Swimming Class Part Deux....

So Tuesday was swimming class #2. I can't wait for the swim class where I get to go, but for now I keep missing them due to work.

Yet again, Blake complained from the beginning about not wanting to go. Of courese, Daddy pointed out to him that he wouldn't get to play the Wii. So, Blake retaliated with, if I go in then I get Wii and ice cream. Ah, my little negotiator.... but he went in!!

So there are 5 kids in the class. And they are all in the shallow end, wearing floaties, standing on a ledge so they are up to their "nickles" in the water. While the teacher was busy with another kid, Blake stepped off the ledge and was in over his head sputtering. So, T (being the good big brother) reached over and pulled him back on to the ledge (using the floaty as a handle). Good job T. Only then, it became a game! T would go off the ledge dog-paddle a little and B would pull him back. Of course, only Daddy saw this, the teacher was busy!!!

At some point they played the hokey pokey. So they were practicing putting their hands in, and
their faces in, and blowing bubbles. But of course, Blake just watched.

Then the teacher had them go around the edge of pool, holding on to edge with their hands, inching their way along. B prefered to do this with 1 arm and 1 hand to keep himself up out of water more. He's still a little nervous!! They made their way like this to the deep end, climbed out, shivered on the side, then jumped in. They're supposed to jump in one at a time to the teacher. Well, B 'hops' in, almost as if the teacher is pulling him, meanwhile T jumps as far out as he can go!

So, B is still a little hesitant, but a huge leap of progress from last week. Hopefully, we'll have continued success, and I get to go watch in 2 weeks! Yay!

Babies and Potties and other Updates

Yikes, it's been a long time since I've written anything. I can't think of any major reasons why, but at the same time, I can't think of many major things that have been going on.... at least, beyond the obvious...

Potty Training...
Blake is still putting up with being forced not to be a lazy little boy. He would probably wear a diaper if we let him, but he's realized that there's no option on this front and that we expect him to wear underwear, AND keep it dry!

He can do it, he's done it for 3-4 days at a time. And then he has a random accident late in the day, for absolutely NO reason. There's no logic to it, and a lot of the time, I swear it's intentional. We're at the point now, that if he has an accident, I just tell him to go get dry undies, and we move on with our day.... nothing more. I think the lack of attention is a key.

He's been dry for the last few days with no issues, and today was pushing me out of the bathroom telling me he didn't need me there. He's also standing up to go pee, and pooping on the potty 9 times out of 10. So... we're almost there. For the most part, he'll stay dry, and go potty when I tell him to, but still won't initiate it himself. Oh well...

Dancing Queen....

While I have claimed both here and IRL that "I love being pregnant"... I'm about done with it this time around!!! I'm at that point of discomfort, where sleep is not happening very much, and it's ticking me off. I'm someone who LOVES my sleep at the best of times, even when not preggo, and especially when pregnant. So messing with my sleep is NOT a good thing. I'm able to fall asleep, but I'm not comfortable for long, and by morning my back is a wreck and I'm cranky and feel like I didn't get much if any sleep. I think I will be relocating to the couch and/or lazy-boy soon.

On top of that, this kid has decided to sit in a very strange position (at least I assume it's how she's positioned) and my tailbone is KILLLING ME!!! I can't sit for long without getting a major butt-ache.... sorry TMI!!! I've never had pain like this from either of my other pregnancies, and I'm not enjoying it. Driving to work seems to be too far half the time, and causes my tailbone to hurt. So, I've been seeing the chiro twice a week to help with the pain. While he's awesome, and getting adjusted always feels good, it's not stopping the pain completely, just slowing it down a little, only for it to come back by the end of the day.

So, I'm counting down the weeks - 4 1/2 - until this kid is full term and it wouldn't be bad for her to be born. That would be anytime after April 6th. A month from Friday... let's go!!!

Michigan and Paint....

