I Need Ideas...Again...

My girls have cabin fever because we've been cooped up in this house for the past 4+ months since the weather started getting extra hot. I can tell they are tired of their toys, tired of the same activities, tired of it all. So, I'm looking for inspiration. You might think your activities or your ideas are boring, but that's because you've been doing them day in and day out. But they'd be new to us!

Here are some of our ideas that we've used:

*Dyed pasta/rice for necklaces and artwork
*Paints, markers, crayons, colored pencils and paper
*Playdough and tools
*Boxes (from diapers/wipes) to draw on, make into robots, etc.

But that only lasts so long. So, we're looking for new and improved ideas, as well as how to organize it all so we have easy access and easy clean up.

Here's what I'm looking for:

*What activities do you have available to your kids that they can do at any time?
*When your kids are bored, what activities do you arrange for them?
*How do you keep toys, books, etc. interesting to your kids without getting new ones?
*Do you have a great organization method for your activities?
*Do you have any fun last-minute/no-prep activities that your kids have loved?

Just Call Me Bessie

Holy cow! Well, not the holy part. But I am amazed at how abundant my milk supply is this time around. I look in my freezer and wonder if we'll be able to use up all that milk before this baby is weaned. I've never been able to pump this much before. Unfortunately, that means I've run out of storage bags and each nursing session takes a long time since I have to pump afterwards. And all I have is my manual pump, which takes extra time. I got to use the "cadillac" of electric pumps at the hospital and WOW it was awesome! Anyway, as my grandpa once told my sister, there's not much difference between me and that ol' heifer at this point...

Life at Home

Today marks one week since Avery was born. It has been a wonderful and busy week. Here are a few pictures from the last little bit.

Well, this one was obviously from BEFORE Avery was born, but I thought I'd throw it in. This is my last preggo picture, taken a few days before Avery arrived.
I love this picture of Avery when she was tanning under the heat lamps in our delivery room. This shows a lot of her pleasant, calm, peaceful personality. She is the best baby. When she sleeps, she sleeps wonderfully. When she's awake, she is so content, aware, and peaceful. She never cries, and I mean literally never cries, except for the 10 seconds here and there when she is getting mauled or really wants to eat and I'm not ready yet. She is a dream!

With Taryn, I got to labor at Aunt Katherine's house and then we called her right after Taryn was born to let her know it was all over. She and my uncle John arrived within minutes, since they live around the corner. This time, she was again our first visitor. The benefit of living so close to the hospital!

Our last visitor before going home was my doctor, Dr. Beck. I love this picture. His conversation at appointments leaves much to be desired, but when he gets into that delivery room, he is the most calming influence to have around. It's like having my own dad with me. He came to see us before discharging us and I asked to take this picture. He picked her up, posed with her (you can tell he's done this a thousand times before), and then wouldn't give her back. He just held her and looked at her for the next 5-10 minutes before giving her back and going on with his day. I love knowing that my doctor does his job because he loves it and finds it to be miraculous every time.

Yesterday, we gave Avery her first "bath". I hate umbilical cords and can't wait for it to fall off (it's hanging by less than a thread right now), so I usually wait for the bath. But I thought Keara would enjoy it, so we did it. Avery wasn't so sure about being cold, but loved having her hair washed.

And then she liked being wrapped up in her towel afterwards. I love those beautiful eyes!

Last night, I needed to take up the laundry, but didn't have enough arms to carry Avery and the basket, so she got a special ride. Cutest laundry I've ever seen...

Keara and Taryn have really loved having Avery. Any time she wakes up, they are running to see her. If she makes a sound, they run to see her. If she's awake, they are there in her face. Keara asks to hold her all the time and has just recently begun to shorten her holding times. The first few days, I was getting jealous because I never got to hold Avery! But now, Keara is good with 5 minutes and then passes her back. She'll be back in a little bit to ask to hold her again, but at least I get a little more time. Taryn also asks to hold her, but her holding sessions last about 5 seconds, where she gives Avery a kiss and a hug and then passes her back.

Bradens mom has been with us since Sunday and has kept the girls entertained. I'm so glad, especially because I see how much Taryn needs focused time and energy. I can tell she needs her mom, but grandma is subsituting well enough for now. I can foresee challenges in the future with balancing the needs of all 3 girls, and I know Taryn's needs will often have to trump the needs of the others. I hope I can give her what she needs!

