The Post Christmas update

OK, it looks like Santa puked all over my living room. I have GOT to get these gifts put away! I feel the need to get my house cleaned up. Scott is "on vacation" this week - you'd think we'd have more time to get things organized. Yeah, right! When is MY vacation? I think that is what just about every woman wants to know. . .especially mothers.

So, I will try to get my act together.

I'm working tomorrow from 3 PM to 7 PM & then a 12 hour day shift on Friday. We need me to work more shifts. I have the opportunity to apply for a rotating day/night 12 hour shift at the hospital - however, right now I have the luxury of refusing shifts. If I take that I would not be able to refuse. PLUS, I'd have to work holidays. With the boys at their ages it would be too tough right now.

So I will keep up the numerous things I currently do. Hopefully I will survive!

Don't Ask "What Next?"

Just when you think there couldn't possibly be something else that happens . . . it does!

Let me take you back over the past several months:
Spencer (5yo) got a bad cut above his knee at daycare - they didn't call me about it. That day my neighbor picked up the boys as I went into the doctor with false labor. I took the bandage off later that night to see a big wound that should've had stitches. I cleaned it & steri stripped it & it seemed to do well - then reopened the next week while in the sandbox & I needed to bring him into the ER/Urgent Care to get it cleaned out. Nice scar - no real big deal. Mind you, I was pretty pregnant at the time.

Carter was born in September - beautiful little man:)

Several weeks ago Spencer felt the need to spray bug repellent into his 3 yo brother's eyes. While Parker survived without much incident, it was quite traumatic with me having to hold Parker down to irrigate his eyes. But we did survive & there were no long term effects.

The night before Thanksgiving Spencer climbed up onto the kitchen counter to get a drink stick out of the cupboard (you know, the kind that you get in a mixed drink & it usually will hold any kind of olive or whatever you have with your drink?). Well, he slipped on the way down & ended up getting the drink stick stuck in the back of his mouth. Yes, it was impaled past the little barbed part into the back of the inside of his mouth - right in front of his right tonsil. Kind of freaky - we brought him to the ER as there was no way I was pulling that baby out not knowing how far in it actually was. It was pretty harmless really - as it was pretty superficial - but we had no way of knowing that here. No long lasting effects there either.

Yesterday - I was scheduled to work a day shift at the hospital. I work for a staffing agency so I'm not directly employed by the hospital. At 4:30 AM Carter woke up for the first time! Holy Cow! Nice sleeping for the little man. Of course, I get up at 5:30 AM for work - so I didn't get back to sleep after 4:30 AM. I get to work & the supervisor tells me that I had actually been cancelled but my agency's phones were down. My agency would pay me for 4 hours as it was their fault. Yay! Pay for 4 hours for just showing up! I can handle that:)
I get home & Scott was still home as he was to bring the boys to school later so I could pick them up at about 4PM. (They go for 5 hours so we don't have to pay for the entire day.) My Agency calls me & asks if I'll work a PM shift at the hospital - they asked for me specifically. OK, I'll do it. We need the money. So I plan to bring the boys & Scott gets to work sooner so he can pick them up by 4 PM. It was Carter's first day at daycare:(

Dropping the boys off went not so great. My 2 older ones have a rough go of it - which is strange. Carter does just fine.

I work until 11:45 PM & am dead on my feet as I didn't get a break:( Of course, I get home & can't fall asleep right away - so I am up until 1 AM. So that is almost 21 hours AWAKE yesterday for me.

Carter sleeps all night again! Yay!

Then there's TODAY! We get dumped on with SNOW! Lots of it.
Then, while just walking in the basement, Parker trips & falls face first into the train table & fractures his top 2 front teeth right above the gum line. NOT PRETTY. I've already made a somewhat short story long - so I'll get to the point. He had to have both teeth extracted & he won't have his permanent teeth until he's about 7 years old! I cried. Scott cried. Parker was fine until they put the numbing gel on his upper gum. That burned a bit & he started fighting it. I had to hold him down. Scott can't handle that kind of thing so he was out of the room. It just killed me to watch him go through this. The teeth came out easy enough. He is such a trooper.

He is already eating just fine. He's excited as the tooth fairy will be paying him a visit tonight.

I won't even say those words I Titled this one as!!!

12 Pounds!

Carter is 12 pounds already! Big boy! He'll be 10 weeks old tomorrow. Time flies! He is actually starting to sleep for longer periods of time now - yay for MOM! And his smiles & coos are really adorable. I still haven't figured out how to get a pic on this blog thing so I'll have to share his photos in the yahoo groups I'm in.

