So after dealing with nearly every obstacle known to man I finally have a date for my ultrasound. Most people have their scan done between 18 and 20 weeks. However, since my life has been anything but normal or predictable lately I am having mine at 22 weeks. It has been an extremely frustrating process to get everything figured out and set but I'm glad to have it done, finally.
So the big day is this Friday at 10:15. That is when we will hopefully find out the gender of our little nugget. I get asked all the time if I want a boy or a girl and to answer that question for all of you who aren't close enough to ask the answer is, I really don't care.
I know lots of people say that and whenever I heard it I always thought in the back of my mind "yeah right!" But now that it's me in the hot seat I can honestly say that I will be equally excited either way.
That being said there are some significant social benefits to it being a girl. Right now Rori has 2 older brothers who she tries to play with but they are less than patient with her and they don't like to share their toys with her. And they don't want to play with her toys, since they are girly, and so she never really has to share. It would be nice for her to have a younger sister so she could learn how to share her toys (and her dad) with someone younger than her.
But having another little bundle of boy would be absolutely perfect too. I wouldn't accomplish the same things socially as a girl would but I have a name already picked out for a boy and there is something about the bond between a mother and son. I don't know if it's because I had a boy first and so my first feelings of loving a baby were towards a boy or if it's just the way I am, but I really do have a special place for those little men in my life.
So in a couple of days I'll be off to find out if we are going pink or blue. I've added a poll on the sidebar so be sure to cast your vote. The voting ends on Friday at 11:30ish my time. And I'll post the results as soon as I get home.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
The Princess and the Pee
Disclaimer: This post is about potty training. If you don't want to know all about Rori learning to use the toilet may I suggest skipping this post. I wrote this mostly for me to remember since my brain has been getting more and more befuddled over the years.
I tried to write this post as a story with the "Once Upon a Time" line, but I am not good at writing fairy tales and this has been anything but a dream come true. haha.
A couple of weeks ago Rori started taking her diaper off during her naps and night time. It was such a mess. I have no idea if she took them off before or after she slept but either way when I went to get her out of her bed she would be nude and her bed would be wet! It was not a fun thing and I started making sure she had pants on when she went to sleep (the AC in the kids room cools down the room but it can still be kind of hot so I was letting her sleep in just her diaper so she wouldn't get too hot) Then after a few days she figured out how to take off her pants too!! ARG, I was so frustrated. So I started putting onesies on her instead. I figured she couldn't get the snaps undone and so she would have to stay dressed. Victory! It worked. I was able to put her to bed in minimal clothes to keep her cool and she was staying dressed. No more soiled sheets for me to wash.
However, I quickly found a downside to my solution. Rori started getting little red sores on her bum. :( As it turned out, having the moisture on her bottom for any length of time gave her a rash that was really sore for her and that is why she started taking her diaper off in the first place. Sad day.
My options were not looking good. I either had to let her suffer (not going to happen) change her diaper immediately after she peed, or potty train her. None of those options seemed particularly appealing but I couldn't come up with anything other options.
At first I tried the changing the diaper thing but I never knew when she was wet and she would inevitably remover her diaper during the day and pee on my floor! She really didn't like having a wet diaper on and I can understand that, but I really don't like mopping pee off the floor 12 times a day either.
So, after a week or so of having little miss nudey pants strip several times a day and pee on my floor I decided to put some underwear on her to see how she would do. I figured if she was going to be peeing on my floor even if I put a diaper on her I could at least give her the chance to go where she was supposed to.
This was such a spontaneous thing that for the first couple of days we were doing it she had to wear Ridge's underwear.
We started on a Sat. afternoon and she did pretty good, only 1 accident. The next day was Sunday and I was subbing in nursery, Jas was on call at the hospital and I knew there was no way I could handle day 2 of potty training on my own so we diapered up for church and did undies when we got home. No accidents on Sunday. then on Monday, a whole day without any accidents!!!!
