Pregnancy Thoughts

I saw these questions and answers on another blog and thought I would use them to capture my thoughts about my pregnancy. So, here we go. Warning: it might not be all merry and bright. This was a very hard pregnancy.

How far along? 37 weeks

Total weight gain? I am not going to tell you, but it was a lot.

Maternity clothes? Whatever I have had from the last three pregnancies. No need buying new one for my last go around.

Stretch marks? I have been pretty good not to have too many. But I did notice 3 on my waist, but that isn't too bad if you ask me.

Sleep: horrible. Hips hurt and I keep flipping from side to side. I wake up 4 times a night to go to the bathroom and I feel like my body will break in half each time i have I get out of bed. Then when I land on my feet, my hip almost gives out and I almost fall every time.

Best moment this week: Having my 4 year old always ask to feel the baby kick. She loves to sit and touch my belly and feel him kick. She even pretends with my 2 year old that she has a baby in her belly and he should sit and feel it.

Miss anything: Too many things that I can't name them all. But mostly, being able to move and do things. My life drastically changes when I am pregnant.

Baby Movement: All the time. Especially when I am on my back. He always has to re-adjust to get comfortable.

Food cravings: anything cold, crushed ice.. I drink/chew it so much, it is probably what keeps me up all night.

Anything make you queasy or sick: the first half of my pregnancy....everything. Now, I am back to normal.

Gender: boy

Labor signs: Braxton Hicks like crazy and they hurt. I have had them since 30 weeks.

Symptoms: you name it, i have had it or have it. Heartburn, swelling, insomnia, other things that are TMI.... and the pain... my body is too old to do this. I am in constant pain.

Belly button in or out? almost disappeared entirely

Wedding rings on or off? Has been off for since month one. I knew it wouldn't fit once I got pregnant, so I just took it off.

Happy or moody most of the time? Better than in past pregnancies, but I am definitely not the beaming, glowing pregnant woman people talk about. Impatience gets the best of me.

Looking forward to: Not being pregnant. Getting my body back and having our family completed! I can't wait to meet the little guy!

I want that...

I saw this photo and thought... he stole my idea. I love Latte bowls. Every time I walk into Anthropologie and see them I say to myself "I want to collect these bowls and then display them." But I don't every do it because a) i don't have the storage space and b) or a place to display them. But I love them. They are perfect the perfect bowl. Always colorful and pretty and the perfect size.

I wish I had a fun place to display these pretty bowls. maybe someday!

First Day

This week was the start of school. Hannah started 1st Grade and Ella started preschool. After six yeas, our lives have all changed. No more lazy mornings, no more having all the kids home, no more easy schedule. We are official. We get up early, everyone is out of the door by 8:45 am and mom is now in the car more than she would like to be.

But back to my girls. Hannah seemed excited for the first day of school. When asked if she was excited, she would tell people she was nervous about making friends, but I am pretty sure she heard me say that once and decided that was the response to have. I think the first day was a bit overwhelming. New classroom, new friends, sitting in desks, more rules than play, no toys, recess with the big kids and lunch in a big cafeteria. Each day seems to get better, but I can tell it is still a new thing that she is still figuring out.

Ella on the other hand, loves school and can't wait to get to her class. It is hard for me to get her attention to say good-bye. Definitely no school-shook there. I worried about putting her in 3 days a week, but after this first week, there is nothing to worry about. She loves it!

As for mom. I miss Hannah! I didn't think I would, but I miss have her around all day. I miss her playing with Ella. I miss her spirit and voice and creativity. This will take some getting used to, but i know in a few weeks, this new life will be normal and just what we do! Here is to a new school year and new changes and new learning and fun!

Pioneers and Garlic

This weekend was another eventful weekend of fun. It started out with a Pioneer Day Breakfast to celebrate the pioneers trek to the west. the kids had a parade where if you dressed up like pioneers, they could join the parade. I couldn't find my kids any costumes on such short notice, so my husband came up with the idea of having them be "crickets and seagulls".

