Clearly I need to get out more. And how do I know this? Well, last night, when I went to the later showing of a movie with some fellow mama friends and came home, I found myself locked out of my house. At midnight. In February. In Nebraska. Two days after we got 10" of snow. And, of course all of this took place at time when I am 20 weeks pregnant!
Ironically, this is not the first time I've been locked out in the middle of a winter night while pregnant. No, really - this has happened before, but I wasn't alone the other time. It was actually just over four years ago, when I was pregnant with Harrison, and Ozzie and Mara were still new puppies in our family, being housebroken at our first house. Ben and I would often take them out together in the middle of the night for a potty break, although why we did this is beyond me because I thought we had a fence by then, but who knows. Solidarity, perhaps? Anyway. Middle of the night. Winter. Flipping cold. And we knew the minute the door closed behind us that the lock was turned the wrong way and we were stuck. No keys. No phones. Nothing. So after a bit of ohcrapwhatdowedo? Ben kicked in a basement window, crawled in through our laundry room and unlocked the back door. Problem solved (although he unfortunately could have saved us about $100 had he kicked one window over as it wouldn't have been so expensive to fix, but so it goes, right?). We took to hiding a key outside our house and never again were we caught so stuck. (Side note: I did once have a babysitter get locked out with Harrison and she didn't know about the hidden key, but it was summer and her apartment wasn't far, so it was fine. But seriously - what a ridiculous time we had with that door!)
We've been in this house now for over a year and this is (almost) the first incident we've had with doors, and by doors I mean the locks on them. I say almost because a few weeks ago, I got home from teaching night class and found that I could open the screen door but not the wooden one; for some reason Ben had locked the deadbolt even though he knew I'd be home before 9:00. But that didn't matter because I had obviously driven to campus and therefore had keys. Last night, I caught a ride with friends and therefore had NO keys, a fact Ben was well aware of (mostly because we are 85 and normally go to bed at 9:30 or 10:00 and he thought it was pretty funny that they were picking me up shortly before 9:30 to start our evening). The kicker is, the lock out from a few weeks ago went through my head before I left and I almost, almost made a joke before leaving about not locking me out this time...oh, how I wish I had!
The in between of this story is pretty tame. The movie was good and I thoroughly enjoyed time out with friends. I probably haven't been to a movie since the last Harry Potter came out, so just being in the theatre was fun (although I did make a joke about how loud the previews were - again, see above about being 85...). And even though it was 11:45 when we headed home, I didn't mind at all. I knew I'd be home and crawling into bed soon enough and Ben would be available this morning to hang out with the kids while I snoozed.
When I got dropped off, I noticed the house was dark but thought little of it because I hadn't expected Ben to wait up for me. But I stopped short when I, again, could open the screen door but met total and complete resistance from the wooden one. My heart sank and my eyes got huge as I realized what had happened. I tried Ben's phone first but we're not ones to take our phones to our bedroom at night and sure enough, I could see his lighting up on the kitchen counter as I tried calling it.
My next thought was, I have to try to the doorbell. I hated to do that because I didn't want to wake any sleeping babies, but again - February, Nebraska, midnight, pregnant - all of these trumped sleeping babies at that point. I rang it once and waited. Pushed it again and waited again. I even sang the ABCs to myself, giving Ben time to creep down the stairs and come to my rescue. Except that he didn't. So I started ringing more, four or five pushes at a time. Then four or five more. Then non-stop for two minutes. Then the front door. Then a frantic text to my neighbor who was thankfully part of the movie going group and was still sitting in the car with her other friend, just down the street. They drove back up to my house and we tried brainstorming.
First a honk of the horn. Nothing. Then I rang the doorbell non-stop for another two minutes. Then I tramped through the yard to see if I could lob snowballs at our bedroom window, but the snow is still too fluffy and I couldn't get it to stick together at all. Short of throwing my boot at the house or kicking in the glass on top of the kitchen door, I was out of options. And trust me, breaking glass went through my mind, but I knew the chances of me getting my leg high enough on the door or sliding my preggers body through a basement window weren't really great ideas, especially since I did have a warm, safe place to stay, just across the street.
