Indulge me for a minute. . .Let me gush about my kids

Caroline has always LOVED getting her pictures taken. Total camera freak. I don't think that kid has taken a bad photo in her life! These are no exception. Wow, she's growing up fast! Amelia on the other hand has always HATED it! I never really got a great picture of her. Til now. These turned out awesome. Wow, my kids are cute.

OK. Gushing over.

Do you have white or red with smores?

Caroline worked very hard to achieve the perfect level of "hot dog doneness." Looks YUMM-O!

What do you get with 6 kids in a sandbox? Six VERY dirty kids! I also gotta say I love our sandbox. People always ask why it's so big~this is why!

Greta Boo L-O-V-E-S smores!

Shiny happy Wesley! Or is that an old picture of Christian?

Christine already mentioned how much she loved the new smore/peanut butter cup combo. Here is a picture of her, um, having a moment of glee.

We did have a great time. Lots 'o wine which I very much enjoyed since my nine month hiatus! See here for a detailed description of all the wine drank. Or is it drunk? Tim bought my absolute favorite wine ever for me too! Cakebread Chardonnay is just awesome. I usually prefer red zinfandels but Cakebread rocks my world. I did have a hard time keeping up with the rest of 'em since Mr Cranky Pants demanded most of my attention. Bummer. I will now go finish my wine and drown my sorrows from the pathetic Bears game. (Shut it Jer.) 5-11. I said it in July and I stand by it. 5-11.

When is it ACTUALLY due?

You know what drives me crazy? Fake due dates. If something is due on Oct. 1 please don't start sending "late notices" til October 2. I do not care if I am the only one who has not returned something or done something. I will do so by October 1. I do not go through paperwork or emails every single day. I flip though to see if something needs immediate attention, if not, I complete things on Thursdays. Otherwise I would sit at my desk all day long. So if you need something on September 25, put "Due Sept 25" on it. Not Oct 1.

Stepping off my soapbox. For now.

Breaking the 10th Comandment

So does anyone want to invite my girls to a fancy Christmas party? Or maybe we'll just switch churches for the holiday season? These are Gymboree's dressy Christmas dresses this year. I. LOVE. THEM. They are preppy/snobby and awesome. I am trying to find a reason to buy them for the girls but I can not. Anyone having a party? Anyone? Please?

Ode to Naptime

Oh how I love naptime. I honestly can't say it enough. Greta still naps about 2 hours every afternoon and Wyatt is starting to take a longer afternoon nap too. They both slept today for about 1 hour AT THE SAME TIME. I watched a bit of Days and sorted through Ebay stuff for Christmas/winter listings. Oh the joy. I didn't have to stop every 4 minutes to change a diaper, wipe a bottom, dress a Polly Pocket, pop a paci in a crying mouth, ect, ect, ect. A full 67 minutes of uninterrupted work time. Then when I went to wake up Greta to go pick up the big kids, she ordered me out. Pointed at the door and said "Go 'way Mommy. I sweepy."

New and Not So New Blogger Folks

Awhile back I had removed anyone from my blog roll who wasn't posting more than once or twice a month. I did not discriminate~I even deleted my BFF! Since then many have picked up the pen so to speak again. I have also added a bunch.

Shawnie~She has finally joined the Blogosphere.

Aimee~Got into the habit of posting one picture of one kid per month. Now she has lots to read!

Melaine~Aimee's sis. Mel had some super-annoying music on her blog so I had to remove her. (Sorry, Mel! It was creepy. :-) No more music and lots of boy pics.

Caroline's 4th Grade Class~They have their own blog. How cool it that?

My Small Group Girlfriends~We are all trying to get skinny. Sort of.

So check everyone out and spread the love. But please not the stomach flu germs. Amelia had it Friday and barfed on the sidewalk in front of the consignment shop. Ick.

Meal Plan Monday, Er, Well, Tuesday

I had my meal plan done on Sunday but Grandma came for a visit yesterday so I really didn't get any puter time or did I actually cook! So here's this week~complete with points.

Monday~GEMS for Caroline so it was leftover night.

Tuesday~Cheeseburger Hoagies 6 and "Fried" Zucchini 4

Wednesday~California Wraps 5 and WW Zero Point Veggie Soup 0

Thursday~Margherita Pizzas 6 and Salads 2

Friday~Out probably Wendys again! Hey, our whole family can eat there for under $20 and it's low points.

Saturday~Chicken Tenders 5 and Sweet Potato Fries 2

Sunday~Small Group and the Bears game. Oodles of points! :-)

For more great meal ideas, go see Laura! She'll also help you organize your underwear drawer.

Update on Mr Moo Cow

So, yeah. I've got a boy. Still getting used to that idea. He is the cutest thing in baby jeans! Oh and the football sweaters. I could cry they are so cute!

Wyatt is 10 weeks old now. NOT sleeping through the night yet. Please little boy. Sleep. Other than that he's a peach. Well, if you don't include the projectile barfing. Or the screaming when no one holds him. OK, I guess newborn is harder than I remember! He's still the cutest thing in little red outfits with firetrucks on them. Who said I couldn't become obsessed with boy clothes. Oh my cuteness. Though after the preemie sizes if I see another baby blue outfit with a puppy dog or teddy bear, I might projectile barf.

Weight~11 lbs 3 oz
Length~21 inches

Yep, he's a short and wide child. Hope he'll make the offensive line for the Bears. He had his first round of shots. Ended up with a panicked call to Uncle Doug asking "Why has my baby been sleeping for 7 hours?" Uncle Doug says, "Hhhmmm. . .interesting." Did you know they now have a vaccine for Rotovirus. Brilliant.

Sorry I don't have any more pictures of the boy. He is the fourth baby so this will be his last picture til the mug shots of kindergarten.

FRIDAY FIVE

FIVE BEST SONG LYRICS~BONUS POINTS IF YOU CAN NAME THAT TUNE
1. I've had the blues, the reds and the pinks
2. You ask direction from a genie in a bottle of Jim Beam and she lies to you
3. I want a bathroom I can play baseball in
4. Leonard Bernstein
5. Act your age not your shoe size

FIVE BEST FOODS I CAN'T EAT ON WW
1. McDonald's French Fries
2. Pizza~or at least the good kind
3. Onion rings
4. Oreos
5. Sausage gravy on french fries

FIVE BEST RESTAURANTS FOR WW DINING
1. Applebees~they were very accomodating
2. Olive Garden~NO breadsticks
3. Outback Steakhouse
4. Wendys
5. Schoops (only for breakfast~they have awesome egg beater omelets)

Meal Plan Monday

Well, folks, it's after Labor Day which means it is time to stop eating like I'm preggers. We are changing the way our family eats forever this time!

Monday~Lean Green Chili 5pts., Southwestern Corn Muffins 3 pts

Tuesday~Chicken Pot Pie 6 pts

Wednesday~Scalloped Potatoes and Ham 4 pts.

Thursday~Mommy is going OUT! They'll eat whatever they can find. :-)

Friday~Out, probably Wendy's since it's cheap and low points options abound.

Saturday~Chicken Tenders 5 pts., Sweet Potato Fries 2 pts

Sunday~Roast beef 3 pts, Roasted Potatoes and Carrots 2 pts, Green Beans 0 pts, Cheese Biscuits 3 pts.

So let's hope there's less Jen next week! For lots more recipe ideas, go to Laura's blog.

Access Hollywood

Candi and I participated in the weekly ritual of all SAHMs who have reached their limit yesterday. We went to the McDonald's playland. While Amelia, Greta, and Sam ran around like loons, Candi and I fielded the question "Are they twins?" about 700 hundred times. We had inadvertantly dressed Wyatt and Camden almost exactly alike.

Did you ever notice that McDonald's playland is a little like Hollywood? All those kids with minimal supervision and you have all your big players.

