I'm back!

After a break for the birth of our third child, Nathan, I am finally back to blogging! Nathan was born on October 10 and weighed in at 8 pounds, 3 ounces and 21 inches tall. Although it did not go exactly as I imagined it would, I did get to experience the natural (unmedicated) labor and delivery that I hoped for.

So far, Nathan has been the best sleeper of my three children. He typically goes to bed for the night around 9 PM and gets up once at 3 AM to nurse and have his diaper changed. He usually wakes up for the morning around 6:30 AM. I don't know why he sleeps so much better than Drew and Gracie did as babies, but I am thankful!

I am still adjusting to having three children. It was just getting easier because Drew and Gracie were finally able to play together for a while each day while I did housework, got a shower, or spent a few minutes writing a blog entry. Then Nathan came along. He eats every two hours during the daytime, so if I'm not sitting down to nurse him, the other two want attention. If the other two are occupied and Nathan happens to be napping, I always have a backlog of dishes or laundry to catch up on.

This is a hard time for me because I need quiet time by myself every day to feel sane, and I have not been getting it. When I get to the end of the day and the kids are finally asleep, I have a choice: do I take some time by myself to unwind, or do I go to bed? I'm usually so exhausted that sleep wins out, but I really need quiet time and sleep if I want to feel my best. I need to find a balance, and I hope that making time for blogging again will be a good first step.

Pregnant Days

Or maybe a better title for this post would be Pregnant Daze. I am so tired of being pregnant. I am just plain tired, but I have allergies (or something), can't breathe through my nose, and can't sleep.

I also think I have a touch of the baby blues early. Last night one of my friends invited me to join Facebook, and although I don't think it's my thing, I went ahead and joined. First I cried because Facebook told me I had 0 friends. When it said that my profile was boring a few minutes later, I shut down the computer and went to bed. I did go back to Facebook today, and so far, it has been interesting. I have seven "friends" on Facebook, probably more than I have in real life.

On another note, my husband got several bug bites on his arms today. I don't know what they are, but now I'm worried that our house is infested with bugs. One more thing for me to stew about. I guess if it is we will figure out some way to deal with it.

I think I'm tired enough (or bored enough) to go back to sleep now.

More Thoughts on Nesting

I have been thinking about nesting a lot this week, and have decided that I have never experienced it because it isn't my style. I totally understand the concept of wanting to fill up the seemingly never-ending days of waiting for a baby's birth that could happen at any time. Unfortunately, my brain and body just seem to want to shut down and hibernate until the big day arrives. I would love to just lay down on the couch and stay there until I go into labor. And there are still thirteen days until my due date. What is wrong with me? I honestly am about to go crazy. I don't think I can take much more of this.

I came across a neat website the other day that times the frequency and duration of contractions. It looks like it would be really useful, especially since I don't have a watch. Now if only I would have some contractions to time.

Nesting

There are only 17 days left until my due date, and I am waiting for the "nesting" instinct to kick in. (Actually, I'm still waiting for it from when Drew and Gracie were born ... it never came!) I hear stories of moms who clean their house from top to bottom before going into labor, and think that would be so nice. My house could definitely use the cleaning! Maybe I should just get busy and do some cleaning and the extra work would send me into labor. :)

Update: It is now 15 days until my due date. Gracie was born 13 days early, so I am hoping that means that this little guy could make his appearance any day now. (Drew was only 3 days early, but I'm trying to be positive!)

I haven't been sleeping well at all, and I am SO tired. It is just past 3:30 AM and I got tired of tossing and turning in bed, so I decided to get up. I have a doctor's appointment today, and they are planning to do a sonogram to estimate the baby's weight (my guess is 9+ pounds). I also get to have blood drawn again. Ugh. And I have to take Drew and Gracie with me to the appointment because I don't have a babysitter. My husband has a meeting at work and won't be able to come to the appointment. I'm not looking forward to it.

I am trying to decide what to do now that I am up. Maybe I should pick up the family room downstairs. Or maybe I'll just curl up on the couch for a while ...

So Small

I received a sample newborn size diaper in the mail last week, and looking at it, I could hardly believe that it is big enough for a real baby to wear. Today I got out two sleepers, size 0-3 months, to wash and pack for the hospital, and again I was struck by how small newborn babies are. I think it has taken me by surprise because even though Drew is two years old, I still consider him my "baby," so in my mind the size of a "baby" has grown with him.

My due date is 22 days away now. At my doctor's appointment next week they will do a sonogram to estimate my baby's weight. I am looking forward to seeing him again and finding out how big they think he might be. I am really looking forward to his birth and finally holding him in my arms!

The boy who cried ... deer?

