by Jessica on December 21, 2011
1) Wear a thong.
Last weekend I had to go to a Christmas party with Trevor for the fire department. It was at a country club, so my normal attire of jeans and a tunic-style top would not fly. I had to pull out one of my few maternity dresses, and lo and behold, panty-line central. So, I had to do it. Let me just say this: the combination of hemorrhoids and a skinny string across your butt hole do not make for a comfortable evening.
2) Try on clothes.
Buying new clothes is a very nice thing. However. If you have to try them on, try to do so in the comfort of your own home where there are not multiple mirrors in one location. Because who needs to see their five new butt cheek dimples from three different angles? Um, not me!
3) Put on socks.
Seriously, who can bend at this point?? I always try to do this task away from Trevor who thinks it’s very funny to watch me struggle to lift my leg high enough to insert my foot into my sock without toppling over. The safest way to do this laying down, but then I look like a turtle on its back that can’t flip back over again. Oh, the indignity!
4) Walk by or enter Victoria’s Secret.
Is it really necessary for them to plaster those massive pictures of their “angels” in every single window? Like we needed a reminder of the fact that they all have perfect freak-of-nature bodies while we shop for a bra with a wider band width to accommodate our new rolls of back fat? True (and very sad) story.
5) Remember anything.
Whether it’s what you had for breakfast, what you needed to pick up at the grocery store or the name of your firstborn, it’s not going to come to you. Give up and just ask your husband what the kid’s name is again.
by Jessica on December 20, 2011
Oh my gosh, where has my sweet little Knox gone? In his place is a highly grouchy little thing that loves to launch himself onto the floor to kick and scream at the drop of a hat. I do believe the terrible twos are in our midst. Over the past few weeks, we noticed Knox getting gradually more dramatic. If he doesn’t get his way, he will collapse into a heap on the floor to cry. Now, we’ve reached the point of full-fledged “GIVE ME WHAT I WANT RIGHT NOW” hysteria. Not that it works for him. If he decides to throw a hissy fit, we just ignore it until he’s finished. With no reaction, he generally stops in about thirty seconds, so at least he is starting grasp the fact that temper tantrums will get him nowhere fast, but I tell you, this is a trying phase!
It doesn’t help matters that this incredibly slow teether is finally getting his molars… all at the same time. He had four teeth break through his gums in the past week, so I know his little mouth is sore, too.
He pitched the mother of all fits this weekend. We had gone to a local restaurant for a family Christmas get-together, and they happened to have a big fountain outside. Knox was in love with this fountain. We watched it for a good 20 minutes while he squealed with delight every time the jets shot up higher in the air. After we ate, it was quite obvious that Knox wanted to watch this water show again, but we had to leave, so the fountain was passed up for the car. To say he freaked out is the understatement of all time. I couldn’t get the kid in the car! He was arching his back, writhing around and crying hysterically. It took Trevor and I both to buckle him into his car seat. He fell asleep approximately 1 minute after that, so obviously exhaustion played a part, but I tell you, these fits are rough!
In front of his beloved fountain:
Yeah, baby, shoot that water!
Despite his grouchy demeanor as of late, he can still be the sweetest little man ever when he wants to be. His new favorite thing to do is play in a big bowl of dried beans. It’s kind of an indoor sandbox with much bigger sand that’s a LOT easier to clean up if they dump it all on the floor (which they will do). We give him a few different measuring cups and spoons and let him play while we supervise… because apparently lima beans look like candy to him. The other night, he and Trevor were playing with the beans, and he kept putting his face into the bowl! It was so funny, but we still have no idea why he was doing that, other than to make us laugh.
By far the funniest thing he has done this week was this weekend. Trevor went to go take a shower, and Knox was NOT pleased that he shut the door to the bathroom. So, he stood there and jiggled the door knob for about a minute until he managed to open the door. Then, he ran to the shower, pulled back the shower curtain and INSISTED that Trevor wear his toy orange hard hat. It was a riot! Knox was leaning over the edge, jabbering, holding up this hat to him, and when Trevor finally succumbed to his request and put the hat on, Knox was thrilled!! Apparently, the shower can be a dangerous place and you need to wear head protection when you’re in there!
