reminder to myself

The snow storm kept me from going anywhere today.
This mostly means that I couldn't go to the gym which is where I generally collect my sanity.  I decided that I would dust off an old workout DVD so I could still sweat out the bad in me so that I'll be nice to my kids the rest of the day. 
When I brought up the stepper and weights Gracie got all excited, "exercise exercise! yay" and I thought maybe this will be fun, she'll exercise along like a little mini me.  The first 5 minutes was fun.  She tried to follow along with the warm up and stretches, it was really cute watching her balance and tap her little toe.  Then she got her toys to come exercise with us, and my already cramped space became even more cramped and Gracie was no longer exercising with me, she was playing at my feet, pushing me, pulling me, climbing on me, and yelling at me. No longer fun.  
I kept trying to tough it out and just work around her, and her toys, while constantly kicking them out of the way... this went on for 37 minutes until I was no longer being productive and Gracie and I were just mad at each other.
Also, I got bored with the DVD, it's hard to be motivated to work hard in your own living room when there's more fun things to do, like make the baby boy smile. 

A nice reminder that it's worth it to pay too much to go to a gym with classes and a child care.   

(and just a little icing on the cake, after I gave up the endeavor, Gracie said, "Mommy, can we go to the gym?")

Snow, Please Go Away.
 

sick stats

Last night Gracie went through 4 pairs of pajamas, got her bed changed 3 times and took 2 baths.  

The great thing about Gracie being sick is that she is super cuddly and affectionate. 
The bad thing about Gracie being sick is that she is super cuddly and affectionate. 

As much as I love the hugs, kisses and snuggles, I'd rather not have them paired up with a face covered in snot and throw-up breath. 

Good thing I have a she-lion of an immune system and rarely does anything get past.

some woes of a breastfeeding mother

I've got a list a mile long of things I need or want to do to prepare for Christmas,
A sick and stressed out husband trying hard to prepare for his last final for the semester,
An extremely head strong stubborn (and also slightly sick) two year old who wants to only eat pancakes, ice cream and cereal,
A sick coughing, stuffy nosed baby who just wants his mommy to hold him,
And a mail lady who lectures me about my parenting - that I should lay my baby down and let him cry by himself and I am not eating healthy enough - which is why he's sick.

I'm just going to smile to myself and laugh a little.

Also, if you were wondering why you 're not getting a Christmas card, it's not because I don't eat enough vitamin C.  Just sayin'.

keeping a two year old busy

Gracie did this all by herself.  I figure it beats letting her watch cartoons. And at least baby brother didn't get thrown in the middle of the room, she generously let him stay in the swing.

cowkids

Here's Cowgirl Jesse

And Cowboy Woody

They're both pretty cute.

3 weeks

Dutch Tanner is 3 weeks old today.  And I ran 3 miles to celebrate.  Yay for both of us. 
He's also gained almost 3 lbs.  ok, not really, but as of 3 days ago he weighed 9 lbs, he's quite the little chubster.  We love to kiss him.

look at those cheeks!

Daddy and sister celebrated with fireworks!

look how strong he is, he really is good at holding his head up high

Dutch Tanner de Jong, 9/17/2012 - 6:55am

I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy.

