Out & About

Seeking entertainment for Jax and Grandfather, we ended up spending the afternoon as tourists. After dining oceanfront at the very spot where Nascar racing began, we headed to the Marine Science Center to check out the sea turtle rehabilitation center. There were several turtles being treated for upper respiratory infections and motor boat injuries. They even had a few recent hatchlings that were turned in by locals. We learned they would eventually be released back into the ocean when the current and tides were deemed ideal.

While we were fascinated by the efforts of the staff to rehab the turtles, they were more impressed by their youngest visitor of the day, Baylor. He completely missed being the center of attention though, as he was passed out in the Baby Bjorn on Anh's chest. Oh well! Jax liked all of the aquariums filled with turtles, fish, and other sea life, but his favorite activity was making lobster puppets in the science lab. All in all, it was a fun afternoon out with the grandparents.

A Day with Grandfather

Today Jax was treated to a special day out with Grandfather. They set off this morning with a stroller and a backpack to find something fun to do. What they settled on was taking a 2-hour boat ride on our Intercoastal waterway. Along the way, they spotted manatee, dolphins, and multi-million dollar homes with views of both the Intercoastal and the Atlantic. Grandfather informed me that there were still a few lots for sale that I might want to check out, to which I replied, "Oh, good to know!" Clearly he hasn't seen my bank account balance.

Jax must have had a good time because he was passed out on Grandfather's shoulder when they finally made it home. Plus, Grandfather had a few pictures as proof.

Evil Mommy

I have jokingly referred to myself as an evil Mommy many times before, but today I really do feel like one. Today I had to take Baylor for his circumcision. What a horrible experience! I'll share the good news first. There were no complications. All looks "good" which isn't exactly pretty at this point, but everything should heal beautifully within a few days. I felt so bad handing him over to the "torturer," and then my stomach sank when I heard him crying from the back room.

After about 10 minutes, they brought him back to me, and he was so upset. Can't say I blame him! They showed me what they had done, and that's when I really felt bad. Poor kid! You would think I would have been more prepared for this considering this is my 2nd boy, but I wasn't. I still felt terrible about putting my little guy through such a painful procedure. The nurse assures me that he won't hold a grudge, and it's what she would do if she had a son. I plan to pamper him with tons of attention tonight in effort to make him and myself feel better.

As a side note, I also saw the doc for my 1 week postpartum check and all looks good for me. My incision pain is gone, but I'm still experiencing a little internal soreness, nothing extreme just a little tender. They said I should continue to take it easy. I guess it's a good thing I didn't share that I haven't exactly been taking it easy. I'm not running marathons, but I haven't been lounging around either. I've already resumed my regular routine. I just had to move a little slower for the first few days. I'm almost back to regular speed now though.

So aside from a little self-imposed guilt, I'm doing well. I suspect Baylor will have a rough night and not be his usual easy-going self, but I'd say he's entitled to inflict a little emotional pain on me given what I put him through today. Let's hope that nurse is right about him not holding a grudge!

1 Week Check-Up

Today Baylor turned 1 week old! At his check-up, we made quite the first impression on the clinic staff. After stripping him down for his weigh-in, the nurse made the mistake of inserting the rectal thermometer. She opened the flood gates, and Baylor proceeded to poop all over the scale. Thank goodness for the thin layer of tissue he was laying on. At least clean-up wasn't too bad. As if that didn't cause enough laughter, Baylor then let the loudest fart rip as Anh picked him up off the scale. I think I might have torn some stitches, I was laughing so hard. Everyone immediately looked at Baylor's butt expecting to see poo dripping down Anh's arm and shirt, but thankfully, it was only air that he passed.

We started the whole weigh-in process over with fresh tissue and discovered that Baylor's weight had dropped to 8 lbs, 3 oz from his 8 lbs, 6 oz birth weight. Not too bad. From there, we made our way to the exam room. We learned that the very slight heart murmur that they had detected in the hospital was improving and was looking like it would be nothing to worry about. Thank goodness! Baylor was less than cooperative about letting his doctor, Dr. N, look at his eyes and mouth. I guess he was holding a grudge after the whole thermometer thing.

