4/23/10 - Many Faces of my Angel

Today was my Friday off (YAY), so Olivia and I spent the day at home. She decided to wake up bright and early, about the same time I'd leave for work anyway, so that was fun. We spent the morning playing and wearing ourselves out. She was out like a light for a nap, earlier than usual, so I quickly did my payday chore of paying bills, then plopped myself down on the couch for some much needed rest and TV time. Ah, it was great! Once she woke, we ate a quick lunch then ran outside for some fresh air and play time...before the weekend rain set in! We had tons of run playing with all of the new outdoor activities and spending time together, it was really a great day.

Once Christian got home for the night, we just relaxed and hung out together. It was a nice low-key evening, just what we needed! I still wasn't feeling so great, so my appetite was pretty much gone most of the day. Until about 9:00PM when I NEEDED to have Taco Bell...and Christian graciously grabbed his keys and headed out the door :)

I spent the day capturing some of the many faces of our little angel, some of the million reasons we just love her so much!

4/22/10 - The Definition of "Tired"

Well, today was pretty much a Thursday just like any other. I spent the day spreading the word that we are having another girl....much to the disbelief of most. Basically everybody we know was sure this little one was a boy, so it was fun watching everybody's reactions. After work we got home, and I was not feeling well at all. I was having really had stomach pains, and was a little worried about it. I curled up on the couch for a while, then finally brought myself to have some dinner, and finally started to feel better. Christian had taken Olivia outside to do some yardwork, so I joined them figuring the fresh air and walking about would do me some good. We cleaned up some of the bushes and plants...we of course skipped the fall yardwork, so it was much needed! However, it took much longer than I anticipated, and I ended up missing Survivor. I quickly got over it, until I heard from everybody else who watches it how it was apparently the best episode ever. I read the episode recap, and yes, I'm very annoyed that I missed it!! Just my luck :)

So, I have an actual topic for today! One thing I've noticed, is that the definition of "tired" seems to really change as you get older, and as your life changes. When I was in school, I swore I was exhausted all the time. Getting up SO early, all those classes, people and teachers, all the drama, sports, after school job, and of course the weekend social scene. I was beyond tired!

Then, I graduated, and started working full time. NOW, I was exhausted! Getting up even earlier, working all day, having to talk to people, work through issues, learn new stuff every day. It was like school, but different. You still have the drama, just a different kind. You are still using your mind and learning new things all day every day, but with the lacking social aspect of school, working somehow was WAY more tiring than school...now I was exhausted!

Then, I got married and we bought a house. Now, on top of working full time and all of the responsibilities that come with that, you have this other person to worry about, help through issues, spend time with. And, you have this house that needs tending too...dusting, vacuuming, cooking, cleaning, yard work, the constant need to decorate and furnish, the to-do list that not only never ends, but gets longer every day. Yes, working, being a wife and a homemaker, now THAT is exhausting!

Then, I got pregnant, and had a kid. Pregnancy, WOW, now that will take it all out of you. And, you just can't imagine how much, until/unless you go through it. I would get home from work, worn out, and nap EVERY day. It got harder and harder to keep up with friends and social events, trying to fend of the bed calling my name. Make it to work every day, knowing I needed to save up that time! The 24/7 worrying, stressing, thinking about the future, preparing for this new person coming to take over your life. It's simply exhausting! Then you have the kid...and your life, as you know it, is GONE! No more naps, no more sitting down for a few minutes after work, the worrying, stressing and thinking about the future is only magnified. Everything is just constant! So, really now, working, being a wife, a homemaker AND a mother...now there just isn't getting any more exhausting than that!

THEN, you get pregnant again! Holy crap, all of the same pregnancy stuff from before, plus a toddler to chase after. No more naps after work to relieve the pregnancy aches and pains and yawns. No more sitting down for a few minutes to will away those swelling feet and that hurting back. Trying to play and live life with your little one as usual, even though you have this ever growing belly making it harder and harder to show them the attention they are so used to. So no, working, being a wife, a homemaker and a PREGNANT mother, THAT is the most exhausted I will ever be...

...Until baby gets here that is...so yes, this is what I've learned. I've learned that no matter how tired and exhausted you may be, there really is no end to the limits of just how tired and exhausted you can be!

Here are some pictures from our indoor play time tonight. We have the tunnel inside for now until it warms up a bit, so that was exciting. And, the toys....oh the toys...you pick them up, and this is what happens 5 minutes later...because you can't play with just one toy, you must empty the storage completely, and then NOT play with any of them! Frank just looks on, from the safety of the other side of the gate, enraged by the whole thing!

4/21/10 - 26 Weeks, and It's A....

YUP...It's another girl for the house!!! Poor Christian, he's completely outnumbered now! I have to admit, we were completely shocked. Let me start at the beginning.

