I'm back!

After a break for the birth of our third child, Nathan, I am finally back to blogging! Nathan was born on October 10 and weighed in at 8 pounds, 3 ounces and 21 inches tall. Although it did not go exactly as I imagined it would, I did get to experience the natural (unmedicated) labor and delivery that I hoped for.

So far, Nathan has been the best sleeper of my three children. He typically goes to bed for the night around 9 PM and gets up once at 3 AM to nurse and have his diaper changed. He usually wakes up for the morning around 6:30 AM. I don't know why he sleeps so much better than Drew and Gracie did as babies, but I am thankful!

I am still adjusting to having three children. It was just getting easier because Drew and Gracie were finally able to play together for a while each day while I did housework, got a shower, or spent a few minutes writing a blog entry. Then Nathan came along. He eats every two hours during the daytime, so if I'm not sitting down to nurse him, the other two want attention. If the other two are occupied and Nathan happens to be napping, I always have a backlog of dishes or laundry to catch up on.

This is a hard time for me because I need quiet time by myself every day to feel sane, and I have not been getting it. When I get to the end of the day and the kids are finally asleep, I have a choice: do I take some time by myself to unwind, or do I go to bed? I'm usually so exhausted that sleep wins out, but I really need quiet time and sleep if I want to feel my best. I need to find a balance, and I hope that making time for blogging again will be a good first step.

Pregnant Days

Or maybe a better title for this post would be Pregnant Daze. I am so tired of being pregnant. I am just plain tired, but I have allergies (or something), can't breathe through my nose, and can't sleep.

I also think I have a touch of the baby blues early. Last night one of my friends invited me to join Facebook, and although I don't think it's my thing, I went ahead and joined. First I cried because Facebook told me I had 0 friends. When it said that my profile was boring a few minutes later, I shut down the computer and went to bed. I did go back to Facebook today, and so far, it has been interesting. I have seven "friends" on Facebook, probably more than I have in real life.

On another note, my husband got several bug bites on his arms today. I don't know what they are, but now I'm worried that our house is infested with bugs. One more thing for me to stew about. I guess if it is we will figure out some way to deal with it.

I think I'm tired enough (or bored enough) to go back to sleep now.

More Thoughts on Nesting

I have been thinking about nesting a lot this week, and have decided that I have never experienced it because it isn't my style. I totally understand the concept of wanting to fill up the seemingly never-ending days of waiting for a baby's birth that could happen at any time. Unfortunately, my brain and body just seem to want to shut down and hibernate until the big day arrives. I would love to just lay down on the couch and stay there until I go into labor. And there are still thirteen days until my due date. What is wrong with me? I honestly am about to go crazy. I don't think I can take much more of this.

I came across a neat website the other day that times the frequency and duration of contractions. It looks like it would be really useful, especially since I don't have a watch. Now if only I would have some contractions to time.

Nesting

There are only 17 days left until my due date, and I am waiting for the "nesting" instinct to kick in. (Actually, I'm still waiting for it from when Drew and Gracie were born ... it never came!) I hear stories of moms who clean their house from top to bottom before going into labor, and think that would be so nice. My house could definitely use the cleaning! Maybe I should just get busy and do some cleaning and the extra work would send me into labor. :)

Update: It is now 15 days until my due date. Gracie was born 13 days early, so I am hoping that means that this little guy could make his appearance any day now. (Drew was only 3 days early, but I'm trying to be positive!)

I haven't been sleeping well at all, and I am SO tired. It is just past 3:30 AM and I got tired of tossing and turning in bed, so I decided to get up. I have a doctor's appointment today, and they are planning to do a sonogram to estimate the baby's weight (my guess is 9+ pounds). I also get to have blood drawn again. Ugh. And I have to take Drew and Gracie with me to the appointment because I don't have a babysitter. My husband has a meeting at work and won't be able to come to the appointment. I'm not looking forward to it.

I am trying to decide what to do now that I am up. Maybe I should pick up the family room downstairs. Or maybe I'll just curl up on the couch for a while ...

So Small

I received a sample newborn size diaper in the mail last week, and looking at it, I could hardly believe that it is big enough for a real baby to wear. Today I got out two sleepers, size 0-3 months, to wash and pack for the hospital, and again I was struck by how small newborn babies are. I think it has taken me by surprise because even though Drew is two years old, I still consider him my "baby," so in my mind the size of a "baby" has grown with him.

My due date is 22 days away now. At my doctor's appointment next week they will do a sonogram to estimate my baby's weight. I am looking forward to seeing him again and finding out how big they think he might be. I am really looking forward to his birth and finally holding him in my arms!

The boy who cried ... deer?

We live in town, but it is still not unusual for us to see deer in our back yard. We have seen a doe and her two fawns almost every day lately, and we occasionally see a buck. At the beginning of the summer Drew would look out the window and cry out "dog!" whenever he saw any kind of animal outside. Now he can tell deer, rabbits, and squirrels apart, and often announces what he sees out in the back yard.

For the past few days, though, he has been saying, "I see a deer!" several times a day, even when there are no deer outside. I think he enjoys seeing me and Gracie go look out the window, because he always gets a huge smile on his face when we look out and see no deer. I guess I need to work with him on being honest ...

Drowning in Books

Lately it seems that I have had more books that I want to read than I have time to read them. I blame that partly on not having much time to read, and partly on the helpful librarian at our local library. She showed me how to put in interlibrary loan requests myself online, and I have felt like I have been drowning in books ever since. It is such a temptation for me to see a book I want to read and immediately put in a request for it. (At the moment I have three books checked out from other libraries, and one more book waiting to be picked up.)

And it's not just a matter of reading the books. These are books that I want to spend time with, to dig into deeply, to make notes on, to absorb. Books that will help me do a better job as a mom and as a teacher to my children.

I will say that I am much better at reading (and even taking notes on) books that I borrow from the library than I am at reading books that I own. I think that since I know I only have them for a limited amount of time, I am more motivated to get started (and to get finished) within a reasonable amount of time.

Then there are all the "classics" that I want to get to. Many are available for free online, but that doesn't do me any good if I never get around to reading them!

So much to read, so little time!