An "Off" Day

The laptop is still working so I'm happy about that. And my "blogging issues" as of late? Well, it seems our "Ad Muncher" that blocks pop-ups SO well also made my new blog not work right. So, I just turn off the filtering temporarily and can blog away happily once again. Still no clue why I couldn't log in on our desktop but whatever.

I'm having a strange day today. Well, I guess it started with feeling rather anxious last night...you know, edgy, the whole "restless legs" thing. Then today I woke up feeling a little sick: scratchy throat, mostly. Then some contractions started as usual. Then, I developed a bit of an "upset stomach" and that's all I'll say about that. I had big plans to do my usual every other week cleaning and Jason said, "I think you should take it easy. I'll do it." Awwww. But, I was feeling so icky that I told him I didn't want him to clean because I didn't know if I could keep a proper eye on Easton. So, no cleaning yet today. And it turns out Easton has been super all day and would've been just dandy playing by himself whilst I lay on the couch and Jason cleaned. Minus the cleaning that's what we all did anyway. Oh well. I'm feeling a little better already so we'll see.

Easton has been a pretty good eater again so far today. We had to switch back to his trusty ol' sippy cup yesterday afternoon. He wasn't really complaining about the cup much less pitching a fit, however, he just wasn't drinking and kept asking for water instead. I needed him to drink some milk though and as soon as he saw he usual cup he guzzled down a whole sippy full in no time. And then some more. Today he's moderating himself pretty well with the milk and actually asking for food like applesauce and yogurt (usually we have to offer).

Back to yesterday though, we got the infant carseat out. Easton saw it again today and said, "Brother seat". We also set up the Pack n Play and I stocked it with blankets and little jammies and burp cloths and all that stuff. We're pretty much set, I think. All of Easton's old stuff for newborns is washed, I have yet to wash the new stuff we bought just in case it's too small or something. I'd hate to not be able to return/exchange things. Even my mom is prepared, she's got some stuff here and the rest packed in her car. She's picked up a few activities and projects to do with Easton while Jason and I are in the hospital. Now we've just got to wait for the baby. Pretty crazy to have all this time to get prepared. Crazy to us anyway.

Yesterday Easton got a Valentine package in the mail (thanks, Maws!):


And we sat down to watch a movie...he isn't too into his Cars movie he got (yet) so we thought we'd try Nemo...I think he's a little more into Nemo but still...we've had 2 sessions of all of us watching and we still haven't finished the flick. He does like to eat popcorn with us, though. And the snuggles are always nice:


Anyway, I'm off to shower...gotta make sure to stay clean just in case labor strikes. And always wear clean underwear, right? Got it. Okay, toodles!

We're FULL TERM!!!

37 weeks today! That's considered "term". No preemie for us this time around. Yippee skippy! While I still hope to make it a little bit longer this little guy should be ready whenever he's ready (or whenever they cut him out). I'm so happy to have made it to this point. We weren't sure it would happen and it did. Praise God!

I've been doing a bit more "nesting" the last couple days and this weekend we plan to make some more headway in the Deuce department: baby laundry, setting up the Pack & Play, cleaning out the car, getting out spare breast pump parts... Wowsa. I'm trying to stay on top of the laundry and regular house cleaning too so that nothing is screaming for attention when we get out of the hospital. I think I've forgotten how sore and fatigued I was post C-section. We'll see... I know I'm having a scheduled repeat section and all and some might feel that's the "easy way out". It might be a little easier as far as the arrival of the kid, but I think the recovery is typically a little more of a doozy. I dunno... Kirsty could have some thoughts...she did it both ways, right? Anyway...

Our laptop is back! And so far so good...seems like they fixed it. Woo hoo! I think we're planning to bring it to the hosptial with us when the time comes. We should clean out J's old laptop bag.

So, I did not jinx bedtime last night. Easton went down superbly at bedtime without so much as a peep once I left his room. And he slept till 7:30 today. I was very happy and made sure to let him know. He's been a bit of an eater today because he is not loving his new sippy cups and isn't drinking much milk. I know we like to see him eat, but he still needs some milk. He's had maybe an ounce all day. Normally he has 16-24 ounces per day. Oh well.

