11 “mid-way” signs you are with child

11 “mid-way” signs you are with child:

1. Watching Iron Chef America and every other Food Network show will most likely lead to frying something after 9pm.

2. Ranch corn nuts! They’re salty, crunchy, and before you know it the bag is empty.

3. Your mind starts to categorize things that don’t even need categorizing.

4. The garage that you once, not long ago, just grossed you out has become a challenge to conquer.

5. Multiple not-sad parts of the movie Franklin bring you to tears.

6. You don’t mind taking your husband’s dirty, mud-covered clothes to the Laundromat. It is worth it when you drive home with warm, Gain-smelling Hanes T-shirts and it gives the kids something different to do.

7. You sit down on the couch next to your husband and he playfully asks why your top button of your jeans are unbuttoned?

8. You forget you are pregnant. You are driving. You look down at why the seatbelt feels tight. You say to yourself, “Oh, crap. I’m pregnant.”

9. Suddenly, you have never been so itchy. Skin is stretching. You don’t like that thought.

10. If you are paying attention, you notice movement in your abdomen about every three hours, or while you are eating!

11. This blank is for things that are going on that I would rather not share with the world. You know. _______________________________

Boys

I found a quote when I was expecting my second boy and it read: "With boys, you always know where you stand.......................Right in the path of a hurricane."

It is oh so true at my house and I imagine at every other house full of boys. They fight, "duke it out", say what they mean and mean what they say. They are mad, then are shortly over it. One minute they are throwing punches and the next they are chum-chumming over a hamburger.

With God sending another boy our way I can say that I don't think there is anything rougher, dirtier, or stinkier than a boy, but it is just the way it is supposed to be. So bring on the stinky outside smell, the growing boy appetites, the endless rough-housing, and the age-old question "Where in this house is there a FLASHLIGHT? Seriously". Mama's got a lot of loving to do.

Soggy Broccoli

I had a Dr.'s appointment yesterday. Before I went home I stopped at the hospital cafeteria, browsed through the options. Overcooked manicotti, soupy, soggy broccoli and cauliflower, cheesy potato casserole, philly cheestesteak, various sandwiches, pies, and of course the soup and salad bar. Holy moly. I have a confession. I LOVE cafeteria food. While I was browsing I ran into a few hospital employees that I know, and one asked, "What are you doing here?" (and she meant the cafeteria and not the hospital bc she's knows why I was at the hospital). I told her I come every time I have an appointment, whether it is breakfast or lunch, mealtime or not, I almost always stop for tea or something. Anyway, it WAS lunchtime and I got myself a ladelful of the broccoli and cauliflower and an even sloppier scoop of the potato casserole. Mmmmmm. The potato casserole was so creamy and cheesy and salty and the onions in it were huge and crunchy. Sure, at the appointment just a few moments earlier, I learned of a 5 pound weight gain, but that didn't stop me. We liked it. I remember one time when my husband and I were dating he said, "I LOVE cafeteria food", then I knew;)

I even stay one extra night in the hospital after I have a baby to have the extra help of the nurses, rest my body, and call in my big breakfast of choice for one more day!!!!!!!!

Una cerveza, por favor

BEER BREAD

3 c. self-rising flour
2 T. sugar
1 can light beer

Mix flour and sugar. Add 1/2 can of beer. Stir. Add other half. Place in greased loaf pan and bake at 375 for 55 minutes. Crusty on the outside, soft in the middle. Serve with unsalted butter. None of that fake stuff. Don't be afraid!!!!!!!

14 early signs you are with child

14 early signs you are with child:

1. Even though you WANT to be asleep on the couch, you tell your kids you are just resting your eyes and could they please not wave the toy hammer in front of your face.

2. You desperately want the bathrooms to be clean, but every time you go in you can’t wait to get out because it isn’t that clean, and the thought of dragging out cleaning supplies and rags just makes you tired.

3. Your husband asks if you have any plans for dinner and you wonder why everyone in this house is hungry all the time?

4. You hold your breath when you go into a public restroom in fear that if one little particle of that sticky, bubble gum air “freshener” makes its way into your nostril you may toss your cookies.

5. You let a pound of hamburger go bad in the fridge because if you even look at it you start to dry-heave.

6. You strive for that happy medium between not too full and not too empty on the stomach meter.

7. Your one year old starts to lean over the toilet and make gagging sounds all in imitation of you.

8. You put the kids down for a nap, turn off all the lights in the house, turn off the phones, and go straight to your bed, wasting no time.

