A good week!

Lots of exciting fun this week. Or, at least, exciting to me!

-The boys have been adjusting to being all together in one room. It's still a messy disaster, but it's 1 room instead of 2. And we're figuring out bedtimes, so hopefully school will go easier.

-Amanda was determined to through me a baby shower, which felt a bit silly since I'm having my 4th boy and don't need anything. So we compromised! I talked to the other 2 ladies due around me, 1 with her 10th baby, and 1 with her 4th. Nobody is throwing them showers, so Amanda is going to host a combined "baby luncheon" for all 3 of us. That way we can celebrate our babies with friends, eat cake and other yummy goodies, play games.... without people having to figure out what to get us. Anyone of you guys who are close enough to come are totally invited! September 5, around 2pm, at the church right by the base. I'm making the cake even though I can't eat it really, and am kind of co-hosting for the other ladies. What fun!

-I had researched area doulas a couple months ago, to see if there was anyone locally who could do it. I'm interested in one for lots of reasons, the big one being help with pain management. I found one that I really liked what she had on her website. Very informative, liked her philosophies.... so I waited until we were a little further along and had the money to hire her. Lots of piano lessons later! I emailed her and she called back today, we have an appointment set for tomorrow morning for our free consultation! Kind of a look-see, go over what we expect from each other, make sure Mark likes her. Hurray!

-And..... I ordered the crib set today! I was able to find the one I wanted, brand new, on Ebay. For less than 1/2 the price on the other websites, and it's the full 12-piece set, not the 9-piece most offer. I still need the crib mattress, Amanda's that she offered to loan us wasn't in the best shape. So that's really the last big thing. Get the crib together. And I still have several weeks to do that, not really worried. I almost want to paint or something, but we'd have to paint over when we leave. Maybe some stencils on the walls?

So that's my exciting week! Lots of good things. Although, my house is a mess. And because I'm losing weight my maternity pants fit funny in the rear and my nursing bras are too big around. The cup is perfect, but I'm on the 3rd hook in! The baby is gaining at the same rate I am losing, so I haven't moved on the scale in several months. Doctor isn't worried so far.... it's just funny!

Surpises

I opened up the closet in the baby's room, to put something away, and found a thing of fabric that I had totally forgotten I had! Tan-ish colored, and plenty for curtains! Thick to help block the evening sun and keep the room cool, and keep it warm in the winter.

Awesome!

So I'm thinking I'll go with the navy/tan set, and see what other cute things I can find laying around the thrift store and stuff to decorate with. I love finding stuff in closets like that!

Hotter than......

just about anything! Poor Mark came home last night, smelling awful because of the gallons of sweat he'd gone through, and announced that the flightline where he works was a good 115 degrees! Seriously! The guys were supposed to work for 10 minutes, then rest for 15, and drink a quart of water an hour. Which they would have done, but they are so far behind on work that the rest of the base would have been seriously mad if they had actually taken the breaks. He did drink the water though, hence all the sweat. My poor pregnant nose!

The boys wanted to play outside yesterday evening, and I couldn't let them because of the heat. Not even the swimming pool, because it was completely clear skies and they just recovered from the last bad sunburn. Temperatures that hot can be dangerous. Even walking from Walmart to the car yesterday afternoon was torture! Didn't help I was wearing pants..... it's shorts today, for certain.

Mark and I were shocked to discover that I have 10 weeks until I'm full term. That's it! They'll induce somewhere between 37 and 39 weeks, and all my babies have been between 37 and 38 weeks. So basically, in 10 weeks from now, it's very likely I could be having a baby! Yikes! Time to really figure out that nursery. I've been looking at fabrics and nursery sets, and there just isn't anything in my price range in the green and brown. I did find one I liked in a navy and dark tan that would work for when we move William into that room too. Considering it very heavily..... And I wouldn't have to recover my chair, which is an odd size and therefore more expensive and hard to find slipcovers for. It's too small for most standard slipcovers!

And heaven bless Walmart! They have the most wonderful sugar-free angel food cakes! Perfect for those little sweet cravings I've been having lately. Slap some cool whip and berries on a piece of that, and I'm in sweet bliss!

It's an Alien!

One of my favorite things lately is to sit and stare at my stomach move from side to side and jump around. It's hilarious! I even got Mark doing it the other day, he said it totally looked like an alien in there or something.

