Could tonight be the night?

The last 24 + hours have been so confusing and frustrating. I think I am the queen of false labor. 

Yesterday right after my Dr's appointment I started having pretty stout contractions every 3-4 minutes. They continued until I went to bed at 9 pm. I was able to sleep for about 2 hours, and was awakened by loud wind gusts. A cold front was coming through and we were having some rough wind. I could hear the flag flapping loudly outside, the windows sounded like they could have been sucked right off the frames, and our front door sounded like a kazoo. Freaky sounds.....

I wasn't able to go back to sleep until sometime after 2 am. And by then I was only having contractions every 20-30 minutes. Big difference from earlier. When I got up at 6:30 am, they were non existent. Such a let down. But during the day they were kind of sporadic. My husband wanted me to try Castor Oil. so I thought I'd give it a try. I took 2 Tablespoons at 12:15 pm. I choked it down in some apple sauce. It wasn't too bad. I thought that it would take effect immediately, but it didn't kick in until 2 and a half hours later. And the effects were short lived. It made me feel slightly nauseous and gave me a lot of gas, before it did it's magic. Oh well. 

I got myself together and wanted to go for a walk. And where is the best place in our little town to go for a walk, when it's rainy and cold? Walmart......you guessed it! But on the way there I started having contractions. I think the bumpiness of the truck caused me to start having them. Well, we walked and walked and walked for over an hour. I didn't have a cell phone or a watch, so I couldn't correctly time them. But my guess is about every 3 minutes. We would walk down one isle, and by the time we turned the corner, I started having another one. I hope it did some good. I did get some really cute non-slip footie slippers, a pineapple, and some mangoes.

The contractions started slowing down, so we thought.....Spicy Mexican food!

There is a little Mexican restaurant here that has this yummy spicy fish and shrimp. My husband's favorite. I was hoping that it would do something. 

.......................................................And still nothing.............Just the same sporadic contractions. This kid has a mind of her own. She should have been born a Taurus, because she has been as stubborn as a bull.

So, I'm going to try one more dose of the Castor Oil tonight, since the effects of it earlier were mild. I only took a 1/2 dose anyway. The great thing about Castor Oil is it will either work or it won't. And the benefits will either be labor or a good colon cleanse. Hee Hee! And believe me, I can benefit from either. There is no harm in trying. As of right now, my contractions are 5-7 minutes apart. 

You might think that I'm nuts for trying all this, but I am so tired of false labor every single night. I'm ready to be a mom again and take care of my family. I'm tired of feeling inadequate as a wife and mother. I'm ready to feel like myself again. I'm sure you can understand. 

Goodnight everyone! I'll keep you posted.

What in the World has Facebook turned into???

Have you noticed a difference in FB content over time, especially the last year?

Disclaimer:

I am not personally stepping on any person's toes. These are my observations and my opinions. Please take them as that and not a personal attack. I say this with love and respect. Thank you.

Ok, now that the disclaimer is behind me I can write. 

Do you remember what life was like before FB? I do. It may not be as you remember it. I'm sure we may have differnt styles of communication. Before FB, there was Myspace. Myspace was pretty cool there for a while. You could customize your page, see who considered you a top friend, link up with old friends, play music, etc...... And then the games kicked in, and all the advertisements, and with that viruses. You couldn't open up Myspace without something crashing on your computer. 

Around that time texting became popular. Ah texting....Nobody had smart phones. You had to type out each word on a # pad. How crazy! But didn't you find it aggravating when people had your # and they would send a whole bunch of chain texts, or picture texts, or crazy forwards? I personally hated them. Us now not having cell phones has been an adjustment, but I don't miss all of those useless texts. 

Before Myspace and Texting, we had email. Now some of us still use our email accounts for purposes other than FB. I use mine for Doctor's appointments, coupons, gardening newsletters, etc. But you know what I have noticed has disappeared from emails? All of those chain pictures, jokes, forwards, etc. It seems like all of those things gradually migrated from our emails......to our phones......and yes, now to FB. 

When I first opened up my FB account in February of 2009, I was so glad to link up with old friends, and buddies that I had gone to church with, old school mates. I loved seeing how their lives had changed, what they had become, pictures of their new families, and I could stay connected via internet or phone. It was fantastic! But now unfortunately, FB has taken a turn for the worse. Except for a small few, no one talks about their day, posts pictures (of someone other than themselves), The funny things that their kid did.........

When I open up FB, my feed is consumed with "shared pages or pictures", "Like this to win a free {whatever}", Cat adoption ads, Cartoons, and eCards (which I admit are mostly funny). 

I really try not to buy into the whole "share or like to win" gimmick. Have you or anyone you know won anything from them? Me either. I may use a similar tactic for my cakes in the future, but there will be a winner. I promise. All of those cute little animal pictures with all the cute sayings, pictures of butterflies, religious poems, quotes, eCards, etc.......Get a Pinterest account like the rest of us and pin them on there. Then you and anyone else can see them anytime they want. Pinterest is the perfect place to collect all of those cute little pictures. I even have some on my Pinterest boards, as well as many of my friends. It is my opinion that is where they belong. 

Check this out:

http://pinterest.com/pin/198510296045662837/

http://pinterest.com/kimberlyfrench/things-to-think-about/

See? All those little pictures and quotes are tucked away in a perfect, organized fashion.

I'm sure you all would absolutely love me if I posted or shared all of those hundred of cake pictures that I have on Pinterest, for inspiration. Yep, I thought so. You'd probably get annoyed. At least on Pinterest, you can choose not to follow that board, if you don't want to see hundreds of cake photos. I really don't want to cut people's posts off of my feed on FB. I really am interested in what they have to say. But key word is "they", not what the "cute little picture" has to say.

