Its A...

Be sure to check out the big gender reveal of Baby Martin #2 at my new blog "A Martin Marriage"!

This will be the last post on Baby Makes 3, so be sure to follow the new blog so you don't miss a single post!

Math

Correct me if I'm wrong, but baby Martin number 2 means we will have FOUR in our family. Obviously baby doesn't make 3 anymore. Yeah. I'm a math whiz. I feel your jealousy.

Instead of just changing the blog name I decided to start fresh. We've had so many new beginnings these last few weeks it only seemed appropriate. Therefore, "...And Baby Makes 3" will be officially moving.

I hope you check out my new blog at www.amartinmarriage.com and keep up with all the joys and hilarity that is our life :)

PS - If you haven't been convinced enough, I did want to let you know that I will soon be revealing baby Bean's gender! Stay tuned and be sure to follow "A Martin Marriage: Thoughts on Mommyhood, Marriage, and Life's Messes"via email or blogger!

Bumpdate

Are you noticing a theme here? Yes, its late. Again.

16 weeks 2 days

Due Date: January 5, 2013
How Far Along: 16 weeks
Total Weight Gained: 119 (3 lbs)
Maternity Clothes: Gradually fitting into the maternity shorts I have. I can still squeeze into a pair or two of pre-baby shorts as well. Considering I have been living out of a suitcase F-O-R-E-V-E-R its pretty easy because I only have about 5 outfits to choose from haha.
Sleep: Better. Bathroom breaks are still quite irritating but I've found I'm able to go back to sleep more easily after them. 
Best Moment of the Week: Hmm, that's a toughie. I WISH I could say that it was feeling Bean move for the first time but that still.hasn't.happened. My mom is coming for a visit in a couple of days so lets say it will be getting a much needed rest from chasing MC around and having someone to help me clean the new house before we move in.  
Food Cravings: Whipped up another batch of Ranch dip today. Still binging on cauliflower and carrots and this crack dip. Also began my post-dinner-glass-of- chocolate-milk love affair. (This occurred with MC as well, although I think it hit me a little later in the game last time.)
Food Aversions: Nothing. Food good.
Belly button/stretch marks: Not yet. If I keep forgetting to put that dang belly cream on though we might have some issues down the line. 
Symptoms: Adam says I'm still hormonal. I'd agree. Breakdown number 384 since we found out we were pregnant occurred this evening. I asked him why our life manages to become so stressful when I am pregnant. He just looked confused like I was the one making it more stressful than it had to be. Touche sir. 
Adam's pregnancy symptoms: The hubs has also adopted my post dinner beverage of choice. We have been going through heaps of Nestle-Quick at the Martin house.
Movement: No. And no. This child needs to get it together. 
Gender: MC still professes Bean is her baby brother, but mommy is starting to consider the fact that it might possibly be a girl. I'm about 75% boy at this point. We find out August 10th! Stay tuned!
Milestones: My first pregnancy comment from a stranger. I suppose I am officially to the point where I look a little pregnant. We were in the vestibule at church with MC (they don't have a cry room) and one of the ushers looked at me and looked at my stomach and asked if I needed a chair. 

Late Bumpdate!

Well, as usual it seems, I am late getting to this weeks bumpdate! Lots and lots going on this week and I can't wait to share all the news! :)

15 weeks 4 days - and the hubs caught me mid-eye-roll. Awesome.

Due Date: January 5, 2013
How Far Along: 15 weeks
Total Weight Gained: I actually lost a little weight so the weight is back at 118 (2lbs gained so far
Maternity Clothes: Still waiting for the belly to fill out the maternity shorts band properly. I have a few casual dresses that work well with the growing belly but lets get real, I am not going to put on a dress to stay at home with my 2 year old. I frequently sport stretchy shorts and t-shirts. Unless we got out (as in leave the house)... then I vamp it up with cotton shorts. Ha.
Sleep: Getting a little better. I'm almost used to frequenting the bathroom 3-4 times a night. 
Best Moment of the Week: Well, not baby related but the Martin's are NO LONGER HOMELESS!!! We have a house, and its wonderful, and spacious, and only minutes from uptown. Yes, this girl is excited. 
Food Cravings: This week it has been all about the homemade ranch dip and cauliflower. I have eaten an entire head of cauliflower in two days.  
Food Aversions: Nothing
Belly button/stretch marks: Nope - I have to remember to put my belly cream on though! I was religious about it the first time around and this time its a complete after thought. Do any of you guys have recommendations for a great cream? I cannot for the life of me remember what I used with MC so this go around I just grabbed the first thing I saw. I know I used Palmer's but aren't their different formulas for the preggo belly?
Symptoms: I'm still a little emotional. Hormone craziness. Granted, we have had one heck of a few weeks so I like to attribute some if it to that ;)
Adam's pregnancy symptoms: Moodiness. Love him. Adore him. However, two moody people in the same house makes for some interesting conversations to say the least haha
Movement: Ok. I am not fretting. However, I have not felt little Bean AT ALL. Nada. I asked my doctor about it at my appointment (right at 14 weeks) and she was like, "oh that's totally normal. Most women don't feel anything until 17 weeks or so" I told her I felt MC at 14 and she was like "oh, well, should be anytime then!" COME ON BEAN! Give mommy a little jab (I know I will regret saying that very very soon)!
Gender: Holding firm with boy - as is MC. We find out in about 3.5 weeks!!! :)
Milestones: Um, having a home is pretty big this week. I can barely tell the belly is growing but the hubs says he can. Still waiting on the "pregnancy" stage and ready to be done with the "beer gut" stage.   

News

Well, isn't time for a bumpdate quite yet but I had to share my relief. I had a doctor's appointment this morning and, I'll be honest, I was bracing for the worst. These last few weeks have been some of the hardest of my life. Almost as hard as when Adam left for Iraq (yes, its that bad). Adam and I have both been under an insane amount of stress and I know that isn't good for little one. I try my best to mellow out but the tears fall quite often. I'm sure the hormones don't help.

With that being said, it was a HUGE blessing to hear sweet Bean's heartbeat today. 159 bpm and going strong - PRAISE GOD!!! I have lost a little weight but she said she wasn't too concerned. If losing a pound or two are the only repercussions of the last few weeks, I'll take it.

