35 Weeks - Can I Add More Time??

36 Weeks - Almost To The End!

36 weekawesomeok, I put owith my sillp!!  I was having a "sad" day but mostly because I am so tired so I cleaned out my makeup bag and played with the eyeliner.  My husband loves it when I have makeup on and I don't really know how to feel about that but either way I win.

Baby is still head down, just floating there though so I am still holding onto the feeling that he is coming late.  I've had a couple contractions on and off but nothing I could time longer than a couple hours and not painful.  I am beyond exhausted which seems to get worse every week!  In 4 weeks time I may fall asleep standing in the grocery store.  I should put a sign on my back saying "If I look asleep just lay me down and cover me with a blanket, thanks!"

Too much?

36 weeks baby is a coconut!  Isn't a coconut smaller than a cantaloupe? ?  See back to the fruit analogy that makes no sense!!!  My cousins wife is 24 weeks and her app says her baby is a cantaloupe. ....  can we make a universal list for this??

Ok so back to the good stuff, baby is about 18.7 inches long and a little under 6 lbs.  Every week baby gets chunkier!  I love it!  Cute little baby fat!  Baby should be head down by now and is preparing for birth.  In one week we will be considered full term and if you go into labor the Dr. will not stop labor.  That being said,  you could still be looking at weeks of waiting.  I know doesn't sound fun but enjoy the time you have left.  As soon as that baby is here your life will change dramatically and you will share your baby with everyone, well family and friends but you get what I mean.  

These next few weeks start packing a bag, install the car seat, wash the baby clothes,and then relax!  You will then have the next few weeks to just enjoy everything!  

Our baby clothes are washed and will be put away this weekend.  The car seat however is still in the box in the garage...  I may need to get that out soon.  I am excited to enjoy the next few weeks even if I am falling asleep standing.  See you all next week!!

If you are a first time mom check out my latest post just for you!

Enjoy these family pictures with my silly kids and husband.  :)

We are awesome!  Noah was too good for us today and just wanted to watch The Croods.

A Letter To First Time Mom's

For some reason I have been wanting to reach out to first time mom's.   It maybe because of how many friends and family members are having their first babies and I want to reach out to let them know they are not alone or I just have a few things I want to say to my 23 year old self, pregnant with my first born but either way I started to write this letter and couldn't stop so I decided to share.

Dear first time mom,

When I was pregnant with my first I was alone.  All of my friends were either single or engaged but none of them were having babies yet but I found an amazing group of moms, first timers and other's who had been there done that, but all helped me in some way and I am very grateful to them.  I am still friends with a lot of them today.  I say all of this to start this letter with a bit of my background. 

You see, first time mom, you are not alone!

 

No matter how many kids I have,  I was once in your shoes.  Just like every other mom out there, they were all in the same boat at some point.

So to all of you who are scared, nervous, excited, or just confused, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

From the first pee on a stick to the final push of labor everyone has a story.  You will find yourself retelling your story over and over like pregnancy and labor word vomit. 

I am sooo not kidding.

Get a few women together and it will inevitably come up and you will share each birth story and pregnancy experience. 

You will remember each pregnancy even if it ended in your precious little one becoming an angel and every single story will be different.  I want so much to hold your hand and tell you it will be ok!  Women have been making and birthing babies for years so of course you can do it but no matter what you will look at me and doubt. 

So let's start at the beginning, the first trimester.  This is a boring stage unless you are sick and then it's a constant reminder that you are growing another person.  If you don't have that wonderful thing called morning sickness which tricks you into thinking it is just in the morning but really it can be morning, day and night, then you will worry about every pinch, pain, or odd feeling under the sun and about 99% of that is normal.  You will also be more exhausted than you could ever imagine, making a baby is hard work!  You will wonder if you are doing everything you can to protect that little mustard seed growing inside of you and guess what, you are!  

Second trimester is the time for big changes.  You will start to feel your baby move and gain a bit of that energy you lost back!  You will get your 20 week anatomy scan and see your precious little one plus if you are lucky and want to know you will find out if you will be having a girl or a boy.  This will alao most likely be your last ultrasound and that is ok!  If you get more it means something is wrong and I know as much as you want to see your little one he or she is doing just fine.  Just remember your kick counts and try and relax.  I know relax is a constant theme here.  

Frankie Says Relax!

