A bit of a downer post....

I felt (feel) so down today. First of all, I couldn't get going good. I wanted to get up and read my Bible and pray because I just HAVE to have God's wisdom and help everyday. I know myself. I need God to direct me as a wife and mother. I can do it on my own for a few days, but then it will hit me, BAM, I've got to have help from a higher power. I did sneak to my bedroom and read a little and pray for about 5 mins before I was discovered having left the room by my dear shadow (Erin), but I was disappointed that I didn't have that strong 'moving mountains' prayer time. Then, the kids mentioned going to the park. My immediate reaction was, absolutely not, but I did feel the Holy Spirit quicken me to spend time with my kids today. I mean, I don't know when I'll be able to take them to the park or swimming or whatever when the baby gets here. So, it took a lot to turn me away from my unkempt house and take them to the park. We had a pretty good time. I am just in no shape to really enjoy things like park trips. If I sit down, I can't get up without a scene. I can't chase after a stray child. It is murder to get in and out of vehicles. All in all, it wasn't disastrous. Emory got frustrated way more than once because the slides don't really work out for him and he can't really get into the swings by himself. I can't help him because he's 80 pounds. When we got back from the park, we went by my dear MIL who has cooked so many meals for us lately, I feel like a rotten wife/mother. I appreciate it so much, but I feel like I haven't taken care of my family in the food department. We ate lunch with her and the kids wanted to go swimming. Emory can get in there fine by himself (we stay nearby), but Erin wanted to go, so I ended up wet, on the steps, while they swam nearby. I enjoyed watching them play in the water. When Emory woke up from his nap, I was outside working in my yard which is so stoopid because I had so much to do inside. But, because I have OCD and have to follow a stupid cleaning schedule and it's Monday and my schedule says to work in the yard for 15 mins, I was out when he woke up. He was just about having a nervous breakdown when I got in the house because he couldn't find me. I felt so bad for him. When Erin woke from her nap, it was downhill from there. She is so whiney, stubborn, and got hurt so many times today for us to count (splinter in her toe, mashed fingers about 4 times in the last 2 days, cut foot, and other endless pangs..she's a drama queen). She is sooo cute and sweet, but she is going through this little stage. The other part is that I'm tooo tired and can't get up to discipline them like I should. I hate myself for this. I don't want my kids to have regressed in their behavior just because I've had a child. I'm just going to try to do better tomorrow. I just want to do better in the less hollering/ not so grouchy mood. Irritable, yikes!

Another thing is with my dear husband. I feel like he gets second best. The children get first (not by my intentions, just the way it seems to work with mothering small kids) and he gets the leftovers. He comes in from work and I give him the "it's been a tiring, rough, day and yes, I'm still pregnant" look instead of being so joyful that he's home. I don't feel like being affectionate, yet I need affection, really. We are both irritable a bit this week. You know if mama's not happy, noone is?

Lastly, is I have a dear friend who is going through the hell of her life. I feel so helpless and hopeless about how to help her. Things that are happening are not even her fault. I just wish for everything to be back normal for her. I get so mad at the devil and have a renewed hatred for him tonight. He is so out to destroy God's people. God help us all.

Sorry to be such a downer post. This is my blog and my thoughts. Sometimes cheerful, sometimes not. I prayed today that God will just 'restore unto me the joy of my salvation'. I need it badly. I need to be a 100% mama and 100% wife. Nothing else is beneficial to my family. Thanks for reading. Pray for me. God is still good.

God Bless!

Just wanted to add a 37 week photo. Not much difference, but I decided to keep the photos going. That and indigestion. ICK.

What a week!

What a week this has been! Monday night, I started having contractions that were pretty intense coming regularly every 5 minutes. They were lasting about 15-20 seconds or so. They were accompanied by cramping and back discomfort. I finally woke up DH around 2:00 and before I knew it, he was up and dressed. I didn't really feel the need to go to the hospital yet, but that didn't matter to him, lol. Basically, we got checked (2cm) 4 different times (UGH) and I got my contractions monitored. They finally spaced out to 10 mins and then quit. I've been doing fine since then, pregnancy wise. This baby is wanting to bake some more. I'm feeling really uncomfortable tonight and have had some intense contractions. Nothing regular, tho.

We had a good fourth spent with our family. I'm posting some pictures from the fourth of my kids at my mom's and dad's.

Thursday night, I had severe pain in my bad tooth. I mean s-e-v-e-r-e. We got an appointment Friday and I got the tooth cleaned out, medicated, etc. I have never been in so much pain. If you have never had tooth/jaw pain, you haven't felt pain as severe as you could feel. I'm better today--on antibiotics and pain meds. I haven't had to even take pain meds today. Weird what a difference a day (and prayer) makes!!

Type more later....

Not too much to update

I don't have a lot to update, but basically my cervix is soft and 'ripe'. LOL Sounds nice! My dr. said that since this is my 3rd baby, I don't have to be dialated or thinned to go from 0-10 very fast. He said I would have a fast labor, which freaks me out.

I have felt awful today. I didn't sleep much at all last night. I slept all the way to my appt (almost 2 hrs away) and all the way back, so that tells me I didn't get as much sleep as I thought I had. The recliner isn't even sufficing me now. My back/side hurt a lot today and I've felt bloated. I have a slight sinus thing going on too. I just felt bad.

I was up 4 lbs. My total wt gain is 27 pounds. My bp was 110/68 which is always good. I have to go back next Friday. I can't help but thinking that might be the 13th. Hmmm.. Friday the 13th may bring good news?

Back to shelling my butterbeans. Harvest time is in full swing. Sure are enjoying the watermelons, though. YUM!

36 week picture

Taken tonight...this shirt really camoflauges my huge belly! Tomorrow is my dr appt...can't wait to see what the dr. says! A few extras of Erin (hiding and building a house)..her two favorite things to do.

My Poor Little Girl and whatever else I want to say

Poor Erin is going through the terrible twos head-on. I know she isn't the worst case scenario by far, but still she is into testing the limits and disobeying quite frequently. She doesn't disobey rebelliously, if that makes sense. Example: I say, "Come here, Erin, and let's put your shoes on." "I'm just going to play with my baby doll a little longer." It's not like she's saying, "NO" kicking and screaming, but still it's disobedience. I'm trying hard to be consistent with her and I'm amazed at her stubbornness! Case in point: she had gone under the house a few times with the dog. This had already happened 3 or 4 times and she got disciplined all times. The other day, Emory was in the pool, she got out and I couldn't see her. I first of all had told her to stay where I could see her, so she broke that commandment. Then, I go look for her and she is under the house, second commandment broken. Lastly, she will not come out from under the house because she knows I am upset with her and she will get disciplined. I have to basically go under the house to drag her out (you don't want that image). I was seeing stars and could not believe how stubborn this child was. Today she wrote all over her walls with a red crayon. It is embedded into her little brain that she writes only on paper. We tell her that all the time. So, she gets her discipline from her daddy. An hour later, my mom goes in her room (they were visiting) and says, "Oh no, Erin has written all over the walls". It was in blue this time! I made her 'scrub' (she couldn't get any of it off) and then I used a little elbow grease along with my laundry detergent concoction (it's abrasive) and got it off after 20 minutes of scrubbing. She still got punished. It's trying to me. but I know if I'm consistent it will pay off. I do worry sometimes if we are making her grow up too quick because she is A. so smart and B. getting a new sibling or C. already has an older sibling and is just expected to fall right in there with him. Like with sleeping. She knows she is not to get up out of her bed after we say good night. Well at least every other night she will try the old, "I've gotta teetee" when we've just taken her before bed and she gets in trouble. (We do let her try to go, for the record) Sometimes I do wonder if she's just scared or wants to cuddle or just be little, ya know? Like, since December (she was still 1 yrs old) she has been in her big bed, sleeping by herself, not allowed to get up after we lay her down, etc. Then, I'm scared if I start just laying down with her a little (for comfort's sake), she will expect that and I can't do that every night with a newborn. Lord knows, I can't rock her at this point. Every single time I pray, I pray for wisdom with my children. I need it.

