Pleasantly Surprised

Filed Under Avon, Friends, Nanny Job | 1 Comment

I watched Alison today and it wasn’t nearly as bad as last time. Last time was hellacious… if that’s even a word… anyway last time Alison was crabby and bratty and stealing toys from Bailey all day. Today, she was really sweet and mostly cooperative and helpful. We went to a playgroup thing this morning so that killed a good part of the day. Then this afternoon we played outside and enjoyed the nice weather until her mom got home.

Also I got a call from my friend Mutha and she was raving about how much she loved her new Avon mascara.  I get really excited about my makeup and I enjoy selling Avon, so I’m glad when someone else discovers how great it is. I think a lot of people think of Avon as grandma-type stuff and don’t realize all the new things that have come out. Besides clothes, shoes, home decorating, and jewelry they also have an all natural line of stuff called Liiv Botanicals, and a new mineral makeup line.

So those were just two fun things from today. Later I’ll have to tell you about the rude mom who spilled her coffee this morning.

Botanical Gardens trip

Filed Under Five Months, Friends, Nanny Job, Outings | 5 Comments

Finally! I tried about five times this morning to post these pictures, and Blogger was having some sort of wonky picture issue. These are from our trip to the Botanical Gardens yesterday. I don’t go there as much as I should/would like to because it’s not exactly next door to us (about a 25 minute drive probably- but there are lots of parks and stuff to do closer to us). I forgot how beautiful it is there. Especially this time of year.

I wish I had stopped to take pictures of the flowers and stuff. I was too busy chatting with friends and keeping Bailey happy. I’m going to have to make sure we go again before it gets too cold. Yesterday we started out with a blanket (okay, really the sling) over her lap and it was pretty chilly, but by lunchtime it was really nice!

There were five of us there, and we all have little girls. The “extra” little boy in the picture is Christian, who Bethany was babysitting for the day People kept smiling at us and commenting on how many strollers were in our group, so I thought it would be fun to have a pic of all the babies lined up.

Bailey was very accessorized for her first Botanical Gardens trip! I love hairbows on her, and honestly she seems to not mind wearing the glasses when it’s sunny.

Looking back at all the strollers and mommies behind me…

Bailey really enjoyed looking around at everything, and she seemed quite content to ride in the stroller all morning. Of course, she wouldn’t nurse before we left home, so we stopped and had a little boob snack by the Japanese koi fish. Then later we ate bananas in the rose garden

Bethany, with Christian and her daughter, Enna.

We ran into Britney, from another mom’s group that I’m in. Then, later on I thought it would be a funny coincidence if I saw Alison (who I used to nanny) because I knew she was taking a class there again this year. I peeked into one of the classrooms, and there she was with her Gram and Grandad! I haven’t seen her lately, and she is so big now!

Her new nanny watches her on Monday and Friday, and works for another family Tues/Wed/Thurs. She also takes nursing classes at night. I’m wondering how that’s going because the girl must be exhausted. Also, Alison kept saying she didn’t know the new nanny’s name. Her grandparents are watching her the other two days a week that her mom works- they were supposed to be moving here, but they still haven’t yet, so they are “commuting” from Tennessee three days a week!

Good News!

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My last day of work has been moved up- March 14th! A full month before my due date

I feel so much better knowing that I only have a week left. I can make it. I wanted to work longer, but I have just been too tired to handle it lately. I called Alison’s mom yesterday and we had a nice talk, and she was totally fine with it and very supportive.

Now I will be able to rest and get the baby announcements finished (I am making them) before she is born.

OB Appointment and Work Update

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The good news is that I am now off work until Friday- they told me to take the day off again today because grandparents are still in town, and I don’t work Thursdays anyway, so I am really having a nice long break I am trying to find a good combination of relaxing and getting some work done on the nursery- but I tried to buy some hangers the other day and Target only had them in red, white and blue so that’s not going to work.

I had my 32-week (wow, almost 33-week!) OB appointment this morning. My friend Faith was off work this morning, so she went with me and then we went out to lunch. The doctor was running pretty far behind (well, like a half hour, but there’s usually not a wait). She had a delivery this morning at the hospital and she got back right in time for my appt but of course by then she had people backed up waiting.

