Well-Read Wednesdays

Well, I have decided to try to add another weekly dose of fun – a day where I can briefly talk about a book or two. Most of you who know me know that I LOVE to read ALL kinds of different books, so this should be fun...especially for me...:)If I get organized enough, I’d love to do some book give-a-ways as well.

Having young ones around has made me very interested in finding high quality children’s books, so today I’m going to talk about two of MY favorite children's books.

The first is called “I’d Be Your Princess” by Kathryn O'Brien.

 

I found this book on a 50% Christmas sale at Berean. The girls helped to wrap it, and then gave it to their Daddy on Christmas morning. I LOVE the amazing illustrations in this book – very rich, colorful, and engaging.

And even more, I LOVE the story. It is a conversation between a Father and his daughter that begins each page with, “If I were a princess…” And on each page, the Father talks to his daughter about all of the Godly traits that would make her the perfect princess. There is a Bible verse listed on the bottom of each page that correlates to the trait talked about (i.e.. “You are very generous and kind” with Gal. 5:13 – “Serve one another in love”)

The girls beg their Daddy to read this book to them often, and he has often told me that he chokes back a few tears as he reads it to them. This book would be a great Father’s Day present or just one to add to your little girl’s library.

BTW…they have one for Moms and their sons, called, “I’d Be Your Hero.” And yes, I will be getting a copy for my own son - I can’t wait!

 

The next book is called “You’re All My Favorites” by Sam McBratney.

 

This has been MY current story to read because it is the simple, but wonderfully told, story about three baby bears who decide to ask their Mom and Dad, “Which one of us is your favorite?” And the Mommy and Daddy affirm each and every baby bear and tell them why they are ALL their favorites!!

I especially love this one because the three baby bears remind me of own soon-to-be three little ones, and just like the story, they are ALL my favorites! The picture below has it shown with the stuffed animals that can be bought with the book (my Mom bought them for our family...thanks Mom!) This book is SO incredibly sweet, and one the girls ask for VERY often

“Will you read it again, Mommy?” “Again? Ok, one more time [smile]…”

I’m always looking for great new children’s books to add to the Smith library…so please tell me, what’s one of your favorites - and you don’t have to have kiddos to answer…like many of you, I loved children's books before I had children to read to!

The "List"

As baby Joshua's birth moves ever closer, my brain moves ever faster, and my list of "projects" that I want to get done before his birth gets ever longer. Also, the house is starting to seem smaller and smaller, as the thought of having three kids in our less than 1500 sq ft house is starting to make me feel slightly panicked (I know of several other ladies who have dealt with three kids with even less room, so I know I'll be OK). So, in an effort to get my thoughts out there, I share with you a portion of "The List"
1. Clean out middle bedroom - we're about 3/4 done with this one
2. Paint middle bedroom and possibly master bedroom - we have a guy coming to give us a quote for what he would charge to paint both rooms. If it's too expensive, we'll just paint baby Josh's room ourself and put ours on hold.
3. Decorate nursery - we have Joshua's crib set already. I found this ADORABLE Pottery Barn Dinosaur crib set on Craig's List (I took a picture of the quilt that came wit the set....see below) It was actually in Utah, but the owner was willing to ship to me. I got for it for a GREAT price too - cut stuff at a good price - it makes me happy!

 

4. Get the girls a big-girl bed for their room - I have had a very frustrated search on Craigs List for a white wooden trundle bed. I have found some online and in the store, but I'm trying to avoid paying $600 for it. We need to move the crib and toddler bed out though.....so the search continues
5. FILE TAXES!!! - This one is really important to me. Since my hubby is self-employed, getting all the information together to file our taxes is sometimes a big job. We have a great CPA who does the heavy lifting for us, but again, beacuase we are self-employed we have to pay all of our taxes, etc. that my dear hubby has been saving all year long. I'm ready to know exactly where we stand with the dear ol' IRS.
6. Put in new flooring in kitchen and bathrooms - This one will happen if we get a return on our taxes (which thanks to the Economic Stimulus Package passing, we will get a return of some kind). We are looking to hire a private party to put in wood laminate in the kitchen and washroom and put tile in the bathrooms.
7. Clean out garage - Yup, I want it staight and clean. Right now it's a definite mess. Don't have a total reason as to why this is so important to me, except for nesting reasons.
8. Get girls spring wardrobe - I usually start buying in February to get the girls' spring wardrobe going. This year I would really like it ALL done before the baby comes, because I know I'm NOT brave enought to shop with a preschooler, a toddler, and a newborn. :)

Well, that's it, the BIG stuff that I want to get done before Joshua is born. I don't know if I'll go full-term or be induced early, and this only increases the urgency in my mind.

