Sleepless

I keep meaning to post about the baby and christmas. I also mean to clean the kitchen floor though, and organize my basement... Somehow these things just don't seem as appealing as sleep these days.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Read more...

7 Years

Well yesterday was our 7 year anniversary. and I still don't feel old enough to be grown up and married.
It was a little different from every other year since we have our little baby who wants to be held all the time. We didn't go anywhere or have the most romantic night ever (remember how I had a baby five days ago?). We didn't get each other presents.  We didn't even give cards. I'm OK with it.
This year we decided not to do much for our anniversary and Christmas and keep everything low key. It's different when we're trying not to worry about things like that. I didn't have to worry about getting a better present than last year.  I put some things on my Christmas list that didn't require money- but I don't really need to get anything. I've never really been one who opposes the worldly fun of Christmas but it can wait a year.  Or several years until John is done with school and residency.


  Then last minute I thought- hey we could go out to dinner so I tried to get a babysitter.  We ended up taking a nap, which is what we truly wanted to do, while the kiddos ran around and played.  Except Andrew. For lunch we had Pizza from Wegmanns and celebrated our Family birthday.  The kids got a cute cupcake and I got a fruit tart and John got a pepsi with real sugar in it. Danielle was super thrilled when she learned it was someone's birthday, and even though it was the least impressive birthday party we've ever had she seemed to like her pet crab. Then I went to the fabric store with my mom and poor John had no idea where I went. Guess I turned off the baby monitor downstairs and he didn't get the message... Also nice that even though I fed the baby right before I left it seems like he woke up as soon as I walked out the door.  I left milk in the fridge...
Maybe not John's favorite day.
It's nice to wake up in the night and have someone there.  John was there hearing me act like a lunatic just last week and still loves me.  He said I did a good job having the baby even though I suspect I acted insane and I swore at him more than once. But that's another story.  He also let me pick the final name since I was getting confused ten minutes after we picked one.  We thought Mike and Mark weren't too close but I got a little confused.  Maybe it was the drugs I was on. But he said he didn't care and he's happy with it either way.  I was happy that he cares what I think even though I felt silly. I'm happy that John is the type of person that can deal with change.  I wish I was more like him in how he is content with himself even if things aren't according to his "plan." It amazes me.
I love being with someone and being comfortable around each other. We don't need a big production. I love how John sat up with the baby the night before our anniversary since he won't sleep unless he's held.  I love spending time together. I love that he works so hard for his family and likes our kiddos.
7 years ago we got married and I was glad to have someone who I felt like would be easy to be with. I was really attracted to how he seemed to love other people and have a sense of loyalty.  It's hard to find someone with an internal sense of how important people are. I love that we are partners in crime, trying to figure out this whole parenting thing that he seems better at than I do.

Happy Birthday to our family.

Read more...

Andrew John




Our little baby boy was born December 17th at 2:21 P.M.
7lbs 14 oz. 20 inches long.
He loves to be held.

Read more...

what's Up?

Most days I feel like the baby will literally fall out of me.  Then I realize this is impossible, if I remember labor correctly it feels like a cross between death and some other horrible fate where you wish you were dead. 
something like that.  Maybe i will go run a marathon tonight. John tells me with my luck I would just be uncomfortable and go well past my due date.  He is probably right.

I distract myself from all this positive thinking by pondering things I could get for Christmas if I was totally rich. Other than a deck there are a lot of cool things out there. Things I will probably never own but like to think about.

More things I want:
Cooling racks
wire whisk.
my mom tells me I need these things.
She is right.
A bookshelf.
a pedicure.
a ticket on southwest.
to visit my grandma again.  I love visiting her. She is amazing.

I just realized the other day I haven't really been paying attention to Christmas- since I am totally unprepared for it.  Now there are no more pink fijits in the world, so Danielle will be a sad girl.

John finally sent me a list:

USMLE Step 2 Secrets by Theodore X O’Connell and Adam Brochert (Newest version – it’s blue)
Paula Poundstone – I Heart Jokes
Aziz Ansari – intimate moments for a sensual evening
Other awesome comedy cd’s or books on cd
Amazon.com credit

you guessed it- I am buying him cologne and a sweater. Maybe I'll sign him up to run a tough mudder race.

Read more...

Sick

Mark came home early from church with the barfs. He kept apologizing for "spilling". He sure hates pedialyte though.
So maybe I didn't just barf all night last night since I am pregnant. I'm grateful to Carrie for watching Danielle at church. Mark got another bath and asked for his pajamas.
Now it's cuddle time for our little old man.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Read more...

