Category: Uncategorized

Since the beginning of July I have been on modified bed rest.  Did I mention, I have 3 children ages 13, 9 and 3 and that is well…. a JOKE!!  Here are some things I have been doing to keep them busy, and keep myself off my feet as much as possible.

1. School Work- Monday through Friday, I try my best to engage my children in some form of educational material that I see an area of need.  I thank Steve Jobs tremendously for creating the IPad, for most of my 3 year old’s work is on here. She does phonics to prepare her with reading, counting, addition, puzzles, and reasoning games.  Afterwards, she does a 48 piece floor puzzle with numbers, letters etc.   My nine year old has a serious language delay as a result of many hearing problems related to multiple ear infections up until age five.  Therefore, he has workbooks for grammar and reading comprehension that he works out of, along with a math book.  He also reads to me daily to help increase his vocabulary (which is also severely in need of help).  My oldest is not with me often, and his main tasks are reading, and jobs consisting of following directions (for he has ADHD).

2. Pool- We have a membership at the YMCA, and they have lawn chairs with umbrellas that I can sit my big butt in and watch over the kids while they play and swim.  Sometimes I do get in with them for it really helps with alleviating the weight of the 34 week baby sitting on my back.  By time we get back, they are exhausted and I can take a much needed nap.

3. Bowling-  Bowling is another activity that is indoors with AC and again gives me the opportunity to sit and rest.  What more is there to say about bowling?!

4. Indoor Play Grounds- In my area we have places like Oasis, Hulabaloo, Pump-It-Up that you the parent pay an entry fee, and let your kids run wild while you sit and observe, snap pictures, and simply relax.

5. Indoor Crafts- I typically reserve these days for heat wave days when none of us need to be outside.  While these are the most challenging days, because you all are in the house ALL DAY LONG, there are still ways to manage.  We usually have painting activities on canvas, picture frames, bird houses etc.  Sometimes I plan a cooking activity or have them help with dinner.  Lastly, while this is not a craft per se, but I have them help me with much needed housework that I simply can not do alone.

Hope this helps someone, because it took me a few weeks to get a handle on handling these little one and sticking to my “bed-rest”.

My youngest two and my youngest brother

Me cooling off with the my baby girl showing off the baby bump 🙂

This is very random, but I thought someone could get a laugh out of this conversation with my too intelligent daughter.  Yesterday afternoon, as I was struggling to get comfortable on the couch moaning and groaning from  every turn, I uttered the words, “Man I’m getting fat.” My daughter was sitting next to me on the ipad and casually said, “you mean FATTER?” I replied, “no fat.” She looked up with a “are you serious” face and reiterated, “No fatter, get a dictionary.”  All I could do was roll over and shake my head.  This baby can not make his or her’s debut soon enough. I will lose this 40 pound weight gain if it’s the last thing I do.

Now that I am in my 3rd trimester, my back has been really bothering me, and sleep is near impossible. The back pain and sleepless nights began around 18-20 weeks, so I decided to invest in a body pillow.  I read multiple reviews before deciding on the Leacho Snoogle Loop Contoured Fit Body Pillow.  I’m going to give a quick run-down of my experience with it….PURE BLISS!  The most common cons I read about this pillow was the seam being too tight and pushing into your neck when you lie on it, and no covers.  Initially, I did not understand the seam issue, but to break it down, when you lay in the contour of the pillow it digs into your neck and really is not comfortable at all.  A quick easy and comfortable fix to this, is to get a micro-fiber blanket and lay it over the pillow, promise problem solved.  Not only does the blanket provide relief from the seams, it also is soft and comfortable, and protects the ivory cover from getting dirty.  The lack of covers in a variety of colors and patterns almost deterred me from my purchase, but I’m glad I went wit it.  The pillow cradles your every new curve and baby bump as well alleviating all pressure, and pain from the moment you rest in it.  My initial thought after a good night sleep in this pillow was, “I see why babies love their boppy pillow.”  Another great feature of this pillow is you can fold it in half and use it to sit in while lounging on the couch.  My only other complaint with this pillow besides the two mentioned is the fact I can’t cuddle with hubby at night….only room for one 😦 (and my 3 year old who still sneaks in to cuddle in the middle of night). In conclusion I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this pillow to a pregnant woman suffering from back pain and restless nights looking to put an end to their pain and misery.

 My 3 year old enjoying her nap in the pillow, you can also see the blanket laid overtop as mentioned.

Yesterday I had my prenatal appt, and was sent to L&D for monitoring.  Quite honestly, I would have been okay with going home and taking a nap, but my Dr sent me with a lab, so I really had no choice.  Four kids later, I know my body, and knew this was not the real deal, ti was a case of a summer cold mixed with a little dehydration equating to increased contractions.   I spent the better half of my day in their, begging to go home.  They let me go, put me on modified bed-rest.  However, with this man, that’s a joke.  Today, I took my son to camp, grocery shopped, baby shower shopped, visited my mother, came home cooked dinner, and cleaned a little before I left this am.  He is really pathetic when it comes to being supportive in this pregnancy, and no matter how I try to express this to him, it’s like speaking to a brick wall.  Last night after coming home from the hospital, all I asked him to do was take a bath and hold me so I could go to sleep, and he told me he was tired, went to sleep, while I sat up for another two hours in pain, tossing and turning, sneezing and coughing, until I broke down and took NyQuil to put me out of my misery.  I wanted zoo bad to pour water on him, but I won’t let anyone anger me to that point.  Needless to say, we are not on speaking terms, and he’ll just have to deal with the silent treatment, which he hates more than anything.

Within the past 3 weeks I have been to Punta Cana and Chicago.  The difference 2 weeks makes in a pregnancy is unbelievable!  I  had the time of my life in DR relaxing, swimming, at the beach, walking the different resorts, enjoying the food.  Came home feeling like a new woman.  The following week, my boyfriend and I went to Chicago and took 2 of my 3 children by flight, and I just wanted to die.  I worked that weekend 12 hour shifts, stayed up Sunday due to our flight leaving early Monday, arrived in Chicago, slept a few hours on an old sofa, transferred to my boyfriend’s Aunt house where we shared a twin bed that had to be as old as I was, and woke up the next morning feeling like I was literally going to die!  You name it, it was aching.  I don’t know if it was the hormones, sleep deprivation, but I was literally crying like a big baby in front of his family (secretly) because all I wanted to do was go home.  I was missing my oldest son, who is the hardest son of my 3 children, like crazy and was just ready to go insane!  Thankfully, we ended up in an hotel the next night, where I thought I would finally get some decent sleep and guess what….at 3:30am, I hear a knock on the door, FIVE of his family members who drove to Chicago decided to stay in our hotel room til the mooring.  Snoring then flooded my room, and sleep yet again was inevitable, leading to another day of misery.  By the end of this vacation, I decided I am no longer going to work, and plan to spend the rest of my summer in the house, go out for short infrequent outings to keep my children entertained.