39 weeks

I don't have very many pictures of myself pregnant with the other two kids, so I wanted to document this pregnancy a little better. Here I am at 39 weeks. Gonna have a lot of weight to lose this summer!



Roy was out with the kids yesterday afternoon, so he decided to take the opportunity to get my Mother's Day cake a little early. I told him the exact brand of cheesecake I wanted, and told him I wanted it before Sunday (so that the weight gain from it could be blamed on pregnancy). It was delicious.

I went to the doctor yesterday and I didn't progress much from last week. I'm at 5cm now. But I'm pretty comfortable and although all I think about is having this baby, it's not bugging me too much. Roy's proctoring his last final right now and then I'm free to go into labor :) He doesn't have to have grades in till next Friday, so things are pretty relaxed around here. I just have to find something to keep us busy today!

Reading time

Ashley was going to post this tomorrow, but I just can't wait. According to Ashley, Rae had never read this book before, though to me she seems to be reading slightly faster than usual. It's interesting that she slows down well before she gets to the word she can't figure out; it seems like she's reading ahead. I didn't know kids did that.

Rae's been reading like this for several weeks now, but it still amazes me. Her speech still isn't too great, which probably comes from me, genetically or otherwise. Actually, Ashley and I both have mild speech defects, so maybe Rae got a bad mix of genes. She's still working on it.

By the way, don't overlook Ashley's post from earlier today. We're getting prolific.

Slightly obsessed

Sometimes my need to be organized and prepared makes me a bit self-conscious. I tend to worry about things that don't need to be worried about, but I can't help it. My hospital suitcase has been packed for far too long and the carseat has been in the van for 2 weeks. I refuse to go to bed without the house completely clean (I cleaned the toilet at 10 last night) because I don't want to come home from the hospital to a dirty house and I don't want someone coming over to watch the kids in a dirty house. But being prepared is what makes me feel good. I can't know the exact date I'll have this baby, but I can be ready no matter what. And I still don't know for sure if we are moving this summer (most likely we aren't) but I can still be as prepared as possible by getting rid of junk now instead of when it comes time to pack. Some people are more relaxed if they just wait till it's time and then handle all the organizing, but I am not one of those people. Sometimes it makes me stressed, but in the end I'm always happy that I took the time to prepare myself. Each time that I have needed a spare outfit for a kid and I had one, each time that we needed that towel in the car, each time I'm prepared with activities when the kids get antsy waiting for something, each time I remember to grab a quarter to shop at Aldi and remember to put my bags back in the van ..... those are the times that make me feel good about being slightly obsessed.

Gotta speed it up a bit

We've always said we want 7-9 kids. I'm not sure if that is still the case, but I decided to crunch some numbers today. So far our kids are roughly 900 days apart in age. If we keep at that rate and want 5-6 more, we are talking another 12-15 years! So which scenario do I like more: 2 1/2 years between kids and not being done till I'm in my late 30s? Or closer together so I can be done a little sooner? My youngest kid could be an aunt or uncle by the time they are 5! Hmmm, maybe the easiest solution is to go with less kids. :)

But seriously, I always thought I wanted my kids closer in age. But, when it comes to the point where it's time to think about having the next kid the thought just exhausts me, and I'm not as fertile as my mother! Hmmm, we'll see how things go this time around! But I might need another 900 days before I'm ready to be in the last week of pregnancy again!

Progress of Spring

Last Saturday:

This Saturday (today):

In Kirksville, I think spring is Ashley's favorite 3 weeks.

Ain't gonna happen

I've tried writing Rae's birth story, but it's a hard thing to do when you are in the middle of another birth story. I'm grumpy and don't feel like thinking about anything involving labor. Hopefully I'll get all three written down in the next few weeks. But thanks for those of you who wrote birth stories - especially my cousin Lyric! Oh, and finish yours Katie!

Birth Stories

I love a good birth story. Obviously a lot of people do, or shows like Baby Story wouldn't be around. :) When you are close to the end of your pregnancy, people tend to ask you what birth was like for your other kids. And the person asking will often tell you about their experiences. I love it. And so, for all to enjoy (or skip, I don't care) I'm going to write the birth stories of Rae and Blaise. I don't have them written down at all, so I thought this would be a good chance to get them recorded for prosperity. And to take my mind off the current pregnancy. And to encourage you to blog about your birth stories - or anything at all - so that I have something to distract me. :)

Speaking of distractions, my kids are crazy and annoying this morning. We didn't have any of our usual Tuesday activities and so they don't know what to do with themselves. Coming soon: Rae's birth story.

