hot prego!

Thru this pregnancy Chris and I have been having issues about what to keep the temp of the house at. Perfect example, last night. We got home around 8:30, I thought the house was wonderfully perfect at 65 degrees. Chris thought it was freezing. Brady is a hot little guy, so he probably fell somewhere between chris and I. Chris wanted the heat at 70! I told him I hate waking up sweaty, lets go for 67 to get the chill out. Luckily we compromised at 68. I embrace these freezing nights and cooler days- and I so ready not to complain daily that I am HOT!

My 31st birthday weekend

Brayden's bed is completed! This was one of my beds growing up. My parents bought it when I was about 2, it's a set of bunk beds. (not bunking them till Brady is much older!) We sanded them down and stained them. It's oak and they are SO sturdy! BTW, that is duck duck sleepting with Brady. He loves his duck duck!

Happy birthday to me! My boys took me out for dinner for my birthday. They also got me a pedicure and manicure, they were extra nice and sweet to me all weekend long too.

We went to Down on the Farm this morning while it was still gorgeous out. Brady loved the ducks, chickens, donkeys and horses. I could not get him to take his eyes off the animals to take a nice pictures. He got to feed the ducks and chickens too! He loved that! B thought the little gourds were pretty neat too. He was such an angel this weekend, a total delight.

Finally, we got our recalled crib returned to Shopko. It wasnt a pain, just time consuming. Soon Chris should be able to start building the new crib. I can just hear it, 15 years from now. Brady to sibling: "I had to sleep in a crib that was recalled because it was so unsafe! and dad built yours by hand!" LOL. We will make sure Brady gets something special built from his dad.

lesson learned

At the dinner table last night, B made this gagging noise and not thinking chris and I laughed. Of course B laughed too. Towards the end of dinner he tried doing it again and threw up his whole dinner! After the chaos was over and all was cleaned up, chris and I decided that we best be careful not to laugh at those inapproprite yet funny moments. Bad parents! However, lesson learned.

clipping my toenails

This weekend is my birthday, and I mentioned to chris that I deserve a "thoughtful" birthday gift. He was trying to think of some thoughtful things last night, and I reminded him that it doesnt have to be a "thing" or a gift in the traditional way. So I suggested that he thinks hard and put some thoughtfulness into this. He did come up with one "thoughtful" idea- clipping my toenails for me. I told him good idea, now work with it... keep going.... I'll keep you posted on what he comes up with! (really, clipping my toe nails is thoughtful. He realizes that it is getting difficult for me to do.)

We are making it official and announcing that at 21 months we are 100% bottle free! Brady just quite asking for it about a week ago and hasnt asked for it since. woohoo! now we are working on establishing a new night time routine to help him settle down before bed time. Falling asleep has been taking him 30-45 minutes because he just hasnt settled down. My hopes are getting his father on board in the new nighttime routines, since chances are this will become a daddy thing when baby #2 comes home.

The infamous woodworking shop

OK, here is before the tools arrived. See that one saw in the back corner? See the table saw behind the persons elbow? ok.... ready???

Here is our woodworking shop, formerly known as our detached garage after the big purchase. See that man in the back corner? He's the happy one.

We have been working on Brady's big boy bed for a few weeks now. The front bed post in the photo (if you can see around my bigness) is the before, and the bedposts in the back are a sneak peak at the after. These were my bunk beds growing up! By the end of the week all should be complete and Brady should be in his new bed!

Brady's father sanding the headboard. It took lots of sanding to get it stripped down completely.

2 nights bottle free!

Brady hasnt asked for a bottle for 2 nights now. :) It is nice, and we hope this trend continues! No fight bottle weaning, and lead by the child is what we want.

a nice milestone

Brady wipes his own snotty nose! He cant blow it yet, but he can at least wipe the boggies dripping down his face.

