Enormity

I started out well this pregnancy, but in the last nine weeks, I've amassed much more weight than I'd hoped! I've currently gained 34 pounds with this pregnancy, which seems better than my gain with Moses except that I started this pregnancy with 15 more pounds than I started with Moses. I think that means I'm at roughly the same place weight-wise as I was with Moses, but hopefully I won't put on the additional 25 pounds I had when I delivered Moses. I was a whopping 215 when I delivered that kid, carrying more than 70 new pounds!

So, here I am at 29 weeks 4 days and I'm huge, again. I just think it's genetically impossible for me to stay within the recommended weight gain amounts. Sigh. My doctors aren't worried, and I guess I'm not either. It'd just be nice to start the postpartum period without the need to shed an eight-year-old child from my body, again.

I'm also getting a ton of contractions now. I didn't have Braxton Hicks with Moses so I'm new to these "practice" contractions and so not a fan.

-Lindsey

Me and Moses: On the Road

Last weekend, Moses and I ventured to Wichita Falls for my sister Raychel's high school graduation. This trip marked our first road trip as a duo, sans daddy and other companions. I was worried how he'd handle nearly four hours in his rear-facing car seat so I scheduled our departure for his nap time. We left Lubbock on Friday morning around 10 a.m. and it was easy sailing for most of the trip. He napped for an hour-and-a-half after we left town and woke up at our halfway mark just in time for some leg stretching and diaper changing. The rest of the way I tried to keep him busy with random toys and miscellaneous things found in my purse. It worked and we got into Wichita Falls without a single fit.

Raychel's graduation was very sweet and intimate since she went to a small Christian school and graduated with only 7 other kids. I only got to see the beginning of the pomp and circumstance though because Moses insisted on running around and not playing nicely in the seat beside me. We ended up walking the perimeter of her school umpteen times in the terrible humidity, but it was better than having "that kid."

Lots of family was in town for the occasion so Moses got to see, and, in some cases, meet for the first time, great-grandparents, grandparents, great aunts and uncles, cousins removed or something like that, and aunts. With that many people around, he received oodles of attention and gifts that left him both super busy and exhausted. He played from sun up to sun down for the most part, enjoying the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe, tricycle, and wagon my mom has been saving since my sisters' days on them and a lawn mower than his great aunt bought him. Thankfully, my family played with Moses a great deal and I was able to relax a bit. That heat was very tiring and my body did not want to keep up.

We left the following Monday, Memorial Day, and the return trip wasn't too bad either. He slept just as he had on the first leg and woke up in time to "mow" for a bit in Guthrie, the midway point. He really started get restless towards then and I pulled out all I could from my "mommy bag" by the time we got home.

Sadly, I left my memory card in our computer at home (but took my camera on the trip) so I couldn't take any pictures. The following were taken by my Aunt Sheri:



I'm hoping I'll get some more pictures from last weekend. There were some great moments and I wish I had had my own camera to capture them!

-Lindsey

The Wall

Despite being only 29 weeks, I feel like I have hit a wall in this pregnancy. Maybe it's the staggering heat I was exposed to over the weekend (97 degrees and severe humidity!), but I have no energy for anything and my body is revolting against me with newfound aches and pains. I'm just not one of those women who are joyously pregnant and I will certainly never have 18 children and even a third might be pushing it. I doubt my body (physically and mentally) is capably of carrying a child to 40 weeks so, at this point, I'm hoping this boy makes an early, healthy appearance like Moses did.

School starts this week so it's back to the books for the next month. Luckily, this summer session only lasts until June 28th and then I'm taking a break from school until next spring (my final semester of graduate school)!

Dave finishes teaching this week and then he'll be home with us for the summer. I'm hoping that with his help I can muster up enough energy to finish some projects before baby #2 arrives.

I'm hoping to post pictures from our weekend in Wichita Falls in the next day or two. Despite the heat, we had a wonderful time, and Moses especially enjoyed his Cozy Coupe:

-Lindsey

18-Month Check Up

Before Moses and I went out of town Friday morning, we had his 18 month check up. It was a relatively uneventful doctor's visit so we were on the road in no time at all (details to come). His weight was 24 pounds 9 ounces (30th percentile), his height was 34.5 inches (97th percentile), and his head circumference was 49.9 centimeters (93rd percentile). Dave joked that he's a pumpkin head on a toothpick body.

He still only has four teeth, but he's teething right now so we expect to see some new ones pop through during the summertime. Despite having so few teeth at his age, he's a good eater and can keep up with his many-toothed peers.

