19 weeks pregnant.
21(ish) weeks till we meet this little guy/gal.
2 days till we find out if it is a guy/gal.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
19 weeks
19 weeks pregnant.
21(ish) weeks till we meet this little guy/gal.
2 days till we find out if it is a guy/gal.
Monday, February 25, 2013
The List
One night after work last week Jerad noticed I was in an exceptionally good mood and asked "you made a list today didn't you?" Ha! After living together over 7 years he sure does know me...
Anyways, I made a "let's get this crap done before baby #3 gets here" list. Along with a cost rating system varying from $-$$$$ that is based on absolutely nothing except my own gut feelings which haven't been known to be very accurate.
My goal is to not start new projects (for the most part), until other projects actually, you know, GET FINISHED. I love my husband to death, but his #1 fault is he's a 95%-er. He loves the beginning and middle stages of a project, but craps out at the end. He started building us a new bed not long after we bought the house and it was supposed to be done by the time Miller was born. The headboard finally got finished a week or so after the birth, but the platform is still unfinished 2x4's. The paneling and built in in our family room was supposed to take 2-3 weekends and was started last April. The built-in still needs the top and lighting installed, shelves in the cupboards, and door handles. For my birthday IN AUGUST he was going to re-do our laundry room which has looked like a hot mess ever since.
I'm a big part of the problem because I look around and decide we should start on something else that's driving me crazy which gives him an out.
This is the year people, I can feel it.
We've been in our house almost 2 years now and there are so many little improvements that would be fast and cheap and make our lives easier. The kid's bathroom has one of those hot-water regulator things in the tub faucet but its set so that the water barely gets above luke warm and is too cold for them to bathe in there. He took it out of all our other faucets in... maybe 10 minutes? Their bathroom also has linoleum which is peeling up around the tub and should be replaced with tile so that they can splash without me having to worry about the floor rotting out. Lately we've been using their bathroom as a litterbox room for the cat. Classy.
We FINALLY installed a doorknob on Miller's room and the downstairs closet a few months ago after being doorknob-less (its a word if I say it is) all this time.
I really really want to give our bedroom a cheap facelift. We haven't done anything since we moved in there. I don't like the color, the furniture is all stuff I bought on cragslist and really needs to be painted... and we really need stuff hanging on the walls. Its just not a relaxing place, but could be lovely with a weekend's worth of painting.
The biggest priority is the backyard. I want it to be a place that the kids can safely play and have FUN in while I'm on maternity leave this summer. It's currently a big mess of rocks, bark chips, weeds, and dog poop. We do clean up the dog poop, but we have three big dogs and its hard with all the rocks and bark and the fact that we don't use the yard doesn't help. Sitting on the porch nursing the baby watching Marsh and Mills play, or swimming outside with them while the baby naps within ear shot seems soooo preferable to loading all three up and dragging them to the park daily which is what I did last time. I have lots of [not-so-fond] memories of nursing Miller at the park while literally running after Marshall to keep him out of the street at the same time.Or getting us there and unpacked and him deciding he was done after 10 minutes. Right now it's difficult to take him and Miller into public restrooms when he needs to go because I need to hold Miller so he doesn't climb under the stall and run away or try to lick the gross floors. I'm guessing this won't get much easier once I'm trying to juggle another baby but if we're at home he can just go in the house.
Like I said, we've been in our house almost 2 years now and for the most part haven't painted or put anything up on the walls. I think I only have one picture of Jerad and Marshall up, and it's just because I happened to have one in a frame and there was an existing nail sticking out of the wall. There's no photo evidence to suggest that Miller or I even exist. Its sort of daunting because the house is so big. Everything takes forever. The living room right when you walk into the house is two stories tall and I'm pretty sure we'll need to set up scaffolding to paint it... a little different than our last house where you could bust a room out during a nap time.
