Update

So it turns out that Edward was measured wrong initially. He's really only 21 inches. Not quite as impressive. But he is sleeping well at night, so we are proud of that. It's one of the perks of having big babies.

Ethan struggled a little at first. He misses having his mom and dad all to himself, but is really stoic about it. We've been trying to spend extra time with him as much as possible. Also, potty training is practically out the window at the moment. Our big guy had it down for months, so we thought we'd be ok, but no such luck. We're not pushing him at the moment. He has alot to adjust to.

And, he's sick. We're not sure what with, but the high fever is a sure sign. If it's not gone by tomorrow (day 3), we'll be heading to the dr for sure.

So that's us at the moment. Bumming around our house, getting to know our newest addition, and helping our oldest get better.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

This is hilarious! I've found the sheet music and totally will be using this at future Christmas parties.

Ta Da! (It's just that easy!)

He's finally made an appearance! This is my big, chubby, ridiculously long baby!

First, the stats. Edward Owen weighs in at 9lbs 3oz and is 22 3/4 inches long. (Even the pediatrician didn't believe his length at first.) He was born 12/19/07 at 5:39 pm. The boy has lots of dark hair and is surprisingly strong, reaching for me just minutes after birth and holding his head up for long periods by day 2. Also, he's a great eater.

OK. So here's the story of how. Don't read on if these things bother you.

We were late for our appointment at the hospital, but were settled into our room by about 9:30 and started the IV to get things moving. After several hours, thing were progressing VERY slowly. But the contractions were becoming an issue for me, so the dr ok'd the epidural. (We'd spent quite a lot of time talking about my labor and recovery last time so that my pain, shock, and emotional state could be handled better this go round.) The anesthesiologist did a great job. He did hit nerves, but we'd talked about using some trial and error to get better placement, so I was expecting it. And his placement was sooo good. I did need a few extra doses over the course of the day, but only b/c of contraction pain in my back.

So, I'm numb and happy. John and I decided to watch a movie b/c clearly, this would be a long process. About halfway through, my back was starting to be problem again, so the nurse came in to check me before calling for an extra dose in my epidural. John got ready to call the grandparents to give a long overdue update, but the nurse stopped him with "Are you ready to have a baby?" She had me push through one contraction and then paged the dr b/c he was crowning! Unfortunately, my dr had expected me to take several more hours and had just gone into the OR to assist. So I met another wonderful OB as she ran in, suited up, and delivered the baby. It took less than 10 minutes! And because of my great epidural, I didn't feel any pain. Definitely the best way to have a baby.

Recovery has been much easier. Except for the exhaustion and a sore back, I don't really have much to complain about. I give a HUGE shout out to the maternity services at Newton-Wellesley Hospital for their focus on the patient's wants and needs. It was the best hospital experience I've ever been a part of.

So that's it! Still don't know if I'll ever be willing to do it again, but at least it won't be fears about labor and recovery making the decision next time.

Baby Edward

YAY!

1 day away is weird (and me being stupid)

It's been so great to have Edward's delivery scheduled. We've been able to plan everything from babysitting for Ethan to the last big shopping trip. But today, it's weird. It would be a little less so if I was having a C-section, but knowing that tomorrow morning I'll go into labor is just strange. And instead of being surprised by this new little life who decided to join us, we're saying "Hey. It's time. Get out here and say hi." I'm still glad that we've been able to prepare so well (and that health-wise we're doing the best thing for both of us), but I'm missing the surprise. Just a little.
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And why I was stupid today. If you are fixing a dryer, be sure to unplug it before messing with the wiring. Especially if you're 9 months pregnant! I nearly electrocuted myself replacing a faulty switch, which turned out to not be the only problem. I think I'll leave the other work for my dad or his wife when they're out on Thurs.

Our Big Boy

Sitting here watching the snow. Although it's slowly switching over to sleet and rain, it still looks like a blizzard. Inside, it's just peaceful. John's still asleep and Ethan's at Grandpa G's. So I thought I'd post some pictures of the boy who has been woefully underrepresented on this blog lately.

Jumping on a trampoline in TX. He LOVED it

"Mom, my hat keeps sliding off!"

Swimming in the leaves at Grandpa G's

So proud to be able to pick something up with a chopstick. Not really the right way..., but it works!

"Mom, look at the mess I made!"

Our Big Boy cont.

"Mom, I made a smiley face!"

Just after Ethan helped us decorate the tree. I love the crazy placement of ornaments and daddy making Ethan's usual mad face (I had to trick Ethan into smiling and didn't even notice that John was trying to ruin my attempt at a good photo.)

Where's Ethan? Buried in his birthday presents.

Just after blowing out his birthday candles

Not a good shot, but this is how Ethan gets to the sink. He insists on washing his hands and filling up cups this way. The crazy boy has even started refusing water from the kitchen tap b/c he can do it himself at the bathroom sink. (The chain is his countdown to baby Edward!)

Belly Shots

This was about a month ago. Not much different except that it's smaller than now and only has the few stretch marks (compare it to the last photo to see the difference.)

Again, about a month ago. This is close to the angle that I see. It makes the belly look even bigger!

This is a maternity shirt. Nothing fits anymore and I have to wear one of the few longer shirts under everything.

Edward kicks less than his brother did, but he really likes to stretch. If you look closely (maybe click to enlarge), you can see the two different spots of shine with what is actually a large divot between. My belly is too swollen for him to distort it like this now, but for a while he would contort it into really bizarre shapes.

And the belly just the other day. The size difference is hard to see in this photo, but believe me, it just hasn't stopped growing. The spectacular part of this shot is the view of my stretch marks. Not a single patch of normal skin on the front of my belly. It's so beyond shot that I've lost all feeling in it! (But unfortunately the nerves in my tender uterus are more than making up for it.)

Some time off

After my contractions on Thursday, my mom decided that someone needed to be here for Ethan, just in case. So she came out Friday morning with the plan that my dad would switch out with her on Saturday evening and stay until John's mom comes on Sunday (or later if her flight doesn't make it.) But then dad had a great idea. Because my mom was heading back to NY anyway, why not take Ethan with her and drop her off at dad's house! So Ethan is having a sleepover with Uncle Bryson and will be back here on Monday when the roads are clear. And we are enjoying just relaxing, staying up late, and really just doing nothing.

That's the update. We're doing nothing. And no, labor doesn't seem close at hand. Sigh...

NOT TWINS!

I do really keep getting this question from random strangers (and teasing friends.) Yesterday at the dr's office it really came to a head. A pregnant woman and her mother came into the waiting room and the woman immediately headed for the bathroom (like we all do.) Her mother looked at me and said "Oh! How many are you having?" Apparently her daughter was about 6 1/2 months along with twins. (She looked about as big as I did at that point.) The mom was stunned when I told her I was only having the one. I had to give the whole shpeal about having large babies and carrying fully externally before she would believe me. And then she made a point of not telling her daughter so that she wouldn't worry about growing bigger than I am. I nearly burst out laughing b/c my mom has a nearly identical story from her last pregnancy!

So no! No twins! Just the ginormous one. (Actually, he's so big that the dr mentioned concern about my distended uterus yesterday. We're glad all around that my body won't have to do this much longer.)

