Reston Mom

Mama exposed - vacuum bags

I love my vacuum.  I really do, it works great.  I also love to vacuum, it is by far my favorite chore.  I was a little sad the other day when I realized that it wasn't sucking too well anymore.  I noticed it first when I was trying to use the hose.  So, I poked around a bit and saw the clog in the tube.  No big deal.  It took one minute to clean it out and I was back up and running - except, still poor suction.  

In the meantime, we've been rearranging some rooms in the house - my husband used the vacuum to clean up a bit in one area.

Later that evening:

Matt: The vacuum wasn't sucking too well before.

Me: Oh yeah.  I know.  I had meant to mention that to you.  I noticed it with the hose.  I cleaned it out but it still wasn't working too well.

Matt (smiling): That's because the vacuum bag was so full it had overflowed into the hose.

Duh.  Why had I totally spaced on the fact that I needed to replace the bag?  That should have been the first thing I did....it looked like I should have done that say, back in January.  Oooooooops.  

The vacuum works great again. My brain? we'll see...

No comments about the Dyson please.  I love my vacuum. :)

This is what it is like: Autism Edition

I really appreciated this post at Snarkshelf - it isn't long, you should read it.  I think by now we are all aware of the growing numbers of kids diagnosed with Autism.  We probably all know someone who has a child on the spectrum or perhaps your family knows firsthand what it is like.  I think anyone who is not in the latter category cannot claim to really get it, to know what it is like.  We're totally gonna mess up sometime in our relationship with those families who are experiencing autism firsthand - do or say something awkward or insensitive.  But, I appreciated Karen's comments because they seemed so authentic and raw.  It helped me to "get it" a little better in a way in which other things I've read have not.  

Maddie's night terrors

 Last night, about an hour after she went to bed, Matt and I heard Maddie crying loudly.  We ran up the stairs to discover her sitting up in bed reaching for something and yelling "I want it! I want it!" all the while bawling.  She doesn't respond with any kind of clarity when we speak softly to her, reassuring her. Eventually we convince her to lay her head down on her pillow.  Then, we tuck her in.  She has gained some clarity now - enough to respond with a yes when asked if she is okay, and an "I love you too."  She is asleep again in seconds and doesn't remember anything in the morning.  

This is the second time this kind of thing has happened this week.

These episodes come and go from time to time and Maddie never remembers.  It is a strange thing to watch her have night terrors.  Mostly because of the hallucinating - the weird space between dreaming and wakefulness where she doesn't seem to know what is going on and communicates in nonsensical ways. When a child has a night terror, they seem to be awake - but aren't.  They may be found sitting, standing, or walking out of bed (Maddie has sometimes). Sometimes though, I have to admit, it is kind of funny the things she says and I have to try very hard not to chuckle out loud.  Most of the time I find dealing with a person who looks awake and isn't a little bit creepy - there is a weird blankness to the eyes. 

Apparently, the symptoms of night terrors can differ between children and adults.  They are most common in children between the ages of 2 and 6 and can be triggered by things like being overtired, stressed, or high fever. They also tend to be inherited.  Matt walked and talked in his sleep as a child, occasionally still talks.  

Luckily Maddie's episodes aren't too intense.  It took me a few times to realize what was really going on.  It isn't often enough that we really worry.  Most of the time her sleep is healthy and uninterrupted.  

Stick by Ginny

I just wanted to post a quick shout-out to a friend from college - Ginny.  I wish that I had gotten to know her sooner and could have enjoyed her friendship over the course of our entire time at school together, she is just one of those kind of people.  Immediately likable, witty, clever, and kind - and you'll love her stick figures! That's right - check 'em out at her new site Stick by Ginny. She just started up a business so you can order some cute custom invitations or whatever for yourself.  I highly recommend it.  

to do before baby

We have just about everything that we need - I pretty much started giving stuff away by the third kid, you really don't need as much as you think you do.  So, there isn't a lot of shopping to do.  Nevertheless, I've tallied up a to-do list for the summer months before the birth of #4.  We've already accomplished so much - it is very exciting.  These are the big ones:

To-do:

purchase a minivan - check! (lovin' our new Odyssey, boy does it make a mom's life so much easier! grateful!)

move Matt's office to the basement - check!   We had to get creative with this one, but you know what? It was well worth it and actually an upgrade

move Hope and Maddie's bedroom to the old office room - check!

move the playroom upstairs to Hope and Maddie's old bedroom - check! It turned out so nice!

turn the old playroom into a schoolroom - check minus?  It is all moved, but there are some odds and ends

finish painting the upstairs hallway

paint the girls' bedroom and the playroom

paint a chalkboard wall - yes an entire wall, I'm so excited! - in the schoolroom

paint a bench

buy a new double stroller 

pick baby names

happy to be pregnant AGAIN!

The news has been trickling out for a short while, but I spilled it via twitter/facebook today so even though I've been pretty lax here lately, I figured for those who were interested, I'd go ahead and start posting about this pregnancy a little bit.  Since this is number four, I'm not sure what new things I'll have to say - but I know there are always curiosity questions and I'll just start by answering some of them for you.

HOW FAR ALONG ARE YOU? / WHEN ARE YOU DUE?   I'm at 11 weeks tomorrow and the baby is due in the beginning of November.

WERE YOU GUYS TRYING FOR A BOY? no. We weren't trying at all.  And, neither do we care if it is a girl or a boy, we would be equally excited.

WILL YOU FIND OUT IF IT IS A GIRL OR BOY? Yes, baby willing.  We have found out with all of our kids.  I like to name each child and pray for them by name before they are born.  I love to welcome them into the lives of our family with a name prior to birth and enjoy the way this personally connects our other children in particular with their sibling even before they meet.  We are of the mindset that finding out is always a surprise - whether on the day of the birth or on the day of the ultrasound, surprise!  But, especially with this one, I am anxious to know as it will largely affect some of the arrangements in our house. 