I read the Bible story to the girls last night about Jesus commanding the wind and waves to "Peace-be still". Today K-Bug told me, "Does Mommy need to be still?" And, I told her, "Oh, yes, Mommy needs to be still too"

Lord, help me to be still before you, and commit this "list" to you!

I Am.....

Soooo incredibly tired. I don’t know if it’s just pregnancy at 33 weeks, my gestational diabetes (although my blood sugar is currently holding pretty steady), if my iron might be low again, or if my body is just trying to recover from this past week. It was one of our busiest to date. Here’s a quick overview –

1.We took the girls to the zoo and Rainforest Café’ on Martin Luther King Jr Day since my dear hubby had the day off. It was busy (and boy did my feet hurt from all that walking at the zoo!) but LOTS of fun!
2.I had TWO doctor’s appointments – one with the specialist for the diabetes and tummy check with my regular OB.
3.THREE different shopping trips – one to Wal-Mart, one to Sprouts, and one to Costco. All of them were for much needed groceries.
4.We also went on Friday to look at a trundle bed for the girls room that I found on Craig’s List. It turned out not to be what we needed, but that’s OK
5.Saturday was a baby shower (that I was helping to plan) and Sunday was full with church and an afternoon birthday party…..WHEW!!!

Interestingly, one of mine and my dear hubby’s goals for 2008 is to be more intentional about slowing down. We’ve decided to do that by actually scheduling weekends on our calendar where we write the word “NOTHING” in bold, black letters. And then, we simpy say “No” to 99% of things that are going on that weekend. It’s been a little tough for me, as I have had to say “No” to more than my share of offers, but it’s been SO incredibly good for us too. We’ve already scheduled two nothing weekends in February, wrapped on both sides of two weekends packed full of events.

Slowing down is good – and this week is nice and open, with no events in site……maybe I’ll go and take a nice, long, hot shower, and put my fuzzy slippers on (and maybe even blog a bit more than I have been!)

Ahhhh……rest……

Diabetes Update

So, today was the day that I went for my “diabetic education” appointment over at Arizona Perinatal Care Center. I arrived at the office at the o-dark-thirty hour of 7:00 a.m.After filling out large amounts of paperwork, I quietly waited in the office (while looking at my scrapbooking magazines – thanks Trace!!) until my name was called.
The first order of the morning was a Level II ultrasound. The ultrasound tech was very sweet, and super enthusiastic about my “big, beautiful belly!” She loved the fact that the baby was all out-front, because, in her words “Oh, these pictures are just SOOO clear and beautiful!” She talked to me the entire time and told me exactly what she was taking measurements of, etc. Everything came back completely healthy and normal – great heart, healthy lungs, normal head shape/size, etc. I also had her give me up-close pictures of our little guy’s private part – just wanted to make sure that “he” was really a “he”. Sure enough, there’s no doubt he is ALL boy!

 

We also got this great picture of his very cute little foot…..

 

From the ultrasound room, I went into an office, where I sat with a dietician for my “diabetes education”. Val was another very nice lady, with lots of good information. She walked me through a meal plan, and showed me how to use my new glucose monitor (ouch! It’s a quick prick with a tiny little needle, but it does hurt) and showed me how to fill out all of my weekly eating charts. I will send my charts, showing food consumption and my blood sugar readings, into their office weekly (by fax) so that the dietician can keep track of all that’s going on body-wise with me.

Finally, I went to one more office to have a consult with Dr. Petron. A friendly and professional man, he told me that the only concern was the baby’s overall size, with the baby measuring at 35 weeks already (the ultrasound tech had told me this earlier in the morning). I was 32 weeks yesterday. He said that if this little guy were to go full-term, he could weigh in at close to 10 pounds!

Although he said that the diabetes was a factor, he also said that the baby could also just be “a big, burly boy.” The concern for a small woman like myself is that I won’t be able to push out a baby quite that big.

