Thursday, February 11, 2010

Night Noise

So apparently I moan in my sleep now.

Steven tells me that instead of snoring, I'll let out these angry little drones in rhythmic succession, almost as if I'm humming in disapproval at something (a la Marge Simpson).

He tells me that this is something I do that's exclusively related to the last few months of my pregnancy, and that I did the same thing with Stevie and David. I guess it makes sense, because everything's so bunched up inside me right now that the air has to go somewhere. Apparently that somewhere is right over my clenched voice box. Why couldn't I let out sweet little sighs instead?

I actually woke myself up last night. I was then so embarrassed by the horribly annoying sound that woke me up that I tried my darndest to supress any more such " hmmmmm's." But to no avail, I fear. I was back asleep and moaning away in no time.

So you can just add this to the list of my tantalizingly feminine charms that grow steadily more bizarre with each passing week.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Potty Dancing

Why is it that BOTH of my children seem to wait till the very last nanosecond before they will run screaming to the bathroom and relieve themselves? A very constant occurence in our house goes something like this:

Step 1: Child begins nonchalantly grabbing at the general area of his body where pee comes out.
Step 2: Child will start running back and forth a few steps
Step 3: Child will start making distressed gasps and sighs.
Step 4: Child will yell out "AHHHH, I NEED TO GO POTTY" and run lightning-fast, knocking down any barriers along the way (including people) in order to do the necessary deed in the bathroom.

It's okay with Stevie because though he tends to wait, he's got a good mental idea of his boundaries and makes it in time.

Not so much with David. Recently he'll go through the aforementioned routine, but after making it to the bathroom, his hysteria takes over and he ends up spraying it around the room. Luckily, I've managed to spot the routine, and tend to bellow "Go to the bathroom, NOW, David!" at him whenever I see him get as far as Step 2.

I just think it's hilarious that going to the bathroom is SUCH A HASSLE for these guys. Obviously, it's a ludicrous interruption to their otherwise incredibly important activities, and they'd rather withstand that awful "gotta go" feeling if it means adding one more second to whatever they happen to be doing at the time. Its just the opposite for me. I'd rather pee 20 times every half-hour (and actually, that's a pretty common occurence lately) than have to endure that feeling for too long.

Go figure. Different Strokes, I guess.

Friday, February 5, 2010

On Sleeplessness

Waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep is horribly cyclical. Once I wake up, I immediately start thinking about all the things that might be bothering me--any imagined slights, or any offense I might have caused, any tasks I've left undone, or maybe just all the dumb things I've done lately. (Seldom do I lay awake glowing over my general awesomeness).

The worst part is that my feelings seem to amplify at night, so that the more I think about things, the more frazzled I become, until I've worked myself into a state of unparalleled wide-awakeness. Then it’s usually a few hours before I've exhausted myself enough to get back to sleep.

This is my 3rd night in a row doing this. Mostly because A.) I'm waking up almost literally every hour to use the bathroom, B). the baby likes to dance at night and C.) because once I start losing sleep, I'm tired during the day and end up falling asleep at inopportune times. And because I've gotten extra sleep during the day, I'm more likely to wake up in the middle of the night and start thinking about things.

Hence my 4:10AM post.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

What I've Been Up To

SEWING CLASS
I finally girded up my loins and signed up for a sewing class. It’s great because the instructor (who really is an excellent teacher) realizes that it’s more of a “sewing for dummies” class, and therefore uses tiny words and speaks very slowly to all of us. The other 3 girls in the class and I are greatly appreciative of this. So far, I have learned such mystical terms as “bobbin spool,” “selvage” and yes, people—even “backstitch.”

As a matter of fact, I’ve not only mastered threading and unthreading my sewing machine, but I’ve even sewed my VERY FIRST (and absolutely perfect, I might add) hemline on my pattern-assisted pajama pants (which is kind of ridiculous when I think about it, because we took my ‘measurements’ when I was 7 months pregnant, so these pants aren’t going to fit anyone by the time the class is over). Nonetheless, I’m extremely proud and can’t wait to find out where to buy CHEAP FABRIC so that I can keep practicing.

BABY JACOB
Yes, I’ve been making Baby Jacob, and while this may seem painfully obvious, it’s actually taking quite a bit of work. And by work I mean sleep. No, really, I truly have been knocked off my feet these past few weeks with exhaustion. And the icing on the cake is that my belly-button (which used to be so cute AND an inny) has herniated, which makes walking, standing or even sitting in certain positions a challenge nowadays. I feel like I’m going to turn inside-out, and that any day now I’m going to hear a loud “pop,” and there will be Jacob’s foot or hand or whatever appendage he’s decided to punch against it. In fact, my doctor advised me yesterday to start taping it down with surgical tape and medical gauze---which is what I’ve done and now I look….well, let’s just say the bizarre picture is complete. But it does feel a little better.

The good news is that my doctor scheduled a delivery date for Jake---March 18th. That’s only 6 weeks away! It was very happy news.

