Pumpkin Carving 2015

You can't do Halloween without carving the pumpkins!  I bought 3 this year, one for each boy, but only carved 2 because I wanted to keep one out for November.

Deciding what to carve each year is always a fun challenge.  This year, while perusing Facebook one day, I spotted a pumpkin carved with a tiger hawk. Well duh, us Hawkeye fans most DEFINITELY had to try that!  Aiden claimed the 'Hawkeye Pumpkin' as his own, which left Brennan to his own imagination and devices.  He drew up what he wanted on a piece of paper, then we transferred it to the pumpkin.

First up, cleaning out the guts!

Daddy cutting off the lids while Aiden and Tate peeked between the pumpkins

This is as close as Tate would get to the pumpkins once the gut removal started.  I'm not sure if it was how gross the guts look, or the way they smell or what, but he refused to stand next to the boys or help. 

Things got a little wild and Aiden ended up with pumpkin seeds on his face. :)

See, he didn't like the pumpkin guts! :)

 Then the carving began.  We printed off an image of a tiger hawk, cut it out and traced it onto the face of the pumpkin. Andy did the majority of the carving, then I went back in and refined it.

Turned out pretty cool, didn't it!?! :)

Here's Brennan's masterpiece.  I love the eyebrows, ha ha! :)

Major Mom-fail, I didn't get a picture of the kids outside with the pumpkins!  We got busy with homework that night, then showers, then it was bedtime.  Womp womp.  I'll try to get a picture of them out there in their costumes Friday evening.

#ForTheLoveOfFallSwap

A few gals hosted a Fall Swag Swap and I couldn't resist signing up!  I love those things!

I got matched up with Jen from Sweet Little Loving's, and oh my, was she awesome!  She was super friendly, chatty in emails which I love, and she sent me the most wonderful package of goodies!!!  Here's my big 'reveal'.

I opened the box to find a pretty note on top - the best way to start!

Then I took the tissue off the top and found all of these lovely wrapped packages!

Check out my loot!  I love all of it!  First off, Reeses Pumpkins and Classic Dentyne - awesome!  I hid my Reeses in the mixing bowl in the cupboard so the boys wouldn't find them, ha!  Washi tape, can't wait to use it!  I immediately hung the car freshner in my car and my little helper (who's hand you can see grabbing a package of wax melts) wouldn't leave those melts alone! He sniffed and sniffed those, ha ha!  It is the perfect Fall scent - nice and spicey!  Do you see Baby's pink bow?? Eee, can't wait to see her in it!  The 'Live Laugh Love' sign is a magnet, which looks super cute up on my fridge. And last, I opened the 'Give Thanks' pumpkin and set it up on my shelves where it looks super Fall-y and perfect for November!

Thanks so much, Jen!  I had a great time getting to know you and picking out your goodies!  You guys can find what I sent Jen over on her sweet blog, Sweet Little Loving's.

Baby Girl - 36 Weeks

How far along: 36w3d

Total weight gain: I'm holding steady at 17lbs - no weight gain for a month!  But I feel like I've gained more weight - holy smokes does my butt look big! Ha ha!  Or, actually, waaa!!! :)

Maternity clothes: It's getting more difficult to find clothes that fit nicely, that are suited to that day's temperatures and that I feel good in.  And I'm starting to dread those first months after Baby's here and nothing looks good because you still look somewhat pregnant or your move into the flabby tummy stage and you just feel like you look hideous.  Ugh. :(

Dr's appointment: I am now at weekly appointments - hooray!!  But I only have 2 left, boo!  That's because we set our date of induction for Sunday, November 15th!  Yay!!!  I'm so excited!  I chose that day for a really stupid reason -- there will be football on TV to watch so we aren't bored while waiting for the Pitocin to work.  Ha ha!  That, and waiting just one more day seemed near impossible.  I'd have done it but since I don't have to I'm not going to.  