I really gotta start taking more pictures...... It wasn't too hot today, so I took the boys down to the park. They all had a blast on the spinning stuff. Even William helps push and then hops on. They played hard, and deserved a nice treat. Off to the BX for some ice cream! And some school supplies, but the ice cream was by far the more exciting purchase. They have a little cooler with ice cream sandwhiches and cones and stuff. At least they got to enjoy the treat, I had to settle for a fresco taco from Taco Bell. Not sweet...... but still yummy.

They must have played harder than I thought though, William is passed out on one of his favorite napping spots. The couch. That boy hasn't napped on his bed since he was just over 2! He refuses! But at least the couch is comfy, and he sleeps well on it.....

And looking at the clock, I have 45 minutes to figure out and prepare dinner. Yikes! Mark has a short lunch, but tries to come home, so dinner has to be ready to eat when he gets here or he has to eat cereal. And what kind of dinner is that to rush home to?

100, and lists are out!

After spending all of June wondering if summer was ever going to warm up, it was raining and mid 70's to low 80's all month..... yesterday finally hit 100! Ugh! I've only ever been pregnant during the summer, with 1 June, 1 August, and 2 October babies, so I have capris and light shirts. But it was just plain hot yesterday! No wind to speak of to refresh either. I think the sympathetic looks I get when I wander out are funny though. I spend most of my day in an air conditioned home kept at 70, do you see how white my legs are? It's only hot when you go outside!

William's shoes are literally falling apart, thanks to being used be his 2 older brothers. So we ventured out yesterday to find some new ones. He was so excited about his new shoes! He can get them on by himself, courtesy of velcro straps, and he like the baseballs on them. I liked the black and gray ones better, but not $30 better..... $9 seemed like a much more do-able shoe. I keep all the shoes that are decent as handmedowns in a big box, where we usually go "shopping", but for some odd reason I didn't have any in size 7! Hmmm.....

And while we were at the store, we found they had the lists out for school supplies! Summer sure seems to have sped by, it's only mid-July, but the lists are already here and waiting. This is great, it gives me a few weeks to get everything together, but wow. School sure gets pricey too, when you have 2 that need supplies. Luckily, Oren's backpack is in fine shape, but we'll get Nathan a new one to celebrate entering Kindergarten.

Fun little bright spot.... I don't have to buy baby nail clippers! I found a pair in the box that is supposed to hold bottles, but there were only 2 and they didn't have nipples. Add those to my list, and take the clippers off! Amanda was asking the other day what I still needed for baby, and it's just boring stuff like milk storage bags, lansinoh, diapers..... My list of things to do is far longer than my list of things to get! Except for nursery stuff, and pretty much everything is things I prefer certain brands of, having done 3 other children and know what I like.

Another great appointment

It's crazy it's already been 4 weeks since my last appointment! I went back in for another ultrasound today, since I have to have one every 4 weeks, and everything went great. I may not be gaining weight, but my son sure is! He weighs about 2 lbs now, and is in the 50th % for weight. Perfect! Fluid levels look good, and heartrate is fantastic too. He was moving around plenty, but we did manage to corner him for a gender check. Wanted to make sure nothing disappeared! And I was assured that he is definitely still a boy. :-)

I go in for another ultrasound in 4 weeks, and after that my appointments will be every 2 weeks. Holy cow! So 30, then 32, &34, at which point I move to every week with Non-stress tests at least once a week as well. Which I can schedule on the same day as my appointment so I don't have to make so many trips, thankfully. If I think in terms of months left it seems like a long time. But in terms of appointments, it's going to go crazy fast!

Just for kicks, and because I had energy, I took off everything fabric from the baby stuff and washed it all. Got all that yucky dog hair from my friend's dogs, and all the mouse dropping yuckies off it. All solid surfaces got wiped down and disinfected after I vacummed the droppings off. (I hope that mouse found all the mouse poison we put down out there..... sick!)

I have plenty of time to track down a new mattress for the crib, ours had a big rip and since there are spiders in the garage too, I threw it out. The baby clothes need sorted and washed, and the dresser hauled in and cleaned off. Baby blankets need to be decided on, the nursery set figured out, and sheets bleached. I forget, every time, how much there is to do to get ready for a baby. But the good thing is that I do still have about 10 weeks before it has to be done. So I can do one thing at a time! I like to have everything ready by 36 weeks since I go early... thanks diabetes. The crib alone is going to take a whole day to figure out, because it's a different one from what we've used the last 3 babies and goes together differently. Ugg!

