Big Boy Bed

Griffin is currently sleeping in his room in a TWIN BED!! It's pretty surreal and I have no idea if it will continue so smoothly but wow, it really was easy tonight. We walked him into his room, laid him down, tucked him in, said goodnight, and walked out...he fussed a few whimpers and then nothing. I am just feeling kind of numb about it honestly. But it is really cool.

My dad and I drove half way to Columbus today to meet my uncle who gave us the bed. It was his son's bed when he was growing up and even though it is older it is really nice and in great shape, just some "loved" dings :) Of course we didn't keep it in its original form...we cut off the spindles and gave it an "update". We plan to get some pool balls, shave down the bottoms, and super gluing them to the four posts. 1,2,3,4...We are also hoping to locate this pirate bedding from target that is being discontinued. I'm psyched!

32 weeks!!

It is soooo surreal that 4 weeks from today my midwife would be ok with me delivering at home. 2 weeks from today and the hospital would probably not stop my labor. And 11 weeks from now I could still possibly be pregnant---shoot me, if so! ha.

I'm doing well. Belly is getting big. I took some pics last night but our power supply to the main computer is down so cannot upload them right now. very annoying, I know.

Dad arrives tomorrow...I can hardly wait. We have lots of things to do but nothing major so he will be able to also finish his floor project at the condo. It will just be nice to have him around for the weekend :)

Off to get G man...it's a cloudy day, I think we'll watch a movie when we get home. Lee is out for the evening so I have to dole out my energy from 4-8 p.m. for G !!

Sorry no recent updates...

It's been awhile. I've been busy, tired, and a little distracted I think. Business/Fatigue started last friday when I think Lee and I experienced one of the worst, if the not THE worst, evenings/nights with G man. It all started around dinner. He didn't seem exceptionally over hungry but he lost it 100% when we tried to feed him. Full out tantrum, rolling on the floor, crying, punching, kicking for at least 20 minutes. After that time we were able to somewhat calm him down, feed him, and his mood improved or we thought.....then it was bedtime. No go. He was up a bit later than his usual 8 p.m. bedtime but it was the weekend and we are usually a little lax if he seems up for it. 8:45 and he shows no signs of readiness but we were ready. Put him in his crib after bedtime routine and mass hysterics unfold from his room. This continues for a loooooong time until we surrendered and took him back out. He was very upset and we had to make popcorn to calm him (he loves watching it pop with lee). He was up for about an hour with us watching some non kid t.v. and playing quietly. Tried sleep again, he protested but went down. I then went to bed only to be awoken at 1:30 with screaming bloodly murder from his room, "MOMMA." boy, that pulls at your heart strings. I got him out and he was just hysterical and sooo tired. He passed out in my arms with me rocking him. I took him to my bed after that. He did sleep the rest of the night but I use this term loosely because his "sleep" consisted of multiple times of popping up straight in bed, looking around and then going back to sleep (quite startling to a sleeping mom next to her child), kicking me in the back (fun stuff considering I'm also being kicked in the front :)), and holding my arm like a teddy bear for over an hour at one point. I swear both Lee and I were just beat by saturday morning. We individually took an hour extra sleep to "catch up" but it was NOT enough.

Griffin thankfully has slept better since but I think we have most definitely reached the "trying 2's" (I prefer this to terrible). He has an opinion and gosh darnit he is going to have it heard and executed. ha.

Saturday afternoon was Mike and Melissa's wedding followed with an evening reception. It was lovely and we had a great time!

Sunday was a LOT of lying around for me. I just wasn't feeling great and was overly tired. Lee finished the hole on the side of the house which was awesome. We also watched the Browns lose which stunk but they played well.

And now it's tuesday. I'm off for home and then bed soon. Dad comes in two days!! I'm psyched. I miss them.

The Baby Book...

I bought this kid's baby record book. This has been a bigger ordeal than last time. Maybe because I'm pickier or maybe because they are mostly all dumb :) I don't know but I finally found a few I liked and chose this one:


Baby Love
by Susan Branch

It has original water colors by Susan and is very beautiful!

Hi

My titles are becoming more and more creative-ha. So, to follow up with Griffin and the horse from yesterday he was VERY happy to have the horse back and played with it quite a bit. It is still amazing me how much he does imaginary play. I mean, he can still barely create coherent sentences but he sure does talk to the toys. lol.

After my day of running around I was able to pick him up a little early and spend a nice long afternoon/evening with him. It involved lots of playing: cooking, castle, cars, taking things from one basket to the other and then back to the original basket, trains, books, and just general silliness. We also had Bugs Life and Finding Nemo on at different points because he requested them. I took a few shots of him and this is my new fav, kind of silly but he's so cute. He loves posing for the camera which never involves a really great REAL smile.



As for me, I think I definitely overdid it yesterday. Grrrrr. I just want to be fully functioning. Anyhow, I'm feeling mild shortness of breath today like my chest is tight. First chance I get I'm taking this stupid bra off! Also, headache for a few days...feels sinusy. I just need some rest. I can't manage to get to bed much earlier than 10-10:30 these days but that is an improvement from my 11-11:30 old bedtime. I will try to catch up a bit this weekend.

