We spent a relatively relaxing weekend at the cabin. Relatively relaxing as on Friday night Miss Nora decided that sleeping was for losers and didn't, so we spent Saturday recovering. She redeemed herself on Saturday night and I was feeling peppy at 6:30 Sunday morning and actually got to spend some time on the porch, sipping coffee, and watching the wildlife and listening to the birds.

We headed to Governor Dodge State Park a few hours later and introduced our future outdoorswoman to the fine art of hiking on an incredibly muggy morning. It was so hot that we spent the latter half of the walk convincing Bodi it was worth "going on," and amazingly, Gatsby went swimming afterward and Gatsby avoids anything remotely close to a bath at all costs. Nora didn't seem to mind the heat and slept the entire time. Perhaps it was because she'd been on this exact hike (when I was close to eight months pregnant), but it's probably because if you're smushed up against Daddy's sweaty chest in a Baby Bjorn, being unconscious is probably the your best bet. She looked pretty adorable in her yellow polka dot sun hat (which, by the way, was almost impossible to find...why are newborn shoes readily available, but newborn sunhats practically nonexistent? Maybe my baby is just a slow learner, but there isn't a whole lot of walking involved yet.)

Did I take pictures of this momentous event in our child's life? No. The camera battery died. But here are a few of our children relaxing at the cabin.


Resting up for an all-nighter.
"I'll stay inside and make sure the a/c continues to work, thanks."
The return of pig-dog.  Guess who's getting a bath today.


What a weekend!  Madison. Farmer's Market. Grown-up birthday dinner at Restaurant Magnus. Birthday picnic for Grandma Mayne. Whew!


With Auntie Julie at the Farmer's Market


Auntie Sarah and Ben at the Farmer's Market


 
This kid is a hoot! He knows EXACTLY what to do for the camera.


Cheese!

Cheese Ball!



Helping Uncle Brad play poker.

Julie and Brad at Julie's bday dinner at
Restaurant Magnus

Aimee and Brad Shaw


Sarah



Baby-free at Restaurant Magnus.
Nora spent the evening with Aunt Katy and Aunt Abby.

 

With cousin Maddie and Great Aunt Julie at Grandma Mayne's birthday picnic.


Cousin Paige (5 months). Isn't she pretty?!


Mike helping cousin Jackson smash water balloons.



Looking for a dry head to soak.

Six of the seven great-grandchildren with Great Grandma and Grandpa Mayne.

 Eva, Nora, Madison, Paige, Marshall, Jackson.
Nora and Eva are NOT pleased.



Marshall and Jackson, on the otherhand, are completely
occupied with their water balloons.
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1) Because the bouncer doesn't have a "turbo" setting.
2) Because I have to burp...again.
3) Because I have to spit up/projectile vomit across the room...again.
4) Because I just spit up/projectile vomited everything in my tummy...so I'm hungry.
5) Because when I pulled my binky out of my mouth my binky came out of my mouth.
6) Because I'm wearing something other than a sleeper.
7) Because I'm hungry and this side is broken.
8) Because I'm not in my swing.
9) Because it's between 8:15 and 10:00 pm
10) Because somebody other than Daddy is trying to get me to calm down*.
11) Because you people are horrible parents and I wish I'd never been born*.
12) Because I'm in my carseat/stroller and we're not moving...and that is dumb.
13) Because baby clothing designers are idiots and clothing has to go over my head.
14) Because mommy is in the shower.
15) Because I'm sitting in my own poop.


Thankfully, the baby doesn't yell very much**. However, to make up for it, both dogs have taken to howling when she does...just in case we didn't hear her.

*Applicable only during nine o'clock fussies
**Not applicable during nine o'clock fussies



1) Two hours of sleep in a row has suddenly become a luxury.

2) Burping the baby is an art form and I am lacking artistic talent (that's what daddies are for).

3) It doesn't seem physically possible for someone that small to generate that amount of noise/poop/spit up, and yet she can.
4) All things considered, the baby seems to take after our 95 pound lab mix more than Mike or me.

5) The baby is smaller, louder, and more in need of immediate attention than even our nine pound papillon. He isn't pleased.

6) C-sections are way easier than having impacted wisdom teeth removed.

7) Smartphones should be on all parent's list of "must have" baby supplies.  Reading blogs during 2am feedings is pretty much the only thing that keeps me from falling asleep and rolling over on my child/pushing her out of bed/etc.

8) There is no reason to have the little stripes that indicate if the diaper needs changing on newborn diapers - they ALWAYS need changing.

9) I'll get around to those thank-you notes one of these days.

10) Motherhood is my new favorite. :)


Born via c-section (she was breech) at 4:40 pm on Tuesday, June 8, 2010. 5 pounds 14 ounces 19.25 inches long.  Went in for a doctors appointment at 1:15, water broke during exam, and three and a half hours later, we had a baby.  We're smitten. 