Why is this so fabulous? Prior to this, picture me or chris chasing him around with a tissue trying to wipe his nose for him, once we did catch him he would flip out, shake his head, cry, and get boggies all over the place. Now, there is peace in the house. We ask him to wipe his nose, he gets his own tissue, wipes, throws his tissue away, then claps!

30 week appointment update

gotta make this quick, we are running late this morning! (but that is nothing new!)

In the last 1.5 weeks or so I have become quite uncomfortable and just full feeling. Also very stretched out feeling too. At each appointment the nurse takes a measurement from the top of my pelvic bone to the top of my uterus. That number is usually the same or very close to the number of weeks you are. So at 26 weeks, I was 26cm. At 30 weeks I was 32. That probably explains why I feel like I got big fast, because I did- ouch!

My belly button hurts too. Just in the last couple days. Can hardly touch it. I might have a hernia. fabulous. Nurse asked if I needed a Doctors note for work to dake it easy, I told her I need a husband note instead. My boss is fabulous, and would probably yell at my husband if he knew what Chris had me doing sunday night.

For Rent:

One 21 month old.
He features:
excellent guard dog at night, due to not requiring much sleep
ability to unload silverware from the dishwasher
ability to stuff towels in the proper drawers
excellent organization skills, such as stacking pots and pans
alarm for when things break by saying uh-oh until you go look at it
ability to load sorted laundry into front load washer
obsession with pushing buttons on front load washer and dryer
ability to properly transfer laundry to the dryer
tearer of toilet paper when you need it, will ball it up when requested
washing things in toilets
gives hugs and kisses when injured
locator of pets

He Requires:
kissies on owies, which occur frequently
ability to brush his teeth a lot
pet
books
Happy Feet movie
mandarin oranges
fruit snacks

unbelievable.

It is my blog, so I will vent if I want too!

I always thought I had a pretty clear image of what we could afford and that Chris and I were on the same page with spending. We have a comfortable savings, and we basically buy what we want within reason. Both of us arent big spenders, so it has worked well for 6 years now.

So, this garage that we have been building since early spring- yeah. Chris wanted some new shop tools- such as a table saw that new was going to be over $3000. So I turned him onto Craigs list thinking he could pick that up for less. He found a guy getting a divorce and wanting to get the heck out of here selling his entire workshop. Chris checked it out, said it was a screaming deal- I trust him on that- he was bound and determined to make an offer. Sure I could have fought this and said Hell No- but I didnt. It seems important to him, so we discussed it, and I went along with him. Now, I am the co-owner of a shop full of power tools that would make most people (including tech ed departments at schools) jealous. I decided that I would just deal with my 2 door car, no payment on it is fabulous! These tools cost us just a couple grand less then what my budget is for a used 4-door car.

I really dont know how I feel about this. All along we have said we cant afford for me to go part time. To make things hurtful, my husband doesnt think before he speaks and always throws in the comment that I just dont want to work and be lazy. We dont go on trips, we just dont spend money in general. So, add all of that to this big tool purchase and I really cant help but be a little sour. So, what can we afford? Do we have more disposible money then I thought? Why is this a bigger value then me working less and being more hands on with raising our kids?

So, I was a sour puss to him this weekend. My new line when we talk about buying something or affording something is "sell a tool!".

To top off all of this was last night. Chris just doesnt think sometimes! He decided at 7pm that we (him and his 30wk prego wife) were going to do the blow in insulation in his garage. At 7pm he decided this, bought the stuff and rented the blower!! On a sunday! WTF? His plan for brady, he could play outside while we worked?????????????? I thought that was rediculous, and started thinking of someone that could take care of him while we do this project. Luckily my old neighbor rachel was in her car before I even finished asking her if she could do it! I so owe rachel! Her and B played for a bit, and she had him in bed an hour later. She was able to leave by 9. Anyway.... 10:30 at night we called it a night, only got 1/3 of the insulation done. My 30 week prego body KILLS today. you name it, it hurts. Bad. On top of it, I am extrememly crabby about the whole situation. I go to bed by 9 usually, and my body is no longer made for standing next to an insulation grinder machine and fulling it for 2.5 hours.

