The One About the "I Don't Love You...."

   Asher sure knows how to hit his Mommy where it hurts.  His new thing when he gets mad at me is to give me those sad eyes and say, "I don't love you."  It's like I am taking a punch in the gut, and he fully knows this.  I read somewhere that if your kids aren't screaming, "I hate you" then that means you aren't being a good parent.  :)  I think I would rather hear "I hate you" than "I don't love you."  I'm sure I have plenty of "I hate you's" in my future. 
   Despite these hits, Asher tells me he loves me several times a day.  He will announce out of nowhere, "I love Mommy, and I love Daddy."  He has also been so much more cuddly the last month, even crawling into my lap and letting me hold him like a baby.  Which I love to do...that is until my arms completely go numb.  He also will rub my tummy and tell the baby that he loves him/her.  Gavin has decided that we are naming the baby "Simba."  Asher wants to name the baby "Professer."   We just figured out that he was saying that tonight.  For the longest time, he pronounced it "Potassaroll" and we couldn't figure out what in the heck he was saying.  Then he told me it was on Cars, and Shayla figured it out. 
   I would definitely say the last month has been a bad sleeping phase for us all.  Asher has been up a lot at night, and Gavin even has ventured into our room claiming to be scared from bad dreams.  Ernie and I feel like we have a newborn already as many times as we have been up at night lately.  Asher also believes that morning begins at 5:30 a.m....which it not acceptable.  Especially on Saturday. 
    Pregnancy news:   I am officially in my 2nd trimester!  I am very excited about this, and do think I am getting some energy back.  Thank goodness, because I have been slammed with new referrals at work.  I am already counting down to summer though.  46 working days!  I can make it.  And then with running to Tilden or Norfolk every day off making decisions on the house, it has been exhausting.  Speaking of counting down, 188 days till baby is born!  Man, that sounds like a long time. 

The One About the House (2.25.12)

    The house had a big week.  The sheetrock went up this week, and the dry wall company will come in on Monday to start mudding the seams.  I finalized all my paint colors, and painting will start the first week in March.  All of the cabinets are being delivered on March 16th, and the flooring is scheduled to be installed the last week in March.  Ernie and I made our list of things we have yet to decide on, and the list is less than one page.  We are making so much progress.  It feels so good to check things off that list.  Our contractor told me last weekend that we should be able to move in the first part of April.  I am not going to count on that though, because I know things can change pretty quickly.  If we are in by May 1st, I will be thrilled.  In fact, it would be very nice to just move in slowly throughout April and plan to be in completely by May 1st.
   Here are some pictures of the inside from this morning:

The garage and Ernie's loft.

The living/dining room (view to the south)

Another view of the living room/kitchen/dining and stairs (I love how Asher is doing his Ninja Turtle move)

Kitchen view

Stairs and part of the enormous living room in the basement

 

The One About the House (2.13.12)

This picture of the house is actually from a week ago, but not much has changed on the outside.  The windows went in the first week of February.  There is a front door between those two windows on the front porch. 

     Last week, the electrician and heating and air guy started working in the house.  This week, they are finishing up and the plan to is to start with dry wall on Friday.  Ernie is getting his surround sound in the basement wired up today.  I need to order my flooring this week, as well as start picking out my paint colors.  I have Friday off work, so we are getting our taxes done and then spending the day in Tilden and Norfolk making more decisions.  I have been spending a lot of time online today trying to find a unique backsplash for the kitchen.  I think I know what I want, but was hoping to find a picture that would show it. 
   Today, the boys and I made their Valentines to take to daycare and now are getting ready to make some Valentines Whoopie Pies.  I haven't posted a lot lately, because my head is pretty much clouded with house stuff.  I have trouble focusing on other things.  I am ready for this process to be over so I can think about other things. 
    Babywise, I have about one week left of my first trimester.  I am hoping I start to get some energy back.  Thankfully, Ernie has been home on the weekends and I have been able to take some naps.  I don't know how I get through my workdays without naps sometimes.  I am feeling really well though, although many things have slipped these last few weeks that normally I wouldn't let happen.  I don't really care.  Sometimes you just have to go into survival mode.  :)  With everything going on right now, I know some of the balls have to drop.  It will all be worth it in the end, and nobody will suffer long-term damage. 

The One About the House (1.27.12)

A lot happened at the house site this week.  It's so fun to walk through and see all the walls and closets built in.  I am already starting to arrange furniture in my mind.

A view from the front.  You can see the covered front porch, and that part sticking out to the right is the garage.

A view from the west--the garage

A view of the back--the inset covered back porch

A view from the east--the basement windows in the big family room.  The windows above where it's boarded up, are the kids' bedrooms, and the bathroom in the center. 

The great room upstairs looking south--the 4 big windows with the beatiful view.  Ernie is removing those hideous pine trees.  When those are out, you have a gorgeous view and can see the white fence of the cemetary where my Grandma Joline is buried.  I love that!

In the basement--the enormous family room with the 3 big windows looking east.

The One About the House (1.18.12)

   I haven't posted house pictures for awhile.  Last week, here is what the house looked like:

Here is what the house looked like as of yesterday (1.18.12).  We have walls!!!

