Running on Fumes...

Joe and I are both hitting a lack of sleep limit, I think. In a row, 5 nights of my dental discomfort + 6 nights of Shelaghs high fever, temperature checks, and medicine administration + 3 nights so far of Rorys high fever, congestion, & snoring. I've gotten up no less than 3-4 times per night for 14 nights straight. I'm actually looking forward to this baby arriving so that I can have 3 days at home alone with her while the kids are at preschool and I can actually SLEEP! Who the hell looks forward to nighttime feedings and sleep interruption as an IMPROVEMENT! Crawling to February...

Christmas Outfits

I couldn't resist posting this...(Sorry to spoil the Xmas Outfit surprise, family)

Nothing makes me happier than seeing my kids hug and kiss and care for each other, which they do so often. I don't know what, if anything, we did to foster their love for each other, but it is there and strong and inspiring. While a bit nervous for how Baby #3 will fit into this, I also have to note that both my kids adore my growing belly and shower her with kisses and "I Love You, Baby Sister" comments daily.

Just for fun...last years Xmas Outfits photo...

I can't help but notice how much Shelagh has grown in height and how much older she looks now. Both Joe and I are astounded, and slightly freaked out, that she will be 5 this Spring as we start to research Kindergarden for her. Rory is such a little man ("I not a little man. I a BIG BOY!!"). The tie helps ("Hey Mama, I look just like MY DAD!!" he said with his very congested and super sick sounding voice while admiring his new Race Car tie yesterday.)

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving turned out beautifully. With Shelagh being sick, she and Rory had to be home with me on my traditional Wed-before-Thanksgiving-prep day. I was really nervous about this b/c usually I need to whole day to get everything super prepped so I can avoid being a crazy person on Thanksgiving Day. It worked out fine though...for once I gave the kids a TV free-for-all and they loved it, of course.

For the big day, I made

• Roasted Turkey with Italian Sausage Stuffing (from Food & Wine last year. I made the same one last year and also brined the turkey for 24 hours beforehand. I swear that makes a huge difference)
• Mashed Potatoes
• Squash with Brown Sugar/Butter
• Peas with Shallots & Prosciutto
• Mini-muffin sized Mac & Cheeses
• Cranberry-Apple Sauce
• Chocolate Covered Bananas for the kids
• Lemon Squares

All went well cooking-wise. I got a little further on my gravy this year than last year and my mother in law only had to save the end of my gravy :) Last year I ended up with minimal drippings and she had to totally save it. This year, I had good drippings, a dark thick gravy, and she only had to add broth and thin it out for me. It came out great. Started off too salty, but the raw potato trick to soak up the salt really worked! My sisters in law brought all the apps (bacon-wrapped scallops, cheese/crackers, spinach dip in a pumpernickel bread bowl), drinks, and my mother in law brought 2 pies and cookies.

We ate a little later than I had hoped, but the dark meat had to be cut off and put back in the oven and the gravy took longer than expected. Thanks to the crock pot for keeping the potatoes hot and the squash for staying warm on it's own.

The kids had a great time playing with their cousins. Rory found himself wrestling with his almost 6 and almost 7 yr old cousins and holding his own. Shelagh played dress up and followed the older girls around in awe. All in all, a great day.

Long, Sick Week & More to Go

As soon as my dental issue started to clear up, Shelagh came down with a super high temperature and what turned into a week-long unexplained virus. She was up every night for an hour or longer multiple times with 103+ at night and totally lethargic during the day. She really had no other symptoms other than an upset stomach too. She wouldn't eat, wouldn't drink much, barely would do the popsicle thing, and still wouldn't nap (although on her worst day she did pass out on the sofa which might have been a first for her). They tested her for everything and all came back negative, thankfully. By Friday/Saturday, she was totally back to normal.

Just in time for Rory to get it this weekend as I was sort of expecting in the back of my mind. I was just hoping he'd cross over with her a bit and not have us go through this 2 full weeks in a row. His temp hit 104.5 last night and I almost freaked out. It came down and I'm home with him today. He seems to be a bit of a better patient, drinking lots of fluids, still eating, happy to rest in bed or on the couch, watching Cars for the 100th time, etc. Our family Xmas celebration with my family is this weekend and I'm hoping he clears his bout by Thursday so we can head out as planned.