And that is how my girls' night out turned into a slumber party. My neighbor and her hubby made up their extra bed for me quick, and even got me a midnight snack and some water. I was not where I expected to be, but I was in kind care, all the same! Normally Ben doesn't text, but I sent him a message on the off chance that he'd get up, see I wasn't there, and go check his phone. It said, "I'm sleeping at m's because you locked me out. You are in SO much trouble." After that I tried to sleep, but I was so keyed up (ahem - pun intended) from the incident, that I could not fall asleep.
Finally, at 1:45, I got a text back saying, "You can come home now. So sorry." I felt bad sneaking out on my hospitable neighbors, but I also really just wanted my own bed and knew I needed to talk to Ben. Boots back on, quick walk down the street, and, just like it should, my side door granted me access to my house.
My poor husband. He came into the kitchen like a dog walking with its tail between its legs. He said he thought for sure he had checked the door to make sure it was UNlocked before going to bed, but then he must have zonked out and managed to sleep through all of the doorbell ringing. He left our bedside light on and when he woke up at 1:30, he saw right away that the light was still on and I was not there. He felt terrible and I can't even count how many times he's said sorry. I assured him that, really, I had spent more time laughing than fuming about the whole thing, and that he could make it up to me on our next trip to Target. :)
So, when I should have been home just before 12, I was home instead just before 2, and of course the children were up shortly after 6. That's OK. I got to stay in bed until 8:30 and Ben and Harrison have already been out to get me donuts and a coffee - Stage One of Operation Oops, I'm Sorry I Locked My Pregnant Wife out of the House Last Night. Stage Two, Target, comes tomorrow.
Tell me, though, why was I ever so worried about the freaking doorbell waking sleeping children?!
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Snow Day
We have found many, many reasons to stay inside this winter. Either we've been sick or others have been sick or it has been too cold, too windy, too whatever to be out in Mother Nature. Of course we've taken advantage of the nicer days offered here and there, but, when you factor in the idea that Raegan is still a little peanut and there's another little peanut growing in my belly, being inside our cozy, warm house has just seemed, well, preferable for the last few months.
Today, however, we did up a Snow Day in true form and fashion...pajamas all day (although, by that definition, we've had many snow days this year), coffee and hot chocolate, special goodies in the form of homemade bread and Rice Krispee treats, books and some videos, and lots of playtime with Dad. It helped that Ben's school canceled for the day mid-afternoon of yesterday; we knew he'd be home and so got to have a relaxed evening and morning leading into this day of 8-10" of snow (with perhaps more coming). And, ironically, Harrison spent more time outside today than he has much of the winter (minus the nicer days, of course).
Layered to the max, HD ventured out three separate times with Dad to work on the driveway and to Play. I watched him push snow for a while with Ben's large shovel and marveled at how strong he is, how big he is getting. It wasn't all work though; the Play Constructure offered lots of fun, especially since the slide kept getting covered with a fresh layer of snow each time he went out there:
"Mama! Mama! Did you see me? Did you watch me through the window? I'm soooo cold. It was soooo fun! I scooped with Daddy and I lost my sweeper. I made a snow angel! I got snow everywhere!! When can we do it again? After one more sleep? But I don't want the sun to come out! I don't want my snow to go away! Can we do Quiet Time outside again?" -- all this and more bubbled out of Harrison after his final trip out for the day. Even though it was flippin' cold and snowing the whole day, it was clearly worthwhile to let him be out there, having a blast.
I'm so thankful Ben was here today to be with HD in the cold, fresh air while RL and I stayed warm inside the house (although she clearly wanted to go with them each time!). Like most kids, Harrison is clearly a fan of snow days, and I can totally relate. Some of my best childhood memories are of winter afternoons spent stomping around the farm and the grove with my brother, seeing just how many snow piles and drifts we could explore, turn into forts, or slide down countless times. Cold doesn't matter when you're little. Instead it's fun, it's exciting, and it's magical.