Donald Trump~This is the little boy in khakis and a polo yelling "NO! This is MY part of the slide!" When any child comes to play, Donald yells "You're fired!" and sends the poor soul scurrying back to Mommy.

Angelina Jolie~This is the Mommy soul of the group. This little girl shows up with 3 dolls and spends all her time checking out the babies who are in carriers. She then proceeds to tell you that she is the MOMMY and begs to hold the baby.

Paris Hilton~This is the girl who comes to play in a pink tutu, tube top, glitter heels, and a tiara. Often that is all she is wearing. We are not talking a kid who just wanted to wear sparkles and mom didn't feel like arguing. This is the 3 yr old who thinks she is 18 and mom thinks it's cute. She spends most of her time disdaining every girl who is not dressed as she is.

Lindsey Lohan~This is the child who can not walk a straight line and Mommy is the pusher. This little one spends half the time over by mom taking a hit off her inhaler while Mom regales the latest tale of how she spent time in the ER for "exhaustion"

Chris Farley~Little Chris shows up to play in shorts that are a Men's Size 42 and a T shirt down to the floor. He eats his Happy Meal, his brother's Happy Meal, and then scans the floor for stray french fries. He is peering over the edge of every booth asking, "Y'all gonna finish that?"

Rosie O'Donnell~This girl is just pi$$ed. She complains about everything. Loudly. And no one is quite sure if she is a she or a he. When in doubt ask mom what the tyke's name is. Hope it's not Jordan.

K-Fed~This is the kid with a tatoo and you are not sure if it's real or not. He's also got an earring. He's not yet potty trained but he can kick your a$$ for sure.

Pay attention next time you visit the playland and you might see something new!

FRIDAY FIVE

Friday Five is a bit early as we are leaving for MI for the holiday weekend. Buh-bye.

FIVE BEST SONGS TO SING REALLY LOUD IN THE CAR OR SHOWER
1. You Light Up My Life~Debby Boone
2. Leave the Pieces~The Wreckers
3. I Wanna Know What Love Is~Foreigner
4. Love Stinks~J Geils Band
5. Like a Virgin~Madonna

FIVE THINGS I WILL NOT MISS ABOUT SUMMER
1. Mom, I'm bored.
2. Mom, she hit me!
3. Heat.
4. Rain.
5. Shaving my legs every stinkin' day.

FIVE BEST MINDLESS DAYTIME TV SHOWS TO WATCH WHILE KIDS ARE IN SCHOOL
1. Days Of Our Lives
2. Baby Story
3. I Love the 80's on VH1
4. Shalom in the Home
5. All In The Family Re-runs

It's WWWWWAAAAYYYY Better Than Christmas

What's the happiest day of the year? Not Christmas, my friend. It is the first day of school. Oh the joy. Caroline started 4th grade and Amelia started FULL DAY Pre K~the absolute greatest invention ever. They were both so excited. We had the Open House the night before and what a scene that was. Lots of tears. First from Amelia because she did not want to go home. She had just entered something as amazing as Disneyland and there was no freakin' way she was going to go home for something as mundane as bedtime. Then Greta started in. SCREAMING. In front of all the nice blond people.

"I WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL!! I 4!!!"

Mrs S had nicely told her that she needed to be 4 for PreK. You can see how well that worked. We had to carry her out kicking and screaming. And then Wyatt started howling for a bottle.

The first day went off great. Caroline disappeared as soon as we got out of the van. Too. Cool. For. Mom. I walked Amelia to her class line and said goodbye. I even put lipstick on to place a kiss in her hand just like in this book which we knew they were going to read first thing. What does my daughter do? She says, "GROSS MOM!" and wipes it off. So much for cheesy mommy moment.

I picked them up promptly at 11:30, though why we couldn't have a full day is beyond me. Caroline talked a mile a mile on the way home. By the time we reached home I knew what everyone was wearing, who played with who at recess, and that 4th grade was awesome. And that Mrs W is the "BEST teacher ever! Well, almost. Not as good as Mrs D." (Mrs D was the most rad kindergarten teacher who is now one my close friends.) What did Amelia learn? She was pretty quiet. School was "Good." A few hours later Wyatt was screaming. So Amelia says, "I'll teach you what I learned at school, Wyatt." She proceeded to sing about 30 verses of "The Wheels On the Bus" Ok then. She broke out with a new one.

"The Daddy on the bus says, 'Read your Bible, read your Bible, read your Bible.' The Daddy on the bus says 'Read your Bible', all through the town."

Why do we choose Christian schools? That's why. So my kid can learn new verses to childhood classics. Maybe it came from the Protestant Reformers in our midst? I guess I am getting my $2500 worth for pre-K!

Just Call Me Betty Crocker

Well, not really cuz I don't bake. Maybe Rachael Ray. Or Tyler Florence. Or Guy Fieri. I love them all. Anyhoo, I wanted a better way to organize all my recipies online so I can always find 'em. So I started a new blog. Check it out and feel free to add your own faves.

HA!

If you have EVER taken your children grocery shopping, read this. And laugh so hard you'll shoot beer out your nose.

Playdates for newborns are SO first-time mom

Here is Wyatt's first official playdate. Doesn't he look like he's having fun?! On the left we have Camden, born 7-19, almost 2 full weeks after Wyatt. And who's bigger?! (I did try to get a pic of them full length but the lighting wasn't great.)

Camden is the 4th son of my good friend, Candi. We met at MOPS over 5 years ago, lost touch for awhile and then ran into each other at the ABC Preschool Open House last year when I was talking to the teacher and heard this voice yell, "SHUT UP!" I turned around and we started hugging and jumping up and down like we were 13. We like to have babies together. Camden and Wyatt are 2 weeks apart and her #3 Sam and my #2 Amelia are 4 weeks apart. Funny story. . .

We were at the MOPS convention in St Louis in the fall of 2002. I had just Caroline who was 4 and we were trying really really hard to have another baby. Candi had 2 boys~Jacob was 3 and Tyler was 1~and was NOT trying really really hard to have another baby. She commented one morning that she did feel quite right. I then informed her she was probably pregnant and dragged her to a Walgreens in the ickiest mall in all of Missouri to buy a test. Did I let her go back to the hotel to take the test? Oh no. She went the the bathroom of the ickiest mall in all of Missouri and peed on the stick with me cheering her on from the other side of the bathroom stall. And Yippee! I was more excited than I think she was when it turned blue. Or pink. But nothing in Candi's world is pink so it was probably blue. Bless her heart (throwing in a bit of Southern Baptist here) she felt so bad that she was preggers I was not. Fast forward about 5 weeks. My turn to pee on a stick and turn it pink. Thus Sam and Amelia have entered our lives and caused a ruckus every since!

Candi is one of the coolest people I know. She loves God and her family and still makes inappropriate jokes that make me shoot beer out my nose. Love her to pieces! And now we're pretty excited to have 2 little boys who will be BFFs forever. Do boys have BFFs or is that a girl thing?!?

We'll Always Have 2005

Wyatt still hasn't given up on his Sox. The rest of us are just re-living the Glory Days of 2005. We are now officially in last place. We are even worse than Kansas City. Oh how the mighty have fallen. Please bring back Aaron Rowand.

FRIDAY FIVE

FIVE THINGS I MISS ABOUT COLLEGE
1. Functioning well on 4 hours of sleep.
2. Yelling "Leonard Berstein" in the middle of REM's "End of the World" at parties and dances.
3. Club AWOL.
4. Having very little actual responsibility.
5. Living on salad bar and ice cream at Knollcrest.

