29/366

Yesterday Steve and I dropped Morgan off at Grandma and Grandpa's and spent the day dawdling. Steve is not a dawdler, so it was actually very fun to just piddle around, even though we mostly did house errands. We ordered some curtains for the living room, picked out paint for the entry way and my scrapbook room, and bought this cool computer program to design our new house for remodel. They were things we needed to get done, and it was nice to dilly dally to do it, without the munchkin on our backs. Then we went out to dinner at Johnny Carino's, which was very good, and then went back to Grandma and Grandpa's for cake and icecream. It was fine.

Hated the idea of the day, because I feel like you can't be a kid anymore once you reach the 3's. I'm not ready to give up the 2's yet, so I decided not to. I'm still young and carefree! Although, really, I'm very happy with my life. I'm very happily married, a mom to almost 2, living in the house I want to stay in for 30 years, loving all of it, but feel like you have to be responsible and mature when you reach the 3's... and I still want to be a kid, having fun.

Morgan did two new things yesterday. First, we were sitting around the table, having just finished our french toast, and we were talking about how mommy, daddy, and Morgan were all done, and our plates were clean. Well, my little chickadee flips out her pointer finger, and goes "one, two, three, four, five, six, seven...", pointing at our dishes and then at various objects. Steve and I just sat there, not breathing, because while we count things all the time, she has never done so on her own, and I was curious to see how high she would go. What a smarty pants! Good for her! She's also done much better with her colors, getting them right more often than not. Art class really helps with that. ... and with budgets always getting cut in schools, it's going to be up to mom and dad to make sure the kids' lives are enriched with tons of fun and educational opportunities, to help develop those little brains. I signed Morgan up for two more sessions of art class! One starts this week, and then I'm doing another one in June after the baby is here. That one is twofold. I want to continue to do something special with Morgan, just she and I... so I'll feed the baby, pack her up and race into Bend, go to class for an hour, and then pack her up and race home to feed the baby again. At least she'll get that hour! I'm trying to get Marci to sign Krysta up too. I'll then stop classes for the summer, and have kids come over for my own art classes at the house, and then maybe sign Morgan up for another session at the Art Station this fall. We'll see.

The second thing she did is get a bloody nose. It's been sooo..... dry out. We were driving to town yesterday, and she fell asleep in the backseat, and she was rustling around so I looked back at her, and she was rubbing her nose. Suddenly, it started gushing everywhere, and she was still asleep! We pulled over quickly and I jumped out with some Puffs, and the poor thing had to be roused from slumber with kleenex and wipes all over her place, because she kept throwing her hands up and rubbing blood all over her face! I felt so bad! That's never happened before! We might need to get a humidifier, although that isn't going to help much in the car!

Anyway..... 29/366.... and moving forward.

:)

31 weeks

How your baby's growing: This week, your baby measures about 16 inches long. He weighs a little over 3 pounds and is headed for a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and he's beginning to accumulate a layer of fat underneath his skin in preparation for life as a newborn. As a result, his arms, legs, and body are filling out



Growth spurt? Oh great. I'm already a mammoth. This belly is going to outdo my Morgan belly any second now!

I actually made this layout for Ebay, but I'm so in love with it I kinda hope it doesn't sell... It's using brand new Basic Grey paper that was just released a couple of weeks ago. The line is called Urban Couture... but they also released a line called Oh Baby Girl that I also have.... so I might do another just like this one, actually two, and list one on Ebay for a girlier layout, and have one for myself. I hope it's obvious that this is a moon..... I also have a sterling silver wooden shoe charm hanging off the top of the moon, and the little charm below the picture says "dream". The poem is called Wynken, Blynken, and Nod. . I think it's adorable! This is a picture of Morgan when she was just a couple of months old... makes me more anxious for this little bun I've got in the oven! I can't wait!

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe ~
Sailed on a river of crystal light,
Into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
The old moon asked the three.
"We have come to fish for the herring fish
That live in this beautiful sea;
Nets of silver and gold have we!"
Said Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.
The old moon laughed and sang a song
As they rocked in the wooden shoe,
And the wind that sped them all night long
Ruffled the waves of dew.
The little stars were the herring fish
That lived in the beautiful sea ~
"Now cast your nets wherever you wish ~
Never afeard are we";
So cried the stars to the fisherman three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.
All night long their nets they threw
To the stars in the twinkling foam ~
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
Bringing the fishermen home;
'Twas all so pretty a sail it seemed
As if it could not be,
And some folks thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed
Of sailing that beautiful sea ~
But I shall name you the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.
Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is a wee one's trundle-bed.
So shut your eyes while mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rock in the misty sea,
Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

My first of three entries in a scrapbook contest.

Steve

REDMOND FIRE DEPARTMENT, 2005 EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

30 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby's a bit more than 15 1/2 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and fills out your uterus. Her eyes open and close, she's able to distinguish between light and dark, and she can even follow a light source back and forth. Once she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have a visual acuity of only 20/400 — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. ("Normal" vision in adults is 20/20.)

