SFG Update

April 2008... Showing my old fence...

May 2008... Up close... You can see the damage done to the fence... Children have had a field day in the boxes digging... ::cringe:: My oldest was being helpful and put all the grid in the way he thought it should be... He was pretty close to how they needed to be put... A few days later he then proceeded to remove them all again and throw them around the yard... ::sigh::
Mid of May 2008 (finished day before Linebacker was born {16th})... I had a professional fence installed... Awesome huh? On Monday (12th) the set the posts in concrete... Thursday (15th) they finished by hanging up the fencing and gate...

This is what happens when you don't prepare (remove all the dead plant life and cover them) your boxes for winter because you have terrible morning sickness in the fall... Then you don't plant when you are supposed to in the spring because you are about to give birth at any minute and had to wait for the fence company to install your fence to keep your 'helpers' from destroying all your hard work... LOL!!!

This is the 'tomato' box... Those little white 'circles' are courtesy of our Siberian Elm... Those are all tiny seeds to grow new Siberian Elms... So, every where there is a white 'circle' a tree will sprout... So, I have to pick all those out of my boxes... Sound like fun? Want to come help? ::wink:: This box will also have one squash plant, onions and lettuce growing in it... It has 4 varieties of tomatoes... Tiny cherry/grape, red romas, yellow romas and big ole sandwich slicing...This is my 'Hot Pepper' Box... It will also have Watermelon, Collards, Onions and Carrots...

Updated!

I have 90% of my blog updated when I had left spaces... I still need to share PICS of Linebacker and the Birth Story... So, I hope you all have the time to go back and catch up... As far as my oldest I won't be sharing details... If you would like more detailed updates please email me not post comments... Thanks!

Sunny Saturday

It has been raining like crazy but today is beautifully sunny in the mid 70s... Today one of my friends delivered a Mexican Hotdish of some sort (freezing since we have tons of previous meals delivered we need to finish up), fresh pineapple and a delicious salad with a vinaigrette dressing I've never tasted before... A friend of mine stopped by and gave me a few of her laminated posters and another calendar I can use dry erase markers on... Now if I can just find a place to hang it! I really need the extra space... The children and I walked to the park... Monkey rode his bike all the way there and back with little to no help... I'm so proud at how well he has learned to ride a bike in such a short amount of time... We stayed at the park until the street lights came on... We walked one and arrived home at 10 PM... Just in time for the news... It was a really great day... I felt great and confident as a mom... Something I haven't felt in a long long time...

First Week of June

Monday:
Monkey started Safety Town today... He learned about crossing the street, playing on the playground and a Police Officer visited... He had a great time... I have to find his bike helmet... He's never ridden a bike before... He does own a helmet though... He will need it for when he learns about bike safety... He colored/drew a picture called "The Police Officer is my friend"... He had a great time! While he was there I ran to Walmart to buy a new Alarm clock... The one I have now just isn't cutting it... I didn't hear it this morning and we barely made it on time... It poured this morning... While I was there I also picked up Anthony another blanket and some bubble holders for the children... We had one spill proof bucket... I picked up two more... Monkey had his PT screening today... He doesn't qualify for private at home PT... His skills have really come along since he was tested at the school... So, he may not need it in the fall either even though it's on his IEP... I was very pleased by his advancement... Our first meal arrived to make tomorrow... Tuesday:
Safety Town Today he learned about Riding in the car, Traffic Safety Signs, Strangers, and a Police Officer explained the driving course (bike) traffic safety signs... It was too wet for bike safety so he didn't need his helmet... He colored Safety Signs and glued them on to straws... Monkey had his OT screening today... He does qualify for OT services private at home... They will come every week until he starts K... He will then only have OT on his IEP... They saw the same concerns as before... He has pencil grasp issues and some other fine motor skills... He is coming along but not where he should be... My friend watched Monkey and Peanut while I visited my oldest... She also watched them while I ran quick to Sam's to pick up Green Beans and Broccoli... We chatted for quite a while and I didn't arrive home till late... Earlier another friend stopped by in an emergency for me to watch her 18 month old... She forgot and I didn't ask for his car seat so I wasn't able to run to Sam's during the early afternoon like I had planned... My oldest was doing well today... We sat and watched trains... He was kind of all over the place in his conversation... Couldn't stay on one topic... We had our first meal from friends today... It was a hamburger/noodle hot dish and rice crispy treats... Both were delicious! Wednesday:
Safety Town today was a Police Car Tour and Introduction to the Bike Course... He colored a picture about Seat Belt Safety... We went to Walmart in search of Dinosaurs... We didn't find any... We did however buy a smaller jacket for Linebacker, bubble bucket for my oldest, Monkey picked out a View Master Disc Set with Dinosaurs and Peanut picked out a View Master Disc Set with Diego... Peanut had ST today... She did well... We moved our appointment time on Friday to make room to add Monkey in the future visits... ST wants to see them on the same day back to back if possible to save on gas to drive here and for my sanity in scheduling... Monkey had his ST screening... He qualifies for ST private at home... Again it will discontinued when he starts K because he will have it as indicated on his IEP... Having OT and ST at home over this summer is just a jump start and to help him so that he won't require it as much on his IEP... Tonight was the end of school year Mass for FMCHE... After Mass we had a Pizza Party Potluck... We had a great time... I didn't arrive home till almost 10 PM... There was a whole leftover Pepperoni Pizza I took home... Our next meal arrived for me to prepare tomorrow... Since we still had hamburger/noodle casserole leftover, pizza and other things we needed to eat... I didn't thaw the next meal but added some extra wrapping and put it in the freezer... I did start snacking on Raspberry Danish that came with it... I would never buy the Raspberry kind usually the plain or apple... It was delicious change from my usual... Thursday:
Safety Town today Monkey learned a lot more about Bike Safety... He had a great time... He rode a big boy bike for the first time... He glued red, yellow and green circles on a black rectangle to make a traffic light... We all ran errands with my husband... It was a long and busy day... I was at Walmart yet again... We found Monkey a Dinosaur that roars and moves... Peanut we picked up a Diego Game that teaches Numbers and a Dora Game that teaches the ABC... We went to the Library, Dollar Store, and Grocery Store... We had another meeting about my oldest... Looks like yet another 10 days... I took a very refreshing nap... The power went out in the middle of the night for 2-3 hours... Having more storms and rain yet again... We didn't call and report the outage... We decided if it was still out in the morning then we would call... The weather wasn't bad temperature wise... It was the middle of the night... If my husband wasn't up doing some last minute things really late we would have never known it was out till morning when we saw the blinking clocks down stairs... Alarm clock has battery back-up so it will still Alarm if the power is out... It won't tell you the time but still wake up up as needed in the morning... When the power does come on you don't have to reset anything... Very nice feature to have... Friday:
I took the Seafood Casserole that was delivered out of the freezer to start thawing... The first week of Safety Town is over... Monkey took a tour of a School Bus today and learned School Bus Safety... he learned about School Bus Safety and toured a School Bus... I asked him what he thought of a School Bus... He said 'It has lots, and lots, and lots, and lots of SEATS!... LOL... His voice grew louder and louder as he talked till he yelled seats... He cracks me up... He made a School Bus as his craft... Peanut had ST at her new time today... It was drizzling when I dropped Monkey off... When I picked him it up it was a fabulously sunny day... Less then an hour later when ST was to start the buckets started falling... It POURED!!! Talk about flip flopping... Luckily by the time ST was done it had stopped... A friend of mine watched Monkey and Peanut during my visit with my oldest... He is the best I've seen him in MONTHS!!! I couldn't believe it... We sat and watched the trains... We also colored a picture of Scoop (Excavator from Bob the Builder) together... It was a lot of fun... The children were having such a great time that my friend and I really were able to talk... We never really sat and talked with each other before... It was nice to learn more about her family and tell her about mine... She is a really wonderful lady and I look forward to doing more things with her family... Her children and mine had a terrific time playing... I have really Thanked God this week over and over for what wonderfully supportive friends I have in FMCHE... I'm not sure how I would make it through this difficult time without their prayers and support... They are truly a blessing... I'm honored to call them all my friends...

Weekend - Friday, Saturday, Sunday

Friday:
Peanut had ST today... We talked about all that is going on here... I scheduled some appointments for next week... Linebacker had his 2 week check up... He is up to 7 lbs and 6 ozs... So, he is gaining nicely... His next appointment is at 2 months... I planted a lot of things today... I have Collards, Lettuce, Carrots, Onions and Squash in the ground... I visited my oldest... He is doing well...
Saturday:
Today we went to the Detroit Lakes Street Fair... I found an awesome dress...

