It is what it is

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World’s Okayest Mom

I received this cup from a friend of mine who owns a custom order craft shop, RaeAnn Crafts. She has all sorts of cool stuff she can do from t-shirts to engravings. You should really check her out. I have had this cup for awhile now, and it still looks like new (even with a few trips through the dishwasher). Ashley does great work!

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But the saying on it makes me think every day about the job I am doing as a mom. It is a positive reinforcement that even though I may have an “okay” moment, there are so many more moments where I can love and cherish the opportunity to raise this little man (and soon to be young lady). It’s a reminder that “I’ve got this.” And there isn’t a need to be perfect all the time.

It’s ok to be the okayest.

Here are just some of my okayest moments.

  • George knows the exit we turn for McDonald’s. He will start singing nuggets and french fries when we pull off the highway here before we even get to the Golden Arches. While Tom was on the night shift, we may have gone there a lot…This mama loves her own happy meal and no cooking. I have no shame in this game.
  • I sometimes will skip pages in books when I read them to George. We are at the stage where we read about a billion books before bed. “More books?” he says. I love that he is a reader, but that is a billion plus pages before I get my only introvert time for the day. Selfish maybe, but in my defense we are still reading a lot of pages each night.
  • I will own it. We use the TV sometimes to keep George out of trouble so we can do other things. Paw Patrol and Finding Nemo are very good distractions when someone gets up at 5 am on the weekends.
  • I keep a supply of suckers in my bag to bribe George when we are out in public. I can generally tell when we are on the verge of a melt-down, so the suckers help keep the tantrums at bay before George even has time to misbehave. (I don’t use these all the time, but sometimes you have to survive instead of thrive.)
  • He eats breakfast in the car. I don’t have time/energy to make a big breakfast or deal with arguing with a two year old why he must sit at a table to eat before we leave in the morning. So he gets his milk and breakfast “cookies” (granola bars) in the car.

I have my good moments too, but I don’t think that there needs to be this mentality that I am the perfect mom. George is loved and cared for and fed (mostly) healthy meals. Most of all we have a good time together like this weekend when we played matching games for hours on end. Or the smiles he had when the tables turned and he coached me while I was going to the bathroom and praised me for a job well done. I must be doing something right.

What are your “okayest” moments?

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And We’re Having A…

It feels like just yesterday that we were finding out about George.

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And here we are finding out about our little Miss!

George is already a sucker for his sister!

He has been calling my belly and any baby doll “sister” for the past couple months, long before we knew about our lady. He refused to say brother, so apparently he knew.

We are all very excited about Sister!

Except when he realizes he may have to share…

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Old Wives Tales…True or False

I think these old wives tales are fun to go through. I did it with George, and I found it pretty humorous to do. I got these from this site. Some of them were kind of odd, so I didn’t use all of them.

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  • Rumor has it that if you are carrying your baby high, it’s a girl. Carrying low? Stock up on blue. Similar tales say if you carry in front, you’ve got yourself a little boy, and if you expand horizontally, it’s a girl. I can’t really tell on this one. And from the comparison of my photos with George, I feel like I look the same so far. I have only filled out in front a little, so I am going to say BOY.
  • Legends say that if you are having a little girl, she’ll steal your beauty. So, if you’ve got acne and other not-so-pretty skin blemishes, you’ve got a little princess coming your way. Dry hands and cold feet are signs of a boy. So, if you’ve got these ailments, break out the baby blue. My acne has been no where near as bad as it was with George-So on this BOY.  My feet have been dry but they aren’t anymore than normal during the winter months-So on this GIRL.
  • Your baby’s heart rate might be an indicator of its gender. If your little one’s heart rate is under 140 beats per minute, you’re having a little boy. If it’s over, get ready for your little girl! The heartbeat has been between 144-154 every appointment. GIRL.
  • Craving sweets? According to some, that means you’re going to have a little girl. Salty and sour cravings indicate a boy. I have craved meat, cereal, chocolate, and eggs. Salty has been kind of a turn off for me. GIRL.
  • Chinese Predictor It comes up GIRL.
  • The Mayans used a similar method. They looked at your age at conception and the year your baby was conceived. If both are even or odd, it’s a girl. If one is even and one is odd, oh baby — it’s a boy! At conception both Tom and I were 31, and it was 2016. BOY.
  • Morning sickness means pink. If you’re stricken with a queasy stomach during your first trimester, think ribbons and bows. If you sail through your pregnancy with nary an upset stomach, it’s blue all the way. I was pretty much nauseous through the whole first trimester. GIRL.