Speaking of, Taryn decided to take feeding time into her own hands. "Fine, if no one else is going to get me my milk, I'll do it!"

We were at Walmart picking up a few things the other day and grandma took the girls to sit on this little riding thing. They still don't know the thing could move if they put money in it, thank goodness! I think these pictures are hilarious, showing the love/hate relationship between these girls, especially at this hard time for them.

HATE

LOVE

I love these girls. They are such a blessing. They keep us busy, but they keep us happy too. I'm grateful for Avery's personality that allows her sisters to love on her, hold her, play with her, and maul her, and also allows me to take care of their needs as well as hers.

Have You Ever...

wanted to try cutting someone's hair? Braden looked at me funny when I asked him that this morning. But I'm serious. Have you ever wondered how you'd do cutting a real person's hair and not just a toddlers? I was looking in the mirror and thought my hair is getting too long. Maybe Braden would cut it for me. But he has no interest in it. Have you ever wanted to try cutting someone's hair and would want a go at mine? If you ruin it, I'll go get it professionally done. But maybe you'd do great! We all need someone to practice on, right? Let me know...

She's Here!!

Announcing

Avery Thais Moore

born August 26th, 2009

1:25 pm

6 lbs 13 oz

21 inches

I figured I give the pictures first and the details after, so enjoy the pictures and if you don't want the details, stop reading...

Keara and Taryn got to meet her last night. They were SO cute! Keara could not get enough of her and wouldn't let anyone else hold her. She was in heaven. Taryn was excited too, but couldn't sit still long enough to enjoy her...yet.
I look a lot worse than I felt...

Okay, so the details. On Tuesday night, I was hurting so much in my back and pelvis and I knew I needed to have my membranes stripped on Thursday but I didn't really want to do it. So, on Tuesday night, I hopped on our treadmill and walked at 3 mph for 3/4 of a mile...not a lot, but enough to make me sweat like crazy in this heat! Wednesday was my due date and when I woke up, I was having mild contractions every once in a while. I said a prayer that the baby come because I didn't know if I could physically handle many more days but I didn't want to have my membranes stripped. So my prayer was "please let these contractions continue, let them come fast, and let me know when I need to go to the hospital."

The girls and I showered, got dressed, and went downstairs for breakfast. The contractions continued and were getting a lot stronger and more intense, plus they were lasting 60-90 seconds, but I couldn't time them because they were so sporatic. I'd have one and go to time it, but then I wouldn't have another for 20 minutes. So I'd put the timer down and I'd have another one 8 minutes later. So I'd pick up the timer again and would wait and wait and give up before another would come. I found if I was standing, they would come quickly, but if I was sitting, they would space out substantially.

The girls had woken up really early yesterday morning, so they were cranky and tired and I started having a hard time entertaining them and thinking about the contractions, hoping they would stay and dealing with the increasing intensity. I emailed Braden at 8:30 to tell him "today might be the day" but I couldn't be sure because I couldn't time the contractions. My sister in law called around that same time to ask if we were going to playgroup. Once Keara heard there was an option to go swimming, she wouldn't stop asking about it for the next hour and a half until it started at 10.

By that time, the contractions were stronger, but still no more regular, especially if I was sitting or lying down. So we prayed to know if it was a wise decision to swim and decided there were too many pros for going. a) it would entertain the girls, b) it would feel good to be in water, c) if the contractions went away, at least we spent time doing something, d) it would put me 10 minutes closer to the hospital, and e) it was with my sister in law who could then take the kids if I need to go to the hospital.

We got to the swimming pool (at a member of my SIL's ward's house) around 10:25. It was SO great to swim! Not only did the girls have a GrEaT time, but it also felt great in the water. We were there about an hour and I only had 3 contractions while in the water. So like 20 minutes apart. Not a big deal. We got out of the water, walked to the car, got the girls strapped, and headed over to my SIL's house, which was about 2 minutes away. As we approached the main road, I suddenly had a really strong, long, hard contraction. The hardest yet. I had to stop the car because it was so intense.

