An Update to my Update

Things are going a bit better with Layla. I decided to make her a "chore chart" of sorts and that helps us get through the mornings easier. The chores on it are things like get dressed, make your bed (she put the pillows on, not big enough yet to do the rest), brush your teeth, get your hair done, etc. The same sort of chores for night time. Then I also have one for going all night with no potty accidents and one for no accidents all day.

The first day she earned all the stickers and did great with it, so she got to play with Oakley (which I had already planned, I just told her that was her reward. Ha, ha.) The next day she had one accident, but she easily earned the rest. Today she is doing okay. At least it makes our morning and evening routines smoother.

I also have not turned on the TV at all in days. Instead of walking on the treadmill while she watches TV, I push Layla in the stroller and waddle around for as long as my body can stand it and call that my exercise. It's pretty pathetic compared to what I was doing just two weeks ago, but I swear my belly tripled in size this week and it's totally slowed me down.  But at least Layla seems happier and her tantrums are less, though she definitely still has them. On the up side, she is only throwing tantrums at home with Mitch and I, not out in public (yet). I'm hoping between the chore chart, more time playing outside, and following our pediatrician's rule of "ignore and isolate" we can nip this thing in the bud before Marcus is born. I don't want a newborn and a tantrum-throwing-three-year-old.

Sometimes Blogger can't handle RAW images
and makes them super pixelated. Oh well.

Anyways, another update is that I feel more pregnant than I have this whole pregnancy. Seriously, I got huge. The last few days I've had so much pressure and pelvic pain that I wonder if he's coming early. But, I hear it's normal to feel this way, so I'm not too concerned. However, I am concerned enough that today I washed all of his stuff and started packing my hospital bag. Just in case. But with my luck he won't come on his own and I'll end up being induced anyways. Ha, ha. Honestly, the thing that bothers me the most about pregnancy is the unknown. I hate not knowing exactly when he'll be here and not having control over it. Drives me nuts!

34 weeks and 5 days. But who's counting?

I'm excited to meet him though and smother his little face in kisses. I told Mitch that this baby better look like a Marcus, since that's what we've been calling him for the last few months and have not even discussed the possibility of another name. He asked me what a Marcus looks like and all I can say is that I picture him with dark hair. I also think he'll look like my brother Jordan for some reason, not sure why, but I picture him with Jordan's big brown eyes, brown hair, and olive skin.

My brother, Jordan. I love his huge brown eyes and pretty skin tone.

I'm sure I'm totally wrong though since I thought Layla was a boy and Marcus was a girl. Ha, ha. Mitch thinks Marcus will look like me, which I guess also means big brown eyes and brown hair, but I am not nearly as olive toned as my brother. We'll see though.

So, Mitch and I were both blondes as kids, but I was actually born with a lot of black hair. They had to shave some of it off for blood transfusions (I was born 12 weeks premature) and the rest turned blonde when I was young, then slowly got darker as I got older. Now it is very dark brown.

Me. With partially shaved head. But you can see my dark hair. 

Mitch was born with no hair and when it grew in it was blonde, then slowly got darker as well. (I don't have his baby pic scanned in our computer, so just imagine a baby that looks like Layla, only really fat and totally bald. Ha, ha.)

I do know from our last ultrasound that Marcus has hair on his head, which he must get from me. But I'm dying to know what color it is and what color his eyes are. Statistically brown eyes are dominant so I would guess they're brown, but we already have one blue-eyed child, so you never know. Anyways, I'm excited to finally hold him, have him meet Layla, and get to know him. Also, there's nothing like the spirit that a brand new baby brings to your home; straight from heaven and so peaceful. I love that.

I'm also really excited to sleep on my stomach again. And to go running. Oh, I dream about that.

One more random story: the other day we were driving and passed the McDonald's that we pass quite often. I knew I was going to hear that Layla wanted to go there, and sure enough I did. I told her I didn't have any money to go there. I really didn't have any cash, and she doesn't really know what a credit card is, so I thought the money excuse would work. We ended up having the following conversation:
Me: "Sorry, Layla, I don't have any money to go there."
Layla: "Oh. But Daddy has some money."
Me: "Yep, Daddy does. That's why he goes to work everyday-- to earn money to share with us."
Layla: "That's really nice of him."
Me: "Yes, yes it is."

I was so glad that something sunk in when I told her that Daddy goes to work so we can buy food, and clothes, and have a house to live in. I'm trying really hard to teach her to be grateful, even if it means Daddy has to leave every day and can't stay to play with us.

Fast forward a fews day later and Layla brings me $0.52 from her piggy bank. I told her she didn't need to give me her money and she said, "But I have some money so now we can go to Old McDonald's!" Oh man, I almost took her right then and there it was so cute. Maybe another day.