Holidays are approaching quicker than I am ready for. Simplifying this year. I wrote more about that in my other blog http://jenswellness.blogspot.com/ so if you want to read about that you can. The big one is that we're only doing cake & ice cream for Spencer's 5 year Birthday party next Sunday. I can't believe he's going to be 5 already. Such a big boy. He's no longer anywhere near a baby. Next fall he'll be in kindergarten.

My middle child, Parker - I worry he'll feel left out sometimes. I hear about the middle child all of the time. Heck, I was one of several middle children. I dealt with it. I was the youngest of the older & the oldest of the younger. Being the 4th child of 6 & the youngest girl was not easy. I kind of felt like a slave most of the time. I'm past that now. I make sure to spend one on one time with Parker whenever I can. He is so special to me, as all 3 of my boys are!

I'm starting Christmas shopping tonight! There is a special fundraising event at the local Mall & I purchased a ticket. There are specials, giveaways, free samples, yadda yadda. . . It will be nice to get out - but you know, still have to finance it. We've acquired quite a few medical bills from the delivery of Carter. It's amazing the difference since the first 2 boys were born while Scott still had the school district insurance. Now he is employed by a private college & whoa! The coverage isn't anywhere near as good. I think we all tend to over indulge during the holidays anyway. The kids get so much stuff from everyone else - why do we feel the need to compete with that? This year we won't. They usually end up sticking to playing with one thing at a time anyway - heck, Carter won't care at all - what do you get for a baby again anyway? He has plenty of clothing. He doesn't need more baby toys. He will most likely sleep through a lot of the commotion anyway - such decisions!

Well, gotta run - I think I hear the little man.

I'm Scrapping Again!

I completed 2 pages so far with 2 more very close to completion! Yay for me!!! Still haven't had tons of time to scrap, but I'm using the good stuff as a personal challenge.

Still working on the organization thing. I'm also working on my clutter problem. I will keep improving.

Carter is 8 weeks old today. Wow, time flies! Yet it seems like he's been here forever. He's very adorable of course.

Our rental unit is for sale & we received an offer for the full amount today. Of course we're jumping on that. I hope all goes well & we unload it ASAP. It's just too much to deal with as Scott's job consumes so much of his time & I won't even go down the list of everything consuming my time right now.

I have been back to work for the past 3 weeks already. That is going OK. We debated on whether I should take a more for sure position (right now I work for a nurse staffing agency & can be cancelled if not needed). When we looked at the inconvenience of me being scheduled to work the one available position which is 4 PM to 8 PM for 2 to 3 evenings a week or taking a part time position at a hospital which would require every other weekend & holidays of some sort - versus working for the agency when I want to & where I want to (unless I get cancelled) - we decided it would be better for me to stay doing what I'm doing. Another HUGE factor is the pay. If I'd take a position, it would mean about a $10 an hour pay cut. Easy decision when you look at that, right?

I am also faced with the decision about my Pampered Chef business. What do I want to do with it? I really slowed down several months ago because I chose to. I know that I could pick it back up again & get more shows booked. I have my first post baby show tomorrow night & so far there are 13 guests expected! That's pretty incredible & I will work it. I'm looking for some "sign" of what I'm supposed to do. I know, sounds silly. I just can't decide yet. And I really don't have to decide anything right now. I know that I can keep active with the things I have going.

I am getting wordy - go figure! I am going to leave it at that for now.

Jen B

Getting it together

I'm not keeping this up very well - sorry!
I have worked a couple of shifts. It's going fine. Work is actually satisfying. While I do miss my boys when I go to work, I need the time away. I also have the need to contribute to our family income. We need more income! It's kind of scary in a way. While I know we won't go bancrupt, we are living on a tight budget right now.

Do you ever feel like you're waiting for life to begin? Do you wait for such & such a thing to happen so that you can do something else? I hate feeling like this. I've pondered what to do with my life on & off. But you know what? My life is happening already. If we don't experience life to the fullest, before we know it, it has passed us by. Time is a non renewable resource. We do wake up with the same amount every day - but once it's gone, it's gone. I need to pull my head out of my hind end & get on with it.