The only other update I can think of is that a few weekends ago, I took the boys up to Michigan to visit friends of ours who moved last fall. E has two boys who are each about 6 months younger than T & B, and had a baby girl in November. The 4 boys were THRILLED to see each other and played wonderfully all weekend. It was great to meet Baby A and to see E for a whole weekend. I miss her dearly, and it was good to be able to sit and catch up and chat and vent, and everything else!!

And while we were gone, my darling husband, painted the family room and kitchen! They badly needed new paint, between the dents and dings from the kids, and the fact that they were still painted with contractor-grade white paint. I'd post pictures, but well, it's still white. Yes, its new fresh bright semi-gloss white, but it's still white!!! Ah, my darling husband... he HATES color on walls... And while I don't care for the white, I choose my battles, and I have plans for art for the walls and possibly some tapestry going up too. So I'll get my color someway, somehow. At least the dents, dings and scraches are gone. And now the walls are washable, so when the kids decide to color on them, they can then remove those marks themselves, quite easily!!!

Finally... on the note of the economy, I'm sitting here listening to John Stewart on Comedy Central, and I just can't help but share this lovely quote with all of you: " If I'd listened to CNBC's advice, I'd have a million dollars today... provided I'd started with a hundred million!"

Swimming...

Yesterday brought the start of swimming classes for both Trevor and Blake. As long as it didn't go like the last set of swim classes, it would pretty much be a success.

Last time Trevor took swim classes, was about 2 years ago. It was the third level of swim classes after he and I completed two Mommy and Me classes where I was in the water with him. This class was to be kids only, with the parents right by the side of the pool. Parents weren't in the water, but they were close so kids would be comfortable. Due to my work schedule, the plan was that Daddy would go with the T, and be there. Trev knew all of this, and agreed to it. For the first 6 weeks, he was pretty good with it. He got in the water, did what the teachers asked, and let them hold him and help him. Week 7, proved to be the end of all that. For some reason, he just froze and REFUSED to do anything. He wouldn't get changed, wouldn't go in the water, wouldn't put on his suit, etc. And there wasn't ANYTHING that Daddy could do. So they came home, and he never went back again... and that was the last swim class he took.

Since then, he's started preschool which I think had a large impact. He's learned to interact with teachers and other adults with out me always being present. He's played t-ball last year, which was a great success, but I fully worried that he would quit and refuse to deal with the coach. Obviously, I was wrong and he's grown up quite a bit....

Regardless, when the topic of swimming classes came up again - at Trevor's request - I was nervous. We've been talking on and off about them and the expectations for a while. We've been talking about who will take him (Daddy most of the time), what is expected of him (participation), and that he will be in the water with the teacher without either of us. And then of course, there's the Blake factor. Blake was always interested in the swim class conversations that T and I would have, and he claimed to want to take classes too. Last week we went to a new place (for various reasons), we checked it out, they agreed to all terms and conditions (and signed their lives away on waivers!), so I signed them up. So the question remained, how would things pan out for EACH of them.

So yesterday afternoon, I went to work, and Daddy took them both to class. They got dressed here before leaving, and apparently Blake started claiming "I don't wanna go in the water!". This continued for the car ride up to the pool, and into the place. Trevor, meanwhile, had no issues. Meanwhile, Trev was all about being good and doing what he was supposed to, so that he could come home and play the Wii that night!! (ah, what motivation will do for ya!).

So, Trev went in the water, did what the teachers asked, and was a good kid. Blake, sat on the edge of the pool in a puddle, and did nothing. Trev wore a floaty (as did all the kids), floated on his back, blew bubbles, jumped in the deep part, and practiced kicking while holding on to the edge. Blake... sat in a puddle.

On the high side, Blake did sit right by the pool, and watch, and was good. He just didn't go in. So maybe next week he'll go in. We've talked about it already, and set the expectation that he is to go in. So we'll see. And Trevor is being supportive and telling B, that it was fun and the teacher was nice, so I'm hoping that will help.

I guess 1 out of 2 ain't bad. And at least he didn't have a total fit or meltdown.... which is major progress for Blake and teachers/adults he doesn't know. He is only about 6 months older than Trevor was when he refused to be in the class 2 years ago. So what more can I expect....