Dr. N said, "Baby's job is to breathe, eat, sleep, and poop. He breathes, eats, sleeps, and poops so he's perfect." Good to know!

Chauffeur

Jax has a new chauffeur. His name is Grandfather, and today he escorted Jax to school and got to meet the gang of 3-year olds plus Mrs. Howe. As they left the house, I made Jax promise to give Grandfather the directions to school. He can tell you every right and left turn for the entire 5 mile drive. I made sure that Grandfather knew the way in advance, just to insure that Jax wouldn't decide to play hookie and direct him to the playground instead. We're talking about a 3-year old, afterall. Who knows what kind of trickery he may have plotted overnight.

On the drive, Grandfather asked Jax whether there was anything he needed Grandfather to buy while he was running errands. A risky question considering Jax tends to have expensive taste. Upon hearing this, I immediately feared Grandfather was about to tell me that we were the proud owners of a brand new battery-operated Jeep that Jax had visited once again at Toys R' Us the previous day. To my relief, Jax had simply requested the very annoying bicycle horn that had been picked out at Toys R' Us with Grandfather, but vetoed by an evil Mommy that didn't want to annoy every neighbor on the block.

After dropping Jax off, Grandfather shared that all went well until they arrived at school when Jax suddenly went clueless about which door led to his classroom. Oops, I had forgotten to share that little detail. Actually, I didn't forget. I just figured that if the kid can clearly direct you across town to the school, playground, Krispy Kreme, car wash, Target, and Toys R' Us, he should be able to remember which door leads to his classroom. Wrong!

Grandfather reported that Jax was a little shy about introducing his chauffeur to the class, but his classmates weren't shy about introducing themselves to Grandfather. A little girl named Michelle seemed eager to interrogate Grandfather about his hat. She shared that she also had a hat, a princess hat. Oh, the stimulating conversations that you can have with a preschooler! How Grandfather was able to pull himself away, I'll never know.

Fast forward to this afternoon when Grandfather picked him up. Grandfather asked Jax what he wanted to go do, despite the fact that Mommy had clearly instructed Grandfather that a nap was the big after school activity, otherwise we'd all be dealing with an evil little Gremlin this evening. Thank goodness (never thought I'd say that about a really annoying noisemaker), Jax answered, "Go get my horn." Grandfather showed Jax the horn that he had picked up for him that day and they headed home.

The nap never did happen, by the way. Looks like I'm in for a fun evening!

On the Road Again

The Atlanta family is on the road home. Good thing too. Not because they weren't fun to have around because they absolutely were, but because soon we would have had to whip out the egg timer to make sure that everyone was getting their 15 minutes with the baby. Poor kid had to feel a bit like a "hot potato" the way he was being passed around. Oh well, I guess he knows he's the center of attention for the moment.

So, now we're down to 2 grandparents and 6 dogs. Yep, still 6 dogs. At least they don't want to hold the baby. Occasionally, one will lick his feet as they walk by, but that's about the extent of the interaction. I guess we can safely say he's not allergic to dogs!

Invasion

This blog was supposed to be about the arrival of Jax's best friend, Grandfather, and Grandma. They're here for a week to help with Baylor. Well, I should say, Grandma will be helping with Baylor. Grandfather will be entertaining Jax which means trips to the beach, playground, and all kinds of other "fun" stuff. Grandma, on the other hand, has dirty diapers and sleepless nights to look forward to. Good thing she views this as fun. Boy, do we have her fooled. ; )

BUT, as I typed the first sentence, the doorbell rang. We all exchanged strange looks because it's not often someone comes to the door after 9pm. Who in the world could it be? I doubt the FedEx man delivers this late. We're not being evacuated again, are we?! We opened the door to discover Anh's VERY EXCITED family standing on the other side. They had driven 8 hours down from Atlanta to see the new baby. SURPRISE!

