Busy, busy, busy. The boys are having lots of fun with G'ma and G'pa and mom and dad are loving the extra hands. They have been a tremendous help and we will be sad to see them go. Today I've had the boys by myself and it's gone surprisingly smooth. It should be interesting to see how it goes when it's just the five of us. The five us?? What?? Weren't we just a family of three. Wow!

The boys are great. Conner is doing wonderful as the big brother and him and Biruk are bonding even more now that Landon is here. They've been playing together really well and I appreciate the distraction for Biruk. Conner has been my little helper doing anything from getting diapers to wiping up spit up. He's too cute!

Biruk. Where to begin? The boy has a TON of energy. He's getting around the house with no problems and he's definitely going to be a lot more work than Conner. He likes outlets, computer cords and everything glass. I didn't have to childproof with Conner but we will definitely have our hands full with Biruk. As you can see in the three months since he's been home he's taken off in size. He went from 0-3 month clothing to 9-12 month clothing. And from 12 lbs to nearly 20 lbs. Not sure on height but he's obviously gotten taller. His feet are still so tiny. His hair is getting long and crazy. He's trying to pull himself up on furniture; he's such a strong boy. I have a feeling he'll be walking before 12 months. In the last couple weeks he's become quite the daddy's boy and cries for Nater until he picks him up. Too cute!

Landon, Landon, our sweet little babe. He'll be 2 weeks tomorrow morning and he's definitely already lost his newborn look. It didn't last long. He's also following in his big brothers footsteps as far as eating goes. He was 7lb 9oz when he was born, 7lb 5 oz at 36 hours and up to 8lb 7oz at 12 days. Not too shabby huh? He likes to be held and is a little squirmy in the evenings but we are crossing our fingers he doesn't have colic like Conner (screamed from 5-10 every night). Right now Landon's manageable in the evenings and we hope it continues that way.

Nater and I are doing well. This has been our smoothest transition of all the children, granted we have had help. I hope it continues to go well and the boys keep up the good work. Sorry for the boring update but that's the way it goes...

Funny story. My midwife was leaving last night when Conner returned with G'ma and G'pa. He walked in the house and said "did you have another baby mom"? We got a good laugh out of that one.

He has a name...

Finally. And all thanks to our nurse who had done some blood work and needed a name by 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Nothing like a little pressure to get the job done. His name is Landon Carter. I love it!! Landon was on my list early on but Nater wasn't sure. He came around to it (so he says) by day 6. It feels good to call him Landon instead of "the baby". Landon is doing great and so are his big brothers. Nathan's parents will be here this week so I'm trying to take advantage of the extra help. Jeanne's been making dinner every night and that has been fabulous. We'll have a little bit of time on our own and then we have more help coming in July. Woohoo! I will always be willing to have extra help at our house. Time to catch a cat nap...

Happy Father's Day!

Thanks to everyone for your warm wishes and thoughts. We are so happy to have the newest member of our family with us. He seems to be following in his big brothers footsteps as far as being demanding. He only likes to sleep when being held. He could eat 24/7 and cries when we put him down. I'm not sure how I plan to juggle that with an 8 month old but somehow things will work out. Nater's parents arrived today and they will be here for the next week which will be nice. I'm going to try to take things one day at a time and why they are here I will practice doing things on my own and see if I can get in my groove. I need to order an infant carrier (not a fan of slings) that I can wrap him close to my chest and have my hands free for making meals and cleaning. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

And if you haven't noticed, we still have no name for our little babe. Today is day 5 of his existence and the poor guy is still waiting on a name. Maybe tomorrow but not likely since hubby goes back to work. Grrrr.... that's all I have to say about names.

Father's Day was fun! I'm guessing it wasn't super relaxing for hubby seeing as he doesn't have a choice but none the less, we enjoyed our time with the boys and the in-laws. Nathan's mom cooked a yummy dinner and now we are relaxing (bed to soon follow). Here are some pics from our day.

Boy was I mistaken...

Here are a couple pictures from exactly 24 hours ago when I arrived home from the spa. Nater had given me a spa package 10 months ago that I hadn't used so I knew I needed to go before the baby came. Anyway, I am 37 wks 5 days in these pictures. Yesterday started off like any other day. Since last Tuesday I've been walking around with a baby between my legs, 4 cm, and 100% effaced. I thought for sure it would have happened by now.














