Musings of a Homemaker

Third and the Fourth

2016-03-14T14:05:00.001-06:00

Dear Little Ones,

You're not old enough to go to school like your big sisters. Let's snuggle and play. The days, yes, they can be long, but the years are short. So let's snuggle and play.

The last of my babies. Let's snuggle and play.

Your cherub cheeks slay me. Let's snuggle and play.

Your giggle melts frustration. Let's snuggle and play.

Pile on my lap like a couple of puppies. And let's snuggle and play.

Four is so big and almost-two is on your heels. So let's snuggle and play.

After all, the days can be long, but the years are so short. Those big sisters at school have taught me so well, that the best thing we can do on these lazy drizzly Spring days is simply to snuggle and play. I love you, sweet babies.

Mommy

Spring Confessions -- Steam of Consciousness Style

2016-03-03T23:23:00.003-07:00

Confession: My blog thought I forgot about it.

That is neither our tree nor our house in the above photo. Unless you look behind that foliage.

Those kids? They are ours.

We moved. Then we moved again. We had a baby. Moved again. ...Since the last time I touched this blog.

That would be four daughters, if you're counting. Maybe one of these days we will be good at the girl thing. ;-) ;-)

I miss this space. The one in the blogosphere.

We bought a house. An old house. Six months ago.

We tore large portions of it down to the studs. I wish I had chronicled that journey all along.

I have photos. I think I will write about it anyway. Now that my body doesn't ache from it all.

There is so much left to do though, that I think it will be fun to record along the way from here on out.

Plus, cute kids, right? <3 br="">
~ Amelia

Homeschooling! And Some Misc. Nonsense

2012-08-23T07:55:00.000-06:00

See what came in the mail yesterday!? Princess and I are pretty jazzed about the upcoming school year at home. She won't be five until the end of next month, but we decided to go ahead and start Kindergarten this year since she's chomping at the bit to learn "everything about everything" (her words). I've been doing some casual stuff with Princess, just working through one book, the past few months so that now she is doing some simple independent reading. Now we're going to jump in with both feet! I'm sure I'll have more to say on homeschooling at a later time. For now, suffice it to say that we are excited!

In other news, my lil Bug came down with a fever sometime during the night yesterday. She then spent the entire day making a pathetic low pitch "m" sound to let me know that she felt crummy. We spent so much time snuggling and rocking like in the above photo. I hate when little ones are sick, but at the same time it is absolutely precious that they become so cuddly when they are. I made dinner at 3 p.m. while Bug was snoozing so that I'd be free to snuggle more when she woke up. It made for a pretty smooth evening which is awesome.

How is this allowed at 7 1/2 months?

Granted, Bug is not breaking any records here, but she's hitting certain milestones a bit sooner than her sisters, so I sit back and look at her in amazement. I think she's anxious to run around like they do. It looks so fun, all the running and giggling you know.

And here is a sweet pic I stole of my Smooch the other day napping in my bed. For nap time, I've been separating the girls and it works out nicely that way, especially since Princess doesn't actually fall asleep anymore and just has a short rest time, and Bug's afternoon nap time varies a bit more than the big girls'. So Bug gets her crib in the girls' room, Princess gets the playroom/guest room, and Smooch sleeps in Mommy's spot. And with that, we are all out of bedrooms around here during nap time. ;-) I am so thrilled that they all lay down at the same time for at least part of nap time each day. I work very hard to build in a little mommy break to each of our days and it is so worth the effort.

We went to a community group at our new church this past Monday. It made us miss our Albuquerque friends so much! I think we're going to love this new group though, and there were a couple little girls close to Princess' and Smooch's ages. They got along great! A couple of the moms also homeschool, but they homeschool older boys. I am really hoping to find a group of like-minded mommas with whom I can do some age-appropriate field trips this year, but finding any homeschooling moms around here is a great start.

Lastly, I think it's worthwhile to mention that I got a steam cleaner. With all this moving we have been doing, and having to clean twice for each move since our new house is never up to my standards (and I am no clean freak), it made sense to get some of our own deep cleaning tools. Think of all the money we could have saved if we had bought a carpet cleaner a few years ago! Oh well. Anyway, I love my little steam cleaner so far! I think that it is having to take the dirt off these tile floors one or two layers at a time because they were previously so neglected. I'm so happy that the floor no longer turns our feet black, and I no longer have to get down on my hands and knees in order to reach a satisfactory level of cleanliness. Oh the life of a renter...

Happy Thursday! We're off to a well child check for our eldest this afternoon, with appointments for the next two tomorrow. Of her upcoming appointment, Princess said last night, "Yahoo! Going to the doctor is my favorite thing ever in the whole world!" She was being completely sincere. Think we need to make some CA friends already? ;-)

Slow Down My Lil Buggie!

2012-08-18T23:33:00.000-06:00

Our Buggaboo at 7 months

Something happened yesterday. I knew it was coming but I wasn't entirely prepared for it to happen so soon. Yep, Bug pulled herself into a standing position. She hasn't begun to officially crawl yet - although she did take three little crawling "steps," finally using those legs to go forward not backwards just today - but she is very close. I've been saying that for two weeks. Hence the fact that I was blindsided by her sudden determination to stand up.

Now we are doing that infamous dance. The one where she pulls up in her crib but screams because she doesn't know how to get back down. Yeah that one.

I guess she is just determined to catch up to those cool big sisters, who by the way think she is becoming more delightfully fin everyday.

Too bad no one is happy in either of these snapshots. Oh well. ;-)

We moved almost exactly one month ago now, and already Bug has sprouted two teeth, started dabbling in the consumption of solid foods, and manages to roam around the living room. Slow down my lil Bug! I'm almost out of breath trying to keep up with all the change.

Happy Birthday to My Favorite Guy

2012-08-18T23:12:00.002-06:00

Clayton's birthday was this past weekend, and we had loads of fun, and visitors! His dad and step mom came for the weekend, followed by a visit from his sister and nieces. We had so much fun hosting our first visitors in our California home. We still don't know the local area very well yet, so we weren't sure what to include in our "tour," but I think everyone enjoyed seeing the date farm where we all enjoyed date shakes.

Cousins at the date farm

A Princess and her Papa.

It was so nice to be around family. :-) That was really the best birthday present for my husband. I think it's safe to say that the only downer the whole weekend was this:

Yikes, right? Wishing you many lower numbers on your own temperature gauges.

Crafting With Strangers

2012-08-09T17:25:00.000-06:00

When you move to a faraway land of strangers, I have learned from experience that the absolute best thing you can possibly do is jump in, feet first and with the gusto of someone who is planning to live in said location permanently.

So today I went to a ladies coffee/Bible study/craft morning at the church that we checked out last Sunday. It is amazing how lovely it can be to sip, read and craft with a group of complete strangers. Then again, I think this is something special that the family of God has going.

John 13:34 - 35

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

It was wonderful. And my kids were in good hands too. A sweet lady even rocked my little Bug to sleep for me. All I've wanted to do since I got home is decorate flip flops and make cake pops, but I played with my kids (something I want to be better about doing), dabbled in the art of housecleaning, finished setting up Bug's crib (in the girls' room!), and read stories on the couch with Princess and Smooch until Smooch turned her head and closed her eyes. It was both sweet and funny to have her fall asleep on me during story time. I suppose it was past her usual nap time by about an hour.

In other news, Bug has been sleeping like a CHAMP at night all of a sudden. She's been on and off with sleeping through since about 3 months old, but she's really been hanging on to 2 a.m. for the past month or so. Not good. Two nights ago, she started rolling over to sleep on her stomach and she's been sleeping until 6 or 7 a.m. I feel like a new woman. And it's only been two days. If she keeps this up, I may conquer the world by the end of next week.

Also, Bug got her first tooth immediately after we moved to California. Then a second tooth about a week after that. See in the above picture? My baby is growing up. We even started her on solid food the other night. :-)

Behold, a video with terrible lighting, but a very cute baby nonetheless.

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Happy almost weekend. My hubby's birthday is this weekend and we're having guests. For this reason, I will get off the computer and go do something more productive. And also I need to make dinner. :-)

Once Upon a Time I Was Smart, a Satire

2012-08-08T15:36:00.000-06:00

I will admit it. I was one of those annoying students for whom good grades in school came easily. Or so it would seem. I'm pretty sure my peers hated me for it. I can still hear kids jeering as my 7th grade science teacher announced, "We had ONE perfect store on this test." I did not then, nor do I now not consider myself smarter than anyone. I think everyone has an tremendous ability to learn, and some people just don't thrive under conventional learning methods. I just happened to have the gift of a sharp short-term memory, which worked out splendidly in the traditional classroom.

