Custom Play Mat

How cool is this?!

I saw this post at Ohdeedoh today, and I’m thinking one of my children needs this for Christmas!  Okay, that’s a lie; they don’t need it.  But it’s way cool!  It’s from an Etsy seller, boardstiff.  Had to share!

Craft Time

This evening I felt inspired to do a little craft with the girls.  So I cut up a bunch of tissue paper, poured a little Mod Podge, and let them go after it!

Prepping their paper with a little watered down Mod Podge:

Natalie LOVED “painting” and would throw a fit if I tried to get her to stop!

Such concentration!

 

I think this would have kept them busy (and very messy) for a LONG TIME!  I’ll have to pull it back out after rest time this week and see if it helps with the grumpies.  They threw a fit when it was time to stop (they were tired!), so I may be asking for trouble if we don’t do it first thing in the morning. :)

Terrific Tuesday

This weekend I managed to get a little spurt of energy/desire to clean up the house a bit.  I really really love when the house is picked up and cleanish, but it takes so long to do and so little time to undo!  Anyway, Matt even cleaned the bathrooms for me Monday night, meaning that my house was about as clean as it gets on Tuesday morning!  Pair that with the girls sleeping until 7:30, and I was feeling pretty good!

It was a school/work day so we headed to the church.  There’s one week a month that the preschool kids can order pizza for lunch, so both girls got to eat pizza at school (translation: I DID NOT HAVE TO PACK LUNCHES!)  Oh, that was delightful!! 

I had to take a picture of Natalie in her new Oshkosh jumper – so cute!  I can’t remember what the face was about, but it’s part of her “drama” look.  :)

I needed to run to the store and do a few more things around the house for Enchilada night (!!!), so I was hoping to have some non-work MDO time.  Worship planning got pushed back to 3:00 (and my mom was around and willing and able to watch the girls!) so I had from 11:30-2:30 (Whoo hoo!) to run errands and clean up the house.  I was really tired and moving slowly, but I managed to get a few things done.

My plan was to grab the girls, run them home to my mom, and head back to the church.  Well, I got a call from Matt at 2:00, and he was in Kingwood!  He’d gone to work early to get home early and had a light day, patient-wise, so he came home very early!!  So I told him to meet me at the church to pick up the girls.  Just the other day Joanna was commenting to my mom that she wanted her Daddy to pick her up from school.  (She’d seen some Daddies picking up one day.)  So the girls were thrilled that Matt got to pick them up and then take them home while I stayed for my meeting.

That evening we had Mamma and Pop and Andy and Christiana over for substitute enchilada night at the Pences’!

This is a picture of the girls’ stack.  I cut off about a third for Natalie, leaving the rest (with the egg) for Joanna.  Joanna pretty much cleaned her plate, and Natalie had quite a few bites of hers.  A success for sure!

I caught a picture of Pop helping Daddy in the kitchen, with Joanna looking on.  She is very ready to be Daddy’s helper!

 

Finally the chef got to sit down and eat his stack!  He has a very studious face here!

Story behind this particular outfit: At some point this weekend Natalie developed a diaper rash that ended up causing some pretty ugly sores to develop.  Not sure what caused the diaper rash; not sure why it got worse – oy!  Anyway, last night it was pretty bad so I wanted to keep her naked some.  With our visitors over, I decided to put something on her.  I ended up pinning on a prefold without a cover, which allowed lots of airflow, but stopped any elimination from getting everywhere.  :)  Turns out I’m really bad at pinning diapers though.  She had some saggy drawers!

Andy and Christiana brought over Blue Bell vanilla and cones for dessert!! 

The girls LOVE their Andy and Christiana!

It was a really wonderful day with good family time and a pretty clean house!  It’s funny how my mood is so tied to the mess (or lack thereof) in my house, but it also corresponds to my energy level.  Tired=messy house=grumpy until something turns it around! 

Even though I’m exhausted this evening, I’m going to take a shower and pick up the house before I sit down to relax.  In the long run, it will make me feel better!

37 Weeks

37 weeks

How Your Baby’s Growing (from Babycenter.com):

Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

How far along: 37 weeks

Pregnancy symptoms: Braxton Hicks, back pain, constant need to pee, heartburn, itchiness

Food Cravings: ice, shakes, oatmeal

Sleep: still pretty good (amazingly!).  Last night I was up three times (exactly 3 hours apart!) to pee, but I was able to go easily back to sleep.

Measurement: ?? inches around the belly, 194.5lbs

Movement: lots of feet kicking me in the top part of my belly (thankfully!)

Labor signs: not really

What I miss: snuggling my girls close to me

What I’m looking forward to: seeing my little man in his tiny cloth diapers! 

