Baby Five's Screen Debut

We had our 18 week ultrasound today and everything looks good on our new little baby. Guess what? It's a ...

GIRL!

XX or XY?

That is the question.
****
Tomorrow morning (Wednesday), Jeremy and I will head up to the hospital for our 18 week ultrasound! We'll get to see our baby on screen! We are at the maternal-fetal specialist's office for our ultrasound (he works with our family doctor) and they have a 3D/4D machine. I wonder if they'll do a 3D for us? They have only once in the past, when Noah was in utero (see picture at left).
****
So do we find out whether Baby Five is a boy or a girl? It seems that every couple has different feelings on it and everyone does it differently. Here's what we've done in the past.

Morgan: we did not find out. I wanted to know but Jeremy wanted to be surprised. We had only one ultrasound.

Madeleine: I found out but Jeremy did not. Again, he wanted the surprise but I wanted to know. We had only one ultrasound.

Noah: Jeremy wanted the surprise. I agreed. We had the initial ultrasound and we did not find out. The doctor wanted to see Noah again in five weeks. During the second ultrasound, I knew that the cord was up over his shoulder. They switched the view of him and showed him laying on his back. There was a little something peeking out between his legs and I knew that was my boy. We also had a third ultrasound (pictured) but never officially asked whether he was a boy or a girl.

Isaiah: Finally Jeremy caved to me and said that we could find out. The ultrasound was in mid-December. We had the technician seal her note in an envelope. Jeremy gave it to me on Christmas morning to open. A boy! A brother for Noah!
****
What do you do? Do you prefer the surprise? Do you like to plan? Do you need the incentive halfway through pregnancy? Do you find out but keep it a secret? Do you change your mind every time?
****
We'll find out. More tomorrow....

The Simple Woman's Daybook Volume 25

Outside my window...it is cool: 62 degrees, sunny and beautiful. The trees are beginning to turn so they're green toward the trunk and a beautiful rainbow of yellow, orange, and red toward their tops and their outsides. I just love watching trees change during autumn!

I am thinking...about how grateful I am to have family nearby to help raise and care for our children. I've said before that I have the village mentality and not only am I happy to contribute by helping to care for others' children, I am grateful to be able to have help available to me. Jeremy's parents took our children for the weekend so that Jeremy and I could head to Des Moines on our own. It was the first time since 2006 that we've had a weekend to ourselves and it was wonderful!

Learning at school and at home...There is nothing much to report here that is new. For those of you who do not know us, Morgan is a second grader, Madeleine is in first grade, Noah is in Pre-Kindergarten, and Isaiah is two. We send our children to our parish school where they are well educated. We have nuns teaching in our school. In spite of the stories that many adults tell of their childhood education which involves nuns and rulers, these women are wonderful teachers and love our children very much.

I am thankful for...our Catholic community.

From the kitchen...Oh! Am I supposed to be cooking again this week? (Ha ha--I cook every day.) I don't have my menu written out yet.

I am wearing...new maternity jeans, new sneakers, and a pink T-shirt.

I am reading...Acts of the Apostles by Saint Paul

I am hoping...that Baby Five cooperates on Wednesday so that we can find out whether it is a boy or a girl!

I am creating...new life!

I am hearing...the dishwasher working for me, insects chirping outdoors, the clock ticking, and the keys clicking as I type this entry. The at-home children are sleeping.

Around the house...since we've just returned from a weekend in Des Moines and the children from their grandparents' house, the house is a bit of a mess with everyone's bags and clothes everywhere. We'll be back in order in a couple of days.

One of my favorite things...Dave Matthews Band concerts!

A few plans for the rest of the week...To the chiropractor today, Madeleine stayed home sick because she had a fever yesterday. I'll go to bible study tonight. The children have a half-day of school Tuesday; they'll be out at 12:30. Jeremy will work overtime. Wednesday we head to Dr. K's office for our ultrasound and afterward we'll head to school to have lunch with the girls so that we can tell them the gender of their new sibling. Thursday is our parish's (and our school's) Titular Feast Day so there will be a lot of celebrating at school, home, and church. Friday and Saturday are free for the first time in a couple of months! Sunday we will attend our church picnic to celebrate the Titular feast day.

