Merry and Bright

Christmas vacation has been great.  Both kiddo and I have taken advantage of our time off.  She asked for three things from Santa and was happy to receive all three -- none of which were big price tag items, so I can't complain.  She has her new games for the Switch, a holder for those game cards, and reader books to enjoy.  She also noted her favorite gift was one she didn't even ask for - her first few Pokemon cards.

Today we took a perhaps premature run to a local store to assess what is out there for first communion dresses.  To my surprise not only did she like several dresses ("I love it") but we ended up leaving with one!  I'm thrilled with the price point and she was comfortable in the dress - win, win.

As we move into January the next session of developmental swim will spin up.  Their focus will be on breaststroke and butterfly.  I'm looking forward to seeing her progress further.

What back yard?

I stopped and committed to a big ol swing set.  It will be at least 5 weeks, but Avery and I will soon be enjoying the backyard big time this summer.  Go ahead, lock us back down.

Safety First

I have had to purchase a few more things to help keep Avery safe.  The first are slide 'locks' for the bi-fold doors to avoid her pinching her fingers between them.  It's a bit of annoyance to me, but I am sure I'll get use to using them.  The next is a flip lock, which I've had for a while, but I finally installed it, on the basement door.  It's up nice and high so she can't reach it.  Once she fully masters a door knob, which isn't far off, this will prevent spills down the basement stairs.  The last items are ones I am sure will displease her greatly.  I now have two variants of leashes for her.  At last there are times when she wants to walk instead of being carried.  This is great for my back, but it brings new challenges.  I now have a backpack style harness with butterfly wings and a leash and a wrist-to-wrist attachment for the two of us.  She tried both on and seemed to really dislike the first one but found the second entertaining.

We have also been successful in getting Avery to eat a little bit of carrot and broccoli.  She even said "Mmmm" while eating the broccoli!  She's still a bit of a carb and sugar fiend, but who can blame her.  It's hard to tell her no when she sweetly asks for a pretzel after school every day.  Ok, I don't always say no.

Here we are one month before her second birthday.  I can't help but think that 1/9th of it is "over", slipped through my fingers.  Continuing to pray for time to slow down and to enjoy every moment.

Playing Hooky with Teacher's Pet

On Tuesday around noon school called - Avery had a fever of 101, so I was off to pick her up.  That morning she sneezed and boogs streamed from her nose to her chest, that was a (gross) first and her eyes were watering, so I'll admit I wasn't overly surprised to get the call, but concerned that a fever had joined the party.

By the time I picked her up and got her home I was only getting a reading of 99, so fortunately it was short lived.  Regardless, a 101 fever or higher means you're home for 24 hours and she wouldn't be allowed back on Wednesday.  When she got home her eyes were definitely still watering, more than they were first thing and her nose was pretty runny, but other than that she remained the happy little girl I know and love, just a little slower and more slimy.

Wednesday she woke up feeling good.  Definitely no elevation of temp remained and the snot factory had slowed greatly.  Since we were off anyhow and the weather was nice I embraced it and we headed out by 10:30.  It's almost Mother's day, that means my ring from last year needed cleaned and checked, so we went to the outlets.  This year Avery helped me pick out a pair of small hoop earrings!  A quick lunch pickup while she zonked in the back seat and we headed home where she fought the rest of her nap while I tried to get some work time in.  After we ran back out to the grocery store as we tapped the milk supply I had due to her unexpected additional time home.

Since she had no signs of communicable illness of concern that day I proceeded with our plans for the evening.  Avery's favorite teacher from her first school came to visit!  I'm quite confident Avery remembered her as it only took a very brief time for her to warm up and start talking and interacting with her.  There was lots of playing, laughing, and enjoying her teacher friend.  The only problem is we forgot to take a picture.

Not who I used to be

Avery has been a different little girl for a few days.  She's still probably more pleasant than most babies, but we've seen/heard our share of tears lately (for no apparent reason).  Today she'd cry every time she was back w/ her Dad and I tried to get things done, but would settle for me (as I carried her about).

Friday daycare called and sent her home before noon as she threw up.  I worry it was another overfeed situation. I sent her the same amount of milk as I had other days, but I also sent yogurt (to replace her oatmeal) so that morning bottle didn't have 1 1/2-2 ounces poured off.  If the kept pushing it on her, she'd over drink and pop.  She did appear to have a _slightly_ elevated temp that afternoon, but it dropped down quickly.  She didn't get sick again all weekend though - so...?  But like I said, she's been a bit moodier, so maybe it's teeth.  That could cause lots of extra mucus too, which could cause the throwing up as well.

Her cribwraps arrived and I'm very pleased.  They are a higher quality/finished product than I expected.  They're very soft, the perfect color, and waterproofed on the back side.

Tonight I got her down a little early, despite a nice long nap earlier in the day and a shorter second one that was a bit late and not waking until 8am.  It does seem like she might be willing/able to shift to an earlier bed time without waking too early.  I was up pretty much all night last night due to a friend visiting, so I really should be in bed myself.

