Two More Days...

If I knew how to make one of those neat 'vote' things on the sidebar I would to have everyone guess/bet Sonic drinks on what baby is but since I don't know how to do that why don't you just leave a comment about what you think it is. That will work with bets because I'll have a record for you! I can sense the boredom from your end...

Here are my pregnancy clues for those of you who have missed them or weren't bored enough to speculate before now. 

* Nauseated from weeks 7-14. With my girl it was weeks 4-12, my boy 8-11.

* Not as tired as with either of my other kids, but that might be resulting from my 9 o'clock bedtime. Or 8 on a really good day.

* Break outs at the beginning that have gradually gotten better. Didn't have this with Charlie but did with Ty.

* Cravings included smoothies, fruit, cheeseburgers, cupcakes, pizza, and Ceasar salads. I might as well be a 14 year-old boy. 

* Aversions: barbecue, eggs, ground beef, and anything I had spent a long time cooking. Quick meals never made me feel sick-go figure.

* I have felt completely different this time so I have no idea or feeling about what sex the baby is. My mother was more sick with the girls than the boy. I've been in between. Definately more sick than I was with Ty but not as sick as with Charlie. Not as hormonal as I was with Charlie--have to told the road rage stories here yet? but not as happy-go-lucky as I was with Ty.

There you go. What do YOU think we're having? 

Happy Hearts Day

In my opinion, right after Christmas it's time to decorate for Valentine's Day. You could say it's just how I roll. This morning we have a play date and I'm hoping with that distraction the kids won't notice that Sean is on a trip for the first time in over a week. HOPING being the key word. Ty already said "Daddy" about 34 times. 

And Then The Cleaners Lost My Coat

Woke up this morning to a house full of my little family members...remembered my original nuclear family was gone and then glanced around at the deterioration of Christmas boxes. If you needed me between the hours of midnight and 4 a.m. I would have been shuttling meds, bottles, and negative thoughts between bed and Charlie's room. Little bean was not having the sleep last night, and while I immediately thought it was an illness of some kind, (always,) she seems totally fine today. Hmmm...at one point I was half asleep in the rocking chair holding her and she jerked her head back--I braced myself for vomit--and she smiled at me and laughed. That was the last time she saw me. I knew then that she had likely figured out how loud she had to get to make me come to her room to play. Sean got them up and took care of them until I rolled out of bed mumbling, "I'll take whatever Ty dishes out today but I need a break from HER."

Yesterday after an outing Sean told me that when he went to the dry cleaners to pick up my coat they didn't have it. Like they didn't know where it was or if in fact they had ever had it. See, the dry cleaners I USED TO GO TO before yesterday doesn't give you a receipt when you drop things off. Yeah that's good business. Pretty much what it would be like if I owned a business. You would never know what you were gonna get...or not get in this case. In between visits to Charlie's room I planned my speech and decided to go down there today. When I walked in and asked to pick up my coat they said it was not there and I got through a little bit of my speech, brilliant after much mulling over during the night I'm sure, the manager sent three people to the back to look for it. Long boring story short it showed up. They had it under the wrong name, which has happened maybe 4 times since I started going there. Long boring story longer I told them there was no need to correct my name in the system. DELETE would do just fine.

We had a great relaxing Christmas. I love that my family is flexible and will join the "sleep is king" case for my kids. Gonna write thank you notes later today and man is Ty loving his new toys. There is a stack of thank-you's...

Ty is now up. Charlie is now going down again. After the 80 degree weather we've had the last few days a nice cold front moved in earlier and it's time to go enjoy it. 

Merry Christmas!

Just thought I'd wish you a Merry Christmas and remind myself how far we've come in a year. Oh how God has blessed us this year! We are cozy in my house and Aunt Emmy got up with master Ty since he woke up early this morning...Nattie, Popeye, and Sean are all still sleeping and Charlie just blessed us with herself and her morning hair. Gonna be a great day. Merry Merry Christmas to all! 

Wanna Hear a Secret?

I'm sure you do. Don't we all? It's not as exciting as you might be thinking but if you're reading this you probably don't have much else to do right now. I've been thinking about my appt. in a little over a week where we will learn about baby. Of course we are grateful for its little life thus far but we hope that God will bring it to us in about four more months and that it can grow and learn under our care. There have been so many stories in people's lives around me and through this computer world whose babies have struggled and we've committed to fight fear with Truth and try to avoid worrying until we go to the appt. Ready for the secret?

That's harder for me right now than it's ever been in my life. I've kept it to myself for some time until recently I told Sean about it. Why didn't I mention it before? I don't want to seem fearful. I know what that sounds like..."Mary, you live with the man. He knows you're fearful. Shoot, I don't live with you and I know THAT." Yes but about spiritual things I've tried to act, well...spiritual. Shame on me for letting satan get some good control over me without letting another person in on it so they can pray against what he's been doing. I've worried about this baby's life for months now. I never feared for my other two kids. I never believed that something would happen to take them from us (until after they were born, let's be honest!) I never considered that God might use us to raise a child with needs that might seem defeating or overwhelming. And now, walking into this time in a few days where we will see its body for the first time since it was a teddy graham (what my sonographer calls them in the early days,) I am asking God to remind me of the many promises He has already given me. Living in His presence means that no matter what is learned in our daily lives and circumstances we know we are not alone and that He is in complete control. If I am living in His shadow then nothing will be impossible for me. Nothing will crush me beyond what He can put back together. Nothing will surprise Him so even when things surprise me, there are mighty big steps already taken ahead of me. I'm going to try to remember this every day. What a difference believing this would make in the way I react to my kids and my family! What a blessing it would be to them if I consciously try to avoid being negative and afraid! 

The appt. is Jan. 2nd. Sean will be here so he will go with me. That reminds me to ask someone to watch my kids--hadn't remembered to do that yet :) We are curious and excited to find out if it's a boy or girl. We are excited to see what it looks like, if it resembles one of the other kids...if Patsy will show us a 3D/4D picture like she usually does even though we don't pay for the extra package...excited to report to my doctor that my blood sugar isn't high yet and they thought it would be by now, the list goes on. 

Today, this is my prayer.

