Just being honest

My friend, Susanna, and I have had a fun time these past nine months watching the differences between our two pregnancies and enjoying the fact that we had picked out the same boy name and talking about how funny it will be if we go into labor on the same day.
It's been interesting (and maybe a tad depressing for me) to watch the difference in how our bodies were *ahem* handling the pregnancy. This is me at 9 months:

I know you are thinking to yourself, "Well, you don't look that big. You look fine. Cankles? What cankles?"  Well, let me show you Susanna and maybe you can see where I am coming from.

Susanna at nine months:

And now you are saying, "Oh. I see." And yes, this is her first baby and this is my fourth. And yes, she has been running marathons her entire pregnancy and I have been running around town trying to locate the best Dr. Pepper or Mr. Pibb and ice combination. (Steffey's Pizza wins, by the way.) But still, it doesn't exactly make me feel like a cutsie little petite pregnant woman.  Especially when I really am supporting some nice cankles. (On a side note, while they are very unappealing and unattractive, they are exceptionally easy to shave. No ankle bone to work around.)

Saturday night I was up for 6 hours with what I call Level 2 contractions. Level 1 are your normal braxton hick contractions. They might make you stop and wince a little but they aren't really going to slow you down. Level 2 contractions are the ones that you endure when you are really in labor and are being monitored as you sweat it out at the hospital. They are the ones that you have to close your eyes and breathe through. Level 3 contractions are the ones you have after your water breaks. I won't describe those. 

So anyways, I was up all night with Level 2 contractions. I have never had contractions that painful before while still at home. They were some serious ouchie. I finally started timing them early in the morning and they were always two or three minutes apart. Around 8am I decided to call the doctor and see what she thought about everything. When she called me back, I got up to go talk in my room to diminish the background noise and the contractions just stopped. Cold turkey.  So I went to church and then went to my parents for lunch and took a long walk in the afternoon. And I did everything in my mental power to get those contractions back up and running. Guess what? My mental power level is apparently zero. I mean nothing was going on. And it was depressing and I have tried since then not to let it get me to the point of crying but I can feel the tears waiting for the tiniest excuse to come on down.

And then I got a phone call this morning. 

Susanna had her baby. Three weeks early. Her water broke and four and a half hours later she was holding her baby boy. 

I'm so excited for Susanna, Aaron and their new little Jack. I can't wait to see pictures and listen to her tell the story of his birth. 

But maybe, just maybe, I'm a little depressed today. 

We have nice weather today.

 

It's a day full of sunshine. Just what this Mommy ordered. The girls have had fun playing outside in the mud and picking Spring Beauties and Buttercups.

When playing outside one must make sure that one wears plenty of hair accessories and extensions.

If it is exceptionally sunny, one must secure a willing umbrella holder. This will prove to be an easy task if one takes the time to find a very obliging sister.

 

 One must also take care not to soak up too much sun so that one's super duper cute face stays super duper soft and kissable.

One's mother must go into labor soon or said mother just might go crazy.

 

It's hard to find the motivation to post so here are some random facts.

Jason and Eily went on a date this evening. She was really excited and insisted that they ride in his car.

Jason pulled his back out this afternoon. We had to have a talk with Eily about not asking Daddy to hold her on her date. She was actually very excited about walking.

I had a doctor appointment this morning. There is a little progress but nothing to get excited about. Looks like it will still be a couple of weeks.

We have had a lot of talks this week about being respectful to each other. It seems to be getting through a little bit.

We came up with yet another possible name choice. It's nice to have options.

It's 4 in the morning

and I'm sitting here timing contractions. I don't know why I'm bothering because I don't believe this is the real deal. It's just too early. I guess I'm just trying to pass the time since there is no way I'm going to be able to go to sleep.

Hello again!

We have been so busy doing projects around the house that I haven't had the time or inclination to write a post. I feel a bit panicked to get all the to-do items crossed off the list before baby gets here.  This week we have painted the shutters, painted the front door, installed a new storm door, pruned the bushes in the front flower beds, organized the barn, installed some light plates, put the baby bed together, switched the girls' clothing from winter to summer and then priced all the items that we don't want anymore for the yard sale we are having this weekend. We also bought some shrubs but we haven't had a chance to plant them yet.

What has the spring inspired you to do?

This warms my heart so much.

I have waited a long time to walk into a room and see this. My heart became so excited. A love of reading is priceless. And besides that, I HAVE A CHILD THAT CAN READ. Unbelievable.

Ok. And I have to admit that I'm a little excited that Amelia Bedelia has once again entered my life.

We are home after a week of traveling. Be back Monday.

She's got it figured out at a very young age.

Eily just came in with her bottom lip sticking out, her head hanging down and her belly extended and said, "Mommy, my heart hurts." Then she gave a long drawn-out sigh and said, "I need a prince."

