In roughly 12 hours...

I will be picking up TWO of my children from their preschool program. Yep, it's the Sunday night before school starts and they couldn't be more excited. While I am excited and looking forward to a little bit of a break and some alone time with Peanut, I'm a bit...apprehensive. I really think that Pooks will do fine but a teeny part of me thinks he might have a meltdown. And I don't think it will be when I leave...I imagine it'll be about 15 minutes into their day when he realizes that this is for real. Bubba was in this program from Jan-May of last year, however Pooks had to wait til he turned three so tomorrow will be his first day.

So back to them...It took them over an hour to settle down and fall asleep. They have picked out their outfits and have them laying out. Their backpacks are in the van and ready (despite the fact that they won't need them tomorrow...they wouldn't listen to me about that). They already chose which cereal they want for breakfast and reminded me to wake them up and tell them that it's ''Time for school'' just like on Nemo.

At dinner tonight Bubba was telling Pooks all about his ''school''. Things like ''At snack time, you don't get to pick...you just eat what Ms. Maria gives to you. You can't just cry." He told him that he had to use his walkin' feet and that he had to listen. Pooks didn't seem too nervous, his plan is to walk up to other kids and say ''Hey Kid, I'm Logan...what's ewe name?" and he's dead serious. I told him it might be nicer to say ''Hi, I'm Logan. What is your name?" But he didn't like that. I also reminded him that if he needed to use the bathroom it was best to tell Ms.Maria or Ms. Deb that he had to potty...he should not yell for everyone to hear ''I need to pee!" (which may be what he does at home).

I will do the usual Mom-thing and take a gazillion photos, I'm sure. I'll have to have all 3 kids plus myself ready and out the door at 8:30 so wish me luck!

Surprise!

I woke up yesterday planning on having a 'Spa Day' with Nanaw. She told me about 3 weeks ago that we had appointments for pedicures, haircuts and eye-brow waxes. I was beyond thrilled! I haven't had any of the above since May, so I was overdue.

So I ran to Starbucks and got my usual Iced Venti Half-Caf Carmel Macchiato {that my mom mocks me for ordering} and headed to her house. From there, we went straight to the nail salon where our feet were soaked, pampered, lotioned and painted. It was an hour of pure bliss! When that was done it was 10:35 and we had to head over to the hair salon. Nanaw stopped at a convenience store to get a drink and said there was one ''quick'' errand she had to make before our appointment. I'm thinking, Dude we are so going to be late but went with it. That is, until she told me that I had to wear a blindfold. Say what? I look like a psycho; it's 11am on a Saturday and I'm sitting here with a purple bandana tied over my eyes. So she reclines the seat and tells me to ''relax''. Riiiight.

I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I was born with an internal GPS. I hate, loathe and despise being lost or not knowing where I am. So I told her that it really was overkill, I'd know where she went regardless but she insisted. And I was right, I told her when it felt like we were going in circles in a parking lot, I told her when we were by the mall. Then she turns down the ONE brick road that is still in this town and I instantly knew where we were at. After driving around for what seems like forever, we stop. She has me get out of the car, still blindfolded and walk...I don't know  50 feet or so into a building where she removes the blindfold. We were at the Family Center that we've used for all the boys' 1st birthday parties.

I could hear voices down the hall and lo and behold, tons of my closest girl friends and family members were there! I was shocked. My mom had acted a bit weird earlier in the week, mostly about lunch so I thought maybe someone was joining us for lunch as a surprise. I never expected a shower...let alone a big one with 20+ people there! It was amazing and I was so surprised to find out that people had drove from other STATES to attend. Katie was in from Denver and her and Mom#2 were throwing/hosting the shower, Becky came all the way from Columbia, MO. Plus I learned later that this had been under-wraps from months and the planning, organizing and inviting had all happened via Facebook. It was great, the only thing that would have made it even better was if Auntie Michelle would have been able to attend but alas she was throwing a baby shower for another friend's first baby. *Yes, pregnancy is in the water around here...watch out!*

Katie graciously emailed me all the pictures, here are a few:

and a close up of the above outfit from Stacy and Paula....