Last related item of the weekend:  on Saturday I got a bill from the hospital (actually care providers there) stating I still owe several hundred dollars from Avery's birth.  She's almost 10 months old.  Are you kidding?  Of course, I see nothing correlating those numbers w/ my healthcare (as having been paid - for that matter never billed, but they claim to have gotten money from my plan).  Regardless, I was maxed out last year, so good luck with that.  But it's annoying that I have some calls to waste my time on tomorrow.

Cute Personality

This girl.  I wanted to document some of the cuteness before I forget the time frame in which it all happened, so here you go...  I need to get video of these, but it's hard to do without an extra hand and some way to keep her from spotting the phone/camera.

For a while now, Avery gets excited when she notices you have a drink.  She makes a big O with her mouth, clenches her hands, and vibrates.  That's in addition to when she spots her bottle and starts reaching for it excitedly.

Last night while sitting on my knee she also started bouncing trying to get me to bounce her more.  It was only two or three days ago that she realized the Exersaucer allows her to bounce too and she loves it.

Last night when I turned on her show before bed (we've been watching and loving Word Party), she started to turn to look at the TV right at the start of the intro music.

Since my last post, I also need to report that we've tried pears.

Also, while we put her down for the night on her back she is on her belly every morning.  The crib was dropped down lower too just in case the first time she decided to pull herself up to standing was in the crib.

Finally, I want to note that her Easter Basket arrived and is absolutely beautiful.  I went with the handwoven oval pink/purple/white one from AmishBaskets.com.  I had them do a purple liner and a brass name plate that reads "1 Corinthians 13:13 God bless Avery Violet".

A slightly less free item

When I closed on this house I was still aglow with the newness of being pregnant (not that this ever faded).  I was very pleasantly surprised to come in after closing and find that they neglected to take (or throw away) a decent looking high chair!  I covered it up with a plastic bag and moved it to the basement for future use and was thrilled to have just saved $100+ by happenstance.

Yesterday, since we're starting to eat like a pro, I brought the high chair upstairs to give it a good scrub when I quickly realized 4 of the 5 straps are missing and the 5th one is caked with something and gross.  I ordered what I hope will work as replacement straps through eBay, but I guess my free high chair is no longer free, but $19 is still a very small price to pay.

Seeking a comfortable carry

With girl wanting to be held when she is awake my arms are getting a workout.  I am also not able to continue about tasks.  I had purchased a bjorn, but the minimum weight is 8lbs, which we're still not up to.  Regardless I put it on today and placed her in to get a feel for it.  Even when she's trying to wiggle about I think I'll still be able to do what I need to do, like type this post!  I also purchased a ring sling, which should arrive today.  Either way, I am hoping it will allow her to cuddle with me while I continue to function.  This is critical for me to go back part time at the end of next week and keep her home a little longer.  I think this is also going to be good for my arms and back.

Go go go!

I headed out early today and used the completion discount at Target to get a few more items from that list.  I also found a cute little sleeper w/ hedgies on it that I couldn't resist and a clearanced soft white dress that is perfect for her baptism.  I also stopped for a pedi.  Getting the foot and calf rub was so nice.  I'm hoping the pretty purple polish lasts until we're ready for kiddo to come.

Now it's time to do some prep work - yay for weekends.  Today I made a batch of stuffed shells (with kale), a chicken broccoli casserole, and pasta sauce - with meatballs - to freeze.  I'm also making a batch of stuffed peppers (fresh goodies from the farm basket) for dinner, but the leftovers are intended for the freezer.  My hope is that my stamina will hold and I can get all of the dishes dealt with this evening.

Tomorrow I'm making a pork roast in the slower cooker... that however will be tomorrow's eats and leftovers for early in the week. I do have a few used items I wanted to get cleaned up this weekend (the bottom of the pack n play - I did clean the other parts, the ones that were submersible the week before last, but I don't know if I mentioned that here - and the swing).  I am also expecting the mattress tomorrow, so maybe I can wipe that off and get the crib made.

A few more boxes checked

The mattress (and a bunch of other items) are ordered from the Amazon completion discount and on the way.  It will be nice to get the crib made up and ready to go!

I also purchased a few things to prep some meals to put in the freezer this weekend.  Fingers crossed that the freezer in the basement is still up for the task.

I think the next time Daddy is here I'll have him put the car seat in my car so I can go get it checked.  Everything I read sounds like every seat protector does damage and/or is a problem to use with the car seat.

Mentally I don't think I'll go early, but I did just read an article on early signs of labor which has me thinking.  So I guess it's good if I get a little nesting in over the next week.

1).  Baby drops:  head down at least... perhaps not 'dropped' but it's possible.
2).  Cervix dilates:  haven't been checked - dunno.
3).  More cramps and back pain:  I've had some cramps in the front low and pains in my back sleeping - which compared to earlier one when I felt none.
4).  Joints feel looser:  I can't check this one, but I am needing to move a bit slower after I roll out of bed.
5).  Diarrhea:  It's definitely been looser, but not diarrhea.
6).  Stop gaining weight:  Well, it's been a few weeks since I've had a major leap.  I guess I attributed that to the swelling and water gain that then passed, but I'm swelling again and still not up more than a half a pound.
7).  Extra tired:  Check, but this is probably because I'm not sleeping as well in the first place.
8).  Discharge changes:  Nope, not this one.
9).  Stronger/More frequent contractions:  I haven't had any braxton hicks to my awareness, so... saying no here doesn't really sway me either way.
10).  Water breaks:  Definitely not yet... who needs this on a list to tell them it's coming soon?

