Introducing Our New Bundles of Joy

I know I know, what was I thinking taking on chicks when I'm about to be dealing with a full on baby. Problem is now was the best time to integrate new chickens with their leader being dead and all...or maybe this all has something to do with those nesting instincts. At any rate hopefully our 3 step integration system will work out and our chickens will all eventually get along. So far the light colored one (ice cream cone) is great, very friendly and social. The darker one (violet) is totally anti social and is either hiding or freaking out. Should be interesting.

R.I.P Loud Chicken

One of our chickens went missing the other day, the chicken known as loud chicken, skinny legs and depending on the day either cheeky, cheeks or mangon. Two had escaped from their pen early Thursday morning; Joe went out 1/2 hour later to put them back in and only found one of the two escapees. No sign of foul play, nothing on the police blotter (aside from a stray dog captured a few blocks away hours later), no lost chickens at the humane society and the remaining two chickens were acting unnervingly nonchalant.

Well, today (three days later) we found the missing chicken. It re-surfaced on the side of our neighbors shed. Still not sure what killed it, where it was the first two days or what creature brought it back. Loud chicken was torn open, but the meat was all still on which seems highly suspicious. Were thinking a dog hauled it off and killed it then maybe K-So brought it back? It was a gruesome site, but I suppose now I can stop calling the humane society and inquiring about a runaway chicken.

R.I.P loud chicken, things are far too quiet around here.

19 Days to go (in theory)

I finally got around to talking Joe into taking some near the end of the battle pregnant Lindsey glamor shots; ones that include a head; the headless ones sort of drive my Mom crazy. Ok so there is one headless shot, but come on, I was playing hide n' seek.

Finally, A Decent Walk

37 weeks, 5 cm, 90%, -1

I guess that means I'm technically 1/2 way through labor. Dr wants to induce (break H2O) next week, Doula seems to sort of agree. My risk assessment tells me this is a good idea; my stubbornness tells me it's not. All those wishing to help me over analyze the situation PLEASE feel free to call.

Proof: Not My Dads Beer Belly

This photo is to prove to all of you that the gut in the previous posting was indeed mine and not the stomach of a 60 something year old man who drinks too much. And in defense of my father, he doesn't even have a gut nor does he drink stomach bloating beverages. I did however steel this shirt out of his garage when I was pregnant with Ari, so it is his shirt.

I know, this kid must be large. I wish I would have been writing down all the things people have said in reference to my large belly...

Any day now huh (that was at about 7 months)
Are you sure it's not twins?
Oh wow (followed by laughter)
Oh you look so miserable
You never got that big with Ari did you?
You look like your going to give birth to a whale

...and the list goes on and on.

Don't worry I'm not offended, I find it amusing, and yes my gut is bigger; I grew out of all my final stage pregnancy shirts about 2-3 months ago. Strange thing is my weight gain is exactly the same as it was with Ari and the pants still fit. I'll laugh so hard if I have a 10 pound baby. Well, maybe not right away...but I might laugh later.

I need to take a photo of my true side profile, it's awesome.

MY Lazybum

A few months ago Joe and I made the largest furniture purchase of our lives; we bought what Ari referred to as "the Lazybum". With the exception of a mattress we bought just after Ari was born our furniture ranges in age from early 1900's to the 1960's with prices ranging from free to $5. Since this pregnancy has turned me into a cripple and the entire time Ari was an infant I REALLY wanted a comfortable place to sit we figured it was worth it. And it was worth it. Now I just feel sorry for people who visit us.

Normally my Lazyboy is just that, MY Lazyboy. On this particular day it was usurped, but since they were entertaining themselves I let it slide.

36.8 Weeks

Deciding to restore an 1940's dresser at nearly 37 weeks pregnant = not one of my better ideas.

36 weeks, 3.5 cm, 90%, -1, StrepB +

Look familiar? My stats are the same as they were last week with the addition of testing positive for Strep B (grr). Not too shabby really. Funny how these #'s can be mean something or absolutly nothing. Still, I find it fascinating. At any rate as of yesterday I'm done with bed rest. Bring on the home improvement projects, I'm officially in the market to get my torso back.

And I Thought I Was a Clean Freak

Is it possible your toddler can go through a nesting phase to?

Going Backpacking

I was in the kitchen cleaning today when Ari came in and said "bye Mom, I'm going backpacking" to which I replied "ok, see you later". Took only a few seconds before I heard the front door open and close. I peaked out to see Ari headed up the block with his makeshift backpack and no pants. Don't worry, he didn't go far before he came back to get me.


Love K-So's shadow behind him. Ari figured out today that if he puts on a backpack and says the word "hike" K-So will follow him wherever he goes. That dog must really be desperate.

Time Magazine Take Note

I think at the end of the year when people are naming their "person of the year" they really should consider Joe. Sure they'll consider all sorts of diplomats, dead entertainers and scientists; but really those people haven't had to deal with me and Ari in our present state.

