Because I'm insane, that's why.

Want to hear about our week?  It was a doozy...

On Monday I had a doctor's appointment and three hours of piano students.  I've been having Braxton Hicks like crazy.  I had them with Seth, too, but not this bad.  Every 3-4 minutes for an hour or so one evening (after a long, busy weekend).  My OB isn't too worried about it.  He told me to take it easy--if they start getting out of control (more than 4 in an hour) then I'm supposed to lay down for an hour and drink 30 oz. of water.  What a joke...I wish I could lay down for an hour!

For FHE we carved pumpkins.  Or, more accurately, we gutted two pumpkins and carved one.  Not enough time for both.  Seth was very clear--he wanted a 'mad pumpkin'.  He's completely obsessed with it.

Tuesday morning I spent working on Halloween costumes.  The afternoon was spent playing with Sommer's boys so she could take a much-needed hair-styling break.  Then I had to quickly come up with a costume for Young Women, because we never reveal our actual costumes until the ward party.  Here's what I came up with:

That's my Beehive president, Kendal, dressed up as Kendal.  And that's me, also dressed up as Kendal.  Notice the painted-on bruise I added to match hers?  Unfortunately I parted my hair on the wrong side.  Otherwise it would have been perfect!

Wednesday was more costume making, more piano students, and the stupidest thing I did this week: agree to make a cake.  Apparently I thought I would have our costumes finished in advance.  Ha.

Thursday was more of the same--relentless costume making (I was up at 6 every day with Jon and skipped every nap this week in my attempt to get these things done), piano students, a two-hour grocery shopping trip, and cake decorating.  I finished the cake that night, and I'm pretty darn happy with how it turned out.  Don't judge the basketweave too harshly--it was my first attempt.

And it's totally fondant free, which makes me happy.

Friday was the big day--the ward party.  I worked like crazy to get our costumes done.  Jon even helped--he painted stripes on one pant leg, attached Seth's costume to his hat, and assembled his bat tie.  I would have been done in plenty of time if I didn't mess up Jon's jacket and have to repair it.  Repeatedly.

The party started at 6.  I finished Jon's costume at 6:15.  Jon, Seth & the shrimp bisque left at 6:30, at which point I ran upstairs and threw on my costume.  I made it there by 7.  Our goal next year?  To have our costumes done the day BEFORE the party.  This is two years in a row we've been late because of costumes.

And here we are, in all our glory:

Seth as Zero

(he wouldn't wear the hat or carry it around, so basically he was just Seth in a white outfit)

Me as Sally

I could NOT find an auburn or brown wig, which really frustrated me.  I wish my hair was longer...

And please remember that I am pregnant, not just thick like I appear to be in this picture!

Jon as Jack Skellington

He had quite a few people asking if he was Beetlejuice.  We really needed a mask to get the round Jack head, but no masks are allowed at the church.  We did the best we could!  Oh, and we couldn't find skeleton hands either.  Maybe next time...

Our Nightmare Before Christmas costumes

These costumes were a huge amount of work.  I made my dress because the Sally dresses I found looked nothing like her.  I'd like to say a huge thank-you to my mom, who gave me my Christmas present early (a new sewing machine!) so I could make these costumes.  They would not have happened otherwise! 

I definitely learned a lot.  This was the first time I have ever sewn anything on my own.  Neither costume had a pattern, so I was totally winging it.  I'm 100% happy with mine, and Jon's is more like 95%.  Just don't look at the armpits, okay?

Seth loved the trunk-or-treat.  I finally gave him a sucker halfway through so he would stop looking at every piece of candy that was placed in his pumpkin.  We were super slow--by the time we made it around the church several people had run out of candy and were leaving.  Seth was too little to notice, thank heaven!  Next year we'll be faster.

Saturday I had a temple trip with the youth and a baptism afterwords.  It killed me to wake up at 5:15am (we were leaving at 6:15 to be down there by 8am).  I was so sore and so exhausted after this week.  But once we got there, it was totally worth it.  An amazing experience.