So, we just went from a little grandparent visit to an all-out family reunion, including 7 dogs! Fun, but the house is definitely a bit chaotic. I had hoped to slowly introduce Baylor to his family, but what the heck, we'll just throw him into the insanity. Sink or swim, Baby! They're a fun & crazy bunch!

Best Friends

Jaxon's best friend is in town. Yep, Grandfather (and Grandma) are here for a visit, and Jax couldn't be happier. They're here to meet their new grandson and to lend me a hand next week when Anh returns to work. It's a good thing I was waiting to greet Grandfather at the door with Baylor when they first arrived. He was able to enjoy a brief moment with his new grandson before Jax realized his best friend had arrived. From that moment, Jax has kept Grandfather VERY busy.

In the last few hours, Jax has run Grandfather ragged trying to squeeze in as much playtime as humanly possible. They've played outside. Played You see, usually Grandfather can only stay for the weekend and Jax knows that his time with his best friend is limited.

Homecoming

They kicked us out of the hospital a day early! Yippee! The docs said Baylor and I were making the other mommies and babies look bad because of our awesome progress. Just kidding, but they did seem surprised by my eagerness to be up and about after the surgery. They might have just wanted to clear the room though. There seemed to be some sort of baby boom during our stay. Even though the ward was close to displaying a no vacancy sign, the staff was beyond incredible to us. The celebrity treatment wasn't enough to keep us there though. I was ready to head home!

Anh & I decided it would be fun to surprise Jax by picking him up from school as a family. All of the teachers saw me in the front seat and came rushing over to meet Baylor. When Jax realized his brother was in the car, he lit up with excitement. Jax just stared at him the whole ride home and kept saying, "I love my baby brother." I'd say he definitely seems to be enjoying having a little buddy to look after.

Our first night at home has been pleasantly quiet. Baylor seems content with the surroundings. Good to know he approves of his new pad. Jax seems to completely accept the newest member of the family, and Anh and I aren't feeling overwhelmed yet. Note the use of the word "yet." Stay tuned for what I'm sure will become complete chaos in the near future. I mean, it's pretty much unavoidable now that I'm surrounded by testosterone, but I wouldn't have it any other way. ; )

Do You See Resemblence?

Jax

Baylor

Bros

They like each other! What a relief! I don't think there was ever any doubt that Baylor would be fascinated by Jax. I mean, the kid is a day old. He's fascinated by everything. Jax, however, was expecting a kitty cat not a baby brother the last time I saw him. So you can imagine my relief when he entered my hospital room smiling from ear to ear and wearing a Big Brother Jax crown that was bestowed upon him at school yesterday. Yes, Mrs. Howe and the kids had somehow managed to convince Jax that a baby brother was better than a kitty cat.

When Anh picked him up from school, Jax immediately said, "I want to go to the hospital to see Mommy and Baby Baylor!" As soon as he saw Baylor, he exclaimed, "Baby Baylor! Awwww!" Then he immediately asked to hold him. It was honestly the sweetest thing to see Jax looking into his little brother's eyes with such amazement. I really don't think these pictures do the moment justice, but this was the moment a lifelong bond was formed.

Introducing Baylor Long Vu

We celebrated the arrival of our second son, Baylor Long Vu, at 7:43am. He weighs in at 8lbs 6oz (I won the bet) and is 20in long. So far, he appears to be healthy and is already nursing. Thanks to the combination of adrenaline and numbing meds, I'm feeling pretty good right now. We think Baylor bears a strong resemblance to Jaxon when he was born, but we will let you judge for yourself.

And, We're Off

Yes, I am so addicted to blogging that I woke up early to insure one last entry. Although, I do use the term "woke up" very loosely because I insincerely doubt that I ever really fell asleep. I laid down at midnight, turned off the tv at 12:30am, and then tried for the next 4 hours to not think about how insanely thirsty I was. The one distraction from that fact was my fascination that, as throughout my pregnancy, my husband was blissfully sleeping beside me. Does he not realize what is happening in a matter of hours?

