Just a little free time

Well, we are now officially a family of 4. I've been wanting to blog for a couple of days now, but it just hasn't happened. Currently Dan is outside playing with Maddie and Charlotte is taking a little snooze in her pack and play......that leaves the Mama with a few minutes to herself to play around on the computer.

I feel that this time around things were/are a lot easier.....as far as the birth and recovery are concerned. I'm gonna give you the cliff notes version of the past week. We checked into the hospital on Thursday morning and after playing cards with Dan in a transition room for a couple of hours because a labor and delivery room was not available, we finally got moved and settled and I was started on pitocin. After about 8 hours of being induced and not really getting anywhere we made the decision to stop the induction, met my uterus rest overnight while we stayed in the hospital and start over in the morning. Not only did I not progress in labor on Thursday the contractions didn't even hurt....they were more like annoying cramps than contractions and we basically watched movies all day in the hospital......a wasted day as far as I'm concerned. Friday morning we got up around 5:30am when they moved us back into a labor and delivery room, I was started on pitocin around 7:00am and started having contractions right away.....but like the day before they didn't really hurt. Around 8:45 my doctor came in and broke my water and that is where the fun began! lol The contractions were fast a furious and kicked my butt. It was a LOT more painful than it was when I was in labor with Maddie. Around 12:45 I asked for an epidural because I thought I was going to die, they checked my cervix and I was 6cm dilated.....it took them about 15 minutes to get the anistesiologist to my room and ready, by the time they were doing the epidural I felt like I wanted to push, but I was too afraid to say anything because I didn't want them to stop the process and check me again only to find out that I wasn't ready and then it would delay the pain meds. So, they got the epidural in, told me it would take 15-20 minutes to take affect, I mentioned that I felt like I could push, they had me lay down, checked me and I was 10cm dilated. They called the doctor in and I started pushing at 1:21 and Charlotte was born at exactly 1:30. Yup, thats right......9 minutes of pushing and exactly 4 pushes. I was all business!! The epidural hadn't even taken affect and they didn't even get the machine that pumps the medicine into my IVplugged in before I had delivered the baby. It was basically a useless epidural except that I did get 1 stitch so it numbed me for that. Charlotte Grace was 9 pounds 2 ounces and 21.5 inches long. Her apgar score was 10 and she was bright eyed and bushy tailed after birth.

I think that because my active labor only lasted 4 1/2 hours and I only pushed for 9 minutes my recovery has been relatively easy. I didn't even have any pain medication for 24 hours after delivery and then I really only had motrin because my tail bone hurt so bad from the back labor that I had.....I think it got bruised or something during Charlotte's descent because still today almost a week later it hurts to sit for prolonged periods of time. We got released from the hospital a little over 24 hours after I had her because we didn't want to stay away from Maddie any longer than we had to, and honestly you don't get any rest in the hospital with nurses and cleaning staff and others coming into the room on a cycle. The first few nights home Charlotte had her nights and her days mixed up and I was awake for most of the night nursing and holding her, but last night we got about 6 hours of sleep and the night before that we got 7 hours with 4 and 3 hour blocks which was wonderful and very much needed. Things are going really well with the breastfeeding.....much easier than last time mainly because I've done it before and know what it is supposed to feel like, and tricks to take care of myself. Charlotte is a good eater and the only real issue we have is that she has a small mouth, and sometimes it's hard for me to get her to open up really big.....but that is something that can totally be worked on, I have to remind myself she has only been alive for 6 days!!! I am feeling good other than the tail bone and have resumed normal daily activity although there is a lot more sitting because of the nursing etc.

Things were a little weird for Maddie when we first got home, but are now back to normal. I think that it really threw her off that we were just gone on Thursday morning and that grandma was here.....she arrived late Wednesday night after Maddie had gone to bed, so she didn't even know that grandma was here until she woke up on Thursday and we weren't here. She came to the hospital twice while we were there, but they were short visits and she was sad when she left and we didn't go with her. Then we get home and I have this baby that is attached to me all the time, and I can't have her crawling all over me like she normally is because I was sore etc. It was just a bit hard for her. I've been really emotional over all the changes that have occured with Maddie. I have felt guilty that life has changed so much for her, and I've felt like a bad mom because I can't spend as much time as I normally do hanging with her, but I know it's the baby blues and that the feelings will go away in the next few weeks. The crazy wacked out hormones after child birth are really hard because you know they are ridiculous and are not true, but you can't rationalize them away until the hormones get more stabalized. I was a basketcase for a couple days, but already am feeling better and less emotional. I really don't think that Maddie minds and if she does, she won't remember these changes.....she won't remember what it was like before she had a sister, but at this point she basically could care less about Charlotte. She acknowledges that there is a baby and has come up to her and said baby twice since we've been home, but she doesn't show any interest in her. We talk to her about the baby and ask her is she hears the baby crying, or sees the baby making a face, or sticking out her tounge.....stuff like that, and she'll look but that is about it. I'm pretty okay with that and not at all interested in trying to force Charlotte upon her, they have plenty of time to get to know each other and it honestly seems better that Maddie isn't interested in the baby rather than her being too interested and trying to hold her, get to her, sit with her etc. all the time. That could be scary.

Overall things are back to normal.....except I have no idea what normal is anymore. Maddie is on her usual schedule, Dan and I are on Charlotte's schedule. Dan is home through next Tuesday when my mom arrives and she is going to be here for 3 weeks. We have food in the freezer and both my moms group and our bible study are bringing us dinners for the next week or so. My mother in law went home yesterday evening and I miss her already. She was such a great help and really lovely to have around to talk to. Oh, and she got Maddie a little pool that she is in love with!! It's a nice activity to be able to do with her where I'm not running around the yard. I guess thats it for now. I'm really happy to not be pregnant anymore and to have my new daughter. I'm excited to see her grow and watch her personality emerge. I have pictures to post, but for some reason blogger doesn't have that option working. Is anyone else having this problem or is it just me? I'll try and add some if it decides to let me.

Final thoughts and such

Our house is as clean as it has ever been. There are still signs that a toddler tornado lives here, but everything is CLEAN and sparkling. We'll see how long that lasts lol. I believe that every article of clothing and piece of fabric is clean as well.....I've done like 15 loads of laundry in the last week. 4 meals have been prepared and frozen in our deep freezer for when we get home from the hospital, our dogs went to the groomer today and got their hair did (Tyson got buzzed and looks like a totally different dog) Maddie's room is complete except for the outlining of the butterflies/dragonflies on the walls but my mother in law is going to help with that this week, I baked some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies this afternoon and tonight I am going to take a long bath.

All in all we are ready.

At my OB appointment yesterday I was still only 2 centimeters dilated which I anticipated and nothing new was happening. Tomorrow morning at 5:30am we have to call the hospital and see if there is a bed open, and if there is we are gonna head out to have a baby. If there isn't a bed I am supposed to keep calling until there is one, but if noon rolls around and there still isn't anything then I will get bumped to Friday. I remember when I was delivering Maddie the labor and delivery area was so full of women in labor that some were in the hallways with screens up for privacy delivering, and I felt really bad for them. I DO NOT want to give birth in the hospital hallway, so I don't mind calling to make sure there is a bed for me lol. I'm not really feeling much of anything right now.....being sick is just making me feel exhausted. I'm not really looking forward to going through labor tomorrow, but it's not really an option, and the prize is so worth all the.....I guess labor is a good word! Haha. I was telling my friend earlier today that giving birth only lasts a day (for most women) and I can do anything for a day!!

I feel bad that we are going to sneak out in the morning and won't be there when Maddie wakes up. I hope that she handles it well. I'm kinda bummed that my mom won't be there this time to keep me company in the delivery room.....Dan is always good company, but there is just something about having your mom there! I am really curious what Charlotte is going to look like......although they are always so squished looking when they first come out, and don't look like themselves until they are about 3-4 months old, so it'll be hard to tell. I'm happy that we don't have to check into the hospital tonight to start labor tomorrow morning like we did last time because they don't let you eat at the hospital at ALL before or during labor and this way I can have breakfast before we get there (hahaha evil laugh) it's ridiculous to think that a woman is better off not eating anything during one of the physically hardest events of her life just in case she has to be put under for an emergency operation which rarely ever happens. They even got mad at me last time for sucking on sugar free life savers. pffft.

