301 POSTS!

Wow! I know! I know! I have posted for the past 3 days! (When's the last time THAT happened?!)
Anyway, 300+ posts...and many, MANY more to come! Here's some random pictures:

the ONE picture I took while my parents were here. spencer LOVES grandpa! he followed him around the entire time...too cute!

At the park after grandma and grandpa went home

Heisman?

Sooo ready to have this baby...and yes, we call this the cow shirt..and yes, I am the cow in it! ;-) (I don't love the fact that I put this on the internet, but at the same time, I regret not having a full on picture right before I had Livi and Spencer...so here goes nothing!)

Right before the Father/Son campout. Matching hats and shirts...too cute!

another update: induction

so, the Dr's office called today to tell me about my induction time. yep, i am going to be induced.

when you ask? on my due date. 6.3.09.

why? well originally I didn't feel really "right" about being induced this time. with spencer there were reasons (we were graduating, moving to Kansas and didn't want him brand, BRAND new, just brand new :), and he was measuring by ultrasound 6 weeks early), but this time around the baby has been spot on in all measurement (except the Buddha belly). Then a few weeks/months ago they started talking about inducting around my 39th week (bc I was measuring 3-4 weeks ahead). I wasn't too keen on the idea, but kept it in the back of my mind. Two weeks ago, Dr. Bashour again talked about 39 weeks, but I just said I don't have a problem with being induced, but I wasn't going to really do it too early, unless medically needed. Then last week he said, "What about June 2nd?" I liked that (not too early, ect), so I was getting my hopes up..until yesterday. They told me that they had already scheduled his max. allotted and I was wait-listed. I was a little sad b/c you don't tell a preggo one thing and change it. (ok, ok, it's only one day, but still--I have this THING about dates--long story). Long story short? I am scheduled to go in on Wednesday, and instead of being number 2 or 3 wait-listed on tuesday..I am the first one on the waiting list...so we'll see. I'll call on Monday and they'll let me know!

time? i'm scheduled at 4 a.m. (ridiculously early time!!), who makes a preggo go in at that time? Don't they know me?! (although, to be perfectly honest, i have been waking up at 3:30 a.m. every single morning for the past 4 or 5 days, so I guess it won't be too bad, right?)

ideally? we would have this baby on our own. although, there is a bit of spontaneity with that (like with livi), I also like to be a little more prepared, especially with 2 OTHER children waiting at home for us.

So, even though I won't be getting a lot of this:

We get to have another one of these:

And we are TOTALLY excited for that!

Tackle it Tuesday: The waiting game

I have been so exhausted lately...along with sore, a bit grumpy, did I mention sore and exhausted? I have a hard time doing much, including cleaning. I just can't do it..my back starts to hurt, my legs want to give out and my eyes start to close. I'm just that lazy (ok, and growing a baby in my big belly).

My parents decided to come out for the weekend. It was crazy actually. My dad and I had talked about it a few weeks before, but nothing set in stone. Then he called me on Wednesday or Thursday to let us know that they were coming, they had rented a car and would be there on Friday night...late.

Well, I mustered up all the energy I had at 38 weeks and we cleaned. It wasn't spotless, but clean enough that we could allow my parents into our home. Friday came and we waited and waited and waited. Finally I went to bed around midnight. Luke came in around 3:30 a.m. and said that they still weren't here and he wanted me to call and make sure they were ok. I called...and no one answered. Hmm, not really like them. I tried calling my mom's cell (which she normally doesn't have on..) and a few minutes later they called back to say that they were at a rest area..napping.

Turns out...they were only 30 minutes out. They got there and we all crashed. The rest of the weekend we took really slow and there were plenty of naps for EVERYONE! (minus Livi of course ;) We went to the Westside Market (remember THIS post from last year? We absolutely LOVE this place..and my mom and I just can't get enough! We got plenty of raspberries, grapes, cherries, havarti, french bread, gouda...and a bratwurst. YUM! Oh, and Luke and I bought a WHOLE lot of chocolate covered stuff: choc. covered twinkies, pretzels, toffee, you name it..yum!)

We grilled a bunch and all I can say is Luke makes a MEAN hamburger! Oh, and the steaks and corn on the cob wasn't too shabby either..oh I love good grillin'!

We drove around looking for homes in the area...it seemed like my parents WANT us to stay out here (and why wouldn't they..we are only 6 hours from them)..the kids were great (and why wouldn't they? Our car has a great DVD player! ;)

All in all..I am so glad that we spent the entire 3 days relaxing and enjoying each other. And what wouldn't a weekend be together, if we didn't finish it off with Swedish pancakes, right?

Umm, I think I took 1 picture from the weekend...and I'm too tired to load it into the comp. Maybe one day...

Are you stupid?