He also doesn't have too great a vocabulary, but he's really started picking up words and sounds faster lately. I think it's a benefit to have cold (and ear infection) season behind us so hopefully that'll help with his language acquisition. Dr. Gray wasn't worried about it (and we're not either) as boys are slower than girls in that department and Moses is on target for everything else. We're just eager to open up the lines of communication.

-Lindsey

Odd ducks

Moses and I went to the park to feed the ducks yesterday.



That sentence only sounds exciting.

I was looking forward to Moses' first time feeding the ducks at a local library (and cleaning out my bread drawer), but the ducks didn't flock to us as expected and Moses wasn't intrigued by their "we just ate, kid" attitudes so his interests quickly turned to the water and exploring the lakeside. Finally, two disheveled ducks somewhat responded to our feeding attempts, but it was still a little ho' hum and yawn inducing. I kept him on a short leash (literally, I'm not above leashing my child for safety reasons) because I feared he would either want to be too friendly with the ducks or jump in the lake (both assumptions were right), and those fears made for uneventful pictures, but hey, at least I documented the outing, right?

Maybe our next attempt will be a little more awe-inspiring to his toddler brain. This one was just pathetic.

On a funnier note, Moses' new harness makes me laugh uncontrollably at times because it reminds me of this Saturday Night Live skit:

I smell a Halloween costume...

-Lindsey

Seeking Solitude

Over the past several weeks, Moses has developed a peculiar new quirk: whenever he has a bowel movement, he'll hide behind a piece of furniture. It's entertaining to watch because he'll suddenly stop whatever he's doing and move behind a certain living room chair or the dining room table before making a series of grunts and other telltale sounds that clue us in to his intestinal goings-on. I'm not sure if this act is out of a sudden need for privacy or if it's more about limiting distractions so he can properly focus on the task at hand, but for now, it's just one more thing to add to my "how-to-embarrass-my-teenager" toolbox.

Also, I think the spectacle will be invaluable come potty training time. Hooray for predictability.

-Lindsey

The Boys' Room, Part I

I've been wanting to work on the boys' (plural!) room for awhile, but for one reason or another, I haven't--until this past week. I've seen some great productivity in fellow (or recently) preggo bloggers and their projects inspired me to get off my duff. I've also been touring nurseries on Ohdeedoh for room ideas, which has done nothing but increase my "to-do" list exponentially.

This was the room before Sally, Maegan, and I used 5 gallons of white paint to freshen up the walls and change the maroon walls to a lime green that I've since grown tired of (it must be my hormones because I usually love anything painted green) and have pledged to repaint a taupish-grey color in the near future. I love how large the room is, but I miss the wood floors in our old place. These walls are also a bit too textured for my taste, but it's something we can live with in a rental.

I haven't completed the room yet (sigh). I'm still working on Moses' soon-to-be big-boy bed situation since we currently have a nice trundle bed in there, but I think it's too much bed for Moses and too large for the space so I'm rethinking that arrangement. Then, there's the wall that I need to repaint. I'd also like to organize the walk-in closet, too. After those three tasks, I should be done with the room and be free to move on to other (more important but less fun) tasks, pending a cooperative baby!

When you walk into the room, there's a storage space on the wall for Moses' often used shoes and jackets. I have all the supplies (except a letter--what will we name this baby?) so that Moses' little brother will have one, too. The wooden crate is meant to hold cds, not shoes, but a little repurposing can go a long way and, with a little training, hopefully save me from the daily shoe search.

Here's Moses' current crib and dresser that will soon become baby #2s. I loved this train idea and had been wanting to change the previous artwork for awhile so I used two pieces of fabric and Heat N' Bond to appliqué the plane. I was hoping to get away from the travel theme in the room, but I loved the idea of a biplane too much. This was a nice, lazy way to redo that large canvas and I'm pretty pleased. Plus, if I get tired of it, I can just do something else.

I took down the dirty mini-blinds and hung some cotton tab-top curtains which I dyed green and added a fun ball-fringe trim to. The green is a little darker than I intended as I've learned that cloth dying is a very delicate process with little room for error (that test strip really is important). I'm still pleased with the results and think they add more color and whimsy to the room. For the record, I'm now obsessed with ball fringe!

For storage, I found some great cloth bins at Dollar Tree and mini-suitcases at Hobby Lobby. They are wonderful for storing random toys and small books. I also bought a toy organizer from Target--it's so nice to be able to access the toys and put them away easily. Since we have a lot of white wall to contend with in that room, I hung up an old dart board I scored from an estate sale and two other pieces of art I've found in the last year.

