Sept 3 ~ Daddy decided we should all go over to Amana Colonies for breakfast today. The drive was really relaxing...seeing all the farmland and animals on the way there and back. Natalie ate like she hadn't eaten in weeks!

 

Sept 5 ~ Took Bailey back to the vet for a follow up visit. He seems to be fine and the rash has cleared up.  Hopefully it doesn't come back.

         Natalie and I went to the mall today. Just kind of the usual Tuesday stuff...Barnes and Noble storytime, play area, lunch, etc.  At lunch we met Sally Wolinsky at Panera.  She is my mentor mom this year for Hearts In Touch. She seems like a really nice lady. She is married and they have a son who is a senior in high school. 

 

Sept 6 ~ Today was the first meeting of Hearts In Touch for the new year.  Nat had a little trouble when I dropped her off at nursery, but was fine with me leaving a few minutes later. And this time I had her in a Pull Up diaper so the nursery staff would have an easier time dealing with her potty training. Sally and I had three other gals join our table today...Amanda, Cristin, and Margot. Margot has been attending HIT for a few years now - she has two young sons.  Cristin has come to meetings a couple of times and she also has 2 kids (I think both are boys).  And this is Amanda's first year coming to HIT - but she has been coming to Parkview Church for a few years now and is involved with the Chinese ministry at the church. She has a young son and young daughter.  Today was mostly just introductory stuff.  Ya know, explaining how we'd like to do things this year and such. Tanja S. and Margot also talked about their love for the Hearts In Touch group and what they have gained from being members.  There was a lot of talk about just how hard it is to be a mom and how we all need some kind of support in our lives.  It was a pretty good meeting.  I wasn't as nervous as last year since I know more what to expect as far as leading a group, but I did allow myself to feel bad as I looked around and noticed that I had the least amount of ladies sitting at my table. That was also the case last year so I was a little

disappointed. Was also sad to realize that not one of the girls from my group last year showed up today. I know I shouldn't permit myself to be disappointed, but it is hard.  Everyone is so busy anymore. Guess we'll just have to see what the next couple months bring as far as my group.

 

 

~~ I think I'll take some time to update on what all is new around here :) ~~

 

 

Craig: As always, very busy with work. Golf league ended recently, but he's still playing odds and ends games with people from work.  He has done a little more work in the basement over the past few days. He spends a lot of time interacting with Natalie - tickling, kissing, rough housing, all that good stuff.  He's got a lot on his plate until this baby comes!

 

Natalie: Always so much new with her! She is a bundle of energy...talks non-stop (though can be shy in public), moves non-stop, does everything non-stop!  Still working on potty training, but we aren't pushing it real hard or anything. Many mornings she decides to wear panties, but is ready for a diaper in the late afternoon. My rule is that once she says she wants the diaper there is no going back to underwear for the day...if I didn't do that it would be such a game for her.  She still does well in her big girl bed, though there were a few nights recently when she wanted to sleep with us.  And last night was hilarious!  Craig and I were downstairs watching tv while Nat was supposed to be sleeping in her bed. After awhile I thought I heard a noise...the dogs heard it too because they barked.  The noise was Natalie upstairs walking around!  As soon as she heard the dogs bark she tore off down the hall and Craig and I hear her heavy feet going "stomp, stomp, stomp" as she jumps into her bed. So funny! By the time I got up to her room she was in bed - covers half on, facing the wall, eyes closed...in other words - pretending to be asleep. A few times recently we've woken up to find her in the hallway sleeping on the carpet with her blanket and pillow. She refuses to nap in the bed, but I really need to push that nap soon because she needs it and so do I!  She won't nap because she says "It is not dark yet".  She loves, loves, loves books more and more each day. She also is the same when it comes to music.  Her imagination amazes me...she told me the other day that our dog Bailey was really a lion and that Brigit was a tiger. She reads to her dolls and plays house a lot.  She tries to count to twenty but often skips numbers in the teens. For a few months now she's been kind of mixing her own made up language in with regular words when she talks or sings.  It is a little strange...but I've had other moms tell me that their kids are doing it too, so that is good.  She's getting better and better at dressing herself.  She knows that "the tag goes in the back" which is important you know!  I admit that we still watch too much tv...but her fave shows lately are Caillou, Clifford, and Dragon Tales.  She is also into the Animal Planet channel and any show having to do with doctors, giving birth, etc. I try to keep the more graphic images away, but she is so intrigued by the doctor stuff.  She is still pretty nice when it comes to playing with other kids...though she's picked up some bad behaviors as well such as not sharing at times.  But you take the good with the bad.

