Round 2

I'm laying in bed, peeking out our big picture window with one eye here and the other on Logan as he plays outside in his water table. Yes, you read that right. It is warm enough for the little to be outside doing his most favorite thing in the world. Whenever it gets up to 45 or 50* sometime in the middle of the winter, it always feels like a heat wave and everyone is outside enjoying it. I, on the other hand, am fighting off a cold all while my brain has been on absolute overload this last week.

I started my online classes this week and by Thursday, I told B I had never been more exhausted in my life. I'm sure that is not true, but I could not wait for my head to hit the pillow and the thought of having to work one more day was so disappointing. The classes are great so far, but it is a huge learning experience doing everything online. I had to deal with some technical issues, we had to update a PC laptop we don't use often because the Mac is not compatible with some of the programs I have to use. Then I spent almost 3 hours importing all of my assignments  tests, discussions and activities into my iPad calendar. All 158 of them. WOAH. 158 things to do, study for and write in the next 15 weeks, all before this babe arrives and all while my body keeps growing. Round 2 is on, and with the love and support of B, I will make it through! I am aiming for all As again, of course, but I will also not beat myself up if something happens. I have to be realistic and maintain some form of sanity (said NO nursing student ever!).

I'm 23 weeks pregnant now and all is well so far. Baby moves around all the time. I love how active he or she is. It is by far the best and most rewarding thing about pregnancy (other than the healthy baby in the end). I learned that I can no longer eat ground beef. After two meals last week and horrible tummy pains immediately after, baby is taking notes from big brother and letting me know how yucky ground beef is. I am sad I cannot enjoy B's burgers anymore! They are simply the best.

I'm going to go ahead and make the assumption that my cousin still does not read my blog. Even if she does, I don't care. Last month she up and left, leaving everything behind and breaking the hearts of all her family members in the process. We have no idea why, but last week B and I had to go over to her house where her landlords had cleaned almost everything out. We had some things of our own and were given some of her things in the process. I cannot even describe how emotional this was. I am still so mad at her. She won't talk to anyone. So on top of a mentally and physically exhausting week, I was an emotional mess on Wednesday night.

Last night Logan had his first really bad fall outside. He was walking the dogs with B when Tulo tripped him up and he took a face plant into the sidewalk. His bump is a lot better today, but the scrape on his face is worse. We are both fighting colds, but he would have to be dying before he was sick enough to stop playing outside.

I'm hoping this week is better as I better understand how each class works and that work is slow. I have my glucose test tomorrow morning. I passed last time so I'm certain I will pass this time. Have a great week!

 

accessories

If you know me, you know I am not big on accessories. I wear simple earrings and rarely a matching necklace since my work badge overshadows it. I paint my nails once in a blue moon and walk around with chipped paint until it all comes off naturally. I wear one ring, my wedding ring, and my purse never matches anything I wear. In fact, my socks are loud and make a statement better than anything else I wear.

In pregnancy, I am even less motivated to accessorize. I'm all about making things simple and in pregnancy, that is intensified by 1000.  For example, I take my showers in the evening so I can sleep in an extra 10 minutes. Last night I scrunched up my hair and spun it into a loose bun so that I'd have some awesome waves today. I didn't do ANYTHING to my hair when I woke up, not even a bobby pin.

My sense of simplicity sometimes overshadows the things that I really do need and honestly, when do I even consider what I need anymore?? **tangent: I did a personality workshop on Wednesday and of course this is my weakness in not taking care of myself**. All this to say, it took me 22weeks and a 2nd pregnancy to realize that I needed a few accessories that are only (mostly) for pregnancy.

I carry my babies low. I have a long torso and the baby likes to sit right on my sacrum. This causes horrible low back and tailbone pain. For some reason, I don't remember it being this bad the first time and maybe it wasn't. So I did some research and bought a maternity support belt. Today is day 1 and I'm not thrilled to wear it. It's cumbersome, but gives a ton of support. No difference in the pains yet, but I know that with time that will go away (um...like...delivery!).

