You Do Know What Causes That, Right?

A Lobster Named Mike

2010-09-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

Now that I have so many friends blogging, I suppose I could update my blog.

Until tonight, my blog description said I have 3 and 3/4 children.

A lil outdated.

I cancelled my photo hosting account since I save all my pics on Facebook now. I am a little amazed that all the photos haven't disappeared from my blog. I am sure they will disappear in due time. And then my blog posts won't make any sense.

I'm curious if I can post pics on here FROM Facebook. Perhaps I shall try...

Well, that worked. Except that pic is way big.

Today was my first day getting the little ones and myself dressed and out of the house by myself. And first day driving since my c/s. Bella was impressed and exclaimed, "Mommy, you can drive?!?! That's AMAZING!" She also told me repeatedly that I am "huge" and "large size" while I was getting ready. Nice.

Getting myself and everyone else ready proved to be quite a bit more difficult than I anticipated. I put Charlie on my bed (sleeping) so I could put on some make up (which I hadn't done in days because my make up bag was missing -- turns out it was in the master bathroom sink -- the side we don't use -- covered by a towel. I looked everywhere, except under things).

I tried to rush through my make up application but still had to say "Please leave the baby alone," "Don't touch the baby," and "No! Put him down" about 57 times. Dahlia most literally picked Charlie up at one point. I have yet to come up with an idea for a place to put the little guy where no one will French kiss him, poke his eyes, or pick him up without supporting his head while I perform brief tasks.

I should have used the Moby Wrap.

That's what I should have done.

Next time.

The girls' hair looked pretty...not good...because they both insist on being first for hair-fixing and that means when I am fixing one girl's hair the other girl is trying to sit on my lap or brush the other girl's hair or otherwise complicate the process in some way. Also, I suck at fixing hair.

Bella put her own shoes on this morning which helped me a ton. I didn't realize until we were in the parking lot at Red Lobster that they were on the wrong feet, but I still think it was a good effort. Both girls got to pet a lobster (named Mike, according to Dahlia).

I managed to not be super late running my errands and meeting Adrian for lunch (Endless Shrimp, btw). I was thisclose to forgetting to wear deodorant but remembered just as I was about to head out the door.

I hope I get better at this. Practice makes perfect, right? Wal-Mart tomorrow!

Back to School

2009-08-26T05:33:00.001-07:00

It has been quite a while since I've posted. I guess blogging is more of a school year activity? Although, that doesn't explain why I stopped blogging regularly mid-school year last year. Heh.

Xavier is a middle school student. I keep calling it Junior High, which I guess is incorrect.

I have been so worried for him. He's this little six grader and I see all these big kids going to middle school -- these kids could pass for adults. Apparently, though, my fears were unfounded.

He is way more enthusiastic about middle school than he was about elementary. He likes the challenge of finding his classes and remembering locker combinations (this comes up as misspelled -- surely that's how you spell combinations).

He got to choose his locker. He chose locker #619. As in, "booyaka, booyaka, 6-1-9" ala Rey Mysterio. (Wrestler) So funny. He said he knew he would be able to remember it that way.

Speaking of wrestling, he's got the big TNA "Cross the Line" event coming up on Sunday. He's into WWE but is still excited to see wrestling live and in person. Mick Foley, his all time hero, is slated to be there.

I hope, I hope, I hope he gets to meet or shake hands with or gets some acknowledgment from Mick Foley. It would make his YEAR.

We worked on signs last night. I'm doing one that says "Foley is Good" which is one of MF's catch-phrases. I colored the lettering like the red flannel shirt Foley famously wears. The O in Foley is the Mankind smiley face. I'll post a pic when it's finished. It's a lotta work and a lotta love.

Xavier really enjoyed making posters together and thanked me repeatedly for it. It was nice to feel like we were having quality time together. It gets kind of hard to have quality time when they get older and think you're stupid and everything you do is lame, LOL.

Apparently WWE trademark stuff is not allowed on posters at TNA. They won't let you hold signs that have that kind of thing (slogans, drawings, etc). And if you do hold it, and it's televised, they will blur it out.

Here's hoping he can hold the signs we make.

Orian's enjoying school this year. He thinks he has a much nicer teacher. I am willing to encourage that impression, LOL.

His teacher had a very neat, fun get-to-know you assignment for the kids. They got brown paper sacks at the "Meet the Teachers" event and the children had to go home and choose 10 items to put in the sack that represented their interests and personalities.

Of course, the challenge was to find 10 items that would fit in the bag. Orian chose the family photo from the Space Center (which I love!), some mini wrestling figures, a sticky toy from something, a box of mac and cheese (his fave snack), a Simpsons comic book, the movie insert from the Ghostbuster DVDs, a drawing of his favorite subject (math), a photo of Xavier and Orian with Adrian in his Class As from right after we got to Hawaii, and something else that I don't remember.

Of course, the highlight of school for Orian is the breakfasts. I decided that cereal and Pop Tarts aren't cutting it in the morning. All that sugar and nothing else is just setting them up for energy crashes.

So I have been cooking some form of breakfast every morning, including staples like waffles (frozen, haha, I'm not Martha Stewart), cinnamon rolls, bacon, eggs, hash-browns, etc.

I am kinda digging being up and doing things in the morning even though I am so not a morning person. And Orian LOVES breakfast.

Yesterday we missed the alarm and it was Pop Tarts only but hopefully that will be a very rare occurrence.

The boys are also getting to the ages where they eat constantly. Especially Xavier. He's a bottomless pit.

The school year is off to a pretty good start. Everyone is still optimistic. Bella gets confused when she wakes up because the boys aren't there. She asks to go wake them up. Hehe.

She likes having the TV back to herself again though. She hasn't watched Noggin in forever. Now she can watch "her shows" and dance around. Very fun.

Dahlia has a tooth and is pulling up and cruising on furniture like nobody's business. That's the new developments in Dahlia's world.

Now I'm going to hit Facebook and eat a cinnamon roll (because I am SO OFF South Beach, haha).

Easter 2009

2009-04-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

April Photos

2009-04-06T13:10:00.001-07:00

I know St. Patricks is way over, but I took a picture of my Pot 'O Gold before I put it away. I was really excited about it. I got a pot at Hobby Lobby and spray painted it black. I found some clearance decorative "rocks" for $1.50 at Wal-Mart and spray painted them gold. Weighted the pot with an exercise ball (at least it's being used!) and then filled in with the gold pieces. It looked like this:

From the side:

So, Xavier's new thing is wrestling. "Thing" would be an understatement. The kid's obsessed.

Bella is a princess. These are her two favorite "princess skirts". She usually wears at least 2 skirts at a time. Ignore the laundry in the background. I was in the middle of folding.

Grandma came to visit. Bella is the spitting image of her grandma.

Dahlia is growing fast. I took this picture of her the other day and it looks so much like one I took of Bella around the same age.

Dolly is smiling up a storm, but I haven't had a lot of luck getting great shots of her smiling. My camera is very slow. Here's part of a smile:

Here's a cute pic of Bella from this morning. Earlier she was in her cowgirl hat and riding her pony but in this pic, she's just a princess:

We did a craft and made bead bunnies.

I didn't think ahead enough to either strip her down or put her in a big t-shirt, so we ended up with this:

And, just for fun, here's a little snapshot of some of the things we've played with today:

Mommy's cell phone, a wallet, bungee cords, a medicine syringe (new in package), and a dollar bill. Fun times.

Months 1&2 in Pictures

2009-03-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

Dahlia's Birth Story

2009-02-19T11:57:00.000-08:00

I am really behind on blogging. At first I was busy with the holidays, then I was ridiculously pregnant, and then just busy and exhausted with a toddler, the new baby, and the big boys.

I think I will eventually catch up and post some pics from Christmas, but for now I'll start with my birth story. Some of you may have read this already, but I think it's a good catch-up point, and I just like sharing it. :)

I had an NST and u/s on January 22nd, at 41 weeks, and while everything looked healthy, the staff really pressured me to schedule an induction right away since they don't like for pregnancies to go past 41 weeks. It was a difficult decision, but we chose to decline the induction and schedule another NST and u/s for 4 days later.

I was so frustrated and ready to go into labor. That night when DH got home from work, we started some natural labor inducing techniques, just hoping something would trigger what I was hoping was on the verge of happening.

We went for a long walk (about 2 miles, with a hill!). I did curb walking. I did an inversion technique that required me to place my knees on the stairs about 12 to 20 inches above my head since Dahlia appeared to be in a less than optimal position to trigger labor and dilation (posterior). I hit the breast pump. I even had a glass of wine.

NOTHING.

My fear was that I would continue to hold out hope that my body would do what it's meant to do and I would end up failing and having an induction anyways. I was losing faith that it could happen on its own.

Since we still hadn't settled on a middle name, DH and I discussed a trip to Barnes and Noble over the weekend to look at baby name books. We asked mom to stay over the weekend in anticipation of childcare needs during the NST and u/s on Monday.

I went to bed Thursday night knowing I would be pregnant again the next day.

I had a fitful night's sleep and even put my pillow on the opposite end of the bed to try to cool down and get comfortable. As usual I was up to pee every few hours, and I had to get up and grab some Rolaids to be able to continue sleeping.

I thought at one point that maybe I was having contractions, but I was really tired, and decided it was my imagination. I couldn't go into labor, right?

I slept in a little bit after DH went to work and spent my morning being lazy. I noticed I was having contractions, but every time I had them before, they were always just pre-labor and eventually fizzled out. I didn't want to get excited just to be disappointed again.

I took a little nap on the couch because my back hurt. I had a few contractions during my nap, but the sensations were still mild and definitely didn't set off any "impending labor" signals.

Around 10:30 am I realized the contractions were not only continuing, but moving closer together. I called DH and told him not to get excited but something *might* be happening.

He waited it out until lunch time before coming home -- we didn't want to jinx it! By that time, I was becoming more optimistic about it being "time". My contractions were coming around 4 minutes apart and lasted for about a minute each. They felt like a belt being tightened around my hips and down below in my very lower abdomen. They kinda sucked, but I was able to easily relax through them.

Shortly after DH got home the contractions spaced out a bit so I threw on a tank top and some yoga pants and we walked down the block a little bit with me doing curb walking. I felt like such a dork, but I was desperate to help the contractions along.

Back at the house DH rushed around picking up and making lunch. He decided not to return to work. As the contractions picked up in intensity and frequency we began to feel like we might be getting ready to have a baby!

The night before I had spoken to my doula about my disappointing experience with the staff after the NST and she had told me she had been in with another client (due 2 weeks after me) and that the hospital had been PACKED. Women were laboring in the waiting room due to lack of availability of beds in triage and one women was very close to pushing in the hallway. Her client had actually been sent home because things were just so crowded.

DH decided to call and ask how crowded things were. He talked to someone at L&D and she told him we should come on in.

I was hesitant because I didn't want to come in too early. I really wanted to be at home and comfortable as long as possible. As my contractions began coming closer together, he got more excited and was ready to head in to the hospital. I didn't want to experience transition in the car, so I agreed.

We took about 20 minutes online to look for a middle name. We decided to honor his heritage with a middle name of Hispanic origin. I loved Damita, LOL, but he thought two Ds would not be good. He really liked Alise, which was very close to Elise, which had been my favorite before, so I agreed. I decided to let him make the final decision.

When we finally got around to leaving for the hospital my contractions were close enough together and intense enough that I was having difficulty getting ready to go. I had a hard time deciding on pants, LOL. I did manage to kind of make the bed before we left and we finished packing the L&D bag. It felt like a bit of a panicked scramble, but it was fun.

In the car my contractions were 2 to 3 minutes apart. DH forgot to drop me off at the front and instead parked in stork parking. He felt bad and wanted to take me to the front which made me laugh because I was perfectly capable of walking and it would be good for labor progress.

I had to stop and concentrate right by the doors of the hospital because of a powerful contraction, and the people around us jumped to offer us a wheelchair. I didn't feel like I needed it but it was a really cute moment. I felt really special and excited.

