Technological Motivation for Exercise... Who'da Thunk?

Thanks to a friend at work who shall remain unnamed, I have just discovered that technology can actually motivate me to exercise! In keeping with my generation's love of all things "Me," having a tiny, all knowing, all telling electronic companion strapped to the top of my foot makes me feel a bit more inclined to actually step out the door in my spandex pants, oversize t-shirt and - yes - running shoes!

As a result, check out my new Niki+ Mini recently added to my right-hand nav bar. That's me! Nevermind the blue skin and pink hair, my favorite part is the blissfully happy expression plastered on "my" face while "I" exercise... Yes, I made my Mini the complete opposite of what I look like when I run.

And, below my pop-locking, unicycle-riding, ping-pong playing Mini, are my actual running stats logged by my little shoelace pocket companion. Now we get to see just how long into the new year this techno-motivation will last!

You know, I'm going to have to post on my feelings at the moment. Yes, I am a Mommy. Yes, I am a wife. Yes, I am a working woman. I'm not sure if they go in that order... But I am all of those things.

I love life. I love FEELING alive. What makes me feel alive...? It depends. My husband can make me feel alive. Sometimes. My children can make me feel alive, but usually they just exhaust me. I love them so much, but babies of all ages are so much work. It makes me really appreciate what my parents did when I was a baby. Stability is one of the most precious things that a parent can offer a child, even when the child does not cherish it. Husbands are also a lot of work. But they are so worth it. At least, mine is.

Beauty makes me feel alive. A rainbow cast from a corporate window onto a corporate marble floor can make me feel alive. A yellowing leaf on a fall tree. A sparkly red paint job on an old car. A baby's smile. Beautiful things can bring happiness. And happiness is life. I love feeling alive.

From the mouths of babes...

I just have to write down what Ava said this evening.

We were both in the kitchen after Cadence was in bed. I was making chocolate chip cookies and Ava’s "helping" eventually turned into a role playing game involving measuring implements: 1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1 tablespoon, 1/2 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon and 1/4 teaspoon. As any logical 3 year old would, Ava made the two biggest ones Grandpa and Grandma, then came Mommy and Tabitha and the two smallest were Ava and Cadence.

I was only half paying attention as I bustled about the kitchen loading the dishwasher and cleaning the breakfast nook in between waves of fresh cookies, but eventually something she kept saying over and over caught my attention. She was telling Tabitha and Cadence that they had to stay "over there" because only "dolts" could be "over here." "You're not a dolt, you stay over there, Cadence." It took me a while to figure out that she was differentiating children from adults - or "dolts."

Since I know that not everyone in the world was an English major, below is Mirriam-Webster's official definition of "dolt":

dolt (dōlt) n. a stupid person

I think sometime I’ll have to teach Ava that honesty is not always the best policy... :) She’s too smart for her own good and she doesn’t even know it.

Infant Daycare - Not So Bad After All

Cadence began daycare this past Monday. And honestly, it wasn't as hard for me as I thought it would be to leave her with other women for a majority of the day. Many mothers will probably verbally eviscerate me for saying that, but it's the truth. It is and always has been my belief and practice that babies should learn independence and self-soothing from a young age. While I wholeheartedly agree that teeny tiny newborns should be held and cuddled and cooed at as much as possible, I also think that once they begin to realize that there is a world around them, they should be prepared for the possibility that things might not always go their way. Over the last month, I don't stress out as much if I can't put the pacie back in her mouth while driving 65 (ok, maybe 75) miles an hour on the highway. Yes, my heart rate is still elevated until she calms down, but logically I tell myself that she's not going to die from crying. I'm not beating myself up (like I did with Ava) about supplementing my breastmilk with formula. Many babies don't get any breastmilk at all. And I don't freak out if Ava's 3-year-old classmates manage to touch Cadence's face when I'm not looking. She's got to get sick and start building antibodies sometime. While some may see my actions as lazy, or even slightly neglectful, I honestly believe that I am doing my daughter a service by letting her learn that sometimes in life you have no control over what happens to you and you simply need to make the best of the current situation. As a result, Cadence has found out that her fists substitute nicely for a pacie. She can switch back and forth between breast and bottle like a pro and be happy with whatever she's getting. She already knows to close her eyes and turn her head when she sees a grabby preschooler moving in to give her a kiss. I'm actually really proud of her. Of course, what mother isn't proud of their baby? :)

And We're Back!

Wow. It's been two and a half months since I last posted. Here's a quick catch-up.

My baby girl is now 10 weeks old and as perfect as I could ever ask for. The C-section (yes, I went with the elective surgery) went wonderfully, aside from both Cadence and myself being hugely bloated for the entire week after her birth due to an excess of IV fluids given to me prior to the operation. I never thought I would give birth to a 8lb 15 oz child - She looked so chunky, it was hilarious. And big sister Ava has been amazing! Not a hint of jealousy, provided that we pay her as much attention as we did before the baby was born. Which, to be perfectly honest, isn't hard since we've raised her to be very independent. She can be a lifesaver, pulling herself out of her Spongebob zone to put the pacie back in the baby's mouth or announcing that the baby is crying upstairs when Mommy forgot to turn the monitor on in the living room. Although I wanted my children to be as close together in age as my sister and I were, 18 months apart, I'm beginning to see the merits of a 3-year separation. In short, life is good. I'm back from the fantasy life that is maternity leave, and ready to reenter the real world.

