zombie brain

So, It's not even the fact that I don't have time to blog..It's that I can't get everything organized in my head to write down. With Dex I could quickly remember everything and type during his nap. Now, I have another child to watch, so I get to blog late at night when my brain goes blank from the long day.

Wren- She is almost 3 months old! She always seemed very good with her neck, and she has held it up for quite some time, now. She loves to sit facing you while you talk to her. She smiles all the time, and she did a little laugh the other day. (sounded like a squeak) The cutest thing is that you know when she has just fallen asleep, because she starts smiling like she heard something funny. She always passes out with a grin on her face! She has done this since we brought her home. The proof is in my pics.

 She has found her hands recently, and sorta tries grabbing at toys every now and then. Her colic went away after the first month, thank god! That sucked so bad. She is a happy little girl, now. Her baby acne also went away. I couldn't believe how quickly it left one day. She sleeps way better than Dexter ever did this early. She even has a routine. She goes down around 10pm, wakes around 2:30am to eat. Back to sleep, wakes around 5:30am to eat, back to sleep. Then wakes around 8 or 9am eats..and passes out again for a bit..so I actually get some time with Dex in the morning. She eats around 3-4 ounces of formula at a time, and she takes a paci only sometimes. Mostly she gags on it, unless she is super sleepy. I love that she is growing, because I can stick her in all these cute little outfits now! So much fun! Well, that is her in a nut shell.

(I tried having wren in our room, but it's hard because she sleeps in her bouncy still and our bed is so high up, it hurts my back to grab her, and it's hard to get comfortable to feed her... On the couch, I can literally just lean over while she is still in her seat, and feed her while I am in bed basically....since she is propped up, I don't even need to pick her up..she just falls back asleep. She does sleep in the bassinet sometimes, but if she has a bubble or something she will not settle on her back. She just gets irritated. She will, however, lay on her back sometimes..It's just hard to know when her tummy is ok. I can't lay her down soon after a bottle, though. Just waiting until she feels comfortable on her back, and then I can have the bassinet in our room, or she can sleep in her own room.)

Dex- He is a crazy man. He is so funny, but so frustrating at times. He has a mind of his own! Potty training is going well. He knows when to go, and how to go all by himself, but he gets so lazy, too. If he is busy, he will poop in his underwear. UGH. Gotta love toddlers. The other night when I was putting him to bed, I told him I was going to be sleeping on the couch again..He goes, "poor mommy" I laughed so hard.
Today he actually got up from his nap to pee, and that was pretty great to see!

We have decided to put him in daycare/preschool even though we have free daycare..because this kid gets so bored, and I feel terribly guilty about it. It's hard for my mom to keep him occupied and watch the baby while I am at work, so I figured if he was playing with kids all day and learning, he would love it! He had his first trial day last week, and things went great. He walked right in and said, "which way i go?" He sat right down and started playing dinosaurs with the other kids. He was there from 10am until 5pm. I knew he would be weird about the whole potty thing at first, and it turned out that he didn't have any accidents in his underwear, but that is because he didn't go potty the whole day! He was pretty busy playing and didn't really eat or drink much, so I know that was part of it...but I am pretty sure he must have held it as well. We will start his regular schedule of two days a week after his 3rd bday, which is Nov 4. This stuff costs $$$, but we  were going to have to pay for preschool anyway, so this is just that. He is going to Tutor Time, and they have a great curriculum, and they have food already there, too....I like that, so I don't have to pack anything! So nice!

He surprises us every day with how he speaks. He is a talking machine, and he explains things pretty darn well. We have gotten used to him now describing his dreams to us, but it's still pretty freaky. Sometimes he starts saying random stuff and I have to ask him, "are you talking about a dream?" Majority of his dreams he remembers, are nightmares...so that sucks. I swear he is being possessed sometimes...I mean what 3 year old has a monster take him down into hot black smoke?! FREAKY!! He reminded me of poltergeist when he said, "but mama, i came back! I was trying to get to mama!" ..................................!!!! I almost dragged him to a church that night. I swear.

