A busy weekend!

Relaxing on my new bed...

As Cindy mentioned in her post (http://cindylifeis.blogspot.com/) it is easy to get caught-up in the spirit of the Memorial Day and not the meaning. Great post, Cindy! Thank you to those that died for our freedom, thank you to those that served for our freedom, and we remember those that we have loved and lost.

I have to admit I love three day weekends. It is amazing how much more we can get done in three days than in two. We were busy… as usual. Our “to do’ list is still long and growing, but a few things got marked off (trimming Cierra’s nails- one of many things that got done), some things were never completed (clearing the dining room table… I have Cooper's baby book and a scrapbook to work on)… and a few things got added (“Casper” is messing with the lights in our bedroom and Steve will need to determine why the lights work one moment and not the next… hopefully not a serious electrical issue).

On Friday Cooper tried a new barber. About six weeks ago I took him to my stylist, but she only trimmed it and the poor kid needed a serious haircut. We tried The Barbershop and wow- the stylist did a great job. This place caters to men… and little men. She put on Back at the Barnyard for him to watch as each styling station has its own TV- a bit of a difference between men and women getting their hair done… we chat too much to watch TV. Cooper didn’t mind the clippers as she did the back. She scissor cut the top and then finished by wiping his neck with a warm towel… talk about service. My little boy came out looking like a handsome little man. Mommy is a bit picky in how I want his hair done and she did a wonderful job.

With many of the “to do” list items out of my realm of expertise… changing the oil in the van, running cables for the computer in the kitchen, the bedroom lights, etc, I recruited the help of Jackie and we made an attempt at hanging wallpaper border. It must say it wasn’t too bad. Saturday we marked the walls and put up sizing to prep the walls. On Sunday we actually hung the border and as of this morning it is still in place. It is a little busy, but I think with some wall décor, it will look better. It is a very bright, stimulating room… perfect for a little guy. Hopefully it won’t be too stimulating a he’ll be able to one day sleep in there.

Yesterday I stopped at Michaels to see if they by chance had any wooden cutouts of cars, trucks, trains, or planes. My plan had been to have my dad do them, but they are in the process of moving and he probably doesn’t need another project to work on. I found some cutouts, but they are much smaller than what I had hoped for, but I’m going to see if I can make them work. I was quite surprised to find that the cars and planes perfectly match the ones on the wall paper. I got some acrylic paints and started to paint the cars yesterday afternoon. I also got some wooden letters to spell Cooper. We’ll see how it goes. Of course Steve’s thought… and mine, too… is this another project that ever be finished? We’ll see. It’s hard with the help of little hands… and paint and Cooper don’t go well together yet. If it works I’ll post some pictures of them.

Yesterday also included an extensive afternoon of shopping. I had a “to buy or return” list that was about as long as the “to do” list. I had tried to buy some garment extenders for some onesie polo shirts I bought Cooper. Kids clothing makes no sense. I got 24month shirts thinking he will grow into them as he is in mostly 18 month shirts and some 24 month shirts… wrong. I’m thinking it is the onesie part, but they are too short and the poor kid hasn’t even worn them yet. The 3Ts look huge. Well, the garment extenders didn’t work, so I took them back. A couple of weeks ago I bought Cooper a pair of new shoes, but then found another pair I like better that were a bit cheaper, so the others had to go back. Then… our beloved puppy… yes the cute one… managed to eat/destroy FOUR pairs of shoes in two hours Sunday evening- two of them being my sandals. I needed to find replacements… which isn’t an easy task. Then I needed some graduation cards and new pj’s for me… So Cooper and I had a fun afternoon of shopping. He was a perfect little boy and ended up sleeping in his stroller through most of it.

