Jackie and her Daddy

To say that Jackie is a "Daddy's Girl" is a bit of an understatement.  I thought I would post a little about the two of them, so that one day, when he is saying "No, you can't date that boy..." She will know just how much he loves her, and how much she loves him.

"Da-da" was the first word out of her mouth.  Once she realized that the sound "Da-da" made daddy smile so big, she was hooked. 

It wasn't until a couple months ago that she started saying "Ma-ma."  However, "Da-da" still gets the sweetest little smile to accompany it. :o)

After a weekend at home over the summer with daddy, I would go in on a Monday to get her out of bed and she would just look at me with this stare, "Why are you not daddy?" and then look over my shoulder to the door waiting for him to come in behind me.  When he didn't, she would race to our bedroom door and stand there insisting that "Da-da" come out.

As SOON as she heard the little "beep-beep" that the alarm on the door makes when someone opens it at the end of the day, she will drop ANYTHING and race to the garage door, squealing.  Get a hug from daddy and then proceed to help him take off his shoes.  That is a must.  Shoes must come off!

Even now, when I am the one who gets home later and he's with her most of the evening.  She will come see that I walk in the door and then abruptly turn around and go hug daddy's legs. 

Even how they wake up in the morning is the same.  Grunt.  Stretch.  Roll over.  Peek out one eye and glare at me.  Close eyes again.  Roll around.  Grunt.  Then finally sit up. 

They are both "big dippers."  Jackie wants to dip everything she eats.  In katsup, salsa, sour cream, anything.  She saw that first from daddy. 

Spice is nice!  I've known Ethan was a spicy guy for a long time...and I like things spicy too and ate them while pregnant with Jackie.  (So maybe this one is my fault).  The other night, Jackie ate an entire hot link.  Last night it was spicy Rotel dip (with the HOT Rotel) and added jalapenos from the garden.  Don't even think about giving that girl something bland... she won't touch it.  I imagine family dinners in my future with the following "This is a good recipe, but the chicken could use a little something more...it's a tad bland."  That could come from daddy or Jackie.

You will never see popcorn disappear faster than trying to have some with one of them.  I have NEVER seen anyone eat shovel popcorn the way my husband does.  Even the first time he made popcorn for our movie date, I had to be fast about getting some, or I would miss out.  (That is unless I wanted the little trail of kernels left in the chair when he got up.)  That is until I saw Jackie eat popcorn.  Didn't take her long to figure out that one piece at a time is nice, but a FIST FULL of popcorn is even better.  Even her babysitter commented on it!

There is something so sweet about a little girl's love for her daddy.  I sure hope he's ready to have TWO fingers wrapped around TWO little girls :)

This One vs. That One

Jackie is almost 18 months old.

I have no baby book for her.

Haven't started.

Don't mistake that for a lack of pictures.  We have LOTS of pictures.  Just no organized scrapbook chronologically marking every "first" for her to read through later in life.

I just kept saying "I'll get to it." 

Yeah...in the mean time, I'm now 8 weeks away from little Katerina joining in with Jackie and all the fun thing they will get into growing up so close in age. 

So, I figured I would start now by comparing pregnancies, since Jackie's is still pretty fresh in my mind.  If I try to wait until baby #3 comes along, I might forget it all. (That might be a good thing...)

So here's a comparison of "This Pregnancy vs. That Pregnancy"  or "Jackie vs. Kat"

Getting Pregnant:
Jackie:  Took four months.  I thought it would happen like THAT.  I know that still isn't very long in comparison to other couples who tried for many, many months before getting pregnant, but I figured it would be no time.  (I guess I just had to wait until "God's Time.")