DH wheeled me up to L&D and we went straight back to Triage. The nurses scoffed and told me that I was "too smiley" to be in labor. After checking my information, they asked me if I had an induction on the books. When we told them no, they began giving me a speech about the dangers of going past 41 weeks, which I found ironic because I was coming in to have a baby!

They sent me back to a bed and hooked me up to some monitors and a blood pressure cuff. Even though the place was empty, they took their time getting back to me to assess my labor. I had already told Adrian that if I wasn't at LEAST 4 cm, I wanted to go back home.

We had called my doula earlier to let her know that we thought we *might* be in labor but that it could be a false alarm. Adrian called her again from Triage to let her know that we were at the hospital. Turned out, she was too! She was there with her other client, who was also in labor. What are the chances? LOL!

The nurse came back to check on me and watched me relax through a contraction. My doula was there beside me and when the nurse commented, "Wow. You should teach classes." I said, "She's great, isn't she?" The nurse who had previously thought I was too smiley to be in labor then said, "I was talking about you. Good job!"

It was so nice to be encouraged like that.

When the midwife got back to see me she immediately expressed concern over my blood pressure. It was 130-something over 80-something. Everything else looked great, but she was worried.
The day before at the NST my BP was picture perfect.

She ordered blood work and a urinalysis. She also decided I would need more fetal monitoring and blood pressure monitoring.

She asked if I would be ok with a saline lock. I had already decided I would be willing to accept a saline lock if they wanted me to have one, so I consented.

She also checked my cervical dilation. I was 90% effaced and dilated to a 4-stretchable to a 5. I was staying and the nurses brought me a gown.

I was taken to the birthing suite where I got to answer lots and lots of questions. I was on the fetal monitor and all the other junk. When one of the nurses asked my weight, I made Adrian leave the room. They thought that was hilarious.

The nurses were mostly respectful of not asking questions or doing things to me during contractions so I could focus. My contractions were definitely getting intense but I was still able to relax through them.

The blood work was seriously unfun. The first nurse blew out two veins and then gave up and turned it over to someone else. The second nurse also botched two sticks before finally getting some blood. She put the saline lock in at my wrist, which was really uncomfortable and inconvenient but after a enduring the long, long search for usable blood, I was able to relax.

Until the blood pressure cuff went off and squeezed a blown vein. The contractions I could handle. I just about lost it when I felt my vein trying to explode out of my arm.

Finally I was taken off the monitors and given privacy and freedom to labor with Adrian. I didn't really feel like walking around, so I just tried to relax. DH turned the lights out for me and gave me my Hypnobirthing CD to listen to. My doula was with the other client next door and stopped by help us. She did the most wonderful thing where she gently stroked the space between my eyebrows during a contraction. It really helped me to relax.

DH was also wonderful about reminding me to breathe and to relax my jaw. I felt very supported and loved by him.

The nurses came back in to do more monitoring. The midwife wanted to do monitoring every 20 minutes for 3 contractions. That was uncomfortable, but tolerable.

I also noticed later that the blood and urine samples were STILL on the counter and had not been submitted, which made me very frustrated.

When we were alone again, DH turned out the lights and I put the birth ball on the bed and leaned over it onto my pillow and listened to my CD. It was very nice and I felt like I was able to relax more.

Unfortunately, nurses came back in to ask questions and blah, blah. I decided to go back to sitting/laying in the bed. I thought I would want to be more active and walk around but I found myself just wanting to be still and comfortable.

At some point my doula came back to check on us, but my mental timeline is pretty fuzzy!

Alone again, and back in the dark I noticed my contractions becoming more intense and much longer. Previously I had enjoyed the way the contractions would loosen up at the end and just how fabulous it felt when one had ended.

Now things were just feeling very intense and the contraction length and pace meant that I was not enjoying that rest period as much.

I started feeling sort of nauseated and then I got all dizzy and hot and weird. I knew it was a sign that I was nearing transition but it still caught me off guard.

My contractions rapidly became more ferocious and I found myself moaning through them instead of just relaxing and using my breathing.

I started getting loud!

Later my doula, who was next door, told me she thought I was listening to music, haha. I knew from reading that vocalizing could help keep my cervix loose and it just seemed like such an instinctual thing to do. It was not shrill, but more of a loud, moaning sing-song type vocalization. I felt a little embarrassed to be loud, but it was just me and Adrian in the dark and it seemed like it was ok to do it.

DH asked, "Did we ever come up with a code word for if you really do want medication?"

I knew I didn't want anything but I didn't have the patience to explain so I just said, "No time."

I think my being so loud made him want to "fix" it. Bless his heart.

Soon I started to feel that butt pressure and then POP! my water broke explosively. DH called the nurse and told her my water broke. They said they would be there to check me.

Then I felt her barrelling down and I told DH, "I think I need to push". He called the nurses again and told them what I said.

Then I told him, "I'm going to push."

It was the most forceful sensation -- both excrutiating and exhilarating and just absolutely unstoppable. I didn't feel a ring of fire because it happened so fast and with such undeniable force.

He quickly washed his hands, haha!

The nurse arrived to check my progress, LOL. She had told me previously that she would want to put the monitors on me during pushing.

I yelped, "I'm pushing!" and I did because I couldn't help it or stop it. It was just happening, period. She started to put the monitors on me but then looked between my legs and thought better of it.

She grabbed DH's hand and had him apply counter-pressure to slow Dahlia's exit. I had planned this beautiful, slow non-violent breathing down of the baby with minimal or no pushing.

That did NOT happen. She came rushing out of me light a freight train. It was amazing feeling her come out. I had about 5 pushes and it felt so odd and incredible and then there she was.

DH helped "catch her" -- then the midwife arrived!

They immediately put her on my chest. Where she had her first poop!

Our birth plan was very respected in regards to her care. They waited to wash her or apply drops or anything until we had had about an hour and a half of bonding and the opportunity to breastfeed.

When her cord had stopped pulsing they clamped it and DH cut it. It felt so strange to have her on my chest and the cord still coming out of me.

She was born at 6:56 pm, about 3 and a half hours after our arrival at the hospital.

This was the first birth where I've been aware of pushing out the placenta. I didn't have an urge to push and was no longer feeling contractions so it was strange, but I did it.

The placenta looked great and healthy. Dahlia's only sign of being post-dates is some peeling skin. She was immediately so alert and peaceful. She just looked at us with such thought. She took the the breast with ease and she has been a champion nurser. No difficulty at all.

After we'd had time with her they washed and weighed her and did the drops and all that. She was 8 lbs, 3 oz and 20 and 1/2 inches long. She looked so tiny when she came out that we really thought she would be 7 lbs.

I did have a tear that the midwife stitched up to stop the bleeding. I was given a shot to numb my perineum before she started stitching but it didn't take. Another shot didn't numb things up completely either. The stitching was really uncomfortable and I did not enjoy feeling that!

I had to sit through another blood draw and more blood pressure monitoring but then we were transferred to our room. Dahlia has been so wonderful and has a great temperament so far. One of the most adorable things about her is her hair -- it's dark but she has a streak of white-blonde locks on the left side. I don't know if it will stay like that but it's so cute!

My recovery has gone really well. My bleeding is already slowed way down and I feel really good. Even my bottom isn't all that sore. The after-pains have been killer this time, but other than that I feel great.

We got to go home only 24 hours after her first feed, which was awesome! I just wish I hadn't had the unnecessary blood draws and saline lock.

It's a little sad knowing that my days of baby-making are over, but I am so happy with my little family!

UPDATE: My doula called me last Tuesday because she was writing up my birth timeline to give to me. According to her notes, she was in my room *just* before transition. She was there and she and Adrian and I were talking (I mentioned that the boys needed to vacuum the living room and that mom would probably dress the kids stupid when she brought them to the hospital, haha sorry mom) and I would just pause and close my eyes and be quiet during a contraction and then just jump back into the conversation.

From the time she left after that to the time Dahlia was born was about 20 minutes!! I went through transition and actually delivered within that short period of time. Is that crazy or what?!

Dahlia's first ever photo (it went so quickly I forgot to take off my bra!):

First meal -- in the birthing suite before the bath and stats and all that!:

Daddy admiring his girl:

Big, healthy baby:

Meeting her big siblings (minus Orian -- he was around):

Have You Been Cleaning ALL Day?

2008-12-15T10:47:00.000-08:00

We're watching Nick JR today and the Glade commercials are in heavy rotation. I actually really like the Glade cinnamon and apple candles (and the price is right), but the commercials for their new fabric spray is just wrong.

An impeccably dressed mom sees her family off in the morning. Hair done. Earrings in. Slacks and blouse. I'm pretty sure she was wearing shoes, too.

That's the first thing wrong with this commercial. Or maybe it's just me. But when I see my family off my hair is matted, I'm barefoot, and I have on pajama pants. I am so not getting all dressed up like I'm going to a PTA meeting before 7 am if I'm not actually going to a PTA meeting or something.

The commercial shows the mom spraying various surfaces with the Glade fabric spray...the couch, the carpet, the drapes, etc., and then she heads out for tennis and a fun meal with the girls, and other leisure activities.

Her family comes home and takes a big whiff and praises her for spending all day cleaning.

First, I want to know how spraying things with fragrance makes the house clean. Cleaning for me is vacuuming rice out of the rug, scrubbing crayon marks off the floor, washing, drying, folding, and putting away laundry, washing, drying, and putting away dishes, polishing furniture, making beds, scrubbing toilets, picking up toys and random crap off the floor and other surfaces, and on and on. All the while someone or someones go behind me and undo about half of what I've done.

If all I did was spray some crappy air freshener around, my family would come home and say, "This place is trashed. What did you do all day?"

Second, this is not the kind of commercial that is going to appeal to stay at home moms. We work. We can't relate to playing tennis and having leisurely margarita lunches because we're battling it out in the trenches with our dirty houses, grubby little children, and all the scheduling crap we have to handle.

Either the commercial family is fabulously rich, in which case, hire a maid, or mom needs a J-O-B.

And third, all this commercial does is reinforce society's idea that SAHMs are lazy and not doing anything all day.

So, good job, Glade. Way to be a douche. Now, I've got to go scrub some ravioli sauce out of the carpet. Or maybe I should just spray it with fabric spray and call it good.

Christmas Parade!

2008-12-13T17:43:00.000-08:00

Only 12 more days until Christmas!

We went to the city parade today. We really loved the prancing pony. Have you ever seen a pony prance? It's the cutest thing ever!

There were some pretty interesting floats and displays. We didn't stay the entire time because we wanted to avoid the traffic, but for about an hour we enjoyed the sights and music and the kids got a bit of candy.

Here's Xavier turning Orian to face the camera for a picture, haha!

Isabella and Daddy:

I really liked the HEB float:

Reindeer firetruck!

I also got a haircut:

Aaaandd...I got my nails done!

And yes, my skin does have a nice pale sickly glow! Many apologies for not being tan!

My Wish List

2008-12-10T08:06:00.000-08:00

I feel disorganized in planning and preparing for the new baby. One minute it seems urgent and the next I feel like it would be silly to begin preparing now.

I will be 35 weeks tomorrow. Two weeks until full term. Of course I have no doubt that Dahlia will give me a full 5+ weeks to prepare. I guess that's part of my hesitance. I don't want to get myself excited when I know I will likely go past 40 weeks.

And then there's Christmas. I feel like it's Christmas first, then baby. I don't want to start getting things set up and make it crowded during Christmas.

I did get the infant car seat out and scrub it down and wash the cover. It looks very nice. I will probably need to clean the stroller as well, but I don't forsee using it a lot. It is just too bulky. I will probably wear Dahlia in the Moby Wrap on most outings. I was serious about getting a double stroller for a while (and a generous friend offered to gift me with one her children had outgrown), but I don't see why I can't use the umbrella stroller for Isabella and the Moby Wrap for Dahlia. I think that will work.

So many things I realize are wants or "nice to haves" but not really must-haves, so I have to keep reminding myself of that.

