Rachel Nicole

I wasn't planning on posting quite yet, but I know that you are all eagerly awaiting news, so I will do a quick update. Rachel Nicole arrived Tuesday afternoon at 12:16. She weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long which is my smallest baby. We are very excited to add her to our family, and Sarah Beth loves being a big sister which you can see from this picture. Daniel isn't so sure since Rachel tends to be in Mommy's lap when he wants to be.

Thank you for your prayers; everything went very smoothly. I hope to post the birth story soon.

Tomorrow is the Big Day!

Can you believe it's here? Can you believe that tomorrow I will be holding my new little baby girl in my arms? I can't. But I'm so excited. With Daniel, I was a little nervous about having two little ones, but I haven't been nervous at all with this one. I'm just excited.

I have a lot to do today to get ready. Oh, it's nothing major. I'm not planning to clean the house or cook a bunch of meals to freeze. No, it's little things like packing, laundry, and sweeping the floor. John has taken Daniel and Sarah Beth out for the morning so I have the house to myself. Wasn't that sweet of him? He even went out early this morning to get doughnuts for breakfast. Yummy!

Tonight, we have our babysitter coming over so we can go out to dinner. Our anniversary is in three weeks, and we doubt we'll be ready to take a baby with us. And it's doubtful that "Baby Sister" will be ready to be left with a babysitter. Also, it has become tradition for us to go out for a good meal before my inductions; we even get dessert! And I need all the calories I can get because I'm not allowed to eat anything before we go to the hospital, and I'm always starving when I'm in labor. With Daniel, they let me have a popsicle, and it was wonderful!

Well, the washer and dryer are both running, I've had my shower, and the house is very quiet. I better get off the computer and take advantage of this time my husband has given me.

Oh, my good, real life friend Laura will let you know tomorrow when I've had the baby. She won't give you any details, but you'll know it's over. So head over there for the good news, and come back here later this week for the details.

WIP Wednesday

I have continued working on this blanket for Sarah Beth. It's taking longer than the other blankets I usually make because it is bigger, you know, because Sarah Beth isn't a baby. I thought I would end it after the next round of purple, but I don't think it will be quite big enough then. So I plan to do another three rounds (one of each color) after that one. Right now, it is almost three feet square. How do I know when it will be big enough? I don't know; I'll just know.

I plan to start another blanket for "Baby Sister" this weekend. She doesn't really need another one, but I would like to take something small and easy to work on in the hospital. Do I really think I will crochet there? Probably not. But I would rather have my yarn and hook and not use it, than not have it and want it. I will probably just hold her the whole time I'm there. Why not? It'll be the only time she'll be an only child.

To see more works in progress, or to add your own, head over to the Place of H.

New Etsy Shop

...but it's not mine. My cousin Angela opened up her own etsy shop this weekend, and I thought I would tell you about it. She is making hair bows and such for babies. Go here to check it out, even if you don't have a little girl. They would make great gifts.

Pregnancy Picture and Giveaway

For those of you who have been asking for one, here is a picture of me that John took last night. For those of you who are counting down the days (like I am), there are ten left until "Baby Sister" comes. I've got a lot to do! Most of it is baking and cooking, so if it doesn't get done, oh well!

My good, real life friend Laura is having a giveaway for a beautiful apron she made and a box of yummy-looking chocolate. I'm only telling you about this because, if I do, I get an extra entry. Since I hope to be much thinner soon (two weeks!) and will be able to tie the apron around myself, and since I will also need to be consuming an extraordinary amount of calories to feed my new baby, I really hope I win. (Also, I'm very selfish that way!) But of course, if you would like these things, you ought to head over, and enter yourself.

Look What I Found!

Yesterday afternoon, Sarah Beth and Daniel went upstairs. They were very quiet, so I decided I should go check on them. They don't usually get into trouble when they are quiet; as a matter of fact, if they're quiet, they're usually okay. It's when they start fussing with each other that I have to break it up.

Anyway, I sneaked (snuck?) upstairs, and this is what I found.

Both Sarah Beth and Daniel were sitting on her bed "reading" books. As I watched, Daniel reached for another one, but it was too far away. So Sarah Beth handed it to him (sharing!!!). I just had to sneak back downstairs to get the camera to take this picture. I love seeing my children "reading," and I try to encourage it. They have lots and lots of books to look at, and when they want me to read to them, I try to drop what I'm doing for that. There are times when I will read to them for half an hour or more before I tell them "enough!"

