Little Bird

I needed a bowl of cereal thirty or so minutes ago, but I hopped onto a baby name website and now I am in a panic. J will not  discuss baby names until we know the gender, so I have to turn to you for whining purposes. When I was pregnant with Charlotte we were leaning heavily towards Madison, but Charlotte was high on the list and once we called her by that for a few days it stuck. I knew our boy would be named Bennett, so when we found out baby number two was a boy naming him was easy peasy. And it was made all the better by its meaning (blessed / blessed boy from heaven). I am driving myself crazy trying to find the perfect meaning for this little one's name. Right now I'm only looking at girl names because I've got the feeling and the feeling has been 100% accurate so far. I'm focusing on meaning more than the actual name, which is silly, but I can't seem to stop myself. Every now and I again I find myself wandering down a strange name path - Willow Piper

Just when I think I'm nearing the end of morning sickness, I throw up. Just when I have a day of energy with little nausea, I spend the next day feeling like I've been run over by a truck. I've been told by many that the third pregnancy is always the hardest. Why is that?! I think pregnancies should get easier. B is going through a very defiant boundary pushing phase, which makes life even more interesting/frustrating. He is a busy, adventuresome little boy who wants to go, go, go while mama wants to sleep, sleep, sleep. The laughter and joy he brings to our house is worth every frustrating moment, but there are days when I need to take a time out. J has been so helpful. I think he's more than ready for me to feel better. I think he's also ready to stop running to the store every day to buy whatever I MUST have. I don't remember having this many cravings come and go so quickly with my other pregnancies. This morning it's not even 10, we're readying

EVERYTHING Tulip Farm: April 30 '12 / April 26 '13

B wakes up early for the third day in a row. I go to Target at 8:30 in the morning just to get out of the house. I stop at a park on the way home from Target because it's warm and B needs exercise. I park three miles from the playground, which results in a long walk and wet feet. I don't worry about not having sunscreen or water or a sun hat. When B dumps his snack on the playground I let him eat off the ground for a minute before cleaning up. The playground is empty and I sit to the side answering emails instead of engaging with B. As long as I have B in sight, I don't worry. I wonder where B gets his sense of adventure and complete lack of fear. B only wants to eat bananas. I don't even try to nap B because I don't feel up to the battle. I'm not as patient as I should be. I have to give myself a little grace.

Every time I feel certain this growing babe is a girl something inane happens that makes me want to punch a complete stranger in the face and I think, Oh, hey, maybe it's a boy. I was emotional with Charlotte, angry with Bennett, and this go round - well, I seem to be aiming for straight up crazy. I cannot get a handle on my emotions. I cannot get a handle on LIFE. I'm a darn mess all. the. time. This evening in one of my private facebook groups (I belong to too many of these. I love ya, stop inviting me) there was a discussion about ultrasounds and even though it didn't really have anything to do with me I stepped on into that discussion because I NEED my ultrasounds and the whole thing just irked the tar out of me. Usually I let those things go, but this pregnancy, man, I'm just like, "You wanna fight? Huh? Huh?!" Sheesh. I don't know if it's the time of year, or the hormones, or planets misaligning (is that even a word?) but I am three second

Baby looks good!! And my thyroid is within normal range as well. I just don't feel well this pregnancy, but I'm okay with that since baby is healthy. My chief complaint is shortness of breath, and if that continues I need to schedule an echo to make sure my heart is okay. Lucky me, J can do that. I was a little nervous for the appointment, but it went really well. Everyone is so wonderful at that office. I had the same tech as I did during B's pregnancy. She talked me through the ultrasound and gave me a couple 3D pictures. Baby was moving and dancing like mad throughout the ultrasound. Baby was practicing swallowing as well, which I've never seen so early on. I need a nickname for this little one ... baby is so blah. By the time I think one up we'll know the gender and then we can just call the baby by its name. IF we can decide on a name ... this one is proving difficult.

