"Children are an Heritage of the Lord"

This passage from Psalm 127 was just one (of only a few) messages that pierced my mind today during a rather difficult morning at church. We participated in a regional stake conference this morning, broadcast from Salt Lake City, but neither Stephen nor I were able to concentrate fully on any of the several wonderful talks. Why, you might ask? Um....do I really need to spell it out?

After only about 26 minutes after first finding out seats, Kyle had already emptied my entire bag of goodies, dropped a few items down onto the floor behind us, and tried to climb through his chair to another row. Stephen had the first hallway patrol and passed a screaming Kyle off to me about 20 minutes later. I tried to sit reverently with the little man, but he was having none of it. Stephen heard the tantrum and came to the rescue. All three of us found the nearest side room, and the stand-off began. Man, this kid is hard-headed!!! Screaming, snotting, crying, weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth, flailing of arms and legs--we experienced it all. Stephen stood his ground and FINALLY Kyle gave up the fight. For ten minutes. One intermediate hymn and half of another talk and I had to take the party back out into the hall. Luckily, Kyle must have learned something from the stand-off and sat relatively quietly until we were able to go back in for the closing prayer.

I did pick up a few themes: faith, family, standing strong for your values, and becoming like a little child---just not MY child.

Another dad was sitting on the couch in the foyer with his three-year-old twin boys as Stephen, Kyle, and I emerged from scene of the stand-off. He smiled and asked, "Bad day?" Oh, how I wish that were the case. Kyle is just a very active, extremely strong-willed two-year-old boy. I'm hoping these traits will benefit him in the future. For now, church is quite a challenge. Just check out how he looked right when we got home...


Notice the messy hair, the shirt partially untucked, scuffed shoes, all evidence of a struggle. You can't see the snot and boogers on his sweater, but they are most definitely there. At least he's smiling...

Kick Ball

We are enjoying some days of pretty much perfect weather, so it would be a shame to not take advantage of that and get outside and play. One of Kyle's favorite things to do is go outside and kick the ball around. We also found a hardened chunk of a palm tree that fell off to use as a baseball bat/golf club. We were lucky enough to have Stephen home early yesterday to join in the fun, too!

(I love how it looks like Kyle's pulling some moves out of the Karate Kid in this photo!)

I love wonderful, mild weather with a slight, cool breeze--and enjoying time with family. I'll take all the days like that I can because I know it's going to get HOT again soon--and a lot more busy.

The Name Game: Take Two

Went went back to the drawing board this week on our baby name list. Thanks for all the input on our last list. You'll be happy to know that Zeus and Piero have both been removed--as if they were ever really on the list in the first place! I think we've also crossed off Joshua, Shawn, and Nolan. Ethan got the popular vote last time around, but so did Obama--and you all should know how I feel about that. Seriously, Ethan really is too popular. It's too high on the top 10 names list--#3 in 2008, according to SSA--plus, I know several people who have used this name recently.

The new name list looks a little like this:
(Remember that some of these are being considered for middle names.)

• Andrew: (Greek) manly and brave
• Benjamin: (Hebrew/Irish) son of my right hand, wonderful boy
• Evan: (Irish) warrior
• Jameson/Jamison: (English) able
  
• Landon: (English) from the plains, quiet, old-fashioned
• Michael: (Hebrew) Who is like God?
• Ryan: (Irish) royal, good-looking

I know some people have a much easier time picking names for their children than we seem to, but it's a big deal. We may even just have a couple ready to go and wait until we see the kid and decide which one fits him the best. Sorry to keep you on the edge of your seats, but you'll know as soon as we do--I promise.

You're Not Fluffy....

