 hours, and makes it tough to keep up with Keira. I just picked up a back support belt a few days ago and that seems to be helping a little.

I'm definitely glad that I did all of the baby preparations early on so that I don't have to do much from now until delivery. I have my travel crib bassinet set up in my room with my new changing table all stocked, and another bassinet set up and ready in the living room. All this in addition to the closet full of clothes ready to go, and the car seat and other necessities located and ready. I literally only have a couple small things to buy, a couple things to borrow from a friend. Then after I have my diapers, wipes, and formula shower I should be SET. We just can't wait until "Sister" comes!

A Granny Square for my Baby

In an attempt to satisfy my nesting instinct without injuring my back, I started working on a granny square afghan for baby Liana. I chose this pattern, because it reminds me of the "tv blankets" my Great Grandma Peters made for each of my siblings. I also liked that I could incorporate multiple colors from the girls' bedroom theme.

4 weeks later... the blanket is done, my ulnar nerve is angry, and I'm back to scrubbing, organizing, and moving furniture. As soon as my arm gets better, I am going to make a matching blanket for Keira.

Pirates Wear Panties

In my family, it is a well-known fact that Keira hates to wear panties- or anything else that covers her buns like pull-ups, PANTS, etc. In her idea a perfect world, she would get to run around in dresses with nothing underneath or even better- naked. I have been trying to crack down on her naked-bottomedness lately and enforce panty wearing as part of her new potty chart goal of earning a scooter.

This might sound like easy enough of a task, but you wouldn't think so if you have ever witnessed what it takes to get underwear or clothing on that girl. It requires either a strong and determined man, or up to 3 women. I swear, clothing her is what I imagine it would be like to clothe an octopus. Putting clothes and panties on is like torture to her very soul.

Keira really likes the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and recently started playing Lego Pirates on the PS3. One day in a fit of desperation, I shouted something like, "You have to wear panties!!! Even pirates wear panties!!!" I could almost see the thought sink into her brain, and suddenly she was ok with wearing panties. It was miraculous. My mom gets a kick out of the fact that I convinced Keira that pirates do indeed put on clean panties before they go raiding and pillaging. She has to keep from laughing out loud when she hears me remind Keira that pirates wear panties too.

Another huge struggle with Keira is brushing her teeth. Most of the time I have to literally sit on her to make it happen. A couple days ago, I asked Keira if she thinks pirates brush their teeth (thinking maybe she would take to that idea and get excited about it) but she said that they don't. Then this morning she came in my room and told me she wanted to play Pirates and I told her we have to eat breakfast first. She protested, so I told her even pirates eat breakfast to which she replied, "Pirates don't eat breakfast! They wear panties!" So, yes, pirates wear panties but pirates do not brush their teeth or eat breakfast. I guess I will have to find some other motivation for that. lol

Adventures in Naming

Art and I have been in baby name negotiations since we found out our baby's gender 4 weeks ago. I started out by making a "long list" of names and gave it to Art to cross out and add too. 2 weeks of nagging later, he looked at the list for 5 minutes and gave it back to me with EVERYTHING crossed out except Mia, Isabella, and Liana. All middle name options were crossed out.

I really only put Mia and Isabella on the list because I know he likes those names a lot, but I am opposed to any first name that is in the top 20 popular names. Mia is number 10 and Isabella is number 1. I told Art I would move Isabelle (instead of Isabella) to the middle name list, and consider Mia and Liana as first names. I made a middle name "long list." Art narrowed it down to 4.

I printed a list of all the name combinations, which was 8 in total. From there we narrowed it down to 6 names, but then both of us arrived at the conclusion that we're not sure if Mia or Liana are the right first name. So back to the books I went. After reading another 15,000 names or so, I made another "long list" of which Art only liked 2, which were the ones I wasn't really crazy about, but put them on the list anyway.

I'm not really sure what to do from here. I wish there were a couple names I was really crazy about so I could talk Art into them, but I am unsure at this point and relying on Art's opinion which differs greatly from mine. At this rate, I'm pretty sure we won't have a name picked out before the baby is born in 4 months. The obstacle of naming is exactly why Art and I could NEVER have a "surprise." There is no way we could come up with a boy name AND a girl name in time.

I asked Keira what she thinks Sister's name should be and she said her name is "Baby." I said, "I thought you are Baby." She said, "No, I'm Keira. Sister can be 'Baby' now." I thought that was cute. She is passing down the title to her sister, which is a big deal for her. And the adventures in naming continue... which is a big deal for me!

Potty Training Troubles

Keira's has been using the toilet for a LONG TIME, like, a year and a half already, but she goes through phases of being really good about it and phases of lots of accidents. Thankfully she has been very consistent with pooping in the toilet with the exception of a short revert that was resolved with a Dora potty chart and incentive prizes every time she would get number 10 on her chart. Since I have been pregnant, she has reverted a LOT with going pee. She is using it as a means of getting attention and got to the point where she will just flat out pee on the floor like 3-4 times a day. Never have I been so glad that I own a carpet cleaning machine.

Needless to say, I got tired of that REALLY fast so I decided to start a brand new potty chart. I fashioned a chart with a picture of 10 Disney princesses and about 95 squares. Every time she goes pee (or poo) she gets a star, when all of the squares are full she gets a scooter. If she pees on the floor, we take off a star. We've been doing the new chart for a few days and it's made a big difference. We keep her in panties all day and only put a pullup on at night since she doesn't stay dry at night yet. She has only had 2 accidents, which is a big improvement, and has done perfect away from home. I'm hoping that she sticks with it, for her good and for my sanity.

Nesting

I'm 24 weeks pregnant, and I'm nesting like I'm 34 weeks. I can't help it! I feel the constant need to clean and organize, even if the place/thing I'm cleaning/organizing has nothing to do with baby preparations. I guess it's not a BAD thing though. I figure, I will go ahead and give in to my nesting instinct now while I'm feeling good then all I have to worry about in my third trimester is keeping up with Keira (which is hard enough).

I have retrieved all of the baby clothes from the garage, sorted them, washed them, and stocked a newly purchased dresser in Keira's closet with all of the newborn to 0-3 month size clothes. The 3-6 month clothes are stocked in the hanging cubbies, ready for when I need them. All the little dresses are hung and the blankets folded on top of the dresser. In the top of the closet you can see the diaper bag, which is in the process of being stocked for the hospital, and the white laundry basket is filled with other things I will need like my nursing pillow and my sling. In my kitchen, I have a cabinet cleaned and organized with bottles, pacifiers, and other necessities. Our pantry has a shelf cleared and filled with bibs and burp cloths.

Since I have almost everything I need for the baby, I have decided to have a diapers, wipes, and formula party instead of a regular shower. It will be open house style at my house sometime round about the first Saturday in April. I have made a list of the remaining random items I need, and already bought more than half of it. I'm telling you- I am SO ready for this baby. I feel way more excited this time than I was when I was pregnant with Keira. Probably because I know what to expect now and I know how much I will love my baby daughter.

I am feeling pretty dang good these days and my appetite is growing along with my tummy. As of my last checkup I have gained a total of 8 pounds. I have had a couple cravings which have most recently been oranges (a few a day) and I have an undeniable urge to eat a bowl of cereal after every meal. I don't eat a lot at once, but I do eat frequently throughout the day. I have been eating lots of fruit, but vegetables don't taste so great. Besides some occasional insomnia and lower back aches, I really can't complain. I just can't wait for May.