A G-rated picture of this event:
He never fails to keep life interesting!!
by Jessica on December 15, 2011
Of course, I had to compare Brody’s 4D ultrasound yesterday to Knox’s, and I was actually surprised that they looked more similar than I thought they would. Brody definitely has more of a button nose than Knox, but that mouth is definitely the same! I cannot wait to see the boys side-by-side for real in February or March!
Obviously, the more recent of the two is WAY more clear, and I don’t know whether it’s a difference in machines or the amount of fluid I have this time versus with Knox. Regardless, I have been looking at these pictures non-stop since yesterday!! Also, it’s worth noting that both boys are totally bald in these pictures (even though the shadowing makes it look like they have hair). I remember thinking Knox’s hair must grow at lightening speed considering he was born with a head FULL of dark hair. I bet Brody will be the same way!
by Jessica on December 14, 2011
I got to see Brody’s beautiful face today in our 4D ultrasound! It was so amazing, and now I am even more excited for his due date to arrive! It looks like he has the same mouth as Knox (Trevor’s mouth!) which thrills me, and he seems to have a slightly different button nose and rounder face. He is so precious, and I just wanted to kiss his little cheeks once I saw him! I am so in love with this sweet little man.
He is breech as of right now, with is feet right over his face (so he’s butt down), but he has plenty of time to move before he’s ready to come out. Also, I didn’t notice this during the ultrasounds, but it definitely looks like his cord is around his neck in the last of these pictures. Of course, that freaked me out, so I called the doctor’s office. The nurse told me it’s okay at this point because he still has plenty of room to move around and get himself untangled, so hopefully he does that!
My mom and Trevor’s mom went with me today because, just like with Knox, Trevor refused to go because he didn’t want to “ruin the surprise” and see Brody before he was born. I try to tell him it’s not the same, but he will hear nothing of it! Oh well, that’s okay, the moms had a great time and Trevor is happy with his decision which is all that matters. Personally, I love the 4D ultrasounds and am still really surprised at birth with how the baby looks! I feel so blessed to have these two sweet babies as my boys. I am so thankful to God for them!!
by Jessica on December 13, 2011
We met Knox’s interventionist on Friday of last week, and we both really liked her. Her name is Whitney and she’s very young, which I think is a good thing so that she’ll be able to keep up with our busy boy! We went over the basics of the program and she explained how things will work from here on out. We will be setting some initial goals for Knox to meet, and once he meets those, we’ll make new ones, then keep going until he’s where he should be. In addition to her coming to our house once a week, she is also referring a speech therapist to us, as well. So he will be getting twice the attention, which is amazing. Even though Whitney is not a professional speech therapist, she will be working with him almost exclusively on his talking, as well. She got to see first-hand his extreme stubbornness, but she told us that the majority of the kids she works with that only have language delays (like Knox) are stubborn boys, so she has plenty of experience dealing with his kind!
The only other issue we’re concerned besides his talking is his walk. If you remember, we took Knox to the orthopedist a while back because he was walking very clumsily and sometimes on the balls of his feet. Everything looked normal structurally, but for whatever reason, Knox is liking the sensation he gets from walking that way. They say it’s pretty normal for toddlers to experiment with walking different ways, but they should generally stop by the time they’re two. Since Knox has been doing this for a while, we’re probably going to get an occupational therapist to work with him on that, as well. I feel like our house is going to be full of Knox’s interventionists for a good long while! We are excited to get things going and see how he progresses in the coming months. His first “real” appointment with Whitney is this Friday, so I am curious to see how our stubborn boy does!
One thing he says all the time now is “neigh,” it’s so funny! He is thrilled to tell you what a horse says, and if he’s being bad or wants your attention he’ll look at you, smile and say “neigh” because he knows we like it when he says it! He doesn’t miss a trick!
