Natural Birth and update

I may blog about this more in the future but I was thinking about it tonight so here goes....

Is it horrible that I'm thinking of giving birth naturally for a lot of selfish reasons? I know it's better for the baby without chemicals (like pain meds) being administered but I'm mainly thinking about it in the way that I won't have to have an IV, no blood pressure cuff constantly, I'll have the ability to move around and change positions and not have to stay in bed, I can eat and drink.... I'm kinda freaking out about the pain though. Oh the pain...I was in natural labor with my 2nd for nearly 24 hours. I took Hypnobirthing class but I guess it didn't work for me or I didn't work hard enough at it because I was never able to relax thru those contractions. It's hard not to tense up when you are in pain. I really need to pull out those CDs and start listening to them again. I should put them on my iPod! Hmmm.

Well while I'm on the subject... I'm now 25 weeks. I'm over half way there, can you believe it? She's constantly moving or kicking me it seems. Sometimes way up high and sometimes way down low. She's approx 1.5lbs and 13.5in according to Babycenter. We've scheduled our 3D/4D ultrasound for the 21st and I can't wait to post some pics! I have to go get the glucose screening this Wed. and I hope I pass. I really don't want to deal with the 3 hour test. At least I get to eat beforehand. My schedule for Wed looks like this-

7:15ish-8am wake up, get dressed, get boys breakfast if dh hasn't
8am- must eat breakfast, 2 eggs, 2 whole wheat toast, 2 pats butter, water (or unsweet tea/coffee yech!)
8:45ish- out the door to take Logan to school
9am- drink glucose drink in 5min time, drive to Lakeland
9:45-10am- get blood drawn

Does that look like a fun morning or what? Aren't you jealous? LOL At least I don't mind the orange glucose drink. It's kinda like a super sweet orange soda.

I am noticing I get tired much easier this time around. Walking around Disney really takes it out of me and I noticed I tend to sit and rest more. I feel like a whale and I still have a long way to go. I don't want to eat anything remotely healthy and I almost can't wait to get back on Weight Watchers. I won't go back to that until probably May though. I lost all that weight (over 70lbs) and now I've gained back 20 or more and while I know it's mainly the baby, it's still tough. It hasn't stopped me from eating though. LOL! Maybe dh will get me a gym membership for Christmas next year...that's an idea! I'll forget it by tomorrow though...my brain is fried. Why is it pregnancy fries your brain? I guess that's a post for another time.

Christmas is coming...

And I'm at such a loss as to what to buy certain people. Dh for one. It's really hard to buy for him. I got him a couple of items but nothing big. I feel like I need something else for him and no clue what to buy. There is one item, the Richard Petty Driving Experience over at WDW, but that's $400 and I don't have that kind of money to spend although I'm hoping to find a discount on it. Ideas?

For the most part though, I'm done with nearly everyone. I have a few small things to buy still and I need to get some pictures printed and everything wrapped. There are only (click here) days left!

Which Reindeer are you?

http://www.blogthings.com/whichofsantasreindeerareyouquiz/

You Are Dancer

Carefree and fun, you always find reasons to do a happy dance. Why You're Naughty: That dark stint you had as Santa's private dancer. Why You're Nice: You're friendly. Very friendly.

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

True Floridian

This morning it was right around 50 degrees outside so I had Logan put on jeans and a long sleeve tshirt. First thing he says is Mom, the arms are too long! I looked and it hits him right at the wrist just like it should and I realized, he's not used to long sleeves. I told him it was a long sleeve shirt and that was right. He went to put on his pants and was dismayed to find those were long too! LMBO You'd think he never wore long pants/shirts before. We do live in FL and wear shorts/tshirts 99% of the time. Too funny!

Christmas at Disney

Yes, this is yet another Disney post. Stop reading if you're tired of it.....

We went to Disney on Sunday. Man, it was HOT out! It's December- where's the cooler weather? We left late- around noonish as we knew we were going to be spending the evening at the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party in the Magic Kingdom. We decided to head over to Epcot for an early dinner/late lunch though and to see the decorations there. I was a bit disappointed all the different "Santas" and story tellers weren't out in the World Showcase. It seemed like we missed every one of them. Oh well. We ended up eating in The Land which is always good. They make yummy sandwiches. Then we walked over to ride Nemo. The bigger rides had much longer waits so we jumped on the monorail back over to head to MK. Here are a couple of pics though...