So, I'm basically really ready to get this over with. I want to have my baby and get home to Maddie and get healed up and on with life. I am really tired and ready to take my bath, watch American Idol and try to get to bed early......I have a big day tomorrow ya know! I will blog as soon as it is humanly possible. Wish me luck!

I guess thats why they call it the blues

I'm feeling a bit sad today. I realized this morning that it is my last day at home with just Maddie. It's been over 20 months of just the two of us spending the day together while Daddy is at work. Dan is taking off early this afternoon becuase I have my final OB appointment to check the ol' cervix and make all the final arrangements, and then Dan is off tomorrow and Thursday is baby day. This feels so bitter sweet to me. I am overjoyed to be having another daughter, I know that she will bring so much happiness to my life and our family, but at the same time I don't get to continue the one on one bond that I have with Maddie.....she will now have to share my time and affection. I know people do this all the time, and we'll figure it out as we go, it just seems really hard right now.....probably doesn't help that I am SUPER hormonal. (I cried through almost all of P.S. I Love You last night lol)

I'm also feeling really scared about how on earth I'm going to do this. How am I going to juggle having two kids, having the time, having the energy. I knew going into this that it wasn't going to be a walk in the park, but it seemed so far off last August that it really wasn't an issue. It's not so far off anymore and I'm really afraid that I'm going to fail. How many balls can one person juggle without one of them falling? The huge silver lining is that my mother in law is coming to help us for a week after Charlotte is born and then my mother is flying in on June 3rd and staying for 3 weeks. I am so blessed to have their willingness to help, it makes me breathe a little easier knowing that I won't be alone in the first month. Who else can I convince to come and stay for a while......maybe we can get through the first 6 months or so just rotating people in! lol

Well.....sorry for the overly emotional stuff. I was totally like this the last few days of my pregnancy with Maddie, just with different concerns. I'm a ball of tears at the drop of a hat, and I don't imagine that it's gonna end anytime in the next week or so thanks to all the lovely hormones that go along with pregnancy and child birth. Yippee. Well, I better be off......I need to eat lunch, take a short nap and shower all before 3:30 which gives me about 2 hours but really only an hour because Maddie will probably wake up at 2:30 from her nap. Wish us luck at the OB today.....hopefully everything will be a-ok and they won't want me at the hospital today!!!!

P.S. I'm still sick and generally feel like crap, so keep me in your thoughts and prayers.....I can't imagine it being much fun going through childbirth with a raging sore throat. I hope I'm on to the mucus/coughing stage before Thursday gets here!

It’s just not fair (insert whiney voice)

I am essentially 9 months pregnant and gonna have a baby in 5 days or less, and I am SICK!!! It's just not fair. My throat started hurting yesterday, I slept like poop last night, and this morning I got up at 6:00 with a cough. The weird part of that sentence was most definitely the fact that I got up at 6:00 on a weekend that Dan has off. Crazy maybe?!? NO....SICK. It seems like a cruel joke that I have to be so uncomfortable and in pain with the baby carrying and sick too. I think I'm gonna call in sick today.....oh wait, I can't call in sick to life can I? Crap! Pray for me!!!!

Seriously?!?!?

Maddie has been in a particularly bad mood for the last couple of days. She has been whiny and testing her boundaries a LOT which equals a lot of defiance. I know that the "terrible twos" are quickly approaching us, and I expect her to be defiant to a degree, but this is just NOT my child. I was thinking that maybe she is sensing that something is happening.....maybe she can tell that we're about to go through a big life change or maybe she knows that I am in pain and a lot slower at responding with redirecting her.....maybe she is taking advantage? I mean it's nothing big that she's doing, just not listening and doing things over and over again after I tell her not to. I even tried a time out yesterday.....she sat there for it, but I have no idea if she understood what was going on. It has been a mystery.....that is until today.

So this morning I went in to get her up at 7:30 which is late for her, she is usually making noise at 6:45 and I go in and get her at 7:00. Well when I get in there she is still lying down and she barely lifts her head and starts crying and saying help, help in a totally sad voice. I get over to her and notice that her right eye is fused shut with crusty goop. I figured that she had an eye infection of some sort and got a wash cloth with warm water and cleaned all the goop out, I also too her temp and it was 101.5. She seemed fine though after I cleaned her eye although she was extra clingy for most of the morning. I called Dan at work and he proceeds to tell me that last night when he was getting her ready for bed he put vusion butt ointment on her and she reached down and touched her creamy butt and then wiped her right eye with her fingers. He wiped her hand off, but didn't think that she got any in her eye. Apparently she did. So I call the doctor to find out what the deal is with butt cream in her eye and what I need to do.....they said as long as it wasn't still seeping goo that she should be fine. I also told them about the low grade fever and they said that I should bring her in.....the two sounded unrelated and she could have something like an ear infection. (she has never, ever had an ear infection before) So, eye issue and toddler moodiness apparently not related. Maybe the fever and the mood are?

I call my mom and talk to her for a while about Maddie and her difficulties these past few days. I complain about taking her to the doctor, I don't like to take her unless it's really necessary because every time they say there isn't anything they can do, just keep her hydrated and happy and whatever it is that is wrong will run it's course.....and she HATES going to the doctor, so why even bother? Anyway, I'm still talking to my mom and I look down and Maddie has a huge wet mark on her pant leg, it looked like maybe her diaper leaked, but in a weird spot. I smell it (yeah, I know it's gross, but hey.....I'm a mom) and it's not pee. It then dawns on me that it is drool......and that much drool usually only means one thing......TEETH. I start to remember some of the tell tale signs from the last few days, like Maddie chewing on one of the couch cushions, and chewing on her sippy cup, and chewing on pretty much anything that she had in her hands. Stupid me, I even made a comment earlier this week about her reverting back to putting everything in her mouth and how she hadn't done that for months and months. So, I stick my finger in her mouth and feel around and sure enough, half of a molar is already sticking through on the upper left hand side, and I can feel the rest of the molar just waiting to make its way out. Poor baby. She has been teething all this time which is no fun and can totally explain her unusual moodiness and all around grump behavior. I didn't even consider it before today because for the first time in almost 15 months we have had a couple month break from the teething.....leave it to Maddie to get her 2 year molars 4 months early. The girl is a tooth factory.

So, not only are we dealing with trying to get the house in order and ready for a new baby, we now get the pleasure of a teething toddler. We only have the one molar that has started to come through which means that the other 3 buggers are going to rear their ugly heads in the coming weeks as well, because Maddie has NEVER just gotten one tooth at a time, she gets them all.....all at once. It's not really that bad for Dan and me because now that we know what's going on, we know how to deal with it, but I feel so bad for Maddie. I can't imagine being in pain like that (well.....at basically 9 months pregnant I guess I can imagine!) and then going through the huge change that is about to come. I hope these teeth come in fast and that we are able to find ways to alleviate the pain for her. It's kinda funny in a not at all funny kinda way that Maddie is getting her last few teeth just in time for us to have another baby who may be just like her and start teething at 3 months old. Bleh. Teeth.

uppity update

I went to my weekly OB appointment yesterday thinking I was just gonna waltz in do the normal stuff and waltz out on my merry way. I was wrong. My doc came in and we discussed the "plan." And without going into a ton of detail.....because there is a TON of details.....we sat and talked things through for a good 45 minutes to an hour.....and unless I go into labor on my own in the next 9 days, I am scheduled to be induced next Thursday. I really didn't want to have this baby early, but 4 days isn't too early and I believe that it's the best thing to do with the circumstnaces that I have. After feeling anxious all day yesterday and asking Dan a gazillion hypothetical questions I feel much better about the whole thing today. It probably doesn't hurt that I am in pretty constant pain in my nether regions......makes the idea of having Charlotte a little early seem lovely! And for anyone who remembers how tramatic my first cervical check was with Maddie and how painful it was......this time around it wasn't bad at all, I think the pain of last time had a lot to do with the unknown and having not ever been through something like that.....at this point a lot more painful stuff has gone on down there, so it was easy breezy. For all of you who want the cold hard facts lol, I am almost 2 centimeters dilated and as of this morning my -we'll just call it my plug is exiting. So, I have 9 days until scheduled "B" day but I may very well have this baby before then......although hopefully not before this weekend because we have some major plans to deep clean the house and finish up all the loose projects we have yet to complete.