FB is for sharing about your day. That's why they are called "status updates". An occasional cartoon or quote is fine, but when it takes me 5 minutes of scrolling down my feed to find a live body that cared to write a real status, that's ridiculous. And believe me, I love reading real statuses and seeing real pictures. 

All this is why I've pretty much stopped updating on FB. I've made it pretty clear that if you care anything about what I have to say, then you'll find me on here. 

With all this said,  stop falling for people's online gimmicks, get Pinterest, and start writing some "real" stuff to keep you connected with your friends. Please don't turn FB into a junk email site. It is giving it a bad name, in my opinion.

Love you all. I'm up with contractions tonight and cannot sleep due to all the noise of the wind. I wanted to speak/write my mind. I hope you can respect that. Have a great night. 

Full Moon?.......with update!

Don't full moons bring women into the hospital? Well, it didn't work for me last night. This kiddo is really stuck in there. 

The contractions that I was having during the day have almost completely disappeared, which is incredibly discouraging to me. But I've been having some in the night. I've been waking myself up by groaning in my sleep, I've even woke my husband up doing it. And he usually doesn't wake up for anything. 

I wish I had some answers to what exactly my body is trying to prove. As of 1:09 pm this afternoon, baby #4 will be my longest pregnancy. I should be happy that she's in there almost full term, what they consider full term. Her lungs should be fully developed by now, and hopefully she comes out screaming. But I'm impatient. I want my body back, my comfort, my energy.......I'd trade the pregnancy in right now for all that. I know I'd be trading it for getting up and nursing in the middle of the night too, but it would sure be worth it at this point. I've said it before and I'll say it again.....I hate being pregnant! Just give me my baby already.

Later today I have an OB appointment. I'm now 37 weeks and 3 days. I'm really hoping she gives me some good news. It would be nice if I'm showing some effacement and dilation. That would at least give me some hope. Maybe she would help me out and stretch the cervix a bit, or induce me on Friday. Anything please. 

I only want to get this show on the road because I'm tired of feeling like I'm a burden on my family. I'm a very independent person, and my parents, kids, and husband have all had to step up to help me out. They've carried my toddler, carried laundry baskets, fished out toys from under the couch multiple times, drove me all over the place, picked up things at the store, cooked me meals. Be it that the last few weeks I've not been on bed rest but it's kind of hard to get a toy from under the couch when your stomach is the size of a beach ball. And it's difficult to drive when I can't sit with my thighs remotely together. I couldn't even stand to sit in the chairs at church yesterday. I ended up sitting on the floor in the nursery, watching B play with all the kiddos.

I'm having to scoot up my schedule today and lay B down for her nap early, so we can hit the road at 1:15. I will give you all an update, when I get back. So be sure to watch for it.

Update

Ok, I'm back home. Doctor's visit was good. I've gained 4 pounds from all the water retention and swelling. I surely hope the baby hasn't put on 4 pounds. She checked me and I'm still at 1cm, but I'm 50% effaced. Yay. That's some good news. Ever since we left the dr's office, I've been contracting about every 4 minutes. I hope she jump started something. So we'll found out if I make it through the night.

I'm ready.....And I hope she is too.

Here I am at 37 weeks. Honestly, I really didn't think I would make it. This baby is so much more laid back than my last two girls. She's not nearly as active. I'm hoping she is the same way when she comes out. Of course I want her to be a healthy amount of active, but not as rambunctious as my last one. Mama needs a break. Apparently she is needing some more time in the oven. I'm fine with that, as long as she's a normal size for delivery.

 Being gestational diabetic puts you at risk for big babies. My sugar levels have been pretty reasonable considering.........Ha! Considering I have cheated so much on my diet. With my last baby, I only had to diet the last 2 or 3 months. It wasn't too bad. With this one, well they put me on the diet at 10 weeks along. Now come on, I was still breastfeeding at the time. Even the nutritionist wanted me to add a ton more carbs, when she found out I was still nursing. Really my sugar levels have only gone wacky these last few weeks. I'm good most of the day, until the evening hits. Then I want to eat almost non-stop until bed. And it has gotten worse the further along I've gotten. She's either growing or I am. Ha Ha! I can't wait to work on getting my body back, and in even better condition.

This evening I will be on my search for some Red Raspberry capsules and Evening Primrose oil. Red Raspberry strengthens the uterus and makes the contractions more effective, and the Evening Primrose Oil softens and ripens the cervix for dilation. I really do not want to go the Castor Oil route, Yuck! It's not going to be long though. I had a bunch of very painful contractions last night, and when I woke up this morning, I had a bloody show. That's where the cervix is trying to dilate, and some of the capillaries burst, causing a tinge of blood in what was left of my mucus plug. 

Here I am at 37. I hope this is my last belly pic. I'm hoping that the next pics are of my beautiful babe in my arms.

I seriously need a behind. I promise it feels like my back just drops into my legs. LOL!

Yesterday was my husband's birthday. He had a great time. He came home from work in great spirits. I'm so happy for him. Money is tight here, and I wasn't able to buy him a gift, so I made him dinner and a cake. My parents came over to celebrate with us. We had my famous meatloaf, mac and cheese, and green beans. For after dinner I threw together, rather quickly, a chocolate cake with mint cream cheese frosting. Oh, and I just had a piece.......oops! But it tasted even better today, after it sat. Yum!

Someone swiped their finger in it before I got a picture. I have yet to find out who it was.......

B and Daddy with their 1950's hairstyles. LOVE it!

