The contractions are getting stronger, but I can still talk through them, so no trip to the hospital yet. I think I have to be yelling through them to go, because I don't want to be sent home, but we will see. They are double contractions, my body likes to overwork itself. So I get about a one minute break every 5 min. Well break is up.
Well, we are still hanging in there, and I am enjoying the clean house, not that it couldn't be cleaner, but it is nice to not be walking over things. It gives me the time to organize and do some deeper cleaning.
The contractions are still coming regularly, but are normally better in the morning, and then at night tend to become painful again, where I am having to breath through them. Then I lay down in bed and have a few more and get to sleep. I have been waking up at night with them about every hour or so, but have no problem getting back to sleep.
I am off to lunch with other Sonlight users in Dallas, my favorite day of the month! So, for this, I am thankful that the baby has waited.
Hope everyone else has a restful and fun Saturday.
So I have finally gotten to the point of realization that these are just going to be here for a while. They aren't going to go away till I have the baby, even if that is another week. So on a good note, my house is actually clean, my laundry is put away, I made a nice dinner tonight, and I am going to spend some time reading to the girls for a while tonight. I figure I might as well overdo it if it isn't going to matter. Hopefully this attitude will last for the week. I have been reading Proverbs, and Chapter 6 about being lazy was a good motivator for me today. I'll let you know how tomorrow goes.
Well, I haven't had a break from these all day, they are about 3-4 min apart, but not so painful that I can't walk or talk through them, so I am still waiting. They will probably continue till bed and space out again overnight, and then we will go through the whole thing again tomorrow. Just a guess.
I actually put a movie in for the girls to watch so I didn't have to do much in the way of getting around. Dave will be shocked, because I never resort to movies. Normally because I feel like it makes my job harder in the long run. Movies are almost always for Dave or babysitters.
I have had a bad mom day, I am putting myself in timeout while the girls nap.
I have been really annoyed by everything today. I wish I could just snap out of it. I know that this is a trial and I need to rely on God, but like always, I just want to be to the end of it. I don't want to be in pain anymore. The worst part is, I know that the whinning won't stop after the baby is born, because she will have to be on lights for 2 weeks because of jaundice (the last two where anyway), which I hate just as much. My attitude needs a major makeover, so I am going to go have some time by myself and see what God can do with this whinner.
Well we got to go to the Rangers game, and it was nice to just spend the whole night out with Dave. The game was delayed almost 2 hours because of rain, so by the time we got home it was after midnight, I felt horrible for my friend who volunteered to watch the girls, but was so glad that we have the freedom to go out alone...for a few more days.
I am starting to become anxious to just be able to see the baby and be done with the pregnancy, but I still know that I really need the next week and a half to prepare myself for all the sacrafice that comes with having a baby. What a blessing that sacrafice is in the end, but it is very difficult for me because it is so tedious and exhausting. It seems like the big trials are easier for me to "consider pure joy," while the ones that require endurance over a long period are what really test my faith. Not that there is not great blessing in being able to hold my baby, and get to know her everyday, but it is hard for me to have that joy before I see her. I am sure that seeing her will make all the difference.
I went to see my Dr. today, and he said that I am 2 cm dialated, and everything looks good. He agreed to induce me on the 14th if I don't go into labor by then. So at least I have an end date. I am still having a lot of contractions, and I am getting more uncomfortable by the day. I am trying to take it easy so I don't make the contractions worse, so the house looks like a tornado hit. Other than that I am just trying to spend as much time with the girls and Dave as possible.
Well, I am having them again, and they are uncomfortable enough that I can't sleep. I wouldn't say painful enough not to sleep because it is just that everything in my midsection feels very, very tight. My ligaments that are on either side of my uterus are very tender and pulling almost constantly. Well, probably the beginning of some very sleepless nights. It is almost 1AM as I write this, hoping that these will calm down soon so I can comfortably lay down. Part of me wants to get my hopes up that tonight might be the night, but mostly, I want another two weeks to spend with Dave and the girls. Also, we have really good tickets to Rangers game on Tuesday, that were given to us...I really want to go. It will just be Dave and I, and we haven't gone to a game together in a really long time. Only the Lord knows the timing, and He knows best...just have to keep that in mind.
I laid down for most of the morning just because I have been so exhausted with everything, and the contractions stopped. I am not shocked, and although part of me is dissapointed, another part of me is not. I am still not ready for this baby to come, but I probably only have 2 more weeks at the most. I am uncomfortable for sure, but not as sleep deprived as I will be when she comes. I will keep everyone updated.