9. Your usual calm and collected self turns into mommy the monster.

10. You sit and wait for the day you will muster up the energy to clean.

11. You get online and get a bid for someone to come clean your house, just once. You decide it is too much money, good grief, you can do it. One week later, it still isn’t done.

12. Your husband asks what we have in the house for dinner and you tell him whatever he wants as long as he promises not to cook hamburger or eggs.

13. You wonder why the often urge to pee results in such a little amount.

14. Mannerisms/comments from strangers/repeated noises that didn’t use to bother you all of the sudden make you close your eyes and count to 5 before you say anything.

Change my Heart

Every couple of weeks I make a "to-do this week" list. I like adding "this week" because it gives me a 5 day time frame rather than 1 day. Right now the list beside me says clean bathrooms, vacuum, donations to pink door, deliver bed to Lori, get bed for S, new shower curtain liners, clear out pantry, change air filter, store (and under that the list is diapers, milk, clorox wipes, Bruce floor cleaner). Today two things I got accomplished from my list: cleaned one bathroom and made a trip to the pink door. Ok, technically I didn't get to cross bathrooms off because I only cleaned one. Since I was already over that way I exchanged a pair of boxers for Josh (I know), and by that time we were hungry and I stopped at Taco Bell. After a load of dishes, a load of laundry, filling up the kiddie pool, picking a few tomatoes that didn't have huge bites out of them from the rabbits, serving a well-rounded breakfast of nutri-grain bars and yogurt, helping H through his "poopy-hurrt, poopy-hurrrt" dilemma, answering questions about a neighbor (who is wanting to leave his electrical business and do SOMETHING I can't quite recall) from a guy that stopped by from the Bureau of Investigation, the morning was over. We ran those errands then came home and scarfed some refried beans and nachos. We were (they were) swimming a little while S heard a big truck in the front of the house, so we went and watched the Oversized Load be slowly manuevered down our street and around the corner. The boys were mesmorized. We went inside, dried off, read Llama, Llama Red Pajama, There's a Wocket in My Pocket, Snow, and Missouri's top 50 Bugs book, then placed each booger in their respective beds and sat down at the computer. And I looked at this list. Uhmmmmmm.........ya that will have to do for today. I just don't feel like doing those other things. I know. I know this is not what God intended, it is not the attitude I should have. I know it is wrong. Today I just don't care. Change my heart, O God. Put a fire in me. Make me more like You. Help me see your Sovereigny as I do this homework for Bible Study tomorrow. Because You are sovereign. What does that mean? In charge? You can do anything, You are in control? Teach me, Lord.

Torn

Oh, it wasn't long ago that I had a toddler toddling beside me, wanting to do all the things that I do, wanting nothing else but to be "heard" and feel understood. Now that toddler is a little boy who CAN do some of the things I do, wanting nothing else but to be "bigger".

He now has a little brother that not only wants to do everything mom and dad do, but mostly everything that little boy (the one that is one head taller than him) does. Every puzzle, every climb, every light switch, every tower, every sentence, every sound...

And when he can't, he's frustrated.

And when his hands don't have the motor skills, he's frustrated.

And when he's on his tip-tip-toes and is still not tall enough, he gets a step stool:)

Conked

BEFORE


AFTER

Oh, wow!

I am so impressed with the new little camera I just got. I will take credit for the hours of research and reviews I read for weeks, but man was it worth it. Setting aside the megapixel races and all the smart people jargon, all I have to do to point, shoot and it takes decent pics. When I got it in the mail the other day I charged up the battery and played. Took some random pictures just trying out settings and such. Ah, talent in picture-taking, I don't have. I would just snap one then giggle that it wasn't blurry! That was the criteria: must be able to take decent pictures of objects ON THE MOVE!!!! The close-up option is neat, too.


This guy didn't live long after his picture was taken

What'd I tell ya?

When I wrote the part about skinned knees, I wasn't really thinking about myself. Here you have it. One bloody, gouged, inflamed, deep cut just below my knee, on my shin to be exact. Mee-maw and Poo-pa offered to keep the kiddos while we ventured down the Buffalo River in a canoe.

