Category Archives: Uncategorized

Liam’s Birth Story

Posted on by
Reply

The last of the birth stories before I started blogging in 2008.  I hope you all enjoy!

Liam was due January 7th but given the size of Ace, Mark and I both were a little worried that he would come out just as big if not bigger.  Dr. J was  a bit anxious too.  So, due to that and (yep, lack of education), we decided to be induced quite a bit early.  Looking back, Mark and I both thought he would have been better off if we had waited.  Hindsight…yada yada.

Also, during his pregnancy the hospital I had used to deliver Zoe and Ace stopped taking our insurance and we were almost forced to go to the larger hospital (while better equipped, it’s quite the baby producers and more of a business and less personal than the smaller hospital we had come to enjoy).   Much to our delight, our insurance began to cover the smaller hospital so a delivery there was back on.  But, somehow, we got all mixed up.  Dr. J signed us up for an induction the same day as three other women…but they were at the big hospital.  And just us at the smaller one. 

When I arrived at the smaller hospital, they had no record that I was scheduled to be induced.  Calls were made and they went ahead and hooked me up and got things ready to start pitocin but nothing started until the final word came down from Dr. J to start it.  I visited with Zoe and Ace who were anxious to meet their new little brother and we just sat and waited.  Around lunch time, Dr. J had not come in yet because of the other deliveries at the other hospital and so my water had not been broken.  Mark headed out to lunch and we were told Dr. J would be there after lunch.  As I laid (yeah, on my back) in pain, I rolled over and heard a pop.  After that contraction, I paged the nurse and told her my water broke.  She didn’t believe me but came in and did their little scientific check which said it hadn’t but she knew by the amount of fluid it had.  So, for the first time ever, my water broke without Dr. J having to do it.  Pretty weird.  And I got a little frustrated that Mark hadn’t been there to help through those painful contractions.

Dr. J came in forty five minutes later and I told him he was a bit late.  We were all set.  I waited a bit longer to get the epidural.  When the anestheiologist was putting it in, I felt something weird on my right side and said something about it.  He said that was normal and continued what he was doing.  However, when he was all done, I was numb on my left side but could pretty much feel everything on my right.  I knew that wasn’t right but it was enough numbness to take the edge off.  We waited until around 3:30 when I realized I was feeling more pressure.  I called the nurse who checked and saw I was complete.  She called Dr. J who was finishing up a delivery.  Now, with feeling on one side, I knew that I couldn’t control the pushing too well.  The nurse offered to give me a shot to slow the contractions for a few minutes until Dr. J came.  I agreed to it and pushed the epidural button furiously until I couldn’t even move my left leg.    Dr. J came in plenty of time and by the time he arrived, I couldn’t even feel the contractions to push.  (So, my entire stomach was numb but the legs weren’t).  They told me when to push and I pushed a few times and out came Liam screaming passionately. 

Liam did give us a brief scare.  Even though he was crying, he didn’t “pink” up like he needed to.  The nurses took him to the NICU briefly to check his pulse ox level.  It all turned out fine and his apgar scales were really high despite his whiteness!  I’m guessing he’s just really white. 

He was also the smallest of our crew weighing in at a whopping 7 lbs. 4 oz.  He had the biggest feet but was so small for a long time, Mark and I thought we would break him by holding him.  If we could ever claim a high needs baby, Liam would have been it.  He had colic bad enough that he would choke when laying down and his sleep patterns were really erratic up to about four months (as opposed to the last three who settled down quite easily at night and mostly during the day after a few days or weeks).  We loved our little one dearly and that one small trip to NICU made us even more grateful for him!

And, despite our high needs baby, believe it or not, eighteen months later we were ready to do it again!  But, Josiah’s story will come next week (as soon as I find it), our first “no epidural” baby!