HOW FREAKING PERFECT IS THAT!? I was floored when I saw it, I love it to pieces and I'm glad it's a 9mos size..it'll fit her for awhile!

Ms. Sweetcheeks managed to snag 3 Piggy banks. I think they are adorable and that it's a great start to a collection!

The entire shower was amazing. From the Mr. Goodcent's subs, to the homemade cake, to the gifts, games, prizes and favors. Katies did a ''Guessing Game'' and guests had to guess how many hairbows were in a jar...not only were there 47 bows but they were all handmade by her and a gift for Sweetcheeks. The girl is set for life! Thank you so much to all those involved and who attended, it was beyond wonderful!

DIY Carseat Cover

Last weekend I washed Peanut's old infant carseat cover. After washing it, and letting it air dry it was looking pretty sharp. All the spit up stains and random carseat crud came out just fine on the actual cover, as well as the infant cushiony insert. Then I remembered that I gave the winter carseat cover that we used with Peanut, to an expectant mom last year. Well here we are having a baby in Sept/Oct. Obviously by Nov/Dec, we'll need a cover for the carseat. Especially when carrying her into and out of the boy's school each morning at 8:45am. Yes, I could just cover her seat with a blanket, I know that. But while carrying her, I'll be holding Peanut's hand while Bubba and Pooks walk in front of me. One gust of wind and the blanket flies up (or off) and I'm in the middle of a parking lot with 4 kids, one of whom is about to get super cold. I need the cover/blanket to stay put. So I decided to make one...are we really surprised? That's the theme this pregnancy.

Here is what it looks like finished:

I promise it is super super easy, took about an hour start to finish and I watched Burn Notice while doing it.

You will need:

- 1 yard each of two coordinating fabrics (I used a cotton print and an anti-pill fleece)
- wide grosgrain ribbon (I used 1.5inch)
- coordinating thread

Instructions: 
**It's important that if you are using a cotton fabric, to pre-wash and dry your fabric first. It will shrink when you eventually wash it and then it may not fit correctly. Fleece will not shrink so it's not necessary to pre-wash**

1. Cut the 2 main fabric pieces to be about 36″ x 33″. Round the corners if you'd like. (I actually used one of the boy's old blankets as a template because it was the perfect size.)
2. Pin the fabrics together, with the RIGHT sides facing in/together, sew with a basic straight stitch, leaving a 6-8" space for turning. Trim corners. If using 2 cotton fabrics, press seams open. If using fleece, it really won't matter.
3. Turn right side out, using the 8 inch hole that you made on one side. Be sure to poke out the corners so they are nice and pointy.
4. Fold the 8inch opening to the inside, pin your opening shut.
5. Topstitch around the entire thing, taking care to sew the opening (that you used to the turn the blanket  right side out) shut. I sewed about 1/4" from the edge but 1/2" is okay too.

Now you have a blanket. Tada, you're all most done! Now we're going to attach the ties.

-Measure out 2 pieces of ribbon that are about 24-26 inches long each. Toss the blanket/cover over your carseat, adjust the blanket as needed and decide where you want the ties to go. Pin the middle of the ribbon piece, where you will want the ties.

Where you pinned the ribbon, sew across the width of the ribbon, several times to secure the them tightly. You'll end up with about an inch of stitches. I recommend using a zig-zag stitch or a small X-box to really secure it. 

Now, tie your cover on and viola, you're done!

And when you baby is the car or store, simply push the carseat handle back and push the blanket over the the handle. You don't need to un-tie it everytime. (The carseat handle should always be down/behind the carrier when in the car...never over the baby.)

Oh and did you notice the matching strap covers I made? Yeah well when I washed the cover and the infant insert that came with the seat, they came out spotless. However, the strap covers didn't fair so well. They came with the seat and were the same material/cover as the insert but for some reason, I just couldn't get the stains out. And it was obvious they were dirty, especially next to the nice clean cover. I know that your are not suppose to use aftermarket strap covers {often times they are too big and it's impossible to get the chest clip to where it needs to be. Also, in the event of a crash, they can compress down and leave the harness straps too loose} so I wanted to clean/replace the ones that the seat was safety-tested with. I washed them by hand and in the washing machine, to no avail they do not look clean. And in my pregnant state, it's really bothering me that they look dirty.

