Baby K!

Baby k is finally here! Actually she has been here for a while now, it's just taken me a while to get around to this post, lol! Hopefully I will get around to posting her arrival story this week, but until then I hope you enjoy these pics:

Busy times!

Man, have we been busy lately! The last few weeks before baby usually go really slow for me but this one has been so different. I guess with having two already you just don't have the time think about what you need done. You just have to do it, or better yet, pray that somehow it magically gets done. Thankfully, I think we may just be ready for this little one to make her arrival! Scary!!!

Two days ago I got my pre op paper work in the mail. Guess I had better get on that, lol! Pretty much the only thing that "needs" to be done is getting the boys an activity bag packed incase my mom isn't here when she decides to come. Hopefully she waits, but who knows??? If she comes when son two came that will be tomorrow! Yikes!

School for the big kid is still going well. I think he is finally learning how to interact with the other kids in the class. The second week was a little difficult for him since he was still learning how to deal with the fact that other kids are different. He came home very upset because one little boy wanted to leave the bathroom door open when he peed and Big kid wanted it closed. Once I explained to him that some people just do things differently and as long as he did what made him feel comfortable he would be fine, he felt much better. He is slowly making friends, none of which are boys by the way, and keeps asking to go back, so I guess that is a good thing. He also asks to do his homework every Friday and the hubby and I are hoping that is one trend that stays with him.

The little one is doing well, too. He was sick the last few days which had me worried because of the hubby having had chickenpox recently. We were right at the incubation period for symptoms to start showing up . Thankfully the fever only lasted a little more then a day and we have no spots!

Anyway, I guess I had better get going. The big kid and I are currently in a battle over last nights dinner and I need to attended to my side of the argument. Hope all is well with everyone!
Kristen

You know you are getting big when...

Over the last few days it has occurred to be that I am getting quite large. I am still not as big and round as I was when I was pregnant with Son two, but I am still pretty big none the less. So, in keeping with the title of this post, you know you are getting big when:

The only towel in your house that will fit around you just so happens to be a beach towel!

You are ironing your hubby's clothes and standing as close to the ironing board as normal when you notice that your stomach is on fire. That's right. I burned my stomach on the iron because I failed to compensate for my size!

Your boys, the hubby and son one, have both just eaten a big meal and declare " man, look a my belly, it is as big as yours!". Geeze! Thanks guys!

Standing up from the dinner table is impossible because again, I have failed to compensate for my size and have gotten stuck!

I had a really funny day incase you couldn't tell. Anyway, tomorrow marks the third day into my safe zone! I am super excited that as of midnight Baby K will be delivered in our town without having to be transferred away from us( assuming no complications). God is good and has seen us through!

Tomorrow is the big kids first field trip! It was cancelled last week due to weather and hopefully it will be nice tomorrow. They are calling for rain again this week but I think that should happen later in the week. Tomorrow should only include cold weather, which for this big pregnant behind is a very nice change from two weeks ago when we were in the 90's.

Well, I guess I had better get going. Time to relax with the two little people sitting at my feet. It's a Monsters vs. Aliens kind of night.

And the countdown begins!

Today I can breathe a little easier. Well, in three days it will be even better. If we want to delivery here in town, so long as we make it another three days, we will be all set! It's funny how three little days can mean so much to a person. I once read a quote that said " if you want to know the value of a month, ask the mother of a preemie". If you want to know the value of three days, just ask me. I want those three days for her so much. Three days will mean that she is three days bigger and stronger. Three days will mean that her daddy and brothers will be able to see and hold her. Three days means that there is a chance that we will be able to take our baby girl home with us when I am released. Three days means a lot.

On a much more upbeat note, the hubby and I got a new Suv. We now have the space for all of the kiddos as well as a little extra room. We had room in our other one but Son Two would have been next to Baby K. Since he can't be trusted not to beat up on his big brother I really did not feel comfortable with him being next to a newborn! So far we are loving the new arrangement.

In other news, it looks like we should have about two weeks where we will have constant company in our house. My mom, and possibly dad, will be coming up at the end of October and staying until the first weekend in November. As soon as they leave, the very next day my inlaws will be arriving. It will be nice to have the extra help with the boys and the house while we are adjusting to life as a family of five. I still can't believe it! A family of five! What did we ever do to be so blessed???

