"I Need Help"

These have to be the three hardest words I've ever uttered in my whole life.  And lately, I've been saying them a lot.  Yes, I know I'm 39 weeks pregnant and yes I know I should want people to help me.  But for this self-sufficient, independent girl ..... that's a hard thing to do.  Here's what complicates things.

Last Thursday after sweeping & mopping the downstairs floors (see? independant and stubborn!) my back was really achy.  No big deal.  I worked hard so now I deserve to kick my feet up, read my latest birth book and let my back rest and heal.  Well, rest I did.  Heal I did not.  Throughout the evening that "ache" in my back turned to sharp, shooting pains in my lower back and right hip.  Well, thank goodness for my chiropractor who can fix this, right?  WRONG!  This was Thursday night and I found out via Facebook that their office was closed on Friday.  CLOSED!!!  Now is not the time for them to be closed.  This means I have to wait until Monday!

So Chris massaged my back, we prayed and went to bed.  Friday the ache was still there but not the shooting pain.  And Saturday was more of the same.  Ok ... maybe I can make it 'till Monday.  Oh, so wrong again.  Saturday night we attended a BBQ at a friend's house and because we forgot to bring chairs along (thank you pregnancy brain), I ended up sitting on their picnic bench for a few hours.  A hard, wooden, non-forgiving picnic bench.  Re-enter sharp, shooting pain.  Except this time it was worse!  Way way worse!  I informed Chris we needed to leave and as I literally limped to the van I prayed one prayer.  "Dear Lord, please don't let me go into labor!"

Chris again massaged my back, applied heat, we prayed and went to bed in hopes that it would again feel better in the morning.  But apparently I'd really done it this time and those delightful shooting pains were still present Sunday morning, reminding me again and again that I should NEVER mop the floor when I'm 38 weeks pregnant!  Hear that pregnant mamas??  DON'T MOP THE FLOOR!!!  You can live with the dirt!

So I limped through the house eating what breakfast I could and getting myself ready for church.  And the whole drive there I'm just praying no one asks me "How are you feeling?" because they definitely would have gotten a whole sob story they never wanted to hear!  Fortunately we made it through the morning without any comments on how big I was was or questions on how I felt.  This is rare, my friends.  Rare.

I limped back to the van, drove home and pretty much sat on my rump the whole rest of the day.  And here's where the whole "I need help" thing comes in.  I asked for help with everything from cooking meals, to caring for my son to getting out of the chair.  And I asked not because I wanted to.  I NEEDED to.  I physically couldn't do the tasks that I so commonly do every day.  Very very frustrating.  But I am so thankful for an amazing husband who willingly changes diapers, cooks supper and rubs my back.  I seriously couldn't do this without him!!

So today I went to see my chiropractor.  He scolded me for mopping the floor.  I scolded him for being closed on Friday.  And he half-adjusted me.  Because my back has been so "jacked up" for this many days, it barely budged.  Fantastic.  So although I feel somewhat better, my lower back is still achy and sore.  I go back in later this week to have him work on it again.  And I'm still praying I don't go into labor until this is resolved.

Big Boy and a Baby

A few weeks ago we got together with our very talented friend Brent from BK Photography and took some 2 year pictures of my big boy and a few maternity shots too.  Enjoy!

You know you're 9 months pregnant when ....

First of all, I just have to say that I LOVE being pregnant.  This is by no means a pity-party, poor pregnant me post.  But at this stage in pregnancy, there are some things that just make me laugh ... or cry ... or just shake my head.  Here's a few of my observations.

You know you're 9 months pregnant when .....

