Pretty

Special thanks to Auntie Lisa for the pretty new look on the blog. Isn't she smart!?!

I'd planned to post a few pictures of what me and The Muffin did on Friday, but the camera is downstairs and I refuse too go and get it. Our day involved a breakfast tea party (tea, oranges and porridge, a.k.a. oatmeal)and picnic for lunch. We also went to Muff's favorite greenhouse, played outside and had a nice walk. we took full advantage of the 68 degree weather.

Our little family spent the biggest part of today shopping and messing around out of town. The Muffin went to bed an hour early and I am ready to shower and go to bed myself! I'll probably be up with Muff at 5:00 tomorrow morning making chocolate chip pancakes, but at least we'll be on time for the early service at church!

What have you been doing this weekend?

Growing and Glowing

I've never understood the whole "pregnant glow" thing. I know that there are hormonal reasons why you "glow" during pregnancy, like rosacea due to increased blood flow and increased oil production. I can't say that I've ever seen a pregnant woman that had the glow without it being helped quite a bit by some sort of expensive product and airbrushing.
Like lots of other preggies I've had dry skin due to hormones and the cold weather. After some mild flaking (in the T-zone, no less) I decided it was time to pull out the big guns. No, I'm not talking about "our" extensive handgun collection, I'm talking about my little stash of pick-me-ups!

-I LOVE baking soda. I mean, like in a way that's totally not normal. I like to use it occasionally to add a little something to my teeth-brushing experience. I make a paste with water and baking soda to scrub the showers with. I've used it to remove build-up from my hair. Then, I was looking at the baking soda website to find even more ways to use this cheap, wonderful stuff and found out about washing your face with it. It's like a mini micro dermabrasion! (I use it in the shower, because it's easier to rinse off.) I wash my face as usual and then grab a palmful of baking soda and rub it all around. It makes your skin feel nice. You really need to moisturize well after wards, and using it once a week is more than enough. It will dry your skin if you're not careful, but it's great.

-Next, the oil cleansing method. I read about this on Big Mama's blog and decided to try it. She loves it! It will make you have that glow.

-And then there's the lips. Special thanks to Laura for sharing what her bloggy-friend Hollie shared. I'm not going to say that it will work miracles on dry, cracked lips, but it probably will and it is divine. It's Alba's lip balm. The Muffin and I found it on sale at W.algreen's. I picked up the "passion fruit nectar" and the "coconut cream" that Laura loves. It's a nice change from my C.armex and it's divine. It's one of my "must haves" for the hospital bag. You can even add a little lip gloss over it and it still feels great!

I'm not claiming that I now have "the glow", but my skin feels so good. Now, if I can just keep the baby belly moisturized so that it doesn't look like the alligator that Laura talked about!