I forgot to buy candles. I looked around and found some pink candles. Hubby says he's "4". Silly! Even at 31, he's younger than me. 

Hmmmmm.........

I'm glad he had a good time. He's definitely my love and my best friend. I don't know how he feels, but I truly enjoy my time with family on special occasions, such as this. 

You all have a great weekend. I'll try to keep you updated on how I'm doing.

Smells and Memories

Have you ever smelled something that reminded you of something? This morning I was looking for some lotion to put on my face after I had gotten out of the shower. I saw the baby lotion on the counter and grabbed it. The smell reminded me of my grandmother. Not the way she is now, but it reminded me of her from back when I was small. She always had Johnson's baby lotion and oil in her bathroom. It must be her secret to how she stayed so young looking. She really doesn't look 85, and up until now she has always looked younger than her age. 

1981 Magazine Ad

The smell brought me back in time. Remember the A.D.D. I was talking about yesterday? Yeh. I started thinking about all the other smells, tastes, and objects that I knew reminded me of my childhood, all within just a matter of seconds. 

The smell of my mother's fresh baked bread reminds me of being about 3 or 5 years old, and living in our house in the country.

The smell of lavender reminds me of a basket of dried lavender flowers that I had on my dresser, when I was about 10.

Dried flowers and the taste of dried oranges remind me of my mother's friend Gail. She always had the neatest dried things handing all around the kitchen. And she always treated me to different kinds of dried fruit that she had kept up in jars. It's no wonder I would always go crazy buying dried fruits at Wild Oats and Whole Foods. 

The smell of fresh cut grass reminds me of weekends working in the yard with my parents, and all the schnauzers running around the yard.

The smell of orange spice reminds me of a candle that my grandmother had on a table in her formal living room. I had to take the lid off and smell it every time I went there. 

The smell of tulips reminds me of sitting on the wall to my parents driveway, and curling dandelion stems. My brother taught me to do that, and I would sit for what seemed like hours, curling them. The reason for the tulips, is the dandelions grew in between them. Ha Ha!

Gardenias remind me of my mother. She was fond of Sand and Sable perfume when I was younger. 

So what kind of fond memories do you associate with smells and tastes???

An unusual day

This day had just been weird to me. I have been figity all day. I had mentioned before that I had a list in my head of stuff to do before the baby arrives. Well, I desperately need to write it down. I feel like I'm wandering aimlessly around in circles. Pregnancy A.D.D. has me so confused. I'm here working on one thing, and then 10 seconds later I'm in the next room working one something else. 

Today I've washed 2 loads of laundry, including diapers, sharpened a set of knives, did the dishes, swept the floors, painted over the white trim in the whole house (only the chipped spots), and got some spots off of the bathroom floor.......  I have no idea why I felt the need to sharpen the knives. And the painting, well....I was sitting in my kitchen and the chipped spots on my cabinets were calling my name. I got a brush and some white paint, and started touching it up. Then I started noticing all the door frames, and touched them up. Then I remembered that the dog, when he was a puppy had chewed on the bathroom cabinets, and I touched them up. Then I noticed some spots on the bathroom floor, and had to scrub those out. See........This is the A.D.D. that I'm referring to. My head is absolutely spinning. 

I've had quite a few contractions today, enough to go to L&D tonight. I was monitored for about 2 hours. My contractions were about 3 minutes apart, but just not strong enough to make any significant change. But good new is that the baby has come down just a little. When the nurse checked me, it did not seem like she had to try as hard to check my cervix. But she said she's still up there and the cervix is still long. The contractions I am now still having, as I type, are a lot stronger than the ones I've had so far. And they are lasting about a minute in duration too. Maybe I can talk my husband into getting me some red raspberry and evening primrose oil tomorrow or this weekend. Something to strengthen my uterus, and make these contractions count, instead of just torment me. I wanted to come home though. I would much rather be on my feet, helping the contractions, then tied down to a bed, slowly going through the motions.

Tomorrow is my hubby's birthday. If he is reading this (which he says he doesn't, yeh right!), "Happy Birthday Honey! I love You!". I don't know what is in the plans. Tomorrow is also payday, maybe we can do something special. I wish I could bake him a cake. He loves my cakes. But I"ll see what he wants to do. It's his day.

I'm heading off to bed. It's 11pm here, and Hubby has to get up at 4:30. Looks like it won't be long until Baby #4 is here. I wonder what kind of odd Nesting behaviors I'll have tomorrow. They're really starting to surprise me. Have a good night everyone! Talk to ya later!

A Clean House Tuesday

Good morning! It is still morning isn't it? 

Still no baby yet. My two older kiddos are betting on this Thursday/Friday or Friday/Saturday. I'm really not sure. I know she's wanting to stay in there a little bit longer. I'm still having crampy contractions, but nothing that I can't move through. I learned my lesson with my last one. I'm not heading to the hospital until I can't walk or talk through the contractions. Someone asked last night, "Aren't you supposed to go to the hospital when the contractions are 4-5 minutes apart?". I said "Not me. I'd be there every night. And they would just send me home.". Oh well, they just need to get stronger. 

I am recovering from this cold pretty well, and so is B. She got a touch of it the same time I came down with it. I feel so much better, now that I can cough up all this congestion. And the vaporizer is just dandy. I was somewhat down on the couch Sunday, but yesterday evening I perked up a bit. My oldest daughter mentioned that her step-mom was going to make cinnamon rolls before she left, but for some reason didn't. So I suggested that we make homemade cinnamon rolls. Her step-mom (from what I gathered) doesn't make much homemade. We make almost everything homemade here. It's so much better, cheaper, and not to mention better for you. I know everything that goes into every recipe. 

