Baby Reading

Reading books is was one of my favorite things to do in my spare time (spare time, ha!) for fun, but when I want/need to know something reading books, all the books!, is how I make myself an expert.  For my second baby I reread a few books I'd read with the first baby and found quite a few new ones to add to my list.  Consider this an informal book review.

 

These links are not affiliate links, just links because I thought I'd make it easier on you if you're interested in the book yourself.  Although, I'm not opposed to affiliate links...

 

 

From the bottom to the top:

 

100,000 Plus Baby Names  

We bought this one in 2012 for Mayhem.  I have the 2009 edition.  Not much to say about this, everybody needs a name book.  I read through the names again and we didn't pick names for Chaos from this book, but they are listed.

 

Your Pregnancy & Birth

My insurance company sent me this one in 2012 for Mayhem.  I cracked it once about two weeks before Chaos was born because I wanted to read up on Group B Strep

 

What To Expect When You're Expecting

I have the third edition.  Only read it this time to look up something about Group B Strep.

 

The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth

This was a new one for me and I loved it.  I think I read it all in a week during naptimes and before I went to bed.  I liked it because it gave comparisons on every possible option for every possible situation birth-related.  If you want to give someone a book and not sure which books they already have I recommend this one.  To the point and eliminates lots of fluff.

 

The Birth Partner

I have the third edition.  Never got around to reading this one.

 

Preparing for Birth with Yoga

I read this.  It was...interesting.  I don't yoga enough for it to be a good one for me.  Maybe if you do yoga regularly or more seriously it would benefit you more?

 

Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way

I read this one with Mayhem and reread it for Chaos.  Another one of my favorites.  The pictures are graphic (real, nekkid people).  I love this one.

 

Not pictured:

Husband-Coached Childbirth: The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth

Another new one.  I liked this one, but it kinda set me up in a bad way.  It's all about the husband and how much he's going to help you and be involved in the labor.  Don't read it unless you a) have a reader-type husband who is going to read this and do what it says or b) can hold back unrealistic expectations easily.

 

HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method

Did not read this one this time.  Got rid of it.  A little too out there for me.

A Little Bit of Chaos

Bloggers in general have this thing about doing big reveals, don't they?

 

 

 

I've been working on a big reveal of my own since, mmmm, May/June-ish.

 

 

 

It's almost time to share!!

 

 

 

Here are a few teasers of what's to come...

 

 

(If you only know me in real life and Instagram {@eatingcrowpie}, boy, are you in for a surprise!

 

 

 

 

July 13, 2015-  Some folks were a little confused by the pink/blue balloons and the "big bro" shirt Mayhem's wearing.

 

 

 

 

July 29, 2015

10 weeks

 

 

 

August 5, 2015
11 weeks
 

 

 

August 15, 2015

12 weeks, 3 days

 

 

 

August 26, 2015

14 weeks

 

 

 

September 5, 2015

15 weeks, 3 days

 

 

 

September 9, 2015
16 weeks
 

 

September 17, 2015

17 weeks, 1 day

 

 

September 23, 2015

18 weeks

 

 

October 14, 2015

21 weeks

 

It's a baby!

 

 

October 15, 2015

21 weeks, 1 day

 

I was feeling artsy this day.

 

 

 

November 25, 2015

27 weeks

 

 

 

November 28, 2015

27 weeks, 3 days

 

 

 

December 31, 2015

32 weeks, 1 day

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

 

January 31, 2016

36 weeks, 4 days

 

 

February 5, 2016

37 weeks, 1 day

 

This pregnancy has been a lot different than being pregnant with Mayhem.  We waited longer to tell people, I've gained a lot more weight (and still am!), I've been more uncomfortable with hip pain/sciatic nerve pain/round ligament pain, and something I never experienced before is the extreme swelling of my feet and hands.

