Monday, March 31, 2008

It Started Out As A Good Weekend....

The weekend started out fantastic! We went to dinner with my dad and then went, as my son says it “real bowling” (because Wii bowling is apparently fake). The kids did wonderfully! And they loved it!

Saturday we woke up and just hung out! The whole day we relaxed! While the kids took a nap I was able to read and watch some of my shows that I have DVRd which was nice. Then we headed out to run some errands and get some dinner. I got some really cute maternity shorts and a shirt – the shorts are actually cute shorts! The past pregnancies I’ve had I was HUGE when it was time to wear shorts, so they almost went down to my knees (OK, not really, but they were long) and up to my boobs. But these are cute little shorts that I’m actually excited to wear (now if the weather would actually get warm enough for me to actually wear them).

We got Sonic for dinner – we go here down at our parents’ and the first one by our house just opened, so my daughter was super excited! But she was mad that we didn’t eat it in the car. Then we watched movies and went to bed.

Sunday was a completely different story…around 6:00 AM my daughter comes into my room. I was annoyed, but too tired to fight, so she laid down on the floor next to my bed with a pillow and a blanket. Around 6:20 she woke back up and told me she felt like she was going to throw up, and our morning fun began. Her poor little stomach didn’t have anything in it, but it didn’t matter, she was throwing up every 10 – 15 minutes. Finally around 11:30 she stopped, and we slowly started giving her drinks. I felt so helpless! She was in so much pain and so thirsty and there was nothing I could do.

The rest of the day she started feeling a little better, and thankfully, so far, my son hasn’t shown any signs of having it. She was even up playing at the end of the day and ate a little dinner. The worst part for me is I can’t tell if I’m coming down with it or if it’s just normal morning sickness.

Hopefully she will be a ton better today and the rest of us will not get it!

Friday, March 28, 2008

Update on Little Girl, New Baby and Me!

I thought things with my daughter were going better, until the nanny told me yesterday that she was repeating it all again. So hubby talked to her last night. I’m still not sure if she’s getting it, but we’re trying. Thank you for all of your suggestions…I’m going to try everything I can!

I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday and got to hear the heartbeat for the first time (it’s amazing how no matter how many kids you have, the first time you hear each baby’s heartbeat is so amazing!). It was 160. I can’t remember exactly, but I believe my daughter was always in the 160’s or 170’s, and my son was mostly in the 150’s. Hey, I’ll take any signs I can :)

I’ve been feeling really tired lately and my morning sickness still hasn’t gone away. I had a great talk with the doctor about the different medicines I’m on (for morning sickness and other ailments this pregnancy has brought me), and how I’m so worried that they’re affecting the baby. She comforted me and said she felt just like I did…she had a healthy boy and girl, and when she was pregnant with her third, she just kept feeling like it was her turn for something bad to happen. That’s exactly how I feel! I’m so much more sensitive about medicines than I was with my other two…with them I would pop Tylenol like it was no big deal, but now I constantly worry if I have to take one. I know that just because I have two fantastic kids doesn’t mean that the next one won’t be just as fantastic. I know God doesn’t work that way. But I still can’t help worrying.

Nothing else really going on…we have a low-key weekend planned and I hope to get caught up on some sleep and hopefully finish a book so that I can tell you all about it!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Little Girl Issues

We’re having some issues with our daughter. She’s very temperamental and moody and very self-centered. She’s been saying some really mean things to her brother, me, and the new nanny. Her newest phrases to me when I put her down for a nap or when she has to go to time out are “I want my nice mommy back. You don’t love me. I want a new mommy.” When asked to put on tights by the nanny the other day because they were leaving, she responded with “I want a new nanny. I don’t like you.” She also says over and over again "nobody is playing with me!"

My first reaction is pure anger. How dare she say these things? But I’m trying really hard to find out the psychological reason behind her actions. I know she’s been through a lot when it comes to her sitters/nanny. I also know that she’s almost five, and there has to be a ton of things going on in her little body as she’s growing up. She’s also going to be a big sister again, which means that mommy is not feeling well and worn out and can’t play like she used to.