Here they are after I cut them out. I thought they were big before they poofed up. 

And here they are all baked and yummy. They are huge! 

I made 1/2 with raisins and 1/2 without. I will definitely make these again. I was told that they were "Cinnabon" worthy. I've never had a "Cinnabon" cinnamon roll, so I wouldn't know how to compare. But these were awesome. 

This morning I put a cute little outfit that had a tutu on B. She acted all prissy and twirled all over the living room. I tried to get her picture, but as before she wont hold still and takes off running. I have to be quick.

This picture isn't even in focus.

And this is such a "Daddy face". She has some looks that remind me of my husband.

I quickly got the kitchen cleaned up from our guests last night, swept the floors, and straitened up a bit, and my dad came to help for a while. B loves her grandparents. We are so blessed to have them close by. I wish the other set was nearer. 

She kept wanting on the couch and bringing him a book to read. So I had to capture the moment. 

Just look at that grin.......

Today, I'm pacing myself. Trying to get our bedroom organized, under the bed swept out, furniture dusted, and baby bassinet assembled. I work for a little bit and rest for a while. My energy is up more, but my nose and cough still remind me to rest. I've got a list of things in my head that I want to have done before the baby arrives. 

Hope you all have a great day.

Prayers for our friends the Taylors. They will be welcoming their newest addition into the world today.

Quite possibly my last free weekend

As I just now sat down to write, I got tickled at my 15 month old. She is amazed at the snow falling. I don't know if it will do much, but it is pretty.

I'm so glad that I snapped these pictures, when I did. Just a moment later, the sun came out and all the snow melted. Darn. But it was enough that it had quickly covered the trampoline and started covering the deck. 

The short little snow spurt that we just had was probably the highlight of my day. I'm really trying to make the best of it. Hubby is gone, dog sitting  for someone, and I"m home with our toddler. Which would normally be ok, but I have a cold. Nothing is more aggravating  than trying to rest with a demanding toddler. I pray this crud clears up in the next few days. This is probably TMI for most of you, but my mucus plug has come out. Now with my first 2 pregnancies, I never noticed it. But my last one, she was born just a few days after it came out. So my guess, it wont be long. I'm just hoping that I get over this cold before she comes, and that everyone else stays healthy. This has been a rough year for colds and flu.

I've done nothing but be a couch potato today. I'm taking a rest. I've upped my Vitamin C, drank hot tea, sucked on throat lozenges, and taken Tylenol Sinus. I aim to nip this in the bud. I did muster up a bit of energy to thaw out some chicken breast. I've been slow cooking my recipe of Bacon Ranch Chicken. I'll let you know how it turns out. It's got one more hour in the oven. 

Last night I was able to get some cute pictures of B. She's crazy about climbing on the laundry basket. I'm really surprised that she's not figured out how to use it to get on the couch yet. I don't think it will be much longer til she figures it out. 

She's also been playing with her baby dolls a lot. I think I've been pushing it on her just a tad bit. I'm just trying to get her used to the thought of a baby being around here.

I just love the curls on the back of her head.

This morning before my hubby left, he made us breakfast. Scrambled eggs, bacon, and coffee. The bacon was out of this world! He placed it on a cookie sheet and baked it in the oven. 

Guess who ate 2 whole pieces of bacon?

And she loved it!

Well, that's our Saturday. I'm waiting on dinner, and waiting on Hubby to get home. I may take a hot bath and go to bed early tonight. 

Have a good one!

36 weeks and counting down

Today was my 36 week OB appointment. I made arrangements in advance for my parents to watch my little monkey. Last week she was a handful in the waiting room. I love her, but let me tell you, I was so relaxed at my appointment today. My mother ended up going with me and my dad stayed home with the monkey. He did so good. God bless him! 

The check up went great. I was supposed to be seen by a new doctor today, but she was held up in the delivery room. My doctors group has 5 OB doctors, all women. It's wonderful. You have your regular doctor, but then they have you see the other doctors too, just in case your doctor isn't on call for the birth. So far, with my other 3 babies, it all worked out that my doctor got to deliver them. This time I don't really care, but it would be kinda nice. I wouldn't want to break my trend. But today I got checked out by a nurse practitioner instead, I've liked all of them so far. I may have gained a pound, not sure though. They keep having me weigh in on different scales, so it's never the same one. Blood pressure has been good throughout the pregnancy. I measured 37 weeks again this week. So either the baby hasn't grown much, or maybe my water went down a bit. But I'm happy. Group B strep was positive again. That does not surprise me. My last 2 pregnancies were positive. No cervical changes, she said it was the same as last week. The baby was still high, but didn't seem like she had to reach as far this time (the same lady checked me as last week). But she did say that things could change rapidly. They know that I'm anticipating this delivery soon.

 I couldn't imagine going to my due date. I was chatting with a lady in the waiting room. She had 6 children, and her second born was 2 weeks late. TWO WEEKS LATE! OMG! I might have a 15 pound baby, if 2 weeks late. Not counting the C-section to go along with it. That's what gestational diabetes can possible do to you, if your not careful. All that wonderful sugar plumps that baby right up, like a chubby little cupid doll. I've been very bless so far to have normal sized children  even though they were on the big side for the weeks they were. God knows that I needed them out.

