Ten on Tuesday (45)

First of all, let me say that I’m thoroughly disappointed that there weren’t more participants last week. It was a lot easier than it looked and it was so much fun to see everyone’s pictures. Any feedback? I’ve heard from some people that they’d like to do picture posts again. I need thoughts and feelings, please.

This week’s questions were submitted by Ashley at Ashley’s Antics. Go visit her!

1. Pretend it’s Monday morning–take us through a day in the life of you.
My alarm goes off, I push snooze. Repeat a couple times… cursing the Monday gods each time. I finally roll out of bed, shower, do my makeup and hair, get dressed, pack lunches, make toast with PB, and then hop in the car. Stephen drives us to his work, then I take the car to my office. Then I do whatever it is that I do at work. I stop and eat lunch at my desk from 12-1, this is non-negotiable. I work until 5:00 then drive to Stephen’s office to pick him up, then he drives us home. I get home and make dinner. Depending on what’s going on, we hang out at home or go do whatever it is we need to do. I usually have Bible Study on Monday nights but we don’t during the summer so I’ve just been watching the How I Met Your Mother, Rules of Engagement, Big Bang Theory lineup.

2. What’s your favorite reality tv show?
The Biggest Loser. But since that’s not on right now, I have to say Chopped or any other reality show on Food Network.

3. What motto do you live by?
I don’t live by any mottos.

4. If you knew could you try anything and not fail, what dream would you attempt?
I’d open a used bookshop slash bakery slash coffee shop. There would be big comfy chairs inside and nice shaded comfy areas to sit outside. It would have delicious cupcakes and mini cheesecakes. And we’d have pumpkin spice lattes year-round.

5. What was your first job?
I was a hostess/busser at a local cafe. I didn’t really like it but I liked the idea of working and making money. One day the manager told the only male host that he was the only employee worth anything around there. I quit the next day.

6. What is your current job?
I do billing and other administrative type work for a construction company. It is very glamorous.

7. What would you call yourself if you could choose your own name (and you cannot pick the one you already have)?
This is a very hard question. I really like my name because it’s not common at all. I’d want some other not common, not weird name. I can’t think of any… I think Chelsea is the only one that exists.

8. What musical instruments can you play?
HA! Next question.

9. Is it easier to forgive or forget?
Forgive. Forgetting is very, very hard.

10. What is one food you’d never want to taste again?
There are several things I could do without. Lentils, fish, okra, cooked spinach, olives, and anything mushy (tres leches cake, bread pudding, squash, etc.)

I was boring today. Sorry. I hope you’re more interesting!

Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER!!! I love you. You’re getting old.

Pregnant Pause – 37 Weeks

I’m still here. Still with child.

I had a pretty contraction-less weekend. I had several Friday morning and then they laid off for the rest of the weekend. Which is actually pretty surprising because my Saturday was extremely busy. I ran errands with my mom all day. I had to buy some shower and wedding gifts since I knew this could be my last chance to run errands sans child. By the end of the errands, I was utterly exhausted. My feet were throbbing and all I wanted to do was lay down for about 72 hours. But the show must go on. So I showered and got pretty and Stephen and I went to a local park for some maternity photos. I really hope they turn out well but I’m not going to hold my breath since it was approximately 150 degrees outside.

We smiled and did our best to look comfortable even though Stephen’s forehead was covered in sweat a mere .62 seconds after stepping outside. And I tried to give off a beautiful pregnant glow even though my sausage finger was shoved into my wedding ring and my sweat was making my clothes wrinkle. So if the pictures aren’t great, it is in NO way a reflection of the photographer. It is 100% a reflection of the fact you should not take maternity photos when you are 9 months pregnant in the Texas heat.

After that we went straight to Stephen’s sister’s 30th birthday party. I immediately turned into a giant party pooper and sat myself in a chair and didn’t move for 3 hours… except to go to the bathroom, of course.

By the time we got home, I was worn out. WORN OUT. I slept until about 9:30 on Sunday before getting up and getting ready for church. I am equally thankful and shocked that my Saturday didn’t cause contractions. I stayed off my feet most of Sunday and even spent some time in my parents’ pool.

And now here we are, Monday morning. I’m 37 weeks and 1 day into my pregnancy. I’ve only had one contraction today and very minimal pain in my lower abdomen. I’m going to keep chugging water to keep these at bay. I anticipate a fairly easy time until Wednesday when I have my next appointment. I’m convinced that the pelvic exams gets things going and that’s why I had such a rough day last Wednesday. So we’ll see how this week goes.

