Little Lady

I have no idea why my child decided the middle of the kitchen floor would be a good place to eat her morning snack. Whatever works for her, right? But I am glad that she is being a lady about it. Notice her prim and proper position--her legs crossed and mouth closed while she is chewing. Hey, I will take what I can get.

No Will Power

Ever since I stopped working out three days a week, my diet has gone to hell in a hand basket on a jet plane. My gosh. I have eaten cookies and chips and muffins and ice cream. When I was working out, I would limit myself to two Weight Watchers ice cream bars a week (1 point each) and granola bars to curb my sweet tooth when it struck. But this week, oh my gosh. I have really just over did it. I even had Hagen Daaz ice cream. An entire container of Hagen Daaz ice cream. Butter pecan. Oooh, it was so good. That started the decline. I should have kept walking past the freezer section in the store. I didn't.

For the past 2 hours, I have been having an internal struggle over eating the last three (3) peanut butter cookies. If I eat them, I will feel guilty. But I really, really want them. I keep telling myself that if I give in and eat the last three cookies, that could translate into other areas of my life by which I do not exercise self-control.

Really, that is too deep a thought at 8 months pregnant....

I ate the cookies.

Shoud I be sharing this?

Well, I have contemplated all night as to whether or not I should post this information on the blog. It is definitely a T.M.I but it is an accomplishment also. So here we go...

Last night as I was preparing NyCee for bath time, she began to pat her bottom saying, "Ma, poo-boo." So I thought, well she's naked anyway why not put her on the potty? Sure enough, she put poo-boo in the potty. Every time it hit the water, she would clap and say, "Yeah!"

Of course, I congratulated her on this huge accomplishment and told her that she was a big girl for telling mommy that she had to poo-boo and she put it in the potty. Again, she smiled, clapped, and said, "Yeah!" After which, she got off the potty, flushed the toilet, held out her hands saying, "hands." (That means she wants to get her hands washed.)

Ironically, I tried to start working with her on the potty at the beginning of the year. She was doing very well for a couple of weeks then she just stopped. Well, she seems to have gotten her potty mojo back so after her birthday next month, I will start working with her again. I am hoping that she will be potty trained by this summer because buying 2 boxes of diapers a month will be expensive.

Glamour Girl?

No so much! Judging by the outfit, she is definitely NOT headed to the Red Carpet. But the hair is FABULOUS!

Intensity

I hope that NyCee focuses this intensely at the learning center to the lessons being taught as she does when Dora the Explorer comes on TV.

HDTV Snob

If you have never had the privilege (and it is a privilege) to watch a television program in High Definition, you don't know what you are missing.

The HD box on the living room TV died on Saturday evening and we had to use a regular box to watch television. YUCK! 5 days of no HDTV. My dad had to order a new box and we had to wait for the installer to come and connect the box. It was a long 5 days of watching fuzzy TV.

Thankfully, he arrived today because one more day of fuzzy TV was NOT going to work for me.

Expanding

(Warning: Viewer discretion is advised)

Today starts the official countdown to Tyler's birth. I saw the OB for my normal monthly appointment where I was in the waiting room for 45 minutes and spoke with him for about 5 minutes.

He advised that my belly measures the correct size and the baby's heart rate is 160 beats per minute. Good and strong. Well, below are updated photos of Tyler stretching my belly.

Shirt down:

Shirt raised:

When I look at my belly it doesn't appear to be as large and round as when I was pregnant with NyCee. Of course, I was about 40 lighter then too. I also realized that my son must be impacting my ability to count. I posted an entry in which I stated that I was 6 months pregnant and that was just two weeks ago. Well, that can't be right because I am 32 weeks today which would mean I am about 8 months pregnant. So I really have to slow down my daily routine.

I asked my doctor if he would consider inducing my labor to avoid any surprise water breakage or labor pains during an inopportune time. He stated that he would consider it but not until the 39th week or so. As I see it, if he induces my labor, we both know what is going on that day and can plan accordingly. He can go to the golf course for a couple of hours. I can make the necessary arrangements for NyCee. Really, my plan works. Plus, if the labor is induced, I get the drugs early.

