First Day of Nursery

Well technically Lil isn't supposed to go to nursery at church until next week. But I begged for mercy and of course they said it was no problem if she came a week early. AJ and I had a little debate going on whether she would go without problems and I am happy to say that she did great! My little baby - all grown up and in nursery - just in time to replace her at church with another baby! Luckily this new baby will sit still for at least the next 6 months!

It was fun to go pick Liliana up from nursery and see her excitement to see me - but then realize she was having fun and going back to the toys - and then realize she was happy to see me - and then realize she was having fun and going back to the toys....

Rating: 5 Pixie Dust (Good job for going to nursery so nicely Lil!)

Pickles

10 jars of Relish - $10.00
10 jars Pickles - $25.00
20 $1/1 coupons - $20
2 Albertson's Promo discounts - $10
Total OOP - $5.00

Getting laughed at in line because you're buying 20 jars of pickles while 37 weeks Pregnant - Priceless

Rating: 5 pickle flavor Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans

Ready, Set,.....wait!

Last night for our weekly date night, AJ and I finally decided to admit defeat and acknowledge that this baby will come - whether we are ready for it or not. So we pulled all the baby stuff out of storage. The cradle is now set up, the swing is filled with batteries, the baby clothes are put away, the carseat is sitting next to the front door waiting to be installed, and my bag is packed for the hospital. So - now we WAIT.

For a picture today I will show off our cradle. AJ and my Dad built it themselves before Emmaline was born. Didn't they do a great job?

Rating: 3 Pixie Dust (because physically we are ready - though not necessarily mentally so)

Maternity Photos

A friend of mine is a photographer, so for the first time ever I did a maternity photo shoot today! It was pretty fun and we made sure to avoid doing any nudie maternity photos which seem to be so popular. *shudder*. She has never done maternity photos before so we tried a variety of poses, props, etc to help her build her portfolio. I left my kids at home with AJ, so we even borrowed some of her kids' hands to do some of the close up belly pictures. Shhhhhh - don't tell anyone.
The bad news is that I won't get to see proofs for a couple of weeks so I've got nothing to show for it yet. Just wanted to tease everyone! They will probably be ready to show about the same time I will be posting some newborn photos of this baby!

Rating: 3 Lollipops

There's Hair In My Brush

Is this what it's going to be like for the next 18 years? Hair... everywhere?

I'm going through my morning routine, running a brush through my hair once so it doesn't look like it was only towel dried for the day (though, that would be preferable). And as I'm brushing, something is tickling my cheek. I try to swat it away with one hand, but it continues to tickle once I brush again. I also see a flicker of hair dangling from my brush. Upon further inspection the brush is COVERED... as in, like used on a sheep dog (well, okay, maybe not QUITE that thick)... with hair. Auburn colored hair to be precise. I surely don't have red hair (or much hair to speak of for that matter), nor do my children. That leaves only one culprit - Bethany!

She's been using my brush it seems. So I spend a few minutes cleaning out my brush. Removing the offending hairs and relegating them to the circular file. I finish up, and set the brush on the counter. I go about the rest of my routine, and while brushing my teeth, I watch as Bethany reaches over, grabs my brush, and commences to run the brush through her hair! I stare at her in disbelief and all she does is bust up laughing. Her excuse? "But my girls ran off with MY hairbrush." Yeah... neat. Tell it to someone with hair.

I also found some of Bethany's hair in my hair the other morning on the way to work. Is this what I have to look forward to? Clogged drains, hijacked hair brushes, shed hair EVERYWHERE? Somehow, that's not what I thought I signed up for.

Rating: 5 Sugar Free candies (because there's nothing sweet about someone using my hair brush)

18 month check

I took Lil in for her 18 month check today. She appears to be growing right on schedule and was the proud recipient of just one shot today. The second we laid her on the table she started screaming before they even came near her with the needle. She must have a good memory! Next time she goes in will be for a 2-year check up. If I'm smart I'll schedule her 2-year check and this baby's 6 month check for the same time!

Weight: 23 lbs. 8 oz - 40%
Height: 30.5 inches - 25%
Head: 18 inches - 30%

Ratings: 2 Pixie Dust (Can't blame her for fighting the shot so no Sour Patch Kids today.)

