Kimba

Weekend getaway

It's been two weeks since our quick trip to Oregon, high time for a post, wouldn't you say? I have to admit, as excited as I was about the prospect of heading up and spending some time with one of my oldest and best friends, I was slightly nervous about flying/traveling so late in my pregnancy. Right at the 36 week don't-go-anywhere cusp, but my doctor was nice enough to ease my fears by checking me a bit early to make sure I wasn't about to go into labor or anything. 

Not that anything is a sure bet, but you know. I felt better. 

So off we went and we had ourselves a fantastic weekend. It only barely rained on our last day, which is sayin' somethin' for Oregon, even at that time of year. It was gorgeous. 

 

Mostly we hung out. Talked, laughed, ate at our favorite Hungarian restaurant, introduced them to Panera, ya know, doin' our civic duty. The boys worked a little, planned and strategized a little, and played some frisbee golf. Abby and I took the kids to various parks, relaxed, talked, ate, and pretty much enjoyed ourselves. The kids played really well together, I think. It was such a contrast, sweet little Lydia and wild 3 1/2 year old Wyatt. I hope we didn't frighten them....I think if I'd seen Wyatt while pregnant with a boy myself, I might have been. Little boys really are a different breed, aren't they? 

Speaking of a different breed, we were at one park and Wyatt was swinging on his stomach. He'd occasionally get off and squirm a bit, and I kept asking him if he needed to go to the bathroom, to which he replied no. I thought okay, he must just be uncomfortable from swinging on his stomach. Then, to my horror, he got off and walked about 6 feet away from his swing and proceeded to pull down his pants and underwear to his ankles, and pee. 

I was shocked beyond belief. 

I scrambled over there, not an easy task with my flip flops, pregnant belly, and a park full of long stringy bark. By the time I made it there, it was too late. Moving him would have only resulted in wet clothes. I talked to him about how we don't do that, and he seemed to understand. But then just a day after we returned home he did it again at another park, this time I didn't even see him first, our friend's mom did. "Uh....." she said, pointing and I turned to see Wyatt facing us, feet away from the park, pants and underwear once again around his ankles. 

How do they suddenly get it in their heads that this is an okay thing to do?! 

Anyway. Oregon. Back to the subject! So fun to watch these kids interact. 

Pre-dinner show

Who know, back when Abby and I were 6 1/2 and just barely getting to know each other, that one day we'd get to watch our kids play together? 

Well, we did, actually. Still, how crazy to see it be fulfilled!

Babies on hips, pregnant. Honestly, surreal moment for us! (Please ignore my sexy double chin...)

And the sign of a good weekend? 10 minutes into the drive up to the airport, Wyatt informed us he was going to take a nap. 30 seconds later, he was out. 

Yup, great weekend. Thanks for hosting us, Abs! 

Tuesday Bump Day: Week 36

One month remaining, one month! 4 weeks. Or less! Or more! Wee!!!!! 

Alright, all that enthusiasum is easy on the computer, but I'm starting to feel less and less enthused these days. More like, large. Pregnant. Stiff. Waddling with hip pain every time I get up. To be fair, I really didn't start feeling PREGNANT until yesterday. Pregnant meaning, full of baby. Fat. Yesterday was 91 degrees, and I was suddenly hit with the gratefulness that I am lucky to be due in 4 weeks instead of, say, 8 or 12. All summer. 91 degrees was hot, and hotter because I was outside watching my 3 year old play and play and play. If it hadn't have been for his red face, I'd have thought I was crazy, that maybe it wasn't 91 degrees, but 70. Or something. He rode his bike, his scooter, and played happily in the dirt (always digging for dinosaur bones these days) until I finally suggested we go inside and cool ourselves. 

Pregnant mama was officially done sweating, thankyouverymuch. 