Fast forward 11 hours. The newest member of the family arrived at 7:33 a.m. Wed morn, June 11th. The baby was born after a fairly easy labor (nice and slow with actual breaks vs Conner's action packed labor) but an hour of pushing due to the fact that the baby was Sunny Side Up. That's right; the little stinker was facing upright and came out with top/front of his head crowning (oww..). But we survived and I am SO thankful it's over. We are smitten and completely surprised to find out we were having a BOY!!! A boy, oh boy. Crazy, crazy.... I was completely shocked but totally excited.

We are now blessed with three beautiful boys. Life is about to get REALLY interesting. We had him at home and everything went wonderful. Hubby is holding down the fort while I rest in bed. The boys are doing great with our newest addition (no name yet...) and I am soaking it all up. Here are some pictures of the little guy, weighing in at 7lb 9oz, 20 inches long and born just over 2 weeks early. He is doing great!

It wasn't my fault....

So today Nater had the lawnmower turned upside down looking at the blade and belt. I had told him I thought the belt needed to go around another "thingy" and he argued it needed tightened (this is all beside the point). Anyway, he said to me "pull on it" as he had his hand tucked under the mower holding onto something. Keep in mind we have not used the self-propelled option in over 2 years so the only thing I EVER pull on the mower is the PULL starter. I said to him "give it a good yank, or just pull it lightly". I can't remember his answer but that should have clued him in right there that I was going to pull the starter. So anyway, I give it a yank and at the very moment he yelled something to the effect of "*$S%_# @(#)#". I just stared at him and he said, "the self propelled handle". Okay, the handle I HAVEN'T used in 2 years. And I don't exactly pull it so much as "engage" it. I told him I was done helping and went in the house. Because that is what any pregnant woman would do. She wouldn't ask if he was okay but instead would be annoyed that he didn't instruct her correctly. He came in later and we joked about his "papercut" he received from the blade spinning around under the mower and he wants to know who is in the wrong. So dear readers of mine, want to chime in? Disclaimer: we will not hold any grudges to anyone so feel free to answer honestly. But seriously, he's fine.

The boys had a great day. Well mostly Conner b/c he was able to help dad fix the mower (self-propelled now works - no thanks to me), watch him mow, play in the sprinkler and draw on the deck with sidewalk chalk. We had a great day despite the 90 degree heat (thanks to some cloud coverage).

He ain't heavy...

he's my brother.

You know your jealous!

This past Thus while out cruising around (our electricity had gone out and the house was terribly hot) we whipped into a car dealership lot and ended up driving down their "discount row". Sitting in front of me was a beautiful, silver, sparkling Chrysler Town & Country (2003). Keep in mind by this point we had practically ruled out minivans because every used one we had looked at smelled like the previous family that had driven it. Not to mention the fact that the seats usually looked worn and the carpets stained (shudder). But something told me this one was different (that something being the price tag). So we opened up the non-power sliding doors and it actually didn't smell and the seats/carpet were in excellent condition. We liked what we were seeing. At this time another couple came up to take a look at it and were going to test drive it. We stepped away from the vehicle and I was sure we had missed our chance. I got the vin number and we headed home to do some quick research. The van had only 76,000 miles and was a one-owner vehicle. Score! I called the dealership, it was still there and the lot closed at 8:00. We arrived by 7:45 to take it for a test drive. Anyway, liked the way it drove; it was quiet, everything seemed to work and it didn't pull one way or another. We were both happy and decided to see what they'd offer us for Nater's beloved Civic when we got back to the lot. They offered us the right amount for the civic to get us within our budget on the van and we made a deal. Poor hubby looked so sad since he was saying goodbye to his car that had taken such good care of him. He bought it 5 years ago with 12,000 miles and we were trading it in with 196,000 miles. There were a lot of memories that came with it. Memories and dents and bruises, missing hubcaps, severely cracked windshield, engine light that never shut off, a belt that squealed when you ran the a.c. and a handful of other "lovely flaws". We signed our papers and an hour later I was driving home our new T&C. It felt good. And I haven't looked back since. I have taken it out a couple times since and I'm loving it! I will not miss climbing to the back seat of the Forester and squeezing my hips in sideways between the two car seats to entertain the boys. Or crawling back there to get into the rear of the vehicle. With our sweet new ride and all the road trips we take I will walk myself to the back and get whatever it is I'm looking for. Woohooo!

