I have become so busy lately that I have to look through my camera to remember what we did this month! I empty it out after each month so I can post my blog! I am about 3 months behind on my uploading.
Lately, I have been working a ton of hours. At work, one of my fellow supervisors took a position elsewhere, leaving me all alone during the week. We hopefully have a good candidate so I can lighten my load sometime soon. Then I usually have some sort of doc appointment either for diabetes or just a routine OB visit and Miss IC has music and gymnastics. Sometimes, I wonder how we have clean clothes or groceries. I don’t know why I feel so much busier here versus when we lived in MN, but I really do.
NC started ripping apart the bathroom yesterday! We are w/o a potty upstairs and soon w/o a tub. Thank goodness for 2 bathrooms! We are shooting for a completion date before Baby Sister arrives (mid to end of Dec), but as long as it’s done before her baptism (Marchish), we’ll be happy! I think we are going to just replace the tub with a nice shower with a bench to sit on so I can shave my legs still. Tons of research online has shown me some beautiful setups that I am excited about. We have a Jacuzzi tub downstairs and we figure most people take showers most of the time so it won’t hurt resale. Plus, since we have a nice jet tub downstairs, why would we bathe in a normal tub upstairs? Granted our little ladies will have the downstairs rooms and bathroom at some point and it would probably be better to have the tub/shower setup swapped, but NC doesn’t want to move the tub upstairs (hehe, I did ask him!) and I don’t blame him. I honestly don’t know what I would do without a handy dandy husband. He really is deserving of the pedestal I always put him on in my mind.
Since IC is engrossed with the new Tinker Bell movie I have a little time to do my internet surfing/blogging. I always need a little time during the week to myself so I can check out my friends’ blogs and check my email. Our Miss IC has definitely reached the peak of her independence thus far. Wowsers! Her mantra lately has been- “NO, ME DO IT” and if you have already completed the said task and she thinks she needs to do it, she will un-do what you have done and re-do by herself. And I cannot comprehend how much her little brain can process, remember and repeat back to me. We love to see how she can think more outside of the box and correlate other aspects in her life with something she has learned or already knows. You can have a conversation with her and she loves to tell you all sorts of stories. She is leaving the baby stage and is a little person with her own thoughts and her own voice about them. She is quite the artist. However, we have noticed she draws things upside down or in reverse. I hear this is normal for this age, but it is funny when you have to turn her paper around to see what she drew! We also work on counting, ABC’s and the sounds they make and she loves to play Memory. I reduced the set so we only play with maybe 8 cards and she really enjoys finding matches. She is very excited for “her baby” to arrive and has silly faces she plans on showing her to make her laugh. There are 2 new babies at her daycare so the transition at home should be pretty easy for her.
I believe it is the terrible 3’s and not the terrible 2’s. She turns 3 in a couple of months and her little sweet, quiet demeanor has a switch now. Switches that can be turned on/off in the blink of an eye and you never know when that switch will be pulled. It’s like living with a hormonal teenager in the miniature version. It almost always happens when she is tired and frustrated, but has seen it happen when she doesn’t get her way. Usually some alone time in her room or a good rock in the chair will fix the problem. She lets you know now that “You hurt my feelings Daddy/Mommy”. Well, we are sorry that you can’t bring your ponies to the dinner table. Our big thing we have been working on is apologizing. She thinks you should tell her sorry anytime you have to tell her something she doesn’t want to hear or have any sort of stern in your voice. “You are hurting my feelings, say you’re sorry!” Trying to get her to differentiate hasn’t worked yet, but I suppose it’ll come with age. I guess I am happy she will apologize and acknowledge she has wronged someone and knows that people should also apologize to her if they need to. Our daycare lady is really awesome in that regard. Manners are always pushed and the kids are expected to treat everyone with respect and suffer the consequences when they don’t.
I am in my last full month
of pregnancy now! Woo Hoo! Time is flyin’!!!!!!!!!!