Here is a picture thought I'm sharing with you.
I removed the cover from the outside of the deck in order to look underneath and see where the hot tub is leaking. I found the general area and while I had the cover off, Noah crawled beneath the deck and fished out a whole pile of small toys!Be sure to visit Peggy to read her Daybook and those of other Simple Women!

Dave Matthews Band at Des Moines

*Photo credit: Jeff Child/Katie Friesema/Bryan Strickland 2008

In case anyone is curious, the Dave Matthews Band played the following setlist:

09/25/2009
Principal Park
Des Moines, IA

Don’t Drink the Water
So Da*mn Lucky
Seven
Funny The Way It Is
Shake Me Like a Monkey
You Might Die Trying
Stay Or Leave
Why I Am
Lying In the Hands of God
Crash (Into Me)
Crush
Alligator Pie
Improv +
Rhyme And Reason +
Burning Down The House
You and Me
So Much To Say
Anyone Seen The Bridge
Too Much (Fake)
Ants Marching

Encore:
Baby Blue ~
(Blue Water)
The Maker
Pantala Naga Pampa
Rapunzel

Special Guests:
~ Dave Solo
+ Robert Randolph

indicates a fade into the next song

Overheard

The scene: Isaiah (2 years old) and I are sitting at the kitchen table. We each have a yogurt, which is his ice cream, so to speak. I have peach, he has strawberry. He finishes his yogurt and is looking around for more.

"Let me feel yours," he said.

Indulgences During Pregnancy

...and all you Catholic people thought I was going to talk about prayer and sacrifice! Gotcha! I'm pregnant, so naturally, this is about food.

Our family eats at home. We eat out together once every few months and we order in or carry-out probably once or twice a month. I cook healthy meals for us. I use fresh vegetables and serve mostly chicken and fish with small amounts of beef and pork added in every so often. But sometimes I splurge!

From the time I was 16 until I was 23, I worked in food service. While in high school I made pizza, chicken, and sub sandwiches at a local gas and food place in our small town. When I came down to college, I began working at Amigos, a Mexican fast food chain in Nebraska. Eventually Amigos cobranded with A&W (among others) and I learned a little about burgers, Coney dogs, and root beer floats. All of these things are simple to make at home.

The splurging involves serving my family something that we could order at one of these restaurants. Amigos has a number of menu items but their staples are soft tacos, tacos, Taco Ritos, Crisp Meats, combo burritos, soft pintos, and cheesy burritos. All are simple to make. We have cheesy burritos for lunch often. The splurge items are Mexi-fries and Ranch dressing. Mexi-fries are difficult to duplicate at home but it can be done using a pan filled with grease and frozen tater tots--not the whole ones, the button variety. Duplicating the ranch dressing is simple, as you simply mix up powdered Hidden Valley using buttermilk and mayonnaise. Voila!

Maybe some day I'll post a picture sequence on the proper rolling of a burrito.

****

A&W is simple and so delicious. It's probably sinful, too, and definitely not healthy. When shopping, pick up burgers, hot dogs, Hormel chili (canned all the way--that's how the A&W Coney sauce always arrived at the restaurant!), Tostitos plain cheese sauce (chips aisle), an onion, Lawry's seasoning salt, buns, and french fries. All burgers taste alike to me, but A&W seasons theirs while cooking on the grill. Season with Lawry's on both sides. Coney dogs are easy to duplicate. Bun + hot dog + Hormel Chili + Tostitos cheese (optional) + onion = Coney (cheese) dog. Now if you want to go all out like I did today at lunch, which is what prompted this food-crazed post, then you make chili-cheese fries to have with burgers. Bake frozen french fries (Ore-Ida's fries work well), salt them just a little, put on a plate and pour over them warmed chili and cheese. To top it off, serve the burger/hot dog with a Claussen dill spear and a root beer float. Vanilla Ice Cream + A&W root beer = root beer float. Be sure to pour the root beer down the side of the glass, not sloshing all over the ice cream or it'll take you forever to fill that glass.
Now my mouth is watering!

