Plug Weaning

Over the last couple of months Alan and I have been much more intentional about when, where and for what period of time we allow Adeline to have her plug. Mostly she's been able to dictate plug usage because she was always really good at giving it up when we didn't want her to have it. Well, the last couple of days we've really stepped it up and we were only letting her have it for sleep - both naps and overnight. However this stepping it up has also seen a dramatic increase in tantrum throwing. Yesterday at Target I saw the biggest tantrum I've ever seen in my life. It was totally out of control. (Thankfully both Alan and I were there and Alan was able to take her out to the car so I could finish our shopping.) Since we'd already seen the mother of all tantrums take place we figured we didn't have much to lose in trying to go without the plug overnight. I was expecting some crying and maybe some frustration. But when I put her in her crib and said, "Nigh-night," she looked up at me, holding Doug, and said, "No plug." I said, "That's right. No plug for my big girl." I exited the room and didn't hear a peep! (Well, till 4am which seems to be a regular thing these days...) And today for her nap there was a little bit of fuss, but it didn't last long. Her nap was significantly shorter - about an hour instead of two and a half - but I think that will change. And tonight when I put her in her crib it was the same thing as last night - "Nigh-night," "No plug."

So I am quite hopeful that even the remembrance of the plug will soon pass. She seems to be doing okay without it. Although the tantrums are ridiculously awful. I'm only assuming this is associated with the lack of the soothing plug during the day because the increase in number and severity coincides quite perfectly with our decision to pull the plug, so to speak ;-). Although it could also just be because we're getting just that close to 2... Only time will tell.

Ultrasound and Other Pictures

It occurred to me that the odds of me actually getting the scanner set up and the ultrasound photos scanned in and uploaded was pretty slim. So instead I decided to take pictures of them. They actually didn't turn out that bad. And I can already tell she's beautiful and I think she looks like Adeline :).

Also, here are some more pictures from William's visit. He really likes balloons!

This was funny because he'd gotten all tangled up in them:

And Adeline is starting to eat cereal like a big girl ("Wheats!" = Frosted Mini Wheats for breakfast every morning). She actually doesn't even use this tray anymore either. She eats at the table with Mommie and Daddy and loves to pray for the food ("Amen! Amen!" as she reaches for our hands).

And she wears her hair like a big girl, too.

So fun :).

Weekend at Amma's

While Alan has been out of town this weekend at Spring Hill with his Senior Highers, Adeline and I decided it would be a good weekend for a little trip to Amma's! We got in on Friday night - Amma was still traveling home from California and didn't get in till almost 2am, so we didn't see her till Saturday morning - but as we pulled up into the driveway Adeline said, "Amma!" Then she asked about "Papa?" and "Rob?" I had to tell her they aren't here right now, but we will get to see Amma tomorrow.

So yesterday we had a really fun time out shopping and spending some fun time together, just us girls. We went to Red Robin for lunch, to Meijer to get groceries, to Target to mosey for a while and then to Carter's to look at tiny baby things :). I had seen an outfit online that I wanted to get for bringing Pink Floyd home, so we thought we'd go see it in person. I'm like a kid in a candy shop in that store! Soooo many unbelievably cute things and the spring dresses... I could have bought every single one! (That's why I didn't even bother to bring in my wallet :).

Well, we found a going home outfit for Pink Floyd - different from the one I originally wanted, but this little layette set is so much cuter. It can actually be pants or a gown:

We also found some onesies for Adeline:

The second one in that row is the same pattern as Pink Floyd's going home outfit and that was intentional. They're going to match :). We also picked up some pink and brown pants to go with the new onesies. They have a little ruffle on the tushie. So cute! Thanks Amma!

Today we'll go home and see Daddy again. Adeline has managed to get a little cold - well, actually, it's really not so little. She's pretty sick. Hopefully the trip home will go smoothly.

