Beautiful - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Lately, Baby E has discovered that the television is more than a large box that makes noise in our house.  He has begun to actually watch the TV.  He is especially fond of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the Disney channel and I think it's wonderful. 

Now I know that saying that television is a good thing for a 10 month old to notice is highly controversial these days.  I've read the articles and books that say we shouldn't even expose children under 3 or 4 to television.  But, let's face it, most of us live in the real world.  At my house, if we're home and awake, the television is most likely on.  We might not even be watching it, but it makes some noise and I can usually check the news as I'm going by while doing laundry, cleaning, chasing Eli, etc. 

My personal belief on television is that if it becomes a problem, we'll set some reasonable limits for our children and stick to them.  For the most part, our TV stays on the news or some semi-educational programming (History Channel, Discovery, NatGeo, etc) or on the news.  So I don't necessarily mind it being on when Baby E is in the room. For the most part he ignores it and plays and does his own thing.  As long as that it the case and whatever is on is reasonably child friendly, I'm fine with him being exposed to the television.  B and I can watch more adult programming after Baby E is in bed (if we can stay awake long enough). 

Once a night though, we try to turn on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for Baby E.  I've started recording it with the DVR so we can just start and stop it whenever we want.  Baby E LOVES it.  There is lots of shape naming, counting, some problem solving, and at the end you get to do the hot dog dance.  The hot dog dance is definately Baby E's favorite part.  He loves to sing and dance along with his favorite characters on the television.  Sometimes we even skip parts of the rest of the show just to do the hot dog dance.  While he's watching it gives us (Mom and Dad) a chance to talk with him about what he's seeing and to count and play along with the television. 

Personally, I can't find anything bad about baby E watching this 20 minutes of TV a night.  He enjoys it a great deal and it's semi-educational.  My personal belief is that television watching for children is like anything else... as long as it's done in moderation there is nothing wrong with it.  As Baby E grows if I find that he'd rather spend a nice warm day in front of the television than outside playing, we'll set some ground rules and limits then.  I like to think I'll someday approach other things (eating sweets, video games, etc.) with the same sort of balanced logic. 

What are your thoughts about television for little ones?  For, against, neutral and why? 

Beautiful Bathtime

When I started thsi blog I promised that I would share the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Many parts of motherhood are ugly (the entire pregnancy, childbirth, and recovery process for example).  And at times things can seem pretty bad (like those first few days when mom and baby never sleep more than 2 consecutive hours at a time).  But sometimes, most of the time in fact, being a mom is a really really good thing. 

Over the last couple of days, we've had lots of good in our house.  Baby E is beginning to enjoy some things that he hasn't previously, like bathtime.  Bathtime was never a screaming match and Baby E was always reasonably calm and content to sit in his tub in the sink and let me bathe him.  We rarely had a screaming fit unless he was exceptionally tired and just ready to go to bed.  But in the last couple of weeks we realized that Baby E was just too big for the sink anymore, so we moved him to the big tub.  He LOVES it!!!

Now when we get home in the evenings, it's inevitable that he'll work his way toward the bathroom saying "bath, bath, bath" over and over.  When we go into the bathroom, he pulls up on the edge of the tub and stands waiting to be undressed so that he can get into the tub.  While he waits, he bangs on the tub edge in excitement. 

We are still trying to keep baths down to every other day right now simply because Baby E's skin can get a little dry (especially during colder weather) and he hates having lotion put on him.  So to spare him the need for regular lubing up with baby lotion, we only bathe every other night.  I'm afraid that may soon change though given how much he seems to enjoy bathtime.  When he's in the tub he loves to splash the water and pour it in and out of two cups that we use for rinsing him off. 

Bathtime has quickly gone from a chore to one of our favorite parts of the day. It is wonderful to see a happy baby splashing and playing in the water then to pull him out and get those wonderful last cuddles of the evening.  Had I known how much fun he'd have in the big tub we'd have moved over way sooner. 



A happy camper playing in the tub.




Splish splash we are taking a bath!




He makes this serious face when he's really working to figure something out.  Here I think he's trying to understand why the cups are under water. 



Men are Weenies... but we love them anyway (Most Days)

Newsflash!!!!   MEN ARE WEENIES. 

This past Sunday morning, I was awakened by my darline son at 5 am.  He was coughing and crying obviously in desperate need of his mommie.  He usually doesn't wake until at least 6 am but given the fact that we've been fighting a cold for a couple of week, I wasn't exactly shocked. 

I went into Baby E's room and scooped him up.  We ate a bottle while we sat on the couch in the dark and within seconds of finishing he was back to sleep.  To help him get some much-needed extra rest, I let him sleep on my chest while I cat-napped propped on 2 pillows at one end of the couch.  That let Baby E get another 2 hours of sleep without bone rattling coughing spells and got me some much-needed extra rest too. 

I needed the extra rest because I had already been up most of the night.  Apparently, Baby E was kind and shared his cold with me, so I was up and down a million times blowing my nose, sneezing, and generally not breathing well.  So now between being pregnant and sick, I awoke to a sickly child.  When Baby E woke again around 7:30 or so, he was on go.  At least he didn't realize that he felt bad.  But that meant that this already sick and very tired mom had to chase a 10 month old all over the house. 

I was doing my best to be kind to my hubby, B.  He had spent the entire previous week on a hunting trip in Ohio and was still trying to recover from a couple of sleepless nights.  However, I'll freely admit that I was counting the minutes until he woke up and I got some help... that time never came. 

When B did finally roll out of bed for all of 5 minutes, he said that he was very sick.  He sat on the couch with his head between his knees and then promptly went back to bed.  Lovely!

After B got back into bed, he called to me and asked if I would please bring him some crystal light lemonade.  I'm sure the look on my face was incredulous.  I'm sick, I've been up all night, I'm taking care of a sick baby, and you want me to wait on you???  I know I'm dreaming.  Wake Up, Wake UP, WAKE UP!

Alas, it wasn't a dream.  B was indeed very ill (fever, nausea, the works), Baby E was sickly, and I was feeling like doing anything more than spending the day on the couch would be the equivalent of climing Mt. Everest.  But guess what??? When you're the Mommie, you don't get sick days.

(Semi-random thought:  Apparently Daddys do get sick days.  Do they have a better union than we do?  And how is it exactly that I find the person with whom I can renegotiate my mom contract?)

So after fetching B his drink, I started trying to figure out how I would survive the day.   For starters, I would need to run to a store at some point and buy some Pedia-lite for Baby E and some pregnancy-safe meds for me (not that those would actually work, but at least maybe I'll get a placebo effect).   So I headed to the bathroom to try to get ready for the day.  While I was washing my face, Baby E seemed to be playing happily in the floor.  He was perfectly happy right up until he knocked a candle into the bath tub and glass shattered all over the tub floor.  After calming Baby E down, I finished washing my face and brushing my teeth then proceeded to try to clean up the glass from the tub (at least it was all in one place).   At some point B came in to see what the commotion was but then went right back to bed. 

So now I'm cleaning glass out of the tub with one hand, and trying to keep the 10 month old out of the trash can full of glass with the other hand.  Eventually, Baby E turned to play with something else so I was able to begin to make some real headway with the glass cleanup.  Well, Baby E had found my giant Warehouse Club bottle of Zyrtec (with a childproof cap).  I thought with the cap on tightly it would be safe enough to let him rattle it and teeth on the lid.  WRONG AGAIN!  Just as I'm about to finish the glass cleanup I heard the unmistakable sound of a thousand tiny pills scattering on the tile floor.  Then I turned to see the 10 month old sitting in the middle of all those pills.  Could this day get any better? 

As my exhausted body met with complete and total frustraition the tears began to fall.  I moved the 10 month old out of the pile of pills and became a human road block between him and the pills as he squirmed and screamed while trying to get around me.  Eventually Baby E gave up and sat and cried.  So this tired mom cried too.  I sobbed like a little girl while I tried to gather all those pills from the floor and recollect them into the bottle.   Then it was time to calm both myself and my child down. 

Once I got us both a little settled, I called my mom on the phone and begged for help.  I needed a babysitter just long enough that I could run to the store and grab a couple things to get this sick family through the day.  But by the time that my mom could get to the house, B's symptoms combined with a cronic condition to make us suspect that his gallbladder might be ready to rupture.  So off to the emergency room we went.  I left our sick child at home with my mom, I got myself dressed, and then I drove B to the hospital to sit and wait for 6 hours while they ran tests and bloodwork and X-rays.  All to find out that B has a virus. 

As I sat in those hard plastic chairs pregnant, sick myself, and watching my husband sleep on what I know for a fact to be one of the most uncomfortable cots around, I was a little jealous.  Here he was... sick, getting all kinds of care and waiting on, and sleeping in spite of everything.  Meanwhile my sick, exhausted, pregnant butt was going numb on a hard chair as I fought off periodic dizzy spells.  And earlier I thought my day couldn't get worse. 

