And Baby Makes Four

It's been such a joy having a baby in the house again! There are other emotions, of course, such as exhaustion, frustration, and the occasional suffocating feeling of being overwhelmed. (By the way, I cannot imagine what it must be like to have multiple babies at once. The people who manage this feat have my utmost respect.)

Gannon completes our little family. After the complications we had attempting to expand to a household of four, we're counting our blessings, surely. Our newest member came with a few quirks, though, and they've really kept me on my toes!

First, this little guy was face up during a majority of my labor. That, combined with the fact that we knew he was going to be a hefty little guy, made us realize that a natural birth may not be possible. After some shoving and coaxing by my midwife, and my body's innate ability to correct the issue, Gannon finally turned as he descended down the birth canal (thankfully!).

After we were discharged from the hospital, we struggled mightily with breastfeeding. Avery had been a champion at nursing, so these feeding problems with Gannon were stressful and completely foreign to me. After approximately eight days of attempts - some successful, most not - I remembered a segment I had read in one of the breastfeeding books the hospital had given us. It turns out Gannon was tongue tied! I spoke to the pediatrician on call (Who assured me that even if Gannon was tongue tied, she had only recommended that three cases in her 27 years of practice be surgically fixed, therefore she doubted the problem with nursing was due to his tongue. She told me that most likely our problems were because of poor nursing positions and all we would require was more education on proper latching techniques.). Monday morning I called to set up an appointment with this physician (Not because I liked her, mind you, but because I knew our problems were going to prove her over-the-phone diagnosis wrong. And I love a chance to prove I'm right!).

So, to make a really long story slightly shorter, we saw the physician later that week. She recommended we see one of their lactation consultants to have a latch evaluation, and by Thursday we were seeing an ENT specialist to have a lingual frenectomy.

My breast pump and I are no longer best friends, and I can't tell you how happy that makes me. And if the rate of growth of this boy is any indication, we're definitely doing a good job. My two-month-old snuggle bug is currently wearing 6 month size clothing, and I'm lucky if I get two wearings out of any given outfit. Thank goodness for second-hand stores that take gently used children's clothing!

Now I can say that the only challenges we're dealing with in the Weatherby household regularly are that the dog decides he needs to go out at the exact moment that I sit down to feed Gannon, Avery has to have a refill of juice or milk while I'm changing a diaper or bathing his brother, and Gannon decides to fuss while I'm playing with the dog and/or Avery. I've also become much more respectful of single parents; how on earth does one take an infant and a preschooler out on their own? The person who invented the shopping carts with the plastic seats geared for older kids have my complete admiration. And although I vowed I'd never use one, I found myself breaking down and purchasing one of those backpack-leash doodads to keep my misbehaving older child next to me while we're out and about without Matt. I discovered I'd rather deal with the incredulous looks and embarassment at using it than abandoning my infant so I can go chase after his brother.

These little hurdles make me sigh with contentment (and exhaustion) at the end of the day, though. I am a happy woman, indeed.

So Much to Say!

My goodness, it's been a while, hasn't it? I have a number of posts planned just to update you on all that's changed in recent months. First, though, I have to tell you about my newest love.

His name is Gannon Russell. He came into this world kicking and screaming on October 21st of this year. I'll spare you from the labor and delivery play-by-play, but let's just say it was miraculously short (painful as all hell, of course, but short!). After twelve minutes of pushing, out came this nine pound, seven ounce bundle.















Thankfully, his older brother decided a couple months before his arrival that it would be ok to have a little brother (Phew!). Avery has been excited and helpful, sometimes bordering on overzealous. I've decided, however, that I'd much rather have that than deal with an older son who despises his sibling.

I've got loads more to say about this little guy and the chaos he's added to our little family, but for now, I think I'll let some photos do the talking.

The Sky Over Fargo/Moorhead on 7/5/10

Did you see it for yourself? It was gorgeous! And for once I thought to grab my camera. Just in case you missed it, let me fill you in:

Still nothing creative or juicy to report. Maybe if I remember to strap my camera around my neck more frequently I'll become a little more inspired. We'll see.