The One About the New Baby

   Many of you probably know this by now, but we are having a new baby in September.  There has been speculation, since I abstained from drinking on both Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I guess you must really be an alcoholic when you don't drink and everyone immediately assumes you are pregnant.  :)  For the record, my avoidance of alcohol on Thanksgiving was purely a choice, not a necessity.  We were going to wait to announce the news until after our first ultrasound, but my sister and mother pretty much figured it out and I can't lie to save my life.  So here it is:  We're having a baby!
   The best part of the this last week was telling the boys about the new baby.  I didn't really know what they would say.  Gavin has been talking about babies, since my friend Kelly is having a baby in a few weeks and Belle is going to be a big sister.  We have talked about it a lot, and he has told me that he wants a baby sister before.  When I have asked about a baby brother though, he immediately said "No, he'll wreck stuff."  I can't blame him for feeling that way.  When we told Gavin the news, he asked where the baby was right now.  After I told him it was in my tummy, the questions began.  "How is the doctor going to get it out?  But how?  How?"  He finally remembered something he saw on a TV show, and now is convinced that the baby comes out my belly button.  I think we will just let him think that for now.  I am not ready for the "where do babies come from" talk at this time.  Asher was excited and cheered "Yeh!!!!"  Ernie was just getting ready to call his parents when Uncle Mike called.  Asher asked to talk, so Ernie handed him the phone, not realizing that he was going to announce it for us---"We're having a baby!!!!!"  So we let him tell a few more people.  He seemed to get distracted and bored with it, because his call to Uncle Travis sounded like this:  "We're having a baby, and I brought this tire home from Lisa's that I wasn't supposed to and Mommy said no bringing tires home........."
   It will be fun to hear their comments and questions as my tummy starts getting bigger and we have ultrasound pictures.
   I need to get out and take some pictures of the house tomorrow.  It is FINALLY coming along. 

The One About the Blankie

   Asher's Blankie is a member of our family.  It has feelings apparently, because the other day he told me  "Blankie likes you so much."  It travels with us.  Tears were shed when Blankie couldn't go with us into McDonalds the other day.  When we returned to the vehicle, I heard "Blankie, I missed you soooo much."  I don't mind that he has an attachment to a blanket.  Gavin never did, but I certainly don't think it is a problem.  I remember my brother Nate was attached to a flat pillow with a zoo animal pillow case when he was younger.  I almost think I love Blankie because it makes Asher seem his age.  He is such a big boy, and has such above average language skills that he is always mistaken for a 3-year old.  I don't want him to be three yet.  I want to keep him little.  And I will brag that yes, he has above average language skills.  I tested both of my boys, and they are both above average both receptively and expressively  :)  I am sure all SLPs test their own children, just because they can.  Gavin has been given the Preschool Language Scale every year since he was born.  Oh, and while I am on the subject of speech, I would like to announce that Gavin can now produce an initial /k/ and initial /g/ in words.  Mommy is SOOOOOO proud!!  We have been playing "speech" every night to practice.  Asher attempts the words, but cannot make the sounds yet.  It's so cute when he tries though.
    Okay, back to topic:  Blankie was given to me at my baby shower for Gavin.  My Mom knew I had registered for it and loved it, so her friend Carol gave it to me at the shower.  Gavin never was really attached to it, but for some reason Asher has clung to it from day one.  Blankie doesn't go to daycare with him, although there are many mornings he begs to take it.  He survives the day without it.  When he gets home though, he immediately is on the hunt for Blankie.  Blankie watches cartoons with him, plays in the toy room with him, and lies on the kitchen floor during dinner.  I don't think he has ever asked to bathe with Blankie at least.  Although Lord knows that Blankie could use more frequent washes.
    Asher's thumb-sucking, however, is not something I am happy about.  He has a terrible frontal lisp and an overbite, which I believe will just get worse with the excessive thumb-sucking.  He doesn't do it all day...just when he is tired or lounging in the chair watching cartoons.  I did some research, and decided we would just start by making him aware of his thumb-sucking, since it is just a habit like me twirling my hair.  I know some parents believe I should put hot sauce or something nasty-tasting on his thumb (the same parents who thought I should bite him back when he was biting).  Sorry, I am not one of those parents.  We will work on it gradually.  So I sat down the other day and talked with him about thumb-sucking.  He immediately said, "Babies suck their thumbs."  I asked if he was a baby, and he told me he was a big boy.  When he saw Grandma later that day, he informed her that he would not be sucking his thumb anymore.  Right before bedtime though, the thumb was in the mouth.  So I asked him, "Asher, did you know you are sucking your thumb?"  He responded with, "Get out of here, Mommy.  Go in your room!"  :)  Then he hid his face under Blankie so he could continue to suck without me seeing him.  I know it will take some time.  Plus, we just switched him to his toddler bed, so I know I don't want to do too many changes too quickly...plus we are moving (hopefully) in the next 4 months.  Both boys go to the pediatric dentist in February, so I am going to ask her if she has any ideas.  In the meantime, we'll keep working on it.  After the biting phase, I can handle anything.  :)