Mommy Meg

Book #4-Mind Over Labor

2011-05-21T18:56:00.001-07:00

This is a re-read for me because I found it helpful in preparing for childbirth last time. I would highly recommend it to anyone in their last trimester, whether they plan a "natural" childbirth or not. It took me 2 months to read it for several reasons.

First, Keith & I are involved in a pretty good Bible study at church that involves homework 5 nights a week, plus a weekly group meeting. We're really glad to be doing it, but it is time consuming.

Second, we've been learning some Japanese together using Rosetta Stone. This was supposed to be in preparation for a project Keith was going to be on at work for the next 5-7 years, but then the terrible earthquake & tsunami hit Japan and everything's been on hold.

Third, I'm tired!

We're getting ready to celebrate Josiah's 3rd birthday next week! Check my facebook profile for pictures of his birthday cake. I sure hope it turns out the way I'm envisioning it in my mind. We're also making preparations for baby Rachel, obviously.

I'm also hoping to wrap up Isaac's preschool year next week or the following. No regrets at all. Homeschooling has been a good decision for us so far. Isaac can print his first and last name, as well as our house number. He knows our address and both my and Keith's phone numbers, letters, numbers, shapes, colors, can count to at least 20 without assistance and to 100 with assistance, plus he knows the basic sound each letter makes and has begun learning how to read. According to his Hooked on Phonics software he can read something like 80 words (like dad, mad, hat, rat, lit, sit, not, pot). He's learned how to button, snap, zipper, go potty completely by himself, make a phone call, and put his own toothpaste on his toothbrush. I'm already making some plans in my head for next school year when I'm working with both Isaac and Josiah.

I'm not sure what book(s) I may pick up next. I'm thinking either Baby Catcher, to get geared up for labor some more, or Physics for Dummies, because I've always wanted to learn Physics and I know I won't have time to learn something new like this for a while after the baby is born. I've also been thinking of reading more about missionaries too, like Amy Carmichael. But it's probably gonna be Baby Catcher!

Book 3-Lone Survivor

2011-03-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

I laughed, I cried, and I learned a lot of new things. Lone Survivor is the true story of a Navy SEAL operation gone horribly awry, with a bit about the atrocious Rules of Engagement and the outrageousness of the liberal media too. I cannot imagine how a man tries to go on with his life after what this author has experienced. In addition to gaining an even greater respect for the SEALs & all members of the armed forces, I've also come to the firm conclusion that the movie G.I. Jane, starring Demi Moore, was a bunch of crap. No woman could ever endure SEAL training.

While I have cleaned my house a bit between books here, I have not done anything with my scrapbooking, as I had wanted to. I also haven't touched Mary Pride's Complete Guide to Homeschooling either in a couple of months.

Keith & I are beginning a 16-week Bible study at church that involves some homework and scripture memorization every week. I know that the next book I read will be Mind Over Labor by Carl Jones, in preparation for baby #4, who I think we've already named Rachel.

Book 2-Leota's Garden

2011-02-21T06:07:00.001-08:00

Another great novel by Francine Rivers. And once again, I found myself staying up way too late to finish it, then being unable to wake up in the morning when my kids woke.

Between Far From the Madding Crowd and Leota's Garden, I chipped away at the gigantic Mary Pride's Complete Guide to Getting Started in Homeschooling. I don't know if I'll ever finish that one. I may just now be at the halfway point. While informative, it's a bit overwhelming, and just altogether way too large for a "getting started guide" to anything. However, I never leave books unfinished, so I'm sure to complete at some point this year.

Right now I need to take a short break from reading to get some sleep. On a positive note, I managed to clean my house two weeks in a row. That's a first. Also, I may resume my scrapbooking instead of reading for a time. I would love to get Isaac, Josiah, and Elizabeth's baby books done before I have a new baby to take care of.

Glad We Don't Have Cable

2011-01-30T12:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I made a big turkey dinner with all the fixins: stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, etc. Since it was an 18.5lb. turkey I invited my parents over for dinner. (Still have LOTS of leftovers!) Afterwards, while I was doing the dishes, I got to enjoy one of the greatest sounds on earth: laughter coming from the family room. Keith, Isaac, and Josiah were playing with the balloon-powered vehicle set Isaac had received for his birthday. They were making big hot dog shaped balloons and letting them go. They made a really loud noise as they flew around the room. They made balloon-powered helicopters and cars too. Watching Isaac and Josiah squeal with delight made my parents laugh too. It was really a pleasant evening. My family was interacting and enjoying one another's company.

Now, if we had cable, as soon as dinner was over someone would've turned on the TV, and everyone would've sat in a semi-catatonic state on the couch watching something completely mindless that wouldn't add anything to their lives. Rather it would steal 30 minutes from them that they could never get back.

This is part of the vision I have for my family. This is why we don't have cable. We can interact, converse with one another, and enjoy being with each other. Sure, I miss some of those The Universe shows Keith used to like watching on SciFi or History channel. I definitely miss Stargate Universe. But you know what? We can catch those on DVD when the seasons are over, on our own schedule in our own free time after the kids go to bed. We've now been without cable for, I don't know, at least 6 or 8 months. Do I regret our decision? No, and I never have. After last night, I'm more glad than ever we don't have it.

Book 1-Far From the Madding Crowd

2011-01-07T14:37:00.001-08:00

A very good story, with a very abrupt and in some ways disappointing ending. I don't think I'll be reading any more Thomas Hardy books for a while. If I had kept a notepad, pen, and dictionary next to me I could have learned at least 50 new vocabulary words. I'm talking about words that I have never, ever heard or seen before in my life. Here's one I did look up though: desultorily. It means in a random way, disorganized.

Since I was only halfway finished with this at the end of 2010 I put it on the list of books for 2011. I don't think I'll do very well with my reading this year, though. I find myself so engrossed in my book that I stay up way too late, or neglect my housechores. I also want to make more time for Bible study. If I finish at least 12 books this year, 1 per month, I'll be happy.

Isaac's First Composition

2010-12-15T06:20:00.001-08:00

My firstborn, Isaac, just composed his first story. He recited it to me, & I'm just now recording it. Here it goes!

When I went shopping I met a friendly name named Mommy.
When I went to the grocery store I met a friendly name named Daddy.
When I went to the store I met a friendly name named Mommy.

I like how he put Keith at the grocery store, where all the food is, and not me!

I love my kids.

The irony is Monday was one of those days I threatened to put them in daycare and go back to work! I'd never do it. That's just one of my sayings for when I'm having a really bad day with them.

Book #22-My Antonia

2010-12-07T17:48:00.000-08:00

I've had My Antonia on my bookshelf since I was a teenager and always passed it by when trying to decide what to read next. Finally, upon my father's recommendation, I picked it up. I loved it! One half of me wishes I'd read it long ago, but another part of me knows that I would not have understood everything implied in it. For instance, one less significant character in the book is Wick Cutter. One of the many villainous things Wick does, it is told, is he "ruins" a girl and then sets her up in another town to run the only business anyone would ever go to her for. In not so many words, he basically set her up in another town to run her own "house of ill -repute." At least that's how I understand it. Honestly I'm not sure I would have picked up on things like that when I was a teenager.

While this is not what I'd call a "bonnet book," I still cried at times! There is at least one instance when the main character, Jim Burden, is in between colleges and decides to visit his old friends and stomping grounds once again. At this point he reconnects with his childhood memories that he kind of pushed into the background of his mind because he was learning so many new ideas and philosophies in college. He actually becomes heartsick for his childhood. I distinctly remember a time like this in my own life, in my first marriage. I simply began sobbing uncontrollably for my childhood, my youth, once again! It was some sort of awakening that I had to grow up now and do my own housework, laundry, and ironing because if I didn't do it, nobody else would. Hindsight is always 20/20 of course, but looking back I can clearly see that my ex-husband was not the only immature one. I was pretty immature myself, mentally and emotionally.

I also loved the parts of the story where Jim Burden is describing how much he adores, admires, and respects the "hired girls," the eldest daughters of immigrant families who come to the town to make a living, and of course send money back home so their fathers can pay their debts and own their lands. Throughout the story I wondered why didn't he marry one of those girls he admired so much! At a point during his adolescent years he even despises the other boys his age because they don't see in the hired girls what he does! He seems to despise the American girls because they don't have the vitality, strenth, personality, or zeal for life the immigrant girls do. Yet back in those days people stuck to their own kind. American boys married American girls, and the immigrants for the most part stuck to their own kind. What a shame! And how unlike it is today!

Of course, Antonia Shimerda is the main object of Jim Burden's admiration throughout the entire book to some degree (hence, the title). She is a wonderful character who most women would probably like to emulate one way or another. I relate to her character in the sense that I've always been one to land on my feet out of any crises or struggle. I like to think that I'm a survivor, that no matter what circumstances I might face in life, I'd pull through, myself & my children. It bothers me that I depend on my parents as much as I do to help me with the kids. I'm always looking for ways to not rely on them, as silly as that may sound. I'm sure mothers out there who don't have their family nearby would love to be able to rely on their parents more. But Keith & I both kind of pride ourselves on standing on our own two feet, so to speak. We don't like to take help, but sometimes we have to.

Of course an overall theme of the book is the hardships the early pioners to the West had to face: the first winter, farming unfamiliar land, the language barrier, homesickness, etc. Antonia, I think, at least partly represents or symbolizes those pioneer women, specifically.

To conclude, if you haven't read My Antonia yet, read it! I'm actually going to give it to Keith to read next time he leaves the country, which won't be too long from now! I think this book appeals to men & women alike. It is not a "bonnet" book.

The Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-14T16:45:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth's 1st visit to the Pumpkin Patch!

Josiah in full-cherub mode once again.

Isaac also in full-cherub mode.

Of course we couldn't get everyone to look at the camera at the same time.

Keith and Isaac did the corn maze together.

A desperate attempt to get a shot of all 3 kids.

With us this year were our dear friends from Michigan, Troy and Denise Bryant along with their four children: Caleb (9), Rachel (8), Sam (5), and Sarah (4). So, yes we had seven children in our house that weekend, but it was a blast!

Catch Up

2010-11-14T16:34:00.000-08:00

I just want to say if you've never read one of Francine Rivers' books, you must! Even with three children, ages three and under, when I pick up one of her novels I cannot put it down. I finish her books within about three or four days. I just completed The Last Sin Eater-AWESOME! I am concurrently reading Mary Pride's Complete Guide to Getting Started in Homeschooling as well. However, Mary Pride's Complete Guide is over 600 pages long and, while I am interested in learning more about homeschooling, it's not exactly the type of nonfiction you can't put down.

Tonight I painted our foyer. It's so exhilarating to work on our house again, even if it's just a tiny entryway. I fear this fire will not be quenched until we paint every room in our house that hasn't been painted already.

Back to painting....

Bikes & Boof

2010-09-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

Per Nana Drudy's request, here are some pics of the boys on their new bikes, and Elizabeth ,aka Boof, on her 10 month birthday.

The King of Cute reigns!

My biggest boy, Isaac, just couldn't be happier.

A Great Weekend

2010-08-31T08:17:00.000-07:00

I know it's Tuesday, but I want to share about our awesome weekend.

Keith was off work Friday (which was awesome all by itself!), but I had to go out in the morning to buy some groceries for our picnic Saturday and buy a birthday gift for the boys' friend, Noah, who turned 5! I had a nice morning shopping with the boys. Naturally, when we were at Toys R Us the boys wanted everything! Before we checked out I took the boys over to the bikes and got a couple down for them to ride. They loved them! And they looked so adorable on them! But I wasn't going to buy them without Keith, so I put them back. Oh, you should've seen the puppy dog eyes! Isaac literally said to me, "You're not friendly with me, and you're mean because you take my bike and my toys away." I nearly dropped over dead. But we checked out and left. When we got home I told Keith about the bike drama, and he subtley (sp? is that even a word?) hinted he was going to buy the bikes when he went out to get his haircut.

We had lunch and a normal afternoon, the kids and I. Keith did go out for a haircut. While Josiah and Elizabeth were still napping, he came back, with the bikes! They had to be assembled, of course, but Isaac was thrilled to assist! It was such a joy to see him so excited about his new bike, and his Lightning McQueen helmet, too! I got the cameras out, and after a couple still shots of him standing next to his bike with his enormous helmet on, I switched to the movie camera to capture his first bike ride. Only thing is, we were in the driveway, which is slightly downhill. Isaac hadn't figured out the brakes yet, and started heading right for the street. Thankfully, I was standing at the end of the driveway, but I had to grab the bike to stop him for careening out into the street. When I did this, Isaac flipped over the handlebars, and landed face first in the grass. Thank God it was the grass! Funny thing is I caught most of it on video. Incidentally, however, Isaac did not want to get back on the bike. The whole things was more hilarious than anything. He took a little break while Keith assembled Josiah's bike.

So Keith got Josiah's bike put together, Josiah & Elizabeth woke up from their naps, Isaac got over his apprehension, and the boys rode their bikes for the rest of the evening! (With a brief intermission for dinner.) It was such a joy and a delight to watch them ride their bikes for the first time!

Friday nights have also become movie nights for Keith and me. We relaxed on the couch with a bottle of Chianti and watched part 1 of The Return of the King. We've been watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy, so we just have part 2 to go and we're all done with that. It's been years since I've watched them, and they are my all time favorite. I might even like them better than Gone With the Wind.

Saturday we had a family reunion picnic in South Park. The weather was fabulous, and there was a nice playground for the kids there. There's also a Game Reserve in South Park we took the kids too. One of the best parts was that Isaac met his cousin, Ping, who lives in Vienna, VA. They're about the same age, within a year. They were both bashful at first, but it didn't take long for them to warm up to one another. They were pals for the rest of the day!

On Sunday after church I took the boys to our friend Noah's 5th birthday party. After lots of playtime in the hot sun, and lots of sugar, our wonderful weekend had come to an end.

Spending lots of time with family and friends is one of my favorite things to do. I especially love with Keith and I just spend entire days at home playing with the kids.

Yesterday

2010-08-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

Beginning this summer Keith has had every other Friday off. The 9-hr workdays really aren't that rough. It's been great! Yesterday Keith was off, so I scheduled the whole family for a sitting at JCPenney Portraits. We've had great luck with them in the past and Isaac was overdue for his 3-year picture, Josiah for his 2-year, and Elizabeth for her 9-month. In addition, we'd always talked about getting a family shot. Penney's advertised a "Road Rebel" background which included a toddler-size Harley Davidson motorcycle for a prop. I thought this would be a great way to draw Isaac and Josiah out and help them cooperate with the photographer.

Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men. Our appointment was for 11:20am. The morning went great! Everyone was freshly bathed, fingernails clipped, teeth brushed. I woke up before everyone to wash and straighten my hair. We arrived at 11, plenty of time for the kids to get adjusted to the environment, only to find out that someone hadn't shown up for work at the studio and there was only 1 photographer running the whole show. She was already an hour behind.

Come hell or high water, we were getting our pictures taken! My good friend Jess' father is a photographer. I called him up and asked him if he could photograph us in an hour. It just so happened he was home alone and available! What a save! We went to the foodcourt for lunch because I had promised the boys pretzel-dogs from Auntie Anne's. Keith and I got Subway and we took off for Mr. Fesz' house.

The pictures were taken outdoors. The kids know Mr. Fesz so there was no timidity to overcome. If only Josiah were more cooperative! He's just at that 2-year-old defiance age. Oh well. I'm sure we got at least 1 good family shot, 1 of just Keith and I, and maybe one of Elizabeth. He'll have the proofs for me next week I think.

The Fesz household is in the same neighborhood as my parents, so naturally the kids wanted to go to Pappy-Ga's as soon as we got in the van. I love my parents dearly, but they don't do the heat very well so I knew all the kids would do was watch TV all afternoon. I convinced Keith it was best to keep the kids with us and just go home for nap time. That's just what we did.

It turned out to be a great afternoon. Isaac helped Keith cut the grass with his little toy lawnmower. I harvested a few tomatoes and several jalapenos from my garden. I also made some phone calls that I had been wanting to make for some time to a couple ladies from my moms group (more on that later). I finished reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, though I didn't enter it on my reading list yet. Because I skipped the chapters that didn't pertain to my children I will make my next reading list entry plural and enter it then.

When Keith was all finished with his yardwork, he made dinner! What a man! The menu included delicious grilled pork chops, toasted pine nut couscous, green beans, and corn on the cob. After dinner was cleaned up I took all the kids outside for about an hour of playtime before bed (everyone woke up very early-you know, for the portrait sitting-so I planned a slightly earlier bedtime).

After the kids were in bed my parents came over with my nephew, Damian. Keith and I played 500 bid (don't know the official name of it, but it's a card game...I think it's a lot like Euchre?) with my parents, dipped a freshly baked beer bread into a garlic infused dipping oil with fresh basil, and drank a very nice Pinotage. Damian was watching Mr. Mom on DVD in the family room. We got rid of cable two weeks ago, and to be honest, I hardly notice it's gone!

So after a frustrating morning, where all my best laid plans were laid to waste, it turned out to be a most enjoyable family day at home.

Sidenote...obviously it's tough for Keith and I to go out on many dates. What we've been doing lately is just making more of our Friday nights movie nights after the kids go to bed. We usually drink some wine and eat some kind of snack. My favorite is tortilla chips with bean dip. Having game nights are another great way to have some fun at home. Last night we waited until after the kids went to bed, but one time we invited a couple friends over who have kids and had our own little game evening while our kids played together.

About my moms group...I decided I'm not returning this fall. After much prayer and discussing it with Keith I decided that I need to simplify for a season. In addition, with Isaac being 3 1/2 years old and my intending to homeschool, if I'm involved in any kind of support group I believe I should be looking for a homeschool support group at this point in time. It was tough to get everyone ready and out the door for 10am moms group, and towards the end of the year last year people just stopped showing up. So yesterday I called the leader of the group and the friend who invited me to join the group to let them know I would not be returning. It was a blessing overall for the couple of years I was involved, but it's time to move on.

Lastly I'm going to share a yummy vegetarian recipe I made for the second time last week. It's called Quinoa and Two Bean Salad. Last week I served it with BLT wraps (simple & quick). I served once before with grilled chicken. It's a great sidedish. It's not an original recipe. I found it on www.bestlife.com Quinoa is an excellent source of protein for vegetarians and vegans as it is a plant source of all the essential amino acids. The recipe calls for serving the salad chilled, but I serve it almost immediately when cooked. When I eat the leftovers, I just warm them up to room temp.

Quinoa and Two Bean Salad

Salad Ingredients
1 1/2 cups frozen cut green beans
1 1/3 cups water
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed, well-drained (the brand I used was already rinsed & ready to use)
1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
4 medium green onions, sliced

Dressing Ingredients
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
4 to 5 drops red pepper sauce

Directions
1. In 2-quart saucepan, stir together green beans, water and quinoa. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer 12 to 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat. Cool 10 minutes.
2. In medium bowl, mixed cooked quinoa mixture, cannellini beans and onions. Cover; refrigerate 1 hour or until chilled. (I didn't refrigerate mine. I dressed it and served it immediately).
3. Meanwhile, in small jar with tight-fitting lid, place dressing ingredients; shake well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (Again, I just dressed the salad and served it. No chilling for me.)
4. Just before serving, pour dressing over salad; toss gently to coat.

Notes:
Uncooked quinoa has a bitter coating and therefore must be rinsed and drained thoroughly before cooking it.
Serve with 3 ounces of cooked fish, skinless poultry, lean meat or tofu and a piece of whole grain bread.

Servings: 6, 1-cup servings

Enjoy!

Book #14: Nutrition Therapy: Advanced Counseling Skills

2010-07-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

I'm finally done with continuing education courses until May of next year, when my next five year cycle begins and I have to get 75 new credits. This one was excellent. I only wish I had done it about 7 years ago when I first began my job at West Penn Bariatric Surgery Center counseling morbidly obese patients.

I'm wondering if my fellow blogger at Bent Over Bookwards had her baby yet? Haven't heard from her in a while.

Elizabeth is not only crawling, but pulling herself up to standing and saying "mum-mum-mum" all day long. I did have to give her a manicure today though because she keeps clawing off my flesh every time I nurse her. Yes, she is still nursing at 9 1/2 months. There's no point in stopping now, even though at times it's quite clear she's losing interest. I am NOT going to buy formula for 2 months. We're just going to stick with breastfeeding for the first 11 months at least and then go straight to milk. Still working on the sippy cup.

Isaac is still doing pretty great with letter recognition and letter sounds. He loves when I give him little chores to do too like feeding Maggie, or letting her inside after going potty. Speaking of potty, I'm trying to get Isaac to use the big potty for #2 now. He still uses the Elmo potty for it, so from now on he only gets a mint if he poops on the big potty. He also likes to dress and undress himself now. We just have to work on buttons. Those are tough!

Josiah's newest thing is getting rid of the sippy cup. I also let him put his own chapstick on after brushing his teeth tonight. I've tried putting him in underwear, but he just wets himself and has no idea what he's done so I'm not sure if this is the best time for potty training, even though it would be awesome to only have 1 kid in diapers by the end of the year! I'll try again. Besides reading to him and teaching him songs, I can't think of anything else to teach him right now. He's very good with his colors. We can always use more work on shapes. Is he ready for numbers and letters? I do some simple sign language with the boys that they pick up on right away, but is there anything else I can do with him right now?

Now that I got that self-study course done I'm looking forward to the final novella in Francine Rivers Lineage of Grace. After that, I don't know what! I'm anxious to read something about homeschooling, but I may want to stay in the fiction realm for a while.

Quick Update

2010-06-22T06:15:00.001-07:00

Elizabeth is growing by leaps and bounds. She now has 4 teeth, and has 2 more coming in. She is crawling and sitting up on her own. She is also becoming more and more verbal. I'm trying to teach her to say "mum-mum-mum" but it comes out more like "va-va-va."

Isaac is taking swimming lessons at the Y, and just enjoying the hot summer days outside. Josiah got a little baby swimming pool for his 2nd birthday, which he's still not too sure about. Isaac loves it, though. Isaac also loves playing with the hose and playing in his jungle gym.

Josiah is also rapidly developing from a toddler to a little boy. His speech is getting so much better, we don't need the Jozo-to-English dictionary so much anymore. Still the king of cute, he has learned to peddle a tricycle so far this summer. He, too, loves spending these hot summer days outside.

All 3 kids still love books. In fact, we're participating in the Summer Reading Program at the Plum Library this summer, though I bet I'm the only OCD mom out there who's actually logging her 2 and 3-year-olds' books in the computer. The boys know their colors very well, but we're always working on shapes. Squares must be the hardest shape to learn, for some reason. Isaac is also learning letter recognition and letter sounds.

From Baby Einstein and Kindermusik to Third Day and the Newsboys, music is a biggie in our house, too. They have lots of little instruments like rhythm sticks, tambourine, shakers, bells, and recorders. We're going to be getting my mother's piano soon as well, just not sure where to put it yet.

I planted a vegetable garden this year. I also spread 2 yards of mushroom manure around the yard and planted some pachysandra on the side of the house. I LOVE gardening, and I've been waiting 2 years to be not-pregnant and able to do some yard work.

Signing up for Sewing 101 at Joanne Fabrics on 7/10.

Family vacation to Mackinac Island coming up soon.

Gotta go. Can't turn my attention away from my kids for a minute.

Can't Sleep

2010-05-02T20:34:00.001-07:00

Ever have so many things running through you mind that you want to get done tomorrow that you can't fall asleep? That's me. Here's what I hope to do tomorrow:

1) Bathe everybody
2) Take Maggie to the groomer
3) Drop off a Pampered Chef catalog to my friend Gretchen
4) Get cash out of the ATM
5) Get propane
6) Bake an angel food cake
7) Do my abdominal exercises
8) Put Elizabeth's laundry away
9) Get my Pampered Chef order ready
10) Slice tomatoes and onions and clean lettuce for dinner (hamburgers, which is why I need propane for the grill)

Plus I know I have to call two friends from church back at some point this week-the sooner the better. My Aunt Dar and cousin Courtney may be coming over for dinner tomorrow night. Keith and I are taking dinner over to a friend's house Tue evening as they just had a baby. Wednesday is Cinco de Mayo. The menu: homemade tamales, rice and beans, chips and salsa, margheritas, and probably ice cream. I don't believe anything is planned yet for Thursday or Friday. We will hopefully be hosting a game night with some friends Saturday evening. Otherwise I hope to have a gardening weekend next weekend. Sunday being Mother's Day I will have to go to church with my mom. It's hard going back to a non-spirit-filled church but I told her I would. It will mean a lot to her I think.

Quick updates:

Elizabeth-got two bottom teeth 4/20 and rolled over, back-to-front, for the first time 4/24.

Josiah-is now in a toddler bed, though he's having some trouble figuring it out. Every morning I walk into his room to find him in bed with something that wasn't in his bed the night before. Yesterday morning I woke to him screaming and crying. Walked into his room and found him holding his rocket, which is a riding toy, trying to get it into his bed. This toy is much too big for his bed. Thankfully he still thinks I need to get him out of his bed in the morning and after naps. He is having a harder time falling asleep for naps. Josiah also loves wearing hats. I forgot I let him sleep with his orange hat one night and went into his room the next morning to find him stripped down to his diaper with his orange hat on backwards. Josiah wrote the book on cute.