By the time the baptism was over it was 4pm and people were commenting on how tired I looked.  Gotta love that.

We carved our second pumpkin last night.  It was supposed to be a Jack Skellington face, but I just let Seth decide (this time we got a 'happy pumpkin').  Good thing, too!  That sucker was a full 3 inches thick!  No way I was doing any fancy carving on that thing!

And now here we are, Sunday.  I got to help one of my piano students play prelude on the organ for the first time this morning.  He did fantastically!  Then it was my turn to play.  I finally got an adviser, so I didn't have to teach today, but I did get to introduce a new song that the Young Women will be singing at Christmas.

Now I want a nap.  But my neighbor is outside sawing things.  Like he was doing at 11pm the night before the temple trip.  I love my neighbor, I love my neighbor, I love my neighbor...

Sorry for all those who called/emailed last week--I honestly didn't have a minute to spare.  I'll work on catching up on life this week.  Hopefully.

How to Transition to a 'New Big Bed'

Step 1: Have your kid sleeping in a pack and play next to his 'big bed' for a year since your neighbors are too loud and keep waking him up in his real crib.

Step 2: Have your kid outgrow a normal pack and play so that you have to borrow a bigger one from a friend.

Step 3: Have your friend be suddenly surprised with two foster kids in her home, one of whom needs the pack and play.

Step 4: Give your kid a couple of days warning that the crib is going away and that he'll be sleeping in his big bed.

Step 5: On the appointed day, have him help pack up the pack and play so he can actually see it leaving.

Step 6: Load him in the car and have him actually return said pack and play to his friend.

Step 7: Buy him a soft-serve cone (known as 'ice cream for the tongue' in Seth Speak) because he's a big boy now.

Step 8: Get him all excited and let him jump all over his new bed.  Give him a bunch of toys, blankets and books to keep him company.

Step 9: Read his bedtime stories while laying next to him on the bed.

Step 10: Say goodnight, cross your fingers, and pray like crazy that you won't be seeing him every hour all night long.

I was not excited about moving him.  Our plan was to wait until January (after the holidays--that way we could still stuff him in a pack and play at our parents' houses).  But our hand was forced, so we went ahead!  I was definitely nervous--he was moving from a pack and play into a full-sized bed.  That's a huge size difference.  We packed it in as well as we could, hoping he wouldn't feel so lost.

Turns out we didn't need to stress at all.  After some initial fear-calming when we turned off the lights, he has done FANTASTICALLY.  In fact, he's never even tried to get out of his bed and leave the room.  Not at all what I expected.  But Seth has a very obedient spirit--he likes knowing the rules and having routines (just like his parents).  Now that the routines are established, he loves his 'new big bed.'  I'm pretty sure every single person who has set foot in our house recently has been hauled upstairs to see the 'new big bed.'  My baby is growing up...

Grandma & Aunt Bubba come to visit!

Those lucky kids in Tucson get a week off for 'fall break' in October.  My mom & Bethany decided to spend their break out here with me!  Okay, with Seth.

Here he is, welcoming Grandma by jumping on her bed.  He wanted to ensure it was nice and broken in before she used it:

We were a little early for the peak of the gorgeous fall colors, but we took advantage of Jon's Monday off (thank you, Columbus) and headed to Gunpowder Falls State Park for a little hiking.  And by 'hiking' I mean 'walking in nature.'

Seth loved the water.  He spent as much time as possible throwing rocks and sticks into the river.  He also informed me that he was going to go 'swimming.'  This is as close as he got:

Jon continued his tradition of teaching my sisters how to skip rocks.  Apparently Bethany needs more practice with her technique.  Next time, Bubba Joe!

Later that evening we made Star Wars and Halloween sugar cookies.  This is the first time Seth has gotten to help make cookies.  He was totally enthralled.  I wouldn't let him eat the dough (no raw eggs until he's a little older), but he sure enjoyed eating the powdered sugar we used to roll the cookies out.

How good are these cookies, you ask?  This good:

Mmm...deliciousness...