Lord, I have once again forgotten to apply what I know to what I'm feeling. I have been taught how to fight fear and worry and yet have let both make my decisions lately. Since You have consistently been true to who You are, I know that I am safe, my children are Yours, my marriage and my family--we are all in Your care. What in the world am I fearing? That You will turn away? That You will make a mistake? That You are stepping down from the throne to take a sick day? Forgive me for being so small and trying to act so big. Thank You for training Sean in so many ways to lovingly and gently teach me when I am struggling. Thank You for the people in my life who have been given hard news and live lives far more in tune with You than I am in my life. Thank You for answering their prayers to help them, sustain them, and bless them in their situations. If ever there was a time to praise You, it is now. Amen.

Not What It Looks Like

I know it appears that I got hungry enough to polish off the mac n cheese that was in this tupperware bowl. Y'all know how I love talking about food and I love eating it even more. This time, it wasn't me.
It was not Ty, Charlie, or Sean either. You know who that leaves. 

I've threatened lately that I'm going to send Max in a cab to live with someone else...he doesn't even warrant a car ride sometimes. I'm working on my anger issues. ALL of them are triggered by the beast himself. Wanna know the only funny part of this? If you think this in itself was funny don't tell me when you see me--anyway the funny part is that the dog managed to get his paws onto the counter and eat 1/2 the box of prepared macaroni without knocking the bowl off the counter. He had to have worked hard to balance his big self up there long enough to polish off Ty's lunch. 

Picture Tag...

And I'm it. Thanks Emily!  I think this is right--You go to your computer, pick the 4th picture folder you have then pick the 4th picture and without editing/picking a cuter one, you post it and explain what was happening in the picture.

Seriously, could I have PICKED a cuter one if I had tried? I love this picture for tons of reasons. First, it is in front of my parents' house. The house where I grew up and still frequent when Sean is on trips, especially when there's a sick baby involved. This computer is a little over a year old so this picture is from the month or so after Charlie was born. We were at Nattie and Popeye's A LOT during those early weeks. Mom is a baby whisperer and Dad is just a Ty whisperer--he plays the violin for Ty and it sends Ty into this magical happy place that he inevitably comes right out of once we bring him back home. I'm kidding. Kind of.

Ty was 15 months old, and since he didn't walk until 13 months, he couldn't make it everywhere yet without a little help from a stroller...or if you don't have a stroller because in your newborn fog you forgot yours...a wheelbarrow. Works just as well and you can throw their favorite toys in there with them so they don't get bored. Can't you picture me walking around the snazzy malls around here pushing my kids in this? I'd probably make it onto a few blogs. If it had a cup holder I'd really consider it.

And so, part of the fun is getting to tag a few people myself. Giddy up.

Crissy

Brooke

Mama Em (aka Emily) or is it the other way around?

Stephanie

Super Kakie

Casey

Heather

Jamie

Were there only supposed to be 4? Oops. I never play by the rules.

Lord Have Mercy Mary Wants Those Blue Jeans On

I want these. I'm pretty sure my legs would look like hers in them so I'm gonna continue to watch them go down in price. The chances of them making it into my maternity wear price range are slim but I've never been one to give up on a sale item. I'm trying not to spend much $$ on maternity clothes since this will be the last time I'll wear them. Have I mentioned that my OB offered to tie my tubes during my first preg. visit this time? Like I didn't ask him or say anything about it and he pretty much wrote it into my file. Before you judge him, he actually has a reason for this.

Well, two reasons. The more trivial one is that I'm a high-maintenance patient. A frequent flier if you will. My file is the second thickest one of his patients and he's told me the other lady is on like her 7th kid. His words were, "You're the thickest file with only two children by a long shot!" I think he secretly thinks I'm amusing but he treats me like a daughter when I ask him to bend his rules. When I was about 6 months pregnant with Ty, I asked him to do an elective c-section because labor and delivery completely freaked me out. He said "Women have done this all by themselves for centuries. No." Then at the end during my weekly (in my case twice-weekly) visits I asked him for a numbing agent because things were highly uncomfortable during the process of figuring out if I was dilated. "No." Hmmm. One day he told me that whether I wanted it or not he was going to make me get an epidural because he knew I couldn't handle the pain of labor. Then the day before my scheduled induction my blood pressure was up in his office so they admitted me to monitor it and as hard as I tried to keep it up (anyone figure out how to do that?!) it went down to a safe level. I'm kidding about wanting to know the trick but at the time I was serious. He came in and I begged him to "get this thing done." He just shakes his head at me. God love him.

And that was just with Ty. With Charlie I knew I'd have a c-section because of the predicted size of the baby AND the pregnancies were too close together in his opinion to try a VBAC. I was totally OK with that! I was much more calm throughout with her until the end, when he had to do an amnio to check her lungs. That day, when the sonographer--is that a real word--called him in to do the procedure I asked him if he knew for sure how to do it without poking the needle in her head. Sean tried to kick me on top of the table. More head shaking. He's a champ at the whole keeping his cool with hormonal women. My Dr. not Sean. Actually Sean is too. He has three sisters. I picked a good one.

Okay the real reason he mentioned tying my tubes is that because I've had gestational diabetes with the other two and it got worse with Charlie. I'm a "high risk" pregnant person. Much extra monitoring, rules, office visits, specialists, neonatal people in the delivery, etc. Not saying he doesn't love seeing me twice or three times a week there at the end, clearly he does. It simply puts the babies at risk for a few things before and during birth and it puts me at much higher risk for developing Type II diabetes later. My endocrinologist said having more kids adds to my risk factor every time I'm pregnant. First baby was 30 %, second another 40 %, etc. For you diabetics, this is an every day part of your life. I am in awe of how you keep it all together and I admire you. I do not want to be part of your circle and I'm going to do what I can to fight it off. With Ty I was on one kind of insulin. With Charlie it took two different kinds, five shots a day. If you have kept up with this blog at all you know I'm prone to forgetting things. Forgetting phones, diapers, or dates is one thing. Forgetting insulin is another.

Okay so back to the jeans. Aren't they cute? They would up my cool factor for sure.

