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Sunday, November 30, 2008

Orchard

I wish we had fruit trees. I love fresh peaches, apricots, apples, etc. Unfortunately we don't really have room for a fruit tree. I'm jealous of some friends I have that live further south that can grow oranges and bananas and stuff. They can have lots of fruit trees like Persimmon trees and other yummy stuff. One friend was mentioning that she got a tree called an Orchard Tree, and it grows four different fruits on one tree. I think that is awesome. I would love to have one of those trees, though I'm not sure on how that really works. How do you create a tree that can grow different fruits? Anyway, one of these days hopefully we will have a fruit tree in our yard.

Busy Busy

Boy, it's been a busy weekend! We had a great Thanksgiving. Then Hubby's family came down for the weekend. They got here Friday and left today. So we have been pretty busy. I am exhausted. I made a big turkey dinner tonight and it was yummy. Yes, we just had Thanksgiving, but because it wasn't at our house we didn't have any good leftovers, so every year we always make our own mini-Thanksgiving on a Sunday around the holiday so that we have lots of turkey to store in the freezer and leftovers to munch on for the week. Of course it's nowhere near as good as the dinner we had at my parent's house, but at least we have some good leftovers.

Tomorrow I have a checkup to make sure my incision is looking good and all that. Oh yeah, and Nathan had his 2 week checkup on Friday. He's up to 9lb 11oz and 21.5". He's healthy and doing great. Hard to believe he's already 2.5 weeks old.

Anyway, I better head to bed. I am so tired and Nathan wakes up every 2-3 hours to eat so I really need to get to bed sooner these days.

Sunday Saying


"Sons are the anchors of a mother's life."
- Sophocles


I feel so blessed to have my three adorable little boys. Sure, Jason and Jakey drive me crazy most days, but they are also so sweet and loving. And they adore their little brother. Every time Nathan cries Jakey yells, "Oh, he's fussy, needs his binky!" and goes running for his binky to help him feel better. They both love to hold him and want to know what he's doing all the time. It is so cute. I'm sure I'll be feeling insane when Nathan gets old enough to join in the mess-making with his brothers, but hopefully they will still always be sweet enough to make up for it. :)

Friday, November 28, 2008

5 Minutes for Mom Christmas Giveaway!

Christmas Giveaway Sleigh 125x125
Have you heard about the cool giveaway going on at 5 Minutes for Mom? They have a big huge Christmas giveaway and are giving away lots of great prizes like toys for kids, gifts for moms, and more. I've entered a bunch and hope to win something. Check it out at 5 Minutes for Mom!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! What are your plans for the day? We are going to my parent's house. I am so excited! I love Thanksgiving there because the food is sooo yummy! My mom makes the most delicious stuffing ever. Seriously, I have never had better tasting stuffing. And her turkey is always so nice and tender and juicy and full of flavor. Top that with my dad's delicious turkey gravy made from scratch. Mmmm, my mouth is already watering! And there's the mashed potatoes, rolls, cranberry fluff (soooo good!) and all the other great foods.

Right now Hubby and I are watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Big balloons, dancing, bands, sparkly stuff. Lots of fun. And of course later there will be some football watching going on. I don't know if anyone in my family is going to go play football today. Normally the guys go play football, but usually someone gets hurt too, and I don't know if they plan to do it this year.

So what is everyone else up to today? I hope you all enjoy the holiday and have a safe, happy time!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Biggest Loser?

So, today was the final weigh-in for the biggest loser competition at Hubby's work. He has worked so hard the last few months losing weight, and to try cutting a few extra pounds the last 24 hours he resorted to methods that fighters use before weighing in. He actually dropped 8 pounds in 24hrs, basically in water weight and not eating. He lost a grand total of 37 pounds, or around 21 1/2%, which is a ton for him.

Unfortunately it wasn't enough to win, but he did come in 3rd. The 1st and 2nd place people lost 22.4% and 22.3%, so he was very close. And the other contestants weren't even close behind him. Too bad only 1st place gets a prize. He worked so hard and I am very proud of him. He is so happy to finally get to stop dieting and exercising so much. He actually needs to gain back a little weight cuz he lost more than is healthy for him.

