Passing Stonehenge

Jenny McCarthy wrote a very realistic depiction of pregnancy in her book "Belly Laughs". One chapter in particular was called "Passing Stonehenge". Just to set your mind at ease...I will not be talking about my constipation issues on here.

Instead, I'll talk about my daughter's.

Seriously...if she does not get the perfect balance of fruit, dairy, protein, and fiber....we're all in trouble. She cries...I cry, and we sit together, holding hands, and praying for her to poop. It's painful to watch, and I'm sure it's even more painful for her to experience. She'll complain about her bottom hurting for about 2 hours, and will need to be held...cuddled...have her belly rubbed, and finally end with another dose of apple juice. Then, she'll come over, with red eyes, and want to hold hands while she gets in a semi-stance and her face turns red. Finally, about 5-10 minutes later, we have blast-off, but not without struggle.

I hate it when this happens. I know it hurts, and I hate it for her. It sucks even more, because there isn't much I can do for her. I mean, I guess I could go "John and Kate Plus 8" and help her pull it out, but I don't know if it's what either of us wants.

Now, that we are both relieved, she won't let me change her diaper...so, the house stinks...arghhh. I don't know how I'm going to get this kid to poop on the potty!

Any suggestions are welcome! Have I turned you off of my blog yet?

THE News...

I think the shirt says it all......

Yup....we're pregnant, well, more accurately, I'm pregnant. I'm about 10 weeks along, and feeling pretty good. Avery is excited and will tell me that I have a "baby baby" in my belly (sometime she says that the baby is in my butt...which I don't appreciate!). She's going to be a great big sister.

We had a good time telling our families over the holidays, and now get to experience all the joys of pregnancy again. My due date is officially August 4 (Happy Birthday Uncle Tom and JD), so I have another long summer of swollen ankles ahead of me. I've been feeling ok, but have had heartburn and more nausea this time around.

We have an important decision to make over the next few months. I've said since I had Avery that I would prefer to have a VBAC for the next kid. I feel like had some circumstances been different, I could have had Avery naturally, as opposed to the C-section. Well, the doctor explained that I have a narrow pelvis (I was like...seriously??? I think my pelvis is the ONLY part of my that is narrow), so I can't have big babies (which Avery wasn't...she was small), but the baby also has to be in the perfect position. So, I can still have this next one naturally, but all of the stars have to align for me. On the other hand, being able to wake up one morning, take a shower, do my hair, and have the baby (without the 20 hours of labor) sounds appealing too...so we'll have to see.

We've also decided to not find out what we are having this time. I figured that since we knew that Avery was a girl, it might be fun to be surprised this time around.

I've had my first appointment and everything is good, although we did have a little scare. During the ultrasound, the doctor couldn't find the baby. So, she said either it was a bad angle or not a viable pregnancy. So, I was escorted (half naked) across the hall for another, higher powered ultrasound. Still, the tech couldn't find the baby...so she started checking my ovaries and tubes (I assume to see if it was an ectopic pregnancy). Finally, she decided to do an external ultrasound, and sure enough...there was the baby, chilling in the very front of my uterus...hiding....stinker! So, we were able to see the baby, and see the heartbeat (which was 169, exactly was Avery's was when we first heard her...another girl?). Avery was in the room the whole time, and now points to the ultrasound picture and says "Avery's baby?"

So, this blog may take a turn in the next 7 months. You might hear more about heartburn than you've ever wanted.

A different kind of Christmas list.

Well, I think it has been proven that I am not a professional "blogger". I have an uncanny ability to find something (anything) to do instead of blogging. It's not that I don't like it, it's just that I have sooo much that I want to write that I could spend hours and hours rambling on and on...and that wouldn't be good for you, me, or for the housework and snuggling that needs to be done.
So, following my friend Amanda's lead, I will get "listy", and give you some fun little tidbits, just to get caught up.

1.) Christmas-Came and went....and holy cow, it was a whirlwind! We had 4 different "Christmas's". The first was on December 14 with the Bookie family. We decided to only exchange gifts with the kids this year, and since there are only 2 little girls, they came home with LOTS of loot! It was a really great afternoon that was stress-free and a lot of fun!

Christmas 2 was the Lobbezoo Christmas on December 20 at our house. We had over 20 people in the house, with about 1/2 being kids. It was crazy and great! Tons of food and lots of presents. We have turned our basement into a temporary playroom, so the kids had a blast hanging out down there, and being as loud as they wanted. The hit of the night was the present we got for Andy (we choose names), which was an Air Hog helicopter. With our tall ceilings, it was the perfect place to try out the new toy.

Christmas 3 was our special family Christmas on Christmas Eve morning. You see, Santa called Chris this year and asked if he could come to our house a day early, and of course we said yes. So, on December 24th, we woke up to find that Santa had finished off his cookies and even drank the milk (this was VERY exciting for Avery), and left us lots of presents. Avery received Play-Doh and paints and a big Mickey Mouse and a Cabbage Patch and a dance-along camera that hooks up to the TV, and clothes, and ...and...and....the list goes on! After opening gifts and packing up the car, we headed to Romulus for Christmas #4.

Christmas in Romulus was wonderful again. We spent the night and woke up to find an insane amount of gifts. I mean, we are really blessed. Avery is so loved, and enjoyed hanging out on everyone's laps while opening her gifts and helping everyone else open theirs. Grandma Cox and Uncle Sean and Aunt Stephanie came over early in the morning, then everyone else (cousins, aunts, uncles, Grandpa Wilcox) came over for dinner and dessert. It was a houseful of fun and love. All of our Christmas's were so fun and relaxing...exactly the way we like it.

2.) Returning home...to the plague!- We came home on the 29th and woke up on the 30th sick as a dog. Avery was well, but Chris and I were nasty. Luckily, my parents and sisters were heading up that afternoon, so Mom took care of Avery, while the rest of us took turns throwing up...totally disgusting.

3.) New Years Rockin' Eve- We spent another New Years in elastic. I've decided that it's the best way to party. My parents and sisters were in town, and our friends, the Tenneys and Christians came over. We made big pots of spaghetti, ate snacks, played games and wore our jammies. The kids had fun playing and watching movies, and we banged pots and pans at midnight....great way to escort in 2009.

I think I can speak for all three of us when I say that we are not excited to get back into the work/wake up/run around routine again. It's been really nice to have Avery wake up at 8:30, only to climb into bed with us as we all sleep in until 10:30am! Living with no showers, eating leftovers and wearing pajamas has been just what the doctor ordered.

Well, that exhausts the holiday list...I might have to do one or two more lists in order to get completely caught up. I promise to blog more regularly, so stay tuned. Plus....I get the boys back starting tomorrow, so there should be some funny stories to come.