GCDH Giveaways

The Great Cloth Diaper Hunt is on again!

Check back to this post for updates on contests and giveaways you can enter during May!

1. Cute Caboose's Great Cloth Diaper Giveaway

I'm doing much better now that we figured out that Perrin switched days and nights, so I'm napping with him from 4-7 or 8. I'm going to try to keep my blog updated now, and Charlie's working on putting together my birth video (both R- and PG-rated versions). I tried running light errands with the family on Saturday, and that was a VERY BAD idea. It took me almost two days to recover back to where I had been, prior to. Having people bring us food has been the biggest blessing (well, that and having people take Caspian when Charlie's at work). It relieves so much stress to know that we can open the fridge 24 hours a day (nursing hours) and find already-cooked food, ready to be eaten. Plus, baked goods are THE BEST grabbable, gosh-I'm-starving food for nursing moms: zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, chocolate bread, lentil bread, muffins, cookies...

I need to get some nursing clothes and at least one new bra. After nursing for over two years last time, I know now that it'll be a good investment. The trouble is finding my size...and for less than $50 a shirt! Nursing wear is mega expensive.

Anyone have a dishwasher they want to get rid of?

I'm so enamored of my new sweet boy. He looks just like Caspian, only with hair. There are so many poses and facial expressions I could do a side-by-side comparison of. He's definitely his own person, though. His voice is different; he's mellow but opinionated...he's just right to hold his own with his feisty brother. I was worried about loving him for who he was but the fact that it was "real" set in after a day or two, and I have no problem staring at him and kissing him all the time. He is very alert during his awake times, and looks around at everything. He likes it when I sing, and he's trying his darnedest to strengthen his neck.

Guess what happened last week? Well, I'm going to try to fill that in at some point, but what I was referring to was a visit from my Kate!!! She surprised us by driving down from northern Indiana with her kids to visit! She even used her mad photo skills to take some beautiful pics of 4-day-old Perrin. Whenever she posts them on her photography website or sends us digitals, I will link immediately so you can see them all.


It's definitely a test, trying to parent two. My fuse is pretty short right now, and I struggle with being patient and not losing my temper. Caspian is acclimating very well, given the circumstances. His acting-out has been very mild and pretty much limited to disobedience -- nothing against Perrin, praise God. We've been trying to keep Caspian's nap routine the same, with mixed success. Part of that problem is the fact that I need the bed to sleep with Perrin in the afternoon as well. I need to get the nursery cleaned out so we can put a twin bed in there for his naps. Sigh. To have the strength to stand long enough to wash my face, much less clean.

One scary thing happened this morning. I had finished Perrin's 6am feed and decided to stretch a little in bed before laying down. I stretched my arms and legs in opposite directions and felt two of my ab muscles separate. Seriously. It was so gross and it hurt and I wanted to panic. I had no idea that could happen, and un-extending didn't put them back. I was about to wake up Charlie to pass off the baby so I could stand up and try to scrunch standing up, but I decided to pray instead. Thank goodness I made that choice, because then I felt them go back together. Seriously. Our God is an awesome God! Hallelujah!

I had subscribed to this blog on my RSS feed reader, but it makes me so angry I had to take it off. Please, please, please check it out. I'm serious. Especially if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. Ever.

For the record, no, I don't want to be up/awake/in the living room right now. All night, Perrin would wake to nurse, I'd sit up and feed him, then I'd fall asleep sitting up. I'd wake up, sore from nodding/leaning, realize that his diaper needed to be changed and that I had to use the restroom myself, and wake up Charlie. They'd go wait in the nursery while I used the facilities, then I'd come change the diaper (amidst much protest against nakedness and wiping)...at which time Perrin would realize he was hungry. Sigh. Occasionally I'd try to go back to sleep instead of checking his diaper, but he never stayed asleep long laying down. As soon as this meconium passes, you can bet I won't be doing nighttime diaper duty. I'm not even supposed to be getting out of bed except to use the restroom, but I have to get my own food, change diapers, and carry Perrin to the living room so we can sit up. Awake. My body is so tired...

