Summer pregnancy versus winter pregnancy

At MOPS a few weeks ago there was a rather lively discussion about which is best: a summer pregnancy or a winter pregnancy.  Having experienced both, I have to say that I like being pregnant in the winter better overall for the following reasons:

• I am not cold.  I hate being cold and having 35 pounds of extra matter keeps the blood flowing.  Also taking so much extra effort to move around.  Steve always comments on my freezing cold feet when he gets in bed, but that hasn't been the case since being pregnant.
• I am not hot.  Usually I like being warmish, but being pregnant in the summertime stinks.  It's so sticky and nasty.
• Cardigans are super flattering.  Thanks to Kylie's collection of maternity clothes, I have been enjoying an ample supply of sweaters and cardigans and I just love how they minimize the shelf-like bump that is protruding from my abdomen.
• I can wear jeans.  Maybe super-skinny pregnant people can enjoy wearing shorts, but I prefer to cover up as much of my preggo body as possible.  Flared or even skinny jeans with boots are so slimming.
• I have more energy.  This is directly related to being neither too hot nor too cold.
• Exercising is easier.  Again, it's really nice to not die of heat stroke every time I go on a walk.  Plus I don't feel bad about never ever wanting to wear a maternity swimming suit.
• I can look forward to having an older baby in the summer when we have more opportunities for Outside Activities.
• Baby E and I can share winter birthdays.  Oh yeah.
• Little winter baby suits are so stinking adorable and my poor child will not be obligated to show off his skinny legs.

Of course, while being pregnant in the winter does have it's definite perks, I think that having a baby in the winter will be challenging.  The main issue will be the necessity of remaining in hibernation until the weather warms up.  I loved being able to take Harriet outside in the stroller - in fact, it was a total sanity saver and waistline trimmer.  I'm fairly certain that I will be deterred from taking E anywhere when it's cold.  Also, there are just more germs and bugs floating around in the winter. Just another reason for a winter baby to stay in hibernation.  

The moral of the story is that a lot of people are going to have to come keep me company or take Harriet away before I lose my mind to cabin fever.`

Top Five of Parenting (thus far)

I saw this neat post idea over at Maybe Matilda (check her blog out for some super cute crochet tutorials and general fun-ness) and I thought to my little self, "I need to regain some perspective on parenting the H, especially before Baby E arrives.  This looks like a fun way to go about doing it."  And in all reality, I like doing writing activities that trigger new lines of thought.  So here we go: the top five of various aspects of parenting Harriet.  These are in no real order, just as they come to mind.  I'm sure I will forget something, but who's perfect?  Not me.

Top Five Victories

1. Getting Harriet to sleep through [most] of the night and to go to bed three hours before I do.  Those of you with needy nighttime children can understand how much of a victory this is.
2. Nursing for 11+ months successfully.  Breastfeeding made me nervous prior to H's birth because I was afraid to mess it all up.  Thankfully, that didn't happen and she was more than enthusiastic.
3. Teaching Harriet to enjoy all sorts of delicious food.
4. Not succumbing to Harriet's whining when I know that I'm the Mom and I'm in charge.
5. Having a little girl who genuinely wants to be around me.

Top Five Defeats

1. Feeling pressured to do certain parenting things just because everybody else is doing/talking about them.
2. Knocking H's head on the door when I picked her up after she fell off of the bed (tons and tons of screaming).
3. Feeling like I'll never be able to do enough.
4. Letting H get away with bad sleeping habits for much too long.
5. Being inconsistent with my decisions just because I want H to be quiet for two seconds.

Top Five Awesome Things She Does

1. Harriet loves, loves, loves to sing and dance.  It is beyond adorable.
2. She loves to be around other people, especially her aunts and uncles and cousin, and genuinely expresses interest and concern for them.
3. She totally helps me cook and put laundry away.
4. She can "read" What's Your Sound, Hound the Hound? like a pro.
5. She loves to be chased and tickled by Steve and then follows up her squealing with a disapproving, "Daaaaddddy...." 

Top Five Baby Purchases

1. The SleepyWrap now-called Boba Wrap.  I would not have survived without that thing.  Not in a million years.
2. Indestructible book
3. Stroller 
4. The Baby Book
5. Hyland's Calms Forte

Top Five Conflicting Feelings

1. Wanting time for myself vs. not wanting to just plug Harriet into the Wiggles.  Again.
2. Feeling inadequate vs. knowing I'm the best mom for H.
3. Needing sleep vs. wanting to get up and spend the morning with her.
4. Loving how she loves to spend time with others vs. wanting to spend all of the time with me.
5. Thinking that I'm the only one who can parent correctly vs. letting others give me a break.

