ouch

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

ouch Current mood: grumpy Blessed Samhain/ Happy Halloween! I am sitting in my living room, goofing off on the computer and periodically getting up to distribute candy. I have an herbal heat pack on the underside of my belly, because I am in pain. No, I'm not in active labor. I'm not sure what this is, and if it doesn't go away I am supposed to go to the hospital to have it checked out. In the meantime, it's alright when I am still, but as soon as I move about much or walk/climb stairs, it HURTS. I had planned to be doing dishes and laundry right now (and boy does this house need it) but there's just no way. Sigh. At least it's not an immediate emergency, so Billy was able to take the boys out trick-or-treating on the neighborhood hayride. Some friends of ours are along too, so if we need a sitter for awhile that should work out. I really wish this would just calm down, though, so we didn't have to fool with all that. The good thing is that new little babyman has been moving about normally all along, so he's probably just fine. But this is not a good pain- something is wrong. The only question is, is it a minor wrong or an important one? I wouldn't feel so grumpy about it if I were in labor. That's supposed to happen; it's normal pain with a concrete, positive outcome. And I expect it sometime soon. This however, is a worry and an inconvenience. Grr, grump grump. So, I sit here, thinking of a million things that need doing, but not wanting to aggravate the pain further. So I sit. Guess I'll just keep you posted!

Pregnancy update and Pumpkin Bread!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Pregnancy update and Pumpkin Bread! Current mood: uncomfortable Things keep looking brighter for little babyman! I had a prenatal appointment today, and everything is looking great. Though I am still encouraged to "take it easy" and stay hydrated, I am now past all likelihood of being put on bedrest. Hooray! Should I go into labor, it's pretty unlikely that they would try to stop it. Now, babyman probably still has some development he needs to complete before making his appearance- lung maturity and a good breastfeeding reflex being the main things I think- but every day brings us closer to a safe, uncomplicated delivery of a mature, healthy baby. (Knock on wood, of course!) As I've mentioned before, I am quite ready to NOT be pregnant anymore. However, whether we are actually ready for babyman to come home is really another story! LOL. I still have quite a few things to do, but I'm working my way through them slowly. And besides, we'll make do whenever he is ready to arrive- we've done it before! :) Checked the kids' consignment store today, and scored (amongst other things) a great coat and a pair of shoes for Littleman! Perfect- I'm so happy to find them used (in fantastic shape) rather than paying full price for them new. (And higher-ticket items like coats and shoes can be hard to find in the right size on consignment!) I forgot to mention that we went to the Montessori school's Fall Festival last weekend. The weather was beautiful, and the boys had fun. We contributed pumpkin bread for their bake sale- Littleman helped me make it. It's my Gramy's recipe, and it turned out delicious! I thought I'd share it here (with a couple modifications I made): Gramy's Pumpkin Bread - 2 c sugar - 1 c brown sugar - 4 eggs, beaten - 1 c oil (I used safflower) - 1 1/2 tsp salt - 1 tsp cinnamon - 1 tsp nutmeg - 2/3 c water - 1/4 c cream or plain yogurt (optional) - 2 c canned pumpkin (note that 2c is slightly more than 1 can- I opened 2 cans, used just a bit of the second can and saved the rest of the pumpkin for pancakes one morning) - 3 1/2 c flour - 2 tsp soda Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 loaf pans well, and lightly dust with flour. Set aside. Mix the sugars, eggs, oil, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, water and cream or yogurt in a bowl. Add the pumpkin and mix well. Stir in the flour and soda. Pour batter into the 2 loaf pans, and bake for 1 hour. Easy! Mmmm.

Hanging in there. . .

Monday, October 22, 2007

Hanging in there. . . Current mood: optimistic Yes, still pregnant. Woo! Only about a week and a half to go before we're out of the woods. :D Besides being glad for babyman's sake of course, I am glad because I am SO OVER being pregnant. Absolutely done. I look forward to losing so many of these unpleasant side effects of pregnancy. . . I won't go into the gory details. Suffice it to say I will be happy to deliver this baby! It's fun to see what people have voted for as far as baby names go. . . interesting, if in an abstract sense. So far, the top four names are William Sage, Julian Sage, Julian William and William Orion. It's so nice to have some rain. . . I just wish we'd get a good gully-washer north of here, so it would help replenish Lake Lanier. These water worries are pretty scary actually. Last night Billy, the boys and I were at a restaurant. Littleman was charming the waitresses and others around us. Our waitress was talking to Littleman at one point, and she told him, "You are very cute!" Littleman responded, "I know." (insert my rolling eyes) Then Littleman added, "And generous!" LOL! Does he even know what that means?? I said, "Yes and so modest, as well!" Mr. Sweetcheeks is into saying "I lub you" a lot. Especially if I get impatient or short with him. . . he'll do something he knows is wrong, or deliberately ignore me, or whatever is pushing my buttons- and when I get good and irritated he then hugs me and says, "I lub you, Mommy!" (rolling my eyes again). Right now they are watching Charlotte's Web and I love listening to them crack up! Sweetcheeks is beside himself laughing at the rat.

