Pregnancy 101: What not to say to a pregnant woman

In McDonald's 2 weeks ago, during a fun playdate with friends, the manager of this particular McDonald's overheard me talking to the lady ringing me up, sidled over to her and inquired of me, "Two girls? You are having two girls?" It took me a minute to realize he was looking at my belly and not over my shoulder at Maggie in the play area (hence, I will have 2 girls come summer). I pointed to my belly and asked, "You mean, am I have twins?" He smiled and nodded his head vigorously, "Yes, twins! And you are due next week!?"

Sigh.

Whoa, buddy, slow down.

I shook my head no, smiled, and politely (maybe a bit sarcastically) said, "Do you have kids?" To which he, of course, replied, "No."

I said, "I'm only having 1 girl, and I'm due in July. I just carry my babies all the same way--big and all belly. You better be careful what you say to pregnant women." I smiled again, a thin smile. Then, I took my food and walked off.

Was I really frustrated? No, not really, but on some level, it does perturb me how often people *assume* they KNOW you are carrying a boy (and you are not) or a girl (and you are not) or that you are SURELY due within the next few days (and you are not).

For crying out loud, folks. Take a few basic lessons.

1. ALWAYS tell a pregnant woman she looks fantastic. That's it. Keep it simple.
2. Don't posit your theories of gender/number of babies/due date. Sheesh.
3. If you are ALREADY a mom and you swoop down on a soon-to-be-mom and delve into #2 above, shame on you. You should know better.
4. Don't rattle off how hard/terrible/tiring/depressing/overwhelming it will be to add another baby to your family. Be positive. Right?!?!
4. And if a pregnant woman is close to her due date or past her due date do no say any of the following: "You are still here!" "Where is that baby?" "You look really big/uncomfortable/like-you-are-getting-no-sleep." Come on, really?! Who wants this baby here more than anyone!? Her.

Remember #1 and just stick to that.

"You look frickin' fantastic!"

End of story.

park days

Along with the many perks of living in SoCal, the nice weather never ceases to amaze me. We can can be outdoors for the majority of the year, so crazy!

I don't think I'll ever tire, either, of watching my kiddos enjoy the beautiful outdoors, espeically park playtime: the climbing, swinging, sliding, jumping, exploring--it's wonderful!

And of course, it always makes for a good nap and/or bedtime!

handknit love

My good friend Heather has started a small business and has her Etsy shop (a place to buy and sell all things hand-made) up and running. She's a talented knitter and is selling handmade bunnies! I'm especially loving the new ninja bunny. I bought the one below ("grape jelly bandit bunny") for our little girl-to-be and both Maggie and Curren are loving playing with it. Heather does outstanding work and I'm *so* proud of her and her endeavors. If you are in the market for a unique and special gift for a baby or child, consider buying handmade and supporting "Birds of a Heather."

spring time

Spring has arrived in SoCal and we've had beautiful, cool days with some storm showers peppered throughout our weeks.

I figured this would be a great year to start planting some flowers and a small garden with Maggie. Up first were some tomato plants; it was a simple kit purchased from Home Depot and Maggie has enjoyed checking on their growth each day. Finally, after 10 days of waiting they are starting to sprout! We also bought some Gerber daises and peonies to put in pots. She's loving tending her flowers and tomatoes each day.

San Diego Wild Animal Park

We took the family to the San Diego Wild Animal Park last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! The kids loved all the animals, of course! We got season passes (very cheap!) and can't wait to go back soon.
Enjoying the bird show

Exorbitantly overpriced lunch, but good nonetheless
Monkeys!
Lions in a jeep
Enjoying more animals in the African Saharan exhibit

bananas about bananas

Most of you may not realize that Maggie DOES NOT LIKE bananas and *never* has and yes, I mean never. It was one of her first baby foods and she refused it. Over and over and over and over and over and over and over (you get the picture) again.

It felt like one of my greatest mom failure--what child *doesn't* like bananas!? They are healthy and portable. It doesn't get any better than that. So, flash forward 3 years later and this morning, for the first time in her life, Maggie ate an entire banana. And liked it.

Alot.

Unlike his sister, Curren took to bananas with a ferocious appetite from day 1. Thank you, Jesus. He eats one every morning.

Today, Maggie commented on how bruised the banana was and I said, "No, that means it's ripe! You want it to be somewhat speckled." I peeled it and had her smell it, commenting on how sweet it was. She was instantly intrigued and took a bite. Then, she asked politely for her own!

Seriously, biggest win ever. Well, one of them.

Moral of the story: don't give up on our kids. They'll come around at some point.

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Chocolate bunny
Curren loved Maggie's new bike helmet
Curren's Easter basket
Maggie's Easter basket
Egg hunt at church
Maggie LOVED the candy bracelets she found
Cold, windy and hard to get everyone looking good, but hey, I wanted to post something :)
Belly shot, the best for now

curren in action

Curren loves to show us his tongue when asked, hence the top pic. He's such a cutie! And he loves to get cheers and claps from us when he does what we ask of him. He is always on the go and often loves to wear this stethoscope when he plays; a future doctor, perhaps? He loves to climb on and touch the electronics which we are working with him *not* to do. He loves to play with this "Leap Frog" ABC toy and sway to the music as well as the ABC drum. He is just a blast to interact with these days; I love this little man.