Pregnancy Book Reviews

I would just like to say that I tend to read too much. How does the mother of a 19 month old read too much? Don't ask me. I feel like I never have time to read anymore, and then I list of what I've read in the last month to a friend and am generally told that is more than he/she has read all year. Oh well, dear reader, I thought you might want to take advantage of my over-zealous reading in case you are pregnant, or want to be pregnant, or your wife/friend/whoever is pregnant, and you do not want to bother reading all of the nonsense that I have read over this pregnancy and last. Anyway, here are some thoughts:

Great to Read Anytime

What to Expect When Your Expecting, Heidi Murkoff

Clear, informative, month by month info. Question & Answer format. Not the best for the hypochondriac, however, to read every portion of this book. Just read the answers to the questions you actually have, and you'll fine. The only thing this book is really missing is the "emotional" side of pregnancy. It's pretty much from a medical & physical point of view. (This is my only re-read from the last pregnancy)

Very Good & Informative, But May Scare You a Bit (for different reasons cited below)

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth - Ina May Gaskin

I loved this book during my first pregnancy and read it obsessively. It is full of very cool and uplifting birth stories from ladies on a regulation hippie farm. I want to move there (j/k). I'm not re-reading it this time b/c natural birth didn't work out for me last time & though I may give it a go again this time (if doc will allow it), I may just go in for another surgery & the birth stories just make me sad that I got so close, then needed a c-section after all. Still, very good book. (Oh, scary part: Does include photos of women giving birth, and some of them are not wearing any clothes!! AHH.)

Childbirth Without Fear - Grantly Dick-Read

This is an old book with the theme that if you go into birth with the right attitude, it doesn't even hurt. Well, he's wrong: this one will set up for a surprise! I don't think it's possible to be more into childbirth than I was last time. I had the midwife, the bouncy ball, and the rice socks ready, but I still thought some of those contractions were going to rip my body into shreds. Especially the ones that came after they said to stop pushing b/c it's time for a c-section. Sorry, Dr. Dick-Read if your baby's head is too big for your body, you better believe it hurts. (The scary part here is what I said about the contractions, truly girls, some of them don't hurt. ;) )

The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth - Henci Goer

All I will say, is that if you want to have your baby in a hospital, don't read this one. It is well researched and filled with great facts & statistics, that will scare you all the way to a homebirth. Also, you can learn most of this stuff in a less frightening way in Ina May's Guide. (Umm... the whole book is scary.)

UGG, Don't Even Bother: Books I Shut After the First Chapter (I never do this)

Misconceptions - Naomi Wolf

Okay, so I read this when I was trying to get pregnant the first time, and it scared me so bad I didn't want to try anymore. It's got the info from The Thinking Woman's Guide turned into a worse-case scenario birth story. Don't bother.

Releasing the Mother Goddess - Gail Feldman

Cool title for a book of wacky paganism. The author actually believes in some sort of cosmic goddess and is seriously seeking converts. Weirdo stuff, don't waste your time.

CHAIRS

Chair #1

The theme of today's blog post is chairs. First, I would like to present my Mother's Day gift.

It's a wind chime that looks like a little rocking chair!! I love it. We saw it at Cracker Barrel when we went out to eat there for my Mom's birthday, and I wanted it. I've wanted a little something to spruce up our patio for the longest time, and this was just darling! So, Paul got it for me. It was so funny, b/c I was there and picked it out and he had it gift wrapped anyway! Isn't he cute? There's just something about the sound of wind chimes that reminds me of childhood-- and summer. :D

Chairs #2
Here's some pictures of Liam in his two favorite chairs: the high chair, and his very cool red Mickey Mouse chair, which he likes to pull up to the coffee table for some fun with his toys.

Chairs #3
The third set of chairs I would like to mention are our kitchen chairs. On Saturday Paul and I went to the Library book sale. (One of our favorite days of the year!!) There I picked up a book on how to make "Soft Furnishings." The book cost a dollar, and I couldn't resist it b/c it included many projects I would like to try. One of those projects was recovering a drop-cushion chair. Paul and I decided this would be a good idea for our kitchen chairs b/c they have been looking stained and shabby. Paul has been a great sport about it and even went with me to help pick the fabric! He was essential for the part with the staple gun as well! We already have one done, and started on the other this evening. I took a picture of both chairs to show you a before and after contrast.

So, that's all I have to say about chairs right now.

Coming attractions: more belly pics and some more thoughts on pregnancy the second time around-- stay tuned.

An Eventful Day

Today has been very eventful at it's only 1 p.m. I'm compelled to write about it. I shall give it to you in a brief timeline format. (Sorry photo hogs, no pics in this blog, next one I promise, I'll even tell you all about my great Mother's day present).

6:24 am- Roll over and look at clock, inform Paul he is going to be late to work again. Remind Paul that I have hung his work uniform in his closet.

