So, I've Been a Little Quiet

Yes, I'm still here. I guess it's time for an update.

I'm still pregnant. 38w 3d to be exact. I guess I'll confess that I had been hoping that our little bundle would have arrived by now, but I'm trying to be patient. Actually I'm more than happy that it looks like he truly will be a May baby; I'm not impatient to hold him. The truth is, I've been having contractions (some easy and some debilitating) every 25-45 minutes since Wednesday at 7am. I am in pain. My muscles are very sore. And on top of that, it's a little frustrating that the contractions aren't exactly speeding up yet either. Let's change the subject.

On a doleful note, Tim's dad passed away early on April 17th. Tim and his brothers had had the opportunity to visit him just last month as he exited the hospital for the last time and we're so thankful that Tim was able to be there to visit that last time. Although his passing wasn't sudden, it was definitely shocking and terribly sad. Tim drove up a few days later with 3 of our kids to be with his mom and brothers for the funeral. (I wanted to write about last week, but I think it would have been terribly unwise to tell the internet that I was home alone and my husband was very far away.) My husband and big kids returned from their long journey on Easter Sunday night. Adam and I were anxiously awaiting them with a good Easter dinner and Easter treats for everyone. I wished I had been able to go, but in my condition, it really was pretty unwise to travel by car so far away. Adam stayed with me and we rested and relaxed for the days the rest of the family was away. It was really quiet around here with just the two of us~ I was so happy to be able to finally squeeze my little joyful noisemakers when they returned.

While my family was away, I had a doctor's appointment and the ladies at church threw a sweet baby shower for me and Aaron and for another friend and her little pink bundle of joy. We had a great time and afterward my friends took me along on an expansive tour of all of the formal dresses throughout the nearest mall. I was super exhausted, but we really did have a great time together.

Oh, I also made new curtains while Tim was gone.

This time that I have on my hands have been filled with little last minute things for baby's arrival. The infant car seat is in the car, the bassinet is set up about 4 feet from my side of the bed, pacifiers have been ordered and delivered. And since Adam has all but adopted his baby brother's blanket, I ran out today to JoAnn's 1 day sale to buy more fabric for another blanket... or two.

Did I mention that we converted Adam's crib to a toddler bed a few weeks ago and he loves it? And I love it because I can tell him that it's time to get in bed and he goes and does it.

(Ok, he's on the couch in this picture, but you get the idea...)

And lest you forget, I actually did get the labels done for Adam's little bookshelf drawers. I didn't make them from fabric like I had planned, but I printed out the tags on paper and then laminated them and attached them to the handles of the drawers with some kitchen twine.

Monday's "to do" List

Whew! Monday is here again and the list of work keeps growing! I don't know about you, but my life would be absolute chaos without a daily and weekly to do list. Usually I begin with the daily list and add things that I'd like to have done by the end of the week.

• LAUNDRY [x]
  
• inventory kids summer clothes [x]
  
• pack hospital bag [x]

• clip, sort and file coupons from yesterday's paper [x]
  
• gather papers for pre-admission this week [x]
  
• dinner plan for the week[x]
• hospitality menu for Saturday [x]
  
• begin to pack away freezer meals for baby week
• find an out of the way place for 3 extra mattresses (details to come) [x]
  
• finish trimming the laminated Latin/English flashcards [x]

• remove diaper hook and loop tabs from remaining unconverted diapers
  
• iron Tim's shirts before they begin to multiply [x]
  
• finish new baby wipes

(Um, how long did it take me to figure out that brown wipes are the way to go?)

• order shorts for David using Gymbucks (poor kid has 1 pair in size 5!) [x]
  
• hem Tim's pants [x] (Hooray!)
  
• purge and de-clutter linen closet
  
• make fabric labels for Adam's new clothes bins

So many books in a room with 3 boys trying to nap was too much temptation. Now Adam has a perfectly accessible place for his clothes. Much better.

Oh, and some of this...

And all the while, I must keep this crazy, dirt attracting child out of trouble.

What does Monday look like at your house?

Baby Fluff Stash

Here's my stash of diapers for Baby Aaron! (I really like typing his name. Aaron! Aaron! Aaron!)
You want to know how I paid for most of these diapers? Swagbucks. Yep. You see my 'swidget' to the right? I've been working pretty hard to accumulate those $5 Amazon gift cards at 450 SB a piece. Though they aren't the only prize you can cash in for, I think they're the most valuable. I'm a member of Amazon Mom Prime so I get free shipping on all 'prime eligible' items, and, guess what. Bumgenius diapers are eligible. A fast way to start earning a lot of Swagbucks is to install their toolbar. It's fast, free, easy and you get 1 SB every day you turn on your browser. Besides the obvious search and win, I'd also recommend doing the daily poll and the "no obligation special offer" (NOSO) on their homepage. Money Saving Mom recently did a series of articles on how to maximize your Swagbucks and there's also Swagbucks for Dummies to explain things further. Last week, I had to order flowers and found a deal through their special offers and gained 645 SB for going through them. Last Friday I checked my credit score through them (over 800, baby!) and gained 945 Sb!

