Random thoughts

I've been meaning to post some thoughts/comments lately, but haven't had a chance to.  Here is a random walk through my mind.

I really like North Carolina.  I do not miss Massachusetts (although would have liked to have a more traditional fall).  I find NC far more welcoming and open than Boston.  It could be that I am living relatively near Universities (about 20 minutes away, but there are no dorms or cheap college bars around here), but I don't know.

I am happy that, so far, it seems I can safe and fun things for Jeanne, and when she turns 18 months, more educational activities for her to do.

I knew moving here would mean being far away from my family, but now that the fantastic feast holidays are coming, I am feeling it even more.  I am already missing my Aunt's homemade pumpkin pie, my Uncle's gravy, and my Aunt's exquisite  holiday decor.  The housing market being what it is, our Mass home isn't selling, and making it home for the holiday's will be hard.  We are going to try to make it.

I knew leaving with my Master's degree would be something that filled me with relief and haunt me forever for all the time I invested in my research, in the home and just plain driving.  I didn't realize how much I would miss my friends Marla and Christian. 

I didn't plan on explaining to Jeanne what it meant to be pregnant, or that there was a baby within me, as I believed the concept to be to difficult for a 17 month old.  At some point, probably while she was kicking me in play, I told her not to hurt the baby.  This seemed to stick with her, and now, with no real prodding from me, she has started patting my belly and saying 'baby', lifting my shirt to uncover my belly, then resting her head on my belly and giving me a kiss and saying 'baby'.  When I put her in her highchair and buckle her in, she leans forward, hugs my belly, says 'baby' and smiles.  This is all super adorable and I wish I could believe she understood what she was saying and doing.  Either way, I now make sure we always get books about being a big sister from the library.  Just for her to hear more often, and hear stories about babies.
 
I think that's good enough for now.

I have an ultrasound appointment this Wednesday to make sure the internal anatomy is all normal in baby #2, and hopefully find out the sex too.  Hubbers is away, and won't be home until Wednesday night, so you won't find out here until Thursday.  Stay tuned!

Loving one at a time

Jeanne is very particular about when and how she will spend time with someone.  If she has chosen you ('up, up, up, up'), then you are the only person she will let pick her up, she will only read with you, only hold your hand while crossing the street.  This was very obvious when Granmommy was here this past weekend.  Since she hadn't seen her favorite person in a while, only Granmommy would do.  Hubbers nor I could get any hugs or kisses, she didn't want to play with us, and most certainly wouldn't let her grandmother out of her sight!  This was both very adorable and off-putting at the same time. 

I know I spend all day every day with Jeanne, but I still didn't like that she wouldn't even want me to change her diaper. 

Hubbers and I were very, very worried about how Jeanne would react after Granmommy left.  I did not want her to breakdown in tears and not allow hubbers or I to console her after missing her Granmommy.  But, after we dropped my mother off at the airport, Jeanne got to say 'bye-bye', gave two kisses and waved.  As we pulled away, all was fine.  Jeanne loved and hugged hubbers and I all night long, almost as if she missed us as much as we missed her.

There must be a way to show her she can get and give love from more than one person at a time.... Hmm...

We all loved my mothers visit, and wish it could have been longer.

Thanks Mom, for all your help, and all the love time you give our daughter.

I am doing something wrong.

I have been trying to get Jeanne to sleep in her bed all night long.  In the recent past, we would bring her into our bed after her first waking.  Sleeping with Jeanne the first 12 months was really quite nice.  I loved having her little body snuggle deeply into me, being able to rub her back, listen to her breathe and know she was OK.  Sometimes I would wake up to her snuggled into her fathers arm.
  But now, at 17 months ( and really since she was about 12-13 months) she is bigger, longer, and quite the bed hog, not to mention a very light sleeper.  She kicks me all night, I don't mean she moves a bit.  I mean she kicks, really hard, constantly until she falls asleep, which is taking longer and longer these days.  It doesn't help that she refuses to sleep parallel with us, but must be perpendicular.

I have been trying to go into her room, and either rock her or lie on the futon with her until she falls asleep, but she seems onto me, and does her level best to stay awake.  Now, instead of her sleeping on her own more, I do one of two things.
1) stand and rock her for until she falls asleep, which takes about 20-30 minutes a shot, and she wakes 3-5 times a night (up from one)
2) I 'sleep' with her on the futon.  Which really means I don't sleep because I am still lying with Jeanne, and she is still kicking me (always in the stomach, if I put my back to her, she crawls over me to get to my stomach, which is PREGNANT).  Not to mention I am no longer sleeping in my own bed.  I try to move her to her bed once he is asleep, but again, it takes a long time, and she sometimes wakes and 'protests' and the process has to start all over again.

This morning, I brought Jeanne to hubbers at 6 for her morning sippy cup of 'milk' and went to lie back down on the futon.  Only, I was too hungry to go back to sleep.  I had been awake too long through the night and needed to get something in my stomach.

I am doing something wrong.

A(nother) Walk in the Woods

The crew enjoyed a raw fall like day here in North Carolina and took a walk in the woods.  I love how close this park is to us.  It allows us to get outside and away from commercialism quite quickly, and Jeanne just loves to pick up rocks along the way.

That is, when she walks anyway.  But I like feeling her close anyway, and I get random hugs along the way.

A rare photo of us both.

Peek a boo!

It's all work, I tell you, we do NOT have fun in the family!

Two of my three favorite people.

Earlier this weekend

A pair of cuddle bunnies on Saturday morning.

October 20th, Jeanne and I went to the Natural History Museum.

I found it rather difficult to rangle a toddle, keep the stroller and take photos, so you only get to see her eat lunch.  ;)

Halloween

Ug.  My house is full, I mean full of candy.  It was obvious that hubbers remembered Halloween as being an awesome holiday as a kid and I was clearly losing the fight to not buy candy (I won the war on no costume though!).  I saw some young teens a moment ago, and they told me most kids went out last night since the holiday fell on a Sunday...

So much candy....

Not one knock at the door.  Damn I wish I won this fight.

P.S.
Happy Anniversary L and C!

P.P.S.  So sorry I missed your anniversary E and J!

Ignore the text

But check out the image.  It's called a weather bomb, that's what is doing very strange things to the entire east coast.


check out this image

Still uploading old photos

October 13, 2010

 

My cutie in her favorite chair.

 

My cutie giving me the evil eye.

My Rock Star.

These are horrible pictures of us both, but they are the only ones I have of the two of us.