Don't Send Your Resume Just Yet

**Update too short for a new post and I'm ready for a nap**

Took both kids to the Dr. this morning (with help from Sean since he's home :)) Ty has a sinus infection and Charlie has a virus unless the strep test comes back after two days positive. Our Dr. thought she might have a UTI so they used a cathetor--one of you nurse types teach me how to spell that--to get a urine sample. That test was negative...Poor Charlie had a rough morning. Lots of videos and cuddling on the horizon.

I'm beginning to think I'm not good for babysitters. I've only had them for a few years but we've managed to make things hard for them--bad timing, bad circumstances, etc. I've already locked one out of the house while she had both kids (sorry Katelyn!), left one without a bottle in the house, forgotten to pay another, and today a poor girl had to break what I'm sure is a rule for her and call me while we were out to come home. Charlie is teething so she's been unusually whiny and clingy but seemed fine. Apparently she woke up from her nap really fussy and had thrown up three times before the babysitter called me--so glad she did--so I told her she did the right thing. Sarah, you did the right thing! She felt hot so I took her fever and she had 102.5. I just got home from the ped. after hours place and after convincing them that my pediatrician really DOES exist even though she works in the faraway land of Irving, the Dr. looked Charlie over. She guessed it was strep but the test was negative...if she's not better tomorrow we're taking her in for another test. Did you know you're supposed to request they grow it (what is IT?) for five days to make sure? Me neither.

Anyway, if you're thinking of getting on our payroll, might want to give it another thought. I guess the fact that I'm not exactly always "together" impacts those around me from time to time. Thank the Lord Sean is home when she is sick this time!

Nothing Related

Charlie rocking her big Texas hair. Emmy made a comment about Aqua Net when I showed her this. I'm really not sure what her hair is going to do but I'm still welcoming suggestions.

One of those moments when you walk around the corner and about start crying. Probably because you're pregnant. This was at Mimi's house.

Ty on his winter playground. 

Charlie sacked out after her 1 yr. checkup where she got 5 shots. Look at the rolls. P.S. she started crawling yesterday!

Oh happy day when he discovered the sand toy that we've had for over a year. Once Nattie showed him how to hold the cup so the sand STAYS IN the cup until dumping, he got it and plays with it for at least 30 minutes every time we go outside.

Trust Me

Last night we had our staff/volunteer Christmas party at Carley's house. We are on the volunteer side of working with the High School students at church and we always have a fun party to celebrate our continued success keeping kids in line :) We had one of the girls from the youth group stay at our house with the kids so we could both go and stay the whole time (it was like a date night!) and Sean took another Mary/Carley belly pic that I just looked at, hoping to post it for all three of you to see our progress.

Trust me, it wasn't good. My husband is also a photographer--am I lucky or what--and without even showing Carley I'm not putting those up for the blog world to see. Let's just say it has something to do with black shirts and not so black undergarments. On both of us. I'm glad I'm not famous and hounded by paparazzi...gives me a little sympathy for those million dollar actresses. 

Baby...

It's COLD outside. Something like 35 right now I think. And there is a fire burning in the living room because there is a husband on his vacation from work. Can you tell how content I am?

We went to Denton today (Wednesday tradition,) and finished up Christmas shopping. While at a cutesy little kid clothes place buying a gift card for my niece, I hit the jackpot: a pair of the "squeaky" shoes for Charlie for $14. No, she's not walking so you didn't miss the announcement. I'm gonna show her the shoes tomorrow and maybe they'll motivate her.

I felt the baby Sunday morning for the first time and then again this morning. Feeling weepy and thankful for the blessings God has given me...since it'll be back in the 70's by the weekend, I'm gonna go soak up the fire. And to all a good night :)

Cheap Beauty

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Love pulling out old ratty ornaments, hand-me-down trees, and Target dollar bin wreaths! I really do, not trying to paint a negative picture...last year we were in the newborn fog during Christmas and enjoyed it but I'm not sure how much I really decorated. Charlie was three weeks old on Christmas day and as easy as she was, she was still a new baby and we lived in a new place, bigger than our other house and needing fancy decorations. We're still hoping those show up one day :)

I bought this red ball for Charlie yesterday at IKEA. It is her only Christmas gift so far. I set a personal record spending only $1.07 there, and come to think of it it's probably a record for IKEA as well. Her favorite thing to play with is a ball. Maybe because we have quite a few of them thanks to our toy supply of boy things from Amy and the twins!
I've had these wreaths for three years and never figured out what to do with them and then I had an inspired moment and viola! The big windows in the living room are now a little festive. Got these in the dollar bin at Target.
Santa's seat. My goal this year is to hit up the good store sales right after Christmas and get five matching stockings.
Now this thing is a beast. Our realtor, also an old friend from church, moved from our neighborhood last year right after Christmas and guess who inherited her tree. They moved to a house with shorter ceilings than their old house so it wouldn't fit. If I was a photographer I could capture its size for you but just imagine a mammoth tree full of ornaments sitting dangerously close to the play room. I used to leave Ty in there for long stretches until this tree went up. Now I have to make sure he's obeying the "No, those are not balls to play with," rule. I'm on the hunt for a tree topper, though I'm not sure how I'll put it up there. Sean has a little thing about climbing to the top of ladders (I won't call it a full-blown fear of heights because he might get fired) and since I'm pregnant he doesn't feel good about me climbing to the top of our ladder. There's something mixed up about a pilot that doesn't like heights and a wife terrified of flying but willing to climb to the top of any ladder. God has a sense of humor.
Isn't this wreath great? Now I know it should be decorated or something but at least for this year it's not gonna be. Since we first looked at our house we've gone, "What do we put THERE," in the entryway of our house, beckoning some designer person to fill it with beauty. The only time of the year there is something in that space is Christmastime so I love the wreath for it! The day after Thanksgiving last year Mom and I found it at Michaels 1/2 price. See, I AM the black Friday type.

Pitiful and Desperate

Remember Carley, my friend that is due 5 days before me? She found out Tuesday that she is having a BOY!! Yippeeee! She is so excited to raise a son and after learning her news I can hardly wait another whole month to find out what our baby is--not saying I'm jealous I'm just saying I may or may not have begged my Dr. once again to do a sonogram at 16 weeks instead of 20. True to form, he was not talked into anything I suggest based solely on my reason, "Because I want to know!" He is a minimal-nonsense doctor, and I think he finds me to be quite a challenge. He's a good man, very confident that he knows more than I do about delivering babies (??) and since his experience means that he could have delivered ME, at some point I'll surrender. So, if you were wondering, it will be around the first week in January when we find out what baby #3 is. Sigh.

