Diaries of a mad pregnant woman

 Okay…I think I’m back to blogging again.  This weekend we  got lots of projects done around here. Nothing major… just  little things around the house that we’ve been wanting to do for a while and haven’t had the time. It feels so good to have them done.  Having a baby is an unpredictable thing, so it makes me feel better when I can accomplish things that are in my control…if that makes any sense.  And now that you know what’s been going on at home, here’s what goes on in my mind every day…

What if he comes early? …What if he ends up being a girl? … Why did I have another bad dream about Rodd?…  Why aren’t I getting more sleep? … Why do I long for Starbucks every day? … Why is Logan still coloring on my walls?…  Is  it time to eat again? … Epidural or no epidural?… Can we please agree on a name? … I can’t wait to meet this little guy…. I could totally go for a pepsi and fries right now…. Why is it noon and I’m just now acknowledging God in my day?…  I wish we could have that family over for dinner in the next few weeks…. Should I be experiencing this much pain on my left side already?… Why can’t my sister be here for at least one of my babies?…  Is that a stretch mark?… I really need to find someone to paint my toes for me…  Why can’t I keep my house clean?… I love the craziness of life with kids… I’m so overwhelmed with the craziness of life with kids…

Tummy Soother

Sydney loves using our heating pad when her tummy hurts, but Rodd doesn’t really like her sleeping with it on.  When she was sick last week I made her a rice/microwave heating pad and she loves it.  She chose the orange and blue and I snuck the middle piece in there. 5 minutes of laying on this and she was feeling better in no time–and now we don’t have to worry about her laying in bed with an electric heating pad on.

 

BTW, this is one of my labor must- haves that I use while I’m still at home, so get ready to reheat  it for me every 5 minutes, mom or Rodd! 

Mini-Houses

Sydney was a little sick last week so I needed things to keep her down (still) and content.  She and Logan painted these leftover milk cartons their great grandma gave them.   I thought I’d take a picture of them before they become too destroyed.

 

 

Amazing Cookie Dough Brownies

Okay, you have to try these Cookie Dough Brownies sometime.  They do take a few hours because they have to cool between layers, so make sure you allow yourself enough time.  They really are so good though.  Definitely not acceptable for anyone watching their weight…unless you like to watch it grow.  (Thanks, Amanda for the recipe.)

 Brownie Layer:
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 tsps vanilla
1/2 chopped walnuts
Mix all up and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until tests done. Let it cool completely.

Cookie Dough Layer :
1/2 cup butter (soft)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 TBSP milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour

Beat butter.  Add in sugars and beat until fluffy. Mix in milk, vanilla, and gradually flour.  Spread across cooled brownie layer and chill until hard.

Glaze:
1 cup semi sweet chips
1 TBSP shortening
Melt until smooth.  Spread across top of brownies and immediately sprinkle walnuts across the top and lightly press in.  Store leftovers (??) in the fridge.

Sonic

The kids have been such troopers lately–going to my doctor’s appointments with me every 2 weeks.  By now they’ve learned too that when we’re at the doctor’s office, it’s my prized time to look at magazines in the waiting room…so this means no talking to mom.  Even further, Sydney knows which magazines to scout out for me and goes around and gathers them as soon as we get there.  After we were done today, I told them we could go next door to Sonic and get a little treat, so they split a mini sundae from the dollar menu & loved it. 

some shower love

I finally am sharing with you some pics of my shower.  Ginger and Marisa went above and beyond in the week that they had to prepare it. It was such a special time with a few of my close friends.  You can go HERE to check out an album of pics taken by Leslie.  (Thanks, Les!)

We met at 8:30 for a delicious outdoor breakfast at  Peach Valley Cafe in Heathrow.  There were special touches everywhere, including a “jar of love” with 100 hearts in it for me to read after the baby is here.  It’s for those days when I need a pick me up.  (Could’ve used those today as a matter of fact!) They each wrote notes/verses/funny thoughts on them, as well as other family and friends too. The jar matches my kitchen perfectly and I can’t wait to read these!!

 There were also some plain onesies and burpcloths for them each to decorate for me. It was such a great idea of something to do while we continued to talk and down a few more cups of coffee.  I love how each of them turned out, with all their unique touches to them.

My favorite date

Like any couple no doubt, Rodd and I love any nights that we can sneek out for a few hours of together time away from home.  It doesn’t happen too often, but when it does, we love it! I think with the baby countdown getting closer…we are sensing the need for more nights like this when we have (1.)the chance  & (2.) a babysitter, which is usually the bigger issue.  The other night we went out to dinner with our friends Ben & Les & had a great time.   

 

Rodd is the best!!  He’s that nice guy that you just gotta love. When I think about having another baby, if it weren’t for the fact that I have the amazing helper of a husband/super dad to my kids that I do, I would probably be in full on panic mode right about now.  He is a huge help &  I am sooo thankful for him. How’s that for a little bit of bragging?  (Earlier last week I would not have been speaking forth such praises…but those days come & always go. Some days they take a little longer to get through…but we always come out better on the other side. ;)

Sugar High

On Friday night, our friends invited us over for a campfire and s’mores ! They were the tastiest treats I’ve had in a long time & it’s safe to say that I was definitely the last one roastin’. 

My baby must’ve been lovin it too because he was up all night kickin!

The kids were all filthy by the end of the night but they had a blast.

My sweet friends had a little shower for me at breakfast this morning and it was SO much fun! I’ll post pictures of it soon.  Rodd put the crib together tonight and we re-arranged the boy’s room too. It’s all coming together.

Respectable Sins

It’s time to put down the 20th parenting book on my night stand and mix it up a bit. I got this book from my mother in law for my birthday and it has been sooo convicting & encouraging at the same time!  It’s called Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins we Tolerate.   I’m only on the 5th chapter, but so far  I have enjoyed it so much.  I’m going to  recommend it to our small group because there’s a study guide available for it too.  Here are 2 different quotes from the book.

“The acceptable sins are subtle in the sense that they deceive us into thinking they are not so bad, or not thinking of them as sins, or even worse, not even thinking about them at all! Yes, some of our refined sins are so subtle that we commit them without even thinking about them, either at the time or afterward.  We often live in unconscious denial of our acceptable sins.”

 He says “we have become so preoccupied with some of the major sins of society around us that we have lost sight of the need to deal with our own more refined or subtle sins.”  Examples he uses are: ungodliness, anxiety, frustration, discontent, unthankfulness, selfishness, lack of self-control, impatience, pride, resentment, irritability, anger, judgmentalism, envy, jealousy, sins of the tongue, and worldliness.

 

Toddler Cafe

Thank you, sweet pal, Leslie for this awesome book.   It’s called The Toddler Cafe: Fast, Healthy and fun ways to feed even the pickiest eater.   She gave it to me this weekend as a belated birthday present, and the night I got it, I immediately sat down and marked pages that I wanted to try.  If I didn’t decide on some right away, I knew it would just be a cute cookbook in my cupboard. 

So, yesterday I made the chicken tenders for lunch, today was a waffle-grilled cheese sandwich picnic, and tonight for dinner I made the chicken drumsticks for the kids, since Rodd and I were going out with our small group.  All the recipes are really easy and healthy, and so far I’m 3 for 3 with the kids liking them!