2/16/07 - Tiny Dancer

Eva loves music. Whenever she hears a song start to play, she'll stomp her foot, twirl in a circle, and start to dance. Sometimes she'll get creative, dropping to the floor and waving her feet in the air. She likes to watch her reflection in the glass of the fireplace or oven door, and will start to "show off". She’s also developed a strange fascination with kitchen towels and cloth placemats, apparently thinking they’re her personal playthings. I’ll wash my hands at the kitchen sink and turn to dry my hands, only to find that Eva’s taken the towel to put over her head as a hat, or wrap around her doll like a blanket, or scrub an imaginary spot on the floor. It’s amazing how their little minds work. I took Eva to the pediatric ophthalmologist for another eye exam this week, and since she’s talking now, they want me to teach her the names of the pictures on the eye exam chart. Next time they can evaluate her vision by asking her to identify the pictures. They gave me a copy to take home, so I can start working with her on it. They’re a little concerned that her eyes still seem to cross occasionally, so the next visit will tell us whether a new prescription for her glasses is needed, or whether we may have to start considering surgery. I really hope it doesn’t come to that.

The Big 3-0

My 30th birthday was this week. It was wonderful. David brought me breakfast in bed (as he has every morning since I've been pregnant), then we went to church, and then had some quiet couple time at home while Eva napped. Dave put together a great gift basket with snacks and treats, DVDs and music. In the evening, Nanci came over to watch Eva so we could go out for a steak dinner. It was fantastic, and what was even better, I was able to enjoy it! It's been so long since I've truly been able to enjoy food, it was a real treat. Valentine’s Day was three days later, so we went for a walk with Eva and stopped in a local Irish pub for dinner. Dave spoiled me with flowers, chocolate, and a big basket of Lavender bath and body goodies. The next night we got together with friends at the Olive Garden for a belated birthday party, which was a lot of fun. Dave and I rarely eat out, so it was kind of strange to be going out three times in one week, but I was glad to finally be feeling well enough to enjoy it! Sitting in a restaurant can be pretty tough on toddlers, but Eva was a trooper. She’s such an easy baby!

Getting Older

Some people dread big birthday milestones, as if it suddenly makes them officially "old". To me, though, it's just a good excuse to party hearty. I feel like I've accomplished pretty much all the goals I had for my twenties: I spent several years in missions and ministry, traveled all over the world, got a few years of college under my belt, met my wonderful husband, had a beautiful daughter, and now another baby on the way. If I had one regret, it would be that I didn't get to finish my degree, but I wouldn't trade my years in YWAM, my debt-free status, or starting my family for anything, either, so it's a fair trade off. Considering how difficult this particular pregnancy has been, I'm really glad I didn't put off having kids any later. One mother I know said that her pregnancies in her thirties were much harder than in her early twenties, so I'll take that as a sign that mine were pretty perfectly timed.

Cabin Fever

After nearly three months of being sick and staring at these four walls, I'm dying to get out of the house as much as possible. It's not as easy as it sounds, however. I only need to go the grocery store or Wal-Mart once a week at most, and there really aren't that many other errands to run. I like to go to the mall because they have a playground and carousel, but I find it's too easy to spend money there, even if it's just on a snack or drink, or something I found on clearance. The money we saved while I was home sick showed me how much of my spending was probably unnecessary. I don't want to go shopping just for exercise and entertainment. I wish I felt safer walking around our neighborhood, but there aren't any sidewalks, and the city park is often full of loitering teenagers and rowdy kids.

I wish we still had our Mommy-and-Me playgroup. April and her husband were the first to move, going to Arizona with their girls, Emily and Erin. That left Eva as the only girl in our playgroup. Then Nikki and Adrian went back to New Zealand with little Jakob, and had a new baby, Caleb, as soon as they arrived.  And finally my friend Rachel, who hosted the group at her house, found out that her husband Alika got a new job in Colorado, and is moving this week with their boys Kainoa and Micah, and new baby girl, Alexis. So our playgroup is pretty much dissolved. Only Jennifer is left, but she's already heavily involved with MOPS at another church. She likes it better because it gives her time with other moms while the kids are in childcare, which is a much-needed break from her high-strung boys, Aiden and James. I don't like the idea of putting Eva in childcare with kids and workers I don't know, especially since she can't really talk well enough to tell me if anything went wrong. I wish I could find another playgroup with young moms like me, because it's already getting a little lonely with my friends gone.