Isaac-growing up way too fast. A wonderful little boy.We plan on signing him up for swim lessons starting in June.

Me-same old same old.

Keith-busy at work as always. Keith learned that his group will definitely be moving to Cranberry in November. At this point we still plan to stay in our house. I do have a feeling that Keith will not like the commute. We're kind of waiting to do any home improvements until we know for sure that we're staying here. I do not want to pour a bunch of money into this house, making it the way we want it, only to sell it and start all over in a new house.

Hope everyone is getting a good night's sleep tonight, 'cause I'm not!

A New Outlook

2010-04-09T08:41:00.001-07:00

I'd like to begin by saying if you have a son, whether you are a mom or a dad, you must read Bringing Up Boys by Dr. James Dobson. It is essential. I daresay it is even more important for fathers to read than mothers. In addition to an insightful discussion about boys' behavior and the culture they're being brought up in today, Dobson offers much support and encouragement for the stay-at-home mom too. Bringing Up Boys also sheds light on many feminist notions that had gotten into my head by osmosis, just by being born into this generation, and on how much the deck is stacked against the white male, which both of my boys are!

I realize the last time I blogged it was a scary description of how impossible my days can be at times. That is not the legacy I want to leave though. I truly love staying home with my children and raising them, loving and nurturing them, teaching and correcting them. The work of a full-time mom and homemaker is probably among the hardest there is, but I would not trade it for the world. I believe with all my heart that I am doing what is best for my children and for my husband as well. My goal is to raise children of the highest moral character, of honor and integrity, who love the Lord and live to serve Him, who are not so concerned with their own "to-do" list that they miss the needs of the very people to their left and to their right. I desire to create a warm, loving home environment in which such lofty goals are within reach, or at least have a shot! This outlook is what I would prefer to leave my readers with. I'm not saying I'll never post about the "challenges" of my days ever again, because I know that in itself can be encouraging to other moms, just to know they're not the only ones out there going through the same thing. However, I would like my blog to be more of a ministry to other moms than a means for me to just "sound off."

My darling Elizabeth, who we've lately dubbed ebeth.boof (sounds like ebeth-dot-boof, like a web address), is grabbing at toys, putting them in her mouth, and trying to sit up on her own. She has not yet rolled over from back to front, and I blame that mostly on her being in that Pavlick harness for her first 5 months of life, but she is trying to make up for lost time. Also, after sleeping through the night for a solid 2 months or so, she just decided to start waking up through the night a couple of weeks ago. Finally, on Monday night I decided to see if she could sort of cry it out and get herself back to sleep. It worked! Albeit, it's not like she was ever wailing. She was just sort of fussing, whimpering. She slept through the night again without making a peep last night!

While still fully breastfed, she has added some purees to her repetoire (sp?): applesauce, rice cereal, carrots, and pears. I also gave her a little vanilla yogurt while she was on an antibiotic for bilateral ear infections. The antibiotics definitely affected her gut in a bad way. She also likes raspberries...blowing them, that is! She is so vocal. It seems she can mimic so many different sounds already. All in all, she is still the sweet, calm, peaceful baby she was at birth.

One of my favorite parts of the day happens at dusk. I'm sitting in the nursery rocking chair at the end of the day, rocking back and forth feeding my precious baby girl, looking out the window and watching the boughs of the pine trees in our backyard sway in the breeze. It's one of those moments that gives me the "warm fuzzies" every time. This phase of my life will be but a fleeting glimpse, gone in the blink of an eye. I hope I never forget it. It makes me cry for all of my kids to be babies again. Such a crime that we can't go back in time. I'd give anything to have baby Isaac and baby Josiah all over again. To say that they grow up too fast is a massive understatement.

Back to breastfeeding, Elizabeth is back to screaming her head off when I try to nurse her. I just can't figure it out. She's either bothered by everything I eat, or nothing. Or maybe it has nothing to do with my diet at all. She goes through this cycle of hating the breast about every other week. Josiah went through this very thing early on and I gave up and switched to bottles, but he didn't like bottles either. So I'm being stubborn and sticking to my guns this time. If she is to be my last baby I hope to nurse her for her entire first year. I've done breast and bottle before and I can tell you bottle feeding is for the birds. Nothing is more economical or convenient than breastfeeding, though I know it isn't easy, at least not for me. Isaac is the only one who never put up a fight for me when it came time to eat. Josiah and Elizabeth have both fought it for reasons I can't figure out. I've also had trouble with clogged milk ducts with all 3 kids, and even got mastitis with Isaac. Keith always reminds me if breastfeeding were easy then nobody would go through the hassle of having to wash bottles everyday, or the expense of buying formula. It worth the effort though, which is why I'm sticking with breastfeeding.

Now for my beautiful Josiah. I just can't put my finger on what makes this bouncing baby boy (who isn't such a baby anymore) so special to me. His personality is so unique. He's got the confidence of an entire NFL team, yet he's such a cuddly little momma's boy at the same time. He knows he's cute and he can work it.

He seems so advanced to me. He already knows his colors. He sings lots of songs like Happy Birthday, ABC's, Row Row Row Your Boat, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star-though he doesn't articulate them very clearly ;-). He can also count to ten. We always refer to him as a black man trapped inside of a white man's body because my boy can bust a move! You've never seen a little boy dance like my JoJo. He's recently learned how to jump too. He really gets both feet off of the ground! Best of all, now that Isaac is potty trained (I'll get to that in a second) and using big-boy cups (no more sippies) Josiah shows interest in using the potty and big boy cups too. I may have 2 out of 3 potty trained by the end of the year!

Josiah is so precious to me. He's my little Keith. He looks just like his daddy. I just started teaching him the Lord's prayer and songs like This Little Light of Mine. My heart just melts when he pulls out the little Beginner's Bible and asks me, in his little JoZo way, to read about Jesus. You've also got to see him fold his little hands to pray. There's something so mysterious about Josiah that neither Keith nor I have figured out yet, like we still don't fully know this little boy. In spite of the fact that we believe his "terrible two's" have begun, he is still a wonderful little boy. He will be 2 officially in 2 more months, and I'm planning a Handy Manny birthday for him!

Finally, my precious firstborn son, Isaac. It seems like only yesterday Isaac was a baby and now he's like 10! I'm exaggerating obviously, but he's really become a big boy in the last month or so. As I mentioned before, something finally clicked about pooping on the potty and Isaac is now fully potty-trained. We even drove to Michigan and back without a single accident. Along with pooping on the potty Isaac also has no desire to use sippy cups anymore. He is so much bigger than he was just 3 months ago. He also seems to have gotten past that "terrible two" stage of total rebellion all day everyday. He still has his moments of course, but the phase I hope has passed.

Along with all of these developments he has become a much rougher, tougher, noisier boy! Ever hear someone say something like, "Oh he's all boy." That's my Isaac. I will say that reading Bringing Up Boys has given me some peace of mind regarding some of this boy behavior. I mean, at least I have a better picture of what's normal, since I've been a girl my whole life. :-D

Isaac's latest accomplishments are becoming a master of puzzles and numbers, as well as beginning to learn his letters, letter sounds, and how to tell time. Most recently I've begun teaching him things like my phone number, our address, and where daddy works, you know, in case of certain emergencies.

Well, Keith just came home from work so I'm going to give him my full attention now. It sure is tough finding time for blogging! I hope that this blog encourages someone in some small way! I just want to conclude this blog with a quote from Bringing Up Boys, from the very last chapter entitled The Ultimate Priority.

"What will give you the greatest satisfaction as you lie there on your sickbed, thinking about the experiences of a lifetime? Will your heart thrill to the memory of honors, degrees, and professional accolades? Will fame be most highly prized, even if you manage to achieve it? Will you swell with pride over the money you've made, the books you have written, or the buildings and businesses that bear your name? I think not. Temporal successes and accomplishments will not be very gratifying in that moment of destiny. I believe the greatest sense of fulfillment as you prepare to close the final chapter will be in knowing that you lived by a consistent standard of holiness before God and that you invested yourself unselfishly in the lives of your family members and friends. Most important, knowing that you led your children to the Lord and will be with them in eternity will outrank every other achievement. All else will fade into insignificance. If that is a true representation of how you will feel when your days are growing short, why not determine to live according to that value system now, while you still have the opportunity to influence the impressionable kids who look up to you?"

I agree Dr. Dobson.

A Glimpse Into My Daily Life

2010-03-10T17:24:00.000-08:00

I get back to my mom's house around 3pm after taking Josiah to the doctor. He was diagnosed with bilateral ear infections and clinical pneumonia (which is just pneumonia diagnosed without a chest x-ray). I attempt to give him his first dose of Augmentin. He starts running away from me, crying, which is not like him. All of my kids love to take medicine. So I have to sit on the floor with him, hold his arms down and his head back, and force the dropper into his mouth. He swallows it. So I decide to give him another dose of Motrin as well for pain control. He pulls the same act, so I have to go through the same routine to get the Motrin in. When all that is said and done, I get him some milk and yogurt, give it to my mom, and she takes him outside (because it was like 60 degrees today) to give it to him. I wash my hands and sit down to nurse Elizabeth.

Elizabeth's tummy has been bothering her today. I assume this because everytime I've tried to feed her she's arched her back and screamed. She's very gassy too. Halfway through the first boob she starts screaming and arching, and my niece Mackenzie comes in the house, leaving Isaac all alone outside by himself (Josiah had already come in with my mom at some point in between there). Mackenzie is yelling at my mom that she should be the one to bring Isaac in because she's the one who took him out there. All the while I'm saying, "Mackenzie, is he out there by himself?!?" No one seems at all concerned about this. They're more concerned about their argument over who should bring him inside. Finally, I put Elizabeth down on the couch and start to go out to get Isaac. Mackenzie at that point decides she will go get him after all. Isaac of course isn't going without a fight, so when she ultimately does get him in she accidentally pinches his finger in the door. I didn't see this though. I don't even think he noticed. He was too busy freaking out over being brought inside. Our policy for freaking out (aka tantrums) is that they have to sit in the corner or in their room, someplace alone, until they settle down. So I had to carry Isaac under his arms into a bedroom where he could cool it.

It didn't take too long for him to get his wits about him. I went into the bedroom to give him a hug and explain to him that no one was available to watch him outside. This is when I noticed the skin missing from his finger. So, we had to go into my mom's bathroom to wash his hands and get a band-aid. Remember, all this time Elizabeth is still laying on the couch, kind of waiting for me to come back and finish feeding her. When we get into my mom's bathroom I see her bathmat still sitting on top of the stool that Isaac normally uses to pee in the potty. I realize he probably hasn't peed all day! But he is dry, so he pees, we wash his hands, and get a band-aid for that finger. Just when I think I've taken care of everything, Isaac turns around to leave the bathroom to show off his new band-aid, smacks his head off of the corner of the ceramic-tiled wall, and proceeds to scream bloody murder. That corner is sharp, I'll give him that.

Remember, I'm still in the middle of trying to feed Elizabeth.

Anyway, I hold Isaac for a minute and he settles down pretty quickly. We go back out into the living room. Isaac shows off his battle wounds. I try to nurse Elizabeth some more but she just isn't having it. We ALL end up going outside ANYWAY!

What makes this all worth it? When we got outside Josiah found a little play shovel and begins "shoveling" the little bit of snow that is left in my parents' backyard. He picks up little bits of snow and tries to carry them over to my dad to throw them at him, but when he pulls the shovel back to wind-up, all the snow falls off and there's nothing to throw at Pappy! This goes on for several minutes before he decides to hold the shovel steady and throw it up the air except, it all falls down on top of him! If only we had a camcorder on the scene! You've never seen anything this good on America's Funniest Home Videos!

This is just one example of the absurd multi-tasking and the ridiculous things that go on in my life day after day. I don't know what my TV name could be. I don't have 3 under 3 anymore, but 3, 3 & under. I echo my fellow reading competitor and blogger in saying, "This too shall pass." And to think that one day I will actually miss these days. Knowing me I'll actually weep for these days in as little as a year from now. Talk about ridiculous.

Book #6-The Screwtape Letters

2010-03-10T04:19:00.000-08:00

Clever, revealing, and all too true, while bringing to light my terribly limited vocabulary! Loved the book. It's definitely a must-read for all Christians. However, C.S. Lewis' writing style reminded me how small my brain is: how much my 3 children have fried it or, how it was never all that sharp to begin with! If I had more time to devote to such a venture, I could have kept a dictionary by my side and made a vocabulary lesson out of each letter. It seemed there were no less than 5 words per letter that old Screwtape wrote to his dear nephew, Wormwood, that I had either never heard of before in my life (like chattels) or had heard of/used to know but forgot the actual meaning of (like avarice). Despite this shortcoming, I do believe I got the gist of each letter! So I think I'll make a note of this book's ability to expand my vocabulary and perhaps try it again in the future, with the dictionary by my side!

chattel: 1 a) a movalabe item of personal property, as a piece of furniture, and automobile or a head of livestock b) any interest in real estate less than a freehold 2) a slave

Lewis writes: "The man can neither make, nor retain, one moment of time; it all comes to him by pure gift; he might as well regard the sun and moon as his chattels." I get the sentiment, just wouldn't be my choice of words.

avarice: too great a desire to have wealth; cupidity.

I can't find the sentence I saw that word in, but I still don't get its definition. Maybe I never knew what that one meant in the first place but I'm sure I've come across it before...was it Pride and Prejudice or The Diary of Ann Frank?

Well I'm onto Bringin Up Boys by Dr. Dobson. Isaac has been going through quite the rebellious phase and it has brought Keith and I to tears at times. Maybe reading this book will give me some peace of mind that he won't always be this way. Or will he?

Per the agreement between me and my dear competitor, Kelly, I will be cleaning the bathrooms and the tile floor before beginning my next book. I also have a small, 3-picture collage frame in the shape of a baseball that has been sitting on my craft table since October I think that I have intended to hang in Josiah's room if ever I fill it with pictures! Other to-do list items? There are a few small albums small enough to carry in my purse as brag books if ever I put pictures in them. I have yet to review the cd that came with my nifty new camera last May describing ALL the neat-o things it does. Lastly, there is another small frame I got for Elizabeth that could use a picture. So there you have a bit of my to-do list. One of these items must be completed as well as my cleaning before starting Bringing Up Boys.

By the way, I just want to mention that I changed a total of 7 poopy diapers yesterday alone, plus several more pee-pee diapers.

Book #5-The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

2010-02-25T20:07:00.000-08:00

The book chapters were short and the story moved along quickly. However, it lacked something for me. Was it ruined for me from the start because it followed the awesome and inspiring The Hiding Place? Or is it another one of those European authors, whose writing style just doesn't captivate me? I remember after reading Atonement last year I thought to myself, "Yep, the movie pretty much summed it up." Will I say the same after watching the movie The Reader, for which Kate Winslett won an academy award I believe? Overall the story was interesting, but it wasn't one of those book that you just can't put down.

My friend and competitor, Kelly, made a remark that reading has taken priority over housework. Maybe next year we should come up with a housecleaning competition of some sort. I thought of suggesting whenever we finish a book, we have to complete one housechore before moving onto a new book. I'll defer to Kelly as she is pregnant. Maybe we'll put that stipulation on next year's reading competition.

I ordered two more Corrie ten Boom books: In My Father's House, which is about her life before WWII, and Tramp For the Lord which picks up where The Hiding Place leaves off. Those won't be delivered for another week probably, so I'm really not sure what to move onto next. A Francine Rivers novel? The Screwtape Letters? Lone Survivor? Just don't know.

Something wonderful has happened as a result of this reading. I've been sharing the books I read with my mother. The great thing about this is that my mom has always stuck to trashy romance novels which do nothing for mind, body, or soul as far as I'm concerned. They're like female emotional porn in my opinion, if I'm not being too harsh. So lately she's been reading more uplifting, moving things like The Hiding Place. Right now she has The Shack, one that I have not read yet, but Keith has. My mother could use more of God's Holy Spirit in her life, and if these books are a way to facilitate hat then Lord guide my own choices as they get passed on to her.

Book #4-The Hiding Place

2010-02-21T16:49:00.000-08:00

I'll never be able to effectively describe the impact this book made on me. If you haven't read it, you simply must. Some shy away from books that have anything to do with WWII and the Holocaust. In spite of the topic, or the era, this book is actually encouraging and uplifting in that Corrie ten Boom shared Jesus with EVERYONE, even the lieutenant at her hearing in prison. I also don't know how an atheist could read this book and still say there is no God. Well, I don't know how they can say that in the first place, but even more so after reading such an account.

If I were in her (Corrie ten Boom's) shoes, would I have done the same? Would I have taken such risks? If something like that were to happen in present times, would I be as brave? As bold? Or would I hide behind the excuse that "I have 3 children, I can't take any chances?"

I bet even before the Nazi's invaded Holland, Corrie didn't have conditioner for her hair, Clinique eye shadow, or Victoria's Secret undergarments. I admire how closeknit her family was even before trouble came, and how her parents helped their neighbors and the poor and the needy always. We barely know our neighbors!

Anyway, to make a long story short, I highly recommend this book. Not sure what I'm moving onto. Maybe The Reader because it takes place in the same era, though it is fiction. Or I may do a Francine Rivers. We shall see.

Books 3

2010-02-16T05:46:00.001-08:00

Yes, I pluralized my entry for book 3 because Young Zaphod Plays It Safe is only 8 or 10 pages long. I felt guilty about counting it as an actual separate book of its own. I have to say I didn't get these last 2 books in The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide at all. I actually thought the ending to Mostly Harmless, the last book in the Guide, was stupid. However, if you're looking for a mindless work of fiction to delve into, then these 5 or 6 books of the Guide are a good choice. Overall, I did enjoy it very much.

Next I'll probably move onto The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. Either that or a Francine Rivers.

So to organize my thoughts a little I'd like to post some of the books I intend to read this year, or at least some topics I plan to read about.

Non-Fiction
The Hiding Place-Corrie ten Boom
Bringing Up Boys-Dr. Dobson
Sacred Marriage (a book Keith and I started and have not finished)
Nutrition Therapy: Advanced Couneling Skills (one of those continuing education things I have to do)
Lone Survivor-Marcus Luttrell
Arguing with Idiots-Glenn Beck
Going Rogue-Sarah Palin
Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti-Farrels

Fiction
The Screwtape Letters-C.S. Lewis
The Notebook-?
The Time Travelers Wife-?
The Shack-Young
The Reader-?
Lineage of Grace-Francine Rivers
The Last Sin Eater-Francine Rivers
The Scarlet Thread-Francine Rivers
Sons of Encouragement-Francine Rivers
More Jane Austen novels
The Twilight Series

Non-Fiction Topics I'd Like to Find Books About
Homeschooling
Motivational/Weight Loss/Exercise/Health Promotion type things
Gardening

That's all I can think of right now. That should be plenty to keep me busy and hopefully beat Kelly this year! LOL!

Book #2-So Long and Thanks For All the Fish

2010-01-29T05:21:00.000-08:00

Witty, clever, and downright hilarious at times! Douglas Adams' So Long and Thanks For All the Fish just may be my favorite in The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

I'm probably going to continue finishing The Guide. Only two more books to go. The next one is extremely short-I feel a little guilty even calling it a book. It's more like a short story...Young Zaphod Plays It Safe. This is followed by Mostly Harmless, which concludes The Guide.

And another potty training blooper...Isaac pooped in his pull-up this morning before he got out of bed. Which is fine as far as I'm concerned, at least he got it out. However, when I picked his pull-up up off of the floor to put it in the trash the poo-poo fell out onto the floor. Maggie (the dog) didn't miss a beat. She promptly went over to it and put it in her mouth to eat it. Luckily, I got her to drop it without difficulty.

Potty Training Bloopers

2010-01-28T08:34:00.001-08:00

I taught Isaac a new trick. I threw a few Kix in the big toilet and encouraged him to pee on them. I didn't have any Cheerios, so Kix would have to do. He likes this trick, which is great. We've had a bit of a breakthrough in this respect.

The thing is he needs to pull his pants all the way down to his ankles when he stands up on the stool, or else a slight mess can result. Like yesterday, when I went to pull his pants down further, he ended up peeing on my sleeve. Lots of giggles. Then, as the stream slowed down, it began to dribble on the rim of the toilet and on his pants and underbuns. Isaac then says, "Oh no, that wasn't supposed to happen!"

Josiah counted to ten by himself yesterday too. He is amazing.

Elizabeth has been ridiculously smiley and chatty lately. She blows raspberries like a pro.

Dialogue

2010-01-27T08:20:00.000-08:00

So one of the manifestations of Isaac's resistance to potty train is to hold his poop in. Naturally, this leads to some major flatulence.

The scene takes place on the couch in the family room. The Newsboys are playing in the background. Josiah is playing happily. Isaac is laying on his side, under his blanket on the couch, sort of propped up on the arm of the couch.

Isaac: "Mom! Come lay with me."

Me: "I'd love to Isaac."

I lay down on my side on the couch too, with my head laying on Isaac's legs.

Isaac lets a few rip, which causes both of us to giggle uncontrollably. I know I shouldn't, but I just couldn't help myself this time.

Isaac: "I passed of gas!"

Giggling escalates.

Me: "Isaac! No leaving stinkers on mommy's head!"

Isaac: "Oh, I forgot."

More giggling.

There are no typos in this dialogue. Whenever I tried to tell Keith and my mom this story, I couldn't stop laughing long enough to get the words out.

Update

2010-01-22T07:28:00.000-08:00

Took all the kids to the dr yesterday. Isaac continues to need breathing treatments 3-4x per day. Josiah and Elizabeth were both wheezing, so I got them checked out. Both of their lungs were junky, so they both need breathing treatments as well now. Elizabeth has it worse, requiring them every 3 hours. Josiah, however, has an ear infection on top of everything else. And now, Isaac has officially constipated himself. He was screaming every 15 min or so throughout the night trying to hold it in. Lots of juice, water, fluids in general, and Miralax are in order today.

Naturally Keith isn't deal well with any of this, especially not with Isaac refusing to poop.

On a very happy note, Josiah is putting 2-3 words together to make little sentences like, "Thank you Isaac," and "Daddy at work." He can also sing Happy Birthday and is beginning to sing the ABC song. He's such a wonderful boy. He's starting to learn to drink from regular cups too, not sippies. He's been doing well with forks and spoons for a while.

Elizabeth has slept through the night, from about 9:30pm-8am, 4 nights in a row now in spite of how sick she is. She remains a very happy little baby, quite chatty and smiley!

Lastly, even though Isaac can't seem to let his poop out, he is learning his numbers fairly well. I'm using a clock, because he became very interested in telling time. Great way to learn 1-12. I also caught him talking to his bulldozer yesterday. He said, "You got Newsboys in there? Yeah? Aw, what happened to your truck? Did you hurt it? Aww." It was adorable. I also subscribed to this Highlights magazine for kids 1-5 called Highlights High Five. He loves it. We learned that on the highlightskids.com website Isaac can listen to stories online. Now he knows how to point and click with the mouse. It's adorable.

Something I never mentioned...while we were in Michigan for Christmas Wella gave me some little board books for Elizabeth, one of which was Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Isaac proceeded to pick this book up and make up his own story to it, which he called "Going Away Star." He sat on the couch with Aunt M one morning and recited this story to her 3 times in a row. Never caught what he was saying but I thought if he would just say it one more time, I'd record it on my phone, type it out and frame it as his first composition. Do you think he'd ever do it again for me though? Nope! All I caught of the story was something about not wanting to go to bed, but it's time for bed, etc. Oh well.

Isaac is screaming his head off in the bathroom right now trying to poop.

When Keith comes home and asks what I did today, sometimes I simply tell him that I kept from going insane. If I can refrain from putting my fist through a wall, or throwing a chair through a window, then I've accomplished something great. Today is one such day. And it's only about 10am.

Words to the Wise

2010-01-21T06:52:00.000-08:00

You need 1 humidifier per kid in the house, or per bedroom. 3 kids, each with their own bedroom =3 humidifiers.

All immunity benefits of breastmilk are completed cancelled out by having siblings.

I can't remember what else I was going to say and my Josiah is having the meltdown of a lifetime.

Isaac is currently in the process of constipating himself. Hasn't pooped since Monday.

I'm reading So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish by Douglas Adams. Book 4 or 5 in the Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the GAlaxy.

1st Book of 2010

2010-01-19T06:08:00.000-08:00

Finally finished my first book of 2010, even though I started it in 2009. Floods Upon the Dry Ground is a church history kind of book. The author traces movements of the Holy Spirit and "revivals" from Pentecost in 30 AD to today. Pretty good book if you're into that kind of thing.

Isaac's birthday party was Sunday. His actual birthday was yesterday. All along we've been practicing saying "bye-bye diapers, hello under-bunder-boos when you turn 3." Sure enough, yesterday he stayed clean and dry all day! He even stayed dry when I put a pull-up on him for nap time (even though he never slept). More importantly though, he pooped on the potty twice! Yay!

Birthday party went great-I should post pictures for our Michigan friends and family! Maybe I'll get around to that soon-hopefully!

What a Week

2010-01-11T11:00:00.001-08:00

So Elizabeth started doing this new thing where she refuses to nurse on my left side. Only, I didn't figure that out until last week. I would just try to feed here and she would scream and cry. I didn't understand. Last Tuesday was such a day. I couldn't get her to eat all afternoon. Tension was high. Then Isaac was whining about wanting something, I can't remember what, but I started singing the Rolling Stones' song "You Can't Always Get What You Want." I really thought I was just singing it to myself to keep from going crazy. I didn't think he was listening. Then about 15 min later my mom and I were talking and what do we hear in the background? Isaac in the living room singing "You Can't Always Get What You Want." Talk about a tension reliever!