Ever heard of a Muffuletta sandwich? That's my next project. New Orleans, here I come!

The Simple Woman's Daybook Volume 24

Outside my window...it is cool: 61 degrees, cloudy and was rainy. It's perfect autumn weather! The trees are beginning to turn yellow, orange, and red but the grass and shrubs are still green and lush. I couldn't be happier with the weather! Autumn is my favorite season.

I am thinking...about one little thing that got under my skin. Someone recently called my health care plan cushy (and here I thought maybe we were blessed). Cushy, to me, means that we haven't earned it, that it was just tossed in our laps and we don't deserve it. The truth is that we pay a lot of money for this very good health care plan and that it took college (which we paid for), years of tight budgeting, and a number of other sacrifices for my husband to get the job that provides the health care. I think that has to be the cushiest thing that belongs to us, as our cars are 15 and 10 years old, we have minimum basic cable (2-22) which we watch on an old TV, our one mobile phone is prepaid and reconditioned, and we live on a pretty tight budget. Unfortunately, it did not come with a cushy dental plan, which allowed us to pay a whopping $3500 for dental work earlier this year. Cheers!

Learning at school and at home...Morgan is sailing through second grade. Her teacher is Sister Mary Maximilian and she loves school. She reads well, does well at math, and seems to be doing well socially. Madeleine, in first grade, struggles with reading. This is new to me. The struggles are a whole new post but I realized recently that they're not normal. Her teacher did, too, and the school will be placing her with the resource teacher for help with her reading! I'm so grateful and so excited, as I had come to my wit's end trying to figure out how to teach her this particular skill and thought there was something wrong with the way I was teaching. In other things, she does well, and her handwriting has gone from that of a kindergartner to AMAZING! Noah LOVES Pre-K. He has been looking forward to this for two years! He, being older for his class, knows his alphabet and most of his numbers. I am eager to continue on this path toward reading! Isaiah's vocabulary continues to grow by leaps and bounds and his favorite activity is putting together train tracks and driving little trains on them.

I am thankful for...everything that we have been given: a home to live in and call our own, food to eat, transportation, clothes to wear, and health.

From the kitchen...Rachael Ray's Chicken Fajita Tortilla Soup! Yummy anytime, but especially on a cold day! Later this week, creamed chipped beef on toast, and lots of PBJ. I plan on making Crash Potatoes at some point this week; can't get enough!

I am wearing...sweatpants, a T-shirt, socks & sneakers

I am reading...Discover Magazine, Reader's Digest, and a couple of books here and there.

I am hoping...for a safe and productive business trip for my husband.

I am creating...new life!! I'm 17 weeks pregnant and the time is ticking by slowly; we find out next Wednesday whether we have a boy or a girl.

I am hearing...the clock ticking, the breeze outdoors, a cricket or two, and some odd bird sound, maybe a woodpecker?

Around the house...our hot tub is leaking (yes, we have a hot tub; it came with the house and is 12 years old), the washing machine is on strike; the spin cycle will not work. LG finally agreed to fix the DVD player that broke just out of its year warranty but they're still going to charge us $75, and the Pella windows that we thought were so awesome when we moved in? One of the blinds broke--the ones that are between the panes of glass--and it costs $275 to replace the one blind! Holy moly ... cash only; we don't use credit! Where do we begin!?

One of my favorite things...cool autumn days!

A few plans for the rest of the week...Bible study tonight, an evening with friends tomorrow, library on Wednesday, my brother's graduation on Thursday, the Dave Matthews Band concert on Friday, and a day of R&R for Jeremy and me on Saturday!

Here is a picture thought I'm sharing with you. Be sure to visit Peggy to read her Daybook and those of other Simple Women!