I'm not sure if anyone reads this blog anymore, but prayers could certainly be used if you could spare a few. I KNOW God will take care of us, as He has proved that to me time and time again, but we are in one of the most difficult times we have encountered in quite a while.

I am proud to say that during all this stress, I couldn't imagine having anyone else by my side. My husband is amazing. Truly. We've gotten through trials before and we'll get through this - I guess I just feel it doesn't hurt to have a few family members and friends put in a good word for you with the Big Guy though ;)

We've still got another big undertaking today that could determine a lot - either reducing or inducing a great load of stress. I pray it goes well. I know God's Will will be done, and I'm trying to accept that. That's never an easy thing to do - I don't care who you are.

Despite everything being thrown our way, I also know we will take something from it. The Lord has shown us a lot about ourselves, our relationship, and our faith. He has taught us lessons in humility, love, endurance, patience, and poverty - and boy has he beat that last one to death. Ha. However I know that one day we won't sit up at night wondering how bills will be paid. Instead, we will sit up at night thinking about how we can best help others who are now wondering how bills will be paid. Maybe that's what we take from all this - a great big lesson in generosity and charity. I'll gladly climb any mountain if it means I become a better person; and I think that's the sum of God's plan. To make us better people. He presents us with constant opportunities for growth and change and we need to use them for just that - not for an opportunity to develop more hate, anger, and disappointment.

God is good and life is good and as corny as this might be, I try to always remember the line from Gary Allen song which says "life aint always beautiful, but its a beautiful ride." A ride it is, and I know if I stick with it, I will have something even more beautiful to look forward to when its done.

Bumpdate

Again, apologies for my tardiness...

14 weeks 2 days

Due Date: January 5, 2013
How Far Along: 14 weeks
Total Weight Gained: 3lbs (up to 119 now)
Maternity Clothes: STILL squeezing my muffing top into pre-baby shorts. I have 1 or 2 pairs that still somehow manage to button. I am also sporting stylish blue jean maternity shorts on a regular basis. This is irritating because they have the super thick band across the top instead of the thin panel. My belly isn't quite big enough for them to sit as they should so you can see a huge line going right across my stomach from the top of the band if I wear anything even semi-form fitting with these shorts. The pre-baby shorts cause an unsightly looking roll from squeezing the bottom part of my stomach so pairing these with anything form fitting is out of the question as well. Since most of my wardrobe consists of fitted solid color tee's, my maternity wardrobe the last few weeks has been casual shorts and a T-shirt.
Sleep: I'm contemplating just sleeping on the bathroom floor. Its ridonkulous.
Best Moment of the Week: Having a few comments on my recent church photo I posted. Asking if I could look any cuter and saying I look the best EVER certainly did a lot to brighten my day ;)
Food Cravings: I've eaten a Mexican casserole I made on Thursday every day since. Adam wasn't a big fan of it but I thought it was fantastic. He tried to be witty and said "hm, maybe its just a craving then..." 
Food Aversions: Nothing
Belly button/stretch marks: Nope
Symptoms: I am still dealing with these d$#% sore boobs. Its miserable. I'll leave it at that. Also, do any of you mommies remember having CRAZY dreams while pregnant? I remember I did the same thing with MC. I'm talking WEIRD. 
Adam's pregnancy symptoms: Exhaustion and stress. You would think he was in his third trimester already. Poor guy - 4 more weeks of school and he's hitting it hard.
Movement: To say that I am "up in arms" about this issue might be an exaggeration, but its pretty close. I am now 14 weeks 3 days and I have felt NOTHING. NADA. I remember I felt MC at 14 weeks so I am slightly disturbed. Again, appointment on the 12th so we'll see how it goes. :/
Gender: Boy according to mommy and a friend or two
Milestones: Well, I am WAITING for the "I-don't-look-fat-I-look-pregnant" phase to hit. This will be a huge milestone. If I recall correctly, I started really looking pregnant with MC around week 17 or so hopefully soon my beer gut will turn baby belly.  

Funny Things Are Everywhere

"From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere." Lately, the funny things have been right in our living room - wrapped up in a little package known as Maggie Claire. We all know children say the funniest things and I know I love reading quotes from friends' kiddos. Here are two things that MC said within the course of a couple of hours this morning...

MC and I were standing at the window watching Adam get in the car to leave today. As he sat getting his mirrors straightened, his cell phone put down, and his seatbelt on MC was screaming, "bye daddy! I love you sooo much!" As he pulled away, she suddenly says "oh no, not again!!" After saying this she turns to me, lip puckered and tears in her eyes, and bolts into her room and onto her bed. She burried her face in the pillow and started to cry. I asked her why she was crying and she said "I miss my daddy!!" I said, "oh baby, you didn't want daddy to leave?" and she looks at me with those huge brown eyes and tears rolling down her face and said "No..." It was hilarious and probably one of the most precious things I have ever seen. Hearing her say "oh no, not again!" will probably make me laugh forever.

Then, a couple of hours later, I was picking her up from her chair after she finished breakfast. I held her and said "Mags, I sure do love you" and gave her a big kiss. She looked at me and in a very annoyed fashion responds "I know mom!" I laughed and said "oh, excuse me, do I tell you that too much?". She says, "yup. Tooo much." LOL Didn't know that was even possible but I guess two year olds have their limits ;)

Hope you are all have a wonderful Monday and I promise I will get to my overdue bumpdate soon!

Bumpdate

Yup, late on this one as well. However, I know you read my last post and you understand ;)

13 weeks and growing

Due Date: January 5, 2013
How Far Along: 13 weeks
Total Weight Gained: 2.5 lbs  (gained 1/2 a pound since June 23rd)
Maternity Clothes: Considering how busy we've been this momma hasn't had time to make it to the maternity store to buy more shorts. I'm squeezing my pooching belly into prebaby shorts until our schedule slows.
Sleep: Decent. If I could go the restroom without physically waking up and getting out of bed that would be great ;)
Best Moment of the Week: Feeling cold when I woke up!!!! After 2 days in a house that was 85 degrees I have never thanked God so much for cool air!!
Food Cravings: Hmm, nothing to speak of. The only day I did crave a fruity slush but I think that was more due to the fact that it was 105 degrees outside. 
Food Aversions: Nothing
Belly button/stretch marks: Nope
Symptoms: Its amazing what cool air can do for your hormones - ha. I'm a much happier person now and I'm sure the hubs is much appreciative. All I am dealing with now is being tired in the afternoon which I have a feeling won't subside and will only get worse.
Adam's pregnancy symptoms: Adam has mellowed as well. His hormones are leveling out for which I am likewise much appreciative.
Movement: I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little concerned. Hearing two friends say they felt their second much earlier (as in 12 weeks) I worry something isn't right. Doctor's appointment on July 12 so I'll just have to keep the faith until then...
Gender: Baby boy Bean is still my guess
Milestones: We can live in our friends house without sweating to death. No, this has nothing to do with Bean or our pregnancy, but its huge.  