We live in town, but it is still not unusual for us to see deer in our back yard. We have seen a doe and her two fawns almost every day lately, and we occasionally see a buck. At the beginning of the summer Drew would look out the window and cry out "dog!" whenever he saw any kind of animal outside. Now he can tell deer, rabbits, and squirrels apart, and often announces what he sees out in the back yard.

For the past few days, though, he has been saying, "I see a deer!" several times a day, even when there are no deer outside. I think he enjoys seeing me and Gracie go look out the window, because he always gets a huge smile on his face when we look out and see no deer. I guess I need to work with him on being honest ...

Drowning in Books

Lately it seems that I have had more books that I want to read than I have time to read them. I blame that partly on not having much time to read, and partly on the helpful librarian at our local library. She showed me how to put in interlibrary loan requests myself online, and I have felt like I have been drowning in books ever since. It is such a temptation for me to see a book I want to read and immediately put in a request for it. (At the moment I have three books checked out from other libraries, and one more book waiting to be picked up.)

And it's not just a matter of reading the books. These are books that I want to spend time with, to dig into deeply, to make notes on, to absorb. Books that will help me do a better job as a mom and as a teacher to my children.

I will say that I am much better at reading (and even taking notes on) books that I borrow from the library than I am at reading books that I own. I think that since I know I only have them for a limited amount of time, I am more motivated to get started (and to get finished) within a reasonable amount of time.

Then there are all the "classics" that I want to get to. Many are available for free online, but that doesn't do me any good if I never get around to reading them!

So much to read, so little time!

My Alarm Clock

My "alarm clock" goes off every morning sometime between 6:30 and 7:00. At first it sounds like the click of Gracie's door and the pitter-patter of little feet running down the hallway. I roll over and go back to sleep. A few minutes later my alarm goes off again from down the hallway: Gracie's voice calling, "Mommy!" Then a few minutes later, Gracie again: "I love you, Mommy!" and an echo from Drew's bedroom: "I love you, Mommy!"

What a wonderful way to wake up to a new day. I would not trade my little "alarm clocks" for anything in the world!

You just can't win ...

I know I am overly sensitive about comments about my size when I am pregnant, but I just want to say that you can't win with me, no matter what you say.

When I was pregnant with Drew, one of my friends at church was pregnant with twins. She was due a couple of weeks after me (we ended up having our children on the same day!) but I got tired of people looking at her and then looking at me and asking me if I was sure I wasn't the one having twins. Nope, just one baby for me. And yes, I know, I gained a lot of weight.

This time, with only eight weeks until my due date, I look (and feel) huge, but people have been telling me that I look so cute and that I'm "finally" starting to show a little bit. Just how big did they think I was to start with? I have been showing for quite a while now!

So, my suggestion is to just refrain from commenting on a pregnant woman's size ... you won't win, no matter what you say.

Eight More Weeks

Just fifty-six days left until my due date. I cannot wait to meet my baby boy!

This pregnancy has seemed to fly by. My days are so busy just taking care of Gracie and Drew and keeping up with daily household tasks. Now I have the added challenge of trying to figure out what (and how) to teach Gracie. I have a feeling that I am going to blink and all of a sudden the baby will be here.

I was reading a craft book to Gracie the other day and it suggested making a paper chain with one link for each day when you were counting down to a big event. I am so tempted to make one with 56 links -- not so much for Drew and Gracie as for myself! It would be a fun reminder that he will be here soon.

I haven't really started to think about getting ready for him. The crib is set up, but that is only because Drew was still sleeping in it when we found out we were expecting again -- we moved Drew into a toddler bed but never took the crib apart. We did buy a minivan. The new baby will use Drew's car seat; Drew will use Gracie's; and Gracie will move up to a belt-positioning booster seat. I borrowed a baby swing from a friend at church. I bought two sleepers and another outfit for the baby last weekend, so he will have a few clothes. We don't have much yet, but at least he will have something to wear home from the hospital! (We donated all of Drew's and Gracie's baby clothes to an orphanage in Zambia that our church works with before we found out that this baby was on the way.) And I think we have finally decided on a name. I guess things are coming together, after all.

I have a sonogram next week to check on my low-lying placenta. I can't wait to get another peek at our baby, and I hope to hear that he is growing well and that things look good for a natural delivery.

First Day of School

A couple of weeks ago, Gracie announced that she wanted to start school when the big kids did. We have been planning to homeschool our children since before they were born, so you might think I would have been ready, but Gracie is only four and a half years old right now, so I had planned to wait another year to start "school" with her. I was left scrambling a little bit to come up with school activities for her.

I finally decided to use resources we have on hand: Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Siegfried Engelmann, Phyllis Haddox, and Elaine Bruner; handwriting worksheets created with StartWrite handwriting software; activities from The Three R's by Ruth Beechick; fun lapbook activities from Homeschool Share; and lots and lots of library books. School will last for an hour or less each day.

