Full of Croup!

I'm sorry to say it, but we're totally full of croup. Norah, our beloved pooch, is no longer the only thing barking at our house. I'm talking or course about the breathing condition that is best known for its barking accompanying cough.

It started with Marin, then it spilled over to me. So far Jason has remained partially spared, but I doubt for long. That puppy stirs in your lungs, and you just can't do anything about it but cough your brains out. Poor Marin coughed so badly one night that she got sick all over herself and her bed. Since it was the middle of the night and I didn't feel like changing bedsheets, she came into our bed- only to do the same thing there a few hours later- all over mommy. We stripped our bedsheets, and changed everyone's pj's, and put Marin to sleep the rest of the night in the crib. She woke up there that morning groggily telling me, "Mommy, I trow up". Friday morning we went to the pediatrician, where they confirmed that it was definitely good that we came in. Poor Marin had it bad. She was given a few different medicines, including breathing treatments from the nebulizer. When we got home, Daddy had stripped all the bed sheets, including mattress pads, and thrown them in the washer. God bless a man who does pukey laundry times three beds.

Marin didn't mind the nebulizer too badly. As long as we turned on a little Toy Story, for the 20 minutes or so that it took to give to her, she was fine to breathe it in. Poor thing looked rough though. Nose pouring snot, eyes watering and that cough that seriously haunts me. Any parent knows the one. The problem was, the medicine that we put in the nebulizer had a steroid in it that was like giving her a shot of espresso. Poor thing got so jacked up on that stuff, that she couldn't sleep. It made her crazy. We got a different medicine at our re-check earlier this week, which was supposed to curb that problem, but when she slept a grand total of four hours that night, and screamed bloody murder the rest of the night, I literally pulled the plug on the nebulizer treatments all together. They did the trick when we needed them most, now what the poor girl needs is some sleep. And her mamma does too.

Since then she's feeling much better and is back to sleeping like an angel. Her mamma? Not so much. When my baby girl is sick I can't help but snuggle the croup out of her. (I'm on a roll here with the croup/crap puns- should I see how many more I can come up with? Okay, maybe not.) I got in lots of snuggle time, but I also caught that nasty virus and it's taking my immune system for a ride. Heartburn is no longer the only reason to prop myself up at night to sleep. Let's hope this croup gets out of our systems, out of our house and out of our lives for good soon. That croup is crap!

Snapshot of Marin at Two

In technical terms, Marin is 25 months today. But at two, enough is enough with defining age in months. Am I right people? I mean, also technically speaking, I turned 392 months yesterday, but when asked how old I am, I reply simply, 32. I swore I wasn't going to be one of those moms who when asked the ages of her children responded in months beyond 24. And I'm keeping that promise. Once moms start spouting off numbers like "185" and "246" you have to be a lot better at math than I, to figure out how old their kids are in years. Today Marin is two; in August she'll be 2 1/2. My only diversion might be that if you ask me next January, I might tell you she's "almost three"- either way, I'm done with the months for Marin.

There. I'm off my soapbox and on to what this post was really all about. Marin at two. Here is some of what she's got her hands into and brain wrapped around these days:

- She recently watched her first movie at Grandma and Grandpa's. Toy Story. She LOVED it. So much so, that the next weekend she watched Toy Story 2. Loved that too! You should see her watching. She was jumping up and down, yelling "Oh No! Oh No! In 'da airpane! Get out!" At a sad part she came over to me with her bottom lip stuck way out saying, "Sad, Mommy." Special thanks to Pixar for making these movies entertaining for the parents as well. I actually asked to pause it when I had to go to the bathroom. I can assure you this never is the case during Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

- Another love of Marin's: school. So much so that she wants to go every day. When we drive by she shouts, "Look Mommy! I see school!!" Then she asks, "I go school 'morrow?" She loves to go and "pay friends". She loves her lunchbox and carries it in to school all by herself. When we pull up she tells me, "I see Lea, Mommy." Lea is her favorite friend. Lea is three, and she tells Marin she's going to teach her all about being a princess. Lea's mom suggested to her that maybe she should teach Marin about something like numbers or letters, but Lea was holding firm on princesses. Marin makes a craft every day at school and is so proud of it. She tells me every day, "I made it, Mommy!" We display her crafts very proudly around our house. Our wall by the back door looks like a preschool. Marin's teachers tell me that she is doing very well, and that you can not tell that she's the youngest in the class. The older children apparently really like Marin and call her their baby.

- Marin plays very well independently. This is really nice, especially as it is getting harder and harder for me to get down on the floor to play dolls. Still, she loves to "helping Daddy" with his projects saying, "Daddy tools. My tools.", as she gets about an inch from whatever he's doing. She also likes to help cook saying, "I cook!" so we've had to have some really stern talks about the hot stove. Next stern talk: strangers. The girl's not even a tiny bit shy. And she'll do about anything for candy (or as she calls it, "cannie").

- Please and thank you have become an automatic part of her vocabulary as she says them without much coaching at all.

- She loves to play dolls. She dresses and undresses them, and puts them to bed saying, "Nigh-nigh baby. Sleeeeep Tiiiiight!" She also rocks her babies in her arms singing, "Rocket Baby Treetop"

- On Thursdays we have Storytime at the Library. It's a little class that I signed her up for where we read stories, sing songs and learn rhymes. She really enjoys this time and cuddles up on my lap, which is the best part for me. After storytime we stay at the library and read new books and do puzzles. She especially likes Clifford books, although she has never seen the cartoon. Marin loves books. She reads them constantly at home, taking piles off her shelves at a time, and often telling me, "I read, Mommy." Then she makes up a story about what she sees on the page and "reads to me".