So, I'm hoping having an official list helps things get done since I get such a sick joy out of crossing things off. And helps me stay focused on what we should be doing, so at 1am when I'm scrubbing cat puke out of the carpet upstairs I don't demand that Jerad rip it all out and go buy hardwood the second Lowes opens in the morning. Seriously, that almost happened last week. And the week before when Marshall managed to sneak and spill yogurt. I seriously hate carpet. Anyways, besides possibly buying a new couch I think the backyard is the only thing that will really cost any money. But it will really improve our quality of life and SAVE money because I'll stay home instead of going out. AND improve our social life because I'll want to invite people over for bbq's.
At least that's what I keep telling Jerad.
Without further ado, the list:
Home Improvements:
To buy for H3:
-newborn and size 1 disposable diapers
-rock and play sleeper? (we don't really need this but I've heard good things and it'd be nice to have a portable place to put the baby down)
-toilet sprayer
-pack and play? (we have 2 but Miller will use one when we travel and the other one is a cheap POS that I want to throw away each time I try to open/close it so I'd love to replace it)
-humidifier
-white noise machine
-thermometer
-if girl, clothes and headbands and a few pink dipes:)
Anyways, I made a "let's get this crap done before baby #3 gets here" list. Along with a cost rating system varying from $-$$$$ that is based on absolutely nothing except my own gut feelings which haven't been known to be very accurate.
My goal is to not start new projects (for the most part), until other projects actually, you know, GET FINISHED. I love my husband to death, but his #1 fault is he's a 95%-er. He loves the beginning and middle stages of a project, but craps out at the end. He started building us a new bed not long after we bought the house and it was supposed to be done by the time Miller was born. The headboard finally got finished a week or so after the birth, but the platform is still unfinished 2x4's. The paneling and built in in our family room was supposed to take 2-3 weekends and was started last April. The built-in still needs the top and lighting installed, shelves in the cupboards, and door handles. For my birthday IN AUGUST he was going to re-do our laundry room which has looked like a hot mess ever since.
I'm a big part of the problem because I look around and decide we should start on something else that's driving me crazy which gives him an out.
This is the year people, I can feel it.
We've been in our house almost 2 years now and there are so many little improvements that would be fast and cheap and make our lives easier. The kid's bathroom has one of those hot-water regulator things in the tub faucet but its set so that the water barely gets above luke warm and is too cold for them to bathe in there. He took it out of all our other faucets in... maybe 10 minutes? Their bathroom also has linoleum which is peeling up around the tub and should be replaced with tile so that they can splash without me having to worry about the floor rotting out. Lately we've been using their bathroom as a litterbox room for the cat. Classy.
We FINALLY installed a doorknob on Miller's room and the downstairs closet a few months ago after being doorknob-less (its a word if I say it is) all this time.
I really really want to give our bedroom a cheap facelift. We haven't done anything since we moved in there. I don't like the color, the furniture is all stuff I bought on cragslist and really needs to be painted... and we really need stuff hanging on the walls. Its just not a relaxing place, but could be lovely with a weekend's worth of painting.
The biggest priority is the backyard. I want it to be a place that the kids can safely play and have FUN in while I'm on maternity leave this summer. It's currently a big mess of rocks, bark chips, weeds, and dog poop. We do clean up the dog poop, but we have three big dogs and its hard with all the rocks and bark and the fact that we don't use the yard doesn't help. Sitting on the porch nursing the baby watching Marsh and Mills play, or swimming outside with them while the baby naps within ear shot seems soooo preferable to loading all three up and dragging them to the park daily which is what I did last time. I have lots of [not-so-fond] memories of nursing Miller at the park while literally running after Marshall to keep him out of the street at the same time.Or getting us there and unpacked and him deciding he was done after 10 minutes. Right now it's difficult to take him and Miller into public restrooms when he needs to go because I need to hold Miller so he doesn't climb under the stall and run away or try to lick the gross floors. I'm guessing this won't get much easier once I'm trying to juggle another baby but if we're at home he can just go in the house.
Like I said, we've been in our house almost 2 years now and for the most part haven't painted or put anything up on the walls. I think I only have one picture of Jerad and Marshall up, and it's just because I happened to have one in a frame and there was an existing nail sticking out of the wall. There's no photo evidence to suggest that Miller or I even exist. Its sort of daunting because the house is so big. Everything takes forever. The living room right when you walk into the house is two stories tall and I'm pretty sure we'll need to set up scaffolding to paint it... a little different than our last house where you could bust a room out during a nap time.