There's a large part of the room that I haven't shown, but that will come with Part II, once I've figured out the bed situation and painted that darn wall. I'm running out of steam more easily these days (hello, third trimester) but I'm planning to have the other things done in the next month. We'll see.

-Lindsey

My 2nd "Day"

I've been meaning to regale you dear readers with the quiet details of my second official Mother's Day, but the Mother's Day activities themselves have had me in an allergy coma for the last few days but I'm finally coming out the other side.

Mother's Day weekend was relaxing and enjoyable. Saturday evening, Gran (Sally) watched Moses so Dave and I could catch a movie. It may not sound like a big deal, but that was the first "date" Dave and I have had since we got married in November! Moses hasn't exactly been a chill kid so we're excited that he's finally mellowing out and not overreacting to every new situation (like being babysat)! He was so worn out from his time there that he went down an hour early, too--falling asleep while showering with Dave and remaining asleep while I put on his pajamas. I wish I could tire him out like that every day, but I know that with his fatigue would come my own, and I just can't bounce back like he can.

Mother's Day was equally unproductive and productive since we spent most of the day either napping and working in the yard. Outside, Dave removed an annoying tree stump and an oddly placed bush to open up our enclosed patio area and allow for a larger play area. It's a simple but huge improvement. Dave and I got to enjoy our dinner (Dave's grilled shrimp kabobs with mango salsa) in peace since once again Moses pooped out early from another busy day.

Our little gardener: he's a surprisingly good helper in the yard.

Our interior patio area: the removed stump and bush
were near where Dave and Moses are standing.

My Mother's Day doesn't end there though because Dave is treating me to an evening alone in a hotel so that I can get some much needed R & R. It'll also be my first night away from Moses, which is just one more step in our preparations for baby #2's delivery. I can't express how badly I'm looking forward to a solid night's sleep since I usually end up in Moses' room at 4 and fall asleep with him until the morning. I love our snuggling but it doesn't allow for too restful a night.

-Lindsey

Just like Daddy

Moses was watching Dave put on his socks and shoes this morning before work and decided that he, too, wanted to put on socks and shoes, but not his socks--his Daddy's cool socks. He grabbed a mismatched pair of Dave's socks and insisted that he wear them. By insist, of course, I mean "elicited a series of caveman-like grunts and precariously balanced on one foot while thrusting his other in Dave's face." Then, his stocking-clad feet ran off to his room, and he returned with his new shoes. This is the result:


I think this is the equivalent of a little girl tiptoeing around in her mother's high heels (hey, where are my high heels?). I'm only guessing his toddler brain must think Daddy's socks make him run faster because when the last lace was tied, he was off:

Yes, I did send him to PDO looking like that.

-Lindsey

Can you say, "crick?"

Dave and Moses played outside Monday evening and when they came back in, Moses crashed. You know he must have been tired when he can sleep soundly in this position:



My body hurts just looking at those.

-Lindsey

Hair today, gone tomorrow

Last Friday night, Dave and I decided it was time for Moses' first hair cut. . .by me (thank goodness curly hair is forgiving). It wasn't a real hair cut so much as a trim since we only cut the craziness (read: matted mullet) at the base of his neck. He can finally ride in his car seat without his hair becoming a tangled mess.




-Lindsey

Family Time

Moses had a wonderful grandparents-filled time this past week. During the week, he saw two of his grandparents, and over the weekend, he saw the other four of his six grandparents.

It's wonderful to see that he's made such huge strides in feeling comfortable with his grandparents lately. Before, he was very timid and unsociable around them, but now, he'll ask for them to pick him up and freely give them hugs or kisses. It's so nice to see that he's coming out of his shell--it's only taken 1.5 years!

My Mom and Kelly visited with my sister Paige on Saturday, and Dave's parents came down with his niece Jasmin on Sunday. Unfortunately, I've been lazy with pictures lately and only have a few--of my Mom and Kelly's visit not Dave's parents. I really should try to pick up the camera more these days and give everyone a fair shot (no pun intended).




The only bad thing about our weekend is that Moses seems to have contracted Fifth Disease and started exhibiting the cheek rash on Saturday. He's feeling great now, but his cheeks are red in all the pictures. I think it's safe to say that by age two he'll have acquired all the immunities he'll need for a lifetime. I guess it's better he gets them out of the way now than have two sick boys.

-Lindsey

P.S. And, yes, I'm going in for a blood test today to make sure I've already got the Fifth Disease anti-body and I'm not ask risk for an infection while pregnant. I think the chances are pretty good I've had it before, but I still have my fingers crossed!