IN A SLUMP
I got sick this week, and therefore haven’t been that productive (and I mean even less productive than usual). Top that off with money being tight and you have a Jenny who’s longing to go back to work again---which is of course the most impractical thing in the world right now with the baby coming, except for the money part. I’ve also been unusually hermit-like which always compounds the problem. But truthfully, I don’t feel like I’m much fun to be with when I can’t really comfortably DO anything except sit around.

I wish the weather wasn’t so rainy and cold so I could at least let my boys play at a park while I sit on a bench somewhere. They’ve been such troopers, and I’m lucky they’re good at entertaining themselves.

The solution to my Debbie-Downerism is to work as hard at the things I CAN do, count my many blessing, and of course, have the baby.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Trip to the Fire Station


This actually happened a thousand years ago (Jan 22nd) and I'm just now getting around to posting it. Because I'm slow.

We were studying Community Helpers for Stevie's preschool last month, and one of said helpers was "The Fireman." One of the moms (you rock, Christine!) organized a trip to the League City Fire Station for the kids, and it was lots of fun.

They started it off with a really cool explanation of the fireman's uniform. I say cool because it was very well-tailored to the kids in that they wouldn't be threatened by seeing this huge, mask-wearing alien suddenly approaching them.


They talked about some of the basics of fire safety, one of which was stop-drop-and-roll. (Is it just me, or is there something terribly sexy about fireman's uniforms? Now where can a civilian get one....hmmmmm).


The kids were (of course) most excited about the fire engines (Which were, admittedly, wicked awesome). The firestation manager did a great job explaining all the different functions and all the different tools to the kids.


They even got to sit in the driver's seat! David was the most impressed, and kept saying to me, "Mom, MOM! Did you take my picture yet???"



And lastly, our group picture. The firemen were nice enough to take a picture of all of us together, and even loaned us some ultra-fetching fire helmets.

(And I know what you're thinking---you've never SEEN such an enormous pregnant woman draped in fuschia look so hot---I'm telling you, it's the uniform).

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Yearly Check-Up

Yesterday, I took the boys in for their yearly check-up, and the verdict is “healthy as horses.”

DAVID
Weight- 36 ½ lbs, 90th percentile
Height- 38 ¾ inches, 75th percentile


Currently, David….
-loves to listen to the song “Thriller” by Michael Jackson. It’s on the mp3 player that we put on at nighttime, and if that song comes on while we’re still in the room, he’ll say politely, “Mama, Dada, can you please get out?” I guess he wants to experience the moment.

-loves it when I sing the song “You Made Me Love You” to him. He’ll ask me to sing it again and again.

-falls asleep immediately if you put him in Time-Out too late in the day. This poses a problem because then he’s not sleepy at bedtime. Grrrr.

-got 2 shots today--- both flu vaccinations. He was an absolute champ about it---looked a bit worried and whimpered a bit when he got the actual shots, but didn’t cry once.

-is at this moment playing with the “treasure box.” (An knickknack box with all my old costume jewelry in it. They boys enjoy pretending its pirate treasure.

STEVIE
Weight- 48 lbs 90th percentile
Height- 44 ¾ inches 75-90th percentile


Currently, Stevie…
-is becoming more aware of his surroundings. He’s easily upset when things don’t go his way, and often gives way to tears. (Must be hereditary). He’s such a tender-hearted guy!

-has recently become much more loving towards me. It’s incredibly flattering, I must admit. I secretly love having the boys fight over who gets to sit by me. And what mother doesn’t crave extra hugs and kisses from her little man?

-is so, so smart. The other day, he started playing “homework,” where he asked me to write out a bunch of addition problems for him to do. Afterwards, we checked his work—and the little stink got every problem right! I’m so excited for him to start kindergarten next year, because I know he’ll love it.

-is at this very moment playing Lego Batman on the Wii—it’s become his new obsession and he’s scarily proficient at it! I would protest more, but Daddy likes to play with him, and so it’s become a sort of Daddy/Stevie bonding time.

There’s much, much more I could say about both of them, but of course I can’t remember anything at this moment. Pregnancy Brain is fully setting in, and I’m lucky if I remember to put on pants in the morning. (Incidentally, this baby seems to violently oppose pants, or any other restriction placed upon him—including sitting. He’s extremely territorial, and sometimes I feel like he’s just going to tear his way out of there! Either that, or he’s practicing for the 2012 Summer Olympics Gymnastics team).

Monday, January 18, 2010

I found out for the first time last night that my mother’s death was not just bad luck. After the lawsuit, it finally came out that the nurse who was administering her pain medication after surgery gave her 10 times the normal dose for someone her size. They admitted that after the lethal dose had been given, there was no chance of Mom surviving. My mother didn’t die of organ failure like they'd told us. She died of an overdose.

What I’d like to know is why the big charade? Why keep us on torturous pins and needles for 7 days, continuously giving us tiny shimmers of hope that maybe this or that treatment or surgery would bring her out of it and back to us? Why did they draw out our suffering when they knew they’d already killed her?

