Channeling ALL those nesting instincts...

SO my induction date has been moved up to Thursday. Seems my doctor has a family emergency (I am assuming funeral or some other such issue) that has him leaving Friday for a week. So it's either a matter of being induced on Thursday, or being delivered by a different doctor when I go into labor on my own. Due to my own personal feelings on this, as well as Joe's feelings on it, we both decided Thursday will be the big day!

Baby Matthew is arriving in 2 DAYS! Crazy huh?! I am pretty excited to meet him, and I am very much ready to be done with this whole pregnancy thing... In the meantime, I have a minor dilemma. That dilemma arrives in the form of my Mother in Law. Whom I adore! But- she will be spending all day Thursday at my house watching my monkeys to make sure Lilia gets to school and dance class okay. She is going to be HERE. ALL DAY. Which means one thing for me. I GOTTA get my house as clean as I can manage, because I don't want her to walk in and feel the need to clean my house. If she were to walk into the house today she would for sure be saying, "and I let my SON marry THIS?!" But to be fair, I had a fairly bad pregnancy day yesterday and spent most of the day on the couch... But not today, no siree! I am gonna be cleaning like a mad woman, and the laundry WILL be washed, dried, folded, and put away!

And the best news of all? I can mop, sweep, and vacuum to my hearts content. Though up until now it has been forbidden (per doctors orders)... Why? Because who cares if it puts me into labor?! :D

So- wish me luck in my nesting adventures. The best news here is purely this: I have been nesting now for a few weeks, and so the house isn't really too bad... I just need to get the surface areas clean and convince Lil to clean her room.

Lil-isms from yesterday

I love my kids. They make my life so much more interesting, and bring a whole new level of love to the table. That being said, sometimes I can't help but shake my head at the blunt (mean) things I hear coming out of my eldest daughter's mouth. :)

Before church, I was helping Lil go over some spelling words for school... she (being a bit on the odd side) really loves doing her homework, so that's what she chose to do. Well, one of her words was "but." She giggled and said, "you mean, like my bum?" to which I responded with, "Um, no... like 'I like a clean house, but I don't like cleaning house.'" And Lil said, "OH! Like, 'I love my daddy, but not my mommy!" (Punk kid)

A couple hours later we are sitting in church and Lil is quietly entertaining herself with a blank pad of paper and a few crayons and pens. After a minutes contemplation she looks at me and says, "Mom, I am going to draw a picture of our family, but I am gonna draw it with baby Matthew out of your belly so you don't look too terrible!" (Nice, kid... REEEAAAL Nice!)

Then she totally redeems herself by cuddling up with me this morning on the couch for half an hour or so- until she opens that cute little mouth of hers and says, "I love cuddling with Daddy more. "

:: Sigh :: I guess I should be grateful that she does at least admit that she loves me "most of the time." Heaven knows I love her to pieces ALL the time!

Volunteering

Back in December I started volunteering at my daughters school. It's only an hour a week, but that blessed hour is one of the things I look most forward to during my week! And it has gotten me to thinking (never a good thing).

For just one hour a week, I escape the house, leave my problems behind, and help some 80 plus 5-year-olds... and I LOVE IT! Now the more I think about it, the more I try to pinpoint why, exactly, I love it so much. I think the answer to that question is a bit deeper than just the surface reason of being outside my home...

**DISCLAIMER: I love being a Stay at Home Momma. I love it! It is truly satisfying work, and the benefits (which usually come in hugs and kisses) far outweigh any benefits I have ever had at a monetarily paid job. **

At church most Sunday's I hear about the blessings of serving others. I have heard plenty of testimony from those who serve about how blessed they feel. That they feel they have been helped MORE than the person they have helped. And you know what? It's absolutely true. ABSOLUTELY.