We hung out around the house a bit this morning and then since it was supposed to be sunny and "warmer" (49 degrees) we decided to head up to the cool park with Easton's tricycle for it's first outdoor spin.

Well, it certainly didn't feel as warm at 49 but we did a lap around the park and then E got to swing for 2 minutes.

Now he's having his nap, Jason is cleaning the car, and I'm dreading the next time the doorbell rings. You see, some neighborhood kid decided to "help" me break up some ice on the driveway when I was out shoveling with Easton the other day. Now he wants money. Grrrr. I was afraid this would happen. How am I so scared of an 8 year old? Or however old he is...I'm guessing 11. J said 8. Anyway, I got out a few bucks to give him when he comes back. I want to aim for the low side but not too low where they egg the house or something. But then I need to be clear that I don't want him to come back. I never agreed to pay him. I never really asked for his help. But, he was walking by that day and kind of offered and I tried to say "no thanks" as nicely as I could and kept trying to get him to leave...nicely. He rang the bell yesterday (3 times!) and Easton and I hid quietly and didn't answer the door. Today he came back and I was "indisposed", Jason was on the phone, and Easton came down the stairs and looked out the window so the kid and his friend were waving at him. Way to give us away, E. So, then Jason had to answer the door and the kid was like, "Is your wife home? She was going to pay me for breaking up some ice." Um, no...I never actually said I'd pay you. Go away. Anyway, Jason told him I was busy and he'd have to talk to me "later". I want him to come so I can get this stupid thing over with but I'm scared I can't be clear that I didn't ask for his help and don't want him coming back. Ever. My husband does it for free.

Okay, well that was random...and long. But, I think that should do for today. Later!

Date Night

Tonight I got to take my favorite little guy under 5'5" out on a date. Jason called from work and was contemplating Happy Hour with some work pals as a last sort of "pre-Deuce excursion". That was fine, of course, but then Easton and I wanted an excursion too. When I got off the phone with J I asked Easton, "What should we have for dinner?" and he said, "french fries". So, that's where we started: I took Easton through McDonald's for some fries and then we headed to get a sandwich for me. We even ate at the restaurant, just the two of us. As I was ordering my food (the sandwich and a glass for water) she asked if there was anything else to which Easton told her, "Straw". She didn't crack a smile but I thought it was cute.

We sat down to eat. Easton had a "lemmie" (lemon wedge), some tortilla chips, and a few fries...with ketchup for a serving of "vegetables" :) It was nice. On our way home we also picked up some ice cream. Yum.

Jason came home as Easton was in the bath which was nice and at bedtime E seemed a little hyped up on ice cream. I eventually left him in his bed without being completely drowsy but told him again my "expectations". So far so good although just typing this has probably jinxed the whole thing.

Gosh, I really love that kid. My pal Molly (who is now a mother of two herself) advised me to get in lots of one-on-one time and extra special love and attention while I still can. Great advice--I was trying to do that anyway but tonight was special for just the two of us. As we were leaving the house Easton wanted for us both to wear hats. I thought that was fun. Then he said, "See Dada?" and I told him we were on our own for tonight. He was fine with that. He wanted to hold hands in the car. I let him eat ice cream even though he didn't have the best dinner. I wish he was willing to be more cuddly at bedtime tonight like usual but oh well...I'll take what I can get. It was a special date and I hope/plan to continue some of that with each of my sons when we can. The end. :)

A Tale of Two Pregnancies...

Okay, so I don't have so much of a "tale" as just some comparasions to share after today's OB visit. We got there for our 9:30 appointment and whaddya know--it's with the on-call doc BUT we got called back at 9:30 (before Jason even got there)!!! And the doctor was ready to come see me but first I had to do my wee-in-a-cup so she had to wait for me. Wow! Anyway, my weight is up 2-3 pounds from last visit 9 days ago. Eek! Hard to say exactly how much was gained because a.) they use decimal points but don't record it (and I forget them) and b.) I weighed myself before and after using the bathroom to see if it made any difference...not much but still... So, we'll say 2-3 pounds for a now total gain of 20-21 pounds. Hmmmm...

