This Little Light of Mine

One of Allison's new favorite things to do is participate in songs. Last night she 'sang' along to This Little Light of Mine. Gotta love her enthusiasm! Don't be afraid to hit play. I had Frank sing instead of me, since I cant even carry a simple children's tune. :)

Thank you, Aunt Susan!

As I mentioned in my last post, Allison's second birthday is next week. My Aunt Susan knew EXACTLY what she needed - two Texas A&M t-shirts! I let her wear one of them yesterday, and she looked so cute that I had to grab the camera.

Aunt Susan, thank you so much for the perfect gift! We love it! But you don't have to take my word for it... Allison will tell you herself. Love you!

Please turn!

Two weeks ago at my OB check, I was informed that the baby is laying in the 'transverse' position which means she is laying across my belly. I had another OB check today, and was disappointed to find out that she has definitely not moved yet. The doctor was positive that she felt her head on my left side and a pair of feet on the right. I'll be 34 weeks in a couple of days, and I'm told that babies run out of room to change positions by 37 weeks.

If she still hasn't moved by my 37 week appointment, they will schedule an ultrasound to determine her exact positioning. Then I have to decide if I want them to try to turn her by using a technique called an 'external version' or just schedule a c-section. Honestly, I don't want either. I haven't heard good things about the external version, and I REALLY don't want a c-section! Since I don't consider either of them good options, I'm just hoping she'll go ahead and make the move very soon. I'm trying not to stress about it, because in the end we have a healthy little girl, but I can't seem to stop worrying.

That's all. Just thought I'd share.

Where are you, water?

I usually start a blog post with a least a vague mental outline of the things I want to share, but in this case I'm blogging simply because it's been a long time since my last post, and also because I know I won't have much quiet time to myself in the very near future. For a very long time now, I've had nothing but myself to blame for a lack of posting. Yes, life is busy and there are always other things I could be doing that are productive, but in the end the truth is that I hate writing and always have. The subject is irrelevant. I would much rather express myself through conversation because I feel like I can make my point more effectively and certainly in less time. But here I am anyway, because I desperately want to remember these days exactly for what they are. Since I also have a serious aversion to scrap-booking this is the only other way I can think of to "easily" document my life as a parent, and to one day give my kids a glimpse into their childhood. (Side note: I know MANY women who love to scrap-book, and I applaud you. You do amazing work and I am always jealous of your neat, organized, and artsy books of your kids. I just have NO patience for that much detail. But if anyone wants to make one FOR me... :))

There is no other way to describe Allison right now, than to say that she is just too stinkin' cute. She is talking almost non-stop, and she is finding new ways to use her words daily! I'm totally amazed by her. I just watched a video I took of her a year ago when she had just started walking, and she was just a babbling little baby. Now, Allison will be turning two in less than two weeks!! I can't believe how much she's changed!

I've been trying to teach her to answer the question 'how old are you?' for about a week, but I think the concept of age is totally lost on her. I hold up my two fingers to represent the number, and she thinks that is fantastic. She isn't able to do it with her hand for some reason, so she just bends fingers at random (looking more like a claw) and yells 'TWO!'. See what I mean by cute??

I think talking with Allison is my new favorite thing. She speaks mainly in phrases now, and I'm still not used to it. I actually have to pay attention when she talks now to figure out what she's trying to communicate instead of assuming that it's just baby babble like it was just 6 months ago. Some of her most used phrases are:

I see a ___. (could be anything from an airplane to a ladybug)
what are you doing?
where are you going or where did #name go?
more ___ .
no, mine! (we are working to extinguish that one!)
good morning, Mama. (one of my favorites)
here you go!
Thank you, welcome!
I don't see 'em.
There he/she is!
I don't know.
Ready, set, go!
What's this?
See you later!

She also addresses me specifically when she talks, and I'm not sure where she learned that. For example, she will say 'thank you, mama', 'ready, mama', or 'more crackers, mama'. It's the sweetest thing, and I love it!

Frank and I made a trip to Borders a couple weeks ago so that everyone in the family could get a new book. Allison made it out with 'Goodnight Moon'. Great book! I'm sure most of you know it, but the whole book is about a bunny going to bed and he is saying goodnight to everything in his room. Last week I told Allison it was nap-time so she ran to her room and sat on her bed facing all of her stuffed animals. The next thing I hear is 'night pillow, night baby, night bear, night sheep, night Tasha (Backyardigans stuffed toy), night mama, night Maggie, night book...'. I called Frank and asked if he taught her that, but no, she had decided to apply the book to her nap all on her own. I love her imagination!

