Jameson is mildly obsessed with this book at the moment, as his teachers have also been reading it in daycare. I think it’s safe to say this book has been the favorite of the week (and month)!
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Yes, we are on an Eric Carle kick this week. This is one of my favorite’s to read to Jameson. Every time we get to the part where the caterpillar becomes the butterfly, he goes “woah!” It is the cutest thing ever.
A Visit to the Fire Station
Jameson loves fire trucks and dogs, so this book was able to hold his interest pretty well.
I Love You to the Moon and Back
A very cute book. I think I liked it more than he did, but it will still stay in our rotation!
It was a 4-day work week for me, which meant more opportunities to read with Jameson (and get some of my own reading in).
Here’s what we read this week:
T. Rex distributed by Smithsonian Kids
This is Jameson’s current favorite to skim through during diaper changes. He loves roaring like a dinosaur!
Also, the finger puppet aspect of it made for lots of giggles when we read it together. 10/10. Highly recommend!
On Mother’s Lap by Ann Herbert Scott
I loved this book for many reasons. The story was, of course, a big part of it. The takeaway being that there is always room on mother’s lap.
I also appreciate a book with beautiful pictures and diversity. This book checks both of those boxes.
Jameson sat with me for part of the reading and played nearby for the other part.
He seemed to like the pictures, as he kept coming back to peek at the next page.
Scholastic mini board books
Jameson has taken a serious liking to these in the past few months. We read one of these books at least three times a day!
Romeo and Juliet: a counting primer by Jennifer Adams
Full disclosure: I bought this book at a secondhand bookstore solely because of my love of Romeo and Juliet.
When I was in high school, I must have read through the play dozens of times.
I loved that each reading meant discovering something new in the story, and how beautiful the lines were.
When I sat down with Jameson to read this, I was pleasantly surprised that he really enjoyed this book! Maybe it was the beautifully contrasting colors on every page, or the counting aspect, but he loved it.
He even requested a reread, which I always count as a sign of a well-loved story!
What have you been reading with your child this week?
Here are some of my favorite quotes about parenting:
1. Do not ask your children to strive– William Martin
“Do not ask your children to strive for for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is the way of foolishness. Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life. Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples and pears. Show them how to cry when pets and people die. Show them the infinite pleasure in the touch of a hand. And make the ordinary come alive for them. The extraordinary will take care of itself.”
2. Our children absorb our ways constantly- Dr. Shefali Tsabary
“Our children absorb our ways constantly. They are always watching, listening, making a mental note of what we are doing and how we do it. As a new mother, to realize all my choices now had bearing on another human being felt like a heavy burden to bear. Whether I ordered a diet soda or water, fries or salad, worked out or vegged out in front of the television, nothing was simply about me anymore. How I used my time, coped with anxiety, handled failure, related to my spouse, took care of my finances— everything now affected how another human being would eventually lead her own life.”
3. A child’s inner voice – Peggy O’Mara
“The way we talk to children becomes their inner voice.”
4. Your child is not a masterpiece you create- J. Warren Welch
“Your children are not a masterpiece that you create. They are their own masterpiece, creating themselves, and you have been given the privilege of watching them be the artist.”
5. Love them – Unknown
“Before I had kids I had a million ideas on how I would raise them. Now that they are here I have only one. Love them. Love them through their giggles, messy hands, and fearlessness. And when it is hard, like really hard, love them through that too.”
These are some of my favorite parenting quotes. What are some of yours?
Man, was it a hectic week! Lots of work, a couple of family doctor appointments, and some Junior League obligations made for one exhausted mama.
But we still made time to read some new books (and a few of his favorites, over and over and over, of course)!
Here’s what we read this week:
Good Morning, Good Night by Melanie Mitchell
Jameson liked listening to this book but he wasn’t as into the “touch and feel” aspect of it, as he usually is. I think maybe because all of the textures were pretty similar.
Dinosaur Dance by Sandra Boynton
Okay, so this book didn’t really get a fair shot with us and we only read it halfway through. It was a night that Jameson just wanted to read one of his favorites (Fly! by Xavier Deneux), so by page two he was trying to push his preferred book into my lap! Maybe next week!
What Do You Say, Little Blue Truck? by Alice Shertle
Jameson was a big fan of the animal sounds of this book! This was one we went back to quite a few times throughout the week.
P is for Potty (a Sesame Street Book)
Another book Jameson couldn’t get enough of! He loved all of the little “lift the flaps” on every page. This was a book he kept going to on his own and flipping through for fun. I highly recommend it!
I love sharing what we’re reading with you all, and hope you do too!
Jameson finally tested negative today! We took full advantage of the nice weather and went on not one, but TWO outings!