My blood pressure was at an all time low of 86/44. The doctor said, "Are you feeling dizzy or light-headed or anything?" and I told her I was not. Then she said, "Well, you sure aren't preeclamptic." Yup! For my weight gain she said it was right on track and then she said, "You probably weigh less now than you did at the end with Easton." Yup again. Then she said, "You were soooooo puffy." I started both pregnancies at the exact same weight and gained 28 pounds in 33 weeks with Easton versus the 20-21 pounds (so far) in 37 weeks with Deucilydoo. See how the "tale of 2 pregnancies" comes into play there? The BPs...the weight gain (from swelling)...the still being pregnant...

Next she measured my fundal height (that's using a tape measure on my belly to measure the uterus from the outside, remember?) Anyway, I'm 36 weeks and 6 days and it measured 38!!! Yikes! What's happening?!?! I know 38 is really only a week (and a day) ahead BUT I grew 3 centimenters since my visit last week (9 days). Basically the centimeters *should* roughly correspond with the gestation and I'd always been right on for dates...up until today. He's going to be huge! Actually, I still wouldn't be that surprised if he was average sized. I would be surprised, however, if he was small. Anyway, I can see some room for error, it's not that precise of a measurement but still...it'd been right on till now. And it was the same doctor who did the measuring both this week and last week. Even she seemed surprised by the gain. She said, "Wow you've really gone up there. 3 centimeters in 2 weeks." Except that it hasn't been 2 weeks...it's been 9 days!!! But I didn't say anything. Eek! Eek! Eek!

She then listened to the little guy's heartbeat which Easton always enjoys. Once the doppler picks up the actual heartbeat and not just random belly sounds his little face lights up. He knows. We didn't count the actual number of beats per minute but it sounded good as always.

Anyway, the doctor knows I'm having lots of contractions and she said, "Yeah some people just do" and that I'll know when/if it's labor. She said she'd see us next week unless I went into labor before then. Ack! Overall a good and very quick visit.

Now onto some Mr. E stuffs...let's see...here he is peeking through the "portal" at me while I made dinner last night. He is scaling the heat register in the wall and pulling himself up:

He must have some strong little toes to climb up something so thin.

And at dinner...a PB moustache:

Making a very silly face just for the camera:


He did pretty well at dinner quantity-wise...not really quality but whatever. Then he and Jason were playing hard after dinner and Easton got a little winded (he's had that cough, remember?) so he started hacking and then he started yakking...all over the floor. Poor dude. He and Jason headed up for a bath right then (it was almost time anyway) and I went to work cleaning up the floors, starting some laundry from the incident...ick! Oh well. That always seems to happen when he eats well. Darn it.

Bedtime...well...our success from the previous 2 nights was short-lived, it seems. He was looking exhausted as I left him at 7:45. He was completely silent for 15 minutes then went on for 20 minutes of calling for me. However, it was kind of half-hearted, just to see if I'd come in...I did not. He slept till 7 this morning. Good enough.

Today we got up and went to the OB appointment and home for some lunch and to try out his new sippies:

We have leakage issues with most of his cups and Ellis had some like this one the other day that I noticed did not leak AT ALL. So...I had to get us some of those. Easton likes it so far but has a hard time changing from what he's used to sometimes. He's had fits over which cup his milk is in. HOWEVER, I let him pick which one (of the 2 new ones) to use so hopefully that'll help. You just never know.

Anyway, he's napping now and I'm here. But now I'm leaving. I do hope everyone enjoys their weekends, though! Adios!

I am Getting So Sick of This!

Ohhhhh...at this point there are so many things "this" could be, aren't there? E sleep issues...blogging issues...pregnancy aches and pains...

Right now I'm referring to this danged blog but all those other things are on my mind too. I can't even log into my blog anymore. Not from our regular Internet Explorer. What the heck? Ugh.

