September 2006 Archives

New Toys

I got Anna a Sit n' Spin at a garage sale this morning. I went with the intention of finding a Little Tikes car that she has been obsessed with since playgroup on the 19th. Since I haven't had any luck finding the car on craigslist or elsewhere, we decided to just get a new one. After an annoying assembly process, she finally got to play with it and spent most of the rest of the day alternating between the Sit n' Spin and the car. A little more plastic than I like in my family room, but Anna's happy with them so I guess I'll get over it.

Grandpa

Anna didn't take long to warm up to Grandpa today. It probably helped that he can draw some really nice dump trucks, school buses, and track excavators with the sidewalk chalk.

Fiesta! (Cinco de Mayo 2007)

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We are expecting our second child! Baby is due May 5, 2007 and we went to the doctor last week to see him/her via ultrasound. The doctor says everything looks good and I'll go back again in a few weeks for my next appointment. For now we're planning to have the baby in Qatar unless I can't find a practice that I'm happy with there. I'll post an update each month after my appointment here.

(This would be the reason for the sudden lack of workout posts in late August: it has either been too hot, or I've been too tired/nauseous to continue running. I'm hoping I can start walking again once I hit the second trimester.)

8 Weeks & 5 Days Pregnant

This entry was added on 4 January 2007.

We had a great first appointment! Craig & Anna were able to stay to see the ultrasound (I was a bit worried that Anna would get too impatient since it was so close to her bedtime) and we saw and heard the heartbeat: 188 bpm. It was fun to see Baby wiggling but mostly it was just the heart pounding away that was most exciting to see since Baby's so small right now we can't see a lot of detail. I do wish we could have gotten some video, but I'll have to be content with the four pictures we got. I go back on October 20 for my next appointment.

Train

Anna & I went to the zoo again today. The weather is finally cooling off a bit here so it was a bit more enjoyable today. We saw lots of cool animals, as usual, but today the howler monkeys were really loud and super cool to see (this happened once before when Anna was younger and she didn't really seem to notice). Anna acted a little scared/overwhelmed by the noise but she wanted to stay and listen and watch them for a little while. After the zoo we hopped on the train and, of course, she loved it again.

Anna did the sweetest thing at lunch and on the train. At lunch we sat next to each other in a booth and she rested her hand on mine the entire time she ate her lunch. On the train she did the same. It was such a nice little gesture from my sweet little girl.

8 Weeks & 3 Days Pregnant

This entry was posted on 4 January 2007.

Wow, I feel awesome today! I'm eating and pretty comfortable (am also wearing my maternity jeans so I'm sure that helps!). However I did have to reschedule my doctor's appointment because the doctor will be out of town on Monday. Now I'm going on Thursday evening. Craig will go with, but he & Anna may have to go home early depending on how long we have to wait and how well she sleeps that afternoon. I'll be 8 weeks & 5 days for the ultrasound.

Just Can't Get Enough

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Pay-boop

Anna has been talking about this car that was at playgroup last week (she says "pay-boop" and I must get that on video, it is so cute!) which is something she's never done. So I've been trying to get her to play with the cars she already has while we are on the lookout for a good used car like the one at playgroup. She is able to get on and off of the car with no problems but doesn't really try to go anywhere. And when she does, she only goes backwards. In her own time, I suppose.

Also, she still gets super excited when she sees her reflection or shadow with pigtails.

8 Weeks & 2 Days Pregnant

This entry was added on 4 January 2007.


I don't remember feeling this miserable last time around. I remember feeling sick but not uncomfortable. Maybe I have just forgotten since it has been two years but I'm really hoping that this discomfort & nausea "only" lasts until 11 or 12 weeks like last time. I know I have often felt like I "really enjoyed being pregnant" so I have to assume that my second trimester was pretty awesome because this isn't much fun at all. At least I'm lucky and not actually throwing up. Just considering it every time I serve Anna a meal. Maybe that's why this feels so rough: last time I could let Craig fend for himself. I don't have that option with Anna three meals a day and a lot of what she eats looks & smells terribly disgusting to me.

Okay, enough complaining. Even though I don't feel the best right now, I do realize how lucky I am to get to feel like this. We were super lucky to get pregnant right away both times and I truly do appreciate it and I'm thankful for it.

I am looking forward to the ultrasound next week. It doesn't look like Craig will be able to go though since he is planning a trip to Qatar for that week. I'm disappointed in that and am considering taking one of my friends offers to take care of Anna during the appointment but I'll think on that a bit.

