With Otis...  well, it would seem as though the dear child has more sensitive ear drums or just a more refined musical taste than I can provide.  Any time I get more than 5 words into a song,  "AHHHHHH!!!!" until I stop.  Then, he giggles hysterically.

It's making learning the ABC song, Slippery Fish, 5 Little Monkeys, etc. really, really difficult.  

I think it's time to call in Raffi.    

BnchaNums:

Yay!!! I'm here too. No epidural yet, but I'm sure soon.  Good luck!

Wait what!? You too?

Aaaaaaaaaaah! Good luck! 

My baby bear took a time out from playing on the beach to give me a kiss.

::sigh::

41w1d, and things are getting much more uncomfortable than I'd hoped for.  But at least I'm still getting around fairly well.  I have a non stress test today, and my doctor has me scheduled for an induction at the end of the week.

 Here's the question:  He gave me the option of either Thursday or Friday to induce.  On Thursday the doctor on hospital rounds is the only doctor in their practice that I've never seen, so I don't know anything about him.  On Friday is one of the doctors that I do know pretty well, but she makes me a little nervous.  She has always seemed a little rushed and frazzled during my check-ups, so I guess you could say that she doesn't put me at ease.

So, WWYD?  Go with the unknown doctor?  Or go with the doctor that I actually know, but has made me a little nervous in the past?

ETA:  My doctor that I see regularly broke his foot, and is getting around on a scooter.  So he is not doing any deliveries right now, which is why he's not an option. 

Throwing a party or something else?

Everyone freaking out that their LO/s is going to be 2??!?

I was afraid she might get cold feet once bed time came, but well, does it look like she did? lol

Also, DD2 threw a fit when we told her she couldn't sleep in her sister's new bed. I guess we'll be putting HER bed together tomorrow. *sigh* My big girls really are getting big.

How is everyone? I will obviously start scrolling to read now, but just in general, how's it going? 

Two days ago my best friend had to come over in order to help me with the kids while I switched their bedrooms (so DD1 could have her own room) because nobody in my house would take a hint when I said that I wanted to switch their rooms, nor did they help when I tried to do it myself and got halfway through and couldn't finish because the kids kept me too busy.  It looked like those rooms had exploded and vomited mess into the living room.  The only response I could get in regards to the mess was some wondering when I'd get it cleaned up.

It's been three days since my last shower.

He's screaming right now.  I'm so burnt out and can't figure out what he needs (he's fed, clean, burped, good to go temperature-wise, I've bounced, rocked, cuddled...) that he's just going to have to scream because I can't muster up enough give-a-sh!t to figure out anything else.

I wanted to see if anyone had any summer ideas that I might not be thinking of.  I need to keep DS busy with activities!  We're planning on the obvious pools, parks, zoos, but just wondering if you found any other ideas that your LO's liked?

Also, with being in WI, we have the option to go to the WI Dells to the hotel waterparks.  At what age do you think you'd go to a place like that? 

How's everyone been? Is there any good Bump dramz that I should be aware of? 

I was thinking of making DD2's party a charity party, for which the guests bring a donation for the charity I end up choosing rather than doing gifts for DD2.  It first occurred to me a year ago when I wanted to do that with DD1's last birthday party and it was vehemently vetoed by my mother, who insisted it was cruel and unfair to deprive DD1 of presents.  But the idea came to me again in the form of an invitation from one of DD1's classmates, which stated, at the end, "No need to bring a present - your presence is a present enough!" and yet again when I ran across *this article*.

There are a few charities, like milk + bookies, that make it so that guests can bring an item instead of a monetary donation, as I know lots of people are uncomfortable with giving up their dollars for what must feel like a pretty arbitrary reason to them.  And besides, I know that there will be guests who will stubbornly bring gifts for DD2 anyway.  Mom, for instance.

Still, I personally love this idea.  What do you guys think?

ETA: the ** are for mobile, that's a link, y'all!

 I went to my 38 w appt today and my dr offered to induce next week while he's on call.  I know that it's flame worthy, but living an hour from the hospital and trying to arrange care for dd sold me on it.  I'm already dilated some and contract all.the.damn.time, so dr thinks it'll be really quick and easy.  Now that I've set this up I know I'm destined to go into spontaneous labor on my own at a really in opportune time.  If I don't, Tuesday is the day.  Hold me! 