Before you get too jealous I will disclose a few facts. No rear a/c (but it cranks out some killer cold air and you can feel it back at Conner's car seat), no CD player (how this is even possible is beyond us), no power doors (which I don't actually mind b/c they always seemed to take forever to open and I don't have time for that nonsense), and that is all there is worth mentioning.

I will leave you all with a picture of my silver bullet and you can all eww.. and ahh... and be jealous because I get to drive a minivan and you don't. If someone would have told me even one year ago that I would be driving one I would have laughed in their face. But now. Now I'm in love....

One month left...

Yesterday marked one month away from our e.t.a. of baby no.3. It also marked 2 months since Biruk has been with us and it was Biruk's 9 month-birthday. And yesterday was hubby's brother's birthday!! Happy Birthday Matt :)

In saying that I guess I'll first give an update on our sweet babe Biruk! He is a fast learner and knows to wimper and cry to get mom and dad's attention. He loves to be held and has taken to sucking his finger again; especially when he is sleepy or cuddly. He has been eating some baby food over the past month which we were hoping would result in him sleeping through the night. Nope, not going to happen. He still wakes up every 3 1/2 to 4 hours to eat. Our little piglet. Speaking of which, he is quite the chunk and I swear he's getting bigger every minute. I will try to find a couple comparison pics (one in Ethiopia and one now). He is a sensitive guy and cries anytime Conner gets upset. He's already watching out for his big brother. He scares easily and if you startle him it often leads to tears. He loves to smile and is so easy to make laugh. He is a delightful baby and I'm so happy he is home!! More and more it's feeling so natural with him.

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Now, about this 4 weeks until due date. Eeekk!! Tonight I started making a list of items to get done before the baby comes and it didn't take long to fill up a full sheet of paper (and that's just the start of a list). I'm not a list person normally but I'm hoping I will be motivated as I scratch items off the list.

How's the pregnancy you ask? Well I have a case of the "itchies" all over my entire body every day and it gets progressively worse at night. So bad in fact that I have to keep an ice pack on my feet to numb them every time I wake up to pee or feed Biruk. My hours of actual sleep time are decreasing. Hubby helped tremendously this weekend by letting me sleep in for three. days. straight. That was spectacular. He's also been helping with the night feedings. Thank you much Nater!

What else is going on? I've turned into a total crabby *ss and it doesn't take much for me to be provoked and to completely fly off the handle (for instance, when my hubby thinks innocent lies are okay - ya know, that sort of thing). I will contribute all of this to the elevation in estrogen in my body from this little girl that's growing more and more every day (disclaimer: I have not had an ultrasound, I'm just very convinced we will be having a girl). Other factors may include; lack of sleep, horrid, itchy skin, a baby kicking my bladder every 2 minutes, peeing every 10 minutes and a handful of other things (ants, foul smells, mold, etc). So anyway, that should catch you up to speed on the pregnancy (don't I sound like a fun person to be around?).

Conner is great. He is still making me laugh several times a day. Today he informed me that he knew a bad word. I asked him what it was and a few minutes later I heard him in his car seat saying "shit. shit.". So we had a little talk about that and when he heard his dad say it in the car that night Conner said, "don't say that dad, it's a bad word". He's a fast learner.

The farmhouse has been on the market nearly 2 weeks with no hits. I emailed my realtor 2 days ago and of course we have not heard back from him (do I know how to pick um or what?). I'm hoping this is not a sign of things to come. I'm also shopping for a vehicle that will hold three carseats and enough cargo space for all of our road trips. I would love any suggestions. Safety is important and latch loc (for carseats, generally in all models greater than and including 2002).

Crabby, preggo woman needs to get busy. I have no idea how infrequent my blogging may become so don't forget about me....

And the ants go marching on...

When we arrived home from Ethiopia we were greeted with ants in our kitchen. They stayed out of the cabinets but they were coming in the patio door and cruising the counters, near the sink and under the cabinet under the sink. I killed the little pest hour after hour and became super anal about cleaning the kitchen after every meal. I've continued this and they have slowly disappeared. Then they started showing up on Biruk's window sill in his room. I went to open the window one day only to find several of these little pain in the *ss ants hustling around. We finally got the spray since the Terro traps weren't doing the job. So as far as we know those are gone for the time being. Then yesterday Conner brought me his car container (that was setting in the middle of the living room, on a cardboard box). It had only been in the house for 24 hours because Nathan had brought in home from the old house. Anyway, I go to open in up for him and it was crawling with those tiny, nasty ants. Why? Because there were two tiny chip crumbs in it. I threw it outside and assumed they came from the other house. A couple times during the day Conner would grumble "ughh, ants". I didn't think much of it since we always see ants in the house and then I really checked it out. There was a trail of these (makdfjsldf fsdoadsf) ants from the patio door to the center of the room where the cardboard box was that the car container had been sitting on. Hundreds of them... So the cleaning spree continued. I sprayed ant killer all along the trail, inhaling all the nasty chemicals because by this point I didn't really give a shit. Next I wiped them all up and completely overhauled the kitchen, dining and living room. Okay, mission accomplished right? Surely they are all gone.