Facebooktwittermail

Why I Don’t Complain (okay, try not to at least)

Posted on by
2

We’re nearing the end here.  The pregnancy that began with so much uncertainty and a bit of worry is now nearing 40 weeks and  a very healthy and probably large, baby boy! 

I love a lot of the comments I get.  They include:
“You’re huge!”
“Are you sure there’s just one?”
“Looks like you’ve dropped!”  That’s an easy response:  “No, I just carry really low”
“Are you going to make it to your due date?”  (Um, pretty sure…it’s only a couple of weeks away…remember, February only has 29 days this year???)
“Aren’t you miserable?”
And a great comment last month from a lady at the check out line, “I hurt just looking at you!”  (to which I wanted to respond, it hurts looking at you too!)

I’m happy being pregnant.  Happy carrying my mover and shaker around.  Happy to have these aches and pains.  Even happy that I’m so low now my shirts don’t cover up my belly (okay, so I think my pukefest last week did cause me to drop a tad bit). 

Because I know every day he’s in there growing is another day he’s getting stronger and healthier.  We fought and prayed to keep him in there growing throughout the first trimester so keeping him in there until God’s ready for him to come out, well, I’m okay with that. 

It’s so hard hearing other women who complain about how hard it is being pregnant.  I’m not talking the casual chat but every time I see them, they want to complain about how awful pregnancy was and how ready they were at 30 weeks or so to get their kid out.  That just drives me batty. 

Especially when I turn around and talk to a dear mother who may have lost a child before she was ever able to hold them and cuddle them.  Or those who, for some reason or another, God has never allowed to carry a baby inside their womb.  I think about these women when I hear the complaints or start to complain to others.  My heart aches for them and I know that some of them would long, for just once, to experience the kind of discomfort I’m going through to get this little guy here.  I realize quickly that I have no room to complain. 

Now, I’m not saying I’m a saint.  Ask Mark.  He knows the aches I go through.  He tries to massage them out every night.  And, I do get a little short tempered with my kids during the day as I try to hobble over and teach a life lesson or an academic one for the one millionth time.

For the most part though, at the end of the day, I remember that it’s not just an every day occurence to have a child growing inside of me.  This little one is a gift (like his brothers and sisters before him) from God.  A tiny miracle God has placed in our family and I want to cherish each day I have him all to myself. 

Because, pretty soon, Mr. Malachi is going to be smothered with sloppy wet kisses and sweet little hands that are so anxious to meet, hold and love on their little brother!  And for that day, I have to say I’m truly excited!

And yes, as the day grows ever nearer, I will be expounding more and more on this little guy.  We’re playing the waiting game now…37 weeks and counting!

Facebooktwittermail

The Futur(ity)

Posted on by
Reply

We had the opportunity to attend The Futurity for the first time this year.  Usually, it falls on a day/week/month when we are traveling (I know…stand back in shock).  But, this year it didn’t.  Wondering if it has to do with a little one who is baking away in my belly. 

And since I know everyone knows what the Futurity is, I won’t bore you with details.  Okay, I’m kidding.  We really had no clue what we were going to until we actually went.  It was a field trip of sorts and an extremely nice gentleman met with all of us to explain what we were actually going to see.  So, here’s the lowdown that you can just skip if you already know what it is.

The Futurity is a week long cutting horse competition held every year in our town (okay, it’s a city).  Cutting horses are trained to cut away a cow from a herd so that he/she can be treated, branded, or just looked over.  They were used primarily out west (which explains why I never heard of it.  I believe my granddaddy, daddy, and uncles just used a barricade of sorts to brand the cows…yes, my granddaddy was a cattle farmer and my uncle still is).  Anyway, while the cowboys were out on the “range” so to speak (I feel myself turning more country as I type), they got bored watching cows eat grass and whatnot.  So, they started competing to see who had the best cutting horse.  This naturally grew in to a big competition with big prizes.

