Dear Small Fry,
Today is not any sort of prenatal milestone. In fact, I'm still not 100% exactly how many weeks pregnant I am. 28, I think. And such is the life, I gather, of the second child!
Today is the day when I realized that it's okay to take time for me...and then to actually do it. I mean, I KNOW it's okay for me to take time for myself, and in fact it's very important to do so. I've read the books, the articles, the blogs, etc. But knowing and doing are two VERY different things. Today, I took a 5 minute nap on my 10 minute break. It seems so simple, but I felt absolutely rejuvenated when I got up the vaguely uncomfortable couch in our staff office.
So far, this pregnancy has been harder than our first. And while it's easy to say "uh oh, signs of things to come" I don't really think so. I think that it is more that I have been pregnant in winter and have a ton of stuff and responsibility on my plate. Way more than with your sister. For instance, I can't just sleep until 9 every day. Heck, I can't sleep until 7:30--since I am usually getting up earlier to get your sister ready for preschool. I am pretty proud of myself though, your room is mostly done!
Things really are getting real though! We've scheduled our Meet the Midwives class at Kaiser, to see who we may be working with when you are born. I've also scheduled a sibling preparation class for your sister. It's exciting and terrifying all at once!
I'm now going to finish my evening taking time for myself by going to bed early. I finally don't feel terrible (it seems like the last two weeks has been the worst ever), but I really just want to lie down in my bed and be comfy. So that's what I'm going to do.
See you soon!
Love
Mama
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Saturday, January 24, 2015
3 Years Old!
Dear Lorelei,
Today, you are three years old. I find that an awe inspiring and terrifying idea. How did that happen so quickly??? It seems as if this year has gone by in a flash, yet you are so different from your two year old self that I remember so well. Your personality has definitely developed this year and you are very much your own person.
You are Adventurous.
Seriously. You are not afraid to try new things and you warm up to new people and situations really well. You adapted to school like no one's business and are even (dare I say it) very popular among your classmates. This totally throws me, since your dad and I weren't terribly popular in school. You are also physically adventurous--willing to climb to new heights and do things that terrify me! At the park last week, you mastered walking across a balancing bridge and even jumped off a three foot tall platform by yourself!
You are Opinionated.
There are things you like and things you very much do not like, and you are not afraid to let us know which is which! While this sounds like many three year olds, it makes us laugh. You do not like for us to sing or dance at the dinner table or in the car or while you are watching a movie. We need to dance in the living room, to specific music, at specific times (usually before bed, when you are supposed to be brushing your teeth). You also have very definite ideas about what to wear. You refuse to wear jeans or cords at all. Only leggings or tights. You want things to "match" but not in the way most people think of matching. Today, you wore your Frozen shirt with hearts on it with your coordinating black leggings with turquoise hearts and your black rain boots with hearts on them--they matched because they all had hearts. It was not okay, however, that Mommy was wearing a yellow sweater with my blue shirt and jeans. Mommy needed to wear a blue sweater.
You are Kind.
You are well loved by your classmates and teachers. You adore your cousin Logan (something which is mutual). You love giving hugs and kisses to everyone--even the dogs! You pushed down your friend Ruby at a playdate, just to give her an apology hug after. You are looking forward to being a big sister, and love practicing tucking your babies in, giving them bottles and changing their diapers.
You are so Grown Up.
You are mostly potty trained at this point. While you still have accidents--usually when you are too busy playing and having fun to bother stopping--they are few and far between. You have even been consistently waking up from naps dry and have even woken up a few mornings with a dry diaper! You want to read so badly--our bedtime story has become very challenging lately! You want to read me the story, nevermind that you can't actually read. It seems we have a nightly negotiation where Mommy reads the words and Lorelei turns the pages. I guess we may start being a little more proactive in teaching you your letters and sounds! You want to do everything yourself. You pick out your jammies and diapers at night, and put them on by yourself. You want to pick all of your clothes and shoes and do it all yourself, because you are a "Big Girl". But sometimes, you still want to be my baby.
We are very proud of the little person you are becoming. Happy Birthday to my Best Girl!
Today, you are three years old. I find that an awe inspiring and terrifying idea. How did that happen so quickly??? It seems as if this year has gone by in a flash, yet you are so different from your two year old self that I remember so well. Your personality has definitely developed this year and you are very much your own person.
You are Adventurous.
