We Grow Boys At Our House...Apparently

Well, it's official. There will be yet another boy to carry on the Jackson name. Glenn's side of the family consists of a long line of nieces. 5 of them to be exact. Rowan was the first boy to come along and we're lucky enough to get a second one to join him. It keeps things interesting.

Baby boy was fairly uncooperative during the ultrasound. He kept moving and at one point did a 180 so the tech had to keep fishing around to get decent pictures of him. We did manage to get the token "obvious" shot of the boy parts. At least we hope that's what it is.

Profile

Foot!

Boy parts

You'll have to excuse the kick ass photography. I didn't feel like breaking out the scanner last night.

The placenta is really close to my cervix so I have to do another ultrasound in 4 weeks to see if it shifts at all. My doctor didn't seem to be too concerned. Overall, everything looks good. Baby has two hands, two feet, and a strong heart. While I desperately wanted a little girl, I'm happy that we're getting another little man. Mostly we're just glad he's healthy and appears to be quite happy. Rowan was dead set that he was having a baby sister so we've been doing our best to convince him otherwise. I think he's got it down now.

And now we get to play the name game. When we named Rowan, that was the only name we could agree on. I made up a list of some names yesterday and surprisingly Glenn said he liked three of them. Three! And the best part is Rowan can say them all. There is hope yet!

Parenthood: One of Life's Biggest Worries

As a parent, you spend a lot of time worrying about your kids. From the moment that baby is placed in your arms, you are responsible for their well-being, which means you're dealing with cuts, scrapes, and all sorts of owies that come along with being a kid. And some of it can be scary. I mean, we barely got a chance to hold Rowan before he was sent off to the NICU for 5 days. I worried a lot those 5 days.

Rowan - 1 day old in the NICU

 

Now don't get me wrong...I'm not one of those overprotective parents who rushes their kid to the doctor every time they say something hurts. But I am the type who worries when their kid doesn't act quite like themselves. Hence, my current worry about Rowan.

Saturday afternoon Rowan spent almost 8 hours outside either in the pool, on the trampoline, or just running around in general. He then proceeded to sleep for 12.5 hours, woke up for an hour, and then took a nap. He was fine in the afternoon and yesterday but last night was complaining that his head hurt. This morning, same thing. Acted normal but said his head still hurt. I'm guessing it's just dehydration from being outside in the heat.

It just makes me nervous when he does things like this. And it's not the first time. He's acted strange before when he doesn't feel good but every time I ask him if he's ok, he says he's fine. He probably is. I'm just being paranoid mom today. I hate being paranoid mom. Even our daycare lady thinks he's fine and she was a nurse for 30-some years.

I think my paranoidness (not a real word but I'm using it anyway) is because we're finding out what we're having today. You're probably thinking, "what the hell does that have to do with anything?" and you'd be right! The two have nothing to do with each other besides the fact that in less than 5 months, we'll have another baby to worry about. I can barely handle one kid. Two scares me a little...twice the poop, twice the barf (at least during flu season), but also twice as much to love. And at least one will be out of diapers!

 

 

T-minus 1 hour until the big moment. Cross your fingers it's a girl!

Bacation, Had to Get Away

I love long weekends. Especially ones that are as long as the work week. They would be even better if I got to sleep in. Since we just built the house and are having another baby, we decided not to do a big vacation this year. Instead, Glenn and I took Rowan to Duluth for the weekend. But before we left, we had to do something with the dog. Luckily my parents were nice enough to take him so Wednesday night we headed to Iowa.

We stayed overnight so Rowan could see Grandma's new baby kitties. One of my mother's outdoor cats had three kittens last weekend and of course, Rowan couldn't wait to pet the babies. He's already traumatized our guinea pig so I wasn't sure how this would go. Surprisingly, he did quite well. He's excited for them to get bigger so he can play with them.

The 4th of July was exactly what I needed...casual. We got back from Iowa in the late morning and spent the afternoon at a friend's place. Her apartment building has a pool so Ang, Brian, Glenn, and I took all the boys over for a pool party. They loved every minute of it. I did too as the water makes me feel less like a hippo. I was so tired I didn't even stay up for fireworks.

Friday morning we left for "bacation" as Rowan calls it. We went to the zoo, the Great Lakes Aquarium, Gooseberry Falls, Split Rock Lighthouse and Canal Park.