According to Your Pregnancy Week by Week, Baby is .56 to .8 inches (14 to 20mm) in length by the end of this week—about the size of a pinto bean.

7 Weeks & 6 Days Pregnant

This entry was added on 4 January 2007.

The nurse's appointment at the doctor on Wednesday was a waste of time. First of all, seven weeks into my pregnancy, I really should have had some knowledge-intervention already if I didn't know to take my prenatals, stop drinking & smoking, etc. Second of all, they should have just asked me the things the nurse asked me on the form and had me mail it back and asked if I needed to talk to the nurse. They could have mailed me the giant tote-bag of samples and magazines (or told me to come pick it up if I wanted it). It really wouldn't have been so bad if Anna & I hadn't waited for 30 minutes in the lobby for a five-minute appointment. At any rate, I did learn that I'll get an ultrasound at my appointment on 10/2 which is really more than I had anticipated so I'm looking forward to that.

I would say that, although I have been feeling sick, I have not felt as sick this time (so far) as with Anna. It's not constant but it comes and goes. I also got some Preggie Pop Drops, something I really wanted to try last time, but since we were in Korea, it wasn't an option. They seem to do a little something to help with nausea. My worst day so far was Monday 9/4 but I'm getting some Saltines right away in the morning and that is helping a lot.

I had to go out and buy some maternity shorts last week because my other shorts (the ones that were too loose on me the week before the pregnancy test) are too tight and my jeans are a little looser, but still tight, and too hot for September in Texas.

Anna is tolerating me really well. If I'm feeling nauseous or super-tired during the day, I can lay on the couch and she will either play on her own so I can watch her or she'll bring me books to read to her while she stands in front of me on the couch. I did actually make it out on a run yesterday. I had been keeping a 10:50 mile/minute pace before I was pregnant and yesterday it was closer to a 12 mile/minute pace. It felt really good to get out though so I hope I can keep it up a little while longer.

According to Your Pregnancy Week by Week, Baby is .44 to .52 inches (11 to 13mm) in length by the end of this week (Baby's size has more than doubled from the beginning of this week to the end!).

Wild Hair = Good Nap


Come on, mom, enough with the camera, I just woke up!


I'm going to ignore you.


Okay, my hair is pretty ridiculous!


Enough! I'm done being a toddler model today!

Slide

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We've spent most of the summer away from the park, but since we've had such great weather the past couple of days, we've finally been able to get Anna some time on the slide so she can go down all by herself now—she loves it!

Qatar

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Not sure of the actual timeline yet, but we are on the move! Sometime in the next two months we will be moving to Qatar (and then back to S. Korea) and we will be overseas for 2-3 years. Hopefully we'll have more information soon and I will post updates here. We have sent in our Visa applications and are told they will take about six weeks to process. Obviously we can't go until we have our Visas, but I don't know how quickly things will move along once we have those in our hands.

For now I am occupying my time with lists. Lists of things we need to sell, give away, acquire, and do before we go. Of course it's hard to plan a lot of things when you don't have a timeline, but we're doing a fall-cleaning over here in preparation for moving. Anybody want a cat? A car? A stroller? (Just kidding about the cat, we are planning to take her with us provided she can get her anti-anxiety medicine and her food over there.)

In the meantime, here is some information on Qatar:
From the CIA World Factbook: "Closest approximation of the native pronunciation [of Qatar] falls between cutter and gutter, but not like guitar."

CIA World Factbook: Qatar
CDC Qatar
Wikipedia

Gulf Times
Aljazeera

Seven

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Today is Craig's & my seven year anniversary! We are boring and we aren't doing anything to really celebrate tonight, but at least we'll be together this year—unlike last year when Craig was in Paris!

Pig Tails

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Anna was thrilled when I put pig tails in her hair. The reaction she had when she saw herself in the mirror was priceless. I also put some in my hair so she could enjoy the concept even more.

Eighteen Months

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Anna with bear at one year. (3/14/06)


Anna with bear at eighteen months. (9/14/06)


Anna really likes it when I have my hair in a ponytail or if we see someone else with one. Her hair is getting just long enough that I can put a little one in her hair, and although she can't see it, she seems to enjoy its presence.


