I've been asked a lot if Evelyn knows what's going on with the baby coming. And if I'm being honest, I really think she knows exactly what's going on. She really has been so sweet about all of the different baby things going on, and she says things every once in a while that make us think that she really is aware that a baby is coming.
It started a few weeks ago with the change to a big girl bed. We moved the crib into the baby's room and any time we are in there she points out her old crib. We talk about how she's such a big girl now she doesn't need a crib anymore, that it's for baby. After hearing this once or twice she said, "Evelyn share crib with baby." And ever since then it has been baby's crib.
She has also just been so aware of me and what I need. She tries to help me up off the floor or her bed, and just loves being helpful. "I help, Mommy. You okay?" She also constantly feels my belly and gives it pats and kisses because she loves baby.
The best moment came when Steve put the baby car seat back in the car. When Evelyn got into the car the next day and saw the other seat there she wanted to know what it was. When we explained that it was the car seat for the new baby she got a look of pure delight on her face. "Baby sit next to ME?" She was so excited that she is going to sit next to her baby. Every time we get in the car she points out the seat and reminds me that the baby is going to sit next to her.
Maybe I'm just looking for proof that she's going to be okay when this new baby comes, but I really think she knows what's about to happen and is at least a little bit excited about it. I know that there's still going to be some major adjustment for her, and the rest of us, but I think she's at least as prepared as she can be. We will know soon enough I suppose!
Monday, March 23, 2015
Saturday, March 7, 2015
A Public Service Announcement...
A week or so ago I was complaining to a friend about all of the incredibly
insensitive things that people say to someone who is pregnant. It may
have been more than complaining. I was pretty perturbed by some of the
things people feel they can say. I guess people got the word that it's
not okay to touch a pregnant woman's belly anymore, so now I guess people think
they can just make comments on how you look. So, I bring to you the top 5
things you should NEVER say to a pregnant woman, or at least not to me!
5. "Are you sure you aren't having twins?" Of course I'm sure...but thanks for implying that I'm so big there must be two babies in there.
4. "You'll never make it to your due date!" Again...the implication that I'm ginormous. The only good thing about this comment is that it makes me all the more determined to get to and past my due date, despite how uncomfortable I am.
3. "I don't think you could get any bigger!" Well, in fact I can get bigger. But thanks.
2. "Are you as uncomfortable as you look?" Well now that you mention it, I hadn't realized just how uncomfortable I was until you pointed it out to me.
I thought long and hard about if I should include this last thing to never say to a pregnant woman because I don't want to offend anyone, but I consulted with my people and have been told to just go with it!
1. "You're having a boy/girl BECAUSE..." It's not about having a guess. It's fun to take a guess about what someone is having, and I don't mind when people tell me their guess. It's the BECAUSE that ends up driving me nuts. You're having a boy BECAUSE you're carrying totally different from your last pregnancy. Seriously?!?! It was over two years ago...I can't remember what I ate yesterday, but you remember what I looked like two years ago?? Then proceed to tell me I'm carrying all in front, which is also exactly what people told me last time. I had some friends tell me that they were told they were having a girl BECAUSE the baby was stealing all of their beauty. Honestly??
On the other hand...here are some things that are always alright to say to a pregnant lady.
5. "You look beautiful!" I was in Starbucks the other day and a total stranger came up to me and said that all pregnant women are just beautiful and that I looked wonderful. Totally made my day.
4. "Would you like a foot rub? Or your back rubbed?" Probably a little weird if a stranger says this, but alright if you know the person.
3. "Can I bring you some ice cream? Chocolate? Cake?" The answer is always yes, and don't forget the milk!
2. "You're totally rockin' those horizontal stripes!" I'm totally scared to wear horizontal stripes at any other time than being pregnant, and I have a friend who makes it her job to point out how great they look on a pregnant woman. :)
And the absolute best thing you can say to a pregnant woman...
