RSS Feed

Category Archives: and then there were 3

Friday Free For All-The Baby Gear/Getting Ready Edition

Posted on June 13, 2008 by Sara

1. Did I ever tell you that I get a 10% discount at Target.com through work? They have free shipping on baby gear right now, so I ordered the 2 big ticket items I needed today. LOOK!!!

AND

This is a huge weight off of my shoulders.

2. Did I ever mention the awesome sling that Shelly Overlook sent me, like way back in February? I still owe her for that one. I mean, look at it!! It is very luxurious.

3. In the grand scheme of things, I don’t have a whole lot left to buy. I saved Lucy’s bottles and still have a crapload of inserts, so I need nipples. I will buy a few binkies, but my kids don’t want them. I need new valves for my breast pump, which seriously cost like 38 cents and collection bottles because my BIL’s stupid girlfriend lost them all. How, I don’t know, because she used the pump for a week. I guess I need to make sure it still works too. A few more onseies and sleepers, nursing pads and bags, butt cream, diapers, some baby soap, a sleep positioner and I think I’m pretty much done? I’d like to get a Bumbo, but Hub thinks they are stooooopid.

4. Does it seem like I’m missing any newborn necessities? Even with all the stuff I already have, I feel like I’m forgetting something.

5. I’m cleaning out our room this weekend and we’ll move the bassinette in within the next few weeks. I need to wash the linens but will save that for last; or at least I won’t put them in for a while because the cats will think I’ve set up their bed. Until it smells like the baby, they’ve always camped in there, causing me to rewash EVERYTHING. They are jerks.

6. I need to wash the pad for the carseat/carrier.

7. And hose off the stroller and let it sit outside in the sun to dry. It’s GRODY.

8. I’m trying to refrain from buying any more clothes, despite the Monster Sale at TCP. I may cave and buy the overalls for $4.99. I’m actually probably going to drive out to the Outlet in Niagara Falls this weekend to see what I can get. She probably has like, 30 outfits though—and really, where is she going?

9. My bag is mostly packed—I do need some new nursing bras. Does anybody have any suggestions? I have the sport type ones for around the house, but I definitely need something more supportive (but with no wires because they cause my ducts to clog, YAY) for leaving the house. I also need to buy something to wear at the hospital. I’m so mad at Old Navy for discontinuing the matching outfits I was buying for baby and me. You know, these:

10. When I type it all out, it really doesn’t seem like a whole lot. Is there something obvious that I am forgetting here?

16 Comments

Posted in and then there were 3, friday free for all. Bookmark the permalink.

Signs That You Are SO Done with this Pregnancy Crap

Posted on June 12, 2008 by Sara

• You have to pee 453 times per day but nothing more than a trickle comes out. But somehow, if you cough or sneeze, it seems like a gallon leaks out.
• Even with DD’s you seem flat chested compared to your bulbous belly
• When your husband tells you that you look nice, you scoff as in “Yeah right!!”. When he says that he means it, you burst in to tears.
• You are glued to The Discovery Health Channel and are convinced that everything on TV is happening to you.
• Odd body parts have begun to sweat.
• You have run out of polite responses to comments such as “Oh yes, you are definitely bigger than yesterday!” or “Gosh, you are going to pop any second. Are you due in the next few days?” and instead say through gritted teeth “Actually I have at lease 6 more weeks to go. And until you said something, I didn’t really feel any bigger than I did yesterday. So thanks for your input.”
• Public bathroom stall doors bang you in the belly as you try to maneuver in to the stall.
• Your facilities manager, who has made arrangements for you to park right up front in Customer Parking so that you don’t have to park ¼ of a mile away next to the dumpsters every morning, thinks it is hysterical to make comments about calling off the tow trucks for that blue van up front every time he sees you.
• When your husband suggests that maybe your sonogram will reveal that the baby is of normal size and we really do have 8 weeks to go, you have to fight (hard) the urge to punch him in the gut.
• Because your first two pregnancies were so close together, acquaintances at work have sort of merged them together. You can see shock and disbelief when they realize it is your third. Then they make offhanded remarks such as “Wow, 3 under 4! You’ll have your hands full!” Listen bitches, my hands have been full since the first one was born. STFU.
• Your maternity pants no longer stay up and you are constantly showing ass crack.
• You’ve given up caring that your hair is way too long AND that you have WAY too many scraggly greys.
• When your son wants to know how much older he will be than his baby brother who will come AFTER this baby, you throw up a little bit in your mouth.
• You wonder if at this stage in the game, consuming mass quantities of caffeine would really do any harm to the baby. You begrudgingly stick to your 1-2 cups per day.
• You would like to be able to eat toast or a cracker without getting heartburn.
• You know that as miserable as you are, it will be *SO* worth it in the end.

