Pile on

Last week while Rebeckah was visiting all the kids decided to climb on Scott to see if he could hold them all. It turns out that he can not only hold them all, but he can also jump up and down at the same time. I figure Ashlyn weighs about 50 and Rebeckah weighs about 40-45 and Haley weighs about 40 and Owen weighs 30, so that's 160 pounds.

Amber and Arden were visiting while this was happening but Amber would not allow Arden to participate--what a pooper!

Just so you know

I am no longer doing the Friday's Feast thing. It was getting old. So don't think I don't know what day it is when you don't see it.

Also, Nana, Pops and Rebeckah have been visiting this week and Pops has been taking pictures. I'm planning on loading them all onto my computer tonight before they leave so I will have pictures of everyone to put up this weekend.

Owen got his new potty chair in the mail yesterday from ebay. After his bath last night he sat down on it around 8:30. He had a stack of books beside him and he was right in front of the television with baseball on. At 9:00 he fell asleep sitting on it. He did not pee in it. We tried the spray, and it didn't work. But he likes the chair, so maybe one day he will slip up and pee in it and it will all come together for him.

13 weeks pregnant

Your fully formed fetus, now in about its 11th week of development, measures 2.6 to 3.1 inches from crown to rump and weighs between half an ounce and seven-tenths of an ounce -- about the size of a peach. The head is still disproportionately bigger than the body, but the rest of the body is starting to catch up. In fact, your baby is growing rapidly these days. The face is starting to look more human, with eyes moving closer together. Toes and fingers are clearly separate, and ankles and wrists have formed. External genitalia are becoming visible. Intestines are shifting into their proper place, too.
Thanks, webmd.

Dream a little dream

I know it is waaaay too early for Owen to be potty trained, but a while back we were at Big Lots and he found a kid-sized potty seat with Elmo on it and would not put it down so I bought it. I figured he would use it eventually.

He is getting really good at knowing when he is going. He will often stand up (usually in restaurants), grab his crotch and scream "Owen pee-pee!" or twist a little and point to his butt and yell "Owen poop ball!" At home he will immediately stop whatever he is doing and run and get the wipes and a new diaper as soon as he goes.

Now we are actually encouraging him to use the potty seat, bribing him with gum, which he desperately wants to try, or m&ms, another of his favorites. He has spent a lot of time sitting there, usually when he first wakes up from sleep or a nap and his diaper is still dry, but he has never peed. He tries really hard, straining and pushing his stomach and whatnot, but to no avail.

I know that at young ages a child doesn't really think twice about going to the potty...when their body gets the urge to go, it's pretty much automatic, whether the kid is ready or not. I also know there is a time when that changes, and a child has to physically do the work himself and push it all out. I thought (mistakenly) Owen was at that point and the potty seat was a good idea, but the other night when Scott was putting them all in the bathtub something frightening happened. Owen turned to run out of the bathroom while butt-naked and small poop balls were falling unaided out of his butt, leaving a trail behind him. I guess that is a sign that he does not have full control, but if he does, then you have to admit it is very impressive that he can run away, laughing and yelling and push out poop all at the same time. I mean, what a multi-tasker!

Anyway, I feel potty training will have to wait, but in the meantime we went to Target today and of course they had Elmo underwear in a size 2T-3T and of course I bought him some to wear over his diaper while we are at home. I told him he had to pee and poop in the potty or we would have to throw the underwear away. He has been diligently trying this afternoon and evening, but nothing yet.

For Becky

My parents have come to visit us and this time they brought Rebeckah with them. What a surprise for Ashlyn and Haley, who were purposely left out of the loop on this one!

Rebeckah was looking forward to seeing the girls and Owen again. The last time we'd seen her was last June when we left for Arizona. Owen was barely over 1 and he wasn't walking or talking yet and I guess in Rebeckah's mind he was still exactly like that. I think she expected him to be more like Ben than Patrick.

After we had been visiting about an hour Rebeckah mentioned to Ashlyn how big Owen was and how he wasn't anything like Ben. Ashlyn said "Well, Owen's 2 years old." to which Rebeckah said "Oh! Well that's why! Ben is only, like, 1 and a half!"