Three more weeks.

Three more weeks.
Until I'm due to have the baby.
Well I was worried it would never happen, but I think I know what false labor is now...
and I just have to hide from people and not get mad at them for a few more weeks.

although I have started to delete facebook comments that bother me. or unsubscribe to feeds of the super right wing people who like to post every five minutes.  also known as my family.
Limit it to one per day people. Or better yet one per week.

I think it might be time for me to get somewhere for this baby to sleep ready.
Or maybe I should start with putting my laundry away.

it's time to take more photos of the kiddos.
I missed church Sunday because I didn't feel good but I didn't know how to say sorry I was up all night feeling crampy and yucky but I'm OK now because that's how it is with your third kid I guess. How would someone respond to that?  That's for sure a no win situation, so I just avoided it and pretended nothing happened. Maybe I'll just start my maternity leave early.  Except some ladies seem to skip that whole part.
My Children really like sock monkies.  They try to steal them all from the etsy stash so I've gotten creative with my sock monkey hiding.  and by creative I mean I just put them in a bag under a bunch of other stuff so they couldn't see it. I'm grateful for Etsy because we've been making more money which is good and it allows me to not just sit around and wait to have the baby, because I've got to get some custom orders made before I have this baby. I totally thought about starting a "registry" part in my shop- and I could stock it with stuff my kids try to steal or stuff for my baby- but then I realized other people might think they can't buy it (you know, the people who pay for this stuff) so that's not the best idea- but then moms could come and say what they want which would be pretty neat.


If your children claim they will be good and want to share a room, they are probably lying.
Definitely lying.

Top 5 of the week.
1. Getting a package in the mail from Rivkah's mom for Danielle.  It was thrilling and such a surprise! It has some sweaters and pants in it.  She wore the sparkly one today.
2. Thanksgiving with Mark and Sara rocked my turkey loving world.
3.  I made money on Etsy.
4. I successfully braided Danielle's hair.
5. I ate lots of pie.

Read more...

Danielle

According to Danielle, emotional means crazy in spanish.


I haven't decided if I agree yet....
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Read more...

Dogs

Austin helped himself to halloween candy.
Good thing I found it before danielle. Shes still upset that he ate her wooden doll...
Looks like he likes mike and ikes but not nerds. Good to know.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Read more...

Christmas Pictures.

Apparently the formatting of this post is not working. at all. I'm not surprised Yesterday I thought I could get some quick photos of the kiddos with Christmas shirts on. This turned out to be pretty cold and I think I got one good photo. OK I got a few of Mark and realized Danielle is very fussy after Preschool. She kept wanting to go to different places and get Mark to run around rather than standing still. I don't know how many people want to see blurry photos of my children running away, but that might capture motherhood at times better than them just smiling. The kiddos are pretty cute sometimes, and Mark is finally not hating every moment of getting his picture taken, which I like.


I love this picture in black and white.  Did I mention that I made their shirts?  I did.  They were actually being my little etsy models.

Danielle wanted to Model the banner.  She also wanted to wear striped purple pants that didn't really match with the Christmas Shirts. Oh well.
Mark has decided that he really likes getting his photo taken. He doesn't always like to smile and I think he just wants to play with all the buttons on the camera, but I'll take what I can get.
I was hoping to capture the rats nest that Mark makes with his hair in the car.  I'm not sure when you grow out the rub the heck out of your hair in the car seat phase, but it seems like Danielle is over it and Mark is not. Who knew the boy would have worse snarls than Danielle?

I'm not sure why Mark was obsessed with sticking out his tongue, but I thought it was pretty funny.

Read more...

Yardwork

Mark was quite happy to help with our yard project today. I was sick of austin digging up my flowers so we buried chicken wire in some of the beds. We also moved a four foot box. The kids filled their wheelbarrow with the small amount of dirt left in the box (austin and his digging again) and hauled it over to help me bury the wire. I had so much fun with them and Mark was thrilled to dig in the dirt. We also buried the free bulbs I got in the mail. And picked up poo but that was only me so it isn't as fun. I love how much the kiddos want to help in the yard its adorable. Also thrilled about: not replanting the flower bed every time austin is outside longer than ten minutes.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Read more...

Love...

Did I mention on Sunday a dentist moved into our ward?  I totally wanted to volunteer as a dental assistant.  Because I discovered late in life that I wish I was a dentist. I think after John is done maybe I will try to become a dentist.
If I don't become a professional nap taker, which is equally appealling.

