I tend to be very wordy on my Monday recap posts, so today I will do bullets to force myself to be brief…

• Friday night, Eric had pizza.  I had a ham sandwich.  His looked way better than mine.
• We did a maternity tour at our hospital on Saturday afternoon.  It was a good idea, but I was really starting to hurt after an hour of walking/standing.  The nurse who led the tour was also very funny, definitely a plus!
• I had no motivation to do anything for the rest of Saturday.  But I did get some laundry and cleaning done.  And I’m gradually putting the finishing touches on the nursery.
• After church on Sunday, Eric made dinner (beef stroganoff).  In order to do this, he had to clean the kitchen and completely empty all counters.  Then he cooked.  Then he cleaned it all again.  He’s way more dedicated to a clean kitchen than I am!  But it still looks good this morning…how nice!
• I worked on laundry, baby stuff and ironing yesterday.  I also did some reading.  And we had a good time at small group last night, too.
• The room our group meets in at the church was full of fake Christmas trees for some reason.  They completely surrounded our table.  It made the room seem very woodsy…
• Last night, I discovered a good friend from college on Facebook.  He was on the team that I went to Australia with in 1996.  He and I kept each other sane for those 6 weeks.  Good memories!

Okay, I think that’s it.  Or at least the important stuff.  I’m off to start my day.  Happy Monday!

First the pet peeve: it annoys me that so many people drive on rainy days (like today) without turning on their HEADLIGHTS.  ARGGGGHHHH!!

Okay, I feel better now.

On to the praise. 

My dad had an appointment to meet with his knee doctor today, and the outcome of the visit was that the doctor finally admitted that there was no point postponing knee surgery any more.  They can now begin to discuss surgery (one knee or both) and when (as early as Dec. 11, as late as January).  This is a HUGE step that we have been waiting, literally, years to reach.  And I am very glad!

One day, in the not too distant future, my dad won’t walk like an 80-year-old man (he’s 58).  YAY!!!

I really need to get an oil change.  But I can’t seem to get to a place that does it.  Either I’m out running errands and just cut it from my list because I’m too tired to deal with it.  Or I can’t decide where to take my car, so I end up going nowhere.  I mean, I like this Valvoline place that you just drive through, but it’s expensive.  WalMart is cheap, but their service has been less than stellar the last few times I went there.  So I haven’t done it yet.

Really, I don’t think that getting an oil change should take this much mental energy…

I did run some errands yesterday in the morning.  Then I spent a couple of hours on the couch trying to get my swollen feet to look less marshmallow-y.  Then I chatted with Michelle for a while, interrupted occasionally by her conversations with Sierra.  Very funny!

In the early evening, Karen came over with a few things she’s letting me borrow, including some NB boys clothes, most of which Jason never wore!  I think we’re definitely reaching the place where I won’t have to worry about keeping these children clothed in the winter…woohoo!  And of course it was fun to play with J for a bit…he’s just too adorable for words!

And in baby news…tomorrow is exactly one month from the absolute end of my pregnancy.  It could happen sooner, but it will definitely happen precisely 30 days from tomorrow.  One month (or less) doesn’t sound so bad…

As for today, I need to do laundry again.  And I might need to run an errand.  And who knows…maybe I’ll get my oil changed!

Happy Friday!

I suppose I would call the gestational diabetes a bigger “problem.”  But for the most part, my pregnancy experience has been characterized much more by an ever-growing number of minor inconveniences. 

For example, I itch.

It’s from PUPPPs which is not a problem or dangerous (one website specifically noted that its mortality rates were zero ), just really annoying.  My rash seems to have jumped from the belly to my ankle, knee and wrist, too.  But only on my right side.  So now I’m swelling on the left and itching on the right (and doing both right in the middle!).  And, come to think of it, I guess that means I can blame Little Miss for the swelling and Little Man for the itching. I’ll have to write that in their baby books!

