The Best Medicine

When me and my sister were growing up, my parents didn't have a t.v., a fact for which I am eternally grateful. So my sister and I (yes, we survived such deprivation!) made up all kinds of other ways to amuse ourselves. We read a lot, we played outside, we made huge tents out of mom's extra blankets and kitchen chairs.

Sometimes we would blindfold ourselves with my dad's handkerchiefs, spin around in the den until we were disoriented, then set off through the house in a sort of drunken, blinded Marco Polo. We would make our way from room to room by feel. And when you took of your blindfold or cheated a litte and peeked, sometimes you were exactly where you thought you were. And then sometimes you weren't even in the room you though you were in. You weren't even close.

Which is an odd sort of metaphor for my journey as a parent lately. You think you are one place, then suddenly, you aren't at all. Things are going smoothly, then suddenly they aren't.

I guess a lot of it is just egotism. You think, "My kids will never throw tantrums!" and , "I'm going to discipline my kids."

(And here, Dear Lord, I humbly repent for every time I thought a judgemental thought about a mother whose child was acting out!")

It's hard.

Today as been the first day in about a week and a half that I didn't break down in tears. Yes, the uglies reared their head, (several times, in fact) but I was able to handle it better. I got on the "SuperNanny" website ~desperate times and all~ and got some pointers about tantrums that were actually very helpful. One was to use humor. Hmmm....

So today when Bella would frown up her face and stomp her foot, instead of getting mad I would make that same face back at her, then start making silly faces and she would start laughing. And we still didn't get a nap, but she stayed in bed for the allotted time (or rather I kept putting her back in bed!) and didn't have a meltdown till the very end. When "nap time" was up, I hugged her and told her I loved her, even though she was kicking and screaming, and thanked her for staying in bed for her nap.

We are making progress.

As for Abby Skye, today I took her to the doctor because she has a huge rash on her face and chest. The pediatrician said it is "baby acne" and will eventually clear up soon.

Remember the Sabbath!?!

I wanted to post again today and let everyone know I haven't gone off the deep end. Tiptoed near, yes. Peered over the edge, maybe. But not gone off. Don't plan on it.

Today we took Abby to church for the first time. And I know we aren't supposed to be prideful, but you know how moms are about new babies. I was looking forward to showing her off after service, 'cause she is pretty darn cute.

As so often happens, it didn't go as I planned.

Webster defines a "sanctuary" as a place of worship, or a consecrated area. And in our church that's how we treat it, which means you sit down and shut up! You won't hear, "Hey, how's your mom?" or ,"How 'bout that game last night?". When you go in, you use that time to read your bible or pray or just sit quietly. And that's what we teach our children to do from a young age.

Bella was doing great B.A. (before Abby!) She would sit quietly on my lap or her dad's and draw or play with a quiet toy. But we've missed a few services due to the new baby and also snow. So I was really looking forward to today. But even though the scripture reading was from Ephesians, by the time we pulled out of the parking lot I had something from the book of Job echoeing in my head, something about, "man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward".

Shortly into the service she decided to regale us with her rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle little star". This is an activity I usually encourage. But not in the middle of a church service. I tried to shush her to no avail, and finally had to take her out, as she yelled, "Don't spank me!" all the way to the door.

I took her to the nursery where we quickly progressed to screaming and flailing. So I ended up just taking her out to the car, strapping her in her carseat, and having a good cry in the front seat! (I told you, I'm really weepy these days!)

What makes this really stink is that I'm the pianist at our church, so when service was close to being over my husband had to come switch places with me so I could go back inside and play. And then by the time I got back outside, the crisis was over and Bella calmly informed me that she needed to go potty, and wanted me to take her, not Daddy.

Her mood swings give me whiplash.

This too shall pass. I may be medicated when it does, but it will pass. ;-)

The Uglies

This may be the last time anyone wants to read my blog. I know people read blogs to be amused, or entertained, or educated or whatnot. But the point of a blog is for the blogger to vent, really. And hey, if I'm going to write a blog it's going to be honest if nothing else.

I know this is normally the day where I'd post some cute pictures of my family opening gifts, or tell some cute Christmas anecdotes about my holiday. The truth is, my Christmas kind of stunk.

First of all, I can't seem to shake the baby blues. I don't even want to entertain the thought that maybe I've ventured past the blues into the murky waters of full blown postpartum depression. But the thought has crossed my mind. I cry at the drop of a hat, and I can't think of anything to look forward to.

Abby is a great baby. When I burst into tears in front of my husband's aunt on Christmas Day (can there be anything more embarassing than crying in front of someone you only see three times a year?!) she grabbed the Kleenex, and over my apologies asked if the baby was doing okay. The baby is great. Sure, she's fussy sometimes, but I can handle a screaming newborn.

The biggest problem right now is Bella, my beautiful two year old. We were having some slight behavioural problems before, but since the baby got here, actually in the past 10 days or so, things have detiorated expotentially.

When I say 'temper tantrums' people picture a little kicking and screaming. Please. That would be a cakewalk. Her behavior becomes - very suddenly and without warning- utterly defiant. She stops her foot and screams "No! Don't want to!" at us, she slams her bedroom door, screams and cries, etc. And nothing seems to be effective as far a discipline. Spanking doesn't work. Time out doesn't work because she won't stay on the chair where we put her. Taking away toys/movies doesn't work. It's like an episode of Nanny 911 in the making.

To be honest, I am at my wits end. I don't know what to do, and as a mother that is devastating. My family/friends are at a loss, too, no one really knows what to do. And their sympathetic comments just make me cry, even though I know they mean well. When someone says to me, "It's just a phase she'll outgrow, it's not you, you're a good mother!" , my immediate thought is, "Really? I have a two year old I cannot control! How can I possibly be a good mother?!"

So basically Christmas Eve morning was ruined by a 'temper tantrum', or rather what I've decided to call 'the uglies'. Christmas Day they struck again at my grandmothers, and again at my husbands' aunt's house. This afternoon? You guessed it. The uglies.

I'm just at a loss as to how you're supposed to parent a child that you cannot discipline effectively. I feel like I'm walking on eggshells, wondering if every time I tell her 'no', or ask her to do something she doesn't want to do, 'the uglies' are going to surface.

I'm going to call the pediatrician on Monday and see if she has any suggestions or knows anyone I can talk to, anyone that might be able to help. And then I'm going to call my OB-GYN and tell her I've been on a three week crying jag and can't seem to shake it. And I'm hoping someone can help.

Most of all I'm praying really hard and asking God to help me, because in the end He's really the only one who can.

Has anyone seen my Christmas Spirit?

Okay, I have a confession to make. This may shock some of you...if you are out there, reading this somewhere. To be honest I don't know if anyone actually reads it except my mother, occasionally, when I pull it up on her computer for her.

Anyway, the fact is I can't find my Christmas Spirit. It was last seen last Christmas, when I packed away my Christmas decor and threw away the torn-up wrapping paper. This year, when I drug the totes up from the basement (or when Kenneth did!) it was nowhere to be found. It wasn't in the box with the snowmen, it wasn't wrapped in tissue paper with the breakable ornaments, it wasn't tucked away with my recipe for Christmas Crunch- which let me just say is divine... I've tried everything to rustle it up. I've trimmed the tree, I've gone Christmas shopping, I've wrapped gifts, I've listened to and sung every Christmas carol I know. I've made Christmas candy. Nothing.

I even searched the house. I looked in the cabinet where i keep my joie de vivre. Not there. I looked in the box under the bed where i keep my last nerve, usually reserved for bad days at work and annoying relatives. Nope. It was nowhere to be found.

