My Productive Day

As a follow-up to the last post, I did end up taking Zach to the pool yesterday. I was feeling so guilty for not doing anything, so I went to where he was lying in front of the TV, and asked him if he wanted to go to the pool. By the time I could finish the popsicle I was eating (trying to intake more fluids!), he had changed into his swim trunks, gotten beach towels, snacks, and drinks out, and was looking for our beach bag. That's the most efficient he's been in ages! By the time I went upstairs and changed, the beach bag was in the car, and he was sitting in his car seat with the sunroof open and the radio on.

I wish I could say we had a great time at the pool; the water was as warm as bath water, the pool was crowded, and there were some little flies that kept biting me on the arms. Zach had a good time, though, and did a great job of practicing his swimming. I can't wait to see how well he does after he takes lessons in a couple of weeks! I got him out of there with the promise of a McDonald's Happy Meal, which Darren met us at the house with. We capped off our evening with a trip to Toys R Us for a birthday gift, then a visit to Home Depot to pick out paint for the nursery. We bought a quart, and I can't wait to see if it will work with our bedding! Afterward, we came home and I did some more preparation for the housekeepers.

This morning, I was woken up at 8:30 by the housekeepers coming in. I guess we need to make sure to be up the next time they come, and it won't be a problem once school starts, because we'll be gone by then. They only stayed for an hour, then I had a dentist appointment. I haven't had my teeth cleaned in two years, and was really nervous about what they would find. Since they couldn't do x-rays, the news wasn't too bad. There is one tooth with an old filling that's loose, and another tooth they are worried about. I know I have bad teeth, and know there will be more work done every time I go. It's just a fact of life. Zach sat in a chair in the corner and played with his Leapster the whole time.

After the dentist, since it actually wasn't raining, I decided to take my car to get the oil changed and have it vacuummed and washed. Why we bought a car with black carpet is beyond me, but it looked awful. I've had it for three months now, and have never had it cleaned, so it was overdue. I then took Zach to lunch at a pizza buffet, YUM! Our final stop was the grocery store for a few things for the weekend. I rewarded myself by coming home to my clean house and taking a nap.

Now, my sugared-up child is zooming around the room. I think it's time to take a walk to the mailbox to work off some of that energy. I will probably cap off my exciting day by cooking dinner. We party like rockstars here!

Trying to Get Motivated

I went to the doctor Tuesday, and I'm not on bed rest, but have to continue to take it easy. The problem is, I am fully aware of all the things that I need to get done, but my body lacks the stamina to do it right now. The housekeepers are coming tomorrow, so I did get things picked up, but there is so much more that I should do.

Poor Zach is so bored. I wish we had some kids who lived around us for him to play with. Since I am less than entertaining, his days consist of lying on the floor in front of Cartoon Network, playing in his room, playing with my friend's borrowed Wii, or riding his scooter on our driveway. I know he would prefer to be at the pool or to have a friend over, but the thought of going to the pool is far from my mind, and having a friend over involves me a lot more than I would like. At least we'll be with my parents next week, and Zach will have my dad to play with in the evenings.

The doctor says that my pain is caused by the baby sitting really low. What she didn't say was how to fix it. I am supposed to wear a support belt, but it cuts into me when I sit down, which I tend to do A LOT.

All right, enough whining for now. I think I have enough energy to walk over to the couch and lie down with a library book. I am the epitome of excitement!

Feeling Less Than Great

I think the pregnancy hormones are catching up with me. I am so tired, and tired of feeling bad. Besides the fact that it appears that I have yet another sinus infection, I am having these awful pains in an unmentionable area. Basically, it hurts to walk, sit down, put on clothes, and turn over in bed. I have an ultrasound at the hospital tomorrow to see if the placenta has moved yet, and I suspect it hasn't. I think she is sitting really low, which is causing these pains. Her kicks sure are low! I wouldn't be shocked if there was more bedrest in my future...

I haven't done a whole lot in the past few days. Thursday, Zach and I ran errands, while it continued to rain. Friday, we ran around with a friend, and Zach ended up spending the afternoon/evening with my friend, which was wonderful. Darren and I were able to go out to eat alone, and actually talk. Saturday, I pulled all of my old photos out of the extra bedroom/nursery, and spread them on the living room floor to organize them. Well, they're still there. It hurts to sit on the floor, and I don't have the motivation to finish that project. I do need to get it done before the housekeepers come on Friday. Saturday night, I was craving chicken wings, so we went to a restaurant to eat wings and watch the Astros. My friend lent us her Nintendo Wii for a few days, so we went and rented some games for it. Yesterday, we went into Houston, ate at this awesome Greek restaurant, and walked around the Galleria. We looked in quite a few stores, but Darren couldn't find the clothes he wanted, and the Croc booth didn't have any black Mary Janes. We left the mall with a bag of expensive candy and some new software for the Mac laptop. We wanted to check out the iPhones in the Mac store, but there was a crowd around the display table. We're not getting one, at least not until our current contract expires in a year, so there is no rush.

Today, Zach and I spent the day with my friend Melissa. We had a good time with her, but my little darling has become quite bossy and rude lately, and it irritates me to no end. I'm not sure what to do to put a stop to it, but I will figure something out. He cannot go to school in the fall with the attitude that it is all right to tell a grown-up to be quiet. We've also begun putting our fingers in our ears, and hitting me. Not cool. He understands that it is not all right to speak to me that way, but continues to do it. I haven't found the perfect punishment yet, but I will continue looking.

