Nesting?

We got SOOOO much accomplished this weekend!

Saturday we went shopping for a few things we needed, including some newborn diapers and wipes, a hamper, a trashcan and some hangers for his room. Then that same day I bought a changing table/dresser for $25 on Craigslist. We were planning on painting it and changing the knobs - it is white so it doesn't go with his furniture. We bought all that stuff at Lowes and also a lampshade for his lamp.

Ok so last weekend I had seen a changing table that I LOVED on ebay. They were trying to sell their crib and changing table together and only lived about 30 minutes from us. I asked them if they'd sell us just the changing table and they said they would for $150. I told them that was too expensive. So then today, after we had bought the other one yesterday, they emailed back and said they had relisted it and it didn't sell again, so I could have it for the price I asked - significantly less than $150. This was absolutely perfect for his room, so I couldn't pass it up! We drove down there and bought it this morning.

They also threw in a changing pad and two covers, and a wipe warmer :) It matches his crib and dresser. And you can kind of see his hamper next to it. I LOVE it!

I'm sure there will be plenty more pictures of his room this week b/c my mom and I are going to fix it up. I can't wait! After that he is free to come anytime! Also my mom and dad picked up the cradle from my brother's house today and brought it over. I washed the sheets and will get it all set up tomorrow and hope the cat stays out of it*!

So I figure the other changing table/dresser we bought could be used in Madeleine's room. It was cheap and she needs more drawer space.

Also I did 6 loads of laundry today, and also ordered my last load of cloth diapers... for awhile anyway! I'm really excited to get the house ready for Baby Six! I have to think of everything else I have to do - wash the carseat cover and install the base in the car, wash the swing and find a place for it, bring in the bouncy seat and baby bathtub... what else do I need to do? I forget everything I need for a newborn! I probably should buy some baby shampoo or something... oh and he needs socks.

*Speaking of the cat, he is doing great - seems to be totally back to his old self. Even putting up with all that Madeleine can dish out.

Grace

This morning we went to confession before our regular Saturday morning Barnes and Nobles date. I got a priest that I normally try to avoid ONLY because he knows me. I know that's not a good reason but, ya know, sometimes you want to remain anonymous. Anyway I ended up getting him and I'm SO glad I did! He was really great and told me I made a good confession. Then he asked if I knew of anyone who was Catholic but hadn't been to church for a while or someone who was "unchurched." I told him I was sure I could think of someone. Then he told me that my penance was to invite that person to mass before Easter. I told him I would.

When we left I was thinking about who I could invite. I texted my friend and asked what she thought. She told me that she hadn't been to church in a few weeks and that confession at her church started in 20 minutes. So I told her to go and she did! Afterwards she said that she felt like the lost sheep and God was reaching out to her to get her back on track! Wow! She said she was so thankful I texted her, totally believed that penance was for her and she wouldn't have gone otherwise. And she is going to mass tomorrow. God is good!

And it's the first penance I ever texted :)

It's here

My very last day of work!! I cannot believe it. It's been my dream since I was a little girl to be a full time stay at home mom... raise my kids how I want, take care of my house, let us all be on our own schedules, have some freedom, etc.

It's scary that today is also my last paycheck! I hope we can make it work out. I am pretty sure I'll have to bring in some money after this summer, but right now I'm just going to enjoy my dream come true for the next few months, and take the best care of my kids, husband and house that I can!

Thank you Ken for working so hard to make this happen!! And thanks Mom in advance for helping me clean the house next week :)

Novena to conceive a child

I saw this on FloridaWife's blog and just had to post it. As most of my regular readers know we said a novena to St. Anthony right before we conceived Madeleine. And John Paul II is one of my favorite people ever and he was such an amazing influence in my life! So if you or anyone you know want to say this, it starts today and ends the day before the anniversary of his death - April 2.

For my non Catholic friends who read this blog, we ask saints in heaven to pray for us just like we ask friends on earth to pray for us. For more information you can read here.


Novena to JPII for _______ to conceive a baby.

Dear John Paul II, servant of God, we believers of the Most Holy Trinity; Mary, the mother of God; St. Joseph; and the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church are united in prayers with those on the Catholic-Fertility list.