Milestone: 37 weeks is “full term” – pretty exciting!  I also worked a bunch on our bedroom this weekend so there’s a proper “nook” for Baby Brother.  And it’s almost actually clean. 

Thoughts from the Girls: They are excited!

Doctor’s visit: I had my 37 week visit this morning.  Wonderful Lisa watched the girls again (yay!) so it was like a little vacation laying there on the table.  No exam this week, but she felt around the outside and asked, “Are you feeling a lot of pressure down there?”  So it wasn’t my imagination that he felt lower!  It was Tuesday of last week that I realized he felt low – lots of back pain and pressure.  The pain’s not fun I guess, but he’s headed the right direction!  I had blood work last week for something else which is fine, but turns out I’m very anemic.  Boo.  My doctor’s pretty worried, so I’m increasing my efforts in remembering to take an iron supplement.  And by golly I’m going to have a steak this week!  And as soon as I get to store I’m putting spinach on everything I eat.  I had heard from a couple of people that craving chewing ice was a sign of anemia – guess in this case that’s true!

Baby-related projects:

• Pack a basic hospital bag.  **Done!
• Assemble a call list of people who can either (or both) drive me to the hospital if Matt’s at work and watch the girls.  **Done!
• Clean the house – really clean it, and keep it clean.  **I actually made some progress this weekend, and Matt has offered to clean the bathrooms for us tonight – LOVE HIM!
• Get some meals in the freezer: casseroles, soups, browned meat, cooked chicken, etc. **not so much has been done here, but I do have a few leftover things packed away and Matt has gotten ahead on making bread.
• Sell stuff at Baby Daze and KYS.  Planning to clear out the bedroom of stuff this weekend.  **Done and everything else is OUT of the bedroom – took a load to Goodwill and a load to Half Price Books this weekend.  I have a couple of large bins in the garage that will be the “dumping ground” for things to sell or donate.  When they’re full, they go!  No more getting as behind as we were with junk!
•  Pull the “newborn” gear from the attic: bathtub and bouncy seat.

Some cute “sibling” pictures!

Substitute Chef

Normally every other Tuesday night we go over to Grandma’s house for enchilada night!  Well, my Grandma is out of town for a few weeks, so she brought over provisions and instructions before she left.  The recipe said “For Matt” at the top so I’m not touching it!

We had a “trial run” on Friday so we could test out the system before inviting other people to eat whatever happened.  :)

Doesn’t he look so cute in the kitchen?  He’s been spending a bit more time there lately.  It’s just hard to be 9 months pregnant and in the kitchen, barefoot or not, you know?

Here’s mine – doesn’t it look perfect?!  He even fried the egg!!

Yup, I’d say it was a success.

So Tuesday night will be substitute enchilada night at the Pence’s!

Tea Parties, French Braids, and Ruffle Socks

Oh, and laundry.  The life of a girl.  :)  Can you believe this child?  She’s strong!

The girls pulled out the tea party stuff to play with yesterday.  (Actually I think Matt pulled it out and convinced them to play tea party with him.)

I decided it was time for the church shoes and ruffle socks this morning!  It’s not actually cool out or anything, but not too hot for a few hours.  Poor Joanna had to cram her feet into those shoes.  Black church shoes are on the shopping list for her for sure!

After I stopped taking pictures, they kept holding hands as we walked to Sunday School.  Oh. My. So. Cute.

Sometimes Joanna will let me braid her hair in church.  It keeps her still for a few minutes.  I had to take a picture so she could see it.

We grabbed Natalie for the last few minutes of the service.  Both girls are very interested in the kneeling rail and watching the organist.

I took some “37 week” preggo shots this afternoon just in case I don’t get around to it tomorrow.  I will post after my doctor’s appointment in the morning.

Natalieishness

I’ve been needing to do an “All about Natalie” post for a little while.  She’s amazing and changing so much all the time!  Here goes.  Natalie…