The only other thing we bought besides 'eats' was some Salsa from husband/wife that traveled here from Colorado... My husband heard him on the radio... It was really good... A huge nasty storm blew up just before we left... It ripped one of the 'tents' up and threw it... Luckily we were in another block but it sure did scare us... We decided that was our cue it was time to head home... The wind really picked up... Street Fair goers and Vendors a like scrambled for cover and protect their wares... Otherwise it was a great time had by all... I went and visited my oldest... He told me he needed more underwear... He has issues with cleaniliness after using the restroom so it is better to just throw out his clothing then try to wash them... He knows what is proper and we aren't sure why sometimes he does it correctly but other times he disregards the proper way all together...
Sunday:
Today my husband visited and took our oldest new underwear and a shirt... I visited later and took some extra socks... It is my husband's last day off... We did a lot of shopping and worked on the house... It is coming along nicely here in the living room... I took a much needed nap... We grilled out... Meals from our friends start tomorrow... So, I won't be 'cooking' for a bit... I'm excited to see what delicious dishes our friends bring... I caught up on the laundry...

Thursday

Today we had our first meeting about our oldest... The current word is things are going well and another 10 days are expected... If I had made it this far today I would have been 40 weeks... Also today was the last 'official' day of school... So, summer break is starting... Doesn't feel like summer... It is still very chilly... Peanuts Godmother stopped by to see Linebacker... It poured most of the late afternoon and evening...

Wednesday

Peanut had ST today... She did very well... ST gave Linebacker an adorable little outfit... My oldest teacher and primary para visited him this morning... I stopped by to pick up forgotten things and talked with them to find out how their visit went... They also commented on how he seemed distracted when they were there too... He saw them pull up and park... He was very excited and happy to see them... I visited him later and he was much better... He seemed like his old self again... We went through the mounds and mounds of clothes... We had 40 containers of mixed up clothes (all sizes boys and girls) that the children had outgrown or will grow into in the future... They have no been sorted into boxes labeled: Boys - Birth to 3/6 Months, Boys - 6/9 Months to 12 Months, Boys - 18 Months Fall/Winter, Boys -18 Months Spring/Summer, and Boys - 24 Months... Then we have 4 boxes for Boys - 2T to 5T T-Shirts, Shorts, Long Sleeve Shirts, and Pants... We also have a formal/holiday clothing, swimwear/coverall/sun hats, and PJ boxes... Girls we just packed all together since we don't have that much yet... We plan to micro sort it more later this summer... Talk about a mess... It is a great accomplishment!

Tuesday

Today we went to the Children's Museum with our friends from FMCHE... That was lots of friend... One mom helped me better position Linebacker in the sling... I've only ever hipped carried the children in a sling... Eventually I had him down and even nursed him without taking him out of the sling... How awesome is that? I know a lot of people who wear slings but very few could ever figure out how to nurse while baby wearing... My husband joined us later for the picnic lunch... The children had a great time exploring the exhibits... They painted some beautiful pictures in the 'art' area... Monkey and Peanut rode the train and all of us rode the Carseousel... Linebacker slept most of the time... I finished that 2nd gardening box... I planted tomatoes... I visited my oldest and he seemed a bit distracted... His meds have been changed a bit so it might be a side effect... Of course he could have just been tired... I called a ton of people to give them the details of the events that took place on Sunday and cancel any appointments my oldest won't be able to attend... We have our first meeting about what happen with our oldest on Thursday... We went to his school and talked with the staff there... I picked up all his things... They all miss him and hope to visit him too... We talked about his ESY and what might be needed for that...

Memorial Day Weekend

Saturday:
We are heading into the last full week my husband has off with us... Today we worked on the garden... I planted the Hot Peppers... I have one box finished and ready for more planting and a second box that will be ready after a bit more work... My oldest is becoming increasingly aggressive... It's a holiday weekend so that has me concerned... We went to Lowe's and picked up some more trim for the living room...It is really starting to come together... Here is a picture of the North wall of the living room finished... Doesn't it look nice? ::insert photo::
I had to take Linebacker into the walk-in-clinic... It is a first come first serve doctor for non-emergency care when you can't see your regular doctor... He was bleeding near his circumcision... Everything was alright and I just need to keep it clean and put a little OTC antibiotic ointment to prevent infection and it sticking to his diaper... So, a lot of worry for nothing... Glad I had him checked any way... We have two HUGE storms headed this way that have already produced at least one tornado... So, I will have to go now...
Sunday: Today we went to Mass at the Cathedral... Our usual church cut back on their times they have Mass... It was also the first time Linebacker had been to Mass... It was great showing him off to all our friends who hadn't see him in person yet... After Mass we had the Corpus Christi Procession... It was very spiritually moving... I'm glad we stayed to participate... We went to a Potluck with our FMCHE friends... I made sloppy joes and took buns... Many more of our friends who hadn't seen Linebacker in person met him there... He was snuggled by many of the moms... Everything was going wonderful when our oldest had an incident with another child... At that point we promptly left... We had a very long and stressful night to follow... I won't be sharing any details since this is a public blog...
Monday:
I was up and gathered things for my oldest... I dropped them off and visited him... He is doing somewhat better today then he was last night... Today we went for a drive and a picnic... The children fell asleep in the van and it was freezing! My husband and I had a romantic picnic together and shivered while the children slept in the warm van... We drove home and worked more on the house... Progress is slowly moving around the room to the East and West walls...

Fast First Week Friday

All about Linebacker's first week... Stay tuned...

Linebacker's Birth Story

I had an awesome birth less the 90 mins of 'true' labor
birth story in brief
labor' started at 3 AM they were 5 mins apart went to hospital 9-10 AM everything stopped I was 6-7 cm and 75% but no contractions they sent me home to eat and rest after trying to coerce me into breaking my water stuffed with several very greasy sausages (what sounded good at the moment and was ready ASAP) myself and slept about 2-3 hours woke up at 8 with them one on top of another sent you home at 6 - 7 cm well, I wouldn't let them do anything I said nope I will continue with NATURAL ways of helping things along they weren't allowed to do anything but listen with the dopplar and check my progress No to ivs, meds, interventions yadda I think they didn't think I would go home trying to call my bluff as in oh I want a natural no intervention birth at 8 PM I woke up with ut oh arrived at hospital between 8:30 and 8:45 I gave a really good push BOOM like a cannon my water broke shot across room and hit the attending doctor thought I had pushed Linebacker out but then I was nope he's still in there LOL 3-4 more pushes he's out doctor barely touched him to deliver they didn't break down the bed so he was born gently onto the foot of the bed they normally remove for delivery (ie no feet up in air he laid there quiet and alert, they did the first APGAR and then the 2nd APGAR at 5 mins after that the cord was clamped and my girlfriend cut it... they wrapped him up and my girl friend held him placenta delivered, 1-1/2 or 2 stitches and then Linebacker was handed to me within a 1/2 hour he nursed 1 hr after birth they did his newborn 'exam' weight him, eye ointment, length, etc, wrapped him back up and nursed a bit more then fell asleep they rubbed the vernex into his skin he wasn't bathed till 3 AM born at 9:24 PM full force start at 8, hospital at 8:30/45 born at 9:24 my girlfriend who was at my birth said 'your birth looked like what a home birth would look like if it had taken place in a hospital peaceful powerful healing womanly there was ONE nurse on call doctor (my PCP sister two doulas and my girlfriend so very few people and all women other births have had 2-3 nurses it was just beautiful! my doula with peanut moved out of town so I found someone new old doula moved back to town... I didn't not want her to be there and I didn't want to give up my new doula so I had both they each had their own things they were good at then I had my girlfriend who was like the husband... if there were any complications she was going to be with the baby if I couldn't be there painful but invigorating I'd also describe my birth awe inspiring only one thing I'd change something they call the ring of fire when baby's head goes through the cervix it BURNS some women have it and some don't that part I could do with out contractions are a cakewalk compared to that part! my girlfriend loved when I pushed I said oh that feels soo good LOL I said well it did she says I know but I've never heard anyone actually say what everyone is thinking during that part of their labor I just felt all the women needed to know what I was feeling I said they are strong contractions or help me breathe or their coming to fast for a while I felt out of control of things and frightened but at the same time conforted as if God himself was sitting there holding my hand so when I started pushing and I felt better I wanted to let them know that I was 'ok' I have tremers and whimper then they are really strong however I don't fight things I just let them go and pray did a whole lot of praying during that last 10 minutes before I felt the urge to push asking God, Mary, Jesus to help me please help me it was as if Heaven itself opened up when after that first push just complete peace truly divine I went from oh my panic to this is natural and things happening just like they are meant to it's kind of crazy

He's HERE!!!

