Twenty-Six Weeks

(posing here with the baby of the family. Poor little guy will not get to hold that title much longer!)

The Baby: Little Sprout is growing more and more, measuring the length of an English hothouse cucumber and weighing close to two pounds now. She is quite the gymnast, turning somersault after somersault and moving in ways that make her momma very uncomfortable. She can also definitely hear my voice now as well as the Nerd's - by the time she is born she will be well-versed in computer technology and the family budget. :)

Me: I am doing well, although the little girl certainly likes to keep me up at night. There are nights when I feel as if I don't sleep at all, and other nights when I drop off to sleep at 9:30 pm and sleep soundly into the morning. Those are the nights I have very vivid dreams of the baby. I am starting to feel huge - everything is tighter and more awkward to wear.

The Siblings: The other day we visited the dollar store to pick up some things, and the Beast asked if he could spend his dollar on something for his "little baby sister." That definitely made me smile. The Spud got to feel the baby kicking today. He kept giggling and shouting, "Do it again momma! That funny thing with your tummy!"

The Plans: Last weekend, our church held their annual parking lot sale. I went and walked around in the 90-degree heat for a little while. I spotted a cute jungle animal fold-up baby swing at one of the booths and managed to snag it for $5! The same vendor also sold me a box of baby girl clothes - $3 for the box! I barely glanced through the box, figuring that $3 was an awesome deal no matter what was in there. Later I went through all the contents of the box and was surprised to discover adorable outfits from Children's Place, Baby Gap, and Gymboree. There was even the cutest tiny swimsuit and matching hats for some of the outfits. While we were out at the coast a couple of weekends ago, Grandma Myrna gave me a whole pile of scrap fabric to use to make bibs and burp cloths and the like. So far I have managed to make three bibs using an easy tutorial and pattern - and they are reversible! I will share pics of the cute things in a future post.

Tomorrow I get to do the whole glucola test and waddle around in the doctor's office. It should be fun. Then I get to go to the store and buy some - ahem - larger undergarments. Also fun.

Who am I kidding?

Iphone Photo Phun - Don't Be Fooled

I am making the switch from Wordless Wednesday to Iphone Photo Phun, hosted by Taming Insanity. (No there are no coincidences in the fact that we both have the term insanity in our blog names and we both are currently preggo!) This is much more fun because let's face it - I ALWAYS have my life, er Iphone, with me and thus record a lot more of our family's shenanigans with it than my beautiful, expensive, large-and-doesn't-fit-well-into-any-purse-I-have DSLR camera.

We went to the coast a couple of weekends ago to visit grandparents. The Drama Queen rejoiced in the sand beneath her bare feet.

The boys bravely took to the water, which was body-numbing cold.

I took this self-portrait when I got bored of watching the kids do the same old cute things. Don't be jealous if you can't get that same wind-in-your-hair look. For some of us, it just comes naturally. . .

We enjoyed hamburgers at the Nerd's company picnic on Saturday. Never mind that the hamburgers were larger than the Spud's head.

Here is a shot of the "Chair Lift of Terror" I talked about in my previous post. How I had the presence of mind to ever pull out my Iphone and get this picture will forever be a mystery.

The kiddies got to drive around on mini-go-carts. The poor Drama Queen crashed into the siderail at every turn, hitting the gas instead of the brake. She is destined to be as great a driver as her mother. (and by the way, the Nerd gets to teach her how to drive when she turns sixteen. I'm not getting in the same vehicle as her when she starts driving!)

Here's a photo in which I tried to persuade the kids to pose sweetly together in front of Mt. Hood. yeah, don't come to this blog if you're looking for stunning family photography.

Free pony rides!

The Spud was a pro - "Mom, I don't need you! I can do this myself!"

And that was our week or so in Iphone photos. Of course I didn't take photos of the Spud stealing cheese from the fridge and placing several bitemarks in said cheese before returning it to the fridge. I also did not choose to capture a photo of the boys shredding a wet diaper and then strewing it all over the living room. Nor did I wish to record in picture form the memory of the boys smearing glue stick all over the living room furniture. Just in case you were fooled by the photos above and thought we were a "normal" family. . .

Scaredy Cat

I will confess it now. I am pretty much a scaredy cat. A total wimp, if you will. At least when it comes to certain things in life.

I like to feel as if I am in control of things, and when I don't feel that, I get very scared.