Gracie has been excited about school every morning this week. I hope that her enthusiasm lasts! Drew sits happily in his high chair and colors, does a craft, or plays with Play-Doh while Gracie works on her reading and writing with me. It will be interesting to see how things work out when the new baby arrives in October!

A Two-year-old's "Tragedy"

I gave Drew and Gracie each a new box of crayons this afternoon after lunch. Drew was so pleased with it. He pulled out each crayon to examine the different colors. He put them back in the box and then took them out again. He said some color names at random. But then the tragedy. One crayon broke. Drew cried for a long time. "Mommy, fix it. Tape it."

I know a broken crayon is so small in the grand scheme of things, but Drew is starting to learn that Mommy can't fix everything. Sometimes I wish I could.

Their Own Way

The other day Gracie and my husband were cleaning the living room in preparation for company. I was in the bedroom doing some cleaning, when I heard my husband burst out in laughter. Of course I had to go investigate. He told me that he had just asked Gracie to do something, and she just shook her head and said, "Men have their own way of doing things." I guess she's learning early! :)

Nightmares

Before my husband and I had children, I had a "real" job in the corporate world, working for an insurance company. I found the job to be somewhat stressful, and by the time I "retired," I was having nightmares about work almost every night. Even now, almost seven years later, I still have nightmares about that job occasionally. I had another one last night, and after I told my husband about it, he commented that I have had nightmares about that job far longer than I ever worked there.

I don't think working there was worth it for me.

Just on Sundays

We took Drew and Gracie to get their hair cut yesterday afternoon. The hair stylist was talking to Gracie as she was cutting her hair, and asked her if her mommy brushed her hair every day. Gracie said, "No, just on Sundays." After she thought about it for a minute or two, she changed her mind, saying "Just on days we go somewhere." A little bit better, I guess. :)

And for the record, yes I do brush Gracie's hair!

Water Park Woes

I took Drew and Gracie to the water park yesterday (with the help of our next-door neighbor girl, who happens to be one of the kids' favorite babysitters, as well as a lifeguard). This was the first time I have ever been swimming while I was pregnant, but I was given a maternity bathing suit, so I had no excuse not to go.

The bathing suit was the first of my water park woes. I actually received it on Monday, and tried it on then. When I asked Gracie what she thought of it, she said, "Mommy, look at your bottom. It has wrinkles in it." Thanks, Gracie. You really gave your mommy's self-confidence a boost there.

My second water park woe was over sunscreen. Last summer we used Water Babies sunscreen without any problems. However, when I used it earlier this summer when we were playing outside, Drew got a rash everywhere I applied sunscreen. I thought maybe he was sensitive to the fragrance in the sunscreen, since we do have to use fragrance-free laundry detergent. Yesterday I tried an Aveeno baby sunscreen that was fragrance-free, but today he broke out in a rash again. Both were chemical sunscreens, so I guess I should probably try a sunblock with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. I would love baby sunscreen recommendations.

Other than the bathing suit and sunscreen woes, we had a great time at the water park. Gracie is getting a lot braver. She went on the big water slide twice, "swam" in the big pool with a life jacket on, and floated around the lazy river. She even went down the water slide in the kids' area all by herself (with me at the bottom of the slide to catch her). Drew wasn't sure about the water at first, but by the end of the day he was happy to sit in the water and splash around. We're looking forward to going to the water park again this summer. I just hope we can find a sunscreen that works for Drew.

Bush Hair

My husband has nicknames for the kids: "Long Hair" for Gracie, and "Short Hair" for Drew. I don't really remember when he started calling the kids that. However, I will never forget the day that Gracie looked at my husband and asked, "If I'm Long Hair and Drew is Short Hair, who is Mommy?" My husband asked her what she thought they should call me. Gracie thought for a minute, and said, "Bush Hair!"

Unfortunately for me, Gracie's description is very fitting. My hair is long, and if there is any humidity at all it gets frizzy and looks like ... well, like a bush. My husband thought Gracie's nickname for me was hilarious, and he has called me that ever since. Maybe someday when the kids are older I will spare more time to try to tame my hair.

Summer Reading

I took Drew and Gracie to the library today to sign up for the summer reading program. Drew has really become a book lover in the past month or two. It makes trips to the library interesting, though. Drew has almost outgrown his stroller, but I still put him in it for the library, because he loves books so much that he wants to choose stacks and stacks of books for himself.

That's not my only problem with Drew and library books. I try so hard to watch him when he is looking at library books, because I know he can still be a little bit rough with them at times. Unfortunately, it seems like I end up at the circulation desk all too often, explaining the damage to one book or another. Our librarians are awesome. I always offer to pay for the damage, but more often than not they say it is something they can fix, and that they are happy that Drew is learning to love books. I am glad, too. I just wish he wouldn't love them quite so hard.

