Baby Prep

I am definitely nesting.

I cleaned several closets this weekend (including my own). They might not look especially clean to other people, but I know what they looked like beforehand. Now the door can be opened with ease, and I don't have to play hopscotch to get to my clothes. Tony didn't comment on the change, but I know that deep down he appreciates it (or is at least relieved that I finally did it. :)

Maybe he was too distracted by the fact that I emptied his "moving box-o-stuff" that has been living next to our bed since we moved in? There were some good reasons why that box had never been unpacked. While we can't quite bring ourselves to get rid of every heavy wooden plaque Tony had accumulated in his Navy career, neither of us wants them hung up. Maybe I should have just moved the box to the garage? Of course, it did also contain various useful? uniform odds and ends and some vital household tools...a level...a stud finder.

Tony couldn't have been too irritated about it, because he very willingly went and bought the crib and put it together for me. Yes, I bought a brand new crib for what is likely my very last baby. It's never to late to finally have a nice crib, and it just seemed a lot more fun, safe, and sanitary. And doesn't it look lovely and inviting with the pretty quilt Sarah made me! I think the girls and I are going to make some cute little matching soft toys this week...something to keep busy wilst we wait for the baby.

Things that I love about THIS Pregnancy

Being pregnant can make you a little (or sometimes a lot) whiny, if you let it. So, to try and stem the tide of whininess for a while, I'm going to stop and tally up the things I appreciate about this particular time around.

1. As my lovely sister (you know who you are!) pointed out, my belly isn't sticking straight out this time. Personally, I think this makes for way fewer stretch marks.
2. When I was incapacitated with back pain (never sew on the floor when you're pregnant!), I had some wonderfully helpful children making lunch, bringing me heating pads, and otherwise catering to my needs. Thanks kids!
3. I had a great baby shower - totally low-stress (I hope for everyone else, as well as myself.), with some of my very best friends (also all relatives). Accepting gifts usually feels kind of awkward for me, but it helps when you know everyone loves you and actually wants to be there. Now I just need to buy the crib to put my beautiful new baby quilt in!
4. Some people may want to blame my occasional rants on my pregnancy, but this one has actually had pretty little impact on my emotional state. (I guess I just admitted that I'm always this crazy?) Very good. No one enjoys being a bawling basketcase.
5. We haven't just moved into a new house, AND we have no impending moves for at least a year! For my last four children, we either moved right before or right after they were born. One week after Sofia, 3 weeks before Annika, 3 months after Jonny and 2 weeks before James. Packing or unpacking while you're nine months pregnant or with a small infant...not good. Not productive. You just spend a lot of time feeling overwhelmed by boxes and babies.
We may have a few boxes still lingering around from last year's move, but they just blend into the scenery for me now. :)
6. The scale is currently out of order (so I may have to update this after my next Dr. visit), but, to the best of my knowledge, I haven't hit 160 lbs. yet. And if I do, I'm going to totally blame it on my swollen ankles! (I'm sure they're retaining a couple of pounds each!) It isn't really a weight to be excited about (when you are 5'1"), but I have super low expectations.
7. It has been really fun to share this pregnancy with my kids and see their excitement to welcome a new baby into our home...especially the older kids, who may actually remember this some day. I hope a couple of them are able to be there for the birth - but not Anthony, who (much to my relief) said he would rather wait at home with the little kids. Whew!
8. Tony WILL get to be there! (That is, assuming that this will be a nice, lazy labor, so that he can get home from work in time...because that is almost definitely where he will be when I go into labor.) It's a minor miracle to be present for the births of six children during a Navy career, and he was especially likely to miss this particular one, considering the type of submarine he's on now (fast attack!) We knew the risk when we decided to get pregnant, and we're grateful that it has worked out in our favor.
9. Comic relief for the family. Every time I cough, my belly button pokes out like a turkey timer. They all think it's hilarious.
10. This sweet little girl hasn't done any too painful gymnastic moves while in utero. (The painful coughing was totally not her fault.) I hope I haven't spoken too soon (at least 3 weeks left), but it's nice to feel and watch the first movements of your child without having to wince.

So, now all that's left is the actual childbirth experience. I'm hoping for a Sofia experience, where, as they placed her in my arms for the first time, I said, "That wasn't so bad. I could totally do that again some day!" instead of an Anthony experience, when I told Tony that I was never, ever going to go through that again. He seconded the motion, so it's amazing that we have more than one child. I told my midwife that the next time I wanted to have a baby, I was going to get another cat. I'm sure she thought I was horrible. Thank you, Sarah, for showing me how it was supposed to be done, so that I could muster the courage to try again!