The trip began with our counter-parts (we will call them M and D, or my husband's bro and his better half) CRASHING into a bush and spilling out into the what looked like sub-zero temperatures and raging currents! Oh, yes, we hadn't even gotten 5 minutes down river and the first-time canoer gets a taste of the river and what it has to offer.

As for me and my "experienced" hubs, we are feeling crummy that it happened and we just know she hates our guts right about now. But also, if I might be honest, VERY GLAD it wasn't us! Being soggy-shoed and a clingy, drenched t-shirt did not look appetizing. Oh, man.

I just thought to myself, it is only a matter of time. We burst through the rapids, steering (a few times!) into them, feeling the rush of the canoe up and over the waves, screaming with our paddles in the air.

Just as sure as our heads were getting bigger, our time to dump was getting nearer and nearer. Then it happened. Too much water rushed into the boat. We were turned EVER SO SLIGHTLY, and boom, we were in the water. Ouch! What was THAT? No time to wonder, just get...............me.............out................of...............this.................brrrrrr!!!!! Ok, it probably was not as cold as it seemed, just took my breath away and I HATE to be cold. (I yell- um, I mean raise my voice) at my husband when he leaves the bathroom door opened when I am in the shower)

Anyway, my leg took a beating from something underneath, and man, was it WORTH IT!!!!!

Scram!!!!

Cute little white-tailed bunny rabbit. And another. And another. Munching, hopping, wiggling his nose, munching. What is it you are munching on cute little white-tailed bunny rabbit? Oh! No! Those are MY berries, rabbit, get out of there! Those are my HOSTAS, rabbit, shoo!! You are NOT welcome here. Scadaddle!!!!!

Sweet, sticky strawberries

One in my mouth, one in my hand.

Picking strawberries. Juicy, warm, plump strawberries. I'd like to tell you a cute little story about how the four of us went strawberry pickin' and how it was just soooo much fun and relaxing and how we are planning on doing it every Spring and how you should too. Instead........

No, not the green ones! The red ones, honey, the ones that are ALL red. No, don't step on the plant! Don't eat too many, your tummy might hurt! Stay with us, honey, stay in our row. Put down the rock, please. Here is one! Pick THIS one, see how it is all red? OK, that's probably enough, lets save some to eat later. How did that stem taste? Mmmmmmmmm. Wow, your shirt is..........oh, come back here! We want to leave the strawberries in the box to go pay for them. OK, no more eating out of the box. You have to pick it to eat it! Is your tummy full yet? Tell the woman thank you. Tell the man thank you for giving us baby wipes to clean up a little. OK, you are clean. Sit right here while I put your shoes back on......wait.....no.....not another strawberry. Squirt! Oh, wow....strawberries are sticky, and do you feel it over here on your ear? There. You don't mind being naked one bit, I know. Snap, snap, snap, other child snap, snap, snap. Let's go home!!!!!!!!!

OK, it really wasn't that bad........I had fun, sort of. But I'll admit the highlight was giving those berries out to people we love.

Moms love to do things with their kids, to teach them about how something grows and needs care and attention before it is ready to produce fruit. 16 month olds love stomping, smashing, and shoveling anything into their mouths, not just strawberries. They live for the here and now. Each day is about meeting somewhere in between.

Toddler on the Roof

OK. This is not my child on this roof. This is not my roof. The guy holding the child is that child's dad, and the guy standing proudly next to the dad is my dear husband. He helped the little boy up there by backing his truck just close enough to the garage, telling him to reach out his arms, and lifting him right on up, like he was lifting him onto the couch! The boy's mom, by the way, is standing in the driveway, seemingly unbothered by the fact. If my memory is correct she said something like "Um, he wants up there because you are up there" (The two adult little boys had been "working" on something). I can honestly remember thinking to myself, "Well, if I had a kid that age, I probably would have let him go up there with his daddy, too." I wanted to be laid back, to not be the mom that was always freaking out over little things. Ha! Now that I have two of my own, I now see this child as MUCH younger, MUCH too breakable, MUCH to fragile, and MUCH too LITTLE to be on top of a ROOF!!!!! Don't get me wrong, the boy's mom is a dear, dear friend of mine (and I will actually admit that I would probably still play it pretty cool if my older tot wanted dad to hold him up there for like a millisecond), but all I'm saying is that since I have become a mom, man, that roof looks a lot higher than it did before!