I'm a Pampered Chef consultant. I've been one since 2001 & I've enjoyed it. I still do enjoy it to a certain extent. But there are also things about being my own boss that are not enjoyable. I don't like the part about having to get on the phone in the evening when I could be spending time with my family. I don't like having to deal with "issues" that come up with customer service. I don't like it when hosts don't invite many people & then end up having 2 people show up at their show that I've driven 45 minutes to get to all the while my family is at home - and maybe even with a sitter. However, I do enjoy putting on a good show. I do enjoy the income when my hosts follow through with my host coaching & people attend the show. I do enjoy teaching people how to cook with the tools & to make healthy choices. I do enjoy recognition when I have high sales on the team.

What it comes down to right now is money. I get paid well when I work a shift at the hospital or urgent care. I can be guaranteed to make over $120 when I work a shift as a nurse for 4 hours. Not the guarantee with doing a Pampered Chef show that in its entirety with host phone calls, driving, show time & closing comes to 4 hours. Sales jobs don't have guaranteed income when you're paid on commission only. And once I leave work as a nurse - I'm done. I don't have to follow up with phone calls or be accountable for anything. I punch out & I'm done.

PLUS, I'd rather be scrapping! Now there's another dilemma. I could pursue a scrapping business on my own. But again, don't want to pursue bookings in the evenings when I am not guaranteed wages.

I know, looks like I've kind of made up my mind. I just can't give this up. I need to make up my mind one way or the other. I can't linger or I'll stress myself out more. Yet, I can stay active with PC without pursuing a lot. I have a web site that I can get orders from. I have repeat hosts & customers who hold shows regularly. All I need is $200 in retail sales every 2 months to stay active. It's not at all difficult for me to do this.

OK, so now I've rambled on & on. Feel free to tell me what you think.

Days NOT to get out of bed - or wake up at all!

Yesterday -
Wee hours of the morning - I hear Parker (the 3 yo) crying. He has a leg cramp. Dad (dh) gets up to comfort him. Shortly, I hear, "Oh crap." from dh right beside my bed. He says, as he holds our sobbing 3 yo, "I think your glasses are underneath my foot." Nothing like that to wake me up! Sure enough, my frames were broken - beyond repair. (They must have gotten knocked off the bedside table.)

Now to some this might not be a huge deal. However, I hadn't worn my contacts in months & I had a day of shopping planned so I actually have something to wear for Carter's baptism on Sunday. I need my glasses to drive. This was not a good thing. So I got very little sleep the rest of the night.

Wake up - around 6 AM & Carter (the baby) had wet through his diaper & sleeper onto my bed. Thank God he's little & that he was wearing a Pampers vs the cheaper diapers. Oh well, I am not changing the sheets at 6AM for a spot of pee - it's a king sized bed & I should be able to catch a little more sleep after changing the boy. The other 2 boys wake up so it's not exactly dreamy time for Mom anymore - but I can try!

That didn't last long. DH left for work & the boys are LOUD & want me UP! I give in - I need to shower & have them to daycare, aka school, by 9 AM anyway.

I make them English muffins with PB&J on them & prepare for my shower. Nothing to wear that looks good - so I figure something out - still maternity jeans:( A tank top & button down shirt for easy access for the little man. That should be good.

The boys go downstairs to play & I take my shower. Once out - Spencer (almost 5) comes to me & says, while dressed in just his underwear, "Parker peed down the steps." WHAT???!! Sure enough, Parker let it go from the top of the basement stairs all the way down - including the wall. NOT something I wanted to deal with. He was standing there with nothing on! What is up with that? I didn't sign up for this one! He gets a little putch on the hind end & sent to his room to get dressed & think about what he did. I asked him, once he was in there, why he did it. He said, "Cuz you weren't wiff me." Not seeing the logic in that. But he's 3 - there probably is some code of 3 year olds that states, "If Mom is not wif me, I can pee down the steps." I must capture this manual & destroy it!

