Handy Manny

Okay, so this isn't really about Handy Manny, the Disney character. At least I think it's Disney, I could be way wrong. Maybe he's a Nickelodeon character? All we watch is PBS at our house...and with that I've totally gotten off track. Geez...

A while back when we Hubby decided baby girl needed her own room I started looking to spruce up Spencer's room. I had really dropped the ball after he was born and never gave him room that finished touch. So it was time, because his sister could not have all the decorating fun. I looked online for inspiration and came across this cute shelf:

It's from Pottery Barn Kids and I fell in love with it. But I didn't like the price. So I showed it to my FIL and asked if he could recreate it. He told me he could try. Hubby had talked up how much FIL use to work with wood and pointed out things in his childhood home that were made by FIL. I was ecstatic and then promptly forgot about the shelf.

My in-laws came yesterday to help Hubby out with Spencer while I am in the hospital having baby girl. A few minutes after they arrived Hubbs called me outside and I was presented with this:

I was elated and quickly took it to Spencer's room to see if would be just like I imagined it on a certain wall in his room. It was and so Hubby and I set off to paint it so we could get it up. The end product looks like this:

And putting the shelf up his room ended looking like this:

I love, love, love it! And I love that Spencer will tell you it's an airplane and that his Pop-pop made it. So thank you to Pop-pop for a job well done. I've already asked him to make something for baby girls room...might as well strike while the iron is hot.

Stream of Consciousness Sunday: Judge Less You Be Judged

"Do not judge, and you will never be mistaken."

Over at andnobodytoldme.com we've had quite a few post about how we are judged as parents. How we give birth, how we discipline, to vaccinate pr not, to circumsize or not, to breastfeed or bottle feed, the list seems endless. Even something as simple as whether to ear pierce a child gets you judged.

Don't get me wrong, I judge. I make assumptions without knowing all the facts. But what I don't do is make someone feel bad for THEIR decision, even if it would not be my own. I don't talk condescendingly or look down my nose at someone because their course of action is not one I would entertain. I find that even if you think you are not doing this? You are. Your voice changes and even the look in your eyes changes as you listen, after asking a question that in the end? Isn't really your business.

As parents we are all trying to do what is right for us and our families. Period. We all need more support and less judgement. And unless you really want to know? Don't ask.

Ready to join in the writing in the raw? Ready for 5 minutes of dumping your brain? Click the button below and link up.

Steppin' Out Saturday

This week I am linking up with Mandy over at Harpers Happenings. She does a nice Saturday post and link up where we can talk about what we wore and where it was from. I've wanted to link up before but rarely get dressed up on Saturday. But this Saturday was different, as I had an appointment to a new salon for a much needed haircut. A haircut I needed to get before baby girl arrives next week. And for some reason, anytime I go and get my hair done, I dress up. I guess I don't want them to see me in schlumpadinka mode. Anyhoo, without further ado, my steppin' out Saturday pictures:

Want to join in the steppin' out fun?

38 weeks

Dear Baby Girl,

We had our last OB visit this week and now the paperwork is filed and we are officially ready to have you come on March 1. I've opted for a c-section just because of issues when laboring with Spencer and it just makes sense with the schedule Daddy has and us not having family so close by. But of course you can decide to come in the next few days and throw us for a loop...but please don't.


I still enjoy sitting in your nursery and just gliding and taking everything in, it's just so peaceful. Spencer also loves being in your room...he loves to tell us what is in each picture that is on the wall. He talks about how he will share with you when you arrive. It's quite endearing. He's grown up so much in such a short amount of time. I know he is going to be so excited to finally meet you and be able to sing to you in person. 


We've settled on a baptism date and will be taking you to Boston to be baptized in April. Your godparents can't wait to meet you too!


Next week at this time I will be holding you in my arms...

Love,
Mommy

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday - Two Peas in a Pod

Hard to imagine that Spencer was this tiny, especially when being held by his Daddy!

And soon we get to do it all again with a little girl. Amazing.

Tuesday Tidbit

As the due date for baby girl draws closer and I put off packing for the hospital I also wonder what things will be like. I've wondered about this since I found out we were pregnant and been afraid. Very afraid. But now I look at how I currently spend my days...and I can't even imagine it.

Most weeks Hubby is away at least 3 nights, sometimes not getting home until late on the 4th night. When he is home? I get bathtime reprieve! I get diaper changing repreive. I get moments to myself. When he isn't home? I look forward to bedtime if only so I can relax in my bed and relax. Having to chase a toddler around (and while pregnant to boot) is hard work. I don't get any breaks except for naptime and sometimes not even then. How will this be when baby girl arrives? What if they have totally opposite nap schedules? What if Spencer gives up his nap? Is there a book about how to deal with that part of parenthood?

Then there is our nighttime routine, on a good night I can have Spencer in bed in about 40 minutes. What do I do with baby girl during this time? If I remember correctly newborns and infants have a WAY different sleep pattern/schedule then the one I've got going on now! What if one child keeps the other up? What if they both cry for me in the middle of the night? Right now Spencer is back and forth between sleeping solidly for 6 to 7 hours and waking up every 4 and screaming for ME. Not Daddy, but me. How can I keep both he and the baby happy without losing my mind?