Baby On The Brain

I so have baby on the brain!! It's all I can do not to load up The Muffin and go shopping out of town.
I saw this and decided to make it for both girls' room. I'm going to use two scrapbook papers that coordinate with their room colors and use their first name in stead of just the monogram. Mine will look a little more girl-y and not quite so elegant, too. Of course, I donated my old frames to the women's shelter thrift shop so I have to buy new ones. I'm also going to work on hair bow holders because Muff could use a bigger one and I'm sure Ellie will want her own! I'm hoping to get the supplies sometime soon. My mom has offered to keep sweet Muff for two nights next week when I have my monthly midwife appointment. That means free time for me to get a few things done around the house and maybe work on a couple of projects! I miss Muff when she's not here, but I can finally touch up the trim and doors in the baby's room (without help!) and maybe even prep the walls for painting later on.
The Muffin has a collection of "M"'s (for Maggie, of course) around her room. I'm going to buy a plain, cheap lampshade for Ellie's room and try doing this. Her bedding has a damask print in it, but I may try doing the letter "E" on the shade. I loved it when Maggie was really young and would pick out the letter "M" everywhere we went!
I'm probably going to pack the baby's bag for the hospital soon. I just can't wait! And I'll probably start on my bag as well. I love packing and planning and I don't want to forget anything...because we live all of two minutes from the hospital and I'd hate for Big Daddy to have to make a trip all that way because I forgot something. I'm going to try not to over pack this time and just take the things that we'll actually use. Hopefully, Big Daddy will not forget my special present if I get one this time. He gave me a string of pearls and pearl earrings when The Muffin was born. (The baby book said that "Maggie" meant "pearl") He had my mom and sister stop by our house to get it on their way to the hospital. (He told me they needed to get solution for his contact lenses!) I would prefer no present this time, but it's up to him.
I'm trying to finalize the list of stuff that we need. As long as the baby is an "Ellie" and not an "Eli" we are all set on clothes and blankets! I've gone over my registry and made a mental note over need vs. want. I'm planning to use disposable diapers at first, but then switch to primarily cloth diapers, so I'll have to purchase those. We'll be using washable and disposable baby wipes. My mom fixed new burp cloths for me and we have socks coming out of our ears! There are plenty of hats and headbands and pretty things for our baby.
I don't think I felt quite so impatient about The Muffin's arrival. I quit my job a month before she was born so I guess my mind was occupied by other things. I want this little cupcake to bake for the full 40 weeks so that she comes out strong and healthy, but I am so anxious to meet her! After having The Muffin, I realize how exciting it is to meet and get to know the little person that grew in my belly. She was in there for 40 weeks and 4 days and she came out part stranger and part baby-that-I-felt-like-I'd-known-forever. I still look at her and think about all of the things that go through her little mind that I don't know even though I know her so well.
I just can't wait to do everything all over again!

What I Learned This Week

I'm joining the "What I Learned This Week" Carnival with Jo-Lynne at Musings of A Housewife again this week. Here's just a few things that I have learned.

-Kindermusik rocks!
-The Muffin and I love Big Daddy, but having him back at work does wonders for our routine.
-Sometimes the only way to get Big Daddy to do something is for me to have a pregnancy- hormone-induced-emotional breakdown.
-I feel so much better with our new baby name, Ellie Grace.
-I love going into Ellie Grace's room and looking in the closet and drawers.
-I love S.wiss Miss Dark Chocolate Sensations Cocoa Mix in my morning, afternoon or night time cup of coffee.
-The coffee grinder is music to my ears.
-Having another preggie (due the same time and with another kid the same age as The Muffin) in our Sunday school class is really nice.
-I am so happy that I can take B.enadryl while pregnant because my allergies are driving me crazy.
-The curtains that I already have in the baby's room match the bedding and I don't have to use the new ones that I bought that don't match.
-That new lip balm that Laura wrote about is awesome and W.algreen's has it on sale!

The Baby Belly- Week 25

Our Baby-to-be (the newly named Ellie Grace) is approximately 14 inches long and weighs nearly 2 pounds! She can respond to noises from the outside world and proves it on Sunday morning during the Praise and Worship service.

I still can't believe that we are this far along!

I know it's still early, but we're trying to get ideas together of how we want things to happen when our Baby-to-be arrives. I talked to my sweet friend Linda at church today and she is on "the list" of people who we can call to help out with The Muffin if something happens and we need to go to the hospital and feel she can't go with us. Linda is one of my friends from my time in real estate and we also go to church together. Muff has to visit Linda in the sanctuary every Sunday before she goes to spend time in the nursery. The other will be "Gammy Gladys" ( I have to ask her first!) who also happens to be a former real estate agent. I'm pretty sure that The Muffin thinks that Gladys is really her grandmother. She loves going to her house for visits. My family is only about an hour away, so I feel sure that Muff should be able to hang out at the hospital with us unless there is an emergency. We're trying to be prepared.

Big Daddy and I will be discussing how we want things to be handled during and after the labor and delivery and then we'll talk about it with my mom and sister. I'm getting really excited and feel the need to be prepared.

Baby Has A New Name

We have decided on a definite name...unless "she" turns out to be a "he".

Looks like we'll be welcoming Ellie Grace into our family!

The Muffin was determined to go with the "M" name, but changed her mind this morning. Big Daddy likes the name and my mom prefers it over Pacey. My sister and Auntie Lisa liked Ellie the best from the start. Of course, we're happy that they're happy, but we would have named it anything we wanted and they wouldn't have said anything mean.

