Aaron brought these roses home for me the other day. I was at Anna's having girl time and when I came home very late I found this bouquet waiting for me on the kitchen table, trimmed and in a vase.
I feel like I should rename my blog; I think the title I gave it was more out of hope and vision than actual reality, at least that's how it feels sometimes. I think something like 'Domestic Roller coaster" would be more accurate. I haven't blogged much at all this month because things have been so crazy, mostly involving germs. Jack was more ill than he's ever been a few weeks back and literally all I could do was hold him. He had a fever of 104, a sinus infection, diarrhea and a staph infection. Then the antibiotics made him gag so he threw up a few times as well, and his rash from the diarrhea was so bad that I had to abandon diaper wipes and put him in a warm bath every time he pooped, which was about six times a day. We got through it though, and it was a good albeit painful lesson in learning how to be there for my sick baby when I couldn't really do much to make him feel better. It made me realize what a waste of time and energy worrying is. While it's impossible not to get anxious when your baby is sick, I realize it does absolutely no good. What did help Jack was to have his Mama be calm and confident and reassure him that while he felt awful at the moment, I knew he was going to get better. I'm also very grateful for my healthy, messy, energetic toddler. Perspective makes such a difference. I was grateful for Jack before he got sick, but it's so easy to take health for granted. I'm enjoying the opportunity to revel in the chaos and craziness of ordinary life, which most days is anything but.
Now that Jack is back to his wonderfully-intense self, we've been able to do some of the things we normally do, like go out in public. Yesterday Aaron had a few business meetings in the morning and then was free the rest of the day, so for lunch we took Jack to the Central Market in Mill Creek to play on the tractor and check out the lobster tanks. The seafood guy behind the counter offered to hold a lobster for Jack and let him touch it, but Jack politely declined. He was brave enough to touch one of the clams, but the lobster will have to wait.
We got to see our baby last week. Dr. Burdick found the heartbeat but couldn't hold it long enough for Aaron and I to hear, so we got to watch it instead. She had a little tiny ultrasound screen that was pretty small and pretty blurry, but accurate enough to see that this baby is quite a mover and a shaker. It's still too early to tell if this baby's a boy or a girl, but either way this kid is ACTIVE. Dr. Burdick said the baby moves like a Mexican jumping bean. Aaron keeps trying to feel the baby move, but I keep telling him that if I can't feel it yet neither can he. I find myself hoping for a girl, but so far I have successfully resisted the urge to buy anything pink. I'm sure I won't have to anyway, Aaron's mom always wanted a girl and she got three boys and one grandson, so if anything I'd have to buy pants and trucks and dirt to balance out the abundance of girly things which would surely be forthcoming. If Irina's theory of the timing of conception is correct, there's a good chance Jack will have a little sister in the fall.
I've heard lots of mothers say that every pregnancy is different, and am now discovering it for myself. With Jack I got nauseated in the evenings but not until around seven weeks and with this baby I felt awful basically from implantation until about three weeks ago. I still have the occasional gagging session over emptying the garbage or brushing my teeth, but most of the time I feel great. With Jack I started gaining a little weight around three months; so far with this baby I've lost seven pounds. I'm not really sure where from because my tummy is definitely starting to poke out, which is also much earlier than I started showing with Jack. My only real complaint is that I can't find clothes that fit since I'm nowhere near filling out maternity clothes but my normal jeans bother my tummy even though they're not tight yet. I have an OB appointment tomorrow and we'll hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time; Aaron has dreamt twice that I'm pregnant with twins and is convinced there will be two heartbeats. I told him if it's twins he has to start lactating and we're getting a nanny.
