I have a very distinct opinion on this but im curious what others think... should toddlers and small children be allowed to play with toy guns?

Fyi: operation potty training started on Monday (D wasnt ready when we tried months ago) and it's been more frustrating than newborn days. I want to cry.

This is bull

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/08/16/new.york.911.memorial/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

I'll summarize this article for you. 1st responders are not invited to the memorial on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. It doesn't matter that all of these people lost their friends, brothers, sisters, etc that day. It doesn't matter that those towers coming down killed 343 firefighters and countless others. It doesn't matter that these people risked their lives to save others. It doesn't matter that MANY of them are now living with terrible diseases caused by their heroism. It doesn't matter that many have died from the after affects of saving those lives. Nope, doesn't matter. They can't come to the memorial. Sorry guys. Sorry girls. The most defining moment of your life, you can't remember with the others. This is bullshit.

Back from vacation.

I don't like to announce when we'll be out of town because you never know who might be waiting on that type of info so I waited until we got back. We came back Sunday afternoon from a week at the beach. It was a really good time and D LOVED it. Of course I thought he would but seeing him really enjoy the beach was awesome. I wish we lived closer, but of course we do live only 4-5 hours away so it's not too bad. We stayed in a beautiful house and did literally next to nothing the whole time we were there. It was so refreshing to take a real break from home. Now we're home and the countdown is on. I'll be 31 weeks on Friday, so we're getting there. We're getting anxious now for a few reasons but mainly because we've had two babies born in the last 2.5 weeks and my little sister is due in 3 weeks. Then me. So the countdown really is on.

Pregnancy and sex...

When I was pregnant with Dawson, once I got over the morning sickness at 14 weeks I felt great up until the day I delivered him. I slept pretty good, I didn't hurt and ache and in general I felt the best I had ever felt in my life. I sort of expected this pregnancy to be the same. And for the most part I feel okay, but some obvious differences are that I was sicker and for longer, once that ended I can't sleep-waking up every 2-3 hours and sometimes staying awake for longer than an hour afterwards. And the biggest complaint is the sciatica. I have never had any kind of back pain or anything like that but if I sit too long or lay down or stand too long or walk too much the back pain that radiates down my left leg kills me. It's hard to walk sometimes and I probably look like an 85 year old woman trying to move.

That brings me to the sex during pregnancy. Up until this point I've made it a point to make sure that Daniel was-um, satisfied- in that area. Even when I didn't feel up to it because that is my responsibility as a wife. But honestly I'm at the point where I'm uncomfortable enough and big enough that I'm just not that into it. I feel bad for him, but not really at the same time. It just hurts to move and combine that with the positions that do work, well it's not the most pleasurable experience for me. Anyone else have this issue in later pregnancy?

11 weeks and 1 day to go.

I had my 28 week appointment today. I'm 28 weeks and 6 days so we squeezed that in just in time. I had my glucose test and I go back in 3 weeks. I just thought I should update how things have been with this pregnancy. Just like with Dawson, things are going textbook perfect. My bp today was 120/76, I've gained 23 pounds so far, and I have no complaints. Things went this smoothly with D so I don't expect any problems to pop up. I felt fine after drinking my sugary drink and anticipate those results to be normal as well. With D I was induced with cervadil only (b/c pitocin wasn't needed after the cervadil) and from the start of contractions to 10cm was 3.5 hours ( I wasn't dilated at all when labor started) and I pushed for 2 hours. The only hiccup was that D was in a diagonal lie with his head basically in my right hip. My wonderful doctor was able to move him enough to be born vaginally but he was posterior as well so 2 hours of pushing was necessary. I can only hope that this labor goes this smoothly. I'm not scared of labor or the pain because I know that it will pass and that epidurals (for me) are WONDERFUL things and an option that I have. I also know at the end of the entire process I'll have a little baby in my arms. Tomorrow I'm 29 weeks. I delivered D at 40 weeks and 1 day, so I could have about 11 weeks to go til we meet this little one. How exciting!

I am super jealous...

If you all remember correctly, Dawson didn't sleep through the night for 2, yes TWO years. I'm not exagerating or lying or anything like that. We were up multiple times a night for years. Well we have a newborn baby in our family, born 7/29/11 and that baby has slept 7 and 8 hour stretches at a time...and I'm jealous. I think every new mom prepares to be up multiple times a night and I think every new mom should have to experience that because it DOES make you appreciate your sleep a little more...but how do new moms get to be so lucky that their child sleeps and mine didn't?? I can about guarantee that this new baby will not sleep well either. I just don't get so lucky...but I sure am I jealous of those babies that do.

Speaking of jealous-I am super jealous of the moms that don't have a toddler with severe and I mean severe seperation anxiety. It's time for me to come clean. Dawson won't let me leave him with anyone (which would only be grandparents) to go out to dinner with my husband or on a date without a serious meltdown. I can't get him to spend the night away from home and he follows me all over the house most of the time. I love him, Lord do I love this child, but I RARELY get a break. He doesn't even like to be left with his dad. I mean he cries, BIG tears, has really bad meltdowns, and gets terrified when I leave him. Shockingly he will let me leave him with his aunt to go to work for a few hours a week, but that's about it. Most of the time I fall asleep in his bed with him at night because he won't go to sleep unless I'm there with him. I can get up after he's asleep, but falling asleep on his own has never happened. I'm at the end of my rope. I don't know what to do. I don't know how to make him more comfortable with my leaving. I always come back and I'm terrified that if something were to happen to me that he would have a nervous break down. Seriously. I don't know what were going to do when I have to go to the hospital to have Allie. This is exactly why I took him out of daycare (b/c he was miserable, every single day) and one of the biggest reasons I quit my full time job. I can't stand the thought of him being scared and miserable and sad and anxious but I can't ever get a break. A weekend trip with just my husband, never happening. A girl's night....not in this lifetime. I don't know what to do.