 I'm really hoping that something happens in this next week. My older 2 children are a little worried that I might have the baby while they are with my ex-husband on the week of his visitation, and they are unsure if he would even bring them to the hospital to see the new baby. It saddens me that there is even that issue that they would have to worry about. I just tell them not to worry, and that it would be the right thing for him to let them visit. They will be with me next week, and that would solve all the worrying and anxiety over the question of being able to visit. God has his way of working out all things for the good. I trust Him. He's never let me down. 2 things can happen. My ex can do what's right, or he can be selfish and be wrong in the eyes of my children. Either way, I'm not worrying.

Anyways......It looks like I need to go walk the block everyday, or take some Castor Oil to get this ball rolling. But end the end, none of those things work , unless the baby and my body are ready. She will come out when she wants to. 

Have a great weekend everybody! And Happy President's Day! Enjoy your day off, if you get it.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's day to all my friends....married, couples, singles. It doesn't matter. I still love ya!

My husband and I celebrated our Valentine's Day back on February 1st. We were unsure of what my condition would be with the pregnancy at this point. And honestly, I'm so glad we did it early. I'm really not feeling energetic today. Yesterday I was on my feet a lot, and by the evening my pelvis was hurting so bad, that my hubby had to pull me off of the couch, when I needed to get up. It's not real fun feeling like a beached whale. 

The only thing I have accomplished today is one load of laundry. I don't feel like doing anything. I deserve a day off. Right? I think so too. Hubby called and said he would make dinner tonight. So, I know we have a pizza in the freezer, and I'm truly ok with that. As long as I don't have to cook tonight. I'm in the mood for some pizza and a movie, and snuggle up with my loves. 

Tomorrow I'll be 36 weeks. I have met my personal goal for this pregnancy. All the multiple little contractions have subsided. It always seems like I do this. I go through a period of weeks where I have to be careful, and then I get to a certain point and the contractions stop. Then the real work begins. I go from trying to keep this baby in, to trying to get this baby out. LOL! Now all those many contractions have turned in to bouts of aggravating false labor. Now these contractions are stronger and longer, instead of more frequent. That's fine with me. Maybe they'll start to work their magic. At this point of my pregnancy with B, I had an overnight stay at the hospital, stuck at 3cm. Then four days later, she was born. 

My husband's birthday is coming up soon, and he's really hoping that I'll have the baby then. We'll see. He also has a couple of days off of work next week, and that would work out too. But bottom line, she will come when she's ready. I have never had a scheduled delivery, and they have always come on their own timing. Even though I'm almost terrified of going through all the pain of labor again, I'm so ready to get this over with.

 I love being a mommy, but I hate being pregnant. God Bless you women that love being pregnant. It's just not my favorite part. I love the nice skin and hair, and the movements of the baby. But everything else is for the birds. I can't stand what I look like in the mirror, getting comfortable to sleep is a struggle, insomnia, sore boobs and nipples, lack of sex drive (probably from the before mentioned things), gestational diabetes, no energy, heartburn, nausea, mood swings........I could keep going. Ultimately the best thing about going through all the suffering, is getting a beautiful baby girl. And I know that the second I see her, all of these awful things I just mentioned, will just be a bad dream. That is the moment that keeps me going, and my goal. I can't wait to see and hold her. 

I have my check up tomorrow and will update you after my appointment. I'm hoping to be dilated somewhat. Let's get this ball rolling!

That's just not me

I don't know about you, but I enjoy reading other people's blogs. I may be a little old fashioned, not in-tuned to the new blog style, or maybe just a little more mature than the other writers, but some of them just turn me off.

 If you are looking for fashion advice, that is not me.

 If you want fancy-shmancy lingo i.e. bloggy, obvi, etc....that's not me.

 You won't see me add a "y" on the end of words to wake them cutesy-wootsy, because I'm not 14.

 I'm an adult. Talking or writing like that, IMO makes you sound like a child. It just makes me sick.

If you are looking for celebrity talk, that's not me.

I do not bash my family or husband on this site. This is meant as a constructive outlet for me. A way to be positive, but sometimes I may pour out my heart. 

 And I refuse to use obscene language on here.

 Yes, I may spout a word or two if I drop a pot on my foot, but that's what makes me human.

 Using fowl language on a blog just shows me how immature that person is.

 I don't want to be like that or associate with that at all.

 My blog is my story, my journal, my diary of what all I encounter by being with my kids. I may bore you with stories of my kids, recipes that I've tried, or crafts I have made, but that's just me. 

I'm me. I'm not anyone else.

 I just want to write. My grammar may not be perfect. 

So, I you are a writer or an English buff, please ignore all my mistakes, and just love me for me. And keep your opinions of my grammar errors to yourself, please.

 English was never my strong suit. And I do rely on Spellchecker.

I do love writing on here so much better than on Facebook. I've had FB for 4 years now. And truly the only reason I'm keeping it right now is too stay in touch with family and friends abroad. In the past, FB has been used for my ex to spy on me. I mean, how in the world can he see a post I made, if I had his name blocked.......hmmmmmm......suspicion.  But that is old water under the bridge. FB has shown me that not everyone is my friend. 

I hope you continue to enjoy my posts. Because that's just me.

Busy Tuesday

Hello blog readers! I hardly had any breaks today. All morning long I was on my feet or was at least busy doing something baby related. Yesterday I got a huge garbage bag of baby clothes out of the attic, and I washed every article of it's contents. Today I folded all of it, and put it all away in the baby's room. Earlier I asked my father to help me get the baby swing and bouncy seat down out of the attic. They were tucked back far enough that I wasn't comfortable trying to attempt that all by my lonesome.  The car seat cover has been washed and re-installed. The straps have been re-positioned  for a newborn. It was just a month ago that Little Miss B was still riding in it. Lol! Thank you God for my husband's coworker that purchased a nice upright, forward facing car seat for B. We are so blessed.