10 Comments

Posted in and then there were 3, I'm a crazy bitch. Bookmark the permalink.

Mommy Time

Posted on June 10, 2008 by Sara

After Lucy was born, I made sure to preserve special time with Bud. It usually occurred in the morning, before anyone else was up, we would sit on the couch and talk a bit before everyone’s day actually started.

As time has passed, Lucy has been the one to get up with me in the morning, though she is not a morning person. She is a ball of fury with fists clenched, puffy morning face and birds nest hair, typically throwing herself on top of me while maintaining a death grip on “blankie”. Our conversation is the same every morning:

“Hi baby girl, how was your sleep?”

“BAD!!”

She’ll snuggle for 5 minutes or so before she is ready to face her day. This morning was no different. She turned over so that she was cradled in my lap and turned her face up for a kiss. “There’s my baby girl”, I said, and she smiled. “Pretty soon, LuLu, you won’t be the baby anymore.”

“I know, I’ll be the big sister!” This thought clearly excites her. “I will help you with diapers! And sing songs to Olivia!”

I ask her what else she will do, and after thinking for a minute she asks if we can go to Target to pick out a binky for her. (Neither child has ever used a binky, but Lucy is obsessed with them.) “Sure”, I tell her, and she scrambles down to say good morning to the cats and the rocking horse, and everything else in her path.

Our day has begun.

Bud has actually worked himself in to an evening routine. This child is a night-owl and thrives on getting 8-9 hours of sleep, max. He waits for Lucy to fall asleep, and finds his way out to where I have curled up on the couch, and settles in beside me twirling his fingers through my hair.

“You should be in bed.”, I tell him.

“I can’t sleep….” is always his reply.

He talks about things that are on his mind, things that he won’t say during the day when he’s busy being a rambunctious 4-year-old, and last night was the same. He wants to know about the baby, why she’ll be wet and dirty when she comes out and will the doctor say ‘take a deep breath and push’ (darn you Discovery Health); will I scream like those ladies on TV (I have assured him several times that I will have lots of medicine so that it won’t hurt), is she as big as a toaster yet? (one of our books mentions that all curled up, the baby is about the size of a toaster, but I think he pictures a toaster-shaped baby in there) He asks if I remember things and kids from his old school, which he hasn’t attended for about a year now, and if I knew about the dreams he had about Swiper swiping his toys while he slept. We talk quietly before I tell him again that he needs to be in bed, and somehow, he convinces me to let him sleep in the living room with me. When I wake up around midnight, he has put himself to bed.

I check both children as they are sleeping, making sure they are not too hot or cold, feeling their chests rise and fall under one hand as I brush their hair away from their faces with the other.

I return to the couch and place my hand on my belly, where Olivia is now kicking vigorously. For the first time I am not worried about how she will change our dynamic, or how I will love her as much as the other two. She’ll fit in just fine, and easily fill the space in my heart, or the time in my day, that has been waiting all of this time just for her.

11 Comments

Posted in and then there were 3. Bookmark the permalink.

32-Week Visit and Weekend Recap

Posted on June 9, 2008 by Sara

Well, unless something changes drastically, I will be working for 2 more weeks. The visit, which lasted all of 4 minutes, was pretty uneventful, save from discussing AGAIN that we probably want to induce the week of 7/21. She apologized for continuing to bring it up, but wants it to always be on the front page of my chart. Fine by me; let’s just get her out of there, kthanksbye. I also got my script for the big 36-week sonogram to see just how big she is. Hub wants me to wait to schedule it until he has his calendar in front of him; he wants to be there. Hopefully I’ll have it taken care of before the end of the day.

