So what does B think?

People keep asking us, "Does B know? What does B think about all of this (pregnancy, baby, etc)?" The answer is... He is mindful and contemplatively absolutely excited! As excited as a 4 year old can be about something that won't happen until almost Christmas time. Let's face it--- Christmas is another 7 months away. That's another 12th of this kid's life. The equivalent of 4 years of my adult time. I can think about, look forward to, and be contemplative about something 4 years from now-- but I'll wait to start jumping up and down until we get closer. But I'd say, in relative terms...he's definitely more excited about his new sibling than about Christmas.

We are quite open with him. He is a wise and happy little boy. He knows that there is a baby growing in my belly, but that little baby is only 17 mm (as of last week) and still spends a lot of his/her time still up with Heavenly Father while his/her body is growing. He thinks it's pretty darn cool that I eat, and the baby has an umbilical cord, and that's how I feed the baby. He can describe the whole process with great excitement, detail, and ferver. We go to the doctor every 2-3 weeks and bring him back a new picture of baby Seven (the official name of the non-gender specific baby in the womb). He saw a picture of a pregnant woman the other day. He said, "Is your belly going to get big like this?" yep. Baby Seven is going to get bigger and bigger and my belly is going to get bigger and bigger to make room. I show him how big my belly will be before the baby will be born. We show him pictures of my belly when I was pregnant with him and how little he was after we had him.

We talk about newborns, what they do, (eat, sleep, and poop) and how they communicate.... crying. He thinks it's funny/cute that newborns cry when they are hungry, need a diaper change, want to be held, want to sleep, want anything. We talk about how Baby Seven will be really floppy when he/ she's first born and it will take a while for him/her to sit up or hold his head up- so we'll have to be careful and make sure we support his/her head. We figure, the more Ian understands about this new little person that will come to our home, the more he will feel comfortable and welcoming. He is really excited.

It's interesting to watch him. Dave talks with him about how I need more rest because my body is growing Baby Seven. B is actually really supportive. Now, he is 4. And I am is favorite playmate. But he's become quite understanding of my need to take naps or sit still and play with him, rather than run around the house. When Dave goes to work he tells B, " You take good care of your mom." It's not like B pampers me or anything, but I can tell he tries to do a few more things for himself, instead of expecting me to be at his beck and call. What a wonderful, sweet, kind little boy!!!

Simple

So I work M-W. I take a deep breath, decide to be brave in spite of absolute exhaustion, and head out the door. Walking in a half comatose state through the first 3 days of the week. It's like having the excrutiating exhaustion of the flu or mono, the nausea/ hurling of a stomach virus, amazing hunger that can't be satified by what my body will allow me to eat, plus this baseball in my abdomen (my uterus) pulling on all the tendons and ligaments until every one is in a dull, achy state constantly. Already making it uncomfortable to lay on my back. But, let's face it, there's nothing wrong with me. Just pregnant. So instead of staying home under a blanket until it gets better, I head out and trudge on through the life that I typically find quite fulfilling.

By the time Thursday comes, there's nothing left of me. I pretty much just lay here all day Thursday and Friday. Fortunately Dave and B are both aware and incredibly supportive. Sweet B really does try to let me sleep/ rest- content to play near me/ with me instead of making me run around the house. Quite selfless for a 4.5 year old.

I've gotta say... My life is certainly getting simpler fast. If it doesn't have to happen, it doesn't. If it's at all negotiable, it's gone. Life is about taking care of myself and loving my little family. All other responsilities have officially been streamlined.

I think this is how in the womb little ones make sure their mommy's lives are sufficiently simplified by the time they come along. It's a good thing.

Let's Talk about This!

I've been puny lately, so B's been allowed to watch a bit more TV than usual. Today he'd already watched chipmunks (so I could get a nap.) He requested to watch another. I told him, "Sorry son, I think you've watched too much TV today. Too much TV's not good for you." What ensued was a Class A meltdown. Straight from the books of myself as a little girl---- including the absolute determination to scream until his request was accomplished. When a simple explnation was unsucessful, I opted to remove the audience (myself) and went about my business of making dinner. Ian cried for quite some time in an attempt to get me to change my mind (almost never happens). A few min later, Ian walks in, Giant tears in his eyes and pleads resolutely, "MOM, WE Need To Talk About This!!!!!!!".

Cute kid. I was So proud of him! Good boy! Dave (super hero dad of the century) always teaches him that strategy, but I was genuinely impressed with his ability to calm himself down and apply it! Cute kid.

School Pictures

Sonograms take 2

Clickie for biggie

Hand Sanitizer

B has been sick so we're at the doctor's office. When we got to the exam room, April got some hand sanitizer for him. I suggested he also put it on the toy train he brought. He was a bit distraught because it didn't evaporate from the train like it does hands. A few minutes later, he pointed to the sign saying, "Do you see that picture? It just shows hands! It doesn't show toy trains. You should've read the sign and not put it on my train."

First Sonograms

Clickie for biggie

Seven

Seven

A special thanks to Jake Denison for the great animation!

The Fly

B's pants never fit. His waist is too thin. The problem is that when he wears a belt, he can't get the pants down to go to the toilet. So, today I explicitly taught him how to use his fly. He was VERY excited. He thinks the fly is the best invention in the world. Of course, all that will change tomorrow when the iPad gets here.

Ms. Cindy's Easter Egg Hunt

Here's my second trial, this time using Sorenson Media's Squeeze to encode the videos.