Shout Out

I'd like to give a shout out to the oblivious couple who sat in front of us today with their two year old daughter. Thanks for bringing your daughter to play group mass. I don't mind restless children and children who are slightly noisy; it's endearing. Children are miniature Catholics who are under construction and construction is noisy. But parents ought to at least attempt to muffle the noise of their little Catholics.

Thank you for letting your daughter pull faces at my children while they tried to be still. Thank you for turning her loose behind you with her activity bag and for not turning around again to see what she was up to. Thank you for giving her a notebook to wave in the faces of my children. Thank you for letting her bang, bang, bang her magnetic pen onto her Magnadoodle. Thank you for finally noticing, during petitions, that your daughter was missing. Glad you found her; she crawled underneath the pew and was doing snow angels on the carpet and then came to join us, laying at our feet. Thank you for finally taking her out! Thank you for bringing her back in after communion and turning her loose again. Thanks for letting her tease my well-behaved six year old with her toys and for finally turning around when my loudly whispered NO caught your attention as I was attempting to keep your child from poking my six year old in the face with her magnetic pen. Thank you for obliviously holding hands and enjoying the beauty of the mass while your daughter distracted me and my whole family. She doesn't need a spanking. YOU DO. Shame on you.

While I'm giving these new members of our Do-Not-Sit-Behind-This-Family-For-Mass List a shout, I should shout out to the people who made the list over the past year.

Here's a shout out to the mother who lets her four year old lay across the pew during the time that we're kneeling. That's the same four year old who put his foot up on the back of the pew and banged my hands with his shoe. Forgive me for kneeling; I should have realized that you all needed more space.

Here's a shout out to the parents who seem to be very prayerful and peaceful during mass. Thanks for letting your two year old boy and your four year old boy stomp back and forth on the pew while we're standing and for allowing them noisy trucks to rumble across the back of the pew while I'm trying to pray at the beginning of mass and for letting the four year old read his book out loud during meditation without so much as a SHHHH. No, you shouldn't have to break your prayerful concentration to monitor your boys. None of the rest of us do; our children behave magically.

Wake up!

I know this little rant may sound judgmental. Let me pull the plank out of my own eye: my kids aren't perfect either. However, my husband and I are doing our best to keep them still and keep them quiet. Most families in our parish do and most will say that it takes a lot of patience and EFFORT. My main complaint here is that parents aren't trying. I can close my eyes to eliminate distractions during mass but if I closed my eyes for the little girl or the boy with his feet up on the pew, I was either going to get my fingers stomped on or my kids would get poked and prodded with toys! This is inappropriate for mass, folks!

7 Quick Takes Friday Volume 13

---1---

One time during college, eleven years ago, Jeremy and I were leaving a party. We walked to the street from our friend's door and goaded each other into racing toward my car. We raced to the car and hopped in. As I was beginning to un-parallel park my vehicle, I flipped on the headlights and saw that there were two police officers in front of the car with rifles pointed at us. I was scared but I followed the instructions of the officers. They ordered us out of the car and told us to put our hands on the roof of the car. They searched the car and searched us but would not answer our questions as to why they had detained us. They asked to look in the trunk and I obliged, popping it open and letting go a large, dusty cloud. Finally, the officer laughed, realizing that they had the wrong people. He explained that there had been a drive-by shooting in the neighborhood and we had been spotted running as the dispatcher was relaying information over their radios. He told us that we were free to go but that we should go straight home.

We followed the policeman's instructed without complaining or verbally abusing him. President Clinton didn't offer me a beer in his rose garden but I'm sure that's just because I was underage. We enjoy telling the story twelve years later.