Anna is eighteen months old today! She is getting more and more fun as each month goes by. I also know that we are really lucky and that she is pretty "easy" when I hear some stories from other moms that I know. I know we'll have some tantrums and fits along the way, but we are enjoying her fun self now.

The past couple of days she has been saying "laugh" and then will practice her laugh. It usually helps if I practice with her and then, soon enough, we'll both really be laughing.

She says so many things, still uses all of her signs, and is speaking more clearly and in mini-sentences. Sometimes she still surprises me with the stuff that comes out of her mouth. She repeats everything we say and is a little chatterbox.

She uses her fork & spoon really well and uses them most of the time. She really likes fruit & vegetables. She would eat only berries, I think, if you'd let her. She currently really likes sweet potatoes, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, any fruit, and taquitos. She also likes eggs & toast or oatmeal for breakfast. Oh, and like her father, she loves bread and pizza.

She has given me a lot of signs that she might be ready for potty-training soon (waking up dry in the mornings, talking about going to the bathroom), but I think we'll hold off for another little while. I'm not really looking forward to the whole process, but maybe she'll take it easy on us. Another change in her horizon is moving into a regular bed. I'm not sure of the timing on that one yet, either, but I'm guessing in the next six months or so (she's not a climber and seems very content in her crib for now).

She has grown so much in the last six months and I'm excited to see what the next six bring us.

Strong!

One of the things Anna picked up from Anita while she was here is saying "strong" while really flexing her muscles. She did it at breakfast Monday morning and I couldn't figure out what she was saying until Anita told the story of how it came about.

I think Anna & Anita had a good time getting to know each other again and hopefully they'll be able to get together again sooner rather than later. I know it will be easier for them once Anna understands the phone and they can write letters, etc. Anna is still talking about Anita's red toes and some of the other things they did together.

6 Weeks & 1 Day Pregnant

This entry was added 4 January 2007.

And now I think I'm hitting a bit of morning sickness. It is not full-fledged yet, but I've been feeling a bit "uneasy" since about Wednesday or Thursday. Definitely more-so when I'm hungry (which is more often now). So far I've been fighting it pretty well with my favorite weapon-of-choice when I was pregnant with Anna: Ginger Ale. It's amazing how that stuff works so well.

I didn't find a difference in falling asleep at night if I do or do not take a nap during the day, so I'm not going to fight it during the day and just get rest while I can. I have been finding myself getting frustrated with Anna more easily because of the missed sleep which is not fun for anyone. Luckily, I've had Anita here this week to change things up for us. And Craig & I went to Boston alone this weekend which was a great break from being home.

According to Your Pregnancy Week by Week, Baby is .08 to 016 inches (2 to 4mm) in length. The heartbeat can (occasionally) be heard by doppler this week. I'm not sure if they'll try to listen for it next week or if they'll wait until my October appointment for that.

Boston

We got our rental car and drove into Boston to check out our old haunts. First stop was Kendall Square to get some stuff at the Coop (next-size MIT t-shirt for Anna and a new one for Craig). Then we drove into Harvard Square and found a spot to park. After a bit of shopping we hopped on the T and went to Davis Square. It was strange to be back since it simultaneously felt like we had never left and we were a little disoriented at times. Overall, it was fun to go back and check everything out. Being in New England in September actually made me want to move back just a little (I think I'm just ready for fall).

Sharon & Mike's wedding was great. The weather was perfect and they had a nice ceremony and a fun reception. I got to catch up with a few former co-workers and meet a few of Sharon's other friends.

Anna's Nana

Anna & Anita have spend the last couple of days getting re-aquainted. We have spent a lot of time outside with the sidewalk chalk (and it was hard to tell who enjoyed the chalk more: Anna or Anita!).

I left for Boston after I put Anna down for a nap and told her that just Nana would be here when she woke up. When Anita went in to get her after the nap, Anna looked at her for a bit and then started warming up to her when it was revealed that they were going to play in the pool in the backyard.

From all of Anita's accounts, this first day went really well which was all I needed to hear to not worry about it one bit for the rest of the weekend away.

5 Weeks & 3 Days Pregnant

This entry was added 4 January 2007.

I think I am hitting the extreme fatigue stage now. I've taken a nap every day for the past four days. However, the last two nights I had trouble falling asleep at night so I'm trying to not take a nap today and see if that works out better for me. I'm feeling totally wiped out now though!