Friends

Best show ever....  come back please...  I miss you!  

Ok sorry for that interruption but it was necessary.

At this point most people start to have a belly if you haven't already started showing break out the maternity pants!   This is also fun because people know you're pregnant and not just constantly hung over and bloated.  Oh and people will want to touch it.  I don't get it mostly because I would never just touch another persons belly but it happens. You may go and create a registry during this time as well but just remember, babies are simple, they don't need near as much as what retailers tell you they do.  Oh and beware if you ask for advice because moms will come out of the woodwork to give you their opinion and all of us mean well but what worked for her may not work for you. 

Third trimester is the beginning of the end.  You are preparing for birth in so many ways.   Your body will change even more and not just in your belly.  Baby is fully formed and gaining weight every day.   You will develop a waddle, sorry but it's true.  You will worry and fret and call everyone of your girl friends at the slightest pain wondering if baby is making his or her appearance.  This is normal because you have never experienced it.  So let's talk about some things to expect...

Your water may never break on its own.  This is really not as common as you would think watching movies and tv shows.   Labor can take days...  I know that's not what you want to hear but for most first time mom's labor starts and stops or starts and for 2 days you will have contractions 12 min apart but they aren't changing your cervix much so you get sent home disappointed.   For others you may show up at each weekly doctor's appointment and he or she tells you any day now and yet there you are back at the office week after week just waiting. 

Let me say this loud and clear...  Everyone is different!  Your body knows what it's doing and so does your baby.  I have had 2 babies before 38 weeks and one at 39 weeks 3 days.  Each labor was different and I expect this one to be just as different and maybe late!  It is ok!!!

Don't be fooled into rushing your baby or your body!  I am not telling you to have a baby in a bathtub or even naturally without medication.   We all have different needs, however you may just get so tired of the "is this it??" that you fall for the induction method because it fits your doctors schedule.  I could go on and on about this but pitocin is not fun, so try and avoid it.  If I can give you any advice it would be to try and relax.  Remember that your body has known what to do for 9 months so why doubt it now?  Do whatever you can to take your mind off the upcoming birth because that baby will be here soon!!  You've made it this long so hang in there!!

You are not alone, first time mom!  You are creating a new life!  You are so awesome!!!!  Never forget how awesome you are!  

And last but certainly not least...

9 months is a short amount of time even though it will feel like forever.  Enjoy it as much as you possibly can because it is the one and only chance you have to keep that little one with you at all times.   It is such a special connection and you will miss parts of it when pregnancy is over. 

Remember you CAN do this!

Sincerely, 

A fourth timer and former first time mom

Confessions Of A Tired Mommy - Mommy Needs A Nap

I am tired.  There is just no way around it.  I signed up for this, I know, but I never imagined how exhausted I could possible be.  Three boys plus being 34 weeks pregnant is beyond exhausting and not just physically but emotionally.  I realize that I am hormonal but then you add a 2 and a half year old that is stubborn to the core, a 5 year old that seems to think he needs to figure out who he is at his tender young age, and a 7 year old that thinks he rules the roost I feel like just hididng in the closet most days.

Mommy needs a nap....

Today Evan, the 2 year old terror, didn't get a nap.  This is not so bad for most kids.  Conner and Noah could go without a nap every so often and would just be tired early.  Evan is a true grump.  By 2:30 you can tell that the rest of your night will be hell.  I am in no way exaggerating.  He is a nightmare but we had lunch with grandma then a visit to the toy store put us back home late and ultimately no time for a nap...  The biggest and seriously most selfish part of this is that I won't get a nap.  I am currently typing this knowing that if I stopped and just sat here I would fall asleep.  Let's face it, I fall asleep in the morning playing cars.  I heard twice yesterday morning aroung 9:30 am, "Mommy, No NAP!".  I tried to pull it together but my eyes would not open.  I then realize I fell asleep with a toy car in my hand....  The mommy guilt set in pretty quickly after that.

So why is this time so different??

I have done this before.

I have brought home a newborn with a toddler in the house.

I CAN do it again.  I wanted to do it again.

BUT I AM TIRED!!!!

