Waiting Game

Well, I am not exactly waiting anxiously. I still have things to do, but my left hip is in so much pain (that I actually took some advil this morning), and I am now at the point that I can no longer do grocery shopping or any kind of shopping. So, I guess I will be a shut-in until the baby comes. Oh, that's okay because it gives me an excuse to stay home and relax more.

The other day, I did my sewing project which did not take long at all. After consulting with sewing experts (Mom and sister Michele), I decided to use a quilt that my godmother had made for me several years ago. We never really found a use for this quilt until now, so it was always packed away with the winter blankets. It has come out of hiding and will serve a nice purpose from this day forward.



When I showed the finished product to my sister, and told her that I really shouldn't blog about it because it is patented by Humanity Organics. She was like, why would something like this be patented? It's just common sense. Common sense or not...I never would have thought of this on my own. But, to purchase it and have it shipped over would have cost nearly $500.

It's like a pillow case with a long flap on one side. A body pillow is inserted inside and can be removed when the quilt needs washing. I'll sleep in the middle, my daughter will continue to sleep between me and the wall, and the baby (when necessary) will sleep between me and the body pillow.

This is better than using the bed gate because the gate tended to move away from the mattress gradually, and a few times, Ailin slipped between the gate and mattress when she was littler. I think this is much safer.

I hope this is just a temporary solution though. The crib is placed just across from the bed, so I hope the baby can sleep in the crib for the most part. Oh, and someday, when we decide how the heck to fit a bed into Ailin's small bedroom (or buy a larger house), Ailin can actually be convinced to sleep in her own bed. Someday...

Other things in the News
I am now temporarily retired from walking Max. It is just way too hard on my hip...he is a strong, stubborn bulldog-type who pulls me around the neighborhood, despite his small size. He is stronger than a big, floppy golden retriever! My neighbor, Kelly (who owns a petite poodle!) has agreed to take over walking duties earlier than we planned and will be taking Max out until the end of June. By then, I should be healed up and ready to get outside with Max. Yesterday, Kelly took Max out and this was the result after he arrived home with him. Seems the little football player got some much-needed exercise.



Ailin has a new snacking regime, thanks to Dr Sears and the Discipline Book. Yusuke was always admonishing me for giving Ailin her favorite "Koala Cookies" and "Bicycles." (Bicycles are what she calls icicles.) Dr Sears suggested using a daily medicine container that is divided into 7 compartments and putting colorful, healthy snacks in each one. She can graze from this all day long as she feels like it, and then if she doesn't eat much at meal times (which is typical no matter what I give her to eat and no matter what she snacks on), at least I can feel better knowing that she was eating some healthy snacks. This has been working well, and she doesn't seem to miss the Koala cookies and bicycles at all.



Here's what I have put in her snack containers:
Granola cereal
Dried fruit
Fresh fruit (tangerine, banana, apple, etc.)
Quail eggs (small, boiled eggs - perfect size for toddlers and she LOVES them)
Cheese
Cooked pasta (fun shapes like bow ties, wheels, spirals)
Popcorn (I know you are technically not supposed to give toddlers popcorn...)
Edamame
Cooked carrots (cut into shapes like flowers, hearts, fish, etc.)
Whole wheat crackers

I'll think of more as time goes on, but so far, she likes most of these things. Some stuff she tends to skip over or save until the very last because she doesn't want it - veggies and pasta being those "unwanted items", but she knows she won't be getting cookies or other crap, so she accepts their existence.

Today
So, what is on the agenda for today and tomorrow? It is raining so I have a good excuse to stay indoors. I am trying really hard not to be too domestic because that is what got me in trouble when Ailin was born. I had read that women who are just about to give birth go into a frenzy of "domesticity" and will do crazy things like make and freeze 4 weeks worth of meals all at one time, or fix the dishwasher all by themselves, or put together complicated dressers from IKEA. So, to avoid that, I am limiting myself to one task a day, I absolutely refuse to make and freeze any meals. (I did however discover that Qtips are a great cleaning aid when you want to scrub nooks and crannies, like window sills, shower doors, the inside of your washing machine....oh, have I said too much?

Yesterday, I replaced my external hard drive which seemed to have crashed, and I had no idea how to fix it. Only one partition had crashed though...I was able to transfer my files and music to my new hard drive. Works swell and has a much bigger memory. Ever heard of a TB? It is apparently the next thing after a GB.

Today, I will attempt to reorganize our 1st Aid Kit and our medicine cabinet. I had originally wanted Yusuke's help on this because many of the creams and lotions are in Japanese and I have no idea what their purposes are. I thought we should label them in English once and for all...don't know if we will get around to that in time. I might have to call in the reinforcements to help with such a job...his sister or his mom.

That's all for today!