My dear husband started on my kitchen floor today. Every since we've moved in the house, we have just had old boards down for the floor (we took up the old linoleum when we moved in expecting to replace it immediately). The boards were very unstable and we've all just about fallen through at some point. He worked on replacing boards today and hopefully we can have some linoleum in by next weekend or so. I look forward to doing a few improvements to the house over the next few months. God is blessing us financially to do some repairs! Thank God.

Temperatures have been record the last 2 days. The heat is definitely on. We have 2 window units in our LR/DR/ktch aren and it just didn't do it today and yesterday. I finished up my spring cleaning for the living room today. I finished scrubbing the walls, wiped down a chair and a recliner, cleaned off a lamp table, cleaned out the fireplace (including vacuuming around it), and cleaned up the mantle. I also took down the light fixtures including the ceiling fan lights and cleaned them. I cleaned the ceiling fan blades as well. I just wish I could do every room before this baby comes, but I know it's not possible!

Funny things from my kiddos today: Emory and Erin were watching something and Erin said to Emory, "Look at those 'mingos'". Emory replied, "No Erin, it's not 'mingos, it's LA-mingos". Now say, "LA-mingos." It was hilarious. I was in the kitchen, hysterical. He really was teaching her to enunciate! Kids are so cute.

My tooth has started throbbing some again. I took a tylenol tonight, reluctantly. I hope to hold out with it, but I don't know if I will. I don't want to get infection in places I shouldn't.

Wishing all to stay cool!

36 week update and anything else I have to say

The main thing that is different about this week is nerve pain in my lower regions. I read in my pregnancy book last night that it means the head is down and when the baby turns his/her head it can scrape the pelvic floor. It is really, really uncomfortable. In fact it is happening now. OUCH. I doubt it's nerve pain, but it feels like it. I was just screaming out, OUCH, so Emory comes over and speaks to the baby quite sternly to stop hurting his mommy's tummy! :) LOL

My kids didn't want to nap today at all. It took Erin about an hour to go to sleep and Emory has never gone to sleep. He laid in his bed for over 2 hours. He is playing "Duck, Duck, Goose" with his invisible friend, I guess. It is so hot outside that I showed he and Erin how to play dodge ball and Duck, Duck Goose. They enjoyed playing that and everything was fine until I tripped and fell!

All of my chores are done today except I'm still washing clothes. Not knowing when this baby is coming is keeping me motivated to do my housework first. I do stop and play with the kids. Today we put about 4 puzzles together and then played the new games I introduced to them. Dh called to say he didn't want supper so I assume the kids and I will just eat leftovers.

Tomorrow is payday and Boy is it ever due. This has been a lean week if I've ever seen one. I'm not even going anywhere because I can't buy gas. I've been riding on fumes for a week! Just one of those weeks! God is still good. We have everything we need.

Not much else going on. I need to start blogging about topics in particular. Not much has got my attn lately, I'm just carefree in this pregnancy. Well, Emory is tying up my hand with some beads so it's hard to type, ya know.

35 week picture and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Today is my Dh and I's 8th anniversary! I have to say I'm so blessed to be married to such a wonderful, loving man. He completes me in every way and is perfect for me. I'm so glad I surrendered myself to God about 12 years ago and said, Lord, I'm willing to wait on the ONE! No more searching and and liking various guys...I'm ready to surrender myself to the ONE. I didn't have a clue it would be my husband. I had known him for years and he had become a close friend. He was always dating someone and I was always liking some far off guy, but we still were pretty close. He seemed a lot older than I, but actually he is just 2 & 1/2 years older. I'm glad we hitched up!! I love him more after I've had children because I see him with my kids and what a wonderful daddy he is. He isn't perfect, but neither am I. He's perfect enough for me!

I'm posting a nice 35 wk picture of me at my lovliest (heavy on the sarcasm). Be kind, plz. I know I'm starting to swell and my face is looking quite monster like. Yikes.

The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

The Good:

"Every good and perfect gift cometh down from the Father of lights in whom there is no variableness neither shadow of turning" (from memory--probably not a perfect quote)

First of all, I haven't had pain in my jaw from my bad tooth. I prayed a quiet prayer to God that He would help me hold off with this root canal until the baby is born. I haven't had to take any pain medicine since Thursday night. I'm really grateful for that. I'm glad God helps us with the little stuff. I'm glad the big stuff to us is big stuff to Him, Amen?

I really slept good last night. I don't sleep horrible every night, but last night just seemed to bring extra good sleep. Maybe I'm gearing up for a sleepness night, who knows? Anyway, it was nice.

Another good thing is that I've gotten my daily chores done already (currently washing clothes), got something in the Crockpot, made fresh lemonade with my kiddos, and played blocks with them (see pictures). They went to sleep really fast and are napping peacefully.

More good is I got a little unexpected money come through for us last night just when we really needed it. I love how that happens.

Last, I have 3 girl outfits and 3 boy outfits washed and in the diaper bag. I have a boy outfit and a girl outfit for the hospital-come-home outfit. Also, I'm at peace with my girl name I have chosen! Too late, anyway, because Emory and Erin also want to name the boy that name. They love it! You, however, will have to be surprised like everyone else! :) I'll give you a hint, though, it starts with an E! :)

Just a little Bad:

"In this life, ye shall have troubles; but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world" (another one I probably mutilated..lol)

Erin has regressed some on her potty training. We were down to panties all the time except at night. I was waiting until she woke up dry to put her in panties at night. Well, the past few days, she has been peeing in her panties on average of 2-3 times per day. It is really frustrating. I hate for her to see me frustrated over it, but I just want her to be trained NOW! She is the smartest little 2 yr old I've ever met, and I know she can go potty! God give me patience--It's probably just a little phase. She seems to have an accident when I'm not directly with her (yesterday in church I was on the piano, playing for choir practice--she was playing out in the sanctuary--maybe she didn't feel she could interrupt me?). I'm going to try harder at just taking her every couple hours or so and see how it goes.

Another misfortune is that to wash my bassinet 'clothes', I have to take the bassinet apart! That will probably be a chore that I put off for now.

Since we're doing baby misfortunes, the name that we have picked out for a boy is not appealing to me as another name I really liked from the start. I've just got to get up the courage now to try to convince Dh to change his mind about the boy name we've had chosen since February! Wish me luck!

See, not much bad!

The Ugly:

Well, besides my current state of being (j/k), what is really ugly that is going on right now, is we have chimney sweepers in our fireplace right now. They are driving me mad. They are so loud and barely give me any peace. I don't know the duration of their stay, but I hope there is something I can do to sweep them on out!

Something else that is ugly, is just infidelity/adultery. I wanted to do a separate blog on this subject, but I decided against it. Besides the devil, what makes a 35+ something year old woman want to leave her husband of several years, a good stable life with kids, and live with a barely 20 something boy? I just don't understand it. It could be vice versa, too. Forty year old men moving in with a 20 something chic, leaving his faithful, hardworking wife and kids for a little ego boost? I get what happens but I want to shake the guilty party who didn't squelch (is that the word I'm wanting?) out this before it ever blew into something huge. This is so common (just heard of an incident, thus the post) that I'm going to try to commit time every day to pray for my marriage, my husband, and other marriages that are going through this. I hope you will join me! No situation is ever hopeless, thank God!

Off to post some pictures... Thanks for reading...

Why did I fool myself? (Misery)

Why did I fool myself into thinking I would get peaceful, uninterrupted sleep here at the motel with my Dh? Just as I figured, my food that I ate last night never did digest and sat right there at the top of my esophagus all night long. The second misery is I was hot all night long and like a wild woman I got up and turned the thermostat down to 68 and finally cooled off. The last, but not final misery, is my tooth that is in need of a complete root canal (I picked up my xrays yesterday--just got to make my appt) flared up with a vengence. It was even throbbing up into the bone which worries me. I'm worried about infection being in my bloodstream, hence my baby's bloodstream. I surely wanted to put off a root canal until after the baby came, but I will be in pain every night until then, I guess. It's weird because when I thought I had a broke toe, I willed myself into not taking anything for pain. But, when you have a toothache, you will take whatever you can find. Of course, my final misery is my state of being at this moment. I don't think I could get any bigger.