---2---

I received my Couple to Couple League Magazine for the month. I sat down to read. There was a story on blogging. I read it and turned the page for more. Lo and behold, there's a face that I know, no ... two faces ... wait, make that three ... HOLY COW! It was so exciting to see these women featured! Kate has been published before, but I think this might be a first for Lerin and Colleen. Each story that the CCL selected for publication was a story which I had read and appreciated! Here are the links (strongly recommended and also in my sidebar) for those of you who missed out:
Colleen @ Martin Family Moments
Kate @ Momopoly
Lerin @ Beautiful Chaos
And the fourth featured blogger, a woman whom I do not know personally but have read: Elizabeth @ In the Heart of My Home

---3---

With all of the hoopla surrounding Ted Kennedy's death, I was curious and read about the lives of Joe and Rose Kennedy's large family. It reads like a soap opera! I was moved with pity for the family; they have endured many tragedies.

Joseph and Rose Kennedy had 9 children:
1. Joseph Jr. 1915-1944, died in WWII, his body was never recovered
2. John Fitzgerald, 1917-1963, assassinated
3. Rosemary, 1918-2005, underwent a lobotomy at 23, mentally incapacitated
4. Kathleen, 1920-1948, died in a plane crash
5. Eunice, 1920-2009
6. Patricia, 1924-2006
7. Robert, 1925-1968, assassinated
8. Jean, 1928 (still alive)
9. Edward, 1932-2009

Then there are two grandchildren who died tragically, Michael in a ski accident and John Jr. in a plane crash. Others were plagued with drug and alcohol abuse. Yet others went into politics....

America is enamored with the Kennedy family. I've heard them referred to as America's royal family. I've heard it compared to King Arthur and his Camelot (which fell to incest and treachery). Hmmm....

---4---When your one year old Lilac Bush starts to look like this, it needs Miracle Grow, people. Don't you know you're supposed to feed your lilac bushes in addition to watering!?

---5---

---6---

I bought EARTH for the kids. We love it! It's worth $20, especially if you love listening to James Earl Jones speak as much as I do.

---7---

We're 17 weeks now and this baby is really starting to move and groove! I love feelings its little movements, still pretty small and can't be felt with the hands. It's like having a goldfish in my belly. On the 30th, we'll find out whether it's a boy or a girl. At first, I was sure we were having another boy. Now I'm starting to think girl. The thing is, I've been wrong every single time. Heartrate was 172 bpm at 12 weeks and 152 bpm at 15 weeks.

Anyone care to venture a guess before we find out?

-----------------------------------------------------
Visit Jennifer over at Conversion Diary to read her Quick Takes and those of other bloggers!

Totally Inappropriate (but really funny)

AN ITALIAN BOY'S CONFESSION 'Bless me Father, for I have sinned. I have been with a loose girl'. The priest asks, 'Is that you, little Joey Pagano ?' 'Yes, Father, it is.' 'And who was the girl you were with?' 'I can't tell you, Father. I don't want to ruin her reputation'. "Well, Joey, I'm sure to find out her name sooner or later so you may as well tell me now. Was it Tina Minetti?' 'I cannot say.' 'Was it Teresa Mazzarelli?' 'I'll never tell.' 'Was it Nina Capelli?' 'I'm sorry, but I cannot name her.' 'Was it Cathy Piriano?' 'My lips are sealed.' 'Was it Rosa DiAngelo, then?' 'Please, Father, I cannot tell you.' The priest sighs in frustration. 'You're very tight lipped, and I admire that. But you've sinned and have to atone. You cannot be an altar boy now for 4 months. Now you go and behave yourself.' Joey walks back to his pew, and his friend Franco slides over and whispers, 'What'd you get?' 'Four months vacation and five good leads.'

Wishful Thinking

Dear Dave,

We'll be at Principal Park in Des Moines for your upcoming show. Since you're reading, I hope that you're willing to take requests because this is my ninth show and there are some things that I know that I like and some things that I'd really like to hear. And if you could go overtime like you did when we saw you in Boulder back in 2001, that would really rock my world.

I'd like you to open the show with JTR. After that, would you please play Crush? Wait ... I'll put this in list form so you can print it out and put it in your pocket.

