20 Chore Tuesday

I'm going way out on a limb today, trying to accomplish a few of the things on our "To Do Before Baby Comes" list, as well as some regular day to day things. Being in rest mode trying to keep contractions at bay doesn't get anything done, that really does NEED to be done, and I did get much better sleep last night than any other night over the past week, so ...

Then I just happened to see on Instagram that Emily at Joyful Abode was starting a #20choretuesday link-up on her blog. Perfect timing! First thing this morning I filled up my water cup and pulled up my trusty Cozi app on my iPhone, and made my list:

Get the idea? This could be fun.
Well, it's just after 4pm here and I have 12 out of 20 crossed off! Considering my little one has had a rough day of growing molars and I am moving a bit on the slow side, I call that good!

Baby stuff is pretty much done, and now I'll spend the rest of the evening working on my regular chores and those things I should have listed, like finally take a shower and look up movie times for our final date night before our Newbie comes tonight. Yay! 

Honestly I could not have gotten all of this done had I not had the motivation of sharing with everyone and crossing off items from my list. If you don't use the Cozi app, I give it a big recommendation! It's perfect for families and moms, whether stay-at-home or working! If you have any app recommendations, please share! 

Thanks to Emily for letting me join in and encouraging me to get things into gear!

Newbie Notes, part 7: 33-35 weeks

It happened. My belly button popped out. I'm done. Two things I couldn't say during my last pregnancy, because my belly never got this big and stretched, and I didn't get to this point of miserable.
Well this time, it did, and I am.

This picture is right after my most recent doctor's appointment, and I was feeling as rough as my face says I was. The evening before I had gone to the grocery store (without toddler in tow, by the way), and as I left there started having contractions that turned pretty persistent pretty quickly, and didn't stop for three hours. They weren't painful, but were about 5-7 minutes apart, and very annoying. They just weren't going away and I had dinner to cook, cleaning up to finish, a child to put to bed, and dishes to put away. I went about my business, just taking some short breaks in between, and Larry put Solomon to bed for me while I took a hot bath. I'm really glad he was home that evening! Now, I wasn't feeling that worried since they weren't intensifying or hurting me, but after so long with no let up even after a bath (and after enough pleading from Facebook friends) I eventually called the doctor.
False labor. No problem. Lay down and drink fluids. If they intensify or there is bleeding go to the hospital. -- Yes sir. I was already resting and guzzling water by this point, but moved to my left side and that finally, slowly did the trick.

I slept well that night, but did feel contractions occasionally. I woke up and they were still there, just not regular or persistent like before. I continued having them, irregularly (if that's a word) throughout the day, and just generally didn't feel well. That is what finally made me feel a little concerned. A general yucky feeling sometimes actually means something when you're this far in pregnancy. The possibility of complications or premature labor and delivery started running through my head. Fortunately, my appointment that afternoon went fine. My blood pressure was just a little higher than normal, but not in a scary range. Everything else seemed fine. Baby's heartbeat and movement was good. So I was told to resume normal activity and not worry, just rest when/if I was having lots of contractions. 

Staying focused on the fun, we started a countdown, which today is at 32! That sounds close, but not. I'm not sleeping well the bigger my belly gets, and the more tired I am the more emotional I am. My poor husband! Over the past week I've broken out in tears before even getting out of bed on three different occasions. What is that about? I'm that crazy pregnant lady! I wish I could say nesting was keeping my mind off things, but that instinct just doesn't seem to be kicking in this time. Before I had Solomon I was on hands and knees cleaning corners and crevices, and moved our living room furniture several times a day. For now, just some little spurts of motivation and energy are as good as it gets. 

I've washed a few of Newbie's things (sheets, blankets and loveys, some stuffed animals) and cleaned the carpet in her room. Over the weekend we picked the wall color I had in mind and got started painting. Larry did most of the work, and it came out so lovely. I'm really happy with it! It's kind of a Robin's Egg Blue, called "Herbal Mist" by Behr, and of course we used NO VOC paint. I'm very excited about bringing in all  of her things and putting everything together to create a special place for my daughter. It's been - big surprise - a little emotional for me, as much of her decorations, toys and books are things that were mine first. Once everything is complete I'll do a total room tour post. 