Just when I was getting a hang of things...a new baby is about to rock my world. What was I thinking??

Stream of Consciousness Sunday: Things We Remember

Come join the fun...

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It's funny how the mind works. Most days I am thinking about 100 million things and the same things are in my mind when I head off to bed, some important, others no so much.  Last night was one of those nights.

I was putting Spencer to bed and happebed to scratch an area by my shoulder which houses a dimple. it's the only place I have a dimple and I use to be so proud. I remember reading somewhere that Libra's always have dimples. Don't ask me what a birth sign has to do with dimples, but I read it and set about finding my dimple. I always thought those who smiled and had them were solucky.

I don't remember when I found my dimple, but I did. Like I said it sits just behind my left shoulder. And even at my heaviest, it is still there. Touching it last night reminded me of an incident in college. A group of us where visiting a friend in another dorm. Just sitting around and gabbing, it was a mixed group. The girl whose room we were in had a serious boyfriend. As we sat there he suddenly touched my dimple and commented on how cute it was. I nodded and told him I was proud of it and then moved the conversation on.

I don't remember how long he touched my dimple or how the words were said but I remember getting a look from the girlfriend. A look at was not nice. It was as if she thought I wanted her man or he and I had some sort of inside joke about my dimple. Neither was true. He boyfriend was a friendly guy, who I was not attracted to in the least. I believe after that, she became standoffish with me. Eventually her and the guy broke up and he ended up being quite a pothead.

All this I remembered from touching my dimple...it truly is funny thr things we remember.




Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post.

37 weeks

Dear Baby Girl,

We are so close now, just 12 days. I can't decide if the time has really gone by that fast or not. I feel ready to see you but I am still nervous about how our home will change and how I will handle it. It seems Spencer is finally getting into a good groove and we are suddenly going to change all that for him and us.


As you can see, you are way bigger than Spencer was at around the same time. Are you really going to be bigger than he was? 8 pounds is a decent size...I don't know how I can manage to get around for another week if suddenly you are 9 + pounds. Daddy doesn't know how my legs haven't snapped from sheer exhaustion of waddling around. 


I'm still having sleepless nights, though not every night. I am still having the worst time getting comfortable and staying cool. Somehow I don't remember these issues with Spencer. Was 2 years ago really that long ago? Or could I really have forgotten this part of pregnancy?


You room is ready for you, as is the bassinet we got for you...but please don't make plans to come early. We are ready for you...just not ready for you to come early.

Love,
Mommy

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday - Pilot in Training

I was doing some picture clean up and came across this photo from December of 09. It's one of my faves! My husband was so excited to get Spencer into the cockpit. He looks so tiny compared to how big he is now. *sigh* They really do grow up fast, don't they?

Almost Famous - Thank You for Being My Friend

Got a post over at And Nobody Told Me today and it's all about friends. Or lack of friends. And how hard it is to make friends. Especially after having a child. Come over and show me some support!

Stream of Consciousness Sunday: So, It's Valentine's

Time to breathe in and release and dump my brain for 5 minutes. That's right it's Sunday which means Stream of Consciousness Sunday with our host Fadra!

What is it about Valentine's that cause people to either really love it or really hate it? I know plnety of people that refer to it as Singles Awareness Day. I never did and there were plenty of years tha I was single. I didn't let it bother me. I knew I was loved and used the day to treat myself. I did't feel like I ever needed a man to define who I was and whether I was good enough to be loved.

But it seems like a lot of women do. Are men the same? Is there a man out there that is sad and cursing the day because he doesn't have a signigicant other to share the day with? I was listening to a local radio station last week and they has a man on that was trying to start a revolution..a rally against Valentine's. He claims that it is a holiday strictly for women and that men are theone's left on the hook for pulling out all the stops. He was promoting a book and a website I think...the women on air with him were offended and kept being so snarky.

I didn't think he was all wrong though. Men do have it harder on Valentine's. We expect to be lavished with flowers and candy and jewelry. We want to be wined and dined. But does it really need to only be done on February 14th? And can't we do a lot of these things oursevles? I don't measure how much my friends are loved by what their boyfriends/husbands/lovers buy them on Valentine's. Why should they? I don't think less of a friend because they are OMG, single, still.

As women, we need to put less stock into a day like Valentine's and more stock into the beautiful,independent, successful people we are. If you want flowers, buy them for yourself. If you want chocolate, buy a box for yourself. If you want a fancy dinner, round up a group of friends and go out to a fancy dinner.

And remember, single or not, there are people out there that love you. And they don't need Valentine's day to tel you that.

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Want to join in the fun? Here are the rules:

Want to try it? Here are the rules…

* Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.

* Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.

* Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.

* Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post.

* Link up your post.

* Visit your fellow bloggers and show some love.

The Red Dress Club and Red Writing Hood

This week I'm linking up with the folks over at The Red Dress Club and their Red Writing Hood prompt.



This week's prompt asked you to begin your piece with the words, "I could never have imagined" and end it with "Then the whole world shifted." 600 word limit.

I could never have imagined.