Also, I have to say that some people can't comment on the blog- I guess if you go to "home" it is easier but it's touch and go. I'm so sorry.  I love comments.  Sometimes I tell myself a post is broken because I don't get comments.  Also then I notice it's not very interesting, but let's focus on the commenting ability.





You know what I love?  making crafts with my kiddos.  Danielle and I made some shirts the other day. She told me to sell them in my etsy shop. So I made a new section with all the shirts in it that we made. My sister tells me if I'm not careful I will become the queen of tie dye.  judging by how that spot on my floor looks I don't know if this would be the best plan for me. It's hilarious to see how seriously Danielle takes helping make the shirts.  She wants to put pink in everything, which I can totally relate to.
So I'm loving that my etsy shop is doing pretty well right now. My sister Rachelle has been helping me with my listings and tags so they are easier to find on search. It makes me want to buy hair pins from her. I highly recommend them- my children are always trying to steal them from the bin where I store them. But also it gives me hope that I would be able to work at home so John can just study. Or actually do research since he is from a family of scientists and likes that.  I think a lot of people with kiddos work while their husbands are in school, and I like all the colorful fabric. It makes me happy when I am about to have baby number three-I want security just like the next person. and I want to go to the gym with my kiddos...
I'm totally thankful for all my blog friends.  I don't think I would get to hear as much from Carlie or Kathryn, and I like them. also thankful for my sisters. and that I know I can be jealous of Sara eating the williams sonoma croissants. We should totally go on a girl's trip out to visit Jill and her croissants.  If only I knew her...I will have to save money I earn. If I start earning enough that is. Claire has told me to start carrying Ipod and Ipad covers and I think she is brilliant.
but I wonder if she wants pink tie dye ones...

Read more...

Glasses

All glasses are awesome
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Read more...

Sunday Thoughts.

Today was the first Sunday of the Month. So people weren't eating or aware of their own bad breath.  I think that the knowledge that they have bad breath is completely buried by hunger.  Today I noticed someone and they were a little older.  I told John about almost giving them a mint but then deciding it would be rude to offer (normally I probably would but blah blah I didn't). So I sat in the hall and ate the last Milky Way Halloween candy bar (fun sized) and thought about if I needed to go get myself a mint. I was cleaning out the primary closet and avoiding the 100 degree primary room, but that didn't mean I wasn't eating candy and taking advantage of my awesome pregnant status.
Anyway John pointed out that the person in question was pretty old when I said they had bad breath. 
"maybe she is just fasting and has impaired personal breath radar." I replied.

"You know what I've learned about old people in medical school?..."
pause...
"what?"
"Many of them are full of cabbage. This can lead to their breath smelling bad."

John totally got me. I thought we were learning something new about age related halitosis. Instead we had to ponder if all old people are full of cabbage or just German old people.

I think part of a successful marriage is based on telling them something with a straight face that is complete bollix.  John and I have personally invested a great deal of energy in this endeavor. Together we make up some of the best stuff ever. 
OK sometimes you fail and your spouse says "that's not funny." but at least you tried. or maybe if you are me you hurt their feelings and then realize that you shouldn't have tried to make a joke because in addition to being slightly overemotional when you are pregnant you are also NOT FUNNY ANYMORE.
assuming I was ever funny to people other than myself. which I am. or was.  or whatever.
I'm finally excited to have a little ball of cuddle, but I've entered the stage of pregnancy where I am despairing about the length of time I have left. I'm also really worried that I won't be able to work enough to earn money to pay our bills.  You know- that whole mortgage thing we get to pay.
Why did we ever get a mortgage? it comes mostly with lots of pressure and also yard work. In seven more months we will have lived here for three years and will be able to sell it without losing our tax rebate.
I'm not sure if that makes me want to move, or just want to hide under a blanket on the couch.  Or in my loving, supportive bed.
either way if you are ever bored and want to help me de-clutter, I am completely unmotivated without someone else there to push things along.
I think I can blame the pregnancy for that too, right? Or maybe just the overexposure to cabbage today.

Read more...

24 days of Christmas List

Yesterday I got my first family Christmas present.  Except the ones my mom sent this summer which are safely wrapped in John's office. It was from Claire. Claire is done with her Christmas shopping, but no one ever doubted that she is an overachiever.
At least I didn't.
Of course getting this present and her calling to ask what I wanted sparked a powerful stream of greed.
Let's think of some things I want for Christmas together- and it's really time for everyone else to put up a list too i think.
because lists are BEAUTIFUL.

