Hair Issues

It's not what you think. This is about Meredith and her anxiety/stress and I debated writing because I worry about receiving unsolicited advice and suggestions etc. But... this blog is to help keep my family up to date and to have memories in writing since I'm crappy at doing so on paper. Here's a synopsis.

Meredith was a nail biter. She was never a thumb sucker, but would bite her nails while watching tv/resting/etc. She stopped not too long ago and I was happy. Then she started twirling her hair. She twirled it when she was focusing on tv, when she was tired, when she was going to bed. It soothed her. It relaxed her. She twirled my hair when she was a baby nursing so I didn't think anything of this... I twirl my hair (don't you?) so I didn't stress. Then the knots started. I had to cut some out, others I could brush out. I went the "brush the knots out without being too easy so she'll see that knots hurt and she'll stop" route and it back fired. :( Here lately she's been pulling the knots out herself... but only when shes sleeping/resting. She never does it during the day - only in her bed. I personally think she started doing this to avoid me brushing them out. If she got them out first, I might be happy?? or at least not have to fuss and brush them out myself?? I don't know. Anyway, after research, I tried punishing (time outs for knots in her bed), I tried bribing (candy/chocolate/small toys), I tried crying, I tried threatening (we're going to cut your princess hair off if you pull knots out!).... and she got even more anxious about us seeing her knots that she started hiding them under her pillow or under her bed. She would immediately start apologizing and trying to "make us happy" (her words), and we felt awful. I was scared. I was frustrated. I was worried. So I tried the ignoring route. That worked the best, but it still happened. :(

I pulled her hair back at night - in braids, in pony tails, in both - but she still managed to either take it out completely or at least pull pieces out to twirl. I put socks and gloves on her hands, but let's face it - she's 3 years old and who wants to sleep with crap on  your hands. She pulled them off. I gave her fringe blankets, I gave her a barbie with long hair and showed her how to twirl that. I showed her how to twirl her nightgown and her sheets... Everything seemed exciting to her, but her hair is what calms her and what she wants.

So... (after more research and confiding in good friends) I found that it's normal, it's a stage, and if she's not eating it (she can't stand hair near her mouth and freaks out if hers is stuck in her chap stick or whatever) then it's probably something she'll figure out/outgrow. I was still worried. Her hair was severely thinning on the left side of her head and she was working her way underneath. I did some more research (my sister is such a huge blessing in this area) and found that new things/changes can cause this - ie: baby brother. So... we went to the doctor. Dr. Stephanie was wonderful and feels that Meredith is 100% normal and growing and thriving. She laughed and laughed at my crazy and bossy girl when she was done with her check up. Specifically because Meredith pointed out that she hadn't checked her tummy and proceeded to lay down and lift her shirt up... this followed by taking off a shoe because she thought the doctor needed to check her foot. :) I love my girl!!!! She agreed with me about not cutting her hair (Meredith was devastated about this idea and has begged us multiple times not to...) and thought that we have done everything she would've suggested... and in the end she felt that Meredith may get worse before she got better - especially since we'll be moving soon, and baby is coming in just a few months... And... suggested we go see a psychologist to be doubly sure we're all doing the right thing for our angel.

So... we'll be calling today to see where to go. She's given us names of those she recommends.  Hopefully we'll be given a technique or an object or an idea or something that will help us deter Meredith from pulling the knots out. She can twirl if she wants to, but I just want her to let me get the knots out - not pull them out herself.

I want to end with this. We are praying about this daily... We are loving on our girl and trying our best to help her not stress or have anxiety about the baby or moving or anything. We are seeking advice from those we trust and asking others to pray that this doesn't get worse. At risk of sounding rude (and please know I'm saying this with kindness and not annoyance), we don't want everyone's  thoughts on this. I know how serious this could become and I'm worried... I certainly don't want to have extra ideas put in my head. (We all know how crazy I am anyway!!!)

And there you go people. Just another day in our world... a world of blessings and craziness. :)

xo,
K

It's a... BOY!

So here's the snapshot run down of last Monday, Feb 4. :)

• Appt. scheduled for 9 am...
• Appt. rescheduled for 2 pm...
• Arrive for appointment... Billy is running late.
• Go back... still no Billy.
• He gets there - whew! Meredith & Mama are happy.
• Baby is healthy! 
• Baby is stubborn... hmm... Legs over head nearly entire time.
• Ultrasound tech (Amy) tells me she can't seem to tell if it's boy or girl.
• I panic.
• Baby flips and tada! She knows!
• I get cleaned up, weighed (up 2 lbs. from last appt, total of 5 lbs. now), & have blood pressure taken.
• Amy brings envelope with ultrasound picture inside.
• I put envelope in purse and stare.. and stare... I swear it's burning a hole in there.
• We go to room to wait... meet with midwife... every thing's good. See ya in 4 weeks.
• Leave and rush off to Liberty to drop off envelope with Ashley before I go insane.
• Go home, put Meredith down for nap, and wait... and wait... and wait...
• Ashley knows. Joe knows. Kate knows. No one wants to talk to me.
• Megan starts going bonkers. lol (Her texts to me and my sister were hilarious!)
• Ashley goes home and starts to bake the cake (dying it blue for boy, pink for girl).
• People starting arriving at 6:45... Ashley & Joe & cake are not there.
• Meredith decides she only wants a "derl" and gets upset about the possibility of a blue cake.
• Ash & Joe arrive and get cake situated. by the way. the cake was amazing. thank you Ashley.
• We get face time going with our parents and my sister and Megan and it's chaotic because it doesn't want to work and I'm getting anxious because I just want to know but I want them to see (that was the whole point in the first place) and I'm just sooooo AHHHHHH!! lol
• We get most everything working, everyone is on the phone...
• We cut the cake and..... it's....

