Thirteen Things I love about the hubby:

I've talked about the Babe and how I appreciate him with the new baby coming. So today I am honoring the hubby and how much I love him.

1. The way he tries so hard to please me when I'm pregnant. Like one day I will want him to leave our bedroom door open when he leaves then the next I want him to close it!
2. What a huge help he is to me.
3. How much he just listens to me.
4. That he opens doors for me still after 4 years of marriage and almost 2 kids.
5. The way everyday when he walks in the door from work, he'll stop and give me a kiss before he does anything else.
6. How cute he is!
7. The way he keeps pictures of me and the Babe in his wallet to show people.
8. How wonderful of a father he is.
9. How smart he is. He can figure out all these solutions to my sewing problems or whatever.
10. How he tells me I'm beautiful even when I'm pregnant.
11. The cute way he'll do the dishes without being ask to when I'm mad at him.
12. How he rides his bike to work so I can have a car during the day.
13. How he allows me to do anything I want. If today, I want to learn how to knit, he fully supports me. When tomorrow, I want to make a quilt, he says great do it!

Thanks for being such a wonderful husband! I love you so much! I'm sorry this pregnancy has been so hard on us (it doesn't get any better when the baby comes).


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Nesting Syndrome

Yesterday, I woke up full of energy and decided to clean my house. Now when I say clean my house, there is rarely a time when I even want to do the dishes or put in a load of laundry. But yesterday I made a list of 22 things to clean most of which I wouldn't normally clean. These included things like: cleaning out windowsills, washing outside of windows, cleaning out the dreaded junk drawer and polishing the kitchen table. I accomplished 18 out of 22 things! I should get a Mother of the Century Award for that alone. So today I am hoping that was what people describe as nesting syndrome. It's the day before you go into labor where you have all this energy and ready your nest (clean your house). But I was thoroughly disappointed today when I haven't gone into labor. Maybe in order for it to work you have to do everything on your list (including scrubbing the toilets). I guess there are still 10 hours in the day maybe we could still get baby out after all. Yep I think I can feel the contractions already lol.

CPR Certified

Everyone keeps asking how the foster care thing is going. So to update, tonight we went and got CPR Certified which is the last training type thing we need to do. On Thursday, we are going in to turn in all our paperwork and be FBI fingerprinted. Then it takes 4-6 weeks to process all that and then they have to come to our house for a home inspection. Assuming we pass all those requirements, then we are certified and can take children. But right in the middle of this whole process, I am going to have a baby. We won't take any children until things settle down from that. So don't look for anything for a while. But if you stop breathing, then we are both certified to do CPR on you.

New Camera

Today was an exciting day! The hubby got a great big raise! So we went out and bought a new camera! We've been wanting one for a while anyway and with the new baby coming I thought it would be fun to have a better camera. We bought the Canon Powershot A620. Our old camera was 2.0 mega pixels and this one is 7.1 mega pixels! It's been 4 years since we bought the old one so it's a little overdue. If you know anyone who wants an old 2.0 mega pixel digital camera, let us know. I think on ebay they are selling for like $20 or something (probably as an antique). Here's a picture taken with our old camera and same thing with the new!

Playgroup Dynamics

At our playgroup yesterday, we were talking about another playgroup. A while back our playgroup got too big and we decided to split it in halfish. 4 moms came to ours and 3 moms went to theirs. I personally was thrilled because I had some personality conflicts with some of the other moms. I guess this other group recently decided to stop having playgroup all together because the kids were beating each other up. I can understand how putting 5 2-year-olds in a room together would cause some tiffs but beating each other up?

We weren't gossiping about this other group. We were really just saying how happy we were because the dynamics of our group works so well and that we got out of a bad situation before it came down to never having playgroup again. We decided that there is one key thing in making a playgroup work. It's not so much that the children have to all be alike (while one hard child can really mess a group up), it's that the parenting styles have to match. The 4 mothers in our group all are very alike in the big parenting areas like discipline, eating habits and routines. We rarely disagree on things that pertain to parenting and when we do it's ok to disagree. But before we split, I could see that the parenting styles were conflicting enough that people were getting offended because her child did this at my house and mom didn't do X or whatever. Playgroup has been a lot of fun and the Babe has learned a lot from being with the other kids. He looks forward to it every week. The mothers have become great supports to me and we all strengthen each other. It's sad because one of our girls is starting kindergarten next week. So her 2-year-old sister will come alone now. I hope that we can continue to get along while our children grow.