6:26 am- Hear Paul digging in the drier for pants and whisper loudly from the bedroom that the pants are hanging the closet. I have done three loads of laundry since the one he thinks he is looking through.6:32 am - Hear Paul opening, closing, and locking the back door. Whisper a silent prayer that Liam will not wake up for another hour.

7:32 am - Reawaken to a strange whining sound. Decide it's just a bird. Roll over. Whine becomes a lilting "MAMAMAMAMA." Realize it is not a bird. Trudge to bathroom, calling "Mommy's coming," as I hurriedly pull on the nearest pair of pants and start to brush my teeth.

7:33 am - Liam vehemently refuses diaper change. Makes a request for juice. WOAH, he just said "JUICE"!!! The whole word! For weeks now he's been able to say "ju", but today he added the second syllable!! Hug Liam excitedly and carry him to the kitchen for juice.7:45 am - Liam is finally diapered and dressed and ready to head back to the kitchen. Ask Liam if he wants an egg. Liam looks up and says "Yeah, yeah, AGGGG." Okay, he has totally never said "egg" before so he gets another big hug.

7:50 am - We pig out on eggs and cantaloupe. Mommy didn't even slice her finger this time.

8:30 am - Paul calls just to say "hi." Awww... how sweet. :D

9:00 am - Call doctors office to set up Liam's well-baby visit. Find out we can afford the vaccinations. YAY. Call Paul and tell him.

9:30 am - Am comfortably lounging on sofa reading The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (this is the second book in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series)-- (this is not my all day activity, but a reward to myself for cleaning the bathroom counter), while Liam plays with his Learning Letters Laptop (thanks Papa & Grandma) -- when SUDDENLY, Liam leaps from his red Mickey Mouse chair shouts "WOO-WOO" much like a police car siren, runs to the bathroom, opens the door, goes in, lifts the lid of his little potty and sits down. Following with much excitement, I come in and pull down his britches and undo his diaper to discover his is in fact poopy. Then I realized the disturbing truth that I have no clean diapers or wipes in the bathroom. Crossing my fingers as I dash across the hall, I leave Liam seated on the potty, and grab a diaper and the wipes. Liam is very proud of his achievement and reluctant to leave the bathroom, but does enjoy watching Mommy flush his "Woo-woo" down the big potty. So, maybe he didn't make it in time, or have a clue how to get out of his pants, he kind of gets the whole potty idea, which I think is pretty cool.
*Note to self, begin to store some diapers and wipes in the bathroom!!

10:00 am - Call Paul to tell him about the potty incident.

11:00 am - Paul's grandpa calls to make plans, since he is here on a visit.

11:30 am - Make lunch. Tell Liam to head to the high chair. He crawls into my chair at the table instead and says "boble" (this is Liam-ese for "table") rather insistently. Decide to humor the kid and let him eat at the big table with me.

11:45 am - Enjoying an incident free lunch, until the phone rings. It's Paul, he's actually meter reading in our area and wants to know if it's alright if he stops by for a sandwich. Of course it's alright. Hang up phone and turn around to face Liam. The first thing I notice is that no one is sitting at the table and a bowl of mixed vegetables is conspicuously missing as well. I walk around the kitchen island that is blocking my view to discover Liam sitting on the floor hurriedly putting veggies back into the bowl. I totally missed what transpired to cause this scene while I was turned the other way chatting with Paul. Sit down on the floor with Liam and help him clean up the mess. Gotta love having carpet in the dinning room, right?

11:50 am - Make Paul a sandwich and feed tidbits to Liam who is pulling on my legs saying "cheese". That's right, the whole word, not just "geee" but "cheese." Throw a banana in the blender and turn around to see my husband and his coworker coming in the door. I momentarily panic b/c I only made one sandwich, when Paul asks if its okay for his friend to use our bathroom. I say sure and smile to myself that I did in fact scrub the counter this morning. Then kick myself for not scrubbing out the big potty.

12:30 am - Paul leaves to go back to work and Liam gives him a super cute hug and says "NO NO NO" in response to Daddy telling him he has to go back to work.

12:35 am - Pack Liam up in the stroller for our daily walk. I think it was about 1/2 a mile today.

1:10 pm- Gently lift unconscious Liam into arms and go inside and put him in the bed.

1:14 pm - Start this blog post.

1:39 pm - Finish typing this blog post and decide it's time for a nap. Like I said, its been an eventful day already!!

Photo Fun

Today's post is more photo than journalism. I'll give you a headline and a photo, and let you guess the details. :P A picture speaks a thousand words and all...

All Dressed Up for Easter

Hey, How'd He Get Daddy's Electric Razor?

Can We Build It? Yes We Can!!

It's Spring. Yay for Patio Chairs and Crocs!

Hey Little Fella, That's My Seat

Mommy's Belly @ 20 weeks (am now 22 weeks and belly is has doubled-- will take another pic soon)

Holding His Own Banana

That's all for now folks. Love to all.

