4 Months

Is it really possible that I am over 4 months preggos...halfway already?! Are you sure?

Well, the pics seem to show the proof. (And thanks to my little Peanut for taking them!) :o)

How do you like the herniated belly button? Real attractive, huh? Last week, my dermatologist felt the need to point it out to me...as if I didn't notice the finger-like object projecting from my midsection or have it there with my first two babies. I should have acted totally shocked and grossed out when she said, "Hey, look! Did you know you have an umbilical hernia?" Ha!

Again, don't forget about the jewelry giveaway...AND, keep watching for a few more giveaways in November...such as a Fuzzi Bunz One Size cloth diaper and a cool package from Charlie's Soap. Oh, I just love giving things away!

Gymnastics...and some reminders

Thanks to many of you, Peanut came in 2nd place in the Trix video contest a few months ago and won money to be used toward educational classes and/or items. So, we now present to you...our gymnast (in the blue and brown). (Sorry for the not-so-good pictures taken through a glass window. You understand.) :o)

Warm-ups

Stretching (She'll love me for this pic when she's older!)

Fun time!

She had her very first gymnastics class last night, and to say that she was excited is a huge understatement! She definitely wasn't the leader of the pack, as most of the kids in her Chipmunks group had already been there before. But she did have loads of fun, 45 minutes of movement, and details to give to every listening ear today.



So, there we shall be, at the gymnastics place every Tuesday night from now until sometime next year.




OH, and a few reminders...


1) The Lisa Leonard Designs giveaway posted about here ends this Saturday, so if you haven't read the post, checked out Lisa's site, and commented, get to it!



2) Remember the Make Time for CHANGE post from sometime in September about Frigidaire's new campaign? If not, click on over and learn about spending your extra hour coming this Sunday with/for a child.



Have a happy Wednesday!

I'm here, I promise!

Sorry for the lack of posts for the past few days.


Nope, I didn't fall off the face of the Earth.


Didn't go on a luxurious vacation with my husband. Just the two of us. Alone. *sigh*


We've been hard at work, taking off wallpaper from the ceiling (wait...I guess it should be called ceiling paper, right?), fixing holes in the ceiling, sanding, and slapping primer up on the ceiling and walls.


But guess what??? The ENTIRE room is ready for paint! This week! YES! Some evening this week, in the midst of three separate church meetings and taking Peanut to her first gymnastics class, we'll find the time to paint the ceiling a nice white and the walls...well, again...you'll just have to wait and see! :o)


For now, I'm going to go and try to get the primer out of my hair and clothing in preparation for the real color to get on there. Can't wait until this room is done!

Life's teachable moments and Visa

Some people experience trials and struggles (we'll call them "teachable moments") in small doses throughout their lives. A small problem one month, a family issue two months later, and so on.


Not us. After over 7 years of marriage, Hubby and I have realized (and accepted) the fact that God likes to slam us with multiple "teachable moments" at once. It was difficult at first to navigate through those muddy waters when life issues mounted on our backs, but I must say we've gotten a ton better at it.


Here's a glimpse of the past week in our lives (yes, it all was within one week). I made it into a Visa commercial for you to enjoy. :)



* New parts needed for Hubby's truck. Cost: Waaay more than we (or you) would ever expect.


* No money to pay people at work (which is what most non-profits are experiencing these days). Cost: A little less income, a little more prayer, and a lot more God-trusting.


* Baby boy burns his hand, resulting in a trip to the ER, several doctor's visits, and hours of work pushed back. Cost: Lots of pain and tears, $0 (thank you, God, for his awesome health insurance!), and more time spent playing work catch-up.


* After a week of wallpaper removal, wall spackling, and wall sanding, the primer finally went up, only to discover the ceiling needs more work than we thought. Cost: A few more hours of work, $20 for yet another gallon of primer, and 2 more days behind schedule (the schedule we set in our minds, that is).


* A blinking engine light in my car, along with other vehicular issues. Cost: The vomit that almost came out of my mouth when the mechanic told me his total, the love and admiration in my heart when Hubby said he could do most of that work himself (saving us a boat-load of money), some more schedule-juggling, and a little more time playing catch-up at work.


* A hole in the shower wall after the soap holder (and surrounding grout) fall off into the tub, revealing the lovely-looking plaster wall and nastiness therein. Cost: Moving up the bathroom project by a few months in our timeline of projects and some time figuring out where the money will come from. Actual $ cost: Oh, who knows.


* Dog rips out stuffing from the already-existing large holes in our old, decrepit couch. Cost: whatever it costs to get a new couch (the already decided upon Christmas present between Hubby and I)




* Two beautiful children, a devoted and snazzy husband, a warm home to live in, coffee to drink (just HAD to throw that one in there), a beyond-flexible job, health insurance, family and friends who love us and lift us up in prayer, and a God who promises to NEVER give us more than we can handle: PRICELESS.