Our first stop: Honey Joe’s Coffee House
Having an entire indoor playground to himself is a pretty great way to end quarantine!
Jameson and I got up super early (not on purpose. Diaper leakage and soaked mattress at 5 AM. Blah.) so we stayed local for the first outing.
Thankfully, one of the many coffee shops in our neighborhood has an amazing indoor playground. J got to run around and play. Mama got to sip on an iced coffee. Perfection.
Stop Number Two: Stepping Stones Children’sMuseum
Interactive light board that J loved
Desperate to make the most of today’s good weather, since we’re expecting a snow storm tomorrow, we ventured out again after Jameson’s nap.
This was his first time at the children’s museum and he was a big fan! They have a gigantic dinosaur model that moves and roars, which J kept imitating even after we left. Safe to say we’ll be heading back soon!
We ended the day with a mixed bag. I expertly ordered Ubereats to arrive with dinner almost exactly when we got home (score). And the baby went to bed without a hitch. (Double score).
On a sad note, D is now stuck at a hotel in Jersey with flu-like symptoms and is too sick to drive home. With the snow storm coming, he might not get home until late tomorrow night. If he even feels well enough to drive by then.
Anyone else out there expecting a winter storm this weekend? Are you the kind of person who looks forward to snowy weather or do you dread it? I’m not a fan of the snow but I’m excited for Jameson to experience it!
The days of putting up my feet and nesting have finally begun! And not a moment too soon! I don’t think my feet and ankles could have taken any more of chasing two 5 year olds around all day.
This past Friday began the start of my maternity leave. I plan on resting and nesting, of course, while also completing my online board certification of Special Education Advocacy.
The goal is to complete all or most of this course before baby boy gets here. That way I can enjoy my time with him fully, then dive right into starting my consulting business in the fall (when he will hopefully be on a solid sleep schedule).
I am so excited for D and I to be parents and get to care for this new little life of ours.
I am also excited for the swelling in my feet and hands to disappear, and to be able to roll over in bed without getting out of breath! Haha
Look at that squishy face 😍
Highlights:
•baby boys Estimated Fetal Weight scan put him in the 60% percentile for growth and right on track!
•I started my maternity leave this week
•our hospital bags are almost completely packed
Lowlights:
•swollen feet are a daily thing
•carpal tunnel syndrome in both of my hands thanks to this all of this fluid I’m retaining
Ahhh the third trimester…a time of nesting, counting down the days until baby arrives, and…swelling.
So. Much. Swelling.
My ankles have officially swelled wider than my feet…not great.
The swelling isn’t limited to my feet and ankles either. It’s in my calves, as well as my fingers. There is a constant ache in my hands and feet from the moment I wake until I roll back into bed at night.
I’ve heard people say that you get uncomfortable towards the end of your pregnancy so that, instead of fearing your due date (and a painful birthing process) you look forward to the relief that will come from no longer being pregnant.
I am starting to think the person who came up with that line of thinking was really into something.
I am so ready for maternity leave to start next week.
The baby’s bassinet is finally set up and his 0-3 month clothes are washed and ready for him to wear.
Our hospital bag is almost fully packed.
I am counting down the weeks, days and hours until we get to meet our little boy!
Highlights:
•people have been continuing to buy us items from the baby shower registry, even though our shower had to be canceled due to the coronavirus. Super sweet and unexpected!
• I went for an Estimated Fetal Weight ultrasound and baby boy is on target for length/weight and in the head down position
•the ultrasound tech printed out a 4D pic for me to share with D, since he couldn’t be at the appointment with us
My “mama-to-be” Mother’s Day started off on a sweet note, with D waking me up with heart-shaped chocolate chip pancakes and fresh strawberries.
It got even sweeter when he found a house for us to go look at. The house itself turned out to be a bust. Beautiful on the outside but a ton of work needed to be done on the inside.
After that, we stopped by my parents’ house to eat lunch with my family and spend some time with my mom for Mother’s Day.
We then took our time driving home and made a couple of detours through little towns, checking out the real estate as we went and contacting more local agents.
It was a fun, laidback kind of first Mother’s Day, spent with my honey and doing things that I enjoy doing (we also got some pretty good pizza. Score!).
I know that to some people, my first “real” Mother’s Day will be once the baby is actually born. I can see their point there. But to me, I feel like I already am a momma just by being a mama-in-waiting, and it was nice to celebrate the blessing of being the mama of this little baby growing inside of me.
All in all, a very good day.