6 more weeks....  This isn't my mantra it's me telling this baby to stay in there as long as possible because if I am honest with myself I am a little nervous.  Conner and noah were 15 months apart.  I brought Noah home after a csection to a 15 month old who was walking.  I wasn't really nervous.  The only thing I had a hard time with was that Conner and my mom got along so well.  He loved his grandma and the emotional side of me thought he would hate me because he had to share me with Noah but he got grandma all to himself.  I was wrong and Conner loved his baby brother and quickly stopped calling me grandma.  When Evan was born I was in the middle of cheerleading competition season.  It was an incredibly busy time and I knew I would throw myself back into it quickly after giving birth.  Again I wasn't nervous.  Conner was 5, Noah was 4, they were more independant.  This is the first time I have brought home a baby to a child who is attached to me, who is stubborn to the core, who refuses to let anyone do anything for him except mommy.  He is my sidekick and he is exhausting but I love him because he is also incredibly sweet and terribly cute.   So you see my difficulty....

I am already exhausted and pushed to my limit with him, how much harder will it be with a new baby???

So here is what I know for sure.

I will get through this.  Evan may not like to share me but he will quickly learn to love his baby brother.  I talk about the new baby all of the time.  He kisses my belly.  He loves to show people my belly and that there is a baby in there.  He likes to "wake baby" by pushing on my belly button.  The older boys will help him learn how to be gentle even though I will say this a million times his brothers will help more.  He will quickly get use to the fact that baby will not be going anywhere and our long days of just me and him will include a baby.  l will survive and not only because I chose this but because I know I can.  Change is hard for everyone we adjust.

I am exhausted and won't really be rested anytime soon.  Mom's won't be able to get a full nights sleep for years down the road but I am ready for it.  I am prepared and ready for the future.  I am a STRONG, SUPER, AMAZING MOM!  So are you!!!  We CAN do this!

Sleep is for dads.

If it was easy it wouldn't be worth it.

IT IS SOOOOOOOO WORTH IT!!!!

6 more weeks!

So give yourself a pat on the back for making it this far without breaking.  Treat yourself to a piece of chocolate cake or whatever you maybe craving, get a 4 oz glass of wine because it's ok at this point in pregnancy and put your feet up.  Find some "you time" even if it is 10 minutes and remind yourslef that you are super woman for carrying a special human being in your body!

YOU ROCK MAMA!!!

Once your 10 minutes is up go back to being the amazing mom that you are but with a new outlook.  Your mantra is now reminding yourself how awesome you truely are beause although we put so much mommy guilt on ourselves, our kids do NOT notices!!  Evan wuickly forgot that I fell asleep while we played when I got back up and played some more. Conner and Noah quickly forgot that I wasn't able to go to park a few weeks prior because I was in a bit of pain when we stopped by the new playground just a few days ago.  They are quick to forgive and forget unlike us adults.

Remember, YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!!

Now my awesome self will get up from this computer and go fix my crazy bunch of booger eaters dinner!  I may also start watching march madness just to see if I can win the $1 billion dollar bracket!  I blame this on my husband....

YOU ARE AWESOME!

34 weeks - Finally a Name!

This post is late...  technically I am 34 weeks 4 days but I have an excuse.  It may not be a very good excuse but non the less it is the only one I've got and you're just going to have to accept it!  So 34 weeks came and then the weekend overwhelmed with family trips to the zoo with the husbands childhood friends and their kids then lunch and of course we had to stop for ice cream.   Sunday my inlaws came and nothing got done then rain yesterday and it was just a good day to snuggle on the couch with my little 2 year old monster.  

See, all valid excuses!

So back to the point!  We have reached 34 weeks!  Baby is about 5 lbs and 17.7 inches long or the size of a cantaloupe.  

Yes I took a picture of the cantaloupes at my grocery store.  At least I didn't pose with it...  I mean I was going to but I couldn't get anyone to take it.  See, not crazy.

Your baby is gaining about half a pound of fat every week now!  This just makes me happy because there is just nothing better than chubby babies.  We also have only 6 weeks left!  6 weeks people! !!  This is actually very ok with me.  I wake up every morning to my alarm and then my lovely 2 year old comes barging in demanding anything and everything.  I keep thinking that when this baby comes everything that I am doing now will continue just with no sleep....  4 kids!  Why is this just now hitting me???  

Ok so after months of going back and forth we have decided on a name!  I am also not telling. We've decided to keep it under wraps until baby is here.  The one secret that I will be able to keep!  

