Friday, February 29, 2008

Checking In

Hi all!

Internet connection has been cranky today, but while it is cooperating I thought I would quickly say there is no baby yet. . .

Ten-ish more hours and we'll have made it all the way to March!

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Ways in Which The Hospital is Very Considerate

Since I was all complain-y yesterday, I thought I would take today and fill you in on all the fascinating aspects of this experience which are not entirely unpleasant.

First, the bed.

I have been in three different types of hospital beds since I was first admitted on February 10. The first was a labor and delivery bed, which are not at all comfortable. The second was a "normal" hospital bed, which was slightly more comfortable than the L&D bed, but quickly lost its appeal. The third bed is the type I'm in now - which is some kind of mysterious, magical bed. The mattress adjusts itself in response to your weight and the position you are sitting/resting in! It's a bed from the future! Apparently some people find this unnerving because it does sort of randomly inflate and deflate various spaces along the bed, but this is the first time in nearly three weeks that my tailbone and hips haven't constantly hurt from being in bed all the time. It is even more comfortable than my bed at home, especially for sitting up in.

If at some point I find out what this specific kind of bed is called, I will post it and you will memorize it so you can request one, should you ever find yourself in a similar situation.

Second, the water.

I know water is a pretty basic human need, but I have always had trouble remembering/being motivated to drink enough of it. But here I have a water "pitcher" which is really a huge plastic cup with a lid and straw. And the nurses, and patient care technicians, are constantly asking me if I need fresh water. So I always have a plentiful supply of icy cold water to guzzle. It's great! (The having to go to the bathroom every 45 minutes to an hour, not so much, but all that water is good for the baby.)

Third, the food.

You are probably laughing, but the food here is awesome. I am in a special section of the hospital which is designated as a "women's health pavillion." All the maternity stuff is here and probably some other things as well. Now the rest of the hospital has a more traditional meal situation, in which you are just brought a standard meal three times a day. But that is not how we roll in the women's health pavillion. I am not kidding at all when I tell you that I order my meals just like room service. There are generous hours for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When I'm hungry I just dial nutrition and tell them what I want. Literally.

There is a great menu with a fair amount of choices. For breakfast you get a main entree and three sides. For lunch and dinner you get a main entree and four sides. It's fairly ridiculous. I always make one of my sides a bag of pretzels or something I can save for later or to offer to visitors because the meals are huge. I'm not sure "portion control" is something the women's pavillion food service is very good at. Here are some of the choices I have: sandwhiches - made to order, burgers, grilled chicken, grilled salmon (which I don't like, but can you believe that's a choice?), personal pizzas, pasta, wraps, quasedillas, caesar salad, belgian waffles, omletes - made to order, and the list goes on. When I am ready, I just pick up my menu and order. A revolution is hospital food.

Fourth, the shower.

Yes, I am thankfully allowed to take a shower. And, while small, I am so appreciative of the fact that the shower features both satisfying water pressure and plenty of hot water. Do not underestimate the restorative power of a decent shower. Even when an annoyingly placed IV means you have to wash your hair one-handed, it is so nice to get up and take a shower.

And that, my friends, is a detailed list of hospital silver linings.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Vein Attempts

Are you ready for the latest dispatch from bed rest? I feel like I will win an award for posting about the most ridiculous topics ever before this is all said and done. Those of you with some sort of feed reader are going to be all, "Ugg, she's posting again, go read a book Kelsey."



So I'm feeling alternately complain-y and then guilty about feeling complain-y because certainly I would/will endure much more than this to keep Littlest safe and in place for as long as possible. And yet. . .



Like this morning, I'm totally annoyed by the fact that I need to be drinking a lot (fluids = good for my fluid level, not rocket science) but it is kind of a pain to get out of this lovely bed to go to the bathroom. I know that sounds absurd, but when you've been sitting for this long it seems like a lot of work! Not to mention the fact that every time I get up and down there are pillows and blankets and, um, protective items that need to be rearranged. And if I am hooked up to the IV at the time, then I have to unplug the pump and drag that with me. Do you know what is not possible? Pulling the IV pump into the bathroom and holding the back of the hospital gown closed.