Too Tired for Twilight

Our party girl Rachel hosted a lovely Twilight event, in honor of the DVD release. Their gigantic TV made for the perfect "movie theater" setting, especially once we figured out how to use the remote! Lilly had toddled over and pressed fast forward, and none of us were PS3 savy enough to get it to stop. Rachel called her hubby for tech support, Sarah nursed Lilly to sleep, and we were back on track!
Sadly, I think we were all too tired to really enjoy the movie (shouldn't have taken that Tylenol with codine beforehand!) Becky and Rachel slept through more than half of the show; while I was having "extra long blinks" and thinking "why won't this movie end, so I can go to sleep". In retrospect, I know what was missing...caffeine. Next time, I'll bring the cherry coke! :)

Motivation

I'm never sure what will motivate my children. One of the main problems being that there are five different little children, who respond to different incentives. You just can't please everyone! (It would be WAY too much work.) Grandma's house appears to be pretty high on the motivational scale for everyone.

The kids were all a little bummed that we were only going to spend Friday and Saturday visiting Grandma and Grandpa (plus, the Kangs are there too - big bonus!) Even worse, we weren't going to leave on Friday until school was finished. Aren't they lucky to be home schooled? I pointed out that they could finish their school work as quickly or as slowly as they wanted, and it was like I had fired off the starting gun. Jonny read me Friday's reading lesson, Sofia brought up the history book for a "bed time story", and Anthony fell asleep with his math books in bed next to him.

When I woke up this morning, everyone had finished their lessons, dressed, and packed for the weekend (sometimes unsupervised packing can lead to weird outfits, but I decided to just roll the dice). We were out the door by 9:30am, which has to be some kind of record for us. Too bad we can't go to Grandma's every day! Think of all the free time we'd have on our hands!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day is a big holiday for Irish dancers.


They're suddenly in demand. It was a wonderful opportunity for the girls to perform. They've only been learning Irish dance since September, so they only got to participate in two of the dances. Still, it's fun to see how much they've learned, and what they'll be learning in the future.

We began St. Patrick's day with a performance at a local elementary school. (That school went all out - they had a bag piper at the entrance and everything!) By the time that was over, we were rushing to a Senior Center in Bremerton, where the dancers were part of the entertainment for a St. Patrick's Day luncheon. It turns out, we could have taken our time a bit, because they must have had us double booked. It was nearly an hour later that they got their turn to perform.

We got home around 2:30 (while the non-beginners did a performance at a Bremerton High School), and I elevated my huge ankles (they aren't used to being out all day!) The kids were happy to chill out for a bit. At 5pm, it was time to leave for the last performance at a retirement home in Silverdale. James slept throught the whole thing! Hoorah! We were home by 8pm, so we still beat Tony back to the house! :)

The funniest thing of the day, was watching Anthony work so hard to prove that he didn't want to watch Irish dancing. He was very determined to read or hide his face in his jacket, rather than have to look at pretty High School girls jigging. It was almost as funny as the Nutcracker, but he didn't blush as much!

Ok. Here are some things I like about Irish Dancing:
1. The music is very fun and catchy.
2. The costumes are extremely modest for dance clothing. A short skirt with tights isn't too bad compared to some jazz costumes I've seen.
3. It's super good exercise!
4. Funky shoes. Their hard shoes (that we haven't got to yet) look like something Mary Poppins would wear, but with fiberglass tips for extra noise.
5. Most of the dances have been being done since the 1800s.
6. None of the moves make the girls look like strippers-in-training. (That was Tony's comment at a mixed recital they did in December. We felt like super-good parents that our kids weren't involved with some of the other dance groups!)

So, I hope everyone had a lovely St. Patrick's Day, wore green, ate some corned beef and cabbage, and whatever other fun things you do to celebrate!