Riddle me this. Why is it that when you are 9 months pregnant, everyone wants to tell you their birth stories?! It’s very odd. People I hardly know come and tell me things. Although I don’t really mind it, I actually think birth stories are pretty fascinating. I just think it’s odd that people open up so quickly just because I have a large belly. What I do mind is when people speak in absolutes. “Oh you will know the morning you wake up that it’s going to happen that day!” Really? Really? I beg to differ. Because this other woman told me that she had no clue until about 2 hours before and just made it to the hospital with 20 minutes to spare. “Contractions are the worst part of pregnancy! If you can get through those without an epidural, you can get through the birth.” Really? Because I swear that lady over there just told me that her contractions were a piece of cake but the actual delivery was awful. Hmm. “Be prepared to push for a good hour.” Oh? “You should only have to push for about 20 minutes.” I see.

I have no problem hearing what YOU had to do, but please don’t tell me what I’M going to have to do. Unless of course, your name is God. In which case, feel free to tell me all the details.

Was that a rant? I’m sorry, that was a rant. I’ll just shut up now and show you a picture.

That’s me and my big ol belly! Which actually doesn’t even look that big in those clothes. Trust me, it’s big.

Anyways, that’s my update. Possibly my last one depending on how this week goes. Several people are hoping for an ironic birth on Labor Day. I’ll see what I can do to fulfill your dreams.

Hope you all had fabulous contraction-less weekends as well!

(ToT will be posted shortly.)

Seven Quick Takes

I have no intro…

1.
Well in case anyone is wondering if Stephen is still allergic to shellfish, we’re going to go with “yes” on that. Last night he went to the dog track with work and ate a jalapeno popper. He didn’t realize until after he ate it that it was a seafood stuffed jalapeno popper. He wasn’t sure what that meant or if it would bother him, but he warned me when he got him. Sure enough, he had a stomach ache all night and he’s been throwing up this morning. Good times.

2.
I’ve had more Braxton Hicks this morning. Not as many as Wednesday but it’s still hard to ignore.

3.
I took a video of my belly last week and you can really see Jansen moving. He looks a lot like an alien. I tried to post it but I don’t know how. It’s a crappy cell phone file and WordPress doesn’t like to post those. So I’m not really sure how to solve that. The good news is that Lyndsey bought us a Flip Video Camera so I will now be taking real videos instead of cell phone videos.

4.
I’m supposed to be getting maternity photos taken tomorrow. There is a girl at our church who is super talented and we have plans to get together tomorrow and take some. I’m excited but also nervous. I’m not good at things like that. Especially since it’s going to be hot and I’m going to be tired!

5.
Today is my sister-in-law’s thirtieth birthday!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY COURTNEY! Have a fabulous day.

6.
Have ya’ll heard about this Cinnabon cereal?? I just recently heard about it and I really think I need to try it. I can’t help but think about cinnamon rolls on a daily basis… it intrigues me to think about them in cereal form!

7.
Where is the best place to buy glasses? My mom bought hers at Target. I saw a commercial for a Lens Crafters sale. Any thoughts or feelings?

That’s all I’ve got today. I’m boring.

No More Showers In The Forecast

Saturday was my final shower. Actually if we’re going to be honest, Saturday was Jansen’s final shower. Aside from the two giant cinnamon rolls my friend Kelly gave me, all of the gifts were for Jansen. He doesn’t know it yet but he’s very appreciative.

This one was put on my two of my aunts and my sister-in-law, Laura.

As you can probably tell, it was a baseball themed shower. And goodness gracious, was it cute!! This was the entry table:

All of the guests signed the baseball! The thing on the left is the invitation, it even has little Jansen’s ultrasound picture on it! There were decorations all over the place. My cousin has been playing baseball since h was in the womb so my aunt had a ton of items to bring to decorate.

We first gathered in the living room and played a guessing game. There were 10 ziploc bags and each contained some sort of white powder. We had to pass them around and guess what they were. I was quite terrible at this game, only getting 5 correct. Although at least I didn’t guess cornstarch for one of the bags even though that wasn’t an option. Cough cough mother-in-law cough. My sister actually won, which I swear is a complete fluke because she honestly doesn’t know the difference between baking powder and baking soda when it’s in the box! I think the hostesses were playing a trick on us because all of the bags smelled like baby powder and plastic!

