Peeing Your Pants is Cool

Or was it "it's cool to pee your pants"? I don't know. Billy Madison. You all know what I'm talking about. The last time I was pregnant, I was reading on someone's blog about how they peed their pants, because they were pregnant and I remember thinking, "I haven't had any issues." Wow, I don't know what is so different this time around but it is an ISSUE. After a couple good sneezes I realized, "Wow, if I have to pee in the slightest, I have to GO. 'Cause once I sneeze, I'm done for." Well, I was pretty good about it, but after I wet my undies while shopping at Target, I stayed more on top of it. Now, of these multiple occasions, it's never where I have to rush to change my clothes or anything. It's more of a "Darnit! Now my undies are wet! This stinks!" But alas, yesterday was a different story. I didn't even REALIZE I needed to empty my bladder. I went to take out the garbage, this is a couple minute walk. As I threw it in the dumpster and turned home I suddenly sneezed and there was the instant, "Oh crap!" But before I finished THAT statement I sneezed AGAIN!!! Oh man, that was a doozy. I could literally feel it running down my leg and thought if I don't press my sweat shorts against my thighs it is going to drip all the way down my legs! Now at this point, I have a decent walk ahead of me. I have no idea if I've wet myself so bad that you can tell from behind or if it just FEELS really wet. So I quicken the pace and every time I pass someone on the sidewalk I start to almost run. Then I am so AMUSED at the situation that I even start to laugh to myself. These quick little thrusts of my abs going "ha" doesn't help the situation either! I live here people! I don't want someone to see me tomorrow and think, "That woman pees her pants." Anyway, I rush to the door, rip off my clothes and THANK GOODNESS, you couldn't tell. It was not fun. I really hope it doesn't happen again. Sorry if this was gross or too much information.

I made these little clippies MONTHS ago and she wore them MAYBE twice. She could've worn them as soon as she was born, but I waited to make them until she could pull them out and suck on them. The glue I used falls apart when they get wet, so I couldn't have her sucking on buttons. I wouldn't even care, except her bang is SO thick and heavy, I like to clip it away for a more "flattering style". Yes, I notice style even on a one year old. Burden of being a hair stylist. So away they sat on a shelf for a good 6 months to a year and NOW she LOVES to wear them. She will request them and request the ones with flowers, versus the ones with just a button and ribbon. And of course, those hairband bracelets are always on her wrists. She is definitely a girl, this one.

We had a good rain not too long ago and Greg and Scarlet had a blast playing in it. They'd float leaves down the water flowing against the sidewalk.

Scarlet's been enjoying walks around the complex, picking up and throwing rocks and sticks and saying hello to doggies walking by.

I found this at a garage sale months ago. One side of the collar had a HUGE rip in it and I finally got to repairing it. Just in time too. It fits perfectly and she LOVES the princesses. It's crazy, the whole princess craze. We never even encouraged it. It just took a few movies and she is HOOKED. We got these little princess books at a yard sale for a buck and for weeks she was obsessed. Best dollar we ever spent.

Lately, for whatever reason, Scarlet has been closing her eyes. We think she's just experimenting and playing around. She'll close her eyes while eating and just feel things around the house. She even dared to walk with her eyes closed yesterday.

It's amazing the things you figure out, along the way, as a mother. I feel like I've really been making a turn with some things. Like letting Scarlet help me with things. It's great. She likes to be with me anyway and loves to do anything new, so I try to have her help in every way I can now. I think the only place I resist is when dishes, cutting meat or veggies or the stove are involved. It's nice to add another activity to the day for us to do together.

  As a result, I have lost a LOT of the spices in the rack (which is so much more expensive now that Winco is gone), she has been covered head to toe in flour multiple times and she's pushed a glass off the counter which created quite the mess. I hate cleaning up glass. But, I've decided to be ok with all the extra mess. It makes for a happier day. I used to be so over worried about mess. Keeping her clean, keeping the house clean. I've realized she's going to be a lot happier if I let her get covered in sawdust or sand and have to change her clothes more than once a day.

Scarlet's been taking more baths lately. In the past I always just waited for her hair to look greasy and then we take a bath, but now it's just so fun for her and gives me time to read in the bathroom while she plays. Rinsing her hair out is pretty traumatic for both of us, but afterwards she loves to pretend like she's a baby. I wrap her up in her towel and I rock her and sing. She LOVES it. With her bangs away from her face and her body wrapped, it reminds me of when she WAS a baby and I sort of relish it. I know she's not a baby, but I feel like even PRETENDING she's a baby will be gone forever once our son arrives. 

