Random Holidays

I wanted my baby to be born in November with the exception of two days, Thanksgiving and black friday. So what does my little independent girl do? She starts to come after Thanksgiving dinner just in time for black friday. But like a good girl she lets her mom finish her chocolate dessert. Bella was born on the national day of the woman, Liv was born on boxing day, so to fit in with our girl trio she was born on black friday, should have known. Like a true daughter of mine there was lots of drama involved, to get full details read Benjamin's blog (plus he has pictures)
http://www.howeuben.blogspot.com/ .

One of the lessons I thought I learned in 2009 was not to take things for granted ( the small pleasures of life, water, electricity, the ability to get a loan etc.) but I missed a great one the ability to conceive and deliver without incident. My heart goes out to friends and family who have had this harsh trial, and now I know with a little measure what you have experienced, all I can say is I have a new found empathy and when I say a prayer in your behalf, it runs a little deeper.

Thanks to all who have prayed for our pretty little Adrianna, there is a cute country song with that title, can't get it out of my head :)

Thanks again.

Yes I Want Some Cheese With My Whine

Well its the 17th and I have 17 more days till my due date. All I can say is bring it! At the beginning of my pregnancy as my belly was growing, Parkin my two and half year old, would look at my tummy and say, "What happen to you." Then I would say you and your three siblings "happen to me." So months later he would pull my shirt up (hopefully not in the grocery store) and say "baby happen to you."

I have two sisters who both have five children and both of them for their fifth pregnancies they went into labor 3 weeks early. Obviously I am following in their footsteps with the number of kids so why can't I go early like them! Wow what a whiner I am. I know it and sadly everyone around me knows it! Last week at my appointment the nurse suggested support hose for my swollen legs, what am I eighty now?! No I am just 37 1/2 weeks preganant (yes i am counting in halfs, just like a five year old would do). I am consuming antacids at an alarming rate. Am I really going to be on my 3rd bottle of antacids? Ok I am finished now with my rant..........deep breath.

It is time to give up my hope of having a November baby, what does a couple of days mean anyway? So we will have three kids born in December, so what if my grandfather said " Gees what are those kids doing in March." What can I say my grandpa is smart and can do the math. Yikes I can't believe I wrote that, oh wait yes I can I am a hormonal pregnant lady and hopefully soon I will be a postpartum lady, sweet the excuses keep coming!!!

I thought I was done complaining?! I guess not...... Parkin now pulls up my shirt and points at my belly butten and says "baby hurt" no that would be "mommy hurt" to which I will reply get over it Lesley! "Cowboy up" and "Git er done".....in 17 days.

It's only a phase......

My sister in law Robin has brought comfort to me with the phrase "its just a phase" this applies to anything that drives you batty that your children do. They will eventually grow out of it. Sleeping through the night, sucking on their thumb, pull-ups, saying a phrase that you dislike, eventually the phase will pass and you look back with gratitude over the change.

Three weeks ago we potty trained Parkin. I woke up on a Monday morning done with buying diapers and thinking that we would soon have an infant to buy diapers for. We used the three day potty trainng method that my friend Alison introduced us to when we potty trained Holman. The first day it was so exciting for him to get a few chocolate chips for his good work. Drop by drop he recieved his reward. The next day our excitment alone was reward for him. I marveled that on day four he would quietly go into the bathroom and do his buisness without any cheering or assistance. We are talking about not just peeing, the real fun stuff no parent wants to have happen in his underwear, he succesfully emptied it in the toilet. Love this phase!!! (Potty training to me is a huge dichotomy, on one hand it is so fustrating! But when it is done effectiviely and their little face lights up because they get it and they know you are so pleased with them it melts my heart).

Sadly like bad phases that stop, good ones do to, why does it have to work both ways?!! A week later I found myself cleaning underwear and mourning the loss of "quietly doing his business phase." Isn't it the same way with adults? We develop good habits, get excited over our accomplishments and then suddenly you realize that you aren't doing it anymore and your good phase has turned into a slacker phase. I guess I can't expect anything different from little people.

Knowing that everything is a phase makes me want to truly bask in those good phases, I would name some of them right now but I fear by typing it or saying it outloud means that that phase will soon turn. So I will take my mental note of the phases that I am enjoying in my children s lives and my own and take a snapshot to remember knowing all good things change and luckily all bad things do as well.

Side note, Parkin has again taken to putting his yucky in the potty only he doesn't quietly do it, he wants me there, fine by me. That is a phase I will gladly appreciate, given thee alternative :)