Hooray for some snowy magic for Harrison today!
Today, however, we did up a Snow Day in true form and fashion...pajamas all day (although, by that definition, we've had many snow days this year), coffee and hot chocolate, special goodies in the form of homemade bread and Rice Krispee treats, books and some videos, and lots of playtime with Dad. It helped that Ben's school canceled for the day mid-afternoon of yesterday; we knew he'd be home and so got to have a relaxed evening and morning leading into this day of 8-10" of snow (with perhaps more coming). And, ironically, Harrison spent more time outside today than he has much of the winter (minus the nicer days, of course).
Layered to the max, HD ventured out three separate times with Dad to work on the driveway and to Play. I watched him push snow for a while with Ben's large shovel and marveled at how strong he is, how big he is getting. It wasn't all work though; the Play Constructure offered lots of fun, especially since the slide kept getting covered with a fresh layer of snow each time he went out there:
"Mama! Mama! Did you see me? Did you watch me through the window? I'm soooo cold. It was soooo fun! I scooped with Daddy and I lost my sweeper. I made a snow angel! I got snow everywhere!! When can we do it again? After one more sleep? But I don't want the sun to come out! I don't want my snow to go away! Can we do Quiet Time outside again?" -- all this and more bubbled out of Harrison after his final trip out for the day. Even though it was flippin' cold and snowing the whole day, it was clearly worthwhile to let him be out there, having a blast.
I'm so thankful Ben was here today to be with HD in the cold, fresh air while RL and I stayed warm inside the house (although she clearly wanted to go with them each time!). Like most kids, Harrison is clearly a fan of snow days, and I can totally relate. Some of my best childhood memories are of winter afternoons spent stomping around the farm and the grove with my brother, seeing just how many snow piles and drifts we could explore, turn into forts, or slide down countless times. Cold doesn't matter when you're little. Instead it's fun, it's exciting, and it's magical.
Hooray for some snowy magic for Harrison today!
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Rockabye Mama
Seven years ago, I received the best Valentine's present - my engagement ring. Technically Ben had already asked me to marry him and I had already said yes, but when he proposed, he hadn't purchased a diamond ring yet, so instead he asked me with a birthstone ring, which was fine by me. Since then, Valentine's Days have been pretty low-key by comparison. As in, I couldn't even tell you what we did to celebrate, much less the gifts we exchanged. I, by the way, gave him two pairs of boxers the year he gave me the diamond...not so much a fair trade until you factor in that he did get me out of the deal, too. ;) But really, those are the last gifts I really remember us giving for this holiday.
Flash forward to the baby making years, which is a phrase I occasionally use but am now reconsidering because seeing it typed out makes it sound so, so inappropriate. Anyway.... These last four years have been all about bringing babies into the world, and part of being a prepared mama, for me, is having a place to hold and rock my sweet littles. That of course meant that a rocking chair was a Must on my list for our nursery when we were preparing for Baby Welsch No. 1's arrival. We didn't shop around too much - instead we just ordered one online that matched the colors of our other nursery furniture, etc. It came with an ottoman, so I was set to sit. And rock (or would it be "glide" since technically I think the chair is actually a glider?).
And sit and rock I did. A lot. So much so that when Baby Welsch No. 2 was pending, I decided I needed another rocker (glider?): one for Harrison's room still and one for the living room, where I could nurse, or maybe our room where the baby would sleep, or maybe the family room for play time...see, it really is amazing I didn't try to buy four rockers right then and there. But as it turns out, I really do have a thing for this particular piece of furniture. They are just essential to me and I really would be content having one in almost every room in the house.
Chair No. 2 was a bit of an upgrade from No. 1. No ottoman this time, but a much cushier cushion and wider seat proved to be a good choice when it came to having both babies sitting with me in the thing as they seem to like to do, even to this day. And the softer cushion is fab because I actually had to put a pillow on the seat of the cheap-o No. 1 glider, especially in those months when RL was getting me up to nurse every 2-3 hours all night every night. So yes, another glider. More rocking. All good.