So for the first time in my life I may be celebrating Christmas without the "warm fuzzies". I think its going to be okay. After all, I have been otherwise engaged these past couple of weeks. I'm typing this with one hand because Abby is sleeping in my arms, wearing her Christmas sleeper with a reindeer on the butt. Even if I don't feel Christmasy I will enjoy watching Bella tear into her presents. I will love visiting with my family and listening to the same funny stories we tell every year.

And who knows, maybe I'll find my Christmas spirit after all.

Two week check-up and The Mongolian Spot...

This morning I took Abby for her two-week check up. She weighed 7lbs 7oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. She has gained 5oz since her last visit. I thought her weight was pretty good, and she eats good, but the pediatrician seemed to thing she wasn't gaining quite fast enough. So I have to record exactly how many ounces she drinks in a 24 hour period one day this weekend and call them with it on Monday.

Dr. Kitchens checked her left hip again and said it still has a 'click' in it. I asked her to help me feel it, too, since I tried to at home and didn't feel anything abnormal. She showed me where to put my hand and flex her leg, and sure enough you feel a little 'click'. It just feels like a little pop like when some people bend their knee or wrist, you just feel a tiny catch. It doesn't hurt her at all. So when she is 6-8 weeks old they will do an ultrasound of her hip and as long as the joint looks okay, it's no big deal.

Now on to Mongolia. Mongolia? Thats right, Mongolia.

In the hospital I noticed Abby had a really dark spot really low on her back, actually really high on her rear end. It dark blue, almost black. I thought maybe it was somehow bruised during delivery and would go away. And none of the doctors or nurses mentioned it. She didn't act like it hurt her if you touched it or anything.

Well, it didn't go away so I started to worry! So I asked Dr. Kitchens about it today, and she said it's called a "Mongolia Spot," and will eventually go away. She said it's pretty common especially since Kenneth's skin is darker than mine. But it's nothing to worry about...whew!

Not always a walk in the park...

Being a 'new' mommy (even the second time around) is amazing. You forget how tiny they are, how sweet they are, how every yawn and goo is the cutest thing ever... You also forget the effects of sleep deprivation and those 2 a.m. fussy spells.

So lets be honest about it. Being a mom is wonderful. But is it always a walk in the park? Absolutely not. After I had Bella I got a nice little case of the 'baby blues'. And yes, that's a real term, you can google it! Basically you feel like you aren't doing things right, you feel helpless and frustrated, and you cry a lot. When Bella was born I chalked it up to the fact that I'd never taken care of a newborn before and lets face it, with your first one you really don't know what you're doing. People can say all they want about 'mothers instinct'. Instinct, my foot! Instinct only carries you so far, after that its just a learning experience and you do the best you can.

So this time around I felt better prepared. And I was. I was completely comfortable with Abby from the moment they put her in my arms. I didn't freak out when she screamed for an hour. I didn't worry if she didn't finish her bottle, or if she drank it all and still acted hungry...things like that that will sometimes worry you the first time around.

What I didn't factor into the equation was Arabella! And Arabella has decided that she no longer wants to stay in her bed at naptime or bedtime. She pitches immortal fits! And yes, I've tried everything. I've tried spanking, I've tried a switch (no people, using a switch on your kid's leg is not child abuse: spare the rod spoil the child and all that!), I've tried taking away her Dora dvds, I've tried just putting her quietly back to bed over and over.

I know part of her bad behavior may be because of our new arrival. But we have made a conscious effort to show Bella lots of attention, and talk about what a good big sister she is, and let her love on the baby when she wants to.

A couple of days ago the stress and lack of sleep added up and here came the baby blues! So I've spent a couple of days being very frustrated and crying a lot! I talked to the pediatrician today and her advice was to put up a baby gate across Bella's bedroom doorway, tell her goodnight, put her to bed, and don't go back in there! Dr. Kitchens said, "She may even sleep on the floor a night or two, that's fine, as long as you don't have to go back in that room." So I'm going to give it a try as nothing else has worked. My only concern is that she'll empty all her drawers or something...I wouldn't put it past her!

But we have to try something, otherwise my frustration is going to continue getting the better of me, and I don't like that at all.

On the up side, I put 'big girl' panties on Bella three days ago and she has done so well! We put her little potty chair in the living room, since that's where she usually plays. That way it's close by when she needs to go. The first two days she had a couple of accidents. Then yesterday morning she got up and used the potte all day without me even prompting her! I was so thrilled, and told her all day how proud I was of her! We've even made a couple trips in the car without accidents, although I have a towel in the bottom of her carseat just in case. I guess it really is true that they'll do it when they're good and ready! I sure won't be sorry to leave the pull-ups behind!

Worth a thousand words..

Here are a few pictures of Baby Abby!


Okay, mommy looks a little rough, but Baby Abby
is pretty darn cute!

These are her nursery pics from the

hospital!

We took Abby for her first check-up at the pediatrician on Tuesday. She had already gained 6oz from her birth weight, bringing her weight to 7lbs 2oz. I wasn't surprised, since she is a good eater! Everything looked really good, except for the doctor noticed what she called a 'click' in her left hip joint. Apparently this can be caused by the ligaments not being tightened up yet, or if the ball-and-socket joint isn't fully developed. We will take her back in 2 weeks to have it checked, and if the problem isn't resolved they will schedule her for an ultrasound of her hip and she may have to wear some sort of a brace for a while....that doesn't sound like fun, so I just told the doctor, "We'll just plan on this being better when we come back!" ~He is able to immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine~

An update

Even though Abby was born on Wed, Dec. 2, we weren't able to come home with her until Friday, Dec. 4. That's because I tested positive for the Group B strep, and I was supposed to get two doses of penicillan intravenously while I was in labor. But Abby came so fast I had 20 minutes left of my second dose. So the pediatrician wouldn't release Abby until Friday morning.

Bella had been staying with her Aunt Rachel (and having a ball!) so she came home Friday, too. Our first day at home was fine. Rachel put Bella down for her nap, I laid down, and Rachel did my laundry and straightened up my house for me, which was so nice. Abby was an angel all afternoon. So our first day home was great.

Our first night was another story! Abby decided that instead of eating every 4 hours, which she had been doing since birth, she wanted to eat every 1 1/2 or 2 hours. And fuss in between. So we spent the entire night feeding, changing, and rocking. I literally slept from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. and that was it.

Yesterday was a repeat of Friday, Abby slept all day. I'm afraid she's getting her days and nights mixed up, but she's impossible to keep awake. For one of her feedings I had to strip her down to her onesie and wash her face with a warm washcloth so she would wake up to eat!

Last night was a little better, she slept from 10p.m. to 2a.m. , but we were pretty much up after that.

As for Bella, she is adjusting to life as a big sister very well. She doesn't seem to be the least bit jealous. We are making sure to let her hold Baby Abby or 'help' with her anytime she wants to, and everyone who has visited has made sure to give her lots of attention first, which has been great. We do have to remind her to 'be easy' pretty often, as her hugs and kisses can get a little overenthusiastic!

Abbigail Skye Finally Arrives!

This is going to be a long one! Here's Abby's Baby Story!

We checked in to the Specialty Hospital at 5 p.m. on Tues, Dec.1 to begin my induction. It brought back memories of when we went to have Bella! Dr. Arze was there, but he was in a delivery so we had to wait till about 7 p.m. to get started.

