I think that if someone pulled the blanket off me slowly, it would probably look something like the librarian in Monsters University.
Yup. That feels about right.
Monday, January 26, 2015
I Can Relate.
As I was laying down to take a nap, all snuggled up under my big poofy winter blankets, it occurred to me just how much they were covering up. Even though I feel absolutely huge, if you just looked at my head and arms poking out, I doubt that anyone could guess that I'm pregnant.
I think that if someone pulled the blanket off me slowly, it would probably look something like the librarian in Monsters University.
Yup. That feels about right.
I think that if someone pulled the blanket off me slowly, it would probably look something like the librarian in Monsters University.
Yup. That feels about right.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Edging Closer...
My doctor likes to do an ultrasound at 34 weeks to make sure the baby is head down, check my amniotic fluid levels, and-- since she's nice like that-- double check that any gender predictions are still looking accurate. So that's what we did last week and everything is looking good! Still female, plenty of fluid, head-down and ready for labor...
The only thing that worried me from the whole appointment was the weight guess-timate. Now, I've read the literature: ultrasound weight predictions can be off by as much as a pound, so I try really hard to not place too much stock in this. But still. My doctor guessed that this little baby girl was weighing in at about 7 lbs. As opposed to the Babycenter.com info which says your baby should weigh about 5 3/4 lbs at that point. Or, as my doctor put it, "That's no pipsqueak in there..."
Since Colton weighed in at a hefty 9 lb 14 oz, and my sister just had a 10 lb baby in August, I suddenly find myself reeeeeally hoping that this baby decides to come a bit early. A small baby would be so much easier to deliver!
I also spent a few minutes this week checking out a photographer's newborn photos (I'm hoping to do those again with this baby, since I loved Colton's portraits so much), and realizing that my baby was probably already the same size as all the babies I was looking at. Sigh.
Anyway, we're at 36 weeks and counting, and as of last Wednesday I was already dilated to a 2. Maybe just two more weeks and then she could come?
Please?
The only thing that worried me from the whole appointment was the weight guess-timate. Now, I've read the literature: ultrasound weight predictions can be off by as much as a pound, so I try really hard to not place too much stock in this. But still. My doctor guessed that this little baby girl was weighing in at about 7 lbs. As opposed to the Babycenter.com info which says your baby should weigh about 5 3/4 lbs at that point. Or, as my doctor put it, "That's no pipsqueak in there..."
Since Colton weighed in at a hefty 9 lb 14 oz, and my sister just had a 10 lb baby in August, I suddenly find myself reeeeeally hoping that this baby decides to come a bit early. A small baby would be so much easier to deliver!
I also spent a few minutes this week checking out a photographer's newborn photos (I'm hoping to do those again with this baby, since I loved Colton's portraits so much), and realizing that my baby was probably already the same size as all the babies I was looking at. Sigh.
Anyway, we're at 36 weeks and counting, and as of last Wednesday I was already dilated to a 2. Maybe just two more weeks and then she could come?
Please?
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| I'm sure this has nothing to do with my burgeoning figure, but Ryder has taken to stuffing blankies in his sleepies. It's quite the look... |
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Free Range Kids
I am not a helicopter parent. Sometimes that's something I'm proud of, and sometimes I'm a bit embarrassed by my laissez faire
approach to parenting. And-- like most things that matter tremendously
to me-- there are times when I seriously question whether or not I'm
doing it all wrong.
But deep down, I'm convinced that kids are meant to run free. Probably a lot more than we allow them to.
Do I let my kids run free? Heck, no. The best they can hope for is playing in the backyard unsupervised, or in our next-door-neighbor's yard when I'm puttering around the house and can keep checking on them through the window. But I want them to be able to run free eventually.
I grew up with 60 acres of woods behind my house, and the owner had told us he didn't mind a bit if we wandered back there, so it was pretty common for us to go on walks with our dog and just roam. There were trails everywhere, abandoned strawberry fields, a lake, a ravine... I don't think I went too awfully far without my Dad, and I'm sure I always had another sister or friend with me. But we certainly spent plenty of time back there, completely out of sight and earshot from my Mom. And it was fine.
Now here's the kicker: if I understand correctly, crime rates are actually lower now than ever before. And the vast majority of children who are kidnapped are usually taken by a relative (often in cases where the parents have divorced). So if anything, I should be less afraid of letting my kids out and about than my own mother was of letting me run free.
And for the most part, I am.
I'm pretty sure that if I let them walk home from school (especially Bentley and Kendra together!) they'd be just fine. They know to look both ways before crossing the street. Heck, the busiest scariest street they'd cross has a retired cop directing traffic and I'd trust my kids' lives with him in a heartbeat. And they've known the way home for years now. They wouldn't have any trouble walking home from school. And quite frankly, it would save me the interruption of packing up Ryder and Colton and getting them to the school so I can wait around until my kids come out and then turn around and head right back home again. Picking the kids up every day is kind of a big pain, it turns out.