12 weeks pregnant

Once again, according to Webmd:
By the end of the third month, your baby is fully formed. Your baby has arms, hands, fingers, feet and toes and can open and close its fists and mouth. Fingernails and toenails are beginning to develop and the external ears are formed. The beginnings of teeth are forming. Your baby's reproductive organs also develop, but the baby's gender is difficult to distinguish on ultrasound. The circulatory and urinary systems are working and the liver produces bile.

At the end of the third month, your baby is about 4 inches long and weighs about 1 ounce.

Since your baby's most critical development has taken place, your chance of miscarriage drops considerably after three months.

Friday's Feast, 21 July 2006

Appetizer: Fill in the blanks: I ____________ when I _____________.
I hate when I am laying in the bed and the kids bump into it and it shakes and makes me even more nauseaus.

Soup: Name something you use to make your home smell good.
Carpet fresh

Salad: If you could receive a coupon in the mail for 50% off any product, what would you want it to be for?
A house

Main Course: Besides sleeping, what do you spend the majority of the hours of your typical day doing?
eating

Dessert: What can you hear right now while answering these questions?
My mother talking on the phone to me

When I grow up

Hey Ashlyn, what are you going to be when you grow up?

I'm going to be a photographer!

Haley, what are you going to be?

A vegetarian.

A vegetarian?

Yeah, you know, one of those people who work with animals...

Power

Haley informed me yesterday that she has magic power. So of course I was excited because who couldn't use a little magic power?

This power enables her to close her eyes and reach into the toybox and know what toy she has picked out before opening her eyes. It also allows her to know where certain toys are and when Ashlyn needs them she can tell her exactly where to look.

Dang it, this is no magic power! This is common sense! Don't come wake me up and tell me crap like that! But hey, when you can clean a house like Mary Poppins can, by all means, come and get me.

The whole dairy issue

The baby is now almost 100% against all things dairy. This is a problem because I drink a lot of milk. A lot of milk. Now milk seems to curdle the minute it hits my stomach and leaves that familiar tin-like taste in my mouth that no amount of tooth brushing can scrub away. Instead of wanting milk, the baby is sending up incredible cravings for water. How bad is that? I can't get enough water. And it must be cold water with ice...not just any ice, mind you, but ice that was purchased at the Town & Country gas station. All other ice is unacceptable.

Unfortunately for the baby, I am not giving up cheesecake. I am very close to ordering one of those Junior's ones from QVC. The baby will most likely not appreciate that, but my reasoning behind it is that I pretty much feel like butt everyday anyway, so at least I will eat something good and then feel like butt instead of drinking a bunch of water or eating what the baby wants and then feeling like butt.

My stomach has poked out overnight. I guess when it's the 4th one you really can't help that. Amazingly enough, I still weigh the same as I did before it poked out so this must be a sign from God that it's okay to continue eating Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls every night at 11. So at least I have that.

Another Haley gem

Last Friday I had to meet Scott up at the Company for a meeting and afterward the kids and I sat in his office while he tied up some loose ends so we could go eat. Scott has one of those Army posters in his office...I know you've seen them:



















Anyway, Haley was staring at the poster and then she started jumping around and I said "Haley! Be still!" and she said "Golly Mom, no matter where I stand, that guy is still pointing at me!"

I hope this next baby is half as funny as she is.

11 weeks pregnant

According to Webmd, at 11 weeks:
Your fetus, about the size of a large lime, measures about 1.75 to 2.4 inches from crown to rump and weighs about three-tenths of an ounce. About now the rapid "swooshing" noises of the heartbeat can be heard through a Doppler sound-wave stethoscope. Fingernails and external genitalia are showing distinguishing characteristics, and the baby is swallowing and kicking, although you still won't feel it.

Friday's Feast, 15 July 2006

Appetizer: Name one thing nice that you could do for someone else today.
Well, I could do a lot of things, but I probably won't, because it would involve getting out of the bed.

Soup: When was the last time you were frightened by the weather?
One time we were in Florida and there was a storm blowing in off the water and a palm tree got struck by lightning right beside us and the top of it exploded. It was pretty funny afterward, but at the time it scared the shit out of me.