So according to most of these “predictors” we are having a girl. Last time around, most of them said girl too, which is why I find these funny.

We’ll be sharing later on this week to let you know if these are right or not. (I know, it’s pretty much only baby posts lately…)

What do you think we are having?  (Family and friends who already know keep quiet!)

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Baby 2: Twenty-One Weeks

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How far along: 21 weeks and 1 day

Sex of Baby W: We know, but we aren’t sharing publicly yet.

Weight gain: I came back up to my initial weight and just a little more. I am at a 1 pound gain now.

Size of Baby W: a carrot or a least weasel

Maternity clothes: I am fully embracing the maternity clothes, and people now realize that I am pregnant. The bump is full on now.

Baby items: We have gotten a few items for the room and a few newborn clothes. I am on the search for a good double stroller.

Stretch marks: Still stretch mark free.

Belly button in or out:  It is flattening out, but it is still in.

Sleep: Prior to this week, the past couple weeks were rough. I was waking up to go pee around 3, and then I wasn’t able to go back to sleep. I also could not get comfortable thanks to two huge dogs. This week I changed up my tactics and basically baricadded myself with pillows to keep the dogs away, and also keep myself from laying on my back. It really helped to get some full nights of sleep.

Best moment the past few weeks: Finding out the sex of the baby and narrowing down a name. It’s so great to be able to use a name instead of “it.” It was also great to have Tom at the appointment where we found out. Baby is growing perfectly and right on schedule. Nothing bad to report!

Worst moment the past few weeks: The second day of potty training was the absolute worst. I felt like the worst mom and a huge failure. Plus cleaning up a million messes of pee is not an ideal way to spend a Saturday.

Miss anything: This week I have missed sushi and a feta covered gyro.

Cravings: I have been craving Mexican and beef. Bring me all the steak fajitas. Most vegetables are still hard for me to eat, but I try to even if it is begrudgingly.

Movement: Little baby is moving more and more now. Tom actually got to feel a kick this week. I can’t wait until George gets to experience that.

Symptoms/how I am feeling: The heartburn has gone away these past couple weeks, only to be replaced by severe bloating and cramps. I feel like my belly is a balloon that is about to pop. My legs also are cramping up a lot more and feel like heavy weights. I know I need to walk and stretch more to help with this though. Other than that, I am feeling really good. I wish the weather was a little better to do some walking outside because I have the energy now to do it!

Looking forward to: Nothing to do with baby, but I am traveling for a conference here in a couple weeks. While I have never been away from George for more than 24 hours, it is going to be great to have some me time and work on my professional self for a little bit. I’m also looking forward to sharing the name of this little nugget here soon!

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You can read about George at 21 weeks here.

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Feel Good Friday

Who doesn’t love a good Friday? It’s a great day to enjoy the simple things.

Here are some things that I am feeling good about this week.

  1. I have two students that I have been desperately trying to get into my office for the last two months to help them prepare for this semester. Finally, they both had appointments this week and have set up regular appointments!
  2. Most of my shows are back now after their winter hiatus. I am going to take advantage of George’s naps this weekend, and I am going to be a super slug on the couch catching up!
  3. George’s potty training is going really well! I am really proud of him. I will say that the three day method was not all that perfect as some make it out to be, meaning it was not just three days and then poof. However after two weeks, he has only had one or two accidents a day most days, and a couple accident free days. And he has been accident free overnight all week!
  4. I called Verizon today because I noticed that our plan wasn’t correct for this month, and I was able to get a discount applied so our bill is now lower every month.
  5. Tom got to feel the baby kick this week. I think that is always a big moment because so much is happening that I can sense and feel; I like he can be a part of it now. (Not that he wasn’t before, but you know what I mean I hope!)

What’s making you feel good today?