Ok so I promise the 35 week update will be on time especially since it's only 3 days away!

Bed Time Stories - Confessions of a Tired Mom

At almost 34 weeks pregnant I am tired by the end of the night.  Most nights I tend to be hormonal and quick tempered.  My husband started realizing this at around 25 weeks and took over bed time routine so I could put my feet up and relax but that is easier said than done.  The boys tend to get riled up with dad putting them to bed so it's a mix of relaxing/wanting to take over and calm them down but this isn't a post about our night time routine it's my confession of a tired mom, and pregnant I might add.

So what is my confession?

I just don't want to deal with bed times.  I have done homework, dealt with the monster all day aka Evan the 2 year old terror, made dinner, cleaned the house, done laundry, and picked up toys.  So when 7:30 rolls around all I want to do is sit on the couch and cover my ears until the kids are asleep but then I had a bit of an emotional moment the other day reading a friends kind words on Facebook.  These moments are fleeting.  Your kids are only young for so long no matter how annoyed you may be or tired.  I captured this moment tonight while helping with bed time.  I have been putting the monster to bed for the past week because he hasn't gone to bed well after jumping around with his older brothers.

While sitting and watching my husband read to our boys I got emotional because no matter how tired I am, I am ultimately missing these moments and let's be honest, they will be gone before you know it.  There is also the fact that bed times go much easier and much more calmly when we are both doing them together.  That whole teamwork thing goes a long way!  

In the next few months I will have to go back to not helping as much simply because there will be a new little one that needs my full attention but I have learned my lesson.  I can't take the easy way out and miss these moments.  I also cannot expect my husband who has worked all day to do all of the work at bed time when he too has had a long day and just wants to sit down.  Life lessons, they can be a pain.  :)

Ultimately we as moms tend to do quite a bit and once in awhile need a break but don't make my mistake and get lazy.  I was making excuses because I just didn't want to deal with the hassle if I could pawn it off on my spouse.  I am sure it will happen again because well I am pregnant and pretty tired however I will make a point of making sure it's not too often but also that it is not for the wrong reasons.  Next post, mommy guilt, and how to deal with it.  :)  

34 weeks pregnant post coming soon and I promise it will go back to the snarky humor you have come to expect around here.  

Handmade Instagram Mamas

Instagram is a treasure trove of awesome hand made products!  I had no idea, until a dear friend from back in the awkward high school and middle school days, introduced me to her favorite Instagram mama's.  I was missing so much and it also hit home that I really am not creative like that.  I mean I can recreate things pretty well but coming up with something new that people actually want to buy is not my forte.  So as a mom I envy these moms that have found something that they can do in their spare time and work from home but I also want to support them!  I mean we are all moms so hy not buy from a fellow mom.

Melody over @melodyjoydesigns is that friend who I envy mostly for her free spirit and hippy ways but also because she is so darn creative!  She makes beautiful mama bird necklaces and rings, cowls, scarves, and men's hand stamped leather cuffs.  She also blogs, home schools her 2 boys, and has a beautiful little girl named Pheobe which is also awesome.  She then introduced me to my next favorite!

@jessicandesigns or as I like to refer to her as the girl who makes the wonderful spoons.  She sells stamped spoons!  They all have creative little phrases on them which just brightens my day.

@freshlypicked was just on Shark Tank but I have been a follower long before.  She makes baby moccasins that are to die for.  They are made of leather and are so precious on your toddlers little feet!  She is going places!

@betterlifebags or @rebeccasmithonline makes handbags and not just any handbags but amazing handbags that I drool over.  This is what I am currently saving for because one of these bags is made for me.  Did I mention that you can now design your own bag?!?!?  Ugh drool some more!  You can also find her at www.shopbetterlifebags.com.

If you are in the mood for personalized baby leggings or blankets then you have to visit @bocobaby.  Just look, no really, go now!  Not only are the leggins precious but look at the blankets!  The blankets are just adorable!  I am thinking this baby who still doesn't have a name needs one to come home in.  That is, IF we can decide on a name in the next few weeks.

I have also fallen in love with these blankets from @babyjackblankets.  These are sensory baby blankets that are made of minky fabric and have cute little tags for baby to gnaw on.  I wonder if I can get away with sleeping with them myself...  Ok not really but they are so soft!!

