Yesterday I hit 28 weeks and I am shocked how fast this pregnancy is going! I went to the doctor today and things look really good. Baby is head down-ish and I passed my iron and glucose tests with flying colors. However, i've gained 16 pounds so far and I'm sort of annoyed with that. Not to mention I had gained a few pounds before actually going to the doctor so it's probably more like 20. Guess I need to slow down on the ice cream! I have an appt. next month and then I start going every 2 weeks. I have so much to do before the baby is born! I guess it's a good thing I still have 12 weeks to do it. Anyone know how long a freezer meal will last in the deep freeze? I'm really hesitant to start them for fear that they will be bad by January. I think I'll wait until December to get going on those. There is a lot of decluttering and organizing I would like to do, birth announcements to address and the basement to clean out.
Well, my baby upstairs is crying so i'd better go check on her.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Family Vacation
We're going on vacation! It's quite last minute, but we weren't sure if we were going to be able to until yesterday. Dan had the "easy" job...finding and booking the cabin. You can see it here
http://www.auntiebelhams.com/Gatlinburg/GatlinburgCabinsSearch.htm Unfortunately, I don't know how to do clickable links. I love that it's a 3 bedroom and there will be plenty of space for everyone. Hotels with 4 kids is nothing but torture!
My job is to pack for everyone (except dan), grocery shop for the trip and plan the meals. We're going to bring the crock pot and make dinner that way so we don't have to go out to eat. The last time we did that was when I was pregnant with Landon and we went to Disney world with my parents. It was so much work! I remember being exhausted by the time I got everyone all packed up and that food into the cooler. Perhaps now that I'm used to more kids and more preparation for everything it will be easier! It will, however, be worth it to save all that money. I think we will do oatmeal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and chicken or soup for dinner. Some cut up veggies and pieces of fruit should do well for snacks. Keeping things as simple as possible should be helpful!
Now if I can just figure out how we're going to fit e everyone and everything into the car!
http://www.auntiebelhams.com/Gatlinburg/GatlinburgCabinsSearch.htm Unfortunately, I don't know how to do clickable links. I love that it's a 3 bedroom and there will be plenty of space for everyone. Hotels with 4 kids is nothing but torture!
My job is to pack for everyone (except dan), grocery shop for the trip and plan the meals. We're going to bring the crock pot and make dinner that way so we don't have to go out to eat. The last time we did that was when I was pregnant with Landon and we went to Disney world with my parents. It was so much work! I remember being exhausted by the time I got everyone all packed up and that food into the cooler. Perhaps now that I'm used to more kids and more preparation for everything it will be easier! It will, however, be worth it to save all that money. I think we will do oatmeal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and chicken or soup for dinner. Some cut up veggies and pieces of fruit should do well for snacks. Keeping things as simple as possible should be helpful!
Now if I can just figure out how we're going to fit e everyone and everything into the car!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Getting bigger...
Well, the kids are growing up. I guess that's just the way it works!! It's so hard to believe that Ashton will be five in less than a month. He is such a big boy! He is doing great with his reading. We started a few weeks ago and he is already reading some 3 letter words and is really getting the hang of sounding them out.
Landon is getting so big. He's only 4 lbs. less than Ashton! His big accomplishment has been that he quit sucking his thumb. Hooray!!! Dan promised that he could go on the roof and throw oatmeal at his brothers if he quit. Well, that was the right bribe, because his brothers constantly reminded him to get that thumb out of his mouth. That encouragement along with our taping his hands at bedtime led to a pretty quick end to that habit! I will have to post pics later of the oatmeal throwing. It was hilarious.
Thea is a big girl, too. She is such a joy. That little girl constantly keeps us laughing...and she has daddy wrapped around her little finger...really tight! She was weaned last month and the transition was so smooth. For a couple of nights she would cry and ask in sign language to nurse, but after that she's been fine. I'll rock her to sleep and she'll say "ni-ni" and get all excited to get in her bed. She just loves books now and loves for me to put a stack of board books in her crib for her to read before she falls asleep.
Quintin has been cooking! After a lesson on how to use the bread maker, he can now make our breakfast "oatmeal/cranberry" loaf. He also has made the cornbread muffins for dinner recently. I still put them in the oven and take them out, but it's soooo nice to have some help in the kitchen. The little boys have also been helping me there. Ashton will toast the bread and Landon will help me put the eggs in to boil (before I've put the water on the stove of course).
I'm starting to really try to get them to be helpers so that when the new baby comes they can help out! My big concerns are laundry, cooking and cleaning. Q can do laundry, but he will be at school. Ashton did a great job sorting the laundry for me today and if I put it in a certain basket he can even get it down to the laundry room. Dan may have to help me with that one.
I plan to have about 30 freezer meals ready by the time baby comes, which will really help out with cooking. I will probably make them big enough to last for lunch the next day, too.
Cleaning...hmm...maybe the house will just be dirty for awhile. It about kills me to vacuum now and I'm only 6.5 months preggy! Maybe I will teach Ashton how to wipe down the bathrooms so that they will at least be somewhat clean. All the kids are pretty good about helping me to pick up toys and they take care of their own rooms. I also hope to do some decluttering and pack things away that we're not using to help with the pick up process.