I am trying to decide how to choose books to read to Drew and Gracie this summer. I usually pick a few books at random and then let Gracie (and now Drew) pick some. Gracie almost always gets ones we have read before, and Drew just picks a handful that are all in a row from one shelf. I would love to have lots of variety in the books that we read, and I'm sure I'm missing some great books with my random choosing. Maybe I will adopt Drew's strategy and start at one end of the alphabet (for author's last name) and work our way through the library's picture book collection. :) I wonder how long it will take to read them all ...

Another Boy

We found out this morning that Drew and Gracie are going to have a baby brother. The baby seems to be healthy, so we are really thankful for that.

Am I allowed to say that I was hoping that we would have another girl? When I was pregnant with Drew, I felt sure that he was going to be a girl, and when I found out he was going to be a boy, it took me a while to adjust. This time I again felt sure we were going to have a baby girl, but again it's a boy. (For the record, I thought Gracie was going to be a boy, so I'm zero for three.)

The funny thing is that my husband's Granny has an uncanny ability to predict whether someone is expecting a boy or a girl. She has thirteen great grandchildren (plus this one on the way), and I think she has been right every time. She was even right when she told one of my husband's cousins that they were going to have a boy, even when their doctor said it would be a girl. We saw Granny last weekend, and she told me that she believed it would be another boy. How does she do it?

I can hardly believe that this pregnancy is halfway over already. At least I still have time to look through the baby name book for a boy's name.

Flower Girl

Gracie was the flower girl in my cousin's wedding on Saturday. She got to practice going down the aisle twice at the rehearsal, so we were hoping that she would know what to do for the wedding itself. The rehearsal was somewhat amusing. When she decided to try out the flower basket as a hat and to pick up the flowers at her feet and throw them into the air, we decided that it would be best for her to sit with us for the ceremony itself, rather than remaining at the front of the church. We thought that after we ironed out those few wrinkles, she would probably do fine.

During the actual wedding ceremony, we realized that we forgot to give her one very important instruction: that she should not talk while she was coming down the aisle! Gracie is a talker, so I don't know why we didn't think of that beforehand. We were treated to a running commentary as she came down the aisle: "Look how many flowers I dropped that time. Oh, I still have a lot of flowers left! Well, I can drop them when I go back to sit by mommy." Fortunately, the wedding was fairly informal and the bride and groom didn't mind.

I'm glad Gracie was in my cousin's wedding, because it gave her practice for our neighbor's (much more formal) wedding later this summer. Gracie and Drew are both going to be in that wedding, so it should be an adventure!

Hypochondria

I am a bit of a hypochondriac all the time, but I'm probably worse when I'm pregnant. I just never realized until Saturday how I might be rubbing off on my kids. I had a headache and a nosebleed when I woke up Saturday morning. Later in the day I felt like my face was really flushed and warm. I commented to my husband that I hoped that my blood pressure was not too high. (I'm not sure why my miscellaneous symptoms, all fairly normal during pregnancy, led me to speculate on my blood pressure.)

By Saturday evening, I had forgotten all about it, but I guess Gracie must have overheard me. While I was rocking Drew, Gracie brought out the plastic blood pressure cuff from her toy doctor kit. She proceeded to sit on the floor beside my rocking chair, wrap the cuff around both of her legs, and squeeze the little bulb three or four times. She looked closely at the gauge and then showed it to me. I made some comment about her blood pressure. She peered at the gauge again and asked, "Don't you think it looks a little bit high?" I reassured her that her blood pressure was just right, all the while promising myself that I would be more careful about my worries, especially the ones I express aloud.

One Year

This morning I checked the date on my very first post, and it was exactly one year ago. I knew I started blogging sometime in May last year, because it was shortly before Drew's first birthday. I remember posting about baking his birthday cake and packing to go out of town to visit the grandparents.

It has been a good year. I didn't post as often as I would have liked to, but I didn't let my blog die completely, either. I have a lot of ideas to write about, so maybe I will post more often in the coming year.

I can hardly believe that Drew is almost two years old already. My mom had asked me earlier this week what he might want for his birthday. After thinking about it, I don't think he truly "wants" anything. He has plenty to eat, lots of hugs and cuddles, and way too many toys. I want to buy him a fabulous gift just to see his eyes light up, but that would be for me, not for him. So, last night my husband and I took Drew shopping to see what he might choose for his birthday gift. We went up and down every aisle in the toy department twice. We tried out the itty-bitty bicycle that was just his size. We looked at the tricycles and big wheels. We looked at trains and race cars. But the thing that Drew latched on to were two small stuffed animals, an Elmo and a Cookie Monster. He would not let them go. He would not pick one or the other. He would barely let them go so we could pay for them. They rocked in the rocking chair and listened to bedtime stories last night. They slept in the bed with Drew, and came to the breakfast table this morning. We spent a grand total of about $12 on Drew for his birthday, but he seems content.

