Tomorrow

Tomorrow, my Peter will serve for the first time at Mass. Please say a prayer that all goes well. He was a bit nervous about it today. Thanks!

Trying to get back in the swing of things...

It has been crazy busy since we got back from the water park. Thank you all for the prayers for my mother-in-law. She came home from the hospital today. She looks much better, but is still in pain, and has a ways to go in her recuperation.



My in-laws live about an hour away, so there has been a lot of travel back and forth. Can I just say that I am tired? I have taken off of teaching for the rest of the week in hope of trying to catch up on some much needed rest. I had my final ultrasound yesterday, and I promise to post pictures tomorrow.



Sorry I haven't been commenting much-did I mention how tired I am? I have read everything, and as always, I keep you all in my prayers. Hope to get back in the swing of things soon!

What's going on/On my mind...

It has been a busy week! I am very tired tonight, and hope to turn in early. Hopefully this babe will co-operate. I feel like we have been running all week. We have, between our mini-vacation, and my mother-in-law's surgery, been on the go. My mother-in-law is slowly improving. She needed a blood transfusion earlier today, which is pretty typical of her type of surgery. She will come home, most likely, early next week, and Andy will go out to stay with his folks for a couple of days to lend a hand.

He was out there today (it's about an hour one-way), and we all will run out in the morning to see her. Then we will drive back, leaving the hospital by eleven, because I have plans!!! I am going to see A Chorus Line which is in town. I have loved the music since I was a young girl, and have always wanted to see it. Lisa, one of my best friends, had tickets and invited me to go with her. I cannot wait!

Other than that, trying to come up with the routine that will be the rest of summer. I believe that on Wednesdays my sister and I will each take the other's boys for half the day so we can grocery shop on our double coupon days. The boys have had free reign the past week with video games and such, but I informed them that as of Monday video games will be put away during the week. I plan to have them do some reading among other things to keep their skills up during the summer.

Monday I have two fun things on my plate-one last ultrasound in the morning, and book club in the evening. I am not quite done with the book, but plan on finishing over the weekend. I will write about it after we meet.

Lastly, kind of glued to the news these days. The deaths of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson have started it. FF's death, while expected, has been sad for me. I admired her resolution and determination to fight the disease, and she often reminded me of my Dad and his struggle with a similar cancer. May she rest in peace.

I have to say that I have been shocked, but not, over MJ's death. I think I never expected him to live a long life. I prefer to remember him as the icon of the 80s that I grew up with, rather than the troubled man of the last decade and a half. My prayer is that he had time to make peace with God before his death.

Thank you!

My mother-in-law is out of surgery. The doctor said it went well, but we'll know more after she is on her feet tomorrow. Thank you for all of the prayers!

Prayer request

My mother-in-law is having surgery today. She is having a much needed hip resurfacing. She has never had major surgery before, so she was quite nervous this morning. I am back at her house with my boys and my niece and nephew so that Andy and his sister can both be at the hospital today. Please keep my mother-in-law in your prayers!

What I Learned at the Waterpark

More pictures to come, but we just got back and I wanted to share a few with you!

Daddy is so patient with Drew and Michael to go to the wave pool! (Brave too!)

Clare has been a God-send with these boys.

I can't do much of anything water park wise, and we asked my 14 year old niece to come with us.

She has been so helpful!

Peter has this feeling of true joy when he is in the water.

The pool is about all I am allowed to do at this point in my pregnancy.

I have never been in a pool with any of my previous pregnancies.

I actually felt human.

Can I live in some one's pool until this baby comes?

Happy Father's Day!

This picture is from our water park adventure last year (we are headed there again today). It is one of my favorite pictures from the trip. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband, and of course, father for my boys...I guess I should start to say children now as #4 is not a boy. Happy Father's Day to all of the fathers out there, but especially to my dear husband, Andy. I love you!

Rain, Rain Go Away!

