Dear New Baby

When I was 14, I met my best friend, Lisa, at summer camp.  When camp was over and we were packing up to go home, we exchanged addresses and agreed to keep in touch.  Since then, we've seen each other a total of three times, twice when we visited the other for birthdays before her family moved across the country and then once more when she and her husband stopped for a quick visit on a cross-country trip with their little boy three years ago.  We email each other regularly and text frequently.  When one of us has a problem or just needs to vent, we know who we can go to without any judgement.  We went through our teenage years together, have both gotten married to wonderful men, and are raising three children each (although I'm about to come out ahead again in March by bringing my total to four children :)  It's hard to believe that a friendship that started at summer camp so long ago is still going strong 15 years later.  

Recently, I got an email from Lisa addressed to the new baby and it was so touching and sweet that I just had to share it with you.      
 
Dear New Baby-

    I feel it is my duty as one of your momma's closest friends to write you this letter and clue you in on a few things.

    For one, you're kind of winning the lottery family wise. You're going to have 2 big sisters and a big brother. You're an especially lucky baby, not everyone gets such amazing siblings.

    Your oldest sister, Princess, will probably regard you as one of her minions at first, but, she'll love you more than you'll ever know. Be patient with her, outside of your parents, she'll be one of the last to treat you your real age- you'll always be her baby sibling. You'll be able to go to her with questions and advice that you feel funny asking your parents. Princess will answer all your questions and give you the best advice. You, on the flip side, will no doubt always have a bit of hero worship for your oldest sister- she'll always seem so mature and wonderful to you (and your feelings won't be off base, she's pretty amazing!).

    Now, lets talk about your brother, Little Man. If you're a little boy, expect Little Man to cling to you like no one's business. Another boy in the herd! If you're a little girl, expect Little Man to love on you like crazy. If you are a little girl, he's going to be the man of house and that comes with great responsibility. No one will ever mess with his siblings- especially his sisters! Little Man will love you to bits regardless of if you're a brother or sister. No doubt you'll pick up funny phrases from him (ask your momma and daddy for a few of the great things he's come up with!). Little Man will also teach you all about how to jump off couches and play tag and build amazing forts. Little Man will be your rock, your protection (as if they could get through Princess) and your comic relief. Coming from experience, there is no greater love than the love of an older brother.

    On to Star. Star is going to teach you all things cute. As your nearest sibling, she'll teach you how to very easily and very quickly wrap your parents around that tiny finger of yours. She'll be the one you look to as someone that is sort of like you! You'll no doubt look to her when you're wondering about that whole walking and talking thing. She'll be your partner in crime, your all nighter talking and giggling buddy. She'll be someone you look to with a bit less hero-worship as your older siblings, but, a whole lot more mischief. Don't doubt for a second that she'll be quick to remind you that YOU'RE the baby of the family and she controls you (or so she thinks ^_~).

    You have pretty wonderful parents too, little baby. Your parents love you with a love that cannot be put into words. Never, for one moment, ever think you cannot go to them for ANYTHING. Go to them, they've lived and learned and love you regardless of everything in this world. You may feel funny sometimes, talk to them anyway. Trust me on this, you'll never regret going to them. Keep them in the loop with your life, even when you think you know it all and don't want your parents involved, keep them informed. Trust them, respect them, honor them. When they discipline you, they do it because they love you too much to let you keep behaving that way. When they give you advice that sounds crazy, give them the benefit of the doubt that they might have more of a clue than you're giving them credit for. They would die for you in a heartbeat little baby. They love you with an unconditional, everlasting love that is second only to God's love. They'll fight for you, protect you and even when you don't want them to be, they'll be in your corner. 

    So, that's it little guy/girl. Hurry on up and get here (but not too soon!). There is a whole family of people that cannot wait to meet you. You'll be hugged and cuddled a lot in the beginning- be patient with everyone, no doubt you'll be one of the most gorgeous and cutest babies they've ever seen. They can't help themselves from showering love and cuddles on you, they're human not robots!

    Thoughts and prayers always little one,

    Lisa

 

Baby #4 - 18 Weeks

How Far along: 18 weeks

Baby's Size: Baby is the size of a sweet potato and is approximately 5 1/2" long and weighs 7 ounces.  Baby is busy flexing his or her legs and arms. 

Sleep:  It would be better if Star would quit waking up 1-6 times a night asking for her pacifier.  I'm feeling better than I was the last couple of weeks though.

Movement?: Feeling more little kicks every day!