On to plan 2: make new ones that were the same size and thickness as the old ones. Maybe not the best choice but I do not feel like the new ones compromise Sweetcheeks safety at all. They are the exact same size as the ones I removed, the difference is they are clean (yay!) and these velcro on and off so I don't have to un-thread the straps each time they get dirty. Plus they are pretty stinking cute ;) I did not provide instructions or a tutorial for strap covers because unless your seat came with them, they really can be unsafe.

She's 4lbs 9oz...already!?

Today I am 32 weeks. According to babycenter.com:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby.

First off, what the heck is a jicama? Secondly, it's saying that a baby at Sweetcheeks gestation typically weighs 3.75lbs. Oh how wrong they are about this baby. Today I had an appointment with Dr. P and an ultrasound. My uterus is measuring almost THREE weeks bigger. He said that measuring ahead is fairly normal in your 2nd, 3rd, 19th...whatever, pregnancy. I'm up 11lbs and Dr.P said there is no reason for concern unless baby girl was measuring small via ultrasound. (A "normal" weight gain at this point is around 20lbs). My blood pressure was an awesome116/64 and her heartbeat was 150bpm.  At my next appointment on Sept 10th, I'll be 34 weeks and have my first cervical check.

At 3:45 today, I had an ultrasound. We now know that Sweetcheeks is head down, looks healthy, has 10 toes, she is indeed a she, and she is a chubber-butt! Her heartbeat was 148bpm, the fluid level was great, and she is measuring almost a week ahead of schedule. She weighed in at a whopping 4lbs 9oz!

This pic is of her face (on the right side) she was blinking a lot and had her arm up on her head the entire time. I think the sono tech said that dark circle on her belly is her stomach...although i couldn't really hear her over her brothers....

Now I've never had an 8lb baby, but I am nervous. My ''biggest'' baby was Bubba who weighed 7lbs11oz and I'm afraid Sweetcheeks will be bigger than that. {Figure a 1/2lb for each week of pregnancy, I'll probably be pregnant at least another 4 weeks...that's 2  more pounds so that's a ROUGH estimate of 6lbs9oz...at just 36 weeks.} If for some reason I were to carry til 40 weeks, we're talking about a 9lb baby. EEK!  The important thing is that she is healthy...and reminding myself that I'll probably already be at least 3cm dilated when ''real'' labor starts, that means I'll be a third done before I even start!

31.5 Week pic and rambling

Just a few days shy of 8 months pregnant with Ms. Sweetcheeks:

And I'm feeling pretty good! Physically I've been dealing with some hip pain, shortness of breath after going up and down the stairs and I tend to get headaches in the evening but overall, I can't complain in the slightest. I usually have a couple contractions each day but nothing serious and rarely back to back. I am up a total of 11lbs for the pregnancy which is unheard of for me, lol. At this point with Peanut I was already up 15lbs and while I didn't blog then, I'm sure I was up at least that with Bubba and Pooks' pregnancy. Baby girl is SUPER active. Moves constantly but her favorite times to be active are any time that I'm driving and every night from 11:30pm-1am. Makes sleeping a little rough but nothing I can't handle. This weekend I handwashed the infant carseat cover and stroller cover, I bought a new nursing tank and dug through boxes to find my other nursing bras. I made a list of what I need to pack in the hosptial bag so that when I go into labor I don't forget anything important. I have an routine OB appt this Friday and I will schedule an ultrasound then as well. Saturday I'm having a Spa Day with my Madre...we're going for pedicures and haircuts and I cannot wait! Overall everything is going perfect :)

Jump Up, Jump Up and Get Down!

One of the boys' favorite places to go is Nanaw & Papa's house. One of their favorite things to do is to drag all of the cushions off of the couch, the cushion off of the chair and all of the pillows off of their bed. Then they make a HUGE pile of cushiony softness right in the middle of the living room floor. But that's not quite enough...they then proceed to stand on the couch {sans cushions} and jump up, jump up and get down.