My classmate's mom once told my mom that if I didn't go to college and do something great in the workforce (or something along those lines), I would be wasting my brain. Thankfully I have parents that are just as enthusiastic about the many other ways a person can contribute to society as they are about a college-bound kid with sky high dreams, so the pressure was off.

Still I went to college. Then I went to more college. No, that is not permission to ever correct my grammar. :-)

Then I had kids.

It started with that first pregnancy. My brain cells began dying off one by one. Then sleep deprivation and the brain fog set in. Three kids later, it's all I can do to remember to mail off a birthday card to a faraway sibling. A week late. I stammer, grasping for the correct English word in conversation. I can't remember the last time I washed my hair. Oh wait. That's a separate issue.

Then today Princess and Smooch were fighting over a particular train car, specifically the yellow one that transports the wooden circus animals. I was about to give my "taking turns" speech, when suddenly I remembered: we have two of those train cars. I just saw the red one a few days ago...hold on a second...*digging through toy box where I know I tossed it*...right HERE!

And that's the thing.

Once upon a time, I was smart. Then having babies killed many brain cells; however, I still maintain the uncanny ability to retain information like the whereabouts of any and all small girl items. As a result, my kids actually think I know everything because I can find all of their stuff. Therefore, I am not wasting my brain as this is both an important and practical skill that requires intense mental power. Likewise, it takes incredible intellectual prowess to successfully coordinate the nap times of three small children in order to make time for doing important things like write this awesome blog post. The End.

A San Diego Seventh

2012-08-06T16:29:00.000-06:00

Since we arrived at our new California home on July 17th, it is amazing that either of us even remembered our anniversary with boxes and our belongings strewn about, fogging up our brains. But we managed to remember far enough in advance to reserve a hotel in San Diego, for my stud to ask for Monday off of work which they amazingly granted him being that is was quite last-minute, and off we went for the weekend! We met up with Clayton's cousin (who goes to school out there) for dinner, shopped IKEA the next morning for Mommy's wish list, and played on the beach all afternoon.

What!? You mean we're not supposed to bring our children on anniversary trips? That wasn't our first choice either, but circumstances being what they were, it was either put the kids to bed early and enjoy a romantic evening at home or make a weekend family trip. We chose the latter, knowing that we could always put the kids to bed early and have a nice evening at home any time we want. :-)

We really enjoyed reminiscing about our first anniversary which we also spent in San Diego - how we fell in love with GPS for the first time, having dinner in Little Italy and witnessing the excitement when Italy won the championship, wearing ourselves out at the San Diego Zoo and Sea World so that our afternoon nap didn't end until 4 a.m. (Oops!), our funny cheap hotel, and the freedom of our short-lived pre-children era.

One thing we also talked about is that we are so GLAD that we have done so many things and visited so many places together. We really have a lot of special memories in seven short years of marriage. Even now that we have a little brood of children, we are so glad that we take the time and effort to make all the trips we do to visit family and take short weekend trips together close to home. We really think it is effort, time, and money well spent since these are years that we will never get back. I'm so glad that my love and I are on the same page with that. We are having fun in this life we've created together. :-)

Another special thing about our mini vacation was lil Bug's first trip to the beach! She let the sand fall through her fingers dozens of times before I determined that she was going to be our one baby who didn't try to eat sand. No sooner did I say that then she started gagging and choking on a nice fistful of the gritty stuff. So...never mind I guess. :-)

The weather was pretty much perfect. It started off breezy and cloudy but then the sun finally burned off the clouds and shone through. I think it topped out at 83 degrees that day, 25 degrees cooler than our house. HA! I was almost cold. :-)

Princess really enjoyed making a sand castle. We didn't have any sand toys, so instead of buying some we just brought along some plastic cups and spoons. The kids were thrilled with them. My Stud and I took turns taking our two big girls to the ocean to play in the waves. The favorite ocean game remains "wait for the surf to get close to your feet and then turn around and run away from it without getting wet." We played that up until it was time to leave. Smooch was less keen on the ocean than Princess but she was happy to play while safe in Mommy or Daddy's arms.

It is also worth mentioning, so that I never forget, that I ate possibly the best burger of my life for dinner at Hodad's before we headed home. Too bad I didn't photograph that lovely event.

Happy SEVENTH Anniversary to my favorite man in the whole world, my best friend and love. Let's do this for 70 more years. And next year, let's leave the kids at home. ;-)

Californians and All That

2012-08-02T16:10:00.000-06:00

It's been so long since I've fallen off the blog bandwagon that I don't even know where to begin. I guess I'll go with the most obvious update: we moved to the grand state of California. Just nine short months after we moved to Albuquerque. Yes, just like a pregnancy. Only not. You don't want to get me started about all the things I do not love about yet another move, so I will try to focus on the things I do love about it.

I love our new house. And I mean way more than "like."

We are close enough to Disneyland to take a day trip.

Likewise, we are not too terribly far from the coast! (for me, for the first time in over a decade)

We are much closer to our Phoenix family than before.

It is a little fun (satisfying?) to set up house and purge a bunch of stuff we don't need.

With our new move, and with being decidedly less pregnant than I was for our last move (as in not), and with being officially out of the life with a newborn phase for awhile, I am determined to be good little blogger again. I hope to chronicle our family's journey a little better than before, but if I'm honest I will probably just write about whatever I feel like, as always. :-) Soo here's hoping I feel like jotting down some fun memories of life with the kids and such! I really do love to blog for a lot of reasons.

I like to record memories that I can revisit.

I love having my own little corner of the internet.

I enjoy using the blog to keep family and friends near and far up to date on our lives.

I have a lot more to say than my Facebook status can handle.

And now...I don't have any friends. ;-) Nearby ones anyway.

Seeing as how I've been such a non-blogger that my growing anonymous readership has disappeared, I'm pretty tempted to ditch the blog nicknames and move into reality. But I lean toward the paranoid end of the spectrum when it comes to such things, so I think I'll keep the fake names and see if I can't finally come up with one for our youngest.

Off to update everything!

(Happy AUGUST! Yikes.)

The Least I Can Do

2012-05-31T12:55:00.001-06:00

Three kids may have rendered me a terrible blogger, but I'm not a quitter, so the least I can do is post a few photos once in awhile. Time flies, in case no one told you. Hazel is already 4 mos. old in these pics...and they're almost a month old!

Curve Ball Baby

2012-03-09T15:49:00.001-07:00

My third baby is throwing me for a loop. Daily. As soon as I think I have her figured out, BAM, she switches it up. I recently wrote about life with three children, and basically concluded that it was easier for me to transition from 2 to 3 children than from 1 to 2, but that having a tiny baby in the house (whether first or seventh) is still crazy hard at times. I still think that's all true for me. The balancing act is a little more fine-tuned these days, but it's basically the same balancing act that I developed when we added our second child so a lot of the work this time around was just in implementation rather than strategy. However, I am here to say that Hazel is officially my hardest baby to date. Yes, she even beats out Princess with her reflux and inconsolable daytime crying resulting from (what I had no idea at the time was) discomfort that likely caused. And Smooch's late night, often very drawn out, "witching hour" (or three) has nothing on this kid.   It's very strange to say that Hazel is my hardest because she has (by far) the most settled stomach of all my kids, so that's a non-issue, and she outgrew her short evening witching hour very quickly (by about 7 weeks I'd say). She sleeps pretty good for her age (4 hours plus 3 hours on average). There are no major things that make her hard. It's just this one little thing...

She's not particularly flexible.   And that adds up to a lot of little things.

Pacifier for soothing between feedings? HA! Not a chance. Occasionally she chews on it so it momentarily distracts her. However, it does not soothe her. The girl wants skin. Breast or some part of the human hand thankyouverymuch. My saving grace is that she has recently been finding her own fist once in a while.

Bottle for pumped milk? Nope! No breaks for mommy. And I'm not about to go out and buy ten different kinds of bottles to try. We've been down that road with the pacifier already.

Car seat? Hmm. We recently learned that she does okay on long drives because once she's out she'll sleep until she's hungry. However, around town, she's awake and screaming at every red light, often for the whole car ride since 15 minutes isn't long enough for her to settle into a nap. As she has started to get a little bit older (She turned 2 months last week), she's beginning to have some quiet awake time in the car...if she's in the mood for it. Typically though car rides = incessant screaming.

Naps? In Mommy's arms. Occasionally she'll sleep in the swing, and usually once a day I can get her to take a nap in the bassinet. (Thankfully at night she will sleep the first chunk of her nighttime sleep in the bassinet, then it's snuggled up with mommy for part two.) Baby wearing can only go so far during the day, and my back thanks me for a break. We made great strides in this (no, I did not do "cry it out") so that she was beginning to nap pretty good without being held, but when she got RSV at about 5 weeks old, she wanted to be in my arms 24/7 and I was most comfortable with that as well so I could make sure she was, you know, breathing. Now we're starting all over getting her used to napping once in awhile without me. She's doing well, but she sometimes makes me wonder if she would actually like to crawl back into my womb rather than be out of my arms for 5 minutes.