Today is birthday-cake-baking day again. Gracie will undoubtedly want to "help," making the process take at least 50% longer, so I need to get busy.

Boom!

Drew fell down the stairs the other day. I should have been watching him more carefully, so I felt terrible about it.

When you walk in our front door, we have six steps leading up to the main floor (with the kitchen, living and dining rooms, and bedrooms) and six steps leading down to the family room and laundry room. We were just coming in from outdoors, and I had my hands full, so I left Drew standing by the front door. The open door was blocking the way to the stairs going down, so I thought if he moved, he would most likely follow me up the stairs. He is fairly good at going up stairs by himself. Instead, he decided that he needed to shut the front door, so he was trying to go around the door to push it closed. The landing at the front door is small, and I happened to look down (I had put the things I was carrying down and was headed down to get him) just when he was teetering with his heels over the edge of the top step going down. My heart almost stopped as he tumbled down. I ran downstairs and picked him up. He cried for about a minute. I cried for about ten minutes.

When my husband got home from work that evening, he told Drew, "I heard you went boom down the stairs today." Drew's face just lit up, and he said, "Boom boom boom! Boom boom boom over boom stairs!" He seemed so proud of himself.

Since he was not injured at all, I can laugh about it now. I'm glad my little boy is so tough!

Feeling Better

In the last week or so I have finally started feeling better. I no longer feel like I might throw up at any moment. I have had several days in the past week when I did not throw up at all. It is an amazing feeling!

I am proud of myself, because I am a total wimp when it comes to being sick. When I was pregnant with Drew and Gracie I took Zofran, an amazing (and amazingly expensive) anti-nausea medication. This time I have been tough enough to go without it. Now that the first fifteen weeks of the pregnancy are past, I think I am going to make it.

It feels really good to begin to catch up with some of my normal daily activities. My housework, reading for fun, and blogging all were neglected while I was feeling so sick!

I am a wimp

I am an utter and complete wimp when it comes to feeling sick to my stomach. I can't tolerate it. I have thrown up every day this week (except for Tuesday, but I made up for that on Wednesday). I feel seasick all day long. I only wish this "morning sickness" was confined to the morning hours.

I can't read. I can't blog. I will be back in a couple of months when I feel better.

Expecting

My husband and I found out recently that we are expecting a baby this fall. I am really excited, but somewhat nervous at the same time. Gracie will be almost five and Drew will be about two and a half when our new baby arrives. Sometimes I wonder if I will be able to handle three children. And then there are the extra expenses: medical expenses, some maternity and baby gear (we thought we were done and gave it all away), a minivan (three car seats won't fit in either of the vehicles we currently own), and maybe a bigger house. Everything is up in the air now.

I told my husband that we were going to have to name the baby Kendall because that's as close to a Kindle as I'm going to get any time in the near future.

Shoveling Snow

I think my husband delights in telling his coworkers strange stories about our family. One day last week he told everyone how I got mad at him because he shoveled the snow out of the driveway. His coworkers must think I'm a nut.

It was, however, true that I got a bit frustrated with him for shoveling the driveway, because I wanted to do it! I had had a particularly frustrating day with Drew and Gracie, and all day I had been looking forward to going out after they were asleep to shovel the snow. I thought it would give me some exercise and a productive outlet for my frustration, but by the time I got outside, my husband was just finishing up with the sidewalk. Grrr.

So, when it snowed several inches last Thursday night, my husband was careful not to make that mistake again. He drove the Jeep to work on Friday so he could get through the snow in the driveway, and left the shoveling to me. Saturday morning he stayed inside with Drew, while Gracie and I played in shoveled the snow. My husband said it looked like I was working awfully slowly (oops, he caught me!) and when my brother called, my husband told him I was taking a vacation outside.

I was proud of myself, though, because several times when I have gone out to shovel the driveway, I play at it for a while and then let my husband finish the job. (You know, shoveling all the heavy, slushy, dirty snow mixed with sand and salt that the snowplow deposits at the end of the driveway.) This time, I stayed outside and worked at it until I finished the job.

Unfortunately, it snowed again last night. Maybe I will let my husband shovel the snow this time.

Crazy Weather

Our weather has been crazy! Last night we had thunder, lightning, and heavy snow ... all at the same time. Today the high is supposed to be 50 degrees Fahrenheit. I wish the weather would make up its mind.

