Hubby and I finally got a babysitter and were able to get out and see a movie! We were nervous how Ava would do with a stranger, but the two of them really hit it off! Apparently Ava was quite the chatterbox and the sitter adored her (I mean, who wouldn't...but I guess I'm a bit biased)! So it was nice to get out and it was nice for Ava to have a new friend to play with!
We were finally able to make it back to church after 3 weeks of at least one of us being sick! Ava loves the handbell choir and the organ music! She gasps in awe and asks for more as soon as it stops! She did much better at "behaving" when there was no music this time - I think I picked the right toys to bring this time, and there were a few kids in the pew in front of us that helped to distract her! She still couldn't make it the whole time without trying to escape our pew, but she's improving for sure! We stayed for fellowship time and Ava enjoyed a snack while we chatted with the family that was in the pew in front of us.
We never really found a home church while at Ft. Campbell, and I must say, it feels really nice to feel like we might have a church family again! And to be a part of the community! It's really easy for me to become a recluse, and I think it's going to be a personal challenge at this duty station to just get out there and do things. It's going to be hard having such young children while doing it, but I'm sure I will feel less secluded and it's the only way to make friends! I sure hope Liam will like being worn (Ava didn't for many weeks...and once she did, she didn't like it for more than 10 minutes) because I have a feeling I'm going to wear this kid everywhere!!
Ava had her 18 month check up and we learned she's a tall, slender girl! I was relieved that she wasn't due for any shots, but Ava didn't believe the doctor until we were leaving. She's cried at her last few appointments because I think that she remembers that stripping down to your diaper and having some lady look at you on a funny table covered in paper means that you get stabbed in the leg 3 times with needles! I distracted her by asking her where different body parts were, and it worked for the most part! I guess I hadn't realized how well she has been fitting into her 24 month clothes - she's got those and 18 month clothes in her dresser so we just grab whatever. But it makes sense now - she's so tall she needs the added length! Looks like I'll be packing up the 18 month stuff sooner than I thought! She's always worn the same size as her age up until this point! She fit pretty well into a 2T outfit last week!
We were finally able to make it back to church after 3 weeks of at least one of us being sick! Ava loves the handbell choir and the organ music! She gasps in awe and asks for more as soon as it stops! She did much better at "behaving" when there was no music this time - I think I picked the right toys to bring this time, and there were a few kids in the pew in front of us that helped to distract her! She still couldn't make it the whole time without trying to escape our pew, but she's improving for sure! We stayed for fellowship time and Ava enjoyed a snack while we chatted with the family that was in the pew in front of us.
We never really found a home church while at Ft. Campbell, and I must say, it feels really nice to feel like we might have a church family again! And to be a part of the community! It's really easy for me to become a recluse, and I think it's going to be a personal challenge at this duty station to just get out there and do things. It's going to be hard having such young children while doing it, but I'm sure I will feel less secluded and it's the only way to make friends! I sure hope Liam will like being worn (Ava didn't for many weeks...and once she did, she didn't like it for more than 10 minutes) because I have a feeling I'm going to wear this kid everywhere!!
Ava had her 18 month check up and we learned she's a tall, slender girl! I was relieved that she wasn't due for any shots, but Ava didn't believe the doctor until we were leaving. She's cried at her last few appointments because I think that she remembers that stripping down to your diaper and having some lady look at you on a funny table covered in paper means that you get stabbed in the leg 3 times with needles! I distracted her by asking her where different body parts were, and it worked for the most part! I guess I hadn't realized how well she has been fitting into her 24 month clothes - she's got those and 18 month clothes in her dresser so we just grab whatever. But it makes sense now - she's so tall she needs the added length! Looks like I'll be packing up the 18 month stuff sooner than I thought! She's always worn the same size as her age up until this point! She fit pretty well into a 2T outfit last week!
My tendons in my feet have disappeared a bit, which means I'm starting to swell a little bit! Ava's doctor said I looked like I was all belly, which was a nice thing to hear because most comments have been "wow, you are big!" or the lovely "are you having twins?!" I got a few weeks back from a waitress.