As a side note, I should share that Jax was still trying to convince us right up until bedtime that a kitty cat is better than a baby brother. After reading him his bedtime stories, I once again told him that he'd be meeting his baby brother tomorrow after school. His response, "I wanna' get a kitty cat." I told him that he would need to be a "bigger boy" before we could get a kitty cat, but that a baby brother would be fun for now. His response, "I wanna' get a kitty cat now." Anh tried explaining that a baby brother would be a great thing, but Jax continued to insist that "a kitty cat is much better than a baby brother." We can only hope that his opinion will change.

Well, since Anh assures me that they would notice a laptop being wheeled into the o.r. So this is my last entry before the arrival of the baby. I just wanted to thank everyone that called and wrote yesterday with good wishes, thoughts, and prayers. We appreciate every single last one!

I Want My MTV

Straight from the source in NYC. Thanks for the cool retro MTV tee, Aunt Kelly!

From Weeks to Days to Hours

We're counting down the hours now! I had my pre-op appointment this afternoon and have been cleared for surgery. I was expecting to receive instructions on how to perform some nasty pre-surgery rituals, but none were discussed. Normally, I'd be thrilled to avoid gross things, but I'm married to a surgeon so I kind of know what's in-store at some point. I guess I'll be subjected to the nastiness tomorrow in a public setting. Yeah!

During the appointment, Jax announced multiple times that he was going to be a big brother, and even though I've told him at least a hundred times today that the baby is coming tomorrow while he's at school, he seemed ready to see Dr. T pull a baby out from under the sheet at today's appointment. I think he was a little disappointed that he wasn't becoming a big brother today. To cheer him up Dr. T treated him to a "big brother hat" as a reward for his excitment.

Yep, Jax seems quite proud of his new role in the family. We can only hope that he will continue to be happy about it after he meets the baby. All of our questions about life as a family of 4 will be answered soon enough. There's no turning back now!

Substitution

While watching the Disney movie Oliver & Company today, Jax decided to make a substitution. He told me, "I wanna' get a kitty cat." Not really knowing what else to say, I told him, "We'll get a kitty cat when you're a little bit older." Obviously not what he wanted to hear because he then told me, "No, we can get a kitty cat, not a baby brother." Considering that the baby brother is due to arrive in less than 48 hours, we may have a problem. Do they make newborn cat costumes? Maybe Jax won't notice the lack of fur.

Movie Magic

Jax seems to have a new obsession. He still LOVES anything & everything related to the movie Cars, but from time to time something else will capture his attention. Most recently, he developed a brief obsession with the monster truck series on the Speed channel. As a result, we acquired a few toy monster trucks. Well, we seem to have moved from monster trucks to Speedracer.

Anh showed Jax a 7 minute preview for the movie online last week, and since then we've had to replay the clip for Jax multiple times a day. He will watch the clip over and over and over and over. It just fascinates him. So as a special treat his Aunt Nguyen decided to take him to see the movie at the theatre, and not just any theatre, the IMAX theatre. This was his very first trip to the movies, and the choice seemed appropriate for our kid who has been obsessed with cars since, oh, birth!

Like a good aunt, Nguyen pumped him full of cherry slush, popcorn, and candy. She reports that he was absolutely fascinated by the race scenes, but as one would expect of a 3 year old, became restless during the non-action parts. As one would also expect after experiencing an extreme sugar and adrenaline high, he promptly CRASHED after the movie. I'd say the kid had a good day!

At Least He Gave Me Some Warning

We're still in that phase where Jax proudly announces when he has to go to the bathroom and then shares the news of what occurred while in there. He's not shy about his accomplishments. There have been many occasions when we have exited a public restroom and heard Jax scream to whichever one of us didn't accompany him, "I pee-peed" or "I pooped!" Thankfully, most strangers find the announcement amusing rather than disgusting.

At home, we don't really have to accompany him to the bathroom. He can manage on his own for the most part. The exception would be when he goes #2. You can't help but laugh when he calls from the bathroom, "I pooped! Wipe my butt, Daddy. Wipe my butt, please." Thank God this is a service that he prefers from his dad!