1. "You're going to be a great mom!" or "Evelyn is going to be such a great big sister because you're such a great mom!" Probably the hardest part of a first pregnancy is wondering how you're going to do once that little person comes out, and then you spend the subsequent pregnancies worrying about how your kid(s) are going to handle a new baby. A little reassurance that it's going to be fine is exactly what a pregnant woman needs to hear!
So there you have it. The things to NEVER say to a pregnant woman, and the things you should be saying to a pregnant woman. I have to tell you all, I came up with five things that drive me nuts in about 5 minutes. It took me a lot longer and I had to reach out to some friends for ideas about the positive things to say. What did people say to you while pregnant that totally rubbed you the wrong way, or totally made your day?
5. "Are you sure you aren't having twins?" Of course I'm sure...but thanks for implying that I'm so big there must be two babies in there.
4. "You'll never make it to your due date!" Again...the implication that I'm ginormous. The only good thing about this comment is that it makes me all the more determined to get to and past my due date, despite how uncomfortable I am.
3. "I don't think you could get any bigger!" Well, in fact I can get bigger. But thanks.
2. "Are you as uncomfortable as you look?" Well now that you mention it, I hadn't realized just how uncomfortable I was until you pointed it out to me.
I thought long and hard about if I should include this last thing to never say to a pregnant woman because I don't want to offend anyone, but I consulted with my people and have been told to just go with it!
1. "You're having a boy/girl BECAUSE..." It's not about having a guess. It's fun to take a guess about what someone is having, and I don't mind when people tell me their guess. It's the BECAUSE that ends up driving me nuts. You're having a boy BECAUSE you're carrying totally different from your last pregnancy. Seriously?!?! It was over two years ago...I can't remember what I ate yesterday, but you remember what I looked like two years ago?? Then proceed to tell me I'm carrying all in front, which is also exactly what people told me last time. I had some friends tell me that they were told they were having a girl BECAUSE the baby was stealing all of their beauty. Honestly??
On the other hand...here are some things that are always alright to say to a pregnant lady.
5. "You look beautiful!" I was in Starbucks the other day and a total stranger came up to me and said that all pregnant women are just beautiful and that I looked wonderful. Totally made my day.
4. "Would you like a foot rub? Or your back rubbed?" Probably a little weird if a stranger says this, but alright if you know the person.
3. "Can I bring you some ice cream? Chocolate? Cake?" The answer is always yes, and don't forget the milk!
2. "You're totally rockin' those horizontal stripes!" I'm totally scared to wear horizontal stripes at any other time than being pregnant, and I have a friend who makes it her job to point out how great they look on a pregnant woman. :)
And the absolute best thing you can say to a pregnant woman...
1. "You're going to be a great mom!" or "Evelyn is going to be such a great big sister because you're such a great mom!" Probably the hardest part of a first pregnancy is wondering how you're going to do once that little person comes out, and then you spend the subsequent pregnancies worrying about how your kid(s) are going to handle a new baby. A little reassurance that it's going to be fine is exactly what a pregnant woman needs to hear!
So there you have it. The things to NEVER say to a pregnant woman, and the things you should be saying to a pregnant woman. I have to tell you all, I came up with five things that drive me nuts in about 5 minutes. It took me a lot longer and I had to reach out to some friends for ideas about the positive things to say. What did people say to you while pregnant that totally rubbed you the wrong way, or totally made your day?
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Changes!
Lots of changes in the Lane house these days. We have started to prepare for baby with some room rearranging. The first step was to tear out some seriously awful carpet in our "office" room - aka the room that holds everything that we can't find a home for. We've been busy trying to get rid of things because a lot of the stuff in that room has been sitting there untouched since we moved in over a year ago. With the new carpet put in, we were finally able to get the furniture moved around and now have a designated guest room and finally a room for baby. This meant that the twin mattress that was to become Evelyn's big girl bed now needed to find its proper place in her room.
