Advice solicited

I am 36 weeks pregnant and Gwendolyn FREAKS if I hold a baby. Freak in the sense that we had tears, drool, snot, and swinging punches at the poor baby in my arms. She was sitting on Matt's lap halfway through this introduction to her little cousin and all her other immediate family was there watching, so no lack of people to attend to her at the moment. She and I will be a basketcase when baby brother comes home if this is how she reacts to him.
I have been prepping her by pointing out baby brother in my belly, but she also points to grandpas belly and asks "baby?". So I really don't think she comprehends what it means. I refer to many things around the house as baby brothers...... swing, clothes, car seat.
She gets mad if our dog sits in my lap for too long.
Any advice? I am desperate and hormonal.
I have a baby doll purchased that I was going to give to her special. I don't know if I should give it to her prior or at the hospital so she can associate it coming from baby brother. recommendations??
She tries acting maternal by holding things to her chest and rocking them and patting their back, too cute.
I am hoping she reacts different when she meets him in the hospital and he comes home with us, but???? who knows. Any others with experience and advice?

Wanna Race??

Just a nice relaxing fall day. Racing 4-wheelers with Daddy.

Absent no more

I have been in a pregnant 30 year old funk and not felt like writing anything. That is boring and I intend to overcome that. Life is good, still married, still a mom, still pregnant, still working. Here is a tidbit from my life last week..

This morning, after playing out in the new snow, Gwendolyn kept saying potty. I would ask if she needed a new diaper? Did you go potty? Do you need to go potty? After about ten times (I'm pregnant and lazy) with two of them her going to the bathroom door, I finally get up off the floor. We strip off pants and diaper and I set her on the toilet. Sure as sh*t, she tinkled. I start praising and kissing her, not letting go and having her fall in though. She was excited that she got to use toilet paper for what it is designated, wiping - not eating. I took her to her room for a new diaper after that, all the while telling her that she would get a potty treat. Forgetting to flush, which is one of her favorite things to do, we head back to the bathroom for the symbolic flush (so exciting). She, in the meantime, has not forgotten the promised potty treat and is making sure I didn't either. "potty treat, potty treat"?? Off to the pantry to see what would qualify as a potty treat (saw my cousin doing this while training her 3 yr old girl, what the heck) out we come with fruit snacks. I then proceed to call both grandmas and DH. I have since been to wal-mart for child-butt sized seats for the toilets. I never thought that I would have one out of diapers before the other got here. Not to disillusion myself, I know this won't happen overnight. I suppose I ought to read a little bit about potty training, now that it is a reality

Now, mind you, I went and spent $50 on Dora toilet seats for our house and the grandparents houses, no more pee yet. We try a few times a day and she is very excited to see Dora and will even ask to go potty, but no more pee. Oh well, it is a slow process.

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of a niece or nefew (however the hell you spell that word). Baby raspberry is due any day now. So exciting.


Gwendolyn went golfing with her Daddy, Uncle Marwan and Aapa (grandpa in Eskimo) on Sept 20th




This is the following day. No more golfing

As for pregnancy, I am almost 33 weeks, if you go by the Thanksgiving due date. Dr says I am measuring right on schedule and baby not too big not too small. I thought Gwendolyn was a very manageable size at 6lb 10oz and 19.5 inches. So I am hoping for him to be in that range. He is currently head down, good exit plan, and quite active. I have gained 14 pounds, which is 2 more than I gained during all of Gwendolyns pregnancy. He makes me hungrier, more often though, so not suprised.

Busy as I am, I vow to make more of an effort to visit.

Weekend away with Matt

We had a wonderful time on our weekend away. The weather was very nice on Saturday for the wedding, which was good since it was an outdoor wedding. We took advantage of the nice setting for some pictures.



I think I like this one best, but the color is not fabulous.

We are sitting on a rickety old wooden chair and I wasn't confident it would hold one person, let alone 2.5 people.

The reception site had a little pond and a creek running by. It was pretty darn cold by night time, but they had little heaters placed around. The wedding was nice. We were 2 of 5 people (excluding family) from Fairbanks, which is where the bride is from, so I am glad we made the effort to attend. With time to kill in Anchorage on Sunday and no baby, we went to a movie. We watched 40 year old virgin. It was funny, but not hilarious. I wish we would have been able to see Wedding Crashers instead. Matt was able to experience what it will be like with more kids around. All three little Bennett kids came in to wake us up on Saturday and snuggle. They knocked and I said yes. Such sweet kids.
Gwendolyn was very happy to see us. She was a little mommy clingy this morning, daddy wasn't going to cut it for anything. She has learned that please comes after more and she is much more likely to get what she is asking for. "more please", too cute.