Each week I'm ~~dumb~~ optimistic enough to try another solo outing. Each week I come home feeling defeated, frazzled, depleted of energy, and frustrated. Today I forgot to bring my Moby Wrap to the grocery store and I paid for it. If I had toted Hazel around in the wrap, she probably would have been fine. But no, I had to leave her in the car seat and clip it onto the shopping cart. Amazingly, she had fallen asleep in the car and was so tired from fighting sleep while out and about all morning that she actually stayed asleep for a full 10 or 15 minutes at the store.   Miracle of miracles.

I must have looked like a joke racing around the store like my very life depended upon gathering all the apples and eggs I could in the shortest amount of time possible. I was too focused to even notice whether or not other shoppers were giving me the strange looks I am quickly coming to know well. Pity? Disgust? Amusement? Some of each a suppose. If so, I was ignorant to it. Princess and Smooch were mostly angels. (I bribed them with snacks and the promise of a lollipop in the car.)

Then it happened. Hazel woke up with all the wrath of an angry lion in her high-pitched "get me out of this car seat before I die" scream. The one that causes random people to kindly suggest to me that my baby is perhaps hungry.

If I had a quarter for every time I have tried to explain to a perfect stranger that my baby has just recently eaten and is in fact just protesting the running of errands....

It's a wonder I take her anywhere by myself.

However, last night my husband and I dragged our entire entourage to Starbucks' and Hazel was happy the entire time, minus the drive. My husband was there to help, and that makes a difference. But the biggest difference is that, upon arrival, she was plopped into one of our laps and perched in one lap or another for our entire stay. And therein lies the key to Hazel's happiness.

You see, she isn't an unhappy baby. At home she grins and coos like a very sociable, contented, dreamy thing. She really isn't a particularly fussy baby either. (But don't touch her with cold hands.) And we don't hold her 100% of the time. Just 90%. ;-) (Which is a vast improvement from 99%.) She's even spending some time on her tummy on a play mat and other things. Sometimes for a whole 10 minutes at once! Yes, I'm making fun, but it is just unreal to me how much she demands to be held. And how loudly she demands it. And when we go out, particularly me by myself with the kids, we can't always hold her or wear her the whole time.

In retrospect, both Princess and Smooch showed very clear signs of their temperaments from birth. Certainly, there were strong clues by two months of age. So what I'm saying is that I may look back on this and think "Wow. Hazel was kind of a demanding baby. I'm glad she outgrew some of those things." OR I will look back and wish I would have picked up on the hints that perhaps maybe the Lord saw fit to give us a touchy, demanding sort of child to raise. Time will tell.

One thing is for sure, she is just as precious and brings us just as much joy as her sisters before her. I can't wait to see who she becomes, as each facet of her personality blooms almost as quickly as she grows. She may not be the most easygoing baby I've had, but I sure love her just as much as the more laid back ones.

(Pics taken Feb. 25th, from my trusty old phone. :-))

Pinterest Favorite Recipes

2012-03-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

I, like everyone else, am officially in love with Pinterest. Yes, it's true. Mostly I use it to gather ideas for DIY and craft projects, find new recipes, and organize tutorials and such that I already use in one place for easy reference. Love love love.

Since having our third daughter, I have found the absolute best way for me to cook dinner and maintain my sanity - since the dinner-making hours are when the children enter the land of INsanity - is to make pretty much everything in the crock pot. That way I do all the prep work earlier in the day when children are generally happier and just let it do it's thing!

Here are a few good ones I have tried lately that I will most definitely be making again:

Chicken Cordon Bleu

You know how food seems to taste better when someone else made it? Like a nice restaurant for example. ;-) This is how I felt about this chicken. I served it with steamed broccoli and sweet potatoes with apples and cinnamon. Also, I dredged it in almond meal instead of flour and browned in coconut oil before putting in the crock pot. It was lovely. One more note is that I made 4 (large) breasts and had a ton of sauce leftover. I might cut the sauce recipe in half next time.

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

Tasty, easy and can be easily doubled and frozen for a quick heat and serve meal on a particularly crazy day. I looove meals that I can double and freeze half.

Crock pot Clam Chowder

I made this for our Valentine's Day dinner because clam chowder is one of my husband's favorite ever foods. It was a hit.

Zucchini Pizza

This is not a crock pot meal but is super fast and easy. Zucchini pizzas have quickly become a new family favorite. Since we only have tiny zucchinis available this time of year, I just slice them lengthwise and broil in the ole oven as opposed to grilling. What a great way to use abundant summer garden zucchini in the future! My kids gobble these up and beg for more.

Egg Vegetable Casserole

This is not a crock pot meals, but I made this to serve as ready-made breakfasts one week. Yum! Next time I will add bacon too.

I could post a few more, but I am needed elsewhere. Enjoy the pinspiration! Do you have any crock pot meals you would like to share? Or any "cooking with small children underfoot" tips for me? ;-)

All photos came from Pinterest and thus the websites to which I have linked under each photo.

Hazel's Birth Story - Part Three

2012-02-20T16:49:00.001-07:00

If you missed them, check out parts one and two before reading on.

My husband and I continued to casually chat between contractions. The only thing I didn't love about being in that luxurious tub is that it was situated in the corner in such a way that I felt far away from my love. He really had to lean in order to take a hold of my hand.   I wished he could whisper comforting things to me during contractions like he has done in the past.

Finally the contractions began to pick back up a little bit, but they were still irregular and unpredictable. The nurse came back in to quickly monitor the baby's heart beat, which stayed strong and steady throughout the night, and she kindly showed me how to turn on the jets. Women in labor don't have the patience to figure out such contraptions on their own. ;-) She also ran some more hot water for me since it had cooled considerably.   Did I mention I really loved my l&d nurse?

By the time I settled back into my bubbling bath, my mom was back from her errand and I could hear her, My Stud, and the kids in my room (the door to the bathroom was shut). She was getting them snacks, and getting ready to take them out to the lobby. Earlier Princess had shown considerable concern regarding the birthing process, so we felt that it was best for them to wait where they wouldn't be able to hear me scream.   Screaming felt a long way off though.

I got on my knees and hung my arms over the front of the tub to give my back a break. The buoyancy of the water was nothing short of amazing. When hubby came back into the room, I asked him to help my mom get the kids out to the lobby asap, because I was worried about Princess hearing me moan through some suddenly-more-hefty contractions. As soon as he stepped out the most powerful contraction yet ripped through my abdomen, requiring all my willpower to stay quiet. I could noticeably feel my cervix stretch. As soon as I could speak, I called him back and informed him in no uncertain terms that he had better not leave after all...but for heaven's sake scoot the kids out. My arms fell asleep hanging over the tub like that, so I settled back into a seated position and turned off the jets as they had suddenly become annoying.

That's when we called the nurse to get the midwife, Nikki.

I had a couple more contractions in the meantime. Once Nikki arrived, I asked her to check me. Surely I was getting pretty close. The tub had really slowed things down, but it couldn't be much longer since I was an 8 when I got in. I had been in the tub for just over an hour.

12:45 a.m. Nikki smiled and sort of looked at me sideways. "She's just waiting for you to push her out."

"What!?"

"Feel for yourself. Her head is right there."

Her head hadn't quite crowned but was about two inches from doing so.

Then we entered a discussion about whether or not my water had broken. It hadn't. They thought perhaps I had missed it while the jets were on. I assured them I had not and informed them that in the past my water has always broken right at the end. In fact, I could feel that the bag of waters was still in tact when I felt my baby's head.

Then we took a celebratory photo of me ready to push out a baby - legs crossed, feet propped, arms folded across my chest. As if I were lounging on the beach. Except my eyes looked a little weary. And I was naked.

"I don't feel like I need to push." I was still reeling from the shock: How did I miss transition?   It must have been that awful contraction and the ones following it.

"You can do whatever you want. That's what is so great to me about water births. You do everything and I pretty much just get to witness you birth your own baby, and then I pull her out of the water." Nikki had rad water birthing gloves that extended all the way to her shoulder.

Next we discussed what happens after the baby is born. "After she's born we'll wait for the first gush of blood. Then at the first gush of blood, you'll get out of the tub and go to bed. We'll deliver the placenta on the bed." Got it.

I was still smiling between contractions which I only know because there are photos to prove it.
"I'll push with the next contraction." It felt strange and awkward to do so since I didn't yet feel the urge to push.

Contraction one: she crowned.   Now I felt the urge to push.