He came in and checked me. The monitor showed I was having contractions, but they were so minor I wasn't even feeling them. I was only dilated 1 cm so he placed Cervadil in my cervix. It's a medication that's in a long string that they placed up inside you, and no, it is not pleasant! Within ten minutes I was feeling the contractions. I had to lay still with no food or drink for two hours, but then was able to get up, use the bathroom, and have a small snack. Mostly I was thirsty so my Sprite was delicious! About ten thirty the nurse gave me an Ambien and we settled in for the night.

I slept on and off till about 3 a.m. Wednesday morning, and by 4 a.m. I was having regular contractions and sleep was out of the question! My mom arrived at 6 a.m. and my contractions got steadily longer, harder, and more frequent. A little after six I got a shot of Stadol for pain. It doesn't really take away the pain, just takes the edge off and makes you a little drowsy. At 7a.m. the doctor's change shifts, so Dr. Tally-Horne arrived. She checked me and I was 2cm, so they put me on a drip of Pitocin to help along my contractions. After that the fun really began! The contractions really began to intensify. Dr. Tally-Horne advised me to hold off on the epidural as long as I could because I'd need it most at the end.

From 7a.m. to 10 a.m. the contractions continued to get worse. Somewhere in that time period my water broke. When my nurse checked me, she noticed my fluid had myconium (sp?) in it, which means the baby has had a bowel movement in utero. This occurs either when the baby is overdue, or placed under stress. Dr. Tally-Horne said because of that, once the head was delivered I would have to stop pushing for her to suction the baby out really well.

Now the fun part. Okay people, my hat is officially off to women who give birth without epidurals! I don't think I'm really a wimp, but by about 9:30 the contractions were so bad that every time I had one my legs would jerk! My nurse called the anesthesiologist, who had a medical student with him. Two nursing students came it too, I could have cared less. I just wanted to be out of pain. The anesthesiologist made mom and Kenneth leave the room while he placed the epidural.

Five minutes later I was in heaven! It felt so good to be out of that pain! The nurse asked if I was feeling okay and I said yes. She was almost to the door when a wave of nausea hit me. I looked at the monitor and noticed my blood pressure had dropped to something like 78/59! I called the nurse back, she came running with a pan for me to puke in. She put some medication in my I.V. and within 4 or 5 minutes I felt better and my blood pressure was back up.

That was all at about 10:15. Very soon after that I began feeling pressure with each contraction. At about 10:45 I was completely dilated and the baby was in position, so my nurse called everyone in, and boy did we have a crowd: the nursery nurse, a respiratory therapist, my nurse, another nurse, Dr. Talley-Horne, and two nursing students!

At 11:01 I started pushing, and after 6 or 7 pushes her head was out and I had to stop so they could suction her really well- that was not fun. Even with the epidural I could feel quite a bit of pressure, pain, and stinging. I remember just thinking , "Get her out! Get her out!" When Dr. Tally-Horne pulled her out I felt a tremendous release of pressure (mentally and physically!) I ended up with a 2nd degree episiotomy, just like with Bella. Only this time, instead of pushing for 45 minutes, I pushed for NINE! I started pushing at 11:01 and she was out at 11:10. I was determined to get her out!

She began to cry right away. They wiped her down and the respiratory therapist put a tiny tube all the way down into her stomach to suction all the myconium out. A few minutes later I got to hold her for the first time!

She is beautiful, she has jet black hair. She doesn't look like Bella at all, she is beautiful in her own perfect little way. I will post some pictures in a day or so.

All in all I couldn't have asked for a better delivery and am feeling very blessed!

Overdue date!

Today my long awaited due date arrived! Sometimes I think it would be better if they didn't give you a due date...that way when it rolls around and the baby isn't here yet, you aren't disappointed!

Kenneth and I went to the doctor this morning at 9:00. We had to wait almost an hour for Dr. Drey, but I loved him! Especially when he said, "Well, today is your due date. Looks like you're still pregnant. What are we going to do about that?" I said, "Lets find the 'eject' button!"

So he checked my cervix, which he said was dilated 'half a centimeter'. He said we could come in pretty much any day this week for an induction. We decided to do it on Wednesday, since Rachel can watch Bella, and Dr. Tally-Horne is working and I like her. So we will check in the hospital tomorrow evening at 5:00p.m. and they will give me Cervadil (sp?), which is a medication to help thin and dilate the cervix. Then Wednesday morning they will start me on Potocin, which causes contractions.

Hopefully Baby Abby will arrive sometime Wednesday afternooon! Needless to day, I took the rest of today off. Now I have plenty of time to double-check my hospital bag and make sure I have everything we need, plus pack those last-minute items like phone chargers!

I can't wait to see her, even though I'm still trying to wrap my mind around having two little girls!

"All I can say is it's the holidays and we're all miserable!"

Yesterday we gathered at my Memmie Renfro's for our annual Thanksgiving Smorgasbord. My brother in law Dave fried two turkeys, which were absolutely delicious- Rachel injects them with some kind of Cajun marinade the night before and they are out of this world! In addition to that we had every side dish, casserole, fruit salad, etc. know to man. And ham. And five different desserts!

Needless to say we all ate until we were on the verge of a tryptophan-induced coma. I was so miserable, I had to move around some, so Kenneth and I took a walk around the neighborhood-a very chilly walk!

My cousin MaryBeth brought a gingerbread house kit, and she decorated it with Bella and Ashlyn. To be honest, I think Bella ate more icing than she put on the house, but they had a good time doing it.

As for this never-ending pregnancy of mine, well it's still going. I'm like the energizer bunny or something! I know my due date is still three days away, but I had convinced myself she would be a few days early! Yeah, right! Looks like I may be headed for another induced delivery. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, I just wanted to go into labor naturally this time and have it be more of a surprise when it happened.

I really shouldn't complain, I've had a really good pregnancy. I don't get sick, and I'm really not miserable even now- I'm just uncomfortable and impatient. I'm ready to meet her, and I'm sick of my maternity clothes!

Nothing is happening...

Today I went for my 38 week and 4 day check up. The computers were down in their office, so the nurses couldn't do a whole lot. My blood pressure was good, as usual, and I had actually lost a pound! I saw Stephanie, one of the nurse practitioners. She was very nice, but unfortunatly didn't have any good news- I'm still dilated only "a fingertip"....that means not even a 1! Oh, well. I go back in ten days on my due date, and if nothing is happening then I guess they'll schedule an induction. I am really hoping to go into labor naturally this time. Guess we'll just wait and see!

Surprise Baby Shower!

Today my husband's family threw me a surprise baby shower! It was lots of fun, and I was clueless!

Kenneth told me a couple of days ago that his aunt Kathy was having the family up to eat at 3:00 today. So I texted her and asked what the occasion was (cause we usually only get together for holidays or birthdays,etc), and could I bring anything? She replied , "Just bring yourself, just getting together for a family day". Well, I'm not one to pass up a free lunch!

So after church today I went to my moms, but Bella down for a nap, and then had time for a little do-it-yourself hair highlighting- cause I was gettting very rooty! By the time I got finished and woke Bella up and got her ready, it was already three o'clock. I figured, no big deal, they'll start eating without me!

When I got in my car Kenneth sent me a text that said "We are eating at moms instead, more room". Since his mom lives across the street from Kathy, that was no big deal.

When I arrived, Kenneth's mom met me outside and said, "Well, we aren't eating at Kathy's, it's really a baby shower for you!" When I went inside Kenneth's aunts and cousins were waiting to say "Surprise!" They had a beautiful (and yummy!) cake, pizza, chips, and other finger foods.

Baby Abby got three cases (not packs, cases!) of diapers, a case of wipes, a beautiful Vera Bradley diaper bag with matching bottle bag, clothes, teddy bear, socks, etc! And some very thoughtful guest brought Bella a toy camera and a new Tinkerbell DVD, so she didn't feel left out!

I would post pictures, but I don't have any~ I had no idea I was going to a party today, so I didn't have my camera with me! It was a great party!

37 week check-up

This morning was my 37 week check up with Dr. Carter. It went well, except for having to wait an hour to see the doctor. It's hard to be angry at them when you know they're late because they've been delivering a baby...it's so darn noble!

My Group B strep test was, as I predicted, positive. So was everything else, though! Dr. Carter said the baby's heart sounded "Great!" my belly measured "Great!" and my weight was "Great!". I said "Great!"

Surprisingly, I hadn't gained any weight since last week. I celebrated that fact by having Mexican for lunch- yummy!

After lunch I took Bella to the park for a few minutes, since it's so nice out today. Why do they immediatly gravitate to the sandbox? And once in the sandbox, why to they feel the need to sit down and pile sand on themselves? Anyway, she had a good time, and then we came home and I put her down for her nap.

While she is sleeping I'm going to try and do a little housework. I got Abby's bottle's sterilized- I'm going to try nursing, but if it all goes south at 3 a.m. one morning, I have bottles ready and a can of formula in the cabinet! I need to bring the baby swing up from the basement, but I'm not sure how heavy it is- I may have to let Daddy get that one!

Oh, what fun!

Today I went for my 36 week check up. To be exact, my 36 week and four days check up! I saw Dr. Carter. She tested me for Group B strep. I had it with Arabella, it just means during your labor you get an antibiotic intravenously. Actually, I got two, one for Group B strep and one because of my heart murmur.

And she checked my cervix. I had forgotten just how much fun that is. (And yes, I'm dripping sarcasm here!). She said the baby is head down, and I'm dilated "maybe a fingertip". Hey, it's a start. I'll take it, especially considering that's where I was at forty weeks with Bella!

The (slightly) bad news was that in two weeks I'd gained 4 pounds! The doctor didn't say anything about it, but I sure noticed! To be honest, it's my own doing, I have to admit I'm enjoying the food!

I got quite a few things done today, in addition to my usual Friday chores of dusting, vacuuming, mopping, cleaning toilets, etc. I went to the grocery store, ran my car through the car wash and vacuumed it out, set up the pack-n-play in our room (that's where Abby will sleep, I don't like bassinets too much), wrote some thank you cards, and baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Thats in addition to chasing Bella!

So I am pretty tired now, and my feet are killing me!

As for Bella, she is a little stinker. We are still working on potty training, with limited success. She knows what to do, she just hasn't decided she wants to do it yet. I hope I can really work with her during my maternity leave, once I get on a schedule with Abby.

Right now Bella is obsessed with Dora. She loves Dora the Explorer. And I don't mind her watching it, she is certainly learning from it. The other day I walked through the house and she was counting her blocks in Spanish!

Speak into my good ear!

It's uncanny how similiar this pregnancy has been to my first one! Thank the good Lord, I'm not one of these women who battles nausea for nine months! During my first several weeks, I'm a little susceptible to certain smells making me feel a little sick, and there are certain foods I had to eat carefully- like scrambled eggs or oatmeal. Or, for some reason, swallowing my prenatal vitamen! I've thrown up exactly once with each pregnancy (unless you count getting sick during Bella's labor).

I do, however, get some of the less common side effects. For instance, nosebleeds. When I am pregnant, my nose bleeds at the slightest provocation. It can get old walking around the house with toilet paper stuck up your nostril!

And ear infections. I had lot of these as a child, but until I got pregnant with Bella, it had been years since I'd had one. During my last 6 weeks of pregnancy, I ended up with ear infections in both ears. I missed three days of work and was completely miserable! My mom came over one day to do some housework for me and bring me dinner (Kenneth was working), and when she sat down beside me on the couch and said, "Honey, what can I do for you?" I just burst out crying and said , "I just want to feel better!" There I was, out-to-here pregnant, tired, and both ears aching!

Luckily, once the antibiotics kicked in, the aching part stopped. But I still had fluid in my ears, I couldn't hear it thunder! I asked Dr. Lewis at the OB-GYN why this was happening, and he explained that along with your hands, face, feet, etc, your eustacian tubes (the tubes that drain fluid from your ears) swell, too! He was right, too, because my hearing didn't get back to normal until Bella was born.

I was hoping to avoid that with this pregnancy. But about three weeks ago I got a cold, and my left ear has been full of fluid ever since! I got an antibiotic at my last check-up to prevent an earache, but it doesn't help with the hearing. My right ear is still mostly clear, but I still find myself saying, "huh?" a lot!

It's especially irritating at church. I am the pianist, and I can't hear anyone singing! All I can hear is the piano (and it sounds muffled!). It kind of makes me nervous, because I'm thinking, "Am I playing too fast/slow/loud?"

I keep reminding myself that pregnancy is only temporary, and a little transitory hearing lost is worth it compared to what I get in return- sleepless nights! No, just kidding, a beautiful, wonderful baby girl!

A Fairy Rainy Halloween...

Ever since I was a kid, I've loved Halloween. My mom and Kay Peterson would pile all us kids in the back of the Peterson's old yellow truck with a cab on it, and haul us from one end of Erwin to the other. We always made a stop in the cemetary, just to get out and walk around for about ten minutes, because we thought that was spooky. I'm sure you'd get arrested for doing that these days!

At the end of the night Rachel and I would dump our candy out on the kitchen floor and sort out the things we didn't like (can anyone say tootsie rolls?!) into a basket for mom and dad. There was always a ton left for us! We got so much, mom usually had to throw some away at Easter before she gave us our Easter baskets.

So I've looked forward to enjoying Halloween with Bella. This year she was a fairy. Or, as she says, "A fairy printhess"! The weather didn't cooperate very well this year, it was rainy all evening. And I have to say, carseats and Halloween costumes do not go well together. I had to really loosen the straps on her carseat for her fluffy costume!

We only went to about nine or ten houses, just family and friends. But pretty much everywhere we stopped, they had fixed her a special treat bag. By the time we were finished, she had a ton of candy! I was going to take her to a couple of streets and let her walk door to door with me, but then the rain picked up, and she already had so much candy, we put on the pj's, stopped by McDonalds, and came home!

Here are some pics of our rainy Halloween!

Going to Memmie Renfro's!

Bella the Fairy and Ashlyn the Elephant at Nana's house, our first stop

of the evening!

Bella trying to take my picture with her play

camera before we left our house.

The last hurrah...

Bella has been talking about going to Dollywood ever since our last trip there in the spring, so we've been wanting to take her one more time before the baby comes. Last weekend the weather was crummy, and yesterday I had a doctor's appointment, so this morning we loaded up and headed to Pigeon Forge- with a stop for breakfast at Hardees in Greeneville, that's kind of a tradition!

It was cloudy all day, and as the day went on the temperature seemed to drop! Luckily I had taken Bella a sweatshirt and a warm jacket, and I bought her a little pink hat to wear at the gift shop.

Rachel and Ashlyn met us, and the girls rode all the kiddie rides several times, and of course had cotton candy!