These are just a few of my favorites, what are your's???  I probably shouldn't ask since I am already addicted and have to keep explaining why I am making paypal purchase.  Maybe I should start selling my kids art work, it has to be worth something right?!?

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My Favorite Baby Products

There are so many baby products available today and if I was a new mom now I would have a hard time sorting through it all.  The fact is that every mom has an opinion of what is the best and what worked for their baby but it may not work for youso how do you decide what to register for??  So just to make it a litte less confusing I wanted to share my favorite baby products that worked for me.

Bouncy Seat

This is a mandatory item for me.  I regret selling the one I had for the first two but I was out of space and wasn't sure I could store it for 3 years or so.  Hoever I found something similar!  The brand is Boppy and can be found at Walmart but really anything that fits your decor and style is great as long as it bounces!  Most of these new bouncy seats wiill have other features but my kids never liked the vibrating part.   So why do you need a bouncy seat?  To put baby down of course!  We do a lot of baby wearing but there are times I need to put baby down and the bouncy seat moves throughout the house without being too bulky.  It also comes in really handy when you start to feed baby food.

Boppy

Whether or not you are nursing it doesn't really matter a boppy is awesome!  If you are nursing a Boppy will be your best friend.  If you aren't nursing it will still be your best friend and keep your arms from falling off.  My niece is almost 5 months old and giving her a bottle kills my arms unless I have the Boppy or a pillow under my arm but she's worth it. :)  Baby can also sit in the Boppy letting her sit up a bit insead of just laying on the floor.

This is my niece hanging out in the Boppy at 4 months old.

Burp Cloths

No matter what baby is going to spit up a bit.  Every child is different and you can have a baby that spits up a little or a lot but either way you need something to wipe it up with.  This doesn't mean you need anything fancy.  I use to cloth tri fold diaper inserts, they are cheap and come in a large pack.  Now you can totally do without these and use wipes or whatever you have handy however remember with spit up also comes a gross smell and who really wants their blankets smelling like that?  

The First Years Convertible Car Seat

Most moms will not go this route but never fear they have an infant seat as well.  With that said I love this product because of the ease of cleaning.  We had a Graco infant car seat with the first 3 boys but after 6 months they didn't fit in them very well.  Conner ended up getting a cheap Costco car seat which had little to no padding and was hard to clean.  With Noah we were given The First Years Convertible Car Seat and an infant seat made by first years as well.  I loved them!!!  The car seats are very safe first and foremost and they have quite a bit of padding but here is the best part...  ready for it???  THE COVERS SNAP OFF!!!  If you are a first time mom this may not matter to you yet but it will I promise!  In order to clean the cover for a Graco car seat you have to unhook everything to get it off then rehook it all.  Also to move the straps you must also unhook everything...  this is time consuming and annoying.  The First Years seats all snap off and in order to adjust the straps you simply pull a handle on both sides and adjust to needed height!  We have decided to skip the infant seat this time and just go straight to the convertible car seat so we bought a second one since Evan is still in his.

Bassinet

Yes you read that right, one of my top 5 is our bassinet.  It's nothing fancy but to me it is a life saver.  This is also a First Years product and I probably sound like and advertisment for The First Years brand but really I just happen to love a lot of their products.  I happened to register for this when I was pregnant with Conner and I am so glad I did.  So lets talk specifics; the bassinet piece comes off and has a handle to be carries through out the house.  When you take the bassinet piece off there is a changing table then on the very bottom there is a storacge space but these are not the best part for me.  On the bassinet there is a light that is just enough to see in the dark when I am nursing or changing a diaper but not enough to bother my sleeping husband.  It also plays music and vibrates but I don't use that as often.  The cover comes off or easy cleaning and the back comes up to an incline position and last but not least the bassinet folds up!!! We have taken his on numerous vacations which makes it even more lovely.  

Now there are other products that I use and love however none of which I use but not near as often as these top 5.  We have a pack n play which we used often when the kids got older but mostly when family visited and we needed their room or when I watched kids which is why it is in use right now.   I use paci's but these really are specific to each baby.  We loved the hospital paci but these don't work for every child.  The same goes for bottles, I spent more money than I wish to disclose in order to find something that worked for my kids and didn't cause nipple confusion which I am still unsure if it actually exists.  I think I spent way too much time worrying about it either way. 