I'm back!

Hello everyone! I had to take a bit of a break due to life! A lot has happened in the last few weeks. About two weeks ago I almost passed out in the doctors office and had to go to the hospital. Apparently I had low blood sugar. In addition to that I was also having a really bad reaction to the injections they were giving me to keep Baby K in. And then, on top of that I can no longer take the medication to stop my contractions because of the reaction I was having to that. So, with all of that being said, we are saying lots of prayers these days that she stays in at least another week. Oh, and the hubby has chicken pox, so yeah, a lot has happened! Thankfully the hubby is on the mend and neither of the boys has come down with it.

Last week was the hubby and I's 9 year anniversary! Still can't believe that it has been that long. So many things have happened in 9 years. We have lived in seven or eight different houses, five different states, had two beautiful sons and a daughter on the way, and so much more. I don't know what I would do without him. He is such a great husband and father and I am one lucky girl!

School for the big kid is going well. I am super happy that he likes going so much, but super sad that he doesn't want to come home with me sometimes. He wants to stay and eat lunch with his full day friends and mean mom that I am, wants him home! I miss the little guy after being away from him for that long. His first field trip was canceled due to weather and was thankfully rescheduled for a time when it should be safe for me to go. I want him to ride with me instead of the school bus but he and the hubby ganged up on me and I was out voted. So, he rides the bus. Boo! Oh well. I guess you have to let them grow up some time. He now knows a bible verse as well as can tell you a brief story about Adam and Eve. Pretty impressive for only being three weeks into school.

The little one is doing well. He has almost all of his molars now and will hopefully get the rest of the front teeth here shortly. The kid eats like a horse and we are still unsure of where it goes. The doctor says he is skinny and needs to eat more. I am pretty sure he can't eat more since he eats from the time he gets up to the time he goes to bed. I have never seen a kid with such a good appetite. He is finally saying a few more words but for the most part just says "no". He has however developed his own version of sign language so that helps a ton.

Well, I guess I had better jet. It is bed time for the boys and I really need to work some more on the afghan for my MIL. It's her Christmas present and since they will be here in a few weeks to celebrate I really have to get it done. Anyway, hope all is well with everyone.
Kristen

P.s.
Please excuse any typos or things that don't make sense. I have a new iPad and autocorrect does some funny things!

School photos and my newest blanket

Since Son Two decided to break the keyboard on my lap top, I am without a space bar. However, I have decided to post a picture of the big kid's first day of school and of my newest "work in progress". Son One had a great first day and even wanted to go back the next day even though there was no school! All of the papers sent home with him earned 100%! They said he is a "Super Color Champ"!

As for my "newest work in progress" here it is. The blanket is a square design in Circus Yarn by Lion:

First Day of School...

Disclaimer: I am writing this post on Tuesday even though those of you that read this will be reading it on Friday.

Tomorrow is Son Ones first day of preschool and I am so nervous! I really had no intention of sending him and still can't believe that I am. After talking to the hubby about it ( a lot) we decided that it would be something that we would pursue IF we stayed here. Well, since we have no idea where hubby's next job will be and since we know that we will be "here" until the new year, it seemed like the best thing to do would be to send him. After checking out several schools and being told by almost all of them that they required a full year commitment thus possibly resulting in us losing a lot of money, we finally found one that was willing to work with us. The school is a Baptist school that teaches the ABEKA curriculum, and while we are not Baptist, we did really like the school. We met his teacher the other night and she seems nice.

All in all, I am still nervous. Where did the time go??? He is 4.5 years old and I still think of him as a baby. I guess to me he always will be. However, Son One has assured me that he is excited. He will listen very well. And, he is OK with being there by himself without me. Originally he said he would never go to school if I didn't go with him, so that was a shock.

Anyway, I just wanted to wish my big boy a good first day of school. I am so proud of him and who he is becoming. Pictures will be posted soon!

Burp Rags!