Oh, spring. I love you and your warmer weather, but there are dark, rainy days too. And in those dark rainy days, the flashbacks. I remember waking up at 3 in the morning the day after we came home. I thought she was alive. My brain recalled Charlotte's birth, but conveniently forgot her death. I slipped out of bed, belly cramping with after birth pains and wandered around the house, looking for Charlotte. J found me in the nursery, rocking and crying. This evening, in a different room of the house, in a blue nursery, not a yellow one, I watched my little boy clamber up into the rocking chair for a wild ride before bed. And I remembered that night: the empty nursery, the tears that burned my raw face, the heating pad pressed against my bereft belly. J finding me and helping me shuffle down the hall to bed, then holding me as I wailed for my little lost girl. 25 days. Almost here, then gone again, until the next one. This lifetime of missed days is so, so heavy sometimes.

Oh my, I'm exhausted. The last week - well, two, really - has been so difficult. There's been a lot of issues with the doctor who managed my thyroid care during B's pregnancy, and as of this afternoon I decided to discontinue care. It's hard. It's uncomfortable. The people pleaser in me feels like apologizing and over explaining. I made the very difficult decision to end care with someone who walked me through the most difficult time of my life. It sucks. I've been having hyperthyroid symptoms for weeks and trying to receive help has been one battle after another. At my prenatal appointment today it was decided I would go to the high risk doctor (the clinic I went to for B's pregnancy) on Monday for an appointment so they can help me manage my symptoms.  The past few days have been a mess of phone calls with the insurance, area naturopaths and my prior caregiver as I tried to find someone who could a) help me and b) not break the bank while doing so. I

This afternoon was my fifth time speaking to a grief and loss class at a local college. People say, "I don't know how you do it, how you talk about her in front of people." Thing is, I have selfish reasons for speaking about Charlotte. It makes me feel close to her. It reminds me she mattered. And that she lived. For a short space in time I get to talk about her. Do you know how wonderful that is? How great it is to bring my daughter and her special spirit into a room? I get to talk about her short life and how much she changed mine. I talk about B all the time, but Charlotte is the child I silently parent. I have to find creative ways - like speaking and writing - to show my love for her. And at the end of the day, I walk into the spring sunshine, take a deep breath - nerves gone, emotions all over the place, tears rising - and drive home, to this beautiful blessing In a few short months (hopefully) I'll have to find a way to balance parentin

This morning I ran into Motherhood to buy a pair of workout pants. When asked for my phone number I rattled it off without thinking. The clerk said, "What's your new due date so I can put it in here?" As she typed it in she stopped and peered at the screen. "Wow, you'll have a 3 year old, a 2 year old and a newborn! You'll be busy."  I nodded, swiped my card, thanked her and quickly left. I didn't realize the stupid computer system would have all of my information stored, including all three of my due dates. I decided to complete our errands later and take B to the park instead. And of course I cried as I drove to the park. It's a month until Charlotte's birthday, I'm pregnant, my thyroid is haywire and I am making little headway with the doctor who manages it. I am so worried I'm going to lose this baby, or there will be complications, because I don't feel well, but apparently firmly asking a medical assistant, "Do you kn

Has it really been five days since my last post?? Life is a blur of nausea and the craziest little boy who loves the word, "no" so much right now I think I am going to lose my mind. Coming up on 12 weeks in a couple days here. I have an appointment later this week, hopefully there will be a sweet little heartbeat heard via doppler. I asked my midwife from Charlotte and Bennett's pregnancy if she would come to this birth, if at all possible. She said she will try, which makes me SO happy. I know I might not have a water birth, and I know my midwife may not be there, but I like the potential this birth has. This pregnancy is tough. I blame Mr. B for that. I have a lot of soreness and cramping and I'm tired all the time. Part of the issue is my thyroid, of course. It does not like to behave during pregnancy. Hopefully we can sort it out soon. I am not pleased with how that aspect of my care is being handled, but I am not having luck finding another doctor so for now

Last night at loss support group I realized something: I'm no longer a rookie. It's almost been three years and when I talk about Charlotte I don't cry. In fact, I haven't cried in a long, long time for my little lost girl. My tiny 5 lb. 7 oz. first baby who barely drew breath. The soft mew of a kitten can still send me spinning back to the sun drenched room where she was born. Those heart stopping moments when she tried to cry. Three years. It's knocking me sideways, people. Upside down too. I guess it's time to make the cookie dough. Because eating a spoonful of cookie dough every time I felt sad last spring was really therapeutic. Three years. Somehow I've become someone who has walked the road long enough to have a little grief wisdom. I'll leave you with a picture of me and my girl. You've seen it before. Of course you have. But this is all I have. I can't give you a new picture because our time to capture he