Charlie had her 1 yr check up yesterday and I found out what I was expecting to find out--she is delayed in gross motor skills and swallowing skills. Here are some examples of what these two things look like: She doesn't crawl yet, let alone walk. She just got interested in moving at all, so my pediatrician (I love her) said that it might just have to do with the blessed fact that she is content and a tad lazy. That's what we're hoping! The other, swallowing thing is evidenced by the fact that she does not feed herself. She barely chokes down baby food with any sort of texture--literally gagging throughout most of the "Stage 3" foods. If it is creamy and she is being fed, she's a champion eater. The concept of putting her hand to her mouth is not there at all. She has never put toys in her mouth, which has obviously helped in the sickness dept. but the concern is that she has not put it together that her hand is a tool to put things in her mouth. Her thumb is the only thing allowed in her mouth. No amount of shoving something into her cheek results in her swallowing. 

Dr. Fowers (if anyone else knows her, don't you love her?) said both things should improve by 15 mo. and if not we'll schedule some sort of video test to watch her (not) eat, and get outside help with her moving. The eating thing is more of a concern to her so we'll work with her and try to help her get it. Also, I haven't been too quick with getting her off the bottle so we've got some sippy cup training in the near future. Ty was drinking out of cups long before she is, and he loved milk from his first try. She's not as convinced that milk is a good thing. The girl loves her formula but as Dr. Fowers said, "It's not like she needs any extra calories."

Ty has started coloring things, as evidenced by the last post. Apparently he has learned how to push the lid to make the pens work and he's also learned how to open doors. He has learned the alphabet thanks to our new playroom mat and a cool game Sean found to put on our phones. He's growing by leaps and bounds. Learning new things, new words, and finally communicating what he needs. Praise the Lord for fewer fits and more interaction. More drawing, open doors, finding him in abnormal places, but it's still progress.

The last two weeks my whole extended family has passed around a cold that won't quit. I tried almost every OTC cold medicine that's ok to take while pregnant and nothing helped. I finally left my OB a message using the words, "pitiful," and "desperate" and he gave me an antibiotic. The fog is lifting. 

Even though my kids are little and don't care, tonight I'm starting a tradition with them. The best traditions are those where the momma is entertained and excited so she responds to whatever is thrown her way with laughter and minimal drama. Never mind if the kids are entertained by the actual tradition...Momma is happy and so everyone else is too. We are going to make Christmas treats. First, edible wreaths made out of corn flakes and marshmallows, then white chocolate peppermint bark. Don't you wish you could come over to eat the fruits of our labor? Oops, I have a cold remember. Unless you're willing to welcome a two-week cold into your house I'd stay away a few more days.

To Think We WANTED Him to Color

Just to be clear, after reading the warranty info on our less-than-a-year-old couch, it states that ink is NOT covered. 

Happy Birthday Noah!

Noah Jack is here! He was born around 11:45 a.m. and weighed 7 lbs. 7 oz. Since I didn't post any info about his impending arrival until now, read his momma's blog here.  I worked with Casey at the church a few years back and this is her first baby...and he was LATE. I've heard this can drive a person crazy. She had a c-section which was not in the plan but I've assured her for weeks that it's the way to go. Congratulations Casey and Jason! Welcome to the world Noah!

Thanksgiving Recap

This Thanksgiving there were many things to be thankful for. Topping my list was my family. See why?

Aunt Emmy risked her back and held Charlie during the parade of runners at the Turkey Trot. Notice we weren't running--we were WATCHING. It was a success as far as minimal crying and the entertainment factor was very high. Max had the time of his life and thank You, God I was not in charge of keeping him contained. This was Sean's first Turkey Trot with the Jenkins and when we were leaving I asked him which was worse: Turkey Trot or State Fair. He said he'd be happy to do the Turkey Trot again year after year...He didn't say that about the State Fair. Growing up in the same area he had never done either one! That's un-American. My parents made Sean a cherry pie, his favorite dessert. Then, to show their dedication to the perfect Thanksgiving meal, they drew an airplane on the top. Isn't that cute? 

Charlie's birthday will always be around Thanksgiving so for her first one, we set the bar pretty low. Since she doesn't eat food with her hands (?) she got a little bite of icing and a few stuffed animals and she's a happy camper. Nothing wrong with being low-maintenance! 

I'm of course thankful for the health of my kids and so far, this new baby appears healthy. Last Thanksgiving I waddled around my house watching everyone else fix the meal. Since I wasn't allowed to travel more than 20 minutes away from the hospital, everyone came to me. It was freeing to get to go to both sets of parents' houses and haul the kids around to see everyone. Tiring, but great. Yesterday we stayed home all day and put up the Christmas decorations. Hoping to take pictures later today and show you what it looks like!

One

If Charlie could read, I would write this letter to her for her 1st Birthday:

Dear Bean,

I don't know why I call you "Bean" but since switching to that from "Stinky," I have found it fits you. You're like my little jelly bean, sweet and uplifting to people who see you. This is a picture from the first day that I met you. You were a big girl, and at three weeks early you still outweighed your brother. Someday you will probably have a complex about that but I hope that God teaches you early on that you are truly beautiful and that it doesn't matter what you look like--You are His baby girl and you are perfect.

On this day one year ago, you came into the world and never cried unless you were hungry. Like really hungry. In the hospital I prepared myself for you to 'wake up' and stop being a good, easy baby. You never really changed. To our delight you slept for four hours between every feeding and slept through the night all by yourself without us having to let you cry.
Your Daddy took this picture. Man does he love you, Bean. He thinks you are the cutest thing ever--and I do too since I think you look just like him. Your Daddy is already making up excuses for why you won't be allowed to date until you are 40. 
Oh this is the look we get an awful lot. You just sit and watch everything and kind of look adoringly at your brother and at us. You are a content, lovely little person and it doesn't matter that you are not hitting any of the milestones set up for you--Like I said, God gave you to us and you are perfect. You can crawl one day if you want to and if not I guess I'll just keep lugging you around until you throw my back out. 