Wed night I started vomiting and continued to do so all night. I tried to nurse Elizabeth at 4am when she woke up, but almost fainted. So I called my mom to come over in the morning and thankfully she stayed all day to help me. I don't know how I would've done it, because I couldn't stay out of bed for more than an hour. Keith came home and took over for her. Except about an hour or two after my mom left, while Keith was getting ready to give the boys their dinner, Isaac did a somersault out of his booster chair, landed flat on his face, and knocked his two front teeth loose. Lots of screaming on everyone's part, even Keith's. Lots of blood and panic. My nausea left me instantly as I scrambled to call my mother back over to watch Josiah and Elizabeth while we took Isaac to the dentist. Thankfully our dentist is an emergency dentist so he was able to see Isaac right away. X-rays looked good, the teeth weren't broken. Dentist said they would probably tighten up in a couple days (which I didn't know teeth could do) and if there was any damage to the roots they would likely turn black within months or a year. If that does happen we could have them pulled or have some kind of coating put on them. Gave us a script for an antibiotic. Told us to give him Tylenol or Motrin as needed. Soft diet. Home we went. Oh yeah, all this was happening as a blizzard was moving through too.

Fri am Keith decided to work from home due to the previous night's drama and the bad weather. Again, I am thankful because Isaac then began vomiting at 6:45am. So not only did he have a sore mouth to cope with, but also my stomach bug. He couldn't keep anything down all day long. Poor little guy. My dad came over to take care of Isaac and Josiah while I took Elizabeth to her hip ultrasound and appointment with her orthopedic doctor.

More bad news. The harness she's wearing for her hip dysplasia isn't helping much so far. Her ultrasound revealed that her hip is still sitting rather high in the socket and the socket is only formed at a 43 degree angle. It needs to be about a 60 degree angle. The treatment is to persist with the harness for now, but she can only wear it until she's 6 months old. After that she's too big. If her hip is not formed properly by then, she will be anesthetized, a dye will be injected into her hip, and an x-ray will be done to see if there is anything in the socket (ligaments, fatty tissue, etc.) that's preventing the hip from sitting in it correctly. If something is found, she will have surgery, and then be placed in a body cast that will immobilize her. If nothing is found in the socket, she will still be placed in a body cast that will immobilize her. Neither of these are good options so we are earnestly praying for divine healing. If it comes to surgery Keith and I will likely get a second opinion.

Ok so that was last Fri. Not much happened Saturday that I can remember. Sunday we went to church and were lucky enough to go out on a date. My mom, bless her heart, watched the kids for us again. We went to Taipei Tokyo for sushi, dumplings, and chinese chicken and vegetables. Yum. Oh yeah, on our way out the door Josiah fell down the steps. I'm tempted to say, "What else can go wrong?" but I know better. Things could always be much much worse. Josiah really only fell down a few steps and nothing was hurt but his pride. Keith was there to catch him before he fell to the bottom. Also, Josiah pretty much falls down steps on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.

Here's to a better week!

OVERWHELMED!

2010-01-03T18:30:00.000-08:00

Overwhelmed is the buzz word for the weekend. Woke up 3:30am Sat. Fed Elizabeth, put everyone in the van, and headed back for Pgh. Made it home by around 12:30. Unloaded the van, unpacked suitcases and toiletry bags. Tried to organize toys somewhat. Remember, we never had time to organize Christmas gifts from our house and my mom's house before we left for Michigan, so we still had all that to do.

The Christmas tree stunk-but that's another story. So we put all children in their beds/cribs for naps while we undecorated. That pretty much took up the entire afternoon and part of the evening. We vowed to do it differently next year as about 5 ornaments got broken this year, and I ended up undecorating the entire bottom half of the tree about 3 weeks ago because the boys just couldn't leave it alone. Again, that's another story.

Threw dinner together (rice and vegetables-yum) and took Isaac with me to the grocery store. Didn't leave for the store until 6:45pm, so I didn't get home until around 8:15pm. Put Isaac to bed, again tried to organize and put away Christmas gifts some more, fed Elizabeth, showered, made it into bed around 11pm.

Made it to church this am-hooray! Came home, fed the boys lunch, then began a vast purging of toys upstairs and down. I think we ended up with at least 3 garbage bags full of old, worn, or unpopular toys to donate to Goodwill, plus some went in the trash, plus some were simply handed down to Elizabeth. Naptime came and I actually put the Cars movie in for Isaac while I prepared dinner, which took longer than I planned. After dinner I finally took out all of the Christmas gifts we brought home from my parents' house for the boys. Got almost everything out of the packaging and sorted it all out. We decided we're going to purchase another 9-compartment storage shelving thingy from Lowe's for the family room to keep the toys in order. I also kept a couple of things in the packaging to pull out at a later date for sort of a surprise new toy. Wish I would've done that with more of their gifts. Have to remember that for next year.

I ended the evening with a frigid walk outside with Maggie. It had to be done, and now that's it's over I'm glad I did it.

Now it's time to feed Elizabeth for the final time tonight, then get my shower.

This was the year of the matchbox car and all things wheels-Isaac got a total of at least 20 matchbox cars plus 4-5 bigger things on wheels. Josiah received about 15 matchbox cars in all plus at least 4-5 bigger things on wheels. Favorites? For Isaac I would have to say it's this bulldozer thingy that revs up and makes sparks. For Josiah it would be this big semi-truck with a back-ho (sp?) on it. While we are totally overwhelmed with how much stuff our children have, we are grateful to have such wonderful families who love our kids and do nice things for them for Christmas.

I haven't even gotten to Elizabeth's things yet though! Thank goodness she's not old enough to care.

Hello 2010!

2010-01-01T08:53:00.000-08:00

Keith and I were just discussing this morning what a big year it would be for each of our kids.

Elizabeth: by the end of this year she will likely be walking and talking, perhaps even imitating some of the things we do like talk on the phone. She will hopefully love books as much as her brothers do too. I kind of hope she'll still be nursing a little, but I bet she'll be onto sippy cups too.

Josiah: by the end of this year he will be 2 1/2, so he may or may not become interested in the potty. He will definitely be speaking in sentences and paragraphs, mimicking us even more. He will likely learn to sing songs like his big brother does now too, and will probably recognize at least some of his letters and numbers, should recognize his colors and shapes too.

Isaac: Keith and I pray earnestly that Isaac will be potty trained by the end of 2010! In fact, we're beginning anew when he turns 3 in a few weeks. We've been practicing saying, "Good-bye diapers, hello under-bunder-boos!" This morning Isaac put his pants on all by himself and it made me realize he may very well be dressing himself by the end of the year. I bet he'll become a master of letters and numbers, and may even recognize some words. He already recognizes his name, which is cool. Who knows what else? We plan on buying him a bike this summer. I bet he needs the training wheels for a while, but it will still be exciting to see him ride it!

How could I forget the biggest, most important, and perhaps the most challenging resolution of 2010...TO NOT GET PREGNANT! I always say over and over again how much I truly believe that children are a wonderful blessing and gift from God, and I'm so thankful for our fertility, but I sure could use a break! Keith and I look forward to a new phase in our marriage-the phase where I'm actually not pregnant!

Final Blog for 2009-Stream of Consciousness Style

2009-12-31T20:19:00.000-08:00

Today the screaming and crying on Josiah & Elizabeth's part, and the disobedience on Isaac's part, made me want to lock them in a padded room, put my New Balance on and run far, far away.

All in the same day I can feel like running away, crying for joy, crying for help, despairing, the elation of a tender moment of brotherly love when Isaac hugs Josiah good morning and then comes over to kiss Elizabeth and tell her he loves her, the frustration of having to "put out fires" all day long to keep the kids from melting down, and the sweetness of watching them sleep peacefully each and every night when I check on them before going to bed myself. Ah, the beauty of motherhood. That's what it's like when you have 3 under 3.

One thing that gives me total satisfaction is that after Keith returned from a two-week trip to China for the second time just before Christmas, my mother told him that she has a new respect for me. My kids stress her out.

On a positive note, this has been the best visit to Grand Rapids we've ever made. Because we've been here for the entire week, there was no rush to run around and fit all of our visits in. I truly wish that Keith and I were from the same town, so that all of our family were in the same place. I really wish we saw more of Keith's family. I really want my kids to know them. I don't just mean Keith's mom, dad, and Nana's, I mean aunts, uncles, and cousins too. Everyone.

It's been so long since I've blogged, will anyone even read this? Is anyone even following my blog anymore?

As usual, I haven't met a single New Year's resolution for 2009. One of them was to lose weight. I'm not making excuses, but I did get pregnant and just give birth 2 1/2 months ago. Another was to read at least 2 books a month. Again, I was doing quite well with that one until Elizabeth was born. I'm still in the middle of a book called Floods Upon the Dry Grounds. It isn't that it's not a good book. I literally get no time to read at all. I have almost finished the December issue of (How to Be a Bad) Parents magazine, however. I remember one of my resolutions being to come up with a house cleaning schedule. Yeah, right. Also, to get caught up on my kids' scrapbooks. Whatev.

Resolutions for 2010? I will carry over the resolutions to get in shape and read an average of 2 books per month. Why? Because my weight has reached an all-time high while my fitness level has reached an all-time low. Also because I love reading and I believe that it's important to read to learn new things. I will always strive to keep a clean house-no need for a resolution there. I am giving up on scrapbooking temporarily though. My friends who scrap are just now doing their 6-year-old's baby books. I'm letting go of that one.

What else can I say besides I love my husband, I love my kids, I love being a stay-at-home-mom and a housewife, and I'll never give up on being the absolute best mom and wife there is in the whole wide world.

A Promised Post

2009-11-16T12:51:00.001-08:00

Promised a friend I'd blog soon-so here goes!

Elizabeth is now 1 month old. She is a pleasant little baby. I could use some longer sleep stretches at night, but I won't complain. She sleeps between feedings, what more could I ask for? She is also still wearing her little body harness for her hip dysplasia. Another ultrasound is scheduled for 12/11.

Isaac is such a big boy, but still not interested in potty training at all. He loves music. In fact, he and Josiah are enrolled in a Kindermusik class right now. It's so funny to see how all of the girls in the class do exactly as they're told, and all of the boys are totally marching to the beat of their own drum. Such a contrast! But they love it. Isaac's favorite toys right now are the vacuum cleaner (the real one), the lawn mower (the real one), and pretending that some of his toys are vacuums and/or lawn mowers. Oh, and anything Josiah is playing with automatically becomes his favorite toy too. Occassionally he pretends his wagon of blocks is a tiller too. Also, all he ever wants to do is go to PappyGa's (my parents' house). He throws major fits when it's time to come home. Breaks our hearts. Finally, he's been dealing with night terrors. He wakes up screaming, we find him stnading in the middle of his room, but he's not fully awake. I've delegated dealing with night terrors to Keith since I'm already up 3 times a night with Elizabeth. We pray for him. Supposedly it's something he just will grow out of and never remember.

Josiah is in full "cherub" phase. He says many words now like amen, vacuum, milk, cheese, apple, blankie, pumpkin, money, please, and thank you. He also loves music as I mentioned above, and he's a pretty good dancer too! His half-birthday is coming up at the end of the month so he'll be 18 months old. Loves his little sister, still terrorized by his big brother.

I have no time at all for anything, let alone reading. However, I am currently in the middle of a book called Floods Upon the Dry Ground, which is very good, just have to find the time to finish it. Also, Keith and I are in the middle of a book called Sacred Marriage which we were reading for our Homebuilders group for it got postponed. We continued reading anyway. It's really great, we just struggle to find the time for reading.

Lots of good shows on TV that we watch though! We never miss The Fringe, The Office, and Stargate Universe. When we can though we catch House and Lie To Me on Monday nights, NCIS on Tuesday nights, and then Flash Forward comes on before The Fringe on Thursdays. In 2010 new episodes of 24 and Lost will begin. Don't know how we'll fit it all in!

Two things to leave you on...the first is that motherhood can be lonely, and make you feel quite alienated at times. Don't ask me why but sometimes I actually feel lonely when I'm up in the middle of the night feeding Elizabeth. The second thought is that childrearing is bringing me closer to God than anything else has ever before.

That's all I can put together for now! Until next time....

My Birth Story-Before I Forget

2009-10-26T10:01:00.000-07:00

On Monday October 12 I had contractions about every 10min. apart all day long, beginning around 10am and never really stopping. They never picked up in intensity or frequency though, even though I did all of my laundry, aerobics, and rotated some toys from the downstairs to the upstairs and vice versa, and I had a lot of false labor in the weeks leading up to this, so I just made a mental note and figured I'd be talking about it with my midwife in two days when I went back for my next prenatal visit. I showered and got into bed around 10:30pm.

I was awakened by much stronger contractions at around 11:30pm. Keith heard me breathing through them, so he woke up too and I labored in bed with him for about an hour. He was great. He prayed with me and sang Amazing Grace to me. I then decided we'd best wake my parents up as my dad was going to stay with the boys. Keith made the call while I went to the bathroom. While in the bathroom my contractions went from 8 min apart to 3 min apart. I had difficulty calling the midwife as I couldn't exactly talk very well during a contraction. Thankfully my parents arrived quickly. Keith did a great job gathering all of my stuff for the hospital. He even put my shoes on for me. I climbed in the back of my mom's van and we were off! Not really sure what time it was at that point, but I'm guessing about 1:30am.

Because it was the middle of the night there was no traffic, and we got all green lights. I only know this because the van pretty much never stopped. I was facing backwards in the very back seat of the van, looking down the whole time, breathing and groaning through the longest and strongest contractions. I do remember telling myself not to panic, that this was normal and natural. I also remembered reading that it's more helpful to let out deep, low-pitched groans than high-pitched shrieks. Hence the groaning. I also recalled one verse that's always so inspirational to me. It's 1 Corinthians 9:24. "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win."

We arrived at Forbes ER and I must admit, it was the best service I'd ever received in any ER anywhere. They wanted absolutely nothing to do with me! So they called a nurse from labor and delivery right away. At this point I could barely stand, and I was still groaning and breathing through contractions that seemed to have no end or beginning. They all ran into one another. I got into a wheelchair, but couldn't sit. I was kind of kneeling sideways, but bracing myself on one of the footrests so I wouldn't fall out when they wheeled me up. I don't know what time it was, I'm guessing around 2am.

They had a nice new LDRP suite ready for me right away. I never looked up at anyone's face. I just stripped and got up on the bed, still kneeling. The midwife wasn't there yet, so the nurse checked me and I was complete, but my water hadn't broken yet. Because the midwife hadn't arrived yet they didn't want me to push, but I had to. Luckily she arrived about 5min. later, broke my water, and we were ready to go! I tried pushing on all four's, but didn't really like it. So I did flip over onto my back to push. At this point, the contractions weren't so bad, but I was surprised (I don't know why) at how much it did hurt to push her out. That really stings!

I don't know how many times I had to push, but I think it was only about 15min. or so. Then baby Elizabeth was born at 2:44am! She was delivered by Gretchen Cohen. She weighed 6lb. 13oz. and was 20in. long. She looked, and still looks, very much like Isaac. She's also the first baby that seemed to recognize my voice as soon as she was placed on my chest. She seemed to calm down when I talked to her. Her full name is Elizabeth Marion Victoria Drudy because we couldn't narrow it down to just one middle name. Well, I think Keith could have, but I couldn't. Marion is my middle name and my grandmother's (maternal) first name. Victoria is Keith's mom's name. And actually I got the idea to name my daughter Elizabeth from the heroine in Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennett, not from the Elizabeth of the Bible, even though my boys have Biblical names.

Our hospital stay was very nice. We did want to go home a day early, but Elizabeth was jaundiced. We actually had to be readmitted a day after going home so she could go under the bilirubin lights. I would definitely recommend Forbes for labor and delivery. The suites were spacious and homey, the nursing and housekeeping staff were so very friendly and helpful. The food wasn't terrible after I emptied my salt packet onto it, but who goes to the hospital to eat, ya know? Everything was great there.

So I finally got my natural childbirth! Not that I really had any choice. It was definitely too late for anything. I will say though that Keith mentioned to the nurse that I had intended to go without any drugs or IV's and I did confirm that to the nurse that I didn't want anything. So I didn't even try to get out of the pain! I will say to all of my friends that went without epidurals all along that if for any reason they ever did get an epidural, they will be AMAZED at the difference! You barely feel a thing with an epidural, and you feel EVERYTHING without. However, though Keith and I are not planning on having any more children, if I do get pregnant again in the future, I would go with a natural childbirth again. I prefer laboring mostly at home, and it was great not being hooked up to any IV's or anything. The pain is stupendous, but it's only temporary and quickly forgotten.

Elizabeth will be 2 weeks old tomorrow. As of last Thursday she was up to 7lb. 8oz. already. She's nursing like a champ. She does ok at night too. She definitely wakes up to eat, but she sleeps in between which is nice. The boys are doing great with everything too. They actually seem to like Elizabeth, which I was very pleased with! I was nervous about that. They haven't acted jealous at all so far, and they're as cute as ever!

I also want to say...what would we do without our family? I don't know what we would've done without my parents nearby to take care of the boys. Keith's mom and sister came to town as well the weekend Elizabeth had to be readmitted. What a blessing. And we've received so many gifts and meals and well-wishes from so many people. It's wonderful!

Still Pregnant

2009-10-06T17:09:00.001-07:00

I finished Baby Catcher last Thursday I believe. Loved it! Reading it made me want to become a midwife. I recommend it to anyone who is pregnant.

I am also still pregnant. 39 weeks. I am mentally prepared to go to at least 41 weeks as I absolutely do not want to be induced.

Haven't started a new book yet. I have two books about breastfeeding and one about natural birth control that I checked out at the library. I also have a few books in the Hitchhiker's Guide I need to read to finish the entire Guide. I am currently reading a book called Simply Christian by N.T. Wright for my mom's group. It's very dry, abstract, and philosophical. I'm not really getting a whole lot out of it. I've also been working my way through the Psalms, Proverbs, and Job simultaneously. Just decided to do that out of the blue while Keith was in China.

I'm Still Pregnant

2009-09-28T08:47:00.000-07:00

38 weeks today, seeing the midwife weekly now. Last week I was 1cm dilated, 60-70% effaced. I'm also losing weight (I'm down 3.3lb since last week) which I think is another sign that we're near the end. I am, however, still pregnant for the time being.

On a very positive note, Keith and I have finally decided on both a boy name and a girl name! So we are prepared one way or another, FINALLY! My hospital bag is packed. The nursery is ready. I have diapers, nursing bras, etc. I even got a sample container of formula in the mail the other day, though I am hoping I don't have to deal with bottles and formula at all with this baby.

I also finished Mind Over Labor, which is about using mental imagery and relaxation exercises to better cope with the pain of contractions. I'm optimistic. My intention is to do this without an epidural this time because I've never had an uncomplicated one.

Well I have lots of laundry to do today so I'm going to hop to it.

Keith is Home!

2009-09-22T16:09:00.001-07:00

I survived his first two week trip to China! And so did he, though he's still struggling with some serious jet lag. He brought back the neatest things for us, best of which is the pearls! Mine are the prettiest-a pearl necklace with a pendant and long pearl earrings. He also got pearl jewelry for our moms, my niece, and his sister. My second favorite is the loose-leaf jasmine tea and the chinese teapot. It's so quaint, and the tea is really good! For the boys Keith brought adorable matching Chinese-style pajamas, and rubber stamps too. There were some other things too that I can't remember now, but those were the best!

It was so interesting hearing Keith talk about what it was like there. I was especially intrigued by the food customs, being a dietitian and a bit of a foodie. For instance, when they would dine, everything would be served family style, but there were no serving spoons. Everyone would help themselves using their own chopsticks-something that would be so taboo here!

Anyway, he's home. I'm 37 weeks pregnant. My hospital bag is packed. I'm reading two books that I wished I would've read in my second trimester. The first is Baby Catcher, which is just a collection, or a journal, of one midwife's experiences. The second is Mind Over Labor, which is about using relaxation and mental imagery to better cope with labor. I only wish I would've started them sooner because I worry that I could go into labor any day now without having time to practice any mental imagery or relaxation techniques. Of course, there's no telling how soon I may go into labor. Isaac was born at 37 weeks though. Josiah came at 39 weeks & 2 days. My point is, it's going to happen at some point in the next 3 weeks, 4 at worst.

Well the boys are both melting down behind me as I try to blog. So I'd better wrap this up. Josiah is saying new words everyday. He says "button" like bellybutton, only he points to his diaper instead of his button. So cute. Isaac is such a big boy. He loves this Wee Sing cd we have. There are 73 very short (like 15-30 second) songs and rhymes, and he has just about all of them memorized. In addition, he can do the fingers for some of them like the Eensy Weensy Spider and Where is Thumbkin.

All right, gotta go. It's bedtime for the boys anyway.

Book #17

2009-09-13T13:34:00.001-07:00

I finished Shepherding a Child's Heart this afternoon. This book was recommended to me by so many people that I had to read it eventually. It was very good, and gave me a clearer understanding of what to discipline for, as well as how and why to discipline. I have to admit though, I'm pretty overwhelmed, and always have been, by the task of teaching my kids about Jesus, the Gospel, etc. I'm probably not much different from any other Christian mother. My guess is many parents are intimidated by this task. My excuse is that my parents are great people, but they are not the ones who led me to Christ. Other than my mother taking me to church and Sunday school, they didn't provide any example of or direction for living a life of faith. I didn't even really learn what it meant to give my life to Christ until I was an adult. Of course, I greatly desire to instruct and nurture my children early on in the ways of God because I hope they can avoid most of the poor decisions and resulting misery I experienced, especially in adolescence. I just hope they don't have to walk the same road I did.

Actually, even though the chapters regarding the toddler years were most relevant to me, for obvious reasons, I enjoyed the chapters on the teenage years as well. This was partly because of my miserable teenage years, and because of my niece Mackenzie, who is turning 15 next month.

I've already begun reading Baby Catcher, which is a wonderful journal-type book of a midwife. Now that I'm about to give birth to my third baby, I want to become a midwife-definitely a career I NEVER thought of when entering college. Will I ever become one? Not anytime soon that's for sure! I've just grown a sincere and enormous amount of respect for this profession, coupled with a sincere and enormous amount of love for the whole miracle of childbearing, and having some personal experience under my belt too! After Baby Catcher, or maybe even simultaneously, will be Mind Over Labor, as I am 36 weeks pregnant tomorrow and running out of time to read such things!

Can't Sleep

2009-08-28T19:56:00.000-07:00

I just spent the last hour lying in bed looking around the dark bedroom. I decided to stop wasting time and get up and do something.

So here I am!

Tonight I finished Life, the Universe, and Everything in The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I can't remember how many I've read now. That might be book #16. I have to look at my list.

Next, I think I'll try to finish Shepherding a Child's Heart and then send Keith to China with it. He says he can't read books on family and childrearing like I can, but I'd really like for him to read this one. He'll have plenty of time on the plane. When it comes to my kids, I just want to get it right. You know how two people can read the exact same thing and come away with two totally different interpretations? I'd like for him to read this one with me.

Tomorrow Josiah is 15 months old!

Where We've Been

2009-08-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

Well, we've basically just spent the entire month of August being sick. That's all. One thing I guess I wasn't prepared for when having children is that when someone gets sick in the household, by the time in circulates through every member living in the household and re-infects the person it started with, initiating the cycle all over again, it's been about a full month.

Keith started it. He suffered with a bronchitis-like cough for three weeks. He refused to go to the doctor, which is just as well. Weeks after Keith got all better, I got it. Bad. After a week I decided to go to the doctor because I wasn't sure about doing Albuterol breathing treatments and taking Robitussin every four hours around the clock while pregnant. Doctor said the breathing treatments were ok, and he gave me zithromax. While the Albuterol always helped, the antibiotics did nothing. I suffered with it for a full two more weeks. In the meantime, the boys both got it. Isaac had these symptoms last year, and his pediatrician mentioned asthma, so I didn't waste any time giving him Albuterol and getting him to the doctor. Turns out, she didn't prescribe anything for him except more Albuterol, which is fine. Josiah got it too, and is still recovering two weeks later. However, at the same time, the boys both got colds, fevers, and diarrhea. The fevers and diarrhea lasted one solid week in the midst of all the runny noses and coughs. The colds they were kind enough to pass on to me and Keith, so all four of us had that to deal with on top of everything.

Finally, though, three full weeks after getting sick, I'm beginning to feel better! So is Isaac. Keith seems to be fine. Josiah is the only one still dealing with a really productive cough and a very runny nose.

Being sick has put my reading on hold. I'm still working on Life, the Universe, and Everything. I also bought Shepherding a Child's Heart and Bringing up Boys. I think I read the first two chapters of Shepherding a Child's Heart, but that's it.

Keith leaves for China soon. I'm already having bad dreams about it and wondering what in the world I'm going to do without him for two weeks.

