Happy Easter!

You know how many stores I had to go to to find that octopus?? (There are several religious books in there too, I promise!)

The octopus was a hit! She carried it around all day. She also loved her jellybeans. I think she is addicted! She got a little wooden "watch" (it has a watch face but it's like a bracelet.) She wore that all day too.

Loved her kazoo. She is pretty good! She even played the tune to the ABC song.

This is what she does when I tell her to smile for the camera!

Finally a good one!


Madeleine did not go to mass today. Ken's parents entered the Church last night at the Easter Vigil at their church! Madeleine and I stayed home because their church is pretty far away and there's no way she could stay up that late. So she and Ken slept in and I got to go to 8am mass and actually pay attention!! It was a struggle to find something to wear! It was completely packed but the usher found me a seat. Then we had a nice relaxing day and went out to dinner with my parents and Ken's side of the family. It was a fun day! And definitely a treat to be able to attend mass without having to deal with a toddler :) We prayed for her though!!

*Oh my goodness I just noticed the kitchen scissors and prescription bottle next to her in that last pic! Don't worry I was right next to her the whole time :)

Ken's Trophy Wife

Oh boy am I looking good these days.... coming up on 39 weeks!

I have the best mom in the whole world! Today she went shopping with me for some last minute gifts for Madeleine's Easter basket - Ken actually found a purple and pink stuffed octopus! I've been looking all over for one. She loves them for some reason.... the kid is crazy :) Actually she watches these Dora videos and two of them have an octopus. We also went to the Catholic bookstore and bought some appropriate things for her basket! Then after her nap my mom wanted to take her to go visit my Grandma in her nursing home, and while she was gone she treated me to a pedicure! Yay!! Thanks Mom :)

SO cute

I can't believe his little butt is going to be this tiny. Thanks V for the great diapers!! And A, notice we still use your quilt EVERY DAY!! :)

I'm still pregnant and feeling great.

I love being a SAHM

We had a GREAT day today. We went to music class this morning. Madeleine wore the adorable froggy dress that my friend made and it was quite the hit! She showed everyone her "Pink Froggies." Then the teacher incorporated frogs several times in the class and she was thrilled!

Afterwards, we went to visit my old college roommate, who has a 3 year old daughter and a 2 month old daughter. I had a great time hanging out with her! The girls played great together in the backyard. Of course with all the toys out there they both choose to play in the pile of dirt. They were really cute - working together with their shovels to fill each other's buckets. My friend also gave me several newborn All in one and pocket cloth diapers - they are SO SO cute and small! I can't believe his little butt is going to be that small. Thank you V!

When we got home we had lunch and Madeleine took a great nap. I got to sew a little and talk to some friends, then made cabbage rolls, roasted broccoli, and sweet tea for dinner. Love my days as a Stay at home mom :)

Baby update - have had ZERO contractions today. He is due in less than two weeks so I know he'll be here soon enough! I've really felt great all day. Oh and also, Ambien, where have you been all my life!! 1/2 a pill last night and I had the best night of sleep I've had in MONTHS!!! I don't even think I got up to go to the bathroom, which usually happens at least 3 times. It was fantastic :)

Rejected

Wish this kid would just make up his mind! I had contractions for several hours last night, ended up soaking in a hot bath, laying on the couch, walking around, and they ended up about 4 minutes apart and painful. So around 11pm we went ahead and packed our hospital bags. Then I laid down in bed and they WENT AWAY!! I actually slept pretty well last night, for the first time in a while.

Then I woke up early and walked around the house and started having them again. Also feeling LOTS of pressure. So I called my next door neighbor who is a nurse at the ob office. She was wonderful - she was actually leaving on vacation in a few hours. She told me to drink lots of water and keep walking around for a while, then sit down and if the contractions stopped it was probably not the real thing. She called back a few hours later and said I should go ahead and get checked at the doctor because both of my favorite doctors were leaving at noon. So I called over there, had my mom pick us up and went to get checked. Still at 3, head really low, mostly effaced. The exam was extremely painful so she said that was a good sign something was happening. She told me to go home even though I was hoping she'd send me upstairs and I'd have a baby on the outside by now! Oh well! She gave me a prescription for Ambien and told me to get some good sleep for the next few nights. I think I'll try a half a pill tonight.