Nothing new and exciting at the appointment. I guess my pee was okay because they didn’t mention it. This is gross but I have been trying to drink more water espcially before my appointments so that my pee doesn’t look yellow in the cup, because they commented on it once. Got weighed and once again didn’t look at the scale. Blood pressure- once again just a little bit higher than last week. Only the top number, and Alison’s mom (who is a pediatrician) says that’s fine and if the bottom number’s not going up then it could just be from nerves or stress or whatever.

Doctor was in a hurry since she was behind. Baby’s heartrate was in the 150s, so that was fine, and I guess I was measuring okay because she didn’t mention it. She checked my still swollen and yucky ankles. Then she asked me like always if the baby was moving okay. I admitted that I hadn’t really felt her yet today (this was a morning appointment though and I had gotten up just in time to go) so she told me about doing kick counts: She said I should lay down if I haven’t felt the baby move that day, and I should get ten kicks within two hours. If not then I need to call.

So of course she said she’s not worried and it’s just a way for me to check, but of course it made me a little paranoid. I tried it when I got home and got ten movements within about 25 minutes. Baby’s fine Doctor K also said it counts if I poke at the baby and she moves because of something I do- that a sick baby won’t move regardless– so that makes me not worry as much because I can always find one of her body parts to press and then she’ll move.

Anyway that’s about it. Tomorrow I have plans to go shopping with my mom and try to find some nursing pajamas since the last time I shopped for them was completely unsuccessful. Also we are going to try to buy the letters to spell out BAILEY on her wall above her crib.

Just One More Day

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Until I go back to work

I was actually supposed to go back today (Alison’s parents have been in Cancun so her grandparents are in town) but the mom called me last night to tell me Grandma and Grandpa were staying another day.

Good thing I didn’t have to work today, because once again, I couldn’t sleep. I fell asleep sometime after 3. This has become a regular thing with me. And I don’t sleep late during the day or nap, either- it’s not like I am screwing up my sleep schedule. My body just won’t go to sleep. I think part of the problem is that my mind won’t quit working.

Today I took my grandma out to lunch at Culver’s (well, actually she took me out, but I drove us there) and then we went to Target. I started frantically stocking up on things like baby wipes, lotion, breast milk storage bags, and all sorts of cleaning supplies for my crazy nesting cleaning frenzy that still happens from time to time. I have started getting more concerned about having things ready.

After my baby showers, I want to finish washing (at least some) of the clothes and get them hung in the closet. I need to hang the pictures and butterflies and letters for her name on the wall. Well, I need to buy some of that stuff still before I can do that. And I ironed the curtains this week so Jonathon and I are going to hang them one of these evenings.

Tomorrow I have my 32-week OB appointment! Time is flying by!

Grumpy Grump

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Ooooh am I ever in a bad mood today. I am at work and hating it. The family I nanny for- the mom is a pediatrician but her practice is a little further northwest, where the storm is worse, so I am hoping they will close early and she will come home. As for the dad? He works for about the only public school district in the free world that wasn’t called off today. Grrrr

Jonathon is at home, enjoying his snow day. Why? Because the people who run the school where he works aren’t complete flipping idiots.

Also: I should note that I am NOT in the category of people who enjoy snow. It’s great for kids, or if you don’t have to go anywhere. I hate driving in it and I hate scraping it off my car and shoveling it. Also, it looks disgusting once people walk in it or drive through it. I hate how it just lingers and gets nastier as the days go by.

I think my hormones are taking over lately and just making me completely psychotic. I go from being crazy bitch to having complete breakdowns. Oh yes, I already had one at 6:30 this morning. Today is off to a good start.

Random Update

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This morning Mae asked me how I was feeling, so I figured it might be time for just a random update/complaint session…

1. My stomach is almost completely squashed under my ribs. If I lay in bed wrong, it feels like I can’t breathe. If I eat too much,I feel like I am going to explode. I am beyond the food obsession because I just can’t hold that much and don’t feel hungry very often anymore.

2. Still not sleeping well. Up a million times at night. Then tired during the day- I am hoping these iron pills help with that.

3. My last day of work is April 6th, assuming the baby is still in there and we are both healthy up until that point. That gives me just a week until my due date, but I am assuming since she is a first baby she will be on time or late. Although I would LOVE for her to be a week or two early Work is getting harder- I lack the energy to keep up with Alison and don’t feel like doing much with her, except going sale shopping for baby stuff-otherwise I just want to sit here and let her play, which she doesn’t seem to mind too much, but we don’t get out as much as we used to. I guess that’s to be expected right now, and also it’s winter and there’s not as much to do anyway.

