Wordless Wednesday--Driven to Boredom

So, I didn't take this picture myself, but I think it's hilarious!

The Little Prince looks completely bored and flabbergasted that Daddy is playing Wii.
Again.

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For more photos visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Two Months and One Week

The Little Prince turned 2 months old last week, and I have been so remiss in posting pictures of him or telling stories about him.

So, without further ado, here is The Little Prince at 2 months old:




Isn't he a cutie?

So far, he's a good baby. He's getting a bit difficult to put down at night, but once he's down, he's down. He still wakes up several times during the night to eat (he's a big boy!), but he goes back down so easily.

He outgrew his 0-3 months clothes at 5 weeks old, and is already heading into size 2 diapers. I'm not sure how big he is, but we go into the doctor tomorrow. I'm guessing he's at least 15 pounds already.

We've had a few peeing mishaps in the last 2 months, but not nearly as many as Prince Charming and I expected we'd have.

The first one was in the hospital. He was in the warming bed after being taken off of my chest, and the nurse had turned her back to attend to something else. Next thing I know, everyone is screeching, and I see this jet of liquid spewing from the table, over the rim, and onto the floor.

It was spectacular!

Prince Charming got the second one, and I got the third one during a bath on the kitchen counter. I was reaching over to the sink to rinse the washcloth, and I all of a sudden felt wet. Sure enough, The Little Prince had peed off of the counter and onto my clothes.

That's about it, except for one time in the bathtub, but that's to be expected.

Thank you to everyone who gave me insights on having a little boy! Everything's been a bit easier knowing that whatever is going on is normal, especially Twinmommy's forewarning; without that one, I would have been shocked and wide-eyed over what I was seeing. But instead, I took it (and am still taking it) like an old pro.

I'll try to remember to update more often, but as Twinmommy so eloquently said, Facebook is taking over my blogging mojo (not that I had much to begin with, though).

Wordless Wednesday--Sleep Position #35

She really is asleep!

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For more pictures, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Temptations

As I sit here typing this, there is a box of chocolate-covered pretzels, a box of See's candies, a box of Almond Roca, half a bag of Hershey's chocolate, and a container of fresh-baked Costco cookies sitting right next to the computer.

My mouth is watering thinking about all this fatty goodness in my house right now.

But I'm being good, I swear. It's tempting, but I'm resisting.

I, like everybody else, desperately need to lose some weight this year. After three kids? It's time.

I never bothered dieting after Cinderella, because I knew I wasn't done having kids, so what was the point?

I eventually lost most of the weight naturally, but then I got pregnant again 2 years later, and again 9 months after Sleeping Beauty's birth.

Basically, I have two pregnancies worth of baby weight to lose.

It's time to get rid of it.

I have never dieted before, and I have never had to exercise before. I've usually been active enough to keep healthy, but with two kids, then three, I don't do much of anything.

We bought a Wii Fit for Christmas, and I've been using that regularly. It's not much, but it's a start. At least I can track my BMI changes and my weight loss with it.

I have a Pilate's DVD and body ball that I'll use eventually, but I think I need to gradually work up to them. Finding time without the girls around is almost impossible; they insist on joining me when I work out, and there just isn't room for all of us in the living room. There's nap time, but I'm currently using that time to finish up school work for this term.

I think I'll just stick to the Wii Fit for now. Lose weight first; tone body second.

What's really helping me lose the weight is watching my eating habits. I've stopped snacking in between meals, unless it's a piece of fruit. I do have a treat after lunch (usually licorice) to calm the sweets craving, but then that's it. I have no dessert Monday through Thursday. I indulge on the weekend, but way more moderately than before. I also don't eat anything past 8:00 pm during the week, 9:00 pm on the weekends.

It's been tough, but so far I've stuck to this new regimen for two weeks now.

I used to be one of those people who could eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and not gain an ounce.

Actually, I probably still am mostly that way. I just need to get down to my ideal weight first. After that, I won't gain weight very easily, and when I do, it'll just seem to magically melt away in a day or two.

At least, that's the way it used to be. I'm hoping it won't have changed too much in the almost-six years since I first got pregnant.

I'm sure it has though. *sigh*

I have virtually no will-power when it comes to food. I've never needed it before. All these snacky treats in the house right now? I didn't buy them. I never would have bought them. They were very generously given to us by my in-laws. I really appreciate their generosity. I really, honestly do. And I will eat my share of what they brought. Just slowly, methodically, and cautiously this time. With lots of will-power that I will find somewhere.

I have to find it.

And I will lose the weight. Despite the temptations.

Yes, I Am Fully Aware New Year's Has Come and Gone

I am so behind the times!