I went with that idea and I made the girls signs to wear saying "crickets" and "seagulls" and than like any good parade (if you have every been to a parade in a small town in Utah" there is always candy (specifically taffy) throwing. So, we bought the girls taffy and had them throw the candy out to the crowd. (I am not sure how many people got the candy throwing part of the costume), but it doesn't matter, who doesn't like candy.

The girls loved throwing out the candy and people enjoyed our costumes, so overall it worked for everyone.

After the breakfast, we headed over to Gilroy for their annual Garlic Festival. We have always wanted to go, but every year I am either pregnant or just had a baby, so this year we thought we better do it. A few things we learned:

1) not a great place for kids. It would have been a much better trip without the kids.
2) Be prepared for hot weather, crowds of people and a lot of dirt and dust.
3) Garlic ice cream isn't as bad as it sounds. But, no I would buy a gallon of it.
4) the food is good, but as you can expect.... they DO NOT skimp on the garlic... not at all.
5) the best part for me was visiting all the fruit stands on the way home. The fruit and produce was beautiful and tasted so good!!
6) If you are near the central coast or Gilroy, stop off at Casa de Fruta.... it is well worth the stop.

PS - in the picture of the girls, you might have noticed I spelled "seagull" wrong. I fixed it before the parade, but after I took the photo.

My 1 Year Old

My little guy turned one last week. What a crazy week it was. Let's see if I can quickly recap. My mom came to visit (which was a huge help), I got LASIK surgery, Hannah had several end of the school year parties, Chris and jake's birthday and the last day of school, plus Jakey got sick.

But we of course celebrated our guy turning one. I can't believe he is already so big and not a baby anymore. He loved his birthday cupcake. I will have more about that next post. But for now here are some pictures to capture Jake's big day!

Oh and he took his first steps last Sunday night. So, three days after turning one, he has decided to try the walking thing. Now he really isn't a baby anymore!

Memorial Day Weekend Trip

waiting for the fish





We had a such a fun weekend. It really was a nice, perfect weekend. We started out by not really knowing where we were going to go. We had a few ideas (san Diego, Solvang, San Fran, yosemite), but we didn't know for sure what we wanted to do. So, we just got in the car and decided to go south. As we drove and talked, we decided the most fun thing for the kids would be Sea World, so we headed to San Diego. We didn't have a hotel, but using my trusty iphone, we found a deal on hotels.com for really nice hotel in La Jolla. It was a 4 star hotel but cheaper than 2 star hotel prices. It had the most beautiful pool and it was awesome to stay somewhere nice. It does pay to fly by the seat of your pants :-)

We went to Sea World and had a really great time. Even though it was a holiday weekend, the crowds were too bad. They have a new dolphin show and I really liked it. Ella loves Shamu, so we saw that show twice. She walks around the house with her stuffed killer whale and makes the tail hit the ground and says "Shamu splashes and gets people wet." She loved it. We sat in the "Soak Zone" but each time were lucky we didn't get wet, we probably should have, but we either got the small shamu, so it didn't reach us or the whale hit close to us but missed us. The people in front of us where soaked.

We also fed the sea lions. They were so loud. Some were very aggressive and some were patient for the person to throw the fish in their direction. Like the sea lions picture above.

We then went to the beach. The kids had a blast. They could have played there all day. We had our bucket and shovel and the girls had a blast with the sand. Hannah was everywhere playing in the sand, water and waves. Ella was a bit more timid about the water. I thought for sure it would have been the reverse with Hannah shy about the water and Ella all over it. Go figure.

Jake loved the waves too. He loved when the water would come in and get his feet all wet. He had this nervous laugh about him (it was cold water), but always had a smile and loved it each and every time. It was the perfect day to be on the beach. Not too hot and not too cold.