4. Random pains in pelvic area, especially when walking or when I need to pee- in fact almost shooting pains sometimes when I need to pee which is weird because I have been on that antibiotic for almost a week now, so I am going to have to talk to the doctor about that tomorrow. Not really having any more contractions though, so that’s good.

5. Baby is still kicking a lot and getting stronger. I think she must be at the point where she is strong enough to feel a lot, but still has enough room to move around a bit. She seems to do a weird rolling thing now, especially at night in bed.

6. I bought a diaper bag yesterday (will have to post pictures) and we got a video camera last night, so I am feeling a little more “prepared” than I did a few days ago. It’s the little things, I guess.

Gestational Diabetes and Bloodwork

Filed Under Friends, Nanny Job, Pregnancy, Sleep | 3 Comments

I think I mentioned that I took my one hour GD test last week. If you have no idea what I am talking about- during pregnancy women are routinely testing for gestational diabetes. The test involves drinking a big cup of this really syrupy orange drink and then having blood drawn an hour later to measure how your body has processed the sugar in it. The drink itself isn’t horrible but way too sweet- like to the point of making my stomach feel icky- and then I was just about bouncing out of my chair in the waiting room for the next hour.

Anyway, my doctor’s office called because they got my results. I PASSED! Apparently somewhere around 130 is “borderline” and I was at 70. So that’s good news. If you fail or get borderline results, you have to go back and take a three-hour test, which I’ve heard is not much fun.

The kind of sucky news that she gave me was that my something or other starting with an H levels were low. I told her I had no idea what that meant, and she said that I was “slightly anemic, which is not uncommon during pregnancy.” She said that I need to start taking an iron supplement, at the opposite time of day from when I take my prenatal vitamins. Which already have iron in them. So according to my mom, I need to start eating prunes, too. ICK. The good thing about the anemia is that it kind of might explain some of my exhaustion, and so once I go on this supplement, maybe it will help with that.

Otherwise, today has been a pretty relaxing day. I went to Target this morning to get some wipes for Alison and of course had to check out the baby sale stuff. I bought a cute (winter) shirt for next year for a whopping 71 cents! A whole shirt for less than a dollar. I love sale shopping. Then went to lunch with my friend Jen, and then we went to the mall for a little while to find something she needed for work. I am hoping that wore Alison out and she will take a long nap now.

Potty Training Time ?!?

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Just wanted to make a note that we have officially started to try to potty-train Alison. She has shown much more interest- and actually some success- in the past few days than she has in a long time.

Right now she is wearing those new wet-feel pullups, but when we are at home she mostly goes around naked and that seems to be working well. Although she just holds her pee forever and rarely has actual success on the potty… but the good news is she can control her bladder and isn’t peeing on herself! One small drip today sent her running for the bathroom.

She also told me when we were out to lunch that she needed to go, and I took her to the bathroom. So we’ll see how this goes. Not much peeing on the potty, but no accidents. And she has been drinking a lot, I think. I’m not sure where it’s all going. Except that when I put her in a diaper for nap I know she peed in it while in her crib.

Her Mom and Dad also went out last night and bought her some big girl undies and also some of those padded training underwear for when we get to that point. Right now we are just aiming to get her to actually GO on the potty regularly first.

Edited: Just had to add this- she just came up and hugged me and said, “You’re my best friend in the whole world, Tara!” Awwwwww if that doesn’t make the frustration all worth it

Pulling Hair Out Here!!!!

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Does anyone want a screamy, tantrummy two-year-old?

From the time she got out of bed, I could tell she was in a bad mood. She told me to go away, then started crying when I took her pajama shirt off. Downhill from there.

Major tantrum at the grocery store. Very embarassing- had to get out quick. Her face was bright bright red and she was screaming at the top of her lungs and shaking. Why? Because I wouldn’t take my hands off the cart handle. Imagine that– I had to push the grocery cart.

Then once we got home, she had pretty much composed herself and told me she needed to go potty. Potty training is a hugely unsuccessful event here, but can provide good entertainment for her. Well, I made the mistake of pulling down her pants after I undid her overalls. Apparently, my help was only required for the buckles and then she wanted to do the rest herself. Oops.

See what a horrible person I am??

