Pregnancy At A Glance

17 weeks

18 weeks

21 weeks

39 weeks

This last photo was taken yesterday when I was exactly 39 weeks.  I will try to post another photo if I am still pregnant next week (I probably will be for a while more- my first two were both born more than a week over their original due dates).

Splashy Photo That I Promised and Kool Aid Update

Here is that splashy photo that I promised, which my dad took on his camera phone the other day, then emailed to me.  Well, it's not the best photo, but at least Caitlin is looking at the camera!

Here are some pictures of the kids inside their toy tub at my dad's house.

Rub a dub dub, two babes in a tub!

Kool Aid Update

Okay, I promised to let you all know how the homemade Kool Aid Dishwasher Detergent worked out.  I have used it approximately 6 times and have not noticed any powdery film as I mentioned in my previous post on the topic.  It appears to work great and as long as I wash all of the food off of my dishes before loading them into the dishwasher (I always do, anyway) the dishes come out sparkling clean and not a bit green or lemony-lime smelling.  I think this recipe is a keeper, which is great because it is so inexpensive to make, and I even made up a large jar of it with a nice label and bow, and gave it to some friends of ours.  Yay for frugal homemade recipes!

The Little Phone That Can

My phone has a mind of it's own...and apparently a will to survive. After Caitlin spilled milk on it the other day, it appeared to dry out and make a full recovery, except that the ear speaker didn't work. Two weeks later, the camera stopped working for a couple of days; then it started working again. Yesterday, I forgot and answered the phone normally (up to my ear) & found that the speaker is now working again (although a little faraway sounding). It's the little phone that can!

Death of a Camera & Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

In the spirit of getting back into blogging, I decided to take some pictures of my kiddos swimming yesterday at my dad's house, so that I could blog all about their splashy cuteness today.  I switched over to the camera function on my cell phone (remember I lost our digital camera) and I came up with a black screen.  The view finder and all of the photo-taking options were there, but the lens was displaying absolute blackness on the screen.  Remember that Caitlin spilled milk all over my phone?  Well, apparently my phone's camera function decided to die a delayed death, because it worked just fine for at least a week, and now it registers nothing.  So, I did not get my cute splashy photos, but I did ask my dad to take some pictures and hopefully he can email them to me.  If he does, I will post them soon.  All of this to report....I am now completely camera-less!!!  It appears that I will be unable to post any new pictures for a while, at least until we can replace our digital camera, or my cell phone.  (But how do you like the clip art as a substitution?)

On another note, we ran out of dishwasher detergent and I haven't had the chance to pick some more up at Target, which is where I buy my favorite non-toxic dishwasher detergent that actually works.  If you follow this link, you'll see a price that is actually about twice as much as I pay at my local Target store.  It is still a bit pricey as far as dishwashing soap goes, but it meets my picky standards for dishwasher detergent:  1. It contains no bleach and will not ruin my clothing.  Several times in the past I have accidently sloshed some dishwashing gel on myself and bleached spots onto my clothing.  2. It is non-toxic; in case one of my little ones were to accidentally get ahold of it.  3. It does not have an overpowering "heavy duty cleaner smell" to it.  The grapefruit scent is really very mild and pleasant, and I am not even a fan of grapefruit.  4. Unlike other "green" or "eco-friendly" dishwashing detergents I have tried, it actually cleans my dishes!
So, now I will climb off of my soap box (ha! ha! pun intended : )  and finish my story.  I ran out of my favorite dishwasher detergent and decided to once again look online for a recipe for homemade dishwasher detergent.  I have tried some recipes before, but my dishes always ended up with a powdery film all over them.  I even tried the natural rinse aid alternative that I've seen recommended all over the internet, which is to fill up your rinse aid compartment with white vinegar.  DO NOT DO THIS!  Firstly, it did not remove the powdery film, and most importantly, my rinse aid compartment start leaving rusty streak marks on the inside of my dishwasher door, where it drains out during the rinse cycle!  I live in an apartment and I was mortified that the vinegar was somehow rusting my dishwasher's inner parts, and that the management would make us pay for a new dishwasher when we move out someday.  I sat on the kitchen floor for a good hour one day with a scrub pad, trying to get the stains off, and a nasal bulb (like you use on a baby's nose) trying to suck out all of the rusty vinegar from the rinse aid compartment.  Not pretty.  Not fun.  Don't try it at home.  Okay, back to my recipe search.  I typed into Google:  homemade dishwasher detergent that actually works.  I came up with some recipes that claimed the only way to avoid the powdery film was to include an ingredient called citric acid, which can apparently be purchased at a brewery supply store(?) or ordered online.  Well, I certainly didn't have any citric acid lying around the house, so I next searched for citric acid alternatives for homemade dishwashing detergent.  I came up with this recipe, which calls for unsweetened lemon-lime Kool Aid packets!  My husband loves Kool Aid, so I ran over to the kitchen cupboard, and sure enough, the first ingredient on a packet of lemon-lime Kool Aid is:  citric acid.  So, tonight, I filled up the dishwasher with rinsed off dishes, and some homemade lemon-lime Kool Aid dishwasher detergent.  I will let you know how it turns out.  I only pray that I have not dyed all of my dishes green : )

