Adventures in La La Land

My sister and I love traditions. We complain often that our family doesn't have enough. So I decided (with much thanks to Pinterest) to start a new one with Lucy this year: the Advent Calendar. We didn't do anything like this as kids, so I've just gleaned information from the Internet and relied on my creativity. My Advent Calendar isn't nearly as beautiful as anything I've seen on Pinterest, but I did come up with 25 activities to do from December 1-25. I wrote the activity on the red square and lightly taped the circle over it. She'll peel off the circle to see the activity. Read the Christmas story. [I got the book  The Story of Christmas  by Patricia A. Pingry at Family Christian for $6.99 yesterday. It's just right for Lucy.] Make pipe cleaner/bead ornaments.  [Just let her string pony beads onto pipe cleaners, form into a "wreath"-type circle and let her put it on the tree.] Make peanut butter bird feeders . Pick ...

Baby is the size of a squash this week.  How far along?  32 weeks - only 8 to go! Total weight loss/gain : +1 this week, up 24 total (as of Monday when I went to the Dr. for my eye) -- I just looked it up: I was up 25 lbs at this point with Lucy. Bummer. I feel like I've been gaining less quickly this pregnancy. Hopefully I won't gain 18 more pounds in the ne xt 8 weeks like I did with Lucy. <:-O  Maternity clothes?  Yes. Totally. Sleep : It takes me forever  to fall asleep. And if I get woken up for any reason in the night, the process has to start all over again. Still having wicked night sweats too.  Best moment this week : Having a week off of work and having Justin home to help out.   Movement : Oh yeah. I've been trying to figure out how she's positioned. I feel the most kicking on my left side, so I think her feet are over there. And there's always a big hard lump by my belly button. I'm thinking that's her butt (and spine - it's bump...

1. I need to record that for the first time this week, Lucy correctly identified all 26 letters of the alphabet on her flashcards. At almost exactly 2.5 years old. Go Lucy! What do I need to teach her next? The lowercase letters? The sounds the letters make? 2. I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday. My doctor is on vacation, so I saw the P.A. Isn't it horrible that I got more information out of the P.A. than I ever get from my doctor? And I got right in and out. Usually I wait at least an hour. The morning I was there, I was feeling soooo dizzy. I asked the P.A. about it and she said I'm probably just dehydrated and need to drink more. As the day went on, though, it got worse and worse. I was so annoyed because Justin and I had arranged someone to watch Lucy and had big plans to go out to eat and do some Christmas shopping. Eventually I realized I was having Paxil withdrawals, which I already wrote about in my 31 weeks entry. It was not fun . I sat in Logan's comm...

Baby is the size of a pineapple this week. (That seems way bigger than the cucumber she was compared to last week - these size comparisons are so random.) How far along?  31 weeks - only 9 to go! Total weight loss/gain : +4 I think since my last appt 2 weeks ago. +23 total Maternity clothes?  Yes. Totally. Sleep : It takes me forever to fall asleep, but I'm usually good once I'm out. Best moment this week : Hearing her heartbeat again today.  Movement : Pretty much non-stop. Food cravings : Chocolate. Logan's. I'm feeling really nauseous right now so I can't think of anything else. Food aversions : Vegetables. ;-)  Gender : GIRL!!! Labor Signs : For the most part, unless I'm sitting down, I'm having Braxton Hicks. The doctor said that's OK as long as they're not timeable, getting closer together or so painful I can't breathe through them.  Belly Button in or out?  Out and starting to flatten. What I miss : Just being comfortable. What I a...

1. Good news: I'm finally feeling better. I slept through the night for the first time last Saturday and have hardly been coughing since then. Whew! Coughing is the worst. 2. I was feeling pretty proud of myself this week. We ate out way too much last week, so I made dinner every night (except Thursday, when I went to a Tastefully Simple party). Plus, I had at least one kid every day this week, had the house picked up by the time Justin got home from work, and had myself beautified! That's a big deal for me. Haha. I decided to quit being sorry for myself and just go to the store and pick out some make-up. My problem is I have horrendously dry skin, so anytime I rub foundation on it, it looks all flaky and gross. This time, I decided to try the Maybelline dream matte mousse. It actually works! Woohoo!! That said, if you see me in person and I look flaky or streaky please feel free to tell me. I'm such a make-up novice. 3. Here's one of the recipes I made this week: e...