Sorry to get your hopes up...

...and mine! It really was just the storm making my body go into labor. But it was too short and didn't push me over the edge. After hours of painful contractions that fluctuated between 6 and 15 minutes, I decided to try to sleep. So I had John rub my legs to ease the tension before laying down and that was the end of it. My body relaxed and not a single contraction woke me up (although that doesn't mean they stopped right away, just that they weren't strong enough to get me up from my coma.)

Now, nothing. He hasn't even dropped lower! We'll just have to wait and see if the storm on Sat night is long enough to make this happen. It really is miserable to feel your body starting on it's way, and then... give up.

The Belly

As promised, here's a photo. We just took it b/c we may need to head to the hospital tonight. I've been having contractions all afternoon, but they are more regular now. We'll keep you posted!

The last few days

After finishing up with the Christmas party last weekend and delivering the Sub-for-Santa donations on monday, Ethan and I have had nothing to do. It's been a little weird after weeks of going non-stop. But we're LOVING it.

Ethan and I have been spending our time just hanging out with each other. I can't imagine a better way to spend our last week together. He's been so much fun. Playing with all his toys, coloring, pretending to be everything from superheroes to pirates, and lots of dancing. We really need to spend the occasional day doing nothing more often. He's just a different kid!

Also, my body is in better shape. The leg problems that were keeping me up half the night are only a minor annoyance now. It's been good to get a little rest before all the work of a newborn.

The big craziness going on right now is the snow that's coming. This afternoon is the first storm, promising at least half a foot in a matter of hours. (And of course I have a dr's appt just as it starts so I can't stay out of it.) Then, on Saturday night, there's a nor-easter coming with predictions anywhere from sheeting ice to more than a foot of snow. Just in time to cause problems with Grandma J flying in.

Our only hope is that the changes in barometric pressure don't push me into labor. (It's crazy how many babies are born early for this reason.) We feel like the scheduled date is just perfect for us, and we REALLY don't want to be driving to the hospital during the middle of a storm.

So that's us for now. I'll try to get a belly shot posted later today (if I can find the memory card.)

"These, Our Little Ones"

That's the title of the First Presidency Message in this month's Ensign. It's all about how the future is affected by how we raise our children. Really an inspiring article by President Hinckley. I was particularly struck by a quote he included, attributed to E.T. Sullivan.

"When God wants a great work done in the world or a great wrong righted, he goes about it in a very unusual way. He doesn't stir up his earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts. Instead, he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home and of some obscure mother. And then God puts the idea into the mother's heart, and she puts it into the baby's mind. And then God waits. The greatest forces in the world are not the earthquakes and the thunderbolts. The greatest forces in the world are babies."

I love this. I love that my little boys can (and will!) be powerful forces in the future. Even if it's in small ways or in small circles. And although I know that they will ultimately structure their own lives however they wish, President Hinckley's advice on bringing them up in a loving home where they are taught, respected, and led by example will help me provide my boys with a strong foundation to build upon.

A Great Article on Who We Are

This article was in the Wall Street Journal on Friday. It has some shocking statistics about how well Mormons are accepted in American society. It's a really good overview of who we are and why we should have as much respect as other religions. And no, it wasn't written by a Mormon.

(And for those of you who aren't LDS, I highly recommend checking out Mormon.org to have a few of your questions answered. Especially the overview of the Plan of Salvation under Basic Beliefs and the short videos included in that section. I promise your perspective on both Mormons and your own life will change.)

Just Blown Away...

The Ward Christmas Party is finally over. It was a ton of work, but soooo worth it. I have to admit that it was a great party.

But the best part is our AMAZING ward. They just blow me away. (And I'm not only talking about the incredible talent show or the huge number of donations to sub-for-santa.) We sent out a distress call earlier in the week for more people to bring food and the response was overwhelming. We had so much extra food that we distributed it to quite a few families who could use it, the missionaries, and everyone else who wanted some! And then there were the wonderful sisters who showed up, saw a need, and jumped in to help for the entire party. (My committee is only 5 people strong and we were 2 down, so we badly needed the help.) And everyone who helped us clean up from a party of nearly 250 people. In under an hour. Without being asked!!

We could not have pulled of such a great party without all the help. So if any of you read this... THANK YOU!!!

Car Talk

One of our favorite times to talk to Ethan is in the car. He opens up and chats away about the things he's been thinking about and learning, and also about what he sees out the window. Usually a combination of both. In the last few days, we've talked about letters, stinky skunks, happy monsters, airplanes, fish, snow, and presents we can give baby Jesus for his birthday (my favorite). It's so fun to just drive and wait to hear what he will bring up.

12 long days to go

It's been a few days since I've written b/c the only news is that I'm more uncomfortable. On Wed, even the dr was hoping my body would be at the point where he could just admit me. Not even close. I've been having a lot of painful contractions, but irregular and only in front (thank goodness! I couldn't handle these if they spread to my back.) So just false labor. Yuck.

But it does mean that I'm trying to get ready, just in case. Nearly everything is at least here, if not washed and ready to go. So I need to pack my bag for the hospital and do at least a few loads of laundry. Then we're prepared whether this happens this weekend or in 12 days.

Actually, I'm going to try to hurry it along a little. Today, I'm going to do all that prep work, and then go to work for my last shift before going on leave. Tomorrow is the Christmas party, so I'll be running around all day and late into the evening. And I intend to push it!

Wish me luck!

Baby Talk

After dinner last night, the moms were talking around the table while the dads kept an eye on the kids. One of the dads walked into the kitchen and immediately backtracked with the comment that women always end up talking about pregnancy and labor.

This morning, Eric Snider's column had this Q&A.
Dear Eric: Why is it that every time a group of women gather, the conversation turns to swapping baby stories? -- Muddled in Montana
Dear Muddy: Think about it. If you shoved a nine-pound human out of one of your personal orifices, don't you think you'd talk about it a lot too?

That's exactly why we talk about it. It's still amazes us that we did it. (And for some reason chose to do it again!)

Happy 3rd Birthday to Ethan!

Ethan has been talking about his birthday for ages. And after two of the other kids in his four person preschool class turned 3, he had become an expert. He knew you opened presents, had a party, sang the birthday song, and ate cake. So today, we did all of those things.

We started with a breakfast of his choice (egg-in-a-hole and bacon). Then presents. (Our house is exploding with all the toys his grandparents sent and it's not even Christmas yet!) After that he spent a few hours playing with the new stuff while John and I cleaned up and got ready for church. Church was fun b/c the nursery was visiting the primary today and they sang "Happy Birthday" to Ethan. (His little friends loved it and told their parents about when they would get to stand up front.) Afterward, we had some of Ethan's preschool friends (and their parents) over for dinner and cupcakes. It was really nice and Ethan was happy he had a "party". There were also phone calls from family and lots of surprising the boy with shouts of "Happy Birthday!" in there too.

Now he's sugared up and overtired, so all I hear is screaming coming from the bedroom where John is trying to get him into pajamas. Even if we have a miserable evening, it was worth b/c Ethan had a fun day.

Angels

Ethan was playing with the wood block nativity set I made several years ago and telling us about the people on each piece. Apparently, I'm Jesus's mom and "Angels come from flies."

3 Weeks To Go

I'm going to adjust the date on the little baby to the right so that it counts down to my induction day. Just click on the numbers until you see a countdown. Only 21 days to go!!

Sicko

That's me. Having a bad cold is always miserable, but it's so much worse with the added complications of pregnancy. Ethan gave me this cold and he didn't suffer nearly as badly. Lucky kid. Of course, this falls on a week when I have 50 million things to do, most of them not at home. (Thank goodness for the wonderful women who cleaned my house last week or it would be so much more. Thanks again ladies!)

So, as much as I want to spend my days resting on the couch and my nights sound asleep so that I can get better... we're running errands all morning, getting in a short nap, doing whatever I need to to get ready for evening plans, and finally crashing into bed for the night, where I'm up every hour and get almost no real sleep. You can imagine how great I'm feeling....

But Ethan's birthday, the last preschool lesson before we break for Christmas, the Ward Christmas party (I'm in charge), and so many other things just can't be ignored or put off. I'll have some time in about a week and a half to crash. I'll just have to wait to get better until then.

Our kind of Christmas music

Ethan and I have been listening to Christmas music in the car and at home for weeks now. Cheesy radio music in the car and typically Handel's Messiah or The Nutcracker at home.

But today we busted out our favorite while decorating the tree. We played The Trans-Siberian Orchestra nice and loud. For anyone who doesn't know, they are a rock orchestra. Definitely our kind of Christmas music. So after the tree, we were all at the table eating dessert when suddenly, we all start dancing in our chairs. Even Ethan. It was hilarious! I couldn't help but think "The family that dances to Christmas rock music together, stays together." We're glad that we're raising our son to appreciate the good stuff.

(For anyone who might be interested, we just discovered that the Smashing Pumpkins have a Christmas song, called Christmas Time. Go to the link to hear it! It's motivated me to find more in the same genre.)

Happy Thanksgiving

We've hosted Thanksgiving at our house the last 3 years. Not this one. Without Stew to cook the turkey, and with my ever-increasing size, we decided it would be better to not do it. So we had a great dinner with friends at someone else's house! (I still made pies, so I didn't back out of all the cooking.)

And because it's Thanksgiving:

I'm thankful for my wonderful husband. He sustains me everyday and I can't imagine life without him.

I'm thankful for my beautiful, smart, loving Ethan. Even on his worst days he's just such a good kid. And it's hard not to love someone who loves you so much.

I'm thankful for the relative stability of our life right now. It's easier to handle the changes we're making to our family and our life in the near future when everything else is going well.

I'm thankful for great friends. Those that we see often, those that have moved away, those that we've moved away from, and those we are still getting to know. Life is so much more fun with all of you around.

And I'm especially thankful for the knowledge of my purpose here on earth. It makes everything worth it. Everything.

December 19th, 2007!!

That, we hope, will be baby Edward's birthday. Because of Grandma J's schedule changes and the desire both on my part and the doctor's to do this early, we scheduled the induction. We are skipping the ultrasound to estimate size b/c if it turns out he's not quite as big as we think, then I would be bumped to a lower priority and could potentially have to wait until as late as Christmas day! No one wants that. So we are calling it a "previous history of large babies" and getting me on the schedule now with a high priority for delivery that day.

So... barring either an early natural delivery (doubtful b/c of his position), or my body's refusal to get ready even with the things they can do to push it along, we'll be having a baby Dec 19th!

He noticed!

Ethan: "Mom, your belly is getting really big."

Me: (laughing) "It is, isn't it."

Home Birth

I could never do this, with the risk of the baby being too big and needing a C-section and all, but it amazes me. (Plus the idea makes me uncomfortable. I've gotta go with my gut on this one.)

Tisha is an amazing woman who has done it yet again! (And need I mention she's a great friend who I dearly miss seeing every day?) Her strength blows me away every time I talk to her. Read her birth story here and see how "easy" homebirth can be.

P.S. - We finally took some belly photos last night and I promise to get them posted in the next day or two.

Title

So I realized that I'll need to change the title of my blog soon (although I won't change the address.) I like the one I've had, so I don't want to change it too much. I've had a few ideas. There is the obvious "Life with Ethan and Edward". Or "Life with the E-Boys". Or "Life with my boys" which would include John. What do you think? Any other suggestions?

Early Morning

"Wake up Daddy! The sun is awake!"

I'm sure that John doesn't think this is a cute as I do, but I love hearing Ethan's little declaration that the day is starting.

33 Weeks

I'm not actually 33 weeks along until tomorrow, but close enough. I had a dr's appt today. I'd been worried a little b/c I'm not feeling quite as uncomfortable and miserable as last time. Partially b/c I just don't have the time to think about it, and partially b/c I don't feel as big. (I know that it's weird to worry about feeling good, but when you've spent months anticipating these last few weeks of misery, it just feels wrong.)

I learned today why I don't feel as big. Edward has settled in transverse (meaning he's laying sideways instead of the normal up and down). This explains A LOT. Including why it still feels like he has so much room to move around. He doesn't, but because he can roll, I get hands and feet sticking out everywhere. (When Ethan settled into position at 5 or 6 months, he was so stuck there that I developed bruises in the spot where he kicked.)

This also means he hasn't dropped at all. So I look lower and less pointy b/c of his position, but it's not b/c he's getting ready to come out. In reality, if he doesn't rotate on his own, it may mean a C-section for me (Yay!!) But we still have time, so with my luck, he'll rotate.

The one good sign for me delivering early is that I'm measuring a week big. And it seems that with Edward's shift sideways, the vertical measurement they take would be falsely reduced, meaning I might measure even bigger if he were upright. Even with Ethan's size, I always measured right on, so just more evidence that Edward will be a big boy.

Hopefully I'll have more news about when he'll be coming soon. I go back in 2 weeks and expect to schedule the ultrasound for between that appt and the one the first week of Dec. Then we'll be able to schedule a delivery!! Yay!!

Last Call...

Now that Edward is arriving soon, I need to pick up those last few things that we need. So I'm giving anyone else a last chance before I get them myself.

The stroller and bottles are taken, but I will order the rest from both lists next week if I don't hear from anyone else.

Otherwise, we are getting to the point where we should be all set (I think.) We're going to finish the room rearranging and bring up the stuff from the basement this weekend, so then I'll know if we need anything else, but I don't think so.

Update: They didn't have the sling in my size in the patterns I'd mentioned before. So I went ahead and ordered one in a different pattern myself. I'll leave the link a while longer, just in case anyone else was looking to get one for themselves.

I know who you are....

I added a counter at the bottom of the sidebar not long ago. This was after I discovered that more people were reading my blog than I realized, so I wanted to find out how many. It's been less than two weeks and I'm about to top 100! You all make me feel so popular! The best thing about the service I'm using (besides the fact that it's free), is that I can see the locations that are checking my site. So I'm able to identify who is checking it b/c I know where you live. Bwa-ha-ha.

Seriously, it's just fun to see. (And occasionally discover things like Grandma J's trip to Japan before she mentioned it.)