Dear John Paul II, servant of God, who are already in heaven, this is a novena for your intercession that __________ becomes pregnant and delivers a healthy baby who will glorify and praise God.For people certain things are impossible to attain and sometimes people are unable to understand God's will, but we deeply believe in your intercession, JPII. You always defended children, especially the unborn ones, and you loved them above all.

Please look at _________ who is asking for biological children. Look at the tears in her eyes begging to become a mother.St Ann, you gave birth at a late age to our Queen of Heaven and Earth, the Most Holy Mary. That is what God wanted. With God nothing is impossible.We believe that God, Creator of heaven and earth, will look kindly upon _______ and give her the blessing, through Mary, the Virgin Mother of God and JPII, of becoming a mother of her biological and adopted children whom she will love and thank God for.

Dear JPII, please help our prayers to be answered and that _____________'s womb be filled with the beating heart of a tiny baby. We already give you thanks and sincerely believe in your intercession to God.Dear JPII, your beloved mother also asked God for you to be born. Please remember our prayers. Amen

We will be saying this for some friends this week.

Poor Mo

This post is about to be TMI about the cat.

Last night I noticed that Cosmo was acting a little weird. He was sitting in the litter box for a long time and nothing was happening. He was also walking and standing kind of funny. So today I took him to the vet and his boy parts were blocked so he couldn't go to the bathroom. They had to sedate him and catheterize him and he's spending the night! Also the vet said that if we had waited another day he probably wouldn't have made it. Poor little 'Mo! Glad we got him in in time. He's gonna be fine and can come home tomorrow.

I had to go to the doctor this morning for my 36 week appointment. I guess I have to get naked every time now. Today I had to get the group B strep test which involved a swab. So I go in there, and the nurse tells me to strip from the waist down. Then she points to the paper NAPKIN and tells me I can cover up with that. OOOOOkkkkkkay. So this napkin goes on my lap and does not NEARLY go around my whole body. Also the table is situated so your butt faces the door so that is the first thing that greets the doc when she comes in, along with anyone else who happens to be passing by at the time.

Then she said they'd start "checking" me next week. I told her that with my first kid I was dilated to 3 cm and 90% effaced for 3 weeks and it didn't make any difference. She said I'm probably already dilated a little but didn't expect me to go early. So WHY do they have to check me again? I don't get it.

The rest of the day was great. Can I just say I was SO excited to get a package of tiny cloth diapers and covers in the mail today??? His little butt is gonna be so darn cute! (Much cuter than mine, as several doctors and nurses and patients can attest after today!!)

Just Wow.

Remember several weeks ago when I backed into my mom's car in my driveway? Yeah, I tried to forget about it too.

Well, mom and dad went on vacation last week to Myrtle beach and took their car in to get fixed during that time. So yesterday I took my mom to go pick it up and pay for it. They had gotten 3 estimates and this was the lowest one at $685. Killing me. Anyway I went in with my checkbook to pay while mom stayed in my car with Madeleine. I asked the older gentleman behind the desk how he was doing, and he said he was good. He asked how I was doing and I said, "Well, not so good since I have to pay for backing into my mom's car!" He looked at me for a second and said, "Let's just make it an even $500."

I think I just stood there with a look of shock on my face for a second because he said "Every little bit helps, right?" I almost started crying and would have given him a big kiss and hug if there wasn't a huge desk in my way! I thanked him several times and still just can't believe it! I got back in the car and told my mom and she couldn't believe it either, and said that the guy was the owner of the shop.

So if anyone around here needs body work, go here!

I can't feel my legs

Getting closer....

One month from tomorrow is the due date from the ultrasound. The due date from the LMP date is April 24. Either way, he'll be here soon and I can't believe it!

Thinking about that makes me realize how much we have to do before he gets here!!! His room is a disaster. I haven't done anything with it yet because Ava is still sleeping in there. We are going to switch cribs so he'll have the white one and then move the big white changing table/hutch/dresser in his room. Madeleine is getting the crib Ava sleeps in and the new (from freecycle) dresser. I also want to get her a short little bookshelf and maybe a toybox or something. Six needs a lamp and a bedside table for his room.

