5 Years Old

A 5th Birthday party has come and gone...I'm not sure how that happened. I was just putting P to sleep in his crib yesterday. He was patting my back as I swayed and sang to him, "Hush, Little Baby..."

I can't believe how fast time flies although P has been wanting to be 5 since his 4th Birthday. We all had a great time at the party and he got some wonderful gifts! His loot included a bike, scooter, and 4 water guns! You'd never know that he turned 5 in December...in the midwest, ha! :) He's ridden his wheels around in the garage so far...because the wind was unbearable. I'm thinking we still have some cold days outside ahead of us, watching while he rides up and down the street. Here's a sampling of the fun to be had:

P with his fantastic Lego Fire truck! (Thanks Josh & Sarah!)

His "cheese" face looks like he's in pain, ha! I promise...he really IS excited about all his great gifts!

P with his waterguns!


Love this Lite Brite from my Sister & family...We had these as kids, so much fun!

The first picture we did was of a Birthday cake with 5 candles...how perfect! :) Joel and I got him the Space Shuttle in the background that makes sounds...Fisher Price has some fun toys!

P's scooter from Joel's parents. So much fun!


M wasn't sure what to think of all the excitement.


She seems to like it. :)


Here's a short clip of him on "the bike"...

That Time of Year

With our most recent family photos...I am ready to begin thinking about designing some Christmas cards! With new pics and the fact that Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly I'm really excited to order my photo cards.

Shutterfly has some super cute cards to choose from! I love this one. Here's a super cute Flat Photo Card design. They also have Thanksgiving card designs! I love the idea of sending out a "thankful" card like this one. Have any of you ever sent a Thanksgiving card? Or received one? I never have...but what a great concept!!

Sometimes it's just good to reflect on the things we have to be thankful for. Of course I'm thankful for my kiddos...I post pictures of them all the time. But, there's more that I'm thankful for...


I'm thankful for Joel. He is my best friend and puts up with my...craziness. He is a great Daddy and I love that I can tell him anything.


I'm so thankful for these girls. :) My Momma and Sister are invaluable to me. They are sources of laughter and encouragement. The Lord knew I needed some incredible women in my life to lean on...I'm so thankful He put me into the family He did!! They are blessings. Pure & Simple.

I'm also thankful for great friends. (You know who you are.) :)

Mostly, I'm thankful for a Loving, Heavenly Father who cared enough about me that He sent His only Son to take the punishment on the cross...for MY sins!!! I'm thankful that I have a relationship with my Father. That He saved me out of the darkness...and promises me a life with Him in eternity.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

THAT is reason to be thankful! This time of year especially causes me to come to grips with the most valuable things in life. And...I've heard it said before that "the most valuable things in life aren't THINGS".

Life in Pictures

Here's some picture evidence of what we've been up to. I finally took the "effort" to get the photos off my camera. Yes...it took all of oh--5 minutes. Sometimes I wonder why I put some of the "simplest" things off! :)


We've tried rice cereal! M doesn't really seem to mind it...but I think we'll wait a while longer before we make it a regular thing around here. I make it so "soupy" for her and she makes pretty funny faces at it sometimes. It still is a different taste/texture than what she's used to. This last time I fed it to her, most of it ended up sliding right back out the side of her mouth, so...I think we'll wait until she's just after 5 months old and then try it again!

(photo by P)


We love snuggling! P must give his Sister hugs and kisses every single day. :) She adores him. When he kisses her or talks to her and tells her stories, she smiles or giggles. I love the first baby giggles. What a priceless sound!!


Our little superhero. Sure...his costume was a little big this year. I wanted it to last longer than just for the costume party, so he could wear it for playing in. I thought it was pretty hilarious that as soon as I put it on him, for the costume party that he ran around the living room lifting his desk chair, or the laundry basket...whatever he could find that looked heavy...and then he'd throw it down. I put an end to his heroic actions before someone got hurt but he was sure his costume made him instantly strong!