Love you honey, way to go!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

My Excuse


This is why I don't get much done around the house lately. Can you blame me? I just want to cuddle him and kiss his soft, squishy cheeks. He is way too adorable :D When he's awake and just staring in my eyes I just want to hold him forever and tell him how much I love him and how cute he is. And when he's asleep looking so peaceful and sweet, I want to just hold his tiny perfect hands and caress his little nose and soft hair. Who could resist such cuteness?!

Tuesday To-Do

My list of things to do today:

* Cuddle baby
* Feed baby
* Change diapers
* Repeat

So, my days are pretty much full of nursing, rocking, changing, etc. Occasionally I get around to doing a load of dishes or picking up the family room or getting a load or two of laundry done, but mostly I sit with my little baby in my arms for large portions of the day. Nathan has had a diaper rash for the last few days that makes him fussy, but overall he is still very easy-going.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Thankful Thursday

I am grateful for my cute little boy who is a week old today. He is so adorable and I just love stroking his soft hair and smooth cheeks, and cuddling his warm little body. Even though I feel like I've been hit by a truck and I need some serious sleep, I am thankful that he is finally here.

I am also thankful for my Hubby who works so hard for us. And I love watching him hold the baby, it is so sweet. Jason and Jakey are doing great with Nathan too and I'm happy about that.

What are you thankful for?

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Update on my loser

Hubby is so excited. His biggest loser competition at work is almost over. Just 10 more days and he can go back to eating regular food all the time. He has managed to lose around 25lbs without even using diet pills. We are hoping he can drop a few more before the big weigh in day. We could really use the winning money, especially since the baby bills might be just a little more than we had planned, since c-sections cost more. We have no idea who is in the lead or what amount of weight he needs to lose to win at this point, we are just hoping for the best.

Home Again!

Well, when we left here Wednesday night I was planning on being home again within a day. That got completely changed and now 4 days later we are finally back! Boy, it's been a crazy weekend. It's nice to be in our own home again with no nurses and doctors coming in and out all the time, hopefully I can get some sleep now. I had to come home and turn on the heater right away though, it got cold here with nobody home for days. Plus now we have a baby in the house so we need to keep it warmer. Hubby usually turns the thermostat down a few degrees more than I like, but gotta keep it warmer for Nathan. Maybe we'll just get some portable fans for Hubby so he won't complain about it being too hot. I am excited to crawl into my own bed tonight, though sad that my bed doesn't have buttons to push to sit up and lay down, cuz it's hard for me to do that myself right now.

Post-baby weight

You know one thing that works better than weight loss pills for losing weight? Having a baby lol. I've lost 14 pounds in less than 4 days, pretty good huh? I hope the rest of the baby weight comes off quickly. I can't wait to be back in normal clothes again. Of course it'll be a while before the jelly-belly goes down. I can't remember how long it took with my other two, but I know it wasn't too long.

Slow market

We recently decided to sale our old 50" plasma TV. Hubby was able to get it working again, though it still sometimes has a problem turning on, and we don't really need it. So we figured we could sale it and use the money to pay baby bills. Unfortunately we haven't had a buyer yet. We've had some people who were interested, one even wanted pics of the connection area where the HDMI cables and plugins and stuff go in, and we thought he was going to buy it, but he never got back to us. We've had offers, but much less than we are willing to sale it for. Luckily Hubby has a friend who's willing to buy it if we still have it by the time they sale their TV.

More pictures :D

I just wanted to post a few more pics of our new little cutie. I just love looking at him and cuddling him. When the boys came to visit the other day Jakey kept wanting to hold him, it was so cute. So I got a few pics of me with my boys, though they were tired and a little whiney at the time. Anyway, here you go :)

Isn't that the sweetest little face?!