So, at my appointment we did the Strep B butt swab test.  And then she checked me.  I almost fooled her into stripping my membranes but she's a smart one and remembered I was only 36 weeks and she can't do it until 37.  Bummer. But, I am dilated to 2cm!!!  No thinning yet, and the Princess definitely is NOT dropping.  Looks like I need to step up my walking game and start adding in other measures to get things progressing.  I asked if the whole 'sex method' really made any difference, and yes it does.  It's the sperm, not the act, which helps thin things out and signal the cervix to open.  She also said nipple stimulation is proven to really work.  Umm... I can't imagine sitting here tweaking away at those things so not thinking we'll try that method.  :)  A friend told me to eat fresh pineapple so I got a container of cut up stuff at the grocery store today.  Glad I like fresh pineapple or I wouldn't be trying that method, either! 

Sleep: The poor sleep has finally kicked in.  Over the last week I haven't slept a whole night through or been able to fall right back to sleep after waking up.  It seems like clock-work I wake up at 2 a.m. and lay there until at least 4 a.m.  Monday morning I woke up at 2, finally got out of bed at 3 to write up my blog post, then felt drowsy so went back to bed only to lay there until almost 5.  It's a form of torture, honestly!  Then I fell asleep for maybe 30 minutes before the alarm went off and woke me back up again.  Luckily the lack of sleep that morning didn't catch up with me all day until relaxing on the couch last night.

Best moment of this week: Finding out I am dilated to 2cm!  I was hoping for a 2, but felt I'd be lucky to be at a 1.  It was a great surprise!

Miss anything: Sleep (you'll be hearing that a lot for the next couple months) and being able to lay flat on my tummy with my feet kicked up behind me.  I haven't missed that at all this whole time until this past week when I couldn't fall back asleep - that's usually my method to put myself back to sleep, stinks I can't use it right now.  Soon.  Actually, not soon.  After Baby's born my boobs will be so big and full I won't be sleeping on my stomach for a while then either.

Movement: It's slowing down some, she's running out of room in there, but definitely still trying to stretch out a bit and get comfy.  I mostly feel her kicking me in the top right of my bump.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Brushing my teeth gets me almost every time.

Have you started to show yet:  It's not a pretty picture but here it is anyway. 

Gender: GIRL GIRL GIRL!!!    

Labor signs: Minor Braxton Hicks, and feeling like she's hitting 'bottom' when I walk sometimes.  

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: Holding our sweet baby girl in 18 days!

I can't believe the end is so near!  Yesterday I sent an email to the boys' teachers letting them know the plan for the boys while we're in the hospital.  I sent an email to my mom with their schedules and basic info yesterday, too.  Baby's bag is completely packed, I need to start gathering things for mine.  My mom finished the car seat blanket so I need to get the car seat back from her so it can be installed in the car.  I still haven't hung anything up on the walls in the baby's room but I did get the glider moved in there for nursing and rocking sessions.  Besides all that we are so ready for her to come!  Soon!!

Weekend Rewind

Welcome to the last week of October!  Wow, that sure was a fast month!  I’m glad – as much as I love October I am so ready for November and the arrival of our baby girl!  21 days or less until she’s here, I can’t believe it!

Remember me telling you I was helping plan a 5k Glow Run in our little town?  Well, that took place this past weekend and boy am I glad it’s over!  Don’t get me wrong, it was a fun event!  But the stress I put myself in over this was ridiculous!  I’m not sure how someone who had never even attended a run before got roped into co-planning this and practically taking the lead but I did.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Don’t EVER let me help plan a big event like this while in my 3rd trimester again!!!  (Not that I’m ever going to be pregnant again, BUT!  DON’T EVER!!!)  I would wake up thinking of nothing but this run, stewing over the fear of no one signing up and no businesses sponsoring it, whether we’d get everything lined up – such as traffic control- or  not.  What about weather?  Do we really need to have a soup supper after?  And on and on and on.  It was exhausting!