Isaac and Josiah are as sweet, and as bad, as ever! They love doing puzzles. Josiah is learning new words all the time. I think his latest is "all done." Isaac "reads" certain books to himself, which is adorable. He is such a helper too. He loves to help me with everything. Both of the boys have been given the chore of putting their own dirty clothes in the hamper, which they both love. Josiah has also gotten the knack of throwing things in the garbage, whether they belong there or not. It's such a tremendous blessing and privilege to raise these kids.

I am 33 weeks along in my pregnancy. I am big and uncomfortable, but doing well. It feels like the baby is running out of room in there for sure. I can't wait to have it so I know if it's a boy or a girl. I think Keith and I finally settled on our name choices, but we aren't telling anyone. Also, last time I blogged I think we were working on Josiah's new room. Everything is all done and looks great. I wish we had hardwood floors everywhere. I think that's one of those things I'd have to go back to work to save up for. Not going to happen anytime soon. Now I think I'm going to wait and see if I have a boy or girl to do anything with the nursery because if it's a boy, I don't need to do anything. If it's a girl, I will have to do some painting, but only beneath the chairrail.

The Week So Far

2009-08-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

Home improvements are moving right along! The spare bedroom (Josiah's new room) was painted Sunday, as I think I mentioned before. On Monday, I was pretty sore and tired in the morning. We stayed home all day and played outside a lot in the morning and afternoon. That evening I began painting the upstairs hallway and stairway as soon as Keith was done with his workout. I needed Keith's help cutting in the ceiling in the stairway as there's absolutely no way I could reach it, nor could I see how I could use a chair or ladder on the steps even if I weren't pregnant. He also helped me with the second coat just to make things go faster. I absolutely love the color I picked!

On Tuesday we had some trouble with our electricity going out during the day. Normally this wouldn't be that big of a deal, but I was making a roast in the crockpot. I had the roast all seared and the pan deglazed (sp?), etc., and then the power went out so I couldn't turn the crockpot on! It came back after about 45 min., but went back out again twice that day. I was able to cook the roast, and it turned out delicious. My laundry was held up a bit, had to restart the dishwasher, and since I'm great with child I don't do that well without air conditioning. But I made it! Tuesday evening we went to Lowe's right after dinner to buy all of the trim, baseboard, and hardwood flooring for the upstairs. We chose and engineered, lock & fold hardwood flooring over solid hardwood. I greatly preferred the solid hardwood, but Keith was unwilling to do the extra work of having to nail it down, nor was he willing to pay the extra fifty cents per sq ft. It is the upstairs we're talking about, so it's part of the house that really he and I only see. When we do hardwood floors on the first floor, I will insist on solid hardwood, 'cause that's just the way I am.

On Wednesday I had my 30-week prenatal appointment with my midwife. My good friend Sarah so graciously watched Isaac and Josiah for me, as my parents were not home. All went well. When she checked the baby's heartbeat it had hiccups! I never heard that before! It was kind of cute. After picking up the boys, we stopped at Wendy's drive-thru for lunch (something I NEVER do, but it was tasty), ate lunch at home, and then it was naptime. When Keith came home he immediately began installing the hardwood flooring upstairs, and I was on my own with the boys all night. We had dinner, cleaned up, took a very long walk, and then I put both of them to bed. I was very exhausted by then, so even though I told Keith I would start painting the trim last night, I didn't. He did finish installing the floors though, and it looks great!

This morning we dropped Maggie off at the groomer's for a bath and a manicure. The farm is right next door to the groomer, so we stopped for some peaches, zucchini, and onions. From there we went to the post-office, and then to my parents' to pick tomatoes out of her garden. There weren't as many tomatoes as I thought there would be though. I got a few. I did get about 5 good-looking green peppers, so I may make quinoa-stuffed green peppers soon. I've never had much luck with regular ground beef stuffed green peppers. The quinoa stuffed ones I made a while ago turned out great so I think I'll try those again. We do have an excellent hot sausage stuffed banana pepper recipe. Hmmm...maybe I'll do a stuffed pepper blog soon.

The boys are napping now. I did begin painting the trim as soon as I laid them down. I only got 5 pieces done because that's all I can reasonably fit on the saw horses. I'm going to go check if they need a second coat, or if I can take them off and paint 5 more before Keith gets home.

Gotta love home improvements!

I haven't started any new books yet. I haven't made it to the bookstore or the library, so I'm likely going to just start the next book in the Hitchhiker's Guide.

Book #15 and The Baking Day

2009-08-03T12:55:00.000-07:00

Just finished book no. 2 in The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, entitled The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. There were a few parts in this book that had me almost rolling on the floor in laughter. I'm looking forward to finishing the remaining books in the Guide, but I'm going to put a non-fiction in between each of them. The problem is, I have to go buy one! Or get one from the library. I'm interested in reading either Shepharding a Child's Heart or Bringing Up Boys next. I did go to Borders over the weekend, but I bought The Reader, which I'd planned on reading at a later time. Shouldn't be too much trouble to go to the library tomorrow.

Last Thursday, the day we had our friends over for dinner for Omaha steaks, I had a baking day. After my zucchini blog, I was inspired to try that chocolate chip orange zucchini bread recipe again. I have to say, after baking it this time, that I think the chocolate chips are totally out of place in this recipe. I also made an orange glaze to drizzle over top of the loaves, but I made too much of it and it made the loaves way too sweet. I was not impressed. I also made chocolate chip banana bread (always a crowd-pleaser), and homemade brownies, not from a boxed mix. They were great! By the way...Omaha steaks...totally overrated!

Remodeling has begun on the spare bedroom, which will be Josiah's new room. Keith also decided to do the hallway upstairs as well. Keith ripped out all of the baseboard and trim, closet doors, etc. He puttied (sp?) all of the holes, built bulkheads to install new, shorter closet doors in both the spareroom and the closet, and tore up all of the carpeting and padding in the hallway right down to the plywood. I have to say, I already think the plywood is an improvement over the carpeting that was there.

Yesterday I spent the majority of the day after church painting the spare bedroom. I chose a light tan/beige color called Lynhurst Gallery Beige. I admit, it's a bit darker than I would have liked for a toddler's room, but once it all dried it really looked great. For the hallway, which I am painting this evening, I chose Lynhurst Timber, which is darker than the color in Josiah's new room.

Tomorrow we will head on out to Home Depot for hardwood flooring, trim, and closet doors. The trim and closet doors will be painted an ultra-white semi-gloss. I'm excited to pick out the hardwood flooring, but discouraged at how expensive it is! We're also toying around with the idea of installing hardwood on the steps, with a carpet runner down the middle. I hesitate only because we have such small children who are or will be just learning to go down steps. Isaac has already taken one spill down the steps, top to bottom, and while he didn't get hurt, it was still upsetting. I can't imagine how bad it would be falling down hardwood steps. But can we install a carpet runner ourselves? Or do we have to pay a professional? Bottom line is, in the end, it will look ridiculous to have a nice, freshly painted hallway and stairwell, nice new hardwood floors in the hallway, and the old crappy carpet running down the steps. We shall see. We shall see.

Random Things

2009-07-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

Everytime I see a mascara commercial on television it makes me want to scream, "CAN WE PLEASE BAN FALSE EYELASHES FROM MASCARA COMMERCIALS?!" I mean, come on! Could they possibly be any more blatantly misleading?

Now that I've got that out of my system, let's move on to potty training. I have officially washed my hands of potty training. I'm pullin' out. Isaac, in the phase traditionally referred to as "the terrible two's," threw tantrums almost everytime over just going pee on the potty. I decided to stop taking him to the potty and let him lead the way, but he was happy to just pee his underpants. Furthermore, he would hold his #2 for so long that when he did finally have to let it out (which would not happen until nap time or bed time, when he had a diaper on) it would hurt so bad that he would scream an ear-piercing, high-pitched scream at the top of his lungs. I mean, it would make your blood run cold. The climax was about a week ago when he was up in the middle of the night every 2 hours trying to hold it in, screaming at the top of his lungs.

If you read anything on potty training, they always list signs of developmental/physical readiness, and then they discuss volitional readiness, in other words, the child's will. Isaac most assuredly displays all signs of developmental and physical readiness. He just doesn't want to do it. So, we're back to diapers. I still ask him if he wants to sit on the potty before baths, and he always does, which is good. Other than that, I am taking a strict potty training hiatus for, well, I don't know how long. We'll see.

One thing to remember when kids are so little is that there is a wide range of what's normal for the different ages and stages. For instance, it's normal for a baby to walk at 9 months, but it's also completely normal for them to not walk until 15 months. Likewise, it's perfectly normal for a toddler to potty train at 2 years, as well as it is normal for them not to potty train until 3 years. Isaac got off to an early start, but it proved to be too much stress for him. Maybe our hiatus will only last another week or two, maybe it'll last until his 3rd birthday in January. One thing I'm sure of is that he must take the reigns from here on out. No more nagging on my part.

Ahh, now that I've got that out, what else can I move on to? How about our day thus far?

My day sort of began around 6:30am, when I think I heard Josiah starting to wake up. I tried to convince myself it wasn't happening, without success. At 6:45 I got up, made my bed, took my shower and got myself ready for the day. Then I proceeded into Josiah's room. It was a dark, rainy morning, so I was pretty disappointed he didn't sleep later, but oh well. We had places to go anyway.

After changing Josiah's diaper we went downstairs and started getting breakfast ready. I turned on the weather channel to see what the forecast was for the day (rain all day), and then did something I don't normally do. I turned on Fox News. Normally the TV stays off all day, but I just felt like having it on for a change. I caught Dave Ramsey, who I used to love to listen to on the radio, answering some financial questions. Next was Tucker Carlson talking about the ridiculous politically correct standards textbooks are being held to these days to completely eliminate gender altogether. For example, instead of saying "congressman" they have to say "member of Congress," instead of "chairman/chairwoman" it's "chair," instead of "caveman" it's "cave dweller." Now, I've always said my decision to homeschool has little to do with any opposition to the public school system. After all, Keith and I both went to public schools our whole lives and turned out fine, for the most part! :-D It's more like a calling that I feel I have, and an ideal learning situation I'd like to give my children. However, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disgusted by the lunatics that call the shots and this kind of absurdity that's happening in public schools today.

So anyway, while preparing breakfast, Isaac woke up screaming, which never happens so I was alarmed. We (Josiah & I) went straight upstairs. Not sure what Isaac was so upset about, but he wanted to cuddle with me right away. Perhaps it was a bad dream. Another diaper change (this one for Isaac) and we were officially downstairs having breakfast.

I would like to ask, does anyone have any unique breakfast ideas? I feel like the boys might be bored with Kix or Wheat Chex, toast or English muffin with jam, fruit, and milk every morning. The problem is Isaac is allergic to peanut butter, oats, eggs, and sesame, which leave a lot out. He also isn't wild about bacon or sausage. He does like pancakes and waffles of course. Josiah pretty much eats whatever you put in front of him. I think Isaac is going through a phase, most likely a terrible two's thing, because he used to eat everything in sight too. Anyway, I bought them some Eggo blueberry waffles to shake things up a bit. Just wondering if anyone else had any good ideas out there.

Our mornings are pretty military-like as far as the routine goes. After breakfast I clean up and do dishes while the boys play. Then it's upstairs to brush teeth and get dressed. Normally I would lay Josiah down for his morning nap after this, but I've decided to experiment with taking away his morning nap to see if he'll sleep later in the morning if he gets less sleep during the day. (Did that make sense to anyone?) We had a little bit of shopping to do nevertheless. I put all of the laundry away, and then we were back downstairs, getting ready to go out the door.

Our first stop was a nearby farm for some fresh eggs and peaches, and whatever else they had. Turns out, they didn't have any eggs (big bummer) so we just bought peaches, zucchini, garlic, and yellow beans. Next stop, Community Market. We're having our friends Jess & Phil & their daughter Jenna over for dinner tomorrow-Omaha Steaks' filet mignons and burgers, the promotional gift from Roomful Express when we bought our new kitchen and dining room furniture. Phil's birthday was Sunday so I thought I'd make some homemade baked good to celebrate. I decided on homemade brownies, which I've never made before, and I had to go to the store for a few things. I'll let ya know how they turn out!

I dropped the groceries off at home, put Maggie in the van, and headed for my parents' house for a visit, which is where I'm blogging from right now. It's a rainy day, so we've played inside for the most part. Isaac is getting really good at doing puzzles, and he did about 3 of them after lunch. Josiah's good at puzzles too, but he preferred to watch Sesame Street instead.

That's our day so far.

Zucchinis and Things

2009-07-26T10:54:00.000-07:00

A short time ago, my friend Sarah commented in her blog about a large zucchini she'd harvested from her garden, wondering what she was going to do with it. My mind went back just a couple of years, when Isaac was still a baby, when I had what I called a Victory Garden! I called it this not really knowing what I was talking about. Victory Garden is a show on PBS, and according to my mother the term refers to gardens that people planted after World War II, which makes sense. I called it a Victory Garden because it thrived! I had collard greens, roma and grape tomatoes, green peppers, green beans, and zucchini. That summer, we made two batches of salsa, had homemade bruschetta more than once, never ran out of food for Buddy-girl (the iguana), and had zucchinis coming out of our ears! I actually took some of the produce into work to give away, in addition to giving away a zucchini or two to my friend Dana and our next door neighbor.

Needless to say, I had to find things to make with our many zucchinis. My favorite thing to with zucchini is to grill it with chunks of onion and orange bell pepper (orange bell peppers can get expensive, green peppers work just as well they just don't lend as much color to the final presentation). This became a frequent side dish. I would quarter the zucchini and slice the onion and pepper into 1-2"cubes, mix the together with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a large bowl, then place the mixture onto 1-2 large sheets of aluminum foil, seal them up (sometimes I had to wrap another piece of aluminum foil around them). Keith would then place them on the top rack of the grill. They only took about 10-15min. to cook. I like my cooked vegetables to be very tender, not crunchy. This method of preparation would work beautiful with yellow squash and eggplant as well.

Man cannot live on grilled zucchini alone, however. Another favorite thing to do with zucchini is to mix it into pasta, like a baked ziti with roasted vegetables mixed in. Following is a recipe I got from watching Giada on Everyday Italian on the Foot Network. Don't be afraid to simplify this recipe, and cheapen it. Some of the ingredients can be expensive. I have made this recipe using simple Giant Eagle brand shredded Italian cheese, and leaving out the red peppers and summer squash, and it still turned out great. I've also made it with my own homemade sauce and with Prego. However, the original recipe is a hit!

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables

2 red peppers, cored & cut into 1" wide strips
2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise & cut into 1" cubes
2 summer squash, quarter lengthwise & cut into 1" cubes
4 cremini mushrooms (or baby bella), halved
1 yellow onion, peeled & sliced into 1" strips
1/4c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 t. salt, divided
1t. freshly ground black pepper, divided
1T. dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence (I don't even know what hers de Provence is, I just use Italian seasoning)
1lb. penne pasta (whole grain works as well as the white)
3c. marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
1c. grated fontina cheese (a Danish cheese to be found in the yuppy "cheese from around the world" section of the grocery store)
1/2c. grated smoked mozzarella (see note after fontina cheese)
1 1/2c. frozen peas, thawed
1/4c. grated Parmesan, plus 1/3c. for topping (fresh is always better, but Kraft will do)
2T. butter, cut into small pieces

1.) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2.) On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2t. salt, 1/2t. pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15min.
3.) Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta & cook for about 6 min. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.
4.) In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2t. salt, & 1/2t. pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce & the ingredients are combined.
5.) Pour the pasta in a greased 9x13" pan. top with the remaining 1/3c. Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden & cheese melts, about 25 min.

Again, while watching the Food Network, I found yet another zucchini recipe. This one is different, and interesting. You'll have to try it for yourself and see. All I recommend is do not use marinated artichoke hearts. They really change the taste of the filling. Also, you may need to pre-cook the zucchini boats before you fill them, depending on their size, to get them nice and tender. Again, I prefer very tender, not crunchy, cooked vegetables.

Turkey-Stuffed Zucchini Boats

2 large zucchini, halved lengthwise
1lb. cooked lean ground turkey
1/3c. fat-free sour cream (you could use regular, I just chose the fat-free)
1/2c. coarsely chopped artichoke hearts in water or oil, but not the marinated kind
1/4c. plus 2T. grated Parmesan, divided
1t. dried oregano
1/2t. salt
1/4t. ground black pepper
2T. seasoned dry bread crumbs
Orzo Pesto (my favorite part!), recipe follows.

1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.) Using a spoon or melon baller, scoop seeds from center of each zucchini half, making 4 long canoe-like boats. Set aside.
3.) In a medium bowl, combine cooked ground turkey, sour cream, artichoke hearts, 1/4c. Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt, & black pepper. Mix gently to combine. Spoon mixture into zucchini boats. Sprinkle bread crumbs & remaining Parmesan over filling in boats.
4.) Bake zucchini boats 10-12 min., until top is golden brown and filling is heated through. Serve with Orzo Pesto.

Orzo Pesto

8oz. orzo pasta (dry, uncooked, by weight)
jar of prepared basil pesto

Cook and drain orzo according to package directions. Toss with desired amount of pesto and serve.

The final recipes I made with my zucchinis that summer were zucchini breads. I'm not going to post any recipes, though, because I find zucchini bread recipes to be a dime-a-dozen. I have a "normal" Paula Deen zucchini bread recipe in my recipe box that calls for 1t. lemon juice. However, I didn't have lemon juice when I made it so I experimented with 1t. anise extract instead, which turned out delicious. I also have a chocolate chip orange zucchini bread recipe I liked. One thing I personally did not care for in some of the other recipes I experimented with were raisins in my zucchini bread. I love raisins alone, but I'm not wild about them in baked goods. Just a personal preference of mine.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed my zucchini monologue. I did try a garden again last summer, but since Josiah was born in the beginning of summer, I never had much time to tend it, and it didn't work out. My zucchini never even sprouted. I did get onions and peppers (green and jalapeno), but very few tomatoes. The garden became overrun with weeds, particularly one weed, technically a tuber, known as nut grass. There is no getting rid of nut grass. So Keith planted grass in my garden area this summer, and it took beautifully. Next summer the plan is for Keith to rent a sod-cutter at Home Depot and cut out another garden box in a different location in the yard. I love gardening, and I would love my children to get involved in it and excited about it like I do.

Book #14

2009-07-25T18:49:00.000-07:00

Just finished Writing From Home by Susan Richman, a compilation of the writings of homeschooled children. Chapter topics ranged from setting up a writing environment in your home, to poetry, to reporting research, and fiction, and everything in between. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is homeschooling or considering it.

Stay tuned...if I ever get around to it I have a blog in my head entitled "Zucchinis and Things," inspired by a question (probably a rhetorical one, but nevertheless) my friend Sarah made in her blog about what to do with the wonderful zucchini she picked from her garden. If you're looking for zucchini recipes, this blog (if I ever do it) is not to be missed!

Mackinac Island and Book #13

2009-07-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

I absolutely loved the horses.

A view from Fort Mackinac, including the Mackinac Bridge in the distance.

Our very Victorian bed and breakfast, The Inn on Mackinac.

A week ago at this time Keith and I were making the uphill trek to Fort Mackinac for a fresh deposit of colonial fur trade and War of 1812 data into our knowledge bank. Our much-needed and long-awaited getaway began last Thursday when we had delicious stuffed pork chops for dinner at my parents-because I hate cooking the night before a road trip-bathed the boys in GaGa's tub, put them to bed and headed back home to do some last-minute packing and enjoy a nice fire in the backyard, just the two of us! Friday morning we said one last good-bye to the boys and we were on our way to Mackinac!

This was my first trip to northern Michigan. Keith, being a native, had been there several times. The ride was nice and uneventful, and a little longer than I expected (9 hours). The whole process of parking our car at the dock, catching the ferry, and then getting a porter to take our luggage to our bed and breakfast was seamless. Though, I must admit that in my old age I do not like boat rides! The ferry was 16 minutes long, which was fine, I just don't like boat rides anymore. They make me queasy. We arrived around dinner time, unpacked, freshened up, and took a stroll down Main St. to find some sustenance.

The whole island is so adorably quaint. No vehicles allowed, so all trasportation is done on foot, bicycle, or horse and carriage! The purpose of the trip was to celebrate both our 3-year anniversary-and there's a little inside joke to that reason-and our birthdays which both fall in July. We were there the entire weekend, cathching the first ferry off of the island Monday morning, and by that time I really wanted to get back to the boys anyway.

We went to Fort Mackinac, the McGulphin House, Biddle House, Blacksmith's Shop, Beaumont Museum, Mission Bark Chapel, and another old church (that I can't remember the name of!) all Saturday morning. The Biddle House was my favorite of all because the young ladies working inside could actually show me how to use the spindle to make yarn out of wool, how to crush corn for cornmeal, and how to cook on an open hearth, like Little House on the Prairie! I enjoy learning about how people did the practical things like cooking before the industrial revolution.

I knew there would obviously be a lot of walking on this trip, but I was not prepared for how my body, at 27 weeks pregnant, would handle all of the walking! I've never had such low-back aches before! So we decided to do the carriage tour around the island that afternoon. One of my favorite things about that was how the tour guide would identify all of the wildflowers we passed along the pathway. I'm into that kind of thing.

Sunday, my birthday, we decided to rent bikes and see the entire perimeter of the island. This was definitely my second-favorite activity of the weekend. The perimeter of the island is entirely flat so it was a very easy trek, and I had no back pain because I was sitting! We had the bikes for 2 hours, going around the island twice for a total of 16.4 miles. I know that sounds like a lot, but when you're biking on flat land, it really isn't that difficult at all. Only one minor event...I fell off of my bike! I was trying to change gears and apparently I wasn't doing it correctly. Well, my chain fell right off, the bike stopped dead, and I promptly fell directly off of it! Fortunately I landed quite plainly on my side, not my stomach, and I only sustained a couple of scrapes and a bruised thumb.

After lunch we saw more sights on foot, including the Butterfly House and Fort Holmes, which is the highest point on the island. Each evening, after dinner, we wandered in and out of a few shops, but always ended up at an ice cream shop! In addition, our bed and breakfast served chocolate chip cookies at bedtime, and always had coffee, tea, and hot cocoa available in the lobby. So after we waddled back to our room each night we enjoyed a hot beverage of some sort and cookies. There was also a spa pool, which can be most accurately likened to an oversized jacuzzi only the water isn't as hot, which felt wonderful on my aching back every night. Of course, Sunday evening we had to buy 2 1/2 pounds of fudge too (some for us, some for my mother) as this is one of the main things Mackinac Island is famous for!

While there, I decided to take a break from non-fiction and re ad something totally mindless and entertaining. That's how I ended up with Book #13, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. You don't have to be a fan of sci-fi to appreciate this kind of light humor! My favorite character by far is Marvin the depressed robot. Now this is the first of six books in The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The next one is The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. This morning, however, I began Writing From Home by Susan Richman. This is a collection of writings by homeschooled students. I'm well into the second chapter and so far it's wonderful! It makes me even more excited about homeschooling.

Finally, I will leave you with a few quick notes about what's been going on in our home lately. I am about to enter my 3rd trimester. We are just now beginning to work on the spare room, making it into Josiah's room. I will also have to somehow make the nursery gender-neutral as I have no idea what I'm having this time and wouldn't be at all surprised whether it's a boy or a girl. What I mean is I have absolutely no inclination as to what I'm having. Josiah said the word "go" last Tuesday. He also began saying "ball" while we were away last weekend. Isaac has suddenly found an interest in drawing with his markers, and it just warms my heart to watch him scribble and name all of his colors out loud. Both of my boys are so amazing.

Book #12

2009-07-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

Just finished up Having Your Baby With a Nurse-Midwife. If you've already had a baby with a mdiwife, you need not read this book. It is best for women, and couples I guess, who are considering their options or wanting to learn more about midwives specifically. I'm definitely a fan of midwives, and if a first-time mother-to-be asked me for a tip the first thing I'd tell them is that if they're healthy they don't need an OB. They're much better of with a midwife.

Now I do believe I need a break from reading about childbirth. The plan is to read Writing From Home by Susan Richman next, and then I'm going to find a completely mindless and entertaining work of fiction. I'm actually thinking of reading He's Just Not That Into You. Yes, it was a movie. I never saw it, but the trailers looked cute. Then I found out it was a book and decided I would read the book someday.

By the way, I love our new pediatrician. It was such a different atmosphere from where we were before. Josiah received a clean bill of health once again, praise God.

What Happened With Our Old Pediatrician

2009-07-06T12:31:00.000-07:00

Following a previous blog post, a couple readers were wondering what happened between me and the pediatrician I had been taking the boys to.

How to make a long story short?

Well, when Isaac as born we really liked Dr. Ubinger. He seemed knowledgeable and down-to-earth. I did feel somewhat rushed when asking my questions at each visit but, hey, doctors aren't exactly known for their people-skills. The trouble began when I started asking questions about the vaccines. Let me remind everyone that both of my boys have had all of their vaccines. All I was doing was asking questions. With each question it was obvious that Dr. Ubinger was stiffening up and clearly annoyed that I was even entertaining the thought of debating this issue.

One day a friend loaned me a video on vaccines that was very alarming, and I decided to hold off on further vaccines until I investigated some of the claims made in this video. When I brought up some of the claims made to Dr. Ubinger at Josiah's 6 month well-baby visit he dismissed it all as "crap," literally, and just gave me another handout of AAP (American Academy of Pediatricians) guidelines regarding vaccines. I wasn't satisfied.