Me- I am starting to feel a lot better with everything. I have my up and down days, but work and pilates, and getting out with friends really helps a lot. I don't feel like I am the normal every day mom who just gushes about their kids and wants to be with them every minute. I don't. I feel like I have my life back, with not having to be pregnant anymore, or think about when I am gonna be pregnant again, since I don't have to! I just want to live, and have fun! Of course I love my kids, but it has been a long time since I got to just think about myself, and not be a vessel. It makes me a calmer mom to be able to get out and still be me! I am very lucky that Derrick is so great, and we take turns getting out of the house. If he goes to the bar one night, then when he gets home, I get to go out, too! It works out pretty great. We go out together, too, when my mom can babysit. My babysitter has been coming over helping a lot to get used to Wren, and I am almost comfortable enough to leave her with both kids. I think a few more months, and she will be ready... Then I can go out with Derrick, more. For now my babysitter comes over and watches one of the kids while we can give attention to the other, and so I can get laundry done without any interference!

I didn't realize how hard it would be in the beginning, but it's for sure gotten easier. Luckily Dex didn't hate Wren, he just understands she is here to stay, and just does his own thing. He sometimes shows her a toy, or pats her head.

Us- Derrick and I are getting ready for our Vegas long weekend get-away! We are so excited!
It's sorta bittersweet because the last time we were there together we were visiting a friend, and he passed away just a  few months later from an accident. We had such an amazing time there with Johnny, and we will be thinking about him while we are there. :(  Seems like forever ago...

Long time no post

Must type fast! lol. There is so much to tell, and my mind is a blur. This post will be more all over the place than my usual ones.
First things first...Two kids = difficult. I will not lie. It is getting easier for sure, but I still am not 100% confident at my abilities just yet. Little lady is doing way better. She is still fussy/particular, but not like before. She just seriously wants to be held at all times, and bundled up in her pink blanky. I think it's her security blanket already.

Life has just pretty much started up again, since we haven't been living at our house for a few weeks since the flea scenario took place. We moved back in again, and everything is almost back to normal. Saw a flea in the basement again though, so the dang pest control guy has to come back a THIRD time!! UGH! My cats have been outside for weeks. SO SAD! We just don't want to risk anything until the fleas are for sure gone, and for sure all dead outside as well. Being in the house you don't see anything at all...just randomly one will be on the kids or something. Otherwise the only way we know they are still in the house is by looking at Dexters poor little body covered in bites...SO FRUSTRATING. They love him. He looks like he has chicken pox. It's ridiculous. We have vacuumed, laundered everything....toys, bedding, stuffed animals....clothing...multiple times....we are exhausted! AND WE HAVE AN INFANT! Seriously...it's been rough.
Thankfully our parents have helped numerous times, and we do get outta the house kid-less. We are just that type of couple that still need kid-free time. We take Dex out to tons of places all the time, but we enjoy our adult time as well. We make it a point to get out at least once a week if we can.
Dexter is still a toddler, so I think that sums it up in a nutshell! He is so dang fun, but I always have Wren in my arms, or feeding, or changing her, or calming her down, etc...She doesn't really nap in the day time as much anymore. I swear Dex slept all day long when he was her age, but I guess he was up a lot more in the night. Wren rocks at night. She has been sleeping 4 hour stretches at a time, and even a few 5 hour. I haven't had any issues with sleep so that is great, but I do wish I had a few stretches in the daytime to get some stuff done. It really just depends on the day.
I basically am always comparing Wren and Dex. Dex was just the best infant, ever. I hope this means Wren will be an easy toddler!