And I worried he was shy....

Today was Trevor's kindergarten screening. Basically, it's kindergarten registration, with a few basic skills tasks for the kids to do, so the teachers have some clue of what they will be dealing with come next fall. I mentioned to Trevor that we would be going and doing this, but didn't make too big of a deal of it, so that he wouldn't either. This morning I reminded him that it was today, and I got the response I expected.... "I'm not gonna do it", "I don't wanna", "I'm just gonna lie on the floor and act like a pancake".

None the less, it went fabulously, and he was a star. We walked in, and he said hi to the ladies. One of them asked to help him take off his coat, to which he polietly replied, "I can do it myself" and did. He then cooperated with her as she asked him to put on a name tag and took his photo. I had paperwork to give them, and more to complete, and he went off with one of the K teachers to start his tasks.

It was a large room, and they had it set up so that there were seperate little cubicles where the teachers worked with the kids. The parents were technically in the same room, but we couldn't see them, the kids couldn't see us, and we could only hear snippets of the conversation. Needless to say, I heard enough!

Trev was showing off his skills (i.e. being crazy) just walking back to the first cubicle. He wouldn't walk properly, but had to show her how he could walk on the sides of his feet instead! Whatever!! I didn't hear much of what happened in that cube, but then he moved on to the next area. The teacher (one of the 2 actual K teachers from the school) came out of the cube and we chatted for a moment. Apparently, T had told her all about his sister, but failed to mention Blake!! He also told her that he doesn't like the name we have planned for the baby, and listed out his preferences instead!!!

In the second cubicle, I could hear him counting (at times) and he got to at least 23 (although I'm sure he missed 13 and 20- he always does). But I heard the teacher sounding relatively impressed! He also had to do some building and sorting of blocks which he later told me was "pretty easy". I also overheard him telling her, how Grandma was about to go visit Jackpot in Vegas and help him move to his new house. Apparently, there are no secrets here!!!

Then he went back to the 3rd cubicle. I think this was the school's speech therapist doing her evaluation. I'll definetly be curious to see what she has to say. I didn't hear much of this conversation either, but I heard her trying to get him to say "spoon" more clearly - he usually says "foon", and other tough words. Of course, he had to give her some personal information (wouldn't want her to feel left out). I heard him telling her about playing the Wii with Daddy, and how they play Star Wars, and that he likes to kill Daddy a lot when they play!! Great... now what do they think of my parenting skills!!! Oh well...

The whole thing took maybe 20 minutes. He came flying through it from my perspective. I was worried that he might not be willing to go back with them, or that he wouldn't do some of the tasks, but apparently... not my kid!! Not a shy bone in his body it would seem! They said I'd get some results/information mailed to me in the next few weeks, but at the moment, we're one step closer to Kindergarten this fall! Wow... I can't believe we've come that far already!!!

Things that Made me Smile today

Following the rant, it seems good and nice and 'cleansing' to do a post like this. But honstely, it's not as if I planned it. I just found myself smiling a lot today at simple little things in life.

It started because today is 52 degrees in Chicago during the first weekend in February!!! After all the below 0 and below 10 degree days we've had, this was a nice change! And it was a BEAUTIFUL sunny day!!! That definetly put a smile on my face....

Buying an entire bag full of clothes (mostly for the little girl) for $10, and then getting lots of others for $30. A local resale store had a great bag sale on lots of their inventory and I had TONS of fun shopping for girly stuff... and bought WAY more pink than I would have expected!


My son in his new hat. He LOVES Marty (the zebra) in Madagascar, so when I saw this at the resale store I had to have it! I'm only sad cause it's SO tiny (the label says 5T.... I guess he's got a big head!)

Daddy playing games with his boys. Just nice to see the three of them lying on the floor playing a game together (Hi Ho Cherry-O) as it doesn't happen often! (Sorry, B had to be censored. He had potty issues today and couldn't have undies. It didn't make me smile, so enough about that!)


And now I'm going out for dinner and a movie with the girls to celebrate a friends birthday!! It's been a good Saturday. Hope you had a reason to smile today!