Another month has come and gone without a single post. When it gets close to the end of the month, it keeps bugging me and bugging me until I post something. I LIKE to post blogs. It keeps a record of our lives, in pictures and in words. I am especially happy now that I blogged throughout IC’s pregnancy. I return to them often to compare notes, but then feel guilty because I have not done nearly as much for #2 as I did for #1.
I blame it on a harder pregnancy. Or maybe it feels harder because I work full-time, have a 2.5 year old, a house, a husband, and was busy before I was pregnant. So I guess the pregnancy itself isn’t harder, I just have much more to deal with this time around. Plus, I have been sick for coming on 2 months straight! It is the worst cold I have ever had and I can’t seem to kick it. I am increasingly whiny about this because I never really get sick. The docs say it is probably me getting over one virus and picking up another due to suppressed immune system (from being pregnant). I’d like to live in a bubble until December. Keep your germs to yourselves.
#2 is progressing well. She is very active, so much more than IC. I need to stop comparing them because they’ll be different little girls, but I find myself doing it during every phase. #2 kicks me all day! Thankfully, when I finally asleep, I am a rock so she can’t keep me awake. She is probably fighting back from my incessant coughing, but man, she is busy. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes again (week 26). I was lucky and got to skip the 1 hour test and go right for the 3 hour test. Drinking that orange sugar pop is disgusting. Part of me thought that it wouldn’t happen again, but I was preparing that it would so it wasn’t a shock. I had my first visit with my endocrinologist, my dietician and my diabetes educator. Right now, we are monitoring my blood sugar levels. I’ll email them after a week and the doc will decide whether I need insulin or not. Comparing my levels from last time, I’ll probably be on insulin soon. It is all ok-it holds me accountable for my eating and forces me to make better choices.
We cannot agree on
a name. It will be very interesting to
see what the end result will be. With
IC, we both loved it right away and pretty much decided that was her name
unless she popped out a he. I have two names I really like. An old work acquaintance (Sweet Pea, that’s you!
I love your name!!!) named her little girl one of the names in question. I kinda feel that if I use that name, I am
stealing it or something. NC has a hard
time if it isn’t a commonly used name.
It takes awhile to grow on him. We have a couple of months left to
figure something out! At this post, I am
almost 28 weeks – 2 months left to go!!! Where has the time gone?
It seems like summer is sneaking away and admitting defeat this year. The remaining summer is going by in record speed and I barely have a tan. I really enjoy those days when you feel like your skin is burning and you might sweat to death. Or maybe I just am saying that because we haven’t seen too many days like that this 2009.
Our August has been exciting. We found out that our little bump in the oven is another mini-me. A girl!! That discovery allowed us to finalize paint colors for the girls’ room and get that mostly done. I am really hoping the ultrasound person is correct! We have some finishing touches that won’t be done for awhile, but I will have pictures up soon with our progress so far.
We also welcomed a new baby to the family. My cousin’s 2nd baby, a boy was born in the beginning of August. IC loves to talk about baby W and hold him when she gets the chance! I can’t believe how much hair he has!
IC’s daycare was closed for
vacation for a week so we traveled to Sioux City, IA to visit my sister, bro-in-law and niece. It was in the 90’s for two of the days we were
there, loved it! NC helped out with some
home projects and I spent time just hanging out. IC really enjoys following her 7 year old
cousin around.
Last weekend was the Fargo Air Sho. I had never seen the Blue Angels, so I was pretty excited about that. IC liked to watch the prop planes flying around, but the jets were just a little big too loud. I brought my “ears” from work for her, but she didn’t really like those and preferred to walk around with her hand over her ears instead. It is really amazing to see how perfectly trained these pilots are. They made it look easy!
NC is headed to Minneapolis for a baseball weekend with his high school buddies.
They made a trip to Chicago a couple of
summers ago to watch the Cubs. I am happy he is getting out of town and away
from the daily grind. He has been
working very hard on the house and also at UND.
