It's A Sign

I went to the hospital for my pre-op (tomorrow's the big day) when I walked in the house and set my keys on the counter the house started shaking...It was an earthquake. The kids were a little scared. Some stuff fell off the shelfs and broke but everyone is ok. It gave me a chance to explain to the kids what an earthquake is and what we should do in case of an emergency. The last big earthquake we had was the day my water broke with Landen. Hey could this be a sign??? One can only hope.

New Do's

If the stress of lugging all the kids into a nice salon doesn't throw me into labor I figure nothing will. I took the kids out to lunch and for a walk through downtown Upland. We walked all the shops and I pushed the double stroller with both Farrah and Landen in it (hoping that would help.)
Faith has been debating on cutting her hair for awhile, so while we were out I took her for her first salon experience. I guess she doesn't think too much of getting her haircut in mom's kitchen. She was excited to go to a "real" salon. As we walked in I got tons of looks like what are you doing here with all these kids and then eyes went directly to my huge belly. I just smiled and said I'm babysitting for my sister, (at least that's what I should of said) instead I just said were here to see Tammy for a haircut. I handed everyone candy and they sat quietly while Faith got her haircut. Then I thought heck, why not get Farrah's cut too. She has quite the mop going on. So much hair for a 15 month old.


I gave all the kids benedryl before so they would be good...(just kidding) Farrah was sleepy but hey she was good!




We got out all our old ribbon, some flowers, diamonds etc and Faith and I made bows for her and her sisters.

They Love Eachother All Ready

Here I am holding my sister's baby Aven. The baby was kicking him and he smiled (or had gas) either way I thought it made a cute picture.

Still Pregnant, Still Whinning

Just four days left to try and induce myself. Austin reminded me yesterday that it could be worse, I could be an elephant and still have 14 or 15 months left to be pregnant. I'm telling you I feel for those poor elephants now. Can you imagine being pregnant for 2 years straight! ugh!

I now have everything pretty much checked off my to do list before the baby comes(besides the babies name)


camera batteries charged (CHECK)
hospital bags packed (CHECK)
nursery decorated (CHECK)
babies clothes washed and put away (CHECK)
pedicure and fresh painted pink toes (CHECK)
legs shaved..this was a hard one (CHECK)
eye brows waxed (CHECK)
hair colored, no more roots (CHECK)
fridge stocked with frozen meals (CHECK)
tox boxes and closets organized (CHECK)
purchase new car (CHECK)
put infant carseat in car (CHECK)
clean other kids carseats (CHECK)
make sure car is clean, can't bring baby home in dirty car (CHECK)
house cleaned, can't bring baby home to dirty house (CHECK)
garage cleaned and organized (CHECK)
all laundry caught up and put away (CHECK)
babysitters lined up (CHECK)
Now, before my house is a mess again, the laundry piles up,the food gets eaten and the hair grows back on my legs I really need to have this baby!
Now sitting here on the computer isn't going to help induce me, I'm off for a walk!
Have a good weekend:)

Sad News

Please pray for Pastor Greg Laurie's family:

Christopher Laurie, son of Pastor Greg Laurie and Cathe of Harvest

Christian Fellowship of Riverside, died this morning in a car accident

in Riverside. A resident of Huntington Beach, Christopher Laurie, 33

served as the art director at Harvest Christian Fellowship for the past

three years.



In addition to his parents, he is survived by his wife, Brittany, daughter,

Stella, as well as his brother Jonathan. Christopher and his wife are

expecting another daughter in November.



Memorial plans for Christopher are pending. More information will be

posted on the Harvest website, as details become available. You may

pass along condolences and thoughts for the Laurie family by posting

a comment on Pastor Greg's blog.



http://harvest.org

Old Wives Tales

Yesterday, was my doctors appointment. I parked really really far away from the office and walked. Then I took the stairs not the elevator (in heels). After seeing the doctor she said I was 2cm dilated. She thinks I will go at anytime. After talking with her I decided to give my body one more week to start labor on it's own if not I have a scheduled c-section planned for Wednesday.
I then took the stairs back down and walked really really far back to my car (in heels.) Hey, maybe the heels will help induce??? I also heard heels can make you look slimmer. LOL
After lunch the kids and I took another loooooooooonnnnnng walk. Then we got home and I paid them to rub my feet as I sat on the couch eating pineapple. ( I heard pineapple can help.) I think I've studied every old wives tale there is to induce labor nothing works for me but I am willing to try them all again for the 5th time if it means saving me from another c-section.
When Justin got home he said he would take me for frozen yogurt if walked there. (which is far from our house) He wants this baby out just as bad. I think he's sick of all my complaining. Did I mention he's nesting. He cleaned out the whole garage and organized it. So we took another realllllllllly long walk to the yogurt shop :) I can walk far if you promise me a treat at the end.

