39+ weeks!

39 weeks and counting!  I'm very excited that she has been so cooperative and stayed put!  I have refused to schedule a date to be induced for fear it might jinx her willingness to stay in.  Diego seems more excited than Charlie about the baby's arrival.  He often wants to feel her kick or give her kisses.  More than anything he seems to be enthusiastic about the baby girl sharing her toys with him.  The other day he opened a cute bunny blankie that my aunt Jane gave to the baby and hasn't put it down since.  He calls it his Easter Bunny and when I tell him it is for baby sister he says "it's okay - she can share with me..."  

Diego is happy to have people share with him, but not very excited about sharing himself.  We've been talking a lot about going to school next year and one expectation is that he has to share.  He repeats it but seems to have internalized raising his hand and sitting criss-cross-apple-sauce much more than sharing.  He seems more shy even than Charlie was or at least he doesn't like to take participate in chaotic group activities.  I can't blame him, but I also wonder why.  We had two birthday parties this past weekend and for the first one at Pump It Up he insisted on being carried the entire time while clinching onto Charlie's shoes and asking me constantly "how many more minutes until we go home?"  Poor kid.  The tumble place afterwards was only slightly more successful.  Even when we play soccer as a family he wanders off.  He does seem to have a natural arm which is slightly worrisome - baseball or football?!

The school gala was this weekend and so we asked my dad to come to town to do double duty - consult on electrical work upstairs and to babysit.  The gala was fun, but by the time we got everyone else had already taken advantage of the open bar....I did station myself next to the dessert table which made me happy and I even danced a bit.  I had been convinced that two birthday parties and the school gala were going to shake baby vazquez out.  Indeed I was very crampy by the time we got home and proceeded to wake up multiple times with what I thought were contractions.  My dad and Carlos made good progress on the electrical work - I was mostly happy Carlos didn't electrocute himself.  Here they are getting back to work after the brent gala!

Charlie's field trip to the capitol:

We saw the pachyderm parade after sitting outside in the cold for an hour.  It was well worth it though as the kids haven't stopped talking about seeing elephants.  Maybe next year I'll get the nerve up to actual go see the circus...

Easter Egg Dying

The Doctor says that at 38 weeks I am 3cm dilated, but I'm not sure I believe her because she over-estimated my status last time I saw her.  Some days I'm very excited to meet our new family addition and some days I wonder how we'll manage.    My concern must be evident as our school crossing guard, Ms. Jennifer, hired herself to help us prepare the house for the baby.  She came over Saturday and got to work cleaning and organizing.  She gave us a list of supplies she needed for the day and the #1 item was: "4 pack Starbucks frappucino."  I love this woman - she totally cracks me up and looks after Charlie and us.  When she arrived we spent 45 minutes hearing about school gossip - somehow she knows everything.  After that Charlie, Diego and I cleared out for the rest of the day given that Martin and Pedro were working on the third floor, Carlos was tiling the bathroom and she was cleaning.  We spent the day cruising around Baltimore, especially the train museum.  Despite being there various times the boys loved it and apparently forgot that they had ever gone before.

On Sunday Cici's family came over for easter egg dying.  I love that Charlie gets so excited about these types of projects.  For days he asked about it, took the work very seriously and carried his basket around all day afterwards.  I hardboiled about 45 eggs and they went through them in NO time.  Then again at least a quarter of them were broken before, during or after the dying.   Here Charlie and Diego are with some of Charlie's eggs - as you can see he was really only interested in the blue/green hue.  He has become very anti-pink & purple.  

Before I go to bed every night I check on the boys and spend a few minutes sitting and admiring how sweet they are when sleeping.   I tell them how much I love them and hope that some how it seeps into their dreams.  Diego always looks angelic and Charlie looks like he is contemplating the world in his sleep.  The other night he had a seemingly ferocious nightmare and when I went in to comfort him he said he was devastated because I didn't let him have chocolate frozen yogurt.  How can that possibly be a nightmare worth screaming about?

Things Haven't Really Changed Around Here....

I'm officially full-term - meaning 37 weeks - which makes me very happy.  The amazing weather this weekend also made me very happy.  The boys and I spent the whole weekend out and about.  We played soccer, frisbee, rode bikes and started up the BBQ.  The only questionable activity was doing a flight simulation.at the air and space museum.   They close you up in a little capsule that shakes while playing a movie at sickeningly close range.  Besides being claustrophobic I thought the jerking movements were going to induce contractions.  I wanted to hit the panic button 30 seconds into the simulation, but Charlie was loving it and Diego tolerated it.   After that we ventured to the mall where Charlie beat Diego and me 22-2 in soccer.  He has a slight advantage as I can't run much these days and Diego is a total pacifist.  I'd pass the ball to Diego and he'd want to pass it to Charlie and was devastated if Charlie took it away from him.