The swing and bouncy seat covers are now washed, dried, and they are once again temporary fixtures in our living room. When I thought about where I was going to put them, I got that feeling/need to rearrange the furniture. Fun Fun! Anyways....the dust bunnies have all been swept up from behind the couches, and that makes me feel better.

I really feel like I've done alot, even though it might not sound like I did. I've noticed it takes me 3-4 times the amount of time to do any simple chore. Frustrating as it may seem, I'm pretty proud of myself for at least accomplishing a few chores a day. Trying to fold laundry with a 15 month old is nearly impossible. She really wants to help. She takes out each piece of clothing from the basket, gives it a shake, and then wads it up in her lap. Now only if I could just teach her how to fold it, and keep it folded.......now that would be heavenly. But she likes to sneak up to my piles of already folded clothes, snatch, and run across the room with them. Now, normally I would be able to jump up, quickly, off the couch and snatch that piece of clothing back from her, but these days it's taking me a few times rocking forward to thrust myself off the couch. lol.

I really think she is starting to figure out something odd is going on. The baby swing is back in the living room, there's a baby mattress on the floor in her room, and everyone keeps talking about this new baby. She's really starting to act up more. It's either the new baby or it's the fact that I can't provide swift discipline  And she's been able to get away with too much , due to me not moving as fast. This morning I had her in the living room watching her morning cartoons while I emptied the dishwasher, and I noticed it was quiet. And anyone who has had a toddler, knows that quiet means trouble. She had taken a framed photograph off of the lamp table, removed the back, taken out the photo, and was holding the glass when I caught her. She's pretty smart, and really fast. And so much different than my older two kids, who were completely happy playing with TOYS. She has to investigate anything she can get her hands on. It reminds me of my mother telling the story of my oldest brother taking a screwdriver to my other brother's crib, and almost having it taken apart when she caught him. And they were only 23 months apart. Her mind is taking in every bit of information that she comes in contact with. Just a few days ago, my oldest daughter taught her "Ring around the Rosie"  in just one try. She doesn't sing it, but now she stands out in the middle of the room and spins in a circle, but she want you to sing the song.

Tonight I fell asleep on the couch during the last part of the State of the Union Address, and now I'm wide awake. I'm sure those homemade brownies didn't help matters either. But I really wanted something chocolate. And they were so good and fudgy. I know I didn't need the sugar either, but sometimes I just have to break the rules. I had gone to bed, but the baby is putting so much pressure on my bladder. I promise, I have gotten up to pee nearly every 15 minutes. So I decided to come in here and type. At least maybe I can tire myself out enough that I won't feel the need to get up.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to catch up on our normal laundry, wash diapers, strip the beds, wash the sheets, and clean up my bedroom, so I can put the bassinet next to my side of the bed. It seems like our room is a catch-all for the stuff we quickly want to hide, when we have company. And tomorrow, I'm hoping to return them to their rightful places. The saying is true "A mother's work is never done.". And in my case, "slow and steady wins the race".

Good night everyone. Tomorrow is Hump Day. Enjoy!

Our Weekend

This weekend was pretty busy, and felt like it flew by. 

Friday night my oldest had a Masquerade Dance at his middle school. I had offered to help him make his own mask, but he just wanted to purchase one at the door. He mentioned to me several times that he wanted to slow dance with a girl. Apparently at the last dance, he didn't get to do that. So he was really excited about the night. He wanted to dress up, and smell good. He borrowed some of my husbands expensive cologne, and put on his tie. I think he's handsome. What do you think?

While we were all waiting for him to leave to the dance, I caught a snapshot of all three kids. It's rare, it seems, to have them all together for a picture. I love how little Miss B is peeking around from the chair, and big sister is proud of playing the guitar. 

He had an amazing time. Said he slow danced with 3 different girls that night. He's always had a way with the ladies. What a cutie!

Saturday morning we got around to do some much needed grocery shopping at the Commissary. And right before we got out the door, my curious toddler somehow managed to trap herself under her highchair. We all thought it was hilarious, but of course she was mad. Really mad.

With a little help from Mama and Big Brother, she made it out just fine. But then she turned around and tried to get right back under there. lol. What a stinker!

The Commissary is always a busy place on Saturday. And ours is so small. I really wish they could build on and add more variety, but it is such a money saver. We were able to stock up on a months worth of groceries. We probably would have paid double if we shopped anywhere else. 

About a week ago I was watching Giada at Home on Food Network. I absolutely LOVE her style of cooking. Everything is so fresh and not over processed. And on this particular episode, she showed how to make several meals out of one roasted chicken. So Saturday evening I wanted to recreate this chicken, but for some reason I couldn't find the exact recipe online. I tried to remember what all she had used, so I improvised. This is what I did:

Herbed Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:

1 roasting hen, fresh or thawed

4 Tbsp butter, softened

Lemon Pepper

Thyme

Mint

Salt

Garlic Powder

1 medium onion, quartered

2 cups Chicken Broth

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and pat dry the roasting hen and place in a roasting pan. Rub chicken with softened butter, inside and out, and even under the skin, then rub with the above dry ingredients. I cant say exactly how much I used. I just sprinkled until I thought it looked right. Place 1/2 of the onion inside the chicken cavity and the other 1/2 sprinkle around the pan. We will use this part of the onion for gravy later. Pour chicken broth into the pan and place in oven. My chicken took about an hour and 20 minutes to cook. Be sure to cook until the juices of the chicken run clear. And the skin should be crispy and browned. 