Rae's soccer game

Rae was a lot more enthusiastic at this soccer game. It was windy and a little cold, so she was hesitant at first, but with a little bribing she got out there and actually tried this time. As you can see from the videos, she only stays focused for a minute at a time. After the game she said "why weren't the kids on my team letting me kick the ball?" It gets kind of chaotic when there is a huge group of kids all going for the ball. She said she likes practice better because they each get a ball to kick around! Two more games left and then we are done!

That's me!

I won a giveaway! I hardly ever win these type of things - even at RS parties and baby showers and stuff. I'm so excited!

We managed to enjoy the rain

The kids got these raincoats and umbrellas for Easter (unfortunately they didn't come on time to be in their baskets) so we went for a walk in the rain today. Aren't they cute?! Before it started raining (and looked like it wasn't going to rain at all) we went to the lake to play. We were there for about 10 minutes and then it started to rain. We hung out until we were getting too wet and then we went home. I wish I had planned ahead and had them wear their rain gear to the lake.

Anyway, it's been a good day. I love the rain when it's warm outside.

At least it is warm outside (oh, and skip this if you are a man) (Updated)

I wanted to blog about something other than our life, because life is kinda lame right now. But I couldn't really come up with anything. You know how those last few weeks of pregnancy go. I'm trying to stay busy and happy but I'm tired and irritated. But the weather is going to be great today, so I'll try to stay busy and distracted! Monday was a great day - I was busy, distracted, didn't even think about being pregnant! But Tuesday I started having a possible sign of labor (diarrhea) and so I spent the day doing last minute preparation. Wednesday was spent with more of the runs and more wondering what the heck is going on with my body. I also didn't have the car, so we were stuck at home. Today it is supposed to get up to 80, so I'm going to try to stay out of the house as much as possible!! (Near a bathroom though)

Have any of you had the runs as a sign of labor? I had the same problem with Blaise, but it was just once or twice and it was just 24 hours before he was born. I'm going on 48 hours now. Sigh.

**Just in case you think I'm crazy, here's the "medical" reason for the runs: "During the early part of labor, your body begins to release prostaglandins, a group of hormonelike substances that cause the uterus to contract and help soften and dilate the cervix. But prostaglandins can also hyperstimulate the bowels, causing frequent stools or even diarrhea, Dr. Grabowski says."

** Update: (10am) I checked the weather forecast this morning and it was supposed to be sunny and 80 degrees with some wind. Well, apparently the wind blew in some rain clouds, because it is warm, but it's also dark and dreary. So I checked the forecast again and now it's saying thunderstorms all afternoon. Why didn't they know this 2 hours ago??

Oh, and my poop is solid again. I knew you were all dying to know.

I highly recommend.....

....deep-fried Snickers. There was a club doing a fundraiser on campus today with fried food. When Roy saw the flyer he knew he better inform me! :) They had fried Oreos, Twinkies, Snickers, french fries and okra. Rae got a Twinkie, I got a Snickers and Blaise got an Oreo. Then we went back for another cookie for Rae and Blaise and another Snickers for me. :) (It was a mini-snickers) The fried oreos were really good too. I'm glad I got to indulge and use pregnancy as an excuse! Apparently most things really are better fried!

Cutie pie Rae

Every night we tell Rae she can't get out of bed till 6:30 am. (I know, that's super early, but they go to bed at 6:30, so it all balances out) Anyway, this morning she came out into the living room around 6:45 and said "I couldn't wake up at 6:30 because my dream wasn't over yet. At the end of the dream the people in my dream said 'let's do this dream again'." I should write down stuff like this more often - they are always saying funny stuff!

Splish splash

The kids got new boots for Easter from Oma, so I took them out the other day and let them splash in puddles. Yes, they are still in their pjs.

Rae answers questions about me

1. What is something mom always says to you? “I love you”

2. What makes mom happy? “When I clean the house for you” (she is a really good cleaner)

3. What makes mom sad? “When I hit somebody”

4. How does your mom make you laugh? “Tell knock-knock jokes”

5. What was your mom like as a child? This was beyond her

6. How old is your mom? “25” (she’s always asking us how old we are)

7. How tall is your mom? “Medium”

8. What is her favorite thing to do? “Clean the kitchen” (I guess most kids think this of their moms)

9. What does your mom do when you're not around? “Play with Blaise”

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? She didn’t understand this one