And now, almost by accident, I have acquired my third rocker/glider. It seems that I really am going to get one for each new baby, so perhaps, if we do have four kiddos, I will actually have four rockers in my house someday! But for now, I'm quite thrilled with No. 3 because it was a happy discovery in the furniture store's clearance room last weekend when we were shopping for HD's new big boy bed (which has been so far, so good, thank goodness!). It is very much like No. 2 except that it does have an ottoman and can even lock so as not to rock (I'm thinking this might be good when Mountain Goat Raegan can hoist herself up in the thing, which won't be long), so even though it was as cheap as No. 1, it's my fanciest one yet! Isn't she pretty?
I was just joking when I pointed it out to Ben while we were at the store, but he said, "Do you want it for your Valentine's present?" and since we haven't done big presents in, oh, seven years, I decided, sure - why not? By the way, when my mom asked what I got him I said, "A rocker?" :) Once again, not quite a fair trade, until you factor in the gift that we are both getting with Baby No. 3 later this year. Pretty fabulous, indeed.
Flash forward to the baby making years, which is a phrase I occasionally use but am now reconsidering because seeing it typed out makes it sound so, so inappropriate. Anyway.... These last four years have been all about bringing babies into the world, and part of being a prepared mama, for me, is having a place to hold and rock my sweet littles. That of course meant that a rocking chair was a Must on my list for our nursery when we were preparing for Baby Welsch No. 1's arrival. We didn't shop around too much - instead we just ordered one online that matched the colors of our other nursery furniture, etc. It came with an ottoman, so I was set to sit. And rock (or would it be "glide" since technically I think the chair is actually a glider?).
And sit and rock I did. A lot. So much so that when Baby Welsch No. 2 was pending, I decided I needed another rocker (glider?): one for Harrison's room still and one for the living room, where I could nurse, or maybe our room where the baby would sleep, or maybe the family room for play time...see, it really is amazing I didn't try to buy four rockers right then and there. But as it turns out, I really do have a thing for this particular piece of furniture. They are just essential to me and I really would be content having one in almost every room in the house.
Chair No. 2 was a bit of an upgrade from No. 1. No ottoman this time, but a much cushier cushion and wider seat proved to be a good choice when it came to having both babies sitting with me in the thing as they seem to like to do, even to this day. And the softer cushion is fab because I actually had to put a pillow on the seat of the cheap-o No. 1 glider, especially in those months when RL was getting me up to nurse every 2-3 hours all night every night. So yes, another glider. More rocking. All good.
And now, almost by accident, I have acquired my third rocker/glider. It seems that I really am going to get one for each new baby, so perhaps, if we do have four kiddos, I will actually have four rockers in my house someday! But for now, I'm quite thrilled with No. 3 because it was a happy discovery in the furniture store's clearance room last weekend when we were shopping for HD's new big boy bed (which has been so far, so good, thank goodness!). It is very much like No. 2 except that it does have an ottoman and can even lock so as not to rock (I'm thinking this might be good when Mountain Goat Raegan can hoist herself up in the thing, which won't be long), so even though it was as cheap as No. 1, it's my fanciest one yet! Isn't she pretty?
I was just joking when I pointed it out to Ben while we were at the store, but he said, "Do you want it for your Valentine's present?" and since we haven't done big presents in, oh, seven years, I decided, sure - why not? By the way, when my mom asked what I got him I said, "A rocker?" :) Once again, not quite a fair trade, until you factor in the gift that we are both getting with Baby No. 3 later this year. Pretty fabulous, indeed.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Who Will It Be?
Normally at or around 20 weeks in a pregnancy (which is just under two weeks for us now), you go in for an ultrasound, which is also when many mamas-and-papas-to-be find out the gender of their baby. Ben and I have never chosen to find out this information in the past, so as a default we've opted not to again; this made it pretty easy to push back the 20 week appointment to follow the slightly altered appointment schedule Baby Welsch No.3 has decided to take. Because of all our extra appointments in Dec./Jan., we've had four ultrasounds already, so we're in no big rush for another. We know the baby's doing fine (no bleeding for over two weeks now - hooray!) and we don't mind waiting until week 22ish to see her/him again. In fact, my doctor says we'll get even better images by then, which is ironic since we aren't wanting to find out if she is a she or he is a he.