Labor + Sleep Deprivation + Breastfeeding + Constant Overexertion = not good for my recovery
That's one reason why we weren't discharged from the hospital until late yesterday (pulled out of the parking lot at 5:49pm). I overexerted myself by standing up to help change a really involved diaper and was dizzy the rest of the day. I did every other diaper, too, but this one was really messy and took a long time. I could feel myself going past the threshold, but we couldn't leave him sitting in that stuff. Laying down and eating didn't make it go away entirely, so the nurse even drew my blood to run labs before I left to make sure nothing else was wrong. The Percocet could've exacerbated the dizziness, so I'm just on ibuprofen for pain now. It is not sufficient.

I let Charlie sleep both nights in the hospital, including sleeping-in, so he would be rested enough to help me now when I need it most, but he's still sleeping...just like everyone else in this house but me. I haven't slept more than 30 or 40 minutes at a time for four days. I feel like crying. How dumb is that?

On a much more positive note, here are some more pics (albeit unsharpened). Click to see a larger version of each picture.

Perrin smiled at mommy and did The Fraser Eyebrow™ within seconds of each other, at two days old.


Daddy wasn't the first unsuspecting victim of a Perrin punch — Alyson Merrell got two in the face.


He already tries to look around at everything and prefers to sleep upright.


The first thing Caspian wanted to do was to cuddle on Mommy's arm.


The second thing he wanted to do was kiss his brother.


"Yes, you may!"


Neither the first, nor the last...by a long shot.

Caspian Holding Perrin

Caspian just met Perrin for the first time a few minutes prior to this, and gave him kisses without any prompting!

Perrin David Fiskeaux
born Sunday, April 19, 2009 at 5:49pm
7 lbs 8 oz
19.75" long

More to come…

Sharp vertical pain plus pressure "low down," both when I got up to use the bathroom at 6:30am and when I officially got up after sleeping in, at 8:30am. Forgot to mention, too — I "dropped" Wednesday afternoon.

Whole wheat chocolate chip pancakes (no syrup) made for a good breakfast while sitting on my ball. Can't stand sitting in solid chairs anymore.

CANNOT find our most important box of baby clothes!!! Found the 0-12 mo outerwear and 0-12 mo pants and 0-12 mo sleepers, but not ONESIES for crying out loud. How am I supposed to dress this child?!? It's 72 degrees outside!

Caspian has started giving spontaneous hugs and saying, "I love you!" and "I love you all the time!" Happy sigh.

He strings multiple sentences together and uses everyday phrases that sound so grown-up coming from him, like, "I have an idea — let's read a book!" His grasp of cause-and-effect is really neat, too.

He loves to scare and be scared, but the cats run away, which makes them a more fun target. We're working on that.

Our rule is that Caspian isn't allowed to lock a door unless mommy or daddy asks him to, even if we're in the room with him. He always pretends to lock the door when he shuts us in the office together ("I locked it pretend!") by twinkling his fingers over it and saying, "Zjoob zjoob zjah!"

Tried making peanut butter balls with Caspian this morning. He enjoyed measuring, pouring, and taste-testing ingredients, but NOT the mixing. Turns out he's like his daddy in that he doesn't like his hands being messy. He dug his hands in eagerly, then freaked out. :) Loved the end result, though.

Had labor-related low back pain last night and tonight. Some during the day and definite ctx throughout, but I haven't timed anything because they don't seem regular. I went for a family walk to the playground before dinner, then took a warm bath with Caspian when we got back. On the way home, I pushed the stroller while the guys walked. I must have been going a little slow up the hill, because Caspian started pushing with me and said, "You can do it, mommy!"

at the playground


"Mo-om, he's pointing at me!"


drum lessons


hugs & kisses


swinging like a monkey at the top of the slide (click to see up-close)



We have a game night scheduled for tomorrow, so maybe that'll relax me enough to go into actual labor. Plus Charlie makes whole wheat-chocolate chip pancakes every Saturday morning, which is a bonus. :) Technically 6 days to go, but fingers crossed for this weekend!

Prayers are appreciated, especially for no tearing...

Quick progress report: 2-3 cm dilated, 50-60% effaced (she said she over-estimated last time), and still -2 station. Last Wednesday I was 1cm. This baby won't last another 9 days in here, I don't think! :) We're aiming for this weekend. Prayers and food are appreciated! LOL

Giveaway!

Visit Marissa's photo blogsite for a chance to win a Lexington-area photo session!

PLEASE be sure to put in your comment that I referred you!

Okay, okay. So I know it's been awhile...like, since February 1st.

I have been meaning to catch up on blog posts, but Facebook is so much easier! I promise to try to transfer all the stuff from the last few months so it's accessible to non-FBers. Meanwhile, here's a Dailies exclusive story:

Last night, I was really nauseated when I laid down for bed. I wasn't sure if I needed to eat a snack, take Pepto, just go to sleep, or what. Any time something like this happens now, I wonder if my body is "purifying" itself for labor. (note to self: NOT YET, PLEASE!) Anyway, I went to sleep and had a very vivid dream, only the end of which I remember. I was substitute teaching and went out into the hallway for something and my water broke — gallons of water and ribbons bright red blood everywhere (yes, I know there shouldn't be red blood in my "water" but it was a dream, alright?). All I could think about was that my next prenatal appointment was that day, and I wondered if I should tell my midwife or not, since I wasn't ready to go into labor yet. I woke up in a panic and tried to make sense of the fact that my water had broken. I was really crampy, too! I couldn't reconcile whether or not it was a dream or reality, so I asked somebody and they said it had actually happened. I was wondering if the cramps meant I was in labor or not when I woke up for real.

Nice, huh?

CASPIAN STUFF:

• He loves reading "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom", Babar and Madeline stories, "The Droodles Storybook of Proverbs", Maisy the mouse books, books about babies and being a big brother, and Peter Rabbit.
• He loves playing music, especially doing percussion (everywhere), jamming on the keyboard (especially switching "voices" and adding pre-recorded backbeats), and using my recorder.
• He got his first self-inflicted paper cut yesterday, reading. It really confused him.
• He had his first authorized piece of candy (a Kiss) on Easter. Speaking of, wait 'til you see this video of Caspian sharing the Easter story!
  
• Everything is now a lightsaber. A friend of his had some duplicate Star Wars "Galactic Heroes" figures which he gave to Caspian, who didn't know anything about Star Wars. Now he knows all their names, has seen relevant scenes in the original films (courtesy of grandma), and the first part of Episode IV (courtesy of daddy). We're trying really, really hard to get him out of the violent mindset this has encouraged. I don't mind the constant swordfighting (as he calls it), just when he says, "Kill! Kill everybody!" We're trying to teach him to "stun" instead.
• He is very opinionated about his clothes now. Some days he insists on khaki pants or a tie-dye shirt, etc.
• His favorite things to watch are classic Disney animated films, Pixar films, and VeggieTales.
  

PICTURES:

Best friend Becky, her husband Ed, and their daughter Amelia (Caspian's birthday buddy) visited scenic Wilmore last month. Becky also did an amazing maternity shoot with us while she was here. We've seen a few of the shots but can't wait to see more of the pictures she took!!!


Caspian's board game addiction has decreased lately, but this was at its peak. Bonus points to Kate and Crystal if they remember which one this is! (no cheating, mom)


our cuddlebug wakes up daddy from a nap


April 5, after our church Easter egg hunt


We're planning another natural childbirth with a midwife and a doula at the hospital. I want to avoid back labor if I can, this time, so I spend a lot of time on hands and knees (the birthing ball really helps and is a comfy seat, too). Caspian likes to use his ball with me.


My awesome friend Tracy got her aunt to do a henna tattoo on my belly! This is the dark brown paste, but it flaked off and left an orange-hued tattoo which faded to freckle-brown.


Caspian is authorized to perch atop his baby brother for the last time until they're at least 8 or 9.


If you want more, join Facebook or just be patient...