Last but not least--lots of smiling! My baby girl is growing bigger and getting cuter every day! Of course...I'm not partial at all. But I think she's a doll! :)

Highlights

So...It's been a while. A month. Yikes! Time for an update! :)

Joel has been working most weekends with my Brother-in-Law. He has taken some time off...and we've made some good memories. Went to the pumpkin patch one weekend. This past weekend we attended a friends' costume-party...I was Olive Oyl, Joel was Popeye, and M was Sweet Pea. P was Superman. Sometimes I wish my biggest problem in life was deciding what Superhero I wanted to be when I grow up! P's rational: "Buzz Lightyear has a laser, but Ironman can FLY!" Ah, yes...the dilema! ;o)

We also had family pictures taken. Here's a sampling:











LOVE this one of my Sister & her man kissing in the background...Three kids later, the romance is still alive. :)

Sitting Pretty

Look who's sitting in a Bumbo now!

Okay, she's usually leaning dramatically to one side...or rests her head on the side of the Bumbo, but still! She's getting stronger. I love her so much. This baby is such a joy...now that she's done with the first two months of her life. ;o) Joel called her a "cry machine" at one point, and I'd have to agree. She was struggling over something, that's for sure! She's mostly happy now (when we're at home!) Going out is somewhat of a different story. This girl likes her routine!

Two Little Blessings

Sometimes I think that I am blessed beyond belief.




And then I realize...It's true. :) These two little people make me one blessed Momma.


Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. - James 1:17

Our 2-Day Vacation

This past weekend, we took a trip. Not a long trip...but I'm calling it a vacation nonetheless. :) We went to Kansas City where we shopped and ate at the Crown Center and stayed in a pretty nice hotel inside the Crown Center. Joel took P down to the pool. They had a blast. We ate supper at a place Joel and I dined on our honeymoon.

We wanted to do more fun things in the KC area on Saturday, but M was ready to go home. She'd had enough of all the fun. Since she was non-consolable, we decided to just head home. We did stop in St. Jo on the way back and toured the Pony Express Museum. I went with my family as a child and somewhere there is a photo of my Sister and I in front of the Pony Express stable door. I had to get a pic of the kids in front of that same door. P cooperated for only one pic...He doesn't like to be STILL very much. That's also why he's blurry in our family pic next to the waterfall in our hotel's lobby. Oh well, at least I got some pictures.

I'm cleaning the house today because I turn the big 3-0 tomorrow, and I just want a clean house for my B-Day. P thinks there must be someone coming over for a party, ha! He's been encouraging me to work faster by setting the timer while I folded laundry. So helpful.

I told Joel that I remember as a kid, thinking that 30 was SO old!! He assured me that it's because it IS old. Oh well, I'm thinking that alot of milestones occurred in my 20's...graduating from college, getting married, making new friends, buying a house, selling a house, buying another house, having 2 babies (and 1 in Heaven)...I'm excited to see what my 30's will hold. At least, that's what I'm telling myself. Really...age is just a number, right?

Zoo Day

Last Friday my Sister and I took our kids to the Zoo. I love spending time with my Sister and of course the kids had a fun time. One of her twins (age 6) has both of his legs casted due to surgery on his tendons. He was in a stroller for the day. We also had M to push and my Sister's son (20 months.) At one point I was wearing M in the baby carrier and pushing the double stroller...wow--what a workout! :) We spent 4 hours at the Zoo and I think we were successful at wearing the kids (and ourselves) out!



The stroller crew! M is in the back of the double stroller.


My beautiful Sis and her twins.


P talked about "the web" nearly the entire time we were at the Zoo. Unfortunately, it was one of the last things we did. :) He loves it!

Simply Irresistible

There is something about my big, strong husband...holding my sweet, tiny baby...that just about takes my breath away.

This Tickles my Funny Bone

Time to Shred

Okay. I decided that I will again begin to do The 30 Day Shred...

