Top 10 reasons why being pregnant now rocks

(16 weeks pregnant)

10. Skinny jeans never looked good on me anyway.

9. Winter warmth from the added fat layer.

8. New baby gear rocks!

7. Because of sensitive gums I actually have a reason why the hygienist has to be gentle with me.

6. Mood swings are totally acceptable.

5. A whole new wardrobe.

4. No guilt in having the kids fetch things while I sit with my feet up.

3. Leg rubs without begging.

2. Thanks to Brangelina large families are very fashionable.

1. Holiday eating baby! Say yes to the stuffing.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Black Friday Shopping

I will be completely honest. Just the sound of that scares the he** out of me. Does that sound like something fun to you? But I realize that I am part of a rare few. I am a female that does not especially enjoy shopping. Wait, let me rephrase that. I am a female who prefers the comfort of her home and pj's to do her shopping.

Long lines, inadequate clerks, rude customers, spotty selection, and the vast overwhelming-ness felt when walking into a department store does not lend itself to a thrill for me. And I am just talking about regular Tuesday morning at the mall shopping.

But Black Friday? I have always LAUGHED with smugness at the foolish ones who line up at 3:30 AM in a Wal-mart parking lot to save $50 on a computer. One in which they will not get anyway because the 15 that the store has will be swept up in less than two minutes flat. I have laughed at the people who can not get themselves ready for church on Sunday morning, but standing in zero degree weather for an iPOD suddenly seems so valuable. I have laughed at the silly women who with a shopping cart go charging into the store, RUNNING, as though they are going to receive a million dollars if they take out at least five other shoppers.

My girlfriends, whom I shopped with just this past weekend, gave me the low down on how the whole operation works. They told me their strategies, the craziness to be expected, and finished with the thrill of it all being worth it. I sat there completely skeptical. They also all agreed unanimously that Black Friday was no place for HeidiJoWhatDoYouKnow. Apparently they are concerned with my patience. I think they are afraid that I might pull a billy club from my purse and start smacking stupid people.

So, I think I am going this year. Yes, you heard me correctly. Maybe I was drawn in by their challenge to my patience. Maybe I am producing such large amounts of estrogen that my mind is beginning to slip. Maybe the idea of saving $30 on an item that I was otherwise not going to buy my children for Christmas is winning the battle of sanity.

But be assured I will come with billy club. Now you are all allowed, nay encouraged, to laugh at me.

And please, share your Black Friday shopping stories, strategies and all time most frustrating moments!

Start a tradition-The Jesse Tree

**Recently updated:

Upon reading that many of you are unfamiliar with the Jesse Tree tradition, I felt the need to clarify, and perhaps answer a few questions in regard to the practice.

The tradition is based on this scripture:

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth." (Isaiah 11:1-4)

It is not related to one specific religion. Although it does relate to the practice and teaching of Advent, the time of prepartion before the birth of Jesus, the time before Christmas. It is just one way to focus on the present...without getting swept away with the hurry-up mentality of the culture. A culture that is quick to set up the tree and quick to tear it down, without really ever celebrating the purpose of the season. Here is another website with ornaments and devotions for the Jesse Tree.

Considering a Jesse Tree this year? We have decided to make it a part of our family Advent tradition. Last year I googled endlessly looking for a great website that offered ornaments that we could cut out and color or do together somehow, along with great devotions that went along with it.

The site that I found, had both down-loadable ornaments and reflections/devotions. My family printed them in color and then used glitter glue pens to add highlight and accent to them. We then put them on construction paper, cut around them, punched a hole in the top and strung them by ribbon. You all know my craft skill level, so this was the perfect thing for us!

There are many sites out there where you can find similar information. If you find one that your family likes and you do not want to 're-craft' your ornaments each year, do not forget to bookmark the site so that you can get the reflections for the following year that go with your particular ornaments. Although there is a generality to the ornaments, they do vary.

I encourage you to give it a try if you have not done so in the past. It is a beautiful way to slow down the season, reflect daily on the Salvation History that came to us through the bible and Jesus Christ. And you will be amazed by how much your children will look forward to this time together as a family.

Fast Food Frustraitons

Is this not the most annoying thing for a drive-up worker to tell you:

"Could you please pull into Drive through parking spot one, and we'll bring your food out to you?"

"Um, no!" That is what I want to say. "No! I will wait right here. Because just like the doctor's office, once I am out of your sight, I am out of mind. And 15 cars with orders no larger than mine will speed through getting exactly what they ordered...FAST FOOD, while my hungry crew sits and waits for limp, soggy french fries that were left sitting while you waited for our chicken nuggets to be done...not to mention go without half the condiments we requested!"

Instead I resist the urge to roll my eyes and mumble under my breath and move my rig out of the speed of traffic. Wishing with all my might that I could simply take my money back and head to the sub joint where I had wished we had time for in the first place!

**No pregnancy wise-cracks today people. I know that plenty of you have been in this same situation with no medical cravings driving your frustration:0) And save your breath if you are just going to tell me the evils of fast food and what it is doing to make our nation obese. You are simply unamerican if you do not enjoy a french fry now and again.

Should have seen it coming?

Maybe it should have been a sign when I started watching reruns of Jon & Kate plus 8, and thinking that my family of four seemed so small.

Maybe the second thoughts that I was having about getting some irritating and ugly veins on my leg taken care of should have alerted me to some greater stirring.

Maybe the fact that potty training my 'baby' was not my idea and certainly not on my list of immediate to-do's yet he decided for me, was a signal that I was not yet of a mind to be finished.