Second Thoughts

I' d hoped that this wouldn't happen, but alas, it has. I'm having second thoughts on our Baby-to-be's name. Shocking, right? I've said from the day I made the name public that it could change, but I really didn't think it would.
Big Daddy and I were comfortable with the name and The Muffin had gotten used to it. She was more than excited when I gave her a choice of two other names. The funny thing is, she has stuck with the same name from the very beginning. The name that starts with an "M" just like her name and Big Daddy's name and our last name. And it totally sounds silly with our last name. She is adamant that we use the "M" name. I have to think on it some more, but I've already called my sister so that she and my mom can discuss it and "come to a conclusion" (as I told them) by tomorrow. Big Daddy says that we'll talk about it more tomorrow, so I'm hoping for clarity by Monday.
I never would have made the name public if I had thought that it might change. We never planned to be an "M" family, with a lonely "J" (me) thrown in. We're not the type to think that any of our names have to start with the same letter or end with the same sound.
On the bright side, we haven't actually called the baby by the name of Pacey Grace, so it won't really know the difference. I've used the name here on the blog and Muff and I have used it, but usually she just says "baby" when she talks to my belly. And, I have nothing monogrammed.
I'll keep you posted, but don't be surprised if the name on my little baby ticker changes sometime soon.

Now that I've gotten that off of my chest, I'm ready for bed. We spent the evening at Big Daddy's friend's house having dinner, holding a sweet baby boy and letting the big girls play together. I was able to discuss everything pregnancy, labor, delivery, big girl and baby with the mommy. Big Daddy talked guns and ammo and business stuff with the daddy. Muff played so hard with the little girl that's about her age. We all took turns holding the six month old baby boy and being amazed by his sweetness and good behavior. The Muffin also found out that baby's drool and she doesn't like that.

Oh, Baby!

The Muffin woke up around 5:30 this morning and when I walked into her room she had her arms open and said she was ready to come to bed with me. I put her in the bed beside of Big Dady and went to the bathroom. She was fast asleep when I returned. I tried to lay there with them, but my pregnant-stuffy-nose and asthma would not cooperate and I was downstairs by 6:00 with a delightful cup of coffee.
I heard her start fussing at 6:20. She wanted me. She needed me. I decided to sit on the couch and wait it out. Big Daddy quickly came down the stairs and plopped her on the couch beside of me. I sent him back to bed and Muff and I cuddled until 6:30...then it was time for chocolate chip pancakes.
The Muffin loves her Daddy unless she's hungry, tired, hurt or it has anything to do with sleep. I know she thinks he is totally incapable of caring for her because I have always been in charge of anything related to her physical well-being. (To be honest, I think he's incapable sometimes to.) We had breakfast and discussed how much her Daddy loves her and wants to take care of her and how I can't always be around. I asked her what we would do if I was giving the baby "baby milk" (aka, breastfeeding) and she needed something. I asked if Daddy could help then and of course, she had a solution. She told me that she would give the baby it's milk and then I could help her.

How long after the baby gets here do you think it wil be before she's trying to nurse it?

Nesting

Blogging is the last thing I should be doing right now, but I need a break. Big Daddy and I have been working hard on clearing out he Baby-to-be's room before he heads back to work on Monday. He took The Muffin out to lunch and I had to sit down for a break.

Muff's closet is now rid of baby debris. I've been storing the pack and play and a few other baby items in there. The green armoire is back in her room and the white chest of drawers is now in the baby's room. I just started going through our stash of newborn baby clothes and I'm so excited about using them again! I'll be packing a few of the same items in the baby's hospital bag. If the clothes were washed, I'd start packing now!! I will be packing girl clothes this time, so it's sure to be a boy. Ha!!

I've been looking at the sweet white and pink outfit that Muff wore for her first visit to church and our baby will definitely be wearing that (if it's a girl) for her first Sunday. I lost the matching shoes during my first solo outing to get Muff's picture taken, so Pacey will have to wear matching socks.