Bump on the head

It would have been less of a big deal if this was just a simple bump on the head from falling or banging his head on something. But no. Ethan has a bump on his temple that's been there for months. I'd noticed it, but had been holding out on doing anything until the doctor mentioned it at Ethan's visit in Sept. So after keeping a closer eye on it, I confirmed that it isn't going away. That meant we needed to go back to the doctor to have him look at this bump. Anyone who knew Ethan's friend Hyrum before they moved away, knows the importance of having these checked out. (A bump on the head was the only symptom of a widespread bone cancer. Miraculously, his body dealt with it on its own and he is doing great.)

Can you believe how weird and slightly embarrassing it is to schedule an appointment for a bump on the head? While we were there, one of the nurses stopped as he walked by to say hi to Ethan and ask what we were doing there. I told him, and then said "Really just to say hi!" That's what it felt like. (We did manage to sneak in a weight check and a flu shot while we were there, which was nice.) But the doctor agreed that the bump bothered him as well. We discussed how 99% of the time these bumps are nothing, but it's that 1% that keeps us on edge. So not only did he check it out, he called in another doc to get a second opinion before making a decision. The bump is hard and doesn't move, so it seems like bone.

The consensus was to get an x-ray. Our dr's office is in a building connected to the hospital, so they sent us right over. I was really impressed by the efficiency of the whole process. Ethan wasn't. Because I'm pregnant, I couldn't stay with him during the seven! skull x-rays. It was a little bit traumatic with lots of tears, but he did great. He held still when they asked him to, and even went back in for more without a huge fight when the radiologist asked for a different angle. He was a brave boy.

So we made it out in less that two and a half hours and went to get a special lunch because Ethan did such a great job. Then, a few hours later, our dr called with the results. They didn't see anything. So unless it changes, or either of our intuitions makes us nervous about it, we'll just keep an eye on it. The next step would be a CT scan (heavy radiation) or an MRI (requires that Ethan be put under anesthesia), neither of which we feel is warranted right now.

For any family that reads this, feel your temples. Because of where Ethan's bump is, it is possible that he just has a strangely large temple, maybe because his orbital ridge is a little higher than average. So let us know if you have prominent temples. It would help confirm that this bump is nothing at all.

Update: My dad has prominent temples. Not as large as Ethan's bump, but definitely more than normal. He also has the higher orbital ridge (where your eyebrows are), so it seems like Ethan's bump is probably just the way his head is made.

Out of his shell

We all know that Ethan can take a while to warm up to people. Even people that he sees on a regular basis. But the last while has been different. Ethan has started responding when random people ask his name. Like the guy sweeping the floor at the supermarket. And the health insurance guy at John's office. Today at preschool he even jumped up on the mom teaching and started having a tickle fight! (During free-play, of course.) It's strange to see him coming out of his shell. I love that he's more comfortable out in the world. It's great to see him play more and not cling so much. But I also don't like that he's more comfortable out in the world. It was easiest when he was afraid to leave my side when we ran errands. Now, taking him out can be a major ordeal. And it'll be worse with two. I'm not completely sure whether or not I like this yet. I guess it depends on the situation.

Getting Dressed

I realized that the top picture on the last post has more of a story behind it. So here it is...

Typically, Ethan isn't interested in dressing himself. Strange, because he wants to do nearly everything by himself. (This is the cause of his fits 90% of the time.) But clothing has always been different. He'll start off great, get frustrated by something, bang his fists, and then cross his arms defiantly until we remind him that he needs to ask and say please if he wants help. Then we help.

The day of the photo, Ethan had been dressed earlier in a different outfit (possibly the same shirt.) Mid-morning, I was in the kitchen folding laundry when I realized he hadn't come in to pester me in a few minutes. (Glorious minutes.) So I poked my head into his room and saw this little naked butt sticking out while Ethan dug through his pants drawer. I asked what happened to his clothes and Ethan replied that he had had an accident and needed new ones. After he told me where he had been standing when he peed, I left him to his pants search while I cleaned the carpet. Meanwhile, Ethan retrieved not only new pants, but new underwear, socks, and a sweatshirt b/c I'd told him earlier that it was cold outside. He put them all on without complaint and came out to find his shoes, which he also put on. Finding him all ready to go (with nowhere to go), I had to take a picture. And then we went to the park as a reward for such a big accomplishment.

I'm not thrilled that it took an accident for him to do it, but I'm so proud of my little guy for dressing himself. Although it made me realize that he knows he can do it. He just chooses not to when he doesn't feel like putting in the effort. Somehow I need to convince him that it's worth it every day. Maybe I'll start the morning "chore" list I've been thinking about and reward him when he does all of it. (Stuff like getting dressed, eating breakfast, making his bed, etc. Probably one for each finger so that they are easy to keep track of. Don't worry, I'm not making my son a slave. Yet.)

Photos of our cute boy

Ethan dressed himself. Note the too small sweatshirt, the "sweater" pants hiked up to the knees, and the mismatched socks. But he did it himself, so I'm so proud!

So cool.

Ethan has just started posing for photos and this is his new cheeseball grin.

Pinwheel Preschool's First Fieldtrip. The kids climbing the hay mountain at the farm we visited.

Ethan has a horsey!

Weirdest Symptom

Did you know that your eyes can swell when you're pregnant? I'm lucky that my hands and feet don't swell much. (Just enough to keep my from wearing my rings.) But apparently, my eyes have taken on some of the extra fluid. Any time I wear my contacts, they are so tight I burst blood vessels. So I'm resigned to wearing glasses until sometime in December. At least they're cute pink ones!

What is that on the couch???

I came out of the shower this morning, and after getting dressed, went into the living room to see what mischief Ethan had gotten in to. Immediately my eyes were drawn to something bright red all over the couch. The markers are on a high shelf, so I racked my brain for what he could have smeared all over the couch that's so red. Then it hit me! BLOOD! A quick check and I discovered Ethan's first three toes on his right foot covered in it. Asking what happened was fruitless, so I began cleaning his foot to find the source. It took some looking. Apparently, all this blood came from a tiny, tiny scrape on the bottom of his second toe. Of course, while I was finding the little bandaids and bacitracin he ran all over the house leaving little spots of blood on carpeting, clothes on the floor, and again, the couch. When I finally found the bandaids (they'd fallen behind the medicine chest), I had to clean off his bloody foot again. Now he is complaining about the bandaid (he hates them), but I'm not letting him take it off until the bleeding has stopped. I already have enough to clean. (Maybe we'll go to IKEA and buy another slipcover for the couch. I don't think it's worth attempting to clean.)

Update : Thanks to Beth's mom for the heads up that peroxide gets out blood. I replaced the couch cover anyway b/c it was nearly destroyed pre-blood and so shrunken from many, many washes that it was ripping at the seams. But I'm totally going to use peroxide on those carpet spots. Thanks!!