Take our honeymoon, for instance. We were traveling across the United States on a road trip, stopping at various attractions and enjoying our time together. In California, we visited Universal Studios. I willingly went on every roller coaster and ride because in my (warped) mind those were carefully crafted machines and the operator had full control of what was going on. Then we came across a Van Helsing exhibit, which the Nerd thought would be a lot of fun. I was skeptical, having never seen the movie and certainly not interested in doing so, but I figured it would be like any other ride in the park. As we got to the front of the line, I realized that this was not a ride. It was a walk-through haunted house of sorts. Terrified, I looked for a way to escape but it was too late. It was our turn to enter the ride. I am surprised that I didn't leave scars in the Nerd's arm considering the way I gripped it like a lethal vise. I screamed and cried every time any thing or anybody jumped out at us or moved. Poor Nerd moved us through that house as fast as he could drag me. By the time we reached the end, I was shaking and crying, and no amount of Shrek, Spongebob, or any other cute fun stuff could erase that horrible, out-of-control experience from my mind for the rest of the day. (By the way, I am so grateful for a man that did and said all the right things even though he could not comprehend my irrational feelings and behavior.)

So this past Saturday the Nerd took the family to Mt. Hood Ski Bowl for his company picnic. We all received park passes as part of the picnic perks (wow, was that a lot of p's or what?). After thoroughly covering the kids with sunscreen and making the mandatory restroom visit before going through the park, the Nerd and I examined the map to see what would be appropriate for the kids. We quickly realized that all the little-kid-friendly stuff was at the opposite end of the park, and the Nerd concluded that the only way up there was the chair lift. I stared at the very long and very steep chair lift. Was there another way to drive up there? Could we possibly hike up to the top? Was there anything we could do to avoid the chair lift? No, apparently the Nerd felt that we should use the chair lift. That same stupid panicky feeling started to rise up in me, but I tried to squelch it when I saw the excitement on the kids' faces. Logistically though, it was going to be a nightmare. The chair lift was just two chairs across, and there were five of us. We decided that the Drama Queen would go with me and that the Nerd would take the two boys, holding the Spud on his lap. As we waited in line, I started thinking about the Beast. How would our autistic child, who can't even handle being on a playground swing, handle this? What if he had a meltdown or panic attack right when we were forty feet about the ground? I needed some reassurance here. "There are seat belts on these things, right?" I asked, sure of the answer because of course the sign wouldn't say Ages Three and Up if there weren't. (I know - stupid question people but I have never been skiing in my life and really had no idea). The Nerd looked at me as if I had grown an extra head and shook his head. "No, there's just a bar. We have to be able to jump off quickly at the end, you know." A growing terror rose up inside me. All sorts of visions of the Beast freaking out and then falling out of the chair lift invaded my mind. By the time we got up to the chair lift, I was a basket case. I was trying desperately not to show it in order not to frighten the kids. The Drama Queen looked up at me. "Will you hold my hand, Mom? I'm a little scared." I reassured her that there was nothing to be scared of (hypocrite!) and together we boarded the chair lift. Immediately the Drama Queen relaxed and leaned forward to get a better view of the scenery. I grabbed her arm and held tight, trying to relax. Next to Van Helsing, it was the most terrifying experience of my life. I just knew she would slip and fall at any second. Behind me, the Nerd gripped the Spud with one hand and held onto the Beast with the other but looked like he was enjoying the experience. We finally got to the drop off and got off. My legs were shaking, but I was so relieved to be off that lift. Then the Nerd realized that we had made a mistake in our map reading. We were not at the right place! He went over to talk to the chair lift attendant and discovered that we had not had to be on the chair lift in the first place! Apparently there was a shuttle that takes park visitors to the other end of the park. Now we had to get back on the chair lift, go all the way up to the top, and then come all the way back down to get on the shuttle to the other end of the park. The Drama Queen was thrilled that we "got" to get back on, but her momma surely wasn't! I spent the whole ride babbling about anything and everything to keep my mind off the fact that any of our kids could plummet to the ground at any second.

We finally got off the lift at the bottom of the mountain. I was never so glad to see firm ground in my life. As we walked toward the picnic area, the Nerd said to me, "Okay, that pretty much tops my list of most stressful things I have ever done in my life. Never again will I take a three-year-old and an autistic four-year-old on a chair lift by myself!" Ha! It wasn't just me then.

I have to say though that all three kids were stellar chair lift riders - they sat still and didn't whine, cry, or try to climb on the lift.