So, Saturday, the day of the run, finally rolls around.  I get up bright and early to get myself ready for the day so I can meet Sarah, another co-planner, at the bank to pick up signs to use along the streets.  There were 4 big signs that read “Caution: Runners Ahead”.  We got those loaded into the back of my truck and then Sarah starts to tell me all about everything that wasn’t falling in to place like it should.  Ugh, bad way to start the day!  We part ways and I head home to start working on some last minute details.

That afternoon I took Aiden over to the golf clubhouse where we were starting and ending the run to take all 150 shirts and the other supplies I had for the run.  I laid out all the shirts according to size, stirred the chili that was brewing in the roasters and came home.  I was hoping for a short nap, knowing that day was going to be taxing on my body. Guess what – no nap happened.  I started having volunteers back out which meant I had to scramble to reassign people so all of the corners on the race route were covered and we still had enough volunteers back at the start/finish line to help Sarah and Sky, this third co-planner.  Ugh, I was stressing!  I finally got all of that worked out, but by that time I was so worked up there was no way I was falling asleep for a nap.  My original plan was to head back to the clubhouse at 4 but by 2:45 I couldn’t take it anymore so I hoped in the truck and headed over.

The settin up wasn’t too bad – I worked on hanging pictures of the race route and a poster listing all of our sponsors.  I folded and rearranged the shirts.  I stirred the chili.  I waited for the other gals and a few volunteers to show up.  Basically did busy work.  Then Sarah and Sky arrived and we started setting up the shoot where the runners would leave and come back through.  Because it was a glow run we wanted to try and light it up, so after much finagling and our helpers running home for extension cords we were able to get that all lit up with Christmas lights.  Just as we were finishing this up runners started to arrive to get signed in.

Because this was our first time planning this run we decided to go the easy route – no race packets or bibs, we only ‘counted’ the top 10 finishers, although we did let the other runners know their time as they crossed the finish line, and we only did a 5k instead of also having a 1 mile run/walk for families like they do at the town festival run.  None of us had ever planned one of these before so we were just trying to survive it, have fun and raise money for our cause, which is to re-route the trailhead that comes into town and add some bathrooms, a shelter and a nice parking area.  Currently the trailhead dumps you out into the middle of a farm chemical business – not pretty.

Before the race we had 92 runners registered – my goal was 50 runners so I was thrilled with this number!  At 5:30 when registration/check in started we had people coming in one after the other to get registered. We started to panic that the 20 extra registration forms we took weren’t going to be enough so we had someone run and make us 20 more copies.  We ended up with 117 runners total!!!  I still can’t believe it.  I’m sure to some of you this doesn’t sound like much but for our first time hosting this event I think we did pretty darn good! Add to that 2 surrounding towns chose the same night to host a Glow Run also and I really think we did awesome!  Remember, these are small towns!  Ours has a population of 1200!

After the run was over there was chili and potato soup served.  It was fun that so many people stuck around after to eat and hang out.  The run started at 6:30, everyone was done by 7:30 and by 8:45 we had everything cleaned up and packed away.  We had a ton of compliments on how fun it was which was really encouraging.  We are hoping to make this an annual event, each year raising funds for yet another project we have in store for our little town.  And each year I hope to build off the previous one – next year we will for sure add a 1 mile run/walk so more families will attend.  We did have almost 30 kids under the age of 10 signed up so not having it this year definitely didn’t deter all families, but we hope more people join in on the fun next year.

So, how did I handle the whole day?  Mentally I held it together and had fun.  Physically, oh wow.  It wasn't pretty.  I was practically in tears when we got home that night.  My whole body ached and hurt and felt horrible.  I definitely overdid it.  I woke up Sunday still sore, not quite as sore but still sore.  I gimped around here for awhile until finally coming to my senses and taking some Tylenol. That helped immensely and about 2 hours later I was feeling normal again.  But let me say one more time – DON’T EVER let me plan something like that in my 3rd trimester again!!! :)