Updated Sidebar

Just an update on my sidebar. I think G&G J are buying the stroller. And I removed the diapers from the "want" list b/c I'm realizing that it's just more work and expense than I want. But I did add a baby sling. I didn't like the one I had last time and barely used it b/c it didn't fit well, had no stretch, and had this annoying padding. After looking around for a while, I found these. They come in something like ten different sizes, are all stretch cotton, can be ordered with or without padding, and are so adorable to boot! Just in case you were wondering, I think I'll wear a size 23, unpadded, and I really like White Lotus, White Lily, Natural Bamboo (the bluer one), and Spellbound Stretch. I also like Blue Acadia, but definitely no solids b/c it'll be harder to hide messes and stains.

You've gotta watch this!

With nothing else to watch Wed nights, John and I discovered a new show and we LOVE it! It's called 'Pushing Daisies' and you can watch full episodes here. (It's not on iTunes yet, but we can hope.)

Narrated brilliantly by Jim Dale, it's about a pie-maker who can bring people and things back to life by touching them (and killing them again by another touch.) The owner of a small shop called the 'Pie Hole', his PI friend roped him into using his talent to solve murders and collect the reward. He brought back his child-hood girlfriend to solve her murder and can't bring himself to send her back. So now they live and work together, but can't touch. Creating more fun is the girl who loves him (played by the amazing Kristin Chenoweth), but can't figure out who this new non-contact girl is. They even make great use of her voice with fun musical interludes.

Really, I can't describe how great it is, so you've gotta watch it. So quirky. Way to come back ABC!

Shout out

Check out my friend Steph's new etsy store, "So Called Mommy"

Only a few things so far, but she is willing to customize any of them. They are all so cute! And I'm loving her sexy photo. Proof that moms really can look good!

What a great guy

I'm managing today b/c John stayed home from work. I didn't fall asleep until after 4am, so it was wonderful to sleep in. He's keeping Ethan out of the house so that I can clean, plan my preschool lessons for the week, run to the store, etc... without them in my way. This would have been a horrible day without him, so I'm sooo glad I have a great husband. I love you, babe!

...can't...sleep...

It's 1:30am Monday morning and I can't sleep. There are a million reasons that I should be totally zonked.

1 - I just worked a grueling three days that pushed me so far past my limits I started having contractions. My body can barely handle my regular days at the moment. Work days are much longer and require me to be on my feet more. It doesn't help that before work on Friday I insisted on making a HUGE grocery store trip with Ethan. I need to do those when I have someone else to unload the car for me. (For anyone who is unaware, I work the evening shift. So after most of my regular day with Ethan, I hand him off to his dad and spend another eight hours on my feet at the hospital. On the weekends I do get to sleep in a little more, but my pregnant body doesn't recover very quickly.)

2 - I'm into the not-so-fun part of the pregnancy where I'm swollen, sick, and tired all the time. Already. I'm exhausted. I can't even pretend that I don't want this baby out NOW!

3 - I take a sleeping pill! The anti-nausea meds I still need are also a sleep-aid, but somehow have never seemed to help me sleep. Even my dr is confused by this one.

So really, I should be sleeping. The nausea and muscle spasms from pushing my body too far keep me from my rest. I have no idea how I'm going to function tomorrow, but Ethan won't disappear, so somehow I'll have to.

Belly Dancing

Yes, it's my belly that's doing the dancing. I'm sitting here watching Edward doing a little tap dance. It's the craziest thing. My belly is bouncing all over the place. Unfortunately the video camera is out of charge, so we can't capture it on tape. (Stewart, you got lucky this time.)

Why is he wearing different clothes?

Well, he is two, so it's not unusual for him to need to change his clothes. But today it's funny. The first part funny ha-ha, the second funny weird.

Ethan saw one of the other kids at preschool use the big potty without a special seat. So he's been determined to do it. It's funny to watch him get himself onto the toilet. He scoots all the way back and sits on the back edge. Sometimes without the benefit of a stool to get there. Impressive, until today. Today, Ethan fell in. I managed to keep myself from laughing out loud while I pulled him out, dried him off, and changed his wet shirt. (Yea. He really fell all the way in. Only held up by his armpits and knees.) Luckily, he climbed right back on and used the potty, not afraid of it. I guess this means I can't tell him he won't fall in any more.

His pants survived the potty incident because they were around his ankles. But they didn't survive naptime. Ethan must not have fully drained himself after falling in b/c when he came out of his room after naptime, his pants were wet. Not soaked, but wet enough. So I changed him and went looking for where the accident occurred. I'd been hearing him for a few minutes before he came out, so I knew it may not be in bed, but the spread pattern suggested that it was. Nope. Dry sheets. Even a dry floor in the spot where he occasionally sleeps after rolling out of bed. And I could find no sign of wetness anywhere. I'm still confused and can't really believe that Ethan had a fully contained accident. Weird.

So that's why my son is wearing completely different clothes than when we started the day. At least it was a good day, so all the wet nasty clothes aren't making me more frustrated.

What a week!

This entire week, I kept wishing for it to be over. Ethan has been a little nightmare. But only at home. So I guess it's good that we were busy and out of the house a lot. Actually, we had some really great times this week (it's just that the bad times at home seem to overshadow everything else.)

On Tuesday, Ethan had his great dr's appt and then we went to the church to help cook lunch for nearly 100 missionaries and the general authority that was teaching at their zone conference. Although Ethan spent most of the time in the nursery playing with the other kids, he was so excited about making lunch for the missionaries that I let him come out at the end to help us serve dessert. It meant that he was there when they sang to us. Seriously a tear-jerker, and Ethan keeps asking when we get to do it again.

Wednesday was probably the worst day Ethan and I have ever had. I'm trying to forget that it happened, so I'm not going to talk about it any more.

Thursday was our first day of Pinwheel Preschool. The girls were so excited and the boys were shy. By the end everyone was playing together happily and they had all learned about being friends. I don't have to teach until the first week of Oct, but I'm getting so excited! That night, Ethan and I made cookies together. I initiated it to distract him (and because I wanted cookies), but we had a great time doing it.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to starting off this week with a clean slate. Hopefully Ethan will be more willing to use his "listening ears" and take the occasional nap. Also hit less. I'd like that.

I'm sorry, WHAT??

Tonight, when I went in to sing to Ethan before bed, he asked "After Edward can you have another baby?" Seriously.

30 lbs!!!

He did it! Ethan finally broke the 30 lb mark! For our boy who hit 20 lbs at 4 months and was still off the charts at a year, then suddenly stopped gaining weight, we are so excited that he is finally gaining a little weight before he turns 3. (For anyone keeping track he gained a pound and 4 ounces in the last four weeks!) He had also managed to grow an inch in a month, so this is a real, legitimate weight gain. Yay!

This means we are off the hook for weight checks for a while. We are still going to keep him on a high fat, protein, and calorie diet, but as long as he continues his upturn, we will be able to cut back after his regular check-up in december. Even the doctor was excited. Such good news!

It's weird to look at pictures of Ethan as an infant compared to how he looks now. He was such a giant butterball. But after two years of using all that extra mass to fuel his height growth, he is a tall and lean boy. At least we are getting to a point where he isn't an unhealthy thin. (Ethan's uncle Ben should try this diet.)

