Almost Done...

incubating this baby girl! I'm so excited!
I'm excited to meet her and see who she looks like and for her to be out so I can get my body back to normal in a few months.
I'm so anxious for her to come out so that I don't hurt anymore. I hurt every single day. I don't know how my belly has gotten any bigger than 2 months ago, but alas, it has.
I'm totally nervous for her to come out though because, um, hello?! 4 kids! Craziness.
I'm nervous about how I'm going to handle the following situations (with 3 crazy boys running around as an added bonus):

• a new baby
• a GIRL baby (keep in mind that pretty much all I know is boy, boy, boy)
• nursing (because I've only ever really nursed one of my kids)
• nursing with 3 crazy boys running around (just had to throw that in again)
• school starting (Scott has meet the teacher on August 10th, school starts on the 11th, Ben has meet the teacher on the 13th, preschool starts on the 17th, and I'm not technically due until the 19th so she could come at a very inoppurtune time)
• being able to attend appointments that have been made (Ben has a neurologist appointment on the 25th for his headaches, plus all the dr appts the new baby will need)
• Ben's birthday (which I somehow have to plan) is on September 9th (which he happens to share, or close enough on the 10th and 11th, with 2 cousins).

Plus I have to fit in, with all of my own business, going to a double birthday party for my niece and nephew on July 31st and another birthday party for another niece on August 14th.

PHEW!
That was exhausting just writing it all out!


On the other hand:

• I have finished her room (just have to hang the curtains and her name)! I will post pictures if my camera will take them.
• We have enough clothes, diapers, wipes, shampoos, hats, socks, etc. to make it through the first few weeks! (We have enough diapers to last a few months actually, thanks to a kick ass diaper party we had last weekend!)
• Officially I have 1 week and 1 day until Baby C will be considered full term!
• I'm not on bed rest anymore which is a relief!
• She is growing like a weed!
• We've had her name picked out for 4 months now without changing it! (which is a miracle, trust me)
• I've only gained 22lbs. Horray!

This week seems to be going by rather smoothly... I hope that didn't just jinx myself. But nonetheless, it's true... my mom says it's a sign that Baby C will make her arrival very soon.

I agree.

Nesting... on Bed Rest

I think that is an oxymoron. Nesting on bed rest that is. How the heck am I supposed to be getting anything done for this little girl if I'm not supposed to do anything!?

It's very very frustrating.

I was put on bed rest two weeks ago. Supposedly for 6 weeks total. That means worst case senario I have 4 weeks left to my sentence. BUT, with any luck I will be given parole for good behavior. I go to the Dr. tomorrow. I have an ultrasound scheduled to see if my cervix is changing at all and to check on her size. Two weeks ago she was measuring a few days bigger than I am, but the amniotic fluid was a little bit low so now I have to have that checked every two weeks with the ultrasound also. I was told to drink lots of water (duh) and to take a warm bath everyday. Well... my bath tub is on the small side and I am not. SO I concluded that a warm swimming pool should work the same way, right? Right, so that's what I'm doing, but we don't have a pool so I'm trying for every other day right now. I guess we'll see.

I had some odd swelling of my feet and ankles over the weekend. It was really sudden and very painful. It felt like my legs were on fire. So I had to go into the hospital to have it checked out. They needed to monitor my blood pressure. All and all everything was fine and I went home an hour later. And from that hospital visit they concluded that I hadn't dialated anymore than my previous visit. Almost at 1cm. So that's good. Anyway, I go in tomorrow and I have some hope that he will tell me I can do more than go to the bathroom and make a sandwich. :)

My boys are having a really hard time with all of this too. It's not just me. Their attitudes have gotten significantly nastier. Not only with each other, but in response to others too. And that just pisses me off.

His Name is Ben!

Ben has more care and concern in his little body than I have ever witnessed in a little 3 year old boy. He talks about how you shouldn't do something that will hurt yourself. It's kind of funny. Oh and by the way, how the heck is he still 3!? I always feel like he's 4. He looks 4, he acts 4, and he just seems like he's 4. I have to think about how old he is whenever someone asks me.
He's hilarious though. We have a lot of nicknames for our boys. Ben's main one is Benja. He hates it. He yells at us whenever we call him anything but Ben. He throws his arms down at his side, puffs out his chest and lips, sticks his nose up in the air, and yells "DON'T CALL ME THAT! MY NAME IS BEN!" or he says "MY NOT ______! MY BEN!" Because he doesn't understand how to use the word "I" instead he says "my". And whenever I try to correct him, he tries to fix it and ends up saying, "I, my can't" instead of "my can't" or "I can't," he mixes them.
He starts preschool this fall. I'm so excited. He's going to love it. He's been asking to go to school since Scott started last year. This next year is going to be hard, but really great. I'm hopeful anyway.