So you’ve probably noticed this post is all words and no pictures.  I failed on this big time!  I had every intention of taking pictures of the run but I didn’t take one, not even one of me and the family all dressed in our bright a## pink shirts!!  I’m still bummed about this, I wanted to post pictures on our Facebook event page.  That’s for sure in my notes to change for next year!  That and about 100 other things!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend, and that it was relaxing with zero stress!  Up for this week: a baby check up, celebrating my niece’s confirmation, celebrating my parent’s 40th wedding anniversary, and of course – TRICK OR TREATING!  Another busy, jam packed week around here.  So glad that once the baby arrives (in 3 weeks!!!) things settle down a bit.  We’ll have Thanksgiving, then jump into December and all that fun, but most of those events are on the weekends so during the week we won’t have to run too much.  I’m ready to slow down, sit and snuggle with my Tatie Tot and Baby Girl and just enjoy life.

Have a great week!

Baby Girl - Week 35

How far along: 35w4d

Sleep: Still doing good with this, although I have been waking up at random times during the night, but usually falling right back to sleep.  I am incredibly tired in the morning, really tired about 7:00 at night, but have been staying up until 10 every night which is totally crazy compared to all my other pregnancies. With those I would fall asleep on the couch at 8:00 every night.  And naps, if I lay down for a nap it's no longer just a quick 20 minute nap - it's a good 1 1/2 hour nap.  

Miss anything: My get up and go and having a lap for Tate to sit on.

Movement: She's slowed down quite a bit this week.  You know me, The Worrier - I do a lot of holding my breath and begging her to wiggle a little bit for me.  :)

Food cravings: That's the biggest disappointment of all of my pregnancies - I've never really had cravings.  With Aiden I roasted a chicken every other week (no lie!), but I wouldn't call it a craving, per se, because I didn't feel that deep desire to have it - it just sounded good so I made it.  

Anything making you queasy or sick: Brushing my teeth is getting harder and harder.  

Have you started to show yet:  This is the craziest, second biggest surprise of this pregnancy (first biggest surprise is that we're having a girl!) -- I am so small compared to my other pregnancies!!!  I just cannot get over it.  I look down and think "where's the rest of it?"  I've always gotten so darn big, and by this point am the size of a medium elephant (belly-wise).  Not this time around.  Is she buried deep in there and we'll all be surprised by how big she is? Or, am I getting my 'little' baby finally?  3 1/2 weeks and we'll know the answer!

Gender: GIRL GIRL GIRL!!!    

Labor signs: Just some Braxton Hicks here and there, nothing major.  

Happy or moody most of the time:  Happy. :)

Looking forward to: I have an appointment MOnday, I love my dr. appointments.  We are doing the Strep B test (yippee) and I'm going to ask her to check and see if anything's going on 'down there'.  I'd love it if she could strip my membranes but she can't until 37 weeks (if I remember right).  I'll still beg her. ;)  

Symptoms/Side effects:  All of a sudden breathing is more difficult.  It comes and goes, but last night at supper I couldn't eat well because I was struggling to just get a nice, full breath.  Instead I was basically panting.

Name:  All set! :)

This week I packed the diaper bag for the baby (and made Bren's old preschool backpack Tate's temporary diaper bag).  I have 4 outfits, some onesies and 4 pairs of socks packed.  Also some headbands and her sweet little knitted bonett that came all the way from Ireland.  I'll use the diapers at the hospital so didn't pack any of those.  I'll put her blanket in there, too.  I'm going to start getting together my bag, things I won't be using between now and then like my toiletries.  After Halloween I'll get the camera bag put in the car so it's there and ready to go.

Sunday I got the car seat out and cleaned up -- it had a nice thick layer of dust on it from the basement remodel.  My mom has it currently because she has made us a car seat blanket to go in it and needed the seat to do some measurements.  Once I have that back I'll get it installed in the car.

Everything's coming together finally!  I still need to finish a project for the baby's room, then we'll get all of her decorations hung up and I can show you what it looks like.

I'm ready!  Time for this little girl to come meet us!

