Lizonya

Fall Pictures

2009-10-30T15:47:00.000-06:00

What is this, my week to blog? Sorry for the post overload. But like a lot of other moms, this is sort of my journal/scrapbook. Blogging is about as scrapbooky as I get. Feel free to not read this. Although you'll miss some killer cute pictures...

A couple of weeks ago my sister, sister-in-law and I headed to the farm to do (what's turning out to be) our annual fall pictures. I love Wheeler's Farm in the fall. It is beautiful. And the day we went the weather was perfect: warm and crisp and very fall-like.

These are my favorite pictures from the day (these are the unedited version-I was too impatient to wait for the edited ones). There are a ton!

My nephew and niece, Zeke and Lucy. Also known as Ben's other siblings.

My buddies and me.

No trip to the farm is complete without feeding the ducks.

Or showing a little affection.

Trying for a pose.

We got him to sit still and we got him to look at the camera. Asking him to smile would have been too much.

Sometimes it's a good idea to check out what's on the bottom of your shoe.

You know I always save my favorite for last.

Thanks for the great pictures, Jeanette!

Comparing the Kids

2009-10-29T16:47:00.001-06:00

Every couple of weeks or so I look through my pictures of Ben as a baby and put them side by side with pictures of Jake. I love doing this. I love seeing the differences and similarities in the boys. John was worried when I first started doing this because he thought I was comparing and having one child come up ahead. I promise that's not what's going on. I just love seeing how two kids coming from the same two people can be nothing alike.

Knowing Jake's 8 week birthday was today, I looked through Ben's pictures last night to see if I had any good ones of him at 8 weeks. I found the two below and told John that Jake was wearing the blue striped jumper tomorrow. Being indulged in my crazy ways, I woke up to Jake dressed and ready to go in the jumper. At first glance I could already see a big difference from when Ben wore it- it was two inches too short on Jake! Taking after his mom's side of the family (I've got tall brothers), Jake is a bit longer than Ben was.

I set up shop on the couch and tried to do a little recreating. Didn't seem all that difficult at first, but I quickly realized another big difference between the boys. We could not get Jake to smile! He's usually at his smiling peak in the mornings (which isn't saying much), but he must have known something was going on. Ben, on the other hand, always gave away smiles at the drop of a hat. You've got to really work them out of Jake. And even then, he usually reserves them for mom and mom only.

Here's what we ended up with:

(That top right picture with the fingers is of Ben and me working tirelessly to get Jake to smile. We weren't trying to poke holes in him, promise.)

I can see some similarities. They've got the same chin and hairline (courtesy of their dad). They also almost have the same nose; Ben's is just a big pointier, Jake's a big more round. If you get really nit-picky, they have the same bottom lip, but Jake seems to be missing a top lip. Other than that, they look so different to me. The biggest difference, I think, is their eyes and coloring. You're seeing things right- Jake is a redhead. We like to call him Big Red and Rusty (we come up with such flattering nicknames at our house). I do not know where the red came from, although I'm giving John credit; his facial hair tends to look more auburn than brown in the right light.

Another big difference to note is the amount of bleach I use when washing clothes. I should probably invest in better laundry detergent...

Anyway, I do love comparing my kids. They both seem to come up winners with me. (Ahhh...)

Cowboys and Indians

2009-10-26T13:23:00.001-06:00

Halloween is my very favorite!

Friday night we carved pumpkins. Ben loved it. And by loved it, I mean LOVED IT. He has never in his almost three years of life sat in one spot for so long (almost two hours!). All it took was a knife for bribing and a small amount of supervision. I'm going to use knives to bribe him from here on out. "If you clean up your toys, I'll pull out the knives." Maybe not...

The finished pumpkins. Ben was so proud of them.

Saturday was the neighborhood Trick or Trunk. My mother-in-law and I have been planning costumes since July. We ended up deciding on Cowboys and Indians and once again she outdid herself making them. I tried to do a little photoshoot at home before we left, but Ben wouldn't look at the camera and the more I asked, the further he'd move his head to the side, so the pictures are what they are.

(I'm the mom so I probably shouldn't say this, but... doesn't Jake sort of looked stoned in these pictures? We laughed so hard when we uploaded them to the computer. He looks so out of it, but still smiling and awake. I think it's funny.)

Here is Ben at the event. They had games and a small parade. It was good times. When we got in the car to go home he said, "I was maybe a little too scared." We asked what he was scared of and he said, "My friends." It's understandable; baby elephants and clowns can be a little spooky.

Here's my favorite picture from the day. The backside of Ben with his gallon-sized hat and butt-less chaps. I love those chaps maybe a little too much.

My other favorite part is that I get to dress them all up again this weekend. I wish Halloween would last forever!

Family Resemblance

2009-10-15T14:20:00.000-06:00

Today is Jake's six week birthday! Six weeks and I'm just now starting to feel like things are calming down. I've got the hormones under control, Jake's been sleeping great at night (knock on wood), he smiles all the time and cooed for the first time today, and I think we finally got the right medicine for his acid reflux. I think I might be able to handle two kids. Thank goodness, too, because neither one is going anywhere.