That I would be that girl that would never have a real boyfriend until I was in college. I spent most of my child and teenhood mooning over pictures of Kirk Cameron, Corey Haim and NKOTB. I imagined what it would be like to have one of them as my boyfriend because my parents didn't want me to date until I was 17. I started college the fall I turned 18.

I didn't know what I was doing and was to naive to really care, I felt free. Free to do what I wanted and pick who I wanted and date. And date I did. I dated winners, I dated losers. I date boys that were somewhere in between. Nothing ever became to serious until the night I met Jed.

I remember thinking his name was funny and surely it was fake. He wasn't too tall and had a muscular frame. It reminded me of Marky Mark's body. I remember it being a freezing night in Boston and somehow I had coerced my roommate to make the trek to one of the local clubs. I think it may have been a Sunday.

Jed proved to be the first guy who took me seriously and who took our relationship seriously. He was kind and sweet and sappy. He enjoyed spending time with me and showed me that not all boys are jerks. I remember that he always used Carmex lip balm and I remember I began using it too.

We had started dating before Valentine's and it would be my first real Valentine's with a partner. I didn't per say hate the day but it wasn't my favorite…except for the chocolate. I had no shame in buying myself a box and eating the whole thing. I think I may have even bought myself flowers, no a whole bouquet but enough to cheer me up.

And then came Jed. I remember waiting all day for something…a card, a balloon, flowers. Day turned to night and still nothing. My roommate assured me that he would do something, to be patient. Patient I was not…I had someone that cared for me and that was the day to show it. Finally fro up the street I saw him, carrying a large balloon and flowers. I met him at the door and remember how the cold air swirled around us as we hugged. We went for a walk that night and he told me how he loved being with me and spending time with me. He gave me a beautiful card and to this day I still have it tucked away. It is the only thing I have ever kept from previous relationships.

We dated for several more weeks, it may have been months. I remember him telling me that soon he would turn into an a-hole and he didn't want to hurt me…then the whole world shifted.

Almost Famous and 36 weeks

This week over at And Nobody Told Me I'm writing about in-laws and how no one really tells you how it will be. Curious? Come on over and take a look and join in the conversation!

And now for my weekly belly shot update. Here I am in all my preggo glory, no touch ups or edits.

Dear Baby Girl,

Here we are only 3 weeks away. 3 Mondays left before we go from a family of 3 to a family of 4. When we are all sitting in the living room and Spencer is playing, I imagine what it will be like to have you there with us. Will you be a crier? Will you be an easy-going baby? Will you give us a run for our money?

Sleep has been a little better this week but not by much. I don't feel like I ever get enough sleep, no matter if I nap or even go sleep early. I either get insomnia or can't get comfy. And you seem to always be moving. Moving to tell me you don't like the way I am laying. Or that it's time to go pee. I don't hold out for sleep getting any better.

I hope you don't decide to come early or while Daddy is at work. Stay your 3 weeks, because once you come out, nothing will be the same!

Love,
Mommy

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday - Watching Daddy

I love capturing moments like these:

Stream of Consciousness Sunday: Two

Time to do some writing in the raw and dump my brain for 5 minutes...




Two...I have a son that is now two. It's hard to wrap my head around that because it seems like just yesterday he was being born and they were allowing him to come home with me. I was amzed that they would let ME, take someone so small and helpless home. What did I know about rasing a child?

But here we are at the age of two. Every day he amazes me and makes me want to be a better person. He's also teaching me what I already knew...that I need to work on patience. The funny this is, it's working. I've learned to let things that don't really matter, go. To focus on what I do have and how lucky we are. He shows me that all things I take forgranted are new again in his eyes.

There are days that I wish his age away and then regret it at night, when he is sleeping with his tiny hiney in the air and peaceful. I need to get better about it because there is going to a day he is 22 and I won't be able to snuggle and hold him tight. He will roll his eyes as I tell him to be careful and be nice. He will know it all.

I have a two year old...and when I look into his chocolate brown eyes that match my own, I can't help but feel my heart melt.

Happy Birthday Spencer, I love you!



Want to join in on the Sunday fun? Head over to Fadra's and link up.

35 weeks

Dear Baby Girl,

This has been a hard week for me, as I'm getting slower and even more uncomfortable. The doctor believes you had flipped, which is wonderful news. Not so great? All the pressure you are now putting down in my nether regions. I feel like I'm running to the bathroom so much and not doing much when I get there.

You are also moving, a lot! It seems no matter how I sit or lay, you don't like it and quickly let me know. Especially with a few quick kicks and jabs that make me jump. What are you doing in there??

We are officially a month away from your due date. I am both excited and afraid. I am also ready to have my body back and sleep on my stomach. Did I mention how I am having a lot of bouts with insomnia? Yeah, not fun. Of course I don't expect to get much sleep when you arrive but at least I will be able to get comfy when I do catch a few minutes of sleep.

Love,
Mommy

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday - Like Father, Like Son

My husband always tells me how people always tell him Spencer looks just like me. And I see it, there are times he really is a mini version of myself. But when he's making faces? Yep, he's all his Daddy!! Tell me I'm wrong?