A few things to make you smile...

McDonald's anyone?  Just kidding...poor kid.  She has her favorite blankie stuffed down her pants.  Watching her walk was hilarious!

Have you ever been this tired?  I came home from the store today to see that Joslynn had fallen asleep on the floor.  You might be thinking, "What's so special about that?"  Well, this is the child that will avoid naps at all costs.  She has never napped anywhere other than daycare and home...she is very stubborn, so you can imagine my surprise when I came home.  As I walked up the stairs, Josh said, "You have to see this..."  I never suspected to see her sprawled out on the living room floor.  I had to get a picture!

'Ah, this is the life...'

Not a whole lot of explaining needed here.  It must be hard work being so cute.

Smilin'...sorta

I was trying my hardest to capture all of his cute little facial expressions and I seemed to have gotten a smile (sorta).  What a cutie!

Peek-a-boo!

Joslynn is fascinated with her new baby brother. Here, she is standing on her tippy-toes to peek into his basinet.  When he is in the crib, she always wants to reach in and touch him. Hopefully she will continue to like him as the years go on.

Holy COW! (literally)

Jackson had his 2 week check up appointment yesterday.  He has surpassed his birth-weight of 9 lbs 2 oz. with his cute little 10 lb. body.  He has also grown an inch since birth.  I was (pleasantly) shocked to see how much weight the little porker had gained (since Joslynn didn't reach birth-weight until she was 3 or 4 weeks old).  He certainly is a growing boy!  He'll be eating a porkchop-on-a-stick by State Fair time!

More blogging questions...

For someone who is 65-68% addicted to blogging, you would think that I would have this all figured out by now...but, I don't...so I'll ask my fellow addicts.

I started a school blog the other day, not much on it yet, but its started nonetheless.  I didn't want my "about me" section to say what it does on my school page like it does on my personal page and I can't figure out how to separate the two.  After I posted a comment on Kelli's page I felt like a total dork because it is listed as "Ms. Stewart says..."  So, if anyone can offer me the quick and easy solution to that one, I would greatly appreciate it!

65%...Sounds about right!

65%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Site

At first, I asked, is this test rigged? I ask that question because I took this quiz twice. The first time I took it, I came back with 68% addicted to blogging. I took it again, because immediately I said to myself, 'No way can I be more addicted than Andrea..." I certainly don't mean that in a bad way. So, upon thinking about my second test score, I realized that she is just super talented at the writing, pictures and little mini-quizzes and games that keep me so enthralled...and this is what keeps me 65-68% addicted to blogging! I love seeing what everyone, not just Andrea, comes up with! So I am raising my glass to my fellow 'blogger addicts'--thanks for getting me my "fix" each day.

Moon Walker

60%

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Sites

I don't know how good a D- is...although, for some of my students, they would be thrilled to get 60%. Isn't that sad?

What am I going to wear???????

So, for the past many months I have been wearing maternity clothes. For all of you fellow moms out there you know, as well as I do, that you don't just magically fit right back into your pre-pregnancy clothes the minute the baby is out, although that is every woman's secret wish.  

Since Jackson was born I have been sporting the same 3 pairs of stretchy, super-comfy yoga pants.  I have one black pair of Prauna's, one black pair of Nike's and one brown Target brand.  I have been doing some thinking about my near future and what I might be wearing in the next five weeks once I start workshops and school again.  As I sit in my super-comfy pants, I have no idea what I am going to wear!  I am certainly not going to fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes, since that was like 2 years ago!  I certainly can't wear my same 3 pairs of yoga pants every day...so what am I going to wear?  I've been thinking, and below are the four choices that I have come up with, whether I like them or not.  

1. I can buy new clothes that are larger sizes.  Problem:  That would be a lot of money and (what I would hope) a waste of money since I really want to fit back into my pre-pregnancy clothes--even though its been so long since I've worn them that they are probably out of style by now.
   
2. I can squeeze my 'badonkadonk butt' into my smaller clothes.  Problem:  I don't know if it would be physically possible, and I know that it would not look appropriate, nor be comfortable in the least.  I also might be sued by one of my students' families after my buttons pop off my clothes and poke out one of their eyes.
   
3. I can come to work sporting my yoga or sweat pants. Problem: That might get me fired for not looking like a professional.  We can't have that, since, I already look "too young to be a teacher" to one of my previous families...and that wasn't meant as a compliment.
   
4. I can starve myself to try to lose the weight.  Problem: I have never been, nor will I ever be the type of woman who lets her life be ruled by food.  I love it all too much to give it up even for one meal, let alone any more than that!  I hate scales, diets and counting calories...so this one probably won't work either.
   