I had another doctor's appointment yesterday, and the conversation went a little something like this:

Doc: How have you been feeling?
Me: Fine.
Doc: Did the nurse already tell you your glucose test results?
Me: No.
Doc: You tested at 81, which is great.
Me: Wonderful.
Doc: Have you been feeling movement?
Me: Yes.
Doc: Good. Your blood pressure is good. Everything is good--except your weight. Your weight is not good. It's bad, very bad. You gained 30 lbs. with your last pregnancy and your baby was 7lbs. 6 oz. If you gain 80 lbs. with this pregnancy, you're going to have a 14 lb. baby.
Me: *chuckled.* (Also, how does that math work, exactly???)
Doc: You think that's funny? This is not a joke. You can't have a 14 lb. baby. You don't need to be gaining so much weight. The holidays are over, so you have no excuses.
Me: (*In mind only: That's not true. The "holidays" are never over. Why, just last week we celebrated MLK Day. It's a big holiday in my family.)
Doc: Seriously, if you gain too much weight, it just goes here--pointing to thighs, here--pointing to butt, here--pointing to breasts, and here--pointing to face. The baby only takes so much and the rest just makes you fat--VERY FAT.
Me: (Honestly, what do you say to that???)
Doc: So, here's what you need to do: Fruit, vegetables, water, and exercise.
Me: Okay. (Um......Thin Mints are vegetables, right? There's NO WAY I'm going to only be eating fruits and vegetables and drinking water for the next 10 weeks.)
Doc: Let's listen to the baby's heartbeat. Lay down, and lift up your belly.
Me: Lift up my belly? (Wow....he really does think I'm fat....so fat that I have to LIFT MY BELLY UP just so he can listen to the baby's heartbeat, like my lower abdomen has grown into a protective shelf or something. Jeez....)
Doc: Great heart rate. It sounds wonderful. Rub this gel over your belly. You need to use lots of lotion everyday, so you don't get so many stretch marks.
Me: (Again, what do you say to that???)
Doc: Now it's your turn to ask questions....


I did ask a few questions about my appointments with the specialist and he was very reassuring that 9 times out of 10 the things the specialist finds turn out to be nothing. He also told me that I COULD be induced, up to a week early, so that may be something to consider in helping to plan when my mom should get here.

So, other than the fat part, it was a good appointment. Stay tuned for next time when I step on the scale and it reads, "to be continued..."



P.S. Kyle found a new place to play today. The spot behind the couch also seems to make for a great, private location for a bowel movement.

Temperate in All Things

A lesson from church on Sunday about temperance (from a talk by Kent D. Watson) got me thinking. First, I pondered what it means to be temperate in all things. "When the Apostle Paul described certain fruits of the Spirit in his Epistle to the Galatians, he talked of “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, [and] temperance. (See Galatians 5:22-23) We should strive to live our lives with these qualities. Temperance also means to not be self-willed, easily angered, or lifted up in pride. Basically, temperance means to exercise self-control and to use moderation in all things.

This topic struck me on a personal level because I realized that in the past few weeks I have been impatient, self-willed, stubborn, easily angered, not long-suffering, not exercising the best self-control--basically, I've been quite intemperate.

Okay, Okay....I get it. I surrender.



I'm giving up on potty training...for now. I decided that patience, long-suffering, peace, and love are more important than only having one child in diapers at a time. I put in (almost) 2 full weeks of attempting to potty train Kyle and have come to the conclusion that it's time to put up the white flag. I think 2 weeks is enough time to decide that he's just not ready. After 12 days and about 50+ times of peeing in the toilet, only 2-or-so of those were because he told me he needed to go. The only reason he was successful was because I was all up on him every 20 minutes of the entire 2 weeks. Also, he never once grasped the concept of pooping anywhere other than his pants. (One last straw actually happened on Sunday afternoon when Kyle was supposed to be taking a nap. He came out of his room, naked, looking like he was covered in war paint, telling me, "I STINK!!!" The "paint," in this case was actually poop. Luckily, he only got it all over himself and on a few spots in the carpet. Thank goodness I didn't have to disinfect the entire room!!! I realized that Pull-Ups can too easily become Pull-OFFs, and decided to go back to diapers.) Yes, I'm throwing in the towel, having felt that I gave it enough time to introduce the concept and assess that he's not quite "there" yet--it goes WAY beyond him just being stubborn.

I think Kyle and I are both much happier this way. I didn't give up without a decent fight and can now go back to a normal schedule and not feeling constantly on guard about accidents. Plus, there's more time to play without worry.


And, since Kyle did pretty well of understanding what the whole potty training thing is about, I think he'll grasp it quickly when we pick it up again in a few months. This was just a pretest. He's been introduced to the concept and now we're moving on.

