Sneaky Sofie and Banged-up Baby Nona

This morning, as I was finishing up my make-up, this little critter snuck quietly out of the bathroom with my concealor in tow...

It cracks me up that she has been observing me carefully enough that she knows just what to do with it...er...sort of :)

In other news, Baby Nona suffered a major injury last night, and after emergency surgery she is resting quietly in good condition. Sofie and Ben were playing, quite vigorously as usual, last night when I heard Ben shout, "Mama! Come quick, something bad happened!" When I arrived on the scene Sofie, somewhat distraught, was holding Baby Nona up in the air and her butt beans were mysteriously bulging out from her pant leg. Apparently, her left leg had ripped halfway off and her butt beans had managed to work themselves out of the gaping hole. I managed to stuff the beans back in and Dr. Daddy fixed up the hole with some super glue. She is mostly unscathed, but I hate to think of what this might mean for Nona's upcoming lifespan. Sofie has six or seven baby dolls but she is without a doubt quite attached to Nona. She carries her everywhere and sleeps with her every night. Nona, in turn, is almost always filthy even though she is laundered regularly. I think it's time for us to start thinking about looking for a good baby doll doctor or even consider replacing Nona with a stunt double. I'd love to hear how the rest of you have handled well loved toys that have seen better days!

Edited to add: As he read this post Daddy disappointedly remarked, "You forgot the part where Sofie sadly said, 'Nona's crying.'" and I have to admit that her unprompted display of empathy for her baby is probably the sweetest part of the whole story. How could I forget?!

Sponge's Spot 40 Weeks

There it is, my big round belly, at 40 weeks and 1 day. I was really hoping that you might've vacated by now, but I suppose I always sort of expected you to arrive past your due date just like your stubborn sister. The last couple of weeks, with the accompanying "pre-labor" symptoms have been a little rough. I've been day dreaming a lot lately about bending over with ease, rising from the couch without hanging onto the coffee table for a little support, and running and playing with your sister without feeling like you are, um, I guess I'll try and keep it sort of PC and just say falling out!

I had another prenatal appointment this morning and the first thing the midwife said to me was, "So, what are we waiting for?" to which I replied, "I don't know...you tell me!" I am still 4 centimeters dilated, very thin (I wasn't given a percentage of effacement this time) and you've come down a bit to a -1 station. The midwife was able to feel the sutures in your skull and determine that you are right occiput anterior, which, while it isn't as ideal as left occiput anterior, certainly isn't posterior which I've been worried about. So...that means that right now your back is on my right side and your head is facing my back and slightly to the left. Your back has been on my left side right up until this appointment, so you're still wiggling around and trying to find the most cozy spot for yourself in the ever increasing crampedness. My membranes were stripped today, and while there is plenty of controversy regarding how effective that is, supposedly if it's going to help us along into labor it should happen within 48 hours of the procedure. Wouldn't that be nice?! We tried it twice with your sister, to no avail, but I'm trying to stay positive. If you decide to hang out for another week I'm scheduled next Wednesday for a NST and an ultrasound to peek in on you and make sure everything is still copacetic.

Guess what kiddo? In the past week I started to question your name for the first time during this whole pregnancy and along with your Daddy, who has had some reservations all along, started trying on some other options. We still haven't made a decision, but we do have one special contender in mind, and who knows...you might end up being one of those kids who gets to say, "My name was supposed to be Grey right up until the last minute and then my parents named me BLANK instead!" Or maybe you'll say, "My parents almost changed my name to BLANK at the last minute, but then when they saw me they knew I was a Grey after all!" It's a little bit strange for me not feeling really solid about a name choice this late in the game, but I'm confident that you'll end up with a name that suits you and I'm sure you'll make it your own in no time.

I am really excited to meet you, check out all your little features, hear your voice, introduce you to your sister...just plain start the process of learning all about you. Please, oh please, (oh please oh please oh please!) don't make us wait too much longer :)

Lose 150 Pounds in Just Five Minutes!

:)

Oh man, I am crossing my fingers and hoping hoping hoping it takes me only slightly longer than five minutes to lose the 47.5 I've gained!

Practicing

Sofie and I went for a jaunt around the neighborhood this morning and instead of bringing her baby doll stroller, like she usually does, she decided she wanted to push around the full sized umbrella stroller we have. I figured it was good practice for when I force her to babysit for her brother! And for once I remembered to bring my camera along...