I have also started using some Montessori activities with the boys at home. It's a very organized method which teaches the children to do things for themselves, clean up after themselves and respect others. Everything has it's place and the children learn that. I love to see them playing independently and quietly.
That's about it for now. Pics of oatmeal throwing to come later...
Landon is getting so big. He's only 4 lbs. less than Ashton! His big accomplishment has been that he quit sucking his thumb. Hooray!!! Dan promised that he could go on the roof and throw oatmeal at his brothers if he quit. Well, that was the right bribe, because his brothers constantly reminded him to get that thumb out of his mouth. That encouragement along with our taping his hands at bedtime led to a pretty quick end to that habit! I will have to post pics later of the oatmeal throwing. It was hilarious.
Thea is a big girl, too. She is such a joy. That little girl constantly keeps us laughing...and she has daddy wrapped around her little finger...really tight! She was weaned last month and the transition was so smooth. For a couple of nights she would cry and ask in sign language to nurse, but after that she's been fine. I'll rock her to sleep and she'll say "ni-ni" and get all excited to get in her bed. She just loves books now and loves for me to put a stack of board books in her crib for her to read before she falls asleep.
Quintin has been cooking! After a lesson on how to use the bread maker, he can now make our breakfast "oatmeal/cranberry" loaf. He also has made the cornbread muffins for dinner recently. I still put them in the oven and take them out, but it's soooo nice to have some help in the kitchen. The little boys have also been helping me there. Ashton will toast the bread and Landon will help me put the eggs in to boil (before I've put the water on the stove of course).
I'm starting to really try to get them to be helpers so that when the new baby comes they can help out! My big concerns are laundry, cooking and cleaning. Q can do laundry, but he will be at school. Ashton did a great job sorting the laundry for me today and if I put it in a certain basket he can even get it down to the laundry room. Dan may have to help me with that one.
I plan to have about 30 freezer meals ready by the time baby comes, which will really help out with cooking. I will probably make them big enough to last for lunch the next day, too.
Cleaning...hmm...maybe the house will just be dirty for awhile. It about kills me to vacuum now and I'm only 6.5 months preggy! Maybe I will teach Ashton how to wipe down the bathrooms so that they will at least be somewhat clean. All the kids are pretty good about helping me to pick up toys and they take care of their own rooms. I also hope to do some decluttering and pack things away that we're not using to help with the pick up process.
I have also started using some Montessori activities with the boys at home. It's a very organized method which teaches the children to do things for themselves, clean up after themselves and respect others. Everything has it's place and the children learn that. I love to see them playing independently and quietly.
That's about it for now. Pics of oatmeal throwing to come later...
My punkins' at the pumkin patch
Great fun! Pictures are worth a 1,000 words and i don't feel like writing :)
Monday, October 6, 2008
An Update...
I haven't blogged in awhile and I wanted to check in. Things are going really well here. It is fall! We missed 2 falls while in Hawaii, and I had no idea how much I liked it! Dan is probably thinking I'm crazy, but I've found "harvest festivals" the last 2 weekends and we've had a blast at those. Something about the weather, changing leaves, fall colors and pumpkins is just so cozy and fun. We made a really cute fall display on the front porch w/ a hay bale, mums and pumpkins. Watching the high school kids head off to homecoming has also brought back a ton of fall memories.
Q is doing well in school. His teacher has been easy to communicate with and things seem to be smoothing out. Homework in the evenings is still a pain, but it's going much more quickly and Quintin has no trouble with any of his academic work.
Tonight I start a prenatal water aerobics class at the wellness center. I'm pretty excited. I haven't been out to do something by myself like that since...well, i have no idea.
A friend of mine in Hawaii's water broke today. I'm super excited she will have her baby soon, but please be praying because she is only 33 weeks.
Here are some pictures from the 1st harvest festival we went to. The kids loved it! It was set up like pioneer America and the children got to help press apples into cider, help make rope, watch cooking done over the hearth, go on a horse drawn carriage and tour a really old house.
Thea chases some chickens that were at the "really old house"
The boys play a pioneer game where you toss and catch a ring with the sticks they have in their hands. Q was really good at it!
Q turns the crank that makes the rope.
Ashton standing in front of a fake horse and carriage. We had just visited the blacksmith's shop and watched a man pounding steel to make tongs.
Q is doing well in school. His teacher has been easy to communicate with and things seem to be smoothing out. Homework in the evenings is still a pain, but it's going much more quickly and Quintin has no trouble with any of his academic work.
Tonight I start a prenatal water aerobics class at the wellness center. I'm pretty excited. I haven't been out to do something by myself like that since...well, i have no idea.
A friend of mine in Hawaii's water broke today. I'm super excited she will have her baby soon, but please be praying because she is only 33 weeks.
Here are some pictures from the 1st harvest festival we went to. The kids loved it! It was set up like pioneer America and the children got to help press apples into cider, help make rope, watch cooking done over the hearth, go on a horse drawn carriage and tour a really old house.
Thea chases some chickens that were at the "really old house"
The boys play a pioneer game where you toss and catch a ring with the sticks they have in their hands. Q was really good at it!
Q turns the crank that makes the rope.
Ashton standing in front of a fake horse and carriage. We had just visited the blacksmith's shop and watched a man pounding steel to make tongs.
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