I don't need any "I told-you-so's," either. I never claimed to be an expert, am not a trained early-childhood educator, and every child is different. One thing I DID NOT want to do is start something and quit it 3 days later. I owed it to both of us to stick with it for at least two weeks. It wasn't happening, so on to the next thing. For the record....I'd be more than happy to let all of you potty training experts out there come and work on my child. I'll even teach your 4th-6th grader how to remember the difference between mean, median, mode, and range--or--multiples/factors--or any number of other mathematical concepts for which I have had success.

Ready for Baby #2

We have the crib up and just waiting for a new baby, complete with bedding, stuffed animals, and the all-important Aggie War Hymn mobile. (Doesn't this set-up looking surprisingly similar to the one Kyle had?)

The room is ready. If only deciding on a name was just as simple!

A Few New Pictures

My camera actually made its way off of the desk long enough to snap a couple of photos in the past few days. About time, huh?

Here's Kyle, all ready for church. He insisted that Mickey come along. You're supposed to bring your friends to church, right? He loves nursery, although I think he's one of the rowdy, energetic, crazy ones that drives the teachers insane. I'm convinced he's not going to be one of the favorites in school.....just preparing myself for future teacher conferences and meetings with principals.


Here's more evidence that Kyle still does need a nap during the afternoon, even though he FIGHTS IT!!!! It's just too hard to go from 7:00 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. without taking a break--especially when you use as much energy as Kyle does! Stephen and I were getting ready to go to the young women spaghetti dinner fund raiser on Friday night and let Kyle watch a movie on his DVD player. I came downstairs to check on him and this is what I found:

I hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday!!! Until next time....

No News

We are still alive and breathing here in South Florida, despite my lack of blog consistency. Honestly, Kyle's spent most of the week in just a t-shirt and underwear, which doesn't make for excellent photo opportunities. We haven't gone too far from home, either, due to potty training, so there haven't been many reasons to pull out the camera. (And, let's be real honest here--the main reason the majority of my blog readers check for updates is to see pictures of Kyle.)

Speaking of potty training, it's going. Slowly. I was thinking he pretty much had the pee thing down until today, when he peed in the corner AND sent up a spout onto the portable DVD player he was too busy watching to TELL ME he needed to go. (Said DVD player is now out-of-order, which does NOT make me happy. At all.) (I suspect this was actually an effort to avoid having to go #2 in the toilet. Instead of telling me he had to pee and risking something else coming out, he just tried to keep everything a secret!) I'm getting pretty tired of cleaning poopy underwear--how DID you people do cloth diapers????--but there's been little progress on that front.

Yes, I realize Kyle is probably on the younger end of potty training--especially for boys--but I still think I'll be a lot more patient and long-suffering in the few months BEFORE the new baby comes than after. I can just see how THAT would go: I would sit down and start nursing and that would be the precise moment Kyle would need to go to the bathroom, for ONE example. So, for now, I am deciding that he's as ready now as he will be in 3 or 4 or 12 months. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. And, if I stunt my child's emotional growth by forcing him to use a toilet before he's "ready," I'm sure it will only be the first of many things he can blame on his mom.

6:58 p.m.

Yes, Kyle, you really do still need a nap during the day, even if you think otherwise.

You're Pregnant?

Part of my little pity party on Friday was about feeling alone and so far away from family and friends who really know me. I don't feel like Northern South America is "home," which makes me long for my ruby slippers to click together and fast forward to December. I was frustrated by superficial acquaintances and fake niceties that so often accompany these "friendships." I'm also scarred from hurtful and damaging events in my past and am usually on guard about making friends now because of those events. (For those of you who didn't ever know 7th grade Mel, let's just say....I had a bad experience.) I would much rather have a few solid, authentic friends than many people who could care less.