Sew sent me this awesome A-line dress pattern for Madeleine and I was able to make one during her nap today. It was so easy and cute! Maybe she'll wear it for music class tomorrow. I'm going to try to keep my mind off other things :)

2 year appointment

Madeleine had her 2 year old well child visit today with our pediatrician. We just love him! I thought she'd have to get her MMR and chickenpox shots today since she hasn't had them yet. However he wants her to go get tested for food allergies first just in case she tests positive for an egg allergy. She does eat eggs all the time but he said that it's different than getting it injected. So we got an appointment for May 8 and I already made sure Mom could come with us :) Then he said she can get the shots when her brother comes for his 2 month appointment. He also said her loud breathing could have something to do with food allergies and she'd grow out of it.

She said her ABC's for him, and he listened carefully and said NO 2 year old does it that well! He said listened to her talk some more and said "this kind of smart gets their college paid for." haha! We can only hope!

He said not to worry about potty training at all right now for at least 6 months. That's pretty much what I was thinking anyway since she has pretty much completely regressed in the past few weeks. Also he said to read books about her baby brother and "talk him up" which we've been doing. And then when he gets here, to keep her routine completely boring and the same - eat at the same times, do the same things, have the same bedtime and bedtime routine, etc. I thought that was pretty good advice.

She was also almost 24 pounds and 34 inches tall. So about 10th percentile for weight and 50th to 75th for height. He said she was tall and skinny and that is good!

In other news, I've been inspired by my blog friend Sew, got to move my sewing machine downstairs and have been sewing during naps! She made little Six some great things - burpcloths, onesies, cute shorts and even a dress for Madeleine! She is very talented and thoughtful!! I am having a great time and making lots of cute things. Of course I probably only have a week or two of sewing left before I have to take a break :) I'll try to take some pictures of some stuff I've made tomorrow when the light is better!

Also, I had some contractions tonight but they didn't turn into anything!

2 weeks to go? *Update*

Off to the doctor to get violated this morning. I'll update later!

Well, she said I am still at a "good 3 cm." And his head was REALLY low. She gave me her home phone and cell phone and pager and told me to call anytime! She asked how long I pushed with Madeleine and I told her 20 minutes. She said, "Well, this one won't even take 20 minutes he's so low!" So that's good news.

Still waiting!

Boy's Room!

Come on out, Little Man! Your room is all ready! (Not that you'll be spending much time in there, but at least you have clothes put away and diapers ready to go!)

I know these aren't the best pictures, but I love his bedding. I found it on ebay and loved the red, white and blue. Also Ken is in the airline industry so I really liked the vintage airplanes.
Mom made these beautiful airplanes out of cardstock on her cricut - they match perfectly and are flying all around the room! By the way, the big airplane behind his crib will be pulling a "banner" with his name on it - that's why the ribbon is hanging down right now.

Changing table: Stocked. The tiny cloth diapers are in the dryer right now but we'll use disposables for the first week or so, and maybe overnight for a while. We'll have to see how it goes. I do love cloth diapering though, so he'll have a fluffy little cotton butt the majority of the time. Diaper Champ, toys, trashcan, and hamper are all ready.

My mom also made the lampshade with planes. She is very talented! I love the valances. The rocking chair and boppy are all ready, and we hung up his outfits in his closet. We have his little shoes and hats and blankets ready in there too. His dresser is in there too, and we have it stocked with onesies, shirts, pants, jammies and sleep sacks. Oh, and I made the blanket on the rocking chair. I wanted to challenge myself to do a crochet project - I think there are twelve different squares and I'm happy with how it turned out!

The inside of his bumper and his mobile. Doesn't it look cozy? We do have a cradle he'll be (hopefully) sleeping in for the first 3 months or so in our room but maybe I'll try to let him nap in his crib occasionally. We'll see how it goes. Madeleine had to be sleeping on me or next to me at all times for the first several weeks. Of course, now she barely lets me hold her so I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts with this boy!

Also today, Mom cleaned my room and bathrooms for me :) I have the BEST mom ever!!