So we’ve talked to her. We were firm with her in that the way she talks to the nanny and I has to stop. When I asked her what was going on the other night, she looked at me and started crying and said “I don’t know what’s going on with me.” It broke my heart. So I pulled her into my room to fall asleep with me while I read, and for the first time in a long time she seemed happy, if even for a couple of minutes.

Yesterday I left a special note taped to her mirror before I left in the morning. When I got home she acted all weird about it, but I know she loved it. Then this morning she came into my room while I was getting ready and said “Mommy, you didn’t leave me another note.” So before I left I put another one up there. Maybe little things like this will help.

It’s hard with two kids…especially a girl and a boy. They rarely want to play the same things, so we’re very often split at night…one with one child and the other with the other one. She told me that she wants alone time with mommy and daddy, but I told her that she has to share us with her brother, that’s just the way it is.

If any of you have any other ideas, I would love to hear them! It kills me to see my little princess acting anything but happy.

Monday, March 24, 2008

A Great Easter Weekend!

What a wonderful weekend!!! I got out of work early on Friday and ran some quick errands (I finally got the Easter basket stuff :) ). Then my dad watched the kids that night so that hubby and I could go out for his birthday. We went to dinner and then were going to go see a movie, but the only movie playing anywhere near the time we were at the theater was Horton Hears a Who, and we had already seen that with the kids! When we got home I gave hubby his concert tickets and he was so surprised! He had no idea that he was coming to Columbus!

Then Saturday we woke up and had some great chocolate chip pancakes (a weekend tradition), and then hurried over to the Easter egg hunt our city put on. There are no pictures because it was snowing, and cold, and the kids were miserable! My daughter actually had a little bit of fun since she found one of the golden eggs, so she got some Mickey Mouse card games. We went home and warmed up by playing some Wii and my daughter colored Easter eggs. After that the kids took a nap.

After naps we headed out because I still hadn’t gotten my daughter any Easter shoes, and we needed a few more things at the grocery store. After we were finished, we came back home and I made a wonderful Rachel Ray meal with pork chops and apples and broccoli white mac ‘n cheese.

Sunday morning we actually had to get up for church (our church is normally at 4:30 in the afternoon)! The kids were so excited at seeing eggs hidden everywhere and opened up a couple before we headed out the door for church. My dad and sister went to church with us and it was a really good service.

After church we came home and the kids found their Easter baskets and their eggs. My son received a bowling set (since he LOVES Wii bowling so much) and played it nonstop all day! We went out to lunch and then came back and everyone took a nap!

After naps we made our dinner of ham, twice-baked potatoes, pasta and rolls with carrot cake for dessert. It was so good! Then we cleaned up and gave hubby his birthday present (the XM radio) which he loved! He’s going to look into it and make sure that’s what he wants as opposed to Sirius. Everyone left after this and we bathed the kids and they climbed into bed with us to watch a movie.

And even though it was cold all weekend, yesterday (Easter Sunday), it was perfectly sunny with no wind, so it really didn’t feel that cold! We were even able to get some pictures of the kids outside!

It was such a relaxing and enjoyable weekend!









Friday, March 21, 2008

Happy Birthday to Hubby!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUBBY!!!!

**Now don’t read this because I’m going to talk about your presents :)

So the first present that I got hubby is a set of tickets to see Jason Aldean. He absolutely loves him and I got the tickets about 1 ½ months ago. The concert is the first week in April.

The second present that I was going to get him was the update DVD for his navigations system in his car. It hasn’t been updated since 2003, and the DVDs are kind of expensive, so I thought this would be a great gift. The problem is they are on backorder! But as I looked into them further anyway, it seems like not much has been updated in Ohio anyway, so I decided that he can just get one on his own if he decides it is worth it.