I have been having lots of dreams about our little one arriving. I think part of me is panicking that we don’t have her named and all of a sudden she is here… without a name. A few nights ago I dreamt I was in Mexico having a c-section without anesthesia (but it didn’t hurt) and had a 9kg baby… that’s about a 20 pound baby! All I could say was that the dresses I bought wouldn’t fit her. And then I found a bag I had packed, all I had were blue shorts. Oh my. In my dream the other night she was here, but very early and very small and again, I said the dresses wouldn’t fit. I must also be worried that the going home dresses won’t fit. In another dream, we discovered that there two babies! Last week our next door neighbor asked if I was having two since I am getting big really fast… thank you, Sharon and then I’ve been feeling her move in two spots at the same time… no wonder two popped up (out) in my dream. We know there is only one little one in there. Dreams can be so weird. In reality, with 38 weeks being term, she will be ready to come in less than ten weeks- WOW!

Hmmm… I think that about sums up the weekend. I could use another one.

Beautiful days and random happenings...

We have had an incredible week of warm weather and have had some great opportunities to spend time outside. I bought Cooper some sidewalk chalk and a new ball for outside. The other evening we sat outside waiting for Daddy to come home and drew some pictures. Cooper helped enhance my drawings. I didn’t think sidewalk chalk would be so messy, but who cares… it washes. And we had fun!

Last night we got out for another walk. It was just a beautiful night. Cierra is not fond of wearing a gentle leader collar, but in her adolescent state she is pulling too much to walk without it. What happened to our beautiful off-leash walker during puppy class??? She is testing her boundaries.

Cooper also scored a new lawn chair. The other night while out on the deck to grill brats, he tried to climb onto the patio chairs, but he is too little… so while we were waiting for a prescription at Target (of course that is dangerous for Mommy if Cooper is with since we wander the store and we find too much), I found a little dinosaur chair for him. At first he could crawl in it, but struggled to get out, but with Cooper being Cooper, persistence paid off and it didn’t take him long to figure out how to get out. Now he can sit in his chair like a big boy.

Hanging out in my chair

Little One and I had another appointment on Monday. She is looking really good. Her heart rate was high, but then Dr. M determined the Doppler was picking up my heart rate, too. She could hear it in the background. Little One was really in the 140-150 range. She measured right on for 27 weeks.

I don’t think I shared that with Cooper I had gestational diabetes. So there you have it… a confession. It’s just that as a woman I feel like I have failed my unborn child. I am doing everything I can to have a healthy pregnancy. I did that with Cooper. He was more important than any craving I had and so is she. But along with this confession comes the truth that I have many, many moments where I hit the wall and want to throw a pity party for myself. Today in fact… or if you ask Jackie and Steve I’m sure I sound like a broken record and they would tell you every day for the last six weeks. I have to talk myself out of something I am desperately craving. I am very fortunate. This is something that can be controlled. I also didn’t have to do the one hour or the three hour glucose tests. It is just assumed that you have it the second time around. So I watch what I eat and poke my fingers. Unfortunately it isn’t as easy as it sounds. I need calories without carbohydrates. And most of the calories I love are carbohydrates. I’m starting to reach a point of being very tired of peanut butter, nuts, eggs, salads, etc. Now what? Since my first OB appointment I have gained 2 ½ pounds. With about 11 weeks to go my OB is starting to get concerned. So for now we watch it. Enough complaining. ** As I write this my little girl is wiggling just above my belly button. It’s her reminder to me that she is right here with me. **

Can someone tell me how to control the emotional hormones? I struggled with this while I was pregnant for Cooper, too. I am a sobbing mess. There is one OnStar commercial that I keep hearing that sends me into tears every time I hear it. It is the woman who was just hit by a truck and the OnStar operator asks if there is anyone she can call, after calling for an ambulance, and the woman asks for her husband. She is worried about the car and he is worried about her. Sob, sob. Then, I watch the Disney commercial with the little guy getting his hair cut with Celebrate You in the background. I just want to go to the daycare and cuddle with Cooper every time I see that one.

So here’s to hugging your kids and loving your husband! I need a Kleenex, please.

Sitting with Daddy in the back of the van

Walking up the driveway. (Those really aren't Bermuda shorts, but Cooper has short legs.)

"I love how grass feels"

"River Rocks!"

Happy Mother's Day!

