Week in Review

It has been a whirlwind week as we welcomed our newest Bean to the family. Here are some of my favorite photos of the last 7 days! Enjoy!

Ready to go to the hospital. 40 weeks on the dot.
Photo by Mr. Bean

Mr. Bean waiting for the action to begin.
Photo by Mandie

String Bean meets her little sister for the first time!
Photo by Mr. Bean

String Bean ready and waiting to give Dad the diaper. A very willing assistant.
Photo by Mandie

Sisters!
Photo by Mr. Bean

She's Here!

The newest member of the Bean family arrived at 8:02 am today. She's got a very long tongue, dimples, long toes and hair! I am waiting for Mr. Bean to return from her bath so I can cuddle her a bit more.

7 pounds, 15 ounces
20 inches long

This makes her smaller than String Bean. We'll see if the trend of high metabolism continues with this one!

Photo by Dr. Said the anesthesiologist

May 3 - D Day

Delivery day has been moved up to May 3. Conflict with the hospital on getting the OR.

Let the countdown begin!

Two More Weeks

Ooh-Ah is scheduled to be evicted from her uterine utopia on May 4. If she comes earlier, that's OK, but there will be no more of the easy life come 7:30 am on the 4th!

String Bean is getting excited!

The Joys

Anyone who has ever had the joy of carrying a child knows that pregnancy is not all kicks and glowing. Today I am enjoying the joy of the sciatica pain. In addition to that I've learned I am anemic (which explains my exhaustion as of late).

It is fun, however, to watch String Bean talk to and about Ooh-Ah. "Night, night, Ooh-Ah!" and "Ooh-Ah crib," among other things are often said at our house.

I do realize, however, that my pregnancies have been so much easier than many of my friends' pregnancies. Morning sickness? Nearly non-existent. Except for the sciatica, nearly no pain at all.

It is more difficult to be pregnant when you have a toddler who insists on being carried.

It's a...

We found out (for certain) yesterday that the new addition to the Bean family will be a girl! String Bean is warming up to the idea that she's not getting a brother. We asked her yesterday what she thought we should name this baby and after a thoughtful pause she replied, "Oo-Ah-Ah-Ah!"

We considered Oo-Ah-Ah-Ah and suggested that perhaps we should just name this baby "Mildred Gertrude" and did String Bean like that name? Without hesitation, she said, "YES!"

The jury is still out, but we are open to suggestions. After all, this child gets a legal name and a blog name. Oh, the possibilities!

Working (from Home)

At work we have an inspection coming up on Friday. Nothing like a deadline to light a fire under your butt and get you moving. I'm going to be putting in some extra hours this week in preparation for it.

As a stay-at-home mom, deadlines and other work issues aren't quite the same...

• Rushing to finish a project happens when you hear the baby waking up from the nap and you aren't quite finished with whatever you planned to do during nap time.
• You hear your "boss" having problems with a "project" and you race into the bathroom to clean up the mess before it gets worse.
• Getting to an important appointment on time is a great day. Getting there a few minutes late is par for the course and getting there early is virtually unheard of.
• When your "boss" makes you redo something it usually was done correctly the first time such as the laundry, the carpets...you get the idea.
• Dressing for success equals clean clothes that are preferably stain-free.
• Your boss calling you at home in the middle of the night is typical.
  
• It is pretty easy to leave your work worries at work since you rarely leave work anyway.
  

Re-Discovery

String Bean at 21 months enjoying her baby swing.
Photo by Mr. Bean

A friend needed to borrow our baby things while her grandson visited. String Bean rediscovered her baby swing. This is pure joy.

Items of Clothing for String Bean and Cashew

I was browsing the online stores this evening and found several items that fall into the category of "oh, too cute" that String Bean and Cashew would rock on the runway. I don't think either of our models need these clothes (nevermind the expense), but they are sure fun to look at.

The descriptions on these items of clothing are taken directly from the online stores:

Your grandmother's coat, reproduced for your little glamour girl. Super soft faux-fur is so fun for her to wear over everything from sweet dresses to funky jeans and tees.

Found at Old Navy for $36.50.




Skip to the chocolate shop in sweetly giftable looks full of playful polka dots. Rich and seasonal colors will look so cute on your little girl with our bodysuit, jumper and head-to-toe matching accessories.

Found at Gymboree for $95.00 for the entire collection.






Fun lined rainboots that you don't have to save for a rainy day. Great for playing outside or helping out in the garden.

