Sick Day

We jumped on the ear infection band wagon. We're blaming the insane temperature swings (is the weather going through menopause?!) and are getting by with many episodes of Dora. Thank you, streaming Netflix.


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TWO

It's official.  Laura is two.



I dropped her off with the big kids this morning.  She looked so tiny next to the four-year-old who took her hand to play in the playhouse.  I could hardly believe she was supposed to be in that room!  By the way, thank you to the sweet four-year-old who took a mothering wing to my not-so-baby-girl!

We celebrated Laura's birthday in grand style on Saturday.  Pizza and cupcakes with grandparents, aunts and uncles.  Our families gathered together for four hours to watch Laura run in circles around our little house.  We all were aching from laughter after two hours.  Laura opened presents, played with presents, opened some more presents... And finally blew out her candles.  She was such a pro with the candles and blew them out so quickly, we actually had to relight them so I could get better pictures!

Laura is one of the funniest people I know.  She has a great sense of humor, laughing at jokes and making her own.  Just this morning, we shared a giggle over the thought of our dog taking a shower.  She tells jokes to her toys, and laughs along with herself. 

Laura is a fantastic reader.  She grabs books to read to her dolls and shares with them the most elaborate plots.  Half her sentences are gibberish, but half are actual English!  I watch from the sidelines and giggle at the stories she reads.  Laura is getting very good at memorizing some of the stories we read to her, which I proudly think is the first step towards recognizng words for reading and writing.  And as a bookworm myself, nothing makes me happier than to see my two-year-old choose books as her favorite activity!

Laura gives the best hugs and kisses... when you can catch her!  She is incredibly active, running all over everywhere.  She hardly stops a minute.  Except for a story.  After a quick snuggle on a lap for a little Max & Ruby, she's off again with a wave of her hand and a "later!"

I am so filled with admiration for my little two-year-old.  I just can't help but smile at her pretty face and goofy grin.  This is going to be a big year for her, meeting her little brother in a few months.  I worry sometimes how much we are rocking her young boat this year.  But then I watch her at play, nurturing her ten babies (all with names and personalities), and just know that she will adapt and love her family with all her heart.

Laura is two.

askdgkjghafg

askfjakdghklahdsg is sort of what I want to scream right now.  There are so many thoughts swirling in my head, and I can't sort them out.  I don't know which thoughts are legitimate worries, and which are just hormonally charged nonsense.  I don't have Nate here to help me sort it out.  And if I talk to anyone else, I'll just dissolve into a blubbering mess.  Over what is probably nothing.

askdfhjkghkahdg is definitely one of the swirling thoughts.  And since it's in there swirling around, it leads me to more random thoughts.  For instance, it leads me to remember the Sesame Street sketch where Big Bird is having trouble reading one very long, peculiar word:

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz



Big Bird's little song might seem like a really random brain connection to the abahsklrhwkefh swirling in my head.  But I'm feeling a big like Big Bird right now.  If I could only sort out all the ak;sfjakjsdf, I might be able to start feeling a little better.

"If I ever find out just what this word can mean, I'll be the smartest [girl] the world has ever seen!"

Polar Party

Laura turns two on Sunday.  I'm not sure how that is possible.  But I powered through my disbelief this past Saturday to throw a party for Laura and her friends. 

Since Laura is a winter baby, I wanted to go with a winter theme.  I know there are probably lots of things Laura likes more than polar bears, but I'm not a huge fan of basing children's birthday parties on TV characters.  Besides which, polar bears are cute and snuggly.  So here are a few photos from Laura's party:

Baa's Backie

Today was not my best day.  It started with some shocking news at day care.  Namely that they are doing away with part time care in the infant room by the time Gavin is ready to start day care in August.  WHAT?!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Source: Beyond the Perf

Today marks the start of a brand new year.  So if you didn't get around to making resolutions on the 1st of the month, here's your chance!  Happy New Year!

2012 is the Year of the Dragon. Which is a pretty big deal.  According to The Express (a free daily paper in DC.  I think it's part of the Washington Post?  Clearly I'm an authority on news), babies born in the Year of the Dragon are “gifted with prodigious quantities of luck and strength.”  Which means my baby has it made!

Let's delve into the awesomeness of being a Dragon a little further.

Friday Brain Dump

1. I honestly wanted to post today... but couldn't think of any one single coherent thought to form into a post.


2. And then a leak happened in our public space and we had to scramble to protect objects.  Leaks always happen on Fridays.


3. So I really didn't have anything to blog about.


4. But thenI clicked over to Heir to Blair to see what Beth Anne had to say.


5. GENIUS.


6. I started feeling really huge pregnant last night.  Like huge.


7. Then I realized I still have FOUR MONTHS TO GO.  And I'm about to get way huger.


8. I need to stop thinking I feel so huge. 


9. I made a sort of decision about names over here... Hi.  My name is Caitlin.  I like to blog.  My blog is named after the physical region in which I reside, but not one where I am "from."  But if you are looking for a bloggy buddy who happens to live in the MidAtlantic?  You came to the right place. 