The war story happened like this:
Sunday night, September 16th, I was admitted to the hospital, 41 weeks pregnant, to be induced a little before 9:00pm.  Around 9:45 they inserted a cervical catheter balloon thing because I wasn't dilated enough, because he still hadn't dropped - the kid was still in my ribs.  They also started a low dosage of pitocin at that time.  I spent an hour standing and rocking myself, or sitting and rocking on the birthing ball.  We entertained ourselves by watching Seinfeld episodes (perfect labor entertainment).
At 11:00pm the nurse checked my cervical balloon and it came right out, which meant I was at a 3-4cm and received a higher dosage of pitocin, which started some serious painful cramps.  After a few more hours of standing, marching, rocking and bouncing, I couldn't stand it anymore and got an epidural around 3:45am (I was then dilated to a 6).  I got about 15 minutes of sleep, then my blood pressure monitor kept beeping every 15 minutes because my blood pressure was about 2 points too low (so annoying!).  A little before 6:00am my nurse came in to check me and I was mostly dilated, but he was face up so she put me in different positions to try to get him to turn around.  At 6:30am she checked me again and I was fully dilated, but Dutch was still up in my ribs.  The nurse said to go ahead and start pushing him down.  At that point I was worried that it would be a long morning of pushing, and I was exhausted from a sleepless night.  The epidural had largely worn off and I hurt.  I pushed my guts out to get that kid out!  When he started crowning they told me he had hair, which made me smile.  When he moved down a little more the doctor said, "Oh, he's going to be a big one" (I have no idea how they can tell that so soon, because his head doesn't look very large to me).  When his head came out, they told me to stop pushing because his umbilical cord was wrapped tightly around his neck.  He was completely blue in the face and they had to cut the cord immediately right there.  After they cut the cord, two more pushes and he was out at 6:55am.  25 minutes total pushing time.  I must say, I was pretty darn proud of myself, especially for having had to push him all the way down, plus being a larger baby - and, by the way, I don't remember it hurting that much with Gracie, I'll admit there was a bit of yelling and demanding water between pushes.  8 lbs, 20.25 inches.  And, best of all, I didn't tear, no stitches!  Yay! 
Dutch came out looking pretty purple, but still beautiful.  We love him so much and are so grateful that he has finally joined our family. 
I felt really well in the hospital and they let me go home a day early, which was great.  But now, every muscle is sore and I feel like I got hit by a train. 
But, on the bright side, I really love having my bladder back. 

First Family photo

Just a couple minutes old

Love at first sight

My handsome guys

In other news, just because I don't want to forget this bit of cuteness:
Gracie has taken to talking and giggling herself to sleep.  I enjoy sitting outside her door and listening to her play in the dark.  I love that girl. 

Get out of my belly!

We've checked into the hospital for my scheduled induction.  Little boy is 1 week late, more according to our preference.
They started the pitocin  around 9:45pm. 
We're hoping this goes quickly. 

Due date Schmoo date

In school and work we learn the importance of due dates, don't turn your work in on time by the due date, you get in trouble.
But those due dates deal with things we can actually control.
Why do we put a magical date telling a baby that he's supposed to now emerge from mama's comfy belly.
Babies know how to eat, eliminate, sleep, cry and let's also say cuddle (because everyone knows they're good at it even if they don't mean to be).
So here's a phrase that super bothers me.  "your baby will come when he's ready."  Really?  My baby knows when he's done cookin'?  How about we just admit that we can't control nature and leave it at that.  I guess it just sounds cuter, or more motherly?
Because here's the deal, if my baby is still kicking my ribs and punching my bladder just because he hasn't decided to come out of hiding, then that kid is in big trouble and will be getting a spanking* when he does man up and decide to show his face (that's right buddy, you better be scared, because mama's getting mad).


Induction scheduled for Sunday night the 16th, expected delivery to be Monday September 17th, so stop asking if he's come yet, trust me, I'll be joyfully advertising if I actually go into labor by myself.



*don't worry, I won't punish my newborn child for being late, please refrain from preemptively calling Child Protective Services.

huge

It's a good thing that I really like being pregnant.
I like my big belly, and I feel pretty good, for the most part (mostly when I'm sitting comfortably)
If I didn't enjoy this time in life then I may be offended by the comments that people loving give, such as:

Stranger:  You're due any day now, right? 
Me: No, I have 3 more months
Stranger:  Oh, so you're having twins?
Or
Stranger: Let me guess, your due date was yesterday.
Me: No, I have another month.
Stranger: Oh wow, (yells to her friend - "she has another month!")  Must be a big baby then!

 I have a general rule for myself- I never ask someone about their apparently pregnant belly unless they bring the topic up themselves. 
Which also reminds me of a funny comment, that was overheard by a friend at our local water park (quick background info - pregnant women are not allowed on water slides, I disregard that rule when I feel like I can get away with it).   Skylar and I went down a water slide, then our friends behind us overheard this conversation between the lifegaurds:
Wait, was she pregnant?
I don't know, but it's not like you can ask, that's just rude.
Right, it could be some kind of tumor or something.