And I went through and organized all Madeleine's clothes. Now she has her spring and summer stuff out on one side of her closet and in her drawers, and the next size fall and winter stuff on the other side of her closet. Plus she has two bags of 3 and 4T stuff for after that, thanks to Ava and family! The house is clean, the diapers are washed, the kids rooms, toys and our room is well organized.... come on out Baby!

Nobody get excited

Maybe the doctor didn't know what she was talking about. I've felt perfectly fine all day!

I was hoping he'd be born soon but now I'm going to shift my focus back to the due date, still three weeks away! That way if he comes early, it'll just be a happy surprise! Plus I have another ob appointment with another doctor on Monday, so we'll just see what she says.

By the way, I have the best mom in the whole world! She has spent all week getting the boy's room ready and cleaning my house!! What could be better??

Thank you so much for all your intentions! Keep em coming! We're getting quite the list. Don't worry about asking for more than one - my labor with Madeleine was 18 hours so I'm sure I'll have plenty of contractions to go around :)

Intentions

Yeah, I just spent 3 hours walking around Target and the mall, and I don't feel much different. BUT, just in case he decides to come early, I wanted to get this post in.

Before I went into labor with Madeleine, I asked everyone for intentions to pray for during contractions. I got an amazing response within hours, and that was my absolute FAVORITE part of labor - being able to offer contractions for intentions.

I think Catholics are especially blessed to realize the joy of offering up suffering and uniting it to to Jesus' suffering. So many saints have written on this subject. I think it's a very powerful prayer. When I was in labor with Madeleine, Ken would say, "We offer this contraction for ______" and then say Our Fathers or Hail Marys until it was over. It was just amazing, it gave my pain a real purpose (besides, you know, getting the baby out!) and we don't get this kind of opportunity too many times in our lives! I want to take advantage of it.

So please, if you have anything you want me to pray for during labor, leave me a comment or email me at regs78 at yahoo. We want a big list! Then I'll print it out and put it in my bag, which I haven't packed yet :)

Ready to go?

So yesterday was my 37 week appointment and Ken had an early dentist appointment and got to come with me! I got my first "exam." Oh how fun that was! But I had been feeling pretty crampy and had a hard time sleeping the night before so I told her that. She said something was "brewing" and I was dilated to 3 and my cervix was ready to go! She said she thought if she didn't see me this week she'd see me on the weekend! YAY!!!

SO, my mom and I spent the entire day yesterday getting his room ready, going through all his clothes, sorting by sizes, hanging stuff up and stocking his dresser and changing table. We made up his bed, washed his carseat cover and got it ready, and mom made some great airplanes with her cricut for the walls. It looks fantastic in there!! We have one more thing to get today and I'll post pictures.

Then last night I had contractions about every 5 minutes for 3 1/2 hours! They were consistent but didn't get stronger or closer together. I sat in the tub for about an hour, then moved to the chair, then eventually fell asleep on the couch! I even slept pretty well last night. I seem to start having contractions when we're moving around, so after we get the last thing for the room at Target, we are going to the mall and trying to "walk him out." :) I'll keep everyone posted.

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.

Discipline and diapering update

This discipline technique of not yelling, calmly placing the child in time out really seems to be working! I don't think I've raised my voice once since my discussion with my friend last week. Raising my voice was not working to get her attention or get her to stop what she was doing anyway. So now if she is doing something she is not supposed to be doing (or NOT doing something - like coming when I call) I give her one warning and if she doesn't do what I tell her I get up and immediately lead her to her time out chair. After two minutes I go over to her and say "Mommy put you in time out because...." Then I give her a kiss and a hug and let her go on her way. Most of the time I only have to ask "Do you want to go to time out?" and she will do what she's supposed to. Also if I am out of the room when she does something she's not supposed to, she will come to me and say "I don't wanna go in time out." I ask her what she did and she tells me! Yesterday we were at my mom's house and she took something out of the kitchen she wasn't supposed to and took it into the family room. I told her to go put it back and she said "NO!" I immediately got out of my chair and she hung her head and said "Time out" in a sad voice. I think this is great! She knew exactly what the consequences were going to be. I'm definitely going to keep this up. It does involve a lot of "getting up," in other words hoisting my extra large frame out of the chair, but I think it will be worth the extra effort.

