Mommy does Yoga

I have been talking about it for a while but today, being the productive girl that I am, I attended my first Mommy-to-be Yoga class.

I left feeling refreshed and relaxed. I used to love doing yoga but it became one of those things that got lost in the shuffle of a hectic life. But this forced me to be still, quiet, and to focus on the baby inside of me, not the one yelling, "Sit Mommy," every few minutes.

However, things have changed a bit since striking a yoga pose pre-baby.

1. My constant need to urinate through the hour-long class.
2. The instructor telling us to "press on our ovary with our heel" as we bent forward. I'm not sure where my ovary is and not exactly sure I want my foot pressing into it.
3. The feeling that at any moment I was going to pass gas.
4. Looking around the room and realizing that the lady with twins on the way is in much better shape than me.
5. Staring at my three, large, round objects in the mirror for the entire time.

I went out after class and bought myself a yoga mat. I kept thinking about getting MRSA from those nasty things so I had a hard time "letting go" during relaxation time. I can't wait to head back next week (with a new, clean mat).

Productive

For the first time in about 18 weeks or so, I am feeling productive and motivated. A get-off-the-couch-get-out-of-jammies-and-shower-put-on-makeup kind of mood. Riley likes it too. We have spent the last few days doing stickers, playing outside, rolling on the floor laughing, and dancing. She has quite beautifully mastered the booty shake. I even signed Riley up for a tumbling-tot class.

I am also thankful. The Quad-screen blood test (the check's for baby abnormalities) came back "normal" and I am thankful to have another healthy baby - because you know, not every family is so lucky. So, even though my floor still still needs to be swept and laundry needs to be folded - I feel productive and happy. I have Valentine's cupcakes baking in the oven, a baby sleeping, and the windows open. And....I'm not puking. That's always a plus.

Story Time with Daddy

Before bed, we have made it a habit to read to Riley. We do it to stimulate her mind and to settle her down before bed. She likes to read in order to stall. The more books she hands us, the longer, she thinks, it will take to go to bed. We are on to her tactic. At least I am. Daddy is a little bit of a sucker. Here is Riley and Daddy, cozy in their little nest of pillows and blankets reading Curious George Makes Pancakes. If you watch closely, you can even see her making motions to go along with the story. So curl up in bed and hit play, Dan will take care of the story time tonight.

The Big 3-0 (and a special announcement)

The day has come and went. My thritieth birthday was surprisingly the same as any other day except for a big difference: We found out that Baby 2 will be a healthy girl! We are so excited. Dan keeps mumbling something about paying for two weddings, but is ecsatic to have another Daddy's girl arond the house. During the ultrasound, OBGYN extraoidinarie cmmented to Dan, "You are going to be outnumbred." After I reminded him of Murphy, he replied, "He doesn't count, he is a coward." Very true.

So, to commemerate my thirtieth birthday, I will compile my 30 Highs and Lows of the past few days. In no particular order....

1. The fantastic voyage on the "Majesty of the Seas." It was an awesome time spent with the best of friends, eating lots of food, laughing till you peed your pants, dancing while remembring to "watch it", and singing karaoke because that's what you do on a cruise.
2. Baby 2 has finally started making some noticeable movements.
3. Riley has successfully pooped and peed on the potty.
4. I have been feeling better - managing to stay on top of the housework more now and even managed to cook some dinners.
5. I bought some new maternity clothes.
6. Was told by the Motherhood Maternity clerk that they didn't carry bras in my size and that I would have to special order them online or go to Lane Bryant.
7. Realized that I have no fashion sense what-so-ever.
8. I have come to terms with that.
9. I thank God every day that my Mom and brother do and can be my personal shoppers.
10. Realized that even at 30 - you still you need your Mom and Dad as much as you did when you were a child.
11. Turned in a big portion of my research paper before we embarked on our fantastic birthday cruise.
12. Have been thinking about enrolling Riley into a tot-tumbling class.
13. Have been thinking about enrolling myself into a Mommy to-be Yoga class.
14. Scheduled a pre-natal massage for Saturday.
15. Had a massive breakdown on our fantastic voyage about my baby acne.
16. My best friend, Melissa saved the day.
17. Discovered some new make-up from Lancome.
18. Went to lancome only to find the Dior lady. She looked at my face and kept repeating, "You poor thing."
19. I ordered my own birthday cake because I knew Dan would be too busy.
20. I thought it was hilarious (and so did the Publix bakery man). It felt good to not be embarrassed and even a little bit liberated.
21. Ate, said birthday cake, for dessert last night and breakfast this morning, washed down with a big glass of milk.
22. Have been enjoying mini-chocolate donuts lately. They are the devil.
23. Found out that Dan's friends from college are also expecting their second girl on the same day!
24. Got lots of great phone calls, emails, texts, and facebook messages wishing me a happy birthday. That never gets old.
25. Discovered a new gray hair.
26. Breakfast with my best bud.
27. Dinner with friends and family.
28. Josh dancing to a karaoke version of "Shout" as he was "taken over by Jesus."
29. The fact that Melissa got it all on video.
30. The funniest person I know: My brother, Kyle.