Kat:  Boom.  Like THAT.  This time I thought it would take 4-6 months for it to happen, so we started trying a little early.  Maybe she will be the "punctual" one! :)

Finding Out:
Jackie:  Had sort of "given up" for the month of July and put it out of my mind.  But 3rd Annual Mystery Weekend was about to start and I needed to know.  Took a test (an old one given to me from a friend at school who she insisted "didn't need anymore.").  It said negative.  No big surprise.  SURPRISE later when I saw the test in the trash reading positive.  Confused.  Googled false positives.  Drove to store to buy a new test.  This time digital.  No needing to figure out any line crap.  Got a two pack.  "Pregnant" read out loud and clear.  Called Ethan at work.  Called doctor.  No alcohol on 3rd Annual Mystery Weekend.

Kat:  I was in the "we are trying" mode, meaning not drinking unless I'm sure I'm not pregnant, already taking prenatal, and waiting until I was a week late to take the test.  Even though I was pretty sure I was.  Used #2 test in the pack of two bought before.  Positive.  Yelled to Ethan from bathroom.  Called Doctor.  No alcohol all summer...

Symptoms:
Jackie:  Had about a week and a half of "Knock-you-off-your-feet nausea" and did nothing but lay in bed the entire first week of August.  Started teaching and coaching just in time for the "So-tired-even-blinking-is-exhausting" stage.  Came home from practice at 6ish... and went to bed.  Threw up a few times if I ate too fast.  I'm a teacher.  I eat fast at every meal.  Had to learn to SLOW down.

Kat: No real long period of nausea, just would hit me from time to time, usually in the evening.  Barfed off and on.  Tiredness in first trimester again, this time, there's no going to bed after getting home from school.  Had a one-year-old to take care of.  (Although, I have found that the first trimester tired and coaching is nothing like the third trimester tired and coaching.)

Sleep:
Jackie:  Didn't have too much of a problem probably until the last month or so.  Had a hard time getting comfy and sleeping long enough.  I woke up a couple times a night to go to the bathroom.  Heart burn was only a problem if I ate too late before going to bed.  I snored.

Kat:  Take everything I said about Jackie, multiply it by two and then speed it up about 4 months sooner.  I hit the uncomfortable sleeping stage back in July.  Last night I got up every hour (on the hour) because my bladder urgently required me to.  That's a pretty normal night.  If I eat much after 6:30 I can pretty much assume I'll be up 'till midnight.  Heartburn a nightly problem, even if I just eat ice.  I snore. 

Cravings:
Jackie:  Any and all things peanut butter.  Just couldn't get enough of the stuff!  And milk.  We went through twice as much milk.

Kat:  Ice. Not just any ice, our ice from our freezer.  You know, the dense cloudy type that gets nice and soft once it sits in the water for just a little while.  I know it doesn't make sense, but my mouth actually starts to water when I see that my cup, filled with ice, is just at that perfect chomping stage.

Mood Swings:
Jackie:  Eh...not so much. 

Kat:  About the same.

Seasons:
Jackie:  I was "big pregnant" during the winter months and that was actually pretty great.  I remember being worried that I would slip and fall on the ice, but luckily that was one of the "warmest" winter's we have ever had.  I didn't have to worry about ice at all.

Kat:  Ugh.  Big pregnant during August, September, and still to come, October.  I actually lucked out with this being one of the coolest Augusts on record, but that didn't mean the heat didn't come.  It did.  We're in the middle of it now.  I was so worried about slipping on the ice, but turns out, coaching is just as dangerous.  I tripped during our first game and stumbled onto the bench, hitting my face on my manager's shoulder.  Good thing the parents sit up in the mezzanine and couldn't see how red my face was. 

Things-To-Do:
Jackie:  We started building our new house about a month after we found out Jackie was coming.  We closed on both the new and old house on Christmas Eve.  I was almost at my 7 month mark. Get new house ready, Jackie's baby room ready, showers, and plan for a long-term sub (who would be giving my kids their state assessments).  Yep.  Busy.

Kat:  Transfer Jackie to new room (current transition in progress...night #1 has started).  Coach volleyball.  Teach.  Got everything ready for sub before school started (whoo hooo...go me!). Plan baby shower for Sister-In-Law.  SIL has baby 9 weeks early.  Plan baby shower for later in September.  And most recently on the list, redo all of sub stuff due to hard drive crashing.  Last week was a rough one.  It will all get done...it will all get done...it will all get done...

Things-To-Buy:
Jackie:  Everything.  We had nothing, but a crib.

Kat:  Winter clothes for newborn - 3 months.  We may have two girls, but when one was 3 months in July and the other will be 3 months in February, those hand-me-downs aren't gonna work!

Feeling Baby Move:
Jackie:  I felt the first little flutter right around 18 months.  I know because that's when I had my sonogram and she was moving and turning all over the place and I was just feeling little tiny movements.  Ethan could feel her move for the first time when I was 22 weeks along.  I distinctly remember this because it was Thanksgiving. :) Jackie continued to be quite the mover, but only when I was resting.  If I was up moving around she was almost rocked to sleep.

Kat:  I felt her for the first time around 15 weeks, just tiny little punches.  Ethan could feel her by the time we had the sonogram at 18 weeks.  Since then it has been NON STOP MOVEMENT.  Big movements.  I swear at night it looks like she is trying to escape from the left side of my belly.  I am definitely blaming her on my stretch marks!  Oh, and she doesn't "rock to sleep" when I'm moving.  She's moving too.  Such a different sensation! 

Showing:
Jackie:  My goodness, I think I still had people coming up to me in January (7-8 months along) saying how I didn't look pregnant at all.  

Kat:  HA!  My Father-in-Law asked if I was sure I wasn't have twins by the time I hit the 7 month mark.

Time:
Jackie:  Everyone kept saying how pregnancy goes so fast.  It's 9 short months (actually...10).  It didn't feel fast to us. We just kept waiting, anxiously.  Ethan would constantly tell her that it was time for her to come out so he could hold her. 

Kat:  I stupidly thought this pregnancy would "feel" like it went faster because we were busy with Jackie.  Nope.  Not at all.  I am so excited for her to come and meet us all that it seems like time is dragging on.  Not to mention I've been uncomfortable longer than I was with Jackie, and I still have 8 weeks to go. 

Mega Meltdown Madness!

Terrible Twos...

Who was the "genius" that coined that phrase?

Because all they did was cause parents to be completely and totally take by surprise when the "terrible two tantrums" started at 16 months.

We are a WAYS away from two.

But yet, here we are.  Right in the middle of a 16-month-old screaming fit.  Screaming because...
~  She wanted to brush her teeth.
~  She wanted ice cream.
~  She couldn't walk UP the slide.
~  She was hungry but didn't want...grapes, blueberries, cookies, crackers, sausage, eggs, cheese, or any other single thing we tried to feed her.
~  She wanted a fork.
~  A "big-person" fork not a "baby" fork.
~  She wanted mommy's big-person fork.
~  She wanted to stay in her chair and play with the tray.
~  She wanted to throw food.
~  She wanted to eat like a dog off of the table.
~  She wanted to STAY in the hot car and play in her car seat.
~  She wanted ice cream.
~  She wanted on the couch.
~  She wanted to sit on the arm of the couch and fall off.
~  She wanted ice cream.
~  She wanted in the bath tub.
~  She wanted to drink the bath water.
~  She wanted out of the bath tub.
~  She wanted ice cream.
~  She wanted in her crib.
~  She wanted out of her crib.
~  She wanted her BLACK puppy, NOT the yellow puppy.
~  She wanted to pick green tomatoes out of the garden.
~  She wanted the iPad.
~  She wanted the remote.
~  She wanted the phone.  NOT her play phone, mommy or daddy's touch-screen phone.
~  She wanted ice cream.

The list could go on...  But our sanity won't.

So I did whatever any good parent of the 21st century does...

I Googled it.

