Two

Lauren called the day “Happy to you, Lauren, cake!” Cake was clearly an important element to her, but for the second year in a row I ruined my homemade cake. Oh well, store-bought buttercream frosting was a hit!

Lauren’s second birthday was celebrated with friends and family, food and cake, with an Elmo theme. Nick’s parents really helped with the food and decorations. Nick, working overtime all week while I went on grocery store trip after grocery store trip, more than made up for it by making a taco tray and cooking dinner later that night. I didn’t do much beyond menu planning and picking up the food, and enjoyed a nap hours before the party. The kids colored Elmo sheets and played well with each other.

Oh Lauren. I can’t believe you’re two. You know your alphabet, can count to ten and recently stopped calling everything “green” and started calling it by its real color. You can eat a supper by yourself using utensils and ask me for what you need. You can go upstairs by yourself and light up when other people enter the room. As I think of how much we’ll do with the new baby, I can see how far you’ve come.

The baby is entering its 34th week. Only 6 weeks to go. It will be interesting to see if he is an early arrival like his sister. I have some heartburn and some karate-chop kicks going on. The doctor estimates he is about 4 1/2 to 5 pounds now. I’ve been able to get a lot done at work trying to get ready for my maternity leave (sitting helps). And, I think we have narrowed the names to two choices. We will pre-register for the hospital soon, pack our bags, buy size 1 diapers, wash bottles and wait!

Twin Bed, Dentist, Thanksgiving

Two weeks ago, we got Lauren to sleep in the twin bed! We tried several months ago, with bedtime at 8, and at 9, she was quiet but her eyes were still open. This time, we decided to put her down, and check on her at 9. Nick reversed the bed so two sides are against the wall, the headboard keeps her in at the “foot” and the guardrail takes up the fourth side (Lauren tosses and turns a lot). She was asleep and has been sleeping there ever since. But … there is a small gap between the headboard and the guardrail, and she came out into the living room during her nap Saturday, saying, “Mommy, poopy.” And last night, she climbed into bed by herself, with some prompting. I imagine a rebelious “Freedom!” streak is coming soon.

This morning, I took Lauren to the dentist for her second-ever appointment. Her first one was in March because she didn’t have any teeth yet. Today was her first cleaning – a gentle tooth brushing, a count of the teeth and fluoride gently painted on with a small brush. (Lauren drank water after to rinse). I am full of admiration for the hygenist, who brought her toys and stickers, knew how to talk one-on-one with her and let her play with stuffed Mickey Mouses. (Mickey Mice?) Lauren still has only 12 of the 20 teeth, but I was told not to worry; everyone develops in his/her own time.

Last Thursday was Thanksgiving (already)! We met Nick at several stops to spend time with my family members and dealt with certain personal conflicts, but it’s really important for Lauren to have relationships and learn about the importance of families and holidays, and she handled it like a pro. She is so attached to her Grandpa Tom. She was not interested in trying turkey this year (not a meat girl!) but she did enjoy a few bites of pumpkin pie.

We made it through nine days without Nick, just us girls, during the hunting season. Even though conversation is limited and toddler tantrums crop up, Lauren was so sweet and I felt such a close bond with her. I have newfound faith that I am doing a good job.

Almost Two Pictures

Lauren’s 2 year picture, courtesy of J.C. Penney Portrait Studio.

We brought one of Lauren’s favorite puzzles for this photo shoot, and the photographer handed her a plastic “2″ to hold, which automatically went in her mouth, but this shot, with her shyly playing with the button, was the winner. Nick put her barrettes in – a nice finishing touch.

We recently took Lauren to the “Sesame Street Live!” stage show at the Alliant Energy Center. They had a nice kid-friendly set-up where everyone was close to the stage but there was room for kids to dance/walk the steps of the center. Lauren was impressed by Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Elmo, and did her share of walking on the steps. But she stopped in her tracks for the Elmo/Mr. Noodle segment (Mr. Noodle is a mime that accompanies Elmo. Lauren says, “Mr. Noodle. Ah, funny!”)

We headed north for Nick’s annual deer hunting weekend/a baby shower for Nick’s cousin Sara. Lauren was worn out chasing her cousins. Funny/nice things to remember:
* Cousin Sam covering her with kisses, and watching out for her.
* Aunt Kayla tickling her. Lauren asked “What Kayla doing?” whenever Kayla was not in the room.
* Playing with her Etch-A-Sketch in church, and when I scribbled circles on it, Lauren shouted, “WOW, MOMMY, WOW!” sending Aunt Chrissy into giggles. I am the best artist ever.
* Saying “yups” in answer to everything (where did that come from?)
* Begging for a bite of cake at the shower.
* Saying, “Bye bye Grandma,” really clearly on Sunday.
* Having a nice three-hour trip home after having a temper tantrum on the trip up. Sometimes you hit on the right amount of snacks plus toys plus music, and you feel like you’ve won.

New Room

I mentioned that Lauren moved into her new room downstairs, and I just wanted to include a shot of it. We purchased a used crib that converts to a toddler bed, so she’s not in this twin yet. I threw out some ideas originally, because Nick is a good and interested collaborator on this kind of stuff.