*Might I add that we are now on location number FOUR for these pictures. Poor Bean has already lived in 4 places in his short 13 weeks of life. I suppose he's happy following in his big sister's footsteps as she has lived in 3 states and 5 houses in her short 2 and a half years of life ;)

Just The Facts, Mam

The only logical way I can address the issues we have had over the last few days are to organize them Dragnet style. Don't hate. If you never watched that show at 12pm on Nick at Night you're a craze-o in my book.

This is the city - Charlotte, North Carolina....

Wednesday 10pm:
Some friends who were going to help us move every belonging we own into storage had some things come up and couldn't help as we had anticipated. We had already rented and paid for a moving truck to come at 7am Thursday. We were in trouble. Big trouble. Called friends, called parents, finally decided to hire movers.

Wednesday 11pm:
After finally finding a company who oddly answers the phone at 11pm on a weeknight, we arrange for two movers to come to the apartment at 9am Thursday morning.

Thursday 6:30am:
Wake the sleeping princess and rush out the door to get the moving truck

Thursday 7am:
Arrive at location only to find the entire U-haul computer system is down. Adam asked how long it would take and they said it could be 5 minutes, could be 5 days. We wait. And wait.

Thursday 8:30am:
Call moving company to see if movers can come later as we still have not been able to get our truck. They said they had already left, but would try to send them to another job first.

Thursday 9am:
Finally receive our truck. Called movers to see if they could still come on time. Nope, already on another job. Would arrive between 12 and 1pm.

Thursday 9:15am:
Adam begins moving boxes into truck. This continues for 3 hours.

Thursday 12:30pm:
Movers arrive - thank GOD they are wonderful and work so quickly you would think they had known the morning this pregnant lady just had.

Thursday 7pm:
Everything is in storage and Adam arrives home from the unit. Take loads to the friend's house we are staying at

Friday 3:30pm:
Go to an appointment to see a rental house. Walk up to the door and the landlord is standing on the porch waiting for us. He sees us and says "Did you guys get a flyer?", to which we responded "um, no, do we need one?". He says "well yeah, you didn't read it? No pets.No children!" Adam (holding back as much rage as I have ever seen) "Um, why is that? You know they ARE human.." The obviously joyous man says "because I have two children and they were a pain in the ass to raise, thats why!" I felt a fight coming on by my sweet husband composed himself and with a simple "ok" turned and walked away. Never mind the fact that he muttered under his breath the entire way to the car and may or may not have told MC to throw the rock she found on the ground through the window of the house....he controlled himself and for that I'm very proud.

Saturday 9am:
Adam calls from the garage and informs me that his $700 mountain bike has been stolen.

Saturday 5pm:
Arrive at our friends house we are staying at while we are "homeless". They have JUST moved into this place and we are extremely grateful. Walked in and noticed it was quite hot. Check thermostat which we turned down a few days ago when we dropped off a load of things. 85 degrees. Air had been on 69 for two days and it was 85 degrees. Called landlord who said he would come by. Adam goes to buy a box fan

Saturday 7pm:
Landlord arrives and says unit will only cool the house 20 degrees from the temp outside - aka "this is as cool as its going to get during the day". Oh boy.

Saturday 9pm:
Sweating and exhausted I have a complete breakdown and debate driving to Florence to stay. I cry and cry and the hubs accuses me of taking crazy pills and being slightly psycho. Not smart I might add.

Sunday 2pm:
Make it out of the house to buy a window unit. Get it hooked up - not an easy feat with a two cranky, sweaty, exhausted people, one of whom is pregnant and hormonal.

Sunday 5pm:
Go to mass where I break it down for God "God, I can't do this. I am at the end of my rope and I'm done. Help me, I need you."

Sunday 6:30pm:
Arrive home to a house that has now cooled to 78 degrees. If you ever thought God doesn't listen, you better believe ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE!!!!!

Monday 7:30am:
I woke up cold. It was 70 degrees in this house. Case closed.

This was a difficult case. One which had "mental breakdown" written all over it. I was pregnant. I had just packed up my entire house while entertaining a 2 year old. I was homeless. I had been denied housing because I had a child. I had been burglarized. I had been sweating to death in a house that was hotter than Hades for almost 24 hours. It was just bad.

But as you can see, the story has a bright side. GOD IS REAL. I literally couldn't take anymore. These overwhelming circumstances coupled with financial issues, having no jobs to speak of, and no plan for the future was too much. I literally felt like I was drowning. I had a talk with God in which I told Him all of this. I said I surrender completely to your will but I need Your help to do it. I need your Holy Spirit to strengthen me because I am done. I let go.

Yes, it was just cool air. But that cool air let to a landslide of "brightsides" that only further showed me that God will NEVER forsake me. I don't know why the last 4 years of our life have been so trying, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that God WILL take care of us. Even if its not the plan we have in our head, He will ALWAYS do whats best for us - and keep us cool along the way :)

Bumpdate

I know, I'm a week behind. If you even KNEW what had been going on with us these last few weeks you would understand...

Due Date: January 5, 2013
How Far Along: 12 weeks
Total Weight Gained: 2lbs  
Maternity Clothes: prebaby shorts are now in the home stretch. In one more week I think it won't be happenin' anymore...
Sleep: Not great. I think getting up for restroom breaks is killing it.
Best Moment of the Week: There weren't any. Explanatory blog soon to follow. I shouldn't say that. However, it was one of those weeks where all you can think to say is "well, at least we have our health..."
Food Cravings: Its all about the cake this week baby. Adam and I whipped one up and devoured the whole thing in approximately 3 days. 
Food Aversions: Nothing
Belly button/stretch marks: Nope
Symptoms: My hormones are INSANE. Like, my husband may or may not be researching mental institutions in the Charlotte area...
Adam's pregnancy symptoms: Adam is also having hormone issues this week. Is this in direct corrolation to my supposed "crazy pill" overdose? I think not.
Movement: Not yet!
Gender: MC and I both are still feeling boy.
Milestones: Let's see, this week we were officially homeless and burglurized. I'd say those are awesome milestones. 