He is going to be overseeing a large project coming up and has been in
the planning process for that. The rest
of us are heading back to Fessenden for the weekend before the town is consumed
by harvest.
IC has really turned around this year with her picture taking. She is actually smiling and liking the camera! So much that when she see it, she’ll say “picture me, picture me!” Not really a hard request for me to fulfill!
Some of her PICTURE ME moments:
Hmmmm....think we look alike?
My good buddy, WK, is the owner/operator of Northern Exposure Photography . One of the perks of this friendship is we get to be used to build up her portfolio and to test out new equipment or camera settings.
IC looked so darn cute one day that I could not resist calling her to beg for ONE shot in this adorable outfit that Grandma C bought her. IC loves this outfit and we sent her to daycare in it and our daycare lady also agreed it was cute, but needed an essential sailor accessory - the sailor hat. Lucky for us, WK was headed to University Park for a different photo shoot, but had 15-20 minutes to spare before that family showed up.
Here are my faves:
I continue to be disappointed in my blog posts. They haven’t been as prolific as IC’s first two years, but as I am trying to learn how to parent a toddler who has a mind of her own and the legs to walk wherever she wants, I find my time (and energy) waning. It makes me sad because I can look back and I have a detailed story of her life and even being pregnant with her. Even my picture taking of her has declined and I am afraid that this new baby will suffer from 2nd baby syndrome where there just aren’t as many pictures of him/her.
IC is an absolute hoot though; this is by far my favorite age. Every day she busts out a new declaration of some sort. Most recently, she has started complimented her Daddy on his eyes. I don’t know if she gets that from me, but I am always telling NC that I wish I had his pretty blue eyes. So the other day, she says, “Daddy, I like your eyes”. I said to her, “What about Mommy’s eyes? They look like yours! Do you like mine?” She says to me, “NO, I like DADDY’s eyes” and she continues to tell him that everyday. IC did compliment me on my hair though. We are going through the phase of repetition and memorization. We sing the same songs in music class every week, we read the same books at home, we watch the same Disney DVD’s, put the same puzzles together and once she seems to either master one or get bored, she moves on to the next. She is developing quite the tan lines too this summer and has passed Daddy in color (not really that hard I guess). I can’t remember if I blogged about our hurdles in the beginning of the summer.
NC and I try very hard to not imprint our pet peeves, phobias, likes or dislikes on to IC. It is more fun to see what sparks her interest. So when I see a giant, ugly bug, I try to remain calm and point it out to IC and explain to her what it is. I am not a fan bugs and the creepy crawly legs attached to them. If she eats cottage cheese, I try not to vomit in my mouth and tell her it is a great source of calcium and eat another bite and sure Mommy will try some. I despise cottage cheese. And when NC tries to get her to eat pickled herring, I do step in and tell her that her breath will smell like gross dead fish and that her and Daddy will be roommates that night or until she can gargle with Listerine. There has to be a line drawn somewhere. Anyway, since we try really, really hard to let her make her own determinations about the world around her, we were amused when she saw the first fly in our house. She shrieked in terror and clung to NC. Then at daycare, the cotton was dropping from the trees and apparently IC had a near nervous breakdown because she thought they were bugs falling from the sky on her. TD (daycare lady) thought there had to have been a broken bone. IC is okay with bugs now, if she can just look at them from a distance. Discovering her quirks has been one of my favorite journeys of parenthood.
I have noticed lately, when she is nervous around new people, instead of clinging to us, she will talk to them, but not answer any questions, she has to show you something of hers, like her dress, or her toy, something to bring attention away from new people getting up in her business. It’s either that, or she pretends she doesn’t see you (which I think is rude and we are working on) or will only look at you through her binoculars, which are made from her hands.