Jakey would have held him all night if we'd let him

Me with my boys

The whole family (the boys had had enough of pictures by this time lol)

Going Home

We are going to be leaving the hospital today. We are still waiting to have baby Nathan circumsized, but soon after that we will be returning home. It seems the last few days have just flown by. I didn't even realize it was Sunday today until Hubby reminded me. I also still need to get my staples out. I definitely don't want to go home with them still stuck in my stomach. It also may take a little while for me to get used to being home with two other kids and the newborn. My family is going to take our two other boys for another day and Hubby took Monday off from work so that will make the transition a little easier. Here's hoping the transition home from the hospital goes a lot smoother than the transition to the hospital.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Our stay is almost over

So, I have an uncle who is a nurse but I never paid attention to what hospital he worked at. Turns out he works here at the hospital I'm at right now lol. He stopped by to see us yesterday and just barely stopped by again. Kind of fun. :) I think the only other visitor we had today was my cousin Amanda. The rest of the day it's just been me, Hubby, and Nathan. It's been quiet and boring.

I'm a bit nervous to go home tomorrow and have to worry about the kids and house and feeding myself lol. I'm sure I'll get the hang of things quickly enough, it's just the transition to mommy of 3 is a bit scary. Hopefully it goes smoothly and we all get used to the new addition without too much trouble.

I better go to bed now. I'm tired and my eyes won't stay open, plus my feet are swelling a bit so I need to put them up and rest. Good night!

In my head

For some reason being at the computer for too long makes me feel sick. I get a headache and get really sleepy. I don't know if it's from the meds I'm on or the lcd monitor type screen or what, but I just can't look at the screen for too long. So I haven't been able to be on the computer as much as usual, even though I have plenty of time sitting here. If I look at the screen more than a few minutes I start dozing off and getting light headed. It only happens when I'm at the computer, I can sit and watch TV with no problem, so I'm not sure what causes it. Any ideas?

Rest

Boy, I am still so exhausted! It's amazing how little rest you get in a hospital lol. Nurses and doctors constantly in and out to check on us. But we'll be going home tomorrow sometime, and I'm sure I won't get any more rest there. :) At least here Nate can just keep an eye on the baby and I can try to nap between nurse visits. The food isn't the best, but at least I don't have to make it. Overall, our stay here has been nice. The doctors and nurses are all so helpful and nice. I would definitely have a baby here again for the great care they've given us.

Anyway, I am going to try napping for a bit while Nathan is asleep and Hubby is going out to get himself something to eat.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Introducing Nathan Joshua!

So, as I posted, labor kind of started Tuesday. I had contractions most of the day, then they got to be 3-4 minutes apart from around 5pm to 3am Wednesday. I was able to get a little rest and they spaced out. Around 6am Wed they pretty much fizzled out so we went on a long walk and things started again around 10:30am. I labored the whole day with them varying from 2-11 minutes but getting stronger. I finally called my midwife at 9pm and let her know what was going on and she said we could go ahead and go to the birth center when we felt like it.

So at 10pm we got to the birth center. I labored a lot in the tub, and things were very peaceful for the next 6 hours or so. The boys and Hubby slept for a while and my mom and sisters were there and slept off and on. I finally hit transition and the pushing stage and things became more painful than I remember it being with Jakey. I pushed from about 6:15 to 8 with little progress and increasing pain. No matter what we tried (and we tried just about everything the midwife could think of) he was not coming down past a certain point. I could barely even move my left leg because something was hitting the nerve and causing stabbing pain in it.

Finally a little after 8am Thursday we all talked and decided that there was nothing more we could do at the birth center, I was too exhausted and in too much pain to go any further, so we decided to transfer to the hospital. That was the most painful car ride I've ever been on. My dad drove because he can drive fast and crazy without hurting anyone lol. He broke pretty much every traffic law written getting us there as fast as he could, running lights, driving on the sidewalk, etc. Luckily I was too busy screaming in pain in the backseat to pay attention to the driving lol, or I would have been afraid for my life. My midwife was back there with me calling ahead to the hospital so they would have everything ready for us.