Preschool

My last few posts have been depressing. So I wanted to write about something exciting. We're starting Preschool!! No, not real preschool. He's not old enough yet. Two other moms and I are doing a little preschool group starting next week. Our kids are a few weeks apart and are all on the shy side, but with great language skills. They'll be perfect together and will help each other really well. Ethan is soooooo excited, he's been taking his backpack everywhere. He's even been talking about riding the school bus. Not sure how to let him down about that one. I'm excited too. The planning is so fun and I can't wait to have something regularly scheduled!

Crying

Today, Ethan threw a monster tantrum. He cried hysterically for an HOUR! I think the problems were the car door, his cup of milk, and his shoes. Really, he was just overtired and has found this new way of expressing his frustration. After trying for 45 minutes to calm him down and get him ready for a nap, I left him to cry himself to sleep. (Which he did, and then slept for two and a half hours.) So sad and so frustrating. When he gets worked up, nothing will calm him down. It's like he blocks us out. At least there was no hitting involved today.

And then there's me crying. Clearly, Ethan is less of the little angel he used to be. But I could still see my baby in him, so I kept hoping he go back to being good. Until I had his hair cut. He doesn't look like my baby anymore. He looks like a KID! A kid who throws tantrums and is aggressive and hits. . . I cried about it last night as a watched him sleep. My sweet boy is gone and now I have this kid that I just don't know what to do with. (Weirdly, in public, he is even more shy than ever. So I get aggressive and ornery at home, and clingy when we go out and I can't carry him around. Never a break.)

Moods

Ethan has been so inconsistent lately. Napping, not napping. Using the potty, wanting only diapers. Little angel, constant tantrums. Some of it is clearly just wanting independence and a say in what goes on in his life. Some of it is learning new things (and the accompanying backsliding of others). Some of it is being tired from the not napping.

I think, strangely enough, part of it is that we have been talking a lot about our moods and how we are feeling. He's learning how to express things more clearly and put words to how he's feeling. It's so fun to have Ethan wake up and tell us "I'm feeling silly today", and then to spend the whole day making us laugh. It's less fun when he tells us he's frustrated or mad, but like we tell him, it's a part of who we are to have all kinds of moods. It's a learning experience for all of us watch how his moods change, how they are affected by our moods, and how his moods affect ours. As much as we've been really struggling with how to raise this inconsistent boy (and not be frustrated a lot ourselves), we love watching him learn about himself and how to express his feelings so that others understand. He really is a great kid. Even on the days I grit my teeth when I say it.

Looking at that picture....

I have a hard time looking at that picture of my belly. In some ways, it doesn't look that big. But I've got nearly 4 months to go (and to grow). For comparison, my belly is exactly the same size as a good friend who is due in less than 8 weeks. And she is smaller and skinnier than I. Also, Edward is nearly always standing upright, so because most of his hugeness is still just in height, he doesn't push out as much as up and down. More uncomfortable for me than noticeable to anyone else.

The other big reason I can't look at it is that I see the destruction of my body. I miss my body. I know, I know, some of it will recover. The extra weight in places like my arms and face will burn off. But some of me won't make it back so easily. Besides the obvious over-stretching of my belly (and other areas), I see the bad curvature of my back being pulled in a worse direction. Which reminds me of the damage being pregnant is doing to my hips, pelvis, and all the connected muscles. According to my last physical therapist, a lot of this damage is irreversible. His actual recommendation was to not be pregnant ever again. Obviously, I'm just really hoping he was wrong. If he wasn't, a third pregnancy could mean spending a few months unable to walk. I'm really, really hoping he was wrong.

Maybe I shouldn't blog when I'm tired and in pain.

The Belly

Not a great photo, but this is the belly at 22 weeks. I'm looking for a picture from last time, but need to do some hunting on the slow computer, so it may be a few days.

Jinxing myself

I know that this will end Ethan's streak, but I just have to gush.

This boy has been using the potty for a week and a half. For everything. He has even stopped asking me for help. Just pulls down his pants, sits down, and calls for me afterward to help clean up. The pull-ups I put on him for naps have been consistently dry. And this morning...(drum roll please)... his diaper was dry! He woke up and immediately said he had to pee. (I'm sure he did. He's been taking a full cup of milk to bed so that we can get enough into him.)

So proud of my little guy. And he looks so grown up in big boy underpants.

Mom, I'm so sorry....

Found this woman's blog through her hilarious Ebay posting. She has 6 kids and the way she writes about her life reminds me of my mom. I kind of wish my mom had been able to blog while we were growing up because more people would know how funny she can be in the middle of chaos. Actually, I'm not so sure I would want all of our antics out there for anyone to read, but at least I was the good one...

Anyway, her blog reminds me of life with five crazy kids in the house. Never a dull moment. Mom, I'm so so sorry that you had to put up with us. Now that I have one of my own, I can see how absolutely nuts it would be to try to mother so many off the wall kids. Thanks for doing your best.

EDIT: I'm not saying that having lots of kids is crazy (well, maybe a little), but more that I'm amazed by the women who manage to do it. I'm pretty sure that all of my siblings are turning out to be decent human beings. That in itself is amazing. Good job mom!

... and Ethan

Ethan has given me the best two birthday presents a mom could ask for this last week (besides some time off.) Both seem to stem from his visit to the doctor's office.

First, the cute one. We've had more visits for me and Edward lately than for him, so when we arrived at his doctor's office, Ethan started asking about Edward. He spent the whole waiting time asking if he could open my belly (pull up my shirt) to look at Edward. When we arrived home and were trying to eat lunch, Ethan had trouble eating because he was so absorbed in my belly. Touching it, rubbing it, kissing it, talking to it, and trying to take Edward out so that he could hold him. This is a routine we go through several times a day now. Sometimes we pretend that Ethan takes Edward out and practices holding him. Ethan is so excited about his little brother that he even tried to rearrange his room during a nap, so that we could put the crib in it. Hopefully this enthusiasm will continue after Edward is born. (While I was typing this, Ethan snuggled up to me and covered my belly with a blanket to keep baby Edward warm.)

The second, and more amazing thing is that potty training is actually happening! The doctor asked how it was going and I admitted that we'd gotten frustrated and taken a break. He suggested, specifically because Ethan is way too smart and knows that diapers are just easier, the "Once Upon a Potty" video for boys. (We already had it, but hadn't used it since the very beginning. It really is a great video for smarter kids b/c it goes through everything from body parts to having accidents and even includes a super annoying song that you can't get out of your head.) I didn't think Ethan was paying attention, but the next morning he asked if I would take off his diaper so that he could make a pee-pee, even remembering that the doctor said to let him sit on the potty while watching the video. We moved the potty into the living room and Ethan peed! Without any prompting from anyone else! Ever since, he's been wearing mostly underwear and using the potty several times a day, with little prompting. (Albeit in the living room, but hey, he's doing it.) He even pooped in the potty on Sunday and was so excited he wanted to tell his nursery teachers.

My little boy is growing into such a cutie! I love how excited he is to have a brother and how amazing he is when he decides to do something. (I also love that he has such respect for the doctor. I might need to take advantage of that.)

My E Boys: Edward...

I made the mistake a few weeks ago of telling John how much easier this pregnancy has been. The meds are WONDERFUL and mean I don't struggle to keep my blood sugar up this time. And having Ethan means that I just forget I'm pregnant most of the time.