She is pretty fearless, and I have to admit that scares me! Kenneth wanted to take her on the ferris wheel, which made me nervous. And I hate nervous people! I will ride pretty much anything, but ferris wheels get me. I hate being stopped at the very top, and I hate that feeling when you start to go down. I was so afraid she would get on it and get scared and hysterical...so I watched with my heart on edge as she climbed in...and squealed with delight each time their car climbed higher! I watched anxiously when they stopped at the top, hoping she wasn't afraid, hoping she was sitting still, hoping nothing crazy happened! And when the wheel began to turn in earnest, she swung by me with a big smile on her face, waving as hard as she could, and then reaching her arms up as if she could touch the sky.

She's only two. How many times will I watch her jump fearlessly into something new, and hope she isn't hurt, or afraid? How many times did my mom wait anxiously for me to cry, and feel that surge of relief when I came running off the ferris wheel with a big smile on my face?

Being a mommy is the best thing ever. But easy? No!

Making some progress!

Today I went for my 34 week check up. Everything was right on track. I had gained about two pounds, which makes my total around 23 pound, which I can live with. I go back in two weeks for my group B strep test. Not holding my breath on that one, since I was positive with Bella!

I am happy to report we have made progress with Abby's nursery! Kenneth and his dad went and picked it up on Wednesday evening. Last night Kenneth unboxed the dresser and chest of drawers, and this morning he put together the crib (with help from Bella, of course!). So now I can start putting things away!

This afternoon I got started on my Christmas shopping. I normally don't do it this early, but I am hoping to have all it all finished by the second weekend in November. That way if Abby makes her debut early, I won't be stressed out trying to do Christmas shopping with a newborn! Leave it to me and Kenneth to conceive in such a way that we have a baby due at the craziest time of year! I'm also going to put my tree up in November (it's artificial!) and maybe even go ahead and decorate it. I want to be able to enjoy every minute of my first Christmas with my girls and not be trying to decorate or shop or wrap things.

Please note these are my best intentions...we'll see if I actually accomplish it all!

Nursery Furniture and Night-time Chaos!

Yesterday I went to Baby Depot with my mom and mother-in-law to pick out Abby's nursery furniture. When we got Bella's it was pretty easy, her furniture was discontinued and on clearance (yay!) so we just paid for it and went on our merry way. Not so for Abby.
The first sales person I found was getting ready to leave. So I started just looking around and finally found a set I really liked. I had thought about getting white furniture, and this was oak, so I wanted to ask a sales person if it came in white. Easier said than done. When I finally found one, she was on the phone. When she got off, I showed her the furniture I liked and asked if it came in white. It didn't. But I really liked it anyway.
Let me pause a moment to emphasize the fact that this girl seemed to have no real desire to be at work. Her get-up-and-go already got-up-and-went, so to speak. Or as my mom said, "She acted like she had dead lice falling off her." Don't ask.
So I asked her if they had this in stock. Reply. "I'm not sure if we have all the pieces." Awkward silence. Me: "Would you care to check?" (should I really even have to ask???)
During this whole time my mom and mother-in-law are being pretty much no help as they are looking at baby clothes and trying to keep Bella (who started trying to get out of her stroller ten minutes ago) occupied.
We finally determine that all the pieces are in stock, assembled, boxed, and ready to be purchased. And believe it or not, on sale! If you buy the crib, all the other pieces are half price!
So the sales girl wrote up the sales slip and took it up front. Where there were two registers open and like twelve people in line. A very slow-moving line. We finally get to the register, the sales girl (a different one) rang up the slip and happily informed me the total was $1843.22.
Because of course the computer didn't give us the 50% off we were supposed to get. So she tries to fix it, she can't, she calls for help, they can't fix it either...we end up with five sales associates standing around our register trying to get it to ring up right. Eventually they got it, and boy was I glad they did, considering it made a difference of $655! My mom paid for the crib (her and dad's baby gift to us!) and I paid for the chest of drawers, dresser (which will be used as a changing table), and the hutch to go on it.
I ended up with enough money left to get Abby's infant carry seat and have $40 left over. Now we just need a break in this rainy weather so Kenneth can go pick it up!

As for the night-time chaos, well, if anyone has an answer to this dilemma I want to hear it! See, for the longest time when we put Bella to bed we brushed her teeth, said prayers together, give kisses (and "noggin"- her daddy started that and it's really cute!) and turn out the light. And Bella would lay down and go to sleep. Too good to be true? Apparently. For the past several nights, bedtime has turned in to a nightmare. It has taken anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to get her to lay down and go to sleep. She won't stay in bed, or she wants me to lay with her but cries when I get up, or she lays in bed and hollers at us. By the time she finally gives up and goes to sleep, I'm so frustrated that I can't go to sleep. And I don't mind rocking her to sleep, but even that takes a long time because she fights sleep, and with a new baby coming that's not going to be feasible all the time... I'm getting to my wit's end! Hopefully this will be a short-lived phase!

Baby Abby's Shower!

Today my church and family had a shower for me at my mom's house. I know some families / churches don't do showers for second babies, but we do! And I think every baby deserves a celebration, whether it's the first or the fourth! Even though the weather was rainy, we had a great time- there was tons of yummy food, punch, cupcakes, and laughter. Abby got some some really cute clothes, in addition to diapers, bibs, stuffed animals, etc, as well as quite a bit of money contributed to our "baby fund" , which will go toward nursery furniture!

Here are some pictures of Abby's special day!


My mother in law got Abby this adorable sleeper with cupcakes all over it!

My Memmie Miller!

So sweet! Can't wait to see her in this!

Me, Mom, and Rachel. For Bella's shower, I had a Bible verse on

her cake. Since I wanted cupcakes for Abby's shower, I printed

this verse and put it in the frame that's sitting in front of us:

"Every good gift and every perfect gift cometh from above,

and is sent down from the Father of Lights, with whom is no

variableness, neither shadow of turning." ~ James 1:17

I wanted cupcakes instead of a cake for Abby's shower.

My mom made these and they were amazing!

Apple Fest 2009

This year we got to enjoy the Apple Festival with some of Bella's cousins, Lexie and Aly, who were visiting from out of town. They had a ball getting their faces painted, jumping in the inflatables, and riding the train. It's kind of nice to see the Apple Fest through fresh eyes, especially if you've been pretty much every year of your life, like I have! I have to admit, these days my favorite part is the food! Kenneth and I love the honey roasted pecans and crazy potatoes (with cheese of course!) Bella was happy with a slushy.

My Memmie Renfro lives about three blocks from Main Street, so we always park at her house. It's nice because we don't have to pay, and you know there's a clean bathroom or a free drink there if you need it! This year we began a new tradition. On Friday, we all got together at 4:00 and had a "soup kitchen". Memmie made potato soup and beef stew, my uncle Jeff made a pot of chili and some corn bread, and my sister made some yummy Mexican corn bread. Add mom's homemade apple rings for dessert and it was one of the best meals ever! We all ate till we were about to pop, then headed downtown to shop it off!

Pink Persuasion

After some deliberation, I finally chose a shade of pink for Abby's nursery. It was harder than I thought it would be. I mean, pink is pink, right? Well, it turns out there are 75,000 shades of pink at Lowes. Thank goodness for sample cans. I brought home a sample can of one color that I loved on the card...but after painting a square of it on the wall, Kenneth and I both agreed we did not like it at all! It was very loud!
So I went back to square one and started again. This time I settled on a shade called "Pink Persuasion". I know this is weird, but even if I like a color of paint, I have to like the name too. I have actually not used certain colors because they have horrible names.
My wonderful parents came down one afternoon before I got off work and started painting. Mom did the trimming and dad manned the roller, and before you knew it, they had the first coat done!

I can't wait to see it all finished, with the curtains hung and her furniture in place...which reminds me, I've really got to go get her some furniture!!!