Weekend Rewind

Gosh, October sure is flying by, am I right?  And why wouldn't it? We have been busy busy! The next 2 weeks are even busier, I just hope we survive the madness!

As busy as we have been, this weekend was pretty lame for me.  Andy was gone all day Saturday hunting (and not getting a deer) and I was here with the boys too tired and worn out to do much of anything.  I sat here all day thinking "I'm such a loser."  I should have made some plans for the boys and me.  Here's a quick recap of what we did actually do this weekend.

• Friday night we went for a drive to spot some deer.  We saw a total of 1, and he was running like a striped a## ape directly at our truck out of someone's yard.  I saw him out of the corner of my eye, thinking it was a big dog, then when I turned to look -- "WATCH OUT!!!"  Andy hit the brakes and we barely missed hitting the idiot.  Sheesh.
• Saturday morning the boys and I ran over to the local Amish community to get some delicious doughnuts for breakfast.  We were gone a total of an hour, thus starting my lame day.  (But the doughnuts sure were good!)
• HAWKS WON!!  We are 7-0, and it feels so good!
• Sunday morning I took the 3 boys to church, by myself.  It was children's Mass and Bren's 1st grade was hosting, otherwise we'd have skipped it.  Luckily for me Tate was on his best, calmest behavior.
• Andy, still deerless, came home for lunch.  We ran to town so I could go check out some clothes an acquaintance was selling.  Got 10 outfits, size 12 mo, for $10.  Score!! She tried selling them to me for only $7, nuts!!  She's going to let me know when her little gal grows out of the next size.  
• Aiden went to his 4-H clubs bonfire and hayrack ride in the late afternoon, Andy left to go hunt again, and Tate, Brennan and I hung out at home, again.  

That was my lame weekend.  No pictures necessary for that. :)  I did get the baby's car seat out and cleaned up.  It was covered in a nice, thick layer of dust from the basement remodel - ick.  Glad that's all ready to go.  This week I'll pack her bag for the hospital, then she'll be all set to arrive.  I won't be all set, but she will be!

Coming up this week: flu shots for the boys and Andy (I had mine at my last baby appointment). Dentist appointments for the boys and me.  And finally, FINALLY, the 5k Glow Run I've been heading up planning is FINALLY here.  I am so ready for this event to be over, thinking about it all the time is messing with my head!  I am hoping for a successful, fun evening that raises some money for our trail head project.  And no rain, please no rain!!  It's been 3 weeks since we've had any rain here, and we are DRY and need it! But not that night. And guess when we are forecasted to finally get some -- SATURDAY!!!  Argh!!!!  Rain or shine, we are having the run, so I guess I'll pack some dry clothes to change in to after all the runners get back in ... if any show up. :)  We have over 85 registered, which I'm super excited about, so hopefully they come and have some fun.  I'm sure I'll have a recap of the run up for you next week.

Have a great week!

Friday Favorites

I'm linking up with the gals today for their Friday Favorites link up.

My favorites this week are my Fall decorations.

I like to tuck seasonal decorations in amongst my day to day decorations to add a touch of the season to the room without totally taking it over. Christmas is my 1 exception to this rule.

First up, the kitchen.

I've had this lighted jack-o-lantern since, I think, the second year Andy and I were married.  So, we're talking 11-12 years.  I bought it to set on a table in front of our big picture window so I could be a little spooky during the holiday.  The funny thing is, I never had a table to set it on there!  I've used it maybe half the years I've had it.  But this year I came up with this set up and I love it!  The garland it's sitting on is a black-purple with a little sparkle, which this photo doesn't really show.  All the gourds you'll see in the pictures are from my garden -- I wish I had enough space to grow them every year because I really love them.

When we looked at our house the previous owners had taken out the cabinets above the fridge because their fridge was too tall.  The day we took ownership those darn cabinets were back up there, only to be taken down again because the fridge we bought was too tall for the, too.  Andy built this really nice shelf up there for me so I could decorate it.  During the non-holiday season I still don't have anything to go up there but during the holidays I love decorating it and lighting it up.  It's a pretty night-light in the evenings when we are sitting in the living room watching TV and the lights are off in the kitchen/dining room area.