So, we had a nice little short anniversary celebration. I'm just really let down that I did not get my 8 hours of pure, blissful sleep. The reality has hit that it won't happen again for a few more years.

A few good things are happening today. The first thing is I get to take a shower. Ah, what a lovely word, shower. Remember, we only have baths in our house. You don't want a mental image of a big walrus (me) getting in and out of the bathtub. It's not good. The second good thing is I get to meet up with my best friend and spend some time with her sans the kids. Well, she will have her precious new baby (one of the babies) and I will finally get to love on her to pieces.

Off to enjoy my shower...

My mom rocks! (& MIL) Plus 35 week update

This morning, I work up early (5:30 or so) to help Dh get everything ready for his overnight stay in Mobile. He is attending a work conference there today and tomorrow. After he left, I decided to just stay up and get some things done. I finished my ironing for the week and settled down in my new chair (so comfy) to read a new book I started (titled: A Merry Heart by Wanda Bunstetter--about the Amish). The kids eventually woke up about 7ish and we were sitting on the floor playing--I helping Emory put his train set together--when my mom comes to the door. This is totally unexpected, but a nice surprise. She said she woke up with me on her mind. We visited for a bit, and then mom said she wanted to help me clean. The house was okay, I had just mopped Tuesday, I just had a few dishes, and of course the beds hadn't been made. I had aimed to clean the bathroom, wash clothes, and sweep off the porch today. Well, she got busy. Those of you who know my mom, know that she can clean a house! So, as I sit here at 3:50pm., my whole house has been swept and mopped (even the LR/DR, again), all dishes washed/put up, beds made, BOTH bathrooms cleaned, outside porch swept off, trash taken out, and I'm sure there's more. I mainly focused on the laundry and watching the kids while she did all of this.

So, when the kids took a nap, I guiltlessly took a snooze on my new comfy, chair. It's so great to have a nice, supportive mom who comes through even when you don't feel like you need her to. My MIL is always there for me too. Tonight, I'm going to spend the night with Bradley sans the kids because it's our anniversary next week. She has volunteered to keep the kids and I know they will love staying with her.

On the update front, not much new to report. Contractions every now and then, belly and weight seems to be the same, feet hurt at the end of the day, baby may have dropped? I'll try to get a 35 week pic this weekend. I did have another girl dream last night. She looked a lot like Erin did at a few months old. If this is a boy, I will be so surprised! Not disappointed, but surprised. I'm frantic about not having a definite girl name, but figure when I'll see her, I will know what to name her? Hopefully!

Including a few pics of the kids, of course! Have a great weekend to all.

Emory's home, dr. appt, and another misfortune

I had my dr. appt this morning and I have gained 4lbs in 2 weeks (23 overall). I lack 5lbs being what I was when Emory was born. I'm measuring 38 weeks (fundal ht), so either I'm really 38 weeks, or my baby is going to be over the average weight. Either one is a possibility. Makes me realize how much I want to get done over the next few days. I seem to be developing a clutter problem again. It drives me crazy. Anyway, that's basically all I have to report on the pregnancy front. Baby is really, really active at night. Lots of body parts sticking out all over the place. LOL

Erin went with me to the dr. (as well as my MIL) and she just charmed everyone. She was really good. I did enjoy having her to myself and not have to divide my attention for once. Would be nice to do that with Emory sometime too. I know he and I would have a good time alone. When we got in the examination room, she told the dr. she wanted to hear the 'heart beep'. Then she looked over at my dr. and said, "What's him called?" She was cute.

Emory came home today and he looked like he had grown a foot! He is such a big 4 yr. old. He was glad to see us and has been such a joy to have around this evening. I'm going to add a photo of him helping me make soap (I make my own laundry detergent: 3.5 cups Borax, 2.5 cups soap flakes--I use Ivory grated, and 1 cup Baking Soda). We make it about once a week. I have a serious problem with sniffing this soap conconction. It's a wonder I don't do laundry everyday because I love the smell of soap! I wish it tasted like it smells!

Emory also did some school tonight in some new homeschooling workbooks I bought him. I took a picture of that, but it doesn't show up very well. I'm so amazed and how he's catching on school-wise. He traced all the letters very nicely and followed instructions. He loves doing 'dot-to-dot' stuff and is really into that right now.

My toe is so much better today, but tonight I started hurting really badly in my jaw (where I had my partial root canal). I had to take a tylenol it was hurting so badly--throbbing. So, tomorrow if it's still hurting, I guess I'm up for a dentist trip. I hope I just bit down on that side too hard or something. I don't look forward to another partial root canal.

Tomorrow will be another rigorous cycle of vain cleaning attempts.

34 week prego pic and bonus pic

Don't be fooled...I'm huge!

Bathroom Renovation Pics

Think really rustic and old....

Busy Weekend and a Misfortune

After my blog Thursday night (yeah, the one about no contractions), I could not sleep. I was very uncomfortable and my thoughts were going at full speed. Finally I got up at 3am and got in the recliner. I immediately started having contractions every 5 minutes (like clockwork) and this went on for 2 hours. I know it was through 3 clock chiming sessions. My contractions weren't BH, bc they radiated into my back. About 5am, I got up, emptied my bladder, and went to the couch. I sat there and read a few magazines and lo and behold, my contractions became irregular and eventually subsided. I finally got relief enough to go back to bed where I slept soundly until a little after 8. Emory left with mom and dad (he was so excited) and the in laws came over and worked on my bathroom until 1pm! My MIL cleaned and decluttered some of the back part of the house for me (the part we don't use much). It is wonderful! I love the way my bathroom looks now. I wish I would've done a before picture--no, I would've been too embarrassed. We've actually taken a few baths in there now. A little paint and new linoleum can do wonders! Anyway, I'll post some pictures after my blog. I did more spring cleaning (shh, don't tell my Dh--I just can't sit around all day and lie on my left side--rest, smest, I can't do it..not when the nesting hormone is in full force) including washing more walls and baseboards in the living room, taking all couch pillows off and washing them (the ones that you sit on turned the water black in the washing machine--that's how dirty they were, ick), sweeping behind and under the couch (amazing what you can find under there), and washing some light globes. I didn't work at it over an hour so I could say I had not 'over done' it. Friday night was grocery shopping and I had gobs of energy to shop--no contractions--it was nice. In fact, at one store, Dh finally went out to the van so I could continue to look. :) Saturday was a family get-together at my MILs and it was nice. I put some stuff on Ebay that evening and didn't do much cleaning besides washing my dishes and sweeping. Tomorrow is my dr. appt., so I'll post about that later. I will add a 34 wk pregnant picture, but don't let it deceive you--I look way bigger in person!

On to the misfortune. I think I broke or at least fractured my toe this weekend. It throbs even now as I type. I was running over to Dh's car at the bank to hand him a loan payment slip and running back (there were cars waiting on me to move) and I tripped on the curb, but somehow caught myself before falling (jarred my hip pretty badly). Somehow, my toe bent on the curb as I went down. Of course, with all the people behind me, I just jumped in my van and only realized when I had shut the door that my toe hurt something fierce. It was bleeding pretty badly also. I found out later that it had gravel all in it (had to pick it out, ouch). Anyway, it basically has not stopped hurting all weekend. The bone that connects my toe to my foot (it would be called the knuckle bone if it was my hand) is the one that is so bruised, sore, and swollen. Anyway, guess it was pretty funny to all 25 of the cars in line at the bank (the 5 o'clock rush), but the pain isn't funny, that's for sure.