Potty training went so smoothly I am scared to talk about it for fear of relapse or having the next one be more challenging. I let her run around naked the house for a couple of days and had her sit on the potty every so often and asked her incessantly. She didn’t pee on the floor but a couple of time and once she got the hang of using the potty, it clicked and it was mostly done. She has developed distinct signs (crotch grabbing, butt grabbing), so it is really easy for us. Now she tries to tell us she doesn’t have to go (because she is busy playing) while doing the potty dance so she is really gaining control of that bladder and holding it. I am enjoying the freedom from the diaper bag for a few more months!!
NC and I have also been actively preparing her, the house and us for the arrival of our newest. She loves babies and seems to be very gentle when meeting new ones. I am trying to let her know how much help she will be and how much this new little one will love her big sister and want lots of hugs and kisses. IC will come up and talk at my belly and poke around. She knows its still cookin’, but will be here soon.
I got my glucose tested last doc visit and it seems to be fine so far. It is a little on the higher range, but still with in normal limits. It was around week 15, early since it is usually done at the 28 week range. I fear I will develop diabetes again and have been preparing myself for meal planning and finger poking once again. It isn’t so bad though, it forces me to make good food choices and exercise where I might just take naps and indulge.
Well, there goes July!
Pictures of our month:
4th of July
Cousins- IC loves her big cousin RK!!
The FARM (Grandpa's Farm if you ask IC):
The weather is finally cooperating and we finally are feeling some warmth! Stir crazy IC is thrilled for outings to the park, walks with Zita, bike rides with Daddy and riding her trike. Nothing really new and exciting this month in the C family. Pregnancy is progressing, I am in the funny in between stage where you don't look pregnant, but you look like you are putting on weight. I am almost done with the 1st trimester, one step closer to feeling those kicks and perhaps finding out the sex! Almost every weekend in June was a road trip. We made a couple trips back to Fessenden to visit family and one whirlwind trip to MSP with the H family.
The end of May we celebrated GH's third birthday. It was a really fun day because it was at the gym and the kids didn't need to listen to their teachers, they had the whole place to themselves to run, jump and tumble for a couple of hours. We adults also had fun, as you can tell! The foam pit has always been a fascination of mine- always wanting to jump in. Now that I have done it, it is really kinda gross. And smells funny. A bunch of sweaty gymnasts jumping in and out, blech.
Our whirlwind trip to MSP was focused on IKEA and the MN Children's Museum. IKEA because we need another bed to accomodate our newest family member and MCM for GH and IC. We met up with two other families who each had a little girl. The girls played, the moms chatted and the dads chatted while playing.
You can see two Dodges in this last picture. NC parted with his Dakota in favor of a full-size Ram. With just IC, NC and I in the Dakota, I had to sit in the back with IC for any comfort. It would be impossible to fit a rear facing carseat and the rest of us so we had to move on. The big Dodge also fits our Great Dane much better.
IC participated in her 3rd annual Wells County Fair parade last weekend. She is a pro at the waving and getting pretty good at whipping the candy out. She really enjoyed the 4-H barns, especially the chickens.
Happy 4th of July!!!!!
Where has my month gone!? I am wondering if anyone even checks this anymore because my posting are so sparse. I ensure everyone that has a blog, I read yours! I wish I could tell you it has been filled with awesome days outside enjoying the glorious weather, but nope. I will be “that person” and complain about our lack of good May days. When the warm occasion does arise, we take full advantage and spend it outside at the park or taking Zita for her walks. I tried to take IC and Zita to the park alone. One giant 125lb dog in one hand, one radio flyer wagon pulled in the other. It works fine until we see another dog, person, or anything else of interest to Zita. Then I have to stop, park IC, plant my feet, wrap leash firmly around wrist and begin my tug-of-war with a dog that I barely weigh more than. She doesn’t pull any other time while walking, just when she sees something she likes.
This is all in the short block getting to the park. While at the park, I can barely watch my child because I don’t want my giant to knock over other kids with her “kisses” (licks and sniffs), which are more forceful than she ever intends. IC is very independent and is happy to run around alone and is pretty coordinated so I don’t worry too much about her monkey tendencies, but I don’t think I will do that again sans NC.