1. JTR
2. Crush
3. Two Step
4. Warehouse
5. Funny the Way It Is
6. American Baby Intro --> American Baby
7. Baby Blue
8. Butterfly (for crying out loud, why did you play that without me in 07?)
9. Ants Marching
10. Stand Up
11. Grey Street
12. #36
13. The Idea of You
14. One Sweet World --> Granny
15. Seek Up
16. Alligator Pie
17. Pig
--Encore--
18. Dancing Nancies
19. #41 (and could you please ask Bela Fleck to come along?)

If it's not too much trouble, please have Tim turn his amp down and not play too much because he tends to drown out the good stuff. Also, if I never hear the song Halloween again I'll be okay.

NFP and Discernment

I received the following e-mail from a Catholic friend who lives a few states away. After I answered the poor woman with a book, she suggested that I turn it into a blog post.

Hi Aubrey!

Can I ask you a personal question - please let me know if it's something you don't want to answer, and I'll totally understand! Here goes: Was Baby #5 planned or a surprise?

I am asking because I ALWAYS struggle with knowing how many/when to have more kids, and we are trying to wait a little while now (after having the first 4 so close) so I can get my [license for a particular career]. I'm nervous that if I wait too long, I will not WANT to start all over again, but the thought of having number 5 right now seems like it might push us over the edge.

I know, whatever God wants to happen will be the BEST plan - and of course we use only NFP, but how did you decide the time was right for number 5? We have had 3 surprise pregnancies, and one planned...and I wouldn't change anything!! So, it's just hard to know what to do - morally, financially, mentally, physically, etc.

Any advice you have would be appreciated :) Thanks!

First let me say that I'm not squeamish about sharing my thoughts on NFP or answering the type of question that she asked (Heaven knows I could probably use a little more modesty and reservation). Our first three children were terrific surprises and I'm so glad that God took that part into His hands. Isaiah was planned, as was this baby. But there's more to it than that.

I'm no expert here but I'd like to think that I've got a good grip on the morality of NFP or at least that my heart is in the right place. NFP is the only form of pregnancy spacing/family planning that is acceptable for Catholic couples, although some Catholic couples have simply given their fertility over to God and don't even use NFP for spacing (which I think is out of this world cool).

Every couple has a reason for spacing their children and there are so many different reasons for using NFP. I am convinced that child bearing is easy for very few women. It seems that every woman I speak with has at least one hardship attached to childbearing. Maybe she has trouble becoming pregnant. Maybe she has miscarried. Maybe she has problems during pregnancy. Perhaps she has rough deliveries or cesareans. It may be that she has problems breastfeeding or suffers from postpartum depression. Maybe she has none of those problems (lucky her!) or there may be mothers who suffer several of those problems. Pregnancy is usually not something to consider lightly.

What is a valid reason for using NFP, for spacing children? The Catholic Church teaches that a couple must have a serious reason for avoiding pregnancy. This doesn't mean that Mom's life has to be in danger. It simply means that a couple needs to regularly, prayerfully discern whether they are called to be open to bringing new life into the world. They need to be open to God's will for their family. A couple needs to avoid selfishness with their God-given fertility.

This baby was conceived at a time when I felt that Jeremy and I no longer had a good reason to avoid pregnancy. My body had plenty of time to heal from the fourth cesarean. The (Catholic, pro-life, NFP only) maternal-fetal specialist who performs our cesareans said that we can still have more children. We bought our first home, which has more bedrooms than our rental had. Our income had increased enough that it wasn't limiting us as much. We have amazing insurance and having a baby costs less than our monthly electric bill. My girls march off to school in the morning and I am left with only two little boys, so I am not stretched thin (usually). I began to pray about it a little more and talked to Jeremy about considering another child.

This is not a lightly-made decision for me, as much as I joke about simply "getting baby fever." Each choice to bear another child is a decision to trudge through nine months of migraines, fatigue, and pelvic pain (sorry, I'm not one of those women who loves to be pregnant). Each choice to bring another beautiful child into the world is also a choice to subject myself to a major abdominal surgery followed by a lengthy recovery. On the other hand, each child is another blessing to our family, an assurance to our older children that says, "you guys are so great that we wanted more of you!" Each child that we bring into the world is another soul that we hope to take with us to Heaven. Each child is another opportunity to bring glory to God.