Eventually, we did make it home.  I did manage to grab myself and my child some medicine at a pharmacy and my wonderful mother-in-law came and stayed the night with us to give me a hand yesterday.  Did I mention that it also took 1.5 hours to get Baby E down for the night?  Yep, normally we have no problems... Sunday night it was terrible.  Just one of those days, I guess.

Yesterday (Monday) all 3 of us stayed home from work/daycare.  I took Baby E to the doctor to get him an anti-biotic, and B went to his doctor (driven by his mom) to see if he needed some other kind of medication and whether or not he should be around me and Baby E.  He checked out okay with his doctor and eventually we all made it to bed last night.  Let me tell you it wasn't a moment too soon.  By bedtime, B said he was feeling better, Baby E was fairly tired and went down with no fuss, and I was still just as sick as the day before and still hadn't gotten any extra sleep in 2 days. 

Last night wasn't a good night for Baby E.  I guess the male gene kicked in because he woke up a 10:30 pm crying.  He again needed to be held and loved.  After an hour, I laid him back down but he woke right back up and proceeded to play in his crib for another hour.  I sat on the sofa in the living room watching the monitor until he went back to sleep.  Needless to say when the alram went off at 5 am this morning, I again didn't want to get up.  But I did.  I got up and drug myself around getting ready, packing lunches, and getting Baby E up and dressed. 

Just before we were ready to leave the house B annouced he was feeling bad and staying home again.  I had hoped that he would drive us to work and I could sleep for 30 minutes in the car.  No dice again.  He called at 10 this morning to tell me he'd just gotten out of bed (lucky dog).  I wanted to stay home too, but since I'm having a baby in May, I have to save every minute that I can.  Plus, if I had stayed at home I would have felt like I needed to keep Baby E at home too.  I haven't heard from the daycare so I assume Baby E is having a good day.  If not, I don't want to know about it yet.  I have 2 more hours before I get off work and have to go pick up more meds and formula.  Then I'm going home.  I hope that B is in the mood for leftovers because I'm dang sure not cooking. 

To be perfectly honest, I was a little angry at B this morning for staying at home.  Maybe not angry, maybe just jealous.  I think the last few days have taken every last ounce of sympathy out of me.  I no longer have the ability to feel bad for B.  I do wish he would feel better, but almost as much for me to have some help again as for him to not be sick.  It's not that I don't love my husband... I do very much.  But I no longer have the energy in me to take care of 3 sick people.  I'm tired, I'm frustraited, and I really just wish than men had to "man up" the way we women have to when we're sick. 

Maybe I'll feel better once I can breathe again (if that ever happens).  How do you cope when your man is sickly? 

Fears and Hopeful Changes

So it's been more than 2 months since my last post, but I promise I'm still here and, yes, still pregnant.  I'm now 13 weeks along staring down the barrel of the next 27 long weeks. 

Thus far, we haven't shared the news with anyone (well, almost anyone).  B's mom visited and found an ultrasound picture left sitting on the table (oops!).  And B told a friend who was trying to help him find a new four-wheeler to buy (not going to be happening now).  But for the most part, our families and friends don't know. 

With my first pregnancy I wasn't excited about telling my family that I was expecting, but I couldn't wait to tell B's family.  This time, I'm not terribly excited about telling anybody.  I guess I think that if I just keep it to myself it won't really happen, but we all know that isn't the case.  And I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm more than a little scared about what life will be like with 2 babies under 2 in the house. 

Baby E will be 14 months old when Baby #2 is born.  Right now, Baby E is very very clingy and wants his Mama more than anybody.  Lots of days it's almost impossible to cook supper because I have to do it with Baby E on my hip.  Thank goodness for crock pots and casseroles.  Anything that I can get ready after Baby E goes to bed and pop in the oven or get out of the crock pot when I get home the next afternoon is God-sent.  What scares me is how I'll manage to hold 2 babies at once, how I'll be able to give each of them the time they need, how I'll manage when B has to go away on business for a week, how do I keep a 1.5 year old entertained while I feed a newborn?  How do you do it???? And, oh, how will I ever again find time for a shower when there are 2 of them needing me every second? 

Until yesterday I also worried about how I would manage to do everything around the house that needed doing.  For the last 3 months or so, I've felt a little like a single mom who had a baby and a grown child to care for.  B has been stressed to the limit as he preparred to take a licensure exam for his job.  He was gone every weekend for the past 8 weeks to a class and tried to find time to study every night.  This left me with all the housework, the yard work (on weekends while Baby E was with grandparents), the cooking, the cleaning, and full-time Baby E duties.  Then periodically, hubby gets all depressed saying I don't love him anymore because I never want to make love.  With everything already on my plate, I just felt like love-making was one more chore to add to the list.  Sleep seemed very much preferable to a roll in the hay. 