12: 53 a.m. Contraction two: my water broke while I was pushing. Another push or two and I almost got her head out...but didn't.   I made a mental note that the pushing part seemed like more work in the buoyancy of the water. Where's gravity when you need it? I also noted that the water in the tub was still perfectly clear and lovely, and that I was doing an excellent job of keeping my perfectly straightened hair from getting wet. Important stuff you know.

Contraction three: I screamed like I was at death's door, and I gave it everything I had. (I actually bruised the back of my head from pushing it so hard into the back edge of the tub while scream pushing.) I love the excitement in my My Stud's voice when he sees our child's head emerge. And once her head was out, her body slid out easily, but painfully, with one final push.

12: 55 a.m.

Nikki quickly lifted her out of the water and handed her to me. My first thoughts were that I'd never seen a baby covered with so much vernix. And she looked nothing like either of her sisters. And she had so much hair!   My first words may have been, "Gosh that hurt." But I might have said, "Hiiiiii baby" before that. We'll never know. In our birth photos, my face supports the former, so that was probably it. Then I finally smiled.   And double checked that she was indeed a girl.

I couldn't hold my baby very close to my chest because her umbilical cord was a little on the short side, so my husband cut it a smidge sooner than we otherwise would have so that I wasn't yanking on the placenta. Then came the first gush of blood so we moved to the bed to finish up while the nurse diapered and swaddled our wee little one.

Like with Smooch, delivery of the placenta went w/o a hitch but I spent the next half hour or so having my uterus ~~punched repeatedly by medical personnel I used to like~~ massaged and blood loss measured because I was borderline bleeding too much. So I got whatever meds they give a person for that, begged for heavy pain killers, and got those too. The staff can compliment me all they want regarding labor and delivery but I am a big sissy when it comes to after labor pains. (Pssst! What they say is true: the after labor uterine contractions get worse with each kid. Something about it having to work a little harder each time to return to normal size...) Thankfully, I did not experience any tearing though.

Soon our ~~little~~ big late-night troopers got to come meet their little sister. And I'm telling you, there were fireworks.

At 6 lbs. 13.2 oz. and 20 inches, Hazel was born our smallest baby yet. And she had the most hair.

I could not get over the awesomeness of having a queen-sized bed because I got to keep the same room for the duration of our hospital stay. :-D (I also got a complimentary 15-minute postpartum massage! This place is cool, right!?)

So now we're a family of five, which I love.

And isn't there something so precious about seeing a big tough guy tenderly falling in love with his newest little princess? There is also something ridiculously attractive about seeing your husband in action as a veteran dad. He was and is so wonderful with Hazel.

Some final thoughts about water birth:

I still can't get over how much being in the water relieved the pain of contractions, though the agony of birth itself was still just as real. I truly didn't recognize transition for what it was. I also can't believe how much and how instantly labor slowed down when I got in the water. (That is not a typical experience, I have since learned.) I believe Hazel would have been born on the fourth instead of the fifth if I had not used the tub. However, it was hands down completely worth having a slightly slower labor in order to experience that great of pain relief. Should there be a baby #4 in our future, I would certainly seek another water birth.

More than the water birth experience itself, I was so impressed with and so thankful for the respectful way in which my husband and I were both treated at this particular hospital. With our third child, I was finally allowed to labor the way that I wanted to without "routine interventions." Because of that, my labor was extremely peaceful.

Any lingering water birth questions? I'd be happy to answer them regarding my personal experience. :-)

Hazel's Birth Story - Part Two

2012-02-20T07:57:00.001-07:00

If you missed part one, check it out before reading on.

Finally, they got busy and had me in a room as quickly as possible.

And not just any room, a water birth room that boasted a queen-sized bed and corner jetted tub in the spacious bathroom.

I paced and labored, labored and paced. Unlike my last experience (in a different state), no one bothered me with stupid questions like, "for the 5th time, what is your DOB? Sorry the computer keeps prompting me for it." Nope. Not this time.

Did they try to strap me down to a bed with the explanation of having to constantly monitor baby as routine? Nope. I was intermittently monitored with a portable device.

Was I given an iv? Nope. Surely at least a hep lock? Nope! I was instead offered juice and water and enjoyed the luxury of drinking and using the restroom whenever I saw fit.

The midwife and nurse literally said to me, "It's your baby and your birth. You can do whatever you want." And then they left, checking in occasionally.

It was hard to believe I was in a hospital.

So I walked around, casually chatting with my husband between contractions. (My mom was out keeping the girls entertained and running back to the house to get my husband's forgotten glasses. His contacts were killing him.) Part of our conversation focused on how amazed and thankful we were in regards to how well we were being treated. For the first time in my childbearing years, I was treated as an adult woman who knows her body (laboring or not), capable of making decisions in regards to birth rather than being treated as yet another medical emergency. As a side note, I don't get too caught up in the "natural childbirth club," but I must say that being treated with such respect was very empowering.

They had drawn me a bath, so I decided to try it out. However, the relief was so great that I felt I wasn't progressing as quickly in the water, so I got out. Eventually, I asked to be checked again because I am a curious sort of person, even while in labor. It was 10 or 11 p.m. by then, and I was dilated to 8 cm.

This is me at about 8 cm oogling over a tiny diaper and hat:

I felt pretty good, and continued just chatting away with my husband, and trying to resist his tempting coffee. He must have been on his second or third cup, and it smelled wonderful. I opted for my cranberry juice instead. My contractions were finally getting closer together. 5 minutes, then 2- 3 minutes. It seemed like transition was coming quickly, and my discomfort was growing, so I got back in the tub.

As soon as the water enveloped me, the strangest thing happened. The contractions immediately slowed and became sporadic. 7 minutes, 2 minutes, 5 minutes. As odd as it was, it was also quite relieving. By this point, I was sure that our baby would be born on her due date, the 5th, as midnight was right around the corner.

Read the rest of the story, Part Three.

Hazel's Birth Story - Part One

2012-02-17T16:36:00.002-07:00

It felt like deja vu. My mom had flown in the day before, and we were waiting. Waiting for the arrival of our sweet baby. The last time we were in this situation, she missed meeting our baby by less than 24 hours. I have late babies.

It was January 4th - my brother's and sister's shared birthday - and my due date was just one day away. My Stud was on his way home from work. I had already talked to him on the phone once, but I called him back.

"When you get here, I need you to finish packing our bags and throw them in the car. We're going to be late for community group, but I don't want to risk not having everything with us. Just in case. I'm having some pretty good contractions."

We were busy getting ready to walk out the door as soon as Daddy came home. The contractions had started at about 5 p.m., and while they were ten minutes apart, they felt like the real thing. Plus, I had moved my bowels 3 or 4 times in the past two hours. That tipped me off more than anything else that my body was gearing up. That afternoon, I hastily mailed off some (late) birthday cards, packed up our Christmas tree, and a few other bizarre "I have to do this before the baby comes" items. Like wash and straighten my hair. ;-)

6:30 p.m. We were already quite late for our community group (an in-home Bible study), so my friend J. called while we were en route to check in - make sure I wasn't in labor or something. I think I might be, but we're coming. Because I might not be... Yes, we'll be there in a few minutes.

I was sure enough by the time we arrived that I didn't eat dinner. I really wanted frito pie, but it was the sort of thing that might not sit well during such an event. So I ate a cookie. Because cookies sit well. ;-) Deja vu once again. 9 minutes. Bible study started. 8 minutes. I stood because sitting felt awful.

We need to go.

8:15 p.m. I waited in triage longer than I liked waiting. I had to lay in a bed to be monitored. My contractions became irregular when I sat there. I could tell that they didn't exactly believe that I was in labor. Darn. This is the part where I was supposed to act like I was buried under pain, and I forgot about that genius plan. You have to be in a LOT of pain before they pay too much attention to you in triage. Or so it would seem.

I peeked my head out into the hallway and asked how long I had to wait for a room. I warned them about how quickly my last daughter was born. I reminded them that this was my THIRD baby. My mom took the girls to find a snack down the hall. She reiterated our concerns. I think my husband took a turn bothering the receptionist as well.

Finally, they checked me.

"Oh! You're dilated to a SIX! Your contractions are pretty sporadic, but apparently that doesn't mean anything for you!"

Apparently not.

Click to read Part Two.

Life with THREE

2012-02-17T15:43:00.001-07:00

The most common question I get from friends and family is this:

"So...how's it going with three? Is going from two to three harder than one to two?"

Since I don't currently know very many people with more than two children, I have found that I am a little bit of an anomaly. And people just loooove juicy details.

Well juicy details will be yours!

As with all facets of parenting, our experience with transitioning to three kids will be different than someone else's simply because each family has unique people and personalities contributing to the family dynamics. Likewise, parents and children alike all have different levels of tolerance to things like noise and chaos and differing abilities to juggle many things at once. So my perspective of what is hard or easy will be different than that of an outsider who might observe my family. It might even be different than my husband's perspective. Having said that, most days, I have thought, "Wow. The transition from 2 to 3 is definitely easier than it was from 1 to 2."