Not to mention that I have been a complete hormonal wreck for like two days now. Everything sets me off. I have screamed at Jonathon, told him to stop asking me questions, told him to leave me alone, then cried and begged for his help… it’s bad. I think part of the problem is that I am not sleeping well. I am spending enough time in bed, but I wake up every hour or two. Wide awake. Back hurting, or shoulder hurting, or hand is numb, or need to pee.

This can’t be starting already. Please Lord, tell me this is just a phase and will end tomorrow.

Snow Day

Filed Under Home Sweet Home, Nanny Job | 3 Comments

Bah. I am trapped in my house. I didn’t have huge plans today, but I was going to go to lunch with my pregnant friend Sarah and run a few errands.

I got out of bed about 9:30 today because my mom called. She said something like, “I hope you don’t think you’re going anywhere in this weather. This isn’t safe for you OR the baby!” And there is no point in arguing with mom. So I told her I would cancel my plans.

I talked to Jonathon, and he is planning to leave work around 1:00. Sometimes I have to kind of remind him in situations like this, or he will get caught up in work and never leave.

Then I looked outside and there is already some ice accumulating on our deck and our yard looks just plain gloomy.

I attempted to take a close-up of the little icicles starting to form on our deck railings.

I started to take a picture of our backyard and realized there is something interesting in the background. Check out the house behind ours. Their back door is open. These people leave that door open in any kind of weather. Wouldn’t you think having your door open a foot or two would really run up your gas bill, especially when it it so cold outside that it’s icing???

My baby is a doggie

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Today we went to lunch at Mr. Goodcents. Mmmmmmm… then on the way home, I decided to ask Alison whether the baby was a boy or a girl.

Me: Is there a boy or girl baby in my tummy?
Alison: It’s a doggie.
Me: Is it a boy or girl?
Alison: I ate a olive.
Me: (Getting impatient) IS IT A BOY BABY OR GIRL BABY?
Alison: I ate a olive. I have doggies in my tummy.

HUH?

Why do I even try to have these conversations with a two year old?

Amazing

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This morning, I discovered how to keep a two year old busy for about 45 minutes with one thing.

I gave Alison a slightly stale chocolate chip bagel that had been in the fridge. Nice and chewy. Worth the effort for the chocolate, but took forever. It was great.

Halloween

Filed Under Holidays, Nanny Job | 2 Comments

I am officially lame. I went to bed at 9:15 last night. Man, what happened to the days of staying out late at Halloween parties? Sometimes this pregnancy makes me feel like an old lady. At least I can blame this tiredness on the baby and not just me being a nerd… for now at least.

I did some cool Halloween stuff yesterday DURING THE DAY.

I took Alison to a Halloween party at this children’s place where we have a membership. It was fun, but wayyyyy too crowded. We trick-or-treated a little bit at this party, but a lot of the stations that were supposed to be open were mysteriously cancelled. I will have to remember that next year and find something different to do.

We came home and carved a pumpkin. I have to admit that I have never carved a pumpkin using a real knife. Even at our house, as adults, Jonathon and I use an orange-handled pumpkin cutter. So when Alison’s mom asked me to carve a pumpkin with her, and told me to use a steak knife, I got a little nervous. But we made it through without any injuries.

The whole time, Alison was saying, “Draw a pumpkin’s eyes. Draw a mouth.” I kept explaining that I was carving, not drawing. Then when I was done she told me to turn him on. So I had to search for a candle that didn’t have the wick melted down into the wax. But we did it! And it looks okay. I should have taken a picture.

At our house, we decorated our front porch a little more this year. We went beyond just carving a pumpkin. We got the fake spider webs to put on the bushes and the railing and stuff. We also got a big foam tombstone and stuck it in the planter box. I felt a little more festive.

We passed out candy- Snickers and Peanut M&Ms and Whoppers. All things that we like so that we could eat the leftovers Saw some cute kids in costumes. Also some that I couldn’t figure out what in the world they were. Had the typical high school students collecting canned food.

The most popular jokes of the night were:

What does a ghost eat for lunch? A boo-logna sandwich, AND

Why was the little ghost crying? He missed his mummy

The one that actually made me laugh the most just because of stupidity was:

Why did the kid look in the toilet? To see his poo.

How did that get in there?

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Alison (my nanny-kid) was busy playing and just doing her own thing. Then she stops and looks at me with a wrinkled eyebrow face.

“Tara ate a baby!”

Then goes back to playing. Mystery solved. I guess that’s how that baby got in my tummy…