Fast forward to Sunday, when I'm feeling recharged and back on my game after an afternoon/evening spent with just my husband and have been able to forget some of the friendship frustrations I was experiencing on Friday. I was chatting with the few friends I've made at church and trying to enjoy being able to actually sit in class without worrying about chasing a child. Even if I don't feel like I have any soul mates or BFF's in Miami, it's nice to interact with people who know your name and (one would think) know enough about you to care about how you've been doing, etc. I sat next to one woman who is also pregnant, due on March 9th. A member of the Relief Society Presidency--our church's women's organization, for those of you who don't know--came up to this other girl and asked her if she'd already filled out a "this form," which turned out to be an information sheet about her pregnancy~when she's due, what kind of help the church could offer, if anyone was going to be in town to help out after the baby is born, when would be the best time to bring in meals, etc. I hadn't filled one out, either, so I told the member of the Relief Society Presidency. She looked at me like I was crazy, paused for several seconds, and responded, "you're pregnant?"
I was like, "um....yeah. I'm actually seven months pregnant!"
"Oh," she says, "you hide it so well! I had no idea you were pregnant! When are you due?"
"April 9th."
"Well, we still have awhile before we need to worry about that."

A few thoughts that were running through my mind, but I knew would just get me in trouble to say out loud: 1) I don't feel like I'm trying to hide the fact that I'm pregnant, like it's some big scandal, or something. If I needed to hide a scandalous pregnancy, I would probably hole up in my house for 10 months and wouldn't ASK FOR A PREGNANCY INFORMATION SHEET. 2) How do you gain 30 pounds--mostly in the breasts and lower abdominal region--and not have it noticed? Plus, why the maternity clothes??? Or, do I just look fat and no one wanted to hurt my feelings by asking? 3) It seemed urgent that the other girl filled out HER paper--she's due March 9th--but we still have awhile before they need to "worry" about me. 4) What am I, invisible? 5) Again--superficial relationships. 6) I don't need their stinkin' meals, anyway. 7) Baby steps to December. Baby steps to December. Baby steps to December.

Two-and-a-Half

It's Kyle's half birthday today, making him half a year closer to turning three! We had a GREAT day today, too. Stephen had the day off--not because of the holiday--but because it's his regular day off for the week. The morning started with a nice breakfast, then we went out shopping, grabbed a quick lunch, played some Wii, and enjoyed our time together. For dinner, Stephen grilled up some chicken and ribs and we had baked beans, sauteed zucchini, and fruit salad. Kyle LOVED everything but the zucchini--especially the ribs, straight down to the bone.


After dinner we topped off the unbirthday party with a apple crumb cobbler and Bluebell ice cream! Thanks, Kyle, for turning 2 1/2 and allowing us to celebrate this day with you. (Oh, yeah. I guess I should recognize "The King Day," too. )

P.S. I stand today as a witness that faith does precede the miracle, and you don't receive a witness of that miracle until after the trial of your faith. The miracle I'm refering to in this case is potty training success. My faith was definitely tried this past week and FINALLY the eyes of Kyle's potty training understanding have opened!!! There are SEVEN stickers on Kyle's calendar for today's date, meaning he peed in the toilet SEVEN times today. He only had one #1 accident and one #2 accident all day long. I think there is hope on the horizon!

Small Success

It's been a rough week. My low point was Friday, when all of my frustrations, concerns, cares, sadness, anger, and insecurities hit a boiling point and I cried--long and hard--the most I've cried in quite some time. I felt unsuccessful, insignificant, and discouraged. I felt like an awful wife, a horrible mom, an insensitive friend, a failure. I had no desire to blog, was tired of the superficial relationships of social networks, and considered going private and retreating from all such sites, sticking to truly authentic friendships. Potty training was going no where, Kyle was crying and throwing fits all day--week--long, and I was looking for a white flag of surrender. (Who would have thought that something like potty training would make me long for the days of teaching math to 5th graders at a low-income school, something I knew I was successful at?)

Poor Stephen, coming home after a long day to a pathetic, sobbing wife. He just put his arms around me, told me I was a good mom and basically reminded me to not sweat the small stuff--and baked some cookies--STAT.

Saturday, we went to Chick-fil-A and let Kyle run and play and burn up some of his stir-craziness after a week of potty-training lock down. Then, Stephen and I went to a movie AND dinner and got away from the cares of mommy world. It's amazing what a few hours out will do for the soul!