Headlines all weekend, actually since last Wednesday, have been “Summer Has Finally Arrived!!!”. Headline is not necessary; the 90 degree weather has kind of tipped us all off. Normally, I would not mind a bit. But dudes, it is hot. Hub had the AC working by the time I got home on Friday though, so I have only been moderately miserable.

Hub and Bud did the big Crash-O Rama!! on Saturday and Lucy and I ended up at The Cheesecake Factory with my parents. Lucy was a sourpuss through most of dinner, until the server brought her a tiny dish of vanilla ice cream as we ate our cheesecake. Once my parents were gone, she was fine. We decided to walk through the mall for a bit—after she demanded to rent a race car buggy—and found ourselves at JCP where I bought Bud 6 pairs of shorts and 4 nightgowns for Lucy and spent only $42. I feel like my summer shopping is finally done. We then walked back to The Cheesecake Factory so I could pick up a slice of cheesecake to bring home for Hub. By the time we were home it was nearing 9:30, and Lucy insisted on wearing one of the new nightgowns to bed.

I don’t know what it was about the nightgown that made her seem so grown up. There she was in her big-girl bed, tangled in her blankets, her legs seeming so long—she seeming so old—and I was overcome with emotion. My baby girl is so not my baby anymore. In a little more than 2 months, she will have already been a big sister for a few weeks, and she will turn 3. My baby girl.

It was overcast and muggy yesterday afternoon, but we decided to pack a small picnic and head to the park anyway. We had good intentions of walking through the woods, but Hub and I watched the kids on the playground from our seats in the back of the van, and then we all shared ham sandwiches, chips and Doublestuff Oreos before taking a few more trips down the slides and heading for home. The kids slept on the 30-minute car ride, but we had them rest for a bit when we got home as well. Truth be told, Hub and I were exhausted.

The sun came out in the late afternoon, and Hub did some yard work (which included an unplanned event of cutting our front bushes down to stumps because “he hates them” [never mind how I feel about them]) while the kids played with the hose (note to self, buy each child a second pair of water shoes to take to daycare) and I cut meat and veggies for shish kabobs in the kitchen. Hub grilled and we had a late dinner and had the kids in bed and sound asleep by 8:30.

It was my kind of weekend, eventful without actually being eventful. Hub’s goal for this week is to completely finish the kitchen so that we can eat Father’s Day dinner together at the table.

Mine is to get more than 4 hours of sleep in a night.

7 Comments

Posted in and then there were 3, bud, lucy. Bookmark the permalink.

Hello From Work!

Posted on June 2, 2008 by Sara

So, I’m back at work. Hooray. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you it is near impossible to sit here with the back/hip pain. Maybe the whole 10 days off idea was a bad one. I miss my couch. I am back at the doctor one week from today though, to further assess the sciatica and whatnot, and I’m hoping I can be done.

That being said, I am banking on this week being my last at work and am tying up a lot of loose ends. Schedules and reports and making sure my responsibilities will be cared for properly in my absence. It’s going to be a real pain, but I think better than being pulled unexpectedly. I’m just going to work every day as if it’s my last, and keep my fingers crossed that the end is near.

I actually do miss work when I’m off though; there is so much camaraderie and plain old fun. Plus I have time to catch up with you Internets daily. It doesn’t happen at home, unless Hub is out of the house. He’s pretty sure that all of you are housebound middle aged male pedophiles. I don’t hide the blogging from him, but it’s better to do it when I’m alone.

We took our monthly trip to BJ’s yesterday and both had a minor panic attack when we realized that on our next trip we needed to buy diapers—OH THE HORROR!! They have boppy’s with cover there for $16.99 though, which I find to be a steal! I also finally made my list of the things we need to buy before she comes so we can whittle that down weekly. Who’d have thought the 3rd baby would be so expensive!

I also realized that in about 10 weeks, after Lucy’s birthday, I will have a 4-year-old, a 3-year-old and a newborn. Holy Hell, my friends.

Holy Hell.

11 Comments

Posted in and then there were 3. Bookmark the permalink.

30 Weeks

Posted on May 28, 2008 by Sara


Thirty Weeks is a real bitch–honestly. Think about it–I am not yet far enough where it could be “any time now”, however I have been pregnant for 30 weeks. An especially long time given how soon I found out. I likened the third trimester to post partum last week, and as much as I’d like to tell you this vacation has been a party, it’s mostly been ferociously dismal. Hub might use some more colorful words to describe it, but I will stick with dismal.