Before his 9-month well-baby visit I called ahead and asked the nurse to have all of the package inserts for all of the childhood vaccines ready for me so I could read them (at home of course). I also began checking out some of the references from the video I watched. It turned out some of the references' websites were hacked into or expired, which didn't look good. However, the doctor who made the video maintained her website quite well and I was able to find what she said would be on there. I still insisted on holding off on the vaccines until I read more, which totally pissed Dr. Ubinger off. I also showed him a chart that I'd found on the website detailing very clearly which vaccines were made with aborted fetal cells, their manufacturers, and an ethical alternative if one was available. This really sent him over the edge. His response was hostile and unprofessional. He said it was all crap, and that he didn't know where it came from, referring specifically to the allegation that some vaccines were made with aborted fetal cells. "Just because you found a detailed chart on the internet you think it's true?" was one of the things he said. He also kept repeating, "You have to decide who you're going to believe." Finally he told me if I didn't get on board with the vaccine schedule I'd have to find another doctor. I shrugged my shoulders and said ok, but I wish I would have walked out of the office.

So I went home and shared with Keith what had taken place at Josiah's visit, and I began reading those package inserts the nurse had so kindly given me. It didn't take me very long to decide who I was going to believe. First of all, let me say that the package inserts blew enough holes in the arguments made on the video I watched that I ultimately decided the benefits outweighed the risks. That was all of the investigating I needed to do. However, for the MMR, chicken pox, and Hep A vaccines, right in the first or second paragraphs of the package inserts, it clearly states that they are propogated in human embryonic lung cells and/or human diploid cells. I knew what this meant, but I'm not a microbiologist so I took it one step further and called the manufacturers (Merck and GlaxoSmithKline). All it took was one phone call to each for them to confirm what I already knew. These human embryonic lung cells and human diploid cells came from aborted fetuses. So who was I going to believe? Dr. Ubinger? Or the people who make the vaccines? Um, lemme think.

The decision to change pediatricians was not taken lightly. I truly do not expect doctors to know everything under the sun. It was his response, his attitude toward my questions, that upset me so badly. I prayed about this and discussed it with Keith for weeks before I decided to look for a better match for my family. I even spoke with one of the pastors at our church about it. It's not that Dr. Ubinger didn't know some vaccines were indeed made with aborted fetal cells, it's that he dismissed it all as crap and told me if I didn't believe him I had to go elsewhere for care. Well, that's just what I decided to do.

Listen, the bottom line is I am Isaac and Josiah's mother, and Keith is their father. WE are the decision-makers for our children, not some doctor. Whether we choose to get every vaccine under the sun for our kids, or to withhold all vaccines forever, it's OUR decision. No one else's. Doctors can give us their advice, but they can't tell us we're full of crap, our kids are gonna die if we don't vaccinate, or that they won't see our healthy children because we question the necessity or the ethics of vaccines. Dr. Ubinger's words "You have to decide who you're going to believe" and "If you don't get on board with the vaccine schedule you have to find another doctor" were the ultimate insults. Not that he didn't know how some vaccines were manufactured.

Sorry for the marathon blog.

Josiah's 1 year well-baby visit is tomorrow with a new pediatrician that I've heard good things about. I'm looking forward to it.

I Can't Believe It's July Already!

2009-07-06T12:15:00.000-07:00

This summer is going by so quickly! And the weather has been, well, kind of crappy! Normally the temperature is in the high-80's, low-90's by this time, I think. We've only had a few 80-degree days all summer so far!

Our 4th of July weekend was spent in Grand Rapids. Even though it was rushed, it was one of the best trips I think I've ever had there. I picked Keith up from work at 4pm on Thursday, and we arrived at his mom's house at about 11:30pm.

Friday morning was a little rough because the boys had hardly had any sleep the night before. They were very miserable and exhausted. In the morning we went to Big Boy for breakfast to see Keith's mom. From there we visited cousin Kimmie and Vijay and their new baby boy, Carter. So cute! Finally we went to Nana Drudy's. Unfortunately, shortly after arriving at Nana's Josiah started melting down. We were only able to stay for about an hour and a half. After a very short afternoon nap, the boys just played in Wella's (Keith's mom's) backyard until we left after dinner to visit our friends Troy and Denise and their 4 kids. It was so nice to see everyone again!

Saturday was much better for the boys. They got much more sleep than they did the night before, and we did much less visiting. We just hung out at Wella's all morning, Josiah took his morning nap, and then we drove to Keith's dad's at noon for a 4th of July cookout. The original plan was to have a pool party, but it was so chilly! Everyone still had a great time though, and the boys were in much better spirits. We stuck around his dad's until after 5pm, then headed back to Wella's. Again, the boys just played in the backyard. Keith's mom and stepdad had some family over for a cookout as well, so we chatted with some aunts and uncles. Soon enough, though, it was time to pack our bags and start getting the boys ready for bed.

Did I mention I hate fireworks? Not the "professional" kind you see at Disney World, or when Monroeville Mall lights them off for the 4th of July, but the kind people set off in their driveways and blow their foot off with. Yeah. Well, Wella's neighbors across the street were just having a grand 'ole time setting off m-80's in the street. Isaac was so scared he jumped into Maurh's arms. I just wanted to punch those people.

Anyway, we got the boys into bed at a decent hour (8:30-9'ish), then Keith and I were able to take a short walk outside. I love the cool night air. We didn't want to go see the fireworks in downtown Grand Rapids because were thought the boys would probable be scared, and they needed to get in bed anyhow. There will be many more 4th of July fireworks in the future.

Keith woke me at 4am Sunday morning to get read to leave. This is really the best time for us to travel because the boys will sleep in their carseats until after 7am when we stop for breakfast. By then the trip is almost halfway over. They did great on the way home.

As always, it's great to come home from a road trip and get all unpacked and organized, showered, rested, etc.

Book #11 and Exciting New Developments

2009-06-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I finished Henci Goer's A Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth. I would definitely recommend this book, or something like it, to every pregnant woman whether it's her first or her fifth pregnancy. Unabashedly (sp?) pro-natural childbirth, the author systematically reviews the medical literature and the pros and cons of almost every childbirth intervention from C-sections to IV's. While I really wasn't suprised by the information given in this book, it was a little sickening at how nonchalantly the majority of OB/GYN's handle the complications of their own interventions. Also, I truly cannot complain about the OB/GYN's I've seen in the past. Both of my prior pregnancy/childbirth experiences were very positive, but I could see a clear difference between the OB's and the one midwife at the practice, and I strongly preferred the midwife. I understand the differences between the obstetric model and the midwifery model better now. I firmly agree with the midwifery philosophy that childbirth is not a hazard to my health or a medical disaster waiting to happen, rather, that it is a natural process that my body was specifically designed for.

I'm still not 100% convinced I can do it without an epidural though! :-) I know the potential complications of epidurals, but I also know I couldn't handle labor without them the first two times. However, because my labor stopped and Josiah's heartrate immediately dropped as soon as I got my epidural with him, I've decided that if I'm already 8 or 9cm dilated when I get to the hospital this time I'm doing without. I've told Keith, my mom, and both of the midwives I'm seeing now the same thing, so they can remind me what I said when I'm writhing in pain!

Couple exciting things for Isaac...he pooped on the potty all by himself on Monday! He got 10 Smarties and a juice box, and we called daddy, Wella, Pappy, and GaGa to tell them right away. Of course, he hasn't done it again since, but I believe in him! Also, he slept in his toddler bed for the first time last night and did great! He slept all by himself all night long!

We finally sold all of the furniture we wanted to sell, and had the yard sale we needed to have, so our house is less cluttered now and we're better prepared to get Josiah's new bedroom ready and make room for baby #3! We also bought new dining room furniture (table, chairs, buffet and hutch) and new kitchen table and chairs. I can't wait to have them delivered! This will be the first time I've ever had nice, new, matching dining room and kitchen furniture!

Josiah is as wonderful as ever, waving bye-bye, clapping, blowing kisses, saying "uh oh," and doing "so big!" He'll have his one-year pictures taken next week at Penny's, followed by his first haircut! He's so adorable. Also, I finally got his medical records transferred from his old pediatrician to a new one, and we just made his one-year well-baby appointment with the new one today! I was so worried the old pediatrician wrote something bad about me in his chart so that no one else would ever see Josiah! That relationship definitely spiralled downward fast. I'm so relieved.

Keith had his yearly review last week, and came home with good news, ok news, and bad news. The good news was that he had an excellent review and got another raise. Yay! The ok news was that he will not be travelling to China in October (when I'm due to give birth). The bad news is he does have to go to China for two weeks in September AND December! One week in Japan was a little tough, two weeks in China in the final weeks of my pregnancy when I will be largest and most uncomfortable, then again when the baby is only about 6-8 weeks old will be a whole new ballgame. But I'm up for the challenge!

Book #10 and the Toy Rotation System

2009-06-11T12:52:00.001-07:00

One of the books Mary Pride referenced a lot in All the Way Home was The Truth About Diet and Drugs During Pregnancy: What Every Pregnant Woman Should Know by Gail Sforza Brewer and Thomas Brewer, MD. For me, this was more of a historical look at how doctors used to manage swelling during pregnancy. I really don't think anyone prescribes low-salt, 1000-calorie diets anymore for pregnant women who gain more than 24 lb. Apparently, however, this was quite a common practice, along with prescribing diet pills, diuretics, and blood pressure medications for what we today term pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, as recently as the 1980's. The original copyright for this book is 1977, revised in 1985. Its aim is to enlighten women and encourage them to educate themselves on pregnancy nutrition and not blindly follow the doctor's every recommendation. It also highlights the fact that physicians need not take a course in nutrition to graduate from medical school; a fact that, sadly, is still true today I'm afraid.

While this book was interesting, because I do not believe such things are common medical practice anymore, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book to another mom-to-be. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me most people, men and women, physicans and non-medical people alike, know that a pregnant woman needs a balanced diet including all of the food groups, a prenatal vitamin, and should not be on any kind of calorie-controlled diet, or taking any diet pills.

Now, for the best idea I've had all year...the toy rotation system! The clutter of toys in our house was getting out of control. It was absurd. Yet, I didn't have the heart to throw away or donate any toys yet. I guess I want my kids to be old enough to decide which toys they're ready to part with, without me forcing them to part with something. They actually do play with just about everything they have. So, I decided to just keep out a few toys in the family room, and put the rest away where they can't see them. This idea actually stemmed from something I read in the Duggar's Twenty and Counting book. We have a rubbermaid container that's functioning as a toy box in the family room right now. I chose a few (probably about 4-5) toys for each of them to keep in that rubbermaid container, plus 1 "big" toy for each of them (Isaac's tool bench and Josiah's Laugh & Learn Home). I also left out Josiah's Retro Rocket (something he can ride on), and Isaac's weedwacker. Those would be medium-sized toys. The rest of the toys (the giant blow-up thing filled with balls, the Thomas the Train tent, all of the cars/trucks/buses/fire engines, etc. are currently hiding in the spare room. The boys haven't even noticed I put anything away. Well, Isaac hasn't said anything at least. They're perfectly happy to play with what I've left out and my family room isn't a disaster zone at the end of the day. My plan is to rotate toys about once a week so that they don't get bored playing with same things, nor do they "miss" any of their other favorites. They still each have toys in their bedrooms too. I am not depriving them in any way. Just keeping my sanity.

Book #9 and A New Pregnancy Symptom

2009-06-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

Just finished All the Way Home by Mary Pride last night. It was a fantastic read about every aspect of being a family. I got Keith to start reading it. She's a big homeschooling author too. This is another oldie but goodie, copyright 1989. Some of the info in the chapter on childbirth is a little outdated, but for the most part is remains relevant. This is a great book not just for stay-at-home moms but for fathers too!

I never realized how many feminist notions had gotten into my head before reading these last two books!

And the new pregnancy symptom is that I cannot drink any caffeinated beverage without experiencing very painful cramps. This is disturbing because sometimes I would just about kill for unsweetened ice tea. Plus monthly mochas are such a treat. It's milk, water, and juice for me from now on.

Go See Star Trek!

2009-05-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

Keith and I went to the movies last night for a belated anniversary date. We saw Star Trek and it was AWESOME! I have never seen a single episode of Star Trek, the series, but the trailers for this movie looked cool and I knew Keith liked Star Trek. I highly recommend seeing this movie. I didn't feel "lost" at all because of never watching Star Trek on TV. It was one of the fastest two hours I've ever spent in a movie theater.

Just don't see it in IMAX without taking Dramamine first. As soon as we walked into the theater I was dizzy. Within a half an hour after that I thought for sure I wouldn't make it to the end of the movie without vomiting. It was such a good movie, though, that I endured to the very end! And then I was sick for the rest of the night. Oh well. I'd still say it was worth it!

Book #8

2009-05-19T13:07:00.000-07:00

It's only taken me a month, but I finally finished What's a Smart Woman like you doing At Home? As I've mentioned before, there are so many quotes I want to take from this book. It was a real encouragement reading it. I never even realized that I may have been apologizing for being a stay-at-home mom when people have asked me what I do in the past. Never again. I feel that in the future I will have such solid responses to inquiries like that.

It's an old publication, copyright 1986, but if you can find it in a bookstore or library, or if you see it at a garage sale, pick it up! It's worth it!

Next will be either Mary Pride's All the Way Home or Susan Richman's Writing From Home.

By the way-Keith came back home safe and sound! But he brought foreign germs home with him and now me and the boys are sick as dogs!

Thank God For the Internet

2009-05-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

Keith has been in Japan since Saturday. I was teary-eyed and miserable for two days, but the internet has been such a wonderful blessing. I never thought much of it until this trip. However, not only have Keith and I been able to send instant messages to one another, but we can also turn on our webcams and see each other, AND we can call each other's computers and HEAR each other! While we're looking at each other! This is all new for me. I know this technology has been around for a long time, but this is the first time I've had any use for it. It has also been great for Keith to be able to see and hear the boys, and vice versa. We are picking him up from the airport tomorrow-and not a minute too soon. I can't wait to see him again.

Mother's Day (which also happened to be our 3 year anniversary) was good and miserable. Keith took care of me before he left by sending me 2 dozen multi-color roses (beautiful!) and a new fancy-schmancy camera! It's one of those semi-pro ones. I had been complaining of the poor quality of our 5 or 6 megapixel cameras and said someday I wanted to splurge on one of those really nice ones. Well, Keith surprised me with just such a camera on Friday before he left. Now I just need to learn how to use it to the best of its ability.

Otherwise we've been doing well here. I finally found a dress for me and an outfit for Isaac for a wedding in 2-3 weeks that we're in. It's tough finding nice dress pants/shirts/ties for a 2 year old. Basically no one carries them. Not even JCPenney or Macy's. The outfit I found was at Sears, on clearance, but the tie didn't match the colors of the wedding. So I found a black tie on clearance at Penney's, and then dress shoes and socks at Payless. All in all, his outfit cost about $50, which is still more than half of what mine cost! I found a cute black maternity dress on clearance for $19.99! Of course, I'll spend a lot more than that getting my hair and nails done. Oh well.

My reading is very slow-going. I'm not sure why. I have been working on the Bible study we're doing in moms group called The Power of a Woman's Words. My moms group breaks for the summer though, so maybe my reading will pick up then. I'm still working on What's a Smart Woman Like You Doing at Home? There are so many quotes I want to take from this book. I do recommend any woman who stays at home with her children in any capacity, even if only part-time, read this book. It's an old publication, from the '80's. Hopefully it's still in print though, or can be found at a library. It's been very encouraging.

Almost forgot-Keith and I are selling our living room furniture. We just never use it, and we're going to convert the living room into a library/study instead to make better use of the space. So, if anyone is looking, or knows someone who is looking, let me know! The furniture is only about 4 years old I think, and barely used. The fabric is ivory/light beige in color, the wood is like a light oak, and I'd say antique in style. We are selling a couch (seats 3), chaise lounge, square end table, coffee table with glass center, and hemispherical end table, including a matching table lamp. Again, if you know anyone who is interested, pass the info along, or let me know. We are willing to be flexible on the price too. We just want to get rid of it.

17 Weeks & My Jeans Are Pretty Tight!

2009-05-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

I don't think I'll be able to wear non-maternity jeans much longer! The couple pairs I wore the last few days were pretty snug, and downright uncomfortable when I sat down! It seems my little baby bump has popped out overnight! Oh well. I'm now 17 weeks along in my third pregnancy and everything is going great. I feel wonderful! I do love being pregnant after the first trimester. I've heard the baby's heartbeat twice now and it's beautiful. My 20 week ultrasound is scheduled. I'm not even tempted to find out the gender!

Interestingly, I am experiencing symptoms with this pregnancy that I never have before. The first is faintness in the mornings. It's happened at least three times now where I've felt light-headed, gotten tunnel-vision, and could hear my own heartbeat. I haven't passed out, I always catch it in time to sit down with a glass of ice tea or something. It's just weird. I've never been that kind of person who gets even a little bit faint. The second is headaches! They're very manageable though, and probably have more to do with my back and neck than with pregnancy. If I just exercise at least every other day, I don't get them! I also don't get back or neck pain when I exercise. The last is called chloasma, which are brown spots across your face. They're supposed to go away after birth, and I hope that they do. They're pretty subtle, but I notice them.

Keith is doing wonderfully. He leaves for Japan soon for almost a whole week, so I will miss him a great deal. I'm not stressing out about it, though, because he told me he has to go to China for like a month at the end of the year. That will suck. So I'm using the Japan trip to try and prepare myself.

Isaac continues to be a very skillful singer of songs. He also loves to pray before naptime and bedtime, as well as before, during, and after meals. He's got the Lord's prayer memorized, but he'll never recite it on command. You just have to be lucky and catch him saying it while he's playing. He is beginning to recognize some letters, I think, and he definitely knows the difference between letters and numbers. Colors and shapes continue to be hit or miss. I think he just doesn't care about them.

Josiah is going to walk any day now. He is 11 months old now and we've caught him on several occassions taking a step or two from one piece of furniture to another. The trick is to put things in his hands so that he can't hold on. Yesterday he had a Nilla wafer in each hand when he did it. He also waves "hi" and "bye," which is adorable! He eats mostly regular food now and very little baby food. Still hates bottles. I'm still trying to get him used to sippy cups. I'm also weaning him off of the pacifier for sleep. For right now I've just stopped giving it to him at night. I still let him have it for naps.

Up until a few days ago it's been unseasonably warm here in the 'Burgh. We (the boys and I) have spent a lot of time outside playing in the yard and going for walks. Keith has done a bit of yard work. I did pull weeds once. The last few days have been very rainy though. The next time we get one of those beautiful days again I am taking the boys to the zoo.

Right now I'm reading a book called What's a Smart Woman Like You Doing at Home? It's been encouraging for me as a stay-at-home mom. It's pretty old though, copyright 1986. It was loaned to me by the wife of someone Keith works with who has 8 kids, and she homeschools them all. Well, the oldest two are in college, so I guess she's homeschooling the remaining 6 now. After I finish the books she loaned me I hope to read some books on childrearing like Shepherding a Child's Heart and maybe a Dobson book like Bringing Up Boys.

Book #7

2009-04-24T10:55:00.000-07:00

The Duggars: 20 and Counting! by Michelle & Jim Bob Duggar

My mom loaned me this book because she said it had some homeschooling advice in it. I have to say that after reading this book I love the Duggars! I used to always say that I didn't like Kate Gosselin (of Jon & Kate Plus 8) but I could relate to her more than to Michelle Duggar. That is no longer true. The long skirts (the the 18 kids) threw me off, but I actually have way more in common, as far as beliefs, values, and principles go, with the Duggar's than I ever will with the Gosselin's. So I've switched allegiances, so to speak.

What I found to be most encouraging was the information they gave on how they raise their children, young & old, and their frugality. They actually live what I believe when it comes to having no debt. I mean, I firmly believe in living debt free, yet I'm willing to have a mortgage. They truly owe no one anything. That is admirable.

I think I'm going to read some books on staying at home/homeschooling next. One of Keith's friends from work has 8 kids and his wife homeschools them all. I gave her a call to talk to her about it and she loaned me a few books. I figure I better read them and get them back to her as quickly as possible.

One piece of really exciting news...Keith & I are going on a weekend getaway to Mackinac (sp?) Island this summer! My parents are going to watch the boys. We're staying at a bed and breakfast. It looks so quaint. I cannot wait!

Book #6

2009-04-12T11:18:00.001-07:00

I finished 1984 by George Orwell while on vacation. Definitely a great classic! I have to admit though, it took a couple of days to fully absorb the ending, for it to really sink in. Also, I was expecting more parallels (sp?) to today's political climate and didn't find very many. Then again, they could've gone right over my head.

Next up is the Duggar's book Twenty & Counting.

Also, while I'm at it, vacation was great except for the boys being so sick all week. They both had terribly runny noses and coughs all week long, fevers off & on, and Isaac had some GI issues I won't go into detail about. The climax of all the illnesses was actually yesterday when we were in North Carolina, driving home, about two hours away from where we were going to stop for the night, when Isaac vomitted all over himself and his carseat. So that was a drama, getting that all cleaned up. Then he continued to be sick for the rest of the evening, and when he did it again at 1:45 am, we just decided to pack up and leave for Pittsburgh then. He's still having GI troubles today.

Back to vacation though...the resort we stayed at was beautiful. We were there with Keith's dad, stepmom, brothers and sister, and his sister's two kids, Austin and Dominik, who Isaac absolutely adored. We got to do lots of swimming. Isaac is fearlessly suicidal in the water! We did have one really chilly day, when we decided to go to the Magic Kingdom. It was so cold though that I fear we made the boys' coughs and colds worse that day. The next two days we went to Universal and Islands of Adventure-LOVED both parks! Only downside was I couldn't ride very much because I'm pregnant. Also, Isaac wasn't tall enough for a lot of the rides, and I couldn't hold Josiah on my lap on many rides either. It was still great though. The parks are beautiful and cute, and I can't wait to go back when I'm not pregnant to ride The Hulk and The Mummy, among many other things! Islands of Adventure does have a section called Seuss Landing, which was so adorable, and Isaac could ride everything! Josiah even rode the Caro-Seuss-el! A big thank you to Keith's dad and Roxanne for inviting us along!

Oh my goodness, how could I forget?

2009-03-27T12:36:00.001-07:00

Keith won an award at work, for all of his hard work! It's equal to about half of his net pay! I am so thankful for God's favor, which so clearly rests upon that man! My husband! God is so faithful. He provides every time! Every time I start wringing my hands about money, and start wondering if I should pick up some kind of part-time work, God comes through, reinforcing His desire for me to raise my children. He is marvelous!

Quick Question

2009-03-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

Does anyone know how to properly store potatoes? Everytime I buy a bag, whether russet, Idaho, or redskin, they grow a million of those disgusting looking "things" sticking out everywhere. Are those things called ears, or spuds? At any rate, what am I doing wrong? Why do they go bad before I can use them? I'm talking about 3# or 5# bags, not 10#. I used to store them in the fridge, then I tried the kitchen counter, then I tried the pantry. I get the same result every time. Am I supposed to use them all up in a week? What am I doing wrong here?

Anyway, still reading 1984. It's slow-going because I've also been reading about Universal Orlando, Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM), and Magic Kingdom. Yes, yes, I know I've been to Disney at least 15 times, but I haven't been there as a toddler or preschooler in about 25 years. I've actually forgotten about most of the rides that are geared toward small children (like Isaac). This is the first trip I'll have to forgo my favorite adult attractions and head for the kiddie stuff! I'm looking forward to it! I've also begun a new Bible study with my mom's group called The Power of a Woman's Words. Call me what you want, but I truly love Bible studies!

Isaac is getting more molars too. I wasn't expecting that. He's also napped two days in a row now.

Josiah loves to self-feed, as he loves to put everything in his mouth. He's also echoing Isaac a lot, I noticed. It's really cute.

More next week, as we get ready for our vacation!

A Fresh Word

2009-03-22T11:01:00.001-07:00

I've recently blogged about feeling restless. It went a little deeper than that. I'm ashamed to admit now that this restlessness had stretched into the realm of motherhood to the point where I didn't even want to work on letters, numbers, or colors with Isaac. I just trudged along through the basics of taking care of the boys day in and day out: changing diapers, preparing bottles and meals, reading books (though I didn't even want to do that anymore), singing the same songs, naptime, baths, bedtime, etc. I really felt like I was in a rut, that I wasn't cut out for being a stay-at-home mom. I began to reconsider my thoughts on homeschooling thinking, "I'll never survive if I don't send these kids off to school!" I started to feel guilty that I was just doing enough to "get by" as a mom to these boys. I began feeling anxious, and a little depressed, that I would be adding one more to the brood this fall.

So what changed?

I went to church alone today because the boys had a rough night sleeping last night, but it was my turn to work in the nursery. Believe me, as soon as I realized it was my Sunday in the nursery, I got a really bad attitude about the whole thing. I mean, a really bad attitude. But I went. I took a seat in the very back row because, going along with my bad attitude, I had worn simple jeans and a sweatshirt. I figured I wasn't about to get dressed up to work in the nursery. Of course, as soon as I walked in worship had already begun, and it's impossible not to get caught up in that wonderful atmosphere of worship at Covenant. Already my heart began to soften.