Yesterday we went on a walk. P rode his trike and I pushed M in the stroller. P LOVES to go down the hills. I keep yelling at him to slow down! I make him wear a helmet. But still, we have a very hilly neighborhood and those hills make me nervous! Yesterday's walk became much longer than our normal route because P ignored me yelling at him to "STOP!" and instead he went all the way down a very long hill...(i.e. the fun part) Uphill...was not so fun for him. He had a major attitude and it was pretty hot out. I ended up pushing him, and Mckenzie up the hill at the same time. What a workout! I was thinking as I was pushing my 4 year old on his trike and my baby in her stroller, TOGETHER at the same time--up a steep hill, that Jillian Michaels has nothing on me, ha!!

But...it is time. Time to get in shape. Time to shed 20 pounds. Time to get yelled at again by Jillian. She's great inspiration though...While I'm doing the punches-I like to pretend I'm punching her. Not that I'm a violent person--but really. It just helps. :)

Prestonisms

P is my daily entertainment. He makes me laugh, and before I forget...here are some of the things that he's been coming up with lately:

The other day at lunch, he told me that he wanted to wrap me up, put me in a box, and sell me to the Postman. Sweet kid.

One Sunday evening in church, he turned to me and said, "I just ran out of air!" Wow, I hate it when that happens! :)

He can't say "Pringles" for some reason...So he asks for Sprinkle chips at lunch. I think Sprinkle chips sound much more fun than Pringles, ha!

And lastly, when I asked him what he wanted to eat for lunch the other day, he said, "Macaroni & cheese, a grilled cheese sandwich, and caffeine." Hmm...Okay. He settled for a grilled cheese sandwich, barbeque chips, and Gatorade.

My "colicky" baby is smiling alot more these days. She is such a joy, and I am [so very] thankful that some of her fussiness seems to be subsiding.

Here's a picture of her, wearing the sweet little tutu dress that my good friend T gave to her.

Big Smile

Few things melt my heart more than this toothless grin. I love it!!!

Book List

I'm reading the book Real Food and along with that, we have been making some food changes at our house. I'm enjoying reading about how we need to get back to the "traditional" way of eating. It just makes sense. The author uses alot of references to evolution in her book (which I disregard) but she KNOWS her stuff when it comes to food.

I'm also reading So Long, Insecurity. LOVE this book! It's refreshing and challenging for me at the same time. Beth Moore has a way of putting things, where I just want to smack myself on the head and say, "Duh, Jen!" =)

Joel and I are also reading Amazing Love together. Wow!! It has really made me stop and think about my Amazing Creator that loves me So. Much. This book has been a terrific challenge so far. I look forward to reading more.

So, what are you reading??

For my Mom

We are slow to get pictures printed out...In fact, I have about 4+ years to print. I guess that's one drawback with a digital camera...it's so easy to upload pics to the computer and then never do anything with them!

This pic is for my Mom...who has yet to see a photo of her actually holding her Granddaughter. :) I know that M will love her Grandparents!

Sibling Love

For the most part, P really loves being a big brother. Of course, he's pinched her a couple times...and plugged her nose once while she had her pacifier in (yeesh!) but overall, he's been sweet to her. He likes to hold her and talk 'baby-talk' to her. I'm thinking I should record that and play it back to him when he's 16 or so, ha!

And the Crying Continues

There has been a lot of crying the past couple weeks. Our poor baby assumably has colic...although I've read that for it to be true colic, it has to last for 3 weeks. Maybe it won't last that long. Maybe we'll figure out what is upsetting her. So far, I've determined that spaghetti sauce and peppers & onions are NOT her friend. Some of her problem seems to be from gas pains...so that's why I keep trying to figure out what foods are causing her pain.

