Here it is folks, my birth plan.
1) Have a healthy baby.
2) Avoid Pitocin, if possible.
There won't be aromatherapy, hypnobabies, massage therapists, soothing music, etc. I am just going to have a baby. That's it. I am jaded enough to realize that quite frankly, birthing children is messy and none of these things is probably going to make me feel better about pushing a giant baby head out of my lady parts - but at the same time experienced enough to know that roughly two years after the messy stuff, things actually get pretty good and you have an awesome little human being that truly loves you unconditionally even when you drop her off at 7:30 a.m., pick her up at 6:00 p.m., and then leave her with a sitter at 6:20 p.m., crying so hard she throws up.
I released all my illusions of the beautiful birthing experience about three contractions in after being induced nearly three years ago. I am prepared. It will hurt. Probably a lot. But if all goes well, I'll get a baby out of it and several months or maybe even years later it will all be worth it. Oh and the other thing that will probably keep me going is that, THIS IS THE LAST BABY I AM EVER GOING TO HAVE.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Sunday, July 28, 2013
almost there
Gus thought it was a good idea to leave his 29 week pregnant wife alone with a rambunctious toddler for four days. Needless to say, I wasn't particularly pleased. I am huge, uncomfortable, waddling around, exhausted, and suffering from third tri insomnia. As much as I wanted to make it a fun mommy/daughter weekend, I was definitely dreading an entire weekend by myself in my current state. With some strategically planned activities including one of Little Miss J's (and my) favorite past times ... shopping! we seem to have managed. As I type this, I've got one morning and one bedtime left before Gus returns to his regularly scheduled father/husband duties.
On school/work days we let, Little Miss J watch one TV show so Gus and I can get ready. She, unfortunately, hasn't quite mastered the difference between weekday and weekend. On Saturday, after one television show, I was more than willing to let her watch some more to pass the time until gymnastics. But she got off the couch and dutifully turned off the television announcing that she was ready for school. Instead we took a walk to the local crepe place for some breakfast at 7:00 a.m. By the time we got back home, we still had about a half hour to kill before gymnastics but Little Miss J was ready so we went to the gym early. I managed to get a 20 minute nap out of her on the way home from gymnastics, but trying to extricate her from the carseat in my hugely pregnant state resulted in her waking up ... not to sleep again until bedtime that night. Instead, we headed to the pool. Lately, it's been Gus that has done most of the swimming, while I float around and laying on a pool chaise. Saturday, I did all the activities. Carried her through the water. Caught her as she jumped off the edge of the pool, while carefully trying to prevent toddler kicks to the baby bump (sorry Baby Wang II). We managed to get her to bed by 7:00 p.m. on Saturday night given the lack of napping.
Sunday morning, I awake to her yelling for Appah. When I went in there, she said, "I was calling Appah, not you." Tough luck, kid. It's Umma or nothing. Today's activities were a trip to Target and Barnes & Noble, where my little diva put on a show.
After the world's second shortest nap, we got dressed up and headed for a mommy/daughter photo shoot (photos to come). After photos, we managed some shopping where Little Miss J made out like quite the little bandit. I managed to get through the remainder of Sunday evening with the aid of an iPad and Facetime. Thank you Steve Jobs. Little Miss J insisted on carrying around my phone saying, "I hold Appah," and giving him a fashion show of her new clothes and a concert with her new microphone. She is now safely asleep, and I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
On school/work days we let, Little Miss J watch one TV show so Gus and I can get ready. She, unfortunately, hasn't quite mastered the difference between weekday and weekend. On Saturday, after one television show, I was more than willing to let her watch some more to pass the time until gymnastics. But she got off the couch and dutifully turned off the television announcing that she was ready for school. Instead we took a walk to the local crepe place for some breakfast at 7:00 a.m. By the time we got back home, we still had about a half hour to kill before gymnastics but Little Miss J was ready so we went to the gym early. I managed to get a 20 minute nap out of her on the way home from gymnastics, but trying to extricate her from the carseat in my hugely pregnant state resulted in her waking up ... not to sleep again until bedtime that night. Instead, we headed to the pool. Lately, it's been Gus that has done most of the swimming, while I float around and laying on a pool chaise. Saturday, I did all the activities. Carried her through the water. Caught her as she jumped off the edge of the pool, while carefully trying to prevent toddler kicks to the baby bump (sorry Baby Wang II). We managed to get her to bed by 7:00 p.m. on Saturday night given the lack of napping.
Sunday morning, I awake to her yelling for Appah. When I went in there, she said, "I was calling Appah, not you." Tough luck, kid. It's Umma or nothing. Today's activities were a trip to Target and Barnes & Noble, where my little diva put on a show.
