Numero Tres...

Here are my random thoughts as I ponder my current life... 

Two kids can overwhelm me sometimes.  Two kids can also be a fabulous number because they can play together and enjoy each other's company.  It's nice having a 4 year old and a 2 year old because they are close enough in age that they have become buddies and Mason loves teaching Dakota new things.

Well... At the end of August, we will be adding a third little child into this mix and I'm actually really excited about it!

Although there are times like tonight when bedtime gets a little out of control and I wonder how I will be able to do the bedtime thing with three kiddos running around!  But still, those moments get forgotten after seeing them voluntarily holding hands, showing love and sympathy for one another, etc.

For some reason, I love the idea of having a baby in the house.  I am excited for that stage, even though I'm sure I've forgotten all of the sleeplessness, constant nursing and attention that a baby needs.

I'm anxious to see Mason with a new little baby brother or sister too.  When Dakota was born, he was in that just-turned-two phase where he didn't want to listen and was very interested in hitting and being rough.  Which he still is interested in all of that, but as a 4 year old, he has learned to use it cautiously when wrestling with daddy or only being rough with Kota when she wants to and is enjoying it (yes, Dakota sometimes likes to push and wrestle with Mason).  I allow it as long as everyone is having fun and not intentionally hurting one another.

Anyway, Mason is now more in control of himself and I'm anxious to see if he enjoys being a helper for mommy and the baby.  Dakota's phase when the baby is born is unknown at this point.  She has been very interested in pinching, scratching and pushing lately.  She's sort of coming out of that stage, so I'm hopeful that by the time the baby comes, she will be more in control of those things.  :o)

Dakota can be the sweetest little thing in the world, but also the most stubborn little thing!  She has quite the opinion about certain things and she's not afraid to let us know that opinion.  I'm slowly learning better ways to talk to her to calm her down and figuring out that sometimes just a little love goes a long way!

Sleeping Situation

(I might as well start giving my random thoughts a title right?!)

When the baby is born, or possibly before or after the birth, I will be putting Dakota into Mason's room.  I am nervous and excited about this change.

Here is one nervous part...  Mason likes to fall asleep with the light on in his room.  I allow it as long as he stays in his room and actually goes to sleep.  I always go in and turn the light off before I go to bed and it's actually really fun to see Mason sleeping when I do that.  I'm sure he'll be fine to go to sleep with the light off because after all, whenever we have a bedtime babysitter, his light is always off when we come home.  Makes me realize that it's obviously just not a priority to me to have the light off, and that he IS capable of falling asleep with the light off.

Another nervous part of this situation is that they both usually take awhile to fall asleep - sometimes up to an hour.  That makes me wonder if they will end up trying to play together rather than go to sleep.  Although as I go through these scenarios, I realize that plenty of parents and kids have gone through this, and plenty of them are successful!  It may take some time for everyone to adjust, but one thing I'm pretty sure of is that they will love sleeping in the same room!

That brings me to the part where I'm excited for the change.  Mason often asks for Kota to sleep with him or him sleep with Kota.  Mason currently has a loft bed, so there is room underneath his bed for a toddler bed.  Right now that area has a bookshelf, bean bag and little soft chairs to sit and read, which I really love.  But it's also the perfect place to put a toddler bed and still have room for the bookshelf at the end!  So it will work out perfectly.

My First Trimester

When I was pregnant with Mason and Dakota, I never got real sick.  I remember being super tired and obviously having bad days where I didn't feel fabulous, but for the most part I remember feeling pretty good.  This first trimester was a bit different.  I never threw up or felt like I needed to, but I was nauseous a lot and felt pretty crappy.  I kept wondering if I was just being a baby about it all, but now that I'm transitioning into my second trimester, I can totally feel a change.

I usually had to force myself to eat things and never wanted to be around sugar, candy or anything related to those things.  I still don't want candy, but I'm starting to enjoy sweet things again.  Hooray that I'm feeling better, but no hoorays for wanting lots of sweet things!  :o)

As for food that I've "craved" or consistently wanted, I'd say Spaghetti-O's is one of the top things on my list.  It's strange because I hadn't had Spaghetti-O's in many years until I was pregnant.

Belly pictures are one of my favorite things to compare.  Not that my belly is going to be the prettiest thing to look at (especially by the third baby!), but for my family's sake, I am still going to post them!  Those are coming soon...