Little Workers

Don't underestimate what a four year old and five year old can do.  I have received help from a lot of people this week.  Friends bringing me things and offering to bring me things, offers to walk Trucker, child care and bus services, prayers; all of it wonderful.  But to receive the understanding and help from the tiniest of people, that is also amazing. 

Jac and Mia have helped with the dishes, unloading mostly. They have helped me endlessly pick things up off the floor, which sometimes seems like the most insurmountable of tasks.  They have helped me with the laundry, switching it out and carrying to a nice high counter to be folded.  They have really helped in the self care, often getting their own snacks, trying to put their shoes on by themselves, washing their own hair and the list goes on. 

It makes me wonder why I didn't have them doing this stuff before?  But all in good time, they are becoming responsible little people that only whine about their workload every once in awhile.  They do ask for money a lot, so they aren't entirely altruistic! 

It takes a village, and even the tiniest are part of the village. 

The Final Countdown

So, Jeff and I had an interesting weekend.  I guess it shouldn't be considered that interesting considering we have done it two times before.  I was having contractions on Friday evening that just wouldn't go away regardless of what I did.  So around 10pm we decided to call the doctor and she said to go ahead and head to the hospital. 

Long story short, everything is fine.  Baby is fine and they were able to stop the contractions with medication.  I am on medication until next week when I will be 36 weeks.  36 weeks is not exactly full term but you have a very high percentage of babies who don't have any lung issues at 36 weeks.  Mia was born 24 hours after I stopped the medication at 36 weeks. 

I was a bit emotional about all of it.  Part of that is just, hello I am pregnant, and part is the medication makes me feel weird and gives me a headache.  I don't get headaches and don't deal well with them.  Also, even though I was taking the medicine yesterday I was contracting again in the evening, and I thought, great, I am going to have to labor with this viscious headache.  How would that work? 

But headache has gotten better and I have had a wonderful day of telling a lot of people what I won't be able to do over the next two weeks.  You can really clear your calendar when you need to, it's amazing.  I have also had so many people offer help and provide help, it is very humbling.  I know that it is a pay it forward event, because there is no way to repay all of my wonderful friends and family individually. 

So get ready folks, we are probably going to have an October baby.  Which day do you think it will be?  I am 36 weeks on Tuesday and that is when my next doctor's appointment is.  I will stop the meds that day assuming all is well.  It could be that day, but I doubt it.  But perhaps by the weekend we could have another bouncing baby!

Apple Picking

I have wanted to go apple picking for awhile.  I didn't think that it was going to happen this year, because of a busy fall and a big belly.  My DH asked if the family would want to go apple picking this weekend.  Yay!  What seemed daunting on my own now was easy with Jeff.

So we went to Illinois, the kids got a kick out of that; saying we needed to find some apples to pick in Missouri.  We had a great time with all of the fun things to do at the farm, but my favority was the actual apple picking. 

The Real Story of the Oil Spill

With a title like that you may think this is another big business hating post from yours truly.  Au contraire.  My five year old knows how it really went down.

If you look closely at the atlas that he has been coloring.  (Yes, Jac and Mia play with an old atlas lying around because in our house Santa brings my husband a new atlas every year; in case a road changes.)  I wasn't here to listen to the complete story, but down the Atlantic coast there is another highway, drawn in blue and green.  A car, presumably a large one, was driving down that highway and made it to the Gulf only to crash!  All of it's oil spilled out, causing the large purple stain that you see in the Gulf. 

There you have it.  Jac's version of the Gulf oil spill.  Who knew he even was aware of the oil spill?  Better start watch what I am saying in front of him!