The next issue may be my eating dairy. I've cut out milk. It's rice milk or almond milk on cereal for me...but I have not eliminated dairy completely. I crave it. I love milk, ice cream, butter, etc. But, if it's causing M pain-I'll cut it out. It will be hard to go dairy free, especially if she has a cow's milk allergy...because that will mean cutting out all milk proteins, casein, etc. And that is a LOT that I cannot have. How do you eat anything when you go completely dairy free?? Our pediatrician said it would be early for her to be evidencing signs of a cow's milk allergy (especially when this all started, just after she turned 1-week-old) but I may take a diaper in for them to analyze this week. They'll look at it under a microscope. If it's a cow's milk allergy, there will be blood in her stool!

Either way, I have to figure out how to get less of this...


...and more of this!

Isn't this bow fantastic?! I love it. A sweet friend gave it to M as a gift. She got it at PinkBowtique.com. So fun!

P-Man Plays T-Ball

On Saturday Mr. P played in his first game. The previous TWO games had been rained out. It's been a rainy season, for sure! He was pouty at first, because he didn't know how to play. I explained that nobody really knew HOW to play and that's the reason we were there, to LEARN...He got into the game and seemed to have alot of fun. Plus, the kiddos get snacks afterwards. It's really a win-win.

I realize that the teams consist of 3 and 4 year olds...but, it's curious to me how they play the game. After a kid hits the ball, several balls are thrown out onto the field, so many kids (instead of just one) get to "field" the ball and throw it in the general direction of 1st base. I didn't know that these kids would be so entertaining to watch. :)

Here's a photo of P in action:


And here's what his sister did all through the game:

Photo Album

Joel put together another album. I loved looking through the pics, and can't believe it was just a week ago tomorrow that M was born! We all love the fact that we can finally hold and snuggle her. And P is THRILLED to finally be a big brother. He's also pretty happy that he's gotten some gifts from visitors that have stopped to see the baby, ha!!

http://www.creativeschmidts.com/mckenzie/

So Thankful

We're home with our baby girl. The last couple days have been a whirlwind of events, which culminated with us checking into the hospital at 9am Friday morning, and having our sweet baby at 10:01 am! :) We are overjoyed at her arrival. The Lord did such a perfect job of preparing the way for us. We 'happened' to be at my Sister's house the night before she was born. Knowing that my contractions were in full swing (but still 10-14 minutes apart)...we left P at my parents for the night. The next morning, after we had gotten some sleep...okay, Joel got more than I did...;o) we called the doula. I had been waiting for the right 'pattern' of contractions before calling my midwife. They needed to be 4 minutes apart, lasting for a minute each, for at least an hour...Yet-that never happened. Before I knew it, the contractions were 3-5 minutes apart, and pretty painful. I still thought they were maybe just Braxton Hicks. Joel got dressed for work. The doula called back. We talked to the midwife group. It was time to go to the hospital.

I still wondered on the way there if this was really it. I was pretty sure they were going to check me and send me home. False alarm. Those crazy Braxton Hicks. I had another pretty painful one in the parking lot. Got checked in and to my room. I was at 7 centimeters. Relieved and glad to know this was the "real deal". :) I got the I.V. antibiotics for my Strep B infection. Then, they put the j-tube on my I.V. and I was free to move about. Joel helped me through another very painful contraction. I wanted to jump in the jetted tub. It was almost ready...I got in-for about 4 minutes. So soothing. Then suddenly, I was ready to push! The midwife helped me out and to the bed. About 20 minutes later, Mckenzie Sharon was born. Her cry was one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard. P is excited about his baby sister, but probably a little bit even MORE excited, to be spending another night with his Grandparents. :)

Meanwhile, we're enjoying being home. And M is taking a nap. She seems to be worn out from the past couple days. Or maybe just from her lack of sleep last NIGHT. Hmm. I do not want to take the intoxicating scent of newborn for granted. I will scoop her up and cuddle her and kiss her sweet head, all the while remembering that they grow so fast. And I need to take the time...to be thankful.