New Year's Resolutions 2008 (as of February 1)

I can't believe January is over already! I thought that since it's the first day of a new month, it would be a good day to check up on my New Year's Resolutions to see how I am doing:

1. Read one chapter of the Bible to Drew and Gracie each day. We have read the book of Matthew and have started reading the book of Mark. We missed reading two days, but doubled up for a couple of days to catch up. Gracie has been enjoying listening to the stories about Jesus.
2. Get organized. Simplify and de-clutter. Establish some household routines. Teach Drew and Gracie to help out with some simple household chores each day. I can't believe I listed all this stuff as one goal! I have sorted out many books and some baby items that we no longer use. (I still have a lot of clutter left!) I am working on my daily routines. Drew and Gracie help me make my bed, fold laundry, dry dishes, and put away their toys most days.
   
3. Add a few more formal preschool-type activities for Gracie to our daily routine. Gracie and I practiced her letters and letter sounds for a while but stopped at her request. She has plenty of time to learn and I decided not to rush her.
   
4. Read a book each week. Eleven books on my reading list so far.
   
5. Find something that I can do from home to earn some money. I need to start looking!
   
6. Reduce my sugar intake and eat more healthy foods. I just ate a spoonful of hot fudge sauce while I wrote this post (at least I didn't eat the ice cream, too!) ...
   
7. Blog more often!
   

Green Bean Casserole

I think that green bean casserole may be one of my favorite comfort foods. (For the recipe, go to the French's Foods website and search for "green bean casserole.") I don't make it often because I am the only one in my family who will eat it, but I keep the ingredients in my cupboard, and occasionally on cold winter days I will make some for myself.

Today was one of those cold winter days. Not only do I love the way the green bean casserole tastes, I convince myself it is healthy because it contains green beans. And it brings back some fond memories -- like when I was pregnant with Drew and experiencing all day morning sickness and the only thing that sounded good to eat was green bean casserole. My mom was visiting that week, and she made green bean casserole for me for lunch three days in a row. Well, actually, she made it for me for four days ... but the fourth day I took one look at it and knew I wouldn't be able to eat it for the rest of the pregnancy. Now that Drew is a year and a half old, I can look back on those days and smile ... and enjoy my green bean casserole again!

Glasses

Gracie will be getting her first pair of glasses later this afternoon. I really wasn't expecting that she would need glasses when I took her for her eye exam this morning.

She has been getting her eyes checked ever since she was six months old, when I took her to the eye doctor for a blocked tear duct. Her tear duct cleared up without surgery, but the eye doctor discovered at that time that she was farsighted. I guess most young children are farsighted, but the eye doctor told us that Gracie is more farsighted than most, and she wanted to keep a close watch on her eyes to make sure that she did not start crossing them. I thought today would just be another routine check-up and we would be set for another year. Instead, this time the doctor told us that Gracie's left eye is more farsighted than her right eye, and that although this was also true last year, it is now starting to affect her vision because she can't see quite as well with her left eye as she can her right eye. The eye doctor wanted her to start wearing glasses so that the vision in both eyes will be the same. (I don't know much about children's vision, so I probably will spend some time on the Internet in the next few days learning more about it.)

The eye exam seemed to be easier this year (or at least easier for me to follow) since Gracie knows her letters now. They showed her one letter at a time, and after she identified it, they would show her another letter. The letters got progressively smaller. Any time she didn't identify one or asked, "What is it?" they would show her a different one in a bigger size and then reduce the size again for the next letter. After they reached a small size several times without her being able to identify the letter, when she had said all the letters at larger sizes, I guess they decided she really couldn't see them.

I let Gracie pick the frames she wanted ... pink, of course! I'm a little bit worried that she won't want to wear them all the time. Gracie has already said that she is afraid Drew will pull them off. She's probably right about that. I guess we'll see.

Addicted to Books

If the definition of addiction is "the condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or or involved in something," then I think it is safe to say that I am addicted to books. I have several shelves full of books. That's one of the reasons I would love to own an e-book reader. Then at least the evidence of my addiction would not overrun our house.

After looking at the Sony Reader at Borders and researching the Kindle online, I asked my husband how many books I would have to purge from my shelves before he would consider buying me one. He just threw out a number to get me started: books with list prices totaling twice the amount that the e-book reader costs. (This actually is a good deal for me because I almost never pay the full price for any book, and many of my books have come from thrift stores or the book sale sponsored by the Friends of the Library, and cost me between a quarter and a dollar each.)

With that goal in mind, I have been taking a hard look at my book shelves this week. I have come to the conclusion that I tend to keep books that tell me how to do something or become someone that I am not, but would like to be. For example:

• The five books on clutter and organizing are not going to magically get rid of my clutter ... in fact, they're adding to the problem.
• The stack of marriage books won't ensure that my marriage will remain a happy one. In fact, getting rid of the books would delight my husband.
• Owning several books about writing will not make me into a writer. I just need to sit down and start writing.
• Finally, my favorite: a book entitled The Millennium Problems: The Seven Greatest Unsolved Mathematical Puzzles of Our Time. The book describes seven mathematical problems that each have a prize of a million dollars offered for their solution by the Clay Mathematics Institute. What makes me think that I'll ever learn enough math to solve a problem that has stumped the most brilliant mathematicians?