If you can come up with a reasonable solution to my wardrobe dilemma, then please feel free to share your thoughts.

Ode to the stretch

I haven't been feeling as inspired in my blogging lately, so I've been trying to think of something interesting to write about.  

Well, I don't know how interesting this is, but I was inspired by my new little boy.  He LOVES to stretch!  He does the cute little moans and groans as he wiggles to get out of his blankets and even does the 'doggy-leg-shake'.  Every once in a while he'll do a little stretch and make some noise and it reminds me of how great it feels to stretch...and doesn't it always feel better when you make the stretching noises? 

Due to my inspiration, I have listed several reasons why you should take some time today, and every day, to do some stretching...

1. Increases flexibility
2. Improves circulation
3. Better posture
4. Helps prevent injury
5. Relieves stress--and according to Doctor Oz (from Oprah) relieving stress is the key to anti-aging! 
   

Happy stretching!

Green With Wiki Envy

My fellow blogging addicts are really making me look like a slacker during my "vacation" (as anyone who doesn't teach would call it).  I totally have 'wiki envy' of Holly, Kelli and Andrea... That should up my nerd score by like 20 points right there!

I keep telling myself that I have plenty of time to get curriculum planning done, although maybe I should install one of those cool countdown 'thingys' so that it motivates me a little bit more...

Table For Four Please...

Wow!  How is it that just 14 months ago we were responding to the host(ess) "Two" when they asked "How many?" at a restaurant.  Now, all of a sudden, when we do actually go out again, we will be saying, "Four!"  I have two babies, I can't believe it!

Joslynn is doing such a great job at being a big sister.  We make a big deal about it when she touches Jackson "gentle" and we clap and say, "good job!" and she smiles and claps for herself, feeling so proud.

Jackson started gaining weight back right away, so we were thrilled, since it was a struggle with Joslynn for about the first 3 weeks to a month.  He had gained back 5 ounces from the day of discharge (Saturday) to his check-up on Monday morning!  Is this a clue to what lies ahead? Food stamps?

He likes to stretch out...which is certainly no different from what he did when he was in my belly.  He makes the cute little groaning stretch noises as he does it and then resumes his leisurely position.  He has skinny little chicken legs which makes his feet look even longer.

He is quite the little snuggle pants.  Look at that little face!  He's such a sweetie; he already knows the sound of my voice.  I feel so loved!

Here is three generations of Stewart men; how handsome! More updates on the fam to follow...

It's A Boy!

Jackson Ryan Stewart finally decided to join us at 4:25 pm on Thursday July 10th.  He is a big boy with LOTS of hair.  He weighed 9 pounds 2 ounces and is 21 inches long.  He has very big feet with long toes!

As far as the delivery goes...he's here, so I'm happy.  He really wanted to stay in there!  I thought delivering babies was supposed to get easier as you had more, but I'm not thinking that right now...

All in all, he is adorable, healthy and we are thrilled to have a new little boy in the family!

Update

Well...the 'mind over matter' thing only worked enough to get me to 3cm.  A week ago, on my actual due date, I was at a 1-1.5cm...so maybe the "willing" worked a little bit.  So, here's what happened this morning...

My doctor went on vacation when I was at 39 weeks and finally returned.  When he got home and saw in his paperwork that I STILL had not delivered, they called me this morning and said they wanted to see me.  If I had made any "progress"  I wouldn't have to go in tonight to have my 'cervix ripened.'  Sounds like fun huh?  So, I am scheduled for induction at 5am Thursday.  Just wanted to keep you updated.  Hopefully the next post you read will be about an actual baby that is here...outside of the belly.  Wish me luck!

Mind Over Matter

Maybe....just maybe...If we get enough "willing" we can make this baby come before I have to be induced tomorrow night at 6pm.  If I would have known that I would end up being induced, I would have done it 2 weeks ago before my doc went on vacation!  Just think...right now, instead of reading this, you would be looking at cute little pictures of the new munchkin and you'd be secretly making fun of me for all of my sleep deprivation typos...

I can feel that the force is strong within all of you...If you want to help, send me all your thoughts and "willings" on the following things and we will make this baby appear!

1. Contractions...

2. Dilating...

3. More contractions, a little bit closer together...

4. More dilating...

5. More contractions, even though these hurt...

6. More dilating...

7. The really ouchy contractions that make you wonder why you ever had sex in the first place.

8. The urge to push...

And most importantly...

