Better

Today:


*Fixed and styled my hair for the first time in oh, about two months. Blow dryed, curled - the whole shabang. (wow it's a lot of work) Even put some super yummy smelling glossing cream in it. Bonus points for that.


*Did my makeup


*Gave myself a mini pedicure and repainted my toes a happy, bright, summery, hot pink.




















*I'm wearing new earings and sandals.



*Filed and clear polished my super long ever growing fingernails


Verdict = I feel like a new woman. I have felt so gross and shlumpy for the last few months and I'm ready to welcome summer and be a cute, happy, pregnant lady who's feeling good and enjoying life.


Now I'm off to run some errands and go see a friends new baby. Stay cool this weekend!

This Morning's Entertainment

I'm watching Morgan hold a little cup, get water from the dispenser in the fridge, then walk to the sink and stand on a stool and dump it out. He's done it like 20 times in a row. Wonder how long he can keep it up and entertain himself.............

The more times he does it, the more hilarious it is to me. Oops, he spilled..................and he got a towel and wiped it up. That's my little cleaner. Hmm, this little activity just gave me an idea for something fun he can do later outside when it's hot.

What's on my mind today....

*Morgan is turning into such a big boy. And he is ALL boy - playing in the dirt, throwing rocks, getting into trouble, sneaking snacks.....he would live outside if I let him. The other day we had let our dog out to run around and I didn't see Morgan for a while. I go around the side of the house to the kennel and he's inside there with his arms in Bogie's water bucket up to his elbows just splashing away. I was so grossed out. He doesn't go anywhere without his hat and recently Riley gave him an old pair of his sunglasses to wear around but instead of wearing them, he puts them on top of his hat (just like his dad). My favorite thing he says right now is when I tell him that I love him, he'll reply "t00", as in "love you too". It is the most adorable thing ever. He still blows me kisses when he leaves, I hope he keeps that up for a while.

*I have to go get my blood drawn today. It is one of my least favorite things to do and I always have to warn them that I get queasy and could pass out on them. It really has nothing to do with getting grossed out, I can watch other people get stitches, shots, and all other nasty things. The blood leaving my body for some reason actually makes me feel sick. When I was a senior in high school I gave blood to get extra credit in some class and ended up passing out and having convulsions. I barely made the weight requirement so I think that had something to do with it, but it was not a fun experience. When I was pregnant with Kendle and they were taking my blood I almost passed out and had to lay down for a while. I always keep candies or something to drink with me now when I go.

*We made our "Summer Fun List" last night and we brainstormed all sorts of fun things we want to do this summer. A few things from our list:
-Go mini golfing
-Make home made ice cream
-Have a back yard camp out
-Go to the zoo
-Go to the aquatic center (I vow to do this more than once this year since the kids love it)
-Do arts and crafts
-Lay out and watch for falling stars

*Kendle is so ready for school to be out. I have to drag her out of bed in the morning and she is pretty grumpy. I think every kid gets this way by the end of May. It is really a waste to go two more weeks into the month of June when nobody wants to be there. The kids brains are already gonzo and ready for summer break. Bed time starts getting really hard when it's still light outside too. Our bodies are just programmed to want to stay up later in the summer months I think.

*I finally got some tomatoes and other things planted over the weekend with Riley's help. I look forward to watching the plants grow over the summer. Since I don't have space for a traditional garden, I just planted them in my rock border along our back fence. It is a good spot that gets lots of sun. Hopefully they grow, because nothing is better than a warm sun ripened tomato picked fresh.

*I'm 12 weeks along now and starting to feel a little better each day. It makes such a difference to be able to eat good normal food again. The difference in this pregnancy than the other two besides being more sick, is that my stomach growls all of the time. If I don't eat on a regular schedule and have snacks in between I start to feel really sick. This baby wants food and it wants it NOW. It's like on "Little Shop of Horrors" when the plant is yelling "feed me Seymour, feed me!"