Sorry I didn't get to crop this picture (busy day today) but here are our Babylegs for Baby Aaron. Usually these are about $12 each online (plus shipping), but before you buy, look for them on eBay! I bought all of these from China for about $2 each, including shipping! The only downside to this method is waiting for the crazy slow shipping from China~ they may take a month or longer to arrive. But if you're waiting for your baby at the same time, it's no loss. (FYI, I have to hide these from Adam because he thinks all of the "sockies" are for him.)

Ok, last thing for today. I ran by JoAnns the other day to pick up some soft fabric for a little blanket for our little bundle and this is what I came up with~ minky dots on one side and that adorable flannel pirate print on the other. Since a few of his little outfits have a pirate theme going on, I saw this print and knew it was perfect. I even had a bit left over and added some more softness to some new burp cloths.

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Baby Stash Part 1

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
(You are making soda bread today, right?)

Ok, so I'm having a boy. Yes, boy #4. The good news is that I really don't need a whole lot for this little guy. The bad news is that this tends to downplay how special our new son is to our family. Also, I'm getting to the point where my body is cooperating with him more than it is with me. It is so good for me to remember that at the end of all of the pain and sleepless nights and muscle cramps and heartburn and non-functioning hips there is a beautiful baby at the end of this tunnel. And thankfully, he's only about 6-7 weeks from making his grand debut. I'm getting off subject, I think. Anyway, the best way I know how to be encouraged these days is preparing for our little sweetie. And that means...

TINY CLOTHES!

Come back next week and I'll show you the (cloth) diapers I have prepped for the little fella!

Upgrade!

Hello world. We've been sick. Our days this week have looked exactly like the above picture with me sprawled out on the other couch. And this week has really knocked me for a loop. You can definitely tell that my immune system is compromised. Thankfully, yesterday I had an ob appointment (30 weeks, baby!) and I was diagnosed with a sinus infection. I can barely breathe and when I can breathe, I cough. :(
Anyway, I am now plugging away on my new prescription and seriously loving Tylenol cold for nighttime. Our baby is doing great meanwhile. Dr. Skiles put the doppler up to my tummy to catch his heartbeat and within a half second, he kicked the doppler really hard. Another strong little Giedd on the way. Also, I have to make an appointment within the next week to pre-register at the hospital. Isn't that crazy? Where did this pregnancy go? And, I'll be seeing the doctor in another 2 weeks, then for the weekly appointments! Wow!

The highlight of my week came yesterday though when our new washer and dryer (and 15.5" pedestals!) were delivered and installed.

I cleared out the old machines (we're selling them on Craigslist) , deep cleaned the floor and touched up the paint. I had big plans for the new machines! I bought 2 - 10' inlet hoses and an extra large discharge hose because...

See what I did there? Since the doors open out I didn't want them facing the other wall the way the old machines did.

Did I mention that my husband also bought me the pedestals too?! I love them! They raise the machines to the perfect height and they hold all of my laundry things~ my iron, detergent, starch, dryer sheets and so much more!

So, dear blog readers, I need your help. How would you advise me to maximize the remaining space in my laundry area? Personally, I'm thinking I should add 1 very large shelf the width and depth of the new machines for more storage. Dad, feel free to weigh in! (I would mount a frame of 1x2's around the perimeter where I want the shelf, maybe 2" above the washer and dryer, and then screw down the big piece of particle board.) Whaddya think?


P.S. Nancy! It was so good to hear from you! I'm sorry I never got back to you! Yep, it's boy #4 in a row for us! (You can pray for me~ and I'm not being funny. These boys are wonderful but they wear me our very quickly.) I can't wait for Baby Aaron to arrive and for me to reclaim my body! I would like to feel like myself again. I can chase kids a lot better without a child stretching and kicking from within me.
How are you coming along? Did you peek at your ultrasound? Are your other kids excited? When is your due date? My technical date is 5/13, but I'm placing my bets on the first weekend in May.

Hi, Mom!

Hello everyone!

(I'll edit this and write something when the kids are napping...)

38w 1d

June at last! Ok, long time, no post, but I can't really apologize since I've been so focused on my family and house and they are my priority.

And these guys

keep me pretty busy!

We are definitely coming down to the baby finish line now! I've been in the pre-labor stage for weeks and my OB says I should go any hour now but I'm trying not to think about that. We've had our yard sale (which was nicely successful), sold a few things on Craigslist, acquired all of the necessary (and maybe not so necessary) baby items for Sweet Fella, and made our last big pre-baby trip to Costco so we have all the household staples on hand. Not to mention that I've organized the house a few times over.

