Did you really just say that?

Somehow, when you are pregnant people think that you are open to advice and that you NEED to know what they have to say.  Random people say the strangest things to me, make inappropriate comments, and offer unsolicited advice.  I'm used to it by now, but I'd still like to avoid the awkwardness if at all possible.

So, here are the top five things, in no particular order, you should NOT say to a pregnant person (namely me!):

1.  "You know how you got that way, right?"  SERIOUSLY... do you think I don't know?  This ain't my first rodeo.  I'm pretty sure I know how IT works.  I'm also pretty sure that I know birth control doesn't work.

2.  "Are you sure you're not having twins?"  As if you know better than my doctor and the ultrasound tech, NO, I'm not having twins.  I'm just big.  Get over it.  How would you feel if I commented on the size of your belly?  Are you sure you're not pregnant?

3.  "Three kids?  Maybe it is time that you stay home from work."  How is this any of your business, and are you going to supplement our income if I do?  Not to mention, I acutally like working and I love that my kids are in daycare.  My girls are smart, polite, and very well socialized.  I'm not sure they would be that way if they stayed home with me and the dogs all day.  I have the ultimate respect for stay at home moms.  It is a major job, and an extremely difficult one at that.  I'm not up for the challenge.  I love every moment I have with my girls, but I also love that I'm not frazzled and pulling out my hair at the end of each day (not to say that you SAHM's are, but I definitely would be).  I need the adult interaction, time to myself, and the outlet to feel challenged and accomplished.

4a.  "Are you/your husband disappointed that you are having a third girl?"  Of course not.  How could we be disappointed?  Like I said before, we have two sweet, beautiful girls.  We know what to do with girls.  I'm sure we would be just as excited to have a boy, but we are thrilled to have another girl.  We really could care less as long as our children are healthy and happy.

4b.  This always follows the above question: "Are you going to keep trying for a boy?"  This one doesn't bother me as much.  I think it is just a natural question, but I still feel the need to bring it up.  To me, this is kind of like asking someone who doesn't have kids when they are going to.  It really isn't anyone's business.  Also, as if we have control over what sex our baby is... I might never have a boy, so are you going to keep asking me that when I'm on kid 4, 5, or 6?

5.  "You look like you are about to pop."  Similar to #2, this usually comes at the end of pregnancy.  How can anyone think this is an appropriate thing to say?  I don't comment on how big your belly is when you aren't pregnant.  And, I'm PREGNANT for goodness sakes... I have a 6 - 8 lb. baby with 10 lbs of fluid in my stomach.  Of course I look like I'm about to pop.  But you still don't need to tell me that!

Sugar and spice, and everything nice

Apparently that is what my uterus is made of... We are having another GIRL! We were not surprised at this news, and look forward to having another pinkalicious fairy princess in our house.

And, here's a hint on her name:

Delish- Lemon Feta Grouper (or Chicken)

I have been "starring" recipe posts in my blog reader for a while now, but I never remember to go back to them when considering what to make for dinner. This recipe came from my friend Jill. She is a busy mom of two young boys, and is always sharing quick, family friendly recipes.

This was her original post.

This is how I made it:
"lemon feta grouper"
2 lemons
Cavendar's seasoning
4 grouper fillets
1 small tub of feta cheese

Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray. Squeeze the juice of one lemon in the bottom of the dish. Place grouper in dish and sprinkle with cavendar's seasoning. Top with feta (I used the whole container) and the juice of another lemon. Bake uncovered at 350 for 8-12 minutes.

I can't begin to describe how good this was. Jason and I both loved it. I served it with orzo that I mixed with olives, marinated mushrooms (from the olive bar), and a little bit of the lemon juice after it cooked. I also added a little feta. The orzo was great served cold for lunch the next day!

Mae Michael 9/10 months

So, I'm behind as usual. Month nine has come and gone, and Mae Mae turned ten months on Friday.

At her nine month checkup Mae Michael was 30 inches and 21.5 lbs. That is exactly Hannah's measurements from her 12 month appointment!

Mae Michael is crawling, cruising, laughing, eating, and has five teeth. She plays patty cake and loves every minute of attention that Hannah will give her. She is not walking yet, but we are practicing!

(no title)

I could not come up with a clever title for this one.  To be honest, I'm still a little stunned and speechless.  But, nevertheless, we are thrilled to announce that Hannah and Mae Michael will be big sisters to Baby #3 in January!  We have been so blessed with two beautiful, healthy, sweet girls, and we look forward to opening our hearts and our home for another baby.

Mae Michael- 8 months

Of course, I've fallen way behind.  I never posted a 7 month update on Mae Michael.  Oops.

Here is an 8 month picture.  Not in our regular spot, so it isn't great for comparison, but if we had waited for me to take that picture then it never would have happened.

She is sitting up, but only if you pose her that way.  She is not crawling yet, but getting very close.  She still watches Hannah's every move, and laughs and smiles at everything her big sister does.  She is ticklish, loves her jumperoo, and sleeps like an angel.  She is starting to get a personality and looks less and less like Hannah every day.

Hannah is hilarious as always.  She is curious about everything and soaks up every little bit of information you give her. She seriously does not forget a thing.  She can now write/spell her name.  She can write a few other letters, too.

Spring Fever

Spring has been beautiful in Mobile.  We have spent just about every weekend outside!

I obviously did not know this one was being taken of me.

Mae Michael LOVED the pool!

Hannah pulled each item out of her bucket one by one and described everything as "my very own" this and "my very own" that.  She could not believe that the Easter Bunny "knew just what I wanted!"

"Mae Mae, this is your bunny."

"NO, this is NOT for babies, Mae Mae!"

Mae Michael- 6months

sorry quality is so terrible.. this is an iphone shot

I can't believe she is already six months almost seven months!  Time flies, and I have not been the dedicated blogger I had hoped to be.

On her six month check up Mae Michael weighed 18 lbs. 4 ounces, and was 28 inches long.  This was comparable to Hannah's 9 month check up.  She is wearing 9 - 12 month clothes, and has almost outgrown her carrier car seat.  She has two bottom teeth, rolls over, coos, laughs hysterically at Hannah, and is an ok eater.  She loves crackers, or anything she can feed herself and LOVES the jumpy.

Mae Michael- 4/5 Months; Hannah 3 years Update

   

Mae Michael is now 19 weeks.  I skipped the 4 month update because we didn't go to the doctor until this past Friday, and I wanted the weight/height to be official.  Since she will not return to the doctor until she is 6 months, we'll just skip the 5 month update, too.

She is 95th percentile for weight, and 98th percentile for height.  She is significantly larger than Hannah was at this age, but the doctor seems to think she will end up like Hannah (tall and skinny).  He instructed us to begin feeding her fruits and vegetables.  We hadn't really even started cereal regularly at home.  She just hasn't been interested or very hungry.  However, her teachers at school say she is a good eater there, so I loaded them up with green peas and green beans for the week.  We'll see how she does!

She is still not rolling over, but the doctor says that is because of her size.  She does put her weight on her feet to stand when held up, so we have pulled out the jumpy for her to play with.  I thought we had a tooth surfacing, but nothing has broken through yet.

Hannah also had her check-up on Friday (3 year appt.).  She is 32.8 lbs. and 39 inches.  That makes her 50th percentile in weight and 75th in height.  She is my skinny minnie, but the doctor said it was nothing to worry about.

FYI- this is not a potty on her head!  Hannah was helping me clean Mae's jumperoo!

SHE

She turned three on Sunday.  She has a wild imagination.  She loves her baby sister.  She dances like no one is watching.  She refuses to wear denim.  She eats cookies for breakfast.  She freaks out if I don't have a snack in the car when I pick her up from school.  She can now dress herself.  She can identify most letters, but can only write H, A, C and O.  She likes to make up a new story instead of reading the real words in a book.  She will tell you that when she grows up she wants to be a mommy and a doggie doctor.  She makes silly faces at me when we are in the car.  She comes up with every excuse imaginable for why she cannot go to bed yet ("I need to go potty," "I didn't finish my supper," I need to clean up my toys," "Mae wants me," "I need to ask Daddy a question," etc.).  She giggles when say her daddy is stinky.  She has her own language which includes words like, "also-ly," and "clo" (the singular of clothes).  She calls her classmates "the kids."  She thinks that there are tiny little people living in her heart since her teacher told her that her family is always in her heart.  She can't understand why Papa didn't take his truck to heaven, because some place are just too far to walk.  She thinks that Elmo lives at the Mitchell Center.  She wants to draw in the fog on the bathroom mirror every morning.  She told me that "big girls cry, too, Momma."  She turned three on Sunday, and she makes me proud/thankful to be her Momma every day.  She is amazing, and I can't believe she is ours.

She is 17 weeks today.  She still has blue eyes.  She has fair skin like her Momma.  She hasn't rolled over yet, but she's trying.  She is drooling a lot, so her teachers think she is teething but we haven't seen/felt anything surface yet.  She smiles when you put a clean diaper on her.  She smiles when she finishes a bottle.  She smiles when she sees her sister.  She follows Hannah with her eyes.  She is wearing size 6 month clothes.  She sleeps through the night, and usually later in the morning than her big sis.  She was eating rice cereal, but we stopped because she stopped sleeping through the night on the few days that we tried it.  She is unbelievably well behaved.  She does not spit up nearly as much as her sister did (thank goodness).  She has almost no hair left.  She is picky about her pacifiers and only likes NAM (Hannah was not picky, she just had to have one AT ALL TIMES.  Mae could care less if she has one or not, but is she does it has the be the right one).  She is a good snuggler.  She is amazing, and I can't believe she is ours.

On the eve of my thirtieth birthday...

Tomorrow's the big day.  I have no plans to celebrate.  I don't even want a cake.  This birthday is the biggest, most monumental yet, and I'm trying really hard to make it big and monumental for good reasons.

I keep thinking about that Tim McGraw song, "My Next Thirty Years."  My life is kind of like a country song, but that's a whole 'nother blog post.  So instead of focusing on the fact that I'm old, I have enough gray hairs to consider covering them, and I am no longer in my twenties leaving my youth behind, I thought I would dissect this song and share my plans for the next thirty years.  (NOTE: If you don't know the song consider yourself lucky.  I love Tim McGraw, but not everyone does.  This is not about the song, just the point it makes.)

My Next Thirty Years
"I think I'll take a moment to celebrate my age,"--- A moment is just about all I will devote to celebrating.  Like I said before, I don't want need a cake.  I think I'd rather it just be a normal day that passes quietly by.
"the ending of an era, the turning of a page,"--- My early/mid twenties were all about me.  I worked all the time, and when I was not working I could usually be found on a barstool.  Then I got married and had children, so the latter part of my twenties has been about my family.  Since I ended the "typical twenties behavior" era a little early, this birthday won't really signify the ending of an era.  However, I do plan to "turn the page" to a new me.  I'm not big on New Year's resolutions, but I will use this milestone birthday as an excuse to get myself together.  I want to, need to, MUST start taking better care of myself physically, spiritually and emotionally.  I have learned recently that if I want to the best mother/wife I can be then there has to be some time for me.  And, if I feel better that is reflected in my work, and the way I interact with people in general.
"now it's time to focus on where I go from here,"--- We have done a lot of "starting over" in the past year, so where do we go from here has been kind of a theme.  I feel like I've just been floating for the last 10 months with no real focus or goals.  I am extremely goal oriented, though I don't usually set achievement type goals for myself.  So, I guess I'm really more task oriented.  If I'm going to be successful I need a plan, and I need a breakdown of step-by-step exactly how things are going to happen.  No more floating... I'm throwing out the anchor and focusing on being successful at work and at home.
"Lord have mercy on my next thirty years."--- 'nuff said
"Hey my next thirty years I'm gonna have some fun,"--- I really need to be more social, seriously.  We have no life outside of work and home, and as much as I love spending time with my girls we need to make more of an effort to do adult things, too.  I had A LOT of fun in my first thirty, and I want my next thirty to be just as exciting.
"try to forget about all the crazy things I've done."--- My dad used to love to tell us stories about all the crazy things he did as a teenager.  I'm ready to tuck away my crazy days stories, but I'll be happy to pull them back out when my children are old enough to learn a lesson from them!
"Maybe now I've conquered all my adolescent fears"--- Adolescent fears?  I used to be fearless.  I think my fears have come with age.  I am scared of everything these days.  On the way to New Orleans I found myself plotting how I would save my children if we were to somehow drive off the bridge.  I am literally sweating thinking about it right now, and I was nauseous as we drove over the bridge then.  I am now and forever scared of bridges.
"and I'll do it better in my next thirty years."--- I'll definitely do things better, but I think that is just part of maturing.  Finally, at 30 I have confidence in myself.  I know what I'm good at (and what I'm not) and I try steer clear of those things I'm not particularly good at.
"My next thirty years I'm gonna settle all the scores,"--- What does this mean? I'm not really sure if I have scores to settle.  Is this like making up with someone after a fight?  I have changed A LOT since having children.  I try very hard not to think/speak/act in a way that I would not want my children to, or that would make them not proud to call me their mom.  I'm not always successful (I love some juicy gossip), but I've been trying really hard to be a better person in general.  So, if I have done anything in the past thirty years to hurt you, I'm sorry.  Please forgive me.  I'd like a clean slate for the next thirty, so I hope we can consider that score settled.
"cry a little less, laugh a little more"--- I can't make any promises on this one, but I'll try.  I think all of the above changes will help make this possible.
"Find a world of happiness without the hate and fear,"--- Wouldn't we all like to do this?  This is exactly what I want for my children... to live in a world of happiness without the hatred and fear that comes from ignorance.  Even at two (almost three) years old, Hannah has been introduced to prejudice.  THIS DOES NOT COME FROM OUR HOME.  She doesn't understand, and neither do I.  Why can't we all just get along?  I digress.
"Figure out just what I'm doing here, in my next thirty years."--- I'm getting there.  Slowly, but surely I'm finding "my place" in this world.
"Oh my next thirty years I'm gonna watch my weight, eat a few more salads and not stay up so late.  Drink a little lemonade and not so many beers."--- I'm pretty sure I already touched on this one, but I'll say it again.  I'm sick of being unhealthy and out of shape.  NO MORE EXCUSES... I have this written on a post it note on my bathroom mirror.  I see it every morning and it has become my mantra.
"Maybe I'll remember my next thirty years."--- I'm pretty sure he's talking about alcohol induced forgetting.  I don't really have that problem anymore.  I do have a problem remembering things, and it is because I've let myself become disorganized.  My life, home, and mind are all cluttered.  I'm going to start focusing on decluttering in hopes that this will delay the feelings of early onset that I've been experiencing.
"My next thirty years will be the best years of my life."--- This is obvious.  There is nothing better than watching my girls grow up.  Their childhood years will definitely be the best years of my life.
"Raise a little family and hang out with my wife."--- Well, hang out with my hubs, but you get the idea.  It is no secret that I loved growing up in a big family.  Jason and I love our cozy, cute little family of four, but I'm pretty sure we'd both say we're not quite done yet.
"Spend precious moments with the ones that I hold dear,"---  I've been doing this a lot more lately.  We have been turning off the tv and playing games.  Now that Hannah is a little older this is easier.  She loves to play bingo, have dance parties, and recently has been playing "school" where I'm the teacher and she is the mommy who drops her child (her doll, Jenny) off at school and then goes to work.  She hands me the doll, tells me what activities we will do for the day, and then goes to work at her office (the other side of the room).  It's funny, and a lot more entertaining than most of the shows on tv these days.  Not to mention it means my child is interacting with me rather than sitting on the couch.  I also hope to spend more time with Jason, just us.  We don't do this often enough, or at all really, and it would be nice to have some kid-less time.
"Make up for lost time here, in my next thirty years."---  I'm not really sure that I need to make up for lost time, but I am going LIVE more.  I want to do more.  I want to experience more.  I want to try things that make me a little nervous but provide an overwhelming sense of accomplishment (like a marathon, but since I'm terribly out of shape I'll start with a 5K).  I want to take a cooking class.  I want to get my Masters.  I want to learn to sew.  I want to take a road trip in an RV with my family.

Tomorrow I turn the corner to a new decade.  It's a sharp turn, and instead of turning on my blinker and slowing down I think I'll speed up.

Mae Michael is 3 months

snapped with my iphone- sorry about the picture quality!

 There was no doctor's visit this month, so I just have her weight.  She's getting big!  She has almost outgrown all of her 3 month clothes.  Mae Michael is smiling all the time, and love to laugh and coo.  She's not even trying to roll over yet, which is fine with me (I can still lay her in the middle of the bed and not have to worry!).

For your viewing pleasure

These pictures were taken in November.  I used a few of them for Christmas gifts, so I couldn't share them for fear of ruining the surprise!  This is just a sprinkling of the beautiful pictures that we got of the girls...

 

 Pictures taken by Charity Plasse with Carriage House Photography