Anyway...we've got a little rooster in the house these days. Bedtime last night was similar to the night before...it didn't go too badly and we never had to go back in to Easton's room, BUT he wasn't silent either. Oh well. He was quiet about 20 minutes after bedtime. However, he woke up at 6. He called for us on and off and we left him till 6:40 when I thought I could talk him into going back to sleep. I could not. So I climbed into bed next to him. That didn't really work either and, dudes, his bed is waaaay too soft (UNCOMFORTABLE!) for me. I hope it's not too uncomfy for him and that's why he's not sleeping. I doubt I could talk Jason into a new mattress to find out ;) So, we've been up since 6. He's kinda cranky but not too bad. Although, at one point around 8:30 I was making breakfast and Easton got mad at me and went upstairs to his room. Before long I noticed an eerie silence...never a good thing so I went up to check it out. He had tucked himself into bed and was totally laying down for a rest! When I saw him he smiled and said, "Milk?". So then he came down for breakfast with me. And milk.

He's dressed in his moose shirt from Gramoo today:

Pretty spiffy. It's a 2T size, I think...a first for Easton! The sleeves are rolled up and it's a little long but not too foolish looking.

We went to Circle Time today. Easton did so-so. I wish he did better at Circle Time. He loves stories when WE read to him. I wonder why he doesn't like to listen to Miss Jenny...*sigh*. We checked out a couple of new books and the lady told me, "They're due March 1st. Will you even be here March 1st?" I guess I am getting a little big. One mom at Gymsters told me, "You look about ready to go. You've really popped out there, isn't it amazing how it can hold itself up?" (meaning my big ol' belly). Yes, I guess it is amazing...but not when I consider how much my back hurts helping to hold my belly (and me!) up. I really notice it when I've been particularly upright for awhile (no chillin' on the couch). We have another OB visit tomorrow morning. Not expecting much to come out of that but of course I'll still update about it. It's what I do. :)

Anyway, while E naps I think I need to sit against my heating pad some more and find some lunch. Too bad I don't have anything to read and nothing TiVo'd. Darn. Survivor starts again tonight...got that to look forward to. Until next time...

2 Years Ago Today...

Easton came home from the NICU. Here he is in his going home outfit, complete with oxygen:

And we were so thrilled to finally have him home where he belongs:

29 nights in the hospital. That's a long time. I'm so so thankful that it doesn't look like we'll be doing that again. I remember the first few months I really loved waking up at night to feed him and such. I was just so glad he was home. Let's see if I get that excited about middle-of-the-night feedings this time around ;)

So that was 2 years ago, let's fast forward a bit to yesterday...after his lovely 2+ hour nap we decided to head to the "cool" park for a bit. Easton had fun, of course, but the playground was covered in packed, slippery snow. So, we spent a lot of time on the swings:

And Easton stuck his little hands in his kangaroo pockets after they got cold from falling in the snow:


After the park we came home and I crazily decided to do a little snow shoveling. Yes, I'm insane. It's just that we still had some ice tracks on our driveway and with it being so warm yesterday they were finally slushy and ready to be dealt with. I gave Easton the ice scraper from the car as his "shovel" and I took the big one and we went to work:

I got rid of those icy patches but then I was afraid I sent myself into labor. I had to lay on the couch and drink water for all the contractions I stupidly brought on. They went away but Jason still offered to make our dinner. We had planned on sandwiches from some of the leftover fixin's my mom brought for the Superbowl. What a role reversal for us: me shoveling, J making dinner.

Bedtime last night went much better than it had been going. I had forgotten that you can semi-reason with Easton these days. So, before we said our prayers with him last night I told him what we expected from him, "We're going to say goodnight ONE time...we want you to go to sleep like a big boy...we don't want you to call "Mama Mama" or "Dada Dada". He acted like we got through to him because he looked a little bummed. Jason said goodnight to him then and then I did our usual pat his back and sing/hum his song. Well, last night he decided to "request" Twinkle Twinkle Little Star as his "lullaby". He saw it on Sesame Street and it occured to him, "Hey, I might switch it up tonight too..." So he did. When I left I gave him a kiss and told him goodnight and that "Mommy isn't going to come back tonight. I have to go night-night too. I'll see you tomorrow." The plan was that if Easton carried on as he usually does then Jason would go in but we were sticking with the "Mommy isn't going to come back tonight." Well, wouldn't you know it, the clever feller came up with, "Mama! Stuck!" instead of "Mama...mama..." But, he wasn't really acting stuck or desperate. His infrequent calls were rather meek and interspersed with a lot of talking to himself. So, we never ended up sending Jason in and Easton went to sleep 15 minutes after I left him rather than the 45 minutes it took the night before. Yay! The bonus was that he slept till his usual time today: 7:20!! Hopefully it'll continue tonight.

