It's not what you think!!

I signed up to take a meal to some friends tonight who recently had a baby.  The boys and I met my friend Jennifer and her boys at the park in the morning, then I had to go to the grocery store to pick up a few things.  It was a frustrating trip (as most grocery trips are these days), and I realized when we left that I'd forgotten white wine (one of the ingredients for the chicken dish I was planning on making tonight).  I haven't bought wine in at least five years; I enjoy it but we just don't drink it.  So the only time I open a bottle of wine is to make this particular recipe, and I happened to run out the last time I made it.

So back into the store we went (I had just caused a minor scene in the checkout line with the boys a few minutes before), and we went straight to the wine aisle.  I found what I needed and tried to look casual as I took it up to the checkout line.  It was so weird, but I felt like I needed to explain to the checkout lady why I was buying it!  And I know they weren't, but it felt like everyone in the store was noticing me and judging me.  Here I am, this woman who is very obviously pregnant and very obviously annoyed by the horrible behavior of her kids, who leaves the store then comes back a few minutes later to buy alcohol!  But while I was trying to casually explain that "I know this looks suspicious but I need this for a recipe," I felt even more stupid!  

What's worse, it took forever to check out because the receipt printer kept eating the paper, so the lady had to work on the machine for a minute.  When I finally got my receipt, I turned to see the manager (who was helping out with bagging) handing me my bottle of wine wrapped in a brown paper bag!!  Now I really felt like a wine-o.  Again, I said something silly to him about this looking very suspicious, which probably made me seem even more suspicious! 

At least it wasn't scotch or whiskey or vodka, and I'm sure those people didn't even give it a second thought.  And I'm not one of those people to be embarrassed by buying tampons or things like that.  So it surprised me how ashamed I was; I guess I just was afraid of being seen as an irresponsible mom who is putting her unborn baby in danger because she can't handle the stress of raising the two kids she already has! 

Sunday pictures

We had a fun weekend.....I went to a super fun baby shower on Saturday morning for my friend Jennifer, then I got a much-needed haircut and did some other errands in the afternoon.  Dean watched the boys a lot that day by himself, which is always a nice break for me! 


Yesterday after their naps, the boys swam in the pool for a while.  They won't go in the pool without Buzz and Woody or their little rocket diving sticks.  Whatever Grant does (sticking his head in the water, doing a belly flop), Drew of course does the same.  He tries to be a carbon copy of his big brother in every way.

Dean took a belly picture (I'm 28 weeks today).  And by the way, this is a non-maternity shirt from Express that I bought about a year ago.  I have two others, and they still fit perfectly (even though I haven't been able to wear any other regular clothes in weeks).  It wouldn't surprise me if they fit until I deliver the baby.....they still seem to have a lot of space to expand.  Crazy! 

Mommy and her sweet boys.....I almost didn't post this because my face is looking really chubby!  This happened with Drew too (I can't remember if it did with Grant or not).  As of my appointment last Friday, I've gained 25 pounds.  My doctor says this is a little high but nothing to worry about.  I guess I'm on track to gain 40 pounds again this time.  Oh well!

Drew was being super silly later last night.  He stuffed Kitty and Brownie into his school bus, then ran and pushed them around the house.  He and Grant do this all the time; Grant usually pushes his dump truck and Drew pushes his school bus.  Now they've started crashing into each other a lot.  Drew has suddenly become a fast runner and he keeps up with Grant a lot better than he did a few months ago.

Checking to make sure Kitty is okay.  "Tee?  Tee?"  He is becoming so silly and fun to watch!

Grant has said some funny things today.....but I will have to share later because I am needed by my little guys!

Eye-opening for a mommy to hear....

One of my favorite Christian speakers is Nancy Leigh DeMoss....she comes on at 9:30am here in Houston every weekday.  I only get a chance to listen once or twice a week, but it seems like she's always talking about something that I want to learn about (or need to hear).  Yesterday I tuned in while the boys and I were driving up into town.

They were re-playing a speech given by a woman named Rachel Barkey in spring 2009 at her church in Vancouver.  Rachel had been fighting breast cancer for the previous five years (since she was 32), and had recently been told that her cancer had become terminal and she only had a few months to live.  She was diagnosed when her son was two and her daughter was 7 months old.  So at this point (a year ago, shortly before her death), her son was 7 and her daughter was 5.  The point of her message was to explain her faith in God and her perspective as a Christian nearing the end of her life.....wanting desperately to live longer but coming to realize that God's plan is perfect (even when we don't understand it).

Yesterday they only played the first part of her speech, and today they played more (I wasn't able to hear it but will listen to the podcast later).  But wow.....it was such an eye-opener for me.  I completely take my health for granted, never really appreciating that I have (as far as I know) years and years ahead of me to spend with my husband and kids.  She was describing how at that point, she could only spend a few hours out of her bed every day.  And her daughter would lift her arms and ask her to pick her up, but she was unable to do it because the cancer had spread into her back.  It made her so sad not being able to do simple things like this, and just knowing that her days with them were numbered.

It was a much-needed reminder to me....so many days I feel so bored or frustrated with my boys and I just want the hours to pass as quickly as possible.  I certainly don't usually just stop and thank God for this time I have with them, or appreciate the fact that I have countless hours to spend with them (and Dean) in the future. 

Literally one or two minutes after the show ended, Grant told me from the backseat that he had to go pee-pee.  My first reaction was to be frustrated.....we had just left the house 20 minutes earlier, and we were not in a part of town that would be easy to find a place to stop.  But then it hit me: wait!  What did I just hear on the radio five minutes ago?   This is not a big deal at all!   And it was on my mind throughout the day.....not to say that I didn't get frustrated, but I was more aware of the gifts I have been given. 