If I hear "enjoy being pregnant while you can" or "they're so much easier to take care of before they're born" or "enjoy sleeping now" one more time I may actually punch someone.  Seriously, people, do you REMEMBER your last month of pregnancy?  Sleeping?! What is that?! I can't sleep unless I drug myself with copious amounts of Benadryl due to a) pressure points b) a really lumpy baby c) a rather active baby c) the fact that I can't breathe if I end up on my back and d) having to get up every half hours (seriously) to pee. Plus, getting out of bed has become so difficult I have honestly considered whether I should just sleep on the toilet. I am exhausted, I can barely walk, I can't get up from a seated position without help, I need help putting on pants, shaving my legs is a nightmare, and I am semi-nauseous all the time.  Oh yeah, the baby kicks HARD, and I've been having what I think is false labor continously since Thursday (I actually left work early because I couldn't handle being in a seated position any longer). Most significantly, though, I just want to meet my child.  So what part of this am I supposed to enjoy?  I'm assuming that in the sleep-deprived state to come, formerly pregnant women forget about the "joys" of the last few weeks of pregnancy.

Okay, I'm done being crabby now.  Just please, if you see me, don't mention anything about enjoying the time I have. Because you probably don't want a fat lip.

I'll be 38 weeks on Wednesday and as of two weeks ago the doctor said our June Bug could come at any time.  I have another appointment tomorrow and I'm hoping I've made a little more progress as things hadn't moved as of last week.  We are SO ready. Beside the aforementioned uncomfortable and cranky pregnant lady stuff, the nursery is more or less set, supplies have been purchased, the house is clean (including shampoo'd carpets), the car has been detailed, carseat and dog barrier installed etc.


Mike was in his friend Mike's (the other Mike) wedding this weekend in Madison.  It was one of the nicest wedding I've ever attended.  It was held in the Assembly Room at the Capitol, and like ours, was a civil ceremony.  The bride and groom wrote their own vows and did such an impressive job expressing their feelings and commitment to each other without being sacchrine or cliched.  The ceremony lasted about 20 minutes total, which was nice as well. One of the bridesmaid's gave a toast in Klingon, which was possibly the most hysterical thing I've ever seen at a wedding. I more or less vegetated on Sarah's couch between the ceremony and reception and I made it through dinner and the reception toasts and then went to Julie's as I was exhausted. It is so wonderful to have friends who encourage the use of their couches whenever I need them!

As ready as I am for this pregnancy to be over, and to meet our booboo and move on to the challenge of being new parents, I was relieved she didn't decide to make her appearance this weekend.  We had all sorts of contingency plans, but it would've been a hassle having to rush back to Lancaster or make the decision to stay in Madison and figure out which hospital would accept us. (Also, I had the car detailed, and I would have been a little fixated on having not accomplished that if I'd gone into labor before it was taken care of). 

But at this point, we've cleared our schedule and must wait for a small, naked girl, who has never actually breathed air, to make the call.  Peanut, your mommy really really really really wants to meet you, and frankly, you're getting kinda heavy.

On a completely unrelated note, my baby brother is getting married in August to his lovely girlfriend (now fiancee) Sonya.  We'll all be flying to Ouray, CO for a very small ceremony and a presumably lovely weekend in the mountains.  I can't wait!  


http://www.mikeallisoncarroll.blogspot.com/

It won't even be an option. Because it is clean. So is the pantry. And the space under the sink in the bathroom. And the end table drawers. And the nightstands. And the shoe rack. I read that a newborn's sight is 20/400, which means they can see about 8-10 inches away. So should little Miss June Bug, shortly after birth, manage to make her way onto the kitchen counter and open the drawer 'o random crap and stare into it from a distance of 8 - 10 inches, she will find it delightfully organized.

I am fully aware that at 7+ months pregnant I am in crazy nesting mode. On the one hand, I sort of love it. I have the energy and ambition to clean my house. I hope this doesn't go away (or at least comes back after the whole sleepless nights thing subsides in the next year or so). On the other hand, I was almost paralyzed with the fear that if I went to work this morning without vacuuming out the silverware drawer, Mike, the dogs, and I would all die of the Ebola virus or something.  

My poor husband does not have the patience of a saint, however, when I asked him to clean out the fridge last night (for approximately the ten thousandth time since I got pregnant) he did it. He was not happy about it. But he did it.  He also put up with my need to roll and thatch the lawn, clean out the garage, and put together a buffet (that could have doubled as a puzzle) because I needed our fancy wedding dishes moved out of their current location (the guest room closet, where they were FINE) immediately.  

I was able to justify my need to scrub the entire house with a toothbrush as completely rational, until tonight, when I was precariously balanced on a chair, cleaning out the "baking stuff cabinet", started wiping down the bag of flour.  Yes, it is a good idea to get some things done around the house before the baby comes so we won't have to worry about it during up-all-days-and-nights. No, the bag of flour does not actually need to be sanitized.  "Allison," I asked myself "are you really cleaning the bag of flour because you don't want to have to worry about doing it in a couple months?"  OH MY GOD, I AM A CRAZY PERSON.

And on that note, I need to go vacuum out the silverware drawer.