Last night the nurse came in to give me a 2 a.m. dose of IV antibiotics (thankfully NOT the liquid fire kind) and decided the IV in my hand was looking not so great and needed to be replaced/moved. It had only been in since Monday afternoon but had been fairly uncomfortable the whole time, so I was happy to exchange another "stick" for the removal of that particular IV. Unfortunately my veins were not cooperating. One hour, two nurses, and four unsuccessful sticks later there was still no usable IV. They had to call the Care Flight team in here to get one started. Apparently that crew can start IVs under the most dire of circumstances and the state of my veins was a dire circumstance. Mr. Care Flight (sorry, I didn't catch his name at 4 a.m.) got an IV going right away. The only bad part is that it is right in the crook of my right arm. While it is not painful, it is supremely annoying. (See, I'm complain-y.) It is most comfortable if I don't bend my arm at all. Why don't you sit down and try just not bending your arm for a while. . . You'll be amazed at how much your arm prefers to be bent.



Oh don't you want to listen while I whine a little more?!



*****



Harper seems to be doing okay with my readmission here. Of course Sunday night she had climbed on the bed at home and told me she loved me and she was so happy I was home. . . But she called me during dinner Monday evening to tell me, "We're all fine at my house." And yesterday she came to visit with my mom after school.



She's not really intimidated by this environment anymore, which is great, but she was driving us crazy trying to touch everything in the room. I was being monitored when they came so there were cables and the sound of the baby's heartbeat to fascinate her, as well as the whole IV set-up. I was afraid she was going to pull it right out of my hand. It is so difficult for three-year-olds to look without touching.

When it was time to go Harper hid under the table in the room and whined that she didn't want to leave. Of course this made things difficult for my mother and it was not fun to watch. But I must say that I'll take the, "I don't want to leave," Harper over the version that stands by the door and says, "Let's go!"

*****

I've got a post about the food here brewing, and it isn't complain-y. If that doesn't keep you coming back for more, I don't know what will.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Side Effects

So I'm trying to find silver linings where I can, it helps with the day to day of all of this. One thing that I'm very grateful for is the fact that I have not really been in any pain. My hips ache a little because the human body was not designed to sit in a bed all day for weeks, but it certainly could be worse. This morning, however, there was some unpleasantness.

First of all when the nurse brought my morning meds there was a bonus iron pill among them, which is not something I've had to take before today. I took it, but then didn't get breakfast right away. That was a bad idea. Iron pills and my empty stomach do not appear to mix well. After about an hour I was suddenly very, very nauseous. I suspected the drugs + empty stomach were to blame so I did lots of deep breathing and attempted to eat some of my breakfast despite feeling like I might erupt at any moment. I am happy to report that everything stayed put, but it was touch and go there for about an hour.

The second unpleasant thing of the morning came in one of my antibiotic doses. I am being loaded with antibiotics, two days by IV and then five days orally, to help lesson the chance of infection. Well the one that they gave me this morning was like liquid fire going into my hand for two straight hours, with a side of ache going all the way up my arm. It rendered my hand totally useless and I just had to lay back, try to be distracted by The Price is Right and sitcom reruns, and use that deep breathing again. I should really go back in time and learn to meditate, because I think that might have been helpful!

Percentages

When the doctors came through on rounds this morning I asked them what the chances are of making it to 34 weeks. Here is what I was told:

50% of women give birth within 48 hours of their water breaking.

Judging by when my fluid levels changed, I'm already beyond that point.

Of the remaining 50%:

25% give birth within seven days of their water breaking. I'm still within that seven days, but not by much.

The last 25%, the group the doctor suspects I'm in, just have to take things one day at a time.

So from here on out we are operating under the notion that we may have a baby any. day. now.

Of course this has pretty much been the case since I first entered the hospital on February 10, but still, now that my water has broken, it seems so much more likely.

I will continue to cling to the one-day-at-a-time philosopy, but also set little goals for us. . . (not that the baby cares about my goal-setting) like how about not being born until at least March.

*****

A reassuring thing the doctor did say this morning was that the baby has a 100% chance of surviving with no long-term complications, even if he's born today.

100%? I was not aware that the medical establishment was capable of making such claims. But you know what? I'll take it.

Monday, February 25, 2008

ARGH!!!

Update: Still pregnant. BUT NOT AT HOME!

When I went for my tests today the ultrasound showed my amniotic fluid was low. I then had a minorly unpleasant exam after which the doctor determined my water had broken.

Huh?