Caspian asked for "boo" again last Sunday: "Mommy, I want boo, please! Not switch boos, just boo. Not the other boo." (That means right side only; not left, not both.) After I confirmed (out of shock) like 5 times and got ready, he said, "No boo!" and ran off to play. Stinker.

We survived the ice/snow storms this week. It was great having Charlie home some mornings (and one whole day). Praise God, we only lost power in little blips here and there — nothing major.

My prenatal appointment got bumped to Friday because of the ice/snow. "Ugh" for glucose tests. I failed it, so I have to go next week and sit in the office for 3 hours after fasting all night while they do a make-up test. My MW said some people always seem to fail the first test when they're actually fine, which is what happened to me last pregnancy, too. Perrin's heartbeat was 140, and he measured perfectly on schedule. I gained four pounds this month. Now I'm down to the every-two-weeks appointments!

A Sample Conversation From Just Now:
[from hallway] No, no!
[coming into office] Mommy, flies. [pronounced "fwys"]
What? Fries? Fuzz? [trying to figure out what he might have said/seen]
FLIES! [still "fwys"] There are some flies flying around in the hallway.
Oh, FLIES? Did you catch 'em?
No, I didn't...catch 'em. I don't catch flies.

I took the 43 Things Personality Quiz and found out

I'm a Lifelong Learning Extroverted Builder

0.59% of the 81,503 people who have taken this quiz are like me.

HAPPY THIRD TRIMESTER TO ME (as of yesterday)!!!

90 days (or 12 weeks and 6 days) to go until Perrin's EDD. That is so...unbelievable.

I gave Caspian some applesauce (which he loves) for lunch yesterday, and he said, "No, mommy. I'd like some real fruit from the store." (He meant whole, raw fruit.) LOL

Yesterday Caspian discovered an old wooden Disney puzzzle I'd put up for when he was older, and he mastered it right away! He likes to start with the middle pieces and work his way out, too, like he's challenging himself. Speaking of which, he also did it — without hesitation — with the puzzle base upside-down this afternoon (so, no outline for guidance). I'd love to get him some more jigsaw puzzles, now that he's beyond the peg-piece-into-a-single-shape-outline type. He could probably handle a 12-piece at this point, I think, since the seven-piece was a lark to him after just a few tries. Here's his upside-down puzzle play:

And now, a special offer (idea borrowed from Deb):
The first five people to respond to this post with a posted comment about this offer will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

• I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.
• What I create will be just for you.
• It'll be done this calendar year.
• You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure! However, I do promise that it will be more than just a handmade card!
• I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.
• I have to know you — no stranger blog-stalkers allowed.
• No, the baby I'm currently "making" is not up for grabs. Sicko.

THE CATCH: you HAVE TO put this in your blog/online journal/Facebook as well. We can all make stuff!

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Lately we've been working on curbing Caspian's auto-toddler response of "Nonononono!" when we start to do something he doesn't like. We ask him to "use other words to tell us what he wants" instead. Praise God, it's been working well! Now, 3 times out of 4, he'll just tell us "Please don't pick me up" or "I want to do it myself" instead of "Nonononono!"

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We're going through our board games to try to weed out the ones we don't like much. One of the games we "test-played" recently is called Lie Detector, which has a cool non-electronic "polygraph" that tells whether a clue-giver's clue is true or false. Each clue-giver's card has their picture on it, and they're labeled by occupation. Caspian is entranced by this game (it's got cards with different people, a polygraph that makes noise, a "pen" that pokes in holes, and a peg board for keeping score). He was testing different cards in the polygraph and asking me what they were. Some of the occupations were unfamiliar to him, as evidenced by this exchange:
"Mommy, what's that?" (holds up card)
(reading card aloud) a psychic reader
"What means psychic reader, mommy?" :)

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Speaking of asking questions, Caspian totally cracks us up with his inflections. He's realized that we tend to raise our speaking pitch at the end of a question and tries to emulate it now. Sometimes he'll start out in a normal tone of voice and then speak the last word in falsetto while he raises his eyebrows, and other times he'll speak most of the question in his question voice. Something like, "Daddy, want some cookies TOO?" I have got to get it on video, as description hardly does him justice.

