16 Weeks Random Happenings

After trying to figure out a direction for this post, I decided it didn't have any lol. So I'm just going to write what's going on with no intention of order/making sense. Read on if you dare:

- I miss my baby. You know, the one in my belly, that I don't get to hug or kiss yet. Isn't it crazy? You'd think, don't you have enough kids to hug/kiss? :) Well, somehow, I need to do that with this one too! It's kind of unfair that I have to feel the discomforts of carrying him/her but not their limbs lol. Never thought I'd say that this early, but hey, according to thebump.com, our baby is now an avocado with arms! And that's rockable, right?

- Speaking of baby getting bigger, I'm happy to report that the fluttering has officially turned into kicks! I mean, it's still fluttering most of the time, but once in awhile I feel a "tumble" (like he/she tripped and fell with legs up in the air :). So not like strong, intentional, "get me out of here" types of kicks that you get later on, but more than swimming for sure!

- I'm also happy to report that my efforts to keep the kids TV-free (at least before naptime) have remained. It has NOT been easy on days that I feel pregnanter and more tired, but now it's a matter of honor lol. I guess I shouldn't have blogged about it! :) But seriously, this is a rare non-intentional progress I've made as a mother, and I don't have the courage to let the kids go backwards on their TV-addiction freedom at this point.

Less TV = more time to examine daddy :)

Table meals together = secret to weaning them off of Nick Jr!

Now, on to another abrupt random subject change: whenever I google "having three kids", I come across posts from moms saying how depressed they were while pregnant with #3, or how they can't get as excited as they did with the first two because they worry so much about the logistics.

And it's funny, I've always been the neurotic type, but somehow I don't share their sentiments at ALL. I think what killed me in the 1st pregancy (when I was anxious most of the time) was the newness of it - the fear of not knowing how to be a mom. With the 2nd, I feared not knowing how to be a mom of more than one kid. Now I'm like, bring it on lol. Like, I KNOW it's possible to adjust eventually even if you're completely overwhelmed at the beginning. The first 3 months after Andrew was born I had a breakdown almost everyday, wondering how I'd EVER be able to manage those 2. But the wonderful news is that kids grow up! And it does get better with time. 

So there you have it! My directionless post that comes from the heart. Please leave a comment so I know you've endured it to the end :)

15 Weeks! And How to Stay Sane With Too Many Kids

Okay, people with 3+ kids are probably rolling their eyes at my title - but hey, I've never had 2 1/2 before! :)

2nd trimester continues to be great, although 1st trimester still comes by for an occasional annoying visit. Nausea and exhaustion still hit me sometimes, but nothing compared to before. I can clean the house and not faint now! Which brings me to another interesting point...

I've found a secret that has revolutionized my routine with the kids and my ability to enjoy them even if I feel too pregnant to live. So are you ready for this life changing discovery?? Well, it might not be so for you (especially if you're a better homemaker than me), but the new healthy habit I've adopted is...

Keeping the dining table/room sacred.

I know, not earth-shattering, but you see, we don't have a kitchen table. So this is the only place where we can have our meals - well, aside from the couch, where I'm ashamed to say Melissa used to eat most of the time. Watching Yo Gaba Gaba, naturally.

That is, UNTIL I had the revelation one day to feed both kids in the dining room, just like margarine commercials. And I also made the commitment to always keep it clutter-free and clean. It sounds laborsome (if you're  a non-neat freak like me), but after awhile it's become surprisingly automatic, like brushing my teeth. What motivates me are these astonishing results:

- Melissa's TV obsession has gone way down;

- The kiddos have bonded more by being each other's only source of entertainment (aside from toys);

- True, they fight more too, but then I make them hug and make up, which is oh so cute;  

- Since less TV time, Andrew started taking more steps (yaay); 

- Seeing them so happy with no help of Nick Jr. makes me more confident about bringing in number 3 and surviving!

Now, before you think I've become anti-TV, far from it - they still do watch it, but I try not to let it go past the 1-hour mark per day (and usually after nap time when I'm just DONE with exhaustion and counting minutes till daddy comes home :).

Can you believe I typed that? They used to watch TV 24/7, so me putting a limit on it is huge. I didn't think I could even parent without this. To realize that being pregnant with 2 small kids would be EASIER with less TV just didn't seem to make sense. And yet, it does. 