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(click on the flyer to enlarge if it is too hard to see, I had to scan it in)

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Barking Mad

I understand that from time to time dogs bark. It's part of their nature. Ironically, our dog Bogie never ever barks. You would never even know we had a dog for the most part. Unless he is threatened, he is the quietest dog I've ever seen. For a long time we didn't even know if he COULD bark, we just got lucky with him somehow. The source of my frustration is our neighbors dogs. They have three dogs. Two of those dogs bark all day long. If you have ever heard a chihuahua bark non-stop all day long, you can understand that it will slowly drive you crazy. And not just a little crazy, like mad-crazy where you want to throw something over the fence at it and put it out of it's misery. The owners are gone most days so they are not even home to see why the dogs are barking. This afternoon after I put Morgan down for a nap I decided to take a book outside and get some fresh air for a little while. The non-stop barking made it impossible for me to even read. I come back inside to lay down for a bit and try and take a nap. Nope, can still hear it. I know it's got to be driving everyone on our block crazy too.

Should I:

a.) Ignore it and suffer in silence hoping they will eventually learn to stop
b.) Talk to the neighbors about why their dogs are barking and see if there is something they can do or,
c.) File a noise complaint and let someone else deal with it

What would you do?

Spring Happenings

I have not felt like blogging much lately, but I've been getting behind a bit on what everyone has been up to.


Kendle has been playing tee-ball and had her last game on Saturday. I am excited for her to move up and play in a softball league next year. Here are some pictures Riley took:

She has improved a lot this year and it is fun to see her confidence level go up. Saturday we also had our primary talent show and she sang "The Star Spangled Banner". Riley had been telling her if she learned the song and practiced really hard, that "maybe" she could sing at some of their soccer games next year. I was really proud of her, it is a hard song to sing and she did a great job. Since I have not felt very good, she did most of her practicing on her own. Kendle is also super excited for school to be out and is ready for summer. She has already been swimming in the neighbor's pool and running through the sprinklers.

Morgan has been liking this warm weather and enjoys playing outside in the dirt and on the slide. Thanks to some great friends in our ward, he's been lucky enough to have lots of play dates and get out of the house for some fun time (which has been much appreciated). He is getting so big and I can't believe he'll be 2 years old next month. We've already been practicing for him to say how old he is. He is starting to talk a lot more now to where we can understand him and some of his new fav's are: outside, treat, and something close to "go with dad". He's liked watching Kendle's ball games and I can tell we'll have no problem talking him into playing when he's older.

Riley is done with soccer now and has been catching up on yard work and other little projects. It's nice to have him home again in the evenings to help wrangle the kids and entertain them. He's been having some awesome months at work and is already dreaming of his new smoker grill he wants to buy. He's looking forward to a relaxing summer and his wife feeling better.

I'm still not feeling very well, but at least I was able to get a new prescription for Zofran and we found it at a cheaper price since our insurance won't cover it. It helps a lot though and is worth every penny. I have enjoyed sitting outside in our backyard in the evenings and watching the kids play and feel a little breeze. I love when it starts to feel like summer. Now I just need to hurry up and start feeling better so I can enjoy it. From about 5:00 in the evening on is my worst time of day and I try to just do what I can to make it through. I'm 11 weeks today and looking for that light at the end of the tunnel.

Pregnancy Journal: Week 10, AKA the worst week ever

I've been having one heck of a week. I can't wait until I have happy and funny little things to share about being pregnant.

Tuesday morning I had my first doctors appointment which I did NOT want to go to since I was pretty sure I would be sick while I was there. I had been throwing up since Monday evening and was not thrilled about waiting in a doctor's office for who knows how long. Riley called them up, told them what was going on and they said they'd get me right in as soon as I signed in. They did. I was worried about the baby since I have been so sick, but we got to listen to a really strong heart beat. That was a good feeling. I'm 10 weeks, and with my other two babies I was almost on the cusp of starting to feel better at this point, but I just keep feeling worse and worse. They told me if I was still throwing up by that night I needed to get in to the hospital.

So that night when I thought I had reached the end of my rope, Riley called Mitch to come over and help give me a blessing. I am so grateful for that. It helped me have a sense of calm that everything would be ok. After throwing up again for the millionth time, Riley decided we should go to the hospital. We put the kids to bed, and Riley had his mother come over to sit with the kids while we were gone. I was so thankful for that, at least I knew while I was gone the kids would be sleeping and ok.

I was so worried about having to wait in the ER for a long time and that I would throw up while I was there (that seems to be a reoccurring theme for me). Luckily it was a slow night and we didn't have to wait long at all. I was checked in and back in a little room in no time at all. Another blessing right there. I was pretty out of it by this point and was glad to just have someone take care of me and make me better. It sounds like such a childish thing, but I finally felt like I would be getting some comfort and relief. I had the best nurses take care of me who were so kind and careful they should have had halos.

