Thanksgiving Recap.. Late, I Know!

I had wonderful intentions of getting on and sharing all about my wonderful Thanksgiving and all of the many things that I'm thankful for. Thanksgiving was amazing and went off without a hitch! Everything turned out great and it was a really wonderful day.

Then... My lofty goals came to a screeching halt when BOTH girls caught a stomach bug (at separate times). I have been in a fog of exhaustion and throw up over the last couple of days and I'm HOPING we've reached the end of it. Brooke's bug started on Friday night when she came into my room and threw orange cupcake up everywhere. That was a fun mess. Lol. She started to get better on Saturday morning so it was a quick moving bug. Once we got caught up from all of that laundry and exhaustion, Adrienne got the same bug.. Only worse.. on Sunday night. She's basically herself today, just really sleepy, and as for me, I'm exhausted! Soaking sheets and scrubbing carpets in the wee hours of the morning has a way of doing that to ya! In the midst of it, though, I still love being a mommy and caring for my girls. It's all worth it!

We just put our Christmas tree up tonight and it's absolutely beautiful! Adrienne was afraid of it at first but I think she'll be okay. Lol. She was more interested in eating candy canes than helping decorate. Figures, right? I'm really excited about the wonderful month of Christmas celebrations we have ahead of us. It's by far my most favorite time of the year.

Well, John's off so I think I'm going to go relax with him. I'm seriously keeping my fingers crossed that the bug doesn't catch us next. Yikes!

Thanksgiving Menu

I'm desperately trying to organize my thoughts for the huge Thanksgiving dinner. No matter how many times I look at the list I feel like there's something I'm forgetting but I don't think so. Here's what's on the menu...

Turkey
Homemade Gravy
Cranberry Relish (Which already has my mouth watering)
Pineapple Stuffing
Stuffing with apples and dried cranberries
Strawberry Jello Pretzel Salad
Yeast Rolls
Mashed Potatoes (All 20 pounds of them!)
Butternut squash with brown sugar and maple syrup
Baked Yams
Brussel Sprouts
Corn
Creamed Cauliflower
Broccoli
Homemade Applesauce
And for dessert: Apple pie, pumpkin pie, and cheesecake

Phew! I think that about does it. I don't think that anything is missing but we'll see. It's really not all that much to do though. I will do the turkey in a roasting bag (which I HIGHLY recommend) so that will be almost effortless. Then most of the items on the menu I can do throughout the day at my own pace (as we aren't eating til 4). The veggies and potatoes will be the only last minute things to stress me out. Oh yes, and the desserts will be done hopefully the night before. Out of the massive amounts of cooking that I'll be doing the only thing that has me overwhelmed is dessert. I would MUCH rather cook than bake but sometimes you just can't avoid it! In fact, I bet I could even make the pie crusts tomorrow and roll them out on Wednesday. Hmmm... I just might do that!

I am SO excited for Thursday! I love to think down the road to when all three girls will be old enough to cook with me. It will be a blast! Brooke loves to help in the kitchen and it's fun but it will really be nice when I can say, "Hey Brooke, could you mash the potatoes?" Yeah, I know... Years from now! Lol

Catching Up

Wow, it's been over a week since I was on here last. I really hate that! Playing the piano and writing are my two "releases" and seeing as how I don't have a piano you would think I would write more! I guess not.

Nothing too exciting has been going on around here... Just the typical everyday stuff. That's what I love though! My sweet Adrienne is quickly growing into a toddler, leaving so much of her babyhood behind in a flash, and my precious Brookie makes me smile constantly with her silly inquiries and comments. Both girls are really at fun stages right now! And of course, the little girl in my belly is a non-stop kicker and she makes her presence known all the time. It's the best:-)

I have had now had a week to let it soak in that I will be a mother to THREE daughters. WOW! At first it seemed kind of like a dream or a fairytale and almost like it would never come to fruition. It's starting to feel more and more real with each passing day though. I'm SO excited! This will be our last baby (despite many people assuming we'll "try for that boy") and I'm excited to feel that sense of completion once Bailey arrives. I feel very, very lucky to be able to raise three little girls and help them grow into the women they'll need to be. It's a great responsibility and a huge honor.