One thing is for sure about my little Jake. He is his mother's child-in both looks and personality. It's crazy to have two completely opposite children. Ben is exactly like his dad, Jake is exactly like me. Ben was so easy going and mellow. Jake is more demanding and fussy. Ben was always busy exploring his surroundings and learning. Jake is good to sit and watch tv for an hour (at six weeks!). Ben hated sleeping. The only thing Jake loves more than sleeping is eating. That boy is so my child! I'm loving being able to experience both personalities.

Jake also looks exactly like me. Or exactly like my mom, anyway. Which, I'll admit, I was a little sad about at first. Not that I don't think he's handsome or anything, but during my pregnancy I was picturing another little John Mann. That's not what we got. We got a Grandma Lois (as we affectionately called him) instead. But he's rather grown on me, I must say.

I decided to break out some baby pictures to see the resemblances. Then I realized I don't have any baby pictures. I was child #6. The only pictures I'm in are family pictures (thanks, mom). I do have a killer family picture though. First, here is Jake:

He always looks like he's carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

And here is a picture of me when I was younger (not a baby-couldn't find one). I'm the boy sitting on my dad's lap.

Is this picture not the best? Being poor builds character. Being poor builds character. Being poor builds character...

Does Jake not look exactly like me? He does in real life, I promise.

While I'm at it... Here's Ben at about a year:

Here's John in a another killer family photo (he's the middle child):

They are so twins. I loved having a mini-John and I love having a mini-me. It's pretty fun. Even if he does come with my personality... (He's going to my challenging child.)

Jake also has a new cousin. My SIL (John's brother and his wife) had a baby September 30th. Amber and I were due 4 days apart. The boys ended up being born 4 weeks apart, with a three pound difference! Here's Luke and Jake a couple weeks ago:

Jake had a bad case of jaundice-don't mind the yellow face.

I can't wait for these boys to grow up so they can play a little more. And doesn't little Luke look a lot like his dad (the baby is John's family picture)? I love it!

Happy six weeks, Jake. I'm so glad we survived. Here's to six more. (We'll start small and work our way up.)

My Newborn

2009-09-30T14:06:00.002-06:00

Let me just be frank here. This mother of two business is kicking my butt. Don't get me wrong, I love my boys to bits, but it's been an adjustment to say the least. Things were going so great Jake's first week of life. Then the stinker had the nerve to wake up. And I headed straight toward Meltdown City. I'm almost embarrassed to admit how much this second baby has thrown me for a loop. Millions of moms everywhere have multiple kids and handle it with ease. Why can't I? But between a temperamental milk supply, possible postpartum depressions (I know, TMI), reflux, and a busy two year old, it's taking me some time to adjust. I guess the important thing is that I still love all my boys. I haven't yet given the baby back to the hospital or posted an ad on Craigslist for an almost three year old. Not yet.

Anyway, here are the little one's two week pictures. Thanks to Jeanette for coming to my house during my biggest-to-date meltdown and calming me down with your camera. I think the pictures turned out more than great! And I'm sorry to every friend and neighbor who has caught me on a teary day. I swear I'm seeking professional help.

(I'm in love with is butt rolls in this picture.)

(My favorite.)

Details, Details

2009-09-11T13:52:00.001-06:00

I had a baby, and you know I can't just push a human being out of my body and not share all the gory details, right? Well, here is Jake the Snake's birth story. It will involve a lot of TMI and way too much use of the word "blood". Be prepared.

But first I have to mention Ben's birth. Ben's birth was a dream. A very easy, surprisingly funny experience. I went in, I was given petocin, I was given an epidural, I pushed the epidural button a thousand times too many and couldn't feel the majority of my body, I pretended to push anyway (making the infamous face) and then I gave birth. A perfect labor if you ask me.

At the beginning of my pregnancy with Jake I told my doctor all about my first birthing experience (minus the part about lying to push) and said I'd love if we could do it all just the same. She said she'd do her best and, thankfully, wasn't against inducing.

A couple of weeks before Jake came I started dilating. I started at a 3.5, the next week went to a 4 and was 70% effaced. My doctor decided to strip my membrane. The next day I was out talking with my neighbor, telling her this baby wasn't coming until November, when John got home from work. We went inside and did the normal get-home-from-work routine (which involves tons of smooching-just kidding). After a minute I went to the bathroom and saw that I was bleeding. A lot. I ran into the hall, with my pants still down (I told you there'd be TMI) and said we needed to go the hospital. We grabbed everything we thought we'd need and called my sister to drop Ben off and almost 45 minutes later got to the hospital. We were laughing about how long it took to get there and saying it was a good thing it wasn't real labor.

I'd started contracting regularly on the ride over so they hooked me up and monitored me for a few hours. Around 11pm they said the baby sounded fine, the blood hadn't stopped but wasn't hurting either of us, and the contractions weren't dilating me further so I could stay or go-it was up to me. Ben was at our house by this time with my MIL, saying he wouldn't go to bed until I got home. So I decided I'd just go home and call my doctor in the morning if I was still bleeding. Plus, my back had really started hurting and I thought it was because of the super uncomfortable bed I'd been laying on.