That night we got back to the hotel and went swimming in their pool. The girls loved swimming in the big pool and the hot tub was their favorite part. Jake loved it too. It was like a giant bath and he just splashed and splashed the whole time. The poor guy was so sick. He looked miserable, but you would have never known it. He loved the whole thing. Just at night it was hard when he was coughing up a lung all night long. This happens every time he gets new teeth. He gets a full-fledged cold and it is always bad.

On our last day, we woke up to go swimming again and then headed to Sprinkles Cupcakes in Newport beach and then to
Downtown Disney for lunch. We figured since we aren't getting our passes again until the fall, we would stop by to get a little Disney fix. Chris wanted to go to the front gate of Disneyland to get a picture to send to his family as a joke,
but it was a cruel joke to Hannah. She could see inside the park, but couldn't get in. She kept saying "can we go on some rides or get a picture with a character." It was very mean.

That was it. Then we headed home. It was a very nice family vacation. One that will go down as our favorite. Now back to reality and laundry.... all good things must come to an end.

thanks!

Thanks so much everyone for the great advice, stories and support. The blog world and blog friend are a great source of help and ideas... which I why blogging is so wonderful. I really appreciate all your comments and help.

This is what I learned:

1) so many people have kids that wet their beds and many, many until 8-10 years old. I was surprised by that. Bottom line is that there isn't much I can do until the kids grows out of it. I can keep trying different things, but not to be disappointed or frustrated, so I am going to keep trying, but not worry so much.

2) I know I am not the only one with a picky eater... there is pretty much one in each family. I just need to be more strict and not give her as much of "her" food as she wants. She won't starve, which is what everyone says... so she just might have to go a little hungry until she decides to eat more than crackers, go-gurts and peanuts. Now, don't get me wrong, I am going to let her eat, but she can't have food all day long (only specific times during the day (meals and structured snack times) and she gets to choose 2 foods she wants at mealtime and 2 foods that the family is eating.

3) Lasik - GET IT DONE. So, i have a consultation for next week.

thanks again everyone. You are the best!

Thanks image is by George Chen Creative

Trip to the Coast

What a crazy last few weeks. Tons of family trips and family in town, it has been more than fun. But to start it all out, a few weekends ago we went to Pacific Grove, Ca for a 24 hour trip. Grandma and Grandpa Brimhall were there, so we thought why not go and crash the newly renovated beach house and go to the aquarium (since it was a 3-day weekend).

So, we went and arrived Sunday night just before the sun set. So, we went to Lover Point Park and went straight to the beach and Hannah and I started collecting sea shells (just like I did when I was a kid). Ella definitely had to check out the water and rocks. Then we walked back to the house. It was nice and you could tell the girls just loved the ocean and the sea air. We enjoyed watching the Olympics, looking through binoculars for sea otters (which we saw a lot of) and everyone stayed up late.

Then on Monday morning, we got up and ready to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Grandma watched Jake while the rest of us went to the aquarium. We walked there and on the way we got to see all the sea lions basking in the sun. The girls loved that! Then after an hour or so, we got the the aquarium and enjoyed seeing the fish, otters, penguins and schools of sardines. Ella loved touching the star fish (and Hannah did too, which I was really surprised about). Then we went to lunch on Cannery Row. Back to the house and some naps for everyone. Then on the way out of town, we all went to Ghirardelli for ice cream sundaes.

A fun quick trip. It was great for the girls to see something new and so much ocean wildlife and they loved every minute of it.

PS - It was also nice to go somewhere other than Disneyland. I miss Disneyland, but it is good to visit other places in California!

Side note to my Thinking the other day.

okay, to share some good news and show that I am not all doom and gloom. I took all the kids to Target today. We said a prayer in the car before we went into the store that everyone would be good in the store... and guess what it worked. Ella did really good. Hannah was great. and Jake slept. I got everything done and we could even stop and get drinks and treats at the cafe. I am so happy!

And to top it off... I haven't felt my c-section at all for 3 days. I think I am recovered. I even slept on my stomach last night... was that a treat or what! i am not sure what it does to my milk supply (I will have to google that), but it was worth it.