Food Cravings: Right now, I want to put tomatoes in and on everything I eat.

Things That Make Me Queasy: No matter what time I eat at night, how early or late I go to bed or what I eat, I've been really nauseous at night to the point of throwing up.

Gender: No idea!  Even though Princess has accurately predicted 6 out of 6 pregnancies in my family at early stages in the pregnancy, I can't get a prediction out of her this time.  I can't even get her to tell me if she's hoping for another sister or another brother.  We have an ultrasound this Thursday, but I'm just 18 weeks so we may not be able to see what we're having yet.  We may keep it a secret this time even if we do find out thought.

Labor Signs: Small braxton-hicks contractions are starting.  They just feel like a slight tightening in my abdomen so nothing painful yet. 

Symptoms: Heartburn has been pretty bad this week and taking Tums right before I go to bed isn't going well since I'm so nauseous at night.

Mood Most Of The Time: Overly emotional about everything.  Today has been hard since Hubby's grandpa passed away this morning.  The worst part was telling Princess when she got home from school.  She took it pretty hard and has been crying quite a bit today.    

Looking Forward To: My ultrasound on October 3rd!

Miscellaneous: Sorry, no picture this week!  I spent 20 minutes trying and trying to get a halfway decent/nonblurry/not crooked picture in the mirror today and just couldn't pull it off.  Give me a week to recover and I'll try again for the 19 week update :)

   

Random Monday - September 30, 2013

We had a busy, but fun weekend.  Star celebrated her first birthday on Sunday (actually, we celebrated, she was a little confused at the commotion) and we had a birthday party for her on Saturday.  I'm planning to do another post about her party later this week :)

Last night, Hubby and I were watching tv after the kids were in bed when Princess came back out in the living room sniffling with a red mark on her cheek.  I asked her what happened and this is what she said...

Princess: "I was trying to fall asleep and my foot came up and kicked me on the face."
Me: "You mean you kicked yourself in the face while you were trying to go to sleep?"
Princess: "Yes, and it hurt!"
Me: *laughing so hard I couldn't talk*

And that, right there, is one of my finer parenting moments.

Last Monday, Hubby and I celebrated 7 years of marriage by...staying home and eating supper on the couch like we always do.  :)  Oh well, we did end up going out the next night with our Pastor and his wife to see Unstoppable (if you haven't seen it yet, reserve tickets for the October 3rd showing-it's a really good movie!)  
I'm thinking I need to do an Etsy gift guide series again this year.  They're so much fun to put together, and people seem to enjoy them.  What do you think? 

Has anyone tried the Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte mix from Trader Joe's?  I saw it on Pinterest and really want to try it because Pumpkin Spice and Chai together...um, yes, please!

Baby #4 - 17 Weeks

How Far along: 17 weeks

Not even going to attempt to apologize for the pile of towels in the hamper.  I'm way too tired to care right now!

  
Baby's Size: Baby is the size of an onion and is approximately 5" long and weighs 5 ounces.  His or her bones are changing from a soft cartilage into hard bones.  Baby is able to move his or her joints. 

Sleep:  Still having lots of weird dreams and waking up to use the bathroom at least once a night.  I've been needing a nap everyday (and usually not getting one!), but it seems that no matter how much sleep I get, I'm completely exhausted. 

Miss Anything?: Not being exhausted.   

Movement?: Every now and then :)  Can't wait until it gets a little more consistent.

Food Cravings: These change frequently, but right now I'm craving cheese a lot.

Things That Make Me Queasy: Eating a big meal, not eating frequently throughout the day, staying up too late at night.

Gender: No idea!  Even though Princess has accurately predicted 6 out of 6 pregnancies in my family at early stages in the pregnancy, I can't get a prediction out of her this time.  I can't even get her to tell me if she's hoping for another sister or another brother.

Labor Signs: None, and I hope it stays that way for a while!

Symptoms: Heartburn, fatigue and my left hip feels like it's falling apart most of the time.

Mood Most Of The Time: Tired.  Or did I mention that already?

Looking Forward To: My ultrasound on October 3rd!

Miscellaneous: This week, Little Man asked me how the baby is going to get out of my tummy and Princess asked me how the baby got into my tummy.  Both times, I changed the subject because my mind was completely blank on an appropriate response.
   