I have no clue where she picked it up but it is super cute!

I'm getting a new bed, so she was going to inherit my old one and DD2 was going to get DD1's bed.  All this was set to happen tonight.  That is, until DD1 started jumping on her old bed and snapped the wooden frame.

I'm making her sleep on the floor tonight, as a lesson in how important furniture is and why we shouldn't jump on it and wreck it.  She normally likes sleeping on the floor but she's really upset about her punishment because she was excited about her big girl bed.  Maybe she'll appreciate this bed and not f***ing wreck it!

Well, I don't know if she is feeding off of my (very) limited patience, but DD was like a bull in a china shop.  She didn't want to sit, didn't want to hear the story, didn't want to participate in the singing/dancing portion.   She just wanted to yank all the books off the shelves and run out of the storytime area.

At this age, how do your kids do in a class or setting with structure?  Do they follow along, or just kind of do their own thing?

Two of my mom friends were there, and they assured me that it was totally hit or miss if their kids would sit still at DD's age (their kids are 2.5 and 3.5).  They also told me that the lady who conducts the class has somewhat unrealistic expectations for the kids to follow such a rigid structure at this age.  I'm just curious about how everyone else's kiddos do in a setting with structure, or if you mostly stick to activities that are open/free play?  The storytime lady was kind of a bore, anyway, so we probably won't try that again for a while.

Say that out loud if you need to.  I about died.

Due date is next weekend, but Baby Girl came a week early. Contractions started sometime before 5:00pm, but I didn't pay attention thinking they'd go away. We left for dinner around 5:00, and I downloaded a contraction app while we waited, then was shocked to realize that contractions were coming consistently 5-7 minutes. Whaaa....? Never happened with DS.

So we eat dinner and dessert, convinced that this will all stop. We went home, put DS to bed, and I decided to get busy around the house since my parents were set to arrive the next day. DH was watching a movie, and about half way through I told him that we should probably leave when his movie ended. I laid down to rest while he packed up the car. We ended up taking DS with us because I wasn't convinced we would be staying, and because I just wanted him with me. Is that weird? He watched a movie for the first couple of hours at the hospital, then finally conked out and slept through the entire birth.

Long story short, I get admitted around midnight, got an epi as soon as they could get it to me, and then progressed really well. I think it was around 5:00am that they told me I was at 9cm, and I cried so hard -- I only made it to 8 with DS, and it just made me so happy to think I would be getting my VBAC. Sometime around 6am, I was at 10cm, and then they came in to have me start pushing around 6:30. I pushed for about an hour and a half before the doctor said I needed to think about options (forceps, vacuum, or c-section) because her heart was decelerating during contractions. Half an hour later, he asked me to make the decision because the decels continued, so we went with forceps.

Two contracions later, DD was born. They had to pass her to the pediatricians to make sure everything was okay with the heart decels and forceps delivery, so I only got to touch her head for a minute before they took her away. I cried so so so incredibly hard, just overwhelmed that I had done it and she was here.

She was 6lb 6oz - a bit of a shock considering DS was almost 9lbs, and she was only a week early.

We got home this evening, and I'm a bit overwhelmed, so I probably won't be online much...maybe reading, but not posting.

So I tried to go to sleep after posting DD's story, but then I got attacked by my hormones and became a big crying mess, especially about DS.

I didn't even get to hug him yesterday at the hospital...I barely got to hug him today. My parents and DH have been taking care of him, and I know he's feeling spoiled and happy, but I miss him so much. I just want to go pull him out of his crib and hold him.

Did anyone else go through this? I know a lot of this is just my crazy PP hormones, but it's like giving birth to DD made me just feel so much love for HIM, and I can't do everything with him that I would like to do right now.

 Not sure if you guys have seen this video, it has been pretty viral. Anyhow, DH and I were laughing so hard....

 Enjoy!

 https://fox13now.com/2013/05/14/video-2-men-undergo-simulated-labor-pains-while-wives-watch/