I did come up with a fantastic second gift though…are you ready? XM radio!!! All of the new cars that are made by the same manufacturer as hubby’s car have it, so every time his car is in the shop (like now) the loaner they give him has it, and he loves it! I have no idea why I didn’t think about it! And honestly, I had no idea how affordable they are…I always thought the units were super expensive.

But, of course there’s a problem. The unit I selected is apparently sold out here in Columbus. So I would have to order it online, which isn’t bad because I found a site that has it $30 cheaper than the stores and it has free shipping. So I’m going to print it out and show him, make sure it’s the one he wants, and then I’ll order it. I’m definitely feeling pretty good about his presents, which doesn’t happen often!

I’m not sure what we’ll be doing tonight…we have communion at our friend’s house, and then my dad has offered to watch the kids while we go to dinner. Poor hubby is just not as excited about his birthday as I am…I think he would honestly be fine if no one did anything. Party pooper!

As for Easter stuff, I STILL have to go and get everything for the baskets. I’m not worried though, because the kids don’t eat much candy, so I’ll just get them a little bit and then a couple of gifts. And I’m not sure if we’ll be able to ride the train because my dad said the tracks are under water! We’re part of that massive flooding they are talking about all over the news, so if that’s the case, I’m betting the train ride will be cancelled :( But that will give us more time to color eggs, right?

Happy Easter everyone!

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Where is Spring???

Today is the first day of spring. Apparently God wants winter to continue :) It has been raining the past couple of days with highs in the 40’s and 50’s. No big deal, spring usually equals rain and that’s pretty close to our average temperatures. But then last night it started snowing, and accumulating, and I hate winter.

This weekend is Easter - cute little outfits that usually don’t have sleeves, and Easter egg hunts. Snow and cold weather do not fit into these plans. Every year we go down to my parents and ride the Easter Bunny train. Some years it’s been hot and we’ve been in tank tops, and others it has been super cold (as it appears it will be this year). We actually get off the train and do an egg hunt, so the cold weather is really a pain!

Hopefully spring is around the corner…I’m ready to be outside and enjoying some sunshine (which at least we do have today…I think…it’s been a while since I’ve seen it so I’m not sure what it looks like :) ).

On a side note, tomorrow is hubby’s birthday. I have one gift already, and it’s a great gift! But, I need another one, and I was all set to get him something and it fell through. There are a couple of problems with this: 1.) my parents are going in on the second gift with me, so if I don’t have a gift, they don’t have a gift and 2.) he’s so difficult to shop for! I always feel bad because he brags about how easy I am to buy things for, but I have such a hard time with him!

Hopefully I’ll think of something today, otherwise, I’m in big trouble!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Nanny Update and Bristol Picture

We’ve had the nanny for two days now, and already I have a seen a huge increase in my energy level at night. I wouldn’t think that getting them up and dressed and off to daycare would have taken that much out of me, but apparently it did because I’m not near as tired at night as I was the past month.

The past two nights have been spent just hanging out. I have read a ton of books to my daughter, played a lot of Wii with my son, and have just had an overall sense of peace. The kids seem so much happier as well, which of course is the most important change.

Yesterday they took the nanny’s daughter to dance class, and then they all headed to McDonald’s. Today I think they’ll be heading to the Library. I love the fact that they are able to get out of the house and go places.

My daughter is definitely testing this new nanny though…and I’m not really that surprised. We had to have a talk with her last night, and hopefully she got the message…whatever the nanny says, goes.

There are obviously some things that we’re adjusting to with the nanny, but I’m sure after a few days we’ll all understand the expectations and feel a lot more comfortable talking about things. She’s already told us so much about the kids, so at least I really feel like the lines of communication are open!

Of course I’m still not going to be overly optimistic until we reach the six month mark :)

Oh, here’s a picture of hubby and me at the race:
*Don't make fun of my Hello Kitty blanket...it kept me very warm during that cold race!
:)


Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Bristol

Our weekend was fantastic! Friday hubby and I headed down to pick up his parents and say our last “goodbyes” to the kids. Then we made the drive down to our hotel in good time.