So we got home, I put Ben down (sometime after midnight), barely brushed my teeth and went to bed. My contractions were getting worse and worse and I was slowly turning into one of those women who moan and say things like "You did this to me!" with every contraction. John thought I was being way over dramatic and offered to draw me a bath just to get me out of the bed. The bath helped a ton and I told John I was just going to stay on the couch so I didn't annoy him all night with my dramatics. He told me to call him if I needed him. So thoughtful...

(Did I mention this story might run a tad bit long? It will.)

I tried to sleep a little on the couch but knew I'd be up for the night. It felt like my contractions were slowly going away only to be replaced by the worse back pain I have ever felt-and I've felt my share of back pain. It hurt so much I started throwing up, barely making it to the bathroom, not quite making it to the toilet. So I call John and said we're going back to the hospital. He calls his mom while I'm still on the bathroom floor moaning and he's cleaning up barf looking at me like I'm insane. It was a good moment for us.

The second my MIL showed up I was out the door. Two seconds later I felt the sudden urge to pee. I ran back inside hoping to make it the bathroom. Once I sat down I heard a huge "pop" and felt my water break.

The second time around, we made it to the hospital in record time and I'd started feeling so much better. I wasn't feeling any contractions and it felt like my back pain was going away. When we rolled into Labor and Delivery they were all frantic to get a room ready. I sat on the bed for a few minutes and said I'd really like an epidural. The nurse said the anesthesiologist was with another patient but he'd get there as soon as he could. The back pain was coming back at this point and so was the vomiting. Then the nurse told me to lay on my side so she could check me and that's when the pain was taken to a whole new level. It was crazy bad. I was dilated to an 8 and 100% effaced.

I laid there for a few more minutes while the room became packed full of people setting up the baby's corner and getting me an IV, when I felt the worse pain ever and screamed out, "I HAVE TO PUSH!" The nurse freaked out and got right in my face and told me not to push. After the contraction was over she checked me and I was fully dilated and the baby was crowned. She got on her little phone necklace thing and I heard her say, "She wants an epidural but she's not going to make it." I swear I almost started crying. After that I'm not sure how many contractions I had, but every single one was the worst pain of my life and the nurse was in my face yelling at me not to push.

Then I was suddenly rolled over and I heard a man say, "I'm just going to go by her scar" and I thought, I don't care if I'm paralyzed for life, just make this pain go away. A little dramatic. In the next second my left leg was completely numb and I was feeling a million times better. After that I heard the anesthesiologist say "hey, come look at her scar, it's the entire length of her back" and my backside was viewed by a room full of people, I was rolled back over and the rest of me numbed up nicely. Seriously, if I knew the name of the man who did that to me, I'd send him a Thank You card with a plate of warm cookies.

Three contractions later, little Jake was born. He was born head up which explained all the back labor. It was definitely not my favorite labor out of the two, but it was so short lived and Jake is so cute that it's all been forgotten. But not really.

He's now a week old and he's the sweetest little guy ever. He nurses like a pro, sleeps great and is giving Ben a run for his money on being the perfect infant.

I don't think Ben is 100% sure how he feels about "the babes" (that's what he calls him) yet. He'll give him hugs and kisses, but for the most part stays out of his way. Which is better than the smothering I'd thought he do. I did find the boys like this the other day, so I guess he must like him a little:

I'm now way outnumbered by boys, but I happen to like them all so things couldn't be better.

Number Two

2009-09-05T12:46:00.000-06:00

Meet Jacob Zachary Mann, aka Baby Jake. He came fast and early at 4am Thursday morning, weighing 6 pounds, 1 ounce and measuring 20 1/2 inches long.

He is as sweet as can be and we're just in love with him.

The Home Stretch

2009-08-14T14:05:00.000-06:00

Next Monday I'll be exactly one month away from birth. Only four more weeks left. Maybe three, if my doctor remembers her promise to induce a week early (I'm not getting my hopes up, just in case). After being pregnant for what seems like seven years, four, maybe three, weeks seems really close and way too far away. I'm definitely more scared this time around than I was the last. Ignorance is bliss and while I've only had one kid and don't know everything that can happen, I feel like I know too much (or have heard too much). I just keep telling myself that as long as I get a good epidural like I did with Ben, things will go smoothly. Honestly, birthing out Ben was a breeze. My body loves being heavily medicated. So as long as I get some good stuff, I think I'll be ok. I'm trying not to think about what it'll be like if I don't.

I'm also really excited to finally get this little guy here. I'm excited to see Ben's reaction to the baby. That boy has a thing for babies. I have no doubt he's going to smother the poor guy. He's been so sweet during my whole pregnancy. I think he picks up on how John acts and treats me the same way. He's always asking if I feel ok, do I need to sit down, am I sad? (I am so freakishly hormonal, I've been crying way too much.) He loves talking to the baby and asks to snuggle him all the time. I think he's going to go through withdrawals when I lose this watermelon of a belly (let's hope I lose it!). He always pulls up my shirt and lays his head on my stomach so he can nap with the baby. It's pretty stinking cute-so cute that I tried to capture the sweetness on camera. What I mostly got was a big scary belly and a picture of Ben looking terrified. I'd be terrified too if I was laying my head on that thing...

