Baby Blah's

As much as I love my kids and enjoy every stage of their development, I'm just not a baby-baby kind of person.

Yes, baby-babies have cute feet and sweet-smelling heads. Yes, they are tiny and helpless and so dependent. Yes, I even get immense satisfaction from nursing my babies, and I love watching their little eyes droop closed into a milk-induced coma.

But, the fact of the matter is, I don't go ga-ga over babies.

I have little desire to hold other babies. I don't insist on ripping off their socks to experience the euphoria that is baby feet. I don't get that fluttering feeling when I see little tiny babies.

I just don't! Of course, it's different with my own, but they're mine. We have a connection.

Oh, sure, I think other people's babies are cute. I really do. And I'll hold another baby without having to be asked twice. I just don't melt into a puddle of goo over them.

That being said, I honestly can't wait for The Little Prince to grow up.

I enjoyed Cinderella's baby years because she was my first, but I always anxiously awaited the next stage to see what she would do and how she would develop.

I enjoyed Sleeping Beauty's baby years even more because I knew what was coming. I knew to enjoy every minute of every phase she went through because I knew it wouldn't last.

With The Little Prince, however, I'm tired of babies. I am so looking forward to him sitting up and interacting and exploring. I am so looking forward to him realizing he can play with his sisters. I am so looking forward to him crawling and walking and eating and talking.

It's not that I necessarily want him to grow up quickly; it's not that I'm not enjoying him right now as he is.

I am just so excited to see the person he's going to become.

I am so excited to see his little personality develop. I am so excited to see how he interacts with his sisters. I am so excited to have a little boy in the house and see how he differs from the girls.

I feel like I should want him to stay a baby forever. He's my last one. (And, yes, we've taken measures to ensure he's our last one.) I feel like I should not be looking forward, but only looking back and regretting that I'll never experience any of this again.

But I'm not. And I don't really want to. I know I'll miss these days. I know I'll probably miss having a baby someday.

Then again, I might not. I might just enjoy my children where they are too much to miss where they were. We'll see.

Three Months Ago

Three months ago today, I woke up early, kissed my girls goodbye, and went for a quiet drive with my husband.

Three months ago today, I lay in the hospital with an IV in my arm, chatting to my husband, my doctor, and my nurse. Expecting a routine induction, I was eventually told I'd most likely be facing a c-section.

Three months ago today, despite the odds being against me because of circumstances beyond my control, I finally gave birth "normally" to my son.

Three months ago today.

Remissiveness

I think I just made that word up. Oh well.

I have been so remiss lately! The last Bloggy Carnival has been over and done with for weeks now, and I actually made quite a haul this time! Usually I don't win anything, but this time, even entering a very small fraction of the giveaways, I won 4 things!

Well, technically I won 3, but someone didn't respond in time, so I won the fourth just this week.

Score!

I won a Wii PopStar Guitar from Mrs. oo7. Currently, I suck at this game. Of course, I might be better now that I've figured out you're supposed to hold the "guitar" in your left hand, just like the fret board on a real guitar.

Dork!

I won a CoreRhythms DVD from the Hip Mama Blog. I haven't actually received this one yet. Maybe I should email her...

I won a gorgeous sling from Raspberry Baby on ohamanda.com. I'm not keeping this one, though. I'm giving it to...well, someone who's having a baby who hasn't officially announced the pregnancy yet. I'd keep it, but I already have two slings, and I want to share my love of babywearing. Besides, this one really suits the person I'm giving it to.

Lastly, I just found out I won a CozyWedge from 5 Minutes for Mom. (If you were the original winner, I'm so sorry!) I'm also giving this one to the nameless pregnant person I know. By the time Sleeping Beauty is out of the crib, The Little Prince won't need to use this. It will get more use from the newborn it's intended for.

Anyway, that's it! It was a pretty good haul, I think. Especially for the nameless pregnant person. (Enjoy!)

Wordless Wednesday--Go 'Hawks!

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Visit 5 Minutes for Mom for more photos.

Momma Needs Some Sleep

Please let this be a growth spurt!

Please, please, please, please, PLEASE!!!

Please?

I have had two nights in a row of the crappiest sleep. The Little Prince has woken up every 1 1/2 hours to nurse for the last two nights.

This, of course, means that I have woken up every 1 1/2 hours to nurse for the last two nights.

Suck.

Add to this the fact that last evening one of the cats puked on my down comforter (and I sorely missed its fluffy warmth) and I am a grouch.

Double suck.

So, now I'm sleep-deprived, grouchy, and stressed out because I CAN'T PASS THIS STUPID TEST FOR SCHOOL!!!

Suck. Suck. Suck.

Momma needs some sleep.

And maybe some caffeine.

Some Cuteness To Get You Through the Long Weekend

Romance? Who Needs Romance?

Prince Charming and I have never been very romantic.

We started off as very good friends. We spent tons of time together, but we were never really interested in each other romantically. In fact, throughout most of our friendship, both of us were actually interested in other people. We really only started dating each other because we wanted to keep each other in our lives. Basically, in order to remain friends, we needed to up our relationship level. We knew that if we did start dating, that it would lead to marriage.

