And Baby Makes 5

We have the wonderful news that we are expecting another baby in September.  My 2 youngest will then be 19 months apart with our oldest child at 10 years old.  Apparently having 2 children under 2 years of age is termed "baby bunching".  Sounds fun, right?  I sure hope so!  Thankfully my daughter just recently passed her Red Cross Babysitter Course so she will be well prepared for the chaos that is going to envelope our house soon.  I haven't decided yet whether to find out the gender of the new baby or to be surprised.  My first ultrasound will be on April 3rd and I am really excited to see our newest family member.  This will be the last time we do this so I am trying to enjoy every moment, from doctor appointments to pants fitting snugly to hearing the heartbeat for the first time.  I do find it difficult to "be in the moment" sometimes while I tend to my 1 year old and answer math homework questions from the big kid all while juggling 10 000 appointments and diabetes, but I am doing my best.  The one thing I have always been good at is writing in their baby books.  It was the first thing I bought for each of my children.  I like to write little notes in them and chronicle their special (and sometimes only special to me) moments.  Poor Rinoa's pages are falling out but it is stuffed full of our memories that she will be able to cherish when she's older and wondering what she did in her childhood.  Riarson's pages are quickly filling up with his "firsts", like saying "bapple" tonight for "apple".  Cute, right?!  The new baby has the smallest book, but already I have written little thoughts about how I feel about meeting him or her.  I know this pregnancy is going to fly by since I am already in my 2nd trimester now.  Being a Mom makes me so happy and fulfilled, I look forward to continuing this adventure.

Golden Silence

The sun is shining brightly on the snow-covered lawn out my front window.  The large branch that fell in the wind storm a week back is still in its place.  Everyone is out of the house except for me and the babe, and he's sleeping!  The silence is almost deafening.  I've already gotten my workout done.  The laundry begs to be done as it lays limply on my basement floor, so close to the laundry room but not quite there.  Dishes need to be done as well, but I can quickly pile those into the dishwasher anytime...at least that's what I tell myself during the week and they still don't get done!  I think I might nap on the couch.

On The Run

Today has been filled with appointments and disappointments.  The weather didn't help either.  I have found it is not fun to carry a purse on one arm that is laden with diapers/wipes/snacks/wallet and whatever else ends up in there, and a baby in a car seat which tends to dump out teddy bears and blankets with the help of the occupant. I started an exercise program today and am way jigglier than I previously was.  Yes, part of that was due to previous pregnancy, but I also have not eaten healthy all the time.  Well that is about to change.  After today's workout though, I am absolutely wiped out.  I wish I could have a nap but my little guy is a busy bee keeping me on my toes.  His new favourite hangout is by the dog food dish.  Our dog Bella tends to have food aggression, so not the best place for him to be so I am constantly chasing the boy much to his delight.  I am happy the weekend is about to arrive.  The enlistment list for chores will be going up shortly.  I just can't keep this house straight on my own right now.  I NEED HELP!  I am not ashamed to admit it.  Housework is not my favourite thing and after the busy week I have had it suffered greatly.  This weekend needs to get our house back in order.

Big Baby

My poor wee laddie has his first cold.  Although he is 11 1/2 months old he seems to have skated by without so much as a sniffle let alone projectile vomiting.  But now that his first cold has surfaced he has the saddest faces.  Giant green booger bubbles expand out of his nostrils with no warning and I've been forced to used my sleeve once when I forgot to put tissues in the baby bag.  YUCK!  I forgot how disgusting babies can be, lol!  Riarson's sleep has been all out of whack as well and my moods have suffered greatly.  Grumpy Mommy is not a good thing.  I managed to grab a shower during his nap this afternoon to regain my composure and be reasonable.

Rinoa has been quite the handful lately.  I think it is due to the fact we have a Korean student staying with us.  I think the attention level just isn't where it needs to be and she is acting out.  Some days she can be so whiny when she comes back to school that I want to ship her right back out the door.  Other days she is very helpful and full of energy and beams sunshine and rainbows.  I can't keep up!  Once Carry leaves at the end of February I am hoping she returns to her normal self.