Lets keep the complaining to a minimum, shall we? Terrible cold, a bout of sciatica to end all sciatica, and just a general miserable disposition. Yes darlings, it is no mistake that I have not posted this week. You don’t want to hear from me.

Here is the good- I have only gained 22lbs so far, my blood pressure is low, swelling is minimal, and for the first time in (my) pregnancy history, I can still wear my regular shoes.

Yes, the good. We have a pretty big day trip planned wit the kiddos tomorrow, so hopefully more of the good to come.

15 Comments

Posted in and then there were 3, I'm a crazy bitch. Bookmark the permalink.

The Long and Winding Post…….

Posted on April 29, 2008 by Sara

I mentioned the other day that I wanted to get away from using initials for my kid’s names. I’m pretty set on calling CA “Lucy” as that is what I call her at home anyway. The Bean will be Olivia because we can’t use it but I love it. Much like choosing a boy’s name though, choosing a pseudonym for ED is excruciating! Nothing fits. He is nothing to me other than his name. I call him Handsome and Bud at home, but those don’t fit here. I should just say SCREW IT and go back to using their real names. Everyone knows them anyway. It’s just the whole searching thing. If someone searched all 3 kid’s names, surely they would find this Blog, correct? This is stupid. And hard.

I’m ready to stop working now. Really really ready. The official countdown is 99 days! DOUBLE DIGITS!! But I anticipate giving birth between 7/21 and 7/28 which puts us at about 11-12 weeks to go. (Watch me go like 10 days overdue or some crap) Seriously though, with how low she is, my back is killing me consistently, I have my usual pregnancy related hip pain, and now I have this hernia to contend with, which is actually pretty sore. Work is also ridiculously busy and stressful on top of it, so it seems like a good idea to be done sooner than later. I’m at the point where I would be paid for any time off as long as it was medically necessary and documented (2 weeks per year of service times 8 years=16 weeks of paid time off prior to Maternity Leave) I planned on working at least through 7/15 and friends, I don’t think it’s going to happen. My issue is with my monthly bonus—I have to work at least one day in the month to qualify for it. So….June 1st? July 1st? I have 9 vacation days plus Memorial Day off in May so I think I can get through it.

I also have until tomorrow to decide the kid’s summer daycare schedule. When I had CA, ED was still at the old center and they were very flexible. I dropped him down to 2 days a week to get him out of the house as well as to give me alone time with CA. The new center, not so flexible. They can go MWF or T/THU. I think that for consistency, the MWF is the best, and I do receive my full pay while I am out, so no big deal. I just wish we could go Tues/Weds/Thurs instead and then have them home Friday through Monday. 3 days on, 4 days off, you know? Maybe if I sat down and talked with the director……but I really don’t want to.

Hub’s birthday is Friday; he will be 32. I still have not got him a gift. I still don’t know what to get him. I actually know what I want to get him, but I think he will be upset with the cost. I don’t know. I have the day off and we are planning on doing lunch at the Casino where they have a huge buffet. We go there exclusively to eat, we almost never gamble. Then we’ll have cake at home after we pick up the kids. Is it wrong that I’m stressing out about not being near the computer all day for Swistle’s Big Reveal? Thankfully, I can check email and read Blogs through the internet browser on my phone. I just can’t comment.

My mother really irritated me on Sunday which I neglected to mention yesterday. ED was being a real pisser at dinner, pouting and just being nasty overall. After Hub said something he didn’t like he said “Well FINE THEN!” I’m, not eating!!” Hun took his drink away, stating the obvious—he wasn’t drinking pop if he wasn’t eating dinner. ED broke down in hysterics so Hub took him out of the restaurant. My mother was appalled “all of that for a little bit of acting out?” I told her it is the only way to deal with him; the only thing that works. “I think it’s too much and it really bothers me.” Again, you do not deal with this kid on a daily basis. When he gets in this sort of mood you have to physically remove him from the situation in order to break it. “So what, now they’re not going to eat dinner??” They will be back in a few minutes; ED just needs time to relax. “Well, it really bothers me.” I wanted to say really hurtful things, relating to the way my youngest brother acts and behaves—that maybe if she had used some different tactics he wouldn’t be the way he is. But I bit my tongue. She feels bad enough about my brother as it is. And sure enough, Hub and ED returned less than 5 minutes later, with ED happy as a clam. I don’t appreciate my parenting being criticized. Here’s the thing—we will put up with silliness, and we can tolerate moods/acting out to an extent—it is typical preschool/toddler behavior. But when it turns in to total bullshit, it is plain not allowed. We have happy, well adjusted, and for the most part, very well behaved children. I felt like she was implying we were beating them or something……we don’t even spank them. I feel better getting that out—much better.