Now don't let these pictures fool you...it may look like Bubba and Pooks are the only jumpers but that's not true. Peanut also enjoys the pillowy floor; the difference is Peanut at 21 months old can't really jump yet. So he gets to the edge of the couch and just steps off mid air and PLOPS down to the pillows. It's hysterical to watch but unfortunately extremely hard to photograph! Every attempt resulted a blurry pic or one where he was simply laying in the pillows.

And no we do not let them do this at home. They try unsuccessfully because our couch cushions aren't removable ;)

The results are in...

Peanut's allergy test results that is. They drew blood on Tuesday testing for an allergies to milk, eggs, nuts, wheat, dogs and/or cats. The nurse called me back today to let me know that everything came back negative except he does have a mild milk allergy. It isn't severe and he may be at the stages of outgrowing it. We should limit his plain milk intake to no more than one sippy cup a day, substituting soy or rice milk in his other sippies. He can have baked goods with milk, he can have cheese and yogurt but we do need to limit his intake of ice cream due to the heavy amounts of milk and cream.

So, Peanut's allergy is very mild. He has no rash, no eczema, no diarrhea and no apparent tummy aches. However, I think we all remember how sick Peanut was this last winter. {He was doing daily breathing treatments. He had bronchitis several times and was diagnosed with "reactive airway disease". Basically when he gets sick, it's hard for his body to get better....colds easily settle into his lungs and airway, thus causing wheezing, coughing and trouble breathing. } Well as it turns out SOME kids with milk allergies present their symptoms via the respiratory tract. "Symptoms can range from a runny nose, itchy, watery eyes, and sneezing to the triggering of asthma with coughing and wheezing" (info found here). When a kid has a milk allergy (which is not the same as a lactose intolerance) they body fights the proteins found in milk; their immune system is hard at work attacking those proteins.

So it's logical that Peanut got ''so'' sick last winter, knowing now that he has/had a milk allergy. We quit breastfeeding in September. He was on formula for about 2 months, then we switched to whole milk (December-ish). By February he got a cold that lead to breathing treatments. We did breathing treatments on and off (although more often than not) until MAY trying to get his wheezing/coughing under control. Turns out that his body was already hard at work dealing with the milk proteins, then he got sick on top of that and his little immune system just couldn't keep up!

Hopefully now that we know the problem, and we know that he is already at the age/stage of outgrowing it, this winter will go much smoother!

In 2 days...

...Peanut will be twenty-one months old!

He's just three short months shy of being 2 years old and he just doesn't seem old enough for that,. I mean in some ways he does: he talks up a storm, he behaves...often times better than his brothers. He uses silverware, he's starting to show signs of potty training.

Take today for instance. Today I took Peanut to the doctor about a rash on his tummy and to see if it was food allergy related {bubba is allergic to eggs and milk and when he was eating those things regularly, he had a rash}. He also has a runny nose and cough that I thought should be checked out. Turns out the rash is not a allergy thing. It's actually a very common skin fungus called Tinea Versicolor. All we have to do is wash his belly with Selsum Blue shampoo once or twice a week and it'll go away. And the runny nose/cough is most likely a virus...he and Pooks both have the same symptoms as well as an ear infection each. Antibiotics for both.

So while the rash isn't caused by food allergies, we still had blood drawn to test for allergies due to "poor weight gain" and family history. See Peanut, truly is a little peanut. At his 1 year check up he weighed 21.2 lbs. At 18mos he weighed 22.4 lbs and today, buck-naked he weighed 24lbs exactly. In 9 months he has grown taller but has gained less than 3lbs. Thus he's fallen from the 25th percentile, to the 20th, to were he's at now, about the 17th. Dr. S isn't highly concerned; he's getting taller, his parents are both smaller than average, etc but because of the family history of allergies she thought we should rule it out just in case.
 
The method of testing? A blood draw. They were testing for any sensitivity or allergy to dogs, cats, nuts, eggs, milk or wheat. Now I know grown adults that don't like having their blood drawn. Bubba has had this done several times and it usually involves me holding him as tightly as possibly, at least one nurse holding his arm down, another nurse who draws the blood and a whole 'lotta tears. And the thing is, Bubba is 4 years old. And I can't blame the kid, I don't know anyone who thinks ''Oh Goodie! Blood draw--YES!" But reminder, Peanut is 21 months old. So we were all kinda expecting the worse.

