Zoo Days

6 vs. 10

(above) I may have splurged just a little bit already. But they weren't expensive and I might be buckin' on a boy. ;) Isn't Anna cute? She's lovin' on her baby! She really wants a little sister. I'd explain to her that statistically speaking she has a 50% chance of getting that sister, but I'm pretty sure she won't understand what I'm saying.

It looks a little like I had a big meal or I'm about to have my period, but hey! I count it. ;)

Fiesta Birthday Party Dream

I had a dream the other night that we were celebrating Anna's 5th birthday and we were having a Dora Fiesta Birthday Party with a taco bar! What a great idea! Why do the best ideas come in dreams? I think I'll have to pull this one off. :) Of course her birthday isn't until November, but I think we can hold off...

9 Weeks 2 Days

How far along? 9 weeks 2 days
Weight gain/loss: Not sure, but last I checked I was 125, so up a few pounds.
Wardrobe? I happily sport maternity pants/shirts whenever I want. They are cozy and add to my meager wardrobe, what can I say? On days that my tummy is especially upset, they are loose enough that I feel like I'm in pajamas, but I'm not and few people in my classes know that I'm actually wearing maternity clothes. I still wear my regular clothes comfortably. Right now I'm not sporting maternity clothing. I'm wearing a purple long sleeve tee and jeans. I'm wearing larger bras now - that's the main difference in sizes. Unfortunately the 34B I bought is still a tad large, but I did find a roomy 34A that was in my drawers that fits nicely. :) I knew I saved it for something!

Stretch marks? Nope.
Sleep? I have strange, vivid dreams and I often wake up when I roll on a sore, swollen boob. I've been going to bed early to avoid nausea, so I've been getting plenty of rest.
Best Anna/Baby moment this week? Anna is insistent that it's a girl baby. When she asks if it's a boy or a girl and I say that I don't know, she says, "No, it's a girl baby!" What will she say if it's a boy?
Gender: Most days I think it's a boy, but I honestly don't feel like I did last pregnancy when I was sure from day 1 (before day 1 to be truthful) that I was having a girl.
Belly button in or out? In. It never went out with Anna, but it got pretty flat.
Movement? Twinges, but nothing I could call quickening quite yet. I first felt quickening at 15 weeks with Anna, so I wonder if it'll be earlier with this one.
Nausea: It's much better than when I was pregnant with Anna, but I do have bad days and good days. I'm taking B6 (50 mg/day) and wearing Sea Bands every day to ward off nausea. So far I think it's working. I mean, things aren't worse and I'm not going to stop for fear that it'll come back again with a vengeance.
What I miss? Energy and the ability to stay awake past 9:00 PM.

First Appointment

Yesterday we had our first appointment for Peanut #2. The midwife said I was measuring right on for my due date (October 25). I was 8 weeks 1 day yesterday and thankfully it was a very comfortable appointment. I have been so nervous and scared... maybe some of my anxiety stems from having TWO kids! And how will I share that love? It seems so impossible at this point, but I don't want this second kiddo to feel left behind, either. I know it's possible somehow. Plenty of parents have two kids (or more). Don't misunderstand me. I love this new kiddo that's on the way, it just... I don't know. I guess it will take time to adjust to this whole new family of ours. Maybe it'll become more real once I get bigger? Or maybe it won't set in until after the baby is born? Well, to keep myself sane, I will try not think about that for now.

Guess What

Today I'm 6 weeks and 5 days along with our second and possibly last. I should try to drink in every second of this pregnancy for that reason. Anna is really excited to be a big sister and Paul is thrilled to have another. So am I, of course. :)

Poor, Abandoned Blog and School's Sucking My Lifeblood from Me

My poor abandoned personal blog! How sad. How alone! I think that it deserves a post, don't you think?

What has life been like lately? Well, as this is our last semester here at NU, it has been nothing short of crazy! By 7:00 AM, we're out the door, trying to get Anna on the bus. We come back and lay in our own filth for an hour or so, then we read! Then classes! Then back to the bus, then home again! I keep looking at the calendar (evil calendar!!!) and all I see are days being crossed off! How can I find enough time in the next three months to write a thesis, conduct an experiment and write a paper for Research Methods, and do it all well? Ack!!! I'm so tired. Graduation will be a total blessing!!! Thank you, Lord! We're almost done!

Interviewing a Four-Year-Old

Do trees talk? No.

Do dolls talk to each other? No.

How are babies born? In your tummy and the doctor.

What does the doctor do? They push the babies out with mommies and they take the babies out.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Um, a doctor.

Really? Uh-huh.

Tell me a princess story. I don't know how to the words.

Who is your best friend at school? Clark.

Why is he your best friend? Because I love him. Because I say bye to him.

What do you like to play on the playground? I like to climb on the slide, but I slip because of the water. There's lots of water on the playground in school.

Do you want a pet? I want a kitty cat and a dog, too. I want two of them.

What would you name your kitty? Etty.

What would you name your doggy? Leo.

What is your favorite thing to do in the summer? I like the summer.

If you're a mom, you know that...

If you're a mom, you know that...

1. Spray n Wash is da bomb.
2. At any given moment, you might have a rock, a pine cone and a dirty tissue in your pocket.
3. Speaking of which, you also know that it really isn't THAT gross to pick your daughter's nose and wipe it on the inside of your pocket.
4. That really isn't spit-up in your hair.
5. Jean sizes aren't written in stone.
6. Mac N Cheese can be made in 150 different ways and they'll STILL eat it!
7. People who whine about TVs being babysitters don't really have children. Either that, or they have nannies - the rich jerks! :P
8. Poop can fly. So can vomit, urine and boogers.
9. "A night to myself" includes sitting in a bathtub in lukewarm water while your little one pounds on the door and yells, "Are you going poop?!"
10. The house is in an almost constant state of chaos... unless company is expected - then you're Martha Stewart and no one is the wiser.