 

I am using a different doctor and hospital this time.  He's pretty crunchy and is supportive of me wanting a natural birth and not just an epidural-less experience.  At my 34 weeks appointment he told me, "If this was Talladega you'd be in the last lap."  HA!  Last week at my 37 weeks appointment he said that he doesn't want to jinx me, but he has a good feeling about this one.  Not sure what he meant by that exactly, but me, too.

 

Mayhem hasn't felt the baby move because he won't be still long enough to hold his hand in one place, but he does like talking to my belly, specifically- using my belly button as a microphone to say, "Hello, baby!" in the cutest little tiny voice.

 

I've been driving Boots crazy with all the nesting and to-do list making.  He'll probably really appreciate it when I calm down.

 

Hopefully, now that we're caught up I can update more regularly.  I'm moving incredibly slow these days and it takes a really long time to get anything done.  It's going to be interesting to see what life is like with two kiddies, but I'm excited.  :)

 

 

Burnin' Love

Some days the mama job is a difficult one.  Those days are usually the ones the baby doesn't feel well, like today.

Mayhem nearly drove me past the point of insanity with his nonstop whining yesterday, but after partying like it was 2009, i.e. dragging out all the toys like some sort of mini-madman on a search, he rewarded me by sleeping nearly six hours straight.  Ya'll, that's an eight month record right there!

This morning, my little cupcake fell asleep in the stroller on our walk which never happens.  That was my second clue, the first being the new tooth I found in his mouth yesterday. 

He has been so pouty pitiful today, wanting to be held and loved on constantly.  So I have.

He's just sat quietly in my lap against me most of the day and has had a slight fever so I am really getting a taste of what the velveteen rabbit must have felt like when the boy had scarlet fever.  

There's even been some laying on the couch staring at the walls going on.  Even babies need to space out sometimes.

He's got a cough, too, most likely from a summer cold and is just the saddest little puppy you've ever seen.  So much "I don't feel good!" drama!

It drives me crazy and I love it at the same time.  I want the whining to end and him to happily go back to playing with his toys, but I'm like, "Sit in my lap and let me love on you if that makes you feel better," too.  It's pretty awesome knowing that your presence is absolutely needed for healing.  This mama job can be hard: conflicting emotions, difficult days, tough love or cuddling, there is no manual and there are so many guides, but right now it's my favorite.  So I put him to bed with a dose of medicine and just a diaper for jammies tonight and hope tomorrow is easier.

Februagram

  Here's a few pictures of things I did in February (in no particular order!) and filtered using the Instagram app "Brennan,"  it's sort of my favorite right now.  You can check out January here!  You can follow me @eatingcrowpie

If I Had a Kid

I just don't think I could handle it if I had conjoined twins.

Babies

Please don't gasp, no babies for us.

Tonight, Boots and I went to the children's Christmas musical at our church.
(They were so cute!)
We went to eat at iHop after church, and named our far off future children.
Then we went to Target and talked about baby snatchers so loudly the couple in front of us picked their kids up and walked faster!

Wel-Come to the Cat Pee Inn!

See?

Did you know that the majority of American motels/hotels are run by Indians of the not-so-Native-American variety?

Its a not yet proven fact!

This week I had the great misfortune pleasure of residing at one of these fine establishments for one night in what has to be the worst city in all of Alabama.

I picked what could have been the worst hotel/motel in the worst city.

I am such an idiot.

What would you feel like if you drove up to this?!

This place wasn't even named Days Inn!

Now if this doesn't look like a lobby out of a scary movie, I don't know what does.
(You can't see it from this blurry picture (that I snapped before somebody caught me!), but to the right and left are staircases that lead to the second floor.
All the way up those staircases are hanging baskets with vines growing, looping and weaving together.
Quite the atmosphere.)

I walked in the front door, nobody at the desk, my nose immediately assaulted by the smell of musty old cat pee.

I thought, "Wow. I'm staying in Hotel Haunted by myself tonight."
Then the nice man that runs the joint came 'round the corner.