This is you in your happy place. Aside from your thumb in your mouth, this is how you sleep at a year old. Kind of praying maybe? Oh you are so peaceful when you sleep. I am so thankful that you love to sleep!! Mommy prayed specifically for a good sleeper and you have become a champ in that department. I have to admit I do actually like comforting you a little when you wake up early in the morning (what am I saying?) because you still love to cuddle. You are my baby girl and I had no idea how powerful that would be to me until I held you. Then when Daddy holds you and talks to you, oh how I melt. 

Little girl, you are loved and treasured. Happy Birthday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! We are gearing up to go down to Nattie and Popeye's house tonight, where we'll be all day tomorrow. We celebrate the day before with my family, full meal complete with Martha Stewart recipes. One day last week Mom said, "You know I think I'm becoming an amazing cook!" I'm telling you, once she met Martha her whole life changed. 

On Thanksgiving day we're going to the Turkey Trot in downtown Dallas, so if you have the time to read this please say a prayer for my children. There is NO TELLING how that will go...this is the first time to bring them since I took a few years off to give birth to them. I was telling my friend about going to the trot and she asked, "Are you running it or walking it?" My response was, "Do you know me at all?" I don't run when I'm not pregnant and I'm certain I'd be the one in the ambulance that day if I tried.

We're going to Sean's parents' house after the run (um, walk,) to eat another meal with them. Do we have it figured out or what? Hope you have a safe, relaxing holiday and find many blessings to count!

Attack of the Mommy Brain

Just a few examples of my Mommy brain showing itself:

The other day I was so tired I put Ty to bed in Charlie's crib and made it out the door before I realized that something didn't look right. I went back into her room to find him standing up, looking at me like, "Mommy you need a nap more than I do."

I lost my Bluetooth headset two days ago for the 4th time since I got it three months ago. Lost it like having no idea when I had it last or where I was. Sean and my mom have tried to help me remember but it has usually been a lost cause. This time it turned up in the car that Sean leaves at the airport during trips. In the side panel of the door, about to fall out.

Today I went to pick up Sean's prescription refill at CVS and after running into a store near our house to cash in on a coupon (cutest kids boutique and I got a $15 coupon, which, in turn, doesn't buy that much but it was free money,) and made it home without ever thinking twice that I had not accomplished my task. Until Sean said, "Did you remember to go to CVS?" At least he asks nicely.

I find laundry in the washer that has already been washed, just not transferred to the dryer. 

Like days old, stiff laundry. And this happens often.

People will knock during the day and I'll answer the door to find one of my babysitters ready to watch the kids--and I'll act like I'm not surprised at all and that I was planning on it.

I have burned countless bread products because it never occurs to me while preparing dinner that I have to take things OUT of the oven that I put in.

I was starting to think that we were getting an obscene amount of junk mail until I realized it looks like a lot of mail because I only remember to get it about every third day. 

There are many more but true to form, I can't remember any of them. 

To think God is sending another child into this family to be under my care. 

Doesn't Get Cuter

My sister-in-law Ana had to have an ovarian cyst removed this week and Nattie and Popeye went to tend to Henry since Ana can't lift him for a while after her surgery. Thankfully Graham could go be with her during the surgery and thankfully she is healing now! Mom sent these pictures of Henry and I could just eat him up.

He loves the broom. Apparently he sweeps the kitchen floor A LOT.

Graham and Ana put this floor in when they bought their house. Isn't it cool looking?

Feeding the fish. I wouldn't attempt this with Ty if someone paid me.

Henry and Popeye getting a kick out of something. I'm guessing Nattie was performing.

Let Me Introduce You

I have mentioned a few friends here and today I'd like to introduce you to one of them. For the last two years my friend Carley has said that she was looking forward to starting her family so that she could join the play group that Jennie and I have had. Literally it's not a play group--just two moms with boys born within weeks of each other--so lately when Jennie and I meet at a playground with David and Ty, Carley has joined us. There is a reason for this. She is pregnant with her first baby and is of course excited not just because she now will have a participant in the play group but her own child to take care of! She is due May 14th, five days before me. Never in a million years could we have planned that! I thought it would be fun if we took pictures together along the way but let me add a disclosure: She is skinny. She is really skinny. I have never been her size and so when you see her belly growing, it is a totally new look for her! For me, not so much. I've always been squishy :) Plus, this is my third baby in a few years so I'll likely be bigger than Carley throughout this process. Plus, my kids are huge. I have diabetes while pregnant which will surely make it into posts in the future once it kicks in. Babies born to diabetics (even only when pregnant,) are big babies. Ty was born two weeks early and weighed 8 1/2 pounds. Charlie was born three weeks early and weighed 8 lb. 11 oz. See. Big babies. Big momma. Carley will likely have a little peanut munchkin. Her baby is nicknamed "Bun," by the way. The girls in our group on Tuesdays, feeling sorry for me that no one cared enough about this baby to give it a nickname, gave mine the name, "Squirrel." Nice. Thanks girls. (They are freshmen.) We took this picture last night before our group meeting. Aren't the hallways at our church lovely?!

I'm Not Ashamed

I might catch a little flack (how do you spell that?) but I'm ok to admit that first thing this morning I bought David Cook's album on iTunes. Like before breakfast which is a sacred time for me. Can I just say it was something I will not regret--It's great! We were a little late joining the American Idol phenomenon but last season I really enjoyed it and this guy can sing. Make fun if you want but this might actually get me on the EFX machine sometime soon which my Dr. has been trying to motivate me to do for weeks :)

YUM

When Sean says, "I've got a surprise for you," it can mean many things. Sometimes it means he has cooked me breakfast, or gotten me flowers, or just a Diet Dr. Pepper from Sonic. His best surprises lately have been a stocked Sonic card during the last three months so I could go anytime to get a corn dog, burger, smoothie, etc. without using real money. A gift card is not real money. He does things all the time that surprise me like cleaning/syncing my phone, cleaning my car, putting gas in my car, I know you're getting frustrated at someone just reading about how much he does for me. Ha! Anyway, last night he said, "I've got a surprise for you, but you have to wait until the morning." SAY WHAT? When I'm not pregnant, this could make me lose sleep but thankfully since I'm averaging 10-12 hours per night right now (AMEN) I never thought about what he said again until this morning when I was coming down the stairs. Ty was already up and Sean was getting his breakfast ready so I casually walked to the fridge to get my drink when what to my wandering eyes should appear but a piece of Key Lime cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. With my name on it. Jesus is still on the throne and speaking directly to my husband. YUM.

