Warren Story

It was a typical morning at our house...we were in the kitchen eating breakfast. Warren and I were talking about something or other, when Rhys started asking for some apple juice. Warren, continuing to chat with me, got up and grabbed the juice from the fridge. Clearly no longer paying attention to what he was doing, he grabbed a small blue bowl from the cupboard and started to pour the apple juice into it. I started laughing, and he looked down to see what he had done. He hung his head with embarrassment, chuckled, and then walked over to the other cupboard and grabbed a cup.

Rhys: No! Want bowl! Want boooowl!

Warren: No, Rhys. Daddy is getting you a cup.

Rhys: Bowl! Want bowl!

Amanda: Rhys...we drink juice out of cups, not bowls. Daddy is getting you a cup.

Rhys: No, no, no...want boooooowl!

Amanda: (exasperated that her ‘reasoning’ and ‘logic’ wasn’t working) Now Rhys, cups were designed for –

Warren: (cuts Amanda off) Oh – let him drink his juice out of a bowl. He’s like Steve Jobs. He’s thinking outside of the box.

Ooookay then.

Paddington Watch, 27 weeks

27 weeks (6 months, 3 weeks)

I cannot believe it's been 7 weeks since my last Paddington update. Seriously - this pregnancy is whizzing by me in a blur. Yet, at the same time, when I think that I've been pregnant since before Mother's Day, I can't help but feel like I've been pregnant forever.

The Good

I'm at the 'can feel the baby moving all the time' phase. This is the part I think a lot of women miss later on. This is the part we yearn for when our babies have grown up a little. Last night, in bed, I grabbed Warren's hand and placed it on my bare belly so he could feel Paddington pushing and bouncing around in there. The baby seems to get very active around 10pm, when I'm settling into bed, so it was the perfect opportunity to lay there, quietly, and connect with our little boy together.

The Bad

My body is not holding up well this time around, I'm afraid. My bones hurt - especially my shins and hips. My lower back aches all the time, and sometimes when I'm walking, or standing up after sitting for a while, I literally need to support my back with my hands and waddle. Other times, I get sharp, sudden pangs of pain that shoot out from my tail bone - almost like a pinched nerve. I feel like a senior citizen. And not the 'ran my first marathon at the age of 70' type of senior citizen. This is also pushing me into that awful stage of pregnancy where I start to wonder 'Is my body ready for the physical demands of labour and delivery? Will my body ever feel fit and strong again? Is this damage permanent?'

The Ugly

I would say, without question, the biggest difference I notice between my pregnancy with Rhys, and this one, is my mood(s). I feel like a grade-A bi*tch most of the time. I'm extremely hormonal and it's not uncommon for me to be on the floor crying while I screw a new light bulb into the floor lamp. I'm snippy with the adults around me (read: Warren and my mom). I have zero patience or empathy. Oh, sorry, you feel light headed and tired? Suck it up. I work full-time, have a 2 year old and I'm nearly 7 months pregnant - what's your excuse?

What I'm Worried About

I call Paddington my 'Sugar Baby', because my sweet tooth these days is seriously out of control. I could eat sugar non-stop all day, and some days - I kind of do. Sour soothers and chocolate covered blueberries are a daily treat. I don't say no to donuts as often as I should (read: hardly ever). Recently at a 4 year old's birthday party I wanted a second piece of cake so bad, that I cut a second helping for myself under the guise that Rhys 'wanted some more icing'. I didn't want to admit I was the cliche pregnant woman who wanted more cake. Anyway, I'm worried Paddington will come out as a rolly-polly 10-pounder who looks more like a 3 month old and won't fit any of the newborn onesies. And my senior citizen body probably won't be able to push out a baby that big.

What I'm Excited About

I'm excited to see what Paddington looks like. All I can picture is Rhys. I look at my friends' kids, and they are all unique and special and distinct from their siblings, so it's fun to try and guess how he'll be different from his brother. I'm excited that this time around a newborn might not be as shocking to our system as it was the first time. I'm excited to see this baby through Rhys' eyes. But most of all - I am so excited to have a family of four. To be complete. To be 'The Cronins'.

It's A Weave, Baby.

I think we all remember this traumatizing day from a couple years ago...the day I went to the hairdresser and asked 'for a change':

Well, after nearly two years of 'giving it a fair chance', and then deciding to grow it back out, I decided to take matters into my own hands... and I got a weave.

Gotta say...I finally feel like my old self for the first time in a LONG time. Having a weave isn't awesome - I'd much rather it be all my own hair - but it's a fun temporary fix.

Like Oprah says, "A woman's hair is her crowning glory".

Now that I'm past the 'permi-headache-feels-like-I'm-wearing-a-wig' phase....I feel like a queen again.