So I clean up the mess. Again, NOT what was on the agenda for this morning. I get myself & the kids ready & bring them to school. This is where we discover a cute little white dog standing outside the center's door. Now I know this kind of dog. It's the kind that looks like it would want to be cuddled & pet & loved & then when you go to pet it it turns psycho & rips a whole in your arm the size of Texas. So I don't let the kids get out of the van. I, with my calm demeanor & experience dealing with wild animals (aka, my kids), get out & approach the beast. He seems nice enough. I let him sniff my hand & then take a look at his tags. He's up to date at the vet - but no name or number or address. I decide it's safe enough to allow my children to come out to get into school. The dog wants to follow us in - but we don't let him. Once inside I tell the assistant director & she says, "Oh, don't go near that dog. We have brought him back to his home before & he just about tore our arms off." I must have the touch - or maybe it's the motherly hormones flowing because the dog really seemed to like me! I offer to lead it back home since it likes to follow me anyway. I get the 2 boys in their appropriate rooms & leave my baby in the Assistant director's care while I go out. The dog is gone. No job for me to do! So I go get the baby & procede out to my van. Then the dog is back! Go figure! So I lead it back to it's home next door. The owner didn't seem all too grateful. Funny how I saw her outside earlier & she didn't seem to be looking for her dog. Some people! Anyway - I get in my van & we head to my chiropractor's.

While driving on the highway I got in the left lane as there were some slower moving vehicles in the right lane going just under 65. This is a classic situation that I'm sure many have been in. I am leading a couple of cars & there is pretty steady traffic in the right lane. Then there is a little clearing in the right lane but the next vehicle in the right lane is obviously going slower than I am in the left. Even though someone is nearing my tail end, I am not about to get over in the right lane just to have to put on my brakes & slow way down. I'm going over the speed limit already & figure I'll get over once I pass the next vehicle. The car 2 behind me whips out of his lane (isn't it always a man?), attempts to catch up to me & just before he does, starts to take the exit & flips me off! I just laughed - & I know he saw me laughing so I'm sure that inflicted far more of a blow to his ego & road rage than if I had reciprocated. Just then - "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" comes on the radio. That just about says it!

I figure the day had to improve after that! Good thing I have a positive attitude.

Oh, by the way, I had a new pair of contacts to put in - & they worked quite well for the day. However, my glasses are not able to be fixed with Crazy glue like I was hoping. I do need to get my eyes checked, however, I was hoping to be able to put that off for a bit as my eyes tend to change after having a baby. We're also broke right now - so paying for my new glasses is not exactly in the budget. Oh well, more reason for me to get working!

Gotta go - the boys are loose again!

Jen

A LOT has happened

Wow! This could be a long one. MUCH has happened.

Carter is already 4 weeks old! Wow! He is growing quickly. I need to weigh him tomorrow to see just how much! I take so many pics of him it's almost pathetic - but hey, that's what digital cameras were made for, right? It takes many pics to get that perfect one you know?

I'm starting to get more sleep. That's a good thing. Carter kind of had his days & nights mixed up for a bit. I have been trying to remember to invert him daily to try to keep this straightened out. I might explain this more in my other blog as it's health related.

Not this past weekend, but the Sunday before, my 14 year old niece finally came forward about an awful tragedy that has been going on since January. A 6th grade teacher whom she had been counseled by has been having sex with her. She thought she was in love with him. He took advantage of her in the worst way imaginable. I won't go into too much detail. They have him though. He was arrested early last Monday morning. He had tried to dump evidence in his apartment dumpster but the police seized the dumpster in time to confiscate it. He had videos & pictures. What a sicko!

Since then, another young lady has come forward. He will go away for a long time. I know they have a certain heirarchy in prison - he'll get his one way or another. I am just sick about this. That poor girl's childhood has been torn from her. She'll never be the same again.

Have you been watching Oprah lately? She is doing some amazing things to bring child molesters to justice. She is awesome! She said something today that hits home. She said that we should never ignore those little feelings we get about people. There are times when we push our little fears aside as we don't want to offend someone. When someone makes us feel weird or uncomfortable by a way they touch us, touch our kids, look at us, look at our kids - we need to pay attention to this!

I just pray that God gives my niece the strength to make it through this & make something positive out of this awful life event.

Almost Three Weeks!

Carter will be 3 weeks old tomorrow. Wow! Time flies! He's so adorable. I just want to smooch him all of the time. OK, I know, this is gushy. I'm his MOM!

It's hard to believe that just 3 weeks ago I was still pregnant!!!! And I was so ready to have this little man! You know what's funny? I ran into someone who is 1 week overdue tonight when I went to Walmart. I would be 2 weeks overdue right now if I would still be pregnant. Wow! No way would I be able to handle that. I can only imagine how big he'd have been.

This week will be when Carter gets his first bottle of breastmilk from Dad. That will be awesome for me as that means that sometime soon I can sleep through the first feeding of the night. Don't know how well I'll handle that, however, as he doesn't seem to eat much during the night the way it is. I end up so full in the morning that he gets squirted quite a bit for the AM feedings. I have been trying not to pump so I don't stay engorged. Yup, I know. Too much information.