I still considered throwing in the potty training towel, but I'm just so darn stubborn and don't like giving up. (You know, like how I never quit piano lessons, gymnastics, dance, choir, AP classes....right?--sarcasm intended.) So, I told myself to plow ahead, at least giving it a week before making the call to stick it out or give up.

Then, at 7:22 p.m. EST, Kyle FINALLY peed in the toilet!!! After 5 days, countless changes of underwear, 7 loads of laundry, hours of just sitting on the toilet, attempting to let him go naked, plenty of urine spots on the carpet, half a bottle of carpet spray, various bribe attempts, and a mom at the brink of sanity...we finally had a small success--and made a HUGE deal out of it.


Five minutes later, Kyle took a big whiz on the carpet.

But, we're NOT giving up! Yet.

P.S. He just came up and told me he had to go pee and did! Maybe this will be a better week.

27 Week Ultrasound

I had another appointment with the prenatal specialist today. Here are a couple of pictures from the ultrasound:



The baby is about 2 lbs. 4 oz.--the 42nd percentile. He was breech this morning, with his head clear up in my ribcage, one hand under his butt, the other hand holding onto one foot, which was up by his head--that made it challenging to measure him and get pictures of everything. (I felt him turn all the way around couple of days ago--talk about uncomfortable!)

He IS growing, which is a good sign, but he's below the 50th percentile on everything and he's not quite following the full upward trend the doctors would like to see--especially the femur length and head circumference. They also found some fluid around his kidneys, so they want me to come in again in 3 weeks, instead of my scheduled 6 weeks, to monitor this. "I don't want you to leave here worried," the doctor told me. I guess this fluid could be nothing, especially since this case is mild--actually "barely mild," I was told. (They classify it as mild, moderate, or severe.) The fluid could be a sign of a blockage, so they just want to keep an eye on it. It could also be a symptom of something that can only be diagnosed after birth. I'm going to try to do what the doctor said and not worry about this. At this point, it's just a waiting game. If I go back in 3 weeks and the fluid is still there/worsened, they're going to focus on following the blood-flow on the ultrasound to see if there's further evidence of a problem. I don't really know what else I can do than I'm already doing to make this little guy grow. I guess only time will tell.

Thoughts for the Day

I take it back! I never should have made a resolution of being a more patient mom!!! I should have known that was just another way of asking for situations that make it even more clear just how impatient and not long-suffering I am!!! Or, maybe I just shouldn't have tried to mix the goals of being more patient AND potty-training. I can't give up, though. If I wait much longer, I'll be forced to throw being sleep-deprived and having a new baby in the mix. And, that's not going to be good for anybody. The good news is that there have only been 3 wet/dirty pairs of underwear before nap time today--down from yesterday's five. Plus, I'm getting in my daily workout from climbing up and down stairs!

In other news, it looks like the cold front may be letting up in Northern South America. Thank goodness--for the locals' sakes. I don't think their brains are wired to deal with cold weather. There's definitely been some crazy behavior going on in the last 2 weeks. For example, an entire family had to be hospitalized due to carbon monoxide inhalation this week. You'll never guess how the poison leaked into their home! In an effort to stay warm, they decided to drag a charcoal grill inside and start a fire!!! Investigators speculated the family's electricity might have been turned off and they possibly had no other way to warm their home. Not so. Electricity was working; brain waves were not. Could they not think up a better source of heat than the "outdoor" BBQ grill? What about socks, a blanket, extra layers of clothing, body heat, soup and hot chocolate, or...um...the heater??? (Granted, Miami area heaters may not know what to do in a cold front, either. I tried to turn mine on today--just for a test--and the fire alarms immediately started blaring.) In addition, Miami's first hypothermia-related death ever occurred during this cold front. You may be thinking some crazy, young kid decided to be cool and surf during freezing temperatures and stayed out too long. You'd be wrong. An old man--in Little Havana--died in his apartment because he had NO COVERS ON during the the overnight freezing temperatures! Who doesn't have a blanket??? As Stephen said, "even in freakin' Ecuador, people had blankets!!! And they live on the EQUATOR!!!" Okay, so maybe this old man was too poor to own a blanket or too old to get out of the house to buy one. Plus, you usually don't need one in Miami, right? Well, after that one cold day, don't you think you'd come up with some solution for keeping warm? What about extra layers of clothing, a few towels, or a BBQ grill? I just don't get it.