It's all so exciting though, and it makes if feel so real. Oren got to feel his brother move last night, and he was so excited! It was kind of special time with mommy, because his brothers were already in bed. And then baby started to kick, so I had him feel my belly. That little baby gave a huge kick, and Oren got a huge smile on his face! I mean, "that's an actual baby in there!" kind of look, you know? So sweet!

Knights in Shining Armour!

When I learned how to drive, my dad made sure I knew how to change a flat tire.

And of course since I know how, I've never had to actually do it myself! Always, there is somebody who drives up and says, "Can I help you?" I'll start the process, and never get to finish it. Not complaining in any way though.

This evening I loaded up the boys to take some old, large Rubbermaid containers to the base dump. They were broken, like so many things the boys use, and I had replaced them. I also wanted to cart away a wooden toy box that the screws had come off of yet again, several years old. I threw the containers in the huge dumpster, and dropped off the toy box at the wood pile, driving innocently around the huge mound to see if there were any chairs in decent shape, or shelves I could use. I drive very carefully around the pile, since there could be nails that you don't see and I didn't want to risk a flat tire.

So it was a suprise to see the "flat tire" light come on the dashboard on our way back home. I needed gas in the car anyway, so I went to go put some air in the tire. As soon as I took the valve cover off, you could hear the air escaping, not good. I was able to get some air into the tire, and as I went to put the valve cover back on, the entire valve moved! Air was rushing out of a hole where the valve is supposed to securely connect to the tire! Great!

Mark really doesn't like me lifting heavy things right now, as it tends to pull those round ligaments and I hurt for a while afterwards. But he was at work, and I didn't want to call somebody just to come change a tire, which I knew perfectly well how to do anyway. I was able to get the spare out from under the van when not 1, but 2 different people came up and asked if they could help! The second woman's husband had just come out of the store, so I accepted their offer. Those tires are heavy! In hindsight, watching him wrestle with the lugnuts, it's probably a very good thing I had help. They were quite tight, and he had to struggle to loosen them.

I feel very blessed that even though I have the knowledge to help myself, there has always been someone there to help me do it. I am not sore and aching, I was able to keep the kids entertained instead. And, I don't have to worry about the cost of replacing the whole tire, since we have some savings set aside just for things like this. We really are blessed when we prepared ourselves for things, I guess it is easier for the Lord to help us when we have the tools we need already.

I must be crazy.....

We did it. We switched the boys over Saturday. All the toys got cleaned up, Oren's bed taken apart and moved to the other bedroom, and the bunkbed set up. Mark did the heavy lifting, I promise. He was.... thrilled..... I'm sure, to get hauled off the computer to lift stuff for me, but he did it anyway. And it only took the boys 2 1/2 hours to get to sleep! Ugh. They also bent the curtain rod, which I fixed, so then they ended up just pulling it all the way down instead.

I also got all the baby stuff except the dresser into the now empty bedroom. It looks odd, and I still have 3 months left, but it all needs cleaned thoroughly before it gets used. The carpet needs cleaned, and I have to decide if I'm just going to stick with the blue baby stuff I made William, or if I'm going to splurge and do the mint and brown - which means all new curtains and bed stuff, and a slipcover for my chair. Pricey, but I want to sooooo bad!

We go to the doctor's on Wednesday for another ultrasound. Last time he was in the 52% for weight, hopefully he's still sitting about there. 26 weeks already! I go back in at 28 for my Rhogam shot and regular appointment.... from there on I go every 2 weeks. Yikes, it's flown by! halfway through July already, Nathan's birthday is in a couple weeks and then school starts. William's birthday in October, and then welcoming baby! Whew!

At least it only took the boys 20 minutes to settle down this time, but then again.... we put them to bed at 10:00 instead of 8:30 tonight. *sheepish grin*

Fridays are fun!

Especially when there is nothing you HAVE to do on your schedule!

In fact, we were all kind of bored today. I could have cleaned or something, yes, but I decided not to. I read instead. I did wander out for a bit to buy Mark some new work pants, since he came home last night with paint all over his already faded and worn out ones. But by afternoon we just had to get out of the house!

I've been looking for a shelf or something for the boy's room, so we wandered to the thrift store. No luck on shelves, but they did have a magnifying glass that Oren was immediately attached to. And I found a copy of a cookbook that I have checked out and renewed several times from the local library. A $20 book, for $2.50! Sold!