Of course, we had to do a little shopping while they were here.  Beth got some clothes and boots, and Seth got an obnoxious train that I think Jon has hidden.  Grandma can't resist when Seth asks for something.  Mom can.  But even with a train to play with, I'm afraid Seth has inherited my limited capacity for shopping excursions.  Here he is laying on the floor at Kohl's while Grandma and Mom look for rocket jammies:

As if having 4 dozen cookies around wasn't good enough, we also made these delicious pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes that Aunt Lori sent.  Oh, my goodness.  They were so good.  And that cream cheese icing?  Holy crap.  I had to freeze the leftovers so I wouldn't be tempted to eat it on bread.  Or just straight up.

But the real reason Beth came (Mom came for Seth) was to see NYC.  Rather than trying to finagle a parking place and deal with all the tolls, we decided to opt for the Megabus. 

After reading some reviews, I was nervous about the bus being late picking us up or taking us home.  Other people complained about drivers leaving with no explanation for 40+ minutes or that the bus was 90 minutes late to take them home.  Both our buses were slightly late, and our driver took one 15 minute no-explanation stop, but we survived.  Still better than me having to drive...

Of course, we had to be at the stop at 6:00 am.  Which meant we were up at 4:45 am with the understanding that we would not be back home until around 1 am.  Long day.  I was worried that I wouldn't survive, but my feet didn't hurt too badly by the end of our trek across the city.  I have got to stop taking these trips to NYC when I'm pregnant (3 of my 5 trips have involved me in pregnant mode).

We did all (or most) of the touristy stuff we could fit in a one day trip.  Statue of Liberty:

Empire State (and proof that Mom was actually on this trip.  I had to steal the camera from her):

Rockefeller Center with our umbrellas:

And us, soaking wet after our trek up 5th Avenue and across Central Park:

Luckily we had a little time to dry off at Chelsea Market (I have been waiting to eat their lobster bisque again for over two years) before we stood out in the rain again to wait for our bus.  Thank heaven for the kind man who informed us that, contrary to what it said on our tickets, the bus stop had actually been moved down a block.  Grrr....Megabus...

Overall, I think Beth had a good time.  I was pretty darn pleased with my skills as a tour guide--we only had one mishap where there wasn't a subway station where there should have been.  Other than that, we did great.  We managed to see everything we came to see (of course, it was basically pitch black by the time we made it to Central Park, but Beth didn't mind).  And Mom was kind and got Seth the next morning so I could sleep in...

And here he is again, showing off what a spoiled grandchild he is: rocket jammies and a rocket from NYC (why they are selling shuttles in NYC is beyond me).  Any guesses as to what his latest obsession is?

Seth had a hard time seeing Grandma & Aunt Bubba leave.  He asked for several days when we could get on an airplane and go to Grandma's house.  Lucky for him we'll be heading out there in just a few weeks for Thanksgiving!  Thank you, Mom & Beth (or should I say, Boris?) for a fun week!  Wish you were closer so we could do this more often...

Ultrasound Pictures

Yeah, I know.  It's been more than a week since the ultrasound.  Don't worry--I've had a good excuse for my blog slacking (and you'll hear all about it soon).

Here are the promised pictures!  First, an adorable baby profile:

Next, two baby faces.   It's hard to tell, but she's looking straight at you with her hand up by her face (it's been there for both ultrasounds.  Not sucking her thumb, just holding her hand by her face).

And finally, it's officially a girl!

And, for your viewing pleasure, here is me at 22 weeks (if you're going by my due date) or 20 weeks (if you're going by the ultrasound measurements):

I know, I know.  I'm not very big.  Not sure what is going on.  Either she's tiny, I'm not as far along as I think I am, or I'm carrying completely differently than I am with Seth.  But she's healthy, I'm healthy, and (so far) I haven't gotten in trouble for not gaining enough weight.

Ladies and Gentlemen, We have a Gender!

Baby #2 was much more cooperative this time around.  It only took the tech (who, oddly enough, was the same tech we had for Seth's ultrasound) about 10 seconds before she said,

"It's a girl!"