That's about all the excitement for now. It seems that the rain has finally stopped, so maybe we will make it to the pool this week. I have a dentist appointment on Friday, and my parents are coming in Saturday to drive Zach and me to Lafayette for the week next week. I seem to be incapable of driving that far, so Darren will have to go and get me next weekend. I am not sure what we will do there for a week, but I guess I won't be cleaning anything.

Happy 4th of July!

Today has been a strange day. It's weird having a holiday in the middle of the week, so we weren't able to go anywhere. I think this is the first time in five years that we have stayed home, and we don't have any plans for the day. Since it has now rained for 34 days in a row, it would be hard to go out and enjoy the festivities that The Woodlands has planned. We did go to the patriotic concert last night at the Mitchell Pavilion, which was fun. The Houston Symphony plays, and everyone takes dinner and picnic blankets. We went with fried chicken (can't get more American than that) and met my sister-in-law, her kids, and some other friends. It was one of those times that made me glad that we live here.

This morning, there was a parade at 9:00, but we didn't make it. I didn't want to break our 7-year-long streak of not attending. The pools were free today, and each one is supposed to have a theme and free refreshments. The constant rain probably eliminated that, though. This evening, there is a festival around the mall, a concert at one of the parks, and fireworks. We may go do that, because I can't imagine July 4th without fireworks.

We have spent the day reading, playing on the computer, being bored (Zach, but he does have a friend over right now), and taping the trim in the bedroom for painting (Darren). I guess we'll have to cook something eventually, but the weather is not conducive to barbecuing. What an exciting day! We may go to the zoo tomorrow, so that is something to look forward to. The rain has to end sometime, right?

Off Bed Rest, and other stuff

I can't imagine being on bed rest for weeks at a time. The five or six days that I was on it were the longest days for me, and I didn't even obey the doctor's orders to stay horizontal! There was the trip to the library, shopping at Target, and expedition to Babies R Us to get my nursery bedding. As my sister said, I think I would need to be tied to the bed in order to truly follow those orders.

My mom came in on Sunday to spend a few days with me. It was her first time driving to Texas alone, and she survived. We got so much done this week! We cleaned out closets, worked on my nursery, and finally conquered the 13 or 14 loads of laundry that have been happily multiplying in the dark linen closet. Now that all of the clothes are clean for the first time since February, our closets and drawers are over-stuffed. Mom also cooked for us, and took Zach out for an afternoon so I could nap in peace. I wish she would come more often. It motivated me to continue keeping up with the laundry, and try to finish getting the extra bedroom/nursery ready for the baby. I still have pictures to organize, and toys and clothes to take pictures of and get online to sell.

I went back to the doctor Tuesday, and she did a quick ultrasound in her office. It looks like the placenta is still low, so we are doing another level two ultrasound at the hospital on July 10th. It will be rechecked every couple of weeks until I deliver, and if it stays low, I will probably end up having a c-section at 36 or 37 weeks. The good news is that I don't have to go on bedrest unless there is bleeding. Even though I am allowed to move around now, I am really frustrated at the limitations placed on me by my body. I can't walk long distances, going up the stairs is torture, and I get tired so easily. I guess I should lie around and read all day...

I hired a housekeeper yesterday, YAY! I've wanted one for a while, and got a name from a friend. I talked to the lady yesterday morning, and she told me that someone would come by for an estimate yesterday afternoon, then come and clean this morning. I figured we had last night to get all of the garbage bags of clothes for Goodwill out of the hallway, and didn't worry about it. She then called back and said that they were coming to clean yesterday afternoon. So, I spent a frantic hour hauling heavy bags out to my car, and picking up the entire house. When the three ladies arrived, they went straight upstairs and started cleaning. It took them about two hours, but my house looks great and smells great. It's so nice to be going into the weekend with a clean house. I hope we can keep it up until they come back in two weeks!

Zach has been going to Baptist VBS this week. I've had three hours each morning to run around and get things done, but this is it for the summer for me. Darren wasn't thrilled about my choice of churches, since we are lapsed Catholics. I know a lot of people who go to this church, and if it wasn't Baptist, we might join. All week, I kept thinking how cool and unlike most Baptist churches it was. Well, last night we went for a "tailgate party", and the first thing the kids did was to sing the songs they've learned this week. The second song was one about recruiting, and I thought Darren was going to die! Then, they started naming the children who had made "decisions" about baptism and becoming Christian this week, and we were both praying that we wouldn't hear Zachary's name. That could have been a tough situation to get out of! After the singing, there was an outdoor carnival with hot dogs, rides and inflatables. Zach had a great time, and I ended up sitting in the car for the last 30 minutes. I just didn't have the energy to stand up anymore.

I booked Zach's 6th birthday party today for August. Since it is always so hot, we have to have an indoor party, and since his birthday is the week I go back to work, there is no way I want the party at my house. Every year we are challenged to find something fun and affordable, and this year we chose to have the party at an inflatable jumping place. I am so glad that is taken care of!

I found out today that I did not get the art position at Zach's school. Since I hadn't heard anything, I figured I hadn't gotten it, then I received a letter in the mail from the principal. I'm disappointed, but relieved to be settled for the fall. I guess I'll try again next year!