A little funny

Tonight, while waiting "patiently" for me to serve dinner, Riley was having a panic attack because she wanted marshmallows. She keeps yelling and screaming "Mushrooms!" at me. In the middle of one of her screams, she had some intestinal issues. To which she stops mid-scream and calmly tells me, "Gas," very matter-of-factly.

Both of us erupted into laughter. It was a good moment.

You see, I had to teach Riley the difference between gas and poopy. We are trying to teach Riley when her body signals to her that she needs to use the potty. I finally realized that every time she yelled, "Poopy" at me, she was usually just having gas.

Just another hilarious moment in the life of this stay-at-home mom.

In other news...Riley is now putting her baby doll and animals in time out. It has been a rough couple of days for both of us as you can see.

Changes Are A-Comin'

After the whole crib/mattress on the floor debacle, I set out the next morning in search for a toddler bed. After meeting up with "Missy" at Dunkin' Donuts, we headed over to the local consignment store, Once Upon a Child. While they did not have any toddler beds, the ladies working there were so kind and agreed to take my name down should one come in. While I was there, I also picked up an adorable wooden, giraffe child's chair for Ms. Riley.

After that, we met up with my Mom who had already scouted out a couple of other places in search for a white, wooden toddler bed. Finally, at BabiesRUs. we located what we needed and were on our way.

After Riley went to sleep (on the mattress, on the floor) my Mom and I began assembly in the living room. At first I was pretty hesitant about the whole thing but then my Mom reminded me, "You changed a lock yesterday, you can do anything." She was right, I didn't have to wait on Dan.

A short while and a few pounds of the rubber mallet, we had assembled the bed. Now we were just missing the key components - Riley and the mattress.

After sneaking in and taking a peak at Sleeping Beauty, we discovered her on the floor once again. That was enough for my Mimi to see as cries of child neglect came pouring out of her mouth. While she was sleeping, we brought in the bed, moved the mattress, and then placed Riley on the bed. Here she is in her full glory:

After that, we decided, why stop there? We then proceeded to take apart her entire crib in the room while she slept, and no, it couldn't fit through the door, I busted a tape measure out for that one. Riley was not roused by our swearing and banging and slept like an angel the whole way through. With the last piece being pulled from her room, she awoke to find her crib gone and that she was sleeping in her big girl bed! She seemed surprised but still happy.

Since then, we have had some interesting moments with the toddler bed. One night I watched on the video monitor as she she tossed and turned. Finally, the weight of her head caused her to topple over. It was hilarious I must say. She sat on the floor, confused and bewildered until I came in and placed her back in bed. During nap time one day, we discovered this:

I can laugh because I am her mother. :)

Last night she slept great in the bed, hopping quickly in it to go to sleep and not once falling our or relocating to another corner of the room. She is definitely getting bigger and bigger everyday, I can hardly believe it.

Next stop: Potty and Paci Land

The battle that is known as: Nap-Time

My usually great sleeper has been testing me as of late. She has been insisting to get "OUT" of her crib, throwing her things out of the crib, climbing out (almost successfully today until I walked in) and screaming at the top of her lungs.



While I normally would just let this go on - there now is the safety factor. They no longer sell those net devices to go over he crib so I have been left to my own devices.

Today, she finally made a break for it. She had just managed to get her entire body out of he crib when I walked her to bring her back down. "That's it," I told her, "I am clearing this room out."

I picked up everything off of the floor, cleared her nightstand, and plopped her crib mattress on the floor. I piled up her blankies and baby onto the mattress, told her good night again, and walked out.

Wouldn't you know it but she worked the knob and opened the door?! I was stunned. One by one, she began clearing the contents of the mattress and relocating them to the couch. Without saying a word, she had successfully moved everything out of her room. I stood in silence.