After a love for Jesus, is there anything better than a love of reading?

January 26

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday, and we decided to go ahead and schedule an induction for January 26 which is a week earlier than my due date. So "Baby Sister" will be here in less than two weeks. I know that some people don't like to be induced, and I don't want to start anything here. All I will say is that I have been induced twice, and they were both positive experiences for me. (You can read about Daniel's here, if you would like.)

Since I am a list person, I have been making all kinds of lists: things to do before the baby comes, errands that need to be run, last minute things I need to buy. I'm so glad that I know that I will be induced in two weeks. With Sarah Beth, I found out two days before. It's nice to have some time to plan.

I still feel pretty good. I just get out of breath so easily, and I'm so tired. I haven't started swelling yet; maybe it's because I have two little ones and too much to do to sit down and swell. (Now that I've said it, I will probably wake up swollen tomorrow!) I'm just glad that I can still wear my wedding rings. My back hasn't started hurting yet, either; again, maybe that's because I started using another pillow for support earlier.

I made a casserole this morning and froze it. I hope to make another one or two next week, but I'm not sure since I think next week will be fairly busy. I need to get Daniel's and Sarah Beth's hair cut; I have an appointment for mine on Friday. Mostly, I just want to make sure that the housework and laundry are caught up before my induction so I don't have to worry about it when we get home.

I know this post is somewhat disjointed. What can I say? I'm just going to blame it on the pregnancy hormones!

Three Weeks and Counting

Can you believe that I only have three more weeks until my due date? It seems like I've been pregnant forever, and it's hard to imagine that this journey will end soon. I feel pretty good except that I'm tired. Do you think I'm so tired because I'm eight months pregnant, because I have two little ones, because I'm still recovering from my sinus infection, or because I'm not sleeping well? Does it really matter? I'm just trying to take it easy for these last few weeks. I keep my "to do" lists short with a lot of sitting down work (like folding clothes). I have been getting "Baby Sister's" room ready, and that has been fun. Sarah Beth is getting excited although I don't think she quite understands. But she loves going through all the clothes and things; she thinks it's neat that she used these things when she was a baby. Daniel is absolutely clueless. I'm a little worried about him because he is such a Momma's boy, but he will adjust. He'll have to. I'm also working on getting my pantry and freezer stocked to make suppertime as easy as possible after the baby comes. John has been very sweet. He knows that it's hard for me (because of my big ol' belly) to bathe our children, so he has taken that job.

I'm getting excited about having a new baby in our house. I was a little apprehensive with Daniel because I knew that having two would be difficult, but I really haven't felt that way with this baby. Maybe I'm just more relaxed because I know it won't hurt me (or anyone else) if things like housework get neglected.

In case you're wondering, the baby counter on the right figured my due date as February 5 whereas my doctor figured it as February 2. There's not a big difference there, but it does account for the discrepancy.

WIP Wednesday

After I finished my Christmas stars project, I went to work on blankets for "Baby Sister." This Dreambaby yarn kept calling my name, so I just could not resist working with it. It made a nice, light spring blanket which reminds me of Easter.

After I finished that blanket, I completed this Basketweave blanket which is nice and thick for winter use. It definitely will keep "Baby Sister" warm whenever we leave the house.

Since I needed something easy to work on while I was sick (not that I did much crocheting because I just didn't feel like it), I started this blanket. I'm not sure I like the pattern, although the colors are okay. Sarah Beth loves it, however, and has claimed it for her own. Maybe I will make it a little bigger than the instructions call for and give it to her. She has seen me make so many (four) blankets for "Baby Sister" that I think she's getting a little jealous.

For Christmas, I received a book on Tunisian crochet which is kind of a cross between crochet and knitting. I have been wanting to try out this different form of crochet, so I'm thankful for the gift. Unfortunately, I haven't felt well enough to start learning it. Maybe this weekend. I hope next week, at least, to have some sample swatches to show you.

I have made no goals for my crocheting this year. I think I'll just wait and see what I feel like making, although there is one thing I need to make -- a toilet paper cover. Isn't that a prerequisite crocheted item to have in your house, at least, in the South?

For more works in progress, or to add your own, head over to the Place of H.

Review of 2009 Goals

Last week, we had some family come into town, and my cousin Dayna asked me about how I ended up with my goals. Since some of you may also be wondering, I thought I would review them today. I really wanted to do this last week, but I just haven't felt like it, thanks to my sinus infection.