• Rolling over in bed is something you no longer take for granted.
• You can locate the nearest restroom from wherever you are standing ... at anytime!
• You can't trust a sneeze ... ever.
• People stop looking at you with the "oh, she's so beautiful carrying new life" look. Instead you get the wide-eyed look of panic. As in "Holy cow, she's huge!" or "Dear God, I hope she doesn't have that baby here".
• You have the baby's routine almost memorized.  Early morning: stretches.  Afternoon: A few good jabs to the bladder.  Evening: hiccups.  Always hiccups.
• You don't have to have a reason for being tired and/or sweaty. Overall this summer hasn't been bad with the heat, but when everyone else in my house is comfortable, I'm stripping off clothes and sweating like I just came out of a sauna! And going to the zoo for a hour or two in the morning is enough to warrant a nap for the rest of the afternoon.
• You are now becoming best friends with your chiropractor.  I seriously don't know how pregnant women make it 9 months without chiropractic care.  I would be a laid-up, whining, serisouly in pain mess by now if it weren't for Dr. Marsh.
• Wearing clothes is totally annoying and no longer a necessity when at home.  Although I'll add that it is handy to have a pair of pants nearby, just in case your neighbor girl decides to knock on your door and return your casserole dish while you're in your non-clothes-wearing mood.  You know, hypothetically speaking.  It could happen.
• You actually having nothing to wear.  So you wear .... wait for it .... nothing (see previous point).  I'm down to 1 pair of shorts and 1 pair of capris and just a handful of shirts that fit this ever expanding belly.  So to those of you who see me on a regular basis, I apologize for the monotony in my wardrobe.  But these are the days that I'm glad I'm not working where I would feel the need to wear something cute, appropriate & different for work every day.  Now I just sport my one pair of shorts and rotate between the four shirts that fit.  It's functional and that's all that matters!

I'm 37 weeks now, so knowing there's an end in sight makes all of these little pregnancy quirks a bit easier to handle.  But it's really a small price to pay to have the privilege and honor and carrying this new little life.  And even though strangers at the grocery store see my giant belly as a ticking time bomb, I still see it as beautiful and I love it!!

Bye Bye Crib

Oh what a happy and sad day.  Today the crib was taken down to make room for the NEW big boy bed!  With baby coming in about a month or so, we figured now would be a good time to switch Brooks over to a big boy bed while I still have patience and an adequate amount of sleep to help him through the transition.  So on Friday night we went shopping for beds!

The boys had lots of fun trying them out.  And just a side note: it's really easy to lose a 2 year old in a furniture store filled with countless beds, chairs, tables, etc.

We decided on a mattress and the next day went to Target to buy some special sheets for the big boy! His choice? WoodyBuzz of course! (That would be Toy Story to everyone else in the world, but in our house .... it's WoodyBuzz.) So that night we set up the big boy bed and took down the crib. ::sniff sniff:: As proud as I am that our son is growing up to be such a handsome and wonderful little boy, it makes me kinda sad that this little person who I was certain would be my "baby" forever ...... is no longer my baby.

And how did Brooks handle this transition? Like everything else in life, better than I expected. We said "bye bye" to the crib and he even helped Daddy take it down.

So bye bye crib and HELLO big boy bed!!

And how did he actually do sleeping in that big boy bed??  Well, we followed our usual bedtime routine: touchie (aka pacifier), bedtime prayer & kisses.  All went well until we actually left the room.  Then he started crying.  And my heart started breaking.  Oh my baby!  He's not ready for this!! 

But Chris went in and laid down with him for a while, sang some songs and then all was quiet.  And when I peeked in on him later (one of many times) I found him sleeping ... in his bed!  And he slept all night.  Ok, I guess he was ready for the big boy bed after all.

Now, nap time the next day was a different story.  Mr. "I'm not really tired" discovered he could get OUT of his bed and play with all those really fun toys in his room.  But after a few smallish battles, he did finally sleep, half on the bed, half on the floor.  And so Chris and I gave each other the "this will get better" pep talk, knowing that this really is the best time for this transition to happen.  And sure enough, bedtime came around again last night, and without even a whimper, Brooks crawled into his bed, laid down and went to sleep!!  What a big boy!

Baby Bump - 35 weeks

Whew, that baby is sure getting big.  And believe me, I am fully aware of my size every time I *try* to roll over in bed, or attempt to get up off the floor after playing cars with Brooks.  I can honestly say that I love being pregnant though - even though I'm in my last month of pregnancy and it's been crazy hot here the last few weeks.  I figure I'm only going to be pregnant for a short time in my life and I better enjoy it while I can. 