Okay, it is a day late, but… everyday should be celebrated as Mother’s Day, right? I LOVE being a mom every day. I LOVE my mom every day. And I celebrate those women that have an impact on my life every day. Now I suppose I can’t request flowers and the wonderful meals I enjoyed yesterday every day, but we can celebrate life… which is what it is all about.

Yesterday, Chef Steven… aka daddy, made a wonderful breakfast of white chocolate chip pancakes and then an absolutely awesome lunch of rib eyes, cantaloupe, salad with sun dried tomato vinaigrette, and Dove chocolate ice cream bars. I also got a beautiful pot of New Guinea Impatiens … I love them!

We had another fast weekend. There is just so much to do and so little time.

Friday, Cooper made his TV debut. Minnesota passed legislation last week that will ban BPA, which helps make plastic shatter-proof, in 2011. I started to hear about the possible negative health effects of BPA when I was pregnant for Cooper and stopped using my Nalgene water bottle. We also made the decision to not use BPA bottles for Cooper… I didn't have to change the bottle I wanted to use since the Playtex Drop-Ins are BPA-free. Cooper’s daycare provides his bottles and sippy cups and I made the request that he only use BPA-free items. I maybe be a BPA-free nut, but why take chances. I've been glad to see that most of the manufacturers of bottles have already made them BPA-free. That wasn't the case when we were getting bottle for Cooper. In fact, Babies'R'Us had a sign up that they are now BPA-free. So anyway… there was a reporter coming to the daycare as I picked Cooper up and the director asked if I would stay so that he could get footage of Cooper along with a couple of other BPA-free kids. I agreed, but didn’t realize I would be interviewed until it happened. If you would like to see the video or read the story here is the link… But be gentle if you comment. Watching yourself on video is hard enough.
http://kaaltv.com/article/stories/S922773.shtml?cat=10151

We made great progress on Cooper’s new room this weekend. The wallpaper border came on Friday, but it may take a week or two to get it up. Steve and I bought another crib mattress for the toddler bed last night and Steve put the bed together. I still need to wash the bedding and make it. Cooper loved crawling on it, so I hope that it is a good sign that he won’t mind moving in there. He can’t quite crawl up on it, but I think within a day or so he will master it. He’s about an inch too short to crawl up on it easily. He can get off of it really well by turning around and sliding down on his tummy. We bought foam mats of the alphabet, numbers, and Cooper’s name in place of a rug. They are very comfy to sit and stand on. And hopefully, will provide a bit of cushion if he rolls out of bed. His room is very bright and cheery with the décor. I was going to take a picture of it, but figured I would wait until I get the bedding on and the wallpaper border up. Now will be the challenge in transitioning all of Cooper’s stuff to his new room. We will still need to use the changing table, but I want to move his clothes over. I think I will stack his diapers in one drawer and little one’s in the other drawer. We’ll get this figured out some day.

About a week ago while giving Cooper a bath, he started to lie on his tummy and blow bubbles. I didn’t have the camera, but did get a shot of it yesterday. He loves to be in the bath. I’m not sure how he knows to blow bubbles, but I can’t wait to try swimming lessons when he is a little older. He did get a couple of mouthfuls of water, but not bad considering. He can kick his feet, too. My little fish. We’ll get a pool for him this summer. Mommy may have to share it with him.

I had an OB appointment last week. It was again fairly uneventful. Little one is measuring right on for my due date and her heart rate was in the 140’s. I’m starting to feel pregnant. I keep thinking I need to pace myself as I still have about three months. My back is starting to ache with long walks or walking with Cooper for too long. She is very active most days. I love feeling her move. She really gets active when I am holding Cooper. I don’t know if it is the beginnings of sibling rivalry or if she is feeling the pressure of him next to her. Cooper doesn’t know or feel that she is moving, but I wonder if that will change once she makes the really powerful kicks in the next few months.

Well it’s Monday afternoon and I am ready for a nap… too bad I still have a few hours of work left. Sleep… it will come many, many years from now.