Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Reid’s Stats & "Mama Do It"

We are trucking right along in the baby growth department. Here are the stats over the past month from my doctor appointments

September 4th: Reid’s heart rate was 144 bpm and although I was only 29 weeks I was measuring 32.

September 18th: Reid’s heart rate was 145 bpm and although I was only 31 weeks I was measuring a little better – only a week ahead to 32 weeks. This was due to having the stomach virus the week before and losing so much fluid (puffiness) during that time. I’d only lost about a pound by appointment time even though I know I had lost 6 within those 24 horrendous stomach bug hours.

October 1st: Reid’s heart rate was 138 bpm and I am 33 weeks and still measuring a week ahead at 34 weeks. I had not gained any weight since my last visit and so that makes nearly a month of maintaining my weight.

I'm pretty sure I'd gained 6,000 lbs by this point with Hill. I'm right at about 25 lbs so far with Reid. It sure feels like and I'm sure looks like 6,000 though.

I go back on the 16th and then it’s every week from then until B-day November 12th (only 5 more weeks.)
I am very excited, very nervous and very anxious to see how this all affects Hill. He is such a mama’s boy that I worry.

I’ve been intentionally NOT doing things just so Chip can step in and take over (which he gladly does) and Hill can add to his vocabulary, “No! Daddy do it!” Instead of, “No! Mommy do it!” Time to put on socks, “I want mama do it.” I want some juice, but mama has to get it. Buckle your car seat…only if mama gives me five first. I am a part of EVERY process and quite frankly I am exhausted. I think I could probably sleep standing up these days.

Bath time night before last was grueling. I sat in the living room and listened to Hill disobey Chip time after time. I didn’t intervene, yet it was obvious both boys patience were wearing thin. Then when it came time to get out of the bath tub, “I want mommy to get me out.” Chip came to get me and I said…….No. (insert deep drum DOM DOM DOM sound here) I don’t think I’ve ever set two boys off in a simultaneous tirade by simply not taking responsibility. Thereafter, I had to endure the sound of spankings on a wet hiney and crying – which might have been Chip. Then when the house got totally quiet I worried thinking one had killed the other. I held my breath. Got up. Walked in the hallway and bumped into Chip who had his hands in the air…literally. I walked in Hills room to a wet naked boy with a red hiney laying on his bed upset. Broke my heart, but he’s so bull headed…which he gets honestly. After talking to Hill about everything and making sure he understood what just happened and why…he got up and went and told his daddy, “thank you for giving me a bath and I sorry.” Chip too apologized to Hill and to me (as I got blamed for setting this chain of events off since I wouldn’t get him out of the tub) and all was well with the world.

It was a healthy session for everyone. Even me as I sat back and didn’t do anything. Hill got to see that he can’t always call the shots and Chip got to see that you can’t always expect a 2 year old to comprehend why things aren’t a certain way. I had a hard lesson of deep breathing and not wanting to jump up and fix it.

Pray for our progress. I certainly have had a hard time being a little more disconnected than usual. Don’t get me wrong, I play and love and ‘nuggle’ with my noggin’ I’ve just had to take a couple steps back and let Chip in on all the fun too. I thrive on jumping up to play trucks or sing songs or play puzzles or guess which sippy cup he wants by trying to read his mind. I just need him to understand that I don’t always have to be the one to do things, his daddy WANTS to do them too.

I think Hill is understanding that Reid will be coming soon. He walked in her room the other day and asked me if she would cry. I assured him she would. Then he was generous enough to give up his brown reading chair to put in her room. I’d mentioned it before. It’s his happy place and I didn’t want to take it away from him because he loves us to sit there and rock and read. Then Whitney offered to let us borrow a different chair, Hill said the new chair could go in his room and the brown rocker could go in Reid’s room. Which was fantastic all the way around. I draped the same blankets over his new chair so it would seem them same and moved the rocking chair to Reid’s room. I placed an old afghan that my great aunt Helen had made over the top of the rocker in Reid’s room and Hill noticed it. He liked it better than his blanket because it was bigger and had tassels that he said looked like balloons. He asked if he could have that blanket on his chair instead, he would share it with her though.

All this to say he's sweet enough to give up his things for something he truly doesn't understand yet and yesterday I asked him what he was going to do when Reid got here. He said, “I nuggle her and share my blanket” I almost cried. I love it that he includes her in his prayers every night like she’s already here. I love it that he knows she’s in my tummy but doesn’t ask how she’s getting out. I love it when he sees something baby related, gift, blanket, toy he asks if it’s Reid’s. He knows a change is coming, I just don’t think he understands the magnitude of it.

Transitions and changes are always hard for everyone and adjustments will have to be made. It doesn’t matter if you are 99, 35 or 2, it’s going to be different and take some getting used to. This is a positive change and we cannot wait for Reid Catherine to get here!

Here’s to a new adventure in only 5 more weeks!

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