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September 2, 2003
September 2, 2003
Collin is 2 years, 2 months old.
I’m 23 weeks pg.
Pregnancy:
I believe I’m finally done throwing up. Three weeks ago was my last visit staring into the toilet bowl and am I ever pleased about that. I no longer wake to that sickening nauseous feeling deep within the pit of my stomach. I’m now able to actually get up, tend to Collin’s needs, do a few things and then eat breakfast. Since I’ve been so under par this time around and since I’ve been having a bad time with being nauseous, I’ve only gained four pounds. I’m betting that since I’m enjoying and keeping all my food down the weight will start climbing. I’m trying to eat healthy but sometimes it’s so hard. Especially when there are days I feel like I could literally rob the Kwik E Mart to get my mitts on a candy bar.
Some symptoms I’ve currently having are that of feeling very thick and bulky already. My tummy is pretty big and round (and beautiful!) and it really makes it hard to do things, like bend down, sit or lie in a comfortable position, and get in and out of the car. My hips, pubis bones, and sciatica nerve have been aching so much over the past week or two. There are times where the pressure on my pubis bones is so intense it really feels like they are going to open and the baby is going to fall out. I don’t remember having this much pressure down there this early during my pregnancy with Collin. I remember feeling this way during my 8th and 9th month, not as early as my 5 and 6th. As for the sciatica nerve pain, I know it’s very normal. It’s very uncomfortable, not alarming, so I think it’s time I go see that chiropractor I’ve been talking about seeing for a while now. I hear that pregnancy adjustments can make you feel excellent again.
I sleep with a pillow between my legs now and it really brings some relief to my pain. The only part that is troublesome is when I know I have to flip over in bed. Most nights I fall asleep on my left side, sleep there for several hours without moving an inch, then half way through the night, flip to my right side. Then before I wake, I’m usually flipped back onto my left side again. I don’t get the best nights sleep but I’m just happy to be getting a full night of sleep. When my bladder calls and I have to get up mid-sleep for a bathroom break, I’m usually up for at least an hour tossing and turning trying to get back to sleep.
I think that the summer heat has also added to my aches and pains. When it’s 102 degrees out with high humidity, I don’t feel like moving a finger, which by the way, are starting to swell, along with my feet and ankles. It’s probably due to me not drinking enough water throughout the day. My feet and ankles were horribly swollen during my 7, 8, and 9th month of pregnancy with Collin so I’m certain it will happen again this time around. Like I said, this heat isn’t helping me any.
My boobs seem to be completely out of control. Some woman look forward to this part in their pregnancy but I already started out as a 38C, now I don’t even know what the heck I’m measuring anymore. Definitely out of the 38C and I’m guessing that I’m either a 40C now or a 40D. I keep meaning to go get measured for a new bra, but I keep forgetting because most days, since I’m only in the company of Collin, I wear my comfy pregnancy sleep bras. Those are the best but not too great if you are looking for a nice form and “perkiness.” My breasts have also become so transparent that I’ve become a walking road map. It’s strange to look in the mirror at times and see just how mammoth they’ve become. It will surely be interesting to see how much they change and grow in the next few months.
This next topic is really personal (as if the boob subject wasn’t!) but I wanted to mention it anyway. My PC muscles seemed to have abandoned me. I’ve always had good bladder control, even after Collin was born. I had the occasional post-birth “oops” sneeze or laugh but lately I have an “oops” every time I sneeze! Unless I have time to cross my legs TIGHTLY and bed down into a semi-crouch it’s pointless. You can just imagine what was going on all those times I was throwing up. I had absolutely no control during those times. It’s frustrating and embarrassing but I know it can probably get better if I can just start remembering to do my Kegel exercises. For some reason, I can never seem to remember to do these!
All around, I seem to be getting a double whammy of symptoms this time around and getting them earlier than last time. Every pregnancy really is different.
On a very plus and positive side to all the above, I’m really enjoying the kicks and jabs that have become stronger over the last month. This has got to be the very best part of pregnancy, aside from the total outcome. I adore feeling my angel move within my belly. Feeling the rolls and flutters. It’s so magical and beautiful and makes me feel so maternal and so full of God. I enjoy being the only person, right now, who can feel the presence of our baby. It’s just us. Two souls connected by the sharing of our bodies. There are yet to be words invented to describe this delicious feeling. Feeling life growing inside of you is just such a miracle.
Collin:
Collin is doing fantastic! At his 2-year check up, in June, he was at 33lbs and was 38” tall! Our pediatrician said that as a young adult/adult, Collin had a very good chance of being 6’9”. Whoa! We about passed out when we heard that. I’m just under 5’6” and Mark is just over 6’3” so we always knew that Collin would be tall, but not that tall! He’s always been over 97% in height so I suppose he’ll continue that trend on through his life. We laughed that we had better start saving for pants, shoes and basketball camp now!