Random Monday - September 23, 2013

It's been over a week since I posted.  Yes, everything's fine, I'm just SO SO SO SO tired.  Too tired to blog or read or watch tv or anything.  Taking care of the kids, taking minimal care of the house, and work is all I can handle right now.  Princess started kindergarten a few weeks ago which means getting up 45 minutes earlier than usual plus I started back to my babysitting job last week.  I've been pregnant before and had newborns before, but I had no idea that this level of sheer exhaustion and fatigue was possible.  I have way too much to do today to take a nap, but when I got home from work, I ate lunch and then sat on the couch and cried because I was just that tired.  I finally decided to quit being an idiot about it and take a quick nap because it was obvious I wasn't going to check anything off my to-do list in that condition anyways.  45 minutes later, I feel a smidge better, but I can already feel the fatigue creeping in again.  By the way, I will be lodging a complaint with my doctor because I still haven't gotten that second trimester energy I was promised...     

Anyway, here are a few random things from the last 10 days...

Walking outside with Little Man on a windy day, he looked up at me and said, "I don't want to 'wind' away!"  (blow away)

Princess found a pair of ear muffs and wore them around the house for a day while proclaiming them her very own "muffins."

Last weekend, Hubby and I visited his younger sister with the kids.  The kids had a blast since she made it her job to spoil them for the weekend :)  We took them to a candy store on Saturday morning, then to Golden Corral buffet for lunch (quite possibly the best buffet ever).  Of course, the dessert counter with its chocolate fountain and cotton candy was what really impressed the kids.    

Princess with her very own cotton candy (that's Little Man covered in chocolate on her left.)

We went back to my sister-in-law's for naps and then finished the day with Chuck E. Cheese.  It was Princess and Little Man's second trips to Chuck E. Cheese and Star's first.

Star loved the pizza and watching all the commotion.

I was working on the computer and listening to Pandora on my tablet when I noticed a cute little someone dancing along so I grabbed my camera.

50 Random Facts About Me

My best friend sent me on email with 50 random facts about her and asked that I return a list of my own.  It's such a fun way to get to know someone a little better so I thought I'd share my list here as well.  Enjoy!

 

1. My favorite season was spring until recently, but I changed my mind and now fall is my favorite.  Two words...pumpkin and spice. 

2. I like lazy days when I don't have a set schedule, but I thrive on a schedule so it's better if I have one.

3.  I just found the bottom of the kids' laundry basket this week.  I haven't seen the bottom all summer.  I think I may have to purge their clothes...

4.  I love Swiss Cake Rolls but only if they're frozen.
 
5.  I'm good about getting the kids' pictures taken around their birthdays every year.  I'm terrible at handing out the prints and displaying the pictures in the house.  Star doesn't have her picture up yet, Princess's displayed picture is from her 4 year pictures and Little Man's is from his 2 year pictures.
 
6. I crave orange juice when I'm pregnant.

7. I keep taking on new projects because I know they will be awesome (new blog with my sisters...yay!  New pattern shop...yes, please!).  I just wish I could find about 8 more hours in the day to keep up with everything.

8. I blog for several reasons...to have an online scrapbook/journal of my family, because I LOVE writing (I miss English class in school), and because it helps me promote my businesses.  I don't make a cent from blogging.

9. I stock up on pumpkin spice hershey kisses every fall.  They're like eating a chai latte.

10. I need 8 hours of sleep a night to feel my best.  Any less and I'm barely functioning, any more and it's too much sleep and I feel groggy.  

11. I don't usually get 8 hours of sleep a night.

12. I hate that I'm addicted to pop.  My favorite is Dr Pepper.

13. Somedays I feel like my kids are conspiring to slowly kill me via insanity.

14. Somedays I feel like my kids are conspiring to kill me with their unbelievable cuteness.

15. I love being a mom.

16.  And sometimes, when I'm having a really bad day, I don't love it.
 
17. My kids threw away my checkbook record over a year ago and I haven't been able to come close to balancing my checkbook since.  It drives me nuts and I'm late with bills a lot because I feel sick just looking at the checkbook.

18. I'm actually looking forward to giving birth again and praying that I don't have to be induced again, because that completely sucks.

19. I got my ears pierced when I was 17.  After 6 months, they still hadn't healed so I had to take the earrings out and let the holes close up.  I wish I could have pierced ears.

20. As much as I hate it when Hubby has to work night shifts, I actually look forward to having a night to myself after the kids go to bed.  I miss that about being single.  

21. I've been craving fast food hamburgers like CRAZY.  We live 45 minutes away from the closest fast food place.

22. Being so far away from...everything is the only thing I don't like about small town living.

23. When I'm in the car, I love to crank the radio and sing along.  It annoys me that the kids insist on talking to me when we're driving.  