I can't turn my brain off lately...things just keep going around and around in there.  Maybe it is due to the lack of sleep I've been getting these last few days?  Doesn't help that I have been nauseous at night as well.  John's snoring almost caused me to ask for a divorce last night!  My mind was focusing on the most inane things...John's snoring (all 1 1/2 hrs of it), the sound of the fan (to drown out the snores), Riarson's movements (he kept kicking me), the fact I never get to keep blankets on during the night (the baby kicks them off), and the list goes on.  Hopefully I can get some better rest tonight.

Lots of doctor appointments coming up.  We are seeing the specialist for Riarson since he is near the 2% mark for height and weight for his age.  Rinoa has a dentist appointment coming up that she is not looking forward to.  She has a wiggly tooth that just won't let go so we are going to get it pulled.  Her adult tooth has already arrived underneath the baby one so we need to get that taken care of.  Rinoa is working hard trying to get that tooth to come out on its own so it won't need to get pulled.  I get to see the doctor as well and John should be heading into the dentist in a few months for some work done.


Time to start thinking about what to make for dinner.  Have a great day everyone!

Attitude

Since when did 10 years old girls think they are the centre of the universe?!  I am learning very quickly how to navigate my little girl's mood swings with a heavy heart.  Gone are the days of her obeying without question.  She is normally such a good kid that when she pulls a public meltdown, I am sometimes unprepared.  I had to walk out of a shoe store yesterday because she wouldn't take of her large soccer socks to get her feet measured properly.  I've never had to do that before.  I gave her three chances and then out the door we went.  The poor kid needs a pair of shoes, I guess we will try it again in a few days and see what kind of results we get.  On the plus side, her punishment includes helping me unload/load the dishwasher which helps me immensely.

Hairspray: Friend or Foe? / Other Musings

To make a short story even shorter...I squirted hairspray in my eye.  But my hair looks nice!  Have you ever noticed stuff like that happens ONLY when you are in a hurry?  That, and misplacing keys.

My brain seems weird to me.  It seems like pregnancy or being a new Mom (again) seems to trigger forgetfulness to a whole new level as well.  I know I'll have to do something and then 10 seconds later I'll be sitting there wondering what it was I was supposed to do.  Is is baby-brain or something worse?  Alzheimer's is in my family and I worry that I am getting early on-set of the disease due to the frequency of my forgetfulness.  I generally have a firm grasp of my surroundings and my faculties but sometimes I will forget how to spell a word that I had never had problems with.  Thirty years from now when I can't remember my own name I will look back at this and realize this was the beginning!

I am stalling so I don't start the housework that needs doing now.  Riarson is being a good boy and I should take advantage of that.  My pile of clean laundry is begging me to fold it so I shall.

Is It Nap Time Yet?

I hate that feeling of looking around my house and knowing so much needs to be done.  We live in our house.  Toys get strewn about. Laundry gets washed, dried and folded but never seems to be put away.    My toilet get scrubbed when I have advance notice of guests arriving, but seldom otherwise.  Don't even get me started on the dishes!

Nap time is that magical moment when the baby finally lays down his sweet head and there is finally silence in the house...well, aside from the dog tap-dancing her way across the living room floor (that constant reminder that she needs to be clipped) and a cat gakking in a not-too-distant room.  But I digress.  Nap time lets me catch up on some neglected chores.  Or at least in theory it does.  Usually the first thing I do when I get Riarson to sleep in his crib is eat.  Finding time for myself to eat at regular times with a little one attached to my hip is problematic most days.  Did I mention I am diabetic?  More on that later.  Anyway, so I eat.  While I eat I will watch a tv program.  That takes an hour.  Then I will start whatever chore needs doing and the phone will ring or there will be a knock at the door.  There goes another 20 mins.  Continue the chore, but now the baby is a ticking time bomb so I get scared to make noise so the chore gets done slower than usual.  I can usually get one chore done with an audible sigh of relief which stirs the dog from her resting place to twinkle-toes her way to the door to be let out, at which point the sound of a crying baby starts.  Thanks dog.

I am by no means a clean-freak, but gee whiz, it would be nice if my house sparkled top to bottom just for one day.

Riarson just fell asleep so I am going to put him down for a nap...wish me luck!