We got to the hospital around 8:45am, and Hubby ran through the halls with me screaming in a wheelchair. They quickly got me into a room and started checking the baby and getting me an IV and there were tons of people rushing around while I was moaning and screaming in pain. They were very worried about the baby's heart rate and said we had to do a c-section right away. They could have done a spinal but they said it would be best to put me under general anesthesia. I was in so much pain I was practically begging them to just do it fast. I was actually grateful they were doing the general because I just wanted the pain to stop asap. So they are getting me all ready and next thing I remember is waking up in a recovery room.

The c-section went well. Nathan was born at 8:57am Thursday weighing 9lbs 3.8oz and 21.25 in. We found out that his arm had been wedged in sidewise in front of his head and that's why he wasn't coming out the regular way. So I felt better knowing the c-section was definitely necessary, even though it was completely opposite of the birth experience I wanted to have. I don't remember anything until around 11am in the recovery room. And I didn't get to see or hold him until I'd been taken to my postpartum room around 1pm. When I finally got him I was just so happy to see him. He is adorable and has lots of dark hair. He nursed right away like a pro. He sleeps well and is so calm, only gets fussy when he needs to burp.

I am recovering much better with this c-section than I did with Jason's, despite the more traumatic labor, so that is good. I'm still very exhausted and sore all over, but happy that my little boy is finally here. We've had lots of visitors, and of course there are doctors and nurses coming in and out all the time, so I haven't gotten much sleep. Hubby is staying here with me and the boys are at my mom's house until we get home in a few days.

Oh, sounds like Nathan is getting ready to wake up and eat so I better get pics uploaded real quick so I can post this :)


Tuesday, November 11, 2008

It's Baby Time!

So, I am pretty sure I'm in early labor! I've been having contractions all day and they've been pretty consistent for at least 5 hours. Probably in for another long labor like my other two. I'm going to try to get a little rest before things pick up, though I don't think I'll really get any sleep while having contractions every few minutes. I will send updates to my Twitter account. Wish me luck!



Tuesday Done List

I just realized I never posted my Tuesday To-do list! How unlike me. So here's what I did today:

* Midwife Appointment this morning
* Took sister to a job interview
* Dishes
* Had my sister color my hair

I'm sitting here with hair color soaking in, I needed it so bad, my roots had grown out way too far. And I wanted to look nice when I have the baby, so we had to get it done soon. After I get it all washed out we are heading to my parent's house cuz my dad invited us over to watch some world poker thing with everyone. I probably won't be watching it much since it doesn't really interest me, but we figured we could get out and socialize a little lol. It'll disrupt the boys' bedtime, but that's ok, once in a while won't hurt.

Anyway, make sure you keep checking in here, cuz the baby might be showing up sooner rather than later ;)

Writing

My boys love drawing with pen. Luckily they usually keep it to paper, but unfortunately it means we lose pens quickly. I hate not having a pen handy. I had a couple promotional pensfrom some mortgage company or something in my purse that I loved cuz they wrote well, but I think the boys lost them. I hate when I'm away from home and scrambling through my purse looking for a pen, at least when I'm at home I can find a crayon or something.

Baby update

I had an appointment with my midwife this morning. Everything still looks good, though my belly is measuring big (41.5wks). No surprise really since my boys were both near 9 lbs. I expect Nathan to be big too. We are hopeful that he will be coming out in the next few days. I was 2cm and 50% and have been having some cramping and contractions, so things are looking good. We didn't set up another appointment, since we think he's coming soon, but if I do make it to next week I'll go in again sometime.

So, any guesses on when this baby is coming and how big he'll be?!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Changing footwear

I am so sad that winter is almost here. We've gotten a little snow a few times, though it has melted quickly. I just hate that I have to put away my sandals soon. I hate wearing shoes and socks. Which means my sandals get lots and lots of wear. I actually need to buy some nice new sandals, like some Dansko ones, but I'm sure I will wait until next year since I won't be needing them for the next 4-5 months. Now I have to pull out my tennis shoes and boots. Oh, that reminds me, I do need new boots too.

