A wonderful surprise

I am blessed with a wonderful husband.

He was out of town earlier this week for a work obligation and wasn't expected back until tonight. However, they decided they didn't really need him there and he knew I was having a rough week so he hopped on the plane and came home yesterday instead. It was the best gift I've been given! My spirits lifted and I felt a little better immediately. Now I'm feeling a little bit back to my normal self after spending the last couple of days lying on the couch "resting" (how boring). I'm much too much of a busybody to spend as much time lying down as my doctor recommended (plus, it's a bit hard with a busybody 2 year old too!)

THANK YOU DENNIS! ;)

More to come soon...

I'm sorry for the lack of communication lately. I'm really not feeling well and getting antsy for this pregnancy to be over. I'm almost there. I will try to post more as I feel I can. :)

Trying to let it go...

To help some of my pregnancy woes, my doctor suggested that I be walking around 50% of the time and lying down with my feet elevated 50% of the time. No extended sitting or standing. All I have to say to that is HAHA. He does realize that I have a toddler with limitless energy so this is a bit of an unrealistic goal but I am trying to heed his advice, at least to a certain extent. I do need to rest more. But what that means is that many things go undone. And I'm not good with that. I'm a busybody through and through, one who never sits down for more than 1-2 minutes at a time. This is so hard for me! So I'm trying to just let it go and achieve what is absolutely necessary and not worry too much about the rest. Anyone have any secrets to this? Sigh... just a few more weeks until I meet this beautiful girl and I can't wait.

Baby Registries

Having a second child is both easier and harder in terms of baby supplies.

For the first baby, everyone is so excited and wants to throw you a shower and buy you lots of gifts and cutesy baby stuff. For the second, people hardly acknowledge his/her existence.

While it's true that we do have *most* of the things we need for baby #2 (especially since we're having another girl), there are some things that we borrowed or simply didn't have the first time around that I would really like to have now. Problem is, nobody wants to buy anything! First time we had all the furniture, clothing, and supplies pretty much taken care of. This time, NOTHING. There are always things you need, like diapers and usable supplies, if nothing else. Not that I'm complaining (well maybe I am just a little) but I do feel that every child is a blessing and should be celebrated as such.

So to make myself a checklist of the things I want and/or need, I created two registries for this baby. So if nothing else, I can buy gifts for her and feel like they are gifts and know that SOMEONE thinks she hung the moon. Plus, if you set up registries, they often send you extra coupons for fulfilling your registries later so what can it hurt? So I registered her at Babies R Us and another fantastic store (which blows BRU out of the water) called Buy Buy Baby. Buy Buy Baby does not have locations everywhere but they do also have an online feature, though not all items are available there. They are also affiliated with Bed, Bath, and Beyond so those many, many coupons you get from them are good there too.

So I am celebrating my second baby with as much zest and zeal as the first. I am determined not to let her get pushed to the side just because an older child demands my attention. I am still buying her some of her own clothes and other items because let's face it, while hand-me-downs are convenient for us, it's always nice to have something new for yourself (that hasn't been through the wash 1000 times to get rid of the sweet potato stains).

(If you can't tell, I'm getting a bit cranky and hormonal - can't believe it's taken this long!)

Wasting Away the Time

I feel like Olive and I are so busy, busy, busy all the time that I thought we'd take today off and just sorta relax. I need it - my pregnant body feels like it's going to collapse (I don't remember being this tired at this stage last time?). We did go to the mall today to buy Olive some shoes for her uncle's wedding in a few weeks (that I'll have to miss, boohoo) and look for curtains for the nursery (we got shoes but no luck on curtains). I can't believe how exhausted it made me to just walk around the mall. Amazing. I am now 32 weeks pregnant so technically, I have another 8 weeks to go. The way I feel right now, I don't know how I will make it that long! So I've had to cut back. But I get bored easily and being around the house and actually relaxing and getting things done is pleasing but boring. Although I'm still two months out, I feel like I did at the end before Olive was born - like I'm just killing time awaiting her arrival. Strange, isn't it? I know this endless rain and gloom we've been having doesn't help either. Luckily today has been dark but not too rainy so as soon as this kid wakes up from her nap, I think I need to take her outside and let her run free for a little while. Expend some toddler energy. I just need to go somewhere fenced in so I can sit down! ;) In the meantime, think I'll go enjoy a cup of tea and revel in the quiet. It doesn't happen often enough and pretty soon, there will be no such thing... ;)

Celebrate Mama event tomorrow - Bethesda, MD

Tomorrow is the Celebrate Mama event in Bethesda, MD. This is a great event for "mamas of all ages and stages"! Vendors have something for everyone and there are children's performances like Rocknocerous, a ballet performance, storytelling, belly dancing, and more!

Last year, Little Pink Pansy was a vendor and had a great turnout. Unfortunately we weren't able to do it this year but we will probably be attending. It's a lot of fun and a great chance to support some other local businesses.

If you live outside of the metro DC area, check the Celebrate Mama website for a location near you.