They were probably hoping for a miracle too.

I’m angry. The worst part of all of this is that it’s brought back all of the “what if’s.” I thought I was through playing out the “what if” scenarios in my head, but this makes them fresher than ever.

It was all a terrible mistake---an accident, yes, I know, I KNOW! But one tired woman’s eyes working the night shift happened to misread a decimal point—-and now all of us left here have to go on living, knowing that it was all a mistake.

It’s not fair.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Things the Lord Might Be Trying to Teach Me

Obedience. Even when things don't make sense to me. I need to remember that some things are bigger than myself and bigger than all the minds of the secular and spiritual world, and that as I struggle to find the right answers, I need to trust Him. I need to let go of my pride and just trust Him.

Humility. I need to humble myself enough to receive service from others. Acting like nothing's wrong all the time doesn't help anything. When someone's hand is outstretched, I need to take it. I did that today and it made a world of difference. How else can His angels do their work?

Faith. If there was ever a time where faith and faithfulness were absolutely necessary, it's now. How will can I ever teach my boys anything if I continually waver? I need to change my "I believe" to "I know." But, O Lord, help Thou my unbelief! Help me to be diligent when its easier to be irresolute! "Here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above."

Gratitude. The blessings in my life are amazing, and oftentimes incredible! These aren't coincidences--these are hand-delivered answers to prayers and sometimes even to secret desires. What tremendous gifts I've been given, and through no merit of my own! It's time to slow down and recognize more fully God's constant hand in my life.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Love is in the air...

Stevie Jr. is constantly surrounded by women. He is vastly outnumbered by oodles of cute little girls at church, and has apparently adapted to his situation quite comfortably. He's also one of the two boys in his preschool class, and often can be found playing "Daddy" in a routine game of "House."

Today we went to the park for a little impromptu playdate with some friends. After awhile, we noticed that he had been holding hands with his little friend Rachel for quite some time. Upon further examination, we realized they were playing "House," and Stevie was (once again) "Daddy." (Stevie and Rachel often play house together, and cavalierly call each other "Honey" with an unusual air of confidence and authority).

I ooed and ahhed a teeny bit on the cuteness of it all--until I happened to glance up at the top of the slide just in time to watch Stevie plant a big kiss on the Rachel's mouth.

I just about died laughing, all the while advancing on them as if to---WHAT, exactly?---I'm not sure. Give them a scathing lecture on NICMO'S? (Non-Committal Make-Outs). And of course by this time they had already run off and were playing there next game--as artlessly and nonchalantly as only a recently kissed 5 year old can do.

Later, upon gentle questioning, it was discovered that they were pretending to get married, and so OF COURSE they had to kiss. Realism, apparently, was of great importance--and in their sweet, innocent 5 year old minds, marriage=kissing.

So I just mentioned lightly that we really shouldn't go around kissing our friends, and that hugs and holding hands were probably just fine. But man, that was one cute moment. Wish I'd had my camera.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Good Friends and the Idiot Car

I am an extremely irresponsible person. Besides you’re all-around laziness, I also tend to be an extraordinary procrastinator. About 2 months ago, I got a ticket for having an unregistered car—unregistered because it hadn’t passed a recent inspection. THIS WEEK, we finally took the car in to get it fixed enough to pass inspection.

Because of this, the boys and I drove Steven to work this morning in his car. (sidenote---I hate Steven’s Idiot Car---from its ridiculously loud engine to it stupid 2-door entry---I hate it). Anyway, I tend to get a tad loopy when I’m up 2 hours early and its cold outside and I’m 7 months pregnant. Loopy enough, apparently, to forget to turn off the headlights when we got home and completely run down the battery.

So while I WAS feeling rather pleased with myself for getting the kids wrassled and ready to go to the gym by 9am this morning, I was less than proud to realize my earlier loopiness had most likely made us housebound for the rest of the day. But miraculously, after a few distressed phone calls and one last desperate attempt, it started.

Unfortunately, this was not the end of the Idiot Car’s troubles. While we were driving to a lunch date with a friend, the clutch suddenly crapped out---fully and totally. I couldn’t shift the gears. I tried my best to cruise into an empty parking spot somewhere and finally glided into a Quizno’s (parking lot, not the building, thankfully). I ended up having to call AAA and get a tow (which took 45 minutes to arrive).

Lucky for me, my wonderful friend saved me. She not only offered to come and pick me and the fellas up, but to wait with me until the tow truck arrived. All this with her own 2 kids and one more besides in the backseat. She even took it upon herself to belt in the car seats in order to save me the embarrassment of getting my tent-like self wedged between the seats.

So while it was initially a very irritating and upsetting incident, it gave me a great excuse spend a little time with a great gal. I went from feeling like I was going to cry and pull my hair out to feeling completely calm and laughing my butt off.

Thank goodness for good friends.

Oh, and I hate that Idiot Car.