Time for me to get to bed. I need to try to get to bed earlier for Heaven's sake!

He's Home

Scott got home last night. I survived since Sunday being a single mom of 3 boys under 5!!! You know, I realize I COULD do it if I had to - but I wouldn't want to. There is no way I'd ever catch up with laundry!

I also realize that having a baby that is just a couple of weeks old isn't the easiest thing to do on your own when you have 2 other children who are fairly young yet themselves.

I may have to return to work in just a couple short weeks. Our finances are just not looking good. I was off for 2 weeks prior to having Carter - so I've been off for 4 1/2 weeks already now. It's killing our checkbook. I was so hoping to be able to be off for longer. Oh well. I must do what I must do. I can start out by taking the 4 hour shifts at Urgent Care. They'll be from 4 PM til 8PM - so Scott will be able to be home. I'm not sending Carter to daycare until I absolutely have to.

I've also decided that I'm not bringing him to Well Baby checks with the MD. I bring him to the chiropractor & I can check his weight there. Since we're not vaccinating him & he is thriving, there is no reason to go to the MD. I know many people have differing opinions on this. And I don't want to start a huge debate on this blog - but this being my 3rd child. I've kind of got this figured out. The doctor was making me feel very inadequate last week. I don't see the need to subject myself to that kind of stress. And, they're always running late! It's a waste of my time & since I ensure his well being in many other ways - we're all good.

Speaking of the little man. . .he's got his days & nights mixed up! Unfortunately, this will take a bit to remedy. It happened with the other 2 as well. You know what they say. . .never wake a sleeping baby. But he is so cute:) I just adore him. I want to cherish every moment.

Spencer & Parker are having some adjustment issues I think. They love him dearly - that's good. They just get a little bent out of shape that Mom's attention is not completely on them.

Speaking of the other 2 - they're now home. I need to run to the post office. Good! I can go by myself!

Talk to you later.

Something New!

I don't know if it was sleep deprivation or just being goofy - but I started something new. Check out this site: http://www.stuffafriend.com/shop.htm?jennifer5 I decided to sign up for Stuff A Friend. This is very similar to Build a Bear if you have ever heard of that.

Should be interesting. I'm still a Pampered Chef - and I don't intend to stop that. I am open to other direct sales things as well. Stuff A Friend only allows one consultant per town so I thought I'd check it out before someone else in my town beat me to it. I can allow others if I want - but I like to be in the driver's seat:)

Maybe it will allow me to stay off of work a little longer. Probably not - because I already should go back. That's a bummer for me as Carter is only 2.5 weeks old. We just really need my income.

Ok, Scott is home now. Time to get at some of that laundry that needs folding so I can find my bedroom!

Sleep? What's that?

Last night was hell. Little man decided that I wouldn't get to sleep last night - like at all. This is the part about being the food source that is incredibly difficult. I'm temptrd to do the pumping only thing - but that is actually more inconvenient for me during the day. I have the milk all ready as is & no need for bottles!

So anyway - I'm sure I ate something that didn't agree with him. He has never fussed that much! I need to be a good girl from here on out to keep me & him feeling good.

Not likely that I'll be attending Scott's cousin's wedding tonight. Scott can go with the 2 older ones. I'm sure there will be some disappointment from that on behalf of my in laws - but you can't please everyone. Besides, I think they can understand not coming 12 days after giving birth. Of course, Scott thinks I should be able to do it. I'm just thinking that it's not worth the stress.

Okey dokey - time for ME to eat.

By the way - STILL unable to figure out how to get pics on here!!!!

Trying the picture thing

I hope these show up! My little men holding the newest member of our family:) Priceless!

11 DAYS already!

Wow! Carter is 11 days old already! What a blur. He's doing great. I'm still adjusting to the sleep deprivation, breast engorgement & soreness & being the Mom of 3 boys. While it's the biggest joy in my life, it's also one of the biggest challenges right now. We're not exactly financially set right now & being unable to produce much income is quite a stressor for me. I don't want to wish the time away at all. This is our last baby so I really want to enjoy it to the fullest.

The 2 older boys are at daycare today. Yesterday was so challenging as it was raining so they were stuck in the house all day for the most part. Spencer is having some adjustment issues I think. He has been touchy over the past week. I'm sure it's because of all of these transitions. They are so sensitive to these things at these ages. I try to spend special time with all of the boys, but of course, most of my time is needed with Carter. I try to incorporate the older boys' help whenever possible to make them feel part of this. Sometimes that works great.