1. Crochet one baby blanket a month. I got side-tracked on this goal because my Christmas stars took so much of my time. However, after I got that project completed, I was able to whip out two more blankets for "Baby Sister" in December. In total, I crocheted eleven baby blankets this year.
2. Teach Sarah Beth her letters. She knows the sounds of all the letters, but she has a hard time with "n." I think it's just a hard sound to hear and reproduce. She certainly uses it correctly when she speaks. I'm really not worried about it since she knows the other 25.
3. Exercise. I never did start any kind of routine. I never even did anything. Maybe after this baby comes.
4. Getting up early. I did well for this, and I have enjoyed reading books that I would not otherwise have time to read. It makes the day so much nicer when I get up early enough to take my shower and read my Bible before the children wake up.
5. Hospitality. We did fairly well during the fall, but we didn't even try for December because it's such a busy month. I need to continue to work on this.
6. Writing letters. Another one that I did not do so well on.

How did you end up with your goals for 2009?

I plan to post about my 2010 goals later this week, so stay tuned!

Happenings

Since I haven't posted much in the past couple of weeks due to holidays and sickness, I thought I would catch you up today on what has been happening at our house lately.

Despite three of the four of us having colds for Christmas, we had a good one. I don't have any pictures because no one felt like taking them. My family had Christmas dinner together that evening, and John was the only one who could go. Actually, he had to go because everyone was planning on his frying the turkey since he had done such a great job at Thanksgiving. He did bring us home some leftovers which was nice. My favorite present was a pump for the water heater from John. It recirculates the hot water throughout the house so that there is hot water (at least, warm) as soon as you turn on the faucet. It was a little over our budget for each other, but it was a very sweet present and much, much appreciated while I was sick. For our children, we made two small mistakes when buying presents; it's not a big deal, but I hope to learn from them. Everything we bought Sarah Beth was something to play with at the table, e.g. Candyland, puzzles, Wikki Stix, except for her dollhouse which is up in her room. However, she does enjoy playing with all of Daniel's cars and trucks; yes, that is all we bought him. Even the puzzle we got for him is of cars and trucks. Oh, well. They're happy with their presents, and that's what counts, isn't it?

The Saturday after Christmas, I started running fever, and we realized that I had developed a sinus infection on Monday. I don't think I have ever been that sick for that duration. I have been pretty sick before, but only for a day or two. I still have sinus headaches in the morning when I get up, but they go away, thankfully. I wish I had stock in Puffs Plus with lotion facial tissues because I have used boxes and boxes over the past couple of weeks. (Those are the best kind, in case you didn't already know that.)

I had a doctor's appointment last Thursday; it was just a routine one, but I had a sonogram, too. "Baby Sister" is still a girl. (I like to double check, just in case.) Everything was fine except that the amniotic fluid was a little low. My doctor thinks that was just because I had been sick and wasn't getting enough fluids. I'm trying really hard to drink a lot because she is going to recheck the level next week. And because "Baby Sister" needs it!

My goal for this week is to get "Baby Sister's" room ready for her. She will be here in about a month. I had been waiting until after the holidays anyway, and I started today with sorting through Sarah Beth's old clothes, the new things I was given at my shower, and the few other things I have picked up. It was fun looking back through these these things because I had forgotten about some of the really cute outfits I had for Sarah Beth and the other things I had been given. We bought a new crib before Christmas, and John put it up this past weekend. (No, I am not ready to move Daniel into a "big" bed.)

Several of the ladies whose blogs I read are participating in the Eat from the Pantry Challenge hosted by Crystal at Moneysavingmom. I'm not...at least this month. As a matter of fact, I plan to stock up my pantry and freezer as much as I can, spending as much of our grocery budget as I can. Why? So that when "Baby Sister" comes, I won't have to cook or go to the grocery store for as long as possible. I figure we will do our Eat from the Pantry Challenge in February and hopefully into March. I plan to have a bunch of casseroles in the freezer and the fixings for easy meals like spaghetti and chili which John can prepare. (He really doesn't mind cooking.)

So, do you feel caught up? What have you been doing lately?

Things

I am feeling better, although my sinuses are still clogged. (I would really like to be able to STOP blowing my nose!) I thought I would let you know that I do have some new posts planned for next week, and hopefully I will find the time to write them. Whether or not you will find them interesting, however, I cannot say. But I do try!