More Fun with Photo Booth

Photo Booth has me wondering...how did parents entertain their children before Mac came along?

More Lovestruck:

Rhys loves the birdies flying around his head. He actually 'swats' at them:

Cutest Bug Eyes I've ever seen:

Fun with Photo Booth

First 'Normal':

Then, 'Space Alien':

My favourite, 'Lovestruck':

Paddington Watch, 20 Weeks

20 weeks

I would love to write a more substantial update this week, but I'm wasted from work plus I'm battling a head cold/allergies, so some photos is all I can muster.

First, some photos of Paddington from the 'inside'...

The full body profile (a popular classic):

Close-up profile (love that button nose already):

Body snap shot from behind:

Cute hands and fingers by face:

A little wave to his parents:

And my personal favourite, a tiny baby foot (and yes, she confirmed there are indeed two of them):

Lastly a photo of Paddington from the 'outside', marking the half-way point of this pregnancy:

Rhys At Age Two: Things I Love & Don’t Love

LOVE: Massively improved communication methods.

DON’T LOVE: Massively exaggerated meltdowns when improved communication methods fail.

LOVE: Ability to eat almost anything we eat.

DON’T LOVE: That he chooses not to eat most it.

LOVE: Frequent 10 second ‘hug’ breaks.

DON’T LOVE: The squirming-away-from-me-crotch-kicking that ensues when the 10 seconds is up.

LOVE: That he has his own distinct interests (helicopters, airplanes, balloons, dinosaurs, Elmo, robots, guitars).

DON’T LOVE: His desire to satiate all these interests at the exact. same. time.

LOVE: How much he idolizes his Daddy.

DON’T LOVE: The tears that flow when Daddy has to leave.

LOVE: The full on lip to lip kisses (and the Eskimo kisses are pretty awesome too).

DON’T LOVE: Knowing that the he will someday recoil is disgust at the thought of kissing his mom.

LOVE: The sweetest little voice in the whole wide world, and hearing that voice say ‘Mommy’. Tack-u mommy. Bess you mommy. Go away mommy (okay, maybe not that one).

I've been trying to capture his sweet voice on camera, but he always gets distracted as soon as he sees the video camera. He just wants to 'watch Rhysie' (I think we're raising a narcissist). Anyway, here are my best clips so far.

Rhys ABC's:

Paddington Watch, 19 Weeks

19 weeks

Big news this week: We know the sex of our baby.

We had our ultrasound last Wednesday, and Paddington was floating around lazily on the screen. The technician captured lots of shots of legs, feet, ankles and spines. Then it came time for the money shot.

Technician: Did you want to know the gender?

Amanda: Yes we do – BUT – we don’t want you tell us. We were hoping you could write it down on this card for us to open later?

Technician: Oooh. Well, we generally don’t like to do that.

Amanda: What? Why not?

Technician: It’s a liability thing. Once we’ve written it down it becomes like an official report. But...I’ll do it for you guys, as long as you understand....

Amanda: We understand.

So Warren and I closed our eyes as she ventured down to the sacred land to snap shots of Paddington’s personal bits.

The sealed envelope sat in my car for the rest of the day (I totally didn’t trust Warren with it). Later that night we set up the video camera so that we could tape ourselves opening it, with Rhys by our side.

And the winner is....



So, the common reaction, albeit a bit of a ‘joke’ reaction is “So...you’ll be having three kids then?”. Hardy har har, people.

I am crafting an entire post around this news, my reaction and feelings etc, that should surface later this week.

I think my favourite comment so far came from my mother in law who said ‘Wow! An English King would have LOVED you!”. I think she’s been watching too many episodes of The Tudors.

The really nice thing, in my view, is that so far, Warren and I have a really great track record of making sweet, darling little boys :-)

And, to my dear friend TJA – I promise a belly pic next week (because I do not want you to turn into a Basoomba).

Paddington Watch, 18 Weeks

18 weeks

Things to note this week:

This week we get our routine ultrasound, where we can find out the sex. I thought it would be really fun to NOT know the gender this time around (I think the anticipation would be awesome), but Warren is really, really adamant that he wants to know. He’s laying it on thick.

Warren: So, we're finding out then, right?

Amanda: But...we found out with Rhys because you wanted to...so isn't it my turn to pick?

Warren: No way. I NEED to know. I need to visualize and imagine this baby in our lives.

Amanda: But...

Warren: My parents are getting old you know...what if something were to happen...it would mean a lot for them to know the sex of their next grandchild.

Amanda: But...

Warren: Remember, you get to bond with the baby right from the start. I want to be able to bond and connect with this baby too and this is the one thing that can make this more real for me.

Amanda: But...we're probably only having two kids, so this is my last chance to do it this way. What if I resent you for the rest of my life for denying me this one little thing?

