DDR is Life!

Give the crowd some eye candy!
I love DDR. (Nope the picture here has NOTHING to do with the post. I'm just experimenting and having fun. This was Rose about 3 months ago. She looks a lot older now at 9 months. But she is still a cutie.)
So, like I said, I love Dance Dance Revolution. I'm getting pretty good at it. Super Samurai is crushing me, but I try it two or three times every morning, and I've gotten it down to 20 Boos. Yay! Then I switch to workout mode and songs that I can handle pretty well.
It's pretty good exercise, too. That's another big reason why I do it, since baby weight always seems to come off of different places than it went on. (I'm back to my pre-Rose-pregnancy weight, but still have more of a tummy than I used to. Where did it come from? Ack!)
Spitz played DDR with me for a while. But since he found out about his herniated discs, he's supposed to stay away from impact activities. So I dance all alone with an infant audience until she gets tired of watching and demands attention. Actually, there's usually a middle stage in there where I add a slow song and dance with her in my arms. Then we both decide it's time to stop.
Spitz and I have taken dancing lessons in the past and really enjoyed it. Nothing like DDR; we've done a bunch of ballroom dancing. In fact, I think we both intend to take it up again once Rose is old enough to leave with babysitters/child care rooms easily. Last night we ran into our old ballroom dancing instructor, Phil. He was an awesome instructor, a bit intimidating, but cute (of course, that's a very important trait in someone you end up dancing over and over with! lol) We were at Target, and he came up and said hi. We talked long enough to find out he gave up dance instruction (after like 20 years of it) because he wanted a more steady paycheck. Now he's a mall security guard. Something about that is so, so very sad.

Naming Convention

Ok, I've decided on names for my family. They come from various places (no, Karya is not my real name) to protect my family's anonymity. The other naming convention you might notice is the version number that will sometimes accompany a child's name. It means years.months of life.
At the moment, I have May 7.2, Ruth 4.6 and Rose 0.9. I won't use the numbers after the adults. Who really cares how old we are anyway?

In case you wondered about the nicknames I mentioned earlier (Recheetah and Stickapod), I'll have to tell you where those came from, too. Maybe later today. But right now, the whirlwind morning is about to start, and if I don't go get in the shower immediately, I'll have to live without it until about noon. Off to the races!

Paperbackswap.com

Someone told me of this site just a few weeks ago and I'm really enjoying it. You can create an account, list all the books you have that you are willing and interested in trading to other folks, and request books that other people have listed. It is entirely free to join (right now - they warn that they may have to charge a fee in the future, but they guarantee any new member at least 12 months free at the moment). Once you list 10 books you are willing to swap, the system grants you 2 credits for free just for joining. Then you browse the approximately 2.5 million books that are posted on the site and pick what you want. The individual who listed the book is then contacted to send it off to you via US Post Office media mail. (about $2.23 on average) Once you report receiving that book, the sender gets a credit to order another book from someone else.
The only money you pay out is the postage to send books that someone requests from you. When that happens, you earn a credit to order a book from someone else.
This is a great system of sharing books around with other people and finding books you want at a really reasonable cost. Granted, the books you post need to be desirable or no one will ever order books from you. (If no one orders books from you, your account never earns credits to order other books.) Oh, and if you care to use cash, credits can be purchased for $3.45 each as well.
Since this whole system requires participation, I'm telling my friends! I've actually seen the number of books posted in the system grow in the last 4 weeks that I've been using it, so the word must be getting around.
(Oh, and they have related sites for trading DVDs and other stuff. The credits can be used on any of the sites, I believe.) (-:

Before I go

One last brief comment.
Now that I'm posting here again, I feel like I ought to ask people to read it. I mean, why spend time writing if no one will read and give comments, right?
Can I get up my nerve to let others know it exists? Would that change what I write - knowing I'd have an audience?
Hmmmm.