Jack is starting to think his own bed is pretty cool. We have a little toddler bed for him at the foot of our king-sized bed, but he's never spent much time in it. For a brief time as an infant he preferred sleeping alone, but he quickly grew out of it. Now that we're having another baby I really want to get Jack sleeping in his own bed, but I want to transition him long before the baby's born so he doesn't feel kicked out. He's been really into other people's babies lately, so I'm hoping he won't feel too jealous. He recognizes Irina's blog and whenever he catches me reading it he makes me show him a picture of Alex :)
I haven't posted anything in a while because I've been too busy eating. And trying to figure out how to kill Jack's diaper rash, which I think I'm finally making some progress on. When it doubt, mix all the creams together. Poor kid couldn't sleep because he was so itchy. His pink eye is totally gone, so now if we can just beat this rash he'll be good as new.
So I don't feel nauseated at all anymore, and it's rather wonderful. I feel really tired, but I'm also getting over a nasty cold which I'm sure doesn't help. What DOES help is when lovely angels like Anna show up at your house minutes after you stagger out of bed, bringing you lattes and fun pregnancy and food magazines. Regular coffee has temporarily lost its appeal and I miss the morning ritual, but that latte was absolutely fabulous. Other favorite foods lately have been cucumbers, tomatoes, peanut butter cap'n crunch, pork chops, green grapes, bread and gruyere. Tonight Aaron added an extra half hour to his drive home just to bring me a gyro and some fries, which I wanted very badly for dinner. They were delicious, and he is wonderful. Our anniversary is on Monday and we're going to spend the night in a cozy hotel with a huge tub while Jack sleeps over with Grandma. Yay marriage!
Aaron brought these roses home for me the other day. I was at Anna's having girl time and when I came home very late I found this bouquet waiting for me on the kitchen table, trimmed and in a vase.
I feel like I should rename my blog; I think the title I gave it was more out of hope and vision than actual reality, at least that's how it feels sometimes. I think something like 'Domestic Roller coaster" would be more accurate. I haven't blogged much at all this month because things have been so crazy, mostly involving germs. Jack was more ill than he's ever been a few weeks back and literally all I could do was hold him. He had a fever of 104, a sinus infection, diarrhea and a staph infection. Then the antibiotics made him gag so he threw up a few times as well, and his rash from the diarrhea was so bad that I had to abandon diaper wipes and put him in a warm bath every time he pooped, which was about six times a day. We got through it though, and it was a good albeit painful lesson in learning how to be there for my sick baby when I couldn't really do much to make him feel better. It made me realize what a waste of time and energy worrying is. While it's impossible not to get anxious when your baby is sick, I realize it does absolutely no good. What did help Jack was to have his Mama be calm and confident and reassure him that while he felt awful at the moment, I knew he was going to get better. I'm also very grateful for my healthy, messy, energetic toddler. Perspective makes such a difference. I was grateful for Jack before he got sick, but it's so easy to take health for granted. I'm enjoying the opportunity to revel in the chaos and craziness of ordinary life, which most days is anything but.
Now that Jack is back to his wonderfully-intense self, we've been able to do some of the things we normally do, like go out in public. Yesterday Aaron had a few business meetings in the morning and then was free the rest of the day, so for lunch we took Jack to the Central Market in Mill Creek to play on the tractor and check out the lobster tanks. The seafood guy behind the counter offered to hold a lobster for Jack and let him touch it, but Jack politely declined. He was brave enough to touch one of the clams, but the lobster will have to wait.
We got to see our baby last week. Dr. Burdick found the heartbeat but couldn't hold it long enough for Aaron and I to hear, so we got to watch it instead. She had a little tiny ultrasound screen that was pretty small and pretty blurry, but accurate enough to see that this baby is quite a mover and a shaker. It's still too early to tell if this baby's a boy or a girl, but either way this kid is ACTIVE. Dr. Burdick said the baby moves like a Mexican jumping bean. Aaron keeps trying to feel the baby move, but I keep telling him that if I can't feel it yet neither can he. I find myself hoping for a girl, but so far I have successfully resisted the urge to buy anything pink. I'm sure I won't have to anyway, Aaron's mom always wanted a girl and she got three boys and one grandson, so if anything I'd have to buy pants and trucks and dirt to balance out the abundance of girly things which would surely be forthcoming. If Irina's theory of the timing of conception is correct, there's a good chance Jack will have a little sister in the fall.
