I found a great article in the NY Times about exercise and bedrest (see the link to read the complete article). The article addressed the complications faced by women on pregnancy bedrest. They said detrioration can start within 48 hours. The toll that it takes on a women’s body can be pretty devasting. They recommended seeing a physical therapist that specializes in pregnancy. The article also outlined specific exercises that could be performed while on bedrest.
We’re going through a favorite words and phrases phase. Izzy cracks me up with her favorite word - “chemical”. It amazes me how often (and easily) a 2 year old can use the word “chemical” in conversation. Izzy anunciates the word in a very distinct way so that you can hear each sound each letter makes. Why she loves this word - I have no idea. Maybe because she knows that she is suppose to stay away from anything mommy calls a chemical and that just makes it all that more intriguing.
Zoe is into using a couple phrases over and over - “that’s okay” & “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” Apparhently, I say these things quite a bit - because she usually says them to me to help reassure me or point out a mini crisis situation.
Katie’s favorite words and phases change by the day. Right now - she’s into imitating the sound of a newborn cry. She heard a newborn cry the other day and was able to replicate it perfectly. She cracked me up - so she’s been throwing it in throughout the day.
Ben is involved in daily adventures in his fantasy world. He runs through the house talking out load telling stories - having some wonderful adventures. His main character is a person named Allison. He always says her name first before going into his fantasy world. I spoke with his dr. about this. She seems to think that this is a very healthy escape for him ( away from his sisters and something that is uniquely his). I must say that he is very creative. He acts out different scenes and has the characters learn new words. He sometimes incorporates stories he’s read into his play other times it’s just very random adventures. He gets pretty lost in his world - he doesn’t hear or see things that are going on around him (the other day his sisters were running back and forth behind him as he acted out an adventure - he never noticed). Part of me knows it’s a healthy outlet and part of me feel very bad that he had to create a fantasy world. Ah, mother’s guilt - it gets you all the time. I do feel very guilty that his activities are limited by our family dynamic.
It’s amazing to me the extent to which gender traits are innate. Obviously, there a people that fall at different places on the spectrum of what is considered boy traits and what are considered girl traits. Despite efforts to keep things gender neutral and not sway kids toward gender dominated activities/toys, children are just drawn toward the toys that are marketed toward their gender.
I was playing dinosaurs with Ben - of course they were wrestling and having a great dino battle. After the match was over, Katie pick up the dinosaurs and pretended that one was the mommy and one was the baby. Yesterday we all were playing downstairs. Ben was playing with his Rescue Hereos when Zoe came over to apply pretend makeup to the action figures. Of course, she had them looking fabulous for their next rescue mission.
It is truely amazing. The girls can be occupied by just crushing their hair and trying out different hair accessories. Ben could care less if his hair was ever brushed.
Of course, they do all play together. They all love playing store. However, the girls spend quite a bit of time getting their babies ready to go shopping. Ben is more interested in making sure they have money before they come to his store (If he is cashier).
It’s just like the old saying “boys will be boys” and (I would like to add) “girls will be girls”.
The Gentle Nest reached it’s one year anniversary a month ago. We’ve seen many changes and growth over the past year. One of the biggest changes in the past few months in the expansion into both nursing and baby products. Nursing and baby products is a nature fit and keeps within the nurturing/comforting tone of the store.
The website has also been tweaked to enhance it’s user friendliness. Now, the user can click on the products tab and a drop down menu will appear. There is now the option to see all the products we offer at one time.
We have also added additional articiles to the site to help make selecting products easier, including: “How to Choose a Pregnancy Pillow” and “How to Select a Maternity Support Belt”.
A customer satisfaction survey went out to all the customers from 2007. The responses were extremely positive and provided some great suggestions to improve the site. Some of the feedback has already been translated into enhancements on the site.
As we move into our second year of business, we will continue to focus on providing quality maternity pregnancy products while offering great nursing and baby products.
Yes, it’s been a couple months since my last post. Sometimes something just has to give a little. It’s always a balancing act.
Here’s a brief re-cap of what has been happening over the last couple of months:
Two steps forward - Ten steps back
The girls were making great progress with their potty training - going on the potty several times a day and never having a dirty diaper. Well, I blame myself for this - we’ve definitely regressed. We use the potty about 1-2 times a day and usually just to prolong the time up before nap or bedtime. I was staying on top of them making sure they were going on the potty and things got a little bit crazy and well I slacked and here we are. They still are interested - so all is not lost.
Well, it had looked like we are going to lose our nap. They were skipping about 2-3 naps a week. For some reason in the past week - we have napped every day. I’m keeping my finders crossed. So, we might be able to hold onto naps for a bit longer than I anticipated. Ben gave up napping right when he turned 2 yrs. old. So, I won’t be completely shocked if this would happen for the girls. It’s definitely hard to keep up with things (house, blog, etc.) when it’s a no nap day. Well, to be honest it’s hard to keep up with the nap.
Ben started 4 yr. old preschool a couple weeks ago. As he told me last night, it’s hard getting use to a new classroom and new teachers. He seems to enjoy it. I really don’t receive much feedback from him. Sometimes I feel like I’m flashforwarding into his teenage years. “What did you do today?” “I don’t know.” “Who did you play with?” “I don’t know” After talking with other preschool boy moms - I guess this is pretty typical responses - must be a male thing. The details don’t really matter.
Ben also started golf and ice skating. We over did it a bit this fall with the schedule. He says he wants to play hockey - so if he’s serious he needs to learn to skate first. Honestly, I’m surprised he actually went out on the ice. He’s such a cautious child and leary about trying new things. After I told him I signed him up (he asked me to sign him up), he cried about it and said that he changed his mind. Well - he absolutely loved skating. Last week, he fell on the ice and got a pretty big golf ball size thump on the forehead. The instructors couldn’t get him off the ice. He wanted to finish the game they were playing.
The girls have said they want to take dance lessons. But - at this age - they’re just too young.
The girls will be starting a parent’s day out program in 2 weeks from today. They’re looking forward to “Baby School” and so am I. A part of me feel guilty for putting them in a program - but the other part of me knows that this is probably the best thing I could do for all of us. I desparately need a break. Not just the run out to the store for a half hour break - a few hours to myself just to catch up on all the house projects I haven’t been able to touch for the past few years. A happy mom is a happy child. Well - this mom could use a little more happiness. I’ve filled my plate a little too full and haven’t been able to do it all. I need to be able to take a few things off my plate - so that I can be more present when I am with my children.
(It’s been a hard week. We had a death in the family on Tuesday. So, if the overall tone of this email is a little down that is why. I’ve been going through the whole range of emotions from guilt (not seeing her more in the past few years) to deep saddness.)