When we got to my SIL's house, again walking and standing would make them come a lot closer than sitting, but at this point, they were coming every 2 minutes or so. I'd have about 30 seconds in between to walk a little or get something for the girls. At about 11:45, I decided I need to get to the hospital. So I called Braden who had carpooled to work to let him know he needed to find a ride to the hospital. I decided to drive myself to the hospital because we needed to have a car there since Braden wouldn't have his. So I got in the car, also knowing the contractions would slow down while I was sitting.

In the 20 or so minutes it took to get to the hospital, I had 4 contractions. Fortunately 3 of them came at red lights. I got to the hospital at about 12:15 and went to registration. Braden arrived about 5 minutes after me. I told the lady "I think I'm in labor." She asked how close together my contractions were but since I hadn't timed a single one, I told her I didn't know. I had a few in her office so she estimated them at a few minutes apart. They were getting stronger and I was so grateful that Braden was there. His presence and help was so comforting and helpful. He gets better at this each time.

They didn't have a triage room available, so we were in registration for about 20 minutes. Finally, they got up into triage and the nurse checked me. I was hoping to be at least a 5 (I was a 6-7 with Keara and a 7-8 with Taryn upon arrival) but also knew I was progressing too fast for the antibiotics to take effect. Well, I ended up being 8 cm dilated, 100% effaced, and the baby was at +1 station. I was THRILLED to hear how progressed I was but also SHOCKED because my first hard contraction had come only 40 minutes before and here we were, about to deliver.

They got the IV in for the antibiotic and took us to a labor/delivery room. It was the strangest, most cramped, dungeon-like room I'd ever seen! It was almost comical. My doctor came in (so comforting to see him walk in the door) and checked me. I was still at an 8. He broke my water...which I am TOTALLY good with because it just speeds things up. Then he left to finish his lunch. The next contraction was incredibly powerful and much harder than all the previous ones, thanks to the water being broken. After a few more contractions, my nurse told me to tell her when I wanted her to check me again. I told her, let's wait until the next one. But the next one wasn't that intense, so we waited for the next one. She checked me and I was still an 8. I told Braden, "soon the contractions are going to lift me off the bed as I feel the need to push."

Sure enough, the next contraction, I felt the baby descending and the urge to push begin. She checked me in the middle of the next contraction and I was a 10 and the baby was very low. So they brought my doctor back in, got set up, got the mirror for me, and two more contractions later, our baby was born. She was born at 1:25, just an hour and 10 minutes after walking into the hospital. She was tiny and beautiful and perfect. Just what we prayed for.

I obviously didn't get 4 hours of antibiotics before she was born, so we need to stay here for 48 hours so she can be monitored. But the likelihood of anything being wrong is extremely low, so we're just waiting for tomorrow afternoon when we can go home. I'm grateful, though, for the awareness I had because of the group B strep because it made me leave for the hospital immediately. Any later, and I might have had her at home...or without Braden. I'm grateful we made it when we did.

We've had quite a few visitors, which has been a lot of fun. Keara and Taryn loved meeting her and I'm sure Keara is disappointed that she hasn't been able to come back since last night. Hopefully she'll be able to come again tonight. She will be a FANTASTIC helper! That is, if she ever lets me hold the baby! She even told me last night that she was going to feed her...right...I'd like to see that.

We are so grateful for everything working how it did. I felt great right after delivery and have felt great the whole time since. I get dizzy and hungry, but otherwise, I feel better than I did with the other 2. Avery is very calm, alert, and so far, is doing great eating and sleeping. I love how these babies come with a 3 hour schedule built into them.

Oh, and her middle name should have an accent on the i, but I can't figure out how to do that on the blog. It is pronounced tie-EES. It is after someone Braden taught on his mission in Brazil.

So, that's the story. I can't believe she's here and I am excited to get to know her more each day. She is sweet, perfect, beautiful, and just incredible. It is such a miracle every time a baby is born and I am always so honored to be able to bring babies into this world. And though people might make fun of me, I think labor and delivery are amazing to go thru and witness and participate in. I'm so grateful for it all. And I couldn't do a thing of it without Braden's love, help, support, calming voice, and incredible presence during such a hard time. He's amazing!!

I Hate Wait...

Name the movie...