So, we both, quite literally, married our best friends. Getting married was the only way we saw that we could remain friends.

Oh, sure, once we started dating some things changed. There was definitely some kissing involved and some much deeper conversations.

Pretty soon into our dating relationship, we really, truly, began to love each other. But we always had our friendship to fall back on. It made things more comfortable, made the transition from "just friends" to dating, to engaged, to married that much easier.

Even now, when things get rough and we've disconnected for awhile, the friendship our marriage is based on always pulls us through.

We begin to reconnect by just talking to each other, like we did before the kissing started. Eventually, the friendship pulls us forward, back into connection. Back into spending time, just the two of us. Back into marveling at how we both got so lucky to find the other person. Back into realizing that God's plan for us is so much more than either of us ever thought it could be or even wanted it to be.

Because if it weren't for Him, we would never have gotten together at all. Really and truly.

Okay. Back to romance:

Obviously, as friends, Prince Charming and I weren't romantic. That would have been weird. Of course, once we started dating, being romantic was weird anyway.

We weren't used to it. It wasn't "us." Maybe it was just an excuse back then; I don't know. Although, it's hard to be romantic when most of your actual dates occur at the grocery store. Sure, we had some evenings of nice dinners, and we had the occasional movie night. But for the most part, it was grocery shopping, long drives, and serious discussions.

Part of our unromantic nature stems from Prince Charming's abhorrence of PDA. People, it's so bad, he barely kissed me at our wedding. (Seriously, our kiss was so short, the photographer couldn't even capture it. We just watched our wedding video again a few weeks ago, and it was embarrassing!) Even today, after 8 1/2 years of marriage, I doubt Prince Charming could pull off a decent wedding kiss in front of people. It's just not his thing. He sometimes won't even kiss me on New Year's if there are people around. He'll finally hold my hand in public, but that's about it.

I had always wanted someone more romantic. Someone who would often bring me flowers for no reason, or gifts. Someone who would touch me in public, hug me, kiss me. Someone who would always stand too close, letting the world know I was his.

At least, I thought that's what I wanted.

Instead, I wanted Prince Charming. And wanting Prince Charming meant giving up what I thought I had always wanted.

I have never regretted any of it.

We talk every once in awhile about how we can add some romance to our marriage. It would be nice, but I don't think it's necessary anymore. Not for us. As long as we connect, do things just the two of us, I'm content.

Romance? Who needs romance? Not me. I've found my Prince Charming, and that's all that matters.

Wordless Wednesday--Driven to Boredom

So, I didn't take this picture myself, but I think it's hilarious!

The Little Prince looks completely bored and flabbergasted that Daddy is playing Wii.
Again.

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For more photos visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Two Months and One Week

The Little Prince turned 2 months old last week, and I have been so remiss in posting pictures of him or telling stories about him.

So, without further ado, here is The Little Prince at 2 months old:




Isn't he a cutie?

So far, he's a good baby. He's getting a bit difficult to put down at night, but once he's down, he's down. He still wakes up several times during the night to eat (he's a big boy!), but he goes back down so easily.

He outgrew his 0-3 months clothes at 5 weeks old, and is already heading into size 2 diapers. I'm not sure how big he is, but we go into the doctor tomorrow. I'm guessing he's at least 15 pounds already.

We've had a few peeing mishaps in the last 2 months, but not nearly as many as Prince Charming and I expected we'd have.

The first one was in the hospital. He was in the warming bed after being taken off of my chest, and the nurse had turned her back to attend to something else. Next thing I know, everyone is screeching, and I see this jet of liquid spewing from the table, over the rim, and onto the floor.

It was spectacular!

Prince Charming got the second one, and I got the third one during a bath on the kitchen counter. I was reaching over to the sink to rinse the washcloth, and I all of a sudden felt wet. Sure enough, The Little Prince had peed off of the counter and onto my clothes.

That's about it, except for one time in the bathtub, but that's to be expected.

Thank you to everyone who gave me insights on having a little boy! Everything's been a bit easier knowing that whatever is going on is normal, especially Twinmommy's forewarning; without that one, I would have been shocked and wide-eyed over what I was seeing. But instead, I took it (and am still taking it) like an old pro.

I'll try to remember to update more often, but as Twinmommy so eloquently said, Facebook is taking over my blogging mojo (not that I had much to begin with, though).

Wordless Wednesday--Sleep Position #35

She really is asleep!

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For more pictures, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Temptations

As I sit here typing this, there is a box of chocolate-covered pretzels, a box of See's candies, a box of Almond Roca, half a bag of Hershey's chocolate, and a container of fresh-baked Costco cookies sitting right next to the computer.

My mouth is watering thinking about all this fatty goodness in my house right now.

But I'm being good, I swear. It's tempting, but I'm resisting.

I, like everybody else, desperately need to lose some weight this year. After three kids? It's time.

I never bothered dieting after Cinderella, because I knew I wasn't done having kids, so what was the point?

I eventually lost most of the weight naturally, but then I got pregnant again 2 years later, and again 9 months after Sleeping Beauty's birth.

Basically, I have two pregnancies worth of baby weight to lose.

