Big Girl Bed

That's our little "Big Girl" you see all sprawled out by her lonesome in her new big girl bed. About two weeks ago, Maribelle made the big move from a crib to a twin-size big girl bed, and she's been doing great ever since. We only had a few issues the first night with her popping in and out of bed before she feel asleep, but ever since, she's stayed put. And in fact, she still calls for us to get her out of bed in the morning like she did when she slept in her crib. I'm sure this won't last for long, but we're pretty happy with this new arrangement while it lasts.

Next on our list? That soggy diaper of hers you see fastened to her little bum. This Thursday is our hard and fast launch date for Project No More Diapers. I'm terrified, people. TERRIFIED. I have this fear of potty training and wish some magical fairy would swoop in and instantaneously teach Belle how to use the big potty and save me from all the accidents in between. I'm not looking forward to cleaning up pee and poo. I'm not looking forward to the extra laundry, and I'm not looking forward to the power struggles. But, we've gotta start sometime.

Somebody hold me.

33 weeks and Counting

It's hard to believe that I'm already 33 weeks into this pregnancy, and that last time, Belle was born about two weeks from this point. The doctors have been keeping a close eye on my progress, and at my appointment this morning, I found out I'm already 1 centimeter dilated. The doc wasn't worried though, because she said it's common for second-time moms to be dilated by this point. If I can juuuust get to 37 weeks, heck even 36 weeks, I'll be one happy camper.

Here are some updated 4D ultrasound pics from a growth scan I had at 31 weeks. The baby is measuring about a week ahead and was weighing over 4 pounds at the time of the scan, which puts the baby around 8 pounds at 40 weeks. Throughout most of the ultrasound, Baby M II had his/her hands covering his/her face, but this first picture was the perfect money shot that we got right at the end of the scan. The face looks a lot like Belle when she was first born, but everyone who sees these pics still thinks we're having a boy.

So on the home front, we're in full-on "prepare for baby" mode. We've been making small advances in the nursery, and I've been slowly washing baby items like sheets, diaper rags and clothes. And yes, my hospital bag is pretty much packed, as it was by this point when I was pregnant with Belle. Thank you, Type A personality. Overall I just feel big. And round. And full. And tight. And tired. Really, really tired. Which is why these belly shots are of me in my pajamas. It's how I would like to be dressed pretty much 24 hours a day.

Nursery Rhyming with Belles

We do lots of singing 'round these parts. Whether it's before naptime and bedtime, on our way to and from daycare, or just any old time of day, you'll catch Maribelle singing a tune, and we're usually right there singing along with her. While she enjoys making up her own songs about mundane things (she entertained Jeremy and me with an impromptu song about bleeding knees the other day. I'm not kidding. And? Her knees weren't even bleeding), she has quite a repertoire of nursery rhymes. At the moment she's stuck on the sequence of Yankee Doodle, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and the Itsy Bitsy Spider as a naptime/bedtime routine. But below you can catch a performance of some of her other favorites.

And yes, sometimes we like to sing without our pants on (and by "we" I mean "she").


Nursery rhyming with Belles from Gina Moorhead on Vimeo.