Time for Another Poll!

Yesterday, I visited Dr. T for my 37 week appointment. Everything's still hunky dory. I lost a pound (again), and I can't tell you how much that continues to surprise me. With Madeline, I gained 35 pounds. I've gained 18 with this one. Weird.

Anyway, Dr. T says David's ripe for the picking whenever he gets good and ready. It may not surprise you to know that I'm good and ready. She mentioned induction if he's not here by the 17th, and I'm good with that.

There have, however, been some predictions made that he might arrive before then. Dan's one of the soothsayers making these predictions. I'm not sure if he's basing it on my size, my BH contractions, the fact that I can barely move, or if it's wishful thinking on his part. I wouldn't blame him. I'm a mess. Just imagine that Medusa as a character in The Bell Jar.

We'd love to know what you think! There's a poll on the right. When do you think Baby David will grace us with his presence?

Playground Etiquette?

Part of me wanted to title this post, "Here I Go Again."
Welcome to another episode of, "Is it just ME???"

First, I want to clarify something. I am still in the South, right? You know, the South where people are noted for having better manners than anywhere else in the world. I still live there, don't I?

Maybe it's because I didn't spend a lot of time on playgrounds when I was a kid. You see, my mom was convinced that if she took me out and let me play in public parks and such places, that two things might happen: 1. I might bump into something, and since I was obviously made of very rare and precious glass, that might cause me to get scratched or chipped in some way. 2. Another child who had a dirty face or dirty hands might come within 10 feet of me, which would be the cause of a natural disaster such as the world has never seen, such as the sky bursting into flames or all the lakes and rivers drying up at once.
Anyway, I'm thinking perhaps that might be the reason I'm so unschooled in public playground etiquette.

I just sort of assumed that the same rules for common courtesy would apply there as anywhere else.
I didn't know that it was OK for one mom to block a play area with her body so that only her own children could play there. But, sure enough, I witnessed this behavior earlier this week when I took Madeline to the park.

I've seen a dad let his much older children take over the "little" playground where there were several toddlers enjoying themselves, without even a warning that there were little kids and they might need to be careful. So, of course, they weren't.

I watched an older, bigger boy shove Madeline out of the way, while his mother stood there and watched without even batting an eye.

I have seen parents bring toys from home to the playground (I know. Why come to the playground equipment if you're going to bring your own entertainment, right??) and then get all huffy puffy when other children, curious as toddlers are, come over to play with the toys.

Now, please don't think I'm one of those "My-child-is-such-a-victim" parents. She's not. Fortunately, she didn't inherit my MOGS (Made of Glass Syndrome). I see her smack head first into the dining room table or bannister, fall down, get up, and say, "I OK." Therefore, I assume it's fine to take her to the parks and let her go down the twisty slide as many times as she wants.
And, I want her to fight her own battles. I just don't think she's ready to fight her battles against older kids yet, and I don't understand why a mom would let her bigger child bully a toddler without saying anything.

So, I ask again...is it just me?? Am I missing something here? Do all the rules that apply in classrooms and playdates at home fly out the window when we go to a public park? I haven't been a mom for very long, so if I'm expecting too much from other mommies, just let me know.

And, yes, I realize that I harp on manners a lot. I just cannot abide or understand rudeness, and it bugs me when I see parents not only demonstrating rude behavior, but refusing to correct rude behavior in their kids.

Lord, please let me be the kind of parent who teaches her children to treat others the way they want to be treated. Amen.

5:41 and 3:03

After almost a week of successful big girl bed sleeping, with cute 6:45 am wake-up calls of "Heyyo!", it finally happened.

Yesterday, she came into our room at 5:41.

Today it was 3:03.

"Daddy! I big girl bed!"

Yep. But, it's still dark outside.

We're open to suggestions, people!

Happy Autumn!

It's here! It's finally here!! Bring on the pumpkins, apples, and pecan pies! Shower me with rich hues of red, brown, yellow, and orange! Cool the air, shorten the daylight hours, and let's curl up and watch God's earth prepare to renew itself again!

