Breaking the Pattern?

When Madeline was about 6 months old, we started getting together with a few other moms from church who'd had all had their first babies within a couple months of each other. It was so fun to see our little ones grow together, but more than that we became a great support network for one another. When our kids were somewhere around 10 months old we met at a park one day, and the conversation turned to our future plans for baby #2. We all had thoughts and plans on the subject. Most of us wanted another child by the time our first was two, if not before. It looked like several of us might have our seconds around the same time. What a great plan it was.

Well, plans are great, but life throws curve balls. What actually ended up happening was not according to original plan for most of us. Our second children ended up scattered, with the Serr family bringing up the rear.

One interesting thing about this little group of friends is that in every family the second child was the same sex as the first.

Tomorrow we will find out if we continue this pattern.

Remembering Texas

Madeline has been talking a lot about Texas lately. I'm surprised by how much she remembers about our time there. I thought in her little mind that her whole life would just run together, but she very clearly remembers what we did and what she had in Texas, and it's completely separate in her mind from Idaho.

Everyday she tells me something about Texas. "Mom, remember my plastic dog I had in Texas with the black spots?" "Mom, can my friends from Texas come to my birthday party? They came last time and we had pink cupcakes." Mostly she likes to talk about anything related to swimming. She remembers the small pink pool we had on our deck. She remembers just what her swimming suit looked like. She remembers her dad taking her swimming on the weekends while I was sleeping. The poor girl has no idea how much longer winter will last here in Idaho!

I'm so glad she has such wonderful memories of Texas. Scott and I do, too. None of us long to be back, but we enjoy remembering everything we had there. It was good.

Here are a few pics from our last month there. My, how she's grown!

Lifting Fog

The fog of pregnancy induced nausea is finally lifting. I feel about 75% of normal most of the time now, which is SO wonderful. I actually feel like living my normal life, instead of spending it on the couch (which is not what I did, but all I wanted to do). This week I've been cooking real meals, not warming up frozen lasagnas, and I even scrubbed the shower. It feels great!

I don't think this go around was any worse than the first, in fact probably even a little better, but it was harder to cope with at times due to my lack of being occupied. I worked in the hospital full time when I was pregnant with Madeline, and I think it helped to keep my mind off of how I was feeling. I'm so grateful it's about over, and that I don't suffer from this throughout my entire pregnancies like some I know. That is unimaginable.

I'm sure this is of no interest to anyone else, but I'm finding it fun to compare this pregnancy with my last. A lot is the same, but I did find some differences in the things that made me the most sick, and things that helped.

1ST PREGNANCY:

Things that made me more sick than the usual constant nausea -

• cooking
• opening the refrigerator or the freezer (Scott made my lunch for work everyday)
• thinking about food, including making a menu for the week
• grocery shopping - I dreaded this task all week, and had a lovely experience at the Wal-mart check out counter when I was about 10 weeks along. No more shopping alone after that.
• the elevator and break room at work
• taking my prenatal vitamins
• pulling up to our apartment after work - for some reason that part of my routine always induced gagging

Things that helped a little

• popsicles
• changing up my routine

2ND PREGNANCY:

Things that made it worse-

• the laundry room. laundry soap. anything to do with entering the laundry room, and thus smelling the laundry soap.
• the living room - it's usually closed up, so it has a little bit different of a smell than the rest of the house. Not bad, but different, and for some reason it really bothered me.
• the bathroom after someone had just showered. It would smell like soap.
• the magic hour of 5:00pm. I was pretty much out of commission after that point.

Things that helped a little-

• candy canes
• the actual process of eating, but not before or after

This is the time when I actually begin to be exited about our new baby. I more easily recognize the miracle of having another life inside my own. What an amazing gift.

New Year

I've been reflecting a lot the past couple of days, I'm sure like everyone else, on this past year. 2010 was a year of work, excitement, achievement, disappointment, fun, decisions, changes, sickness, and waiting for our family. But, all is well that ends well, and 2010 ended well for the Serr family.

2010 closed for us with a job offer. A very unexpected, but wonderfully welcome job offer. The contract hasn't been finalized yet, so more details will be coming later. I will let you in on a little teaser, that one of my resolutions for this new year is to truly come to love the city of Burley, Idaho. Not as a place of respite, or for a long term visit, but instead as a place to live.

Happy New Year!