DIY Fail

I had this genius idea.  A radical, homemaking idea that would trump all past projects.  I would make my own laundry detergent.  It would be healthier.  It would be better for the earth.  It would save money.

So I did my research.  I made a cute container.  I grated Ivory soap and carefully mixed it with Borax and Washing Soda.  And then I broke our washing machine.  After several floods, we realized the soap was clogging the machine.  Thank God Jason was able to take the whole thing apart and fix it.  And he did not hassle me at all for my mistake.  Just gracefully picked up some store bought detergent and encouraged me to stick to paper crafts and cooking.

(I'm taking his advice and making homemade refried beans this weekend.)

Things I would never do as a parent, Part II

Adding to my list of things I said I would never do, and then did, because hey, parenting is harder than it looks.

- Let my child use a life jacket at the pool (near-drowning is how you learn to swim)
- Buy my child hot chocolate at Starbucks
- Go to Disneyland (we will go to Yosemite, dammit!)
- Get annoyed when my toddler asks, "Why?" 1,000 times a day

And here we are, chillin' at the park, 17ish weeks pregnant (these are from a few weeks ago).

And if you are looking for a laugh-out-loud read, check out Letter to My Pregnant Childless Self. Here is a quick excerpt that cracked me up:

While we are on the topic of useless shit (pun intended) that you are obsessing over, it seems as though you are sitting around wondering if you’ll poop on the table during delivery. Guess what? When the time actually comes, you won’t care if fecal matter ends up on the ceiling as long as they get that baby the hell out of you faster than a teenage boy gets off on the latest Victoria’s Secret catalog.

Oh, and that book you’re reading on natural birth? Quit wasting your time with it and pick up a copy of What the Fuck Do I Do with this Baby?

20-week ultrasound

On Monday I had my 20-week ultrasound.  Sadly I had to go alone because Jason and Truman had been projectile vomitting over the weekend (super fun).  Truman's sex was a surprise, but we decided to find out this time.  The ultrasound tech took forever measuring my fluid, my ovaries, and my placenta . . . and I wanted to growl out her, "Let's look at the baby already!"  Finally we got to the good parts, little clenched fists, little feet dancing on my cervix, a fast and steady heartbeat.  And then the undeniable fact that this baby is a boy. 

Brothers. 

I spent a few minutes in the quiet ultrasound room mourning the fact that there would be no girls in our family.  And I wondered if the tech noticed.

And then I smiled when I imagined brothers.  Wrestling.  Tearing apart my house.  Eating on my good couch.  Sharing a room. 

Half-way home, little gecko.  We can't wait to meet you. 

Christmas at Grams

Christmas Eve gift opening

Reading the story of Christmas

Happy to be at Grams

Christmas morning gift opening

Making snickerdoodles

Playing with Dad's old legos

More legos