Comparison pic: with Lucy at 30 weeks. Looking like a heffalump! The shirt alone is evidence enough that I'm bigger this time! Baby is the size of a cucumber this week. How far along?  30 weeks - woohoo! Total weight loss/gain : Not sure. I'm sure I've passed the 20 lb. mark by now! Maternity clothes?  Yes. Totally. Sleep : Not great. I'm finally almost done coughing, but I've been sleeping really restlessly. And I'm so hot all the time. You know it's ridiculous when Justin is piling on extra blankets and I'm stripping off my layers. Best moment this week : Feeling her get the hiccups. Movement : Always. And she gets the hiccups at least twice a day now.  Food cravings : PB Captain Crunch. (I paid full price for it this week because I wanted it so bad.) And cinnamon rolls still. Ooh, and no-bake cookies. Mmmm. Food aversions : Vegetables. ;-)  Gender : GIRL!!! Labor Signs : Lots of Braxton Hicks. Belly Button in or out?  Out and starti...

What a week! 1. I am still miserably sick. I just don't think it should be legal to be pregnant and sick at the same time. Haha. I need a pass from life until I can kick this cough. Really, though, I have to thank God for the energy he's given me. I had lots of kids to watch all week and despite being up for hours every night hacking, I was still able to get up at 7 and take care of all the kids without feeling like I was going to fall over from exhaustion. By Friday it was hitting me pretty hard, but I only had Lucy and RJ, and they both took good naps, so I was able to rest for a little bit. Whew! I've been coughing for 9 days now. It has to be about done, right??? 2. To add to my exhaustion, Justin went on a business trip Wednesday through Friday, so I was single-momming it! It actually went really well. Lucy and I had lots of fun together. We listened to a lot of Christmas music, made cookies and French toast (complete with dropping an egg on the floor and making a ...

Baby is the size of an acorn squash this week. How far along?  29 weeks Total weight loss/gain : Nothing since 27 weeks. +19 lbs total Maternity clothes? Yes. Totally. Sleep : Atrocious this week! But that's just because I'm up coughing every 2 hours. Not the baby's fault. She's probably just as annoyed as I am with all the hacking! Best moment this week : Hearing her heartbeat again today - 150 bpm. Movement : Oh yeah. There always seem to be appendages poking up out of my stomach. Food cravings : PB Captain Crunch. Candy. Cinnamon rolls. Food aversions : Vegetables. ;-)  Gender : GIRL!!! Labor Signs : Lots of Braxton Hicks. Belly Button in or out?  Out.  What I miss : Being able to take good cold medicine. What I am looking forward to : Maternity leave. Haha. Milestones : Nothing really, except I'm going to start having doctor's appointments every 2 weeks.  Weekly name clue : I just heard of another actress with this name. She's currently on a ...

1. Lucy and I started our Thanksgiving Tree this week. I'm loving that she's old enough to participate in all these pinterest projects I find. :-) Anyway, I asked her what she was thankful for (or what she really loves). She thought for a minute, then said, "God!" Haha. She wanted to do another one, so I asked again what she was thankful for and she responded, "Jesus!" My good little girl knows the Sunday School answers already. She insisted on doing one more after God and Jesus. Was it Mommy or Daddy or even macaroni and cheese? No. It was Lola - the stupid cat who doesn't give Lucy the time of day. Haha. 2. We had a fun Halloween. We did costume day at the library and trick or treating at night despite the freezing cold. Lucy loved it. I got her a bumblebee costume at Once Upon a Child. It has a tutu and sparkly wings, and she kept saying, "Me a princess! Me a butterfly!" Haha. She thought Trick or Treating was the best thing ever. It's...