For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. -Jeremiah 29:11

Baby Girl Room!

Joel got our baby girl's valance hung last night. I ordered the lamp and the valance off Ebay. Since we chose to reuse P's old bedding...I was excited that I could 'girlify' the room and coordinate with his bedding. I think it works!

We (okay, Joel mainly) painted two walls 'Eastern Sky' and left the other walls the mint green. I also love the way the colors go with the bedding. Okay, enough explaining. Here's a few pictures...(If you click on the collage it will get bigger, so you can actually read the words.)

You Know What's Funny?

P's favorite game these days is asking me, "You know what's funny?" To which I respond..."What?"

Within the past 5 minutes there have been some doozies, but here were the first two:

P: Mom, you know what's funny?

Me: What?

P: A band-aid on your eye. (He then laughs his maniac little laugh.)

P again: You know what's funny?

Me: What?

P: A cow wearing sunglasses. (More laughing hysterically.)

Most of his 'funny stories' make me smile. Some are just plain weird. Either way, I'm going to give him this, the kid is creative. :)

I've been feeling a bit better, hooray!! And after making no progress in dilating for 3 weeks in a row now...I'm thinking this little girl just may hang out until her due date. Just because the midwives thought I'd go early (based on P being so early and the fact that I seemed to be progressing so early) doesn't mean I will. Every morning that I wake up though, I am amazed that I'm still pregnant, ha!! She'll come in God's perfect time though. I do know that I am ready to snuggle her.

Her hospital bag is packed with not one...but FOUR outfits. Excessive? I think not. I'm not sure how nice it will be when we head home, or the time of day, or exactly how big she'll be. So I've packed a couple of 0-3 month outfits, some newborn jammies, and a c-u-t-e little summer newborn outfit. At least we'll have options. :)

That Cruddy Feeling

That yucky feeling continues. I'm ready to hold this baby girl in my arms. And for my stomach to feel better. :)

Today I was putting P down for nap, and I asked him if he had to go potty. Of course, he didn't. So I asked him when he last went. He replied, "Saturday." Needless to say, I made him go.

We had a nice weekend. Although it could have been more 'action packed' for me. :) Yesterday I was feeling pretty awful again, so Joel ended up taking P to his parents' house for a cookout. I enjoyed peace and quiet, but it's not exactly blissful while lying on the couch feeling like a seasick sailor. Is it normal to feel this yucky at the end? Switching vitamins really didn't seem to help.

We may be having some severe weather here tonight. I was planing on going to a baby shower for a girl at church, so I guess I'll wait and see if it's hailing or not. That could make my decision for me. :)

No Real News

I had another appointment today and hadn't made any real progress since last week. I've been feeling so crampy and yucky the past couple weeks though, so I asked the midwife about this. She suggested it could be my vitamin, which ironically enough I switched to a new brand a couple of weeks ago. So, I'm going to steer clear of the prenatal vitamins I'm currently on and start some she gave me in a couple of days, to see if that helps. I'll try about anything at this point! :)

The baby is still a bit posterior. So, hopefully she turns...Other than that, we're waiting. Getting excited to meet our daughter!

Progress

Well, the midwife said I'm 90% effaced and dilated to 3 centimeters. At least I know that the pain and pressure I've been feeling the past few days has not been for nothing. :)

She said it could be sometime in the next couple weeks...which we kind of suspected. It would be nice if she could give me a date & time though, ha!!

It's a rainy, dreary day here. I've been dusting the top of my kitchen cupboards, doing dishes, cleaning the bathroom...you know, stuff that MUST be done before this baby comes. :) P and I have played with Play-Doh and he's watched some PBS and played. Poor kid just wants to 'go somewhere'. He suggested Target. That child does know my weakness! But, for now...we're staying home, getting cleaning done & will find some more fun indoor things to do. :)

The Waiting Game

My last appointment went well. The ultrasound showed the placenta had moved up to where it's supposed to be, yay! However, from the measurement they gave me, I'm 50% effaced. I guess that doesn't mean too much-it could still be a while. While the midwife thinks I'll make it farther than I did with P (which would be this weekend!) she also talked like it's definitely an indicator and my body may just be saying that it's done. I'll be 36 weeks on Friday...and will be glad to at least make it to that point. I have another appointment tomorrow, so am curious to see if I've progressed more or not!