 So here's me with my tumor or something at 36 weeks:
(I don't know why I chose to take my picture right after a workout, let's blame pregnant brain on that one)

Belly looks like it should just fall down doesn't it?

And a close up of the gianormity

OMPB

[Oh my Pregnant Brain!] 

Pregnant Brain - The condition in which a women fat with child can no longer remember or think clearly.
 
I can't completely deny that I had PB with my first child,  but I do remember being skeptical when women blamed their blunders on their supposed pregnant brain (even after their child was 3 years old in some cases).  puh-leeeze, just admit you're a ditz...
When I mention to my husband that I don't think I had PB with our daughter, he usually mumbles something barely audible, or gives me a pity smirk - not very reassuring. 
However, with this boy that I'm carrying around in my belly, I definitely feel like my brain has turned to straw. I can never remember a time when I was so forgetful, but that probably doesn't say much since I can't remember anything, or think clearly.
I mentioned on FB a while ago that I forgot to get dressed for a while after the shower, I blame that one partly on the summer heat, good thing no one came to the door - I like to think I would have realized my current condition. 
One morning my husband told me that he was fasting that day, something I can't currently do (without complaint).  While actively thinking about my husband's fast, I simultaneously started making him scrambled eggs and a smoothie.   See what I mean?  This brain is lame.
 I sure hope the fuzziness comes into focus again after I give birth, I'm going to need to be even sharper than before with two babes. 
However, despite the fact that I get annoyed with myself for not having a brain anymore, I am lucky in the way that I don't get very sick while pregnant, my baby isn't pressing on any crazy painful nerves, I can still taste food normally, I (used to) still have enough energy to workout, I haven't started retaining water in a ridiculous way, and I'm sure the list goes on but I can't think of anymore right now - for the most part, I feel healthy and normal(ish) minus the giant beach ball under my skin and the constant jabs from the alien life-form invading that beach ball belly.

We've been going swimming a lot lately...

So I've just got a question, do any of you still pee in the pool?

 Here's an anonymous survey link where you can answer instead of leaving me a comment (unless you're brave - but I will post anonymous responses if they're entertaining enough, I'll also give the final verdict)
or copy paste this:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GWXNYDR

Ever heard the myth of the dye in a swimming pool that makes the surrounding water purple when urine hits it, so that everyone knows who the culprit is, thus embarrassing them enough to never going swimming again?  Yea, I don't think that exists.  But I'll tell you what does exist, very very bright yellow tinkle in shallow waters does not get camouflaged.  If you're going to leak in the public waters, please make sure that your peepee is diluted enough so that no one else knows what you're doing, or take your business to deeper waters.
Thanks.

And PS - my answer would be yes, I never grew up I guess- and I still think it's funny.

love

I wasn't going to buy Gracie the little doggy she found at the yard sale, but she was carrying it around everywhere, then she started reading books to the little doggy, then she found a little shopping cart and pushed the little doggy around, and I couldn't help myself any longer.  Hopefully when I put batteries in it, it will walk and bark, but I don't think that's going to matter.  Gracie hugged that puppy the whole way home, singing to it "cute cute puppy, I love you, cute puppy cute puppy I love you."
When we got home she found her dalmatian puppy and made the two snuggle together.  Then she put her new puppy down for nigh night after giving it a bottle.

Having a (almost) 2 year old is so fun and cute (most of the time)

Excited about her new puppy!

hiccup

My baby boy got the hiccups for the first time tonight, at least from what I've noticed. So cute, I love him, and I love watching my belly pop up and down with his cute hiccups. 

Running still and feeling great.

