Some new blogs

Ashlyn and Haley have started school and they have created their very own blogs so everyone can see what they are doing in their classes.

You can read about Ashlyn here.

You can read about Haley here.

Their names and pictures in their "about me" section are the same as mine right now, but I am going to change that soon. Blogger has gone to a new format and right now I'm not able to modify some of the tags in the template just yet.

It's a good thing you're pretty

Yesterday at Meet the Teachers we found out that there are two Haleys in Haley's kindergarten class, Haley Clark and Haley Starr. So we were told by her teacher, Mrs. Smith, that our Haley would from now on be known as Haley S.

When we were in the car on the way home I asked Haley if it bothered her that she was going to have to be called Haley S all the time.

"No, not at all. Haley S is a cool name!"

"Oh. Okay, yeah, I think so too."

"Hey mama, how do you think they came up with the S?"

**note: today was the first day and we found out that haley clark isn't going to be going to glenmore so haley is now the only one.

Bump pictures

Here are some pictures of the bump, taken by Ashlyn. In the second picture I look a little mad, but it is because there was a huge fight going on while it was being taken. And the shelf and picture in the background are crooked because our stupid cat Frosty won't quit trying to knock it off the wall.

The Runners

This weekend my father and brother ran in a mini-marathon in Rome, GA. They ran for 3.1 miles for no reason other than they wanted to do it. I have a weird family.

My latest

One of my recent purchases on ebay was the Precious Moments Noah's Ark set. It came in the mail today and has taken up residence on the bottom shelf of my curio cabinet right beside my Precious Moments Sammy's Circus set. You can see the ark, Noah and his wife, giraffes, sheep, bunnies, pigs and elephants. They also have llamas, which I have purchased but which have not arrived yet, and lions, goats and zebras (that I don't have).














So if you think this curio is practically busting at it's seams, I'm not even going to show you a picture of my salt & pepper shaker curio!

Tennessee cousins

Here are Ashlyn, Haley and Owen's Tennessee cousins.
(L-R) Macie Aleece (born 7 August), Sidney and Leeanne

On the pooter

Owen loves to sit with Ashlyn and play games on the "pooter".

And shame on all of you who saw the title of this post and thought you were going to see some really cool pictures of people sitting on the toilet!

Afternoon fun

This may look very dangerous, but, as evidenced here, here, and here, we are trained professionals.

So this is interesting

It turns out that my friend, the nameless surrogate, is not having twins after all.

She's having triplets.

Oh, and hey Ka-uh, nameless surrogate, sorry I laughed.

We're so excited!

Today, on the 433rd day of his life, Owen PEE-PEED ON THE POTTY!!

It turns out pouring warm water on his thingy really does work...

Ready for school

Haley, are you ready to start school?

Yes!

Okay, let's practice. What's 6 - 3?

4.

Nope.

5?

Nope.

OOH OOH I KNOW I KNOW--17!!

My cousin Adam

Everyone has a crazy person in their family that they sometimes pretend they don't know. Adam is that person in my family. Ha Ha! So here's a couple of pictures of Adam doing what he does best. You may ask "What does he do?" Well, no one really knows for sure, but it has something to do with Home Depot I think.

#3 ob trip

Today I went again to see Dr. Dickens and find out how the bump is coming along. I have nothing to say about the weight gain issue because I weighed myself with my back to the scale and I have no idea what it was. It can't be too bad because Dr. Dickens commented that is was "about perfect" and I quickly told him I didn't want to know the number, but thanks anyway.

We heard the heartbeat and discussed any worries/concerns we may have. Scott didn't have any, but I had one about the fact that the baby was going to come at the height of flu season and I'd have two kids in school bringing home all sorts of germs and immediately Scott cut me off laughing. He then reminded me about having two kids, one in December and one if February, in Fairbanks, Alaska and not asking this question. And I'm glad he spoke up because I'd completely forgotten about giving birth in the past...

So Dr. Dickens and Scott had a good chuckle while I protested that it was a legitimate concern because in Alaska we didn't go anywhere (too too much snow) and Dr. Dickens said as long as the baby wasn't premature we didn't really have cause to worry. Oh, and if the kids have coughs or colds we shouldn't let them breathe all over the baby. Well, it's a good thing he told me THAT because I had NO idea I needed to keep snot-nosed kids away from a newborn baby.

I have felt the bump move twice, both at the same time, about 10 seconds apart. I was laying on the bed and felt a lump rise up and I poked it and it went away, then came right back. Again, after a solid poke from me it disappeared and I haven't heard from it since. But it's still in there somewhere, doing it's best to give me the worst freaking heartburn known to mankind. Oh, and I also found out today it's about to have a growth spurt. How lovely.

We go back on the 30th for the ultrasound. Actually, I made the appointment for 3:30 that day but I'm going to have to change it because I completely forgot the girls would be in school then so I think it will be on the 30th, but I'm not 100% sure.

And speaking of pregnancy I'd like to take this opportunity to say congratulations to my friend, who wants to remain nameless but is doing the unmatchable by being a surrogate to a less fortunate couple. On the second time around she has successfully been impregnated with two counts of someone else's sperm and egg combo and is having twins...so YAY! for you (and them).
And I'm sorry I laughed about the twin part...

If the shoe fits...

then you should definitely wear it. Nothing says DUDE! more than some sparkly red Dorothy shoes. And speaking of DUDE!...Dude, get a bowl or something.

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.