Final Fling

Matt and I are going away for the weekend. We are flying to Anchorage tonight after work. We have a wedding to attend at Alyeska Ski Resort, no there is no snow right now, on saturday evening. I have booked us a B&B with our own jacuzzi for saturday night. Yep, I'll enjoy 5 minutes at a time and not cook the little man. Tried on 8 dresses last night, feelin like a cow. At least the wedding party is wearing black, so I can get away with flattering black and not feel like I am being morbid.We will probably go out to dinner tonight in Anchorage to the Outback. Love that place!! Yummy. This will be our/my last time away before baby is born, I am assuming. So I plan to enjoy the hell out of it, leave my 20's with a (sober) bang. 4 days till my 30's begin....

Baby naming quiz

So we are still nowhere with a boys name, go figure. I just opened an e-mail from American Baby that said it had a quiz to help you name your child. 12 questions and this is what it spits out.

You were probably pretty popular during your teenage years -- wore all the hip clothes, went to all the best parties, and dated the quarterback of the football team. If you want your child to be the best-liked kid in his or her class, you should consider baby names that people associate with being kind, popular, fun, attractive, and stylish.

OK, thanks. I know I was popular and liked to party, but give me a name dammit. I am already TRYING to come up with something that is associated with being kind, fun, attractive, and stylish. But what is that. I don't want something that there will be 5 of in the classroom, nor do I want something so off the wall that it is lame. You are giving this little person an identity for the rest of their lives, like it or not. It has to get them through childhood and still be a good grown-up name. Ugghhhh, suggestions???

Suprise follow-up

It went off like a charm!!!!He was very suprised and excited I think he slept about 1 hour that night, he was like a little kid wanting to play with his new toy (or me, in gratitude, get away buddy - it is 2 am) I didn't have many lights on in the garage, didn't want to seem to obvious, so the quality of the picture isn't the greatest.

His coming in the door with a dumbfounded look on his face. He said I suprised him, being there, and then it dawned on him what I was sitting on


He is walking around me and the 4 wheeler in awe. I placed a video camera on the keg cooler located behind him, pointed at the door. Yes, we have a keg cooler in the garage, no we are not alcoholics.


Him on his new toy. I think he read the whole manual that night and started it like 4 times, just to rev it up. The messy garage is his fault, his domain, his responsibilty. Anyhow, went very well and he didn't expect it. This is his birthday, christmas, anniversary, and fathers day for the next 4 years. Yeah right, I'll still get him stuff, but nothing huge. I like that he felt the need to comment that he would get me back someday. woohoo, can't wait for that day. Now, we will see how he does with my big 3-0 in a couple weeks.
So my Dad calls the following morning to see what Matts reaction was. I put Matt on the phone to talk and the second questiom my dad asked was "was she naked"? Damn Dad. Does this make him a pervert for thinking I might/should have or does it make me a pervert for thinking about doing it??
He was waiting to patiently for me to get home from work yesterday and take over with Gwendolyn. He so badly wanted to ride his new toy before all my family came over for dinner and someone asked to ride it. he wanted to be the first. Such a big kid.
He has been riding it for about an hour each night to add on some miles. You can't open the engine up fully till you have 100 miles on it and he intends on going hunting in a couple weeks and will ride it hard then. The first time I saw him come back to the house he didn't have a helmet on and I tore into him. He easily conceeded saying since I bought it for him, he would wear a helmet for me. Good, I don't want to raise two kids on my own.

Suprise for Matt

Matt has been whining for months that he wants/needs a 4-wheeler. This is a seasonal request mind you. Other times it is a new boat or a new snowmachine. He went and priced out and compared all the different brands a couple weeks ago and was still contemplating the if he should part. Is it necessary? can we afford it (I pay the bills, he is in the dark)? do I really want one? All those stupid questions. I had been mentally plotting for a couple weeks that I would go buy it when he was out of town fishing. Today I did. I have it in the garage and will be waiting on it, with a camera when he arrives home. I plan to lock the overhead garage door, so he has to use the "man" door. Where I will be sitting in wait, hehe. If I didn't feel so non-sexy pregnant , I would put more thought into sitting on it naked, just for the shock effect. He is going to be soooo stoked. This better earn me a fabulous 30th birthday in a couple weeks, otherwise I am taking it back. My dad is supposed to call me when Matt drops him off. I have at least an hour to wait still. Its killing me I will post pictures tomorrow of his suprised look, if all goes according to plan.