Today Jax shared something new before heading off to the potty though. He told me, "Mommy, I gotta' go poop." To which I responded, "Okay, I'll meet you in there." Then Jax proudly declared, "It's gonna' stink in there!" I swear I don't make this stuff up!

Addiction

You know you've got a problem when you walk into Krispy Kreme, and the staff immediately starts making your Mocha Dream Chiller and hands your kid a sprinkle doughnut! At least I can blame my addiction on pregnancy cravings. What's Jax's excuse?

38 Weeks

This morning, I saw Dr. H, the 3rd member of my OB group. She agreed with Drs. D and T about the probable size of this kid...BIG. She believes that I'll make it to my scheduled delivery next Tuesday though because the kid hasn't dropped at all. Surprising she said given the kid's size and the force of gravity. I told her that it actually made sense to me because Jax was in no hurry at all to come out, and this kid is obviously just following in his big brother's footsteps.

Speaking of Jax, while Dr. H was listening to the baby's heartbeat with the doppler, he proudly announced that there was also a baby in his belly. We both laughed and told him, "No, there's no baby in there." Persistent Jax responded, "Yeah, there is." Dr. H held the doppler to his belly and he quietly sat there waiting to hear something. Just as we suspected though, there was no baby in his belly. He seemed quite disappointed. If only he knew how lucky he is!

This Will Teach Me Not to Open My Big Mouth

Did you miss me? Bet you thought I went into labor. Nope! Still pregnant, but I did learn a very important lesson over the past 48 hours. Allow me to share. DO NOT EVER COMPLAIN THAT LIFE IS DULL OR BORING!

Sunday started out as a delightfully laid back Mother's Day. No real plans other than viewing a potential home that had recently come on the market. After seeing the house and falling in love with it, we decided to take a stroll along the river to enjoy the nice weather. Sadly, Anh happened to be on call and ended up having to go in to the hospital. Oh well, it was nap time for Jax anyway, and we headed home.

About an hour after Anh, my sister-in-law, Nguyen, came into the house and told me to look out back at the woods surrounding our neighborhood. After hauling myself off the couch and waddling over to the patio door, I was SHOCKED to see smoke and flames coming off the tree tops. Nguyen and I just stared and debated whether it was a controlled burn or something more serious.
Well, my mind works in strange ways, and I decided this was the ideal time to call my Mom and wish her a happy Mother's Day. I mean, it was looking like I might be a little busy later given the strange fire burning about 2 blocks away from my house. I called with good wishes for the holiday and the strange report of the view behind our house. While talking, the doorbell rang, and I instantly knew not to expect good news or the FedEx man bearing a gift.

Sure enough, it was my neighbor spreading the word that the fire department wanted everyone to turn on their sprinkler systems because a brush fire was quickly approaching. My mind was suddenly racing with thoughts. The most common was "Oh shit!" Nguyen and I decided it would be best to start packing up, just in case things got out of control. Well, just in case, turned immediately into an official notice to evacuate within 15 minutes. Yeah, not what anyone wants to hear, especially a woman due to deliver a baby at any moment! This was not on my agenda for the day!

Amazingly, in 15 minutes we managed to pack a bag of essentials for every member of the family and load the cars with all of our sentimental possessions and important papers. Even more amazing was the fact that I did not go into labor after running up and down the stairs no less than 8 times in five minutes! If you've ever climbed my stairs, you know this is an impressive feat, period. While outside loading the car, an emergency official walked up and asked whether we were preparing to evacuate. It took so much effort not to say, "Gee, no, we just randomly decided to start running around like frantic idiots throwing shit in the car! What fire?!" Being so winded from the damn stairs definitely helped me keep my mouth closed. I simply nodded and confirmed that we had a little longer to get our things together.

