Birth Story: Part 4: Rebel

Our fourth child was due on May 25th. We decided even before she was conceived that we wanted to attempt a natural, home birth. I'd never been interested in either option before. I credit my interest and education with watching the TV series "Call the Midwife" and the documentary "The Business of Being Born". I went on to read Ina May Gaskin's "Guide to Childbirth" and became even more confident in my choice. I sought out two midwives who run the only birth center in the town where we live. I immediately felt comfortable with them and continued to see them for my prenatal care.

On Tuesday, May 20th I woke up around 2AM with consistent contractions that were 7 minutes apart for an hour. I decided to go ahead and call the midwife on call as I didn't want to wait until things were imminent. My past birth experiences led me to believe that once things got going it would be a relatively quick process. I neglected to take into account the fact that as soon as I'd come to the hospital dilated 5cm, they had broken my water which sped the process along. The midwife and her assistant came to the house and we watched as my contractions stayed between 7 and 10 minutes apart for a few hours. Finally, we decided to sleep and awoke with the sun to check on my progress. I was 5cm dilated and 80% effaced. Definitely moving along. However, as the day progressed, we tried all sorts of tricks to get my contractions to be closer and stronger. They would increase for a little while then go back to their 7 to 10 minute intervals. Finally around 8pm that evening, my midwife offered me a last-ditch option of going ahead and breaking my water. I felt like we'd been pushing to make labor progress all day and didn't want to break my water only to have labor continue to be slow and then be put on a timetable with more possibility of being transferred to the hospital. So, we decided to call it a night. The midwife and her assistant went home and I got a gorgeous night of rest.

Wednesday and Thursday were much the same, but without the added audience of a midwife. My contractions stayed in that 7-10 minute time zone. Finally, Thursday afternoon at my midwife appointment, I was instructed to take calcium magnesium to try and stop my "unproductive" contractions until my due date so my uterus could get some rest. We then planned to start back up trying to kick start labor on that Sunday. Thursday night, I took my cal/mag and went to sleep. Throughout the night I woke up with much stronger contractions and in the morning was noticeably sore abdominally. I decided to just relax and not worry about when this thing was going to happen. We took advantage of my mom being in town and my husband and I headed out for a date. We enjoyed a yummy breakfast at a neighborhood coffee house and then went to see the new X-Men movie. Again, I was experiencing contractions every 7-10 minutes. After the movie, we came home and I decided to take a nice long nap. My sister came over to hang out for the evening and brought some movies. We hung out downstairs and watched "What To Expect When You're Expecting", ironically. After that movie, we started "Austenland". Not far into that movie I realized I was having contractions about 5 minutes apart. I felt the urge to use the bathroom and had my first real bloody show. As the contractions continued to get closer, I decided to call my midwife. She could tell this was a different scenario as I had to stop to breathe during contractions while speaking with her over the phone. She said she would be on her way and I decided to lay down in hopes of making sure we didn't speed anything up until she arrived. This was about 10:30pm on Friday, May 23rd.