This is amazing to me. Potty training the boys was pretty easy for me. But they were 2 1/2. Rori won't be 2 until Oct.
Since starting this journey we have had several perfect days and only a few accidents at all. She took to it right away and can even pull herself away from a movie or a game to run to the potty.
I was really hesitant to start this process because I am still occasionally sick and constantly exhausted. Potty training is a lot of work for the mom ( all you who have been through it know what I'm mean) and I didn't want to do all this work just to have her revert when the baby is born. But since we started using panties she hates wearing diapers. I still make her wear one to bed and nap and she is a pretty good sport about it, but as soon as she is awake she wants to use the potty and get her panties on again.
I have hear over and over again the girls are easier to train the boys and I was really skeptical because my boys really were easy to train, but I think I may be a believer.
Yeah for Rori!
I tried to write this post as a story with the "Once Upon a Time" line, but I am not good at writing fairy tales and this has been anything but a dream come true. haha.
A couple of weeks ago Rori started taking her diaper off during her naps and night time. It was such a mess. I have no idea if she took them off before or after she slept but either way when I went to get her out of her bed she would be nude and her bed would be wet! It was not a fun thing and I started making sure she had pants on when she went to sleep (the AC in the kids room cools down the room but it can still be kind of hot so I was letting her sleep in just her diaper so she wouldn't get too hot) Then after a few days she figured out how to take off her pants too!! ARG, I was so frustrated. So I started putting onesies on her instead. I figured she couldn't get the snaps undone and so she would have to stay dressed. Victory! It worked. I was able to put her to bed in minimal clothes to keep her cool and she was staying dressed. No more soiled sheets for me to wash.
However, I quickly found a downside to my solution. Rori started getting little red sores on her bum. :( As it turned out, having the moisture on her bottom for any length of time gave her a rash that was really sore for her and that is why she started taking her diaper off in the first place. Sad day.
My options were not looking good. I either had to let her suffer (not going to happen) change her diaper immediately after she peed, or potty train her. None of those options seemed particularly appealing but I couldn't come up with anything other options.
At first I tried the changing the diaper thing but I never knew when she was wet and she would inevitably remover her diaper during the day and pee on my floor! She really didn't like having a wet diaper on and I can understand that, but I really don't like mopping pee off the floor 12 times a day either.
So, after a week or so of having little miss nudey pants strip several times a day and pee on my floor I decided to put some underwear on her to see how she would do. I figured if she was going to be peeing on my floor even if I put a diaper on her I could at least give her the chance to go where she was supposed to.
This was such a spontaneous thing that for the first couple of days we were doing it she had to wear Ridge's underwear.
We started on a Sat. afternoon and she did pretty good, only 1 accident. The next day was Sunday and I was subbing in nursery, Jas was on call at the hospital and I knew there was no way I could handle day 2 of potty training on my own so we diapered up for church and did undies when we got home. No accidents on Sunday. then on Monday, a whole day without any accidents!!!!
This is amazing to me. Potty training the boys was pretty easy for me. But they were 2 1/2. Rori won't be 2 until Oct.
Since starting this journey we have had several perfect days and only a few accidents at all. She took to it right away and can even pull herself away from a movie or a game to run to the potty.
I was really hesitant to start this process because I am still occasionally sick and constantly exhausted. Potty training is a lot of work for the mom ( all you who have been through it know what I'm mean) and I didn't want to do all this work just to have her revert when the baby is born. But since we started using panties she hates wearing diapers. I still make her wear one to bed and nap and she is a pretty good sport about it, but as soon as she is awake she wants to use the potty and get her panties on again.
I have hear over and over again the girls are easier to train the boys and I was really skeptical because my boys really were easy to train, but I think I may be a believer.
Yeah for Rori!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Inner Pressure
I don't know why, but this pregnancy has brought on more migraine headaches than I have ever had in my life. Even small headaches are so debilitating to me and when you add sensitivity to light and sound and nausea it makes my life almost unbearable. Considering the fact that I live with 3 small people who are gifted in the noise making department I'm sure you can see how a migraine could be a bad thing. Add in the fact that I'm still prone to praying to the porcelain god daily and I don't want to move.