Wren- She is growing/plumping up, and eating more. She usually eats 3 ounces at feedings, but has been wanting more at times. She eats every 2-3 hours in the daytime. She is still wearing newborn clothes, but I can also put her in some 0-3 month. She loves to make the cutest sound, it sounds like "aaagooo"..and she says it slowly, so it makes it that much cuter. She has smiled a ton since almost day 1. She loves to be talked to in high pitched voices, and she stares me down all the time. Every time I feed her she watches my eyes, and she doesn't take her eyes off me when I am walking around the room, if she is in her bouncy seat. She startles easily which is funny. Basically, she does that thing where when you fall asleep, and you jump, as if you are falling in your dream. She does this a lot. She doesn't like heights or fast movements. Sometimes when I hold her she thinks I am going to drop her or something...she latches onto my hair like it's saving her life, or she grabs onto my shirt, or skin....with her little claw like nails....I do have scratches on my chest from her....When she is hungry, she freaks the heck out! If I can't get that bottle to her in time, she claws at me. Literally claws me!? ................

What else does she do...umm...nothing. She is a baby.
Onto Dex- Dex has been sleeping with Derrick in our room, because that was a "safe zone" from the fleas. We didn't know if he was getting bit in his room, or what. Soooooooo....they have been in there, and me on the couch with Wren. When I switch Wren to powder formula, I will move back into our room, and hopefully Dex will be back in his room in a few more days. Since Wren is on ready made formula, I have to run to the kitchen to get her bottle, which passes next to dexters room...and I don't want to bring a crying baby past his door. If I have the powder, all I do is quick dump it into a bottle next to the bed...I used to have water already in them ready to be mixed when I had Dex. I can't wait to get back into our room!
With this baby, I have done all the feedings at night, so Derrick can sleep well for work. With Dexter, we took turns...but his work is more crazy now, and I don't mind. If I really needed help at night, I would ask. Mostly I just need help in the daytime/when Derrick gets home from work. Derrick takes over a ton when he comes home. He plays with Dex for hours, and I take the baby, and then we swap.
We surely are still not used to this schedule, but we are working on it. We have been putting Dex to bed late because he is doing the nap thing, and we just don't get a chance to put him to bed earlier because Wren eats around 9, when he normally would go to bed...and then it takes her forever to finish her bottle...and by then, she needs to be rocked or whatever....then she finally falls asleep at 10pm...THEN we can get Dex in bed...

Once she is asleep, she has been sleeping until around 2am. So I usually go to bed around 11:45pm. So then I feed her around 2am...and then she usually will get up around 5-6am to eat again...and then again around 8-9am....then she usually naps for a few hours after that...So then Dex gets up around 8 or 9 am and I can usually get him settled...otherwise I am still feeding her, and he is looking at me with a sad face, and I have to tell him to wait....Sometimes I just have to stop feeding her and let her cry, and tend to him.
Us- Derrick and I are planning a long weekend to Vegas first weekend in Dec. This is sorta my trip..It's the "i have been pregnant on and off for over four years, and i deserve a dang trip to las vegas to let loose" We also hope to go to Great Wolf Lodge with the kids in October. We will see if we have time or not.

Ok, me tired. That's the gist.

ZzzzZzzzzZzzzzzzz

One would think that I would be sleeping right now, but my brain and body are in a constant battle. If I try to go to sleep right now, I won't be able to fall asleep...which sucks, because she is sleeping right now. Sooo, I therefor have to wait until after her next feeding/sleep schedule...in a few short hours. Wren gets up every 2-3 hours to be fed. Standard/normal stuff. That isn't that bad if I can fall asleep right after. It only sucks when she is having gas pain for an hour or two, and I can't get her comfortable, and it makes me miss our window of sleep.That is when I hand her over to Derrick. He can usually by that point get her into his daddy rocking mode, and she is out cold. Wren is a pretty chill baby like Dex was, but she actually poops. Dex had maybe a poop every few days, and this one poops a couple times a day.

My body is still getting used to not being pregnant anymore, and I have been pretty exhausted from healing from the birth. I didn't have any tears or stitches or anything like that, that all was good as could be right away, it's just my bones and ligaments or whatever, uterus, is all trying to get back into place. My back pain has returned from holding the baby all the time, and my hip pain has gone away. Goodness....I feel like I am an old lady. My belly is a beautiful squishy mess, and my boobs are still humongous. I can't wait for these things to change........hopefully in a few weeks I will have some energy to exercise! Hoping to schedule Pilates classes after my 6 week mark. It's so awesome having my body back to me again. It's like a huge relief. I can eat and drink whatever I like. I don't have to constantly think about that anymore.