We'll be having a new baby........

BOY!

Yep, my feelings were nothing more than some wishful thinking, apparently! However, I must say that after learning the gender of our newest family member, I wouldn't have it any other way. I mean, really, don't I add enough drama to this Weatherby clan as it is?

Don't answer that. Let's just bask in the happy light of knowing that every little ounce and milimeter of this little guy appears to be healthy, according to the sonogram tech and her measurements.

Okay, here's the exciting part:

Names!

After lots of cool-for-a-minute notions, we've narrowed our list down to two possibilities:

*Ian Russell (Matt's favorite)

*Gannon Russell (My favorite...although I'm quite fond of Ian, also.)

Russell is Matthew's middle name, and his father's first name. Avery has my dad's first name for his middle one, so we always knew if we had another boy we'd follow suit with the other side of the family. And while we were still deliberating girl names, we were considering Matt's mother's name, Alayne (or a form of that name), for either a first name or middle name, should we have a daughter.

We're considering waiting until we meet this little boy to decide which name fits him best. Honestly, though, I've already been trying Gannon out, making sure it's something Avery can pronounce (he still has trouble with R's and L's...and I wasn't positive he'd be able to spit it out...but he can! Yay! One point for Mama's name - we're ignoring the fact that Ian is even easier to say than Gannon, by the way.).

That's about it for Weatherby news currently.

We hope the sun is shining down on you.

IntelliGender Confusion

For some reason, I've been slightly convinced that this little bean I'm carrying just might be a girl. (Really, this is only supported by two very weak facts: 1. I've been crazy-sick this pregnancy, and 2. Baby's heart rate has been in the high 150's to low 160's range.) It's been killing me that we have to wait so long to find out the sex of the baby! I mean, hey, Matt and I have agreed that this is our last babe, so it's sort of our last hoorah - or something.

Anyway, our ultrasound is scheduled for May 28th. Woohoo. Great. Whoop-dee-doo. That's still another 3 weeks away! My in-laws are coming the week before, and it would be fantastic if we knew, and could celebrate, when they're here. I even considered calling my physician's office to see if we could move our appointment a week earlier. Then I remembered I'll just be 18 weeks on the 28th...and since the window of optimum heart imaging is between 18-20 weeks, I figured we'd better not push our luck. So I gave in.

Then I talked to my friend, Sara, last night! There is something called the IntelliGender Gender Prediction Test. As my pal was explaining this to me, I was thinking that it's probably about as accurate as dangling a pendant above your belly and waiting to see if it moves from side to side, or in circles (By the way, I did this one, too...and it made circles - which is supposed to mean it's a girl!). But apparently, some actual "doctors" claim that this test is 90% accurate, and can be performed as early as 10 weeks into your pregnancy. It detects hormones in your urine, indicating by a color code the sex of your baby.

Ok, so I wasn't exactly convinced yet...but I sure was curious. So this morning I headed to my local CVS pharmacy and bought a test ($40 plus tax!!!). Now, I didn't take photos of my results, but I can tell you they looked like the girl results on this page! I'm not about to rush out and buy everything pink and ruffly I can find, but it's sort of fun - especially if it's accurate! If, on the 28th, however, we're told we're having another boy, I will definitely regret the purchase price. My husband will surely have something to say on the matter, as well.

Goodbye, First Trimester!

We won't be missing you!

That's right! We finally hit the 13 week mark. No more progesterone supplements, no more vomiting (at least, not in the last week+), and the exhaustion levels have certainly decreased.

On another positive note, I had another OB check yesterday. Baby's heart rate is still in the high 150's, and my doctor is confident that things will go smoothly from here on out! I had been going in every two weeks to monitor the baby's heart rate and make sure everything else was progressing normally, and after yesterday's visit, I was told I didn't have to come back for 5 weeks!