Ultimately you will find what works for you and your baby.  I hope this helps one of you though!

33 Weeks Pregnant - Slowing It Down A Notch

This photo brought to you by 5 year old Noah who managed to take 10 pictures and this was the only one not blurry.  Also hilarious commentary brought to you by my wonderful Minnesota friend who also happens to be a photographer,  Christine. 

33 weeks pregnant with 7 weeks to go!  Last week was pretty rough for me and I am really hoping this week is less eventful.  On a really great note - BABY IS HEAD DOWN!!!!

Ok so 33 weeks pregnant and guesss what?!  He is the size of a pineapple which I assume means the whole plant not just the fruit or if you prefer, 17 inches long and 4.5 pounds.   I love that he is just gaining fat at this point and can't wait to squeeze those little cheeks!  My app likes to remind me that there is not much room left in there for baby, uh no really?!?  I thought the pounding on my hips and kicks to my ribs just mean the was doing jumping jacks and pushing off my ribs to clap my hips!  That's a pretty funny thought by the way.

This is the part of pregnancy where you get alien belly.  You no longer have a round belly at all times because with the shifting of the baby you tend to have a huge lump on the left then flat stomach on the right or basically it just contorts with whatever position baby decides to stretch into.

Do you have swelling??   This is normal unless it is mainly in your face and neck which you will want to call about.  I had to use a lot of soap and water to get my engagement band off the other day because of the swelling.  Thankfully I got it off and sadly it won't be coming back on until after baby is here just in case he flips again and I need a csection.

So what else is going on?  Well I am still on once a week non stress tests and have now added a second during the week which makes me stressed and hopeully not the baby.  I am trying not to worry about it but of course it's hard not to.  This Monday was the start of not watching the little girl any longer with will be hard on the bank account but easier on my back.  My clothes aren't really fitting any longer so I try not to leave the house and just stay in my sweat pants.  They are my best friend, why would I abandon them when they are so loyal to me??  Other than all of this I am tired, just plain tired.  I have been up for about 2 hours, of course it is only 8 am and I already want a nap...  Maybe I can convince Evan to hang out on the couch with me while I take on....

Well that about wraps it up!

Until next time ladies and gents!  34 weeks here we come!

Nanny needed for 33 week pregnant mom...

I need a nanny...

Someone to watch and make sure I am not doing too much, like moving furniture.  In my defense hubby was not feeling good and at work.  It also needed to get done...

I have a million excuses.

Ultimately I spent all day cleaning, reorganizing, moving things, and getting Evan's room/babys room ready.  It was in the middle of the winter/spring clothing transition plus we moved the train table to his room and didn't really put it in a good place.  It was pretty cluttered and was driving me nuts.  So I cleaned it up, moved clothes, cleaned the closet, put baby things away and made room for more.  See!  It really did need to get done.

I moved the crib slightly and then moved the dresser to the opposite wall.  This was my mistake....  Hubby wasn't happy with that part.  Now that I am done I feel much better and it's one more thing off my list that seems to grow daily now that it's just me and Evan in the house.  I have wonderful friends though that continue to tell me to slow down but wouldn't it be nice to have a nanny at this point in pregnancy??  For all of you who have ever been on bed rest I know you understand!  My house needs to be cleaned but I can only manage the half bathroom without needing to sit down after.

I am not complaining, I love being pregnant and will be perfectly ok with this baby staying in there until May.  :)

Remind me I said that in 4 weeks or so!

How Does A Mom Of 3 Slow Down?? - Lessons in modified bed rest

I do too much...

I realize this and yet even when my Dr tells me to slow down I still cannot seem to just sit on my hands so to speak.  I watch a little girl in my neighborhood who is 19 months old so add in my 2 and a half year old and you get a recipe for non stop moving.  Things around the house still need to get done, groceries still need to be bought and yet this doesn't really equal taking it easy.  Even if you take some of that stuff out I will still find things to do that I shouldn't.

So I am learning my lesson in modified bed rest and I have my friends to thank for reminding me.  Yes all of you May mommies who tell me constantly that I need to slow down.  Today was one of those days that I started something that after 2 hours I began to regret...