So, I'm hoping having an official list helps things get done since I get such a sick joy out of crossing things off. And helps me stay focused on what we should be doing, so at 1am when I'm scrubbing cat puke out of the carpet upstairs I don't demand that Jerad rip it all out and go buy hardwood the second Lowes opens in the morning. Seriously, that almost happened last week. And the week before when Marshall managed to sneak and spill yogurt. I seriously hate carpet. Anyways, besides possibly buying a new couch I think the backyard is the only thing that will really cost any money. But it will really improve our quality of life and SAVE money because I'll stay home instead of going out. AND improve our social life because I'll want to invite people over for bbq's.
At least that's what I keep telling Jerad.
Without further ado, the list:
Home Improvements:
Family Room: $-$$
-Finish built-in
-get new comfy sofa?
-Finish built-in
-get new comfy sofa?
-artwork on walls
Laundry Room: $
-Finish walls/ceiling/counter
-Add shelves
-Paint
Laundry Room: $
-Finish walls/ceiling/counter
-Add shelves
-Paint
-artwork on walls
Backyard: $$$$
-re-grade so it slopes away from house and has spot for pool/playground
Backyard: $$$$
-re-grade so it slopes away from house and has spot for pool/playground
-build new retaining wall against back fence
-install concrete patio
-above ground pool (we bought on super sale last year and haven't used yet)
-deck around pool?
-sprinklers and grass area
-covered seating area
-spruce up dog area
-sand area for the kids with a covered area
-install concrete patio
-above ground pool (we bought on super sale last year and haven't used yet)
-deck around pool?
-sprinklers and grass area
-covered seating area
-spruce up dog area
-sand area for the kids with a covered area
-bbq area
-firepit area
-cut down huge silver dollar eucalyptus trees that are going to fall on our neighbor's house next time the wind blows.
-plant flowers in barrels or some dog/gopher safe containers.
Nursery: $
-move clothes out of master closet to make room for "nursery"
-panel and paint walls
-new light fixture
-crib (have)
-dresser (have)
-shelves
-glider? (have)
-wall art
Kids bathroom: $$
-tile floor
-refinish bathtub
-add paneling
-retexture walls
-paint vanity
Nursery: $
-move clothes out of master closet to make room for "nursery"
-panel and paint walls
-new light fixture
-crib (have)
-dresser (have)
-shelves
-glider? (have)
-wall art
Kids bathroom: $$
-tile floor
-refinish bathtub
-add paneling
-retexture walls
-paint vanity
-new light fixture
-artwork
Master Bedroom: $
-reframe windows
Master Bedroom: $
-reframe windows
-reframe door
-paint
-finish bedframe
-paint dressers/shelves
-paint
-finish bedframe
-paint dressers/shelves
-artwork on walls
Master bathroom: $-$$
-tile floors?
-new light fixtures?
-add toilet sprayer
-re-texture toilet closet
-paint
If time (please please please):
-re-frame windows/door in front living room
-paint living room
-paint staircase
-paint upstairs hallway
Master bathroom: $-$$
-tile floors?
-new light fixtures?
-add toilet sprayer
-re-texture toilet closet
-paint
If time (please please please):
-re-frame windows/door in front living room
-paint living room
-paint staircase
-paint upstairs hallway
-artwork/pictures in hallway/stairway
Then I started a list of things to buy for the new baby. We really don't *need* anything, especially if it's a boy but there are a few things that would make our lives easier. Oh, and a thermometer... we currently don't have one because Marshall played "phone" with the nice forhead one we had (it talked when you pushed the buttons) until it finally broke.
To buy for H3:
-newborn and size 1 disposable diapers
-rock and play sleeper? (we don't really need this but I've heard good things and it'd be nice to have a portable place to put the baby down)
-toilet sprayer
-pack and play? (we have 2 but Miller will use one when we travel and the other one is a cheap POS that I want to throw away each time I try to open/close it so I'd love to replace it)
-humidifier
-white noise machine
-thermometer
-new Sophie
-pack of aiden and anais blankets-if girl, clothes and headbands and a few pink dipes:)
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Monday, February 18, 2013
17 weeks
 |
| taken at 17 weeks |
So, getting big and fast over here!