Then, there's the outfit and matching blanket in pink and tan from Auntie Lisa. Muff only wore it a couple of times and I can't wait to put another baby in that. And the cute little striped footed pants and matching shirt...delicious.

Of course, the picture doesn't show the true cuteness of these clothes !

We truly do not need one more article of clothing if our baby is indeed a girl. If we were to have a boy, we'll only have three gowns, two diaper shirts and a few yellow sleepers.

Blessings

Big Daddy received a call from his employer today and has been offered (and accepted) a "new" position. It's a recreation of the role that he received during the first phase of restructuring. We're cautiously optimistic about his future with the company, but we feel like we have a little breathing room. The past two weeks have reminded us that the economy really sucks, we should always strive to save our pennies and that we are in much better shape than many people out there. We are still praying that things will work out for the best and also for Big Daddy's former co-workers that aren't as blessed as we are.
Now, we have a long list of things that need our attention before life gets back to normal on Monday morning.

Our Day

The Muffin and I are going out for a while this morning. We need a few things from the grocery store and we are going to get tons of paint chips and try to find a color that coordinates with Pacey's new bedding that my sweet family bought for her/me. I'm hoping to find a color that is a shade lighter than the main color of the bedding. The nursery is the smallest bedroom in the house, so if I use the main color in the bedding it may look a little dark. The color is neutral and would look nice with many other colors in the future.
Big Daddy is studying at the college library today. He hasn't been spending as much time on his homework lately. He may be "working" out of town some this week, so he's catching up today. Please be in prayer for our sweet Big Daddy. He has a few prospects that he's working on and I think his ego and self esteem could use a little boost. I'm doing the best hat I can to make him feel well, but I think someone (you may be able to guess who she is) is able to undo all that I do...got it?
Tomorrow, my sweet mommy-friend April and her family also need your prayers. Her husband, Michael, is having 9 tumors removed from his torso and arm. (They are Muff's possible future in-laws, by the way. She just may marry their son and the daddy's share a love of guns and the mommy's share a love of...being together, laughing and having lunch.) This couple is about the same age as me and Big Daddy and I'm praying that everything comes out okay. I know that their church family is praying hard too.

And just for laughs, The Muffin was "reading" the story of Adam and Eve this morning and it went something like this:
Adam and Eve were so hungry and just look at those apples. They are so good!
I said, "I thought they were supposed to stay away from the apples."
Oh, Jesus just put them in time out.

I guess that explains why we're where we are today.

What I've Learned This Week

I'm joining the "What I Learned This Week" Carnival with Jo-Lynne at Musings of A Housewife again this week. Here's just a few things that I have learned.

-When you're a toddler, you can make any outfit work: pajamas and boots actually do look cute together and if you throw in a pair of chocolate socks on your hands, it pulls the whole look together!

-Kindermusik songs can stay in your head for days after you've heard them.

-Big Daddy can get so much accomplished when he wants to.

-Truly good friends are such a treasure.

-When your family gets you new baby bedding it can make you cry and make your heart soar.

-Some of the best things in life really are free.

-Hearing The Muffin say that she wants to go to church is like music to my ears.

Of course, I'm sure that I have learned many more things overthe past week, but I can't think of anything else right now. The Muffin really teaches me something new every single day.

The Baby Belly-Week 24

Our baby to be is about 13.5 inches tall this week! She's adding some baby fat so that she won't be all skin and bones when she gets here!

Pacey Grace continues to move around so much! Yesterday during the Praise and Worship service at church, she was kicking along to the music! The ladies in the nursery are anxious to have a new little baby to take care of and I'm actually looking forward to leaving our sweet baby in their care. (I think I must realize that this may be my only private time- two hours each week while in church!) I never even attempted or even wanted to leave The Muffin at our other church, but it's so different here. We found out this morning that the two couples from our Sunday school class that are adopting from Ethiopia will be expecting their infant boys in late summer or early fall, so Pacey will have friends around her age.