Warning: this is a very complainy, possibly offensive post (if you do what I'm complaining about)

Ok. I have to do a little bit of complaining. This is one of the most annoying things I can think of. No. It isn't people sticking out their tongues with unswallowed food in their mouths. (That's actually a photo of the face I feel like making when people bug me. Jonny just provided a convenient photo of it.) First...a little background.
Today, I let the Kirby Salesmen into my home. They were forewarned that I already have a somewhat older kirby and that the violin teacher was coming (to stay for our 2 hours of lessons). In other words, I definitely did not promise them my undivided attention. It's a good thing too, because any more interaction with them would have led me to say something pretty rude.
I have a very low tolerance for people asking me questions like, "You wouldn't want to sleep in a bed full of dust mites, would you?" if they actually expect an answer. That's what we college grads like to call a rhetorical question...one used for emphasis, without the expectation of a response. Then the salesman just stares at me, waiting for an answer. Irritating.
Sometimes, if you've asked someone a super easy, obvious question and they just stare at you...waiting, it isn't because they're an idiot. It's because they think you're one.
This annoys me as much in Relief Society as it does from ignorant salesmen. If you ask a question like, "Who wants to have an eternal family?" please don't wait for a show of hands. The answer is pretty obvious...we all do. That is what makes this a rhetorical question! Don't stand there, staring and waiting. We know the answer. It's just so obvious, that is seems stupid to even say it. If you want to ask a question (to someone over the age of five), make it a thought-provoking one OR one whose answer might not be readily apparent to everyone in the room.
Don't be annoying.

Finally...someone who will let me choose their clothes...for a while!

One thing that surprised me about kids was how soon they stop letting you dress them. I think I was allowed to choose their clothes until most of them were four or five - I was thinking that would be my privilege until they were at least ten (when people would stop assuming that I dress them)! No such luck.

Around four, Sofia decided that she only wanted to wear knits and t-shirts for the rest of her life - and nothing that matched her little sister!
Annika's styles are a little more random, but still easier to accommodate. (I think she mostly dresses to regulate her body temperature, with a slight preference for pink.)

With only a month left, I'm organizing all of the lovely baby clothes that my little sister has donated to the cause, plus a few I've picked up throughout the pregnancy.
I'm so excited to be able to put the little girl in whatever I want! This time I know to enjoy it while it lasts! These are some of my favorites...

Some of my Cuties

Just the boring stuff that my life is comprised of

I finally went back to the doctor yesterday. After the glucose testing and flu shots and all that jazz, I was kind of avoiding it. I am surprisingly glad that I went, because he gave me all kinds of fun drugs to ease the discomfort of a constant cough. Seriously, lots of drugs. I have Mucinex, Tylonal with Codine, some other cough suppressant pill whose name I can't recall, and a bunch of saline spray. He said, "Just because you're pregnant, doesn't mean you have to suffer and be uncomfortable." Then we both kind of laughed, because it pretty much does mean that.

I spent hours cleaning my bed/sewing room today, and it's STILL not quite there. Getting closer. Way more sanitary. As a reward for all of my hard work, I took all of the kids to the post office, where: I filled out the wrong customs form, Jonathan cried angrily because he didn't want to sit by the other kids, James screamed because he wanted to play with the forbidden dolly, Anthony wheeled James around on the dolly in spite of my instructions, and Annika kept trying to give me a vinca blossom she had picked on the way in (very sweet...just poor timing). It was so much fun! At least I got to put a big check on my mental list of things to do.

Target and Costco went WAY better, since James slept in the cart the entire time. Have they considered having carts at the post office?

And, since Tony has been making it home in time for dinner occasionally, I thought I had better cook something. I made some yummy biscuits from scratch (generally, I'm way lazier than that), sausage, country gravy (also from scratch, but only because I didn't happen to have one of those little packets), and lots of strawberries from Costco. Tony got home around 8, so we all had a late dinner together. Totally worth the wait. He always sounds so unhappy when he calls me from work, but it just seems to dissolve when he walks through the door. If he has to hate a part of his life, I'm just glad it isn't the part I'm in!

10 things I love about him

I think I actually did this post already for our anniversary, but I'm going to take Sarah's challenge and do it again. It'll be interesting for me to go back and see if there's much cross-over between last November and now.

10 things I love about Tony

1. He's funny. Whether I see the jokes coming or not, I always enjoy them. The only thing funnier is when he tells the kids a really corny joke (designed with a child's tastes in mind) and they totally stare at him with a "you aren't very funny" look on their face! He takes it in stride and is not deterred.

2. He is so smart...and in a very practical way. He once told me that he wasn't ever great at any one subject in school - he was just pretty good at all of them. (More like he was great at all of them, because he ended up his HS Valedictorian.) Anyhow, it's nice to be with someone who is intelligent in a well-rounded way. There isn't anything that I feel I can't discuss with him because he wouldn't understand it. You would think he'd feel differently about me, but he seems to think nuclear power is well within my grasp. (I guess he hasn't noticed the eyes glazing over.)

3. He's very analytical about life, relationships,...everything. This is a nice balance for a more instinctual, impulsive person.