Life, the Universe, and EVERYTHING

Things have been busy as usual around the Emra household. Liam is talking up a storm, and getting into the "no" stage. He refuses to wear shoes AT all. Even though a few weeks ago he couldn't wait to put them on. He runs away screaming when I try to put pants on him. I'm serious, I think the kid wants to be a nudist or something. LOL. His current favorite foods are cheese, macaroni and cheese, oh and cheese. He also definitely prefers fruits to vegetables. He has also been exposed to sesame street and is a big fan of Cookie Monster and Elmo. Larry the Cucumber of Veggie Tales fame is his other favorite character. He's also still obsessed with dogs. He says "dog, dog, dog, woof-woof" all day long. He prefers to wear clothes that have a dog on them, or at least a "go-go" (Liam's word for car, truck, or train). This is forcing me to do more laundry since he only has two t-shirts sporting dogs. So, a couple of weeks ago I talked my mom into driving a storage solution for Liam's toys. I had a very clear idea in mind of what I wanted and I just felt IKEA would have it-- they did!! YAY. My Grandma went with us and we had a whole lot of fun. We should really do girl outings more often. Anyway, you can see part of the shelves behind Paul and Liam in this picture. We went in the evening so Paul and Papa had to put Liam to bed all by their selves! They did great though, and just a couple of short weeks later Liam is fully weaned!! He still gets rocked to sleep every night, but I don't have to nurse him anymore. What a big boy.

LOL. Liam picked out the outfit in this picture, and I just had to capture the moment. Yellow striped shirt, tan pajama pants with dogs on them, blue shorts, and red Elmo socks. What a great fashion sense! Ha.

Went to the doctor today. He found the baby's heartbeat really quickly this time, which is always a cool sign. I'll go for my sonogram next month if our application for Medicaid goes through, which it I think it will. It will be fun to see if its a boy or a girl. My dad and grandma are so hyped up on it being a girl, that it will probably turn out to be a boy. I sure hope Liam can handle being a big brother! So many changes in so little time. Well, I'm off to bed. Love to all!

Okay, Okay, I'm Back

For a variety of reasons, I have been unavaible for comentary over the last few months. I must appologize to my vast audience of online fans, who I have undoubtably alienated by my unexplained absence. That said, I shall enumerate some of what has kept keyboard silent, and my imagination overactive.

Busy Holidays
I decided to skip blogging during the Holidays to focus on eating to much food and spending time with out of town family come to visit. Namely my sister and her husband and two boys.




Big Changes
* Paul was laid off from TAC Worldwide in mid January
* a few days after my POSITIVE pregnancy test!!
* Paul returned to his old job reading meters just last week.
* I am through with the first trimester, so maybe that is why I have more energy and interest in blogging. It's just hard to get inspired with your head over the toliet half the day.

Long Visit
We also had a two and half week visit from Paul's parents. Liam now calls them
Gi-gi and Gr-gr and can't wait for them to call him on the phone. (He's obsessed).

Liam Counts
Tooth Count: Twelve (he had four molars come in at the same time)
Word Count: More than 20, I got tired of listing them, and I'm sure I missed some since he adds more every day!!
Current Favorite foods: macoroni & cheese, any kind of fruit, baby yogurt, he's also a juice maniac, though we've had to back him off the orange juice b/c it gives him a diaper rash. Yuck.
Big Boy Stuff: Liam gets to take a bath in the big tub now, and he likes to brush his own teeth. He is also enjoying coloring with crayons and stacking his mega blocks. (Pics to come, currently cannot find beloved camera AAHHHH!!!)

Thoughts on Pregnancy the Second Time Around
* Okay, so I'm 15 weeks pregnant and still in total denial. I'm starting to "show" just a little, but I just don't believe it. I'm really going to have two of them come September??
* I have a very comfy maternity t-shirt with Micky and Minnie Mouse on it that says "Bundle of Love." I thought it was the cutest thing I'd ever seen when I was PG with Liam. Am wearing it today and feeling totally embarrassed b/c I'm not really showing much. But it's so comfortable!!
*My morning sickness was way worse this time!! I'm actually still about 5lbs below my normal weight. (That's not all bad since I'm usually considered by health gurus as a little heavy for my height anyway). I am rejoycing to say that I haven't thrown up in a couple of weeks!! Whoo hoo!!

--- Uh oh, I hear Liam waking up from his nap and my foot's asleep... oww... owww.... Somebody remind me not to sit on my leg when I'm typing.

76 Trombones...

Saturday we went to the Nieman Marcus Adolphus Christmas Parade in downtown Dallas. A group from church was going, so we came along and brought some of our neighbors. It was a really cool parade. It had the big balloon floats and everything. Here are some photos from our day!

Liam and Dada are ready for the parade to start! Oh, here comes Santa!

(Opps... accidentally shrunk santa, but you get the point)

The cutest boys at the parade.

Care Bears! (It looks kind of like those Shriners are the Secret Service guys looking out for the safety of the Care Bears doesn't it? LOL)

Here's Rudolf!

Okay, so we took a lot of pictures at the parade. This was merely a sampling. I am, however, to tired to upload anymore. And I think I hear Liam waking up. Bye.