So, in diapering news, I did decide to put her back into cloth diapers. The price of the pullups was killing me. And actually, she is doing better than ever! She usually doesn't wear anything at home and never has an accident, so I only put her in diapers when we go out. I still take her to the potty and she normally only has 1 or 2 wet diapers/day. I feel better about saving money and I'm really glad this hasn't made her regress.

And speaking of cloth diapers, I cannot WAIT to order tiny ones :)

33 week appointment

I'm glad it's over! Our appointment was at 10:15 and I had to take Madeleine, and we didn't get called back until almost 11. She was not thrilled about sitting in her stroller the whole time. I'm so glad I brought her bag which was packed with things to do!

Anyway, I have gained 8 lbs (the whole pregnancy, not the last two weeks!) It's pretty much exactly what happened with Madeleine. I only gained 15 lbs total with her and then lost 30 within 2 weeks after she was born. Here's hoping the same thing happens this time! I guess the 8 weeks of puking every day really paid off!

His heartbeat was great - in the 150s. He is head down and LOW! She was surprised at how low he is. She said he might come a little early but not to get too excited. Plus she said the active phase of labor is shorter the second time around. I only pushed 20 minutes with Madeleine so she said he should be super quick once I get to that point!

I told Madeleine that the doctor would be looking at Mommy's tummy and checking out her baby brother. So when the doctor came in she lifted up her shirt and said, "Can you check my tummy too please? There's a baby brother in there!" The doctor about died laughing :)

Oh my goodness.

I can't BELIEVE how much this boy is kicking me! I'm about to take some tylenol pm. I have my 33 or so week appointment tomorrow morning. I like going to the doctor now because it's getting so close! I have to go every two weeks until week 36 then every week. Then hopefully it'll go really fast! Have I mentioned I only have 4 more weeks of work??

We're having a "discussion" about the name I chose. Ken doesn't seem to think it goes with our last name, but the few people I've told think it sounds fine! I do have two others in the running, maybe I should wait until he is born and make the final decision.

We had a great day today. We started out with 8am mass and it was completely packed. The entire school plus like every parent. We ended up in the narthex with no seat until an usher took pity on us and got a chair. We both got ashes and then went to Story hour at Barnes and Nobles, where we saw some good friends. Madeleine and her friend Quinn sat SO well together and listened to the entire hour! I think this was the first time she's made it through the entire hour. Then we went to a friend's house - they have 12 kids! I think Madeleine had the time of her LIFE there! We went to the basement which is their toy area, and Madeleine walked around with her eyes big as saucers saying "Oh my GOSH! Oh my GOSH!" She got to play with lots of new toys and she fit right in with the kids. Their mom gave me some great parenting advice too. Then invited us to stay for lunch and then she took a good nap.

The best advice I think I got was there's never a need to yell. If she does something wrong she goes in time out. I can't "couch parent." I have to actually follow through every single time. So today we walked out to the van after nap to go to the grocery store. She ran out to the driveway and when I called her to come back she said "No!" I immediately picked her up, took her into the house, and sat her in her timeout chair. She was surprised and not happy! The rest of the day she talked about it and even put Elmo in time out for "running away!" She really got it I think.

She also impressed the pants off of a mom at Story hour by singing her entire ABC's. :)

YAY!!

Everything is fixed and they only charged us $157.50!!! As much as I could think of a million other things I'd rather spend that money on, I'm thrilled that is all it was. So I did a bunch of laundry and dishes today (from the whole weekend!) and mopped all the floors again and Ken steam cleaned the carpet again. Everything is almost back to normal around here.

In other news, I was sitting in church last night and I thought of a boy name. This name would be my number one choice but there are a few issues with it, one of them being it doesn't sound THE BEST with our last name. However, few names do sound all that great with it. And I think I could get used to it. I'm going to think it over for awhile. This name I have always loved but I hadn't even thought about it for a while, and never for this kid. But it just hit me last night at church and I think it might be the one. You never know though - I could change my mind again! I was actually up from about 4:30 - 6am thinking about it. Then I fell back asleep and Ken's alarm started going off at 6:15. I also had a nightmare last night that I went into labor when my mom and dad were on vacation - they're going at the end of March. Let's pray THAT does not happen! So basically I didn't sleep much last night!