Anyway, we're still here. And we're still waiting. Apparently the dogs didn't know much. I'm "due" in 2 days and while I don't feel antsy or frustrated at being pregnant, I am still so looking forward to this baby arriving! Every day is a struggle to get thru because I would LOVE to go into labor and get the next stage rolling. But, she apparently still needs the comfort of the womb, so in she stays.

I went to this website that "predicts" your birth experience and here's what it said :

The day you deliver, outside will be cloudy. Your baby will arrive in the late night. After a labor lasting approximately 24 hours, your child, a girl, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 5 pounds, 8 ounces, and will be 17-1/2 inches long. This child will have light green eyes and a lot of black hair.

TWENTY-FOUR HOURS OF LABOR!?! That would be very different from my last 2. I hope not! However, this last month has been SO different than the other girls. I have never "pre-labored" so much. For the last 3 weeks or so, almost every day has had hours of "this could turn into labor" moments because the contractions have become so much more intense, frequent, and uncomfortable, I am nauseated often, feel really crampy, have a lot of back pain, and many other feelings that I had DURING labor of the other two. And yet, it comes to nothing and the next morning, I'm still pregnant. So I guess 24 hours could be possible...

I also think the weight could be a bit off...5 lbs 8 oz? At 40 weeks? If she were to come out that small, I'd be glad she stayed in! I couldn't imagine...

I'm content enough to keep waiting, though I don't know if I'll feel so content if we make it to September.

A big CONGRATULATIONS! to my sister Kerri on the safe and healthy arrival of her baby girl, Alana Tess, on Friday August 21st! I'm SO glad everything went well!!

Tonight, Braden has his final for his class so he told me I'm not allowed to have the baby today! I guess we'll have no news to share in the next 24 hours, then :) I hope he does well! And it will be nice to have all responsibilities behind us, at least for the next 6 days until his next class starts.

The Cows Looked at Me as If They Knew

When I was in seminary, one day our teacher's husband taught the class and he read us a poem about falling in love with his wife or something. The one line I, and I'm sure others, remember is "The cows looked at me as if they knew..." I don't remember what they knew...

Anyway, when I was in labor with Taryn, I had the opportunity to labor at my aunt's house. She has a few yorkie terriers that are very yippy dogs. They bark a lot and don't particularly favor anyone but my aunt. Whenever we go to her house, the dogs bark and run around your feet and are very active. They're cute, but noisy. (I hope it's okay to say that Aunt Katherine!) The day I was in labor with Taryn, however, they came and sat with me the WHOLE time I was there. They were silent, climbed up on my belly, laid in my lap, licked me and my belly, and stared at me with their round little eyes as though to say, "We understand." The dogs looked at me as if they knew...

That was the only time they had ever acted that way. The next time we went to their house after Taryn was born, the dogs were back to their yippy selves. Well, we went to my aunt's house last Saturday to swim and the dogs were yippy and noisy and in constant motion. I went again today, and as soon as I walked in the door, all the dogs came to me, sat at my feet, climbed onto the couch and sniffed me and licked my belly again, and would not leave me alone the whole time I was there! When I went to go to the bathroom, they followed me down the hall. As soon as I came out, they were right behind me, with one of them practically licking my heels with every step I took. They sat at my feet while I talked to my aunt and the mom of the group would stand on her hind legs and just stare at me. It was the strangest thing. Do you think they know something I don't know?

The dogs looked at me as if they knew...

So...What's Up With You?

You know that story about the goose down pillow's feathers getting thrown all over the place? How you can never really pick them all up after they've floated their many ways? Well, here's my attempt to gather a few back up. A lot of people out there are anxiously awaiting news of an impending (or successful) delivery tomorrow of our baby because I had planned to have my membranes stripped tomorrow since about 30 weeks. That was the original plan. But plans change...

As my sisters' due dates came and went without delivering their babies (we're expecting baby #2 to come by Friday via c-section...over a week late), I began to wonder just how long my body would go with this one. Could I possibly go early? Or would I see my due date come and go too? Curiosity got the better of me and I started doubting our decision to urge things forward.

While I believe in all things natural with labor and delivery, I do not see having your membranes stripped as invasive or a medical procedure. Sure, your doctor has to do it, but doing so does not MAKE your baby come, nor will your baby come any sooner than your body is ready to deliver. It's just another method, like jumping on a trampoline or taking castor oil or walking for miles, to try to coax your body forward.