Currently, his new trick is turning on every light in the house (as he walks through and I mean EVERY light he can reach) and unlocking and opening up the doors and walking outside. He’s a master at turning doorknobs now so keeping doors shut doesn’t keep him out or in for that matter anymore. He’s given us a sure scare a few times when he’s just decided to walk outside on his own. We have to keep the deadbolt locked most times now. How terrifying to even think about!
At present, he’s wearing size 3T clothes; 8/9T shoe and size 6 diapers (He is getting very good at using the potty so I’m hoping that diapers for him will be a thing of the past soon!).
Collin is a very sensitive and caring toddler. He feels sad when one of us is sad and will comment about “mommy’s tears” asking if they are happy or sad ones. If we have an “owie” he will kiss and rub it and give you his blankie, “Dee-ah” to make you feel better. He’ll rub your back or your tummy and he loves to snuggle before bed. If he thinks someone is going to be loud, or reprimand him for something he covers his ears and looks down. He’s sweet and sometimes bashful with a great sense of humor and spunk.
He’s certainly becoming a little cuddle bug to my tummy and most days asks to see it, rub it and snuggle it. Then he’ll lie down, pull his own shirt up and want me to rub and kiss his belly. He knows there is a baby in my tummy and that it’s his sister and her name is Ireland, but he loves to joke about what’s in mommy’s tummy. If I ask him, he’ll say funny things like a car, crackers, toys, water, the shade, carrots, and pillows. He’s turning into quite the jokester. One night Mark told Collin he had pickle breath and without even giving it a second thought, Collin said, “Daddy has soda breath!” then he busted up laughing. It was pretty hilarious actually and now he’s always telling us what kind of breath we have as a joke.
He knows that Ireland is coming during winter and will often tell me that when Santa and the snow comes, so will Ireland. He also insists that Ireland is going to bring him presents. When I ask him what he thinks she’s going to bring him he says socks and cocoa.
Things have also recently become high urgency with Collin. So much so that once in a while we’ll refer to him as Mr. Emergency. Things for him have to be done now, right now, or else a melt down happens. I know this is because he has no real concept of time and he thinks he is the center of the universe but he really loses it once in awhile. Of course there are times where he is very patient and very calm, but mostly he’s in that urgency stage of wanting things done 5 minutes ago.
He’s also reached that stage where he’ll go limp if we try to take him to his room or try to change his diaper or change his clothes. Getting dressed has become a serious battle for all of us. Collin will run around the house screeching, “No! No! No!” while either one, or both of us, chase him down. When we finally catch him he goes limp or else flops around so much that it’s nearly impossible to get clothes on him. He hates to wear shoes and will practically have a tantrum about it. He usually has them off before the car leaves the driveway. What usually works for getting dressed, undressed or diaper changes is a warning of a time out or else telling him he can’t have a snack or go (if we are going somewhere). As much as I dread saying this, we’ve also warned him several times of having to go to bed. I really wanted to avoid using bedtime as a “punishment” but sometimes it’s the first thing out of my mouth before I get the chance to actually think. It works but I don’t want him thinking that going to sleep is something bad or something that he does if he’s being naughty. We’ve got to work on that one. I’m making it a top priority starting now.
As for language – Shazam! This kid can talk and talk he does! I honestly cannot say there isn’t a word he can’t say or doesn’t attempt to say. Right now he’s big into dinosaurs and loves to say their names. He especially loves to say Heterodontosaurus, Dimorphodon, Barosaurus and Diplodocus.
He speaks very clearly and very well. So much so that he amazes us with the things he comes up with. He can hold a conversation and asks questions. He has no problem telling us what he needs or wants and seems to understand everything we say to him. He even uses pronouns (except I), prepositions, conjunctions, and adjectives the way they should. He’s also using his own name, when necessary. We’ve always read to Collin and our house is filled full of books. Reading has always been a favorite hobby of ours so it’s no wonder he’s an excellent talker and uses parts of speech correctly already. The only thing he is not doing is using the pronoun I. When he wants something he’ll form it in a question. Example: If he is asking for a snack he won’t say, “Can I have a snack?” He’ll say, “Do you want a snack?” or, instead of saying, “I want to go play in the back yard” he’ll say, “Do you want to go play in the back yard?” I’m pretty sure it’s because he is always hearing us asking him questions. He probably just thinks this is how you ask for things. He’s also very good at his please, thank you, and you’re welcome’s. He can be very polite and instead of saying, “Want it!” He will say, “Share with Collin?” Of course he ***IS*** two so there are still plenty of times he demands things and has a tizzy fit if he doesn’t get his way. These are the times we try to reinforce good behavior and politeness, but you know, sometimes there is just no reasoning with a two year old!