John and I will, once again, be hosting Thanksgiving for his side of the family this year. I'm pretty sure that our headcount is close to 30 right now. I think I mentioned that a few weeks ago but it's impossible to not mention it again. Lol. We bought our big 25 pound turkey and all of the soda that we'll need so that's definitely a start! Last year I found our turkey frozen the night before Thanksgiving, despite letting it thaw for the suggested 4 days, so this year I decided I would give it WAY more time. I'll be thrilled to kick it out of my fridge come Thursday though! It's just taking up way too much space. I'm really, really excited about cooking again this year. I've got the whole system down to a fine art and I know just how much food we'll need and in what order to prepare things. It's a blast! I'm especially excited because John will be off on Wednesday and Thursday so it's going to be absolutely wonderful. He's a huge help:-)

That's about all there is to update ya on! Now I'm off to send John to work... 2 hours early:-( If only they would pay him to NOT work overtime. Haha

Announcing......

We are having our third GIRL!!! We couldn't be happier and are so in love already. She was bent over completely in half when we saw her and her big toe was on her forehead. Hilarious! Maybe she'll be a gymnast like her big sister, Brooke??

I was excited because she was measuring right on track her for gestational age, whereas my other girls measured big at this point. It's probably wishful thinking but I'm hoping that she comes out smaller, as I tend to have big babies. I love them regardless, obviously, but when they come out so big it's kind of sad because they already grow so quickly.

As for her name, we have decided on Bailey Quinn. We both love it! She will be born via scheduled C-Section on March 23, 2011. I was excited before but now I'm a million times more in love and eager to meet our latest addition.

The receptionist at the doctor's office today heard we were having our third girl and said, "Oh, I'm really sorry." Can you believe that? I didn't tell her that our baby was sick or that we had lost a child, I told her GOOD news. I told her, as politely as I could, that she better not apologize. Despite not knowing her, I had to choke away the tears because I know that people are just going to be rude and assume that we're not THRILLED to be having another girl. People these days!

What an exciting day! It's safe to say that I'm on cloud 9!

The Gender Issue

Two days from now we found out if baby #3 is a boy or a girl. As I've said, I truly think it's a girl.. Which is just a hunch that I have. However, I will eagerly and excitedly welcome either gender.

People can be really rude, ya know? I can't even tell you how many people have said, "Well, if this one is a girl, there's always next time." Another one of my personal favorites is, "I bet you'll really be disappointed if it's another girl." Who are you to decide that, 1) I have to have a son one day, and 2) that I don't want another little girl. I feel that those comments are very offensive because you are basing the significance on my child's existence on his or her gender. It's not fair. We got these comments during my pregnancy with Adrienne but it's definitely FAR worse this time around.

I would love to have a little boy, don't get me wrong! Seeing John with his son would be special and it would be exciting to get to experience all things blue and boyish. With that being said, though, I feel that it would be equally as wonderful to experience John loving another little girl. We are going to be thrilled regardless.

I know people that place way too much hope on the gender of the baby that when it's the opposite of what they wanted or tried for they're disappointed. I think that that's a crying shame and that people who wouldn't openly welcome a child of either sex have major issues. There are people out there who can't have children and I'm willing to guarantee that they would take any child they could get. People have no business being ungrateful and I sure as heck am not going to be!

So, in 2 days we'll know the answer to this all-too-significant question. I can't wait!! It's going to be a wonderful blessing, regardless:-)

All Fired Up!

I read a quote today that raised my blood pressure in seconds. It said, "The happiest women depend on men for absolutely nothing." WHAT?????? Are you serious? Why are we such a warped feminist society where we think that depending on a man is some horrible thing? I'm just lost on this one.

I depend on my man for lots of things, let me tell you. I depend on him to be my best friend because when he tells me that I'm beautiful, special, smart, worth something... I believe it. I depend on him to provide for our family, not because I can't make money or have no drive to work, but because HE thinks that what I'm doing at home is of utmost importance. In fact, he's putting on his uniform right now to go work on his night off because he knows I depend on him. I depend on him to help me raise our kids and take care of them... Not because I'm incapable of doing it but because God designed children to need daddies. I depend on him to love me because he, second to God, is the most important person in my life. Yes, I may depend on my husband for many things but I'm thankful that I have a wonderful man that I can depend on. What in the universe is wrong with that?

This culture just sickens me. It really does. God designed the man to be the head of the family structure and that's just not a popular idea today. I submit to my husband out of love for him but ya know what? Because he loves me and sees my best interest at heart, it's rare that the decisions he makes are that opposite from what I want. He's not some dictator who rules with an iron fist... We're a team. And when we do clash? We talk about it and come to common ground. It's about a mutual respect and love for one another and just because he's the head of our household, he's not superior to me... We just have different roles.