Here are some pregnancy related highlights to catch you up on what's going on:

•  This baby really doesn't have a nickname.  Once upon a time we called him/her "guy", but that seemed to confuse people.  "Oh, so you're having a boy?"  Um, no we just picked the name at random - we don't know what we're having.  And since Brooks just refers to my growing bump as "baby", that's what we do too.
• This baby has been sitting WAY lower than Brooks ever did.  In fact, at this point in my pregnancy with Brooks I was icing my ribs after work everyday because he decided that shoving his butt under my rib cage was grand ol' fun.  Not this kiddo.  He's made a comfy little nest right on top of my bladder and pressing against my lower back/hips.
• Because of baby's position, I have had persistent lower back & hip pain.  All I can say is THANK YOU Dr. Marsh!!!  My chiropractor has allowed me to sleep well at night, sit & stand without constant pain and pretty much allowed me to enjoy this summer with my boy!  And with just a few weeks left until D-day, I'm seeing him on a weekly basis.
• Probably the most interesting thing about this kiddo is how much he/she moves.  And I'm not just talking about kicks and stretches.  Oh no.  This baby will start breach, flip to transverse and land head down .... all in the same day!!  Only to repeat this pattern the next day.  And the day after that.  And the day after that.  This has been going on for weeks ... probably months.  Even my midwife and chiropractor are amazed at how much this kiddo is still (literally) flipping around inside.  I'm just praying real hard that baby decides to end this gymnastics routine soon and will eventually land in the head down position - oh and not tangled up in the umbilical cord!
• We're working harder on preparing for birth now.  We're doing relaxation on a regular basis and have even done a labor rehearsal in our living room.  And I'm so impressed by my husband because he's been the one to initiate most of these preparations.  I teach this stuff for a living, but he's still reminding me to eat my eggs every day (because I totally forget otherwise), and practice relaxation and to keep doing my kegels and pelvic rocks.  He's such a fantastic husband and labor coach and the best daddy our kids could ever hope for!!! 

That's about it.  I have a feeling these last five weeks or so are going to go by really fast and really slow at the same time.  I'm just tyring to enjoy my last few days being pregnant before we become a family of four!!!

Road Trip

Last week Brooks and I road-tripped to my parent's house in Green Bay.  It was 8 hours of driving, but Brooks was an awesome rider!  I suppose it helped that I had packed a whole arsenal of car-friendly activities - crayons & paper, books, toys, lots of kid music and the lifesaver of it all .... the portable DVD player!!  Brooks LOVED seeing his Grandma Marty and Papa Dave!!!  And they sure loved having him around too.

Thursday we took a trip to Door County and visited The Farm.  This has to be the coolest petting zoo ever!  Baby goats, sheep, chicks & kittens were just wandering around, waiting to be fed and held.  And we did both!  My Aunt Rose lives right in Sturgeon Bay so she came along for the fun too!

This goat loved Grandma Marty :)

Since Chris is terribly allergic to cats, I had to take advantage of holding kitties while I could!

Friday we ventured out to Bay Beach amusement park.  We went last year, but since Brooks was so little he wasn't able to ride many of the rides.  But this year he could go all by himself!  What a big boy.  And despite my fears that he would scream during the whole ride, he LOVED them!

Captain Brooks!

Brooks riding the zebra on the carousel

Riding the train with Papa Dave



The weather on Thursday and Friday was awesome!!  Then on Saturday the heat and humidity came.  Quite a few of my mom's brothers and sisters came for the afternoon to visit.  It was nice chatting with them, but while they were all sitting in the hot stuffy kitchen, Brooks, Papa Dave and I snuck out for a little pool time.  Ok, so only Brooks swam, but I stuck my feet in the pool and Brooks splashed Papa Dave enough that he might as well have gotten in :)

I love this kid!

We had so much fun and it was really hard to say good-bye!  But we're looking forward to seeing them again in just a few weeks after baby arrives!

4th of July Randomness

Ok, so almost a week later I'll post some pictures and happenings from last weekend.  We're still in the process of unpacking and cleaning everything in this old, not-clean-at-all house that we just moved into.  So needless to say, blogging has been at the bottom of my to-do list.

But we did have fun last weekend ... eventually.  Here's what I mean.