Yeah, I guess I am. i did it again. i hurt myself. I guess it wouldn't matter if I wasn't less than 2 weeks away from my due date. I pulled a groin muscle. It hurts and I can barely walk, let alone get in or out of bed, off the couch, put clothes on, lift my leg to turn the vacuum on...and you know those walk-in showers (the ones that have only an inch or 2 lip before you get in? yeah, that was a tricky one!)

Yesterday we were at a friend's house and we were down in the basement cleaning up all of the toys (it was a horrendous mess, BUT the kids did play down there for several, SEVERAL hours, leaving me and amy in perfect silence upstairs! :) After telling Spencer several times to help clean up, he started to make a break for the stairs...so naturally I ran after him. Fast. Well, as fast as a 9 month pregnant woman can. It was bad. I knew it about 5 seconds after i did it that something was wrong. we continued cleaning up. then left. then I tried to climb into the SUV...wasn't happening. I couldn't get in..so I had to manipulate myself in backwards. i. looked. ridiculous. ugh.

we got home and spencer had fallen asleep in the car. i couldn't bring him inside, so we waited for luke to get home. walking into the house posed a bit of a problem. i couldn't get down the stairs without his help. basically the rest of the night went like that. i couldn't get UP from the couch. I couldn't sit DOWN on the couch. everything i did was helped along from luke or livi. including getting into bed. sitting on the couch posed a bit of a problem too: contractions. yuck!

fast forward to this morning. at 6:15 this morning luke got out of bed and i followed him into the bathroom...when i say follow, i mean, it took me 4 minutes to roll over and get out of bed. ridiculous. long story short? i took a flexeril (left over from my torticollis) and fell asleep on the couch...i feel a bit better, but the pain is still VERY prevalent...hopefully i'll feel up to going out to eat with friends tonight. wish me luck! oh, and my parents are coming this weekend (yay!! :) hopefully i'll be able to walk a bit. hopefully.

Tackle it Tuesday: build a bear

When we first found out we were pregnant, we decided that we would take the kids and get a Build-A-Bear for the new little one. Well, after a busy day of shopping at Babies R Us and the Dollar Store...Luke came home and we ate and had FHE.

After FHE we drove down to the Strongsville Mall and surprised the kids with a BAB experience. Afterwards we got some cotton candy and toured the rest of the mall. We really like this mall...they have a few pet stores and we were able to play with some kittens, an English Boxer (hello $3700!!?!) and a Cocker Spaniel (still pricey at $700...). Let's just say that the kids were not loving the puppies...they were a bit jumpy..and overall hyper. BUT Luke and I LOVED them! They were absolutely adorable and we will be getting one in the future (not a purebred, but a mutt :)

Unfortunately Spencer thinks the BAB is his. We are working on that.

Week updates

This past week was a bit of a whirlwind of things. We were extremely busy, especially the past 2 days...and although it was nice...I am EXHAUSTED!!

I'll skip most of the mundane things (who wants to read them anyway?!) or at least put them in smaller sized text (it is a great way to journal EVERYTHING!!)

Wednesday: Livi's Preschool Graduation

Book club: These is My Words (HIGHLY recommend this one!)

Thursday: Baby Shower given by Luke's co-workers

Wow, I don't have any pictures to show for it, but we were very blessed by their generosity and kindness. I had told some friends from church that I didn't want a baby shower (it IS my 3rd and we already have one of each), so we are going to go out to eat, BUT when Luke's coworkers insisted that they throw us a shower, how could we resist?

Not many of them are used to more than 2 children, plus they absolutely LOVE Luke and the kids, so like I said...how could we resist? We got some great stuff..it is crazy, but with the other 2 we never had a swing (Livi did, but it was a hand-me-down and ended up broken soon after we got it, so I don't really count that!), or a changing table or even a walker/play gym. Weird, I know.

Anyway, like I said...it was a great shower and Shelbie, who is notorious for her DELICIOUS brownies/cakes/desserts was in charge of the cake and she did NOT dissappoint. It was great! Ron was the other main person in charge of throwing it and let's just say that our family LOVES Ron. (Luke helped train him down in Kansas City before the transfer up here...and while we were in KC last summer visiting, we got a chance to play cards, eat dinner and hang out with him..along with Jerry and Jenny--fun times!)
It was so nice and we feel so loved. Man, I don't even have a picture of the presents...but we received a new swing (one of the take along portable ones), a changing table, a walker/play gym, 3 packages of diapers (sizes 2, 3, & 4), an outfit w/mittens and sunglasses (soo cute!), Burp clothes (made by Jenny's sister), a diaper bag, and 2 Ohio State Onesies (from Jerry--haha, sooo like Jerry!).