We got to MK around 5:30 and the castle lighting was at 5:45. There were a lot of day guests already leaving which was nice (park closed for the party at 7). The castle show was great! The castle lighting was more beautiful in person. I can't even describe just how magical it really is and the movie I blogged about just doesn't capture that feeling. Since Wishes(fireworks) for the day guests was starting soon, we headed off to catch a snack and ride some rides. I guess everyone was preparing to leave or watching Wishes because the park was pretty empty. We went over to ToonTown and Ian got to ride his first roller coaster (Barstormer). He LOVED it! When dh got off though, Ian was soaking wet. He had napped earlier and had soaked his diaper. Ugh. I didn't have anything to change him into so after changing his diaper and once Logan and dh got off the ride, it was off to a shop to find him something to wear. Unfortunately, even at Disney, it's still winter and there were no shorts to be found. He ended up with a pair of light sweatpants and a new tshirt which as it got cooler during the evening, worked out for the best. Once changed, he was raring to go so off to more rides! We stopped at Aladdin and Pirates and walked right on. We got some of the free apples and apple juice they give out during the party (they also do cookies and hot choc), then over to Big Thunder MT RR where dh and Logan rode twice in a row. Ian and I sat and watched the 1st Christmas parade from a distance. He has some good eyes because he was spotting floats and characters and we were a long distance away. After doing a few more things, we headed over to the castle to watch Wishes Holiday, the castle show and then the parade. Ian didn't make it to the fireworks. He passed out yet again. Too much fun I guess. Logan was getting tired as he started crying for no reason (or a rather small reason). He made it almost to the end of the parade though. He was pretty much out by the time Santa came by on the last float. Dh ended up carrying him until I had the idea of switching the boys in the stroller. Ian had just woken up anyway and I figured 30lbs was easier to carry than over 50. Glad I got a good stroller that carries weight! The parade was great as usual though. I recorded it on our camcorder. I love the floats that have scents to them like peppermint and gingerbread. Mmm. The toy soldiers are just the best though!!! I love watching them march and play music as they clomp down the street. We had a really good time and I recommend going if you ever get the chance. We missed some of the shows but we'll get around to seeing them at some point, just not this year. Here are some more pics...


Ian wanted to meet Capt Hook and Mr Smee. He loves all things pirate. He is def. all BOY! (I have weird looking lips in this pic- I think I was telling Ian to look at dh)

Ian's other fave- Buzz Lightyear ride with Zurg


I like this pic... I don't know why though. Maybe it's just the lighting. This was taken on the monorail

New cut and color!

I got my hair cut and colored today. I decided to go a shade darker yet again with blonde highlights. I love it!!! The picture doesn't do it justice.

While I'm posting pics, I thought I'd post a couple of my handsome little guys. Here's Ian with his pirate face...he's saying Arrrrr. He also looks like this when he's about to attack you. LOL
And my big boy... I can still see the baby he used to be when I look at certain pics. Been watching too many home movies I guess.

Little Monster

Ian didn't want me taking a shower this morning. He wanted his "juice". So after a bit of whining and sitting in the bathroom while I showered, he left. I went to get out and he had stolen both of my towels! Little monster. I had to walk out dripping wet to yell to him to bring them back to me. He's too cute to be mad at though.

Beginning to look like Christmas

I decided this year the boys could have their very own Christmas tree. They can move the ornaments all around if they want. I'm hoping having their own tree will deter them from messing with mine once we get it up. Yeah, good luck with that, right? Ian and I went out yesterday and bought everything at Joann's (50% off!) and after naptime, both boys went to decorating it. I even found a strand of battery operated lights (needs one more) to put on the tree. Here are a few pics:

All about Ian

I think Ian has an imaginary friend. Someone named Beko Boko. There's no other explanation for these words. He even told me BB was hiding behind our chair last night. He runs around the house chanting the name sometimes and when I ask questions about him, Ian will answer me. Hmm. So I just asked him where BB was and again, he was behind the chair (next to my desk). Ian said he wanted to play with the soccer ball so I told him to go play with him but Ian said he's stuck to the wall. Then he said BB was crying. Poor BB.

Ian is most definately into the "me do it" stage. He wants to get dressed by himself and pick out clothes now (I give him choices). He even put his shirt on completely by himself this weekend. He wants a big boy cup in the kitchen and to get his water and ice by himself. He's growing up too fast! Now if I could only get him to start on the potty......