Seriously. You are not afraid to try new things and you warm up to new people and situations really well. You adapted to school like no one's business and are even (dare I say it) very popular among your classmates. This totally throws me, since your dad and I weren't terribly popular in school. You are also physically adventurous--willing to climb to new heights and do things that terrify me! At the park last week, you mastered walking across a balancing bridge and even jumped off a three foot tall platform by yourself!
You are Opinionated.
There are things you like and things you very much do not like, and you are not afraid to let us know which is which! While this sounds like many three year olds, it makes us laugh. You do not like for us to sing or dance at the dinner table or in the car or while you are watching a movie. We need to dance in the living room, to specific music, at specific times (usually before bed, when you are supposed to be brushing your teeth). You also have very definite ideas about what to wear. You refuse to wear jeans or cords at all. Only leggings or tights. You want things to "match" but not in the way most people think of matching. Today, you wore your Frozen shirt with hearts on it with your coordinating black leggings with turquoise hearts and your black rain boots with hearts on them--they matched because they all had hearts. It was not okay, however, that Mommy was wearing a yellow sweater with my blue shirt and jeans. Mommy needed to wear a blue sweater.
You are Kind.
You are well loved by your classmates and teachers. You adore your cousin Logan (something which is mutual). You love giving hugs and kisses to everyone--even the dogs! You pushed down your friend Ruby at a playdate, just to give her an apology hug after. You are looking forward to being a big sister, and love practicing tucking your babies in, giving them bottles and changing their diapers.
You are so Grown Up.
You are mostly potty trained at this point. While you still have accidents--usually when you are too busy playing and having fun to bother stopping--they are few and far between. You have even been consistently waking up from naps dry and have even woken up a few mornings with a dry diaper! You want to read so badly--our bedtime story has become very challenging lately! You want to read me the story, nevermind that you can't actually read. It seems we have a nightly negotiation where Mommy reads the words and Lorelei turns the pages. I guess we may start being a little more proactive in teaching you your letters and sounds! You want to do everything yourself. You pick out your jammies and diapers at night, and put them on by yourself. You want to pick all of your clothes and shoes and do it all yourself, because you are a "Big Girl". But sometimes, you still want to be my baby.
We are very proud of the little person you are becoming. Happy Birthday to my Best Girl!
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Dear Newbie-18 weeks
Dear Newbie (what I'm calling you this week),
You are 18 weeks along this week. I'm finally FINALLY feeling better. I had a few weeks there where it was seriously touch and go. I'm back to eating meat, mostly. Thanks for giving me a break! Now can you explain the cheese thing? I mean, I love cheese, but I seriously cannot get enough of it right now. Particularly fresh mozzarella. And eggs. I could eat mozzarella, hard boiled eggs and toast with butter for every meal and be a happy camper.
Things are definitely getting real. I actually look pregnant (in a big way. It was like I "popped" overnight)! And I just got our first package in the mail for you--7 brand new cloth diapers, to replace some of the old, ratty ones your sister wore through. So if you are a girl, and 99% of your stuff is hand me downs from Lorelei, you will at least have 7 brand new diapers bought just for you!
I've been thinking about your nursery a lot. Of course, right now it is covered in boxes and presents and Christmas decorations. Then it will be full of birthday stuff for your sister. But then...then it will be your turn and I will finally have the time to actually get stuff going for you! I've been thinking of a woodland theme, but subtle. Lots of natural wood objects, images of deer, rabbits and foxes. Robin's egg blue, gray and a kind of yellow-green (not quite chartreuse). I've got a few ideas up my sleeve...
We'll be seeing you (in about 155 days!)
Love
Mama
You are 18 weeks along this week. I'm finally FINALLY feeling better. I had a few weeks there where it was seriously touch and go. I'm back to eating meat, mostly. Thanks for giving me a break! Now can you explain the cheese thing? I mean, I love cheese, but I seriously cannot get enough of it right now. Particularly fresh mozzarella. And eggs. I could eat mozzarella, hard boiled eggs and toast with butter for every meal and be a happy camper.
Things are definitely getting real. I actually look pregnant (in a big way. It was like I "popped" overnight)! And I just got our first package in the mail for you--7 brand new cloth diapers, to replace some of the old, ratty ones your sister wore through. So if you are a girl, and 99% of your stuff is hand me downs from Lorelei, you will at least have 7 brand new diapers bought just for you!
