My girls are crazy!

They love to ham it up for the camera. Madelynne has had a rash on her face off and on for a couple of days, so I am having her put diaper rash cream on it (I still had about 1/4 of a tube from when Allyson was a baby). So, tonight, her face was broken out again, so I sent her to put on the "butt paste" again. (Little did I know that there is an actual name-brand diaper cream with the same name, until today, when I was given some at my baby shower.) We've always used the term rather loosely. So, Madelynne, looking for a laugh, comes out like this:


After she was done (and was able to wash her face off), Allyson decided she must have her picture taken too. This is her froggy sleep mask she got for Christmas:I had a nice afternoon with my friends who threw me and another friend a shower. Our children played in the background, and we enjoyed some good conversation, along with a discovery of an interesting little product I'd never heard of before (having girls, it's never been needed at my house). . . the Pee-Pee TeePee. They are little washable cones that fit over the baby while changing his diaper (so you don't get sprayed). It is amazing what products are available now. A lot of people have used cloth diapers before, but now those can be saved for burp cloths. I also got some really cute clothes for the baby, the "official" Butt Paste I mentioned before, wipes, diapers, bibs, a cute diaper bag, and burp cloths.

I am so thankful to have friends to enlighten me! :D

Please say a little prayer

The youngest member of our "chain gang," our beloved Hammy, passed away today. Madelynne was devastated. She cried uncontrollably for about 2 hours, and is now worried about the little grave we made for him outside. She is worried the cats outside will dig it up. She is somewhat better tonight, but blames herself, saying she didn't take good enough care of him. I reminded her that he was 3 years old, which is a good average life for a dwarf hamster. It's hard to understand that 3 is an old age for a hamster. Even harder when the hamster is so sweet and sociable. We knew he wasn't doing well, though. His breathing changed over the last couple of months. I've been trying to prepare her for the inevitable.

Of course, she wants another hamster immediately, but I told her with the baby, that now is not the right time for one. We have too many irons in the fire right now. So, we'll be waiting for a while. Especially until she can completely take care of it (cleaning the cage out from start to finish without help). The cat's litter box would be manageable for her if it weren't for the weight of the box when it is time to dump out the litter.

Anyway, we are a two-pet family now, but for now, that will have to suffice. (I am having a flash into the future of our little boy wanting a snake as a pet . . . that will have to be a big NO.) Sorry, the best snakes are the dead ones, in my opinion. Okay, animal rights activists, please don't come after me on that one. I don't deal well with pets with no fur (and tarantulas aren't on my list). Well, we did have a hermit crab that was pretty cool. Fish are okay, but they aren't too interactive.

So, in memory of sweet little Hammy, here he is again.

Our shock last week, and Happy New Year!

We didn't expect to have a third child. We also assumed that another child would be a girl (age, usual conditions of our bodies such as stress, etc.). Imagine our surprise to find out last week that we are having a little boy. I'd post a picture of the proof, but I don't want to be accused of promoting naughty pictures on the internet, ha ha.

I haven't thrown up in about a week, so that is a nice change. I'd always heard that being pregnant with a girl was harder on your body hormone-wise than a boy. I have experienced just the opposite. My girls were so much easier than this little boy has been, hands down. They were what you'd call textbook pregnancies (except that #1 was 3 weeks early). Just 20 more weeks of this, but at least the nausea is improving. I am calling the chiropractor tomorrow about my right arm hurting. My OB didn't think he'd touch me while I'm pregnant, but my chiro has 5 kids, and offered to adjust me when I was pregnant with #2 (I declined until after the birth). This time, the discomfort is persistent enough that it will warrant an adjustment if my insurance will accept the visit(s).

We have had a good Christmas. The girls still got more than they needed, but the excessiveness was not as great this year as it has been in years past. We enjoyed last Saturday night at my sister's house with her family, our family, my mom, my brother, and his girlfriend. We enjoyed ribeye steaks, baked potatoes, salads, yeast bread, and plenty of yummy desserts. Then my mom spent the night with us on Monday night. We went to Logan's for supper, and it was definitely the worst service we've ever had. Sadly, we had another poor experience recently at Cracker Barrel (which, last time I heard, also owns Logan's). I am beginning to wonder what is falling apart with them.

My mom enjoyed Christmas Eve and morning with us. Then, she went back to her house, and we went to my husband's parents, where his two brothers also came along for Christmas afternoon "brunch" with eggs, country ham, biscuit, and hashbrowns. We didn't have any traditional
Christmas meals like turkey or baked ham. It all works for us, though. We always have steaks with my sister (courtesy of Mom), so that could be considered our tradition. We also always have our get-together the Saturday before Christmas. It's been this way since I can remember (meaning, since our kids were little and we had at least 3 places to be for the holidays).

As I said before, our Christmas was scaled down this year, and you know, it was a huge relief for me. I had been such a scrooge this year about gifts in general. I don't need anything (unless you want to pay all my bills, but that is another story). My kids certainly don't need anything. And I don't like getting someone else who is in the same boat as me something that they will want to take back to the store or regift. It is not worth the trouble, so let's say Merry Christmas, enjoy spending time together, and be the better for it. My list shrank this year because we drew names at my in-laws house, which made shopping SO much easier. And my sister and I agreed we'd just buy for the kids (though I did wrap up some brownies and take to her, but I don't consider that a gift). Anyhoo, stress was much less because of those two changes. Here's to more years like that. I guess I am appalled at the materialism in our country, and I don't want my kids to get wrapped up in it either.