*TMI WARNING*
-Due to the amount of "old blood" discharge I've had, it is apparently possible to also be leaking amniotic fluid and not realize it.
*ALL CLEAR*

So I have been readmitted to the hospital where I will now officially stay until the baby is born. The goal is to get to 34 weeks (I'll be 30 tomorrow) at which point the risk of infection from my water having broken outweighs the benefit of the baby not being born. So if I make it to 34 weeks, we will then have a baby. Looks like Littlest is likely to be born in March instead of May. In fact he will certainly be born in March, as long as he doesn't demand to be born in the next four days.

There you have it. Everyone please send me staying pregnant vibes.

Seven Things

First things first: Still pregnant, still at home in bed, getting out for an ultrasound and fetal non stress test this afternoon - big excitement!

Harper is still coughing and wheezing. She stayed home from school today and saw the doctor who prescribed some meds for her, gave her a breathing treatment, and cleared her to go back to school tomorrow.

*****
Late last week Mommy Daisy tagged me for this meme, figuring it would give me something to do!

The rules are as follows:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share seven random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
5. Leave a comment on their blogs so that they know they have been tagged.

We all know I don't play nice with the tagging part of memes, so I will just invite anyone interested in participating to go right ahead and leave a comment so we know to come look at your list.

Since I'm pregnant and therefore hungry all the time, we'll call this Seven Random Facts: Food Edition

1. Cheese pizza is one of my favorite foods and I could probably eat it every day for a long time without getting sick of it. Matt is not such a fan of pizza so Harper and I tend to have it for lunch.

2. I don't like most smooth/creamy foods/condiments. A short list of things I hope never to eat for the rest of my life: mayo, sour cream, cream cheese, pudding, ice cream if it is too melted, whipped cream, mousse.

3. Despite not liking sour cream or mayo, there is a dill dip I make and absolutely love that is equal parts both of them plus a number of spices.

4. There are lots of foods I don't like and usually it has more to do with the texture of the food than how it tastes. There are lots of fruits I have a difficult time eating because they just feel too odd in my mouth.

5. I like some nuts and I like raisins, but neither nuts nor raisins have any place in baked goods as far as I'm concerned.

6. I haven't had much in the way of cravings with this pregnancy but one thing I can't get enough of is this sherbet, in lemon lime. It was one thing I desperately missed when I was in the hospital.

7. If I am by myself and not responsible for feeding anyone else, I think microwave popcorn is a perfectly acceptable substitute for dinner.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

This Pregnancy: TMI Edition

Update: Still pregnant (about 29 weeks, 4 days) and still at home, both good things at this point.

Funny Harper note: As Harper headed down to the basement with Auntie M to play basketball I told her not to run around like a maniac and asked if she understood. She said, "Yes, I will just run around like people do." I guess the meaning of maniac isn't exactly clear to a three-year-old!

TMI Pregnancy information:

Okay, for a long time I've been meaning to write something about the beginning of this pregnancy and how it has compared to being pregnant with Harper. And now I guess I have time to do that! But I want to warn you that pregnancy is often, ahem, not pretty and there may just be details in here that you aren't interested in. . . so feel free to stop reading now.

Being fairly in-tune with my cycles (Ha! I hear all the people who didn't believe me about the TMI running away from their computers; I warned you.) I knew pretty early that I was pregnant. I am guessing by the third week or fourth week. I was taking pregnancy tests every day and wasn't deterred by the early negative tests because I knew it was soon. But eventually, in late August, a very faint second pink line appeared and I was so excited to tell Matt we were on our way to being a family of four.

Because of the timing we decided just to wait until Harper's birthday to tell everyone I was pregnant. I would still only be 15 weeks, so it seemed like we'd be able to keep it a secret, and we knew that most of our family (both sides) would be together to celebrate. I had a reunion with the girls I lived with in college and couldn't keep it a secret from them because I wasn't drinking the weekend we got together and they immediately knew something was going on. Outside of that small group, very few people knew I was pregnant.

Nearly as soon as I found out I was pregnant, I started to have some spotting. I went to the doctor and some of my bloodwork came back fine, but it also showed that my progesterone level was low -- which bought me several weeks of progesterone supplements (which were NOT oral) and a very nervous outlook. This strikes me as so sad when I look back now, but the entire time we were in Florida on vacation this fall, I carried a change of clothes and some pads with me in my backpack because I felt fairly certain that I was going to experience a miscarriage while we were walking around DisneyWorld.

At nine weeks I had my first ultrasound to check for the baby's heartbeat and I went into the appointment praying and holding my breath. I don't think I've ever been so relieved to see something in my entire life as I was to see that rhythmic little blip on the screen.

