You know you’re 9 months pregnant when…

I apologize for my absence. Our house has been invaded by ants and we’re currently staying at my parents. I’m slowly getting over being ill, but I’m still exhausted. I hope to get back into my reading and commenting soon. Just popping in for a quick post…

Brother love!

I’m officially a few days shy of 9 months pregnant. As I said before, we are staying at my parents until after the exterminator comes tomorrow. Husband went to the house to move our clothes out of the closet before they come tomorrow. Yes, we have ants all up in our closet. Ugh.

He picked up some more clothes for all of us. I ran up to his work to get them out of his truck. When I got back to my parents, what would fall out of the bag? Why, my bra of course.

You know you’re 9 months pregnant if you’ve ever kicked a bra up the sidewalk because bending over is not an option. (Yes, that happened.)

You know you’re 9 months pregnant when you bribe your son to pick something up for you with a cookie.

You know you’re 9 months pregnant when people ask if you’re due any day now, but you’re still a month out.

You know you’re 9 months pregnant if you’ve ever had an emotional crisis over running out of lunch meat.

You know you’re 9 months pregnant when you adopt a Hobbit eating plan. (Why yes, second breakfast sounds perfectly viable.)

You know you’re 9 months pregnant when water gives you heartburn.

You know you’re 9 months pregnant when you are willing to let your kids sleep wherever they fall because carrying them to bed isn’t going to happen.

You know you’re 9 months pregnant when you can’t even fit in half of your maternity pants anymore.

You know you’re 9 months pregnant when you crave Reeses cups and cry because your husband gets the minis instead of the regular cups. (There is a different chocolate to peanut butter ratio, I swear!)

You know you’re 9 months pregnant when the only way sex sounds remotely appealing is the hope of jump starting labor.

You know you’re 9 months pregnant when you go to the bathroom, wash you’re hands, and the sound of the running water makes you need to pee again.

You know you’re 9 months pregnant when switching positions while sleeping involves a bathroom trip and rearranging about 10 pillows.

Yep, I’m feeling it!

The Clingy Kid

I’m using my blog for my own personal gain tonight…

Ok parents,

Who dealt with a super clingy toddler while getting ready for a new baby?

When we had E, both of us were working. So K was used to being comforted by either of us. It made our transition easier because we could easily divide and conquer. I got E because I had the goods to feed her. Husband took K. Everybody was happy, happy, happy.

Now I am staying home full time with both kids and my E is super attached to me. She loves daddy, but does not want to be rocked down by daddy. It is hard for both of us to listen to her fuss when daddy holds her, but she hurts my belly with her toddler wiggles. Plus I feel like she needs to start seeking daddy for comfort to get ready for Baby F.

The toddler bed transition has been a little difficult. We used to just lay her down, but now she can walk out. She is also finishing teething all four eye teeth. So she still lays down when almost asleep, but wants to be comforted for a while first.

Thoughts? Did you have a clingy kiddo that only wanted mom?

In other news, E got her first haircut today:

Just a bang trim, but she still looks like such a big girl.

A Quiet Love Story

Ok Hollywood, you can keep your big flashy love stories.

I don’t need running through a crowded airport.

I don’t need kissing in the rain.

I don’t need a dramatic fight scene.

Or a love triangle.

You can keep it all.

I like my quiet love story.

Sometimes love just looks like a husband of six years hanging diapers out to sun so you can rest your pregnant feet.

The Cuteness Factor

Another short post. My kids are protesting sleep this week. They are up early, power nap (if they nap), and then fight sleep for hours.

I officially hate summer. It is bright for way too long… And hot… And sweaty… And it means I’m still pregnant. So very pregnant. Waddling pregnant. Afraid-to-stand-up-for-fear-of-peeing-myself pregnant.

Stores are evil, by the way. They already have out long sleeved things and Fall scented candles! Long sleeves! In August! In Texas! Why?!

I digress though.

My son used the eyelash flutter on me today. He asked me if he could spend the night with Nana and Poppy and then fluttered his eyelashes at me. It wasn’t an accident. He was purposely trying to be cute.

When did he learn that?

I did not fall for it…

In other cuteness related news, E had her first ever pedicure with Nana and I today. She sat in my lap and stuck her toes in the water with me. They even agreed to paint a squirmy not-yet 2 year old’s toes. K and Poppy did manly things together while all this girliness went down.

Her little toes match my swollen pregnant toes.