In lots of ways I think this has been my easiest pregnancy yet. I definitely had more nausea and morning sickness in the first trimester, and even now I'm still pretty nauseous most mornings, but besides that I feel great! It's definitely the least stressful. When I was pregnant with Marshall there was just a lot of uncertainty. Jerad and I were planning our wedding, moving up our wedding, finding out we couldn't have a home birth, switching back to a homebirth at 30 weeks... and I didn't really know what to expect because it was my first pregnancy so there was the stress of the unknown "what will this do to our relationship?" "will we be good parents?" "can I actually have a homebirth?" "what will the baby be like?" etc etc.
With Miller I had a hard time physically. I was EXHAUSTED from back to back pregnancies, and dealing with everything on my own since Jerad was frequently out of town/state. All while chasing a one year old and still being new to the whole mom thing. We were also buying a house, moving, and there were the questions of "will I love another baby as much?" "will it be as special the second time around?" "logistically how do I deal with two kids?" "am I depriving Marshall by having another so soon?" "can I even manage two kids?" "how do I get us all out the door at 6:30 so I'll be on time for work?"
This time it just feels like the norm:) So far I've never *not* been pregnant by the youngest's 1 year birthday. Somehow being pregnant while taking care of two small kids has felt easier than it did when I just had the one. I'm tired, but not exhausted, and my body feels pretty good! Since Jerad is around to help out I can usually go to sleep by 9 and if one/both of the kids wakes up during the night he deals with it and lets me sleep.
I'm so excited for this baby to come. I feel like I have the whole toddler/baby mom thing down and I know that I can split my attention between multiple kids while still loving and enjoying them all. Marshall is getting more independent every day and is starting to really be a help to me. I've just resigned myself that I'll probably always be 10 minutes late to work so toting one more kid out the door in the morning doesn't seem that daunting.
Miller was a hard baby. He didn't sleep well for 8 months, then he had eczema and food allergies and REALLY didn't sleep well. None of the tricks that had soothed Marshall as a baby worked on Miller. Nothing really did, we just powered through somehow (please Lord let #3 like pacifiers, swaddling, and baths). He was a total mommy's boy for his first 6 months so I was the only one that could comfort him so even when Jerad WAS home there wasn't much he could do. But we made it and even managed to enjoy his infanthood. If I could survive that, I'm sure I can handle whatever curveballs this one throws as well.
At this point I'm 18 weeks along. Almost halfway done! For the past few weeks I've been feeling the baby move and it's still nice and subtle. I honestly don't like the feeling of the baby moving/kicking when it gets older. Its unnerving. I'm sleeping well at night and I'm not at the point where I'm completely huge and uncomfortable yet. Physically I can still pick up both the kids and chase them around the park or get on my hands and knees to clean the floor. We find out the gender in less than 2 weeks (Feb 28th) so I'm really looking forward to that. I'm hoping and will be so happy if it's another boy (and we have everything!) but if it's a girl.... good thing Jerad's so busy at work because I'm going to have some $hopping to do.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Marshall's Valentines
Marshall's preschool class has a little Valentine's celebration where the kids all hand out cards and treats to each other. I wanted to do something that wasn't candy and came across this idea on pinterest. So cute and perfect for little boys!
At this point in time Marshall doesn't know or care about Valentine's Day, and I thought if I had him help me make them he'd just want to keep all the bugs so I just did it myself. I had white cardstock so I used that to printed out the jars, then just taped on the bugs ($3 for a 12 pack at Target). I didn't have double stick tape so I just used regular tape folded over on itself. They were SUPER easy and look super cute yet still homemade!
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Beach Day
Today I took the kids to the park and the beach. Apparently some people think I'm sort of Wonder Woman-ish or SuperMom because I do a lot of things with two small kids on my own. In reality, it's not always all roses so I thought I'd make this an honest post instead of just sharing pictures of my (beyond adorable) babies.