To You on Love Day

A friend of a friend wrote a poem about her boys. I read it and it inspired me. These days, as hard as they sometimes are, are so so short. Here are my two "poems"...





Love Day to Henry at age 1

Baboosa.
Brown eyes.
Bulldog.
Bottle, no thanks.
Books? Only if it means I’ll hold you.

From the first few days you were at home
You have been just the tornado
This house has needed.
A little chaos makes a house a home.

Just the other day,
You left my sight for just an instant,
And Sawyer and I,
Like we’d planned it,
Asked, “Where’s Henry?”
At exactly the same time.
You see, it doesn’t happen often.

Momma’s in the kitchen.
You are drummin’ on pots and pans.
Momma’s in the shower, so are you.
Momma’s reading to big brother
You are “reading” on her other side.
Momma’s folding laundry.
You are bringing her washcloths.
Momma’s unloading dishes
You are licking dirty spoons.
Momma’s telling you “no, no”
You are grinning ear to ear.

You make your Dad so happy
When you let him throw you, tackle you, hold you.
When he asks for kisses
Nothing makes his day better
Than those slobbery lean-ins you offer.

If I need your attention,
All I must do
Is sit down
And look really comfortable!

Oh, Henry, you are larger than life.
Just some fun is all you ask for.
Got a little Cerretti on my hands.
Do it right,
the first time,
and then move on to something else!

What is it exactly,
That you are DOING
In that bed of yours?
It’s been one hour since I
“wound you down”
Fed you, changed you, hugged you,
Gave you Eskimo kisses, rubbed your head,
Even your feet sometimes.
Fan is on, lights are off, little lamb is lying next to you.
But even then, oh, the sounds I hear!
Not from your voice, for the fuss only lasts a minute.
It’s crash! And bang! And thump!
Then after a bit I finally hear nothing, or sometimes,
If the house is totally quiet, I hear snoring!

Are you going to be called Hank?
Only time will tell.
My prayer for you right now,
Is that we will let you grow
Into the man you are supposed to be
According to our God’s will.

Without you
I might have just become
One of those mom’s that thinks she has it all together!
My sweet Henry, on my hip you won’t always be,
One day, very soon, I will not be your world.

It saddens me to think,
That tomorrow you will not be
Plundering through the cabinets,
Splashing out the bathwater,
Throwing your eggs on the floor.

Tomorrow you will be bigger,
Than the day before.
And on and on it goes
No coming back for more.

I love you, my sweet boy.
Listen, and listen close.
Your momma I will always be.
And my love for you will never even flicker.

Love, MOM






Love Day to Sawyer at 2 1/2

There was a time
When I thought it couldn’t be.
And then one day
my dream came true,
God gave you to me.

Going through the closet,
this shirt is too tight,
these pants are too short,
this onesie won’t snap.
Away for now, you’ve worn them for the last time….
Can I have just one more minute?

Dunking your cheese in the glass of water?
First thought is to tell you
“that’s not what we do”
but stop and think
This cup thing is new to you.
Can I have just one more minute?

I have made a promise to the Lord
To try my hardest each new day
To teach you His ways
Many times I fail at this
I lose my patience and show my ugliness
I want time to go back and make it right
Can I have just one more minute?

Oh how much you have taught me.
I used to not let people in.
I used to keep most of what I thought
Inside for know one else to know.
But why? This very minute will also pass.
It will be gone.
Can I have just one more minute?

I see this world
Through very different eyes
Than before I met you
I want you to see
How love is so much more important
Than knowledge
Than toys
Than the blackberry smoothies you love so much.
Can I have just one more minute?

“All by myself”
A phrase you’ve used a thousand times
In three days, mind you
When did you stop needing me for everything?
Wait! Can I have just one more minute?

Standing outside the bathroom door,
Listening to that sweet struggle
Out you come pants back on!
Head held high you walk right past me
Into the other room.
I watch as the inside tag bounces up and down,
Pants twisted every which way
So proud we both are
Can I have just one more minute?

After reading two books,
Sometimes four,
I watch your legs
Dangle down.
“Good night, Mommy”, you say
As Dad bounces you
To your comfy bed
With three blankets,
bear tucked in, too
cow light on,
used the potty,
brushed your teeth,
sip of water,
prayer about the day and day to come
“One more song, Daddy” you say.
Dad can’t help but fulfill your request.
Can I have just one more minute?