Loves

Just a few of the things I love this morning...

1. That after the "arms in" part on Super Why this morning I was left with a little Nutella handprint on top of my hand.

2. That last night MC asked if she could say goodnight to Bean and this morning when she accidentally kicked me she raised my shirt to tell Bean she was sorry.

3. That after doing some research, I found Mags knows pretty much everything she needs to know to start kindergarden.

4. That although I put MC to sleep on the blow up bed in our room (we have slumber parties when daddy is gone), she got into our bed looking for me and fell asleep there.

5. That MC cries hysterically when she can't find me during hide and seek.

6. That my husband is now on a plane coming home.

7. That as long as she gets to drive the car cart with the steering wheel my kid is perfectly content in the grocery store for any number of hours

8. That MC greets me each morning with "I slept good mommy!" and a big hug.

9. That after 6 weeks in China and offering to make any meal under the sun, Adam says when he gets home he wants a hamburger.

10. That when I ask Mags what she wants for breakfast she says broccoli, carrots, or cucumbers (or obviously the occasional Nutella waffle hehe)

11. That MC has learned the concept of manners and proudly tells me "Mommy, I used nice manners! That makes mommy happy!" when she says something politely.

Life is good and I am blessed :)

Bumpdate

11 weeks!!

Due Date: January 5, 2013
How Far Along: 11 weeks
Total Weight Gained: Had my doctor's appointment the morning after we got back to Charlotte and I weighed 118 - that's 2lbs gained. 
Maternity Clothes: We are slowly approaching elastic city. I would bet in the next 2-3 weeks it will be strictly maternity.
Sleep: We are home and MC is now back in her own bed. However, I'm a huge baby and don't like staying alone so there probably won't be any sleep until Adam returns.
Best Moment of the Week: Seeing our little Bean on the ultrasound and hearing that sweet heartbeat for the first time :)
Food Cravings: Nothing really
Food Aversions: I actually haven't had any aversions to any food. Not sure if that's good or bad...
Belly button/stretch marks: Nope
Symptoms: Boobs still hurt and I am still really tired. Then again, that might also be attributed to no sleep, packing, and chasing a two year old around.
Adam's pregnancy symptoms: I think Adam is also nearing the end of his first trimester as his spirits have improved greatly and he's not as tired anymore ;) (Ok, this is due to him finishing up in China and coming home, but we'll pretend)
Movement: Not yet!
Gender: MC and I both are still feeling boy.
Milestones: Great doctor's appointment where I got to see our little jumping Bean! He/she was wiggling all over the place!! It was such a beautiful thing to watch! Also hearing that sweet heartbeat for the first time!!!! Wish Adam was there!!!

Awesomeness

Let me tell you what's totally awesome...

1. You find your child asleep in your glasses. Yup. Great parenting at work here. I immediately FREAKED out about her poor little eyes, not knowing how long she had been wearing them. Then, like any good parent, I laughed hysterically and tried to take a picture. (Unfortunately my phone was full and by the time I was able to delete enough pictures to take a new one, mine and my mom's laughing had woken her up. This was greatly depressing as it was probably one of the most hilarious things I have EVER seen)

2. Your child asks (for the 4th day in a row) for broccoli or some other vegetable for breakfast. Did I give it to her? You bet I friggin' did. I'm about to throw up thinking about broccoli, carrots, cucumbers and ranch for breakfast, but if it makes her happy...

3. The fact that my legs never get shaved. Let me explain. Showers are usually taken when its just MC and I at home. I freak out thinking about her wandering the house while I am showering. I get in and out as QUICKLY as possible. Shaving is a luxury. When I do attempt to shave, something horrible happens. Like the other day: I start shaving and immediately hear screaming and "mommy! help!!!" I hopped out of the shower covered in shaving cream and dripping wet to find my daughter stuck waist deep between the mattress and footboard of the bed. I wanted to get a picture SO badly to prove that this craziness really happens on a regular basis, however since I was soaking wet, I opted for a recreation later that day.

4. That I just threw away our third sippy cup. Someone insists on hiding them in various places around the house and when I find them I just have to ask the simple question "Did I accidentally put cottage cheese in her cup? Um, that would be a no..." and in the trash it goes.

5. My anniversary is tomorrow. This would be awesome if the hubs was in the same country as me. This makes year 2 he has been on the other side of the world for our anniversary. Since we have been married 4 years, the guy is now averaging a 50% attendance for anniversaries. Not cool. I'm praying this improves and we can get up to at least 75%.

6. I am leaving at 4:00 today to drive 8.5 hours back to Charlotte. With a 2 year old. That puts us home at approximately 1:00am. This is going to be fun.

So that's pretty much what keeps my life awesome. What about you?

Bumpdate

9 weeks 2 days

10 weeks 2 days

Due Date: January 5, 2013
How Far Along: 10 weeks
Total Weight Gained: Headed back to Charlotte tomorrow so we'll see :(
Maternity Clothes: I've worn a maternity dress (although you wouldn't know it was one.) I searched for some maternity shorts but couldn't find them
Sleep: Non existant
Best Moment of the Week: Driving 8.5 hours back to Charlotte. Yes. Sarcasm again.
Food Cravings: Nothing really
Food Aversions: Surprisingly the food ordeal has gotten better :) I think taking my vitamin right before bed has helped tremendously with the nausea
Belly button/stretch marks: Nope
Symptoms: As I said, the nausea has gotten substantially better. I still have some throughout the day but it seems to gradually get better toward the evening and it wasn't NEARLY as bad as it has been. I am able to function which is fantastic. I am still incredibly tired though.
Adam's pregnancy symptoms: Poor baby is tired too. Granted he's not growing a person - he's working on a design project - but I'll let him be tired ;)
Movement: Nope
Gender: MC and I both are still feeling boy.
Milestones: Decreased nausea! Whoop whoop!!!