Then it was time for lunch… aka: my favorite time of the day. Going along with the baseball theme, we had BBQ baked potatoes. (I don’t know about your baseball fields, but that’s a common food at Minute Maid Park.) They were so delicious and I managed to eat the entire thing without spilling even a drop on my dress! (Taking a bow…) Thank you, thank you!

Then we played another game. We broke up into two teams (I was the umpire) and played “baseball.” The pitcher had to draw a question out of the helmet and “pitch it” to the batter. The batter had to answer. If the batter got it right, it was a home run. If the batter got it wrong, it was an out. Three outs and then you switch. Some of the questions were baseball related and next to impossible, some were Chelsea related and TOTALLY possible, especially if you read my blog! In the end, “The J’s” won, not only because they answered more questions but because they chose a good name… as opposed to the other team who named themselves “The Averys.” Newsflash: Wrong baby!

Dessert time! Probably the cutest idea in the world… we had ice cream sundaes in baseball helmets!

I had a tough time choosing which team to be since I didn’t immediately see the Astros. (Plus, with the Astros luck, the helmet probably had a hole it in and would leak all over my dress.) So I chose the A’s.

Chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup. Topped with sprinkles, crushed Reese’s, and a cheery on top. Mmm Mmm good!

At this point the shower was technically over since it was 2:00. (I will never understand why people think showers are only going to be two hours. Every shower I go to says it’ll be 2 hours and it’s always 3.) But we had gifts to open, so we powered through.

I got some amazing items. Many homemade items including a scrapbook that is completely done except for the pictures. Fantastic! I’ll show you some of the other homemade items in the future when I have plans to post all of the amazing things people have made for Jansen. I also got a crib mattress (Praise the Lord!) and our carrier/stroller set.

It was a great shower. I left feeling loved, exhausted, and relieved. My best friend’s mom came even though she lives hours away. I think I hugged her at least 4 times! I was just bubbling (and sweating) by the end of it. We got so many “necessities” that it really took a weight off of my shoulders. That is… until yesterday when my doctor told me I’m already dilating and I started having contractions every time I stood up. (Cue freak out.)

I’m feeling great today. Not a single contraction, no pressure, nothing abnormal. I’m just hoping he’ll wait until September to make his arrival. I’d really like him to wait a bit longer than that, but at the very minimum, I’ll take September. And the good news is that he’ll be around to watch his very first World Series. Lucky boy!

Predictions

I was planning on doing this next week but the way I see it, the longer I wait, the easier it’s going to be to guess. Every day that goes by is another day that we know Jansen is not making his arrival. Over the weekend I asked a lot of my family to make their predictions. I’m not going to mention what any of them were, but it was surprising to see how similar many of them think.

So I wonder, Blogworld, do you feel the same way? When do you think the little one is going to make his debut? What will his stats be? Take a guess! Maybe I can come up with some sort of prize for the person who gets the closest (don’t hold your breath though!).

Leave your comment and take a guess at his 1) arrival date 2)weight and 3) length.

A few bits of info to help you make your guess:

-I was early
-Stephen was 3 weeks late
-I weighed 7 pounds 11 ounces
-Stephen weighed 11 pounds
-I have no idea how long I was
-Stephen was like 23 inches, I think
-Jansen’s official due date is September 19
-As of 30 weeks, he was measuring in the 54th percentile
-As of this morning, I’m 2-3 centimenters dialated

And…. go!

Ten on Tuesday (44)

For each of the following, take a picture. This is a chance for us to get a literal glimpse into each other’s lives. Feel free to skip a question if it doesn’t apply to you or it’s too personal. You can include explanations if necessary.

I chose to leave out explanations.

1. Your house.

(Clearly not a recent photo…)

2. Your shower.

3. The inside of your refrigerator.

4. Your pet.

5. Your favorite pair of shoes.

6. The most comfortable seat in your house.

7. Your favorite cup or coffee mug.

8. Your laundry room.

9. The view from your office chair.

10. Your spouse/significant other/roommate.

Here’s Mr. Linky.

Pregnant Pause – 36 Weeks

As of yesterday, I’m officially considered “full term.” I’m not exactly sure what that means… I imagine it means that if Jansen were born today, the likelihood of him having any developmental issues is slim. Is that right? Does anyone know? I’m sure I could Google but sometimes you guys are better than Google.