Not knowing what to expect, we decided it would be best to head to Anh's office to wait for an update on the situation. Surely, the evacuation was just a precaution, and we'd be heading home in a couple of hours. It's hard to describe the feeling I had when driving off from the house though, seeing all of the neighbors loading their precious belongings into their vehicles. (Funny too what some consider "precious".) My thoughts ranged from optimistic, thinking that the evacuation was simply a precaution, to extreme, thinking that I'd never see the house or anything inside again. I really can't find the words to describe the emotions. I know it's just "stuff," but it's hard to imagine losing it all.

Well, the next several hours were spent flipping between every local channel and surfing all of the news websites for updates on the fire. Every report was vague and offered little info on what was happening. Every station seemed to be sharing the same 30 seconds of film footage, a fascinating scene of some moron standing on his roof spraying down his house with his garden hose, all while smoking a cigarette. Brilliant! I quickly learned that a reporter's talent does not lie in their ability to deliver an informative report in a clear, calm manner, but rather their talent is displayed in their ability to position themselves so the wind delicately blows their hair back out of their faces while they rattle on and on without ever really reporting NEWS! After giving up on the local media's ability to provide us with an update, we checked into a hotel for the night.

By Monday, an emergency hotline had been established for residents affected by the fire. We were told that we would be allowed through the barricade to retrieve more personal items, but that we should be prepared to once again evacuate with a moment's notice. A command center had been established at the entrance to our neighborhood. Driving in, we passed countless fire, police, and emergency vehicles. There was a helicopter taking off from a nearby field, and the media trucks were everywhere. I was convinced that Britney Spears had made an unexpected visit to the area!

You could smell the smoke, but overall the scene appeared much calmer than on Sunday. The firefighters appeared to have the situation under control. From time to time vehicles would go racing by, obviously rushing to extinguish the most recent flare-ups. Word eventually came that the mandatory evacuation had been downgraded to voluntary. We debated staying, but finally decided to return to the hotel for one more evening just be on the safe side. No one wanted to be evacuating for a second time at 3am.

Today, brings a sense of normalcy back into the equation. Anh returned to work. Jax went to school, and I am once again blogging from my living room. The flames are out, but the woods surrounding the neighborhood are charred and smoking. In all, over 1000 acres burned, but no homes or lives were lost. Our house was never in immediate danger. The closest flames were roughly a block away. Some saw the fire come within feet of their back patios. I'd say that we all have a lot to be thankful for. Mother's Day 2008 is definitely one that I'll remember forever!

The Doorbell Rang Again

This time the FedEx man brought the baby a brand new stroller. Jax promptly declared it was his, but I'm sure he'll hand it over when the time comes. Thank you, Aunt Glenda & Uncle Robert! It's perfect!

A Sign of Issues to Come

Ding Dong! Do you recognize that sound? Well, it's the sound of presents! That's what I worry Jax is beginning to think. You see, every time the doorbell rings lately, there's a delivery person standing on the other side of the door bearing a gift. The week started with a present for Jax. His Aunt Emily in San Francisco sent him a new flashy backpack. Thanks for thinking of him, Emily!

Yesterday, the doorbell rang again. This time, it was a baby present from our dear friend, Diane, in Wichita. Jax, of course, came running and helped me open the package to reveal the cutest little baby seat. It's a Bumbo seat designed to help the baby sit upright. However, Jax thought it resembled something else. Once unwrapping it, he shouted, "A potty!" Then he ran and put it next to his potty. He said, "The baby has a potty like me!" I had to explain that although it looked like his potty, it was really a chair. Funny that I never saw the potty resemblance until he pointed it out. Now, I fear what I may find in the chair in the future!

Continuing the gift giving, Anh came home with an early Mother's Day present, a new set of designer luggage that I had been eyeing, but would never buy because I we didn't really need it. It's what I call "weekend luggage." Basically, it's two duffel bags and a matching tote, just enough for a weekend get-a-way. I can't wait to go somewhere now!


As I was opening each piece, I noticed someone wasn't smiling. Not only weren't they smiling, their eyes were starting to water. Then the corners of their mouth started to turn downward, and I knew what was next. Tears! Jax was bawling. He had gone from happily helping Mommy unwrap her Mother's Day present to tears in a matter of seconds.

