Taking Suggestions

On Monday my doctor gave me the okay to travel to Kasey's parents' house for Thanksgiving. That means I'll be spending approximately 30 hours in a car next week.

Anyone read a good book lately? I'm almost done with mine and need one for the drive. Thanks!

Gas Prices

I saw something yesterday that I didn't think I'd ever see again. Gas prices dipped below $2 per gallon in my town. I've been really surprised that prices have continued to fall like they have. I'm totally not complaining. I love that I can fill up my car for $40 now instead of $80. Love it! (I will especially love it come Sunday when we go see Kasey's family who live 700 miles away.)

Now if only the price of groceries could follow suit.

Please! I Just Want to Sleep

It has not been a very good night. Yesterday my doctor put me on some medication to slow my contractions. Unfortunate side effects are a racing heart, shaky hands, and insomnia. Lovely.

I finally got to sleep between 10:30 and 11pm (after attempts starting at 8:30) just to be awakened by Makayla's crying at 11:45. I tended to her needs and went back to bed. Kasey got up and ready for work at 2am. And you guessed it, woke me up again. After tossing and turning for another 30 minutes or so, I got back to sleep. More crying at 4:30am. This time it was Ellie who told me she was pooey. She was NOT, but I changed her anyway figuring it would be easier than trying to convince her to go back to bed without a diaper change.

It's now 5am and I find myself in an undesirable position. I can't sleep. I could go to bed and lie there tossing and turning, hoping that sleep will overcome me. But since the girls had an early bedtime last night, it's unlikely that they will sleep much past 7. Will an hour of sleep really make me feel better?

I could stay up and try to do something constructive, like the dishes I neglected last night. However, my banging around in the kitchen will almost surely wake up the children. I've learned that children who wake up at 5 am are not happy children.

I could try reading my book, but it's so good that I'm afraid it would have the exact opposite effect of sleep.

I have so much to do tomorrow: meeting with Makayla's teacher, appointment with the doctor again, pick up dry cleaning, people coming over to clean, and on and on. I won't have time for a nap.

Dear, sweet family of mine: Why don't you understand? I just want to sleep!

You Know You Are Pregnant When. . .

the featured OnStar radio commercial of the week involves a pregnant woman who is in a car accident, and you start bawling as you drive down the freeway.

Preschool is Hard Work

This is Makayla one evening after preschool. She worked and played so hard that she fell asleep at the dinner table before she could even eat her dinner. She woke up fast enough when I mentioned dessert, though.

Choosing a Name

The search for a name for baby #3 continues. We have a whole list of boy names that we like, but girl names? Not so much. We have it narrowed down to a few names we like, but I keep suggesting names to Kasey. There's still a small possibility that we will come across a name that we like even more.

I frequently ask Makayla and Ellie what they think we should name our baby. The most popular responses from them are Baby Claire (like the little girl at church) and Christine Daae (they've been watching way too much Phantom of the Opera lately). I think we'll keep searching.

Why is it so hard to name a kid?!?!

Life After College

Six years ago, Kasey and I were newly married and both going to school. We would often talk about our future together over a steaming bowl of Easy Mac or Ramen noodles.

Our wants were simple--a house with a garage, 3 or 4 kids, a job for Kasey that provided for our family while allowing me to stay home. We never planned on being rich, but we hoped to live comfortably.

During one discussion about money, I asked Kasey to tell me what his idea of comfortable was. He thought it would mean being able to go out to dinner when we want and buying a movie on a whim without having to budget specifically for that item. My idea of comfortable was being able to order food from the Schwan's man.

The reason I got thinking about this today is I recently signed up for the Schwan's man's route, and today was his first visit.

We don't have everything that we hoped for yet (houses are expensive!), but I feel like we are slowly climbing our way out of the poorness of student life and are well on our way to comfortable. And that's a pretty good feeling!

Pregnancy Update

Here's a little update. I went to the doctor on Friday. Everything is going well. I'm still supposed to take it easy, which will be a lot harder this week as Kasey won't be home to help. At least my mom is coming to help me out a little bit this week. Moms are the best!

Some days I feel really huge. But then I whip out pictures from when I was pregnant with Makayla and Ellie, and I realize that I'm not so big after all.

The night before I had Makayla.

The night before I had Ellie.

This afternoon.

I realize that I still have about 10 weeks to go, but I'm smaller than I was at the same point with my first two. That gives me hope for a small-ish baby. I say "small-ish" because let's face it, the only way I'm getting a 6 lb baby is if she comes a month early. And even then it's iffy. We grow 'em big in my family.

Movie at the Theatre

Today was a first for our family. We took the girls to the theatre to see a movie. We saw Madagascar 2. It's such a cute show. The girls loved it. I think they also loved all the popcorn and soda.

My favorite part was when Ellie told me she had to potty and started taking her clothes off in the theatre. Good times!

Other than that, they were both very well behaved. We had so much fun that I think we'll try to go to another movie sometime soon.

I'm Hooked

I just got home from my birthday pedicure. It was heavenly!

I've had pedicures before, but they were at a beauty college. Not to say that they weren't nice, because they were, but those people were still learning. The place I went today is an actual spa.

When I first got there, the girl took me back to a little lounge area. The lights were dim. The music was soft. There were refreshments for my enjoyment. As I was sitting there relaxing a little bit, someone brought me a heated rice bag for my neck and shoulders and a hot towel. I have to admit that I felt a little like Robbie Hart on The Wedding Singer. You know the part where he is flying in first class for the first time and has no idea what to do with the towel, so he uses it as a bib. Yeah, that's kind of how I felt. (But I didn't use the towel as a bib.)