31weeks and feeling large and in CHARGE!!

I"m putzing around today. I"ve cleaned up the house, done some paperwork, put on laundry, gathered some goodwill items, and now I"m gathering things to return to target. I tried to convince Lee he should play hookey with me today from work but he is too dedicated to his job, I guess :) I didn't have anyone scheduled so I thought I would take the day to get caught up on all the little things, home and work. So far, doing well.

Just found out one of my long time patients is preggo!! It's so exciting. I"ve had quite a few pregnant women either come to me because they were pregnant or because they were already patients and then have gotten pregnant. I love working with them and then of course meeting all those babies!! It's the best kind of work.

Apparently Griffin had a mini-break down with Lee last night over a missing horse from his castle set. He was having a conversation with the two knights. The first knight said, "bwa blah, ah ha, bwar Horse" and the second knight said, "bwa bwa ba ba don't know horse". Then he demanded Lee find the horse. Lee could not locate said horse and tried replacements from the little people horse to the digger but G man just wanted that horse. So, I went in search of the horse.....found one horse and a knight under the couch along with the following: 5 dinosaurs, a dryer ball, a pair of shoes, a sippy cup, three balls, a bat, a golf club (kid size), fake food galore, a couple cars, and a bunch of dog fur. ha. I was most excited about the shoes and the horse. Been looking for those darn shoes for a few days....stinker kid!

later.

30w5d belly shot, just over 9 weeks 'til D-Day

Monday Check-In

So, I've been a bit down and not really wanting to blog. I'm not sure why really...assuming it's just an emotional phase and will pass. Sleeping better though so that is a relief. After a few restless nights my body figured out that I needed to get up to go pee at night and although since I have woken up every night to pee I am able to go right back to sleep. I have also started taking my vitamins more diligently again and I think that is helping as well. It is NOT helping my pubic bone pain, I fear that is going to stay but it is helping my mood and energy a little. I'm still tired though...ha.

G man has been great. We had a wonderful weekend of just the 3 of us. Our next two months are quite busy with visitors, sitters, weddings, etc. that I wanted to have a weekend just to lay low. It ended up being exactly that. I wasn't feeling great on saturday though so that stunk (headaches, chills, achey). Thankfully it passed by sunday afternoon so I still enjoyed my weekend with the boys. Griffin is talking up a storm. It is still at times difficult to understand what he is saying but usually I can figure it out after a couple listening attempts. He has also gotten a bit bossy which we are ignoring and hoping just passes. God, please let it pass. He likes to tell us "no" and push us in the direction he would like us to move. But the sweetest thing he says to me now is, "come momma" when he wants me to go play or he wants to show me something. Then he grabs my hand and we go...sooo stinking cute.

well, off to the races. I have a 2nd time new mom new patient this a.m. She is bringing her 3 weeks old baby girl, Edie, with her. It's so fun working with families. This is a woman I met through one of my "groups" when G was younger. When I get a patient from those situations I am reminded of why I made myself crazy doing all those activities! In part because I enjoyed them but also in part because they were some great connections both in friendship and in business.

Birth Date Guesses

So far,

Momma Norris (me): 11/17/07 and 11/25/07
Grammy Carroll: 11/22/07
Pappa Norris (Lee): 11/17/07
Granpa Carroll: 11/24/07
GGG (my grandmother): 11/3/07
Ahmie: 12/3/07
Kelly: 11/15/07
Mark (Uncle #1): 11/22/07, duking it out with Grammy Carroll :)
Great Aunt Bette: 11/18/07, because it is a Sunday :)

Waiting for more guesses....

New babies, late night, and snoring :)

We met baby Maia last night. It was a great visit. I hope we didn't impose too much as it was short notice on the visit. My evening entirely canceled which was a bummer but I figured if we were all home we should see if a visit was possible. The boys played well together, mostly Griffin ignored Owen and Owen tried to get him to do things with him.....so cute! Owen was so warm and fun to be around :) Maia is so itsy bitsy tiny! She's a little peanut. Of course I didn't bring my camera-d'oh (sorry mom).

We didn't get home until nearly 9 p.m. and G went straight to bed but it made for a slow, late start morning. I didn't sleep well either because Lee was snoring (cats had him congested).

In good news the weather has significantly cooled off. In typical fashion I want what I can't have...I am thrilled beyond belief that it has cooled off but I"m sad if I can't use my summer maternity clothes longer...boo hiss!

off to tackle some stacks of papers...yuk.

Insomnia

Yes, it is 1:20 a.m. and Yes, I am awake. I'm not happy about it either. I am very tired, have been all weekend, but I took a nap today so I"m thinking that didn't help my current situation. Grrrrr. I couldn't keep my eyes open earlier so I thought it would be a good idea. This happened with Griffin's pregnancy too but I"m hoping it's just a fluke tonight and not happening again. Ugggh, tomorrow will be loooong.