I realized that he was probably upset over being left out of the gift giving. Obviously, he had forgotten his present from Aunt Emily earlier in the week. Obviously, the baby and Mommy getting presents on the same day made him feel left out and hurt his feelings. Well, there went my excitement over my new luggage. I switched back into parent mode and tried to explain to Jax that presents weren't always for him, that now he would have to share presents with the baby. He stopped crying, but wasn't ready to forgive Daddy for not bringing him a present. He held that grudge for a little bit, but all was forgiven by the time we sat down for dinner. I think the walkie-talkies from the secret gift closet might have done the trick. I know, not the best way to teach him that it's not all about him, but he was so sad. I had to do something!

Rubbing Elbows with the Rich & Famous

Because life is a little slow right now, I figure I'll report some of my sister's exciting news. She's currently freelancing for MTV in NYC, and over the past two days she's been rubbing elbows with the rich and famous. Okay, I don't know that she actually made contact with these folks, but she was in the same room. It's more than I've got going on right now! ; )

• Justin Timberlake
• Samuel L. Jackson
• Ashanti
• John Legend
• Taylor Swift
• Steven Colbert
• Jon Stewart
• Dr. Drew Pensky
• Lauren Conrad

Guaranteed Money

It appears I am now more than just an eyeful for the general public. I am also a lawsuit waiting to happen, at least according to one store clerk. Today, Jax and I ventured out to shop for wall-mounted shelving for the nursery. I figure Anh doesn't have enough to do right now and would love to install shelving on top of dealing with a super hectic week of call. Much to his dismay, I had no luck finding the "perfect" shelves, but I did have a rather interesting conversation along the way.

While wandering the aisles of a home store, I passed by a store clerk and she asked, "Do you know what you're having, a boy or girl or both maybe?" (Don't you just love how creatively she threw in the size insult?!) I responded, "It's a boy. One boy." (Said in a very flat tone. I'm done being cordial.) She followed with, "When are you due?" To which I answered, "Any time now according to my doctor." Then she made this terrible face and asked, "What are you doing here then?" (Ummmm, where should I be, Lady?) Not really knowing how to respond, I said, "Killing time."

Then, the clerk notices another employee mopping an area nearby and yells at him, "Hey! Watch out! There's a pregnant lady here and if she slips and falls she'll own this place!" Gee, thanks for the concern for my well-being. In response to her "concern" I said, "It's okay. He's just getting ready in case my water breaks." I guess I scared her because she went back to stocking her area, and Jax and I went along our merry way. Maybe next week, assuming I'm still pregnant, I'll go back and throw myself on the floor. It's faster than waiting to win the lottery. Hey, it was her idea!

37 Weeks

Should we start a pool betting on the baby's birth weight? At today's 37 week appointment, my regular doc, Dr. T, said that the baby was probably already over 8 lbs! Jax was 4 days LATE and weighed 8 lb, 1 oz. This kid is going to be a monster if, at 37 weeks, he has already matched Jax's birth weight. Thank God I'm having a c-section! I'm also thinking that maybe I shouldn't have opened the package of Newborn-sized diapers. They only work up to 10 lbs! Looks like we might be starting out with the Size 1's. Good Lord!

Other than that things look good. Blood pressure and my weight were labeled as excellent. A+ for me! Alright, seriously, let's hear your birth weight guesses. Post them as a comment. I'll guess 8 lbs, 6 oz.

Never Mind

"Never mind" is Jax's new favorite phrase. I hear it a lot, especially when he gets frustrated with me because I don't understand something he's trying to communicate. For example, here's a conversation we had this morning.

Jax: "Mommy, ________ is on."

Me: "What's on?"

Jax: "_______."

Me: "Oh really."

(My response is a phrase stolen from Jax's Ba Ba, Anh's Mom. She uses it when she doesn't understand what you're saying, but wants to try to play it off. Usually, it's directed at me when we try to have one of our broken English/Vietnamese conversations.)

Jax: "Never mind," followed by a huge sigh which quite clearly translates to "My Mommy is an idiot!"