This is one of my all time favorite pictures of Aiden!  He was so excited that day to be out on the farm with my dad helping him.  I keep it out all year round, moving it from place to place depending on how I'm decorating at that time. For this season I moved it to the kitchen counter and added this metal pumpkin and little pumpkin people to go with it.

Here is my Fall mantel.  I'm really happy with how it turned out this year.  Before I've taken all 'every day' decorations down to make room for the holiday stuff, but this year I like that I kept some of that stuff tucked in.  That garland draped across the bottom is one of my favorite Fall pieces.  I keep it up a little longer than Halloween, even though they are Jack-o-lanterns, where as with all other Halloween items I take them down and keep just the Fall stuff, adding in a few turkeys and Pilgrims here and there.

I love keeping as many pictures out as possible.  They make me happy. The top of this cabinet is one of my favorite 'flat spots' I have decorated all year long.  To add these gourds and sprigs makes me even happier with it!  I love how 'simply Fall' it is.

Those are a few of my decorated spots in our house.  Hope you enjoyed the tour!

 

Baby Girl - Week 34

How far along: 34w3d

Total weight gain: 17lbs - yep, I dropped a pound in the last 2 weeks. And yep, I'm bragging! :)  Makes me happy.  I asked my dr about it, she's not concerned at all because the Little Lady is still growing and doing just fine.  Just a fluke - watch me gain 5 between now and my next appointment in 2 weeks. That'll teach me to brag!

Sleep: A couple nights this past week I have woken up around 4:30 and not been able to fall back asleep until almost 6. Then I doze off just to have to wake up 30 minutes later, which makes me feel sluggish all day.  Yesterday I just got out of bed at 5:30 and watched the news until I heard Tate yell "Mum!" :)

Best moment of this week: Finishing up Baby Girl's special blanket, getting her clothes out and set aside to pack for the hospital and putting together her dresser and changing pad so it's all ready to go.  We're getting closer!

Miss anything: Just getting sad about not being able to hold Tate nice and close.  My lap is getting smaller and smaller.

Movement: Yes.  She doesn't kick quite as much, it's more stretching and pushing and rolling her feet and hands along the edges of my uterus.  Lots of wiggling but she's definitely slowing down already.  

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just the stomach flu.  Yep, I caught the nasty bitch of a bug.  And she was a bitch!  I felt terrible from about 6 Monday night until I got home from a meeting at 9.  I went straight to bed that night, then about 12:30 all heck broke loose.  Throwing up while 8 1/2 months pregnant is pretty darn horrible.  At one point I was so weak and worn down I couldn't get myself back to bed.  It was just plain awful.  Thank God for my sweet, amazing husband who took such great care of me.  He's beyond amazing.  And after laying around all day yesterday just feeling worn out I finally started to get 'me' back last night.  

Doctor's appointment: At my appointment yesterday afternoon I was measuring at 36 weeks, 2 weeks more than I am now.  That's been really consistent, except for my 30th week appointment where I was  measuring 4 weeks ahead - yikes!  Her heartbeat was in the 130's this week, it's fluctuated between the 130's and 150's this entire time.  We discussed an induction, possibly will schedule one for Monday, November 16th.  That would be only 5 weeks from this past Monday, eek!  She also mentioned having one last ultrasound at 38 weeks to check the Princess's size.  Would love to get one more sneak peek of her!  And they warned me that at my next appointment we'll be doing the Strep B test - ick.  I'll be 36 weeks then, wonder if I can talk her into checking for any dilation and thinning at that time?  :) 

Gender: GIRL GIRL GIRL!!!    