Next was prayer and annoucements. We prayed for one of the pastor's grandson in Germany in need of supernatural healing, as Bishop put it. I almost began sobbing immediately. I just can't even hear about another kid who is in the hospital or seriously ill or anything like that ever since having children of my own without getting emotional. My defenses continued to come down.

It was also announced that there would be a workday this Saturday in preparation for a soup kitchen, food pantry, and clothing ministry to be started at the church. When I resigned from my position at West Penn to devote my life to my family, I thought it'd be a good idea to use my skills as a dietitian in some volunteer efforts, should any arise. I thought of food pantries in the area as a place to possibly start. This announcement that my church may soon run a food pantry really piqued (sp?) my interest. Now I was actually getting excited.

Then I made my way to the nursery. There were actually more adults than children in there for some reason today. I spent most of my time talking to a woman named Robin who has a son just a few months younger than Isaac. Just the womanly commradarie (sp?) that was shared in the nursery today helped to transform my attitude in a big way. But I still wasn't there yet.

Cynthia, the lady who runs the nursery, offered to let me go home, as she obviously had plenty of help, and the service was almost over. I gladly accepted! Keith told me before I left that he intended to take the boys to my parents this afternoon so I could take a nap (remember, the boys did not sleep well last night and, therefore, neither did I). Feeling somewhat rejuventated, however, I decided to call him to make sure he didn't want me to come to my parents anyway. He left it up to me, so I decided to stick to my original plan, kind of. I was still going to lay down, but after I spent some time in prayer.

As I mentioned before, I'm keeping a small prayer journal for my kids and my niece and nephew, and I started rereading The Power of a Praying Parent as a sort of a prayer guide. At the end of each chapter in that book, the author gives five scriptures one might use in praying for their child(ren). Two verses completely melted away my bad attitude and even gave me a newfound energy and purpose as a stay-at-home mom. That is the power of God's word! They are...

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Psalm 127:3

Children are not a misery, a curse, or a burden, as I've been feeling they are lately. They are a gift and a reward!

They will not labor in vain,

Or bear children for calamity;

For they are the offspring of those blessed by the Lord,

And their descendants with them.

Isaiah 65:23

I do not labor in vain! I am not bearing these children for trouble or misfortune! We are blessed!

My week so far

2009-03-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

My face is terribly broken out, & I just downed about a 1/3 of a container of rainbow sherbet. Hope it doesn't make me sick. Oh, yeah, I haven't been sick for about a week now. This morning was tougher, but I think it's because I woke up so early.

Monday is laundry day here at my house. It proved to be a very productive day too, as I was able to get all of the laundry done in one day. I didn't have it all folded & put away until last night, but that's beside the point. Isaac loves to "help" with the laundry, which just means he has to come downstairs with me every time I put another load in. He also likes to play with the caps that I use to measure the detergent & fabric softener. I throw them in the wash with every load, so they're perfectly clean when they come out. It's not like I'm letting him play with sticky gooey caps.

Both boys took wonderful naps on Monday, which is a blessing because Isaac has begun to give up his naps I believe. If we're at my mom's I don't even bother trying to lay him down anymore. My new rule is if he isn't alseep in like 45 min., I just get him out of his crib.

I made chicken & biscuits with french style green beans for dinner on Monday. Delicious! Isaac practically cleaned his plate. Oh, I almost forgot, for lunch on Monday I made grilled cheese & tomato soup and Isaac licked his bowl of tomato soup clean! It's no surprise that he ate his sandwich, but I was a bit surprised that he ate every last drop of soup! That's a first.

Monday was bath night and Keith is really great at helping me with baths. Basically he takes one boy and I take the other-yet another comfortable little system that will completely break down when no. 3 comes along! I can't remember what I did after bedtime. I haven't done a whole lot of reading lately. I have been reading a bit about Universal Studios Orlando because we're going there in less than 3 weeks!!! I also began rereading The Power of a Praying Parent, and keeping a prayer journal, not only for my children but standing in the gap for my niece and nephew as well.

Tuesday (yesterday) I went to my moms group-which I love! I stopped at McDonald's on the way home (something I rarely do) to pick up lunch for me & my parents, as I was going straight to their house. I know it sounds weird, & disgusting, but McDonald's little hamburgers were one of a few things I could get down when I was really sick. Feeling a bit more adventurous yesterday, however, I opted for a quarter-pounder without cheese over the little regular hamburger. No fries. Just an unsweetened tea (another pregnancy thing). I got Isaac a hamburger happy meal but, don't you know, that kid just doesn't like McDonald's-Praise God! He had a few fries, and all of his Hi-C orange drink, that's it! He also does not like macaroni & cheese or chicken nuggets. Am I blessed or what?

After lunch my parents pretty much had the boys occupied, so I started going through some old books from when I was growing up. I had always remembered this story my dad read me when I was little about a swan that spun bolts of fabric. Well my parents finally found that book in a box in the attic Monday night! It wasn't a swan, it was a crane, and the name of the book is The Crane Maiden, by some Japanese author. I am happy to report that the book is once again in my possession, along with several others from my childhood! I am still looking for a book called The Olden Days though. I hope we never sold it at a yard sale or anything. My mom saves everything (literally), so I'd be surprised if it wasn't in another old box somewhere.

Anyway, Isaac was playing with my mom in the basement so I laid Josiah down for his nap & then left to go grocery shopping. As I was taking all of the groceries upstairs Keith came home. I had just planned on having leftovers for dinner, so he started heating everything up while I went back to my mom's to get the boys. We had dinner, took a walk outside (the weather has been fabulous), talked to some neighbors, then it was bathtime again. I called last night a bonus bath as I usually only bathe them every other night. But Josiah got his 9 month pictures taken at Penney's this am, so they had to have baths last night.

This morning I woke up at 6 to get showered before the boys woke up, which is why I felt a little crappy I think. My mom watched Isaac again while Josiah got his 9 month pictures taken. The pictures turned out beautifully. I spent more money than I wanted to of course. We got back to my mom's, had lunch, then came home, and it was nap time. Thankfully, again, both boys are napping!

Book #5

2009-03-15T16:08:00.000-07:00

I finished Atonement last night. For the very first time in my life, I'm going to say that the movie was about as good as the book. Don't get me wrong, the book was very good. But the movie pretty much covered it all! The movie did not deviate from the book much at all. For the first time the book was kind of ruined because I'd already seen the movie. The novel was every bit as sad as the movie was too. In fact, when Keith & I walked out of the theater I didn't even know if I could call it a good movie because it was so heart-wrenching & tragic. I don't know if I'll read any more books from this author, Ian McEwan, unless they're highly recommended.

Next I'm going to read 1984 by George Orwell. This is one of Keith's favorites that he's been dying for me to read ever since we got married. I don't know why but I finally have an interest in it-probably because of today's political climate. I may read the Duggar's book at the same time too. I haven't decided yet.

Restless in the 'Burgh

2009-03-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

I was telling Keith last night how terribly restless I am lately. It's probably cabin fever. I feel like I must have a change of scenery. I'm so bored with the same old same old routine, day after day. I just can't describe it. Along with this feeling comes the same itch I get from time to time for a smaller church. I love CCOP. Bishop Garlington is such a gifted leader, and the worship is second to none, but it's such a huge church. I actually told Keith that I'm in the mood to go back to my old Lutheran church I grew up in. I know I could never go back to a non-Spirit-filled church again, but I'm just craving a more close-knit congregation. I go through this from time to time. We have no intention to leave CCOP. Every now & then I just get so sick of the mega-church. I long for a women's Bible study that meets once a week, or a simple pot-luck dinner or something. I'll go to church on Sunday, it'll be wonderful, and I'll be completely over it. As far as the cabin fever goes, I'm just looking forward to our Orlando vacation coming up in a few weeks!

Isaac & I are sitting here watching Sesame Street. I see so many repeats I can't believe it. I mean, they play shows that they just played last week sometimes! Sesame Street has been on since the 70's or something. How could they ever play the same episode twice?

Here's something really cute about Isaac...he says the Lord's Prayer! Well, I begin each phrase and he finishes it. So adorable, it makes me want to cry!

I thought for sure Josiah would be walking by now, but he isn't. I guess crawling satisfies his need for mobility, so he doesn't have any interest in walking right now. He stands on his own really well, & walks along holding onto furniture, but he won't take one step independently toward anyone or anything. One thing he does do already though, that's really bad & dangerous, is climbs the stairs! Who ever heard of a baby that climbs stairs before he can walk! I really gotta keep my eye on that kid!

I should mention that I had my ultrasound yesterday and it looks like I'm 9 weeks along, which was my first guess. Estimated due date is Oct 11! I was surprised ( I don't know why) at how tiny the baby is! I always got 12 week ultrasounds, & I could see arms & legs and everything! Yesterday I could make out the heart for sure, beating very nicely, and the head & rump, & I think there were legs too, but the arms were just little buds! To be honest, it still had some resemblance to a tadpole! It's amazing to think how much it's going to develop in the next 3-4 weeks!

I've made lots of progress in Atonement over the last couple of days. I think I have just over 100 pages left. Then I'll be onto either the Duggar's book Twenty & Counting, or 1984.

Book #4!

2009-03-11T18:20:00.001-07:00

Finally, I can add another book to my list! Keith & I just finished reading The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman. I started reading this with my moms group, and invited Keith to read it with me. We actually started reading it right after we got married, but gave up or got sidetracked, or something. Tonight, we finished it!

That said, we have discovered that my primary love language is quality time, and his is acts of service. Our #2 & #3 is the same though...words of affirmation and physcial touch. Though, my physical touch is completely different from his, if you know what I mean! #4 for me was acts of service. His #4 was quality time. #5 for both of us was receiving gifts. I'd say we have a lot in common!

Still working on Atonement too. I got sidetracked by reading so much about vaccines this past week, but I'm getting back to it tonight.

Kelly is still kicking my tail in this book reading competition too, I might add!

Today

2009-03-10T17:39:00.000-07:00

While I'm on the computer I'd better get a post out there!

Ever since we turned the clocks forward, my boys have been sleeping until 8:30-9am! It's so wonderful! I just hope it lasts! I actually wake up before Josiah. Amazing. Only problem is that it makes getting out the door in the morning harder. My moms group starts at 9:30, but I didn't make it until 10:30. Isaac has been doing great going into the nursery and playing with the other kids at moms group. He's gone through a couple of spells where he cries his eyes out & has to sit on my lap the whole time. I'm glad he's doing better now.

After moms group we came home and ate lunch. Then it was the normal routine...put Isaac on the potty, change Josiah's diaper, unload & reload the dishwasher, handwash the bottles, etc. I laid the boys down for their naps and then my mom came over so I could go grocery shopping. First I hit Oakmont Bakery for some bagels for me & a couple doughnuts for Keith for tomorrow. Next I went to Community Market for the big grocery shopping. Lastly, to Walgreen's because I found on Sunday when the boys had their fevers that I was completely out of Children's Tylenol & Motrin! Plus I had to replace a bottle of Children's Benedryl my mom loaned me when Isaac got a hold of some peanut butter and immediately broke out into hives. Also, we needed an adult, oral thermometer. I swore I had a fever too when the boys did, but had no working thermometer to check. Oral thermometer that is.

Sidenote...Isaac doesn't seem to nap at all anymore. I don't know what to do. He napped Fri & Sat, but hasn't napped Sun, Mon, or today. Most weeks are like this, where he'll only nap a few days. I'm so set in my daily routine, I just don't know what I'll do with him all afternoon when he gives up his naps entirely. Josiah definatey still needs and takes morning & afternoon naps.

After putting the groceries away I started dinner. I made simple veggie burritos. It's really hard for me to make grocery lists, shop, & cook lately because I have absolutely no appetite. Nothing is appealing. If it were up to me, my grocery list would consist of crackers, cereal, juice, ice tea, hot tea, fruit, and popsicles. Yep. That would about do it!

Keith came home. We ate dinner, cleaned up, and went to the mall to walk a couple of laps. Keith is really stressed out with work, as usual, so he thought it would help him to get his mind off of work if we got out. It worked! We just talked and talked as we did two laps around the mall.

When we got home from the mall it was bedtime for the boys. I put away the last baskets of clean, folded laundry in the boys' rooms while Keith put their pj's on. Tonight was my turn to put Josiah to bed & Keith to put Isaac to bed. We've got a good system down for bedtime that I'm sure will be completely shaken up when #3 comes along! Anyway, after laying Josiah down I checked my email, briefly logged onto facebook, read a couple of blogs, and decided to post a new one!

Very soon I will have my bedtime snack and go upstairs to get in bed myself! Good night everyone!

Back Again

2009-03-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

Once again I resume blogging after a long hiatus. I've just been so tired, and mornings are so rough for me right now. I don't feel up to getting off of the couch & out of my pj's until after noon. One morning I actually fell asleep while Isaac watched Sesame Street. I woke up as soon as the show was over and discovered he had fished the lemon out of my water and was sucking on it, and there was water all over the coffee table. Another morning I was just laying on the couch, not sleeping, while both boys were up. I could hear Josiah the whole time so I thought I knew where he was. I got up & started doing something when I turned & looked at Josiah & he had red foam coming out of his mouth! He had gotten hold of Isaac's red crayon, and was eating it. Thank goodness they're non-toxic. But it was all stuck to his teeth so I had to really rub it off pretty hard with a damp cloth. I've never made the mistake of laying on the couch while he is awake again.

I probably shouldn't blog about such things. People may think I'm negligent. I figure this is the real world. This is my life. And that's what I blog about.

I have spent a good bit of time this past week reading about vaccines. I've made up my mind. I believe the benefits outweighs the risks. What was most helpful to me in reaching this conclusion was actually reading all of the product inserts for the vaccines, which one of the nurses at our pediatrician's office was so kind to provide me with. I had recently watched a DVD on vaccines that scared the crap out of me and made me sick at my stomach, so I decided to investigate a further. Simply reading the package inserts for the vaccines put holes in many of the arguments made in the DVD. So I'm very comfortable and confident with my decision.

However, there is a HUGE moral and ethical dilemna for me regarding the Varivax (chicken pox), M-M-R-II (measles, mumps, rubella), and HAVRIX (hep A) vaccines. The dilemna is that these vaccines are made using human embryonic lung cell cultures and human diploid cells from aborted fetuses. The product inserts for these vaccines clearly state this, and I even called the manufacturers (Merck and GlaxoSmithKline) to confirm and make sure I wasn't misinterpreting anything. All it took was one phone call to each. This information was not difficult to obtain, rather, they were very forthcoming with it. Merck even sent a pdf document to my inbox within minutes of hanging up the phone with their response. So, I cannot consent to these particular vaccines. I will call around to see if any doctors' offices offer the single measles and mumps vaccines, not combined. However, I'm afraid there is no ethical alternative to the chicken pox, rubella, or hep A vaccines.

This vaccine thing has been a major stressor on me and it feels so good to finally come to a confident decision and have it lifted off of my shoulders. I mean, I've been so stressed out about this I think I was actually making my morning sickness worse. I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking/worrying about it! I feel so much better now.

What else is going on?

Um, the boys had little fevers yesterday, but their temperatures have been normal so far today.

I finally had my first visit with the midwife last week. It went well. I'm having a first trimester ultrasound to confirm how far along I am because I'm not certain of the date of my last period. I like the midwife that I saw a lot. There is one other in the practice who I've not yet met.

Sounds like Josiah is crying when he's supposed to be napping. He probably lost his pacifier. I'd better go help him.

Crackers, crackers, crackers crackers, toast, toast, toast, toast

2009-02-26T11:25:00.000-08:00

I seem to be less sensitive to smells with this pregnancy. As usual, though, along with the nausea come many food aversions. So each morning consists of crackers, then cereal, green tea w/ jasmine, grape juice, then ricecake, then toast, a little water, & perhaps a little more dry cereal. I really got crazy for lunch today & had some rigatoni w/ marinara and some brown rice.

I put it on my list, but never blogged about completing my third book-Mitch Albom's For One More Day; an easy read that moves along briskly, and a good story too. Now I've begun Atonement by Ian McEwan, which is laden with very wordy, long sentences that I get lost in sometimes. I saw the movie last year & it was so sad that I almost didn't know whether or not to call it a good movie. Of course, when I found out it was a novel, I decided that I had to read it. Also in my qeue (how do you spell that word anyway?) is the Duggar's book Twenty and Counting. They have one of those Jon-&-Kate-Plus-8 kind of shows, only their thing is that they have 18 kids. My mom loaned me the book because she said it has some homeschooling tips in it.

Guess that's it for now.

Announcement

2009-02-24T12:27:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess I can blog about it, since almost everyone knows. I am pregnant again! Yes, this is the 3rd pregnancy in less than 3 years. Yes, this October I will have 3 children under the age of 3. Yes, this was a surprise. Yes, we were planning on having more children, but wanted to wait until Josiah was 2. Guess it's not up to us!

No, I am not certain of my due date, or how far along I am, because I was messed up on birth control pills. No, I have not seen a doctor or midwife yet, & I've never announced a pregnancy without first seeing someone, but because I have some pretty serious morning sickness going on I am confident this little baby is well implanted in there! Finally, no, I will not be finding out the sex of this child. I have always wanted to be surprised, & this may very well be my last pregnancy. (Again, who am I kidding? As if it's really up to me when I get pregnant & how often! It's obviously not!)

So that is that. As I said, I am definately experiencing the morning sickness. I just have to focus on keeping myself hydrated & nibbling constantly to make it through the day. I ought to be a pro at this by now! One thing that is different, however, is there will be no Zofran this time to alleviate the morning sickness. We changed insurance this year going with the low monthly payment, high-deductible plan, thinking we would not be having a baby this year. Therefore, I would have to pay full-price for the Zofran, & it is in the $100's. Maybe $200-$400. I am trying to keep other women in mind who experienced morning sickness but took nothing for it to strengthen me, like my friend Sarah, cousin Kimmie, and my sister of course.

I do not care if it is a boy or girl. I just pray for a healthy child. I am already in boy mode, so another boy would be great. On the other hand, it would be an honor to learn how to raise a little girl as well. We shall see in October.

Switching gears quite drastically, I had a revelation while listening to Third Day's Show Me Your Glory. I absolutely love that song. It brings tears to my eyes. And to think, I never even heard of Third Day until I met Keith. I had very little exposure to Christian music until I met Keith. My parents are wonderful, generous, fun-loving, church-going Christians, but growing up it was kind of like "you go to church on Sundays & forget about it for the rest of the week." And we never went to church as a family. My dad is Catholic, my mom is Lutheran, and that's the way it goes to this day. I was raised Lutheran, so i was baptized as an infant, did the whole first communion and confirmation thing. There was NEVER any Bible reading at home, individual prayer only, & in such a way as to not let anyone else know what you were doing, as if it was an embarassment.

Anyway, back to the song...this past summer when I read about Moses going up to the mountain to meet with God, I realized this story is what the song is based on. I found it bold the way Moses said to God, "Now show me your glory" as though he were giving God a command. Maybe I'm misinterpreting. In any case, it was powerful. This past summer I was also struggling with learning how to handle an 18month old and a newborn-I know, I still haven't learned my lesson-and I told Keith that I want to see God's glory, like it says in the song. Keith went on to say how anyone who has ever seen God's glory like that was never the same again. "Do you know what standard you'd be called to if God revealed his glory to you like that?" he said. He was not trying to discourage me, just keeping it real. I was having such a tough time with my two blessings of children, I just thought, "if only I could see God's glory like Moses did."

All right, I'm rambling. The revelation is this: God's glory has been revealed to me my whole life, only little by little. I'd be willing to bet a lot of Christians' "born-again" experience was not a Paul of Damascus experience, but many little-by-little experiences. However, once you've had an experience like that, you can't go back to who you used to be and the things you used to do. Just like the song says, "When I climb down this mountain & get back to my life, I won't settle for ordinary things." Everytime God shows me a little bit of his glory, I'm brought further along in my walk, or closer to Him in my walk, rather. And I can't go back to the way I was before.

I think there's a devotional book called From Glory to Glory, & I'm pretty sure there's a song of the same or similar title. I think I finally get it. That was today's revelation.

I AM FINISHED!

2009-02-17T18:12:00.000-08:00

I am happy to announce that this afternoon I finished my Environmental Nutrition homestudy course. Hallelujah! I can't even remember what I was going to read next. For One More Day? Atonement? Either way, I have to catch up to Kelly who just finished book #9!

Where Have I Been?

2009-02-17T11:49:00.000-08:00

I don't know where I've been or what I've been doing.

I'm on the last chapter of this Environmental Nutrition homestudy, so that's good. I so want to move on to other books.

Watched the Superbowl with our friends Jess & Phil. Josiah spent the second half of the game sleeping in my arms. Oh, it had been so long since he'd done that! I didn't mind holding him at all! Go Steelers!

Still haven't made any progress on the scrapbooks or my Spanish lessons. The house is dirty again. Haven't lost any weight, nor will I for quite some time, if you know what I mean. If you don't, you will soon. My New Year's resolutions have pretty much gone out the window for the month of February.

Isaac & Josiah are great. Isaac sings so many songs so well now. He counts pretty well too. I just can't get that kid to learn his colors! He picks up on everything else, except colors! It's like, he doesn't care about colors or something. He'd rather do anything than learn colors. Oh well. Josiah walks behind walker toys now. He's into everything: the dog bowls, shaking the lamp, electrical cords, climbing the steps and falling off of them, Isaac's Elmo potty, the bathroom trashcan. He's so hard to keep up with sometimes, but he is so stinkin' cute I can't stand it. I think I'm going to stop laying him down for evening naps now too, because he isn't napping well in the morning anymore. He does about the same at night. I still hear him wake up around 5 or 6, but he usually finds his pacifier and settles himself. This morning he actually slept past 7:30! Woo hoo!

I have a yummy granola recipe to post too! Just don't eat it all in 24 hours like Keith & I did. Then it's not good for you!

4 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup softened butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup peanut butter

You can get creative with this recipe too by adding ground flax seed (I add about 1/2 cup of this), sunflower seeds, raisins, dried fruit, shredded coconut, or chocolate chips (hmm, this sounds good too!). You can use maple syrup instead of honey, or chopped nuts instead of peanut butter.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan. Mix all ingredients together and press down into greased baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool slightly. You can either slice it into bars or crumble it into loose granola for yogurt or something.

Enjoy!

Very Long Time, No Blog

2009-01-26T06:53:00.000-08:00

I'm already in jeopardy of not reaching my two book per month goal. This Environmental Nutrition course is taking longer that I expected. While it is very interesting, it's not exactly the kind of book you can't put down. Ya know? Neither have I had time to make any more progress in the boys' scrapbooks or begin learning Spanish. Much of this is due to having Isaac's birthday party last weekend. On a positive note, the house is rather clean! It's a little ironic that you clean your house before company comes over, only to have to clean it again after they trash it and leave! Oh well.

Isaac is singing songs like it's nobody's business! He's getting really good at Happy Birthday, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and the ABC's! The ABC's he started all on his own without any prompting. It's really cute! He loved his birthday party. I made him an Elmo cake, and got him some baloons: one big Elmo, one big Cookie Monster, and a couple happy birthday baloons with Sesame Street characters. Keith & I bought him glow-in-the-dark stars and planets for his ceiling, a Thomas the Train nightlight, and some little, regular (not sippy), plastic cups for him to start practicing with.

Josiah is doing great. He's becoming quite good sleeper. He went through a bad spell there where he wouldn't nap or sleep at night, but I think that was because he never has less that 3 teeth coming in at one time. He's turned into such a pleasant baby. He still doesn't like drinking bottles but he loves eating food!

I know that was a very short update, but I'm meeting a friend for lunch & trying to get some laundry done before I go! If I remember to later I'll post some pics from Isaac's birthday.

Victory!

2009-01-08T05:40:00.000-08:00

I wasn't getting anywhere with Isaac in Pull-Ups. They're too much like diapers. He felt totally free to just pee in them rather than going to the potty. Yesterday morning I decided to try just wearing regular cotton underpants on him, without pants, so if he had an accident it wouldn't ruin his entire outfit. He did have a couple of accidents, but he saw his puddle on the floor and knew what happened. He said, "Pee pee, uh oh!" I tried this again after his nap, and he kept himself dry all evening! He said, "pee pee" when he had to go and he'd go to the bathroom where his Elmo potty is! I still can't get him to poop on the potty though. Oh well, we'll just take it one step at a time. I hope he continues to keep himself dry in regular underoos now.

Isaac can also count to 10 and he called his blanket red all by himself the other day! I've been working on colors with him for so long! He also knows orange pretty well, because he loves oranges! Oh, and Isaac's latest crazy thing is that he loves lemons! I bought some for me & Keith to put in our water, but as soon as Isaac spots them in our glasses we have to take them out and give them to him to suck on! Guess I'll have to learn how to make some good fresh lemonade for my boy!

Josiah is just growing by leaps and bounds. Before Christmas he began crawling. On New Year's Eve his first top tooth emerged, and now the second top tooth is poking through. On Monday he pulled himself up to standing by himself! He's doing better and better with his sippy cup and feeding himself those little Gerber star-shaped puff thingies. He's also been trying really hard not to wake up at 5am and scream for two hours. Lately he's been making it to more like 6am, but I make him wait until 7am to come out of his crib. My rule is that nobody gets out of their crib before 7am. Lastly, we've really discovered that Josiah, in spite of how active he is, loves to be held and to cuddle. He will sit on our laps as long as we'll hold him. He never tries to get down!