After the midwife arrived, she checked me and I was dilated 7cm and 80% effaced. I started finding comfort in standing while hugging my husband, Rod, and swaying back and forth during contractions. Much more comfortable than laying down for them. We continued in this pattern for quite a while. I was only mildly uncomfortable and in need of focus during the contractions. I continued to listen to my body and what sounded "good" during contractions. As things progressed, I spent some time in the shower with the warm heat on my lower back. As the intensity increased, I decided to get out of the shower and continued with my swaying/hugging technique. All of a sudden, I noticed my pain had moved from being "up" and was localized more in my hips. I told the midwife and she checked me. I honestly don't remember what the verdict was as my contractions were closer, longer, and much more intense. I navigated them the same way I'd done all night: by listening to my body and doing what "sounded" good. Eventually I ended up with the urge to go to the bathroom and while there the midwife heard me making some involuntary pushes and told me to transition to the bed where I'd planned to actually deliver our baby girl. I laid on my side and let my body do it's thing with the comfort of my husband and the midwife and their encouragement. I kept feeling the urge to push and as I did, my water finally broke on it's own and my pushing became productive. It took a little longer to push my sweet girl out as she was full term size. Finally, I heard the glorious words that I'd completed my task and had my girl placed on my chest. The whole pushing stage and when she entered the world was to the soundtrack of "Beautiful Things" by Gungor. Seemed absolutely appropriate. Such a calming experience in the midst of, yes, some intense pain. We marveled at her beauty and at what we, my husband and I, had accomplished together as we waited for her cord to quit pulsing so it could be cut and I could finish my delivery. Rebel Joy weighed in at 8lb. 4oz., 21 inches long, and was born at 1:52am on May 24th. We spent the first three days in rest with Rod and my Mom to take care of us. As we had chosen to birth at home, that meant some tests were not able to be performed at her initial birth. So, four days postpartum we headed to our pediatrician for a more complete check up. As we'd thought, she was perfect. Then the next day we took our bundle to the hospital labor & delivery ward to have the newborn screenings done.

All in all, quite a different experience from any we've had before. The birth itself was much more peaceful and relaxed and my recovery much quicker. It was the perfect choice for us at this time. I do not for one second believe a woman who births at home or without drugs is any more amazing than a woman who chooses to birth any other way. I've done more than one way and believe now more than ever in a woman choosing what works for her and having the support whether it be in the hospital or elsewhere to allow her what she desires.

Birth Story: Part 3: Tobyn

After miscarrying between Gideon and this pregnancy, I entered it with a lot of nervousness. I struggled with wondering if everything was ok and doing all of the "right" things up until he was delivered. The nice thing about being pregnant and having two other children is that they keep you too busy to eat or act unhealthily. The business of taking care of them also makes the time go by so much faster. Tobyn was due on October 17th. The last part of August, Rod and I caught the H1N1 flu. After nights of chills and coughing, I spent two days feeling like I was recovering and then on October 6th, 2009 I felt that labor was beginning. Much earlier than any of us expected. My parents got on the road from Houston as soon as they knew I was in labor. I finally went to the hospital around 10pm that evening. They couldn't get an IV started on me, having three nurses try and then waiting for the "special team", so that I could get my epidural. Since my Mom was unable to be in the delivery room, my older sister joined Rod at my side. Finally, they got the IV started and we waited the allotted time for the fluids to be in my body so that I could get my epidural. By the time the on-call anesthesiologist arrived and was putting my epidural in, I was in the middle of transition. Not fun curving forward in the midst of those kinds of contractions. When all was said and done, Tobyn Valor emerged into the world at 2:29am.

Birth Story: Part 2: Gideon

On May 2nd, 2006, I found out I was indeed pregnant with our second baby, due December 2nd. We were excited and looking forward to a sibling for Zoe. I was incredibly sick for the first trimester of this pregnancy. Spent much of my time lying on our futon in our one-bedroom apartment trying to keep Zoe entertained with Elmo and whatever else I could....in a horizontal position. Thankfully, the sickness abated during the second trimester and I was able to maintain great health throughout the pregnancy. After Rod had lost his job within a month of having Zoe, he'd found a position at Directv and was doing well. We decided it was time to buy a house of our own. We spent much of this pregnancy searching for a HUD house and working out financing. We'd finally found out our closing date in November and had a sign-the-papers date set up for early December. We decided to move out of our apartment and in with my sister and her husband until everything was finalized. November 28th was our big moving day. We spent the day, along with help from siblings and parents, moving everything out of our apartment and into my sister and brother-in-law's home. We finally got everything settled and Zoe tucked into bed around 11pm that night. As we were sitting and chatting with our siblings, I noticed my contractions getting stronger and closer together and told Rod we should head to the hospital. We got signed in and set up in our room and my contractions were staying pretty low-key. I wasn't making much progress. So, the nurses told me to get some sleep and if nothing had happened before morning, my doctor would induce then. We turned off the lights and tried to get some much needed rest. Not long after I woke with a need for the restroom and while there realized I was in the transition stage of labor. After notifying the nurse and being put back in my hospital bed, I accepted my epidural as soon as they were able to get it. An hour later, at 4:11 am, Gideon Benaiah entered the world.