As for treating the itch, the best solution is NOT TOUCHING.  It’s the kind of itch that only gets worse with scratching, instead of better.  It’s hard to retrain yourself not to touch your own belly in certain spots.  And I spend a lot of time with my belly hanging out, just so my shirt doesn’t cause more itching! (No there will not be pics ) Not that this strategy always works, mind you, because I keep bumping into things with the belly…right where the rash is.  Voila!  More itching!

Which leads to a second minor inconvenience…the distance I must stand/sit away from things.

Now keep in mind that I’m five feet tall and have short arms.  With the belly getting bigger all the time, doing very normal things requires feats of acrobatic daring or contortionist-level skill. 

• Washing my hands.  (We so need to invest in those movable sink faucets!) 
• Brushing my teeth (trying to spit accurately into the sink from this distance can be quite amusing)! 
• Hugging Eric. 
• Putting away dishes on the second shelf of the cupboards (and forget the third shelf entirely!). 
• Cooking.  Last night, both hot water and hot oil splattered the belly a bit while I was making dinner.  Ouch!
• And eating.  I cannot avoid spilling my food down the front of myself.  And (ask my family) my ability to drop food onto my shirts was already legendary before there was a belly.  Now it’s just plain ridiculous!

There are other inconveniences, of course.  The swelling.  The difficulty getting up from a chair (or out of my car).  The carpal tunnel in my hands.  The aerobic activity that walking up stairs has become. 

But, then again, in just over 30 days (at the latest), there will be babies, and (as I’ve been told) they make it all worth it.  We can’t wait!

But I also hear that the babies’ arrival coincides with whatever lovely hormone helps women forget how much of a pain pregnancy can be.  Ahhh…hormonal memory blocks…I look forward to your arrival…even so, come quickly…

(DISCLAIMER: The preceding was intended to be humorous.  Hopefully, it didn’t sound too whiny! )

First, the Politics…
I did get to vote yesterday.  I went about 10:30 and was driving out by 11:30.  Not bad at all!

I sort of guessed that Obama would win.  I refuse to spend the day in discouragement and sadness because I did my part.  And our country will not tank completely (we did survive 8 years of Clinton, after all!).  But we now bear a huge responsibility to pray for our country even more because Eric was right when he noted yesterday that fiscal liberalism comes and goes because it isn’t sustainable.  So it will always shift back to fiscal conservatism eventually.  But moral conservatism, once lost, is much harder to get back. 

An interesting thought occured to me yesterday in the shower.  I was thinking about voting.  I am called, as an American citizen, to vote, to participate.  I am not called to control outcomes.  So all I must do is know where I stand and cast my ballot when the opportunity is given.  And suddenly it struck me how much prayer is like that, too.  I am, as a Christian, called to pray, but I am not responsible for the outcomes of the situations about which I pray.  God wants me to come and talk to him about my needs and opinions and worries, but then leave the final results up to Him.  I haven’t totally finished thinking this one through, but it was interesting to consider…

And on to the Non-Politics…

I went to Babies r Us yesterday because they were having a big sale.  I think I now have enough clothes to survive most of a week with two babies without having to do laundry.  That will be very good, I think!  I did realize later that I bought the wrong size of socks, so I’ll need to remedy that issue.  But I think I have time for that…

Today will be much more weighted to sitting.  I’ve been on my feet too much the last couple of days.  My feet and legs need the rest.

My parents came up last night.  They joined us for dinner: we provided the food, they brought the funny stories.  Then my mom cleared the table while I set up the ironing board.  Then she ironed the dust ruffles for the cribs while I loaded the dishwasher.  Then we both went upstairs and put the cribs together with all the bedding.  I am SO glad she came up to help me with that, too.  It was a much bigger job than I could have easily done by myself (we ended up having to move the cribs to work around them), and having her help made it go much smoother and faster!  My mom is the best!

So now the nursery is almost totally ready for babies.  We still need a chair, and the rest of the items need to be stored somewhere or hung up, etc.  But if they came tomorrow, we’d be in good shape, I think!  Woo hoo!

For the most recent pictures of my belly and baby stuff, check out this link.  Then click on the Babies album.  I hope it works for you!