So why don't I let them walk home? That's easy: I'm afraid that I would get in trouble. And articles like this tell me I'm right to worry-- we live in a society where people's "concern" manifests itself by reporting you to the authorities, not by actually helping you out or asking you if what you're doing is a good idea and letting you explain yourself. And once you have Child Protective Services involved, it often seems like your choices are limited to a) doing everything these government employees tell you to do or b) having your kids taken away from you. And that's really not much of a choice now, is it?
So my parenting choices are being made not by what I think is best for my children, but by what I'm afraid of getting in trouble for. Does anyone else think that this a terrible way to make decisions? How am I supposed to teach my children independence when the government doesn't even trust ME to make decisions for their well-being?
But deep down, I'm convinced that kids are meant to run free. Probably a lot more than we allow them to.
Do I let my kids run free? Heck, no. The best they can hope for is playing in the backyard unsupervised, or in our next-door-neighbor's yard when I'm puttering around the house and can keep checking on them through the window. But I want them to be able to run free eventually.
I grew up with 60 acres of woods behind my house, and the owner had told us he didn't mind a bit if we wandered back there, so it was pretty common for us to go on walks with our dog and just roam. There were trails everywhere, abandoned strawberry fields, a lake, a ravine... I don't think I went too awfully far without my Dad, and I'm sure I always had another sister or friend with me. But we certainly spent plenty of time back there, completely out of sight and earshot from my Mom. And it was fine.
Now here's the kicker: if I understand correctly, crime rates are actually lower now than ever before. And the vast majority of children who are kidnapped are usually taken by a relative (often in cases where the parents have divorced). So if anything, I should be less afraid of letting my kids out and about than my own mother was of letting me run free.
And for the most part, I am.
I'm pretty sure that if I let them walk home from school (especially Bentley and Kendra together!) they'd be just fine. They know to look both ways before crossing the street. Heck, the busiest scariest street they'd cross has a retired cop directing traffic and I'd trust my kids' lives with him in a heartbeat. And they've known the way home for years now. They wouldn't have any trouble walking home from school. And quite frankly, it would save me the interruption of packing up Ryder and Colton and getting them to the school so I can wait around until my kids come out and then turn around and head right back home again. Picking the kids up every day is kind of a big pain, it turns out.
So why don't I let them walk home? That's easy: I'm afraid that I would get in trouble. And articles like this tell me I'm right to worry-- we live in a society where people's "concern" manifests itself by reporting you to the authorities, not by actually helping you out or asking you if what you're doing is a good idea and letting you explain yourself. And once you have Child Protective Services involved, it often seems like your choices are limited to a) doing everything these government employees tell you to do or b) having your kids taken away from you. And that's really not much of a choice now, is it?
So my parenting choices are being made not by what I think is best for my children, but by what I'm afraid of getting in trouble for. Does anyone else think that this a terrible way to make decisions? How am I supposed to teach my children independence when the government doesn't even trust ME to make decisions for their well-being?
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Christmas Day
Christmas Eve was busy, but Craig had everything planned out perfectly. He'd already brined the turkey the day before, and then got as much prep work done on it as he could. And then he went to work on pies. He made a pumpkin pie, a chocolate caramel pecan pie, and an apple crumble. His Mom helped him the entire time, either reading the recipe off the computer or doing dishes along the way. And his Dad and Tracy played with the kids and kept them happy.
I wrapped up stuff that still hadn't been wrapped, including my Mom's present to Craig, a 10 x 10 pop-up shade for camping. I needed Tracy's help for that one-- it was a bit heavy for me to lift by myself. Because I was worried about Craig guessing it by its shape and size (and mass), I hid it in our downstairs shower and then sent Craig on a treasure hunt to find it. He's done that to me before, so he had it coming!
The day flew by and eventually it was time for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of take-out pizza. This is one of my favorite traditions ever-- we eat off paper plates and keep everything as simple as possible. My Grandma Bentley started this years ago and we just love it, since we never have time for a big meal with everything else going on, and pizza makes everybody happy!
After pizza, the kids took baths and we had our Christmas program. We were especially lucky this year to have Tracy with us, since she plays piano. She played any Christmas carol that was requested and we all sang along. Then we passed around scriptures and read Luke 2, and finally the kids got to open a present from my parents-- matching pajamas for them all to wear that night (they still haven't caught on that we do this every year-- maybe next year they'll figure it out?). We took pictures, put out eggnog and cookies for Santa (and carrots for the reindeer), and sent them to bed! And they were in bed right at 7pm and went to sleep almost immediately! What a successful day!
As soon as the kids were in bed, we went to work putting out all the presents from Grandma and Grandpa that had stayed safely stashed in their car. And Craig arranged them nicely so most of the tags were visible, too. The cookies were eaten and the carrots nibbled down. And then we went to bed! No-- just kidding. Then Craig made orange rolls for the next day's breakfast and we all hung out talking until I was about to fall asleep on the floor. THEN we went to bed.