There are some days when I feel really great after I run, I mean, other than the feel good endorphins that you get from working out.
Today was one of those days.  
You see, it's all in the circumstances.  And here's my reasons:
-  I pulled myself out of bed at 5:40am - a few months ago this was my regular wake up and work out time, lately I've felt more like a slug has taken over my body until something important compels me to get out of bed.
-  Next, you would think that running that early in the morning would mean a cool breeze, or at least coolish air, WRONG!  When I walked out the door I literally took a step back it was so freaky hot, I wasn't expecting to walk into a sauna.  I took off down the road anyway.
-  I was not one of the people sleeping in their cars waiting for the doughnut shop to open. 
-  We just moved into a new place, and I don't have a running route yet, so I decided to just run straight for 18 minutes then turn back, which I did, but it turns out that the whole way out was downhill. 
- The whole run back was (obviously) uphill, but it took me the same amount of time to get back home.
- My belly is huge.  (I actually got asked if I was having twins)
- I ran just over 3 miles in 36 minutes.  Considering my state, I'd say that's pretty good, and I wasn't even trying to push myself.

Let's see if I can do it again.  I think twice a week is a reasonable goal.

Belly Perks

Here's a list of things that I love about having a pregnant belly

1.  I don't feel guilty about not doing any ab workouts after I run. 
2.  When I eat too much I'm not self conscious about my stomach sticking out
3.  I don't feel judged when I'm the first in line to get food on my plate at social gatherings.
4.  When Gracie wants me to hold her, the belly supports part of her weight and gives my arms a break.
5.  I get to park closer at the grocery store, at least when there's an Expectant Mother parking spot.
6.  Instead of being glared at when my daughter goes crazy in public and I can't catch her, I get looks of pity.
7.  It's always a great way to break the ice when trying to be friendly with strangers.
8.  When I run outside, I don't feel social pressure to keep running when I would rather walk.
9.   I take naps during the day without feeling guilty that I should be folding laundry instead. 

I just love being pregnant.  

Doing Something Right?

Gracie didn't want to sit in her high chair this morning
She didn't want to eat her cereal.
She didn't want to drink her milk.
She didn't want to go potty.
I thought, great, it's going to be one of those days.
Then I opened the fridge and she opened the vegetable drawer, pointed and said "cumbers. carrots."
She wanted to eat cucumber and carrots for breakfast.
I'm ok with that, in fact, it makes me feel like I must be doing something right if my 22 month old is requesting vegetables for breakfast.  So I let her eat them on the couch instead of at the table.
Gracie, thanks for making me feel like a good mom this morning.

Look Mommy!

Gracie is getting smart, or at least she's becoming more able to articulate her thoughts and prove how smart she is. 
Yesterday we went to the grocery store, Daddy ran in to get what we needed and Gracie and I people watched from the car. 
A girl walked by in tiny shorty shorts and an itsy bitsy tank top and Gracie pointed to her and said "body! body!"  
That's right Gracie, she is showing off her body.

I truly look forward to the other fantastic things she's going to say in public.  That girl makes me smile.

A Mommy and Her Babies

So I have a friend who is amazing a lot of things, one of them being photography.  She took some pictures of Gracie and I while we were visiting Utah, here's just a few of my favorites, though there are hundreds more that I love.

I think she's too pretty to be mine...

...but mine she is!

So excited for baby brother!

See?  I told you my friend was awesome.  If you're interested in her work, her website is: http://www.ProStudioPhotography.com  Or you can find her on facebook, just look up ProStudio Photography.

A little help?

My mom is participating in a fundraiser for the Huntsman Foundation, cancer research for women. 

She's doing a bike ride called Huntsman Hometown Heroes in the Little Red Riding Hood Bike Ride.  She's close, but not quite there, so I'm reaching out for her.  

If you could just donate $5 that would be a huge help, and it's for a great cause.  I'm sure all of you know of someone who has suffered from cancer, specifically women.  

  

Follow This Link to visit her personal web page and help me in my efforts to support Huntsman Cancer Foundation

Some email systems do not support the use of links. If so, copy and paste the following into your browser:
http://littlered.kintera.org/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=1000429&u=1000429-350244822&e=5353574387

 Many thank yous.  

 

Best Date Ever!

Skylar and I ran the Columbus Half Marathon together today, it was so much fun!  We just loved being together through it, I couldn't have asked for a better boyfriend to hang out with. 

Before the race

Baby Boy's 1st 1/2 Marathon

After

 

 

 

New Style for SAHM?

SAHM ("Stay At Home Mom", for those like me who usually don't know acronyms).