I also get really frustrated that so many people that I encounter say that I "don't work." At the doctor's office they say, "So, you're unemployed?" Another person told me, "Well you don't work so it's easier for you." Excuse me? I don't drop my child off at daycare for 8 hours a day so yes, you work out of the home, but when I'm home during those 8 hours, I'm working. I get no lunch or coffee breaks like working moms do so don't diminish the fact that I work extremely hard from home. I'm by no means out to judge working moms out there.. I'm just saying that I hate being compared to them because what I do is every bit as important and challenging.

Maybe the person who quoted this is deceived into believing that dependence equals being treated like a doormat? I'm not really sure. I just know that as a woman, I love looking at my husband and knowing that he is strong enough for me to depend on him. While I know that I have the brain power and work ethic to work for myself and depend on nobody, I'm thankful that I don't have to!

Mystery Solved??

Despite being up crying for a bit last night, Brooke was pretty much her usual self today. She was maybe a little bit grumpy but I attributed that to her being sleepy. She had no fever though so I was encouraged that things were looking good.

I thought my sweet princess was on the mend but as John was helping her take her shirt off for bed tonight she screamed hysterically, "My ear!" I thought that maybe it had gotten caught and hurt for a second but I soon realized that it was just plain hurting her. Anytime we would touch it or that side of her face she would scream out in pain. I know that kids can get ear infections with colds but it really surprised me that it would happen as quickly as it did, seeing as how she was just checked out on Tuesday. So I guess we're headed to the walk-in in the morning. Don't these things always seem to happen on the weekends??

It broke my heart because I gave Brooke some Ibuprofen (to help with any pain she might be having) before bed and immediately after taking it she said, "Mommy, it's not helping me." She then started to cry! I wanted to cry right along with her. I just wish that she had told me earlier so I could have given her some pain medication much sooner.

On another unrelated note, Brooke and I had the funniest conversation earlier. We were talking about the baby and whether it would be a boy or a girl. She said, "Mommy, if Jesus gives us a brother we're not going to say 'Hey, Jesus, we asked for a sister, not a brother,' we're going to be thankful either way." Lol. I guess she's been hearing me talk a lot about being happy for the baby regardless of gender because people assume we will be upset if it's another girl. I always tell them that we'll be thankful either way and the gender isn't important. Where do people get off assuming that we'll be disappointed over a new life? I don't get it!

Alright, John's off tonight so it's time to go watch a movie. Tonight it's Jonah Hex. I can't wait:-)

Perplexed

It all started on Sunday when Adrienne came down with a cold. I was waiting and waiting for Brooke to get sick also but it took her a couple of days. On Tuesday morning she woke up with a fever close to 103 and because Adrienne hadn't been running a fever with her cold I was confused. I got her in to see the doctor where he said that some kids spike fevers with colds and that all else was fine.

Wednesday came and Brooke woke up energetic and happy, and most importantly, fever-free! We went about our day like normal because I was assuming that it was just a cold and not a virus or anything else. That evening she started to get really cranky and exhausted and her fever came back up to like 102.

This morning she woke up with a fever again. Despite that, she plays happily throughout the day when the fever is controlled and her appetite is actually normal, as well. She gets grumpy when she's sleepy or running a fever but other than that, is a total joy.

I don't understand this fever's randomness. Ya know? None of it makes sense to me. If it was a virus I would expect Adrienne to have the same symptoms. The doctor said if the fever is still here by Friday to bring her back and they'll run blood work to check for infection but I'm praying that she wakes up back to normal in the morning. Poor baby!

If these colds and fevers are any indicator of how our winter will go, I think I may give up now! Yikes... Keeping kids healthy is tough during the cold months.

So There Really Is A Baby In There!!

I am so excited because this baby is really starting to get active! It's been several weeks now that I've been able to feel fluttering and kicking in there but it was kind of too early to say anything. If you've been pregnant you know how it feels but even so, it can be subtle at first. Now it is unmistakably a baby!

While I've been feeling this munchkin moving around on the inside, I had yet to be able to feel it from the outside. Last night that all changed! As I was laying in bed with my hands on my belly I got kicked repeatedly! I was so excited that I pulled John's hand over to share the moment with me but wouldn't you know, s/he stopped. Figures! It's become an addiction to have my hands on my belly waiting for the baby to kick and now that I've felt it, I only want to feel it more!

Being pregnant is such an honor. The thought of nurturing and sustaining a precious little life will never get old to me. What a perfect way that God created for human beings to come into the world!

Now... off to wait for someone to kick me:-)