He's Finally Here!!

Our Little Man has finally arrived!

Eli (as he will be known here) was born Sunday April 22, at 3:25pm, 6 lbs. 10 oz, 19 1/2 inches, and healthy as can be!! Thankfully I was able to have a VBAC so no major surgery for me this time!! We got home today and are both doing very well. Sweet Pea (who will know be known as Ari) is excited I think. She was trying to pick up her little brother today. It is going to be interesting to see how she reacts to having a baby around.

Here are a few pictures. More details will come later, but I thought I'd share the news.

When You Feel as Big as a Truck...Just Eat More Ice Cream

I had my usual doctor visits today. Sad news from the foot doctor, I have to have toe surgery again:( I just hope everything works out that I can stay on my insurance, or it needs to be done within 6 weeks of this kid being born. Thankfully my mom is coming down in early May so I hope we can do it then when extra help is around. Oh the joys.

Then there was more sad news from the midwife, I'm still just at 1cm:( Thankfully Little Man is still doing well he just wants to keep cooking. I've given up any hope of this kid coming early.

There is good news to report!!! I got my serger!!!! I watched the wonderful 80s video to learn how to thread it and now I'm still learning how to adjust the tension. All will come in time. I made a bunch of cloth wipes and finished the edges on some diapers I made from t-shirts. Sweet Pea and I went on an adventure to Hancock Fabrics this evening and got some super-cute Cookie Monster flannel to make some receiving blankets, burp cloths, and maybe wipes out of. I'm also going to try to turn some of her prefold diapers into fitted ones, and shorten up some others too. If all of this diaper sewing works out well I'm going to order some fabric to make a bunch of inserts and possibly fitted and/or pocket diapers too. At least some hemp fabric for inserts to save a bunch of money. Time will have to tell on the rest.

The next goal is to get into our house-to-be and measure all of the windows so I can buy fabric to make curtains.

I'm still on a sugar craze. McDonald's was calling to me on the way home and I had to get a hot fudge sunday with nuts. It was super! Maybe tomorrow will be a better sugar day.

Our Little Football Star

Here are a few photos of Sweet Pea and Mr. Man playing football before bed.





And a picture of the longies I made for Little Man. Now if he would just get here to wear them.

Can Someone Please Make This Child COME OUT!!!

Sadly our dear little son is still in my belly and acting like he's never going to come out. Here's the weekend update...

Thursday I went for my visit and was told I was at 1cm and 50%. Yay!! or so we thought.

Friday I was having really bad irregular contractions so we go into the office to see how things are going. I'm still at 1cm, but I'm having real contractions. Things don't get better during the day, I feel miserable, so we go to the hospital. I'm still at 1cm and at least they give me drugs to help.

Saturday nothing at all :(

Sunday we don't go to church because Sweet Pea is still fighting her illness and can't be in the nursery. We walk around the mall and HomeDepot to see if walking will help. Nope not at all. Then Sunday night I start to feel super icky-poo and have a very rough night's sleep even with drugs.

Monday...So far I have spent most of the day in bed sleeping or in the bathroom. I now have whatever Sweet Pea did. I'm exhausted beyond all reason and just want this kid out. Thankfully he's still been moving around and I've had some little contractions but nothing worth timing. *sigh* Maybe tonight, but I doubt it.

On the other had there is some good news. WE FOUND A HOUSE!! It's brand new and only a little bit more than the one we had been looking at. Now we just need to get it appraised, inspected, the loan processed, and we can move in the end of May. We don't have to do anything to this place except buy a fridge, blinds, curtains, and stuff like that. I am so happy that we waited. God is good!! Now if He can just make this kid come out tonight.

I'm at 1 cm and 50%!!!

At my weekly doctor visit today I found out I'm 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced!! I'm so excited that I'm starting to make some real progress to this kid coming into the world. It could be any day now.

We are supposed to go and look at some houses tomorrow. I hope that getting in and out of the car and walking around will help speed things up if nothing happens tonight.

I'm so ready to be done being pregnant.

On a sad note Sweet Pea has been sick the past two days:( She's having poo issues. This morning we had to just put her in the shower to clean her off and make our lives easier. Thankfully she took some pedilite, crackers, cheerios, and yogurt today. I hope she starts to feel better soon. It's so hard having her sick because she can't tell us what's wrong or what she needs. Tomorrow should be another day or we'll have to bring her to the doctor. To many things happening all at once.

Lots-O-Stuff

Blessings in the mail

A dear friend from back in Michigan sent us a package the other day. Mr. Man was home so I don’t know why the post office said they missed us. So I drag myself to the post office, wait forever, and find out there’s a huge box waiting for me! Thankfully I was able to get it to the car. The box was filled to the max with baby boy clothes!!! We have already gotten a set from her and this was a total surprise. We’re not going to have to buy clothes for this boy for at least a year. I love my friend she’s such a blessing! I just hope she has a girl someday so I can return the favor, or send all the stuff back for boy #2.

When I called to say thank you we got on the subject of sewing machines and my coveting after a serger. She says I can have hers!!! I was bouncing off the walls with excitement. She’s not a big sewer and she was given this one so it’s mine for the taking. So, right now we’re looking at the budget and I’m trying to get a craft allotment to send her money for shipping, and then to get some stuff when the real deals start at Hancock Fabrics. Needless to say some of my sewing projects have been put on the back burner until it gets here.