Still. It hasn't cured me, you know. When it comes to those situations, I will always be a scaredy cat. (That night I had a reoccurring nightmare that the Beast had fallen from the chair lift).

Yeah. Now you know.

Tutorial: Goomba Iphone Case

So. As I mentioned in a previous post, for the Nerd's birthday he usually chooses what he wants for his birthday and then I go get it for him. This year it is apparently something Xbox-related. However, I always like to give him a little something else - usually something from ThinkGeek.com - something he would not expect that shows his wife actually pays attention when he talks on and on about his computer and gaming adventures.

This year, I didn't think of it until the day of (gulp! such a procrastinator) and after perusing the internet for ideas, I finally decided to make him a fun little case for his Iphone (or for whatever he wants to use it). I debated over favorite game and TV characters and came up with a Goomba (from Nintendo's Super Mario Bros) since it has "manly" colors and has a shape that works well with a phone case.

Want to make one too? Here's a tutorial to help you speed through the process as fast as I did (remember I made it on his birthday!) Since I was in a a bit of a hurry, there are a few changes I would make and have noted them along the way. If I were you, I would read through the tutorial first - switching steps #3 and #4 would have made things a lot easier, just sayin'.

1. First gather your materials. You will need felt in these colors: dark brown, medium brown, white, and black as well as some embroidery floss to match the felt colors. You will also need some velcro for the case closure. Tools needed are an embroidery needle and a hot glue gun.

2. Now cut out all your felt shapes. For the main case, cut one white rectangle (4.5" by 10"). For the head, cut one medium brown rectangle (4.5" by 5.5") The shoes are cut from dark brown felt and measure 1.5" by 1.75" with curved edges, as shown. The mouth is cut from black felt and measures 4.5" by .5". The other pieces do not have measurements. Cut the whites of the eyes first - 2 tear-drop-shaped pieces of white felt. Next cut the pupils of the eyes from black felt - 2 oval shapes that are smaller than the whites of the eyes. Measure the tops of the whites of the eyes and cut black eyebrows slightly larger. (I made my eyebrows one piece and folded it in half before cutting to get uniform-looking eyebrows.) The teeth are cut from white felt and are just small triangles.

3. Fold your main case piece in half so that the folded edge measures 4.5" across. Thread your needle with all six strands of white embroidery floss and blanket-stitch around the sides and bottom (folded edge) of your case. Leave the top open. (If you need help with blanket stitching, here is a great tutorial).

4. Now thread your needle with medium brown floss (all six strands again) and use a running stitch to stitch it to the back side of your case only. Do not stitch through both pieces of white felt. (this is why it would have been better to do this step first). Notice in the diagram that the brown piece is placed two inches down on each side before stitching.

5. Now blanket-stitch each side of the case flap (the brown felt.) You do not need to stitch across the top as that will be covered by the mouth.

6. Now attach your velcro pieces - one to the case flap and the opposite piece to the main case, as shown. It was hard to see the white velcro on the main case so I outlined it in pink for you :). I used hot glue to attach the velcro, but after several eager little hands opened and closed the case multiple times, the velcro on the main case came loose. I would take the time to use a few strands of embroidery floss and sew those suckers on tight!

7. All facial features and shoes should then be glued on, in the order shown in this diagram. Use hot glue and make sure your glue gets close to the edges of each piece so that it will stay firmly in place. (Don't burn yourself - use tweezers to place pieces!)

Now you have a little Goomba just ready to protect your Iphone. The measurements for the case given were for an Iphone 4, but you can certainly modify it to work for any electronic device you want. I was also thinking this little guy would make an awesome gift card holder.

I wonder what other characters would make a cute case?

Twenty-Five Weeks

(sure hope you all are enjoying the view of our cracked bathroom mirror each week. classy)

The Baby: According to Babycenter, Little Sprout now weighs about a pound and a half. To demonstrate this weight, they use the comparison of a rutabaga. Oh yeah. I just was making something with rutabagas yesterday - so I totally get the comparison. Anyway, her skin is starting to smooth out, and if she will have any, her hair is growing too! All three of my other younguns were born with quite a bit of blonde hair; I think it's safe to say that Little Sprout will do the same. Unless she decides to be a redhead. There is a possibility of that.