We may not understand it all, including the "whys" of life. But we do believe that it all happens for a reason, and if it's just to grow stronger in our faith, then so be it.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5-6

Our First Giveaway!

You have NO idea how excited I am write this!


EXCITED!!!


I have a giveaway for you...my first one, at that!


I recently came across Lisa Leonard Designs, and her awesome jewelry was too much for me to handle! As I write this, I'm telling my husband to get on our other computer so I can show him what's on my Christmas list: the "be still" necklace...this simple yet stylish sterling ring...the "sweetheart tree" necklace...my list goes on! Not only is this woman beautiful and creative, Lisa's a mom who gets to do what she truly enjoys. How cool is that?!


So, interested in winning something? One lucky person will win a personalized baby spoon from Lisa Leonard Designs with your child's name on it!





All you have to do is 1) check out Lisa's website by clicking here, then 2) leave a comment on this post before midnight on Saturday, October 31st telling me what design or item of Lisa's you liked the most, as well as your e-mail address so I can contact you if you are the big winner. It's that simple!


And remember: the coupon code for 2 chix (SEEBESSRUN) is still good up until the 31st as well.


Happy shopping! :)

A Day of Remembering

Four years ago today, our friends Clark and Kara experienced a loss that most people never have to go through.





I'll never, ever forget Kara's beyond-long hospitalization, the small group girls' visits to her room, her visit to me while in labor with Danae and again the day my girl was born, and hearing the news two days later that Baby Logan was born but only lived a short while.





Today we remember Logan, Danae's buddy already in Heaven. Clark, Kara, and family are always close to my heart at this time of year!

The Birthday Incident

We tried to make Peanut's 4th birthday as fun as possible, despite the freezing rain and the fact that both Daddy and Mommy had to go to work for a bit.

We gave her presents in the morning (yes, she got up with us, as excited as could be, at 6:30AM), sang to her, put on her "Birthday Princess" button, declined the shots at her four-year check-up (seriously, I'm not going to make my kid get shots on her birthday!), took her out to dinner (her choice: Chinese food), and took her shopping for a new outfit. All in all, I think she had a fun birthday, despite the mid-morning madness.

Ooohh, yes...the mid-morning madness. Our neighbor was babysitting Caedon while I had Danae at the doctor's, and during that short time, my little man managed to touch their wood-burning stove and burn his right hand. Badly. Just five minutes before I got there. Five. stinking. minutes. Just imagine the things flowing through my head: if only I had not stopped at the house before picking him up, if only I hadn't asked the doctor that extra question, if only...

So, through my poor boy's screaming, we managed to get him home and let me look at his hand, only to discover big blisters had already formed on all five fingertips and one big one on the palm. After a tearful call to Hubby and a call to his doctor, Birthday Girl headed over to the babysitter's and Caedon and I headed in to the ER.

The ER took us right away, saying that burns to the hand are the absolute most painful. The nurses quickly asked how much he weighed and gave him Motrin, Tylenol with Codeine, and one other thing to help with the pain. They put on saline, bandaged the hand, had to re-bandage it after he ripped the gauze off, and had me hold him until the meds kicked in. After a short 30-minute nap, the screaming and thrashing was much less. One more re-bandage, and we were sent home.

His pediatrician saw him this morning, opened the bandage, saw that the palm blister was massive and hadn't broken open, and re-wrapped his hand. Overall, Caedon seems to have gotten used to the bandaging and the fact that he will have a club for a hand for a few days.

Yup, back to his old climbing, boyish ways! :) Please pray for continued healing and no infection!

She's now 4...how'd that happen?!

This little lady came into our lives 4 years ago today.

And we were forever blessed and changed.

She's an intelligent beauty, a joy to be around, a chatterbox beyond the regular sort, my fellow snuggler, a true Daddy's girl, and my best friend.

We sit here, truly wondering where the last 4 years went...and looking forward to the many adventures we have to come.


Happy 4th Birthday, Princess Danae. We love you forever and always!

Wallpaper

I don't like wallpaper.


In fact, we are enemies right now.


We are in the throes of a big living room project, which (if you haven't guessed by now) involves wallpaper removal. It's a big room, so lots and lots of wallpaper removal. Wallpaper that's been on plaster walls for probably 80+ years. NO.LIE.


This stuff is like a second skin. There's nothing else under there. Just paper against plaster. But it's on there so snug, and the glue is so thick. And I no likey.


But, there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Soon...very, very soon...this paper will be off. And the primer will go up. And my ceiling will be painted white. And my walls will be...well, I'm not going to give that one away quite yet. I will say, though, that they won't be your ordinary tan, cream, or even pale color. You'll just have to tune in sometime next week to find out! :)

3 months...a little late

I need to play catch up with most things lately...emails, birthday gifts, pictures. But I thought I'd post these...better late than never! :)


3 months preggers on September 24:




(sorry for the blurriness!)

