FEEL THOSE KICKS? HE'S GONNA BE A SOCCER PLAYER!

Sorry, couldn't resist a little "Billy Madison" quote... ;o) Anyhow, yes, (s)he has started to kick!! Aside from the weird, shifting pressure, I finally felt a couple of what I thought were kicks last week, and then last night the baby went nuts when I had some Ghirardelli hot cocoa while catching up on CSI with Craig. (UPDATE: I just got a few good ones while typing the end of this post :o) Yeah!!! It's the one part of pregnancy I actually like! Craig was a little disappointed he couldn't feel anything (I told him it was too early but he wanted to try anyhow), I forget how long it takes until movement can be felt externally, I'm thinking another month maybe? We'll know the gender (ten days!!!!) before then, at any rate. Not that it matters, I'm just continuing to slowly go crazy while we wait...

On another note, I've started to look at some baby gear I want for this one...aside from the usual diapers, clothes, crib bedding, etc. I have decided I would like:

1. Video baby monitor.  When I was pregnant with Ava, I thought that was one of those stupid, useless extras (like wipe warmers....I still don't get those). I mean come on, how lazy do you have to be to not just go in and check on the kid?! Ummm....more like, how dense do you have to be to not understand how utterly useful a video monitor could be???? It would have saved me a LOT of trouble with Ava, when I didn't know if she was just being fussy or actually needed us, or when she was a little older so I could see what she was up to in her crib without actually going in there. I figure since we have all of the expensive baby gear taken care of already (furniture, car seats, strollers, etc) that we can splurge on this particular item.

2. Covers for the Boppy lounger. I just don't have any.

3. New bottles. I need these anyhow, and a few years ago (right before Ava was done with bottles, so I didn't get them) I saw some that were pretty boob-like, which seems like a good idea, especially because I don't plan on nursing very long. (I'm thinking I can almost exclusively nurse for 3-3 1/2 months and then maybe do enough pumping/partial nursing to last another month....but that's it. It's also dependent on exactly how my maternity leave pans out.) Unfortunately I cannot remember the brand name and a search of Babies R Us (online) didn't produce anything.

4. Glider. All I have is the creaky old rocking chair from when I was a baby (not that it isn't cool to have that, but it's LOUD), and it's in Ava's room...although she doesn't care that her old crib will be used for a new baby, I don't think she's going to part with the rocking chair. Unfortunately, the baby's room is half the size of Ava's so I don't think we'll have a place for one of those big things.

5. Fisher Price Rock n' Play Sleeper. It just looks useful--very portable, can have the baby next to the bed, or the couch, etc. Keeps the baby's head elevated in case reflux is a problem or if it has allergies like Ava and is frequently congested. I don't know that we NEED this but I'd like it. (Yes, there are other colors besides pink).

Things I currently have that are fairly useless?

1. The Boppy. Unless we have a small baby this time, the Boppy was only helpful for about a month or two before it was easier to sit Ava on my lap while feeding her.

2.) Diaper Champ. So, I don't think diaper disposal units are much help after all--at least, once the diapers take on any kind of real odor. But, it keeps the used diapers out of sight, doesn't require special bags, and I already have one, so I guess we'll use it.


3.) High Chair. These aren't useless as much as they are just disgusting. Even with wiping down after each use, we still had to drag it out back periodically and hose it off. But I'm too cheap to buy one of those little portable ones that sit on a chair (even though it's not expensive) so we'll use what we've got.

Tidbits About the Firstborn

As I was typing the beginning of this post, Ava was dancing--naked from the waist-down--with her stuffed camel and singing. Kids are insane. She drives me NUTS with some of her behavior (which I know is typical toddler stuff), but oh my goodness, she can be so sweet and so funny! Lately, she's taken to grabbing me by the hand and saying, "Mommy, you're my best friend!" Awwwww! And--this isn't good but I couldn't help laughing--she got in trouble for sitting on another kid at day care. That itself isn't funny or acceptable but when I questioned her about it, she very matter-of-factly told me, "Yes, I sat on David and got a time-out!" We talked about it and she hasn't done it since, but it was all I could do to keep from laughing. Unless she does something particularly vicious, I'm not going to spank her for a first time offense when she's already been disciplined at school with a time-out. She knows if she does the same thing twice (pushing, squeezing, sitting on someone) that she'll get spanked. I just hope this doesn't mean she's going to just get more and more creative with her misbehavior to avoid doing the same thing twice.... ;o) Doesn't seem like it thus far.