When I had only Princess, even though I watched other young children for the first two years of her life, she was used to getting a ton of one-on-one and two-on-one attention much of the time, particularly evenings and weekends. That made the addition of a full-time sister, Smooch - even though I had stopped watching other children by then - a bit more uprooting for Princess than it was for Smooch to add a sibling. Smooch has had her moments to be sure, but in being the second child she has never had Mommy and Daddy to herself, so her perspective automatically started out differently. Plus, Smooch has an intense love of babies, whereas Princess was pretty aloof with babies at that age, so that has worked in our favor this time around as well. Those are all things to take into consideration.

It has been challenging to juggle the wants and needs of three little people instead of two, keeping to a fairly predictable routine and coming up with new components of our routine where necessary. But it's not as hard as I thought it was going to be. It might just be because once you juggle two, three is not as complicated as you think. One of the hardest things for me has been in not being able to attend to an unhappy infant quite as quickly as I would like to because I'm in the middle of another important parenting task, like putting lunch on the table for my two big girls. And while Hazel (who needs a blog nickname) is not my hardest baby, she's not my most easy baby either. Basically, I've had a really hard time getting her to nap (like stay asleep) while not being held.

We had been making some great progress in this area by using the swing up until she came down with ~~a cold~~ RSV a week or so ago. Suffice it to say, that much of the time the Moby Wrap is my favorite piece of baby gear. Also, until very recently, Hazel has refused to take a pacifier but instead has wanted to use Mommy as a pacifier which makes for erratic feedings and an exhausted momma. We've also been able to work on that and she will *sometimes* now take a pacifier. When the mood strikes her. (But she'd much rather suck on a germy finger if given the choice.)

While I have solidified my preferences in recent years so that I do not intend to include "cry it out" in my sleep training methods in the way that I did for our first child, I find that I have to let Hazel cry on some occasions more than I would like to - not to get to sleep, but just as a matter of having to wait for Mommy to attend to someone else's needs for a couple of minutes. This is where "tolerance for noise/chaos" comes into play. I could see how someone who cannot handle the sound of crying might find the transition from two kids to three harder than form one to two in this way. I do okay with some crying as long as I know that it is very temporary and in my control.

An advantage of having two "big kids" is that they really do keep each other company quite nicely these days. Oh they fight more than they did before baby, but it's not too bad. (Again, likely perspective coming into play here.) I remember nursing Smooch constantly in those first weeks while poor Princess constantly begged me to play with her. Though I came up with some special things for her to do independently during feedings, I still felt pretty lousy about putting my big girl off so much.

Also by the time we welcomed baby #3 into our home, Princess had been four for a few months and she is a tremendous help! Things like running to grab something from the other room or the ability to grab an apple from the crisper if I need her to get her own snack are both fantastic. Another thing the four-year-old adds is an unfazed "I've totally done this before and don't feel the least bit threatened by the new baby" attitude. I believe her leadership in that has helped Smooch more than we can really measure.

There are other moments during which I think having three kids is the hardest thing in the world and the days cannot pass quickly enough. Those times include when illness turns my two-year-old into a bear/blubbering mess, Hazel screams during an entire drive because she does not love riding in her car seat much of the time, or for some unknown reason everyone is crying at the same time and it seems easier to throw in the towel and join in the crying myself. However, those moments (minus the week of hell when Smooch was feeling very sick), are not constants in our days, so they don't rule our existence. But when they do come, I question my sanity for having had three children, and I'm pretty sure I suck at life.

Having three has finally driven me to certain level of structure and organization that Two Kids Amelia resisted like the plague. For instance, I absolutely must roll out of bed and start my day before the children, including the infant. I am very lucky to have children who seem to have inherited my love of sleep, because this means that I can usually sleep until 7 a.m. and still have at least 15 - 30 mins. to put myself together and pour a cup of decaf. Sometimes I get crazy and take a shower. Other times I decide I'd rather be dirty and just spend a little extra time to fix my hair and put on some makeup instead. Yes, I said makeup. We all have own sanity requirements. Don't dog on mine. ;-) Back to my point, there is something about having your day started by a two-year-old that just makes you feel as if your whole day is ruled by said two-year-old. Gotta stay a step ahead!

Likewise, I believe that I have become a little more skilled at managing sleep schedules with each additional child. (Thank God I have gotten to add them one by one, right!?) For example, I usually get to have a break from all children each day because I wait to put Smooch and Princess down for the afternoon nap/rest until I have Hazel asleep. Since newborns sleep a lot, and my big girls are flexible on their nap time, I can arrange this beautifully on most days so that they are all down at the same time.

Now keep in mind that as I right this we are still in the middle of winter and we aren't getting out much. Granted, we have gone out to doctors' appointments and things like that, but I'm currently doing things like grocery shopping alone on Saturdays for example, so my perspective is pretty much from being at home all day. However, I still think a lot of the same ideas will apply to our future out-of-the-house adventures. Be sure that I will let you know when we get there. :-)

I have heard that three kids is the breaking point for many people, while others think two is the most challenging. So far, I tend to side with the latter. My mom (of 12) says that it really just gets easier from here. I think that partially depends on your particular children as well as how close they are in age. However, I have come to one definitive conclusion: Adding an infant, no matter what number child, will always be more challenging than having just your "big kid(s)." (I am still covered in breast milk each day, and I'm still tired just because I have a baby. Babies by nature are very demanding people. Never mind that she's my third. Sometimes that's irrelevant.) I do wonder if it doesn't rock your world in a smaller way each time though. (like, "oh yeah I remember the smell of sour breast milk on my shirt" as opposed to "Ah! Why do I smell like sour milk!? From my own body!?!?!")

Perhaps it's like I told my husband the other day, "I'm tired. But I think as a mother, I have just gotten used to having my sleep interrupted. I just don't feel as tired as I remember." Apply that general idea to every aspect of life with kids, and there you have the short version of my answer. :-)

Stages of Life: Reading, Peeing, Sleeping

2012-02-09T15:45:00.000-07:00

I don't have time for blogging, though there are so many thoughts in my head I'd love to get down "on paper." I'd love to share about the struggles and triumphs of having three little ones ages four and under. I'm dying to tell Hazel's birth story (like before the details start to leak out of my brain). There are so many thoughts about our family dynamics, things I love about our new home, areas in which God has been growing me/teaching me over the past couple of years that I'm ready to share, and lots and lots of ponderings. But I scarcely have time to solidify many of these things in my own mind, let alone share and record them.

As I told my husband the other day, in a couple of months, we'll look back and feel a little bit wistful about how quickly these foggy newborn days have flown by...and how funny it is that we thought we might not survive them.

If you think of me, please pray for continued health for our family this Winter. We've been dropping like flies around here, and our little one-month-old is the most recent member to fall prey to this horrendous cold that was shared with us. So far, she seems to be doing well enough that I haven't seen a need to rush off to the doctor, but we are keeping a very close eye on her. However, that little baby cough is still a troublesome sound indeed. :-(

Some other updates:

Hazy has been sleeping for longer stretches at night (5 hours two nights in a row!), and even slept through the whole night (10 p.m. - 5 a.m.) one fluke of a day last week. I think it was a gift from God because that night came right after a particular grueling night of multiple night wakings from a sick Smooch. Even though my courageous husband kept getting up with her so I didn't have to, I still woke up each time and was on the verge of tears the whole next day, so tired I was. Yes, I think the Lord was looking out for this momma's sanity. I felt like a new woman the next day.

Isn't she a pretty baby? I know. I'm so biased.

In other baby news, I still can quite figure her out. Is she easy-going or not? Something she seems like a calm, easy baby, but then she randomly does this high-pitched screaming thing regarding things like, "You're hands are cold" or "You are taking too long to whip out your breast." She's not my easiest baby (Smooch), but she's not my most demanding either (Princess). I love to try to observe little budding personalities and such, but in this case my baby seems a bit...bipolar? Things like her disdain for car seats and pacifiers and sleeping somewhere besides mommy's arms leave me scratching my head. But oh my goodness is she a sweet little smiler. She cooed at the me for the first time two days ago. :-) She's so snuggly (but hates being swaddled), and she also has the most settled stomach of all my babies so far (I can eat anything it seems!). Good grief do I love babies.