At my twelve week appointment, as I was able to go off the progesterone and had finally stopped spotting, my doctor was unable to find the baby's heartbeat with the doppler and ordered another ultrasound, just to double check. (Now the same thing happened with Harper at 12 weeks, but having had no other indicators of a problem, the doctor just said we'd try again at the next appointment.) So I spent another couple of days wondering if we were going to lose this baby before a second blissfully reassuring ultrasound took place. And then, from that point forward, things progressed normally. We had a delightfully uneventful second trimester.

I have often been asked how this pregnancy compares to when I was pregnant with Harper. And the truth is it has been more difficult in every respect. With Harper I was nauseous throughout my first trimester, but I was only sick once. This time around I was sick often and had trouble eating for a long time, even into the second trimester. I lost weight, small amounts, but steadily, until I was past twenty weeks. The exhaustion hit me worse this time, which has a lot to do, I'm certain, with the fact that I wasn't chasing a three-year-old when I was pregnant with Harper. And, as I've already mentioned, my mood swings have been much, much worse. For the bulk of my pregnancy with Harper I wasn't working and was able to really take it easy, take care of myself, rest whenever I felt tired -- even the relative stress of selling our house and moving across town didn't seem like that big of a deal. (Too bad I didn't blog then, because I could go back and check on the accuracy of that memory.) So even if you ignore the complications I've had, things have just been more difficult this time around.

Some people say it's because we're having a boy. Some people say it's just because we already have a child so my time is not my own in the way it was the last time. My theory is that this little guy knows the drama and flair his sister brings to the table and just wants to make sure he doesn't get lost in the shuffle.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Timing is Everything

My sister arrived last night. It was a long weekend for the school where she works as a social worker so my dad arranged a plane ticket for her to come down here and lend a hand. It started snowing here yesterday and now there is layer of ice on top of everything, but her plane still managed to land safely. If she'd waited until this morning I doubt she would have made it here. Timing.

Last night Harper woke up several times, crying, and had a very difficult time falling back asleep. When she woke up this morning it was evident that she had a cold. No fever (yet) but her nose is stuffy and she says her throat hurts and you can tell she is generally uncomfortable -- mostly because of all the whining.

I find it heartbreaking when Harper is sick. Kids can't even take any of the good drugs to help them feel better. If she's crying because I won't let her eat Doritos for breakfast it doesn't bother me at all. But this afternoon she woke up from her nap three times, just sobbing, and it was all I could do not to start sobbing myself. Like all children, Harper requires much more attention when she's sick, so it works out nicely that Shannon is here to provide my mom with some support. Timing.

Hopefully timing will be on our side again and Harper will get over her cold in time to go back to school on Monday.

Nothing else new to report from here on the bed. I appreciate knowing that people are checking in to see how we're doing. I'm still pregnant -- which is great news at this point. I went back to the hospital for some tests yesterday (we were there for three hours!) and the baby is still doing well and there is enough fluid around him, which is something they are watching closely. We go back again Monday, Wednesday, and Friday next week. Hey, at least it gets me out of bed!

Bonus points to anyone who updates his/her blog this weekend -- I appreciate things to read.!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Harper Would Like the Floor

My mom moved Harper's little table into the bedroom today so we could all eat lunch together. Apparently my mom and I were talking too much because Harper piped up and said a very loud, "Excuse me!" So we paused and looked at her. And she didn't say anything. And we kept talking. Then we heard:

"Hey! I didn't say excuse me for a fart, I said excuse me because I wanted a turn to talk!"

Then she sang part of a song about mashed potatoes.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Being Home Is. . .Hard

I got home at about six last night. My mom had taken Harper to gymnastics so they were not here yet. Rebound was so happy to see me I truly believe he would have burrowed right into me if he could have. I thought his tail would fall off for all the wagging. He laid next to my bed all evening. This morning he seemed thrilled all over again when he realized I was still here.

I had a little time to get settled and then heard Harper come home. I think there is a part of her that is angry with me about this whole thing, as though I chose to be away from her, and I was a little worried about how she would react when she found me at home. But as soon as she saw me she hopped up on the bed and, carefully, gave me a huge hug. I was a blubbering mess most of the day yesterday and that was just one of the things that made me cry. She asked if I was going to stay home for "all the days" now. Being closer to Harper, Matt, and the dog is the best part of being home. It was really strange to only see Matt for an hour or less each day and hardly see Harper at all. But now that I've been here for a day, I can tell that this is going to be a really big adjustment for all of us.