An Update...

Now that I have reached my 30th week of pregnancy, I am going to the doctor every two weeks. Yesterday I had a check-up with Dr. Arze. Now, Dr. Arze isn't my favorite doctor of the group, mainly because I hold a grudge...when I was pregnant with Bella, he happened to be the doctor I saw the first time they had to check my cervix. It was not pleasant, and I'm afraid I've held it against him ever since! To be fair, he seems entirely capable, and always makes sure to give you a lot of information. In fact, yesterday he started talking the moment he came in the room, talked the entire time he was in the room, and talked till he left- all so quickly that I probably couldn't tell you three things he said!

Anyhoo, I had gained two more pounds, bringing my grand total up to (drumroll please!) twenty pounds. Which honestly was less than I expected. I also got my flu shot (regular, not H1N1). My belly is measuring right where it should, and Baby Abby's heart rate was 157 and sounded great.

This morning our pediatrician's office (Riverside Pediatrics in Elizabethton- LOVE them!) did a flu shot clinic, and Bella had an appointment at 8:50. When we got there, the nurse told us we could either do FluMist, a live vaccine that is administered through the nose, or a regular flu shot, which is inactive virus. I chose the flu shot, because Bella did fine with that last year, and because the nurse said the FluMist vaccine gives them a runny nose and cold-like symptoms for a couple of weeks. Bella did great with her shot, she cried for a couple of minutes and then was ok. I gave her a dose of tylenol as a precaution and we went on our way.

As far as being prepared for the arrival of Baby Abby, sadly I am not! My mom, who is my official 'nursery painter', has been in Panama City for a week, so the room still isn't painted. And until the room is painted, we aren't going to put furniture in it...and until the furniture is in it, there's no reason to go through Bella's newborn clothes, bring them up from the basement, and wash them and put them away! I also need a new infant carrier/carseat base. The one Bella used was a hand-me-down from Ashlyn, and was pretty much worn out! In addition to that, I need to find some sort of a double stroller that I can put both girls in. So I still have a lot to do (and buy!)

The bad news is, I'm starting to creep into that 'uncomfortable' stage of pregnancy. Abby moves a lot, and likes to kickbox with various of my internal organs. Plus, at night, whichever side I am laying on my hip hurts, so I have to turn over a lot. I know it's all worth it. But I can't say that I will be sad when delivery day gets here!

Her big bed!

Now that Bella is two, I figured it was time to convert her crib into her big bed. Especially now, since I can use her crib mattress for Abby! So today Kenneth went and picked up her new mattress and box springs at Zaks and took the crib apart. The back of her crib makes a headboard.....

And of course Bella had to help daddy!



As usual, the instructions were not helpful at all. I had to buy some extra nuts and bolts at Lowe's while I was out- we did this by me taking a pic of said bolt with my phone, sending it to Kenneths, and him texting back "Looks good. Get 4." Believe it or not, they fit perfectly!
Once the bed was together, of course Bella had to try it out....



Kenneth got it done in time for her to take her nap in it today, which was good. I wanted her to be able to try it out before night time. Well, it took a while, but she finally fell asleep. She loves her "big bed"!

In stitches...

Whenever the air starts to get that 'fall' feeling, and the sunlight starts to change just a little, I start craving mums, pumpkin-scented candles, foddershocks, and most importantly, my sewing box!

I started quilting about 5 or 6 years ago. It sort of runs in the family. My maternal great-grandmother, Janie Kate Loyd (love that name!) was a prolific quilter. She could whip up a Log Cabin quilt in no time flat. And a good thing, too. She hung them by the old highway up in Temple Hill and sold them to passersby, and from what I hear there wouldn't have been food on the table some days if she hadn't! Her daughter, my grandmother, took up quilting, too. When she was a child the women would gather at the old church in Rocky Fork to quilt, and she would sneak under the biq quilting frame to watch their needles work and listen to the gossip- although it was tame by today's standards. Back then, even when no men were present, they referred to pregnancy as "so and so is getting big" or "in a family way" !

Anyway, I became interested. My first quilt was a very simple pattern called a Nine Patch. each square is made of nine smaller squares pieced together. It took me a year to hand piece and hand quilt it (I took the summer off!), but when it was finally finished, it was so rewarding! I gave it to my grandmother as a thank-you for teaching me to quilt!

Actually, I've given away all my quilts. After the nine patch I did four baby quilts for various friends and relatives, and then a Dutch Doll for my other grandmother. I took some time off when Bella was born, but yesterday I felt that familiar craving in my fingertips, and got out my sewing box!

Right now I have two irons in the fire: This first one is a variation on the Log Cabin, it's a little simpler but still very pretty and very colorful.

And this one is a true Log Cabin. I had planned on making it in yellow and blue, but fell in love with these fabrics.

Both of these are hand pieced. I have a sewing machine, but to me it's just so relaxing (and a little more authentic) to do it by hand . It's also a lot slower, but that's all right! I'm hoping to finish the true Log Cabin by spring, but with a two year old, a new baby on the way, and holidays coming up, that may be a pipe dream!

Beach Trip photos

Here are some pictures from our trip to Hilton Head island!




Digging in the sand with Daddy...

Taking a break with mommy...

The most beautiful thing on the beach!

I loved jumping in the pool to Daddy!

Heading for the waves!

Blogging from the Beach!

Today I am updating my blog from sunny Hilton Head Island! We arrived yesterday about 3:30 p.m. and got everything unloaded an #11 Sea Oak, our rented beach house. It's really nice, with 5 bedrooms and 5 1/2 baths on about 4 different levels! Arabella and Ashlyn had a ball exploring it. It's the kind of house that's layed out funny, with two differrent staircases and lots of space to run around in.

Once we got unloaded, we took the girls down to the beach to play. Bella is a lot braver this year, she ran right out into the waves and kept wanting to go out deeper! She and Ashlyn had a ball! My parents and grandparents went out to dinner, and the rest of us stayed at the house and had pizza delivered, since it was late and the girls were tired. And tired toddlers don't do well in restuarants!

We spent this morning at the beach. The girls ran and ran and ran. They found starfish in the tide pools, they splashed in the waves, they played in the sand. It is very warm down here, I think the high was 90 today, of course with high humidity, but there's always a breeze down by the ocean so that helps. At lunch time we fed them and put them to bed, then I went back to the beach with Kenneth and we took a walk as the tide was coming in, which was nice. I did get pretty tired then! Chasing the girls all morning took most of my energy! Needless to say, it wasn't a very fast walk.

Now the girls are napping and everyone else is showered and resting. When they get up, we'll all head out for some yummy seafood!

I can't post pics from here, so I will do it when I get home!

And we're off, like a herd of turtles!

So this morning we are leaving for Hilton Head Island with my family. Why am I updating my blog, instead of loading up the car? Because once again my daughter has proven that the later she stays up, the earlier she gets up! Her usual bedtime is between 8:45 and 9:00 p.m. Last night it was about 9:20 before we put her to bed, and she layed in there and talked and jabbered until after 10:00! Theoretically, you could expect her to sleep until after 7:00 (she usually gets up at 6:30, like clockwork!). Instead, at 5:15 a.m., she is wide awake!

Which is why I had plenty of time to blog before we load the car and leave at 7:40! We are heading to HHI with my parents, my mothers parents (pappaw and memmie), and my sis and her family. This is our second annual beach trip all together. We've all pitched in and rented a beach house on the ocean, this one is about two houses down from the one we rented last year, and from the pictures I've looked at online, is layed out pretty much the same. It has five bedrooms, and is really big, so even though there are six adults and two little ones going, you don't feel cramped.