I remember that Giada had also used cooking Sherry, lemons, and oranges. I think those would go great with the flavor of the mint, but I didn't have any. Next time I want to try stuffing the chicken with slices of lemon and orange and squeezing the juice over the chicken...just to add a bit of acidity. Yum!

But here it is! Even without the citrus fruits, it turned out amazing. Oh, and I cook my chickens upside down, so the breasts stay moist.

Sunday evening I still had some pieces of the chicken left, so I whipped up some oven roasted veggies, boiled some quinoa in the broth I had made from the carcass, chopped a fresh tomato, and added some fresh picked cilantro from our garden. Yes, it is still growing over the winter. And it smelled so great! I love cilantro!

I don't know what to call this dish....... maybe Roasted Chicken and Veggie Quinoa Fiesta? I have no clue. But my husband ate 2 whole bowls full, which means he loved it. I always know I did a good job if he goes back for seconds. 

Not much going on today, on this dreary Monday. I'm just catching up on laundry, and hoping to get some of the baby things out of the attic today. They are also in need of cleaning, with all that dust up there. I shouldn't be much longer until they are put to use once again. 

You all have a great day!

Bed Rest Is Officially Over Today

Already?

It came and went so fast. And I couldn't have made it without the support of my family. All that rest dramatically reduced all the contractions I was having, enough that there were a few days that I didn't notice any contractions, not even Braxton Hicks. But let me tell you, now that I'm somewhat back on my feet, I've notice how fatigued I am. Long periods of laying and sitting on the couch has done nothing for my body. I now have a "granny butt". At least that's what I call it. It's when your back just drops right down into your legs. Now I've always prized my booty. There's nothing like putting on a great pair of jeans and being proud of what your Mama gave you. I'm not sure if she gave me my behind or not. But I'm just saying. Ha Ha!

 But I know that after my 6 week postpartum check up, I'll be working to get my booty back. I plan on having some sort of exercise routine. I've asked for an elliptical machine, something that doesn't take up too much room. Lord knows our living room is going to have all sorts of baby gadgets sitting all over the place again. I'm already gearing myself up for how I will spend my time working out while my sweet little babes take their naps. Because I'll be breastfeeding, I'll most likely take it very easy at first, not to harm my milk production. I'm really hoping that with my husband's promotion, that we can buy groceries that will fit my diet, and not rely on cheap meals. What I mean by cheap is the price, not the quality. But I've had to purchase more budget friendly foods over the last few months. And the past few months my doctor has fussed at me for eating potatoes and pasta, something right now that is almost every one of our meals. And being gestational diabetic is really hard on a tight budget. I have a few topics that I'll be talking about in the upcoming weeks. Two of which are Breastfeeding and The Blood Type Diet. I can't wait.

This morning I had my 35 week check up and an ultrasound. Yay! We got to see my precious baby girl's face in 3-D. We had yet to get a strait on picture of her, just a profile. The 3-D pictures are so much better when the baby gets a little chubby.

Today I hadn't really gained any weight. Blood Pressure was good. Sugar readings were a bit sporadic, but still no meds, just diet controlled. The baby measured in at a normal size of 5 lbs 15 oz. She's head down. And she's got hair! The tech said lots of it. I'm really hoping for dark hair this time. I've asked for it every time. I'm hoping that He grants me this one, since she will be my last. Once again, My amniotic fluid levels are high. There's nothing wrong with the baby, but sometimes gestational diabetes causes excess fluid, and that is making me measure big. Two weeks bigger! So, If my water breaks at home, I have to go strait to the hospital. With all that extra fluid in there, the ambilical cord has the risk of slipping out with the gush. But at this point now they will not stop my labor. I am free to go about as I please, and go into labor like normal.  Two nights ago I had really crampy contractions for about an hour. And last night I had them for about 2 hours. I'm in the safe zone now. So I'm not too concerned. I'm preparing myself for several bouts of False Labor. As with my last 2 pregnancies, I had a lot of false labor. My first one, no. He just wanted out right then and there. No stopping him. It seems as though my girls want to toy with me a bit.

I hope you  have enjoyed my posts. I have enjoyed writing them. Have a great weekend!

Learning to Treat Others the Way I Want to Be Treated

Before I get into my topic for today, I'll catch you up on this weekend. 

Friday night my husband treated me to a night out without the kiddos. We had a sitter, which has never happened for Miss B. She's never been away from me longer than being in the nursery at Church. But she had a blast. Hubby took me to Caraba's for a nice dinner. We were going to watch a movie at the theater, but we got a late start to the evening, and wouldn't have been able to have dinner beforehand. Dinner was great, as usual. I've never had a bad meal there. I had "The Johnny" with cavatapti pasta, and salad. Hubby had the same thing with fettuccine alfredo. And then for dessert, we had a yummy tiramisu. It had been over a year since we have had any time to ourselves. Of course right after dinner I had to call and check on B. She was a champ. It was pretty late when we left the restaurant, so we went to our local Walmart to grab me some more yarn. Then it was strait home for us "Old Folks". We did stay out until 11pm and didn't get out of bed until 9am. Such a rare treat!

Saturday morning, after we had slept in, we discovered it had snowed sometime in the night. So in a panic, we scurried around and got on the road to pick up Miss B. We didn't want her to be snowed in, away from us. It was amazing to see her face light up as she saw us walk in the door. I will say, I don't think she was told "no" the whole time away. She was quite the stinker, and a bit spoiled, after we got her home. After a few attitude corrections, she was back to her sweet self. 

Sunday, we had church in the morning, and then later were back at the church again for a Fellowship Super Bowl Party. It was really nice to be able to fellowship with the other members of our church last night, especially since I had been kinda shut up in the house. And this leads me to my topic......