“We could do an Elmo or a Dora theme because she’s really into them, or another idea that’s popular now, and would last longer, is a pink-and-chocolate brown theme,” I said. He jumped at the final suggestion and launched a trip to Sherwin Williams, where a helpful guy matched our sheet pillowcase and said, “You’ll have a beautiful…pink…room?” I helped Nick with the first coat on a warm day when we could ventilate the room. He did the second coat. I found the crib on craiglist.com, and the couple even threw in some old sheets. And the border (removable decals) were found at Menards for $12 total. Our room for baby will remain yellow until he’s older.

More funny stuff:
- After Sam’s birthday, Lauren went around for a week saying, “Happy to you, Owen.” Owen is the little boy across the street, and I think she mixed up the names.
- She’s on a thank you kick. “Thank you Mommy, thank you Daddy, thank you Kaye.” Most of the time it’s appropriate, like when I give her a glass of milk, but sometimes she’ll sit and say it randomly to herself.
- We got a book at the library, “Ba Ba Black Sheep,” because I wasn’t sure of all the lyrics. Within days, she taught herself most of it and speed-sings it, like “Ba-ba-black-sheep-have-you-any-wool-yessir-yessir…” Kaye ended up teaching the other kids at day care the song because she wouldn’t stop.
- Already, she’s interested in sitting on the sink and watching me do my make-up in the morning, and she practices combing her hair, then Mommy’s, in turn.
- Speaking of turn, if someone has something she’d like to use, like a crayon, she says, “My turn.” But “My turn Mommy,” means, “Mommy, it’s your turn now.”

Halloween 2009

Ladybug Lauren.
Halloween fell on a brisk Saturday this year. Few children braved the cold to trick-or-treat, even when their parents carted them around in minivans. Nick took Lauren to a children’s Halloween party at our community center, and then door-to-door for a little while in the evening. “She didn’t want to go up to the door, and then when she was there, she didn’t want to leave. After awhile, I felt bad, like I was using her to get candy for myself or something,” he recapped. “Maybe next year, I just wanted her to get a taste of Halloween,” I said. She WAS pretty adorable!

What Do You Need For a New Baby?

Baby Wenos is 29 weeks today. My pregnancy email update says he’s 2 1/2 pounds, about the size of a butternut squash. Which just makes me hungry for butternut squash soup …

Anyway, Nick and I have an awesome friend, Haly, who is expecting her first child in February with her husband Joe. (Feb is a popular month; we have four other friends expecting). Haly emailed me asking for advice on her registry. I felt flattered and even loved re-capping getting ready for Lor. And what I remembered is worth saving for Lor. And Baby Wenos – we are getting your room ready and have all this stuff for you! Here’s what I sent her:

“I’m going to send you my ideas, and if Nick has any, he can chime in (he seems to have a better memory of those first months with Lauren than I do. I was sleeping, trying to sleep, or breastfeeding).

First off – we were cheapos! We got Lauren’s crib for free, and after measuring the slats (Google the guidelines – you don’t want your kid’s head to fit through), it was kosher. We got the bedding off craigslist.com (unisex – Lauren was a “surprise” – moon and stars). So I’m not sure how to tell you to shop for a crib. Our high chair came from a garage sale.

We got a Boppy and a Bumbo from craigslist.com, and these were the BEST. They are not creatures from outer space. A Boppy is a U-shaped pillow that goes around your middle and allows to you breastfeed comfortably (or helps the baby drink a bottle) with the baby on top of it. A Bumbo is a seat that allows your child to sit, even if they can’t hold up their own neck yet. Great for spoonfeeding the babe when they move on to solids if you don’t have a travel high chair. Both retail for over $50 each (I need those patents!) so try to get one used, or maybe a few people can go in on them in the registry.

A vibrating chair or swing is nice for your free hands. I would say you don’t need both, but that’s just me.

Likewise, a Baby Bjorn or a sling is nice and easy to get used (they can also be $50 and up). You probably don’t need both – most moms I know are partial to one or the other.

Receiving blankets, hats, bibs, pacifiers (if you decide to use them) – good gifts, and you can never have enough.

A bassinette – nice to just put by the bed for the first three months, but baby could go swaddled in the crib and you could skip it.

Diapers – register for sizes newborn, 1, 2, 3 and you’ll save $.

I was disappointed by Diaper Genies and I just throw my diapers in the trash. Some people like them, though.

Car seat – we got two bucket style car seats that have bases. You can unsnap the seat and clip it onto a shopping cart. Ours were Evenflow and Graco. If you are taking a birthing class, they have a “car seat day” with dolls. You can do it! If you aren’t, Google your area police – sometimes they have clinics on how to properly install a car seat.”