Here are some pictures of our trip to the zoo that was almost two months ago. Frank and I were convinced that she would love seeing the animals, but in reality, she just wanted to run free around the zoo. She seemed mostly irritated when we'd stop her to show her an exhibit, so in the end we just let her run. She had a blast!













The rest of these pictures are pretty random, but you'll notice that most of them are outside and involve water in some way. Frank taught her how to water the tree in our backyard, so that has become almost a daily task for them that I'm pretty sure she looks forward to all day. We also go and swim at her Aunt Amy's house every couple of weeks.



























I'll leave you with few more pictures and a cute video of Allison. She loves to brush her teeth and wash her hands which we did after our trip to the park last week. I was trying to get her to talk so everyone could hear her sweet voice, but of course kids never perform. Notice, though, that when I ask her to say 'I love you, mama' she instead says 'love, Papa'. Lately, my dad has been the only one she will say that she loves, and it's true that he's her favorite person in the world. We can't figure out what he did to win her affections, but she is totally sold!

Pregnancy News

Not much has been going on at our house lately. We made a trip to the zoo with Allison for the first time, got the nursery ready, got another sonogram, and have been enjoying more and more time outside since the weather has warmed up.

I feel guilty, though for my lack of documentation on this pregnancy. Last time, I felt consumed by it. Every day I wanted to know how Allison was developing inside me, and what fruit to compare her to that week. I even kept a ruler in my desk drawer at work so I could draw a line on a sheet of paper the exact length of my baby so I could gawk at her size. This pregnancy I will occasionally look up what is developing from week to week, but that's it. This child is loved - don't get me wrong - but the process is so different the second time around.

Just to be sure I don't make it this whole pregnancy without any notes, here is what's currently going on. For one, she is still a 'she'! We had another sonogram a couple weeks ago, that was done at a sonography school by a girl I used to work with. Yay for free sonograms! They confirmed that she was in fact a girl, so I could rest easy knowing I was fully prepared. The week before our second look at her my OB scared me when we had a conversation that went like this:

OB: Do you know what you're having?
K: Yes, it's a girl.
OB: (Pauses, looks at his chart) Who told you that?
K: Um, the lady who did our 18 week sonogram.
OB: Huh, ok. Well congratulations.

At that point a nurse walked in and we moved onto another topic before I could circle back to find out why he seemed so uncertain. Pregnancy brain kept me from remembering the conversation at all until after I was half-way home.

So anyway, we got our sonogram, and they attempted to take some 3D pics of her, but her head is super low and pressed up against the placenta, so none of the pictures came out very clear. We did see that she already sucks on her fingers, though which is really cute. I'd be happy to have another thumb-sucker like Allison. The baby is measuring about 7-10 days small, but that's fine by me. She can grow after she gets out! She kicks almost non-stop, and sometimes it actually feels like she's trying to dig her way out (which is super uncomfortable!). And because of how low she is, my bladder is almost non-existent. I'm making 3-4 trips to the bathroom each night now, which is really cutting into my sleep. I told Frank last night that it felt silly to even flush anymore since I am basically doing the equivalent of spitting in the toilet. Sorry if that's TMI!

I believe we have finally settled on her full name, but that is still subject to change. As I mentioned before, we will be keeping it a surprise until she is born. Again, her due date is July 7th (my brother-in-laws birthday), but I'm really crossing my fingers that she will come in late June. I've decided not to induce this time, unless she goes past her due date, so waiting on her will be a new experience for me.

I've read a lot lately about birth plans that people have put together, and it's just another reminder of how NOT type-A I am. I'm an organizer and a planner, but that's where it ends for me. Here's my 'birth plan' (the extended version).

1. Keep the baby safe.
2. I better not feel anything!
3. By anything, I mean NOTHING.

You see, I worked in the labor and delivery wing of a hospital for a semester as part of a co-op program in high school my senior year. I saw a lot of births, and it was at that point that I started subconsciously deciding my own path during delivery. I wasn't even allowed to watch the natural births for some reason, but that was fine by me. Hearing the screaming all the way down the hall was all the exposure I needed. I will never understand it, but I will give a bravery badge to anyone who goes through it. I would need a lot more than a badge, though. Maybe a new car waiting for me in the parking lot - and it better have a HUGE bow on it!

