39 weeks

I am getting a little anxious to have this baby.

I worked my last night shift last night.

I left the sliding van door on my van wide open at the Y yesterday.

I wore my watch in the shower.

I need my brain back.

At my appointment yesterday the NP was like, "ok you are dilated to a 3. You have some bags packed right?"

I told her that of course I didn't. Nor was the baby seat out of the rafters, nor did I have gas in the van. I told her I was hoping that Murphy's Law would work for me.

I got the feeling that she wasn't impressed with what I consider flawless logic.

People without three children and another on the way don't understand the craving for some kind of daring deed to add interest to each day.

Regardless, Noah drug the infant seat down from the rafters. It was a dusty mess. I cleaned it today. I stocked up at Sam's Club on all kinds of unhealthy stuff: Chicken nuggets, fish sticks, pizzas, waffles, 20 +pounds of fruit and 5 gallons of milk. I got that stuff to have some easy lunches- I have a feeling that lunches will be more of a challenge than suppers since I will be all alone for the prep, the eating and the clean up. Or rather not alone- I will be with 4 kids.

We got Lincoln's testing done this morning (he is going to be at least briefly followed by a speech pathologist). Deacon has basketball tomorrow. My dad is still in the hospital.

Boy, it is lots harder to have a baby when you have all these other people and activities to manage.

My husband is busy lining up social engagements for us and himself for the weekend. Whatever, dude.

And he told me in no uncertain terms that I was not allowed to have a chain saw or to use a chain saw this summer.

But he did clean the house last evening while I was sleeping,

So I think I'll keep 'em. :)

Bee hives, anyone?

I don't think I have mentioned this on here before, but we will be buying the lot next door to us.

We close on March 9th.

Why?

Just because.

It is exciting and kind of scary.

It will give us a big yard without having to move further away from Noah's work.

Noah thinks he will be able to have bee hives.

I think I will be able to put in a big garden and rasberry bushes.

Deacon is dreaming of a pool and a hockey rink.

We have all agreed on a dirt bike track.

Oh, and eventually a fence.

And maybe a tree house.

Or maybe we are getting carried away. It will only give us a total of .55 acres. But that is double what we have now.

So it is exciting.

But it is scary.

We are pretty cautious with our finances and we don't make decisions to spend money particularily quickly or easily.

And this was no exception.

But I guess if we do decide we need some extra income we can always get the bee hives and then rent out our bees. Or something.

But the thing Deke and I are the most excited about?

Cutting down some trees.

I need a chain saw.

Stat.

But I don't want to make anymore Star Wars Masks!

This morning Deacon came up with the fabulous idea of me helping them make Star Wars masks.

Grr.

I don't want to make Star Wars masks.

I don't want to read "Attack of the Clones" again. It doesn't even flow.

I also don't want to help with school work, play with playdoh or take them outside into the frigid weather.

Instead I want to make a lot of cookies. Clean my house. Take a nap.

But after looking on line and realizing that printing any of the Star Wars masks off the internet was going to cost a fortune in ink, I went ahead and made some weak masks.

Roman was happy with his Wicket W. Warrick.

Deacon was happy with his sketchy looking Luke Skywalker and R2 D2.

But the little 2 1/2 year old was convinced that I had made a very, very significant error in my rendering of Darth Vader. He was so mad. Then he didn't like the color of yarn I used so he ripped his mask. Then he actually asked me for tape. He actually said "tape" which of course was amazing- but I didn't give in and fix it since he was in such a rage about the whole thing.

Which brings me to the next several things in my life:

1. The speech people from the school district are coming out to evaluate Lincoln on Friday

2. My office is a disaster

3. The baby seat is still up in the rafters

4. I only have 1 shift left scheduled at work

5. I feel like this baby is never going to make it's appearance

6. I really just want to be alone and watch the olympics and eat ice cream.

But because I must I will kick it in gear and try to accomplish something over the next several days. Oh, and I will keep telling myself that a baby in the womb is easier to take care of then when they come out!

an earring and some much needed repairs

I am officially ready to be on maternity leave. My patience with my patients is decreasing by the second and my irritability is rising by the minute.

Hmmm...on the flip side, being on maternity leave also leaves me at home and well, honestly, my patience with my children is also decreasing by the second and my irritability with everything is rising by the minute.

But there is another reason that it is time for a maternity leave: holes in the scrubs.