Friday night I'm looking through the paper and lo and behold, there's a 4th of July parade this weekend.  Fantastic!  Firetrucks, marching bands, free candy ... what's not to love.  So Saturday morning after breakfast (which is around 10am) we quick throw on some clothes (because no one has bothered to shower by this point), put on our shoes, pack a quick toddler survival bag (snacks, water, sunscreen, more snacks) and headed downtown.  The whole time we were talking up this awesome parade to Brooks and boy was this kid excited to see a firetruck!  We were running a bit late, but we actually found a parking spot, pulled out the stroller, and started speedwalking the two blocks to the parade route.  We rushed up to 6th street to be welcomed by ...... no one.  There was no one on the street.  No people.  No firetrucks.  No candy.  No marching bands.  Um, what?  So Chris pulled out his phone and looked it up.  Sure enough.  The parade was on MONDAY.  Not Saturday.  Oh, and did I mention that I texted a friend of mine that morning too to meet us at the parade.  Talk about feeling like a schmuck!

So I apologized profusely to my friend for my inability to read a calendar and started the walk back to the van.  Brooks needless to say was quite disappointed.  But as a loving mother who hates to see my kid sad (especially when I caused it) tried to cheer him up.

Brooks:  (sad) Parade?  Firetruck?
Me:  Sorry buddy, no parade.  But look, there's a water fountain!
Brooks:  (excited)  Water!! Touch water!
Me:  No, sorry you can't touch the water.
Brooks:  (crying)  Touch water!
Me:  No you can't touch the water.  Look, there's a puppy
Brooks:  (cheered up)  Puppy!  Puppy!  Pet puppy.
Me:  No, that's not our puppy.  You can't pet it.
Brooks:  (more cyring)  Puppy!!!

And so the morning went.  Yeah, I was pretty much the world's worst mom.  I was considering giving him some candy, just so I could take it away.

Anyway, we came home, had lunch and put Brooks down for a nap.  I still felt bad about the morning's events, so in an attempt to make it up to him we decided to go swimming after he woke up.  So around 4pm we put on swimsuits, sunscreen, grabbed the towels and the toddler survival bag and headed to the pool.  We swam for about half an hour when they blew the whistle and closed the pool .... for an hour!  Boy I sure was batting 1000 today.  Fortunatley Brooks can't tell time and that 30 minutes must have seemed longer to him because he was ok with leaving the pool.

We went home, changed and went out to Qdoba for supper, because this awesome day also happened to be our anniversary.  Happy anniversary to us!  The upside of the day was that after supper we took a random trip to Target.  You know the "we don't really need anything, but since we have nothing else to do let's go to Target" kind of trip.  And Chris found a new grill for 50% off!  Which was great since ours died just a few days prior.  I'll post pics of that later.

(here's where the fun really picks up)  Saturday night our friend Tyler calls us.

Tyler: I'm sure you guys already have plans for the weekend, but we're heading to my uncle's cabin on a lake tomorrow after church if you want to come.
Me:  Actually, we're pretty lame and have no plans.  Sounds like fun.  We're in!!

And so we did.  We went camping overnight Sunday into Monday and had a BLAST!!  It was so nice to get away and relax. 

This whole barn was renovated into a cabin.  Pretty cool, huh?

We rode 4-wheelers (and by "we" I mean everyone but me.  Bumpy trail rides + lots of already occuring Braxton Hicks would not have been a good combination.)

played games

and had a ton of fun playing outside.  2 acres of open grass and a 2 year old boy??  Yeah, he had fun.

That night the boys blew stuff up for a couple of hours .... it was a lot of fun. 

The next day we decided to go canoeing.

yeah, I know I look goofy.

We paddled out to an island in the middle of the lake to have a picnic.  Going out was easy because we were going with the wind.  Coming back ..... well, that was a different story.  Let's just say that all marriage retreats should include a canoe trip with your spouse.  Chris was a trooper because there were many times when my arms were so tired I just couldn't paddle anymore.

And what did Brooks think of it?

Well, despite the fact that he could barely see up over the canoe and he could hardly move in his oversized life jacket, he had a really good time.  On the way home, all he talked about was the "blue canoe" and going for a ride on the water.

So despite the rough start to our weekend, it ended well and we have a lot of great memories from it.