Anyway, then the girl doing my pedicure took me to another room. Oh my goodness! The warm water, the foot scrub, the lotion, the massage, the really nice pillows to sit on. It was all perfect. The girl talked just enough for it not to be awkward, but not so much that I couldn't relax.

I came home and told Kasey I could do that once a week. Makayla and Ellie love the purple sparkly polish that I picked out. I knew they would.

What a great way to celebrate! Now I recommend that you all go out and get a pedicure. It will make you smile all day.

Memories From My Childhood: Reading

Tonight I watched as Kasey read to Makayla and Ellie books that we picked up at the public library. It got me thinking about my trips to the public library as a child.

Most of the time I went with my dad. I remember picking out books (Berenstain Bears, Beatrix Potter, and Mercer Mayer books were my favorites) and then sitting in a chair next to him as he read through various newspapers or magazines.

I think I must have inherited my love of reading from him. When I think back, I can't remember a time where he wasn't reading a newspaper, a book, or a magazine in his spare time. And he always seemed to have something tucked away in his lunch box to read while he was at work. Even now when I visit my parents, my dad always has something out that he is reading or has recently finished.

Thanks, dad, for sharing your passion for reading with me. Even if you didn't know you were doing it.

Another Year Older

Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone.

This birthday seems to be the birthday that keeps on giving. Saturday I got a card and money (woohoo!!) in the mail from my parents. Monday I got a card (and more money) from my grandma and grandpa. Kasey also gave me a gift Monday night--a gift card to a day spa. (I was so excited that I cried, but that could just be because I'm pregnant.) Tuesday I got phone calls and text messages from family and friends, more gifts in the mail from Kasey's parents, and went out to dinner. Also, Kasey cleaned almost the entire apartment by himself. It was awesome!! Today we had birthday cake. Tomorrow I'm going to a Pampered Chef party to spend said birthday money. Saturday is my pedicure at the spa. And next Monday my friends are taking me out to lunch.

Birthdays should always last a whole week!

Halloween Pictures. . . Finally

Sorry for the delay. I just got these from my friend tonight. For some reason, my girls didn't want to cooperate when I was taking pictures with my camera, but they would for my friend. Oh well. At least I got some.

Ellie as a butterfly. She loved this costume. She wore it around the house flapping her arms saying, "Ellie fuller-by. I a fuller-by." It was too cute!

Makayla as a witch. Apparently this is the meanest witch face she could muster. She must have been thinking about all that candy in her bag.

Trick-or-treating with friends: Theran the pirate and Emmie the fairy.

We had a lot of fun, and the kids got tons of candy. Whenever they want a piece they come up to me with their hands open and say, "Trick-or-treat, please."

Note to Webster's

Makayla was sitting at the table coloring. Without looking up she said, "Look Mom. This girl is violent."

"She's violent. What does violent mean?" I was really interested to learn where she heard this word.

"Violent. It means she's chewing gum and has blue hair."

Okie Dokie!

Election Day

It's Election Day. So everyone go vote!!

I Can't Stop Laughing

I stole this link from Eli's blog. It's so funny!! I seriously cannot stop laughing.

"Was her forehead really big, or was I just looking through a couple of bubbles?"

Delicious Artichoke Dip

I was going to write about how disgusted I am about the return of morning sickness. (What the heck!) In fact, I did. But then I decided that if I'm going to find the joy in life, I need to write about happy things. So, instead of a rant, I give you. . . Artichoke Dip. So easy. So delicious. So happy-making.

Artichoke Dip
8 oz cream cheese
12 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1-2 cloves garlic
1 cup grated parmesan
1 medium small onion, finely chopped
2 - 7 oz jars marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1/4 cup sour cream

Mix together, put into greased baking dish, bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with bread or chips.

Warning: This makes lots and lots. My sister suggested that I separate it into smaller dishes and freeze it. I halved the recipe and split it into 3 portions. I have some small Corningware dishes that I can put in the freezer and oven. So handy!

If you end up freezing some, make sure to thaw it before baking. It tastes way better. Also, if you use a smaller dish, decrease the bake time so you don't burn the edges. Unless you like burned edges, and then by all means bake it for the full 30 minutes.

Complications

I hate taking it easy!

I'm not a take-it-easy kind of girl. I may have been before I had 2 children, but I certainly don't have time for that kind of nonsense now.

After a week filled with contractions, back pain and pressure, Kasey finally convinced me to call the doctor. The nurse told me to come in immediately, so I did.

Three hours and several tests later, the doctor told me I am starting to dilate but am not at risk for preterm labor in the next 2 weeks. Hooray! (I'm amazed at how much doctors can learn from a few cells on a cotton swab!)

However, I'm under strict orders to take it easy. Not only from the doctor but from my husband and mother. I could argue with them individually, but it's lots harder to fight against three of them.

So, here I am. Taking it easy. There are piles of dirty dishes cluttering my sink and counter. There are mounds of laundry spilling across my bedroom floor. There are 2-day-old cracker crumbs littering my living room. It's making me crazy! I know, though, that if I start working on these things, the contractions will come and I really will be down for the rest of the day. It's so aggravating!

On a happier note, my children slept in until 8:45 this morning. I think we'll go trick-or-treating every night from now on.