Yesterday was also my 36th week appointment, though this time there was no ultrasound. I'm starting to think there won't be one, which is sorta weird, right? Don't they need to see where she's at? I think she IS slightly downward now, though she still regularly moves to transverse. Anyway. I was informed that my Group B came back positive, something he reassured me meant nothing except that they'd be giving me antibiotics during labor, and that he'd like my labor to at least be 4 hours long (apparently for the antibiotics?). I forgot to ask him what happens if it's not, because that's about what it was last time, and TYPICALLY your first is longest. We shall see, of course. I need to actually write down my questions for my appointment next week (yes, down to weekly appointments) because I forget them as soon as I think of them. The way I forget just about everything as soon as I think it. 

He also concluded I am dilated to 2 cm, and I swear he said 70% effaced, which seems wrong because can you be that effaced if you're only 2 cm? I doubt it. Maybe he said 7. 17. Something. Last time at 36 wks I was 1 cm, so HOPEFULLY, cross my fingers, I won't go 9 days over my due date this time. Pretty please. 

I may have actually had a contraction or two, but I can't be sure. Painful somethings for several seconds, making me remember that oh yeah, labor hurts. Bad. And maybe I won't try to go without an epidural this time? I don't know. My plan thus far is to try for natural, especially if I labor as quickly as last time. I got so close, 9 cm before that partial epidural, and I know I could do it again. But those little pains jolted my memory a bit, and I also remembered how fantastic that epidural felt after even just a few short hours of constant, send you somewhere else, pain. 

Anyway! I officially need to start pulling up the baby items. I keep saying that, and it keeps not happening. There's a lot of things that need to happen that keep not happening, and I'm currently blaming it on my exhaustion at the end of each day, and the fact that right now everything revolves around us putting our yard in. Or rather, Caleb putting in our sprinklers, and then digging the hole for the trampoline (yes...we're doin' it) and then there will be sod, and curbing, and landscaping. Planting. Fencing. 

And yes, you can rightly assume that the majority of this has almost nothing to do with me. Caleb has been working his tail off not only working, but working outside. I feel like all I do is clean up a thin layer of dust in this home (and off my child), and the thought of also cleaning up and getting a baby's room ready makes me exhausted. 

But then she'll be here! And I'll get to re-experience what exhaustion really means. We sorta can't wait. 

Book Review: Where She Went

Let me just start off by saying this: Where She Went by Gayle Forman, is a sequel. This I didn't know at first, and was rightly thrown off a little, since the author catapults you into a scene 3 years following the first book. I sorta wish I'd known this, I believe I would have been more involved in the novel had I read the first (If I Stay). 

Aside from that, I did enjoy the book. In If I Stay, you follow Mia & Adam's relationship as they deal with a horrific accident involving Mia & her entire family. Adam makes a promise to her that if she stays with him, if she lives, he'll do whatever she wants. In Where She Went, you find out that what she wanted was for all ties to be cut between them, which tears Adam apart, even as he lets her do it. You follow his perspective as he tries to deal with his sudden rockstar-dom (did I mention their one tieing hold on each other is their mutual love of music?). He should be happy for himself and his band, but years later he's still wracked with this ghost of what he used to be, who he used to be in love with. Mia. 

While parts of this book may seem a little far-fetched (what are the odds of two people being so successful in their own genres of music?), I think people can definitely relate to Adam's feelings of What If? Who hasn't asked that question of themselves about at least one aspect of their lives?

What if I'd made it into this college?

What if I'd chosen to apply there?

What if I hadn't said those words? 

What if I'd said no? 

I've often wondered what it would be like if you could see another track your life could have followed. How would things be different, how different of a person would I be? It's sorta fascinating to think certain aspects of your personality could be affected by a few simple decision changes. 

Ultimately however, I'm thankful we don't have some magic crystal ball. While it might be nice to correct some past mistakes, I'd like to think that things happen for a reason. Otherwise, we might never be able to confidently make a decision and stick with it. 

 

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club, but all content & opinions are my own!