Loving Preschool!

Anna's first day!

Anna loves preschool. She comes home with stories each day and can't wait to get on the bus. I'm so happy that this transition has been so easy for her. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's been harder on mommy and daddy more than anything! Every step of the way, whenever we were anxious, God has made things work out to make us feel comfortable. The bus driver knows our university and is very kind. Anna just went two days this week, but beginning next week, she'll be going four times a week. :)

PRESCHOOL! And Stuff...

A few items of business:

1. Anna starts preschool on Thursday! It's something new and exciting. I think she'll love it. She's so social and doesn't have a lot of playmates at home (for obvious reasons... only child). Tomorrow we have an orientation thing at the school. That should be a fun taste of preschool life for Ms. Anna!

2. Paul and I have started our last fall semester of our undergrad careers! It's... stressful! One week in and we've argued at least once, if not more (we almost never argue... unless stressed). *sigh* We're stressed and professors, so it seems, tend to be cruel and unusual when it comes to dealing out tests and reading and quizzes and papers and EXPERIMENTS (!?!?) to seniors. *head throbs* I just have to keep saying this will all be worth it in May when we finally walk!

3. My mom has been hanging with us for this semester and she's been such a help! I love her a lot. I'm not sure if I'll get to do anything but read psychology text books and stress between now and December, so... au revoir!

2 1/2 Weeks to Go

In two and a half weeks, Paul and I will be beginning our next to last semester here at NU! I'm honestly very nervous. I'm anxious to get things started and I'm anxious about how crazy I know everything will be. Paul and I will both be going to school full time. Thankfully, my mom said she would come for the semester! What a blessing! My mom is a little loopy, but I love her and I think the help will be a huge weight off from our shoulders. :)

More on Running

So, I'm still running. I try to run 4 times a week. My workout partner unfortunately hurt her leg, so now I'm doing it by my lonesome in the school's gym four times a week after my hubby gets home. I know it's slowing my progress. The day she got hurt, we ran for 2.4 miles and it felt great! Now it's hard to do 1 mile. BUT I am now running that 1 mile without stops and quite quickly, too. I've upped the speed on the treadmill to 6.0 (whatever that means) and up to 6.8 (steps per second maybe?). Anyhow I've also added weight training to my repertoire. I'm doing some weight lifting and leg... lifting? I'm really proud of myself for sticking it out for so long. I haven't stuck any exercise regime out since high school. I can tell a difference in my body, too. My abs are tighter. That little pooch under my belly button is almost gone (there wasn't much to begin with, but IT'S NEARLY GONE!) and my thighs and hips (where I gain and hold my weight) are slimmer, which is the very part of my body I've always wanted to tone. That alone makes me feel great. I'm wearing my spandex jogging pants and spandex tank top quite proudly and not feeling ashamed of my butt at all. :) Still needs some work, but I'm feeling confident! I'm also hoping it helps with stress management in the coming (and hectic!) semester. :)

9 months until graduation...!

Win: $100 Safeway GC

Mom Start is giving away a $100 Safeway Gift Certificate! I'm posting that on here because by blogging about it I'm getting 5 extra entries. I'm not ashamed. Being a college student is not friendly to a budget! We could use that extra money! So.... CLICK HERE if you want to go check out that giveaway. :)

Is it cheating that I don't get that many readers??? Hmm...

New Adventure: Running

I've begun to run. I started four days ago - today being the fourth. I've made it up to a mile now, but it's a slow, sad, pathetic, gasping mile. I really had to push myself today. I'm hurting in a lot of new places lol. And I kicked the couch with my pinkie toe and thought I broke it - so that really hurt and made the running a LOT harder to do, but I did it anyway. I'm hoping I pass a point where I stop nearly dying with each run. I'm sure I'll get there. But you know, it really feels good when I'm done running. I haven't run a mile since high school and now I'm doing it again. And I have a goal. What's my goal? I want to be in a shape. And even better than that, I want to be in shape for when we try to have baby #2 next year. I want to be in shape so I can have a better birth. I mean, Anna's was good in some ways. I came in at 3 1/2 cm and didn't feel any contractions. I sometimes wonder if I had gone into labor naturally if things would have been different. I wonder if Anna would have had time to rotate from that posterior position. I wonder if I would have thought, "I'm in labor!" and then when I got to the hospital, I would be like 5 or 6 cm. I would love that for the next one. Plus, I know that being in shape means a better birth. And I want another natural birth - this time no failed epidural - just no epidural at all. I know I can do it now. I have no doubts about what my body can achieve. I actually fear getting an episiotomy more than giving birth. I don't want to take pain meds after birth because of an episiotomy like I did with Anna - the pain meds caused complications that I talked about on this blog once upon a time. I'd like to avoid that altogether. And I'm hoping these changes make that difference. I don't want to be Miss Skinny America. I don't think I even need to lose weight. I was 118 last time I was weighed. I would like to have more muscle and less fat on my tush, though. ;) But really, my goal is to get in shape. If anything else like that happens, well... that's just the cherry on top. I actually have a workout partner now - a college friend. We start together on Sunday. I'm really excited about that! I think it should be fun. :)