This and That

It’s rare for me to capture a sleeping Joanna.  She usually sleeps in her bed at regular sleeping times.  :)  But one morning she’d gotten up early and then crashed on the couch.  She stayed asleep through all of our morning noise as well.  I do really love that that child can often sleep through some crazyness.

I was making myself some scrambled eggs one day, and this is how they cracked in the bowl.  It made me smile.  :)

This is one of Joanna’s faces that I think I could look at forever and ever.

It was last Thursday morning (I know because that was water day at school.)  She is always carrying that boy around on her back.  I really hope she doesn’t hurt herself!

This boy has gooooood outfits.  He didn’t break his neck just prior to this picture, he was looking at someone else and doing his cocked head smile.

From Sunday.  Matt was taking my 25 week “preggo pose” and kept shooting  as I was turning.  I like how it turned out though – I look kind of contemplative.

Sunday afternoon we went over to Mamma and Pop’s house since a couple of cousins were in town!  Jenny and Heather took Joanna and Natalie to the frozen yogurt place for a little cousin date and then we were all back at the house being silly and playing.

Natalie loves Jenny’s dog.

Piggy back rides!

Jail!

This boy must have held a grape in each cheek for at least 30 minutes.  He only finally ate them because Mamma had some olives.  :)

Poor life size Barbie James.  The girls brought him out to the living room the other morning having dressed him up as Sleeping Beauty.

He had to lift it up to walk.  Good sport, that one.  :)

Sunday our Vandengirls got back into town, and we got to go over for lunch and some playing on Monday!!!!

They sure missed each other!!!!!!!

This is kind of a cheater post where I shove all the recent need-to-blog pictures in, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do!

Trust

This morning I told Natalie to put a big pile of laundry in the basket then bring it into the laundry room.  Even though she’s done a similar job before, she said “that’s too hard.” I found myself saying “It won’t be too hard.  Momma never gives you jobs that are too hard for you.”

And WHAM.

It is even more so with our heavenly father.  Infinitely more than I know what Natalie is capable of, the Lord knows what we can do and doesn’t expect more than that.

Back in the spring I started thinking more about homeschooling Joanna.  And not just thinking about it, but actually wanting to do it.  I put up a wall and wouldn’t let myself go there though.  I thought, the year I have two newborns due is not the year to start homeschooling!  “La la la la la la la” hands over ears Lord.  But he kept insisting.  I kept reading things and feeling a teeny bit empowered.  I think the second trimester of pregnancy will do that to you.  :)

God knows what I will be capable of this year and has led me to a place where I’m starting to feel it too.

I’m going to homeschool Joanna for first grade.

25 Weeks

25 weeks

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

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — 1 1/2 pounds — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

How far along: 25 weeks

Pregnancy symptoms: heartburn, tiredness, aches and pains everywhere

Food Cravings: Chinese food (I blame you Heather Pence:)), ice cream, ice water

Food Aversions: I haven’t had much in the way of aversions lately – wahoo!  I’ll keep this category just in case something crops up.

Sleep: It’s not too bad lately.  I’ve only had one night recently that I was up for a couple of hours in the middle of the night.  I wake up a lot to visit the bathroom or make Matt stop snoring, but I’m usually able to fall quickly back to sleep.

Measurement: about 47.5 inches around

Movement: Lots!

Labor signs: Occasional Braxton Hicks

What I miss: Laying on my belly, getting comfortable in any position

What I’m looking forward to: going through the baby boy clothes, cool weather

Milestone: Well, I’m 50 weeks pregnant!  If you add up 25 weeks with each little boy.  :)

Thoughts from the children: Nothing specific is coming to mind; they’re all just so sweet and supportive about the babies.

Doctor’s visit: Not for a coupleish more weeks

Other thoughts: I’m feeling a bit third-trimestery lately.  I’m not officially there yet, but my uterus is!  I feel very much like I did at the end with all the pregnancies, and I may (hopefully!) have as many as 13 weeks left.  That is kind of a long time.  :)  I very much hope that I’ll be able to carry them until 38 weeks or very close or until they’re totally done baking, even though it will be hard.  I’m to the point where I really need to rest A LOT, but there’s also just so much to do.  After this week, the “busy” part of our summer should be over, and we can begin to settle into a fall routine, filled with bits of rest for the momma.