I'm so ready to just be done being pregnant. I'm going to sound like a broken record saying this, but there is nothing I like about pregnancy-other than the baby at the end. Some women find pregnancy a miracle of life. I think it's gross. I'm growing a human being inside my body. I can feel him moving around inside of me. I have to push him out. AFTER he gets big. Then I have to feed him with my body. It's a little sick. I get pretty grossed out if I think too much about it.

I've also decided that being almost 8 months pregnant must be a lot like being really, really old. You develop weird skin issues (veins and, in my case, tiny red dots sprinkled all over my stomach), you pee your pants over a sneeze or any sudden movements. I now need to eat small, frequent meals and always get heartburn after. I can't roll over, bend over or get off the couch easily. My arms and legs fall asleep for no reason and without warning. I'm super paranoid and always complain about the heat. I need my daily nap to function because I get worn out so easily. I've been saying since I was little that I never wanted to get old and being pregnant just reaffirms that for me. At least there's an end and a reward to pregnancy. Being old, it's only going to get worse and worse. Until you die.

Anyway, I'm ready for this baby to get here. He's got a very excited, slightly terrified (and terrifying) family waiting for him. So, Baby, don't feel like you need to wait the full four weeks. You're welcome to come any time (hint, hint).

I'm Free!

2009-08-04T14:35:00.000-06:00

Starting tomorrow I'm free as a bird! This aliment I call bed rest will be put to rest for good. I'm pretty excited about it. But if there's one person more excited than I am, it's John. Not because he can't handle doing everything all by himself. I learned something while on bed rest, and it's that my family can totally survive and be just fine without me. John has proven he's more than capable of being mom and dad. But I know he's really, really happy not to have to wake up at the butt crack of dawn anymore to go to work. Although I will miss him coming home at 3:30 everyday.

Bed rest was pretty boring stuff, but thanks to family, friends and a little creativity, I managed to stay occupied. I:

Broke in the new recliner/rocker we bought for the nursery. It now has my butt indented in it for life. That's comfort.
Made a whole lot of lists: To do lists, to buy for baby lists, grocery lists, cleaning lists- all of which I handed over to John to take care of.
Thanks to my ghetto lawn chair, worked on my tan. I'm now a rather fetching shade of off-white.
Made the acquaintance of each and every McDonald's employee working the breakfast shift on 21st and 23rd.
Started a serious Creamy addiction. I average 3 a day.
Folded hundreds of 0-3 month white onsies. Seriously, did I use all of those with Ben?
Took weekend drives up the canyon for much needed changes of scenery.
Had way too many nice people bring over snacks, treats, fountain drinks and, much to John's delight, weekly meals. Thank you!!
Played approximately 354,976 games of Suduko. I'm almost not exaggerating.
Watched a whole lot of Baby Story. I learn so much from that show. (Like how to trick your doctor into thinking you're actually pushing.)
Had an emotional breakdown or two. Like the time I sat in front on an open closet and cried because I wanted to clean it out. Or the time I sat on the carpet outside the kitchen and cried because I wanted to scrub the floors. Or the time... You get the idea. What does it say about me that every breakdown I had was over wanting to clean?
Thanks to my sisters who kept me supplied with crafts and material, I spent a lot of time making a lot of cute crap. I made bookmarks, fridge magnets, knitted matching winter hats for the boys, sewed multiple nursing covers, made coasters (or, to be honest, watched as my sister made them for me), and last but not least, with the help of my mother-in-law (who did most of the work), made Ben a quilt.

(Ben's taking a nap in his bed right now or I would have modeled it there. It still needs to be washed before he can use it.)

That about sums up the last 9 weeks. Thanks to every single person who helped take care of our family and keep us entertained. You're the best! I promise this was the last time. We'll be adopting from here on out...

Better Than A Tanning Bed

2009-06-30T13:42:00.000-06:00

I did it. I had the baby. Just kidding.

I found a way to lay out while pregnant. A while back I blogged about how I was going to cut a hole in a lawn chair so I could tan the back of my body while pregnant. I stole some really, really old lawn chairs from my mom's house but when I got home to cut them up, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Not because the chairs were too good looking to cut up (they were so ugly they were begging me to take the scissors to them), but because it just seemed too ghetto for even me.

But, today, I finally got bored enough and desperate enough to make it happen. I headed to my sister's house so she could watch the little ones (and her backyard is sunny, mine is shady) and while the boys played:

I cut:

I was really doing that beauty a favor by cutting it up. The only problem was that I guessed my belly would go in the center, but I really should have cut it a little more towards the top; my feet hung off the end a bit. It was still great to lay on my stomach. The baby thought it was fun too, he was going nuts kicking around.

We were laughing pretty hard once I tried it out. This is the only picture I'm posting because it's a close up. The others show too much of my white and whaleish body to be showing off to the general public. I like to keep my scariness for family and friends only.

I have to admit, while extremely white trash, it's a pretty good solution. It also makes for some good laughs. Plus, I now have another place to lay while on bedrest. I may be getting fatter and fatter, but at least it'll be a tan fat, right?

The Big Move

2009-06-16T22:30:00.000-06:00

I wish this was a post about us moving to a new house. It's not. But it is about my little guy moving to a new bed. That's just about as exciting, right?