This morning Easton didn't eat much breakfast...nothing new...but he did enjoy watching Blitz eat his:

It's a good thing we don't have an aggressive dog. No way would mealtimes like that be safe. Eek!

After breakfast we went over to Ellis's house to play. We used to have music with him and his mom but since we didn't continue to the new session we won't see them anymore unless we do stuff like this. They live really close to us (no one else does). The boys had fun playing for about an hour and a half then Ellis had to go to daycare so his mom could go to work. Ellis has a ton of toys, big ones too: a tent with tunnels, a kitchen set, a shopping cart. Easton loved the kitchen set as always and also played with Ellis's baby doll. The boys played well together which is always nice to see.

When we came home Easton was engrossed in his farm:

He stopped briefly to tell me he had a poo and let me change him but then went right back to the farm. He didn't even want to help with the wash! I loved when he's so engrossed in independent play like that, though. Little cutie.

After Easton's nap today I think we should head out for some groceries but Jason and I haven't planned this week's meals yet...Yikes! So, we'll see what we end up doing. Anyway...tune in tomorrow for another exciting edition of The Family Blog... :)

Just a Tuesday

I can't get over how mad all these blogging problems make me. It makes me not want to blog sometimes. I don't get how it was fixed that one time and has never been back since. :( Even though these issues have got me down, it's not why I didn't post yesterday. Yesterday's lack of blogging was because I really wanted and needed a nap. Easton has another bad cough and that plus the normal pregnancy sleep issues have kept me from getting good rest. So, while I tried to take a nap, poor Easton hacked his way through his hour and a half snooze and I never got to sleep because I kept hearing him. I am exhausted again today because E wakes up too danged early now.

This iron supplementing for E is really not what I had hoped it would be. It hasn't made even a tiny difference in his appetite (nor has limiting his milk intake). His teeth are stained now which is MOST unattractive and to top it all off he is back to being a not-so-great sleeper. Getting him down at night takes sooooo long most of the time. He acts tired, I leave him to fall asleep after more than our normal routine...then he starts 10 minutes after I leave with 10-15 minutes of his "Mama....mama....mama" till I go in. Then he'll do it again. It is incredibly frustrating. My mom suggested maybe his bedtime needs to be a little later which is a great thought except when he goes to bed late he wakes up even earlier than normal. Last night he was in bed and quiet and acting like he was going to sleep at 7:45. He did not actually stop making noises until 8:30. Then he was up at 5:50. Yes, for the day! I went in and told him to go back to sleep that it wasn't morning yet. He told me "all done." I told him, "No, not all done...I'll come get you when it's morning". He was quiet then for about a half hour but I really am not sure that he went back to sleep. I think I prefer the sleeper he was as a fatigued anemic :) Okay, that's wrong of me to say but seriously, sleep issues are so draining. I was hoping for some better sleep leading up to my days of having a newborn in the house again. Argh!

Easton and I had a totally lazy day yesterday. He was up early (of course) but for the sake of his cough I'm wanting him to rest as much as is possible for him so we were total couch and bed potatoes all day. With a few exceptions. We did play pirates:

And we took a shower:

Then Easton ran around like a crazy-man superhero with his hoodie towel on his head:

After that he was feeling a little parched so he needed water. Check out his pinkie lift when he drinks. He does this often.


Oh, and on Sunday he did get his Gramoo and Lauren fill:

He wanted applesauce but insisted that "Ruh Rah" feed it to him:

I'm not sure she found it as cute as I did.