Visit

This week our friends Johanna and William came to visit. We had so much fun hanging out and playing together. Here's a cute picture we took of William and Adeline together:

They look just a little different since this picture was taken last January ;-):

Change of Plans

Okay, new plan. Thanks Sarah for the word about FuzziBunz. The only reason I chose bumgenius over the Bunz is because of the one-size issue. But now that FB has a one-size, I'm all over it!! See the wishlist for the most up-to-date diaper plan.

:)

Wee Go

As an addendum to my last post (if you haven't already, read the post below this one before you read this post), I just have to say that Johanna and I moseyed through the baby/toddler section at Nordstrom this afternoon and they had the Wee Go Glass Baby Bottles there! It was the first time I had seen them in person and been able to touch them and feel their weight, etc. And now I am so much more excited about them than I even was before! They are super cute and look to be very functional and not too heavy at all for glass bottles. You can find the Wee Go's on Pink Floyd's amazon.com wishlist and jilliansdrawers.com.

Also, one more thing about my cloth diapering hopes and dreams ;-)... I really want to do this and do it right and from what I understand you really have to completely dive into it, commit to it (which I know means committing to washing them everyday or every other day, not just on "laundry day"). This is why I would really like to have a full set from the get-go as well as all the accessories like the diaper sprayer that hooks up to the toilet and the wet bags for easy cloth diapering on-the-go. And I want to go all the way and do cloth wipes, too, because I've learned that it's easier to toss the soiled cloth diaper and wipe in the same spot to be laundered later rather than toss the cloth diaper in one pail to be washed and disposable wipe(s) in the garbage can. I learned, too, thanks to jilliansdrawers.com's cloth diapering tutorial, that you can moisten cloth wipes and keep them in a wipes warmer at home! I'm getting really excited about this and hope that folks can get on board with me to help us afford the initial costs of cloth. We don't need much else for our second little girl.

Happy 19 months to Adeline tomorrow! ;-)

New Baby Needs

With only 3-4 months to go before we welcome Pink Floyd to this world (yep - not that long!!) I'm really starting to think about things we need for her. In that vein I have updated Pink Floyd's wishlist. After talking with my friend Johanna quite extensively about cloth diapering and her experience, as well as hearing tidbits from other sources and reading just about every word about cloth diapering at jilliansdrawers.com, I've settled on our wants and needs for cloth diapering for Pink Floyd. You can see everything on the amazon.com wishlist from the diapers themselves to all of the accessories that make cloth diapering easy. I don't dare attempt cloth diapering without the accessories that will make it manageable or I know I will be overwhelmed and give up on it. At this point I'm actually really excited about it and being a stay-at-home mom now I'm confident that I can do it (any encouragement is welcome and will be well-received :).

Thanks for taking a look at Pink Floyd's wishlist and considering helping us to get started on this new adventure!

Love,
Meredith

Daddy's Hat

Art, Smoothies, and Arctic Chill

So yesterday I had such a moment of inspiration. I've been trying to think of where around the house our various pieces of art and pictures in frames would look best. We have a lot of large, blank, white-ish walls (as usual) and it was time to start getting some things up on them. Last Christmas (or the Christmas before that?) my mom gave me a hanging trapeze picture frame that I had wanted. I had some family pictures in it when it was hanging on a wall in our apartment in Massachusetts and had even thought of a pretty good place to hang it here, except I was having a really hard time finding something to hang in the "dining room" (term used quited loosely). Then, a stroke of genius (if I do say so myself :). I've had some very nice, high-quality wrapping paper saved for a long time. My Grandmother had wrapped a gift for me in it years ago for one of my wedding showers I think. So I've been hanging onto this wrapping paper for probably about 6 years because I thought it was so beautiful and one day I would come up with a good way to use it. Last night, it hit me. After doing some careful planning, I cut three pieces out of it - an 8x10 and 2 5x7's - and framed them in my trapeze frame and, voila! We have dining room art! This morning I hung the frame with our kitchen clock above it. I'm pretty pleased. You tell me how you think it turned out (it really is level - it just doesn't look it in the picture):