Puppets! . . . a nice day

Friday, October 19, 2007

Puppets! . . . a nice day Current mood: cheerful (Yup, still pregnant! Woo hoo!) Well, we had a nice day today. We got up early(ish) and drove to my Mom's intown. (Had breakfast on the way). Picked her up, and hurried to the Center for Puppetry Arts to see a production of Winnie the Pooh. I figured the boys would like it OK, but was pleasantly surprised to find they LOVED it! They were enthralled, payed close attention and giggled at the funny parts. Sweetcheeks was slightly restless, but only because he wanted to "Go up dere?"- he wanted to climb up on stage with the puppets! Both boys really enjoyed the show. (Littleman asked me in wonder, "How do they DO that??") Afterwards, we admired the exhibits of the cat from Sabrina the Teenage Witch and several original muppets of Jim Henson's. Both boys got a puppet kit to take home. Afterwards, we lunched at my Mom's, played Rivers, Roads and Rails with Aaron and watched Happy Feet (Mr. Sweetcheeks' favorite movie!). Sweetcheeks is staying the night, so just Littleman and I wandered home, stopping for a couple small errands on the way. I realized that I still haven't baked anything for the Montessori school's bake sale tomorrow, so Littleman and I had a companionable evening baking pumpkin bread together. The house smells lovely! We had dinner and a special treat of ice cream. Plus, Daddy surprised us by coming home early! So it's been a great day. Just for fun, I made a baby name poll on a baby name website. Make your vote heard! (Though we'll probably ignore you, LOL!) :) Time to tidy the kitchen and get ready for bed.

still pregnant, and fall outings

October 15, 2007 - Monday

still pregnant, and fall outings Current mood: pleased Well. By now I've had three instances where I was concerned enough about my contractions to pull out a clock and start timing them. So far, no problems. But, geez. I keep telling babyman just to make it through the rest of this month, as he has a bit more growing to do. . . 34 weeks is definitely still too early for my comfort! Less than 3 weeks now, and I'll be happy to have this baby should he wish to make his appearance. Obviously, I am continuing to try and take it easy. I've had some help several days, and that's been great. It's so good for the boys too, because that way they can get out more and do fun things. I even got to go along for a couple fun little trips- yesterday, I joined Billy and some friends of ours to take the boys out to Burt's Pumpkin Farm near Amicalola. We went last year and it was really nice, so thought we'd go back for our pumpkins thus year. But, holy crowds, batman! The place was astonishingly packed. It was like being at the mall at Christmas time. Unfortunately, it was not the experience we adults had been looking forward to- but we got some nice pumpkins, and the boys definitely enjoyed themselves. We all liked the hayride again this year, too. However, I think we might try a different place next year. This morning's little outing was more successful- a homeschooling group I am involved with organized a little field trip to a small working farm in Loganville. It's called Bay Creek Acres, and the kids had a really good time. (Grandma met us at the house and rode out with us, so I'd have help with the boys. Don't want to overdo it!) We met and petted the dairy goats, saw the chickens, and marvelled at the turkeys. (LOUD!) Then we got to watch a milking demonstration, and several children got to try it out! (Littleman was less than enthusiastic about that idea, LOL. He stayed on the sidelines). Afterwards we all trooped inside for a little taste of fresh goat milk. (Delicious! Much better, I'm afraid, than the stuff I buy for the boys at the grocery store). Back outside, they petted a soft baby chick. Finally, Littleman and Sweetcheeks played on the big mulch pile with some of the other kids. It was really nice of the farmer to give us the tour, and I was impressed with their farm. I'm SO glad one of the moms in our group took it upon herself to organize this outing! I might call about getting a turkey there for Thanksgiving dinner. It's so nice to know where your meat comes from, and to know the animals were treated well and that the meat is fresh. Too bad I can't buy goat's milk there! (Illegal in GA to sell unpasteurized milk for human consumption). Here's the farm: http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M16585 Incidentally, that is an excellent site. I don't know if I've mentioned it in my blog before, but it's a wonderful way to locate nearby farms, farmers' markets, produce co-ops, etc. http://www.localharvest.org/ Maybe you'd like to create your own farm field trip! I think Sweetcheeks enjoyed the farm more than Littleman. Littleman said he didn't have a favorite part of the farm visit, because there was no playground there. (huh?) Though when asked which animal he liked best, he did choose the baby chick. He said it was soft. "I LIKE babies!" he said. Mr. Sweetcheeks said his favorite thing was "play" (I'm assuming on the mulch pile), and he also mimed milking. When I asked if he meant when the lady milked the goat and the milk went into the bucket, he grinned and said, "yeah!" He also told me he liked the "sheep" (must mean the goats), and "chicken runned away" (one turkey hen was out of the enclosure, and Griffin chased it gleefully until I made him stop). He keeps coming up with other things he remembers that he says he liked, so I think it made an impression on him. He REALLY liked drinking the milk! :) Now all is peaceful, and I am glad to be sitting on my bed. The boys really started to get on my nerves this evening, so it was nice to get them to sleep. I can hear cricketts outside, the neighbor's dog, the click of the keyboard and Electra over there kneading "biscuits" in the blanket as she purrs. Every once in awhile a cool whiff of breeze touches me from the open windows. Ahh, nice. I will fold some laundry, refill the humidifier (Sweetcheeks has a cold, which he has passed on to Littleman and, I think, me) and go to sleep. Sweetcheeks has Montessori tomorrow morning. Good night!