Last year we all went in together and rented a U-Haul, one of the small ones. At first I thought that was pretty ridiculous, but once we got finished loading things in, it was full to the top! It's like the Griswald's Beach Vacation! My dad takes two or three bicycles, Dave and Kenneth take their golf clubs, then there's beach chairs, beach toys, beach umbrella's, more toys for the kids...Not to mention the ginormous cooler my memmie takes, packed full of every conceivable lunch meat, cheese, breakfast food, condiment...and of course her fabulous "Hundred Dollar Cake" ~if there's anything better than a cake with chocolate and coffee in it, I haven't found it yet! Then my mom takes a huge box of snacks, drinks, etc. And this is just for breakfast and lunch, since we eat out for dinner each night! Oh, and of course Sherry Renfro's Emergency Cleaning Kit~ just in case the house doesn't meet her standards of cleanliness, she throws in Clorox, toilet bowl cleaner, etc...Anyway I guess we prove the old saying, "Its better to have it and not need it!" This year Dave borrowed a trailer from someone.

I'm really looking forward to our trip, it's nice to spend time with the family, although I wouldn't say its exactly "relaxing", what with a two and three year old to chase around! But there are so many of us, you always have help keeping an eye on the little ones. My memmie and pappaw seem to have the most fun, they love playing with the great-grandbabies.

Of course, this year I'll be 27 weeks pregnant for our beach vacation, so I don't know how much running around I'll be doing in that heat and humidity! This baby has made me uncomfortable a lot earlier than Bella did- hips and back hurting, tired, etc. Oh, lets not forget the all important weight gain! There's always the possiblilty the whale watchers will spot me and attempt a heroic rescue of the beached whale!

Anyway, its almost time to grab some breakfast and load up the car!

Baby steps to the Nursery...

Here's a quick update on Baby Abby's nursery! We are making slow and steady progress! I got my bedding a couple weeks ago, so today I hung her window valance, just to see how it will look! I'll have to take it down to wash and iron later. We also hung a room darkening shade, since her window faces east and gets the morning sun.


The room is cleaned out and ready to paint in a few weeks. I'll probably go with some shade of pink!

Bella likes "Baby Abby's blankie".

Before we do anything else to Abby's room, Bella gets a big girl bed- we are converting her crib into a full bed, so she gets a full mattress, a new bedspread, sheets, and curtains in her room! Then we can use her old crib mattress in Abby's crib.

Another Redneck Yard Sale

It doesn't matter if you're in The Ridges or the trailer park, there's something redneck about yard sales. There's just no dignified way to spread your belongings all over your yard (or in my case, garage) and sell them for the most possible profit.

Today my family had our annual summer garage sale at my house. Luckily, my house has a full basement so once we take the cars out of the end that's used for a garage, we have plenty of room- and it's a good thing, cause we have lots of stuff!

Last night my parents, sister, niece, and grandparents all came down to help get ready. My dad provided child care by keeping Bella and Ashlyn occupied, while me, mom, Rachel, and Memmie got things organized on tables and put prices on. This took forever! It was by far the biggest garage sale we've ever had! Two whole tables were devoted to baby girl clothes. Between me and Rachel, we had a zillion to sell, that's not counting the four storage totes I kept for Baby Abby. But most of the clothes wouldn't work, since the seasons are off.

We finally got everything priced and set up ready for business, and I took a shower and put my aching feet to bed! This morning Kenneth, Bella and I were up early to open for business! To be honest, we weren't as busy this year as we usually are. I think because the Tree Streets were having their sale, too. I didn't realize it was this weekend when I planned mine, but oh, well.

We still did very good, I sold several big items I was hoping to sell, like a T.V., Bella's nursery bedding, and a computer. But since we have plenty left, we just left everything where it was and we'll do it again next Saturday to get rid of as much as we possibly can!

One thing is for sure, we eat good when we do yard sales! We always have lots of sandwich stuff, I bought candy bars, Rach brought chicken salad and cookies, and Mom made a pan of brownies! It was a pretty fun day. And I made a good profit to go into "Bella's Mattress Fund" for her big girl bed!

My Jonah Day

Today I had what I call a "Jonah" day. You know, the kind of day where you feel (at least mentally or emotionally) as if you've been pitched off a boat in a raging sea, swallowed by a whale, and are resting at the depths of the blackest ocean.

I'm not sure what brought on this horrible case of the blues. Yesterday was a good day, and I slept like a rock last night. But for some reason I just felt "blah" today. Kenneth left at nine this morning for an eye appointment, a golf lession, and 18 holes of golf with his dad, so I knew he'd be gone all day.

Things started off all right, but I quickly and inexplicably ran out of steam. Added to that, the potty training took a turn for the worse. Bella simply refused to even sit on the potty, and I found myself getting frustrated, which I know is the worst thing to do.

I was so relieved when nap time came. I put her down for a nap and settled on the couch for one of my own. Well, Bella decided that she wasn't going to nap today, thank you very much. After several minutes of her hollering "Mama! Ready get up!" I went and got her out of her bed, thinking maybe she'd lay with me in our bed (the big bed, as she calls it). Nope. She wouldn't lay down. So we got back up, my mood rapidly deteriorating at this point.

She wanted a pancake, so I fixed her one and she watched some "Dora". By three o'clock I was bored out of my mind (cleaned house yesterday, thank you!). So I loaded Bella in the car and headed to Winged Deer Park, where Kari's Heart Foundation was hosting a fair with stuff for kids. I thought it would be a good diversion for us both.

Bella fell asleep literally two minutes before we pulled in to park. So needless to say for the first 15 minutes she didn't want to do anything. She finally perked up and we found my sister, who had volunteered to work the fair and was in charge of the water station, where little kids could splash in small pools and bigger kids have water gun fights. Bella got in and splashed around a little, but didn't really like the water being squirted every direction in such close proximity. I didn't either. Some seven year old brat who I'd noticed squirting people deliberately in the face ran up for no apparent reason and soaked the side of my shirt.

Now, normally, I'm very tolerant of children. And really, on a ninety degree day, who should mind getting squirted with a little water? Today, I did! I turned to her, eyebrows raised, and in my best no-nonsense mommy voice demanded, "Do I look like I'm in a water fight?" She ran away. Mission accomplished. Oh, dear.

Next I took Bella to the inflatables. They had a big slide where you climb in the middle, then slide down either side. Bella did one at Jonesborough Days this year and loved it. Well, of course today she got to the bottom of the ladder and simply jumped up and down, refusing to go up or come back. So here I go after her. When she saw me coming she started trying to climb up, so I thought, okay. And there I go, twenty three weeks pregnant, climbing a nearly-vertical inflated ladder with dubious hand and footholds, shoving a two year old ahead of me by her rear-end. I admit the situation would have been extremely laughable (and probably was to those on the ground!) had I not been burning up and exhausted.

So we slid down, during which I got a bad friction burn on one heel, got her face painted and a balloon, and headed home!

I have to admit, my day improved after that. Kenneth came home and we grilled out, Bella went to the potty successfully two or three times, we did her bath, and she went to bed.

And so ends my Jonah day. They do end. Jonah got spit out on the beach, remember! All the same, tonight I'm glad to head to bed.

Adventures in Potty Training

Today we began our potty training in earnest. Why today? Well, I really want / need to get Bella potty trained before Baby Abby arrives. I don't relish the idea of buying and changing two sets of diapers. Also, my pediatrician Dr. Kitchens recommended getting it done a few months before the new sibling arrives to help prevent 'relapse'.