This is my pantry, the after shot to be exact.  I went to Sam's and the grocery store in order to refill my fridge after vacation and once I got it all inside I looked in the pantry in order to put things away and realized I had been putting cleaning out the pantry off for so long that there was no where to put anything.  So I began cleaning and 2 hours later my pantry and fridge was cleaned out and purged of everything that was expired and broken.  I then sat down and immediaty began to regret the previous 2 hours of cleaning...

I hurt, my back hurts, my hips hurt, and yet I feel pretty good about my pantry being clean.  At least this means one thing is marked off my list and I don't attempt this at 38 weeks!  

Lessons in modified bed rest are hard lessons to learn and clearly I need to learn them quickly before the modified part becomes full bed rest....  No way I can make it long with that!!!!  

Back to the little engine that could mantra, I think I Can I think I Can!

How To Travel With Kids - Road Trips Made Easy

I don't know about you but we travel quite often.   Mostly just short 2 hour trips but once or twice a year we make a big 7 hour trip or 16 hour trip.  I will be honest when the boys were babies these trips were a breeze!  They slept most of the time and when we stopped I changed diapers, gave them a bottle and then we kept going.  Now that the kids are older it's still relatively easy because they feed themselves, watch movies and generally don't need much but the longer the road trip the longer they are stuck in the car and the more they complain.  This makes for a not so fun trip.  Now that we have a 2 year old being potty trained it makes it all that more difficult however I have perfected he art of how to travel with kids.

I say perfected mostly because we have done this several times now and my system works fairly well with little to no hiccups!  I call this a win in the mom book!  We have a trusty egg mobile or van which happens to be white, hence the egg mobile.  Anyways that is a totally different story...

So prior to the trip I will clean out the van and vacuum which may seem dumb since it will be completely trashed after the trip is over no matter how many trash bags you give them but it makes me feel better to start the trip with a clean car.

I will also go to the Dollar Tree and Target dollar spot and stock up on things to pack in their very own back packs.  Target I have found has the best selection of items that I am looking for.  You want the little packs of crafts or coloring books that come with markers.  NO CRAYONS!!!  These will inevitably get dropped on the floor and broken or will be left there to melt all over your carpet.  Summer or Winter the story is the same...   Summer heat melts them or in the Winter the heat from the heater will melt them.  Best option is markers by far unless you have a toddler which is when the magic markers comes in!  The markers that only work on special paper otherwise the ink is clear!

Next I take all of the things I have gathered and put them in each back pack.  Now we will need snacks!  So in a gallon zip lock bag in goes individually packaged chips, fruit snacks, raisins, and/or cereal and then each book bag gets one.  I aslo pack their video games, batteries, and anything needed for the games in another ziplock bag and it goes in the book bag.

Once the book bag is packed I move on to a small cooler.  We have a ton of these but if you don't, find a cooler that is made of the fabric that will fold easily.  At this point I have already made my Sam's run to pick up fruit and juice boxes in bulk.  I then take the fruit and individually package it into sandwhich or snack size bags then put the snack size bags in a gallon size bag to go in the cooler.  I also pack a gallon bag of gogurt as well.  This gives the kids access to snacks that are good for them, drinks, and more so that when we stop to go to the bathroom at a gas station we aren't spending $20 on crap....

I also found a small collapsable landry bag for their trash can and don't worry if you can't find something like this.  For the past trips I hung a grocery bag by each child and it worked fine.

So now that you have packed food and enterainment let me explain what we did with Evan who is 2 and potty training.  I am not a mom that likes to take steps backwards so diapers were not an option and to be honest he has been potty training for a month or so now and wouldn't just go in a diaper anyways.  When Conner was potty training we took frequent trips to see my family up north which is a 16 hour trip so I went to Babies R Us and found a travel portable potty that uses bags on a potty that folds up.  The bags have a piece at the bottom that absorbs the pee and you just tie the bag up and throw it away!  We did stop a couple to times to use an actual bathroom but only when we stopped for gas, lunch, or for 8 months pregnant mommy to pee so we ended up only using it twice the whole trip.

Last but not least I pack an emergency bag.  This holds extra snacks, medicine, wipes, paper towel roll, extra batteries, and possibly a surprise or two for those desperate moments.  2 years ago we made the 16 hour trip and I got a bit crazy and got 16 cheap things for each child and then wrapped each one and then every hour they were able to open one up.  It was really fun for the boys and made the time go by quicker for them but next time I will only do one per state we pass through.  :)

Ultimatly we had a great vacation and the trip went by quickly and like every vacation goes by too quickly.  I hope this helps you next time you go on a road trip with your kids!