So now I have six days to get things going......


Today, I plan to make myself a nice lunch (labor salad)yum!
I'm not sure how this can help, but I'm desperate, why not give it a whirl? Supposedly the Romaine and the vinegar are the "magic" labor inducing ingredients in this recipe: mix together a large salad of chopped Romaine lettuce, Watercress, and Red Cabbage. For the dressing, mix together an ounce of Balsamic Vinegar and three ounces of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Sprinkle the dressing across the Labor Salad, add a handful of chopped parsley, and dig in! I think I might even sprinkle on some castor oil for flavor. I think I just (mini barfed thinking of that stuff) That's a taste you will never forget.

After lunch I plan to visit a herbalist and add some herbs to my list of things to take a lot with my primrose oil and other naturally inducing pills. Then I will be on my way to my acupressure appointment.

For dinner I plan to walk to the farthest Del Taco and have a extra spicy burrito and some eggplant on the side.
When I get home I will rub my belly and have a little talk with my baby and say a prayer that all I did today will start labor.
If all else fails I just might have to do what got me in this position in the first place. *sigh!
What helped induce labor for you? Any ideas?

Dear God, Tonight!

If you detect some desperation in my typing, it’s because I’m starting to get a little nervous. I had an ultrasound last Wednesday and the results show the placenta did move out of the way:) I have the choice of having a VBAC now. However,the doctor is worried because she says the baby might be too big and If I don't go into labor on my own by next Wednesday I will have to have a c-section. I can’t be induced with drugs because, due to my previous c-section, that would greatly increase my chances of uterine rupture. So she says. I’m not sure what choices I have other than artificial rupture of the membranes(which I see her tomorrow) or a c-section. Just pray I go into labor on my own! Tonight!

Waiting........

This weekend was spent mostly at my parents house hanging out by the pool waiting for me to go into labor.
I sometimes wonder what our family would do without all the kids. They are our families entertainment.

The kids made up a game we had to call everyone by their middle names all day. The boys went and got haircuts and when they got back we ended up calling Austin Lloyd from (dumb and dumber) he got sick of it after awhile. Poor Austin! It doesn't really look that bad when it's combed but in the water it was funny.






I will be cutting the boys hair from now on! The barber was horrible


Then Grandma and Landen made brownies. Farrah even helped clean the dishes.








Then there was baby Aven to just hold and stare at all day:)


Farrah was in a silly mood and put on a show for everyone that had us laughing hysterically




Still waiting........

Frogs and Caterpillars

Keeping the kids busy while waiting for the baby to arrive isn't much fun. Each day goes by soooooo slow. Today I took the kids to a park to catch frogs. (it's free and they think I'm the worlds coolest mom) We were there for only 10-15 minutes when they came running up to me with a bunch of frogs. They had already caught 11 frogs! What was I thinking now we have 11 frogs to take home. (I'm sure they won't live long) Just like all the other pets in our house. When we came home our butterfly kit arrived. The kids get to watch the caterpillars eat their special food and see how fast they grow. Then they will see them hang upside down and shed their skins to form chrysalides. Last, they will discover how they complete their metamorphosis by emerging as beautiful adult butterflies. They are excited to have 11new frogs and 5 new caterpillars.

Painted Piggies

Girls are so much fun! I'm so happy I'm having another one! Faith and I painted Farrah's fingers and toes for the first time. Farrah loves getting pampered:)

Cute in Glasses

Faith has been wearing glasses since she was a year and half. Now she wears both contacts and glasses. Two of her friends recently just got glasses. They all went to the Jonas Brothers Concert in their glasses. The little sister of one of the girls felt left out, so we pushed the shades out of some of Faith's sunglasses and gave them to her to wear. Aren't they cute! Thanks Jen for spoiling all the girls:)

Where Did Mommy Go?

Farrah started REALLY walking today! Just in time before her baby sister arrives.



She just has a hard time seeing mommy now. Mommy can't see Farrah either with her big belly in the way!

Lemonade Sale

Every summer the kids look forward to having a lemonade sale. We had our first lemonade sale three years ago. Landen was only a few weeks old. I remember just sitting in the shade with my newborn watching the kids have so much fun. It's such and easy thing to do yet so entertaining.