  1. Fabric.  let's face it I'm crazy for fabric. http://www.formandfabric.com/products/Echino%2C-Damask-%252d-Pink.html I love this fabric.
  2. Alhambra big box.  I know we are going to start playing a ton more games after baby Madsen shows up.
  3. Small World.  just another game I want.
  4.  Hard Wood Floors.  They are on sale right now at Home Depot. I was hoping to be able to replace my own flooring before the baby comes.  totally realistic right?
  5. Amy Butler Rug.  I still want it. I'm convinced that 2,000.00 for a rug is totally what other people were thinking of getting me for Christmas. Otherwise I would just buy it for myself.  Oh wait...
  6. Echino fabric.  I really like the madrigal fabric. Did you know that Jen got me some fabric from Mountain of the Dragon for my birthday?  I was so excited I almost cried.Not only did she read my boring blog, but she got me something from my list. what the heck. I was happy.
  7. My little Pony Iron Ons. how cool is that?  I have a child so I can get stuff like that, right?
  8. Kindle Fire.  Why do I want one of these?  But I do....
  9. Bath and Body Works Apple crumble candles.  They just make me smile. and my store is out of them, which makes me sad. I'm so mad that we missed the Halloween sales...
  10. A Bunk Bed for the kids. with mattresses.
  11. A pressure cooker.  because I like steal cut oatmeal.
  12. Raspberry Ice Kitchenaid Stand Mixer are you kidding me?  I am in love.
  13. sectional sofa for the front room.  You can never have enough couches in your life, right?
  14. 17 inch MacBook pro.  it's a wishlist right?
  15. Pink Ugg one Button Boots in Pink. I love pink today.
  16. 42 inch flat screen tv of some kind.  I know I should watch less tv...
  17. The Living room and stairs painted.
  18. I have always secretly dreamed of getting those food things you see in the Williams Sonoma catalog. I love the vanilla but they don't have it at my grocery store. I also want a blue bread basket though...
  19. A Gym membership.  They cost about 300 dollars these days... Jim Brown is super friendly and I think he would help me lose weight after this baby :-)
  20. Satin Blanket binding.  Joann Fabrics has a lot of it.  I love it.
  21. Double Jogging Stroller from REI.
  22. A shed.
  23. A small deck.
  24. My bedroom painted a lighter color.  Don't tell John, he would be sad.

Read more...

Snow.

Before we had Halloween, we had to get snow. They acted like it was more snow than usual but I remember snow last Halloween so I'm not sure what to think.  I think if I had a real live job and worked here I would get a generator to feel more secure. I get nervous when they say how many people are without power in the snow. The kids were thrilled, except Mark didn't want to wear his hat or gloves.  Actually Danielle's hat.  I thought we bought him a hat last year but maybe I was wrong. He had this awesome bunting suit the first year. Now he rocks the purple snow suit.  Do you think he will have to go to therapy someday for the leopard hat and purple snow suit?  I should probably destroy the evidence.
I'm still not fully used to living somewhere with all four seasons. It didn't really snow much where I was in Washington- you didn't actually need super warm clothing for winter. I feel like Utah has summer and winter, and not as much fall- you don't really need a rain jacket. But we do here.  Which bums me out because you get them and then the kids outgrow them. Fall, Spring, summer and winter- who knew they would need such different clothing? and do they make pink dresses for every season?

You know what I've learned- my kids just keep growing out of everything I buy them. Even though Danielle sometimes still finds clothes from two years ago and thinks they fit.  They don't fit. It's adorable how she likes to dress herself.  She is getting better at finding things that match.  I might have my mom to thank for that, who sent her a bunch of matching clothes. If all the clothes match then your child will match- this is a powerful truth.




Also for those of you who want to hear me rant even though I shouldn't it is hard to be pregnant. I don't like it.  Especially since John is still in school and I should be working since we can't really afford where we live. I think it's really hard on John because he is working and in school and wants to find more work.  I don't know how people do it. 20 more months...  until residency...
why in the world does this school thing take so long?  Overall I'm grateful for Rachelle helping me sell things in my etsy shop.  Claire helps me too. Also- I love babies.  and I like them even more as they become little people that can talk and have cute personalities.  I never would have guessed I would get a sensitive and stubborn kid like Danielle.  It's neat to see kids develop.

You know what else makes me happy in a strange way?  Winter. Snow is awesome, because it means you don't have to mow your lawn anymore, which totally rocks. I was feeling a little done with yard work.  Except this weekend I am intending to dig up all my dahlias and plant the new bulbs I got for free from a catalog. Who gives away 25 dollars in free bulbs?  It totally made my day.