32 weeks Pregnant - Vacation Is Never A Vacation For Mom

Just arrived home after 7 hours in the car look :)

As you may have noticed we have been out of town on vacation this past week through the weekend.  I turned 32 weeks on Friday and with no internet I was sadly unable to post anything.  Since I cannot ski I was inside thd whole time which would have been a great time to blog!  I know you are crying right now with that little bit of news.  If not you should be, not really, clearly I have lost a little more of my mind the further along I get.  32 weeks pregnant and only 8 or so weeks to go!

Now that we are in the home stretch I will start talking about things you will need to know in the upcoming weeks.  What to pack for the hospital, things you will need to know about labor, what to expect after you have the baby and much more but for now I will stick with what's going on with me and baby #4.

32 weeks and baby is the size of bok choy.  What is bok choy and why do these apps and sites keep comparing babies to odd vegetables???  We have covered my feelings on this before but it still annoys me when I read it each week.  If you are like me and have no idea what bok choy is then lets just stick with the basics.  Your baby is about 4 lbs and around 16 inches long from head to heel.  You maybe experiencing braxton hicks which are totally normal.  Braxton hicks are irregular and typically not painful contractions preparing your body for labor.  They feel like they take my breath away and my stomach tightens but that's about it.  I get them around 5 to 9 times per day.  Real contrations will increase in frequency and will gradually get more painful.  If your contractions are timable and get more frequent call your OB.

Each week I get a NST or non stress test which monitors the baby's heart rate, movements, and contractions.  I get them because baby number 4 much like Noah, (my second) he has a 2 vessel cord.  This may cause low birth weight and can be a sign of a more serious condition but he has both his kidneys which basically means he is a perfectly normal baby just with 2 vessels instead of 3.  Noah was also fine but was born at 36 weeks so I am being monitored more carefully.  The NST showed a heart rate of 135 but he had several periods of decelerated heart rate so they sent me for an ultrasound.  Thankfully the ultrasound showed that he was fine, amniotic fluid was fine and other than the fact that he is measuering 3 weeks ahead he looks perfect.  Yes, 3 weeks ahead...  my kids have all been pretty normal sized with small heads so the fact that he is already measuring larger makes me a tad nervous.  At the end my OB told me to take it easy but with 2 toddlers I don't think that is going to happen.

My doctor told me to take it easy and not put too much stress on baby which he and I both tried not to laugh at since I am a mom of 3 boys.

Normally you would be going every 2 weeks at this point and switching to every week at 36 or 37 weeks.  I have been going every week since 30 weeks though which is a blast for the nurses in the office because I write little notes on the pee cups.  If you have to touch pee cups all day you may as well have a little note on them to make you laugh.  :)  This week said rain rain go away because it had been raining all morning and was making for a very sad and dreary Monday morning.  I was told to come up with something funny to ammuse the office since I come on Mondays.  So if you have any short pee jokes let's hear them!


33 weeks here we come!

Baby Names - Why Is It So Hard This Time?

At almost 33 weeks pregnant I am still thinking of baby names.  I don't get overwhelmed by this enormous decision.  Typically I know his name and feel very sure and yet Darien is always on the fence.  This time we have yet to really commit to our choice mostly because I am still on the fence...

People ask and ask but we both look at each other and never answer.  It's an awkward moment...  We both feel confident on the middle name as it's his dad's family name but then we get stuck on the first name.  Darien likes it more than I do but again I am just not sure.

With all 3 boys I knew their names as soon as I knew we were having a boy.  Darien took convincing on all 3 but eventually he came around and so we now have Conner, Noah, and Evan.  Baby number 4 however is being called baby. 

We are at almost 33 weeks and we still haven't even found middle ground on a name which is probably stressing me out more than Darien.  This baby boy will be here before we know it and we will have to come up with something we agree on otherwise he really will be named Baby, which maybe good for Dirty Dancing but not for a little boy.

Vacation - No Internet - I need a recovery day from vacation....

We have been on vacation, and although I desperately wanted to blog, no interent...

This turned out to be a really great thing but of course I wasn't able to blog which was the only sad part.

I have a ton of new blog posts coming soon so stay tuned!!