Low Rider

This baby of mine likes to ride low. I mean L-O-W. I'm so excited for her to be here. Not that I can't wait because I can. She needs more time, I need more time, my house and the whole family need more time. But I am so excited. She is going to be wonderful. We call her by her name all the time. (But I'm not telling until she's here) We talk about her like she's already here. She's going to be so loved and spoiled and cared for and doted upon... just like every girl deserves.
We had a bit of a scare with her. It wasn't really scary, just a stressful situation and a worrying time. During the ultrasound when we found out she was a girl they found something unusual in her brain. They found little cysts which might indicate a chromosonal abnormality, such as Downs Syndrome. So we had to have a few different tests to see what it was all about. I had a special blood test and a couple of "Level 2" ultrasounds. Level 2 ultrasounds are just a little stronger. Well after a few weeks of worrying the results were in and everything seems normal. We went back after a few more weeks to see if the cysts were being absorbed and they were, so that's good. We truly won't know for sure that she's okay until she's born and we see her, but it doesn't matter. She's going to be perfect whether she's "normal" or not. I completely believe that my Heavenly Father won't give me more than I can handle. And if it ever feels like too much, I know I can turn to Him and it will all be okay.
But anyway, she's a low rider... and whenever I really do go into labor, she just might come out in less than a couple of hours. Or like my father-in-law says, she might just fall out. lol

Zac turned 2!

Zac turned 2 in April. He's so far ahead of my other boys at this age. He talks all the time. He's ready for potty training, in fact, he asks to pee in the toilet everyday... not everytime, but everyday at least once. We are starting next week. He is sleeping in a big boy bed now. Oh how I love him. He makes everyone smile when they see him. He's so playful and loving. He's such a cuddler too. He loves to give hugs. But at the same time, he's meaner than the other boys were. He thinks it's funny to beat up Ben. He laughs at Ben whenever he cries about getting hit or bumped or anything. He's kind of a punk. But he's also really tenderhearted. If he's in trouble, he puts his head down and figdets with his hands and then starts to cry. It's really cute. He's also curious about the baby in mommy's tummy. It's funny, he asks to see it all the time. And whenever I say "ow" about anything he assumes it's the baby's fault. He says "baby owie". Oh but he has a word that he uses for everything too. Anything he doesn't know exactly what it is he calls it "hoanay."

Kindergarten Graduation

Scott graduated from Kindergarten on May 26th. He's so big.
I wish I had a picture, but our camera has been crappy lately. It works and then it doesn't.
Oh well.
So part of the ceremony was for each child to have a turn with the microphone to say what they want to be when they grow up and why. So it went like this, "I wonder about ______, that's why I want to be a _________ when I grow up." There were some really good ones. One boy wants to he a heart surgeon, one girl whats to be a teacher, another girl wants to be a pilot, and another wants to be a vet. Then there were a couple that want to be a cowboy and a cowgirl. Then there were the creative ones. One boy stood up there and said he wanted to be a ninja, another wanted to be an INVISIBLE ninja. (haha) Then there were two boys that aspired to be fast food workers, one at Chik-fil-a and the other at a place called Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger. Those two made everyone laugh! It was classic. Not that there was anything wrong with them wanting to work in fast food. Not at all. It was just really cute. Scott said he wants to be a Monster Truck Driver. I love him and am so proud of him. The improvements he has made this year have been astounding. I am truly grateful to his teachers and incredibly amazed at his accomplishments. He is awesome. Congratulations to my Buster.

I. Will. Get. This. Done.

I've been re-doing my house a bit lately. I think I've been nesting in weird ways this time. My house is a constent disaster and it's driving me crazy. No what's really driving me crazy is the fact that I can't do anything by myself! I can't move the furniture where I want it, I can't paint what I want, I can't put things up because they are too heavy, I can't pick up a bed (from a different location, not physically pick it up... which I can't do that either), UGH! I'm so tired of having to rely on someone else for help. If I had someone that would help me it wouldn't be such a big deal... HINT HINT BIRD! But no. I don't. So with every effort I can possibly make, I. Will. Get. This. Done.

my hopes have come true....

my prayers have been answered....

we are having a girl.

sigh.

The Happenings of Us

So I haven't posted in a while. I'm lazy. I'm tired. I'm just not that interested really. Oh well. Things are going along just fine.
The baby's getting bigger and so is the belly. We are hopeful that we will find out whether baby is a boy or girl on March 22nd. I have been feeling a lot of kicks today. That's exciting. It makes me realize that I'm not just fat. HA.
Scott turns 6 next Monday (15th) which is just CRAZY. I know. And he's super sweet most of the time. He's so affectionate. He loves to hug and give kisses, but he complains that nobody lets him kiss them. So I told him the truth (like any good mother would right?) I said to him, "well that's because you slobber... a lot." He didn't have any response. But trust me I didn't hurt his feelings, I could tell.
Ben is a pain in the booty because he whines all the time, but he's also super cute so it kind of evens itself out I guess. He says he can't do things all the time. I ask him to hold his cup, he says, "my can't" I ask him to get his shoes out of the basket, he says, "my can't do this." Haha, he's even cute when he whines. He tells us all the time how much he loves us. He says, "mommy, my love you lot," and I say "I love you too Ben," and he says, "my love daddy lot too." And he gives a big hug. He's so cute.
And Zac is huge. He turns 2 in April. He grew an inch and a half in ONE MONTH! Yeah. He's talking a lot now, he says, "hi, bye, out, now, ew, keys, love ya, thank you," and a few other things I can't think of right now. Oh, "pee," yep, he's asking to go pee. It's awesome! And the other night he actually went in the toilet! HOORAY! Usually he'll go on the floor and then look at it, point to it, and tell us, "eeewwww, pee" hahahaha. But oh my goodness, he is loud when he talks. I mean L O U D. Ugh, it is annoying. I can only take so much volume.
And Bird is fine. No lung issues so far. Finger's crossed it will stay that way too. Ah, I love him.