9. Small baby head size...

I'm putting my faith in the mind power of my fellow blogging addicts...we have 21 hours, (10.5 hours...updated 7:30am) we can do it!

Light-Weight Nerd

So, evidently I am not nerdy enough to actually get a score because I took the stupid test twice...and it never gave me a number score, but it gave me my percentages.  I always knew that I was a nerd...I am just surprised that my dumb/dork/awkward percentage isn't higher!

Blogging Questions...

Since I am still new to the blogging...I have a few questions for you veterans out there.

1. When I post a blog, it is reporting the time all crazy.  It is off by like three hours, and its not exactly 3 hours off either...If if is actually 9:21 PM, it will say that I posted at like 6:37 PM.  I don't get it??? I have been going in manually and changing it, although I had some issues with that too the other night.
2. I love the little 'cross-out' feature that I have seen used, especially by Andrea.  I looked everywhere for that option and can't find it!
3. Is there any special reason to put labels on your posts? Is that just a cataloging feature for the archives?

I guess that is all I have right now, but I am sure I will think of more as time goes on...

My "To Do" list is all crossed off...

I woke up this morning bound and determined that the baby was going to come today.  I know Grandpa John was placing his bets on today since it is the 7th and his birthday (and my dad's, actually) are on the 7th (of different months).  Joslynn went to daycare today so, in my attempt to induce labor, in a subtle way, I made a little 'to do' list of things to get done, hoping that the baby would come and my list would sit on the kitchen counter with nothing crossed off.  As I sit here blogging though, I realize that my list (below) is all crossed off, and I need to come up with a new one...

• Pick up toys...Our living room and family room downstairs usually look like a toy store got massive stomach cramps and threw up everywhere...all that bending and still, no baby...
• Vacuum...I vacuumed the entire house, including the foyer and downstairs...even the laundry room!  I have to tell you too...when I vacuum, I vacuum.  (I love my Dyson)...and still...nada...
  
• Clean bathroom...The toilet got some special attention because, of course, Joslynn gravitates to that the instant she walks in there...scrub, scrub, scrub and still, nothing...
  
• Re-pot plants...I had been putting off re-potting some house plants simply because I wasn't feeling very 'green-thumbish' lately, but I thought to myself, 'It's somethin' to do...' So I went outside in the humidity, hunched and bent over my, now beautiful, plants and still, you guessed it...no baby...

Since the physical activity wasn't working for me...I thought, 'Maybe doing as little as possible will set something into motion...'

• Check blogs...I read everyone else's blogs, but didn't post one of my own, because that would require mental work and I just didn't have it in me earlier...nope, nothing but the normal kicks...
  
• Watch House Hunters...Josh and I watched an episode together before he went to class...my back ached a little, so I got really excited, but didn't want to say anything...it just turned out to be a back ache...
  
• Read...I finally gave in yesterday and went to Barnes and Noble and bought the book that I wanted to read, even though the hardcover was expensive.  My hope was that as soon as I opened up to the first chapter that I would go into labor and my book would just have to wait; I am now on page 99...just a bunch more kickin' as I laid on the couch...
  

So, my list is all crossed off.  After I post this blog, I think I need to write up a new one...

The Waiting Game...

Sounds like a new game show doesn't it?

As I sit and wait around for this non-punctual baby to make its grand entrance, I am in need of things to distract me.  If I don't occupy myself somehow I start doing things like clean the top of the cabinets or start to re-design the layout of my living room furniture; trust me, there isn't a lot of room to work with, so I definitely need a diversion.  Everyone knows that when you are waiting for something, it always seems like an eternity before it actually happens.  A few examples that you may be able to relate to are: like waiting for Friday during that long week at work, like waiting for payday, like waiting for your food when you are starving, or like waiting to have a baby that you were counting on having 2 weeks ago...

Here are the things that I have tried thus far, and maybe why they haven't worked to keep my attention for long:

1. Clean, clean, clean...everyone knows that no matter how much you clean, the job is never done, especially with a 13 month old, my kitchen floor could be swept 17 times a day and it would still be dirty.

2. Shopping online...this is a problem because you know as well as I do that money doesn't grow on trees, especially in a yard that is owned by two teachers.  Also, when you do order online, you don't have the satisfaction of seeing your new purchase right there in front of you, so, again, you play the waiting game while you wait for it be come in the mail...

3. Planning my science curriculum...I have gone into school more in June this summer than I really wanted to, so I am just a little more than burned out, for the time being, on school stuff, and trying to get that stuff done at home is impossible because it's just more fun to play and be silly than to be serious and focused on work...