So, on May 28th we will do another ultrasound (and if things go well, we should find out the sex!) and an appointment with my doctor. During the ultrasound they will focus in on the four chambers of the baby's heart, to make certain our new little one doesn't have any congenital heart defects. Since Avery has a couple issues in that department, our chances are slightly higher that we'd have another child with a similar problem. There has been nothing thus far to indicate that this baby has anything abnormal going on, but knowledge is power in this sort of situation, and the medical staff would like to be aware should our baby need any special care upon birth.

(*Praying that isn't necessary whatsoever!)

In other news, Avery is immensely enjoying "listening" to the baby in Mommy's tummy :) It makes me happy, too, knowing he's excited about the prospect of a new sibling. Let's just hope that good-natured attitude keeps up once the little one is here and wailing 'round the clock!

Happy weekend to you all.

9 Weeks & 6 Days

Tomorrow will mark week 10! Hooray!

Here is what I've discovered since my last post:

1. Reglan makes my heart go pitter-patter (and so not in a good way. Dr. B-G said, "No more.").

2. Zofran gives me the yawns, and makes it virtually impossible for me to get anything done in a day. Plus, I was still throwing up while taking it, so what's the point?

3. I would give my left ear to be done with this first trimester! Ugh! The vomiting is really getting old.

4. I am so very thankful to have a mother and husband who are understanding and willing to help out. I can't even remember the last time I cooked a meal for my family!

5. We are excited that this pregnancy has stuck (fingers crossed it stays that way!), and that as each week passes, we get that much closer to adding to our little family!

Wishing you all a Happy Easter full of good food, good friends, love, and family.

6 Weeks and 3 Days

That's how far along we are in this pregnancy! Phew -- I've been debating whether it's too early to announce it to the world, but I've been at my bursting point for way too long...so announcing it I am.

I'm not foolish enough to believe we're in the clear yet, though. After all, I was eight weeks when we lost one before. However, as soon as I saw the two pink lines on the pregnancy test, I called my physician's office, went in for lab work, and discovered my hormone levels weren't spiking as they should have been. I've been on progesterone supplements since we found out about this little bun in my oven, and thankfully, they seem to be doing their job.

We had our first ultrasound on Friday, to make sure things were developing as they should. We got to see the baby's heart beat! And here is the craziest part: our ultrasound tech informed us that a fetus' (I don't particularly care for that term...) heart starts to beat between five weeks five days and five weeks six days, and according to her findings, I was at five weeks six days on Friday. She told us it was entirely possible that the little heart had just started beating within hours! Honestly, I didn't really care when exactly it had happened as long as we could see proof that things were going well so far. And that little heart beat sure calmed my fears for a good while.

So the plan is that I'll stay on the supplements through the first twelve weeks of pregnancy, when we are most susceptible to issues. We have another ultrasound scheduled at the end of March, just to make sure everything is still on track. We will also have our first doctor's visit, so hopefully by that time we can be even more confident that this pregnancy will result in an addition to our little family.

I've been praying, and praying, and praying. And I don't think I'll be stopping anytime soon.

Let this be the one!

Closeup of a Three-Year-Old

My baby turned three this month. I can't believe the changes this last year has brought; my boy is dressing/undressing himself (and gets quite miffed when we try to assist!), speaking like a school age child, using the toilet for its intended purpose regularly (accidents happen, of course), and expressing his ideas, interests, and opinions as an individual. There are more accomplishments and milestones, obviously, but these seem to be the defining moments each day in which I look at this child and wonder,
"Where did my baby go?"

This boy loves broccoli.

He gets frustrated with his mama's photo sessions.



He has ridiculously long eyelashes.

He is fun. And hilariously funny.



So silly.

And when we cuddle - whether we're reading books,
watching cartoons, or having a quiet moment -
he leans in for a hug,
and tells us with absolute certainty,
"I love you so much."

Oh Avery...
I love you so much.