Have a great night everyone! May you have cute kids, pretty toes, and not pee yourself (pregnant or otherwise).

What am I saying?!

We tackled the dreaded Walmart this morning before my husband left for work. Going anywhere public with children is challenging. Going into a big, bright, crowded megastore with two kids while pregnant is exhausting.

Groceries are (mostly) put away. Husband left for work. My grumpy 4 year old finally grumped himself into a nap. I wrestled with my toddler (while desperately needing to pee as baby brother/womb squatter used my bladder as a trampoline) and carried her to bed.

I am now enjoying some victory trail mix in a Minnie Mouse bowl and revelling in blissful quietness.

I thought I’d take this time to share a few gems from the past 48 hours…

Yesterday:
My husband works as a supervisor at a baby store. We went in to say ‘hi’ to him and pick up a couple of things for Baby F. I had just checked out when Baby F decided he wanted to escape his 9 month womb stint through my bladder.

Me: Please hurry buddy. Mommy really needs to go potty. Don’t stop to look at stuff, just come.

K: (LOUDLY) Mommy, if you pee your underpants in this store, I will be very disappointed in you!

I rushed in with E and let him wait outside the stall door. While in the bathroom I heard him talking to one of my husband’s female coworkers.

K: My mommy is going poop with my sister. How many old are you? I’m 4.

Today:
At Walmart checking out, he noticed a container of flushable wipes.

K: Are those for me? To wipe my booty with? So I don’t get poop all over my underpants?

Me: Yes buddy…

K: Thanks mom! Now I won’t get poop all over me!

Our cashier was amused, as were the people behind us.

Some other fun family one-liners…

Stop spanking that pizza! -Hubby

If you lick me again, you’re going to bed! -Me

My heart is broken because you won’t get me juice. It’s broken forever… -K

Aw, love potty mommy. Love love. -E hugging my leg while I was on the toilet

What are some of your ‘did I just say that’ moments?

E in the outfit she put together. Accessorized with a broom and a lightsaber.

A whirlwind staycation

My family really wanted a vacation this year, but Baby F surprised us. Being 7 months pregnant, having just moved, and transitioning to being a stay at home mom have all put a damper on any long, far, or expensive plans.

We opted for the next best thing- a staycation. We loaded up the kids, ourselves, and my in-laws and traveled a whopping 30 miles to the Gaylord Texan Resort. It was seriously the biggest hotel I’ve ever seen and definitely the biggest place I have stayed.

Look at this place!

The entire middle of this thing is a giant atrium with several restaurants, bars, and lots of fun stuff to look at. It has an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, and a water park. Crazy!

The kids and my mother-in-law walking in the atrium.

My E. She is adorable, but I'm more than a little partial.

This is my favorite picture ever.

View from our room.

The lazy river- my favorite part.

Toddler grotto- complete with a gate to keep them in! (My hubby, MIL, K, and E.)

My big pregnant belly and the kiddos.

Konner told me at the water park that Baby F wanted to “jump out of my mouth and go swimming”. Great imagery bud.

We had a great time. Although, it is a difficult conundrum to be very pregnant at a water park and having to pee frequently… “How do I do this without having to get a wet suit back over this belly?”

E decided to make some cheese and cookie soup when we got home...

Oops We Did It Again

I have been dying to share this video with you!

This was our pregnancy announcement on FaceBook. I am not comfortable linking my blog with my personal accounts, but I decided to create a Google+ e-mail and YouTube account for Mama Miller Parenting.

I really hope you enjoy the video. I wrote the lyrics and Andy was an incredibly good sport. You’ll also notice K singing along because he helped Daddy memorize it!

Please excuse the fact that this was taken with my phone. 🙂

And the fact that you can hear me being a mouth breather because Texas allergies decided to completely close off my poor pregnant nose.

Oh the tears…

It is amazing how much you forget about being pregnant until you go through it again.

Sudden desire to sleep on back even though you aren’t supposed to when pregnant.

Lacking ability to hold in urine and sneeze at the same time.

Crying over everything.

Oh my, the crying. It shouldn’t surprise me by #3, but man it did. The lovely emotional roller coaster hit hard this morning.