Oh my gosh. I couldn't have been more shocked. I was expecting girl, girl, girl... and then Meredith cries "NOOOO!!" and hides under the table and asks us to go back to the doctor, lol. Bless her heart. She'll adjust. :) I just can't believe we're having a precious baby boy. Bring on the baseballs, the legos, the dinosaurs, the flannel shirts, chucks, and bow ties... bring on the toy trains, the mud puddles, and blue walls... Baby Daniels is alllllll boy! :) :) We are already in love with our little man. <3

20 weeks! Halfway!

Umm... 20 weeks? Are you kidding? I can't believe I'm already at the halfway point. SLOOOOWWWWW DOOOOWWWNNN!!! :)

How far along? 20 weeks, 5 days
Total weight gain/loss: 5 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Not needed yet... I'm still in my same jeans, but regular shirts are quickly becoming too short!
Stretch marks? No (please)
Sleep: It takes me a little bit to get comfortable, but nothing too terrible.
Best moment this week: The Ultrasound!!!!!!
Miss Anything? Have I mentioned sleeping on my belly?
Movement: Lots of it... it's a wonderful feeling. :)
Food cravings: Chinese food... Little Debbie Cakes...
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!
Have you started to show yet: Yes.
Gender: BOY!!!!! Oh my goodness was I shocked!!!
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: I'm a ball of emotions here lately!
Looking forward to: Picking a name, finding a house, and our 24 weeks ultrasound. :)

House Hunting Blues

The point of this blog was to document important stuff in life so I wouldn't forget it in the future... and to keep my family/friends in the loop. Well... enjoy today's post.

We are house hunting. We've been looking for awhile, but now we are full on hunting... and last weekend [Sunday to be exact] we found 2 great possibilities. Well Sharon & Billy [the in-laws] came up this weekend to go see these great possibilities with us... He's a builder so his input is important to us. We arrive. We go in. We love. They [and us] loved everything about this one house... it's newness, it's openness, it's size... we loved it. We went down in the basement to the unfinished part and Big Billy set to work making plans for adding the 4th bedroom, bathroom, and laundry room. It was so exciting. We were ready. We were decided. The other house was now just something to compare to, but we knew what we wanted. The our Realtor comes in the room and with a hug and and I'm sorry informs us that the house sold. yesterday. and it's a solid deal. I'm beyond bummed.

We go to the 2nd house. It's not what we want. It's huge, it's nice enough, but it's going to cost a lot to fix the stuff that needs fixing and money is not something we have a lot of... and on and on. We leave. I cry. I was so eager and excited and hopeful. I feel that everything Billy & I do ends up being difficult... or harder than it seems for others. "Comparison is the thief of Joy..." I need to remember that. We are so lucky to have what we have and be where we are and the list goes on. I am so stinking blessed... I'm just struggling today. I want a home of our own... I want a place that is ours... I'd really love it if we're there before Baby Boy comes... I'm feeling let down/disappointed/bummed/greedy/selfish/impatient/humbled... a bunch of different emotions. Sigh.

We rode around... saw 2 more others randomly... both were a no. We rode some more. We got some lunch. It's nap time now and Meredith & I are here... I'm thinking I may nap too. Sharon, Billy, & Billy are out riding and looking some more. Bless their hearts. Our Realtor is awesome. I love him. He's looking too. I know it'll come in time. I know that praying for the Lord's will will lead us to the right home. I know that we are staying within budget for a reason. I know that comparing what we can have to others isn't right and it's only going to cause frustration. I know that comparing will steal our joy in this... so I'm not. I'm going to keep on doing what we've been doing. But... for today... I'm bummed. And annoyed. And disheartened. And... tired of looking at houses.

It's cookies & milk time. :) That's what Baby Boy wants anyway.

19 weeks... ahhh!

Sooo... I'm almost there. I'm almost to the halfway point! I remember thinking how things went soooooo slowly with Meredith, but this time I'm praying they slow down!! I don't know what it is about the 2nd baby, but I just want to savor the time. I feel like I rushed everything last time and I'm determined to enjoy things a little more this time around. Including ice cream and Cheetos and 2nd helpings of baked ziti. :)

We find out on Monday, Feb. 4 if we'll be having a son or daughter. What's your vote???