My goal was to have Ben in a big boy bed by the end of May. The planner in me wanted him to get used to a bed before the baby came and stole his crib. May didn't happen so I pushed it back to the end of June. It's how things roll around here. After John caught Ben swinging in and out of the crib like a monkey, we decided the sooner the better. Knowing that tonight was the night, and because I'm abnormally cheesy and sentimental these days, I had to take a picture of Ben's last morning in his crib. Plus, his hair was looking exceptionally good this morning. What can I say, he gets his bedhead from me. (That and he's about two months too late for a haircut. Gotta get on that...)

Ben's been dying to cut open the bed box for weeks (we didn't get the bed put together until June, but it's been sitting in a box in the playroom since May). He was super excited to help dad put it together, but he had even more fun taking the crib apart. The whole time he was helping he kept saying, "I'm a worker guy." He's really going through a manual labor phase right now...

After we got it all set up and the bed made, we did a little reading...

And then it was time for bed. He seemed a little nervous when we tucked him in, but he went right down.

I can't believe my little baby is in a big boy bed. It seems like such a big step to me. Plus, I'm worried that because he's not caged in anymore it'll be the end of naps. I guess we'll see tomorrow. Cross your fingers for me!

My Pity Party

2009-06-02T13:25:00.001-06:00

Are you so sick of hearing about this pregnancy? It seems like it's all I blog about. I would say I'm just as sick of actually being pregnant, but given yesterday's news, everyday I continue to be pregnant, I'm happy.

I went to the doctor's a couple weeks ago because I'd been having some contractions. I'm crampy almost daily, which I wasn't too concerned about, but I'd had a few episodes of really distinct contractions that lasted for a couple hours so I thought I'd go in just to be safe. My doctor checked me and assured me I was fine, wasn't dilating and that the progesterone injections were and should do their job. But, because I keep having contractions, and because the injections aren't 100% guaranteed, she wanted to start fetal fibronectin tests (a test that will tell you if you have a chance of going into labor in the next two weeks) at 24 weeks.

Yesterday was my appointment and I got the test done. I haven't been nearly as crampy in the last couple weeks and I haven't had any serious contractions, so I was expecting good results. It came back positive though (which for this test is bad news) and my doctor put me on "moderate" bedrest. When I asked what things I shouldn't be doing, she pretty much named everything: cooking, cleaning, sex, walking, lifting. Sounds just like regular bedrest to me.

I've been having some major mom guilt over this. So far through this pregnancy, Ben has been my first priority. Even with cramps and contractions, I've felt like I need to take care of Ben first. He's real and alive and standing right in front of me, and I need to take care of him. I've just assumed that the baby will be fine and if I can take it, he can take it. I thought we'd just been sucking it up together. So now I'm having mom guilt over not taking better care of myself to ensure nothing would go wrong with the baby. Add to that the guilt of now not being able to take care of Ben like I feel like I should. I'm a big ball of hormonal guilt.

I'm lucky I have family nearby and so many people that love Ben; I know he'll be well taken care of for however long I'm on bedrest. But I'm his mom and I want to be the one taking care of him. Today is the first day he's been gone and I just know he's having the time of his life. And I know he'll have the best summer having playdates every single day, but I miss him. I'm selfish and I hate the thought of just sitting here doing nothing while he's out there having fun. I want to watch him have fun.

I'm sorry this sounds like such pathetic melodrama. I go back in next week and I'm hoping she'll redo the test. I'm not really sure how the test works, but I'm crossing my fingers it'll come back negative. In the meantime, John's rearranged his work schedule so he'll be home in the afternoons and I have family to watch Ben in the mornings. Plus, it's only temporary; it's just one summer. It's really not so bad. I'm just freakishly hormonal right now and I'm gonna miss not having my little buddy around.

I don't know what I'm going to do when he starts preschool. I'll just know I'll have a nervous breakdown.

Grossed Out

2009-05-29T14:18:00.000-06:00

I got home a few minutes ago and while I was taking my sleeping boy out of the car to put him down for a nap, my neighbor came over to share some news. I could tell by the look on his face it wasn't going to be good. He said he and my other neighbor were both outside and saw something that looked like a giant squirrel run out of my backyard and across the street to where he lives. When the thing got closer to his house they both realized it wasn't a squirrel but a huge rat. This is where the story takes a dire turn. The disgusting rat then turned around and ran back into my yard, under my car and disappeared.

My skin is crawling. There is a monster-sized rodent living in my yard, possibly my garage. My yard and garage that my two-year old plays in daily. HOURLY! I'm freaking just a bit. But it's totally justifiable. When we were living in our last apartment, I woke up one night to nurse Ben (he was still little) and on my way to the couch, I felt something soft brush against my BAREFOOT, so I kicked it out the way. At first I thought I'd just missed picking up all the toys the night before. But I don't forget to pick up toys. At least not the toys I know I could step on in the dark on my way to the couch. So I turned on the light and it was a DEAD MOUSE. I screamed bloody murder, naturally. I freaked both Ben and John out and both were extremely pissed. Ben was crying because I was crying and John was freaking because he thought Ben had died during the night or something. It was pretty bad. It still gives me nightmares.