At the same time, I am almost intrigued by the idea of letting nature do its own thing again without ANY intervention and just seeing what happens. Will I go into labor before my due date? Will it be in the middle of the night? Will my water break? How long will it take me to realize I'm in labor? Again, curiosity has gotten the better of me.

So, for those reasons, I am almost 100% decided that I will NOT have my membranes stripped tomorrow, but will wait another week until my 40 week appointment to make that decision. However, at that point, I may just do it because I don't really want a September baby...

So don't expect phone calls tomorrow unless she comes on her own. We'll hopefully post pictures quickly and keep everyone in the know as soon as we can. We can't wait! And yet, apparently we can...

Taryn's New Allergist

Two weeks ago, I took Taryn to her new allergist. I had been looking forward to this appointment for 4 months, mainly because this allergist was highly recommended to us a year ago when we found out about T's allergies.

A year! I can't believe its been that long, and yet can't believe its ONLY been that long.

Anyway, we learned some very intriguing things and have been able to modify some of how to deal with things here. I admit I wasn't thrilled by the doctor's perspective on things (I think some doctors are too concerned with protecting themselves to offer honest medical advice) but I appreciated his thoughts on others.

One of our biggest concerns was that even if we didn't see a reaction after exposure to something with one of Taryn's allergens in it, what was happening on her insides that we COULDN'T see? We certainly didn't want to be destroying her insides (like with celiac) by feeding her something just because we couldn't see a reaction. But the doctor assured me that the reaction will appear if the allergen is enough to warrent a reaction. If you don't see one, there is none.

So, if she eats some bread that has a milk ingredient in it and there is no reaction, it means her allergy to milk has a higher tolerance level than that bread contains. While there is some dispute about whether or not exposure to something will increase future reactions, there is also a lot of evidence suggesting that non-reactive exposure can actually increase the likelihood of outgrowing an allergy.

Because we know Taryn is very allergic to eggs, we're not willing to expose her to those at this point. She's never reacted to peanuts, but we don't really have a need to give her peanut butter, so we decided to start with milk. We are now offering Taryn baked goods that have milk baked in them. So still no cheese, yogurts, creams, etc. but she can have bread or cereal that has a milk ingredient. So far, so good! No reactions. Braden even made pancakes the other day and put real milk in it and no reaction! Last night, I gave Taryn a semi-sweet chocolate chip (which doesn't have full milk in it) and no reaction! Besides utter joy at having some chocolate!

Anyway, that's where we are at. He still thinks that she will outgrow the milk and egg allergy by the time she starts school and also doesn't confirm that she even has a peanut allergy since that is so heavily mis-diagnosed. Her reactions are so mild and he said that they probably are even more mild than they appear because of how fair her skin is. Her IgE levels in her blood are high, but are not causing major reactions, which is good.

So we have great hopes for her and really look forward to her being able to eat and live normally...especially since food is her favorite thing!

Blast From the Past

Keara and Taryn love to go thru the movies on our computer and watch them over and over. Today we went thru the movies from 2008 and found this classic.

Look What I Did!

I cannot tell you how excited I am about this. I wanted to make a car seat cover for our infant seat because I was a little tired of the blue and yellow plaid. But I knew we couldn't really afford for me to do that, so I cleaned the car seat out, prepared to use the plaid again.

Enter my mother-in-law. She wanted to know what to do for the baby and I mentioned that I wanted to make this cover. So she offered to buy the fabric so I could do it. After my doctor appointment yesterday, I stopped by Joann's to find some fabric. I didn't find anything I loved, unfortunately, but I was so eager to do the project, that I bought some I was just okay with. I know, you should only buy what you love. But...

I started cutting and sewing and realized I had grossly over estimated how much fabric I would need. Even doing it reversible, I had plenty of fabric (and I only got 2 yards of each fabric, so 4 yards total). Thankfully, with a coupon, it only cost $11.50 for all the fabric. So I was able to not only make the cover, but also a cover blanket and a head guard.

Here's my finished product, from the top down.

The cover blanket, to keep our baby protected from the elements and other people. It's attached with these tabs that velcro over the handle of the carrier.