It's hard to believe that almost 17 weeks of this pregnancy have gone by already! It feels like it's going by faster than the first two did. Probably because we are constantly on the go and running after two little babes plus a dog. That would do it.

Have a happy Monday!

She's My Daughter

Hubby says she's just like me.

Sassy yet snuggly. Smart...especially when it comes to getting her way. Gets frustrated easily. Loves her brother tremendously. Very helpful. Independent.


Maybe we've taken the independent thing a little too far.




Here's what I found out happened one morning this week when Danae took the dog out to "do her business". Danae apparently had to go, too. And, in her mind, doing this (notice the wet ground) was probably much more efficient than running in the house to use the bathroom.


That's right. Efficient and a multitasker. She's my girl.

Wordless Wednesday

I find him in here at least once a day!

Cloth Diapers and Planet Ultra Detergent

Many of you know by now that we decided to cloth diaper our youngest last year when he was born. While many of our friends were “going cloth” with their babies, we didn’t just jump on the band wagon. ;o) Friends provided us with websites to check out, price comparisons to read, brands to research…and in the end, we feel we made a cost-effective decision that was right for our household. We will also use the diapers with #3 when he/she debuts in March, saving even more money. Cha-ching!

However, moving to a bigger house four months ago also brought with it laundering challenges. We found out within a week or two that we have very, very (and I do mean VERY) hard water. Besides noticing that my bath towels were coming out dingy after a full wash cycle, we also noticed the telltale odor that stayed in the baby’s cloth diapers, even after two wash cycles. The real kicker, though, was when we would change his diaper and the ammonia smell was so strong it would burn his skin and our nostrils. Really, really not cool.

I recently had the opportunity to try out Planet Ultra Liquid Laundry Detergent on Caedon’s diapers to see if it would kill the mineral build-up problem. You see, you can’t just wash cloth diapers with any old detergent, as most of them on the market have additives and stuff that stays in your clothes to keep them (and you) smelling fresh. With cloth diapers, additives and build-up are a nightmare and make it so that the diapers don’t get fully clean, leading to yucky smells. Planet Ultra is free of dyes, phosphates, softeners and enzymes, making it a perfect candidate for cloth.

The first diaper load came out smelling clean and ammonia-free. Success! The second load, however, contained a lot more, umm, “soiled” diapers, and after the two wash cycles, I wasn’t too happy with the odor coming from my washing machine. The diapers smelled like I just rinsed them with the hose outside and did nothing else. Bummer. (I did follow all instructions, adding the correct amount at the right time, etc.) I did one last wash cycle, adding a little white vinegar to the water (which is known to help with hard water issues), and that did the trick.

While I do praise Planet for making an eco-friendly detergent that has great potential for clothing, I cannot say I’d use it again for my cloth diapers. I need my son’s hiney-coverings to come out clean after each wash and not need a third wash cycle. While Planet is probably great for regular clothing and softer water, I’m not so sure it can handle the hard water flowing through my house.

At this point, I might need to just stick with vinegar (Sarah’s suggestion) and then bleach the diapers once per month, as suggested by BumGenius (the diaper brand we use).

If you have hard water and/or if you cloth diaper, do you have a favorite detergent that you use? Any recommendations for me?

My Susan G. Komen Soapbox

I'm going to get on my soapbox for a minute. And I hope I don't offend you.


October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and you'll be seeing more and more products in the stores that support breast cancer research, treatment, awareness, etc. Pink will be everywhere, making it difficult to leave the candy aisle without those too cool rosy M&M's .


While I truly believe supporting the research and destruction of this horrible disease is of great importance, I also think you need to be educated in the decisions you make.


Most (if not all) of the products and campaigns you see out there support Susan G. Komen for the Cure. You probably have also heard of Komen for the Cure, the Breast Cancer 3-Day, and other various runs/walks intended to raise money for the organization.


BUT, what you probably won't see reported is the fact that Komen is a huge support for Planned Parenthood and gives massive dollars to that organization every year. YES. The same Planned Parenthood that advocates killing children in the womb and performs HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of potential cancer-causing abortions every year gets beaucoup bucks from the very organization that claims to want to eradicate another form of cancer. Unbelievable.


Why am I writing all of this? To inform you. If you are a pro-lifer, a survivor of cancer, a witness of someone else's cancer battle, or even a pro-choicer who doesn't want to be duped, I URGE you to be informed and to put your money to use by another breast cancer research group. Even though Komen might have the biggest campaign, there ARE others out there! Do your homework and know where your money is going.


Ok...I'll step down from my soapbox now.