Birth Story: Part 1: Zoe

My current pregnancy and labor experience has brought back lots of thoughts and memories about my other labor experiences. So, I've decided to write them out as a way to pass the time of this long early labor stage.

My first pregnancy was probably my hardest. We were living on very little income and had made a choice to live on my in-law's property in order to save some money. My husband was working multiple jobs and I spent a lot of time alone. We had a lot of fun times, but much of what we both remember is lots of extra driving, problems with housing, and me being alone. Of course, I slept quite a lot due to the growing life inside of me, didn't exercise much, and ate as cheaply (and unhealthily) as we probably ever have. I took the idea of "eating for two" and ran with it. I was underweight starting out, but ended up gaining about 70 pounds by the end of my pregnancy. Three weeks before my due date of January 27th, I went to my regularly scheduled appointment with my in-hospital midwife (thank you Sooner Care). My blood pressure was not good and she was concerned I was pre-eclamptic. So, they gave me a wheelchair ride from the office part of the hospital to the triage part of Labor & Delivery. After watching my blood pressure for a while, they decided it was time to go ahead and induce. My desire leading up to labor was to have a natural birth, but I pre-ordered the epidural "just in case". I got my snazzy hospital gown on and got set up in the bed to start labor. Pitocin, that evil drug, started dripping in through my IV. I was doing ok at first, Twila Paris' "Bedtime Lullabies" playing in the background, until the Pitocin actually started kicking in. It seemed like torture. I remember wondering how long my labor could be, especially after knowing the general time-frame most first time mothers experience. I wasn't sure I could take 8+ hours of Pitocin. So, I gave in (in my mind) and asked for my epidural. What sweet, splendid relief it was after having that in. My husband said I went from being a monster in that hospital bed back to his wife in no time. I spent the rest of my 9 hour labor in peace. Unfortunately, when it was time for the pushing stage I was having oxygen issues so they hooked me up with a lovely face mask full of oxygen while I attempted to push my baby girl out. Unsure if I was lacking the appropriate ability to sense anything as the epidural had rendered the lower half of my body almost unmoveable, eventually a Doctor was called in to use the vacuum to help Zoe enter the world. As much as I hate all of the interventions that happened and the issues I had, I would do it again for that sweet girl to be part of our life. I held her for a few minutes before they took her aside to clean her up and became concerned at a noise she was making (we would find out later it was just her cry) and so she spent a few hours in the NICU. We had so many friends and family come see us at the hospital and welcome Zoe Love into the world. I remember packing up a day early to leave for home as there was a winter storm rolling in and thinking how unprepared I was for this job. Realizing it was just going to be me and Rod taking care of her was overwhelming. It's been our privilege, though, for the past nine years and while it hasn't always been easy...especially with her bilirubin being off and having to deal with a bigger case of jaundice in the first week of her life...we've gotten into the rhythm of this parenting thing. 

You know you're an adult when sleeping in on your husband's 3 day weekend results in waking up, right on time, at 7:30AM. Enjoyed some hot tea and reading in bed together before starting the day. Cleaning, dishes, lawn-mowing: the really fun stuff. After a late brunch, we headed out to see the new Spiderman movie. This re-booting: total win in my opinion. Much better story. Much better characters. Much better actors, for that matter. Fun way to spend the early afternoon.