We rode bikes a lot this weekend but both Charlie and Diego have weird bike issues.  Diego does that bizarre shuffle and refuses to try the balance bike I got for him.  Charlie refuses to try to ride without training wheels but was super frustrated that he was slower than his friend Liam (who does not have training wheels).   I'm overly cautious with the kids which probably makes them less tough and more prone to accidents.  In the span of 45 minutes of bike riding Charlie fell twice (with training wheels!!) while Liam didn't fall at all.  At one point I was tending to Charlie who had just fallen when I saw Liam take off pushing the tricycle at a full sprint while Diego held on for dear life.  I had flashes of Diego going over the handlebars so 9 months pregnant and carrying Charlie I started running after them screaming for him to stop.  how crazy did I look??!

With 1.5 billion youtube hits I suppose it should be no surprise that Charlie likes the song Gangnum Style, but I do think it's weird that he heard it once and kept asking me to play the song so he could dance.  What is it with this song??  Here he is dancing to it....

My dad was reminding me of old blog entries and it made me realize that things haven't really changed around our household.  Carlos is still playing construction games, buying questionable vehicles at auction and spending time in small claims court!  I guess sometime around when Charlie was born Carlos went to small claims court and he just recently went again!  and won!  Seriously - who goes to small claims court multiple times by choice??  We had an atrocious experience with Spirit Air last summer (NEVER fly spirit!!) in which, despite standing in line for 2 hours to check-in, the plane left without us and took our bags with them.  They lost our bags in Guatemala which resulted in Carlos going on a crazy search through the entire Guatemala City airport while I tried to entertain the kids and keep them E. coli free!  I have never seen Carlos so pissed off in the 12+ years I've known him - - he was very vociferous in his distaste for Spirit and the entire country of Guatemala.  Carlos is not one to give up on grudges easily and was happy to pick a fight with Spirit Air 8 months after the fact....

Due to the construction the boys have resorted to taking showers although Diego loves to bathe in the kitchen sink.  Charlie decided to get in too this week...

I have no idea how correct the following counting is....

Full-Term! (well almost....)

 

I've almost made it full-term (tomorrow)!  The dr. says I'm 2 cm dilated and 60% effaced.  Still - I'm hoping to keep her in for a few more weeks so I can get some work done, Carlos can make more progress on our bathroom and we can come up with a name!  That said, I did finally get out and wash some clothes for her, ordered newborn diapers and packed a hospital bag...

While we wait for her arrival, Charlie and Diego are doing well.  Life feels almost manageable which I know #3 will shortly destroy.  My bag of sugar is becoming a little boy.  It's cute and somewhat sad to me that he isn't my little baby anymore.  He is talking more and tells me random things like the fact that his birthday is in August.  Charlie is also growing up too fast and, unfortunately, starting to pick up some annoying behavior from the playground.  At our parent-teacher conference the teacher confirmed that these days Charlie is more willing to stand up to the rougher boys in the class and be aggressive back.  I want him to be tough, but I kindof preferred it when he just hung out with the girls....

Last weekend we went to the family day at the Corcoran where they enjoyed doing some graffiti, DJing and 'tagging' t-shirts.  Since then Charlie wants to decorate all his clothes and onesies for the baby....

Here is Carlos hard at work on the bathroom.  He worries me when he says he is going to do the plumbing and electrical himself....The last plumbing I remember him doing resulted in a toilet exploding....didn't think that was possible? well it is!



Here is from the sonogram last week.  tough to see, but it is her profile and full frontal facial view.  The dr. thought she was about 5 lbs 11oz which could mean she'll be about the same size as Diego.

35 weeks in Alabama

I hate winter. I hate the cold, I hate the dreary light and I especially hate the germs.  The kids are sick again. The ironic part is that I was sure that I would be the one to infect them after a bizarre exposure during my work trip last week.  At 35 weeks I went for my last work trip and just hoped that I wouldn't pop before I got back.  The most worrisome (and interesting) part of the trip was our excursion to Alabama to see the paper-based packaging supply chain from forest to mill to final product.  Here I am in the woods with large and very expensive machinery...

We had gotten a ride from the mill to see tree 'thining' in process 45 minutes away.  45 minute ride in the confined space of a car with recycled air....and when we got back in the truck to head back our driver sounded like he had something in his throat and then....HE PUKED! yep puked, all over....I was so horrified. I thought for sure I would get the stomach bug, give it to my sons and, in the meantime, the vomiting would initiate labor.  I played this all out in my head before he even finished puking.  Luckily I didn't get sick, but I arrived home to a sick kid anyway.