But back to today. After I put Ben down I got online asap and told John. While I was talking to him, my active imagination really started to wander to where this monster's been and where in the yard he lives. I'm sure his fat ratty body has touched all of Ben's toys. And what if he can get into our house? We all sleep in the basement! What if in a few months I get up to nurse #2 and I sit on a squirrel-sized rat?! I told John this, but unfortunately, he wasn't feeling my horror. This was his exact quote: "There is no way there are rats in our house, you're just freaking out to freak out. You love that stuff."

Pretty sure I'm freaking out because I DON'T love that stuff. It's gross.

He assured me we'd find where the little sucker lives and then take care of him and his little ratty family (where there's a mama rat, baby rats are sure to be). Then he said, "There are rats all over sugarhouse if that makes you feel any better."

Um, no, John, that doesn't make me feel better. And then to add insult to injury, and because he can't resist grossing me out, he sent me this:

Why do bad rodents always happen to good people? I'm a really clean person! This should not keep happening to me. Rodents do not have a reason or my permission to be living in or on my property!

Married to the Mann

2009-05-22T13:42:00.000-06:00

It's John and my sixth anniversary today. Yay us! To celebrate, I'd like to share a conversation we had late, late at night.

John: Do you ever feel like that transgender man that keeps having babies is stealing your thunder?

Me: No. Why would I think that?

John: Because he's not really a man. You are a Mann having a baby.

Me: (I stop to look at him. I see that he's dead serious. I start laughing really hard-it was VERY late at night.)

John: (Pauses to think.) You're not the first Mann to ever have a baby; there was my mom, and my grandma. But you're still a real Mann having a baby.

Here's hoping we have many more conversations that make absolutely no sense like this in the future. I love you, John Mann!

Where Is My Mind?

2009-05-18T22:40:00.000-06:00

Do you think a two year old who can change his own poopy diaper is ready to be potty trained?

Why has my uterus been acting so messed up towards me? I have a uterus that doesn't like having anything inside of it. That was the official diagnosis my doctor gave me.

Speaking of uteruses, they have these new tests you can take starting at 24 weeks that will tell you if you'll be going into preterm labor within the next two weeks. Isn't that the craziest thing you've ever heard? I start the tests at my next appointment.

You know those woman who have terrible pregnancies and are either sick to death the whole time or are on bedrest the whole time, but they keep having kids anyway because pregnancy is temporary but kids last forever? I'm not one of those woman. Pretty sure I'm done after this.

I keep having sniper dreams. I'm usually at my parent's house in the dream and my dad is usually going after the bad guy in his undies. Obviously they're nightmares for more than one reason.

It's my anniversary on Friday (the big S-I-X). This year John gave me an envelope full of cash and told me it was my year to plan. He usually takes care of things and does a mighty fine job of it. I'm horrible at planning special occasions. We're gonna end up bowling, I just know it.

I stole an old lawn lounge chair from my mom's house with the intention of cutting a hole in the middle so I can lay on my stomach to tan this summer (swear on my life I didn't come up with that idea on my own). I just don't think I can bring myself to do it. Me, the girl born and raised as white trash as they come. But how else am I suppose to tan the back of my body?

I've got the restless legs. I think it's because my hips are starting to spread. Wonderful. I need to go walk around now.

The Half Way Mark

2009-04-30T13:30:00.001-06:00

Yay, I am finally 20 weeks! This baby is officially half cooked. We had the 20 week ultrasound today and both the nurse and doctor started laughing when they were greeted with this on the screen:

I was given a pretty good promise it's a boy. A boy more than willing to give mommy and daddy the money shot. (Sorry if you're offended by the thereness of the picture; there wasn't a more discreet one available. I also kinda think it's funny.) He was not very willing to sit still for measuring, which meant I got to chill on the bed and watch my little one wiggle on the big screen for almost an hour. It was really starting to annoy the nurse and doctor, who got a bit rough with the belly trying to get him to cooperate. He's a little on the small side, but other than that, he's just perfect.

I did my second progesterone shot the other day and it didn't hurt nearly as bad as the first one. I had it injected in my bum and I think the meatier area helps a lot. I knew that extra junk in my trunk would someday come in handy.

Since I have a total of four pictures of myself pregnant with Ben, I wanted to document the pregnancy more this time around. I'm half way done, and I've taken a whooping three pictures. Better than last time though. Here's the belly a couple of days ago:

I've decided the further back you put the camera, the better off you feel about yourself. I'll be taking all my pictures this way from now on.

There you have it. Ben gets a little buddy and I don't have to buy much. Win-win all around!

Dear 17 Alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone,

2009-04-21T22:12:00.000-06:00

Thank you for almost making my arm fall off.

My doctor highly recommended I inject you into my body to prevent a preterm labor I may or may not have. I'm glad I have a doctor who is concerned about the condition of a past pregnancy and is taking action against possible bedrest. I like that in a doctor. I did my own research on your product, and with no bigger warnings than "pain at the injection site," thought, I'll give it a try.

I grew a little concerned when I was told I'd be given two different needle sizes, a larger one for sucking up the medicine and a smaller one for injecting the medicine. I was instructed not to use the injection needle to suck up the medicine because it was so thick it'd dull the needle (this is with using new needles for every injection).