In other news, in the absence of Jamba Juice I have perfected the homemade Razzmatazz smoothie. Here's my recipe, for inquiring minds who want to know :) --

1. Place three handfuls of frozen raspberries in a blender. Let them sit for a little bit to thaw some.
2. Top with a layer of fresh, halved strawberries.
3. Add 1/3-1/2 of a banana, depending on the size, sliced (about 3"-4" of banana).
4. Top with several generous scoops of orange sherbet.
5. Blend well, pour into a 16 oz. glass and enjoy!

One of these days I'll blend just the strawberries and raspberries together and strain out the seeds prior to blending in the rest of the ingredients because it is kind of seedy, but nevertheless it is delicious and tastes pretty darn close to the real thing. No ice necessary. I have not yet come up with any 'Juice Boost' formulas, however :).

And finally, for today's post, I would just like to point out that South Lyon schools were canceled today. Do you want to know why? It's too cold to safely be at school. Do you want to know how cold it has to feel outside (meaning air temp + wind chill) in order for them to cancel school? -30!! That's right. Thirty degrees below zero. You Californians better be relishing that 80-degree weather, keeping in mind it feels 110 degrees colder here. You could practically cook something in 110 degrees!! That's all I have to say about that :).

Adeline’s 18-month Check-up and Meredith’s Dental Emergency

Adeline met her new doctor on Tuesday for her 18-month visit. She did pretty well, all things considered. She was pretty hysterical for a bit. I think she recognized the room from the last visit when she was poked and prodded when she wasn’t feeling well, and when the nurse brought in the cart with the scale on it she totally flipped out. She regrouped after she realized that stethoscopes and scales don’t hurt, though :). She weighs 23 lbs, 13 oz, putting her in the 39th percentile for weight, and she’s 33” tall, putting her in the 82nd percentile for height. She is long and lean :). No shots, just a regular physical and now she doesn’t go back till she’s two! I can’t believe it! She’ll have a little sister by then :). We also learned that she is indeed advanced :). Most children don't put together two-word phrases until at least 2 years of age. Adeline already has several ("No juice", "Bye-bye Daddy", "More please"). Brag brag brag :).

In other medical (sort of) news, I was forced to find a local dentist yesterday when I succumbed to a pregnancy craving: Milk Duds. (“Can I get you anything?” “I’d love some Milk Duds.” “We don’t have any. I could send out for one.” “Oh don’t be silly. If you’re going to send out get a whole box.”) Anyway, while enjoying the aforementioned Duds I managed to pop out a filling. It was one of my rather large fillings from my bottom back molar to take the place of all the tooth I’ve ground away over the years. I actually thought it was an inlay, but I guess my last dentist just put a gigantic filling in my tooth.

Anyway, the loss put a gaping whole in my tooth – basically it was a shell of a tooth with nothing in the middle. I called Alan, crying, expecting I was going to be in a lot of pain soon (it turned out there really wasn’t much pain at all). Alan asked around at the office to find out where people go to the dentist and he found a practice literally 5 minutes away down the street and made an appointment for me for 2:20 yesterday afternoon. I was terribly anxious but had to go by myself so Alan could be home with a sleeping Adeline.

So with much fear and trembling I headed to the dentist not knowing what they were going to do. Being five and a half months pregnant they can’t do x-rays and don’t normally give anesthetic either so I was incredibly nervous, especially given my dental history (what with ending up in the ER from the dentist’s chair and all one time...). But they were all very kind. The dentist listened to me as I related some bad experiences and didn’t chide me for having not been to the dentist in a LONG time. I told him about some other sensitive areas in my teeth and he looked at all of them and gave me options for what we could do that day and left it entirely up to me. He took digital pictures of my teeth with a really cool little camera and showed me on a computer screen up close and personal where the problem spots were.