I’m pretty sure he is getting bored in there. He moves around constantly and I’m pretty certain that he’s trying to back his way out. His butt is usually pressed up against my belly, causing me to look deformed and lop-sided. Most of the time it is pretty entertaining but sometimes it really hurts. It really makes me wonder how big he is. He feels like he must be huge because he is literally all over the place, but the last measurement we had put him at the 54th percentile. I have an appointment on Wednesday, maybe she’ll give me a bit more insight then.

I have some bad news (mostly bad to me and my sister, and I suppose Stephen). Last night we found my first stretch mark. Let me clarify. Last night we found my first stretch mark on my belly. My hiney is another story and I’d rather not talk about it. Every night Stephen holds my belly and feels Jansen’s movements and then gives him a kiss. Last night as he was doing this he stopped and said, “Wait. What is this? Did you scratch yourself?” Who knows?! This belly gets in the way. He went on, “It looks sort of shiny. Is it a stretch mark??” SAD DAY. I have been told by books and the internet that stretch marks are hereditary… if your momma got them, you’ll get them. My momma didn’t get them so I thought I was in the clear. Then my butt began to look like a sunburned zebra, red stripes from cheek to cheek. I was sad to see that but since my butt is never seen in public, I wasn’t too concerned. But my belly? My belly often visits the beach.

So we are about 99% sure that the line we found last night is a stretch mark. This morning I was inspecting it and I found two more lines on my belly. It is not yet confirmed if they are stretch marks, they are lacking the shiny quality of my beloved first mark. We shall see. So bad news sister, looks like we aren’t in the clear.

Other than that, there aren’t many changes. My feet still hurt, I’m only able to sleep in the recliner, and I can still eat cinnamon rolls like a champ.

This weekend was really productive. I had my last shower on Saturday (more on that later in the week) and spent some time trying to get organized. I still have a lot of work to do but I feel like I’ve made progress. Stephen put the stroller/carrier set together. Then he put the swing together. It was so cute. Until we turned it on. It made the WORST noise (grind click grind click) that, I think, may be worse than a screaming baby. And the sound effects on it? Holy cow! One of the reviews we read online said, “The waves sound like a construction site and the birds sound like two pterodactyls fighting over meat.” Needless to say, we knew we couldn’t keep it. I got online and did some research on swings. I am very sensitive to clicks and I knew I’d go insane if I had to listen to rhythmic clicks all day.

We ended up learning that the one with the best reviews was this Fisher Price swing that converts into a high chair. Interesting. Well we already have a high chair… So I got online and read the reviews for our high chair. Several complaints about how “impossible” it is to get the tray on and off easily. So we decided to return the swing and the high chair and get the two in one piece. Thankfully, Babies R Us didn’t give us any grief over our partially assembled swing that we couldn’t get back in the box and we got the full refund. Last night, Stephen put together the new piece. It doesn’t look as fancy as the others but it is SILENT and compact. To all of you preggos out there, I recommend this product!

Things are coming together. I feel much better after this weekend, knowing we have a stroller and a carrier and a mattress. I can definitely feel that we are nearing the end. I had several bouts of Braxton Hicks over the weekend, mostly when I fold the laundry. I think that the heat and bending are just too much for my body at this point.

Here’s my weekly photo:

When you look at me head-on, my belly sticks out the bottom of that shirt. Thankfully it doesn’t show up in the picture!

(Ten on Tuesday questions were posted as of last Thursday. I think this week is going to be a lot of fun, I’m anxious to see who participates!)

Seven Quick Takes

Another Friday, another week gone by. They sure are flying by over here! Click the logo for more Quick Takers.

1.
We got our car back this morning and it’s nice and shiny and clean. As far as we know, it was fixed properly. Now we’re getting used to driving it again. I was enjoying the nice handling on the Dodge Avenger we had. But it is really nice to be up higher again… SUV’s are the way to go!

2.
I borrowed a dress from my cousin’s cousin (I don’t know an easier way to say that) and I was going to wear it to my shower tomorrow. I tried it on last night and I look very blah. I’ve seen it on her and she doesn’t look blah at all. I’m going to go to Old Navy during my lunch break to see if they have any cute dresses on sale. (I’m not going to hold my breath.) Then we’ll stop at Motherhood on the way home tonight to see if there’s anything. Hopefully I’ll find something. If not, oh well. I’m pregnant and people have to be nice to me regardless of what I’m wearing.