Now, this is a horse competition.  So, what happens is, the cowboy or cowgirl rides in, picks out a cow from the herd and gets her singled out from the rest.  Then the cowboy or cowgirl relaxes her reins and the horse takes over.  And that’s the amazing part, to see these majestic animals do what they are trained to do with little to no involvement from the rider.  It was also fun watching some of the riders because, well, some of them were big ol’ boys!    Each horse gets about 2 minutes to cut away a cow.  And all of us totally loved it.  Mark swapped his regular off day to go with us and that was such a blessing!

Of course, our resident animal lover was beside himself!  Horses and cows everywhere.  He was saying “Horsie, Cow, Moooo!” almost the entire time. 

The John Deere tractors on display were a nice treat too.

 This is for my niece J, it was really neat to see several girls/women who were riding horses competing.  Their horses scored very well too!

 Still loving it!

*And since this was a field trip, most of these pictures were taken by the kids.  In all, they took over 100 including some of someone’s shirt.  I pricked some of the best to share though.

Facebooktwittermail

Ace’s Birth Story

Posted on by
Reply

Of course, I can’t type a birth story without a little background.  Ace is our gift from God which is what his middle name means!  When Zoe was eight months old, we found out we were expecting.  However, just a few short weeks later, we learned that baby had died and was now in the arms of Jesus forever.  We prayed and cried and sought God’s peace and amply provided it.  We grew closer together as a couple and we grew even closer to God.  At my two week check up after our miscarriage, we talked with Dr. J and then prayed and realized if it was God’s will, He would allow us to get pregnant again or He would have us wait.  Two weeks later, we learned we were pregnant with Ace!    While the first part of the pregnancy was full of uncertainty, we learned to rely on God to carry us through.

And a funny from the first part of the pregnancy:  I was about six or so months pregnant when the lab nurses suddenly realized I wasn’t being seen for a miscarriage follow-up.  Really.  At each check up, they kept asking my the date of my LMP.  And they kept marking up the check out sheet wrong.  We giggled about that.

So, the day of the big birth arrived as planned.  Yep, as planned.  I was induced on my due date.  I’m not sure what prompted us to want to be induced.  Again, probably a lack of education, the convenience of scheduling a birth.  Dr. J had been out of town the week before and his colleague was the one who left it up to me to schedule the induction.  However, as before, I was a really good candidate for an induction (usually am…if you don’t know what makes a good candidate, I can feel you in privately.)  I had dilated to a total of 3 whole centimeters but wasn’t really that close to labor.  At least not like I was with Zoe.

After pitocin was started, I never really felt like the contractions were strong or regular.  Dr. J came in around 9:30 in the morning and broke my water and I was still at 3 cm but could be stretched to 5.  I kept getting stronger contractions but I never really felt like they were regular.  Around lunch time, they were strong enough that I thought an epidural might feel pretty nice about that time.  The nurse came in and checked me and I was at a 7.  Of course, after now having three non-epidural births, I realize that I was transitioning and probably could have held off on the drugs, but at the time…well, the nurse asked if I wanted an epidural and when I said yes, she rushed out to find anesthesia and get them in quick.  Epidural in place, we settled in to wait for the magic number 10.

However, as I got close to 10, Ace’s heart rate started to drop slightly.  I had to get on oxygen and lay on my side to get complete enough to push.  When I got to 10, the nurse let me push once and then quickly stopped me to wait on Dr. J.  This was not going to be a two and half hour pushing marathon like Zoe’s birth.  Dr. J came in, said he was going to change and to keep pushing and then stepped out.  I pushed one more time and then the nurse quickly told me to stop.  She searched out Dr. J and he (as quickly as he does) got ready.  I pushed through three contractions and he was born.  The umbilical cord was wrapped around Ace’s neck at least one time and tightly which explained the drop in the heartrate.

Ace weighed in a chunker compared to Zoe at 8 lbs 14 oz.  But he was gorgeous and we were thrilled to have our second addition to our family.  Our precious gift from God!

