Interpretations

While having lunch with a friend last week, she kindly asked me how I had been feeling. Being honest, I first stated how much I dislike that question. As that really surprised her, we ended up discussing why I felt that way to a typical question for a pregnant woman. So, I thought I should clarify for the rest of those who ask me why I’m not a fan of the question.

Its not that I don’t like people asking me the question all the time. There are several people who genuinely ask because they want to know and because they want the honest answer. However, its when the random stranger, mere acquaintance, co-worker, etc asks that I dislike it. Instantly what goes through my head (being as I am 0-2 with having an “easy” or “pleasant” pregnancy) do they really want to know? Should I tell them the true answer? Even worse should I go into details? Or do I just say the simple answer of either “fine” or “good” which is probably what they want or hope to hear. I do not like to lie, I’m really no good at it at all, and I don’t like giving false impressions either. So I find it to be a real debate anytime I’m asked such a simple question, just as I did growing up whenever I was asked “where are you from?” Being a preacher’s daughter that was NEVER an easy question. Do they want to know where you currently live? Where you were born? Where you spent your initial formative years? Where you grew up (which opens a whole different ball-park of what is their definition of growing up) or simply where your parents live. See my problem? (Yes I am aware that I over-think things!)

As I would much rather avoid conflict I either give a smart remark like “I’m alive” or I tell the whole truth, despite how unpleasant I’m sure it is to hear. So if you know me, and if you’re reading this I’m guessing you do, unless you truly want to know, I’d advise NOT asking me how I’m feeling until, oh November sometime!

Growing up so fast…

- Alexa is learning to ride her tricycle which she calls her motorcycle, because she wants to be JUST like Daddy. At first she just wanted us to push her on it, but after a few tries she really caught the hang of pushing the peddles with her feet! Here are a few photos of her trying it out :)

- she LOVES to play outdoors and is growing up so fast each day, she knows how to climb up her playset & slide down the slide all by herself! She will spend hours swinging on the big girl swings & playing in her playhouse with no help at all...ah the independence! Her other favorite activity is to take the snow shovel & “scoop” the driveway – she ends up spending hours playing with the thing!

- she finally has enough hair to put in pretty decent sized pony tails and things! Alicia does a great job of putting her hair into ponytails & pigtails each day. Alexa loves showing us the pretty ways her hair looks at the end of the day. I really thought this day would never come! :) 

Picture Recap of Alexa the past few months…

 

In her winter dress…

anytime you’d ask her to smile for the picture…

she’d crunch bend her knees, stick her butt out, and say “Cheese!”

Playing in the snow with Patches following her every move!

For a while she would always take her clothes off during nap time, those were the good old days! – Now she takes her clothes & her diaper off!

 

Pretty proud she’s going to be the BIG sister!

Oh how I love to play with stickers! :)

 

Do I look pretty Daddy? :)

The Latest Changes in our house…

Alexa has become such a "big girl" that she's now sleeping downstairs in what used to be her toy room in a double bed that she refers to as her BIG GIRL BED! A few weeks ago I got into the nesting mood big time & started rearranging her toy room to be able to fit the double bed. I moved the bench into the living room & put all the "baby" toys into the bottom of the TV cabinet & the cupboards below the bench. I was then able to move the double bed downstairs (basically throw the matress down the steps & let gravity do the rest of the work). Alexa LOVED the whole idea. She was my big helper the whole day. She helped move the bench, sort & organize the toys, and even helped "move" the big bed down the steps! When we were all done she was begging to take her nap in there. I layed her down & left the room expecting to hear her start crying her eyes out, instead she fell asleep almost instantly & slept for a nice long nap! We left her crib upstairs in the same condition for about a week just to be sure she would stay in her new room. This past Saturday, I turned the "broken bed" back into the infant crib & set it at the highest level. Alexa seems to think its great that the baby will be sleeping there one day! Now if we could just get her to go potty on the potty chair!

Mirror Images...not so good!

Pretty sure we’re headed for trouble when on Saturday afternoon, while we were sitting outside enjoying the sun, Alexa took her doll and told me she was going to feed the baby. She then proceeded to lift up her shirt and put the baby’s head under it…
After a few seconds she turns to me and she tells me “I’m feeding baby momma, I feeding her” – yes yes you are my child! Oh my, and its not like anyone we know is currently feeding their infant infront of her!
She then decides to get out of the chair and put the baby in it so she props the baby in the chair and says “now sit still, LISTEN, and obeeeeyyyyy” k baby? She takes only 2 steps away before she turns around looks at baby and as she wags her finger in that disapproving manner, she says “NO NO you naughty”…then walks over to the doll and lifts her up and she spanks her! Then she hugs her and says to the doll all serious like “its okay now, its okay…I see you in the morning, in morning ok?”

Hmm…where does she get this all from? ;) if only it was so vividly obvious!

Exhausted!

Wow, so every day I think about the things I want to post on here when I get home...and by the time I get home each night, get finished with making, eating, and cleaning up supper; spend play time with Alexa (& Micah if we're blessed with his presence that night) and put her to bed, I'm ready to fall asleep myself! Therefore, all the blogs I want to write stay stuck somewhere in my head...which due to the typical pregnancy memory loss tends to be a jumbled mess these days, is not a good place for the thoughts to be!

I do not remember having crazy dreams when I was pregnant with Alexa. I really don't. However, with this child I have had more of the craziest, strangest, creepiest dreams ever. Perhaps I need to change what I eat or what I watch...I'm really not sure what causes it but I'd really like to make the dreams stop!

I am supposed to be in the best trimester of my pregnancy, however, I'm exhausted all the time, cranky, and really not feeling great yet. I love the idea of caring a child that is part me and part Micah, I really do. When I'm not pregnant I long to be, to feel a child the Lord created with intricate detail inside of me is an amazing truly beautiful expereince. All that said, I have to say, prengancy and I are NOT a good match. Its so hard for me to imagine that there are honestly women out there who #1 have easy, pleasant pregnancies, and #2 who can go the full 40 weeks without ever knowing they are prengant!

I can tell I'm really exhausted because I started this post with plenty of things I wanted to talk about -- how Alexa is learning to ride her trycicle which she calls her motorcycle, or how she LOVES to play outdoors and is growing up so fast each day, or how she finally has enough hair to put in pretty decent sized pony tails and things, or how Alexa has become such a "big girl" that she's now sleeping downstairs in what used to be her toy room in a double bed that she refers to as her BIG GIRL BED, or how my husband reacted to the major life decision we made official in the last few weeks...but all those things have turned into the ramblings of a pregnant woman! Hopefully I'll find time to post those stories & pictures and more over the weekend but for now I need to shut down before the threatening storms that are rolling in reach our area...Hope you didn't get too confused by all that rambling! :) Goodnight!

Mexico Vacation, part 3

So here are a few picture highlights from our trip: