Christmas traditions.

It's been over a month since Christmas, and I'm finally getting around to blogging about it. Considering it's been over 13 months since Christmas 2012 & I still haven't blogged about that one, I'd say just a month overdue this year isn't too bad! This is gonna come in a few parts to make this more manageable for me. First up: the holiday season!

It's no surprise to anyone that I love Christmas. Every single thing about it. But I especially love the magic of the days leading up to Christmas. And I'm doing my very best to spread the magic and the love of Christmas to my kids. (By the way, when asked what his favorite holiday is recently, the husband chose Christmas. So don't let his Bah Humbug demeanor about decorations and traditions and all that jazz fool you. My love of the holiday has rubbed off on him.) It was important to me to start traditions when the kids were little and to make a huge effort to find "experiences" for them.

Nothing kicks off the season quite like decorating the tree. We are a strictly fake-tree household, which allows for pre-Thanksgiving tree trimming. The weekend before Turkey Day, the very enthusiastic kiddos and I put up the tree (pre-lit trees for the win!) and then they got to put up their ornaments. All of their ornaments were clustered along the bottom half of the tree, so a little ornament shuffling by mom happened once they were finished. A few days later, after telling Joe not to touch the tree for the 394th time, we bought the kids their own 4-foot tree to keep in their playroom. They were allowed to decorate it however they wanted and with whatever they wanted. Throughout the month, it was covered in dollar store ornaments (that they picked out), tiaras, Mardi Gras beads, a cowboy hat, etc. Joe rarely touched our big tree after that!

St. Nick's Night was one of my most anticipated nights as a kid; it felt like the official kick-off to Christmas. And the way I remember it is exactly the way I want my kids to remember it. We talked about what it meant the day before so they'd be excited about it (I may have had to google it to get my St. Nick facts straight...worst Catholic ever...), and they enthusiastically left their shoe on the fireplace before bed. Brooke was excited enough for both of the kids the next morning. She couldn't wait to come downstairs. St. Nick filled their shoes with candy (no nuts thanks to nut allergies) and left them oranges, a couple of books, and a few movies.

We met my sister's family at the Cincinnati Zoo's Festival of Lights on a chilly December night. The kids had a blast checking out all of the lights and animals with their cousins. Though we didn't see Santa, we did get to meet Frosty, a gingerbread man, and Mrs. Claus (who was perfectly adorable, by the way.) A very fun night for all of us!

Decorating a gingerbread house has quickly become one of my favorite holiday traditions! Let me be clear: I said decorating a house, not building. The wonderful people at Wilton have developed kits of pre-made houses that you just decorate, providing all the supplies right in the box. Best. Invention. Ever. While I enjoy the idea of doing the house, it ends up being pretty stressful for me. The OCD in me creeps on out and I have a very hard time just letting them do whatever they want. After all, I know we're going to be staring at this thing on our kitchen table for a full month, so I feel compelled to make it look somewhat orderly. I let the kids help my place the candies on the top and front, them gave them free reign of the back and sides. Using a piping bag is clearly an acquired skill...no Cake Decorating Awards will be won by my kids anytime soon. In the end, we had a fairly cute little house and they had a ton of fun making it, so it was a win-win for all of us!

We had breakfast with Santa down at the Rec Center on a Saturday morning. The kids were pretty pumped to finally get to see & talk to Santa. They brought their letters to Santa as a reminder for him. As you can see in the first picture below, Joe was jazzed to meet the Big Guy. And then, as you can see in the 2nd picture below, he changed his mind. I was really optimistic that the meeting would go well, but I was clearly mistaken. We're now 0 for 4 in our annual Santa visits; somebody always cries. After making him suffer for an agonizing 12 seconds while we took a picture, Santa gave Joe a present which at least lessened the tears. He still wasn't flipped to be on his knee, but he wasn't screaming either.

 

A tradition we started last year was the 24 Days of Christmas books. I wrapped up 24 of our Christmas books (we had more than enough) and put them in a wooden sleigh on the fireplace. Each night, the kids took turns choosing and opening a Christmas book to read before bed. They ADORE doing this and were always very quick to remind us whose turn it was to choose. It actually became a conditional thing for good behavior after we realized how thrilling it was for them; "If you don't improve your attitude, you won't get to open a book tonight." Worked like a charm (although we did have to follow through one night...1 night in over 3 weeks isn't bad, if you ask me.)

We wrapped Daddy's gifts in white paper this year and the kids spent some serious time decorating them with crayons and stickers. Joe was especially serious about his masterpiece. He wanted to cover every square inch of space with pictures of "dinosaurs". Daddy loved his special presents on Christmas morning!

That's all for now. More Christmas magic to come soon!

Twenty-eight.

Baby Reeder at 28w0d

How far along?: 28 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: +1.5 this week, +22.5 overall.
Maternity clothes?: I wish it was socially acceptable to live in yoga pants. Socially acceptable or not, I pretty much do it anyway Mon-Fri. At least my current employers don't seem to mind...they live in Play-Doh-stained sweatpants & shirts w/pancake syrup on them.
Sleep: Last night was the first night that I had a really hard time falling asleep due to difficulty breathing. Getting comfortable was nearly impossible. Hoping that was a fluke and not the beginning of the end for my lungs.
Movement: Baby had a few shaking moments this week; I remember them with both of the other kids, where it feels like the baby's having a seizure in there. Very strange! Otherwise, still just lots of rolling and body parts jutting out.
Labor Signs: None.
Food cravings: The few that I've had are very inconsistent and very brief. There was a day this week that I was really craving a croissant & a Milky Way Dark (I love how random pregnancy is.) But that moment passed as quickly as it came. There really hasn't been one specific thing, just an overlying theme: sugar.
Gender: Still in the boy camp. Brooke's really bummed that Joe & I are now thinking boy since all 4 of us were thinking girl for a while. She really wants a sister & she must think that we all have to be on the same page for that to come true. I've been trying to really play up how great it would be to have another brother so she's not too disappointed if that's what ends up happening. (My best pro-brother argument: "Your brothers would play together and leave you alone.")
New w/pregnancy #3: This is a weird one. My scalp hurts. I told you it was weird. The top of my scalp hurts when I touch it or move my hair around (to brush it, wash it, etc.) It's gotta be pregnancy-related, right? The weird shit usually is. Might ask my OB about this on Friday - ought to give her a good laugh.
What I miss: I really do miss being able to sit on the couch however I want and still be able to breathe.
What I am looking forward to: Another ultrasound to check on baby on Friday! Hoping to get a much better view of this kiddo this time. And I'm anxious to find out just how big he is compared to the average almost-29-weeker (which is about 2.5 lbs...I bet Baby Reeder tops 3 lbs on Friday.)
Best moment this week: We got the kids' room all finished up and Joe is officially sleeping in his Big Boy bed full-time! He is so excited to be out of his crib & keeps talking about how the crib is for the baby now. I'm so thankful that transition has gone so well. Now I can take my time cleaning out the nursery & getting it ready for our new little one :)
Milestones: Baby Reeder is the size of an eggplant!

Here's a little comparison of Baby Reeder at 20w, 24w, & 28w. That's one big eggplant in there!

Third trimester!

How far along?: 27 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: +1 this week, +21 overall.
Maternity clothes?: A mom at preschool the other day looked at me and said "Oh, you got your coat to zip! I saw you in the drop-off line this morning and you were trying to hold it closed. I figured you just couldn't get it zipped." Sigh. I refuse to buy a maternity coat, so I'm making things work. Thankfully, my too-big coat that never got replaced last winter is quite helpful this winter.
Sleep: The kids were at a sleepover last night & Baby Reeder decided to give me a break, so I managed to sleep from 12 to 8 completely uninterrupted. It was magical.
Movement: Tons & tons of hiccups, which Baby hates so they are accompanied by very strong kicks.
Labor Signs: None.
Food cravings: There really is no limit to the amount of sugar I want to consume.
Gender: After being overloaded with pink & princesses for the past 4 years (Joe's few boy toys get lost in piles of frilly dress-ups), it's crazy to think the girls might be outnumbered by the boys in this house very soon.
New w/pregnancy #3: This acid reflux stuff is for the birds. I think I've linked it to acidic sauces (like marinara & BBQ), meaning I may be going pizza-free for the next few months :(
What I miss: Bending over to pick stuff up comfortably.
What I am looking forward to: I really can't wait to see this tiny face.
Best moment this week: I used to be mildly obsessed with Coldstone. OK, a lot obsessed. The only reason I say "used to" is b/c all of the Coldstones nearby closed & the few that we've stumbled upon haven't had my most favorite flavor - raspberry sorbet (it became a "seasonal" flavor, which is stupid because it's amazing.) So last night was the husband's work holiday party, & it just happened to be right by a Coldstone. Friends, it was as if the ice cream gods were smiling down on me & baby because, wouldn't you know it, a post-party stop yielded a quart of raspberry sorbet for this mama! I can't even properly express how elated I was to discover they had it; haven't found it in years! To top it off, they had chocolate-dipped waffle bowls to go with it. 30 minutes later, I was out of my dress & heels and in my pajamas, snuggled up on the couch with a chocolate-dipped waffle bowl filled w/raspberry sorbet, absolutely loving life. Happiest pregnant woman in the city.
Milestones: Baby Reeder & I have officially made it to the 3rd trimester! I'm still feeling really good most days, so I'm just waiting for that 3rd trimester shoe to drop (cue the back aches, contractions, trouble breathing, & sleepless nights.) As of tomorrow, we are 3 months away from my due date!