Back Handed Compliments

I feel the need to rant... and here is the best place. After all, I'm not sure I could whine about this to any IRL friends (without getting smacked or laughed at) and my darling hubby is tired of hearing me whine (in general, and about this in particular).

I LOVE being pregnant (I know this does not seem like the beginning of a rant... bear with me). I adore being pregnant (partially because I've struggled twice to get pregnant), and really I have VERY easy pregnancies. I know this, and as I've met more and more mom's I appreciate it more and more. I don't get much if any morning sickness(at any time of the day!), I don't have any major health issues (GD, pre-eclampsia, etc.) and I really feel pretty darn good. My neighbor makes fun of me, that even at 2 weeks before my due dates, I'm out walking around the block with the kids, pushing a stroller, and not stopping (summer or winter).

And I believe that most of the time, I convey this. I'm not that overly-perky, in-your-face, way-too-happy girl. But I'm also not the overly whiny girl. If you ask me how I'm feeling or how I'm doing, my answer is usually "Fine". No whining about my aching back, how poorly I slept last night, or my heartburn... but all of those are issues I'm currently dealing with.

Mostly this is because: a) I don't want to seem like a whiner (I wanted to be pregnant, I know what that means comes with it); b) (at least) half the time people ask the question "How are you?" as a way to say hello, and don't actually expect an answer; and c) because I subscribe to the theory that if you act/think positive you will feel better....so I try to think that I feel fine even when my back aches.

By no means am I saying that I don't complain. If you are with me long enough (at the coffee shop for a few hours yesterday morning for example), you will hear me groan as I get up out of my chair, see me shift positions trying to get comfy, and I'll make some snide comments about how much of a beating I'm getting from this kiddo in my belly. I am human!!

Anyway.... that's kind of all background, and not really the point of this rant. My issue at the moment, is people's reaction to my pregnant belly. For those who don't know me, I am the "tall skinny girl". That's just who I am. I'm between 5' 8 1/2" and 5' 9", and not pregnant weigh about 140 pounds. (Yes, really, my height hides that, but it's true). I usually wear a size 10 or 12 jeans. (Again, yes really, my height works to my advantage). I'll put these numbers out here, they are what they are.... I have no issues with numbers.

Here's average pre-pregnant me:


Now, 28 weeks pregnant (6.5 months) here's me:


I've gained 20 pounds to this point. I gained about 30 with both boys.

Yes really. REALLY!

And that's what I'm ranting about. Not the weight gain, but the fact that I KNOW I have to "justify" it. I had to type that "Yes really" there, because 90% of you are sitting at your computers thinking "no way".

I see people, and their first reaction is "No way, you can't be 6.5 months along!" or "Oh, I was that big at like 1 month pregnant!" or "Do you even need maternity clothes?" or "This must be your first baby".

To be blunt.... I'm really REALLY SICK of those comments. What exactly are they supposed to mean? Are you trying to make me feel better in some obscure way? Are you trying to tell me that I look great? Because frankly, that's not how I understand the comments, and how I recieve them or process them. What I hear is that I'm just not really "that pregnant" so I'm either a liar about how far along I am/how much I've gained, or I'm fat and covering it up, or that I'm not feeding my growing baby enough (and therefore a bad mom), or that since I look 'tiny' that I can't feel bad or have any typical pregnancy complaints (aching back, hard to sleep, heartburn, etc.).

Hubby's theory is that people are jealous. They think I look good and they are trying to be nice when they say these things. Sorry, I'm not buying it. But if that is the case, if you want to tell me that you think I look good for this stage of my pregnancy, please feel free. But say it that way, without the "back handed compliments". If you don't want to say that (and that is absolutely fine-I'm not fishing for compliments here), and if you have nothing nice to say..... then DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL!!