I've been thinking about your nursery a lot. Of course, right now it is covered in boxes and presents and Christmas decorations. Then it will be full of birthday stuff for your sister. But then...then it will be your turn and I will finally have the time to actually get stuff going for you! I've been thinking of a woodland theme, but subtle. Lots of natural wood objects, images of deer, rabbits and foxes. Robin's egg blue, gray and a kind of yellow-green (not quite chartreuse). I've got a few ideas up my sleeve...
We'll be seeing you (in about 155 days!)
Love
Mama
November
Favorite Food: applesauce, "shiny bunnnies" aka Annie's gummy bunnies, "square cheese" aka Tillamook colby jack slices.
Favorite word or phrase to say: "Lorelei good helper!"
Cutest Moment: Getting so excited to see "Super Grandma" for Thanksgiving, stealing whipped cream off of her (much older) cousins' dessert plates at Thanksgiving, following her cousin Natalie around like a puppy.
Naughtiest Moment: Epic meltdowns
How Mom's Feeling: Wait. It's December? And I haven't done this yet? This is how my month has been! Crazy! I honestly don't even remember November. Some things happened. Thanksgiving. We survived our first road trip with a toddler. It actually went very smoothly. We made a few stops, came up with some baby names--Zebulon Archimedes and Zelda...something or other :)
The best, and most surreal moment, was sitting on the beach in Ventura on Thanksgiving morning in our bathing suits, building sandcastles. Such a classic southern California Thanksgiving! And now we're almost halfway into December and we've jumped into Christmas (and Hanukkah at work and preschool). Oy veh!
Monday, November 17, 2014
Dear Itty Bitty-15 weeks
Dear Itty Bitty,
(I've decided at this point to call you Itty Bitty until we know who you are. It's either Itty Bitty or Zebulon. And if you're a girl, Zebulon certainly won't work!)
So again, Dear Itty Bitty,
This week you are 14 weeks. Or maybe it's 15. I don't know. And I'm pretty sure that doesn't make me a bad mom. It's just that life is so crazy right now. I'm chasing (literally) after your big sister Lorelei, teaching preschool gardening classes three mornings a week and teaching afterschool Kindergarten 5 days a week.
Your existence is, well, a little surreal. I guess it's why this is the first time I've written to you. When your sister was conceived, we saw ultrasounds of her every week. I was taking hormones and pills and injecting my tummy with meds. And I was throwing up all the time. She didn't (and still doesn't) stay in the background.
You on the other hand, came quickly and unexpectedly. It was almost too easy. I expected the other shoe to drop. But it didn't. And I felt nausea, and I've thrown up (and am still feeling rather sick), but nothing like with your sister (thank god). And suddenly, I'm in the second trimester.
You don't like meat. What's up with that, kid? With the exception of fish, I can't eat beef, pork or chicken. I've gone virtually vegetarian. Which is fine, except I still need to cook meat for the rest of the house. I was thinking I wasn't having any cravings, really, except this morning I realized that I'm completely obsessed with grilled cheese sandwiches and could probably eat one a day. So, you don't like meat but love a good grilled cheese.
Your big sister is very excited about you. We've been watching a lot of Daniel Tiger episodes about having a new baby. She thinks you are going to be a baby sister. Until she thinks you will be a baby brother. It's very cute to see.
Your daddy and I are having a little more fun with your pregnancy than with your sister's. With Lorelei, we were so excited about everything that we couldn't wait to share it with the world. With you though, we're having fun keeping everything a little close to the vest. We waited the full 12 weeks before announcing I was pregnant. And then we did it by dropping clues with music videos. We'll probably find out if you are a boy or a girl, but we might not tell everyone else. Or we might. We're definitely keeping your name a secret. We're not planning on having more kids, so we're going to have as much fun as we can with you!
Time is flying fast. We'll see you in May!
Love,
Mama
(I've decided at this point to call you Itty Bitty until we know who you are. It's either Itty Bitty or Zebulon. And if you're a girl, Zebulon certainly won't work!)
So again, Dear Itty Bitty,
This week you are 14 weeks. Or maybe it's 15. I don't know. And I'm pretty sure that doesn't make me a bad mom. It's just that life is so crazy right now. I'm chasing (literally) after your big sister Lorelei, teaching preschool gardening classes three mornings a week and teaching afterschool Kindergarten 5 days a week.