Labor signs: LOTS!  This past weekend I was contracting like mad!  Nothing painful, just the practice ones, but oh so exciting!  They were tight enough that I'd catch my breath or have to breath slowly through them.  Fun!! :)

Belly button in or out:  Ugh, this poor belly button of mine - it's stretched to the max and starting to pop out a bit.  I don't remember ever having my belly button pop completely out so don't anticipate this one doing it either.  

Name:  I'm excited to share her name with you!  It's really growing on me and I'm close to loving it! :)

Weekend Rewind

Happy Monday!

We are just about halfway through October already, can you believe that?  But according to our weather this past weekend we haven't even started September yet!  82 for a high here yesterday.  It was okay to get one last taste of summer but I am excited for this week's temps - 60's all week until Friday when there's a high of 57 predicted.  Brr, but yay!  I'm ready to snuggle under a blanket and wear layers (without dying of heat stroke!).

We had another busy, fun filled weekend.  Andy had Christmas money from last year burning a hole in his pocket (ha!) so we went to the big ol' city of Des Moines Saturday morning to go to Bass Pro Shop.  The money was given and saved to buy himself new hunting boots.  Guess when his early muzzleloader season begins -- this Saturday!  Nothing like waiting til the last minute, huh?  This was the boy's first trip to Bass Pro and it didn't disappoint.  This was Tate's face the entire time.

We let Andy do his boot shopping before we wandered around the store looking at all the dead animals. :)

Tate 'baa'd' at all the deer as we made our way to the middle of the store where the main feature was.  The big boys loved the waterfall and aquarium area.  Tate was a tad nervous - he liked looking at the fish swimming as long as he had a firm grasp on me the entire time.  His face in this picture tells the whole story, ha ha!

Then we moved over to see this big bear.  No lie, Tate would NOT take his eyes off it the entire time.  We laughed so hard at him and tried everything to get him to look at me and not the bear.  Wasn't happening. :)

After we had our fill of the taxidermy we left to go to a BBQ restaurant Andy found while up in Des Moines for a meeting earlier this year.  Jethro's BBQ.  I don't like BBQ, at all, but this was Andy's day of fun so to Jethro's we went.  Luckily it's a sports bar of sorts so we were able to watch the second quarter of the Iowa vs. Illinois game.  It's always so fun to watch a game like that in a bar with other Iowa fans - there was a lot of whooping and hollering!  The food was good - luckily they had non-BBQ choices so I got a Buffalo Wing Wrap.  The boys got chicken strips and holy smokes, they were the biggest 'strips' I've ever seen! More like entire chicken breasts!  And Andy got a half rack of ribs.  After we finished our meal (and the 2nd quarter of the game) we loaded up in the car and headed back home.  We listened to the rest of the game in the car (Hawks won!!! 6-0 Baby!!!).

Saturday nigh we went to church then came home and vegged on the couch while watching college football.

Sunday Andy got up bright and early and went to help a friend cover his duck blinds with leaves, brush and branches.  The boys and I got around, made French Toast, then I took the big boys to religion class. Tate and I came home and tinkered around here.  I cut out the material for Baby Girl's blanket, dug out the sewing supplies I needed and then waited for the boys to get done with religion and Andy to get done helping his friend.  He got home just in time for lunch then loaded the big boys up in the truck and headed out to my folk's timber to do a little deer scouting.  They didn't kick any up this time but did find rub marks and fresh 'poo'.  :)  Brennan said they saw a raccoon.

Tate and I went outside to play since it was so nice out.  This boy loves playing in his sandbox! And I snapped a pic of our neighbor's tree, starting to turn!

After getting nice and sandy I put Tate down for his nap and sewed up the blanket.  I finished the last step just as the boys got back home.  This picture doesn't show it off really well but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.  I used minky fabric for the back and snuggle flannel for the front.  The seams on the front will fray more as it's used and washed and just get 'cooler' looking with time.

After that it was folding 3 loads of laundry, mowing the yard, washing the windows and getting supper around.  Basically, I overdid it and was miserable and sore all night and let Andy pamper the heck out of me. :)  My back and belly are still aching this morning. I have a baby appointment today - yay! - so can have the peace of mind that Baby is doing okay in there after hearing her little, but strong, heartbeat.

