Friday Fun Facts

1. I don't drink coffee.

2. I often forget to call people back. And I rarely check my voicemail.

3. I just figured out that "spot mopping" is waaaaay more practical than "real" mopping.

4. I haven't eaten Taco Bell in almost three months.

5. #4 is a BIG deal because I used to go about 2-3 times a week. wow.

6. I've lost my inspiration to take pictures. I think it has something to do with the heat. Yup, Im pretty sure that's it. This Alabama heat is not nice.

7. My waiter bought me a drink last night while out with some girlfriends. It was a non-alcholic drink because I was telling him that alcohol makes me get a headache (can you say "lightweight?"). My friends were enjoying some 'rita's and I was drinking a diet coke. I guess he wanted me to "look" like I was enjoying myself a little more. ha! (although, I was the one laughing the loudest.. but that's just me).

8. I seriously need to clean my house. but the fact that we have gone somewhere every day this week has kept cleaning from happening. The plan is to stay home next week to potty train miss Eva. Again. But for real this time.

9. I am doubting my ability to potty train another child.

10. I loathe potty training. LOATHE.

Happy Friday everyone!

Shameless Plug! JUST DO IT!

Time to put in a shameless plug.

My sister Mishka makes an adorable Origami Christmas ornament from the Christmas cards and photos that friends and family members send to you EVERY year. She does the work for you. You just send her your cards and she mails it back to you. And for a great price.

check out her Etsy page..

Mishka's Etsy Page Here.

also, check out her blog here!

"I always feel like...somebody's watching me"

Remember that song.. with the catchy tune??

Well I was thinking about it yesterday when I got curious about my blog followers.

Supposedly there are quite a bit of people (that I don't even know about) that have partaken of my blog.. and well.. I would love to know who you are.

So here is your chance to introduce yourself. If you have stumbled onto this post or "always" read my blog, please leave me a comment on this post.

And if you have a blog of your own.. leave me a link for it. (you can even tell me if there is something you'd like for me to talk about or share).

Aaaand whilst you are here.. please enjoy the pure freakyness of the video for that beloved 80's song..

(i wonder if the director/creator of this video ever worked in hollywood again).

Cause and Effect..

This product:



successfully STOPS this behavior:



But because he is no longer able to lull himself to sleep with his thumb, he may do this when he is supposed to be napping:

but I will venture to say that NOT moving bone structure in his mouth (per the dentist) is better than not napping.

I haven't fully decided on that one yet. ;-)

(Do NOT leave this product in your house with a 2 year old little girl. Said girl can, to your surprise take off the top, put the little brush thingy in her mouth, drool profusely, vomit her breakfast, make you dial Poison Control, stuff ice cream down her mouth, which she will gladly take, gag a few times and tell you at least 100 times, "mommy, yuckies" as she claws at her tongue. but otherwise be just fine.)

Is it nesting?

I am going to be 36 weeks tomorrow. I have had three babies at 38 weeks. I am under the impression that somehow I could deliver at 38 weeks, again.

this is causing some "pressure" to get things done around here.

However, having our house on the market means I still have to keep things uncluttered. And while I don't consider necessary furniture (extra dresser for Isaac's clothes and stuff) to be clutter, we have to minimize things that we can downsize on. So this means that I have to be creative.

I don't want to be creative. I just want to pull out all my baby stuff and not worry about the fact that it is "over crowding" our little house. But alas, this is what we have to do to keep our house "ready."

All that to say, Im nesting. Seriously nesting. And i can't do a lot of things during the day because my kiddo's need me (go figure ;-p) so i have to get more done in the evenings. This in itself is a testimony to how badly I want to get things done/ready. My evenings are normally spent veggin' on the couch. But the past two nights I have been super productive, thus super tired. And I still feel overwhelmed that i am not keeping up with everything.

Well, if you have read this post this far, you are truly bored. Random, I know. More for my own documenting. And to keep my mind off the fact that my floors still need to be mopped.

feeling a bit.. blah..