Last night Jerad mentioned that he was going to be working in Cayucos in the morning, and being the idiot that I am, I said (in front of Marshall) "Oh, maybe I'll ride with you and take the kids to the beach!" This morning as his alarm clock went off and both kids were miraculously still sleeping, I wanted nothing more than to stay in bed and have a lazy morning. But of course Marshall woke up and immediately started talking about the beach. Seriously?!? The weather said partly cloudy with an afternoon high of 64 so going early in the morning was definitely not appealing.
But I'm a good sport (and was dumb enough to open my mouth in the first place) so I scrambled some bacon and eggs and quickly started packing a bag. Marshall took maybe two bites and decided that he was too excited to eat so I threw some clothes on them and we were out the door around 8:30.
I dropped Jerad off and talked Marshall into going to a "really cool park! right by the beach! with dolphins! and pirate ships!" instead of the actual ocean since it was going to be so cold.
I have a loaner car right now, and it doesn't have all my go-to child
wrangling devices like the nice double stroller and baby carriers so I
had to make due with an umbrella stroller. Marshall was excited to push Miller, and kept getting really mad at me for putting my hands on the handles. Which was unfortunate because he isn't really able to steer.
Eventually we got to the playground, and both kids darted different directions all excited to check things out. 2 minutes later Marshall announced that he needed to go potty. Of course. I put Miller back in the stroller and started power walking towards the bathrooms which of course aren't located right next to the park. By this time Marshall was crying saying he really needed to go so I picked him up and decided to cut across the grass to save some time. The umbrella stroller does not push the same as my fancy stroller and I was having a really hard time trying to do it one handed, through the grass, while carrying a toddler, and trying to hurry. Some lady made a comment as I was obviously struggling about me having my hands full in a snotty tone of voice. Lucky for her I was in a rush and didn't feel like taking the time to retort.
My pants were too long and ended up getting soaked by the time we got there.
And of course by that time Marshall had pooped in his pants.
I didn't have anything with me to clean him up (since the stupid little stroller didn't have a basket and he never has accidents when we're out anyways), so I had to do the best I could then head back to the car (which was about the same distance from the playground but in the opposite direction) where all the clean clothes and baby wipes were.
By this point Marshall was freaking out because he was upset about having an accident, and upset because he thought we were leaving. Eventually I got him cleaned up and changed into the only set of clean clothes I'd brought for him, and we went back to the playground about 30 minutes after we'd initially arrived.
It was just us at the park for awhile until another family with a boy the same age as Marshall showed up. The parents and little boy kept talking to Marshall and he'd just stand there staring at them without smiling or talking. Embarrassing. Usually he is a little toned down around other people, but this was seriously ridiculous especially because he just stayed there staring them down from 2 feet away acting like he had never heard the English language.
Now that Miller can walk, he likes to bolt away from me cackling like a little maniac so that I have to chase him. So I spent the next 45 min or so chasing Miller down, bringing him back, waiting to see if he would come back on his own (he won't), bringing him back, and trying to still engage Marshall and make sure he didn't copy the older boys who had shown up and were climbing and jumping off of things way to big for him to try.
At this point it was around 11 so I decided to feed the kids a snack since Jerad thought he would be done around noon and had another job in Paso to rush to. They quickly devoured the bananas and salami I had brought, as well as everything else I had in the diaper bag; mixed nuts, an apple, and a few of those organic veggie babyfood snack pouches. Probably because neither one really ate breakfast. So I loaded them up (after managing to change Miller's diaper in the front seat) and went to Foster's Freeze. We sat outside (well, Marshall and I sat and Miller climbed all over the table like a picnic ant), I got a lettuce wrapped burger, they each had a plain burger patty with cheese, and I got lunch to drop off for Jerad too since I'm such a good wife.
I brought him the food and he said things were talking longer than he planned and I should just go home without him if I wanted to leave now and he'd get a ride, or I could hang out for another hour or so. Since the kids were all fed, tired from the playground, and we had a 30 min drive home I decided I'd leave since it was almost their nap time anyways.
As I turned off the highway to head home Marshall asked where we were going, and when I told him he started begging so sweetly to go see the water, and talking about how he was going to swim and be happy so I decided to turn around. I had promised it in the first place, and Jerad thought he'd be done in an hour anyways.