I'll admit, I didn't sleep well. I get excited about Christmas, too, and once I had to get up at 6am to use the bathroom, I was wide awake. So I didn't mind a bit when the kids woke up at 6:45. We let them head downstairs and see the glow of the lights on all the presents and then with a quick reminder about taking turns and letting everyone see what you'd been given, we let them dig in...
Eventually we took a breakfast break and enjoyed Craig's orange rolls and Craig got the turkey in the oven while I made a ham in the crock pot. Then it was back to presents. Craig and his Mom did almost ALL of the work for dinner: Craig made the gravy, yams, mashed potatoes and turkey while his Mom, once again, cleaned up behind him and also made broccoli bake and carrots. They also set the table beautifully. My meager contribution was just the ham and arranging store-bought dinner rolls in a bowl to look nice. (Usually I make them, but we decided our kitchen wasn't quite big enough and I didn't have the energy, so those got scrapped this year. Some day I'll get back to actually making rolls on holidays!) Craig and his mom were working so hard in the kitchen that Tracy and I were able to take some of the kids to the park for a bit to enjoy the nice weather!
As the day drew to its close, Craig and I marveled at how good our kids had been all day. Certainly Christmas can bring on the meltdowns like few holidays can, so it was nice to realize that they'd gotten along really well, been grateful and gracious in their giving and receiving, and just been a pleasure to be with all day.
This may have been our most successful Christmas yet!
I wrapped up stuff that still hadn't been wrapped, including my Mom's present to Craig, a 10 x 10 pop-up shade for camping. I needed Tracy's help for that one-- it was a bit heavy for me to lift by myself. Because I was worried about Craig guessing it by its shape and size (and mass), I hid it in our downstairs shower and then sent Craig on a treasure hunt to find it. He's done that to me before, so he had it coming!
The day flew by and eventually it was time for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of take-out pizza. This is one of my favorite traditions ever-- we eat off paper plates and keep everything as simple as possible. My Grandma Bentley started this years ago and we just love it, since we never have time for a big meal with everything else going on, and pizza makes everybody happy!
After pizza, the kids took baths and we had our Christmas program. We were especially lucky this year to have Tracy with us, since she plays piano. She played any Christmas carol that was requested and we all sang along. Then we passed around scriptures and read Luke 2, and finally the kids got to open a present from my parents-- matching pajamas for them all to wear that night (they still haven't caught on that we do this every year-- maybe next year they'll figure it out?). We took pictures, put out eggnog and cookies for Santa (and carrots for the reindeer), and sent them to bed! And they were in bed right at 7pm and went to sleep almost immediately! What a successful day!
As soon as the kids were in bed, we went to work putting out all the presents from Grandma and Grandpa that had stayed safely stashed in their car. And Craig arranged them nicely so most of the tags were visible, too. The cookies were eaten and the carrots nibbled down. And then we went to bed! No-- just kidding. Then Craig made orange rolls for the next day's breakfast and we all hung out talking until I was about to fall asleep on the floor. THEN we went to bed.
I'll admit, I didn't sleep well. I get excited about Christmas, too, and once I had to get up at 6am to use the bathroom, I was wide awake. So I didn't mind a bit when the kids woke up at 6:45. We let them head downstairs and see the glow of the lights on all the presents and then with a quick reminder about taking turns and letting everyone see what you'd been given, we let them dig in...
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| So excited! (Colton slept a bit later and missed the grand beginning. I don't think he minded, though.) |
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| Rejoicing over a present she really wanted (a little ballerina necklace from her dance school) |
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| Cute Ryder modeling his new zipper tie (can you see it? It sort of blends in with his pajamas...) |
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| Ryder and Tracy sitting together |
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| This present looked just like a top hat! |
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| Bentley excited for his cool new car |
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| Ryder excited to join the Wild Kratts Team |
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| Colton eventually joined us, but he wasn't very interested in opening presents-- just in playing with things after they'd been opened! |
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| I'm such a glamor queen! Here I am "modeling" a new outfit for the baby. Look-- no spit up stains (yet)! |
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| Colton received this minion from one of his siblings and LOVED it |
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| It took all the kids to open this elaborately wrapped present from Craig... |
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| Bentley begins studying his new Minecraft book right away |
Eventually we took a breakfast break and enjoyed Craig's orange rolls and Craig got the turkey in the oven while I made a ham in the crock pot. Then it was back to presents. Craig and his Mom did almost ALL of the work for dinner: Craig made the gravy, yams, mashed potatoes and turkey while his Mom, once again, cleaned up behind him and also made broccoli bake and carrots. They also set the table beautifully. My meager contribution was just the ham and arranging store-bought dinner rolls in a bowl to look nice. (Usually I make them, but we decided our kitchen wasn't quite big enough and I didn't have the energy, so those got scrapped this year. Some day I'll get back to actually making rolls on holidays!) Craig and his mom were working so hard in the kitchen that Tracy and I were able to take some of the kids to the park for a bit to enjoy the nice weather!