I found a great way to tame the paperwork monster in our home...

And I finished this space (which I now love)

And I'm making good progress down here in the basement.

And I've re-arranged the furniture. I've pulled out the birth ball and now am trying to relax a little. We have a relaxing dinner party coming up on Saturday and I'm excited about entertaining friends again after a hospitality drought. The weather looks nice for Saturday and I think we'll pull out the backyard canopy and relax. All the food I'm doing is able to be made in advance and I'm starting on that today. I also have an overwhelming urge to paint the cabinets in the powder room black. We'll see if I get around to that. I bought fabric online yesterday to recover my extra large ironing board (it's very hard to find replacement covers in stores) and I'd like to get that project done before Baby A emerges onto the scene, but again, we'll see. All these things are to keep me occupied while I am racking my brain thinking about what on earth will this child look like!?!?!?!?

Only time will tell.

Getting Closer...

Well, today is pre-registry day for me at our new bright shiny hospital, so besides the ordinary, I'm packing my (our) hospital bag and parking it in the car. I'm packing away this coming home outfit for Baby A. I got it a few weeks ago and I smile whenever I see it. I especially love the "Feed Me" bib.

I'm packing this one too in case it's chilly.

On the homefront, I think I've been cycling through different nesting stages~ cooking, sewing, and organizing. Two weeks ago, I cooked all week long and I've stashed a nice amount of food in the freezers. Last week, I put quite a few miles on my sewing machine~ I finished the big one's pajamas, and Baby A's quilt and I even made a Mei Tai baby carrier, which I love. This week's tasks were mostly organizational. I totally re-did the laundry room/ powder room over the weekend and yesterday was the dreaded day when I tackled the master closet. However, after the 5 large paper grocery bags filled with cast offs left the premises, I emerged victorious. I am so happy I might even share pictures. Gotta run for now and finish my birth plan, but I really do hope to post more pictures later, especially the laundry room.

The Previous Announcements

Here's what we did for Baby Dabney. We didn't know her gender, so we thought these Pooh
announcements were appropriate.

Here's what we did for David:

And Joshua's announcements:

Junebug Announcements

Something I love to do while pregnant is plan and make the baby announcements. It's another one of those prenatal bonding activities, I guess. I get to think about our little Junebug and pick out some masculine design and colors. I remember doing Josh's announcements on the plane trip home from Kauai. It allows me to be creative and I think it makes me feel like I'm a little more prepared for the baby's arrival. (When you think about it, can you ever really be ready for the tiny person you hold in your arms after delivery?) Anyway I thought I'd show you our new announcements.



Aside from the masculine theme, and considering our economy, the other theme I was aiming for was "practically free". So I surveyed what I had and remembered a little while back while scrapbooking with some friends a friend was tossing a pile of sage cardstock when her project took a different track. I couldn't leave all that beautiful cardstock for the trash so I asked her about it and then snatched it. It happens that there were about 30 pieces, which is perfect for baby announcements. The other paper comes from my scrapbook stash~ using what I already have. The stamp comes from the Stampin' Up stamp set last time I had baby announcements to make. I so badly wanted to order new stamps, but it is just not in the budget this time around. Honestly I can't take credit for the design this time. I copied it from a card layout in a Stampin' Up catalog and sort of changed it into a baby announcement.

The Purge Continues...

It has been so great to be getting rid of all the things that have been cluttering up our home (and lives) lately. I've made a big list of all the areas in our home to go through and sort, purge and organize. I've found stuff all over the place that we don't need or use or want. It is so freeing to just let it go and step that inch closer to a simple organized life.

As you probably guessed from the last purging post, we are heading toward a garage sale in a few weeks now. However, we will be learning from our mistakes last time and doing a few things differently. First off, I'm inviting a few more families to take part. This makes for a bigger sale and really great company during the sale. The second thing is we will be advertising, advertising advertising. Two years ago we only used craigslist, but this time we will have signs and ads in the newspaper and craigslist, too.

Lately, I've been really in love with Craigslist. As you know, we got our free $90 stroller with their help, but also, I've been selling bigger things in a sort of a pre-garage-sale sale, just to get the big stuff out. I cannot even tell you what we've sold in the last few weeks! They include: a dining room table, a tv, a mini fridge, a few outside ride-on toys, a large hall tree, a small hutch- and much more. They were mostly things we bought right after we were married. And I've got more listings to go, ready to be posted tomorrow. With part of the money, we bought something that we've been wanting for a long time. Real bookcases. Pretty Bookcases. Now they hold all of our theology books and classic novels and lots more. Our hardbacks look so nice now! I'm even reserving a spot on the bottom shelf of each for a better looking container of toys. Maybe galvanized buckets, but we're not there yet. (And guess what is next on my list of things to sell? Yep~ the old laminated bookshelves. It's continuing the cycle!)