And it gets better. Jake slept 5 hours and then 3 1/2 hours last night and didn't wake up at 6:00 am grunting and crying.

And (even more) this weekend Jake hardly slept (so I was worried, of course), but today he is back to sleeping like a baby for his naps.

I am happy, happy, happy!. i am starting to feel like myself again and the kids are good (right now)!

Well, that is it for me. I just wanted to share the good (and not just all the bad)! Today I am a happy girl/mom!

What I am thinking...

Since, I haven't had the time or energy to do things (projects, creative-ness, fun things, etc), I thought I might share the things that are taking up my time and mind these days. Instead of projects, I will share thoughts. Mostly, because I need to vent and share my feelings with family and friends (and some strangers).

My current thoughts are about my two-year old Ella. She is smack-dab in the middle of the terrible two's. It is constant fits, crying, "no's" and tantrums in my house (and the stores which is what really puts me over the edge). The inability to communicate only makes things worse. As a mother with little sleep, hormones raging, lack of energy and recovering from a c-section, I really can't put up with much more of her.

And I don't like that I feel like this. I don't like that my life doesn't feel like anything I remember it to be. I don't know what to do. I know it is stage and it will all pass at some point. But I feel like I have been dealing with it for the past 6 months and probably have another 6 months to go .... and that is a long time in passing.

I pray constantly to have more patience with her. To not get emotional over what she does. I pray for guidance in how to relate to her, how to talk to her and how to help her to not act out and be "terrible". But I don't know if any of it is working or if I am even doing my part. I don't know what the solution is except maybe time.
Everyone always says that time passes so quickly and before I know it they will be older. I always think to myself, I can't wait for her to be older and not TWO.

I really do love my daughter and someday i know our days will be full of more fun moments and laughter instead of the crying and disciplining it tends to be these days. But until then, I have to share my thoughts and write my feelings down, just to get through it all.

Random Report

July 3, 2009
Ever since our bout with the flu, our kids love (I mean love) Phineas and Ferb. It is a cartoon on Disney Channel and it is pretty funny (even for adults). Even Ella chants "phineas and ferb". The girls love it.

I am trying to adjust to life with a newborn and a terrible two-year old. It is hard and I know it is only a moment in time and it will pass, but it is proving to be quite trying.

Now that Ella is old enough to notice and care about things. There are many things Hannah has that Ella wants or steals, so I have to start buying two of things. For instance, Hannah's red sox hat (ella loves it). There is Hannah's arts and crafts apron that barely fits her, and Ella has adopted it. Hannah's doll "sophia", Ella has been found many times with her which is causing problems. So, with that, I hired Jill to make Hannah and Ella new arts and craft aprons. They are sooo cute. I have Hannah's and as soon as i get Ella's I will take pictures and post them.

I am coming to terms that my children might get to watch a bit more TV than they or I am used to. I struggle with feeling like a bad mom when I let them watch more than 2 hours of TV. I dont' know why I have such a hard time with it but I do. But with a newborn, lack of sleep, 100+ degrees and the lack of doing anything... TV it is.

For a week, Hannah would wake up by herself at 5:00 am and tell me she had to go potty. So, I would tell her to go. I thought, great she potty trained herself at night, but that has stopped. She doesn't do it anymore. Isn't that weird.. for a week, she did it all on her own and then nothing... it is like it never happened. So, this is something I still have to tackle... in a few months (after I get my other child sleeping through the night).

Jake is great. He is a pretty good baby. He loves noise and when you talk to him. If I get close and talk to him, he just focuses on me and acts like he is intently listening. He also loves to hold on to my finger. He has a great grip. And he has great neck strength. He is very good at holding up his head and trying to look at you while he is on your chest.

I think Jake just had a growth spurt at 3 weeks old because he was eating every 2 hours, but hopefully this is ending. He seems to be sleeping longer and not eating as much. Feeding every 2 hours takes a lot out of you... mostly at night!