Play dough has been the BEST activity ever. It took her a couple of tries to figure it out. She just kept trying to eat it or couldn't figure out how to play with it. Now she requests it everyday! She loves to color too. Now that she does both these things, I'm constantly saying, "Keep it on the table." I probably say it 20 times a day. She always loves to bring the play dough to me to show me what she's done. And she loves to show me the crayons. At first we didn't buy the washable crayons and the day after we did she colored on multiple walls AND OUR TV.

Her pronunciation has been getting so much better lately! Particularly . . . she says eat instead of "ee" and poop instead of poo. I know it's not a big deal, but it excites me. I just love to watch her grow and learn. She cut 4 molars within a week. That was horrible. I think the WORST of it is over, but the pain surely is not. These teeth just keep coming. I don't think we've had a break for weeks. Something is ALWAYS coming in. But we're still really blessed. She goes to bed like a champ and sleeps all night long. It just makes for major fits and meltdowns, which I'm learning to adapt to. We've started giving her time outs for fits, which we've never really needed to do before. But at the same time I can't tell if that's just cruel because the only reason she's acting out is because she just feels THAT horrible and I'm just punishing her for the pain she can't help. But it's hard to know if it's pain talking, or just a toddler wanting their way.  The thing is, she's not consistent with her fit throwing, which makes me think when she acts that way it really is just 'cause her teeth hurt. Which brings us to . . . 

TV. The next challenge. It was on my mind SO MUCH a couple weeks ago. Trying to decide what amount was ok. The thing is- it had escalated SO MUCH over the course of a month. Looking back, there are many reasons. I was sick for 3 weeks. I wanted to just watch tv. When I feel like crap, I can't fight her as long and give in really fast. SHE felt like crap too, with all that teething. So this amounted to constant fits me giving in easier and then before we knew it we were completely addicted and forgot how to live our lives. Ok, this is sounding a BIT dramatic. We did do other things, we just did WAY too much of this. But once we were in it, it was SO HARD to get out. Those FITS! First thing in the morning! But the more I gave in the worse it got! Then after some serious meditation on the matter and a great conversation with a new friend, I realized, Scarlet literally IS addicted and has literally FORGOTTEN how to play. If I just push through a couple of miserable whiney days, she'll recover and start playing on her own again. And what do you know. It didn't even take a full day. In all reality, I think it was the grace of God. Another thing I realized not too long ago. I pray for Scarlet's health and safety and happiness. I pray for strength to change my attitude and desires, but I never thought to pray for SCARLET to change her attitude and desires. I think Greg prayed for her to desire something other than tv. I'm not sure, but I think that's how it all started. So I started praying for the same thing too and within a couple days, it was like it was never a problem! It was the smoothest transition we've ever made! I know it was because of the praying. I'm sure of it. 

We still battle it more on some days than others, usually those days I'm really tired or she's teething pretty bad. But at least now I see the light and that a life WITHOUT tv IS possible. Is this so sad to read? Am I the worst mother to let my kid sit in front of the tv so much? So I've come to the conclusion that I'm pregnant and she is still popping out teeth, so sometimes I AM going to give in more than I would like- but it's ok. But I've also decided if neither of those things are going on I'm NOT going to give in and I'm going to push through the horrible fit 'till we move on to something fun and the tv is forgotten. This has been a major revelation.

Dancing has become a pretty regular activity at the house. It's great because it gets me to exercise a bit. Though just a bit. I usually don't last very long. This pregnancy has been kicking my butt lately!

I gotta say the best part of my day is usually when I'm making dinner or cleaning up afterwards and I can hear Greg and Scarlet giggling in her room or wrestling in the living room. It melts my heart every time and makes me so happy.

This one shows her love for her boots. She asks us to put them on almost everyday. She LOVES them. I'm surprised she didn't press it too much, usually she'll get mad if we don't put them on.

Things are good with Greg and I. Greg just seems to love his job more and more, which is great! We keep making more friends, which is also a good thing. It's always fun to meet people, but it's a lot better when you find someone you really click with and I feel like we've found those more in the last couple weeks.

I saw my new OBGYN for the first time on Saturday. It went fine. The thing is, unless it was HORRIBLE, I have less than 3 months left and to change would just be a pain. So hopefully I like her here on out too. The funny thing is, I was the only person in the room that wasn't Indian. I knew SHE was indian, because her name and picture. But I walk in the office and everyone in the waiting room is Indian, the receptionist is Indian, the person I spoke to on the phone about transferring my records definitely had an indian accent. I was a little relieved when another white person walked in the door a half hour later. I didn't want anyone wondering why I was there, like it was unofficially an Indian practice and I just didn't know. The cool thing is she's actually going to be the one to deliver me. With Scarlet, I just got who was on call. So that part is nice.

Scarlet and I will go to the pediatrician for the first time this week. Hopefully we them them too. I LOVED our old physicians. I was so sad to leave them both.