Runaround Saturday

Every Saturday has felt like a race recently. How can so many people have given birth in the month of October? We've been to so many birthday parties recently! Oh, and throw in 2 soccer games each Saturday and a Halloween party last week. Saturdays have been completely eaten up.
As a result, our house and yard look the pits, and our puppy has had several accidents in her crate because she just can't last the lengths of time we've had to crate her. Poor girl. And poor me because I've gotten to clean up dog pee twice today. (The perks of having a puppy! Woot!) *sigh*
But, I'm happy to say that the soccer season ended today. That in itself is a joy because our girls have a track record of always getting placed on YMCA soccer teams that will be creamed, crushed annihilated every week. (I know we aren't supposed to keep score, but it's hard to miss that we've lost when our team only makes one goal the whole season!) And I know it may not seem that their mother is a reliable source for this kind of assurance, but I assure you it's not because of their playing. They aren't too bad, and are definitely learning and improving each season. Somehow we are always on the team with several underage kids, or several completely non-athletic kids, or something.
R was actually one of the 2 best players on her team this season. I think she was maybe one of only 2 seven-yr-olds on her 6-7 year old team. That may have had something to do with all the losses. The team really needed an aggressive 7-yr-old to take the ball down the field. The 2 best players this season (including R 7.2) were both awesome defenders.

Ok, now that I've totally rambled, I have to go get ready for tomorrow's Sunday School lesson that I'm helping to teach!

LOL Archiving Failure

Well, I sure have been a failure at keeping this up to date. I am going to revive this blog. Again. There are 3 little girls now, so I have some doubt about my ability to do find the time. But I have diaries on a shelf from my entire life. It feels wrong not to be keeping a record of the things I live through so that some point in the future, I can read it and laugh. Or cry.

I'm a bit more concerned with anonymity now than I was, so I won't use real names. I'm trying to come up with nicknames for the girls since that would be nicer than just using initials. All I can think of right now is Recheetah, Stickapod and Boo, but those are sort of long. I'll ponder that.

I might have a first real post later today, but since we have 2 soccer games (the last of the season) and a birthday party to attend....

Archiving Failure

So, I've done a horrible job of journaling this pregnancy. I have extensive write-ups of every stage of my first pregnancy, a few long journals from the second and absolutely none (but the few little bits on this blog) about this third AND VERY FINAL pregnancy. The one thing I have learned very well this time is that this is the LAST. If we want another child after this one, we will finally fulfill that vague need I feel to adopt.

The morning sickness that was really all-day-and-more-at-night sickness hit a horrid high about 3 weeks ago. I've thrown up a total of 3 times, a low number due to the benefits of Zofran, the world's most expensive drug for nausea. For our 11th wedding anniversary on June 15th, Spitz found the pharmacy in town that sold it for the least, and we got the doctor to call in 30 pills. He paid for them (the insurance only will pay for 12 pills each 30 days) and I've been able to take them anytime I need them (translate that "daily") ever since. His very thoughtful present has made this a bit more bearable to the tune of $840!

Anyway, I begin to hope (and hopefully not delude myself) that the sickness is on the downside. I've managed to take Zofran only in the morning and not again in the afternoon twice this week. Since it's been worse at night, I see that as quite a step forward. We'll see how it goes, because this is only week 13 - 3 weeks earlier than the sickness has ever gone away and 10 weeks earlier than it was over last pregnancy.

I'm excited to think that in about 3-4 weeks, I will be able to start to feel small movements inside. That is my ultimate favorite part of pregnancy. I always miss feeling the little one move inside after they are born. It's sort of lonely after months of being very firmly TOGETHER.

About a week ago, I was getting ready to step in the shower when Diana let out a huge gasp and said, "Mommy! Your tummy is getting bigger! Your tummy is getting bigger! Becca, look! Mommy's tummy is getting bigger!" She was so thrilled; I laughed and laughed. The girls have started talking to the baby. He can hear them now. (Yes, I use "he." If the sickness is going away early, I'm sure it must have a reason! Something significant must be different this time!)

I have an appointment August 15 for the ultrasound that will reveal the sex of this little one. If you mention it at all, the girls begin chanting loudly, "We want a girl! We want a girl!" As if it could possibly be influenced. (-: Spitz has actually brought up a potential name for the first time - we've not talked names at all yet - and it was a girl name.

Okay, my guilt at not archiving this pregnancy at all has been a bit assuaged. And it's time to go feed the savages lunch.

Becca did it!