Today I am 26 weeks...last week of my 2nd Trimester, already! I had my regular check-up today, except that it was with the OB to discuss the VBAC vs. C-Section options. The appointment started out like normal. While I'm at a pretty average weight gain right now, a lot of it has come in the last few weeks, so she was a little concerned about that. Oh the joys. In addition, my blood pressure was again elevated, but that wasn't a huge surprise. She asked me how the baby's movement has been...and I told her movement has really decreased in the last week, and I was actually a little worried about it. So, she started me on a non-stress test to track everything and see what was going on. Fetal movement and heart rate checked out great, so that was a relief. After our discussion, which didn't really help me as much as I was hoping, she sent me up for an ultrasound because she wanted to have my fluid level checked. Seemed strange to me, but hey, I'll take any chance I can to see this little baby!! I went upstairs, got all set up, and the tech asked me what I'm having. I told her they weren't able to tell, so she offered to take a peek...YAY. Christian wasn't there with me, so I told her she had to write it down if she could see so that we could find out together. After she checked what needed to be checked (which was all perfect), she told me to look away and checked "down there", and baby was on FULL display. She sent me off with a sealed envelope. Back to work I went, to sit there ALL DAY with this envelope calling out my name. LONG DAY!

Once I got home, we ordered a romantic dinner of Chinese Food, picked it up, then it was time for the big reveal. We, along with just about everybody else, have been POSITIVE this baby is a boy. Everything about my pregnancy has been different than the last, there are no similarities. When we opened it, and saw "GIRL", we were very shocked. I'll admit...I want my little boy SOOOOOO bad, but I was actually more excited about having another girl than I expected. I'm not really looking forward to teenage years....two teenage girls, basically the same age...AHHHHH. But, I think in the long run, with them being so close in age, it really is better this way.

So, that was our big day!! Not at all what I expected when I woke up this morning, but perfect in every way! I'm so excited to start talking names, to pull out Olivia's clothes and see what's going to work, to buy a cute little "coming home" outfit, to buy the crib and bedding and set that up, to NOT have to paint the room....time to really start going on this stuff!!

In tradition, here is my 26 week picture...yippie :)

4/20/10 - Outdoor Activity Extravaganza!!!

Well, I am fully willing to admit it...We are obsessed with buying kid stuff. I can't help it...we don't buy anything for ourselves, nothing for the house, put off car maintenance, etc....just so we can buy kid stuff. I think it's becoming a problem...but, I'm OK with that. Olivia loves being outside, and once the baby comes, we're going to need as much as possible to keep her busy and entertained. We decided to splurge on some outdoor "stuff" for Olivia so we'd be sure to get outside throughout the summer and play. Like I mentioned a couple weeks ago, we got her a sandbox, a tree swing and a wagon for outside. We picked up an inflatable pool (hoping to use it soon!) and some other little toys over time from Target. Now, we have just about completed our collection (for now anyway). I ordered some stuff last week, and it came today, so of course right after work we rushed right out to pick it all up! We got her a Climber Activity Center, a Picnic Table and a Sand and Water Activity Table. Of course we immediately had to set everything up as well...we have virtually NO patience, which is probably pretty obvious by now!

Of course Olivia had to "help" us put everything together, so that makes everything take about twice as long. But, we did it! It's still a little chilly, so we didn't bother filling and Sand and Water Table yet, but she LOVED the Climber and the Table. Seeing her have so much fun, and really enjoying everything, reminds me why I love spending our money on her...it's all about her!

Here are some pics of our new equipment, and of course some pics of her helping :)

4/19/10 - It's Monday...

...And that's just about it. Monday, again. But hey, it is over now!! Nothing too interesting happened today...just the norm, work then home. Olivia was NOT a happy camper today...very crabby. The only thing that cheered her up tonight was sucking on some ice cubes...how you can hold onto ice cubes like that, I have no idea, but she was all about them. Every time she would finish one, she ran to the fridge and whined until she got another one. Very fun...

That was pretty much the excitement of the night for us! It was another beautiful day today, so we got in a little bit of play time outside, grilled some dinner, and just hung out for the evening.

Here is Olivia, devouring one of her ice cubes :)

4/18/10 - Sunday Funday!

Well, not completely fun. It was a normal Sunday...chore day!! We did lots of cleaning/picking up around the house, and I did laundry (I'm really beginning to HATE laundry). Christian was busy doing some outside work...Olivia did lots of playing and supervising! So, it was a good day all around. Like usual, just can't believe it's Sunday already!

The day started with Olivia "helping" with laundry. This consisted of her pulling all of the clothes OUT of the basket, and putting the found change into piggy...










After nap time, since it was again oh so beautiful out, we got Olivia out to enjoy it a bit. Our trip outside began with some playing...










After that, she decided Dad didn't do a good enough job mowing the lawn, so she finished up...










After that, she decided Dad needed some supervising whacking the weeds and fixing the riding mower (apparently the bunnies made a nice home of it over the winter!)...










Playing, mowing the lawn and supervising Dad can get very tiring, so she took a break to supervise from a distance, sitting on the doorstep...

