To tide you over...

It's a cute video. Trust me. :)

Rambling now, pictures later... sorry.

Remember my plan for the office/playroom once my mother moved out? The time has come! For now, it is just a playroom. I need to build my work table (and I have to learn how) before it can really be an office-craft space for me. We got it all put together for the girls today (mostly tonight) and I took a bunch of pictures which I will upload and post soon. Matt's drumming his fingers waiting for me to go to bed. It's way past our bedtimes and we're pooped!

Right now I think it is the perfect space for the girls (they have yet to play in it so we'll see), and I'm hoping to just add my little worky/crafty area in above them. I'm going to build a counter-height table with shelves above and move in my huge bookcase that currently holds my work stuff in the dining room. Combined with a little space in the closet, I'm hoping that will be enough room for my work stuff, scrapbook stuff, wrapping paper, and office supplies. I'm hoping my VERY VERY handy father-in-law will help me build my table. He's in Kentucky though for like a long time (or a couple weeks). Okay Matt has stopped drumming his fingers and started snoring. I better wrap this up! I have the space alloted for the bookcase and table (okay there are some toys there now, but they'll move) when the time comes. I really can't start doing computer work and scrapping in there until the table is built, so I'm planning to just stay very contented with the way it is until I can build my table. I am very much looking forward to having a big, tall table to clip coupons, work on the computer, frame pictures, scrapbook, etc. without needing to clean up or fend off little fingers. I am literally aching for this space. I'm hoping actually to find another tall sturdy bookcase because I'd still like to have one in my dining room as well as the playroom. I'm a bookcase kind of girl. It makes me sad to have my books in boxes. I also need a filing cabinet -- there's a perfect spot for one in the closet. I'm tired of my sad little file crates. I feel so much better after my ramble. Looking forward to posting those pics soon and rambling some more!

Happy Father's Day Dad, other Dad, and Matt! And Happy Father's Day to you all!!

The Weekend, etc.

You've all suffered through six posts of no pictures of the beautiful Joanna and Natalie. You must wait no longer!

We took a family trip to the recycling center on Saturday (don't we have exciting lives?!). Joanna did not get recycled. :) Just some cute pics from the carseats:
Eating watermelon at the church picnic. So fun!
They had these stilt-things for the kiddos -- here's our friend Anna playing with them with her Daddy. (I took a few pics Lisa -- I will get them to you!)

Joanna's like "Hey, my turn."

So she and Matt gave it a shot. I think the 5 months difference between Anna and Joanna is significant in this matter. Joanna was not so successful at this.

She tried it with Anna's Daddy, too!

Natalie and I were there, too!

My sweet Natalie gets SO red when she's hot. I'm pretty sure she's just like me (and my mom) in that respect; it's not that she's necessarily overheated, it's just that's how our skin responds. Nevertheless, I stripped her to her diaper, nursed her, held her in front of the fan, and wiped her with a cool cloth when we got home. I dislike it being so hot outside. (I know... Houston may not be for me!) It's hot in the car. It's hot in the house. It's hot outside. It's freezing inside everywhere else. (I used to hate this; I LOVE it now.) I'm being a little lazy with my laundry lately (well, with all things, but this story is about my laundry). I'm still hanging most of it to dry outside, but I put it out early before it gets too hot and I pretty much wait until the evening to take it down. I actually need to head out there now. When I first started, I was taking the girls out there to play in the afternoon while I got the laundry off and folded it. It is just so hot, I can't make myself do that now! I think I'll adjust to the heat a little bit and we'll get back out there. I need to water my poor crunchy grass. That would be a fun activity -- I wonder if Joanna will like the sprinkler this year. She was pretty afraid of it last summer.

I've been doing pretty well the last couple of days, although I am SO glad it is Friday evening. I LOVE the weekends! I don't think I'm actually feeling different yet, but I've only had 2 days of meds. I did have a great morning this morning. Joanna woke up early, but we took the opportunity to really get going. We hung the laundry, had breakfast and got dressed. Then when Natalie was up and fed, we headed to Target. I finally got my coupons organized last night (It's been weeks!) and made shopping lists for Target, HEB, and Kroger. I was hoping to get two stores done today, but determined to get at least one. I've got a bunch of free coupons at HEB, so I may actually head there tonight (or tomorrow...), and Kroger's got some good deals on things I have coupons for. But I think Target's sales are Sun-Sat, so I needed to get there first. I'm not exactly sure why, but I love going to Target with Joanna (and Natalie, of course). Target is sort of peaceful to me. And they've got a cart I can fit both girls in (Natalie in her carseat) and still have room for groceries... and my purse, diaper bag, and reusable shopping bags.