Yarn

As of yesterday my yarn was in Atlanta and should be here soon. I don’t know if deliveries happen on Good Friday, but if they do knitting will commence tomorrow!!!! And next week I can show a friend how to dye with Kool Aid while playing with wedding flower arrangements…Yay for friends!!

Little Man

Went for my weekly appointment with the midwives and it was great as usual. I had an ultrasound and his head is still down! He’s about 5 pounds 10 ounces and all looks well. Sadly we didn’t get any pictures since there wasn’t much to see. The tech tried so hard to get a picture of his face, but his head is so low you can’t see anything. I’m now officially at 36 weeks so I can go to the nice hospital to deliver!! Mr. Man only has one paper left so he can come tonight. Anytime now would be nice. Is 9 months of pregnancy really necessary? Sweet Pea came out fine at 36 weeks…I think he can too.

Teaching kids theology

I got a women’s devotional type book on sale and just finished it yesterday. The book is Sometimes I Wake Up Grumpy…and Sometimes I Let Him Sleep by Karen Scalf Linamen. The book caught my eye just by the title. Anyone who has lived with me in any form or fashion knows that mornings + Tara=ugliness. I am not a morning person at all, and then if you combine mornings when I’m really hungry look out folks. I don’t do well without food either. Anyway, back to my point. In part of the book she tells of her daughters first experience with human death. I was laughing in the bathroom (since this is the only place I can be alone sometimes) so hard I though I would wake up Sweet Pea. Here’s what she had to say…

“‘That’s what happened to Great-Grandma. That what will happen to all of us one day. Our bodies are like clothes. We wear them for awhile. We run and play, and after a while our bodies get wrinkled and worn. And when they’re pretty much worn out, Jesus helps us to climb out of them. He lets us leave them crumpled on the floor, and we run on into heaven. That’s where Great-Grandma is. Her body is here. But she’s in heaven.’

Kacie thought a moment. I knew I was in trouble when she said matter-of-factly, ‘So Great-Grandma is naked in heaven?’

‘Yes, well…’ I hedged. ‘I don’t think she’s still naked. I think God gave her another body to wear. You know, kind of like when your put on pajamas after your bath.’

Kacie looked at her body and tugged at the skin on her arm. Then she looked at me. ‘How did Great-Grandma take off her body? I don’t know how to take off my body. Can I climb out of my body, too?’

‘Um, not exactly. We can’t do it ourselves. Jesus has to help us. Only he knows when our bodies are worn enough and it’s time for a new one.’

‘But how?’
‘How?’
‘How does Jesus do it?’
‘Do what?’ I was stalling for time.
‘Get our bodies off us?’
I had no choice I had to tell her.

That afternoon, Kacie ran to Larry’s dad, climbed into his lap, and asked loudly, ‘Grandpa, did you know that God unzipped Great-Grandma’s body? Grandma’s body has an invisible zipper.’

Dad blinked. ‘A zipper?’

‘Yep. Everybody does. We don’t know where it is , so we can’t unzip it ourselves. Only God knows about the zipper.’

‘I didn’t know that.’

‘Yep. And do you know what happened then?’

‘I can’t say that I do.’

Kacie’s eyes widened with excitement as she leaned in close and blurted, ‘Great-Grandma ran naked into heaven!’” (Pages 130-131)

Gotta love kids and theology. I think her daughter was 4 at the time. Since Mr. Man is going to be a preacher man someday we will have PK kids and I pray for them already. I think I’m going to leave these talks to him. I’m sure we’re going to have our stories like this one to tell someday. I’m sure it will make for a great sermon somehow.

The House?

I’m about to give up on the hopes of having this house. We have moved from being a ridiculous situation to being an absurd one. There are so many little things I want to do around our apartment but can’t do them because they might give us the price tomorrow, but then they might not. I just want an answer!!!

The Return of Sausage Toes

For those of you who were around for my pregnancy with Sweet Pea you know all about my sausage toes/feet. After a trip to Michigan I really puffed up like a water balloon. My feet were huge and disgusting. I had so much water weight. Thankfully this time around I haven’t had that until now. It’s not ugly or fully sausage like yet, but things are starting to move in that direction. Granted I haven’t been drinking enough water the past few days so that could have something to do with it. I’m just glad this time it will be a month max of sausage toes rather than 4 months.

Danger...Danger!!!

What's the danger you ask?? Hancock Fabrics is going out of business. This is a good/bad thing. Good because it means time for some good deals. Bad because it means spending money on good deals. Also bad because this leaves Hobby Lobby as the only other craft store in town that I know of. Sweet Pea and I found a few good deals there today. I got some fleece to make some stay-dry diaper liners with, a cute dress pattern, bobbins, thread, and a zipper for $6.66. The cashier kinda freaked out with the number. Please people that's the way math happens sometimes the end of the world is not coming because I paid the amount of 666.

Anyhoo, I'm breaking out the sewing machine tonight to get a few projects done before my yarn gets here. Thank you Mr. Man for letting me get some more yarn!!! I got the Picky Pants pattern from Little Turtle Knits and can't wait to try it out. I also need to make a soaker that will fit Sweet Pea. I think it's good that my hobbies bring me joy and help to diaper the kids. Or maybe I'm just talking myself into finding a way to knit. I'll take it either way. Now if I get good at knitting this stuff maybe I'll look seriously into getting a cottage license. Not sure though...need to pray about that one, and see what life is like with 2 kids first.