The first signs of summer for us-STRAWBERRIES! We have a ton of plants that run along the side of the house an the garage. We have raspberries there too. Andy doesn't spray them with anything, so the boys can just pick them and eat them. It is rare that these make it in the house. Once we get into schedule of swimming outside every day, the boys really raid the plants!

We had some HUGE storms last night. We actually had about 3.25 inches in a couple of hours. Thankfully none of the boys woke up except for Peter because we moved him downstairs from his room (his bed is right next to some windows). We are supposed to have more storms today-I need to run out to the Catholic bookstore before they start. Wish me luck-I will have all 3 boys in tow!

We had an amazing thing happen today, and it is related to the rain. One of my munchkins had lost his Nintendo DS. Andy found it in the grass this morning. The cover has been baked by the sun, and it received over 3 inches of rain. It still works!!! I am so glad because replacing is just not in the budget right now!

Happy to add that as of tonight, Andy is on vacation for a week! I am sure we will have lots of pictures to share!

An Announcement?

I saw this promo on TV today. It is all so very sad. It seems like an annoucement of a split, but I keep praying that they will quit the show and work on their marriage.

Stimulus Plan-Predictions vs. Reality

Comedy of Errors

Yesterday was a "Comedy of Errors" kind of day. I was gone most of the day, with my mother-in-law at her joint replacement class. Let's start with when I arrived at the hospital. I had to drive an hour away. I walked in, and asked where the "Joint class" was. I got a funny look when I said that, and realized that I forgot to say replacement.

The class was fine. I think it alleviated a lot of my mother-in-law's fears over the surgery. Afterward, she and I enjoyed a lovely lunch and then I drove home. My babysitter called while I was driving to let me know that Michael had knocked over a lamp. She is very conscientious and felt really badly that it had happened. No big deal.

The lamp is fine, but the bulb broke. One of those lovely almost government mandated CFL light bulbs. Yes, you know the ones, they have mercury in them. My in-laws had broken one last week, so we knew exactly the clean-up procedure. When I got home, I checked for more shards of glass and patted them up with a wad of duct tape. The lamp went outside until Andy could remove the bulb. I didn't want to attempt it because I feared coming in contact with the mercury-I'm klutzy like that.

After clean-up, I needed to start making my niece's birthday cake. Anne turned 21 yesterday and her parents were out of town. Her sisters were taking her out to dinner, and then coming over for cake. Anne loves fruit, so I decided to make my mom's pound cake and then have it with strawberries and whipped cream-YUM! Well, yum, until I realized that I was out of eggs. It was late in the day, so I called Andy to pick up a cake.

In the meantime, I started making dinner-pasta and meatballs. I had everything ready, and Andy called to say he was coming home. I reminded him about the cake, but I never said the word cake. I said something like, "Don't forget you have to pick up something." He showed up 45 minutes later (I'm thinking-what's taking so long?) with DINNER (and no cake). He forgot about the cake, and when I said pick up something he thought I meant dinner, even though I had told him I made meatballs earlier! So we ate what he bought, and I fridged the pasta and meatballs for tonight (It's OK, I always think that meatballs tasted better the 2nd day).

Andy did go out and pick up the cake. He had them write Ann on it...she spells it with an e on the end. Luckily, I had red icing and the tips to fix it! In the end, Anne was so pleased that we had done this for her, and it was great to see her and 2 of her sisters!

Today, I am planning on just doing laundry...I really hope for a smoother day!

All is well!

I had a great OB appointment this morning. I drank the yucky glucose stuff, and am praying for normal results tomorrow. It was fine when they did the test a month ago, so I am hoping for the same.

I had a great talk with my OB. He has delivered all of the boys, and he said he plans on the same for this one (he even came in on his day off for Michael). He just makes me feel so at ease about everything. I had a ton of questions, especially about breastfeeding-we can be honest here, right? I attempted to nurse with Peter, but he was born a month early. I had pre-eclampsia, and so they induced me. As a result, Peter was little (hovering around 5 pounds). They didn't want him to lose any weight. We supplemented with formula, and a week later, I gave up on my dream of nursing. It was a bad week. Every 2 hours, I would nurse, pump, and give Peter a bottle of formula. My milk never came in. I am guessing that the formula we were instructed to supplement with was the root of this problem.