While Northern South Americans are fretting over cold weather difficulties, I have different issues keeping my problem-solving skills running--what to name this fetus, potty training, Kyle currently trying to avoid nap time by pulling off his Pull-Ups/sneaking downstairs about 27 times/emptying all the clothing from his drawers--Why, oh, why did I ask to work on patience?

Potty Training: Day One

I haven't been looking forward to starting this parenting task, but I keep telling myself that it's better to get Kyle potty trained now, before the baby comes, when I really won't be motivated. It's hour five of our first day, and we've barely chipped through the surface of potty training. Kyle likes his underwear--so much, in fact, that he's already worn 5 different pairs!

• Pair #1: We tried standing up to pee, but he wanted to sit down. He sat down, said, "all done," got off, and pulled up his pants. Then, he shut me out of the bathroom and peed on the floor behind the door.
  
• Pair #2: About every 20 minutes-or-so, I kept asking Kyle if he needed to go pee. "No," was always the reply. Then, he ran into the kitchen, peed on the tile, and ran back to me to tell me he was "wet."
  
• Pair #3: Kyle was sitting on the couch, watching a movie, with a towel underneath him--in case. He jumped up, spread his legs, peed on the floor, and yelled, "PEE!"
  
• Pair #4: Since Kyle had already gone through 3 pairs of underwear, I figured we'd better get some laundry going. Kyle likes to help me by sitting on the dryer while I hand him clothes to put into the washer. We finished the load, Kyle shut the lid, stood up, and peed on the dryer!
• Pair #5: This one actually lasted longer than the others, probably because he'd already emptied his bladder! I kept asking him if he needed to go potty. "Nope." We ate lunch--accident free--and he got down from the table and ran to the couch. As I was clearing our plates, I heard, "PEE!" All I can say is: thank goodness for microfiber.

Today hasn't been totally unsuccessful. Kyle does know how to sit on the potty, even though he doesn't actually know how to use the potty. He can tell me when he's wet or after he's gone pee; now we just need to work on recognizing it before it's too late. He's also realized that there are rewards involved in the process, so that may help provide some actual results. Rome wasn't built in a day, right? So, I'm trying to be patient with potty training, too. Plus, I successfully potty trained a dog, so why can't I handle this with Kyle?

Iron Chef: Miami

January

Secret Ingredient: Cheese

I just got back from another wonderful Iron Chef: Miami competition. Here's the spread from this month:

From Top Left, clockwise:
Iron Chef Tina's Brie en Croute and Onion, Olive, & Cheese Pinwheels
Iron Chef Valeria's Coconut & Parmesan Dessert
Iron Chef Heidi's Santa Fe Wraps
Iron Chef Melodee's Cheese Ball
Iron Chef Shannan's Garden Veggie Salad Stackers and Mac & Cheese


Here we are, enjoying--judging--the dishes. Iron Chef Heidi took home the prize for the day!!!

Two of the pregos in the group:

Kyle and Carson kept busy (for awhile) playing with Carson's trains.

Cheese was an amazing secret ingredient! My stomach is quite happy. I can't wait to see how many pounds today added to my pregnancy weight gain....

Just When You Thought I Couldn't Get Any Dumber...

I don't consider myself to be an idiot. Normally, I'm pretty capable of understanding new information, solving problems, using creativity, etc. I'll be the first to admit my flaws--I'm not athletic or good with directions or remembering names--so I'm not trying to boast or anything, but I'm usually fairly intelligent.

Pregnancy must be messing with my brain because I've done some pretty dumb things this week--not those stupid mistakes you catch yourself in, grateful no one else saw your flaws, either. These were out there, right in the open, for the whole world to see,"I'm an idiot" kind of mistakes. (Okay, maybe not the whole world, but Stephen sure did see me at my worst this week.)