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, it's almost over. The food is gone, the company is gone and the boys are in bed. Ahhh. Our day went relatively well. The only I forgot to do was pull the potatoes out of the fridge which set back our eating for a good 30min or so since they needed to be reheated. The turkey from Honey Baked Ham (Cajun) was delicious as usual and there were very few leftovers. Mom went overboard on the pies so I still have 2 full ones left which I'll take to the IL's Saturday. The house is still in pretty good condition and the dishes are actually all done! I can at least say that my house gets a good cleaning twice a year. LOL Dh did a lot of that for which I'm very thankful. I get overwhelmed with housework easily. Now I can sit back and relax the rest of the night and think about what to do for the next 3 days. I know I won't be shopping!

Here's what happens at 7pm after too much fun and food:

Logan's Thanksgiving Feast at VPK

His pre-K did a feast this year that all the parents were invited to. La Septima catered it and a bunch of parents chipped in with the desserts. Logan's class got up on stage and did a few songs while dressed as indians and pilgrims. It was all very cute! We didn't get very good pics since dh was too far away and Ian of course wasn't cooperating and sitting still. I did get it all on video though and maybe one day we'll get it uploaded on the computer. Here's what he looked like though.
That's his friend Anisya who sat at our table.

I love that he loves school. He always lights up when he's in the classroom and sees his friends and they love him as well. I hope he continues to love it!

Here's one of the songs they learned: (sung to Where is Thumbkin)
I am thankful, I am thankful
for this food, for this food,
that we all are sharing, that we all are sharing
Thank you God, Thank you God.

Our day at Disney

Okay, first a vent- I really don't have a problem with people in wheelchairs, but if you are in a crowded line, could you please keep back a foot or so?! Really! I was hit in the ankle not once, not twice but 5 times on Sunday by the same wheelchair. If I wasn't so darn polite, I would have turned around and said something. Argh.

So we went on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Wow! We haven't been when it's been that crowded in a while. We actually got there right after opening which is amazing for us. We don't get there that early when we stay onsite. LOL At first it wasn't too bad but it quickly got crowded. Logan was able to ride his Big Thunder Mt RR and Ian was able to ride Buzz and all of us rode the new improved Haunted Mansion which neither kid likes all of a sudden. We attempted the Barnstormer but the line was way too long. We'll go back another day for that. I love Disney any time (as dh pointed out) but I really love all the Christmas decorations. It just makes it that much more magical. We did get to catch the Pirate Tutorial with Captn Jack Sparrow and while Logan didn't get to sword fight with him, he did get a certificate to be an apprentice pirate.


While shopping in the big tent over in ToonTown (County Bounty) Logan spotted some cotton candy so we let him get a bag. While checking out, he was eyeing the girl behind the counter making fresh cotton candy. She noticed him looking and smiled at him and then made him a bag of fresh cotton candy for free! He's already a lady killer.

Logan decided to be an apprentice photographer while we were waiting for the parade and took a few shots. Here's how those came out.




Don't you just love the angles?

This was Ian before and during the parade...it isn't often he just falls asleep.


I took a few pics of those I thought maybe didn't make the best fashion choice when they woke up...
Dude- it's 80+ degrees out, the sun is beaming and you are wearing a thick looking jacket. Aren't you hot??

Nothing like spandex leopard print pants! At least she isn't wearing heels.

Oh and the flowery print shorts...is this the new fashion? I thought these went out in the 80s.

Okay, I think that's it for our Disney day!

It's a.........

..........GIRL!

Yippee!! We had our ultrasound this morning and the tech said she saw no boy parts. She looked a lot too even though the appt seemed to fly by. Baby's heartrate was 162 this morning, good and strong. We are cautiously optimistic about it all though as I know moms who were told girl and had boys. We're going to get a 3D/4D next month though and hopefully verify she is a she! I won't be running out to get pink just yet. I can't wait to buy all the cute girly stuff though!

21.5 wk update

For those keeping up, I had an appt with my midwife this morning. Everything looks good. Baby's heartrate was 160. He/she was active and kicking back at the doppler! I mean literally, kicking the doppler, not just near it. Ahh already a trouble maker. Haha!

I have another appt in December where I get to do the lovely glucose screening. At least I won't have to starve beforehand. They actually want you to eat breakfast! Yea! After that, I'll be going every 2 weeks. How did it get here so fast?! The house isn't close to being ready for another baby!