Or at least that was the case. Meds are still good, but I'm having to be more careful about veggies and anything else that causes gas bubbles. Talk about painful. The bubbles not only hurt, but they cause contractions, which Edward then pushes back against. It's like labor pains! I guess I just don't have much room in there any more.

That's the other crazy thing. I'm 21 weeks, when they say you should be starting to feel your baby moving. HA! Not only did I start feeling him at 13 weeks, I'm already at the point where I can grab onto his foot when he shoves! He really is that big and that strong. No little flutterings for me.

I'm also becoming large enough for this belly to get in my way. I can't lift much at all. Getting up and down is a problem. Ethan is complaining that he doesn't fit on my lap and I can't get down on the floor to play as easily. My poor stretch marks are itching like crazy. And I still have 4 months to go!! (I need to post a picture so that people will believe me.)

At least I know Edward is growing! He's already making himself a big part of our family.

How could I forget?

Somehow, I forgot to mention that John and I had our seventh anniversary a few weeks ago. Way to go us! A friend mentioned that they struggled through their seventh year, glad to hit the anniversary and put it behind them. We've been lucky. I'll be the first to admit that this hasn't been the easiest year we've ever had, but it wasn't the hardest either. No problems with that rumored seven-year-itch.

So babe, just because I don't say it enough,
I Love You!

Hijack: Technical Difficulties

John here, my domain name has expired and I'm having a hard time re-registering it.

So, until I'm able to figure it out, I've pointed my blog to tenfootrabbits.blogspot.com

You can keep up with me there, it should be a seamless experience.

Remembering

Remembering today that every day we get to spend with Ethan is a blessing.

We miss you Cameron.

Scrawny Boy

Ok. I am really getting sick of this.

We visited the dr today for what I had hoped was Ethan's last weight check. Although he is getting taller right on schedule, the boy has only managed to gain about an ounce a month, instead of the six he should be gaining. To give you some perspective on that, he gained about a third of a pound since his last weigh in, but should have gained three pounds. Arrgh! Back on the high calorie, high fat, high protein diet. They even want us to mix half whole milk and half cream in his cups for a few weeks.

Because I've been so annoyed that we've had to keep doing all this, I asked why this is such a problem. Especially because the dr agrees with me that he is just adjusting to be the tall, scrawny kid we expect him to be. I got a great explanation this time. At first, the problem was his drop in both height and weight on the growth charts. Then, his height leveled off at well above 50th percentile, but his weight kept dropping. Now that he's hovering barely above 25th in weight, they start worrying about his body getting (or not properly using) everything it needs. Particularly the fats he needs for neural development. (That would be for brain and nerve function for my husband who complains that I use big medical words.)

At this point, he is clearly still developing normally. He is ridiculously smart, so no problems there yet, and his physical development is right where it should be. But because we're back on the diet, we are also back to the monthly check-ups. (They want to make sure he gains, but doesn't get the chance to put on any unhealthy weight.)

At least this time I can join him in some of his yummy indulgences. Although there is clearly more of me (in more places than just my belly), my weight isn't going up either. Edward is following in his brother's footsteps at this point. Growing so fast, I can't manage to keep up with the both of us! Hopefully when he slows down in a few years, it's not as much as his older brother.

Halfway!

I'm officially halfway to the finish line. It's nice, but it also reminds me I have about 20 more weeks to go. Yuck. My belly already sticks out far enough that I bump into things when I'm not being careful. (The lab benches at work are at just the wrong height and I always come home with bruises.) Not really looking forward to being huge.

FYI

For anyone who might have been thinking about it, the solid colors of the swaddling blankets have been marked down. (The link is under 'Things we want...' on the sidebar.) I plan to buy at least one of these b/c they are such a great weight of fabric and the perfect size to swaddle even big babies, nurse under, and use as a sun shade on the stroller. I figure that we need so little I can afford to splurge on a few nicer items this go round.

It's a..... oh, just look and see

This is a little hard to see small, so maybe click on the picture to see it bigger. It's a bum shot, with the legs disappearing to the left. (The round, hollow thing is a knee, so follow it back down to the bum.) In between you can see a distinct something...That's right! We're having another boy, and we are sure this time. This is a nice profile shot. For anyone who has a hard time seeing these, the white curve at the bottom left is the back of the head. So if you follow the curve over the top, you get to a nice profile. If you look at it close up the nose, lips, chin, and even cheekbones are visible. The squished oval to the right is the torso and the white streak coming up at the right is a leg bone.
Here is another profile. In this one you can see a little hand coming up to his mouth. You can even count all five fingers.
Right after the last one, the tech gave the baby a poke and he appeared to be laughing at her. (The cross-section is at a strange angle, so no, my baby isn't deformed.)
I know this doesn't look like much, but it's a foot with five toes. (The toes are at the upper right end of the foot.)

So it was a great ultrasound. He is healthy and clearly enjoying his ability to move around in there. It took quite a long time because he was playing around so much. Rolling around, waving his hands at us, and crossing his legs when she went for a bum shot. The tech commented that he was incredibly active, but was fun to chase around. She also mentioned how tall he seemed to be. All his measurements were right on, but they can't get a good length estimate once they are this big, so she was just guessing.

Well post something at soon about his name, because I'm sure you'll hear us using it. But I don't want to tell you yet until we can explain what it means to us. I may even have John write about it.

Little Miracle

Our big ultrasound is tomorrow. Before we find out what the baby is, and more importantly if it's healthy, I thought I should share why this baby is already a little miracle for us.

After my experience last time, I wanted to have a much better doctor this time around. The entire year that we were trying to become pregnant, I asked everyone I knew for recommendations, feeling like I would never find a doctor who would be what I needed. Finally, my visiting teacher mentioned her dr and I just got a good feeling. So when I was nearing 12 months of nothing, I called to make an appointment. Afraid to admit that there might be a problem to the receptionist (and to myself), I simply scheduled a new patient appointment, which meant a three month wait. Because I was afraid of what he might find at the appointment, and that he might not be a good fit for me anyway, I was ok putting it off.

A week later, I was at the temple. Frustrated after a year of trying and pleading, I didn't want to pray about getting pregnant that time. No, not just didn't want to, I flat out refused. So I went, focused on other things. It wasn't very far into the session when I was overridden and received a very direct answer. I very distinctly heard in my head "Call and move up the appointment." Not the kind of answer I'd been looking for, and one that made me worry about why, but an answer.

I called and explained that I needed to discuss fertility issues and that I just didn't feel like it could wait. Apparently my dr's assistant had been covering the phones and something I said made her fit me in where she wouldn't normally. I had an appointment for a week later that turned out to be fitted in between surgeries.

When I arrived for the appointment, I sat in the car shaking, afraid of what he might say. After a quick exam (everything normal), we talked about my last pregnancy. He completely agreed that I needed to plan for large babies and talked about inducing weeks early as an alternative to a C-section. And he was appalled by the level of care I'd had, assuring me that he would make sure I had what I needed the next time around. Then we talked about why I wasn't pregnant. Normally, he would prescribe something to make me kick out more eggs or send me to a fertility specialist who would start the testing with John, but he agreed with me that maybe some hormone testing and checking my ovaries for viable eggs first was a better course this time. I left with a huge smile, so relaxed.