More pictures!

This is my 3rd post in the last twelve hours, so please scroll down to see recent pictures and an update. :) These are some older pictures I have FINALLY gotten around to formatting in such a way that I can post them on the blog. Enjoy! (Or not. I don't really care. If you don't like them, feel free to leave and explore other parts of the internet... ;o)


Ava's first sketch of the family--LOVE IT!!!! I cannot wait for all of the adorable and funny things she will draw for us! In case you were wondering, the big blob on the left is me, the medium-sized one on the right is Craig, and the one underneath "Craig" is Ava. :-)

Ava and Craig in front of the fountain at Goodberry's when we went for custard a couple of months ago. Good stuff, but the crazy fools don't know how to make a malt. When I asked for a chocolate malt they just looked at me like I'm nuts and the best I could get was a chocolate Concrete (their version of a DQ Blizzard I guess) with malt mixed into it. Craig said to ask for a milkshake with malt in it...maybe that will work?

Craig and I at Lake Michigan in Chicago over the summer.  I love this picture!

 Arrrr, matey! My little pirate...Ava is obsessed with pirates.  When I asked her what she wanted to be for Halloween, she answered, "A pirate!" immediately, as though she'd been thinking about it all year. ;o) She's also asked for a pirate birthday party.

This picture should've been included with the previous batch but I forgot. Oops. 

The rest of the pictures are from a photo session on October 1st, when we were in Illinois. They were taken by Brianna, a girl I used to babysit when she was a toddler (holy crap, I feel OLD)...she's now seventeen years old and takes beautiful pictures! I'm going to use some of these on our Christmas card this year, and have some others printed out since I don't have any framed, professional pictures of Ava more recent than 15 months old....yikes. There were more of these shots by Brianna, these are just a few.

A week in pictures

I never post pictures because frankly, it's a pain in the butt. Also, we no longer have a functioning camera so I have to take pictures on my iPhone, email them to myself, download them to my computer, and then do the resizing thing. And they aren't even that high-quality. Ugh. Maybe there's a new camera in my future, seeing how I have a birthday coming up tomorrow and Christmas in another month? ;o) We'll see!


This is the best family shot we were able to get for the Christmas card. Good grief. We all look like we're in pain....I think I'll do a Christmas card with multiple pictures this year, and make this one small! ;o)

Ava looking pretty cute...wish she'd have smiled like this for the family shot!

Ava at Beaverdam At Falls Lake...Tuesday, Nov. 23rd it was gorgeous outside (low 70s!) so Ava, Mom, and I packed a picnic and set off in search of a park...Beaverdam is awesome! I can't wait to take Craig...there are picnic areas, a playground, beach, etc....good stuff. 

Ava and Mommy at Falls Lake...is my face puffy from pregnancy or does it always look like that? :-/

Ava and Mimi at Falls Lake

A shot of Falls Lake...it was a windy day, but on a calm day it would be fun to take out a canoe and explore from the water.

Wrightsville Beach--this is where Craig and I went for our weekend getaway. Not exactly beach weather but it was beautiful and the time alone with each other was fabulous!

On the beach...first sort-of belly shot for Baby #2! I guess I'll have to get on that.... ;o) 

 Craig on the beach...he's so cute... :o)

Ava with her prize for sleeping all night in her own room: a Tinkerbell doll! 