In the last month, NC and Grandpa TW took IC to the Shrine Circus. I don’t really like the circus (the crazy PETAish gene in me) so I didn’t go, but IC had a blast, which is good I guess if she gets a kick of watching animals that live in cages entertain people with silly tricks. Oooops….off soapbox. NC tried to assure me the animals were treated well and the bears actually looked like they were having fun performing. IC didn’t want to ride the elephant, but really enjoyed the bears.
My third Mother’s Day was really fun. It was perfect out. I slept in and then we went to eat and played at the park. IC got me a massage and I bought me some new perfume.
Our other 2 weekends were filled with a wedding and a graduation. We were back home for Memorial weekend. NC helped his dad some on the farm, I intended on helping my mom prime her studio (but fell asleep instead on her couch), IC got to see 2 Grandmas, 2 Grandpas, and one GeeGee (great-grandma). Never enough time, but it
was fun. There was a fresh batch of farm kitties and IC was in heaven. She loves to carry those babies everywhere.
And somewhere in there, we started potty-training. Pretty much officially, since she has had a few successes and it seems to click. I have also used M&M’s as bribes. Works like a charm and if a couple of M&M’s keep her from peeing her pants, I am cool with that! She is mostly accident free at home and is doing pretty well at daycare. I think it would be hard to focus on the potty when you have your friends around and are busy all day.
My favorite milestone at this point in her life is the constant increase and use of language. I just get a kick out of listening to her yammer. She has become really shy around new people though and will tell me she is scared when we go somewhere new. Hoping it is just a phase…
IC is still enrolled in gymnastics. She is moving up a level this summer. It doesn’t really change much except there is a short period during class where the teacher has the kids without parents helping.
On the home front, our backyard is set up to being destruction/reconstruction either this week or next. They are going to re-level it and help the yard drain better. Then they’ll tear up the old grass and hydro-seed new. We won’t have a back yard for a summer, but it will be worth it to just get it done and over with. New, non-leaking, energy efficient windows are also on the agenda this summer. NC is currently in the process of getting bids and we both have been trying to research the various window manufactures since all I really know is Marvin, Pella and Anderson. We are also trying to get the inside some what finished, so it kinda looks homey. Our exciting news is that IC will be a big sister with a due date of New Year’s Eve. We have so much work to get done in less than 10 months! I have been feeling somewhat icky, mostly just really exhausted and semi-nauseous. I don’t quite remember feeling like this with IC. I am almost over the hump with the 1st trimester, so all of this should end. I had my first ultrasound last week and didn’t see much more than a blob and a little beating heart which put my mind at ease for the time being. I worry and overthing my gestating: am I eating right, my vitamins, birth defects, exercise, will I get diabetes again, fear of 37 hours of labor, overworking at work…it is just who I am. I ruminate about these things all day long and often into my sleep time.
My NC and IC will be home from gymnastics soon so I better wrap up.
P.S. Are any of my VOX friends thinking about switching to blogspot? I am considering it….
IC and GH at the Alerus Center egg hunt. They are becoming such good buddies it is so fun to see!
When we get to work flights like this, I really like my job! The Northern Valley Veterans sponsored a Honor Flight for WWII vets to fly to Washington DC to see the WWII memorial. They charter a plane from NWA and organize a tour for them to see the Memorial and Arlington Cemetery. The vets were so thankful and proud. Some even came in their original uniforms! We had the Color Guard and members of the Air Force to send off the plane. Gave me goosebumps watching the departure.
Daddy was the best man in a wedding last week. IC enjoyed all of the fun too! She especially like dancing and twirling in her dress!
Quick update, but its us in a nutshell this month!
Neighborhood
Explore friends, family, friends & family, or entire neighborhood.
Links from my Friends and Family
Sueze's Shop AnnouncementMy Glass Beads are hand made in ...