Everyone gets to that week in pregnancy where you just feel blah, right?

Maybe it's just me. I have my days and this evening was one of them. i just enter a blah land and pass through the time on auto pilot. I also look around my house and see the 50 million things I'd like to get done and then get a tad bit overwhelmed.

For instance:

-my ceiling fans DESPERATELY need to be cleaned.

-the chairs and table need a thorough wipe down. the top of the table is clean but not the sides, under the the top (make sense?).

-I need to mop all the house.

-I need to dust everything.

-I tried looking in the attic for the boys summer clothes but couldn't find them (way too much stuff up there).

-I need/want a pedicure.

I'll feel better tomorrow.

I am going to pick up a box of my baby boy (newborn size) clothes from a relative who borrowed them. That will help me feel like I am getting something accomplished. And yes, I know, I am only 34 weeks (on Thursday).. but for some reason the nesting is coming early this time. My guess is it's the whole limbo of not knowing when the house will sell.

Anyway, random post for ya here. Just feeling blah this evening. Looking forward to a new day tomorrow. I'll let you know if anything on that list gets accomplished. ha!

Sorry blogging friends..

I always feel as though I should apologize for my blog absence. To be honest, it has been so crazy around here and on top of that, I go through seasons of blog inspiration. When I have loads of laundry, kids climbing the wall and generally too much to do inside my four walls, I can't justify blogging.

Which, I might add, is something I am grateful for. I am realizing that although I am a social creature and crave interaction, I also crave to just "vent/share" on the blogosphere. However, I do NOT want to be the mom/wife/daughter of Christ that has my priorities out of whack.. and for me that means.. no blogging unless my other "duties" are taken care of. I guess bc for me, blogging takes a lot of brain power and therefore time. ;-)

Enough of that.

Last week the kids (and myself) went through a nasty stomach bug. Read here, throw up. Not fun. We are all better. i attended a birth that I still need to write a birth story for. I have another mom that is due this week and one more in April.

I am 31 weeks pregnant (this Thursday) and my blood sugars are doing GREAT. I can't remember if I shared but at my last doctors appt I had gained 12 lbs in 5 weeks. GASP! But it was because I my blood sugar was out of control for about 4 of those weeks. And in the past two weeks since getting it back in control, I actually lost 5 lbs. Now, I am not saying that it is a "good" thing to loose weight during a pregnancy, but in my case.. it's not a bad thing. I will steady out now and hopefully stay within the normal range for my pregnancies.

We still don't have a middle name for baby Isaac, so any suggestions you have.. go ahead. I would like it to be a Spanish name. but NOT Jose. ;-P Our other kiddos are Jorge Emanuel, Miguel Alexander and Eva Isabel. So they each have a "Spanish" name.

Well I better get going. hope everyone is doing well. adios.

just kiddos..

Just some pics..

Here is la princesa.. in one of her many crazy sleeping positions.. She has her shirt up so that she can reach her belly button. And of course the other hand in her mouth.. Funny, this is also how she came out of my pelvis.. Posterior face presentation.. she was completely arched. Wild.

Learning to write his name. He is so proud. I am too. Yes that "g" is written as a "q." Adorable.

the boys enjoying a nice surprise from their daddy.. Dunkin Donuts. We just had one open up in our city. It's AWESOME..eh, umm.. so I've heard. ;-P

a little update..

busy times 'round here.

*Im 28 weeks this week. Insulin is doing the usual. Needing more. Earlier and earlier. But I am staying on top of it. Just ready to get through this last trimester and meet this little man.

*Doula-ed a birth last week. My first VBAC. It was amazing. I hope to write the story at some point today/night. She pushed out a 10.8 lb baby. She is my hero!

*the weather here has been cold which means my boys don't play outside as much as they normally do, which means that they are inside a lot more, which means that they need more "things" to do, which means I don't blog. LOL.

*God has done some amazing things for our family (always) but some recently that I can't wait to share. He is so faithful.