Because of this experience, I opted to bottle feed both Drew and Michael. I was too scared and on some level, I had convinced myself that I was physically unable to nurse. I have no proof of this, it was just what I told myself.

This time, for a plethora of reasons, I want to give breastfeeding another go. I am nervous about this, but I feel like I need to to it. OK, I am now realizing that this is not where I meant to go with this post, but it is where I landed. Please say a prayer that I have peace with my decision and that it goes well.

Oh, and as an aside, my OB told me that he had a dream about me last week (weird, huh?). He said he dreamt that I was pre-eclamptic again. After Jamie's post about dreams, I was a little weirded out that he had this dream. I have been worried about all of the swelling that I have been having, but my blood pressure was good today. So, we are going to pray that bed rest is not in my future this time. With Peter, it was no big deal because he is my oldest, and so bed rest meant I got a lot of me time. This time, though, I have 3 little boys at home, and I don't know how I'd handle it. OK, another worry to lay in God's hands and let go. Whatever is meant to happen will happen. If it does, maybe that means that all of my bloggy friends would have to come visit-right? ;)

Summertime

I feel like we are still getting into summer mode around here. The boys finished school last Friday, and we have been running ever since.

If I didn't have 3 months to go, I would have sworn I was nesting on Saturday. I did a TON of laundry, including all of the girly baby clothes we have. God is so good-we had packed away all of the pink we had bought the last time I was pregnant when we thought Michael was a girl, and we couldn't find it-until Saturday. Once again, St. Anthony did not let me down! So, for once in about 6 months ALL of the laundry was caught up in a single day!

I also decided that the house needed a good cleaning. Things that have been neglected like pulling out the microwave and cleaning behind it. Not sure what got into me, but wow, I got a lot done. As a result, by Saturday night, my feet were hugely swollen and I was tired. We rented Bolt, and watched it with the boys. I have to say it was really cute, but I fell asleep somewhere in the middle.

Sunday, we ran out to see my in-laws. We did Father's Day early with my father-in-law because of our impending trip to the water park next Sunday. Also, my mother-in-law is having hip replacement on the 25th. There is a lot to be done before her surgery to get her house ready. They have a 2 story house, so we need to set up a bed on the main floor and install a shower head on their tub. I am going out to their house again tomorrow (about an hour away) to go with my mother-in-law to her joint replacement class. I still haven't found a babysitter for tomorrow, so I am not sure what I am doing with the 3 boys-yet.

Sunday was a hugely busy day, and an emotional one too. My mother-in-law needed to fill out her power of attorney and living will paperwork, and that was just hard. We are not intending for anything to go wrong, but wow, it sure brought back memories of my parents when they were ill. No surprise that I was exhausted by the time we got home.

Yesterday, we made the trek out to the crocs outlet to get new crocs for the boys. The outlet used to be a true bargain. Now, not so much. At least crocs seem to last forever with the boys.

Today, I am off to the OB for my usual appointment. I have my second glucose test (a requirement for women with PCOS-please pray that this one comes back normal like the first), and I am hoping he will remove a lovely skin tag that I have developed under my eye. Oh, the joys of pregnancy! I actually meant for him to do it last month, but, well, we got to chatting, and I forgot about it! I am a little nervous about all of the swelling I am having because the last time I was like this was with Peter, and I ended up with preeclampsia and on bed rest. Not sure what I'd do if that happened.

Sorry for the novel, I guess I had a lot to write!

He's a First Grader!

As much as I think that we tend to overdo the number of graduations kids have in their lifetime, my Drew went through his Kindergarten Graduation today!

He is now a FIRST GRADER!

I didn't get many good pictures as they were moving a lot, but I did get a few! Here is Drew in his cap!

Here is Drew with his teacher, Mrs. K.
Drew is my second son to have her, and she has been so good with both boys!