I have 3 pairs of scrub pants and 2 out of the 3 have holes. Now, I haven't bought new scrubs since well, probably 2001 so we are doing ok. But I need to have my mom repair them. It is not very professional to wear biker shorts under your scrubs so that no one can see skin through the hole in your pants.

But there is a problem with wearing biker shorts under your pants- especially when you are pregnant. You see, it is harder to tell if your pants are falling down because they are no longer right next to your skin.

And so it is time for maternity leave.

And some repairs to the pants.

The worst hole, however, is not the ones I have mentioned. It is a small hole in the pocket of my pants. The hole that seems so inconsequental, but occasionally will spew forth a pen or a flashlight if it manages to get jostled to just the right angle.

Or an earring. Yes, I had put a pair of earrings in my pocket last night- forgetting about the hole. Thankfully they weren't expensive, but I did really like them. And now one of them is gone. Down through the hole. I didn't look for it. Because quite frankly my tracks would have resembled a Family Circus cartoon and I didn't have the energy.

So I just decided to accept the loss and went home to get some sleep.

Goodbye earring, you will be missed.

Guarding the Toys

Here is Lincoln, hiding in the toy cupboard and surrounded by Star Wars action figures.

Defending property is hard, lonely work.

The Zoo

Since Noah and my sister had Monday off we loaded up the kids to go to the zoo for the afternoon. We are members there this year- basically because we have enough kids that going twice pretty much covers the cost of the annual membership.

Yes. Deacon did wear his bike helmet the whole time. And no. I don't know why. And yes, Roman did wear his puppy dog costume the whole time. And no. Again I don't know why.

Lincoln was the most interested in the animals.

Here are the creepy otters. Deacon took that picture.

Deacon likes to look at the animals, but he also likes to climb things. Maybe it is good he wore his helmet.

Roman? Well, Roman likes to push every button he can find and crawl into and onto every cave and nook and cranny that he discovers. Oh, and beg for food. He only likes baby animals and animals that look like Ewoks.

Not sure they were supposed to be up there. But there were no signs. Ignorance can sometimes be bliss. Or is it ignorance of the law is no excuse?

They even managed to get down by themselves!

Deacon specifically asked for this picture.

The boys were extremely disappointed that the playground was closed for the season. They just don't get why the zoo might consider it a liability to let children climb all over iced down playground equipment. They did have a giant sandbox that the boys enjoyed.

Afterward we totally freaked my sister out by driving home with almost no gas in the tank. By the time we reached a gas station our DTE was 0 and we filled the tank with 18.769 gallons of gas. That is a new record. Noah and I get a thrill from living life on the edge.

Then we went to SmashBurgers for supper. Wow, what a great burger.

The end.

Valentine's Day

Deacon gave this to me for Valentine's Day. He got it on a cupcake a month ago and has been saving it to give to me. He was so proud! I wore it to church, and let me tell you- I was the envy of all the 3 year old girls!

Roman's comment was "Mommy, I haven't had a chance to get you anything. You are going to have to give me more time..."

"It is ok Roman, you gave me a Valentine, a hug and a kiss. And I love you"

And he was happy.

37 1/2 weeks

Here are the unedited 37 1/2 week shots! (sorry about the food on the table, but I don't really know how to crop in the program and I don't have time to figure it out right now!)

Controversial Monday: A Question

This is just a question...

If you could medal in any sport in the winter olympics which would you choose?

How about in the summer olympics?

I have always loved gymnastics- but if I could pick a gold medal it would be to be named the "fastest woman in the world".

Winter Olympics- I haven't decided yet.

What about you?

pictures!

My hairbrush fell apart a couple of weeks ago. That laying there on the bed is all I have left. Sad thing is- I have actually been to the store, and I just keep forgetting to buy a new one. Roman likes to get his picture taken as long as he is not looking normal.

36 week side shot. Note the best slippers in the world.

Front shot. Ok, so my pant legs aren't right. I can't really see my feet, so I wouldn't know.

I suppose if I cared I could take a picture of myself every morning and upload it (if I knew how) so that I could make sure my pants were on straight, but why bother if I don't even have a functional hairbrush?

Super Mom

Got up yesterday, got the kids ready and took them all to the store with me to buy groceries for a months worth of meals.



...felt like supermom.



Came home, unloaded all the groceries and than managed to maintain my balance to avoid falling when I slipped on the driveway while taking out the trash.