Apparently this is a VERY common thing. There were MANY suggestions out there on how to handle the screaming fits of a child who cannot TELL you what is wrong.

On a good note, I found that we are doing most of them.  Redirection, praise for stopping, love and hugs when she's being good, not giving in to her "wants" when she's acting like that, telling her "no" and walking away from her so she eventually finds something else to do.  On a bad note...we haven't had much success. Again, this seems to be common.  Something that she will "grow out of" and we will have to be patient and firm.

Great...

I will mention that it is not around-the-clock screaming at our house.  She does still have many many moments of sweetness, discovering of new cool tricks, learning to say new words, and cuddles.

And we are VERY fortunate that she hasn't tried the screaming trick in public.  Yet...

So patient and firm we will be.

Wanna Grape?

We have a new game around here.

It's called "Wanna Grape?"

You see... Jackie is at that age where she loves to play with her toys, loves to pull things out of drawers, and loves to read, look at, chew on books.

As long as mommy or daddy is sitting right beside her in the living room.

I am a multitasker.

I have to be.  In order to be a working mom and have some sort of order around the house (however small it may be), I have to multitask.

Jackie doesn't like it when I multitask.

In fact, she will cling to my legs screaming at the top of her lungs if I so much as attempt to wash a dish or cut up a veggie for dinner.

This doesn't work for me.

So, one day, while I was washing and cutting up my recent fruit purchase at the store, Jackie was loudly exclaiming that she wanted my full and undivided attention.  I needed to get this task done so I could move on to fixing dinner (or sweeping, or loading the dishwasher, or folding laundry).  So I very nicely asked her "Wanna grape?"

She did.  She reached up and I picked one off the bundle and handed it to her.  She popped it in her mouth, rolled it around a little bit, and walked off.

It worked!

She played with some noisy toy in the living room for a couple of minutes and then wondered back into the kitchen.

"Wanna grape?"

She signed "please."

Again, popped the grape in her mouth and walked off to find her toy.

This little game was repeated many times until daddy got home from work and dinner was ready.

I had stumbled on to the BEST GAME EVER.

It's a win. Win. WIN. Type of game.

I get to multitask - win

Jackie gets a snack - Win

Jackie gets a healthy snack that I'm OK with if it ruins her dinner - WIN!

Stupid Calendar

I lay here in bed tonight, almost an hour past my normal bedtime awake and thinking.

I can't stop thinking.

I have had an amazing day, spent with wonderful family celebrating the 50 year marriage of my in-laws.

Not going to lie...part of the reason I am still awake is that I ate WAY too much food and the baby inside my tummy didn't leave enough room for it all so I feel like the BBQ and cake are hanging around my throat somewhere.

But that's not the main reason I'm thinking.

I did something stupid.  Something I have been avoiding like the plague for the last month.

I looked at a calendar.

I have less than three weeks left before my summer officially ends and the school year begins.  I have known that this was coming.  I have known that school was just around the corner.  But somehow looking at the calendar makes it all seem much more REAL.

Now I am slightly stressing out and growing more and more panicked as I  think.

I have not done ANYTHING school related in many weeks.

I have avoided ANY educational articles.

I haven't even wanted to TALK about school stuff, unless it involved someway to move the start of the school year back, oh...maybe another two months.

And now, here I am three weeks away from reporting to school, and two weeks away from dropping Jackie off at daycare instead of enjoying our lovely days at the pool, park, or just out running errands.  

My school to-do list has barely even been looked at.  And there are MANY things on that list.

I thought last year was hard going back to work after having almost 5 months off.  This year is worse.

I am missing the desire.

It's just not there.

I am waiting for it to show up.  It always has before.

Unfortunately, this is the longest I have ever had to wait for the urge to get back in the classroom.  To get back to the work-day routine.

And now I'm worried it won't come.

This thought makes me sad.  I never wanted to be that kind of teacher.  I never lived for the summers.  Have I lost my passion?  Or have my priorities simply changed??

