😀
But I know someone who was!!
Hopefully I will have time to write the birth story soon. (Birth story here!) It was amazing and I feel fantastic. I still haven’t shared my other birth stories.
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I’ve mentioned before that I’m an organizer, a planner, a worrier and an obsessor. I know I drive my husband totally nuts by not resting until I’ve worked out minute details of even hypothetical situations.
So, it seems kind of funny that someone with my personality doesn’t schedule a c-section as soon as the lines show up on the pregnancy test and/or have repeated ultrasounds until I can see the gender.
In fact, not only am I not bothered by not knowing the gender or baby’s birthday, but I actually enjoy it. Weird, huh?
We didn’t found out the gender of any of our children, so I have boy clothes (though they are the wrong season) girl clothes, and some gender neutral clothes. As it turns out, I didn’t have as much gender neutral clothing as I thought I did, so we did buy a few outfits. Clothes are ready, diapers and blankets are ready…they just aren’t pink or blue. 🙂
It is a little weird wondering if this weekend was our last as a family of four, and not knowing when the baby will decide to arrive. As of the date I’m posting this, I’m either 40 weeks 1 day, or 40 weeks 3 days, depending on what date you use. I’m not gonna lie, I’m on the edge of my seat waiting and wondering. It doesn’t help that I’ve had Braxton Hicks contractions for the past two months, that have recently gone from annoying, to uncomfortable, to somewhat painful.
I’ve had people comment that they couldn’t stand to know know the gender etc. since they couldn’t plan. I guess I feel like I did plan, and we are prepared. *shrug* Really, I think this feels less like something to plan and more like a big gift! More of a surprise than a project. 😀
I’ll be honest that I am starting to feel like a watched pot though, hee hee!
I love things to be clean, neat & organized. My owner’s manuals (and recipes) are in page protectors inside binders, divided by category tabs. I love an excuse to use my label maker, and I can’t help but drool over beautifully organized closets and pantries. Give me a shopping spree in an office supply store/container store and I’d be happy as a clam.
So, I couldn’t help but laugh when my son started lining up his cars! My husband would make fun of me because I like to eat my food in a certain order, and when I have something with colors/flavors (Skittles, Mike & Ikes) he would watch me and try to predict which I would eat next. Would I keep the colors even, or would I eat a flavor I like least, first? (I don’t do this anymore because I don’t get to eat candy any more, my kids would just take it, LOL.)
When my son did this to his Annie’s chocolate/vanilla bunny cookies/crackers, I had to take a picture & send it to my husband.
Now if only he will turn out to be more “organizer” and less “pack rat” (like my daughter)…hee hee!
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Given the fact that I’m in my thirties, 35ish+ weeks along with my third child, and have taken biology, you’d think this would be old hat to me by now. But it’s not. I still find human reproduction to be wacky and amazing. Whether you believe in evolution or intelligent design (or whatever the kids are calling it these days) you have to admit, it’s pretty darn miraculous.
Two “cooks,” two “ingredients,” one “oven” and 40 weeks (give or take) and you’ve baked an actual, honest to goodness, bona fide human person. From scratch.
I swear I’m not completely stupid. I had ultrasounds with my first two, so I was actually able to see them moving all around in my uterus. All 3 have had hiccups, done somersaults, and caused alien-like ripples and weird corners on my abdomen. Towards the end of my pregnancy with my son, I could feel his rhythmic practice “breathing.”
Still, the enormity didn’t hit me until I was holding my babies in my arms. In fact, I think my first thought after giving birth the first two times was “holy sh&^, I had a baby.” You’d think yeah well, duh. What exactly did you think was happening? I don’t know, I really don’t. I guess the reality just didn’t hit me until then!
I still look at my kids sometimes in wonder & amazement. I can’t imagine my life without them, yet just a few short years ago, I didn’t know who they were. I know how much of our traits are “nature” vs. “nurture” is debatable, but so far my children were born with their own, distinct personalities.