I will update later... ::on baby cloud nine::

Thirty-Eight Weeks Thursday

Here I am today:

I've had so many you look great pregnant compliments lately... Everyone says I'm 'glowing'... I do feel great! I'm savoring every last moment of this wonderful blessed experience God has given to me and my family... I had an OB check up today... My GBS Test came back NEGATIVE!!!! TBTG!!! Woooo hooo... I am now a good solid 3 cm and 50%... He is has fully dropped and is well engaged into the pelvic area... So, he will definitely be coming out head first... I went to the full serve gas station after my appointment... I ran to the PO to mail an eBay book... I stopped at the $1 store to pick up some sweet snacks since we are out of cookies at the moment... I'm just not up to that right now... The more I do the more contractions I have... We want to keep this guy in here just a little bit longer before he makes his appearance... I need to run to the bank to deposit a check but keep leaving the house without it... Duh! The fence company came and finished the fence today... Cool huh? I will share a PIC later... So, now I can turned my sad, abandon SFG into something beautiful again! I received an email saying my tomatoes and hot peppers are on their way... I can't wait to start working in there... When I was expecting Peanut I teased DH my water would break while I was working out in my garden... I actually went into labor while organizing baby clothes trying to figure what we could use... My water didn't break till minutes before she was born... Maybe that joke will be true with this one... ::smirk:: I really want to catch up with my planting schedule... My husband on his next day off is going to help me add compost to my garden now that the fence is finished... I had my last 'doula' meeting before the birth... We went over my wants and things I don't want... We made sure everyone had the each other's numbers... I found out one of my doulas is expecting #4... How exciting... What a blessing for her and her family... She is about 8 weeks along and in the middle of the lovely 'morning' sickness phase... Look at our new resident who moved into our garage:

Isn't that neat?

Winding Down Wednesday

Well, we are winding down... Soon the new little guy will be here... I can't believe it... This morning I went to a meeting to discuss Monkey results for all of his testing... Good news is he will go to K in the fall and not be held back a year... However he is behind... So, he will have Speech, PT and OT in the fall... We are starting it up at home this summer to give him a jump start in help... So, maybe part way through the year we can drop one or all of them if he has caught up enough... He is average overall and slightly below average when each area is extensively looked at... We all agreed that some of his delay is probably due to the fact he is not around typical peers (no day care) and has his older brother as one of his primary role models to imitate... So, that's the latest with him... Now I just need insurance approval...Which I know will be no problem... Just a matter of making it official so the therapy people can start billing... The therapy people will come out to evaluate him to set up a plan of what needs to be worked on in their sessions and how often they will see him... Last we will pick days and times that work for each of the 3 different therapist to come and see him... The best part is they come to the house so no running around this summer except for Summer School for my oldest and Monkey is going to Safety Town... I've talked about Safety Town before... It is a program all K who will start in the fall attend during the summer... It is a 2 week program that teaches them about Police, Fire, Ambulance, and other Safety topics like crossing the street and riding your bike... We had our last MACH I (Mother's And CHildren) meeting today... It's like Catholic MOPS... It is only available locally... The curriculum is written by some ladies locally... They hope some time in the future it goes national but right now it's just in our two dioceses (ND and MN)... It was Spring Tea... So, we didn't have a lesson... We chatted, ate, and talked about our favorite books for two hours... Peanut has ST... We talked about what happen to her hand, about the possible any minute arrival of baby and whether she will be able to fit Monkey into her schedule... My oldest had OT... We talked about his needs... He only has a few more insurance approved visits so soon the OT will be gone too... His caseload is pretty full so he probably won't see Monkey this summer... We have seen quite a few different OT because of my oldest behavior issues so we will probably still have someone who is familiar with our family... They can address Monkey's issues with the knowledge of what my oldest issues are developmentally and how the environment is effect certain areas of his development due to imitating... I did finish my blessings hat... It is adorable!!!

Teaching Tuesday

I gave a knitting class this morning to my homeschool group... That was lots of fun... I started work on our little blessings hat... It's powder blue/baby yellow... I should finish it tonight... I stopped at the bank... I went and picked up a new boppy and extra cover at Target... My other one we had to throw out after it was became dirty and damaged... It was one of the old style without the removeable/switchable covers... I also dropped a DVD in the slot at the library... We ate the last of our Mother's Day cook out for lunch... Tonight I went to an API Support Group Meeting... The leaders had moved away but moved back so the meetings have started back up again... The leader is one of my doulas also... All in all it was a pretty quiet day... The 'overnight' lady watched my oldest while I was at the meeting... She then observed the bedtime routine of Bath, PJs, Story, and into bed to sleep... So, we are one more step closer to overnight...

Mother's Day

Sunday:
I rested most of the morning and then woke up and ready just in time to leave for Mass... After Mass I relaxed with the children outside... It said it was barely 60 but it felt great outside... My husband worked on remodeling... He did some staining of the wainscoting and trim... He put another coat of primer on the wall behind the couch... He also measured the window sill to the piece that would go on there... Children were all very dirty from playing outside so they all had a very quick in and out bath before we left... We stopped for a quick bite to eat for the children and my husband... I ate at the house while they were playing... They weren't hungry when I ate but were hungry now... Next we went to Lowe's to pick up that piece he needed for window plus some more trim... He took the children in to help him while I relaxed in the van and enjoyed the lovely weather... We stopped at Walmart... I ran by myself to pick up the VERY last thing needed for baby... A coordinating receiving blanket... It is perfect! I also picked up a 3 pack of cotton hats to protect his little head... He didn't have but one or two hats... None that were the every day kind... They matched outfits... Next we went to Target... I strolled around looking at this or that while they picked out my Mother's Day gift and a card from the children... They assembled a mini personal care/hygiene kit complete with bag from the 'travel' section... I will use that in the hospital instead of packing my regular size stuff... There are a few things to pamper myself in the 'kit'... So, that was cool... We grilled out steaks, hot dogs, and cheese burgers... We talked with family on the phone... My husband took the boys recycling while Peanut stayed home with me to recover from yesterday... All the children fell asleep quickly... We watched Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and a rerun of Star Trek (the original) before I headed up to bed...
Monday:
Peanut had her session this morning... We talked about what happen yesterday... I took her 'protect' winter mitten (reminds her to be careful and protects from bumps) off but she didn't use her hand at all... We were saying it probably take a while even after it is healed to use her hand again... Right now she is wearing a winter glove with fingers... She seems to use her hand a bit more... I went out and ran errands in the middle of the day... I stopped at the bank to pick up lunch money for my oldest and money for library fines... I can't stand even a balance of 10 cents on my or any of the children's accounts... My husband however can have $5-7 run up and I have to nag him about paying it off... You hit a balance of $15 and they freeze your account... It's 10 cents a day for late books and 50 cents a day for late DVDs... In our house when you turn 3 you earn the responsibility of a library card and can check out your own items... So, in just a couple months Peanut will have her own card... From birth to 3 I put things on my card... Today at the library the selection was AWESOME... I picked up a lot of great stuff for myself and the children... Next I stopped at the Respite office to drop off May and June Calendars that show the hours I wished staffed... I headed home to chill a bit and the phone rings... It's the fence people... They will be there in about 30-45 minutes to set the posts... I was like wow, ok... I met the out there and we went over where I wanted what... They started working... I picked my oldest... They finished setting all the posts right around nap time... Which I was glad because I barely keeping my eyes open... They will be back in a few days once the concrete sets... How long exactly will depend on weather conditions... It was a bit sprinkly this afternoon but not really enough to make anything that wet... It was in the mid 60s today... Overall a nice day despite the fact it was overcast and looked like it may rain on you at any minute...

Stitches Saturday

Yes, as the title suggests not a pleasant afternoon... I took my oldest out with me and we picked up his RX (we use the pharmacy down the hall from the ER) refill for the month... We then stopped at the store for milk, juice, eggs, and cheese... All the while the weather is horrific... There was a chilly wind with a rain and sleet/snow mix falling... Very miserable to be out in... I come home to my husband in an unpleasant mood... So, I'm running around trying to fix things and the two little ones come around the corner dripping blood... My husband completely loses it... I'm like it's bad enough they are crying and dripping blood... We need to at least try to stay calm... So, over to the sink to figure out where the blood is coming from... All my husband can say is how far behind he is and he can't miss work... I managed to clean up Monkey quickly and band aid him up... Peanut wasn't so easy... I'm trying to stay calm myself, calm Peanut, clean her up so I can fix what ever is wrong and my husband's only 'help' was complaining how could this have happen and if it doesn't stop you are going to have to take her to the doctor... Of course during the whole fiasco I'm catering to the boys lunch needs, helping my husband finish making 'our' lunch, and doing what needs to be done before he heads off to work... Which I didn't even have a chance to eat till almost 4 hours later... She has too small cuts on her fingers... Managed to have one under control but the 2nd just wouldn't quit no matter what I did... I started calling for help from people I knew around town... No one is answering... My husband finally goes out the door saying well call me if there is an 'emergency' and I can't miss work... My reply was don't worry I won't call unless I'm in labor... At that point was just ready to scream... I finally reach one who is quite frazzled herself and informs me it's Confirmation at the Cathedral... I'm like no wonder no one is answering... Finally someone calls back and can take my oldest while I make a trip to the ER... So, everyone bundles up to go out in the 'lovely' weather... I'm fighting off Braxton-Hicks saying you know giving birth is the last thing I need right now! I drop off my oldest and off we go... 2.5 hours later Peanut has two stitches... I receive care instructions and have to go back next Saturday to have them removed... I put a surgical glove over her hand for the ride home... Once home I put a winter mitten on her hand to protect it and remind her not use that hand... I'm saving the glove for bath time... She can wash it but not submerge it in water for any length of time... I ate a huge homemade cheese steak sandwich (lunch) and we all were out for a much needed nap... The braxton-hicks finally disappeared... The house is a disaster (toys every where) but it is going to stay that way... I've had enough excitement for the day and don't plan on going to the hospital for a 3rd time! So, I'm going to eat a huge dinner and take a nice soak in the tub... I'm then headed to bed to call it a day...