So, in the doctor’s words, the “handwriting is kind-of on the wall” for a possible early inducement, with the hopes of avoiding any kind of C-section. I will return to Arizona Perinatal Care Center in exactly four weeks for another ultrasound and doctor consult.

The doctor said it really was too early to make any kind of final decisions or predictions, so I guess for now, I will eat healthy, poke often (again, ouch!) and see two sets of doctors (my regular OB and the OB specialist) over the next few weeks.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and your love. God has the precious boy right in the palm of His hand, and I am at peace with my big God being fully in control.

Monday Moment (on Tuesday)

Just wanted to share a smile and an "awww!" moment you today..

 

You might be a three-year old preschooler named K-Bug if you –
1.Walk through the grocery store calling, “Sour cream, sour cream, where arrrrre yoou?”
2.Offer to let Mommy wear your Tinker-bell panties – “and I’ll wear the pony panties, Mom.”
3.Use your imagination to be a purple kitty, a brown puppy, or a baby tiger (your favorite) - all in one afternoon
4.Can’t pick up your toys because “it might be too scary” [nice try, kiddo]
5.Like to tell the same joke over and over again to EVERYONE - “What’s a pirate’s favorite letter? Arrrrr! {R}” – and then laugh hysterically at the joke yourself
6.Enjoy wearing large pink boots, a red fire-hat, and completing the ensemble with a colored wand
7.Dance and sing your way through the entire day
8.Love to play with your sister (even if you a *little* bit bossy sometimes) and teaching her how to use the potty
9.Offer to share your “flakes cereal” with baby Joshua after he is born – Note: K-Bug doesn’t like her flakes cereal very much, but it was cute to hear her try to pass it off to the baby
10.Bring joy, hugs, smile, laughter and music into our lives every day!!

Monday Moments...

It’s Monday again….time to smile, time to laugh, and time to slow down and see the humor in life around us.
“Fire & Water”
Ok, so I admit that I have had a few “oven” incidents in my years a cook. And we’re not talking about burning toast either. However, due to the Lord’s grace and working smoke alarms there have never been any situations that require the fire department….

However, a few months ago, I was cooking dinner and talking to my sister on the phone at the same time. I had a steak that I was broiling in the oven, so I slid it on the top rack, and continued my conversation.

Little did I know, SOMEONE (we won’t say who…but it might have been someone’s whose name starts with an S and ends in tacy.) had moved the oven rack up a rung or two, so the steak – which was quite thick – was pressed up against the coils.

I turned from my vegetable chopping to see large amounts of smoke pouring out from the stove’s back burner. Cracking the door open, I could see that the top layer of meat was um…baking….. with flames dancing happily away.

Hey, everyone loves barbecue, right?

“I’ve gotta go! The steak’s on fire!” I yelled into the phone.

I hung up to the sound of my sister’s laughter ringing in my ears.

Thankfully, with the oven off, the flames quickly died down, and I was able to salvage the rest of the dinner, even though my family refused to eat the black meat on the top…..I told them that charcoal aids in digestion, but no dice...

I didn’t need any water to put out my little “steak fire”, but if I did my friend Nicole would have had plenty to spare.

This little incident happened just last week, as I was visiting one of my dearest and bestest friends (and her cutie-patootie son).

She had made me a snack (she always knows what to feed me to make me feel GREAT!) and had asked if I wanted something to drink.

“Just a glass of water….thanks”

Realizing that their water cooler was empty, she headed out to the garage for a new five gallon jug. She removed the empty jug, and heaved the full bottle onto her hip. She was getting to make the final “swing” that would put the container into it’s new resting place, when her grip slipped and the container fell onto the wood laminate floor.

It bounced once, then, it happened….. a giant crack which soon become a giant split and then, “GA-BOOSH!!!” – five gallons of water rushed over the floor, under the table, and behind the refrigerator, and over our bare feet.

Now drenched in water up to her ankles, Nickle-Pickle quickly rushed to the garage for the handy-dandy Wet & Dry shop-vac. She called her husband to inform him of the situation (“I flooded the kitchen!”) and then set about plugging in and turning on the blue canister vacuum.

With a giant whir, the machine roared to life, and we proceeded to watch the vacuum slurp water down it’s giant black tube. The only problem was that the slurping quickly turned to sipping….it simply wasn’t sucking much up. Looking behind her to see the problem, we saw a giant lather of foam had been squirting out the back of the vacuum and all over her kitchen counters, floor, etc.

