Random Thoughts on a Summer Baby

I haven't really posted much about my pregnancy and so I thought that, uh, I would. Here are a few random things.

Currently I am 15 weeks. My due date is July 20th. Or is it the 21st? I figured one day and the doctor another, I think he says the 21st, and I say the 20th. In three weeks I have THE ultrasound, and yes we will most likely find out the gender of the baby. With Adam we didn't. This time though we actually have a separate nursery for the baby and would like to make some preparations if we are having a girl. I'm not sure, but I have the feeling that my body doesn't make girls.

Here's the pregnancy counter.



We'll leave it here. You can search pregnancy counter on my blog or something if you're that interested in keeping tabs. That's what I plan on doing. For me, 173 days seems really long. With both of my boys I was never one to get too impatient for the baby to come and was fine waiting until whenever was the right time. I'm trying my best to just enjoy being pregnant and not get too anxious, hence, no ticker on the sidebar. I'm weird, I know.

There is a question I have already gotten at least 20 (30?) times, so if you are reading this, I might as well answer it:

Are you hoping for a girl? And I will answer it by saying that I don't like answering that question. First, any woman with two boys would like to have a girl. Second, I have no choice in the matter. Why yearn for a girl when it is beyond my power to change the sex of my child? And, I would never want my little boy to find out that at one point Mom wished he was a girl. So I'd prefer to give a vague answer and leave it there.

And having a summer baby is going to be fantastic. I don't care what time of year I am pregnant. Summer in the desert is hot. Pregnant or not. Get it? Air conditioning is a great blessing in this day of technology. After two September babies I still haven't sworn off being pregnant in the summer. Though at least this child won't be in the awkward position of being a September birthday for school reasons. When to start kindergarten? Almost five? Almost six? It's enough to drive a mom crazy. Not dads. Dads are more level-headed and opinionated about that kind of stuff. But I'd prefer July to September for that reason.

I can think of a few more random thoughts like what will happen to Birthday Season? But those will have to wait for another day.

Trends Come and Trends Go

They don't last. People get over them and then they move on and the thing they were so into is suddenly passe and out of date.

Just a thought to ponder.

Don't mind the image below.

It's totally unrelated.

A Little Boyish Creativity

Dallin was feeling pretty creative this particular day.


Here he is making his own lunch:






And of course a fly-catcher:



One more short one, because Adam was feeling left out of camera time:

On Becoming SuperMom

A girl can dream can't she?

Maybe you are hoping that this is where I spill everything, admit that I'm in way over my head, throw in the towel, give up on becoming SuperMom, or [insert your own cliche here]. Because I might be doing the same thing if I were in your shoes. It's good to know we are all human right? And no, I don't exactly want to be judged against the "SuperMom" ideal. Because that would be disappointing time and time again. But still, we have to have an ideal, don't we?

So I'm not giving up that easily. Here's the good and the bad about my idealistic routine I have been working under (towards?) for the last 64 hours:

THE GOOD:

• I have had a good 15-30 minute scripture study at the start of each beautiful morning for the last three days. Go me.



• I have played with my children more. Seems silly but put it on the schedule and it's more likely to get done. Go me.



• I have gone to sleep at about 10 o'clock for the last three nights. When was the last time this happened? My guess is that I might have been 14 years old. Go me.

THE BAD:

• Dallin seems to know Mom is up early, so he is up early too. Kind of goes against the main point--having some time to myself, but hey, at least he'll quietly read books next to me in my bed while I read my scriptures. It's kind of endearing, really.



• 6am comes early. I don't usually do well without a full-night's sleep and with being pregnant 8 hours isn't enough. Maybe I'm a weakling. I haven't managed to get up in the morning without a hitting a couple of snoozes yet. And, I am ashamed to admit that SuperMom definitely wouldn't have sent the kids to play on the computer for a good hour so she could go back to bed for a while this morning.

Do you know why I am doing this for a week? Really it's because in my mind I know that I need some type of a routine, even if it's fairly flexible. There are things that I really want to do that I just don't get around to. I have to have it on a list. And it's better to stick to the same list (a routine) than make up a new one all the time. In the past I've thought over and over again about going to bed and waking up earlier but always dismissed the thought with excuses. Finally I thought, "Enough is enough!" Maybe a routine and going to bed early isn't going to work, but I can AT LEAST give it a try! After a week some habits may stay and others may go, but....

No more excuses.

I can do hard things.

I can be SuperMom. Just give me some time to work on it.

Sidenotes: Yes, I am doing my best with Flylady. She has some great tips though she sends LOTS of emails. I love having a morning and evening routine and certain jobs to do each day of the week. Did you know that you can get more done if you wear lace-up shoes every day? I thought it was a ridiculous idea, especially living in the desert, but I have been doing it for a good 2 years now and don't know how I ever got anything done barefoot before.

A busy week ahead of me....