Sometimes I put my hand on my belly and I wonder who this little baby is? Are you a boy or a girl? Will you look like your brother & sister? Will you like your spaghetti with sauce, or without?
I know I’m a crazy, hormonal pregnant lady but I’m just so humbled and awestruck. So grateful for two healthy children. So honored to be called their Mommy.
We’re all proud of our kids. They’re the cutest, sweetest, most brilliant children on the face of the earth. After all, they are our children, right? 😉
My daughter was so verbally advanced that I have to try really hard not to compare. When the pediatrician asks questions about my son’s development, he has to remind me that my daughter is/was exceptional, and I can’t use her as a benchmark! However, my son has totally shocked me in the past several months.
I’m going to be annoying and say he’s “28 months old.” I promise I will not be saying 40whatever months, leaving you scrunching up your face, doing mental math! It just seems like there’s such a huge, huge difference between a child who just turned two, a child who is 2 and 2 months, 4 months, almost 3 etc.
In the months since his birthday, his vocabulary and sentence structure has exploded. He’s counting to 15, singing songs and all that good stuff. Not only can he count to 15, he seems to have a slight grasp on #s, as in, he knows that “free bellypops” (three lollipops) are way better than one or two!!
The other weekend, he used a public potty with no potty seat and he accidentally drew a perfect lower case e on his magna doodle. Oh accident schmacksident, he’s a regular Einstein! Tee-hee!
He also understands if/then propositions way better than my daughter did at that age (heck, better than she does now!) He totally gets we’ll change your diaper, then we’ll go down and play. Picks a diaper, lays right down, then hops up ready to go! Unfortunately he also has the selective hearing that’s common to 2-year olds (and the male species in general), so “eat dinner, then you can have candy” backfires, since he only hears “you can have candy!”
The same day he used the public potty, he was holding a lemon slice from my water (and don’t tell me about all the reports about germs on lemons, I don’t want to think about it…ew) and my daughter was having her usual fit of pouting because “I want a lemon too!” (read this like: I want an oompa loompa now!!) and my son, without hesitation, ripped the lemon slice in half and gave her a piece!
I know sharing and 2-year olds is an iffy issue, especially since my 6-year old sets a terrible example. (We’re working on that, but she was an only child for almost 4 1/2 years, so it’s tough!) His willingness to share actually leads me to probably the top reason I’m proud of my son.
He has an uncanny ability to read people’s facial expressions and feelings, and he has genuine empathy for other people. Even when we are reading books, he will analyze the characters and other illustrations and say something like; “Pooh Bear sad, water fall down.” That was in a book where Pooh Bear slipped and knocked his honey pot over.
When we were dropping my daughter off at gymnastics, he saw a child a little younger than him crying, looked concerned, and said “He’s crying. He’s mad.” I didn’t even know if the child was crying out of sadness or anger/frustration, but his mother agreed that he was indeed mad! He is always concerned when his sister has a tantrum (daily, at least) and wants to make things better. He even tries to stick up for her, like the other day when she said my dinner was “disgusting” and wanted “something else.” He tried to ask me for “sunthin’ ewse” for her, on her behalf!
He also has a genuine understanding of “I’m sorry.” He may step on my foot and when I say “ow” (that kid seriously stomps for such a little guy!) he will turn around, say “I’m sorry” and give me a little pat, or otherwise make sure I’m OK. If he spills something, he will say “I’m sorry Mommy!” and he’ll go grab a towel to help clean it up.
It may seem like a strange thing to be proud of, but it seems like American boys/men are taught that they shouldn’t have feelings, let alone show them, nor should they have any regard for anyone else’s feelings either. Two year olds are supposed to be self-centered, so it’s just amazing to me that he’s more in-tune with others’ feelings than his 6-year old sister (or most adults for that matter!!)
Are there any things your kids do that make you proud, that might seem like a weird thing to be proud of?
Maria wants to live in a world where cloth diapers are the norm and moms can make parenting choices without judgement. When she’s not chasing her 18, 14 and 11-year old kids around, you might find her checking out the latest gadgets, organizing something (again) or exercising in the fresh air. 