I just can't get used to the no napping for mommy in the daytime. So hard! One kid is so easy!!! I stopped Dexters naps sadly before Wren came along, because he was sleeping for 3 hour stretches at a time, and I couldn't get him outta bed. He would cry and tell me to close the door...he loves his sleep...but he would end up going to bed SO LATE. Soooo, we took the naps away so he could be in bed earlier. SUCKS for me, though. My mom took Dex tonight, and will have him in the day tomorrow, so I will be able to get a good two naps in!! I can't wait. I guess it's ok that I am up now, knowing I will get relief eventually. My in-laws stayed with us the first night, and that was so fun. Michele made us tacos, and Dex played with them while I rested with the baby, and Derrick got to do manly things around the house.

I had my babysitter get Dex outta the house today to play. That was really nice. It's so different now though, because I am still anal from being my nesting prior pregnant self...so I ended up doing 4 loads of laundry and cleaning, instead of resting....argh..Stuff has to get done though, right? I also went into work yesterday and did payroll, bills, and paperwork. I guess I don't rest well anymore...Always have stuff to do!




Hopefully I will get to actually get outta the house with Derrick in a few weeks, and go to the casino or something. That is long over due. I have waited patiently. Ok, baby wants to eat. Night night.

Labor/Delivery............

For those who would like to know: We arrived at the hospital at 10:30pm. Got settled in for a bit, turned on Harry Potter..(Derrick put that on). I was on the IPAD bored, waiting for nurse to do something. I got hooked up with the baby monitor thing on my belly. Lab came and took blood and hooked up my IV. Sat around again. Nurse checked to see if I was dilated or not. I was a 2, and 80% effaced. I asked her, " Do you think I will still need pitocin?" She was like "aww honey, probably, only about 4% of people end up not having the pitocin in these cases"..I was like "hmmm...okkkk...." Nurse came back and put a pill into my (area) to soften my cervix and gave me an ambien. I had been having my normal contractions that I usually do at night from laying down. Wren hated me to be laying on my back...and they kept coming. They were 2-5 min apart. Very quickly they became stronger. I told the nurse these were getting quite strong, and she goes "yeah, that will happen"....I was like "okk....".... THEN, they were unbearable to the point I was like "Derrick, this is not good, I can't get through these ones",(and there were no breaks in between...) It was continuous, and I called the nurse, unable to even focus because I was by that point pretty much screaming. They sent the anesthesiologist in, and she goes, "do u want me to check you?" "HELLoooo, YES, i want you to check me!" They could barely get me on my back , and she goes "ohh! She is almost past 4 cm"...At this point they were trying to get me to a sitting position...I was pretty much not able to do anything but scream at this point and pray to whatever god that would listen. They kept telling me to breathe....but there was no chance of that. I started to try to push the baby out because it felt like that was the only way to feel better. They told me to put my legs together and to stop pushing till the doc got there. If I could have laughed, I would have. They got me on my back, and were like. "omg, the baby is coming...but she was just a 4?! well shes beyond a 10 now!" "PUSH!" and push I did, and break Derricks arm, I almost did. Derrick had been pacing the whole time prior and the nurse told him to sit down. Wren popped right out. (hurt like a bitch, though). They quickly gave me Vicodin and motrin. Didnt mix well with ambien...I was too drugged up and in pain to hold her right away. Derrick got to spend time with her, but I had to wait till this morning. Felt so much better when I woke up...besides my ASS that kills. omg. So that is how it went down. She was born at 2:12am.....started contracting around 11:30ish...under 3 hours. LOL!!!

Are we there yet??

I apologize if I sound like the kids in the back seat during a road trip...but I really need this baby to come out. Between worrying about the normal business stuff at the salon, having enough groceries in the house for when baby comes, making sure all laundry is done so we don't have to do much, trying to get Dex back on a better schedule (because mommy is too tired/lazy to get everything done in a timely fashion), and to get some  down time for Derrick and I before the baby comes, it is a little hectic.