Then I was either certifiably insane, or very brave. Because I took all 3 boys to eat. By myself, in a sit down restaurant. That's right! The lady seating us had very wide eyes when I said it was just the three boys, and my very pregnant self. :-) Funny thing was, they all three sat right down and started coloring. There was no arguing over crayons, they decided in about 30 seconds what they wanted to eat and drink, and refrained from playing under the table or screaming loudly. Even William! They did fantastic! I've taken them out before, and if they aren't too tired or hungry they usually do pretty well, so I knew they could do it. In fact, an elderly gentleman stopped by our table as he was leaving and commented that I had some very well-behaved children. I love when that happens!

Pushing my luck even further we headed to Walmart, where I got some new rods and curtains for the boys's room. Nathan and William's room doesn't get very dark in the summer, a problem at bedtime. So I found some really cute nautical striped curtains for the windows. I would have made them, but the window is big enough that I would have spent the same amount just to cover the window well enough to cut the light. They were very excited. Now I just have to calm Mark down when he finds out that I heaved myself on top of the dresser and leaned way over to get the screws in.....

And we've decided to move Oren over a bit early. We are going to have the 3 older ones share a room until the baby is a little older, and then it'll be the older 2, and the younger 2 together. So we'll have the bunkbed put together, and the toddler bed all in the same room, along with a double dresser and a single dresser. And all the toys. It was going to wait until closer to October, but I realized that bedtime might be an issue for several weeks, and Oren can't afford to miss that much sleep during the school year. So we'll do it in the next couple weeks, while I can still help lift things, kind of. Then I can get the baby stuff out of the garage and out of reach of the mice in there. And sanitize it all since I found mouse poo on it. Gross!

Hot and Cold

That would pretty much describe our weekend. The days were nice and hot, and our tent was freezing at night! We bummed an extra sleeping bag off his mom our second night which helped immensely, but it was still chilly!

Mark's family reunion was this weekend, so off to Rexburg we went. There's a little ranch thingy just outside town that his uncle had reserved, plenty of trees for shade and a playground for the kids. It took me a couple days just to get everything together for camping with 3 kids! We took:

A big tent, a little tent, 2 sleeping bags, 2 foam pads, 2 air mattresses, bedding and blankets, pillows, pump, lantern, sunscreen and aloe, bugspray, clothes, towels, snacks, and a huge bag of entertainment for children.

Thanks to some hyper-organized OCD gene I got from somewhere the van was packed like a puzzle and we were prepared for plenty!

The boys had a blast! I regret that I took naps instead of pictures the whole weekend, but after 2 days of laundry and packing I was exhausted. Lots of cousins to play with, since all Mark's brothers and sisters with kids were there. And many of his cousins were too. With their children. Lots of good food and fun, talking, and playing. I even got talked into the talent show, literally last minute. We're talking 10 minutes before the show was supposed to start! My sweet sister-in-law brought a piece of music that I had played for her last time they visited us, "Waterfall" by Jon Shmitt. Steph knows this piece.... :-)

"OH OH OH OH!!!! You should totally play that! You're awesome .....!" and so forth. For some strange reason I agreed and got stuck on the program. As the second performer.....

And boy was I glad that nobody there plays piano very well, they are more guitar folks. And that nobody had ever heard the song except Mark and Mindy, his sister. I made so many mistakes! Not to mention how out of tune the piano there was! But the family all kept coming up to me and telling me how much they enjoyed it and stuff. After I played, the announcer asked how long I had been playing piano. It almost shocked me to say it has been nearly 22 years! (I was almost 6 when I started.) Mark even said afterwards that he forgets how well I play, and he was impressed. Silly guy. So even though I couldn't believe that I let them talk me into doing that, everybody made me feel really special afterwards, and I'm glad I did because some of the young ones are taking lessons and they thought it was really neat to hear.

We stayed at his Mom's after the reunion got over Sunday, and headed home Monday afternoon. Somehow the drive home is harder than the drive there. We got home at 8:30 and the kids went straight to bed after helping bring all the stuff in the house. And slept all night without hardly even moving they were so tired! We were aiming to be home for dinner, but spent a good while with Mark's grandma, so missed that window. That's alright! Golden Corral is just as good as homemade anyway! And Monday is seafood night. Strangest thing, they had mussels. And the boys liked them! They kept wanting more! Even William ate one and said it was yummy. I have odd children....