2nd Place baby

Just for giggles, we entered Gwendolyn in the baby contest at the State Fair on Sunday. She was in the 13-18 month division. Out of 39 contestant she won the most talkative, go figure. She waved at all the judges and said bye-bye, bye-bye as we walked past. On top of that she won 2nd place for the division. Yea Gwendolyn. That earned her a ribbon and a little gold ring that actually fits her ring finger. I was very happy with 2nd place, 1st meant we had to come back for more at 8pm and she is just not so cute then. So, that was our adventuresome afternoon. I was amazed to win, not that I don't think she is adorable, but there were tons of pagenty moms and kids there. I kid you not, there was a poor toddler in a gown and tiara and one in a tux. Did they place? No. Poor judges probably felt sorry for them. I just spit shined mine and marched her out there for fun, not competition. Its a state fair, for crying out loud.

What I came home to yesterday

I am assuming Matt knows how to spell and these were the only letters he could come up with.  Either way you look at it, I was tickled that he thought to make this for me.  This was waiting for me at the top of the stairs.  I am amazed Gwendolyn left it alone long enough.  The man is working on earning brownie points all right.  He must really want that new 4-wheeler.

Sweet husband - baby name

I get bummed with Matt when he doesn't leave his hand on my belly long enough to actually feel the baby kick. He will put it there for a minute and then take it away with or without a kick felt. He did the same with Gwendolyn. He was interested but, not overly if you catch my drift. With Gwendolyn we knew what the name would be for a girl all along, so we had no major name discusions. Saturday night, Matt and I were going to take a jacuzzi bath and I grab a magazine to read and he comes in with the baby name book and proceedes read through all the boy names out loud and we discuss any possibilities (essencially none, boy names are lame). I was just tickled that he took the initiative. I was laying in bed later that night smiling with my eyes closed and he called me on it. I admitted that it was his gesture that put the smile on my face.
Don't get me wrong, we still have no name for a baby boy, but Matt was still sweet. I need to get another book, apparently 15,000 names are not enough, though well more than half were girls names.

Carnival Picture

I look fat and she looks grumpy with her wrinkled nose look, but what the hell, we are in a picture together.  I really do have hair, but it is all pulled back.  This was taken at a kids carnival I was working at.

TV watching toddler

I have been so excited that my little girl and wanted nothing to do with watching tv. Sure there are times I would like her to sit still and not need me or play. Hey, I like to cook dinner in peace. last week she sat on my lap and watched 15 minutes of Dora. That is the most yet. i had tried Baby Einstein and she could care less, fine by me. She spent the morning with my mom today and is starting to get a cold/runny nose, so was a little tender. I just spoke with mom and she said Gwendolyn loved watching Barney, watched for half an hour. Great, it has to be the big lame purple dianosar that catches her attention. Baby Einstein I liked, Barney I loath. Matt will be real happy with this turn of events, I'm sure. I can tell you there will never be a tv in her room while she is in my house. Dang, that sounded very parent like.

Had a very successful weekend of shopping in Anchorage with Erin. We filled the back of the car and didn't even have any big items. Went to lunch with some girlfriends and had a fun visit. Anchorage has lots to offer, but I still like the pace of Fairbanks better. We are going to dinner at Marwan and Erins' tonight. Enchiladas, yummy. Hope Gwendolyn behaves herself in a non-childproof house. At least it is her aunt and uncles place. They are long-term housesitters, so none of the crap is even theirs. It will be so nice when we both have new little babies. I saw a 6 week old yesterday, so little and sweet. I miss when Gwendolyn was immobile. As I am sure I will miss when she couldn't talk and won't shut up now.

Oh well, the trials and tribulations of kids.

Belly shots at 21 weeks

I made Matt take a couple pictures of me last night. Not the greatest in clarity, but what can you do. As of last week, I have gained 3 pounds and have felt little man kicking around since 18 weeks on a regular basis. The heartbeat from the ultrasound was 146. I was never given a number with Gwendolyn. I wish I would have measured my belly at the end of my last pregnancy so I have something to compare to.