Random Thoughts

Hello all! Since I've been at my parent's house and obviously away from my usual sounding board (miss you sweet Adam!), I have so many random thoughts swirling around in my head. Release is needed so here is your warning if you are hoping for a cohesive, interesting, or otherwise entertaining post ;)

First of all (I'll cover the lighter topic first) - MC. I know I've bragged on how smart my child is (probably to the point of intense aggrivation and eye rolling for most of you), but she is. However, I've run into a problem. The kid is smart, but doesn't want to do things I know she can do. I think I am the mother of a complete rebel. Whatever she senses I want her to do, she insists on doing the opposite. Take the potty situation - I think she's fully capable of using the potty all the time. However, that lil' stinker knows I want her to so when I ask if she wants to try she says "NOOOOO!". Same thing has begun to occur with teaching her. She's able to count to 30, but when I try to count higher with her she screams "no mommy!! I don't want to count!" You're probably thinking "well, are you making it fun?" I'm a teacher in a society where if its not 100 different colors and sounds wiggling all over a screen in a black box its boring - Yes, I've learned to make it fun. Same thing with reading. I got her to read about 5 different words over the coure of the day a few days ago. I went crazy telling her how proud I was, how smart she was; I even danced and shouted cheers. I think I began my own demise. Now, when I ask her to read she simply says "no". Ahhh! So frustrating! I know she can, she just won't.

I know all of you are probably wanting to shout "RELAX!" right in my face. You probably think I'm being entirely too overbearing and pushy. I feel ya. I would probably say that to someone in my situation too. I suppose I just needed to voice my frustration with a child who irritates you for fun. I'm starting to gather that's just parenthood. And it never stops. I just thought I had some time before we began the rebellion stage. I had always heard "rebellious teenager", not "rebellious toddler". Guess she is advanced ;)

Secondly (and COMPLETELY unrelated to previous topic as I warned), I said I wasn't going to get involved in the church/state debate any longer. I am Catholic. I am conservative. I wanted to leave it at that. HOWEVER, the recent discussion surrounding several Catholic parishes in Washington has me perturbed to say the least. I will say only a few short things and then I can hopefully consider myself "vented" and move on. First of all, if you are called to be in a postition of leadership and influence within the church, it is your obligation to teach the faith accordingly. Also, if your personal beliefs don't align with the Catholic Church, perhaps Catholicism isn't for you. I will work until the day I die to teach our Catholic faith to my children. By God's grace I hope I can explain to them why we believe what we do. I pray they will be faithful servants when most of the world tells them that what I teach them is wrong. Obviously going against the grain of society isn't easy for anyone, but I feel the action taken by a few of these priests is only serving to make my job even more difficult. They have an influence over their parishioners and other Catholics around the world. When they go against the teachings of the church it's utterly confusing - especially for the younger generation who is still forming their personal views and moral compass. I also have to add that as Catholics, we DO NOT believe homosexuals are any less worthy of respect and dignity than anyone else, and we DO welcome them in the church.Ok. I'm done. :)

I hope you all have a great weekend. The parents, MC and I are off to spend the weekend in a cabin on the river with my brother and his girlfriend. Should be fun!! :)

Bumpdate!

Bumpdate!

Thus far I have forgotten to take my weekly belly pic so I guess I'll be posting it with next week's updates.

Due Date: January 5, 2013
How Far Along: 9 weeks
Total Weight Gained: Still living in the house with no scales - we'll see in a few weeks when I make it back to Charlotte.
Maternity Clothes: Not yet - did have to break out the Belly Band recently for a pair of shorts that just wouldn't cooperate
Sleep: Between MC and the storms last night, sleep still isn't at its best
Best Moment of the Week: Being sick as a dog - picking up a hint of sarcasm on that one?
Food Cravings: I want nothing to do with Chinese food now. Pasta please. And soup. That's all.
Food Aversions: Anything that's not pasta or soup
Belly button/stretch marks: Nope
Symptoms: NAUSEA!!!! Oh, the nausea!!! I want to do nothing more than lay on the couch drinking my Ginger Ale eating crackers. Not exactly a possibility with MC but we are working on it.
Adam's pregnancy symptoms: His hormones must be going crazier than mine cause that man has had some champion mood swings lately. I'll assume he just misses us and it makes him cranky.
Movement: Not yet - getting closer I hope!
Gender: I'm still feeling boy. MC has changed her position on the matter. Her stocked response when asked if she's getting a brother or sister has been "little sister", but lately its consistenly been "baby brother".
Milestones: "Morning" sickness. Obviously a man came up with that description. A woman would've called it what it is - "all-friggin'-day-its-so-bad-I-want-to-punch-everyone-in-the-face-if-I-only-had-the-energy-sickness". Oh, and getting my "beer gut".

...And That's What You Get

What do you suppose happens when you blab about feeling great and not being sick during your pregnancy? Uh-huh. Karma rears her ugly head and slams you with the worst "all day sickness" ever. No relief. I am sitting here wearing my Seabands, eating saltine crackers, drinking Ginger-Ale, praying I feel better soon. This makes day 3 where I have wanted to curl into the fetal position and cry. No actual "sickness" for lack of a more stomach easy term, but intense nausea ALL.DAY.LONG.

Now I see why most people stop at 2 children; Because being sick with a toddler is probably worse than Chinese water torture or having your fingernails ripped out one by one. Bless my poor MC. I have probably created my own torture chamber in that she is totally used to having my undivided attention. I stay at home with her and have pretty much since the day she was born. I am a very hands on mommy and usually spend at least 3/4 of my day playing, drawing, chasing, cuddling, etc. with her. I'll put it out there - she's spoiled. Don't get me wrong, my kid watches TV. I probably couldn't survive if she didn't watch at least 2 shows a day. And, the past 3 days, its been a lot more. I'm not gonna lie. That is where my question comes in for you pro-mommies. WHAT DO YOU DO?????

