Monday, June 22, 2009

The Little Things

I was going to write a post about how am finding this pregnancy much harder than the first one (yeah, it isn't all sweetness and light here). I've never really gotten my energy back, although I do now find it possible to get off the sofa in the evenings. I haven't really found the right combination of meals and snacks to keep me feeling good. I'm feeling guilty for not pausing to enjoy the little kicks and punches that baby #2 is throwing- its like this baby is already playing second fiddle, even while still in the womb. Hubby is chaffing a bit under the strain of having to do even more around the house than he was doing before, and we're struggling to find our new routines even as we both know that it is only going to get harder when baby #2 is born. It is not that this pregnancy is more difficult in any large way, it is that the little inconveniences of pregnancy are harder to deal with this time around.

But I'm finding that I don't really have as much to say about this topic as I thought I did. Its hard. So what? Every time I listen to the news on NPR or read the Economist or even my local news website, I'm reminded of how good I have it. It seems churlish to complain. So instead, I'll share the thing that brightened my otherwise annoying work day today: an email from Modest Needs telling me that an application I'd contributed some money to a couple of months ago had been funded. A single mother in Florida had gotten her rent money. I hope it helps her get her grounding.

The email came in just before I closed up for the day. I left to pick up Pumpkin at day care feeling better than my flagging energy levels would have indicated. And to top it off, one of Pumpkin's friends came in as we were getting ready to leave, short-circuiting the "play with the magnetic letters" session that Pumpkin was getting started and getting us out the door and into our car in time to miss the worst of the evening traffic.

Pumpkin is really enjoying letters right now. She knows W, O, U, and H. She enjoys seeing traffic signs, because they have the "ABCDEFGs" on them. She particularly likes "One Way" signs, because W is her favorite letter. I clearly need to get her some magnetic letters for the refrigerator at home. I'm not having much luck finding big ones that are safe for kids under 3, though. Anyone know where I can find these? Preferably online? Pumpkin's not putting that many things in her mouth anymore, but I really like the idea of something that might keep her occupied without causing any worry while I cook dinner.

7 comments:

  1. We don't have these, but I have heard great things about them.

    http://www.target.com/20305-LeapFrog-Fridge-Phonics-Magnets/dp/B000096QNK/sr=1-3/qid=1245751889/ref=sr_1_3/177-6107518-1357151?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=0&rh=k%3Amagnetic%20leapfrog&page=1

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  2. Have you tried Etsy? I think I recall seeing a set of stuffed felt letters (or numbers ...) that had magnets attached to them.

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  3. We have some like these, only not quite as large:

    http://tinyurl.com/lposuq

    These are 5" high and, it seems to me, chokeproof. (Ours are about 2" high, and I don't mind Ben playing with them — the set of smaller ones might do you fine: http://tinyurl.com/noaq7w .)

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  4. i love that she has a favorite letter :-) how sweet! if you're not feeling good, you're not feeling good. just because other people have it worse, doesn't mean you're not entitled to a little pity. i hope you feel better (down right good) soon.

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  5. Anonymous6:41 AM

    I am full of sympathy for you! We're trying for #2 and I'm already pretty afraid of how hard it will be to watch DS (extremely active, into everything, cannot be left alone for 5 seconds, is still putting everything in his mouth) AND be pregnant, especially because I was horrifyingly ill basically the whole time AND work FT (WOHM). While I think it's good to have perspective on problems (ie that some problems are relatively minor compared to the sheer misery of others out there), it's also important to give oneself space to feel smaller-scale stresses, discomforts, unhappinesses, if only because repressing them can make them worse. You are lucky! But being a pregnant mom is *hard*.

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  6. I was going to post exactly the same thing "Mason" did. My mother-in-law has the LeapFrog one that has single letters. Each letter has a song that gives its name and sound. I think there is also one that you can spell out short 3 letter words...but not as familiar with it. B has two other LeapFrog magnetic things that he loves (an animal one and his favorite, the Fridge DJ). Check them out at Target or have Pumpkin check them out and see if she likes them...thats how I pick toys for B before we buy. Sorry to hear this pregnancy is draining you. Just be glad you don't live in this heat!

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  7. I know just what you are saying about the pregnancy. It sounds so much like what I just went through. I really feel that the toughest part was how much my hubby had to do. It seemed like each week he was having to pick up more and more. It was frustrating for him, and made me feel so bad (nothing he did or said, I just knew it was tough of him and I hated not being able to make it better for him).

    And now with the infant and recovering from the c-section? Londo has to do just about EVERYTHING for the Pumpkin and around the house. And there is nothing I can do about it until I heal more.

    I don't know how people do it without wonderful men like ours.

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