After the world's second shortest nap, we got dressed up and headed for a mommy/daughter photo shoot (photos to come). After photos, we managed some shopping where Little Miss J made out like quite the little bandit. I managed to get through the remainder of Sunday evening with the aid of an iPad and Facetime. Thank you Steve Jobs. Little Miss J insisted on carrying around my phone saying, "I hold Appah," and giving him a fashion show of her new clothes and a concert with her new microphone. She is now safely asleep, and I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Friday, July 19, 2013
ch-ch-changes
Gus hit the nail on the head when he said I didn't like change, and despite not liking change, we've lived in three states in three years and had about as many jobs. Nevertheless, we have perservered. The newest change on the horizon is Baby Wang Chung II, and of course I am freaking out. Perhaps a bit less than with Little Miss J because now I have first hand experience that children don't, in fact, ruin your life. They definitely make life more messy, both literally and figuratively, which is definitely not my favorite either but for some reason kid snot is OK when it's your adorable toddler, who after handing you her booger will then give you a hug and tell you she loves you.
2.5 years ago, as much as I wanted a kid, I was terrified that it would ruin my life. I like to sleep. A lot. (I also like vacation and happy hour A LOT) The thought of waking up in the middle of the night to feed, change, comfort anything was really unappealing and yet, here I am doing it 2.5 years later. But we seem to finally have come to some sort of arrangement where we are all getting more or less enough sleep. The thought of disrupting this precarious balance with a new baby scares me.
Another thing is that Gus and I have put so much effort into teaching Little Miss J manners, right vs wrong, potty training, setting limits, etc. I think we're doing a pretty good job so far, but it is HARD. Leaving a restaurant in the middle of a meal or leaving Target with a cart full of items because she is acting up, is not my favorite thing in the world - in case you were wondering. Waiting out the screaming that follows us saying "no" to something or another requires a whole other level of Seinfeld's "serenity now." The number of times I have had to say, "we poopy in the potty and not in our pants," makes me sound like a broken record. To be honest, I'm not sure I have the energy or the resolve to do it all over again. Baby Wang Chung II may be getting M&Ms for breakfast, you never know.
Yesterday, I told Gus that I was OK if Baby Wang Chung II is a dud because Little Miss J seems to be turning out really well and at least I will have one smart, relatively well-behaved child. Of course, he knows that this is just the me that hates change talking. He knows (and somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind), I also know that everything will be fine. A second child will not ruin our lives. We will adjust to being a family of four. It will take some time and I can pretty much 100% guarantee there will be some tears involved and perhaps some drugs needed but it will come. I'm really relying on those hormones to renew my sense of energy because it's time to buckle up. I have a feeling this is going to be a wild ride.
2.5 years ago, as much as I wanted a kid, I was terrified that it would ruin my life. I like to sleep. A lot. (I also like vacation and happy hour A LOT) The thought of waking up in the middle of the night to feed, change, comfort anything was really unappealing and yet, here I am doing it 2.5 years later. But we seem to finally have come to some sort of arrangement where we are all getting more or less enough sleep. The thought of disrupting this precarious balance with a new baby scares me.
Another thing is that Gus and I have put so much effort into teaching Little Miss J manners, right vs wrong, potty training, setting limits, etc. I think we're doing a pretty good job so far, but it is HARD. Leaving a restaurant in the middle of a meal or leaving Target with a cart full of items because she is acting up, is not my favorite thing in the world - in case you were wondering. Waiting out the screaming that follows us saying "no" to something or another requires a whole other level of Seinfeld's "serenity now." The number of times I have had to say, "we poopy in the potty and not in our pants," makes me sound like a broken record. To be honest, I'm not sure I have the energy or the resolve to do it all over again. Baby Wang Chung II may be getting M&Ms for breakfast, you never know.
Yesterday, I told Gus that I was OK if Baby Wang Chung II is a dud because Little Miss J seems to be turning out really well and at least I will have one smart, relatively well-behaved child. Of course, he knows that this is just the me that hates change talking. He knows (and somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind), I also know that everything will be fine. A second child will not ruin our lives. We will adjust to being a family of four. It will take some time and I can pretty much 100% guarantee there will be some tears involved and perhaps some drugs needed but it will come. I'm really relying on those hormones to renew my sense of energy because it's time to buckle up. I have a feeling this is going to be a wild ride.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
make new friends
But keep the old. These ladies are some of my closest childhood friends, and I am so happy that we are all still in one another's lives in some manner. From memorizing all the songs to our favorite musicals to bursting in a fit of giggles at the most inappropriate times, and of course we can't forget the Chinese fire drills and the "honk if you're single signs" on many a road trips. Together we have made some great memories. We have become a diverse group of women with very different lives, and yet we remain supportive of each other and always have fun when we are together - which isn't as often as we would like! xoxo
 |
| These ladies will always have a special place in my heart! |
Monday, July 15, 2013
day trippin'
Due to my inability to correctly read a website, we ended up with a membership to the California Academy of Science, which to be honest I can't really complain about. It's a pretty cool museum, and having a membership means we will definitely make the trip to San Francisco more often.
Sunday we packed up and headed to San Francisco. We got to the museum just in time for the penguin feeding and watched the penguins zip around underwater. After which we did a much quicker than last time, walk through the aquarium and rainforest.
Then we headed to Fisherman's Wharf for some lunch.
A quick trip to Ghiradelli Square for some free chocolate. It was too cold for ice cream and maybe I would have gotten a hot chocolate, but the lines were really long.