You know you are pregnant and ghetto when...

You know you are pregnant and ghetto when you take your mother's car to the service station for an oil change at 830a, whip out a bowl of cereal and a cup of milk, proceed to eat the cereal and follow that up with an apple all while waiting for the technician to finish his work.

Snack Time Sharing?

"I'll eat some of mine."

"Then, some of mommy's."
"Well, mommy doesn't need her yogurt so I will just eat both."
And she ate both containers of yogurt. In fact, she turned them upside down in an attempt to scrape out every drop.

Routine

Evertime we come in the house, NyCee turns to close the door and then begins to remove her winter gear.

First, she unzips her coat,

then, she removes it and takes it straight to the closet,

next, she attempts to "hang" it up,

but sadly, she misses the target each time and begins to cry.

I still think it's cute how at such a young age she recognizes routine. I encourage her to keep trying everytime the coat falls on the floor. Of course, she will not be able to actually hang it for several years, but she is a big girl for trying.

Hats Off!!

I tip my hat to educators everywhere. To my cousin Cari, Mrs. Richards (my niece's teacher) and educators across this great land: GOD LOVE YOU!

I spent a day in my niece's class and I don't have a clue how Mrs. Richards deals with hyper 9 year olds for 6-8 hours a day--especially when each has consumed 6,000lbs of sugar. Oh, my gosh-a-pickles! Being an educator really takes a lot of patience and a call from God.

Thank you to Cari and all those who answered that call and devote their lives to stirring the minds of our children. Hooray to you!

(Side note: It was also interesting to see that Mrs. Richards wears a microphone in the classroom. She turns it on and says, "If you can hear the sound of my voice, please stop talking." Her voice is just above a whisper but sure enough, the kids calmed down and stopped talking. I thought that was pretty cool!)

~~~~~~~~~~~
P.S. My aunt had to remind me that my parents are educators as well. (Oops-a-dinkle, I forgot about them. My dad is an assistant principal of a high shool and my mom teaches math.)

Pouting

I can only assume that due to the cold weather and the early morning hour my child suffered a temporary lapse in her ability to make sound decisions when she boldly stood in defiance and starred at me after I denied her request. As if she were saying, "I am not going to do what you said because you didn't do what I asked."

Needless to say, that lasted for all of about one minute and her ability to make rational decisions returned very quickly.

"Please, somebody make it stop!"

If 750 pounds of snow is not falling from the sky,
then it is 750 degrees below zero.

"Please, somebody make it stop. I plead with you. Please, make it stop!"

This weather is wearing me out!

Pattern

"NyCee, would you like a cup of juice?"
"No."
(A few minutes later)
"Ma, juce peez."
~~~~~~~~~~
"NyCee, would you like a snack?"
"No."
(A few minutes later)
"Ma, snack peez."
~~~~~~~~~~
"NyCee, would you like to sit on the couch with mommy?"
"No."
(A few minutes later)
"Ma, up peez.)
~~~~~~~~~~
"NyCee, would you like to read a book?
"No."
(A few minutes later)
"Ma, book peez."
~~~~~~~~~~
"NyCee, are you ready to eat dinner?"
"No."
(A few minutes later)
"Ma, eat peez."
~~~~~~~~~~
"NyCee, have you finished eating?"
"No."
(A few minutes later)
"Ma, finish."

You get the picture.

Clingy

There are several reasons why I did not plan to have any more children but one of the primary reasons is my concern for how NyCee will adapt to this change. Lately, she has been very clingy and needy. She was like this when she stopped going to daycare and that was understandable as she was at home with me all day. But within the past couple of weeks, I have noticed that she doesn't want to sit in her chair alone and eat her snack. She wants to eat the snack on my lap. Or if I am cooking dinner, she whines, "Up, Peez" constantly. If I walk out of the room, she immediately follows behind and starts whining and crying. I don't understand what is going on with her.