Frustrated Friday

I'm not sure what it is but I have the nastiest attitude lately... I'm short tempered and just down right irritated most of the time... I hate it! I don't know what my problem is... I don't like feeling this way... I don't remember feeling this way before the other births either... Despite the high gas prices I took the little ones for a mini road trip on the outskirts of town just to 'get away'... I felt a bit better after that but still a tad grumpy... I ran to the PO and mailed an eBay item... I also used my coupon from JCPenney that expires tomorrow... I bought two outfits for our new little guy... Retail $30+... I payed less then $6... How awesome is that... I still haven't been able to find a receiving blanket I like and that is making me mad... Feel like a clock is ticking for me to find and buy one before he arrives... I don't like feeling like I'm 'late' or going to be 'late'... I did find the perfect 'spring' jacket while out today... I also finally found Peanut a hat... When we all go out we like to wear our various ball caps and Peanut didn't have one... Hers is baby pink with Elmo on it... She has really taken a liking to him lately even though she never watches Sesame Street... She calls him 'el yo'... ::grin:: I probably should pick up some DVDs so she can watch him on the TV or set the VCR for Sesame Street... It comes on before we wake up in the morning... I also bought wipes because we had like 4 and Peanut was stinky... My husband reply was 'well, I'm going to the store tonight after work'... I said 'I don't think so'... I'm supposed to make it 12 hours with 4 wipes... Yea right... Today I met our new respite staff... I'm really excited and they are starting soon... The gal who is going to work Fri/Sat for us said she would fill in the every other Sun till they could find someone to alternate with the other gal who is taking Sat/Sun... How awesome is that! So, all the hours I requested are FILLED!!! We will actually have 18 of the 40 hours of May staffed... I'm psyched! Tonight was the Autism Support Group meeting... We meet once a month during the 'school' year with child care provided and have a few daytime 'family' outings during the summer months like indoor pool party, picnic at the park, etc... They had a Neuropsychologist speak about recent research that has happened, current studies going on, and what is coming up in the near future... We had a bit of Q & A session... It is one of our best meetings we have had... He's been all over the country and came from UC Davis before working here at our local hospital... I wish my husband didn't have to work and could have gone... It was really phenomenal... It was refreshing to listen to and ask questions of someone who has a CLUE! While we have some awesome services considering the size of our area (90K) it helps every now and then to hear someone who is from the 'outside' talk about what is happening in rest of the country and even around the world... Makes me very optimistic about my oldest son's future... Sometimes everything seems to be falling apart and we are powerless to stop it... So, despite my unnecessary sour attitude things are on a positive note...

Thirty Seven Weeks

The food lady came today and talked about how to plan menus, dry milk and potato flakes... Next time she will talk about when produce is in season... Not sure when I will have her come next... Sometime in June since the birth is well could be at any moment... I received a call today from our new respite service... They have 99% of the hours I requested filled... Staff will be starting soon... How exciting huh? We haven't had respite since March 16th when we left the previous company... So, it took about 2 months to switch... Our 'overnight' worker came and met with my oldest ST... He had a serious meltdown and didn't want anything to do with ST... So, it was for the best we discontinued services for now... We talked about many things and added some new pictures for the ST to make for his picture schedule... She just needs to laminate and add velcro on the last list... So, everything is moving right along with that... I ran a few errands... I dropped off formula to the pregnancy crisis center that I received in the mail... I won't need it... I picked up two pack of diapers for new guy... So, we will hopefully make it through the first couple of weeks... I stopped at Sears but they didn't have anything I wanted... I was looking for a receiving blanket to go with the coming home outfit... So, that was annoying... I probably go to Walmart and try to match something from another company... Sears had such a poor baby section... So limited in variety... I also picked up a blanket my husband dropped off at the cleaners last month... Dry cleaners have such odd hours... We had the hardest time arriving before they closed... They all close early on Saturday and aren't open on Sunday... Weekday hours are great if that works with your schedule but difficult if you are 2nd shift weekend person... I've been kind of stressed out lately... I think I will go take a relaxing soak...

Wok Wednesday

I had an appointment this morning... I weighted in at 200.4 lbs... We set up an appointment for them to see the new baby in July... I made homemade Chicken Fried Rice this morning... Doesn't it look delicious:

Here is the recipe... (stay tuned)

Telephone people came and marked the site for the fence company... All our clean up week is gone... We watched them load the front end loader twice then into a dump truck... They left only the fridge and we were gone when they took that away... Peanut had a good ST session... ST remarked she enjoys activities other patients dread and her attention span is excellent... She has really come a long way since their first session... My oldest didn't have OT today because of a scheduling conflict in the OT's family... My oldest assisted me with the laundry and dishes tonight... He is such a great helper... He really enjoys stepping in and giving a hand... Otherwise a pretty quiet day... A good day to rest...

Tasty Tuesday

I had my OB check up today... Everything is looking great... They did the GBS Test so I will have the results of that soon... She also checked to see if anything is happening yet... I'm 2-3 cm dilated and 20% effaced... I go every week now till I deliver... I stopped at the store and picked up some new flip flops... My crocs were making my feet sore because my feet are a bit fat from the pregnancy... So, I have nice comfy slip ons till I delivery then I can go back to my crocs... They are also useful for when I have a pedicure... So, I'm all set for summer... We had a big meeting about my oldest that involved the behavioral psychologist 'plan'... It had some good moments and others that were just annoying... The 'overnight' lady came and they did the afternoon routine together... He even napped a little bit at her place... So, that was exciting and a positive step forward to overnights... We had a really good rain storm... My husband put out the last tiny bit of the clean up week stuff... We went to the mall to pay my husband's CC and to the dentist to pay on our bill... We think they may be over charging us so we have a print out now and see if what has been paid for by insurance and what is possibly waiting for insurance to do their job... We seem to pay and pay but never pay it off... Very frustrating... We stopped at the library and Dollar tree... Next we picked up food at the grocery store for me to cook up some new recipes my husband found in some cookbooks we have... I took a late nap before starting on dinner... tonight I made homemade Moo Goo Gai Pan... Doesn't it look delicious:

Here is the recipe... (stay tuned)

Please Make Up Your Mind Monday

Sunday:
Mass, Lunch, more clean up week stuff... I made Tomato Crock Pot Roast... My husband for got Garlic yesterday so I ran up to the corner to pick that up to finish up the ingredients needed for the roast... We headed out to run errands late in the day... We stopped at the south library... They had an awful selection... So, I will have to go sometime during the week to beef up our weekly 'rental'... Next we headed to the Mall... I ran in and found the most adorable socks for my little blessing... Now his coming home out fit is 99% complete... Just want to pick up a receiving blanket in case it's chilly/sunny the day he comes home... What do you think? Isn't it just the sweetest set I put together:

My husband ran in to pick up the Mother's Day cards he needed... He then went to Sears to pick up stain for the remodeling... We stopped at the PO and mailed Mother's Day cards... I rested while my husband continued with clean up week and took the boys recycling... Peanut and I were sleepy while they were gone so we headed up stairs for a late nap... First we went through clothes in storage to see what could be used during the warm season... When I woke up everyone had been fed, bathed and put to bed for the night... My husband and I enjoyed a quite dinner together... He had made broccoli and garlic mashed potatoes to go with the roast I had put in earlier... We watched Extreme Makeover: Home Edition together... I fell asleep while my husband did some things around the house...
Monday:
Peanut had her session today... She did really well... Today I didn't do much of anything except relax from the busy weekend... We tried to figure out our electric/gas bill mess... Supposedly our meter stopped working during the winter and was fixed... They didn't notify us about it till 3 months after fact... ::rolling eyes:: So, we weren't billed because there was no activity... Then we were I guess over billed and they refunded us (we only see a partial refund on current statement) completely all the months that we 'off'... They did an 'estimate' for the 'off' months and now we are severely past due... They wanted $500 before the end of the month or they cut us off... We worked out a payment plan... Now we are up to date and not in any danger of disconnection... I called someone who works for the state to look into it and find out what is really going on... See if we really owe what they say... We are supposed to receive two updated bills with what we were refunded and how much we owe and whatever... So, that is annoying and stressful... Just when everything was going so well...