I am treating myself to Burger King for lunch today. Hub picked up food for himself and the kids yesterday but nothing for me because 1. I haven’t been eating much for dinner and 2. He didn’t know what I would want. Of course, this put me on the warpath……but I can recover by getting my own Whopper today. I’m excited, which in a word, is sad.

Finally, out of the mouth of my baby, I offer you three recent revelations. The first, after hearing someone on TV mention their boyfriend: “I have two boyfriends, Merrick and Davin……” At dinner on Friday she stood up, pointed to Hub and said “what the hell is the matter with you!!” (That one is all me…) And on the way home the other day “Mommy, we don’t say sum of the bitch, we say sum of the gun, right?” (I take no credit for that one though…she heard it from my dad on Easter…one time…and has been obsessed ever since.)

12 Comments

Posted in and then there were 3, CA, ED, I'm a crazy bitch, random. Bookmark the permalink.

Random Crap and a (somewhat) Rhetorical Question

Posted on April 23, 2008 by Sara

I promised ED I would take him to buy flip flops tonight. Do you think he’ll forget? Since we started in the kitchen, he’s been wearing mine……apparently, he hates his slippers now and he NEEDS flip flops. From “Oh Maybe’s” [Old Navy] Ok then Mr. Opinion. CA, I’m sure, will insist that she needs some as well, even though I just ordered her some from TCP……they just haven’t arrived (or even shipped for that matter and it has been 10 days) yet. I hear that Payless is doing BOGO right now though, so maybe I can score some new (ahem–slightly larger) summer shoes while we are out.

I had my glucose tolerance test this morning and it was horrific. My old doctor had this backwoods formula that involved drinking a can of orange crush ½ hour before your appointment and then she drew your blood when you came in. The new doctor…not so much. That bottle of orange melted freezy pop with extra sugar was enough to take me over the edge. Vomit city. I thought it was maybe like a shot of something, a sip or two-but a WHOLE BOTTLE?? Yuck. About 20 minutes after I drank it, I started feeling shaky, dizzy and nauseous which does nothing but leave me to wonder “is my body processing this correctly or incorrectly??” I don’t even know what I’ll do if I have to go back for the second test. I was nauseous until a few hours ago.

Have any of you given any thought to the kind of parent you will be when your kids are grown? I imagine myself having weekly family dinners, with a house full of grand kids, and daily phone calls. I can’t imagine not touching a piece of their life on a daily basis. These may be high hopes on my part, but do you get what I’m saying? If one of my kids had the evening off, and her husband was working, and my only plan was to go up to the casino—I would jump at the chance to meet up with her and her kids for dinner–ESPECIALLY after I just got back from a week in another country—I can go to the casino anytime, right? But apparently, this isn’t how all parents operate. Some value their own time. I’m just sayin’. (Jaded much, Sara? Bitter much?) Maybe I’ll feel different when I’m in my 50’s and my kids have lives of their own. But I can’t imagine that I will.

The work day has gone fast and soon I’ll be leaving to get the kiddos—apparently we will be dining on our own. Wish me luck in navigating the store with them!

P.S. thank you all for your comments on yesterday’s post. You all are the bomb digity!!

9 Comments

Posted in and then there were 3, CA, ED, random. Bookmark the permalink.

Ho Hum de Dum

Posted on April 16, 2008 by Sara

I have a cold and it is making me miserable. It’s not the kind where my nose is completely blocked, but rather the obnoxious kind that drip drip drips down the back of my throat, causing it to sting. I thought about staying home today, but really why bother. I may as well be miserable at work and accomplish something instead of sitting at home with a blanket and the TV……HEY what the heck was I thinking???