Baby-related projects:

• I’m putting this on the list kind of after the fact: Work on potty training James.  Hallelujah that boy is doing so so well!
• Clean up/organize the girls’ room to make space for eventual James.
• Go to IKEA.  Look at and possibly purchase the Kura low loft bed and shallow mattress for the girls.  **I’ve been putting this off since it is logistically hard, but we are ready to get this done!
• Move the majority of the toys into the main living area to make space for sleeping and clothes in the bedrooms. I still need to sort through and organize the books, which are in a giant pile on the floor.
• Do some research on the best sleeping arrangements for newborn twins.  *I’m currently planning to use a standard sized pack and play with the newborn “shelf” in it for our bedroom when they’re bitty.  If we discover they don’t sleep well with each other, we can always switch to two pack and plays or just use the cribs.
• Figure out number of diapers that would be ideal for the babies.  **I think at this point we’ll just get a few more newborn sized diapers and then wait and see what works when they come.
• Pick out infant car seats.
• Organize James’ closet.  (This is where the not-in-use clothes live as well as a lot of baby things, and it’s a super-pit.) 
• Shop for a king sized bed.  We really really really really want one.  :)  But the logistics and expense may mean this isn’t the best time.
• Tinker with a baby registry.  We don’t need much, but I have started putting some things on an Amazon registry when I think about them
• Pull the baby boy clothes from the attic and take inventory.
• Possibly get some maternity/family pictures made.  Need to find someone wonderful and affordable and look more into this.  **I think most of my hesitation around scheduling something like this is just how so stinkin’ hot it is outside, with cool weather too far down the line.
• Wash, dry, fold, put away the newborn-3 months clothes.  **I may do this very soon, or I may wait until we’re a bit closer.  The boys are going to use the cubbies as their “dresser” which means the clothes will be kind of out and mess-with-able by the big kids, so I’m not sure I’m ready to get them organized yet.  :)

Random Miscellany

When all the “regular” toys are picked up, it’s a favorite thing to do to pick out something from the closet to play with in the nursery room.

The girls made churches and castles with the blocks – cool!

One day James fell asleep in the car (must have been a weekend), and Matt brought him inside.  I told him to lay him on the couch, and I tried to wake him up.  I finally got him to respond, and I asked him if he could wake up.  He said no.  :(  Poor baby!  So I picked him up and laid him on Natalie’s bed to have a little nap.  (His bed is too close to the floor and under Joanna’s bed – momma can’t get down there holding a big ol’ boy!

We have a couple of card games that have been hanging out in my bedroom.  The kids love to “play” them when they get up in the morning.

Last week sometime for something, I did half up pigtail braids for the girls.

So pretty!

Here too!

They got haircuts just a couple of days ago, so I’ll have to post those pics.  Their hair looks so much more fresh and bouncy at the bottom after a trim!

Parties!

A couple of weeks ago, we had two parties to go to over the weekend.  We are such hip, happenin’ people.  :)

The first was for a lady that Matt works with who is moving away.

There were some “big girls” there that my girls just loved!

The next afternoon we went to Laura’s first birthday party!

I LOVE this picture!

We got her a stacker thingie that she can do a little bit now and then grown into.  :)

At some point her grandma put Natalie’s flip flops on her – ha!

Awwwwwwww!

Cupcake time!

Like many one year olds, she was “eh” about the whole thing. :)

They were really yummy though!!

See?

Lovins!

And some storytime.  Such fun!

Happy birthday to our sweet Laura!!

New Blog Header!

I was deeply attached to my old blog header that my marvelously talented friend Amy did for me a few years ago.

You remember --

BUT she had moved and changed computers and all that kind of thing and didn’t have the file anymore, or at least not easily findable.  Anyway, that meant I/she couldn’t just go in and swap out new pictures for the old ones.  Which is why James has been like 6 months old for a couple of years now.  :)  I just didn’t want to let it go!!

I knew I possibly had the skill set (or at least ability to learn) to create my own blog header all by myself.

So I finally did.

It took me nine million hours.

And as you can see, I have no actual ideas of my own and shamelessly stole the general design from Amy’s.

Um, I hope she doesn’t mind.  :)

And I didn’t do the pictures in a smart way (clipping mask, I think?) that will make it super easy to switch out pictures when the boys come, so it might be roughly two years before they really make it onto the header. :)

Such is life.

I need to go fold laundry and pick up now.

But I’m probably just going to watch TV and eat ice cream.

24 Weeks

24 weeks

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

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at about 1 1/3 pounds. Since he's almost a foot long (about the size of an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

How far along: 24 weeks

Pregnancy symptoms: heartburn, tiredness, aches and pains (some specifics: groin pain, hip pain, back pain, feet/ankle pain), swollen ankles

Food Cravings: fresh fruit, chocolate

Food Aversions: I haven’t had much in the way of aversions lately – wahoo!  I’ll keep this category just in case something crops up.

Sleep: I definitely had worse, but I’m pretty tired.  I sleep okay through the night, but most of the time wake up very sore.  And wanting a lot more sleep.  :)

Measurement: about inches around

Movement: Lots and lots!  Sometimes when they’re very gymnastic, I can see the belly move on the outside.