Also, I am now 27 weeks pregnant and you know what that means~ 3rd trimester. So apart from all of the nesting and sorting and cleaning and organizing and schooling, I am also making myriad lists for baby A's arrival. This week I'm working on food prep for the family while I am laid up. As I type, I have a 22lb turkey in the oven that I will carve and make into a few casseroles and other dinners and stick in the freezer for the baby adjustment period. I'm starting on the food now because gathering ingredients and all of the big batch cooking will take a while. It feels really great to be getting prepared!

Beautiful Provision

I am in love. I love this little guy who has yet to be seen. He's so active (he'll fit in well with his brothers), and even my OB called him a wild child because he wouldn't stay still during the last appointment. Dabney's infant car seat is about to expire at the end of the year so I've been checking out deals for new infant seats and found a great deal on this seat by Graco. (Do I ever pay retail for anything?) I love it. I love to carry it and I love all the features and I love the colors. I feel like I know so much more now about baby gear than I did when we were pregnant the first time. Anyway, I figured that we'd be ok with sticking the new car seat in the double stroller and going on our merry way without a "travel system". I've been trying for a long time to be content with what God gives us and not looking for "the next thing".

However, Tim and I like to check out the free section of Craigslist every now and then. So last Saturday night we were looking around online and found a family about 5 minutes from us giving away a free Graco stroller that had a broken wheel~ that just happened to be brand new and just happened to match and fit our new carseat. Coincidence? No way. I picked it up that night and set to work to fix the wheel. It took a bit of time and some Gorilla Glue to get it set just right, but the wheel is as good as new now and spins and turns just as it should. God is always faithful to provide and we are so thankful for what He has graciously given.

A Little Prenatal Bonding

Well, here we are 23 weeks along, and Sweet Little Guy is growing right on schedule. I'm full into my maternity clothes and visibly pregnant to the world. Unfortunately, when people hear that we have our 3rd boy in a row arriving in Spring, usually they offer me some sort of condolences, not to mention the just plain rude remarks. Even families who embrace lots of kids say something like, "Oh wow. Three boys... that's... exciting..." Which usually means something like, "I'm so glad that I am not you!" It's true that little boys take a special understanding, and that follows logically because well taught little boys turn into extraordinary men, so of course you will have to put in lots of work and prayer and discipline to reap wonderful fruit later.

Anyway, with all the hubbub about another boy, it brings me great joy to feel his kicks and acrobatics (mostly in the evenings and after I eat), to buy him little treats, and call him by his name~ which I might reveal to blogland later. Although he has a nice amount of hand-me-downs from his brothers, I feel like he still needs a few new things, so when I saw the little outfit last weekend at a store closing sale, I couldn't resist. I also have started and almost finished his baby quilt, which is made from little soft fabric remnants I've collected for a while. And since we will continue to cloth diaper, I made him a few dozen big, soft, turned and topstitched wipes. (It's the green spotted pile in the middle of the picture.) It is so sweet for me to think that in a few short weeks he will be here. His brother and sister talk about him all the time and can't wait to hold him. Some of my favorite baby memories of the others are at night, when the house is quiet and the big kids are in bed (I think this began with David) and our nightowl baby and I can snuggle together on the couch or take warm bath in the little tub in the kitchen by the heater vent. I'm so looking forward to meeting our Little Guy~ the eternal work God does in his life is so worth a few years of mine!

Meet our Sweetheart

And guess what? It's a boy! Can you believe it? We have 3 sons!

The Baby Boom

Exciting things are happening in our church these days, but the most exciting to me is the recent baby boom. Three months ago, there was only 1 pregnant lady in our church, and as the weeks went on, out came the announcements. In fact, the week we announced, we heard that there were two other blessings to our congregation on the way, too! And, I am due in the same week of 2 other ladies in church! I think that is so interesting, because God made these 3 babies within the same week and we moms didn't even know! So, now I am in a line of 5 expectant Reformation ladies, so if you would, pray for us and our unborn little ones if you think of us. I can't wait to see our little sweetie and all of his/her buddies! Did I also mention that this makes for fabulous company in the nursing room?

A little announcement

I emailed the above picture to my parents a week or two before Reformation Day to break the news to them that their 4th grandchild will, Lord-willing, arrive in June.

We are so thankful and undeserving and completely excited~ what joy! Tim and kids are over the moon (especially Dabney) and they talk about the baby all the time. I however am feeling lousy, which is a good thing. Anyhow, I thought I'd share our wonderful news and then retire again to the couch with some water. Have a great day.

P.S. Yes, Dabney designed her own pumpkin this year.

The New Man in my Life...

Whose kid is this? He can't be mine~ check out that hair!

I had to add this one, too, it just turned out so well!