Spending Money Saturday

Today I shopped till I dropped... Our overnight worker came today and spent the afternoon with our oldest... We went to the library... We stopped and did a bit of shopping at a 2nd hand place... I found a great little tiny Cookie Cookbook... I also found Peanut an adorable Little People Car... It holds 3 'Little People'... She loves it! We then did some eBay shopping... To the dollar store to pick up some household items... I ran into Walmart... My husband stopped to pick up his contacts and then he ran into the grocery store... We headed home to unload... Monkey and I went out alone... We stopped at Target to pick up Binkies for the new little guy... I looked at outfits but didn't find anything I liked... We then stopped at the mall for Mother's Day cards... We nibbled on some cookies from Mrs. Fields and had a strawberry/banana drink from Orange Julius... After we had some mommy/son time with our treat... We stopped at the grocery store for forgotten items... We picked up Milk, Hotdogs, and Buns... We headed home... My husband worked more on remodeling... The living room is really coming along... He also worked on 'Clean-Up' Week stuff... We grilled out cheeseburgers and hotdogs since the weather was so nice... We made 'snackies' inside for dinner...

First Friday

Today was the 1st Friday of MAY! It is so hard to believe... The year is almost 1/2 over... I had my 1st Friday mommy group... We said the Rosary together... That was really nice... Different ladies took turns with each of the Mysteries... We then chatted about possibly about doing a book club type meeting during the summer... Where we read and discuss what we read when we meet... I'm not sure how active I will be this summer without help for my oldest and a newborn... I will probably be pretty MIA... I'm looking forward to the fall though when schedules are established and we are back into a routine... I'm sure this summer is going to be CRAZY!!! I ran errands today and mailed a few bills... So, that's done and one less thing I have to do before baby arrives... Monkey finished his testing today... I received my official invite to the results discussion meeting... Praying all goes well and they say K and not Pre-K for the fall... It was a pretty quiet and restful night... After a busy week I was glad to be home and have no where to go... I'm going to go watch This Old House & Ask This Old House from yesterday and Moonlight from tonight... Hopefully head to bed early... I still have a bit of a head cold lingering...

Thirty Six Weeks

Today I'm 36 weeks and have 28 or less days to go... I finished my medicine today for Bronchitis... This morning was Peanut's 2-9... We decided that she will attend Special Ed Preschool at the Public School 2 mornings a week adding a 3rd if necessary later... She will have ST only at school without any other adaptions or therapies... I will go back in August and sign her IEP and she will start school... So, right now she will have her bi-weekly private ST continuing till she 'graduates' and her weekly sessions with the EI people till she turns 3... At that time her EI sessions will end and she will only have private ST... Since her delay and qualifying 'disability' is her speech she will continue with private even after she starts school... The best case scenario is she will attend this one year and then stay home the following before attending K in the fall 2010... My oldest saw the psychiatrist today... Everything has been going pretty well so we made no changes and I only gave an extensive update and picked up Rx refills... We won't go back until mid summer unless issues arise... So, that's good too! Peanut had her ST today because her ST is going to a conference tomorrow... We talked about her 2-9 and current progress in her private sessions... Today was a pretty busy day... However the day went smoothly... I made homemade baked chicken nuggets with boneless skinless thigh meat today... I also made several phone calls... Now if I could feel 100% then things would be just perfect... I worked on 1st of the month homesteading paper work... I did a bit with the monthly bills... 15 Appointments/Events completed this week... 3 more to go...

Welcome Back Wednesday

I'm back!!!! Not 100% but well enough I can let you all know what is going on... My oldest was home all day on Friday... My illness continued to worsen so I canceled my oldest psychiatrist appointment... I didn't do but two things... I picked up Blessings car seat... I ran in quick to Walmart to pick out cough syrup for the two little ones who had very mild coughs but needed a little something... I road around and sat in the vehicle with the children while my husband ran in and out of places... My husband's friend (he's the wife of my friend expecting twins #7 & #8) came over they worked on remodeling in the living room... They made quite a bit of progress in the little time they were here... We will pick it back on next weekend... I wrote a little bit about Saturday... I was pretty much just miserable all day and night... I debated going to the doctor decided to wait because of the snow storm...
Sunday I decided enough was enough! I went to the doctor... They sent me up to L&D floor for observation for an hour because I had a headache and was dizzy (who wouldn't be with all that sinus pressure)... Baby and I both checked out fine... So, they released me... I went back downstairs to the ground floor to finish my doctors visit... He diagnosed me with Bronchitis... He gave me some medicine... I stopped at the pharmacy (located in same building) and headed home... My husband took the boys out for errands... Peanut and I took a nap or at least I tried to nap after I was medicated... My husband help me prepare and put homemade sloppy joes in the crock pot... I spent most of the day on the couch recovering... We missed the Potluck and Annual Business meeting for FMCHE... We had all been looking forward to attending...
Monday I took my oldest in to see the eye doctor... That was quite fun... ::sarcasm:: His appointment was almost 2 hours... The end result is he sees perfectly and doesn't need glasses at all... They dilated his eyes (took 20 minutes) and everything... I was impressed with the nurse working with the doctor... She either has worked with children like my oldest or she picked up instantly on our 'language'... She started talking how I talk with I work with my oldest and he is acting out behaviorally... So, I was glad to have someone who seemed to understand... That is the "hardest" part about parenting a child with Autism... Is finding people who REALLY understand what it means... Even other parents of children with Autism don't understand what it is like for another parent because each child can be so different... I know many people when they find out my oldest diagnoses they say things like 'oh that must be hard'... All that is involved is not hard per se... He has been like this for the whole time we known so many things we do we do because it's just the way he is and we don't know any different... It's the lack of having others who you can relate to and truly know what your life is like... Sometimes you feel very alone... It's hard to reach out and tell others about what is really going on because you feel that they would never understand (even though they 'say' they do) until they have experienced it first hand themselves... Peanut had her session while we were gone... I arrived just as she was leaving... My oldest had his last in home ST session... Due to his behavior she can no longer see him until he calms down... He is too much of a liability risk... She will still be available to consult... Tuesday:
I signed paper work for our 'overnight' service... I then stopped at the hardware store... I picked up new handles for the tub... Only to discover there were no screws to attach the new handles and we lost one of the old screws down the drain... So, I will have return that tomorrow... I headed downtown to refill one of my oldest RX... One of them was added at a different time so now I have to go to the pharmacy twice a month until I can move them closer together so they all together being refilled at the same time of the month... I stopped a picked up milk, eggs, cheese and juice because heading home... Monkey had more testing today... He still has another day before he finishes up... We then will meet to discuss the results... Tonight was K orientation night... I had our 'overnight' worker come to observe our family to give her a sense of how our evenings go... While I was at orientation with Monkey and Peanut... She took my oldest recycling... Which is located on the same block at the building I was in... So, she was with him but I near by in case she needed me... Everything went very well... We walked there and back... We made dinner and she had another family to work with so she left...
Today:
I had a meeting this morning with our new respite company... We should have staff up and running real soon... Right now I'm trying to figure out our schedule so they can fill it with staff... They like a concrete schedule vs me calling in a couple week ahead of time and saying oh can I have someone on this day and time... So, that will be a change... Nothing I can't work out though... The 'overnight' worker came today to observe how the after school routine works and observe talk with the OT... It was a really productive 2 hours... She learned a lot about our oldest... She is looking forward to watching him a few hours at her home and overnights will follow as everyone because more comfortable... Peanut had ST and did well... I was busy pick up the house to have it ready for the afternoon since I was out during the morning... So, I didn't really talk with the ST to much today about Peanut and what they are working on... I went back to the hardware store to find out the handles no longer come with handles... So, I bought 12 cents worth of screws... I installed one handle... The other is a bit more difficult... It has some old hardware that is not compatible with the new handles I have to remove... Before I can install the new handle... So, that is something I will need to work on... Tomorrow will be a regular message day... Sorry for the long publishing today... I'm glad to be back...