I think people are pretty adaptable. There were difficult things about being in the hospital (more on that another time?) but I was working under the impression that I would be there for quite some time and had wrapped my mind around the "good" things about it pretty successfully. Obviously there was a huge sense of security being right there were there were doctors, nurses, medication, and equipment 24 hours a day, prepared to launch into action should an emergency arise. And they were checking the baby many times a day which was hugely reassuring. It wasn't exciting there, but I had a pretty good arsenal of things to keep me busy, especially once the computer arrived. I had stationery and notebooks, books to read, sudoku and crosswords, and I had convinced myself that I could enjoy the time to do all of those things. I felt lonely at times, but I also had lots of wonderful friends calling to chat with me and I got used to being by myself pretty quickly.

Now that I'm home, I have to readjust my expectations a bit. Obviously I'm grateful to be here because it means the baby and I are really doing okay, all things considered. I am confined to bed, though I'm lucky to be able to get up and go to the bathroom and take a shower. But that's it. And I really have to make myself stick to it, because if I start allowing myself to get up to change the DVD or get something out of my dresser or just check on one thing, before I know it I won't be doing much resting. The line is firmly drawn and I need to follow the rules. I can do that, if it means I can stay here, which I think is really better for all of us in the long run.

Last night and the first part of this morning (Harper had a snow day.) I was feeling a little overwhelmed being here. Of course I am happy to see my family, not be wearing a hospital gown, etc. but all of a sudden there was a lot of noise and a lot of interruption, compared to the steady quiet of my hospital room. Harper kept bopping in and out of here, climbing on the bed (not on me) and trying to get at the computer, etc. She also knows I'm not allowed to get out of bed and has come into the room from time to time and done something minor she's not allowed to do, looking at me as if to say, "You can't touch me, ha haha haha ha!" But for obvious reasons I'm reluctant to ask for her to be kept out of here, especially after hardly seeing her for nine days.

When I was in the hospital I didn't feel too badly pushing that little button and asking a nurse to help me with something or bring me something I needed. Here it just feels different. My mom is helping us this week and she has her hands full with Harper, fixing food, and staying on top of the random things that need to be done around the house. I am understandably reluctant to call her in here every five minutes to fetch things for me, it just feels wrong when I can hear her doing all the things that I pretty much consider my job. We have to find a balance, because I'm not supposed to do that stuff for myself. Sigh. I should mention that I'm supremely grateful to have family that can step in to help us like they have; it's just different. My mom isn't doing anything to make this difficult, it is just a strange situation.

This afternoon Harper was having a fit about taking a nap and my mom was dealing with it just fine. But feeling like my child was being a royal pain and not being able to go in there and help - that just leveled me. And I sat in bed and sobbed. I'm not upset because she was upset; she's three, she's upset often. But I hated that my mom had to deal with that while I just sat here.

Harper came and sat with me and played card games while my mom made dinner tonight. And she came in here for me to read her stories before bed. Those kinds of things feel good. It's the bouncing around in here like a maniac that I could do without.

After a couple of days I'm sure things will level out a bit. But man, there are a lot of frustrating things about this situation.

My Slaves

So I can hear Harper and my mom in the kitchen eating lunch and my mom asks Harper if she's been working hard this morning. That's when I hear Harper say, "I'm so tired of bringing Mommy her milk and water and cereal. . ."

Yes, she has a tough life.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

On the Road

In a stunning turn of events, it appears that I am going home today. Home to my bed, that is.

I'm totally and irrationally freaked out by this development. Especially since I thought they would give me at least a day's warning if I were going to go home. But no, a doctor just came in and said I was going home today and then told me many things, 98% of which went right out of my head. They will have to write this stuff down for me.

I will try to post again later today. . . I'm not sure what time I'll be headed home. My head is spinning right now.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Hello World!

I'm still pregnant!

I have an Internet connection!

During the moment this afternoon when I realized the Internet was going to work it would have been difficult to say which of those two things I was more excited about. . . I feel like I have been readmitted to the world, even though I'm still stuck in a hospital bed.

I've been composing posts in my head for the last eight days, but now that I can actually put something here I am completely overwhelmed by my jumbled thoughts.

