Baby 2 News

We had the ultrasound yesterday, and baby is a BOY! We're super excited, and Addam's already thinking about all the "guy stuff" he and the boys can do.

Here are a couple of ultrasound pictures:

And a 3D ultrasound, which is a little strange to look at:

Everything seems to be healthy with the baby, which is wonderful. I don't think Jack fully understands that he will have a little brother, or more importantly, what that means for him, but I'm sure when that baby arrives he will understand!

Jack's Movin' On Up...

Last night we went furniture shopping for the little man. Where else but the Big K to buy a toddler bed and chifferobe (just love that word). Here's what we got, photos courtesy of KMart:

The chifferobe is still waiting to be assembled, but Addam put the bed together last night. When Jack woke up this morning (6:15, as always, just in time to catch the end of The Wiggles), he giggled upon his new find in the den. Threw a fit when Addam and I moved the bed to his room. Giggled upon realizing that the new bed will stay in his room. Pitched a massive fit when we moved the mattress from his crib to his bed. We finally just left him alone in his room, to sort things out and mourn the loss of his crib. After a few minutes, he emerged for some milk and Higglytown Heroes.

Well, here he is not two hours later:

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He spent a good portion of his day in his bedroom. Wow. The kid likes his new bed.

So the plan tonight was - well, let's let him get used to the bed. He'll sleep in his crib for a couple of nights, and then we will try to transition him over.

Well, since kiddo took a one hour nap today (he usually sleeps for at least two hours, allowing me to take care of office stuff and get a "me" break), he was a little tuckered out around 7:45pm (8:30 being his normal bedtime). So we went back to his room and he laid on the bed, people. I read him a few stories - Oh, David!, Dr. Seuss's ABC Book, and The Runaway Bunny.

I then tried to leave him alone to fall asleep. Unfortunately, that did not work out. He ran out of his room and brought me his potty book to read to him. Luckily, he did get back into his bed. I got the beloved blue pants, and after reading the potty book, we both laid down - me on the floor, and him in his bed. He was asleep by about 8:45. Not too shabby for his first night in his toddler bed.

He's sleeping peacefully in his new bed right now. Let's hope this lasts all night.

Oh, and this has nothing to do with the above, but at the library's storytime the other day, the librarian read one of my favorite books from my childhood, The Little House. I have to buy that book now.

Mommyhood

I know I lot of expecting moms - seven total, not including myself. Some are going to be first time mommas. So, in honor of that, and in honor of Jack's many quirky little habits, I just wanted to write a little something to quasi-prepare these new mommas for mommyhood - just based on my own experience:

• Your child will laugh at odd things. Like the word "wall". Or a silly dance. And you will do the silly dance - in public - just to ease a potential meltdown.
• Eating habits differ per child, and if you may wonder how your child grows at all after spending the entire day consuming a waffle, 5 cheerios, a few Pringles and a piece of mango.
• Sometimes breastfeeding just doesn't pan out, for whatever reason. And that's OK. Remember that our generation was raised on formula, because that was seen as the "best" option at the time, and we came out all right.
• Mom "danger" radar is a real thing, and can go off at any time. Additionally, nightmare scenarios will pop into your head at the drop of a hat - usually after leaving your child with a sitter (even family) or after hearing some horrific news story on the radio.
• Your child's, um, "output" should we say, will be of important interest at times in terms of color and consistency.
• No more sleek handbag for you - you've graduated to the "mom bag", complete with diapers, snack, drink, extra change of clothes, toys - oh, and a small pocket for your things.
• Your child may dump all the Cheerios onto the floor and decide that Cheerios just taste better that way.
• Your child will eat dog food, and/or knock over your dog's water.
• Dancing reaches it's finest form around the age of two.
• At some point, you'll likely visit the ER. Probably at night.
• Your child will always get sick, with a high fever, during the weekend when the doctor's office is closed.
• You really do have to "train" a child to sleep.
• No matter how many fancy bath toys you buy, the $0.99 funnels from Target will be the BEST.TOY.EVER.
• After you have a child, you need to know other mommas just to maintain sanity.
• No matter what your decision, someone will make you feel bad about staying home with your child. Or about working. Or daycare vs. nanny. Someone always has an opinion.
• No matter how many "raising baby" books you read, your kid will break one or all of the rules.
• Your child will be amazed by things daily, and will amaze you daily.