We spent a wonderful New Year's week up in Lake Wenatchee with lots of family.
The 5 of us, Prince Charming's parents, my parents, Prince Charming's brother and sister-in-law, and her parents all lived cozily together in a beautiful lodge for 5 days.

There was snow galore! So much snow, in fact, there we were a little worried we might actually be snowed in. Well, not us; we didn't have to cross the passes to get home.
There was so much snow that we actually lost satellite reception on New Year's Day.

Yep. No football for us. At least not until evening.

That's okay. We had fun anyway.
We ate way too much food and drank way too much wine.
We played cards and games.
We watched TV.
We chatted in front of roaring fires.
We napped and worked on puzzles.
We sledded.

It was a wonderful week, and we're definitely doing it again next year!
In fact, we've already got it booked.

Now if only my sister and her fiance would join us...

The first evening there, we had another Christmas.

The girls opened presents...




...while the adults took pictures.

The rest of the week, we sledded.

And Sleeping Beauty refused to keep her mittens on.

Here's the gang.
One would think that with 10 adults in the room, at least one of them would think to turn some lights on while we took group pictures.
We didn't.

I'm already looking forward to 2010 to do it all again!

Information Processing: Christmas

Yes, I know Christmas is done and gone. Yes, I know it's been over for almost two weeks. However, I am just now processing everything, so bear with me.

We spent our first Christmas at home this year. We had told our families that we wouldn't be coming back over before we even found out we were pregnant again. Of course, when we knew we were expecting the Little Prince, it just solidified our decision.

Christmas with our families is always a very busy affair. It includes a minimum of four present-opening sessions, lots of driving, and an exhausted royal court by the time we come home.

We really wanted to simplify this year.

And we did.

Almost too much for our first Christmas at home.

Of course, there wasn't really anything else we could have added.

We had lots of snow, which is always nice.

The decorations were simple (we don't have many), the tree was a hand-me-down artificial (we had no money left in the budget for anything else), and it was just the five of us.

We went to church Christmas Eve where we spent most of our time wrangling bored kids in fluffy dresses (there was no children's church).



















Christmas morning, the girls woke up around 7:30 (yay!) and everyone congregated in our bed.















The girls checked out what Santa had left in their stockings while I made breakfast. Then, we opened presents. Well, the girls opened presents. Prince Charming and I rarely exchange gifts. Instead, we just ordered a Wii Fit the other day.

The "Belle dress" was Cinderella's favorite, hands down.















Sleeping Beauty got a new pull toy. It's a dog. She didn't quite get it, though.



















And The Little Prince? He slept through it all, smart boy.















That's it. That was our Christmas. No busyness, no driving, no family.

We saved all of that for New Year's. Stay tuned...

The Obligatory Christmas Post

We tried,

and tried,

again, and again,

to get a decent picture of the kids for our Christmas cards.

This was the best we got.

Merry Christmas!

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"For unto us a child is born...
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
The Everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace."

Birth Announcement

Announcing the arrival of the Little Prince!

Born November 26, 2008,

at 11:02 pm,

measuring 20 1/2 inches,

and weighing a whopping 10 pounds, 11.3 ounces.

My royal court is complete.

Wordless Wednesday--A 4 1/2 Year Old + Photo Booth

Question: What do you get when you let your 4 1/2 year old play around with Photo Booth?

Answer #1:

Answer #2:

Answer #3:

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For more photos, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

My Thanksgiving Turkey

My little turkey of a baby boy is still refusing to come out on his own. So, he's being induced tomorrow morning at 7:00.

I have actually avoided thinking about the induction as much as possible today. My mind is so clearly focused on everything I need to complete before then.

There are laundry, bills, meals, schedules, packing, planning, activities, etc. My mother-in-law is still here, so she'll actually be in charge of most of this, but I still had to lay it all out.

Or, wanted to lay it out. I'm kind of a control-freak in that way. I feel better knowing I've figured everything out for the girls while I'm in the hospital, and now I just have to hope it all gets followed.

It won't, but I'm prepared for that, too.

I'm not entirely ready for an induced labor. My compromise, however, looked something like this: induce this week, or induce next week.

I'd rather induce this week.

Thanksgiving dinner at the hospital! Yummy! While the rest of my family enjoys Thanksgiving dinner at my house!

Fun times.

Oh, yes. My mother-in-law is cooking Thanksgiving dinner at my house this year.

It's actually very sweet of her. My parents and my in-laws will be in town, so it makes sense for them to celebrate together. Besides, they like each other.

This will be the first time in 5 years that I have not cooked Thanksgiving. I'm actually disappointed. I really like my Thanksgiving menu. I've actually found a stuffing recipe that I'll eat.