As the day drew to its close, Craig and I marveled at how good our kids had been all day. Certainly Christmas can bring on the meltdowns like few holidays can, so it was nice to realize that they'd gotten along really well, been grateful and gracious in their giving and receiving, and just been a pleasure to be with all day.
This may have been our most successful Christmas yet!
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Pre-Christmas Celebrating
There's always so much going on at Christmas time that this year, Craig and I made a list of all the things we were interested in doing, so we could be sure to hit the things that mattered to us. That didn't make it any less crazy, but at least we felt like we were giving priority to what we actually wanted to do, and not just being pulled along every which way. And we managed to check everything off our list, so I thought we did pretty well! And yes, we took pictures of most of it, so here goes...
I already told you about getting to sing at the temple visitor's center. While I was inside for last-minute rehearsals, Craig and his parents took the kids all around to see the beautiful lights and nativity:
And of course, there was plenty of fun right at home:
We try to make it to the Kennedy Center's Messiah Sing-Along every year, it's one of our favorite DC traditions. This year, we thought Bentley and Kendra might be old enough to come along, too, so we asked if they wanted to. Bentley decided to stay home with Grandma and Grandpa, but Kendra was game. She enjoyed having some time with mommy and daddy all to herself (although I think she was a bit bored and tired by the time the concert actually started!). Despite the fact that we kept her up four hours past her bedtime, she was remarkably well behaved the entire night and we had a great time together!
My sister Leah and her family were also able to come and visit for a few days. This was especially wonderful because they were bringing their brand new baby who I had not yet met, so I was very excited to see this newest nephew of mine! We had a wonderful time, mostly sitting around holding the baby and watching the kids play together. Leah is a working gal, so it really was great to have so much time to spend just hanging out without her as busy as she usually is. Unfortunately, I ONLY managed to take any pictures of the baby. But trust me, Leah, Brian and Eliot (their 4-year-old) were all there, too!
And while they were visiting, Craig also had his annual baking extravaganza! He likes to make up goodie plates for his home teaching families, and I usually manage to finagle a few for our friends, too. He worked hard all day (and cleaned up as he went!) and ended up with some wonderful treats:
We also had our ward Christmas party. This year they actually had a dinner (instead of the awful breakfasts our bishopric kept insisting on holding) and it was a bit more kid friendly. I still wish we could have Santa at the party (what curmudgeon with grown kids decided he couldn't be included???), but whatever. It was a better party than we've had in recent years, so I really shouldn't complain...
And Bentley's scout pack (which is affiliated with the Catholic Church) also had a party-- with Santa!!!-- so that made me and the kids very happy. Why can't we be as much fun as the Catholics???
That's all the stuff I took pictures of! There was also lots of shopping and lots of eating. And lots of just enjoying the holidays and being together as a family.
Next up, the big day itself!
I already told you about getting to sing at the temple visitor's center. While I was inside for last-minute rehearsals, Craig and his parents took the kids all around to see the beautiful lights and nativity:
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| The camel is always a favorite at the temple's life-size nativity |
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| This was the best picture Craig could get of the whole gang. It pretty much sums us up... |
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| Ryder bringing Christmas cheer (the hat is actually Bentley's, so that made it WAY more attractive to Ryder) |
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| Kendra as Santa Lucia |
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| Colton playing with their nativity set. I got all excited when he held up Baby Jesus and said, "Beebee!" Then he held up the camel and said, "Beebee" again. Maybe next year...! |
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| Building a fort (ie, making a mess of my downstairs) |
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| Waiting in line for our tickets, and making connect-the-dot pictures |
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| Inside the Concert Hall |
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| If he likes napping on me, that makes me his favorite aunt, right? |
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| Nestled up against my big tummy |
And while they were visiting, Craig also had his annual baking extravaganza! He likes to make up goodie plates for his home teaching families, and I usually manage to finagle a few for our friends, too. He worked hard all day (and cleaned up as he went!) and ended up with some wonderful treats:
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| Salted caramel Rice Krispie treats, peppermint brownies, spritz cookies, and triple chunk cookies. Wow. |
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| Arranging plates to give to friends |
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| More of Theo napping (on me) (because he loves me) |
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| Ryder very soberly donned this whacky Santa headband |
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| Colton was more excited about getting a chance to wear it |
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| Keeping it classy here! |
And Bentley's scout pack (which is affiliated with the Catholic Church) also had a party-- with Santa!!!-- so that made me and the kids very happy. Why can't we be as much fun as the Catholics???
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| Playing with a stickers nativity |
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| Bentley tries to remember what he wanted to ask for for Christmas. (I think he asked for his own computer. This kid is a dreamer!) |
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| Ryder couldn't think of what to ask Santa for, but once his turn was done, he told me he wanted to ask for his own TV. Like that's ever gonna happen! |
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| We tried to throw Colton onto Santa's lap and the effect was instantaneous and hilarious: much screaming and trying to slide away in that way that only toddlers can manage. So I picked him up and jumped into the picture. At least I looked festive, too! |
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| Kendra's Christmas cookie |
Next up, the big day itself!