I went to the ward Halloween party yesterday while John was at school. We went after Mark woke up from his nap so I wouldn't have to wake up captain grouchy.  Some lady pointed out that I was late.  Another lady expressed her shock that my baby wasn't already born. I wanted to remind them that they are huge idiots and completely rude. Who tells pregnant women they look bad?  Old ladies frequently do I've noticed- that era when they were told not to gain more than ten pounds and starved themselves.  Also- stupid people. It's odd because you hear "oh you don't look very pregnant" and "wow, I was never that big" in the same ten minutes. Either way stow the comments about how pregnant people look, unless you are trying to confirm your complete lack of intelligence and common sense. I was super grateful to my friend who said "it gets worse before it gets pregnant.  People were calling me two weeks before the baby was born." Somehow it just made me feel better.
To the lady who told me the time it started- you are so rude. Please do me a favor and shut up. Because you are going to make me look crazy with my totally disproportionate reaction. You are thoughtless but I wanted to scream at you.
Thank goodness for my pregnancy rules to just say nothing.  They help hide the tenuous hold I have on the pregnant crazy.  So many feelings.   Normal people wouldn't get so mad at that they want to cry and scream at a passing church lady.  Actually I don't think non pregnant people cry when they are angry at all.  At least I don't...
Maybe after I make 1000.00 this month and pay our mortgage I will be a little less crazy.  Or maybe I will just have to keep playing the waiting game until the baby comes.
Please forgive me friends...

Read more...

Sunday Thoughts

I've reached that beautiful point where I am really sick of being pregnant but still have a depressingly long time left. Luckily two people have asked me why I haven't had my baby yet which is so stupid of them I don't know how to respond.  Seriously, when you get around pregnant people I think people forget to hold back on the stupid.
It makes me want to take a nap. Danielle tells me that she has scripture power running through her whole body, and that's why she has the energy to run all over all day.  I guess I am low on scripture power these days.
Here are some great names that we can't use for various reasons-
Some of these names I probably would never pick on my own anyway...
Henry- taken by John's brother
Edward- Mark and Sara took it
Barrack- the president.  Now everyone would think our child was Muslim.
Stephen- the inevitable fight between Stephen and Steven.  He would have an uncle Steve and my friend Jen will have an ex husband Stephen. and I have an ex uncle Steve of unknown spelling. Stephen Colbert is really cool though.
Brennan- I liked this name a lot but three of my family members said they hate it and I felt a little bad.  especially since two of them are the family members who send my kids most of their clothing.
Erik or Roger- two sets of divorced parents here.
Finnegan- John likes it and everyone says it is "cool" when I mention it.  I don't like it. Sorry Dana, but we aren't Irish like you are.
Daniel- already used it in female form
Jacob- thanks for ruining that for me, twilight... I think I would want to spell it Jakob. it's just cool.

I still like the name Tristan a lot.
We finally made it through the name book.  now we get to compile all the names and discover which were highlighted in an overexposed state of desperation.

Mark loves cookie monster and Elmo. and his shark shirt.

Danielle loves the bento boxes at aunt Sara's house.

Also loves- her butterfly dress, which she always wears if it is clean.

Mark and Danielle played outside with uncle Jim, but failed to look normal in any pictures with him. Mark wants that rocker Elmo for Christmas.
two days this week I cried.  from feelings. so many feelings.
I miss visiting my Grandma and Mark and Sara.

Read more...

Friday Randoms

Today is Friday. awesome. I think I'm going to make it. Even though last night when I was trying to list things on Etsy my power went out which bummed me out and today the site is down. This will not help my plan to support my family through baby blankets.
not so much making it- my budget. One of my most hated budget items is that whole income thing. While John is still in school it doesn't seem to be in the positive very often and lately things are a little too sketchy for me to handle. Sometimes I just wish my parents were really super rich. Wouldn't that be awesome? I wish we all had rich parents who wanted to buy things for their kids like working cars and zillions of lessons and cute clothes.
I am just saying that I also dream that my mom will win publishers clearing house. like today. Second dream: sell tons of baby blankets and figure out how to get people to hire me when I'm super pregnant. I guess I'm not the picture of energy. Actually I really wish I was napping right now. Naps are the BEST!
I'm pretty sure that I am glowing though, even if that one lady from church told me I seem to be a grouchy pregnant lady. She's lucky about my rule not to yell at people when I'm pregnant. OK my rule to try not to yell.