Maddie's bedroom is thisclose to being done. Her bunk beds are up, we bought a mattress yesterday.....still need one for the top bunk, but it can wait a little bit, her bedding is currently in the dryer and is going to be put on the bed this morning. Her dressers are painted with new hardware installed and in the room after many different locations. (thanks to Dan) Her curtain rod and valance are up and yesterday Dan installed 3 cute white shelves. All we have left to do is mount this big mirror on the wall that Maddie can play dress up in, screw in a coat hanger and finish outlining the butterflies and dragon flies on the walls. I might also want to find a few accessories to put around her room and on the shelves we put up, but that can certainly wait. I really want to get her one of these butterflies night light lamp or butterfly night lamp because I think they are really pretty and would make a great night light for her in her new big girl room. But it feels so nice to be rounding the corner on this project.....it seems like we have been working on it forever! Once it's complete I'll take some pics and post them.

Today I am going to be working on moving Maddie's clothes from her nursery into her new big girl room. I am also working on washing and folding 3 large trash bags full of baby clothes size 0-6/9 months and they will be put away in the nursery awaiting Charlotte's arrival. I am also going to slowly be working on packing my things and necessary baby things for the hospital.....ya never know, tomorrow could be the day and I need to be prepared! lol Some sweeping might be in the mix as might some bathroom cleaning. I feel like I am in warp speed and ready to kick butt and get all this stuff done and then I stand up and wince in pain and am slammed back to reality that there is only so much that I can do at this point in my pregnancy. I need to take things slowly and take breaks frequently because we did some major picking up, vacuuming, laundry etc. yesterday evening and I had a hard time falling asleep last night because my back hurt so bad and I had a shooting pain going down my right leg......maybe a baby laying on a nerve? Anyway.....trying to be productive today without overdoing it. If anyone wants to come over and help, I will gladly accept the company and the help! lol

Alright, I best be off.....too much to do. And to recap, at the very latest Dan and I will have a new baby by next Thursday May 22nd. Sounds like a good birthday to me!

Counting my blessings

I just want to say that I believe I have the most wonderful kid on earth. Don't get me wrong, she was a special kind of terror today while Dan and I worked around the house, but she is such a loving, independent, adventurous, smart and sweet child. I can't tell you how many times a day she will run up to me and give me a huge hug....even if it's just my legs that she can reach. I am so very blessed to have her in my life. I think that Dan and I make incredible children and I am getting really excited to meet this next baby. Charlotte is going to enter this world with two parents who love her SO much already and she gets to grow up with an amazing big sister who will no doubt teach her life lessons as well as how to get into trouble. I am one lucky Mama!






 
 
Maddie relaxing on her new favorite chair......Henry!

 
Tyson gets some lovin' too.

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope that everyone is having a lovely Mother's Day. Mine has been okay so far, but I think on principle it shouldn't start at 5:45 in the morning. I don't know if Maddie was just overly excited to wish me a happy Mother's day or what, but she was up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 5:45. Since Dan is working this weekend he put her in bed with me thinking that she would go back to sleep? NOT. The child and I can not sleep together.....we're like water and vinegar in that aspect. So after lying there quietly for about 10 minutes the tossing and turning started, the accidently kicking me started, the covers off, covers on, covers off, started and I ended up with a bloody nose.......so we got up. (the bloody nose is a pregnany thing, not a getting beat up by a toddler thing) So, here I am drinking my coffee and trying to get my eyes to stay permanently open, and Maddie is watching the Mother's day Dora special and drinking her milk. I have a feeling it's going to be an interesting day to say the least. Oh, and for the record......Maddie getting up before 7:00 is pretty much unheard of....it's just my luck today! lol

Since Dan is working all weekend our festivities are kind of spread out. And since we don't have money lying around to show grand gestures for motherhood and fatherhood (next month) we are celebrating in the BEST way....with home made food!! Last night Dan made me a red velvet cake which would have to tie with carrot cake as my all time favorite cake. Now, when I say he made the cake I mean he MADE it!!! No cake mix in a box, no frosting bought at the store.....my man did it all from scratch.....two layer, homemade frosting in the middle splendid from scratch cake. It was his first time ever making a cake from scratch and he did a FANTASTIC job. Not only do I feel so honored that he made that kind of effort for me and no one else, but it was freakin' delicious......so he's gonna have to do it again sometime!!! I got cards left for me this morning from Dan and Maddie which were too sweet and tomorrow morning (starts Dan's weekend) Dan and Maddie are making me buttermilk pancakes from scratch which I get to eat anywhere I choose......I might choose to eat them in bed, but it seems a little messy for my taste and I don't want to eat all alone and the thought of me trying to eat pancakes in bed with Maddie climbing and jumping all over me does not seem very relaxing. So I'll probably eat at the table, but it's nice to know I have options!

Dan's first ever cake:





I did get an early Mother's day present about a week ago, but it was a combined moms gift and birthday gift all rolled into one. I am in LOVE with it! A woman in my mom's group posted a link to the site of an artist/jewlery maker in Northern California who makes wonderful handcrafted and personalized pieces (she also writes whimsical blogs). I fell in love with one necklace that had tags that you can add names or special words to and it came with a fresh water pearl on a pretty chain. If I had all the money in the world, I would totally own every one of her designs. My lame picture doesn't do it justice but it really is lovely.

Necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs: http://lisaleonardonline.com/



I hope that all you Mama's out there have a very special Mother's Day. It's nice to have a day devoted especially to you where your family appreciates you for all that you do. I'll be thinking of every one of you while I eat my red velvet cake! Yummm.

Mini update

I had been worried for a few days that little miss Charlotte had flipped back to the breech position because the hiccupps felt like they were higher in my belly again, but I had another ultrasound and she has been a good girl and stayed head down for her Mama. At this point with 17 days left, it is very UNLIKELY that she will rotate back to breech which is good news! I also found out that the hard spot right in the middle of my belly that feels like she is going to do an alien encounter and burst through is actually just her butt......which is kinda comical.

Based on her measurments they have her weighing 7 pounds 11 ounces and are anticipating that she will probably be about the same size that Maddie was at birth which was 8 pounds 7 ounces. Also, based on her femur they are anticipating that she will be a tall girl just like her sister who was 22 inches long at birth and nearing 6 feet tall now. lol kidding I think it's funny though because they made kind of a big deal about how "big" Charlotte is going to be. I know the average baby is in the 7 pound range, but I don't think that having an 8 1/2 pounder is really all that large.....I know a girl who recently delivered a 9+ pound baby and she was a very tiny girl. Dan was an average sized baby at birth, I was slightly larger than average at 7 pounds 15 ounces.....it's not a totally out there idea that we might just make big babies. And if you look at Maddie now, it's not like she came out large and then shrunk.....she is a BIG girl.....totally proportionate with her height and weight, but man she is TALL! Plus the way they determine the "estimate" weight is based on measurments of the bones via ultrasound and there is a swing of a pound and a half in either direction that it could be wrong. So why comment on "what a big baby" I'm going to have? I just find it dumb. They thought Maddie was going to be over 9 pounds and they were wrong....it just bothers me that if things aren't the same as everyone else (the average) then it's abnormal. Alright, I didn't mean to go off on that tangent.....I don't think I even realized that it really bothered me until I was typing it. lol

So, overall things are going well. I think I overdid it last Sunday with all the painting and stuff and I was hurtin for a couple days, but I've felt really good the last 3 days and I hope that continues. It's been rainy the last 2 days which makes it difficult to get out of the house and let Maddie run around which causes her to be a bit stir crazy, so hopefully the sunshine that is out right now will dry the wet earth and allow us to play outside this afternoon. I better get going, Maddie just walked into the living room with a paci in her mouth which means she has been a paci theif and stolen one out of her crib which is the only place she is allowed to have one. Naughty girl. It makes me laugh though so I can't be upset with her for it!!! I admire her determination cause the theivery usually involves her moving chairs next to her crib, or balancing on her rocking chair and carefully reaching between the crib bars all while trying not to fall.....all of which is not an easy task! I love my daughter! :o)

Just for fun.....Maddie chillin' on the couch cushions that she moved to the floor:

Why buy the cow?