Facebooktwittermail

Malachi Update 36 Weeks

Posted on by
Reply

I do have a very good excuse for not regularly updating around here.  One word.  Illness.  It seems we are trying to go through all viruses before Malachi comes.  While I think that is super great, going through them all in one week…not so much fun.  Some of us have had nasty colds, one had a fever for 48 hours, and then there’s the stomach bug and we all know what that consists of.  I could go on and on about our immune systems but why I’m writing now is about the main man who will be the main event in a few weeks (give or take a few…and probably take.  We all know my babies like their cozy nests and have to be forced out).

What I failed to mention in our 20 week blog post about Malachi coming was that the placenta was low lying.  What that means is that it wasn’t even 1 centimeter away from the cervix.  That’s really close, and if it stayed in that position would have meant a c-section because there would really be no way to deliver a baby  without the placenta coming out first which can and almost certainly results in the death of both baby and mother.  Another reason why I’m so grateful for ultrasounds.

So, with a possibility of a c-section looming over us, we’ve trudged on through the pregnancy.  And really, there was nothing we could do.  There are no exercises, no special medicines or herbs to take to help make the placenta move…it’s just a God thing.  We looked up statistics and we were more reassured knowing that the numbers were on our side.  I believe it was like a 99% that a low lying placenta would “move” as the uterus grew.  I also knew that God knew what was best for both me and the baby.  I just prayed He would definitely give us a little heads up so that we can be prepared.  Trying to arrange care for children while mom can’t pick them up is a must in this here household.

So, as the date got closer, today marked the day I would have an ultrasound to see how big Malachi was and to see if the placenta moved.  We’ve been praying here almost every night and I’ve had several close friends praying.  And praise God…it has moved!  The sonographer couldn’t see all of the placenta because Mr. M is already head down but from the position of it and the position of my cervix, she felt most positive calling it clear and ready for delivery!  I’m still singing praises to God for this.  And guess what else…

This kid’s got some hair on him!  Look over on the right side…that little white spot towards the top of the solid black area…that’s his hair!  The sonographer and I just laughed.  She said it looked like a mohawk and I’ve already got one friend getting the hair gel and leather jacket ready for him!  At first, I didn’t buy that it was actually hair until she looked at some other things and came back and there was still a big ol’ splotch there.  So, either 2D technology has gotten that good or this kid is going to have a do to be dealt with!  It’ll be fun to see.  He also had his hand up by his face rubbing his eyes and just relaxing. 

It was adorable to watch and even though she woke him up from a very good nap (I know this because he spent the next 45 minutes kicking, stretching, poking and prodding), I loved every minute. 

We are all getting super excited about meeting this little guy!  Now just pray that an induction will not be needed!

Facebooktwittermail

Zoe’s Birth Story

Posted on by
Reply

Since we’re somewhere around five or six weeks out from Malachi’s birth (think close to six…my kids don’t like to come on or close to time without medical intervention and hoping that we won’t have medical intervention this time), I thought it’d be great to share all my birth stories.  I know I’ve got some friends out there who are birth story junkies like me so sit back with your tea or coffee (or diet coke or whatever) and enjoy.  The first three are already posted but each Friday I’ll post (or repost) a story.  And, as we say in my house, “AGE ORDER.”  This is called whenever we need to give things out one at time, etc.

Up first, my first born, Zoe.

A little background:  I started back to school to get another undergraduate degree when I was very newly pregnant.  My brain thought that I would continue with school even after the baby was born, maybe take a semester off, but that I’d finish and then go to work full time.  Since we didn’t have family in town and I knew of no one who kept children in their home, daycare was a given.  However, when I was taking summer classes, I had to do an observation of a class (I was going back to get a teaching degree).  Since it was summer, there were no classes to be found, so I had to go to a daycare.  God used that experience to make me realize that while my baby might be adequately cared for, she would not be cared for and loved by me and I would miss out on some of the most important parts of her first year of life and so on.  Regardless, I didn’t really come to that conclusion until a month from delivery and I was already near the end of my fall semester of school.

