a rough night

ugh. very rough night. jason went to bed at 10:30 and so did i, but carly didn’t stay down. she of course stayed up screaming off and on till 1:15. then jonah woke up crying at 2:45 at which point i discovered he’d puked in his bed i got jason up for that one cause i told him “jonah just threw up and that falls outside the realm of cranky baby in the middle of the night. i need your help” and he got up and didn’t complain… well that was until jonah threw up on the bare mattress pad after we had already started the 1st puke laundry load, he was pretty pissed about that, but what can you do… and then once we got him back in bed and had just laid down ourselves, he got out of bed and stood in the window and puked a 3rd time. :-\ so we were back up changing jammies and cleaning up for a 3rd time. as we got back into bed at 4:00, carly started grunting like she was stretching to wake up (probably from all the commotion) so i laid there in our bed listening to her grunt for about 15 minutes, waiting for her to cry cause sometimes she likes to nurse at 4 anyway, but then i drifted off. Then she finally did wake up at 4:30. after she ate she didn’t go straight back down as usual (probably because jason had just asked if she usually did and i said yes. stupid murphy) instead she would drift off and i put her in the crib and got in bed myself only for a few seconds before she was screaming again did that 3 times before i finally lost my temper and just got her and went to go sleep with her in my arms on the couch at 5:30. then jason woke up for work and took her to her crib at 7:00 before he left for work. i kept sleeping on the couch until both kids woke up at 8:00. I haven’t even attempted to try to calculate how little sleep that was last night until now… 4.75 hours!?

sheesh. no wonder i am having a hard time keeping my eyes open.

Got Alot Done

With my mom hanging around and helping out last week, we got WAY more done than any couple with a nearly 2 year old and a 1 week old should! My mom is a major DIY handy-woman, and just couldn’t contain herself when she came to stay. By the end of the 1st day she was just itching to get started on some projects. Who am I to complain?! I knew it’d happen, so that’s why I had already started a list of little projects around the house that needed doing, that just haven’t gotten done, for whatever reason. She actually started working on things while we were still in the hospital!  My to-do list that my mom tackled this week… as you’ll notice, she didn’t leave us much to do after she left! hahaShe got Jason involved in a lot of the projects too, and some of these he actually did on his own.

• Install Handheld Showerhead & Caulk Around the Ring
• Install Blinds in Our Bedroom
• Fix Drippy Master Toilet
• Fix/Oil Master Closet Door Knob
• Fix the Storm Door Alignment so it’ll Actually Close
• Remove the Satellite Dish
• Remove the Antenna
• Put a Piece of Screen Over the Chimney to Keep Birds Out (need to call chimney sweep first to get current nesting birds out)
• Put Hinges on the Sandbox Door
• Re-Configure the Sandbox Lid Boards to Make an Easier To Open Lid
• Dig Out the Rose Bush in the Front Flowerbed
• Dig Out the Bush Stumps in the Front Flowerbed
• Check on the Roof Leak and Seal Where Possible
• Hang the Letters for Carly’s Name in the Nursery
• Fix the Wet Bar Cabinet Door that’s Sagging
• Install Trim Around the Guest Bath Mirror (need to buy trim)
• Change Light Fixtures in the Guest Bath (need to buy light fixtures)
• Install and Overhead Light in the Garage (Bonus! They ended up re-wiring a bunch of stuff and putting in 2 new outlets too!)
• Paint the Nursery Furniture (need a non-muggy day to paint)
• Some Projects she thought of that I hadn’t -
  • Replace the Missing Toe Kick Under the Dishwasher and End Cabinet in the Kitchen & Install Trim
    
  • Fertilize the Yards
  • Replace Missing Pickets on the Fence
  • Replace the Damaged Board Around the Garage Door (We discovered ACTIVE termites there! Yuck! so had to get that treated first, so that project is sitting unfinished right now.)
  • Clean Some Previous-Owner Junk Out of the Attic

It was such a busy week that I’m probably forgetting some of the other stuff that got done, but we always appreciate having my mom come stay for a while! Jonah CERTAINLY enjoyed having his Mamaw around to play with, and to “help. work. hammer. outside. saw. ears. noise. loud.” with!

The Main Reason for Coming

The Other Main Reason for Coming

Jason Helping With the Projects

Jonah Helping With the Projects

A Growing To Do List

With less than 2 months, now, before our little girl arrives, my brain has started churning over all the things that I have to, and would like to, get done before that time. My friend Sarahjenne made a similar list on her baby blog, so I guess I’m stealing the idea from her!