After thinking about it, it was easy to let these books go. I want to get busy actually doing things -- not just reading about them!

Date Night

Last Friday night my husband and I went out on a date. We don't get to go out often without the kids because we have a hard time finding babysitters. So, I guess we are a little bit out of practice on the whole dating thing ...

My husband does not like to plan ahead -- he likes to keep his options open. That's fine most of the time, but we discovered that it makes for a long wait if we want to eat somewhere nice at 6:30 on a Friday evening. We ended up driving around town for half an hour before settling on Steak 'n Shake. After that, we drove by the movie theater, but decided that we weren't interested in seeing any of the movies that were showing. We ended up at a Borders bookstore. (Not that I minded -- a bookstore is one of my favorite places to go on a date. I guess I'm kind-of boring that way.) It felt really good to sit and relax and read with my husband for a while.

At Borders I got to see and hold a Sony Reader. They had two in stock, and I was ready to take one home with me. (I can be somewhat impulsive, so it's a good thing my husband was there to balance me out.) Over the weekend I spent some time drooling over looking at the Sony Reader and comparing it to the Kindle. From the reviews I read over the weekend, it appears that people seem to prefer the Kindle over the Sony Reader, and there are more titles available for the Kindle. I am pretty sure I would like either one. Now if I can just convince my husband to buy one for me!

Freedom

Ahhhh, sweet freedom ...

My husband's car finally got fixed on Wednesday. It had not been running since January 3. It was nothing major (it just needed a new battery), but it took us a while to get it fixed. On weekdays my husband drove my car to work, so I was stuck at home with two kids and no car.

I think Drew and Gracie and I all suffered a bit of cabin fever during the past few weeks. It might have been easier to be without a car in the summer time, when at least we would be able to play outdoors or go for a walk to get out of the house. Then again, maybe it was best that it happened in the winter time when it's cold out and I just want to stay inside and hibernate.

My husband does not understand why it bothered me to be at home with no car. I am a homebody, and chances are I wouldn't have gone anywhere on most of those days, anyway. That's not the point. I just don't like to feel stuck.

Yesterday was the first weekday in a long time that I had a car and could go somewhere. So how did the kids and I celebrate our freedom? We stayed home. It was too COLD to go anywhere! But at least I had a choice.

Matching Socks

I really should not match socks when I have a headache. I am trying to catch up with laundry today, and I have folded several baskets of laundry already.

Since one of my New Year's Resolutions was to teach Drew and Gracie to help with household chores, they are helping me fold laundry today. Gracie thinks this is a great game. She pretends that the pillow is her scrub board and the couch is the stream in which she must wash each piece of laundry before I fold it to put it away. Drew is running off with socks and dropping them in random places around the house. As much as I love having Drew and Gracie participate in my daily chores, it does make everything take longer.

Back to matching socks. I got down to the last two socks in the laundry basket ... and they didn't match. I looked at them closely and noticed that I had already folded one sock that looked identical to one of the remaining two and put it into my husband's drawer. The only problem is that he only has one pair that has that particular pattern. I went to check his sock drawer, and sure enough, I had folded the other sock to that pair with a sock that did not match it at all. I can just imagine the fun my husband would have at work trying to explain why his socks did not match. NOT. So, I refolded that sock with its mate.

The only problem is that I am still left with two socks that don't match each other. Maybe I need to check all the socks in my husband's drawer to make sure I matched them correctly. Or maybe I'll just wait and hope that the mates for those two socks show up in the wash eventually.

Snack Time

Drew and Gracie typically have a snack at about 10 AM every day -- nothing fancy -- sometimes Cheez-Its or graham crackers or some fruit or yogurt.

One morning last week I was working on writing some thank you notes for Christmas gifts. (I finally got them all done!) I knew it was almost 10:30, a little past snack time, but Drew and Gracie seemed content to sit at the table with me and color while I wrote notes. At least I thought they were content, until Drew climbed down off of his chair, came up to me grinning, and said, "bite!" Uh oh! What did he just take a bite of? I looked into his mouth. Orange crayon. Yummy. It's a good thing crayons are non toxic!

After brushing Drew's teeth to get as much of the orange crayon residue out of his mouth as possible, I fixed him a snack. Poor guy, I guess he was so hungry he had to take matters into his own hands.

New Name

My blog and I have new names today, the result of a comment on my last post.

I honestly did not put a lot of thought into the title of my blog. I definitely never meant to steal someone else's name. I'm just not the most creative person in the world: I'm a mommy, it's a blog. The Mommy Blog. But not anymore. I like the new title better, though, and it still reflects that this is my place to talk about my day or what's on my mind when I have no one else to talk to.