I have to get the cradle from my brother and sis in law, buy diapers and wipes, get the downstairs and upstairs changing tables set up with everything, wash clothes and sheets, clean the rest of the house, figure out what else I need and buy that - including another monitor, socks, etc. I also need to schedule Madeleine's two year doctor appointment and two year pictures.

Also I want to get a haircut and maybe a pedicure :) I mean, I can't reach my feet anyway! Thankfully my mom is off the first week of April while the kids are on spring break. Hopefully we can tackle all of this that week and then he is welcome to come anytime after that!! I'll be 36 weeks in a few days and if he feels the need to come a few weeks early, no problem little man!

Hey, you guys must really be praying!

This week is going way better than I had hoped! Yesterday we went to the library and happened to be there for story time. This isn't necessarily the GOOD part of the week, but it's a funny story. Madeleine does not do well on the potty when she's busy playing. At all. She had gone right before we went to the library so I thought I'd be safe to take her in there for an hour without bringing an extra diaper in. Famous last words, or thoughts as the case may be. About 5 minutes into play time, Ava says she has to go potty. So I rounded everyone up and made everyone try in the bathroom, where I discovered that Madeleine had already wet her diaper. Now this diaper had a doubler (like an extra piece of cotton in there) so I took that out and put it in a plastic bag and told her that we were just going to have to put the same diaper back on. You know how she's terrified of the changing table. Anyway I tried to put her diaper and diaper cover back on as she was standing by the sink. Apparently I did not do a very good job. We went into story time and she was sitting on my lap. All of a sudden I felt something wet. WHAT? I haven't been peed on for a long time. I really must have done a bad job putting that diaper on while she was standing up! Oh well, these things happen. I had promised the girls we could eat lunch at the little cafe in the library though, and I was SO hungry by then I was getting shaky. So I took everyone out to the car, changed Madeleine's diaper and took off her pants. I wonder what everyone thought about the little girl in a shirt and a diaper eating lunch at the library restaurant??

The rest of the day went relatively smoothly. Today however, was fantastic! Madeleine had an appointment at the eye doctor at 8:20. This is a pediatric opthamologist who is fantastic with her. She has a little issue so we're doing some treatment and have to go back about every 2 or 3 months. She did SO great - sat up in the chair, answered all the doctor's questions, read all the pictures up on the chart, and even let the doctor cover her right and left eyes. She also got to wear the 3D glasses so she could check her depth perception. She did great. The doc said she could see remarkable improvement after just 2 months of treatment. Her vision was about 20/30 before and now it's back up to 20/20. Also her depth perception was above average and her muscle control in her eye is improving. So we have to continue the treatment and go back in June. She thoroughly enjoyed sitting in the big chair!

Then, we hurried over to the Mothers for Children group at church, where my friend (with the 12 kids from a few posts back who told me about the calm time out approach) was speaking on Disciplining with Christ's love. I have never left Madeleine in the nursery before but I did NOT want to miss this talk. Well, I was worrying for nothing! She went right in and started playing with all the toys. I told her that if she wanted to come sit with me anytime she could just ask one of the adults to come get me. That was not necessary! At one point I went to the bathroom and peeked in at her and she was just playing and talking to the other kids! YAY!!! I was so happy. So I got to hear this fantastic talk, and I'm sure I'll post more about that later - I took a lot of notes.

Then I got invited to knit with a group of moms on Friday morning in the nursery so the kids could play. I would love that and I'm looking forward to it. We went home, had a quick lunch, picked Ava up from school, and everyone took a great nap. When we got to their house, it was such a beautiful day that we spent the afternoon playing outside. A friend of mine who is their neighbor came over and talked for a while too. G was extremely helpful and played with Madeleine so well. I just loved seeing her having so much fun outside. I am so looking forward to spring and summer. She loves playing outside.

So thanks everyone for all your prayers - and keep them up - they are working! And Happy St. Patricks day!!

Pray for me....

My mom is out of town this week, so I am taking over her days watching A and G, which means I'm working a full week for the first time since last summer! I hit 35 weeks yesterday and my patience is wearing thin. The only part I'm really worried about is after school with all 3 of them at A and G's house. A gets really possessive of her toys and won't let Madeleine play with anything. Madeleine gets into all their expensive stuff and G needs help with her homework and everything else. It is stressful! Also pray that A and M get good naps so everyone is in a good mood in the afternoons.

However, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. NEXT week is my last week of work and then I'll be a full time stay at home mom - my dream come true! For 4-6 months anyway..... :)

Two year old behavior

OH. MY. GOODNESS. I don't think we'll be going back to TGIFridays anytime soon!

There was whining, yelling, screaming, squriming.... and Madeleine wasn't good either :)

Story from Church last week

I keep forgetting to share this but I'm still laughing about it!

Last week in Mass after communion, Madeleine said she had to go potty. I checked and her diaper was dry so I took her back there. She is terrified of the changing table in public restrooms, so every time we go in one she says, "I don't have to get changed!" or "I don't have to lay down!"

She must not have told me in time, because by the time we got all the way back there she had gone in her diaper. Now that she is back in cloth diapers again there's really no way to change her except on the changing table, so I keep telling her that if she doesn't want to get changed, she needs to go in the potty instead of her pants.

Of course I had not brought another diaper back there since I had checked and she was dry! So I had to waddle my fat self all the way back to our pew, get a diaper, and back to the bathroom. The whole time she is saying "I don't have to get changed! I don't have to lay down!" I think she is scared of heights! I told her she does have to get changed since she went in her diaper.

When we got back the bathroom was packed because Mass was pretty much over. I laid her on the changing table and she kept saying very loudly and in a really scared voice, "Mommy won't let you fall anymore!! Mommy won't let you fall anymore!"

So you know everyone in there probably thought I let her fall multiple times and now she was terrified!

We are off to the fish fry tonight and I can't wait!! I love The Fry!

My morning

24 degrees outside

Van window stuck open.

Annoyed.

I'm already getting to the point in this pregnancy where I'm getting a little irritated. I have to get up every 2 hours at night to go to the bathroom, then I can't fall back asleep. None of my pants fit. He's getting really heavy. My back, hips, and stomach ache all the time. But I know for a fact that it is ALL worth it! And I'd do it over again in a heartbeat for my kids.

Ken and I go to Barnes and Nobles every weekend for a little coffee date. Since Madeleine was born we've taken her with us. She has a great time eating a bagel, visiting with the "regulars," reading books and drinking her "chai" (really chocolate soy milk.) We talk to one lady who works there every week - since before Madeleine was born. She had a baby a year ago so we always ask about her. She is content with her family size but knows we want a big family and totally respects that. Last week she saw me waddling around the store and asked how I was feeling. I truthfully answered that I was getting a little sore and tired and couldn't wait to have this baby. She asked me if I had changed my mind or if I still wanted more kids and without hesitation I answered YES! I will forget about this, about labor, about lack of sleep, and I'll get a precious gift from God. I will never turn down such an amazing gift. (I haven't got to the annoyed part yet.) In fact, this didn't annoy me at all, it put things in perspective that this hard part of pregnancy will be over soon and I'll soon have a sweet little boy.

Now for the annoying part. Today we went to our local butcher shop to pick up some fish for dinner. A guy from our church owns it and we love going there. It's right in the heart of the downtown part of our city. So I parked and put Madeleine in her stroller and took a walk down Main Street. After we went to Joes, we decided to walk down to a little yarn store. I usually don't like this yarn store but they were having a sale so I just wanted to see what they had. I pushed Madeleine in, and she was being her usual charming adorable self. Then the owner of the shop asked, "Is she having a brother or sister?" I answered brother, and she said "Oh good, now you can quit, right?" Honestly I was totally shocked and didn't know what to say for a moment! I've heard of people commenting on family size, but always thought it was more like families with 5 or 6 or more kids. I have ONE (and 3/4 :) She looked like she really wanted an answer so I said, "I'd take 10 more just like her." She looked at me like I was crazy and continued what she was doing. So I just got out of there but walking back to the car I started to get really really annoyed. Who does she think she is? I could have told her that I totally trusted God with my family size and would never turn down a gift from Him. I could have told her it was none of her damn business. Seriously, if anyone ever says anything like that to me around my kids when they are old enough to understand, I'm going to be really mad. And also, I'd be so sad if I knew this was my last 5 weeks of pregnancy EVER. I pray I get to experience it all again.