It's time to get rid of it.

I have never dieted before, and I have never had to exercise before. I've usually been active enough to keep healthy, but with two kids, then three, I don't do much of anything.

We bought a Wii Fit for Christmas, and I've been using that regularly. It's not much, but it's a start. At least I can track my BMI changes and my weight loss with it.

I have a Pilate's DVD and body ball that I'll use eventually, but I think I need to gradually work up to them. Finding time without the girls around is almost impossible; they insist on joining me when I work out, and there just isn't room for all of us in the living room. There's nap time, but I'm currently using that time to finish up school work for this term.

I think I'll just stick to the Wii Fit for now. Lose weight first; tone body second.

What's really helping me lose the weight is watching my eating habits. I've stopped snacking in between meals, unless it's a piece of fruit. I do have a treat after lunch (usually licorice) to calm the sweets craving, but then that's it. I have no dessert Monday through Thursday. I indulge on the weekend, but way more moderately than before. I also don't eat anything past 8:00 pm during the week, 9:00 pm on the weekends.

It's been tough, but so far I've stuck to this new regimen for two weeks now.

I used to be one of those people who could eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and not gain an ounce.

Actually, I probably still am mostly that way. I just need to get down to my ideal weight first. After that, I won't gain weight very easily, and when I do, it'll just seem to magically melt away in a day or two.

At least, that's the way it used to be. I'm hoping it won't have changed too much in the almost-six years since I first got pregnant.

I'm sure it has though. *sigh*

I have virtually no will-power when it comes to food. I've never needed it before. All these snacky treats in the house right now? I didn't buy them. I never would have bought them. They were very generously given to us by my in-laws. I really appreciate their generosity. I really, honestly do. And I will eat my share of what they brought. Just slowly, methodically, and cautiously this time. With lots of will-power that I will find somewhere.

I have to find it.

And I will lose the weight. Despite the temptations.

Yes, I Am Fully Aware New Year's Has Come and Gone

I am so behind the times!

We spent a wonderful New Year's week up in Lake Wenatchee with lots of family.
The 5 of us, Prince Charming's parents, my parents, Prince Charming's brother and sister-in-law, and her parents all lived cozily together in a beautiful lodge for 5 days.

There was snow galore! So much snow, in fact, there we were a little worried we might actually be snowed in. Well, not us; we didn't have to cross the passes to get home.
There was so much snow that we actually lost satellite reception on New Year's Day.

Yep. No football for us. At least not until evening.

That's okay. We had fun anyway.
We ate way too much food and drank way too much wine.
We played cards and games.
We watched TV.
We chatted in front of roaring fires.
We napped and worked on puzzles.
We sledded.

It was a wonderful week, and we're definitely doing it again next year!
In fact, we've already got it booked.

Now if only my sister and her fiance would join us...

The first evening there, we had another Christmas.

The girls opened presents...




...while the adults took pictures.

The rest of the week, we sledded.

And Sleeping Beauty refused to keep her mittens on.

Here's the gang.
One would think that with 10 adults in the room, at least one of them would think to turn some lights on while we took group pictures.
We didn't.

I'm already looking forward to 2010 to do it all again!

Information Processing: Christmas

Yes, I know Christmas is done and gone. Yes, I know it's been over for almost two weeks. However, I am just now processing everything, so bear with me.

We spent our first Christmas at home this year. We had told our families that we wouldn't be coming back over before we even found out we were pregnant again. Of course, when we knew we were expecting the Little Prince, it just solidified our decision.

Christmas with our families is always a very busy affair. It includes a minimum of four present-opening sessions, lots of driving, and an exhausted royal court by the time we come home.

We really wanted to simplify this year.

And we did.

Almost too much for our first Christmas at home.

Of course, there wasn't really anything else we could have added.

We had lots of snow, which is always nice.

The decorations were simple (we don't have many), the tree was a hand-me-down artificial (we had no money left in the budget for anything else), and it was just the five of us.

We went to church Christmas Eve where we spent most of our time wrangling bored kids in fluffy dresses (there was no children's church).



















Christmas morning, the girls woke up around 7:30 (yay!) and everyone congregated in our bed.















The girls checked out what Santa had left in their stockings while I made breakfast. Then, we opened presents. Well, the girls opened presents. Prince Charming and I rarely exchange gifts. Instead, we just ordered a Wii Fit the other day.

The "Belle dress" was Cinderella's favorite, hands down.















Sleeping Beauty got a new pull toy. It's a dog. She didn't quite get it, though.



















And The Little Prince? He slept through it all, smart boy.















That's it. That was our Christmas. No busyness, no driving, no family.

We saved all of that for New Year's. Stay tuned...

The Obligatory Christmas Post

We tried,

and tried,

again, and again,

to get a decent picture of the kids for our Christmas cards.

This was the best we got.

Merry Christmas!

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"For unto us a child is born...
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
The Everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace."

Birth Announcement

Announcing the arrival of the Little Prince!

Born November 26, 2008,

at 11:02 pm,

measuring 20 1/2 inches,

and weighing a whopping 10 pounds, 11.3 ounces.

My royal court is complete.