Hope everyone has a good weekend. Guess I could've done an "Ode to a Father" blog, but I didn't. Happy Father's Day to all. My Dh is a great one. My kids love and adore him. I appreciate him as a father. I couldn't adequately do it on my own. The kids will always remember the funny songs he makes up for them. :) Blessings.

34 wk update/Stubborness 6/14

First of all, I can't report any new happenings except one major foot swelling day. Contractions are down to one/two per day--what's up with that? Just 3 weeks ago, I was having as many as 20 per day. I don't seem to have gotten any bigger (could I?) and my pelvic bone hasn't given me any less pain. Turning over in bed or anywhere is sheer torture. In fact, I lay on my back for the best relief. I don't think we're supposed to do that if I remember right? Bladder urgency hasn't gotten any worse. I try to keep my hormones in check. All in all, I can't complain. Oh wait, one complaint: my feet hurt! Also, it's hot, but I would be hot anyway because my house is hot (not much insulation/window units). Baby's movement is sporatic; I stay on the move quite often so I'm sure I rock it to sleep.

On the anticipation front, I can't say I have time to anticipate this new arrival. My other two keep me majorly busy. The other night I dreamed I had her (at home--it was great) and when I woke up I was like, "no way--I can't be about to have a baby!" Not too much longer now, ready or not. I need to revisit baby names for girls. Still no clue.

On the preparation front I guess one could say I have been nesting, except it's not baby-related. I've been cleaning, purging, moving, and straightening. Tomorrow, I hope to finish the LR which includes: washing the pillow covers on the couch/washing the walls, moving furniture to sweep/mop/ cleaning light fixtures and fan. I will probably allow myself an hour to do all of this so I don't overdo it. On the baby preparations, I need to: wash carseat cover, install carseat, wash bassinet cover, move it to bedroom, wash a few newborn boy/girl outfits, set up changing table in BR, buy new pad for that, buy breast pump, buy a sling, buy a few more cloth diapers, fix a diaper bag, pack me a bag, register at hospital (reluctantly), find out what I can/can't do concerning routine procedures (i.e. Hep B shot) for baby, and I think that will do me! I'm going to do the major stuff next week.

Part Two: "Who can find a stubborn woman, for her price is far above rubies." Isn't that in there somewhere? LOL Erin Abigail is the most stubborn little girl I know. My! We are having some trouble with breaking her will. The bad thing is she's so cute and innocent about what she does. Know when babies are 12-18 mos and get into everything? Well, she postponed that stage until now! See picture below (or above) of what she did while I was ironing. She's into pulling all the blankets, covers, pillows off the bed/couch and making a 'cave' or pulling all the clothes out of the drawers to make a 'car'. Tonight she pulled down every towel save 2 and had them in the bathtub. Oh, what fun it is to wring out seven huge soaking towels. This is the 3rd time she's done it and she's been punished every time! Can I just say, stubborn? I'm sure it will be cute 20 years down the road, but it's NOT cute to a 34 week pregnant fat mama!

Something funny she did (boy, can she be cute and funny) this morning is while in bed, we were looking at our honeymoon pix (loves to look at pix) and she saw a pic of her daddy. I said, "Look at how skinny daddy was." She said, "I want him to do it again." LOL

Emory goes to youth camp in GA with my mom and dad. I know he'll have a good time and I'm not worried about him being with my parents--esp my dad, Mr. Hawk Eyes. I will miss him, but he's coming back Monday. He is a good kid. He says some funny things too; I'll try to remember some to post.

Bradley did some 'nesting' projects tonight after work including putting a screen on our laundry room window. It will be nice to not worry about the cat being back there all the time. We are having trouble with our water going on and off so that interfered with my clothes washing and kid's bathing. I did get to bathe myself in two inches of water. FIL is coming to work on it tomorrow, bless him, he deserves a big FD present! He finished in my bathroom today; the paint job is great!

Well, nice book, eh?

What a busy summer!

Me, a seamstress?

Talking to a friend of mine this past week got me interested in sewing. I had previous tried it (for like, a day) but the babies were so small it was too hard to maintain time. So, yesterday, my MIL brought me one of her sewing machines and I gave it a whirl, literally. I practiced on some old pants that never fit Emory and then I actually hemmed up a pair of his pants! They really don't look too badly, either! I also took the pockets off the side (cargo pants) because they hang down way too low to look decent. I was proud of my small accomplishments. It will just be nice to be able to sew up his pants or do some minor alterations to clothes when needed. I was hoping that the same part of my brain that allows me to play piano 'by ear' will be the part that helps me to sew well. I have a craft pattern that I may use to try my hand at something else.
I got on Ebay yesterday and actually won a pattern for AIO cloth diapers. I would love to sew this new baby some diapers without having to buy so many. If I got good at it, I could maybe sell some on Ebay?

Speaking of my MIL, bless her, she has come for 2 days in a row and painted my extra bathroom. It looked horrid before. I had started painting it, but stopped when I found out I was pregnant. I never like the color I started with. This time it's a nice green color with white trimwork. My FIL came today and stayed about 3 hours painting the ceiling and trimwork. I am blessed to have great In Laws. I'll have to post a picture of the final product!

I worked hard today and am soo tired. Yesterday, I spent the children's naptime sewing (see above paragraph) so today I made up for my chores I missed. Plus I finished mowing the yard. So, my day consisted of: watering tomato plants in the garden (at least I have started using the lawn mower to carry the bucket of water), finishing up the grass (probably 1.5 hrs. worth broken into two intervals), cooking dinner, making beds, sweeping, cleaning off table, washing dishes, general straightening of rooms, swept off porch/sidewalk, and finally watered my flowers/plants. I took a nice soak in the tub about 5:30 and then went to church, tired! The kids played good with all my busyness. I hope tomorrow I might can take them to the park and just play with them. I don't have a lot to do, just some ironing and washing clothes.

Tomorrow I'll be 34 weeks pg, so I'll try to do an update and maybe a new picture this weekend. Emory is going away this weekend to a kid's camp with my mom and dad. I will miss him, but feel ok about him going. I guess bc he's going with my parents? He'll be back Monday. The camp is about 9 hours away. Yikes.

Need to try to get up earlier in the mornings so I can start my day before the kids. I stay up so late that I love to sleep in in the mornings. At least until after 8. See what happens tomorrow. Good night!

33 wk pg pic

Looking pretty huge, right?

Adding a picture of Erin, also, because she just looked so sweet!

Mental Pictures you don't want to see...

We slept late today due to being up after midnight talking with friends from youth camp. The kids were really not too sleepy when we got home, so we just chilled until close to 1am. I don't think they have ever been up that late!

We worked outside some today; Dh weedeating and I cleaning up the backyard play area some. It can get really trashy quick! Usually we find a pair or two of Erin's panties lying in the backyard. She likes to strip quite frequently. I planted some daylily bulbs that my SIL sent and hope that they turn out fine. I washed off the kid's play things which were quite muddy. This afternoon, I hoed (that looks funny) some in the garden which is one of the mental pictures you don't want to see. Here I am 8.5 mos pregnant, hoeing in the garden with a hoe that is broken into. Yikes. Erase that from your memory please. Needless to say, I only hoed about 20 mins. When I got to the house, I discovered all doors locked. My Dh had come and gone and locked me out of the house. So the worst image possible is me, in walrus-form, climbing through my dining room window. Yes, it happened. A truck came by just as I was about to stand on the chair to get in the window. We never have traffic on our road. Maybe 5 cars per day, counting us and our neighbors.

I haven't had time to really 'school' Emory this summer, but I am taking about an hour a day to do some preschool games with him via the internet. Here is a cool site with educational games for preschoolers: www.gamequarium.com. I think that is right. He is doing really well and even works the laptop some himself. Erin is always with us, so I'm sure she will catch on fast by watching.

It is almost 7pm and the kids are still napping. If I don't get them up, we will have to go to bed late again. I could use some more alone time, though. Hmm...