With our first, we decided together not to find out the gender, although I do think it was more my call than Ben's. For as much of a planner as I am, I liked the idea of having the honest, happy surprise that bringing a child into the world offers. Plus, the guessing game is kind of fun, and as I'm sure many of you know, people like to make guesses and predictions! My favorites are always the ones based on symptoms of pregnancy which are really just coincidental, like these two gems that I've definitely heard more than once: "Oh, you had morning sickness! You're having a boy." "Oh, you had morning sickness! You're having a girl!" By the way, I've also learned, by going five days overdue with Raegan, that many people also have theories on how to make a baby come out, all of which are highly amusing, off-the-wall, and (sorry, folks, if you offered me one) wrong! Babies do what babies want, period. And since we already have one of each, this baby's gender is really just icing on the cake.
That being said, we of course have some ideas about the answer to Harrison's question, "Who will it be?" asked in reference to my ever-growing belly....
My first thought is, it will be a boy. Hands down. There are actual several other theories working to support this, which I will explain, but my gut says Boy. That most certainly means it will be a girl because I am always wrong. I was so convinced that Harrison was going to be a girl that it probably took me two days after giving birth to him to get used to using male pronouns when speaking about or to him. And with Raegan, well, let's just say that I asked my doctor "REALLY?" so many times after she said, "It's a girl!" that I probably insulted her intelligence just a bit. I just really couldn't believe it because I was totally convinced I was having another boy. So there you have it. I know nothing about what my body does when it grows babies. I just know they come out adorable and sweet and loud and I love them. And wrong or right, we'll be OK!
But here is some so-called proof to support my inklings....the first is the Jansen Theory. As it turns out, Ben and I seem to be following in the footsteps of my mom's parents when it comes to having babies. So far we are two for two on birth order gender and three for three in terms of spacing (as in, within a month on the spread between 1 & 2 and 2 &3!). Weird, right? But fabulous because my grandparents had four kids - two boys and two girls - which is what I've always wanted, so I'm more than happy to follow in their footsteps, which would make Baby No. 3 definitely a boy.
Also bolstering the boy notion would be the children of the best man in our wedding. HUH? you are asking? Well, it goes like this. With both of our first two pregnancies, we, along with Ben's best friend from college and his wife, had the exact same spacing and exact same gender of kiddos. Boys first, girls second, and matched precisely on months between the two. So, come to find out after we got pregnant with No.3, they were also expecting No.3 and again, the spacing would be a perfect match. Weird again, right?! And while none of us knew with the first two what we were having, they found that their No.3 is a boy, so I would honestly be a bit shocked if we didn't have the same. Seriously.
Harrison is also in this boy school of thought. His logic is far more precise and, who knows - maybe accurate? He's deduced that we already have a baby girl in the form of RL, so clearly this baby is going to be a boy. Who can argue with that?
Well, perhaps Ben's grandma because we just got a card from her today and the note inside said she thinks I'm having a girl. No reason was given; just her thoughts. And while I don't remember her predictions with the first two and therefore have no way of knowing how spot on she is, she was a labor and delivery nurse for how many years? She might just know a thing or two!
I don't know how many of you have tried to use the Chinese Gender Predictor and been successful, but so far it has been either inconclusive or flat-out wrong for me, and it is saying I'm having a boy this time, so I guess that is a vote for girl, right?
And lastly, I turn to Angry Birds. Yes, it's true. I am looking at a silly app for indications of what the gender of my next child will be. And the birds tell me it has to be a girl. Because, if you didn't know, Harrison has associated every different color of bird in the game with a family member and all that's left is this (by the way, ironically, the squatty white bird that lays eggs in midair is the Mama Bird...):
Pretty cute, right? And while I don't totally go for gender/color stereotypes, I'd probably have a hard time naming this after a baby boy, so I guess girl it is.
