Sars the Turtle @sarsturtle - Tumblr Blog

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Spiked Rex’s hair up for “Crazy Hair Day” at daycamp but now it just looks like he’s a teenage boy. Contrast that to the 10 month old baby Rex in the background.

#reximusprime

Karl the Fog is like a friend that I’ve known all my life, I’m comfortable around mostly due to familiarity, but sometimes just makes me sad.

Rex-Reesie convo/real talk

While coloring/drawing together using markers:

Reesie: If you want something, you need to ask for it. You can’t just grab it.

Rex: Yeah, at my school too. But some kids just grab things. Like in the yard, sometimes other kids just grab balls from you.

Reesie: Yeah you need to ask first. Sharing is caring.

#reximusprime #chareesie

Happy 7 months, Arabelle! This weekend you turned 7 months old. Now I find you in the early morning in your crib doing tummy time! You will go from a sitting position to a tummy time position to grab toys, but it’s not always a graceful transition so there are a lot of head thumps we hear from you. You smile right when you wake up once I smile at you, and you have charmed your way into the hearts of many with your smiles. You now eat three meals a day! (And so I only need to pump twice a day now when I go to work/school.)

#ellerebelle

That time when you were pumping in a bathroom stall and the sensor lights went off, and you had to leave the stall while pumping or continue pumping in the dark.

Impermanence-- This morning's meditation reminded me that nothing in life is permanent. Good situations, bad situations, pain, joy, stressful seasons and calm seasons. Trying to sit in the positive times and enjoy them. Remembering this concept through the tougher seasons can help me endure it. I think what mentally helped me get through labor was knowing that "it shall pass" and that I wouldn't be feeling this one particular contraction forever. That I could get through each contraction and it would be getting me that much closer to delivering this baby. Even pushing, and crazy as it is to push a baby's head out of me... with just one more push, I was going to be done very very soon. Even now, I am so incredibly sleep deprived and tired. But this season of newborn Arabelle will pass and soon be a distant memory. I barely ever think about this season with Rex and Charisse. This is such a special time of Arabelle's life where she depends on me so much. I don't want to "just get it over with," even though at times is definitely sort of want to. Dear God, Thank you for the gift of Arabelle and for entrusting her life with me and Scott to raise her. Thank you for reminders to enjoy the positive times and the reminders to keep going when it feels so so challenging. Thank you for bringing her into this world safely. Please guide me as I try to be the best Mommy possible to her. Guide Scott to be the best Daddy, and Rex and Charisse to be the best big siblings. I love you, God. Amen.

These are the first photos we shared with the Facebook world.

First impressions of Arabelle from days one and two:

- She cried right after birth, but then became super mellow during all the newborn assessment tasks, with the exception of getting her length measured.

- She likes to look around, and will just stare into my eyes.

- She nursed three times and didn’t sleep at all the first 4 hours of her life, until baby whisperer Goong Goong held her.

- She stuck out her tongue a lot until I realized it was because she wanted to nurse!

- She has the same cry that Rex had his first night in the hospital-- a high pitched (Nazgul) cry that is quickly soothed once we pick her up.

- She loves skin to skin time.

Maybe

There is a Taoist story of an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. "Such bad luck," they said sympathetically. "Maybe," the farmer replied.

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. "How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed. "Maybe," replied the old man.

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune. "Maybe," answered the farmer.

The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son's leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out. "Maybe," said the farmer.

- See more at: http://truecenterpublishing.com/zenstory/maybe.html#sthash.29Z2Z77s.dpuf

#meditationthoughts

36 week baby appt

Had our 36 week baby appt today (2/3/17) except that we are really 36.5 weeks along. We did an ultrasound to check to make sure baby is in the right position. Head is down, spine is on the left side and feet are kicking me on the right side. This explains all the pressure I feel in my groin area and why all my sciatica pain is only felt in my right hip. I've definitely been more tired this week, and towards the end of the day I walk super slow. At the same time my insomnia kicked back in so my sleep is a bit erratic and messed up. Scott and I are definitely in deadline mode, trying to take care of various school assignments (me) and meetings (Scott). We need baby to stay in for another two weeks at least! Reesie and Rex know that the baby is coming "soon" and they are really excited to help out. They wanted to put all the blankets and burp cloths and towels into the drawers. Yesterday we were folding blankets and Rex put a blanket on the floor. I said you have to not put it on the floor because we don't want the blanket to get germs on it and get the baby sick. He immediately picked up the blanket and ran to go wash his hands. Every night they give my belly a hug or kiss and say "good night baby" and have me respond "good night goh goh, good night jeh jeh!" During our clinical practicum check out, we usually go around the group and close with an appreciation we have, a critical reflection we have for ourselves and an affirmation we have for ourselves. I wanted to share some I have related to pregnancy and school: Appreciation: I am so thankful how my classmates and teachers are so supportive of me giving birth, doing my assignments early, and just accommodating me and offering help. So many classmates have offered help and encouragement and it's so sweet to be in this environment! Critical reflection of self: I don't always open up my personal life to my school mates, keeping school and family pretty separate, but I think I share a lot of joy when I am able to do so and I will try to be more vulnerable with my classmates. Affirmation of self: I am a good mommy and student and I am really good at staying positive and calm despite having a 4.5 yo, 2.5 yo and pregnant with baby #3 while in nursing school!!

#reximusprime #chareesie

35 Weeks Pregnant

In the past week, now that I am 35 weeks and some days pregnant, people are now telling me that I look "small" and "tiny" and "you don't look like you are due in a month"! Haha people are so confusing. Plus, all the Chinese aunties and uncles are telling me that I am having a boy. We'll see!!

Art by #reximusprime 1) Rex Jr.'s portrait 2) Ninja Turtles "I didn't have room" for Donatello 3) Rex recreates Scott's Dinosaur scene

#reximusprime

Pregnancy questions... rude!

Is it normal for people to ask, "Have you dropped yet?" And then when you tell them that you are not due for several more months/weeks they follow up with the question, "Are you having twins?!" Because that has happened to me... twice!

#pregnancyproblems

12/17/16 We finally got to try Kim-Chu sushi!! Daniel and Andy hosted a sushi night for me and Scott and it totally hit a craving! I had been craving sushi for a week or so and I think twice we had failed attempts to get Japanese food. I didn't get photos of every course, but it was fun to be sitting at the "bar" watching DK and Andy in action.

And this is what Reesie looks like when she eats a cupcake (2 yrs 7 mos).

#chareesie

Fun day with Auntie Justina & Reesie: We were planning to splurge our taste buds at b.patisserie, but my Mommy/pregnancy brain forgot they were closed on Mondays! So we yelped a place nearby and decided to eat at Sweet Maple, home of the Million Dollar bacon. (Spoiler alert: bacon was underwhelming. It wasn't salty at all bc it has been marinating in a maple syrup, cayenne pepper mixture for days. We both agreed that Scottie's honey bacon is way better!) Breakfast was yummy. Then Justina had a light schedule so she very sweetly hung out with us while I waited a long time to get my labs drawn. We chatted and she colored with Reesie. Then I dropped her off at the MUNI station and Reesie was so tired she knocked out on the drive home. This was how I spent my first official day of my winter break!

#chareesie