WFMW: Second Baby Advice

This week at We Are THAT Family, the Works-For-Me Wednesday tip carnival is a backwards edition - meaning I get to ASK for advice instead of volunteering it.

Obviously I've got babies on the brain right now, with David coming in less than 6 weeks. I'd love some advice from mothers of 2-or-more kids, especially if your first child was roughly 2 1/2 when your second was born.

How do I explain the changes to my daughter?

How do we help her to love her baby brother?

How can I make the transition easier for her?

How in the world am I going to take care of a 2 1/2 year old and a newborn while recovering from a C-section???

Thanks for your help. This is the stuff that keeps me awake at night.

Super Dad

This picture is from last summer's trip to Tallahassee, but it's one of my favorites.

Last night, there was a bit of a crisis at our house. Wendy had gone to bed a few hours earlier, and had been sleeping peacefully, when I heard her start shrieking & crying in a panicked & very upset voice. I was laying on the couch trying to sleep (thank you, heartburn) and went to check on her. She was all sweaty & hot, with tears pouring from her pretty blue eyes, and she said, "Worm boken! That touble!"

In Wendy-speak, she was telling me that her Glow-worm was broken. And that is definitely trouble, because her Glow-worm sings her back to sleep whenever she wakes in the night. I took it from her, pushed the button, and heard the mournful, discordant song of dying batteries. I asked her if she wanted me to fix it, and she started crying harder. "Worm boken! Worm too boken!" I asked if she wanted Daddy to fix it, and she said, "Yesh. Daddy fik it. Daddy fik worm."

James was working upstairs, even though it was nearly midnight. (The man puts in a LOT of hours. Hours at work, hours at home, very little sleep.) I asked if he'd come downstairs, and he did. He came to the rescue, rounding up 3 AA batteries from somewhere and a Phillip's screwdriver to open the battery compartment, and went to work on the "boken worm." He got it all reassembled, and when it was working, he went to deliver it to Wendy.

She immediately grabbed it & pushed the button to see if it worked. Then she looked up at her Daddy with relief & joy, and said, "Tanks!"

He really is a Super Dad.

James & Wendy when she was one day old, not much bigger than the Glow-worm!

Time Flies!

We had an ultrasound & OB appointment today, 2 days shy of 29 weeks. I can't believe how quickly the time is starting to go now!

The ultrasound was great; David showed us all of the important bits. He's positioned exactly like Wendy was during the last trimester - sideways, head on my left, feet way up by his face. He's measuring 3.2 pounds, which is a little big, but since he'll be delivered early that may be to his benefit. (More on the early delivery after the pictures!)

This picture is of him looking right at you - it almost looks like he's smiling!
We got to see him practice sucking, too - very cool.

I really like this picture! We never had any 4D pictures of Wendy,
but they probably would've looked just like this.
That's his right foot up there against his face.
Judging from this picture, he's going to look a LOT like Wendy!
I'm so glad we were able to see this!

After reviewing the surgical records from my first C-section, my OB has decided that the best course of action is to do an amniocentesis at 36 weeks to check on the maturity of David's lungs. If everything looks good, we'll have a baby that week!

I've been taken a little off-guard by this plan. First of all, it never even crossed my mind that I would have an amniocentesis, and the idea freaks me out a bit. (More than a bit. A lot.) This also moves up the schedule by two weeks, and suddenly makes it seem like this is all right around the corner - it's in 7 1/2 weeks. I feel like we have a lot of preparing to do in a very short amount of time!

I'd appreciate your prayers as we prepare for this baby. We've got some financial things to figure out, some furniture moving to do, and some baby clothes to buy! I've also been struggling with anxiety attacks for the past couple of weeks, so prayers for peace of mind would also be greatly appreciated!

Sometimes...

...you just have to grab the camera.

***Edited to add:***
I showed this picture to Wendy this morning, and she said, "Oh no! That trouble! That Wendy need clothes on!" It made me laugh.

You may have noticed that I haven't been blogging much lately. It's not because of time constraints, or a busy schedule, or a self-imposed hiatus, or anything of that nature.

It's because my brain, it is empty.

Unless you want to hear a litany of pregnancy-related complaints.

(I'll just say this: I'm starting my third trimester, and could totally make my own Pepto-Bismol commercial. Nausea! Heartburn! Indigestion! Upset stomach! Diarrhea!)

(But I wouldn't make a Pepto-Bismol commercial, because it's not something you can take while pregnant, so there.)

Anywho. If at some point I have something worthwhile to share, I'll be sure and do that. Meanwhile, you can look forward to more random cute pictures of Wendy, and more pregnancy updates. We have an ultrasound on Thursday to see how little David is growing, and I'm hoping we'll get some good images this time.

What a Difference Two Days Make...

I realize my posting has been very picture-centric lately, but I couldn't not post these, after the beautiful spring pictures from earlier in the week.

I give you, today:


Yes, that is SNOW. More snow than we saw all winter long, in fact. Big, beautiful snowflakes just pouring from the sky. It would be a beautiful sight in, say, January.

But it's March. I'm done with snow. I've given winter his pink slip. It's time for spring.

WFMW: Toddler Markers

My daughter is almost 2 1/2, and she loves to color. I saw these markers at Target several months ago, and Santa ended up putting them in her stocking for Christmas. They were put on the shelf with the rest of her art supplies, and I completely forgot about them.