I spent time yesterday reading about the sixth month of pregnancy and thinking about labor and delivery. In so many ways I feel like this is my first experience with being pregnant and anticipating the delivery. I didn't think about or know how things could go wrong so fast at the end of a picture-perfect pregnancy. With The Muffin's birth, I lost my innocence and I worry about all of the seemingly rare things that can happen. I have an idea of how I want this birth to be and I'll be discussing it with my midwives soon.

Big Daddy and I also talked about what will happen after the baby is out of the belly. Who will The Muffin stay with if I have to go to the hospital before my family arrives and how I want things to be handled during the hospital stay. I've decided to make a sign to put on the door of my hospital room that asks for visitors to check with the nurse before entering. I don't want to seem rude or ungrateful when people are coming by to offer their well-wishes, but I do not like people (ahem! my in-laws) watching as I struggle to get out of bed to get to the bathroom. There were several times where we were interrupted during a nursing session by visitors and I'm not going to allow that to happen this time. I also want to be considerate of our first baby girl and make sure that she has time to get to know her new sister and feels like this is about more than just Mommy and baby and all these people coming by. I want this time to be about our little family of four getting to know each other and most importantly, I want to rest when I want to rest, without interruptions. After we're home, the ringers will be off on the phones, the doorbell will be unplugged and there will also be a sign on the door asking for visitors to call first and leave a message. I did this the first week that Muff and I were home and it was such a relief not to worry about unexpected visitors. We were alone about 14 hours a day, she cried LOTS and when she slept (which was rarely), I slept. I want visitors, but this time I want them on my terms. I'm going to make this labor and delivery a little more about me and what I want. If this is our last little baby, I want it to be a positive experience that I can look back on.

Do you think that's too much to ask?

And A Happy V-Day It Is!

The Muffin celebrated Valentine's Day yesterday. She had a visit from Gammy Gladys, who came bearing a balloon, card, sweet treat and $$$ Tree money! After we arrived at Nana and Pawpaw's Muff received her new boots and candy treats from Nana & Pawpaw and new flip flops from Auntie Sharalee and family. It's still too cool to wear flip flops outside, so Muff alternated between the boots and flip flops inside. The girl loves shoes!
My family also had a special Valentine treat for me. (I may just cry while typing about it.) My mom and sister gave me the new bedding for our Baby-to-be! This is one of the few baby items that I was not going to be getting because of our recent job news. I cried and Muff and Callie look concerned until they realized I was crying happy tears. New baby bedding will not fix the economy, but it sure is making me feel better. I know Big Daddy is relieved because he wants to give me everything I want and it's always hard when we just can't justify spending a couple of hundred dollars on something so pretty, sweet, cute and totally frivolous. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family.
We arrived home a little bit ago and I received my Valentine's Day surprise from my sweetheart. A single rose from Big Daddy and the biggest treat.......lots of progress on the baby's room! It may actually be ready to paint in the next couple of weeks. With any luck, I'll be sharing at least a small portion of Pacey Grace's room in a month or so.

Thanks for sharing your Valentine plans. I hope everyone spent a little time being thankful for the ones they love.

**AND I just read that my dear, sweet bloggy friend, Joy has her own Valentine's Day treat!! Jump over, read about it and leave her a comment!!**

Valentine's Day

My funny, little Valentine.

The Muffin's First Valentine's Day (outside of the belly)



Trying to escape

Showing some leg

These are actually not Valentine roses. They were for my second Mother's Day, but I love this picture.

Big Daddy and I really haven't done the whole Valentine's Day-thing that much since Muff came along. Last year we went to the beach for Valentine's Day, but it was more about a great deal than it was a Valentine's celebration. The Muffin stayed with Nana & Pawpaw and we had a nice little getaway. They delivered champagne and chocolates to our room. I gobbled up the chocolate, but we still have the unopened bottle of bubbly because we don't drink.

Here we are. I was in my pajamas and Big Daddy had taken out his contacts, so I assume we were in our room for the evening and ready for bed. I think we took about three pictures the whole weekend. That's what happens when The Muffin stays behind.

Happy Valentine's Day!

What are you doing for you sweetie or what's your sweetie doing for you?