I should give my husband credit for working his bottom off. People like to do that on blogs. He does great in school and works tutoring for SAT, MCAT and GMAT. I try not to brag because when I read some people's stuff I think to myself- why does this not even resemble who they are when you talk to them? It's like the more angry they are with their spouse the more sweetness they squeeze into their blog posts. Like they are forcing and or inventing stuff. Have you ever thought that?

these glasses actually belong to Elijah, Mark's cousin. I love this photo.
Danielle went to the pumpkin patch with her preschool.  She is doing a cookie fund raiser right now if you want to buy some :-)
Danielle discovers new things she loves every time she visits Sara- she loves pumpkin muffins and disappears into pony land with Maya as soon as she gets there.  They had a contest to see who could be dressed the fanciest.  I loved it. I discovered Bakery story, a clever little baking game for smart phones.


People keep asking me what I will name my baby. John says I should tell them Jackal.  Oh the old classic name, Jackal. Actually in the baby name book.  My grandma said we could name the baby Edward if he was born on the 11th like my grandpa. I thought then I might have to change my name to Sara to let her know I was really trying to take over her life. Some time in the next few months I know we will make it through the baby book. I'll still never be one of those "refers to my fetus by the name we have had for years" people. The thrill of picking baby names is too much for such an early commitment.:-)

Read more...

Official Parent Here

 I think today I officially became a parent. I also have to officially forgive my parents for ever throwing away any of my toys ever.  I have to tell you I would be willing to bet throwing away those toys MADE THEIR DAY. Maybe even their week. I forgive them for ridding their home of my broken toys.  I am confident that they bought me new toys.  I was never toy-less.
My home is McDonalds toy free.  Which is delightful especially considering it is Monopoly time.  Also known as the crappiest toy time of the year because they don't have to try. CRAPPY. John and I just finished cleaning the zone known as the kid zone.
Sadly, our basement did not escape some of the rain and flood madness- it seems like some water got through the bilco doors and was happily soaked up by a sheepskin rug we used to use as Austin's dog bed.  It was huge (we got it at Costco and it was quite nice originally but let's face it, nothing used as a dog bed on which "hooves" have been consumed remains in good condition) and smelled quite disgusting. I smelled this on Tuesday and went hunting. I'm glad it was so big or we could have had a serious basement disaster. Now I am thinking twice about the decision to get carpet down their- if we ever had a flood it could be a mess- and one that I paid a LOT of money for. What would we have done if the water had been worse?  Those poor people who are still trying to pick up the pieces from the flood.



You might wonder why I was able to mysteriously go through toys with no interruption.  Well besides the fact that it was done in the middle of the night my kiddos have been on Vacation with my Aunt Sara and Uncle Mark. I have never been so excited to have quiet- I've been pretty anxious about the idea that I am having another baby and I won't be alone for a LONG time after the baby is born. A lot of people say that having three kids is super hard but having two kids rocked my world in a bad way so I am a little nervous.  Plus I've been getting really dizzy the past few weeks. I had to stop running at the gym because I would be too dizzy afterward, which was a little scary. Maybe it was just my bodies was of reminding me I'm pregnant.  and probably a little anemic. Luckily I'm not throwing up as much anymore (except this weekend but John also got sick so it probably wasn't the baby.) Unfortunately I have acid reflux. Fortunately you can take Zantac when you are pregnant and that takes care of it (I took some when I visited Mark and Sara and I felt like a MIRACLE happened.) How did I not realize that was totally treatable?
Not treatable: being tired.  I am always tired. My doctor told me it was normal to be tired when you had a parasite of this size. I slept a lot while my kiddos were on vacation with my awesome family. When they offered I was happy to come back and sleep and get ready for baby and sew a lot for my etsy shop (can I admit that without being a terrible parent?  I hope so) Probably I could have survived with my kids and I know I would have had fun there, but I still glad I was able to sleep a lot and I didn't do much and I got to do all my blood work and diabetes test (pregnant- lots of tests for stuff) with no child in my lap or trying to figure out what all the buttons did or trying to empty the water machine in the waiting room. I was still tired, and I totally missed the kiddos. I think it's important to sometimes have a break and be alone. Possibly sleeping. OK I felt guilty and almost too tired to feel guilty but not quite. My mom seemed concerned.  Should she have been concerned?  I can't decide if she should be super worried or just happy for me. You get the picture, just another thing I owe Mark and Sara for. Maybe they would take a black hairy dog as a thank you gift...
Did I ever mention that Sara potty trained my child? We had been working on it but She did the whole "week of potty training." So pretty much eternally indebted.
Speaking of potty training some child peed on the play bed mattress.  We threw it away on finding that delightful surprise today. There was no saving the mattress- it was one of those really uncomfortable thin ones from IKEA.  So uncomfortable that we made it a play mattress, if you know what I mean. I don't know who the child is, but I have my suspicions-  like every child that has ever played in the basement who doesn't wear a diaper all the time.
You can imagine that I feel much better now that the basement is clean. John vacuumed it.
Just wanted to celebrate my transition into adulthood. Maybe it's about time since I'm 30. Now that I'm official going to those parent orientations for Kindergarten next year will be no problem.