Superman at Gooseberry Falls

Rowan and Mommy by Split Rock Lighthouse

Enjoying a icee!

Rowan wore his superman shirt (complete with cape) on Saturday. I've never had so many people comment on a shirt before. One lady even turned around so she could take a picture of him.

We had a good time but it was nice to come home, even though it was a short trip. My pregnant body doesn't move like it should so I was tired most of the time.

This weekend (after I survive day after day of committee meetings) is jam packed with fun. Car Cruise, Christmas in July, and a picnic. I just have to survive until Friday!

My Builder Can "F" Off

Have I mentioned that I hate our builder? Hate is a strong word. And in this case, it applies. We moved into the house three months ago. We were told it could be a little bit before we got our garage floor, driveway, and everything else on the outside of the house done but it would be done by June 30. Ok, no problem.

Now I know we had a crappy spring and the rain gods are looking poorly upon us but come on. All I've ever asked for is for them to keep me up-to-date on what is happening. If nothing is going to happen that week, then fine, but at least shoot me an email to let me know that.

Now we're at the point where our garage floor has been poured, we have a front walkway, and the driveway is semi-prepared for asphalt. You would think that because this week has been incredibly nice something would have gotten done. Um, no. So I decided to make a phone call this morning, which ended up with me getting bitched out by the builder for bothering them by asking to keep us informed on what's happening. As you can imagine, that did not go over very well.

Now our builder prides themselves on their superior customer service. So I asked when we would see that. Probably not a good way to start the call but oh well. I expressed my frustration with the lack of updates as she had guaranteed me a few weeks ago that she would do better. I no more than get those words out when there is a tirade about how 50 people are calling every day and bitching at her about one thing or another and she's tired of it. But I'm free to go ahead and complain and she'll just listen to it. Oh, and did you know that they don't control the weather?

Stuff cannot get done due to weather. That's fine and I understand that. I want updates. Updates. That's it. I was told I could just look out the window to find out whether or not anything will get done that day. Plus, they didn't seem to think I'd want an email every day telling me that nothing was going to get done. And that's where they're wrong. A daily email would be a blessing compared to what I've been getting.

When she asked if I had called the landscaper yet, I said no. And I was told then I should probably take care of that before I start complaining about things. Not once have I brought up landscaping. I could care less. I'm wanting to know when shit is getting done. That's it.

Throughout this entire call, I got nothing but attitude, a raised voice, and a mouthful about how we don't think they're doing their best even though they are. And nowhere did I get an apology. Basically, I'm the bad guy in this situation.

I have never been treated so poorly in my life. I just paid them hundreds of thousands of dollars for this house and to get attitude about how I'm "bothering" them doesn't sit well with me. Last time I checked superior customer service doesn't involve yelling at your client or ridiculing them over something trivial such as landscaping. They can fuck off.

And on that note, I'm off to enjoy my weekend. Date night with my husband and our best friends tonight. We're taking the kids to Monsters University. Then a baby shower for my very dear friend on Sunday. It should be great!

Two Against Two

In case any of you missed Rowan's exciting photo announcement, God has finally answered our prayers. We're expecting another baby in late November. Thanksgiving day to be exact. We are thrilled to be giving Rowan a brother or a sister. He keeps calling it baby sister and wants to know where she is. Hopefully he'll handle it well if he gets a baby brother instead.

This pregnancy is very different from my first one. I have been plagued with nausea, mostly at night, and especially right before I go to bed. Luckily I haven't thrown up yet! If any of you know me, you know that puking and I don't get along real well. I've been able to combat it with food and peppermints. If it were Christmas time, I would buy stock in candy canes.

In addition to the nausea, I often get a "choking" sensation in my throat. I'm pretty sure my clothes and my hair are giving me claustrophobia. Don't laugh...it's true. I actually cut one of my t-shirts last night because I felt like I was dying. I can't have anything rubbing against my neck. Even just writing about it made me go grab a mint. I'm really hoping this goes away once I'm done with my first trimester.

Other than being nauseated, hormonal, claustrophobic, and tired, I'm doing great! Poor Glenn has to deal with me being a complete nutcase. I keep telling him it's only for a couple more weeks. I can never remember when the first trimester ends. It could be that I only have a week left. Ehh.