Diana 3.0 has recently started blaming Rebecca 5.9 for anything she thinks she is about to get in trouble for. Actually, sometimes it's not even something that Diana will be in trouble for; it's just never Diana's own fault, of course.

Diana recently potty trained (and she is doing amazing, by the way. It is so much better when the child picks the time and place completely on her own). If you aren't a parent, you probably don't know that there is a stage in every child's life where they are capable of going to the toilet and using it when needed, but the parent still needs to wipe them - or else the result is red, sore bottoms, not to mention the streaks.

So yesterday, Beth (a dear friend who cleans our house and is nice enough to come more frequently while I feel so awful) was here, and she stepped in on one such adult-wiping encounter. I think I was asleep, so I'm very grateful for all the babysitting she tosses in along with the cleaning. Later, when the girls were getting ready for bed, Becca announced that Diana's underwear had poop on it. (Kids love to announce that kind of stuff, especially if you happen to be out at the store.) I took Diana in to help her wipe a bit more and get fresh underwear, and Diana is saying how Beth wiped her.... Then she heads back to her room to find the fresh underwear and announces, "Becca pooped in my underwear!!"

Last but Certainly Not Least!!

Big news!! Diana 3.0 has potty trained! Monday afternoon, she didn't want the diaper back on after she'd just finished a shower. She insisted on big-girl underwear. She has a bunch that she got to pick out in hopes it would inspire her, but it hadn't worked before. She'd been adamant for about 2 months that, no, she didn't want to sit on the potty.

So, it took just that - her mind made up - to reverse the policy. She had a rough day Tuesday, but has had only one accident since Tuesday afternoon. Really phenomenal! I'm so proud of her. And she's staying dry in big-girl panties at night, too!

Woot!

Now what?

Springtime always brings with it a HUGE RUSH. Becca plays soccer. Often, we schedule swimming lessons. Ballet recitals. Diana's birthday. Family/friends' graduations. Easter. Mother's Day. I can't even think of it all, but I'm sure there's more. I feel like we've had every night and weekend scheduled full for weeks and even months.

But. We've come to the end. Yesterday, Becca graduated from kindergarten, and today was the end of year picnic. Diana's school actually ended last week.

Entering next week, we have NO PLANS. I don't know what we'll do. I get this feeling every year. The "what will I do with them?" doubts. Of course, by the time school starts, I wish for the freedom again. I expect greater challenge for this transition this year because I am so sick. I've been taking lots of naps, and without school, I don't know how that will be managed. I can't just leave them unsupervised. *seeking babysitter!*

Popping out

I remember back to the first pregnancy with Becca. I think I was four months pregnant and clothes had begun to get a bit tight when a friend and coworker took me shopping for maternity clothes for the first time. When I got pregnant with Diana, I remember thinking that I had to pull out the maternity clothes much earlier.

But third baby? Bamm, right from the get-go. I'm only 7 1/2 weeks pregnant, and I've pulled out the maternity shorts. Due in part to the nausea and an intense dislike of any pressure on my middle, I can't wear my normal clothes. I've pulled out all these old dresses I've had forever so that I can be waist-pressure-free. I can safely say that I haven't bought a dress except for fancy Christmas party deals since we moved here 4 years ago, so my recent wardrobe is anything but fashionable. *sigh*

And my friend Cynthia pointed out that I look pretty pale right now, too.

Have I mentioned that I hate pregnancy?

Whoever Named It Morning Sickness

This is not morning sickness. It is All-Day-Every-Day-Drive-You-Mad Sickness. Can any man imagine what it is like to feel nausea for 3 months straight? It literally threatens your sanity.

Why did I do this again? *groan* And to top it all off, I'm all emotional today, too. I dropped the knife while making Diana's peanut butter and jelly sandwich and started crying at the huge jelly mess I'd made. (About then Spitz came home and almost got in big husband trouble for the ... how to describe it... "she's moody" man look he gave me.) Then Diana and I went to her end of the school year party. They showed a slideshow of all the pics they've taken of the kids all year. I was fighting so hard not to cry because those people don't know I'm pregnant and wouldn't understand.

I need a nap. What? Oh, yeah, I know. Pigs aren't flying yet, so, no nap!