Saturday we woke up and just relaxed in the room. It felt so good not having to run anywhere or hurry and get ready. We finally headed out to check out the town and drive by the track. We had lunch at this really neat local place, and then went in to a local bead shop where I bought my daughter a bunch of beads (she loves making her own bracelets and necklaces). After that we drove down by the track and saw all the people walking around in the cold rain and were very glad that we were not heading to that race!

We ended up going to a shopping center and spent a couple hours in a bookstore. I got the kids some really neat books, and again, we all just hung around…not in a hurry to go anywhere. After that we headed out for dinner and then went back to get some sleep!

Sunday we packed up and headed for the track. It was really cold out in the morning and I was so nervous that I was going to be so miserable, especially since we were going to be getting there 4 hours early (hubby and I usually walk into a race as they’re about to sing the National Anthem, so 4 hours early was VERY early for us!). We ended up parking about 1 ½ miles away, so the walk definitely made me feel warmer. Once we got there we grabbed some food and headed to our seats. Thankfully, the sun came out part of the time and it wasn’t as cold as I thought it was going to be.

The race went by a lot faster than I thought it would, and we were on the road heading back home by 6:00. We picked the kids up on our way and got home around 1:15 Monday morning.

Yesterday was a little rough, but the weekend was worth it. And now I can’t wait for Charlotte, because there, it is warm, even hot, and that is so much better than cold!

Friday, March 14, 2008

My Misery Starts To Make Sense....

So you all know that I’ve had a lot on my plate the last couple of months. The stress of work and deadlines and childcare and family was enough to push me over the edge. But adding morning sickness on top of it has been the tip of the iceberg.


Please meet our newest little one that should arrive sometime in the middle or end of September (I’m technically due October 2nd, but my doctor induces me a couple weeks early due to the gigantic babies I produce).

To say we’re excited and happy would be a complete understatement :)

Thursday, March 13, 2008

No More Daycare!!!

Today is the last day of daycare!!! Whoopeee! Today is the last day that I will have to get up at the butt crack of dawn to deal with very cranky and tired kids. Today is the last day that I will be late to work (although since I’ve been “late” for the past month, I don’t think it counts anymore…I think it’s my new start time).

I really don’t know how all of you who take your kids places do it…I really envy you. I feel like each morning is full of chaos and confusion for us. I’m sure after months and months a real routine would fall into place and it wouldn’t be so crazy, but I know the last couple of weeks for us have been insane.

The kids are a little sad. They will miss their teachers and their friends, and all the fun things they are doing in their classes. My daughter’s teacher is throwing her a party today, which I think is the sweetest thing. I will really miss the staff…they have been so super nice the whole time.

Our nanny is set to start on Monday and we’re ready for her! My daughter can’t wait to sleep in and to take naps in her own bed! With her shoes off (she informed me yesterday that there’s a new rule at daycare and they’re not allowed to take their shoes off during nap anymore…could you imagine sleeping with your shoes on??).

We’re looking forward to being able to have them stay up with us again. We have really missed the extra hour or two we used to get with them each night. It’s been hard eating dinner and then getting ready for bed, but they were always so tired, so we had to.

I really hope this is the end of our childcare nightmares, but with our history, I’m definitely not holding my breath. I know she’s very excited about doing this, and can’t wait to take them all kinds of places and do lots of fun things with them, so that makes me feel better. When we make it to 6 months I think I’ll breathe a little easier :)

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Weekend Plans

This weekend hubby and I are headed out of town for a nice little weekend getaway. Unfortunately it’s not completely alone, we’ll be going with his parents, but there won’t be any kids, so that’s good enough for us!

We are heading down to the Bristol NASCAR race. I’m not really a race fan anymore, but I still go to the Charlotte race every year, and now we got tickets to Bristol, and I know how much hubby has been dying to go there, so I’m going.

I’m hoping to get some sleep in the car, and if not, at least a full-night’s sleep in the hotel without any little kids waking me up (they were up many, many times last night). I’m also really looking forward to some time with hubby. With work and trying to find a sitter and everything else, I feel like we haven’t been able to spend any time together, so this will be really nice.

What I’m not looking forward to? The fact that as of right now the high is supposed to be 50 some degrees. That’s cold to me, even though we’ve been in the 20’s and 30’s up here, that’s still cold! And the thought of sitting outside in it for hours does not make me happy. I admit it, I’m a total wimp when it comes to cold weather.

So tonight I will get us all packed up, and I will get the kids’ stuff ready to go to Grandma’s and Grandpa’s, and I will count down the number of nights until I get to actually sleep when it’s dark out. 2 more to go :)

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Nighttime

Last night was a hard night for us…it seems to come every couple of days. My son will have to go potty once or twice, and then his foot hurts, and then he wakes my daughter up. It’s very exhausting.

Last night it started with him being cold and not able to cover himself up. Then he woke up a little later saying his foot hurt. This happens often, and I think his foot has just fallen asleep and he doesn’t know what to do. I rub it for him and he falls back asleep. Only last night it wasn’t that easy. We finally took him over to his own room where he cried for 10 minutes (and probably flung his legs around which “woke up” his foot, so it didn’t hurt anymore) and then kept saying he needed to go potty. When I took him potty he said he wanted to sleep with sissy, so he promised that he wouldn’t make another noise if I let him.

OK, 2 minutes of peace and quiet. But then my daughter comes down trying to get into our bed. After I tell her “no” she goes back upstairs, only to come back down 10 minutes later telling me that my son was taking all the covers.

I’ve lost track of how many times I actually got out of bed, but I know it was way too many, especially since most of this took place between 4:00 and 5:00, leaving me only one more hour of sleep.

It’s just so frustrating. They slept through the night the past two nights…what made them get up so much last night???

So needless to say I’m very tired right now, and I have a lot of work ahead of me. I hope I make it through the day and through my meetings without falling asleep :)

Monday, March 10, 2008

Weekend At My Sister's....

This weekend was wonderful! We ended up getting a huge snow storm that started on Friday, so they let us out of work at 2:00. I went home and we quickly packed up our things and headed out to Michigan. The weather actually lightened up the further North we got, so by the time we were a couple hours out, the roads were perfect. With all the stops, it ended up taking us about 4 ½ hours, which wasn’t bad at all. My sister has a huge apartment and the kids made themselves at home right away.

Saturday we spent most of the day just being lazy. My poor sister thought that she should entertain us and kept asking us what we wanted to do…I still don’t think she knows how great it felt to just sit and watch TV! We checked our city’s cameras and saw how much more snow they were getting! Our county was under a level 3 snow advisory (which means you’re not allowed on the roads for those of you not familiar with the “levels”) – we ended up getting 20 inches! Later in the afternoon we headed out to the huge mall she has. It’s just like the one we go to when we go down to Charlotte! We shopped for a while and then went to Rainforest CafĂ© to eat. I love that place! I’ve been to one in Disney and Virginia Beach, so I was really excited about going there. My daughter was scared in the beginning, but hubby talked to her, and by the time we sat down she was fine.

Sunday we lounged around and finally packed up and left around 1:00. It was really sad for me to leave :( I had a great weekend with my sister, and the kids had a blast with her!

When we got home we were surprised to see that all the roads were perfect! However, our driveway was a different story! So hubby parked the car in the court and started shoveling! I got the kids in their snow stuff and they went out to play. Am I a bad mom if I say that this was the first time this year they had been in the snow?

Here are some pictures of them! The sun was so bright and thanks to daylight savings time the kids got a lot of extra time outside! I went in and made hot chocolate and dinner…I don’t do very well in the cold!

(Please ignore the un-matching coat and snowpants on my son. We actually forgot his coat for the trip and were lucky enough to find one for $5 at Children's Place while we were there.)






Friday, March 07, 2008

Where Did My Baby Go????

A couple days ago I did something that I have been looking forward to doing for months, and yet it was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. I registered my daughter for kindergarten.