We get back in the little room and I hold him in the chair. The 1st nurse ties the blue rubber thingy around his upper right arm (doc matt feel free to inform me of the real word) and she starts feeling for a vein. No luck. So she switches to the left arm. No luck. So she calls in another nurse and he thinks that he's found a usable vein in the left arm. They consult a 3rd nurse who checks it out and declares that that it itsn't a vein but an artery and that won't work. They move back to the right arm and between the 1st nurse and 3rd nurse ''find'' one. Meanwhile Peanut is just looking at them like ''what the hell are you doing''. Never fusses, never even moves his arm.

So they get all ready to draw on the left side; 1st nurse sticks him while second nurse holds his hand. Needle goes in and after, I kid you not, two minutes of rooting around in there it is decided that the vein has ''rolled''. They remove the needle. And Peanut? Did not make a peep. Not a grimace. Not even a flinch did that child move. He just watched. And he continued to watch as they searched for a new vein on the left arm. Same routine only this time the 3rd nurse does the draw and she gets it on the first try. They suck 4ml out of him and again, he doesn't bat an eye. Not a tear is shed, not a yelp...nada. We get done I pick him up and hold him, telling him how big he was and he looks at the cotton balls taped to the bends in his arms...looks back at the nurse and says ''Bye".

That was it. Piece of cake. The really ironic part? This evening when Nanaw came over she asked why he still had the taped cotton balls on his arms; I told her because I couldn't bring myself to yank the tape off...hell I'm a grown up and it hurts me. So she reaches over and yanks the tape off...Peanut looks at her, gives a glare and a little body shiver and says ''Ouch!" Apparently, the removal of the tape hurt worse than the removal {and attempted removal} of the blood? 

Getting ready for baby numero 4...mentally that is

**this post is really long and all about preparing mentally for labor and delivery. i know several other gals who are pregnant right now so while i refresh myself to prepare for d-day, i thought i would share what works for me. take it for what you will, it's just what worked for me**

Well it's hard to believe but I'm now thirty weeks pregnant with Sweetcheeks. I know I say this every pregnancy but I really can't get over how fast it's flying by. (Bubba was born at 37weeks and 1day, pooks at 37w4d, and peanut at just 36w3d. And for those that don't know, OB doctors count pregnancies in weeks, not months or trimesters so hence all the weeks and days, etc). 

Today I'm 30w2d. If I carry to 37 weeks, that means that I only have about 50 days left until Ms. Sweetcheeks is physically here. It's kinda overwhelming! And it's not that I'm nervous or overwhelmed, we're ready for her. It's just surreal that it's really almost time. Obviously the ''nursery'' is finished, we've narrowed down a name, we've purchased a few and have been given TONS of clothes, we already have a car seat, swing, and I've been slowly purchasing diapers so we have quite the stash already. What's still left? Preparing myself for the mental aspect of childbirth, breastfeeding and having a newborn...again.

I full intend on breastfeeding {again} so I've re-read "The Nursing Mother's Companion" which I can honestly say is the best ''guide'' book that I've ever read. My experience nursing Peanut was much easier, happier and lasted months longer than that of Bubba or Pooks' and I really think that being well educated beforehand helped in our success. The book talks about what to expect (realistically), nursing positions, latching techniques, and even items that can help like nipple sheilds, breast pumps, etc. It  even goes on to discuss nursing "issues'' that may come up later: strikes, thrush, etc. I found myself reading it at the end of my pregnancy as well as anytime I had a ''huh? what's that??" moment. I give it 2 thumbs up and I will say that my local public library carries it, and the local bookstore also had a ''used'' copy that was super affordable.

Currently, I'm in the midst of re-reading "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth" to help mentally prepare myself on focusing and relaxing through the contractions (or rushes as she calls them). I will say that while I highly recommend this book as well, it isn't without a few warnings. It's very touchy-feely, hippyish type book. While I got past the tone, some people might find that it's a bit preachy or ''you must have a home birth or the health of you and your baby are at risk''. The book is written by a world renown midwife who focuses on natural childbirth so naturally, sometimes she does come across as a little anti-hospital, anti-OB. I just chose to take those comments/ "facts'' with a grain of salt. While I have had 2 natural childbirths (meaning drug-free, no pain meds given, vaginal childbirths) I have had both of them in a perfectly nice hospital with an OB who I trust completely. To me, a hosptial birth has never been ''evil''. I've never been forced to have a c-section or unwanted pain meds, etc. So, definitely keep that in mind.