Read more...

Scripture Stories

Danielle was recently asked what her favorite story in the Scriptures was.  She replied that she liked it when Pinkalicious and Jesus hung out and went to the park and played on the swings.
I wish I had access to this Bible she is reading- because quite frankly it sounds awesome.

Also awesome, Danielle being adamant about the Easter Bunny being the most important part of Easter. Because you get Candy.
Danielle knows what she likes.

We decided on Daniel in the lions den.  I suspect she thinks she has the same name as Daniel. I didn't realize how much I liked the name Daniel until we were looking through the name book and I marked it.  You can't have a Daniel and Danielle in one family.
Maybe I should be reading the Scriptures to Danielle more.
Or get those super hideous videos about bible stories where they change the stories. I hate those things. But I also don't like lots of kids shows.  Like any kids shows.

Read more...

Kids in Bed equals Happiness. and a Pregnancy Update

I've been having trouble getting Marky to bed.  so earlier this week I decided to do it earlier.
and it worked.
OK John put him to bed that day- but today he went to bed at seven.
Did I mention that is the happiest thing EVER? well it is. Sometimes I feel guilty when I am happy that I am a mom and then I look forward to bedtime so much. This guilt is quickly drowned by my bubbling up giddiness. Or anger if I find their hidden messes...

This week I made Danielle a skirt.  You might not be able to tell but it has sparkly unicorn fabric and an applique unicorn. It's nice to make her stuff, she likes it. I like her too.

This boy has decided that he doesn't like it when Danielle goes to preschool. He wants me to hold him the whole time. Or maybe he just has a cold. His nose did start spontaneously exploding today... He does like eating lunch out on the porch, which we do quite frequently.

Mark is a model for my etsy shop. He modeled the Bat shirt and likes getting his picture taken. He isn't always very good at looking at the camera but he was very upset when I was done. Maybe I should start making skirts and try to make him my girl model.  I was told he didn't look like a little old man anymore...
I'm still pregnant.  I will be for a LONG time yet. blah. being pregnant sucks- have I mentioned that?  It started to hurt to run the other day.  Then I didn't work out for a week and gained two pounds.  lovely. On the bright side I think I am done throwing up. hooray!
I usually think it's best to hide from everyone I know while I'm pregnant.  Then I get lonely and want people to visit.  The other day I got mad at someone and yelled at them a little bit for saying I don't listen.  This was a person I'm not related to.  The next day I wanted to blog about it.  Actually I wanted to blog about how ladies get together and have the "men never pay attention and are so stupid" competition where they all talk about how dumb their husbands are. I never understand this. Maybe because I didn't marry a complete douche bag like it sounds like they did. sigh...
Maybe they are exaggerating.  maybe what they are saying isn't that bad at all, but I'm just a little on edge. Good thing I followed my rules because there would be a whole lot more crazy if I didn't. Or maybe I would just have no friends at the end to help me with my kiddos.
Less than three more months... I still can't believe I'm actually pregnant. and I want yogurt with those yummy mix ins right now... Have you had those?  They are great.  So is Peanut butter cup cereal. FABULOUS.
still no name.
Names I like: Michael, Rowan (John hates Roman, which I like), Vincent, Thomas, Andrew, Jakob (too popular)
John likes: Finnegan and Jason and some other names that seem cooler than my names when people ask us what names we both like.
We go through a baby name book and mark the names we both like, then eliminate names. I like it.  Also, if you read through one of those books almost any normal sounding name sounds good. Or even semi- normal.
It's always easier to come up with the name for the gender of baby you are NOT having. always.

Read more...

