Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The Terrible Threes

Yep, you read that right, The Terrible Threes. Parents of any child that is 3+ are nodding their heads with me on this one. Non-parents and parents of under threes are probably going, "What?! I've always heard of the Terrible Twos."

Three hit us hard in this household. Thankfully, we were prepared for it thanks to those "Just Wait 'Til" parents who said, "Just wait 'til she turns three. Three is worse than two." While I still don't like any statement that begins with that phrase (see this previous blog post), that advice did at least prepare us for what was to come.


You still get the falling-on-the-floor, crying tantrums, but you realize that at age two they were still a little cute. At three, well, some days kids make you just want to lock yourself in a room, simply because locking them in a room is frowned upon. My kid is just downright obstinate.
As frustrating as it can be, I came to the realization the other day that while at three the lows may be pretty low, but the highs are even higher. She may make me want to bash my head into the wall, but then I'll watch her on the playground chatting it up with new friends she's made and marvel at how just six months ago she would have only played near them. She may have spent most of her twos telling Daddy she only wanted Mommy, but now when Daddy comes home she runs into his arms and yells, "Daddy I LOVE you!" Yep, at three, the highs are pretty high.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

TMI

Don't worry, I have no intention of sharing TMI (too much information, for those of you not down with the lingo) in this post, but I want to talk about people who do. What is it about being pregnant that makes women--sometimes strangers--feel compelled to tell you every gory detail of their pregnancies and, more specifically, their deliveries? I know some pregnant women devour this information, wanting to be prepared for every scenario that might possibly come up during their pregnancy and delivery, but I am not one of them. I trust my doctor and I trust modern medicine, so I would have been perfectly happy going into the delivery room fairly (not completely) oblivious to many of the scary, gross things that may happen during delivery.

Having a baby is one of the most beautiful, natural things in the world (well, the way most people do it), but delivering a baby, that's a different story. It's not pretty. So why women want to tell others stories that include things like episiotomies and pooping on a table is beyond me. Oh, and if you don't know what an episiotomy is, I won't tell you. Honestly, I wish no one ever told me. Do yourself a favor and DON'T Google it. Also, for all you camcorder-happy parents out there, no one wants to see the video of your child's birth. Not even your momma. My poor mom had to sit through one of these experiences before (and this was 20 years ago!). She told me, "I've had four kids. I know what it's like to have a baby!"

The way I see it, extricating a baby from your body, however and wherever it comes from, is an amazing, natural miracle. Kudos to women who go for the no drugs, grin-and-bear-it delivery. You are tough stuff. But I have to say, opting to have a baby in a birthing center, which in some cases is just a house with one of those blood pressure monitors you find at a CVS, is just plain stupid. As far as I know, they allow midwives and doulas in the hospital. If I'm having a baby and something goes wrong, I like knowing there's a doctor in the next room, not some hairy-pitted lady calling 911. What? You say women have been having babies at home since the dawn of time? Yes, and women used to die in childbirth all the time.

Three cheers for women whose birthing stories are as simple as, "I went into labor in the afternoon. We drove to the hospital, I labored for about six hours and out came little Suzy. It was one of the best days of my life!" That's all people need to know. If you start using phrases like, "The doctor reached in..." or words like cervical anything, stop yourself. That is TMI. Let your friends ask for details like that. Don't offer them.

I do love a good, funny birth story. It's important to keep your sense of humor in tense situations, but keep it clean. I'll never forget the image of my husband walking in during my daughter's birth. I was having a C-section and they FORGOT to go get him before they started the surgery! There was my tough guy, who was terrified he'd pass out during the delivery (and there was a very real possibility he would, considering his history), having to enter the room mid-surgery and walk completely around the operating table. He managed to keep his hand up, shielding him from seeing anything he'd consider TMI, without tripping on any tubes, cords or anything else. He was so relieved when he made it to his safe place at my side, behind the drape.

See how I did that? No gory details at all.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Exciting News!

Most of you have probably already heard this or read it on Facebook, but Eric and I are expecting again! We are due August 2.

Most people hear that and go, "Oh poor thing! An August due date!" And after last summer I'm a little worried, but honestly, I don't mind. What we didn't want was another November or December birthday in the family. The three of us have our birthdays within eight days of each other...November 17 (me), 21 (Lanna) and 25 (Eric), add Thanksgiving and some other family birthdays in during that time period and things are pretty crazy. So with that said, a July or August birthday sounds just fine to me. And if when it's hot, I'll just stay inside in the air conditioning.

We're all very excited. Lanna is especially excited about becoming a big sister and is telling everyone our big news. Everyone. Her preschool class knew very early along that Lanna's mommy had a baby in her belly and Lanna was going to help change its diapers and feed it cereal. In her defense, it was Christmastime and they were talking about Mary giving birth to Baby Jesus in the manger, so it really did fit into the conversation. She is also quite sure we are having a girl. Eric also calls the baby a girl most of the time, but I think that's just his way of not getting his hopes of having a boy too high. I honestly don't care if we have a boy or girl. As cliche as it sounds, what's better than a healthy baby?

I've been feeling...okay. I've had about the same amount of first trimester ickiness that I had the first time around, but with different symptoms. During my first pregnancy I had nausea every morning and a weak stomach all day long. Mealtimes were never about what food sounded good, but what food could I stomach. This time around, I've had no problem with food but I've been completely exhausted. Like, can't-peel-my-butt-off-the-couch for hours at a time exhausted. I guess the fact that I'm not working right now has been a blessing.

So, now you all know and I can start posting funny pregnancy related stuff on my blog. Hooray! No more secrets!