Ready to Pop (Somebody)

Ok, ok, I've finally accepted that people are bound to make comments like, "Wow, you're ready to pop!" to pregnant women. Or, after I tell someone my due date, that people are going to respond with, "Wow. You're never going to make it." These seem to be the go-to statements for many friends, acquaintances and strangers upon seeing this pregnant person. I have accepted and expect that people will continue to make these comments to me. I have not, however, lowered my expectations and accepted it as something appropriate to say. It still gets me hot under the collar.

I may feel inside as though I am "ready to pop" the next person who makes such a comment, but would never follow through as I am not a violent person. I would like to dedicate this blog post to giving 4 reasons why feel like popping them.

1. I have a small frame, and a pregnant belly looks bigger on small-statured women. Please consider this before making such a comment. I can't help that the baby has little room to grow vertically, so she has to grow out horizontally. I will only get bigger, but to the peanut gallery, this will likely and unfortunately increase the frequency of the "pop" comment.

2. I am going for a full-term baby. When people tell me I'm not going to make it, it literally hurts my heart. Research shows that full-term babies are blessed with the life-long advantage of having fewer health issues and that they academically outperform preemies. Don't take my word for it. Check out:
parents.com,
nytimes.com,
theguardian.com

3. I'm due on my mom's birthday. Momma is on hospice and doesn't have much time left here with us. Wouldn't it be amazing and special if the baby was born on her birthday! So, when someone tells me I'm not going to make it, I kind of want to sock them.


4. Eighty-nine percent of expectant mothers make it to full-term, as documented here.

I went past my due date with Anna Claire, and there is no medical reason why I should have a pre-term baby.

Allow me to inform: There are several reasons a woman might have a pre-term birth. None of which I exhibit. You can find a comprehensive list of reasons here.

Women can also take control of their nutrition, water intake and stress level. These three go a long way in promoting a full-term pregnancy. Proper exercise sounds cliche, but I do that as well.

I am a super-healthy eater. With both Anna Claire and Madeline, I've not only eaten healthy, I've done extensive research on the best food for pregnant moms and their growing babies. And then I eat those things!

Eight glasses of water a day is no joke. Ask a couple of my pregnant friends who had cramping and other complications early on in their pregnancies - I finally got them to buy into it and take it seriously and they are now complication-free. Water is magic stuff people. You've got to keep your amniotic fluid at a safe level.

Stress level is crucial. I am not afraid to ask for help and to know my limits. I prioritize growing this life above everything else. I will let anything that I feel is negatively impacting that slide!

Balance rest with movement. I don't over-exert myself. Again, being pregnant is my top priority, and I will alternate being active with periods of rest. I've also practiced yoga throughout my pregnancy. It aids with keeping the stress level low as well, and prepares you for labor.

So, that's it in a nutshell...the reasons I feel like popping my popper commenters.

Yes, I do realize I could have this baby tomorrow, only God knows. This is true. But in the meantime I fully intend to live my life as if I am carrying to full-term. I believe that the mind is a powerful thing and I also believe in the power of prayer. I believe God sees the desires of my heart, and that this baby is in His hands, regardless of a due date.

Until D-day, you will find me taking care of my body and my outlook sunny...preparing for my September 28 delivery date. :)

Excited Big Sister

Anna Claire is asking more and more questions about the baby, as she gazes at my ever-expanding stomach. "Will my baby need my sippy cups, Mommy? She can borrow them." "What will my baby do at dinnertime? Will she sleep while we eat? She won't eat dinner like us, will she Mommy?"

I also am loving how increasingly helpful she's become. My clumsy, pregnant self is dropping things left and right, and Anna Claire is happy happy to pick them up for me. Good thing, because once I bend over or squat down, I'm really struggling to get back up! She's also been really helpful about carrying things for me, helping pick up, cleaning, and just looking for ways to be independent.

The baby isn't here yet, but so far I'm loving this four year age difference. I think it's gonna work out great, especially with such a sweet and thoughtful big sister!

Second and Third Grade Dolch Words

So, so proud of our Super Reader. We're starting to think she can read anything.

I asked Anna Claire if she could read any of these Second Grade Dolch Words, and she was quick to reply, "I can read all of them, Mommy!" And then she did! She started at the upper-left and went straight down each column to the end of the page, and she did it fast. Then, once she got to "write" the last word, she asked, "Do I get a treat for that?"

Um, yes, you can have a treat.

You can see at the bottom she's finally interested in trying to write letters which has been a real power struggle around here. We are just glad she's showing an interest, because up until a month ago, she could've cared less about writing letters! But darn it, she can read, so we don't pressure her on the writing much.

Ok, naturally after seeing she could read all of the second grade words, I was curious how she'd do with third grade. She knew 32 of the 41 words on this list, but if you look at her miscues for the 9 she missed, she was pretty close!

Miscues:
hold - told
myself - by myself
seven - even
hurt - hunt
light - night
got - got it
if - in
own - grown
eight - night

Ponies Class End of Year Wrap-up

Anna Claire will be transitioning to the Kids Class for preschool in the next couple of weeks, so I thought in the interest of paper management and just looking back on the last year, why not do a blog post?

I quit saving her daily sheets that report how her day went about a year ago. It just got to be too much paper. But what I did love and keep are the Curriculum Connection sheets that we get from teachers every few weeks, updating parents on how kids are progressing with Literacy, physically, cognitively, and socially.

Looking back at these, I'm mostly proud of how she's progressed socially. When she entered the Ponies, she had a hard time expressing her feelings and would just go straight to crying if she was frustrated, angry, or had hurt feelings. She was also sort of a pushover, and would let the other kids tell her what to do.

Now, she is so much more independent, uses her words to show how she feels and how her friends make her feel. She is no pushover anymore! She is quick to stand up for herself, an important trait to have in a class full of strong-willed, assertive boys and girls (AC included!).

I mentioned frustration, and one source of frustration for her in the Ponies class has been dance class. Every Wednesday we would have the same conversation in the car on the way home: "Mommy, I don't want to do dance anymore." When asked why, it was either because no one would help her change into her dance clothes or because she missed her outside time. Well, by around February, she was changing all by herself, with confidence, and as hard as it is for me to admit it now, I am so grateful to her teachers this year for building her up to be independent instead of doing everything for her. Larry and I are so guilty of that, and I am oh so appreciative, having a baby on the way, that my four-year-old can do and wants to do for herself. How helpful will this little girl be to me in a few months??

Anna Claire also entered the Ponies class as a child who was quick to give up. She would try something one time, and if it didn't work, forget it. She'd either cry, or move on to something else. Now, leaving the Ponies, she will tell me often, "I didn't quit, Mommy. I kept trying and I did it." She has realized how proud she feels after struggling to achieve something, then mastering it. She has a new-found determination that I love. She is staying calm, and sticking with a task. So proud of her.

Anna Claire is finally bringing her reading to light in the Ponies class. For whatever reason, she has not shared this at school until recently, but now she is reading for Daisy.

Physically, Anna Claire can now put on her shoes, make up her mat for nap, zip and unzip a zipper on a coat or backpack, skip, ride a tricycle/bicycle - none of which she could do when she started in the Ponies.