My cousin Carly was in town for a few days, and that was some fun downtime to just do girly stuff. We actually just ended up eating the whole time, and I gained 4 pounds. Whoops. Might as well do that now.

Dex has been pushing all my buttons this past week because he was showing off while Carly stayed with us, and he knows I am not as quick as I used to be. He knows he can run away from me, and I can't really chase him. It really gets to me because if I want to have any sort of schedule, I have to wrestle him down first! This type of behavior usually occurs when we have nothing "fun" to do, and I just want to sit on the couch and do nothing, or sleep.

Derrick has been super busy at work, and sometimes has to work a little later until 6 or 6 thirty, instead of the  normal 5-5 thirty, which doesn't sound like much to you...but it is to me. I usually like to try to wind Dex down around 8pm, but he loves to play with Daddy after he gets home, and they usually play like wild boys for 2 hours..so sometimes he isn't too tired when I need to put him down. I am very lucky that Derrick is such a great dad, and wants to spend time with Dex. It helps me to get a little downtime, but I also feel guilty because Derrick obviously needs downtime after work as well...but that is why he stays up super late at night to relax. On the weekends we take turns doing what we want to do.

Today Derrick took Dex to John Ball Zoo and they had a great time. I wish I could have gone! I just really can't walk very well, so I want this baby out so I can actually do something!!!!!!! I will probably run laps around the house after I heal up! This baby is so low, I can barely bend. I can actually feel myself bending into her. Her head is literally about to come out, lol. The doc says she is "right there".

Today I was having a "hormonal" day. Or screw that...I was just having a day where crap kept happening, and it really upset me! Even if I wasn't hormonal, I still would have cried. Nothing was working the way I needed it to. I needed to print documents for work from my house, and my printer wasn't responding, then I must have knocked some cord, and the internet stopped working, and I couldn't get behind my desk to fix anything because I am too fat and can't bend....and Derrick wasn't home to help.....and I only had a few hour window to myself, and I just wanted to relax in the bath tub, and shave my legs one more time....BUT, instead, I had to go into work to print,scan, and send the documents I needed to...and my garage door got stuck...so I just left it up....so then I ended up doing other paperwork at work while I was there..I did get home in time to take a bath, and then Derrick and Dex came home, and I got Dex right to bed for a nap! SO, here I sit. Joy! We will probably take Dex to the toy store after he gets up to get him a pool with all those balls, or a power wheel....I haven't a clue...I just know Derrick got him excited about some toy on the way home from the zoo.

So, I am 37 weeks and 6 days today. Let's see if I go into labor in 2 days, or beat Dexters womb time. This girl feels cozy in me, while I do not. I should send her an eviction notice. For all of you who say, "keep her cooking"....you are not physically in pain every day,and can't be a good mom to your toddler...So I kinda need her out. ;-) now. Will keep all updated!

Silver Lake/Hot as a Preggo Mother!

35 weeks and 5 days pregnant. 92 degrees. Cottage on the lake with no AC. A toddler who doesn't listen, and is cranky from the heat. Sand caked to everyone because all one could do is sit in the water. No one really wanting to eat cuz we all felt so gross. Dex only drank juice and milk, he barely touched any food. (besides a sucker, of course). Derrick sleeping on the couch dying of heat. Dex and I on a full size bed together, but he was of course taking up the whole bed, while I was in pain because I couldn't move around with him attached to my body, and my hips were inflamed. Also, my child is obsessed with blankets, and doesn't understand they make you hot...so I kept trying to pull his blanket off him, and he would cry..even though he was dripping sweat.
Me, sleeping with a bag of ice, like you would a stuffed animal. Me, waking up hugging a bag of water, lol. Finally put a fan in front of every room, cuz we borrowed two from our fam down the lake. Fans helped a little, but still felt yucky. Derricks parents were in the other room, also feeling yucky. Chelsea was in the loft, also dying of the heat.