Found at Belly Dance Baby for $29.00





Shabby Baby "Aviary"

Brown and pink floral and bird print little girl's dress. It is a long sleeve empire waist dress with a pleated skirt and a square neckline. Snap button closure at the back of the neck.

Found at Kitsel for $52.00






Soft pink hat with picot edge trim and pink and white knitted flower.

This reminds me of a flapper's hat from the 20s!

Found at Etsy for $23.00

(If you have yet to discover the joy of Etsy, I encourage you to try it out by visiting my friend Whitney's shop!)




Because AV club, jazz band, and hanging with the exchange students was way cooler than anyone ever knew. Rock this cool design on a baby tee or one-piece. Knock the baby shower circle out of their cake-and-ice-cream coma with this crowd-pleasing gift.

Found at Baby Wit for $21.00.



I could probably surf the web and post more items to add to Cashew and String Bean's fashion extravaganza, but I'll leave it at these choice items. Chuckle with me at the thought!

A Historical Day

For my birthday this year, my sister sent me a book. It is a book about things that happened in history on your birthday. I found this entry to be intersting:

October 13, 1912
To increase the population, the government of Australia announces it will pay a $25 bonus to couples who are citizens and have a baby.

This is an interesting concept. I wonder what would happen if something similar happened in America today. How much is that same $25 worth today? I did a quick Google search and came up with this. According to measuringworth.com,

Current data is only available till 2007. In 2007, $25.00 from 1912 is worth:

	$551.44	using the Consumer Price Index
	$409.38	using the GDP deflator
	$1,155.96	using the value of consumer bundle *
	$2,390.35	using the unskilled wage *
	$2,913.97	using the nominal GDP per capita
	$9,233.48	using the relative share of GDP
* The 2007 data for unskilled wage and consumer bundle are estimated and will be adjusted when official data become available.

I had a baby last year. I could have used that money!

On Becoming a Mom

Everyone has heard the clichés about motherhood:

• My whole world has changed.
• Once you see that baby, nothing else matters.
• You’ll never knew you could love someone so much you just met.

With my baby now approaching her first birthday, I feel like I’ve got some “motherhood” experience under my belt and with authority I can tell you--all the clichés are true.

My whole world has changed. Who would have ever thought I’d care about how snug the straps on the car seat are with each and every trip? Where did I lose my ability to sleep in with ease on days I am not working and replace it with an uncanny ability to provide excellent nutrition to those in my household? (Well, not for me, but for my kid!) Where did I become the official “safety inspector” in each and every situation where my precious child ventured? Why do I suddenly get brave in a room full of strangers who have their eyes on me--oh, their eyes are on my baby! Even better! Somewhere in the last year, I have lost parts of the “me” I knew and replaced it with this cliché you call “Mom.”

Once you see that baby, nothing else matters. It is 3 am. My dear, sweet husband who is a much lighter sleeper than I am brings me a screaming, and apparently starving, baby. I wake up, sit up, latch this starving little child on and breastfeed. I’ve done this countless times today. I’ve multi-tasked while doing it. My e-mail is always returned on time. My TV shows are not missed. The phone rings, I talk. I used to prize my sleep above all else. On many days, I still do. But somehow I find myself looking at this baby, who has just interrupted my sleep, contentedly eating a meal. She looks up at me, grins, and goes back to her meal. It is as if the entire world has stopped and it is just she and I sitting there in my bed sharing a special moment. Nothing else matters.

You never knew you could love someone so much you just met. I learned the reality of this cliché before we left the hospital. String Bean had a problem digesting and did what most babies do--she spit up. Not only did she spit up, but with such force that the spit up went into her sinus cavity. I was holding her at the time and felt completely helpless watching this 2 day old baby turn purple as she was unable to breathe on her own. My heart sunk in my chest, I screamed at my dear husband to call the nurse for the love of my life (sorry husband you’ve been replaced) was not breathing! Don’t worry. The nurse took care of business and I later learned that babies do this a lot and it’s nothing to get all worked up over. Easy for you to say crazy pediatrician! I am a new mom! I have pregnancy and post partum hormones racing through my system. This little helpless, defenseless baby that I have completely fallen head-over-heels for has only me, ME! to help her, guide her, love her. I mean, my husband is there, too, but give me a break--like I said, hormones.

God truly gave us a gift when he gave us motherhood. Children are a blessing. Shame on me for forgetting that God gave me this special blessing. Shame on me for getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of life and not enjoying this little life to the fullest.