Chapter 2

Hello blog…

Long time no see.  Sorry about that.  I see that I’ve only posted a few times in the past month?!  That’s unfortunate.

As it happens, quite a bit has happened in those past months.  Allison is officially rocking kindergarten.  She’s had a couple official parent/teacher reviews and gets good marks on all aspects.  Her self-confidence has really increased.  Where in the past she may have stood quietly and let others go before her, now she runs to be the first in line.  She actually got in trouble at school for the first time (had to “pull her tag”), and was appropriately guilty and upset about that.  We’re really lucky to have such a great kid.

She’s in a phase now where she has a difficult time accepting no for an answer.  She’ll ask to watch TV, or have a treat, or generally do something, and if we say “no”, she wants to know why.  Always why.  And sometimes we don’t have a good answer for “why not”.  Why shouldn’t we let her watch TV at that moment?  It’s hard to explain that too much TV in the long run isn’t good for little bodies.  But she doesn’t have a concept of the long run.  That’s the latest challenge.  It’s not a big deal, but it’s something.  She just got a small load of Easter candy (after a really fun and successful treasure hunt at my parents house!), and she was constantly asking if she could have some of her candy.  We finally realized that the reason she asks “why” all the time was that we weren’t giving consistent answers.  Sometimes she can watch TV, and sometimes now.  Sometimes she can have candy, and sometimes now.  We finally had the bright idea to portion out her candy into separate baggies, and she could have one baggie per day, whenever she wanted.  So now it’s very clear when she can have a treat and when she can’t, and she can answer her own question.

In other news, Diana is knocked up and ready to burst.  The official due date is 4/16, but we’re going in on 4/9 for a scheduled c-section.  The ultrasounds seem to indicate a pretty big baby, combined with some complications during Allison’s birth, a c-section seemed like a prudent choice.  So it will be interesting to compare this birth experience with the last one.

Diana is doing well.  Aside from some acid reflux, some sciatica, and generally being uncomfortable heaving a big belly around, I don’t get the feeling that this pregnancy has been particularly challenging.  It’s been a little bit of a roller coaster, though.  Early on, there was some suspicion that Diana had gestational diabetes, and was ordered to monitor her blood sugar.  She did that for two weeks, and it was always well within range, so she was told she didn’t need to anymore.  Then there was a possible issue with the umbilical cord perhaps not being centered on the placenta, and we’d have to watch and make sure the baby is growing well, which she has.  The latest is that her proportions are a little uneven.  Short arms/legs and big belly/head, but we’re told that’s not something to worry about.  I’ve been sick with the flu and norovirus stomach flu in the past few months, and thankfully Diana avoided both of those.  I don’t know how, but she did.

For my own part, I’m about as ready as I can be, emotionally, for this next chapter.  I’m clearing up tasks at work and steeling myself as best I can for the upcoming arrival.  I fully realize I’ll never be totally prepared for what’s to come, but I feel like I’m in as good a spot as I could reasonably expect.

What I don’t know how I’ll do is love this new little one as much as I love Allison.  I swear I’d do anything for that kid.  Her nightly routine now is to write love letters to us at bedtime (after we leave her room).  She writes one to me, one to Diana, and one to both of us.  They are just adorable.  My friends with multiple kids assure me it’s possible, but I can’t comprehend that yet.  How do I have room in my heart?

It will also be interesting to see what a five and a half year difference is like.  There are certainly pros and cons, I expect, about having kids close and far in age.  Allison has never been particularly independent.  She rarely disappears for any length of time and plays by herself.  So I suspect and immediately challenge will be dealing with parents who are increasingly busy and having our hands full.  On the other hand, she potentially could be very helpful and sweet, too.  So we’ll see how that works out.

Cross your fingers for us!