I for one have officially declared myself mentally unstable. All the lounging around, lack of vacations, cravings for strenuous activity and my new love for processed food (specifically corn dogs and Bisquick this week) have taken their toll. I've totally lost my patience, and with it my tact. If the neighbor watches his dog poop on our front law one more time and doesn't pick it up I just might plaster his precious pooch with bear spray. When people ask me how I'm doing I can no longer in good conscious smile and say "fine". If Joe asks me one more time what I want for dinner, despite his being justified and generous in doing so, I'm going to snap...oh wait, that already happens.

Ari (not that it's his fault) is no longer helping the cause. The last two weeks Ari has been AMAZING. He's been SO happy and has entertained himself really well with blocks, puzzles, duplos, trucks, books on tape and kid songs. Then his cousin Adan stopped by leaving all the germs necessary for Ari to contract hand, foot and mouth disease. Talk about a nightmare, this thing is brutal. I don't think even I could handle ulcers in my mouth. Today he can't really eat or drink because he says it hurts, or rather he cries "it hurts"! Last night he would wake up and cry and cry and cry and sit up on his bed with drool dripping from his mouth (must hurt to swallow) and there was nothing we could do about it, it's such a helpless feeling. I finally went to sleep in my room with the door shut and white noise cranked and tried to get some sleep so that Joe didn't have to stay up with 2 crying loved ones.

That doesn't mean I slept well, I was up most of the night paranoid that every little pain meant labor was eminent. My Doula was out of town and what would we have done with Ari? There's no way we could take him to someones house with kids and to even call and ask an adult to come stay at our house with Ari screaming and drooling in fits of delusion wanting his Dad. It would have put me in fits of anxiety to leave him. It seems that as long as he has some Tylenol in his system he can handle the pain; as in he's winy, ornery and throwing weird fits instead of constantly screaming and acting like he's out of his mind. Getting him to take Tylenol is another matter...5-7 days; we can do this?

I don't tell you this to muster up sympathizers, I have to admit I start laughing at the situation far more than I teeter on a mental breakdown. Really I can only think of maybe 2 other times in my life when I've felt this crazy; that's not too bad. I suppose despite the fact that were kind-of a mess I still can't help but feel extremely blessed. Joe's been able to be home a lot the last 2 weeks and has shown far more patience for Ari being sick and my being immobile than I would be able to muster. How do some people do that? He's added all my responsibilities to his own and still manages to work at home and be totally sane, dare I say even chipper. Time magazine take note.

35 weeks, 3.5 cm, 90%, -1

Dr. Apt update. As of today:

35 Weeks
3.5 cm dilated
90% effaced
-1 station (forgot to ask but I would assume it's close to the same, graphic to the right for those not familiar with stations)

My Dr. brought up the I word (In@%ctio#) today. I know most people would be pleased as punch to be induced at 38 weeks but I'm not so sure. I still feel cheated for being induced (via water braking) the first time even though in retrospect it was actually our best option; I really would have had Ari in Sardine Canyon. I just really want to experience going into labor on my own, seeing how things progress, getting out my timer, doing the race car thing to the hospital, possibly giving birth in under 10 minutes, in the foyer...at least were only 6 blocks from the hospital this time instead of an hour. I know I don't have to make any decisions right now, a lot can happen in 3 weeks but if I'm at an 8 and 100% at 38 weeks again with a "weaker cervix" I really might end up accidentally having this kid at home; it's a valid concern (my Dr's biggest concern). I can see pros and cons on both sides, biggest pro wonder if I'm home alone with Ari and all the problems that could be associated with me delivering myself, biggest con inductions have the potential to cause problems too. Any and all thoughts are welcome as I will be putting together a decision matrix just in case. I plan to start moving around again next week so hopefully he will just come early on his own.

The saga continues...

Spaceships

There's nothing like an almost 3 year old to force you to use a side of your brain you just haven't had to use for the last 20 years. Today Ari asked me to make him a spaceship out of wooden blocks. I had no clue what to do, they were wooden blocks, they don't even stick together. So I said "I don't know how to make a spaceship out of blocks" to which Ari replied with a sigh "I'll show you." He proceeded to lay blocks out on the floor (like a drawing) in the shape of a space ship complete with rocket boosters. Duh! I wish I would have taken a photo of that rocket ship to remind me I'm going to need to dust off my imagination.

These spaceships were built later when we got out the duplos with NO help from me. He's a fine architect.

Current Center of Our Universe

Thanks to Whomever Invented the Hammock

We went back up to Smithfield Canyon to a great little spot we found on our previous outing. We hung out there all evening. I lounged in the hammock while Joe took photos of bugs and Ari threw rocks in the river; and of course eventually ended up in the hammock asking me to tell him stories. It was a great evening, I appreciate hammocks more than I ever thought possible.


We even managed a family photo on the way out; not too bad for a timer shot from the car. I love how K-So always ends up looking like the mangy step child. Poor dog.