 

Jenny: Things are okay with me. Can't believe I am already in the third trimester of this pregnancy!  And boy do I feel it, too. I still dream all night long, but now the dreams are really anxiety related.  Like the other night I kept dreaming that I was bleeding and going into labor already.  I guess I'm just scared of a repeat of the last birth.  I mean, I kind of already know what to expect as far as c-sections and having pre-eclampsia, and delivering early.  But it is still something I don't wish to repeat.  On the other hand I'm also nervous about the possibility of carrying to full term and having a very large baby and giving birth vaginally...because I don't have that experience.  I do feel calmer this time around in regards to bringing the baby home...that I am okay with and feel that it will be fine and relatively peaceful.  I've had a lot of heartburn lately. My energy level was up for awhile, but now I feel it going back down...which means I really need to get on the ball and get some things prepared around here.  I have Braxton Hicks contractions this time around, which I did not have with Natalie. But I've been told that having them is a good sign that labor will progress well in the end. We still don't have a name picked for the baby and I'd like to have that established before she comes...but it's not a huge deal.  What else is going on besides pregnancy issues?  I just finished reading a really good book by Jill Savage called Professionalizing Motherhood.  Excellent book for all mothers - even working mothers.  I have mothers group and I have choir that keeps me busy.  Trying to think a little ahead since I know we'll have Natalie's birthday, Halloween, Christmas, and baby's birth all sneaking up on us soon.  Have stashed away a few Christmas gifts and have decided on a Halloween costume for Nattie, etc.  Just trying to gear up for Fall and the many changes that are going on...especially concerning friends.  The majority of my friends have become too busy to do much so it's been just me and Natalie a lot which can get lonely. I know they have lives of their own and I try not to take it personally, but it is hard...not to mention I'm just an over emotional pregnant woman - so that doesn't help at all.  Plus, the majority of my friends have children Natalie's age and are also expecting soon...and they've decided to place their children in preschools and daycares and with babysitters.  And that is just not the route I want to go...I mean, I do plan on having her in a preschool at least a year before kindergarten...but not this early. Based on my own opinions and such, my girlfriends are choosing this route for a variety of reasons such as 1) to give their children more socialization 2) to give themselves more free time 3) because they feel they may not be able to handle more than one child in the house full time 4) just the fact of peer pressure - you know, because that is what it seems that everyone else is doing so it must be the norm and the best thing to do.  Now I'm not saying they are bad mothers because of this.  Mostly it just is hard for me because now Natalie won't have as much time to spend with these children like she used to.  And let's face it...I won't see the moms as much either. I don't want to be sucked into the peer pressure and I'm also glad that I have a husband who feels the same way and can support me on that.  Because it may be a lonely few months until I get into my own groove and find contentment with the whole thing. I know that having two children in the house is going to be challenging, but I'm ready for the challenge and there is no other way I'd like it to be. I've also gotten a few not-so-pleasing reactions lately to my answer when I've been asked how long we are going to wait to try for a third child. Craig and I have decided that there will be no more birth control for us...unless maybe any life threatening health issues come up or something...then we may need to have another discussion - I don't know. Many people think we're crazy saying that it is kind of "risky".  In fact, one gal said to me, "You know you could get pregnant within months of giving birth, right?"  I said that yes I realized that and that we were still fine to leave it in God's hands. Plus add in the fact that we have fertility issues and we aren't getting any younger, and we'd like to have more children...we'd just rather keep going and try to have more kids. How many more?  We don't know...we've never had a set number.  Like I said...I'm over emotional right now about stuff...

 

Sept 7 ~ Natalie and I talked Daddy into taking us to Chuck E Cheese for dinner tonight.  It was not busy there at all and so relaxing just to enjoy some pizza and games!

 

Sept 11 ~ I signed Natalie up again for Music Time With Nancy at the Coralville Rec Center.  It's just a four week class meeting every Monday where the lady plays her guitar and does songs with felt boards, etc.  The kids get to sing and dance and play with instruments and parachutes.  It's a really nice class.  Nat's friend, Gabriel Brezinski, is taking the class as well. 

 

Sept 13 ~ We were supposed to watch Gabe Kroeger tonight, but Natalie has had a nose/throat thing going on so it has been rescheduled. 

          Have also made the decision that I won't be able to continue with choir for the rest of the year.  I originally thought I'd be able to do it at least until November when the Christmas rehearsals start, but I am just really out of energy and our schedule is a little busy.  So I let Scott know to just keep me in the loop and I'll be back after the new year!

 

Sept 15 ~ Took Natalie over to Barnes and Noble for the character storytime they have once a month. This month's character was Peter Rabbit.  She was real excited to see him (she was interested in seeing his tail), but once again she did not want to go near him.  That's ok.  After Peter Rabbit we met Dad for dinner at Red Lobster.