A Little Update

Thought I'd let anyone who was interested know that Big Daddy hasn't made ANY progress on cleaning out his junk room, a.k.a. the baby's room. He'd promised that his stuff would be out by mid-week. I'm thankful for his excuse: he's been "working" with one of his bestest friends (do guys have bestest friends???) this week. He refers to this as a "pretend job" and he's really enjoying the coming-home-for-lunch-to-see-his-girls thing. From what I hear, we won't be rich immediately, but he's definitely working on it. ;-) At least it's keeping him busy, he's making a little money and he's not at home in my way or getting depressed and feeling sorry for himself.

The Muffin and I have just finished a marathon art session. We made Valentines for both sets of grandparents and my sister and her family and of course, we included Griffin, the dog. Then we cleaned up all of the mess and she remembered that she forgot her Daddy's card. I think it was just an excuse to draw more smiley-face-lollipop-people and use glitter, glue and glitter glue. The girl loves sparkles!!!

The Rest of The Week

Ms. Muffin and I are still enjoying the unseasonably warm North Carolina weather. Today is windy, so we had lunch inside. Thank goodness she didn't ask for a picnic, because our food would have blown away!
The rest of our week promises to be a busy one. My Daddy is having eye surgery tomorrow. We will not find out the exact time of the procedure until this evening, so we're going to stay home and visit on Friday. The Muffin is looking forward to picking Callie up at school on Friday,
seeing Pawpaw in his eye patch and wearing the new boots that Nana bought for her. We also have a friend who is having a biopsy of several tumors in his stomach tomorrow, so we have several special prayers to say tonight.
We'll be home sometime Saturday afternoon and I guess we'll "celebrate" Valentine's Day then. I wonder what we'll do? I'm going to try and get a few special Valentine pictures from the past to auto-publish for Saturday.

Just In Time

First, look at how much my belly has grown! My Auntie Lisa sent me this late last night, so it was waiting for me in my inbox. Isn't she smart and talented?! I'm not quite sure how I feel about my growth. Of course, I'm thrilled that our Baby-to-be is getting so big, strong and healthy, but it 's not easy to see how big my belly is.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Whitney has a super-cute giveaway on her blog. Check it out!

What I Learned This Week

I'm joining the "What I Learned This Week" Carnival with Jo-Lynne at Musings of A Housewife again this week. Here's just a few things that I have learned.


Love makes all the difference.

Having Big Daddy home too much can be a bad thing.

We may just have picnics for lunch everyday this Spring and Summer...if the Baby-to-be allows it.

Flip flops= happy feet.

Going to the monthly midwife appointment is less stressful when The Muffin is at Nana and Pawpaw's.

The possibilities really are endless.

Peeking in on The Muffin during her Sunday school class is very enlightening.

Sending Big Daddy long, dramatic emails expressing my needs, wants and feelings may be better than telling him face to face...probably because I cry and he gets annoyed.

Having your toddler refer to you as "Tin Man", "Auntie Em", or "Glinda" is just as sweet as when she says that you are her best friend.

You never know how you'll feel or what you'll really do until it happens to you.

The thought of The Muffin and the Baby-to-be makes me want to cry happy tears and run and hide at the same time.

The Baby Belly- Week 23

Our Baby-to-be, Pacey Grace, is now nearly a foot long! She weighs nearly 1.25 pounds and her body is completely formed!

Just this week I think I've really started to remember why I love being pregnant! I feel great except for the stuffy nose and the baby kicks all the time, but it doesn't feel uncomfortable...yet. We had picnics for lunch on Saturday & Sunday and I hope that our Baby-to-be enjoys them half as much as The Muffin does!

Random Photos of Our Week

Chocolate pudding face.

Getting out every last bite of pudding.

Saying the blessing.

Static electricity.

Asleep on Mommy after a long day at Nana & Pawpaw's house.

Kissing the Baby Belly.

Caught "doing homework".

Waiting for breakfast...chocolate chip pancakes again.

Clean

I like to clean, but I love for things to be clean.