The man then dropped me off at Wal-Mart, land of a million choices, and took the kids to play Ingress while I shopped. Good grief. Seems as if that place is just one never-ending, marathon-like-length walk-a-thon in my current state of pregnancy. Will be fully 37 weeks tomorrow. In my parade about the store, increasingly uncomfortable (read painful) Braxton Hicks were my company. As I stood in line to check out (finally), I pictured myself having ridden all the way to the top of the highest drop of a roller coaster. Preparing to plunge with vicious speed into the work that is labor. These fun Braxton Hicks are just the tip of the experience. Had that momentary "what was I thinking?" that I've experienced with all of my pregnancies. My consolation: this work I'll be doing will bring me my girl I've been anxious to meet. Here's to my first natural labor! May it be quick. 4th baby, 5th delivery: should equal a cut in my usual 3-4 hour labor, right? And with the most recent, successful two labors were all natural up until about 1 hour before they were born (darn you enticing epidural). Renewed with this thought process at one of the reasons I chose to go this route. I'm ready to see what I'm made of and experience this full throttle.

Came home to lay down and hydrate. Read some more of my current book, "Jesus Feminist". The man and kids worked on cleaning up the garage and playing outside. Feels good to end the day with a dinner of pancakes, turkey bacon, blackberries, and cantaloupe with a side of Futurama.

A Week Can Become a Lifetime

Enjoyed having some time with my Mom here Monday evening through Thursday morning of this week. She treated me and my younger sister to a girl's night out Tuesday evening. We saw "August: Osage County" then a late dinner at Cosmos. The only thing missing: my older sister being with us. "August: Osage County" was a tough viewing, but loved it. Very therapeutic in correlation with stuff going on within extended family. Good to realize everyone has crazy stuff in their family...some crazier than others.

Bought our first big purchase for our little bean girl this week. Found the car seat we'd talked about getting for $30 off, used a $25 gift card we still had from Directv, and got an extra 5% off as well for a fantastic deal! So glad to have something crossed off our relatively small list.

Had my dental implant consultation on Wednesday. Loved the oral surgeon who will be doing it. Got a lot of great information for when I elect to have the implants done....probably early next year. Would love for little AJ bean to have a good start nursing-wise, etc. before I get something relatively big done. Three months to recover just from the initial metal implant. Yay.

Spent Thursday and Friday resting and recovering from colds/virus stuff. Got some much needed cleaning done Friday. Yay for closet organization and headway on making our room ready for baby. Still a lot to do, but progress is progress. Everything is mostly cleaned for the weekend so we will be enjoying a night of relaxation and hopefully our next episode of the new season of Sherlock. 

For the Beauty of the Earth

Yay for a successful wake-up to our 7am alarm! Made it to church for the early experience so that we could be refreshed before volunteering in the kids' area. Awesome message finishing up the Small Things, Big Difference series. "Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most." I loved the point Pastor Craig made about people being disciplined - period. We are either disciplined in things that move us forward in life or things that keep us where we are. We left encouraged to answer the question "what do you want most?" and come up with one discipline that needs to be started now in order to have what you want. For me, it's getting up at 7am every morning so that I can do my yoga and strengthening exercises and have quiet time before the rush of the day (i.e. kids) begins. There's such an overflow of success from just that one simple thing of getting up at a reasonable time and on purpose instead of just waiting until we've reached red alert wake up status.

After a quick lunch of quesadillas at home, we headed out to drop Zoe off for a birthday party. While she was there, we had fun doing Ingress missions all over Sand Springs. We ran into a friend of Rod's from work....on the enemy team....attacking a portal we'd claimed. Another selling point for Ingress: fun with your community and friends. We even found an old cemetery in the Atwoods parking lot. We would never have noticed it without playing the game. I love how it awakens us to our surroundings and takes us to see things we would never have taken the time to find.

The boys were hopeful of a trip to the park as well, so we spent some time at Chandler Park. I had fun hiking a nature trail with my boys. I don't know that I'll be able to do that particular trail much longer. Balance and motility are becoming much more interesting as I'm progressing in this pregnancy. I loved the beauty of this tree, though, and the roots that were made visible. So thankful for the ability to enjoy the beauty of the earth around me. Perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I feel that I commune on a different level with Yahweh when I'm out in nature. Distractions seem quieter and He seems louder. 