First, and a last

We spent the better part of the morning at Liberty Park letting the kids run around and play and get wet. Luckily for Wyatt, the splash pad was somehow clogged (sincerely hope it was some sort of leaf matter and not...well...organic matter) which caused about 4 inches of water to fill up the pad. For some reason, and I'm hoping this changes because we have a full summer ahead of us and I plan to spend a lot of time at the splash pad near our house, Wyatt doesn't enjoy shooting water. A pool, that's great, but water potentially spraying in his face? Not a fan. 

Anyway, so he had a great morning. (Besides constantly asking for something to eat. I have to threaten him to get him to quit asking every 3 minutes!) 

On the way home I gave him the Smart Water bottle I'd purchased on the way, because I'd forgotten his water bottle. If you haven't seen a Smart Water bottle lately, they're sorta large. Like, 24 ounces large. He drank half of it on the way home. 

Foreshadow. It's coming. 

When we arrived home I put him straight down for a nap, making him stop to use the bathroom before. Then he had a giant nap, meaning, an hour and a half. Depressingly enough (I miss 3 hour nap days!) this is a giant nap for him. He woke up and for some reason instead of calling my name like he always does, he just walked out of his room. He was visibly groggy, evidence of his giant nap, and when Caleb went to pick him up he stopped mid-lift. 

He was wet. 

And not just sweaty wet, but WET. Bottoms and even part of his top. 

For the first time since switching to underwear cold turkey in October, he'd not woken up to use the bathroom. He's never even had an accident at night! Not from day one of potty training! I almost didn't even know what to do. We'd naively left off a mattress protector (which will change), but thankfully this lovely Ikea mattress he sleeps on has a removable cover. (Can't wait to try to get it back on...)

Also? He immediately used the bathroom while we were cleaning up. That's a lot of water for such a tiny bladder. 

So there you have it, folks. My kid peed the bed for the first time. During an hour and a half nap. 

 

In other news, I'm packin' up this family for a quick last minute trip to Oregon. Believe I mentioned it, to see our wonderful friends and celebrate the boys payin' off their first franchise. It'll also be the last (I swear!) trip I take before this baby arrives, the last trip that will be considered "easy", meaning we travel with one child and two adults. 

Remember when that used to seem challenging? 

Enjoy your weekend! I promise pictures, and not just of Wyatt. Abby's adorable Lydia will be there, and folks, she's pretty dang cute. 

Tuesday Bump Day: Week 34

Every two weeks seems about right, right? I mean, that's how quick things are going these days. Before I know it it's time for another appointment, which hello, after 36 weeks I start going every week. Which means we're gettin' really close here and it's maybe starting to freak me out. 

That's how I felt actually, until yesterday at exactlly 34 weeks and I realized I still have another six weeks to go. Six weeks!? That seems like an eternity! Six weeks means I'm going to get a lot bigger, and I'm already kinda back to that, how will my skin ever stretch any further than it already has? stage. 

Ridiculous, I know, because hello! Six weeks! And I've already done this before. I should know better.

Baby is 18ish inches, 4.5ish pounds. Give or take whatever. I've really not paid attention to all that stuff this time, because really, who knows? Wyatt was 9 days late and only 6 lbs 5 oz. It's anybody's guess right now how big this kid is in there. She's certainly making herself known, and always and the most fun times, right when I wake up (so there's almost no chance of falling back asleep) and right when I'm laying down at night (so there's no chance of falling asleep quickly). And of course, all day in between. It's reassuring, though. The girl's got some pep in her. She's particularly fond of pushing from both ends when she's lying sideways. Sometimes alternating, so I feel like a bongo drum. 

Not much else is going on, or has changed, except hello, I actually went walking this last week, and lived to tell the tale. We've been on a new bike & running trail near our home in the evenings to let Wyatt get some extra practice on his bike and I've been walking behind the boys while they ride. They go about 2 miles and I end up going about a mile and a half. Not much, but not insignificant after being able to do almost nothing since 16 weeks. I even documented it, proof I did something. 

We bought a dresser for the nursery, and the curtains I ordered came. I still have yet to pull out all the onesies and such, but I'll get there. I have a LOT of washing to do for this baby, and fun things, like washing the old infant carrier. Figuring out how to clean the rocker without ruining it. (It's cream....) And most likely, trying to get old stains out of white onesies. Thank heavens for Pinterest. 