I mean really?
I know that sometimes we all say awkward things that we don't mean sometimes just to try and start a conversation, but that is definitely on the list of things you DON'T say!! I brushed it off but it still stung a bit! It's not like we can help how big our bellies are!
I have gone through an insane amount of hot chocolate over the last several weeks. I'd say that and chocolate milk and apples are my only cravings lately!
I've done some serious work in Liam's room! I finally decided it was time to get stuff up on the walls. It's been tricky to keep Ava out of the room when I've tried to work on it, and I couldn't do it at nap time because she'd hear my hammering. So Chris took her outside during some nice weather so I could bust out the decor! I just wasn't feeling the creative juices I needed to feel inspired to decorate UNTIL I found the perfect letters to spell his name on the wall...and a few other missing pieces...and then it all came together! Chris is making a shelf for his room so once that is up and we get his cube organizer in there, it will pretty much be complete! And I've started Liam's laundry with the hand-me-down linens from Ava and the clothes we have for him already.
I really need to pack my hospital bag. That's on my to-do list for the week!
Each time I get dressed to leave the house, I feel like I find something else that doesn't fit anymore! I'm down to just 2 pair of jeans that I can be comfortable in for more than an hour, and even some of my maternity shirts aren't quite covering all of my belly...although this is my second pregnancy for my maternity clothes and they've been washed and dried A LOT!
I finally took Ava to the story time at the library on post! This one is not a "baby and me" class so I was curious about how it would go. They did a song, read a short book, did another song, read another book, and did one more song. Ava only knew one song, but she was too busy watching to do the actions. She danced a little to the last one and started clapping and marching around! It was in a big open area so I had to hang on to her shirt a bit since getting up off the floor takes me about 5 minutes, haha! Chasing her is something I can no longer do! They had a mess-free craft afterward, which she didn't really care about or understand yet. But here eyes were glued on the leaders and she paid attention to both stories! I'd say it was a success! She had a good time and we hit up the park afterward to burn some energy.
We had been wanting to go check out Savannah before Liam was born, and with Chris headed back to work and me hitting 9 months and the typical "no traveling" cutoff, we knew it was now or never! So we took a 3 hour drive to the coast! Lucky Ava got her first trip to the Atlantic Ocean at just a year and a half old!
The weather was a little on the chilly side, but it was sunny so long sleeves was enough. The water was like ice, but we still got our feet wet! One wave came up to Ava's knees - I think she was too shocked to have a reaction! We spent almost an hour and a half taking turns walking/running with Ava in the sand. She liked to play with the sand and scoop it and smash daddy's sandcastles! She loved collecting sea shells and sorting them! To say Ava had a great time would be a complete understatement! It was such a fun time for us all - we are already talking about going back after Liam is born! The only reason we decided to leave is because it was passed lunchtime and we still had about a 45 minute drive to get back to downtown Savannah. So we all brushed off the sand and had the windows down for the drive along the coast.
Some days I feel so happy and excited for Liam to arrive, and other days I am so miserable and grumpy and I just kinda sulk at how hard it is to do things right now. I have so many things I'd like to be doing, but they just aren't physically possible. I know I am supposed to be taking it easy right now, but that's pretty much impossible with a toddler. I can't keep up with her and I can't keep up with her messes. It made me really sad the other night - she was being so cuddly at bedtime and I felt my heart breaking when I had to lay her down in her crib when she was perfectly content snuggling my neck and saying "love you" repeatedly to me. It's not really possible for me to stand and hold 25 pounds on top of my big ole belly. She rarely wants to snuggle, and I didn't want to put her down, but she was putting too much pressure on my belly and it was killing my back. I wanted to stand there with her forever. I really want to make her bedtime my priority after Liam is born because it is a really special time of day for us. Chris and I have always done it together, and Ava always snuggles me before I lay her in her crib. She needs it. I need it. And I don't want anything to take that away from us.