Me: I certainly do not want to whine and complain, as this has been the "easiest" pregnancy I've had so far. However, this week was a bit tough with pregnancy migraines hitting me over the weekend and confining me to my bedroom for a solid day. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who took care of the kiddos and my children's church responsibilities and pretty much everything I normally do so that I could take that time to "sleep it off." Then, apparently summer finally decided to make an appearance here in western Oregon. The past few days, the temperatures have been in the nineties, which makes sleeping at night a little uncomfortable. We don't have any air conditioning in our bedroom downstairs - just a fan that blows all those wonderful allergens right to me. The living room does have an air conditioner - so I am claiming that as my bedroom tonight.

The Siblings: It is becoming increasingly harder for the kids to sit in my lap for story time or "ow I just got a boo-boo" time. The Spud especially is not happy about sharing his favorite place with this unknown sister of his and sometimes will stalk off in a huff when I ask him to sit next to me instead of on my lap as usual. The Drama Queen has been most aware of Momma's limitations lately and will remind me that I should probably not get on the floor to play with the kids cuz remember how hard it was to get up last time?!

The Plans: Nothing new. I am trying to get everything ready for homeschooling the Drama Queen this year; so that has been occupying most of my planning time.

Next week I get to go in and take the glucola test. Oh joy to my soul! And the weeks just keep marching along. . .

Wordless Wednesday - Thirty-One

(Iphone photos - hence the blurriness)

a little fun at John's Incredible Pizza for the Nerd's 31st birthday!

more wordless fun at 5 Minutes for Mom. . .

Happy Birthday to my Man

Today my man turns thirty-one. We celebrated with family on Friday night at John's Incredible Pizza - I don't know who had more fun at the arcade, the kids or the Nerd. :) The kids gifted him with handpicked cards and presents from the dollar store. That man is now the proud owner of several plastic sports cups, a ball gun, slime, and more. I am sure the cards - a Transformers one from the Drama Queen, a dinosaur one from the Beast, and a Dora the Explorer one from the Spud - are now prominently displayed in his cubicle.

As for me, I will buy the man whatever he wants for his birthday - he tells me and I go get it. It's verysimple and terribly noncreative or romantic - but it makes my man happy. And I am all about that. He also gets to pick any cake he wants out of my multitude of baking books. I am in the process of making a peanut butter chocolate torte for the man of the day. We are also looking forward to grilled steaks, rice, and corn tonight when he gets home from work.

Speaking of food, I founda super easy sliced baked potato recipe the other night whilst pinteresting (is that a word??) We tried it last night - amazing! Try it - it will change the way you make baked potatoes forever.

Tutorial: Fluffy Flower Headband

Last week I mentioned in my weekly pregnancy post that I had finally completed my nursing cover. I had a few strips of fabric left over and decided to make Little Sprout a cute little flower headband for all her newborn fashion needs. I mean, how many other babies have hair accessories to match their momma's nursing cover? It turned out pretty well - so well in fact that I am pulling out some more fabrics to make her a whole set of these. And I'm thinking Big Sister and Momma wouldn't mind having their own modified versions of this flower headband.

For this fluffy flower headband, you will need: two coordinating fabric pieces (mine were just leftover strips from my nursing cover project - you won't need much!), a small piece of 1/4 " braided elastic, a sewing machine loaded with matching thread, a glue gun, a sharpie, and a soup can.

(Please excuse my model's look of disinterest. She has been around for 20+ years and has cheerfully taken all sorts of modeling abuse.)

So, first you are going to make the stretchy headband. Measure your baby's head (or the head of a doll reasonably similar to a baby's head) and double that to get the length of your fabric. Then cut out a strip that long and about three inches or so wide.

Next, fold your strip of fabric in half as shown with the wrong side out and stitch a 1/2 inch seam along the cut edges.

Using a safety pin, turn your tube of fabric right side out. Don't bother to press it - you will be scrunching it up soon enough.

Cut a piece of elastic that is just a little less than half the length of your fabric. Attach a safety pin to one end of the elastic and begin threading through your fabric tube. When you reach the halfway point, before the other end of your elastic disappears into the tube, sew down that end of elastic as shown.

Continue working the safety pin through the rest of the fabric tube until it comes out the other end. Scrunch your fabric until you like the way it looks, and sew down that end of the elastic/fabric as well. Make sure that on both ends, you have sewn through the fabric AND the elastic, so that the elastic will stay in place.

Match up the two ends of the fabric tube and sew together in a 1/2 inch seam. Trim down the fabric edges as shown.