Smooch is almost 2 weeks into full-fledged potty training. I'm a big fan of the bare bottom approach. She's been wearing underwear with great success for a full week already, and I'm quite proud of our big girl. She is so motivated by attention, praise and high-fives, that she is doing every bit of it by herself (pulling up and down underwear too!) without so much as a piece of chocolate tantalizing her. I would like to attribute much of her success to the fact that I was the ~~smart, well-researched~~ weird hippie mom who began to sit her on a little pink potty chair at 9 mos. old. I set her there. She went. It was too easy, but is what Elimination Communication is largely based on: the idea that babies are wayyy smarter than we realize. While I didn't do anything except say, "Okay, let's go potty now!" with the sign for potty (whereas true EC-ers do things that I can't do with a straight face like make pssst noises to encourage baby along. Apparently.), and set her on her little potty, she obliged more often than not. We'd set her on the potty chair right before bed or bath or just whenever it was convenient, not even everyday.

Because of this laid-back training over the course of a year and a half, when we began full-fledged potty training the Monday before last, Smooch already knew how to go "on command" and we didn't have to spend any effort in helping her learn through trial and error how to control particular muscles/increase awareness of sensations. Nor did we have many accidents to clean up. So, I'd like to take credit for this very successful experience. However, if I take full credit here, I'm pretty sure to be fair I have to take responsibility for the full YEAR it took us of hard core training before we could confidently say, "Princess is potty trained." (It took me another year to recover from the trauma.) ;-) So...maybe Smooch is just one of those "easy to potty train" kids that you hear about from time to time. Or a little of both? Whatever the case, I'll take it!

For not having time to blog, I sure am rambling on and one, aren't I?

Princess is learning to read! She had been showing signs that she was ready to learn. Don't ask me how I know, b/c I can't pinpoint it exactly. I've just been around a lot of "learning to read" aged kids and my homeschooling mother I guess. So I ordered a book that has been on my wish list for months, and we delved into it this week. By lesson 3, Princess was anxious to begin sounding out real words (which was still a few lessons away), so I let her try. And by golly she could do it! So now she's reading simple three-letter words (with soft vowel sounds) to her heart's content and she's excited to learn to read big words. We're still working through our daily lessons (but today we did 2 because she was ready to move on).

The book we're using, should you care to know, is phonics based and came highly recommended from a fellow mom friend (Thanks Cami!). It's called "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons", but it is not at all gimmicky like the title sounds. :-) Having earned my Master's degree in Elementary Education and spending a brief period in the kindergarten classroom, I have to say that I am pretty impressed with the methods in this book.

We had a sweet moment in that first instance when she read her first little word. I shouted, "You DID it! You're READING!" And Princess just about jumped out of her skin as she threw her arms around my neck in unbridled joy. It was such a precious moment, and I realized one of the many draws of homeschooling is shared moments of victory such as that. Did I ever mention that we're considering homeschooling? At least for the ever-important, very brief formative years. I could write a post on that alone.

I am so proud of my budding little reader, my big girl in her dry underwear, and my sweet little infant sleeper. And that pretty much sums up each of the girls' stage of life at the moment.

As for me, maybe I have time to blog after all?

So...I Had a Baby

2012-01-18T22:51:00.000-07:00

Hazel was born on her due date, January 5th.

Being my earliest baby by a whole week, she was also my smallest at 6 lbs. 13.2 oz. and 20 inches.

There is so much to tell. About my experience with a super cool water birth, about how sweet her sisters are with her, and about how "life with three kids" is so far. But for now I'm enjoying those sleepy gaga newborn days (before they're gone!), so all I will say at the moment is that we are in love.

39 Weeks

2011-12-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

39 weeks, yesterday

Well obviously I haven't been blogging lately, so I'm painfully overdue for some life updates. Really it comes down to this: moving + Christmas + two little kids + pregnant = not much time/energy for much else. As far as moving goes, we have been in our new home 2 1/2 months, and have been making some wonderful connections. Our church has been a lifeline in this respect and we are so thankful for the community we have found through that wonderful group of Jesus-followers. We have been embraced so quickly and unquestioningly which is just...beautiful.

Speaking of things that are beautiful, it is no secret that I think this pregnancy has been the most challenging one I have experienced to date. However, I am so grateful to be a state of mind in these last days where I am relishing the moments, feeling pretty good (so many thanks to my chiropractor for keeping back pain at bay!), and just enjoying the beauty that is the miracle of carrying a precious, unique baby. I can honestly say that I am not "done." Any ladies who have been there know what I mean, but I'm not not there yet. I am not in that achingly desperate place where I beg the baby to "get out" several times a day and pray that every contraction is the onset of labor. I'm happy for her to stay put a while longer. Of course, I partially want her to hang in there a little longer because my mother is flying in on the 3rd and she'll keep the kids when birthing time comes, but I also am just feeling patient. I think I began this pregnancy with the mentality that I'd have another 41 week baby, so that is probably a huge factor. However, it is hard to not get a little bit excited when your practitioner exclaims, "Do you think you might be in labor!?" when she examines you at your 39 week prenatal appointment. Like when I got home from that appointment I finally did a little bit of baby laundry and started packing bags...just in case. But the recent move is throwing me off. Where is my breast pump and my favorite diaper bag?!

I'm not in labor. But here are some stats (for my records), so if you don't like specific pregnancy details and vocabulary, this is a good place for you to check out. (Bye!)

36 1/2 weeks: 75% effaced, 1 cm dilated (lost my plug w/i a day or two of that news)
37 1/2 weeks: no changes,
Went to Oregon for a 6-day Christmas vacation. Record low of contractions during that week, including on the airplane.
39 weeks: 80% effaced, 3 - 4 cm dilated (still a record low of Braxton Hicks contractions up to this point so I'm not really sure how that happened - ha!)

So far so good. I'm pretty excited that I'm 1/3 of the way done before even starting labor. This gives me courage for my goal of another natural birth, a water birth this time! You see, unlike what most people say about how you forget the pain of a med-free delivery, I remember the pain in great detail, so I have been feeling a little anxious about doing it again. However, in my experience the recovery after drug-free birth is so much faster than a birth with an epidural that it is hands-down worth it to me!

And in case you think my pregnancies are just full of glam and round, "all baby" bellies, behold a small sample of my old lady pregnancy legs:

Be very jealous. This is a terribly vague picture - it is much worse in person - but you get the idea. Varicose veins run down the entire length of my legs, all the way down to my toes. Usually they don't bother me, but sometimes they fiercely itch, and just recently they sometimes make my legs deeply ache at the end of the day. I just hope they go away after baby time. Please? I'm not quite ready to compete with the old ladies yet.

;-)

Smooch-a-roo is TWO!

2011-12-29T18:30:00.000-07:00

Remember two years ago when I gave birth on the night of Christmas Eve? Thirty-one minutes before Christmas to be exact. Odd how I am sitting here in a similar "waiting" phase of full-term pregnancy. (39 weeks today, and already 3 - 4 cm...but not in labor.) Busy though this season is, in oh so many ways, and I am a terrible blogger lately, I cannot pass by our precious Smooch's second birthday without highlighting it here.

Dear sweet Smooch,

I can't believe how quickly two years has flown by! You have brought a certain sunshine into our lives that we can no longer remember being without. Unlike your sister, you seem like you are on the path to be a slightly more stereotypical two-year-old, full of strong opinions, fire, and even occasional back-arching tantrums. But usually you are as sweet, cuddly and charming as ever. Here are some random things about the freshly turned two-year-old YOU:

You love to be the center of attention. While subtle, you try to get people to look at you and fall captive to your spell. The more someone gushes, the more you seem to like them. Conversely, you typically don't care for people who seem apathetic to your presence. Basically, you act like you believe that when you walk into a room, people should notice. And often they do because you bring your sunshine with you. You are difficult to discipline because you are pretty good at charming your way into and out of things.

You love babies. More than the average little girl. It's almost the only thing you consistently play with, and if there are no babies to be had, you will play with another toy (like an action figure or barbie) as if it was a baby - feeding, rocking, and cuddling it. For this reason, we are a little extra excited to see you meet your new baby sister when she comes. You LOVED meeting your baby cousin M last week at Christmas time. Even if she cried when you held her, you grinned like you were in heaven.

You are adventurous. You love when Daddy throws you into the air as high as he can. He gets some of your best giggles by horsing around with you.

You are not afraid to stand your ground - something I admire about you. Yes, this means you stand your ground with Daddy and I, but it also means that you are not afraid to stand your ground with children who might otherwise try to control you. Just remember that hitting and pushing is not a good way to demonstrate your resolve or to retaliate. ;-)

Everybody says you look like me. And you do...or one of my siblings, depending on the moment or the particular expression on your face. For the record, you have Daddy wrapped around your pudgy little pinky finger...but don't tell him I told you.

Some of your favorite things in the world are to swing and slide. Since it's the middle of winter, we take you and your sister to the little play place in the mall where you go down the slide over and over. I'm pretty sure you would never tire of either!

You are very into social cues, like saying hi to people when you walk into a room, giving hugs at appropriate times, saying sorry if you hurt someone, and other friendly behaviors. Oh and saying "cheese" any time you see a camera.