With the other pregnancies I would get a few headaches but these are worse and Way more frequent.
I'm done complaining....for now.
Hopefully these headaches stop soon. I don't know if I can take much more!
With the other pregnancies I would get a few headaches but these are worse and Way more frequent.
I'm done complaining....for now.
Hopefully these headaches stop soon. I don't know if I can take much more!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
I hate laundry day
I was sitting here thinking about what I needed to get done today and I realized I need to do laundry. A sense of dread came over me and I wondered why laundry was such a loathsome task.
And I have figured it out.
I hate laundry day because right now all the clean laundry is ironed, folded and put away. All the dirty clothes are piled in baskets in the bedrooms. And there is no laundry on the floor. Even though the laundry in the baskets is dirty, they aren't making a mess of my house.
Now fast forward to when all the laundry has been washed. Now all the baskets are full of fresh laundry that must be folded (I don't like doing this) or ironed (really don't like doing this.)
Once I get around to folding the laundry I look around and all of a sudden all my laundry is on the floor needing to be put away and heaven knows it takes me a good couple of day to get around to putting laundry away! It usually ends up folded in a basket on the floor since I can't stand to have clothes all over the floor.
So while my house is clean now and all the dirty clothes are tucked safely away in their baskets, as soon as the washing and drying are done it is inevitable that it will end up all over my floor.
Now I'm sure most of you are thinking "Why don't you just put the clothes away once you get them folded?" Of course this would be the logical resolution to my problem. However, there are some things that I just really HATE doing and putting away clean clothes is one of them. (putting away clean dishes is another. I'm seeing a pattern... hmm) With 3 kids I usually get distracted and I have a hard time getting focused on the task again since I didn't really want to be doing it in the first place.
Oh, well. The laundry must be done and I am the one who must do it. So here's to hoping I can get it all washed, dried, folded and put away, all in one day.
And I have figured it out.
I hate laundry day because right now all the clean laundry is ironed, folded and put away. All the dirty clothes are piled in baskets in the bedrooms. And there is no laundry on the floor. Even though the laundry in the baskets is dirty, they aren't making a mess of my house.
Now fast forward to when all the laundry has been washed. Now all the baskets are full of fresh laundry that must be folded (I don't like doing this) or ironed (really don't like doing this.)
Once I get around to folding the laundry I look around and all of a sudden all my laundry is on the floor needing to be put away and heaven knows it takes me a good couple of day to get around to putting laundry away! It usually ends up folded in a basket on the floor since I can't stand to have clothes all over the floor.
So while my house is clean now and all the dirty clothes are tucked safely away in their baskets, as soon as the washing and drying are done it is inevitable that it will end up all over my floor.
Now I'm sure most of you are thinking "Why don't you just put the clothes away once you get them folded?" Of course this would be the logical resolution to my problem. However, there are some things that I just really HATE doing and putting away clean clothes is one of them. (putting away clean dishes is another. I'm seeing a pattern... hmm) With 3 kids I usually get distracted and I have a hard time getting focused on the task again since I didn't really want to be doing it in the first place.
Oh, well. The laundry must be done and I am the one who must do it. So here's to hoping I can get it all washed, dried, folded and put away, all in one day.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Evil Scientist
The kids are watching Igor in the other room and if you don't know what it's about, it's about an Igor who creates a living monster to compete in the Evil Science Fair.
When Igor first proclaims that he is creating this monster he says he is "creating life. Living, breathing life. That can destroy all on it's own."
As an after thought to this I've decided that I am in fact an evil scientist. I have created life 3 times and working on the 4th and believe me, they are capable of destroying just about anything all on their own.
So although I am not claiming to be an Igor, I am pretty sure I'm an Evil Scientist! MWAHAHAHAHA (that's my evil laugh in case you were wondering)
When Igor first proclaims that he is creating this monster he says he is "creating life. Living, breathing life. That can destroy all on it's own."