FIVE BEST MAKE OUT SONGS
1. In Your Eyes~Peter Garbriel
2. Every Rose Has It's Thorn~Poison
3. Patience~GnR
4. Take My Breath Away~Berlin
5. Bed of Roses~Bon Jovi

FIVE BEST GIRL NAMES I NEVER USED
1. Georgia
2. Charlotte
3. Grace
4. Scarlett
5. Abigail

Works for Me Wednesday

Shannon over at Rocks In My Dryer hosts "Works for Me Wednesday" every Wednesday (duh!) Leave it to a new mom to state the obvious. I have decided to join in the fun of these things to add to my blogging material. So here's mine for today! (Not anything new for those of you who know me well! :-)

Shannon talked about buying girl's clothing on Ebay. I have learned to finance my fierce kids' clothing habit by selling. I sell 3 times per year~spring/summer, back to school, and holiday/winter. I have gotten up to approximately $6000 per year. Enough to buy new stuff for the kiddos AND pay for Christian school tuition. I do actively seek out gently used stuff, my kids wear it for a season, and I re-sell. Often for more $$ than I originally paid for it. The downside? I am the crazy woman at church yelling "DON'T give her a cookie! DO you KNOW the resale value of that dress?!?!"

I Know Just How To Whisper. . .

I was at the mall yesterday with Christine and something like 4000 children. We got to have lunch at a restaurant with staff that brought me things. Oh the joy. I LIVE to eat at restaurants where the menu is not posted on the wall. Of course My Little Owner of Outdoor Plumbing decided he needed a new diaper change ASAP. So off we went. While I was changing away, I started singing along with this song on the radio. Loudly. To my little man. Then someone walked in on our little lovefest. She looked at me with that look that said "Please, woman, get your tubes tied because you have lost it." Wyatt and I finished up and made a speed exit. Later as we were finishing up our lovely lunch about 20 minutes later than the 4000 kids we had with us, we received that same look.

Tim's Guy Factoid o' the Day~That song is one of two that a guy can rely on to get to at least third base. What is the other?

Let's All Go Back To School!

In my zeal for the girls to go back to school, I am reminiscing. Ah, high school in the 80's. Wasn't it grand? Feel free to cut and paste to your own blog to play along!

1. Who was your best friend?
Jenny, Christy, and Crissie~JJCC anyone? Also, Nancy

2. Did you play any sports?
Cheerleading! And yes, it's a sport.

3. What kind of car did you drive?
Usually my mom's Mercury Sable which was the color of dirt. Sometimes I got lucky and got to drive my dad's really cool metallic blue Cougar.

4. It’s Friday night. Where were you?
At a football or basketball game and then Bakers Square. Or FFN at Nancy's. Or a party at John Lobbezoo's. Or smooching boys from Michigan.

5. Were you a party animal?
Not really~~but I really wanted to be one!

6. Were you considered a flirt?
Sure. Yep.

7. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir?
That's just too funny to even answer.

8. Were you a nerd?
I was so cool. Or not. I dated a nerd though! (ducking while Doug throws things at me)

9. Were you ever suspended or expelled?
Nope. Did get detention for walking out of Kwas's class over "women's rights"

10. Can you sing the fight song?
"Stand up and cheer for Christian High, Send the banner waving high!" I can also do the dance routine.

11. Who was your favorite teacher?
Mr Decker cuz I would sit in his office for hours. Kwas for US history~he taught like a coach~"You know why the South lost the Civil War? They didn't give 110%!"

12. What was your school mascot?
the Knights

13. Did you go to the Prom?
Yep.

14. If you could go back, would you?
Only if I could have a re-do. And pick and choose what to go back to.

15. What do you remember most about graduation?
We did the Wave, sang "Happy Trails", and I was barefoot and bra-less since I was so totally sunburned.

16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day?
West Beach~where I got the aforementioned sunburn.

17. Did you have a job your senior year?
Yep, County Seat selling acid washed Guess jeans and Quicksilver T shirts.

18. Where did you go most often for lunch?
the yummy cafeteria

19. Have you gained weight since then?
Not at all. And if you believe that let me sell you some real estate.

20. What did you do after graduation?
Party-hopped

21. What year did you graduate?
1990

22. Who was your Senior Prom Date?
Very hot Mullet Boy~Mark

23. Are you going/did you go to your 10 year reunion?
Yep. I was on the committee. I really didn't want to go but I'm glad I did. It was actually really fun!

Ok, someone needs to cut and paste so I'm not the only dork re-living the glory days. My sis always says she peaked in HS so maybe she'll tell us all about it!

Thunderstorms and Computers Do Not Mix

Remember that thunderstorm we all had last Sunday night? I was online checking the radar~cuz that's what we do in our Tommy Skilling loving household~and heard a loud buzz. And then no computer or phone. Our lines were struck by lightening. Yippee. So we had to go out and buy a new computer and new phones. Spent most of the day Monday with a creepy Comcast guy who appeared as if he stopped by my house after being released from prison. So now we have a groovy new Gateway computer. Its cool! Only bad thing is even though it would be covered under our homeowners policy, our insurance guy said not to bother with the claim. It is only slightly over our deductible and the insurance company will almost certainly raise our rates if we have a claim so it will cost more in the long run. Ick.

On a funner note, here's a few snapshots of our world this week.

Wyatt has taken up barfing for distance. We hope he'll be ready for the 2016 Games in Chicago.

Greta made it exactly 2 hours dry in big-girl undies. And then said she liked diapers better. OK, then.

Amelia needs to go to school. NOW.

Caroline's quote of the day "Mom, when can I get on my hands and knees and clean the kitchen floor?" I am not making that up.

Friday Five Is Back!

FIVE THINGS TO KEEP YOU AWAKE
1. Diet Coke
2. Red Bull and Vodka (thanks Jefferson for introducing me to that new drug!)
3. Nick at Nite
4. Yelling at toddlers who throw things
5. Talking on the phone to anyone who will listen

FIVE BEST MEALS TO BRING TO SOMEONE WHO NEEDS A MEAL
1. Lasanga~re-heats most excellently
2. Chicken and stuffing~nice and bland for new mommies
3. Italian beef~can be made is small portions when one can eat at 3am
4. Bucket 'o KFC~just cuz I love it
5. Brownies or bars of any sort~great to eat with one hand

FIVE BEST WAYS TO START THE SENTENCE "I JUST HAD A BABY"
1. I can't possibly pay my bills on time, I just had a baby!
2. I can't wear make-up, I just had a baby!
3. Yes, I'd love an extra helping of french fries, I just had a baby!
4. Please carry my groceries, I just had a baby!
5. Sorry, I can't possible make it to that boring meeting, I just had a baby!

Free Candle for Me! Well. . .Maybe. . .If I Win. . .

One of my new favorite blogs to read~I Should Be Folding Laundry~is hosting a giveaway of these cool Febreeze candles. As my home smells of 2 children in diapers, this is a great thing. I wanna win! :-) So check her out!

And Friends Are Friends Forever. . .la la la la la

Way back in the day, us Christian Reformed youth used to attend something called the Young Calvinist Convention. It was a 4 day gathering of several thousand high school students from all over the US and Canada. It took place at a university somewhere in North America. Tim went to 3~~Rhode Island, Arizona, and Washington DC, and I went to 2~~Washington DC and Kentucky. Funny story about both of us in DC but more on that later.

These conventions, while spiritually enriching, were a HUGE hook-up fest. NOT in the way the kids mean it today, just lots of opportunity to meet cute boys/girls who loved Jesus too. We used to have this thing called a Hug Line which was exactly was it was. All the girls would form a huge single file line that snaked around campus and the guys would come thru and hug the girls. It was great fun! Each week would end with what was called Koinonia. All 3000 of us would be in a sweaty gym for hours singing classic worship tunes and weepy songs like "Friends" and "Pray for Me" (What is it with Michael W Smith and CHEESY songs?!) There was an open mic where people would share their stories and then there was even more tears. We would then run around all night long saying good-bye to all our new friends~particularly those of the opposite sex.