Life Goes On...

We've had a busy last few days. Succeeded in completing our learning activities for the week. Received great news that while the surgeon ended up having to remove 25% of my grandpa's kidney on Thursday, the cancerous tumor was only Stage 1. No need for any other treatment. He is finally home and hopefully on the road to recovery. My cousin, whose husband has been fighting brain cancer since Fall of last year, went in for a planned c-section delivery on Friday of their second child. Thankful for good news that his cancer is receding and that they have a healthy baby girl, in spite of being high risk. God is good.

Last night my younger sister came over to hang out while Rod had planned to go on a men's retreat. After he came home, our youngest son was so distraught at him "leaving again" that Rod decided he would rather stay home and spend time with us. Work has been keeping him quite busy the last few weeks, so a night all-together was perfect. We enjoyed watching some fun movies with my sister and just relaxing together.

Took this morning to slowly begin the day. A little laundry and cleaning, but mostly relaxation. Around noon, we decided to head out for a few errands and our new favorite thing: Ingress missions. Initially, I was annoyed by another "thing" to add to our life....but it's really a great "game". Makes you explore your city (or wherever you are) and see things you might never have seen before. Great encouragement to get some walking exercise as well. Lots of family bonding. We got to enjoy the gorgeous weather, a beautiful park, and even get some pictures of the kids and I. Showcasing our approximately 24 week old little bean as well.

After lots of walking and fun, we headed home for a relaxing night. Obligatory laundry with a side of my favorite Spotify playlists (makes any chore better, in my opinion) then hoping to knit some more on my baby blanket for little bean and read some more on the new book I got from the library.

Oh how I love weekends that feel productive and yet relaxing!

Spontaneous Date Night

Had a pretty fantastic day today. We all enjoyed working on our planned learning activities for the day, with quite a few free-play breaks throughout. After finishing up our learning activities, we enjoyed some individual down time before spending time cleaning up for LifeGroup. I was impressed with the kids' focus on their jobs and that we were able to be finish before our hour time limit was up. Yay for success! And yet, we didn't have LifeGroup tonight due to our friends being busy with some other family obligations. So, after dropping off Z and G at their Wednesday night activities, the rest of us headed out for a date night. T thought it the funniest thing to be going on a date with Rod and I.

We started off by finally deciding to try Chipotle for the first time. Amazing when a pregnant woman and her husband are both quite hungry and nothing sounds good. All in all, a yummy dinner. I figure, I get heartburn regardless of what I eat, so I might as well be adventurous.

Next we went to Target to let T spend his Christmas money from my Grandma on some long-sleeved t-shirts and a fun little grabber toy. Always fun when you find extra money lying around...we also had a gift card from this year *and* last year that Rod got from his work for Christmas. So we purchased some hanging organizers for our closet so we can get rid of our dresser and make some more space in our room. These are the things that excite me. 

We also had fun browsing the baby section. Looking into what kind of car seat we want to get and debating getting a bassinet and/or crib. Planning to check out my favorite consignment sale, Just Between Friends, in the coming months and hopefully find some good deals for our little bean. T had fun, though, picking out impractical items that he thought little bean would need.

I love getting spontaneous dates out with my boys. Now everyone is tucked in and ready to settle in for the night. Thursday will be here before we know it. 

Learning To Let Go...and other randomness

Today was "get back to normal" day. We took two days off last week and spent the weekend recovering from being sick. On Monday, my mom was here visiting so we had a spontaneous day off to spend time with her.