I look veiny, yuck

Gwendolyn is curious about belly buttons. She has no concept that mama has a baby in her belly. She has been good with babies lately, though she needs to learn to be a little more gentle. That will come with consistant time around baby brother. I bought a few boy pj's and outfits at the used place yesterday. I bought a fair amount for Gwendolyn and then was given tons of fabulous hand-me-downs. She has so much clothes, it is ridiculous!!! There are tons of things that I never tooks the tags off, that I have given away. Why use the brand new that I bought when there are so many great used ones. If something was given to us, I will wash and put her in it, but if it was one I bought-I regift. There I admit it, I regift. That is a load off. Does it really count when I am regifting something I bought in the first place?

It's a BOY

I as still in a little shock, I had resigned myself to it being a girl. All the old wives tales pointed to a girl. I thought Gwendolyn was going to be a boy and she wasn't and I thought this one was going to be a girl, so I should have known it would be a boy. Matt is beaming proud. I know he wanted a boy. I only cared because I knew Matt wanted a boy so bad. I had gotten used to thinking of the baby as Trinity, our girl name. Now we need to narrow down our boy choices. We like Blake, my favorite last time
Blaise, but just heard that is the name of a character in the new Harry Potter and it will become popular
Troy
Harley, but our last name is Bunch, so I don't know what I think of that.
It is nice to know gender ahead of time and have the luxary of weighing these heavy choices. Now to shop for blue clothes. My sister-in-law and I are going to Anchorage (350 miles) to shop for baby stuff this next weekend. No baby, should be very nice.
Since Matt is not home to take a picture of my belly, I will post another picture of Gwendolyn.

Rainy 4th of July Parade in Ketchikan

Matt and Gwendolyn

Ketchikan vacation

We had a very successful two week vacation with the inlaws.  We rented a 27 ' motorhome and drove through Canada to catch the ferry to Ketchikan.  The driving was 2 and 1/2 days each way and the ferry was 6 hours, not too bad.  Gwendolyn tolerated it.  She is way too active of a child to be retrained for long.  Unfortunatly, she learned to throw her body over the portable crib on the drive home, no longer containable.  Damn monkey!!  It rained the whole time we were there, but what do you expect in a temperate rain forrest?  Oh well, we still had fun.  There was a parade on the 4th and Gwendolyn was happy in the backpack the whole time, surprise.  We also learned that she has enough hair to create pigtails, yea!  I am in none of the pictures, yet again.  The husband of mine needs to learn to pick up the camera, though he will say I need to tell him to take pictures.  That always makes me feel conceited.  Right before we left the in-laws learned that their taxes were wrong a few years back and they got a few extra thousand dollars back, we didn't pay for a thing on vacation.  So nice!!!

Are you stupid??

I didn't score so well, but hey it is monday morning and I go on vacation in two days. I borrowed this from Christas' blog, just for fun. I also have a fun new sling coming from Christa that I can use now with Gwendolyn and with the new baby. BB2 was kicking me in the bladder the other night. Such an amazing feeing, not having to pee, but feeling a life growing inside you.

Puffy Baby Picture

She looks worse today, the puffiness is creeping down into her eye lids. The dr put her on antibiotics today with concern for staf and the swelling not having gone down. I feel so bad for her. I don't know if it hurts or itches, but she seems bothered by it. Poor baby
We bought the mosquito machine and it cost $500 , but it is eating them already.
Keep us in your prayers that the swelling goes down.

Damn Mosquitos

We spent the morning in the Dr.s office. What I thought was a goose egg on Gwendolyns forehead from a fall was in fact a bug bite. This morning her whole forehead was swollen about an inch out and was about to creep down into her eyes. Talk about panic, but kept my cool overall, hormonal as I am. We got into the Dr and he said she just reacts bad to mosquitos, thank that part has been obvious for a while. Any bite she gets swell to twice the size it sould be and gets a scabby head to it. She never seems bothered by them and was mildly bothered by her forehead. The head/face being so vascular makes them react different. He put her on Zyrtec for 5 days and gave us more to use sporadically for the rest of summer. I have to watch her forehead and if it turns bright red and seems painful, then it could have turned into staf infection. He does not recommend using bug dope at all because of the deet, just to keep her covered. Dh is at the store right now to buy a mosquito machine. They are said to eliminate all mosquitos within an acre. You empty out a bagfull every day or so. I would say $300 is worth a normal headed baby. Is you are unaware, Alaska is the mosquito capital of the World, they are everywhere!!!!