We got a call from my in-laws last week telling us that our quarter of a cow would be arriving at our house sometime after their trip to Pennsylvania the first week of June. WHAT? Not something that we were expecting, but lovely anyway.....except that we have no where to put a quarter of a cow. Uh-oh.
Back story: we had been looking into buying a quarter or half a cow a few months ago because it's much cheaper to buy in bulk from a farmer than it is to buy beef in the store, and when you buy directly from the farm, the cows are free range, organic, hormone free and generally taste better. Someone recently called it hippie beef. They cut to specifics usually and vacuum seal the meat so it can last for up to 2 years. Well, Dan's dad said that his brother in PA knew of a place to buy a cow and we could put an order in and they could pick it up while in PA in June and bring it back. We weren't in a place to move forward yet and kinda left this up in the air......until last week that is lol.
So, we have approx. 200 pounds of beef coming to our house in June and up until today we had nowhere to put it. I have been searching craigslist all week for a large enough well priced enough chest freezer and finally found a good prospect. We drove out there today and inspected it and bought it. It's a decent size and it only cost $100 and is commercial grade. I feel so much better about all this beef coming knowing that it isn't going to rot on our kitchen floor. Anyone wanna come over for some grilling in June?


Anyone interested in a frozen Maddie?


Dan cleaning out the inside of the chest freezer....Maddie helping.

comments

Hello to my faithful reader.....I say that singularly because I am sure my mom is the only one who reads these things! Hehe. Anyway. I've changed the settings on my blog and now you do not have to be a member of blogger to leave a comment. Being new to this blog site I had no idea that was a setting option, until yesterday. So, comment away!

P.S. I was able to add the pics to my last post in case you wanted to see them. I've been playing around with my new lens a little.

Where did the weekend go?

I am so exhausted. I just got up about 30 minutes ago and already I would be okay going to bed. Pregnancy was a lot easier when it was my first because I only had my own schedule to worry about. If I didn't sleep well at night I could dedicate a good portion of the day to sleeping, or I could sleep in, but that totally isn't an option with this pregnancy. I don't remember feeling this weary at the end last time. I'm not sleeping well.....insomnia maybe? Such a cruel joke for a woman who is about to have an infant that more than likely won't let her sleep. I'm feeling a lot of pressure and my pelvis hurts a lot which causes some pretty intense pain when I roll over which I do pretty much every hour while sleeping. Fun! I am ridiculously ITCHY. All over. Even the bottoms of my feet are itchy. I try to moisturize but it doesn't really seem to make a difference.....and it's weird because I've heard of and read about women having itchy bellies during pregnancy, but my belly is like the only place that isn't itchy. Weird. I guess I'm just ready to be not pregnant. Time has flown by and I think I have Maddie to thank for that, she is a good time consumer and distractor but these last 22 days are going to drag for sure!

Okay, enough whining outta me. I find it hard to believe that it is already Monday. This weekend just FLEW by!! It's nice to have a jam packed weekend with lots of plans and spending time with friends etc. but I think that I prefer the ones where we are just together as a family and can do what we want when we want without having to work on a schedule. Don't get me wrong, we got a lot done around the house this weekend, it was just mixed in with the 3 of us wrestling on our bed and hiding in the covers, playing outside and chasing each other around the house.....although we did go out to dinner with some friends which was relaxing a fun!

We were able to go grocery shopping which had needed to be done for some time now! And some good friends of ours took Maddie home from chuch with them so that we could have the afternoon to work on her room. We were able to paint 2 dressers and 8 drawers with the first coat, and paint all of the butterflies and dragonflies on Maddie's walls.....some even got the second coat. Dan mowed most of the lawn, and I mowed about half of the front yard. It was probably pretty comical for our neighbors who drove by to see Dan on his cell phone hanging out with Maddie and me almost 9 months pregnant push mowing our front yard. I wish I could have heard any comentary that was made. I don't really know what got into me, but I just felt like mowing.....seemed like a good idea at the time. Later that evening when I thought I was going to die from lower back pain I realized that it might not have been the best idea! lol But we are well on our way to having Maddie's room done and I am so ready for it to be over with......I would reccomend not waiting until this late in the game to get a room done for any pregnant ladies out there. It's much harder when you aren't as moble or stretchable anymore. I am so thankful to our friends who watched Maddie for us yesterday! We would not be anywhere near this close to done if it wasn't for them. Funny thing though, my friend has a little boy and I guess she had a good time borrowing my daughter because Maddie came home with hot pink toe nails and a 3 foot stuffed hello kitty cat.....like the kind you get at a carnival that is rock hard and full of little styrofoam balls. I would never have put hot pink polish on my 20 month old, but my friend had fun, and it does come off.....but what am I going to do with all the little balls that are now all over my house??? Yoikes.

In closing.....we had a lovely weekend. I'm sad that it's over, but alas such is life. We'll have 2 more days off in 2 days so it's not that bad! Oh, and I am really diggin' my new camera lens. Thanks honey!