I don't like stuffing, usually.

Or pumpkin pie. Blech!

Pecan pie, however...That's good stuff!

So, there's your update. My Thanksgiving turkey is coming out of the oven tomorrow, if everything goes well.

Please pray it goes well!

This Really Is the Sweetest Thing

Nope. Still no baby, in case you were wondering.

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I will admit that at times I like telling people what to do. I'm bossy by nature (first born habit), but it's usually within boundaries. This is probably outside of the boundaries (they're loosely set), but you HAVE to check this out. It really is the sweetest thing.

I submitted one. Will you?

(Almost) 12 O'clock, and All Is Well

It's almost midnight here, and I'm still awake. I'm exhausted, drained, drooping, but awake.

It's probably the slice of chocolate pie I ate for dessert.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

Three days until my due date, and still no baby.

He's dropped, I'm huge, no contractions, but plenty of intermittent pressure.

We have enough stuff to get us going, though it's not as much as I'd like to have.

My mother-in-law is here to relieve me from my parenting duties help.

The diaper bag is packed. My stuff is ready, though not packed.

My parents and father-in-law are ready, but not packed.

My mother-in-law was packed for over a week. She's definitely ready.

I keep remembering Sleeping Beauty's birth. As much as I'm looking forward to seeing this new little one (and not being pregnant anymore), I'm not looking forward to the hospital stay.

Although, the hospital food here isn't bad. And I don't have to cook it.

I'm not looking forward to the first few days of nursing. Or the first few nights of nursing, either.

Cinderella needs to work on her attitude. Sleeping Beauty is teething again.

But, it's almost 12 o'clock, and all is well.

It really, truly is.

And I am blessed.

Psst!

Have you heard? Christmas is coming!

Normally, I wouldn't have anything to do with Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but with the baby due in 9 days, I've had to reassess my convictions.

In fact, I'm done with my Christmas shopping. (*blushing from embarrassment*)

Now that I've confessed, let's move on, shall we?

The fabulous twins at 5 Minutes for Mom are hosting their annual Christmas Giveaway during the month of November.



They have tons of giveaways lined up, so go check them out! Click the sleigh up above to see a list of current giveaways, but make sure you check back every day.

Good luck!

International Babywearing Week

It's International Babywearing Week. There's a wonderful giveaway going on over at Adventures in Babywearing to celebrate. The prize? A brand new sling from Nonny and Boo! Who couldn't use a new sling? I could. I like variety.

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I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't wear Sleeping Beauty nearly as often as I did Cinderella. The Little Prince, however, will be worn all the time. It'll be a necessity with 3 kids in the house, the two youngest being only 18 months apart.















On Grandma and Grandpa's boat, snuggled up with momma.

Sadly, this is the only picture I can find of wearing Sleeping Beauty. I remember wearing her on many other occasions, but I tend to be the "photographer" in this family.















In Texas, snuggled up with daddy.

I do, however, have a picture of Prince Charming wearing Sleeping Beauty. He is wearing her, I swear! See! You can just see her little leg sticking out.

I do have some darling pictures of Cinderella in the sling, somewhere. I'm too pregnant to go find the CD's, though. My favorite one is of my mom and I walking on the beach together, and Cinderella is comfy cozy in the kangaroo hold. I'm not sure how she ever managed that hold; her feet inevitably ended up by her face. It was her favorite position, though. Sleeping Beauty? Not so much.

If you'd like to celebrate International Babywearing Week with me, head on over to Adventures in Babywearing. There are already quite a few links up filled with tips and pictures. Go check it out!

T-Minus 14 Days

...and counting.

Always counting

I'm still not mentally ready to have this baby. I keep remembering Sleeping Beauty's birth, and I start to feel overwhelmed with everything that's about to happen to me again.

The due date hasn't changed, but the doctor says I'm measuring 39 weeks this week. He's expecting me to go into labor next week.

I'm really not prepared for that.

I'm not too worried, though; both of the girls came within days of their due dates: Cinderella was 3 days early, and Sleeping Beauty was 2 days late.

I'm not ready for early; my parents can't do late.

I'm hoping this one will be as "on time" as possible.

As much as I hope that, though, I know the timing isn't up to me. It's really the only comforting thought I have as far as the timing goes. It's in better hands than mine.

I went into labor with the girls in the exact same manner, almost down to the hour, actually. I keep watching for the one definite sign I've experienced that lets me know labor is imminent. Of course, I know each labor and birth is unique.

Still, I watch, and I wait, and I hope, and I pray.

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If you want better updates than I've been posting here (I've been terrible lately, I know), join me on Facebook.

Unless you're related to me. Then I'll just call you. I promise I'll call you as soon as possible.