At this point, we lost it. I had to sit down to stabilize my pregnant belly, completely shaking with laughter. Nickle-Pickle had to lean on a counter to hold herself up. Once we regained composure, we mopped up the rest of the water with beach towels, and left her floor sparkling clean.

Now, although you might be doubting my ability to broil things in the oven, or Nickle-Pickle’s ability to sling large jugs of water, rest assured that it is our pleasure (thanks for the help Nickle-Pickle!) to bring a smile to your face today! Blessings!

Pregnancy Update - 30 Weeks

 

Ok, so I’m not technically 30 weeks yet, but I will be next Monday, so I thought I would just go for the nice, round number and take it from there.

As you can see, my belly has swollen to sizes that would make Farmer Brown’s Melon farm mighty proud – it is huge! Everywhere I go, people ask the natural “When are you due?” question, and I’ve almost gotten to the point of expecting them to be completely taken aback when I tell them that I’m not due until March!

Yes, people, hang on to you hats – in all likelihood, I will get bigger!

In other news, I took my normal glucose test a few weeks ago and failed, causing me to be sent for the longer, three-hour glucose test, which I took last week. My doctor’s office called me this past Tuesday to tell me that I had failed that test too – which means I am officially diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

What does that all mean? I’m not exactly sure yet. They gave me some information on the phone, asking me to come in for yet another blood draw, informing me that my days of eating sugar were officially over (for now), and that I would be sent for some “diabetes education” in the near future.

I did some research online, and have been trying to follow a five mini meals, low-carb, no sugar, high protein diet. I definitely have noticed that my mornings have been rough the past week or so – I wake up feeling sick, light-headed, and sometimes dizzy to the point of whiting-out (or feeling like I might pass out). Now that I know this diagnosis, it’s making sense to me that my blood sugar is probably taking a not-so-pleasant dip first thing in the morning. I’m going to try to eat some protein (like raw almonds) first thing in the morning, and then make sure that I get a good breakfast.

Thankfully, it sounds like I have a rather mild form of the diabetes, and although I will be subject to more tests (and MANY more blood draws) it sounds as though I can control it through diet and some mild exercise. I will know more after my regular OB appointment this afternoon.

I was also diagnosed a few weeks ago with some anemia, but some iron added to my daily pre-natal has definitely helped with that.

Otherwise, my little monkey of a baby is busy rolling and kicking most of the time.

Oof! There he goes right now…

As much as I have some discomfort, I am so thankful for a growing, healthy baby boy. I ask for your prayers for a continued healthy pregnancy, even as I manage the new diagnosis of the diabetes.

Christmas Recap - Part 1

I am still here – just been SOOO super busy that I have either fallen asleep before I could blog or just not had the chance to get to my computer. The last few weeks (and especially the last few days) before Christmas seemed to descend on our family like a snowstorm – and the flurries are just now clearing up…  Here’s just a quick snapshot of what the Smith family has been up to.

Christmas was WONDERFUL, just very busy. We did special outings with my Mother-in-law, a gag gift party for my Father-in-law’s side of the family, a Christmas Eve service at church (where my dear hubby led the music), multiple Christmas parties…whew!

We spent all of Christmas Eve day with my family as my sister and her husband had headed down all the way from Okahoma to be with us. SOOO much fun!!

 

We opened presents late that night, with both of the girlies taking a late afternoon/early evening nap so that they could stay up for the presents (although adrenilene might have carried them through… K-Bug got the dollhouse she had been asking for, and Lorelin got this great Little Einstein’s play-set.

 

Being 2 ½ and 3 ½ they responded to EVERY gift with wonder and excitement – even if it wasn’t for them {grin}.

“Wow, Mommy, your new book is SOOO cool!”
“Yook at this Daddy! It’s- a -SHIRT!!”

We then spent Christmas morning at my dear hubby’s sister’s house, where the girlies were like little ping-pong balls, with our now teenaged (and one pre-teen) niece and nephews playing it cool as they opened their gifts. (when does that happen to us??) Stil, it was great to see them all and we had a great time. Here are the girlies with their cousin Alison.

 

Then it was back to my family’s house for dinner and stockings with my sis and her hubby and my parents. And then, we finally rested………