*Nick added later (what a good dad. Makes my heart melt):
- Baby monitor
- Infant bath tub – this fits into a kitchen sink with a little hammock to keep them from moving
- We had a changing table that worked great. You can also get a curved shaped pad that sits on top of a dresser as long as it isn’t too tall. It keeps them from rolling over while changing
- Car seat cover – great for the winter, it fits around the car seat to keep them warm
- Socks – they don’t really where shoes right away but socks are good
- Kids books
- Rocking chair

A lot of stuff for a little peanut, and I’m sure we didn’t even hit everything …

Moral Support

A salute to the things keeping this big mama happy in her 28th week:
- A copy of Hope Edelman’s “Motherless Mothers” from the library. Edelman wrote “Motherless Daughters” in the mid-1990s, and a copy was gifted to me by my English teacher when Mom died. When I found out Edelman has a new book out, I found “Motherless Mothers” from a few years back. Her interviews with other “motherless mothers” and stories of her two pregnancies are a tremendous comfort.
- Getting back to a few sessions of BODYPUMP weight class brought back adreneline and good spirits, and cutting out early because “I can’t do” the ab section is fabulous!
- Low-calorie hot chocolate. It’s nicer outside now than it was in October, but I still bust it out.
- A solo shopping trip on Halloween morning, where I Christmas-shopped (earliest ever) and Nick spent time with Lauren. In the mall, random people walked by in Halloween get-ups, Williams-Sonoma pushed Thanksgiving menu items (too expensive), and Hallmark geared up for Christmas with ornaments.
- An “Elmo’s World” DVD from the library, starring Tina Fey as a pirate. Ah, Tina, I love you so.
- Lauren lighting up when watching said DVD. What is it about Elmo that makes kids gravitate toward him?
- Moving Lauren into her new pink bedroom downstairs. I miss her upstairs, though!
- Crayola Hassle-Free Watercolor Paints. You wet a washable pen with a water strip, put the tip in paints that ONLY have an opening big enough to hold the pen, and apply to paper, and suddenly Lauren is entertained and I can get dinner done before Nick gets home. Genius. She may have moved on from the paper to her left arm with the purple – but hey, it washes off.
- Being invited to things: I’m going to lunch with a friend on Friday and a baby shower later this month. It’s nice to be social.
- Random co-workers gifting me with old boy clothes. Yes, I will take them!

Sam is 2

Lauren and I attended the 2nd birthday party of Lauren’s friend Sam. What a difference from last year: instead of talking about almost-walking and weaning (and the presidential election), we’re talking “big kid beds” and potty training. Sam enjoyed his cupcake; Lauren took three bites and ate a little more later. She loved the balloons and Sesame Street plates .

Leaves and Pumpkins

We got some great shots with Lauren admiring the leaves on a road trip to Richland Center one Saturday. And here she is, obsessing over pumpkin “guts” (and wearing my shirt as a smock). She likes the lit pumpkins, but didn’t have the attention span to watch the carving.

Toddlerdom. One day, Lauren insists on lovingly walking between Nick and me, holding each of our hands, and behaving well in a restaurant as we celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. Another day (and the low point of my week), I was already tired and cranky from work (and still pregnant) and she slapped me across the face and called me “Mean Mommy”. (I was putting her in the car and she didn’t want to go). I grabbed her hands, looked her in the eyes, and said, “We don’t hit. It hurts Mommy when you hit her.” And then the week got better, and my father came to visit. Lauren showed off for him and called him, “Gay-pa Tom.” She loves her crayons and asks us to draw “fowers” and when you do, tells you when it’s “my turn” to draw. She calls my belly “brother” now without prompting. You take all the moments, and you try to remember the good ones.

Third Trimester: Glucose Test Day

Monday, October 12 started off in an interesting way – Lauren woke up at 4:30 a.m. She has been alternating perfect sleeping nights with nights waking once or twice. Sometimes we give her milk. Sometimes we just rock, clutching her petite body to our chests until she nods off. Only in the most desperate of times do we scoop her up and put her in bed with us.

We lay together in the bed, not sleeping, until about 6:15, where I gave up and dressed her and fed her breakfast. At this same time, I realized that the glucose sample (a bottle of flat, orange-soda type substance) I was supposed to take before the doctor’s appointment that day was still rolling around in my car. I couldn’t eat two hours before drinking, and I had to drink an hour before my 9 a.m. appointment. Nuts – I should’ve eaten at 4:30.

We went downstairs and watched a DVD from the public library, “Sesame Street Sleepytime,” which is hosted by Big Bird and it’s all about sleeping. Lauren sits still for the whole 30 minutes, snuggled in my shoulder, while I doze. She never sits for any other TV show, and when we have the rare opportunity to watch “Sesame Street” together, I think of a picture my mother took of my dad and me when I was young, on the couch watching “Sesame Street,” and I feel the generational pull.

The glucose tasted terrible, and I went in for my appointment and drew blood. The heartbeat is still strong, and the appointment was fast.

I am keeping a running list of names on the fridge for you, Baby Boy. Your dad is still not sure of any choices but I got him some name books from the library for inspiration, and I know he’ll agree on a perfect name when he feels it in his heart. Your mama is scared because she’s already gained 25 pounds with 12 weeks left to go! You will be a big guy, I know it!