Now, what I do each week for the elementary school is by no means a huge or grand event. I stand in the PTA room and go through a list of students and trade in books they have signed off for a new book to take home and practice reading. That's all. But what I am doing for them is giving kids something new to read that night. I am helping them develop reading and comprehension skills, and more importantly, I am taking a load off their teacher's plates. And helping in this way has given me a sense of fulfillment I honestly didn't know I was missing until I found it. Here I am hugely pregnant, and waddling around the school with a cart loaded down with three crates full of kids books... I am sure it's quite the sight! But you know what? It's nice to get out and DO something. To be helpful and appreciated (if only a little, and mostly anonymously).

And oddly enough- It kinda makes me want to search out more opportunity to volunteer my time. Right now is not the easiest time for me to be volunteering since most everything I do causes contractions, but eventually this little guy will not be inside me anymore and I can get back to feeling normal. And when that happens...

There is a lady in my neighborhood that has a son with some pretty significant health concerns. He has many seizures a day. His doctors are trying a Ketogenic diet for him that is VERY specific. His food needs to be measured out to a tenth of a gram. Because of how time consuming this is, she has asked for help getting her other 5 (FIVE!) children ready and out the door for school. I so wish I was in a position to help her, and eventually I will be, but I know how hard it must be for her to ask for help, and I just admire her TONS for it. I also admire those around me who have stepped up and helped her in this. She is a fantastic mother, and hopefully this diet will greatly improve her son's health.

Do any of YOU volunteer somewhere, if so where, and any suggestions on how to involve children in the volunteer work (as in my 5 1/2 year old)?

Beating my head against a wall...

Some randomness for ya today-

*I love Zyrtec. That stuff is fantastic at clearing up allergic reactions and making pregnant ladies sleep better!

* I have been trying to piece a necklace together since yesterday afternoon. I have attempted it 4 times and have messed it up all 4 times. GRRR! This specific design will be the DEATH of me! And yet I can tell it's gonna look fantastic when it's finished!

* I am watching two kids today. One neighbor boy will be showing up any minute more to play with Lil until school starts, then another neighbor girl will be coming over from after school until Lil leaves for dance class... bit of more than I can chew? NAH! They are both good kids, and if anything, they keep Lil busy while I get stuff done...

*My toes look like sausages. Gotta love pregnancy swelling...

* My son is an acrobat/yoga master/ninja. I have never had such an active baby in utero! I can hardly wait to see how active he is when he actually arrives... (that's sarcasm... kinda)

* Anyone wanna guess what he will look like? I am holding out for blonde and curly hair, blue eyes (that stay blue) some chub. Probably 8 lbs and around 20 inches long... just a guess though.

* My kitchen floor is clean. Joe sure is good to me :)

*I kinda wish nesting was a permanent thing... I like how clean my house is right now. And I kinda like that cleaning is not a chore for me right now. What am I saying? Yeah- it's a major chore... but only physically, as far as the WANT to clean- I really do WANT TO.

* What should I make for dinner?

* Anyone wanna join me for a GNO before little Matthew arrives? I am thinking dinner out sounds nice.

* LOTS of babies being born in my neighborhood/ward. I have another baby shower to go to tomorrow... I think that's baby # 6 in as many months... and I can count 8 more due before July.

* I have shared my general due date with three other friends/family members... it's kinda neat to have that connection.

*Tuesday baby #1 was born to my cousin's wife- Kris. Yesterday baby #2 was born to my friend Laura. Baby #3 will either be mine or my other cousin's wife, Wendy...

*I kinda hope it's mine. But Wendy- I hope your little guy gets here soon!

* I like Starbursts

*And Milky Way Midnights

* I about died when I heard some foul language in a Disney movie the other day... how did I miss that Jiminey Cricket calls Pinocchio a Jack@ss TWICE? :)

* Imagination Movers DRIVE ME UP THE WALL! I would rather watch Barney! (And that's sayin' something...)

* Now Phineas and Ferb? That there is some funny cartoonage! Joe and I love to quote Doofenshrmirtz.