May 2008

• May 29, 2008

  Some free time

  Current mood:awake

  Well, we are now officially a family of 4.  I've been wanting to blog for a couple of days now, but it just hasn't happened.  Currently Dan is outside playing with Maddie and Charlotte is taking a little snooze in her pack and play......that leaves the Mama with a few minutes to herself to play around on the computer.
  I feel that this time around things were/are a lot easier.....as far as the birth and recovery are concerned.  I'm gonna give you the cliff notes version of the past week.  We checked into the hospital on Thursday morning and after playing cards with Dan in a transition room for a couple of hours because a labor and delivery room was not available, we finally got moved and settled and I was started on pitocin.  After about 8 hours of being induced and not really getting anywhere we made the decision to stop the induction, met my uterus rest overnight while we stayed in the hospital and start over in the morning.  Not only did I not progress in labor on Thursday the contractions didn't even hurt....they were more like annoying cramps than contractions and we basically watched movies all day in the hospital......a wasted day as far as I'm concerned.  Friday morning we got up around 5:30am when they moved us back into a labor and delivery room, I was started on pitocin around 7:00am and started having contractions right away.....but like the day before they didn't really hurt.  Around 8:45 my doctor came in and broke my water and that is where the fun began! lol  The contractions were fast a furious and kicked my butt.  It was a LOT more painful than it was when I was in labor with Maddie.  Around 12:45 I asked for an epidural because I thought I was going to die, they checked my cervix and I was 6cm dilated.....it took them about 15 minutes to get the anistesiologist to my room and ready, by the time they were doing the epidural I felt like I wanted to push, but I was too afraid to say anything because I didn't want them to  stop the process and check me again only to find out that I wasn't ready and then it would delay the pain meds.  So, they got the epidural in, told me it would take 15-20 minutes to take affect, I mentioned that I felt like I could push, they had me lay down, checked me and I was 10cm dilated.  They called the doctor in and I started pushing at 1:21 and Charlotte was born at exactly 1:30.  Yup, thats right......9 minutes of pushing and exactly 4 pushes.  I was all business!!  The epidural hadn't even taken affect and they didn't even get the machine that pumps the medicine into my IVplugged in before I had delivered the baby.  It was basically a useless epidural except that I did get 1 stitch so it numbed me for that.  Charlotte Grace was 9 pounds 2 ounces and 21.5 inches long.  Her apgar score was 10 and she was bright eyed and bushy tailed after birth.
  I think that because my active labor only lasted 4 1/2 hours and I only pushed for 9 minutes my recovery has been relatively easy.  I didn't even have any pain medication for 24 hours after delivery and then I really only had motrin because my tail bone hurt so bad from the back labor that I had.....I think it got bruised or something during Charlotte's descent because still today almost a week later it hurts to sit for prolonged periods of time.  We got released from the hospital a little over 24 hours after I had her because we didn't want to stay away from Maddie any longer than we had to, and honestly you don't get any rest in the hospital with nurses and cleaning staff and others coming into the room on a cycle.  The first few nights home Charlotte had her nights and her days mixed up and I was awake for most of the night nursing and holding her, but last night we got about 6 hours of sleep and the night before that we got 7 hours with 4 and 3 hour blocks which was wonderful and very much needed.  Things are going really well with the breastfeeding.....much easier than last time mainly because I've done it before and know what it is supposed to feel like, and tricks to take care of myself.  Charlotte is a good eater and the only real issue we have is that she has a small mouth, and sometimes it's hard for me to get her to open up really big.....but that is something that can totally be worked on, I have to remind myself she has only been alive for 6 days!!!  I am feeling good other than the tail bone and have resumed normal daily activity although there is a lot more sitting because of the nursing etc.
  Things were a little weird for Maddie when we first got home, but are now back to normal.  I think that it really threw her off that we were just gone on Thursday morning and that grandma was here.....she arrived late Wednesday night after Maddie had gone to bed, so she didn't even know that grandma was here until she woke up on Thursday and we weren't here.  She came to the hospital twice while we were there, but they were short visits and she was sad when she left and we didn't go with her.  Then we get home and I have this baby that is attached to me all the time, and I can't have her crawling all over me like she normally is because I was sore etc.  It was just a bit hard for her.  I've been really emotional over all the changes that have occured with Maddie.  I have felt guilty that life has changed so much for her, and I've felt like a bad mom because I can't spend as much time as I normally do hanging with her, but I know it's the baby blues and that the feelings will go away in the next few weeks.  The crazy wacked out hormones after child birth are really hard because you know they are ridiculous and are not true, but you can't rationalize them away until the hormones get more stabalized.  I was a basketcase for a couple days, but already am feeling better and less emotional.  I really don't think that Maddie minds and if she does, she won't remember these changes.....she won't remember what it was like before she had a sister, but at this point she basically could care less about Charlotte.  She acknowledges that there is a baby and has come up to her and said baby twice since we've been home, but she doesn't show any interest in her.  We talk to her about the baby and ask her is she hears the baby crying, or sees the baby making a face, or sticking out her tounge.....stuff like that, and she'll look but that is about it.  I'm pretty okay with that and not at all interested in trying to force Charlotte upon her, they have plenty of time to get to know each other and it honestly seems better that Maddie isn't interested in the baby rather than her being too interested and trying to hold her, get to her, sit with her etc. all the time.  That could be scary.
  Overall things are back to normal.....except I have no idea what normal is anymore.  Maddie is on her usual schedule, Dan and I are on Charlotte's schedule.  Dan is home through next Tuesday when my mom arrives and she is going to be here for 3 weeks.  We have food in the freezer and both my moms group and our bible study are bringing us dinners for the next week or so.  My mother in law went home yesterday evening and I miss her already.  She was such a great help and really lovely to have around to talk to.  Oh, and she got Maddie a little pool that she is in love with!!  It's a nice activity to be able to do with her where I'm not running around the yard.  I guess thats it for now.  I'm really happy to not be pregnant anymore and to have my new daughter.  I'm excited to see her grow and watch her personality emerge.  I'm taking pictures daily, so check my pics folder and you might see new ones.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• May 21, 2008

  Final thoughts and such

  Current mood:tired

  Our house is as clean as it has ever been.  There are still signs that a toddler tornado lives here, but everything is CLEAN and sparkling.  We'll see how long that lasts lol.  I believe that every article of clothing and piece of fabric is clean as well.....I've done like 15 loads of laundry in the last week.  4 meals have been prepared and frozen in our deep freezer for when we get home from the hospital, our dogs went to the groomer today and got their hair did (Tyson got buzzed and looks like a totally different dog) Maddie's room is complete except for the outlining of the butterflies/dragonflies on the walls but my mother in law is going to help with that this week, I baked some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies this afternoon and tonight I am going to take a long bath. 
  All in all we are ready.
  At my OB appointment yesterday I was still only 2 centimeters dilated which I anticipated and nothing new was happening.  Tomorrow morning at 5:30am we have to call the hospital and see if there is a bed open, and if there is we are gonna head out to have a baby.  If there isn't a bed I am supposed to keep calling until there is one, but if noon rolls around and there still isn't anything then I will get bumped to Friday.  I remember when I was delivering Maddie the labor and delivery area was so full of women in labor that some were in the hallways with screens up for privacy delivering, and I felt really bad for them.  I DO NOT want to give birth in the hospital hallway, so I don't mind calling to make sure there is a bed for me lol.  I'm not really feeling much of anything right now.....being sick is just making me feel exhausted.  I'm not really looking forward to going through labor tomorrow, but it's not really an option, and the prize is so worth all the.....I guess labor is a good word! Haha.  I was telling my friend earlier today that giving birth only lasts a day (for most women) and I can do anything for a day!!
  I feel bad that we are going to sneak out in the morning and won't be there when Maddie wakes up.  I hope that she handles it well.  I'm kinda bummed that my mom won't be there this time to keep me company in the delivery room.....Dan is always good company, but there is just something about having your mom there!  I am really curious what Charlotte is going to look like......although they are always so squished looking when they first come out, and don't look like themselves until they are about 3-4 months old, so it'll be hard to tell.  I'm happy that we don't have to check into the hospital tonight to start labor tomorrow morning like we did last time because they don't let you eat at the hospital at ALL before or during labor and this way I can have breakfast before we get there (hahaha evil laugh) it's ridiculous to think that a woman is better off not eating anything during one of the physically hardest events of her life just in case she has to be put under for an emergency operation which rarely ever happens.  They even got mad at me last time for sucking on sugar free life savers.  pffft.
  So, I'm basically really ready to get this over with.  I want to have my baby and get home to Maddie and get healed up and on with life.  I am really tired and ready to take my bath, watch American Idol and try to get to bed early......I have a big day tomorrow ya know!  I will blog as soon as it is humanly possible.  Wish me luck!
  
  
• May 20, 2008

  I guess thats why they call it the blues

  Current mood:sad

  I'm feeling a bit sad today.  I realized this morning that it is my last day at home with just Maddie.  It's been over 20 months of just the two of us spending the day together while Daddy is at work.  Dan is taking off early this afternoon becuase I have my final OB appointment to check the ol' cervix and make all the final arrangements, and then Dan is off tomorrow and Thursday is baby day.  This feels so bitter sweet to me.  I am overjoyed to be having another daughter, I know that she will bring so much happiness to my life and our family, but at the same time I don't get to continue the one on one bond that I have with Maddie.....she will now have to share my time and affection.  I know people do this all the time, and we'll figure it out as we go, it just seems really hard right now.....probably doesn't help that I am SUPER hormonal. (I cried through almost all of P.S. I Love You last night lol)
  I'm also feeling really scared about how on earth I'm going to do this.  How am I going to juggle having two kids, having the time, having the energy.  I knew going into this that it wasn't going to be a walk in the park, but it seemed so far off last August that it really wasn't an issue.  It's not so far off anymore and I'm really afraid that I'm going to fail.  How many balls can one person juggle without one of them falling?  The huge silver lining is that my mother in law is coming to help us for a week after Charlotte is born and then my mother is flying in on June 3rd and staying for 3 weeks.  I am so blessed to have their willingness to help, it makes me breathe a little easier knowing that I won't be alone in the first month.  Who else can I convince to come and stay for a while......maybe we can get through the first 6 months or so just rotating people in! lol
  Well.....sorry for the overly emotional stuff.  I was totally like this the last few days of my pregnancy with Maddie, just with different concerns.  I'm a ball of tears at the drop of a hat, and I don't imagine that it's gonna end anytime in the next week or so thanks to all the lovely hormones that go along with pregnancy and child birth.  Yippee.  Well, I better be off......I need to eat lunch, take a short nap and shower all before 3:30 which gives me about 2 hours but really only an hour because Maddie will probably wake up at 2:30 from her nap.  Wish us luck at the OB today.....hopefully everything will be a-ok and they won't want me at the hospital today!!!!
  P.S. I'm still sick and generally feel like crap, so keep me in your thoughts and prayers.....I can't imagine it being much fun going through childbirth with a raging sore throat.  I hope I'm on to the mucus/coughing stage before Thursday gets here!
  