I pulled off in just a random spot again cursing the fact that I didn't have a sling or Ergo to put Miller in. Miller had of course pooped so again I managed to change him on the front seat which is tricky because he doesn't really fit on it. In my SUV I can do it on the floor boards or in the cargo area because the car is higher. Since Marshall's shorts were dirty and I wanted to save the pants he was wearing to put on him when we were done, I gave him Miller's shorts and let Miller go in his diaper. He wears a 2T and Miller is size 12 month, but since Marshall isn't in a diaper anymore they work (they're just short).
Both the kids were SO excited and rushed out to the water. We basically had the whole beach to ourselves! At first Marshall was content running from the waves, but before long he wanted to be way out there in the action.
This is the part that's most stressful about the beach to me.
Marshall is super adventurous and likes getting knocked around by the waves but I need to stay close in case he needs help or gets fully submerged and doesn't pop back up. Miller is more of a toe dipper and doesn't have the balance to withstand the waves yet so he likes playing right by the shore.... or running away in the opposite direction. I can't WAIT until the day when I can lay on my beach blanket with a book and casually watch them frolic together. In the meantime, if Jerad is with us we each shadow one kid, and if it's just me I put Miller in a carrier (all of which have a pocket for my phone and keys) and stand a few feet from Marshall where I'm not crowding him but can lend a hand if needed.
So I stuffed my keys and phone in my bra, put Miller on my hip, and stood in the frigid water hoping and praying Marshall got bored pretty soon. He was purple and chattering and I kept asking "aren't you cold?" and he'd answer me "yes and I'm sooo happy!" Eventually, about 45 minutes later, he got knocked under pretty good and decided he was "fweezing" and wanted to go back to the car. I tried holding one of each of their hands and having them walk but Marshall was upset that he was cold and his feet were getting dirty, and Miller walks so slow so I picked them both up and carried them to the car which seriously felt like it was 80 miles away.
As soon we got to the car Marshall started freaking out about being soaking wet and muddy while simultaneously begging to go back. Since he was too cold to actually move, he waited patiently by the car while I put a dry diaper and clothes on Miller, then dry clothes on him as well. I asked if he needed to go potty, and he told me "no, I peed in the water." Gross.... but also sweet, I didn't have to find a bathroom and try to hold Miller while making sure Marshall didn't fall in the toilet. After everyone was buckled in I called Jerad who said he would probably be a few more hours so I should just go without him.
Once they dried off and warmed up both kids were in great moods and Marshall was talking about how much fun he had and when can we go back etc etc. About 15 minutes into our drive he announced that he had to go potty (of course) but the road we were driving on is a narrow winding road with no place to stop. I begged him to hold it, but by the time I was able to pull off he had pooped in his pants. Again. I think he's only had two accidents when we have been out of the house together EVER since potty training, and now he's had 2 POOP accidents in one day. Ugh. I didn't have any more clean pants, was parked in a terrible spot, and Miller was asleep so I made the judgement call to just drive home (we were about 10-15 minutes away) and deal with it there.
When I pulled in the driveway both kids were sleeping and not too thrilled about being forced into the shower. I thought about letting Miller go to bed sandy but I had just changed all the sheets yesterday and didn't want to have to do it again so soon if I could help it.
Finally everyone was nestled all snug in their beds and I had a chance to sit down and relax for the first time since the alarm went off in the morning.
So, that was an honest look at about a 5 hour window of our day.
I don't mean to make it sound like my life sucks or the kids are difficult or anything. They had a ton of fun, just look at their smiley little mugs! But it is mentally draining. I just figure that they're little, and they're going to have tantrums and accidents, and do things that make me want to pull my hair out sometimes but they'd be doing them if we were cooped up in the house (and probably more often in that case) so we might as well get out and enjoy life. They have a better time if we're out and about, and I feel like I'm doing a better job.