It turns out the sensitivity continues to be the result of my bruxism. I had not been wearing my bite splint for the last 4 months because it would aggravate my nausea. I just started wearing it again this week, ironically enough. He said the filling that came out in the Milk Dud that I proceeded to crunch on had been cracked and weakened by the grinding and the tough caramel was able to just pull it right out.

He fixed the gaping whole (with porcelain again – still no precious metals in this cavity-free mouth!) and fixed a cosmetic filling I had that fell out last year. (Never got that one fixed because I couldn’t find a dentist thanks to MassHealth and health care being required in the state of Mass... just a little tidbit on why I think universal health care is a terrible idea and will prevent people from being able to find doctors/dentists/etc. and/or see them in a timely manner.) The molar he did without any anesthetic at all. The facial filling he used a tiny bit of epinephrine-free anesthetic and went very slowly and gently so the pain was very manageable. For those of you that know me well you know this was a huge deal to be able to feel anything at all!! But all in all I must say it was a really good experience and I felt very satisfied when I left the office – even though we had to pay out-of-pocket. Thanks to all of you who gave us Christmas money. It paid for my teeth :). Alan and I have cleanings scheduled for next month and I’m actually slightly looking forward to it :).

In other news entirely... Adeline figured out she can walk on her knees. It’s very cute. And Alan’s new day off is Friday! He now has a two-day weekend and will no longer have his days off split up by Sunday each week. This is exciting because it will free up our schedule a bit.

Also exciting, Johanna and William are coming for a visit in about 10 days! Johanna and I are thinking we want to tour the hospitals in the area, talk doula stuff, and I can’t wait to see William and Adeline play together again. Be sure to check back for those pictures!

Okay, this post is long enough. Happy Friday, everyone! :)

Pink Floyd - aka The Mango

I confess that I have not been following this pregnancy as closely as I followed my first. I guess that's probably common in second pregnancies, but it occurred to me today that I don't even really know what's going on with Pink Floyd. So here's a little excerpt from my babycenter.com updates for your reading pleasure:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

I've finally started showing a little and don't feel as silly wearing some maternity clothes now. I'll have to get Alan to take that first belly photo so you all can see it. "What to Expect when You're Expecting" says most belly buttons begin to pop by now, but if you followed my first pregnancy then you know my "belly b" never did pop and, frankly, I'm not expecting it to this time either considering it got a little stretch with #1 ;-).

I've decided to also look into The Bradley Method of birthing. I doubt we'll take a class (they're 12 weeks long and pretty pricey, not to mention we have already done this once before, even completely au naturale :), but I would like to get Dr. Bradley's book. I've read some reviews that said the book helped more than the classes even, so I'm excited about it. We'll likely be having our daughter in a birthing center this time around, too, and I think Bradley fits a little better with that atmosphere.

So that's the latest on the baby front. Well, all of that and it struck me today that we actually will have to name this kiddo. Hmm, should probably consider looking into that :).

More soon.

Happy New Year!

Happy 2009, Everyone!

Last night we went over to my parents' neighbors' house - Ben & Jane's. Some other neighbors were there as well as Jane's mom and a friends of hers. We had a great time. Ben and Jane made a shrimp boil (I ate the potatoes ;-), and there was tons of other food and of course lots of wine (I drank caffeine-free Mug root beer ;-). We played Mexican Train dominoes - I even won two games. Adeline slept downstairs in the Pak-n-Play and did pretty well considering we really messed up her schedule. Now we're up, watching College Game Day on ESPN and awaiting the beginning of the Rose Parade and, later today, the Rose Bowl where our USC Trojans will beat Penn State :). Oh, and look for my cousin playing his French Horn in the Rose Parade Marching Band! Yay, Garrett!

We hope you all had a safe and fun New Year's Eve celebration (and birthday celebration, Beckie! :) We wish a healthy and prosperous new year to all, and FIGHT ON!