We are going to find out what we're having. I'm a planner...I need to know what to expect. We'd love to have a little girl this time but obviously we'll take whatever we get. A boy would be nice since we already have all of the clothes but I really want a girl to dress up. Girl clothes are way cuter than boy clothes.

My only pet peeve about being pregnant is that summer is quickly approaching, which means picnics, outdoors, and the best time of the year to consume adult beverages. Something that I cannot do for the next 7 months, which makes me a bitter betty. There's nothing like sitting outside on a warm summer night tossing back a few with your friends. I miss beer terribly right now, in case you can't tell. 7 more months. Lord help me.

Surly Brothers Need Not Apply

My post for the day is inspired by my "little" brother. I say that in quotes as he is actually 19 and a freshman in college. He's probably going to be highly offended by this post seeing as how he routinely tells me he doesn't like me, calls me a butthead, blah, blah, blah but I really don't care. Payback's a bitch, just like me.

When I was 14, I managed to get myself a little brother. In addition to the one I already had. I distinctly remember when my mother told us she was pregnant. We were at some restaurant in Albert Lea for Mother's day and I'm pretty sure it was my grandma who made some comment (jokingly) about my mom being pregnant, to which she confirmed said joke. At the time I was really excited. And then my friends and classmates found out. Let me tell you, there's nothing quite as exciting as having your classmates remind you that your parents still have sex. Plus it's annoying when strangers at the mall give you dirty looks because they think the baby in the car seat is yours.

Anywhoozles, I was a freshman in high school when baby Jared was born. I was convinced he was a girl (and still may be) and ended up losing a bet to my grandma. I lost myself a hard earned dollar that October day. I was basically like a second mother to this child, which is why I'm convinced he and I don't get along. That and he's a surly teenager.

Jared and I had a lot of fun when he was little. His favorite thing at the age of two was to ride this stupid bouncy horse for hours on end while watching Disney movies. I didn't have a lot of time with Jared though as he was almost 4 when I left for college. That didn't mean we didn't hang out, though. My friend Ang and I used to take him to the dorms and let him hang out with with us in the guys dorm. Or take him trick or treating so we had an excuse to get candy.

As we've gotten older, we've definitely drifted apart, which is not unexpected. Jared was pretty much raised an only child. I don't expect us to be best friends who share secrets but it would be nice to be acknowledged as someone he likes.

It's annoying that I typically only get mean comments, mostly on my Facebook page where everyone can read them. It's frustrating that we always have to force him to hang out with us when we do family things. It's incredibly sad that he doesn't acknowledge his nephews. When Rowan was born, my mom had to threaten to take away his video game systems just to get him to come to the NICU and hold Rowan. I can deal with him but poor Rowan just wants to play with Uncle Jerry and he won't give him the time of day. I realize I'm not painting a pretty picture of my brother but then again, who really looks beautiful when you lay it all out?

Life's too short as Boston has reminded us. So I'm letting my frustrations and annoyance and sadness go.

So what's the moral of this story? Well, I'm not really sure. All I know is that there are days that I would love to punch my brother in the throat because he's decided that it's ok to be an ass for no reason. Like when he posts on my facebook page as a potential blog topic: "How much of a butthead I am". And there are days where he and I can have so much fun together, mostly when the subject revolves around cats. Don't get me wrong...I do love my brother. I just hope that some day when he's a grown up, he remembers that.

It's Starting to Feel Like Home

We are officially moved in to the new house! Yippee!!

It only took us 4 days but all of our stuff is finally there. It's amazing how much crap one can accumulate over the course of 7 years. It wouldn't have been so bad if our renters hadn't taken over yesterday, which meant we only had 4 days to get everything moved. It worked out nicely, though. And I'm never moving again. Someone will have to remove my dead body from this house. Just sayin'.

The house is gorgeous, if I do say so myself.

 

View from front door

 

Upstairs living room

Kitchen

Dining Room

Master bathroom (my new tub!)

Downstairs living room

We're slowing adjusting to the new environment. Rowan loves his new room and can't wait to play outside. Too bad it's a mud pit for another 6 to 8 weeks. I am loving my commute, although I'm guessing Glenn loves his more. He can practically walk to work he's so close.

 

And don't worry...there will be a big party in mid-summer so everyone can see it. I'm guessing you'd like grass to walk on and an actual driveway first. I could be wrong.