This coming week is pretty low key, no major plans until the weekend, so hopefully I can take it easy while getting some last minute things done for the Princess.  I still forget I am pregnant some days which means I overdo it without realizing it until it's too late.  5 more weeks, I can make it 5 more weeks.  :)

Baby Girl - Week 33

How far along: 33w4d

Maternity clothes: I am so over the summer clothes and ready for Fall stuff, but it warmed up again this week into the 70's so I'm back in shorts and short sleeves again.  And I'm dying of heat, ha!  

Sleep: It's still good, except for when we have a slumber party in our room because one is throwing up and the other had a bad dream.  Sheesh. :)

Best moment of this week: I ran into a friend at the grocery store and she commented on how small I am for being 33 weeks.  Awesome!  I have felt like I'm smaller this time but to hear someone say that was so refreshing!  Usually I'm as big as a moose, which I'd have to be to carry 9 and 10 pound babies!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she's a smaller baby - is there a chance I could actually get my 7lb-er??  Ok, that's probably  not going to happen, but a girl can dream!

Miss anything: I miss snuggling my Tater Tot close on my lap.  He is clingier than usual because of his teething and wants to sit on my lap and look at books all the time.  I love that, but I can't get him close. Or he puts too much pressure on my belly and it hurts and I have to adjust him all the time.  He also has started wanting to lay his head on my shoulder, which I love, but it means he is laying over the top of the bump - ouch!  So that's what I'm missing, getting him close enough and snuggling with just him.

Movement: On a similar note to what I'm missing, I love how Baby Girl kicks her big brother Tate in the back when he's leaning against me and her.  She's either letting him know she's not going to take his abuse or she's trying to play with him and let him know she loves him.  If she's sassy like me it's the former. :)

Gender: GIRL GIRL GIRL!!!    

Labor signs: I can definitely tell she's getting lower.  You know that feeling where you're walking and all of a sudden it feels like the baby is going to drop right out of you?  That's happened a couple times over the past week.  There are a few contractions here and there, nothing major.

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy with a twist of moodiness. :)

Looking forward to: Holding my Tate close, snuggling in close to Andy at night, being able to get up off the couch with ease, getting my hormones back in check.

Symptoms/Side effects: My anxiety goes crazy when pregnant.  It actually got better while pregnant with Aiden and Brennan, but with Tate and the Princess it has gone bananas.  Leaving town to go somewhere other than my hometown sends me into a panic.  I feel sick, short of breath, etc.  I don't know why it happens to me but that's one symptom of my pregnancy that I can't wait to go bye bye.  

One thing that's different this time, and it goes back to feeling smaller, is that I can roll over in bed via my tummy so much easier this time.  I am still a stomach sleeper, and sometimes wake up not having my 'kick stand' out to prop me up a bit.  Then I can just roll over to my other side and I'm not like a bug dying on its back because it gets stuck.  It's been so nice!

Round ligament stretching - oi.  I am noticing those darn things hurting much more often than I remember from before.  If I get up too fast, ouch!  I double over, pant a little, then slowly stand back up straight.  They don't hurt for very long but when they do it's not fun.  

Name: The name is sticking so far!  I'm not ready to get her a monogrammed pillow quite yet but I think it's the name we'll go with.  It's kind of nice being able to call her by her name already.  

I haven't packed any bags yet, and if we are induced a week early I only have 5 weeks left which sounds so nuts!  That's only 37 days!!!  In 4 weeks I'll have one more ultrasound to check her size - that's when we'll decide about an induction or just letting Mother Nature take the lead.  Any other pregnancy and I would have said let Mother Nature have her fun, but for some reason this time having that early induction carrot dangling in front of my face makes it hard for me to agree to just hold on.  I'm praying hard and often that she decides to come on her own, early, so the decision is taken out of my hands.

Come on, Little Girl, we are ready to meet you!