When I look back on the week I don't want to feel like all I did was go to work and sit around the house. I want to feel like I was engaging the kids with things like parks, Children's Museums, the zoo, long nature walks, swimming, trying new restaurants, wandering around new cities when Jerad is working out of town... 6 hour adventures to Ikea (okay, that one was more for me but they survived). I don't remember things like "Miller kept running away and eating handfuls of sand" or "Marshall demanded I make the sand less 'bumpy' and said his feet would break off if he walked."
I remember that on Saturday I got up early and took the kids to a new fun park, out to eat, AND went to the beach all before naptime! And it's worth it every time.
 |
| Big brother pushing little brother to the park |
Last night Jerad mentioned that he was going to be working in Cayucos in the morning, and being the idiot that I am, I said (in front of Marshall) "Oh, maybe I'll ride with you and take the kids to the beach!" This morning as his alarm clock went off and both kids were miraculously still sleeping, I wanted nothing more than to stay in bed and have a lazy morning. But of course Marshall woke up and immediately started talking about the beach. Seriously?!? The weather said partly cloudy with an afternoon high of 64 so going early in the morning was definitely not appealing.
But I'm a good sport (and was dumb enough to open my mouth in the first place) so I scrambled some bacon and eggs and quickly started packing a bag. Marshall took maybe two bites and decided that he was too excited to eat so I threw some clothes on them and we were out the door around 8:30.
I dropped Jerad off and talked Marshall into going to a "really cool park! right by the beach! with dolphins! and pirate ships!" instead of the actual ocean since it was going to be so cold.
 |
| Sailing the pirate ship |
Eventually we got to the playground, and both kids darted different directions all excited to check things out. 2 minutes later Marshall announced that he needed to go potty. Of course. I put Miller back in the stroller and started power walking towards the bathrooms which of course aren't located right next to the park. By this time Marshall was crying saying he really needed to go so I picked him up and decided to cut across the grass to save some time. The umbrella stroller does not push the same as my fancy stroller and I was having a really hard time trying to do it one handed, through the grass, while carrying a toddler, and trying to hurry. Some lady made a comment as I was obviously struggling about me having my hands full in a snotty tone of voice. Lucky for her I was in a rush and didn't feel like taking the time to retort.
My pants were too long and ended up getting soaked by the time we got there.
And of course by that time Marshall had pooped in his pants.
I didn't have anything with me to clean him up (since the stupid little stroller didn't have a basket and he never has accidents when we're out anyways), so I had to do the best I could then head back to the car (which was about the same distance from the playground but in the opposite direction) where all the clean clothes and baby wipes were.
By this point Marshall was freaking out because he was upset about having an accident, and upset because he thought we were leaving. Eventually I got him cleaned up and changed into the only set of clean clothes I'd brought for him, and we went back to the playground about 30 minutes after we'd initially arrived.
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| My baby isn't a baby anymore, he's a toddler:( |
It was just us at the park for awhile until another family with a boy the same age as Marshall showed up. The parents and little boy kept talking to Marshall and he'd just stand there staring at them without smiling or talking. Embarrassing. Usually he is a little toned down around other people, but this was seriously ridiculous especially because he just stayed there staring them down from 2 feet away acting like he had never heard the English language.
Now that Miller can walk, he likes to bolt away from me cackling like a little maniac so that I have to chase him. So I spent the next 45 min or so chasing Miller down, bringing him back, waiting to see if he would come back on his own (he won't), bringing him back, and trying to still engage Marshall and make sure he didn't copy the older boys who had shown up and were climbing and jumping off of things way to big for him to try.
At this point it was around 11 so I decided to feed the kids a snack since Jerad thought he would be done around noon and had another job in Paso to rush to. They quickly devoured the bananas and salami I had brought, as well as everything else I had in the diaper bag; mixed nuts, an apple, and a few of those organic veggie babyfood snack pouches. Probably because neither one really ate breakfast. So I loaded them up (after managing to change Miller's diaper in the front seat) and went to Foster's Freeze. We sat outside (well, Marshall and I sat and Miller climbed all over the table like a picnic ant), I got a lettuce wrapped burger, they each had a plain burger patty with cheese, and I got lunch to drop off for Jerad too since I'm such a good wife.
