Halloween 2008!

Halloween in our neighborhood is an event! We get over 300 kids each year, and our street is hoping with people all the way up to 9:00 PM. This was the first year Eldest really understood what was going on. He counted down the seconds until we could leave and go with our friends and we had so much fun. Middle came for the first few houses, but when we reached ours I dropped him off with dad so I could focus on Eldest. He got to go with his friend who dressed as super woman, so cute. They ran from house to house making sure to skip those without the lights on. We had firemen handing out glow necklaces, grandmothers dressed as witches passing out apple juice with dry ice in it, and house upon house handing out candy. We were out for a solid 2 hours before they both crashed and burned, luckily there were not fits about how tired they were or saying goodbye!



Rob estimates we got around 328 trick or treaters this year. We would have gotten more, but we ran out of candy at around 8:00 PM. Once you run out you have to be quick to turn all the lights out, because if you leave one on, they'll keep ringing the bell!



I am happily enjoying the fruits of Harrison's labor. Sure, he earned it fair and square, but there's no way a 4 year old could eat this much candy within a years time! Now, a pregnant woman on the other hand...that's a whole other ball of wax! Don't worry, I'll save a few tootsie pops for him!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

The Ultra Sound has been Scheduled!

The wait is over! We now have a date set for our "big" 20 week U/S it will take place on November 26th, the day before Thanksgiving. I am very excited to find out how things will go with this.

I remember having our u/s for Logan, what a crazy day. We were still coming off 5 days with no electricity, and staying with friends in Bellevue. Eldest had to come with us because his daycare was closed, and we went to ihop first to get breakfast. That went fine, but Eldest was very fidgety after he was done, and kept getting on my last nerve. We were eating at the counter and he got down to play under my feet. He stood up and was in the way of a bus boy. I grabbed his arm to pull him out of the way and he tripped and hit his head on the stool. I swear every person in that restaurant took one look at me and had their phones poised for dialing CPS. I felt so bad for Eldest because he had a huge knot on his forehead to go with the red ring around his mouth from the binkie we had given BACK to him that was to small. That power outage was a real B*TCH!

The actual U/S lasted a lot longer than we remembered and Eldest wasn't all that amused by the dark room, so after we found out the sex, Rob and Eldest left. About an hour later I was finally done, with text after text on my phone from Rob asking me "WHEN WILL YOU BED DONE?", "ARE YOU DONE YET??" It was a stressful day to say the least!

This time, we're leaving the kids at home, and if we can't find someone to watch them, then I'll go by myself.

I am so excited to find out what we're having, but I can honestly say that my friends are more excited and I think they'll all just DIE if I say we're having a girl. Ohhh, the tea party they will plan!!!

I am officially MASSIVE!

This past weekend I went shopping at Nordstroms for a new bra. If you ever need a new bra, I recommend going to Nordstroms. They have the BEST women working there to measure and set you up with the best bra for what you're looking for. I showed up yesterday knowing I was bigger than I used to be. I am pregnant afterall. I left with two Iron Maidens in black and nude.

You can't be modest when getting a bra fitting at Nordstroms. First you strip down to the bra you have on (well, you keep your pants on, if they tell you to remove your pants, then get another bra fitter!), and they take a look and tell you WHY it doesn't fit you properly, all while moving it around and lifting and pushing your boobs. Then they measure, and disappear to find the bra of your dreams. Yesterday, my dream bra was a minimizer that reduced back fat!

Moments later, my fitter returned with two HUMONGOUS bras. I mean, they were efing HUGE and I was so embarrassed (because, its rare to get a fitter at Nordstroms that need a HUGE bra, or pants larger than a size 0). But, I'm also pregnant, so off with the old bra (YES with the fitter in the room) and on with the first candidate. Squish, Move, push, and I'm in a bra that feels good and looks...well it look horrible, but it was FUNCTIONAL...its not like I'm strutting the bedroom in these over-the-shoulder-boulder-holders! Anyway, I didn't like the pattern, so we tried the black one and it looked great, and felt great and there was a little room to grow, which is even better! She ripped the tag off and I wore it outta there.