Labor signs: Occasional Braxton Hicks

What I miss: I officially really miss sleeping on my belly.  And having a comfortable position for reading a book.

What I’m looking forward to: Ummmmm… I’m definitely looking forward to cooler weather and getting the baby boy clothes down from the attic.  But I’m also in a pretty happy, content place right now.

Milestone: Someone asked me yesterday if I was going to beat Kate Middleton (as in, deliver before her).  Ouch.  :)  I really do look imminently due to most people I guess.  And if I tell people I’m only such and such weeks and don’t tell them it’s twins, their faces are pretty funny.  :)

Thoughts from the children: Nothing specific is coming to mind; they’re all just so sweet and supportive about the babies.

Doctor’s visit: I had one on Friday, including an ultrasound.  I didn’t write down everything, but here is what I did record.
-I’m 208.1 lbs.  This actually made my doctor concerned, but I’m not.  :)  I gained easily 50 pounds with most of my singleton pregnancies, so twins is bound to be a bit more!  And I’ve only gained 35-40 pounds so far.  Ha!  This is the heaviest I’ve ever been though.
-Blood pressure was 140/60 which is a bit high for me but they weren’t worried
-I only wrote down one of the boys’ heart rates – 157.  The tech didn’t say the other one out loud and I forgot to make her go back and look.  They are both around 1 1/2 lbs – wahoo boys!  Specifically they were measured at 1lb 7oz and 1lb 11oz.  They measure by looking at lengths of different parts of their bodies via ultrasound.  So it’s not an exact thing.  Baby A is is on my right, head down (good boy!!), and Baby B is on the left in breech position.

Other thoughts: I am really pretty sore all the time.  It’s hard to do things I want to do around the house.  I’m not really complaining, but it is hard.  Last week I got the absolute NEED to clean out James closet right now, and ouch did I ever hurt myself!  Fortunately I felt “better” within a day or two, but I was a little worried about what I had done to myself!  And it’s a little hard on Matt to pick up my slack.  The kids so their part pretty well, but they’re little.  It’s really helping to keep the toy count down a bit and everything pretty clutter free.

Baby-related projects:

• I’m putting this on the list kind of after the fact: Work on potty training James.  Hallelujah that boy is doing so so well!
• Clean up/organize the girls’ room to make space for eventual James.
• Go to IKEA.  Look at and possibly purchase the Kura low loft bed and shallow mattress for the girls.  **I’ve been putting this off since it is logistically hard, but we are ready to get this done!
• Move the majority of the toys into the main living area to make space for sleeping and clothes in the bedrooms. I still need to sort through and organize the books, which are in a giant pile on the floor.
• Do some research on the best sleeping arrangements for newborn twins.  *I’m currently planning to use a standard sized pack and play with the newborn “shelf” in it for our bedroom when they’re bitty.  If we discover they don’t sleep well with each other, we can always switch to two pack and plays or just use the cribs.
• Figure out number of diapers that would be ideal for the babies.  **I think at this point we’ll just get a few more newborn sized diapers and then wait and see what works when they come.
• Pick out infant car seats. 
• Organize James’ closet.  (This is where the not-in-use clothes live as well as a lot of baby things, and it’s a super-pit.)  Done, and Hallelujah!
• Shop for a king sized bed.  We really really really really want one.  :)  But the logistics and expense may mean this isn’t the best time.
• Tinker with a baby registry.  We don’t need much, but I have started putting some things on an Amazon registry when I think about them
• Pull the baby boy clothes from the attic and take inventory.  **I think this is really on the list for this week.  I have a couple of things to go up, so I’m just waiting one Matt to have a few minutes to go sweat in the attic.
• Reconvert the double stroller back to a double stroller from a sit-n-stand.
• Possibly get some maternity/family pictures made.  Need to find someone wonderful and affordable and look more into this.  **I think most of my hesitation around scheduling something like this is just how so stinkin’ hot it is outside, with cool weather too far down the line.

On my mind

So…I have spent much of the weekend looking at homeschool curriculum.  I’m finding myself slightly obsessed.  I haven’t one hundred percent decided to homeschool Joanna in the fall, but I’m feeling really really really led in that direction.  For the past couple of years I’ve thought a lot about homeschooling, but I really didn’t want to do it.  I kind of felt like I was being led to homeschool but I was seriously resisting that leading.  Part of me wanted to want to, but I just didn’t.  I didn’t want to work that hard, and I didn’t want to try and figure out how to care for small children while teaching the older ones.  I felt confidence in the knowledge that I could homeschool if I needed to, but I didn’t need to.

