Look what the stork brought us!

It's a boy! Tanner John was born on December 27th at 12:35 PM, weighing 7 pounds 10 ounces, 21 3/4 inches long, some peachy-fuzz hair and the longest fingers and toes you've ever seen.OK, so I look like a swollen up, beached whale but this is the only picture of the kids wearing their "big brother and big sister" shirts where they are both looking at the camera. This is what you look like after 24 + hours of labor, many drugs, and about 12 bags of "fluids", my feet are still swelled up! (I am not nursing in this picture, even though it looks like it, I am not trying to be like Angelina or anything!!!) Anyway, we are thrilled to have our newest little man, he is so cute and cuddly, of course wanting me to hold him all the time. I'll keep you posted on everything... for now I am going to enjoy his tiny-ness and try to catch a nap.

Happy New Year!!!

all done

Mmmm, I wish everyone could share some of these...and these...Our tree, looking like it is leaning a little... I don't think I put one ornament on this year! I was too busy on cleanup duty... the kids were breaking ornaments faster than I could get them out of the boxes! This is the only big one we put up this year, my other three big trees as well as our miniature ones will have to wait until next year. Every time I opened up a storage box, I just put the lid back on, knowing I would have to put it all away once the new baby arrives, honestly it was too overwhelming. This is the one Santa visits anyway, the rest are just for me to show off my massive ornament collection.Baking is done.

Tree is decorated.

Stockings are hung.

Presents are wrapped.

Casseroles are in fridge for the big dinner.

DVR loaded with Christmas shows.

Kids officially bouncing off the walls with anticipation.

Now all we have to do is wait... we're ready Santa!

Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope Santa brings you everything on your list and especially love and happiness and health.

devils and angels

Yeah sure, they look like angels hard at work but they are truly devils in disguise. Last night they pulled a chandelier from our ceiling, yes, a working light fixture came down to the floor. Zoe apparently decided to swing from it. We (me and hubby) were so mad we couldn't even yell at them. I had some gruesome visions of appropriate punishment but we settled on "I can't believe you would do that with Santa and his elves watching you and getting ready to come here soon!" Guilt, works every time. We got the light re-hung and it works, my hubby rocks, but the anger has not disappeared. Hopefully, that will never happen again.

OB update:
I am 2 cm dilated, baby is not engaged enough to start anything. I am going Friday to the hospital for a 10 AM induction. My doctor said to be ready because chances are baby will come since we made it official and scheduled it. I pray not, I want to be home for the big Santa reveal! Some feelings: Glad to know the end is near but I hope things go on their own naturally, do not like inductions at all! Sad to know I won't be this little one's sole protector after Friday. Wondering if this is my last time pregnant, ever? Excited to meet him/her. Nervous for a complication-free birth. Happy that everything has gone well so far and my body is hanging in there. Teeny-bit irritated that I have to go the day after Christmas, no rest for the weary! Panicked, do I have everything ready? Sad because these are my final moments as just P and Z's mom, going to have to be even more of a time-manager. Mourning the loss of my daily chocolate habit- gotta get back in shape. Thrilled to literally share the news of our little bambino in a few days with the whole world!

Easy Bake Oven warning

Warning: to all the moms and dads who bought Easy Bake Ovens, or to Santa's elves packing up gifts for little ones, be sure to check and see if you have to get the lightbulb that cooks the food in the oven. Ours did not come with one and it would make for a crummy Christmas day if we hadn't noticed. Check the box so your little Becky Home-ec-y won't be disappointed on the big day. I am furious that the Easy Bake people chose to omit this from the oven. How terrible! We never would have noticed if a friend of ours hadn't told us first. I guess they chose to leave it out to save a buck or two. I had a hard time finding the correct wattage, you'll need to go to a home store probably, so you have the most selection. Good Luck!

Key to the City

My hubby rocks! He is the cute tall one. He got the Key to the City last night and Dec. 18th is officially named in his honor. Our mayor read the most gracious letter about his service to the community, I was so proud. You go Paul! Love ya.