I just keep thinking over and over again...  I will be dropping MY CHILD off for SOMEONE ELSE to watch, while I go spend my days with OTHER PEOPLE'S CHILDREN. The logic just doesn't make sense to me.

I know thousands of teachers and coaches do this every single day.

I just don't want to.

And maybe now that I've written it down and hit "publish" I will be able to sleep.

Sunday Chatter

Today is the last day of June...feels way too soon to say that tomorrow is July.  JULY???!!!  I always felt (and still do) that the 4th of July marks that speedy downhill slide of summer ending.  Before I know it (and before I'm ready, I'm sure) I will be back dropping off Jackie at daycare and heading to my classroom.

I have mentioned before that our dogs are escape artists.  This fact has cost us time and money trying to keep them contained.  I have always said that they would ignore pain just to escape out of a cage or fence.  (I have no doubt that they would run right through one of those "invisible fences.")  Well, this week Breck proved it once again.  While at the vet for her 6 month check-up, she attempted to escape from the metal kennel they were keeping her.  The ding dong ended up ripping off her dew-claw and needing antibiotics, pain killers, and a bandage for three days in order to keep it dry.  She never did get out of that cage.

It is a long-running joke that you'll have a nice workout after attending a Catholic Mass. Up. Down. Kneel.  Sit. Shake hands. Sit. Kneel.  You gotta be in shape for that kind of thing.  Now, just picture trying to do that with a VERY wiggly and mobile 15 month old, who not only doesn't understand why she can't run out into the middle of the isle, but also LOVES to hear her voice echo, or get in laughing competitions with kids sitting down the pew (even if they aren't laughing, all they have to do is look at her...Jackie will play).   Today I had to go fetch a plastic Easter egg out of the middle of the isle.  Don't ask.

Oh...and add to the list another baby girl who is even MORE active in my belly than Jackie was.  If there is a correlation between movement in womb and movement as a toddler, we could be in trouble...  

Totally had a pregnant mom afternoon.  Put Jackie down for her nap and enjoyed some yummy ice cream.  (Double Dunker from Turkey Hill.  Ohhhhhhhhh....sooooo goooood).  Then proclaimed to my husband that spaghetti sounded good.  No spaghetti in the house so I finished up the guacamole and chips from dinner last night. Spaghetti still sounds good.  Don't judge. 

Jackie has taken her love for all things babies even further.  Now if she even sees babies, she's making the sign for "please" and pointing at the baby with a loud grunt.  She wants to see the baby.  Pet the baby's head.   Attempt to give the baby a hug and kiss.  Now this is absolutely adorable when she does it around people we know, with other babies we know.  It can be a little embarrassing when she toddles over to a random family in a restaurant and tries to reach into their baby carrier to see the baby.  Still...we are hoping that this will make for a good and loving transition from only princess to older princess.

PS...I did try to take Jackie to the back of church when she was getting her loudest.  Guess what?  There was a baby back there too, who was sleeping.  That plan didn't work, back to the pew we went.

Ethan is off for the week from work.  We just love having daddy home with us.   A list of Honey-Do's and a trip to KC for our anniversary are on the list for the week.  Hoping with the drop in temperature we can get a fire or two in as well.  I could use a S'more :)

I could totally do the stay-at-home-mom thing.  The house always looks better, laundry isn't 6 loads behind, and I feel so much less stressed than when I'm trying to do all of the "at-home" things while working.  I love my summer routine.  I really could do it all year long.  

Let's Get Real: The Challenge

I am a realist.

Ok...maybe a dreamer with a realistic approach.

It has taken me a long time to add the "realist" title to describe myself.  Why?  Because it tends to sound pessimistic.

I am NOT a "Negative Nelly."