Thankfully our district is very techno-savvy and the whole process was done online. I even scheduled the appointment in May for us to meet with them and get more information.

It’s hard for me to imagine my little girl going to school, and being there all by herself. It’s hard for me to imagine her being separated from her brother during the day. It’s hard for me to realize that she’s getting so big.

Our school district has 2 ½ day kindergarten…they go 2 full days and one ½ day. It has its advantages and disadvantages. I’m just thankful that we live in one of the best school districts in Columbus and don’t have to deal with the “where to send her” like so many people all over the country have to worry about.

She will be one of the youngest in her class. So many people constantly ask us if we’re going to send her this year. I’ve known since the days she was born that she would go to school at age five, let alone the fact that she’s more than ready right now. Most people that know me know that I’m a very strong advocator of sending kids to school when they’re five, regardless of when they turn five (of course it has to be before the cut-off). I was one of the youngest kids in my class and I wouldn’t change a thing. Sure I drove last and was one of the last to be able to go to the bars in college, but I also got to start my life at 21. This let me get married, and then have my first baby at 23 because I had already been working for 2 years.

Now I know that some say their kids aren’t ready, and I know there are circumstances out there where that is the case. But I always look at my sister. When she started school she spent more time with the secretaries and principal because she wasn’t adjusting very well her first year. But she pressed on, and my parents never dreamed of taking her out and holding her back. And now? She’s the youngest doctor in her class. She has a full-year advantage over the kids that were held back a year. That makes a lot of difference when you are in school until you’re 25 and then have to do your residency until you’re 30. When you’re talking about having babies and that type of thing, years mean a whole lot more the older you get.

I believe that the cut-off is there for a reason. Our school district has determined that if you are five before September 30th, you can go to kindergarten. So why have we as parents started making our own cut-offs? My nephew, who is in the same boat as my daughter (but he’s one year older), actually has 7 year-olds in his kindergarten class. Can you imagine??? So there are 5 year-olds and 7 year-olds in the same class together.

This is in no way meant to push anyone or make anyone feel badly for what they decide to do with their kids. I just know that I’ve been there, and I’m so thankful that my parents sent me even though I was “young.” Sometimes it helps to hear the other side of it.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

It's Finally OVER!

Well I am finally done! We filed late Tuesday afternoon. I have not felt so relieved in my whole life! Yesterday was the company-wide annual awards luncheon, so the day was pretty much shot, which was a nice break from the non-stop work days I've been having for the past two months.

I’m so relieved! However, I am still dreaming about work, which really needs to stop! But I’m back to my normal hours, and I don’t have to worry about getting to my daughter’s gymnastics or having to cancel any evening plans.

Last night we had our good friends over for dinner. I haven’t seen them since Christmas (and what’s even sadder is that they live two doors down from us). It was a fantastic dinner and it was so good to catch up! The kids all played great together, which was nice because it let us really catch up.

The kids have been doing OK in daycare, but the mornings are just way too tough. We have found a nanny, and she is set to start on the 17th, so only one more week of daycare and the kids can be back in their own house! It will be sad because the staff at their daycare is so nice, and always makes me feel so comfortable when I drop them off each morning. But it will be nice to going back to not having to get them up and dressed and dropping them off. Yesterday I was up for 2 ½ hours before I got to work!

This weekend we’re heading up to Michigan to visit my sister. I haven’t seen her since Christmas and I’ve never seen her apartment, so I’m really looking forward to it. It will just be good to have a completely and totally work-free weekend (not even any guilt about not working) again.

And I can’t wait to catch up on all of your blogs! I feel like I have been missing out on so much! I’ve really missed all of you!

Monday, March 03, 2008

Very Quick "Hello"

I have not fallen off the face of the earth. I have not died. I am still here…barely :)

Actually last week was the worst week yet for work. But I’m just about done. The weekend was so relaxing and fun…just hanging out with my family and not thinking about work at all! We are supposed to file tomorrow. It is almost over, and I couldn’t be happier!

I will update more tomorrow or the next day…I have lots to share :)