11. What is your mom really good at? “Cooking” (ha)

12. What is your mom not very good at? “Cleaning the house all by yourself” (apparently I need her help)

13. What does your mom do for a job? “Babysit Dallin and baby Marshall” (my friend and I exchange babysitting once a week – I’d hardly call it a job)

14. What is your mom's favorite food? “Tacos” (uh, no)

15. What makes you proud of your mom? She could only come up with something that doesn’t make her proud of me – giving her time outs. What a goob.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? “Sponge Bob” (gee, thanks)

17. What do you and your mom do together? “Cuddle”

18. How are you and your mom the same? “We both have bangs”

19. How are you and your mom different? “You have a bigger head than me”

20. How do you know your mom loves you? “She tells me”

21. What does your mom like most about your dad? “He loves you”

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? “Walmart” (nope, that’s just the only place to GO in Kirksville!)

23. How much do you think mom weighs? “41 lbs” (woot woot)

Easter Clearance

I just got back from Walmart, where I hit up the Easter clearance. I like to buy all the decorating stuff on clearance. Last year I bought some Paas Color Snaps, and I really liked them, so this year I bought 3 packs. (Half off they were 40 cents)


If you see them, I highly recommend picking up a couple packs. Rae really enjoyed using them. You can dye your egg, let it dry and then decorate it with polka-dots or stripes, etc.

Walmart was out of Dove chocolate by the time I got there. So bummed. I might try Walgreens and Hy-vee later. All I wanted was some Dove chocolate. Oh, and some Cadbury eggs, which I did get, and ate already :)

Happy Easter!

About to start an Easter egg hunt on campus, yesterday morning:



Egg-hunting at home this morning:

Twilight

Roy convinced me to rent Twilight last night. I disliked it as much as I figured I would. There were several things that bothered me about it and now I know why I just couldn't even imagine reading the books when I heard what they were about. And I'm not just saying this because I want to be different than everyone else - I really, really didn't like it. Roy, on the other hand, loved it and is excited for the next one. What a traitor.



Oh, and make sure you keep up on the videos under "Favorite Stuff Right Now" in our sidebar. They are hilarious!

What can I say...I'm a Jeppson

On our trip to Michigan I did most of the driving and I had a lot of diet dr.pepper and sunflower seeds to keep me awake. By the end of the trip I smelled like my dad! (they were ranch flavored ones) He can't go anywhere without eating sunflower seeds. And now the floor of my van is messy with shells. (Not as messy as his car though!) Anyway, I still have a few left in the bag and I find myself eating them on short errands. They are so yummy and addicting! When I went to pick Roy up from school the other day I was eating some and he said "why the heck are you eating those? You won't be hungry for dinner." Silly Roy, sunflower seeds don't fill you up - they just make you thirsty! He just doesn't understand the appeal of sunflower seeds. Anyway, every time I get in my car and smell the sunflower seeds I think of my dad and our long long trips to Utah and Colorado. Oh, and we'd stop and get a few sodas from AMPM (gas station) and there was always a "special" one for my dad that the rest of us weren't allowed to drink! Yum, long trips are a perfect excuse for diet dr.pepper :)

Oh, did I mention that I got pulled over on our trip? It was about 2 hours away from Saginaw, at about 1 in the morning. I was the only car on the road (there were a few trucks) and I was going 75 in a 70 zone. I saw the cop parked in the dark on the side of the road, but it was too late. He said he got me going 80, but I know I was going 75 because I had my cruise control set. I couldn't find my registration and I was sooooo nervous! He asked where we were going and why and how long we had been driving. I think he felt sorry for us since Roy had an interview in the morning, so he let me off with a warning. Whew! I've never been pulled over before. Roy has been pulled over 3 times since we left California, so we decided that speeding isn't a very good idea in this part of the country! We used to speed the whole way to Blythe from Davis and there'd always be cars zooming past us and we never got pulled over. On our trip home we had the cruise control set at the speed limit the entire time - we aren't taking any more chances!

Anyway, I just felt like being kind of random today. Oh, and speaking of Michigan - he didn't get the job there. I'm glad the whole family went and had the chance to see the area, since we probably won't ever go back. There's still one more option before we decide for sure whether we are staying here for another year. But the other option is kind of a secret, so I'll let you know when we know!

Up next: Easter pictures and festivities!

Oh, and I had to throw this picture in just for the heck of it. It may be the cutest thing I've ever seen!

Happy Birthday Dad!

We serenaded him at 6:30 this morning (his time) but I forgot that I was going to do a post for him too. Hope you had a great day pops! Love you!