Oh and I'm not telling the name!!! :)

Fun fun.

So, Friday night I see a few ants in the downstairs bathroom. Ken kills them with some kind of kitchen cleaner and a few paper towels. Then, he flushes them and the paper towels down the toilet.

On Saturday morning I go into the kitchen. It's completely flooded. So is the living room. So is the downstairs bathroom. Ken shopvacs up all the water and I call my brother to borrow the carpet steamer.

Then, we learn that whenever we turn on the kitchen sink, dishwasher, my upstairs shower or flush my toilet, the toilet downstairs overflows again. Suddenly there are ants in the kitchen too.

I have to go to the bathroom. So does Madeleine. Number 2. SEVERAL times on Saturday AND Sunday. The kid decided she loved beans this weekend. Luckily she hits her potty every time. (She's actually doing BETTER wearing her cloth diapers than she was in her pullups. She's only had about 2 accidents all weekend and that was when we were out.)

While the house keeps flooding, I call my dad. My mom and dad are at the Saturday night 5:30 mass but I text them to come over on the way home. Dad says we need a plumber.

Sunday morning we call Rotorooter. They come and can't seem to find the pipe outside that goes toward the house. They quote us $1600. Ken sends him away, goes outside and finds the access under our porch in about 5 minutes. I spend most of the day trying to keep a curious toddler away from the ant traps and changing her socks when she walks through water. Oh, we also have a mouse in the garage Ken's trying to "catch."

Luckily, Ken's toilet and shower seems to be working ok, so we have been using that. But we haven't done any laundry or dishes all weekend.

We called a different plumber and he is coming tomorrow morning at 9am. PLEASE God don't let it be too expensive and PLEASE let it be an easy fix......

Should I get the diapers back out?? with update

So Madeleine is doing PRETTY well on the potty these days, but has not seemed to improve at all for a few months. She does great at home, especially if she doesn't have pants on, but whenever we go out she does not want to go on the potty and just goes in her pullups. I am so sick of buying these things after 18 months of using cloth diapers!! They are so expensive! I have all the diapers I need for her right now. She doesn't want to wear diapers and hates to get changed, especially if she has to lay down. But I'm seriously considering it, at least for night time and naps. Did I try to start too early? What should I do? Should I totally forget about potty training for a few months, or still just let her go at home and wear diapers when we're out?

We did get some potty books and a potty dvd at the library today.... I'm thinking she might regress after the baby is born anyway so I don't want to push it too much.



One good thing about using diapers again - at least she could keep her pants up!!

*Update* So today I got a few potty books and a potty dvd at the library. We read all the books and she loved them. We watched the movie and she went number 2 on the potty after that, and she's gone number 1 a few times. HOWEVER.... she also peed on the couch (mostly on her silkies) and on my lap TWICE TODAY!! WHAT? She never does that. I don't know what is going on here. I'm almost thinking I should give it up completely until the boy is a few months old? But I have no idea.

Better picture

This is from my phone. I couldn't resist posting another picture! She had SO much fun with this and was really sad when they actually had to start playing and she had to get down! Also the drummer has 4 kids who were all there this weekend and Madeleine LOVED them. Especially the youngest one in second grade - she wanted to play with her the whole time and sit with her in Mass on Sunday.

Thrill of her weekend

I SO wish he was going to be here for St. Paddy's day....

LOVE these little pants :)

Getting ideas....

How cool would something like this be? I have never decorated a cake. Does anyone have any tips? Jenni H? Ken said he could get a great deal at the music store where he teaches guitar lessons and get her bongo drums for her birthday! I think she would LOVE it and we could have a drum cake too!!! I find it so funny that she loves drums so much! But it thrills me! It could be a passing phase or a lifelong hobby, whichever is fine with me - I just want her to do what she loves :)

Madeleine's birthday is coming up...