Click here to go to Rachel Barkey's website.  Or you can also go to the Revive Our Hearts website to listen to her speech (July 22 and 23....not sure if it will be continued next week since I didn't hear it today).  I don't mean to be a downer, but for me this was an incredible reminder of God's sovereignty and how blessed I am.

27 weeks....I can't believe it....

I can't believe that I'm already almost into my third trimester.  It feels like I should still be 15 weeks pregnant.  On Sunday, I realized that it was the 18th and I was exactly three months away from my due date.  Completely hard to believe..... 

Baby's size: Apparently the size of a cauliflower (what?!).  She weighs a little over 2 pounds and her lungs are developed enough that she'd be able to survive if she was born now (I am always relieved when I get to this point in my pregnancies....knowing that if something were to happen, the baby could survive outside the womb).

How I feel: BIG!  All of a sudden I'm feeling like a big pregnant woman (reminding me that I'm getting closer to the end, as hard as it is to believe).  Painting my toenails and picking something up off the floor are much harder than they used to be.  The boys don't fit on my lap as easily as they used to.  Also, getting up from the floor is harder....if I try to sit up too fast, sometimes I'll strain the muscles in my belly and it hurts like crazy for a minute or two.

Movement: All the time!  I love it!  It's so much fun feeling those kicks and nudges.  In the past couple of weeks she's gotten big enough that I can feel her kicking on both sides of my belly at the same time.  She seems to be less active in late morning/early afternoon, but I notice her moving a lot in the evenings (or maybe I just notice it more then because that's when I have time to actually sit still). 

What I miss the most: I am SO tired of wearing the same clothes!  I have about five t-shirts that I wear over and over and over again (also a few dressy shirts and some tank tops).  And I have two pairs of shorts and a denim skirt.  A few weeks ago I considered buying some new maternity clothes, but for what?  This is most likely my last pregnancy, so it seems like a bit of waste of money.

What the boys think: They really don't talk about the baby unless I bring it up.  If Grant is jumping on the couch, he'll sometimes jump over me and say, "I didn't jump on the baby." (He knows it's a big no-no to jump on me right now).  A few days ago Drew pointed to my stomach and I couldn't tell if he said "baby" or "bee-bo" (meaning belly button).  I really don't think he has any clue about the baby. 

Something interesting: Last week at Home Depot, I walked by the cash registers where two ladies were standing there with no customers.  I said hello as I walked by.  When I walked back, one of them stopped me and asked if I was having a girl.  I said yes, and she said that they assumed so because I was carrying the baby so low.  It's so strange, because when I was pregnant with the boys, nobody ever guessed I was having a girl.  And people used the same rationale: that I was carrying low!  I think I'm carrying the baby just about the same as before, but it's interesting to be that nobody has ever gotten the baby's sex wrong, between all three pregnancies!

Biggest frustration: I am still so tired SO much of the time.  The summer is flying by fast, and I'm thankful for that.  But the boys are really testing my patience and fighting a lot these days.  It's so frustrating and embarrassing taking them in public....it seems to be getting worse.  And at home, I just can't ever seem to sit down for more than two minutes before one of them needs something or I'm having to break up a fight.  The days are VERY long, and sometimes I resent that I can't rest more or do more planning for this baby.  I guess that's just reality when you are pregnant with your third and there's no family around to help!

I hosted a fun baby shower this past weekend at our house with some friends, so hopefully I will post some pictures of that later this week.  And tomorrow, Drew will be 22 months old.  Grant turned 22 months old four days before Drew was born.  I'm so glad I have a few more months this time! 




   

Haircuts, etc.

Just a few pictures, because I know I haven't posted any in a while.  Grant didn't nap today; he came out of his room twice and I finally gave up and just told him to stay in there and play until his CD was finished.  Now he's just playing around upstairs while I try to get a few things done.  Some days he naps great, but every once in a while he'll totally skip it, like today.  I guess he's closer to four now, so I should have expected this to happen around now.....

The boys got haircuts about two weeks ago.   They desperately needed them.  It's funny.....I always get used to their longer hair while they have it, but then after their haircuts I look back at pictures taken just a few days before and I'm a little embarrassed that I let it grow so long! 

 The boys are always coming up with silly games (especially when Daddy's around).  Here they stood on top of the guest bed, holding hands, and Dean would pull the quilt out from underneath them.  Sounds extremely safe, I know!  But they had a blast and nobody got hurt. 

I took a couple of pics of Drew after getting home from the hospital last Tuesday.  He's wearing his hospital pajamas and not in the happiest of moods.  He took Kitty and Brownie with him to the hospital and didn't want to go anywhere without them while he was there.

Feeling much better the next morning!  Buzz Lightyear is almost another one of his "lovey" toys right now....not as much as the other two, but he likes to tote Buzz around with him a lot.

Grant found this old Mardi Gras necklace that entertained the boys for a few days.  Drew came into the baby's room on Saturday wearing the necklace and his new Alabama cap (Nana and Papa brought one for both boys when they visited).  Dean turned his cap around and he looked like a little rapper! 

 By the way, here you can also see a little bit of the baby's bedding and the wall color, which we just painted this weekend.  I wanted to steer away from a Pepto Bismol pink (it's so hard to tell what it's going to look like from those little cards), and I couldn't decide for about a day whether I liked this pink or not.  It's called "Rosy Outlook" and was much more muted than some truer pinks that we were comparing it with.  Now I've decided that I like it....it's definitely pink but not extremely bright.  We have brown curtains in the room already, so I think it looks nice.  I'll post some more pictures of it later.....we still need a dresser and I need to hang some things on the wall, so the room is far from finished!