Some of his cute or favorite sayings right now are:
· “Going to bed because I’m rubbin’ my eyes.” He is a big-time eye rubber when he’s tired. When he does this we tell him he’s sleepy and needs to go to sleep so now he just says it on his own when he rubs his eyes.
· “It’s good to sneeze! It gets the snot out.” He just got over a bad cold a few weeks ago and he would get upset every time he sneezed because his nose was so full of yuck. I would tell him that it’s okay to sneeze and that it’s a good thing because it gets all the icky snot out. After that, he liked sneezing and made sure to tell us each time it was getting the snot out. I know…something only a parent would think is cute.
· “Use potty like a big boy!” “Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.” “Sometimes it just takes some time.” He says this when he’s on the potty and he can’t or doesn’t have to go. He used to get really upset when he couldn’t go and we reassured him that it’s nothing to get upset about because sometimes it feels like you have to go, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen. This is one of my favorites because he looks so cute up on the potty, then looks at me and tells me in a matter-of-fact tone, “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.” If he doesn’t have to go, he jumps off the potty and says, “I tried.”
· “Oh! That was nice of him/her/them.” He says this when someone shares, gives him a gift or does something nice. He even says it about himself when he shares or does something nice. He’ll say, “That was nice of Collin.”
· “No big deal.” or “No biggy.” I’m big on not making kids feel bad if they spill something, knock something over, or have an accident. Some children get so freaked out when they have an accident of any kind, because they react to how the parent reacts. I’ve always tried to make it seem very unimportant if something is done on accident. If Collin spills something, I act like it’s no big deal; we clean it up and move on. The saying goes, “No use crying over split milk,” but I like to think, “No use crying over split anything!” Accidents happen and no one, especially children are perfect and they shouldn’t be made to feel bad about it.
· A few things he’s picked up that we aren’t proud of are: “crap,” “piss,” and “damn it.” Not that we go around cursing, in fact we are very good about it most of the time. It’s the few times we’ve let something slip that he’s instantly picked up on it. One time I was telling Mark a story and told him that some guy was being an “A-hole.” Thinking that spelling most of it would go over Collin’s head, he perked up and starting yelling, “A-hole!” Oh great! Most of these words are a one-time deal. He’ll walk about saying it over and over again; laughing, and then by the next day he’ll forget about it. The word crap he remembers and will sometimes whisper it because he knows it’s a bad word. He’ll also whisper, “I don’t care” because he knows it’s a phrase that’s not allowed in our house. Most of the time he announces, “I do care!” “It’s nice to care!”
Collin’s Favorite Things:
· Dora the Explorer. He’s pretty much out of the Blue’s Clues phase. He still has his favorite B.C. episodes but Dora keeps his complete attention.
· Sesame Street. His favorite character is Big Bird and Ernie so he’s in love with the skit “Journey to Ernie” which has both his favorites in one.
· Still (!) loves the Godsmack song and video, “I stand alone.” And now even has a dance routine worked out, sings most of the lyrics and plays pretend guitar (usually a stuffed animal). He even has to have daddy’s mic to sing into.
· Drawing, finger painting, play-doh, stickers.
· His ½ of Flinstone vitamin he takes he morning. Mark and Collin usually take their vitamins at the same time and Collin loves this routine.
· Popsicles, lollipops, fresh fruit, popcorn, juice, milk, hummus and pita bread, pickles, black olives, jell-o, corndogs, veggie pizza, Taco Bell’s 7-layer burritos, soda (sigh!), waffles, eggs, cheese, bacon, French toast, pasta, macaroni and cheese, pretzels, and subway veggie sandwiches. On this note, he doesn’t like having any of his food cut up anymore and likes to drink his milk from a regular cup.
· The Dr. Seuss book “Go, Dog! Go!”
· Fire trucks, sirens, airplanes, motorcycles, semi’s, tractors, and anything vehicle that is big, loud and has lights. He loves it when we drive the interstate and he can point out all big trucks. He screams “Ooooooh! That’s a BiiiiiG one!” each time.
· Loves to be outside, playing in the dirt, sand, grass, sticks, leaves, hose, and bugs. Loves to take walks with Mark’s mom. She’s taught him to count mailboxes and fire hydrants (which she calls water plugs so now he does too). Daddy has taught him to count stop signs.
Kisses are hard to get these days. Collin is too “manly” for kisses (except when he wakes up, goes to bed or feels sick or sad). He prefers a cool and swift high-5 now. Of course, being his momma, I steal a kiss every chance I can get.
Wheww! That was one heck of an update! Let me know if you made it through the whole thing. If so, I’ll put you in the drawing for biggest fan!
Happy September,
~Jennifer
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