Now, you are going to start working on your flower. Using a soup can, veggie can, hair spray can, or whatever you have, trace out 17 circles on the wrong side of your contrasting fabric. The larger your circles, the larger your flower will be. Cut out all 17 circles - you don't have to be too exact here. Just make sure to cut off all black marks as they will show in the completed flower.

Take one circle and fold in half and then in half again, with the right side of the fabric out, as shown.

Sew that folded circle in place on the stretchy band right where you stitched the two ends of the band together as shown. Sew diagonally across the triangular point of your folded circle.

Fold another circle the same way and sew it to the headband directly underneath the first folded circle, as shown.

Fold a third circle and sew to the headband directly next to the second folded circle. It should look like three-fourths of a circle, as shown.

Fold a fourth circle the same way and stitch in place. Notice that your stitches make a square or diamond shape. This is the first layer of your flower.

Now you will sew on the second layer of your flower in the same way. Place the first "petal" as shown in the photo above so that the petals will not be directly lying on top of each other. Continue folding circles and stitching them in place until a second layer is completed. (Four folded circles make one layer.)

Add a third layer of petals in exactly the same manner. Your flower should look like this.

Next, take another circle and fold it in half and then fold it into thirds, as shown.

Make a dot of glue with your hot glue gun at the center of your flower and press the point of this new folded circle into the glue. (use tweezers or the tips of your scissors so you won't burn your fingers!)

Do this three more times with the circles folded in half and then into thirds. Glue them in place with the hot glue gun.

Finally, take your last circle and fold it in half and then into thirds, as you did with the previous four circles. Place a dot of hot glue in the very center of your flower and press this last folded circle firmly into place.

And there you have it! An adorable, chic hairband for the equally adorable infant in your life.

In a future post, I will show you how to modify this headband to make it suitable for an older girl and even an adult. (my headband does not have as full a flower for example, and my daughter's headband has a removable flower.) Happy creating!

InstaFriday #2

It's time for another Iphone photo dump, courtesy of InstaFriday from Life Rearranged and my everpresent phone to catch those little moments. So, without further ado, here's our week in grainy Iphone photos:

The Boy Scouts have been selling ice cream treats after church each week to raise money for their troop. For several weeks, we had been steadfast naysayers until the Nerd finally gave in this past Sunday, allowing the kids to pick whatever they wanted while I visualized my laundry detergent at home and fervently hoped it would erase any damage made by the popsicles.

I was very proud of Davey - although the ice cream cart advertised Spider Man popsicles, they ended up not having any. Instead of having a major meltdown, he very calmly chose another character and seemed pleased with his selection. (and in case anyone is wondering, the SpongeBob and Sonic popsicles taste awful! My kids didn't think so, but I ended up with a taste or too and they were disgusting. )

I managed to catch a few shots of party guests at our "Monkeyin' Around" bash on Saturday.

That's full-on party excitement, folks!

The birthday boy wanted me to take a picture of him and his cookie cake with my "funny phone camma." I obliged.

I have slowly been getting my feet wet in the whole couponing thing - this week I really managed to get some great deals without stressing myself out too much. With coupons and a quick trip to the local bakery outlet, I managed to get all of this for five dollars. Go me!

Surprise! They were serving up 25 cent bowls of ice cream at the splash park on Tuesday. This was a perfect scenario for me - eat the ice cream, get it all over yourself, and then go rinse off in the splash park. I call that a "win-win."

Halloween costumes have emerged from the closet as various little people around here have taken turns being Ironman, Spiderman, a shark, and Thomas the Tank Engine. Apparently the Shark likes himself a little TV time.

Library time is always a fun excursion for me. I take four kids and tell them repeatedly to be quiet and pick out their two books without disturbing the other patrons. The Spud always picks his books out in record speed because that leaves him more time to terrorize the library. Here he is searching for the key in a treasure chest "can you find?" book.

I scored some much needed girl time with my Rachels last night - no it's not a secret club; I just happen to have two close friends named Rachel. :) We hit up Panera Bread where I greatly enjoyed the above meal. The cashier had the nerve to ask me if I would like the pastry packaged up to take home later. I said to her, "Lady, look, I'm pregnant! Just put it on the tray with all the rest of the food!" We fully intended on walking through the mall or visiting the local bookstore after we ate, but conversation led us to stay firmly at that table until closing time. Ah yes. The food was very good, but the fellowship was far greater.

And that's it for this week. Now my phone is ready to capture whatever is in store for us this coming week.