I brought him the food and he said things were talking longer than he planned and I should just go home without him if I wanted to leave now and he'd get a ride, or I could hang out for another hour or so. Since the kids were all fed, tired from the playground, and we had a 30 min drive home I decided I'd leave since it was almost their nap time anyways.
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| So excited to see the ocean |
I pulled off in just a random spot again cursing the fact that I didn't have a sling or Ergo to put Miller in. Miller had of course pooped so again I managed to change him on the front seat which is tricky because he doesn't really fit on it. In my SUV I can do it on the floor boards or in the cargo area because the car is higher. Since Marshall's shorts were dirty and I wanted to save the pants he was wearing to put on him when we were done, I gave him Miller's shorts and let Miller go in his diaper. He wears a 2T and Miller is size 12 month, but since Marshall isn't in a diaper anymore they work (they're just short).
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| Chasing Marshall to the waves |
This is the part that's most stressful about the beach to me.
Marshall is super adventurous and likes getting knocked around by the waves but I need to stay close in case he needs help or gets fully submerged and doesn't pop back up. Miller is more of a toe dipper and doesn't have the balance to withstand the waves yet so he likes playing right by the shore.... or running away in the opposite direction. I can't WAIT until the day when I can lay on my beach blanket with a book and casually watch them frolic together. In the meantime, if Jerad is with us we each shadow one kid, and if it's just me I put Miller in a carrier (all of which have a pocket for my phone and keys) and stand a few feet from Marshall where I'm not crowding him but can lend a hand if needed.
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| Loves the water getting his toes |
As soon we got to the car Marshall started freaking out about being soaking wet and muddy while simultaneously begging to go back. Since he was too cold to actually move, he waited patiently by the car while I put a dry diaper and clothes on Miller, then dry clothes on him as well. I asked if he needed to go potty, and he told me "no, I peed in the water." Gross.... but also sweet, I didn't have to find a bathroom and try to hold Miller while making sure Marshall didn't fall in the toilet. After everyone was buckled in I called Jerad who said he would probably be a few more hours so I should just go without him.
Once they dried off and warmed up both kids were in great moods and Marshall was talking about how much fun he had and when can we go back etc etc. About 15 minutes into our drive he announced that he had to go potty (of course) but the road we were driving on is a narrow winding road with no place to stop. I begged him to hold it, but by the time I was able to pull off he had pooped in his pants. Again. I think he's only had two accidents when we have been out of the house together EVER since potty training, and now he's had 2 POOP accidents in one day. Ugh. I didn't have any more clean pants, was parked in a terrible spot, and Miller was asleep so I made the judgement call to just drive home (we were about 10-15 minutes away) and deal with it there.
When I pulled in the driveway both kids were sleeping and not too thrilled about being forced into the shower. I thought about letting Miller go to bed sandy but I had just changed all the sheets yesterday and didn't want to have to do it again so soon if I could help it.
Finally everyone was nestled all snug in their beds and I had a chance to sit down and relax for the first time since the alarm went off in the morning.
So, that was an honest look at about a 5 hour window of our day.
I don't mean to make it sound like my life sucks or the kids are difficult or anything. They had a ton of fun, just look at their smiley little mugs! But it is mentally draining. I just figure that they're little, and they're going to have tantrums and accidents, and do things that make me want to pull my hair out sometimes but they'd be doing them if we were cooped up in the house (and probably more often in that case) so we might as well get out and enjoy life. They have a better time if we're out and about, and I feel like I'm doing a better job.
When I look back on the week I don't want to feel like all I did was go to work and sit around the house. I want to feel like I was engaging the kids with things like parks, Children's Museums, the zoo, long nature walks, swimming, trying new restaurants, wandering around new cities when Jerad is working out of town... 6 hour adventures to Ikea (okay, that one was more for me but they survived). I don't remember things like "Miller kept running away and eating handfuls of sand" or "Marshall demanded I make the sand less 'bumpy' and said his feet would break off if he walked."
I remember that on Saturday I got up early and took the kids to a new fun park, out to eat, AND went to the beach all before naptime! And it's worth it every time.
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| I know everyone is biased when it comes to their own kids but seriously. The Cuteness kills me. |
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