Transitioning Evelyn to a big girl bed was actually quite easy. Ever since the mattress arrived Evelyn has been checking it out and calling it her bed, so we were fairly certain that she was interested in sleeping in her bed and didn't anticipate much trouble. Once we got the crib out of her room, we put the mattress and box spring right on the floor so that there is little risk of falling far if she rolls out. I had a feeling that more trouble would come from moving the rocking chair into the baby's room. And my concern was correct when that first night Evelyn asked, "Where cuddle chair?" Break. My. Heart! Daddy assured her that the best part of a big girl bed was that we could read books and cuddle right there on her bed.
The first nap and night was a little rough requiring a little extra time resting with her than usual, but after that first day, it was like she'd been sleeping there from the beginning. We put a gate up at the top of the stairs finally, totally expecting her to climb out all the time. But for almost two weeks she has not moved from the bed when she wakes up. She sits right there in the middle and cried or called for us to come and get her. It actually was kind of great. That ended this morning, when for the first time she realized that she was awake and could get out and play with toys or read books. It bought about five more minutes of quiet for Mommy, but she soon became curious about what was going on elsewhere in the house and came looking for me.
With all of the changes taking place, we decided to have Evelyn's Special Day. You know what I'm talking about...just like Jon and Kate and their special days with each of their 8 kids. And to make it special for Mommy and Daddy, too, we planned to meet up with some friends at the Baltimore Aquarium. We had a great time at the aquarium, and were all exhausted by the end of the day. Evelyn made the day even more special for Mommy and Daddy by sleeping in her big bed until 9:00 the next morning!
**I wrote this post about two weeks ago, but was having a hard time with the pictures. Since then, Evelyn has fallen out of the bed twice. She continues to get out of bed in the morning and sometimes after a nap, but we figured that was fine because at least she wasn't getting out at night. As I sat here writing this, she suddenly appeared in the kitchen. Looks like she's getting more and more comfortable with her big girl bed the longer she sleeps in it!
Transitioning Evelyn to a big girl bed was actually quite easy. Ever since the mattress arrived Evelyn has been checking it out and calling it her bed, so we were fairly certain that she was interested in sleeping in her bed and didn't anticipate much trouble. Once we got the crib out of her room, we put the mattress and box spring right on the floor so that there is little risk of falling far if she rolls out. I had a feeling that more trouble would come from moving the rocking chair into the baby's room. And my concern was correct when that first night Evelyn asked, "Where cuddle chair?" Break. My. Heart! Daddy assured her that the best part of a big girl bed was that we could read books and cuddle right there on her bed.
The first nap and night was a little rough requiring a little extra time resting with her than usual, but after that first day, it was like she'd been sleeping there from the beginning. We put a gate up at the top of the stairs finally, totally expecting her to climb out all the time. But for almost two weeks she has not moved from the bed when she wakes up. She sits right there in the middle and cried or called for us to come and get her. It actually was kind of great. That ended this morning, when for the first time she realized that she was awake and could get out and play with toys or read books. It bought about five more minutes of quiet for Mommy, but she soon became curious about what was going on elsewhere in the house and came looking for me.
With all of the changes taking place, we decided to have Evelyn's Special Day. You know what I'm talking about...just like Jon and Kate and their special days with each of their 8 kids. And to make it special for Mommy and Daddy, too, we planned to meet up with some friends at the Baltimore Aquarium. We had a great time at the aquarium, and were all exhausted by the end of the day. Evelyn made the day even more special for Mommy and Daddy by sleeping in her big bed until 9:00 the next morning!
 |
| Evelyn loved the turtles the best! |
**I wrote this post about two weeks ago, but was having a hard time with the pictures. Since then, Evelyn has fallen out of the bed twice. She continues to get out of bed in the morning and sometimes after a nap, but we figured that was fine because at least she wasn't getting out at night. As I sat here writing this, she suddenly appeared in the kitchen. Looks like she's getting more and more comfortable with her big girl bed the longer she sleeps in it!
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