When you want to see the baby or just have it open, you flip the front of the blanket over the handle and you have a canopy like most carriers come with. I made the blanket with the print on top and then this solid rose color underneath.

WOW! Look how awesome the cover turned out! And the head guard...so perfect! I love it!!!

Here it is without the head guard.

Here you can see how I tried to add to the simplicity of the colors. I did a decorative stitch along the outline of the middle section and then freehand machine stitched this little embroidery pattern. It's not perfect, and it looks better from a distance. But I think it added so much.

I am so impressed with myself...terrible to say, but true. And it only took two naptimes to do it all. I love learning to make things!

Incredibly Thoughtful

Today, Braden's coworkers threw a baby shower for us. I wasn't there, so he got to do the honors of opening gifts and oohing and aahing without me. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall. His coworkers were SO incredibly thoughtful and generous in their gifts. One gal even made a beautifully scrapbooked baby album that I can insert pictures into. It is wonderful! (I'm thinking of having her make me 2 more so Keara and Taryn can have one with their baby pictures in it...)

They also gave us 2 outfits, socks, headbands, a bib and burp cloth set, really soft blanket to match the baby's room, and a gift card to Target. Plus a pot luck lunch for the team and a cake in the shape of a carriage. So cute!

Caught on Camera

Like I said a couple posts ago, Taryn spends most of her day reading. I caught this in my rear view mirror today and just had to smil at how much this kids loves books. This one book will entertain her for a half hour.

The problem is this: a couple weeks ago, Keara decided to spend her naptime tearing apart 5 books. Just ripped the pages right out of them. And then ripped up the pages into small pieces. And it cost us $22 at the library because one of the books was a library book.She got into trouble, had to apologize to the librarian, and was on time outs from books for a week. No bedtime stories, no books at naps, no books...

Taryn also has a problem ripping books. Only with her, its not usually on purpose. Its that she's turning pages and her hand is on the page, so it rips. Or she grabs it at the middle to turn the page and it rips. Whatever the reason, most of our books are now 75% tape because we keep fixing them and giving them back. I just can't bring myself to punish her by taking the books away since a) she's not doing it to be bad and b) she LOVES books. They mean the world to her. And it entertains her so well. But should I be punishing her so she learns to not rip them? What would you do?

Disney Knows What Its Talking About!

Finish this song: "Don't pick a prickly pear with the paw. When you pick a pear, try to..."

Anyone who has seen the Jungle Book or knows The Bear Necessities knows that the end of that line is "try to use the claw." Well, who knew that ol' Baloo was right?

Last night, my friend Jill and I picked a prickly pear...bare handed. Not a good idea. They are deceivingly covered in tiny baby fine prickles! I got a hundred in my fingers and spent the next hour picking them out. I guess I missed one, because now the skin has covered it and I have a very painful red bump.

So, the next time you go to pick a prickly pear, remember Baloo's advice...and take it.

The Ants Go Marching...

Taryn is talking SO much lately! I love it! She is talking in sentences like "I want more" "Don't push me" and things like that and is also just adding depth to her vocabulary. She LOVES to read and read and read and probably spends 80% of her day with a book. I love that. Her two favorite books are "If You're Happy-Jungle Edition" and "The Ants go Marching." The If You're Happy book is If You're Happy and You know it, but you clap your hands, stomp your feet, scratch your fur, give a roar, flap your wings, etc. She LOVES it and knows each movement according to the picture, so whether or not I read it to her, she can still do it. Keara will read that one to her too, which Taryn loves.

The Ants book is fun too and Taryn will bring it in saying "Hoorah, hoorah" when she wants me to read it to her. Then we sing it together, with her singing "Hoorah" and "boom boom boom." I finally got it on tape...

Do You Think They're Excited?

These girls are so ready for this baby to come! Every time I pull something out for the baby, they need to play with it, be a mommy with it, get into it, or whatever it is. The day I brought out the carseat to clean it caused major fights because they both wanted to play with it. Luckily, we have two...

I also made mei tai carriers for the girls so they could carry their babies in them. Normally, I am not this "granola" or natural or whatever you want to call it. But I do love my carrier and I think the girls look so cute with their mini versions!