Enjoyed a lovely conversation with my mom this morning. So nice to be able to talk freely with another human being. I'm blessed to be able to do that with both of my parents and both of my sisters. Had a much needed confession of struggling to move past stuff with my mother-in-law and my core value of justice wanting her to realize who she is and what she has done (not just at the end of 2013, but on a cyclical basis throughout my "relationship" with her). Good to admit when you are having unhealthy thoughts toward another person, whether justified or not - in an individual's mind, and good to hear my mom encourage me with words about how my faith teaches forgiveness, grace, "letting go".....as well as not having to place yourself intentionally in the company of toxic people (pearls before swine, what have you). Encouraged me in what had been easy a few weeks ago, but had become more difficult recently, to pray every day and whenever negative thoughts/feelings arise toward them that they would experience God's love and grace today and know Him fully. I quoted a C.S. Lewis quote to my mom as I was talking about knowing what is right as opposed to how I felt or wanted to think or act. God has a sense of humor and knows exactly how to speak to me, because this afternoon when I was checking my Twitter feed, the C.S. Lewis "quote of the day" was the exact same quote I'd mentioned this morning.

Ha. Ha. Ha. Point taken. Well, for now. I need lots of reminders it seems.

After my mom left, we dug in and attempted to get into our normal schedule. I am a person who prefers to get what "must be done" done quickly and have "free time" afterward. My children did not get that memo and had a difficult time staying focused and on task. We finally finished our planned learning activities at 3:30pm today....after many pleas to God for extra grace and patience that things were not going according to my plan. Ha! We enjoyed a nice break before heading off to gymnastics. While Z and G were at gymnastics, T and I ran some errands and had a nice QT date. We finished off our evening screen free. Showers, dinner, journaling, and bedtime reading. Amazing how much can be done without the distraction of meaningless nonsense. Excited to (hopefully) start tomorrow morning at my desired time of 7AM with some yoga and quiet time before hitting our Wednesday routine. Much to do, but I want to focus on inspiring creativity and learning in my kids and not running through our learning and house work. Sometimes easier said than done.

After a few days of fighting off a cold/virus, finally succumbed to it yesterday afternoon. Cancelled LifeGroup at our house and took the night to hopefully recover. Today, felt even worse and most of the kids are claiming similar symptoms. Here's to lots of water and orange juice and relaxation!

After feeding children and washing dishes, we've spent the rest of the day in lazy pursuits. I'm working on my first baby blanket for our little bean. Challenging piece, but hopeful it will look great in the end. Had a good phone chat with my Mom. So nice to be able to talk with her and have a relationship with her. I feel more and more fortunate to have her as my mother every single day. After taking care of lunch and watching "Mulan" in an attempt to have some learning (going along with our Ancient History), I did a few more rows on my blanket before my weekly phone chat with my older sister. So nice to have someone who married into the same crazy family that I did and be able to work through some of the horribleness that has taken place in the last part of 2013. Work in progress. Feel empowered to focus on the work I have to do and be active in the relationships I desire. Toxic people have no place in an active position in my mind or life.

Spending the rest of this sick day vegging on Netflix, working on my blanket, and waiting for energy to return. Blech.

2nd week of attempting to be up at 7AM so we could attend a church experience before our usual volunteer time in the kids area. We woke up at 7:30AM and got our rush on and made it into our seats in the main experience before the walk-in song was over. I call that a victory. Here's to actually making the 7AM alarm all week long in prep for next weekend. The message was fantastic about our thoughts dictating the direction of our lives. Our volunteer time was fun and not difficult. Score!

Back at home, the family did some light cleaning and rabbit care while I made a simple eggs & fried potatoes lunch. We enjoyed a relaxing afternoon of some Minecraft and quiet. This afternoon we met up with good friends at a park and enjoyed some adult conversation (and the kids playmates) in spite of the crazy wind. Beautiful day otherwise.

Made it home to do marathon showers for the kids and put stuffed peppers in the oven for dinner. Planning and gearing up for this next week. I will be up by 7AM every morning so I can do yoga and have quiet time before the daily routine needs to begin. Here's to going to bed at a reasonable time and choosing to do what I really want...even when staying in bed sounds much more inviting.