Happy Birthday

to ME! Today I was awakened at 6:20am by Emmaline singing me "Happy Birthday". Very sweet, but VERY early. AJ had to go to work today so I plopped the kids in front of the TV all day. I even locked them in my room with me at one point and took a 2 hour nap while they watched a movie. Happy Birthday to me!

I'm not a big fan of birthday cake, but Emmaline was very insistent this year that I needed one, "with candles and FIRE!" So AJ helped her make one last night. When I blew out my candles, Emmaline reminded me that I needed to make a wish, and that wish should be that the baby should come out. I whole-heartedly agreed with her.

AJ also took the girls to The Present Store last week. Emmaline got me a water bomb soaker thingie that you play with in the swimming pool. Always so thoughtful! She also got me a birthday card that said "Happy 6th Birthday!" Apparently she picked it because it had a birthday cake "with candles and FIRE!" on it. Liliana got me a Sudoku book. I am very pleased with that gift because that is what I do when I am nursing a baby at 3am... lots and lots of sudoku.

AJ was kind enough to get me a Victoria's Secret gift card. Now before anyone starts gaffawing and cracking jokes, I'll have you know that VS now makes nursing bras - so it really was a gift for ME and not for him....so he says.

At this very moment, the kids are in bed early, and AJ is getting ready to run to Red Lobster and get us dinner. To quote my dad, "I think I'll splurge and get the Captain's Plate!" But who are we kidding, I *always* get the Ultimate Feast there. Who can resist a plate of lobster, shrimp, and crab? But maybe I *will* splurge and get the Ultimate Fondue too...

Ratings: 5 Lollipops (Happy Birthday to me on my eternal birthday. We shall ignore any more birthdays from here on out)

37 weeks

Well technically I am full term now so this baby can come anytime! I had a weekly doctor's appointment today and everything seems fine. I got the results of my Group B Strep test back and oddly enough I was negative this time. I didn't know that was possible to be positive once, and negative the next. Anyway there isn't much to report other than we are in final countdown mode! Maybe next week we'll have a little guessing game to see who can get the closest on what day this baby will come and how heavy it will be - so start thinking!

Rating: 3 Pixie Dust

"Bless Your Heart"

Church is from 11-2 which is a terrible time when it comes to naptime. Liliana woke up at 5:30 this morning. We tried to snuggle with her and get to go back to sleep but she wouldn't. So we ended up putting her down for an early morning nap before church. She got about 45 minutes in before we had to get her ready to go - and she was still cranky. She was mostly okay during church with a lot of cuddling and snacks.

During the last hour, I play the piano for the opening and closing hymn. Lil was just awful. She started throwing a huge temper tantrum and wouldn't let anyone take her. And it is really hard to wrestle a 17 month old while almost 37 weeks pregnant! Someone tried to take her for me, and Lil just threw a bigger fit - she was exhausted and at the end of her rope. So luckily, another lady who can play the piano took over for me while I took Lil out. I tracked down AJ and pawned Lil off on him. I know I must have looked tired and pathetic because someone actually said to me "Bless your heart!" which we ALL know really means "boy it sure stinks to be you right now".

Rating: 4 Sour Patch Kids

Indiana Jones

Last night for date night we watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade which we both thoroughly enjoyed. Then today, we arranged for a sitter, and went to the first matinee of the newest Indiana Jones movie at an honest to goodness real theater! No kids - just us! YAY!!! We had free tickets (thanks to a great coupon deal at Safeway!) so we splurged and got popcorn, sodas, and a soft pretzel too - since the tickets were free and all. It was great. This will be our last chance for quite awhile to be able to go to the movies. It was a good show and I really thought they did a good job staying true to the other movies.

Rating: 5 Lollipops (anytime you get a chance to go to the movies makes it an awesome day!)

Ceiling Fan **update**

Just wanted to let everyone know that sleeping with that fan on was just as wonderful as I imagined it could be. Also the fan has a remote control so it was pretty cool to wake up in the night and hit a little button to turn it down. Totally awesome. I also treated myself to a midday nap this afternoon and the fan was equally as wonderful then. *sigh*

Rating: 5 Lollipops (no explanations needed!)