A few weeks later, I had my tests. The hormone levels were all normal and the ultrasound of my ovaries was surprising. I had eight immature follicles on one side and three on the other. I also had one VERY mature one. This told us several things. First, that I was glad I hadn't taken the clomid route (the drug that makes you kick out more eggs) because I could have kicked out eleven at once! Second, that I didn't have a problem, just that the mature follicle was going to be released earlier than we expected. Early enough that we'd been missing the egg each month. The tech was hilarious and said "That's going to pop any day now. Do what you've gotta do."

I started feeling sick about a week later. Yay! We've felt hugely blessed to have found this Dr who I'm sure would say he is following his gut, but seems to be in tune with the spirit. Between the things that John and I had been prompted to do, and the promptings that our Dr listened to, we were able to have our eight week visit a week before my original appointment. We don't know why the timing of this baby was so important (other than my mental health, and possibly keeping us here in Boston to use this doctor), but we are grateful for it. We know that without the direction we received, we might still be struggling to get pregnant.

Gotta Love This Boy

After Ethan recovered from our week of craziness, he's been the cutest kid!

Yesterday, I was cleaning in the kitchen and asked him to pick up some of his toys in the living room. He balked (of course), but then disappeared. When I looked in, he was just finishing the last of the three things I'd asked him to do! I mauled him with hugs and kisses and then we finished cleaning up the other toys together. Later, I was doing laundry and he wanted so badly to help. I pulled things out of the washer and he put them into the dryer. Then he threw an entire load into the washing machine one item at a time. Once that was done, he ran over and helped dad mix up the scrambled eggs he was making for dinner. Ethan used to be a little helpful, but lately has been more obstructive. (I'd even been thinking about instituting the rule that if he wants to be with me when I'm busy he needs to be helping.) This day of help was great.

This morning, I was woken up by Ethan, who promptly asked where the baby was. He couldn't see my stomach buried in the blankets and wanted to be sure he didn't jump on it. While I was finishing breakfast, Ethan asked to sit on my lap. Thinking this was the start of a clingy, miserable day, I grudgingly obliged. Nope. He wanted to check on the baby. He pulled up my shirt to poke at my basketball sized belly and ask if the baby was hurting me today. (It's still low enough that it's stretches and flips can be rather painful. Hopefully it will pop up soon and I won't grimace each time it moves.) We talked about seeing the baby tomorrow at the dr's (Yep, ultrasound is tomorrow!) We talked about how it would grow really big and then come out. We talked about mom going to the hospital to take it out after Ethan's birthday. We talked about it living with us and even about Ethan and the baby sharing a room. The boy is very enthusiastic about all of it. He is starting to understand a little, now that my belly is hard to miss. And just in case you were wondering what he wants, he says different things when asked directly, but he always calls the baby a "she".

#200

That's right! This is post #200. And I don't have much to say.

First, I just discovered that because I post photos that come from large, higher quality files, you can click on them and see Ethan up close and personal. Great when he is making his crazy expressions.

Second, I'm in Montreal, enjoying some relaxation. And you're not. ;)

The Beach! Sorry, no, Plimoth Plantation

We spent a great day at the beach today. Good enough waves for John to go bodysurfing, lots of sand for Ethan to dig, and plenty of friends for me to talk to. All of us came home a little pinker than planned, but who can remember to reapply sunblock when you're having fun!

As usual, we forgot the camera. So here are a few pictures from our trip to Plimoth Plantation last month (and yes that is the correct spelling.) This is a favorite of ours particularly because the first person to step off the Mayflower, Mary Chilton, is an ancestor of mine. It's fun to go ask questions of the actors and learn more about what life was like for her and her family. You can easily spend hours talking to them if you want! This trip we talked quite a bit with a gentleman about their religious practices. So interesting!

Anyway, here are a few shots of Ethan enjoying the trip.

Ethan running around in a canoe at the Wampanoag homesite. This native american tribe makes the canoes by burning out the interiors of tree trunks. You can see the smoke house in the background. Their regular homes are similarly built, but much larger.
Ethan's favorite part of the trip. Pushing his stroller. This is in the 1627 Village, set seven years after the Mayflower arrived so that we could see a semi-established community. It's really interesting to learn how interdependent they were, while each family was also so self-sufficient.

Ethan and John's cousin Ben. (Congratulations on getting into med school!) This is also at the village, walking along one of the smaller streets.

The boy loved this cannon. Not sure if he really loved the big gun or the red cart... This was part of the little fortress building at one end of town, able to see over the protecting walls. I think to protect from Indians. It appeared to be used more as a meeting house.

Playing below decks on the Mayflower 2. This is a full-size re-creation of the original, and they have actually sailed it across from Britain! It's amazing to see the living conditions that they endured. What you see here is all the space an entire family would have had for the voyage. And they were rarely allowed above decks.

Random Photos 2

I opened Photoshop Elements to do something else and realized that John had uploaded photos from the camera recently. So here are a few random shots. I'll post some more later.

Ethan hugging Mags

Mags hugging Ethan

The boy and his bear in diapers - look at those scrawny legs!

Shooting some hoops

Playing with mom before bedtime

Motionsickness

If only this baby were really as calm as the one floating in the little bubble. I remember seeing Ethan during his ultrasound and being grateful that I couldn't feel all that action. Not so lucky this time. I'm weeks away from my ultrasound and am feeling so many flips and kicks it's been making me nauseous. Not looking forward to when this baby gets big and fights against being cramped in there.

No ears

Hopefully this will counteract the big monkey ears my family has.

So is he using the potty?

Hmmm.... Sometimes. After the one great day, we've been doing ok. We've been out of the house so much it's hard to keep him in underwear, or even pull-ups for that matter. (We use the feel-and-learn ones, so he wants to be changed immediately after he pees.) I just don't feel like running for a bathroom at this point when he can only hold it in for a few seconds.

So peeing in the potty is going well when we're at home. He's even started keeping his swim diapers dry (weird, I know) and peeing when we come home from the spray park. I think he's realized that they don't hold in pee, so because he doesn't really like to play in the water, the pee is obvious when it runs down his leg.

Pooping is another matter. He has been telling us, and trying to do it on the potty, but it's not as easy as it seems. Even when he clearly has a poop coming, something about sitting instead of his usual squat is keeping it from happening. It may also have something to do with the ridiculously small hole in his potty. He sits really far back to pee so that he has room to watch, but isn't happy about scooting forward so that he can poo. Maybe this will have to wait until we try to get him back on the big potty.

G Diapers

Thinking about using G diapers with this baby. Some of the earthy benefits of a cloth diaper without being a cloth diaper. They have a cloth outer, a liner to keep the outer clean when diapers are messy, and use flushable inserts. I probably would only use one or two a day, and I wouldn't start until the Medium size (the small just isn't worth the investment with our big babies). Even if I throw away the inserts rather than flushing them, they are still so much more biodegradable.

Anyway. Still just thinking about it. Finances may determine that we stick to our Pampers, but I like the idea of these diapers.