--The first part of the book is nothing but birth stories. Which I do find inspiring and educating. There are a ton so they do get a bit repetitive but they are interesting reads. (Warning, some have graphic pictures!) For me, reading about how others childbirths have gone, how they coped with transitioning in labor, positions and techniques of what worked and didn't work, was very informative.

--The second part of the book discusses the physical, anatomical process of birth. What happens in each phase and how being mentally prepared and at ease can be so helpful. She talks about the pros and cons of pain medication, episiotimies, vacuums and forceps, etc. She gives great advice for coping/managing contractions, there are stories and illustrations of labor positions and she explains WHY these positions can be so helpful. That was what I found SO helpful.

With Bubba, I was induced so I had no choice but to lay in bed. I had high-blood pressure and was constantly monitored. It was a fairly quick labor (checked in at 8am and had given birth by 4pm) but had it's fair share of problems. I did have an epidural, it didn't take right. I couldn't feel any contractions at all or my left leg, but I could feel my right leg as well as my vaginal area. The pain of pushing was not numbed. The feeling of crowning was not numbed. It hurt and it hurt like hell because I couldn't feel the contractions, I couldn't feel the effectiveness of my pushes until I felt the pain. I was pushing when they told me I was having a contractions and I wasn't pushing correctly either. After delivery, I lost a lot of blood, I passed out twice after delivery. Bubba was born with the cord wrapped around his neck several times...his apgar scores were low and I didn't get to hold him immediately or have him placed on my belly. It was scary but I don't blame the hospital or my OB. I am extremely thankful that I was in a hospital and that I was able to get assistance so quickly.

His birth is how I knew that I could physically handle a natural childbirth, but it was also why I knew that I would never attempt a home birth. Once I found out I was pregnant with Pooks (just 6mos after delivering Bubba) I vowed to learn as much as I could about childbirth and to have a natural childbirth where my pushing attempts would be effective; where I would feel both the good and the not-so-good of labor. I will interject myself here and say that having a supportive birth partner/coach is HIGHLY needed. B was on-board for me doing this, he knew that he would see me in pain and that I would need his support and encouragement. My mom {Nanaw} had a natural childbirth herself, so there was no doubt in her mind that I could do it. Both my mom and hubby have been present during all of my labor and deliveries.

I also recommend having your own birth plan but realize that it is just a plan. If your birth story is a carbon copy of the plan, good for you. If everything is different, that's okay too. The important part of any childbirth is a healthy mom and baby. In the long run you won't get a medal for refusing an epidural or for having a vaginal birth over a Cesarean. When your "baby" crosses the stage at High School graduation I'm pretty sure you won't be scolding yourself for begging for an epidural 18 years prior.

While I had an idea of my birth plan in my mind {and on typed up on my laptop} I never gave a physical copy to my ob or hospital. Instead I talked to him one on one about it at my 32 or 34 week appointment. I let him know that I fully intended on having a natural childbirth, that I did not want an epidural. I was open to all suggestions for managing the pain naturally; squatting, birth balls, birth tub, etc. I wanted to avoid pitocin if at all possible. I was fine with him rupturing my bag of waters to help progress labor. That once the baby was born, I wanted to delay clamping/cutting the cord until it was done pulsating, and that B would cut the cord when directed. I wanted to nurse the baby as soon as possible after the necessary evaluations/tests were done.

And the important part of having a birth plan? Going over it again when you actually are in labor and check in to the hospital. Let them know of your desires and have them assign you a nurse based on those requests. With both Pooks and Peanuts birth, I had very helpful and supportive nurses. The worse thing is a nurse who doesn't think you can do it, or who asks if you want to talk to the anesthesiologist or worse yet warns you that he's leaving the building. 