Taryn especially loves hers, probably because she loves riding in mine. She'll wear it for a long time and just love having her baby near her. I think it is so precious to watch these girls mimic mommy things and take care of their dolls. Keara's been doing it for so long and it is so a part of her nature, that we're used to it. But we're seeing a new side of Taryn coming out, and I love it.

HAIR!

Keara's hair has grown SO much. So much so that I was able to put it up in a ponytail! And then a few days later, I blowdried it and straightened it and it was SO long! I told her that she looked like a different girl, which she took to mean she WAS a different girl. And then we cut it...short. Sad! But having it straightened without all those curls let us see that it was getting thin. So we cut it off and hopefully it will encourage a little thicker growth.

Sometimes You Just Gotta...Cry...

I cried today. Over something silly. But to me, it was a big deal. And now I'm going to blog about it.

I had my 37 week appointment today and was hoping to have everything perfectly how I wanted it to be. Let me paint a picture of my ideal labor and delivery:

I feel those first pains and within a couple hours, they become more intense and I know I'm in labor. After a couple more hours of those intense pains, I know I need to go to the hospital. We show up, they check me, I'm at a 7 or 8, we get changed and set up, and within the hour (after 2 or 3 pushes) the baby is born. Then, all goes swimmingly over the next 24 hours, at which point we get discharged and get to come home. Of all that, the two important things to me are 1) only being in the hospital to deliver, not to labor and 2) going home after 24 hours and no more.

But I've been very concerned about getting to the hospital in time, seeing that we live 30-40 minutes away, not to mention to time to get our girls where they need to be, etc. And if each labor typically gets shorter, timing the whole thing gets tricky. I don't want to get there a minute too soon or a minute too late. We've prayed a lot about it, praying to know when to go, and today we got our answer.

Last week I was tested for Group B Strep...and it came back positive. I realize that a TON of women have GBS and its no big deal to them. But I was so disappointed to hear the consequences of having GBS. First, I have to be given an antibiotic during labor...in the hospital...for at least 4 hours. So, instead of showing up to deliver, I have to labor in the hospital. Second, if the baby comes BEFORE 4 hours of antibiotics, the hospital will monitor her for 48 hours, meaning either I go home without her at 24 hours, or we both stay...in the hospital...for 48 hours. Silly to cry about it, but I did.

At the same time, my baby's health and safety is far more important than my ideal plans. Afterall, the consequences of her contracting GBS would be worse. For example, "Babies infected with Group B Strep or GBS may go on to develop pneumonia or even meningitis. Others may have long term problems such as hearing or vision loss during their lifetime." Sweet. Yeah, not going to risk that one.

Also at the same time, I recognize this as the Lord's hand, stepping in to remove the worry of when to get to the hospital and ensuring that we will be there in plenty of time. Perhaps nothing out of the ordinary will happen, but maybe she'll come so fast that we wouldn't have gotten to the hospital in time had we done it our usual way. Or maybe we need the extra monitoring this time. Or maybe nothing. Who knows.

But one thing is for sure, this will be a different labor and delivery than we've experienced or planned for.

Bake Sale!

I think this is a great idea. My friend's baby boy needs one of those corrective helmets because of some developmental issues but they cost a LOT of money! So, she's putting her talents to work and is doing bake sales at the beginning of each month until she earns enough money to pay for it. This month...CUPCAKES! And Ruth is a VERY talented baker. The picture alone made me salivate...

So, if you are in Arizona and are interested...go to her blog http://tinybabybubbles.blogspot.com/2009/08/bake-sale.html and place your order!

I Need a Pattern

I love to sew. I love to create. I love having an idea and watching it come to fruition. I do not, however, like having an idea, trying to make it, and having it FAIL. Which is why I've decided I need to start using patterns to make clothes so I can learn some basic things and then I can go back to doing it out of my head.

Right now, I need to know 2 things:

1. How to correctly measure for making pants (capris, really) because I need more pants that will fit during these last 3 weeks and I don't want any with a tight waist or zipper or button because that just hurts. And I don't want to buy them and I don't want to wear pajama pants, and I can't wear pants anyway cause that's too hot.

2. How to correctly measure to make sleeves for little girl dresses. I know I can figure it out, but I want to know the secrets of making it simple.