On another note...
You have got to be kidding me?! My kids are sick with the stomach flu, AGAIN! What is this some kind of cruel joke? I swear I cannot catch a break. If I get it, so help me, I will have to cause severe bodily harm to someone! Back to laundry and Lysol-ing...

baby pages

Whether my baby wants to or not, he/she is going to come out and I'm ready. I've got the crib, the diapers, the wipes, the film, and now a whole bunch of scrapbook pages ready to go. I did this for Zoe and Parker and it really helps. I made a slew of pages (gender neutral of course) that are ready for pictures and documentation. Most of them are "first" pages, things all babies experience, like first tooth, first Christmas, etc. very basic and simple. Even more incredibly exciting, I used products I already had, mostly leftover from Zoe and Parker's stuff, way to save some money! Now I must say, I will make personalized scrapbook pages of events that happen but these are a perfect starting point for me, this is where I might buy some new stuff or elaborate on technique. When I have pictures, it will be so easy to put them on a page and not get stressed about "being behind." I mostly made a title using stickers or stamps and put each page in a protector along with paper to use as photo mats or journaling and any other matching embellishment, that way I won't have to search for anything. I did not get an album yet, gotta wait and see if I need pink or blue. Obviously, I would like to have the latest and greatest products to use. but I told myself that the baby is not going to know or care when he/she grows up that I did not use stickers from 2008, the story and memory is what's most important, right? Although it was next to impossible to resist Becky Higgin's baby kit she introduced not too long ago, I'm proud of myself for not spending the $40 on it. Geez, if he/she would ever make an appearance, I could actually put these pages into use!

stubborn baby or comfy baby?

OB update
No baby, yet. I have not progressed any further from last week, although when I complained to my OB, he said, "well you are a week more along." Yeah buddy, try 40 weeks, time to get this show on the road. I will not be able to be induced until the 26th. Nice huh? So if baby decides he/she really likes it in there, at least I know that I'll be going on the 26th. That just seems like a long way away with Christmas (and in laws) coming between now and then. I am becoming the master of deep breathing since heavily drinking is not a possibility. A funny note, when I came home from my doctor's appointment, Parker met me in the garage. His little hands were outstretched and he said, "mom, where is da baby? I want to see it nooooow." He apparently thought I was going to the doctor to get the baby. Oh, I love that little man.

mug tree

Oh, the possibilities...I found this mug tree at the grocery for a little more than $2.00. I bought one for me and one for Zoe. I plan on using mine to hold rolls of ribbon. I got the one for Zoe hoping she'll put her jewelry on it, instead of dropping it all over her room. She was more excited to paint and glitter it so it will match her room, go figure. Funny how we see the same things differently.

Yoplait yogurt lids & the Bachelor

Do you save these? It's almost time to send them in so Yoplait will donate the money to the Race for the Cure. I have a huge stack to send in, yogurt is one of the only things I can eat that doesn't give me heartburn (thanks baby). Just make sure you put enough postage on the envelope, I didn't one time and it got sent back to me. Just a little reminder to help our grandmothers, sisters, friends, mothers, aunts, neighbors and total strangers... every little bit helps right?!
They are sucking me in again! The ads are already on, the Us blog has been talking about it, and I keep scanning the mags at the grocery checkout for information that might have been "leaked." Why can I not resist "The Bachelor?" I keep telling myself I won't watch it this time, but I am finding myself excited to know that Jason is engaged, the guy deserves it, I was totally rooting for him last time. Ugh, I really should not be rotting my brain with this mindless television, I should be watching Nova or Discovery Channel, I just can't help myself!

whew!

Isn't it amazing how light you can feel after a stress/weight is lifted off you? I agonize every year over what to get my husband's secretaries and office staff. It is so hard because there are about 15 women he (and his assistants) want to recognize at the holidays for their dedication and hard work. As most people know, working in public education is far from profitable so these gifts have to be fairly inexpensive. I start thinking of them in August usually, running ideas by my hubby so I can get ready to shop. We have done homemade stuff, bought stuff, you name it, I have tried it. I had a couple different ones this year but we settled on this... (sorry about poor photo quality- bad lighting)

It is an ice cream bowl (found at Olde Time Pottery- love that store) with a bunch of candy, bags of sprinkles, and a gift card to Graeters Ice Cream (the best ice cream in Cincinnati- Oprah even raves about it, you can order it online by the way and have it shipped to you!) The theme was kind of "treat yourself to a sundae." I am happy with the way they turned out. I bought very large containers of sprinkles and put a serving into those teeny jewelry baggies you can buy at hobby shops so it would be contained in the bowl. I think the bowl is cute too because it has a little "foot" so it looks pretty fancy in case the gals want to put it on their desks for candy or paper clips, whatever.