I've been feeling yucky. For the past...week and a half. Not sure what is going on-if my body is getting ready or what, but this crampy, icky feeling can go AWAY as far as I'm concerned! Last night was the longest I've had in a long time...Up almost every hour...couldn't get comfortable. Baby girl was doing karate! She'd be kicking like crazy on the side I was lying on, so I'd switch sides...and then she'd switch over to the opposite side! Joel is pretty worried about her level of feistiness. ;o) I NEVER felt P move this much, so it will be interesting to see what this one is like!

Yesterday I was pouring over the baby book again. For several months now, we keep going back to the same name. We both like it...the sound of it, the spiritual meaning, etc. But-I want to be sure...so I was perusing said baby book. Mr. P didn't like any of the name suggestions I was throwing out. He'd say, "That sounds weird..." Okay, so finally I asked him what we should name her. His first answer was of course, "Baby Sister". He said that it's fun to say! :) Well, sure...but I explained that other people need a name to call her too. Everyone can't call her Baby Sister, because she's your baby sister! So then he offered a more 'reasonable' suggestion. He said we should name her Pillow Fight. Hmm...While I did get a good laugh out of it, and sure...it would be UNIQUE, I don't think that's going to fly. :)

Pics from this past Summer

Joel made a photo album site for our family. Once the baby is here, he wants to put more pictures up. :) Here's the link and some photos to start: (Some of them are scary Jen pics and were not approved by me before hand...) I feel like I needed to add that disclaimer, ha!

http://jschmitty.jalbum.net/Lake Cunningham 2009/

Tomorrow...

We get to see our little girl in the morning! Okay...just on the ultrasound, but it's still exciting for me. It's been a while since we've gotten to take a look! :) I have an ultrasound at 8:30 to make sure that the placenta moved up to where it's supposed to be. It was low-lying at my 20 week scan, so they just want to be sure!

Makes it seem more 'real' when I looked at my pregnancy ticker on the right sidebar, and it said '35 days left'. Wow. That's IF I go the full 40 weeks. Mr. P was born at 36 weeks. To the day. My water broke during the night, and he was born 10 hours later. I keep thinking it could be ANY time now. Really...if I go the full 40 (or longer!) I think I'll be a mental case. ;o) It's hard to keep the balance of trying to be 'ready' now...but realizing we may have to wait another month before we meet our little girl. Time will tell!

P has been so sweet to me. Even at the age of 4...he knows some changes are about to happen. He was asking last night what we'd do with "Baby Sister" when we go to MOPS or music class. He thought maybe Daddy could watch her when we have to go to MOPS. ;o) I told him that we'd take her with, she'd just be in a different room...with the babies. When we got home from church last night, he told me he wanted to get me a blanket and a massage. Ha! And he did. I laid on the couch for a bit and he covered me up and massaged my tummy with a Bath & Body Works roller-ball massage thing that we have. It was fun because his little sister was kicking, and he thought it was because of the 'massage'. He makes me laugh and is very ready to be a big brother. These are the things I don't want to ever forget. Especially when he's 14 and she's 10 and they're fighting like cats and dogs. :)

Totally Squirrely

Good memories...I found this video tonight:

My Grandma Wiese had this Ray Stevens record, and I remember being at her house and playing this song over and over, laughing all through it. Not sure why, but it still cracks me up. :)

My good friend Tiffany and I are getting pedicures tomorrow (hooray!) and then taking the kiddos to lunch. I also get to meet the doula who will be with us for our little girl's birth. She's going to have me watch a video to help refresh me on the whole birthing process. We're getting excited to meet this little one! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