Sounded bad, but I wasn't too worried. I'm not exactly a stranger to needles; I don't love them, but I can handle them. I think most women who have given birth can handle them, whether they want to or not. Add to giving birth a serious surgery and all the blood donating and needles that goes with it and you could say I've been poked a time or two. But nothing in my previous needle-loving history has come close to pain of this shot. It has now been four hours and I'm just barely regaining the mobility of my arm (with the help of a heating pad).

Thank you for strengthening my uterus walls so I won't again start dilating at 30 weeks. But seriously, could your oil based product be any thicker? I'll answer that for you. No, because if it was any thicker, it'd be mashed potatoes.

You hurt my heart and you hurt my arm,
Liz

Fabulous Fun Finds

2009-04-17T13:22:00.007-06:00

I was blog stalking today and found the cutest website, Fabulous Fun Finds. I was going to send the link just to my sisters, with what I'm going to talk them into making me, but I thought I'd share it with the world instead (or the 5 of you who read this blog). There is too much cute stuff on there. A lot of it looks almost easy to try to do yourself, too. Or if you have really crafty sisters, you could see if they'd make it for you...

If this next baby is a girl, I really want this dress:

Either gender would look so cute in a knit hat like this for the winter:

And don't you think I could get away with using this handbag as a diaper bag??

There was so much other cute stuff, including pillowcase dresses and wall decals. It's a great place to get DIY ideas. For sure if you have kids, you have to check it out. Way too cute. How do people come up with this stuff?

My Favorite Little Mann

2009-04-13T16:24:00.000-06:00

Feels like it's been a while since I did a post on Ben, so I'm doing one now. I know I've said this at every stage so far, but seriously, two year olds are my favorite. They're just the funniest little creatures.

Ben has one major passion in life. Lawn mowers. This passion began last summer when John taught him how to mow lawns at his mom's house. It's a passion that is continually being fueled by a dad who will spend hours of his free time watching youtube videos with Ben of people mowing lawns. If that isn't a patient and loving dad, I don't know what is. He also takes Ben to the Home Depot or Sears every weekend so Ben can indulge in his favorite pastime. That boy could spend every waking second next to a lawn mower. It kills me.

Thankfully, he also has some backup passions. He's really into sports, babies, motorcycles and cleaning (turns out he does have a bit of me in him after all).

I've always been one of those people who prefers to clean by myself. I'd rather the boys get lost (hence the Saturday morning lawn mowers addiction) so I can do things my way and clean in peace. But because of that I was always afraid my kids wouldn't learn how to pick up after themselves. Apparently I do enough everyday chores for Ben to catch on. He loves to help with the dishes, vacuum, dust, fold laundry and sweep. He's quite the little helper.

He likes to clean with his shirt off. It makes him feel manly.

Ben's love of sports is another passion that is fueled by John. I'm always so glad I married someone who genuinely loves being a dad. I don't know what I would do without him! I might just be forced to watch youtube or play endless rounds of catch. The horror. Just kidding. But I am so thankful for John. Last night the Cubs were playing (or so I heard, I wasn't watching) so John dressed Ben for bed accordingly. Ben added his favorite hat as a special touch.

Ben has such a soft spot for babies. He's really excited to get his own this fall. For now, he's making do with his little cousin Macy. He loves to feed her bottles or just sit and cuddle. I hope he still loves them this much when he's forced to share mommy and daddy.

I wouldn't have guessed that two year old boys care what they wear, but this one does. He has a favorite outfit that he insists on wearing. It's a sweatshirt with the sleeves pushed all the way to his elbows and snow boots that are a size too small. The snow boots he puts on himself, on the wrong feet, the sides wide open, with his pants scrunched on top. It's the ugliest outfit and he looks so homeless in it, but the boy loves it. I still cringe when he grabs for it, but I stopped fighting him on it months ago.

That Benny really is my favorite kid. He's hilarious, he's energetic, cuddly, caring. He's the very best!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

2009-04-06T17:27:00.001-06:00

(Does that title make anyone else laugh out loud? I'm so easily entertained.)

Sorry it took me a bit to pick the winners for the giveaway. I sort of forgot about it. But I promise not to forget to make you something gorgeous and wonderful and most likely life-altering.

The winners are... Shawna, Megan and Jamie!! Hooray for you! You get more junk to put out at your next yard sale. Just kidding. Sort of.

So, you three lucky winners, email me your most favorite colors (lizmann00 at hotmail dot com) and I'll whip you up something precious and get it to you sometime this summer. Megs, include your address so I can mail it; Shawna and Jamie, I will just deliver it to you in person.

Thanks for playing!!

Pay It Forward

2009-03-31T14:02:00.000-06:00

I love giveaway blogs, but I love them even more when I WIN! And I did on my friend Molly's blog a couple of weeks ago, so I'm paying it forward.

What will you win? Something homemade. The options are endless, but it'll probably be something tole painted, made out of raffia or a type of glass blown figurine. Just something you'll for sure be wanting to place in a prominent spot in your house.

When will you receive it? Sometime before the end of summer. It'll be a wonderful summer surprise!

How many winners will there be? Three (that increases your chances of winning!!).