Fast forward a year and I find myself thinking a lot about it again, but this time really wanting to homeschool.  Since the spring, I’ve really thought about how it might work for us this coming up year.  I no longer want to want to homeschool, I feel a little like I need to homeschool.  I’m a little worried it might not be the best timing though.  That’s me and my not trusting God self though, as who am I to know when it’s a good time?  This would be such an easier decision if Joanna had had a bad experience in Kindergarten.  She had an awesome experience though, and really thrived.  It was me that had so much trouble, and with things I’d mostly never even thought about!  I missed her during the day.  I HATED the schedule – it felt like our lives were completely controlled by the time that school started and let out.  I deeply deeply hated packing lunches everyday.  I so desperately wanted to enjoy the beautiful weather we had in the middle part of the year by staying outside with the kids but found we were slaves to dinner and bedtime to be ready for school the next day.  I have so very enjoyed our flexibility this summer!  The kids are so fun to be around, and we love spending time together during the day.  So I’m also feeling a bit like this is a selfish decision to possibly homeschool.  Is it what’s best for Joanna?  Or what’s best for me?

Most of the time when I’m thinking about something big, I keep it to myself for awhile while I let it grow and tumble around in my brain.  With this, I was worried that I would come across opposition from Matt, Joanna, and my mom (three people whose opinions I needed in this decision).  I guess in a way I felt like even though I wanted to homeschool this year, I wasn’t supposed to.  So yesterday I started talking to Matt about it, thinking he could start thinking about it and eventually give me some feedback.  Usually he takes a little while to mull things, especially things that involve change.  But he was almost immediately excited and supportive (well, maybe not of the price tag on the curriculum I’m looking at!)  Then, knowing she wouldn’t be onboard, I thought I’d talk to Joanna about it so she could begin maybe getting used to the idea.  She was immediately excited when I asked her how she would feel if I homeschooled her for first grade.  What?!!  Then my mother and I talked for an hour on the phone this afternoon, and she is totally supportive!  I really thought she’d try to talk me out of it.  :)

I’ve spent the afternoon browsing and choosing curriculum I think I would like to use for our first year.  Again, we have NOT decided for sure to do this, but it doesn’t hurt to do a little window-shopping online.  :)  I know for me that I need a full curriculum with lesson plans already done that tells me exactly what to do everyday.  This year is going to be crazy enough without trying to reinvent the wheel.  I did that my first year of teaching, and it’s no fun!  (Well, hi 22 year old girl with no teaching experience – here’s an empty classroom, and 20 7 year olds will be arriving in a couple of weeks.  Good luck!  I kid you not.)  Anyway, I know for myself that I thrive on having instructions and the freedom to ditch them for what may work better.

I want to share some of the pros and cons I’ve come up with for homeschooling.  It helps to “talk” all this out here on the ol’ blog.   These are pretty much just how they came out of my brain today, and some of them may overlap.

Pros:

• More time with Joanna
• Joanna will be able to get to know the twins as she’s gotten to know James and Natalie.
• Flexible daily schedule
• flexible bedtime and wake time
• not rushed mornings
• no lunches to pack!
• time off when we need/want it
• able to include the Bible and our religion into the education!
• control over the emphasis in her education
• ability to learn with family

Cons:

• Start up cost (I’m sure I could do it for less, but especially now my time is very valuable)
• stress on me – prep and assessment, etc.
• lack of same age peers for Joanna
• May be missing some extras in the curriculum like art, music, and physical education, especially down the line
• No one else to be responsible for kids’ education, no feedback from others regarding assessment
• lack of learning how to learn from many adults, not just me

I’m not committing to anything without giving us at least another full week, maybe two of thinking/praying/talking about it.  And as I’ve discussed with my peeps today, all I would be committing to is ONE YEAR of homeschool.  We’ll always take it one year at a time and evaluate what works or doesn’t.  If this “experiment” fails, we have an excellent public school up the road that will happily take her back in the 2nd grade.  :)

I do appreciate kind, well-meaning input, if you’ve got any.

Girls and Boys

The girls were both rocking jean skirts and leggings one day, so I had to take some pics.  Don’t they look horrified?!

That’s a little better!

And… just turn around, then I don’t have to worry about your expression.  :)

I had another ultrasound of the boys today, and I’ll post more details with my weekly post on Monday.  For now, just some cute pics!

Baby B’s face!

Baby B with his hands in front of his face.

Baby A’s profile!

Such handsome boys!!

This and that from the not too distant past

Gotta love this guy’s style.  :)

Back when Junior was visiting, somebody put a necklace on him.  Poor guy.

This is Joanna’s little video camera.  James got ahold of it and was pretending to take pictures.

Good practice, I say!

On Saturday my mom and I ran a few errands with the kiddos and ended up at Long John Silver’s to eat lunch.  It was fun!

Joanna didn’t want to wear the pirate hat until we got home.