Solomon's working hard on further preparing to be a big brother. We found a baby doll and toy stroller that he has been driving around the house. I occasionally move the doll around, from the stroller to the swing, from the swing to the bouncy seat, etc. All to see his reaction, and to hopefully help him understand that those are places for a baby. Places we are to be careful of and protect, and that are designated for her because she's so little and can't move around like Big Brother can yet. He likes to poke the baby's eyes, but other than that is fairly gentle with her, and even gives her hugs. It's a process, right? Ha! Since he is doing so great in his new room, and sleeping well too, we're feeling really optimistic about Solomon's Big Brother status. Many of my previous fears are being calmed as time goes by, and as he becomes more of a big boy all the time. We're excited to see our little man become a big brother!

As I anxiously await the coming of next week when I'm technically "full term", I'm torn between the stress of wanting to get moving and get so much more done, and the weariness and wanting to be done. I want it all to just be ready and have my baby girl in my arms. That's partially the emotions talking, I realize. Don't be the crazy pregnant lady, Kelly! Only a little more time to wait, and our Newbie Girl will be here, the perfect little addition to our family.

Big Boy Room Tour!

We have something special and new happening in our house right now. Solomon has his very own "Big Boy" room! This is his first time in a room of his own, and something Mommy and Daddy have been dreaming up since before he was born. A lot of love has gone into the whole process, and we have been working very hard at putting it all together just especially for our little toddler boy. Although it's still a work in progress, he is sleeping there for both naps and night time now, and I'm excited to share his progress, and his space with you! 

Much, much, much prayer has gone into this process. This is a big move and life change for our little boy, so it has been our goal to create a fun and pleasing environment that would be easy for him to transition into based on his needs and personality. Since he's not an infant anymore, and we've already been down a road of ups and downs with his sleep habits, we have been able to prepare his space with all of those things in mind. Meaning, we have started out with child safety, as well as aesthetics in mind, while also focusing on his interests and comfort level. My prayer has been that he would feel comfortable, happy and safe in his room, not only for play but for sleeping well in his new bed. We want him to know that his room is made special, just for him! If that can happen, he will feel more and more secure and enjoy his space as his very own.

Over the past few months of thinking more seriously about how we would go about his sleeping arrangements and room set up, the biggest factor on my mind was his bed. We were debating leaving him in his crib and getting a new one for Baby Sister, or setting up a big boy bed. Then he started getting his two year molars, and would no longer lay in his crib and go to sleep on his own. He was miserable! I was trying my darndest to rock him to sleep and lay him down carefully, while sitting on the edge of my bed with a pregnant belly and horribly aching body. I was miserable too! Daddy works most evenings, so this part was up to me. We couldn't do it anymore. I prayed about what to do next, and felt that trying a floor bed next to ours would be the best step. He would still be near us like always, I could lay him down much more easily, and it answered the question of how to arrange his room when it was time to move.

We started him out there with naps first, and sleeping in our bed at night. He did really well! After about a week, we tried bedtime there, and he did well. He quickly learned that was his new bed. He was waking a time or two at night and needed help getting back to sleep, but we were doing okay. This was our routine for about six weeks. I'll be honest, by the end of that time it was getting pretty hard on me to get down on the floor during the night, and he seemed to be waking more often, even sometimes having night terrors during the night. We were starting to struggle. Still, I felt that God had led us into the direction of using a floor bed and we wanted to do the best thing for Solomon. So we just crossed our fingers that moving him into his room would make things better for all of us.

The time came, and we started putting our ideas to work. I was excited to not only have a room for Solomon but to be able to add in all the personal touches we had been dreaming up for so long. I chose grey for his walls for the calming affect, and because it reminds me of airplanes, which we were going to incorporate. We brought in Daddy's old dresser, that had been his and his dad's. The closet doors had already been taken off so we decided to just keep it that way. To get rid of the safety hazard, I just got out the screw driver to pull up the little pieces of tracks the doors had slid on. The closet needed painting and we decided on red to contrast the grey, and to bring attention as an activity area, since his toys would be going there. His clothes are also hung there now, but just happened to fit perfectly pushed to each side, so they don't take up the entire space of the closet.