Zoe’s original due date was December 30th.  I had a pretty typical pregnancy besides her stubbornness in not showing off her girl parts at the first ultrasound.  Fortunately, we had connections and a friend was able to do another ultrasound at 28 weeks and we found out she was a she!  We were ecstatic.

The week before she was born, I had been having contractions on and off but none so strong that and regular that I felt they were that important.  I do, very vividly remember sitting in class on a Wednesday taking my last final exam.  I would answer a couple of questions and then pause and practice breathing..  My contractions were pretty strong.  One of my classmates kept staring at me and when I turned in my test, I do believe my poor professor gave a sigh of relief that I did not give birth in class.

The next week, I went in for a regular check up and Dr. J (yes, he’s delivered every single one of my babies), asked if I would like to have my daughter the next day.  I was surprised and so was Mark.  I was dilated to three and Dr. J did a quick ultrasound and we realized her fluid levels were really low.  So, we set the next day, a Friday before Christmas, as her induction date.  I didn’t realize how low the fluid levels were until Dr. J. broke my water that morning.  It was a trickle.  Barely a trickle.  I was also dilated to a four almost five.  I had been contracting that whole night and into the morning but had put off coming in since I knew we were scheduled to go in that day.

We waited and waited and like a good first time mom who hadn’t a clue what I was doing, I got an epidural when the pain got intense (I was probably at a six or so).  This was, by far, the best epidural I had (out of the three total).  It was textbook.  I also had an amazing nurse who refused to leave when her shift was up.

So, around 2 in the afternoon, I got the urge to push.  My nurse who had been with me all morning was there.  She was there an hour and half later while I was still pushing and her shift was up and the new nurse came in.  Dr. J came in and out to check  my progress.  He’d watch me push then walk out.  Never fussed, never tried to get her out…just waited.  I still praise God for his patience with this first time mom.  And my nurse, that would not leave, she cried when I had Zoe.  She was so sweet and amazing with us!  I’ve never had a nurse quite like her.  

Wound up, I pushed for almost two hours.  My sister was so impatient that she was standing outside the door to come see what was taking so long when I had her and Aunt Yaya screamed with excitement and freaked out the whole labor and delivery wing.  That’s how we roll in my family!

Zoe was born a little after 3:30 pm with her beautiful pink self and her sweet little cry and so much hair on the top of her head that we could have covered her in bows and there still would have been plenty of hair left!  All 8 pounds and 4 ounces of her (and that’s on the small side of my babies).  Mark was in awe and instantly in love with her and more in love with me…at least that’s how I feel about it.  He was so neat to watch because he thought (and still thinks) the whole process is such an amazing thing to watch.  Not many guys can say that…he’s a keeper I tell ya.

We brought Miss Zoe home three days before Christmas and she was the best Christmas present I’ve ever received. 

Facebooktwittermail

New Addition Revealed

Posted on by
Reply

So, several people on Facebook guessed it with the last hint.  Here’s our latest addition.  A member of our homeschool care group sent out an email yesterday that they had a bunny that needed a home.  Apparently, they have several family members who are allergic to it.  They were offering the rabbit, her inside and outside house and some hay, etc. for a very very reasonable price.  I called Mark on a whim.  We’ve discussed rabbits before but the startup cost of them kept us on hold.  I really thought Mark would say no but he looked at it logically and realized that we wouldn’t be able to find a better deal.  Plus, when you think about it, rabbits are pretty easy to care for.  So, he left it with asking the kids if they would be willing to chip in to pay for the bunny.  Of course, they all agreed.  I also explained that they would have to help care for her and they worked it out to where they would each care for her on their kitchen helper days.  Works for me.