Here's a belly shot. (ETA: Logan took this pic. I was surprised it didn't come out blurry. I did crop the rest of me as I look weird from the angle of a 5yr old sitting down. LOL)

I'm a Disney nut and proud!

Everyone who knows me knows what a Disney nut I am. We go all the time and vacation there at least once a year. I know the parks by heart and listen to Disney music in the car. I collect Disney snowglobes and we are in the process of decorating our new movie room with Disney/Pixar posters. I can tell you all sorts of facts and point you to the best websites. All that said, WDW never loses it's magic for me or my family. I just watched a video of the new 2007 Christmas party castle lighting (watch it in HD for the best picture!! May take a minute or 2 to load) and it was beautiful and made my eyes well up. The boys were mesmorized watching it. I can't blame it on hormones because every time I see my kids' eyes light up while at a show at Disney, I get the same way. There's just something about Disney. I love that my boys love Disney as much as we do. My 2yr old asks all the time to go back. You can't tell me he doesn't remember Disney! If he even spots a small picture of anything WDW, he'll point it out immediately. We are headed back there this weekend where we hope our youngest gets to go on his first roller coaster ride (Goofy's Barnstormer). I'm just as excited as he is! Oh and I've informed dh that we will be headed to the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP) again this year. I want to see that castle lighting in person(ETA: it's done every day at 5:45pm, not just during the party) and enjoy the holidays at Disney. There's nothing like it!

What is the point??

Why do we buy widescreen, big screen tvs and widescreen dvds if when you watch the dvds, there are still those stupid black bars at the top and bottom?? I just don't get it! I bought a widescreen dvd and am watching it on a wide screen tv- why doesn't it fill the screen?? What is the point?

Fire in the neighborhood

I was taking my oldest to school this morning only to see a fire station ambulance with lights flashing coming towards me. I got to where he turned and there were at least 5-6 fire trucks and a hose running across the street. OMG! I didn't see any flames or anyone running around though. I got back about an hour later and there was only one truck left. I stopped by the house on my way home this afternoon from ds' school and asked if they needed anything (they were outside) but was told no. I don't know what happened but they weren't the most polite people. I would have at least said no but thank you for your offer, but I just got a No and the lady started talking to someone else. (fwiw, they'd been sitting outside in lawn chairs for a while) I just happened on this article though from our local news about the fireman. Hope he's okay! I'm glad that the house wasn't occupied at the time but it still really sucks for the homeowner.

Guess Our Baby!

So our big ultrasound is coming up. I'm so excited and ready to find out what we're having. I'm not one for getting a big surprise at birth- that would drive me insane. I may try to keep my mouth shut to everyone else though. Hmmm we'll see how I do with that- more than likely, I won't be able to keep it to myself! Haha. So I made up a Guess The Gender game. It also includes other little guesses like weight, birth date, height, etc. Come take a guess!!
http://www.expectnet.com/games/GuessOurBaby2008
OR
http://www.expectnet.com/game.php
Our game name: GuessOurBaby2008

I have had 2 "girl" dreams so I'm crossing my fingers! It could be just the whole subliminal mind thing too. Only...8 days, x hours to go!

Funniest Blog Ever

Seriously, this is some funny stuff or at least I thought so!! http://15minutelunch.blogspot.com/2007/10/strap-in-shut-up-and-hold-on-were-going.html

Here's his main page http://15minutelunch.blogspot.com/ This is one blog I'll keep in my faves.

It's a Farmer's Life

Ian and I went to Granma's Hug N Farm Tuesday with our playgroup. It's a working farm but most of the animals are kid friendly and they can pet them and get close to them. Ian loved running from place to place. A smiler he's not though as you can see from pictures.



He was worn out by the time naptime came around. I laid him down in bed and thought he went right to sleep as I didn't hear him moving around. I went to check on him and couldn't find him!!! I looked in Logan's bed, under the bed, in other rooms....I wasn't panicked yet but freaking out a little. I kept hearing little noises so kept looking. Here's where I found him.


He had crawled into the bookcase, closed the doors and fallen asleep. Aww. I had to move his bed to even get to him. He barely woke up when I moved him and when he did wake up 2 hours later, he came to bed with me and fell asleep for another hour! Sounds like I need to take him to the farm more often! LOL