*Side note: Although Daddy did most of the painting, we bought NO VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint so it was safe for me to be around and help with while pregnant, and wouldn't irritate Solomon's breathing.

I got a lot of inspiration for using a floor bed - and for the overall room arrangement - from two favorite blogs of mine. Sew Liberated, which I've followed and loved for a long time, and Joyful Abode, a newer interest. Both of these moms use a Montessori philosophy in their homes and in teaching their children. As for me, any and all of my training in caring for and teaching children has been through more conventional Early Childhood Education and in Christian Preschool settings. I have learned something about Montessori methods through these smart ladies blogs and links, though, and find a lot of it very interesting and worth a try. I honestly don't feel prepared to go full-fledged and head long into it, and still need to be myself as a mom. However, if I ever come across something - however "different" - that would be of use or benefit to my children and family, I'm so there!

*Meg, at Sew Liberated's Floor Bed posts can be found here and here. Emily, at Joyful Abode's Floor Bed posts can be found here and here. There is also a lot of information on Montessori rooms, and the point behind them.  

A big selling point on the floor bed for us was it's promotion of independence. You may think, he's just going to get right up out of that bed and go play with his toys. Well, that's sort of the idea. We want him to gain a great enough sense of security that he is comfortable just playing in his room, not fearful or sad in his bed, or trying to get out to get to us. That's why it's been so important to make sure the room is safe, so it's sort of like one big crib or play area, that he is free to explore when he wakes up from naps, or in the morning. All of this promotes independence and confidence.

Part of our method in transitioning him was just including him in the whole process of setting up his room. He was there for each step, and along with each step we talked to him about what we were doing and made a big deal that this was "Solomon's room!" or his "Big Boy room!" and it was just for him. It was all a great big deal! ... 

"Here's your chair!", "Here's your dresser! Do you want to help Mommy put your clothes in your new dresser?", "Here's your Mickey. He's going to go in the basket.", "Solomon, look at your bed!", "What a special room!"

It was all about promoting positivity and excitement the whole time.

We found what we felt was the best place for Solomon's bed, and paired it with a little reading/quiet nook. I cleaned up this old chair that was originally Larry's grandmother's, and settled all of Solomon's stuffed animals into a basket next to it. For the record, he has never cared much for stuffed animals at all, but having them here in a special place, they have caught his attention much more, and he actually gets them out to play with occasionally now. Eventually, we will add a little book shelf into this corner. Right now I'm thinking of getting some Ikea spice racks and mounting them as shelves (c/o Pinterest!). For now his books are up in his closet, in addition to the ones that he has full access to in the living room. Solomon's sheets were purchased at Goodwill for $1.50 each, and just happened to perfectly match a little rug we had picked up for him ages ago, that is now in front of his dresser. (Sorry, no picture.) 

As you can see, all outlets are covered. For now, the cheap and simple plug-in covers are working just fine. If he starts getting crafty we will invest in the heavy duty covers that take two hands to open. He cannot reach the cords to his shades, and when they are pulled up we immediately tuck the cords out of his reach.

The vintage airplane prints were hand drawn by Daddy while Solomon was still in my tummy, and have been saved for his room all this time. They are hung above his bed, secured with painters tape on the backs for safety, and we love them! Eventually we will put some family pictures below these, more at eye level for him, so that he can see them from his bed or while playing with toys. We are still deciding which ones to use and need to get some corner braces to keep them secure so there is no risk of them falling or being pulled down.

We found this propeller clock a few years back and loved how the red matched Solomon's closet and went along with the airplane theme. Of course he can't tell time, or even see the numbers very well, but it's a nice piece of decoration that fits in well. Since this picture was taken we have added some blue curtains that we found on sale at our local Old Time Pottery. They look great, and block out daylight really well for nap times.

Larry hung this airplane over Solomon's dresser using molly bolts and screws, and fishing line so it "flies". It was fun seeing Solomon notice it and get excited that he had a flying airplane in his room. He loves it! The dresser top is still a work in progress, as we search for a new lamp and continue working on little projects. I'll share those as things become more complete. 

On the opposite wall from Solomon's bed Daddy is painting a world map. You can see the arctic here, but there is much more to it's awesomeness that I'll also share in a later post once it is fully done (... and I have permission from Larry to publicize it. He's a true artist, ya know?) I will say it is absolutely fantastic! He has done a wonderful job on it, and I know Solomon is going to love it more and more as he gets older.