Pregnancy update: movement has slowed a lot during the day; can get violent at night; contractions have been basically nonexistent the past two or three days. Very weird.

Adding a couple of pics of the kids on our beach vacation...

33 week update and other happenings...

I hope this pink shows up well; just feeling pink today. Nothing to do with girl vibes, I don't think?? Not much to report this week on the pregnancy front. I had an appt. on Tuesday--no weight gain, measuring bigger in fundal height than what I'm 'supposed' to, nothing else new. I think I've gained a little over 20 pounds so far. Contractions aren't any more than normal, some days more frequent; other days almost nonexistent. People at church tell me that I won't go to my due date. I've been waiting for that comment. They told me that the past 2 times and I went pretty close and had big babies, too (Erin would have been big). I'm very uncomfortable with finding good sleeping positions, bending over to pick up a toy (usually), and bathing comfortably. This is a time when a shower would be a God-send. I still really haven't had much swelling and I'm thankful for that. I've been eating pretty decent foods since school has been out. Pretty much eliminating sugar and flour products this week (trying to rid myself of candida which I think causes my allergies and skin rashes). It's been hard because I don't have much of a variety of foods to eat. More on that later.

We've had youth camp at church this week. I always enjoy youth camp. The kids have enjoyed it and have been fairly good. I hope I don't take their good behavior for granted. Today we were at the table (in the fellowship hall) eating (just Emory, Erin, and I) and they were sitting so still and eating so nicely. I tried to think of a worst case scenario so I could be thankful for their behavior. We practiced with the choir and they would stay in the church and play at the pews while we practiced. I guess it's because we expect obedience. If you expect it and accept on obedience, you'll get it. It takes lots of early training, though. We're still in the training process with Erin, but Emory is pretty much trained. He just goes through 'reinforcement camp' every now and then.

We had a couple come help with the choir this year and on the second night of camp, I remembered the wife from being an acquaintance of mine as I was growing up. When I asked her if she remembered me, she said she did. So, we have enjoyed talking this week. She is pregnant also, due in Aug, and this will be #5 for her. Exciting to talk to someone who has/wants a big family like I do. I hope we can keep in touch.

I would like to end my blog today with a word about my husband. He totally rocks. He is the best dad, ever. I couldn't make it without his help. He is always willing to do whatever I ask him to do. He is the most loving man I know. He doesn't care if every little thing is done in the house or if a hot meal is on the table--he is so understanding. He is the best singer and just amazes people with his voice. I love hearing people brag on him as a singer and musician. He has a heart for God and desires the will of the Lord for our lives. He recognizes when things start coming in between he and his love for the Lord. He prays fervently. He is my lover. He isn't perfect, but he is perfect for me! :) Just a note about my wonderful man.

I'm going to try to download some pictures on here. Then it will be time to iron, clean the bathroom, and do some more spring cleaning. All while fighting the urge for a nap.

Lots of contractions today!

Wow, today I did some spring cleaning (washing walls, windows, curtains) for about an hour and I don't know if that set me off but I had a ton of contractions tonight while we were out and about. Braxton Hicks contractions with an edge of cramping every 3-5 minutes or so. Have settled down a bit, but my body is getting ready! :) Hubby grocery shopped for me so I wouldn't be miserable walking around wal-mart, so that was nice. Also nice that he bought WAY less than I would have bought. Ha

Gross thing happened tonight. I went to kill a spider on our dining room floor (with a broom) and a hundred baby spiders went everywhere. It icked me out to the infinite degree. I apologized to the baby spiders for killing their mommy and then I had to *gulp* kill them. I probably wouldn't have, but who wants a hundred spiders crawling in their house? Not I, said the arachnophobic.

Erin went through 3 pairs of panties today outside. Not peeing in them, just playing in mud. That child can get the dirtiest of any one toddler I've ever seen! I've resorted to t-shirt and panties during home play because anything else will get filthy and I'll have to change her. We bought the last bag of PUll-ups tonight, hopefully.

I hope to download some pics tomorrow! Tried to tonight but it was being really slow.

Thank you, Megan, for leaving me a comment. You rock, hon! :)

Summer Cleaning Schedule

Just in case you're interested....

Things I make sure gets done before anything....

( ) Make beds/straighten rooms (usually spend about 5 mins in BRs after making beds to straighten)

( ) Clean off dining room table (this can become a problem area FAST)

( ) Wash dishes (even if it's just a few, dirty dishes = roaches in our home, ick)

( ) Sweep LR, DR, and KTCH (every other day)

( ) Empty/take out trash (every other day)

***Things that get done while kids are napping***

Monday:
( ) Wash clothes (just work on this throughout the day)
( ) Clean out frig (this consists of throwing out leftoevers)
( ) Mop (LR/DR--every other Monday)
( ) spend 15 minutes outside (yard work, flowers, etc)

Tuesday:
( ) Dust furniture
( ) Iron (iron all of our work/church clothes, usually takes a little over an hour, but I listen to the radio or talk on the phone, and it keeps me from having to rush to do it before church, etc)
( ) Wash sheets/Rugs (every other Tuesday)
( ) 15 minutes in guestroom, decluttering/cleaning OR in Living room with some spring cleaning(I alternate every other Tues with GR and LR)

Wednesday:
( ) Sweep off porch/sidewalk
( ) Clean the bathroom (not deep cleaning, just the sink, tub, and modey w/a lil baking soda water--every other Wednesday)
( ) Alternate every other week 15 minutes of spring cleaning/decluttering with Guest BTHroom and Dining room/Bthroom

Thursday:
( ) Wash clothes
( ) Clean off glass surfaces (use vinegar/water mixture--every other Thursday)
( ) Alternate every other week 15 mintues of spring cleaning/decluttering with laundry room and Kitchen

Friday:
( ) Sweep bedrooms, hall
( ) catch up on any chores incompleted
( ) Alternate every other week 15 minutes of spring cleaning/decluttering with Office and Bedrooms

Saturday:
( ) clean out van
( ) vacuum out van (every other Saturday) Right now, I'm really lazy and am just running it through the car wash every 3 or so weeks.

Sunday: (don't even do my daily chores, unless I make dinner)
( ) pay/do/organize bills
( ) clean out purse/diaper bag

Sounds like a lot, but this is the second summer of this schedule and it works for me! I try to do my daily chores while the children are awake, but the others I leave to their napping, so I do have time to play with them. I do sneak in the once-a-week doze myself, but that's why I have a catch up day. I always have to catch up on Friday and Saturday! Don't stress about it, though!
Also, I don't pick up after my kids all day. After I straighten, I don't worry about any mess that's made. They can pick up after themselves at night before they go to bed. No worries, man!

32 week update

I really can't believe that I'm 8 mos pregnant now! I can't believe it, but when I look down at my protruding abdomen, I can absolutely believe it. I don't feel like I'm overly huge, but right on target (hopefully). I always forget to ask my stats at the dr. office and no one obliges, but I'm going to make an effort to ask what I'm measuring. Just interesting to see if I'm on track or not. If this baby is another 10 lber (Emory) then I have a lot of growing to do. I don't wish it to be so!

I'm doing a lot of cleaning and organizing so one could say I'm nesting a bit. I need to be, though. I've yet to bring out the baby things and will probably wait until 35 weeks pregnant or so. I need to wash the carseat cover and wash a few baby items (either unisex or of both genders). I will need to wash the bassinet covers, of course take all the junk out of it first. Would love to get me a new pack n play and not fool with the bassinet this time, but I don't need too much stuff.

My face is a little thicker but I haven't done the almighty nose spread or anything. Thank God. I haven't had a lot of swelling in my hands and feet, either. They just hurt from the added weight and being on them all day long.

I don't feel like the baby has turned or anything. I can't go by low or high because every one of my babies have been carried low. I guess because I'm long waisted.

Sleep is still good, but turning over in bed is an absolute pain, literally. I have to talk myself into my body moving and turning. Yikes.