You know your colors for the most part, and you love to count to 15 (or something). These are skills you learned thanks to reading a certain Curious George book over and over and over. You also make hilarious, wonderful animal noises. And when you get excited, you twirl your feet and repeatedly squeeze your fingers to your hands. You have also been known to tremble with excitement. You basically wear your heart on your sleeve, because you are equally dramatic when you bump your head or suffer some other injury or injustice.

You are also becoming quite the talker. Much of your jabber still requires interpretation for others, and you stump even Mommy and Daddy at times, but you are quite a fluid little speaker. "Nee nee" is what you call your snuggle blanket because you didn't used to be able to say "blankee."

You LOVE your sister, and for the most part the two of you play very sweetly together. I love the way you randomly come up Princess and hug on her. She just so happens to adore you as well, so it works out pretty nicely.

You are a snuggle bug. When Daddy comes home from work, after the celebrating, you usually like to hunker down with him on the couch while I finish getting dinner on the table. You love to rub your hand on the back of his head to feel his hair, and you snuggle with my hair too. If your "nee nee" is not available, Mommy's hair is your next choice, but you will even rub the hem of a shirt between your fingers if in a pinch. Some of my favorite moments are first thing in the morning. You usually wake up before Princess and you pitter patter your way out to the living room, where I scoop you up and we snuggle for a few minutes before we face the day.

Happy Birthday to our not-so-little girl! We treasure you and cannot wait to experience a lifetime of days with you in our lives.

Love, Mommy

One Full Belly

2011-11-22T16:42:00.001-07:00

I haven't blogged. Because I don't feel like it. If I blog it's going to be a bunch of whiny, complain-y stuff that nobody wants to read like how my body hurts and my kids are taking advantage of my current condition lately/making me crazy, and how much I hate the "we don't know a soul" stage of trying to get to know folks in a new city. You know, that sort of stuff - you don't want to read it, I don't want to write it.

So instead, I will show you how gigantic my belly is getting these days.

These pics are both from today, which is two days short of 34 weeks. The end is near!

As a matter of record-keeping, I should say that this baby dropped at 31 1/2 weeks. If she is like Smooch, she will drop yet again soon...and then stick around until about week past her due date. ;-) And my ribs will continue to thank her.

There now. Isn't it much more fun to look at baby bellies than listen to the rants of gal like me? You're welcome.

And also, just because I'm thinking about it right now, I have to add that I am unbelievably excited to visit family for Thanksgiving! I have been missing some good family gatherings lately, so my heart will join my tummy in feeling very full.

Moving Is Not for the Faint of Heart

2011-11-01T15:03:00.001-06:00

We moved. Over two weeks ago. Moving day was one of the worst, most stressful days ever during which I shed more tears than I care to admit. Due to certain cicumstances (read: lots of things going terribly wrong), I had to put on my big girl pants and drive the moving truck all by my lonesome. Without directions (again, lots of things, terribly wrong).

And it ended like this:

For the record, I was not getting gas. For the record, I just needed a place to turn around (I was lost & had just figured out where I needed to go) and this not-yet-open-to-the-public gas station looked like my best bet. I suck at turning moving trucks around. Apparently. For the record, several contractors were angry with me. For the record, my husband is a contractor so I understood completely how I was "setting them back" and was in no need of guilt trips. But bawling your eyes out in front of a superintendent apparently disarms him. (I despise crying in front of people, a fact that made me cry all the harder.) And for the record, no, I still don't know if our insurance is covering it.

So this is one of the many reasons you haven't heard from me lately. It's been a long, slow road. And to be really honest, I haven't felt like "talking" about it on here. Looking at that photo still makes my stomach do flip-flops. Suffice it to say that it was a very, very bad day. Someday, when it strikes me as more humorous, I might sit down and chronicle our moving misadventure...but today is not that day.

Unlike Princess, Smooch wasn't adjusting well to the move either. Thankfully she has since moved past the tantrums, scratching, hitting, screaming, and whining and is back to her cheery self. But for days, we looked something like this, perhaps minus my smile:

We're as unpacked as I dare to be considering we're likely moving again in the Spring. (Lord, help us.) All remaining boxes & their contents have been shoved into the garage for condensing, selling, donating, etc. We have too much stuff. How do I tell people I want coal in my stocking this year?

(28 weeks)

Things have since settled down, and we've been able to enjoy a little bit of exploring in our new city. I now know where to buy grass-fed beef, the location of our nearest Starbucks and the ever-important Hobby Lobby. We also discovered a free pumpkin patch (of the non-farm variety) down the road a few miles from our house.

We also have a little tree in our front yard with bright red Autumn leaves, in front of which we took my 30-week belly shot. Because sometimes, especially when it feels like everything is falling apart, it's all about the joy you can glean from the smallest details in life, clinging to an attitude of gratefulness.

Some of the many things I have been grateful for these past couple of weeks, are visits from family and unexpected phone calls from friends just wanting to check in on us. Also, ill-fitting princess dresses and butterfly costumes, a husband who has shown an exceptional amount of compassion, unexpected toddler kisses, and the will to put my feet on the ground and start all over building our lives in a new place...again...when sometimes I'd rather conquer tasks at home and feel lonely because it's easier.

Wish me luck. It's time to put on my big girl pants again: my first MOPS meeting is tomorrow, and I don't like social butterfly stuff. ;-)

Yet Another Pre-Move Hodge Podge...with PICTURES!

2011-10-08T21:44:00.000-06:00

After over a month of deprivation, guess who got a new computer?! I don't have Photoshop yet, so I don't know how to watermark my photos at the moment. These pretty little ladies have been sitting on my camera since the beginning of September.

Little miss Princess had a birthday. She had been planning her birthday for a full year, so there were certain things that I felt like I absolutely had to deliver. The perfect princess cake was one of them. I must say that having my mother-in-law's help the day of the party proved to be the most life-saving thing ever...because this cake (having been my first of this sort) took hours. (Thanks again!!!)

I could tell you how I wish I had used a box cake because my "yellow cake from scratch" turned out sort of...dry. And I could tell you how I wish I would have removed one of the flowers so I could have centered her name. But mostly I want to tell you how worth it this silly cake was when I saw how much Princess just adored it.

This is Princess on her actual birthday with a few presents from Mom and Dad. The pink balloons were idea I stole from a friend: We filled her room with balloons while she slept so that when she woke up, she was surprised with birthday fun.

This picture cracks me up because Smooch was trying to imitate Princess but she has no clue about holding up fingers to represent one's age, so she held out her hand. Close enough, right?

And now we're back to party day. Princess' one request (other than a special princess cake) was to have a big party with ALL of her friends. I'm pleased to report that almost every single one of Princess' New Mexico friends helped her celebrate her big day. My mommy heart was so happy.

That's about it for party pics, as I'm careful not to post pics of other people's children on the internet these days. Back to our early September shoot and random thoughts.

Guess who decided at the most inopportune time that she really really wants to go potty on the toilet 500 times a day. Okay, maybe only 5 times a day. But really? Momma is dog tired with all this packing of boxes going on, and at this point Smoochie's bathroom trips, while quite successful, are mostly just making me change twice as many diapers because of the frequency of such bathroom trips. Diaper off. Diaper on. Diaper off. Diaper on. All. Day. Long. I tried naked bottom the other day, but then she pooped on the floor and Princess stepped in it. On purpose. To see what it felt like. Needless to say, I was spot cleaning the carpet for the next 20 minutes, someplace between laughing and crying. And my hubby was working one of those late days.

I want to put her in training pants sooo badly, but I happen to hate 1. Pullups 2. All (overpriced) cloth training pants that I have seen or tried. It's no secret that I love the Flip cloth diaper system...so I'm dying for these bad boys to finish production so I can buy some! It is amazing what a difference something like a pull-up style diaper can make to an achy, tired sort of momma.

Really? I'm thankful she wants to learn. Smooch is awesome on the potty. I'm afraid to miss this sacred window of opportunity. And I'm too busy trying to move to care much more beyond those sentiments, let alone be vigilant about bathroom trips.

Speaking of tired, pregnant mommas...behold, here is one at 24 weeks along. I'm 27 weeks now, but you get the idea. Baby girl might be more active than either of her sisters. She seems be a constant mover, which is fun for me. I'll spare you my saga of strange and new pregnancy symptoms. This time.

We re-homed out cat. I felt badly dragging her from pet-friendly rental house to pet-friendly rental house while My Stud maintains that he hates cats, and I remain unable to deal with kitty litter (a pregnancy medical thing if you weren't aware), which results in poor Kitty spending most of her time in the great outdoors. She loves the great outdoors...but not in the Winter. But in her new home, I think she will get to be the Princess Kitty that she has always dreamed. It was sort of sad and sort of happy to take her to her new home. The girls - they love her so, so much - did great. She went to live with a wonderful woman and her husband whom I have gotten to know recently, and I don't think Kitty could be in a better place. They just love her. I'm sort of sentimental by nature, and after exactly three years, it was hard to say goodbye.