Thursday, January 8, 2015
That Lovely Third Trimester
I've got about 6 weeks left for this pregnancy, give or take. And while I have pretty easy pregnancies, there are still plenty of times where I certainly don't feel my best. So I figured I should document the downsides of pregnancy for me, even though this will doubtless be used against me by Craig the next time I get baby hungry. So here are the annoying pregnancy symptoms I experience:
-First of all, I'm huge. Seriously, I gain SO much weight EVERY single time. It's ridiculous. Every time I have some vague notion that this time will be different, but it's always the same fifty pounds every go-around. You know it's bad when your goal is to NOT go over 200 lbs... (With Colton it was especially disappointing because I started out in SUCH great shape, and I kept exercising until I was around 18 weeks, so I really thought this might be the time I pulled off a skinny pregnancy. Nope. Not only did I get just as fat as always, I never even lost the baby weight after him!)
-Heartburn. Sure, it's not exactly the end of the world, but when it wakes you up in the middle of the night, it's pretty gross. They say heartburn means your baby will have more hair, but clearly that hasn't work for Ryder or Colton. I'm not holding my breath for this one, either. The only plus side is that they make some pretty tasty Tums these days, but I still don't like chewing them up when I've just brushed my teeth-- blech.
-Braxton-Hicks contractions. These don't hurt at all, but they always stop me in my tracks and make me feel like I'm about to have an accident. Not a good feeling.
-Round ligament syndrome. I don't have it too bad, and if I sleep with a pillow between my knees it usually doesn't bother me at all. But it can be painful when it does hit.
-Breathlessness. This isn't a very big deal, but when I carry a laundry basket up the stairs while on the phone and realize that I am now panting into the receiver, it's a bit embarrassing. I want to holler, "I used to exercise! I used to be in great shape! Really!" But I'm breathing too heavy to bother...
-Getting up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. I managed to avoid this for most of my second trimester, which was both unusual and awesome. But as soon as I hit 30 weeks, I had to get up every three hours like clockwork. It gets tiring, not ever sleeping through the night.
-Messed up mucus membranes, so I can never breathe through my nose. This is getting old. What I would give to be able to NOT sleep with my mouth falling open!
-And related to the above, constant bloody noses. The winter weather exacerbates this, and it's not uncommon for me to have a couple bloody noses in a day. Charming, right? I had one that was really bad, and Ryder happened to wander into the room in the middle of it. He sat calmly watching me spout blood for a minute before announcing, "I'm going to get you a bucket." He's a good helper!
-And of course, it's just hard to move very much. When I first stand up after a long while of sitting or laying down, I'm all stiff for a moment and have to hobble around like I'm about 80 years old. Getting up off the ground is a bit of an ordeal. And trying to squat or kneel down to get the kids' shoes and socks on and stuff like that is just so. much. work. It doesn't help that they think it's fun to fight me and run away. If I were a meaner person, I'd just make them go outside barefoot. But in this weather, they'd probably lose a couple toes, so it's not really an option.
So there you go! I realize that compared to getting hemorrhoids or being put on bedrest, these are very minor things. But I'm still looking forward to the day when-- in addition to getting to meet my sweet new baby-- these won't be an issue. Six weeks and counting!
-First of all, I'm huge. Seriously, I gain SO much weight EVERY single time. It's ridiculous. Every time I have some vague notion that this time will be different, but it's always the same fifty pounds every go-around. You know it's bad when your goal is to NOT go over 200 lbs... (With Colton it was especially disappointing because I started out in SUCH great shape, and I kept exercising until I was around 18 weeks, so I really thought this might be the time I pulled off a skinny pregnancy. Nope. Not only did I get just as fat as always, I never even lost the baby weight after him!)
-Heartburn. Sure, it's not exactly the end of the world, but when it wakes you up in the middle of the night, it's pretty gross. They say heartburn means your baby will have more hair, but clearly that hasn't work for Ryder or Colton. I'm not holding my breath for this one, either. The only plus side is that they make some pretty tasty Tums these days, but I still don't like chewing them up when I've just brushed my teeth-- blech.
-Braxton-Hicks contractions. These don't hurt at all, but they always stop me in my tracks and make me feel like I'm about to have an accident. Not a good feeling.
-Round ligament syndrome. I don't have it too bad, and if I sleep with a pillow between my knees it usually doesn't bother me at all. But it can be painful when it does hit.
-Breathlessness. This isn't a very big deal, but when I carry a laundry basket up the stairs while on the phone and realize that I am now panting into the receiver, it's a bit embarrassing. I want to holler, "I used to exercise! I used to be in great shape! Really!" But I'm breathing too heavy to bother...
-Getting up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. I managed to avoid this for most of my second trimester, which was both unusual and awesome. But as soon as I hit 30 weeks, I had to get up every three hours like clockwork. It gets tiring, not ever sleeping through the night.