I was so dehydrated they had trouble getting a vein they could put my iv in, but the nurse tried to be really thorough so she wouldn't have to poke me again. As soon as those liquids started pumping through my veins and they gave me a shot of medication, I could tell a huge difference. I started to feel alive again - literally. Unluckily for me, my arm with the IV was starting to swell so they had to change it over to my other arm and poke me again. Not fun, but the nurse said my veins looked better by that point so it was a little easier. My heart rate and blood pressure were pretty low so they had another nurse come in and do an EKG. They monitored that for a while, and by the time my fluids from my iv were almost done it looked a lot better. We got home around 2:00 in the morning and I was able to rest for the first time in days. Riley got Kendle off to school and my mother was able to arrange things at work so that she could come up and spend the day with me and help with things.

Since times like these can be discouraging, I'm trying to look at some of the good things that come from having trials in our life. I know this will pass in a few months and I will be feeling good. I know that by December 7th, we'll have a wonderful little baby added to our family and this will all have been worth it. I've learned to accept help willingly when it is offered (and I'm utterly overwhelmed by the thoughtful deeds and service I've received). I've learned that my husband is the best person to have fighting in my corner and that he'll always have my back and best interests at heart. I've learned that I am stronger than I give myself credit for most of the time.

I'm hoping next week will be a much better week. Say a little prayer for me.

I never get my hopes up on Mother's Day that I'll be pampered with breakfast in bed, waited on hand and foot, or that my motherly duties will get a little break. Those things would be nice, but I don't expect them. I did however receive some lovely hand painted rocks, cards made at school and church, a cute flower that had a chocolate in the middle (before Morgan ate it) and lots of lovely flowers to brighten up my yard.


My favorite gift: having my daughter wrap her arms around me and tell me I'm the best mom ever. I'm not always the best mom, but I feel lucky to have children who can forgive my shortcomings and love me anyway. Being a mother requires selfless service, an unending supply of patience, and being humbled time and time again - all of which are extremely difficult. There is a quote that says:

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie."


Being a mother is hard work, but it is the best work.






















*Thanks to my super sister-in-law Debbie, I got quite the Mother's Day shout out. Check out my few minutes of fame here. :)

It's Friday

*First of all, for those who haven't heard yet, Nancie had her baby yesterday morning.
Brady Walker Mathews weighed 7 lb 9 oz, measured 19 inches and they say he looks a lot like Cam. Nan had to have an emergency c-section but she and baby are doing well. We are so excited (and relieved) for her and her family!









I'm glad it's the last day of school for the week. Even Kendle told me this morning she didn't think she could take one more day of school and that she was SO glad it was Friday. My mom is coming up this morning to help me clean and restore some order to our little house and give Morgan some attention. She is the best. I hope the 5000 loads of laundry don't scare her away from helping me ever again. To my credit I did attempt to get a head start on some laundry last night so I didn't feel like I was taking advantage of her too much.

Riley had to drive to Wenatchee and stay the night there for work last night, so me and the Morgster attempted to watch "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" after I put Kendle to bed. I don't know if I was just really tired, or it was just really boring, but I couldn't make it half-way through. I think it is definitely a day time movie for when you are alert and awake because it goes very slow and everyone talks very soft. Whenever Riley is out of town Kendle gets to sleep with me in our bed and when I went in to go to sleep her hair was just plastered to her forehead. She always sweats so bad in her sleep, even if it's freezing cold. She definitely doesn't get that from me. By morning she is always burrowed down under her blankets where you can't even see her, it always makes me laugh.

Tomorrow Kendle has a tee-ball game bright and early and then Riley has a playoff game against Walla Walla in the afternoon. If they win they will go to the regional tournament for the first time ever which is pretty exciting. Although I'd love to have my husband back, I'm proud of the boys and the coaches for their success. After the game, Riley is supposed to do my flower pots and planters for me for Mother's Day as per my request. It's something I usually enjoy doing myself, but I'll be the boss and tell him how I want everything to look. He seemed ok with that idea.

That's all for now, have a great weekend!

