My favorite thing about being pregnant: feeling and especially seeing the baby move. Isn't it amazing? I'm disappointed I can't enjoy it as much this time around as I did the first time. I'm so much more preoccupied than I was with my first pregnancy, especially with Abigail, I don't get to stop and feel the kicks as much as I'd like. It's such amazing validation of the life that is inside of me, to see her kick around like that.
I just realized something earlier today, I made my first baby purchase! At this point last pregnancy, I had bought many things. Not too much, because we wanted to wait until after the shower to see what we recieved, but much more than we have this time. This time, I haven't even put effort into it. I know I need to get some clothes, but I need to inventory what we have from last time. I plan to shop next month probably for Abby's fall/winter clothes, so I will buy what I need for this baby then. I love the Carter's outlet, and always shop there for Abby's clothes, so I'll do the same for this baby and get her things while I'm there. We've been paitently waiting for the cosleeper we want to go on sale, and it's been out of stock. I pray they get it back in before it gets too late! We also need a new swing, more cloth diapers, and probably a few other miscellaneous items. I guess I never did reveal my first purchase though, bedding! I thought it would take me forever to find something. I remembered why it was so difficult with Abigail, it's not because I had a hard time finding something, but it's so expensive! So I had to find something, but also decently priced. I browsed eBay last night and ran across an auction for bedding I really liked. I had been thinking about a dark pink/green color scheme for this baby's bedding and that's exactly what it is. I bid on it and sure enough, I won! It's handmade, and new, and hopefully it's also good quality (She has good feedback so far). Best of all, I won it for only $25! I'm psyched that I got it for such a good price. I can't wait to get it in the mail and look it over, I'm hoping I'll love it as much as I think I do. At least now I can start thinking about decorating her room, even though I can't do anything until DH finishes the basement and we move the computer down there! I'd like to also do letters on the wall, to spell out her name, like I did with Abigail. The problem is, we can't pick a name! Oy vey! I do have one in mind, but admittedly, I'm having a hard time setting it in stone this time like we did with Abby. It doesn't hurt to wait until she is born though. She will also sleep in our room the first few months, at least, although I'd like to use her room for both storage and naps after the first few months. I'd like to have the dresser set up for a changing area and to store clothes, blankets, burp clothes and such in once she is here. We didn't use Abby's room the first few months, but it came in handy for that.
On a bit of a side note, I hope to attend my first La Leche League meeting this week! For breastfeeding for over 2 years, I'm suprised I haven't yet. I had tried to get in contact with the leaders for the group where we used to live, but never had luck. I ran into the leader for one of the Lansing groups at the birth center last week and she took my info and emailed me thier information. The next meeting is on Wednesday and it's a toddler meeting. I look forward to meeting other nursing moms, especially toddler nursing moms! I also met a great woman in my neighborhood today. I guess it goes to prove, you can't judge a book by it's cover. I've seen her walk by many times, almost everyday, and my first impression was that she might be a little odd. Why? I don't know, maybe because of her looks. I stepped out this morning with Abigail to play and she was walking by with another woman (a grandmother who watches her grandson during the weeks) I had already met. They asked if we wanted to join, so we did. As we started talking, I realized how wrong I had been. She's extremely nice and we have more in common than I would have thought. She's also an advocate of natural birth, going for her 3rd attempted VBAC but also using a midwife. The thing I found strange about her appearance, the high socks she always wears. Well, she has a clotting disorder, which I know they are reccomended in those cases. Duh! Why was I so stupid to judge someone by thier appearance, I really should know better? She's also due with a new baby in November, so I guess we'll have 2 babies very close in age! I'm hoping to get to know her better and I'm excited that I'm finally putting myself out there to meet other moms. I've always worried I wouldn't have enough in common because my parenting style is usually different than the majority of other parents.
I also found a class for 1-3 year olds, it looks like a mommy and me class. It's to help get younger children more active, it sounds like, but I like the idea of going to meet other moms. I'm hoping to remember to call for more information this week so we can sign up. Abby hasn't had too many children to play with over the past few years, I think it's good for us to get out and meet other moms/toddlers. She needs the interaction as do I!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Finishing touches
I thought settling into this house would be easy, but it's been harder than I've given it credit for. For once, I feel like I can make a permanant investment in this house. I've never wanted to invest much money into decorating the homes we've lived in, because I can't be sure if those same things will have a place in the next place we lived. 2 things I've never wanted to do in the other places we've lived is to paint and put up curtains. I didn't want to invest the time and money into painting walls we only could enjoy for a year, or less, then paint them back when we leave. (Thank goodness, I didn't realize how much work it is!) I also have come across different sized windows in every house I've lived, so I'm glad I never bought curtains that were expensive. I haven't been able to use the same ones twice, because every window is differently sized.