I told chris this morning, that he best be planning a very thoughtful birthday present.

Anxiety and Allergies

As you may remember, I chose to remain on my depression/anxiety medication thru this pregnancy. I had such severe PPD w/ Brady, and between the doctors (pshych, OB and pedi) we all agreed the benefits of the medications outweigh the risks.

Up until the last couple weeks I have been doing fabulous! When I see my Pshych dr I fill out this form and it gets scored. For 3 months I scored perfectly (which is rare and awesome! but I decided the planned course was still the way to go), last month I did just a little worse, but felt I could manage my symptoms, and today I scored even worse. Not horrible bad, but very bad on the anxiety side of things. Today my dr (Dr. Shah at Marshfield Clinic, who I highly reccommend to women!!!) wasnt available, I have always seen her, she has to be the best Dr. I have ever seen in terms of taking the time to tell me the pros and cons of things, giving me her honest opinion when I ask, just all around great. So I saw her PA, she basically took down my information, and was going to have Dr. Shah contact me later today. No problem, I'll work with it.

The PA pulled up my records and noticed that between Sept. 5 and Sept 15 for the past 3 years I have been complaining of increased anxiety. also, that is the time frame I have started Zertec for allergies. I have been on zertec for years for fall allergies and the thought has never crossed my mind that there could be a relation between the two.

Starting last thursday I have been way short of breath (read post below). At this point I was already feeling some anxiety too. Tuesday I started the allergy meds and started breathing better, but my anxiety has been way high. So, the plan is to go off the allergy meds, not increase the meds for anxiety just yet, and find a way to breath better. First Im trying benedryl, hoping that wont make me too tired. If that doesnt help, then we'll try something new.

In the meantime, it will feel like I live at the clinic. Every 2 weeks for OB, every 2 weeks for phsych. In the meantime I have a derm appointment too. More then likely, at the end of this pregnancy I will be going every week for both departments.

Brady and Baby

Brady can be quite cute and gentle when he wants to. We will ask him where the baby is, and he will lift up my shirt and either rub or kiss my belly. He has this thing with poking belly buttons and screaming "aaahhhhh", I have told him ouch, it hurts mommy to poke my belly but so now he gently rubs it.

He's got his moments- both ways lately. Seems so much more important then ever to keep his napping and feeding needs met so he doesnt act up. Oh, and keep him cool! He HATES being hot!

breathe!

Since thursday I've had a shortness of breath. I'm scared I am gonna freak out about it and have a panic attack then pass out. I've come close a few times already. I dont even have to be moving to be short of breath, simply breathing I am short breath!

There a few culprits in mind- allergies- so I bought some Zyrtec this morning. Baby compromising my space is another possibility.

what's your opinion?

This is quite approriate for Labor day weekend. What is your opinion on paycuts and furloughs? some companies are taking the route that there are pay cuts, but no changes in the hours people are working. Others are going the route of furlough days- so they are telling thier employees to take off so many days in the year, so in the end it is similar to a pay cut however they are getting these days off unpaid.

What's your thoughts? What is your background? employee, employer. family business, small company, large company, union...

She's crafty!

The first 5 people to respond to this post will get something made by me, especially for you. I promise I'll make it worth your while!

This offer does have some restrictions & limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make but I hope you will.
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- They say I have a year to get it to you but I promise it won't take THAT long.
4-You have no clue what it's going to be.

The catch? You must repost this on your blog & offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog.

"no" with sass, "yes" with sweetness

This kid! He has changed so much in the last couple weeks! Some new challages for mom and dad. When he says NO to something, it is very brisk and you can tell he means it, "this is how it is" sort of no. It is so sassy! But when he says YES, it is clear, soft, sweet and obediant. He even gets the right look in his eye when he says Yes.