I think I'll celebrate with a pumpkin spice latte and bake some applesauce cookies.

Happy Fall, everyone!

Um...help?

As you saw in my last post, we have a big girl toddler bed. Woohoo! The room is starting to come together, and as soon as it looks the way I want it, I'll post some more pictures.

By come together, I mean that we have moved Madeline's toys and most of her clothes into her new room. Her familiar sheets and quilt are on the bed. She has her books, her piggy bank, her dolls, etc. Everything is familar and comfortable.

She likes the bed. When we saw it in the store, she climbed onto it and said, "Bed! Go night-night!" So, we bought it and brought it home for her. She likes to play on it, put her baby dolls to bed in it, and occasionally to pretend she's "going night-night" in it.

The problem is, she won't actually go night-night there. She has napped in the new bed twice - once for thirty minutes, and once for forty-five. Now, however, she refuses to sleep there at all. Any attempts to put her in her big girl bed are met with whining, tearful protests.

All the experts on the websites recommend moving to the new bed a couple of months before the new baby arrives. Well, the new baby is due in four weeks and we have made no progress.

I'm open to any and all suggestions for how to make this transition easier. I can't ever remember Madeline having a hard time with any other transition, but this one is not sitting well with her.

Help!

Just a Couple of Pictures

Our big girl bedroom is still in the works, but it's starting to come together!

Somebody woke up with hair like Mommy's. Bless her heart.

Baby Boy Has a Name!

David (probably James) Head will be arriving in just a few short weeks. We can't wait to meet this little mover and shaker face to face!

I had a very promising visit with Dr. T this morning. I'm 1.5 cm dilated, 70% effaced, and she could feel his little head. So, it looks like we're all set to go, whenever David is ready. Oh, and if you don't know what any of that means, chances are you probably don't want to.

I'm just glad we've finally agreed upon and announced a moniker for the young lad. I know he's ready to meet us, too, but sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.

(I know, I know. But, it's been a while since I've gotten in a classic TV allusion. Cue the piano!)

A Couple More

I wanted to add some things to the last post, not only because I'm convinced that the entire world (or, again, the 5 people who actually read this blog) think my child is the most adorable creature they've ever seen and are completely mesmerized by every word she says - like we are.
OK, chances are you probably love your own kid more than you love mine, and I don't blame you. But, thanks for indulging me, anyway.

Truth be told, this blog serves as a baby book for me. Although she has an actual baby book and I do occasionally write in it, I'm more likely to record her milestones and activities here and then go back and record them in ink later.

When Madeline sees or tastes something, she will tell us, "I yike it," or "I don' yike it." When it comes to food, "I yike it" is usually preceded by "Mmmmm, good!"

"I do it!" Our new couches are a little taller than the old one, which makes it slightly more difficult for a not-quite-two-year-old to climb up and sit with us. However, if I try to help her, she's probably going to tell me, "I do it!" or "I got it." She also says it sometimes when I try to help her up the stairs or out of her stroller.

It's not uncommon for our Sweet Pea to see a sign or billboard and point out what's on it. For instance, on our way to Nashville, Madeline piped up from the back seat, "Waffle! Waffle!" It took us a minute to realize we were approaching a billboard for a restaurant advertising their breakfast special. She especially likes to point out letters, even though she only knows a few of them. She surprised me the other day when we were reading her alphabet book and she said, "O. Owl." And, she was right!

Finally, and probably the most telling, she recognizes the Starbucks logo. When she sees it anywhere, she says, "Mommy coggee." No, that's not a typo. She replaces the "f" sound in coffee with the "g" sound. The point is, she recognizes that green circle with the lady in the middle and she knows what beverage comes in that cup. That's my girl!

More Stuff My Kid Says

Madeline has become quite the little chatterbox. Well, OK, she always was, but now she says little mini-sentences and has gotten so much better at communicating her wants and needs. She fascinates me with things she says, sometimes because it's funny and sometimes because I have no idea where she heard something or how she picked it up so quickly.

For instance, depending on the outfit and whether or not it has a skirt, she may or may not twirl it around and say, "I so piddy!" or "I so cute!" No body image issues for this beautiful girl!