If any other current mommas want to chime in, I just know I've forgotten something.

I take photos....

Photography is my often neglected hobby. I have friends that have and/or do make a living at in but I have no illusions to be at that level. Maybe someday that can happen, but definitely not now. Anyway, I might post a photo from time to time - if anyone wants to make a critique, you're more than welcome to it. Here goes: Snow covered branches, taken last weekend during the previously-mentioned snow. Felt it was appropriate, since it snowed yet again this weekend and we might wake up to it tomorrow morning! I haven't had a lot of opportunities to take any good photos lately, but the snow in our yard gave me a good chance. Hope you all like it. I also posted this one earlier, but like it too so I'm posting again, this time a larger version of some leaves in the snow:

P.S. If you do post a comment, please bear in mind that I do not own Photoshop or Elements at this time. So it is what it is with very little computer magic. None, actually, in the above.

Busy weekend...

It snowed in Middle Tennessee for another straight weekend. I had to go in to work, but Addam was kind enough to drive me in. My mother-in-law (Jack's Granna) came to visit and we all hung out. Friday night Addam and I watched Hustle and Flow, which I would link but I'm lazy. We really enjoyed it; it's quite good and an informed "yay" for Terrence Howard's Oscar nomination.

My mom has offered to make Jack's toddler bedding but unfortunately our initial search for fabric was a bust. Hopefully we will find something cool for the little man.

Project Runway Update - For Laura

Kara finally, and deservedly, was booted. I was scared Chloe might be out. They had to make an evening gown for Iman, that was kind of a "preview" to their respective collections. Daniel's was boring but won (see photo), and it was deserved. Santino's had a little gypsy thing going, and he was in because his was the only one that was actually interesting. So it came down to Kara and Chloe - the construction was pretty iffy on both garments. Chloe stayed in, probably because her design was better, plus her history. Kara's was just a so-so black dress and she was OUT.
So final three are Daniel, Chloe, and Santino. I'm satisfied - Santino's a jerk, but at least he takes risks! His collection should be interesting. I'm sure I could find it on the web somewhere, but I don't really want to do that. Ruins the surprise!

Sweet Child Of Mine

Jack's dancing repertoire now includes the "Axl Rose Shuffle".

Boy or Girl, Poll 2....

Well, so far Traci votes boy, while Jamie and Laura think girl. Anyone else want to toss out a guess before the ultrasound, in just two weeks?

Snow Day

Most of the Nashville area was left alone, but we actually woke up to a good 2-3 inches. Ah, how fascinated we Southern folk are with that amount. A couple of photos of the snow today:

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I tried to get all artistic with my snow photos.

Jack doesn't know what to make of the snow, but he loved jumping in the slush on the driveway. Addam tagged me many times with snowballs; I have terrible aim. Plus I was trying to take artsy photos.

I skipped work due to weather concerns, which stinks because I won't get paid for Saturday meaning less money in that paycheck. Sigh. Oh well, at least I know I won't get trapped by ice in Brentwood (a big concern as this happened just three years ago), and I got the joy of watching my son and husband play in the snow.

My First MeMe

I'm still not entirely sure why this is called a meme, and hope I am obeying proper meme etiquette, but I got meme'd by Jamie, so here goes:

4 jobs I’ve had:

• *Sales Rep, The Bombay Co., Cool Springs (my third and final retail position) - I sold a memento box to Mark Slaughter, of the band Slaughter - his name really is Mark Slaughter, at least that's what it says on the credit card. Too funny. Also saw Faith Hill and Tim McGraw take their kids to see Santa.
• Marketing & Development Intern, Knoxville Museum of Art
• Retention Rep, Knoxville News-Sentinel
• Currently working as a circulation assistant for a magazine publisher

4 movies I could watch over and over again:

• Amelie
• Clerks
• Napoleon Dynamite
• Office Space?
  

4 places I’ve lived:

• Decatur, AL
• Franklin, TN
• Knoxville, TN
• Small Town outside Nashville
  

4 TV shows I love:

• Gilmore Girls
• Project Runway
• Paula Deen's Home Cooking
• My Name is Earl - but I have not watched it yet this year...
  