3.
Have you ever seen shoes tinier than this??

4.
My mother-in-law receives the MIL Of The Year award. On Monday she and my SILs took my to get a pedicure and out to dinner. On Wednesday, she cleaned my house. SHE CLEANED MY HOUSE. I know there are a lot of great MILs out there but she at least deserves the MIL Of The Week award. And that’s not up for debate.

5.
In case you missed the reference above, I have my third and final baby shower tomorrow. This one is being hosted by two of my aunts and my sister-in-law. (The SIL that had the beautiful little Avery!) I think it’s going to be so much fun. I’m also excited that it’s the last one so I know things are winding down. I can get things in order and settle in for the big day.

6.
The men at my office are very obsessed with my due date. They all seem to think I’m going to have the baby right this minute. When I walk into a room someone will say, “Not here! Don’t do it here!” or “Uh oh… watch out. Get out of her way before she pops.” One guy came to my office to see if I was still around and asked, “How are you doing? No water breaking or anything, right?” My boss seems to think that Jansen is laying the wrong way in my uterus… like he has turned and I’m so big because he is literally laying the length of my belly… like his head is pushing my belly out and his feet are facing backwards. I don’t mind their chatter, as long as they stay away from the “wide load” comments.

7.
Yesterday was August 19. My due date is September 19. How do you feel about that? (Truth be told, it makes me a bit nervous!)

Yesterday We Talked About Baths, Today Is About Showers

Last weekend I had my second baby shower. This one was hosted by my mother-in-law, two sister-in-laws, and Stephen’s aunt. And of course, it was wonderfully decorated and I was spoiled rotten. Or maybe Jansen was spoiled rotten, it’s not like I’ll be wearing the onesies or sitting in the high chair. Regardless, someone in the Hurst family was spoiled rotten.

Check out some of the decor. This my mom, my MIL, and me.

Do you need a close-up of those cupcakes?

Cute! They were really good too. The icing looks like it would be super sweet but it really wasn’t.

They had all of my belly pictures hanging above the buffet!

It was pretty darn cute!

The food was great, I had two platefuls because I’m pregnant and I can. It even prompted one of the women to say, “Have you had an appetite chance since you’ve been pregnant?” I wanted to say, “Clearly!” but I felt that might be rude so I just responded, “Hmm, just a tad.”

Speaking of rude. They played a game called “HOW FAT IS CHELSEA?” Just kidding. Kind of. They had a guessing game to see who could guess how many inches around I am, and honestly HONESTLY it didn’t hurt my feelings. I had no clue how big I was and I was thankful that they didn’t make me guess. It was fun to see the answers though. What’s your guess?

My SIL, Heather, guessed the exact answer. I’m 43.5 inches around. She said she’s been watching a lot of weight-loss shows so she had a good idea about large waists! Whatever works, Heather!

Then we did presents. There were presents a-plenty. And of course it’s fun to open them but it’s always more fun when I get home because I can look through everything slowly and actually process it. Here’s a very important question for you… why is everything so much cuter when they put something on the butt?

A frog. On the butt! We also got this little romper that is blue and white striped and it has a crab on the front. On the butt it says, “Ahoy!” We melted. Baby butts are already so cute… they just become over-the-top cute when you decorate them!

I obviously can’t show you everything but I’ll leave you with a few more pictures. This is me with the hostesses. (L-R: Aunt Melanie (Tia Mel), MIL, me, SIL Courtney, SIL Heather – who just got engaged and has a ginormous rock and I should have taken a picture to show you)

This is the diaper bag I mentioned the other day. I actually cheated and opened it before the shower because it’s from my cousin and she wasn’t in town and I just couldn’t wait because it was in a big bag and it was heavy. So I opened it. And it was a diaper bag filled with everything she LOVED when her little Sophie was a newborn. And I had to show you the bag because it’s hard to find something this stinking cute when you’re having a boy.

Don’t you love it? It’s beautiful and well-made and I’m going to look so hip!

In case you couldn’t tell, it was a great shower. My top was sheer and I was wearing leggings, so I didn’t sweat as much as I did at the first shower in the denim dress. Which I think is a bonus for both me and the guests who have to hug me.

I’m going to leave you with the best picture of the day. It doesn’t include any baby gear or even a baby bump, but it’s such a great picture that I’d think it is totally blog-worthy. This is me with my sister.