Today we had Gymsters. Easton was exhausted and practically falling asleep on the way there. But he was good at Gym no problems with not sharing or yelling like last week. And there was no separation time today which he was happy about. If he was tired on the way there you can bet it was hard keeping him awake on the way back. At one point I looked back and he looked completely out. I tried my hardest to rouse him and couldn't. Then I saw him crack a smile. He might've been asleep but then started faking it. What a goob! I had to loudly narrate our whole drive home to keep him from completely nodding off again. It was quite a task. We got home and he went down for his nap without any lunch. So, now his nap will probably be short because he's hungry. Just can't win right now, can I?

Well, today is beautiful so we're contemplating some afternoon plans. It's above 60 but there's still piles of snow EVERYWHERE so it's not like we can go for a walk or take the trike out for it's first outdoor spin. We'll see what we can come up with. Till next time...

Topless

No, I don't have more riske belly photos to share...what I mean is we're LAPtopless. :( We had to send it off yesterday to be fixed and I really really really hope to have it back before we head to the 'spital to have Baby Deuce. We shall see.

Speaking of having him, last night I was having SOOOO many contractions. It was crazy. Some books/people tell you, "If you're having more than 4 contractions an hour call your doctor." Well, I was having waaaaay more than that. And, yes, I was hydrated and just laying on the couch...but getting up didn't stop them, nor did laying on my left side in the bed. Crazy. Jason and I were lounging around after Easton went to bed and away my belly went: contract, contract, contract. I had my belly hanging out so Jason could also witness how frequently my stomach would get all tight and deformed. I would have like 4 in 15 minutes so you can bet I was having the "4 per hour". However, they weren't all that painful. While they wouldn't take my breath away or anything I certainly didn't want to get up and dance a little jig in the midst of one either. This went on for a couple of hours and I was actually nervous when I went to bed. But, I didn't wake up with more painful contractions or my water breaking or anything. Whew. That little episode DID prompt us to go ahead and set up the guest bed, though. Just in case we needed my mom to come in a hurry. While 36 weeks is much more preferable to 33 weeks (like Easton) I'm still not quite ready to meet this little guy if I can help it. I want to make it completely to term (37 weeks) if not to my C-section date. I did have a dream last night that Deuce was born at this gestation and he was 6 pounds 1 ounce and as tall as Easton is now! Ha! His eyes were kind of orangey/brown...something I hope isn't true. But, I could carry him around on my hip just like I can with Easton. Crazy dreams.

Well, let's see...what else? Oh, yesterday we went to a "party" at My Gym (where we go for Gymsters). It was basically just some free play time with snacks sponsored by Huggies. Fun! Some of our regular pals were there so it was nice. Plus Jason got to come which he doesn't usually get to do. They had giveaways...packs of diapers, tiny stuffed animals and:

Easton won a hot pinky slinky. With the "My Gym" logo on it. At least we won something...although I personally would've preferred a pack of the Size 3 diapers they were giving out.

After the Gym party we went looking at mommy ring possibilites. But we won't get anything till Deuce is here safely. Still...it was nice to look. We had dinner out (yay!) and then the boys had a swordfight when we got home:

Some of the foam laptop packing materials. Although with Easton's hood he looks more like a Jedi with a light saber. He didn't really "get" it anyway. Good. We don't like a lot of "violence". :) I much prefer some of his cuter imaginary play lately. He loves to watch Backyardigans and he's taken to acting out a lot of the parts (not to mention dance moves). But, there's a "racing day" episode and he'll run around, bending down for "on your mark, get set..." Very cute. They snowboard in that episode too and he put his little burp cloth on the ground to make it a snowboard. Creative. His new episode is an adventurous tea party and so he's been making "tea" in a saucepan and a big water jug for his teacup:

He now likes to add Mr. Potato Head's parts to the steeping tea. Yum.

In that same Tea Party episode they ride horses (to get some hot water from a geyser...duh!) and so here he is:


I just love to watch him at work. He is so much fun. His behavior is already improving, I think. Consistency really is key. Bedtime last night went so great as did naptime today (even though Daddy is home). Whew! Hope that continues.