Happy Wednesday…

This is the biggest dilemma of my day right now.  Normally it wouldn’t matter, but I decided not to vote absentee because I like actually going to vote on Election Day…it makes me feel very patriotic!  Anyway, like I said, normally it wouldn’t matter, but I’m 33 weeks pregnant with twins this year, and I can’t stand in a line for 2 hours so easily these days.  So I’m debating about when the lines will most likely be as short as possible today.  We shall see…

I spent some time this morning listing all the issues/candidates and how I intend to vote.   That way, I can just walk in and vote (and look up my decision if I need it) and keep the lines moving. I’ve never done this before, and I always end up not voting for some issues/races because I’d rather abstain than randomly pick a side or candidate!  We’ll see how it works!

Yesterday I really pushed my limits (not intentionally).  I did get the grocery shopping done.  I didn’t even fill my cart completely, but it was still crazy expensive.  Yikes!  In the afternoon, I got a second wind and cleaned up my kitchen which was just disgusting me to no end. But by the time I’d finished making dinner, I knew my body was about to call it quits on me.  So Eric graciously cleaned up after dinner (better than I would have done it!), and I sat on the couch for the rest of the night.  Lovely!

I think that’s really all I have to say this morning.  So I will, for once, just stop before I start rambling!  Have a Happy Tuesday (and don’t forget to vote)!!

…to having stuff done for the babies’ arrival (whenever that may be)!

Friday night was Trick or Treat in our neighborhood, so we spent most of the evening handing out candy and chatting with our neighbors.  Eric always says he could do without handing out candy (he grew up in the country with no place to go for trick or treating), but I like to do it because it’s the one night a year I know I’ll chat with the people who live near us.  And I like that! 

Saturday was a pretty boring day.  Neither of us seemed to have any gumption to accomplish much.  So I did a few chores and later we ran over to the Amish furniture store to look at chairs.  We didn’t buy anything, but that is the only remaining component of the nursery that is still totally undecided. I think it would be a good idea to have some sort of chair in the nursery, but any chair that fits seems too small to be used effectively for nursing.  So we’re still working on that!

Sunday was our busy day.  After church and dinner, my parents came up to bring us the dresser my dad built for the nursery.  Isn’t it fabulous?!?

He, of course, pointed out “all” the flaws, but I think it looks great.  And he matched its finish to the cribs almost perfectly!  Then my mom put shelf paper in the drawers, so now all the baby laundry I’ve done over the last few days can actually be put away!  I’m very excited to see it all come together so well.

While they were here, Karen brought Jason over for a visit, too.  So we got to play with him until he was in desperate need of a nap (which is when they left)!  My parents stayed for a while longer, and in the evening, we went to small group. And that was our weekend!

As for today, I have a lot of tidying up to do (kitchen, putting away piles of baby stuff, doing more laundry for the clothes my mom brought up for us, etc.).  And I MUST go grocery shopping.  I put it off all weekend so I didn’t have to fight the crowds, but we are in dire need of many, many things now.  So I will make my list and head out today.  And all of that should keep me pretty busy today!

I think that’s all I’ve got for now…Happy Monday!

I actually have them today…woohoo!

Eric’s birthday present arrived yesterday.  I ordered in on Wednesday, I think.  The free shipping is 7-10 business days.   It came in two.  Works for me!

The Today Show (I watch while I eat breakfast) had a segment on the vaccines/autism in children debate.  I don’t know where you all stand on that concept, but it was kind of interesting to watch.  Their medical correspondent (Dr. Nancy Snyderman) got almost cranky at Matt Lauer over it (she sees no causal link).  If you care, you can check it out…

I got all my thank you notes written yesterday.  And in envelopes.  And all but 4 addressed.  But the best part of all is that they are finally using up my old stamps.  I bought a roll of stamps at 39¢ years ago, but haven’t been able to use them up (despite TWO rate increases) because we pay most of our bills online.  So today, I can finally go buy a roll of stamps which means I can go back to putting only ONE stamp on every letter I mail (instead of 3 – 39¢ + 2¢ + 1¢).  Yippee!!