A big thank you goes out to Angela Marie for sending me just a ton of adorable baby girl clothes. She included everything from sleepers and onesies to fancy dresses and two piece outfits and in all sizes. I am terrible with thank you notes, but I am very appreciative for her thoughtfulness and generosity. Dahlia's dresser is F-U-L-L!

Adrian told me last night I should make a list of baby needs/wants to help me focus and not feel so worried and unprepared, so here's my list:

1. I need to pick up diapers. Seems premature just yet. But after Christmas I'll grab some Pampers Swaddlers in NB. We have wipes, but I think I will switch back to Sensitive instead of Baby Fresh.

2. Alcohol swabs for umbilical cord care.

3. I need to check on my breast pump and make sure it is fully functional and super clean. I don't think I have any bottles, so I might pick up one or two.

4. Breast milk storage bags and Lansinoh.

5. We are not sure if we will do pacis or not. I got a couple to stick in Dahlia's stocking (yes, she has one!). We'll see if she likes them or not.

6. Bassinette sheets. I can never spell bassinette correctly. I have a few, but I think more would be better.

7. Along those lines, probably a few more blankies. Or not. I still have Isabella's blankies, but it's cold here and it wasn't cold in Hawaii, so more might be better.

8. Waterproof pad for the bassinette.

9. Baby book. That's a want.

10. I have a baby bathtub, and just need to scrub and sanitize it.

11. Baby wash cloths. Probably don't need. Can probably wash her with regular wash cloths. I have a few baby towels too. Maybe a couple more would be good. I can't remember, but I think I did actually use those with Isabella.

I am going to be washing so much laundry.

12. I have a mini-swing and a bouncer. I just need to check them out and make sure they're very clean.

13. I have 2 bassinettes. They need to be cleaned and assembled. Actually I think I only need one. I won't need one upstairs, so it would overkill to set up 2 downstairs. They are very portable.

14. Here is the bassinette I want. This is not really a part of the list, haha, but I think it deserves a number nonetheless. I don't know if anyone else has ever seen one of these, but it's freaking sweet. And it costs as much as a nice piece of furniture.

Behold the Fisher Price Zen Collection Glider Bassinet:

Is that sexy or what?

15. Diaper bag. I have the "breastfeeding diaper bag" the formula company gave me at the hospital after I had Isabella (ha!), but I am so not going to use that. I think a backpack type diaper bag would be the most convenient. I have expensive tastes in diaper bags, but I realize a bag is a bag is a bag.

GAP had one that was not too insanely priced and had lots of great features but I don't see it on their site anymore. I guess any backpack could work. I won't have a lot to carry, really...diapers, wipes, diaper sacks, some extra clothing, snacks for Isabella...my wallet...what else, really? We are kind of low-key.

16. This is a want. A full-size swing. There's really no *need* for anything but mommy or daddy's arms, but realistically, with a toddler and two growing boys, there are going to be times I wish I had a swing.

Isabella broke hers so there's not a hand-me-down one. I do have the mini-swing although I have concerns that Isabella will be sitting on Dahlia in that one, haha.

I could find a cheap one, but I have a very specific one in mind. Adrian says I can have it if I can come up with half of the cost of it. It's the Graco Sweet Peace Soother. I guess it's technically not a swing. But it has great reviews and incredible features.

Part of me knows it's superfluous and part of me just wants it.

My other unneccessary want is a co-sleeper or an Amby hammock, but I do realize it could get seriously ridiculous with so much gear in the house.

So, I guess the list of "needs" is pretty short:

- diapers
- wipes
- alcohol swabs
- breastmilk storage bags
- waterproof bassinet pads and possibly a bassinet sheet or two
- some sort of diaper bag or backpack

Items that are wants but that I'll probably get:

- baby book
- some extra blankets
- extra wash cloths and baby towels

Maybe, maybe, maybe - Graco Sweet Peace Infant Soother

I don't know if I'm forgetting something important. I probably am! Although, the bare essentials are really a car seat, a pair of breasts (I guess just one could be ok, too, LOL), and a few warm clothes. And I've got those things. Oh yeah, diapers. I don't know if that counts as a need universally, but it does at my house.

I don't think I feel any more organized.

Ooooh my other want is an exercise ball for labor. I used to have one but it didn't make the move. See. Not organized.

As a little side note, I read a poem in my HynoBirthing book last night that really, really touched me and I wanted to share it, and I figure this is as good a place as any.

Please, Mom and Dad...

My hands are small. I don't mean to spill my milk,
My legs are short -- please slow down so I can keep up.
Don't slap my hands when I touch something bright and pretty. I don't understand.
Please look at me when I talk to you. It lets me know you are really listening.
My feelings are tender -- don't nag me all day. Let me make mistakes without feeling stupid.
Don't expect the bed I make or the picture I draw to be perfect. Just love me for trying.
Remember, I am a child and not a small adult. Sometimes I don't understand what you're saying.
I love you so much. Please love me just for being myself, not for the the things I can do.

-- Author Unknown

I don't know if it's hormones or what, but I can't read that without crying!

Thanksgiving + Birthday Pics!

2008-12-02T14:05:00.000-08:00

Just some pics from our Thanksgiving trip!

It's Just Never Easy, Is It?

2008-11-26T07:21:00.000-08:00

This month has just flown by. It's hard to believe that it's going to be Thanksgiving tomorrow. It seems like just yesterday I was wondering if it was too early to put up Fall decorations when it was still blistering hot outside.

At least it has cooled down some!

Things have been kind of hectic around here. Saturday night we got a call from Orian's teacher, requesting a conference on Monday or Tuesday. As it turns out, Orian is failing EVERYTHING. Yeah, EVERYTHING. He has a 10 in spelling!!

He just doesn't do his work in class. He might start something but only does a small portion of it before he begins goofing off.

All his testing shows he has a high IQ and that his abilities match (and often exceed) those of his peers, so it's not like he's struggling and doing his best and just not making the grade.

He is just extraordinarily lazy. I'm about at my wits end with it. We can motivate him for a short period of time, but as soon as he thinks he can start sliding by, he will. UGH.

Tuesday after the conference his work had improved. He simply HAS to get serious or he will repeat the 3rd grade. Pretty sad for a kid recommended for TAG.

Annnyways...

So, it's been getting colder here. Isabella hasn't been playing outside as much lately but she insisted on Monday. It was cold so she was in tights and a long-sleeved dress, but she quickly stripped off her tights.

She enjoyed drawing with sidewalk chalk and picking small flowers. (Ignore the yard, Adrian has decided mowing season is over, LOL)

We had a busy day that day and she had gotten up early so she was cranky. After the Parent-Teacher Conference, we came home to find a package from my new favorite website (www.figleaves.com). She entertained herself by peeling all the shipping stickers off the box.

I left the room for a few minutes and noticed that she was quiet, even for sticker-peeling. Imagine my surprise when I came back in the room and discovered that she was dead.

Ok, luckily she wasn't dead, but I've never seen a child fall asleep in a more alarming position and I've seen kids fall asleep in A LOT of positions. No worries, I laid her down and didn't leave her like that!

Yesterday was busy too as I had so much work to catch up on to prepare for our trip. One of the things I worked on was a set of votive candle holders with colored leaves and decopa...decopague...decopaj...with water and glue...and tissue paper.

Isabella had a great time "helping" and painting with water and drawing with her crayons.

Later when I finally got her down for a nap (naps 2 days in a row...it's incredible!), I worked on the kids' annual Thanksgiving shirts. I'll post pics of the boys wearing theirs when we get back, but here's Isabella's T-Day outfit.

I would have liked to pair her shirt with a denim skirt and some crazy fall-patterned tights but we didn't have that, so instead she gets hokey turkey pants, haha!

And of course, things can NEVER go smoothly. Yesterday Xavier came home from school and informed me that he had left his "jacket" at school. What he meant by "jacket" was $30 GAP pullover hoodie that matches his brother's and is absolutely perfect for pulling on when it's cold and taking off when things warm up.

I was not happy about it. The boys keep leaving crap at school.

I sent him back to go get it. He had left it in his desk, which is not allowed. His teacher took it out of his desk and then another student came in and took it home with her.

How this student didn't realize it didn't belong to her is beyond me. And how his teacher didn't realize that Xavier wears it to school several days a week and so it must belong to him...especially since it came out of his desk...again, beyond me.

I was a little angry.

Xavier felt horrible about it, and he kind of should. He has to pay attention to his things. I don't look for the hoodie to come back. Hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised.

Of course, that doesn't do us any good for the Thanksgiving break.

I took him to GAP and got him a new one. The only pullovers they had said "Football" on them, so we got a zip-up. The new one has a fur-lined hood and jacket lining inside. It's a size 12 too so he should be able to wear it next year and then gift it to Orian.

So now I've got cleaning, packing, and cooking to do. And of course I'm sick again. But I'm excited about our trip!

Changed my mind...

2008-11-21T13:28:00.000-08:00

I don't know if it's the sweater or what, but I think I look bigger, so I decided to post a 32w1d pic for comparison. From the front I just look like a regular fat person, though!

Also, I finally figured out how to fix the other post, so if you want to see the pics, be sure to go back and look. :)

Successes and Epic Fails

2008-11-20T13:06:00.000-08:00

After the weekend was spent getting the kids' rooms (except the loft) in order, I decided this week to tackle our master closet, FINALLY.

I didn't take a before pic, but let me paint a picture with words:

The floor was covered in stacks of an unholy number of ACU pants and tops. Random books scattered about. A duffel bag here, a small luggage bag there. A huge, impeding stack of coat hangers made opening the door all the way impossible. Here's a shoe. Oh, look, there's its mate. Oh, no it's not. Baby clothes. Maternity swimsuit. A t-shirt I didn't know I had. The shelves were exploding with t-shirts and jeans and shorts and everything else.

Some minimal effort at folding and stacking in an organized manner had been made, but not enough. The closet bar was straining under the weight of 12,003 shirts, pants, and dresses no one will ever wear.

Now the photos you are about to see may not look like much, but please believe me when I say it's a HUGE, monumental improvement.

Look at the floor. It's empty!

I took some pics of the boys' room too. It's not the most awesome room ever, but at least it's clean!

And here's their closet...

Orian's Lego bucket is in the closet, and he plays Legos in the closet, LOL. It's a little weird.

It's a relief to have those things taken care of even though there is still so much to do. It takes me a while to get things done because when I start to work on something, THIS happens:

Among my other recent failures, pumpkin fudge. It was more like pumpkin sludge. Delicious, sweet, sugary sludge. Nice.

And then yesterday I ruined my area rug. I was vacuuming and smelled a burning smell. I turned it off immediately, but it was too late. Not sure what happened, but there's a melty, burny hole in my rug. D'oh!

Arrgh.

I am 32 weeks today and took a pic but when I uploaded it I noticed I look pretty much like I did at 29 weeks. So, if you want to see a belly pic, look at the one from 29 weeks. HA. I seriously didn't see any change at all.

PS - I had to do and re-do, and then do and re-do again this stupid post because it kept messing up. Because I put so much effort into it, it's only fair that EVERYONE who even GLANCES at it leaves me a comment. Seriously.

New Furniture in the Girls' Room, Less Crap in the Boys' Room

2008-11-15T18:10:00.000-08:00

This morning I made Pumpkin Waffles with Maple-Apple Syrup (well, just regular maple syrup...we were out of apple juice!). Adrian and the boys were crazy about them.

Maple-Apple Syrup
1/2 cup maple-flavored syrup
1/4 cup frozen (thawed) apple juice concentrate
Waffles
2 1/3 cups Original Bisquick® mix
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped pecans
Powdered sugar, if desired
1. In 1-quart saucepan, heat syrup ingredients, stirring occasionally, until juice concentrate is melted and mixture is warm.
2. Heat waffle iron; grease with cooking spray, vegetable oil or shortening. In large bowl, beat all waffle ingredients except pecans and powdered sugar with wire whisk or hand beater until blended. Pour batter onto center of hot waffle iron. Close lid of waffle iron.
3. Bake about 5 minutes or until steaming stops and waffle is golden brown. Carefully remove waffle. Sprinkle with pecans and powdered sugar. Serve with syrup.