I also bought a exercise ball for work. That alone has been making the biggest difference in comfort. Lastly, I bought some new ice packs. These are my new accessories. I'm making them work all in the name of comfort. I'm always making accessories work in the name of comfort. ;)

Bedsharing

Dear Logan,

In less than a month you are going to turn three years old and I'm just in awe of you. I'm in awe of what a sweet, smart, determined little boy you have turned into in just three short years. My life has never been richer and more exciting and I thank you from the deepest part of my heart for your love and presence.

Lately, we have been sharing our bed with you. With your little baby brother or sister swimming around in my belly, I've been laying down a lot more. Daddy fixed up a nice TV and put it in our room. Almost every night, we cuddle up and watch one of your favorite shows which is either Charlotte's Web (the "pig" movie) or Curious George. Sometimes I will watch a movie while you play your Elmo game on my iPad. And on REALLY lazy and special nights, we lay a towel down over the bed and enjoy dinner together. In our bed. All three of us. I must say, this has been the cherry for most of my evenings.

Over the last few weeks, you have decided that your pull up is no longer necessary at night. You purse your lips at us and say you don't want to wear a pull up and we have been very proud of you for making this decision on your own. But even more, we are proud that you are making it through the night without an accident. Last night, your little body woke you up, you went potty and then came and climbed into bed with me. I didn't look at the clock. You didn't say a word. We just snuggled in close and fell back to sleep. I thought it had been much later in the morning than it actually was, because you slept with us most of the night. I was sandwiched between you and your daddy. Sometimes you would push my arm off your tummy so you could roll over onto your belly and take up 3/4 of my pillow. But that was okay. It was perfect, actually.

I cherish moments like this. I don't care about the habit it might be forming. I just want to keep you the way you are for as long as I can. And before we know it, you're going to have a new sibling who will take away my undivided attention from you. That thought alone makes my heart break a little, but I know that I could never love you less. In fact, I will love you more the moment you meet him or her.

Logan, thank you for making me a mama. You're incredible.

Love,

Mama

Bump day, on a Monday

I didn't post last week. Work was insanely busy and my brain felt like fried mush every night. This morning, I had a follow-up ultrasound to check out baby's heart, brain and face. Here is a lil photo:

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="612"] Baby Bean 21.5wks[/caption]

The scan was great. Baby was so much bigger and moving around a lot more, which made a huge difference in how decent the shots were of what they needed. Still Team Green and going strong! I'm not going to lie: waiting is hard! But we have less than 20 weeks to wait now so I can manage.

Because I need prompting, here are the 'deets for the week:

how far along? 21.5, measuring at 20.1wks
total weight gain: 14 pounds
maternity clothes? yes.
sleep: Getting worse. I toss and turn a lot more and baby is so active that it keeps me awake.
best moment this week: Baby doing yoga all.day.long yesterday. Non-stop movement!
movement: See above.
sex: team green!
labor signs: none
belly button in or out? getting flatter.
food cravings: vodka pasta sauce, ramen noodles
what i miss: Going a day without a head ache/migraine
what i am looking forward to: Continuing to have a healthy pregnancy.
weekly wisdom: It's okay to watch TV all weekend.

TV & Movies

There is a lot of debate surrounding TV watching for children. How old they should be, what they should watch and how much time. I'm going to be honest: we watch a lot of TV. I love TV. I love having shows to watch. B and I have a handfull that we watch together which include Weeds, The Walking Dead, American Horror Story and Survivor. We each then have shows we watch separately  B loves any sporting event and I love trashy reality TV. It's how I relax.

What about Logan? I've aways been open with TV around him. His attention span has always been short with TV and movies, until recently. He can easily sit through episodes of Word World and Sesame Street. During the week, he doesn't watch very much TV. Maybe an hour, at the most, usually before going to bed. We all winde down together, he drinks some milk, we snuggle and then it's off to bed. On the weekends, however, we camp out. Especially since most days are -0* outside, we make it our job to not do anything outside. Instead, we stay in making pancakes, nachos, and pizza while watching movies and episodes on Hulu on Netflix.