* My favorite line, "As they say in Mexico- Dos vidania... thats TWO vidania's!" followed closely by "It's so gastrointestinal-ly in here!" or maybe, " When it comes to havoc, nobody wreaks like me!"

* That being said, I am outta here. Have a great day everyone!

Lacey update and Lilia issues

So yeah... potty training sucks more than I remember! Lacey had a FANTASTIC first day with only two minor accidents (One of which, I blame myself for- I knew better than to put her down for a nap without a diaper or pull up). Day 2? Yeah- not good. We only successfully made it to the potty twice all day. Lots of accidents... Day 3 (yesterday)? Pretty good. Only one accident, but she was diapered a little more than I would prefer (She was being babysat, and I didn't feel good about expecting the sitter to have to monitor or clean up her accidents). Today? So far, one success, and three accidents. UGH! Good thing her accidents are fairly small and don't leak through her padded training panties...

As for Lil... she is learning to cope without the TV and computer. She had a pretty big fit yesterday and lost the TV for the remainder of the day. When she realized that, she threw and even bigger fit and lost the TV and comp for today as well... To be honest, during the day, the TV is almost always on. Though we don't always watch it. It's more of a white noise thing. But-- Lil is used to it always being at her disposal. I honestly couldn't tell you how much TV my kids watch, since the TV is always on. YUP- I created a monster. And I totally blame myself. And now, I am trying hard to break this bad BAD habit. I know it's been hard on Lil (Lacey doesn't seem to miss the TV at all). And though it seems like more of a punishment for me, but it really hasn't been so bad. I may have the TV "break" for a while! It is nice to see the girls playing together. I am kinda hoping Lil throws a huge fit again today so I can take the TV away again tomorrow! :) BUT- either way, we are gonna cut back on how many shows/ how often the TV is on from here on out. Besides, the lack of "white noise" isn't so bad. I kinda like the "silence" (if that's what you want to call it when you have just the noise of the kids and no background stuff).

So big events for now?

Joe- nothin- he is doing just fine, no adjustment needed!

Me- I need to lose some weight! :)

Lilia- breaking the TV and Computer dependency habits.

Lacey- Potty Training

Matthew- Learning to cope in the OUTSIDE WORLD!

Wish us all a little luck!

Ballet Teacher

Lilia is a fantastic little dancer. She loves her dance class, and has a lot of fun learning new things. What makes it even better? She loves teaching those new moves to Lacey. I have been lucky to get her on video TWICE teaching her little sister ballet stretches and moves...

I especially love the flapping arms at the mention of a butterfly, and the "Christmas apple sauce" Lacey says in response to Lilia... cute girls!

Cute girls!

Diapers Shmiapers!

Dear Lacey,

OKAY, okay... I get it. You hate your diapers.

I know you have had a fascination with sitting on the potty for a few months now, with no interest really, on what exactly is supposed to happen (except for the toilet paper and flushing parts). I also know that you have been fully aware of the wetness and dirtiness of your diapers for some time now, and are especially NOT fond of sitting in a dirty diaper.

I know you have mastered the art of removing your own diaper, and I am also aware that this last week you frequently drop whatever you are doing, strip down to nothing and run for the potty... And amazingly enough, you do exactly what is expected of you! I have, also, become increasingly aware these last two days that when you are properly adorned with a diaper that you tug at it in the crotch area as though it is bulky and uncomfortable...

I get it, really, I do. But did you have to choose RIGHT NOW to want to be potty trained? I mean, talk about timing, with a baby brother coming soon. Sure- it'll be nice to only need to buy one set of diapers, but I have been told many MANY times how hard it is to potty train while dealing with a newborn. I love that you are so excited to become a big girl. I just hope that you will continue to be this excited when a baby enters our lives...

::Sigh:: Okay. We will see what happens. You are currently adorned in a much thinner, and much cuter pair of pink training panties, and we are aiming for a nice dry day. You just do what you know to do, and I will do my best to help you make it to the potty when it comes time for #2. I love you, you cute little stinker!

Love,

Mom