Am I becoming that woman?

Today the box containing my dark purple Ubbi diaper pail arrived and I was excited!  Who would have ever thought?  I think part of it was the good deal in my opinion.  Sure Amazon had other colors for close to the price I paid, but in the dark purple they wanted nearly 2x as much.

I'm feeling girl moving stronger and stronger each day.  The one thing I'm still waiting for are hiccups.  This is one of those things that reminds me there are lots of 'milestones' to look forward to.

Making sure I've got things covered

I've now purchased a few nursing bras.  It seems early as my boobs haven't actually changed size, but my ribs are definitely shifting a bit wider and some of my regular bras feel like they're cutting into me by the end of the day.  The two I bought today do not have underwire and are more of a stretchy fabric. They're designed to 'grow with you' or so they proclaim.  I went with the one that was for 40C (and a few other larger cups) (rather than my normal 38C) since I'm already feeling the need for something larger around my ribs.  Since I'm going to need to get use to sleeping in something, or so I'm told, these seem like they'd be pretty comfortable and up to the task.  It was so odd and foreign to buy bras that didn't come from Victoria's Secret.

It's pretty wrong that this seems like one of the strangest baby-related purchases that needed to be made.

Steady Growth

This past week I have found myself watching the scale with a bit of fear.  I feel like I'm gaining too much now, especially for where I started at pre-pregnancy.  I guess we'll see what the doctors say when I climb on the scale tomorrow.

She too (the wee one) is making steady growth progress - or at least I as far as I can tell from the frequency of her movements that I am experiencing.  I've started to note distinct patterns in the morning and at night as I settle down for bed, but as time has passed I've been feeling her more through the day as well.

On a final note, I did find a youth dresser and a matching adult lingerie chest (taller item) that I ordered for use in the baby's room.  I think these items will work nicely for the size of the room.  While I won't put the mirror on the dresser right away that too is ordered.  In the mean time I also ordered a topper for changing purposes.  It will sit on the dresser (a piece is longer on the back to keep it from sliding forward/off the dresser) and the foam changing pad will go in there.  At this point the only remaining big items left to put the nursery together are the mattress and a rocking chair of some sort.  I did buy the paint too - but we haven't scheduled when it's going up on the wall just yet.

Slow and steady progress

I did get those lightbulbs and the fixture looks perfect, I'm very pleased.  However, the more I think about it I am really thinking I need to buy legit furniture (read dresser and/or changing table).  They sell just changing table tops, but maybe the older dresser I have is too tall for this.  Plus, I bought a crib that would be usable for several years, doesn't it makes sense to have matching furniture (nothing too pricey) that would also last for those several years?  I have not found anything I love, so we'll see.

I also have to say that I'm pretty sure I felt her moving this morning, but I still remain a bit uncertain and not definite.  We officially started her college fund yesterday at the family Easter gathering.  They always hide eggs for the kids with money in them and there was a color set aside for our kiddo too.

From another part of his family we also received a big bag of like new clothes yesterday.  You see, her one cousin is a year almost exactly older than she will be, so we are fortunate enough to receive hand me overs (down would be speaking too poorly about the quality of these items).

Now that I've not only strung the little snippets of video together to make something a little more watchable but I've also blurred the PII at the top I'm going to go ahead and put this here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m77MfPeJG1w&feature=youtu.be

Nursery Progress

Last night we got things moving along.  The crib is put together and the new light fixture is up.  I need to pick up some light bulbs to really see how it looks, but I'm happy so far.  We also received the decal for the wall, giving me an idea of what color paint I need to buy, so the shopping list is growing.

Fill up that tank!

Yet another tank with a specimen is on its way to my neck of the woods as of this afternoon.  I was able to pay the difference and order the ID option donor I had selected, amusingly he is already showing as C (call) on the website, indicating there is less than 20 IUI-prep specimens currently available.

I once again called the doctor first thing in the morning to schedule the appointment, got routed to the nurse line to schedule, and waited most of the day for a return call.  At least the first choice doctor is actually in the office on Tuesday, that's when I am anticipating the next attempt, given my game plan based on my previous post.

Early Negatory

Today was the earliest I could test and got a negative. I'm not surprised, but I guess I'll still behave and not have the drink I really want until after my period comes.

I had Fairfax fax the paperwork to my Gyn to request a free specimen under their Pregnancy Pledge. I'll still have to pay for shipping and the actual IUI, but at least this about halves the cost of one last try. And yes, I do think it will be just one more try. It's just too expensive for this to go on and on without results.

You know, this is yet another reason why I don't buy the "accidentally pregnant" women.

Cute Hat

I so had to buy this cute as heck hat from the Totsy website today. Of course, it's blue... which inherently works for a boy-child, but frankly, if I ever end up with a little girl she'd be wearing some blue too. It's just a fact that most dog/puppy printed stuff is in blue.