My child is MAJOR high energy. MC can't sit still for more than 30 seconds. Bless her, she gets it from her daddy. Anyway, this doesn't exactly align with my plans for the day (which includes little more than laying on the couch wanting to cry). I am at a loss for what to do. I feel like death and my kid wants to play hide and seek and chase. I've tried "quiet" activities like blocks on the floor and reading books but this doesn't last very long. She has to be moving. In our house this wouldn't even be a HUGE problem, but my parents house is NOT childproof. There are breakable things EVERYWHERE, things for her to climb EVERYWHERE, I think you see my point. She has to be watched every second. The only thing that can keep her still and calm for longer than a few seconds is a movie or TV. I'm a horrible mother, aren't I? Please share your wisdom!!

All for now. I'm going to get more crackers :/

Who Got The Pooch?

Yup - throwing it back oldschool. Anyone remember rocking out to "Who Got the Hooch?" back in the day? This girl does.

Only now there aint no hooch - this momma got the pooch. Yes, its that glorious time in a woman's pregnancy when the beer gut develops. Its too soon for a stranger to realize you're pregnant. You just look...well... fat.

I've heard you start showing sooner with the second, but I was thinking I still had a few more weeks before I officially looked fat. Oh no. I started showing with MC at about 10 weeks, but it seems as though with Bean the magical time period is 8 and a half weeks. Woke up this morning and couldn't button my shorts. Sigh.

I think I took it pretty well though. I just broke out the Belly Band and rolled with it. I said, "You know what? I'm gonna rock that gut". And that's just what I did. I also may or may not be singing the song in my head constantly and altering the lyrics to make them baby bump appropriate ;)

Bumpdate

6 Weeks

7 Weeks

8 Weeks

Due Date: January 5, 2013
How Far Along: 8 weeks
Total Weight Gained: We found out we were pregnant at about 4 weeks and I weighed 115. When I went to the doctor at 5 weeks 5 days I weighed 116 - I like to attribute that pound to being clothed. We are now 8 weeks and since I am staying with my parents who don't believe in scales, I will just happily assume I still weigh the same - ha.
Maternity Clothes: Not for a while I hope!
Sleep: I have been sleeping in the same bed as my 2 year old for over 2 weeks so lets not go there
Best Moment of the Week: Seeing the sweet hubs on Skype is always the highlight of my day
Food Cravings: Chinese - I won't even comment on the humor of this given my husband is in China 
Food Aversions: Surprsingly none :)
Belly button/stretch marks: Do ones retained on my hips and boobs from last time count?
Symptoms: SORE BOOBS! My goodness does that suck. I'll occassionally get nauseous and tired but that's about it!
Adam's pregnancy symptoms:  I think at the moment he's experiencing a Chinese food aversion
Movement: Can't wait for this!
Gender: I'm guessing boy, but that's what I thought the first time too. So basically I suck at guessing and am not even going to try.
What I miss: my husband :(
Milestones: The pooch is developing. There will no longer be swimsuit photos posted on Facebook - not that there were a great deal of them before, but you get my point

"How ya feelin'?"

Its the inevitable question when people know you are somewhat pregnant - "how are you feeling?". Considering MC's uterus time was completely documented on my blog, of course I feel Bean should have the same experience of having his/her life completely exposed for complete strangers.

When asked the "how are you feeling question" 3 years and some months ago my response would be a little different than it is now. Then it consisted of something along the lines of "Well, my husband is in a war zone in another country, I am praying to throw up since I am nauseous all day every day, I have already switched doctor's 3 times and I am living with my parents.... take a guess how I'm feeling." Response now? Totally different. Oh. Wait. Husband in another country? Check. Living with parents? Check. Ok. I guess its only slightly different.

Symptoms are DEFINITELY different this time around though. Last time I was sooooo nauseous. Never got sick - only FELT sick. Not sure which is worse. I also "felt" pregnant. Not sure of the reason for this. I also had HORRIBLE cramping. The school I was working at even called the ambulance one day because it got so bad we all thought something was seriously wrong. Turned out everything was fine. Little did I know what intense pain was... ha.

This pregnancy I started with intense lower back pain. Never had that with MC. I'm also about to get real with this next one folks. Sore boobs. Bad. What makes it even better is the fact that my two year old has now become fascinated with them and insists on touching them in the most appropriate places - like church. Of course I promptly swatted her hand away and attempted to explain in my "mad whisper voice" that that was not ok. This only perpetuated her attempts to rub her hands all over them which was completely awesome. Perhaps she's taken notice of their increased size. Whatever the reason it better stop. Like, now.

Besides the occasional nausea after taking my vitamin and the boob issues, I would never believe I was pregnant. I feel.... well... fine. Odd. Happily odd.

The extreme differences in this pregnancy (so far) and the last makes me feel our little Bean is probably going to be a boy. That stresses me out. I would have no.friggin'. clue. what to do with a boy. Not to mention the fact that the child would also have to remain naked or be completely "gender confused" considering we are poor and the only baby clothes I own are pink and covered with flowers. That stresses me out too. I guess only time will tell.

Stay tuned!

"Bean"

As I recently mentioned on facebook, it wouldn't be a proper Martin pregnancy if Adam weren't out of the country for a portion of it....

Despite the hubs absence, we are THRILLED to meet our newest little blessing - Bean. When we found out we were pregnant and were discussing that first ultrasound I asked him if he remembered how MC looked like a little lima bean. We talked about how we were so excited to see our second little bean. The name stuck. (Don't fear - just a nickname.... "the baby" is just too overused)

I suppose whenever anyone gets pregnant you like to hear the back story. Well, not the WHOLE story. I think we're all past the point of "the talk". We just like the thrill of knowing "was it planned?", "how long have you been trying?", etc. Well, I'll be blunt. It wasn't planned. We weren't trying. Adam will probably shoot me for sharing our ENTIRE lives with the world, but we practice natural family planning. I think its important to share that because so many people push that option aside when it comes to the "contraceptive" discussion. You're probably laughing right now because we are now pregnant. Well, we knew it wasn't the so-called "right time" if we wanted to wait before having another child, but we said "if it happens it happens and God knows what's best for us." I guess God thought it was time for Bean! That, or the fact that I am "Fertile Myrtle" as my mother jokes (On a side note, my grandmother was the proud mom to 12 children. Fertile Myrtle was an obvious choice for a nickname which is where my mother's comment stemmed from).