I just finished reading The Diary of Anne Frank yesterday morning. Yesterday afternoon I began my continuing education course on Environmental Nutrition. I had to re-read every paragraph twice. My brain just isn't geared toward that kind of reading anymore. I'll have to re-train it. I also received an email/forward supposedly written by Karl Rove about a friendly competition he and President Bush had going for a few years. The competition was to see how many books they could read in a year. I thought it sounded like a lot of fun, if anyone out there is interested in a little friendly competition! Even if no one is, I'd really like to see how many I can read in a year.

If I may, I love learning new vocabulary from the books that I read. For example, in Pride & Prejudice the word "felicity" is everywhere! I had to look it up in the dictionary! But now I know! My new vocabulary words from Anne Frank's diary were "clandestine" and "pedantic." Clandestine: kept secret or hidden, especially for some illicit purpose; surreptitious; furtive. (This prompts me to look up surreptitious and furtive.) Pedantic: 1) laying unnecessary stress on minor or trivial points of learning, displaying a scholarship lacking in judgement or sense of proportion, 2) narrow-minded teaching insisting on exact adherence to a set or\f arbitrary rules.

One of my readers requested I post recipes to help them stick to their resolution to eat healthier in 2009. My first selection is a hummus recipe I got by watching Rachael Ray. I chose it because 1) it's vegetarian, 2) chick peas are a good source of fiber and protein, and 3) I like hummus! What you have to be careful about in this recipe is that although it calls for olive oil, which is a type of "good fat," olive oil is still an oil! It is a fat, with approximately 120 calories and 14 grams of fat per tablespoon. So don't overdo it!

Chick Pea, Roasted Pepper & Rosemary Spread

2 15oz. cans chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained & rinsed
1 6oz. jar roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 cloves garlic
4 stems fresh rosemary (strip leaves from stems)-I just use some dried rosemary & it turns out just fine
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Dippers, such as sliced flat breads or pita, grape tomatoes and zucchini

Combine chick peas, roasted red pepper, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper in food processor. turn processor on and stream in olive oil until smooth. Remove spread to a serving bowl and surround with pita/flat breads, grape tomatoes and zucchini.

I like to buy those mini whole wheat pita pockets and stuff them with some hummus and salad. Hey, don't knock it until you've tried it!

Enjoy! Stay tuned for a Cream of Butternut Squash soup recipe!

2009 New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-01T12:12:00.000-08:00

I would like to begin by saying the only New Year's resolution I ever kept was back when I was about 18 or 19 years old. I resolved to stop at every stop sign that year, and I did. That's the ONLY resolution I ever kept.

Now, let's get this show on the road!

Complete Isaac and Josiah's 1st year scrapbooks.
Read at least two books per month, ideally one non-fiction and one fiction. Non-fiction topics I'm interested in include vaccines, owning rental property, homeschooling, and generally reading about uplifting/inspiring people. I've begun with The Diary of Anne Frank. I must also begin a continuing education course entitled Environmental Nutrition. My fiction selection for the month will most likely be For One More Day by Mitch Albom.
Learn Spanish.
Lose weight, of course. Had to throw that one in there.
Develop and implement a house cleaning schedule. It's the only way I'll learn to get it done on a consistent basis.
Go through Cleansing Streams at church. I should also join the dance team at church too before I get pregnant again. If I don't do it now, who knows when I will.

That's all I can think of for myself right now.

Maggie's resolution is to stop chasing after other dogs, cats, and bunnies, with special emphasis on not chasing the next door neighbors' cats off of their own back porch. This should be pretty simple for her as she's now kept on a chain at all times when I let her outside.

Isaac's main New Year's resolution is to stop pooping his pants and become fully potty-trained. He also plans to master subjects such as shapes, colors, numbers, letters, drawing, coloring, and singing songs. I can't even begin to imagine what a bigger boy he's going to be at this time next year, when we're welcoming 2010!

Josiah has many resolutions. First and foremost, he resolves to stop doing his scream-for-an-hour-or-two thing at 5am every morning. He also plans to learn walking, drinking from sippy cups, self-feeding finger foods, and words like mommy, daddy, and Maggie. In sum, he will graduate from a baby to a toddler this year. He, too, will be such a bigger boy one year from now!

I don't know about Keith. You'll have to ask him to do a blog and see if he has any resolutions.

Here's to 2009! May it be blessed with peace, health, prosperity, and an ever-growing relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ! My prayer for us all is that He would manifest Himself to us this year as never before, and continue to draw our hearts nearer to His.

Since Christmas

2008-12-31T12:26:00.000-08:00

On Friday, the day after Christmas, our new dishwasher was delivered. Perhaps you remember me mentioning a few weeks ago that our dishwasher broke? It proved to be beyond repair, and with some Christmas money we received we purchased a new one. To expedite things, Keith removed the old dishwasher from underneath the countertop days in advance. To prevent Isaac from playing in the empty, somewhat dirty hole under the counter, with a hole in the floor for the water line through which one could see our lovely unfinished basement, Keith decided to cover it with Elmo wrapping paper. See below.

There was definitely an argument over whether or not we should pay Sears to install it for us. I know that Keith is very handy and capable of doing such things, but it takes up his time. In my opinion, his time, especially when he's off from work and supposed to be enjoying time with me and the boys, is priceless. However, Sears wanted $130 for installation. So much for Keith's time. Naturally, it took longer and was more complicated than expected, requiring not one, but two trips to the hardware store. Finally, though, it was in and ready to go!

My favorite thing about the new dishwasher is how quiet it is. Our old one was so loud (due to the fact that the motor was frying) that you couldn't hear yourself think if you were in the kitchen while it was running. Forget having a conversation, or watching a movie in the family room while it was on. Impossible!

While Keith was installing the dishwasher, my sister Kristin called to let me know my Pittsburgh Zoo membership came in the mail! This was her Christmas gift to us. Right after dinner I went to her house to pick it up, because they were calling for beautiful weather on Saturday. Then, after the boys went to bed Friday night, Keith & I drank herbal tea and watched the movie Amazing Grace. This is a most excellent film about William Wilberforce, the British politician who worked tirelessly for the abolition of the slave trade in Great Britain. It was a wonderful, uplifting, inspiring flick, and only 1 hr. 50 min. long!

Sure enough, it was beautiful on Saturday. The temperature was well into the 60's. We loaded the boys into the truck & headed for the zoo! We had light jackets on the boys, and baseball caps to keep their faces from getting sunburned, but Keith & I were walking around with just sweatshirts on! It was a great day. The only bad thing was that everyone in the tri-state area also decided to go to the zoo that day, and I do not like big crowds, especially not with a big double stroller to push around. We made the most of it, though. Now that we have a membership we can go anytime we want, so the things we didn't get to spend very much time on we'll be able to go back & see again shortly.

After the zoo we went straight to my parents' house because my mom was making beef stew. I don't know what it was about her stew that night, but it sure hit the spot! While the stew was still cooking my parents watched Amazing Grace. After dinner we watched 24: Redemption. It was fantastic! Can't wait for the new season to start in January!

On Sunday Keith was feeling a little under the weather. It was my turn to volunteer in the nursery at church, though, so Isaac and I went together by ourselves. Josiah stayed home to take his morning nap since Keith would be home with him. I don't think we did much else that day. Since Keith was home, he made a delicious pork butt roast for pulled pork burritos (one of my personal favorite dishes!). I sorted laundry, and started a few loads. Same old, same old.

On Monday Keith was back to work, and it was back to life as usual for me with boys. This is going to come out the wrong way, but sometimes it's easier when Keith is at work and it's just me with boys. I guess it's just what I'm used to. It's my routine. He has his routine, I have mine. Mondays are laundry days, and I had plenty to do. I'm proud to say that I got it all done too! It was leftovers for dinner. And this night, after the boys went to bed, we watched Prince Caspian, which was one of my Christmas presents! We both decided it was a great movie, but that we had to go back and read the book again because we could barely remember a thing! Also, we had heard that the Biblical references in this movie were even more pronounced than in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. However, we don't agree. We hardly recognized any glaring Biblical references at all. I also want to add that Disney always has to ruin almost every movie they make by having a romance going on in it. I'm going to assume, since it's already out on DVD, that most readers have seen this movie already. If you haven't, then skip to the next paragraph right now. I found it so irritating that Susan gives Prince Caspian a kiss on the lips good-bye, and they embrace, at the end. I fully admit that I need to re-read the book, but I'm pretty sure that wasn't in it! Correct me if I'm wrong, please.

Tuesday, yesterday, I was very irritable for some reason. I assume it's because I didn't get much sleep after going to bed so late (because we were watching Prince Caspian) and because Josiah did his thing at 5am again. I think I made the most of it though. I actually completed two pages in Isaac's scrapbook! Last night after dinner we headed to the mall to do some walking and to let Isaac play at the PBS Kids play area. For some reason, though, Isaac wasn't feelin' the play area, so we went to Petland instead to check out the animals. This he loved, and we let him walk around until we got in the truck, rather than putting him back in the stroller, so that he could burn up some energy!

This is New Year's Eve! I've got a stuffed turkey roasting as I type. Only have to prepare the green bean casserole and we ready to go. I want to add that I went to the grocery store to pick up "a few things" for tonight and tomorrow, and my bill came to $71.09! What!!!??? I am shocked and discouraged by the cost of groceries anymore. I did have to buy a couple more expensive items, like AAA batteries and Arm & Hammer Pet Odor carpet stuff, but $70! Come on!!! It's discouraging because we're really trying hard to stick to a budget, and have been ever since I stopped working. Oh well, guess I still have a lot to learn about spending less.

Anyway, tonight we're looking forward to having our friends, Jess & Phil, and their 4-year-old daughter, Jenna, over. We plan to have a nice turkey dinner, some sweets and popcorn, and wine of course! Hopefully we'll get a movie in too! Right now we have You Don't Mess With the Zohan with Adam Sandler. Looking forward to it!

Come back tomorrow for my New Year's resolutions! Ha! This oughta be good!

Drudy Family Christmas

2008-12-26T11:22:00.000-08:00

Although Isaac was still less than impressed with all of the presents wrapped up under the tree for him, it was quite an enchanting Christmas nonetheless. This picture was taken Christmas Eve, anxiously awaiting my parents' arrival. "Why so anxious," one might ask? Well, we expected to make homemade popcorn and begin the first of several games of 500 of the evening. Actually, we forgot to make the popcorn and ended up watching the 17 & Counting marathon on TLC until we put the boys to bed around 8 o'clock. Then we played 500 & Pit.

My parents left around 10 o'clock. Keith & I got ourselves all ready for bed, brought the presents downstairs (they were "hidden" in the spare bedroom) and arranged them under the tree, made some herbal tea, curled up under our blankets, and spent the rest of Christmas Eve watching my all-time favorite Christmas movie, It's a Wonderful Life!

Fiberoptics, nativities (even if they were porcelein), Nutcrackers, and snowglobes were a few of Isaac's favorite things this Christmas season.

Isaac quickly figured out how to plug this one in on his own-not the safest thing for a not-quite-two-year-old to know, but what are you going to do? He also enjoyed taking the little train off of its tracks several times a day and then saying, "I'll fix it!"

Even though we filled the stockings as we bought things, it never occurred to Isaac to look in them. The two ridiculously enormous stocking, the teddy bear & the snowman, are Isaac and Josiah's stockings, of course!

See that snowglobe he's reaching for with his right hand? About thirty seconds after this pictures was taken, Isaac went into the bathroom to go potty, and dropped the snowglobe on the tile floor, shattering it into a million pieces. The nutcracker was actually part of a centerpiece that Keith & I won at the Westinghouse Christmas party earlier in December.

My first ever real Christmas tree. Among the reasons why my parents said we shouldn't get a real one were, 1) it will catch fire and burn the house down, and 2) Maggie will pee on it. I'm happy to say neither of those two occurred. It did, however, fall over once. There were only three casualties, one of which was one of my favorite Gone With the Wind ornaments! Keith bought some superglue though and fixed it perfectly! Keith also went out and bought a new, bigger tree stand. While it was completely decorated and everything we transferred it from its old, smaller stand into the new one. Never fell over again! Nor has it caught fire or been peed on by the dog.

We finally went to bed around 12:30am on Christmas Eve. Actually, I guess it was technically Christmas Day already. Josiah stirred a little around 1:30am but easily went back to sleep on his own. Either because we had drunk some wine, ate tons of cookies, or had gone to bed so late, neither of us slept well. The boys woke for the morning around 7:30am. I took videos of us going into their bedrooms and getting them out of their cribs. They had no idea that it was any different from any other day. I recorded Keith carrying them both down the stairs, trying to catch their first reaction to all of the presents (which I now remember that I forgot to take a picture of). Josiah was actually much more impressed with all of the brightly wrapped boxes than Isaac. Isaac didn't get it at all, until we started opening of course!

We began with the stockings. In each of their stockings they got some books, puzzles, needed personal care items, and appropriate treats; teething biscuits and Gerber snacks for Josiah, peppermint patties for Isaac, which are his favorite candy. Next comes the presents. By this time Isaac is just beginning to notice the Elmo & Cars wrapping paper. We opened all of Isaac's gifts first, and then Josiah's. Among Isaac's gifts were a Thomas the Train tent, a Magna-doodle, a dump truck and a fire engine. Josiah got the Fischer Price Laugh & Learn Home, bath toys, a little basketball net with little balls, and one of those Fischer Price toys where you flip a switch or turn a nob and different animals pop up (I don't know the official name of it, sorry!). Naturally, Josiah was all up in Isaac's stuff, and vice versa. Any suggestions for how to help them both distinguish their toys from one another's? Or should we just stop trying now?

Next Keith & I opened our stockings and gifts. We do the same thing with our stockings as we do for the boys, stuffing them with candy, personal care items, and some fun stuff. I got Keith a lot of clothes this year, as he's lost so much weight he basically needs a whole new wardrobe. I also got him a Redwings Christmas ornament, as he always complains that the tree is covered in ornaments I had before I met him and none of the ornaments are his. A couple of other neat things were The Universe Seasons 1 & 2 DVD's (he loves watching those shows on the History Channel), and a gift bag full of various types of malt powder. For a long time he's wanted to make me homemade Belgian waffles, but said we had to have malt powder. After going to Giant Eagle, Community Market, McGinnis Sisters, and calling Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, I had to purchase the malt powder from King Arthur Flour online. One of my favorite gifts was my Steelers hoodie (which, I'm embarassed to say is my first ever Steelers apparel). I also got a couple of books on my list of things to read, Prince Caspian DVD, some Bath & Body Works stuff, and a new outfit fom Aeropostale.

With our family room ransacked by Christmas presents and wrapping paper, we then made Belgian waffles for breakfast. I was amazed that Isaac ate two whole waffles. Josiah had his usual baby oatmeal. (Sorry JoZo, next year you can have a waffle!) I tried my best to clean up/organize the family room before we all headed upstairs to get ready for the day.

Around noon we went to my parents' house. We were the first there, so we opened the boys stockings as soon as we arrived. My mother also stuffs stockings with needed personal items, treats, and some fun little toys. Then Mackenzie and Damian arrived and immediately did their own ransacking of my parents' living room by opening their stockings and gifts. I decided to wait to open Isaac & Josiah's gifts as they didn't even notice they had presents to open. Next it was time for Christmas dinner: ham, scalloped potatoes, broccoli casserole, and coleslaw. There were other things, I just didn't eat them. Oh, and did I mention...tons of cookies!

Josiah soon had to lay down for a much-needed nap, so I took advantage of that time to try & open presents with Isaac. There couldn't be anything Isaac was less interested in than opening presents! As we started showing him things, though, he got into it, again. My mom got him so many neat things. One really cool thing was a big easel with chalk and magnetic letters and numbers. We also opened our gifts from my parents while Josiah was napping. Again, my mom got us so much cool stuff: The Office trivia game, a couple new Gone With the Wind Scarlett O'Hara ornaments, new bedsheets, a digital photo ornament. I think my favorite though were name plaques for Isaac & Josiah, with the meaning of their names. We knew the meaning of their names already, that's why we chose them, but it's so nice to have something to frame and put in their bedrooms.

When Josiah woke up we opened his gifts of course. He, too, got many cool things from my mom. And again, Isaac and Josiah were all into each other's things. I'm taking suggestions on how to alleviate that crisis when Isaac sees Josiah playing with one of his things and frantically exclaims, "Share, brother!" as he's yanking the toy out of Josiah's hands.

After that, we had to load up our truck with all of the gifts (and Maggie) and take them home, because there was no way we could fit everything in the truck with the boys & Maggie in it! After taking everything into the house, we went back to my mom's to get the boys and then headed to my Aunt Dar's house. Seems like it's been years since I went to my Aunt Dar's on Christmas, so it was nice to be there again. One of my younger cousins has a baby girl who is just a little older than Josiah, so it was really fun to watch them look at each other and play around one another.

We finally got home around 9pm, promptly put the boys to bed, again organized the family room, and went to bed ourselves. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Below are some more cute pictures of our Christmas.

Almost Christmas

2008-12-23T17:36:00.000-08:00

Keith has the week off work, and I fear he isn't enjoying it much. He's so restless & just wants to get out of the house everyday. I think he's happier at work, with his mind occupied.

Isaac has had a rough couple of days. I don't know if having his daddy home has thrown him off or what, but we're having to put him in time-out multiple times a day. Have we officially crossed over into terrible-two territory?

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, & I still don't know what our plans are, if we even have any. We invited my family over for games & snacks, and of course It's a Wonderful Life, but no one seemed terribly interested. My sister is planning on baking cookies with her kids, and my mom wants to go to church. My dad is always up for getting together. Our church has a Christmas Eve service, but my mom won't go to it. Plus, after thinking it through, Keith & I decided we wouldn't be able to worship or even pay much attention with the two boys at that time of evening. Maybe next year.

I do know that Christmas afternoon will be spent at my mom's, and in the evening we're planning on going to my Aunt Dar's. I am so excited for Isaac this Christmas. I hope he gets into the whole present-unwrapping thing. I am excited for Josiah too just to have his 1st Christmas. I'm planning on taking lots of pictures & videos for the next two days so we have lots to remember this Christmas with.

Kind of a boring blog this time. Sorry.

What's New

2008-12-19T11:31:00.000-08:00

I've finally mastered the art of grocery shopping on my own with two kids! No more do I have to wait until Keith gets home from work! No longer do I have to rely on my mom to watch one

or more of the boys! Last week I put Isaac in the part of the cart where kids normally sit and I put Josiah, in his carseat, in the big part of the cart and just piled groceries up all around them and underneath. This week I just pulled a second cart along behind me. I'm just so glad to be a little more independent, just a little less reliant on other people.

Isaac had his allergy testing on Tuesday this week. Ever since I first fed him baby oatmeal when he was just 5 months old or so, he always broke out into hives with any kind of oats. Then other times it seemed like he got hives for no reason. He's also had eczema since he was about 6 weeks old, and just very dry skin in general. Then on our way home from Michigan after Thanksgiving we stopped at Panera for breakfast bagels. Isaac took a couple of bites of his sesame bagel and his lips swelled up. This is what led us to the allergist in the first place. It turns out Isaac is allergic to oats, peanuts, eggs, sesame, dustmites, cats, and possibly dogs. The very good news is that his allergies are not life threatening. He just gets itchy! Also, because he has never cared for peanut butter or eggs, they should be fairly easy to avoid. I just have to start paying more attention to ingredient lists for "hidden" eggs. The ironic thing is, because of his eczema, I've used Aveeno bath cream and lotion on his skin all along, and Aveeno has oatmeal in it! So we've switched to Cetaphil for cleansing and Vanicream for moisturizing.

After his doctor appointment, Isaac and I went to my mom's for the day, as she was already watching Josiah anyway for me. The boys napped there and I just hung out. I finished reading Jon & Kate Plus 8's book Multiple Blessings while I was there.

Wednesday was the only day this week we didn't go anywhere. I did my workout during the boys' naps. Actually, i don't think Isaac napped that day, he more or less played in his crib for two hours. Then I made chili and cornbread. My good friend Dana came over for dinner and brought a bottle of vino! We talked until about 8:30pm. Keith was very helpful with the boys so I could visit with my friend.

I wasn't planning on doing much Thursday (yesterday), but my dad, true to form, started telling me all that he wanted to get my mom for Christmas. This is his subtle way of asking me to do his Christmas shopping for him. So, I had to go to my parents again. Fortunately, my mom did let me go shopping while the boys napped at her house. I finished Keith's Christmas shopping and bought the stocking stuffers. I also took care of one thing on my dad's list for my mom. We had dinner plans with some friends, so I had to go back to my parents to get the kids and then head back out to Monroeville. Fortunately, again, my mom offered to watch Josiah so I just had to take Isaac out. We met our friends Jason & Mabry at Mad Mex. Isaac flirted with every girl that walked by. He has his carrot and celery sticks dripping with ranch dressing hanging out of his mouth as he leaned over to say "hey baby" to a little girl on his way to the potty with her mommy. He also said hello to the manager on duty. What a boy. Oh yeah, funny thing about my Isaac...we ordered him a nice kiddy burrito. Kids' meals come with carrot & celery sticks with dressing as well as a nice dessert of a small brownie with vanilla ice cream. What do you think he ate all night? Nothing but the carrots and celery. Wouldn't touch the burrito, brownie, or ice cream. So characteristic of him and his eating habits. I love it.

This morning Isaac had his toddler gym class at 9:30. True to form, I was late getting out the door. Again. Thankfully, my mother does watch Josiah for me during this class as I have to be in the gym with Isaac helping him and supervising him. This gym class is really cool and a really rich learning experience I think. He gets to be out with other kids his age, he has learned to climb a ladder in this class, and there's about 5 min. when the kids sit in a circle and do a quick activity. Of course, Isaac is totally not interested in this part of the class. I have to hold him down to get him to stay in the circle. But it's good for him to start getting exposure to this kind of class environment.

After picking Josiah up at my mom's we came home, had lunch, I did dishes, and then after some playing it was nap time. I have my homemade pasta sauce on the stove, I'm about to go make the meatballs, and I can't wait for Little House on the Prairie to come on in 7 minutes!

Long Time, No Blog

2008-12-09T11:51:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Keith's stepdad, we all came home from Thanksgiving vacation with a wicked outbreak of the cholera plague. It was the first time I ever had to deal with a vomiting child, which was not fun. Isaac had the worst of it & it actually took him a full week to recover. Praise God though, we are all well now!

Because we were all so sick when we came back from Michigan, we did not get around to Christmas decorating until a week ago, and we did not get our Christmas tree until this past Saturday. Therefore, we are quite behind on sending out our Christmas cards. We just did our little photo shoot in front of the tree last night. Isaac was anything but cooperative. We did manage to get a few good ones though. The photocards are expected to arrive between 12/15-12/19. I usually have my tree decorated the day after Thanksgiving and the cards in the mail before December 1. Just wasn't happening this year.

Sidenote-this is the first time I've ever had a real Christmas tree! I love it, but it isn't very fragrant. I thought a pine scent would permeate my house more, but that hasn't happened.

Moving right along, our dishwasher broke, for good. Not sure when we're going to be able to get a new one, so we're doing dishes in the sink. I was really trying to clean my fingernails up for Keith's work Christmas party this Friday too. Now I have dishpan hands. Oh well. Life goes on.

Over the weekend I finally got around to watching a DVD on vaccines that my friend loaned to me. Hearing the information on this DVD made me sick to my stomach that I've blindly allowed Isaac and Josiah to have all of their vaccines without hardly asking a single question. The issue definitely warrants further investigation . I want to encourage all moms out there reading this to learn more for yourselves. Don't just take the pediatrician's word for it. Do your homework and learn both sides of the issue.

On a lighter note, Josiah is sitting up very nicely on his own. He's also trying so hard to get up onto all 4's and crawl. He officially has two teeth. He has worked his way through all of the vegetable purees, except zucchini and yellow squash, has mastered oatmeal, and is going to begin more fruit purees this week. Because he stopped nursing so early (2 1/2 months!), I wanted to find some other special thing I could do for him in place of breastfeeding, as Isaac nursed for 8 solid months. What I decided to do was make his own baby food homemade. It really isn't that hard or time-consuming at all. I just make as many different purees as I can one day a week, pour it into ice cube trays to freeze, then pop the cubes out and store in Ziplock freezer bags. This way I can better control the consistency of his food as well, as he prefers thicker consistencies.

I am vexed about one thing with Josiah. He still doesn't sleep all the way through the night! He's 6 months old and I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. He makes it until usually about 5am, and then will not fall back to sleep without having a bottle. I'm afraid we've gotten into a bad habit by giving him a bottle in the middle of the night like that. The only other thing I know to do is just let him cry it out. I hear that the first night is bad, the second is worse, the third is better, and then they have it. I'm going to check a book out at the library called Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and what it has to say. I really want a full night's sleep again!