Scott is also preparing to be gone for a few days for work. I know the boys are anxious about that. I am as well. While I have help if needed, I don't like to call on people for it all that much. I know I should. I guess part of it is that I don't really want to be on their schedules. You know how that is when you ask for help but really would like it between this time & this time?? Then when the person you ask is only available for another time frame you kind of get thrown off anyway??? I hate to inconvenience someone else, however, if I need the help during a certain time that's when I need it. OK, enough whining.

I knew that energy spurt I got earlier this week wouldn't last long! Not to mention, we're running WAY low on food here. I just need to rest - and during the time the older boys are at daycare, I don't exactly want to run to get groceries. If I do an errand during this time I get no rest at all. Then when I pick them up it's go time again. Scott has to work until at least 6 PM tonight & then he returns for 7 AM tomorrow. This next week will prove to be my most challenging.

I have so many more thoughts going through my brain right now. But I should really go nap!

HE'S HERE!!!

Carter Alan Borley was born on Monday, September 12th at 4:32 PM. He came fast & furious after 4 hours of labor with only 10 minutes of pushing (wow!).

He weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces. Measured 20 1/2 with head at 34 - of course, he figured that wasn't quite wide enough & decided to come out with his hand on his forehead! The thinker.

He is a good baby. Spencer & Parker are very proud big brothers. I hope I figure out how to add pics to this blog soon so that I can share how cute they all are.

Time for me to sleep. He'll be hungry again before long.

Jen 

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad

My parents have been married for - oh my gosh, I forgot how many years - today! I'm thinking it's 39 years. I think if it were 40 they'd be having some sort of celebration - so it must be 39.

Mom thinks it would be a good day for this little man to be born. I told her I'd try to accomodate but couldn't make any promises. Considering it's only 2:05 AM - I've got time.

Why am I awake? Hmm. . .must be my body's way of preparing me for what's ahead with late night feedings. I had to feed myself, of course:) There are 2 little men & one big man sleeping in my bed right now. . .oh, and the dog. Can't forget her. It was getting a bit crowded so I'll have to wake Scott to relocate the 2 little men when I go in there.

I feel like creating somemore scrappy things. I took part in a Friday Night Challenge for one of my scrappy groups tonight. I haven't done that in a while. It felt great & now I can't turn off the creative flow. That is a good thing - and a bad thing. Good because it's so darn fun & it's about time I get some creativity going. Bad because now it's always on my mind. Can't say it's the only thing on my mind because we all know what is on my mind right now!!!

GO TOWARDS THE LIGHT! I am so excited to meet this little man! Anytime now really is just fine & good. I've simmered down on cutting the lawn. I did use the riding lawn mower yesterday on our lawn. I'm a bit uncoordinated with that thing & ended up hitting a couple things:( Oops! Nothing too major though. The bumpy ride didn't move things along at all:( I'm thinking in the morning I might have to go cut the lawn at the rental again with the push mower. It can't hurt!

Well, I suppose I should try to get some sleep. Or, I might have to spend some time creating:)

A Bit less anxiety

Had my doctor appt today. Still pretty much the same. I'm a good 2 cm now instead of 1-2cm. Forgot to ask if I'm any more effaced. But I go in Monday morning to get things rolling so I'm much more relaxed than I have been. I'm also much more comfortable today. I think maybe the weather has something to do with that. Seriously, we got a good rain yesterday & I'm sure the atmospheric pressure has something to do with it. I know, I can be kind of strange.

I hope to get some things done this weekend. We have our block party on Sunday. My parents' anniversary is Saturday. Mom thinks I should have this little man on Saturday. I'm for it if it happens. We'll see!

I hope to be able to figure out how to add pics to this blog soon. I have pics of me mowing our neighbor's lawn the other day. Not the most attractive pics of me. . .but oh well!

Okey dokey. Almost time to pick up the boys.

Is it Happening?

OK, so now I have had what I thought was real labor start & stop yet again! I didn't go in this time. . .but I was close to heading to the hospital. 4 minutes apart lasting at least 1 minute each for about 30 minutes. Then when I finally decide to get someone over here to watch the boys & my dh is on the way home. . .they stop! AAAAHHHHHH!

So now I wait yet again!

This little man will have QUITE the story told in his scrapbook!