I know it can take a while to get settled into a new place and even over the first few months and beyond, you tend to change things around and add the finishing touches on the home. In my case, I love change, so I'm always moving pictures or furniture. That's the problem here though, I want to be very careful about where I put things on the wall, so I don't end up with a bunch of holes everywhere! So far, I've only hung up a handful of things. There are still several things I'm still shopping for too. The dining room wall is blank for now, though it could use some furniture and pictures. I bought curtains for the sliding glass doors and took down the vertical blinds yesterday though, so now I have colors to work with. Lucky for me, I've seen several pictures that work with those colors, so I hope to shop for those this week. I found a small framed saying that fits perfectly between the dining room/kitchen, but the kitchen remains a blank slate, besides paint. After shopping around a lot, I've concluded the only thing that will go with the darker tan colored walls is the java/coffee theme that is so popular. I wanted to avoid it, but I can't find anything else I like. I don't want to overdo it though, so I will probably buy a few small items and decorations, in case I outgrow it in a few years and want to redo it. I am thinking a large mirror over both the couch and our dresser would look good, so I've been on the lookout for both of those. I still need to do more decorating in the living room, but that might be in the months to come. I need to add color, but I need another perspective on what to do with it. Since it's such an open space with the dining room, I can't stray too much from what I already have.
I guess there's so much left to do. We need to fix the lawn, plant some trees and landscape the front yard a little bit. I'd love to put in just a few plants or flowers to spruce up the front of the house. The bathrooms are pretty much done and once I repaint Abby's decorations for her room to match her twin bedding and finish sewing her curtains, her room will be complete too. Oh, this is so much harder than it looks!
I know it can take a while to get settled into a new place and even over the first few months and beyond, you tend to change things around and add the finishing touches on the home. In my case, I love change, so I'm always moving pictures or furniture. That's the problem here though, I want to be very careful about where I put things on the wall, so I don't end up with a bunch of holes everywhere! So far, I've only hung up a handful of things. There are still several things I'm still shopping for too. The dining room wall is blank for now, though it could use some furniture and pictures. I bought curtains for the sliding glass doors and took down the vertical blinds yesterday though, so now I have colors to work with. Lucky for me, I've seen several pictures that work with those colors, so I hope to shop for those this week. I found a small framed saying that fits perfectly between the dining room/kitchen, but the kitchen remains a blank slate, besides paint. After shopping around a lot, I've concluded the only thing that will go with the darker tan colored walls is the java/coffee theme that is so popular. I wanted to avoid it, but I can't find anything else I like. I don't want to overdo it though, so I will probably buy a few small items and decorations, in case I outgrow it in a few years and want to redo it. I am thinking a large mirror over both the couch and our dresser would look good, so I've been on the lookout for both of those. I still need to do more decorating in the living room, but that might be in the months to come. I need to add color, but I need another perspective on what to do with it. Since it's such an open space with the dining room, I can't stray too much from what I already have.
I guess there's so much left to do. We need to fix the lawn, plant some trees and landscape the front yard a little bit. I'd love to put in just a few plants or flowers to spruce up the front of the house. The bathrooms are pretty much done and once I repaint Abby's decorations for her room to match her twin bedding and finish sewing her curtains, her room will be complete too. Oh, this is so much harder than it looks!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Weaning
What's on my mind today that I can write about? How about weaning?
Honestly, I'm getting sick of the assumption that I'm going to wean Abigail anytime soon. Yes, she is 2 years old, and she is still nursing. To be completely honest, I love it! I love the bond we have and the closeness I feel to her when she is with me and nursing. I never imagined I would still be nursing a 2 year old, it's not something I planned for. I just couldn't wean her myself though, it didn't feel natural. I feel like it's something she needs to do when she feels the time is right. I've always had the policy of, don't deny, don't offer. If she asks to nurse, I'll let her nurse but I won't offer it to her. She nurses anywhere from 1-3 times a day, usually once in the morning, for her nap, and at night. It doesn't take any extra time out of my day to do this, all of those times I would be either in bed, or helping her fall asleep anyway.
I hate when everyone assumes that I'm ready to have her wean. My mom is the worst. Everytime the subject comes up, she has to say "But you will want a break between this baby and the next" Actually no, I'm excited to think that we might tandem nurse. I think it will be a great experience. She did nurse all 5 of us, but she weaned us when she got pregnant with the next. It's so hard to explain to people why I have let her continue to nurse and why I have no plans to wean her. I know in today's society, nursing a toddler is very taboo. Some don't understand that weaning from nursing is different than hiding your child's favorite pacifier or getting them off the bottle. The attachment my child has to nursing is also and attachment to ME. Chances are, I wouldn't permanantly scar her by weaning her or suddenly telling her no more, but I'm sure she would put up a fight. In the end, I would feel guilty too. Did I do what I felt was best? No, my gut says that she'll give it up when she is ready. And is there really any harm in letting her continue? No, if anything I feel this is helping her in some way. As parents, we all do things differently. For me and my child, I feel this is what is best.