still pregnant! and my big Littleman

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

still pregnant! and my big Littleman Current mood: tired Yes, I'm still pregnant! Still trying to take it easy, still counting the days. So far, so good! Just 3 weeks and a couple days, and preterm labor will be a worry of the past. It's a good thing. :) Of course, realizing how close we really might be to having this baby, I am also realizing how rather unprepared I am. I finally got around to clearing off the changing table in our room (in the "mini-nursery" which I use for the first months of baby's life) and pulling the teensy baby clothes out of storage. The itty bitty diapers are ready, and I just have to organize the little shelf of creams, solutions and sundries at hand. I need help to move the rocking chair and ottoman back in here, and set up the co-sleeper bassinet. (We also need to drag the infant car seat out of the attic!) I have to pack my hospital bag with items I'll need for labor and afterwards, a few items for Billy and a couple things for the new baby. Because it's looking like we will have to drag Littleman and Mr Sweetcheeks to the hospital with us, so they can be picked up there by family members who are babysitting, I ALSO have to pack suitcases and supplies for each of them. And I am trying to get a few other things organized around the house, to make it easier on anyone who comes over to help out. Meanwhile, I am trying to be all caught up on work and household responsibilities- paying bills, making sure there's enough dog and cat food on hand, making sure there's enough flea and heartworm medicine on hand (ran out of Heartguard this month), tying up assorted loose ends, making all deposits, returning library books. . . Oh yeah, and Littleman's birthday is coming up! Whew. * * * Today Billy's sister came over to take the boys out to a park and play. They had a blast! After playing in the first park, they decided to drive over to a nearby playground. She didn't know the way there, but Littleman assured her that he knew the way. She knew it was close, so let him give it a shot. . . and from his car seat, he directed her right there! I was impressed and proud when she told me about it later. Who knew he'd been paying such good attention? Often my own mother can't do that sort of thing, and she's definitely past her 4th birthday. ;) Littleman over the past couple days has been a very good helper at tidying up. Funny how these things come in cycles- a period of maddening resistence followed by a desire to be helpful, followed by a waning of interest, followed by maddening resistence. . .

a good laugh for today

October 6, 2007 - Saturday

a good laugh for today Current mood: giggly I've seen this before, but someone sent it to me again recently. You just HAVE to laugh. Good therapy. :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P6UU6m3cqk

Leadership

October 4, 2007 - Thursday

Leadership Current mood: blah An excerpt from the book I am (re)reading, by John Holt: (on leadership) "Leaders are not what many people think- people with huge crowds following them. Leaders are people who go their own way without caring, or even looking to see whether anyone is following them. 'Leadership qualities' are not the qualities that enable people to attract followers, but those that enable them to do without them. They include, at the very least, courage, endurance, patience, humor, flexibility, resourcefulness, determination, a keen sense of reality, and the ability to keep a cool and clear head even when things are going badly. This is the opposite of the 'charisma' that we hear so much about. Charismatic leaders make us think, 'Oh, if only I could do that, be like that.' True leaders make us think, 'If they can do that, then by golly I can too.' They do not make people into followers, but into new leaders." (from Teach Your Own by John Holt & Pat Farenga) Now, John Holt wrote these words in the context of a book on homeschooling, and indeed they are very relevant when applied to teachers of all kinds. However these words are profound to me in many other contexts: for parenting in general, for instance. Parents must be leaders for their children, and this is a very clear and concise definition of what that means. Understanding true leadership qualities can be instumental in moving ahead in life, whether that means doing the best possible job at work, understanding how to achieve your dreams, or simply making yourself a better person. Also however, it is very interesting to consider political figures under the light of what it means to be a true leader. How many political figures can you think of that "do not make people into followers, but into new leaders"? Are we looking for charisma in our elected officials, or for leadership?