Ceiling Fan

Now what in the world could be so interesting about a ceiling fan that it deserves its own blog entry? Well I will be happy to tell you - it is the fact that I now have one!!!!! Our bedroom had NO overhead lighting (the light switch was connected to a wall outlet) and was the only bedroom without a ceiling fan. Not to mention the fact that the window faces full west. The room gets REALLY hot. So today we finally got a ceiling fan installed and we couldn't be happier! Please look at the picture and admire how much it looks like a ceiling fan. :-P

Rating: 5 Lollipops (I've got my own personal furnace going on inside me - I need that fan!)

36 weeks

Today was the first of my now weekly doctor's appointments. Everything is still looking good. The doctor did an exam today. The baby is low, head down, and I am 2 cm dilated. So what does that mean??? ****drumroll please****

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

It means: my abs that used to carry my baby high no longer work, the baby is turned the way it is supposed to be anyway, and that my body has already given birth to two other babies and things "aren't the same" as they used to be. ;-)

So what IS the good news in all this? It means that at 36 weeks I'm only 3 cm away from my epidural! YAY!!!

Rating: 3 Lollipops

New Skills

The fun thing about kids is that they get to surprise you everyday with new skills that they pick up. Yesterday, Lil surprised us by demonstrating her ability to get a drink. Yeah.....she's not very good at it yet and it involved water all over the floor. Luckily when we got this fridge, we got one with a lock on the water dispenser. The fun thing about being a parent is that every once in awhile you get to feel like you outwitted your kids - until they get taller, older, stronger, and smarter and then the kids outwit you again....

Rating: 2 Pixie Dust

Father's Day Indeed

And what better way to remind you of Fatherhood™ than kids who are awake at the crack of dawn (literally), or who wake up several times in the night. It's like they're trying to beat it into my head that I'm dad. Yeah... I know... Neat.

Bethany, though, was an amazingly kind soul and let me sleep in past when she took the kids downstairs. I was able to leisurely shower, dress and head downstairs. And to what did my eyes did appear? Two kids, full of bright morning cheer. (How do they do it?) As it turns out, my family is extremely thoughtful! Bethany got me a new set of BBQ utensils, which are dishwasher safe! And a fancy light to use on the BBQ. In the winter i have to take out a flashlight with me when we BBQ, so that will be extremely useful. As for the kids... Liliana got me some hard candies (Yum!) and Emmaline was probably the most thoughtful. She's constantly commenting on the cleanliness, or lack thereof, of my car. So what did she choose at the dollar store? A large, purple sponge with which to clean the car! She was very excited about it, and she's even more excited to help me actually clean the car.

A good day, to be sure. Bethany is also making the meal of my choice: Creamy Chicken Enchiladas, pasta salad and cialantro-lime rice. Yeah - a strange medley, but it sure sounds good to me! I love my family. They make being a dad totally worth it!

Rating: 5 Sweethearts (Because the family really is that cool)

Fit as a... 31 year old

It's been nearly 12 years since I've had my last checkup/physical, and that was just prior to my mission. When I went in to see the doctor for my initial visit about Bell's Palsy a few weeks ago, he nagged me to come back and get a physical. Deep down I knew I should, and Bethany had nagged me a little recently too, so I went ahead and scheduled an appointment.

Let's be clear: I don't like going to the doctor. I'd rather suffer miserably for weeks than go see a doctor. So, the thought of seeing a doctor when I'm WELL is just ludicrous in my opinion. But I guess it's like "regular maintenance" on your car: the more often you do the basics, the less likely it is to have a major breakdown. As it turns out, I'm as fit as can be, other than some extra mass around the mid section. My bloodpressure was amazingly low. All my parts appear to be functioning normally. I even had a heartbeat. He did send me for a blood sample (I hate needles, too) to check cholesterol and blood sugar and such. We'll find out how those returned in a few days, but I'm not expecting much.

The point of this blog entry? Mostly because Bethany says I don't blog enough and that I should post something. So there, I posted. The other point? To say "I told you so" in regards to not need to see the doctor when you're feeling fine.