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We got to play in the leftover snow this morning — I've already taken 267 photos today! The playground next door looked like a winter wonderland, but the camera batteries died before we discovered the kitty footprints. Caspian took this opportunity to use his garden fork for the first time, to dig through the snow and debris. He doesn't have any snow gear, per se, so I put a pair of my earmarked-for-puppets socks over his shoes and pant legs. It worked really well! After we came in, we had cocoa...although his was more milk than cocoa, which makes me think using a couple drops of Hershey's wouldn't be a bad way to get him to drink more milk... There were so many "must-see" photos that I created a Multiply album instead of trying to upload them here. Here's a teaser for you!

This is so funny, I just had to post again.

Caspian woke up from his nap hungry and asked for a snack, but I told him it was almost dinner time. He looked over to where my cell phone was sitting, saw the "M" and said, "M for McDonald's" (he saw the big decorative "M" on the wall at McDonald's last week). I explained that it was for Motorola in this case, which is a phone brand not a restaurant. Then he replied, "I want to eat at a restaurant for dinner!" LOL He said not at McDonald's, but at a restaurant "where the man cooks food." After a few more clarifying questions, I established that he meant Nagasaki Inn, where we ate at a hibachi table last month.

Oh. My. Goodness.

I don't know which spurred my "had me at hello" moment, the picture or the title: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies.

And it's all from mixes!

Here's a copy of the Betty Cocker recipe plus the ganache recipe from the Bakerella blog (who took the pics).

You can hate/thank me later.

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Here's my newest belly pic, at 26 weeks, 3 days:

Asbury finally fixed their pool, so I get to start water aerobics tonight! Hooray! That also means I get to use my maternity bathing suit for the first time since I bought it in 2006. My midwife wrote me a prescription for "water aerobics and/or yoga and/or massage as needed for lower back pain" so our HSA will cover the costs. Praise God!!!!!!!!!

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I don't know if I mentioned it or not, but I decided to do a Project 365 like Kate. Unfortunately, I didn't decide to do it until January 9th or so, and I didn't take any pics at all on the 5th or 6th, so I can't go back and fudge it for the new year. It's a lot of fun capturing everyday moments that might not otherwise get photographed. Here are some of the photos I didn't use:

"toddler crack" (AKA bubbles) at library storytime

Caspian's 1st Mr. Potato Head experiment pitiful-with-a-hurt-knee banana-eater
(he twisted his knee in his sleep and it hurt for days; he started playing with Betsy again because he felt so pitiful) leaf collecting at Asbury in November
Where's the "m"? There! After I ruffled his feathers, I realized Caspian's rooster fro needed a trim.Caspian steels himself for his first trim by Mommy.
At least nothing started bleeding.
He lets me hold him when he first wakes up. (I'm 6 months preggers, here.) He rolled over into the void I'd left in the Snoogle. Here's my Project 365 Photo Album!

This is from the Cake Wrecks blog.

Just for fun, I asked Caspian what animal this was. He thought about it for a little bit, then said, "It's dirty." It looks dirty? "Yeah." But what animal is it? After looking a little longer, he said, "I've never seen that." ROFLOL

Wanna go on a diet? Just look at the second cake in this post.

It's not Christmas anymore, but the third cake in this post is so funny.

Lastly, here's one for Duncan.

On Monday, inexplicably, Caspian completely switched over from saying "yes" to saying "yeah." I had never heard him say it, and he just woke up like that! He's so funny.

One of my favorite "spots" is the little divot on the back of Caspian's neck — right where his baby rat-tail ends. It's just a little indentation, but it is so kissable and strokeable! Sigh.