I woke up this morning at 6:45 with the boys so by 9:30/10:00 we all settled back into bed for a short nap. This never happens and all I could think was "what a great day". The boys are happy, I'm rested, the house is clean, lah, lah, lah.... We head out of the house to get a bite to eat, gasoline and to Target. Biruk had been fussing at the gas station and I assumed he was ready to get out of his carseat. We arrive at Target shortly after and I reach back in the car and pull him out and sit him in my lap at Target's parking lot. All of the sudden I notice ants crawling all over my big preggo belly. WTF???? Sweet, baby Biruk has ants crawling on his outfit and I just wanted to cry. I dreadfully turn around to exam the carseat and sure enough it's swarming with these tiny, pain in my ass, ants. WHY here? WHY today? and WHY Biruk's carseat? And why is my hubby have to be out of town on this day. So I pull all these suckers off Biruk and I one by one and squish them with my fingers. Made a couple calls to my sisters to vent quickly. There was a cart next to the car so I strap Biruk in that and put Conner in the back of it and remove the carseat. I lifted up the cover and the underside has ants all over it. Is your skin crawling yet? I understand. I wanted to throw the damn thing away at this point and go into Target to by a new one. I wiped off what I could and looked in the back of the car only to find more. Meanwhile there is an older man sitting in his pick up watching all of this and I'm sure thinking the absolute worse. Being pregnant and toting around 2 wee ones has it's disadvantages (as far as being observed by other people). Anyway, since sitting in Target's parking lot for the afternoon and crying wasn't an option I loaded the boys (with remaining ants I'm sure) and headed home. I parked the car in the driveway, stripped Biruk of his clothes and diaper and have not left the house since. Why? Because I don't have it in me to tackle those POS's right now.

At the end of the day...

you remember why it's all worth it. Sometimes (okay, a lot of the time) I wonder what I've gotten myself into but by the end of the day it's all forgotten. You tuck them in, you squeeze them tight and you are reminded of how blessed you are.

My little helper...

This morning-

Conner: Oh mom, Biruk spit up.
Me: Okay Conner, I'll get it in just a second
(Conner runs out of room, gets a burp rap and comes back to wipe him up)
Conner: Biruk, hold still. Oh, Biruk (as he was squirming away).

Biruk's face was clean and all was well. Thanks Conner for being such a great little helper!

6 weeks to go...

I'd love to post but these days I feel like there is nothing really exciting to share with my readers (the select few that I have). I'm a mom. I change diapers, I feed Biruk bottles, I tell Conner how proud I am of him throughout the day, and I try to keep my house somewhat clean. I wish I had funny stories to share but anything I find humorous is nothing the rest of you would chuckle at. As far as telling Conner I'm proud of him it's because he is becoming Mr. Independent. He came up to me 3 days ago to tell me he can pee all by himself. Keep in mind he's been potty trained for quite a while but he now strips off his clothes and sits himself up on the toilet then comes back to me to get him dressed. If he has to go No.2 mom helps. But otherwise he's a little man doing it all by himself. Then today I told him I needed to wash his hands and next thing I know he had taken his little step stool (thanks Matt) to the bathroom and stood in there washing his hands in the sink. "All by myself mom; aren't your proud". Yes I am! This will all come in quite handy in 6 weeks when baby no.3 comes along.

We still have no baby names picked out. I made a short list months ago and have not added to it since. I think Nathan likes one name from the list. So basically we have nothing. I don't enjoy this part (I know I'm a minority here). So if anyone would like to share some unique or at least not so popular names please share. And remember my bets are 99% girl so keep that in mind if you make any suggestions.