4. Read a book (for fun)...I can't remember the last time that I actually did that, but the book that I want to read, A Thousand Splendid Suns, is only in hardcover at the store and I don't really want to spend $26 on it, so that is out the window...

5. Bake homemade blueberry muffins...I did some baking a few days ago, and of course the muffins are all gone now, and it is too hot to do any more baking right now.

6. Watch TV...I have watched more TV in the past week or two than I did in the past year combined.  I watched a bunch of reality shows that I didn't even know existed: The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, Shear Genius, Tori & Dean, Denise Richards: Its Complicated, The Next Food Network Star...just to name a few.

7. Research food recipes...I did find a few new recipes, although that brings me back to #5 with the heat problem...

8. Take a nap...I rarely, if ever, take naps, and they can only last so long, and then you are back to waiting when you wake up.

9. Blogging...I started my blog as part of this waiting game, and I can only come up with so much to talk about when I have one thing on my brain and one large, kicking thing in my belly...

Any other "distraction" ideas are more than welcomed. 

OCD or "Nesting" ???

Yes, I'm still pregnant...so my topic tends to lean toward that nature.  I apologize for the lack of variety, but as I sit here with nothing better to do than to put off my science curriculum planning, I can't help but have these crazy blogging ideas pop in my head.  

I was cleaning today, as I have been for the past week or two, because I actually have time to do it (Joslynn was at daycare today).  I know that pregnant women go through that "nesting" period, but I can't tell if it is that or just my OCD that I talked about in my "Get to know me..." section.  I get in these cleaning frenzies and just hop from one task to another like the flight of the bumble bee.  So, if you care to read on, I'll let you decide if it is the Monica in me...(Andrea, you know what I'm talking about) or if it is the "nesting"...

Anyway, as I was crouched down vacuuming under the edge of the kitchen cabinets, where all those little crumbs tend to pile up, a vision flashed in my head from a great movie.  If anyone would have walked in and saw me doing what I was doing, they would probably agree that it reminded them of the scene from "There's Something About Mary" where Magda is hopped up on Speed and lifts up the couch with one arm and vacuums underneath it...only, subtract the Speed from my real-life version.  

As I continued in my vacuum frenzy, giving my Dyson a good workout, I got a little lazy and decided that it would be easier to suck up the crumbs from the kitchen table and food pieces in Joslynn's highchair rather than wipe them all up by hand. As I did so, it brought the vision of Goldie Hawn in "Overboard" as she used the vacuum cleaner to clean up the dinner table, and to top it off, she sucked up a banana peel...I didn't do that, but I think I sucked up a few pieces of graham cracker, some noodles and a piece of strawberry or two. 

I also cleaned the top of the cabinets (which Josh would probably scold me for) and then went on to organize my spice cupboard...what do you think, OCD or "nesting?"  I still can't tell...

Summer and its pregnancy alternatives...

So, my due date is 2 days away...

They always say that it's good to be able to laugh at yourself...so in my last days of this pregnancy I have done a lot of daydreaming about what I would/could be doing if I weren't pregnant, and then just chuckle to myself when I consider the alternative route that I take to make life bearable...

(daydreaming: harp music and the "wavy blur" happen now)

1. I would be sitting outside in a lawn chair, in a bikini, enjoying the sun's beautiful rays.

Alternative: Sitting inside like a hermit because I ran out of clothes that fit weeks, no, wait a minute, months ago...

2. I could be sitting inside of Joslynn's little play pool with her, keeping cool and enjoying the heat of summer.

Alternative: I grunt and groan to lower myself into a lawn chair beside her pool and just put my swollen feet in so I don't overflow the pool...

3. I could go for a run in the morning and even push Joslynn in the jogger with me...

Alternative:  I wave as she and Josh take off and then I lay on the couch for a quick cat nap...

4. I could shoplift watermelons at the supermarket...

Alternative: I actually got (teasingly) accused of doing so...

5. In the evening, I could sit out on our lawn swing with a nice cool, adult beverage and snuggle up with Josh...

Alternative: I fall asleep on the couch, spill my water (because it fell off the belly shelf) and Josh has to give me a push (or pull) to help me up...

6. I would go to a pool or beach and enjoy the water there...

Alternative: A cold shower...let's face it, I'll spare the world that terror.

7. I would go and get an actual pedicure, because Lord knows my feet need it...

Alternative: I attempted to give myself one, out of courtesy for the salon workers--honestly, it was like a Weeble Wobble reaching for its feet!

8.  I would go out for an afternoon/evening walk...

Alternative: I think I'll stay inside with my feet up and blog...

Ahh...life's little miracles...