View from the Side

I had my first OB visit today. Eveything went well. There was some trouble finding Baby's heart beat which is pretty normal because Baby's not very big yet, but the doctor found it in the end. And let me tell you it was loud! The doctor was surprised he couldn't find it right away. Apparently he wasn't looking in the right spot because Baby likes the view from the side, not the top. So anyway, Baby's heart beat is super loud, super strong, and much higher than the boys ever were. Baby is running a steady 175! That makes me happy, very happy, because out of all the things I've read or heard, girl heart rates seem to be faster than boys. HOORAY! But obviously this is not a sure sex determination by any means, it just adds to my *hope. And if Baby turns out to be a boy... my poor hope will be shattered. Not that I won't be happy with another boy, no, no, it's not that at all, it's just that I have had this hope since I was a little girl and since this is my last baby, well, the hope will be gone. Gone. And just to clarify, I will love a boy just as much as my others, but I just might love a girl more. Go ahead, call me what you will. Sometimes the truth just isn't nice.


*The hope I speak of is my hope for a girl. The hope for cute, frilly dress, tights, and bows, shoe fetishes, pinks and purples, butterflies and flowers, Barbies and baby dolls, princess stories, books, and movies, playing dress up and house, and the love of fairy tales. The hope for a daddy's girl just like me and the hope for a relationship as close as mine and my mom's. The hope for a daughter... and a friend. This is the hope I speak of and dream of daily. Granted I may not get everything I hope for wrapped up in a cute little package because she's much more likely to be a major TomBoy instead of the frilly little cute girl I imagine, but either way she would be here and she would be mine...

That's really what my hope is about.

2nd Annual Snow Day

We had our 2nd Annual Snow Day on Friday. It was such a blast! We even took Zac this year! We drove up about 4 or 5 miles North of Christopher Creek and pulled off onto a side rode, drove down a little ways and voila!... there was a nice little area with no one else around so that we could play! It was so fun.

Zac was AMAZED as soon as we started seeing snow on the ground. Ben just wanted to get out and play in it as soon as we saw it (even though it was the side of the highway in a little patch no bigger than an area rug). And Scott kept asking if we were there yet.

It did seem to be taking a really long time to get there, but once we got there the snow was PERFECT for snowman making and was even better for snowball fighting!

Zac didn't really like it at first because he couldn't walk in it very well, but then Bird busted out this mini shovel and Zac thought it was so awesome! He dug and dug and dug, until it was time to sleep, then he just stood there and cried until one of us picked him up.

The first thing Ben did was ask if he could eat it! He cracks me up! So while the rest of us were making snowballs and throwing them at each other he was making snowballs and eating them! With his "Buddy and Buzz" (Woody and Buzz) hat and gloves on.

Scott's main focus was on building a snowman. He's been planning this for a long time. They all worked hard to make this one great. Scott even went searching for the perfect arms by himself. He had such a good time and as soon as it was done and pictures were taken he wanted to destroy it! And after that the snowball fight was on.

Bird and I were ganging up on Scott, but took the time to get a few in on each other. I got him in the butt once (unfortunately no pictures) and he get me in the face (again no pictures). Scott got a few good throws in on us too, and this one in particular was hilarious to him...

POW! Right in the side of my face! He's such a bugger!

(BTW that's him laughing at me)

So much fun, seriously the best weekend in a long time.

So Far

So far my pregnancy has been going pretty good.

So far I have not been terribly sick. No morning sickness really. I do feel a little naueous in the morning or whenever I don't eat for a while but nothing too bad... so far.

So far I haven't gained any weight. I look like I have (stupid bloating), but the scale says no. BUT, my pants are already feeling tighter than I would like. Boo.

So far I have managed to be a SUPER BITCH everyday in some way. Ugh. I really hoped that wouldn't have come out so early.

So far my face has broken out, um, yeah. MY FACE IS BREAKING OUT! DAMN IT! Never in my whole life have I experienced more than a zit or two on my face at the same time. n-e-v-e-r. I am very upset about this.

So far is not sounding very good right now... because if these are the things that have been happening so far, I think I'd rather deal with morning sickness than my zit having, tight pants wearing, super bitch self right now. So far.

BUT!

So far, out of my three other pregnancies

(all boys as if you didn't know)

I have not experienced these things. So maybe, just maybe, there's a chance for my baby girl after all.

So with my prayers made and hope in my heart, I cross my fingers and I wait...

UNTIL APRIL!

So far my patience is already wearing thin.