I try to include her, as much as a 22 month old can be included, in the pregnancy. I let her touch my belly when the baby is moving, and she replies, "Baby." I acknowledge her by saying, "Very good. There is a baby in mommy's belly." But I am really very concerned that she will not adapt well to his arrival.

Granted I am not the only woman in society to have children who are two years apart but I don't have a clue how handle both of them at the same time. How do I chose who gets my attention at what time?

10 weeks: Start the Countdown

Well, I am finally in the final 10 weeks of pregnancy. I don't know why doctors lie and say that pregnancy is nine (9) months because it's not. It is 40 weeks--give or take a month or two with five weeks in it--a woman is still pregnant for 40 weeks.

I have heard that every pregnancy is different and I finally believe that to be true. NyCee was very calm in the womb for the most part. She had times when she would dance and play around but nothing like her little brother. Ty bounces, stretches and of course kicks me right in the bladder and holds that position for a good 1 or 2 minutes.

I have not started the countdown for the most obvious reason: Ty's birth. I have started it because going to the doctor once a month is just annoying. I have to sit in the waiting room for about 20 or 25 minutes (and we all know how I feel about that.) Only to be walked back to the patient room where I am weighed (sheer torture), blood pressure taken, urine sample handed off to the nurse, and I wait for the doctor to arrive. He knocks, enters the room, listens to the baby's heart beat, and says, "See you in four weeks." Honestly, I would save time if I could just do that at home and email him the information.

The second part to the countdown begins because this is my last visit for the monthly doctor's appointments. Shortly, I will have to go every two weeks and then every week to sit through the same monotonous routine until Tyler decides to arrive. While I am confident that the visits serve a purpose, I just wish I could figure out how to streamline the process.

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Rule of thumb for today: When you are 6 months pregant, it is not a good idea to try and complete your monthly grocery shopping when it is a blizzard outside and you are hungry. Why? Well, I learned the hard way that shopping carts do NOT roll through snow and 2. I probably spent an extra $67.6 million buying everything I saw because I was hungry. Additionally, I ate several items as I walked up and down each aisle trying to be certain that I did not miss anything on my list.

Biker Babe

NyCee seems to really enjoy "riding" her bike that she received for Christmas. (Notice: it is stationary so all she can do right now, is rock back and forth. I did that intentionally.) Nonetheless, she jumps on her bike everyday and imagines that she is on the open highway. It's actually very cute because she sings and dances while "riding" her bike.

Prior to snapping this shot, she was standing straight up on the seat with her arms in the air shouting, "Hoo-rah!" (I wanted to capture of a photo of that but didn't want her to be startled and fall off the bike.)

Mother and Daughter Day

I decided a few weeks ago that I would set Sundays aside to spend with NyCee and Ty (when he comes along). My reason for this decision is because I have recognized how quickly children grow up and how easy it would be for me to miss it due to work and school and all the other things going on in life. I do not turn on the computer, check emails, attend to school work or any thing else. I try to focus on playing with her and giving her my time and attention.

Yesterday, after church and naptime, NyCee and I enjoyed dinner at Big Boy's Restaurant. (For those of you who are not native Detroiters, I have provided a link for the resturant.) It's not fancy but I recall my parents taking my sisters and I there when we were younger.

As you can see, she enjoyed the slice of banana cream pie we shared. (Several diners in the restaurant spoke of how well she sat up in her chair and ate her dinner and played quietly. You have NO IDEA how good that made me feel.)

After dinner, we settled in to watch the Superbowl. (I am so mad the Patriots let the Giants score a touchdown with 35 seconds left in the game. The Patriots would have had a perfect season-- 17 wins 0 losses. Oh, well) Anyway, I guess NyCee grew bored watching the game because she began playing with my feet. It started when she removed my socks and attempted to place them on her feet. Growing bored with that...

she moved on to putting her baby doll's cups on my feet. That entertained her for quite a while.

All in all, it was a good day and I am glad that I made the decision to have a day for my children. If I start it now, I will be in the habit when I return to work this summer.