So there you have it! My 15 week report. What did you want, an essay of my symptoms?? I can't even stand to read that, imagine other people lol. Aside from aforementioned preggo annoyances, I'm feeling relieved that my last check up 2 days ago went a-ok. Baby's still there, so this is really happening! Can't wait for ultrasound 4 weeks from now, when the pink or blue explosion shall begin :).

13 Weeks - The Worst is OVER (Well, Except for Labor :)

My 6-months-looking 3 months belly

Pregnancy updates are hard for me. I envy women who can give a report of their every hormone flunctuation, actually remember/write down their vitals at check ups and display them proudly. Really, I do. Because even though this feels like TMI for me personally, when it comes to other people, I don't mind it at all - even enjoy it.

But I've noticed that the "pregnanter" I become, the more private I tend to be. Not sure why - maybe for the fact that there's so much going on inside me that I have little energy left for the outside world.

Regardless, I shall honor my commitment! I said that in this pregnancy, I WOULD blog often and allow myself to celebrate/document it. So here we go:

First thing to report - 2nd trimester is AWESOME. Not that I feel awesome all the time (nausea is still a close and annoying friend), but energy has improved a lot. I'm not back to my pre-pregnant self, of course, just a thousand times better than my 1st trimester self. Back then, every inch of my being HURT. Constantly. Didn't matter if I went to bed at 9, or if I napped in the afternoon. Even after several hours of sleep, waking up ALWAYS felt like you pushed me VIOLENTLY out of bed at 2 in the morning after I'd gone to bed at 1 and had the flu lol. THAT horrible. 

It's a wonder the kids got fed/clean at all those 3 straight months. Geez, it's a wonder I got fed/clean! On the upside, I did lose a whole bunch of weight! All for being too nauseated/tired to eat. At my last midwife appt, my weight was the same as the beginning of my 1st pregnancy! So I think it was all worth it (you know, besides growing a baby :).

Now, I'm a new woman. I'm even afraid of my next weight check, because I can EAT. That is, if the food happens to be one that doesn't make me sick - which is still somewhat of a challenge to find. But when I do, I get SO excited that I just want to eat it forever.

Oh, one special thing to report - I think I felt the baby move the other night!!! I know, most of you are prob thinking it's gas, but I did read in several preggo websites that it IS possible for 3rd time moms to feel it this early. Plus, gas doesn't go "tap tap tap" like tiny little feet and then a roll. I felt like a whole peach with legs was alive inside of me lol. It was awesome.

So here you go. My 13 weeks and a day update. That wasn't as hard as I imagined it to be (although I did edit it a million times). Please leave a comment so I can gather up the courage to do this once again :).

The Babies Outside of Me - Melissa (Or Mini-Me)

Remember when I said on the last post that I'm getting used to Andrew's little-boyhood? I think I'm trying to figure out Melissa's big-girlhood as well. She USED to be a little girl. The kind that could easily be distracted by shiny objects lol. Now, it's not that she doesn't like them, but if it's not THE shiny object she's looking for, forget it!

Maybe the thing that scares me the most is how much alike we're becoming. She likes her little routines, just like someone I know :). Her pillow has to be at the right spot, and she has to have the right blanket. And if her "plan" for the moment somehow cannot be, it's BREAKDOWN time. Now, to an outside looker (or someone who doesn't suffer from the same OCD tendencies), it can just seem defiance, or being spoiled. I can tell you, from experience of having been an emotional child, that it's not simply that. Like me as a little girl, she needs those familiar things for security. She FEELS things too much - which also makes her loving as can be when she's not in turmoil. Melissa tells me, her dad, Andrew and often even the dog how much she loves us several times a day. LOVES to hug, kiss and please. BUT she does get hurt easily. Hence the tantrums that happen when whatever she's really counting on isn't going to happen. 

This doesn't mean, of course, that discipline isn't in order. I am guilty of getting overly frustrated when she won't let something go. And obviously, the angrier I'd get, the more emotionally distressed she'd become. It takes ENORMOUS self control of my part in order not to let her reactions get to me and just be firm, yet loving. Conveying the message, "everything's okay, the world isn't ending - but you still have to do as I say." That's tricky! :)

If you read the previous post, have you noticed yet how different Andrew and Melissa can be?? She's sensitive and delicate, he's daring and active. I mean, she's active too, just in different terms. I think that's why they still get along so well (most of the time anyway). Because despite their distinctive complicated ways, they're both still FUN.

* stay tuned for a preggie  update in the very near future!