A Pointless Post

We are up and going today. You know how I feel about that? Negative. I want to be lying in the bed with the covers up to my chin like my husband is doing right now. Lucky duck. But on the other hand, the girls are so funny this morning and I am cracking up listening to them play. These days, everything is said in a British accent. My name is Motha. Except to Eily who just informed me that she has a different mother. Said mother has yet to make an appearance to help with breakfast or take her turn as the parental figure that isn't in bed. Some mother.

Yesterday we went to Booneville so that Elaina could have a piano lesson and so that I could grocery shop sans children. (Thank you, mom.) I was up all the night before trying to breathe and stay hydrated. I was not feeling up to pushing the 50lb. fake car all around Harps while keeping the one child that doesn't get to "drive" convinced that being my co-pilot and sitting in the front basket is the best way to ride. It's a thin argument and usually is effective for about two rows. Then I have to rotate children and by the time we are leaving I have lost a few pounds in sweat and my back feels broken. But hey, we walk out with organic and gluten-free food so I guess it's worth the agony. Normally. But not yesterday. I just couldn't do it. So this morning Elaina panicked halfway through her waffle when she realized, "This is gluten!!!!!" After I explained the situation she calmed down and admitted that really, those were her favorite kind anyway and secretly she was excited about eating them. It's the small things that make life special.

I had to take a shower at about 10 o'clock last night. When you are The Walrus and have a watermelon sitting on your bladder and a hacking cough......
Well, unpleasant things can happen. And they did. And it wasn't pretty.
So I showered and went to bed with wet hair which means this morning I'm sporting the wildest hair this side of the Mississippi.

I guess I need to go do something. Have a great Tuesday!

A list. Word.

1.Yesterday was rough. Toady will be better. Gonna clean and clean and clean. And do laundry. And I really am looking forward to getting it all accomplished. Goals.

2. Elaina is in the Living Room reading a book to the other two girls. Sweet.

3. I think I am actually going to have a garden this spring. Hooray!

4. One batch of pancakes goes a long way in this house.  Tiny tummies.

5. I woke up with a cold. Blech.

6. For the first time in a VERY LONG TIME all our children slept through the whole night. Bliss.

7. Found baby bedding. Little by little I'm realizing how close we are to the end. Excitement.

8. I keep scratching the skin off my legs due to pregnancy related itching. Ready.

9. Still haven't finalized a girl name. Indecisive.

10. Thinking about drinking a cup of coffee this morning but don't know if it's worth it. Heartburn.

Claire's Bedtime Prayer

Dear Lord,
Thank you for this day. It was a very wonderful day. Thank you that I got to see my cousin, Lillie, who I love so much. I got to see her three times. At her house, in our car and at church. And I really only hate Satan. But I love God and I want to obey Him but sometimes I can't. But I always try hard.
Amen

Typing is hard when you can't use your pointer finger.

I sliced my finger thid afternoon while makinf Sherried Tomato Soup for klunch. It's throws my typing off in a very silly way. It hurts and it's deep. I probably could use a stitch but I decided to go with the wound-up-tissue-secured-with-scotch-tape route instead. So far it's containing the blood.

Spring is creeping in and I'm so very happy about it. The other day the girls brought me the first Spring Beauty that popped up in our back yard. Later on that afternoon we got ready for a special church meeting and I thought about how they looked a lot like my own Spring Beauties.

We took several pictures and realized one thing. Claire cannot pose regular. She has to be twisted some way or another or a leg has to be lifted, something.

We were able to get a couple of pictures where the other two girls had a little more of the spotlight.

But even when she's in the background she's giving it her all.

Life is going to be fun with this one around.



Milestones

Elaina completed her 100th reading lesson just a few minutes ago. It is a good feeling to say we did it. We finished that entire book. It would have been easy to quit about 10- 15 lessons ago because she was already into real books at that point but I felt that for the sake of example we needed to finish the book. Finish what you start.
She amazes me.

Eily is hilarious. That girl has no fear and will probably be the one that breaks a few bones during her childhood. Jason and I like to stand at the kitchen window and watch her play outside. The other two girls have to rely on her to stop the wildly swaying see-saw because they are too scared to put their feet down while going that high. Eily just swings her legs over the side, holds on to the poles and drags her feet on the ground until it slows enough for the girls to feel it's safe to dismount. Then she opens her hands, drops to the ground and runs over the playhouse to climb up on top of the roof.
She makes me laugh.

Claire is becoming quite the fashionista. This morning I picked out a Chuck-E-Cheese play shirt for her to wear and she had to put it back and get a ruffled long tee because that one was "much cuter." I guess it is very important to look good for Charlie, the dog.
She makes me smile.

Claire, as Michael Buble.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Thoughts

I have hit rock bottom as far as energy is concerned. I think the baby is having a growth spurt and maybe that's why. Last night and again this morning there has been more movement and limbs poking up and out than ever before. I think baby is running out of room and wanting to let me know that it doesn't want to be in my tummy forever.

I did go outside and play with the girls in the snow yesterday. That was really fun. We made a snowman that was pretty awesome and then Charlie knocked him down flat. We also made snow angels and jumped on the snowy trampoline. Guess what? Getting up from a snow angel position when you are The Walrus proves to be difficult.