Life is Messy

A counter in my kitchen. Contents: Car keys (our garage door is inoperable right now), sample of spelt to give to the neighbor to let her try because her baby is allergic to regular flour, the video camera, a bill that has been sitting out ready to "discuss options" with the hubs, lotion, hand sanitizer, baby wipes (a box in almost every room of the house), an opened "organization" binder with all kinds of stuff in it, from checking account balance sheet to a "things that make me smile" section. I read a friend's blog this morning about cleanliness, marriage, love languages, and she wrote oh so true words about such topics. This led me to look around my house, and I decided to take a few pics of how things were in my house at that very moment (yes, my pride almost took over and I ALMOST moved some things, then I said to myself, nope, I'd be decieving those who read this if I move anything, so I didn't)



Sometimes I just sweep the crumbs and dirt and dust with the toy pieces,then pick out the toys and put them in a toy basket before I use the dustpan. Better yet, Sawyer sees the pile of crumbs AND toys and says "Uh, oh" and picks up the potato head parts . Yes, that is Henry's poopy diaper behind Henry. He got it out of the trash and brought it to me.



My chopping block, or part of it, with cardboard I did break down, very proud of that! What is it? A Mountain Dew box and a yogurt box, two things we go through about every two weeks at our house. Also you see a train track bridge turned upside down in the process of drying the superglue on it cause we broke it a while back and it isn't ours, its a borrowed toy, the rest of the hundreds of pieces of track and bridges and trains are in the living room in a 5 gallon bucket. Usually they are not in the 5 gallon bucket.



This is our bedroom, mine and Josh's. Been meaning to fold the laundry, but decided to blog instead.



Elmo is already half-way down the baby slide when he is just sitting at the top ready to go down!



This is the very practical couple's devo book that I leave out on the counter so that there is a better chance that we will sit and read it one night a week together
It is called Closer, by Jim and Cathy Burns



As I told you before, I just took pictures of things how they were at that moment, and at that moment, Sawyer was on his head

I can remember being on the phone with my mom when Sawyer was about 15 months old, he was walking, not yet talking, and into EVERY door, cabinet, drawer, box, lid, container, you know. I said something like "My cooking utensils are always all over the floor, I can't go to the bathroom without him trying to close the lid on my back, and I can't tell what is clean and what is dirty (clothes) in my room!" She sighed and said, "Honey, you just might have to let some things go and wash a utensil just when you need to use it". After I got off the phone, I took my utensils out of the kitchen drawer, picked up the rest of them off the floor, and started stuffing them all into this pitcher, pushed the pitcher out of his reach (ha!) and thought, I'll be darned it I'll let this kid make MY house messy! Oh, boy, I had so much to learn. Because, yes, you can do what you can to move certain things up and out of the way, and put things into closets, but before long that little toddler will toddle his way back up to just about anywhere with the help of a chair, a diaper box, stacked books, anything. Even you! Somehow they can "talk" you into handing them a "no-no" just so you can make that phone call to the credit card people that you've been meaning to make for over 3 weeks, you just avoided it. Anyway, in short, I absolutely still hate messes. I hate seeing oatmeal stuck to the floor, wet towels shoved against the bathroom wall, dishes with food caked on them spread about, I could go on and on as I glance around, but my point is, chaos drives me crazy. But I am asking myslef, why? Does it really drive ME crazy or does it just drive me crazy that I am going to have to do something about it? Does it drive me crazy or does it drive me crazy that it drives my husband absolutely bonkers? Or does it not drive him bonkers but I think it drives him bonkers so I drive myself bonkers trying to tidy up before he gets home from work? I'll have to say maybe all of the above. Some efficiency is good in a home, but I've learned to pick and choose what to do aroung the house and when a little differently than I use to. As a mom, if it makes me tired and cranky to follow these two little guys around picking up after them all the time, then I am not a better mom for doing it. If it makes me feel a little better to be able to walk around without kicking all the noise-making toys (thank you grandma's!), then we'll keep a big wagon in the living room where we can throw stuff in it so we have more room to play. That said, a happy medium is where I am trying to be, halfway putting on blinders cause they are little for a short, short time and half-way keeping myself and my family a livable, enojoyable place to call home.