Just then, my go-to-advice-giver/best-friend and mom of three, Melissa called. I told her the situation. She suggested that I turn the lock around. Thinking it was going to be a harder job, I said I would have to wait for Dan. "No," she insisted, "You can do it."

A couple swear words later and about a half hour of work, I finally got the lock turned around. I told her to lay on the mattress, told her good night, and I locked her in! (I have Mom-of-the-Year written all over this one).

Here is the kicker - she is quiet and sleeping! I just went in to check and her body - half on/half off the bed, is still!

Sweet success! At least for today....

In Anticipation...

In anticipation of turning the big 3-0 in 15 days, and in anticipation of quite a few more blog posts reveling in this fact, I thought it was about time to reflect on the past 30 years of my life.

No, this isn't a memoir of any sorts, and believe me, I know that there is a whole lot of life still in store for me, but the New Year has reminded me that life is precious and that we must be thankful for all that we have in life: the good, the bad, the hilarious, and even the unplanned.

There is a country song that recounts a great line, "Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers." While God, yes, answers a lot of prayers, many of them that went unanswered have led me to where I am today.

I remember crying myself to sleep over some losers (I can say that because I dated them) that I dated or pined over in high school. Man! What a waste of tears, time, and prayers. I wish I would have listened to my Mom sooner.....

That leads me to the next man in my life - my dear hubby, Dan. You see, Dan came from New York to attend UF. If he would have followed his first dream to become a doctor, we would have probably never met that fateful night at the Pimp and Ho Party. I was a high-class ho by the way.

A party that I didn't want to attend - but a friend of mine begged me to attend. A friend that I met during my first job out of college - one that wasn't planned or wanted, but out of necessity....a receptionist. I used to joke that I would hang my Magna Cum Laude degree over the copy machine.

If it weren't for that amazing man, Dan, than we wouldn't have the next greatest thing in our life - Ms. Riley Belle. You see, after suffering a miscarriage, the furthest thing from your mind is the next child in your life. Doctors insist, "You're young, you'll have another baby," when all you want to scream to them is, "But I wanted this one." I am thankful to have been the Mom to our little angel baby, even for a brief time, and thankful that through experiences like that, it makes you really appreciate life.

Without getting too sappy, the past thirty years have also brought a great deal of fun too. I have the learned the meaning of a true friend and realize that it's not the quantity in life, but the quality. I have realized that sometimes your greatest idea doesn't always work out as planned and that adapting to life is a real skill. I know that it is better to just go ahead and cry because sometimes it feels really good to let it go. The same goes for laughing so hard that you snort and/or pee your pants. And, I also know that no one can stand up better for yourself than you.

I look forward to celebrating my 30th birthday on a big cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with a group of people who love me when I am a crazy, psycho lady who takes their kid to the doctor for a heat rash. And yes, I am working on that too.

Plus One

It may be time to think about a new name for my blog. Soon, our table for three will need to make room for one more! In July, we will be welcoming a new little one to our family. Dan, Riley, and I are very excited for our next appointment on my 30th birthday, February 4th. That day an "anatomy scan" ultrasound will be done to ensure the baby is healthy and hopefully he or she will cooperate enough to reveal its gender. We will be happy with either, as long as he or she is healthy.

Look for updates on our life preparing for Bambino #2 as we get Riley and our house ready....not to mention my growing belly and appetite!

S'Mores

Sunday night, in the middle of the coldest "winter" we have experienced thus far, I had the bright idea of doing a family s'more night. Dan went to the store to collect the supplies and after dinner we bundled up and headed out to the......grill. That's right my Northern readers. This is how we do it in Florida. We put our children as close as possible to a propane tank, roast marshmallows over the side burner, and melt the chocolate on some foil with the help of a fish basket. We are classy, we can't help it.

Riley enjoyed the "mushrooms", or marshmallows as most people call it, but not so much the roasted ones. She even sat on my lap, curled up in a blanket for all of 2.3 minutes. It was nice.

Dan of course, had a game-plan as always. He grilled while I supervised our unruly child by the flames. She also found it quite delightful to take my Rachel Ray spatula and use it as a scraping tool on the patio floor. Again, classy.

While it was great "family time" and I am so glad we dd it, we did learn some important lessons along the way:

1. Do not bathe your child before s'more time. It's sticky and marshmallows in fine hair are not so fun to clean out.
2. Send the hubby out to begin the s'more assembly ahead of time. There was too much time between the snacks and hence, the spatula incident. Family time - shmamily time.
3. Buy a fire pit.
   