Well, this morning the contractions have started...knowing my track record, that means I have 7-10 days left. I was hoping this wouldn't happen again, but I think I am in for a week or more of unproductive contractions. They are not so painful right now that I couldn't sleep through them (I only woke up for one last night), but probably in a few days they will be, and then I will become sleep deprived even before the labor begins. I never had these with Sarah, just with Hannah and Stephanie, and I was hoping that maybe my body would be nice to me since it had a little more time to recover this time. Guess not. Sorry for the Monday morning downer, on a happier note, a baby will be born in the next few weeks. This won't last forever.
I have been reading this book sporatically, I checked it out from the library, and I think it will be worth checking out again. It is basically 30 homeschool families sharing a day in their life with you. It has been encouraging to know that there are others that don't have everything down pat, and also encouraging to hear new ideas from others. I thought that I would quickly post our typical day, if there is such a thing.
8:00 I hear Stephanie talking to herself in her room and think I should probably get up.
8:30 Sarah and Hannah come in and wake me up.
9:00 We finally get set down to breakfast after we are somewhat dressed, diapers are changed, etc. ( I am normally not dressed)
9:30 Sarah and Hannah unload the dishwasher, I get dressed and ready, after the dishwasher is unloaded we brush teeth and comb hair.
10:00 If it isn't scortching, we go outside for a while, otherwise, the girls play inside, I get a few more chores done like laundry, paying bills, or something else.
11:00 We try to clean up toys and do some more chores (laundry, make beds)
11:30 Read Aloud time
12-12:30 Lunch
1:00 Steph naps, Sarah and Hannah get some more read alouds or catch up on chores
1:30 Hannah naps, I read aloud to Sarah and listen to her read
2:00 We all nap (or I check email, blog, pay bills, then nap)
4:00 I hear Stephanie playing and think I should get up
4:30 Sarah and Hannah wake me up and we have a snack
5:00 We start getting dinner ready and the girls play by themselves
6:00 Girls do some writing on her magna-doodle, or do workbooks/coloring at the table
7:00 Dinner
7:30 I clean up while Dad plays with girls sometimes outside again.
8:30 Get ready for bed and read aloud to Stephanie
9:00 Read Aloud to Sarah and Hannah
9:30 Bed-time Sarah and Hannah can read by themselves for 30 min, I get to read
10:00 Lights out for girls, I am still reading.
10-midnight, my bedtime
Well writing it out helps me see some of the ruts that I have developed, such as Stephanie consistently plays by herself for 30 min before I get out of bed, and we seem to spend a lot of time doing chores, even though you normally can't tell by the way the house looks.
The schedule is really flexible, especially during the summer when we are gone for something almost every day. It seems that when we are gone we spend less time doing chores, but the same amount of time at everything else, no wonder my kids love to get out of the house, maybe we could change that up a bit.
I would love to hear about everyone elses schedule, and hope this was a little encouraging in one way or another.
Well, Ali, the snake, is no where to be found, and since she is about the size of an Oreo when she is coiled, I have a feeling we won't see her again. Fortunately this has been harder on me than Sarah. Sarah is sad, but it has really bothered me for some reason. Snakes can live up to 25 years, so I really thought we would have her for a while. She was also the most gentle of the two snakes, so I am disappointed that she is the one that is gone. I hate all the feelings of "I could have done this," that go along with something discouraging like this. I hope that I can deal with this and learn from it. It is hard to just be sad, and not play the "what could I have done about it" game. We will put out food for her later this week, but since she wasn't very good about eating when she was confined, I don't think she will come and eat now.
Before we had a snake, I thought I would be worried when she got out because of the damage she might do, but once you have a snake you realize how they really are more afraid of you. I am really just worried that we won't see her again.
Well we got a cherry tomato last week, and a bunch ripened today, so our first good day of tomatoes came today. Yummy. We have two left that we didn't eat right off the bat, they will go into salad tonight. Also, I wanted to say Happy Father's Day to Dave, and that I am so glad the girls have such a loving and affectionate Father. The girls all made him a card and gave him a DVD he wanted. I asked them to tell him a favorite time they had with him this year, but the request was a little too hard I guess, as all we came up with were things that they wanted to do with him this year. They have had a lot of fun with him this year, and the oldest two are always talking about the father-daughter campout they went on in May. Maybe next year we can talk about it before hand and write out some things. Anyway, I hope everyone else had a great Father's Day.