Here's my last thought on all this. Yes, my belly may look small. Yes I may have gained less (or MUCH less) weight than most people who are pregnant. But the end result is this... I have a baby in me, who at birth weighs about the same as most other people's babies (T was 6 lbs 13 oz, B was 7 lbs 11 oz). So just cause I LOOK tiny, doesn't mean I have tiny babies. It means that somehow all that kid is squished up inside me somewhere!!! My Dr estimates that I'm measuring right on schedlue, and that my baby weighs about 2 pounds, (the average weight for 28 weeks). So, in fact, the fact that I look "less pregnant" that most 6.5 month pregnant women, seems to me to mean, that I might be MORE uncomfortable (at minimum I'm as comfortable as anyone can be with a little person living inside them!). Because instead of sticking out, this kid is up inside me, pushing my bladder, tummy and lungs, out of her way, and kicking me in the ribs and bladder constantly!!!

Okay.... rant over. I'm going back to being positive! But I think I feel much better now that this is off my chest!! Which has also grown, and is my favorite side-effect of pregnancy and nursing....

30 days to make a habit??

It's has been a while since I've discussed the highly important topic of potty training. For those of you non-parents, well.... deal with it! Before becoming a mom, I figured I wouldn't be one of those mom's who only ever talks about poop and puke, and all that grand stuff. But I am.... and it's just part of the job of being mom.... oh well!

So it's been a month since Blake's birthday, and while I have been tempted to quit this crazy ritual called "potty training" more than once (more than 10 times, I'm pretty sure!), I have not quit. And now, given our current status, I think that is the key.

We had a span of 3 days around the 10th-12th of this month where B stayed COMPLETELY dry. For 3 whole days! I know this because we stuck stickers on a calendar... and he was SO excited to get stickers. But then something happened.... and it was nothing specific. But B decided to be B, and he wasn't ready to be dry all day every day. But we kept at it.

We've gone through days where we wear underwear and try to stay dry; and days where we wear pull-ups and try to stay dry. We've had a few successful days where we are completely dry all day long, and many more days where he does well for most of the day, but has 1 or 2 accidents. Really, for a 3 year old, not bad at all.

The tricky part with B is that his motivation changes CONSTANTLY. Each time he goes potty, the desired reward is different. A sticker, a piece of candy, computer time, reading a story with Mommy, etc. But he won't tell you what he wants, he expects you to know.... just by reading his mind!! And he gets VERY offended if you offer him the wrong reward!

We've also made forward progress on a number of other related fronts. He willingly went potty somewhere besides our house. In fact he used the potty at both Dana's and grandma's. And he's willing to go potty for grandma when she is babysitting and Daddy when he's the only one home (if I'm here, I still get the job!). Both major progress points in my opinion!

As a past post indicated, for some reason B was staying dry more consistently in pull-ups vs underwear. So we let him wear pull-ups pretty much all the time. Recently, as of the end of last week, we went significantly down hill and he was peeing in the pull-ups often and repeatedly, and saying he didn't care. So Saturday when he got up, I informed him he was going to wear underwear. There was no meltdown, no major resistance, he just dug through the drawer until he found a pair he wanted (Elmo of course!). What happened next.... 1 accident followed by 3 straight dry days! The streak would have been 3 1/2 but he lost it this afternoon for some reason when Daddy wanted him to go potty and I wasn't home.

In addition to 3 dry days, he also hit one more milestone today. We did all our morning errands (3 stops) while wearing undies!! No accidents!!! We did come home during our errands (after the grocery store-to put away frozen meat) and he peed then, but otherwise, he stayed dry all morning and didn't have a problem!!! So I really feel like we're making progress....

And the interesting thing I realized this morning. It's been exactly one month today since his birthday. And we started this latest potty-push, on his birthday. Don't many many people say that when you are trying to make or break a habit you have to do the new behavior for 30 days? I believe that's how the saying goes. And it seems, that Blake is one of those people who needs to do the new behavior for 30 days before it is even possible to consider the behavior becoming a habit. But I think he's considering the idea now!

So, we will continue on our mission, and I truly feel that success is eminent this time. However, tomorrow when he refuses to pee for Daddy (while I am at a work meeting) I may need to re-read this post to convince myself again! In the meantime, I will enjoy the fact that I have not washed a load of diapers in a month!!