(From the Betty Crocker website)

Yummy!

I spent pretty much the ENTIRE day working in the kids' rooms. We bought a super cute girls' dresser set on Craigslist and Adrian picked up most of it last night and then went back this morning to pick up what wouldn't fit.

I'm super impressed with him! This stuff is pretty heavy and he got it all up the stairs and the pieces all put together all by himself.

While he was gone Orian and I moved Isabella's old dresser into the boys' closet. It's a baby dresser, but hey, it's in the closet. No one's going to see it. And it's not too obviously baby-ish. Well, yeah, it kind of is.

The boys had some of their things in plastic storage drawers in the closet, so now those will go in our master closet. It's a scary mess in there so I'm going to be organizing it tomorrow.

Last week when the boys brought their laundry down I thought it seemed like a pretty small amount.

It was.

The boys' closet was 1 foot deep in dirty clothes. Nice. I have been too sick to really go up there and check on things and I guess THAT'S what happens when I don't go and check on things.

When Adrian got the girls' dressers assembled I wiped them down with a magic eraser and they look great. There was some crayon on one of them and it came right off. The dressers are wood but have some sort of laminate finish, which I like because it makes them super easy to clean.

I re-organized the girls' room and sorted out the toys and clothes. Dahlia will have plenty to play with when she's ready! Isabella loves her dressers. She calls one of them her "house" because she can open up the cabinet and get inside.

Here are some pictures of the new dressers. Isabella has torn the ribbons off her wall and I haven't fixed it yet. I don't know when I will because I need a new, more stable, less caustic method of attaching the ribbons. Ideas, anyone?

The dressers don't look as clashy with the paint as they do in the pic. In the room lighting they actually look very nice with it.

The dressers don't match the bed, but no one uses the bed anyways! Well, the Carebears sleep there, but Carebears aren't picky.

The boys' room was a major project. What a mess. They just never put anything away properly. I can organize and organize and re-organize and within days it's back to looking like crap. Ugh! I guess that's what boys do. Keeping things straightened and neat is not really a boy priority.

The closet dresser is now a school clothes dresser and then the main dresser in the room is for play clothes. I sorted through several big boxes of toys they had crammed in there and found some interested items.

I found some missing clothes of mine and Isabella's, too. And one of Adrian's socks.

I condensed all the Lego pieces into one HUGE box, much to Orian's delight. The boys were really excited by all the toys we found. I keep telling them that if they would keep things put away in the right places they would have more fun because they would know where things are.

I got their bookcase straightened up and re-boxed all the stuff in their room. Really, the only toys in there are the Legos, the UB Funkeys, and the Gameboy stuff. I like it better that way. Toys in the loft. Clothes, books, and beds in the bedroom.

I didn't take any pictures because I was waaaay too tired when I got finished several hours later. I should have taken before and after pictures!

I ended up with 2 trash bags filled with loose papers, broken toys, and crappy fast food toys. I hate those stupid fast food toys.

I had a My Pet Monster (the kind you draw on) that I could have given away but someone had written something about farts on it, and it dried that way. I don't think anyone would want that. LOL.

Tomorrow is our closet, laundry, laundry, laundry, and then hopefully some projects. I have some Thanksgiving outfits to do for Isabella and then the kids' "Thankful" shirts they wear every Thanksgiving. And two different votive projects.

I should be doing Thanksgiving crafts with the kids. I am really slipping. But I'm finally feeling better, so maybe this week. We're running out of time!

Sick House

2008-11-12T20:06:00.001-08:00

I feel like I haven't posted in forever, but we have all been sick. The boys had a cold briefly last week but then Isabella and I caught it. Adrian had it for a few days over the long weekend (bummer), but he's all better now.

Me and Isabella, though...still sick.

She was miserable for days. Snotty nose, grouchy, coughing. Today she is just well enough to be a PITA. On the plus side, she peed in the potty today. On the downside, she dropped a poo on the floor when she unexpectedly whipped her diaper off.

I have been ill, ill, ill. It feels like sinuses, and a cold, and allergies, and lung crud all in one. I can tell I'm getting better but it's just taking soooo long.

Isabella keeps trying to nurse and she can't because she can't breathe. It's very sad. And especially sad for me because I have to humor her for the time it takes for her to realize that it just ain't happening.

I don't think she'll wean before Dahlia gets here, so looks like I will be tandem nursing. I have a feeling I'm going to be very annoyed from being over-touched. And I can just see Isabella getting territorial about it, LOL.

She loves to tell her brothers "Shoo! Shoo! Away!" and "I busy!" Poor Dahlia is going to be minding her own business nursing as newborn is entitled to do, and Isabella is going to come bounding up, knock her out of my arms and tell her, "Shoo! I busy!"

So, I haven't done laundry in nearly a week. Just a load here and there. Not enough to keep things from hitting critical mass.

Adrian has been doing the dishes and cooking as well. I'm pretty impressed with him. He made a potato soup with red bell peppers, garlic, and onions tonight and it was really good.

The boys have been pretty helpful since they know how rotten I feel.

Catching up on housework is going to be difficult, though. Adrian and the boys have kept up with the normal "surface" maintenance stuff like picking up and vacuuming, and I have tried to pick up as I feel up to it, but there's a lot of scrubbing that needs to be done.

I'm sure my house is cram packed with sick people germs right now.

The boys are busy compiling their Christmas lists. I am trying to prepare them for the shock of getting like 1 game and then a few other less expensive things. Games are just so expensive, but then again, that's what they will use the most. If we get them a lot of less expensive toys, they won't get played with since they've mostly grown past that. Orian does like to play with toy swords and guns, though, haha. As does Isabella...she says, "Chop, chop!"

I got her a big kitchen playset from someone on CL the other day for $30. It's in like-new shape and very clean. Great bargain! That will be her big gift.

I haven't been good about keeping track of the Christmas fund. I have forgotten how much I have tucked away. It's grown, but I will have to look later and see how much is there. I also got the refund today for my contacts, so there's $30. Nice. :)

When I feel better I have several things to sell on CL and of course, doing it around payday is good because people are more spendy then. I have some writing money I need to withdraw for the Christmas fund and more work that I'm doing now that should contribute nicely.

Of course, I also need to be saving for my doula expense, so I'll have to figure out how much I want to set aside for Christmas and then start putting everything beyond that away to pay for my doula.

What else? I don't know if I posted this, but we spray painted our dishwasher black. LOL. It's the poor man's appliance upgrade. It looks fine so long as you view it in low-light.

An unexpected side effect was a black floor after all the particles in the air settled, but that's mostly scrubbed up. I wanted new flooring anyways. HAHAHA.

I have several fall crafts I want to do but have just been feeling way too rotten to get started on them. Maybe this coming weekend.

I guess I'm entitled to be random since this is my blog, so I'll share a couple of funnies...

Isabella is really into counting, although her consistency in counting correctly is somewhat lacking. We were surprised and laughed really hard when I asked her the other day, "Aww, are you sick, baby?" and she told me, "No. I sefen." LOL!

She also blessed me this morning when I sneezed! Her vocabulary has exploded recently and she is speaking in sentences more and more.

And here's my funny from probably a month ago. I took Xavier with me to go to Wal-Mart to pick up some staples and we saw an obviously homeless man on the corner at the stoplight selling newspapers.

Xavier said, "That doesn't look like a very fun job."

I said, "At least he gets to work from home."

We both LOL'ed at my genius comment.

I feel like one of those lame people who sends their stupid quotes in to Readers Digest, but dammit, that really was funny!

Ok, gotta go switch out the laundry. The boys are down to 1 and a half days of clean school clothes left!

29 Candles, 29 Weeks

2008-11-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

Adrian celebrated his 29th birthday today. Yep, he was almost a Halloween baby. :)

I spent the morning swapping out Halloween decor for Thanksgiving stuff, and baking his cake. Which was an epic fail.

Not only did I break the cake flipping it out, but I suck at icing cakes, and poor planning/spacing made for some ridiculous "decorating". Never ask me to make a cake for you. I am HORRIBLE at it!

One of the interesting things I learned (or maybe I knew it before, but just never noticed), is that it's really hard to find a single box of candles with at least 29 candles in it! I did get one with 36, but they were tiny and very plain. Apparently old people must like short, plain candles.

The cake put off a lot of flames:

Blowing out the candles. Xavier told us that when you blow out the candles on your birthday cake, however many are left still lit are the number of girlfriends you'll have. Adrian could have 2, but he decided he already has too many women in his life, LOL.

Orian is such a happy guy.

Isabella liked the icing.

Adrian got lunch at Pluckers (wing place) and Fall Out 3 (video game) for his birthday. The boys made cards for him too.

Old Navy is moving to Harker Heights, so the normal sale they have going was + 30% off. I got a nice little dress for Dahlia and jammies for both girls for cheap. Isabella likes her new jammies because they have "meow-meows" and butterflies on them!

And finally, I didn't take a 29 week picture on Thursday, so here's me at 29w2d with baby number 4.

Halloween 2008 Photos and Commentary

2008-10-31T19:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!!

I think Halloween may be my favorite holiday. Or maybe a tie with Christmas. I like Halloween A LOT. Now all the festivities are over and tomorrow will be spent celebrating Adrian's birthday and changing the decorations out for Thanksgiving decor.

Maybe a trip to Target for clearance Halloween goodies?

Ok, that's probably a bad idea!

Here are the 2008 Halloween pics (well, the first one is from Thursday):

Isabella just looked so cute in her thrift store dress that I had to take a picture of her. Unfortunately she was too busy going outside to look at the camera!

Yesterday I painted mason jar ghost lanterns. I think they turned out pretty cute. I made six and then lit them up with LED tea-lite candles tonight for Halloween.

Earlier today I made mini caramel (and chocolate) apples. They are like tiny versions! I made more than this, but the plate with all the chocolate-covered ones turned out the best.

Here's Adrian and the kids ready to go trick-or-treating.

Xavier designed his own costume. He was a mad scientist who was half normal, and half monster-ish. He looks unhappy in this pic because he was just informed he couldn't use the sack from the Halloween store (that he had saved for weeks) as his trick-or-treat bag. Bummer.

Orian was Annakin Skywalker. He pitched in $16 of his allowance to be able to buy the upgraded costume. He also got puked on at school today, LOL. Poor guy.

Isabella was a kitty cat. We tried to give her a kitty nose and whiskers with Halloween make up, but it didn't turn out well and it was going to be messy, so she went au naturale.

Adrian took the kids to trick-or-treat in the neighborhood. They got a fair amount of candy but Adrian said there were a lot of houses that weren't handing out treats. I am not sure if it's a Killeen thing or what, but I think trick-or-treating is a nice community activity and it lets you see/get to know neighbors you've only seen or spoken to in passing before.

After trick-or-treating, we headed out to the city carnival. We decided to put the candy we had left on a table by the front door with a little note ("Happy Halloween from The Neals"). Before we left, I mentally accepted that I might come back to no decorative (plastic) candy dish or even no table.

The kids were excited about the carnival, as evidenced by Xavier's slightly happy expression. That's pretty happy looking for him, LOL.

The boys got to do the haunted house, which Xavier pronounced "pretty gay" (I know, that's a terrible thing for a kid to say, but it's the "sucks" of the 90's...one of these days everyone will be saying it. I'm pretty sure gay people even say it).

Orian got a little scare from the haunted house, but he was reluctant to admit it.

Isabella got to roam in a pumpkin patch and we stood in line for 30 minutes to have a balloon flower made for her. She loves balloons and she loves flowers.

The carnival was really overcrowded and didn't offer a lot in the way of entertainment. I don't think we'll go next year. Adrian mentioned that it might have been less crowded and offered more if it had been for-profit.

We've heard that Austin has a really great Halloween parade, so maybe next year. By then we'll have 4 little ones in costumes!