Sadly, our church's student ministry does not participate in convention. Hopefully, by the time our kiddos are in high school, we will convince the Brickhouse powers that be that Convention is a must for all teens. Until then, join us in song "Packing up the dreams God planted. . ."

Life As We Now Know It

I do intend to blog about something other than Wyatt but I really don't know what. He's pretty much the world right now. The girls are trying my patience as we try to figure out our new normal. I guess that's par for the course.

Kim, Jer, and Elise are coming for a visit next week. I'm really looking forward to that! I have also started sorting things for my back-to-school Ebay listings. Not as much volume this year but hopefully some big $$ anyway. Speaking of back-to-school, how many more weeks?!?! We got out class lists this week. Caroline got the teacher she was hoping for but all 3 of her BFFs are in the other class. So she couldn't decide whether she was happy or sad!

So that's about all in my life now. I spend a lot of time feeding Wyatt and watching the Food Network. Dreaming when I can cook again. Not just make dinner but really get in the kitchen and cook!

Wyatt's Two Week Check

We went for Wyatt's two week check up today. He's doing great. Up to 5 lbs. 13 oz and 18 inches~growing like a weed.

Things are going good here. We went to Josh and Sara's wedding this weekend. It was really a nice wedding. My aunt was teasing us that they could tell that Wyatt's was our 4th kid since everyone and their brother was passing him around at the reception. At one point we didn't even know where he was!

A prayer note~Wednesday is the anniversary of Jesse's stillbirth and Andrew's is next Tuesday. Please remember Brian and Shawnie and Jeff and Dawn through these two weeks.

Ch. . .Ch. . .Ch. . .Changes

Wow. What a week it's been. My first week as mom of a little boy. And what a sweetie pie he is!

Things have been going good. Almost too good. Wyatt is sleeping and eating like a champ. Rarely cries except when he's had too much of his sisters love. He loves to cuddle and be held~almost always stops crying as soon as you pick him up. The diaper changes do have a me a bit befuddled! I am never quick enough and his poor little winkie is so red from the circumcision. Tim is not wanting to change his diaper which is kinda funny since he was the diaper king with the girls! I think he feels his pain, so to speak! He is sporting some fierce diaper rash which is also new for me. The girls NEVER had a problem at all. So if any of you have an idea for curing that on one so little, let me know!

This whole 4 kids thing is a bit of a shock to the system. I looked at the back of my mini-van on the way to church this morning and it appeared as if we had 30 children back there. Yes, we did make it to church today AND out for lunch to a sit-down restaurant. We were so proud of ourselves! The girls are adjusting too. Amelia and Greta are used to getting away with murder since Pregnant Mommy was Slow to React Mommy. Now I'm a bit quicker on the draw and they are reeling to catch up to the new plan. I am hanging on til he sleeps thru the night and I can come up with some sort of schedule for the whole house. Right now it's just go with the flow which is SO hard for me!

Knowing that Wyatt is the last baby for our family, I am trying SO hard to savor and enjoy the teeny phase. HOLD ON~He just sneezed. CUTE! CUTE! The sleep deprivation is killing me again but I actually feel pretty OK for having had a section. Some soreness from my incision and the very painful process of drying up the milk are about all I'm left with. That and a spare tire around my middle! WW here we come.

Really Cute Baby Pictures!

So which one do I pick for birth announcements? They will be black and white so try to ignore the green blanket. And I can crop them in . Which one?

Wyatt's Wild Ride

I think there is a reason we had a cowboy name picked out all these years. Wyatt entered the world quite dramatically!

On Friday morning I went to the hospital~alone and not packed~for a Bio-Physical profile to check on the baby and to see if he/she was still breech. Dr McMahon got there, says "Don't even bother to put a gown on since you're probably going home. Let's have a look-see." So I got on the bed and she put the U/S wand on my tummy and lo, and behold, Baby is head down. Hallelujah! So I get into a gown, call Tim, and we're off! At 8:00 AM they gave me Cytotech which is a gel to soften the cervix and get things going. At noon they checked for progress and nothing was happening. So Dr McMahon came in and did another dose of Cytotech. We talked about my previous deliveries and decided to start the Pitocin at 4:30. We started up the Pit at 4:30 and around 6:00 Dr McMahon decided to break my water to speed things up. WOW! That was the most painful experience of my life. I sounded like one of those women who scream in childbirth! :-) I did not feel the gush that I expected with that so Meredith the Wonder Nurse suggested we get walking the halls to bring Baby down into my pelvis more. I got up to use the bathroom and started bleeding. And bleeding. And bleeding. I got really scared since I didn't remember it being like that with the girls' deliveries. I asked Meredith if that was normal and her answer was "Baby looks great." OK. So NOT the answer I was looking for. Before I could turn around Dr McMahon was there and checked me. She looks at Meredith and says, "I felt the head before but now all I feel is placenta. Jen, we need to do a C-section. NOW." Needless to say, I got really scared at that point. Things started happening really fast. Like "Grey's Anatomy" fast. They took me into surgery and started hooking things up to me. I got a spinal and a second IV line and all kinds of other goodies. Soon Tim was there and they start the section. Everything was very clinical for a few minutes. "Knife #1. Knife #1. Sponge. Sponge." Then I heard Dr McMahon chuckle. That was a HUGE relief because up until that moment I was scared to death. She says, "Tim, stand up." So Tim stands up and looks over the drape to see a BOY with his legs spread! The anesthesiologist says, "Dad, tell us the news." Dead silence. Finally, Tim says, "Um, it's a boy?" And then I threw up.

Then Wyatt started to cry that awesome newborn cry. The neonatologist took over, they gave him an IV for fluids and gave him some help breathing. I kept asking how big he was and if he was OK. They finally told me 5 pounds 2 ounces, 17.5 inches long. Wow. Teeny little boy. Tim went with Wyatt to the nursery and I stayed in recovery for an hour. I found out from Dr McMahon that my placenta was 40% abrupted and we made the right decision going to the C-section.

When I finally got back to my room it was an awesome party! Dad and Judy were there, Tim's parents, Caroline, ReeRee, Shawnie, Leenie, Megs, and Christine were all there. Dawn was there but graciously offered to take Amelia and Greta home to bed so my in-laws could stay. It was exactly what I had wanted. My family and best gal pals there to greet Wyatt and me. I almost cried. Or maybe I did but that was probably from the morphine pump.

So our sweet baby boy is here and we love him to pieces. His sisters are also totally smitten and fight over whose turn it is to hold him. Thanks to everyone for all your prayers and well-wishes. Without further ado, here's more pictures!

IT'S A BOY!

Wyatt Nathan
7-6-07 7:00pm
5 pounds 2 ounces
17.5 inches

Yep, you heard me right. It is a boy. And wow, what a wild ride! When I am up to it I will post his whole birth story but here's a picture of the teeny one.

Bass Ackwards

Last summer when Tim and I discussed having a fourth and final baby, we knew I would probably have ICP again but we figured other than that it would be a pretty problem-free pregnancy. Yeah, not so much. First, we had the debilitating "morning" sickness. Then as I started to feel better around 20 weeks, we hit the placenta previa. I was pretty bummed to hear that I would probably need a C-section since I really don't mind the actual birth part. So I spent as much time as I could resting to prevent early labor and bleeding. Fast forward to the next ultrasound where we learned the placenta had moved just enough to avoid a C section. I was so happy. I had a plan. I love a plan. Twice weekly non-stress tests to check up on Baby and induction on July 6. Yippee.

And now for the latest update on the never-ending pregnancy drama. I went in yesterday for a final ultrasound and non-stress test to check the cervix and make sure Baby's heartbeat is doing fine. Baby looks OK, heartbeat not "as responsive as I'd like" says the doctor but still steady and strong. BBBBUUUUTTTT the kid is BREECH!! Upside down. Greeting the world biscuits first. So there go all those plans.