Now, let me tell you, this bra was a TRIPLE (not one, not two, but THREE) D. I'm not even halfway through this, and I'm already at triple D status. There are also four hooks keeping this baby on in the back.

Later on in our trip we went to Victoria's Secret for my friend to check out bras. She's not pregnant and she is a size 0 (or maybe smaller...). The grass is always greener right? I'm sure she wouldn't want a bra that required FOUR hooks, but she would like a bra that didn't need padding. I watched her pick out something to try on and was so jealous. It was cute, and I think it only had one hook. I've decided my goal following this pregnancy is to go back down to two hooks!!

I've also his the 200 mark, which totally depresses me, but whatever, there's time to lose weight after this is all over!

FOUR HOOKS...TRIPLE D. These things will become weapons before long. They may not let me on the plane in December to go to the East Coast!

Happy Happy Birthday to Me.

Today is my 32nd birthday. Its hard to believe I'm already two years into my 30s, I really don't think I "matured" much past 25. At least I don't feel much older than that. Then again, when I was 25, I didn't think I would have kids...now I'm getting ready to have my 3rd. Life is funny that way.

Pregnancy does NOT agree with me, but I love those babies, so I (and my family and friends) go through the hell anyway. Next year there is talk of a trip to NYC for my birthday and I'm already looking forward to it, but that's not to say tht today isn't awesome.

I got to sleep in until 8:00 AM thanks to my husband, I had very nice pancakes waiting for me for breakfast, the kids were up and dressed (and HAPPY), and I got a nice gift card from my family so I can get some new bras! Just what I wanted!!! I have also been told that I get to have Chinese for dinner, which is my FAVORITE!

Can't wait. This Saturday the celebrations continue with a shopping trip with my friend Sarah and dinner at JaK's in Issaquah (Best steak house by FAR!). I love October.

The Latest Appointment

Today the whole family came to the doctor with me. Not something I recommend, since the boys really were over it about 10 second into being in the waiting room. I wanted to chat with the doctor about the delivery plan, but it just wasn't going to happen, so we had our usual 5 second meeting where he checks my weight, stomach, and listens for the H/B. He said I've had a big "growth spurt" in the last four weeks, but luckily I've only gained 2 lbs, which is an 8 lb total so far. Not bad, I'm OK with that. The heart rate was around 160, which is still in the "girl" range if you believe the old wives tale. I won't believe anything until I see it, and hopefully that will be before Thanksgiving!

I go in next week to get blood drawn for my quad screen testing and I also get to schedule the ultrasound at that time. I'm hoping to go before the holiday. We'll see how it all works out.

Middle decided to get up at 4:00 AM today and not go back to sleep. Needless to say I am grumpy and tired today and am ready for Eldest to go to school so I can take a nap!!

Sno-Valley PTA....

There's an old country hit called "Harper Valley PTA" that a gal back in NC used to always sing at Karaoke night at Louie's. I always loved it, because I always felt like I would be that mom. Not that I would be scandalous, or anything, just that I would be that mom that didn't fit in. Maybe I set myself up for failure, but tonight at our pot luck, I really felt like that mom.

I made a few new friends, but none of them were moms of kids actually in Eldest's class. I tried talking to a few of those moms. I was very excited to introduce myself to Eldest's bus buddy's mom and tell her how well they get along, but she didn't seem to thrilled to be there, let alone shake the hand of a woman that had no make up on and a stain from that days veggie burrito on her sweat shirt (I'm getting to that point where I can't really see what's on my shirt). She actually left pretty early on. I don't think I even got her name.