Little Miss J and I were worn out and napped the entire way back to Sacramento where it was 97 degrees versus the 65 degrees in San Francisco.
Sunday we packed up and headed to San Francisco. We got to the museum just in time for the penguin feeding and watched the penguins zip around underwater. After which we did a much quicker than last time, walk through the aquarium and rainforest.
Then we headed to Fisherman's Wharf for some lunch.
 |
| Crab. Little Miss J's favorite. |
Little Miss J and I were worn out and napped the entire way back to Sacramento where it was 97 degrees versus the 65 degrees in San Francisco.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
chunglund summer vacation
Here's what we did on our summer vacation -
Boat rides
Fed Papa Roger's fish
Enjoyed some quality family time
Swimming, swimming and more swimming
Nightswimming and bonfires
Played with new friends
Fun overload at MOA
Boat rides
Fed Papa Roger's fish
Enjoyed some quality family time
 |
| At Sparta Beach, J said "Umma, this pool is dirty." |
 |
| how many Koreans fit in a floatie? |
 |
| one for the money |
 |
| simon says |
Fun overload at MOA
 |
| by the end of the roller coaster ride she had her hands in the air yelling "whee!" |
Monday, July 8, 2013
it's independence day!
Ever since our departure from the Midwest, we've made the pilgrimage back to Minnesota to spend the week of July 4th with my parents. Every year it is a lot of fun, but I think with Little Miss J being a bit older this year has been the best so far. Little Miss J had so much fun swimming, playing with cousins, and getting spoiled by Grandma and Papa.
One of the highlights was the 4th of July festivities in good old Tower, Minnesota. The population of this town seems to more than triple on this holiday. Folks line their chairs up along the Main Street the night before to claim their parade watching spot. For the past several years, Grandma Amy has put together either kiddie floats for the little ones or bigger floats for the entire family that require participation from the whole family. This year was no exception, and our Little Miss J's float won "Simply the Best" for the kiddie parade. I had to ask Gus if it was because it was really the best float or if Little Miss J was just the cutest kid, but he said it really was the best looking float. I am certain, however, that the little cutie dressed in a sailor costume didn't hurt the cause any.
By the time the actual parade rolled around, Little Miss J was tired of the hat and didn't want to walk. Gus pushed her in the stroller and she painstakingly threw out one piece of candy about every three feet as she went down Main Street. Dave was relegated to pulling the wagon.
With the invaluable help of her big cousin, Lilly, and a few other nice strangers, Little Miss J collected a bag full of candy. Thankfully, since then she hasn't even asked about the parade candy so Gus and I have been eating our way through it.
After the parade, it was time for the sawdust scramble, which for those of you that have never experienced one - it's a big pile of sawdust that they hide coins in and the kids dig for money. My boss looked at me funny when I explained it to him this morning, and Gus had never heard of it until he met me so perhaps it's a Minnesota thing. This is the first year Little Miss J has been awake and friendly enough to participate. Of course, being the little princess that she is, she wasn't all that interested in getting messy.
She also participated in the races for the first time, running with the 2 and 3 year olds.
Then we headed back to the lake for a much needed swim!
Papa Roger had gone back several hours earlier to start prepping his annual fireworks display. Little Miss J didn't really like the loud noise this year. She preferred the ones that stayed on the ground.
Happy 4th of July from the Chunglunds!
One of the highlights was the 4th of July festivities in good old Tower, Minnesota. The population of this town seems to more than triple on this holiday. Folks line their chairs up along the Main Street the night before to claim their parade watching spot. For the past several years, Grandma Amy has put together either kiddie floats for the little ones or bigger floats for the entire family that require participation from the whole family. This year was no exception, and our Little Miss J's float won "Simply the Best" for the kiddie parade. I had to ask Gus if it was because it was really the best float or if Little Miss J was just the cutest kid, but he said it really was the best looking float. I am certain, however, that the little cutie dressed in a sailor costume didn't hurt the cause any.
By the time the actual parade rolled around, Little Miss J was tired of the hat and didn't want to walk. Gus pushed her in the stroller and she painstakingly threw out one piece of candy about every three feet as she went down Main Street. Dave was relegated to pulling the wagon.
With the invaluable help of her big cousin, Lilly, and a few other nice strangers, Little Miss J collected a bag full of candy. Thankfully, since then she hasn't even asked about the parade candy so Gus and I have been eating our way through it.
After the parade, it was time for the sawdust scramble, which for those of you that have never experienced one - it's a big pile of sawdust that they hide coins in and the kids dig for money. My boss looked at me funny when I explained it to him this morning, and Gus had never heard of it until he met me so perhaps it's a Minnesota thing. This is the first year Little Miss J has been awake and friendly enough to participate. Of course, being the little princess that she is, she wasn't all that interested in getting messy.
She also participated in the races for the first time, running with the 2 and 3 year olds.
Then we headed back to the lake for a much needed swim!
Papa Roger had gone back several hours earlier to start prepping his annual fireworks display. Little Miss J didn't really like the loud noise this year. She preferred the ones that stayed on the ground.
 |
someone couldn't wait until dark  |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)