Success and Positive Thinking

1. Success!

Avery is going potty on the toilet. Hooray! I have to confess: I was really stressing over the idea that he may not be potty trained by his third birthday. Then, last Saturday morning, he woke up and wanted to wear some BBU's (Big Boy Underwear). We've tried this approach a couple of times in the last year; putting underwear on and telling him he can't go potty in them, placing him on the toilet, etc. He was excited about this whole idea previously, but never had the patience to sit and wait for the potty to come. Last weekend, though, he stayed on and peed like a champ! Occasionally, after that first successful attempt, he would reject the suggestions I made that he try to sit on the toilet again (usually in about 1/2 hour intervals). So to entice him, I used these little incentives:

- A squirt of baby soap in the toilet, so that when he went potty, he made bubbles!

- A Potty Poster - one star sticker for potty, two star stickers for poop (which we haven't succeeded at yet). Once the poster is filled, he gets to pick out a new toy from the toy store.

- One M&M for each time he even sat on the toilet the first day (thankfully, he forgot about this incentive by the second day, and was more focused on the bubbles and star stickers).

- Fun Disney character underwear. He was so excited to pull those pants down and see his Bob the Builder (actually, I don't think this one is Disney, but you know what I mean), Batman, and Finding Nemo undies every time we went into the bathroom!

It has now been just over a week since we started this potty training shove, and we've only had a handful of accidents. So far, he hasn't made a #2 deposit (he is still wearing diapers overnight and has saved the pooping for then), and aside from making sure he gets lots of fiber and drinks plenty of fluids, I'm not sure what to do to make this one happen on the toilet. I'm trying to be patient, though!

We have an adapter seat on the standard toilet that Avery usually goes potty on, but I've read that doing the "big job" on something so high up makes them feel nervous, which means they're unable to relax enough to poop. (I'm sorry, by the way, if anyone reading this is offended by my topic today. It's a Mama thing, and I doubt I'll offend other Mamas out there. Anyone else can just skip this first portion and go straight down to the Positive Thinking section of my post.) We have a little potty chair in both bathrooms (three kid toilets total)...so we have just been using each of the different ones randomly throughout the day, thinking that maybe he'll find one is "The Perfect Pooper."

So, the point is: I'm open to suggestions. How do I speed this process along? Or at least keep it on track?

2. Positive Thinking

My subtitle for this blog is a quote by Norman Vincent Peale. While I love the quote, I honestly hadn't even heard of Dr. Peale until I Googled famous quotes about zest for life. I decided it's quite uneducated and ridiculous, really, to quote someone about whom I know nothing (I just spent the last 10 minutes trying to figure out if I had written that last sentence properly).

To solve this issue, I decided to order this from Amazon last week. Since Dr. Peale was a minister (preacher?), much of his focus is on the role God plays in one's life. I would say that I'm spiritual, if not overly religious. The reviews I read before purchasing this book were pretty impressive - one reviewer even goes so far as to say the book is like a pocket psychotherapist. Hm...

I have barely begun reading it, but already it has me thinking about my beliefs. I have always questioned why Catholics believe their version of Christianity is better than all others. I have also wondered why each niche religion insists that what they believe is different from the beliefs of others'. From my standpoint, many - if not all - beliefs are centered on the idea that there is a greater power, and that we, as believers, followers, humans, disciples, etc. are to keep that in mind while going about our lives. We are not to feel entitled to everything the world has to offer, but to feel thankful when we are blessed with good things and experiences, and to reflect spiritually - internally - when those things or experiences are not so good.

If the intent of old Norm's book is to make people realize that sometimes we are not in control, I've already figured that out, thank you. I'm hoping I can take something more than that from this collection of three books in one, though. In the first few pages of The Power of Positive Thinking, Dr. Peale declares that the answer to diminishing self-doubt is to fill those doubt-filled spaces with God's love, support, and dependability.

Now I understand this idea...really, I do, but doesn't this thought process also give away responsibility for one's successes and failures? If I put God into every nook and cranny of my being, the way I'm told to, does that really solve my feelings of insecurity? It is my belief that we are ever-changing individuals - and we are intended to be this way. I think, for instance, that I could be a more generous, giving person...doing more to impact the lives of people who are less fortunate than I. But (unless I'm taking Dr. Peale's thoughts too literally) if I just fill this shortcoming with the knowledge that God accepts me as I am, does that really help me to become a better person?

Perhaps I haven't read far enough into this book yet. Maybe there are more defined, proactive steps to bettering myself than I have found in my initial 26 pages of reading. So far, though, I find myself a little doubtful that this book will be the magic tool I use to improve my quality of life.

I Got Sidetracked...

I really have been meaning to get back here and tell you about more of our favorite things. My little hopeful business venture got an unexpected endorsement this week, though.

Oh. Dear. Me.

I had hopes of starting my own day care out of our home. It was put on the back burner, though, after our propery managers failed to install the fence we were promised. So Avery and I have been content just doing as our hearts desire each day.

Until Tuesday!

I've got a little guy starting twice a week with me! It turns out, it's not what you know that gets you places -- it's WHO you know. (I know...we've all heard this before, but in this instance, it was proven to me indefinitely.) A lady who works with my mom at the clinic was looking for someone to watch her adorable nearly-one-year-old son two days a week (her mother watches said cutie the rest of the week).

So, please excuse me if I've been a bit distracted. I've been scrambling to insert all of the outlet covers and crawl around looking for other dangers to little beings.

Hopefully we'll get into a better rhythm after the holidays.

Until then,
Merry Christmas!

Just a quick note

My sister and her boyfriend, Jeff, are bringing home a little holiday gift today.

His name is Porter, and they found him here. If you're considering getting a pet, please check out the local shelters. Not only will it make you a happy pet owner, but you can feel great about adopting for a number of worthwhile reasons:

*Your pet (if old enough, and of the furry variety) will already be spayed/neutered.
*You will have the satisfaction of knowing - for certain - that your money is not going to an evil breeder.
*You will have supported a wonderful organization.

A word of warning: view the adoptable animals at your own risk. It's taking all the self-control I can muster not to rush off and adopt every single animal in the facility!

PetFinder.com

4LuvofDog.com

Fall Findings

With H1N1 (a.k.a. "swine flu") making its presence known lately, we've been a bit hermit-like in these parts. Due to the fact that Avery and I have no obligations to the outside world on a day to day basis, I thought we'd just weather this storm in the comfort of our home.

Then I remembered we currently share a home with my mother (and who filled in at the pediatric department last week, assisting in the treatment of approximately 40 sick children).

As I was thinking of all those scary germs, I remembered another frightening fact: money is some of the most germy, yucky stuff on earth. It just so happens that money is something my husband handles EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. *shudder*

Needless to say, I implemented a strict hand washing law; the minute one walks in the door, hands must be washed, and clothes must be changed.

I feel I need to defend myself...I am usually not a germ-a-phobe. The 3 second rule for eating food dropped on the floor in our house is sometimes stretched to 5 and even 10 seconds. Heck, if a piece of candy goes unnoticed for a few days, and Avery snatches it up and eats it, I've even managed to not cringe.

But this flu has us all in a tizzy, so we've stayed in. We've been baking (more to come on that later), doing craft projects, reading books, and playing indoor games. Autumn has all but passed us by. Then, yesterday I glimpsed the sun shining through the window as my son jumped wildly on my couch cushions.

Okay, so we won't be going to the park and exchanging nasty high-fives with germy kids, or careening down the booger-smeared slide. But we sure can walk around the neighborhood! So off we strolled into the crisp autumn air.

By the time we returned home, I had an armful of "pwetty weaves."








I'm so glad we didn't miss this.

Pumpkin Carving

This is the first year we've really done pumpkin carving with Avery. He seemed very excited about the final product, but wasn't so sure he wanted to partake in the scooping phase of the process. Thankfully, Matt is able to convince Avery to do just about anything (sometimes that's not so good), and he had him scooping pumpkin guts in no time.

I said he was scooping...I didn't say he enjoyed it.

Once we got the guts scooped, it was on to carving. I realized at that point that if Avery didn't enjoy the scooping portion, there really wasn't anything left that he'd have fun doing. Crap. He did get to pick out his stencil, though, and seemed very excited about his choice.