Definitely a little girl.  We both thought it was, so it was fun to have that confirmed for us.  I'll put up the ultrasound pictures when I get them scanned in.  We're excited for little Sara Catherine (who will be known as Catherine--named after both of her Grandmas) to come join us sometime in February!

Two I Forgot

* A day or two ago, Seth was running around with my camera cord like it was some kind of leash.  When we asked him what kind of pet he had on his leash, he said, "A ghost."  Genius.

* Seth has been really demanding (but adorable) about people coming downstairs to play blocks with him.  I think he's dragged at least two of my piano moms downstairs with him.  "Come on!  Blocks!"  Sunday night we had some friends over for dinner.  As soon as Seth saw Diana, he started in on her.  "Dinana!  Come on!  Blocks!"  She held him off until she was done eating and then headed downstairs.  As soon as I finished I went down to give her some company.  Seth took one look at me and said, "Mommy upstairs!"  Apparently I was ruining his post-dinner date with Diana...

Sethisms

First of all, Google has declared my other blog squeaky clean.  Hooray!  So have no fear about heading over that way.

Seth is currently in the middle of another learning explosion.  Recent explosions have centered around speech--this one is entirely physical.  Thank heaven he still has those cheeks--they're one of the only things that make him still seem like a baby!

*We're sort of potty-training.  Nothing too demanding, just asking him if he wants to use the potty and rewarding him when he does.  Thank heaven it's candy corn season again--those suckers are motivating him like M&Ms never could!

*Every night he gets a choice--read books with Mom & Dad or jump in the crib.  He almost always chooses to jump.  And man, can that kid catch air.

*He's known how to climb into his pack-and-play for a while now.  But now, thanks to Cousin Megan, he can also climb out.  Thankfully we've only caught him out of his crib once so far, but I'm sure it won't be long...

* He can open doors now.  Darn it.

*He's completely obsessed with Baby Signing Time/Signing Time.  He asks for it all the time.  I think it's hilarious--he's finally picking up on the signs.  Not much use now--he already knows all the words.  The signs are just for fun.  I love how he asks for it, too: "Baysigntime?"

*He's obsessed with shoes.  He loves to wear our shoes, and he loves to bring us our shoes to put on.  Even when we're not going anywhere.

* Jon gave me a slice of pumpernickel bread to try last week.  I had a bite and then told him, "Sorry.  I don't like it."  Seth latched onto that one immediately.  Almost every meal now we'll hear, 'Don't like it.'  Fantastic.

* 'Wash hands' is his new favorite activity.  He'll push chairs to the kitchen sink or pull his stool up to the bathroom sink and 'wash hands' for as long as I let him.  This is only an issue when the sink is full of dirty dishes and he wants to 'wash hands' (aka play in the sink).

* He's definitely in the 'tiny tyrant' stage.  We hear 'No!' a lot, but our favorite demand is, "Come on, Mommy/Daddy!  Come on!"

* There's a distinct difference between "Get you!" and "Got you!"  "Get you" means "I'm going to get you/come and get me/play with me."  "Got you" means "Don't let me fall."  We hear "got you" a lot when we have to forcefully carry him up the stairs to bed.

*He addresses everyone as 'Hey, you!'  Anyone under the age of 10 is addressed as 'friend.'

*The newest skill is one we have come to dread: diaper removal.  Three times in the past two days we've walked in after a nap/bedtime to find him naked from the waist down.  Twice we've had to change all his bedding.  We had to wake him up, strip him and his bed down, and give him a lecture last night at 11pm.  We'll see if that has any effect on him...

I'm finding myself appreciating my time with Seth more and more as I realize that soon my attention will be divided.  It's easy for me to understand why some people choose to only have one child--you would never have to miss a single thing they do.  But I know he's going to love having a 'friend' once the baby is old enough to play.  I love you, Seth Man.

Curse you, Russians!

So...someone from Russia has inserted malicious code into my other blog (megansworksofgenius.blogspot.com). Fantastic. I'm working on getting it fixed and keeping it from happening again. In the meantime, I'm doing some experimenting. Forgive any weird happenings... 