2/5/07 - Coming Back

I'm finally starting to feel human again, and am slowly breaking out of the cocoon I've been secluded in for the past couple months. I'm willing to take short car trips, but avoid long ones because I still can get carsick. I've managed a couple of trips to the grocery store, which, although they made me a bit queasy, weren't half as bad as before. A couple times I forgot my second dose of anti-nausea medicine in the afternoon, but seemed to be OK. Now I'm cautiously trying to eat more variety and start cooking again, to see what I can manage without getting nauseated. I have to take baby steps, because when I push it too far I get horribly sick. I never really know what to expect, or what will push me over the edge. For instance, we went to a potluck baby shower last weekend, and though I had forgotten to take my pill, I seemed to handle it fine, even with the smell of all that food. The next morning, however, I promptly threw up my breakfast and spent the rest of the day queasy. It's very frustrating feeling like I can't make any plans because I never know how I'm going to feel. One benefit to finally being in my second trimester is that I'm no longer ravenously hungry. I still have to eat more frequently, but not in the same "bottomless pit" sort of way. It's nice to be able to stay full for more than 15 minutes, and feel like I can leave the house without my whole "feed bag" (Dave's name for my bag of snacks).

Buddha Belly

My belly is starting to get in my way far earlier than with my last pregnancy. At my midwife appointment at 13 weeks, she said my belly measured at the size for 15 weeks, which means I'm bigger than average. I sent out a picture to friends and family, which unleashed a barrage of verbal wit about how I was carrying a watermelon, an elephant (no, make that a herd), you get the idea. Good to know I'm so entertaining. Eva likes to pat my belly and yell "baby"! Sometimes I wonder if she really knows that there's a baby in there, but I think she's probably just imitating us. She likes to stuff her doll under her shirt so it looks like she's pregnant, then pat her belly and say "baby". Then she pulls the baby out and tries to tuck it under my shirt.

Horsing Around

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the heat of football season, David started playing football with Eva in the living room. She'll pick up the ball and start running, and he'll tackle her while she squeals with laughter. She's been watching the games with him, and he taught her to throw her arms up in the air and yell "touch-down"! It's so cute to watch! She likes to play in the garage while Dave is working in there, and often asks "bike?" so he will take her on a bike ride with her riding in the attached trailer. Grandma (my mom) bought her a toddler slide for Christmas, and she's finally figured out how to haul herself up the ladder and slide down all by herself. Such a big girl! I bought her a little potty chair, originally for her just to get familiar with it. I really wasn't sure how soon I'd want to start training her. She loves to climb on it, sit on it and play with it, and once I caught her filling the bowl with toys, and trying to crawl in herself. She seems to be getting a better idea of what it's for, though. This morning I noticed her starting to grunt, immediately whipped her diaper off and sat her on her potty. Sure enough, a minute later there was a little deposit in there. I praised her and clapped my hands, and she got all excited. We cleaned her up, dumped the container in the big toilet, and I let her flush it. She seemed to think it was a game. Later on she filled her diaper again, so I guess she wasn't really finished, but I think this little victory was enough to teach her what a potty is for, so hopefully she'll catch on quickly.

Catching ZZZ's

Since she's gotten used to no longer nursing to sleep, Eva has been going down very easily. Her daily nap is usually after lunch, around noon. I change her diaper, put on a lullaby CD, rock her in my arms for a few minutes, and then lay her down in her crib and walk out of the room. She rarely cries, but will just drift off to sleep on her own. Her naps have shortened recently from 3 hours to 2, but she doesn't seem to need that extra sleep anymore, unless she's sick. At bedtime we add a bath and a story, but the rest of the routine stays the same. I really can't say why she doesn't cry anymore when we leave her room while she's still awake (for awhile it really bothered her), but maybe she's come to appreciate sleep when she's tired, instead of fighting it. It's not unusual for her to ask for bed when she's tired, by coming up to us and laying her head against her little hand.