After his final diaper change of the night tonight, when he was just wearing his onesie, Caspian proclaimed, "I am not dressed anymore. I am half naked!" He is so amazing. Speaking of grown-up talk, he was carrying an empty laundry basket from his room and started to bring it into the office where I was. I told him, "That goes in the laundry room." He turned and headed down the hall with a resigned "O-kaaaay." LOL

I feel guilty because a certain unnamed photographer who owns a minivan keeps harassing me for not posting more belly shots. Well, I feel guilty because I don't have as many of Perrin-bump as I do of Caspian-bump. Anyway, here is Perrin-bump on Saturday (yesterday) at 25 weeks, 2 days (6 months) along. (Click for a bigger picture.)

We were in Georgetown at a Mary Kay training event put on by National Sales Director Linda Toupin (third from left). I only bother buttoning the top button of my Red Jacket now, as it is not a maternity jacket. It's a little difficult to see where the bump is, since my black dress melds into Devyani's navy jacket, but at least it's a picture, right?

And for the record, HAH! Not only were the other belly pictures in my December 2nd post, you actually commented on it, Mrs. Minivanographer. At least you remind me to post. Thank you!

Oh, yeah. I saw Perrin kick from the outside for the first time last Saturday (January 3). It was pretty neat.

BONUS FUN: If you want to feel much, muuuuuch better about what you named your child, please visit this website. Some people are just sick.

This is really disturbing!

Barring a reprieve, regulations set to take effect next month could force thousands of clothing retailers and thrift stores to throw away trunkloads of children's clothing.

The law, aimed at keeping lead-filled merchandise away from children, mandates that all products sold for those age 12 and younger -- including clothing -- be tested for lead and phthalates, which are chemicals used to make plastics more pliable. Those that haven't been tested will be considered hazardous, regardless of whether they actually contain lead.

"They'll all have to go to the landfill," said Adele Meyer, executive director of the National Assn. of Resale and Thrift Shops.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-thrift2-2009jan02,0,2083247.story (for the rest of this article)

The CPSC has preliminarily approved changes that exempt 100% cotton and wood goods, but the current wording/impact of this bill still borders on the ridiculous. Think "no more Once Upon A Child" and "no more buying kids' clothes and toys at Goodwill" as of February 10.

Go to this link to have automatic e-mails sent to your local legislators: http://www.rallycongress.com/make-second-hand-kids-clothes-legal-/

PASS IT ON!!!

Had my 24½-week checkup today. I gained 3 pounds in the last month (incidentally, I weigh now what I did when I got pregnant with Caspian), and Perrin's heartbeat is 154. She didn't even have to coax him into holding still — it was there, strong, as soon as she put the wand on my tummy! My next appointment is in 3 weeks, then I start my 2-week appointments! Glucose test next time. I did get a prescription for water aerobics, massage, and yoga "as needed for back pain" so my insurance will cover it. Praise God!

Couldn't figure out what Caspian was trying to tell me yesterday morning until he demonstrated — "I'm chuckling, mommy." When I didn't get it after a while, he went "Huh huh huh — chuckling!"

The September/October 2008 issue of Today's Christian Woman magazine featured an article (about using your spiritual gifts) which reminded me of my Mary Kay career. I'm sure these three excerpts will strike a chord with you as well:

When God empowers you to serve others through your spiritual gifts and you've found the places where God wants you to use them, you're more alive and fulfilled than during any other pursuit. You might even have fun!

When Mary Kay found me, I never really thought about serving or enriching others at all, but God has really expanded my heart through my Mary Kay experiences, to the point where I finally do think about making others feel important. It's amazing how He has woven potential for the use of so many spiritual gifts into this incredible opportunity (teaching, leading, giving, hospitality, administration, tongues, faith, healing, mercy, etc.). The next few sentences in the article contained some really interesting surprises!

The word passion is defined as "a powerful emotion." Its synonym is enthusiasm. The word enthusiasm comes from the Greek phrase en theos, "with God." So, if you're enthusiastically pursuing a passion that God has put in your heart, you're doing it with God.

What a great reminder of how He guides us in our lives — and how ALL good things come from Him! The article goes on to say,

Frederick Buechner put it this way: "The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." To search for this kind of passion isn't a selfish quest for fulfillment; rather, it's looking for the exact thing God designed you to do.

May the God of all goodness grant YOU an encounter with passion this week!