When you have a baby, good burp rags can mean the difference between changing yourself and the baby once a day or multiple times a day. When I had Son One I discovered the wonderful world of cloth diapers and their multi purpose use. I never used them to actually diaper my kids, but I did use them to burp them. Son One was a big spitter so we had a ton of them for him. Son Two was not a big spitter, but he too, had a ton of them. Fixing up burp rags from cloth diapers is one of my favorite baby gifts to give. There are just so many ways that you can make them to fit the recipient. Here are some of the ones that I have done while on bedrest:

I still have two left to do for Baby K. The only reason I didn't get those done was because I ran out of thread.  I really need to make a trip to Joann's to get more. I also need more yarn but for what, I don't know. Anywho, that's all for now!

Are you ready for some football?!?!?!?

I am so happy that football season is back! I realize that you probably don't hear many women say that they are actually excited for football season, so I understand how saying that may make me seem somewhat strange. My favorite, until last year that is, is college football (Go LSU!). However, last year the hubby and I started playing Fantasy Football with my Dad and Uncle. My dad has been playing for a while (before Yahoo) and has wanted the hubby to join them for years. Their league is pretty popular and spots don't open very often, so last year was the first year the hubby was able to participate. When my dad told me to ask hubby if he wanted in, all the hubby said was "sure, if you do it with me". I was actually pretty excited that he wanted me to do it with him so I jumped at the chance, and thus we became Fantasy Football players!

As I said, last year was our first year playing. My dad told us not to expect much as far as winning goes because it was a very competitive league and not easy to get a great team. Since it was our first year we did our research, formed a strategy, and went in expecting to do "just OK". Now, for those of you who know us I am sure saying this will come as no surprise to you, but the hubby and I are super competitive. We try not to play games against one another because he is generally better then me at everything and I am a very sore loser and he is a very sore winner. When I do win against him the opposite is of course true. Anyway, expecting to do OK was fine at first, but then we started winning. We liked winning! It felt really good!During the week I would research changes in team line-ups and follow up with the hubby when he got home ( Fantasy is blocked on his work computer!). On Sunday we would sit all day and watch football on TV and the computer (we had players on the West coast that we couldn't watch on our local TV channels).

Now, I realize that most women wouldn't be a big fan of this kind of hobby. The way I see it is he could have picked something like golf or bowling, or something else that would take him away from us. Instead, he chose to do something that not only keeps him home with the family, but something that he and I can do together. He actually taped games on the DVR so that he could pause them and show me positions and formations. In addition to us having something to do together, Son One even got in on the action. I would imagine that he was probably the only three year old who not only knew who Peyton Manning was, but could fuss him when he made a mistake! Several times we caught him walking around saying "my mommy is not happy with that Peyton Manning!"

In the end it seems that we didn't do too bad. In fact we won the Super Bowl and $500! We have been warned that it doesn't usually happen that way and that we can count ourselves out for this year. The draft was on Sunday and we didn't do too bad so only time will tell!

My new hobby

When I was one bedrest with Son Two I started to crochet. I had tried it before but never had the patience to follow through with any project. However, when one is on bedrest, one must have something to do to occupy ones time. So, in anticipation for bedrest with Baby K I decided that my skills needed perfecting and I bought a "how to" book from Micheal's. My skills aren't exaclty "perfected" but I have had a ton of practice and here are just a few of my projects:

The first is a blanket that I made for a friend who doesn't know the sex of her baby. The yarn is cherry red twisted with sand and alternated with cream twisted with sand. Not sure if you can tell by the picture or not but the color almost looks golden in real life where the cream and sand twist.

The second blanket is one that I made for my nephew. I just bought plain Camo yarn and alternated front and back crochet and then trimmed it in black.

The third picture (my parents and Son One and  Son Two) shows them all wearing hats that I made as well as the blanket that is on my moms lap.

The fourth is a picture of a LSU themed hat that I made for my dad. Son Two decided that it looked much better on him which is why the picture shows a very big hat on a very small head!

I've made several other blankets and hats as well as a couple of backpacks for little girls (as show on Son One in the last picture). In addition to all of that, I also made a holder for diapers for my diaper bag. I'll try and post pictures of some of those things at a later date. Anyway, hope you all have a great day!

Kristen

He said what??? He did what???

My sons are funny little people and lately they have been doing things and saying things that I just can't wrap my head around. Here are the funnies from Son One:

I was getting dressed one morning,putting on my make-up,doing my hair, etc. and in walks Son One. He looks at me with a big smile on his face and says "Well, you're almost beautiful. Good job, Mommy. Keep going!"