By the way, I couldn't be more STIR CRAZY! Between me being sick, Shelagh, Thanksgiving, and now Rory, I've been at home for most of the last 9 days and I'm going INSANE! I actually really want to go to work just to get out and change the scenery!

Dental Hell

I try to be really good about getting my teeth cleaned. I don't have dental insurance for the first time since college; but, b/c I'm pregnant, I decided to go anyway at the 6 month mark since you tend to be more susceptible to infections and your gums are more sensitive. BIG MISTAKE! I went yesterday AM and for the rest of the day my gums were sore, but not more than usual for after a cleaning. By night, the whole left side of my face was throbbing and I finally broke down and took a Tylenol. Nothing. By midnight I wasn't sleeping and took another. Nothing. I knew I wouldn't sleep. By 1am I gave up and sat down with a heating pad on my face in front of the TV. I made it to 520am before calling the dentists emergency line, to no avail. Why the hell have an emergency line if no one is going to call you back??? I guess I'm spoiled by my pediatrician who calls back in like 2 minutes. I got through when they opened and ended up with a diagnosis of "infection" (which can't be proven b/c I can't have an X-ray). Antibiotics and Tylenol w/ Codeine. I hate to take them, but I had to today and am trying to muscle through with Oragel until bed when I'll take another. I'm so spent today...dying for a nap.

The Power of the Eldest Sibling

Over the monitor in the kids bedroom this morning I heard:

Shelagh: "Buddy, if you do x, you can't come to my birthday party" (mind you, her birthday is in May)
Rory: "Okay, I won't do it. Can I come to your party now?"

It immediately brought back memories of me saying to my younger sister something along the lines of

Me: "If you do x/If you don't tell mom (interchangeable), I'll be your best friend." "I'll buy you a pack of gum" was also a viable alternative.
Sister: "Okay" (within 5 seconds).

I don't know if this more strongly accentuates both my and Shelaghs role of bully/leader in the sibling circle or if it touches on the pliability/wanting to please/follower nature in the 2nd child. Something to noodle today...

Shelagh also likes to throw out there...

• ...then you can't come to my gingerbread house (it is the biggest privilege to be invited to Shelaghs imaginary gingerbread house and adults are frequently excluded for inforcing rules)
• ...then you can't be my mommy anymore (this is rare, but it has been known to come out in the peaks of frustration)
• ...then I'll break x or y (which she never does...just threatens)

She's very creative. Also, I owe my sister a million packs of gum.

Baby #3: What I've Learned

At this point, I'm 29+ weeks with Baby #3. I've learned a little more with each pregnancy and here's what I'd pinpoint to this one:

1. With each kid you have, that "I'm-wiped-out-and-feel-like-just-eating-and-watching-tv" feeling that kicks in at the end starts a month earlier than the last time. With Shelagh I had a good, strong energy until the last month. With Rory, until the last 2 months, but I was chasing 18-mo old Shelagh around at the time. This time, it's the last 3 months. I still have energy and am mobile, albeit with a waddle. But, it doesn't take very much for me to overdo it these days and then I'm just crippled and can't get up.
2. Those "bruises" on my thighs are NOT from walking into the corner of my bed at night, like I had convinced myself. Yes, people, these are collections of broken blood vessels and varicose veins. Please tell me there is a procedure for this when I'm done having kids. Thank God this baby is due in the winter. I can't imagine getting into a bathing suit ANYTIME SOON. Velour suits, here I come.
3. I love that pregnancy for me comes 2 fabulous side effects: I sleep incredibly heavily (despite waking up every night to pee or calm down a coughing or nightmaring kid) and I only have to shave my legs every week or 2. For some reason, leg hair growth comes to almost a halt. It's a miracle and a good thing b/c I'm lucky enough to be able to tie my shoes these days...who can see down there anyway!

By the way, I passed the 3-hr sugar test I had the pleasure of taking this weekend. I've never been an orange soda kind of girl and I have a hard time consuming a volume of any liquid...just not a drinker. Having to chug the whole bottle of that crappy-sweet orange soda in 5 minutes is like a marathon for me. But, I did it. Then, I proceeded to catch up on my photo albums, continue reading an awesome book I'm completely involved in now, and catch up on the phone with a friend from NJ I haven't talked to in ages. I also found out that I only failed the 1 hour test by 1 point. Nice.