Your existence is, well, a little surreal. I guess it's why this is the first time I've written to you. When your sister was conceived, we saw ultrasounds of her every week. I was taking hormones and pills and injecting my tummy with meds. And I was throwing up all the time. She didn't (and still doesn't) stay in the background.
You on the other hand, came quickly and unexpectedly. It was almost too easy. I expected the other shoe to drop. But it didn't. And I felt nausea, and I've thrown up (and am still feeling rather sick), but nothing like with your sister (thank god). And suddenly, I'm in the second trimester.
You don't like meat. What's up with that, kid? With the exception of fish, I can't eat beef, pork or chicken. I've gone virtually vegetarian. Which is fine, except I still need to cook meat for the rest of the house. I was thinking I wasn't having any cravings, really, except this morning I realized that I'm completely obsessed with grilled cheese sandwiches and could probably eat one a day. So, you don't like meat but love a good grilled cheese.
Your big sister is very excited about you. We've been watching a lot of Daniel Tiger episodes about having a new baby. She thinks you are going to be a baby sister. Until she thinks you will be a baby brother. It's very cute to see.
Your daddy and I are having a little more fun with your pregnancy than with your sister's. With Lorelei, we were so excited about everything that we couldn't wait to share it with the world. With you though, we're having fun keeping everything a little close to the vest. We waited the full 12 weeks before announcing I was pregnant. And then we did it by dropping clues with music videos. We'll probably find out if you are a boy or a girl, but we might not tell everyone else. Or we might. We're definitely keeping your name a secret. We're not planning on having more kids, so we're going to have as much fun as we can with you!
Time is flying fast. We'll see you in May!
Love,
Mama
Saturday, November 1, 2014
October
Favorite Food: crackers, berries, pears
Favorite word or phrase to say: "Lorelei go to preschool!"
Cutest Moment: After mommy had a meltdown at the kitchen table, Lorelei patted me on the shoulder and said "It's okay Mommy. It's okay to cry sometimes."
Naughtiest Moment: Throwing things at the dogs, then putting herself in time out.
How Mom's Feeling: Exhausted. So, so exhausted. We have officially announced that we are expecting our second little one, and I am so thankful. Now I have an excuse for why I am so tired All. The. Time. I already have a lot on my plate, along with being in my first trimester (which is fortunately just about over). Poor Lorelei has been feeling the effects of a tired mommy. Dinners tend to be a bit later, and on weekends, there has been less fun time and activities and more quiet time. Looking forward to having a bit more energy so we can get back into doing some of our regular fun outings and projects!
So far, Lorelei seems pretty excited about being a big sister. We've been watching a lot of Daniel Tiger episodes, especially the new ones about having a baby sister. Lorelei has been announcing that she is going to have a baby sister, and even likes carrying around a picture of the sonogram. She's also been playing with her baby dolls a bit more.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
September 2014
Favorite Food: Apples and Pears
Favorite word or phrase to say: "Lorelei go to sleep, wake up, play more!"
Cutest Moment: After taking Lorelei to get a physical for work, she has been obsessed with checking my "heart beep!" Thinking this little girl needs a doctor's kit for Christmas (ahem, Auntie Toffy!)
Naughtiest Moment: Trying to ride the dogs like ponies.
How Mom's Feeling: First off, how is it already October 9? When did THAT happen? Anyway, it has been a crazy busy month! Lorelei LOVES preschool. She gets excited about going to preschool the night before. "Lorelei go sleep, wake up, go PRESCHOOL!" It seems like she just spends the entire day doing things she loves: painting, check; blocks, check; cooking, check; playground (with slide, of course), check; water table, check; sandbox, check; jumping around in PE, check. I definitely think she was ready for preschool. She comes home talking about her friends and her teachers. So many of her classmates have a hard time with separation, lots of tears when mommy says good bye, but not Lorelei! In fact, sometimes the other parents will tell their kids to "go find Lorelei. What's Lorelei doing?" Which is usually being at the challah making table or the paint table. She's at school for a long time, which I initially was worried about. But she's handling it like a champ. She starts at 9:15, then goes to nap at 1, then is at Stay and Play until 6. It's lucky that several of her classmates are in Stay and Play with her. And she seems to have made friends in her afternoon class, too. She is always waving at someone and saying "Hi Friend!"
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