He checked me in, led me down a dark scary hallway to (thankfully!) the first door on the left and opened it to let me in the room at which point I was certain he was about to shove me in the door and crack my skull open with the room's iron.

(I have never been afraid that I would be snatched up and murdered before this trip.
The whole time I was wondering if I'd ever make it back home the way I arrived in this terrible town.)

After I brought my bag in and made sure the room was safe I ventured out with my trusty borrowed GPS to find some cheap, bad, fast food for supper before I barricaded myself in my room for the night.

(There were people walking all over this city.

My car doors don't lock!

If my Popaw knew how unprotected I was he would have a fit!)

At the cheap, bad, fast food restaurant a little girl with hair in pigtails was standing at the counter.

I placed my order and the little girl patted me on the leg.

I smiled down at her and walked over to fix my drink.

My ice hits the bottom of the cup, a hand hits my butt!

That little munchkin had smacked me!

And she did it again!

Three times!

Her mama didn't do a thing, just stood at the counter.

I could have picked her up and put her in the car with me and nobody would have cared.

(Probably not, but doesn't everybody want to steal a baby at some point, just so you can take them home and teach them some manners?)

I made it back "home" and slept like a baby until six in the morning.

Despite my best efforts I never can sleep late.

I have an internal clock that never rests, not even on holidays.

Since I got up so early I had plenty of time to sit and reflect.

My room was so weird.

The bed and tv were shoved and crowded into one corner and a lonely desk had the rest of the room all to itself.

The feng needed shuiing.

Several hours of boredom later, I was driving around in circles and one way streets searching for free parking and giving ugly looks to parking meters.

Did you know those things don't have change return buttons?

I was sorely vexed.

Found my building, found my room, found the bathroom.
This bathroom was full of signage!
I've never seen so many instructions just to use the pot!

I felt like kicking a toilet after going arguing with a stupid parking meter!

So many directions just to use the bathroom!

I took my test in less than two minutes and I passed!
I was now a licensed funeral director and embalmer!
I left that city and got home just as fast as I illegally could!
I hope I never have to go back.

New Family Members

This is a longish update.

I'm not so good at daily posting.

Last Tuesday after work, I left my town for the next biggest city to hang out at "Camp Nana."

Camp Nana is something my soon-to-be maw-in-law came up with as a time to visit with her grandbabies.

She teaches them Bible verses and they paint crafts (I'm not brave enough for paint and kids!), she enforces good behavior and manners and expects fairness.

Camp Nana is a good way to practice your baby skills.

Such as not exploding when seven miniature humans all demand more chicken nuggets! at the same time!

Pee stinks.

Hot pee, cold pee, diaper pee, toilet pee.

It all stinks.

Camp Nana teaches you to eat when you have a chance.

Kids are an excellent diet.

You expend all of your energy chasing after them and caring for them.

Then when it's time to eat, you have to feed them and you forget to feed yourself until you're laying in the bed going to sleep and by that time you're too exhausted to move, much less fix yourself something to eat!

After I left Camp Nana Thursday afternoon I headed south to Boots' house to pick up his "child" Chloe and take her to my house.

Chloe is the one on the right.

The one on the left is my "child" Nikki.

You can't really tell in this picture but Chloe's right ear was shaved when she had surgery on a broken blood vessel.

The vet said she needed to stay inside a while so I'm keeping her until we get everything finalized with our house and Boots moves in.

Nikki is super hyper and jumps around all day everyday but Chloe is really chill and always relaxed.

She just sat in the front seat of the car looking out the window on the ride back.

Very calm and serene.

Staring out at the cows.

Really staring at the cows.

Staring like it would have been embarrassing for you if you were in the store and your kid was staring like that.

Is it still bad to stare or have we as society gotten over that since its widely accepted to be different and nowadays you want people to stare at you?

Please advise.

Chloe understands German.

I speak English.

We had a bit of a communication problem for the first few days but I think we've conquered the language barrier, at least I hope so.

Two dogs is a lot of work.

Its almost like having children.