Think you might know what we're having? Feel free to share; your guess is as good, if not better, than ours!
With our first, we decided together not to find out the gender, although I do think it was more my call than Ben's. For as much of a planner as I am, I liked the idea of having the honest, happy surprise that bringing a child into the world offers. Plus, the guessing game is kind of fun, and as I'm sure many of you know, people like to make guesses and predictions! My favorites are always the ones based on symptoms of pregnancy which are really just coincidental, like these two gems that I've definitely heard more than once: "Oh, you had morning sickness! You're having a boy." "Oh, you had morning sickness! You're having a girl!" By the way, I've also learned, by going five days overdue with Raegan, that many people also have theories on how to make a baby come out, all of which are highly amusing, off-the-wall, and (sorry, folks, if you offered me one) wrong! Babies do what babies want, period. And since we already have one of each, this baby's gender is really just icing on the cake.
That being said, we of course have some ideas about the answer to Harrison's question, "Who will it be?" asked in reference to my ever-growing belly....
My first thought is, it will be a boy. Hands down. There are actual several other theories working to support this, which I will explain, but my gut says Boy. That most certainly means it will be a girl because I am always wrong. I was so convinced that Harrison was going to be a girl that it probably took me two days after giving birth to him to get used to using male pronouns when speaking about or to him. And with Raegan, well, let's just say that I asked my doctor "REALLY?" so many times after she said, "It's a girl!" that I probably insulted her intelligence just a bit. I just really couldn't believe it because I was totally convinced I was having another boy. So there you have it. I know nothing about what my body does when it grows babies. I just know they come out adorable and sweet and loud and I love them. And wrong or right, we'll be OK!
But here is some so-called proof to support my inklings....the first is the Jansen Theory. As it turns out, Ben and I seem to be following in the footsteps of my mom's parents when it comes to having babies. So far we are two for two on birth order gender and three for three in terms of spacing (as in, within a month on the spread between 1 & 2 and 2 &3!). Weird, right? But fabulous because my grandparents had four kids - two boys and two girls - which is what I've always wanted, so I'm more than happy to follow in their footsteps, which would make Baby No. 3 definitely a boy.
Also bolstering the boy notion would be the children of the best man in our wedding. HUH? you are asking? Well, it goes like this. With both of our first two pregnancies, we, along with Ben's best friend from college and his wife, had the exact same spacing and exact same gender of kiddos. Boys first, girls second, and matched precisely on months between the two. So, come to find out after we got pregnant with No.3, they were also expecting No.3 and again, the spacing would be a perfect match. Weird again, right?! And while none of us knew with the first two what we were having, they found that their No.3 is a boy, so I would honestly be a bit shocked if we didn't have the same. Seriously.
Harrison is also in this boy school of thought. His logic is far more precise and, who knows - maybe accurate? He's deduced that we already have a baby girl in the form of RL, so clearly this baby is going to be a boy. Who can argue with that?
Well, perhaps Ben's grandma because we just got a card from her today and the note inside said she thinks I'm having a girl. No reason was given; just her thoughts. And while I don't remember her predictions with the first two and therefore have no way of knowing how spot on she is, she was a labor and delivery nurse for how many years? She might just know a thing or two!
I don't know how many of you have tried to use the Chinese Gender Predictor and been successful, but so far it has been either inconclusive or flat-out wrong for me, and it is saying I'm having a boy this time, so I guess that is a vote for girl, right?
And lastly, I turn to Angry Birds. Yes, it's true. I am looking at a silly app for indications of what the gender of my next child will be. And the birds tell me it has to be a girl. Because, if you didn't know, Harrison has associated every different color of bird in the game with a family member and all that's left is this (by the way, ironically, the squatty white bird that lays eggs in midair is the Mama Bird...):
Think you might know what we're having? Feel free to share; your guess is as good, if not better, than ours!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)