Strike One: While balancing the checkbook, Stephen could not figure out, for the life of him, where $100 went missing. A HUNDRED DOLLARS!!! And the bank was actually saying we had MORE money than our checkbook did. When does that ever happen? So, he looked back a few lines to one of the only entries in my handwriting. Did you know that 4,152.52 + 200 = $4,252.52? How stupid can I be? That's a calculation that doesn't (normally) require anything but mental math!!! (It's probably a good thing I only taught math up to the 6th grade level, huh?) At least it was an error in our favor, right?

Strike Two: I drove the Prius to the doctor's office on Wednesday. Those of you who know me might think my poor driving skills/damage to the car may come into play in this story, but it's actually worse than that, if you can believe it. After pulling into the driveway, I tried to put everything back to the way Stephen had it--turned off the seat warmer, adjusted the mirrors, moved the seat back. The radio was already off, so I didn't need to worry about turning it back to his favorite station. The car made a different sound than I was used to when I pushed the button to lock it, but I didn't really think much of it at the time.
Fast Forward SIX HOURS--Stephen and Kyle took out the trash and discovered something out of the ordinary. Guess who left the car RUNNING all that time???? Yep, the pregnant moron!! Those hybrids are just too darn quiet!!!


Thankfully, I didn't make it to strike three this week. I did try a few new things, and (I think) totally redeemed myself.

I made a roast for the first time since we've been married--not because I can't, but because Stephen doesn't like roast--at all--unless it's used for French Dip Sandwiches, which we did.

I tried to bake homemade cinnamon rolls for the first time, and they didn't suck. They weren't as good as Stephen's Mom's, but after talking to her, I realized I used the wrong recipe. I'm sure they'll be amazing the next time, now that I have the right starting point.

I turned out a rockin' peach cobbler. (I realize it looks kind of like a pie, but that's just because it's in a round dish.) It was yum-o.



Okay, so I realize that all of these accomplishments have to do with something in the kitchen. I guess I'm just becoming all domesticated. Maybe that's all my idiotic, pregnant brain can handle at the moment. I guess I just need to stay barefoot and in the kitchen for the next few months, all while steering clear of complicated mathematical equations and high-tech vehicles.

Global Climate Change

"Global Warming" doesn't truly seem to apply to what's happening all over the country this winter, including right here in South Florida. No fears, though--simply change the name to "Global Climate Change." This way, you can use this weather phenomenon to stike fear in the hearts of environmentalists every where, no matter what the thermometer reads.

As for me and my house, we are enjoying the break from sweating--inside the house--during the winter--all while wearing shorts and t-shirts. During this week, or so, of colder temperatures, we have come to the knowledge of a few things: 1) There are not nearly enough pants and long-sleeved shirts in our closets to endure a true winter. 2) Hot chocolate just tastes better when it's not 70 degrees outside. 3) Northern South Americans do NOT like cold weather. (You would think we've traded places with Fargo, the way the locals are complaining!) 4) We DO have plenty of blankets to survive this "severe" weather.



Thank you, climate change, for allowing us to bundle up on the couch, watch a few movies, and celebrate National Hermit Month in style!

Doctor, Doctor

Amazingly, there are no crazy stories to tell from my adventures in Obamacare today. I did have an appointment with (yet another) new doctor--my fourth one at this clinic. She introduced herself, asked questions about my history, and explained a few things to the resident who was shadowing her. Then, she listened to the baby's heart beat. Talking more to the resident than to me, she described the change in heart rate, from a baseline of 130 jumping up to 160 as she moved the monitor across my belly, saying, "this is quite a responsive fetus." We listened to the heart rate change for quite awhile--more for a teaching moment for the resident than for my benefit, I'm sure--but it was fun to observe the doctor demostrating the responsive traits of our baby and to listen to her descriptions of nerological development.

I also did the glucose test today, so we'll find out in a 1 or 2 weeks if I have gestational diabetes.

P.S. We still haven't decided on a name for this Mini Cooper. It's turning out to be a lot harder than I thought it would be. Nothing seems to fit. Then, again, I do tend to overthink things and have a tendency to lean towards perfectionism.