I think I'll fill in some of the details of the past week over the next few days. And I hope you want to know every single detail of my life on bedrest, because I'll be putting it here. I'm bored! What else am I going to do?

Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by and left a comment letting me know you were thinking of us -- you have no idea how much that means. It is pretty awesome to know we have such great friends and family and I do believe it helps to have lots of people out there saying prayers and sending general positive thoughts our way.

This blog may feature a little less Harper than usual, but I'll pass along stories when I get them. Here are a couple:

Last night Harper was helping make up some beds at our house and said to my in-laws something like, "I'm really good at this. I could teach this."

Harper has been giving Matt a bit of a run for his money this past week. One day he was taking a shower and when he finished, he emerged to find the carpet in our bedroom was wet. Upon questioning Harper he discovered that she had taken the big plastic cup we use for her bath, filled it with water from the toilet, and tried to pour it over Rebound to give him a bath. I must say, that sort of thing is so much funnier when it happens to someone else. (Sorry Honey.)

I would be remiss if I didn't say thank you to my mother-in-law, Ann, for lending me her laptop with wireless card. You cannot possibly imagine the way the hours flew by this afternoon/evening as I caught up reading emails and blogs. Keep writing people, you are helping me maintain my sanity.

That's enough rambling for tonight, but I'll be back soon.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Update From Afar

Hi everyone! This is Erin, Kelsey's friend, updating her blog to let you know why she's suddenly gone quiet.

First off, everyone is OKAY. However, Kelsey is in the hospital due to some prenatal complications. The baby boy remains in place, thank goodness, but Kelsey might remain in the hospital for a while, possibly for the remainder of pregnancy. She is just focusing on keeping that baby inside for a while longer.

She is on bedrest, in good spirits, but missing her family, her home, and also her internet connection. She might have internet by the end of the week, thanks to her brother Jamie. Hopefully she'll be updating this herself soon. (Drums fingers impatiently) (Uh, no pressure, Jamie.)

In the meantime, join me in sending all sorts of good thoughts and prayers out to her and her family. And leave a comment for her! She'll get it soon and appreciates all the well wishes she can get.

Thanks!!

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Blue's Clues!

My younger brother, Harper's Uncle Jamie, attends school at a university not far from our home. A few weeks ago he'd forwarded me an email about a Blue's Clues even they were holding at the university bookstore. So we all bundled up yesterday morning and headed out to see Blue.

Harper was a little freaked out by Blue herself, and it's kind of hard to blame her, look at the size of that head!


At least it went better than last year's Elmo fiasco.


Harper enjoyed coloring a picture of Blue (for several seconds at least), making her own "Handy Dandy Notebook," and sporting a pair of Blue's Clues ears in the car on the way to lunch.


Unfortunately, on the way home from lunch, she peeled the lighter blue spots of the ears. With each one she'd announce from the backseat that, "The spot came off!" in a woeful voice. My response was something along the lines telling her to stop picking at them. Which she of course denied doing.

Sigh.

Has anyone else every found three-year-old curiosity to border on the destructive side?

Friday, February 08, 2008

Everything that is Right with Preschool

Look! Harper is an owl. Harper's wondering if you know that, "Owls sleep at the day and wake up at the night?!" She's pretty excited about that. Also? They say "hoot, hoot, hoot."


I know we didn't have to send Harper to preschool for her to learn either of those things about owls. However there is a big difference between her learning it at preschool and learning it at home. When she learns something at preschool she is proud of it and loves to tell me, just in case I don't know. When she learns something at home (Newsflash: Happens all the time kiddo!) she doesn't necessarily stop to throw herself a parade. Kids these days take so much for granted!

Here is another great thing about preschool: Pajama Day. Last Wednesday was Pajama Day so Harper got to wear her pjs to school -- blew her little mind. And it isn't like we've, ahem, never worn pajamas all day at home either.


Adding to the excitement of Pajama Day was the fact that she was able to bring her stuffed cat, Scout, to school with her. That's Scout peeking out of the backpack.



Every day when I go to pick Harper up from school she greets me by saying how school is so! much! fun! And as we drive home and eat lunch I get nibbles of the details: she was the helper, there were bananas for snack, Brady wore an orange shirt, she painted a boat, they sang the weather watcher song, etc. I'm starting to get a better idea of the structure of her day. It's like being handed pieces of a puzzle, but not the whole picture, and every fifth piece or so really adds to the clarity with which I understand her experience.