10. I even updated the About Us tab to show off my new real name.  Caitlin.  If you say it enough times, it becomes sorta disembodied and sounds really weird.  Who would name their kid Caitlin?  Someone in the 80's.

 

It's BA-ACK!

Remember my beloved blue velour sweatsuit?  The one I wore as often as humanly possible last pregnancy?  Guess who's wearing it at work today!!

I know that 22 weeks (today) seems a bit early in the pregnancy to go full out velour sweatsuit.  Here's the thing: I didn't mean to wear this today. 

Deep Dark Secret

Wanna know a secret?  I hate my name.  No, not my real life name (it's lovely, albeit a bit of a giveaway that I was born in the 80's).  My real life name is perfectly adequate.  No, I hate my blog name.

Feeling Better. Finally.

It's been four weeks since my third and latest outbreak of bacterial infection horribleness.  And hopefully my last. 

Three rounds of clindamycin.
Daily doses of probiotics.
Nightly doses of estrogen cream (the one that says DO NOT USE IF PREGNANT).
Constant discomfort.
Emotional havoc.
A freaking long dry spell, if you know what I mean.

The above did their best.  They truly did. 

Party Panic

Here I sit, realizing that Laura's 2nd birthday party is next week.  I decided on an "Artic Explorer" (polar bear) theme months ago, got the invitations sent out, and... nothing else has happened.  Oh sure, I have tons of ideas floating around my head.  I have an entire Pinterest board devoted to the party!  But all of those cute polar bear cake pops?  Have to be made by me.  In the next week.  Have I mentioned I'm not much of a baker?

Here are some of the ideas floating around in my head:

I should have...

Do you have money today?

I... I can pay you tomorrow.

Ok, that's alright.  Here's your coffee.

Bina, the lady I see almost every morning as I stop for my usual Dunkin' medium hazlenut with cream and sugar and a sprinkle donut, can come across as somewhat gruff. 

It was time

I took down the Christmas tree last night, January 10th.  I couldn't very well take it down before January 6th, because (duh) Christmas isn't over yet!  And then this weekend got away from me, and I never got around to it.

And besides, Laura just loved the tree so much!  How could I start taking it down with her watching?  And... well, I just love having it up.

But it was time.  Christmas tree pick-up is scheduled for this week on our street.  And we're two weeks into January.  And, to be perfectly honest, the tree was looking a little bit droopy.  So I took it down.

Normally, the tree take-down makes me really sad.  I get testy and weepy going through the branches, removing ornaments and winding lights.  This year was different.  Maybe it was finding a weird mold on the tree skirt.  Maybe it was thinking of the tree stand as a water and food source for the mice.  Maybe I was just in the right place.  I didn't get testy.  I didn't get weepy.  It was a calm and quick affair, removing the decorations, taking inventory to make sure none were left hidden on the branches.  Nate hefted the tree onto the street, and that was that.

Now that the tree is down, we've regained a large section of our small family room.  While somewhat boring, the room feels "normal" again.  I feel as though a weight has been lifted.  Expectations have been removed.  It's a new year, and I'm ready to greet it.

Cheering Myself Up

Sorry for the doom and gloom post from yesterday.  Things are just... harder? different? this pregnancy.  I'm not handling it all that well, and I'm a bit mired in a bad place.  So let's change that.  Here are a few things that have made me happy in the past few days:

Miss Me?

Hello out there!
Just a quick note in case anyone hasn't found me over at wordpress. 
Here I am!  Alive and well!
Please visit?  I love you!

Halfway!

A few days late, since I'll be 21 weeks on Thursday... but since my regularly scheduled posting was so rudely interrupted by mice what can you do.



So here I am, last week, at the gym, at 19 weeks, 5 days (so practically 20 weeks).  Let's get all technical here.  My thoughts on how I'm feeling are all sorts of scattered, so I'm going to revert to the little survey I filled out so dutifully with my first pregnancy.

Total weight gain/loss: It's been a while since I checked, but as of Christmas day, I was only up 4 pounds.  So maybe +6?

Maternity clothes? Without a doubt. I can still wear a few of my longer shirts, but I've officially switched out my closet.

Sleep: Much better without the effing mice gnawing and nibbling all around me!  The story I told about last Thursday and sleeping on the couch? Apparently was even worse than I knew.  Shudder...

Best moment this week: Sleeping without mice.  And going through Laura's infant clothes to pull out the "neutral" outfits.  So many adorable duckies!  Can't wait to see certain outfits on Gavin this summer.  So tiny!

Movement: Lots.  Especially when I eat something he likes.  Nate even got to feel a few little kicks the other night!

Food cravings: I crave nothing. I have little appetite, though I'm often hungry. Kid seems to like ham, though I wouldn't call it a craving.  More like... I don't have an aversion to it like I do most foods.