Impatiently Waiting

With only 12ish more days to go in this pregnancy, I am getting a little anxious. But rather than complain, I wanted to post a few things I am a little sad about. I realized today that this is the last 2 weeks of the Babe being an only child. Which some would say is a good thing, but I realize that after this new one comes I will no longer be able to give him my undivided attention all the time. I will no longer be able to think only about what we are going to do with him all the time. My thoughts and time will be split between 2 children. Of course I've heard how other mothers don't understand how they can love the 2nd child as much as the first only to realize after the birth that they can. But not being to the 'after the birth' part of that I still don't understand. And the poor Babe has no idea what he's in for. I mean sure we've told him that mommy is going to have a baby and he'll be a big brother. But he doesn't understand what that really means.

The other thing I realized is he will now have to share everything. Today I was cleaning out a cupboard that was a mess full of the Babe's sippy cups and old bottles. I threw out a bunch of junk but then decided to use half the cupboard for the new baby and the other half for the Babe's stuff. This is just one example of things he'll have to share. Now I'm not against him learning to share but I feel for the poor kid.

On the brighter side, he will have a sister; and anyone who has a sibling knows that there forms a relationship that can only form by living with another person and growing up together. It's unique in that you develop memories together and the memories you chose to remember differ by personality. There are always situations that are funnier or sadder or happier because of some experience you had together with your sibling. This may not be the case in all families but I think in most. My brothers have memories of my birth (or lack of because they were sent outside) and perhaps the Babe will have memories of his sister being born.

As a child, nobody ever told me that the best part about parenting is watching your children grow. I think the new baby will help the Babe grow from a baby to a boy and I'm excited to see that happen.

Living on an Exotic Island

I am finishing up reading the book Robinson Crusoe for the first time ever. I think it's an interesting read. The back kind of helped me with my post and my expectations of the book. It says something like, "We've all had thoughts of living on an exotic island and how we would deal with it." Here's a book that describes some guy's ideas about what he would do, I'm guessing (because it's fiction).

While reading, I have found a few things about my ideas of living on an exotic island. 1st, and most importantly, I could not do it without the hubby. As a woman, I think I would die because I don't have the physical strength that men natural have. The fact that this man is completely alone would also I think drive me crazy to the point where one day I'd just lay down and die.

By nature, I think I am very much like the character in the book though. He sees a need or want (which his wants I consider needs) and sets his mind to fulfilling it. I am very much the same way in my life. If I want to learn how to sew, I go to the library and check out a book on sewing or google it until I can figure it out. And with time he gets better at all the things that he accomplishes. I am the same way. Over the years I have been sewing, I have become more confident and a lot of comfortable making things.

I am not finished yet and am sure to be disappointed with the ending. But being 100 pages from the end, I can already say it has been a good days read and has been a good thought provoking read. Of course, I have seen the many movies that are spin offs of this novel (e.g. Swiss Family Robinson or Cast Away) but am/have thoroughly enjoyed this version.

Somebody likes me!

Today I have some exciting news! Somebody actually likes me! Today I found another mommy blog that has my blog linked to it on her links list! The blog is called Mothers on the Verge and I have her linked on my sidebar. I guess it doesn't take much to get me excited.

Foster Care Training Recap

Today we finished our last part of the foster care training for a while. We still have a few more classes that we have to take but we have a year to do it so we'll wait a while to do those. But today we spent 9 hours there and by the end the hubby was done! The training has been very interesting! Nothing life changing or new but a few things that I hadn't thought about before. Today they wanted us to pose the question to our extended family (who are the primary readers of this) of what their feelings would be if we were to foster an African American child? We hadn't thought of this because we have no problems with this but some people have pretty strong ideas about this. And in some cases, the extended family would not accept an African American child into their family. I don't think this is the case with either of our families but you never know. But we'll probably follow up this post with the question directly just make sure. Apparently a LOT of the child that are in the system here in Vegas are African American. We even had a lesson on African American hair care (which I was thankful for because I had no idea how to take care of their hair). We really felt grateful today that we both have come from good families and we think that our family situation would be one where these children could have a positive family experience.

Thirteen Things I'm excited about the new baby that's coming:
1. Pink! Pink everything!
2. Non-stinky diapers, well at least for a while.
3. Dresses, bows, lace and other frillies.
4. Cuddling. Newborns will you let you hold them and kiss them and cuddle them forever!
5. The way newborns naturally hold your finger.
6. Tiny feet and fingers.
7. Doing her hair. Although, I have mixed feelings about this. I don't do my son's hair so what if I forget.
8. Painting her fingernails and toenails.
9. That new baby smell.
10. How newborns just kick their legs all the time.
11. Bundling her up at night.
12. The moment the doctor says that she is healthy and that she has all her fingers and toes.
13. Watching her grow and learn. Nobody ever told me that this is the best part of being a parent. Sure my 2 1/2 year old is still growing and learning every day but those baby milestones are fun (e.g. crawling, walking, talking ect.)


Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. Norma
2. Carmen
3. Kimba
4. Courtney
5. Susan
6. Pixie Princess Mom
7. Titanium
8. The Momma

Baby Shower

Last night, my girlfriends threw me a baby shower! It was the perfect end to an insane day! I went to the doctor yesterday and they are going to induce me on September 5th so that my dad can be here to watch the Babe. I am so excited to be induced because it's all scheduled and you know pretty much exactly when you're going to have the baby, no more guessing. Anyway, the baby shower was fun! Since it's a second baby, we wanted to keep it pretty simple. We just ate some great food, sat around, talked and opened presents. No fun baby games or anything but lots of fun! There were 19 women there total who included an auntie, some cousins, a bunch of friends from our ward and a few friends we've gotten to know through other various ways. Here's a picture of all the fun stuff I got. On the ends, there are things that kind of look like cakes; they are individual diapers rolls up made to look like a cake! How fun huh?

Almost Finished Quilt

I am so excited that I finally almost finished my quilt that it gets 2 pictures! When I say almost finished, I mean it's finished but needs to be tied. On Thursday, my playgroup girls have graciously been forced to help me tie it. The first question that everyone keeps asking me is, "So who is this quilt for? The Babe? A friend?" to which my reply is, "MEEEEE!" I know it's selfish but the hubby is more than ecstatic to get the pink quilt that I picked from our wedding off our bed. I think there will be a little tear that escapes my eye when I pack it away but this quilt took a lot of time and effort. I've never pieced a quilt before and to anyone who is thinking of doing their first I say Don't! It's hard work! And I had a sewing machine that did most of it, imagine hand sewing it. I'm sure those pioneers were smarter than me and made bigger blocks so there was less sewing. Anyway it's finished (well almost) and now I have to find a new project....

New Adventure

We are excited to announce that we have decided to become licensed to be foster parents. We realize that the timing is terrible and that we already have children why would we want more. But there have been numerous articles in the newspaper about how they have a desperate need for foster parents and so we decided to get trained and see what happens. There is a program called Shelter Care where you take infants into your home on an emergency need for a very short time. We'll most likely start out by doing this because of our situation with the baby coming and all. The training is intense and requires a lot of paperwork, weird FBI checks and even a home inspection. So we're finishing up the last training course and getting our paperwork together. So a bunch of you who read this regularly maybe getting a phone call asking if you would be one of our 7 references that they check. I'm not yet sure how confidential I have to be so I don't even know if I can post about my experiences on here. I guess we both think that we had a pretty good life growing up and these children who are taken from their families because of circumstance need a good home to come to for a time while their parents get their lives back together. It should definitely be an interesting experience.

Mormons and Layers

Sorry it's been so long, nothing exciting has happened. Just an update, the wisdom teeth are going to have to wait till this baby comes. They won't knock me out to do them while I'm pregnant. They just want to use the local anesthesia but they aren't hurting anymore so let's just hope this baby hurries up.

Today's post was inspired by my auntie who commented a while ago saying, "us Mormons sure do like to wear a lot of layers." Being pregnant and it being 100+ outside, I have reflected on this statement quite a few times. It's no wonder I am always hot at church. Today I counted and I had 6 layers on the top half of my body. SIX! And that is a normal Sunday. I have come up with 3 reasons to explain this why we wear so many layers. #1 the pioneers were really cold at times and when they finally reached the Salt Lake Valley they had warm clothing. So they put on every piece of clothing they could find showing gratitude which has been passed down from generation to generation to us (which also helps me understand why I have a cedar chest and 2 additional closets full of quilts), #2 maybe it's a form of birth control, after my husband has finally gotten all six of my layers off he'll be too exhausted to possibly want more children, #3 I think it could be a form of weight loss, we all want to lose those extra 5 pounds so we put on the layers thereby making our bodies sweat the weight off.

No, I realize that there is desperate need for more modesty in our world today and in order to cover up the parts of my body that the clothing manufacturers haven't figured out need to be covered up, I wear more layers. But isn't there a point when it becomes excessive? I was recently invited to a party for a clothing brand that sells layers that you wear under you clothing to make it more modest. I fully support modesty but adding more layers? Why not just buy clothing that covers you in the first place? I will admit that one of my layers today was a tank top that had a high neckline to fix the plunging neckline of my dress. I guess it's a never-ending battle of layers vs. modesty. But it's sad that our society doesn't even offer clothing that isn't too short, too tight, or too skimpy. Especially since, we pride ourselves in knowing we can purchase whatever we want, whenever we want it through the Internet.