I also tried to speak with Eldest teacher to make sure he was following rules and doing what he was supposed to in class. I waited until the woman that was monopolizing her time finally left. Now, mind you while talking with this woman, the teacher was happy, animated, and engaged. When I walked up and said hello, I may as well have told her her dog died. Maybe its just my hormones...granted, that could be it, but JEEZ! I asked her how my son was doing in class and she answered by letting me know that conferences will be held in November to discuss performances. I just wanted to know if he was following the rules! Is that so hard? I tried to sweeten the conversation by talking about how cute her 7 month old was (she had brought her), but that wasn't working. I just thanked her for talking to me for five minutes and got the kids ready to leave. After I walked off another mom walked up and that same animated teacher came back to life. I couldn't help but wonder what the hell I did to this woman to make her loath my presence so much. I really wonder.

There are people I know that strive to become part of the PTA, that are looking forward to holding office. I often wonder if something is off with me because I have no desire to do that. I don't know, maybe it will change once the kids are older and are all in school, but right now, I just want to make it through the day. Is that so wrong?

Thank goodness for those few moms that were nice! Its amazing how you can size up the PTA of your future when your kids are just 4 years old!

So, it Wasn't the Shots...

Poor Eldest. He has had to contend with a fever since last Thursday and it finally broke for good on Monday morning. I can't tell you how many sets of PJs we went through on Sunday night because of all the sweat. he also decided to have explosive diarrhea in the bed...and the rest of the day. By the time the evening hit, I had cleaned my last pair of underwear and I threw in the towel and put a pull-up on him. Of course, he never crapped in that!

Yesterday he did great. He made it to the potty when he had to go, and I thought we were doing well. No fever, had control...then I sent him to school today. Don't get me wrong, the kid had color, he was happy and energetic, he was ready to go back. But when he got home, he was wearing the shorts I put in his back pack (in September) as back up clothes. First thing that came to mind was "man, you should have changed that out...its COLD!" second thing was "man, he must have had an accident. There's no chance he just rolled around in the mud." I was right. He told me it was just an accident, and that his teacher cleaned him up. I didn't get a call, and there was no note, so I assume it wasn't a HUGE mess, but still, now I wonder if I should send him tomorrow. The tired, pregnant woman in me says "HELL YES!", but the true mom in me says "no!" We have a pot luck dinner on Thursday at school and I don't need the stares from parents and teachers that say "That's the mom who sends her kid to school sick." Jeez, this is just pre-school and that PTA phobia has already started!!

I'll make a GREAT salad for the pot luck and that will make me some friends...RIGHT?

Shots can be a real B*TCH!

My guys got their vaccines yesterday. 2 for Eldest and 3 for Middle. Both cried their eyes out, but quickly got over it once we were in the toy department of Target. Today, with the exception of the bandaids that Eldest REFUSES to take off, you would have thought nothing happened. We went to Home Depot to get a new toilet seat, went to Krispy Kreme (which is right next to Home Depot...EVIL) for doughnuts afterwards, and when we got home. At home Harrison piled all the pillows from the couch on the floor and proceeded to lay in them. He didn't move. I would check on him to make sure he was still breathing, but he still refused to eat lunch or move. Closer to school time, I checked his forehead, but I couldn't take an accurate temp reading because our ear thermometer is MIA and I wasn't going to put one up his rear. I concluded he was warm, but not hot. I told him it was time to wait for the bus and he perked up and ate some lunch while we waited. All the "Mom" alarms were going off to keep him home from school, but when he perked up I thought he was just coming off a sugar high from the doughnuts and I happily put him on the bus at 12:25. At 1:15, the school nurse called to tell me he has a fever and I need to pick him up. Wouldn't you know it, Middle had JUST fallen asleep, and I now had to either wake him, or frantically find someone to watch him. Could I drive to the school knowing he wouldn't wake up while I was gone? No, that isn't right, but it was tempting. I got a hold of a friend who came right away to sit in my quiet house for me. Yes, by the time I picked Eldest up, he had been waiting for 30 minutes, but the idea of coming home and facing two grumpy kids who wouldn't sleep was just to much. It was worth waiting for my friend.