Ella loves to twist her hair. It is a bad habit and she does it constantly. I keep having to rip out clumps of tied up hair. But the crazy thing is she doesn't cry. She has one tough head, because I rip it out and not a peep, flinch or worry about it. I keep hoping that maybe it will hurt and she will stop, but no such luck.

I will have to continue this later... Ella is yelling at me to come outside and push her... see ya!

Random Report

Random Report June 20, 2009

My mom has been grandma of the year and mother of the year. She has been playing non-stop... she is making me look bad as a mom. The girls are going to be really sad when she leaves and life is boring again. I have been able to take things easy. I get ready when I want, enjoy Jake, take naps and just take things at an easy pace as I learn to deal with three kids and recover and take care of a newborn.

My dad and Chris will have spent 19 hours working on the jungle gym. They did it in two days in 90 degree weather. The play set is a monster. I am so glad grandpa came to help. He arrived with a hurt back, but of course that hasn't stopped him. He is typical grandpa - a hard worker and a great man.

Jake is doing the newborn thing. Sleeps a lot and luckily sleeps after each feeding at night, so that is a huge blessing. He is starting to look big again as he gets close to his birth weight. he could eat forever. Each feeding session is 30 mins long, but I think he could go longer, but we will see how this does. He is 8'6" in weight, so halfway back to what he weighed when he was born. He also got circumcised earlier this week. That was sad. Poor little wee-wee.

Funny thing. When Hannah first saw his wee-wee. She said what is that. Grandma said it is his "penis" being all technical. I said let's call it his "wee-wee". She will go around in public with friends and at church talking about a "penis", so let's use a cuter name for now.
So, after Hannah learned it is how he goes potty, she said "just like Landen's"... (her friend's brother). I shrugged yes and asked how have you seen Landen's? "When he goes potty here". Oh, goodness. So, much for closing the door when you go. But, at least that is covered. She knows the difference between boys and girls.

I wish I could lose weight faster, but of course that will be a slow process. I don't know how I will get ready with three kids, but I know I will figure it out. life is good so far and I am grateful for all mom and dad and my husband do to help it be soo much easier right now. So, that is it for us.

Past Random Reports

Random Report - Dated April 29th, 2009.

Backyard The concrete is poured, the bushes, flowers and tree are in and the grass is down. It is so pretty. Honestly, such a nice yard. They even put lights on all the trees and re-did our plants in the front yard. Things still left to do.. is slate laid on both patios. And then the jungle gym and BBQ and trullis (sp?). When the slate is down, I will take pictures and share.

Hannah's birthday Party This Saturday is the big event. I think I have most of it under control. We are having a face painter come (which was much cheaper than I thought), the girls will get to decorate wands, decorate pretzel wands, and get coronated as a new fairy with wings, halo, pixie dust and a new fairy name (all with a certificate). I think it is all going to be so much fun.

Hannah's Birthday her real day is Sunday and she gets to give her 3rd talk in a year in Primary (2nd in two months.. uggh). Hopefully it will be a relaxing day, so we can recover from the weekend.

Upcoming Week I have to teach Enrichment on blogging on Thursday night. I have my own baby shower on Friday the 8th and another model home sale for Chris' company. So, the fun just continues and continues.

Other Random things Ella is counting to ten. Which makes me so happy, although the words are a little unclear, but I know what she is trying to do.

I think we are officially in spring/summer. I don't know that we will go below 70 degrees again. The next week is high 70s, low 80s.

Hannah had to take something that started with the letter "u" for show and tell. We couldn't come up with anything and then Hannah came up with "underwear". I thought is was clever and so funny and wish we could do it, but I told her "she couldn't be the girl that brought underwear to school, it just wouldn't be right", although I was tempted because I thought it was funny.

We found out that Hannah's dance recital dress rehearsal and actual performance are on a Sunday. So after much thought, we have decided against her performing. It is so sad, since she is excited and we have sunk a lot of money into it, but we decided she is getting old enough that now is the time to teach the lesson about keeping the Sabbath Day holy. So it begins. So, mom and dad might get a special performance while they are visiting, so she can use her costume and perform her dance for an audience.