I'd say I've gained 20 lbs or a little over so far. May ask dr. about that next time, also.

Still want a HB, but just leaving it up to the Lord. If I have to go to the hospital, I want to wait until I'm very much in labor, stay as little as I can, coming home the next day. We'll see.

I don't know if I've mentioned Erin and her success in pottytraining. We are doing great! She still needs a pull-up at night, because she is never dry in the mornings. I think she has a very small bladder. I'm not afraid to go out in public without a PUll up anymore. I think she will be fully trained when this baby is born.

We are still unsure about names for this baby. I think it's a girl so I'm desperate. My sister mentioned not going with an E name since we plan to have more children. Then I can start a new letter. Problem is, I haven't another name that I like and would be desperate to come up with something here at the last minute. yeesh it's hard to name a child.

That's all for today. Need to go iron, catch up on weekly chores, and fight off this napping feeling. Why should I? I'm 8 mos pregnant! :) I wouldn't if I hadn't got about 9 hrs of sleep last night! :)
Gonna post my cleaning schedule for you just in case it might help?

If you read my blog, leave me a comment so I'll know someone is out there! :)

no excuse to not blog...

Dh has a new laptop which can be both a blessing and a curse. I love being able to keep contact with the outside world, but on the negative side, I miss reading at night and I can't sleep well after being on the internet late. My mind just goes ninety miles per hour and I resort to counting sheep, saying a mantra, or repeating a Bible verse. But, the next night, I'm back online. I'm intrigued with unassisted childbirth (UC) and I have been eating up all the information I can night after night. If my husband would consent, I would never go back to the doctor or hospital. A good site with some nice blogs is www.christianuc.com/unassisted-pregnancy/journals. I wish I could convince him that our bodies are made to birth babies. It is a natural process. It is a joke all of the procedures we have to go through (routine or otherwise) just to have a baby. I think of Mary, the mother of Jesus, what an awesome birth she must have had. She had no bright lights, doctors sticking their hands up the ying-yang, nurses pressing on the uterus to expel her placenta, etc. Just the quiet lowing of the donkey, the smell of hay, and the chirping of crickets. She was at peace with the nature of her body to deliver the Son of God. I feel so strongly about having a UC, but I understand my Dh's concern for my well being. I try to get him to read things on the internet, but he thinks I'm crazy. *wink* I know I will be obedient to him, albeit disappointed if I don't get the birth I crave.

I am currently 31+ weeks with this surprise. I really feel like it's another girl. I don't know why. I just see Emory as being the only son in our family. We have a boy named chosen, but I don't see us using it. We haven't a girl name chosen and I'm not at peace with a name. I want this girl to have Rebekah in her name somewhere. I would love to just name her that, but I want to have an "E" name to keep the balance. I have been thinking about Ella, Elaina, or Eden, but am not crazy about any of those. Names aside, I have an active one. Seems to have slowed down in the past couple of days, but she's still in there, no doubt. I don't feel like I'm getting any bigger which is a relief. I think I've gained about 20 pounds so far, but I'm not trying to figure it out to a 't'. Not much swelling with this gal, which is also good. My feet hurt, but I stay busy on my feet most of the day.

Speaking of staying busy, I have settled into a cleaning routine that I hope to keep up this summer. I've managed to keep the house orderly and the clothes washed. That is the biggie. Laundry. I finally broke down and made my own laundry soap and I promise, I could eat that stuff. I have a thing for soap. I wonder what you call people with a soap fetish? I remember sitting in the bathtub as a child sniffing the Safeguard bar of soap (what we always used). My laundry recipe uses pure Ivory soap and I could just eat that stuff. I mean, everytime I grate a bar to go in my concoction, I'm in heaven. Anyway, my recipe is: 3.5 cups of Borax, 2.5 cups of grated pure soap (Ivory or Dr. Bronners, etc), and I added a cup of Baking Soda. Put in a container and shake really good. Add 1/2 cup to a load. Cheap. Fun. and Yummy. Back to the cleaning, I have been trying to slowly work on getting our back part of the house liveable. We don't 'live' in that part, per se, so it is easy to let that part go. I'm trying to work on it for a few minutes a day. Cooking has not been a part of my routine lately. I'm so bummed out about not cooking. I think it's a pregnancy thing. I always feel full and don't want to cook if I'm not hungry. Also, I have desires for certain foods and it's not what I have in my cupboards. I guess I feel like my family feels the same way as I. I appreciate their patience. Dh is wonderful about being understanding. I love my breakfast foods and am always happy to whip up a batch of pancakes. There's another fetish. LOL We probably have pancakes every other day. Fresh with maple syrup!

My best friend who has been going through an awfully rough ordeal lately, is getting to bring her girl twin baby home from the hospital tomorrow, Lord willing. She and her brother have been in there since late March. God has been so good to those babies and is continuing to be so. I'm so proud of the strong mommy my friend is. I'm so excited about the baby getting to come home. I feel like the other baby will probably come home about the time my baby is born. He still has a couple of more surgeries to undergo.

This blog is so long, but I have so much on my mind. It's nice to have school out for a change. I love my job and it is not a drudgery, but I feel like I'm fulfilling God's plan being at home with my babies. It's a busy job where you don't even look at the time, but it's rewarding. Erin is pretty much potty-trained, with a couple of whoopsies every few days. She doesn't even have on a diaper tonight, so she may want to night-train soon as well. Fine by me. She hates putting on a pull-up. She is such a big girl and I am absolutely floored at her vocabulary and ability to conversate. Even though she is mine, I have never seen a child her age (26 mos) with a conversational ability like she has. Her new thing is she has to 'make sugars' for everybody. I'll say, 'Give me some sugars, Erin' and she will say '___________' ate it all up. I'll have to make you some more." So, she proceeds to make sugars by sticking her finger in her mouth and rubbing it on her lips. Sooo cute. Tonight she told her daddy that mama had got all of her hugs and she had to make some more. She started rubbing her shoulders, making more hugs. Oh my, is she cute! Emory is getting so tanned by going swimming everyday. He is a good boy and minds really well. He still complains a lot, but I think we'll have that beat by the time summer is over. Working on Erin's whining too, this summer.

Well, enough is enough. God is blessing Dh's job and helping us financially. We are slowly getting out of debt and praise be to God. Looks like I might be a SAHM within a year, Lord willing. God is good. Never doubt it.

Kindred Spirits

Don't you love it when you find a kindred spirit? Especially someone whom you've known for awhile and find out that they share some of your beliefs and feelings? Today, I got to talk to one of my 'moms' who has 3 boys. I learned that she is strict on her boys (we talked about discipline some and she has the same feelings as I), she breastfed all of her boys (one past 3 yrs), and she stays at home. Not a lot of things to talk about, but I'm finding fewer and fewer moms who actually do all 3 of those things. We gabbed and gabbed and it was awesome to find a kindred spirit. Makes you wonder how many other moms share your views but don't go around expressing their feelings, leaving everyone oblivious to their beliefs (me). This mom let me know that her son (a little over 12 months) had to go with us on the field trip because she doesn't leave him and she still breastfeeds. I was like, "Go, girl". I think the reason I like to get on the internet and be nosy into other people's lives is because I'm looking for a kindred spirit. Now, don't get me wrong, some of my closest friends share my feelings, but it's just nice to find someone new, a surprise, who shares your feelings about things.

To totally change the subject, my eating has been HORRIBLE this week. My poor angel is probably in a sugar coma by now. Girl Scout cookies are the devil. I guess the only good thing is I haven't been eating supper. Which isn't bad if I'm eating something nutritious. I'm going to set small goals for myself next week, one of which is to start walking or riding the stationary bike. Let you know how it goes.

Other small goal, is to try to be a more patient mother, especially with Erin. She is being so stubborn (yet, so cute) lately and my patience has been so thin with her. I'm just going to have to consistently discipline with love until she gets over this stubborn streak. Do it before I get frustrated.