Spare Time

This is what Ty does in his spare time almost every day. It's the contents of my bathroom drawer. All of the contents of my bathroom drawer.

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World

Why would my mom leave her cozy house and drive for 30+ minutes early one morning to stand in line for hours in the mist/rain?

This very line right here. 

Why would my dad subject himself to such things, serving as family photographer of her sitting on her stool that she brought in her car so she wouldn't have to sit on the ground? What could be worth wearing this bright lime green rain coat and red boots in front of other adults?

For this moment. To sit and chat with Martha Stewart herself. Martha was at Sur La Table in Dallas on Tuesday to sign her new book for a few adoring fans. Mom soaked it up and was thrown off when Martha started asking her questions. We warned Mom not to say anything to her. Mom was prepared to smile and say, "Thank You," but then Martha starting chatting. I'm sure Martha got a kick out of Mom telling her that both Mom AND Dad rush home during their lunch hour to watch her show every day. This was like Christmas for Mom--soaking up what Martha had to say AND bringing home her brand new cookbook. Oh happy day.

I'll Stay Where You've Put Me

If you have been reading the devotional Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman you have seen this poem, which I have to assume was written by Cowman since there is not another author mentioned. It is a wonderful, powerful reminder that God is in control of our lives, no matter how small our lives might seem to us at a given time. On Sunday our pastor gave some very easy guidelines to follow/remember about living a life that reflects our belief and assurance that God is sovereign and the impact that that assurance has on our world around us. The hard truth, he said, is that it is our fear and anxiety that robs us of this assurance. Our distrust that He is still on the throne, monitoring every thing that happens around us. Our fear that maybe He forgot us, left us to our own governing, our own despair. Read this poem and hopefully be reminded that He is indeed still on His throne and he certainly has a plan for your life. Even if your day is at home with little people hanging on you, without much outside interaction. Even if you have been waiting for your other half to show up in your life, and you have waited a long long time, and you feel alone. Even if you feel trapped in your job and you are sure your gifts aren't being used.

__________________________________

"Stay there until I tell you." (Matthew 2:13)

I'll stay where You've put me; I will, dear Lord,

Though I wanted so badly to go;

I was eager to march with the "rank and file,"

Yes, I wanted to lead them, You know.

I planned to keep step to the music loud,

To cheer when the banner unfurled,

To stand in the midst of the fight straight and proud,

But I'll stay where You've put me.

I'll stay where You've put me; I'll work, dear Lord,

Though the field be narrow and small,

And the ground be neglected, and stones lie thick,

And there seems to be no life at all.

The field is Your own, only give me the seed,

I'll sow it with never a fear;

I'll till the dry soil while I wait for the rain,

And rejoice when the green blades appear;

I'll work where You've put me.

I'll stay where You've put me; I will, dear Lord;

I'll bear the day's burden and heat,

Always trusting You fully; when sunset has come

I'll lay stalks of grain at Your feet.

And then, when my earth work is ended and done,

In the light of eternity's glow,

Life's record all closed, I surely will find

It was better to stay than go;

I'll stay where You've put me.

I would show you a picture but...

I would show you a picture but...you'll have to trust me on this one. Let me give you a little history: I have my dad's teeth. They aren't good. They aren't much tougher than thin sheets of ice. My dental history is long and my file is thick. Growing up in a small(er) town I went to the same dentist my whole life until I got married. I would drive home from school, work, graduate school, wherever I was to go to him because well, he had my file. Once I got married it became clear that driving over an hour every time I had a tooth issue was a little much since I lived among 50 dentists per square mile. Luckily, there was a great referral for me once I decided to see someone closer to my new home. Two years ago I went to him at the urging of my sister-in-law Amy. Her best friends' husband is a dentist and he's got some serious rewards/honors under his name. The first time I saw him they took pictures of all of my (I think,) 5 teeth that needed help at the time. I was pregnant with Ty. I hadn't gotten around to fixing things so I went every other day for about 3 weeks to get things fixed. Then when I was newly pregnant with Charlie I broke another tooth. Now when I say break I mean break. Like pieces of the tooth crack off or completely shatter. Sorry if this is gross but at least it didn't happen in YOUR mouth. In two years it has already gotten to the, "Well, you weren't kidding about being a frequent flier here..." statements from his staff. 

Well, I've been doing pretty well with the crown(s) that I already have and I've been careful about which ice I chew--a major problem with teeth anyway and I've been told to steer clear of anything but Sonic ice--and my million dollar teeth as Sean calls them have been hanging in there. Until yesterday. I was bonding with a high school student at church while sharing her Halloween candy and chewing on some DOTS when I heard a loud crack. Oops. The bonus is that is a tooth that has already been fixed once. 

I'll keep you posted. I know you're excited. I would show you a picture but the whole idea is to have it fixed before people notice. :)

Max In The White House

This many posts in a row...I know it seems a little much but I just had the best idea. I read on People.com (I need counseling,) that the Obama girls are in search for their puppy to take to the White House and they need to look no further. If you know them please send them my best and also send them a picture of my beloved family kid-friendly dog Max. He should fit right into the White House family and is already trained...kind of. He is being given away free of charge. I think I could get away with this one because it's for the new President and his kids. Maybe Sean would go for it?

I Get Bored

I get bored easily so to kill two birds with one stone I changed my background. Do you like it? Now I won't get bored and since I was getting sick of trying to read other blogs through the little white dots that problem is gone too. I can imagine that you won't miss them either!! 

The Space Cadet and the Monkey

**Edited to add miss Caroline...thanks Carley!! 

Sean must have read over my shoulder while I was typing yesterday because he finished the pictures and this morning they were on my computer! Here they are: my astronaut (I prefer space cadet--it's more fitting for him,) and my monkey.