I usually wrap each gift but I thought I would make it easier on myself and use gift bags this year. I chose to not do an elaborate tag (as I usually do) instead adhering it to the front of the bags with a small flower embellishment. I like them actually, simple and rather understated. I hope they all like the gifts. My philosophy is this: if I want it for myself, it must be pretty good.

the Office

Have I ever mentioned that I love "The Office?" Well, I do. I scream, snort, and get a bellyache from laughing every Thursday night. Last night's episode was sooo... funny, totally didn't expect the doll Darrell was holding to look like she did, you gotta watch! I watch the reruns on TBS and I check their website, a lot. I have a huge crush on Jim, don't tell my hubby, shh! He thinks my only love besides him is John Travolta...And I secretly am coveting a Dwight bobble head and I want to get Paul one of those "world's best boss" mugs, except he doesn't love the show as much as I do so that would purely be for my benefit. Anyway... the other day I was watching a scene I had on our DVR just to get a laugh, it had been one of those days, you know? And as soon as Zoe heard the opening theme music, she said, "Oh no, she's watching "the Office" again" (note this was in a true exasperated tone of voice).

My secret love- hmmm.... kiss kiss...
For the past few weeks, the kids have been playing office. I don't know how it came about. They have these boxes, phones, clipboards, name tags, mailboxes, cups of coffee (go figure!), and they insist on paging me all the time. I totally crack up at their imaginary phone conversations with mad customers. I still haven't figured out what their office does, but they are definitely having fun.

The kids and I made these "mailboxes" out of Pop tart boxes (Zoe's idea) and they want me to fill them with mail everyday. They keep them on their box desks in case anyone needs to put stuff in them, so they say.

Yep, we love "the Office."

pantry project

Why aren't my presents wrapped?
Why aren't my floors mopped?
Why do I always complain about not having enough time in the day?
It's because of projects like this one. Last week after I came home from the grocery, I was putting things away and bags of chips and paper towels kept falling on my head from the top of the pantry. So right then and there, I took everything out and starting doing "my thing." Organizing, sorting, purging, and finally labeling. It is such a sick addiction. I couldn't help myself, I just had to do it. I found out, I buy way too many canned tomatoes, by the way. My husband came home from work in the middle of the mess and Zoe said, "Dad, can you believe she gets all this stuff in there?" Our giant kitchen island was completely covered with the stuff from the pantry and I was scrubbing shelves and baskets. (My husband claims I am part elf because I can cram a lot of stuff in a tiny area. So this was really funny to me at the time.) Despite the fact that this seemed random, I've actually wanted to do it for a long time. I like the results, everything is in such better order and it is easier to find what I need after grouping things together. I must note, I did not buy new matching baskets or anything, just used what I had. I have tons of baskets and containers, oh, don't get me started on that...

OB update

39 weeks update: OK, our baby is due in one week, I am still 1 cm dilated. Let's just say when the doctor told me, I cried. I just couldn't believe I hadn't progressed any further. I, for a minute, felt kind of bad because I think my doctor felt bad too, but you know what? I really thought I'd be at least 3 cm or more! Normally, I swear I wouldn't care, I like to let nature take its course, but I really feel the pressure to be home for Christmas with Z & P. I want to be here with them, I can't imagine missing Christmas morning because I'm in the hospital. The doctor says that all is well and since my other two did not come early this one probably won't either. Urgh, oh well I guess the one positive is that I have more time to do holiday stuff... that is, if I could move/navigate my huge belly.

right here right now

Picture this:
I'm at the grocery late at night, not a big shocker there, when I swear I had a vision of my future. I saw this teeny elderly lady pushing one of the gi-normous carts with her purse securely on her forearm browsing the magazines. In her cart she had a bunch of bananas, a 2 liter of Dr. Pepper, and two cans of soup. In her hands, she had three "rag mags" as I call them, trying to decide which one to purchase. She looked at my cart (which was completely overflowing as usual) and said, "Oh sweetie, I remember those days of full carts and big gallons of milk." We exchanged a few nice words and I thought as she walked away, that will be me someday, getting just a few necessities at the store. Maybe I'm sentimental because it's Christmas or maybe I'm overly emotional because I am pregnant, but on the way home I reminded myself to enjoy things right now because they won't be like this forever. The big grocery bills, hectic schedule, loud house, 85 loads of laundry a week, and muddy footprints on the floor will be distant memories someday. I promptly came home and gave my kids kisses as they slept and didn't even complain when my husband wanted to watch an HGTV gardening show, again!