I am ashamed to admit that my first thought when I read the comment -- Am I obligated to change my blog's name just to make someone else's life easier? -- was not very kind. I'm sorry for that. I wondered for a few minutes what the rules are for blog titles. I suppose they would be similar to the rules for book titles (although to be honest, I have no idea what those rules are, either). A quick Google search found this article about trademark protection for blog names. Ack. I definitely don't want to get involved in a legal mess.

I next felt a momentary sense of panic when I wasn't sure I would be able to figure out how to change my blog's name. Fortunately, it proved easy enough to do. Since my blog's title means nothing to me, I changed it and moved on to something far more important to me: painting with water colors with Gracie.

If anyone has any complaint about the new name, please let me know and I'll change it again.

New Year's Resolutions 2008

Everyone at my house is feeling better now, so I had a chance to sit down and think about my goals for the new year. Here are some that I have come up with so far:

1. Read one chapter of the Bible to Drew and Gracie each day.
2. Get organized. Simplify and de-clutter. Establish some household routines. Teach Drew and Gracie to help out with some simple household chores each day.
3. Add a few more formal preschool-type activities for Gracie to our daily routine.
4. Read a book each week.
5. Find something that I can do from home to earn some money.
6. Reduce my sugar intake and eat more healthy foods.
7. Blog more often!

I think that will keep me busy this year! Now that I have my list written down (in a place I can find it!) I'll be able to look at it every now and then to see how I am doing.

I have no idea what I will find to do from home to earn some money ... so if you have any ideas for me, I would love to hear them!

Helicopter

When I was a teenager, my mom attended a seminar about parenting and parenting styles, and came home with descriptions that fit herself and my dad perfectly. Mom is a drill sergeant ("When I say jump, you better jump!") and Dad is a helicopter ("I will rescue you and protect you from the cruel world!"). I know my dad loves us very much and that is what prompts his protective behavior, but we have teased him about his hovering tendencies ever since then.

After I got married and moved away from home, Dad didn't hover as much, but every now and then he still gets into his "helicopter" mode. I had to laugh about one of my dad's phone calls this week. I could almost hear the rotor blades whirring in the background.

On Friday afternoon, my husband (home from work sick) was asleep in bed when the phone rang. I could not get up to answer the telephone because Drew was asleep on my lap and Gracie was sitting with me looking at a toy catalog. My husband woke up and groggily answered the telephone. It was my mom. They didn't talk long because he was half asleep and not feeling well. About half an hour later, the telephone woke him up again. This time it was my dad. "You all aren't suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, are you?" I guess he had taken into account the fact that my husband sounded groggy on the phone, we were all sick at the same time, and had had furnace trouble earlier in the week, and let his imagination go from there. My husband assured him that we all had head colds, that we have an electric furnace, and that the reason he sounded groggy was that he had just woken up to answer the telephone.

My husband really took it pretty well. He told me that he now sees where I get it from, because I am a "helicopter," too.

2008 Reading List

It's time to start a reading list for the new year. I know at the end of the year I will enjoy looking back to see what I have read this year and which books were my favorites. As I did for my list last year, I'll give each book a rating from 1-10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest.

Between Sundays by Karen Kingsbury (8)

A War of Gifts by Orson Scott Card (7)

Helping Your Child Learn to Read by Bernice Cullinan and Brod Bagert (8)

Priced to Move by Ginny Aiken (7)

My Soul to Keep by Davis Bunn (9)

Splitting Harriet by Tamara Leigh (8)

Six Days in June by Judy Kouzel (6)

Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler (10)

Better Late than Early by Raymond and Dorothy Moore (10)

100 Questions from My Child by Mallika Chopra (6)

Sidetracked Home Executives: From Pigpen to Paradise by Pam Young and Peggy Jones (10)

Unwrapping Christmas by Lori Copeland (9)

A Crooked Path by Annette Smith (7)

Happy New Year!

2008 has not gotten off to the best start for my family. On New Year's Day, all four of us woke up with colds. This is the first time in my memory that all four of us have been sick at the same time. I would not recommend it. Every family needs at least one well person (preferably one well adult) to take care of everyone else.

On January 2, we all woke up, still sick, to find that it was 64 degrees ... IN the house. Our furnace had two heating elements (out of three) that were burnt out. Don't you just love it when the repairman says, "We don't see this problem very often ...?"

This morning my husband was feeling well enough to return to work. He went out to the garage and found that his car wouldn't start. I really appreciated his comment that although our year has had a bit of a rough start, it could be a lot worse.

The fairly minor frustrations we have experienced in the past few days have been a good reminder to not take things for granted. I am truly thankful for all the blessings that we have: good health overall, a nice house to live in, the fact that my husband has a good job that he enjoys, and that we have two (mostly) reliable vehicles. Most of all, I am thankful for my husband and children. I couldn't ask for a better family!