-Messed up mucus membranes, so I can never breathe through my nose. This is getting old. What I would give to be able to NOT sleep with my mouth falling open!
-And related to the above, constant bloody noses. The winter weather exacerbates this, and it's not uncommon for me to have a couple bloody noses in a day. Charming, right? I had one that was really bad, and Ryder happened to wander into the room in the middle of it. He sat calmly watching me spout blood for a minute before announcing, "I'm going to get you a bucket." He's a good helper!
-And of course, it's just hard to move very much. When I first stand up after a long while of sitting or laying down, I'm all stiff for a moment and have to hobble around like I'm about 80 years old. Getting up off the ground is a bit of an ordeal. And trying to squat or kneel down to get the kids' shoes and socks on and stuff like that is just so. much. work. It doesn't help that they think it's fun to fight me and run away. If I were a meaner person, I'd just make them go outside barefoot. But in this weather, they'd probably lose a couple toes, so it's not really an option.
So there you go! I realize that compared to getting hemorrhoids or being put on bedrest, these are very minor things. But I'm still looking forward to the day when-- in addition to getting to meet my sweet new baby-- these won't be an issue. Six weeks and counting!
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Appreciation
According to Weather.com, it is 25 degrees out right now, but with the windchill, it feels like 12. Awesome. If you know me at all, you know I hate being cold. Really, really, really hate it.
Which is why, today, I am very grateful for the many things Craig has done to this house to make it a little more weather-proof. The things I can think of are:
-He replaced the sliding glass door, which, when we bought the house, was hung so crookedly that when it was closed, there was an inch gap at the top. We stuffed a towel in it at the time, but that didn't help much... (2009)
-He put a heated floor in the master bathroom. I LOVE that floor. There are times when I want to just take a nap on it... (2009)
-He has replaced all but one of the windows (still left is the big one in the kitchen, but we're waiting until whenever we get around to re-doing the rest of the kitchen). When we moved in, all the windows were original to the house, and hence about 40 years old, and single-pane glass. Brrr! (2010-2011)
-When he re-did the entire downstairs, he peeled off all the horrible dark wood paneling, and discovered that the walls weren't insulated! So he built in the necessary 2 x 4s for infrastructure and then added insulation while he was doing all the other work that area required. (2010)
-He added insulation to both halves of the attic, and sealed off one entrance to the attic that led through our pantry where, every time you opened it in the winter, you would have cold air pouring down on you. (2013)
-He filled in the air vent over my cook top with foam, so that we didn't have a constant draft flowing through it. (He was reluctant to do this, until I pointed out that I NEVER turned on that fan for fear of bugs flying through it and landing in whatever food I was cooking. I figured if air could get through so easily, bugs probably could, too.) (2013)
If it weren't for these significant changes, you could probably find me wandering around the house wearing Craig's sweat pants, socks, slippers, with a bathrobe thrown over the entire outfit to really "finish" it. And I would be angry and grumpy and shivering. And possibly trying to invite myself over to your house to escape the cold. I'm pretty sure that's how I spent our first winter here, and that was a pretty mild winter! I have memories of dressing Kendra in two sleepers at night, because it was so chilly.
But as it is, I'm fine. Sure, the kitchen is still noticeably cooler than the rest of the house, but it doesn't feel like a refrigerator. I can even walk around barefoot and be okay (some of that might be my little baby-heater, too, but still!).
So yes, I am so grateful for all of Craig's hard work and how snug he has made our little home.
Rage on, Winter, we're just fine in here.
Now if only I didn't have to venture out to pick up the kids from school!
Which is why, today, I am very grateful for the many things Craig has done to this house to make it a little more weather-proof. The things I can think of are:
-He replaced the sliding glass door, which, when we bought the house, was hung so crookedly that when it was closed, there was an inch gap at the top. We stuffed a towel in it at the time, but that didn't help much... (2009)
-He put a heated floor in the master bathroom. I LOVE that floor. There are times when I want to just take a nap on it... (2009)
-He has replaced all but one of the windows (still left is the big one in the kitchen, but we're waiting until whenever we get around to re-doing the rest of the kitchen). When we moved in, all the windows were original to the house, and hence about 40 years old, and single-pane glass. Brrr! (2010-2011)
-When he re-did the entire downstairs, he peeled off all the horrible dark wood paneling, and discovered that the walls weren't insulated! So he built in the necessary 2 x 4s for infrastructure and then added insulation while he was doing all the other work that area required. (2010)
-He added insulation to both halves of the attic, and sealed off one entrance to the attic that led through our pantry where, every time you opened it in the winter, you would have cold air pouring down on you. (2013)
-He filled in the air vent over my cook top with foam, so that we didn't have a constant draft flowing through it. (He was reluctant to do this, until I pointed out that I NEVER turned on that fan for fear of bugs flying through it and landing in whatever food I was cooking. I figured if air could get through so easily, bugs probably could, too.) (2013)
If it weren't for these significant changes, you could probably find me wandering around the house wearing Craig's sweat pants, socks, slippers, with a bathrobe thrown over the entire outfit to really "finish" it. And I would be angry and grumpy and shivering. And possibly trying to invite myself over to your house to escape the cold. I'm pretty sure that's how I spent our first winter here, and that was a pretty mild winter! I have memories of dressing Kendra in two sleepers at night, because it was so chilly.