So here's the new plan~and I use that word loosely as all of my plans have gone down the tubes! I get to spend my 4th of July upside as much as possible to try to get Baby to flip. I go in to the hospital Friday for an Bio-Physical profile which is a fancy U/S which measures breathing, movement, fluid levels, and a bunch of other stuff. IF Baby has moved, we go ahead with induction. If Baby has not moved, we try upside-down fun for a few more days and then I go back Tuesday for an External Cephalic Version to try and turn Baby for a regular delivery. If that does not work, I am stuck with a C-Section. The only small part of the news that is good is I get to skip my amnio. (If you have ever had an amnio, you know that they are NOT fun!) My doctor said she is delivering me by Tuesday regardless of the amnio so it wasn't really necessary. Her words, "I would rather have a baby with breathing issues than no baby at all." I was GLAD to hear that!

So I ask for prayers that this little one turns! Being that he/she (and NO I still do NOT know the gender!) is small, an old-fashioned delivery is better to help with the breathing too. Thanks and we'll keep y'all posted!

No Photo Necessary

Just to illustrated how crazy a late-term pregnant woman can be, here's a story for you. Please block all mental images~especially people like my brothers who might be reading this! :-)

Last night I decided a good soak in the bathtub sounded wonderful. So I set about getting things ready, you know, a nice candle, dim the lights, a good book, some Michael Bolton (OK, no Michael Bolton. Ick.) You get the picture. I go to turn on the water and notice my tub is dirty. Like gross dirty. So what did I do~naked and very pregnant? I cleaned the tub. Almost passed out from lack of oxygen from standing on my head to reach all the way back into the tub.

I had a very nice bath. Thanks for asking.

Happy Birthday Amelia Kate. . .a bit late. . .

Poor Amelia. She's getting lost in the shuffle again this week! Yesterday was her 4th b-day and so far the only special thing she gotten to do is go to see the doc for her check-up. We planned to do something fun today but just got a call that a family member of someone in our small group died or is about to die so we are taking care of kids and VBS commitments instead and general running around instead.

So Amelia Kate. Where to begin?! As many of you know, we were trying to have a second baby for years after Caroline was born. After 18 months of drugs and injections and really embarrassing (yet funny!) procedures with the fertility doc, it just never happened. So we started to pursue adding to our family through adoption. We were about 1/2 through the process when I found out I was preggers. Shocked the heck out of me! I called my fertility doc and asked him what he thought. His question was, "Have you changed your body chemistry at all? Quit smoking? Lose a lot of weight? Quick drinking?" Well, I have never been a smoker, still just a "social" drinker, but hey! I did join WW and lose 40 pounds. He guessed that was what did it for me. He said the healthier lifestyle~mostly reduction in sugar intake~stabilized my body enough to ovulate regularly. (And boy did it ever~got preggers 2 more times with very little effort!)

Fast forward to June of 2003. I was a few days from my due date and just as miserable as a very pregnant woman can be. I went in for my appointment hoping that there was enough "action" to get me sent to the hospital. No such luck. Upon hearing that news I did what we all would have done in that situation~I burst into tears. Just sobbing, "I can't be pregnant anymore!"

Doc felt sorry for me and says, "Baby is not moving real well, right?"

Me: "Um, no. Baby is moving fine." I was a bit confused.

Doc: Winking and writing a scipt, "Baby is not moving, RIGHT?"

Me: Getting it now. "Oh no. No baby moving."

So she sent me to the hospital for a bio-physical profile which measures many things including level of movement. Wouldn't you know it, she wasn't moving enough! She actually flunked the fetal movement part of the test. So I went in the next night to be induced. Aunt Christine showed up at about 8 am and proceeded to be a really great coach/doula. She had be walking the halls, sitting on a huge bouncy ball, and on my hands and knees at one point. Tim slept through most of this. Around 1pm they decided to go get lunch thinking I still had awhile to go. The returned to my water broken with the discovery of menconium, lots of pain and me begging for my epidural. Once my good ole epidural was in, it was great! They had called the Neonatologist since there was menconium and warned us I wouldn't get to see her right away since they wanted to clear her airway. She was born at 3:29 and no one would tell me if it was a boy or girl. I remember asking Christine and her answer was "I can't tell." So NOT what you want to hear. Finally a nurse said she's was a girl.

Amelia has been a firecracker every since that day! She screamed though her first bath that day and has hated the water ever since. These days she won't play outside because she figures if she doesn't get dirty, she won't need a bath. Hates to swim. Loves to play computer games and dress-up. Her plans for the future include marrying Matt-Matt and being a princess as a full-time job. We love her to pieces!

Bye Bye Caroline

I spent the whole day doing a run to O'Hare Airport. Caroline left yesterday to visit Aunt Kim and Uncle Jer and Elise in Memphis for the week. It was the first time she ever flew alone. She was SSSSOOOOO excited and scared all at once. So was I. I was all cool about it til we stood in line at the ticket counter for 45 minutes among a throng of zillions of people. Then I started to panic! "What are we doing? Putting our 8 yr old girl on an airplane ALL ALONE?!?!" Once we got her checked in it was easy. AA was great~yes, Jer, they really do take care of your minor! But it took 2 hours to get there, almost 3 hours at the airport, and then almost 2 hours home. Pretty much the whole stinkin' day. Evening was taken up with VBS at church~or as the girls call it "BBBBBBS"

I will post Amelia's birthday post later this afternoon. . .I hope.

Cheap Thrills

With Caroline gone camping for the week her sisters were getting B-O-R-E-D. So here's what we came up with. Painting the house with a bucket of water and DIRT. Look at those filthy children. You'd think we live in Indiana or something.

What Did You Learn Today?

Why do you like to read? My sister-in-law says she likes to read to veg out~"nothing too serious that makes me have to use my brain." My sister only likes to read things that tell her what time her favorite shows are on. I have lots of friends who only read "Christian" fiction and just as many who shun the genre. I love to read to learn. If a topic interests me, I read about it. Ask my small group friends about our trip to an Amish area. They were ready to throw me out of the van because I kept spouting off bits of Amish trivia. I especially like to read fiction in which I learn about a subject. I just finished a great book that did exactly that. "Keeping Faith" by Jodi Picoult is all about a child who appears to have healing powers and shows stigmata. I had heard the term but really knew very little about stigmata or any other Catholic signs or miracles. I won't give away the story but I really learned a lot about the Catholic faith through this story. Now I spend time googling all kinds of interesting stuff about the historic church. Then when the small group is ready for a trip to Rome or the Holy Land, I will be ready!

QOTD~What good book have you read that taught you about a subject you knew very little about?

Say Thank You to Uncle Jim

There is a story in my family about me refusing to say "Thank you" to my Uncle Jim. I was about 3 and it was 1975 so Uncle Jim had a lot of hair. I remember being scared of him and all his hair. My dad was not taking "NO" for answer so the showdown began. I don't remember how it ended but I do know that for my parents saying "Thank you" was a huge deal.

We had an incident last night which made me realize that manners are not what they should be. Our neighbor was giving all the kids rides in the back of wagon attached to a tractor. First of all, I saw that on "Dateline" and it's not safe. I didn't want to be the uncool mom so I let the girls go. When ride time was over I helped the girls out of the wagon and said "What do you need to tell Mr. Brian?" Amelia and Greta both went over and said "Thank you Mr Brian!" I swear to you at that moment all my neighbors looked at me like I was from Mars. Not one other kid was prompted to say thank you. There was dead silence.

One of my biggest pet peeves is rude kids. Now I understand kids are kids and will always forget the politeness we try to engrave in their brains. What I am talking about is kids who never say "please" or "thank you". Or worse to me is the kids who's parents don't teach it. If I give a neighbor kid a juice box and he/she is older than 3, I expect a "thank you" (and a Mrs Last Name, but more on that later) I do expect said child to forget to say "thank you" and that is when I expect Mom/Dad to say "What do you say Junior?" What sends me over the edge is when parents don't prompt or correct their kids. Is that asking too much?