Isaac is still a human sponge. He just says more and more words everyday. He is beginning to use please and thank you. He also says words like hungry, food, vitamin, banana, elephant, fork (though it sounds like a bad word, if you know what I mean), coat, hat, and mittens. He's even starting on some phrases like daddy working, josiah sleeping, i'll fix it, and i'll get it. He calls Josiah JoZo. We call Josiah that a lot and that's easier for him to say. He's just so adorable right now. Still loves books & music. He's really good at identifying shapes. We're still working on colors. He's doing very well with potty training too still. I guess the next step though is to actually put him in either a pull-up or underpants and teach him to stay clean and dry. I mean, the kid can't run around naked forever, and it's cold outside. The only thing that worries me about this is that he's never pulled his pants down or up before. I guess he'll just learn. He'll probably learn very quickly at the rate he's going. Right now though, with no bottoms on he can just go to the potty whenever he has to. I hope the added step of pulling his pants down doesn't totally make him angry and give up. We shall see.

This Week & Next

2008-11-21T12:27:00.000-08:00

On October 26 I came down with fever, chills, body aches, and general malaise, which turned into a nasty cold. This then evolved into a terrible cough and chest congestion before I got a little better. Then last week the stuffy/runny nose and chills resumed, followed by an even worse cough and chest congestion. Finally this past Tuesday night I decided to take one of Isaac's breathing treatments leftover from when he had bronchitis a couple months ago. Today, Friday November 21, I can finally say I'm feeling better! Except now Keith is basically going through the same cycle. I assured him last night he'd feel better in 2-3 weeks.

The same week that I began to get sick, Josiah came down with an ear infection. He finished his course of antibiotics but he still has a terribly stuffy nose. It's so bad that sometimes he can barely breathe to take a bottle.

Isaac is the most healthy of us all, with just a little runny nose at times.

Because I was sick for so long I decided not to go anywhere this week. We skipped mom's group and storytime at the library, and I did not arrange any playdates for Isaac. We went to the mall twice: once just to walk (and then we went to my mom's), another to finish Christmas shopping for Keith's family. Other than that, we've been homebound this week.

On a positive note, I am finished with the Grand Rapids family Christmas shopping. That's half of our total Christmas shopping for the year! Yay! Another positive note, when I was at my mom's on Tuesday I read a lot of Jon & Kate Plus 8's book Multiple Blessings. I always read a little more of it every time I'm there. There are two things that will make me cry every time. One is a bride walking down the aisle. The other is a baby being born. Just reading about Jon & Kate's sextuplets being born made me bawl!

It's been a very low-key week. Tomorrow will be spent packing for Grand Rapids. There is a lot to pack! In addition to normal clothing and baby/toddler items, we will be packing Christmas presents, Josiah's humidifier (since he's still very sick), Isaac's breathing machine and Albuterol (just in case), and Isaac's Elmo potty as he's been doing wonderfully with potty training. Oh, and I'm sure I'll have to run to Giant Eagle tomorrow, at least to pick up Josiah's Zantac. However, Keith promised me Belgian waffles for breakfast. Yum! My mouth is watering already!

While we're in Grand Rapids we will be doing lots of visiting, so it really won't be very relaxing. I do always looking forward to seeing Keith's family and friends though. I just pray for God's travelling mercies to and from and that all of our illnesses are healed before we even get there! 'Till next time....

Recent Pics

2008-11-21T12:16:00.000-08:00

A young man in training. Yes, that's Glenn Beck's Fusion magazine he's holding. He's a young conservative in training as well.

"I'm a wabbit slayah

A guitah playah

With a nasty habit

Kill the wabbit!"

Do They Make Zap Collars for Little Boys?

2008-11-14T11:49:00.000-08:00

Isaac does this little thing where he shrieks at the top of his lungs at the highest pitch he can reach and it's like nails running down a chalkboard to me. It's one of my pet peeves I think. I like peace and quiet. I know this is impossible with two little/baby boys, but I always look forward to nap time when the house is very quiet.

So as soon as I laid Isaac down for his nap this afternoon, he starts doing this shrieking and I thought, "Wouldn't it be great if he had one of those zap collars on & I could just shock him every time he does that?" I know, a sick, evil, twisted thought. I think it could come in handy though.

And if there's anyone out there reading this thinking, "What kind of mother would even think of such a thing!" Here's my advice: go have a kid or two. But you can't give them to someone else to raise, like daycare or your mother. You gotta stay home and raise them yourself. Then tell me the zap collar wouldn't be a great idea.

Real Quick

2008-11-13T12:29:00.000-08:00

So today my mom took Isaac shopping at the mall. That means that during Josiah's 2 hour morning nap, I was able to vacuum the carpets, do the dishes, run the dishwasher, clean Maggie's kennel, wash her blanket, and rearrange the family room to make room for the Christmas tree. My question is: what in the world do you do with all of your kids' toys come Christmas time, when they're about to get a bunch of new toys? Isaac still plays with EVERYTHING! And what he doesn't play with, Josiah will be ready to play with soon. I don't know what I'm going to do. I am open to suggestions if anybody has some.

Isaac has been doing very well going on the potty as long as he's naked on the bottom. If he has anything on, even cotton underpants, he feels safe to pee/poop in them. I don't know how we're going to proceed from here. For now, I just have a naked 21 month old running around all day. Again, I'm open to suggestions.

Christmas shopping has commenced! Since we will be in Grand Rapids for Thanksgiving, we plan to exchange gifts with Keith's family then. As usual, I have no idea what to buy for Keith's stepdad, dad, and stepmom. For some reason I find his mom easy/fun to shop for. I have to keep from spending too much on her. Everyone else, I'm clueless on. Again, open to suggestions.

I think I'm going to go bake muffins or something now.

My Breastmilk Theory

2008-11-06T10:56:00.000-08:00

I nursed Isaac for 8 months, and continued to pump breastmilk for him for an additional month after that. So, in all, he received breastmilk for 9 months. At 10 months, Isaac became sick for the very first time. He got his first real fever and cold. I had to suction his nose, run a humidifier, and rub Vicks on his chest for about two weeks.

Josiah, due to his severe reflux and refusal of the breast, nursed for only 2 1/2 months. However, with what I pumped everyday and the supply I had in my freezer, I was able to give him breastmilk until he was 4 months old. Now he is 5 months + 1 week old, and he was just diagnosed yesterday with his first ear infection.

Coincidence? Maybe. Both Isaac and Josiah's firsttime illnesses did occur in Nov/Dec. You might argue that a lot of people get colds/flu or whatever at this time of year. My theory, however, is that about a month after a baby last receives breastmilk, he/she is likely to get sick for the first time. My boys never got sick while they were getting breastmilk, no matter what season it was.

So if there are any breastfeeding moms out there reading this blog, I encourage you to strive for that recommendation to give breastmilk for the first year! Give 'em those antibodies! Even though many of the nutritional benefits of breastmilk diminish after the first 6 months when most babies begin eating more and more solid foods, if it means not having a sick baby, it's well worth it!

Excerpt

2008-10-30T11:07:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Kim Meeder's Hope Rising, a wonderful book of stories about how her horse ranch in Oregon is used as a ministry to broken children/youth as well as a rescue operation for abused horses. The last chapter entitled The Choice spoke directly to me and my life. It is exactly what I needed to hear in order to figure out how to carry on day after day amidst all of the challenges I'm facing right now. I don't know how to properly give credit to someone when I quote them, so just know that this is from Hope Rising by Kim Meeder, pages 249-251. I put it all in italics since it's a quote, and put the phrases that hit me hardest in bold.

"So much of our life seems to just happen. We have all shared moments of throwing our hands in the air in utter dismay of a raucous day's offerings. Yet in reality, most of our life is what we choose for it to be. As violently as external forces push, we are still the master of our own will.

Difficulties, hurdles, hardships, whatever name we know them by, one thing is certain-they visit us all. No life is immune from suffering. As certain as we breathe, we will know pain. It is a shapeless void that shifts into as many faces as humanity itself. It has no sense of justice or timing. Like a wall of fire, pain rises where it chooses, consuming whatever it can. It is a famine that gnaws at the soul.

Mounting like impenetrable black fog, pain envelops everything-light, love, hope. It is a dark chasm of loneliness. It is a precipice of despair. It is a wailing child collapsed in a barren orchard.

The view from within this lifeless place is the same in any direction-it is all ash. It wraps around us like a black desolate ring encircling our impoverished soul. There is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. It becomes the truest definition of being surrounded.

When our hope falls to its knees and takes its last gasp before death, there is an answer. It is simple. It lies free for every soul to choose. When you are surrounded, instead of anxiously looking from side to side, look up. Change your view with a new perspective.

Look up and see what the Maker sees. Instead of a destroyed circle, He sees a vital clearing where the light of truth can penetrate. Instead of a ring of ash, He sees previous snaring distractions burned into usable nutrients. Instead of barrenness, He sees a circle where something enduring can grow, something that is beautiful, something that is permanent.

God doesn't see wild flames on every side lapping at our souls. He sees cleansing fire that consumes the dross of complacency. He sees hearts tempered with strength, purified like gold.

God doesn't see a descening black fog encircling its shrouded victims with the icy grip of despair. He sees a temporary veil that encourages faith to rise out of meandering convenience and be galvanized with power into a force that moves mountains.

God doesn' see a hungry precipice yawning open to swallow us whole. He sees the perfect opportunity for hope to unfurl its wings and soar free over logic that tells us what is and isn't possible....

It is true, the pain that we feel in this life is certain. What is equally certain is how we choose to feel about the pain. It can destroy us-or define us.

Like standing on a mountainous trail, we can choose which way to go. We can choose where we end up. When confronted by pain, we can choose to take the descending trail that most often leads to a dark and lonely place, pitted with mires of helplessness, hopelessnss, despair.

Or we can select the ascending trail and, with some effort and perseverance, we can choose to allow our pain to motivate us toward becoming better people, to move us toward a better place. A place where love transcends selfishness, where faith bulldozes the 'what ifs," and where peace enfolds the heart like a warm blanket...."

I am reminded of a scripture that was shared with me by someone dear during another major trial in my life.

"But he knows the way that I take;

when he has tested me, I will

come forth as gold."

Job 23:10

This is one of those moments for me when I can feel God's presence like I can feel these keys under my fingertips.

That's What Mothers Do

2008-10-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

It's 6am. Without turning on any lights, I put the empty bottle on top of my dresser and crawl back into bed, hoping against hope that last 4oz. will hold Josiah until 8:30. I turn my heating pad on. My upper back has been killing me. The Aleve I took before bed never seemed to kick in. The back massage Keith gave me last night turned out to be useless, though I won't tell him that because it felt good at the time! The heating pad is all I have left to try. Very quickly after lying down, I decide that I'll never get comfortable with this stuffy nose. After blowing my nose about three times I'm much less congested. I crawl back into bed again. Thankfully Josiah fell back to sleep, and so did I!

7:36am. I hear him, rolling around in his crib and cooing from behind the closed door to the nursery. My back still hurts, but I can't ignore the sweet little sounds he's making no matter how badly I want just five more minutes of rest. So much for 8:30. I roll out of bed. Slowly and quietly I go into the nursery to give him his pacifier. It'll never work. He's wide awake and the sun is illuminating his room just enough that there's no way he's going back to sleep. I can dream though. Back to bed I go to lay down on that heating pad again. "God, my back hurts" I say, just talking to God, telling him what's going on with me and my body, as if he doesn't already know.

It's all for naught. Josiah is still cooing up a storm in there. I go back into the nursery to put the pacifier back in his mouth again, and I turn his "fish light" on, which is actually just one of those Fisher Price aquariums that hang from the crib rail. I go back into my bedroom, but not to get back into bed and pretend like I can hold this day off any longer. Rather, turning the heating pad off, I begin to make my bed. Thus starts my day.

After making my bed, next it's time to change Josiah's diaper. Maggie is trotting around the upstairs, which usually means Isaac is up, even when I can't hear him. Dogs are like that. So I set Isaac's "changing table" up on my bed. He's got severe diaper rash, again, so instead of wipes I have to dampen a washcloth to clean him up, which for some reason is easier on his bum. I sneeze a few times so I have to blow my nose a few more times. I am starting to hear Isaac now. I open his door and sure enough, there he is happily sitting up in his crib giving me a big, beautiful smile. "Good morning!" I say, as I stroke his hair and his soft cheeks. Then it's time to open his blinds and get him out of his crib; that is, unless he wants to play the game where I put his siderail down and he puts it back up again, saying "up" over and over.

This morning, however, he was happy to get out of his crib right away because he'd already pooped in his diaper, which, as one might imagine, is extremely uncomfortable when one has open sores on their bum. So I change his diaper, wash my hands, and start heading down the steps. After he fell down the steps and hit his head on the floor really hard yesterday, I make sure that I'm in front of Isaac going down, and that he's holding onto the rail, as he not only goes down the stairs forward now like a big boy, but has to carry his blanket down with him too.

When we get to the bottom, I have to put Josiah in the bouncie seat. I often worry that I leave Josiah alone too often, but I haven't figured out a way to take care of Maggie and Isaac's every need with him in my arms all of the time, and probably never will. This guilt I simply must bear. He won't be a little baby forever. He will crawl someday, sooner rather than later I'm sure.

I let Maggie outside. While I'm putting food in her bowl Isaac gets a Milkbone out for her. Maggie comes back in & I can start Isaac's breakfast and Josiah's bottle. Isaac sees the yogurt on the table where he sits and starts fussing for it. I put one of the new bibs with pockets on it to catch food that I just bought yesterday on him and put him in his booster seat. I may as well have skipped the bib because he still got yogurt all over himself. I get his sippy of milk ready, his vitamin, and split his english muffin to put in the toaster. Normally I only toast half of it, but this morning I figured I'd eat the other half to save time on making my own separate breakfast. As the english muffin is toasting, I make Josiah's bottle. Then it's margarine, grape jam, and I'm finally ready to sit down.

First things first, Josiah gets 2mL Zantac for his reflux. He spits most of it out. Oh well. Then his bottle, which, even though he hasn't eaten for 2 1/2 - 3 hours, he immediately proceeds to push out of his mouth with his tongue. I look up at Isaac who has "finished" his yogurt already, but that just means there isn't any left in the container. Most of it is in a pool on the table and on his new waterproof bib, and the rest is smeared all over his hands, face, sleeves, and sides of his booster seat. Now he figures he'll try a bite of his english muffin.

Josiah has never been easy to feed. Even when I nursed him he would grunt and arch his back, cry and fuss. This morning was no different. So while my back is aching, I'm sitting in a chair without arm rests at the kitchen table, trying to keep Josiah's arms down while keeping the bottle in his mouth, while he's arching his back and grunting because I guess it hurts. All the while, Isaac is sort of pushing his empty plate around the table with his sippy on top. Must've gotten too close to the edge. Both plate and sippy wind up on the floor. This upsets Isaac greatly. Now, while holding Josiah, I must pick the plate up off of the floor, put it on the counter so as to prevent such an incident from repeating itself, and give him his sippy back.

At last, Isaac is happy again, Josiah is drinking his bottle easily now, and my back is still hurting me as I wonder if I'll get to drink my tea before it gets cold. What makes it all worthwhile? I don't know. Maybe it's that I got to praise and reward Isaac like three times just this morning for peeing on the potty! Maybe it's seeing my JoZo's face light up when I get him out of his crib after a nap. Maybe it's all three of us lying on our tummies on the floor reading a book together. Somehow these precious little moments more than make up for how chaotic a mother's day, everyday, can be (as well as her sore back).

What I've Been Doing Lately

2008-10-27T15:10:00.000-07:00

In case you're wondering, I'm no further along in Isaac or Josiah's scrapbooks. Well, I did finally print some pictures. But that's it.

Sidenote, I requested information on having a solar panel installed on our roof a couple of weeks ago. Someone was supposed to call me but never did. Hmmm. I'm going to have to follow up on that.

Josiah was dedicated at church yesterday, so we had all of Keith's family from Michigan at our house all weekend. When my house is packed like that, and the TV is blaring, I think I suffer from sensory overload. I'm more jumpy and anxious. I hate all that noise & disorganization! Ever since having Isaac I like a nice quiet house. No television. I guess that will have to change as my boys get older. There will be fewer and fewer quiet, peaceful moments to enjoy. Anyway, the dedication went smoothly, the food was good, etc.

However, as the afternoon wore on yesterday I grew more and more feverish, achy, and nauseated. I unfortunately had to take a couple of Tylenol and lay down on my bed with all of my guests downstairs because I was afraid I was going to vomit. A couple of hours later I came downstairs and everyone was gone! My friend Jess put away all of the food for me. What an angel. I feel better today, but I do have a cold and body aches. But the fever and nausea are gone.

Right now I'm reading a great book called Hope Rising by Kim Meeder. She and her husband Troy run the Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in Oregon, where they not only rescue abused and neglected horses but also minister to troubled youth. The stories are so heartwarming and inspiring. The reason why I became interested in this author is because I was looking for something to encourage my niece in her faith as she is my goddaughter. She loves horses and is taking horseback riding lessons again. I just pray that this book and the stories contained in it fall on fertile ground so to speak. She is fourteen years old and right smack in the middle of the worst puberty has to offer. She knows it all, I'm an adult and therefore I'm stupid, church is boring, etc.

Well, I gotta go feed my youngest. Hopefully next time I'll have some progress to report on the scrapbooking.

Oh, I almost forgot! Isaac peed on the potty for the first time Sat night! Yeah!!!!

What I'm Working On Next

2008-10-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

With our church we read the Bible, cover to cover, in 90 days. This began July 13 and ended Oct 8 I believe. We had to read 12 pages a day. This was beneficial in that everything stayed fresh in your mind, especially in the Old Testament. I know it wasn't an in depth reading, but I still picked up on A LOT that I missed the first time through, which took me 8 years. So 12 pages a day would take up about 45 minutes each day.

Now that that is over, I've started cleaning my house again like I used to before Josiah was born. Thoroughly! All I have left to do is dust Josiah's room & my room. Then I'm going to devote myself whole heartedly to my pictures and scrapbooking! I only finished Isaac's scrapbook up until he was about 4 or 5 months old. Needless to say I haven't begun Josiah's yet. So I have a lot of digital pics that were never printed. I want to finish Isaac's first year and get Josiah's scrapbook current.

After that, I may pick up my Spanish lessons again. I haven't decided yet.

My Adorable Boys! And Maggie.

2008-10-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share one of the most recent and adorable pics of my boys. Out of the blue Isaac decided to cuddle with Josiah on the floor. Priceless! And you can see Maggie Louise sitting in the background. If you look hard enough, you can see the "bat" symbol on her chest. I tell you, Maggie's a champ with the boys. Isaac's always cuddling all over her, and she just takes it. She's such a good sport.

I've Been Tagged

2008-10-09T11:07:00.000-07:00

I just learned that I've been tagged, and I guess the game is to tell 6 things about myself most people don't know.

1) I've had little career direction in my life. My mom is the one who guided me into dietetics and nutrition. She tried to push me into physical therapy but after shadowing a PT for like a day, I decided I totally hated it. At various times in my life I wanted to be a financial planner, teacher, professional muscian (I played tenor saxophone, but I wasn't that good), doctor, travel agent, and stay-at-home mom (yeah!).

2) I'm on my second marriage. Most people know this, but what no one knows is the reason why I married my first husband in the first place! Here's one reason: I was foolish enough to think that because I grew into a much closer relationship with God as a result of meeting my first husband, that our marriage was meant to be. Summarize no. 2 by saying I've made some pretty dumb mistakes in my life that have cost me a lot.

3) I was raised Lutheran, and I actually enjoyed going to church, but I hated how the hymns sounded like dirges and we repeated the same prayers and responses week after week. It never felt sincere, or heartfelt. It seemed so rehearsed. That's what drew me to Pittsburgh East Full Gospel Church, and eventually Covenant Church of Pittsburgh.

4) My middle name is Marion. That was my grandmother's name. There is a debate, however, as to whether my grandmother's name was Marion Emily, or Emily Marion. So no one is really certain what her first name was.

5) When I was in 8th or 9th grade I was in the preliminary competition for the Junior Miss Dance of Pennsylvania Pageant. It was my first time competing as a soloist, but all of the girls from the dance company I was in always made it into the finals. Not that year! I was the only one who didn't make it as a final contestant, and I cried like a baby! I was at least 13 years old, and I was shattered, embarassed, and utterly demoralized that I was the only one who didn't make it from my dance company.

6) When I was little the other kids, boys and girls alike, on the street would make fun of me because I couldn't spit. My best friend Melissa could spit with the best of them. That's another interesting fact about me. I've only ever had 2 best friends in my life, and they were both named Melissa.

So now, because she's the only other person I know on blogspot that blogs regularly, I'll tag Denise at Bryant Family Blog!

Perhaps I Will Stop at 2 After All

2008-10-09T10:35:00.000-07:00

So, it was about 10:30am. Isaac and I were outside on the deck playing while Josiah was napping. Well, of course, Josiah woke up from his nap early, crying. So I had to get Isaac inside so I could go upstairs and try to settle Josiah. I can usually get him to go back to sleep. Ha ha.

I take Isaac inside and it turns into a full blown tantrum. So I go upstairs anyway to try & settle Josiah, and I bet I could have, but for Isaac's wailing. Every time Isaac would shriek, Josiah would open his eyes again. So I laid Josiah down in the hope that he might fall back to sleep on his own. Hey, I can dream can't I? And I took Isaac back outside.

Within 5-10 minutes Josiah was screaming again. So I brought Isaac inside again only this time I put Sesame Street on TV. The TV is never on so I thought this might be just enough novelty to distract him while I take my time in putting Josiah back to sleep. Well that wasn't working. Isaac wouldn't let me go. So I put him in the playpen for a sort of time-out while I went upstairs with Josiah again.

After 8 minutes I had Josiah back to sleep, but Isaac was fit to be tied. I took him out of the playpen, tried cuddling him, giving him a soft blanket, his water, etc. He wasn't having it. Obviously I wasn't going to take him back outside again if this is the way he was going to react everytime we came back inside. I mean, we would have had to come inside eventually anyway. So I removed our shoes and jackets and continued to try and pacify Isaac.

Do you know what finally settled him down? A banana. He spotted one on the counter, reached for it, and peacefully sat on the chaise lounge in the living room to eat it. (This was the second banana of the day, mind you. He almost always has one for breakfast.)

At last, both boys were settled and at peace with the universe!

Then just as Isaac was finishing the last bite of his banana, Josiah woke up again. On our way to the garbage can to throw the peel away Isaac grabbed another banana off of the counter top. I was not going to allow him to eat 3 bananas in 1 morning, so I took it off of him and put it back in the basket. So of course, Isaac started freaking out again. And there I was, making a bottle, with Josiah screaming upstairs and Isaac screaming right in front of me.

It would be easier to go back to work.

This is why I can't get any help, and I feel so all alone. No one else can handle this. I am alone in this everyday, by choice. Like I said, it would be easier to go back to work and let someone else deal with this. But daycare is too expensive and my parents could never handle it. This is my life.

I know in a couple of years I'll forget days like these and only remember the good ones, the sweet and precious days when Josiah never wakes up early from his naps and stays on schedule all day and Isaac is just so blessedly well-behaved all day long without a single tantrum. Then I'll say to Keith, "Let's have another baby." Here we go again.

I've always wanted 4 children. Two didn't seem like enough. I've always wanted my kids to have lots of siblings to lean on when my husband and I are gone. Three is an odd number. What would it be like going to Kennywood? What about that "middle child" syndrome? Four seemed just right.

After mornings like this though I think, "Maybe I will stop at 2 after all!"

Another Milestone!

2008-10-03T07:58:00.000-07:00

So Josiah is 4 months old, and yesterday he rolled over, back to front, for the first time! He actually did it twice! He's such a big boy! However, for the last two nights he's woke up at 4am and refuses to go back to sleep. This morning I actually gave him a bottle to go back to sleep. This week we cut out his late night feeding, but I think we're going to bring it back again!

Also, yesterday I took the boys to a local gymnasium to check out their infant/toddler tumbling class. It was really cool, and the boys outnumbered the girls, which was something I was worried about. So we're going to sign Isaac up for the winter session beginning in December. He will love it!

I ended up hurting my knee really badly yesterday too. I started running in August, and I've been pushing myself harder & harder week after week to run longer. Last night I ran 27 solid minutes on the treadmill. I felt great! But when I was up with Josiah at 4am this morning, I realized I couldn't bend my knee or put any weight on it (like going up & down stairs, sitting down in & getting up from a chair). I took ibuprofen this morning but it hasn't helped so far. I'm really bummed out because Keith & I were planning on running a 5k next weekend. I don't know what I'm going to do. I really want to do it, but I don't want to do any major damage. I'm really disappointed.

On a positive note though, Isaac is very interested in the potty, and very aware of his bowel & bladder habits. I think he'll be in big kid underwear in no time! I just have to get my act together & figure out how I'm going to potty train him. I'm so overwhelmed as it is!

One of These Days....

2008-10-01T11:55:00.000-07:00

Since Josiah's been born, I've found myself keeping a journal again. So I figured, why not start blogging?

Someday I'll actually find time to blog!

I'll just start by saying that this week we've started Josiah on baby food. We gave him carrots last night and he seemed to really like them! Also, Isaac is experiencing a word explosion right now. He is taking in so much new information right now. He said about 5-10 new words yesterday alone! Some of his words include up, go, off, on, head, love, cookie, mommy, daddy, ga ga, pappy, maggie (which comes out more like gaggie), baby, uh oh, happy, whale, and car. He's identifying shapes, as well as "characters" like Cookie Monster, Mickey, Goofy, and Pluto!

But it sounds like nap time is over already. So I'll have to post more some other time.