Friday, September 30, 2011

Oh, PS...

Stats:
Week:  9
Arbitrary Due Date:  May 7th  (though that's my brother Ben's birthday, and he insists that he name the baby as a gift to him if it's born on his birthday.  He'd probably name it something like Pannadooch.
So Far:  Heard the heartbeat at 8.5 weeks and saw the wiggly little thing (probably boy) via ultrasound that same day. 
Big Brother:  Doesn't know yet.
Midwife:  Gretchen Faucett at the Avenues Midwifery group.  Love her.  (had to change midwifes due to insurance.)

Why?????

I'm going to start by saying:  I will just be going on this one rant about pregnancy sickness.  I know that I should just be thankful for a healthy pregnancy (even if healthy equals being sick.)  I am thankful, so very, very thankful.  However, being thankful does not change how shitty I feel.  So, allow me just this ONE.
I have been asking myself what the evolutionary and creationist explanations for horrid pregnancy nausea and vomiting is.  Why on earth do some women have to go through weeks, and in many cases, MONTHS of feeling weak, nauseous, dizzy, aversive to all food, etc, while others do not?  There is no defined answer for why some experience it (to largely varying degrees,) and some do not, but there is a plethora of info about why it originated.  The science-ey explanation is simple.  If a woman has many aversions and feels nauseous, she probably won't want to ingest any iffy foods like meat.  The religion-ey explanation?  Why would woman be created by our Creator to experience this?  Well, there just isn't an explanation for that one. 
I'm not the biggest fan of "dear inanimate object" letters, but evolution warrents one.
Dear Evolution,
I wish you knew that women have more information at their fingertips about what is safe vs. not safe during pregnancy, and just trusted us to stay away from things that would poison our bodies/babies.  Our brains are probably bigger and brighter than when you decided that we should puke our guts out and feel sick all day.  We have refrigerators to keep our food fresh now, and running water to rinse our produce with.  I wish you would catch up with the fast paced technology and medical care we live with and receive today.  In addition, it just makes sense.  If we feel good, we're more inclined to eat a healthy, balanced diet.  Doesn't that equal more nutrients for everyone involved?   Maybe, Evolution, this whole food aversion/nausea thing is just a ploy.  Maybe you are just trying to stop women from breeding until they have 25 kids.  If pregnancy is icky, why would we go through it 25 times?  Hmmm....   Either way, you suck.

On a positive note, we're very excited and again, thankful to be having another child.  Baby number two will finish up the Valapants crew!  Now, does anyone have a cacoon I can hibernate in for the next 10 weeks? :)

Monday, September 12, 2011

Just Isaac

If you see my Facebook status updates, then you've probably read about Isaac's general silliness, but in the interest of writing them down somewhere that I will see them again one day:

We got a bill from the SLC Sanitation Dept.  Dave opened it and proceeded to fake-read a letter from the "sewer workermen," in which these workermen pleaded with us to please start sending all poop to the sewer (via the toilet, of course.)  Our friends, the workermen at the landfill are very sad about all the stinky, icky diapers at the landfill.  Please do not put any more diapers in the trash, etc etc.
I don't think Isaac blinked once when Dave was reading the letter.  He listened very, very carefully and intensely.  After Dave was finished, Isaac said in a soft voice, "Oh my goodness!  That's embarrassing!"
 hehehehehe :)  Later on, he went ahead and pooped in his diaper.  When I reminded him about the letter, his solution was to empty the contents of his dirty diaper into the toilet.
Obviously, we have stalled on the potty training business.  He does ask a few times a week if he can go on the potty, which is great.  We'll usually ask him once if it looks like he's about to go.  If he says no, we drop it.  This boy is SO incredibly strong willed and stubborn, that I believe pressing the issue will only delay things further.  Ah well...such is life.
Awhile back, we went to Ikea to look at "big boy beds."  Isaac found a doll which he adored, so we bought it.  He named it Crup.  He chose a little black baby.  I'm glad he did, because I was starting to worry....
You see, a few months ago, we were going kayaking with my parents.  We were all oohing and aaahing at these beautiful butterflys everywhere.  There were a group of kids in the parking lot and a little boy who was about 8 years old caught a butterfly, put it down, and smashed it very begrudgingly under his shoe.  The little boy was black.  I didn't even think of his race at the time.  We just told Isaac that it was not a nice thing for that boy to do....that butterfly's mama is going to miss him...etc etc.  Then, for the next week, Isaac was obsessed about the incident.  He referred to it as "that brown kid smashing the butterfly."  I was like, ack...what to say?  I didn't want to try to explain that it didn't matter what color the boy was, because I am sure that would just confuse him further, and place even more emphasis on the face that the kid was "brown."  I've been trying to point out nice things that we see kids of other races do since then, hoping to balance things out.  So, I was pleased when he chose a black baby out of the "multiracial" bin :)
On another note, Isaac has been adorable with the hugging lately.  Every night after work, Isaac always asks Dave and I if we can have a family hug, so we do, then he cutely says "family hugs are the best mom and dad!"  Can I get an "awwwwe?"
Isaac's learning the names of dinosaurs.  He got a book called "How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight," and has quickly become obsessed with it, and with each dinosaur.  Each night, he asks us to tell him a story with a different dinosaur and him in it.  "mom, tell me a story of Isaac and the Apatosaurus."  He loves made up stories that star him and people he knows.  He has even become quite a little storyteller himself.   Today, he had a dinosaur themed day at his babysitter's house.  He was super excited to tell me about it.  :)

Isaac was wearing some major grumpy pants.  Yelling.  Screaming.  We tried switching activities several times.  I told Isaac, "I'm sorry you're so sad, what would make you happy?"
Isaac's response?  "I don't want to be happy right now.  The only thing that will make me happy is being sad."
Dave's convinced there is a young goth somewhere teaching Isaac his ways.
I guess that is all...until next time! :)
Don't be fooled by the giant baby in this chair.  It's actually a tiny chair and a small toddler ;-)