...felt like superpregnant woman.



Listened to Deacon read, realized that Lincoln could say blue, red and Luke.



...felt like super teacher (either that or super relieved that Lincoln learned some more words)


Got a little stressed out during valentine cookie making.

...didn't feel so much like super mom


Feet started swelling and I realized I needed to lay down before my night shift at work.

...didn't feel so much like super pregnant woman.


Let Deacon get away with not doing his math because I was trying to put meals together.

...didn't so much feel like super teacher.


Sister took the boys to the ice rink.

...felt super grateful.

Husband put the boys to bed and finished up the kitchen duties while I got ready for work.

...felt super loved.

ART

We have been in our house for 5 1/2 years now so I am itching to change things up. Of course this has also been the year of replacing/buying household stuff. Being a homeowner can be expensive! In the past 18 months we have finished a room in our basement, put in cupboards and counters down there, retiled both bathrooms, bought a new water softener, freezer, fridge/freezer, put a deck on and a new patio. This spring we will probably be replacing our furnace/AC and hopefully not have to replace the dishwasher until next year :)

Now I am in the process of finding rugs/art etc that I want up. I am not a big decorater, but I do like to have something on an occasional wall!

This is the newest art in our bedroom. I love it but Noah claims that since I chose this and he has to look at it every morning that the next thing we buy for a wall gets to be his choice. We will see.

My mom painted this for the boy's room. It is the pirates who don't do anything!

My mom also painted this years ago. It is in one of our bathrooms.

I love stuff like this.

Every house needs a litte Van Gogh. My mom is a fan of Van Gogh and Deacon can pick out Van Gogh paintings now- he has figured out the stylistic qualities of them.

We picked this one out together. Noah likes it because it is "sceney" enough and I like it because it is wide and because it uses enough different brush strokes to add a little interest.

I had the wall behind these 2 pictures painted red last week. This kind of art is what I like- no pictures, no scenes,- just objects and shapes.

We bought this on our honeymoon at the North Shore. Once again, more Noah's style but I like it too.

Anyway, I am on the lookout for some different things for some bigger walls, and for my bathrooms! Let me know if you have seen any fun ideas lately!

Thoughts...

Today

I am still horrified that my boys were throwing snowballs at cars. I do realize that they were pretending they were on the planet Hoth and the cars were Ti fighters- but really?

I am dreading cooking this turkey for supper. I despise touching raw poultry.

I am wondering if I am going to meet my goal of getting to the 50 mile mark in the 100 mile swim club before the baby comes. I have 4 1/2 miles left. I will have to keep moving. Along those same lines, I am not sure that my maternity swimsuit will last 3 more weeks...

I am thinking about getting the baby boxes down from the rafters. I may send Noah tonight. Deacon and I may be able to handle it, but it could get dicey.

I am figuring out my cooking plan for the week and how I can time everything when our new freezer won't be delievered until Friday.

I am feeling old. My hips hurt when I get out of bed and I feel like I can barely walk some days. Counting down my shifts at work. Only 5 unless I decide to pick up some more.

I am reading "Parenting is Heart Work", "Heaven" and my Beth Moore Esther study. All very thought provoking.

My friend Becki just had a little baby, Cole on Friday. (welcome Cole!) It was so nice to get to see him and hold him finally! It made me all the more anxious for our baby too, though. After reading several birth stories on blogs lately and then hearing about Becki's....well, I am not too anxious to go through labor again. But I guess I am committed :)

My mom says you forget the pain of labor after the baby is born. That never was the case for me. I can remember each experience vividly. I am planning to VBAC with this little one. I am really hoping to avoid being induced because with the VBAC they can't be as agressive. I would hate to wait until 41 weeks, be induced, labor and then end up with a c section; especially when I could have just selected the c section to begin with.

It is reassuring to know that God knows when and how this little one will enter the world, even though we don't.

Well, the prolific artists are drawing more pictures for their walls. (guess what of?) They are definitely into quantity above quality... I guess it is time to go steer them in a different direction for awhile...

Controversial Monday: Chest Freezers

Okay, so this is a really lame topic but it is what is on my mind today.

We need to buy a new Chest freezer. Our current one is about 9 cubic feet and it runs 1/2-3/4 full depending on where I am in a once a month cooking cycle. I like being able to throw a 20 pound bag of ice down there occasionally or a series of cakes without having to shuffle things around.