Well, I am down to 4.5 weeks left. Baby is pushing down a lot and things are becoming more and more uncomfortable, but I still feel quite a bit better than I did with Steph. I am 15 pounds lighter, and I was putting in flooring, painting, moving, etc, because we moved into our house just before Steph was born. I think that has made a huge difference. I have a lot less energy, but a lot less pain. So I will take the sleepiness. This week starts the every-week visits.
It is Stephanie's Birthday today, she turned 2! She has grown up so much in the past few months, and is beginning to tell us what she needs on a regular basis instead of crying. I hope the terrible twos are going to be over before they begin, as she has stopped throwing tantrums as much, and can be reasoned with. She loves to use her hands and build and manipulate. She is also very curious and asks why a lot. She loves being read to and any one-on-one time she can get. She is also starting to develop a good sense of humor and really enjoys trying to make others laugh. She is my most determined daughter, and will not give up trying to figure something out, or trying to get her way for a good half an hour. We are really enjoying her big smile and watching her discover and learn. I love you Steph! I am going to try to attach a picture, we will see how that goes.
The idea to keep busy was a pretty good one, because right now the house is looking cleaner than it has in a while, and I seem to be somewhat motivated to keep things in order. We have been to two library progams this week. The Creature Teacher, and a South African Folk Singer. Both were great programs, and I am so thankful that I live near so many great libraries that have free summer programs. I am actually enjoying the summer reading program, and I never really did as a child.
I took Sarah to the Art Museum tonight on a "date", which we try to do weekly, that way they each get a date with one of us every month. The best part of the trip was probably the trolley ride to get there, which she was thrilled about. I could have spent half the night there, but Sarah looked at art for about an hour and was worn out. I think she enjoyed what she saw, and she remembered some of the painters from her book A Child's Book of Art. She recognized that Picasso painted one painting she had never seen, I was pretty excited about that. She really enjoyed portraits, too, but I think it is too much to take in at once. I think she would enjoy it more if we did some background study of a particular artist or period and then went to look at those pieces. But as it is, it was a good visit, but I think it will probably be a year or so before we go back.
I read Mansfield Park by Jane Austin last weekend, and thought I would post a book review. I thought it was wonderful, and different than some of her other works. It is about a girl, Fanny Price, who ends up coming to live with a wealthier Aunt and Uncle. I won't add anymore, so I don't give away anything, but it is of course a romance. I learned a lot about my character from this book, so it ended up being more benificial than a lot of novels.
If anyone has seen the recent movie of Mansfield Park (1999), with Frances O'Connor (II). I have to say that it is very different from the book, and I was even astounded at some of the things that the producers felt at liberty to add in. The movie was not appropriate for young eyes at all, but the book was of course very prudent. The thing that most amazed me, is that one scene wasn't even in the book at all, and it was on of the most vulgar in the movie, and totally unnecsesary. What a disapointment, especially because I thought that the main characters did such a good job acting. The screenwriters screwed this one up big time.
I am mom to 4 little girls: Sarah 5, Hannah 3, Stephanie 2, and Annie born July 2006. We love learning and are learning to love. We are using Sonlight Kindergarten and a Pre-K schedule I put together.
Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. II Corinthians 4:7-10
My Current Reading List
The Bible
My Favorite Books
What's So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancey
Thing's We Wish We'd Known by Bill and Diana Waring
Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Shepherding A Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp
Sarah's Favorite Books
Mouse Tales by Arnold Lobel
Anything by Dr. Seuss
Family Time Story Bible by Ken Taylor
James Herriot's Treasury for Children
My Father's Dragon
Really, she just loves to read period
Hannah's Favorite Books
Where the Wild Things Are
The Rhyme Story Bible
Bedtime for Frances
Anything Richard Scarry
Blueberries for Sal
Curious George
Stephanie's Favorite Books
Goodnight Moon
Goodnight Gorilla
The Big Red Barn
My Favorite Movies
Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle)
Wives and Daughters
Charade (1963)
Bourne Identity and Bourne Supremecy
Lonesome Dove
The Ghost and the Darkness
Love Comes Softly and Love's Enduring Promise
What's Growing
Lots of Peppers
Lots of Tomatoes
The herbs we couldn't kill even if we wanted to!
Plenty of weeds