The wagon was a great idea for moving them from house to house. Let's be honest they didn't even get out of the wagon--a little young for trick-or-treating. They don't know what they're missing yet so let's leave it that way as long as possible. Ty did eat Skittles for the first time and he loved the lemon ones. Smart kid.
My little bean the monkey. I bought this costume for $4.99 at a resale shop in Frisco and it fit perfectly. 
My space cadet. Is that hilarious or what?! I had already bought him another costume and when we were on a date at Costco (I know, I know we are die-hard romantics,) we saw this and agreed it was better than the one we already had. Returns are a beautiful thing especially when you aren't trying to do them at Target.
The cousins (minus the three oldest,) on the Wilborn side. Samantha the princess (3 yrs), her brother Will the frog (23 months,) Charlie the monkey (11 months,) Caroline the policeman/woman (7 yrs), Baby Kate the princess (4 months,) Cole the Pikachu(sp) (5 yrs), Ty the space cadet (2 yrs,) and Luke the Darth V. (5 yrs.) The three oldest cousins live in Graham, TX and don't usually make the drive for Halloween but we will see them soon for Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

Do What?

Am I a little behind on posts or what? Sean is still editing the Halloween pictures and I hope they are as cute as I think they will be--I have a little frame for each kid to put pictures from this year in and I keep dropping hints that I need to put the Halloween decorations away so...

Soon maybe? Can I just tell you what he HAS been doing with his week off from work? Finishing the fence, cooking, helping me fold laundry since I'm about 3 weeks behind, (since I nap now during nap time and I used to get laundry done then,) taking the kids out of the house when I'm nauseated, and overall just doing what seems like everything. He's the greatest.

I went to my Dr. today and I'm exactly 12 weeks pregnant. I heard a good strong heartbeat so the fact that we're expecting another baby is hitting home. DO WHAT? You would think it would have by now!! I keep looking at the kids while they are having fits going, "What are You thinking, Lord?" I must say dependence on Him for answers/guidance is becoming more and more necessary which is, I know, where He wants me. I just can't fathom raising another child in the midst of the mediocre job I'm doing now. I am truly thankful for another chance at it but the reality is just scary. He will surely answer my prayers! After all, He has proven that He will meet me where I am. 

Happy Halloween Minus Costumes

Yesterday after the sickness left the house we loaded the kids up and headed to the Arboretum. Isn't it the best feeling when you break out of a sick house? We could have gone to Arby's and it would have been like a vacation but since the pumpkins will leave soon we seized the day and drove down to Dallas. Here are some pics of the day: Tomorrow we will have costumes on and the joy will surely be palpable so I'm sure I'll take more pictures with the kids and their cousins...there are 11 kids in all on Sean's side--our baby will make 12 and if it's a boy there will be 6 and 6. I'm also taking suggestions on what to do with Charlie's hair. It was looking rough yesterday so I don't pretend to know how to handle it! Some days it is really curly and cute and other days it looks like mine after a long night with a newborn.

I know, I know, they ARE cute. I got Charlie's little bling shirt at Target for $5. I would have gotten myself one if I could wear little girls' clothes. That would be a stretch--and not the good kind.
I was singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider so that is what Ty is doing. Charlie loved feeling the hay.
This is Ty's glamour shot. His hair did better than most days yesterday.
Obviously Sean took all the pictures--some of which I didn't know about until he put them on my computer. This one captures the moment well though--me trying to get him to eat lunch while all he wanted to do was listen to the music. Charlie tried to get the fries out of my hands about 30 times and I let her to see if she will finally put something in her mouth. She won't. Just holds on to the fry, the cookie, the goldfish, for dear life but won't even let you stuff it in her mouth for her. She's an odd bird too. Neither one of my kids fit the mold. Am I lucky or what?! As Sean says, they may both live with us forever but that's okay. 
See the hair? Yeah, and the teeth. Bless her heart. She's cute as a button but those teeth are gonna need some help one day. She's getting teeth at rapid speed so she's been hurting lately but since they come in so fast I know she will be done quicker than Ty. He is still teething.And the classic "You want me to do WHAT?" pose for pictures. I was jumping out from behind Sean trying to make them laugh and these were the looks I got. It was a great day though and I'm so thankful Sean has been home all week so we could go together!

Oh How I Love You, Strawberry Smoothie

Oh how I love you, strawberry smoothie. You have gotten me through many a rough day lately and I'm kicking myself that I never tried you sooner. When nothing sounded good the last few weeks, your name always had a nice ring to it and even though you are not featured on the happy hour 1/2 price list you are worth it. Sonic has outdone itself with you, friend. I recommended you to Carley and she, too, raved about you. I thought I had said goodbye to you since I don't need you anymore but alas...in walked the vomiting virus. 

Thank You, God, Ty has not had it and thank you strawberry smoothie that I think I did but didn't notice any difference from pregnancy yuckiness and once again you just made the yuck less yucky. You are the perfect blend of sweet and crunchy iciness. While this may indeed by our last meeting I want you to know I'm a believer. You are the best thing on the menu. I'll catch up with you once I am not monitored by the blood sugar police anymore. I'm thinking delivery day. 

In Case You Were Wondering...

This is what Max the fugitive did to our fence. All by himself. My Mr. Fix-It husband already Mr. Fixed it.
The three cousins (on my side of the family) during their Halloween photo shoot. See how impossible it is to get them to all look one direction? Behind the camera there were approximately 7 people dancing, singing, counting, etc. How do you like the outfit I had Ty in? Nice. Real picture-worthy. I was barely standing up I tell you. It was a rough couple of weeks.
My nephew Henry. Isn't he soooo cute? He doesn't look like my kids at all! He was in the process of shoving all of those little pumpkins into the plant behind him. 
This is what we're having for dinner since the cold front blew in last night. Brisket. You can't really see it under all of the veggies but it's in there and it's been in the oven since 8 a.m. Yum. Nothing says cold weather and momma's feeling better like a slab of meat and potatoes.
And finally, the last thing you were wondering about: Our playroom rug. Well, I know most of you weren't aware that we needed one but since last night Charlie was feeling poopy and decorated our rug for us with the poop, we needed one. It's in the garage awaiting a good steam-cleaning. Does that have a hyphen? I'm not sure. Anyway we decided that since the rug that has been in there is not very squishy anyway to go for the alphabet/number mat that is actually quite squishy. When Ty gets up from his nap he will flip. And then flap. He still flaps but our Dr. assures us that if he only does it when he is excited it's not a sign of Autism. Hmmmmm...we'll see. That boy of mine is hilarious but he has a few quirks that we haven't figured out yet! He loves letters and numbers more than any two other things so I feel pretty sure he'll enjoy the new high-dollar (not really) rug. 