Rating: 5 Skittles (mostly because I want to "ski'ttle" away now)

Planning a Garage Sale

So I've been planning for a long time now to have a garage sale this summer to sell of some of my excess stockpile. I'm really excited about making some good cash hopefully! My neighborhood/HOA has a community garage sale in the summer so we figured that would be a great time to do it since we'd get free advertising and hopefully an increase in traffic due to it being a neighborhood wide sale. Well yesterday in the mail we got the HOA newsletter and found out the dates for the garage sale - July 11 and July 12!!! OH NO!!!
Being that my due date is July 14, and I tend to go a few days early - I run the very real risk of either being in the hospital, just home from the hospital, or heading TO the hospital on those days! They couldn't have picked a worse time for us. However, being the hardcore bargain hunter and couponer that I am - I won't let that stop me. I plan to get everything organized and priced ahead of time, and if necessary, AJ and his mom can run the sale for me. Now to con them into it....
Forget organizing the baby clothes - I've got a garage sale to plan!

Rating: 5 Fireballs (those days are really bad!)

The Present Store

That is what Emmaline calls the Dollar Tree. Whenever there is a holiday or birthday, we take the kids there and they get to choose whatever they want. They get the joy and satisfaction of picking out a gift for someone, and we get the joy and satisfaction of only spending $1.00 on something that will most likely be useless or garbage. Everyone wins!
Today I took the girls there to pick out a gift for Father's Day. Emmaline walked the entire store getting ideas of what she would like to get him. I was surprised how selective she was this time. Usually she latches onto everything she sees and then flounders in making a decision. Today she still did that - kind of - but was much more picky. I'd tell you what she got him, but AJ reads this blog - so you'll have to be satisfied in knowing that she put down both the elephant watering can and the giraffe statue in order to make her final selection.

Rating: 4 Pixie Dust (it was fun watching Emmaline decide what SHE thought AJ would really like)

Candyland

A few days ago, Emmaline begged me to play Candyland with her. I promised her that next time Lil wasn't around that we would play. Well today Lil went down for an early nap and of course Emmaline remembered my promise! Now every parent who is foolish enough to actually purchase this tedious game knows that the adult NEVER wins. Candyland is all about luck, and even if you are winning - you WILL draw the gingerbread man or the candy cane and be sent back almost to the beginning. And then in the next turn your child will draw the ice cream cone - thus catapulting them ahead.
This scenario played out exactly as I described in Round 1. Emmaline won of course while I was still way back in the Gumdrop Mountains. However, Round 2 was different! I actually drew the ice cream cone - pushing me ahead. Then it became a neck and neck race with Emmaline and I literally sharing the very last square together! It was my turn to draw and lo and behold instead of getting the gingerbread man, I drew double blues and WON THE GAME!
I know, I know - I should have warned you to get a chair so you could sit down from shock. Sorry about that. *I* an ADULT actually won at Candyland. This day shall live in infamy...

Rating: 5 Lollipops (teehee Lollipops - playing Candyland - lollipops- see it's funny... oh never mind)

Lazy Days

Today was one of those slow days where you just kind of hang out. I am really tired today, so I ignored all the dishes and laid on the couch and watched hours of TLC: What not to Wear, 10 Years Younger, A Baby Story and Bringing Home Baby. Why do I torture myself with the baby shows? I don't need to be vividly reminded of what is going to be reality for me in a few weeks. It is like watching a train wreck - you just can't look away! The best part is that both girls insisted on sitting ON me while I watched (yes I was laying down and yes at least I was on my side!). I was too tired to boot them off so there they sat.
Emmaline has actually gotten quite the education from watching episodes of A Baby Story with me. Just a couple weeks ago, the missionaries stopped by and she told them ALL about how babies are born. Yeah. That was embarrassing - mostly for the missionaries. ;-)

Rating: How can you rate a day where you did absolutely nothing?

Nice.

I just discovered that Emmaline can burp on command. Complete with the swallowing of air and then the belch. Nice. Now the ever present parenting dilemma: Do I reprimand her and then stifle my giggles until she isn't around, or do I just go ahead and laugh to her face thereby encouraging the behavior?