I am having a hard time not telling people we're pregnant yet. People ask about a second baby a lot more now that we have one kid than they asked about a first before we had Anna. I am having to lie directly to people's faces and I don't like that. However, another part of me thinks I am only five weeks along and I just don't need the whole world to know at this point. I might have to tell a few of my girlfriends that I see a lot though because after consistently turning down wine for a few weeks in a row, people definitely start getting suspicious and I don't want anyone to come straight out and ask me if we're "trying" or if I'm pregnant because I feel like I'm the worst liar and I also feel really guilty about it. I'm going to a mom's night out tonight and I believe there will be wine available. Tonight, if questioned, I will say I'm going for a run in the morning (which I really should do anyway!), which I think is a totally valid excuse.

According to Your Pregnancy Week by Week, Baby is .05 inches (1.25mm) in length. This book says that the central nervous system and muscle and bone formation are beginning to take shape, and that the skeleton is starting to form. Several other sources indicate that Baby's heart starts beating this week, which is pretty incredible!

She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain

Today was the first playgroup where Anna just walked in and started playing with the toys. She wasn't clingy at all. Too bad we had a disagreement about how many muffins she was allowed to eat (I said one and she wanted two) so we had to leave to spare the other kids & moms the mini-fit she decided she needed to throw.

Anna & Craig went to the airport to pick up Nana tonight and, even though I've been showing her Nana's picture regularly, Anna was pretty quiet on the ride home. I'm sure she'll warm up to Anita by the time the weekend rolls around and they are left alone together!

I didn't go to the airport because I went to Super Suppers with my mom's group. I'll be sure to report back on the dishes I made, but they looked really good!

Babysitter Blues

Craig & I wanted to see Body Worlds before it left Houston so I hired a sitter. I had the sitter come over on Thursday to meet Anna and Anna seemed okay with her presence in the room. The problem I was worried about was that Craig & I were leaving for the exhibit before Anna woke up and I wasn't sure what she'd think when she saw the sitter fist thing in the morning in her room. Apparently she didn't like it. The sitter called and said that Anna had been up for an hour and that she had been crying ever since. So, we got in the car and drove an hour home and rescued them both. Fortunately we also got to see the exhibit (we had to cruise through the second half, but I think we had seen enough details in the first half that we didn't feel bad).

We'll have to try it again during the day sometime. I know it is partly my fault for not getting Anna used to other care-takers earlier, but really, we haven't needed to. It's something we need to work on though so that Craig & I can get out on our own more often, so we will keep trying it.

Little Feet & Big Shoes


I walked in on Anna's afternoon nap (around 4:20, so I thought she'd be up!) to find her still asleep. She often sleeps sideways and at the top of her crib (at least that's what I imagine since that is the typical position she wiggles into when I lay her down for a nap or bedtime).

Craig came back today and Anna had fun stepping in and out of his B I G shoes.

We played with Grandma this morning and then Craig came home while Anna was napping. Anna has started saying "Grandma" now. She also refers to my mother as "oop" because my mom can get Anna into hysterics by saying "oopsy-doopsy." Anita will have to come up with a catch-phrase with Anna next week.

39:05

I went out later than I had planned this morning. My mom was here so I had planned to get up early, but we all ended up sleeping in until about 8 so I didn't get out the door until around 9 so it was a bit warmer than I would have liked. Still trying to keep my HR in the THR-zone so that required a bit more slowing down than last time (it was more humid today than the last time I went out).

Distance: 3.07 miles
Time: 39:05
163 avg
27:47 in THR
11:06 high HR
00:12 low HR
9:00 AM


This Week:
Miles Run: 6.14

Totals Since 5/14:
Miles Run: 96.86 *need to update old 3.2s to 3.8s & one 5.4 to 5.68
Miles Walked: 14.9
Miles Biked: 8.5

Pari-Roller


The 9/1/06 course.

Craig rode in the 3-hour Pari-Roller rollerblade rally in Paris toinght. Hopefully he'll post about it here.

Meow!

Gertie was feeling so relaxed this morning that she actually sat on the back of the couch while Anna pet her, stayed there while we went to get the camera, and then let Anna pet her some more. Anna has a very gentle one-finger pet, so I don't see why Gertie is so nervous about this. However, Anna was getting kind of giddy with excitement over petting Gertie, so eventually, Gertie did just hop over to the window and just out of (Anna's) arm's reach.

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This page is an archive of entries from September 2006 listed from newest to oldest.

August 2006 is the previous archive.

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