I'm not going to lie and say that labor doesn't hurt...parts of it do BUT it's not a continuous pain. This isn't like breaking your ankle. This is a necessary pain with a light at the end of the tunnel. Contractions hurt, yes. But the amazing thing about contractions is that they only last for a little bit; after each one you get a glorious break. Sure at first those breaks are five minutes long and then they dwindle down to ya know, like 30 seconds...but the important part is they are pain-free breaks. It's a chance to mentally prepare yourself for the next one and to focus on the goal: meeting your baby. Breathe through the contractions, use the breaks to munch on some ice chips and re-focus yourself. I know if I can do it, you can do. 


So that's my 2 cents on childbirth, or at least natural childbirth. Millions of women give birth all over the world without so much as an option of an epidural. Without taking a class, without learning a method or hypnotizing themselves. (I've never done any of the aforementioned). If you are woman, and your pregnancy is text book normal (not breech, etc) your body is fully capable to give birth naturally. Remind yourself of that.

Pookie says...Volume 2

"Thanks for giving me food mom".  No problem kid, it's my job.

"Bubba! Stop freakin' crying bout the freakin' puppy! You already got a freakin Scooby Doo!" In response to Bubba crying about not getting a little cheap dog out of a Claw Machine. 

"Mom, I farted and it stinks. But I not did poop. Just fart." Thanks for the reassurance. At Target. Appreciate that. 

 to be continued, I'm sure...

It's been a week...

Since I last blogged and I apologize. I think it's just the time of year where we are so busy! It's hot, hot, hot out but we're trying not to let that slow us down too much. In the past week we've spent the evenings playing in the shaded driveway and enjoying popsicles. We had a blast at a friend's backyard barbeque, we attended a Water Safari event at the zoo--the boys loved this! The Fire Department brought out a fire truck, hooked it up to the hydrant and sprayed the kids.

 

After playing in the water we all enjoyed a free ice cream cone from Baskin Robbins. This really helped beat the heat. Sure they made an absolute mess (it was 100+ degrees out and that ice cream was melting fast) but it was worth it.

We've also been getting the boys the things they need for school. Both Bubba and Pooks will be starting Pre-School at the end of the month and we got them each a new backpack. Rather than going with a plastic mini-backpack, we opted to get them a more durable {yet still pretty small} backpack from Eddie Bauer. They look SO grown up! {it's the ''sling pack'' found here}. They each got a new pair of shoes (hello awesome bargain at Dillards...Striderite shoes on clearance for $12!) and a few new shirts. Can you believe that they went up 1-2 full shoe sizes EACH since we last bought real shoes (which was in April)?? They're growing like weeds I tell ya! School starts on the 30th and they couldn't be more excited.

So during these last few weeks of summer, we've been filling up the kiddie pools and relaxing out front in the afternoon. I've realized that even with heat index's in the 110 degree range, I can't keep them inside all day long. They get whiny, cranky, and this leads to arguing, hitting, toy stealing, etc. Getting out in the afternoon really helps. And I'll admit, as ''white trash'' as it may be to fill up two kiddie pools, set them out in your front yard (our backyard won't work so we really don't have a choice) with lawn chairs and toys and then add to the fact that my 7.5 month  pregnant self is in a bikini---it's worth it. When it's this hot, I don't care what we look like, lol! Taking them to the pool is not an easy feat when it's one adult to 3 kids in a large body of water. And it looks like they are having fun:

And brace yourself...here I am almost 8 mos pregnant with Sweetcheeks...

Yep, I'm starting to run out of room for her to grow. Hard to believe I have only 7-8 weeks left!

The sweetest thing

This {if it posts correctly} should share a video of Pooks singing to his sissy. There really isn't much to see, but listen to his sweet little voice. Every night he sings "3 Little Birds" to Sweetcheeks and usually she kicks and squirms like crazy for him.

Happy {belated} Birthday Nanaw!

Saturday was Nanaw's birthday but since she was out of town we celebrated on Sunday. As usual for her bday, she picked dinner and dessert. In this case: Chicken Fried Steak, mashed potatoes and green beans followed with...Red Velvet Cupcakes with homemade Cream Cheese frosting.

After dinner and dessert, we played outside for a bit. The bugs were awful but we managed to hang out for awhile.

Hope you had a great Birthday Nanaw!!