But as it is, I'm fine. Sure, the kitchen is still noticeably cooler than the rest of the house, but it doesn't feel like a refrigerator. I can even walk around barefoot and be okay (some of that might be my little baby-heater, too, but still!).
So yes, I am so grateful for all of Craig's hard work and how snug he has made our little home.
Rage on, Winter, we're just fine in here.
Now if only I didn't have to venture out to pick up the kids from school!
Thursday, January 1, 2015
So I Don't Lose it Again
A long time ago, when I only had two kids, one of my favorite blogs was The Apron Stage. I even got to be a guest blogger for them once, which was quite thrilling for me. Sadly, all the contributing members' lives went in different directions so they decided to end it. Three-quarters of their posts can still be found here, but for some reason all of Lisa's posts (and she wrote such brilliant posts!) have been taken down completely, never to be seen by me again.
Anyway, in a fit of missing these wonderful ladies, I just recently went back and have been reading their old posts. And I came across this painting, called Red Starry Night, which was done by regular contributing writer Sarah Olson's roommate Jeanette. I don't know anything else about her or her painting, but I remember seeing it for the first time and loving it. And so when I came across it again (after days of slowly scrolling down through the archives), I copied and pasted it here before I even thought about it. I would love to give full credit to the very talented Jeanette, but I'm afraid for now that this is the best I can do.
Some day, I need to take a painting class. Isn't this wonderful?
Anyway, in a fit of missing these wonderful ladies, I just recently went back and have been reading their old posts. And I came across this painting, called Red Starry Night, which was done by regular contributing writer Sarah Olson's roommate Jeanette. I don't know anything else about her or her painting, but I remember seeing it for the first time and loving it. And so when I came across it again (after days of slowly scrolling down through the archives), I copied and pasted it here before I even thought about it. I would love to give full credit to the very talented Jeanette, but I'm afraid for now that this is the best I can do.
Some day, I need to take a painting class. Isn't this wonderful?
Pre-Nesting
Sorry for that little break-- I hate it when I keep checking a private blog and they never post anything but you keep checking just in case! So I didn't mean to do that to you.
We've been busy with all the holiday stuff, just like I'm sure you've been, but that's not the reason I've been absentee. Actually, my excuse is lamer than that! For Christmas, my Mom and Craig put together a book of all my blog posts from the year (which I LOVE-- I love having a hard copy of everything I've written and all the pictures I've posted), but once I knew Craig had ordered my book (this is the third time they'd done this, so he didn't even try to surprise me), I hated to write anything more for fear it would get left off of next year's book. So I've been waiting for the new year to begin before I wrote any more.
But then Craig assured me that he was quite capable of including all my posts in the next book. So it turns out I've been silent for nothing.
And now that I'm back, I hardly know where to begin. I really ought to tell you all about Christmas, but my mind is already on other things (baby things), so I think I'll get that out of my system for now and go back and re-live Christmas in a day or two. Okay with you? (Like you really have any say in what I post-- but isn't it nice of me to pretend?)
So, yes, pretty much I woke up the day after Christmas in full-out Baby Prep Mode. I've been pretty chill about it all during this pregnancy-- I've worried about where to put everyone and how to make our little house work with all these little kids. But it's all been a mental exercise, pretty much no physical effort had gone into this.
And I wasn't too worried about that fact. Babies don't take up a whole lot of room when they're first born, and mine are usually pretty happy in a swing or their baby carrier for the first several months, so I figured we could probably put off rearranging furniture and bedrooms until maybe April, or possibly even May.
But on the 26th, several facts hit me like a sledgehammer:
1) While babies don't need a lot of space at home, it's also really hard to do things like trips to IKEA with babies who need to eat every two or three hours. It's much easier to do these kinds of chores pregnant than with a baby.
2) It's going to be hard enough to fit a bunk bed into the van with our four children. Throw a 5th kid into the mix and it might not be possible any more.
3) Also, there's a lot to be said for getting everyone used to their new sleeping arrangements before the baby comes, rather than after. Heaven knows I get woken up plenty at night without having to deal with a new baby and new beds for everyone at the same time.
4) Craig is home for the week, with no stake meetings and no major projects going on. It would be a shame to squander such an opportunity.
5) We have oodles of new toys that we now need to find places to stow. It makes a lot more sense to figure out where all the big new furniture we'll be getting goes, and then fill in the cracks with the new toys, rather than find places for the new toys and then try to make room for large furniture. Amiright?
6) Also, I already mentioned that babies don't need a whole lot of space. But all their clothing and blankets do need some space. And there wasn't really anywhere to put those things at the moment. So we needed more drawer and closet space somewhere. And preferably somewhere that wouldn't occasionally be rendered difficult-to-access by Colton's nap schedule.