My c-section is scheduled for June 10th officially. So, we will see. Chris is going to have an eventful birthday (although it won't be cenetered around him) and Father's Day will have even less fan-fare. But he wants Jake's born on that day more than anything, so I think he knows what he is getting himself into as far as sharing birthday celebrations, etc.

Oh, in case you didn't know, we are naming the baby Jacob Christopher Williams. Jacob happens to be Danish for James (Chris' dad's name), so it works great.

I am much less prepared for this baby than the other two. I have just barely started to think about changing the room from pink to blue. The poor guy will be surround by pink when he gets home, unless I get on it. But I think I have a plan, hopefully it will work. Not much motivation going on these days.


Random Report - Dated April 8th, 2009

It is spring break, so this week is a bit different for us. The girls home all day... if only we had a backyard.

My tummy is always there. i feel it all the time and the worst at night. 2 more long months.

Ella is so funny these days. She saw Chris juggle and thought she should try it. She moves her arms up and down and then throws the balls. She is coming out of her shell and more and more like Hannah. People come up to us at church all the time and say how outgoing, fun and happy she is. And I get more ohhs and ahhs from her in public. What a difference a few months make.

I want to start sewing again... I just need to start. I found the cutest dress you make out of your husband's old shirts. I think that will motivate me.

Polly pockets are all the rage in our house right now. The girls love Polly Pockets.

I have to start giving Hannah's party some serious thought. The yard won't be done by then, so now i don't know what to do. Any suggestions? I hope I can convince her that a Tinkerbell party might not work now.

Hannah has named her baby doll, Baby Sophia. She goes everywhere with us. And she is the perfect little mother. She hushes her to sleep, tells me when she is tired, rocks her and is quite cute. She has informed me that I am Baby Sophia's mom.. and I need to take care of her. I keep trying to tell her otherwise, but she insists. I think it is time for a baby brother.

Hannah and Ella fight a lot about sharing, but other than that they are really, really great friends. It is just so fun to watch!

This weekend, we have planned - decorating easter cookies, dying eggs, easter egg hunt and of course a big easter dinner. I have a bit to do this week.

I have three unfinished quilts that I need to have finished (backs put on and stitching). When am I ever going to do it or feel justified in spending the money to have them made.

My logo business has been doing so well. I had 9 clients a couple of weeks ago. I still have 5 and multiple projects for each one. It is kind of fun and I feel like a i have a real business that provides some real money to play with.

We had a nice thunderstorm last night. Thunder and lightening for half the night. It was awesome, considering we only get a storm like that once a year and it will probably be the last one of the year.

I think that is it...

Random Report Dated March 17, 2009

here are random thoughts and going-on's with us.

I wish I could find a place that has caffeine diet coke from a fountain drink... I am craving it so badly.

I have killer charlie horses every night in my legs... they hurt so bad... I feel them for days afterwards!

Hannah and I made paper plate animals today.. it was fun.

Hannah likes to use the words "cool", "awesome" and "freak out".

I went and took pictures of the girls with all our pretty blossoms that are out. the photoshoot did not go smoothly. I dont' know that I got any frame-able photos, but some cute ones just to have.

I have 4 logo clients right now. It is so much fun, but I am being told by my husband it is time to pay taxes on that income.

It is mid-70's all week.

I am feeling my belly these days. It is definitely there and the next 3 months will be long and uncomfortable.

Hannah wants to have a Tinkerbell party this year... not what i want to do, but it is her birthday, so I guess we will have one.

Ella is doing better, learning a lot of my words... although they dont' sound like the actual word. But we know she is trying. She has started to say prayers too... but she also likes to play "duck, duck, goose" during the prayer too.

We didn't wear green today, but we probably should have. I am going to have to get better at things like that.

We finally got the sketch for our backyard... it is going to be so beautiful (if we do it all). I can't wait!

that is it for now... just thought we would share some of the things we are up to and thinking about.