Need to Do Before She Comes:

• Make arrangements for going to the hospital (with back up plans)
  • Write down Jonah’s schedule, routines, and weird habits
  • Write down Jonah’s usual snack/meal options & preferences
  • Write down Jonah’s most difficult to understand phrases
  • Get volunteers that can come watch or come get Jonah from the hospital, if I go into labor before the c-section date, until my parents can gather up their stuff and make the 2 hr drive here.
• Get baby clothes and bedding ready
• Get baby bottles ready
• Pack for the hospital
  • Her bag. Since she’ll be rooming in with us most of the time at the hospital, and because I’ll be there for 3-4 days, I plan to take:
    • (3) newborn t-shirts
    • (3) 0-6 mo gowns
    • (3) burp cloths
    • (6) pairs of baby socks
    • Her cherry-print onesie for a twinkie photo op w/ Sarahjenne’s baby if they come to visit.
    • Her homecoming dress, shoes, socks, hat & hair bow (I plan to clip the pink bow to her little white hat)
    • Baby Nail Clippers
    • Pacifier
    • Pink gingham print blanket & ladybug blanket for photos
    • Her Baby Book
    • Nursing Cover
    • Video Camera & Power Cable
  • My Medela pump bag just in case I need it at the hospital like I did last time.
  • Boppy Pillow
    
  • Shop for & purchase a big brother t-shirt and a few small surprises to have for Jonah at the hospital when he comes to visit.
  • Buy a picture frame from Ikea to take for visitors to sign like we did for Jonah’s arrival. (w/ tax return $)
  • My hospital bag.
    • Birth Plan
    • Insurance & ID
    • Cell Phone, chargers & Headphones
    • Laptop (load the announcement files on and include internet cable just in case!)
    • DSLR Camera & USB Cable
    • Hair Brush
    • Hair Bands & Clips
    • Deodorant
    • Toothbrush & Toothpaste
    • Chap Stick
    • Going Home Outfit
    • Slippers
    • 3 Pairs of Socks
    • 3 Pairs of Throw-Away Undies
    • 2-pc PJ set
    • Nursing Bra and/or Tank Top
    • Nursing Pads
    • Snacks
    • Hard Candy
    • Jonah’s 4 big brother surprise gifts
    • Gift bag and tissue to put his gifts in
  • Jason’s hospital bag… who knows what he plans to take.
• Install the car seat
  • Buy another vehicle seat protector, like Jonah’s, to install under the baby’s car seat
  • Get the car seat’s instruction manual from the internet (bought on craigslist, so it didn’t come with one)
  • Install the baby’s car seat
  • Have the car seats checked for correct installation at our hospital for free
• Pre-Register at Centennial Hospital
  • Fill out the forms
  • Drop them off at the hospital or mail them in
• Buy a few last things for Jonah’s Easter Basket
• Prepare for the Playgroup Easter Party at our House
• Prepare for the Baby Announcements
  • Make a few templates
  • Load templates onto laptop
    
  • Order & address envelopes
  • Order pre-paid prints
  • Buy stamps

Would Like to Do Before She Comes:

• Finalize Jonah’s Birthday Party Plans
  • Send out invitations/Call those who don’t check email!
    
  • Put together party favor bags
  • Order the party favors online
  • Buy the rest of the party supplies
  • Do a 2nd practice run of making the train cakes (first attempt failed miserably)
  • Get the rest of Jonah’s birthday gift(s) and wrap them
• Finish the nursery
  • Get Jason to raise the mattress back up on the crib
  • Paint the picture frame mat and the lady bug in the middle
  • Hang the picture frame and 2 heart canvases up behind the chair.
  • Find a place to hang her 1st year calendar.
  • Buy the side table and unfinished crib-side mini dresser from Ikea (w/tax return $)
  • Get the mini dresser primed and painted white
  • Get the side table primed and painted white
  • Organize the dressers and the hutch
  • Buy and install a new ceiling fan/light fixture & dimmer switch
  • Hang the letters for her name
  • Find and buy a heavy ladybug garden ornament to use as a door stop when we have the windows open.
• Finish the guest bathroom makeover
  • Install a hand held shower attachment in the guest bathroom
  • Hang up a new shower curtain
  • Replace the bare bulb light fixtures in the guest bathroom?
  • Install trim around the mirror?
• Buy some Velcro and finish up the Boppy cover I made
• Make a Taggie blanket or burp cloth to match the Boppy cover. (buy ribbon first)
• Do some gardening
  • Plant something in the new back yard flower bed
  • Plant some tomatoes in the new back yard flower bed
  • Add in the 2nd back yard flower bed on the other side of Penny’s gate?
  • Till up the garden spot and plant some veggies?
  • Clean out the rest of our front  flower beds and plant something there
• Make the train table operable and the area semi-presentable for Jonah’s birthday party
  • Buy & hook up a power supply & locomotive (w/ tax return $ maybe?)
  • Cut, Finish, & Attach the nice wood sides
  • Install the cork board or picture frame with sketches and diagrams of the finished plans above the table
  • Install the 2nd and maybe even 3rd level of plywood just for looks?
  • Install the light above the table
  • Install the shelves for the HO scale trains
  • Hang a couple of picture frames with the shelves
  • Swap the small black arm chair for the big red one in the office
• Mothers Day/Birthday Presents
  • Mamaw’s Mother’s Day and Birthday Present
  • Nonna’s Mother’s Day and Birthday Present
  • MY Mother’s Day and Giving-Birth-Day Present (nudge nudge Jason!)