My Boyfriend

Another weekend is quickly approaching. I'm excited about Friday night - DATE NIGHT with Joel. He's been my boyfriend for over 9 years now, and I love getting to spend one on one time with him. (Okay, so I'm feeling a bit sappy...it could be the hormones.) It's been over a month since our last date, so we're due-and I know that once baby girl comes that our together time will be limited. There's something about having a nursing baby that makes it hard to 'get away'. I'm ready to meet her though! From the way she kicks (and does gymnastics) in my belly, I think she'll be feisty. I also assume she'll look just like Mr. P did when he was a newborn. If she looks different (as kids tend to do) then I'll be surprised. :)

My two favorite guys!

Yesterday was my 32 week appointment. No glucose in my urine, hooray!...and I hadn't gained any weight since my last appointment. The midwife (a different one from last time) asked me if I was feeling okay. Excuse me? Am I feeling okay? YES. I just got freaked out by my last appointment and worried I'd have a 10-pounder. It's hard to eat the same amount when I'm having to severely limit carb and sugar intake. :) Anyhow, she said everything looked great...and, while I'm still going to be watchful of carbs and sugar (I don't need a lot of the extra 'junk' anyhow) I at least feel like I can eat in moderation. Which, I guess is kinda the point.

Mr. P and I enjoyed some time outside today. It's so sunny and beautiful...I pretended we were on a beach vacation. I even got a little burn! :) But, alas...there was no ocean...and I was wearing my maternity clothes instead of a bathing suit. Oh well, a girl can dream, ha! For our 'vacation' this year we'll be at the Hospital having our daughter, so...I'm trying to improvise here.

Carb Condemnation

Well, my love affair with the Reese's eggs (and Krispy Kreme) has come back to bite me in the hiney. It's not that I was going any more crazy with the sweets than normal...in fact, the first half of my pregnancy, I couldn't really stomach the sweet things I normally love.

Well, I'm having to cut out EVERY thing good. Ok...that's probably a slight exaggeration, but as of yesterday...I'm on a severe carb limit (only whole grains-sparingly) and no 'sweets'. I was a grump last night because of it.

Not the end of the world, I realize, but it seemed like it to my 30 week pregnant brain. The midwife said my weight gain is right on, so I get a gold star for that (yee-haw) but there was glucose in my urine. She asked me if I'd ever spilled sugar into my urine before. "Uh...what?!?" Anyhow, apparently that means my body isn't processing/metabolizing? sugar correctly because 100 is way to high for sugar in the urine. I'm not sure if it's 100 mg or what...but I feel like I should be more informed.

Either way, they're worried about Millie (don't worry that's not her real name...just a nickname) being a 10-pounder, so I'm having to be extra careful. Apparently I barely 'passed' my glucose test 2 weeks ago and had sugar in my urine last time. Nice that they never even let me know until my appointment yesterday, but whatever.

The way I understand it is, if too much sugar gets to Millie-it will force her body to produce extra insulin, which will then cause her to pack on the pounds. The midwife stated that we wanted to go for an 8 pound baby, rather than a 10 pound one. Um...yes, please.

*Sigh.* So, meanwhile...I'm extremely aware of how many church & family functions are centered around food, cake, etc. I'm already having withdrawals. But, if eating more protein, and cutting out starchy carbs & extra sugar can help my body in growing a healthy sized bambino, it's definitely worth it.

This is our garage sale weekend, and my sister and her family will be here. I was thinking about pizza and icecream cake for my Brother-in-Law's Birthday on Friday night to celebrate...Now, we're going to grill out. I'll have a hamburger, with no bun please, hold the ketchup.