One of our better attempts at a self-portrait...

Is there anything cuter than the nape of a child's neck?

Looking quite pleased with herself with her crew of two...

...and of course, tuckered out and ready for a ride by the end of the walk!

This afternoon we went to a local play spot called Pump It Up where they have a room full of fun inflatable structures. It was the first time we've been there and I have to say I wish I would've checked it out sooner. The trip was completely free because they don't charge for kids under two and parents accompany their children at no charge. We bounced, climbed, and slid 'til our hearts were content...and hopefully all that movement encouraged our little guy into a nice birthing position :) Who knows though, I seem to recall going for a vigorous three mile hike around this point in my pregnancy with Sofie and we all know how that ended up!

Greetings from the Nether Regions

Warning: May contain cringe-worthy information...

I realized that I've been posting lots of little baby progress type blips on facebook and neglecting the blog a bit, so I thought perhaps it was time to transfer some of that information over here.

Two weeks ago (37 weeks, 2 days) I was checked for the first time and declared to be 3 centimeters dilated, 50% effaced, and the baby was at a -3 station. I'm not sure why I agreed to be checked in the first place since I've been reading a LOT and come to the conclusion that there is absolutely no predictive value to these random measurements until you are in active labor. I've questioned several of the midwives about this and the best answer I got was, "It means that when we induce you we can just go ahead and break your water or start you on pitocin and skip the prostoglandin gel since your cervix is already ripe." Last week, at my 38 week appointment, I declined an exam for this reason. Over the past few evenings, though, I've been having hot flashes, lots of prickliness, pressure, and vague period type cramping along with Braxton Hicks contractions, so today when I went in for my 39 week appointment (+2 days) I agreed to be checked again out of curiosity. So, apparently now I am 4 centimeters dilated, 80% effaced, and the baby is at a -2 station. The midwife also commented on my "bulging bag of waters" and suggested that I, "might want to consider some plastic sheets." As she finished the exam she noted that there was some bloody mucus and not to be concerned if I had more discharge throughout the day. And I have...you know...had more bloody discharge all day (EW!) So. I maintain that all of this means absolutely nothing, but what does mean something to me is that I'm perceiving that my body is putting the finishing touches on this kiddo and preparing itself to release him at last. Ben seems to think that I'm just making all this stuff up because I'm so anxious to have this baby. He, on the other hand, is being his pessimistic self and has declared that he's not taking me to the hospital until my water breaks :)

So that's where we are...

And as a bonus thought: I've been having a great deal of fun observing the responses of all the folks who keep asking me when I'm due when I reply "Wednesday!"

Confused?!

Apparently all the outdoor play we've been busy with lately (splash pads, wading pools, fountains, playgrounds etc. etc) hasn't convinced Sofie that Ohio ever really kicks over into a summer season. I love these pictures because they're some of the few, recently, that have really caught the hammy essence of the little girl who brightens our life on a daily basis. Enjoy!

Go Ahead...Ask Me

...when I'm due, that is. I must have a neon sign hanging off of me somewhere that says something to that effect because in the last two days every stranger and their uncle has taken one look at me and said all manner of variations on the theme, "You don't have much longer to go do you?!" I have to admit that I kind of like it because it keeps reminding me that, oh yeah, maybe I will have this child sometime soon. The pregnant aura has spoken to the universe and it is responding en masse!

No Nap Nightmare

Lately my big girl seems to have decided that she is much too big for a nap. I still put her down for a nap every day, but she has become pretty selective about when she'll actually sleep and when she'd rather have some quiet playtime, sleeping maybe four or five days out of each week. Luckily she is content to play by herself for almost as long as she typically naps which still allows me a little break each day, but doesn't help at all with the cranky attitude she develops when she hasn't rested properly. Additionally, it can be scary to open her bedroom door after her quiet time on a day when she hasn't napped and survey the damage. I have to admit that I'm really glad that this is all happening now, before the baby is here, because this way I'm perceiving it as a new developmental stage and not blaming the behavior on having a new baby in the house. Anyhow, the lack of sleep has brought about a little bit of hilarity (I'll choose to perceive it that way!) around here lately that I thought I'd share and document.

Although I've decided that I'm not at all ready to potty train Sofie (I'm thinking maybe this winter when we're more home-bound) I may have no choice but to go ahead and work on it with her anyway since she's become quite fond of undressing herself. It's not such a big deal when we're just at home goofing around because I can redress her fairly quickly, but when she's "napping" there's no telling how long she's roaming diaper-free. Yesterday after I discovered her bare-bottomed I asked her if she had peed anywhere. She was very obliging and happily showed me just the spot, on her bed of course, which changed the course of my afternoon plans :) Just another chapter in mess making 101 really. Other favorites include removing all the clothes/hair bows/socks/diapers from her dresser, as I've previously posted about, and also taking all of the books off of her bookshelf (and she's got a LOT of books). The latter is one of my favorites since I usually open the door to her sitting on top of a pile of books flipping through one's pages and I get greeted with the annoyed statement, "I'm reanin!" Typically I walk away grinning and leave her in peace to read 'til her heart is content.

The hardest thing to deal with has been the frequent meltdowns, lack of cooperation, and precipitous frustration that follow an afternoon without a nap. In the moment it can be difficult for me, exhausted, to stay level headed, but in review some of it just cracks me up. Sofie has been experimenting with defiance, but she is so funny because in addition to some instances of just not obeying me when she is interested in doing something else she has also taken to random acts of insanity just for the sake of finding out the answer to that age-old question, "I wonder what happens if I try this..." The one she seems stuck on right now happens every so often when we walk outside and head for the van to go somewhere. There is a sidewalk that juts away from the main walkway and leads up to another apartment's doorstep. Instead of walking to the van she will follow that sidewalk all the way up to that apartment and literally stand with her face three inches from the wall as still as she can be as until I quietly come to retrieve her. Goofy?! Some of the things she says in her frustration crack me up. Like, she will ram her head into my legs and screech, "Skew me!" even when she has plenty of room to walk around me. Today I was working on the laundry as she pulled uncomfortably at her shirt whining, "I don' wike it dis shuht!" until I helped her pick something else out and change clothes.

Lastly, when she is really about to crash she just gets completely loopy. Literally, she'll repeat phrases or behaviors over and over again, giggling like a lunatic. Tonight she spied Ben and I sharing a little kiss and decided she wanted in on the action. After climbing up on the couch and planting each of us with a kiss she decided she was in the mood for some hugs. She would give me a nice big hug and then pull away and giggle, then give me another. I was probably the recipient of at least fifteen wiggly, giggly hugs. Ok...so maybe there is a benefit or two associated with this lack of napping thing :)

"Who me? Sleepy? Naw!"
At Grannie Gracie's on the 4th of July.

Making Daddy Proud

Here's our little dirt-princess making her Daddy awfully proud sitting on the cutest wee KTM!

Sponge's Spot 37 Weeks

Well here we are at 37 weeks already, how time has flown by! This third trimester continues to be much better than the second, thank goodness, although I suspect your Daddy might disagree with me on that one since he's been complaining a lot about how grumpy I've been. I admit that I've been slightly frustrated and annoyed by the chaos that is usually amok on our floors since it is getting very difficult for me to bend down to pick it all up. Your sister, of course, thinks that life looks much rosier when the contents of the entire house are strewn about the floor :) Luckily, Daddy has been complaining much less lately and instead using his energy to help me out more and that has made all the difference in the world.

I have gained about 44 pounds so far which I think is such a neat coincidence because, while I feel much larger this time around, that is almost exactly what I had gained at this point in my pregnancy with Sofie. My belly seems completely different to me this time around, much more compact and harder than it was last time. I'm hoping that it's because you're not posterior like your sister was, and so it's your nice firm back pushing out against my belly instead of a chubby squishy tummy. I'm pretty sure you dropped a few weeks ago, because after about a day of adjusting to feeling like I was waddling around with a bowling ball between my legs I've been breathing much easier and have just been more comfortable overall. I've been sleeping very fitfully for quite awhile now since I have sharp pelvic pain every time I roll over and it wakes me up. I have a lot of pain when I put my pants on in the morning too, but other than that it usually doesn't bother me much during the daytime, which is nice. The last couple of weeks have brought the onset of some increased swelling, though my feet are nowhere near as rotund as they were when I was pregnant with your sister. They can get pretty bad when I'm up and on them a lot during the day, but overall they seem to retreat to near normal after a day or two.