I'm starting to get sick of wearing (meaning fitting into) the same 5 shirts. I'm at a crossroads here, I don't have much time left to justify a lot of clothing purchases, but can I really be expected to wear these 5 shirts for 6 weeks straight? Nevermind that some of them are getting snug. I pulled out my old pregnancy clothes and discovered I liked almost none of them. Everything is so baggy! This pregnancy I've wanted more fitting clothes. I don't want to look or feel any larger than I am, but the fact is, there's not much room left in some of these shirts. 

(Week 33)

Not that shirt, but of course it's a long sleeve, as fate would have it. 

At my appointment this week I asked my doctor what he thought about plane travel...because we have a trip planned next week. A partial business trip, partial pleasure trip, up to Oregon. As a recap, Caleb's business partner just so happens to be married to one of my best friends so sometimes things like this work out well for us. A trip for the boys to sit down and make some future plans, and also to celebrate a great accomplishment for them, paying off their first franchise. 7 long years of hardwork! They deserve a little celebration I think. Of course, their idea of celebration is slightly different than mine, but I guess frisbee golf can do that to a guy. It's been awhile since Wyatt's flown somewhere, (I guess that's all relative, but his 3 year old self is used to flying often!) and he's super excited.

I asked the doctors opinion and he gave me the okay, after checking me for my own peace of mind. (I sent Wyatt and Cabe out of the room - I have a few memories around his age, and I don't want something like THAT to be one of his) Just barely started to dilate! In other words, I should be good. 

This bump gets to go to Oregon to visit Abby and her bump. 

Hoping to not re-live the cankles that attacked me the last time I flew. Scroll to the end for the horror. If you dare. 

Bigger every day

A couple weeks ago Wyatt broke his balance bike. I don't know how, it's a wooden bike. He's 3. It's not like he was riding a tin can. 

And for a couple days, probably even a week or so, he badgered us every day, several times a day, about getting him a new bike, "a blue bike with red on it and stickers, just like Austin." (One of the 4 yr old twins next door) Not having a bike wouldn't be so bad, except that every day multiple times a day, the gaggle of kids in our cul de sac start rounding each other up to play outside. Ride their bikes, swap motorized vehicles, search for bugs, and generally run amok. His scooter just wasn't cutting it. We were told. 

So we found ourselves one Saturday running around town trying to find a small enough pedal bike, and his new love of the moment, Ted the Chickie, had to come along for the ride. 

Ted the Chickie also found a home in a decorative bird cage, and has been seen hanging from the back of Wyatt's pocket and random door knobs around the house. Sometimes he's accompanied by a plastic Green Lantern guy. 

So we got the kid a bike. He'll tell you it's actually a Jeep, that we got him a jeep, and we have to be quick to clear up that no, we did not buy our kid a real live killing-mobile. (A bit extreme, I know, but you're a mom and suddenly you don't like any kind of vehicle that might toss your future teenage son out it's sides.) 

I missed the initial ride due to a girls night out, but Caleb informed me it took him all of 10 minutes to get the pedals down. He'd get scared and take his feet off them and just glide like he was used to. He's been out every day, and has got it down. Except for that whole getting on the bike himself thing. He's still too short to properly climb on, but we're working on it. Around dinner time today he was begging to go out and I told him he could, but that I couldn't go outside with him because I was making dinner and he'd have to try himself. He figured out how to use Caleb's car as a balancing board. 

(Thanks Liz for the photo!)

We're just proud of the little dude. For as long as he's been able to convey it, he's wanted nothing but to be and do Big Boy things. To be just like his Daddy. He wants to get his tools out and work along side him, he wants to wear work gloves when Daddy does, he wants to go surfing and skiing and ride a skate board. 

He often asks me randomly, "Mom, why am I growing bigger every day?" among his other five thousand questions a day. And I never have an answer for that. 

I don't know, Wyatt! I wouldn't mind if you slowed down a bit.