Let's Play Catch-Up

So, I have not posted in quite a while.  Over a month!  I suppose I have been busy with the children and preparing for our new little one, but for a good portion of that month, our laptop was "out of order".  The culprit was a broken power cord, but my husband fixed it a week or so ago and now I just need to get back in the habit of blogging again.
To catch everyone up, here is what has been going on around here:

• I am nearing 38 weeks pregnant with our 3rd baby (gender is still a surprise, although we have strong parental hunches that it's a boy!)
• I am officially completely packed for labor including a bag for the children for when they will stay with our friends during my labor & delivery.
• Sewing!  I have completed several sewing projects since I last posted and I even took some photos which I promise to post eventually.  I made a mattress for the baby cradle and a water proof slip cover for the mattress, two pillow-case style sheets for the cradle mattress, a cradle bumper, a patchwork quilt for the cradle which matches the bumper, and most recently (yesterday), a nursing cover to replace the one I lost.
• I lost our diaper bag!  This is really not that recent, but I never mentioned it and it greatly affects my blogging, because our digital camera was in the diaper bag.  Also, I recently realized that my nursing cover (Bebe Au Lait which I used with both previous kiddos for at least a year each) was in the lost diaper bag : (  I was really bummed until I thought about making my own.  I did a little research online, thought about how my old nursing cover looked, and made one yesterday.  It was super easy and fun, and I actually had all of the materials already, so it didn't cost me anything!  The best part about making something yourself is customization.  I was able to make it larger than my old nursing cover, which my babies constantly tugged on, threatening to expose me.  (Pictures of the cover later, I promise!)
• Aiden is really maturing and besides his huge vocabulary that blows my husband and I away (and makes us laugh-kids say the darndest things!) he can completely dress himself including shoes, which is such a huge blessing to me.  He is so helpful with Caitlin and holds her hand when we go outdoors, picks things up when she drops them, and talks to her and makes her giggle in the cutest ways.  He is a joy to us!
• Caitlin is not really talking, but she understands almost every command we give her (she doesn't always obey, but that is a training issue, not one of comprehension), she responds and asks for things in baby garble communicating "get down please" (from her seat at the table), "up, please" (to be held), "more, please", etc.  Also, she is beginning to comprehend some of her own diaper activity, which makes me pretty certain that she will be ready to potty train by 2 years old.
• Finally, because it is forefront on my mind, I wanted to share my mantra (actually a scripture verse) that I bring to mind every time I feel anxiety about the trials of child labor:  "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV)  I feel like this verse is speaking directly to me about labor; I feel fearful about the long hours of pain, hard work, and mental concentration that I expect in my upcoming labor.  1. But, behold, God has not given me a spirit of fear!  Instead, He has and will give me a spirit of power.  I feel very encouraged that God is going to be lending me His supernatural power to labor and deliver this baby.  There were definately times when I felt very tired and overwhelmed by my long drug-free labor with Caitlin, and I felt God's presence giving me strength to persevere; I just knew he was with me, carrying me.  2. He has given me a spirit of love.  During some of the difficult times in my labor with Caitlin, I felt God reminding me of the motherly love that I already felt for her, and the reason why I was laboring.  During the long car ride to the hospital (over 30 min) I felt overcome by loving emotion for Caitlin and I remember God showing me (and me saying aloud over and over) "she's so beautiful."  3. He has given me a spirit of a sound mind.  This is really key, because when it comes to pain, extreme concentration, and mental/physical/emotional fatigue, whether in child labor or in any other situation, mind over matter is the way to stay on top of things.  What I do to keep a sound mind during labor:  a) focus mentally on relaxing all of my muscles extremely (allowing my uterus to do it's work), b) think about my labor as one contraction at a time, each bringing the baby closer to being born, so I don't feel overwhelmed, c) mentally visualize what is happening in my body so that it doesn't seem so strange and scary, and d) remember that my uterine contractions cannot overcome/overpower me, because it's a part of me, working for me, to help deliver my baby.  (I learned these techniques from the book Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way, which is what we studied and used for my labor and delivery with Caitlin and have studied again for this time around.) Anyways, that is what I think of when I remember this verse, and maybe now you can see why it feels especially powerful to me at this time in my life : )

So, I promise to try and get some photos of those sewing projects up soon, and if I go into labor, I'll be sure to let you know!  P.S.  Here are a few photos of our lives in the last few weeks : )

Ultrasound of "Little Baby" at 35 weeks

A little race car that I cut out of craft foam and hot glued together for Aiden the other day.  He lost it that same day on the way to the mailbox at our apartments : (

Caitlin loves to be with her daddy and is content even to just sit in his lap no matter what he is doing.