The nice part of the kids being under the weather is that we had a restful weekend full of family naps.  The bad part is that they both end up in our bed at night....

Charlie has been my official pregnancy photographer.  It's a bit tough to read his writing but it does say 35 weeks with his crayola pens....The boys think that my protruding belly button is actually the baby's nose.  As of Friday I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced.  The doctor - upon seeing how horrified I was by the news - said that I likely had at least a couple of weeks to go.... A couple of weeks won't cut it!  I have a lot of work to finish and Carlos has his crazy house projects.  The other annoying thing is that the baby is measuring small again - like Diego - so I need to get a sonogram.  

Diego decided to wear Charlie's shoes to bed....

Carlos trying to fix Charlie's terrible haircut and only making it worse

Nemo

This weekend the boys and I were supposed to make it to New York but only made it as far as Philadelphia.  The failed attempt was partially due to blizzard Nemo and partially due to my lack of energy and mental fortitude.  The trip didn't have an auspicious beginning as we started out with a flat tire.  Then again the boys LOVED the extra stop.  After watching the guys at the gas station Charlie decided he wants to be a 'tire changer' when he grows up.

Despite only catching the tail end of the storm there was enough snow for sledding.  While Diego is my kindred spirit who hates the cold, Charlie seems to have much more of a stomach for the cold....and  steep sledding hills.  This hill seems to have been made for sledding. He, Mary and my mom went down on various sleds while I watched in horror.



The boys also got to work on some works of art.  Diego really took to painting - check it out - two hands and seated!  He even wanted to re-paint his painting when we got home.  Charlie worked hard on his 'jackson pollock' painting and his cityscape.

 

We've been working on Diego using the toilet by himself.  The tricky part is that without a stool he isn't quite tall enough to pee into the toilet.  At grandma's house he yelled "I have to go peeeeee" and I heard pitter-patter running.  By the time I arrived in the bathroom I found him propping himself up just high enough to lean  in.  I burst out laughing and yes, this is his naked butt, but it was just so cute to see him solve the issue himself.

I'm never really sure if all the activities I sign the kids up for are worth the effort and money.  The only one where I have seen marked improvement is swimming.  Last class Charlie actually swam a full length of the pool.  Granted it wasn't the most graceful performance and there is no telling how much water he drank, but it was still exciting to see.  His friend Cici joined and they were hysterical together - very competitive.  They kept saying "this is too easy!"  Little does Charlie know that her mom was a competitive swimmer and her father played on the brazilian national soccer team....I think he has his work cut out for him if he wants to keep up.  

Charlie also made it to the top of the climbing wall.  Diego took up climbing too!  Check out both of my boys on the wall!

Charlie has been torturing Diego more than usual recently.  Poor little Diego adores his brother - he calls for him in the morning, he wants to sleep in his bed with him, he says that cutest things like "charlie - you share with me?" - and Charlie torments him.  It seems to be a very recent switch and I wonder if it is something he is picking up at school.  The worst part is that he seems unphased when I tell him how mean he is being.

My good news is that despite feeling crampy, lethargic and generally crappy my cervix is intact.  no baby yet!

32 Weeks

I'm convinced this little girl is going to kick her way out early.  I've been feeling sick the last few weeks and almost every night I feel crampy so I decided I'm going to do anything I can think of to keep her in longer.  That really is just a euphemism for being nice to myself.  I scheduled a pre-natal massage, I keep my feet up almost all day, I ignore the dishes in the sink and we eat more left-overs.  Oh, and I've given up on worrying about Carlos finishing his house projects (I've moved to the acceptance stage...).  Not sure it'll work but I really don't want this baby coming out early!!  

Charlie is really enjoying his friends (jack and cici mainly) at school though he can't stand naptime.  He keeps insisting that we pick him up for naptime.  Fortunately I think the assistant teach fiasco has finally been resolved.  This week was museum night so we went to school to see the Jackson Pollock painting that Charlie's class did (to be sold at the school gala for gobs of money).  Each student also had their own work displayed so here is Charlie in front of his work.

Charlie with his Museum display

With Jack and Cici

My bag of sugar Diego continues to amaze me with his sweetness.  I say he must be my "dessert" which means #3 can only be trouble.  At Charlie's swim class he loves to hide in the lockers...here he is with his little fingers sticking out. ohhh he is so sweet.

During the arctic blast here we got a little bit of snow and Charlie was soooo excited to try the sled that Santa brought him.  Sadly the hill down the street wasn't even covered with snow, but it did the job...so well in fact that I had to catch him from shooting off into the road. Diego didn't seem too excited about the sled or the cold.  After watching a few runs he decided he was too cold and wanted to go home.  Clearly I'm not the only weather wimp in the family!