Yesterday, she wanted to color, and I rediscovered these markers. I gave her the markers & a coloring page, and she was delighted. A little too delighted...and you can see yesterday's post for the result.

I figured we were in for a grand time of soaking & vigorous scrubbing in the bath to get all of THAT mess off of her arms, hands, & face.

Boy, was I wrong.

The first surprise was that her initial dunking in the tub rinsed off about 70% of the ink. The second surprise was that a simple wipe or two with a washcloth removed the rest. Seriously. No scrubbing, no pain, no tears.

It was awesome.

And so, if your toddler likes to color & experiment with art supplies, the Crayola Beginnings Washable Triangular Markers are a wonderful choice. The clean-up was so surprisingly simple!

For more great ideas, visit We Are THAT Family for Works-For-Me Wednesday!

Caught Red-Handed!

Today, I am thankful for washable markers.

Spring Makes Me Happy

On a day like today, I just need to spend some time outside.
Look at that sky! That blooming pear tree! I wish you could hear all the birds!


Happy Wendy feet. My girl loves the outdoors, too!


Happy Mama feet. Nothing like bare feet in green(ish) grass!


Happy Matilda, the outside cat, with 2/3 of my outdoor essentials.
(Sweet tea not pictured, but it was definitely present.)


She's the queen of her castle - and my heart.


Inspecting the first little caterpillar of the spring.


Giggling in the swing.

A good morning.

WFMW: Keeping Track of Medications

This week WFMW is running a "Greatest Hits" edition - people are sharing their most helpful tip from past weeks. I've participated in WFMW for quite a while, and this tip is my favorite. Enjoy. (from 12/07)

********************


If you're like me, you have a hard time remembering to take your vitamins or daily medications. When your child is sick and things are more stressful than usual, keeping track of medications becomes even more complicated. I've done a couple of things that make life easier when Wendy is sick.

1. We got a chart from her doctor with weights and the appropriate doses of Tylenol and Motrin. This chart lives on the side of the fridge. At the bottom of the chart, I record her current weight and the date after any visit to her doctor. That way I can see at a glance what dose she needs.

2. My whiteboard (which I've blogged about before) serves as a running of list of when she got what medication. This is great for those awful ear infections when she's getting antibiotics, Tylenol, Motrin, and eardrops. Basically, all the medicine lives on the kitchen counter out of reach. When I give her a dose of something, I write it and the time it was given on the bottom of the whiteboard. It's way WAY more reliable than my memory!

For instance, the whiteboard might say:
Tylenol 8 a.m.
Antibiotics 8 a.m.
Motrin 11 a.m.

I hope these tips help you out. Simplifying our sick days works for me - what works for you? For more great tips, head over to Works-For-Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family!

She Has Her Daddy's Genes

This is a typical scene at our house when Wendy is playing. She loves to sort things and line them up. I realized this morning that I hadn't documented it in pictures yet, so I grabbed the camera. Not only did she line up all the crayons, but as she used them, she put them at the end of the line & turned them over. See how the ones closest to her are point down, and the ones further away are all point up?

I blame it on James. He's such an engineer - apparently he passed on those genes to Wendy!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

I'm suffering from writer's block compounded by pregnancy brain, so I'm going with The Simple Woman's Daybook for today.

Outside my window...there is bright sunshine. The snow is almost completely gone, with just little bits gathered here & there in the shade. One daffodil is blooming in the front garden!

I am thinking...that I really need to get some things done today. In my current state of pregnancy-induced sleepiness, it's easy for entire days to go by with nothing being accomplished. And my house shows it.

From the learning rooms...Wendy and I will work more on the alphabet today. She knows three letters - R, O, M - and she's very interested in her alphabet puzzle and the ABC song.

I am thankful for...a warm house! We take so much for granted, but last night James asked me if we should leave the gas fireplace on overnight. I said, "Yes, it's supposed to get down to 19 degrees tonight." And just like that, with a simple decision, our house stays warm when it's bitterly cold outside. Not everyone is so blessed.

From the kitchen...the blueberry muffins are almost gone. That's probably a good thing, since I can't seem to stay away from them & they make my blood sugar too high. I still have about a cup of fresh blueberries left. I think I may make some pancakes with them.

I am wearing...my bathrobe & PJs. I know. I plan to remedy that soon.

I am reading...Sea Glass by Anita Shreve. I'm not yet sure whether I'd recommend it.

I am hoping...that the nausea I felt yesterday will stay away for a long time. The rest of the pregnancy.

I am creating...a blanket for baby David. I'm about halfway done. It's a beautiful medium blue color, with a pattern of wide vertical stripes.

I am hearing...Sesame Street. Wendy likes to watch Sesame Street while she has her breakfast.

Around the house...there is a lot of cat hair. I should vacuum more often.

One of my favorite things...sleep! I've slept pretty good the last few nights, other than waking up to go to the bathroom. My strange/convoluted/vivid dreams continue, and I don't expect that to change until after David arrives at the end of May.

A few plans for the rest of the week...going to the library - I'm almost out of reading material! Straightening & cleaning the living room. Straightening & cleaning the kitchen.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

Wendy frequently wrestles with sleep. This picture is from last week, when she FINALLY gave in to sleep after fighting it for well over an hour. You can't really tell from the picture, but she's almost folded in half - I think sleep just overcame her mid-struggle!