My job announced a new benefit plan for 2009 which is, in a word, amazing. 12 weeks of paid maternity leave. I asked The Bean if she’d like to stay in for another 4 months and she told me no way……so I’ll take my 8 weeks. (maybe longer if I have to get this hernia repaired) They are switching to one national health plan which should lower costs, and they are giving each associate a prepaid flex spending account for co pays and prescriptions which increases by how many dependents you cover. I will receive the max, which is $1200 and if I don’t spend it, it rolls over, right up until I retire. The greatest thing though, is childcare assistance. Right now, they offer $175/month/child but only if you make a certain amount of $$ or less. I haven’t qualified since my promotion in 2005. They are raising the income threshold by over $20k AND they are increasing it to $225/month/child. Which with what I pay for part time daycare is like getting one child per month for free. Which means we can afford to send The Bean and not worry about carting her to my parents etc. until ED goes to kindergarten. To say that I am thrilled is an understatement.

I told Hub that the 12 weeks of maternity pay is a sign that we should have a 4th. He laughed and just told me to get through this one first.

I am officially 24-weeks along today, by the way. I feel like I should post a new photo, but I also feel WAY too fat for all of that. I didn’t tell you that I gained 6lbs last month. Ooops.

Honey Crullers be damned!

7 Comments

Posted in and then there were 3, work stuff. Bookmark the permalink.

A Ramblin’ and A Ravin’

Posted on April 14, 2008 by Sara

First, please go and congratulate one of my favorite bloggers, Bananafana who had her baby on Saturday!!!! Hooray!!

I feel compelled to tell you that I spent $152 at JCP on Saturday. I went in for a gift for my cousin, and came out overly excited about their kid’s sale. We drove home and I put the kids in for a nap, and promptly returned to the mall to make my haul. I ended up with 7 outfits and 2 pair of shoes for CA, 3 outfits and several shirts for ED and 2 outfits for The Bean. I also picked up 2 outfits for my niece. The only disappointment was the poor show of shorts in ED’s size. Darn him for not fitting in to the toddler sizes any longer. Basically though, the sale was as long as you bought at least 3 items, everything was 50% off. THEN I had a coupon for $20 off $100 and $15 off $75 and they let me use both. I saved over $200—not that JCP ever has their stuff not on sale……but I still feel accomplished. Anyhoo, aside from shorts for ED I am pretty well set for them for this summer.

The mall happened to be swarmed with Canadians picking up some great deals with their great $$ and the parking was ridiculous, so I parked in a secret place I have, and walked over to JCP. I neglected to think it through though, since I had to lug all of the clothes all the way back to my great spot. I’m still sore. Can I just mention though, to the folks casually meandering through the mall……KNOCK IT OFF!!! WALK WITH A PURPOSE!! IF I CAN WADDLE FASTER THAN YOU, YOU ARE GOING TOO SLOW!!!! Ok, I feel better.

Yesterday I started pulling out and organizing summer clothes from the basement to add to what I bought and see if we needed anything else, along with putting away clothes that no longer fit the kiddos. I put all of the boxes of ED’s clothes in the back corner and moved all of CA’s clothes to the front, as we will be using them again. I pulled out the boxed of blankets, bibs and burp cloths and other misc baby stuff for hub to bring upstairs. He asked me if I thought it was a bit soon, to which I replied “I AM SIX MONTHS PREGNANT!!!” I mean, seriously. It’s time to get organized here. I’m not going to be in the position of not even having the car seat and bassinette ready like we were when CA showed up 2-weeks early. Let’s just get it the hell done already.

6-months along and everything led me to my doctor’s appointment this morning. Everything looks good, though it seems I’ve developed an umbilical hernia. Gross. I mentioned it because it is starting to hurt, but apparently, especially after multiple pregnancies, it’s pretty normal and should go away after I deliver. In any case, it is a severely disgusting bulge. Can you believe that after my next appointment I am up to every 2 weeks? Holy hell!! It really is moving fast!

8 Comments

Posted in and then there were 3, random. Bookmark the permalink.
← Older Posts
Newer Posts →