But I do realize this is the culture. You have your one boy and one girl then you're done. After all, it's important to be able to pay for their entire college education, have a huge house, go on lots of vacations, and buy expensive things, right? It's probably not this lady's fault she thinks like this. What do you say to someone who makes this kind of comment?? I'm SO grateful that I do not think like this and even MORE grateful that I have a husband who is totally open to life.

I had to go through a lot for my kids. Surgeries, drugs, infertility, doctors, needles, morning sickness, hard labor and recovery. It was SO worth it. SO worth it. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. My babies are worth it.

Birthday party number 2

My friend Jenni suggested that I tell Madeleine to ask Mary on her birthday to give her whatever gift she wanted to give her. She went to bed talking about Mary and Jesus and angels. I truly think Mary's gift to her was the 76 degree perfect sunny weather on the day of her birthday party! When do we have this weather in Indiana in early March?? Never! So we decided to move her party to a local park. We got our own shelter where she was able to open presents....

Play in the dirt with cousins.....

Eat cake....

And play on the playground like a little monkey!!

She loved the playground last year, but I can see she will enjoy it even more this year! I have a feeling we'll be spending a lot of time here this spring and summer!

She had SUCH a great time, and that made me so happy!

We are supposed to have one more nice day tomorrow before it gets cold again, so we're going back to the park with some friends. I can't wait :)

Cake!

Madeleine had a fantastic birthday party and I'll post about that tomorrow with pictures, but I just wanted to show how great the cake turned out! First of all, the cake was DELICIOUS! I got a recipe out of Taste of Home and modified it to make it dairy free, and also used a bar of Ghiradelli chocolate that a friend sent me. The batter was SO good, it's a good thing there was enough left for the cake after Ken and I had a few tastes :)

Then I used store bought frosting - I'm not a big fan of frosting anyway and I'm usually not happy with how it turns out when I make it. But I tinted half of it pink for the sides and left the other half white for the top. I also had to run to the grocery store to get more. There were some sneaky little girlscouts at the grocery store too with their cookies!

So then I added pastel M&Ms to the bottom and top, and some different colored twizzlers around the sides. The drumsticks were chocolate covered pretzels and my mom made the "Happy Birthday Madeleine" sign.

SOMEONE around here could hardly stand to wait to taste the cake! She pretty much refused to eat anything today because she knew there was cake in the house! She finally got a piece along with some ice cream made from coconut milk and she certainly loved it!

I also can't resist linking to a post one year ago with the same title. Wasn't she just too adorable?? :)

Great birthday!

Madeleine and I had a wonderful day yesterday on her second birthday! I made her favorite breakfast, french toast, and then Grandma surprised us by bringing donuts and balloons! Madeleine picked all the pink sprinkles off her donut and that is all she ate. After breakfast we went to get her haircut, which she loves because she gets to watch Elmo and then go down their big slide. Afterwards, we walked next door to this great toy store and I just let her play with all the toys.... she especially loved the Calico Critters table - she spent about 45 minutes there, rearranging the little animals and putting them into their chairs and beds and sandbox and bikes.

When we got home we had lunch and she took a great nap. I told her when she woke up we could go outside and play - for the first time this season! We had a great time even though it was really windy. She LOVES playing outside!

Then we took her out to Ted's Montana Grill for dinner. She had salmon, meatloaf, fries, green beans and a cookie. She loved it!

When we got home she got to open presents! She got a Leapfrog letter sounds refrigerator toy, a book, and a little desk with crayons that folds up. But her favorite present by far was....

Her bongo drums!!! She played them forever last night and was NOT happy to leave them when we told her it was time for bed. When Ken went to get her this morning the first thing she said was "I wanna go play drums!" I think it was a hit :)

I baked her cake tonight after she went to bed, and tomorrow I will attempt to decorate it like a drum for her party... wish me luck!

Happy Birthday!!!

To the most beautiful TWO year old girl in the whole world!!! We love you Honey!!

Four Generations

Margaret Loretta, Margaret Loretta, Madeleine Margaret and Elizabeth Anne. Hm....

And there you go - me at 33 weeks!

Well, it's official.

We need bigger towels in this house.