I feel very confident that Drew is ready to move on.
I hope she'll be around for the other 2!

Here I am with Andy in ALL my pregnant glory. Not the most flattering picture, but it is the closest thing you'll get to a belly shot of me!

Kids say the darndest things...

I am really enjoying watching my boys as they continue to discover new things during this pregnancy. Tonight was one of those moments...



We were driving home, and Peter looked over at me, innocently asking, " Umm, Mom? Is your tummy getting bigger?" I said to him, "What do you think?" His response was a very definite not sure. I told him that yes, indeed, Mama's tummy is getting bigger because the baby is getting bigger-and with 14 weeks left, he ain't seen nothing yet! ;)

You scare me...

This is an actual letter written by a former VP of Proctor and Gamble...

AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA

Dear President Obama:
You are the thirteenth President under whom I have lived and unlike any of the others, you truly scare me.
You scare me because after months of exposure, I know nothing about you.
You scare me because I do not know how you paid for your expensive Ivy League education and your upscale lifestyle and housing with no visible signs of support.
You scare me because you did not spend the formative years of youth growing up in America and culturally you are not an American.
You scare me because you have never run a company or met a payroll.
You scare me because you have never had military experience, thus don't understand it at its core.
You scare me because you lack humility and 'class', always blaming others.
You scare me because for over half your life you have aligned yourself with radical extremists who hate America and you refuse to publicly denounce these radicals who wish to see America fail.
You scare me because you are a cheerleader for the 'blame America' crowd and deliver this message abroad.
You scare me because you want to change America to a European style country where the government sector dominates instead of the private sector.
You scare me because you want to replace our health care system with a government controlled one.
You scare me because you prefer 'wind mills' to responsibly capitalizing on our own vast oil, coal and shale reserves.
You scare me because you want to kill the American capitalist goose that lays the golden egg which provides the highest standard of living in the world.
You scare me because you have begun to use 'extortion' tactics against certain banks and corporations.
You scare me because your own political party shrinks from challenging you on your wild and irresponsible spending proposals.
You scare me because you will not openly listen to or even consider opposing points of view from intelligent people.
You scare me because you falsely believe that you are both omnipotent and omniscient. You scare me because the media gives you a free pass on everything you do.
You scare me because you demonize and want to silence the Limbaughs, Hannitys, O'Relllys and Becks who offer opposing, conservative points of view.
You scare me because you prefer controlling over governing.
Finally, you scare me because if you serve a second term I will probably not feel safe in writing a similar letter in 8 years.

Lou Pritchett

Today

This wonderful man of mine is chaperoning Drew's field trip to the zoo.

Drew wanted one of us to go, and, well, this mama is too pregnant to chase

6 year olds all day.

Yet another reason why I love my husband!

On my mind...

So, this post has been floating in my mind all day today. I am trying to get it down, but rest assured that some will sound whiny, some will sound funny, but my head is spinning today, and if it can't spin here, where else will I go?

I took the boys to the orthodontist yesterday. Just a retainer check for Peter, but it was Drew's CONSULTATION. I knew we were in for a lot-Drew has been blessed with the same under bite that I had. It is a full under bite from one side of his mouth to the other. When I was young, I had retainers for 8 years, followed by a year of braces and then a maintenance retainer. My teeth are straight and in the right place. I am thankful my parents did this for me. Now, how times have changed!

The work on Drew will start as soon as his 6 year molars are in (I take him back in 6 months). He will need an expander (yes, the lovely appliance with the key-Peter had the same), and bottom retainer. He will also have to wear head gear at night. She also said that this will just start the process and it will be a combination of work and maintenance that will last until he's probably 18 (when the jaw finally stops shifting). YIKES!

She also commented on the fact that he is a mouth breather and asked if he snored (sure does). This has come up before at the pediatrician because of his allergies. He most likely need his adenoids out. After the ortho brought it up, I decided to give the pediatrician a ring. She is sending him for a neck x-ray to determine if the ENT is the next step. We are going this afternoon once Andy can meet us since I can't go in with him when they take the x-ray. I kind of feel like I have opened a can of worms here...

