The things we take for granted . . .

The other day I was taking something out of the oven when I realized that I didn't have to bend over for it. Since I can barely bend anymore, and I can only squat so much in one day, this is a huge deal. My kitchen was designed by me and I have a double oven. Which means that the top one is just at the right height for me to reach in without having to bend at all. And my countertops are high enough that everything is at a perfect level (I'm not super tall, but I am 5'9" and regular countertops are a little low for me). I might be standing away from my sink, but it's still at a good level. Even the banister on our stairs is two inches higher than normal, which makes it at a better height for me. All of these little things add up to less back strain for poor pregnant me. I had realized that although my lower back is starting to get a little achey on me, this is a good three or four months later than back pain started with #1. It might help that I'm not sitting at a desk all day, or that I've already done physical therapy for back problems once this pregnancy (plus last pregnancy), or that I'm much more aware and careful, but whatever it is, I'm grateful for it! So here's to the little things in life that make pregnancy less miserable!

Long weekend?

Okay, not really a good excuse, just that I haven't had a lot to say and I've been tuckered out! But, my husband and I made a lot of progress on our house projects this weekend, I think the biggest one being that we bought a ton of furniture today: all new bedroom furniture for #1's room (a big-boy bed, I'm a little sad about that) and a new couch for our entertainment room. Got to love the Memorial Day sales! They'll be arriving in 4-6 weeks, which gives us time to get the carpets cleaned and windows washed (it's a two story house, we pay someone for this-inside & out! [we do everything else ourselves!!]) before setting up the new stuff. I'm partially excited and partially terrified by how much money we just spent (even though we did have it saved for this very purpose, I still hate spending money on big stuff). Overall, however, I'm feeling much better about how much we've gotten done now. Only about ten weeks left!!

Projects done??

I've written extensively about this but, I'll do it again anyway: get as much stuff done as soon as possible so that you have some time to relax before baby comes. Obviously nearly everyone will need to get a baby's room done, and sometimes that means waiting for baby showers to finish up. But anything else you have planned around the house, get it done quickly! Last time, it was painting our house (since I got pregnant a month after we moved in). This time it's building built-in bookcases and finally (after way too long), getting my books organized. Well, the shelves are officially done as of this afternoon!!! I've got all of the fiction (about half the total) organized, now comes the more difficult part of organizing the non-fiction (Dewey Decimal, of course). But, what a sense of relief to have the heavy lifting done! I'm about to enter the third trimester and while we still need to buy new furniture for #1, move baby furniture into #2's nursery and get a few others things done, they are all relatively short & easy projects by comparison. I might get to relax this time after all!

Pets and Babies

I'm a cat person, my husband is a dog person, so we have adorable little black kitty who is alternately fascinated by and terrorized by my toddler. Okay, so adorable is pushing it. I have an opinionated black cat who may or may not be the devil incarnate who hates all people but me and will tolerate my husband because I don't spend as much time on her as she'd like. However, she will only attack if provoked (or is scared out of her mind, like when traveling through major airports or if there's a house fire), so I was only mildly apprehensive about bringing a defenseless baby into her house (and yes, it is her house, we are merely tenants at her pleasure). Fortunately, while she doesn't really like it when my toddler chases her squealing with delight, the worst she has ever done is smack his hand (claws sheathed) when he corners her and will not leave her alone. Unlike, say my annoying mother, she knows better than to actually hurt him.

Then there is my parents' dog, an annoying, high-strung miniature schnauzer who is very jealous of them showing any attention to my son whom I would not trust for a minute alone with him. I think it's great to expose children to different animals and there are health benefits as well (children raised in a home with pets are less likely to develop allergies and asthma). I grew up with mainly cats and was terrified of dogs until I was a teenager, I would like to save my children this fate. The caveat being: know your animal! And even when you do, supervision is incredibly important, always! And teaching your child from a very, very early age what "gentle" means and to stay away from animals' faces.

At this point, my son has been around a lot of dogs at various people's homes and I still hover, even with the most gentle of them. Kids are loud and unpredictable, which is what will scare a pet more than anything. Having pets teaching children how to take care of things and compassion, both extremely important traits to have. Just make sure that everyone is safe in doing so.