Honestly, I'm getting sick of the assumption that I'm going to wean Abigail anytime soon. Yes, she is 2 years old, and she is still nursing. To be completely honest, I love it! I love the bond we have and the closeness I feel to her when she is with me and nursing. I never imagined I would still be nursing a 2 year old, it's not something I planned for. I just couldn't wean her myself though, it didn't feel natural. I feel like it's something she needs to do when she feels the time is right. I've always had the policy of, don't deny, don't offer. If she asks to nurse, I'll let her nurse but I won't offer it to her. She nurses anywhere from 1-3 times a day, usually once in the morning, for her nap, and at night. It doesn't take any extra time out of my day to do this, all of those times I would be either in bed, or helping her fall asleep anyway.
I hate when everyone assumes that I'm ready to have her wean. My mom is the worst. Everytime the subject comes up, she has to say "But you will want a break between this baby and the next" Actually no, I'm excited to think that we might tandem nurse. I think it will be a great experience. She did nurse all 5 of us, but she weaned us when she got pregnant with the next. It's so hard to explain to people why I have let her continue to nurse and why I have no plans to wean her. I know in today's society, nursing a toddler is very taboo. Some don't understand that weaning from nursing is different than hiding your child's favorite pacifier or getting them off the bottle. The attachment my child has to nursing is also and attachment to ME. Chances are, I wouldn't permanantly scar her by weaning her or suddenly telling her no more, but I'm sure she would put up a fight. In the end, I would feel guilty too. Did I do what I felt was best? No, my gut says that she'll give it up when she is ready. And is there really any harm in letting her continue? No, if anything I feel this is helping her in some way. As parents, we all do things differently. For me and my child, I feel this is what is best.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Small update
We've moved! It's official, we are in our new house! Tonight is my first night alone here, after not even a week. My inlaws were here for about a week and a half, and left this morning. DH left this afternoon and will be gone until Thursday night because he has some training to do at thier headquarters in IL. It feels good in some ways to just relax and not have anyone around, but I have started to feel lonely very quick. It's amazing how accustomed you can get to having people around you.
I don't think I ever got around to posting pictures of the house before this, but I plan to take some once we are more settled in. I still have a list of things to get including curtains and decorations to complete the look. What will be the new baby's room is our temporary office/spare room until DH completes the basement (which I asked he get done before she is born). I haven't even touched this room yet for unpacking, since it's where my MIL slept for the past 5-6 nights. The rest of the house is unpacked, but I still don't feel completely settled. I guess that will come with time as I put the final touches on the house.
Speaking of the baby, we had our mid-pregnancy ultrasound and found out we'll be having another girl! I'll be honest, I was a little disappointed to hear it wasn't a boy. For some reason, I really let myself get set on having a boy this time, even though I tried hard to keep an open mind. I am glad we found out though, even though we originally planned not to. I think if I had gone the rest of the pregnancy thinking this baby was a boy, I would be pretty stunned when she came out! This gives me time to change my state of mind and get excited about having 2 girls. I already have thought about how great it is that Abigail will have a sister that is close in age.
I'm off to bed, last night I didn't get enough sleep so I'm getting an early start tonight!
I don't think I ever got around to posting pictures of the house before this, but I plan to take some once we are more settled in. I still have a list of things to get including curtains and decorations to complete the look. What will be the new baby's room is our temporary office/spare room until DH completes the basement (which I asked he get done before she is born). I haven't even touched this room yet for unpacking, since it's where my MIL slept for the past 5-6 nights. The rest of the house is unpacked, but I still don't feel completely settled. I guess that will come with time as I put the final touches on the house.
Speaking of the baby, we had our mid-pregnancy ultrasound and found out we'll be having another girl! I'll be honest, I was a little disappointed to hear it wasn't a boy. For some reason, I really let myself get set on having a boy this time, even though I tried hard to keep an open mind. I am glad we found out though, even though we originally planned not to. I think if I had gone the rest of the pregnancy thinking this baby was a boy, I would be pretty stunned when she came out! This gives me time to change my state of mind and get excited about having 2 girls. I already have thought about how great it is that Abigail will have a sister that is close in age.
I'm off to bed, last night I didn't get enough sleep so I'm getting an early start tonight!
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