My only other random bit of news is that, after a month of lovely Fall weather, we had this bizarre weather pattern that sent the whole town running for fire wood. Snow flurries were even sighted. It will warm back up, but for the moment, I am sort of wondering what possessed me to pack up all my socks. Isn't it so sweet of my husband to lend me his? :-)

Still Kickin'

2011-09-09T23:16:00.001-06:00

Hey all. Just thought I'd drop in to say, "Hey I'm still here." I'm just out of a computer for the moment. Yes, she bit the dust.

Here are some random thoughts/updates while I'm poking my head into the blogosphere for a few minutes:

1. I have officially declared it Fall around these parts. A sudden ten degree drop and the beginnings of changing leaves are all the signs I need. The girls are making up for lost time, playing outside at least once a day. It is so gorgeous all of a sudden, that I even bought two new patio chairs and finally threw out of old, gross ones.

2. I can't believe Smooch has been walking for less than a month. She is so adept these days, and sort of ambles along, swinging her arms in a way that really fits her funny, laid-back personality.

3. Princess has started preschool! At home, that is. We are using http://www.abcjesuslovesme.com/ for free (excellent) preschool curriculum. I love that it is Bible-based and has lots of creative ideas, including activities for fine and gross motor skills, etc. We have seriously talked about homeschooling our kids (at minimum for the foundational learning-to-read year(s)), so this is a great way for me to dabble in homeschooling with the forgiveness and flexibility of preschool. :-) So far, Princess loves it. She loves it to the point that she asks several times each day when we can do school. Begs, is more accurate actually. She loves the learning aspect of it (she loves to be smart), but I realize that a large part of her enthusiasm has everything to do with the special one-on-one time that she gets to spend with Mommy during the first part of nap time each day. My "quality time" girl is in her idea of hog heaven.   I plan to share more about our preschool adventures in the future, so look for that.

4. I have nearly mastered the art of making my own yogurt from the raw milk I buy from a farmin' friend. I have even been making frozen yogurt by just popping it in my ice cream maker (the frozen canister kind), sweetened with honey and flavored with vanilla. YUM.

5. The concept of GAPS and its correlating diet has inspired me to the point that I am reading the book "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride and have been experimenting with GAPS recipes (which basically means dinner comprised of mostly savory meat dishes with veggies). I made up a recipe for pumpkin pancakes using nut flours, and have been weaning our family off of all grains in hopes to try this "for reals" in the near future.   The general idea behind the GAPS diet is removing hard-to-process foods from the diet (grains, starchy veggies, sugar, any and all process food), and eating only easy-to-process foods (full-fat meats, cooked veggies, eggs, fermented dairy such as homemade yogurt, nuts, etc.)  in order to allow the gut wall to heal properly, unhindered. I'm oversimplifying of course. And, yes, GAPS diet is typically used for autism, depression, ADHD, etc. The reason I want to try this with my family is because our children seem be inheriting some digestive weaknesses that put them at high risk for more serious problems in the future, as exhibited by our family tree. At the moment, our girls struggle with pretty mild digestive problems, but I noticed pretty early on that Smooch seems to have a compromised immune system as she catches any and every little bug. She even got strep throat in the Spring when she was "too young" to get strep.  I am learning how a properly functioning digestive system has a great effect on the immune system and the body as a whole.   Anyway, this is very fascinating stuff, and the nutrition information that I am learning along with "how the body works", is solving some very frustrating mysteries in our family because it is putting all the puzzle pieces together (from various medical issues). I'm only about halfway through this book, but I HIGHLY recommend it.

6. I'm becoming increasingly excited about our new little girl growing inside. She is kicking hard enough now that (at 23 weeks) that I can see my stomach move on occasion. And My Stud and I are having fun kicking pretty girl names around. I love this part! I want to buy three of every cute girl thing ever made, but of course I don't. :-) I keep picturing our girls' futures, specifically the special bond that they will share, and it makes me smile.  Really big. And while we're talking pregnancy, I should note a strange pregnancy thing: my eyebrows have been fading. As in, turning blonde. So I finally gave into my vanity and bought a brow pencil. Much better! Actually, I have no idea if this has anything to do with pregnancy or not, but it so bizarre that it was the only thing that made sense to me.

7. We are moving in about a month, but we're still not totally sure where we are moving. I tire of people asking questions I don't have answers for, but that is just part of it. As long as folks are patient enough to listen to the whole scenario, I don't mind telling it, but it's one-word answers most people are after. Here's the scoop: it just depends on the timing of new construction jobs at the time that my husband's current job wraps up next month. The company is always bidding work, so things could always change in a moment. For now - if they don't win any other jobs in the next month - it sounds like we will stay in the same state, which is sort of nice and sort of annoying. We really want to move to Oregon where I grew up, but we have yet to win a job up there. The jury is still out on one job, so we can hope and pray! I struggle with finding the desire and energy to "start all over" in a city full of strangers yet again. I badly miss family. Sometimes I want to stomp my foot and demand that my husband find work with a different company where we can just stay put in a location of our choice. But we've both agreed that now is a time for being patient.

8.  With no computer during the day to distract me during the daily nap time, I have been whipping out some Christmas projects. Part of it is because a friend and I are working on some crafty things together (before we move) and another part of it is that I've done the whole "move and have a baby" thing before near the holidays, and I think some serious planning ahead is the key to success. :-) So, yes, I've been about knee deep into Christmas gifts for several weeks now. It is so fun! I'm hoping to finally get around to making our family stockings this year as well. Any genius ideas in the stocking department.

9. My husband has been pulling some crazy hours this past week putting to test all of the things they spent the past year and a half building. The kids start acting like crazy hooligans each day about an hour before he comes home, so these late nights are about to get to me. We've been eating dinner without him, and it's starting to wear on our little "quality time" Princess not seeing much of daddy.  We've been keeping the kids up a little later than usual to cram in some daddy time before bed each night, but it's still a pittance.  In times like these, I just thank the Lord that he has good job that takes care of our physical needs. I thank the Lord that we have him at all, even if we are having to spend a lot of time apart. A long-time friend of mine lost her husband last week, and my heart just breaks for her. I am sooo thankful I get to hug My Stud's neck at the end of the day, knowing we are never promised tomorrow. Just one weekend, and then one more week of this crazy nonsense, and we can get back to normal.  I think some Daddy-Mommy dates and some Daddy-daughter dates are in store.

10.  Princess has a birthday coming up! She wants a big party, so I hope her idea of big is a little smaller than mine, because I'm not sure how big our social circle here really is! We'll give it a shot.  I guess I had better give Christmas a break and refocus for a couple of weeks. :-) She'll be FOUR. Yikes.

Happy Fall.

When You Want to Lock Yourself in the Bathroom

2011-08-23T16:11:00.001-06:00

Today has been one of those days that make you want to lock yourself in the bathroom...if only to get three short minutes to yourself. (Actually yesterday was sort of like that too.) I have to remind myself on days like today (and yesterday), that I'm probably a little extra tired, not to mention hormonal, and that it's okay to take a quick breather. For the love of all mental sanity, take a quick breather, Amelia.

However, I didn't take a breather. Nope. It was far more important to prepare my items for the post office. Envelopes, boxes, tape and labels are challenging to juggle with a whining 1 1/2-year-old literally hanging from your left leg. Then there was the dire need to empty the SUV of donation items, and since the donation center is just down the road from the post office, two separate trips seemed unthinkable.

Princess wants ribbon. Smooch wants you to constantly unbuckle the high chair buckles so she can buckle over and over and over and... No wait, Smooch wants to sit in the high chair. Princess begins to dig through your sacred craft supplies for her own ribbon. Smooch wants down from the high chair. Yesterday. Print label for return item. Remember the internet doesn't work in the room with the printer. "Mommy when can we do more school?" Then the onslaught of crying and whining. Why? Because heaven forbid Mommy has to do something that does not involve the children (or food) for 15 measely minutes.

Finally I just snapped. I yelled loudly. Twice. Tame words (thank goodness), untamed volume. Wild-eyed, frazzled momma bear ready to eat her cubs. Or something like that.

And then that face - framed by those fluffy blonde pigtails, sweet blue eyes wide, mouth hanging open - turned up toward me in silent shock.

I didn't even feel better after venting my frustration. I was still so on edge, that I literally had to do breathing exercises all the way to the post office.

Parent fail #127: Yelling at babies. For crying.

Next time that I want to lock myself in the bathroom for a few minutes, I think I will do just that.