When I did arrive, the nurse let me know that he was almost asleep, but he was wet because he had had an accident in his pants. Not like him, but he didn't know where the bathroom was and was half asleep. Poor kid. I got him home and Middle was waking up. I couldn't beleive it. I said goodbye to my friend and then I went upstairs, laid Middle back down and prayed he would go to sleep, and helped Eldest into some clean/dry clothes. He's watching "Meet the Robinsons" and I wouldn't be surprised if he's asleep when I go check on him. I also haven't heard a peep from Middle's room. Can I have a nap now?

Sneaky Sneak

Rob and I have always had a sneaking susspision that Middle was very mischevious, and today my ped confirmed it. Middle is 18 months and doesn't have a lot of words. He can ask "what's this", say "Kitty", and "Puppy", but that's really it. He points and whines to tell us when he needs things.

Usually most parents would freak about their kids not talking at 18 months, but I am not worried about Middle and neither is the doc. Middle was happy, and sat right on the docs lap the whole appointment without one hint of wanting to get down and come to me. This clued him into the fact that he is MUCH smarter and developed than he likes to let on because currently he knows that the whining gets him what he wants.

He was such a quiet baby. He never really needed much except a bottle and a diaper change, which suited me just fine since Eldest was such a handful after we all started staying home together. However, its clear that this has backfired on me now. I guess I'll be searching through that scholastic book order form for books we can all read together.

What a sneaky sneak...I can't imagine what he'll do when he turns into a teen. I won't be able to trust a thing he says then!

To Cute for Words

Its true, Eldest can drive me to drink most days with his constant sassy mouth, but lately, since school started really, he's been helpful and has been doing and saying the cutest things.

First and foremost being the bus! He is SO excited to ride the bus EVERYDAY. In fact, tomorrow I bet he'll get pretty pissed when he remembers he doesn't have school. Its the ONLY time I've been able to tear him away from playing with or watching something without a big argument. Each day we wait outside on the front porch together, wondering if the next vehicle is the bus and naming it if its not. When the bus does come up the road he jumps up and down screaming "There it is!" A classmate is on the same bus and today he asked Eldest to sit next to him and Eldest did. No other kids were on the bus, except these two adorable pre-schoolers showing off their back packs in the front seat. I could have puked it was so sweet.

The other cutest things ever are the things he says and sings after we put him to bed. Recently we've been watching the old Scooby-Doo cartoons before bed and he LOVES them and well, so do I, so its great fun watching with him and talking about the characters and the spooky ghosts. After Scooby, Rob puts him to bed and tonight he had an army of Transformers with him...his ultimate favorite toy/cartoon. I was in my bedroom watching "Bones" and I kept hearing him singing a song, so I paused it so I could get a good listen and it turned out to be the theme to the Transformers cartoon ("Transformers...more than meets the eye"...only he sang "Transformers, more than meets the guy"), I called Rob upstairs and we listened and giggled and I asked if we should tape it, but Rob said no. Didn't want embarassing evidence for future dates.

Its moments like this that make my heart burst. I may be turning 32 in just a few weeks, but I still remember vividly watching cartoons and dreaming about being in them. Its fun to think he's having just as much fun.

"Transformers...more than meets the guy." I mean, you can't make that crap up. HAHAHA!

Rock Band: Part 2

I've been waiting for Rock Band 2 to come out ever since Rob leaked the song list to me in July. All I had to see was "Pearl Jam: Alive" and I was beyond excited! We played Rock Band 1 for months, but had stopped around August because my whammy bar broke and I wasn't convinced my guitar was functioning properly anymore. When you hear loose pieces moving around when you shake it, you know something went wrong...probably while the kids played with in in Rob's closet. I swear you can't have anything nice.

Well, my dear husband knows how much I love this game and knows how much I wanted a new guitar, so he surprised me with a brand new wireless Rock Band 2 guitar yesterday! I was so stoked! Isn't it pretty?



The game had already arrived, so we were quick to start our band and start unlocking songs! We haven't unlocked "Alive" yet, but I'm determined. The first song we played was "Eye of the Tiger" and it was AWESOME! If I could, I would send this game to everyone I know.

ROCK ON!