When we got home, we were pleased to discover the candy dish was still there, as was the table. All, and I mean every.single.piece, of the candy was gone, but that's to be expected. I just hope that it was spread out over many trick-or-treaters and not gobbled up by the first teenager to arrive on the scene.

Not that *I* would have done something like that as a teenager, but you know, if some wicked teen came by...

Tree-Turdy

2008-10-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

I'm saving this one to tell to Isabella's prospective beaus.

Yesterday I was in the garage switching out the laundry as I am known to do, and when I returned inside I heard muffled little pleas for help coming from somewhere in the house.

I asked the boys, "Where's your sister?"

They were having a snack and shrugged, "I dunno" and continued eating. I insisted that they stop stuffing their gobs and help me look for her. I panicked, thinking she was outside alone (she gets bug bites every time she goes outside!), but nope, I had been a good mommy and remembered to lock the sliding glass door.

Maybe my bedroom? No.

The mud room? No again.

The boys ran upstairs to look just as I realized where the little muffled sounds were coming from...

I opened the pantry door, and there was my daughter, naked as the day she was born. She was clutching 3 boxes of food and seemed happy to have been discovered.

And she made me a surprise.

On the floor laid the most perfect little mini-turd ever to escape a toddler's butt. It was freaking nasty.

She said, "Wipe, please! Ewwww. Gwoss!"

Eww, gwoss indeed.

As a mom, I have to clean up a lot of really gross, disturbing things. And honestly, this one doesn't rank all that high up there. But the shocking site of my little naked toddler hoarding her food boxes with a little turd laying politely on the floor at her feet will stay with me for a loooong time.

Ghosts Aren't Real...But Brownies (and my thighs) ARE!

2008-10-23T18:08:00.000-07:00

I'm 28 weeks pregnant today. If Dahlia were born now (NOT happening, LOL!), she would have an excellent chance of survival. 9 to 12 weeks left in the pregnancy, although I suspect I'm going to go longer than 40 weeks!

Here's my 28 week pregnancy pic:

This is the period of rapid weight gain for Dahlia, but apparently she's putting on weight in MY thighs. LOL.

My brother recently lended me Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace (and the FPU CD set)...thank you Jeremy!...and it has been really helpful in sorting a lot of money issues out in my mind. Still trying to translate thought into action!

One of the things I did implement was his suggestion of "commission" rather than allowance for children. My boys are very spoiled and lack appreciation for the wonderful, wonderful things and experiences they have. They are good boys, but I do not feel I have imparted a healthy idea of money and work ethic with them. And since Xavier's already 11, there is no time like the present.

I had always been under the impression that an allowance was better because chores are something that is expected, and not monetarily rewarded. However, I am liking Dave Ramsey's idea of calling it "commission" and linking work to money.

We will not be buying toys and random gifts for the boys anymore. They will receive birthday gifts and Christmas gifts of course. Instead, they will (hopefully) learn to save for the things they want, so that they understand the value of the things they have and what it takes to acquire those things.

They have a commission chart now with 10 daily tasks, each worth 25 cents a week. This is a reduction in what they had for allowance previously, but I think $10 a month is just fine for them.

Of course, some tasks are not everyday tasks, so that makes it easier, but they seem to like having a chart to use (they always do, I don't know why I don't keep my charts going with them...they always fall by the wayside), and their consistency is making housekeeping a lot easier for me.

I also FINALLY made the ghost brownies I had been planning for forever now. I found the idea on the Betty Crocker website, although I didn't go with the complicated Frankenstein design (I think there was something else too that required lots of goodies and design work), but the ghosts were a HUGE hit. And super easy.

Also in the Halloween spirit, Isabella made a footprint ghost. I should have used the craft foam sheet I had left-over so that I could keep it for nostalgia but we just used construction paper instead.

She is proud of her work, but thought the paint hurt her foot, LOL. She kept saying, "Owie. Hurt." We ended up with white paint all over us and orange paint all over the kitchen floor and sliding glass door.

We are running out of days to do Halloween crafts and activities and wear Halloween outfits. We have watched the Barney Halloween special and the Underfist movie like every day this week!

The boys get to wear black shirts to school on Halloween (with their slacks). Woohoo. Cuttin' loose. Sorry, but I think it's kind of lame!

I think I will let Isabella wear her "costume" at book club next week. It's just her Halloween dress and some black and orange striped tights and a kitty ears headband. I dunno. We might get in trouble...

And, just for fun, here's an Isabella pic:

Circuit City, You Kinda Suck!

2008-10-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

I have a serious problem with laptop cords. Adrian is inclined to believe it's just me, but I suspect it's a wider problem plaguing many laptop users.

Regardless, the last time my laptop cord died (the interchangeable piece that snaps into the power port on the laptop stopped conveying power), I ordered a cheap-o cord on ebay.

You guys may not know this, but laptop cords are expensive, y'all.

Within 20 minutes of use, the obviously inferior quality interchangeable piece on THAT cord broke. The metal prongs that connect the interchangeable piece to the power cord simply snapped.

I emailed the ebay store that sold the cord and like 5 days later they sent me a new, fresh box of interchangeable pieces. And about 5 days later, the metal prongs snapped.

I don't do anything unusual with my laptop. I promise. Laptop cords are apparently just not made to handle my computing needs!

First, I set up the old desktop computer which did NOT work, then I dug through a closet and found the laptop's original cord. The problem with *that* one was the wiring was exposed on a small part of the cord and it threw off sparks and made crackling sounds. I did a surgically excellent job covering the exposed wire with electrical tape.

That worked for about a day, then the power element stopped working.

So, here's where the suckitude of Circuit City comes in.

I have bought laptop cords from Best Buy. They sell Targus. Targus laptop cords' battery elements go out easily, and the selection available at Best Buy is not incredible. So, brilliant solution, go to Circuit City!

Adrian sacrificed his lunch to run me out there. The Circuit City is on the outskirts of the fancy new Harker Heights in a big, impressive new building, right next to very-useful Dick's Sporting Goods (seriously, who shops there?).

When I walked in I noticed a distinct lack of...what's that word? Oh yeah, customers!

The door greeter asked if we needed help finding anything (which as it turns out, meant, "Can I help you find anything by standing in this spot and not moving?"). When we said laptop cords, she asked what kind.

Suck number one.

How many kinds of laptop cords are there? Um, there's power cords, and...give me a minute...

...

and

...

power cords, yeah, that about covers it.

Adrian said maybe she meant USB cords or something. Only problem with that is...USB cords aren't "laptop cords"...they're USB CORDS.

And don't give me the excuse that she might have meant what kind of features or brand I was looking for because Circuit City here sells ONE BRAND of laptop power cord and it comes in two kinds: you plug it into the wall or you plug it into the wall and you get a car adapter too.

She pointed us in a general direction and we headed over there. The employee-on-the-floor-to-customer ratio was about 10 to 3 (3 being me, Adrian, and Isabella).

As we browsed, a guy with cornrows took a break from playing at the Guitar Hero display station to ask us if we needed help. "Do you have any other laptop cords available?"

No. No, they don't.

I grabbed the Kensington that only goes into the wall since I don't use my laptop in the car. This cord is $109. OUCH. I would have put off the purchase, but I make money using the computer and so I can't really earn money to buy a laptop cord if I don't have a laptop cord.

When we checked out, I asked the clerk if a warranty plan was available. She checked and told me no, nothing was coming up. A low-level manager type meandered toward the check out counter from an office behind the counter and she asked him.

He informed me that no, they don't have anything like that.

That's Suck Number Two.

I then asked how long I would have to return or exchange it if it didn't work properly. 14 days. Yes, 14 days. So, I am buying this cord that only has to work for 14 days for $109.

Suck Number Three.

I told him I had a lot of problems with laptop cords not lasting with power elements going out and especially with the interchangeable pieces not working after only a few months of use.

He conceded that laptop cords don't last long and are a problem for a lot of users, but a lot of people will bring them in and try to scam them by getting their money back on a cord they've used, or something like that.

14 days, AND there's a 15% restocking fee.

Suck Number Four.

"Really?", I asked. I could hardly believe that not only did I only have 14 days to discover if this cord was going to actually work and not have problems, but the moment I purchased it, I would be liable for a 15% restocking fee if it didn't work. And I was not even being given the option of paying more for a warranty or product protection plan.

I said, "Wow, you guys kinda suck."

He didn't like that.

"It's standard industry practice," he informed me as he puffed up at the criticism.

"I have bought cords from Best Buy and needed to return them, and I have never had to pay a restocking fee. They allow a lot longer than 14 days for returns and exchanges, too."

"Standard industry practice. I used to work at Best Buy. It's how they do it, too."

It may be "standard industry practice", but I've NEVER had Best Buy do that to me, and I've had to do exchanges several times (laptop cord problems!!). I told the guy so, and he argued with me about it. Ha.

Adrian later said he thought the guy was crazy for arguing with a customer, and especially a PREGNANT WOMAN. He didn't realize how much danger he was in.

He further suggested that instead of buying new cords, I just get a new laptop. This laptop was muy expensive ($1800, custom built) and I can't just replace it instead of buying a cord.

Circuit City middle manager scoffed and asked how old my laptop was...I told him close to 2 years..."You could get a better one for $400 now".

Somehow I doubt that.

Recommending I buy a $400 laptop instead of a new power cord, Suck Number Five.

I did end up buying the stupid thing because I have to have a power cord. I hope it doesn't stop working on the 15th day. If it does, someone in my family is getting a broken laptop cord for Christmas.

Circuit City, you kinda suck. Kinda suck a lot.

I Have Lots of Clothes...They're Just Soggy and Wrinkled

2008-10-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

Wow, I haven't posted in a week!!

This week we:

a) Sorted out the bully problem. Turns out my children aren't perfect angels. THAT was certainly a surprise (not).

b) Made a really fun book at Bumble Bee Book Club.

c) Discovered something is not right with the dryer. Clothes aren't getting completely dry. I thought there was no heat, but turns out there is at least some heat. Checked the circuit box as per the manual and everything is ok. No obstructions in the vent. Next I checked for user error, but that's not panning out, either.

At least it's still under warranty.

d) Had a great big score at Old Navy, The Children's Place, and Goodwill. Are you wondering if it was in budget? The answer is no. No, no, no. I am awful at this.

But, I did get some amazing bargains. Dresses, onesies, and tops for $2-3. Goodwill also had 15% military appreciation discount. Dahlia won't have to go naked after all.

I found some size 12 slacks for Xavier since he has gotten too tall for all his school pants. Got a couple pair on clearance at Old Navy (or TCP?) and Goodwill had a pair of Izods, BRAND NEW, for $5.99 plus the 15% discount.

e) Thursday night I had a Natural Childbirth meeting and it was fun and informative as always. It's a small group, but it always feels so great to get out of the house, and bonus that I get to chat with and learn from other women!

f) Mom is visiting this weekend and it's been a nice visit. The boys love when grandma comes to visit.

g) I am up to $316 in the Christmas fund. I've got more $ pending, but I won't count it until it's in-hand.

Here's the outfit I worked on for Isabella last weekend:

The boys eating Witch Hat cookies:

Fudge-striped cookies + chocolate frosting "glue" + Hershey's Kisses:

What's the opposite of "cheese"?

Today we made pumpkin bats and it was a pretty fun project. I spray-painted the bats with black spray paint yesterday and today Adrian, the kids, and I painted faces and other details on our bats. Wooden skewers secured to craft foam sheet cut-outs with electrical tape made the wings.

I made the one on the left, but it's Isabella's. Orian's is on the right. I took a really great picture of it but my camera ate it. Weird. His pumpkin doesn't have wings, but a nice Dracula cape instead:

Adrian's pumpkin:

Xavier's pumpkin has lots of details on all sides:

Here's the one I made:

I think making bats was more fun than painting the big pumpkins like we usually do.

Brandie and the Horrible, No Good, Bad Series of Days...

2008-10-11T17:20:00.000-07:00

I came seriously close to losing my mind today.