L&D Visit #2

Spent two hours in labor & delivery at the hospital again today. Been having mildly painful contractions about 7 minutes apart since Sunday evening, and since mommies planning repeat c-sections aren't technically supposed to 'labor' I figured I'd call in to see if the contractions should be monitored. Turns out that the contrax haven't changed my cervix at all, so they're basically just really annoying Braxton Hicks. Grrrr. I was hoping to get this little girl into the world sooner than planned!

On an unrelated note, I signed up for a Twitter account since it seemed to work so well for Mike & Elaine during their recent labor. Plus it's just cool. :) See link in right-hand nav menu.

Endless Summer Pride and Joy

Introducing: my 'Endless Summer' Hydrangea! I absolutely had to post pictures of the one true success of my attempts at gardening over the past year. I'm so excited that it's blooming so well! :)

32 Weeks and Considering Elective C-Section

It's amazing how a tiny person who doesn't even know you exist can dominate such a huge chunk of your waking thoughts. She's not even 4 pounds yet, and I'm already consumed with the urge to hold her, kiss her, feel her tiny toes. Nevermind that she wouldn't be able to breathe on her own if she was born right now. :) It's all about what mommy wants!!

I am officially 8 months pregnant today (on a 10 month scale) and I'm ready to be done baking her. First trimester woes - fatigue and nausea - are coming back to haunt me, plus the huge belly and constant internal kickboxing going on make me tired of being an oven and ready to be a second time mommy.

I'm also done hearing that I'm "all baby." Seriously people, it's not like I'm starving myself to be this way. Doc says that I've been gaining weight normally since the middle of the 2nd trimester, and that including the weight I gained back after losing it in the first trimester, I've gained 9 pounds so far. If I continue to gain a pound a week until she's born, I will have gained 17 pounds by the end. Less than I did with Ava, but only because I didn't have morning sickness with her.

I spoke to the doctor last week about the possibility of an elective c-section. Because my old hernia has been bothering me for a few months, I'm afraid that pushing during labor might aggravate it or cause it to herniate again. And, to be perfectly honest, I'm terrified of painful labor, terrified of tearing or having an episiotomy done, terrified of not knowing when she's going to arrive. Since I know what it's like to recover from a c-section and have been told that recovery from an elective c-section is much easier than from emergency AND I would get to pick out her birthday, I'm leaning heavily toward elective. Doc says that they usually schedule them for a week before the due date, which would technically be July 4th for Cadence, but because of the holiday it would probably be pushed back to July 7th. 07-07-08. :) I'll see if I can schedule it for then at my 33 week prenatal appointment next week.

3rd Trimester Musings

In honor of entering my 3rd trimester, and for the sake of posterity, I would like to record some of the things I have been experiencing lately:

1. Major baby kickage, night & day.
2. Constantly make little grunts and sighs as I try to get comfortable sitting ANYwhere.
3. Getting really tired of my maternity wardrobe but trying to resist shopping.
4. Have to hold Ava above my belly now b/c my hip disappeared, hahah. At least my left arm is getting a workout for when Cadence arrives!
5. Feel like my belly skin can't stretch ANY FURTHER!!
6. Out of breath from just walking around like normal.
7. Unconsciously rub/pat my belly about 5 gajillion times a day.
8. Already getting nervous about putting the baby in daycare when she's 2.5 months old...
9. Have random grump attacks that dissapear just as rapidly, which probably confuses the heck out of Ava.
10. Sooooo excited!!! Can't think of much else than meeting my second little girl, very distracted at work, have to restrain myself from perusing baby boutiques online during business hours! :)

Must Be Doing Something Right

Ava has to be the most loveable 3 year old who ever lived. Maybe I'm a bit partial, but I think she genuinely is a sweet-hearted little person through and through. This morning I woke up before her and went into her room to help her rise and shine. I stroked her hair for a minute and, after she stirred and did her morning stretching, she opened her eyes and gave me a wide smile. "Good morning, Mommy. I love you," were the first words that came out of her mouth and I couldn't help but kiss her all over her face in reply.

There's nothing better than picking up a bed-warmed toddler, feeling her put her arms around your neck and melt into you for just a few seconds before she wriggles out of your embrace, asking for breakfast, ready to start the new day. It's moments like those that make me forgive the marathon, million-decibal car seat tantrums she throws weekly because I won't give her two lollipops or because we can't go to Nana and Papa's house right now or because I won't open the car windows on a 35 degree spring morning. :)

Moody Pregnant Woman

I'm in a really bad mood today. Not for any specific reason. Random things are just rubbing me the wrong way.

Like when my kitty cat kept falling asleep with his paws on my arm while I worked from home today. The rational part of me knows that it was actually really cute, but it still bugged me. Almost like he was being needy and I didn't feel like being affectionate right then and so I resented him just for being there? Talk about a moody pregnant woman.