Can't you see the excitement???
Matt chose to do his pumpkin old-fashioned, claiming, "stencils are cheating!" And, yes, maybe they are, but I wouldn't have been able to create Avery's monkey face without one.

My beloved worked diligently, first drawing on his design with a pen, then carving. I tried so hard to get his "concentrating look" captured on film. He purses his lips together and releases them in rapid succession - it's quite hilarious to watch. Unfortunately, I've given him a hard time about this expression a few too many times, and since he knew he was being photographed...Well, I just couldn't catch it. Oh well!

(By the way, this is the first time my husband has had a full beard - this is only a couple weeks' growth, and supposedly there will be no shaving for months. It sure takes some getting used to! But I think it fits his personality.)
After we finished, we found a nice, dark bathroom to test out the Jack-O-Lanterns.

Avery's monkey face. (It's tough taking photos in the dark without a flash - so expect some blur!)

My crow. (My mother claims this isn't a traditional Jack-O-Lantern {in mom-speak this means she doesn't like it} and while I agree that it's not, I still like it. A lot.)

Here it is! Matt's piece de resistance: Goofy, gap-toothed, googly-eyed Jack. My mother adores him. Maybe next year, Mom, maybe next year.

Hope your Halloween is spooky, safe, and full of treats.

10/14/06

Today marks our third year of marriage. Three years ago we stood in front of our friends and family and exchanged vows. With our baby growing inside me, you promised to love, cherish, and be faithful; I promised the same to you.

We've been through a lot together, Matthew, and I feel it has only made us stronger - as individuals, as partners, and as friends.

I dream of having more of your babies; seeing the best of both of us in them.

I look forward to the days when we are blessed with wisdom that only age and experience can bring us, and of our children's children bouncing on our knees and giggling into our joyous faces.

You are so much more than my husband, and I love you dearly.

Happy Anniversary.

The Great Medical Facility Debate

We've had to make a decision about where we are going to doctor with this little baking bun.

I've been a medical receptionist off and on for almost five years, and I've worked for both medical facilities in our small community. They each have their pros and cons, so it was sort of daunting to decide where we will spend our considerable bun-birthing dollars.

There are a number of factors that played into our final decision. The first, and probably most important, is that both of my previous deliveries took place at Innovis Health. I had no prenatal care with baby number one (that's a story for another time...), but feel that the birthing process and the care given were certainly as accommodating and genuine as one could have hoped for in that situation. (Did that make any sense?)

Four years after that first delivery, my husband and I found ourselves in need of an obstetrician for our first baby together. So who would we choose? Why, the same man who delivered baby number one, of course! Dr. Greg Glasner is an extremely likable, caring, and knowledgeable physician. However, he is now the CEO of Innovis Health, which means he now spends more time attending board meetings than he does delivering babies. Bummer for us.

So now we virtually have a blank slate. Who to choose?

After Avery was born, his heart condition required us to see a pediatric cardiologist (he has an ASD and a VSD, in case you're wondering). It turns out the only one in town was located at MeritCare. So off we went, MeritCare newbies, lost in a maze of criss-crossing hallways and a sea of other patients. And while Dr. Rodrigo Rios took wonderful care of our worries and our tiny boy, we were never tempted to turn all of Avery's care over to MeritCare.

Perhaps it could be said that most of my loyalty to Innovis (formerly Dakota Clinic) is due to family roots. My mother is a nurse, and has worked for Dakota Clinic for many years. Growing up, I was always taken there for illnesses, check-ups, and annual sports physicals. This is also where my parents were hospitalized each time my dad had a heart attack/stroke, and my mother had cardioversions to treat her congestive heart failure. Anyway, you get the point: lots of strong, deep roots.

Then, when I went back to work full time after Avery was born, I just happened to get a position with MeritCare. To be honest, I felt a bit like a traitor. But take the job, I did, and I can honestly tell you it was the best fit I've ever had in the employment arena. (I say this past-tense only because my child apparently has issues with daycares, and I am now his full time care provider again.)

