Waiting Waiting Waiting

Hmmm, I know if I take castor oil I will go into labor. Do I want to go into labor? Do I want to actively choose to go into labor? What difference does it make if I do it spontaneously or if I help it along a little- same result , labor=baby. Ohhhhhhh, I just don't know what to do.

I gave a talk today in church today. I was asked to speak along with the wives of the Bishop and First counselor. That was slightly nerve racking-not enough to send me into serious labor though. My specific topic was about teaching in the home. I really ended up bearing more of a testimony on the subject based on a talk given by Pres. Hinckley. I spoke of all the amazing home classrooms that have helped to guide me and help form my own families traditions and spiritual learning in our home. Many of those classrooms have taken place since Jared and I have been married. I have watched as my sister in laws and friends have ran FHE, have counseled their children, have made holidays fun and spirit filled. I have watched you manage many children for scripture study and family prayer. While you have been shaping your own posterity you have also helped to shape mine. Thank You.

My joy in life is my family-my opportunity to stay home, teach my children, and spend my days loving and watching them grow is the third greatest gift I have ever been given. The first being the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the second being Jared who has afforded me the third, and is the most amazing husband. most amazing man I have ever known. I know what treasures I've been given and hope that I never squander them.

OH BABY!!!

I had my Dr. Apt today and while I was fully prepared to hear I wasn't dilated yet, and hoping I would hear I was at least at a 1 or 2, I couldn't help but laugh out loud when he told me I was at a 4 and 60% effaced. REALLY! WOW!!!!!!!!!! I'm pretty excited about that. I'm ecstatic!!!! I can't wait until she is here-and the fact there is a high probability she will be here soon is just AWESOME, WONDERFUL, FANTASTIC, AMAZING. I'm so happy, I think I'll cry.... It's like getting the best present ever early.

I bought diapers and nursing pads Tuesday, haven't gotten the car detailed yet though-we were going to do that this Saturday. Ugh, I really need to wash the floors. I'm making Danettes broccoli and chicken tonight-maybe I should make an extra batch... I wonder if my water will break this time-a new experience would be fun. Oh I can't wait!!!!

It's really hard keeping that little thunder cloud away that says, Hold on...your not in the clear yet. Something dreadful may be looming ahead. I just want to be happy and excited. Go away cloud, I don't want to think about awful possibilities. If they come I'll deal with them, but until then I want to expect the best. Now I've gone and gotten myself all worked up.

Okay-I think I'm better now.

On a different note-I took pictures of a family in our ward yesterday. Their son got his mission call to Bulgaria.

His cute niece and nephew

This is the tree I'm willing to throw down for....

This is me and my pregnant belly.

Ohh Dear...

Well, I totally fell on Saturday. Luckily not on my stomach. My ankle rolled off the sidewalk when Amy and I were taking the kids for a walk to the park. I was carrying a camp chair so that buffered the fall a little- I was laughing hysterically after it happened. Laughing then crying-then laughing some more-refusing a helping hand-because you know-I was perfectly capable of getting up myself. I can be so obnoxious. Poor Amy she was really worried-I tried to convince her I was fine just slightly humiliated being a big pregnant lady rolling around on the side walk. I have two huge bruises on my leg and my arms and shoulders are a little tweaked. My humiliation soon turned to frustration thinking how great this pregnancy has been and how I had better not have messed it up by falling because I chose to wear platform flip flops rather than my tennis shoes. I can honestly say that the novelty of pregnancy has disappeared. My balance is off, the cashier at walmart asked if I was having twins, several well meaning older sisters in our ward made the "your about to pop" comment-which I smiled to and replied "I hope so..."

I'm feeling slightly aggressive too. I had a dream last night that some woman was chopping down my Texas Laurel tree and I started swearing at her and slapping her. A crowd gathered and a medic helicopter flew in and the medic told me I had to be checked out in a psychiatric ward and if I was okay I wouldn't have to pay for the helicopter ride if I agreed to a weekend anger management class. Weird. Now I will say I do LOVE my Texas Laurel Tree-and it's in full bloom right now beautiful purple flowers that smell like grape bubble gum. I love this tree and seeing someone hack it down would evoke much anger-but I was worse than a sailor-and the hair pulling and slapping were really uncalled for. I was relieved when I woke up and felt like my rational self thinking- No, No I would never do something like that. Right? Not to mention I never thought I'd be the hair pulling, slapping, potty mouth type. Just one good punch should have gotten the point across. My arms are sore though and slapping requires less muscle I would think.

Though, I have to say I did wake up feeling energized and ready to take on the world this morning. :)

Do ya get it? Do ya?