Also, on my mind? Facebook. I have been enjoying a little game on there called Bejeweled Blitz. It is like the classic Bejeweled, but you play against your friends to get as many points as you can in a minute. Just feeling a little inferior these days. I LOVE this game, but I hate having my friends beat me! I am a fierce competitor, but lately ALL of the games on FB leave me feeling unskilled and, well, dumb. There is a woman on there who beats everyone at every game she tries...Some people have asked her if she is part robot...Honestly, when I play Blitz, I average between 20,000-40,000 points with my highest being 63,000 points in a minute. Seriously, this woman averages about 165,000 points in a minute. I am not sure how she does it.

Scores reset every 7 days. When they reset this week, I thought to myself, "I am going to get on there first. So I can be in first place, even if it is for 30 minutes, I was there." One of my friends beat me to it, scoring 59,000 points. Another friend passed me up and then sent me "smack talk" basically saying that I should give up on trying. Even Aussie Therese ALWAYS beats me! (I don't mind it when she does it though, because she is so nice!)...stupid little rant, but it is irking me!

Finally, just thought I would say that I have 15 weeks left in this pregnancy. I am already feeling big and uncomfortable, and we aren't even in the home stretch! Andy said to me the other day with a grin on his face, "Wow! You are really getting bigger!" I know he meant no harm, and loves seeing me pregnant and truly thinks I am beautiful even when I think I'm not, but I feel like a whale!

Thanks for reading...I feel better now!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

We filled the pool, and the boys wanted to jump right in! It was only about 63 that day, and the water was ice cold, but they didn't care. To my boys, this is the sign that summer is on the way!

Check out this blog!

I would encourage you to check out Catholic Youth. Katy is an inspiring young Catholic woman who is devoting her blog to all things Catholic. I am fortunate enough to know her in real life, as she is a very close friend of one of my nieces. Over the past few months, I have gotten to know her better and am so impressed with the depth of her faith. We also share a love of loom knitting! Please check out her blog, I think that the Catholic youth of today need and deserve our prayers and support!

Sunday Morning Frustration

In my previous post, I wrote about what a crazy busy weekend we had. Yesterday morning, as we got ready for Church, I was hormonal exhausted.

I sent the older boys upstairs to get dressed for Mass. They came down in winter shirts. I know I live in the north, but it isn't cold here anymore. I sent them back upstairs to change into short sleeve shirts.

Drew came to show me what he was wearing, and he was in an appropriate shirt, except it was filthy. I told him once more to go up and change. In the smarty pants tone that is only Drew these days, he asked, "Why do I need to change AGAIN?" I looked at him and said, "because there is CRAP all over that shirt!" In the truly innocent way that a child who has never heard his mother say this word can say, he responded, "Mom, what's crap?" At that point, I told him the shirt was dirty, he needed to change and not to use that word ever again.

For the next few hours, I carried some guilt over the word choice, until I was told by a couple other mothers that I could have said something MUCH worse. I have no idea what kind of words they are talking about! ;)

What a weekend!

We had quite the busy weekend, and I am paying for it this morning! We drove about 2 1/2 hours away on Saturday to see my niece, Meghan, graduate from eighth grade. We are really proud of her and all of her hard work. After a family lunch at Red Robin (YUM!), the boys headed back home in one van, and the girls (my sister and I and four of her daughters) headed to the outlet mall for some retail therapy.

We had a TON of fun, and I bought a couple of things for the baby, including a onesie that said, "Wrapped around Daddy's little finger!" Andy thought that one was really cute, and fairly accurate! We arrived home about dinner time, and wow, was I tired!

Yesterday, we had a party for Meghan, her sister, Monica (who had just graduated from college), and their youngest brother, Tim (his 9th birthday). I'd like to say we took pictures, but Andy was busy playing volleyball with the kids, and I was just too wiped from the day before.

Today, I am slowly playing catch-up. Only 2 weeks of school left. Summer can't come soon enough!