As an after thought to this I've decided that I am in fact an evil scientist. I have created life 3 times and working on the 4th and believe me, they are capable of destroying just about anything all on their own.
So although I am not claiming to be an Igor, I am pretty sure I'm an Evil Scientist! MWAHAHAHAHA (that's my evil laugh in case you were wondering)
I think I can
So today has not been the best and it's my nature to write down all the terrible things that are going on. Because I do this I'm sure I come across as an unhappy, miserable person. This however is not true. Today has been really rough but to show you all that I'm not nearly as negative as I usually sound I'm going to make a list of all the things that are great about NJ. (I'll be surprised if it's a very long list though. haha)
So here it goes....
1. I am queen of my castle. Other than the few years we lived in Grenada we have lived with family since we've had kids. We really enjoyed living with family but we all have to grow up sometime and we are enjoying being our own little family in NJ.
2. Lots of parks. Every town or township has several huge parks. Each one offers something different and fun. We even found a sprayground. It's like running through fancy sprinklers.
3. Friends for the kids. Although when we lived in Woods Cross we had some great neighbors and good friends, Dyson finally has a friend that is his exact age at church. The other kids were always older than him but now he has a best friend that is in his same grade and he loves it. Poor Ridge though is the only boy in his primary class. He says none of the girls are pretty and I'm the only pretty girl at church. (I of course think this is the sweetest thing EVER!!)
4. Our apartment and Landlord are really great. This is our 4th apartment we have rented since we got married and we are split 2 and 2 for good and bad on the landlord front. It only takes having 1 bad landlord for you to appreciate and desire a good one. George is super great and is very prompt with fixing things that need fixing. The apartment has tons of character with lots of wood trim. (it even has wooden door knobs.) I know I haven't posted pics yet and who knows if I ever will.
5. The Beach. Although it is commonly called The Shore and it is nothing like the beaches in Grenada, we still enjoy going. The water is a little colder and the drive is significantly longer ( an hour or so here verses 2 min in Grenada) it still offers the same relaxing sounds and cooler temps.
I am going to stop there because it took me long enough to come up with those. haha.
This was really refreshing for me. Making a list of positive things is so hard for me to do when I'm having a day like today and it was nice to focus on a few (very few) of the things that I do enjoy.
So here it goes....
1. I am queen of my castle. Other than the few years we lived in Grenada we have lived with family since we've had kids. We really enjoyed living with family but we all have to grow up sometime and we are enjoying being our own little family in NJ.
2. Lots of parks. Every town or township has several huge parks. Each one offers something different and fun. We even found a sprayground. It's like running through fancy sprinklers.
3. Friends for the kids. Although when we lived in Woods Cross we had some great neighbors and good friends, Dyson finally has a friend that is his exact age at church. The other kids were always older than him but now he has a best friend that is in his same grade and he loves it. Poor Ridge though is the only boy in his primary class. He says none of the girls are pretty and I'm the only pretty girl at church. (I of course think this is the sweetest thing EVER!!)
4. Our apartment and Landlord are really great. This is our 4th apartment we have rented since we got married and we are split 2 and 2 for good and bad on the landlord front. It only takes having 1 bad landlord for you to appreciate and desire a good one. George is super great and is very prompt with fixing things that need fixing. The apartment has tons of character with lots of wood trim. (it even has wooden door knobs.) I know I haven't posted pics yet and who knows if I ever will.
5. The Beach. Although it is commonly called The Shore and it is nothing like the beaches in Grenada, we still enjoy going. The water is a little colder and the drive is significantly longer ( an hour or so here verses 2 min in Grenada) it still offers the same relaxing sounds and cooler temps.
I am going to stop there because it took me long enough to come up with those. haha.