Sad Saturday

Well, this cold has turned into a horrible head cold with a nasty cough... A cough so bad it takes your breath away and you think you might suffocate before you stop and breathe again... Sometimes I think I will be sick because the cough is so violent... My nose is either constantly running or I can't breathe at all... Sneezes that make you dizzy... My head and body just aches as if I've been flattened by a steam roller...Right now just sitting in a semi upright position is extremly painful... I'm here alone with all the children because my husband has an odd working schedule... Not to mention the almost 1/2 foot of snow or whatever that fell yesterday... So, here I am sick, spouseless, and snowed in... I'm not feeling so positive at the moment... ::sigh:: I'm not sure when I will be back... Depends on how long this lasts...

Thirty Five: Weeks or Days?

Take your pick... Either guess is correct... I am 35 weeks today and have 35 days left... How interesting is that... My friend came over this morning and we met with the food lady... That was fun... She will be back in a couple weeks to help us some more... Today we talked about what we want to learn... We discussed dry milk and potato flakes... Other uses besides drinking and mashed potatoes... We also talked some about beans and ways to add them into foods unnoticed to help them stretch further... ST is still sick so she didn't see my oldest today... I had a meeting with the doulas (I have two now on board) and my friend... We spent almost 2 hours talking about the upcoming labor and birth... We napped late and I recieved an exciting call at the end that woke me up early... #4's carseat is in!!! So, I'm very excited and happy about that... I'm still battling a mild head cold and added a mild cough... Hopefully it won't last too long... I really want to be HEALTHY for a bit before I go into labor... The weather has been roller coastering again with warms and colds... I'm sure we will all be well once it stablizes and is just warm... I'm going to go rest and heal...

Why Wednesday?

I have yet another ill... I have a head cold... ::sigh:: Hopefully it will go away quickly... Peanut also has it and I caught it from her who orginally caught it from Monkey but he managed to escape with just a drippy nose for a few days... So, we are just passin it around... I'm trying not to take anything but may have to tonight if I'm going to sleep... I just tossed and turned during nap time... Luckily it was my quiet day this week... I dropped off my oldest... Stopped at the grocery store for the rest of today's meal I was making before my husband woke up for work... I made Chicken Roll Ups (recipe to follow soon)... I had all the ingredients prepared and was about to fix my husband a plate and opened the drawer to discover that we were out of foil... Something that never happens... My husband is always right on top of that and makes sure all our wraps are in ample supply... He said we ran out on Sunday when we used foil for our cookout... I'm like what? I would have thought he would have picked it up... He did go to the store Monday and last night... So, I ran back out for foil... I made our meal and it was as delicious as ever... I tried to rest and then picked up our oldest... He had OT... He did so so today... At times he was wonderful and other times he fell apart so it was an up and down roller coaster session... He did behave for the most part and his reward was some time outside even though I felt awful and wanted to lay down ASAP when the OT left... He did an amazing thing... I will try to take a PIC tomorrow in between the rain drops (predicted to rain ALL day)... He put the little dividers back in my garden that he had ripped out and threw around the yard the last few months since the thickest of the snow melted... He also put back all the plant markers which he pulled up in the boxes like they are labeling what is planted there... This brought a smile to my face and warmed my heart... I told him what a good job he did and how happy I was... I gave him a big hug... Through all the bad times he does so many amazing things that make me love him more and more... They are just a tiny peek into what he could really do... I just wish I knew how to 'unlock' they say in the Autism world so he could be that way all the time... He has so much potential but something is holding him back... We haven't figured out what that is or how to remove that obstacle... I can't imagine life without him... He is truly special!

Two Days Ahead

I had another OB check up... I'm 34 weeks and 5 days and measuring 35 weeks.. 2 days ahead... My BP was good, Blessing heart rate good, everything looks great... I go back in 2 weeks... My doctor is on vacation next week... I also need to be at least 36 weeks for my GBS test which will happen at my next appointment... Soon I will be down to every week until baby is born... I usually don't make it to too many of those weekly ones... It's like ok see you next week and then we meet in the delivery room a couple days later... ::smirk:: We went on a tour of the local newspaper with our homeschool group... A lot of stairs! Otherwise very interesting and I think the children enjoyed it... Monkey had more screening today... He worked with the Early Childhood Teacher today because the therapist had a meeting they had to attend... We go back to finish next week... Each of them has a small part of screening to do before sharing the final outcomes with me... So, he will see the Teacher, ST, OT and PT all for a tiny bit and be done... I'm interested to see what their 'official' findings will be... We had our meeting with our 'overnight' respite person today... If she likes us as much as we liked her I think things are going to be awesome... I can't wait to start working with her... She is really awesome! I made refried beans for a dish I'm making tomorrow... Otherwise quiet evening...

Moist Monday

Yesterday was Mass and taco lunch... We took some eBay photos of things we had bought recently... We then headed out to run errands... First it was to the library... Next to Home Depot to pick up some things for the house like more sheet rock mud... We headed to Walmart to pick up things for cook out, the house and clothes for the boys... We looked at 'hats' for Peanut but they were either too small or too big... Not sure what that was about... We stopped at the mall to pay my husband's bills and picked up my oldest a couple more summer shirts... Starting to build his warm weather wardrobe... He took the boys recycling while Peanut and I started preparing dinner...We grilled out chicken I had put in marinade yesterday... We also cooked the other 1/2 pack of hotdogs... We had enough charcoal to make baked on the coals potatoes... Everything was AWESOME!!! My husband did some primering while I did a couple small hardware home repairs... We watched a Betty Crocker DVD with some yummy recipes that advertised a cookbook we plan to buy...
Today we had our first spring 'storm' of the season... It was a good down pour a bit of lightening and some light thunder... Great for all the thirsty plants and ground... Peanut had her session this morning... She had me fix up her hair before the lady arrived... I forgot to take a PIC of her with one of her new scrunchies... The rest of the morning was sit around the house watching/listening to the rain... We are leftover cook out food with my husband before he left for work... We planned out what we would have after it was gone... ST called because she is sick and wouldn't see my oldest today... Did a bit of chatting on the phone scheduling appointments... One being that I had a feeling my oldest son's orthotics were due for a check up and didn't think I had set up an appointment before we left last time... I called and I hadn't... It is 6 months next month since he was last seen... He goes every 6 months for a check... Funny how things just pop in your mind... Not to mention his very worn shoes... He goes through 3-4 pair a year... Just wears them out... I was thinking he needs a new pair before summer... I don't like to buy them before his appointment in case they change his orthotics because the new ones must fit in the new shoes... It also helps the doctor to see what adjustments need to be made by the wear patterns on my oldest son's shoes... So, that is all set up... Hopefully I won't be in labor or go into labor... LOL!! Good thing is L&D is just a few feet away... I really love how our network is set up... Things are going to be so complicated in the regards of finding medical care after we relocate... Here it is so simple... I picked up my oldest... He had stopped raining and the son was trying to shine a bit... I ran to the bank and we spent the rest of the days indoors since outside was sooo wet... On the downside we lost the screw to one of the faucet handles on the tub... Now I have to go buy a new set a replace them... They were worn out but but we didn't really need another expense this month... Money for the car seat arrived today... I will be calling later this week or next week to see if it is in yet... If they don't call me first...

Garage Sale Saturday

Today we went to our first garage sales of the season... Things went quite well going out all 5.5 of us... I found an adorable jumper for Peanut to wear on 4th July... Maybe sooner if I can't resist putting it on her... I also found a mini pizza cutter handy item to cutting up foods for the children into bit size pieces won't damage a plate like knives... A Pampered Chef item called Measure All Cup... I wanted another one but couldn't see buying it at full price... Just a pain to wash if you use it for more then one item... So, that I'm happy about... My husband picked up several things himself... We stopped at the library and the dollar store... Picked up some more scrunchies for myself and some 'little girl' scrunchies for Peanut... The ones she had were really for an infant/toddler not an almost preschooler... We put a tiny bit of gas in the van... We did some recycling of items that have been laying in the van... We then went in the grocery store... I picked up a few things for some casseroles I found online... I will make one next weekend and share the results and recipe... I would make one for tomorrow morning but I think I'm short on cheese... We are having our first grilling out today... We are making deluxe cheese burgers (mushrooms, cheese, onion, tomatoes, lettuce, pickle, ketchup, mustard and relish), hot dogs and brats... 40 Days or Less till we meet our new little guy...