Is it a new style for SAHMs to wear their workout clothes when taking their children out?  Are they going for the, "Yes, I'm a sexy mama who works out and plays with her kids"  look?  I mean seriously, I've been seeing a lot of mom's in their Nikes, spandex and tight tanks at the zoo, parks, cosi, etc, but I've noticed they do still make sure to remember to do their hair, put on makeup and pack lunches, they just seem to not have enough time to put on normal people clothes. 
What's the deal?  Granted, gym clothes are comfortable, that's the point of them, but come on people, you look weird, like you forgot where you were going.  Throw on a pair of jeans already. 
Just sayin'

Baby!

It's a BOY!  I'm going to have a son!

I can't wait to snuggle with my little guy.  

Due date is September 10, 2012

It's Woe time

So I haven't talked about my chest woes for a long while, I decided to skip the complaints about milk leakage, engorgement, etc while I was nursing Gracie, but now I've got something. So here goes..

Itchy Boobs

That's right, I said it, super, untreatable, inconsolable, itchy side boobs (mostly).  

However, that being said, itchy boobs is really the only thing I can complain about with this pregnancy, otherwise it's been a breeze so far.  Being a flat chested woman, these puppies have a lot of growing and stretching to do in order to house the milk needed to fill up a hungry baby's tummy.  My body's just prepping for that occurance. If only they'd stay milk jug sized afterward...

And yes, I did just say that I'm pregnant. Yipee!  More to come on that later. 

This little piggy.... is so not cute.

I love my daughter, I really do.  I can't talk enough about how I think she's the best little person in the world, not to mention the prettiest little girl I've ever seen.  Seriously, I don't know how we got her, she's just too cute.  But despite her adorable face, her clever wit and good humor, her rockin' style and her girly flare...
Girlfriend has got the ugliest feet.
First of all, she was born with gargantuanly long feet, looked like they belonged to a child rather than a baby.  But that was just the beginning.  She's got some funky toenails that literally grow upwards, I don't mean out, I mean they actually curl up if they grow just a little bit too long.  Needless to say, I'm very meticulous in making sure this doesn't happen.  And now, to top it off, she's developed some wicked constant skin peeling on her toes and feet.  I lotion them several times a day, it helps for a few minutes.  Poor little things are shedding like a snake in the summer.
And the best part is:
She loves them. 

5 Years

My sweetie and I have been married for 5 years.  He bought me a new wedding band for our anniversary.  I love it! 

@#$%

Vermin.  Such a disgusting word.  It makes me think of spitting and snarling, which is how I feel right now.
Storytime
We've had a raccoon get into our ceiling.  Not onto our roof, into our ceiling, and it pads around and scratches and scratches and scratches, it's so loud and so close it sounds like it's going to fall right through our ceiling and right onto our heads.  It steals our sleep and makes me crazy. 
Wildlife Protection was contacted about the situation and they came and set up some traps, giving me the charge to check them every morning and reporting every morning if there was a Catch or No Catch.  I forgot to call one morning and they put me through the wringer. It's not a pleasant experience being chewed out by an animal catcher.
The good news is we caught the little stinker.
Here's proof:

Don't you dare think for a second that he's cute!

The bad news is some idiot, bleeding heart, let him go before Wildlife Protection was able to get here to take him away.
So now we'll continue to have raccoon problems, and I'll have to continue go to out every morning and call in my report.  They say the chances of catching him again are very low now that he knows the trick.

I'm so mad I could spit, and to make it worse I have strong suspicions on who the guilty party is, which just angers me more.

P.S. It's against the law to mess with animal traps, and those people aren't interested in being merciful, they take this stuff very seriously.

Sugar Free

So much Yum!

11 days sugar free and feeling great!

Judge me if you must

My new favorite song to run to is Sexy and I know it by LMFAO

I work out.

What's your favorite workout song?

Thumbs Down to Daylight Savings!