This afternoon Gramoo and Lauren are coming by for a very impromptu Superbowl gathering. All morning Easton was saying, "See Gramoo" so at 8:30 after breakfast I gave her a call (she answered sounding almost worried I was in labor or something--it was quite early in the day after all). But, anyway, I told her Easton had been saying that so they made a plan to come up so he could "See Gramoo". When I told him she was coming he kept looking out the window. Then I had to say it was going to be after his nap so he'd stop. Very cute. I think she's going to bring some of her "overnight essentials" for when she's here to watch Big E. Jason and I (and Deuce) have our bags all packed now...we just need to stick it in the car. My Boppy pillow is washed and we'll stick that in there too.

Now we've got the bed set up in the nursery for Gramoo and future guests. We're getting there. Kinda scary but rather exciting too. I really hope if I do go into labor before my scheduled C-section day that it doesn't happen while J is up at work or in the middle of the night with a sleeping Eastie. :( I think I'd really prefer to wait to my C-section but I don't get to make all the decisions, obviously. We weren't "ready" for Easton to come and that worked out okay. I guess we'll make due for Deuce as well if need be.

Anyway, I'm off to shower and such. Enjoy your Superbowl Sundays!

Frozen In

Sheesh it's a cold one again today. Supposedly the groundhog did not see his shadow today so spring should be coming. Hmmmm. Don't know if I belive that one. Oh well. We let Jason take the car today (when he left for work it was -7!!!) so Easton and I are home (we didn't have plans anyway) and we're making the most of the heated house today. It's rather nice. It's "textile day" as Jason dubbed it. That means we're washing all the sheets and changing out the towels. That's how every Friday is around here but whatever. Textile day is fine too.

Easton woke up and we cuddled and watched some PBS in our bed before heading down for the day. Mmmmm cozy. I could hear poor Jason shoveling outside but E and I were toasty warm. It's nice to be pregnant sometimes. Gets me out of the tough stuff for now. :) Well, I've got other "tough stuff" going on and to look forward to. So there.

Once Easton and I finally headed downstairs we made muffins for breakfast. He actually ate quite a bit of muffin and then asked for cereal too. So he had a few Cheerios and then we decided to do a "craft":

Cheerios strung along a piece of dental floss! Wow! Easton snacked along the way:

He really impressed me with his fine motor skills to get the string (that I held) through the O hole so well. He had a good time with it and when he was done he had a necklace like Dada wears:

Trying a nibble:

When and if we make those again we'll have to use plain string or at least unflavored dental floss. Easton is apparently not too fond of the minty aftertaste.

After all the Cheerio fun we ended up doing some actual FINGER painting. Easton started off with a brush since he normally doesn't like the paint-on-his-hands part of finger painting. But, he quickly switched to using his hands and had a blast:

Yay for E! "Hmmmm...this disturbs me but I'm sure Mom can get it off later..."

I let him pick two colors and he went with blue and orange.

I think I can safely assume that he's pulling for the Bears in this weekend's Superbowl. Jason and I are going to be rooting more for the Colts, though.

Once we were through finger painting and cleaned up as best we could we headed for a shared dip in a bubble bath. My contractions have been a little different today not to mention the near-constant back pain that apparently goes with being 8 months pregnant (tomorrow!) with a 7 pound (maybe) child--so anyway, a soak in the tub sounded mighty nice to me too. We had so much fun. Easton would slide down my legs, we made bubble beards, and sang fun splashy songs. You know...the usual tubby time antics. We got out and dressed (sort of) and I found Easton sitting down on the steps to read Elmo a story:

That's his Elmo TMX and after the story he tried to send Elmo tumbling down the steps by tickling him. Goober. Let's hope he doesn't try that stuff with his brother. Yowsa!

He's down for his nap now. I tell you...he's so much easier getting down for a nap these days than he is at bedtime. I wonder if part of it is that Jason's home at bedtime? But he's not usually home for long before it's off to bed. I think E might be a little more riled up for his bedtimes than he is for our weekday naptimes. Yeah, that's what I think. Bedtimes lately have been a little rough. Goes with the territory I guess.

In non-family related news I learned that the final Harry Potter will be coming out July 21st...just in time for my birthday on the 25th. Yay! I know what I'm getting...now hopefully I can get some time to read it too.