Remember the shake weight? Well, one day we were in Joann's Fabrics and they had some on the end cap. Son One looks at me and says "Hey, Mommy. Look. It's the rip-off thingy!" And yes, there were people around. And yes again, they did laugh.

Son One looks at the Hubby and asks if he wants to watch him play his game. The hubby says "not right now buddy. I'm playing with your brother for a minute". Son one doesn't even miss a beat and says "suit yourself."

A few months ago I was talking to Son One about going to school and how very soon he would start attending. His response was "You're going to send me when I'm this little??? You can't do that! I'm not big enough . See how small I am?" That conversation also involved the words "Mommy, that ain't gonna happen!"

And finally, the zoo is apparently "the place where dreams come true".

Now on to Son Two:
The boys are upstairs with the hubby taking a bath and I hear him laughing like a crazy person. When I asked what was going on I was awarded with "Son Two needed to pee and he peed all over Son One's back!" I start laughing and I hear Son One say "that is so not funny!".

Son two has a new trick that he perfected a few days ago. He likes to just off the fireplace without anyone there to catch him. He also thinks it is funny when he lands head first on the ground.

To expand on the above, he has now also done this off of the much higher living room chair.

While walking upstairs tonight I hear Son One say "Daddy, brother is trying to clean the bathtub with the toilet scrubber!" And sure enough, he was in fact cleaning the tub with the dirty toilet scrubber.

On Thursday night we were sitting in the bed and he was playing with my belly,kissing the baby, and the next thing you know he head butts the baby. After I explain to him that it wasn't nice to head butt the baby (and me for that matter) he turns around and does it to his brother!

And finally, the kid has beaten every safety feature that we have put in place. He has pulled the foam off the fireplace, the outlet covers out of the outlets, defeated two different sets of cabinet locks, and climbed up the gate at the top of the stairs.

These are only some of the things that have been going on in our house lately!

Sometimes people are just awesome!

The diaper rash that I mentioned in my last post got worse as the day went on. It got to the point where poor Son Two would scream every time he wet himself or have "tummy issues". While the hubby gave him an Aveeno bath I went out to get more/different diaper rash cream to see if maybe that would help. While at Target I decide to go ahead and pick up the bouncer that I wanted for Baby K. As I was walking away this lady approached me and asked if she could ask me a question about the one I picked. Now, I'm usually paranoid about strangers approaching me like that, especially while pregnant (thank you "Private Practice!"), but said "sure". She asked me how much I planned on paying for it and when I told her $50 she said "Boy, you are going to love me! I have a brand new one just like that, that I picked up for a friend who was having a baby. She ended up having a boy but it was so cheap that I kept it. I only paid $6 for it and if you want it, just pay me what I paid for it." Apparently she lives by a much nicer Target then the one we have here and they had clearanced this bouncer down so cheap that it really was too good to pass up. So, after making sure that there were other people around (again, I'm paranoid), she met me in front of Target with the bouncer, brand new, in an unopened box. All I had was $10 so I gave it to her. Thanked her. And, was on my way with Baby K's new bouncer!

Speaking of awesome people, the hubby washed all of Baby K's newborn clothes and blankets on Friday. He has also been very helpful with taking care of everything around the house since I am on bedrest. He works, takes care of me and the kids as well as cleans and cooks!  Anyway, just wanted to give a "shout-out" to the man! He really is a special person!.
Kristen

He doesn't need me anymore???

At about 2 am on Friday morning Son Two started crying. Usually I let it go because he goes back to sleep quicker that way. However, due to earlier tummy troubles I decided to pay him a visit and make sure that he was OK. Turns out he was not. So, I got him up, treated the diaper rash, and put all of his clothes back on. While the hubby was holding him he noticed that he felt a little warm so he was also given some Advil. So, after all of this, I become quite certain that he is not going to go back to his bed willingly. I take him to bed with me while the hubby takes out the diaper and for some reason Son Two just isn't having it. He wanted the blanket on him and then he didn't. He want my pillow and then he didn't. He just could not get comfortable. So, I turn him over and ask him if he wants to go back to his bed. To my surprise he points to the door and says"Yes". Stunned (because Son One would have never done this) I ask again and get the same answer! After I get over the shock that my 19 month old would rather sleep in his own bed then to snuggle with me, I take him to his room, tuck him in, and he settles down instantly. That was my cue to leave and so I did. He didn't make a peep until 8!