Most importantly, we began potty training this particular day because yesterday Nana (my mom), said, "The signs are right, we're potty training tomorrow!" Okay, I can hear your eyes rolling. But my dad always planted his garden by the signs, and I took Bella's pacifier and bottle by the signs and it was a breeze. I figure, it can't hurt, right? And when a woman who provides as much free child care as Nana does says its time to potty train, well then it's time to potty train!

So we got out the pull-ups and there's no turning back. My mom found a cute little gumball machine at Wal-mart for $4 and we both got one, dumped out the gum, and filled them with M&Ms. Here's our strategy:

Bella isn't to the point where she'll tell you she needs to go potty. So we periodically take her and let her sit on the potty. I'm using a little potty seat that sits on the big toilet, instead of a baby-size potty chair. I figure that will be less confusing for her when we're away from home. Sometimes she is successful, and sometimes we just sit there for a few minutes...

Overall, she's been very cooperative about sitting on the potty several times! When she does pee-pee in the potty, we clap and praise her, and then she gets a penny for her gumball machine. She puts the penny in and gets her "special treat"...

...which is two or three M&Ms!

Our first day went pretty well! She used the potty several times, and even though she did wet her pull up some too, I think for a first try we did good! The hard part is going to be being consistent and keeping up the enthusiasm as this may take several days!

Happy girl!

One of the many things I love about Bella is that she wakes up happy! These pictures were taken after a rare three hour nap- she usually just sleeps one and a half or two hours, but wakes up happy regardless! When she wakes up, she'll start yelling, " Momma!" until I open her door. When I do, she quickly lays down and covers her face with her blanket. So I come over to the bed and say ,"Where is my baby at?" and start poking around. Of course, she starts laughing and rolling around!

One of my goals before the new baby arrives is to convert her crib into a full-size bed. The back of the crib becomes a headboard, so we'll have to purchase a mattress and box springs, sheets, a new bedspread, etc, to make her room into a big-girl room. We also have a hutch that goes on top of her changing table. I'm looking forward to doing all of this, but at the same time it makes me a little sad! She is growing up way too fast. For example, there used to be letters on the wall behind her crib that spelled out her name. Once she was tall enough to reach them, you can imagine what happened. I finally quit hanging them back up because she loved taking them down!

A look back...

Getting a new nursery ready for Baby Abbigail has got me doing a lot of looking back at when we were doing the same thing for Arabella. Yesterday while she napped, I looked back through all her baby pictures...and was amazed at just how little she was when we brought her home! Here'a a look back at how Bella got here!

I was supposed to be at the hospital at 6:00a.m. to be induced- a week late, mind you. She was in no hurry to come out! At 5:30 a.m. a nurse called and said that due to an influx of laboring women during the night, there was no room at the inn! That was frustrating, it's no like you can just go back to sleep! Finally at 10 a.m. they called and said to come on, they were cleaning a room for us. We got there at 10:30, and the floor in my room was still wet from being mopped! Two nurses got me by the arms, put towels under their feet, and scooted me safely to my bed!
They started me on an IV of Potocin at about 11. When Dr. Box came to check me at about 12:30, he decided to break my water even though I wasn't dilated at all. So out comes this big blue crochet hook thing...kind of intimidating! It didn't really hurt though, just incomfortable and lots of pressure.
Once he broke my water I started feeling those contractions! They got steadily worse through the afternoon as I slowly -slowly- dilated. Kenneth was great, he didn't leave my side the whole day. He didn't even eat, because I couldn't. He watched every contraction on the monitor with me. And every time I had one he would say ,"Is that one hurting?" It's funny now, I know he was trying to be supportive, but finally I pointed at the monitor and said, "If that number goes over 70, it hurts, okay?!!" Seriously, it's not like any of them tickle!
I got my epidural at 4:45 p.m. It was a piece of cake! Actually it went so well, once they got me layed back down I was about to panic thinking "it didn't work!". Then Kenneth said, "Hey, you're having a big contraction!" and I was like, "I am?"
We pretty much just hung out in the room with my mom for the next several hours as I slowly progressed. Towards midnight I started feeling lots of pressure down really low, and when the nurse checked at midnight, I was fully dilated. She asked me if I wanted to try pushing and I said, "Sure!" It was surprising, I wasn't as nervous as I thought I'd be. I was ready to do it, and tired of laying in that bed!
So she whipped out the stirrups and taught me to push. I'll pass along this advice to anyone having a baby- yes, it's awkward and modesty must go out the window, but my labor nurse told me this- "Honey, the closer you can get your knees to your ears, the better it will go!"
We pushed several times until the baby's head was crowning. Kenneth got kind of fidgety, and finally asked her, "Are you going to get someone in here to help you deliver this baby?" She got a kick out of that! All that pushing did make me get nauseous, even though I hadn't eaten in over 24 hours at this point. So mom put a washcloth on my head and Kenneth held a bowl under my chin...I was gagging so hard my eyes were watering, and I remember being so afraid the nurses would think I was crying! I remember saying, "I'm not crying! I'm just gagging!" Like they've never seen a woman cry in labor, but anyway!
Once Bella's head was fully crowned, the labor nurse paged the rest of the team and here they all came, with a bassinet, oxygen, more nurses, and of course my hero, Dr Box! They got me a covered in drapes (which really makes it a little less awkward). I only pushed three or four times after Dr. Box got in the room, and suddenly there she was! Born at 12:51a.m.
I had always thought that when she was born, I would cry like a baby. But actually I had such a rush of adrenaline, and Kenneth and I were so busy watching them clean her up, I think we both just teared up a little. That, and I think Kenneth was a little freaked out that Dr. Box was sitting there sewing. Gotta love those 2nd degree episiotomies!
Anyway, they cleaned her up and let me hold her a minute, then Kenneth whisked her off to the nursery. The nurses brought us a couple of trays of food about 2:30a.m.
All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better labor and delivery. The epidural worked like a charm, the doctor and nurses were wonderful, and we had a beautiful little girl. The worst I can say about it is that it was a very long day.
And worth every minute!

Eat your heart out, Alpha moms!

We've all run in to them somewhere. Alpha moms. The women who have schedules, whose homes run like well-oiled machines, who dress their families in coordinating colors just to go out to eat. Women who iron, for crying out loud... We have one patient at our office who comes to mind. Whenever it's time to schedule an appointment for anyone in her family, out comes the planner. This thing is ginormous. It's the size of a five subject notebook, and she uses different color ink for different family members or activities. I honestly believe she cannot function without it.
Well, I have to admit, I'm a proud "Beta mom". My house is clean, but it is cluttered. There are toys scattered around the living room, regardless of how often I pick them up. The kitchen table always seems to have a stack of papers on it. We throw things in the dryer to get wrinkles out, and only iron in the direst of circumstances. I have been know to show up at church without wipes and have to bum a few from another (beta) mom. The laundry basket is always full of clean laundry that never quite makes it into the drawers. I've been know to vacuum the living room but not bother with the bedrooms 'cause we aren't in there much. There are usually clean dishes piled in the sink from my last effort at home cooking, 'cause I haven't gotten them put away yet.
Why confess such domestic sins? Because I've learned to live with myself! It used to drive me nuts that I wasn't organized within an inch of my life. But then I realized that in three years of marraige and two years of motherhood, none of us have ever gone hungry, or been without clean clothes (wrinkled a bit, maybe, but clean!).
Hey, I must not be doing too bad! Beta moms of the world, rejoice! :-)