Dec. 16 approaching

You know you are getting close to your baby's due date when the expiration date on the milk is the same. Kind of freaking me out a little...

another funny kid story:

Parker was brushing his teeth this morning, I was standing with my arms folded across my chest. Thanks to my low-cut maternity top (why do they all have to be so low?! Is that to make us moms to be feel good about something being so huge?) my a-hem cleavage was rather pronounced, shall we say. Parker said, "look mommy, you have a butt 'dere now!" Thanks buddy. Hurry up baby, I want normal sized ta tas again!

Christmas books

Here's a tip to help you stay in the holiday spirit for the next few weeks, not that you could avoid it if you wanted to...

Gather up all your children's holiday books and put them in a central location (basket, shelf, whatever). During your reading time, encourage your child to choose a book from this location. It will help you to have discussions about what Christmas is really all about for you as well as continue to build your child's excitement until the big day (not that they need any help!). I also use this time to talk about expectations on Christmas day, like saying "thank you" for gifts, even if they are socks, books are great discussion-boards! This is one of the only times a day when my kids are truly attentive (and still) so it is great to have some quick talks. We read our holiday books all year long but to have them all in one place for just a few weeks makes them seem a little more special. My kids tend to pick the Rudolph and Frosty books most often but I also like to read the ones that explain Jesus' birthday, the manger and all that good stuff, this just makes it easier. I think the same would work if you have an extensive DVD collection. We don't have a lot but I made sure the ones we have are moved to the front of the pile for easy selection.

Have fun!

thanks for playing but...

OB update:

I am 1 centimeter dilated.

Whoop de doo! (sarcastic tone intended) Why do our doctors tell us this? I swear it is like the Price is Right parting gifts. "Sorry you didn't win, enjoy this nice consolation prize..." I don't want to hear I am 1 freakin' cm, I want to hear, "you're 5 cm, get to the hospital girl!" Urgh! My mom says I should jump up and down a lot to break my water (it broke with Zoe during a regular doctor visit after a good strong sneeze!). If my belly didn't feel like it would fall off, I just might get out a jump rope and get crazy. I'll keep you posted...

A funny Zoe story:

Zoe saw me putting toilet paper on the holder yesterday and in her best shocked little mommy voice she said, "didn't I just put toilet paper on there? I can't believe it! No one does anything around here but us Mommy." Now we know where we get it ladies, it's ingrained in us forever!

Future Mom nagging about too much work to do!

ornament tradition

Every year I add a photo ornament of the kids to the Christmas tree. They are my favorites, well actually I love all ornaments but these are the ones I love to look at each year after the tree is up and done. This year I used these sleds that were actually intended for gift cards (you know you put the gift card in there as a holder for the recipient). Zoe's school picture and a wallet of Parker's recent 3 years old photos fit almost perfectly, just needed a little trimming. I used some pieces of a scrapbook page protector to cover them and protect them from scratching. I labeled the back with a permanent marker with their ages and the year. That's it, simple. Oh and I should mention, I bought the sleds for .25 cents last year after Christmas from a marked down clearance rack. I stored them with my other ornaments so I wouldn't forget I had them thus forgetting to make them. Someday, I hope to have a tree full of embarrassing childhood pictures that will torture them endlessly when they are teenagers!

twin feet

Just because I cannot see my feet (no baby, no baby news, still have giant belly) doesn't mean I have lost my love for shoes. It actually means I miss the warm weather and flip flops because it is more challenging to put my shoes on then a ferocious two year old on the go! I have had these faux Chuck Taylors for about a year and this year Zoe wanted some too. (just a note- she has real Chucks too, the cool pink ones with no laces, they didn't have my size or I would so have some) We both have talked about how we should wear them on the same day, but somehow we always forget. Well, one day we did and strangely it felt kind of good, a mommy and daughter kind of bonding experience. I always think she is so much like her daddy it's nice to see she might want to be like me sometimes too. Secretly, moms, don't we all want our little girls to be like us?