Things that had me tearing up or crying today:
•A friend’s son had a seizure yesterday.
•I was up all night with K.
•The toilet paper roll was empty.
•We were out of Dr. Pepper.
•Thinking about how beautiful my kids are.
•E putting her hand in the toilet.
•K drinking out of my water.
•My mom bought me maternity jeans.
•I saw someone cry on a TV show.
•I couldn’t find my other shoe.
•I wanted cereal but all the bowls were in the running dishwasher.
•There was a picture of a kitty on FaceBook.
•I thought about Downton Abbey.
•I breathed.
•Sitting there.
•Having 5 minutes alone.
•My phone buzzing during my 5 minutes alone.
•Realizing it is ridiculous to cry over half the things that I cried about today.
•Making this list.

It has been a ridiculous day.

Don’t get me wrong, it really wasn’t a bad day. I just want to throw this out there for the pregnant moms.

Yes, crying over having to find tp is silly, but it is ok. Soldier on and don’t let it disparage you. Growing a human is hard, emotional work.

I absolutely love the pregnancy meltdown scene in What to Expect When You’re Expecting. It is so funny and true.

I also love how they refer to the perfect pregnant lady as a “magical pregnancy unicorn”. Don’t let the unicorn moms get you down. You are normal- cankles, hemorrhoids, and all.

The Evolving Mom

I was sitting, watching my kids gleefully run off energy at the play area in our local mall. Earlier that morning we had reached the breaking point of cabin fever. I made the executive decision that getting everyone dressed and loaded in the car was a better option that watching K and E ping pong off all the walls of our house.

I sat and enjoyed the fact that the squishy floors and structures meant they could dive off everything in the enclosure without a trip to the ER. I then noticed a mom with her little boy. She struck up a conversation with me. E and her son are the same age. She held his hand as he climbed up the two steps to the top of the tiny slide. He landed at the bottom with a slight bump.

His mom quickly picked him up and exclaimed, “They really need to put something softer at the bottom!”

About that time E came shooting down the slide and skidded about 3 feet. She giggled, picked herself up, and ran off to explore the other things from which to hurl herself. The other mom looked on in horror and stopped talking to me.

I will not for a second claim that all first time moms are scared or this uppity- many many are not. However, I get the whole “wait until you have another” mantra by which moms of two or more swear.

I get it.

You just don’t fret the “padding” as much the second time around. You don’t have the time or energy. You no longer rush to sanitize everything that hits the ground. (She played in the toilet this morning- drinking out of a sippy cup that hit the freshly vacuumed floor can’t be that bad.)

It isn’t that moms with multiple children don’t care about their kids… They just choose their battles. When you have one, they become everything. You can really focus on all the tiny things. I did it with K too.

I don’t yet know how different three will be from two. I’ve been told that I will be outnumbered. I’ve been told that anything past two kiddos is more of the same. My older sister, a mom of four, said that some days she hits a point of not caring what her brood is up to, short of getting blood on the carpet or burning down the house.

Who knows. We are on an adventure. We will grow and evolve and see where this takes us.

I can hope that this adventure will eventually lead to more sleep, but I’m pretty sure that would be a pipe dream.

Those Pesky Storks

I have a confession: I am a snarky sarcastic person. I come by it naturally. My family is full of sarcastic southern women. In Texas “bless your heart” is the southern lady way of calling you dumb. The poor men in our lives never stood a chance.

My dad is notoriously bad about forgetting to signal and after being teased one day by my mom and little sister about this, he decided to announce that he had actually used his turn signal. Without skipping a beat my sister replied, “Do you want a sticker?”

In an effort to not be a jerk and live up to my goal of choosing love, I try to reign in my remarks. They still jump into my head but I really do try to use my filter on what escapes my lips…

Pregnancy hormones are not helping my desire to be a nice person. Pregnancy hormones and the fact that my jeans are already too tight to button are contributing to a fast growing hole in the filter between my brain and mouth.

We’ve had several (well-meaning perfectly nice) people tell us we need to “figure out what causes that” in reference to our third pregnancy. I know they think they are being sweet or funny but my snarky pregnant brain comes up with three possible responses:

We have this pesky stork infestation. I think we need to spray.

You know, we’ve been married for five years but I’m still fuzzy on the details. Could you explain it to me?

I’m told, barring turkey basters, medical intervention, or immaculate conception, that it is usually sex. Sexy baby making sex.

So far none of those responses have made it past my filter but it is becoming very tempting!

In other Miller news:
E has enough hair for tiny pigtails now!

And my kids have discovered the joys of playing dress-up.

K got his Captain America outfit for Christmas and has worn it so much that it is getting runs and holes. E got several dresses for Christmas as well. K has decided that she is “Princess Thor”.