Top Five Traits I Want Her to Develop

1. Saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
2. A brain that can really think, but is able to relate to people.
3. A love of books and England and Playmobil and learning (most of all)
4. A desire to serve her family and to be a good big sister
5. The knowledge that her worth is not based on her being a good girl.

Top Five Pieces of Advice Thus Far

1. You know your own kid better than anybody else and you know what is best for her.
2. Harriet is truly a high-maintenance baby.  You aren't insane.
3. When all activities fail, read.
4. It's okay for her to scream sometimes...and it's okay for her to be weaned.
5. Use Lansinoh.

Top Five Perks of Being Harriet's Mommy

1. Getting squeezing hugs.
2. Having people notice what a cutie-patootie she is.
3. Sewing outfits for her.
4. Dancing around the house to Wiggles songs.
5. Watching her become her own unique, intelligent, insightful, purposeful person.

(January 11 - 3 yellow things that strike you as fresh mercy: my beautifully cheerful yellow walls, my yellow Fiestaware dishes, and yellow Emergen-C which perks me up when my body says otherwise.


January 12 - Something above you: the amazing stars which Harriet now points out to me.
Something below you: my sewing/crafting spot in the basement which brings so much personal creative fulfillment.
Something beside you: snuggling in the security of Steve every night - not just on four-nights-off.)

Crazy Life Happenings [in bullet points]

• My grandad passed away last Friday at home.  It was a blessing that Levi and Clara were there when it happened.  And it was a blessing that it happened on a Friday so that relatives and friends could get here over the weekend for the service on Monday afternoon.  It was really a splendid service with military honors which reflected what he desired for a funeral.  I learned yesterday that Texas A&M at Commerce (where he was a professor for many years) flew their flag at half staff in memorial of him.  That's pretty special.
• Grief is such a weird thing.  I still haven't felt the need to have a huge deluge of tears.  It's just more of a "bleh" feeling.  I mean, it was so hard to see Grandad suffer at the end (although God was gracious in allowing him to be made comfortable by the morphine) and he was so unlike his usual jovial self that I am relieved that he is no longer dealing with that.  However, it's the memories of him as he was two, three, or fifteen years ago that makes me feel sad.  
• A very good thing is getting to spend time with the crazy Texas relatives: looking at photo albums, swapping stories, and just laughing like crazy.

• And another very good thing was spending time with the wonderful, fantastic D girls this week.  I just can't get enough of their fellowship (sadly, I don't have any pictures on my camera) and it was a blessing to host them in the middle of a crazy week.  They graciously postponed their arrival by twenty-four hours and then survived the chaos of family happenings.  Maybe we'll have a visit when things aren't so hectic.  But I doubt it.
• Part of the hectic-ness occurred when I waltzed downstairs to let the Cretans dogs out of their kennels for an afternoon outing and discovered that there was 1/2" of standing water in one half of my basement.  [insert much moaning, groaning, and general freaking out]  Thankfully, the water was only on the unfinished side and everything that was on the ground was in plastic storage totes so we didn't lose anything.  And I was so grateful that Jenny was the dog wrangler, Tim and Julia hauled out tons of soggy boxes, and Levi pretended to be stomping grapes on the water saturated blankets that were in the dog kennels.  What caused the momentary disaster?  The air conditioning was clogged up with dog hair and was not draining properly.  My dear father came over with his air compressor and performed a very inexpensive fix.  Now we're all dry!
• Baby Jemima is a darling.  She has the most massive baby legs I have ever seen. I hope our next baby is this deliciously chubby.

• Can my life settle down for a few minutes, now?

Harriet at Eleven Weeks

(How neat to have my 100th post be about my favourite little person!)

I look pregnant again.

Harriet Alice is eleven weeks old and she accompanied her parents, aunts and uncles, and grandmother on a trip to the Pumpkin Patch.  While she spent a considerable amount of time snoozing away in the wrap she did manage to get carried around by Aunt Eleanor...

Eleanor looks like an escaping movie star

...watch her Daddy do some serious pumpkin chunkin'...

Steve could actually hit the hay bale targets.

...and smile charming smiles right before spitting all over her grandmom:

Harriet continues to reach developmental milestones at an almost alarming speed.  This week's grand discovery was the ability to grab something, move it to her mouth, and proceed to chew with great enthusiasm.  She also loves to grab our fingers and pull herself up from a semi-reclining position to a upright seated position...and then get too excited and fall forward or backward without warning.  She is very interactive and likes to tell stories (especially about her trip down the big hay bale slide today).  She will also let us know with extraordinary vehemence the exact moment that she becomes uncomfortable or lonely.  Harriet definitely has her crabby moments, but she is a relatively calm and pleasant baby overall.

She is our daily delight.  That's for certain.