This was really refreshing for me. Making a list of positive things is so hard for me to do when I'm having a day like today and it was nice to focus on a few (very few) of the things that I do enjoy.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Babies and bombs
I'm pretty sure my little peanut has super human strength. Last night I got to feel the little kicks for the first time and it was amazing. No matter how many times I've gone through it before there is nothing like feeling that little person kicking you for the first time. I was just as excited last night as I was when I felt Dyson's first movements over 6 years ago.
Of course simply feeling the kicks from the inside would not justify my claim to super human strength but what if I told you that Jason could feel them with his hand? I'm only 17 weeks and Jason could feel the spontaneous and supratic kicks of the little one with his hand. I was pretty amazed and so was he.
We don't know what the gender is yet (we'd actually have to go to a doctor to find that out) but I'm sure baby Johnson is practicing either some excellent dance moves or some serious soccer kicks.
Feeling the baby move last night was such a blessing in more ways than one. Of course any mom to be will tell you that feeling those first movements create a moment so special that I can only describe it as a blessing from heaven. But this time it meant something even more significant. Since we have been having some insurance issues with us moving out here I haven't been able to see a doctor yet. I have been a little anxious and it's been extremely hard to not know if there is a heartbeat and if the baby is growing properly. I was having some concerns and I think my imagination was getting the best of me but still, the fears were real to me. So feeling the baby last night meant to me, that the baby was in fact growing and getting stronger.
We are now getting ready for the 4th of July weekend and we are lucky enough to have Jason home with us Sat and Sun. He is on call on Monday but at least he isn't on call on Saturday when all the fireworks are.
We don't have any special plans and since we don't have a bbq grill there will be no grilling for us. Sad day.
I've been having trouble finding out where all the festivities are out here and I'm hoping to come across something or else we are going to have a really boring 4th. We can't even buy fireworks because it is illegal to buy, sell, or possess any fireworks, including sparklers, without a permit. I'm not sure how you get a permit but I wouldn't be surprised if they were super expensive.
Last night we had some neighbors who though it would be a great idea to set of some fireworks, or firecrackers rather, at some unknown hour in the middle of the night. It scared scared me to the crap (as Ridge would say) and after about 10 -15 explosions that sounded like gun fire, we had a cop show up and that was the end of that.
It was an eventful night to say the least.
Of course simply feeling the kicks from the inside would not justify my claim to super human strength but what if I told you that Jason could feel them with his hand? I'm only 17 weeks and Jason could feel the spontaneous and supratic kicks of the little one with his hand. I was pretty amazed and so was he.
We don't know what the gender is yet (we'd actually have to go to a doctor to find that out) but I'm sure baby Johnson is practicing either some excellent dance moves or some serious soccer kicks.
Feeling the baby move last night was such a blessing in more ways than one. Of course any mom to be will tell you that feeling those first movements create a moment so special that I can only describe it as a blessing from heaven. But this time it meant something even more significant. Since we have been having some insurance issues with us moving out here I haven't been able to see a doctor yet. I have been a little anxious and it's been extremely hard to not know if there is a heartbeat and if the baby is growing properly. I was having some concerns and I think my imagination was getting the best of me but still, the fears were real to me. So feeling the baby last night meant to me, that the baby was in fact growing and getting stronger.
We are now getting ready for the 4th of July weekend and we are lucky enough to have Jason home with us Sat and Sun. He is on call on Monday but at least he isn't on call on Saturday when all the fireworks are.
We don't have any special plans and since we don't have a bbq grill there will be no grilling for us. Sad day.
I've been having trouble finding out where all the festivities are out here and I'm hoping to come across something or else we are going to have a really boring 4th. We can't even buy fireworks because it is illegal to buy, sell, or possess any fireworks, including sparklers, without a permit. I'm not sure how you get a permit but I wouldn't be surprised if they were super expensive.
Last night we had some neighbors who though it would be a great idea to set of some fireworks, or firecrackers rather, at some unknown hour in the middle of the night. It scared scared me to the crap (as Ridge would say) and after about 10 -15 explosions that sounded like gun fire, we had a cop show up and that was the end of that.
It was an eventful night to say the least.
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