And Cadence has been hanging out in a really uncomfortable position today. I feel like my belly's about to burst, and she's only 13 inches and 1 1/2 pounds at this point! I truly don't remember feeling this uncomfortable with Ava, even toward the end. Then again, it was three years ago, and they say that God programmed women to forget the bad stuff and remember the good stuff so we keep having babies. Either way, I'm still grumpy and tired and all I want to do is break my promise to fold the massive mound of laundry that's been dominating our loveseat for two days so I can fall into bed at 8:00.

Blah.

You're So Tiny!

Is it weird that I get annoyed when people tell me I don't look as pregnant as I should? I think they think it's a compliment to tell a pregnant woman that she's tiny, but I actually want to look pregnant. Not that I want people telling me I look like I need my own zip code or anything, but it would be nice to get some acknowledgment that, even if it doesn't look like the baby is affecting me that much, hosting a growing person inside my own body isn't all sunshine and smiles.

Don't get me wrong, I know I begged to be pregnant for months before it happened, and I'm so gloriously happy that we're going to have another child! But who can say they enjoy feeling winded after climbing the 10 stairs at their house? I just keep focusing on those special days that I'll get to spend with CeeCee when I'm on maternity leave, Ava's at daycare and Stephen's at work. Feeding her in the glider in her newly decorated nursery, playing with her during tummy time and taking her for walks around the neighborhood in the mornings when the heat isn't so ferocious. Napping when she naps, carrying her around in her sling while I'm getting housework done and answering questions about how old she is whenever we go shopping. Ok, I won't enjoy the answering questions part... I used to hate it when people would touch Ava or get up in her face and talk baby talk, and if Cadence is as pretty a baby as Ava was that's bound to happen again. But all the other stuff will be wonderful!

I can't wait to meet you, baby CeeCee!

Nursery Ponderings

I'm considering driving up to Kannapolis today to buy the crib sheet that will serve as part of the raw materials for Cadence's valence. I'm thinking I'll also stop at Hobby Lobby and buy a pattern for the following reasons:

1. I've never sewn a valence
2. It's been about... 7 years since I've even touched my sewing machine, with the exception of moving it from apartment to apartment to house
3. The Super Target only had two of the crib sheets in stock last time I went, and they're not available for purchase online, so I've only got two chances (max) to get it right

Now that I'm considering, I'll probably have to get some white fabric to line the back of the valence since the crib bedding isn't overly, ah, high-quality. It seems like somewhat of a shame to make the valence opaque because the one window in her room is sooo tiny and I love natural light more than any kind of light, but I also don't want the valence to look cheap after all the work I put into the polka-dot wall that it will be against.

Speaking of which, I can't wait to get the rest of the room painted! I still have to figure out what I want to do with the polka-dot mural I made for her name, since the green of some of those dots will now be the same green as the walls... Maybe I can leave just that one wall with the mural it's current tope color and paint the other two walls green? The tope beside the green & white polka dot wall was my original vision, after all. Then again, the tope is the same color that the previous homeowners slapped on walls throughout the entire house so a change would be nice. Hmm... Decisions, decisions.

Baby Bug

Had my 6 month baby appointment today. Cadence is measuring exactly on target (uterus is 2 inches above my belly button) and I’m finally a few pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight which means I’ve gained back the 4 lbs I lost in the 1st trimester due to nausea, yay! An iron test showed that I’m not in the least anemic with this pregnancy, and since CeeCee kicks like crazy all the live long day and night everything else checked out normal. All I can say is that if this child turns out to be even MORE hyper than her big sister is, I don’t know what I’m going to do with the pair of them!!

Also, I asked the doctor about going to the Tim McGraw concert that Stephen and I have tickets for in May. I’ll be 8 months preggo by then and I wanted to make sure that CeeCee’s hearing wouldn’t be affected in-utero. Doc said that as long as I’m a decent distance from the speakers and the music doesn’t hurt my ears, baby should be fine. I know you were all biting your nails with worry about that. J I also confirmed once and for all that it’s ok for me to paint the baby’s nursery as long as the room is well-ventilated.

Next month I have to take the gestational diabetes screen (BLECH!!! that glucose drink is so gross…) and I have to get my RhoGAM shot since I’m Rh-negative and Stephen is Rh-positive. Fun stuff. Then after that the bi-monthly appointments will start. It seems like this pregnancy is going so quickly and SOOO slowly at the same time! I can’t wait to meet the little bug.

Actually, funny anecdote – the last three times that I’ve been to my prenatal appointments and expressed concern that I’m not gaining weight like I did with Ava, all three doctors (I have a different one each time b/c it’s a huge practice) have affectionately used the term “parasite” to describe fetuses since they take everything they need from the mother while they’re growing. Because of this, I didn’t even realize it until now, but I’ve started thinking of CeeCee as my little “bug.” Silly, huh? So, if Ava’s a bird and Cadence is a bug, what does that mean in regards to the “pecking order” in our house…? Heehee.

And that’s our update for now. Thanks for tuning in, and have a great evening! This is DesignerMama82, signing off.