Also, they didn't forget Livi OR Spencer and had presents for them too!! They had coloring books (dinos for spencer and princesses for livi), crayons (glitter ones for Livi :), and 2 party bags with tons of candy and food. They kids were in HEAVEN. Like I said, it was so nice that they thought of the kiddos...they really felt loved!

On a side note: Luke was introducing us to everyone there...and he got to Stacey (his supervisor) and he told Livi, "Hey Livi, this is Daddy's boss, Stacey...and this is Peggy...and Shelbie, Joe..etc, etc..and after he got around the room Livi turned around and started talking to Stacey...and she didn't stop the entire time we were there! She just cozied up and kept the convo rolling. It was hilarious. Probably because she knew it was daddy's boss. OH, and this is pretty funny..she said, "You know Stacey, you are daddy's boss at work, but MOMMA is Daddy's boss at home!" EVERYONE got a kick outta that one..it was pretty hilarious.

Agenda for the next few days?

Friday: Father/Son campout

Saturday: Livi's soccer game and tour of hospital

Last weeks mother's tea pictures:

Tackle it Tuesday: the list

I don't remember much about anything I accomplished last week. I just know that all of our hard work is nice, but doesn't always stay that way, especially if we aren't on top of it at least 6 times a day. Oh well, we are getting there and that's all that matters right? Something about the journey..blah, blah, blah.

Well, i am glad that I made a list last week..and it will be a list that I will continue to work off the next few weeks since I am too tired to come up with anything else. Really. I. am. that. tired. I really wish that someone would've told me how hard it was to be pregnant with #3 (although hanging with my Kristin..I did see her start to "fade" or want to fall asleep around 9:30/10 every night..even card night..and that is a BIG DEAL! I should've seen that as a warning! :)

Anyway, here's a recap of last weeks list:

-Clean off HUGE metal shelf in kitchen--not even close
-Put bassinet together (1/2 done--washing the bassinet sheets)
-Reorder car seat (long story) and diapers (it was actually done that day AND I received it the next day...AMAZING shipping and it was freeeeeee!)
-Clean MB of misc. things (this is still ongoing..and it is long and tedious!)
-Clean out changing table (Great news! It was basically finished. And it wasn't really a "real" changing table. It was an antique that my grandmother had given us. It would've worked perfectly...but now, one of Luke's co-workers is GIVING us a changing table! How nice is that? It might be a bit of a cop-out since I don't have to finish the project, but whatever..easier on me!)
-Pack misc. things in our room... started, but FAR from finished!
-Clean off 4 different surfaces of paper and other misc. things--yeah..right!
-Clean out the lower shelves of fridge. -still haven't finished it!

As you can tell..I still have quite a bit on the list. But for right now, it's ok because I am still trying to do the EVERY day things like: make the beds, do the laundry, dishes, dinner, sweep, living room, etc. Luke is AMAZING about helping out, but I need to keep up, so he doesn't feel too overwhelmed when he gets home. Ahh, so much to do, so little time. (22 days..or less!)

Mother's Day!

Yesterday was great. It was so nice and relaxing...Luke wouldn't let me do anything but relax, eat and sleep. (What more could a 9 month pregnant woman want, right?) It really was a great day and I am so thankful for a wonderful husband and kids.

Last Wednesday I went to Livi's preschool for a "Mother's Day Tea" It was adorable. They had a room where you dressed up (Livi dressed me) and we had a tea party. Then in the next room we made chocolate parfaits (oreos, chocolate pudding and a hershey chocolate bar--yum!). We made an art project using both of our hands and it was just a really enjoyable time. It's the moments and the experiences like these (one on one) that you cherish and I hope that I never forget it. She was so cute and proud to have me there. I love my beautiful little girl!

Here are some things that we got while there:
Important facts about my mom (blanks filled in by Livi)

My mom's name is: people call her Katie, but her real name is Katrina. (bonus points for that! :)
My mom is: 80 years old
My mom is: <---> this tall.
I help my mom: mop floors (she BEGS to do this...and she is dang good at it! :)
I like the way my mom cooks: goulash
My mom makes me laugh when: she says "Livi go make your bed"
I like to give my Mom a hug when: at 7, 6, 80.
I love my Mom because: she hugs me and sometimes she says, " I will play with you in a second." (hmm, guess I should work on that last one!)

They also gave us this handout and this one. Pretty cute!

I hope that all of you had a FANTASTIC Mother's Day! We are so thankful for our mom's and are glad that they are in our lives! LOVE YOU!

It's finally done!

After months of debating over a car seat we finally ordered one (over and over and over and OVER again--serious issues with the whole "check out" process..and we were charged 3 different times before we finally got it on the 4th time! Ugh!)