And on the subject of politeness. . .I expect to be called Mrs Last Name. (Or Mrs Jen or Mrs Amelia's Mommy are also fine) I was discussing this with a friend of mine who doesn't quite agree. She was trying to figure out why it bothered me so much. After thinking on it, I have come up with one reason. I am my mother. This was something my own mom was big on and it is ingrained in me. Deeper into it, I am bothered by the fact that the line between kid and grown-up is so blurred. I am a grown-up and kids are not. Adults are to be respected just simply because they are adults. My girls are not allowed to call an adult by a first name. Ever. Period. It is Mr or Mrs First Name if they are little and Caroline now says Mr or Mrs Last Name. Only exceptions are very close family friends who are "Aunt" and "Uncle" and our pastors at church who are "Pastor Kris" and "Pastor Drew". I have had other adults say "Oh no. She can call me Mary" While I respect another person's right to be called what they wish, I am trying SO hard to teach this that it frustrating. Sure, I feel weird when someone calls me by what I consider my mother-in-law's name, it is important to me that kids learn that grown-ups still run the world.

OK, stepping off my soapbox. . .Thank you for listening.

Happiness is. . .

buying dairy products that expire after your due date.

50 Random Things About Jen

Jana has a list of 100 things about her which I love to read! See, Jana is my sister's BFF and someone I have gotten to know a bit thru Kim but she is also someone that I would probably pick out to be friends with. And alot of that "knowledge" has come from reading her blog. So I decided to do my own list. And being that I have nothing new to talk about most days, this will give me some ideas! :-)

1. I am the oldest kid in my family.
2. I have a degree in Communications.
3. I am one class short of a degree in Political Science.
4. I do not drink enough water.
5. My first job was at County Seat selling Guess jeans.
6. My CDs are alphabetized.
7. So are my cookbooks~by genre and then author.
8. I love the Food Network.
9. I can not work my flat iron.
10. I love Wendy's.
11. My mom died of breast cancer when I was 30.
12. U2's "The Joshua Tree" is my favorite album ever.
13. I want to be a writer.
14. I want to be a caterer.
15. I love 80's movies.
16. I love the process of choosing names.
17. I adore Ebay.
18. I want to dress like a hip cool mom, but I fail miserably.
19. I once baked a 13x9 pan of bronwies and ate the whole thing in one day.
20. I spent 6 weeks after high school in Canada on a mission trip.
21. My first car was a 1987 Mercury Sable that was the color of dirt.
22. I love Ronald Reagan.
23. I do not like bananas.
24. I am learning to like wine~a lot.
25. I swore I would never dress my kids alike. Then I had 3 really cute girls.
26. I did not like being married for the first 3 years.
27. I have a crush on Alfonso Ribero~Carleton from "The Fresh Prince".
28. I also have a crush on Brit Hume.
29. I am terrible at sticking to an exercise regime.
30. My favorite color is aqua blue.
31. My favorite singer ever is Billy Joel.
32. I have re-decorated my bedroom 7 times in the past 12 years.
33. Unreliability is my biggest pet peeve.
34. And lateness.
35. I am terrible at writing thank you notes~~though I think they are important!
36. I am a closet Guns and Roses fan.
37. I watch "Days of Our Lives"
38. I sometimes buy TV dinners for my kids.
39. I am an avid scrapbooker. At least for my oldest daughter's book I am!
40. I make dinner at 10 am.
41. I love old cheesy Christian "rock"
42. I visit consignment shops on vacation.
43. I hate to make dinner.
44. I love to cook.
45. I had never set foot in Walmart til I was in college.
46. I was 24 the first time I tried a cigarette.
47. I once threw a shoe at my sister and gave her a black eye.
48. My first boyfriend is married to my best friend.
49. I am not good at arts and crafts.
50. I do not put batteries in my girls' noisy toys.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. . .la la la la. Good news from the doc today. I had an ultrasound and placenta has migrated north just a wee bit. .7 centimeters to be exact. Which is JUST enough for a regular old delivery. NO C-section!!!! I almost cried with joy. I still have to have one more U/S in 5 weeks to re-check but all looks good. I also have an "official" induction date. Baby #4 will be joining us on July 6. I get to have steroid shots next week to move the lungs along and an amnio on July 5. If all is good, we get to meet the last Lampen baby on July 6!

And no, I did not find out the gender. :-)

Summer Friday Five

BEST SUMMER SONGS
1. Summertime~DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
2. Magic~The Cars
3. Anything by the Beach Boys
4. School's Out~Alice Cooper
5. The entire "TOP GUN" soundtrack

BEST SUMMER MOVIES
1. Top Gun
2. National Lampoon's Vacation
3. Dirty Dancing
4. Shag
5. Say Anything

BEST SUMMER BBQ FOODS
1. Tim's steak on the grill
2. Potato salad~LOVE potato salad when I'm preggers!
3. Anything served at Mommy Brain's poolside
4. Spiked watermelon~once when Caroline was 3 she ate 4 pieces at a party before we learned it was spiked!
5. Chips and guacamole


BEST SUMMER DRINKS
1. Sweet tea
2. Ice cold beer in a bottle
3. Watermelon martinis
4. KoolAid
5. Homemade lemonade

Greta's 2yr Photo Shoot

She had so much fun! I was really glad since Amelia's 2 yr session was a nightmare. Greta hammed it up a ton. This one is my favorite but you can go here and see them all. Try the link again. User is lamp93@yahoo.com and password is jen372. :-)

Is It Really Summer?!

It was actually warm enough last week for running in the sprinkler! And boy did we have 3 happy little girls. They could NOT wait to get outside in the sunshine. We also broke out the first box of popsicles. Greta was a hoot trying to figure out how to eat one and finally just laid it down in the grass and went to play. She came back about 10 minutes later to finish it and could not figure out why all that was left was a stick. Here's some fun "summer" pics. Enjoy!
Greta Boo and her popsicle.
Amelia was SO excited about her new pink flower bathing suit that she would not sit down. "No drips on my bathing soup, Mom!"

And Caroline has officially entered the "DO NOT TAKE MY PICTURE MOM!" phase.

All About Caroline

In honor of Mother's Day (and b/c Caroline was reading this over my shoulder) I decided to do this post for her. Amamda did one for Luke so here's my tribute to my firstborn!

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED?
Yes, with the precision of a space shuttle launch.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME?
Yes

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS?
Me- total excitement. Tim-on a cell phone "I'm pregnant!" "You're baking?" "I'm pregnant!" "You're baking?" "Never mind."

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU?
No, never

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU?
25 (26 when she was born)

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?
I was on fertility meds but had had a lot of hoping and disappointment. I was seeing the doc weekly to monitor the meds. She did a PG test when I was one day late and it was negative. So I went home to mope for the week. By Thanksgiving Day I still didn't have Aunt Flo so I took another test and it was positive.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST?
Tim and then my mom.

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX?
I did but Tim didn't. So we didn't find out.

9. DUE DATE:
July 30, 1998

10. DID YOU DELIVER EARLY OR LATE?
Late - Aug 6 1998

11. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS?
All. Day. Long.

12. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE?
Tombstone pizza and hot dogs with ketchup and onion.

13. WHO IRRITATED YOU THE MOST?
I feel terrible for saying this as she's was only here to irritate my with one of my four pregnancies, but my mom drove me CRAZY! :-) Right now I wish she was here to drive me loony again.

14. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX?
Girl

15. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?
I don't now but then I really wanted a boy. I had images of the first born son, big brother, yadda yadda yadda

16. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY?
About 30-35. Same amount with each kid no matter what I do!

17. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?
Yes

18. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?
I knew about it and forbid the playing of games. I hate games. :-)

19. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?
Not with Caroline.

20.WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH?
Chicago Heights IL

21. HOW MAY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR?
Induced~Started the Pitocin at 11 pm and starting pushing around noon the next day. She was born at 1:04 pm.

22.WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL?
Tim

23.WHO WATCHED?
Tim, my sister Kim, OB and 2 nurses.

24.WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION?
vaginal~nothing "natural" about a baby coming out there :-)

25.DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN?
an epidural from Dr Angela Scott. Almost named Caroline Angela.

26.HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?
7 pounds, 10 ounces

27.DID YOUR CHILD HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS?
Her body temp wouldn't stabilize so I didn't get to keep her in the room til she was about 8 hours old.

28.WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER?
Caroline Rebekah

29. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY?
8, she will be 9 in August.

Friday Five

FIVE BEST QUOTES FROM MY FRIENDS
1. OB: How are you at remembering to take your prenatals?
FRIEND: About as good as I am at remembering to take my birth control.

2. CHILD: Mommy, I can't sleep.
MOMMY: Why not?
CHILD: Because Texas is the Lone Star State.

3. I need to clean my house in case DCFS shows up.

4. Those were my drunk-and-naked years.

5. The TV does not watch itself.

FIVE BEST SONGS TO LISTEN TO WHEN YOU'VE BEEN DUMPED
1. Every Rose Has It's Thorn~Poison
2. I Hate Myself for Loving You~Joan Jett
3. Anything by Alanis Morrisette or Avril Lavenge
4. All Cried Out~Lisa Lisa and Clut Jam
5. Could've Been~Tiffany

FIVE BEST ALBUMS YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF
1. El Camino Yes Maybe~Emitter
2. Romeo Unchained~Tonio K
3. Swimming in a Human Ocean~Servant
4. The Turning~Leslie Phillips
5. Naked~River Sevens Well

Let's Take Back Preschool!

Awhile ago Jana had posted some observations about her daughter's preschool and I was so happy to see that I was not the only one who wondered WHEN did preschool become so *much*? When Caroline was in preschool parents were in charge of everything except the actual teaching. Holiday parties (and I use that term loosely as there was a "holiday" every other week!) seemed to get bigger and bigger until Easter when they~meaning the parents, not the teachers~wanted each family to fork over $30 so the "Easter bunny" could come to the class party. Um, no thanks.

When choosing a preschool for Amelia, one of the questions I asked was what is the expected level of parental involvement? Don't get me wrong, I am all for being involved at your kids' school, but I did not want to spend hours per week decorating cupcakes to look like Christopher Columbus. Amelia's teachers told me right off the bat that they would plan all the parties. Parents are welcome to attend but it is not mandatory. Well, sign us up! All was going according to plan til this weekend. Amelia's preschool class has a stuffed frog that visits each child over a weekend. This weekend was our weekend to have Speckles the Frog visit. Great fun for Amelia, not so much for Mommy. See Speckles has a journal that we must document the fun of the weekend visit. As I page thru Speckles journal, it is crazy! Each page features tons of pictures and very elaboratly decorated scrapbook pages for each child. My heart sank. I am even someone who enjoys scrapbooking but I do not wish to spend hours on a scrapbook for a stuffed frog. I began to wonder. Is this because every other mom loves to spend her precious "free" time doing these things? Is there something wrong with me that I forgot until the middle of "American Idol" last night? Or is this a new form of junior high peer pressure? After all, no one wants to look like a bad mom! Each child also sends home huge candy treat bags for their birthdays. I sent cupcakes for snack time. Store bought cupcakes. What must the other moms think of me? So Speckles went back today with a few lines of truth about how he spent his weekend~mostly in the middle of a tug-of-war with Amelia and Greta~and a pathetic picture printed from the computer of Amelia in her PJs with Speckles before breakfast. And I feel liberated!

Friday Five~~The 80's

BEST MOVIE QUOTES(Extra points if you can name the flick)
1. Baby fish mouth!
2. I love my dead gay son!
3. I am opposed to any -ism.
4. Take me to bed or lose me forever!
5. I want my $2.00!!

BEST 80's CHRISTIAN "ROCK" ARTISTS
1. Russ Taff (before he went all Gaither)
2. Whiteheart
3. Petra
4. Leslie Phillips
5. The Choir

BEST STORES TO SHOP IN THE 80's
1. County Seat
2. The Limited
3. Deb
4. Merry-Go-Round
5. Ups and Downs

BEST TV SHOWS
1. Family Ties
2. Growing Pains
3. Cosby Show
4. St Elsewhere
5. LA Law

Peeing In a Cup is Not a Spectator Sport

I had a bit of a last minute OB visit yesterday. Since it was last minute, I needed to bring Greta and Amelia with me. OK, we can handle this. Lots of bribes, a handful of little people, and a bag of M&Ms should do the trick. And it did. With 2 exceptions.

As one must do at all OB appointments, one must tinkle in a cup. Now this is hard enough with a pregnany belly in the way but with an audience of 2 very interested little girls it was near impossible. And the entire office heard play-by-play. With an echo. So here I am. Seated on the throne with a girl at each knee staring at my crotch like it was about to spew candy or something.

Scene 1. Setting: Bathroom at the OB office.

Ameila: "MOMMY! You went potty in that cup! Cups are not for tinkle. Cups are for drinking!"

Greta: "MOMMY! TINKLE! CUP!! POTTY!!! MEEE TOOOO! I do it myself!!!!"

Mommy: "SSSHHHHHHHHH!"

Amelia: "Why you go tinkle in that cup? Now what are you doing Mommy? Why are you putting that cup in the hole? WOW! Mommy! That hole spins! Where did your tinkle go? (yelling into the revolving window to the nurses) GIVE BACK my MOMMY's Cup! There's tinkle in there!"

Greta: "MOMMY! TINKLE! CUP! MYSLEF!!!"

Mommy: "SSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Amelia: "When I get big and have a baby come out my tummy I will get to go tinkle in cup. Not you Greta. You a baby."

Greta: "I NOT a baby. I Getta. I potty cup. I do MYSELF!!"

Did I mention that the walls are paper thin? I can hear the nurses chuckling.

SCENE #2 Exam room.
Amelia is laying on the floor with Little People up her shirt. Doc walks in. Doc is a woman.

Amelia: "Hi Nurse. I have a baby coming out of my tummy. Can you get the doctor to pull it out my bottom?"

Doc: "Hi Honey, I'm the Doctor."

Amelia: "No you not. Doctors are boys and you are a girl. Girls are nurses."

Seriously, this is what my kid said. Is she learning everything about medicine from Marcus Welby MD?! I'm shocked she didn't tell Doc that she was going to have her baby on the kitchen table in the log cabin! And who told her babies come "out the bottom"?!? Ugh.

Friday Five

FIVE BEST THINGS ABOUT BEDREST
1. I am really caught up on Days.
2. My sciatic nerve doesn't hurt so bad since I'm not moving so much.
3. Laundry? What laundry?
4. Meals from people who are way better cooks than I!
5. More time to obsess over baby names.

FIVE BEST THINGS ABOUT 2 YR OLDS
1. They are not 1 yr olds.
2. They're love of dental hyegine.
3. Mullets.
4. When counting to ten, they love to yell their favorite number, "SEX!"
5. The Rainman-like repeating of everything.

FIVE BEST SONGS FOR HOUSECLEANING
1. I Wanna Be Sedated~The Ramones
2. Pour Some Sugar on Me~Def Leppard
3. Bad Reputation~Joan Jett
4. 9 to 5~Dolly Parton
5. Lord, I Lift Your Name on High~Petra

FIVE BEST THINGS ABOUT BEING PREGNANT
1. Feeling the baby move.
2. Not having to suck in my gut.
3. McDonald's french fries.
4. yeah, i got nothin else.
5. Nope. Nothin.