 

How far along? 19 weeks, 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: 4 lbs.
Maternity clothes? No... I don't need then anyway, but I've found several cute tops that I couldn't pass up! :)
Stretch marks? No (please)
Sleep: Sleep is fine, but the dreams nightmares are awful & crazy.
Best moment this week: Feeling baby move A LOT... it's so comforting!!
Miss Anything? Sleeping on my belly comfortably. I'm sure I'll be missing this a lot in the upcoming weeks.
Movement: I'm starting to feel a lot of movement - kicks and twists, not just flutters. Billy even felt a small one last night!!!
Food cravings: Chinese food... mainly rice with salt. Sound familiar?
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!
Have you started to show yet: See above picture. I'm definitely pregnant and not just fat now. lol
Gender: Don't know yet... we find out in less than a week!
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: I'm one happy camper!
Looking forward to: the weekend... so I won't feel guilty about asking to go out for Chinese food (chicken with mixed vegetables and white rice please!)... oh! and finding out if Baby D is a girl or a boy! :)

17 weeks...

Ok so I'm not doing this to bore anyone who reads this; rather, it's my way of making sure I don't miss out on and forget stuff about baby #2's pregnancy. I remember being so obsessed with being pregnant when I was carrying Meredith, but this time... well I'm obsessed with the 3 year old running around, dressed like a princess, repeating every line to a Doc McStuffins episode or Barbie movie... so the journaling and preggo blog reading hasn't happened much. When I realized I was 17 weeks and had taken 2 pictures and couldn't tell you what fruit my baby was the size of (I practically memorized the list when I was pregnant with MKD), well it was then I decided to at least document a few things each week... at least this way I'll remember! :) [insert story about my sister katie who swears her life was unimportant because there is practically no documentation of anything besides her birth date, time, and weight, lol].

So, without further adieu... :) 

How far along? 17 Weeks, 5 days
Total weight gain/loss: 3 pounds... 
Maternity clothes? No, but leggings are wonderful!
Stretch marks? No (please)
Sleep: Sleeping great
Best moment this week: Being asked by a 1st grader if they could feel the baby move... at least they knew I was pregnant and not fat! :)
Miss Anything? being able to sneeze without fear of peeing! haha!!
Movement: I feel big small kicks at times, but mostly just fluttering or flipping...I love it!
Food cravings: Gummy cinnamon or cherry hearts and Nerds! (sooo thankful for Valentines candy!!)
Anything making you queasy or sick: No sickness this pregnancy either.. but black coffee breath tends to bother me. :(
Have you started to show yet: I'm gonna go with yes... more than with Meredith. PLUS! A 1st grader at school knew I was pregnant so I'm happy! :)
Gender: Don't know yet... we'll find out Feb 4!!! :) :)
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! I get grouchy at night, but the mood swings are much better now. :)
Looking forward to: Feeling the baby move on the outside so daddy can finally feel it... and more Valentine's day candy! :)

Here comes baby! :)

I've been meaning to write about our exciting news, I just haven't had the time to sit and type... but ready or not...

HERE COMES BABY #2!!! :)

We are super excited and feel very blessed. Meredith seems excited about it and knows there's a baby growing in mama's belly. She swears it's a girl, but who knows. :) We found out in Mid-October... I found out while Billy was in New York for training for his promotion and could barely contain the news while waiting for him to get home the next day. I baked pink & blue cupcakes and  wrote him a letter thanking him for working so hard and for allowing me to be home with Meredith and now another little one, coming in June. He was shocked, and super excited to say the least. :) I got his reaction on video, too. [This time was a lot more fun than last time... when I found out I was pregnant with Meredith I was SHOCKED and SCARED since we weren't trying and I wasn't supposed to be able to have children... and I was crying so much when I called Billy to tell him that he thought I'd received bad news at the doctors that day and raced home because he couldn't understand me... only to have me tell him, still in tears, that we were pregnant, lol.] Yea... much more fun this time.

We are 13 weeks pregnant now and baby seems healthy with a strong heartbeat. The ultrasound we had at 10 weeks was amazing and tear jerking. I had been so nervous prior to that... I wanted to hear the heart beat so badly... and before I could count to 10, there it was... loud and fast and fluttering on the screen. Amazing. God is so amazing.

I've had a wonderful first trimester. No major food cravings although greasy foods sound gross. I haven't had an aversion to Mexican food this go around... :) I love salty foods (not chip salty... rather Chinese food salty) and salads (Panera's chicken Caesar salad is a new fav!) and haven't had any sickness [minus the day I took my prenatal vitamin in the morning... won't make that mistake again]....just exhaustion... which is starting to fade. I'm feeling great and am super, super thankful to be home this time around. I nearly die at the end of the day when I sub at LRES... I don't know how I did it last time [I guess not having a 3 year old to chase after probably helped, lol]. Regardless, I'm thankful and blessed and loving life.

I'm not wishing this pregnancy away. I did that with Meredith and since this may be my last pregnancy [not sure if we want more than 2 kiddos...] I'm going to attempt to enjoy it... all of it.