Well, im going to go for now.. but please watch out for that VBAC birth story, coming soon.

Oh and I finally came up with a name (rather it was suggested) for my doula "business": "Sweet Birth" Doula Services.

Here is a link to my fan page on Facebook, if you care to join.

well DUH, Im pregnant.

So Im 22 weeks pregnant. But I forget about it all the time.

I had a birth last week that was absolutely beautiful. First time mom that made her 17 hour labor look easy. I was with her for about the last 7 hours of that. When I got home, I wondered why I was so sore on my lower back and legs.

then I remembered, "duh, im pregnant."

then I thought, "oh dear, and I have births right up until April, three weeks before my own birth."

I may be in over my head. Or just needing some heat packs when I get home.

Whirlwind December..

To sum up some things since my last post: 

We are expecting a bouncing baby BOY! Found out two weeks ago.  His name will be Isaac (middle name pending) which means "laughter."  Certainly what we did when we found out we were expecting him. 

I doula-ed a birth last week for a mom having her 4th.  The super mom did 45 hours of prodromal labor and then 18 hours of active labor before she delivered her precious little girl.  (birth story to follow, seperately). 

I turned 32 years old on the 18th.  Two days later I was in the hospital with a kidney stone.  That is such a long story but suffice it to say that a pitocin induced, unmedicated birth (Eva) was a walk in the park compared to that stone.  That is NO exaggeration.  I came home with them saying I had a 7mm stone and a less than 50% chance it would pass on it's own, but alas, because I am pregnant that treatment was limited and not recommended. Two days later I was in the hospital again.  The reason we went in is because the Loratab did NOTHING for the pain, and while it was not a 10 on the scale as before.. it was an 8, and was not getting better.  This time we found out the stone had apparently broken up into two smaller stone, one in the bottom of my kidney and the other passing through the ureter.  So "this to shall pass" comes to mind.  And i came home Christmas Eve afternoon.  Sooo thankful that I made it out of that hospital in time for Christmas.  And now we just wait for the stone to pass and pray for no more "episodes."  (will keep you posted). 

-My kiddos enjoyed Jesus' birthday celebrations today as well as all the presents they got on His birthday! LOL. I really think we may have gone overboard.. compared to the three gifts they each got last year.  Light sabers, books, six shooters w/holsters, baby dolls, sticker books, leapsters, movies.. to name a few.  whew.. 

I hope everyone is doing well and i am hoping that things start to slow down as we ring in the new year.  Praying, actually.. LOL.  

Buenos Noches.. 

Go ahead and give up on me.. Im a lost cause..

I'll forgive you.  I understand I may not get anyone to read this post either, because sadly I have fallen off the blog grid.  

I just can't juggle it and I seriously am the most uninteresting person right now.  

I have very little desire to post the encouraging "your children aren't as bad as mine" posts because, well, I have enough of those that you can catch up on. 

I'm sure that you would have no desire to hear the mundane "this is what I did today posts" that generally involve cleaning, cooking, dealing with my children and getting my house "ready" to put a sign in the yard (which will supposedly happen tomorrow.. don't hold your breath).  

I would gladly offer you some witty humor stories but oddly, I got none (how's that for grammar).  My life is not very funny right now. Just busy. 

And I'd happily tell you all the wonderful things my kids are saying, doing, and otherwise, but I couldn't remember them after the fact, even if I tried.  And my memory is so bad these days that even if I wrote them down, I'd lose the paper. 

I'm starting to wonder if this fourth child is going to do me in.  I'm not much fun and I'm basically just trying to "hold down the fort."  

On a positive note. . I have births again starting in December and every month after that until my own birth.. so stay tuned for some birth stories.. ;-)

You one single reader.. have a great day.. and I understand if  you don't revisit here ever again.  

in case you were wondering..

we are still here.  

boys are doing great.  Eva is becoming miss independent.. which makes me sad. 