Pigtails with ribbons!  I love doing my little girl's hair everyday, and am so excited that it is getting long enough for girly ribbons and such.

Aiden!  I love my little Aiden, and here he is with a recent summer haircut.  I cut it quite short in the hopes that, besides trimming the back and around the ears, I won't have to give him another haircut until after I am done recovering from childbirth.

Up close and personal!  I took several pictures of Caitlin while she was playing outside at my in-laws', but this photo was taken on the same day that she decided to dump an entire mug of milk right onto the screen of my (very expensive, normally carefully guarded) cell phone.  Apparently there were still some kinks and this is the only photo of her that saved as a complete image on my phone.  Kids!

Parting shot.  Finally, a sunset drive home from my in-laws' house.  Beautiful!

Tasty Treat Tuesday and An Afternoon Craft

I might not get this in every Tuesday, but I am going to try to do this at least a couple of Tuesdays every month:  Tasty Treat Tuesday.  The idea is to share a recipe about something sweet that we are enjoying in our home on or around that particular Tuesday.  Feel free to leave a comment with a recipe for your own tasty treat!

This Tuesday the kids and I enjoyed a family favorite that my husband introduced me to back when we were dating.  It has no special name and very basic ingredients.  This is not a healthful snack, but could be considered a semi-decent source of protein (as far as snacks go).  It is simply a graham cracker, spread with peanut butter, and topped with semisweet chocolate chips.  So simple, but so yummy! 

Did you catch that little hand sneaking in to steal a chocolate chip?

Please pardon that this one has been partially eaten- they are irresistible in our house!

An Afternoon Craft

Some time ago, my grandma gave me a bunch of beads to be used in whatever craftical whimsy I might happen to come up with.  Well, this afternoon while Caitlin was napping (and after Aiden and I had finished our tasty treats : )  I decided that it was time for some one on one crafting with my oldest.  I wasn't in the mood for the usual play dough or color crayons, or even finger painting.  I thought it might be fun to make some pictures by gluing beads onto construction paper.  It really was fun!  We were out of white glue, so to add to the fun, I made some homemade no-cook paste.  Recipe:  Mix some white flour with water and a pinch of salt until you get a goopy, somewhat runny mixture.  Apply it with a paint brush (or you could probably use a squeeze bottle if you made it runny enough) and use liberally to affix your craft item of choice.  It was fun and by the time we were done, there were beads everywhere.  Let me know if anyone tries this recipe, how it goes, and if you have any helpful revisions.

Happy crafting and happy snacking!

Busy Busy Today

I didn't get very much sleep last night due to the restless tossing and turning that always comes during the third trimester of my pregnancies.  So, this morning when my 2 year old comes into my room saying "I hungy!" and my husband calls from work and asks me did I go back to bed (I had), I expected that I would be dragging myself through my day, sleepy and not accomplishing much.

Not So! 

For some reason, I felt very motivated today to: 

• Make the bed (let's be honest, some days this just does not get done)
• Sweep and mop all of the hard floors in my home
• Clean the microwave inside and out
• Clean out the refrigerator, tossing leftovers, wiping down all of the shelves, drawers, etc.
• Dust all surfaces in the main living area
• Vacuum all carpeting (except the kids' room where the baby was napping)
• Run a load of dishes through the dishwasher
• Switch out our toilet seat (which I've been meaning to do for about a week), and clean all parts of the toilet
• Pick up and put away everything that was out of place (mainly toys and stinky socks -thanks hubby!)
• Create and print out my June dinner menu calendar (I'm only a few days late on this one!)
• Chase and tickle my adorable children
• Read a new story to someone who "didn't want to take a nap" but is now very unconscious
• and...Bake delicious cookies!

I feel so good accomplishing all of this today, but the best part that made all of the hard work worth it was having a good attitude and the right mindset while feeling purposeful in my tasks.  This makes such a big difference and on the days when I do not ask God to "give me the right attitude", I can accomplish all of the chores in the world, but feel miserable because I am not living joyfully and purposefully.  I chose to be a stay at home mom, and some of my jobs as such are keeping my home a restful and (reasonably) clean place for my family to spend time together and "to raise up my children in the way they should go".  If I slack off cleaning the house, or do so with a bad attitude, then not only will my home feel unrestful, but I will be a poor companion for my family to be around.  If I view my children as interruptions to my day that only need to be dealt with when they are interfering with whatever I'm doing, are in danger of dismembering one another, or are destroying something, then why did I stay home with them in the first place?  I want to view them as an enjoyable break from the daily grind of chores.  I want to welcome the chance to dry my hands of dish water, and chase them around the corner for the fifth time -armed with "tickle fingers" : ) 

I worked hard today.  And I felt good while doing so because I went through my day enjoying all of the reasons why I chose to do this in the first place.  I pray for a thousand more days like today!