Warren: Who are you trying to kid? You will find plenty of other reasons to resent me.

He's got me there.

So...we’ll be finding out the sex. And, I have to admit...I am so excited! Sweet Paddington Bear – what are you?

What’s been different this time around:

- My body feels much older this pregnancy.

- The first trimester was worse this pregnancy. (read: nausea, fatigue & headaches.)

- My boobs are now BASOOMBAS and I’m pretty sure they’ll start leaking milk soon.

- I’ve had 2 charming symptoms I didn’t have last time...acne & bloody gums.

- I’m not pre-occupied with what size of fruit the baby matches, what is ‘developing’ this week, and all that (although I do still check the books once in a while).

- I haven’t given up caffeine.

- I’m wearing mostly flat shoes.

- I would live in leggings if it didn’t mean I would look the same every single day.

- I’m waaaay moodier with zero filter or regard for people’s feelings...just ask Warren & my mom.

Paddington Watch (aka Wellington Watch 2.0)

Being 17 weeks pregnant with one ultrasound and two doctor appointments under my belt, that all scream ‘Healthy! Boring! Normal!’, I figure it’s time to start blogging about this latest change in our lives.

So, I’m introducing baby-on-the-way number two. Paddington.

Beautiful, isn’t she? Okay, I hope that didn’t cause coffee to gush out your nose. We do not know the sex. But my gut tells me girl. And here are my highly scientific, fool proof reasons why I feel this way. (Editor’s note: this gut feeling should not to be confused with an overwhelming desire for a girl. It’s just a feeling I have. If Paddington is a boy, I will be surprised, but NOT disappointed. And that’s the honest truth).

Theory #1

My brother Adam was born in July. My brother is a boy. Rhys was born in July. Rhys is a boy. I was born in January. I am a girl. Paddington is due to be born in January. Hence – unarguably a girl.

Theory #2

The online gender predictor predicted that Rhys would be a girl. It was wrong. The same online gender predictor predicts that Paddington is a boy. Wrong the first time, wrong the second time. That’s just solid science.

Theory #3

With Rhys, Warren and I were very much in reproductive mode. I was taking my temperature every morning and knew the exact moment to strike. This time around, we were much more spontaneous. Kind of a sudden ‘wouldn’t it fun if we just stopped being so careful?’ kind of thing. And for reasons that can only be explained by good science... this means girl.

Theory #4

The 12 week ultrasound. Tell me this little darling doesn’t look dainty and precious, like a little girl would?

Theory #5

The heartbeat. So far, Paddington’s heartbeat is in the 150 – 170’s, and Rhys’ was in the 130s. Girl.

Theory #6

This pregnancy has sucked so far. A big contrast to the gloriousness I experienced with Rhys. Only a daughter can cause a mother this much suffering.

There is one wrench in my theories, however. The other night I had a dream that Paddington was a boy. In my dream, Paddington was already born, but I still didn't want to know the sex (dreams are so weird!) and I was changing the diaper and caught a glimpse of 'it'. And 'it' was a boy. Maybe Rhys will get the 'Brodder' he keeps asking for after all.

So now what am I supposed to think? Gut feeling or Dream? I'm stumped. Thank goodness I can rest assured it will be one or the other. Like all parents, I just want my baby to be born healthy. And for it to have my nose.

To round off this first entry of Paddington Watch, here are 3 posts I wrote in the earlier days, listed in the order they were written (note: I was in a dark place for one of them, that I am no longer in. So don’t worry for me).

January Baby

Flipped a Switch

Fear and Self Loathing in Las Pregnancy

TWO: A Birthday Post In Pictures

Oh, Those Crocks.

Before we left on vacation, one of the things on my to do list was to buy Rhys some beach shoes. Something he could wear in the sand... Croc-type shoes.

We were in Payless. There were 3 pairs in his size. The first pair we tried to put on his feet where cute, navy blue with a white & red stripe. Very 'sailor-esque'. I liked them because the navy would match everything. My attempts were met with 'NeeeOOOOOO!'NO! NO!'.

The next pair, Warren's pick, was army camouflage. Very masculine. Again 'NeeeeeeOOOOOO! NO! NO!'.

I picked up the last pair. A hideous blue & white tie-dyed pair. Rhys' face lit up. 'Want to put these shoes on?" I asked sweetly. 'Kay', he said, and pointed his little toes in anticipation. Like Cinderella waiting to see if the slipper fit.

They certainly weren't my first pick, or my second, but Rhys picked them out, and for that reason, I love them, too.

A Lesson In Building Sand Castles

Action Shots!

A Healthy Balance.

I *may* be indulging in *a few* treats while on vacation, but I'm also getting a mini-workout the rest of the time, too.