4/17/10 - Let's Go To the Zoo!

Well, we're in for another beautiful weekend, so we definitely had to take advantage of that! We were up and em' early, like usual. Played a little, had some breakfast, then got ourselves ready to head out to the zoo. We basically have two zoo's in the area...Como Zoo and the Minnesota Zoo. The two are vastly different. We typically go to Como...it's smaller, they actually have a better variety of animals (Minnesota doesn't even have elephants, zebras, giraffes...you know, the NORMAL animals), it's FREE...it's just better all around. Minnesota is huge, but it's way too big, you can't see most of the animals most of the time. Well, Minnesota has this "farm babies" exhibit going on, AND, it's literally right down the road from us, so we thought we'd check it out. SO NOT WORTH IT. You didn't even get to really see/pet the farm babies, which is what I thought the point was, so that was a waste. Like usual, most of the animals were hiding and/or sleeping, so there wasn't much entertaining there. But, it was nice to be outside, and Olivia still seemed to have a good time. We did get into the goat petting zoo, and she really didn't know what to think about that. The goats just swarmed her, and we couldn't figure out why...until we realized she still had a handful of goldfish in her hand!!! Poor thing, once those were gone, she took much better to the goats...she did NOT like sharing her snacks! It did result in a 3-hour nap from her, so that's a plus! In the end, we'll be sticking with Como from here on out...I'll take the extra drive into the city!

After the zoo, and the nice LONG nap, we just hung out around the house and relaxed for the evening. We had a little later bedtime thanks to the late nap, hopefully that will result in a little sleeping in????

4/16/10 - TGIF!!

Yes, it's Friday, time to breathe a sigh of relief! We had a pretty fun night tonight. Christian was off to dinner with a coworker after work, so it was just us girls tonight. It was actually still pretty nice out when I got home from work, so Olivia and I headed out to the back yard to get some play time in. She had tons of fun in her sandbox this time...she didn't want to get out! Once she finally left the box, she ran around chasing her balls. I'm actually surprised by her kicking and throwing skills...she's pretty impressive if I don't say so myself!! The poor thing is stuck playing softball and soccer, taking after mom and dad, so she better just get used to it now :)

It was finally dinner time, so we had to head inside. That did NOT go over well. Olivia has been mastering the art of throwing a tantrum for a while now...and tonight we had the worst meltdown yet! She stood at the deck door for quite a while, screaming her head off! I swear, I can't imagine what our neighbors were thinking at that point! Who knew going inside was basically child abuse to these wee ones! Anyway, this is the look I got (and I'm sure you can imagine the sound that accompanied it) until she was in her highchair, eating dinner (watching Wheel!)...fun fun!

4/15/10 - Just Another Thursday

Yup, just another Thursday, just like any other Thursday! We were off to work, then home for the norm; play, dinner, play, bed! We are those horrible parents who have the TV on while eating...shutter. Anyway, we always have Wheel of Fortune on, and Olivia seems to love it more and more. She watches so closely (this is the only time she actually pays attention to the TV, so it's quite entertaining), she claps along with the crowd and she yells out answers (in her own language). It's so funny to watch. Tonight she was REALLY into it!

I'm thinking, when it comes to teething, Olivia has a much harder time with bottom teeth than top teeth. Her two bottom molars are all the way in, but she's still working on 4 top teeth right now. But, she's been sleeping much better lately, and hasn't been so crabby, so I don't think they are bothering her as much...THANK GOD! Other than that, it just amazes me how much she changes, seemingly every day! We look at her, and she just looks like a real little person now, it's crazy. You ask her to do something, or get something, and she actually knows what you are asking. If she wants something, so knows how to express that to you. She has such a HUGE personality, and just gets more and more independent. How can somebody so small do all of this, it truly amazes me! After dinner, she spent some time hanging out in her new rocking chair...

4/14/10 - 25 Weeks

Today marks the big 25 Weeks! That number seems huge, only 15 weeks to go! I have NOT been feeling well at all lately. I've been really nauseous again, and my headaches have returned. I don't get it...hopefully it doesn't last long, but I don't have a good feeling about it. I feel like I'm starting to get HUGE. Well, I am, but I'm really feeling it these days. Sleeping is getting a little uncomfortable, that's pretty much the same as last time though...I remember tossing and turning all night long the last couple months with Olivia. So far, that's about the only thing similar between the two pregnancies! This baby is still SUPER active and moves all day long...I'm afraid this baby is going to be CRAZY...that makes me nervous!

I have my big OB appointment one week from today. I'm anxious to get there and have the big VBAC conversation and get things going. The thought of everything is still very scary and overwhelming, but I think once I sit down and have a real conversation about it, I will feel more prepared. Still over two weeks until our follow-up ultrasound...feels like it's never going to get here! I'll be happy to finally get the all clear on baby's heart, and I'll have all of my limbs crossed that baby will decide to flash the goods this time!!!