Everything Logan watches is appropriate. He is obsessed with Word World. The show is genius. He knows so many different sounds of letters and it's wholesome entertainment. When we're not relaxing on the couch, we play hot wheel cars, trains, jump on the bed, throw balls for the dogs, and build legos. Sometimes we even ride the tricycle around the kitchen since it's still so cold to be outside.

All this to say, we let our weekends be our respit. The moderations go out the window and we spend time as a family. Especially with my being pregnant, I am so physically and mentally exhausted from my work week that I cannot imagine doing anything else. Plus, all the snuggle time I miss out during the week with Logan is made up for on our weekends. He helps me fold laundry, make the pancakes, and made my boo-boos (migraines) feel better. I'm okay with all of this and that is all that matters.

What is TV watching like in your home? What do your kids enjoy and how do you moderate it?

***There is no room for judgement in the comments.***

Sunday Social and Other Things

I'm linking up with Sunday Social again. I love this little blog hop. Sometimes writing is easier when you have little prompts, even if the questions are really easy and basic.

This week:

1. What is the name of your blog? How long have you been blogging? We Are For Each Other. It's from an e. e. cummings poem. I have the entire line at the top of the blog. ^^^ I've been blogging for about 4.5 years and I love it! I had a better following a few years ago, but I'm okay with only one or two readers. ;)

2. Why do you blog? I started this blog as a way to keep track of my days as a newlywed. Then I found other blogs about newlyweds and moms and so on and feel in love. I've always loved writing and this is my book.

3. What is the first blog you ever followed? Oh dear I have no idea! There are some blogs I have been following for years. And some of the first blogs I started following are no longer blogging.

4. What is your favorite post you wrote in 2012? The three-part series I wrote on us buying our home are my favorite posts. It felt so empowering to share how we made it all work out and heck, WE BOUGHT OUR FIRST HOME! Part1. Part2. Part3.

5. What are your blogging goals for 2013? Write a post 3 times a week, keep working on an ebook I've started, and follow more amazing bloggers.

6. Top 3 favorite blogs to follow?

Harvesting Kale

Ambition Never Goes out of Style

Midwife101 (my shameless plug)

Happy Sunday!

Currently...20 weeks!

TWENTY WEEKS!! I feel like this is one of the best milestones in pregnancy. For me, 10 weeks, 20 weeks, 24 weeks and 35 weeks are the best milestones. 10 weeks feels like you're pretty much out of the woods as far as a potential loss is concerned. Then 20 weeks is HALF WAY!! 24 weeks is viability and 35 weeks is almost term, meaning you can emotionally prepare for your baby to come just about any time.

Overnight, the belly and this baby have popped. I just know baby is going through a growth spurt. Suddenly, every part of my low back, hips and sacrum is screaming at me each time I sit down or stand up. Baby's position must be sitting just right to make all these aches happen at once. Plus, I carry my babies low so I know that contributes. Regardless, each ache is worth the reward in the end. Grow, baby grow!

Wishing... I could enjoy more alcohol. We were given so much wine over the holidays and I have to wait 5 more months before I can enjoy it. I'm certain that, by then, we will have quite the stock. Maybe we will have a "meet the baby and drink my wine" party.

Thinking...about how I've lost a friend, emotionally. The last week has been rough. I'm more angry than anything else, but it's still really hard.

Cooking...nothing. I try not to cook when I'm pregnant and we have had so many left overs from different get togethers. We are working our way through that.

Drinking...coke, water, juice and tea. The coke is to ward off an oncoming migraine and I am loving peppermint teas.

Working...my holiday. I worked on New Years Day and it was slow, but easy. Also working on getting the Christmas decorations put away and keeping the house cleaned up.

At 20 weeks....

• Eating: Edemame!! OMG why did no one tell me about this before?!


• Wearing: maternity clothes. Some longer tops/tanks still fit but I'm pretty much done with my regular clothes.


• Gaining: some weight! I think my boots added an extra pound or two, but apparently I gained 5 pounds in the last week. Makes sense if this baby is going through a growth spurt!


• No fun: low back pains


• Way fun: seeing baby bean on the screen on Monday and learning I no longer have a placenta previa!!


• Big brother is: insisting baby is a girl and he calls her by her name. I love it!