   
   

Christmas... and all that Jazz

As I sit in my bed, finally able to lift my head up from the whir that is Christmas, I am able to reflect on the past few days and how lucky we are - lucky and so very tired. It is exhausting when you think about it - all the eating,visiting, gift wrapping, shopping, giving, opening, assembling, you get the idea. But did I mention that I became sick on Christmas Eve? Yes, in the middle of the festivities at my parents house, complete with a 20 month old rocking around the Christmas tree at until 11 pm....there I was curled up on the leather couch with a monstrous headache.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Leading up to Christmas, Dan, my Dad, and our dear friend and OBGYN extraordinaire, Nik, assembled an awesome play set for Riley. It took them an entire day...but they sure did a great job.

We kept the surprise from Riley until Christmas morning, but it was sure worth the wait. The look on her face was priceless. Mr. & Mrs. Claus overloaded Riley with goodies..... Not to mention gifts from both sets of grandparents and aunts and uncles....

So, besides the crazy sickness, which by the way, Dan was a God-send, we had a wonderful and fun-filled Christmas....and matching Christmas jammies to boot!

Waking Up

It occurred to me that pretty soon, Riley will be strolling out of her big girl room and big girl bed, insisting that I take her to the movies so she can meet a boy. OK - maybe not SO soon, but I want to take these memories and store then in my head (and computer) forever.



I was finishing up with some school work while Riley was waking up from her afternoon nap. I heard her saying the following words in a sing-song fashion: Cookie, Frosty, and Ofie (for Murphy).



I took a video upon my initial entry into her room .... but Murphy started getting sick so I didn't think it was necessary to include that into my happy memory bank...so this is the second video shot after I returned to her room following Murphy's nervous stomach issue. He really is a strange dog - sweet, but strange.

A New Language

All alone in the house and in the bathroom no less, quite a feat in my house I might add, I dropped my knotted necklace on the floor. Instinctively, I muttered, "Uh-oh."

I froze. Did I just say uh-oh? Did I just say uh-oh without a toddler in sight?

As I lathered up my dirty hair (again, alone time is hard to come by) I started thinking about the way my language has changed.

Daddy - I now call Dan, my loving hubby, Daddy. It freaks my brother out but I do it out of habit and also because I don't want Riley to start screaming around the house, "DAN!" Don't get me wrong, I don't call him Daddy when we are out on a date night or anything.

Yo-Yo - This is yogurt. I think it's pretty darn cute so I have also adopted this word into my vocabulary as well. I also take it a step further and write "yo-yo" on my grocery list.

Boo-Boo - This is pretty self-explanatory.

Ofie - Formerly known as the dog Murphy, Riley insists on calling him Ofie - so now I do too.

So, besides proving another case of mental instability, it further proves that stay-at-home Moms can get away with this - can you imagine if Dan went to work and said to Mr. Boss Man:

"Uh-oh, Daddy did a boo-boo on the spreadsheet."

Decking the (freaking) Halls

So it seems that I have completely glossed over Thanksgiving. While this is mostly true, we did have an excellent Thanksgiving with Dan's brother and wife, Mike and Sarah. We had a great meal, thanks to my chef-brother, Kyle. We visited the beach, did some early A.M. shopping, and enjoyed each other's company as we fought to the finish with a fan favorite game, Pop 5.

To much of my dismay, Christmas is fast approaching and I am not ready, to say the least. I even tried to talk Dan into not putting up the tree until Christmas Eve as a "surprise" for Riley, but really a sanity saver for me. I can only take so much of, "Don't touch that," in one day.

So, needless to say, Dan decorated the outside and the inside duties are usually left to me. I guess Dan could see I wasn't in the Ho-Ho mood this year so he busted out the decorations the morning of his parents departure from a weekend visit. Richard, Dan's Dad (who by the way, also goes by Dick - a name that Riley grew quite fond of saying - awesome) had an epiphany - Why don't you find a way to rotate the tree so you can stand in one place and put the lights on? That's all Dan needed to hear - he was off to find an apparatus in the garage. He soon returned with a rolling platform he used when working on his old car, the Explorer, aka The Exploder.

So there I am - laying on the floor, rotating the tree while Dan hangs the lights. After a little while, I had to give me arms and boobs a break, since they were all going numb, and switched jobs with Dan. And let's face it, I'm better at hanging up lights anyways...

Here is a snapshot of the process. I think we should use this on our Christmas card....