Anyway. Today Ardyn and I went to Brad and Anya's and setup their wireless network again. For some reason their router keeps losing pieces of it's settings. The previous router did the same thing, but at least this one is still keeping them for an extended period of time, and keeping SOME of the settings each time. Ardyn played with Ava and cried when it was time to leave. We came home and had supper and then she played while I went through about 10 more oldscrapbooking magazines. I brought a bunch home from moms that I had read before but saved, and so I am now through 2005, 2006, and 2007, as well as the beginning of 2008 when I stopped subscribing. And I had Lots of them. Memory Makers, Scrapbooks etc., Creating Keepsakes, and at least one more. I think Memory makers and Creating Keepsakes are my favorites. Scrapbooks, etc. was not something I was ever thrilled about.
Then I used the dining room table to sort the torn out inspiration pages into categories (Holidays, Mom/Wife/Self, Dads/Grandpas/Boy Ideas, Baby Ideas, Toddler Ideas, School Years, Techniques and Tips, Crafts/Decor/Gifts, Siblings, Layouts and Sketches, Organization and Craft Room, Marriage and Relationships) and labeled the categories with sticky notes so that I can put them into files shortly. I also created a category for Backlog ideas, for ideas that already matched photos I have or things on my backlog list (see yesterday's blog post) and then I made a list in my notebook of all the ideas that match the backlog, so that when I work on the backlog, I won't forget (hopefully) to pull the coordinating idea from the file. I figure if I am on top of things I can do that during my planning phase. I also used a retractable sharpie (which I LOVE. My mom got us each one in our stockings and I have comandeered them both because one is fine tipped and one is broad. They are so neat and great around Ardyn because there is no cap and if I sit it down for 2 seconds next to me and she finds it, it gives me extra time to recover it because she hasn't figured out the click feature yet.) I would just click it open and mark the page with the category I wanted to file it on, and sometimes star the exact item on the page if there was more than one layout. That way in the future if I leaf through my idea files, I won't say "Why did I file that?" In some cases I would just circle the exact element in the layout that I wanted to duplicate, like the title, or the shape of the journaling.
I also decided to go ahead and use the money I made fixing the computer to order some of the planning folders that I discussed yesterday. I personally decided to stick with cropper hopper, mostly because of the cost. They were just less expensive by almost a whole doller per folder. I also know that they are what I need, because I already have three. The other's didn't have tabs to label them, and didn't have page planner cards or a place for the card in the front of the folder. That is what really sold me. The page planner cards also fold open so that you can hand draw your sketch if you want. It gives space for writing down a list of how many papers and embellishments you will need to complete the layout, which is REALLY cool, and each folder comes with three planning cards, so that's 6 pages that can fit into each folder. I think that's really cool because a holiday (like a first Christmas or a birthday party) might realistically have 6 pages instead of 2. The Cropper Hopper Folders are also appearing more sturdy and longer lasting (material wise) than the other product. I found a source online to buy the cropper hopper folders at $4.09 for a 3 pack, which is more than $1 less than the cropper hopper website price. So overall I saved a bunch. Now I wait for them to arrive, and then I start my planning phase with the photos I have printed already.... and determine which pictures I need to print to complete the backlog.
Tonight Ardyn took a bath. She is getting way too brave. Most boy moms would say I haven't seen anything yet, and I am aware of that, but in addition to her standing and being silly routine she has added a "splash and stomp with one foot" thing and a "run back and forth in the tub" thing that I am constantly correcting. I must say "Sit DOWN" about ten thousand times per bath. Tonight she fell and conked her head, and them she listened for a few minutes and calmed down. After she goes to bed I hope to file these pages I have sorted. I would love to go to my moms and scrapbook again tomorrow, but although I have nothing "planned" to do, the house needs my serious attention, and that includes laundry. I did unload and reload the dishwasher tonight, and wash again, so I need to unload and load AGAIN. For some reason the last three times it was ran, nothing came clean. That pisses me off. This time I hope things were clean. Last time they were.... Ugh.
Ardyn ate rice for supper and had rice in a strategic pattern (excellent coverage) for a 7 foot radius around her high chair. There was so much rice on her overalls when I tried to clean her up, I ended up just standing her in the booster seat and brushing it off on the floor, then vacuuming everything up. Ugh. What a mess. She LOVES rice but like 2/3 of it makes it to her mouth. Of course as I was trying to get the vacuum out and get it cleaned up, she kept trying to walk through it, and I kept NOT trying to walk through it, and ended up with rice encrusted socks. ACK. Some days I think I should feed her in the kitchen sink, so that when she's done I can strip her, hose her down, and then run the garbage disposal.
Tuesday I have an appointment with my midwife, and then probably some routine pregnancy labwork too. This will be my last "monthly" appointment, as I will switch to every 2 weeks for the next appointment. Wow. Time is flying.
At this point in time, I try to NOT think about labor. After being traumatized by the 15 hours of an Induced Labor, 12 hours with no drugs, near C-section, and finally BIRTH.... I don't have the positive outlook that I wish I could for this. I tell myself that logically I should be able to go naturally. Logically if I was dilated to a 6 with Ardyn before my due date, and just had my water broke as induction, I should be able to do just fine with this one. I tell myself that There is no need to be induced again, but then I know that my sister (who was #2 for my mom) was INSANELY overdue (which they won't allow in this day and age.) I tell myself that now I have a higher tolerance for pain. I tell myself that I know what to expect. I tell myself that my cervix is a muscle and that muscles have a memory. I tell myself all kinds of things when I am trying to go to sleep at night.
I tell myself that it is quite possible for me to have the med-free waterbirth that I wanted so desperately with Ardyn, and then I tell myself that I don't even give a shit and after my last experience just give me an epidural as soon as I sign the paperwork. So mostly, I just try NOT to think about or worry about birth itself. I try not to have a plan at all. I try not to think about how lucky we are to have a happy healthy child, and try NOT to think about how with Ardyn I was seeing specialists and had SO many ultrasounds and tests and was so sure that she was healthy, while this one has just been cooking away in there with the regular 19 week ultrasound being the last... and no inkling to me if there could be something wrong health-wise. Could he be breech? Could he have the cord wrapped? Could the placenta be low lying now? Ugh.I try to think about the baby himself and not how he will get here. Because that part freaks me out. Bad.
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