Cold

Can you believe South Florida is currently experiencing a Severe Weather Warning that does not involve a tropical storm or a hurricane? That's right, folks. We're in the middle of a "freeze warning," meaning sub-freezing temperatures are imminent or highly likely, and these conditions will kill crops. I'm willing to lose a few strawberries or oranges to enjoy the feeling of a house so cool I need to pull out a blanket and whip up some hot chocolate! Sorry, local farmers, but you will NOT see me complaining about this "severe" weather.

The other "cold front" we're currently experiencing has nothing to do with weather. Kyle and I currently both have coughs and runny noses. I don't think our colds are related to the climate change, as we both had some symptoms even over Christmas break. The hardest part is that neither of us can really take any strong enough medicine to totally knock it out--Kyle being too young and me being with child--so we're just relying on rest, fluids, Tylenol, Vicks, washing our hands, and a humidifier. I feel MUCH better today, and Kyle seems to be on the mend. (Thank GOODNESS because he is NOT a pleasant patient--whiny and pitiful.)

To get our minds off the unpleasantness of coughs and snot and to celebrate cooler temperatures, we built a snowman today--sort of. It's amazing what you can do with a few coffee filters, some construction paper, a marker, and glue. Yay, cold front!

New Year's Resolutions

Comcast was out ALL DAY LONG, so my plans of watching a few design shows, catching up my photos, and updating the blog went down the toilet. It's a good thing I have a cell phone because my land line was out, too. (I think I may rely on technology a little too much.)

Now I only have a few minutes, so this post will be short--with no pictures. While we're still in the first week of January, I better state some goals for this new year.

• Be a more patient mom. (I'm going to need that this year, since I'll soon be the mom of 2!)
• Read the Old Testament. (This should be easy to follow, since I'm teaching Sunday School.)
• Stay up-to-date on scrapbooking.
• Go through items to donate to Good Will. (If I do this throughout the year, I'm hoping it will help when we pack and move at the end of THIS year!)
  
• Lose the baby weight/get back in shape after April.
  

Stephen said his resolutions are easy. (For the record, when I asked him what his New Year's Resolutions were--fulling intending to write this post--he first informed me that he doesn't "do" resolutions.)

• Stay motivated in school.
  
• Graduate!
• Find a job.
  

Kyle really has one MAJOR goal for the near future, one that I'm pretty much deciding for him.

• Potty training.
  

There you have it--black and white, clear as crystal--things we hope to accomplish in the coming months!

Pregnancy Countdown: January

It's 2010, the year Mini Cooper #2 will join our family! I'm getting bigger and bigger and feeling a lot of movement. It's amazing how much more tired and just plain worn-out I've been getting lately. Maybe I don't remember feeling this way while I was pregnant with Kyle, or maybe I just assumed it was me being normally tired after a day of teaching. I guess I thought that since I'm now a stay-at-home mom that I would have more energy and be able to get so much more done. I forgot to add in having to keep up with Kyle into the equation! I also thought the nausea part of pregnancy was over, but there have been a few days in the last few weeks that it's crept back up on me. Other than that, I feel great and have a few more appointments in the coming weeks to check on the progress of our little guy.

Here I am at 26 weeks--less than 100 days to go!

Here's the link to the past prego pictures.

Happy New Year!!!

Last night the whole family went to a New Year's Eve Party at the Fabiano's home.


Cory made pizzas-to order!



Several families from church were there, so we had a good time eating, talking, and counting down the last hours of 2009.



The kids watched UP in another room while the adults played a few card games--Scum, Spoons, and Hearts.

Kyle almost made it the whole night, but ended up falling asleep on the couch sometime around the 11:00 hour.


We woke him up to watch the ball drop and to countdown to 2010. (This was my first time to be on the East coast on New Year's Eve and to actually see the ball dropping "live.") We toasted the New Year, kissed, and went outside to pop some poppers and watch fireworks in the neighborhood. Then, we called it a night.

Kyle really helped make our celebration complete when we got home. The minute we stepped inside the door, he decided to vomit everywhere--all over himself and Stephen, the floor, the shoes in the entryway, and the wall. Man, that kid really needs to learn how to hold his sparkling cider! (At least he waited until we were inside the house, on tile, and not in the new car!)

Merry 2010, everyone!

I think I'll take a nap now.