So with all those thoughts in my mind, I decided we may as well go full steam ahead. So we made a list of all the things we needed to get done this week and began checking them off. We took the van in to have the brakes and power steering looked at (both of which have been squeaking, but turned out to be fine AND the mechanic didn't charge us for cleaning them-- if anyone would like the number of an honest mechanic in Manassas, let me know!). We figured out new cell phone plans. We went to IKEA and bought bunk beds, which Craig had set up before dinner time. We also got a dresser, because I have this fantasy about having furniture that actually matches. We got a mattress from Costco. And next on the list is to take apart the upstairs bunk beds so Colton can learn to sleep on a big boy bed without me having to worry about him falling 6 feet to his demise (or at the very least a very nasty bump on his head).
And then whenever that's all done, we'll figure out who's going to sleep in which room and start moving clothing and possessions to those respective rooms, and hopefully find places for all those new toys while we're at it.
And then-- THEN!-- I will start getting out and sorting and washing all the baby girl clothes I've been saving since Kendra outgrew them nearly seven years ago. And then I will truly be nesting.
Happy New Year, everyone. It's good to be back!
We've been busy with all the holiday stuff, just like I'm sure you've been, but that's not the reason I've been absentee. Actually, my excuse is lamer than that! For Christmas, my Mom and Craig put together a book of all my blog posts from the year (which I LOVE-- I love having a hard copy of everything I've written and all the pictures I've posted), but once I knew Craig had ordered my book (this is the third time they'd done this, so he didn't even try to surprise me), I hated to write anything more for fear it would get left off of next year's book. So I've been waiting for the new year to begin before I wrote any more.
But then Craig assured me that he was quite capable of including all my posts in the next book. So it turns out I've been silent for nothing.
And now that I'm back, I hardly know where to begin. I really ought to tell you all about Christmas, but my mind is already on other things (baby things), so I think I'll get that out of my system for now and go back and re-live Christmas in a day or two. Okay with you? (Like you really have any say in what I post-- but isn't it nice of me to pretend?)
So, yes, pretty much I woke up the day after Christmas in full-out Baby Prep Mode. I've been pretty chill about it all during this pregnancy-- I've worried about where to put everyone and how to make our little house work with all these little kids. But it's all been a mental exercise, pretty much no physical effort had gone into this.
And I wasn't too worried about that fact. Babies don't take up a whole lot of room when they're first born, and mine are usually pretty happy in a swing or their baby carrier for the first several months, so I figured we could probably put off rearranging furniture and bedrooms until maybe April, or possibly even May.
But on the 26th, several facts hit me like a sledgehammer:
1) While babies don't need a lot of space at home, it's also really hard to do things like trips to IKEA with babies who need to eat every two or three hours. It's much easier to do these kinds of chores pregnant than with a baby.
2) It's going to be hard enough to fit a bunk bed into the van with our four children. Throw a 5th kid into the mix and it might not be possible any more.
3) Also, there's a lot to be said for getting everyone used to their new sleeping arrangements before the baby comes, rather than after. Heaven knows I get woken up plenty at night without having to deal with a new baby and new beds for everyone at the same time.
4) Craig is home for the week, with no stake meetings and no major projects going on. It would be a shame to squander such an opportunity.
5) We have oodles of new toys that we now need to find places to stow. It makes a lot more sense to figure out where all the big new furniture we'll be getting goes, and then fill in the cracks with the new toys, rather than find places for the new toys and then try to make room for large furniture. Amiright?
6) Also, I already mentioned that babies don't need a whole lot of space. But all their clothing and blankets do need some space. And there wasn't really anywhere to put those things at the moment. So we needed more drawer and closet space somewhere. And preferably somewhere that wouldn't occasionally be rendered difficult-to-access by Colton's nap schedule.
So with all those thoughts in my mind, I decided we may as well go full steam ahead. So we made a list of all the things we needed to get done this week and began checking them off. We took the van in to have the brakes and power steering looked at (both of which have been squeaking, but turned out to be fine AND the mechanic didn't charge us for cleaning them-- if anyone would like the number of an honest mechanic in Manassas, let me know!). We figured out new cell phone plans. We went to IKEA and bought bunk beds, which Craig had set up before dinner time. We also got a dresser, because I have this fantasy about having furniture that actually matches. We got a mattress from Costco. And next on the list is to take apart the upstairs bunk beds so Colton can learn to sleep on a big boy bed without me having to worry about him falling 6 feet to his demise (or at the very least a very nasty bump on his head).
And then whenever that's all done, we'll figure out who's going to sleep in which room and start moving clothing and possessions to those respective rooms, and hopefully find places for all those new toys while we're at it.
And then-- THEN!-- I will start getting out and sorting and washing all the baby girl clothes I've been saving since Kendra outgrew them nearly seven years ago. And then I will truly be nesting.
Happy New Year, everyone. It's good to be back!
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