Well, there's just 3 weeks now till my scheduled C-section. This is getting crazy. I'm still not sure if I'll make it that long--not for preeclampsia...but I feel it's entirely possible I could go into labor before then. Eek! You just never know with these things. I'm washing Baby D's going home outfit today. Just to have it packed. We're waiting till next weekend for most of the other "getting ready" stuff on the To Do list. And on that note...enjoy your weekends, friends. Bye!

It's February...You Know What That Means

Darn it...my "fixed" blog was short lived. I posted that post, went back to edit a typo and it was "broken" again. Boo hoo. I hate this. It really grates on me even though it shouldn't.

In happier news, our son will be born this month! We are now guaranteed a February baby. This means an amethyst birthstone. Yuck--pale purple for a boy? Yay for me, though! However it presents a bit of a dilemma. I have a special "mommy ring" with Easton's garnet birthstone:

So, now I should have something with Deuce's amethyst, right? I wear Easton's ring all the time. My wedding and engagement rings are always (almost always) on and if I've got those on then I'm also wearing my mommy ring on my right hand. Well, one finger with rings per hand is enough for me, thanks. And I don't always wear earrings or necklaces so now I don't know what to do for my next "mommy" piece. Ack! Such little things to "worry" about, I know. But still...anyone have any GOOD ideas? :)

Sorry if yesterday's post was a bit TMI for some of you. I guess I forget that not everyone is as excited about being 35 weeks pregnant as I am. But, no comments on the blog so maybe Jason was right and it *was* a little too much info? Who knows? I tried to be somewhat discreet while still filling you all in. Anyhoo...

We did end up doing "pah doo" yesterday after nap. That means Play-Doh. We were at it for a solid hour, I'd say. I got a little bored but not E. Opening up the Dohville Diner:

And making the hair "grow":

And I made Easton a watch and a ring...he's holding up the ring he ripped off:


And today we went to Circle Time instead of Kindermusik (since it's over). We had the doctor's appointment during yesterday's Circle Time session. Easton did pretty well. The CD player was broken so we couldn't do our "patting song" but it was okay. He was quiet but not too still for the first story and then he was totally paying attention to the second story: "The Five Little Chicks". He kept making chicken and duck sounds, saying "Yellow!", saying "Mama!", saying "Eat!". I like to encourage him to be attentive like that, just maybe a little more quietly attentive. Oh well. It's toddler story time. No one expects too much. After the songs and stories the kids did a craft:

Then, Easton picked out a sort of freaky book called "Baby Angels" and I read it to him before his nap. Kinda weird. Oh well.

We went to Target after Circle Time and Easton was in a "mood" again. He normally likes for me to hand him the items and he drops them nicely in the back of the cart. Today he'd fling them back over the top of his head, I don't even know if he wanted them to land in the cart or not. A few times he'd fling them on the floor but I could never be quite sure if it was intentional or not. As we were checking out he threw our box of "orange noodles" on the floor and I know that was on purpose. I matter-of-factly picked them up and put them on the cashier's conveyor belt and he threw a huge, embarassing fit. He snapped out of it just as quickly as he went into it. Then was sweet as can be the whole rest of our time. What a weirdo. Jason and I were thinking he's almost like a different kid lately. Maybe it's just that he's 2 now but it seems more to us like it goes along with the iron supplementation. But, that's strange too. I guess it's just a phase but I'm ready for it to end already. At least before #2 gets here. Eek!

We bought Deuce another pack of diapers today and some of his own butt supplies. You don't want to share butt creams with your brother, you know. Target was also having a sale on shorts and tee shirts 2 for $7 so I had to take advantage of that as well...for E. I have yet to try the shorts on him. Maybe after nap. Then I don't know what our plans are. It is downright frigid outside at a whopping 18 degrees. Lows for tonight expected to be -5!!! Plus more snow. I cannot remember ever having a more snowy and cold winter here in Colorado. This is insane and better end with Groundhog Day tomorrow. Good thing it sounds like our newborn might have some meat on his bones to help him not freeze this winter. Sheesh!

Anyway, that's all she wrote, folks...bye!