He appears to be feeling much better this morning (other then the diaper rash), so that makes me happy. It just seems that the kids are growing up way too fast, which does not make me happy. Son Two started going down in his bed, awake, several months ago (big achievement, trust me). Son One starts preschool next week (meet the teacher was on Thursday night). Baby K will be born soon (down to single digit weeks). Seriously, how much growing up can a mom take??? Just kidding! I think it's great that the boys  and Baby K are doing so well. At the end of the day it makes me feel like we are doing something right with them. And really, what more can you ask for? :-)
Kristen

Sweet, Sweet, Lemons!

For my third post I figured that I would share the reason behind the name of this blog. I hate coming up with names for things like this. I can never quite get it right. However, with all the changes that have been happening in our family it seems perfect. When I think of lemons I don't usually think of the good, sweet things that lemons can do. I usually think of the sour taste and the fact that the juice burns if it gets in your eye. However, lemons can be sweet. With lemons you can make delicious lemonade, a very yummy cake, and they have the ability to make a yucky smelling garbage disposal smell really sweet.

Lately, the hubby and I have been consumed with talking about his job. When he originally took this job we really thought that in a few years we would be moving down south to be closer to our family. It was never part of our plan to end up in the very upper part of the Mid-West. In fact, when we moved here I cried every day for about two weeks. Anyway, last year in November the hubby had a meeting with some of his upper management and it was decided that within 6-9 months he would be transferred to Houston, or at the very least, the wheels would be put into motion for that move to happen. When six months rolled around and we heard nothing I became a "glass half empty" kind of girl.

In June, and then again in early August, he had meetings with management which left us both confused about the direction we should be/ and are, going. There was essentially no news on the Houston move other then it was being discussed as were other possibilities. So, here we are, almost to September, with no idea of when, or where, or if we will ever be relocating closer to home. Thus, the sour lemon part.  We had been planning on this for three years and to know that it may never happen was really a huge let down.

With the above being said, there was really something very sweet that came out of the whole situation. After our initial frustration with the situation diminished somewhat, we talked about it and decided that the best thing for our family was simply to just let go of the future we had planned for and to just let life happen. In that moment we both realized that the future we had been so worried about, was happening right now. We also realized that we had missed out on a lot by worrying so much about something we had no control over. Once we made that decision life became better somehow. Not that it was ever bad. We just spent an awful lot of time worrying and  now we don't. If they offer us a move then we will take it. If they want us to stay here, then we will. Either way, we have committed to being happy!

The other really sour thing that has happened lately involves my pregnancy. Apparently, my body doesn't work quite right and at 28/29 (not sure) weeks I was put on bedrest. I was on bedrest during my last pregnancy starting at 32 weeks and it was miserable. This time it seems even worse because the complications are turning out to be more serious.  Not only am I on bedrest, but I am also on progesterone shots and Procardia. In addition to all of that, I now have Dr's appointments once a week. All of this combined means that there is very little that I can do or should be doing. With these being the last few weeks with just the boys and the fact that we had to cancel our vacation, "Glass half empty" girl has reared her ugly head again. Bedrest sucks. Simple fact.

It's easy to feel sorry for yourself when you are only looking at half of the picture. In the case of the hubby's job, well, at least he has one. A good one at that. And, in the case of my pregnancy, sure the pregnancy itself is hard, but just knowing that the sacrifices that I and our family are making today will make a world of difference Baby K's life, makes it all worth it. Because of the bedrest, shots, medicine, etc. she has gained 3 more weeks in so far. That three weeks means less complications for her, which is wonderful and a huge blessing. All worth it!

So, with all of that being said, even when something seems sour, I believe that there is a way to see the sweet. Sometimes you just have to take a step back, breathe, and let go.

Kristen

And Baby makes 5!

We are having a baby! For those of you that know our family this really isn't news to you. So, since this isn't really new news anymore I figured I would share a very funny conversation that the hubby and I have with Son One about the sex of Baby K as well as what happened at our older sibling class.