She was SO proud! Unfortunately, it was a fluke and she has yet to do it again: she ends up on the chair in our room at some point every. single. night. Yeesh. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just like last year, Thanksgiving 2010 was celebrated a day earlier with my mom, as the rest of the family stopped making the journey after 2008...we had a few busy years before that and then it just trickled off. Sad, but what can you do? We had a great traditional meal with my mom yesterday, complete with decorations provided by Ava (turkey hats, autumn leaf placemats, pinecone turkeys....totally cute). My mom left today and then we relaxed with Ava, ate turkey leftovers for lunch, Craig and Ava napped while I cleaned, ate turkey leftovers for dinner, and then conducted the bedtime routine. Ava didn't make it past 10pm in her own bed: she's sleeping on the chair-and-a-half in our room even as I type this. I have no idea how to get her to stay in her own bed all night but as I've said before, this is one case where the tough love thing is not the answer. It's been nearly two months and she has GOT to get over it! As much as I hate to admit that I do think it's sweet to hear her moving around and sucking on her fingers, she needs to remain in her own space at night.

Anyhow, in baby news, nothing is really new....the last of the first trimester symptoms are finally releasing their grip on me: it seemed like they were going away but then came back again, although not as severe. Oh, I had to reschedule the anatomy scan so now we have two more days of waiting...augh!!!! I hate Craig's stupid work schedule....and I almost didn't reschedule it because waiting an extra 48 hours just might kill me. ;o) Still nothing new to report in the movement dept...wish (s)he'd just haul off with a good kick already. Oh well.

Oh, on Sunday we celebrated my birthday a little bit early--while Craig and I were out of town, Ava and my mom made me a cake. The best part is that after the cake was done, my mom apparently got out a bag of potatoes so she could make a baked potato for dinner, and Ava insisted on putting one on the cake....haha! She was so excited about it too...it was definitely the most unique cake I have ever seen, and given my insane-o, gaudy, over-the-top wedding/baby shower cakes (anyone who knows the story knows what I mean here)....that's saying a LOT. I love my crazy daughter, and the fact that a potato sitting atop a red velvet cake is perfectly logical to her. :)

My next post will simply be a collection of pictures from this week: the trip to the beach, spending time with Mom, the potato birthday cake, Thanksgiving, etc....I just don't feel like doing the necessary resizing and editing at the moment.

15 Weeks and All is Well!

The title of this post sums it up nicely: everything is fine, of course. I have been feeling sporadic movement, mostly changes in pressure rather than real "kick"-type movements. In 19 days we will find out if baby H is a boy or a girl, and of course I'm going to continue to lose my mind until then! Yes, I would prefer a girl but a boy would be awesome too...it's not like I'll be mad if it's a boy, you know? (Seriously, as long as it's not a hermaphrodite we're good. Although even if it is, I'll still love it and they can do that genetic testing thing and fix the parts accordingly. You know what? I'm going to shut up now.) Instinct tells me it's a girl, but I have crappy instincts so that doesn't actually mean anything...we shall see!

Raging hormones....well, the "rage" part is true enough...

Craig and I just had a discussion about whether I'm suffering from crazy pregnancy hormones, or if I always hate people this much. Mostly it consisted of me asking him what he thought, and him making grunting noises because he was probably too afraid to answer. There are just a lot of people rubbing me the wrong way lately...I don't know if I want to blame myself/pregnancy crazies, or if I want to think people really are that obnoxious/lame/passive-aggressive. It's a lose-lose situation.

Speaking of pregnancy, since that's most of what I speak of here...things are weird and tense right now, because it's less than a week until my next appointment. This happened with Ava: there's a month between appointments, right? So I go, and everything is fine and I feel good about everything for about a week. Then another week and I'm pretty neutral...then the last two weeks I go into panic mode thinking of a hundred things that could have gone wrong and time slows down to a crawl until I FINALLY go to the next appointment, find out everything is great, and it starts all over again. Maybe I'll start feeling a little better about things when I can actually feel the baby moving? I keep thinking I feel something, but maybe I'm imagining it...it's not exactly kicks, just more of a sensation of something moving around in there. With Ava, I remember the exact moment I first felt something, she kicked me twice and it was unmistakable. Is 14 1/2 weeks (where I am right now) too early to be feeling something? Also, I'm not very excited about this baby yet...so, either I'm a horrible mother or this is normal for the second child. I am so consumed by everything else going on that I am not as focused on it as I was when it was pregnant with Ava. I think it'll change once we know the gender and pick out the name and start to really prepare for him/her, won't it? I just don't know what to think or expect I guess.