3 cm, 80%, -1

Dr. Apt update. As of today:

3 cm dilated
80% effaced
-1 station

For those of you who have no clue what this means it basically means this kid is still trying to bust out but that hammock/bed/lazyboy/reclined in the front seat of the car rest is working like a charm. And I happen to think my cervix is stronger than it gets credit for; but that's my own opinion.

I'm at 34 weeks and according to the Dr at 36 weeks the babe is usually ok enough to go home with you.

All is well.

Ouch

I know. I'm on a blog roll this week! That's what not being able to move does to a person.

Anyway. Sunday we went for a drive up Smithfield Canyon so I could get re-acquainted with the outside world. We found a nice place to park, I stayed reclined in the car while Joe and Ari did some exploring. Post exploration they started playing with some big leaves so I took some photos with my phone.

Photo 1: Wow, Dad found some big leaves.
Photo 2: Butterflies
Photo 3: Ari comes to show me his leaf.
Photo 4: Joe rescues Ari who just face planted in the dirt

And here are the wounds after we cleaned off all the dirt and bathed him up. He bit his lip pretty good. This was the first time Ari has let me put a band aid on him, he's deathly afraid of them, thinks they are going to hurt him...sure enough they lasted about 10 minutes before they apparently started stabbing him with knives.

Suspicious Package

While trying to fill up with gas at Phillips 66 we were told to vacate to the Albertsons parking lot. Emergency personnel were in the process of clearing everything in a 1 block radius of 4th north and main so they could blow up a suspicious package. It was pretty exciting, probably someones gym shorts but being that we live in the 2nd safest city in the nation our police force usually have some time on their hands, why NOT blow something up. The robot is under the tree on the corner opposite where we are... Sure hope this incident doesn't bump us down to #3 safest city, we already lost our usual spot at #1 due to some stupid murder suicide pact thing...

34 Weeks

Bed rest, hammock rest...same thing.

High Risk Field Work

Since I have nothing interesting to say I'm going to post some stuff from Joe's trip. He was in southern AZ/MN collecting. This photo was taken in the Baboquivari Mountains about 10 miles from the Mexico border. You can't see it in the photo but there is a border patrol helicopter circling one of the little hills. I can't imagine why the campground was empty...was it the border patrol helicopter or the abundance of rattlers and Gila monsters... At any rate they ended up not camping there but rather left around midnight and drove all night to St.G. I thought it was because Joe felt bad for me being in the crippled state I am all alone (my Mom had gone home - Joe claims he didn't know that) but NO, come to find out my Dad (who joined Joe on the trip) thought it wiser not to camp there...it was almost a romantic story;)

This one was my favorite. The Peloncillo Mountains are a pretty big drug trafficking area so my Dad thought it better to be prepared, hence they are packing some heat...just incase you thought they were "hunting" Mutillids. My Dad (right) and a friend of his from Douglas AZ Joe (left).

And a smattering of bug photos which are pretty much the only kind Joe takes. The first photo is of course not a bug but rather a photo my Dad took of the fancy new border fence; she looks pretty sturdy, unless your a really good pole vaulter. The Second photo is a Mutillid, which is what Joe was looking for. All others are random noteworthy critters.

I know, I wish I would have been there too...
.

Head Wounds, Horses and Sparkeling Windows

As I mentioned my Mom, Sister (Maren) and Niece (Libby) were here last week. If your wondering how Ari and Libby got along, they didn't. Ari liked to tease Libby and Libby liked to scream about it (note she doesn't just scream for a minute, each scream session was well over 15 minutes). Libby liked to sneak Ari's toys away from him and Ari liked to grab the toy back and whack her with it. Bad combination. Libby discovered she had met her match when she stole Ari's monster minivan; Ari promptly grabbed it back and cracked her head open with it; literally. Ari was born to hit, he doesn't even think about it, it's just his first reaction to everything good or bad, he just walks around hitting things. Towards the end of the week we finally worked out how to have less fights, we kept them a few feet apart, locked up most of the toys, and they had a referee at all times. There's something about girls; Ari just has a really hard time with them lately. Don't worry Ari, you MIGHT get over that about age 24.








A photo from Ari's first horse ride, made to look old to accentuate the old fashion cowboy helmets. Neither of them were as delighted with the horses as I had envisioned. Ari got off 1/2 through the ride; he kept saying "I want to get down, it's too bumpy." the lead horse kept stopping and starting so Ari never really knew how tight he needed to be holding on, made him a little nervous. Libby stayed on but but didn't seem too disappointed when it was over. At any rate they looked good in their helmets!


Normally I would feel bad putting my Mom to work while visiting, but I'm so delighted with how clean my windows are there's no room to feel bad. I have a whole new outlook on life;)

So last week was a success. It was so nice to spend time with my Mom and Maren. We hung out, shopped (I now have shirts that fit and my Mom found at least 1 treasure at the DI everyday), and cooked lots of delightful new recipes.