Thursday we had Parent-Teacher conferences. The boys are having a bully problem, which has me on edge to begin with. Then we got bad reports at BOTH conferences.

Neither child is staying on task or working at his full potential. Both had several assignments that had not been turned in. Neither child seemed to think paying attention, studying, or turning in assignments were important components of their elementary school lives.

Thursday night was spent catching up on late assignments and pep talks and explanations of WHY it's important to take their educations seriously. Orian particularly liked being told that "Old Orian" didn't listen and turned things in late, but "Old Orian" was dead, and he is "New Orian". He wanted to know where we hid Old Orian's body.

Then Friday came and they were both back to their old tricks. They didn't bring home the necessary books for their assignments, or failed to write down an assignment at all.

Adrian marched their happy asses back up to the school and made them get the materials and information they needed.

This morning we all got up and dropped Adrian off at the hospital for staff duty. Back at house, we had some oatmeal and we made homemade clay figures to bake and then paint later. Not too bad.

Dana needed me to watch her guy and girl for a little while. Xavier's attitude was already bad when Connor arrived, but after that the whiney, nit-picky, hateful attitude totally spiked. I guess he was jealous because Orian and Connor play well together? So he criticized Orian's every move all the while I'm asking him to just not say anything if it's not constructive or positive.

This whole almost-teenage thing is going to kill me. Seriously. I know I was a mean teenager, but DAYUM.

Almost immediately it was time to go pick Maddy up. Now, I had routed it out online AND Adrian had explained to me how to get there. Dana had further insured that I would know where to go.

And honestly, the place is NOT hard to find.

But I still managed to get woefully lost, then lost again, then almost found, then lost, then lost some more. I told Connor I thought he should drive since he knew the way better than me, but he didn't think it was a good idea!

I was flustered, mostly because I was making us late to pick her up and I felt incredibly bad about it. But also because something on Isabella's car seat was not quite right since I took it apart to wash the coverings, and she was not completely secure in the vehicle.

I pulled into a gas station parking lot and called the place to let them know I was on my way, lost, and late. They were very nice, thankfully. I attempted to set the car seat right, and thought I succeeded.

I finally found the place, and if I had gone the way Adrian told me to it would have been ridiculously easy and I would have not been the slightest bit late.

Smooth sailing from there, except the kids were STARVING. I had something at home I had cooked just before I left the house, but I was stressed and I was really, really, really hungry and I caved.

Sticking to a budget is feeling so much like being on a diet, and I HATE it! I need a lot of training. So, I failed in frugality.

We got a round of Happy Meals with varying specific directions and I got horrible, bad-for-me fast food that I don't even really like that much. Yesterday I paid for a stamp with change I scrounged because I wouldn't allow myself to use my debit card since we had used up our weekly allowance for spending money. Today I fell off my horrible diet of fiscal deprivation.

Back at the house the kids all ate and played well together and all was well. That was the calm before the storm.

I drove out to make the exchange of children for chocolate (seriously, Dana bought me the most huge, delicious square of chocolate in the history of time). Since I was already there, and we needed milk, and technically today was restart day for the spending allowance, I took the kids into Wal-Mart.

I never should have done that.

I had a short list of things I wanted to get...milk was really the only need. I spent far less than I normally would, but still managed to buy a lot of things I don't need. Including Halloween crocs. At $5, what a bargain, right? LOL, she'll be wearing them for 20 days...if she wears them every day. I think that's like a quarter per wear. Oops.

I did get some cheese since we're out and even though I can cook without it, why would I want to? Bananas, small pumpkins and foam sheets for a craft, ribbons, white Halloween hair spray, craft sealant, etc, etc, etc.

Before we went into Wal-Mart Isabella was sweaty-headed because I'm a dummy and dressed her in a long-sleeved corduroy dress and knit tights this morning (I thought it would be chilly!). She had oatmeal spackled to her dress. And she had chocolate milk around her mouth. We are like the quintessential Wal-Mart family.

I cleaned her mouth with spit.

About half-way through our shopping trip Orian decided he needed to go to the bathroom. Every time we go somewhere, he suddenly needs to go to the bathroom. I don't know if he's part of some secret bathroom club or what.

I sent him off to the bathroom alone because I thought he could handle it.

Apparently NOT.

2 hours later*, I sent Xavier to go check on him. Isabella was counting down to core meltdown. She didn't want to sit in the cart. Also, she wanted to wear her Halloween crocs. No, not with a string between them. "Scissors." "Cut, cut." "Pleeeeeaaasssee."

We tried her standing up and me supporting her upper body. We tried her free-range in the cart. We tried sitting on the bar facing out. She was not pleased.

After finding Orian and missing Xavier, and then finally having all three children in my sight, I grabbed some milk and tried to get the hell out of Wal-Mart.

All the open lines were 3 people deep. And all these people were stocking up for the apocalypse.

I opened a package of mini oreos and bribed her to sit down for bites. When it was my turn, I grabbed the milk out of the cart only to discover the seal had been broken (umm, maybe when Orian hurled it into the basket?) and milk had leaked all over my purse.

I juggled milk, paper towels, my purse, and an Oreo-faced toddler and attempted to check out. I had a clerk go grab me an unmolested carton of milk, and after much pawing and climbing on Isabella's part I was able to pay and leave.

I had a super fun time getting her buckled in. She was screaming and bucking and I was about to go to crazy town. I am sure it was entertaining or disturbing to onlookers. "That lady should never have kids!" Ha.

Stuff in the car, kids in the car, keys in the ignition. Isabella was still writhing and screaming, but we would be home soon.

A little ways out, she is STANDING UP in her car seat. I realize something is seriously wrong and I have got to find somewhere to work on the car seat. This realization comes at a RED LIGHT and shortly after a COP CAR pulls up beside me.

I am a horrible, wretched person and told the boys, "Just keep her sitting down!"

I found a nearby gas station to pull over at and got her out of her seat, which didn't take much. She was worked up and screaming and super sweaty. I took her dress and tights off of her.

WRONG ANSWER.

She was furious. She wanted to wear her clothes!! I couldn't deal with that, so I let her fight with her dress while I got to the bottom of the car seat problem. I quickly realized what was wrong. The little bottom attachments were pushed through the fabric cover but not slid through their slots and secured at the underside of the car seat. Easy fix.

You know what wasn't an easy fix? Getting Isabella back into her car seat.

It was like Satan and Stitch (from Lilo and Stitch, you know this, people) had mated and their spawn was PMSing, drunk, and looking to take a lot of other people down with her.

I tried over and over again to buckle her little ample thighs in, but I was worried I was going to pinch her legs since she didn't have anything but a diaper on. I am sure the situation looked incredibly worrisome to passersby. My frustration level was high. Insert clever metaphor describing exactly how high my frustration level actually was.

Ok, buckled, angry, belligerent, but buckled. The entire ride home she fought against her car seat. It was like how a little frail grandma can lift a truck off her grand-baby. What Adrian calls "retard strength".

The boys tried to keep her maintained in her car seat while I drove, drove, drove. The pinnacle of this awesome experience was when Xavier shouted "OWW" and then began sobbing.

She bit him. Savagely, like an enraged...well, like an enraged toddler.

She snapped and snarled at Orian too, but Xavier was the one who was wounded in the ordeal. He was bleeding, he told me. I got very concerned and asked him to tell me if it was just bleeding or if it required stitches. I entertained the thought of driving to the hospital and dropping all three kids off with Adrian. Xavier could get stitches, Isabella could get some xanax, and Orian could...spend hours in various bathrooms. I would drive away and never be heard from again.

The rest of the drive home, Xavier whimpered and Isabella alternated between "Ow" and "hurt" while she writhed against her restraints.

I got to the house after the longest drive of my entire life and my neighbor, whom I rarely see, was outside looking chatty. Seriously, of all the times to be interested in me...NOW? I got my screaming, sweaty, diaper-clad baby out of the car and smiled like I wasn't thisclose to a nervous breakdown.

I got the crap in the house and Xavier's wound cleaned up. Isabella had some rub issues on her thigh from struggling against her car seat, hence the ow. I gave her a little Tylenol and lots of hugs. I felt guilty because I was seriously not liking her for a while there.

She went to sleep. We decompressed. Everyone is still alive.

Here are some pictures, unrelated to the misery I have endured:

Xavier and I did a science project Thursday night involving the last, precious bit of milk we had. You drop food coloring into milk -

Then you touch a q-tip dipped in dish soap (I think Dawn is preferred, and luckily, that's what we have) to the milk and watch the colors dance -

He really enjoyed it. The results are different depending on the fat content of the milk. See if you can guess why.

And today we finally painted our Halloween clay creations once babyzilla was asleep:

Xavier's work (a melted goo monster, a flesh-eating snowman, and a severed finger) -

Orian made a monster and then did some painting on a pumpkin I shaped -

My crappy little pumpkin -

They had a lot of fun finding places for their creatures. The severed finger is poking out of the flower pot on the stair landing!

Aaaaannnnddd...on the $$ front, I now have $280 saved up for Christmas. I gave Adrian $8 for cafeteria food today, so it would be $288. Is it bad to borrow from the Christmas fund? I'm pretty sure it is. It was the only cash I had, though, and I didn't want him to waste money on an ATM.

*Not really, but it was seriously a long time

Oh, Fudge!

2008-10-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

Well, today I am 26 weeks pregnant (I lied to some friends and said I would be 27 weeks today. D'oh! Pregnancy brain!). 98 days until my due date.

It seems like just a couple days ago that I got an unexpected positive test. This is my fastest pregnancy yet, I think. Of course it could be that I have so much going on. I don't have a lot of time to sit and ponder pregnancy.

I remember when I was pregnant with Orian and Xavier was in pre-school I would scour the house and have it spotless in like an hour, and then I would have NOTHING to do. In those days we didn't have cable or internet, either. I finally bought a bunch of beads and started making necklaces and bracelets, haha.

The days seem to be just passing by so quickly now. My kids are growing up so quickly.

Here's my 26 week pic. If I had realized there were so many smudges on the mirror I would have cleaned it before taking a picture, but now I'm just too tired and lazy to re-take a picture, so just pretend it's not there.

I weighed myself this morning, and my home scale has me at 2 lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight. I don't *feel* smaller, but I have not been eating nearly as much lately and I wondered if I might be losing weight. I don't think I've lost a ton because the scale at the dr's office always weighs me heavier than my home scale. Maybe by 3-5 lbs. I may have lost like 4 lbs or so. Or not. I guess I'll find out for certain on the 28th. Or is it the 29th?

I made some fudge the other day and Isabella has gotten into the habit of moving dining room chairs into the kitchen to get into stuff. We thought she was quiet...

She is such a mess! Here's a pic of her wearing the Halloween outfit. She wore it to Bumble Bee Book Club yesterday. And BBBC was great, in her opinion, because they had CAKE!!

You can't see it in the pic, but I had bought her some Halloween socks at Target (a buck a pair!) and she had on bright orange socks that looked so cute with her black mary janes!

Last weekend we got Sonic drinks (Happy Hour, woohoo!) and she spilled a bright red slushie all over herself and her car seat. I actually got the stains out of her outfit and the car seat cover and got it all cleaned up, but it took a while for the foam mat that goes under the car seat cover to dry completely, so her car seat has been sitting in the living room.

She LOVES that. She hates her car seat in the car, but she loves to sit in it inside the house. I put it away yesterday because it's so bulky and gets in the way. She was not happy. Especially since she knew where I put it:

The Christmas fund is coming along nicely. I'm up to $265! My goal is $450 to $500. I think I will get there.

We are also putting ourselves on a really tight budget to try to get our finances back in order. It's actually been going well so far. It kind of sucks, haha, but it doesn't seem impossible yet.

I really wanted to order pizza last night instead of cooking, but I cooked anyways! Major victory!

Paper Christmas, Grosgrain Halloween

2008-10-06T07:33:00.000-07:00

I have been b-u-s-y! I decided I want to pay cash for Christmas, so I have been working my ass off selling things on CL, and doing some writing/editing projects (thanks, Jeremy!) as well as all the normal mommy and housewife things I have to do. Doesn't sound like much, but trust me, I could spend every waking hour working and never *really* be finished!