I keep thinking about how laid back I plan to be for this next baby. I was so rigid with so many of the things we did with Ava. A lot of it was for good reason - it went along with Ava's personality, as well as our personality as parents. But since Liam is not the only child, things are going to have to be a little more flexible with him. I really want to get out and do more this time around. Ava will need adventure anyway, so I'm sure I'll learn quickly how to manage 2 under 2 in public quickly. Or at least learn what not to do, haha!
I didn't nurse in public very often with Ava. And when were were out and about and she was hungry, I usually just nursed her in the car and I brought a pillow along. I had a pretty forceful let-down, and so there was always milk seeping out of the side of Ava's mouth since it came out so fast. So nursing was usually pretty messy and required burp cloths to keep us both dry. It was just easier for me to manage it all in the car. I'm really hoping to master the art of nursing while baby wearing because I think that will be helpful so I can have my hands free!
3 weeks from today we will be holding little Liam! So crazy!! Hopefully he'll stay in there that long, although I'm sure I'll be complaining that I want him out!
I mean really?
I know that sometimes we all say awkward things that we don't mean sometimes just to try and start a conversation, but that is definitely on the list of things you DON'T say!! I brushed it off but it still stung a bit! It's not like we can help how big our bellies are!
I have gone through an insane amount of hot chocolate over the last several weeks. I'd say that and chocolate milk and apples are my only cravings lately!
I've done some serious work in Liam's room! I finally decided it was time to get stuff up on the walls. It's been tricky to keep Ava out of the room when I've tried to work on it, and I couldn't do it at nap time because she'd hear my hammering. So Chris took her outside during some nice weather so I could bust out the decor! I just wasn't feeling the creative juices I needed to feel inspired to decorate UNTIL I found the perfect letters to spell his name on the wall...and a few other missing pieces...and then it all came together! Chris is making a shelf for his room so once that is up and we get his cube organizer in there, it will pretty much be complete! And I've started Liam's laundry with the hand-me-down linens from Ava and the clothes we have for him already.
I really need to pack my hospital bag. That's on my to-do list for the week!
Each time I get dressed to leave the house, I feel like I find something else that doesn't fit anymore! I'm down to just 2 pair of jeans that I can be comfortable in for more than an hour, and even some of my maternity shirts aren't quite covering all of my belly...although this is my second pregnancy for my maternity clothes and they've been washed and dried A LOT!
I finally took Ava to the story time at the library on post! This one is not a "baby and me" class so I was curious about how it would go. They did a song, read a short book, did another song, read another book, and did one more song. Ava only knew one song, but she was too busy watching to do the actions. She danced a little to the last one and started clapping and marching around! It was in a big open area so I had to hang on to her shirt a bit since getting up off the floor takes me about 5 minutes, haha! Chasing her is something I can no longer do! They had a mess-free craft afterward, which she didn't really care about or understand yet. But here eyes were glued on the leaders and she paid attention to both stories! I'd say it was a success! She had a good time and we hit up the park afterward to burn some energy.
We had been wanting to go check out Savannah before Liam was born, and with Chris headed back to work and me hitting 9 months and the typical "no traveling" cutoff, we knew it was now or never! So we took a 3 hour drive to the coast! Lucky Ava got her first trip to the Atlantic Ocean at just a year and a half old!
The weather was a little on the chilly side, but it was sunny so long sleeves was enough. The water was like ice, but we still got our feet wet! One wave came up to Ava's knees - I think she was too shocked to have a reaction! We spent almost an hour and a half taking turns walking/running with Ava in the sand. She liked to play with the sand and scoop it and smash daddy's sandcastles! She loved collecting sea shells and sorting them! To say Ava had a great time would be a complete understatement! It was such a fun time for us all - we are already talking about going back after Liam is born! The only reason we decided to leave is because it was passed lunchtime and we still had about a 45 minute drive to get back to downtown Savannah. So we all brushed off the sand and had the windows down for the drive along the coast.
We were hoping to eat at a local restaurant, but we settled for a chain restaurant downtown due to parking issues (seriously, nowhere to park! We paid $20 to park in pretty much the ONLY parking garage we could find) and not wanting to spend a lot or wait too long. Lunch was yummy and we walked around a little afterward, but prego couldn't handle much, haha! We stopped a Forsyth park to let Ava burn some more energy before the drive home. The playground was super busy, but Ava enjoyed watching other kids and trying a big slide and climbing a rock wall ramp! It always makes me nervous when there are a lot of big kids running around because they usually have no regard for the tiniest humans that are trying to play, too. She did get knocked down a time or two, but she got right up and kept on going!