She likes to make lists of people she knows and tell me what they do. "Mommy tee-tee in potty; Daddy tee-tee in potty; PaPa tee-tee in potty..." Get the idea? To that end, she is also pretty nosy and likes to know what people are doing, real or animated. "What Daddy doo-eeng?" "What Mommy doo-eeng?" "What Mickey doo-eeng?"

I think it's kind of sweet when it's night-night time and she doesn't want to go to bed and she snuggles in really close with Dan so he can read her another "tory." And, speaking of books, there was a period of about a week or two when she kept saying a word and I could not figure out what she was saying to save my life. It sounded like the first syllable of shower. And, she would say it over and over again: "Sha-oo. Sha-oo!" I thought the kid was speaking Mandarin and I was about to be incredibly impressed. But, I just didn't understand so we were both getting frustrated with each other and she wasn't getting whatever "Sha-oo" was.
Self. She was saying "self." She says it when I'm trying to do something for her and she wants to do it all by herself, like look at a book or get her own shoes.

Dan is pretty excited that she has invented her own words for football (puttball) and baseball (bahball). In fact, just this morning, she was pointing to the TV and asking for both Mickey and SuperWhy, because those are her current favorites. The conversation went something like this:

"Mickey! Why! Mickey! Why!"
"Do you want to watch Mickey?"
"Nooo!"
"Do you want to watch SuperWhy?"
"Nooo!"
"Well, what do you want to watch?"
"Puttball!"
Are you kidding me with this one???

Other phrases she has recently added to her repertoire are:
"Nope! I don't sink so!"
"Where Daddy?" usually followed by, "Daddy pizza?"
"PaPa has a hat!"
"We go Mayin's house!" (Mayin = Madeline)

I'm sure there are many others that just aren't popping into my head right now. I really love this kid.

Now, I must go. Madeline is napping like an angel and Pretty in Pink is on. I could, and probably should, go put laundry away and vacuum the living room. But...Pretty in Pink is on!

P.S. I guess Baby D____'s name is officially official, since we have had it monogrammed on a pillow, but Dan still wants me to keep it to myself. I'm not really sure why, but he doesn't want to reveal the baby's name until some joyous day in mid-October. I, however, have a very difficult time keeping a secret.

It's Football Time!

Yes, folks! It begins today. Today marks the beginning of wearing houndstooth, eating football food, and hearing "Yea, Alabama" every Saturday.

Now, we all know that I don't even do a good job of pretending to understand how football works. If you say the words first down in my presence, my mind will automatically go to the soft feathers on a baby duck. But, I looooove this time of year. Don't tell Dan, but I secretly like it when he watches football on TV (in moderation). I don't get why he watches a game more than once, or why he feels the need to recap the game he just attended with his friends that he was just sitting with, but he probably doesn't understand how I can watch the Harry Potter movies 100 times without getting bored, either.

I like the sound of marching bands, particularly ones of the Million Dollar variety. I like the noise of a crowd that's high on adrenaline. I want my alma mater to win. It's a school spirit thing. And, perhaps more importantly, I really like nachos. With jalapenos. And sour cream. Oh, sorry. I had a pregnancy-induced digression.

So, bring on football season. And, while I know that my saying "Roll Tide" is a little like Dan wearing a Beatles t-shirt, I'll say it anyway. Roll Tide!

Welcome!

Welcome to the new and improved blog! I guess whether it's really improved remains to be seen, but it is new.

I made the switch for several reasons, and I could launch into a tangent about how wordpress has all kinds of doohickies and whatnots that I will never use, which is true. But, honestly, I just wanted a pretty blog. Wordpress isn't pretty.

So, sit back, relax, grab a cup of coffee and a scone, and enjoy the random nonsense that pours freely from my head - now with pretty backgrounds and fonts I can change!

Yes.

I borrowed this from a friend who posted it on facebook, but there's just something about this article that makes me want to share it.

http://www.ucc.org/feed-your-spirit/daily-devotional/spiritual-but-not-religious.html#.Tl6UH29H6K8.facebook

Yep.