 

Sept 16 ~ Tonight was Family Game Night hosted by the Andersons.  Everything went really well...good time with friends, games, and food!  Matt Kroeger has decided to put a team together to play basketball over at the Coralville Rec Center. Looks like Craig, Ken, Paul, and John are planning to join.  It will start soon and be every Thursday night for awhile.

 

Sept 18 ~ Natalie and I had music class again this morning.  Nat is doing a fairly good job at sharing and waiting her turn, so I am happy.  Heather asked if we wanted to have lunch at Olive Garden afterward so we did.  It turned out to be a very short lunch...both kids were just out of control!  At one point, Gabriel had flipped all the way backward in his chair with his plate of food landing all over the floor.  Then near the end Natalie decided to take off running to the complete opposite side of the restaurant...practically running over an elderly woman walking with a cane....and here comes Mommy waddling at full speed after her while trying not to yell too loud and disturb other people's lunches.  What a day!

     Tonight, Nat and I met up at the mall with Laura and Paula and their daughters.  Been awhile since we've seen them.  Had the usual dinner at Panera followed by playtime in the play area. The girls were all cute holding hands and such.  I cannot believe they are all almost 3 years old...we've been hanging out since they were about 3 or 4 months old...amazing!  Laura is due with her second daughter any day now.  Paula is due with her third baby (she has 2 daughters and this one is a son) in October. 

 

Sept 19 ~ Had another prenatal exam today and we saw Dr. Wenzel.  They usually don't have a patient rotating to meet different doctors till later in the pregnancy, but knowing that I delivered early last time they want to start me early.  Next to my own doctor, I probably like Wenzel the best.  I learned I've gained maybe a total of 14 pounds so far with this pregnancy.  Also had my blood taken for the glucose and iron screening.

          In the evening we babysat Gabe Kroeger while his parents went on a date.  Steffany had called me up a few weeks ago wanting to know if I'd be interested in switching off babysitting again so we could go on dates with our husbands.  I gladly agreed, so we are going to try switching off every Tuesday night.  The kids got along okay...Gabe being a boy and being almost a year older than Nat is a little different.  He is not as interested in playing with her as she is in playing with him, so she gets upset about that. 

 

Sept 20 ~ Had our second meeting of Hearts In Touch for the year. I was worried because it was about 5 minutes before we were to start and there wasn't a soul at my table. Thoughts were just running through my head and I was discouraged.  Then it was kind of cool because I heard the song that was playing in the background that exact moment (we play music the first 20 minutes while the ladies get situated and converse)...the song was Breathe by Michael W. Smith.  This particular song has been one that I've been listening to a lot the past few months...so it really made me feel alot better about things.  Not to mention that within the next few minutes I had women flooding to my table and we ended up with a group of about 7 of us that day! Here is a link to the song if you are interested  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKHAfKsKbRw

 

And these are the majority of the lyrics :

 

Sept 21 ~ Ashley held a playgroup time at her home today.  Janna and Heather showed up with their little ones.  It was a good time for all!

          Well, Craig and Natalie left to go to Illinois for the weekend. I was a little sad to see them go, but so looking forward to the time alone!  There was so much I wanted to get done!  I spent almost the entire weekend putting photos in order and into albums.  Everyone thinks I am so organized...not true!  Yeah, I have all the photos and journals online, but that is the extent of it.  I had like almost 2 years of pictures that I needed to title and put in albums.  I didn't realize it was going to take up the entire weekend, but it did...good thing I didn't have to wait much longer!  I did manage to have some relaxation on Saturday night...I ordered Olive Garden takeout and watched a DVD at home. 

        Natalie and Daddy had a good time in Illinois while I was at home.  Michael came out for the weekend, so Nat was super excited to see him again.  Grandpa Essington had a retirement party at his workplace...he finally decided to retire! Craig played golf on Saturday for the Military Ministry Golf Tournament that my Uncle Jeff and cousin Nick put on each year. 

 

Sept 25 ~ Natalie and I met up with Laura Schafbuch and her daughter for the evening.  We started with dinner at New Pioneer Coop. They have such a wide variety of things to eat/drink at their deli. Then we went over to Coralville Library to see Beth Epley. She is a storyteller and guitar player...she told such detailed stories and was just fantastic.   

 

Sept 26 ~ Craig and I had date night tonight while Nat stayed at the Kroegers' home.  We had dinner over at House of Lords...cute romantic place.  It was such a great dinner and we got to talk and eat without interruption!

 

***Last minute news! :

        We've officially decided on the name for our new baby girl!  Sorry, can't tell you until the time has arrived :) 

        Also, my glucose screening came back and everything looks good...though my iron came back low so extra pills for me. ***