Broken Record

I feel like all I am lately is a broken record. All I can talk about or even think about is pregnancy, giving birth, and breastfeeding. Whenever I am around my friends and family, I find myself going over the same topics over and over again. I am sure that people have other things they want to say or different have subjects that we could talk about.

Of course now everyone's favorite subject is "When are you having this baby?", but that doesn't last very long because it could be any day now for 2 weeks or more and then what do you say after that? Especially as I am one of those folks who isn't going to have any kind of medical interventions to get things speeding along. It is scientifically proven that the baby is the one sending out the signals that get labor started. So why would I mess with something that, for me, happens when its supposed to happen, that is when the baby is actually ready to be born? Just because I'm uncomfortable and aren't sleeping well doesn't mean that I'm going to force the baby to come when its not time yet. Being a parent is about making sacrifices for your kids and that definitely starts before they are even born.

Look, there I go again. *sigh*

No longer owned by the Government

Today I received my Honorable Discharge papers from the Air Force Reserves. Which means that I cannot be called up by the military any more. Not that I think anything monumental would happen to the United States where we would declare war and be needing whole bunches of troops to go to battle. Still its nice to know that I'm "safe". I don't have to worry about leaving my family for any reason. Not that they would want me anyway. We had to recertify every 2 years on the M-16 and they described my classification as "If we give you a gun things are looking very hopeless". I am grateful for the experiences that I received during my enlistment. I am also grateful to put that part of my life very much in the past. So Goodbye Government! You no longer own me :)

Waiting

So I'm not a very avid blogger if you haven't already noticed but I was trying to update at the very least once a month.

I totally failed last month. 

Oh well. I guess its because not much has been going on except for the normal daily grind and the Waiting. I have felt like everyday during this pregnancy has just creeped along. When I look back I'm almost tempted to think that things are moving right along, but everyday just seems like it takes forever to get through. Like I'm plodding through mud or swimming upstream (that one really doesn't work for me cause I don't swim), or how about like I'm going up the down escalator.

This baby is so much more active that Kaleb ever was and while that was cute and sweet and made me think about how different these siblings are going to be, now it is just painful because there really isn't much room anymore. I'm 33 weeks. All the pregnancy newsletters and books said that the baby would start to slow down with movements because quarters are getting cramped. Has that happened at all? NO! When I think about the baby during the active times, I'm so happy and aww how cute, but as far as how it feels I wish this kid would stop moving! So many uncomfortable moments that sometimes turn into pain. And pregnancy is supposed to last about 40 weeks.

So on one had I'm thinking grow baby and stay in there until you are ready to face the world and on the other I'm like come out now! I'm physically so ready to have this kid and sometimes I get frustrated about the time left. Especially since this is taking so long.

Oh well.

The Zoo

I was looking over my blog and seeing that I only really post about once a month. I do have more going on in my life than that, I just can't seem to write about it.

For example on Saturday of Labor Day weekend, we (the Barker clan minus the Marshall's) went down to Birmingham to the zoo. I love zoos. I have no idea why but was very excited to go. Kaleb just loves animals and I figured he was just about old enough to pay attention. I was a little disappointed cause they were working on a new African area and there weren't any elephants and if you didn't get to the giraffe feeding event you could only see them from a really long way off. I don't remember camels either but that was at the end of it so I was pretty tired by then.

Kaleb had so much fun looking at all the animals. They had to be moving around of course or else he had no idea what was so fascinating about staring at plants. The best part for him I think was the flamingos. They had an area so you could hand feed them with a fence only about 3 feet high (don't quote me on that) and of course the flamingos were taller and were all over the place looking for hand outs. Nick sat Kaleb on the fence and one of them came over to see if he had and food and he tried to poke it in the eye and it then tried to see if his feet had food so he tried to poke it in the eye again. It was so funny to watch and I loved taking pictures of it.

(Nick is a perfectionist so I don't have any "worthy" pictures yet)

Then they had an area where you could feed small birds call Lorikeets with some nectar but apparently Nick must have smelled really good to them cause he had three at one time licking the sweat off of him. Other than that if you didn't have a nectar cup they didn't want to have anything to do with you. It was such a wonderful experience for me and I hope the rest of my family enjoyed it too. I want to go back when Nick's mother comes in the spring. I think the older my kids get the more fun it will be and I can't wait!

Happy Birthday Kaleb - July 28

Kaleb had his first birthday on Wednesday, July 28. We actually didn't do anything for him on that day cause its not like he is going to remember that anyway :) Instead we had cake and ice cream for him on Saturday at my parent's house. Nick wanted to make him a cake from scratch so we ended with with a nice apple cake that the boy seems to enjoy thoroughly. AND then Grandma decides to give him an ice cream cone which he had no idea what to do with and proceeded to bang on the table. He did offer Grandma and Uncle Cameron bites in between banging though.

He got some cute clothes from the family also

Please let me go outside!

So Kaleb loves going outside. If he hears the front or back door open he starts bolting for it. If he sees me let one of the cats in the back door and not let him out - oh boy am I the meanest mom in the world. If I let him, he would live outside. He will go to the back door and reach for the doorknob making "ehh, ehh" sounds trying to gets us to let him out. He even knows that the latch on the front screen door opens the door and if I'm not quick enough will try to push it himself.

He loves eating rocks and bark and usually has one of those in his mouth and one in each hand just walking around having a great time. He also loves watering the plants with daddy. He wants to hold the watering can and when it is empty will cart it around the yard mostly heading for the spots that he has seen daddy watering. He really likes taking it up and down the porch steps.

Because it is very hot and humid where we live, one of the ways we spend outside time is to go and get the paper early in the morning (like 7am) and he gets to wander up and down the driveway while I read. I try to let him spend as much time out there as possible because I know its going to be so miserable the rest of the day. We also go out and play on the driveway while waiting for daddy to come home from work because it has usually cooled down by then.

I'm Pregnant!

In case any of you have missed it, I'm pregnant with number 2. For me this is a complete surprise and for the first few weeks I was in total denial. Then the "night sickness" set in. Couldn't deny after that. They will be about 16 and a half to 17 months apart depending on when #2 decides to arrive.

I'm very happy about it now and want to tell everyone and anyone except the WIC people cause I feel like a rabbit. I mean sometimes I would sit there waiting for my turn and think "maybe they shouldn't be having that many kids if they need the financial assistance" and here I am doing the same thing. Makes me feel like a big fat hypocrite. The only thing that gets me over that is knowing the teachings of our church and that having these kids is the best thing in the world.

Due to some personal and financial decisions, we will be going to a hospital this time for the birth. The goal is for an all natural birth again and I'm excited that we will be able to have a doula with us. Though I told her that if the baby came on Christmas Eve or Day that we wouldn't expect her to come cause she should be spending time with family, she said she is committed to helping us with our birth. I feel so blessed to have the services of such a dedicated person and we still have 6 months to go! (If anyone in my area wants contact info, let me know)

So here is to excitedly waiting for baby #2 who is going to be a surprise just like #1 :)