Keeping Cabin Fever At Bay

It's another drizzly cold day here today. We're having makeup days for all of those "April Showers" we should have had last month. It makes me feel a bit better knowing I'm not missing too many gorgeous sunny days while I'm housebound. Besides a few short car trips, I have not left the house hardly at all. I have a fear of getting sick in public. It has happened to me a few times before and not something I would love to repeat. Going to the doctor when you are pregnant is a necessity, but throwing up at the doctor's office is not so great. Neither is almost passing out at Walmart.

Lucky for me Nan brought me a good book to read yesterday that has kept me occupied and took my mind off of how bad I felt. Then last night Riley rented "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Bride Wars" for me and that will help give me something to do today since TV is getting super old at this point. I think he could tell I needed a little perking up since I had such a horrible night Monday and was just exhausted yesterday.

Since I feel like I haven't put much of the kids updates on here in a while I thought I'd post this picture my sister took of Morgan a few weeks ago:

He is getting so big and is such a good little buddy of mine. I'm SO thankful Morgan is such a good and easy going little guy. He just bops around the house all day and stays so happy and cheerful. He comes and gives me hugs and kisses and entertains himself well. He will bring me little random things to make me feel better, like a fruit snack or a sucker or cover me up with some blankets and pretend to rub my feet. He also has a little radio he carries around with him and plays his music throughout the day. It's usually on "If you're happy and you know it" or "Bingo", which can get really old listening to over and over, but he is so cute that I don't mind and the radio serves as kind of a tracking device so I can hear where he's at in the house. :) He always manages to do something to make me laugh or smile and brightens up my day.

Today

*Today Kendle is Star of the Day at school and has a tee-ball game.

*Today Morgan is clomping around in Kendle's cleats and swinging his foam bat around.

*Today I will try to clean up my disaster of a house, or at least my living room that people see when I open the door.

*Today I am smiling at Morgan holding the baby doll and giving it kisses and being "soft" with it. (This is good practice)

*Today I will try and think of a meal I can prepare for my family for dinner that has no smell or off-putting ingredients.

*Today I was showered and dressed by 10:00 am, quite the accomplishment in light of how I feel.

*Today I will try to go through my huge stacks of mail and magazines that have been piling up on the counter the last few weeks.

*Today I will try to fix Morgan a real lunch

*Today I will walk and get the mail and get some fresh air.

*Today I will not be hard on myself or feel guilty about the things that are not getting done or that I don't feel like doing.

I wish I had some positive news to report or fun things to write about. For the last few days I've been on a downward spiral of feeling horrible. Over the weekend I felt like I might be starting to shake off the worst of this morning (afternoon, night, all day) sickness, but the last few days have reminded me that it is far from over. It is such a depressing feeling when you can't get any relief or comfort. I'm calling today to see if I can get a new prescription for something stronger. I'd prefer to just be taken to the hospital and knocked out for the next couple of weeks if they would do that sort of thing.

In my channel surfing the other night, I was watching that "17 kids and counting" show about the Duggar family on TLC. They were in New York City on vacation with their huge family and the mom was pregnant and experiencing some morning sickness of her own. I was like, how in the heck can that lady take her 17 kids to New York of all places when she's feeling sick? I can't even get off the couch to see what my almost 2 year old is getting into in the pantry. That made me feel really pathetic, but I just feel totally debilitated by the puking, the stomach pains, and the constant nausea. Just trying to get dressed is a huge chore at the moment. Riley was asking me how bad I felt, and I told him to just imagine the worst flu he's ever had x's 10 and it lasts for weeks.

It's just so discouraging when you would love to have lots of children, but the prospect of being sick like this more times in the future kind of puts a damper on things and makes you question your sanity.

Sorry if this sounds like a huge whiner post, but I don't even care. I guess that's what living on cheerios and water will do to a person.



*Thanks to everyone who has lent us a hand the last few weeks. It means a lot!


***Update: I FINALLY got a prescription for the good stuff this afternoon. Never mind that my awesome husband had to call our insurance company and converse (argue) with them for half an hour becuase they were only going to give me 7 pills - yep that's right 7 pills. Seriously? Why is making people feel better by getting what they really need such a scandal for the insurance companies? Riley saved the day and they are giving me enough for the next two weeks. He's my hero for the week! I'm so glad my husband has some tough negotiating skills. I'm crossing my fingers that these help me return to a somewhat human state.