I never wrote out my birth experience with Allison, although I still remember it like it was yesterday. It was seriously the best day of my life, and that's the kind of experience I want to capture again if possible.

On June 5, 2008 we checked into the hospital around 6am. By 7am I was signed in, changed into the hospital gown, and hooked up to the IV which was dripping pitocin to induce labor. When I got there I was already 3cm/100%, so I had a slight start on my own. I don't remember feeling any pain other than some slight cramping sensations around 9am. At that point I wanted the epidural because, if you reference the birth plan you'll see I didn't want to feel anything. I was terrified of the large needle used in the epidural, and I remember trembling in fear (and because I was freezing as a result of all the fluids they were pumping in me to stay hydrated). The nurse warned me before the part that is supposedly the worst, so I tensed up and gritted my teeth but never felt anything. About 15 seconds later I was still dying from anticipation, but she was already done and I never felt it! Almost immediately I felt this amazing warmth rush through me. My toes were no longer icy, I could feel my fingers, and there was no more cramping. Heaven! But, to be honest (and gross) the BEST part was getting a catheter! I know, TMI. But, for the first time in MONTHS I didn't feel like I had to pee!! Like I said, it was Heaven!! After that we had some family visit in between my cozy warm naps, and by 2:45pm it was time to push. The doctor came in to check on me before we got started, and he told me it usually takes around an hour of pushing, so he wanted to leave me in the able hands of the nurses until we got closer to the actual delivery. I believe I pushed about 3 times before they had to call him back in to deliver Allison. Then, the funniest thing happened. The sweet nurse who was there to care for Allison when she came out was standing behind my OB, and right when I'm told to push she whips a bite-sized Snickers out of her pocket and holds it out to Allison who has yet to make her appearance and says in a playful voice 'Come and get the Snickers!'. We were all laughing so hard that I wasn't even able to concentrate on pushing. I'll never forget that! Allison was born one push or so later at 3:14pm. After that it all flows together in my mind, but like I said - it was the most fun, beautiful, best day of my life.

I can't wait to meet my next baby girl and introduce her to her wonderful big sister. God's been so good to us!

Salon Barnett

I've been in the spirit to save money lately. Having another baby will do that to you! So to stay in line with my budgeting goals I opted to cut Allison's hair myself. Equipped with a nice pair of scissors borrowed from a neighbor, I set to work.

I left Allison in her high chair after dinner last night, and rolled it closer to the TV as a distraction. While she enjoyed an 'Elmo's World' segment on drums, I wet down her hair and combed it the best I could so I could make a plan. She was pretty squirmy, and didn't want me touching her so I had to have Frank hold her head still. First, I made a few snips in the front to shorten her bangs that were hanging in her eyes. Then I focused my attention on the mullet she had grown in the back. I don't know why the back and top of her hair grows so fast, and the sides seem content to stay at a nice slow pace! Oh well.

I ended up cutting over an inch off the back, which helped even out some natural layers that she had. I have a new respect for people who cut hair well. Who knew cutting a straight line was so hard?? I never got it perfect (or very close), but her hair is a little wild anyway so no one will notice. She certainly doesn't care!

Here is a 'before' picture. I forgot to take a real one, but this is from a few weeks ago.



Here is the final result! Cute, right??

She's looking out the window here, because it was thundering and she wanted to see what 'BOOM' looked like. =)

Allison has Moved!

Another month, another blog post. =)

Friday night a week ago Allison spent her first night away from me, and bunked at my parents house (just 20 minutes away). We never intentionally set out to keep her with us at bedtime, but it just kind of worked out that way, and I was happy because I prefer to have her around. She had a great time with Grandma and Papa, and even slept through the night in her tent! They are already asking to book the next slumber party, so she must have played nice. We planned this mostly because Allison will be spending a few days with family while I'm in the hospital this summer, and I don't want that to be her first time away in the midst of so many other changes. Hopefully we'll be able to schedule a few more of these practice runs before baby number two gets here!