I hear crying. Happy Day.

AMMMA

TY SAID MOMMA TODAY! I always said I'd make an announcement if it ever happened and today at lunch he said it. It was more "AMMMA," but it was his first attempt so I went crazy with praise! 

That's Life

Ah the light at the end of the tunnel...I have experienced it the last few days. A few hours with little nausea and more energy. Patience for the kids/life. Last night while laying in bed I came to the realization that I have not handled things well lately--and even though my thoughts were scattered and fuzzy (It WAS, after all, already 9:00 p.m. and this is a danger zone for me if I'm still awake,) I knew that I was in the wrong. "Lord," I prayed, "help me see these days as a great blessing and not as a chance to wish for something else. Give me the patience that You can give me, which has nothing to do with how I feel." So I'm gonna work harder. Committed to take in each hour with the kids and enjoy it, find the humor in it. There's always humor in our day. Even when I'm by myself something wierd or funny happens. This might not seem like a good example but go with it.

Last night when I parked my car I thought, "I should take the GPS thing out because tomorrow I'm getting the oil changed and my mom taught me that something always gets stolen at those places." Good old mom looking out for me. Then I thought, "Well, I'll have time in the morning." Well, it's this morning and guess what got stolen out of my car overnight. Yep, my Christmas gift from last year. Now, this in itself is maddening. Not funny. What IS funny is that I have forgotten/misplaced so many things in my life that no one believed me for quite a while. My mom suggested multiple places to look. Everyone told me that I probably had already taken it down and just forgot. I don't put any of this past myself but this time I know I'm sure it was in the unlocked car overnight. Oops. Did you catch the unlocked part? See, not funny but I always lock my car. If I had a dime for all the times I have been holding a child and tried to get in my car to load them up to find that my car was locked I'd be able to walk right out and buy a new shiny GPS system before Sean gets home from his trip. Have I mentioned that I haven't told him yet?

That's not my fault actually, he had a Cancun overnight and they charge $ 4.70 a second when we talk on the phone so we try not to call each other unless it's an emergency. In light of my newfound desire to live life as a thankful, engaged mom this really isn't one. It's frustrating, expensive, and scary but it's life.

I'm a Big Kid Now

I can sit on the bench by myself and eat my lunch. Fries. No sides please. I don't do fruit.
I can play the piano. I like to touch each key and reflect on how it makes me feel. I'm a musical genius. Momma is trying to figure out how to tie that to getting me to talk.
I can climb the ladder and go down the slide at almost any playground. With or without shoes on. Momma forgot my shoes again this week when I met David at the playground.
Here I am on a good shoe day going down the slide at Mimi's house. When I am done sliding I clean up the ground by separating the wood chips from the concrete. Daddy gives me lots of praise when I clean up! Momma is perplexed that I know how to put the wood where it goes and I still won't say, "Momma."

Max the Fugitive

To put it mildly, the last few days have been hard. Not in the eternal significance sense and I'm thankful for the health of my kids even on days when I ask people I don't even know to take them. I'm thankful for a home. For family, and food to eat. What/Who I'm not thankful for is my dog. This is why.

On Wednesdays I go to Sean's parents house in Denton for the day. It fills up the whole day and I have help and a few meals with his parents. It has been a great relief the last few weeks because of feeling bad and not wanting to cook. The bonus is that the kids normally sleep well when we're there. Oh my friend that was not the case this week. Ty has massive allergy issues and Charlie is teething--okay trying to stay positive. This week Ty did not nap at all and Charlie slept for maybe an hour. For those of us who are blessed with good sleepers, the days that they don't sleep well kinda throw us off. It makes you thankful for the many many days that they DO sleep. It also makes you wish you had a nanny so YOU yourself could take a nap :)

Nap struggles aside, the day went fine until the trip home. Sean was already in Atlanta about to leave for work and got a phone call from the Police Dept. Since our kids aren't old enough to drive or break laws that leaves one family member in question: Max. Not that I am exempt from breaking laws but my dad is a lawyer and always told us that if we got arrested for something he wouldn't help us out of it. I believed him and still think if I got arrested I'd have to call someone else. Anyway sure enough it was about Max. Guess what he did. 

When I left him outside to go to Denton he freaked out and started digging a hold under the fence to get out. I guess he was going to try to find us? He's got separation anxiety. Like the real kind. I leave him outside all the time and for some reason that day he couldn't take it. So he dug a hole but found that it didn't allow his 70 lb body under the fence so he broke the fence. I don't know if he used his paws or his teeth or both but he broke the fence. It's a big fence. A police man saw him and tried to read his collar but Max tried to bite him. Sure, my dog who gets his eyes poked at and tail pulled 45 times daily tries to bite the officer who is trying to read his collar. 

He was over the edge I tell you.

Animal control had to come and since I wasn't home when they called (3 p.m.) they shipped him to McKinney to the doggie jail. He had to spend the night. This is Max who got stressed when we moved him from our bedroom to the adjacent room so we could sleep. Max loves the vet, the groomer, and any other field trip. What he doesn't enjoy is spending the night with 34 other dogs on a concrete floor. The next day I had to go get him before I made the drive to my parents house. I had to pay to bail him out, which is maddening because in truth if it was my decision I would pay them to KEEP him not give him back. God love him he is just the hardest child I have right now.

I went from McKinney to my parents' house (1 hr 15 minute drive,) and then once we got down there Ty didn't nap. Two days in a row no nap for the 2 year old who is not fun to be around when he hasn't gotten all 13 hours of sleep each night + at least 2 hours per nap. Yuck. You know the saying, "If Momma ain't happy ain't nobody happy." Yep, that's how it's been in our house. Just replace "Momma" with "Ty." Today upon returning home I called my babysitter and asked her to come over and she said yes. Whew. Jesus is certainly still on the throne and today He gave me some relief in the form of a babysitter.  Thanks Katelyn!