DID YOU ALWAYS PLAN TO HAVE A BIGGER FAMILY?  I'm not sure.  We always wanted more than one. They have come one at a time and we have eagerly wanted and welcomed each of them.  We never set out with a number in mind particularly but are gratefully blessed!

WILL YOU HAVE ANY MORE KIDS?  no.  I have had to have c-sections to deliver each of my children - this will be my fourth and beyond that we aren't comfortable with the growing risks, therefore this will be my last pregnancy. We are also feeling content with the completion of our family at four birth children.

THE OTHER KIDS?  Hope 6, Maddie 4, and Ami 1 - are all excited (well, Ami doesn't really know).  Hope and Maddie will turn 7 and 5 the month following the baby's birth and there will be 20 months between Ami and the baby.  

HOW HAVE YOU BEEN FEELING? oh you know, not great.  I didn't even know I was pregnant until I was about 6 wks along I think. I apparently got pregnant shortly before Ami was weaned.  I had a cold early on and at the tail end of it spent a week with a yucky stomach - but I assumed it was the post-nasal drip or that the congestion was throwing off my equilibrium.  After 7 days of tummy ick I realized I knew that feeling.  (phew - no "I didn't know I was pregnant" tv show for me, dodged that bullet! :)  That was the beginning of never-relenting nausea - though I haven't thrown up with any of my pregnancies.  Then I caught a TERRIBLE cold which compounded to make me feel miserable.  Luckily, the cold symptoms are almost all gone now and the nausea comes and goes instead of just staying.  I'm counting down the days until the end of the first trimester since I usually feel great in the 2nd.  Last time I couldn't eat Chipotle at all, this time thankfully I can but I cannot stand the smell of marinara sauce or bbq sauce.  Smells are bothering me a LOT more this time.  

Well, there you go - that's all I can think of for now - but if you want to ask anything, feel free to leave me a comment! 

acid in baby foods (even organic) may lead to reflux

My kids never really had problems with reflux - although Maddie was totally a spit-up kind of kid.  However, I have had friends whose babies really suffered enough that they had to be put on medication.  So, I found this interesting.  With Ami, we were given the awesome Beaba Babycook and so I made nearly all of her food at home and ditched the stuff in the jar - it is actually easier to do than you'd think.  

The School Lunch Project

 Here is a blog by a woman who is eating school lunch just like the kids every day of 2010.   I have control over the nutrition in my own children's lunches as they are home with me for school - but I still found this all very interesting.  If you are at all interested in what school children in our country are consuming or have any interest in nutrition and the debacle that is our western diets, you might enjoy browsing this site. She also highlights some school menus from other countries and more. 

fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com

Mother Child Bags

I always feel like I could use an extra hand...or two...these days.  Especially when crossing a street with the kiddos - I'm always telling them to grab onto the stroller (when we have it) or onto my purse if my hands are full, or even onto one of my pant pockets.  So, I thought this idea was cute.  I can't remember where I first saw it, maybe over at babybunching.com - but whether I'm telling the girls to hang onto me or not, they usually are - so it wouldn't hurt to have a specific little handle just for them!  You can find these bags here. 

 

life with little girls

backyard dance shows

About a week ago, Hope handed me a handwritten invitation to watch her "dance concert" in our yard at 2 pm the following Saturday.  She also gave a handwritten invitation to her dad and both sisters.  She also invited various neighborhood friends.  

I decided to let her roll with it.  Why discourage her?

So yesterday morning, Hope took the large whiteboard we use for school and wrote an announcement on it and propped it up as a sign against a tree in our front yard.

Then just before 2pm - she put on the dress of her choice and brought me a cd of well know selections of music from various ballets and other dances and told me that she would be using track number 11. 

(note: Hope doesn't take any dance lessons, but apparently she does not lack confidence in her natural abilities :) 

We set up an old boom-box with an extension cord in the front yard and Hope arranged a few folding chairs.  We also allowed for a small table with cups and lemonade. 

Some of our neighbors did come to watch.  Hope introduced herself, thanked everyone for coming and curtsied and then proceeded to improvise a dance to her chosen song.  

She really did a fine job.  It was very cute.  And it was fun to see her make up her mind to do something and then find such enjoyment out of it.  

Our oldest daughter clearly has no problem with attention or being in the spotlight.  She is really quite composed and capable and just eats it up! She should be a public speaker or performer or teacher or something where she gets to impact an audience.  

   
 
 
 
 

Easter and pizza

I have been meaning to post a few pics from Easter.  We had a nice celebration and spent a quiet day with just our immediate family.  I was recalling how last year for Easter dinner we ordered pizza - ha! Ami was a week or two old and I was still recovering from a c-section and feeling pretty wiped out.  

This year, for Easter dinner - pizza again!  We had recently been busy and feeling wiped out for various reasons.  We weren't traveling to see family since we had just seen everyone for Ami's 1st birthday, so after church and naps for all of us, we headed over to California Pizza Kitchen at Fairfax corner.  The weather was perfect and there were tons of people enjoying the day.  Then we headed back to Reston Town Center for some frozen yogurt where even more people were out and about. 

  

this is what happens when you try to get more than two children to all take a picture together

grandma provided cute matching Easter dresses for all the pretty little girls

 

caution if you use a baby sling

I never could get used to wearing a sling or a carrier - just a personal comfort issue.  But, I know that it has been a world of help for a ton of moms - and hopefully should continue to be so.  However, there are some good warnings issued by the CPSC following some investigations into infant deaths caused by slings.  Check it out here to keep those babies snug - and safe!