Knowing we played Russian roulette that month, I was aware that pregnancy was possible. When I started getting horrible lower back pain I immediately googled "low back pain in early pregnancy". Bingo. CVS run and stick peed on in all of 10 minutes........... "Not Pregnant". Ok, well that's good. Adam We wanted to wait a little longer so that's fine. Then over the next few days I noticed how INCREDIBLY tired I was getting. Not completely out of the norm considering I stay home with a 2 year old. Then, one day, I felt nauseous. Cue pee stick number 2.

PREGNANT.

Oh boy. Adam had spent the last week staying up until 4 am preparing for the final presentation he was about to give in one of his classes. As I heard the shower running, I knew I couldn't tell him. He had worked so hard on this and I knew if I told him we were pregnant right before it he would have nothing on his mind except baby. Not good when you have to discuss and defend a design plan. There are no babies drawn into the landscape design of main street.

This is where we ran into a HUGE problem. I can't even wait until Christmas to open presents. I used to check every hiding place in the house, find gifts, open them, and then wrap them back. I'm HORRIBLE with surprises and secrets. This was probably the biggest happy surprise secret in the world and I had to keep locked lips ALL DAY until Adam got home. Well, sort of. I called my best friend. Well, maybe two good friends. That was it...

Then I had to figure out a creative way to tell Adam. The first time around it was a COMPLETE shock and we were COMPLETELY unprepared. I phoned Adam immediately and told him to pick up a pregnancy test on his way home because the one I just took said I was pregnant and its obviously broken. Not the most romantic way to spill the beans.

This time I was going to do it right. I thought having MC involved would be cute so I came up with the idea of her giving him a card sharing the news. On the front it said "to my daddy" and then on the inside it had a huge "I", then a big pink felt heart, then a "U".  I love you. Under the heart it read "...and so will my little brother or sister ;)" Perfect.

I made the card right after Adam left. Then proceeded to look at, open, and read it the entire rest of the day. I would fold laundry then oddly think "ya know, I better check on the card" like it was going to disappear.

7:30 finally rolled around and I got a call from Adam saying he was on his way home. Score. I told MC a little earlier that day we had a surprise to give daddy so when I told her he would be home soon she was all too thrilled to grab his "surprise" and start screaming. Did she have any idea what this surprise was? No. But the kid is all about surprises so I just went with it.

I also knew I had to get Adam's reaction captured. He's very animated, much as I am, so I knew his reaction would be priceless. I set up the video camera and when I heard him fidgeting with the lock on the front door, I clicked it on.

MC ran to him screaming about his surprise and, after being prompted to raise the heart, proceeded to say "no you're not" for a full 2 minutes. I showed him the tests and although he wanted to disagree with the entirely too faint second pink line, the digital "pregnant" read out made it pretty clear.

We were overjoyed and couldn't wait to tell everyone. We knew it was bad luck to share immediately (as most people wait a good 12 weeks), but with Adam leaving for China soon we decided to tell our parents right after the ultrasound.

We asked them each for a Skype date and told them MC had drawn them a picture she wanted to show them. As she held up her Dora Magna Doodle, they didn't find a drawing. Only the words "I'm going to be a big sister". They were all stunned. Success ;)

We are both so overjoyed to be granted this huge blessing. We have no jobs, at the end of June we have no home, and right now Adam's in China, but we'll make it work. God has never steered us wrong before and I know he won't now. I imagine the next few months will bring an intense amount of stress and anxiety, but it makes for juicy blogs so congrats readers...

Hope you stick with us and enjoy another tale of pregnancy highs and lows. Guess we'll now see what happens when baby makes 4!!!

Mother's Day

Dear Mommy,

Happy Mother's Day! This uterus of yours is pretty cozy, but I sure can't wait to meet you on January 5th. Hope you have a great day!

Love, Baby "Bean" Martin

Yup - WE'RE PREGNANT!!!!!

Farm Livin' Is The Life For Me

Being true urbanites, we decided to take a break from city life and head to the country last Thursday. Well, I suppose it wasn't the "country", but it was a farm. Close enough. 

We headed off to Hall Family Farm with some playgroup friends to pick strawberries. So.much.fun. I'm not sure if it was a flood of memories of me picking fresh veggies with my parents or seeing my two year old's chin and shirt completely covered in strawberry juice, but it was magical. 

MC had a blast. We had a competition to see who could find the biggest strawberry of the day. MC lost. Bad. The smaller the better in her opinion. She said they were so cute and insisted on hugging most of them before turning them into daddy to put in the box. She also insisted on, um, testing the strawberries every 2 feet or so. By the time we were ready to go she could've passed for a small zombie child - complete with a "blood" soaked chin eerily dripping down the front of her shirt. Being the "Walking Dead" fan he is Adam immediately took the opportunity to try to teach her to make zombie sounds. She wasn't interested. 

All in all it was a great day and hopefully we can all the chance to go back soon!

Freedom

 Big Cheesin'

Total diva - love the pose

Yum Yum!

I think we are all kids at heart ;)

Here chicky chicky chicky

"I Did It!"

You know what's awesome? When your child taps you on the arm and says "Look momma! I did it!". You know what's even awesomer? When what they "did" was shove a fluorescent pink bead up each one of their nostrils. Yeah... That happened yesterday... It was fun.

As if it wasn't already, you know what made it the MOST awesome? Adam was at the studio all.night.long., not arriving home until 7am that morning. He promptly went to bed only to be awakened by a screaming child and Dr. Mom on the hunt for tweezers. He sat up in bed asking what's wrong and I believe something along the lines of "YOUR daughter shoved two plastic beads up her nose and now I am searching for tweezers to perform a complicated appenbeadomy!! That's whats wrong!" To say he freaked out would be an understatement.

Just another normal Thursday in the Martin house....

A Day in the Life

So I recently read an article in which a woman defends the fact that stay-at-home mothers are in fact busy. I concur.

After reading about a typical day in this mom's life I was inspired - and thoughtful. When my husband arrives home in the evening I am usually pooped. I thought about what I do all day that makes me feel as though I've been hit by a truck. I decided I would share a day in OUR life. Enjoy.

At 7am the princess wakes and promptly begins screaming for mommy because she has a child safety cover on her doorknob so she doesn't escape during the night and again attempt to light her talking big bird on fire. After chasing her into her tent and dragging her out by one leg, I change her diaper and put her pants (which she removes periodically during the night or upon waking and places in her sock drawer or hamper) back on her.

