in the majority

Back in the day, long, long ago (meaning before I had children), I had an abdominal surgery for some health problems and it left a scar like a c-section would. As of this pregnancy . . . my third pregnancy . . . I am beginning to get "real" stretch marks for the first time in my life, on the far right side of my scar. I have never had the stretch marks that so many women talk of.

Sometime after Miss C was born, I did discover some very tiny, faint ones--also near the scar--but they could hardly be seen (thin and squiggly and barely there) and I knew they did not "qualify" in many women's eyes. I've never been bothered by my lack of stretch marks, that's for sure! But this new phenomenon on my lower belly is definitely not thin or squiggly...it's wide and silver and looks like it should have hurt to create itself. Oi! I think I'll blame it on the fact that my favorite sugar scrub is no longer for sale at Bath & Body Works. Yeah--it's all their fault! I used it lovingly on my belly the last two pregnancies and had to find a substitute this time around. No fair. Maybe I should file a formal complaint. hahaha!

Now, to balance the lack of stretch marks on my belly for so long, I will say that there were definite "sunshine" stretch marks on certain body parts used after a baby is born--I make lots and lots and LOTS of milk (twins? triplets? bring 'em on, I can feed them easy!) and go from an A to a DD once my milk comes in . . . yes, you read that right. And they carry a definite set of stretch marks. Fortunately, once I'm through nursing, the drastic decrease in size disguises the marks. As they grow during the next pregnancy, I see them again and am amazed that I'd forgotten just how stretched they get!

All that said, I have just over six weeks left. Six long, exhausting weeks. For the first time, I have joined the ranks of women who are "done" and "ready" for the baby to come. I have never felt this way. In the past, I've relished each day of my pregnancy. This time, I'm so tired, so emotional, so need-to-be-busy with housework and kids that all I want is my sweet boy in my arms to snuggle, hold, nurse, and love.

Yes, I'm in the majority now. I am impatient for my child to be born and I have real-woman stretch marks.

happy thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has always, always been my favorite holiday.

I love taking the time to reflect on what I am thankful for, and to spend it with the family I love so dearly. I love that there is no distraction of "what did I get" as at Christmas, yet I can just as easily be thankful for my Lord and Savior. I love the simplicity of sitting and enjoying my family, playing games, visiting, and eating. And I love the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade (though I'm not so fond of the unfamily-friendly commercials that pop up). And there are also the wonderful, warm memories of past Thanksgivings.

This year especially, I am thankful for my new little boy, Baby J, almost ready to join us on the "outside". I am thankful for my husband who is so kind and loving and takes such good care of me and our children. I'm thankful that my parents are doing particularly well this year, both in health and in practical matters.

Even on the hardest days of the year in our home--those days when I feel like wringing soemone's neck!--I am thankful that I can look at my sweet (or not as the case may be) children and feel love ready to overflow and thankfulness for each little person. The Lord put these little people in our lives intentionally...and made them exactly who they are, intentionally.

Something practical I'm feeling thankful for is the fact that our Thanksgiving meal with be smaller this year, simpler. Only my parents and brother will join us this time. I am too exhausted to have a crowd or make a large meal. We're having a prepurchased Roasted Turkey Breast (from Honey Baked Ham, thank you very much!), and my mom will be here in a while to help make some sides to go with it. My biggest effort was making a large batch of our most favorite pumpkin muffins (in lieu of a pie this year b/c a dairy free pumpkin pie is some serious hard work!). I did that early this morning and plan to take it easy from here on out (as in eating the muffins and drinking fully caffeinated coffee!).


At school, Little B had a large sheet to fill out:
I Am Thankful
for God/Jeasas/holy Spirit

His heart is definitely in the right place (and he refuses to add to this large, empty page to add anything about family....hhhmmm).


To each one of you, I pray you have a wonderful, thankful Thanksgiving this year!

(Now, back to my regularly scheduled parade...)

winning streak

I'm not normally one of those people who wins everything--or much at all, really. But, twice now in one week's time I've won something!

First, last week at the PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) meeting, I won the door prize for a school shirt--something I won't be able to wear for several months yet, but it's a great girly design and will be fun come spring!

Then, today dcrmom of Musings of a Housewife told me I'd won some delicious chocolate from her review blog. And since I have craved--and I do mean, CRAVED--chocolate this pregnancy from early on, I am beside myself!

Now, I'm waiting to see if there's a third win waiting out there for me...

what IS that smell?

Last night, I needed to go into the garage to go to my van to get some library books I had waiting to be returned (the extra-long winded version is that my husband planned to go return them and get one I had on held for me, but it ultimately got too late). Anyhow, opening the garage door gave me some serious wiff of a foul odor. Opening the van door, whose window was partway down, thank goodness, gave me the same foul odor. Really, "raunchy" is a kind term. I am telling you it stunk BAD.

I could not detect the source, nor did I have the stomach to try to find it. I asked my husband to look into it. He glanced around the garage and suggested the bags of cement he bought over the weekend as perhaps having an odor, but apparently it didn't bother him nearly as bad as it did me.

This morning, the stink was stronger. I left one garage door open (we have 2 separate doors) and hoped it would help. I was beginning to believe something had crawled in there and died. The van smelled worse, too. Ugh. The laundry room was beginning to catch the scent and let me tell you I was NOT having my house smell like this rot.

I had the luxury of going back to bed this morning for a while since Miss C was still soundly asleep. This was especially nice since I'd been up for nearly 2 hours in the night for absolutely no reason. When we got up, I was contemplating the fact that I would need to have some vague idea of what to do for dinner because that meal always sneaks up on me and I simply loathe it right now (can we say return of 1st trimester food aversions?). I recalled having purchased a fryer chicken on Sunday and went to look for it, hoping that perhaps I could roast it which my family enjoys.

No chicken in the fridge. I looked again, but I had just emptied the "extras" out since trash ran this morning and I knew it was not there. I pondered this. For all of one minute. Did I change my mind and not buy it? No. . .

I charged to the garage, opened the back of the van and lo and behold the smell I encountered nearly took my breath away. Nasty. I had to hold my breath! The headless little chicken was tucked next to the stroller and almost covered by a blanket I keep back there. Somehow, I did not see it the other day when I put my groceries away.

I can tell you our cooler weather kept it from becoming a problem sooner, but oh my goodness. I am so glad I was not in a rush to get out the door when I found it. I left the back of the van open for a few hours and febreezed the inside before I left later. And the chicken? Three or four plastic bags later it is in my freezer...the trash had already run a few hours before.

GRROOOOSSSS!!!