Shark Attack

Griffin's newest "obsession" is Finding Nemo. Here Lee re-enacts with him in the tub.

Anyone up for a friendly wager....?

So, I have decided as the mom to this child growing inside of me I am entitled to TWO guesses in this game as to the birth date. I am choosing November 11th and November 25th. Lee has chosen November 17th.

Official due date given was November 21st (November 19th by Ultrasound) by Ovulation date. I was 10 days early with Griffin just for some background.

Anyhow, anyone interested, comment your guesses. And if you choose before 10/31 or after 12/5 I may have to hurt you or stick little pins in a doll that looks just like you :)

ha.

Baby Trees

Griffin ate almost a cup of cooked broccoli tonight and two fishsticks AT the dinner table with us FOR dinner. This is a major accomplishment and we are not expecting a repeat performance anytime soon but we'll take it. Hey, now I can relax on veggies for a week, right? ha. Since retiring the high chair last week we have decided to attempt family mealtimes during the weekends. Once that becomes consistent we will start putting in weeknights here and there. We are ok with being a t.v. tray dinner family sometimes just not all of the time. :)

Anyhow, we have also started a new routine with him for bedtime. Washing and brushing his teeth. Since he often wants to stay up later these days, we run out of time for bath and/or he doesn't really need one some nights. I've noticed though he struggles a bit more on those nights to settle into bed. Considering we plan to transition him to a big boy bed in the next month or so I think it is time to get him in some definite routines he can rely upon. He is so freaking cute doing it too.

He is really into imaginative play the past few weeks. Both Lee and I are enjoying this and agree it will be our saving grace with this very active child. I have picked him up from daycare 3 times this week and walked back to the office. We play stop/go and "shhhhh, quiet we're hunting bears" both consist of running and then stopping. The 2nd game adds in being very quiet, tip toeing and then running screaming at the "pretend" animal. I'm loving it.

off to eat cookies and watch t.v. with Lee...

2 year olds....

Have I mentioned Griffin is two? ha. Anyhow, he is such a good boy and I'm continuing to love parenting him but man, he is stubborn, opinionated, and has an agenda some days :) He has a plan and he's going to do it! (Even if mommy disagrees). We retired the high chair over the weekend. According to others, real life and on-line friends, we are on the later end of doing this but it was one place we could rely on keeping him contained. It has been much harder on us than him to retire it. I don't even think he noticed honestly. Now, eating at the table is not something he is enjoying but we are working on it. He has had several meals there, several at his plate on the t.v. tray, and a few roaming (which we are attempting to halt asap). I think it's going well.

What else is new with the G man? Tonight he requested a bath. It's not that we are awful parents and want to refuse but it was already getting late and it is his new ploy to "extend" waking hours. So, we kindly told him "no". I did offer to let him brush his teeth which he was into doing. So, we go to the bathroom, he gets his toothbrush, I grab the toothpaste and place him on the toilet like he usually wants (even though I bought a nice stool for him at target, what do I know, right?). Anyhow, he gets his toothpaste and then gets down....where does he go? to the stool! awesome! But he still didn't want to brush his teeth, he wanted to wash his hands. This is something I've been trying to get him to do more often (all in training my dirty little boy :)) He took the soap, rubbed his hands until the bubbles came, and then gladly played in the water until the bubbles went away. It was so fun! Then he brushed his teeth, put his toothbrush away, put the stool back, and left the bathroom. He's getting sooooo grown up!

As for 2nd baby, crazy kid! she/he is acting just like the G man and kicking me up a storm, also doing this rolling thing that sort of makes me feel like a permanent belly flop. Kind of fun, kind of annoying. I am discovering that she/he is sensitive to caffeine moreso than G which is a bummer because I"m more tired this time. Grrrr! Anyhow, maybe I will have to limit now but won't have to later? One can hope, eh?

As for dog news....she sucks. I love her but man, she is pooping, peeing, and vomiting in my house, stinking it up, staining it up and just causing chaos. And Lee is not the best at the stains....he cleans the mess and is trying desperately to help me but it's just not his strong suit. Ugggh, I'm looking at one now in the hallway and can still smell the hint of vomitus. It's just great. All I can say is for the sake of her life she is lucky this didn't happen in april/may....she'd be a goner with morning sickness in full effect :)

off to bed....

3 day weekend...

Aaaaaah! Both Lee and I have things we have to do this weekend but no plans which feels GREAT! I am hoping we will both feel a bit renewed after the 3 days in prep for our quite busy September. The good new about being busy is time flies! The bad news about being busy is time flies! ha. We have a lot to accomplish both at work and home before #2 arrives but I think we are also both anxious for him/her to get here. I want to continue to cherish the 3 person family though so I'm really really trying not to wish the days away.

Anyhow, today I think we will go do a little shopping. I've been needing to go to BRU for some time now for a shower gift on line. I would also like to get Lee some new work clothes because he needs them. And if there are any deals for G man that would be smart too since he is growing and the weather will soon be changing.

well, off to snuggle my guys.