FF vs IE

So, I always use Firefox as my browser. I know lots of people who are still using IE and I just don't get it. FF is so much faster and user-friendly. But what I really hate is when I go to a website that isn't compatible with FF. It's usually some kind of form application and the buttons won't work on the site when using FF. Like the other day I was helping my sister look up something and we went through this site and filled out a big long form, just to find out it wouldn't load in FF. It was annoying. Then I have to open IE and wait forever for it to load anything. So, if you use IE instead of FF, why? I'm genuinely curious.

Jakey and his blankey

OK, I got the pics of Jakey uploaded so I could get them up right away :) And I swear I am going to post Halloween pictures eventually! I still haven't gone through and edited them, but once I do those will get posted soon.

So here is Jakey showing off his blankey:


And here's a pic so you can kind of see the blanket itself (Kate, email me (link in sidebar) if you want the pattern, I'll try to explain it, it's one I was taught so there isn't a pattern online):

And just for fun, here's some pics of Jakey from last night after he got into a Hershey's bar lol:

Monday Madness

Still here, no baby. I'm 39w 1d, so it could still be a little while. Sigh. I am very ready to be done. Especially on days like today when the boys won't listen to me and I want to just lock them in their room and go back to bed. And it's only 8:30am.

Hubby found a little kitten on our porch last night and brought it in. If it weren't so cold and wet out I would just put him back out because we do not need another cat and the boys won't leave the poor thing alone. As it is, I am going to make up some flyers to post around the neighborhood because I'm pretty sure he's not just a stray, he's not afraid of us or being in the house and he uses the litter box so I'm sure he's someone's pet. If nobody calls to claim him quickly I'm not sure what I'll do, cuz I do not want him here. Not to be mean, cuz he is adorable and I love kittens, but just keeping the boys from torturing him is quickly wearing at the last shreds of patience I have.

On a happy note- I FINALLY finished the blanket I started crocheting for Jakey when I was pregnant with him! It's only 2.5 years late lol. He was so excited when I told him it was all done and wrapped him up in it. I will try to post a pic later. (I know, I'm always promising pics and not delivering, but I really will!)

I need to go to the library today to return some books and movies, and I have a chiropractor appointment later. Other than that I am going to try to clean today. The house gets messy way too quickly. Already did a load of dishes and I think I'll get some laundry done next and then another load of dishes (how do they pile up so fast?!).

Saturday, November 08, 2008

Busy day for me

Today I have a Scout Pow-wow thing to go to all day. Ok, not all day, but close enough. It's from 8am to 2pm. I was hoping to go into labor before now so I'd have a good excuse not to go lol. Oh well, it is important scout leader training and stuff so I would have to do it sometime anyway. Then later we need to do our weekly grocery shopping. And I'm hoping my sister can dye my hair today sometime too. My roots are so grown out and it just looks bad. I want to look nice before the baby comes. So today will be pretty full. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Friday, November 07, 2008

And Counting

I am now less than 10 days till this baby is due. 8 days left to be exact. I am even trying to come up with ideas on how to give this baby the idea that he needs to come out. We rearranged my sister's room yesterday and I even did much of the heavy lifting. Still nothing. I even joked that I should lift the 100 pound tv in our room up and down the stairs. Last time I did that I was getting contractions. The baby just doesn't want to come out just yet. I really hope he is not like his dad and come out late. I'm not sure how much more of this pregnancy I can take. My stomach just can't stretch anymore and neither can my clothes.

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Impatience

I am a very impatient person, most people who know me in real life will agree. I have a hard time waiting for things lol. So waiting for this baby to come when he wants is torture! It's like how my kids know when Christmas is getting close but they don't understand calendars so every day the last month they ask if it's Christmas yet. That's how I feel, like a kid waiting for Christmas with no idea when it will show up. I know this big, special day is coming but can't control when it will be. Sigh.

Any ideas on how I can pass the time?

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful that we had a good day. I even got to take a nap! In fact we all took naps today- both boys, my sisters, and me. It was so nice. We also rearranged my sister's room, which I love doing for some reason, and it looks much better. So today was good. I am also thankful that this pregnancy is slowly but surely getting closer to the end. Just 10 days to my due date!