This was our first lemonade sale (look how little they were)


This was last years lemonade sale


the kids are always busy with lunch time traffic




After begging me to have a lemonade sale all week I finally gave in to them. First, it started with making a sign (this kept them busy for at least an hour) Then I took them to a community to pick lemons (it's all about profit) their learning...(this kept them busy for another hour) After picking about a dozen lemons we set up for the sale. The kids had a blast, they are pros at it now so I just sat back and enjoyed my lemonade.

Picking Lemons




Who wouldn't buy lemonade from that sour face?





The lemonade was so good this customer went to her car to get a bigger cup to take some lemonade to go.




Austin taking a break from all his sign twirling

Ahhh....yes, the best lemonade in town!

Finger tip????

Did you ever have PMS for three weeks straight? Because that is what the last month of this pregnancy is turning out to be like.
Even my son Landen who asked me to merwee "marry" him last week said, "I don't want to merwee you anymore." :(

I've started to get those calls where you answer the phone and don't even get a hello you just hear, "still pregnant?" or the "howwwwwww are youuuuu?" You would think by the 5th I would sneeze and the baby would just come flying out... NOPE not that easy.
The other day at my parents house the kids were all acting up and being wild. My energy level was at it's all time low. I thought to myself, how will I do this with another one?
My dad keeps saying at least shes quiet in there.
The placenta is a darn good baby sitter I agree, but I'm ready, I'm ready to hear her cry and all the work that goes along with it. I can't wait to hold her,see her, smell her... :)

Yesterday was my doctor's appointment. I have a new doctor this time around because my insurance changed. The doctor that delivered both Landen and Farrah would never let me go past 38wks, being that I have big babies. This doctor doesn't seem to care if the baby is 15 lbs! She has a very drill sergent kind of personality. I've heard she even told a patient to suck it up in labor. Oh, no! For a strange reason I like her, but if this was my first pregnancy I know I would be leaving that office in tears. She's quick and gets to the point. By your fifth pregnancy you just want to get in and out of your appointment anyways. While the kids are at the babysitters maybe you can even sneak in a pedicure on the way home while you have the chance.
Yesterday, she said the baby's heels over head (ready) and I am 50% effaced and finger tip. That's it, just a finger tip??? What is finger tip anyways? I think doctors just say that to give you hope to make it through another week that seems like eternity. I have learned to hate that word. I am always "finger tip." The last three nights I’ve had such bad cramps. I thought they were being productive. If you want to give me pain, that’s fine. But it better be earning its keep, is all I’m saying. It better give me more than just a finger tip!

Accident Prone

With both my husband and I being so accident prone ourselves our kids are just bound to inherit our "bad luck." Or maybe it's just our personality traits that draw us to accidents. (We are both dare devils) Me not as much since becoming a mommy. When I was little I was always the one with stitches or broken bones. Same with my husband. Still to this day I'm the one in the family who always gets hurt. Take last time I went to the river for example. Everyone was tubing and having a blast. When it was my turn to go, my sister and I got on the tube and I ended up in the hospital. I shattered my nose and had to have reconstructive surgery. She just got a little bruise. I am always an accident waiting to happen! My poor mom. I now know how she must of felt raising me.
I looked out my front window this morning to find the kids swinging from a rope tied to a tree. Austin was pushing Landen high in the air. Landen was yelling," faster, higher" then he threw his head back to add a little thrill to his ride. My heart dropped for my little 3yr old and I stopped and prayed please God I only want to go to the hospital today for one thing and one thing only....AND THAT'S TO HAVE A BABY!

Roar and Snore

One of Austin's dreams is to go to Africa to see wild animals in their native habitats.







Well, he didn't go to Africa but he did get to attend the "Roar and Snore" program at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park in Escondido, Calif. You get to camp in tents right next to African elephants, Sumatran tigers, African lions and curvy-horned cape buffaloes. (thanks Austin for the names of those)
My Aunt and Uncle have no children of their own so they love to spoil mine as if they were theirs.(We love that!) They share a love for animals with Austin. For Austin's 9th birthday (I can't believe my baby will be 9 next month) they took him on this overnight stay that he will never forget.
Here are some of the 800+ pictures Austin and his Aunt took of all the animals. Yes, 800 were uploaded to my computer. I think Austin has taken up a new hobby (photography)



Uncle Joe and Aunt Cheryl with Austin







A dream come true. Austin watching the elephants right outside his tent.