The hubby and I had been talking about the baby off and on during dinner one night, and being the smart little boy that he is, Son One asked if there was a a baby in my belly.I guess we weren't being as sly as we thought! Anyway, we hadn't planned on telling him so soon but decided that it was best not to lie to him. I really thought he was going to be somewhat upset because we had just added Son Two to our family a year earlier and he wasn't a big fan of me being in the hospital. On top of that, hubby had to have his appendix out six months earlier and because of both of those things, Son One was not a fan of hospitals. To my surprise he was actually quite excited. His reaction was something along the lines of "Well, is it a girl baby?" Since I was only six weeks pregnant at the time we of course did not know the answer to this question.

Some time later, after it sunk in that he was going to be a big brother again, he yet again asked about the sex. We explained that we didn't know just yet but that he would be the first to know when we knew. His reply was this " Well, you know, it is a girl baby, right?". When we asked why he thought that he says "well, I already have a a baby brother. What do I need another one for?" He had a point there. He did already have a baby brother. We then told him that if he really wanted the baby to be a girl that he would need to talk to God about that since Mommy and Daddy had no control over the sex. He looks at us an says "OK, I will do that when I see him." My reaction: " Hmmm, do you even know what God looks like?" Son Two:" Well, yes I do. He looks just like me with yellow hair and green eyes and he is about this tall (pointing to the top of his head)". So, for all of you wondering what God looks like, look no farther then my four year old. Apparently they could be twins!

Another very funny thing that has happened regarding Son One happened when I decided to take him to an older siblings class. They offer them at the hospital where I deliver and I thought it would be a good way for him to see how to take care of  baby. He wasn't even three when Son Two was born so I wasn't sure how much he remembered. So, after we watched a few videos and talked for a bit the instructor asked that we all take a pretend baby from the pile and sit together on the floor. Our first mission was to figure out how to diaper a baby. Apparently someone saw fit to make the babies used for the class "real" down there and when we took the diaper off of our baby Son One takes one look and says "Hey , that baby has a penis. Girls don't have a penis. They have lady bits!" He was still stuck on the idea that the baby was going to be a girl. So, needless to say, there was quite a bit of laughter coming from the 10 or so adults in the room. Once the instructor stopped laughing she realized that she had a girl baby and switched with us. Of course once Son One saw the girl parts he had yet another set of questions!

Well, I guess that is about it for now. Hope you all have a great day!
Kristen

My First Post!

Hello all! Welcome to my new blog. I've had one before but it has been so long since I posted that I figured I should probably start a new one with a fresh look. A lot has changed for our family over the past three years and we will be going through a lot more changes very soon. I hope that this blog will serve as a way to keep our family an friends informed on all of our happenings. But first, a little history on our family:

The hubby and I started out on our journey almost 9 years ago when we said "I do". Since then we have moved 7 or 8 times due to the hubby being in the military. About 3 years ago we finally made the big leap into the civilian world. It was a big change for both of us and sometimes we both still miss certain aspects of that life. However, we are quite happy with the ways things have turned out. Even though  some things didn't quite work out as planned ( living "up here" for example), we have been very happy with being "civilians".  He is home all the time now (except for very rare business trip) and enjoys what he does. I on the other hand took a long time coming to terms with living where we do. But, that is a story for another time! Since being here I have done some things that I am quite proud of. For starters I received my Bachlors in Business/Accounting earlier this year. It was a work in progress (10 years off and on), but I am done and for me that's all that counts!

Four and a half years ago, while the hubby was still in the military and stationed in Virginia, our lives changed in a way that was so wonderful it is hard to describe. Four and a half years ago we had our first son and he has been an absolute joy. He makes number three for our crew.

19 months ago life changed again when we had son number two (number four for our crew). He is so different from Son One that sometimes I find it hard to believe that they are being raised by the same people. Even though they are very different little people, they are both so wonderful and fun and I could not imagine life without them. It would be very boring. That's for certain!

Soon our clan of four will be expanding yet again to include our new baby girl. I have been on bedrest for almost two weeks and will probably be on bedrest at least another 6 1/2 weeks. It's boring and at times I do feel a little sorry for myself but I know in the end it will be all worth it to see her born at a healthy time.

I think that pretty much covers it as for who we are as a family. If I went on about every little detail we would be here for a while! So, in the interest of allowing you to get back to your day I will end it here for now. Stay tuned for more info on those changes that I mentioned and for the reason behind the name of the blog.
Kristen