Full Friday

At least the day felt full... Didn't really have much time to sit down and relax on the couch... Took my oldest to the psychiatrist this morning... Things seem to be going well so we just sat and talked and didn't make any changes... I updated on all that is happening here in regards to possible services... We go back in a week... If things are still 'stable' we will space out the visits a bit more... We stopped at Hardee's so I could grab a bit to eat... The children had a bite before we left but I was busy dressing 4 people so I didn't even have a sip of water before I left... Children snacked on the potatoes while I had a sandwich and some OJ... They changed their containers... They are like 'milk' cartons now instead of plastic cups with foil tops... Their OJ always tastes better then anything I've ever bought in the store... Even when I buy the exact brand they sell... I haven't figured that one out yet... I dropped my oldest off... I took the little ones to return some books... Every time they go they have to pick up a new book so we had a stack... We grabbed some lunch and went to the park... We had a picnic lunch and looked at the river... We stopped at the potty then played on the playground for about an hour... We then took a nice slow drive through the park and the road follows the river... It was warm and peaceful... Peanut had ST... We spent some time outside at home and then picked up my oldest... We headed over to the Pre-K building so Monkey could have some more screening done... We were there about 90 minutes... While he was 'working' we played on the playground and wondered around the building... When my oldest went to school there it was the K building... So, it was fun to walk around and look at the places he had been... A large part of the staff are ones who worked with my oldest during his Pre-K years (Mar 03 till Aug 05)... They remember me expecting Peanut and bringing her in for a visit before Summer School ended the last year he was there before he went to K... So, it was fun for them to see everyone and how much they have all grown... They will be working with Peanut in the fall... Monkey had screenings in ST and PT today... They both said he did well but didn't finish all they need to do for a full assessment and make recommendations... So we are going back again next week to do some more... He also has OT which he hasn't done and may even meet with a Pre-K teacher for some 'questions'... The preliminary reports have positive results... Which I was very pleased about... We played on the playground a bit more and headed home for a much needed nap... The evening was quiet... It was sooo warm today I had to turn the air on in the house because the house was roasting...

Thirty-Four

Today I'm officially 34 weeks according to the 'wheel'... This morning I had a meeting with a possible new respite service... We will see how that goes... Also, received a call today about a possible person for our 'overnight' respite... So, it is looking like services may start falling back into place to help us with our oldest and give us some relief/support... I made hamburgers in gravy with fresh mushrooms and golden (skins left on) garlic mashed potatoes... I ran out to pick up some medicine for the little ones who noses are drippy due to the up and down weather we are having... I talked to a friend this morning on the phone who is expecting twins (#7 & 8) and it sounded like she could really use some help... So, I stopped by her home while out running errands during the lunch hour... I brought her mail up to the door from the end of the driveway, took a box she received downstairs and put it away... I did one draining dish tray full of dishes, put another set in the sink to soak and gave her some help preparing lunch for her children... I then had to head back to my family and see how they were doing... This morning after dropping off my oldest did some food shopping/picking up... So, we are well stocked minus fresh meat (have a couple small packages in the freezer)... So, it was a busy day... I was very tired when nap time came and fell almost instantly to sleep after reading an article about 'Natural Family Living'... I called and set up an appointment next week with local college's extension service to help re-learn or do better with budgeting, meal prep (using items I normally wouldn't like powdered milk instead of prepared milk) and pre-planning all to expand my skills and stretch our dollar a bit further since soon we will be a family of SIX on one income... They also have a lady on staff at the extension service who is knowledgeable in home canning and I will be meeting her later on once I have some things to can and I'm settled a bit with #4... I'm really excited about canning but cautious at the same time and think watching/working directly with someone instead of just trying to 'read' and do it as I go is better and safer! I had planned on attending an Autism resource fair at the college but was too tired and did quite a bit today... It was best I didn't over do it... I did too much this morning and felt it so I knew I needed to back off and take it easy...

Went On A Search Wednesday

I was up and drop my oldest off... I then baked some homemade bread for husband to have with his lunch today... The littles ones and I ate eggs, ham and cheese for breakfast... I made mine into a Breakfast Burrito... Yummy!!! We then headed over to my friend's, Krisanna, house so we could do some 'gardening' errands together... While I was out dropping my oldest off the phone had rang and it was the car seat people who I was meeting with tomorrow... Seems now that the car seat I had planned on buying new at a discount isn't going to happen so I went on a search to find one so my mom can send money to help pay for it... 43 days to go (or less) and all of a sudden I'm going to be car seat less! So, I ran into Kmart and they didn't have a car seat but they did have jackets for the two little children... That was awesome... We then headed to the garden center and picked up our Onion Sets... Next it was head to MN to check out the new Walmart... My friend hadn't been there yet... They sell seeds from the company I use... I stopped in Target on the way to check on car seats and walked right by the perfect coat for my oldest... So, spring jacket shopping is DONE!!! Woo hooo!!! Next we went to Walmart... I showed her the seat I don't like that is all 'funny'... ::smirk:: We had to stop at the potty a 2nd time for Monkey... Next we headed to the Garden Center or since this is a 'green' walmart the Outdoors something another they call it... Like changing the color of the Walmart and what it says on the outside changes the store... @@ Like at the 'blue' Walmart it is simply Food Center... At the 'green' Walmart it's Market... They both sell food... Whatever... So, we had a great time looking at the seed display and she picked up what she will need... We looked at hoses, gloves and hand held gardening tools... We found an adorable little set that is a trowel, rake and poker (great for poking holes in soil to plant)... We each bought a set...

She mentioned Baby Depot has an excellent selection of seats and that is where they bought theirs... So, after Walmart we headed there... They had the exact seat I wanted... So, here is the seat we will have in the next week or so... They didn't have any in stock and I have to wait for the rest of money to arrive any way... So, I'm on the waiting list and will have one on hold when they come in... Peanut had ST and my oldest had OT this afternoon... I chatted with a few friends on the phone but otherwise a quiet night...

Teeth Tuesday

I went to the Dentist this morning... I had an excellent periodontalreport... I had 8 sites of bleeding last time and zero today... I had 27 pockets and now only have 17 (smaller the number the better)... So, my mouth improved greatly... So, that was exciting... They did a periodontal treatment and cleaned/flossed my teeth... So, I'm good to go for a couple months... I ran to the PO to mail a package for my husband... I stopped at the bank to deposit an eBay money order... I also stopped at my favorite sub place for my favorite sub Pepperoni Melt... I called a friend of mine who advertised about needing a blender on Free Cycle... I have a blender which I use pretty much once a year... I use it to make a Strawberry Drink with Sparkling Cider on New Years and the rest of the year it sit above the dryer collecting dust... She will be on this side of town end of this week to pick it up... Today was Pay Day so my husband was off to work early... I stopped by a friends to give her a formula sample... I collect them and give them to the local pregnancy crisis center... I had found one when she was over but couldn't figure out what I had done with the other... I found it so I dropped it off... I then headed to the library... I didn't have enough time to do that before my husband had to go to work so I had to pick up the little ones... When I was in the library tossing stuff in the drop box I ran into another friend... I then headed way up north to drop off my signed proposal and down payment on the fence... So, we should have a fence going up in a just a few weeks... I can't wait... I started working on loosing the stakes so it's easy to take down before they arrive to install the new one... I headed back south to pick up my oldest... We hung out here for a bit and then headed to a meeting about a service for our oldest... As a reward for my oldest we recycled our phone books at the grocery store across the street...

Many Things To Do Monday

Yesterday was a busy day... Tried to have a quiet morning but the children were all crazy running around then Mass... We tried Domino's new 'Brooklyn' Pizza... It was ok... We also had Taco Shop to supplement the tiny pizza (we did order the large) we spit among the 5.5 of us for lunch... Next it was ready everyone to run errands... We tried to rearrage the seats in the van and discovered one of them is broken... It is safe to ride in but you can't remove it and we need to make more room... So, we will be taking it in to fix that before #4 arrives... We need the space that seat is taking and no one is going to sit in it so it doesn't need to be a 'seat' at this point in the van's life... I was also able to convince my husband the garage door opener is indeed 100% broke so I need to sumbit a request for service with the home warranty people about that so they can send someone out... We went to JCPenney where my husband exchanged shampoo... He bought one for blondes and requires gloves to use... LOL!!! He also ran in Sears to pick up more Primer... It is almost remodel season... We have done a tiny bit but not really into full swing yet because of the roller coaster weather... Next we stopped at the gas station before we were stranded... Off to the library we headed... We all went in there and found lots of great books and DVDs for the week... It was through town to the 'new' Walmart... We had hoped to use the boys' birthday money to pick them up some spring jackets and then use the rest for summer clothes but Walmart doesn't have jackets yet... Picked up some much needed items like grass seed, light bulbs (soft) for Monkey's night light, Diapers, Laundry Soap (starting to catch up after being so sick), and misc Food/Household items... We headed home and I made some homemade Chinese dishes... My husband took the boys recycling... I ran out and picked up Milk, Cheese and Juice... For Chinese we used our new WOK we bought at Christmas... It is a fancy one you season and don't scrub with soap... We seasoned it and I made Chicken Lo Mein with mushrooms, broccoli, peas, onions, and carrots... I also made General Tso's Chicken... Both were very delicious! We had planned on watching Baby 101 together but I fell asleep on the couch while he took out the trash and did some pre-kitchen clean up...
Peanut had a session this morning with her EI lady... We had leftover Chinese before my husband left for work... The fence guy came... Looks like a little over $500 for the fence job around the garden... I was hoping for more like $2-4 hundred but I think I can swing this... It's 50% due at signing and 50% due when they are done... It will take them about 5-7 days to do the job... They will be cementing the posts which I was impressed with... I figured they just dig a hole and drop the pole in... ::smirk:: I did some searching for spring jackets... I found some on sale at Walmart.com and will probably go that way... I'm still searching for peanut and not having much luck... So, that's kind of frustrating... My oldest had a fantastic day at his program and even more wonderful ST session... So, things are looking up... ::smile::