I'm loving, loving the warm, sunny weather. Ahhh, it has been great. God rocks to think of changing the seasons!

Hello, Chiropractor and Happy weekend!

All things work together for good!

After a busy weekend, we were off yesterday in honor of our dear Presidents. I had a fairly uneventful doctor's appointment (listened to HB, wt gain +4), but before then, we went to look at a car for Dh. We ended up getting a GREAT deal on a '95 Rivera which is very classy looking. We really know that God worked in the situation because we were able to get a below-fair deal. I'm just really appreciative of God's blessings. I believe He is just waiting for us to ask him to meet our needs. I'm not surprised at what He can do for me/us, but I am thankful He chooses to work for ME.

We took the kids to the 'water' (the bay) and walked a bit. The weather was really nice, albeit windy. The kids were so good. They amaze me at how good they are when we are traveling. We made some memories yesterday and it felt like a little vacation.

I went to see my grandmother in the nursing home. Her memory is terrible, but she seems to be just like her self otherwise. She has a doll with her and was so funny saying, "Boo" to the doll and treating it like it was real.

I feel like my blog has become more like a diary instead of my soapbox about health issues, etc. I just don't have time to really post a tangent, or get out on a limb. Too, I want to keep up a kind of day to day repose of my day.

It probably won't be too long before something will 'get my goat' and I'll go off on my tangent. :)
NaturalMamaX2

Can anything else happen??!!?

Not that I'm complaining (considering the outcome), but when it rains, it does pour. Dh had a wreck on his way to work this morning that landed him in the emergency room. He is fine, no broken bones, but it could have been way worse. I'm thankful to have my husband with me on this Valentine's Day. The clincher? He was in his MOM's car (see yesterday's post).

Can I just say CHOCOLATE?!? Teacher+ Valentines Day = Chocolate overload. That's for me AND the kids. We had a good day considering the wreck interruption. My kids helped me get my room clean (wayyy overdue) and the best of all is my desk is straightened and organized. AAAHHHH...

Not to be all boring, but the weather is supposed to get really cold tonight and tomorrow. And there's a chance that we won't be having school tomorrow. If our girls' basketball team win the state championship this evening= no school tomorrow. How's that for pressure on the girls? I would enjoy a day off (esp since my Dh isn't supposed to go back to work until Tuesday) but it won't be a huge deal if I'm here. I love my job, what can I say?!

I'm already hoping and I'm pretty convinced that I'll be too busy as a SAHM to miss my job, because if I'm bored, I know I will. I love teaching and feel like that is my THING, kwim? I just don't want to miss an opportunity to mold and make my children's lives and to be there for them when they need me. I also will enjoy staying at home and doing mommy and wifey things (working in flower beds, baking with my kids, cleaning--gasp!, and being outside). Can you detect a touch of spring fever in my voice?

Tonight is the wake for our dear little friend, Justin. I found out that I have to play the piano for two songs at his funeral. I know it will be so sad (hopefully not the playing).

Busy weekend. Income taxes, couple's Valentines banquet, grocery shopping, sleep!

Happy Valentines to my many readers! :)
NaturalMamaX2

A reason to be thankful and random musings...

Yesterday we found out that Dh's car has gone the way of the dodo. Actually it is my car that has gone the way of the dodo. My first real car. My high school car. My adoring Honda Accord with way over 200,000 miles on it. It needs a new engine which will end up almost costing as much as we could get for it. We have decided to try to find something that we can afford (hows $2,000?) that has a few less miles on it. Anyway, while we were discussing the deceased car, we found out that one of our little friends who battled cystic fibrosis (?) had passed away. We will never know the extent of lives this little guy has touch. So while we were grieving over something as temporal as a car, reality struck. Our woes didn't even begin to compare with what his parents are feeling. I mean, I would rather be penniless and homeless than to lose a child. Thank you God, for putting us in perspective.

This morning, we, who like most Americans, live from paycheck to almost paycheck (ha), were wondering how we would get gas money for Dh's many miles of travel when a friend called (early this morning, how ironic?) to tell us he had us some money for something we had done (entertainment for a party) back at Christmas! How can people not serve God?!?

I haven't blogged in awhile, so I'll mention the pregnancy front. I'm almost 17 weeks pregnant and things are going great. I'm still not really feeling the baby move (MOVE BABY!), so that keeps me slightly worried. I'm starting to show and have 'popped'. I still don't feel huge, thankfully, since I know I'll get huge soon enough. Still eating healthy, most of the time (when I'm not at school) and trying to eat normal.

The kids are great, Erin is a little sick, but they are wonderful. Life is great and God is good!
NaturalMamaX2

++++++++++++++

BFP..that's what I got! Saturday night, I tested, but nothing would ever show up. Finally, I just went to bed, thinking I had bought a dud of a test. Sunday morning, I rushed in to look, just in case something miraculous had occurred with the test. There was a BFP +++ staring me in the face. I knew I was pregnant anyway, even if the test didn't show anything.

I'm really happy about it and feel I'm really ready. Dh got all smiley and made some comment about his 'boys', etc. You know, the macho thing. Other than telling our children, we haven't told anyone. I'm just almost 5 weeks, so we will probably keep it hush-hush until Christmas or so.

I'm feeling fine, just some funny feelings in my uterus--tightenings and some hardness. I was a tad bit nauseous yesterday morning, but nothing today. I know the next 2 or 3 weeks will be tiresome for me as my body starts to grow this mass of cells into a baby. How exciting!!

I'm off this week for Thanksgiving Holidays! It is sooo nice to be home. I'm such a homebody. I love piddling around my house, cleaning, mommying, and just organizing. That's what I've been doing today. Emory decided to no-nap, but he's on the floor playing. I stressed to him that Mommy needed some quiet time, even if he wasn't going to nap. He is being good.

I raked up some pine straw for my flower beds which didn't take long. I hope to work outside a little bit every day. I've also managed to keep the fire going successfully.

Going to try a new recipe for supper tonight. Got it off of www.whatsfordinner.net. It's a cool site with a new recipe for each day. It's just about to start on dinner.

I guess my blog will sort of turn into a pregnancy journal, too, huh?
NaturalMamaX2

360 degree turnaround

Last night, I slept with Em for two reasons. 1. I felt the need to be close to him and 2. I wanted to help keep him warm. We have an old, drafty house and Emory's room doesn't have a heater in it. We have those small portable heaters, but I do not feel that he's safe with one of those in his room. So, we just dress him warmly and put lots of covers on him, including a fleece blanket. This morning, we were so connected and have had a great day so far!! He is such a joy today! I feel better today, too, so that helps tons I'm sure. I've heard that old adage, "When mom's in a bad mood, the whole family is in a bad mood." Yikes, that's scary to know the family's outlook depends on mine so much. I think it's true, though.

Some cute Emoryisms from this morning: "Mom, do you have a China?"
Me: "Huh?" "What do you mean?"
Emory: "You know, girls have a China"
Me, flabbergasted: "OH" "Yeah, I have a China"

I cannot believe my 3 yr old is asking if I have a vagina. Yikes! I heard years ago on Family Life Today that we shouldn't refer to our privates with embarrassment or make pet names for them. That just makes kids more curious and will cause them not to be comfortable with being who God made them (to a small extent). Anyway, Emory knows just what he 'has' and he knows what sister 'has'. I don't want him to get 13 and realize that his 'tallywacker' (MIL's term) suddenly has another name. Anyway....

Last night I made Spiced Apple Cupcakes w/cream cheese frosting (totally organic, minus the frosting). This morning, Emory sits up straight in bed and says, "Come on, let's go get some fresh cupcakes!" Hilarious!

I really feel pregnant today. Cramps have subsided some and I have this heavy feeling in my lower abdomen. We are going to Meridian tonight so I will get me a test. I can't stand not knowing.