Getting Antsy

We've been invaded. Yesterday I noticed (thanks to P) that our entryway was being taken over. Little black ants were marching in and even going up the stairs! This happens every Spring, but this year they seemed especially thick. I got out the Tarro (ant poison) and told P we were going to 'feed the ants'. Ahem, feed them poison. He loves to watch them, and when he comes down the stairs will ask, "How you doing, ants? Good?" It cracks me up. He would totally keep them as pets if I could handle little critters crawling in my house. Yikes!!

Yesterday morning P asked me if my baby has toys to play with, while she's in my tummy. The poor kid was worried about her getting bored. ;o)

Not a lot new to report...We did go to the Children's Museum this morning and had a good time. The Zoo with our MOPS group might be on the agenda for tomorrow, depending on the weather. I'm ready for some SUN shine again. Last week spoiled us!

Easter was nice. We had a feast at my parents and then did an outdoor egg hunt. The boys all really get into it. Late that afternoon, we dyed hard-boiled eggs and I've been eating our artwork this week.

Last night at Bible study, I got a craving for an Reese's Easter Egg. A BAD CRAVING. I wanted one something fierce and came home to have a spoonful of chocolate frosting mixed with a little spoonful of peanut butter. So. Not. The. Same. Today while we were at Target, I had to invest in a package of Reese's Eggs (50% off). So delightful. I had one today...and I'm telling ya, it was everything I hoped it would be. I can't keep this up, I realize...or this little girl will be over 10 pounds, but I'm telling myself that she's really growing this week, so that's why I'm craving more food. Not really sure if that's true...but for now it works. :)

My favorite thing about Sunday

Besides going to see great friends from the church we used to go to, hearing an inspiring and challenging message from the Word, eating lunch at our favorite mexican restaurant ever, and getting more fabulous baby girl hand-me-downs from my friend T...

My favorite thing about Sunday was spending a lazy afternoon at the park.

Yes, Spring has arrived...and I'm so thankful!

It' a good thing I love him

This morning we went to church, came home and had yummy roast & veggies for lunch, and then went downstairs before P's nap to hang out for a bit. Joel was testing out his new sound system (bought off Craigslist) with a bit of Starwars playing on his new speakers. In one scene, P was like, "Mom...You have to come look at this girl." I wondered why he wanted me to see her. He said, "Don't you wish you could be like that girl?" I said, "What do you mean...Do you think she's pretty?" Of course he did. I asked him, "Do you think she's prettier than Mommy?" He answered, "Yeah."

Wow, talk about blunt! Kids have such a way with words. They call it like they see it. And the way they see it isn't always...NICE! :)

Happy Birthday, Momma!

Today is my Mom's Birthday. I won't say which Birthday. Age is not important. And she will read this. And she would kill me if I reveal her age. :)

My Mom is beautiful. In honor of her big day, I wanted to write what makes my Mom so amazing. There are a lot of things...but here goes:

She is a voice of reason. Even when things seem crazy to me, she knows what to say to bring me back to reality. Basically, she is a realist. She tells it like it is...and it's usually not that bad!

She is a great Grandma. Her Grandkids love being with her. She loves them so much. It's hard to believe that soon there will be a little girl amongst all these boys! :)

She is physically strong. I wouldn't say she is Superwoman...but, pretty much! She'll walk 8 miles on her treadmill, on a STEEP incline...scoop 6 foot drifts of snow for hours, play tennis in 98 degree heat, and still have the energy to babysit her day care kiddos the next day. Where does her energy come from?? I'm not sure. But I admire her strength! For years my Mom has logged her exercise...daily. She is the most 'fit' person I know. She encouraged me GREATLY when I was losing the baby weight with P, and I know she'll be a source of encouragement (and irritation) for me this time around, too! :)

She is one of my best friends. Growing up, I never thought I'd say that about my Mom...but it is so true. I am blessed daily by our conversations. Sometimes several times a day. I appreciate that I can call her up just for the little things...I tell her funny things P says, and she laughs with me. I don't know what I'd do without her.

I love you, Mom! HaPpY BiRtHdAy!!!