Hubby went out for carryout for dinner and both boys are sleeping. It should be a peaceful Friday night and I'm hoping to be in bed early. I am really starting to feel the exhaustion these past few days and as nervous as I am about three kids, I'm ready to have my energy and stamina back.

Lastly, our home in the country is on the market now and we are crossing our fingers for a quick sale. The farm is absolutely beautiful right now with all the flowers in bloom, trees budded and green and the fields so peaceful with the hay blowing in the wind. We miss our country home but we are appreciating the space our new house has to offer.

Have a great weekend!

Happy Mother's Day

I love these boys! Conner has turned is such a great little man. He cracks me up with everything he has to say. Yesterday he said "Mom, I'm nervous". Then he gives me a moment to wonder where the heck he picked that up and then he chuckles and says "Do you wonder where I learned that?". He is so sweet with Biruk and I'm so blessed to have him in my life. I know he's going to be a wonderful brother to baby no.3 and he'll continue to amaze me. There are days when I'm feeling overwhelmed and frustrated and he can calm me down with just a few words that come out of his mouth. Which in turn is a constant reminder that no matter how hard it gets, motherhood is definitely worth all of it!

Biruk is amazing me more and more everyday. This trip was definitely a testament to the fact that he knows we are his mom and dad and he'd let us know when he needed us. He's a smart little fella. He's mastered the skill of crying to get what he wants. Today he was crying every time I'd put him in the tub and as soon as I'd scoop him up he'd curl up on my chest and start sucking his finger. He has started to squeal with delight when he's happy and is starting to say different syllables (instead of just Da da da da da dada). He is turned into a total chunk and has went from 0-3 month clothes when we picked him 6 weeks ago to mostly 6-9 month clothing. The 3-6 are getting a little snug. He has been another huge blessing in our life and while I know things are going to get REALLY crazy in just a few weeks I know it will ALL be worth it. We are going to have 3 kiddo's making us laugh everyday and three siblings that adore each other. It's going to be quite the ride :)

Happy Mother's Day to all you mama's out there. I hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable day!

Here's some pics of my little blessings (including the one that should be arriving in 6-7 weeks).

We're home...

Vacation was great! Had an awesome time with the siblings and we LOVED the house we rented. The weather was pretty good, the view was spectacular and the food was DELICIOUS! The flight home was about what you would expect after a week of vacation (exhaustion and irritability). But the big surprise that we received was when we got home. The streets leading to our home had water standing on them and both of us admitted we were worried about the sump pump doing it's job while we were away. Nater went down to check it out and reported that the basement smells musty, the carpet damp and the grout looks wet. Welcome home (the house says). I can't bring myself to go down there just yet. Maybe tomorrow...

6 hours until take-off

We are leaving for the airport at 2:30 in the a.m. to catch a 6:00 flight to Dallas, then on to San Diego. Destination: Oceanside, CA to our 9 bedroom, oceanfront, beach house for the next week. Why so big? Because I have a gazillion siblings and we actually fill up a house that big. And when you have that many siblings and split the cost it makes these sort of things affordable. Every 18 months the sibs and my parents take a family vacation; last year the mountains, this year the beach. It's going to be a blast! I get to watch all of my siblings (except the three that are underage) and their significant others sip Margarita's and yummy, tasty beer on the beach. Am I jealous? Hell yeah!

The forecast? Foggy and 64 through Wednesday (didn't bother checking past that). Bummer huh? Not for me. You have to remind yourself I'm 32 weeks pregnant.
1) I'm not even packing a swimsuit (I don't think this requires any explanations)
2) The kitchen will be my favorite hangout spot
3) I am not tolerant of any hot weather at this point
4) My family loves board games/cards
5) Even more reason to be in the house cooking / eating (you catch my drift).

I will try to post in California but if not I will post many pics when I return! Have a splendid week!
Chatter

8 weeks to go

We hit the 32 week mark today. I can't believe how fast the pregnancy is gone and how quickly our new baby is going to be here. I'm not sure if I've made it clear but due date is June 26th and we did not find out the gender of the babe. I think I've convinced everyone around me that this one is a girl so it should be interesting. This pregnancy has been different from Conner's from the get-go so that is why I feel it is a girl. Time will tell...

You'll have to excuse the poor photo's. I took them with the self timer so they aren't the greatest. I still feel really good and hopefully the rest of the pregnancy will continue to go smoothly.

I know this is an incredibly boring post but some of you had asked for pics. Here ya go!

Wordless Wednesday...