This is what has been echoing off the walls of our home and car, grocery store, chapel etc... Hannah is officially in the riddle stage. What month has more than 28 days in it? If a rooster were to lay an egg on a pitched roof which way would it roll? How many birthdays will you have? It's actually pretty cute- especially when she's explaining the answer to Noah. The entire ride to church yesterday revolved around how many days were in every month-thus the answer to the first riddle.

Hannah: Do you get it now?
Noah:Oh yea....
Hannah:Do you really get it?
Noah: Yea I get it!

Jared remembered realizing as an adult how great it was for his Mom to laugh every time he came home with a new joke- seeing as how it was at least the seventh time she had heard it. But she made it seem as though he was the first to come up with such cleverness. Moms are so great!

Cute Song

This song is too cute. I love it. Thanks for sharing Danette.

To saturate or desaturate...that is the question.

I just finished with another shoot-and it went so much better than what I anticipated. I'm super huge, which makes squatting, sitting/laying on the ground and running after toddlers slightly more difficult than under pre-pregnancy conditions AND it was a rainy day and I just wasn't in the mood. How is that for a run on sentence? But-it ended up being WAY fun! Here are a couple of my favorite shots. I'm in kind of in a desaturation mode right now. So what do you think? Do you like a touch of saturation or a dab of desaturation?

Odds and Ends

I feel like I'm playing a little bit of catch up. I am 33 weeks along and beginning to feel a few contractions-enough to keep me from say- walking Sabino Canyon despite the amazing weather here. I had made tentative plans with a friend to go walk the canyon until she told me she was making mental notes on what to do chance I go into labor. We'll be saving the canyon for post delivery. I really love my doctor. I began feeling anxious about butting heads with hospital staff concerning my delivery wishes. He was so great-completely assured me that there were nurses there who especially liked working with women who preferred a non medicated route. Then he told me a hilarious delivery story that made me feel so much better. Not to mention making me feel like it was the most normal thing in the world to have a birth plan-YAY for you Dr. Eisenberg- YAY for you. Sorry no prego pictures yet. I need to get over trying to get a really "good" one. As if that's possible. You know I feel pretty good about myself until I see the play back picture on the camera. "That must have been a bad angle-we'll try that later..."

The boys went on the scout Klondike last weekend. Jared took Noah with him and Noah was as happy as could be. Jared even brought him home his very first utility knife for the trip. Hannah and I had a girls day and went out for Italian and did a little shopping. I love our girl dates.

Jared is in Safford today and called to let me know he was asked to help facilitate a research project with one of the doctors he works with. He sounds pretty excited about it. I don't know much more than that. He also is in the process of joining a first assist surgery group where every six weeks he would be on call to first assist for ER surgeries . He is really excited about this.

I took the kids out of school today to go to the Gem and Mineral show. Hannah could look at the pretty rocks and gem stones all day. Noah comes and goes in interest. He had the most fun spending his $5.00-down to the last dime. He found a bucket of polished agate being advertised at $3.00 a scoop full-the vendor got quite a kick out of Noah politely asking him how much for one piece. He gave it to Noah for free. Noah was tickled. Hannah opted to buy a pair of silver plumeria earrings from Hawaii to replace the ones she lost. She was excited about that. We went through the junior exhibit and the kids made out like bandits. We were able to see, touch and compare metals ranging from tin to titanium-then they filled their egg cartons with ten different minerals ranging from Quartz to Calcite. These were huge pieces too. I found a display case for part of our rock collection, and had fun putting it together when we got home.

Projects

I found a changing table on Craigslist that matches our crib we bought from our neighbor perfectly. Hurray!

I found another copy of A Gallery Of Children at Bookman's and cut the illustrations out and framed them for the baby area and Hannah's room. The illustrator is Henriette Willebeek Le Mair. I love this Illustrator.

Past Projects

Favorite Books

Noah is reading The Magic Tree House series and Hannah is reading The American Girl Series-which she has just about completed. She has started in on the American Girl mysteries, which she loves. When Jared is gone during the week nights the kids like to crawl into our bed and read. This brings me sheer happiness. Both completely enthralled in their books- stopping every so often to share a moment in the story with me. Hannah: "Oh momma, Molly just...." Noah: "HA! Mom guess what! Jack and Annie are...." I want to freeze time and just hold the moment. I sometimes picture them as adults musing over these loved stories from their childhood, and there children discovering them on our bookshelves.

These pictures are from Love of Reading Week.

I'm trying to get through Ray Bradbury's Farenheit 451... I think I'm pretty past the Bradbury, Huxley, Orwell stage. I'll give Illustrated Man a try then revisit Jane Austen. I'm in much more of a romantic frame of mind these days.

So that's about it. I'm winding down-and savoring the moments of our life right now.