I'll give ya until the end of Saturday before I draw the winners. If you win, I'll give you my email address so you can give me a clue as to what you like (colors, decor, letters in the alphabet, things like that) so I can think up something special just for you. Hopefully it will be something that won't end up in your garbage 30 seconds after you open it, but I can't make any promises. It should be fun either way though, right?

Enter NOW!

Penny For Your Thoughts

2009-03-18T13:05:00.000-06:00

Sometimes this blog is a chore. I feel like I have to get something posted at least once a week, whether I have something to say or not. It's all I can do to keep the blog afloat. So here are some thoughts for this week. They're almost all related to pregnancy. Sorry, it's my life now.

When I first got pregnant I had this issue-some of you know what I'm talking about. My doctor gave me some medicine that has caused me to have an opposite issue. I don't know which side of the issue is worse. Pregnancy is a beautiful thing.

When I tell Ben I have a baby in my belly, he always says, "Me too, mama! I have a baby in my belly!" Then he lifts his shirt and pats his stomach and says, "Oh, that would be fun" (his newest phrase he says for everything). He kills me.

Do you have a favorite salad dressing? Will you share it with me? I'm generally a blue cheese or ranch kind of girl, but I hear soft cheeses during pregnancies are a no-no and lately ranch has been making me barf in my mouth (classy, I know). On the other hand, I've been really craving salads, but I can't eat an undressed salad. Have you ever heard of something so ridiculous? So will ya help a girl out and tell me what your favorite dressing is? And then please tell me you can buy it at the store.

Speaking of food, I don't fit in my clothes anymore. I'm down to two pairs of pants, only one of which I can button. I got fat fast with Ben, but this is a little insane. You know it's bad when at SIX WEEKS your husband is wondering if there are twins in there. And when you tell people you're pregnant the first thing out of their mouth is, "I was wondering..." It's sad. It's depressing. It's only temporary (I have to keep telling myself that).

Ben has this new thing where he loves to introduce us. The other day at the dinner table he said, while pointing us out, "Hi John, this is Liz." He introduces us to each other almost daily. He also likes to introduce us to grandmas and animals. I think he likes to make sure everyone feels welcome and comfortable.

I think that'll do for this week. I'm out!

I'm Procrastinating

2009-03-11T11:38:00.001-06:00

I'm going out of town tomorrow. Back to St. George, this time with my boys for the Utah Bar convention. I've got a boat load of crap to do today: laundry, house cleaning, car cleaning, packing for me and the boy, visiting my sister who I haven't seen all week and who will be out of town next week. I can't not see her for two weeks in a row, I will die. I need to try to apply some self tanner if I'm gonna be putting on a swim suit. Boy oh boy, if you could see my winter glow; the whiteness of my skin would blind you.

But what have I done today? Not a single thing. I've sat around the house watching Troy Bolton sing and play basketball. Again. I did that yesterday, too. I'm just so freaking lazy, you guys. The longer my list gets, the more procrastinating I do. Which is why I'm blogging.

But now I'm bored with this, too. Wish me luck for the four hour car ride with a two year old! Or rather, wish John luck. I'll be taking Dramamine and that always knocks me out cold. I'm a good wife and mom.

Do You Love Lost?

2009-03-04T21:36:00.001-07:00

Are you freaking out as much as I am over tonight's episode? Seriously, I don't know if it's these pregnancy hormones or what, but I was almost in tears over my love of Lost tonight.

You know I'm Sawyer's biggest fan. I've been his fan since Day One. I like him a little bit more than my husband is comfortable with. So to watch an episode pretty much devoted to him (ok, and the guys with him), was just heaven on earth for me. I was dying, DYING, when he saw Freckles (which is how I pathetically think of Kate when Sawyer is near her) get out of the van.

I was freaking out (out loud) when he was telling that red headed guy about the girl he once loved and how he forgot her face. John had to calm me down by telling me Sawyer is a con artist and he was only lying. But did he look like he was lying? I think he really did forget her face. Maybe not her freckles, but her face. (I really am so pathetic.) But when he saw her at the end... there were almost tears. From me and from Sawyer.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm glad Juliette and Sawyer could find some love and laughter together. But I'm sorry, this is TV, not real life, and I ultimately need Sawyer and Kate to be together. In my heart and in my head I know they are meant to be. Jack and Juliette can pick up where they left off. You know Kate was never really serious about Jack. She's so wishy-washy with him. Her feeling for Sawyer are true.

This obsession is worse than the whole Pam and Jim thing when Pam was still engaged to Roy. Those TV writers and their stupid love triangles. They hook me every time.

P.S. Any guesses on who the baby boy was/is??

My (Not So New) News!

2009-03-03T12:59:00.001-07:00

The Mann family is expanding and so is my stomach (and every other part of my body). We've got another one of these coming in September:

I went to the doctor this morning and was surprised with a new due date! She took a week off my original due date, which was the 24th but is now the 17th. I love shortened pregnancies, even if it is only a week less. Here's what the little alien looks like today:

This is the side body shot. He's got a big old head and a little button nose.

This is his profile (I think... it looks like a monkey's face to me) with his arm up by his head.

I feel so nerdy posting ultrasound pictures, but, well, I am nerdy. I'll give you further proof of that when you hear what we named the fetus. But that's for another post...