But this week, things have been somehow different.  B is helping out more when we get home from work rather than just sitting on the couch grumbling because he's having to hold Baby E while I cook supper.  Last night, while I fed and cuddled Baby E after work, Hubby did all the dishes and finished up supper.  I had some pork chops in the crock pot and he cooked some green beans and potatoes to go with it.  Then I fed Baby E while he ate and he distracted Baby E while I ate.  After supper, he did the dishes while I did bathtime.  And he really didn't complain at all.  It was wonderful to feel like I had a partner in all of this again.  It was so good in fact, that I rewarded him with a little "hubby time".  Last night, instead of going to bed exhausted, overwhelmed, and frustrated we both went to bed happy.  It was heavenly. 

Cravings, Cramps, and Moodiness

Ahhhh... Pregnancy.  You've got to love it. 

All in all I'm fortunate in that throughout my first pregnancy (and so far into this one) I haven't had any real morning sickness.  I count myself lucky for that.  I do occasionally have very mild nausea but it's nothing that can't be coped with or that lasts very long usually. 

But that doesn't mean that I don't have other un-fun things to deal with.  This time, the early pregnancy cramping has been much more noticable than last time.  I know that it is normal but it's definately not fun.  Add to that some serious moodiness and you have a recipe for disaster.  I feel like I live on the edge of insanity most days.  I'm fine pretty much everywhere but work.  Unfortunately, when I'm at work I tend to find myself having horribly mean thoughts about co-workers or basically anyone else who I happen to come into contact with.  I consider the work day a sucess if I can manage to keep my snarky comments under my breath or to myself. 

Also I've been having some serious cravings this time around.  Last time I don't think those showed up quite as quickly.  I've spent most of today online searching for recipes and thinking about all kinds of yummy foods.  Right now, I've got my mind set on some cinnamon rolls.  Those are always a weakness of mine, but right this second I can't seem to get them out of my head.  I'm also craving a seriously large meal at the Olive Garden.  Is that not crazy?  I see the commercials and think about a never-ending pasta bowl and breadsticks for the next 3 hours.   But alas, I must continue to fight off those cravings. 

The last pregnancy I worked very hard and managed to keep my weight gain right around 30 lbs.  If I can do that this time, when I'm 9 months pregnant I'll only weight a tiny bit more than I did before I was preganant the last time.  That would be a huge accomplishment.  So my cravings will go unanswered at the moment.  The good news is that I've located some new recipes that look super yummy to add to my cooking rotation that will at least be somewhat healthy. 

So that's where we stand today.  As this ugly beautiful pregnancy journey is just beginning again... moody, cramping, and dying to eat whatever kind of high fat high sugar goodness I can think of.  Wish me luck.  It may be a long 40 weeks.

Came to Work with Snot in My Hair

This morning baby E woke up snotty and coughing.  I've known a little fight with our seasonal allergies was coming so I've been prepping him for a few days with Zyrtec.  It's a good thing I have because he sounded rough this morning.  There was lots of coughing and a very snotty sounding nose.  Baby E woke up earlier than normal today thanks to all that coughing and his was very clingy.  I pretty well couldn't get him to pull his arms from around my neck for the first 20 minutes he was awake.  At some time in all that coughing I guess he managed to get something up because when I got to work this morning I noticed a clump of hair glued together on my neck.  It was stiff and nasty and my neck below it was sticky.  Let me tell you it's lovely.  I'm at work and I have baby snot or mucus on me.   The funny thing is I love that baby boy so much that it really isn't even a huge deal.  I went to the restroom and cleaned up as best I could.  I hope baby boy feels better now and I'd better remember to plug in the vaporizer tonight before bed.

Just When You Begin to Relax

Funny thing about parenting... just when you think you're beginning to get the hang of things and everyone (usually) sleeps through the night and life has settlted into a routine that allows you to keep your home and life in some reasonable sort of order.... life throws you a curve ball. 

Yes this weekend we discovered that baby #2 is on the way.  A moment later panic set in.  Where's the time gonna come from?  Where's the monkey gonna come from?  How are we possibly going to handle 2 children?  PANIC!!!!!   

Today heads are a little cooler and things seem calm enough on the surface, but my heart is still beating so fast that it feels like it's going to explode out of my chest.  Tomorrow I go to the doctor for an official confirmation.  We'll see how things go from there.