Next order of business is breakfast. She cries for waffles and "tell-o" (Nutella) so while the waffle is in the toaster I flip on Cat-in-the-Hat and attempt to fry eggs for the hubs and I. Apparently the Cat isn't doing anything of particular interest so she begins screaming for her tell-o again. I then remember the waffle I put in the toaster which is now, um, nice and crispy and while checking the freezer for another, realize we are out. I spread the Nutella over the blackened parts and hope she won't notice. Adam wakes up and he and I attempt to eat eggs while MC spreads Nutella on her hands like lotion.

After cleaning up a chocolate explosion, Adam is off to school and I am off to the shower since our playgroup starts in less than an hour. I have to close every door in the house which is also equipped with a child safety knob and make sure all outside entrances are locked and dead bolted. Then, I attempt to shower while sticking my head out every 35 seconds telling MC to: put the nail polish back in the cabinet, take my high heels off her hands and feet, stop pulling the toilet paper off the roll, and Bath and Body Works body mist is not a toy. Slightly clean I step out of the shower and hurry to get ready so I'm not "that mom" who's late to playgroup.

After bribing MC with an old eyeshadow brush, I finally get her hair fixed, diaper changed, and dressed. I pack her book bag with milk and snacks which she immediately sees and begins screaming for. It is now all of 9:45.

I spend most of playgroup chasing her around because she doesn't understand the concept of suicide and neither do most playground equipment manufacturers. After 2 hours of running, jumping, and otherwise keeping my child from certain death, its time to head home for lunch. This is always fun because dragging a two year old from a playground is about as much fun as being dressed as the statue of liberty holding a sign outside one of those Check-into-Cash places.

While preparing a nutritious lunch of hummus, pita chips, carrot sticks, and cheese cubes, I attempt to reheat leftover Chef-Boyardee ravioli my princess refused to eat the night before for myself. After bit number 2 MC is usually finished and now leaving a hummus hand print trail across the living room. We clean up hands and hummus and since she doesn't nap anymore we spend the next 2 hours in a schizophrenic montage of playing dress up, stacking blocks, doing puzzles, reading books, and having tea parties. In the midst of all of this I try to sneak away momentarily to unload and load dishes, do laundry, and clean up toys. When I make it all the way to 277 counting in our hide and seek game and no one has "seeked" her yet because I'm in the kitchen chopping vegetables for dinner, MC attempts to find me and promptly throws a tantrum because I'm not participating.

I remember I need one more thing for dinner and add "WAFFLES" in all caps to my list. I change her diaper, pack the bag, and run out the door to the grocery store. When we get to the car I realize I've forgotten my list but refuse to go back through the door, across the breeze way, through the next door, into the elevator and down the hall to our apartment to retrieve it. After loading up MC in the car seat and listening to 5 minutes of screaming because she wants to watch the "Big Bird's Wish"DVD for the millionth time, we arrive in the parking garage of the grocery store. We get inside and buy our items, stopping at each and every sample station because we all know at age 2 MC has never tried things like oranges and cheese. After we check out and get back in the car to drive home I realize I forgot the waffles. Go back in? Not happening. I make a mental note for tomorrow - go to grocery store. Again.

After loading the bags in the stroller (because we all know we never leave a grocery store with the one item we went in to get) I push it the half a mile to our apartment door while telling MC to stop touching elevator buttons and poking the bug she's found on the breeze way. We get in and I unload while she begs for me to put on the tiger mask so she can play vet. I put it on and roar and cough while she listens to my arm with her stethoscope. I remember I forgot the laundry in the dryer and try to get it folded while my doctor beats on my head with her thermometer.

After laundry is folded and put away, I suggest we walk to the park so I can finally have an excuse to get out of the tiger mask I have been wearing for the last half hour. This requires changing another diaper while she screams she wants to go down the slide and me explaining girls with pee-pee diapers aren't allowed on slides - and maybe a comment or two under my breath about not having to deal with diaper changes if she would just use the potty.

We make it outside and pass the apartment complexes playground. Screaming ensues again.

After making it across the street to the park we begin the 1 hour walk because we have to stop and pick up or touch every caterpillar, bug, ant, or stick-we-think-might-be-a- caterpillar on the way. By the time we make it to the playground and repeat the process of attempted suicide, MC is tired and insists on being carried the rest of the way home. Its about a mile. Uphill.

We return to the house and after being carried, MC is ready to go. I want to effing die. I make some water and we have our 10 minute battle of "MC you need to drink some water" "NO! I want chocolate milk!". I may or may not give in to have 25 seconds of silence.

Its now dinner time and we usually like to play the "MC-what-do-you-want-for-dinner-I-want-M&M's-No-you-can't-have-M&M's-for-dinner game. This continues about 15 minutes until I finally just chose something only to have her turn up her nose and not eat at all. I give her a bath while singing "do your ears hang low" approximately 36 times and then get her in a clean diaper and pajamas. By the time I dry her hair she has pooped in her diaper and we get to change it while listening to her scream that now she wants to play dress up. I change her dress up outfit about 9 times because she takes after her mother and could qualify as the world's most indecisive person. We play princess and put spells on stuffed animals until I tell her its time for bed. 100th tantrum of the day.

We get her back into her pajamas, well, new pajamas because she has decided that Dora is no longer acceptable and wants Minnie mouse. She cries again because Minnie mouse is dirty. I somehow convince her to settle on Elmo pants and a cupcake shirt.

We brush her teeth which also requires an energetic rendition of a Barney song, then we're off to choose two books to read. This takes no less than 10 minutes because, as previously mentioned, she is utterly indecisive. If I attempt to choose for her there is yelling. If I hear more yelling I will go into a coma and then she'll never get put to sleep. So I wait.

We get into bed, read our two books, say our prayers, turn on our ladybug star light, nightlight, and music. After kisses and hugs I close the door and look forward to eating my 8:30 pm dinner. I sit down on the couch with my meal and wait for the inevitable. There it is. "Mommy! I scared!". I ignore it for as long as possible but when the fingers stick out from under the door I succumb to guilt and go back in her room and put her back in bed. We do this for about and hour and then I get to eat.

A few minutes later, about 10pm, Adam walks in and asks how my day was."Good."