Introducing...

Bookworm #4.

A proper post with his story will be up in a bit.

But here's a picture:

I'll be back later. :)

Thankful Thursday: My Mother

This is my mom. Here, she is giving #3 his first haircut - she has actually been the one to give each of my boys their first haircut. They all grow mohawks before the sides and back come in, and that makes a haircut necessary when they are looking too shaggy.

Anyway - my mom is quite the gift. I'm glad God gave her to me. She is always there - available at a moment's notice - even if she's 600 miles away. She has rescued me countless times. She mailed me the only contact solution that I am not allergic to while I was studying in Spain because I left mine in a hotel - that did cost a fortune. She made the bridesmaid dresses for my wedding. She's a constant source of encouragement. She's taught me all those things that a mom really needs to know - cooking, cleaning.... She hopped in her car and drove 600 miles the day that #1 arrived 7 weeks early and very ill. She stayed with us for those first four scary weeks of driving back and forth from our little house in Champaign, IL to the big hospital with the NICU in Peoria, IL. She was the only adult because The King and I who could handle the stresses of caring for #1 whenever necessary. A few months later, she hopped in the car again and whizzed up to IL to care for #1 while I had an emergency gall-bladder-ectomy. She also cared for #1 while I gave birth to #2. And she was present for #3's birth. And she is planning to watch my sweet monkey-boys when #4 arrives in just a few weeks.

Once we moved back to our beloved Oklahoma, she became my partner in errand-running (ever tried to go to the grocery store by yourself with a baby and a wheelchair-bound kid in tow? - it just doesn't work.). She is still my partner-in-shopping now - more because it makes it more fun than anything - but also because these sweet boys that we have are not good shoppers. Extra hands are a good thing - and since she taught me how to shop, we can divide and conquer a list and be done in half the time.

I'm about to give birth to my fourth child, and some days, I just want my mommy. She's a blessing to many, and I'm very thankful for her.

Maybe later today?

Who knows. I'm still contracting. I was 3cm at 2pm when we signed out of L&D because the hospital we were sent to at first doesn't do VBACs after 7pm. Now, I want a VBAC - it's my third. There is no reason to have a second caeserean now unless it is suddenly medically necessary. I'm NOT having major abdominal surgery because it's convenient for the hospital's insurance company. So, we needed to change hospitals because 3cm at 2pm doesn't insure a baby by 7pm.

My doctor came over to visit me in triage, and we decided that getting me out of that hospital before I hit 4cm was definately high priority. She sent me back to my mom's for a nap and some rest and time with my kids. And some walking later. We planned to meet back at a different hospital about 8pm (so my kids are going to bed early tonight.) unless I need to go to that hospital earlier.

I'm still contracting and uncomfortable. I am hoping to go in later tonight and be magically 5cm and get this sweet baby out.

Maybe today?

I'm contracting. Now - with #2 and #3 I had a long phase of prodomal labor - meaning, I was in labor for days before things picked up and I made it to four centimeters and got my water broken - then I had a baby in 3-4 hours. Since this is #4, I had to call the doctor when the contractions reached 5-7 minutes apart, so we are headed in to labor and delivery to get things checked out.

Needless to say, there will be another post if I'm going to have this baby today.

WFMW: Wall Art

You know how places like the Penney's portrait studio give you all those free 8x10s? This is our answer for what to do with them. We bought some really cheap frames and stuck the pictures in them, and then we space them very uniformly on the wall in the bedroom and the living room and the hallway (no pics of the hallway, though). This allows us room to expand, but it also looks nice in progress. Of course, we may eventually run out of wallspace, but until then, this works for me!


You can find more ideas for Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks in my Dryer.

Haircut Day

We had Haircut Day at my house on Friday. Nurturing Mommy and her kids and our friend N and her daughter all gathered at my house for doughnuts, outdoor play, and haircuts. N is a fantastic stylist-turned-mom. She works out of her house now, but was glad to come work at mine so that the two four-year-old-boys could hang out in their stomping grounds (the backyard) for the morning while the Girl and the babies played inside. NM brought KrispyKremes with her, and they were enjoyed by all


Know what was nutty, though? Haircut Day with six kids under five running around. Know what's going to be nuttier? Haircut Day with seven kids running around. And next time, that's what we are going to have.

So, here's my before-and-after the haircut pictures. I forgot to actually take before-and-afters, so what you are seeing is a bad shot of the old 'do and a bad shot of the new 'do. Didn't N do a great job? The first picture is an attempt to show just how big my belly is, and the second was taken at a baby shower that some friends gave for #4.

The update: Tackle It Tuesday: Just keeping up

I DID indeed do something today while #3 was sleeping and #2 was playing with Mimi.

The first thing I did was occupy this spot for an hour and a half:

Then, when #3 woke up, I picked up a lot of clutter and put it away. So, my living room is neat and tidy, the playroom is neat and tidy. The kitchen table is neat and tidy. And the kitchen countertops are neat and tidy. So, tomorrow morning I can sweep through the house with some vinegar on a washcloth and wipe everything down and then clean the boys' bathroom and that will be that. The house will be clean except for needing to be vacuumed - and that is not my job. :) DH will do it tomorrow night.

We went and had a family picture taken for the church pictoral directory. I don't recommend doing this when you are extremely pregnant. I look like a beached whale. And the rest of the family didn't look so great either.

My husband is studying for a final in his World Religions class, which is tomorrow. The poor man has been so swamped at work that he is just now beginning to study. He also has an 18 page paper due on Monday on Hindu Creation Myths. Then he is done for the sememster. I'm glad - because I want this baby out - and if I have the baby before the paper is finished, the paper won't get finished and he'll lose his scholarship to the seminary. So, ya'll, please pray that my sweet man happens to read just what he needs to read to pass this final.