However, I do know myself.  I know what I am capable of and what I am willing to do, and probably more importantly I know what I am NOT capable of and what I am NOT willing to do.  (Half of the things I pin on Pinterest will NEVER get tried.  Hence, the dreamer part of me...)

So when I approach health and diet eating right, I do so realistically and knowing who I am.  (I think this is CRUCIAL to anyone wanting to make a lifestyle change and be healthy.  Not necessarily lose 15 lbs. for a trip, but to make LIFE LONG changes what will not only have a positive impact on you AND those who are closest to you.)

ME:  I like LOVE all kinds of food.  The good and the bad.  There's not much I don't like or won't eat.  My favorites include (but are not limited to), ice cream, bread, eggs, pancakes, salads w/ vinaigrette dressing, buffalo chicken, pizza, ice cream, veggies with dip, a medium-rare steak with baked potato, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and did I mention ice cream???  :o)

And I don't diet. I don't believe it in.

Any of the "diets" I have tried in the past restrict you from over half of those foods I just listed above, and realistically I am not going to stick to something for a LIFE LONG change that doesn't allow me to have each and every item on that list.  (Plus some...)

Therefore, those diets didn't work.  Or didn't last.

Which brings me to Advocare and the 24 Day Challenge.

Now, Advocare has a long line of products from everything to muscle building, weight loss, to skin care and chap-stick.  For me, the draw was the challenge.

Maybe it's the word "challenge" that got my attention at first.

I like a good challenge.  I am competitive.  I like to win.

The 24-Day Challenge is divided into two main parts.  A 10-Day cleanse and then a 14 day MAX phase.  I will be honest, before the challenge I had never done a cleanse and I wasn't a big believer in it.  I thought they were too restricting.  But the draw for me was the second half.  The MAX phase.  The last two weeks of the challenge are designed to bring LIFE LONG habits into your real life that you can stick to.  Making simple changes to everyday eating.

Like...
~  Protein for breakfast.  Always have protein with breakfast.
~  Drink water.  Lots of water.
~  100% whole wheat bread/tortillas.  A simple, but huge change.
~  Introduce your life to SPARK!  (The sugar free, energy drink that might just change your life...another post about that coming soon!)
~  Correct portion sizes.  (This one was big for me, for some reason I thought I had to feel very full after every meal...not true!)

And those are just a few of the simple changes to make to everyday life that will have LIFE LONG effects!  Plus they are changes that are easy to get family and picky eaters on board with.  Sometimes they won't even know.

For me, the real "challenge" part of The Challenge was the cleanse.  No dairy.  No wheat.

BUT...it was only for 10 days.

10 days.

That is doable.

That is realistic.

And it is good for you.  Someone once described it to me (in terms mom's can really understand) that it is like cleaning out the lent catcher after running laundry.  Or (for you guys) changing the oil in your car.  Something that helps get the "yuck" out and give you a fresh new start.  Reverse scenarios above if that applies to you :o)

Oh and BONUS! They have a 24-Day Challenge that is appropriate and modified for breast feeding moms. All my mommy friends should definitely check this out!

Now, the one thing that had me reluctant to get on board with Advocare.  Cost.

Not going to lie, the challenge can be a little pricey.  (Selling at 190.25 for a set.)

However, if there is ONE thing that is worth investing in, it is your health.  And if this can help jump-start a big change, that will continue to show the benefits well after it is completed.  It is WORTH. EVERY. PENNY.

Plus, if you are someone who eats out often, you will actually find that Advocare is cheaper!

Double-Plus, you will find yourself spending less money on things that aren't as healthy, like coffee and pop.

I still eat ice cream.  I still have bread (whole wheat!).  And I still have mashed potatoes.  But those items are portioned out appropriately.  Mostly I have acquired healthy habits that will be easy to follow throughout the rest of my life.  (Don't think I'm perfect, there are still areas I struggle...more on that later).

A challenge that is doable, attainable, and REALISTIC.

Enough said.  If you are interested, contact me and I can help you out!