Salad: What would you say is the most useful website or blog that you visit?
My bank's website

Main Course: Who was your favorite singer/group when you were a child?
Alabama

Dessert: Do you have any rituals? If so, what are they?
I am a creature of habit. Every single thing I do is ritualistic.

There's something in the water

Last week two of Scott's soldiers' wives had babies. Those two soldiers are part of the permanent party here. This week 4 of his female soldiers (the ones in class here, not the permanent party) have turned up pregnant. Some are getting out of the army and some are getting married-a novel idea!

Every Friday the company does some sort of training. This Friday they are having training on safe sex.

I told Scott to take notes.

Yes, I still feel like crap

I wrote back on July 6th that my sickness was easing up.

People, don't be fooled as I was.

I have heard by way of the grapevine that people are talking about the fact that I have not updated my blog in several days. Interestingly enough, this came from my grandmother, who does not own a computer and could not see it if she did own one, so obviously people (Joan) have been talking about me. I am happy to provide fodder for you all.

I still feel like crap and I am still taking my medicine. I have, however, discovered that the baby does not care for chocolate milk one little bit, so that's helping a little. I would also like for it to be known that I am single handedly keeping the Sonic on Knickerbocker in business with all the Ched R Peppers and lime slushes I've been buying from them; the baby seems to like those.

Also, the baby (all two inches of it) has apparently now taken up residence somewhere near my spine because I now have a funny tingling/numbing sensation going on there.

So all in all (in case you can't figure it out for yourself) this pregnancy is going awesomely. I can't wait to have this kid and maybe do it all over again.

Skinny dipping

When Nana came back in June she bought the kids a little pool with a built on slide for the backyard. It is a huge hit, especially with Owen, who likes the pool all to himself. Let me tell you, when he rips off his pants, everyone else disappears!

10 weeks pregnant

According to Webmd, at week 10:
Congratulations! Your baby is now officially called a "fetus." It looks a little like a medium shrimp, measuring 1.25 to 1.68 inches from crown to rump, and weighing a little less than two-tenths of an ounce. You might be reassured to know that most physical malformations, when they occur, have occurred by the end of this week, so the most critical part of your baby's development is safely behind you. But other developmental processes, such as those affecting behavior and intelligence, will continue throughout pregnancy. Eyes are covered by skin that will eventually split to form eyelids.

Friday's Feast, 7 July 2006

Appetizer: When was the last time you visited a hospital?
Yesterday

Soup: On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how ambitious are you?
3

Salad: Make a sentence using the letters of a body part. (Example: (mouth) My other ukelele tings healthily.)
(shin) Scott has interesting news.

Main Course: If you were to start a club, what would the subject matter be, and what would you name it?
I wouldn't start a club, as I mentioned above, I am not very ambitious.

Dessert: What color is the carpet/flooring in your home?
god-awful

All my sickness

I would like to report that while it is not gone completely, my sickness has eased up considerably. I am now able to get up and shower on a daily basis, and I will actually consider leaving the house if the mood is right.

This lessoning of the sickness must be because now that the baby has developed fingers, it can float around in it's wonderworld flipping me off, thereby causing emotional duress instead of physical duress, and hey, I'll take the emotional anyday over the physical, as there are much better drugs out there for that.

Tonight at Walmart we bought a book with approximately 54,182 baby names in it. We bought the book in hopes of finding a good name for the baby, since all Scott can come up with at the moment is "Moose", and if it's a boy then we really have no idea...

#2 OB trip

Today we went to see Dr. Dickens again and had our first ultrasound. My due date has changed and is now officially 02 Feb. The baby was kicking around and also doing some type of shadow boxing, complete with bobbing head. Right now it looks like Owen, what with the smallish body and huge head. I go back to the doctor on 03 August.

9 weeks pregnant

According to Webmd, at week 9:
The embryo measures about 0.9 inches to 1.2 inches from crown to rump, or the size of a strawberry. The arms and legs are longer, and the fingers might be a little swollen where the touch pads are forming. The head is more erect and neck is more developed. Your baby now moves its body and limbs, and this movement can be visible during an ultrasound, but you won't be able to feel it yet.

Happy 4th of July