  
  
  
  
• May 19, 2008

  LOL

  Current mood:aggravated

  No, we're not talking about laughing out loud......Locks of Love baby!  I've wanted to donate my hair for a long time now, and have been waiting so that I could get the benefit of the pregnancy hormones that help my hair grow fast and thick.  I decided not to wait until after I give birth to try and donate because really when will I have enough time to get to the salon and have it done?  And there is a race against the clock from when I have the baby to when my hair starts falling out in large chunks like a molting k9.  I really wanted as much hair as possible and in the best shape as possible, so I bit the bullet this past Friday.
  I went to a well known salon/spa in our town on Tuesday of last week and met with a hairdresser who felt my hair up and gave me some good ideas on what we could do with my hair.  She thought it would be good to give me a bob that was longer in front and shorter in back that stepped up in the back in layers.  I liked the bob idea, but really hated the short stacked look in the back.  Her ideas scared me because what she wanted to do was SO southern sounding and I didn't think that I was ready for a change like that.  So I went home and spent the next couple of days looking up hairstyles on the internet.  The hard part for me is that every short cut out there is for straight hair.....or at least curly hair that is straightened which mine can do just fine, but I don't want the hassle especially when I have 2 kids under 2 in my care.  So, I finally found something that I liked, I went to my appt. on Friday and showed the woman the picture.....she thought it was cute and would work with my curly hair.  I held the picture the entire time so that she could reference it.
   This is what I was thinking of......thought it would look cute straight and also curl up well, but wouldn't leave me without any hair.
    Not only did she book another client 30 minutes after my appt. but the other woman showed up early and they chit chatted the entire time I was getting my haircut, and was faced away from the mirror so that the two woman could see each other while they talked.  Who cares about little ol' me who is getting a major haircut right?  I am always so passive when it comes to getting my hair cut.  I feel like the person who is doing my hair knows better than I do what is going on, and I hate to question them because I feel like its not my place.  I know.....my stupid hang ups right?
  Well after my 30 minutes of allotted hair cut time which I mostly spent in silence listening to the other 2 women talk I got turned around to look at the beautiful creation on my head......and it was the EXACT hair cut that the hairdresser had originally talked about that I didn't want.  She didn't even get close to cutting my hair the way I wanted, or the way it was in the picture that I brought.  I left the salon feeling really bad.....it wasn't until I got home and really ran my fingers through it and talked it over with Dan that the crying started.  I can't believe she did this to my hair.  She had no interest in what I wanted, and did whatever she thought was best......plus, it's not even.  The right side is longer than the left in certain parts.  I was really mad for about a day, but am pretty much over it.  Hair is hair and it will grow out, I was just really hurt that this thing that was a BIG deal to me was nothing more than a 30 minute spot filled for the woman who did my hair and that she could just blatantly ignore my requests and cut my hair whichever way she wanted.  I've thought about going back and having someone else fix it, but as my genius husband pointed out, they would only cut more hair and it would just be shorter.  Plus, after a couple of days with this new look I don't hate it as much......I don't love it, or even really like it, but I don't hate it.  And on the plus side, it doesn't touch my neck and shoulders anymore which used to drive me CRAZY and make me super itchy.  I'm just going to keep repeating to myself that this whole experience is for a good cause and I am helping someone get a wig who otherwise could not afford one.  AND, my best friend Stephie is coming out here in July and she is almost done with cosmotology school, so she can fix my hair then and it will be a bit longer so she can change the shape if necessary.
  
  
   The before picture
   The after picture.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• May 17, 2008

  It’s just not fair (insert whiney voice)

  Current mood:bummed

  I am essentially 9 months pregnant and gonna have a baby in 5 days or less, and I am SICK!!!  It's just not fair.  My throat started hurting yesterday, I slept like poop last night, and this morning I got up at 6:00 with a cough.  The weird part of that sentence was most definitely the fact that I got up at 6:00 on a weekend that Dan has off.  Crazy maybe?!?  NO....SICK.  It seems like a cruel joke that I have to be so uncomfortable and in pain with the baby carrying and sick too.  I think I'm gonna call in sick today.....oh wait, I can't call in sick to life can I?  Crap!  Pray for me!!!!
  
  
  
  
• May 15, 2008

  Seriously?!?!?

  Current mood:cranky

  Maddie has been in a particularly bad mood for the last couple of days.  She has been whiny and testing her boundaries a LOT which equals a lot of defiance.  I know that the "terrible twos" are quickly approaching us, and I expect her to be defiant to a degree, but this is just NOT my child.  I was thinking that maybe she is sensing that something is happening.....maybe she can tell that we're about to go through a big life change or maybe she knows that I am in pain and a lot slower at responding with redirecting her.....maybe she is taking advantage?  I mean it's nothing big that she's doing, just not listening and doing things over and over again after I tell her not to.  I even tried a time out yesterday.....she sat there for it, but I have no idea if she understood what was going on.  It has been a mystery.....that is until today.
  So this morning I went in to get her up at 7:30 which is late for her, she is usually making noise at 6:45 and I go in and get her at 7:00.  Well when I get in there she is still lying down and she barely lifts her head and starts crying and saying help, help in a totally sad voice.  I get over to her and notice that her right eye is fused shut with crusty goop.  I figured that she had an eye infection of some sort and got a wash cloth with warm water and cleaned all the goop out, I also too her temp and it was 101.5.  She seemed fine though after I cleaned her eye although she was extra clingy for most of the morning.  I called Dan at work and he proceeds to tell me that last night when he was getting her ready for bed he put vusion butt ointment on her and she reached down and touched her creamy butt and then wiped her right eye with her fingers.  He wiped her hand off, but didn't think that she got any in her eye.  Apparently she did.  So I call the doctor to find out what the deal is with butt cream in her eye and what I need to do.....they said as long as it wasn't still seeping goo that she should be fine.  I also told them about the low grade fever and they said that I should bring her in.....the two sounded unrelated and she could have something like an ear infection. (she has never, ever had an ear infection before)  So, eye issue and toddler moodiness apparently not related.  Maybe the fever and the mood are?
  I call my mom and talk to her for a while about Maddie and her difficulties these past few days.  I complain about taking her to the doctor, I don't like to take her unless it's really necessary because every time they say there isn't anything they can do, just keep her hydrated and happy and whatever it is that is wrong will run it's course.....and she HATES going to the doctor, so why even bother?  Anyway, I'm still talking to my mom and I look down and Maddie has a huge wet mark on her pant leg, it looked like maybe her diaper leaked, but in a weird spot.  I smell it (yeah, I know it's gross, but hey.....I'm a mom) and it's not pee.  It then dawns on me that it is drool......and that much drool usually only means one thing......TEETH.  I start to remember some of the tell tale signs from the last few days, like Maddie chewing on one of the couch cushions, and chewing on her sippy cup, and chewing on pretty much anything that she had in her hands.  Stupid me, I even made a comment earlier this week about her reverting back to putting everything in her mouth and how she hadn't done that for months and months.  So, I stick my finger in her mouth and feel around and sure enough, half of a molar is already sticking through on the upper left hand side, and I can feel the rest of the molar just waiting to make its way out.  Poor baby.  She has been teething all this time which is no fun and can totally explain her unusual moodiness and all around grump behavior.  I didn't even consider it before today because for the first time in almost 15 months we have had a couple month break from the teething.....leave it to Maddie to get her 2 year molars 4 months early.  The girl is a tooth factory.
  So, not only are we dealing with trying to get the house in order and ready for a new baby, we now get the pleasure of a teething toddler.  We only have the one molar that has started to come through which means that the other 3 buggers are going to rear their ugly heads in the coming weeks as well, because Maddie has NEVER just gotten one tooth at a time, she gets them all.....all at once.  It's not really that bad for Dan and me because now that we know what's going on, we know how to deal with it, but I feel so bad for Maddie.  I can't imagine being in pain like that (well.....at basically 9 months pregnant I guess I can imagine!) and then going through the huge change that is about to come.  I hope these teeth come in fast and that we are able to find ways to alleviate the pain for her.  It's kinda funny in a not at all funny kinda way that Maddie is getting her last few teeth just in time for us to have another baby who may be just like her and start teething at 3 months old.  Bleh.  Teeth.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• May 13, 2008