Rating: An *official* rating of 1 Sour Patch Kid but a secret behind-your-back rating of 1 Pixie Dust

Fruits of our Labors

It was a gorgeous morning today despite the fact that both girls got out of their beds multiple times in the middle of the night. Liliana apparently thinks that if Emmaline gets up to go to the bathroom, that it means it is time to get up! Anyway, as a result, this morning started like any other morning does - at the crack of dawn.
It was nice and cool outside and a great breeze was blowing, so we all got up, dressed, and fed, and went outside. We weeded everywhere that needed weeding - including all the grass that has spread into the strawberry bed. Talk about tedious! We were pleased to discover that we have little buds growing everywhere - strawberries, cherries, tomatoes, and even a jalapeno pepper! This will sound crazy but who knew a little tiny jalapeno could be so cute??? Certainly cuter than my children at 3:00am....

Rating: 2 VERY Sour Patch Kids and 4 Lollipops

No Baby Bird

Sadly, the little egg that was left in the nest appears to be crushed. We can see little feathers inside the shell so I would guess there will be no baby bird for us. We are all sorely disappointed.

Rating: 5 Fireballs

Famous Sisters in History and Fiction

Mary and Laura Ingalls
Elizabeth and Jane Bennett
Mary and Anne Boleyn

What do all these sisters have in common? One was a blonde and the other a brunette. Seeing as my girls are the same way - it brings us to the next question: Which side will this baby break the tie on? Will she be a blonde or a brunette? Enter your vote on the left and feel free to comment on how or why you voted the way you did!

Edited to Add: So far 53% of your have said "other" yet only one comment on what "other" could possibly mean! Maybe this baby will be born with purple hair???

Rating: 5 pixie dust

Why AJ is Great (and also a pregnancy update).

AJ is great because he vacuumed the stairs for me today. Doing the stairs is kind of tricky for me these days so I laid on the couch while he ran the power tool. (If you call the vacuum a power tool then it makes it fun.....right?).
Also in a side note that is in no way related to AJ vacuuming the stairs, I had an OB appointment today. Everything looks and sounds great. My blood pressure has been 110/70 for the last 3 visits (nurse commented on how strange that was actually), I didn't gain ANY weight since last time (thank goodness!), my belly measures exactly 34 weeks (not that it matters), baby's heart rate was 145 (perfect!) and I successfully peed in a cup without making a mess (always a good thing). Overall a good appointment.

My next appointment will be in two weeks when I am 36 weeks and from there on out - every week. I will suffer the embarrassment of the Group B Strep test next time and then the doctor assures me that there will be no more internal exams until I'm in labor as we both agree it is totally pointless. YAY!

Rating: 4 Lollipops (for AJ doing the stairs) and 4 Pixie Dust (cause the baby is doing well)

Update on the Nest

Sadly the nest is down to just one egg. We have no idea what happened to the second one. We looked all over for it and didn't find any pieces anywhere. The nest is so low, and so exposed, that I wouldn't be surprised if another animal stole it for a little snack. Also it should be noted that it is NOT a robin's nest after all. We got a look at the mother the other day, though she doesn't sit for pictures, and she is gray with a longer beak. We are thinking a Thrasher maybe?
Anyway, today we noticed a crack in the remaining egg, which also seems strange because it hasn't been nearly long enough of a gestation. Though maybe some of the time the egg is inside the mother counts as gestation too??? I don't know. Anyway - maybe we'll have a little baby bird, and maybe we'll just have a dud egg. We'll see!

Rating: 1 Lollipop and 1 Fireball (good the egg might be hatching but bad that one is gone)

Molars

In the midst of a fantastic temper tantrum today, I discovered that Lil has finally popped out 3 molars! Of course being the good parent I am, I took pictures to memorialize it and show future boyfriends.

Rating: 3 Sour Patch Kids

34 weeks

Well now that it is June 1st, I can officially say that I am having a baby NEXT month! EEK! At least I have diapers. ;-)
Luckily with it being our third child, and a third girl no less, there isn't much to do. Here is my list:

Buy nursing pads
Set up Cradle
Install Carseat (three in carseats! That should be fun.)
Get out tiny clothes
Pack hospital bag

What am I forgetting?

Rating: 3 Lollipops (pregnancy is chugging right along!)