Gender: Boy! Until I hear otherwise from a better, more thorough U/S, BOY!

Labor signs: I am already having very regular Braxton Hicks.  All on the right side, so no real contractions, but it's pretty uncomfortable.

What I’m looking forward to this week: A visit from my BFF on Saturday!  She's coming down for something work-related, but I get her to myself Saturday night!  We have big plans for jammies and wedding veils...

What I miss: I miss sleeping through the night without waking up to pee.  I miss peeing without it hurting, thank you chronic infection.  I miss having... relations with my husband without it hurting and taking days to recover, thank you chronic infection.  I miss wearing pants that stay up without constantly pulling them.  I miss not being a total bitch to everyone... I even have bitch face.  It's not cool.

Weekly wisdom: I spent a lot of this week talking very openly and honestly with Nate about how I'm feeling.  I feel pretty awful most of the time, between the mice and the chronic infection both wreaking havoc on my nerves.  I'm a disaster.  I can't stop crying... but at least now Nate knows why I'm crying... er, at least he can guess.

Milestones: Halfway!  Only another 4 1/2 months to go!  Wow, that still sounds like a lot... Yikes.  Let's hope the estrogen cream, probiotics, and antibiotics prescribed with a refill option start to do some good.

The Mice

The mice have become a really big effing problem.  Like, really big.  I thought it was a big problem a month ago.  It's gotten bigger.

I was planning to blog today about how I'm 20 weeks along, and roughly halfway through this bitch of a pregnancy.  I was going to post a picture of my "popped" tummy. 

But I can't.  My heart isn't in it.  Partly because I'm feeling cranky about this pregnancy anyway, and I just don't want to whine about something so miraculous as life.  Insert more cliches here.  This baby is kicking my butt, and the mice.

I have tried traditional traps.  I have tried new-fangled traps.  I have laced my basement and garage with uneaten poison.  I have tried this bait and that bait.  I have moved furniture from walls to clean and clean some more.  I don't think we've killed one single effing mouse.

I need to move the poison.  Clearly, I don't have it in the right places. 

I need to move the traps.  Clearly, they are not in the right places either.

I need to get rid of the mother effing sofa bed in the basement that is serving as the Ritz-Carlton of mouse hotels. 

Which means I need to remove the boxes and boxes and boxes of outgrown baby items off the couch.  And probably burn them because of all the mouse disgustingness they are probably covered in.

I need to clean, organize, purge, vacuum, cry and cry some more.

I need to fill the hole in my bedroom (upstairs) wall with steel wool so the bastards can't keep getting in at night to eat... whatever it is they are eating.

I need to sleep on the couch (not the basement one) again tonight, so I can fall asleep without the sound of gnawing and squeaking and scratching keeping me awake. 

I need to stop envisioning arson as they way to solve my problems.  Burning down my house won't really make my life easier.

I need to stop dreaming about the seven-headed Mouse King, that simply must be the head-honcho of the fleet of rodents invading my house.  It's hard to sleep when visions of mutant rodents seep into my brain (and an unborn child kicks and bumps and leaves me unable to breath). 

The mice are killing me.  Every nibble I hear, I die a little more.  Does this sound overly dramatic?  Sorry.  You're not living this infestation hell.  I don't know what to do.  All I can do is cry... and clean a little more.

2012 Resolutions

Alright, I'm a few days late to the game.  It's January 5th, and I'm just posting my resolutions.  But if the Wise Men can take 12 days to finally get to Bethlehem, I can take 5 to post a few lines about the coming year! 

Let's take a look back at my 2011 Resolutions for starters. 

Christmas in MA

Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays
'Cause no matter how far away you roam
When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze
For the holidays you can't beat home, sweet home

After spending Christmas Eve and Day with Nate's family, we trekked into the far North (ahem, Boston suburbs) for Christmas with my family.  A bit nuts to do Christmas with both families? Yes.  But since my parents are seriously about to put my childhood home on the market, I wanted one last Christmas at home.  Where Christmas is a religion unto itself.  With 20 trees, hundreds of feet of garland, and plates of cookies in every direction.  So on that note, please enjoy the following photo dump from Christmas #2:

Christmas in PA

I met a man who lives in Tennessee Maryland
And he was headin' for
Pennsylvania and some homemade store-bought pumpkin pie

Please enjoy the following photo dump from Christmas #1:

Happy New Year!

It's been a whirlwind of fun for the past 10 days.  And now I'm back at work, which is less fun.  I have so many great pictures from our fantastic Christmas and New Year celebrations.  I have 2011 resolutions to close out, and 2012 ones to define.  I have a second birthday party to plan, and a head explosion to clean off my computer screen having typed that.  So many posts... to come...

For today, I need to settle back into my desk.  Remember how my butt best fits into my office chair.  Survive a few meetings.  Upload a few photos.  I know you've missed me... but hold on just a little longer!  I promise it'll be worth the wait!

Happy New Year!