4 favorite books:

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
• La Casa de los Espiritus/The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
• The Shopaholic books by Sophie Kinsella and the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich are a lot of fun.

4 places I have vacationed:

• Savannah, GA
• Miami, FL
• Washington, DC
• Mexico - Zacatecas, Guadalajara, Cancun, Ixtapa, San Miguel de Allende
  

4 websites I read every day:

• Google News
• Jamie's Blog
• Laura's Blog
• I can't think of any others, consistently.

4 favorite foods when NOT dieting:

• Chocolate
• Pasta
• Avocado
• Almost anything covered in cheese

4 favorite foods when dieting:

• Salmon
• Grilled zucchini and squash
• Tomatoes (summer only)
• Salad

Being rather new to the blogosphere, I don't have anyone to tag but Laura - and Laura, I know you're in Africa, so if you don't have time it's completely understood.

Boy or Girl?

Ultrasound in just over two weeks - anyone want to make a guess? Boy or Girl?

Daily Hijinks

It's supposed to snow here in Middle Tennessee tomorrow night, which means we'll wake up to it Saturday morning when I have to go to work. Sigh. As long as it's not icy, we're OK. I can handle the 2"-4" of snow they're calling for, as long as there's no ice.

Jack and I hauled out the fingerpainting stuff today. He seemed SO very excited about this little activity (which I always do right before a bath - just makes my life a little easier). Well, I get out all the fingerpainting supplies - spread the tablecloth on the floor below his highchair; spread the second tablecloth on the table to prevent the nice paint from getting on the nice kitchen table; get out the paper; get out the paper plate to squirt the paint on; get out the paints. Jack climbs into his highchair so fast - he's that excited. I remove his shirt (so it's not ruined), add his Crayola smock, and let him have at it. AND - he decides that he does not want squishy paint all over his hands. Just decides it's too gross for his delicate fingers. So after about five minutes of me going "See, we did this the other day, how fun", I ask if he wants a bath - he hauls down from the highchair and RUNS to the bathroom. The kid likes to be clean; what can I say?

After looking all over the internet for toddler bedding options, we have found NOTHING that Addam and I can agree upon for "big boy" bedding for Jack. So I've decided, with the help of my wonderful mother-in-law, to make the quilt for his bed (this will not be a complicated quilt, as my sewing skills are quite limited). So soon we'll be off to the fabric store to find some suitable material for Jackman's bed. Wish us luck.

Oh, and for Laura - I'm sure you know that Nick got cut from Project Runway, and Chloe won! That leaves Chloe, Santino, Daniel, and Kara. Amazingly, Kara was a close 2nd this week, and if Daniel had not gained immunity he very well may have been axed. Who will make the final 3?

Books From Birth

Our county will finally get Books from Birth in March! Woo-Hoo!

We're one of five counties in Tennessee not getting this program, which provides a new, age-appropriate, hardcover book each month to children from birth to age five at no cost to the family, regardless of income.

Jack has more books than he knows what to do with, but I'm really excited about this. I was always a big reader as a child, and want my kids to have that opportunity too.

Signs You're a Bad Housekeeper....

I don't fulfill the "house" part of being a "housewife" very well. As evidenced by:

Jack points to something in bathroom closet.

Me: What are you pointing at?

Jack walks over to said closet and points to vacuum cleaner.

Me: The Vacuum?

Jack nods yes.

Me: You want me to vacuum?

Jack nods yes.


My 21 month old son instructed me to vacuum the house.

Thanks....

A big thanks to the mom who brought her child in sick to Sunday School last week. I'm so appreciative that Jack now has the sniffles and now I get to wonder for the past two days if he's contagious or if it's just due to a change in the weather. Agh!

Honestly, he seems to feel fine. No fever, which is good as it seems that something is running through his playgroup this week (we skipped Tuesday, so Jack's illness cannot be tracked there). I cancelled his playdate today though, just in case. He woke up with a cough but I think that was entirely due to being congested all night.

But it just floors me that every mom I know is very considerate of the other moms and kids, tries not to bring sick kids to playdates, etc... And yet the mom that has not attended our church in months decides that the Sunday when her daughter is sick is the right time to drop her kid off at Sunday School. Unbelievable!