We'll see what happens tonight!

Still here - STILL pregnant

I talked to the little one this morning. I told him that we can't wait to meet him & would really like it if he would come on out today. With all of the commotion in our lives lately I can't blame him for wanting to stay inside. Between taking care of the rental & the catastrophe that our last tenant left & the boys going through exceptionally whiney times - add onto that the disaster happening in our country in the South - he's probably scared.

Yesterday was pretty uneventful contractions wise - not so the night before. I was awake most of the night with contractions 4 to 5 minutes apart but they only lasted 30 seconds. This went on for several hours. I was eventually able to sleep but could still feel them.

Then in the morning, they subsided. Glad we didn't go rushing to the hospital.

Today the plan is to get the laundry put away - as we have tons to do - & then get the rest of the stuff done at the rental. I guess Scott's parents might take the boys to their campground to play. We're so hoping to get things rolling with this little guy.

I'll keep you all updated as things progress (because they WILL progress).

It's Go time ANYTIME Now

Tell that to my cervix! It is not budging! I keep saying to this little man, "Go toward the light!" He isn't cooperating - OR, he's trying, but the door is still kind of bolted.

Scott came home from work to bring me to the doctor - who's office is right in the hospital. Glad I didn't go to Labor & Delivery. Don't need any unneccesary bills right now. Dr. Winburn was sympathetic - saying I was most likely in Latent Labor & it could progress at any time or linger for a couple weeks. ACK! No way Jose' - NOT going to linger long. She gave me methods of stimulating oxytocin - I won't go into too much detail here but a big one involves Scott.

So I am at home once again. .. . . .waiting. . . .considering hiring out my services to mow the neighborhood's lawns. Heck, I think I can come up with something else now. My floors should probably get scrubbed. The little guys are still gone - my neighbor picked them up from daycare & took them on a bike ride. They're not home yet so we're here alone. Might need to work on one of those methods:)

My mother was so sure I was in labor. I guess deep down I knew it wouldn't be the real thing yet. As much as I want it to be - I figured there has to be much stronger pain involved before it's real. Boy is he working on my pelvis though! Not kidding, I think he's springing off of it!

Oh, thought I'd share this: I finished mowing the backyard this morning - and Scott was going to get me on the camcorder mowing the lawn as part of this little man's first tape - well, he put the tape in & the thing jammed up. So now we don't have a useable camcorder!!! We stopped at Best Buy - where we bought it 4 years ago in June - & they charge $55 just to send it out!! Of course, the manufacturer's warantee expired in JUNE! I swear they put timers on these things to self destruct as soon as the warantee expires. It's a conspiracy.

I must go work on something. Sitting is driving me crazier!

More Mowing

We have a fairly large yard - I think it's close to 3/4 acres. We do have a riding mower - however, I didn't use that one. I used the push mower. I did the complete front yard & got about half way done with the back - then the mower ran out of gas. So I came inside & sent an email to Scott. Of course, he offered up encouragement & then noted there is more gas in the garage!

It's almost 5PM so I figure that I can rest a bit & then maybe do some house work - the more strenuous type like scrub the floor & bring the laundry up. This baby has to come out sooner or later, right?

Maybe I should consider feeding the kids. They might need some nourishment.

Keep sending those vibes!

May as well wait & make Mom happy

My mother so much wants me to wait until tomorrow to have this bouncing baby boy. Still not making any promises ... but may as well. Besides, the sapphire is so pretty.

He wants out. I think he knows I just wrote that - he's now pressing down HARD on my cervix. He is so ready.

I slept last night! Well, I was up at midnight until about 1 AM. Baby was hungry. May as well get used to that. I'm going to breast feed & every couple hours is the norm at first.

Hey, I only need to wait until midnight tonight to have him. Then it's September!

Parker just decided to do some "home improvement" to the front screen door. Evidentally he thought striking a stick to the screen to taunt his big brother was a good idea. We now have several holes in our screen. This does NOT make me happy. Oh just keep it up little boys. Mom will go into labor due to stress!!!

We're heading South to Wrightstown this afternoon. I need to get them out of the house to keep my sanity. Parker, who is 3 & has been potty trained for over a year now, has decided to have 3 accidents today already!!!! I just made him put on a pull up, which he hates doing during the day. He was warned. I see nothing wrong with a little making my child feel a little guilty for doing something he does have control over. He just was out & out too lazy to stop playing to go use the toilet. And he knew it. I know, I'm going right to hell.