Should we put limits on our family size? We don't because I believe that the circumstances which would enable us to have a child or limit our family size are constantly changing. We hoped for at least four and God filled our house. How could we know? Even at five, I'm not willing to say that we're finished. In fact, when I hear others say that they are finished, it hurts my ears. Who knows? This may be the last child that God gives us. This may well be the last child that my body is able to bear or that we are able to afford. On the other hand, maybe we will have one more ... or two ... but the point of this exercise is that the size of our family is in God's hands.

We began our marriage using the Creighton method of NFP but found that it was not helping us to space our pregnancies, as Morgan and Madeleine are 13 months apart and Madeleine and Noah are 16 months apart. When we brought Noah home, Morgan was just shy of 2 1/2 and I had three in diapers. This made me one tired mama! We learned the Sympto-Thermal method in order to put larger spaces between our children for 101 reasons: physical, financial, emotional, spiritual, etc.

I prayed constantly during this time, that God would allow us a little breathing time before number four arrived, as I was overwhelmed and exhausted. I told Him that we were going to use NFP to avoid pregnancy but that He was, of course, welcome to bless us at anytime that He saw fit. I asked Him to soften our hearts and let us know when He thought we were ready for another child. Eventually, we felt that we were ready for another child and God blessed us with Isaiah. Again, we entered a period between children and said the same prayers. As Isaiah neared two years old, I began to desire another little one. My husband wasn't on board yet but I prayed for God to soften his heart if it was God's will for us to have another. Now Five is on the way! ;) After Five is born, I'll begin saying the same prayers again.

Now I've written another book and I hope, in a round-about way, that I've answered the question posed to me. I guess the answer comes down to prayer and an open heart. For someone who feels that another child (in the immediate future) would put her over the edge for any reason: financial, spiritual, mental, physical, it seems perfectly reasonable to me that she and her husband would want to postpone/avoid pregnancy. A priest once told me that, while NFP can be used for selfish reasons, it would be extremely difficult for a couple to go wrong while using it.

But how did I know? Each time we planned a pregnancy, I was on the verge of heading to our pastor to talk with him about our use of NFP and see if he thought our motives were pure. That was my first nudge from God. My next nudges were baby fever and an overall disappointment to see the beginning of another cycle. It only took a few months each time for God to plant this idea in my heart and for me to respond.

That was long winded. I can't believe that you're still reading! What are your thoughts?

Sister

This is my baby sister Sophie and me at a football game Friday night. My brother Eli (her twin) plays football for school L, where he and Sophie attend, and their opponent was school A, my alma mater. It's a win-win for me--either way I cheer, I'm right. (Hee hee)

L=13, A=48.

Naptime Cut Short?

This is what happens when the two-year-old wakes up from his nap before his mother wakes up from hers.

Really?

I sat in a drive thru line tonight behind an SUV. The SUV had a bumper sticker which said, "Against abortion? Don't have one." Well, duh.

It was a long wait, so I sat there and thought about bumper sticker come backs.

AGAINST CHILD ABUSE? DON'T HIT YOUR KID.

AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE? DON'T HIT YOUR SPOUSE.

AGAINST WAR? DON'T START ONE.

AGAINST MURDER? DON'T KILL ANYONE.

AGAINST CAPITAL PUNISHMENT? DON'T LOAD THE SYRINGE.

AGAINST DRUGS? DON'T USE THEM.

AGAINST DRUNK DRIVING? DON'T DRIVE DRUNK.

AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION? CLOSE YOUR EYES.

AGAINST SE*X OFFENDERS? DON'T BECOME ONE.

AGAINST EUTHANASIA? DON'T PULL THE PLUG.

AGAINST GENOCIDE? DON'T DO IT.

AGAINST THEFT? DON'T STEAL.