After a small crying spell this morning, Big Daddy has promised that the "baby's room" (aka Big Daddy's junk hole/computer room) will be cleaned out by the middle of the week. The weather is going to be great over the next several days so we're also planning to spend some time in the storage building and see what we have that can be thrown away or donated to charity. (I'm told that I have a large assortment of flower pots that I ever use.) Of course, all of this will lead to cleaning out our closets again. I really don't think that I have anything else to get rid of, but it seems like the clothes multiply.

All of this is so that I can feel useful and start going through The Muffin's baby clothes and picking out what to keep for our Baby-to-be, what to take to the consignment shop for a little extra cash and what can be given to charity or taken to the local pregnancy crisis center. I absolutely love looking at all the outfits that she wore. Several of them were only worn a couple of times and are just like new. We realize that another baby girl could not possibly wear all of the clothes, so we must get rid of some things. Of course, I'll take pictures of everything first!

After the room is empty (except for the baby bed and Big Daddy's gun safe in the closet) we'll be able to move the armoire into Muff's room and Muff's chest of drawers into the baby's room. My mom has volunteered her painting services which this pregnant asthmatic will gladly take advantage of! Temporarily, the computer will be in our bedroom (which I hate) until we find a desk suitable for a little home office space in our kitchen. We have decided to have a desk in the kitchen and eliminate our breakfast nook. We spent $$$ having my parents install hardwood flooring in the dining room and it's only been used a couple of times in the 6 years we've lived here. Big Daddy says that we need to use the room and our expensive dining room table, so this is our solution.

Tomorrow we will go to church to clear off some of the dust and dirt that this stressful week has left. Then we're planning a picnic and play time at the park. After The Muffin's nap, we're having a play date with our friends.

Next week is already looking busy. The Muffin and I have our usual list of things to do; Kindermusik, housework, laundry and Storytime. Hopefully, Big Daddy will be at the library/gym/job interviews. My Dad is scheduled for eye surgery on Thursday, so we'll be going to Nana & Pawpaw's on Friday to pick Callie up from school and spend a little time with the special patient.

*BIG* Red Update

The *BIG* part of the update is my belly. I saw my sister for the first time in two weeks today and she commented on how much my belly had grown. And with good reason, I've gained 5 pounds in the past month! My midwife, Wesley, told me not to worry since my total (so far) is "only" 11 pounds. I had a month of rapid weight gain during my pregnancy with The Muffin, but I'm sure this time it has lots to do with stress and the food that Big Daddy have been enjoying to bring us comfort. We're going to try and do better.
The red part of the update is also my belly. I have a rash. Wesley mentioned it to me today and then I realized it had been blotchy and itchy since last Saturday. She told me to use a certain cream on it and to take B.enadryl if I wanted to. I may take the B.enadryl for it's sleep-inducing purposes.
As for our family situation, Big Daddy is on "temporary lay off" from his job. We do have a very BIG blessing that goes along with this, so we are not in any immediate danger. We have always tried to be smart with our money and we'll start living a little smarter to keep extra spending down. Anyone who lives in our part of the state or knows where he works knew that his sort of thing was somewhat inevitable. He truly loves the company and is so respectful of the decision to lay off some employees so that others can pick up the slack and keep working.
Of course, this impacts me and Muff and our little life. We have to figure out how to share our mornings and afternoons with Big Daddy when he used to only be around in the evenings. Since he's working towards his MBA, the library may get him a few mornings a week. And another couple of mornings we'll send him to the gym. We wouldn't want him to mess up our routine too much. I'll also be putting those few little baby purchases on hold for now. They aren't necessities and I really like saving money, so they'll wait. Hopefully, our marriage will survive more family time. ;-)
The Muffin had a great time staying with Nana and Pawpaw. She was so tired that she fell asleep in my lap after her bath. I feel so blessed to have parents and a sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew that love her so much. I think The Muffin is already planning her next trip! I slept "through the night" for the first time in three years!! I did get up to use the bathroom twice, but there was no Muffin for me to check on. No Muffin to have a crazy dream and call for music or ice cream in the middle of the night. No Muffin to walk into my room and climb into my bed to "cuddle" at 6:00. Our bed seemed so big and lonely and we're already looking forward to some family cuddle time in the morning. It's just not the same here without her. She's definitely our glue.