It has been on my mind a lot lately that Elaina truly starts school in August. I'm a little intimidated and excited all at the same time. It's not the teaching that intimidates me but establishing school as a daily, first-thing-we-do-each-day habit. That is something that I have started to implement but not to a very strict degree. If we have a good morning, we do school. If it's low energy, we don't. That won't be acceptable next year. First grade is not a cheating year. I can't just cancel school to go meet Nanny in Fort Smith. While I am excited to get into this phase of life I'm a little sad to give up the freedom that we have had for almost 6 years.

We have snow! Real snow!! Able to play in it snow!!!

Yes, I call myself The Walrus. Why do you ask?

What we've been doing

We've had a stomach bug here at our house making the rounds. All three girls were hit hard but for some reason Eily never bounced back. Finally, Sunday afternoon, I took her to an outpatient clinic.
They did a urine sample and some blood work and sent us on to the ER.

We were in that room for a couple of hours and then they finally moved us up to the pediatric floor. It was so nice to have a comfortable place to lie down.

Eily never liked the IV in her arm but she was very good to leave it alone and not mess with it. I did catch her chewing the hose a couple of times.

Uncle Josh came by the next afternoon and brought her a new toy. Meet Ellie Mae, the dog.

Ellie Mae comes with a carrier, a food dish, food and a comb.

We were both so glad when they finally told us we could go home. We missed our family.

My favorite view at the hospital:

 I'm home with a sick Eily this morning while Jason is at church with the other two girls. She has "throw up in her bottom."  She's been on my bed moaning and groaning with tummy pain. It's rather pitiful.

Yesterday we went to a little park here in our town because the weather was absolutely gee-orgeous. Eily was a little emotional and of course now I know why.

But the older two had a blast and played so hard that bed time was a breeze.

The Tidings We Love For You and Your King

For two days I have been trying to get to the computer so that I could write a post. I had so much on my mind. And don't you know that now I can't remember anything I wanted to write about. 

Poor old Jason pulled Daddy duty all night last night so he is sleeping the morning away. I woke up and folded laundry. Good morning. Here is a huge pile of laundry to wake you up this fine, beautiful, sunny day. Enjoy! And really, I do enjoy the way it all looks when the laundry is folded and put away so if you think about it, starting the day off with a cleaner living room isn't that bad of a deal. (I realize I'm rambling. A lot.)

Elaina looks so good in black. I know that's random but she just came in here in a black turtleneck and what I think, you see. Sadly, that's how it's working today.

Have I totally confused you yet? Lost you? Ran you off? Scared you away?
I thought so.


Yesterday I worked a booth at a very boring Boat Show for almost 12 hours. This little clip of this video kept me entertained and happy.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Winter

We had a little snow last night and the girls played outside for about five minutes. It took about 25 minutes to get them dressed. I remember it being that way when I was little too except I remember playing outside a long time.  

Apparently Eily's pants couldn't take the weight of the snow or Charlie's  paws.

Both Jason and I are feeling a little bit unproductive today but we are trying to push through that feeling and at least get something accomplished that we can feel good about.

I guess I'd better go get Eily. She's bumping the pile of dirty laundry in front of the washing machine.

I cannot get enough of this site.

This has to be one of the most adorable websites I have come across in a long time.

House 8810

Alrighty. I think it's time to announce the winner of the contest. 

The winning entry is:
Emily Baker said...



I love the names Harper and Parker, both for girls (Parker could be for either, I guess) and can't use them because they are too close to Piper. :)

Of course, Parker James, might be way too confusing for a girl.

Congratulations! Email me at jaybeksacran@gmail.com with your address and I'll get that gift card in the mail to you. 

In celebration of 6 years of marriage

I am finally going to have a contest. The winner will receive a $10 gift card to Starbucks.

Qualifying Question:

If you were going to name our baby, what name would you choose?  The middle name for the boy has to be Wade and the middle name for the girl has to be James.

You get to pick the gender or do both genders if you want. Contest will end in a few days. How's that for strict rules?
Have fun!

Sniffles, Moo's and Milestones

I have a bad head cold and I only got about two hours of sleep last night but I am trying to make the best of the day. We picked up the house and ate lunch and I decided to go ahead and start Claire's school lesson instead of waiting until Monday. This week the lesson is about cows. So we talked about cows, their babies and their four stomachs. Then we started to memorize a little poem.

The Friendly Cow by Robert Louis Stevenson

The friendly cow, all red and white,
I love with all my heart;
She gives me cream, with all her might
To eat with apple tart.

She wanders lowing here and there,
And yet she cannot stray,
All in the pleasant open air,
The pleasant light of day.

And blown by all the winds that pass
And wet with all the showers,
She walks among the meadow grass
And eats and meadow flowers.

----------------------------------------------------

Jason and I celebrate our 6th anniversary today. It's pretty amazing and unbelievable, and yet I cannot imagine it any other way. What was life before? I have no idea. This is so normal and satisfying.

Love.