She’s a year old.  And to answer any doubts, while Mark may joke that she’s stew meat…she is not a food pet.  She’s a real live pet for us to care for and nurture, etc.

Her given name was Georgia but, of course, the kids wanted to change it and they all had their own choices.  So, we put all the name choices in a bowl and Mark drew them out.  The choices were:
Trix (me, after Beatrix Potter)
Bugsy (Mark)
Ida (Zoe…she’s a hoot..that one)
Beatrice (Ace)
Rosie (Liam…if it’s the last thing he does, he’ll have a pet of some sort named Rosie)
Rosie (Josiah…he was trying to be supportive…plus he started running a fever today)
Chocolate (my dear, dear, Ceili Rain…she’s chocolate through and through).

The winner was Beatrice.  So, her full name is Beatrice Georgia Bunny.  I’m calling her Beatrice GB for short.

I really wanted a Watership Down name but after consulting with mom and looking up the characters, I realized that female characters were few and far between.  Her coloring reminds me of some of the Watership Down rabbits though.

Liam voiced that we needed a boy rabbit so that she could be a mommy.  I quickly vetoed that.  While I love the cute baby bunnies…well, they breed faster than us and I don’t need competition in that department!

And yes, my family kept bunnies growing up.  We even had a wild bunny that was best friends with one of our beloved Golden Retrievers.  Yes.  Best Friends.  Those two would run and play all afternoon.  So, this is exciting to see the kids get to be a part of something I experienced growing up.  So far, they’re excited.  We’ll see how it goes as she grows!

And, our resident animal lover, Bryant, is beyond thrilled.  He sits at her cage and waves and says, “Hi!” to her endlessly.

Ceili Rain does too!

Facebooktwittermail

New Addition Guessing Game

Posted on by
Reply

We’re adding to the family!  Yeah, I’m not talking about Malachi.  Since I’m making people guess on Facebook, I’ll let people guess on here until we do the big reveal.  I’ll keep adding hints throughout the day and do a big reveal tonight.

Here’s the first hint:

1.  We’re picking “her” up today.
2.  She has four legs.
3.  I (Abbie) had several when I was a child.
4.  It’s not a traditional pet.  We’re looney but not that looney as to add a dog or cat to our home before Malachi is born.  Been there and done that and probably won’t do that again anytime soon.
5.  She lives in a cage.
6 (and last one).  Her species is popular in works of fiction.

Facebooktwittermail

The Whole Truth: Who Raises the Kids?

Posted on by
Reply

Caroline asked:  Do you make your older daughters help raise the younger children and thus rob them of their childhood?

Good questions Caroline!  I’m sorry it’s taken like six months to get back on this band!  I can’t believe more of my peeps haven’t asked…I so would…even anonymously!

Let’s start with the first one.  Well, I only have one older daughter and the younger is two so she wouldn’t qualify in the “raising the younger children” scheme.  Raising our children in the fear of the Lord is our (Mark and I) job as parents.  We do give our other children responsiblities to make the house run smooth but that doesn’t mean they constantly on younger sibling watch, etc.  They run, laugh, play, and wrestle with their friends (yep, they have friends out side of our family…but that’s a secret).

When our children turn seven, and there’s a baby, then they will get the baby as a “buddy” when that baby no longer needs me to do a lot of their things.  These responsibilities include buckling them up, unbuckling them, helping them get dressed, help them put away clothes…and eventually, helping them learn their chores (i.e. picking up, unloading dishwasher, putting things away…that’s around 18 months or so).  When their buddy is walking very independently, they are required to hold their hand in the parking lot and making sure they don’t take off without the rest of us.  Now, since my children’s ages are 9, 7, 6, 4, 2, and 1 that means there are only two who are old enough to be “big buddies.”  And the seven year old is still slowly getting those responsiblities since he is a he and his buddy is only 18 months old.    We are currently teaching them that if their buddy doesn’t obey then to come to us and we’ll take care of the situation.  It is not and never will be their place to discipline their siblings.