We spent our free night painting Allison's room a very sweet lavender, and hanging a ceiling fan, so she could officially move in. I had totally planned to paint with Frank the whole time, but he politely took my brush and shooed me out of the room after about twenty minutes of painting. It was very cute and sweet that he was so concerned about me being in the fumes while pregnant. Plus I think he just wanted to serve me, and be the hero - which he was! I sat down on the couch and caught up on some great DVR material with a cup of hot chocolate, and peeked in every so often to see progress. At ten, I was exhausted and retired to bed, but I left instructions with Frank not to stay up too late. He came to bed around midnight, but finished the whole room by himself! He is an excellent painter by the way. I wouldn't leave that job in his hands if he wasn't even more of a perfectionist than I am! I wasn't aware of this trait when we married, but it has served me well. Now every room in my house (including the laundry room) has paint on the walls. I think Frank is glad he's done!

The following Sunday we let Allison take her first nap in her new room, and she did great! She never got out of her bed, and there was minimal crying before she crashed for a 3 hour nap. My initial plan had been to let her only nap in there for about a week, just to give her time to adjust, but after that performance we threw all our chips in and let her spend Sunday night in there, too. I was nervous because I had wanted to buy her a nightlight first, assuming she would be scared if she couldn't see well, but Frank gave me the 'you're over-mothering' look so I dropped it. He was right of course - she didn't care one bit. She slept through the night, and got up at her normal time. I'm so amazed at how well she adjusts to new things, and it makes me think I should challenge her more often, because she's obviously up to it.

I think it was Tuesday when she had her first problem napping in her new room. For some reason she just wasn't tired enough to go to sleep so THREE times I went in her room to find that she had piled literally everything into her bed that wasn't nailed to the floor. Each time I walked in she would proudly yell 'hi!' as she sat on the stash of stuff she had accumulated. The third time I cleaned it up (well over an hour after I had initially put her down), I decided that it just wasn't working so I put her in front of the TV (go mom!) to wind down a bit more, while I cleaned the kitchen. By the time I finished that and put away some laundry I found her crashed on the couch. It was easy to move her to her room where she took a really long nap (thank goodness!). Until today she hadn't repeated the piling, but I expect that's just something I'll have to deal with from time to time.

Sitting on everything she owns.

Not a thing left out!

She crashed hard after all that work!

The final step to move her to that room seems to really cause me to see her as a little girl now. It doesn't help anything that she knows a few hundred words now, and is communicating like crazy. I'm shocked at some of the stuff she knows, and how she manages to use it in context. Some of her favorite phrases are 'here you go', 'I don't know', 'oh man!' (thanks Swiper), and 'all done'. She has also learned colors using her crayons. Strange enough, white is her favorite! That one doesn't even show up when you use it! She can identify and say white, yellow, pink, red, purple, orange, and sometimes blue and green. This one really stunned me - she can identify letters A,S,C,B, and L most of the time, but she can also find them on a keyboard fairly consistently. I didn't set out to teach her that, she just likes letters! Side note about letters - she got multi-colored alphabet fridge magnets for Christmas that she loves. The weird thing is that she has a habit of taking the four orange letters out of the mix and moving them to the hearth next to our fireplace. No other color gets this kind of attention for her. And just as soon as I move them back to the fridge they end up on the hearth within the hour. I'm hoping she's suggesting we burn the orange letters, and not showing a preference for the color since we've already discussed that she's only allowed to go to A&M. After all, orange is the color that makes Jesus cry. =)

One of my favorite things is to hear her sing along to songs. We often played her a lullaby from Backyardigans on the Viking Voyage episode where the vikings sing the mermaid to sleep, and she loves it! She throws in a bunch of the words while it's playing, and we'll often hear her saying it herself alone. She also sings the 'clean up' song. (Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere! Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share!) Her version sounds like this: Eee-mma, Eee-mma, eevvbody. Then she trails off and starts over. It's SO adorable!

My other favorite thing is that she can finally say her own name: "Al-sin". She likes to point to pictures of herself and tell me who it is. I can't get her to understand that Allison is a name, though. Every time I ask her what her name is, she will point to her neck and say 'name!' (obviously confusing neck and name). We'll get there. :)

Dancing on Daddy's feet!

First time going out for yogurt with mom and dad.

Having fun at cousin Carter's birthday party!

Peek-a-boo!