Contractions!

EEeeekkk! I'm having contractions. I called my OBGyn this afternoon, of course I totally forgot that today was Friday and they close up shop early. :( I had to call the Medical exchange and get the on call Doctor. Thankfully he was still in his office and I spok with his Nurse.

She told me that I need to time them and that when they get to be around 5 minutes apart and I have a minimum of 5 an hour (which doesn't add up) to head into L&D.

Well, low and behold about 3 hours later they stopped. I'm so glad that I didn't go in. :) I guess I really over did it at Andrew's field day yesterday...

Andrew's 1st field day!

He had so much fun today! I remember going to all of Cecilia's field days. This one was a bit different though. When we lived in the other city while Cecilia was in elementary school they always included water activities. Well this new city and different school system decided this year that they would do an olympic type event.

It was near 90 degrees out today and the kids were outside all day long! I was DYING! I suggested to Andrew's teacher that they should plan for water activities next year.

James even got to participate in some of the events, so he had a blast! Turned out to be a great day!

Oh the power of prayer!

I didn't grow up in a very religous house hold. I was baptised Catholic at 4 weeks old and that's about as far as my religious education went until I was a Senior in High School. During that time, I really knew that I wanted to have a nice church wedding some day and wanted to be married in my faith; but unfortunatly I wouldn't be able to do so until I made the sacrament of 1st Communion and Confirmation.

So, I drove my sister and myself to religious education classes and made 1st communion and confirmation in one year. I was so excited, and the Bishop of our diocease called me Smily (like a lot of people have over the course of my life). A few years later (3 to be exact) I married my DH in a full catholic mass at our church.

All the while I didn't feel as though I fit in totally with my faith because I felt ripped off from not going to RE classes and learning how to propperly pray. I still to this day don't know how to pray the rosary and I'll be 35 in September... Due to this I never properly learned how to pray. I really never did much praying at all really.

When my Mother in law was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer I prayed like I've never prayed before. She survived and has been in remission since January 2008.

Well, things got kind of rocky with my "day job" and there was concern that we might not have any funds to keep going full steam through the end of July. Our 4th child is due July 1st and that would have meant that I would have to find a PT job at nights leaving a newborn home with my DH in addition to our 3 other children. Not the best situation, but one that we'd have to muddle through.

I enlisted the help of friends and family as well as my church's prayer chain to pray for my job and our family to make it through this tough financial time. Low and behold, 3 days later we received good news that our client was going to keep us on and not cancel!

Praise Jesus! God is gracious, God is good! Thank you to all of my friends, family and others I don't know for praying for us during this tough time. I continue to pray that things will get better so I don't have to worry about income after baby Joshua gets here.

TGIF

Thank God it's Friday and Thank God that I got to sleep in today! :) My sleep pattern is so screwed up. Glad that Andrew has no school today or Monday for Memorial Day holiday.

Now, if I can just get my kids to not fight at all today I'll be an extremely happy camper! Ha ha! Yeah, right!

So, I managed to get two loads of laundry done and a ton of stuff done for work. I've been pretty productive today. Yay me!

I have an 8th grader!

Holy cow where did the time go? My Cecilia's last day of 7th grade was today and she's officially an 8th grader! Not only that, but she's in the local news paper for having A/B honor roll!

I couldn't be prouder!

Happy Trails!

This is too cool. Last school voting session our school district (Parents and School board) voted to initiate "Happy Trails" for middle school students. Basically if any student in 7th or 8th grade passes the TAKS test (standardized testing in Texas) will get out 2 weeks before all other students.

Well, I got a letter in the mail today announcing that my lovely daughter passed all three TAKS tests for 7th grade and she's been granted "Happy Trails". I'm one proud Momma!

Her last day of school is tomorrow and won't go back until the end of August. Too cool!

Way to go Cecilia!

32w6d appointment

Wow, I cannot believe that tomorrow I'll be 8 months along! EEEEkkkk! I'll have Joshua here and in my arms in 6 weeks from tomorrow. OMG! I have absolutely NOTHING! Well, I have his crib & bedding (Thanks to my Mother in law) and thanks to my Brother and Sister in law, a car seat.