Dear Friend,

Dear Carrie,
It has come to my attention that you were wearing highly low cut and not very flattering jeans last night.
Your waist looked non-existent in your tight black pants.  Maybe you should rethink that look a little bit. Not that you looked bad, it's just that it made your torso look odd. My stomach totally doesn't look like that when I am wearing low cut pants.  I think it looks a little bit pregnant. I don't know if you know this but I had stretch marks on my stomach and they were all faded but I feel like they are coming back.  Lucky for me I get the light colored ones, which match my perfectly tube sock white skin. How about you?  It wasn't looking like you had any on Dancing with the Stars last night.  Also how do you fly all the way there?  I'm starting to be convinced that Dancing with the Stars isn't actually live.
Also, get some better facebook pictures, your lack of face shots is really ruining my blog desires this morning.
xoxo
Janae

Read more...

Halloween Plans.

Gold Pumpkins Rule
  1.  Have a party. This is difficult since we don't drink and many of our friends do.  We will have a kid friendly portion of the party. I've already started stockpiling candy and bought a bat pinata. It's in my grocery budget and that's why I have to start so early... I really need to find a new babysitter so she can go play with the kids and I can just hang out with adults.
  2. Gold Pumpkins baby.  I saw the idea HERE and she was talking about a Pinterest person she likes.  I might have to get on Pinterest- just because I'm inspired by the Gold pumpkins.  Our own pumpkins have taken over the backyard.
  3. Decide If I should use my pottery barn credit to get those lovely matching Eric Carlisle costumes or get Danielle the Mermaid costume she really wants. my kids wear their Halloween costumes year round as dress ups.  And sometimes Danielle tries to wear them every day but oh well... Why doesn't she want to be the butterfly I want her to be?
  4. Go trick or treating with our neighbors church group again.  They have a really nice bunch of kids and Danielle loves them. Mark might be too slow though, maybe I will call the Medical school professor we ended up with last year. He was super nice and I LOVED it. Oh no my mom was visiting last year so I was able to go with the kids even though John was gone.
  5. Get someone to come so we can take the kids trick or treating since John will probably be busy. Any takers?  I tried to convince my grandma to fly my mom out- but no dice there.
  6. Go to the pumpkin patch.  Danielle is in LOVE with pumpkins.
  7. Have pumpkins from my own garden. This year the pumpkins took over the Garden. I don't know what it is but it looks like they are on steroids. We have two plants taking over four beds. It's like the green peppers last year. I wish it was the raspberries though because I was hoping to make freezer jam.
  8. Bring treats for Danielle's preschool even though they don't officially celebrate. I wonder how I will pull this off... They don't have Valentines or Christmas either, but it's a Jewish Preschool so that shouldn't be so surprising.
  9. Go to the Pottery Barn Outlet to see if they have cheaper costumes and some decorations from last year.  Did I mention my gift card to the Pottery Barn?  It is killing me I want to spend it so bad. at the outlet. Also Danielle needs a twin sized bed but my gift card isn't that big. 
  10. Decide what our Halloween food tradition will be- my mom used to always make clam chowder.  But she probably won't be here and I'm a pregnant lady so that might not work.  Maybe we can pick up some soup at Panera Bread for the same effect without the nausea of cooking.

What are your Halloween plans?

Read more...

Sunday Thougts...

Baby Mark turned two on Sunday. He still seems like my little baby to me. We celebrated Saturday since John had to work Sunday and it was so nice to see our little family together. It was a little hard for me not to plan a huge party with friends but Mark isn't as social as Danielle so I think he had a good day. He likes other kids but if we have too many over Mark goes and plays alone. mark got a Hokey Pokey Elmo.  and some pets that he has been carrying with him ever since. He got clothes. He was a happy boy. Since he loves Elmo lately we had an Elmo themed family party.
There was much joyful yelling.
After cake and presents Mark was a tired boy. the elmos we also put down for a nap in the play tunnel. In our family we have a tradition that when it is your birthday you get everyone presents and Danielle was thrilled with the idea.  Also happy about: Mark doesn't like to rip open the presents to she got to do it. Parties are a big deal to Danielle. She even changed her clothes to prepare for the party- I guess she wanted a "party dress."
On Mark's actual birthday I was having a rough day (read: barfy pregnant lady) and three people came over- Adrienne did my dishes and I almost cried.  Then Carrie came and the kiddos got to play. Then Stephanie came and we all had fun. It was so nice to have people over when John was gone all day.  For some reason I'm unbelievably tired. My doctor said it was normal when you had a parasite of this size lol. I don't know how some moms do it-I wish I lived closer to family a lot of the time.  but I'm glad I have friends.










tired from partying so hard


My mom asked for lots of photos, so here they are.  Also you might notice that Halloween has started in our family. I love Halloween. More decorations will be added.  I like to check out Halloween decorations after the season is over- but this year the decorations are sadly lacking.  I guess that's what happens when the economy is struggling.

Read more...