Ok...back on track, Megan.

For insurance coverage purposes, one who is employed by MeritCare doctors with MeritCare (otherwise you get screwed up the wazoo with out-of-network costs). So we chose a new pediatrician for Avery, and Matthew and I chose MeritCare providers for ourselves.

So, do we stick with our new network of caregivers? Or do we go back to the providers we know and love...a network of people we've known for years and years?

The unknown is scary. Would the MeritCare labor and delivery nurses be as good, as compassionate, as patient as they were at Innovis? Would the lactation consultant be as understanding, helpful, and encouraging? And possibly the most important question: Would the doctor who has gotten to know us during all of our prenatal visits be the one to deliver our baby? Would he remember my name? My husband's name? Our son's name? Whether we were expecting a boy or a girl - or, heaven forbid, more than one baby?

Also, I have given birth twice without an epidural. I have not needed the surgical expertise of a medical doctor. If this area offered one, I may even have opted for a birthing center, rather than a hospital setting for this baby's birth. I plan to go as naturally as possible again this time.

The answer is that for us, Innovis Health is the right choice. We know them. We don't always love every teeny tiny thing about them, but at least we know their flaws, and we can accept them. We have chosen Terry Burrell this time around. After Dr. Glasner moved on to administrative duties, I saw Terry for an annual check-up, and liked him. He's also a CNM, which means I will be one step closer to a more natural birth. MeritCare, I discovered, does not offer any midwives for prenatal care or delivery.

Sometime in May (most likely), you will find us on the sixth floor of Innovis Health. I'll be exhausted and uncomfortable, but I'll be content and happy, too, knowing we made the right decision for our little family.

It's Official!

WE ARE PREGNANT!

If you're a Facebook friend, you've known this for a couple days. I apologize for not updating all of my online friends at the same time, but I had a couple of reasons. The first is that I wanted to post a dorky picture of me holding my positive home pregnancy tester stick here, and since I can't find the cord which connects my camera to my computer, I've been held up. Also, it's still quite early, and I feel as though shouting this pregnancy from the rooftops may jinx it.

Our first visit to the Dr's office is 10-7 (which is apparently just to have bloodwork done and to get my information packet from the OB nurse). Our first Dr's visit - when we get to listen to the heartbeat for the first time! - is 10-21. So as time creeps on, I am growing more and more confident that I won't jinx myself, after all.

We are so excited! Matt is a huge bundle of nerves, but that's my hubby for you. I'm starting to wonder what Avery's reaction will be when this baby is born and he discovers that I have not just given birth to his two-year-old cousin. I think we may just spend the next 7+ months clarifying the situation.

"Teghan baby"

***Have you ever tried to do a photo session of just you and someone else using a camera that has a little weight distribution problem (don't get me wrong, I LOVE my D60, but trying to just point it at yourself at arm's length is exremely difficult!)?

Anyway, I'm getting a little off the topic. Matt and I have been talking to Avery for the past six months or so about how he'd feel about having a little baby brother or sister. So far, he's really excited about the whole idea! (Not that we have news for y'all, because we don't YET.) And when asked if he'd like a baby brother or a baby sister, he states very emphatically, "I want a Teghan baby."

Teghan is Avery's cousin, whom he doesn't get to see often. She lives in Nebraska with her mommy and my in-laws. But the few occasions he's been able to bond with Teghan, he's loved every moment of it. Yes, part of that time is spent being the older (by three months) bully. But the majority of it was wonderful! At least from the mama's perspective...

My loving husband has only sisters - his own, whose name is also Megan, and my two, Danielle and Jessica. He has seen for himself the drama and mood swings that come along with having females in a household. Because of this, he has proclaimed that he will never have a girl - he even states he doesn't "make girls." Mmm hmmm. Yup. His "swimmers only make boys."

Well, Matthew, I have my heart set on a girl. And yes, as long as the baby is healthy I truly don't care about the sex. But darn it, if your negative attitude is the only thing keeping us from getting sugar and spice and everything nice, I'm gonna be a mama with one huge chip on her shoulder.

