Stuffed

This pregnancy will be coming to an end soon, and I'd like to take this moment to formally complain about a related condition I have been experiencing for the past 7+ months. It's called rhinitis of pregnancy and basically it means that I have not been able to breathe out of my nose for a very, very long time. This probably doesn't sound like a big deal, but it's certainly an annoying feature when trying to eat, speak, or sleep -- things I like to participate in daily. I had a bit of this condition while pregnant with Sam, but nothing quite like this. So, here's to a few things coming to an end soon and many, many new things to begin.

The Tenant

We have some exciting news at our house. My sister, Cassie, has officially moved in with us for the next few months. She decided to leave the mountains of Montana for the big city once again, and we've offered her space to make the transition. It's been one week, and so far, I love it (she might read this post so I have to say that). I kid. It's awesome. There's just something about having my very own blood relative nearby that makes me feel like myself.

Also. She has some great clothes. In fact, I'm wearing her sweater right now. 

I'm Here

It's true. I have been neglecting the blog. Not sure why except that I think writing begets writing, and I just haven't been doing much of it since finishing the dissertation. That, and life plugs along keeping me busy and tired.

I'm officially 34 weeks pregnant, and I've been feeling the aches and pains of that milestone lately. Nothing serious. Just the added 25 pounds on my ligaments and joints along with nightly indigestion, congestion, and (from what I'm told) earth-quaking snoring (for which Dave purchased a 40-pack of industrial earplugs and about which I have decided to not be offended).

Sam seems to be okay with the idea of a baby coming along. He likes to put his own baby doll in his shirt during nap time and cares for her like a sweet big brother throughout the day. We still haven't decided on a name for the real baby who will arrive soon, so Sam calls her Our Baby, which is super cute.

He's also processing the upcoming changes and protesting them in ways that are challenging. Like, for example, refusing to nap despite being extremely overtired and irritable during the late afternoon and evening hours. We never thought he'd be into tantrums given his sweet disposition, but, boy, were we wrong. They've been in full swing here. It's quite a sight to behold. I'm sure I'll be writing more about that whole phenomenon soon enough.

I admit. I'm beat now. I don't have a great way to end this post, so I'll just cut it short. It feels good to write, though. I'll give it a go again tomorrow.

X Marks the Chromosome

Did I mention we're having a baby girl? We are. And seventeen weeks away from her arrival, we already have this pile of pink clothing hand-me-downs.

This pink is one of the reasons I freaked out a little over having a girl (although, let's face it, those clothes are adorable). It was a small reason, though, compared with the image of the teenaged girl I kept picturing in my mind. I immediately imagined a make-up wearing, nail-polished tween telling me how much she hates me and slamming doors.

Then I decided to get over that image and to enjoy the decade or so before it happens. Now I'm more chill about having a girl. Except for her name. We have a dozen or so boy names we like but cannot settle on a single girl one. We've ruled out Miley, though. So that's a start.

Lessons In Parenting. Continued.

We decided it's time to transition Sam to a big boy bed. The first step, we thought, would be to talk up the bed. Create a schema of sorts. When we first explained this big boy bed thing to Sam, he didn't quite understand. Dave thought that showing him a few pictures of toddler beds online could help. As you can imagine, when you Google "toddler bed," you find quite a few images of beds that look like cars and trucks and trains. We had not anticipated this, but thought we had explained clearly enough to Sam that he would not be getting one of those beds.

His standard wood (i.e. boring) bed arrived yesterday. He was thrilled to see the box and could not wait to open it. I told him he had to wait until his dad got home, and Sam wanted to call him to tell him to hurry.

We made this video message instead. I warn you, it takes a very sad turn near the end.

Eventually, the Pirates Booty did help comfort the crying boy. And now I'm shopping for a car themed comforter.

Winging It

Sam is super cute. And smart. And funny. Generally, he's a lot of fun to be around.

Those are the things I try to remember every time Sam hits or bites his dad. Which is fairly frequently these days. This morning was the worst of it. After giving him the "hands are not for hitting" lecture a couple of times, Sam gave it some thought, wound up, and punched Dave square in the jaw.

"That's it!" I said. "You are going to your room!"

I carried him in there kicking and screaming, put him down on the rug, closed the door, and listened to him cry for three minutes. He didn't even try to get out.

This was Sam's very first version of a time-out. He's not really a time-out kind of kid and we're not really time-out parents, but something had to be done. Mostly for my sake. Showing who's boss. That sort of thing.

We made it through the morning without a third round of hitting. I'm calling it a minor success.

The Reveal

Would you believe that I've had BLOG on my to-do list for six weeks now? So much for that.

Basically, I went back to working full-time in June and July and it wiped me out. That and the fatigue of pregnancy have pretty much killed blogging around here, but I vow to make a come-back. Oh, yeah. I'm pregnant! 19 weeks along. So there's that to write about from now on. 

This isn't much for a come-back entry, but it counts for something. And now I'm off to bed.

Lutsen 2013

We took our first vacation as a family this past weekend. It was a short and simple trip to the North Country of Minnesota where (lo and behold!) the sun was shining bright and warm. Our days were the perfect combination of adventure and lazy. Buffet breakfasts at Lutsen Lodge followed by morning hikes and waterfall sightings. Lunch and naps (yes, all three of us) back at the cabin. Late afternoons at the pool pretending to be a shark and Sam clinging to dad's neck. Then throwing rocks into the big lake before dinner, a bonfire, and some acoustic music. Not bad. Not bad at all.

I learned a few things on the trip, too.

1. Sam loves maps. He needed one at every stop.
2. The most dangerous thing you will find in the wild is a human. Total disregard for nature is abundant. One must be prepared to perform a citizen's arrest at a moment's notice. 
3. It's okay to go to sleep when the sun is still shining.
4. An unsolicited "I love you" from a toddler is the world's greatest joy.
5. And if you take all of the pictures, you'll later be angry that there's no proof that you were even on the trip.