Obviously, he knows Ba Ba's phrase too! I thought I was the only one she didn't understand.

Back to School

Today is Jaxon's first day back at pre-school after being out last week with an upper respiratory infection. The poor kid had the worst cough, but he didn't let it slow him down. He was his usual chipper self and still running around like a madman. We went about our usual activities, just occasionally he'd stop to cough up a lung. I thought he would get bored after a week at home with Mom, but he actually seemed okay with having some one-on-one time with me. I tried to keep him entertained, but I know he enjoys hanging out with his buddies and figured he'd be thrilled to return to school.

Well, let's just say he wasn't "thrilled" when we woke him up this morning. He was quite the grump as we were getting him ready. He didn't want to get out of bed. He was not cooperative about brushing his teeth and getting dressed. He didn't want to eat breakfast. He was just an all-around delightful child! We were completely convinced that we had made a sound decision to have another! He's never really been a morning a person, a trait he inherited from his mother, but I thought he would be a little more pleasant about seeing his friends again.

Happily, Anh reported a dramatic mood change when they arrived at the school. Jax smiled when they pulled up and bounded out of the car, eager to get inside. When they entered his classroom, all of his little buddies immediately ran over to greet him. Jax flipped the switch and became Mr. Personality. I guess he was happy to return afterall!

Oh, Grandfather

Do NOT head off to Toys 'R Us to try to figure out which Jeep he wants!

Does He Really Think We'll Fall for This?

Playing in the yard yesterday reminded me of a story I had not shared from last week. On Thursday, Jax and I ventured out to Toys 'R Us/Babies 'R Us to buy BPA-free bottles for the new baby. For those that don't know, there's some controversy now about whether the chemical used to harden plastic can cause health/hormonal problems. Part of me feels like it's silly to buy all new bottles when they aren't even sure about whether the chemical is dangerous. This chemical has been in bottles for years. I mean, Jax didn't grow a third eye or anything. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that if I didn't buy the new "safe" bottles and the baby ended up sprouting a tail, people would blame me for being cheap.

So we were off to the store to buy some piece of mind. When I told Jax where we were headed, he said, "Toys 'R Us is closed." I guess I should stop telling him that when he asks to go! It's just hard to imagine working a Toys 'R Us stop into the daily routine. Anyway, while there, we kind of got off track and started looking at toys. We ended up in Jax's favorite section of the store, the ride-on aisle. Every time we go to Toys 'R Us, he has to get in every single battery-powered ride-on. To him, it never gets old. For me, it's not quite so fascinating. Over the past few visits, I have noticed that he always starts and ends with the same vehicle, a pretty rugged looking Jeep. It's obviously his favorite.

After letting him play for a bit, I told him it was time to go. He ran over to the Jeep for one last ride. While he was sitting in it, he told me, "Mommy, the baby is going to buy me a Jeep!" Needless to say, I'm was a little caught off guard. Then I remembered a conversation from days earlier when Anh asked Jax what kind of present he would want the baby to bring him. I had told Anh about how some people recommend having "the baby" bring presents home from the hospital for their brothers and sisters. Jax didn't have an answer for Anh when asked, but he certainly does now! Somehow, I think Anh was looking for a gift suggestion on a much smaller scale.

I don't know why, but I glanced at the price tag after Jax's declaration, and wouldn't you know it! Jax's favorite vehicle also happens to be the most expensive vehicle in the store at $450! I don't even know why I looked at the price. Subconsciously, I must have considered the purchase for a brief nano-second. I can't believe I would do this, even subconsciously. You should see our garage. There is no room! Not to mention, $450 is a payment on a real car! I think Jax is going to be a little disappointed when the baby doesn't pull up to the house in his new Jeep. Hopefully, he won't hold a grudge.

So you don't feel too bad for the kid and you know I'm not exaggerating, here are some pictures of his current ride-ons. He deserves no pity. All but one of these toys were gifts, by the way. We really do try not to spoil him. Others, however, seem to have a different agenda. ; )