38 week Up Date

I have finally made it to 38 weeks and considered full term. I am 77 % effaced and 2 cm dialed, a long way to go yet. It seams like forever ago I found out I was pregnant. Lots of things have changed since then. I have stopped working at the studio as of our trip in August. This baby has just stayed in my hips the whole time and made it hard to move like I use to. I have however been working for a friend for his company. But as of this whole week I have been on full maternity leave, no more work. What am I going to do with myself? I am hoping to spend quality time with Matt before the baby gets here.

My pregnancy is going well, as pregnancy's go. Matt was just so easy, I have had a bit of a different experience with this one. Here are a few of the fun things I get to go through.

• Heartburn at night, I could out fire breath a dragon ,thank goodness for Tums!
• I have to pee twice a night, not so bad except our only bathroom in downstairs!
• Tiredness, no naps when chasing after a 3 year old, keeping house and working!
• Allergies, no relief from medicine.
  
• A low sitting baby, it has been sitting in my hips all a long so every time it gets the hiccups it is bouncing off my hip. And getting in and out of my car just got way too hard so now I get to drive the truck (One Plus)
• PUPPS!!!!! It is a rash developed late in pregnancy and is extremely itchy! It affects one in two hundred pregnancys (lucky me) and will last till delivery. It starts on the belly and can spread to the legs, back, chest, wrists, ext. I wake up in the night scratching my belly ( in between potty trips) till it really hurts. It is said that 77% of the time those affected by PUPPS deliver boys. Even before they are born boys are a pain for their moms.

On the brighter side I think Matt is happy about having a baby come home to live with us. He likes to look at pictures of him as an infant and look at all the things for the baby and touch my tummy when it kicks. He still thinks there is a baby in his tummy and that his tummy got bigger like mommy's did. He once asked how the baby got out, I told him I go to the hospital and the doctors help me get the baby out. He seamed fine with the answer and it is close to the truth with out the detail. We will so how happy he is when baby does come home and all the attention is not on him.

I am ready to get to the next, harder, part of life. It sucks getting up and I can't get comfortable at night but I am ready to have my body back to myself. Even if that means chasing after a toddler and caring a baby. I'm not the first and not the last woman to ever do it and it hasn't killed any of them.

And here is a little comparison between baby and Matt belly sizes.

Baby

Matt

Pee Pee on the Potty

I had been trying to get Matt to get the idea of potty training off and on all summer. Manny failed attempts (and a frustrated mom) latter we had a break through. I knew we were getting close when Rose tried with him a week before his birthday. I didn't think he was quite getting the sensation. His birthday came and went and he loves telling me he is three and a big boy now, but the big smack in the face happened at Target.
Matt and I were there getting things for the baby and I was going to walk around the corner to the next aisle when a little panicked Matt says loudly, "Not yet mom I'm pooping!" Unfortunately we were not the only ones in that aisle, a older gentleman was down a bit doing all he could not to laugh out loud and keep himself up from falling over with laughter. Completely embarrassed I started laughing too and waited until Matt had finished. When he was he told me to take him to the bathroom to get changed. All the way he kept telling me to stop laughing at him but it was too late I had tears in my eyes. I thought to myself, yep potty training for you mister!

After our trip to Missouri that was it no more diapers for Matt (he gets one over his undies for naps and a nighttime only diaper). We have had many successes and few accidents. Tonight he had his first poop on the potty. He was sting on the potty cowboy style (him facing the back of the potty so he has to lean forward) and all of a sudden he turns around and starts grunting. He was so excited he jumped off the toilet to look and show me. Suddenly he grabs his little willy and is trying to get it up and over the edge of the rim on his tip toes with a worried look in his eyes. He has to pee, so I get him up just in time. I had to giggle a little at that. And he loves to sink the cheerio.

We are so proud of our little guy and hope he won't have too many set backs. Just in time for one to enter diapers. I guess I get a week or two off of diaper duty till it starts back up again. At least I won't have two bums to change!

Trip to Missouri

Over Labor day weekend we went to visit Greg and Sarah and family in Missouri. It was a long drive down there. Matt was so excited to see Morgan, that when we got there at 1 in the morning he said he was going to go in the house and play with her. The next day we went to Morgans favorite park. The kids had fun throwing rocks in the pond. Of course Matt being a boy was the only one to get really dirty.

After that one of Greg's neighbors is a fireman at the fire station so we stopped by for a tour. The kids LOVED it! Little Shelby was all over the place and Matt and Morgan wanted to see everything all at once. The guy giving the tour was great, he gave the kids coloring books and stickers and a really cool fire hat.


When it was time to look at the trucks Matt couldn't contain himself any longer. I turned around and said "Where is Matt?" Turns out he found a way in to a closed firetruck by climbing in the back way, he really wanted to drive one.


And the kids had fun sliding down the pole (not really they just pretended to)


That night it was fun in the tub!

Sunday we all took the hour pulse drive to the St. Louis Zoo. Let me tell you, I think I am spoiled for all other Zoo's. It was fee to get in and it was big and had tons of variety. And the exhibit houses were not done cheaply. The train alone was really cool, it made stops where you could get off or on. It also went into tunnels and you could actual see the animals and had a guided tour. I can see why it is like the 2nd best zoo in the country.


The men didn't want to ride the awesome train so we went with out them.

It was so much fun to see Greg, Sarah, Morgan and Shelby we sure do miss them and are glad they are coming for Morgans Birthday! If only you guys could live a few hours closer.

My Baby Is Three!

A week ago my little guy turned three with a vengeance. He is very independent hardly naps and plays with everything like it's a smash up derby. He is not all terrible, he can be very sweet. He loves to read books by himself or with us and is getting excited about the baby.

On Matt's birthday we got to do some really fun stuff. We went to the Madison zoo with Aunties SueAnn and Tina and all the cousins that go with. It is a bit of a small zoo but it is fee and perfect for little kids. They have a huge playground for them to run and get the wiggles out. Matt was brave enough to feed the goats and had fun hanging out with the older cousins like Isaac and Ethan. And for a treat we took a ride on the carousel.
Right across form the zoo was a little beach. It was such a beautiful day we had a pick nick in the shade and watched the kids play in the sand and cool off in the water. It is sooo nice my kid has gotten to the stage where he doesn't need me to go have fun. I can sit and chat with the adults and he can go play. However this phase of my life will not stay this way forever (#2 on it's way).

Matt wanted a cars themed party this year, so I got real creative. I had the kids make their own cars out of cardboard boxes (I supplied the car kit with headlights, tail lights and a personalizes license plate and straps). They had fun making them then we raced for the Piston cup. Matt loved his car so much he would race and make his car noise at the same time, he hardly took it off the rest of the night. It was well worth it so see him enjoy his car he made.



Sue Ann came through with another fantastic cake for Matt. She is getting really go at it.


Matt's mom and dad got him a twin bed for his birthday and Sue Ann and Grandma Moss made him a cool quilt to go on it. He loves sleeping in the big bed. He hasn't fallen out yet. It doesn't seem like that long ago we had brought him home from the hospital all tiny and cute now he giggles when he farts ( just like his dad). Some days I wish I had my sweet baby back and other days I'm glad he is growing up and now it is fun to tease him and watch him learn things and what he comes up with.
Like the other day we passed a water tower and he pointed it out to me. I said good job you're right. Then he asked me where the milk tower was. I had to laugh and told him to keep a look out for one. He cracks me up sometimes.