Need to Do at Some Point:

• Get roof leak fixed (call insurance company during the next big rain)
• Make her Christmas stocking
• Buy & Install new blinds in our bedroom
• Get window screens for the whole house
• Have A/C serviced or replaced
• Replace the ceiling fans in the playroom and master bedroom (at least)
• Get chimney swept
• Start working on her 1st year scrapbook (traditional style)
• Do family scrapbooks for 2006, 2007 & 2008 (digital style)

That’s all I have the energy for right now. I need to be napping while the boy child is down, so I’m sure I’ll come back to these lists to add more later.

Scared of Bugs?

I have no clue one earth what triggered it, but just in the last two nights, Jonah has started having a real fear of bugs… namely the moths and such that gather around our front porch light at night. He will try to jump out of Jason’s arms, kicking and climbing up him, just to get away from them, and then he winces and ducks away from them as we go in or out of the door. He seems genuinely scared of them for some reason now, and just as genuinely relieved when we get away from them… he tells them “bye bye bug” in a very “good-riddance” kind of tone. Heh, I feel bad for him, but at the same time it’s really cute and funny to watch. We’re trying to show him that they won’t hurt him, but he wants nothing to do with them!

In other “buggy” news, I have recently started trying out some of the ideas on the FLYlady.com website, about how to get your household in order and stay on top of chores because I’m just not very self motivated. They are real touchy feely about some things, and a lot of it seems really corny to me. There are, however, some really good tips that have helped me, in the past week and a half of trying their ideas out, become more motivated and leave me feeling more accomplished at the end of the day. I’m breaking their basic “baby steps” idea into my own categories and am going to try to implement them 1-2 ideas/week to try to ease myself into this new routine and create new habits for myself. So far so good. Here are some of the tips that I am, and will be, doing for myself. I’m currently on week 2.

Week 1: Shine Your Sink & Get Dressed to Shoes Daily
Week 2: Make the Bed & Tidy The Hot Spots Daily
Week 3: Spend 15 Minutes on the Zone of the Day (Weekly Chores)
Week 4: Swish & Swipe the Bathrooms & Spend 15 Minutes on the Zone of the Week (Monthly Chores)

Some of them may seem silly, like “shine your sink” but honestly, it DOES make me feel better to walk into our kitchen and see our stainless steel sink sparkling, free of water spots and dirty grimy dishes. It just takes one really good cleaning, and then the continued diligence to wipe it dry with a hand towel every time you use it so that it stays sparkly. Another that I didn’t have much faith in at first was getting dressed and putting shoes on first thing every morning… but it really makes me feel like less of a lazy slob and I am more motivated to get my morning chores done before I sit down to the computer. I’m also more likely to make it to things like a 10:15 toddler story time at the library with Jonah cause I don’t wait until the last minute to scramble and get ready and then miss it. Making the bed is one that I started in week 1, even though I didn’t plan to until week 2, just because I LOVE the feeling of getting into a made bed. The sheets and blankets being neatly aligned and smoothed out is just such a nice feeling to slip into at night after a long day… kinda like a nice hotel. I am just now starting to work on the “hot spots” (the catch-all places, the dumping ground in your house, that seems to get cluttered daily) which, for us, is our wet bar area. I’ve got plans for next week to start doing basic cleaning in a zone (a room or set of rooms) each weekday and then expanding that idea the next week to do that AND spend a little time each day on one particular zone for the week so that I can tackle some more thourough cleaning and organizing in each zone every month. I’m hoping this will get my “nesting” instincts focused on more useful things and help get our house in order before we bring our little girl home.

Let the Nesting Begin

I’ve got a playgroup Christmas party that I’m hosting tomorrow and I really really want to get the wet bar area useable, so I’m using this nesting energy, that I have, to finally organize my crafting area (the cabinets below the wet bar) so that I’ll have some free counter space to put the food out on. This is something I’ve needed to do for a looooong time. Basically, when we moved in, if it was “craft stuff” it just got tossed into those cabinets whichever way we could cram it. After a few attempts, by Jonah, to help Mommy organize the contents of said cabinets, you can imagine the state of chaos that lies beneath those two catch-all counter tops. Jason thinks I’m insane for tackling this project with less than 24 hours till the party, but I feel like it’s GOT to be done! Now enough yakking about it, time to get back to work before Jonah wakes up from naptime and decides to “help” me with it some more!