Yesterday I had a doctor’s appointment.  I’m 32 weeks and 4 days.  She didn’t even bother measuring how big I am (fundal height).  I guess that means I really am ginormous!  They’re still both breach, so they scheduled a c-section.  For December 8.   That is 38 weeks, six full weeks away.  I was not really excited about how far away that is.  Of course, I doubt I’ll make it that long (ie, will need an emergency c-section after I go into labor), but still, the guaranteed end is not as “in sight” as I was hoping it might be.  Oh…and I have developed PUPPP which is a harmless but really annoying rash with intense itching.  It won’t go away until they’re born.  Oh goodie… 
I’m so ready to be done with this…

Eric’s brother came and took him out for dinner last night.  That worked for me because I had no idea what to have for dinner.  So I found something for myself and worked on thank yous, and they went and found a costume for Ryan to wear to work today (a monk’s outfit… he looked like something from Monty Python and the Holy Grail).  Then we just hung out for a bit.

I actually have an agenda today!  Here’s the plan so far (in no particular order):

• Make a meal plan for November (and maybe December, just to have one when the babies come)
• Mail thank-you notes
• Buy a roll of stamps (preferably the “forever” kind, so future rate increases won’t affect me)
• Cash a couple of checks
• Make a couple of returns (to Meijer and Target)
• Buy a few things so I can survive the weekend (I’m almost out of peanut butter ).  I hate to shop on Saturdays…that’s when the crazy soccer moms are out!
• Hand out candy for Trick or Treat-ing tonight.
• Buy coffee grounds so Eric can have coffee over the weekend.

I’m sure I have a few more errands to run (apparently they’ve been collecting all week), but we shall see what else pops up today. 

Anyway, I hope you all have a marvelous Friday and a relaxing weekend! 

Because I have no real theme for any of the random-ness floating around in my head this morning.  So, bullets it is!

• I was not very exciting yesterday.  In fact, I never left the house (not even to get the mail).  I don’t think I even put shoes on yesterday.  Oh well.
• We were both pretty tired from our late night on Tuesday, so we stayed up as late as we could (9:30), recorded the last half of MythBusters, and went to bed!  We both slept really well, too.  I guess sheer exhaustion will do that for you!
• I did sort some of the baby stuff to be washed yesterday (but did no laundry) and I loaded the dishwasher and ran it.  And I made dinner.  For me, a very productive day!
• This morning, so far, I’ve unloaded the dishwasher and printed a letter/envelope that must be mailed today.  I’m already ahead of my yesterday self…
• Today sort of feels like Friday to me.  But it also feels like a Thursday.  I wonder when I’ll ever get my days of the week right again…

Okay, this is boring even me.  So if something else, more exciting, comes up, I’ll post again later!  Happy Thursday!

You know, like Goldilocks…”and the porridge/chair/bed was just right.”

That’s how I felt about yesterday when I was climbing the stairs to bed.  Of course, not everything was perfect, but when I looked back at the day itself, it was with a very contented sigh.

• The amount of work I did yesterday was just right.  I didn’t get everything on my list done, but the house looked good and the lasagna turned out yummy. 
• I had enough time to sit for an hour or two in both the morning and afternoon which was good because there was much swelling yesterday in the feet, even before I did anything other than shower!
• The number of people was just perfect for what I could stay on top of yesterday.  Not that I’m glad the other couple couldn’t come, but the 6 adults/1 child combo was much better for me than 8 adults/2 children would have been.
• One of the couples had to leave pretty early to put said child to bed.  The other couple stayed until 11:30!  I’m a little tired today, but the conversation was fun and funny, and I enjoyed it immensely!

So it was a good day for sure.

In other news, the dietician did finally call me back yesterday.  She was at a conference last week (perhaps she could have put that on her voicemail ) and she has most Mondays off, I guess.  So at least she wasn’t ignoring me.  And I got a chance to get her recommendations about my food intake.  Of course, it all comes down to me needing to eat more (on top of the 6 meals a day I’m already eating)…I’m not sure how we’ll manage it, but I’ll keep trying.

I guess that’s a good start for today, anyway.  Happy Wednesday!