- Marin is officially a Cubs fan (if you ask me). She threw me a baseball a few weeks ago and I told her, Go Cubs! Now she yells "Go Cubs!" Jason says it's the first time she's disappointed him. I encourage her to tell him, "Go Cubs, Daddy!" When Daddy was out of town last time, she and mommy got matching Cubs hats and were sure to have them on when he got home. Please join me in making sure she is not a Cardinals fan.

- She loves to have dance parties and listen to "mookicks". She tells me, "Dance, Mommy! Moo-kicks!"

- Marin appears to like Math, which is completely beyond me. It's one of those moments when I am starkly reminded that it took two to tango. I am ALL for girls that are good at math, so I'm encouraging this with gusto. My dad is certain that she'll be an engineer. Auntie Molly, Aunt Katy, Aunt Lindsay- you all love math. Have at 'er. Of course, you may have your work cut out for you. Although she counts everything in sight, it currently goes like this... "two, fee, nine, 'leven".

- She does know her colors though. And she loves to tell me, "new room PINK!" I love the way she says, "red, owange, lellow, geen, boo, pink, puwple."

- Marin had her first dentist appointment a few weeks ago. We were glad to learn that things are just as they should be, her habits are on track, and she's eating all the right things. She went to a pediatric dentist and it was such a nice experience for both of us. He said that she is working on getting eight teeth in right now. Ouch. Four of those have poked through significantly but not all the way, the other four are her two year molars, which have yet to work their way through. Marin likes to brush her teeth, but afterwards mommy or daddy have a turn to "really" brush them.

- Marin likes to watch Mickey Mouse and the News. Don't ask me where the news came from, but she asks me from time to time, "watch news, Mommy?" I think she knows that I watch the news, and its a sure fire bet that I'll let her turn the TV on. At Aunt Joey's house warming party recently, Marin crawled up in Aunt Joey's new bed, turned to me and said, " 'Mon (her way of saying c'mon) Mommy, Watch News."

- She still likes her bath. Lately she requests "buzzles" (bubbles). Once she's in the tub she likes to stretch out on her stomach and pretend she's swimming. She shows me how to blow buzzles with her mouth. We just signed her up for two rounds of swim lessons this summer- she can hardly wait to get in the water and stretch her sea legs.

- Marin likes to "sing" the ABC's. Mostly she dances around to the song singing, "Double-V, T, Q, S,Z" She likes to sing this song over and over and over and over and over and over again, and requests that you sing along too.

- Marin eats great, sleeps well and LOVES a party. Recently we were at Grandma's house before her book club came over. We were just about to leave, but then people started to show up and Marin insisted we stay. She guided me to the closet where my parents keep the folding chairs and told me, "Chair here, Mommy. I sit next Namma." Then she walked among the ladies eating their crackers and brie and grapes like she was 25. Luckily she hasn't started asking for wine. Yet. Not until she's 252 months.

Just Haven't Met You Yet!

Awaiting the arrival of a baby is a funny thing. It's like getting ready for a permanent roommate whom you've never met. I'm 30 weeks pregnant, and as much as I love and already feel connected to this little bundle, we don't even know if its a boy or a girl yet. Isn't that crazy? For all intents and purposes, they are a stranger. Still, ask any mother and she'll tell you about the instant overpowering love they felt for their child from the very first second they laid eyes on them. And nothing could be more correct. It's truly one of those things that you have heard every mother you know say a million times, but until you experience it yourself, you can't fully grasp.

I remember vividly the instant love I had for Marin the minute I laid eyes on her. It was like I'd known her all my life. I know for sure that it will be the same with this baby. That from the second he or she is born, we won't be able to believe we ever lived a day without them. But today, we don't know what the baby will look like, or what their temperament will be like, or what they will grow to become. We can't wait to discover all of these things. In the meantime, we're primping and building and washing and buying and dreaming all about a stranger who will be born one day in early May and be in our lives forever.

At least when you are pregnant you have nine months to prepare. When you adopt a baby you are only given a weekend, in some cases. Can you imagine that? Of course, usually the family adopting has waited years up to that point, so I am sure that weekend stretches out for what seems like an eternity. Families are very special, and it doesn't matter how you become one, just that you are one; and that you'll have each other no matter what. My parents used to tell my brother and I that if they could line up all the little boys and all the little girls in the whole world, they'd pick us. I remember that always making me feel special; like even when I was naughty, they still loved me more than anything. I hope that my children always feel the same way. Every night before we went to bed when I was a kid, we thanked God for making us a family. I do the same with Marin today.

I'm feeling well. I have the normal uncomfortableness that you do in your third trimester- I sleep with 3 pillows, move at a snails pace, and seem to have less energy than I should, but that's all normal. I have had really bad heartburn again, like I did with Marin, but a few Tums usually do the trick. I carry those puppies with me everywhere. I think my stomach is growing like it did with Marin- everything is wider- so I guess I still think that the baby is a girl. Not everyone is convinced though, and today I actually found myself wanting to buy a book about trucks. Who knows. That's the best part about not knowing. The fact that I am entering the two-months-to-go mark is 2 parts exhilarating and 1 part terrifying. I can't wait to meet the baby, but I have so much to re-learn. It's amazing how quickly I have forgotten everything that a new mother is supposed to know.

As we wait for our family to grow and to meet this little person who will make us four; as I dream about what color hair they will have, and if they will look like Marin or not. As I wonder about what their name will be, and if they'll like to sing... I am reminded of that Michael Buble song: "I promise you, kid. To give so much more than I get. I just haven't met you yet."