4. When he's about to tease me or do something else naughty/mischievous, he can't help making a really charming half-smile that shows off his dimple. It pretty much makes me forgive him in advance for whatever he's about to do.

5. So far, he's let me have as many babies as I've wanted. He's never doubted my ability to handle it (even when he maybe should have) and he has never acted like it was a burden (even though they were pretty much all my idea).

6. He's sympathetic to my whinings. He does chuckle a little when I say how tired I am, since he gets maybe half the amount of sleep that I do, but even that doesn't stop him from at least feigning sympathy. He lets me act like my swollen ankles and ungainly body were a total surprise and not the result of my own plans and actions.

7. He'll do anything to make me happy. Case in point - he has not quit his current job. (Although we have big plans in the works that we hope will result in a big pay cut and a happier husband! No, we aren't going to become goat farmers on an uninhabited island in the San Juans.)

8. Tony is just the right size for me. He makes me feel small like a woman but not small like a child.

9. Tony is so easy to be married to. He doesn't ever criticize or try to change me. He doesn't complain when the house is messy or I make lame things for dinner. He's just totally supportive and appreciative. I think his absence has been the only challenge in our marriage. Maybe if he were more of a jerk I wouldn't miss him so dang much when he's gone!

10. Well, sorry, this last one is private and none of your business!

Mandatory Fun

Tony and I went to the Doliphin Scholarship fundraising auction last night. Tony and I like auctions and giving to charity, but Tony doesn't like being told that he has to do things. That put a little bit of a damper on this required social event - for him. To me, a date is a date. I'll take whatever I can get! Besides which, if work wanted him to go, they had to make sure he was not at work (so, for once they're on my side).
The only negative for me was the "team attire" chosen by the boat, to go along with the Sports Theme of the evening. Some women can wear men's t-shirts with impunity. Broad shoulders and thin build can get away with that. I can't look decent in a man's t-shirt when I'm NOT eight months pregnant, so when Tony brought home my XL t-shirt the evening before the auction, I was pretty horrified. I wouldn't wear it to bed, much less out in public.
I spent a couple of hours Saturday morning rebuilding my XL manly t-shirt into a medium-sized (maybe large...I am getting pretty big) maternity shirt. When I was looking for advice on the internet, I found 3 cool-looking books about rebuilding t-shirts. Now I have them all on hold at the library! Tony wouldn't let me do any rutching on the sleeves, but now that the auction is over, I might. The dang thing cost $27, and since I'll probably never wear it again, I might as well get my money's worth by experimenting on it!
We didn't bid on the B&B Twilight package, including dinner at Bella Italia, but we did buy one thing at the auction - a month of art lessons for Sofia. And, speaking of Sofia, she really wants someone to comment on her blog! Please. It would make her day and save us from the sad whining.

Wheew!

I can finally breath again! A couple weeks ago I officially outgrew my maternity pants...well, at least the ones I feel I can wear in public (my yoga pants and gauchos still fit great!) I just couldn't bring myself to buy a new pair of pants that I knew I'd only be wearing for 4-6 weeks. And then I'd have the baby and need new pants again!
Yesterday, it became obvious to me that the "just wait a few weeks" plan was not going to work. A few weeks is a long time to not be able to breath and have a permanent wedgie because of your tiny pants! I found a compromise that I could live with - Goodwill.
Luckily, my thrifting Karma was good. I found 2 pairs of pants that I really like and fit! An added bonus: in spite of my huge size, I'm still only a medium (in maternity)! Hooray!
I also found two very cute dresses for the girls - tags still attatched. I bought the same dresses at Old Navy three years ago (for a bit more $) and wanted to cry when the girls outgrew them. Now we get to enjoy them all over again!

Revolutionary!

Ok. So, it isn't really a revolutionary idea, but the change is so drastic, I had to give it credit. Ever since the onset of winter, a plague of coats, jackets, and sweaters has decended upon us.

They've been on the floor of every room in the house. And, to be fair, it isn't entirely the kids' faults. Only two of the hooligans are even tall enough to hang up their coats in the closet without help.

We finally found a solution, (Yes, it has taken my pregnancy-impaired brain all winter to figure out a place to hang some coat hooks!) and Tony jumped right on board and did the manly labor part of it for me.

While it may not be impressive to anyone else, I get a little warm-fuzzy feeling every time I look in the laundry room and see the row of jackets and every time I get to yell up the stairs, "Annika! Jonny! come hang up your coats!"