I still need to get a pack N play or a bassinet, I need clothes, I need more cloth diapers (I think I'm going to be shopping on eBay later). Oh my goodness, so much to do and yet it seems as though I've got so little time.

I was doing the math while waiting for my OBGyn this morning and I'll be full term on June 17th. That is when I'll be 37 weeks even. I had both the boys at 37 weeks (not even, but in the 37th week) which is entirely possible could happen with Joshua too. That being said, Father's day is that Sunday (June 21st) and wouldn't it be the coolest thing to have Joshua on Father's day?

I guess we'll have to see what God has planned for us.

Too cool!

Oh man the siblings class tonight was so worth the $15 that I spent! The kids really had a good time, even Cecilia my 13 year old (I kind of thought that she'd be a bit bored with her being the oldest of all the kids there and all).

When the tour started we headed up to the L & D floor. They took us around to the nursery first and we got to see a brand new less than 5 minute old newborn. Andrew was so intrigued by this new baby, he was so focused on what the nurse was saying and just soaking it all in.

After we visited the nursery, we went to a postpartum room where the nurse explained to the kids that this was where their mommy and their new babies would be staying either for 1 night or more. She went into detail about hand washing and how it would be their responsibility to make sure that anyone who comes to visit their new baby MUST wash their hands.

She explained how Mommies bed has lots of buttons and neat things to push but that they really shouldn't push them or they could hurt Mommy. She also showed them the call for help cord in the bathroom and explained that they really shouldn't pull on those cords or a ton of people are going to come flying into Mommy's room. :) Mine will! Ha ha!

After we toured the room, we went by the nurses station which is where the kids get to come after their baby brother/sister's are born and they get a wrist band to wear that says their a big brother/sister.

We then went into a room where we watched a video with Arthur and it was about his new baby sister (did you know that Arthur is an ant eater????). Then the nurse brought out these anatomically correct life sized baby dolls for each of the soon to be big sibilings. She taught the kids the proper way to hold their new baby and taught them how to change a diaper and swaddle the babies back up.

After that was done, she gave each one of the kids a certificate claiming them to be a certified big brother/sister and they got a plastic tumbler that said "I'm a Saint" and in smaller wording "David's big brother/sister". They also got 3 finger puppets and cassette tapes with the children's singer Raffie (sp?). Too bad we don't have a cassette player...

Anyway, Cecilia really enjoyed the class more than I thought she would and Andrew really got into it. James, well he's just 4.5 so I wasn't really expecting a lot out of him but he really liked getting to wrap up the baby and change her diaper (we got a girl, and the funny thing was that he kept on taking the diaper off to see her girl parts).

Now we just wait!

The big siblings class!

WOO HOO!!! It's tonight! I don't know who is more excited, me or my Andrew. :)

The class starts at 6:00 in the lobby of the hospital, so we're going to head out of here a bit early to make the drive (and fight that lovely traffic).

The last time we had a child in the siblings class, Cecilia was almost 7 and I was pregnant with Andrew. That was 6 years ago. When I was pregnant with James, Andrew was too young to participate and Cecilia had just done it a few years before so we didn't sign her back up.

When she took it they gave us a tour of the hospital which included the birthing rooms, PP rooms and the nursery (we didn't get to go in, but we got to see it from the outside). Then they took us down to a multipurpose room and they had life sized newborn dolls that were anatomically correct.

A nurse then showed all the kids how to properly hold their new sibling and to avoid the soft spot on the top of their head and how to help Mommy change a diaper. Afterwords, each sibling received a certificate stating they were a certified "big brother" or "big sister" and they got a tumbler stating the same thing and a pencil. It was the neatest thing!

I'm guessing they'll do the same thing this go around; maybe something different but I haven't told the boys about that dolls and the certificate and all. I can't wait for tonight, I need to remember to bring my camera.

Ugh!