Busy, Busy, Busy

The Muffin has just been left in the loving care of her Nana and cousin Callie. I'm getting ready to do some "extra-good" cleaning downstairs and take advantage of not having a little helper! Although, she helped me put fresh sheets on my bed this morning and it touched my heart how sincere she was when she smoothed out the wrinkles! Muff's away for the night, so I'll be visiting my midwife Wesley with just one large kid...Big Daddy.

We have had something very big happen in our little family and it's big-bad not big-good. I know because of our sincere prayers that we were also blessed with something good that we didn't expect. This blessing will allow us to take the time to make decisions without some of the worry. We feel somewhat relieved that we finally know where we stand and this will help us as we plan for our future. So, please, once again remember us in your prayers.

I'll try to be back sometime tomorrow night to give an update on my appointment with Wesley and of course, an update on how much The Muffin missed her Mommy!

What I Learned This Week

This is my first ever carnival and it just happens to be hosted by one of my most favorite bloggers, Jo-Lynne at Musings of A Housewife. She's hosting a carnival called, "What I Learned This Week". Feel free to click the button on my sidebar and join in the fun. Who knows, you might even learn a thing or two!

-I learned that a toddler doesn't always give a warning before throwing up ALL over your bed. (on the day after all of the bed linens were washed, no less)
-Nothing can get me out of a funk faster than knowing that my husband needs help getting out of a much more serious funk.
-There is a reason that our Sunday school class is studying The Relationship Principles of Jesus and it has something to do with the fact that we could use a little help from Jesus in our relationships.
-After a discussion about communication in Sunday school, I learned that men and women really do communicate in totally different ways. (as if I needed a discussion to teach me this!)
-Feeling our Baby-to-be kick me always feels good.
-Feeling The Muffin kick me hurts my feelings and makes me sad and angry.
-Sweet Tea, hot tea or coffee may be my biggest pregnancy craving.
-Our Baby-to-be likes Communion bread almost as much as I do.

The Baby Belly-Week 22

Our Baby-to-be, Pacey Grace, is approximately 11 inches long! Her fingernails are completely formed and her little lungs are developing. She kicks me all the time, much more than The Muffin ever did! (Some research shows that babies with VP and VCI often do not move as much as others, so this may not be my imagination) After today, I think she likes the Communion bread at church just as much as I do!

Overall, things are going great. The sciatica isn't any worse and I feel pretty good. My nose has been stuffy for over two weeks. I've decided that the stuffiness over the past week is due to the higher mucus production that goes along with pregnancy. I'm just grateful that I haven't had a stuffy nose since the beginning like I did with The Muffin. I am having lots of asthma trouble. I often have problems after a cold, but it's been pretty bad this time. Big Daddy is bringing me a natural remedy on his way home from the gym, so we'll see if that helps. The Muffin has eczema, so we'll be using it for that, too. (I read about it on Kristin's blog)

I'm anxious to see what my weight gain will be at my midwife appointment on Thursday. I feel like a cow (no offense to the cows, because I heart cows). Andrea, from my Sunday school class is 20 weeks pregnant and barely showing. We met up in the bathroom before class and discussed ultrasounds and stuff. She's expecting another little boy to go with her son that is four months younger than Muff. She was probably a zero to begin with and I was an eight and we all know that every pregnant woman is different, but it still makes me feel big...or "giant" as The Muffin likes to say. I really don't think I'm any bigger than I was at this point with Muff, but who knows. As long as I don't gain "40+" pounds with this baby, I'll be pleased. And yes, it actually said "40+" on my medical records! (Even though I read that two years after it had been written and I after I'd lost the weight, I was/am mortified.)

Anyway...it's Sunday, so I'm refusing to do anything. I am planning on fixing a nice, hot cup of coffee (helps with the asthmatic wheezing + I love it!) and reading the HomeLife magazine from church while Miss Muffinhead sleeps.

Have a great week and please remember our little family in your prayers. This week already promises to be a doozey!