Can you believe that I found SuperMom's daily schedule? THE SuperMom! From what the neighbors have said about the people that lived in this house before us, it couldn't have been left behind from the previous owners, so I really have no clue where it came from. But here it is nonetheless. There's only one thing to do with it really, I have to test it out to see if it really can be done. I figure I can try it and see if I can last a whole week.

I'd better get to bed early tonight--wish me luck!

Coraline

Last night *my husband I were totally mesmorized by this viral advertising that the makers of the new stop-motion movie Coraline had come up with. Sometimes we talk about advertisements and promotions--the cleverness, the ignorance, the good, the bad. We're nerdy like that.

They selected 50 bloggers and mailed them packages with a box containing items to promote the movie. Here is one blog that has catalogued these fascinating boxes found so far.

The first box I saw was this simple one. On her blog she does have a link to a really cool video about a lady who knit some miniature sweaters and gloves for the movie. Pretty good promotion though, when was the last time I wrote a post about a movie? Umm, that would be never.

*Was he just humoring me, or was he really interested himself, I can never be sure.

Unloading and Ode to Iris

It's been a bit, but here are a few pictures from recently (or not so recently).
For Christmas, I made my very first batch of tamales for Mark to keep in the freezer at work. We had his brother also to get a gift for so he also got a batch.

Soaking the chiles and cooking the pork:


Tying and filling:


A little cramp in our New Year's Holiday:

A 16-year-old driver turned left out of a gas station and Ooops! There was a car coming. Our car to be more specific. Doesn't look too bad, but it's totaled. We are still looking for a replacement. Good thing we didn't cancel that rental car reimbursement on our insurance like we talked about a few weeks ago.... Oh, and Cookies and Cream milkshakes to make everyone feel better about the whole thing.

This last week our niece Iris was in town while my sister and her husband were on their honeymoon. Dallin loves Iris and had such a great time having her spend the night and hang out with him so much. They even got to sleep in the Star Wars tent THREE times!

We found a great, kid-friendly "hike" to take the kids on at Usery Pass. It's one mile long with a park halfway through, stroller-friendly, and perfect for little kids. Even 2-year-old Adam walked most of the way.


On backs: backpacks for holding water. In hand: a container for catching lizards.




Do I like it or not like it that at only 12 weeks I'm already starting to show? Hmmmm...watch out.

Yesterday, after going out to lunch with Amanda, David, and Iris, and saying goodbye as they left for Texas, we were driving home and Dallin saw a moving truck next to us. He asked me what kind of truck it was and I told him it was a moving truck and reminded him about when we moved and rented one. He then said something like this:

"When this house gets old, can we get one of those moving trucks and drive it to Texas and get a house in Texas? Because then we can know where Iris lives."


The End.

Places I'd Prefer Did Not Go Out of Business

There are not many places that I actually enjoy shopping at. Here is a short list of some places that I do like, and if it encourages you to support them with your dollars--great--because with all the companies going under and/or stores closing, I'd be really sad to see these places go.

Why I shop at Fresh and Easy:

1. It is by far the most kid-friendly grocery store around. (Unless you go to a Bashas' with a childcare, but there is not one of those near me).

2. There are always snacks (samples) to keep little--and big--tummies happy.

3. It is a small store, quick to shop at and parking is always close. They even have reserved spaces for adults with children. Swoon.

4. I feel like I can trust pretty much anthing I buy at this store. I have tried a lot of things there that I would have overlooked at a larger grocery store. I even buy some frozen meals there which I pretty much NEVER get at other grocery stores.

Some of my favorites at Fresh and Easy are:

• Italian Sausage Ravioli--Keep one (or two depending on the size of your family) in your freezer. I think it's like $3. Top with a jar of marinara for a last-minute meal.


• Granola--Good granola is hard to find, especially at a reasonable price. About $3 a pound.


• 1/2 off stuff--When food is getting close to its sell-by date it is marked half off. I am always on the lookout for these items when I go. Recently I got a quart of fresh-squeezed orange juice that was heavenly for $2.50

5. They send out plenty of coupons.

Why we go to Chick-fil-A

1. Because it has a play area and it's NOT McDonalds.

2. Because it's the only place with a play area that somehow doesn't feel quite so like fast food.

3. Their lemonade is awesome.

4. They actually use real pieces of chicken (not processed)--wow, how about that?

5. Cookies and cream milkshakes. Mmmmmmmm. Mark's favorite dessert.

6. I think having a play area deserves another mention.

Located on the north side of University between Gilbert and Stapley in Mesa.

Why I go to Crismon's

1. Not because it's kid-friendly. My kids go crazy there and I always wish I hadn't brought them.

2. But, they do have great prices on kids' dress clothes. Though I've only browsed the right side of the store (the boys section). I got Dallin a four-piece outfit--pants, shirt, tie, vest for $20 and Adam a five-piece suit for $25. And they actually have a great selection, unlike department stores. Also they have baby blessing and Christening outfits (lots of them). They also have bedding, furniture, and accessories though I haven't actually purchased these items from there.

3. It's a good place to get gift cards for baby showers.

So here is my short list, what are some places you are crazy about?