And tell me this, why do dogs eat grass when they think they're going to puke?

Do you think that trick works on humans?

A Recap?

In the midst of my blogging funk/writer's block there has been a few things that are post-worthy.

Like the fact that my computer is evidently on its last leg.
Er, byte.
Space is vehhhry limited right now (and probably forever, for that matter.)

Wednesday I had a fit of creative genius that spilled over from Tuesday night.
I bought oodles of flowers (sunflowers and some weird yellow wildflowers) and floral tape (green and sticky) and went crazy in my living room while watching movies I'd long ago DVR'ed (man, I love DVR) and had yet to watch.

I could write about how Boots and I took three of his little nephews to the zoo on Thursday.
(The youngest one said, "Is that a good tiger or a bad tiger?"
:] )
Those boys are hands down the best boys in the world.
(They played in the bubble pit.
Did you even know they have bubble pits at the zoo?)
Words can't describe so I won't even try.
Anyways, those sweet boys had me all (sigh) babies until Friday night.
I'll get to that.

Oh, my exercising and working out so I won't be so fat come W-Day has completely fallen off.
I am a blob.
I hope to resume this week.
Maybe.
I better.

Friday, back to work after two glorious days off.
What an insane day.
We had five funerals!
I spent at least five hours straight in the sun.
Got my face and neck all red so now I have a great funeral director's tan.
(That's kinda like a farmer's tan but not because the only visible parts of a FD are their hands, face, and neck.
Plus the tops of my feet because I wear those funny shoes since I'm not a man and clodhoppers aren't exactly flattering on me.)
Got all stinky, and hot, and sweaty and smelling like a goat and stayed that way til I managed to finallyget home and take a much needed scrubbing.

Melody, my roommate calls, (we're still on Friday now, don't get lost) and she's coming home from her church's Bible School early because she has a killer headache.
Remember how a week or so ago (or maybe I forgot to mention it) I took her to the doctor for a killer headache who sent us to the hospital where the nurse called us an escort to Labor and Delivery (am I that fat?!) but would up taking us to get a cat run over her head and they said, "Oh!  Every thing's fine!"?
Obviously, everything was not fine in my fine friend's noggin.
Apparently, there's something amok.
(My, how I love my adverbs!)
(And, exclamation points!
"They" say exclamation points! make you happy! and energetic!)

Back to Friday night--the doctor delegates his team of nurses to give her at least three shots in the butt for pain, nausea, and antibiotics, respectively.
Much pain.
Much, much pain.
Especially in the head and later in the butt when she wakes up with those bruises.
I haul her home where she proceeds to puke all in the parking lot and right then and there I decide I'm not ready for midgets that resemble me and Boots to puke everywhere or even be everywhere or anywhere.
No babies.
I call my mom because I don't know who else to call at a time like this!
I need backup!
My mom comes and helps me babysit my sick friend.
I'm all nervous as a goose because I mean, "What if she throws up again?!?"
Yikes.
Put roommate to bed, check for breath signs every five minutes, pace floor, repeat.
Too wound up to go to bed at my usual bedtime.

Saturday.
Six funerals.
More sun, more redness (not exactly burning because I did this whole "it rubs the vinegar on its skin" thing to keep the sunburn away. 
It works.)
Roommate is sleeping off a bad headachey hangover all day, groggy and drugged up.
No more vomitus though, thanks.

Sunday. 
Roommate, much better.
Dog, much worse.
The dog got a dose of petrification or something because that girl was stiff as a lawn ornament.
She would not move.
Would.
Not.
Move.
Take dog outside, bring dog inside, put dog on floor, take shower, come back 20 minutes later and observe dog in exact same position in exact same spot.
I don't get it.
I can't keep a well house.
Am I next?
Yikes.
Only one funeral Sunday.
Major relief.
Went to church.
Came home.
Rest.
Sigh.

That's it.
Good enough?

Marriage Advice #3

"Wait about five years before you have a baby."

---M.O.S.