24. My favorite genre to read is nonfiction.  Give me an 800 page nonfiction book and I'll be in heaven.

25. I love chick flicks.  

26. I don't cry in front of people, but when I'm by myself, I cry at sappy commercials.

27. I love names.  I love finding out the meanings of them, collecting unusual names, and making lists of ones I love.  

28. My whole family loves bacon, even Star.  If I make some to go with a meal, we usually eat it all off the plate before we sit down to eat.  

29. I secretly love the boy band sound.  Plus One (a Christian boy band) was my favorite when I was younger,

30. I do NOT feel like I'm almost 30.  No way, no how.  I still feel like I'm an older teenager somedays (18 or 19) and when I see my kids I think to myself, whose kids are these?

31. I would NEVER want to go back to the teenage years (14-17).  They were miserable in every single way.  I feel bad that my kids have to go through them.

32. I like fruit, but I don't usually eat it because I'm so picky about it.  It can't be too ripe or not ripe enough, no bruises, etc.  Basically, there's a 1 day window when I like fruit.

33. I haven't parallel parked since my driving test.

34. I love hats-in theory.  I never wear them. 

35. I'm an introvert.  Being around large groups of people for extended lengths of time literally drives me crazy, and I need to get away and be myself. 

36. I'm an HSP (Highly Sensitive Person).  About 1 in 5 people are and learning about it really helped me understand myself better.  (Now if I could just get Hubby to read the book...)

37. When my kids are cranky or whiny, I put them to bed.  Doesn't matter if they just got up or if they just took a nap.  It helps.  I wish I had the same option when I'm cranky or whiny.

38.  I don't even try to fix toys that are broken.  In fact, I like it when toys break because it gives me an excuse to throw them away.

39. I always have a secret stash of food that my family doesn't know about because if they did, they would eat it all and I would cry.

40. I don't like pork sausage, but I love sasuage links, sausage patties, and biscuits and sausage gravy.

41. I love home cooked food, but I hate cooking.

42. I love home baked food, but I hate baking.

43. I'm scared of traveling by myself because I'm never quite sure of what I'm supposed to be doing or where I'm supposed to be going.
 
44. My mom and I still get asked if we're sisters.  I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted by that.

45. I prefer wearing skirts to pants.  During the summer, I mostly wear skirts and if it weren't so stinkin' cold in Minnesota during the winter, I'd wear skirts then too.

46.  I let my kids watch too much tv somedays.

47. I was born with a cyst right above my right eye.  When I was a baby, it looked like I had a big bump on my head.  Thankfully, I grew and the cyst didn't so it's barely noticeable now.

48. If I had a shopping spree at any store, I would go to Hobby Lobby.

49. I don't correct my kids' speech because the way they talk is so cute ("Look at that looooong tree!" and "Look, I'm brooming the floor." are just a few that come to mind) and I know they're going to outgrow it before I know it.

50.  I firmly believe that the best toys for kids are the ones without batteries or buttons.  A set of blocks is one of the most basic toys that every child should own.

Have a random facts post (old or new)?  Link it up!  I'd love to learn more about you :)  If you haven't written one yet, here's your chance!  The link-up will stay open until October 30th so you have time to write one :)

 

Baby #4 - 15 Weeks

How Far along: 15 weeks

Baby's Size: Baby is the size of an apple and is approximately 4" long.  He or she is able to move all of their joints now and can sense light now even though the eyelids are still fused shut.

Sleep:  Not so good lately.  I've been having weird dreams and getting up to use the bathroom at least once during the night.  I have my alarm set for 6:45 am every morning to get Princess ready for school and the other two ready to head out with me to my babysitting job, but Star has decided to become a go-getter and is waking up between 5:30 and 6.  I'm flat out exhausted.  All the time.

Best Moments This Week: Feeling the baby move!!!!  This is my all-time favorite part of pregnancy.  I had been feeling something over the last week, but wasn't sure if it was the real thing or not.  Last night, I picked Princess up to help her up on her top bunk and the baby kicked back at her resting on my stomach.

Miss Anything?: Not being exhausted.   

Movement?: Yup :)

Food Cravings: Fast food hamburgers which stinks because the closest fast food place to me is 45 minutes away. 

Things That Make Me Queasy: Eating a big meal, not eating frequently throughout the day, staying up too late at night.

Gender: No idea!  Even though Princess has accurately predicted 6 out of 6 pregnancies in my family at early stages in the pregnancy, I can't get a prediction out of her this time.  I can't even get her to tell me if she's hoping for another sister or another brother.