Anyway, back in January we were debating over one of the Graco brands. Then I found one I really liked on Diapers.com and when I went to order it...it was out of stock. I emailed them and they told me it would be in last Friday...and it wasn't, so we just went ahead and ordered this one:

I am excited to say the least. This will be perfect for either a boy or girl and it is super duper nice. The only thing I am worried about is the weight. It's not too much (9lb+) and it is for a baby up to 30lbs...but seriously. With the size of my babies..I am not going to be lugging this for very long.

It has some pretty cool features.

Oh and on another note. I am exhausted. My little man has been waking up before 8 every morning for the past week or so...and he isn't going back to bed. I am hoping that this won't last long...I have been getting up at 7 the past 2 days and am sort of a walking zombie. My poor little girl screamed/cried for over 2 hours today because of a pain in her right ear...I tried everything! I gave her medicine, a warm cloth to put over her ear and one of those rice bags, put some numbing drops in her ear..and still she cried for that long...and I am not exaggerating. Finally we got her into the dr. and she has a major ear infection and allergies. No strep. (Thank goodness!) So we have her on amoxicillin, eye drops and claritin. Hopefully the little man won't get it either. OH and we went to KFC for our free dinner. Not too shabby! It made things easier on me! :)

Tackle it Tuesday: Nesting and cleaning

When I say nesting, I don't mean me. Really. I still haven't gotten the whole "nesting" feeling yet. I don't have any urgency to get things ready, I just know that they have to get done and so I'll slowly (I mean, really, REALLY slowly) get to them.

On the other hand....the Luke is TOTALLY going through something right now. I wouldn't say it was a mid-life crisis (he isn't that old yet) and I wouldn't really call it nesting (he's not pregnant), but really...his mom's side is shining through (she was/is an incredible clean freak...her home is always meticulous and I love going there!).

Anyway, back to the Luke. He is amazing. This weekend was spent doing a variety of things (he had to work, we went to the zoo, did grocery shopping, watched a bunch of movies), including cleaning. I don't mean picking up things..I mean, deep down scrubbing the kitchen floor and completely, COMPLETELY cleaning off the kitchen counters. Nothing but fruit on there..it looks unbelievable. (No more paper, misc. food, newspaper, paper, paper, paper, wedding invitations, graduation invitations, paper)

Me? What did I end up doing? Well, I sat on the couch for most of it...I get winded and tired pretty easily lately...but I cleaned out 2 of our closets. It was actually pretty fun. I packed away a few misc. things (ie winter gloves, hats, scarves) and threw some things away, oh and dusted.

Since our maintenance men were here last week, our laundry room is spotless (we moved the HUGE metal shelf out into the kitchen..looks awkward, but at least there is room to eat AND I have a laundry room back!) and so are our bathrooms and half of the fridge. (Yep, only half since I can't bend down to the very bottom...and Luke was busy with cleaning the bathrooms at the time. We'll get to it! :)

Here's what's next on the agenda (let's see if I can check some things off this list this time next week!):
-Clean off HUGE metal shelf in kitchen
-Put bassinet together
-Reorder car seat (long story) and diapers
-Clean MB of misc. things
-Clean out changing table (another LONG story)
-Pack misc. things in our room... (I know this is the bane of my existence...packing)
-Clean off 4 different surfaces of paper and other misc. things (this is a hard one. I have problems with paper. always have. always will. but i am working on it.)
-Clean out the lower shelves of fridge.

Alright. I am good with this list. It doesn't include cleaning bathrooms. Dishes. Laundry. Making beds. Cooking dinner. Getting dressed. taking showers. Alright, alright...you get the point. I can and will get to these things.

Here's a small request. What were some things that YOU needed to get done before the baby/something important arrived? This is geared for both men and women, with or without babies...

P.S. Happy cinco de Mayo!

May 1st 2009

HAPPY 3rd Birthday BUDDY!!

We are so thankful to have our little Spencer in the family. I can't believe he is 3, but I can remember his "birth day" like it was yesterday.

He is such a joy to have in our home and we are so thankful for his spunky, yet sweet spirit. He is growing up so fast and it just blows our minds to see how much he has changed over the past few years.

-Currently he flashes his pearly whites when he wants to charm you.

-He knows when he "goes" in his Pull-Ups and then has to change out of them, even if it means he is running around naked at other people's homes.

-He is very excited for the baby to come and he'll lift up my shirt SEVERAL times a day (and in public) to give my belly a kiss.

-He is SUCH a stinker and yet, such a doll that we can't help letting "things" go...(being naughty)

-He loves to sing "life is a highway" and "the wheels on the Mack" (our family's rendition of the wheels on the bus)

-He will play independently by himself in his room for LONG stretches of time

-He doesn't like brown food (but will eat plain pork tenderloin) or meat for that matter, but he LOVES salad

-He loves to cuddle with his blanket and pillow on the couch...and with any one that will snuggle with him.

We are so thankful for you little man!! We can't wait for what the next year brings!