Highlights:
•celebrated my first Mother’s Day
•we finally sold our extra fish tank, which made more room for baby’s things
•our house hunting has really picked up
Lowlights
•swelling in my feet and hands has become a daily thing now
•you know that insomnia is no joke still
•a house we really fell in love with turned out to be too much of a fixer upper for our budget
With only (about) 9 weeks to go, D and I are working on making room for baby boy in our cozy (aka small) one-bedroom apartment.
So far we’ve successfully gotten rid of a “man cave-esque” book shelf that was made of old wine crates, because it was more decorative than storage-friendly, and a bench press that was mostly being used for holding laundry.
We’ve also added some multipurpose storage items and rearranged furniture to make room for baby’s bassinet and (when we can find one we like) dresser.
Maternity StitchFix Box
This week I also got my first maternity StitchFix box! I wasn’t feeling very excited about the maternity options I was finding in online stores, so decided I would give Stitch mFix a shot.
They sent me 5 clothing items and I ended up liking and keeping 4 of them. They sent me two blue maternity dresses (I requested this color because, at the time of ordering, I was hoping to wear one of them to my baby shower), two maternity tops in fun spring colors, and a pretty pink kimono that I can wear during and after pregnancy.
The dress I kept from StitchFix
I ended up returning a loose-fitting maternity sundress because I felt that it made me look huge (and not the cute, pregnant kind of huge lol). Apparently I am at the point in my pregnancy where form-fitting is the way to go, or else my figure just gets “lost in the sauce” of pregnancy curves!
Overall, I was pretty pleased with my first maternity “Fix” and would definitely recommend it to any pregnant ladies out there wanting to add some cute pieces to their maternity wardrobe!
Bi-Weekly OB Appointment
I also had my OB checkup at the end of this week. Baby boy and I are doing well and he is measuring right on track!
At my next appointment (34 weeks) I’ll be getting an ultrasound to determine his estimated fetal weight and to double check that he is growing at a healthy rate.
I love any chance to see/hear my baby, so I’m looking forward to that!
Highlights:
•OB appointment went great
•got (and loved) my first maternity box from StitchFix
•my maternity leave fund is getting where it needs to be for me to spend time at home with baby boy
Lowlights
•foot pain and backaches are still very much a thing
•my OB says that I will most likely have to be in labor with a face mask because of COVID concerns, which makes me nervous because those things make breathing feel labored on a regular day. I will need to seriously mentally prep myself for that so I don’t freak out and end up hyperventilating from anxiety. Oy. (I know it’s for the safety of everyone, so obviously I will wear it. I just really need to prep my mind for it, so that I’m ready to wear it for possibly hours of labor on the big day).
This past Monday I had my last “monthly” OB appointment! Since the third trimester is here, I’ll be going every two weeks until week 36 and then every week until baby boy’s arrival.
I’m super excited about this because, with 10 weeks left, an increase in doctor check-ins makes baby’s arrival seem very real.
At this appointment I took (and passed) my glucose test. A result that D is convinced I rigged somehow because of the tremendous amount of baked goods I ate this past weekend. What can I say? I guess the baby likes sugar! (Lol)
“My neck, my back…”
…my entire body is feeling the aches of a growing baby getting cozy in my belly.
My feet are sore. My tailbone and low back are aching. And my shoulders are starting to feel the wear of become a perpetual side sleeper (because sleeping on my back now makes me lightheaded, so that’s out).
Basically, the +35 pounds of pregnancy weight are finally taking their toll on my 5’2 frame and I’m starting to understand the “get this baby out of me” mantra that third trimester mamas begin to recite, the further along they get!
Pandemic pregnancy, but make it fashion 💃🏻
Pregnancy Identity
Something that’s been interesting to me is that in the past few weeks I’ve been having dreams in which I’m pregnant.
But not a typical “oh I had a dream I was pregnant” kind of thing that lots of people, pregnant or not, also have. These dreams have been about the most random things, but the one constant is that I’m pregnant in all of them.
It’s not the main focus of any of the dreams, just a fact. Like how in every dream my hair always looks like my hair in real life does.
This makes me feel that after months of being pregnant, pregnancy has become a part of my identity. So much so that it’s made it’s way into my unconscious train of thought.
Being that pregnancy is a temporary state of being (after all, you can’t actually be pregnant forever even though it may feel like that some days), I’m interested in seeing when my dream self will go back to its un-pregnant “factory settings.”
Then again, maybe post-pregnancy Paige will be different still from the Paige I was before baby.
I guess only time, and my wacky dreams, will tell!
Highlights
•going on a socially distant Easter walk with my mom and sister
•beginning my 2 week OB appointments
•sharing Easter dinner at home with D
Lowlights
•the aches and pains of a third trimester preggo body
Paige is Parenting 