Labor Signs: None, and I hope it stays that way for a while!

Symptoms: Heartburn is starting to kick in. 

Mood Most Of The Time: Tired.  Or did I mention that already?

Looking Forward To: Hearing the baby's heartbeat at my appointment tomorrow.  I wish I would've made the appointment for after school gets out so Princess would've been able to come with me and hear it too.

Random Monday - September 9, 2013

When I say or do something that Little Man doesn't like (i.e. tickle him when he's done playing), he'll cry out, "You hurt my feelings!"

I found a Piddle Pad at Goodwill the other day for a dollar and snatched it up.  I hadn't put it away yet when I saw Princess laying on her stomach on the floor with the Piddle Pad on her head.
"Why are you wearing that on your head?" I asked.
"Because it wanted to be on my head." was her reply.

I almost died laughing when Princess asked if she could watch "Diarrhea Princess".  What she was really asking to watch was Princess Diaries.

Little Man: "Mommy, can I have my scissors?"
Me: "Yes, but before I give them to you, what are you going to cut up?"
Little Man: "Oh, nothing."
Me (instantly suspicious): "Really?  So what are you going to do with them?"
Little Man (nonchalantly): "Just cut the lid off that black thing in the kitchen.  That's all."
Me: "Oh, you mean cut the lid off the canister of raisins I just got done telling you that you couldn't have, right?"
Little Man (still nonchalant): "Yup.  That's all.  Can I have my scissors?"
Me: "I appreciate your honesty, but no."

All the back-to-school pictures I saw from my friends on Facebook had happy, smiling children posing with new backpacks.  This is what I got while we were waiting for the bus.

Way to break your mom's heart, kid...

The bus shed forgot to call us that morning to tell us that they were changing the bus route.  Instead of stopping at 7:10 like we were originally told, the bus came at 7:45.  We spent almost an hour total waiting outside for the bus.  And then, when it finally came, it drove right past us and went to my in-laws' house because most people don't know about that a second family with the same last name lives on our road.  What a wonderful start to the school year...  

Star's 1 year pictures

Star isn't turning 1 for another 3 weeks, but I had her 1 year pictures taken yesterday and just had to share the overwhelming cuteness  :)

Her tutu, onesie, and hairbow were all made by me :)  Star thought it was the best thing ever that I actually let her play with a deck of Uno cards since usually that kind of stuff gets taken away from her right away.

Why I'm Not Looking Forward to the Start of School

Princess's first day of kindergarten is tomorrow *sob*.  It seems that every time someone hears that she will be going to all-day every-day kindergarten, they immediately tell me that it's so nice that I'll be getting a break.  

Let me clear this up.....I am not getting a break!  I will still have two small children at home.  Princess is good at helping me clean the house and keeping the two little ones entertained.  When she's not here, Little Man places all of his attention on me which means that he follows me around all day talking nonstop so I can't get anything done.  I'll also be getting up 45 minutes earlier to get her ready for the bus at 7:15.  Not only am I not getting a break, but it will be harder to not have her here.

For the rather insensitive people who pointed out that I must be happy that I'm "getting rid" of one of my kids (their words!) for approximately 9 hours a day, 45 hours a week....I enjoy my kids' company, and it saddens me that my little girl will spend most of her awake time away from me and her siblings. 

Oh, and Princess still needs naps a few times a week.  Yes, they have a 15 minute rest time in kindergarten, but she's going to be worn out from kindergarten which will make her crabby.  So for the 3 hours a day I do get to spend with my child, she'll be cranky and not her usual sweet self.  I don't know one single child who has made the transition to kindergarten smoothly, and I know my daughter well enough to know that the transition will be rough and not pretty. 

And there's that whole spending-time-with-your-peers thing.  I think socialization is the dumbest reason for sending kids to public school ever.  Period.  What happens when you put a child with a group of children the same age?  Let's just say that they don't exactly encourage each other to act mature and make wise choices.  In fact, behavior goes downhill when a group of children get together.  Plus, there's all those lovely things she'll learn from children whose parents are a little less strict than we are.

"Many people now recognize that the social environment of many (if not most) schools is actually one of the most compelling reasons to home school.  These negative social experiences can include bullying, foul language, unbiblical world views, lack of values, and increasing cases of emotional and physical abuse."  

Quote from Learning By Grace

So yeah.  That pretty much sums up how I feel about this school year.  The next person who tells me what a great break I'll be getting by having Princess gone all day just might have to listen to this entire blog post being read out loud to them.