So, after much investigation by Jon & me, here's what happened:

Turns out I had a picture linked on that blog that got hijacked and was sending people to a shady website. (Actually, it was the Minerva Teichart 'Mary and Martha with Jesus' painting, which I find very funny). I deleted the photo, the malware code, and all other pictures that I hadn't personally uploaded. So if you notice some pictures missing from some older posts, that's why. Better safe than sorry!

All passwords have been changed, all security has been updated, and my computer was reset to a point before the attack occurred, just in case something vicious was lurking in my files. Jon & I did a thorough history search and are pretty sure we know when it happened. I won't be letting other people have unrestricted Internet access on my computer anymore...

Basically, you're safe to go there again. I've requested re-evaluation from Google, but it can take several weeks. Hopefully the 'attack site' label will be gone soon, but in the meantime you can just ignore it.

Sorry!

Mother of the Year Award

Tuesday I had my 20 week doctor's appointment.  Nothing to report there--they're not officially changing my due date until after they get more confirmation from another ultrasound.

Baby has a nice strong heartbeat.  When Seth heard the heartbeat last appointment, he sat in a chair and glared at the doctor.  He didn't like the doctor touching Mommy.  This time, as soon as the heartbeat was audible, he ran up to the table yelling, 'New baby!  New baby!'  I was totally shocked.  I didn't think he 'got it' yet.

But that's not the real story here.

Due to a later than normal wake-up time (Seth was up around 8 instead of 7am), we were running late for my appointment.  Add to our already rushed drive a healthy rainstorm, which means everyone was driving the speed limit or under.  Safer?  I suppose.  Extremely frustrating for people running late?  Definitely.

We pull into the hospital about 4 minutes after my scheduled appointment.  Apparently everyone else was at the hospital, too, which meant we had to park on the third floor of the parking garage.  We finally snagged a spot, I picked Seth up, and we rushed to the elevator.

Now the fun part.  Right as we hit the sidewalk in front of the entrance, I miss-stepped.  We went down.  It's a terrible feeling to know that you're falling and that there is nothing you can do.  Especially when you have your child in your arms.

I knew I couldn't fall in any position that would keep Seth from going down, too.  I sacrificed as much of my body as I could (mainly my knee and elbow), but I had to let him fall.  Luckily he had a pretty soft landing.  Well, as soft as landing on concrete can be, anyway.  Of course, he was screaming.  I checked him all over for damage--other than some slight scrapes on his elbow that didn't even break the skin, he was fine.  Just terrified.  I apologized to him the entire rest of the walk to the office.

But here's the weirdest part--it was a very busy time at the hospital.  I was right in front of the entrance, so there were several people in cars waiting, and several crossing in the crosswalk.  Not one of them stopped to see if we were okay.  A woman with a stroller came from behind us as I was trying to pick up my screaming son and everything else I had dropped (purse, keys, book).  Not a word--she just maneuvered around us.  I wasn't really offended so much as I was stunned.  This was in front of the hospital, for Pete's sake!  It's not like they would have had to cart me too far if something was really wrong...

Once we got inside, the hospital hostess/direction giver fussed all over Seth (he was still sobbing).  She checked him all over for damage before sending me on my way, directing me to ask my doctor's office for some Band-Aids and anti-septic wipes.

The receptionist handed me two Band-Aids.  Seth, of course, had to have one despite the fact that there was no broken skin anywhere on him.  But it made him feel better.  I slapped the other one on my bloody knee (it wasn't nearly big enough to cover the damage) and just let my elbow alone.

So now I have a disgustingly impressive bruise collection and somehow managed to get whiplash from the fall.  But I didn't give my son a concussion, and I didn't rip my nice black slacks.  I'd call that a win, overall.  I'll just be glad when I can use my knee again...

PS--Ultrasound pictures (and new appointment date) here!  ***My other blog (at least on Firefox) is currently listed as an 'attack page'.  Obviously I didn't install any malicious code to try to steal your info, but I'm working on getting the problem taken care of.  Might have to wait until Jon gets home...*******