In Ava news...not much. Spanking today because she spit on a kid--SPIT ON THEM--at preschool. I have no idea where she comes up with this stuff...it's mortifying but as long as we can knock it out of her before kindergarten, I'll be happy. I'm sure she'll be fine, she just likes to test the water. And see how quickly she can turn my hair gray. She's still funny and says the most random things...in the course of a discussion we had today, she told me that God made the moon, Jesus made the sun, and Mommy made her. Haha! She also spotted a pile of cat barf on the newly cleaned floor (don't even get me started on the stupid cats) and started to shriek and cry, so maybe in spite of not liking to pick up toys, she's inherited the cleanliness gene after all. ;o)

All right, off to bed...I need all the rest I can get! Still fighting the neverending cold, plus tomorrow I have to pick up Mom from the airport and pack for the beach getaway. Woohoo!

Sick and Tired

This will be short, because Craig is standing in the other room, giving me the evil eye, saying, "GO TO BED! GO TO BED!" The title of my post doesn't actually refer to the pregnancy (although that's always a factor these days), but rather the fact that the entire three-person clan of the Haynor family has been pretty sick for over a week now: Ava is a little under the weather, Craig and I are faring considerably worse. It's some kind of evil cold that will not let go (not flu, we've had our shots)...today I went to work with a leaky faucet for a nose, and virtually no voice to speak of. No pun intended. THAT was a fun way to teach, let me tell you...but, I saved myself a sick day so it's all good. Praying it passes soon because my throat hurts, my nose is raw, and my body aches. On the upside, I think the morning sickness is almost completely gone! I had a few mild, passing moments of nausea today and didn't even have to take Zofran, woohoo! And my aversion to all things fruit/vegetable has improved greatly, although I still wanted to vomit when Craig stuck a slice of watermelon under my nose at dinner. He does not get it. At all.

Ava is still going through the phase where she doesn't want to sleep in her bed, so we've resigned ourselves to allowing her to sleep in our room...sort of. We insist that she goes to bed in her own room (I have to sit in her rocking chair until she falls asleep, which actually forces me to have some down time...I just take the iPad and some earphones and watch movies. She lasts until sometime between 1-3am, and when she wakes up she just comes into our room and sleeps on the chair-and-a-half/ottoman in our sitting area....she usually doesn't even wake us up, although we do hear her and make sure she's got a blanket. This results in all of us getting more sleep than when one of us would go sleep in her bed with her, and hopefully it'll pass before too long.

In six days, my mom arrives to (sort of) spend Thanksgiving with us! She'll actually leave Thanksgiving morning to be with the rest of the family, but we'll celebrate the day before. And next weekend, she's going to watch Ava so Craig and I can get away for our first ever escape since becoming parents nearly three years ago....I'm so excited! We're going to stay at a resort on the beach, and even though it's far from beach weather the view will be beautiful and the smell of the ocean will be refreshing. I can't wait to have him all to myself for a whole 48 hours! We're going to go out and eat great food that someone else will cook AND clean up, we're going to see the latest Harry Potter movie (holy crap, I'm way too excited about that), we're going to sleep without interruption and wake up on our own...and we're just going to generally enjoy being together without the stress of being parents for a couple of days....not that we don't love Ava like crazy, but every couple needs time together, right?

Ava has had quite a few funny quotes recently, but the one that stands out the most is this: the other night at dinner, Craig handed her a cup of milk and she turned to him and said, "Thank you, Peanut!" We just about DIED....I have no idea where she got that from! hahaha!