• loves to sing.  She sings many things well enough that they’re recognizable. 
• talks up a storm.
• has a really huge vocabulary.  I may try to list all the words she says regularly but not here.
• really understands a ton, even some jokes.  :)
• Will attempt to say anything, even if it doesn’t make it into her regular rotation of words.
• is sleeping in the toddler bed.  She actually sometimes falls asleep in it instead of the floor.
• goes to Mother’s Day Out twice a week and seems to be enjoying it.  She naps there.
• can put on her little croc shoes by herself.  She can even go get them and put them away too.
• likes taking papers to the recycling bin for me.
• is crazy about being outside.  Her mother is not.
• puts her dirty laundry in the hamper.
• is an independent but pretty messy eater.
• loves trains.
• is an amazingly skilled dancer.  :)
• plays really well with her sister, even though she (Natalie) is kind of headstrong and stubborn.
• likes to lift up my shirt and give Baby Brother hugs.  Tear fest.
• is currently obsessed with my moles.  She points to them and says “mole.”  A lot.
• says “cheese” anytime she sees the camera.
• is a good napper.
• likes to snuggle.
• still sucks her thumb and puts her finger in her belly button.
• will not be wearing onesies this fall, even though I happen to have some in her size.
• wears a medium cloth diaper or a one-size on the medium setting.
• is wearing 18 months and 2T clothes.  Much of the 18 month stuff is getting short or tight but she’ll wear it thru the warm weather.
• wears a size 5 shoe.
• is really growing some hair in the back, but not so much in the bangs department -- exactly like her sister.  She’s more blonde than Joanna though.
• loves being tickled.
• will say “me” if you point at yourself and say “Who is this?”  Don’t you think that is hilarious?
• loves her gummy vitamins.
• loves chewing ice.
• doesn’t let herself get trompled by older sisters or friends.  She’s a “hold her own” kind of gal.
• likes to sit on the floor and flip through books.
• is so amazing and wonderful that a little list cannot really describe her.
• is incredibly loved by her Momma, Daddy, and big sister.

Natalie Sleep

Natalie has been one tired girl lately.  Her sleep is all messed up (maybe because of the new school routine?), and she’s struggling a little bit.  I try to keep us out of the car in the noonish range since I know she’ll fall asleep, but it isn’t always possible.  I really want her napping at home (so I can get my nap, too!)  Yesterday we picked my mom up from the airport.  We left the house about 11:45, and Natalie was crashed by the time we hit the highway. 

She had probably an hour nap so that’s good.  Unfortunately it’s so early that she falls apart about 5:00pm or so.  Both girls have been waking up in the 6:00am hour for the past week, and it’s wreaking havoc on them us.  :)  They are so exhausted in the evenings that they have trouble getting to sleep (vicious cycle).  It really doesn’t matter what time I put them to bed, so I’ve been trying for a little on the early side just to make sure they’re getting their rest.  Whoa I’m rambling.

Anyway, today at about 11:30 I realized I hadn’t heard from Natalie in a little while.  I wasn’t worried, we were all moving around the house, picking up and organizing, and I figured she’d found herself a spot in the playroom to read books or something.  I was on the floor of my bedroom so I sent Joanna to check on her.  She came running back, beckoning me to see Natalie.

She’d found herself a spot in the playroom alright!

When you wake up at 6:40, you’re ready for a nap before noon I guess!

I left her there.  I didn’t close the door because it has a very loud squeak.  I figured she’d sleep a few minutes, then wake up hungry for lunch, and I’d be able to put her down for an “afternoon” nap a little later.  Even with the door open she slept for about an hour and a half!  She even turned over onto her sweet spot at some point.  Man that kid is cute.

I’ll probably try to lay her down at about 3:00, but I’m not holding my breath!  She’s happy now.  And I got a couple of pictures of the playroom right after we picked up!  ‘Cause that is soooo not what it looked like this morning.  :)

The fun of putting together a new stroller!

Our new stroller was (one of!) our splurge items this baby go around.  I really prefer buying this kind of thing used (greener, cheaper), but I couldn’t find just what I wanted.  I loved having our sit-n-stand with the girls, but Natalie’s technically a little young for the stand part.  If I want to start using it right away (and I do), I really would prefer having her in a seat.  So I found a sit-n-stand that offers two full seats which both accept a carseat, but the back seat can be converted into the “jump seat” that is standard on the sit-n-stand.  Another cool feature is that I can put the carseat in the seat closest to me and Natalie up front.  She can see the world; I can see the baby.  I decided to sell our sit-n-stand as well as the side by side double umbrella stroller we had.  I liked the double umbrella, but it didn’t fit in many doorways, which was troublesome to say the very least.  By selling both of those and adding in the Target gift cards we received (!!), we were able to buy the stroller without dipping into our baby savings.  That’s a nice feeling!

It came today, and we spent a few minutes getting it ready for flight.  And playing (on the part of the girls) and taking pictures (on the part of me).

The box made for a good little tunnel!

 

It came basically assembled; the trays and wheels had to be snapped on.

The girls are very good helpers in this kind of situation.  :)

     

Time for a test drive!

We just went to the mailbox and back, which was not enough for Natalie!  She threw a fit when it was time to get out.  Daddy may just have to take them on a longer trip this weekend.