An Abundance of Wisdom

What a mess today has been! It has become necessary to have at least one of my wisdom teeth taken out! Now under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be excited but I wouldn't be so nervous. But because I'm 5 weeks from my due date there are all these complications. At first, I wasn't even sure they would taken it out until after the baby was born but the after seeing the oral surgeon today I realized that because of infection they have to take it out before the baby is born. He takes the x-rays and says that the one that is hurting is coming in straight but the one on the other side is completely sideways. That one will need to come out in the near future as well. The problem is the anesthesia. There are a few ways you can have them taken out. Option a. (which is the most ideal for people like me normally) is to be completely knocked out just like you were having heart surgery. Option b. (which is probably what I will have done under the circumstances) is called an IV sedation, which means you aren't completely out but you don't remember anything and you're extremely loopy. Option c. (which is least ideal in my book but most ideal in the OBGYN's book) is just a local anesthesia just like if you were having a filling you're completely numb but you are completely awake and aware of pressure and the blood oozing down your throat. One of the biggest factors is cost. Of course the cheapest is option c and the most expensive is a. Plus, because I'm pregnant, the surgeon wants me to be at a surgical center so that if something did go wrong that they would be able to get the help they needed which means it will be extra expensive. I don't know exactly how expensive yet because they have to get pre-authorization from insurance and all that. But gee what a mess. This whole experience has made me realize one thing. How possible it is that your life can change overnight. I mean like people who get into a car accident and have serious medical problems unplanned for and it changes their lives instantly. I mean not to say I have serious medical problems but having your wisdom teeth out is a big deal and being so close to the baby coming is hard too. We'll see what they say in morning.

Garage Sale Queen

Today I went to some garage sales for the first time by myself! Of course, as a child, I was beaten, gagged and shamefully drug to garage sale after garage sale as a child but as an adult I have never been brave enough to actually go (or have I ever woke up early enough on a Saturday). After hearing a few friends say that they had gotten their baby swing or baby bouncer at a garage sale, I knew that I could not pay $100 for a swing at the store that I could buy for $25 at a garage sale. So I braved the heat this morning and went by myself! The hubby doesn't do that sort of thing and taking the Babe would have been more stress than it was worth. Being so pregnant, I of course got lots of puzzled looks and sympathy prices so I won't complain. So I ended up spending $10 and got a bouncer/rocker thing, some very nice clothes (baby clothes are usually the one thing I would steer clear of at a yard sale but these 3 outfits didn't even look used), 2 toddler camping chairs, and a toy wheelbarrow for the Babe (who can come home from garage sales without at least one useless toy that you don't need?). I actually did go back to one with the hubby too. We found the blessed swing as I said for $25 and it looks brand new. So momma you taught me well. I was all about haggling just like you used to. And no I didn't stop at any scary places or feel threatened in anyway. So I am thrilled to say that if this baby wants to come soon (trust me she wants to, right?) I have all of the bigger things (e.g. crib, swing ect).

P.S. There is a new poll that I really want everyone's opinion on so check is out over there on the side.

Thanks Nello for the amazing banner!
Thirteen Things I learned today at the fire station:
Our play group went on a tour of the fire station this morning which was fun! Here's 13 things we learned:

1. Firefighters here work 24 hour shifts working 3 every other day shifts on and then 4 days off.
2. It's like 120 degrees with all that gear on and the gear itself weights 40-50 pounds dry.
3. They actually carry like 500 gallons of water in the fire truck. Okay I'm slow but I didn't know they carried water around with them. 500 gallons only lasts about 15 seconds though.
4. Firemen crawl when in a burning house because it's a lot cooler down on the ground.
5. A fireman all suited up with oxygen on and everything can scare 10 toddlers to the point of screaming and crying.
6. Even if they don't have a fire dog, they like to pretend they do by telling the kids they have a 4 foot dog in closet who is sleeping which also can scare 10 toddlers to screaming and crying.
7. We should have a fire escape plan.
8. Matches and lighters aren't toys they are tools.
9. They're oxygen tanks last 14 minutes while fighting fires and they use 2 before another fire fighter relieves them.
10. They are all suited and out the door within 1 minute of dispatch and within 4 to 7 minutes to the scene (this was this stations response time, pretty good I think).
11. They have 4 guys that make up a crew (all of which are fire fighters): an engineer who drives, a paramedic, firefighter #1 who is in charge of water, and firefighter #2 who is the 1st person they actually send into the fire.
12. When you see tons of fire trucks at a fire with people who seem be just standing around, it's because they have to send 3 fire trucks, a fire rescue and a ladder truck to every house fire.
13. I'm glad that other women allow their husbands to be fire fighters so mine doesn't have to be.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. Lisa
2. Lynn
3. Frances
4. Carmen
5. Jen
6. Jeana
7. Kailani
8. Lisa
9. Lindsey