Again, it’s not all work and I believe the older ones get more privileges than the younger ones.  For instance, Zoe and I occasionally go out for a meal and for a time to reconnect, get away and enjoy some yummy food (we both love the same kinds of meals she’s more adventurous in her orders than requesting McDonald’s).  She also gets to stay up later than her siblings and watch movies on occasion.  Ace gets his special time out with dad and is slowly getting to stay up later.

I guess, in summary, we are not in the parent camp that believes children should just be kids and not learn to work and contribute to the home.  We expect all our children from the time they can toddle to be willing and joyful helpers about the house doing age appropriate chores and activities.  We have no qualms in requiring our older children to help look out for their siblings as we have no problem looking out for all of them.  This is teaching them to be loving, gentle and helps them think of the needs of others before themselves (a Biblical model that we are striving for…JOY…Jesus, Others, You).  It’s our prayer that in teaching them these Christian character qualities that they will grow up willingly and lovingly and sacrificially sharing Christ with others.

This is quite long, so I’ll leave it at that.  The short answer is “no, we don’t have our olders raise our youngers.”  The long answer is above!

Leave a comment on this post or here if you have a question you’d like for us to answer about our bunch.

Facebooktwittermail

Never Boring

Posted on by
Reply

I know I haven’t posted much but trust me, it’s not because we’re sitting around staring at each other.  It’s been rather busy here.  We’re preparing for a baby for goodness sake.

So, for example, this weekend, we traveled a couple of hours away (in cold rain) to some friends’ child’s birthday party.  Not just some friends.  These are friends from back in Mark’s college days (and mine too, although I didn’t go to the same college).  It was wonderful to see them all and how much their kids are growing and I’m sure you’d like to see pictures.  But I didn’t take nary a one.  Yeah, we were good like that.  I blame it on the rain, cold, and trying to doctor up bruises and bumps from playing in the most awesome indoor three story play place ever.

Sunday, in between meals and church, I worked on some sewing.  My discomfort level is growing a tad so my sewing time is getting very limited.  I did get a cover done from this tutorial I pinned on pinterest (tell me you’re shocked!).

‘Cept I didn’t add the ruffle. Didn’t really see the purpose in it. But the pocket. I’m in love with! I can’t wait to use it.   And yes it’s big so that means hopefully enough coverage of the baby belly while nursing!  I’ll show off my version (with all the other fun stuff) when it gets closer to baby time.

I also made a super comfy maxi skirt to be worn post baby (okay, and pre too).  And I found the tutorial for it on…just guess…

Just pretend that’s me. Tall, blonde, thin and barely a bump to speak of!  I made this skirt for my Christmas outfit (go to our actual blog to see).  The first time I made it, the waistband was a bit too small and uncomfortable for the bump.  This time, too big.  So, I’m making readjustments again and hope to have it on and comfy by the end of this weekend.  One day I’ll figure out how to measure my waist.

I’m also busy reading Large Family Logistics and totally getting overwhelmed in spots.  I had to take a week off for my brain to process and see how her suggestions would fit into our world.  My impulse…to jump in and do everything but I know that I would go insane with that and getting ready for a baby.  So, I’m trying to apply some things that I know will work a little at a time.  “Rome wasn’t built in a day” as they say.  For now, I’ll say that this book is a must read for any mom…not just those with a bunch of kids.  I know I’m not going to finish it all this month but it will be complete by year’s end.  And, look on here for tidbits that I’ve gained and will be applying. 

Oh, we’ve also got house projects too…like Igor and a bike shed and deck decorating and the like…and field trips and school and freezer cooking and the like.  And watch out.  Mark is getting me a smartphone.  Don’t ask me what kind.  I’m still not 100% sure.  But it should make labor day quite interesting as we duel blog 🙂

Yes, life here is never boring!

Facebooktwittermail