Learning to Treat Others the Way I Want to Be Treated

For as long as I can remember, I have always been a part of a church body that ministered to each other. Whether it was helping someone move from one house to another, remodel a room, preparing meals for families with a birth, death, or hospitalization, or just a simple need of calling someone for prayer. But also, I have never gone to church in my own hometown. People here are just different. And especially these days, people only care about themselves. Last year when B was born, this situation really opened up my eyes. Do people not know that they need to step in and help others out? My heart was a little saddened by the circumstances. I saw a touch of it when only 4 people from church showed up to our "Church Baby Shower". I let things go, and didn't really let it bother me. We were still kinda new in the church. I had always gone to nearly ever baby shower I had ever been invited to. Who doesn't love a baby shower? But then when we had B, no one came to the hospital to visit, no one called to say congratulations, no one visited when we brought her home, and no one helped prepare us any meals to help us out. It may only be a "Southern" thing, but to me it good hospitality, and it lets others know you care. I was a bit heartbroken at that point. I felt like I had faded into the background. Do people not return kindness anymore? Had I not done enough deeds for others in the community, for them to all forget about us in a time of need? Still to this day, I don't know. 

But this is what I do know. Jesus commands us in Mark 12:31- The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." I may have gotten my panties in a wad, feelings hurt, but I was going to take this and turn it around. Maybe God has a lesson for me. Here I am in the same predicament again.....pregnant. And over the past week and a half I have been in bed rest. Not able to clean my own house, or prepare meals for my family. Thank God for my parents who have taken shifts to help us out. They are a Godsend!

After talking to my mother several times about my concerns, she mentioned a Food Ministry to our Pastor. He is on board with her ideas, and actually announced the Ministry at church yesterday morning. My mother is now organizing a group of 25 women to minister to families in our church that are in need of help preparing meals. People need to know that they are loved and cared for when they cannot do for themselves. We will be touching the lives of members that may have had a death in the family, a new baby, have been in the hospital, or have had surgery. What a great way to reach out and remind one another of God's love. For me, I didn't want others to feel what I had felt with B's birth. Of course, I'm not going to be on the team for a while. I'll be having my own new baby. I'm prepared for once again no phone calls, no visits, and no meals for my family, but that doesn't mean that I can't be a blessing to someone else. I'm really praying that God uses me as an example of his love. 

You know the old saying, "You have to be a friend to have a friend".

But my reward is in Heaven, even if no one recognizes me down here.

If you are a good cook, and would like to participate in the Church's Food Ministry, please contact me via email or Facebook, or contact my mother. There is also a sign up sheet on the visitor's table in the church lobby. Thank you for your willingness to help. And God Bless!

Finally a day out of the house!

Today was Dr appointment day. Yippee! My parents picked me and B up this morning and headed off on our 45 minute trip. All the usual baby check-up stuff. I think I gained 2 lbs, blood pressure is great, and baby's heart rhythm is good. Dr checked me today to see if I was dilated. Nope, not yet, and the baby was still high. Which is great. She's expecting the baby in a couple of weeks. She said I'm just prone to having early babies. Also, she still wants me to take it easy for the next week or so. She'd like to see me get to 36 weeks. 

It's all exciting and scary at the same time. I want this pregnancy to cease, but I really, really, really don't want to go into labor to make that happen. For some reason I have this awful fear of having pain this time around. Maybe it's because it's not been that long ago since the birth of my last baby. At least with my first 2 , I had kinda forgotten what it was all about. But each experience has been a different one. And I am praying and expecting this labor and delivery to go smoothly. 

After the Dr's visit, we ate lunch at Farmer's. Its a family owned restaurant homestyle buffet. It's alright. Nothing fancy, but B loved their mashed potatoes and gravy, and their mac and cheese. She was eating from both my plate and her Granddaddy's plate. She loved looking around at all the people. See, we don't eat out very much, and this was a new experience for her. Grandaddy was so nice and brought her back some cookies. Ohhh cookies! She loves sugar. I just knew she was going to get a hyper spell there soon. It never fails.

So, after lunch we went over to Lifeway Christian Bookstore for my mother to pick out some Secret Sister cards. Little Miss B loved that store. She was so wound up from the cookies, that she was running up and down the isles. My dad and I could hardly keep up with her. She just laughed and laughed. Then She saw the stuffed animals hanging on the end of the isles. "Oh boy!", she said. I wonder where she got that phrase.......*cough*cough* She was adorable.....energetic, yet adorable. 

We made a few more stops, some in which I sat in the car. I didn't want to overdo it today. And then we were back on the road home. It felt good to get out today. It was pretty chilly, say 22 degrees, but it was sunny. And I love sunshine. I needed that boost of serotonin and endorphins. And B took a lovely little nap on the way home. 

We're home now, and B is not going back down for a nap. I was hoping to get some rest before tonight. You see, my husband and I are celebrating our Valentine's Day tonight. I guess you could also call it a Babymoon Date. I wanted one night out of the house with no children attached to me, before our sweet new baby girl arrives. I've never been away from B. It wasn't that long ago that she was still nursing, and I wanted just one night of just Me and Hubby, before I have another one attached to my breast at any given moment. 

I have no clue what we're doing tonight, and honestly I don't care. As long as I don't have to do massive amounts of walking or stand in long lines, I'll be happy. Heck, I don't care if we go to McDonald's and then Walmart. I'm toddler free for a night. Ahhhh.......*sigh. I'm going to soak it in as long as it will last. 

I'll fill you in on our date night later. But TTFN!

Have a great Weekend!