Sweet B is 19 months! He is clicking right along, meeting all of the expected milestones, a little ahead in his language skills, but otherwise exactly where he should be. I think watching him learn how to communicate is my favorite thing. He has so many words - somewhere around 60, I stopped counting - and is picking up harder sounds. B learned hawk and cow this week, but doesn't have the most difficult sounds - like 'l.' There is definitely some toddler attitude developing as well. If anyone can tell me how to make B stop throwing food on the ground I would really appreciate it. I feel like we've tried everything, but he still does it! He's at that age where provoking mama and daddy is funny, even when it lands him in time out. I can't believe I'm going to have another baby since B still seems so much like a baby. He is active and busy, but he loves cuddle time. He is very affectionate, loves to hug, kiss and snuggle. We spend

This is it, people. The last pregnancy, the last hurrah, the last time I have to wear maternity clothes. It's strange, it doesn't feel  final, and I think J may have a different opinion on the matter, but I'm calling this the last one. (Let's not mention my firm belief that I wouldn't have more children after B, mmmkay?) My first two pregnancies I wore mostly Motherhood Maternity, even though the clothes didn't fit all that well. This pregnancy I wanted comfortable pants that actually fit, so yesterday J (who has a horrible toothache) little man B and I went on a hunt for maternity pants. Did you know selling maternity pants in store is rare these days? I didn't either until we drove to a mall an hour from our house. I wanted to go to H&M because I believed it would come through for me. I had tried going to a different H&M a few weeks ago, but they don't have a maternity section. This H&M had two pairs of jeans, size 16. They had ton

I thought this pregnancy would fly by since I have B to tend to, but it's moving verrrry slowly. Getting bumped back a week threw me off, of course, but more than that I feel like I've been stuck in the first trimester for years. Getting sick immediately doesn't help matters. This morning when I walked out of the bathroom after showering B ran up, reached up to my belly and said, "Baby!" I bent down a little and he enthusiastically patted my belly while saying, "Mama! That! Baby!" So, I guess I'm showing a little, and I guess pointing to my belly a few times and saying "Mama has a baby in there" was enough for him to semi-understand. The morning sickness seems to be easing a little. I've never had it let up this early on so I'm hesitant  to say we're nearing the end, but maybe? My appetite is definitely back. I refuse to weigh myself between appointments this time around. The numbers are going up way too fast. I think

Today was ... rough. I can't believe I haven't cried. B had four vaccines yesterday, I had a whopper of a blood draw today (7 vials, sheesh), both of us were out of sorts. He didn't nap until 3 (and he slept until 5:45) which means he is going to be up late tonight. J is really, really, really swamped at work this week because the only other employee who can do his job is on vacation. Last week was busy, this week is insane. J is squeezing in patients left and right then coming home to a tired, hormonal wife and a messy house. When B finally napped I crashed on the couch and thought about how frustrated I was with him. I think it's okay for him to see me frustrated, and I think it's good for him to see a range of emotions, but I still feel bad when I don't parent as well as I know I can. When I don't stop for a deep breath or moment of prayer before dealing with the fact that he's thrown his entire lunch on the ground for the five thousandth time. Whe

I cannot get enough black iced tea this pregnancy. My first pregnancy: super, duper careful, no caffeine. My second pregnancy: a little  lot angry, not quite as careful, but felt guilty if I wasn't mindful of my diet. Third pregnancy: Eh, I'm going to have a little caffeine. It settles my stomach and gives me a little more hydration (water is my enemy this pregnancy). B's night time sleep is still rough. He is finally napping well, but nights are still hard, even though he's weaned. Right now J is sleeping upstairs while I crash in the guest room. Halfway through the night (hopefully) B wakes and comes in with me. This solution is working well for now since I tend to have dry heaves in the middle of the night and being close to the bathroom is necessary, and J is sleeping better without B, but come second trimester when I feel less awful (fingers crossed) that kid is sleeping all night in his room. We HAVE to sort this before the next one comes. Last week I open