When it came time to set up Solomon's toy shelf, Larry left this part to me, knowing I had a plan in mind. While Solomon was napping one day I went through all of the toys we had in our house and downsized, quite a bit. This is another area where I was inspired by the Montessori philosophy of having a special place for everything, neatly organized, and using toys that promote imagination and creativity rather than just lots of light-up and electronic things. I ended up setting out a mixture of things, but was careful to balance things out toward more imaginary play and/or things that would promote learning even if they were things you could turn on electronically. I chose things that I knew would be interesting to him in different ways - musical instruments, a car track he hadn't played with in some time, his See 'n' Say because he loves the farm animals, a train that you have to build with shapes, an Ikea wooden train and track, a toy airplane that has Mickey Mouse (his favorite!) as the pilot but has no bells or whistles, etc. In one of the bins are building blocks, in the other are Little People animals that he absolutely adores. Since having his toys arranged this way he is more interested in everything, plays with everything in his room fairly regularly, and knows how to put things away easily himself. His stackers have encouraged much more interest in colors in numbers than ever before. These are all goals met, and I'm very happy with how he is adjusting! As of now, he plays by himself in his room for short periods of time, but still prefers that we are with him. 

He first slept in his room about 2 1/2 weeks ago now and it was one of the easiest times getting to sleep that he has ever had, especially compared to how he had been starting to struggle in our room. It was truly amazing! I prayed over him for God's blessings on him and on his room and for perfect peace and comfort and stability in his special place. As I prayed he just drifted right to sleep, so easily, and slept for about two hours! He woke up completely happy and I came in and we clapped and rejoiced for a great sleep, then played with his toys together in his brand new Big Boy Room! 

Since then he has slept in his own room, in his own bed every day and every night. Knowing he is still not ready for us to tuck him in and walk right out, we lay down with him every night. We pick out a few bed time books to read in his chair, turn off the light and lay down in bed. His biggest struggle right now is getting still. He wiggles and squirms, knowing that as soon as he is still, he's out! Some times take longer than others, but we're working on a way to help him understand that when we're in our bed we are still and quiet. For several days we were using a countdown, but that's lost it's appeal already. It's a process of learning for all of us. He will get there.

He has been napping great pretty much the whole time, for the most part. Night time sleep has been a progressive thing. First he woke up once or twice and eventually came into our bed in the early mornings. Then he clearly didn't want to go to our bed even after waking. He wanted to lay back down in his own bed! So we laid down with him and he would fall asleep pretty easily and quickly. As of today, he has gone two nights in a row with no getting up at all!!! Last night I heard him call for me, waited a moment, and he was quiet again, falling back to sleep on his own. This is such huge progress for him, and we are so proud of him, on top of all being more rested!! 

We are all so happy with his room, and I must say Daddy and Mommy are proud of our work, and even more proud of our boy! If you have any questions about anything, feel free! I like sharing.

[Almost] Wordless Wednesday: Family Portrait

One of Solomon's favorite things is coloring, or "cwor" as he calls it. Hehe.
We were all sitting at the kitchen table one afternoon, coloring and drawing pictures, and Daddy was on a roll. I like to think we're both pretty creative people, but Larry has the drawing skills. Solomon takes advantage, always asking for him to draw certain things, with Mickey Mouse and stars at the top of the list. So Larry kept going and started drawing our family. It was a quick little doodle, and he got a little carried away with his hair, but it came out SO cute!!! 

Solomon added his own little doodles to it too. I was laughing the whole time, and we loved it so much that we're planning on putting it up in Solomon's new room.

Newbie Notes, part 6: 23-33 weeks

Everything changed, and everything stayed the same.
That's what has been happening over the past several weeks.

Hi. Here we are. 

Baby Sister is safe and sound in Mommy's tummy, wiggling as I type, while Big Brother fights bed time. That's the sameness - those are the constants in our lives right now.
Then there's everything else.