In all the years we have gone to the cottage, it has NEVER been like this. We always bring a sweatshirt and jeans for night time, cuz it always gets way cool out. This week, we were all trying to wear as little as possible.

One funny incident was when Chelsea was trying to text everyone at 2am. The loft is above the garage outside of the main cottage. It looks like a little mini 70's apartment. She wanted to get out and come inside to go to the bathroom, but there were raccoon's trying to attack her on the stairs, and they were hissing at her! I didn't know until the next day. Luckily Steve got the text and went out there to scare them off. I was pretty bummed I didn't get to witness any of it. The texts in the morning were pretty funny, though. "help! animals are trying to get me!"

It was great seeing the family at least. Dex loves hanging with his 6 cousins, and it's a great thing for Derrick and I to have them all as little babysitters. They just take him and go play. The other cool thing is Dex being able to watch them swim with no fear, and to play in the water, and jump in. Dex was such a daredevil this trip. He was going into the deep deep water, and wanting to be by them. We put on his little life jacket, and we went in the deep parts, and he wanted to swim back and forth to each of us. It was so cute! He still despises water in his eyes, but so do I...You will rarely see me ever go under water. We both must have really sensitive eyes. He will most likely get better with this, but for now, it's ok.

As for me, the water helped my body a lot. It was very comfortable floating around the water all day every day. It's the night time that screwed my hips up all over again...

I ended up spending one day at Aunt Martha and Uncle Mikes house, cuz they told me to come over and relax in the AC. I ended up staying there until around 5pm, and I had slept a few hours there as well. It was heavenly. Derrick and I also took a few air conditioned drives around the lake, so Dex could also cool off. Each time, he passed out completely.

At one point, Derrick was playing games on his laptop with one fan in front of him, I was on my IPAD reading a book, with a fan in front of me, and Chels was on my kindle with a fan in front of her. We thought we looked pretty whiny....considering people are in much worse circumstances, and here we are with all our electronic devices and personal fans......We looked like such babies with the heat, but seriously...it was pretty bad!

Anyway, onto the pregnancy. Not much to report, just the waiting game! I am staying put until this baby comes. I shall clean and organize the house some more, and I will pack my overnight bag this week. Then I shall stare at the wall until contractions start. I may be staring at the wall for a few weeks. Someone come by and entertain me...cuz I'm not leaving the AC...unless it is to Spoonlickers...or work.

34 weeks and completely ready.

Pregnancy. It's the most amazing thing ever, and some people handle it like a charm. I am not one of them, obviously. I am so ready to meet this little girl I can hardly contain myself. I want this baby OUT. I was not this antsy with Dexter. I am just so ready to not be pregnant again, and that doesn't mean I am not grateful, it just means, I am ready to just be comfortable again. This week has been my worst for being antsy, hormonal, upset, not knowing what to do to pass time...The only thing that kept me sane was my little sis Chelsea taking me out to dinner, and my two bf's Laurie and Lauren hanging out at Melting Pot..

We have been trying to keep busy and have fun outings, but I just can't keep my brain from being psycho. I am very blessed with my little family, and just can't wait to have it complete.

This is going to be the slowest month on earth, and I know once the baby comes I will be kicking myself from all that lack of sleep...but at least we would be moving forward!

Aside from my bitching, things are going so great at the salon. I am so happy with everyone their and how successful my stylists have been. They are the backbone to The Hair Co., and I couldn't be happier. It's a place I have a hard time leaving to come home now. I wish I could be there more, but it's not in the cards just yet. I will slowly add more hours when I can. It's a comfortable, safe haven for me, and I miss my girls when I am not there. They are like family.

Our clients couldn't be happier either. They have noticed what a great team we are, and they thrive on it, too.   I have no worries about leaving my clients in their capable hands. My stylists have been so attentive and they even watched me with all my clients to make sure they knew exactly what to do.

4-6 more weeks...I better get my overnight bag packed. Maybe that will keep me busy. I packed pretty great last time, but I think I will include some munchies for Derrick this time. Ya never know what time you will go into labor..and a hungry man under stress is no good..........................