  uppity update

  Current mood:awake

  I went to my weekly OB appointment yesterday thinking I was just gonna waltz in do the normal stuff and waltz out on my merry way.  I was wrong.  My doc came in and we discussed the "plan."  And without going into a ton of detail.....because there is a TON of details.....we sat and talked things through for a good 45 minutes to an hour.....and unless I go into labor on my own in the next 9 days, I am scheduled to be induced next Thursday.  I really didn't want to have this baby early, but 4 days isn't too early and I believe that it's the best thing to do with the circumstnaces that I have.  After feeling anxious all day yesterday and asking Dan a gazillion hypothetical questions I feel much better about the whole thing today.  It probably doesn't hurt that I am in pretty constant pain in my nether regions......makes the idea of having Charlotte a little early seem lovely!  And for anyone who remembers how tramatic my first cervical check was with Maddie and how painful it was......this time around it wasn't bad at all, I think the pain of last time had a lot to do with the unknown and having not ever been through something like that.....at this point a lot more painful stuff has gone on down there, so it was easy breezy.  For all of you who want the cold hard facts lol, I am almost 2 centimeters dilated and as of this morning my -we'll just call it my plug is exiting.  So, I have 9 days until scheduled "B" day but I may very well have this baby before then......although hopefully not before this weekend because we have some major plans to deep clean the house and finish up all the loose projects we have yet to complete.
  Maddie's bedroom is thisclose to being done.  Her bunk beds are up, we bought a mattress yesterday.....still need one for the top bunk, but it can wait a little bit, her bedding is currently in the dryer and is going to be put on the bed this morning.  Her dressers are painted with new hardware installed and in the room after many different locations. (thanks to Dan)  Her curtain rod and valance are up and yesterday Dan installed 3 cute white shelves.  All we have left to do is mount this big mirror on the wall that Maddie can play dress up in, screw in a coat hanger and finish outlining the butterflies and dragon flies on the walls.  I might also want to find a few accessories to put around her room and on the shelves we put up, but that can certainly wait.  I really want to get her one of these butterflies night light lamp or butterfly night lamp because I think they are really pretty and would make a great night light for her in her new big girl room.  But it feels so nice to be rounding the corner on this project.....it seems like we have been working on it forever!  Once it's complete I'll take some pics and post them.
  Today I am going to be working on moving Maddie's clothes from her nursery into her new big girl room.  I am also working on washing and folding 3 large trash bags full of baby clothes size 0-6/9 months and they will be put away in the nursery awaiting Charlotte's arrival.  I am also going to slowly be working on packing my things and necessary baby things for the hospital.....ya never know, tomorrow could be the day and I need to be prepared! lol  Some sweeping might be in the mix as might some bathroom cleaning.  I feel like I am in warp speed and ready to kick butt and get all this stuff done and then I stand up and wince in pain and am slammed back to reality that there is only so much that I can do at this point in my pregnancy.  I need to take things slowly and take breaks frequently because we did some major picking up, vacuuming, laundry etc. yesterday evening and I had a hard time falling asleep last night because my back hurt so bad and I had a shooting pain going down my right leg......maybe a baby laying on a nerve?  Anyway.....trying to be productive today without overdoing it.  If anyone wants to come over and help, I will gladly accept the company and the help! lol 
  Alright, I best be off.....too much to do.  And to recap, at the very latest Dan and I will have a new baby by next Thursday May 22nd.  Sounds like a good birthday to me!
  
  
  
  
  
• May 12, 2008

  Counting my blessings

  Current mood:blessed

  I just want to say that I believe I have the most wonderful kid on earth.  Don't get me wrong, she was a special kind of terror today while Dan and I worked around the house, but she is such a loving, independent, adventurous, smart and sweet child.  I can't tell you how many times a day she will run up to me and give me a huge hug....even if it's just my legs that she can reach.  I am so very blessed to have her in my life.  I think that Dan and I make incredible children and I am getting really excited to meet this next baby.  Charlotte is going to enter this world with two parents who love her SO much already and she gets to grow up with an amazing big sister who will no doubt teach her life lessons as well as how to get into trouble.  I am one lucky Mama!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• May 11, 2008

  Happy Mother’s Day

  Current mood:happy

  I hope that everyone is having a lovely Mother's Day.  Mine has been okay so far, but I think on principle it shouldn't start at 5:45 in the morning.  I don't know if Maddie was just overly excited to wish me a happy Mother's day or what, but she was up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 5:45.  Since Dan is working this weekend he put her in bed with me thinking that she would go back to sleep?  NOT.  The child and I can not sleep together.....we're like water and vinegar in that aspect.  So after lying there quietly for about 10 minutes the tossing and turning started, the accidently kicking me started, the covers off, covers on, covers off, started and I ended up with a bloody nose.......so we got up. (the bloody nose is a pregnany thing, not a getting beat up by a toddler thing)  So, here I am drinking my coffee and trying to get my eyes to stay permanently open, and Maddie is watching the Mother's day Dora special and drinking her milk.  I have a feeling it's going to be an interesting day to say the least.  Oh, and for the record......Maddie getting up before 7:00 is pretty much unheard of....it's just my luck today! lol
  Since Dan is working all weekend our festivities are kind of spread out.  And since we don't have money lying around to show grand gestures for motherhood and fatherhood (next month) we are celebrating in the BEST way....with home made food!!  Last night Dan made me a red velvet cake which would have to tie with carrot cake as my all time favorite cake.  Now, when I say he made the cake I mean he MADE it!!!  No cake mix in a box, no frosting bought at the store.....my man did it all from scratch.....two layer, homemade frosting in the middle splendid from scratch cake.  It was his first time ever making a cake from scratch and he did a FANTASTIC job.  Not only do I feel so honored that he made that kind of effort for me and no one else, but it was freakin' delicious......so he's gonna have to do it again sometime!!!  I got cards left for me this morning from Dan and Maddie which were too sweet and tomorrow morning (starts Dan's weekend) Dan and Maddie are making me buttermilk pancakes from scratch which I get to eat anywhere I choose......I might choose to eat them in bed, but it seems a little messy for my taste and I don't want to eat all alone and the thought of me trying to eat pancakes in bed with Maddie climbing and jumping all over me does not seem very relaxing.  So I'll probably eat at the table, but it's nice to know I have options!
  Dan's first ever cake:
  
  
  I did get an early Mother's day present about a week ago, but it was a combined moms gift and birthday gift all rolled into one.  I am in LOVE with it!  A woman in my mom's group posted a link to the site of an artist/jewlery maker in Northern California who makes wonderful handcrafted and personalized pieces (she also writes whimsical blogs).  I fell in love with one necklace that had tags that you can add names or special words to and it came with a fresh water pearl on a pretty chain.  If I had all the money in the world, I would totally own every one of her designs.  My lame picture doesn't do it justice but it really is lovely.
  Necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs: It's the little things
  
  I hope that all you Mama's out there have a very special Mother's Day.  It's nice to have a day devoted especially to you where your family appreciates you for all that you do.  I'll be thinking of every one of you while I eat my red velvet cake!  Yummm.
  
   
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• May 9, 2008

  Mini update

  Current mood:blessed

  I had been worried  for a few days that little miss Charlotte had flipped back to the breech position because the hiccupps felt like they were higher in my belly again, but I had another ultrasound and she has been a good girl and stayed head down for her Mama.  At this point with 17 days left, it is very UNLIKELY that she will rotate back to breech which is good news!  I also found out that the hard spot right in the middle of my belly that feels like she is going to do an alien encounter and burst through is actually just her butt......which is kinda comical.
  Based on her measurments they have her weighing 7 pounds 11 ounces and are anticipating that she will probably be about the same size that Maddie was at birth which was 8 pounds 7 ounces.  Also, based on her femur they are anticipating that she will be a tall girl just like her sister who was 22 inches long at birth and nearing 6 feet tall now. lol  kidding  I think it's funny though because they made kind of a big deal about how "big" Charlotte is going to be.  I know the average baby is in the 7 pound range, but I don't think that having an 8 1/2 pounder is really all that large.....I know a girl who recently delivered a 9+ pound baby and she was a very tiny girl.  Dan was an average sized baby at birth, I was slightly larger than average at 7 pounds 15 ounces.....it's not a totally out there idea that we might just make big babies.  And if you look at Maddie now, it's not like she came out large and then shrunk.....she is a BIG girl.....totally proportionate with her height and weight, but man she is TALL!  Plus the way they determine the "estimate" weight is based on measurments of the bones via ultrasound and there is a swing of a pound and a half in either direction that it could be wrong.  So why comment on "what a big baby" I'm going to have?  I just find it dumb.  They thought Maddie was going to be over 9 pounds and they were wrong....it just bothers me that if things aren't the same as everyone else (the average) then it's abnormal.  Alright, I didn't mean to go off on that tangent.....I don't think I even realized that it really bothered me until I was typing it.  lol
  So, overall things are going well.  I think I overdid it last Sunday with all the painting and stuff and I was hurtin for a couple days, but I've felt really good the last 3 days and I hope that continues.  It's been rainy the last 2 days which makes it difficult to get out of the house and let Maddie run around which causes her to be a bit stir crazy, so hopefully the sunshine that is out right now will dry the wet earth and allow us to play outside this afternoon.  I better get going, Maddie just walked into the living room with a paci in her mouth which means she has been a paci theif and stolen one out of her crib which is the only place she is allowed to have one.  Naughty girl.  It makes me laugh though so I can't be upset with her for it!!!  I admire her determination cause the theivery usually involves her moving chairs next to her crib, or balancing on her rocking chair and carefully reaching between the crib bars all while trying not to fall.....all of which is not an easy task!  I love my daughter! :o)
  Just for fun.....Maddie chillin' on the couch cushions that she moved to the floor:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• May 7, 2008

  Why buy the cow?

  Current mood:accomplished

  We got a call from my in-laws last week telling us that our quarter of a cow would be arriving at our house sometime after their trip to Pennsylvania the first week of June.  WHAT?  Not something that we were expecting, but lovely anyway.....except that we have no where to put a quarter of a cow.  Uh-oh. 
  Back story: we had been looking into buying a quarter or half a cow a few months ago because it's much cheaper to buy in bulk from a farmer than it is to buy beef in the store, and when you buy directly from the farm, the cows are free range, organic, hormone free and generally taste better.  Someone recently called it hippie beef.  They cut to specifics usually and vacuum seal the meat so it can last for up to 2 years.  Well, Dan's dad said that his brother in PA knew of a place to buy a cow and we could put an order in and they could pick it up while in PA in June and bring it back.  We weren't in a place to move forward yet and kinda left this up in the air......until last week that is lol. 
  So, we have approx. 200 pounds of beef coming to our house in June and up until today we had nowhere to put it.  I have been searching craigslist all week for a large enough well priced enough chest freezer and finally found a good prospect.  We drove out there today and inspected it and bought it.  It's a decent size and it only cost $100 and is commercial grade.  I feel so much better about all this beef coming knowing that it isn't going to rot on our kitchen floor.  Anyone wanna come over for some grilling in June?
   Anyone interested in a frozen Maddie?
   Dan cleaning out the inside of the chest freezer....Maddie helping.
  
  
  
  
  
• May 5, 2008

  Where did the weekend go?

  Current mood:tired

  I am so exhausted.  I just got up about 30 minutes ago and already I would be okay going to bed.  Pregnancy was a lot easier when it was my first because I only had my own schedule to worry about.  If I didn't sleep well at night I could dedicate a good portion of the day to sleeping, or I could sleep in, but that totally isn't an option with this pregnancy.  I don't remember feeling this weary at the end last time.  I'm not sleeping well.....insomnia maybe?  Such a cruel joke for a woman who is about to have an infant that more than likely won't let her sleep.  I'm feeling a lot of pressure and my pelvis hurts a lot which causes some pretty intense pain when I roll over which I do pretty much every hour while sleeping.  Fun!  I am ridiculously ITCHY.  All over.  Even the bottoms of my feet are itchy.  I try to moisturize but it doesn't really seem to make a difference.....and it's weird because I've heard of and read about women having itchy bellies during pregnancy, but my belly is like the only place that isn't itchy.  Weird.  I guess I'm just ready to be not pregnant.  Time has flown by and I think I have Maddie to thank for that, she is a good time consumer and distractor but these last 22 days are going to drag for sure!
  Okay, enough whining outta me.  I find it hard to believe that it is already Monday.  This weekend just FLEW by!!  It's nice to have a jam packed weekend with lots of plans and spending time with friends etc. but I think that I prefer the ones where we are just together as a family and can do what we want when we want without having to work on a schedule.  Don't get me wrong, we got a lot done around the house this weekend, it was just mixed in with the 3 of us wrestling on our bed and hiding in the covers, playing outside and chasing each other around the house.....although we did go out to dinner with some friends which was relaxing a fun! 
  We were able to go grocery shopping which had needed to be done for some time now!  And some good friends of ours took Maddie home from chuch with them so that we could have the afternoon to work on her room.  We were able to paint 2 dressers and 8 drawers with the first coat, and paint all of the butterflies and dragonflies on Maddie's walls.....some even got the second coat.  Dan mowed most of the lawn, and I mowed about half of the front yard.  It was probably pretty comical for our neighbors who drove by to see Dan on his cell phone hanging out with Maddie and me almost 9 months pregnant push mowing our front yard.  I wish I could have heard any comentary that was made.  I don't really know what got into me, but I just felt like mowing.....seemed like a good idea at the time.  Later that evening when I thought I was going to die from lower back pain I realized that it might not have been the best idea!  lol  But we are well on our way to having Maddie's room done and I am so ready for it to be over with......I would reccomend not waiting until this late in the game to get a room done for any pregnant ladies out there.  It's much harder when you aren't as moble or stretchable anymore.  I am so thankful to our friends who watched Maddie for us yesterday!  We would not be anywhere near this close to done if it wasn't for them.  Funny thing though, my friend has a little boy and I guess she had a good time borrowing my daughter because Maddie came home with hot pink toe nails and a 3 foot stuffed hello kitty cat.....like the kind you get at a carnival that is rock hard and full of little styrofoam balls.  I would never have put hot pink polish on my 20 month old, but my friend had fun, and it does come off.....but what am I going to do with all the little balls that are now all over my house???  Yoikes.
  In closing.....we had a lovely weekend.  I'm sad that it's over, but alas such is life.  We'll have 2 more days off in 2 days so it's not that bad!  Oh, and I am really diggin' my new camera lens.  Thanks honey!