Under 100.

How far along?: 26 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: -1 this week, +20 overall. I was unfortunately hit this week by a very mild version of the stomach bug that seems to be floating around. I spent most of Friday in bed & my appetite still wasn't back on Saturday. I'm finally feeling much better today. (Unfortunately, my little Joe isn't as lucky. Poor guy's had a rough couple of days.)
Maternity clothes?: Silly question.
Sleep: Still going strong. I even went one full night without getting up to pee.
Movement: Baby's been a little calmer this week, although he didn't like Friday's sickness & the lack of food.
Labor Signs: A few contractions here and there, nothing notable.
Food cravings: The salty snacks phase is over, & I've completely transitioned into the I-want-all-sugar-all-the-time phase that I'm used to.
Gender: Boy #2 is in here.
New w/pregnancy #3: I've got some pretty crazy veins that have taken over my right leg. They're creeping me out. You're welcome for that bit of TMI, brothers who still read my blog.
What I miss: Sleeping on my back. Spending most of Friday in bed made my poor left hip and shoulder so sad :(
What I am looking forward to: The realization that we only have a little over 3 months to go before this kiddo gets here really hit me this week. The biggest hurdle we have to tackle before that happens is to transition our current baby into a Big Boy to make room for our new baby. We've been talking to Joe about the changes that were coming for months now. Recently, he's made plenty of comments about wanting to be a baby again and stay in his crib, a resistance that was making me pretty nervous. But we read a book this week that Brooke received when he was born about being a Big Sister that seemed to get through to him (I think it was the part about how babies can't eat ice cream...) so now he's excited to be a Big Boy. I've been working my tail off this week to start getting the kids' room ready so he can get in his Big Boy bed, the first step of the process. I'm incredibly excited to watch him blossom into this role!
Best moment this week: While cleaning out our office, I came across pictures of Brooke as a baby that I hadn't seen in a while. What a gloriously chubby baby that girl was! It got me imagining the undoubtedly large newborn cheeks that I'll get to kiss in just a few short months :)
Milestones: I'm officially 6 months pregnant. (Side note: I don't know why this bothers me so much, but it does. Bear with me. So, a ton of women & books & websites love to add up the months of pregnancy in 4 week increments, pretending that pregnancy is really 10 months long. Last I checked, it wasn't. 9 months plus a week, that's how they get to your due date. So while all of them think I was 6 months pregnant at 24 weeks, I refuse to play that lame game. And when my child is a week overdue, I won't be on here crying that I'm 10+ months pregnant, because that just sounds stupid. Rant over.) And also, WE'RE UNDER 100 DAYS!

Praise Jesus, I passed.

I passed! Knocked that glucose tolerance test outta the park. Pass the sugar, kids :)

How far along?: 25 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: +0 this week, +21 overall. My OB is still not worried about the weight gain; she said she'd expect big gains in the 2nd trimester because the baby is in a growth spurt. The average baby is around 1.5 lbs this week, so Baby Reeder's probably accounting for 2 of those 21 lbs.
Maternity clothes?: I've just about reached the end of being able to wear one of my 2 pair of maternity jeans because they're just too tight under my belly. Which means I'm in the market for more long shirts I can wear with leggings.
Sleep: Fine. Not great, but not terrible.
Movement: Frequent and often uncomfortable. I've started feeling the rolling instead of just jabs.
Labor Signs: None.
Food cravings: Gummy bears. But, also, ALL THE THINGS. I truly cannot get enough to eat. I've finished countless meals this week and thought "I'm ready to eat again."
Gender: After hearing a lower heartbeat at my appt this week (138 bpm), I'm officially on Team Boy.
New w/pregnancy #3: I found out this week that I'm slightly anemic, something I haven't dealt with in my past pregnancies. This likely explains why I seem to be more exhausted than usual. Luckily, an extra iron supplement should be the easy fix.
What I miss: Beer. Upon hearing this, the husband says, "You drink, like, 3 beers a year when you're not pregnant." Yes, and I would have had all 3 of those over this Christmas break.
What I am looking forward to: The Olympics are coming! The Olympics are coming! One month & counting, friends!
Best moment this week: Even though passing my glucose test was completely thrilling, it doesn't beat the day both kids felt really big kicks from the baby. Even little Joe's eyes got wide when baby brother/sister gave his little hand a swift kick. Both kids were giggling up a storm! Trying to feel the baby kick has become one of Brooke's favorite pastimes. 
Milestones: Well, we've reached the point in the pregnancy where I can't breathe while lounging on the couch unless I'm in a completely upright position. I feel like this came on earlier with this pregnancy than the others. Only 16 weeks of breathing troubles to go!