So I was running to the grocery store yesterday and on my way there I passed by this one house that I've passed a gazillion times before. I just happened to look up and saw this:

I took a picture of it with my phone because I just couldn't believe my eyes (sorry it's so grainy). Can you tell what that is on top? It's the AMERICAN FLAG! WTF? All that is left is just the side seam of the flag, the rest is gone.

Uh, don'tcha think it's time to replace the flag? Unbelievable!

E gads...

I 'think' I have a cavity. :( This sucks big time too because I've got 6.5 weeks until I deliver and I absolutely detest having any dental work to begin with. I guess I need to make an appointment. I just hope to God that I don't have to have a root canal done. I don't have the money for that right now, but at the same time the tooth in question is pretty viewable when I smile and would hate to loose it.

Where is that money tree I planted?

I've got cankles!

Eeeek! I was hoping to hold this off as long as possible, but a las.. I've got fat ankles! I'm starting to retain a little bit more water. Nice . . .

32 weeks and 1 day along

Well, here goes nothing. I'm sitting at 32 weeks and 1 day. I've got less than 7 weeks until my scheduled c-section and I'm dying! :) I look like I've swallowed a beach ball!

Looking at the side view, I think I've definitely dropped...Hmm... Let's compare.

Here is me at 7 months on the left, 7.5 months in the middle and me just 5 days shy of 8 months.

Note, the picture in the middle and the picture on the right are take 1 week apart from each other... Look at how much higher I was just a week ago. Then again, I guess I look to be the same as I was at exactly 7 months. Hmm...

Less than 7 weeks to go!

Holy Crap! My ticker says 6w6d to go! OMG! Is that really true? Is it really 6w6d until July 1st?

Eeeeeeekkkkk! I need to get my butt in gear! I've got so much to do. I still need to buy the rest of my toiletries and pack my hospital bag.

Joshuas room isn't even finished yet. E gads!

Holy Crap!

I cannot believe Danny didn't make it to the finals! WHOA! Never thought it'd be Kris and Adam.

Wow! I'm pulling for Kris (I can't STAND Adam).

Go Kris Go!

My AI prediction

I predict that the final 2 will be Danny and Adam. I cannot stand Adam and I don't see how he's going to be able to pull off an album of screams and whatnot.

I thought that the second song that Kris sang was absolutely Awesome, but I don't think he's confident enough to make it to the top 2.

I guess we'll see!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all you lovely Mothers out there.

I told my kids that I didn't want anything (no cards, no flowers, no gifts) for Mother's day, I just wanted them to get a long for one weekend...

Did I get that? Nope Oh well, I tried. ;)

Got a Diaper bag order!

Double WOO HOO! I had another request through my Etsy shop for a custom made diaper bag.

She said she wanted black and white matrial, not animal print though. She said she would like either flowers or dots or something like that but NOT animal print.

I headed up to Joanns and found this

Is that not the cutest fabric? It's black and white flowers. They almost look like hibiscus flowers or Pansies (well, maybe not pansies).

Anyway, she wanted to have nylon strap reinforcement but not showing, so I found black nylon that's 2" thick that I'm going to cover with the black interior fabric. I have until June 30th to get this complete.

I think I'm going to go back and get more to make me one! :)

My 1st Etsy sale!

WOO HOO! I am so psyched out! I had a guy contact me yesterday wanting me to make him a custom onesie for his wife. He then asked for another one for the grandmas.
After we worked out all the details, this is what I've come up with

I ended up meeting him outside a Barns & Nobles in Austin because he was leaving that afternoon with his wife and son to go and spend Mother's day with his family out of town. I was a bit leary about meeting up, but he showed up and I delivered my items to him.

I even packaged them really cute with a light blue ribbon around them. I thought it looked cute. I then asked him how he found my Etsy shop and he said he did a Google search for custom onesie austin, tx and there I was! How cool is that!

I didn't even have to pay for advertising! Double WOO HOO!

Here we go again.

So, I cannot remember my old blog login for the life of me. :( Bummer because it had a ton of stuff on it. Oh well. I guess I'm starting over.

Dig in and enjoy!