Wow, my little angel will be TWO in just a few weeks! I can't believe it, and at the same time it's much easier to deal with than when she was turning ONE and I cried for a month :) Plus it's weird to think that the NEXT month we will have a newborn again!! I don't think THAT has really sunk in yet....

She is really excited about her birthday, ever since her cousin Eli's birthday party a few weeks ago. She keeps saying "It's almost Madeleine's birthday! Say, 'Happy Birthday Madeleine!'"

So I'm thinking about a party. It's probably going to be pretty simple, but should we have it at our house? Mom's house? Something music themed? Somewhere kid friendly where I don't have to clean up the mess? :) We don't have a lot of money to spend, especially since I accidently backed into my mom's car yesterday and left a dent! But that is a whole different story....

I should probably get on this! Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Our great weekend in Durham

Madeleine and I had such a wonderful time this weekend with our friends in Durham!! They are the BEST hosts. They got a pack n play for Madeleine to sleep in so we wouldn't have to bring one. They cooked delicious meals for us and would entertain Madeleine while I finished eating. They took GREAT care of us. We enjoyed the amazing weather and played outside a lot! She enjoyed playing in the mud and we had to do a few loads of laundry! We went on a beautiful hike and I actually wore a short sleeved shirt outside for the first time in several months!

It was SO nice to be outside! In fact we had such a great time and enjoyed the company and weather so much that we decided to stay an extra day. These free standby plane tickets really come in handy!

She LOVED their dog and cat, and probably wore them completely out so they will sleep the rest of the week :) They have another cat too, but he was not a fan of the kiddo and we hardly saw him.

I stole this picture from my friend's blog - I just loved it . Madeleine was really really good this weekend! I was actually shocked how great she did. I was so nervous about travelling by myself with her but I would actually do it again! She had her moments but overall it was a good experience. She also took great naps and slept wonderfully at their house at night, even though she came down with a little cold toward the end of the trip.

We got to do some knitting, one of my favorite things! I got to teach my friend a few tricks and finished her scarf for her that she's been working on for a while :) We had such a relaxing weekend - watched a few movies, went to mass, hung out and just had a great time. They are such wonderful friends - we are praying they move closer one day!!

We had a rough last plane trip with a kid who was exhausted but refused to sleep! However as soon as she got in her stroller, THIS is what happened....

She was a trooper this weekend though. Thanks D and P for having us and for being such great hosts!

My little Drummer Girl

My girl LOVES to drum! She's been going to Music class for several months now and learning about rhythm, different beats, melodies, hearing harmonies, etc. She LOVES it. She loves it enough that we are sacrificing (money) to keep her going through at least one more session. I will post more on that later with more pictures. But she is CRAZY about drumming. She probably drums for at least an hour a day. It's the first thing she wants to do when she gets up. She sings all different songs and plays all different rhythms. I think she has some natural talent. This is the little drum my mom got for her for Christmas. Sorry about the "Just Woke Up" hair!

Ken taught her how to drum fast and slow, loud and soft. She practices ALL day. At music class she sometimes gets to play "real" drums and she is in heaven.

A few nights ago we went over to Sarah and Chris's house for dinner before band practice. As we were getting ready to leave, the drummer got there and started setting up. So she got to play an entire drumset and I'm not sure I've ever seen her so excited. She did NOT want to leave. She got to bed about an hour late that night and then drummed up in her crib for about another hour.

Honey, if that is what makes you happy, go for it! Luckily your Daddy knows something about drumming.

Ken even said there's a random tom that's been laying around the music store where he's taught guitar lessons for many years. He's going to see if we can get it for her birthday. I can't tell you how thrilled she would be.

Happy February!

According to my Ivillage updates, I'm 29 weeks today, and the baby weighs almost 3 lbs and is 13 inches long! No wonder it feels like he's about to kick me out of the chair I'm sitting in sometimes!

Also THIS line from the update really got me laughing:

He or she may be up all night and asleep all day, which is making rest tough for you! Don't worry, this doesn't guarantee that your baby will be a night owl after birth. He or she probably won't sleep through the night until about 6 weeks of age or so...

6 WEEKS!!!! SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT?? Where are these babies they're talking about???

I suppose I should go pretend to watch the superbowl....