Last night, I stayed up a bit researching Unassisted Childbirth. I really, really am interested in this. Doing what our bodies naturally are designed to do without intervention. I know the hospital has saved thousands of mamas from dying, but the hospitals so take away from the natural rhythm of what your body is supposed to do. First of all, you walk in and they stick Pitocin on you. I'll wager that 95% of labors are 'aided' with Mr. Pit. If someone else out there finds a true statistic, Email it to me. Then, the Pitocin causes excruciating pain (been there...twice) which makes the anesthesiologist very happy ($$) and you, too. Finally, all of this intervention sometimes (a whopping 50%) results in a C-section, which makes the surgeon happy ($$), but could have easily been prevented. Not to mention, after baby is born, he or she is stuck with needles to 'check for sugar' (they did Emory constantly b/c he was so big) or prick the heel, or delay breastfeeding, and load them up with vaccines before they are days old. So, you go from having this perfectly healthy baby, to a seemingly healthy baby loading with chemicals we 'have' to put in him.

I hate it all. I want to be in control of MY body and let nature take care of what is normal for me and my baby. I am just curious about an unassisted childbirth. I am a woman. I am strong. I hold my family together (with God's help, of course), I can do this. Women have birth for ages unassisted. Sure, some died, but that was predicted in the Bible. The Bible also says somewhere about a woman being 'saved in childbearing'. Will have to look it up later....

As for the pain, nothing could max what I felt with Emory and Erin. I had an epidural, but I was 8 cm with both of them and had Pit. The pain doesn't scare me at all.

I'm so jumping around, but you know that in some parts of Africa, women just go out into the woods, squat, and have their baby? That is amazing and so natural to me. These women are my heroes. American women are such sissies. Medical intervention makes us all sissies. We don't want to use natural herbs to cure ourselves, eat naturally, birth naturally, use natural products, etc. We want what the doctor says is best. Ick. It's like a bad taste in my mouth.

It is a beautiful day outside. Emory is hanging out with Dad now, Erin is sleeping, and I'm about to clean up a bit and head outdoors for a little sunshine. Can't say I will be raking up 12 piles like I did last Saturday! It was fun, though.

Later!
NaturalMamaX2

Ever feel like a failure as a parent??

Yikes, today was one of those days where I did not connect with my children (esp Emory). I woke up ill, not ready to put up with toddlerisms. I think I was PMS-ing, but more about that later. I couldn't get a fire started, so layers of frustration began to add. Emory and Erin are in that stage where they love to chase each other and be silly together. It's cute for a while, but eventually one of them gets aggravated (usually Erin) and it turns ugly. My aggravation levels increase dramatically. Especially today. Ugh. Emory detects my aggravation which causes him to act horribly all day long (disobedient, intolerant, in general). I went to town which may have not been the best idea, but I didn't think I wanted to be stuck at home with him today. I feel awful about this because this is was my first day home for awhile (T-giving H-days). Anyway, at town, we were in line, and I felt like the mom and kids that the books talk about (whiney, "I want that", "I have to have that", etc.). I mean, it was if I was looking in on a scene from the Pearl's books. Anyway, it was a tough day. I think it was partly my fault. Emory needed my love this morning and I gave him frustration. He behaved as a result of my frustrations. Anyway, we 'talked' about our rough day and I told him I was sorry for being frustrated and we had a lovey time. We'll try again tomorrow. On a second thought, his dad being gone a couple of days could have played into his behavior. And, on third thought, he hasn't been able to play a lot (outside, etc) because of the cold weather. It makes sense that that would make one crabby. I really want to do the right thing as a parent. It's sooo hard to know exactly what to do and how/when to discipline when you there is circumstances involved. I mean, on a normal day, everyone and everything normal, and he misbehaves, I know how to handle it and it's effective. Anyway, it's just frustrating (there goes the frustrations again).

Onto another topic. This morning, I realized my ill temper was due to AF knocking at the door. So, I pulled out the calendar, and sure enough, I had 'started' on the 18th of last month. Today, being the 17th, time for her. However, looking at the calendar more closely, I began to count the days of my cycle for this month...over 28. Went back to count previous month's cycles..28 days exactly. Today, lots of cramping, no period. Funny. I always have period and then cramping. Hmm, EXCEPT the times I've been pregnant (3). I would always cramp about 3 days, all the while expecting my period, which would never come. So, since this evening, I really feel like I might be pregnant. Went online, date of conception would've been Oct 31 (Halloween...not necessarily a romantic holiday, eh?), but since I'm fertile about 20 days per month, it doesn't have to be Oct 31, per se. It could be Oct 21 or 25 or something like that. My little egg is really attached to me (no pun intended) and likes to stay for a few days (it's been proven...uh, my children). Go figure. So, I dunno. I know that if I don't start tomorrow, I'll go for a test. I'm really hoping I am. And if I'm not, then my excitement about *possibly* being pregnant means I'm really ready to get pregnant again. It also means, I really take my frustrated day lighter than normal people would. Cause normal people would probably be saying, "That's it. No.More.Kids." :)

Life is good, though. My adoring husband is back home. I realize when he is gone how so incomplete I am without him. My children, however they acted today, are my miracles, my offspring, one-half of me and the other half from the love of my life. Ahh, God is good.

Here's hoping for a fun, nice, productive, family-oriented, clean house, outside Saturday.
NaturalMamaX2

The way my children turn out depend on what I decide about their education...

Here are just a few reasons why I will homeschool....
*from http://home.rmci.net/abell Some have been revised for my personal preference.

1. Because I think schools damage a child's self-image, ability to make unassisted decisions, motivation, trust in him/herself.

2. Because I think I am more intelligent and more capable than any teacher my child might have in a school (hee..esp since I am a teacher)

3. Because I think my *children* are more intelligent and more capable than any teacher they might have in a school (well, don't you?).

4. Because I think schools shortchange girls in science and math education and encourage violence in boys.

5. Because I do not value traditional measures of success.

6. Because what I learned in school definitely should not have taken 13 years to learn. (more like 3, maybe)

7. Because I don't trust people who don't love my children and who don't have their best interests at heart.

8. Because I don't want my children's socialization to be hampered by being stuck with a random group of 25 agemates for 7 hours a day, 5 days a week.

9. Because I don't believe in traditional measures of "appropriate" child behavior (what child should have to sit still for 5 hours a day??).

10. Because I want my children to have the freedom and flexibility to learn what, when, and how they choose.

More later.....

7.

NaturalMamaX2

Why I will be homeschooling....

NaturalMamaX2

Just a reminder to myself to do a blog on this before I forget what I want to write down.

Come back later...

NaturalMamaX2

Geez, I have not blogged in ages! I think about it quite often, but nothing gets done about it. A summer has gone by and another school year is well underway. I lot has happened since I last blogged including a miscarriage and a few pounds put on! Both of those are very sad on which to think. I think they are related, tho. After the miscarriage, I really, really want to eat like, LOTS. It is so hard to eat healthy when I have to eat at school and take no time to take my lunch. I do take an organic oatmeal package every day, but I'm not always faithful to it.

Emory took his first 'road trip' away from us. He went with my mom and dad to my sister's. I think he had a blast and I have reports that he was on good behavior the whole trip! I realized when I saw him tonight just how much I missed him. I believe a *small* leave of absence does one good at times, you always realize how dear the person is when they're gone and can't wait to make it up to them when they get back! Anyway, I couldn't stop loving on him when he got home.

Erin has been really, really sick this weekend. I have her on Umcka and Wally's Ear Oil because I'm pretty sure she has an ear infection along with a nasty cough/cold. I won't take her to the doctor unless she shows symptoms that I've never seen before in my children. She really looks great since we've come in from church. Her color is right and she has been playing with Emory. They are so close these days and play really great together. Cute kids, they are!

I must face the inevitable: lesson plans. So much for getting into bed by 10pm. I did go to bed early this weekend. For some reason, I DIE on the weekends. Like, never stay up late on the weekends. I have to have sleep.

Until later,
NaturalMamaX2