I think I am going to keep track of my Christmas fund on here, just for fun. I don't think it's going to be possible to save up enough to have the kind of Christmas we're used to since I'm just now starting, but I think it will feel GREAT to pay cash for everything! We will just have to be smart about gifts. It might even be fun to do it this way!

Since Thursday I've earned/brought in $125 (edit: Make that $150!). I am going to add a couple rebates (I overpaid a bill and have a check for that that I need to cash, and I have a rebate for my contacts) to that. That's about $60. But I guess I shouldn't count those until they're in-hand.

Get Myspace Christmas Countdown

I've got 79 days to make some $$!!

This weekend I also worked on another outfit for Isabella. I have a few different ones I want to do for Halloween, and it's already October, so I figured I needed to get started.

It's far from perfect, but I think this one is an improvement over the Thanksgiving Abomination (official name for the outfit). It's all stitched up and was a lot quicker project than the T.A. The top has a spiderweb but the camera didn't pick that up.

The t-shirt was $5.99 at Target, and the jeans are 2nd hand Old Navy jeans I got for $5. Probably under $5 in ribbon, fabric, paint, thread, etc. So, $16?

I think it looks cuter IRL than in the pics, but the real test is how it looks on. Isabella is going to wear it to Bumble Bee Book Club on Wednesday.

I really want to do an embellishment project with the fabric and sewing but I don't have the skills or tools to do something like that. Maybe someday.

Isabella is so cute today (in her $3 dress!) that I had to post a pic:

Riddle Time: What's Black and Yellow and Noisy?

2008-10-01T08:48:00.000-07:00

Answer A:

Our new (to us!) car, given to us by our wonderful, generous friends, Matt and Dana! I had mentioned the difficulty of only having one vehicle, and Dana offered us car. How cool is that?!

It's a bright yellow Ford Aspire with black flames on the sides (which Matt assured me, do not add to the speed of the vehicle). It's a stick-shift, which Adrian is still learning to master (hence, the noise!), but it is going to be such a life-saver when we get it incorporated into our routine.

I will get to go to the grocery store during the day! Woohoo!!!

Thank you SOOOOO much, Matt and Dana!!

Answer B:

A bumble bee, as in Bumble Bee Book Club!

BBC is going to be meeting weekly, and I am looking forward to our little outings, even if Isabella behaves like babyzilla.

She's actually not THAT bad, but she is more interested in exploring the room than in gluing and sitting quietly. LOL. We got to make a fun paper doll, sing songs, and read a neat book.

I had a prenatal check up yesterday, and it went pretty great and pretty quick. When I got into the waiting room a guy beside me complained to his wife that their appointment had been at 12:30 and it was already 1:30.

Imagine my surprise when I had been seen and was out the door 10 minutes after my scheduled appointment time.

I have gained about 7 lbs at almost 25 weeks, and this was in jeans and after a big meal. I am not happy with my weight, but I don't think my pregnancy weight gain has been bad. It could be less, but it's not outrageous. 15 or so weeks left, so a half a lb a week gain would put me around the 15 lb weight gain goal for the pregnancy. We'll see!

My BP was 122/78, and I was happy about that! Dahlia's heart rate was a healthy 140 and my fundus measured 24 cm, so right on target.

Here's me doing MySpace from-a-high-angle photos before my appointment since I actually had make-up on, LOL. I know, I know, I'm too cool for school.

-- Serious --

-- Happy --

Ah, the many moods of Brandie's MySpace-esque photography!

Just Because I Suck, Doesn't Mean I'll Stop

2008-09-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I convinced Adrian to take me to Hobby Lobby, which is like the 9th ring of hell for him, so I could pick out some fabric and ribbon to practice embellishments.

I picked up some cheap tees and pants at Target ($4 for jeans!), but when I got home I felt way too overwhelmed and intimidated to even get started. Adrian gave me some great advice. He encouraged me to start with the project I was least excited about, so that if it didn't turn out well I wouldn't feel so bad.

I started working on a Thanksgiving outfit. And I'm glad I started with Thanksgiving because I was pretty disappointed with how it turned out, and I would have been crushed if I had ruined a Halloween outfit.

It's not so bad that I won't let her wear it, but it's definitely over-busy and not well laid out. I am learning as I go.

Here is the "finished project" before I began stitching things on. Everything was attached mostly through iron on adhesive.

When Isabella saw it, she yelled "CUTE!!" and insisted on wearing it. I had a hard time convincing her to take the outfit off. I guess if she likes it, that's the most important thing!

She is really into clothes now. Funny for a 2 year old.

I think it needs something more near the collar or on the shoulder for a more balanced look. I dunno. At least it's only a Thanksgiving outfit. I will probably try to do a better Turkey Day outfit before then anyways. We usually do hand-print turkey tees with the kids' "thankful list" on the back, so I might just want to do a pair of Thanksgiving jeans.

We also took the kids to Toys 'R Us on Saturday, and it just so happened that Jeffrey was there:

Here's Orian enjoying some new toys:

Yesterday I decorated for Halloween. I was surprised by how much work it felt like, heh. I went through our Halloween box and threw away broken stuff and then put together a freebie box of decor and craft stuff we wouldn't use to post on CL.

I am trying to practice restraint and not buy a lot of new Halloween decorations. I really love Halloween and Target has the coolest stuff. I did buy a tablecloth and some dishtowels a couple weeks ago, but I am going to try not to buy anything else.

I need a string of orange lights to finish up the stair railing, and I will get that since it's only a couple bucks, but other than that, I'm going to use what I have.

Here's the new tablecloth:

Me using what I have, haha:

Cool new dishtowels:

I would love to do more outdoor decorating, but that's $$, so nope. Not happening. Isabella has her costume, Xavier is doing a mad scientist theme that will cost next to nothing, and Orian wants to be Anakin (Annakin?) Skywalker, which is like $40!

I have been watching on ebay but I don't think we're going to find it much cheaper. What is happening to the price of Halloween costumes? Seriously, 40 bucks?!?!

40 bucks times 4 kids = $160! Not happening. We have to nip this trend in the bud! I don't know whether to relent and get him the costume and maybe have him sell some toys to defray the cost or make him pick something else or help him try to make an Anakin costume with cheaper materials. Ugh.

Ok, I've got to get ready for my doctor's appointment. I really, really don't want to know how much I weigh. It's going to be a bad day. But I knew that already when Isabella was unwrapping tampons while I was taking a bath this morning. Awesome.

First Attempt at Embellishment

2008-09-26T16:33:00.001-07:00

After seeing some really cute ribbon-embellished toddler and infant jeans on ebay, I have wanted to try to make some myself. I'm not particularly crafty, and I can't sew (even by hand) for anything.

I did a practice outfit before I go out and buy ribbon and other items to start really playing.

I had an old denim 6-12 Gap jumper that Isabella never wore much because it seemed so plain. I figured I wouldn't lose anything by playing around with it.

I don't have a lot of things on hand to use. I had a spool of rainbow ribbon left over from back when I was excited about making hair-bows, LOL. I just used that to play around.

Adrian thinks it's super cute, but I am not thrilled. In my defense, though, it was a) my first time trying, b) I rushed through it, c) Isabella was up my butt most of the time, and d) I escaped to the garage to do the last bit, including painting, and it was DARK in there.

I learned that the no-sew tape works GREAT for putting ribbon accents on denim (left over from when mom no-sewed my curtains), that I need good lighting and patience to paint, and also that I need to work more on layout and plot it out before starting a project.

I also need to work on my hand sewing skills. Or ask someone to teach me. Because I seriously don't know what I'm doing. The enthusiasm is there, but the skill and technique are lacking.

Before:

After:

The ribbon on the side is where the outfit ties together (it's a wrap-around dress). I just cut off the ratty shoe-lace type string that was there and replaced it with the rainbow ribbon. Better would have been a thinner ribbon, but I didn't have that.

Not the cutest thing anyone ever "made", haha, but I'm not discouraged enough to keep me from trying again.

Beating Kids in Public

2008-09-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

We were watching Katt Williams' special last night (The Pimp Chronicles, I think?) and I really liked this part:

(Warning, STRONG language.)

Love it!

My Obesity, in Numbers and Photos

2008-09-26T07:09:00.000-07:00

I have a t-shirt that reads, "I'm not fat, I'm knocked up". That is only partially true.

I AM knocked up. I'm also fat. But if someone sees me wearing that t-shirt and assumes that it's all pregnancy-related, that's totally cool with me. Unfortunately, I got really fat before I got pregnant.

I was fat before I got pregnant with Isabella, lost weight after having her and was down to a reasonable size, then I shot back up to fatsville before becoming pregnant again.

The whole, "you're not fat, you're pregnant!" thing is nice, but in my case...NOT true.

I lost a few lbs with m/s but rapidly gained it all back when I started feeling better. Since then, I have not bothered weighing myself. It just causes me anxiety.

Unfortunately, I *know* I'm gaining a ton, and I'll tell you how I know this:

PANTIES.

Anything with leg holes that don't have stretch are too tight and feel like they'll cut my legs off if I wear them. I am down to 3 pairs of oh-so-comfortable maternity panties, and inappropriate things made from far too little fabric that are held together by forgivingly stretchy strings.

Even my XL cotton boyshorts are too small. Stretchy lace boyshorts...no go. Everything rolls down below my belly and only covers a small portion of butt, and not in a sexy way. More in a I'm-torturing-my-undergarments sort of way.

Here's why my maternity panties feel so good:

I measured my belly today at my widest point. 45 inches. YES, 45 inches. I'm only 24 weeks (5 months completed, in the middle of my sixth month). I have a loooong way to grow.

I look much fatter from the front, which is why I didn't take a picture of the front-view. My arm circumference is ridiculous. I didn't measure, but a visual inspection tells me I'm not Victoria Beckham.

I've got flabby calves and apparently my thighs are beyond the normal expectations of the manufacturers of XL underwear.

I could try not to gain so much weight, but I don't think I'll be doing that. So I guess I'll be shopping for 1X panties in the near future.

Pics of Xavier's New 7 Billion Dollar Glasses

2008-09-24T07:02:00.001-07:00

Xavier's glasses came in yesterday afternoon. I think, despite his initial worries, he is really enjoying them. Of course, that could just be because they are new. He could hate them in a few weeks.

I think they look really nice on him, but they do need to be adjusted a little bit.

He is looking so grown up!

Wonder when Orian's turn for glasses will come?

Flo-wees!

2008-09-23T07:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Isabella and I made Nature Bracelets.

This was a big hit with her and I highly recommend it as an activity for any toddler. It's practically free, uses things you have on hand, and poses great learning opportunities.

To make the bracelet, you take a long piece of scotch tape and attach it around your toddler's wrist with the sticky side out. The sizing needs to correspond with your toddler's wrist because if it's too loose it will fall off, and if it's too tight it will annoy her.

Next, you take a little nature walk and find interesting leaves, sticks, flower petals, etc. and attach them to the tape.

We just played in the backyard since there aren't leaves falling here yet. We picked some grass, and used a few leaves we did find, and lots of flowers from trees that are right against our fence.

Isabella LOVED it! She played for a long time with her "flo-wees". I think when we visit the panhandle for Thanksgiving we will do this activity again with the fall foliage.

When we finished collecting for our bracelets, Isabella had fun pulling the items off and hiding them in different spots, especially the hidden compartment on her Barbie trike. She would say, "Where flo-wee?" and then open the lid and shout "a-dah!"

In other news, Orian is being tested for TAG today, on the recommendation of his teacher. He started choir yesterday, and if he ends up in TAG, he's going to be a very busy guy this year! Xavier is in a TAG class this year and he has a crazy amount of homework. Fun stuff, but a lot of work!

Markers, Poop, and Glasses...in that order

2008-09-21T08:48:00.001-07:00

Friday Isabella and I decided to do a little toddler craft. Well, I decided. But she agreed.