What are you thankful for today?

Getting stuff done

I really do mean to get Halloween pictures up soon, I promise! I just keep forgetting. Hopefully I will get that posted sometime before the baby is born or I may never find time lol. I think I should get all my pics uploaded to the computer while I'm remembering it, so I will get that started while I type this. Plus I need to clear off my memory card anyway before the baby comes so I have room for those pictures.

I've been more productive this morning than usual. I got dishes done, counter and table washed, floor swept, and my little sister helped the boys clean up the family room so I can get it vacuumed. I think I may be nesting cuz I suddenly just want the house to be clean.

Other than that there isn't much going on today. Just a bright sunny day. Oh, and did I mention we've gotten a few inches of snow this week?! I'm sure I've told you all that I HATE snow! Grr. Oh well, it had to show up some time right?

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

I Voted!

Today I voted in a presidential election for the very first time. No, I won't say who I voted for, because I don't like getting into politics on my blog and I know that most people have very strong feelings either way. But I am proud to say that I voted. I'm only one person out of millions, and many people look at that and say "My vote doesn't matter", but the votes have to come from somewhere! Anyway, I hope all you Americans were able to get out and vote today. :)

Tuesday To-Do

Here's my list for today:

* Vote Done!
* Midwife appointment Done, everything looks good
* Dishes Also done!
* Take sister job hunting Picked up a bunch of applications
* A few loads of laundry
* Clean up family room
* Vacuum

I love getting things crossed off my list :) Hubby and I got up and voted this morning, nice and early. It's the first time I've voted in a presidential election. I am so glad elections are almost over, finally! Then I had an appointment with my midwife today. Everything is still looking good and normal, we are just waiting for baby to pick his birthday. Hopefully soon because I feel like I'm going to fall apart. I've already done a load of dishes and I just need to do a few loads of laundry and clean up the family room a bit. We are leaving in a few minutes to take my sister out job hunting. That's my productive day :)

Monday, November 03, 2008

Monday Madness

Today I had an orthodontist appointment. I've mentioned before that my orthodontist is 2 hours away, so being 38 weeks pregnant I was a bit worried about driving that far away. I was planning to bring my sister with me in case I went into labor so I'd have someone to drive me back, but she was sick so the boys and I just went like normal. I wasn't too worried though cuz I've been feeling really good today, I don't think baby is coming out any time soon. Anyway, so my appointment went well, nothing new to report.

Then I completely forgot I was going to take my sister job hunting, so we need to remember to go do that tomorrow, along with a few other things. I didn't do too much else today except a load of dishes. This time change has my internal clock all messed up. It feels like bedtime already and it's only 6:30. Maybe I'll go to bed early tonight.

Saturday, November 01, 2008

Lame Thieves

So last night we had a blast taking the boys trick or treating. While Hubby took them around our neighborhood I stayed home to pass out candy. We didn't get as many people as I though we would though. Then we left to go to my parent's house to do some more trick or treating and decided to just leave the candy on the porch with a sign saying to take a handful. I pretty much figured it would be all gone by the time we got home, because there are always greedy kids who will take a ton if it's just left out. And I was ok with that because we didn't need all the leftover candy anyway with the amount of loot the boys got.

So, I was right. When we got home all the candy was gone. But, not only was the candy gone, the BOWL it had been in was gone too! They actually stole the ugly big yellow bowl the candy had been in! I can understand taking the candy, but the bowl?! It wasn't even some fancy bowl, just a big yellow bowl I hardly ever use, not worth anything. Hubby looked around to see if they'd tossed the bowl, but it was gone. I'm wondering what that kid's parents thought when he arrived home with a whole bowl of candy. More likely they did ditch the bowl somewhere, but still as a parent I would notice if my kid brought home a ton of the same candy and make them come back and apologize.

So, I'm not really too angry about it, cuz it was just an ugly bowl I rarely used, but I'm annoyed at the audacity of some people. That will for sure be the last time we leave Halloween candy just sitting on the porch. They had to go and ruin it for the other trick or treaters.