So now we are debating if we should go bigger or stay about the same size.

There are 2 schools of thought, I guess.

On the one hand I don't want to hoard food in there. I want my food on a rotation cycle through there so things don't go to waste and so I can keep track of what I have.

On the other hand we do have a lot of boys and our future freezer needs may increase somewhat. It would give us flexibility to buy parts of cows and stuff on occasion.

I am thinking we may go somewhere between a 9-12 cubic foot freezer.

Also Energy Star versus just efficient- any thoughts on that?

So what is your chest freezer strategy? How do you keep things organized? Uprights are an option I guess we could consider- better organization but not as flexible for awkward sized items etc...

Tell me!

A Few Things

*We have 2 Star Wars ships and 3 little boys. Tonight, when they were playing Lincoln was flying the box with a picture of a ship around in lieu of a real ship. Now that is ingenuity. It has lots of room in it for "Star Wars Dudes" too!



*We got a Dyson vacuum cleaner from Noah's parents for Christmas (thanks again, Chris and Debbie!). Since it has the clear canister I can see everytime I pick up a lego or playmobil coin. Noah's job tonight was to go through the canister rescuing small toys.



*I worked Monday night and due to some uncoordinated schedules ended up being home with the boys on Tuesday. I took a nap while they watched some tv, but it wasn't really quality sleep. So I was dragging by evening. I had talked with Noah on the phone about pizza for supper but we apparently did not come to a clear decision about him picking up or me ordering. He walked in the door with picked up pizza to find delievered pizza already on the table. Thankfully, neither one of us ordered huge amounts so although we do have leftovers- they are not unmanageable.



*Proud Mom moment today: Lincoln was running down the sidewalk toward the parking lot at the Y. He had gotten a little bit ahead of the rest of us. 2 people were walking up the sidewalk and I could tell they were a little bit nervous about how close he was to the parking lot and how far away from me he was. To reassure them that I was on top of the situation I called out, "Linc, remember the yellow line!" As soon as his little toes got to the yellow line on the curb he came to a dead stop and just stood there. Those people were SO IMPRESSED! They just gushed over what a good boy he was etc, etc. Good thing they missed the bolting away from Mommy that had just happened inside the Y.



*At council time at Awana tonight they were discussing the story of Esther. At the close of the story the teacher was taking questions related to the story. Deacon raised his hand and said, "My favorite part of the story is when the Jewish people all celebrated at the end. It reminds me so much of the Ewok celebration from Star Wars."

Mystery Solved

Here is my boy, eating a piece of bacon on Christmas morning. He has quite the moods, that one.

See the goggles on his head? He got those in his stocking. And now they are lost.

I asked about it at the Y and the only little blue pair that they had was sporting a whitish clear strap. I didn't take them because according to my memory, his little goggles had a bluish clear strap.

Ah, but now I have pictoral evidence and will go and claim those little goggles as his own. And maybe, just maybe I will be able to convince him to keep them on instead of just chewing on the straps...

Sally Jenkins - Tebow's Super Bowl ad isn't intolerant; its critics are - washingtonpost.com

Sally Jenkins - Tebow's Super Bowl ad isn't intolerant; its critics are - washingtonpost.com

Controversial Monday: Full Moon

Ahh, this will be a good one today, folks.

The full moon- does it really affect behavior?

Have you ever thought about where the word "Lunatic" comes from? Well, the root word is Luna, and Luna = Moon. I had never really thought about that before.

So is there a sliver of truth in those old myths?

I am a huge cynic, but I gotta tell you I think there is something with the moon.

My coworkers ,when I first started nursing, would talk about it being a "full moon" and us being "in for it". I laughed along, but it was more of a scoffing laugh. A "how can you be so naive" laugh.

And then I worked some nights surrounding the full moon.

These were not nights where as I drove in I thought, "it is a full moon tonight" and therefore set myself up for craziness. That is why I say it is not in my head.

These were nights where I left in the morning saying, "what was going on there? Why was everything and every patient so off?" And then maybe the next night I looked up at the sky and realized that the moon was full.

And I resisted making a corrolation. But it has just happened too much.

Now, the logical side of me does admit that prehaps it is just that the patients know about the moon and they have conditioned themselves to go off meds, drink, etc at those times.

Who knows?

All I know is there seems to be some truth in those old legends...

What do you think?