Seriously?

Ever since Caroline was about 3 we have gotten about once per trip in public THE COMMENT. It usually goes something like this.

"WOW! She looks exactly like that girl! You know, the actress one. From that movie with Sean Penn. What's her name?"

"Dakota Fanning"

"That's it. She looks JUST like her. Has anyone ever told you that?"

Since "Charlotte's Web" we have gotten the comment even more. Well, today while grocery shopping, I got it about Greta. Really? She's 2 and you compare her to a famous child actor who is 13? Oh well. I guess there are worse famous people my kids could resemble.

Since the naming post was such a hit. . .

Here's some new ones I have come up with the past few weeks. Feel free to honestly comment~~as if you wouldn't! These are names I like and kind of have been kicking around. They have either been suggested by someone or I have found them in books.

Mercy
Scarlett
Bronwyn
Eliza
Ella Grace (as in one name, not first and middle)
Piper
Margaret (this is one I would break my no nickname rule on) Probably Meg or Maggie
Penelope
Hilary
Mary Kate~~I really like this but is it too Olson twins?
Georgia
Tessa
Kathleen
Meredith
Eleanor
Charity

So whaddya think?!

A Rose by Any Other Name

Ask any of my friends and they will tell you Pregnant Jen is obessessed with baby names. I have spent about 80% of the time of each pregnancy fretting over what to name the baby. I owe every baby name book on the planet. I am on a 9 month quest for the absolute prefect name.

I have always said some of this obessesion comes from the fact that I hate my name. Always have. I was one of a zillion Jennys so when Aunt Barb changed it to "Jenni" to separate me from her daughter "Jenny" I was so happy to be different. As an adult I still hate that whenever I call someone I always have to say my last name. I think of "Jennifer" as the ultimate bimbo name. I wanted to be a lawyer but "Jennifer" didn't have the same classic cool as "Katherine" or "Margaret" I also hate that my name screams "I WAS BORN IN THE 70's!"

So now that you know how much I hate my name, you can help name the baby. Baby Girl that is. Baby Boy has had a name since Amelia that will be used in the event of outdoor plumbing. Baby Girl is running out of options. We are looking for something classic and pretty. Timeless is good. A perfect example of a name we love is Abigail. But it is way too popular. Here's some other ground rules, so to speak.

1. At least 2 syllables. This is Tim's rule.
2. No repeat intials of what we have. So no C, A, or G. EXCEPTION if it is a different sound. Like "CH" instead of hard "C".
3. Nothing ending in "a"
4. Can't be in the top 50. This used to be 100 but beggars can't be choosy.
5. No "L" names. Sounds stupid with our last name.
6. No unisex names. This is also Tim's rule.

So have it! Give us some suggestions and maybe you'll come up with the winner!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all! We had a really nice day this year. Full of surprises! We started with our family tradition of making Easter story cookies Saturday night. If you have never heard of these, they are great. It is a mereiguene cookie recipie that has a Bible verse and lesson for each ingredient. The last thing you do before bed is put the cookies in the oven and "seal the tomb" like the did with Jesus. Then in the morning~~or after church if you don't want the kiddies eating cookies for breakfast~~you open the oven and find hollow cookies. Empty just like the tomb. Caroline read all the verses, Amelia chanted "My Jesus is ALIVE", and Greta just yelled "COOKIE!!" over and over forever!

Church was great this morning~good music as always. Tim was a bit annoyed that the band did a rocking rendition of "I Am Free" while we sat. He thought we should be standing. He was right but I was not about to stand up! I am Linda's daughter after all. . .

We had planned a quiet afternoon of chili dogs, the Sox game, and the Masters but some of our small group had other plans. They decided it was just wrong to eat hot dogs for Easter dinner so they called after church and invited us over. And I am so glad they did! We had a great time. The girls got to do an Easter egg hunt, we had an awesome dinner, and still watched the Sox game. Thanks so much guys!

And to top off a great day was the Masters. Zach Johnson is our new favorite golfer. We were rooting for him coming up the back nine. Nice Midwestern kid. BTW~When do you get old enough to call people who are 30 "KID"?!? We were so happy to see him win. And then they did the interview. And what did nice Zach say?

Q: Who do you need to thank?
A: My beautiful wife, new baby boy, parents, coaches, blah blah blah, AND Jesus, my Lord and Savior. This being Easter makes it so much for special. My faith means everything to me.

Well that sealed the deal here. Tiger who? We love Zach!

Here we are after church getting the cookies out of the oven. And below is Caroline reading the Bible verses while we made the cookies.

Here's Greta already to find some eggs. And notice Abbey is all bundled properly and my kid is not! :-)

And this has to be the photo of the day. Pure happy Amelia.

Who's Your 80's Heartthrob?

OK, I so know none of you can resist this one. (ree ree, I'm talking to you!) Anyone surprised by mine?

Your 80s Heartthrob Is

Michael J. Fox

Who's" Your 80's Heartthrob?

Who Am I?

Did anyone else have to do those reports in 3rd or 4th grade? You know, the one where you write a book report on the life story of some famous person and then read it aloud to class so they can guess who you are? I did Nadia Comanchi~~hey, it was the early 80's and I wanted to be a gymnast!

Well, Caroline is needing to pick a person to do a book report. It will not be presented the same way as I remember doing it so she can pick a person of either gender. She wanted to do Laura Ingalls but her teacher put the kebosh on that since Caroline already knows a lot about her. The point is to learn about someone new, I guess, which makes this difficult for me. And it is all about me.

So we need some input. Tim and I have mentioned everyone from Tiger Woods to George Washington. Tim voted for Susan B Anthony so he can find out why she's on the $1 coin. I voted for Medgar Evers and everyone said "Who?" Amelia suggested Cinderella and Greta said "Doggie" After a while we were cracking ourselves up with suggestions like Ryan Seacrest, John Calvin, Bill Clinton, Sanjaya, Peter Van Raalte and Margaret Sanger. Right now some of the front runners are Ronald Reagan, Martin Luther King Jr, and Abraham Kuyer. So we need some ideas. The biggest catch is we h ave to be able to find some books that a 3rd grader can read to gather info.

SSSSSOOOOOOO give us some ideas!

Am I Alone?

I often find myself on the internet~~reading blogs, learning more new things about my pregnancy, looking for the name of the song I heard on the radio, scanning Ebay for some new Gymboree duds, ect. When do I indulge in this activity? Mostly 2 times per day. Late at night when all is quiet and late afternoon when all is crazy and I want to escape. I usually feel some guilt about the fact my girls are screaming at each other and I am not making Rice Krispie treats with them. And then I get over it. It's really easy to blame this on the computer but it's not really it. Our moms didn't have the internet, they chatted on the phone. I have memories of my mom sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of iced tea talking to her friends while Kim and I did our thing. I really don't think media can be blamed for us mommies wanting to check out once a day. Heck, I bet Caroline Ingalls hid in the garden while Mary and Laura tore down the cabin!

Is it really so bad to ignore our kids once a day for awhile? I do love being an at-home mom, but I am a person who can only stand to read "Elmo Goes to School" 25 times before reaching for the vodka. I think it is so good for them to have some time to figure things out on their own. To not have mom showing them how to do the puzzle and how to set up the Polly Pockets. I also want my girls to see that being their mom is not the only thing I do. This is one area I think that my working girlfriends have it easier. It is obviously that "Mommy goes to work." Ask my kids what I do?

Caroline~write blogs, beat my sisters, put them down for naps
Amelia~work at the puter, watch TV, and eat around the clock
Greta~clean, play toys

OK, well, that's Mommy on Bedrest. Maybe I'll ask the question next year. So do you feel guilty when you ignore your kids to indulge in a hobby? Or just a mindless pasttime?