What's the gift my kids have enjoyed the most so far? Their Webkinz critters. Pretty cheap gift. Cheaper than the other things they got. But I have to admit, the games on the computer are pretty addictive. I play on the younger girl's because she has a harder time earning her KinzCash (her skills are not as honed as my 8-year-old's).

I am about a week away from officially being in my office. I will post pictures when it's done. Happy New Year, everyone!

How our pets make life not-so-boring

Well, I am well into my second trimester now with the pregnancy. We don't yet know what we are having, but I just had blood work/tests done last week to make sure everything is normal. For anyone who prays that may read this, please say a prayer for us that all is normal.

Being in the second trimester, you would think the nausea should pretty much be gone. However, it has gotten worse for me. I have thrown up so many prenatal vitamins that I could have bought an extra bottle. I try to take them as I am going to bed, but many times I am back up in the bathroom 5 minutes after I lie down. Sometimes it's a smell, sometimes the thought/fear of throwing up seems to help trigger it. I know, a lot of it is in my head.

The animals aren't helping me, either. Last week, our 12-year-old Golden Retriever decided that he must protect our house (where our yard backs up to a large hay field) from a curious skunk who wandered into the yard. Well, not only did the dog get sprayed, but he managed to chase the skunk under my van just before the spraying occurred. If you've never smelled anything freshly sprayed by a skunk, you may not recognize the smell upon the initial moments. In fact, I was not sure the skunk was the culprit of his stink at first.

So, I angrily (I have to be angry because he won't go into the bathroom unless I threaten him) get him to the tub and shut the door. Why not bathe outside, you may ask? Well, it was after 8 p.m., and I didn't want to hold him by his collar the entire time. So, as I shut the bathroom door, I am overwhelmed by the smell and begin my now-seemingly-nightly routine of throwing up. We were out of the tea tree oil shampoo I usually use on him (great for ticks and fleas in the summer months, and good for sensitive skin). So, I proceed to use whatever I can get my hands on. First, it was the kids' Vanilla Scream shampoo. It didn't touch it. Then, I got my Suave White Lily and Aloe shampoo. Again, nothing, but the skunk smell was more prevalent now. At least it was not how he smelled before (so strong you couldn't even tell that it was a skunk). After the Suave shampoo, I tried some orange and ginger body wash I had on hand.

Now, many of you are saying, "tomato juice," but, I didn't have any on hand, and where I live, you don't make a trip to town for a can of tomato juice. So, I managed to give him the bath, and then set him out on the back porch. This all occurred last week on Wednesday night. It has been 4 days now, and the smell is still there. Thank goodness it has diminished quite a bit. I haven't bought tomato juice. All the guides I have read online give a peroxide + baking soda + liquid dish soap recipe that is supposed to be more effective. I did this yesterday, and it has helped quite a bit. I had gone to the pet store on Thursday for some skunk odor removal solution. I discovered later it is mostly citronella oil. It helped a little, but the peroxide recipe has been the most effective. I have also periodically treated him with the Gold Bond powder (I'd rather smell the menthol than skunk). It is much more tolerable. Luckily, the smell in my car only lasted about 3 days.

The cat has managed to throw up on the linoleum a couple of times, which has helped my daily appointment with the porcelain throne (at least it was on the linoleum). I can smell his litter box as soon as he uses it, so my oldest has been on litter box detail for a while. I have to admit, I have been a dog person all my life, but even with the litter box, the cat is so much cleaner than any dog I've ever had. He sleeps with me every night, which will probably have to change when the baby arrives. Here's his favorite place to sleep (besides across my big belly). . . under the Christmas tree.

We also have a dwarf hamster that luckily is not responsible for any of my nausea. He only uses one place to go to the bathroom, and his cage does not get too messy. He's also very tame. The girls enjoy holding him, and the cat likes to stare into his cage. He's close to three-years-old now, so I don't know how much longer to expect him to live. It will be a chore keeping the baby away from his cage if he's with us for another year. I don't see another hamster in our near future after this one because of the baby.

So, there you have it, our official food chain. It is as complete as it will ever be. After the skunk fiasco, I have sworn off having another large dog in the house. Especially one that sheds like our Golden. Our next dog will be a non-shedding breed. And that may not be for another 4-5 years. I'll just be glad when I can normally clean up after them all again. I despise the nausea, but at least my 8-year-old does not complain when I ask her for help. She's seen me gag enough lately (tonight I threw up because I had a hair in my mouth... my own hair).

The next post will be much more pleasant. We find out the baby's gender on the 27th (hopefully, unless legs are crossed or something like that).

I want to live at DisneyWorld

And who wouldn't? We recently returned after a 4-day stay on the Disney grounds in Orlando, FL. It had been 25 years since I had been. We decided this fall would be better to go than next fall, when I'll be dragging a 5-month-old baby around diapering and feeding every 2 hours. I guess feeding the baby in lines would not be so bad, but having to change diapers and carry a diaper bag around do not appeal to me. So, this year we went, and we'll go again when the baby is older.

Watching my girls and their amazement was worth the trip, but it's hard not to get sucked into the magic of Disney.

We felt so pampered the entire time we were there, and did not want to leave. The food was amazing. I highly recommend that anyone get the Dining Plan they offer. We were never hungry. And staying on the grounds is a must in my book. Not having to worry about parking every day was really nice.
If our family was not in Tennessee, I'd move our family down to Orlando and work at Disney. I'd even clean the toilets (well, once the nausea subsides from pregnancy). All the toilets have automatic flush features there, so how bad could it be?

I could go on about our trip, but all I can say is that if you have kids, at least one trip to Disney in their early childhood is highly recommended.