Mind your own business. Don't tell me how to live. That seems to be the message. I will too tell other people how to live if they can't make the correct moral decision themselves. We tell people not to murder, not to steal, not to drive drunk, and not to hurt children. Abortion is a heinous thing, just as awful as any of the other listed crimes.

Sometimes it's not all about you, the liberal. Sometimes it's about your neighbor, your fellow citizens, or your own child! If you can't figure that out, let me make the laws!

What about, "IF YOU CAN'T TRUST ME WITH A CHOICE, HOW CAN YOU TRUST ME WITH A CHILD?"

Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhh! The Pro-abortion mentality drives me CRAZY!

What's your bumper sticker?

For the Love of Food!

Each of my pregnancies has been different. This is the fifth. I spent the first trimesters of my first four pregnancies nauseous and unwilling to eat. I got sick only a couple of times (with #4) but would lose a small amount of weight in the early part of pregnancy due to this aversion to food.

This pregnancy is different. I've had headaches more days than I haven't but I have had only a few incidents in which food made me nauseous. Twice it was scrambled eggs, the other time it was fried squash patties with Parmesan cheese.

So my appetite has been pretty good. Admittedly, food which someone else has made always tastes better to me than something I've worked on. The cravings that I have are STRONG but once satisfied, disappear. It hasn't been the same thing twice.

I had shaky hands one day thinking about fish. Long John Silver's satisfied that and I haven't been back there yet. When I bought that fish and arrived home with it, every bite tasted like the best bites of food that I've had. One day, I was craving Tex-Mex so bad that I felt like crying. I ordered a Bloomin' Onion from The Outback and ate half of it quickly. Each bite was like tasting Heaven. I haven't thought of it since. I've craved apples and grapes, Cheez-Its and Goldfish, BLT sandwiches and Bic Macs, pepperocinis and pickles, garlic bread, milk, Gumbo, Clam Chowder (the real stuff, not canned), Bean & Bacon soup, chili, cereal, and pizza.

The cravings are amazing; they'll get so strong that I'm willing to take all four kids to the store during the witching hour just to satisfy it.

What cravings have you had during pregnancy/pregnancies? Is it the same every time? Is the craving the same throughout pregnancy? Share with me!

Chalk Fun

Jeremy and the kids colored with chalk while I took a nap worked on making a new human being.
This reminds me of a fancy dance move. Maddie shows her hands. The kids decorated their dad.

At My Grandparents' Home

Morgan, Madeleine, and Noah got to spend a weekend with my grandparents. Grandpa and Grandma came to pick them up on a Friday afternoon (only a day and a half after my fearless Grandma returned from Seattle). Jeremy, Isaiah, and I went to pick them up on Sunday and stayed for the day. Here is the story in pictures:My grandpa found this tomato in his garden. There's got to be some sort of prize for this!?
My grandparents' neighbors keep bees. They put out beeswax mixed with honey. Jeff said that the bees would eat the honey and leave the wax, which they can sell at a farmer's market. Noah had a pile of acorns. Rather than throw them into the pond, he was saving them to take home. Isaiah saw Ross (a neighbor and friend of the family) and went over to sit with him. I think that my kids think that Ross is yet another uncle who will entertain them, fish with them, and bounce them on the trampoline. Grandma plants these flowers each year. Jeremy entertained the children with a Praying Mantis eating a cricket and other assorted insects. Morgan took the closeups of the bug. Jeremy and Grandpa walk back toward where we are lounging. Jeremy cuts corn for the horses to eat.Isaiah goes for love from Grandma.The kids love to feed the horses. When the kids stay, Grandma cleans their laundry before we leave. She hangs all of her laundry out to dry and it always smells so good. Maddie took pictures of everyone.Morgan or Madeleine took the picture of the sky.

"Oops," said the Cucumber

Fun in the Sun

An employee in HyVee stopped at my check out lane and asked if he could offer the kids each a complimentary pair of sunglasses. I thought that'd be a great way to get the kids through the line and home. They'd be preoccupied with their new toys! When we got home, I rewarded their good behavior in the store with a little bit of time in the hot tub.