It has only been a few weeks, but I am so glad we jumped at this experience, difficult as it seemed it might be, because when Harper gets up in the morning and I tell her it's a school day, her whole face lights up.

(Hopefully you aren't sick of hearing about school yet, because I have LOTS more to say about it, but that's all for tonight.)

*****

I know it is getting to be a little late in the day, but if you're reading this and you haven't done so already, you really should hop over to visit Erin and wish her a happy birthday and speedy recovery from the stomach flu. Erin's good people. She's one of my favorites on the Internet and also in "real life." Get to know her, you won't be sorry.

Monday, February 04, 2008

Put it With Some Letters

After all that talk about thrilling topics such as shoes! and painting! you are probably ready for a cute Harper anecdote. Right?

So Harper has been woefully neglected while we've been a) sick and b) cleaning out, so it is hard to blame her for going totally insane over the last few days and becoming nearly unmanageable. Still, she manages to throw some cute in among all the not-so-much. One of the things she was doing to entertain herself yesterday was "drawing" us pictures on a Magna Doodle. At one point last night she drew something for me that was, apparently, really special and thought I should take a picture of it and send it to people.

"How will I send it to people?" I asked her.

"Get the picture and the put it with some letters on it. And put it in the mail."

Harper pauses.

"Then people will say, 'Oh yook! The letter mail came. Wow! That's so great, I can't take my breath anymore.'"

I think she was trying to say it would take their breath away? I have no idea. But it cracked me up anyway.

And now, Harper in a raincoat:




Before Pictures

It is February. Littlest is due in early May, but I won't be at all surprised if he arrives in late April. And if it is February? And we have a baby in April? That's like saying the kid will be here in TWO MONTHS!!! TIME TO PANIC!!!

Okay, I understand the flawed thinking there, but Littlest's arrival is starting to feel decidedly closer and we are getting things done. If you have even peeked inside our "guest room" in the last few months you will know that completely emptying it was nothing short of a miracle. And, despite the illness which leveled Matt and I last week, we had to empty the room because today the painter showed up. I really wish I had thought to take before pictures when the room was full, but at least I remembered to do it pre-painting.

The bed in the room is going to become Harper's bed, although the bedding will change. Unfortunately the picture depicts rather accurately the heinous golden/yellow shag carpeting that will not change. We are putting room darkening shades in and updating the paint, but there was simply no budget for flooring. And really, the carpet in a kids' room is likely to be destroyed anyway, right? (Just go ahead and tell me I'm right.) The carpet in our master bedroom is ugly as well and I've gotten really good at ignoring it. So once the new bedding and pretty walls and other furniture are in place, we'll all just agree to avert our eyes from the carpet, okay?






This bedroom is nearly the only room in the house that hasn't been improved in some fashion (flooring, window treatments, paint, etc.) since we moved in three years ago. It will not be magically transformed into a complete room right away. We'll need to do some thinking about what to put on the walls and some sort of fabric to soften the look of the shades, etc. but I think it will still make a huge difference to have the painting done and windows covered.

My mom is coming to visit the last week of this month (Yay! Hi Mom!) and will probably be the last official guest in that room before it becomes Harper's. Her mission might very well be to help me clean out the closet (not as bad as doing the rest of the room, but still, yikes!)

So there you have our "before" pictures and commentary. Oh, and much to Harper's joy, the room will be pink. But, um, not too pink. As far as pink goes we picked a fairly subtle shade.

A Note About Shoes

I spent a ridiculous amount of time earlier today trying to find these specific shoes on Target's website, but they don't seem to be carrying them at this point in time. Which is a shame.

Anyway. . . In a recent experience that I'm hoping is a perfectly reasonable step on the potty training curve, Harper didn't make it to the toilet in time and peed all over her shoes (among other things). Which is frustrating because they are not canvas, which are clearly throw in the wash material, or that fake leather/vinyl, which is easily wiped/disinfected outside the washing machine. No, these are suede-like and therefore merely wiping them off did not seem like a good solution; however, I was reluctant to put them in the washing machine.

Harper wears these shoes constantly (one of two pairs she wears 98% of the time) and, since I didn't want her feet smelling like a toilet, I decided to take my chances with the washing machine. I ended up putting them through the washer and the dryer and they came out just fine!



I am posting this information for others who may have similar children's shoes (Swistle?) and might someday find yourself wondering if you can wash them. The answer is yes.

You're welcome.