I've been telling people that you're going to be born on the 15th...ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION IN THERE...it's only one week away. I sort of arbitrarily picked that date, probably because it's two weeks early and I think I deserve for you to be early since your sister was two weeks late. So I'm focusing all my energies (which I don't even really believe in but heck it's worth a shot, right?) on the 15th and I'm going to do my best to will you out! If you're not done, though, don't get too nervous. I don't have much of a track record with the whole will-ing thing!

As a family we have been quite feverishly enjoying all there is to enjoy about summer. We've been spending lots of time outside taking walks, playing at the playground, going to the pool, enjoying backyard play dates, visiting the zoo, cooking out, and we even took a trip to the "beach." I guess I'm trying to stuff in all of the fun activities that become a bit more difficult when there's a newborn in the house. It's just now beginning to occur to me that this whole going from three to four thing might be a bit of a bumpy transition for us all. I really hadn't thought about it much until the other day at the library when a friend asked me to hold her newborn while she changed her older daughter's diaper. It was all going quite nicely until Sofie started bringing me books to read and puzzles to do and I didn't have an extra lap for her to sit on, or any hands free to turn her pages. She adjusted just fine, sat down on the floor in front of me and turned the pages by herself, but for the first time I remembered what it was like to begin to relearn all of my daily routines and try to complete them with less hands in less time using my foggy sleep-deprived brain. Challenging, sure, but I'm always up for a good challenge, and it won't take long for me to start waking up in the morning to your sweet baby breath and just vaguely remembering what life was like before you arrived on the scene...

Morning Routine

This morning as she was watching me put on my lipstick/gloss stuff:

Sofie: On my tongue!

Me: No silly! It goes on your lips. You want some?

Sofie: Yeah.

Me: Ok...make your mouth like this (made an O with my lips).

Sofie: (Messed around with her lips, first pulling them in tight against her teeth...)

Me: No, like this...(modeled the O again.)

Sofie: (Finally figured it out, tried to maintain her O and grin at the same time...)

Me: (Smoothed some lipstick on her lips.)

Sofie: (Grinned, then licked her lips) Mmmm!

Me: (Laughed, then moved on to the eyeshadow.)

Sofie: I want shadow!

Me: Ok, close your eyes...

Sofie: (Tried to close her eyes while still watching what's happening, resulting in little squinty eyes.)

Me: (Brushed eyeshadow on her eyelids, careful not to get it in her eyes.)

Sofie: (Pleased, continued to watch then got an idea...) I want Nona shadow!

Me: You want me to put eyeshadow on Baby Nona? I don't know...can you make her close her eyes?

Sofie: (Carefully laid Baby Nona down on her back and double checked that her eyes were shut with her fingers then looked up at me expectantly.)

Me: (Brushed eyeshadow on Baby Nona's eyelids...and now we are all grinning together.)

I remember sitting on the toilet seat carefully observing my mom getting ready, putting on make-up, hot rollers in her hair, spritzing herself with perfume. Such simple memories, but some of my favorite. I'm so tickled to be making these memories with Sofie...and Baby Nona too, of course :)

Full Freezer

Putting the 36 weeks post on the back-burner for another day...mostly because I've been feeling a little exhausted the past couple of days and haven't wanted to pose for a picture. Why am I so exhausted? Well...check out my little freezer meal checklist over there on the right. Notice how many of those meals are now DONE!! The shopping and prepping of all that food was all done over the past two days. With much thanks to Nana who stayed overnight, entertained Sofie, and helped out with some chores around the house I was able to virtually knock out my list!

I left the house for an enormous shopping trip (3 different stores) about 2:30 yesterday afternoon. This was the scene here about 6 PM yesterday...$220 later:

I failed to document the hustle and bustle of the meal prep, but this is a picture of all the stuff I loaded up with Nana to take home and store in her freezer. I finished two more meals after she left!

Sofie REALLY missed Nana after she left, but she found a pretty fun way to entertain herself. Who needs toys when you've got a 12 pack of Coca-Cola! (I have no idea why this clip is in fast forward, but I think it looks pretty cool this way...besides this is how life feels much of the time with an almost two-year-old!)




So I am feeling pretty beat, but also very proud of how much we managed to accomplish. I'm really excited to get to taste some of these recipes that were new to me. Everything turned out looking so awesome and yummy! I'll finish up the last of my list during the week and then we will be all set to have a baby. Let's hope I don't end up two weeks overdue like I did last time!