Over the past weeks my body told me it was time to leave work. So I'm back to Stay at Home Mom status. We have transitioned Solomon from his crib into a floor bed. (That is a whole other blog post that I'll share later.) Then, five people moved out of our house.
Something I've never shared via blog is that my sister and brother-in-law and their kiddos have lived with us for quite some time. The details are personal to our family, but they were a part of our household for a long time, but now have bigger fish to fry, and are making a great new start! We are a family of three for the very first time. Having his cousins, aunt and uncle here was all Solomon has ever known. We miss them, and it's a great big huge change for all of us. Now, we're turning our house upside down, rearranging, reorganizing, and setting up two rooms for our two babies!
We will soon be a family of four.

The 24 week ultrasound showed us these sweet chubby cheeks

 and confirmed GIRL! 

Since then our Newbie Girl has gotten so big! I don't know if/when we will have another ultrasound, but at 33 weeks tomorrow, my belly is as big or bigger than when I had Solomon, at 39 weeks 5 days. I'm growing out of clothes that I wore until the end before. I'm slow moving, and far more sore and achey than I ever was while pregnant with Solomon. I never reached the point with him that I was "so ready" or became completely miserable. This time, it feels far more likely all the time that I will be getting to that point, and it's anyone's guess when it's going to happen. 

With all of that said, though, I am technically measuring "normal" according to my doctor, tested negative for Gestational Diabetes, and remain complication free! This has been one very healthy, uneventful pregnancy. With each doctor's appointment, I'm in and out. Nothing scary to talk about, or even very many questions to ask. It seems I'm just a short girl, with a short torso, carrying a baby who is apparently bigger than her brother was. So, it's a little uncomfortable at times, but the biggest blessing!

31 weeks, watching belly wiggles

Pretty well settled into the third trimester now, heartburn has eased up. My guess is that I "dropped" a little, and that gave my digestive system a little break. I'm not completely without Tums now, but much less than those few yucky weeks.

My cravings have changed some. I don't want Coke as much, and I do want McDonald's Oreo McFlurries. Sweets still rule. I've had a few meals this week that consisted solely of watermelon. Oh, I've wanted salads quite a bit lately. (I would do almost anything for a Zaxby's salad right now!!!) Then there's an occasional hankering for a burger.

If I'm remembering my pre-pregnancy weight correctly, I have gained 20 lbs. I don't really mind the numbers at all. Although, without going into too much detail, there are some areas that I'm wondering whether or not they will ever be the same. Just more things that probably have to do with this being my body's second time at this. But really, I feel a bit like a freak show some days. Interestingly, I normally just kind of take note of it and move on. Like "Wow that's crazy! Oh well." I think when you're the mom of an attached toddler you just live with the acceptance that your body is not your own. I usually have something on my clothes, rarely have a full face of make up on, only wear shoes that are comfortable, and spend much more time trying to make Solomon cute than myself. And I'm really okay with it. It's just a season, and the payoff for my investments are pretty fantastic.

Big Brother is learning and understanding more and more about the concept of "baby" and we talk a lot about Baby Sister.

He gives her kisses and hugs and says "awww".

When we see babies, or toddlers, out in public he says "bay bay" and has started offering them something like a cracker or pretzel. Ha! It's pretty sweet. We talk about what it means when babies cry, the importance of being gentle, and how he can help take care of his baby. Now that we're getting rooms ready we're showing him "This is Solomon's big boy room! Right there is Baby Sister's room."  

This new-to-us swing is the first of the "baby things" we've brought out and found a place for. Solomon has done really well with it. We will bring out each item gradually and one at a time, and hopefully it will be an easy adjustment - especially since things are moving in and around all over the house right now anyway. The biggest step will be his total move out of our room and the resulting moving in of a bassinet and eventually a real life baby in the place that he was sleeping. That part is at the top of my prayer list right now, for the sake of both of my babies' comfort and happiness! I'm a realist, so I tend to see the possibility of turmoil, but I still know God is bigger. His desire for their well-being is even greater than mine, and I know He will take care of all of us!

These are really exciting times, in more ways than one. My birth plan is typed up and printed out. My hospital packing list is ready. Little by little we are getting things in order.

It's funny though, isn't it? We're getting all prepared and orderly just in time for everything to change again. And then we'll look around and say, here we are, and keep trying to get it right, all over again.

That's what families do. That's what growth does.