Slow Saturday

I didn't do much of anything... I stayed in my PJs all day long... It was a nice long relaxing day... I did some more de-cluttering... I read a few magazines... Among my favorites Faith & Family and Mothering... Still trying reorganize my 'hobby' life... Everything is such a unorganized heap! I'm hoping by doing this it will make it easier just to sit down and enjoy my various hobbies instead of looking at it going I don't even want to touch that because I have to do this, this and this before I can even start with the fun... Next week is going to be another insanely crazy week... 15 Appointments and who knows what else will be squeezed in before the week ends... I seem to be averaging 10 - 20 appointments weekly these days... I thought January was a busy month... LOL!! I just count my blessings every day that God has given me good health and reliable transportation to do all these things for my family... Many families aren't so lucky... I'm going to have bit more of R & R then head to bed...

Friday

Boy I really blanked yesterday about writing... I was very busy and wasn't near the computer much... I will have lots to write... I will try to update soon so check back...

Forgotten Thursday

I had a very long and busy day with no nap... Now I'm exhausted and had forgotten to blog... The children seem to be on a new schedule where they wake up 1-2 hours earlier then we used to... That is really making me tired before the day even begins... We went to Play Group and I had Peanut's 2-7 meeting... That is the meeting you have when your child is 2 Years and 7 Months to start the transition from Early Intervention into Public Preschool... Next month we will have the 2-9 meeting... Peanut is actually 2 years 8-1/2 months... So the 2-7 is a bit late and the 2-9 will be right on time... We also talked about Monkey... He will finish his testing and it will be decided based on scores if he should attend public preschool or go to K in the fall... I made crock pot pork today... I took a huge pork shoulder... Place it in the crock pot with cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, medium onion quarters and separated, baby carrots, potatoes and misc seasoning my family loves... Add about 2-4 C. of water and cook on low 8-10 hours or on high 4-6 hours until pork is done and veggies are tender... Pork should shred easily... Serve over egg noodles... I met with my doula I had with Peanut... I've decided at this birth I'm going to have two doulas and a friend... Each wonderful woman has something special to bring to this birth... I can't imagine one of them not being there... It was good to catch up with her... She had moved out of the area but moved back... We talked about my upcoming birth, SFG, Homesteading, and she set up so I could watch Business of Being Born before she left... I highly recommend this for EVERY woman whether she is in the child rearing years, passed them or has not yet entered them... It is a MUST SEE for ALL women! She also left me the DVD Baby 101 from House of Babies... My doula with Peanut and her husband are in the DVD as a couple particpating in the class... It is set up so you think you are sitting right there interacting with Shari Daniel's in person... Both were totally awesome and I so glad I had the opportunity to view them... I had wanted to purchase these informative resources but the funding wasn't available... So, I'm blessed to have such a good friend to share these with me... I helped my friend, Krisanna, design her SFG for 2008... She started late last year... So, we added some new crops... She is also adding a 2nd box to her garden this year... We are going shopping for the few supplies she needs next week... She is growing 12 different veggies and herb/spices... She will also have room for several flowers... 32 Square Feet is all her garden is taking up... SFG method is really awesome!

Let Gardening Season Begin

I ordered all my supplies and such on December 13th while taking advantage of a sale with the seed company I use...
So, here is what I'm growing this year:
Yellow Corn (64 plants)
7" Carrots (2 crops of 16)
Collards (7 plants)
Cucumbers (pickle when they are small and slice up when larger, 8 vines)
Pole Green Beans (8 vines)
Yellow Hot Peppers (3 plants)
Loose Leaf Lettuce (two varieties, 32 plants each)
Yellow or White Onions (haven't decided one thing left to buy, at least 2 crops of 16)
6-7 lb Pumpkins (4 vines)
Yellow Summer Squash (4 plants)
Cherry Tomatoes (2 plants)
Red Roma Tomatoes (2 plants)
Yellow Roma Tomatoes (2 plants)
Slicing Tomatoes (2 plants)
14 lb Watermelon (4 vines)
Misc Flowers in My Mary Garden (haven't decided that either)

194 Veggie Plants grown in 96 sq ft... That is the amazing results of SFG... If you want to know more feel free to email me or leave a message in the comment section with your email (if I don't already have it)... I'd be happy share all the awesome details with you... I co-taught a class last Summer to my homeschool group...

WOW Wednesday

I can't believe it's Wednesday... Where has the week gone? Only 50 days left or less till we meet our newest blessing... Today Monkey had a hair cut... Boy did he need it! The Barber also trimmed Peanut's Bangs... Wasn't that nice... So, they both look awesome... Hopefully my husband will be able cut our oldest hair because he needs a cut too! We stopped at the library drop box and tossed in a book... I also made a deposit at the bank... Peanut had ST and did fabulous... My oldest had OT... Since it was nice they worked outside a the picnic bench today... He did very well... I worked on my gardening plan... I hadn't updated it for 2008 or if I had I can't find where I saved it... 1st Available planting date is coming up soon... April 30th for my zone... I was all worried I had missed the date and was behind... So, that was good to know... However now I know a date and my garden isn't any where ready to plant... LOL!!! For those who don't already know I do Square Foot Gardening (SFG)... So, prep really isn't a big deal... It's more clean up from Fall because I was sick with morning sickness and didn't clean up like I should have at the end of season and then it snowed... I was like oh well... ::smirk:: Plus the children have really done a number on it... Especially my oldest... I contacted a Fence company today to see about how much a PERMENANT fence is to put up to keep the children out... Right now we have chicken wire and some thin fencing stakes... Well, it's had a very hard life... Un repairable and needs to be removed... ::sigh:: Just couldn't stand up to my oldest... Didn't have a chance... Hopefully the fence won't kill my budget! I don't need much since I have a small garden (Thanks to the SFG Method) of about 11' x 20'... I don't know what the going rate for fencing is either... We may have to put up our own if it is too much... I really don't want to do that again!

Tons Of Improvement Tuesday

Wow... I can't believe how much better I feel... I felt awful! Today I'm almost 100%... It feels soo good to have improved and feel so good... I really want to enjoy these last few weeks because before I know it my little blessing will have arrived... I had my 32 wk 5 day appointment and I'm measuring 33 weeks... He appears to be head down and heart rate was 140... So, he is doing fantastic... I'm excited to meet him... My other children have been extra snuggily lately... I love all that cuddle time... Soon it will be the children and I snugglin with a little angel... I know they are excited to meet their new sibling... Asking questions about how the baby is going to get out, if it hurts, will it be scary... I've never had any questions asked before from a sibling so this is new... Peanut's newest word is WHY? It's a very high pitch... Why? why? Why? It's soo adorable!!!
Here she is in her 1st ponytail:
We finally both felt well enough to put her hair up again yesterday...

She loves being just like 'Mama'... She touches her ponytail and says 'Mama hair'... ::grin:: She is also modeling one of her new jumpers for spring/summer as well... I'm not sure if she was more excited about her hair or her new jumper... LOL!!! So, today I went out to fill up my empty van... Despite the illness I've still haven't canceled much and still been doing a lot of driving... So, it was reaching that little orange area before you run out completely... I also stopped at the local health food store for some Papaya Enzyme Tabs to help with this lovely heartburn... Eating Papaya works better so far but that is a bit pricey so the Tabs will have to do till it's in 'season' maybe after a few doses it will be more effective... Otherwise picking and dropping off my oldest I didn't really go too many places today... It was my 'quiet' day of the week... I rested and recovered then planned out the rest of my very busy week... It feels good to be back and chatting with you all again...

Trip to ER and other Woes

I'm feeling a bit better after an ER visit but still not well enough to write... I hope to update and be back to writing daily soon!

Saturday

Hopefully I will be able to write tonight and update all or lack of all that has been happening this week...

Friday

I'm sorry... I'm going to have to skip another night...

Thursday

No message tonight... Maybe later...

Wednesday

I'm sorry there will be no message tonight...

Tuesday

Will update later... Nap time... Zzzzzzzzzzz...