As always, you can click on any of the pictures to make them bigger. Thanks for letting me document this. It may not be as fun for you to read,  but this is the type of post that I’ll want to revisit in the future.

A House Full Of Talent

I like to brag on my dog. Sometimes she is really smart. Dont get me wrong, sometimes she is a complete fool and I wonder how she functions… but I think that all dogs have that gene. I swear though, sometimes she is a genius.

Rookie loves ice. She thinks it’s a treat, which helps us save a buck or two on Milkbones and Scooby Snacks! But sometimes she’ll come to the fridge and act like she really wants a piece, and then she’ll just drop it on the floor and walk away. So I say, “No ma’am. You asked for that ice, you’re going to eat that ice. Now come here and get it.” And she will. She’ll put her head down and slowly walk to the ice and start chomping away. (And please don’t tell me that ice is bad for their teeth. She’s been eating ice since she was a puppy and the vet always tells us what great teeth she has. So you’re wrong.)

My favorite Rookie trick is when I tell her to go get Stephen and she does. Sometimes she is more successful than others, I think she’s learning that she has to fuss at him, she can’t get run over to him and stare. We don’t read minds.

Last night I took a nice warm bubble bath. Of course it wasn’t too great because I’m the size of a hippo and hippos aren’t meant to sit in standard sized bathtubs. So while there may have been warm water and bubbles, only about 35% of my body was submerged. At one point I needed Stephen to come in there. (We’re married. He’s allowed to see his hippo in the bathtub.) I knew from the sounds I heard in the background that he was doing the dishes and there would be no way that he’d hear me yell his name. However, I also knew that Rookie gets really nervous when I yell and starts fussing, I realized I could use that to my advantage. “STEPHEN.” I yelled. Rookie came running to the closed bathroom door and started fussing. “Hey Rookie. Where’s daddy? Go get Stephen! Go get Stephen.” And off she went, her little toenails tapping on the tile floor. I could hear her fuss getting further away.

About 10 seconds later I heard Stephen’s voice, “What’s wrong? Show me. Where’s Chelsea?” He got closer to the bathroom. “Chelsea? Are you okay?” I was grinning ear to ear, “Did she really just go get you?” He told me that yes, she walked into the kitchen and started fussing at him and walked this way. Seriously, that never gets old.

But I’m happy to say that Rookie is not the only one in Hurst Castle that can do cool tricks. Turns out, this little bun in my oven has a fun party trick. (Although, due to the nature of the party, Stephen will be the only one invited.) At this stage in my pregnancy, he’s pretty fully developed. He can hear and taste. He can feel temperature. He’s like a real human baby, only he’s trapped in my uterus. I’ve read that sometimes they’ll respond to your voice or other sounds at this stage. While that sounds cool, I didn’t believe that it would be true.

It’s true.

As I was soaking my hippo body, I popped my toe against the side of the bathtub. I like to do this. I’m a habitual knuckle cracker. When I did, my belly jumped. Up until that point, Jansen had been pretty still. I was almost certain that he was asleep. But I knew I saw my belly jerk and I wondered if the timing was a coincidence or if he heard me pop my toe. So I tried it again. I popped my thumb under water. Sure enough, he jumped again. I was giddy. Besides me pushing on my belly to get him to move, this is the first real interaction I’ve had with him. He hears me and responds! So that’s when I called Stephen. I knew I couldn’t just tell him about this and not try to show him. You just couldn’t believe how cool it is.

Once he arrived in the bathroom with Rookie, I told him what happened. I tried to do it again but all of my knuckles were popped, so Stephen decided he’d try. He knelt down and stuck his hands in the water. I laid really still and he popped his finger. It was a quiet pop and there was no reaction. It wasn’t enough to scare him. (Is it mean that we get our kicks from scaring our child??) So he tried a thumb. Popping a thumb under water is loud, and it proved to be loud enough to make Jansen pop up from his nap and jerk my belly up.

It was amazing. I can’t even put into words how cool it was. He is like a REAL baby with REAL reactions and emotions (anger… I’m sure he experienced some fierce anger). It was just so fun to see a direct cause and effect with him. It totally made my night.

Now can anyone figure out a way to translate to him that the same evil woman who is scaring him during his precious nap is the same women who is housing and feeding him? I can’t have my child hating me already, that’s what the teenaged years are for.