What a wonderful Saturday. Slept in until the amazing time of 7:54am. After gathering lists, etc. for errands, I left for a morning on my own. The urge hits for some time out by myself at least once every two weeks or so. Slightly introverted over here.

I dropped off packages that needed shipping then stopped by the wonderful new Sprouts located close to my house to pick up a few things. Stopped off at the community center to register the kids for gymnastics. Took a little longer than I'd anticipated, but it is done and they're ready for the next session. Yay!

Finally made my way over to a meeting of The League Tulsa women on our monthly coffee house tour. Such fun. I tried my very first chai, vanilla flavored. Yum!

Made a stop off at Joann's on my way home to spend my Christmas gift card from my sister on some knitting items. Excited to use them for my first hat project.

After reviewing the new skill of using circular needles, I decided to start on something smaller and use up some yarn my daughter gave me for Christmas to make a baby hat for our new baby girl arriving later this year. Mistakes are the catalyst to learning. I learned that I need circular needles of a different length to do the baby hat. By the time I had figured this little gem out, I was so tired from a full day that knitting will be put off until tomorrow. 

The kids are in bed, the hubs and I are relaxing, tomorrow is on the horizon. Enjoying this little piece of paradise called life.

Woke up to a feeling-ill Gideon. Change of plans. After my own quiet time and breakfast for all, Gideon was put to bed and Zoe and I completed her individual learning activities. Spent any side time on dishes and the never ending laundry pile. Now it's mostly all clean....I guess I should put it away. Started feeling the ick early this afternoon and decided it was time to break our screen fast and relax for the rest of the day. The hubs brought home orange juice and graham crackers. After eating a dinner of chicken, veggies & rice with homemade chicken stock and finishing the rest of "The Avengers", the hubs cut our youngest's hair. Much needed. Much appreciated. He's so excited to be able to "see now!"

And now we finish our evening and begin our weekend with Minecraft. Once the kids are in bed, we have a marathon of shows to catch up on....Parks & Rec, Community, and Psych. So ready for the weekend! Excited for a morning out to myself on the morrow!

We had a fun day full of learning today. Started off getting whole chickens in the oven to roast. Making stock this afternoon and prepping to have meet hopefully for the rest of this week and next. I had so much fun doing our first Science experiment of the year today. The kids were so excited. Always makes it easier when they're raring to go.

This evening, my sister came over to visit. So nice to have family in town to visit with. Since we're still on our fast from TV, it was a quiet evening of conversation and looking at baby knitting patterns. Way to many things available to knit for the baby! We had a yummy dinner of meatloaf, fried potatoes, and veggies. Ended off with some cuddle time with my hubs and our current couple show, "How I Met Your Mother". Excited for another fun-filled day tomorrow. Exceedingly excited for a relaxing weekend with the hubs home for two whole days!

Three days into no sugar or Facebook for the rest of the month and no tablets/video games/TV until Saturday and it's not been as horrible as I'd imagined. Score! The kids have had moments of "I'm bored!", but quickly start playing games and pretend together. This morning, no whining about "no Minecraft", but the boys were playing in the playroom together.

Today was more of a catch-up/survive kind of day. After yesterday's marathon of errands, school, gymnastics and hip-hop class trials, I was hesitant to get out of bed...let alone be busy with our daily routine. I'm sure the overcast skies and chilled air weren't much help either. Finally got myself into gear by 9:30am and we started school for the day. Even with a late start, we were able to be finished with our learning activities by 3pm. Cue computer time for the kids and a little R&R for me!

After a little Fun Run and shut eye, we got busy with household responsibilities. Laundry, dishes and dinner making for me....playroom and living room clean up for the kids. Excited for Rod to get home from a long day of work and meeting at church for some yummy stir-fry and a possible viewing of "Mulan" since we learned about Ancient China today in history.

Here's hoping sleep is sweet tonight and less full of legs cramping/falling asleep with a side of tossing and turning.