And trust me, you don't wanna cross this mama.

Books, books, books

Oh, how we LOVE books!

Well, I should clarify. Avery and I LOVE books...Avery's daddy - not so much. I'm okay with it, though. If I can't convert my husband, I'm at least going to make sure my children appreciate all the wonderful, out-of-this-world, imagination-tickling places books can take us.

A couple weeks ago, Avery and I stopped by Savers and spent the majority of our time searching for books that would appeal to a 2 1/2 year-old. We found some real winners! And not only did we get a great deal (eight hardcover books for less than $2.00 a piece), but they have really become some of our favorites.

In my next posts, I'm going to share them with you. And we're going to start today with my favorite out of the bunch, "Five Nice Mice" presented by Chisato Thashiro, translated from the Japanese by Sayako Uchida, and adapted by Kate Westerlund. (Phew! Jennifer, if I didn't do that correctly, please look away now and pretend I was never your student!)

Not only is this story adorable -- I mean, come on, mice and frogs??? How could it not be cute? -- but the pictures are endearing, too. Here, I'll show you!

Now, I'm not going to tell you the whole story, but here are a few of the highlights:



In this scene, the mice have just come from a concert performed by frogs, and have been inspired to start a band. They hunt around for items to transform into instruments. See the can of tomatoes and the pencils? They're my favorite.




The completed instruments! They practice very hard so they can put on their own concert. Don't you just love the lollipop drumsticks?




Near the end, mice and frogs have joined together to make beautiful music.




This one is Avery's favorite. They played so long and so hard, they just wore themselves out!

By the way, this book is part of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Just in case that matters to you.




Tomorrow: "The Mine-O-Saur" by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and illustrated by David Clark. Betcha can't guess my reasons for buying this one! The fact that this has become Avery's favorite could be taken two ways: either a) it is seeping into his little brain, switching a little lightbulb on in the sharing department of his brain, or b) he IS the Mine-O-Saur.

Let's hope for the first option, shall we?

Lessons learned

Sounds like I'm going to share some kind of changed-my-life-forever life lesson, doesn't it?

Nope!

I'm referring to Avery's first swimming lesson, which was last Thursday evening at our local YMCA. You see, my boy is in love with water. We inflate his little floaties, put them on his arms, and in the time it takes you to uncap the sunscreen, Avery is already jumping off the dock and into the lake.

Because of this passion for water, Matt and I decided now is the perfect time to start some actual swimming lessons (lessons that go way beyond our, "Move your arms! Kick your legs! You're paddling just like a little puppy!"). We thought we'd capitalize on this situation, before Avery would have a chance to develop any sort of fear of water; large bodies of water, large fish, etc.

As it turns out, a child can't be enrolled into a swimming class on his own until he's three. (Do you see where this is going?) Which means that one of the loving adults in his life get to sign up with him, and accompany him in the pool. Did I mention this is SWIMMING LESSONS? And it requires a person to WEAR A SWIM SUIT?

I think I've become a fairly rational, level-headed adult. But the thought of donning a swim suit in front of other (slimmer, more glamorous) adults just about put me into panic mode. I trudged into the YMCA Thursday evening, though. I knew my little tadpole would benefit from these lessons, and I'm a mama, first and foremost.

Surprise! There were mamas just like me! Granted, there were some who were definitely slimmer, more glamorous, and just plain lovely, but I was so focused on the instructors and their lesson, I didn't have time to worry about how my thighs jiggled or how my post-pregnancy belly was still MIA.

And my little tadpole? Well, let's just say after having the freedom to do as he liked in the water at the lake, he had a slight problem with authority. At the end of the lesson, however, the instructors allowed the children to jump off the edge of the pool into their Mommy or Daddy's arms. Talk about leaving on a good note!

Three more classes to get through...then this winter after his birthday, he can be enrolled in a class on his own. Much as I hate to admit it, I think I'll breathe a sigh of relief knowing I don't have to squeeze into my swimsuit and accompany him in the public pool again.