Then it was time for one more back-of-the-car diaper change for Ava and then we drove home. Ava never fell asleep on the way back, so she only had a 10 minute nap the whole day! She did great, though! She was a happy girl and seemed to love the adventure!
It has been a long 2 months here in Georgia already! Our move already seems like a long time ago. I'm SO GLAD we were able to get here ASAP instead of having to wait until January or February to move! I could not imagine going through all that mess right now! So I'm just now getting back to being a SAHM...by myself! Chris is off leave and is back at work. It was nice to have him home, but we both also agree that it's nice to have our routines back! I ran 2 errands with Ava this morning to get miss tall girl some bigger clothes so she's not walking around in high-waters and sleeves that only come part of the way down! Walking back to the car after the second stop made me realize my days of being able to leisurely browse through a store or two have come to an end. It felt like my hips were clicking and my pelvis was going to crack open and I felt so much pressure! I was regretting our second stop and was ready for nap time so I could recline on the couch.
It has been a long 2 months here in Georgia already! Our move already seems like a long time ago. I'm SO GLAD we were able to get here ASAP instead of having to wait until January or February to move! I could not imagine going through all that mess right now! So I'm just now getting back to being a SAHM...by myself! Chris is off leave and is back at work. It was nice to have him home, but we both also agree that it's nice to have our routines back! I ran 2 errands with Ava this morning to get miss tall girl some bigger clothes so she's not walking around in high-waters and sleeves that only come part of the way down! Walking back to the car after the second stop made me realize my days of being able to leisurely browse through a store or two have come to an end. It felt like my hips were clicking and my pelvis was going to crack open and I felt so much pressure! I was regretting our second stop and was ready for nap time so I could recline on the couch.
Some days I feel so happy and excited for Liam to arrive, and other days I am so miserable and grumpy and I just kinda sulk at how hard it is to do things right now. I have so many things I'd like to be doing, but they just aren't physically possible. I know I am supposed to be taking it easy right now, but that's pretty much impossible with a toddler. I can't keep up with her and I can't keep up with her messes. It made me really sad the other night - she was being so cuddly at bedtime and I felt my heart breaking when I had to lay her down in her crib when she was perfectly content snuggling my neck and saying "love you" repeatedly to me. It's not really possible for me to stand and hold 25 pounds on top of my big ole belly. She rarely wants to snuggle, and I didn't want to put her down, but she was putting too much pressure on my belly and it was killing my back. I wanted to stand there with her forever. I really want to make her bedtime my priority after Liam is born because it is a really special time of day for us. Chris and I have always done it together, and Ava always snuggles me before I lay her in her crib. She needs it. I need it. And I don't want anything to take that away from us.
I keep thinking about how laid back I plan to be for this next baby. I was so rigid with so many of the things we did with Ava. A lot of it was for good reason - it went along with Ava's personality, as well as our personality as parents. But since Liam is not the only child, things are going to have to be a little more flexible with him. I really want to get out and do more this time around. Ava will need adventure anyway, so I'm sure I'll learn quickly how to manage 2 under 2 in public quickly. Or at least learn what not to do, haha!
I didn't nurse in public very often with Ava. And when were were out and about and she was hungry, I usually just nursed her in the car and I brought a pillow along. I had a pretty forceful let-down, and so there was always milk seeping out of the side of Ava's mouth since it came out so fast. So nursing was usually pretty messy and required burp cloths to keep us both dry. It was just easier for me to manage it all in the car. I'm really hoping to master the art of nursing while baby wearing because I think that will be helpful so I can have my hands free!
3 weeks from today we will be holding little Liam! So crazy!! Hopefully he'll stay in there that long, although I'm sure I'll be complaining that I want him out!
Comments
Post a Comment
I'd love to hear from you!