Lately, Miss Morgan has been very in to mommy's belly. We get out our handy bottle of Aveeno, and she uses a hefty portion to hydrate mom's belly. She does a good job. My belly button is more of a cave than a belly button, and she also enjoys depositing stickers and loose change in it. I have to remind her to be careful, because she likes to shove a little deeper than comfortable...... I guess I'm just lucky she hasn't thought of using it as a snack dish! She has also been more affectionate, occasionally whipping up my shirt for a belly kiss. Sweetie!

Daddy got out the camera to take some love kisses..... then he asked Morgan to smile...... say "cheese".............

And this is what we got... silly goose.

Morgan wanted to check out the pictures on the camera.... but did not want Mama to TAKE a picture. You can't look at the pictures if there aren't any.... so I took one anyway..... This.... is my 2 year old girl, not smiling.

There she is! My sweet girl!

Doc

Went to the doctor today. Healthy as a horse, about the same size..... gained 4 pounds, no gestational diabetes or anemia.... and we did an impromptu ultrasound of sorts because the doc needed to check the position of the placenta, which is off to the left. In doing so, I asked what we were looking at, and then out of nowhere, a FACE popped up on the screen.... looking right at me! However, by the time he got it again where he could print the picture, it was never the same.... the umbilical cord and a little hand kept getting in the way, along with the placenta... so, alas, this is the best pic we could take home:

The baby is looking right at you. You can see it's left eye and it's nose, the mouth, and the jawline... but it's such a bummer I didn't get that first shot. There's a baby in there! Who is it?

I'm now on the homestretch. Next visit.... 2 weeks! Only a few visits left and then we get to meet this little booger, who's positioned as they should.... Morgan, you stinker! It's cool to know for sure what I'm feeling. All this time I thought it was a bum... but it was actually a HEAD making the lump on my left side! Good to know! Steve and I were giving it high fives last night as it did it's normal aerobics class while I was TRYING to watch LOST!

Walking Blimp

I'm wrong. As I put on my overalls this morning, and received the small wedgie that tells me that these are now TOO SMALL to fasten around myself..... I thought I was the walking blimp, with a very concentrated missile sticking straight out my abdomen like Superman on the hunt for damsels in distress. However, I just got out the measuring tape.... and I'm still 2 inches shy of my FULL TERM waistline. Oh. I get bigger than this. That's nice.

I have officially reached the point where my current wardrobe has stopped working for me. Saturday I wore a blue turtleneck sweater that I wore for my Christmas card photos in 2003 when I was at the same stage in pregnancy. First, I can't wear the pants I wore in that photo... they have a panel that's just way too tight and hurts now. Second.... that blue sweater is now a half-shirt. I had to wear a sweater over it the whole day. This little booger is far lower than Miss Morgan Paige ever was, so I'm having a hard time finding tops that go down low enough to cover my belly button, and my saggy bottom pants, because I have also run out of room for a waistband to stay up, yet panel pants are itchy and uncomfortable, so my rear now looks like there are 4 cheeks instead of two.

So, I guess it had better get warmer, becuase I'm going to have to run around naked for the next 9+ weeks until the big day.... this month I have been going to the office on casual Friday, so they shouldn't mind so much...... anybody have a gunny sack they can loan me? What does it say up there? 64 days? How many minutes is that??????????......................

Art Start Week 2

29 weeks

How your baby's growing Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to accommodate his brain — which is busy developing billions of neurons. With this rapid growth, it's no surprise that your baby's nutritional needs reach their peak during this trimester. To keep yourself and him well nourished, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamin C, folic acid, iron, and calcium. (About 200 milligrams of calcium is deposited in your baby's skeleton — which is now hardening — every day.)

Big sister Morgan kissing Mama's lumpy belly. Usually, the baby is sitting on the other side, just like she always did. Today, however, it looks a little low and to the left. :)

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28 weeks

How your baby's growing: By this week, your baby weighs a little over 2 pounds and measures about 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can open her eyes — which now sport lashes — and she'll turn her head toward a continuous, bright light from the outside. Her fat layers are beginning to form, too, as she gets ready for life outside the womb.

Art Start!

Morgan and I went to her first "art class" today. It was fun! She was the youngest... so didn't understand everything going on, it was still fun.

Today we played with clay. We made a little bird in a nest with some eggs, and then we did a handprint. They will get fired, and next week as part of class we'll paint 'em up.

I forgot my camera, but I had to have one hand on our little wild child at all times, because she's so rambunctious, but I hope to bring it next time and at least have the instructor take our picture "creating".

I'm excited, because we are going to do some painting, some collage, and week 3 we are doing something a la Monet, and the last class is Eric Carle and the planets, stars, and the moon. I am very excited about that one! We love Eric Carle, and y'all know how Morgan feels about the moon! Very cool.

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