Espeically boo to the spring version!  My minutes are precious, and to take away an hour from me is just rude.  In our society, there's really no point to it, it doesn't save energy, because we'll just use electricity more in the morning now instead of in the evening.  We had a hard time going to bed on time, but still had to wake up early, I ended up going to gym an hour later than usual, because I couldn't wake up, and came home in the dark, instead of the light as I do even leaving hour earlier!
  The whole thing just makes me grumpy.

Mall Trip

I had to go to the mall yesterday to visit the Apple store because my ipod broke.  I've got to give props to Apple, they give excellent customer service, and they gave me a new ipod and charger easy-peasy.
I don't like going to the mall, it just reminds me of how out of fashion I am.  I noticed that the shorty short shorts are in fashion again, I liked it the last couple years where the knee length shorts were the fashion, that was sure handy for me.  Let's go back to that. 
And, does anyone else find the trend of short shorts with stockings repulsive? Seriously.  What are they thinking.

On a positive note, I do love going to the mall to get my monthly Godiva chocolate, and Gracie loves the escalator.  She was also a very good girl and held my hand the whole time while we walked around.  She also adored the play place, it was great to see her running around like a crazy person having so much fun, wish I'd had my camera.

what are we teaching her?

Gracie's hungry, she says:  Let's eat, let's eat
I say: We can't eat until daddy comes home
Gracie says:  Oh, eat pitzzy! (pizza) 

Guess she remembers that daddy brings home pizza sometimes. 

Morning Rituals

Gracie and I watch Tangled on Netflix every morning while I comb out her own lovely locks and try to do something with that hair to keep it out of her face.  It's actually become a really great system, Gracie lets mommy play with her hair for up to 20 minutes sometimes, and then afterward, I get to snuggle with my baby for a little longer.  To me it was just a way to get her to hold still, then Skylar pointed out how clever it was of me to have her watch Tangled, of all movies, while I did her hair.  I didn't know I was being clever in movie choice, but I'll take the compliment.

Well Leap Day happened, and Netflix decided that we had enough of Tangled, so they took it away.  Not Happy were we.  I'm pretty sure we were mostly keeping our account just for the morning hair ritual. 
Now what? 
We bought it of course. Can't live without our Tangled. 

Goal pants? Check.

I didn't think I'd be able to, but I did it, I fit into the pants. This is a monumental occasion, because as I mentioned before, I've never actually fit into any of my goal pants in the past.

Here's my proof:

I probably should have cleaned up before having the picture taken, and we couldn't keep Gracie out of the picture, she has to do everything mommy does (she's putting on my hat there); and you can probably tell my tall husband took the picture, but there they are, my tiny skinny jeans - these things have zero stretch to them, so there was no chance of just squeezing into them, I really had to work for it.
Thanks for all your support!

Reflections on Bambi

 Recently Gracie is very interested in watching Babi (Bambi).  The cute thing is, I didn't introduce it to her, she just found the DVD among our collection and started giving it to me.
In general, I like Bambi, and I don't mind it playing in the background since there's very little talking and it's just instrumental music, which is quite enjoyable.  I have a rule that Gracie isn't allowed to watch anything that annoys me.
But I do have a few issues which I would like to address.
First of all, the names. 

Bambi - male, deer, Prince of the forest
Feline - female, deer, Bambi's girlfriend
Flower - male, skunk

Does anyone else see a problem here?  Bambi is not only feminine in itself, but the only other people named Bambi are female strippers.  Feline should be a cat, plus I always thought it sounded like Felipe, which is a European man's name.  And Flower? Cute, but not male.

Next, there seems to be some parenting issues here, while the entire forest comes to celebrate the birth of the new prince, the father is no where to be seen.  He doesn't get involved in Bambi's life at all until his mom is killed and it's time to teach him to be a man.
And on that note, WHY does Bambi's mom have to die??  This is a children's movie!  If there's one thing that children understand it's the importance of their mommy.  Bambi's mom dying is simply traumatizing, or at least it was for me when I was little, every time I knew that part was coming I'd run and hide in the bathroom until it was well over, then I could pretend it didn't happen.

I like Thumper and his little Thumperisms.  Was anyone else tempted to eat clover blossoms when they were small because of Thumper?  I was, they always looked so delicious.

Maybe I just take things all too seriously.