We're off! Hopefully I will have a baby update later or for sure by tomorrow!! Keep sending those vibes:)

Could it be today?

Oh I hope today is the day this little one is born. I had to have my 4 year old get a chair for me earlier because I had a very painful twinge in my pelvis. I couldn't move my right leg. It's definately moving into the birthing position.

I see my OB doc at 10:40 so I'll find out if anything is going on. If you don't hear from me later I just may be in the hospital!

I need to have this baby or I'll just go crazy waiting!!!

I started a new blog regarding my health & philosophy on health & wellness. If you go under View my entire profile there is a link.

I'm BACK!

My motivation has returned. I think I needed to get moving or something. I wasn't exactly feeling like going to the rental . . .but since I had the boys to entertain & I wanted to supervise what Scott planned to do with the place I decided to bring the boys there.

HOLY MOSES! That tenant trashed the place! I won't go into detail too much - but the new carpeting that was installed right before she moved in (about 1 year ago) is trashed. Unknown substances were surely spilled on it & I doubt highly that it will come out. It's also torn in areas from Heaven only knows what & there are burn holes in places. There was dog crap on the basement floor & I guess it was on the carpet as well. UGH!

The garbage out front was not all bagged & we already know the city won't pick it up like that.

I mowed the lawn - looked pretty cool having me with my big belly pushing the mower. I figured it couln't hurt - I WANT to go into labor!

The boys got bored & there was no spot to sit for them to cool down - so we left. We went to my brother's new house - they're still working on it so we got to see the paint job. Looks very nice! I can't wait to build. That will be at least a year & a half away for us, if not 2 years. We need to pay off more of our land & build a cushion.

OKEY dokey, I think I'll use this energy to my benefit. My house is in need of some organization & the laundry needs to be put away.

I need to figure out how to post pics! It has to be easy for me to do it - so I'll have to check out the tutorial - or if anyone has a short cut please let me know:)

Me & The Scrappers 3

IF only I COULD nap! DH left for the rental. He had this plan for his mother to watch the boys but somehow that fell through. We won't go there. Anyway - I decided that we will also go there to make sure the FOR SALE sign gets put up. That's right. He seems to think we need to wait until the lower is rented to put it for sale. I say why wait? Of course it won't sell IF it's not for sale!!!!

Calgon, take me away!

Another Day

Still here. Still pregnant. Still feeling like my legs weigh a ton! This is seriously not how I remember feeling at the end of my last 2 pregnancies. Seriously. I'm useless & hating it.

So anyway. Scott has to go do some work at our rental today & unlike yesterday, he's not planning to bring the boys. Not sure if I can handle this or not today. I'm such a wimp. Maybe we should all go. He left the digital camera there by mistake yesterday. I wasn't all too happy about that. It's in a "bad" part of town & the place has been broken into in the past. PLUS, what if I had gone into labor last night? Anyway, obviously THAT didn't happen.

I still have organizing & cleaning to get done. I just don't have the energy to do it. I think my first due date was more true to reality. That would put me at 39 weeks. My changed due date is September 17th. THAT is not going to happen. Of course, dh likes to say, "When you're still pregnant a week or 2 from now I'll be saying I told you so." NOT if he knows what's good for him he won't. AND I WILL have this baby this week. So keep sending labor vibes my way. I need all of the help I can get!

Surprise! The boys are going to Festival to get Water! Yay! Maybe I'll shower during this time. I'm so tired. Enough whining. Maybe if I exert myself it will trigger labor.

Saturday, August 27th

I'm still pregnant. And I'm only 37 weeks so the chances of being pregnant for the next few days at least are still very high. I'm going nuts!!! I forgot what this last month can be like. It's amazing what a few years & a 4.5 & 3 year old boy can do to make such a difference in how I'm feeling already.

Hoping to get something accomplished today. The boys are heading out to pick up our car from the mechanic & then to our rental that needs to be cleaned. We just evicted someone due to non payment & she didn't leave the place willingly nor in good condition. Normally I would go help but I'm just not feeling up to it. I would love to sell the place & we do have plans to do so. Of course, this is a sore subject. I should steer clear of that one for now.

I'm new to the blogging. . .so I'm going to check out the features & maybe I'll get some pictures posted if I get ambitious enough. My goal today is to get some cleaning done & then scrap! I love to scrapbook. My office/scrapping room is being converted into the baby room/scrapping room:) He won't mind.

I'll be back.