Names we won't name the baby

Last night we had a few friends over for a game night. We played a variety of games and had a great time. During the evening, we did have a rather eye-opening moment in regards to naming the baby.

We were playing a trivia game called Smart Ass. Great game by the way. The game gives you lots of clues going from general to more specific and the other people have to guess the answer. The answer to the clues had already been guessed and it was Walt Disney. But there was a clue remaining unread that I wanted to share with everyone. The clue said "His most famous character was originally named _______________". I waited to see if anyone in the room new what Mickey Mouse was originally named. When no one guessed it, I told them the answer, "Mortimer Mouse".

(The next few things happened at light speed.) Then I looked across the table at hubby and said, "Well, if this baby is a boy after all, maybe we could name him Morty!". I was TOTALLY KIDDING! TOTALLY!!! Hubby, and friends, looked at me like I was crazy, TOTALLY crazy! I promptly received a swift HARD (pointed even) kick in the lower abdomen. I grabbed my pregnant belly and exclaimed "Ow!".

At first, I thought hubby had done it as if to reinforce that the name "Morty" was totally insane and out of the question. Then I realized there was NO WAY he could have kicked me under the table and hit me that high up in the belly (he would have been able to reach my knees and that's about it!) That's when my face went from pain to utter SHOCK! This kid had kicked me, and kicked me hard, to make sure that I knew the name "Morty" was definitely out of the question. That or else, to reinforce that she really is a girl and I don't have to worry about her being a boy!

It was a hilarious few moments. Everyone at the table realized I had been kicked and we all thought it was hilarious that the baby obviously had her own thoughts about being named "Morty". We couldn't stop laughing!! I was just SO shocked to get such a hard, timely message from this little person!!!

So, in case you were wondering, both the names Mortimer and Morticia are definitely OFF the list of potential baby names!!

Blake's 3rd Birthday Party & Cake

So last Friday we had Blake's 3rd birthday party with some friends. It was a small gathering but the kids all had a grand time. Nothing major to note, just some great pics and of course, the reveal of THE CAKE by Daddy. Enjoy!!

The birthday boy enjoying some munchies
The kids having pizza
The Cake: Thomas the Tank Engine
2 layers of chocolate fudge cake with cherry filling
4-5 hours to bake, cut, and decorate

The wheels are iced vanilla wafers (what a creative idea Daddy!). True Thomas fans will know that Thomas only has 3 wheels on each side, but the scale of this cake required 4. It was just more yummy wafers for the kids to eat!

The boys eyeing the cake
Blake enjoying the cake:

Presents!

The "twins" exploring their goody bags (seriously, can you tell who's who?)A little tired after the party:

Sick

Why do they call it a 24-hour virus? Here are the real numbers:

2 pm Tuesday: the last time I ate real food
10 hours: the amount of time I spent not being able to keep ANYTHING in my systemincluding water
10 hours: the amount of time I spent trying to sleep last night
5 hours: the actual amount of sleep I got last night, in mostly 30 minute chunks
20 hours: amount of time I've spent lying on this couch trying to recover
6: number of pounds I've lost in have a 24-hour virus

That last number is not making me happy. I'm that weird pregnant girl who never looks as pregnant as she is (mostly due to my height) so losing 6 pounds does not make me happy. It probably took me 6-8 weeks to gain that weight! Now I've got to do it again, and try to gain more too.... because the doctors are always worried about how little weight I gain. Even though I eat practically EVERYTHING that comes into my line of sight.

And as I'm sure I've griped about before, being sick when pregnant sucks!!! More specifically, puking when pregnant really sucks! I totally feel for all those women out there who suffer morning sickness, and I appreciate how lucky I am not to have dealt with it much at all with any of my pregnancies. There were points yesterday when I seriously thought if I puked again I was going to deliver a baby via my mouth. (Which, incidentally is where Trevor thinks the baby comes out!!!).

So I'm debating dinner options.... mac & cheese or chicken noodle soup? Hmmm... maybe both?