The baby is still growing in my belly.  And it apparently has HUGE problems with my favorite guilty pleasure: Taco Bell.  Yes, I ate that "junk."  but about three hours later I threw it up and therefore can guarantee that I will not be eating it again for a very loooooong time.  The same thing happened to another food item when I was preggers with Eva.  

We are going camping next weekend for Reformation weekend.  Annual trip.  Lots of fun.  Last year I had an almost two month old baby.  This year I have an almost three month baby (in the womb).. how's that for irony.  

Getting excited about my own birth since I've been meeting with mommies recently about their own births.  so that's fun.  

well i will stop with the update.  My sister Mishka is on her way to my house and I still need to do some cleaning.. just for the house to be destroyed by six kids 7 yrs old and under.  fun times!! 

Forced post

Just so you know, I am forcing myself to make this post.  Almost in the same way that I have to force myself to eat food these days.. or force myself to do anything productive at all.  

I seem to like Facebook better these days because it takes way less energy to do a status update than to type out a blog post.  Laziness at it's finest, folks. 

I don't want to come across as "that" pregnant lady so I will try to keep it positive in giving the updates going on in our world.. for those that care. 

1. I am 10 weeks preggers and doing better.  But I say that with caution. I still am nauseous but it has gotten a little better.  Now the fatigue has set in and I am so off schedule these days that I just can't dwell on it.  I know it's temporary.

2.  My boys are beating each other up.  I have banned all movies in this house that so much as hint at fighting.  Even if it's against monsters. I am so SICK.AND.TIRED of them not understanding that, while they may wrestle with each other, they may NOT do it to other children.  

3.  On that note, Jorge got tag teamed at Pump it Up yesterday for that very reason.  He kept picking on three boys his same age and size and I kept warning him to leave them alone, or else.  And well.. or else happened.  they all got tired of it.. at the same time.  He was on the bottom of the pile and it made him cry.  What did I do?  the boy had to sit in time out while I explained what just happened and why it happened.  Hopefully, he learned his lesson. 

4.  I am going to be getting pretty busy with births come December.  I have one a month until I birth my baby in May.. well I have possibly (sigh) three in March.  I may have to seriously reconsider that!  Tonight I am meeting with a couple that was referred to me by Greta (a mom who made it all look easy during her own birth).  Thanks Greta.  

5.  I am laughing at how predictable I am as a pregnant woman.  I only truly love the second trimester.  The first is covered in nausea and fatigue and the last trimester is covered in feeling huge and unable to move about easily.  Oh and fatigue.  So I guess I got a three month window where our lives will resemble some sense of order and then its back to blah land.  ;-) Am I the only one like this?  Wait, don't be that mom that tells me how wonderful you feel throughout your ENTIRE pregnancy.  I might throw up. 

6.  Baby girl is adorable.  Just thought I'd throw that in.  She says a few things but I especially love that she calls her baby doll "baba."  And she loves that little doll.  Eva was also in the 5th percentile at her last checkup.. she is such a petite little thing.  

7.  #4 had a heartbeat of 175 at my appt last week.. still too early to determine gender.. but I do remember Eva's being really high  in the beginning.. (sigh) we shall wait and see.  Either way we will be thrilled to pieces.  

Okay that's enough numbers and chit chat.  I must go lay down while it is quiet in the house.  ;-)

I need to know your thoughts..

Well, I understand that a good bit of people that were first reading my blog, from when it started, liked the family updates and such..

but now...

I have gone all birth junkie on ya!!

I know there are some of you beginning peeps that aren't all that into the whole natural childbirth "thing" which leads me to wonder..

Should I have a separate blog for birth "stuff?" Or just keep it all on the same thing?  Does it being combined make a difference to you and your desire to read this blog?  Those other birth junkies.. do you just want a place to hear about births (and related "stuff") and not have random family posts mixed in.. and you who don't like NCB, want me to take that talk somewhere else so you can get back to regular reading as usual?? 

If you read this blog.. please leave me your opinion in the comments.. ;-P