The craft is this: you use markers to draw and scribble on coffee filters, then use paint brushes (or a spray bottle) and water to saturate the coffee filter. The colors will blend and make nice, soft patterns.

The best part is, Isabella LOVES markers, as evidenced by the television set, shelf, UBFunkey toys, clothing, and many other items I've had to clean marker out of (tip: rubbing alcohol will get permanent marker off of almost anything). I was happy to let her indulge her passion for markers.

And the finished product:

We came inside later for a diaper change and so I could get her marked-up clothes in the wash (I did have the foresight to use washable markers!). I took off her clothes and she took that as her signal to whip off her diaper.

It was like slow motion. Before I could get to her, she had taken the diaper off, walked it to the trash can, and tossed it in. Unfortunately, she left a trail of carnage from her departure point all the way to the trash can.

And, *barf*, there were identifiable sun-dried tomato pieces in her...ummm...leavings. I have been having some major cravings for sun-dried tomatoes, and couldn't get enough of them. Yeah, not so much now.

I did manage to get her, her clothes, and her doody trail cleaned up without further incident. I did imagine how horrific that could have been with a newborn in tow. Things are going to get very interesting this Spring.

Yesterday the boys and I had eye exams in the morning. Isabella wore her ON kitty Halloween top and the Guess skirt I got for a steal ($5!) from Macys.com. Didn't she look so cute?

The eye appointments went smoothly, but we found out Xavier is near-sighted and needs glasses. He had an eye exam right before school started as part of his physical but it wasn't nearly as in-depth. He was pretty disappointed.

He's about the same age I was, and the same age Adrian was, when we first started having to wear glasses. I am hoping he will be amazed by how much clearer his vision is with glasses.

I was in the middle of my exam when they took him to look at glasses, which was a disappointment because I knew he needed consoling. Unfortunately, Adrian had taken Isabella to run some errands while we had our exams.

When I was able to join Xavier he had chosen the glasses he liked. He was still unhappy about wearing glasses. He thinks glasses are for "nerds", and he does already have some problems with social-type stuff at school. Poor guy.

The lady who assisted us was c-r-a-z-y. She was a little too syrupy in her pep talk with him and pretty much just assumed that her opinion and thoughts carried more weight than what I could say to him, so she directed the conversation.

She told Xavier that her son had to get glasses at age 11 and that he was very sad about it too. So sad, he had to go to the hospital.

Orian pipes up, "Why did he have to go to the hospital?"

"He was so sad he stopped talking."

Thanks, lady. That's reassuring. Great anecdote.

I had Xavier try on a few more pairs of glasses just to be sure he was getting what he wanted, but in the end, he liked the glasses he had picked out previously best, and they do look really nice on them. He has a good face for glasses and I think he will look really handsome.

I remember my first pair of glasses. They were bargain basement and big and brown and plastic, with big, thick lenses. I remember hoping to accidentally break them. I really thought it would help soften the blow and boost his confidence if Xavier choose the glasses that he liked and that made him feel like he looked good.

Unfortunately, those great-looking, kid-friendly, hard-to-destroy Disney brand glasses come with a nearly $300 price tag. The recommended lenses were the *something* kind that are scratch resistant and nice and thin @ $130. The frames were $140.

I think glasses, like everything else, have gone up in price. But it's worth it if these make him feel more comfortable about wearing glasses.

They won't be ready until Tuesday, but pictures of Xavier in his new eyewear will be forthcoming. He really did pick out a nice looking pair.

Snack Blog

2008-09-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

I knew toddlers needed to eat sometimes, but what I didn't know is that I should aim for 2 food groups at each of around 3 snacks a day (we currently just eat when hungry, with more structure for breakfast, lunch, and dinner). I am working on getting us out of our snack rut, and here are some of the ideas I found:

- shake made from yogurt and fruit
- yogurt + some fresh fruit
- cheese cubes + crackers (hopefully whole grain)
- muffin + orange wedges
- banana bread with cream cheese spread on top
- toast topped with peanut butter or fruit spread
- 2 graham crackers + fruit juice
- yogurt + 1/4 muffin
- 1/2 c. canned fruit + 1/2 oz cheese (or 2 or 3 crackers)
- graham crackers + cream cheese (or peanut butter)
- mini bagel + cream cheese
- small pancake + applesauce
- 1/2 waffle + cottage cheese
- sliced deli meat + fruit
- tuna + crackers
- avocado slices
- fruit + cheese cubes
- 1/2 grilled cheese sandwich
- 1/2 banana
- sliced boiled eggs

I didn't see My Little Pony fruit snacks on the list, LOL.

I think it would be cool to have a spinny thing or slide rule of some sort with all the foods so I could match them up. I guess that's over-complicating things, haha.

Anyone have any brilliant easy to do toddler snack ideas? I saw an idea for a cool treat that could be great for all ages, but it's not a healthy snack. Older kids could actually make their own for added fun. You take a fruit roll up and put prepared rice krispie treat in it down the length of the roll up and then lay a fruit vine or twizzler inside. Roll it up like a hand-roll and it's candy sushi!

It could be sliced to make maki, too.

I think you could make nigiri that way, also, with a shaped krispie treat for the rice base, maybe a Swedish fish for the topping, and then a strip of fruit roll up or fruit leather for the nori that wraps around it.

A bit of googling later, I have discovered that many moms have played around with the candy sushi idea, hence the photographic illustration of candy nigiri. I also discovered that someone on photobucket likes to take artsy/sexy pictures of articulated dolls. Weeeeeeiiiiiirrrrrrd.

And now I'M off for a snack!!

2008-09-19T05:57:00.000-07:00

I have decided it's Fall even though it's still hot outside and I have big purple and white flowers blooming in my flower bed (surrounded by lush, green grass). I waited as long as I could.

I picked up some cheap-o crap at Wal-Mart (with the help of my SIL, Amanda) and put together my lame idea of Fall decor.

I also put some fake Fall leaves above the door. Adrian happily pointed out that I hung them crooked. Ok, I'm pregnant and I was standing on a chair putting these leaves up. That is as good as it's going to get.

That was last weekend. Yesterday I made a Halloween Chex Mix. It's NOT too early. It's the middle of September. And what comes after September? See!!

While the Chex Mix was drying and I was helping Xavier with some homework, Isabella snagged the container filled with the remaining candy corn. Orian started chasing her, which I told him not to do because if you chase her, she will be hell bent on destroying whatever you were chasing her to get. It's just one of her little quirks, LOL.

Sure enough, she dumped all the candy corn on the floor and then threw it into the air like confetti. She also threw some in my face with spite and glee. Take that, mommy! I wasn't even chasing her! I don't know why I got candy-corn'ed.

Orian was amused by her antics, but Xavier...not so much.

He was trying to finish up his big project for class. He is in a TAG class this year, so he gets fun projects and subject matter. This assignment was creating a working board game. It needed to not too closely resemble a real game, hopefully be laminated, have real game pieces instead of paper ones, etc.

He had planned his game out ahead of time, and originally had about a week and a half to work on it. We finished it last night...the night before it was due. Bad mommy.

We covered an old game board with a couple layers of butcher's paper and he figured out what he wanted for the spaces. His game is a math game, called Freaky/Geeky. The premise is that the players move their game pieces (Hero Scape Zombies, LOL) around the game board by answering math questions. The freaky questions are typical for his math class. The geeky ones, which are fewer in spaces on the board, are more difficult. At the four corners are comic book stores. As a player passes a comic book store, s/he gets a comic book (Tribond pie pieces that fit into the Tribond pie shell) and the goal is to be the first to fill the pie shell with all your comic books. One random square makes you lose a comic book.

Unfortunately, I ran out of laminating paper, so only the top of the board and the game directions are laminated (his choice as to what to laminate).

He also had to have a box, so we took a game box and covered it with butcher's paper as well.

He was really proud of his work and frequently commented that he thought he would have the best game of his entire class and that he thought he would get a 100. The project did make him thing a lot of about logistics and spacing, theme, and of course, the math problems. I did some of the harder ones and made him figure out the answers, haha, instead of just supplying the answers to him.

I can't wait 'til he gets home from school to report back on how his game was received.

What the New Baby Girl will Look Like...

2008-09-17T08:07:00.001-07:00

LOL.

Slide Show Time

2008-09-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

Just a little slide show. I like slide shows because they are faster to put together and also I don't think weirdos can save your pics that way. Or can they? I should ask Kelly GC. She is the number one weirdo saving your pics on the web. Hehe.

My brother and sister in law came to stay with us for a few days during Ike. They were under mandatory evac and although the circumstances weren't the best, I was super happy to have them visiting. We just don't see each other enough.

They arrived Thursday evening, and the kids were very excited to see them. Isabella took to both Jeremy and Amanda very quickly and renamed them "mommy" and "daddy". I should probably be bothered by that, LOL, but I think it's really sweet.

We did a lot of lazing around but it was nice having company. They watched the kids for me and Adrian so we could go on a date. We went to Barnes and Noble where I got The Pregnancy Book, a chunky toddler book on how fun it is to use the potty, and Adrian picked up a zombie book (which Xavier will comandere...comandeer...comand..."borrow"). We went to see Tropic Thunder, which was absolutely hilarious, and I discovered a wonderful Blue Belle mini ice cream shop in the lobby.

Jeremy and Amanda are really great with the kids, and it was nice knowing the boys and Isabella would have fun and be well taken care of while we were away.

During the course of their stay, Jeremy and Amanda were forced to watch The Business of Being Born and Hot Rod. These two are required viewing for guests in our home. You must be this cool to enter kind of thing.

I was really sad to see Jeremy and Amanda go yesterday (literally, I have weird pregnancy hormone issues, and after they left I felt way sadder than was warranted, haha), but I am happy to know that their home is still standing. They haven't returned home yet, but their area should be ok.

So here are a few pics from the past few days.

The Implications of Having a Large Family

2008-09-15T16:03:00.000-07:00

In past generations having many children was an asset, rather than the liability that it seems to be today. Reliable, inexpensive, readily accessible birth control, high levels of education, the many opportunities available for women in the workforce, a shift in societal values, the increased cost of living, and many other factors have contributed to today's trend toward smaller families.

What many couples may not realize is that the same benefits that were created by a large family are still applicable today. Of the many potential bonuses (bonii?) of having a large family (which, apparently, is anything more than 2 children), there are these to consider:

Naming rights for several human beings...be creative, be indulgent, be classic...the choice is yours!
Increased odds of having a wealthy child to care and provide for you in your old age
Increased odds of having a child who likes you enough to care and provide for you in your old age
Hand-me-down toys, clothes, potty seats, bikes, and backpacks = it gets cheaper as your family grows! By child number 3, they won't even expect new stuff, ever!
More Mother's Day drawings, Christmas pipe cleaner crafts, and yard weeds presented as lovely floral gifts
Children will play and/or fight with each other, rather than demanding attention from you!

The most notable benefit is, of course, an increased capacity for child labor. Many children = many skill sets and much more available elbow grease.

I feel children are often overlooked and under-utilized when it comes to household maintenance. What infants and toddlers lack in thoroughness, they make up for in enthusiasm. They truly believe you when you tell them it's fun to scrub the floor.

Older children, when properly trained, are limited only by your imagination when it comes to chores and household tasks. A mom of older children should never have to vacuum. That's what *kids* are for!

Of course, shoddy workmanship is common with older children and teens who are no longer thrilled to be carrying in groceries or putting away folded clothes, but that is easily remedied. All a mom (or dad) must do is simply stop caring so much that things are done properly. Just don't look in your child's dresser or closet. Even better, don't check his room at all.

You could make them redo the task or continue to guide them in how to do it correctly, but that sounds an awful lot like work to me! And the point is to have children who work for YOU, not you for THEM. Mommyhood is a management position. Remember that!

And sure, this idea of childhood servitude could work for a small family, but to really realize the benefits, you need several children. Children with strong backs and long, wiry little arms that can really reach in behind stuff. That's what you need.