Here's why I wanted to hit Target:

6 jumbo packs of Huggies for $32.94

I'm really hoping I don't have too many Natalie diapers in the house. Of course, I know plenty of little babies coming behind us if I have overbought. Natalie continues to fill 'em up, though. :)

Anyway, here's the breakdown (and I don't care if it's TMI for any of you -- skip ahead; there are more pics of the girls).

1 size 2 supreme (36 diapers)

2 size 3 snug and dry (36 diapers each)

1 size 3 supreme (31 diapers)

1 size 4 snug and dry (31 diapers)

1 size 5 supreme (23 diapers)

Each package was on sale for $8.99. When you buy 3 packages, you get a Target GC for $5. I had 4 $2 off coupons and 2 $1.50 off coupons.

That makes each package $5.49 and each diaper $0.17.

I got 193 diapers for $53.94 before coupons, $42.94 after coupons, and $32.94 after the Target GCs (if you sort of count them as coupons). Target GCs are like cash if you ask me. This is the first time Joanna's had "name brand" diapers in months! Natalie's been wearing "Mickey Mouse" diapers lately (due to the last Huggies deal at Kroger) and Joanna's very excited to be joining her. I bought the size 5 supremes for her to sleep in since overnight diapers weren't part of the deal. With all this Huggies talk, I must mention that we are still Pampers girls at heart, but Huggies diapers have SUCH better coupons and sales that sometimes we just can't help ourselves... you know?

After all that rambling you just read, here are a couple more pics from this week.

This is a zucchini squash -- can you believe that?! I think it came from the garden of Matt's cousin -- it's huge! Instead of just taking a picture of it, I had Joanna hold it so you'd get the full effect of it's hugeness.

On our way out the door the other day, Joanna put a headband bow on Natalie. Sisters are so sweet!

Just for my records

Since I don't reliably write things down anywhere else and I'm bound to want this information later...

• My thyroid level from the blood work (taken last Friday the 12th at 8:30ish a.m.) was a 10 (normal is like 0.5-5 or something close to that).
• I started taking the medication this morning (Thursday June 18th) at 6:42am. You're supposed to take it 1/2 to 1 hour before breakfast -- ick! So my wonderful husband is giving it to me on his way out the door theoretically before I have to get up and wrangle little ones. I always wake up HUNGRY!
• I have really really wonderful friends and family.

Hypothyroidism

It never occured to me I was sick. I was just tired (which it never occured to me was a symptom of anything) and getting tireder. Recently I've just been so lethargic. I can't keep up with my house and I don't want to. All I want to do is sit down and rest. It's all I can do to get myself up and my teeth brushed. I never wear make-up and I wear like the same 4 outfits over and over again (my girls do, too). The giant laundry pile is just getting gianter -- I have no energy to fold it and put it away. I'm never caught up with dishes; something is always dirty or drying or waiting to be handwashed. Papers are piled up waiting to be dealt with; coupons are uncut. But now I know why!! I'm not just incredibly lazy! I might be a little lazy, sure, but I'm really looking forward to this medicine kicking in. I will be so thankful and so excited if I really start having more energy and feeling less lethargic. I'll start taking the meds tomorrow morning (an hour BEFORE breakfast -- ick!) so time will tell.

I'm sure there are some cute pics of my kiddos on the camera -- I'll get them up soon, hopefully!

Thyroid

I had routine lab work done last week, and my thyroid levels came back low. I'm waiting to hear back from my doctor's office on what that means with breastfeeding. Anybody have any experience with that? I've done some reading online (I know, kind of dangerous:) ) and it looks that throid meds ARE compatible with breastfeeding, which is really good news. Thinking back, I bet my thyroid levels were low when I was nursing Joanna, too. I didn't have a regular doctor back then, though, and I don't think I had blood work done. That's just something that crossed my mind. Anyway, it's interesting that some of the symptoms for low thyroid are EXACTLY the same symptoms of new mommy-hood: tiredness, hair loss, depression. Although lately I've been sooooo tired and lethargic -- just wanting to nap and lay down all the time. Turns out I had an excuse! Ha!

Ya'll, I get so nervous when taking anything while breastfeeding. I only want to do what's best for Miss Natalie, and I tend to get a little obsessed. Please pray for my anxiety!

Bad news: Joanna woke up coughing and all snargely. She's pretty pitiful.

Good news: Natalie's still asleep in the crib! She slept through her sister waking up and everything. I'm pretty uncomfortable since she hasn't eaten for 12 hours, but I'll take it! Hopefully it's a sign that she's getting bigger and older, not that she's sick too or something.

Joanna just told me that Natalie's awake. I don't hear her yet, but Miss SuperEars usually hears her first...