Maybe the fact that I was still perusing the maternity clearance racks at Target two years post pregnancy or fawning over the Shade maternity tops could have been a sign that I had an inner longing.

Maybe I do not have the best plan always. But God certainly does.

Is your brain working overtime?

Would you consider yourself a 'good' sleeper? Not necessarily do you sleep 8 hours nightly, or rise early, or feel totally refreshed each morning. But when you sleep, is it good and sound?

I assume that there must have been a time when I slept soundly. Good sleep. There must have been. I mean what teenager complains of restless nights? What college student does not sack out and become dead to the world minutes after falling into bed.

Obviously pregnancy does its own number on a restful night of slumber. But I can not just blame my pregnancy because along with the need to rise frequently for bathroom breaks and the constant readjusting necessary to keep nerves from being pinched, comes that blissful exhaustion that should render a mother-to-be out for the count for at least three to four hours each night.

For that matter, what parent shouldn't be tired at the end of the day? I mean seriously, whether you work at a construction site lifting heavy timbers all day or do not leave the confines of your home and spend the day chasing after children in a daycare setting, the bottom line is, this parenting/working thing takes its toll. But some people, ie. my husband, sleep 'good'.

And I am beginning to wonder if it is a mental thing. I have never shied away from the possibility that I may have mental issues. Actually there are many instances where I am quite certain of my instability and have fully embraced it. But is my sleeplessness because I, dare I say it?, think too much? Hours upon hours pass during the night when my mind is completely consumed in an information overload. I am quite certainly solving the problems of the world, or at least the problems of my world, from between the flannel sheets.

And maybe that is how God best uses my time. Some people can think during the day. Their job not only allows thinking, but encourages it. My full time position does not always lend itself to the best thinking opportunities. I guess if thinking can be associated with tough decisions like, "Captain Crunch or Cocoa Roo's?", or "Flannel pj's all day or sweatpants?", then maybe I get a bit of elementary thinking done.

So perhaps I do not have 'good' sleep. But maybe I should just change my perspective a bit and consider it my brain recharging time. Just as we plug in our cell phones each night, maybe my brain is finally able to plug in. Although the scary part is that it is having conversations and arguments with itself...

I guess I should not hope for a 'good' night sleep then, because I may be losing something even more important! MY MIND.

So many reason to be happy

I just ordered my first Shade maternity top! You can not imagine my jubilation. Ever since discovering Shade tops several years ago, I have viewed their maternity items thinking about how awesome it would be to have had something like them when I was pregnant. I do not have to wish any longer. It is in the mail. On its way to my home. And I will try to restrain from kissing the UPS man when he delivers it.



Life is good.

To answer some questions...

When are you due?

-May 11th, 2009. Katharine was born May 9th on Mother's Day, we could get lucky and hit either her birthday or Mother's Day again. Or I could be 10 days over like usual.

How far along are you?

-About 15 weeks. Putting me at the start of the fourth month and second trimester.

How do you feel?

-Pregnant;0) And a bit like a puffed pastry. The first two months were VERY rough, especially for this spoiled pregnant woman who has enjoyed pretty mild pregnancies in the past. But now just the usual stuff. Frequent urination, occasional heartburn, and a hip joint that likes to pop in and out. Hey, you asked?

Will you find out what you are having?

-The kids might be happy with a monkey... Well my husband is not one for surprises. So if he goes to the ultrasound then yes. Either way we will not tell the kids.

Will there be a name-the-baby contest?

-Although you did a fabulous job with the cat, Kerrie, probably not. But I love suggestions from those of you not planning on having any more children of your own.

How did this happen? (Thanks Diana for such a deep question)

-Well maybe it was something like my dear friend Elizabeth said earlier this week, it was all because of a dress. Or something like that.

A celebration

Favorite Photo of the Week

What a traumatic night!

Oh my goodness can you believe it? We had tears. We had crying. We had disappointment. We had regret. We had anxiety. We had guilt. And all this before we heard a concession speech.

Andrew gave up surrendered his pacifier over to us yesterday. Last night's bedtime was the first without it. No cuddling. No tummy rubbing. Just tears and then coughing. But we survived! YES WE CAN!

In case you thought today was important for any other reason.....

Three years ago today...

a miracle was born...

and our lives have never been the same.

Here is the thing about Andrew. Once you meet him, you will never forget him. I know, I know, we could say that about each of our children. But there is something truly warming about this little boy. His smile, his dimples, the way his eyes seem to sparkle...it all adds to the charm that is Andrew Chad.

There is an elderly gentleman in our church who has been a grandfather for years, yet somehow just by watching, just by being near, he is captivated by our Andrew. It started with just occassional "hello's" after Mass. And advanced to me sending Andrew over to give him a hug. He calls Andrew his, "Little Farmer". And although I can not blame him for being swept away by our boy, I can not help but notice that Andrew has that special way of making even total strangers feel loved.

Not a day goes by that I do not receive unlimited amounts of unconditional love from this child. Days when I feel anything but beautiful, needed, or important seem to be turned upside down when he trundles over to my lap and sits with me. Holding me as much as I am holding him.

With each child that we have had, anxiety has always threatened to steal my joy as I wonder how can I possibly make enough time, give enough attention, show enough love to four children. And every time I am astounded anew at the mighty graces of God. Our home is not forced to divide up a specified amount of love between whatever number we choose to end on, instead with each child comes more love. Love does not divide, it multiples.

Happy Birthday to my little man!

On the eve of it all...

Some of you may have seen a different post of mine pop up on your reader, but when I saw the quote for the day farther down on my blog, I decided that it needed to be front and center for the day.

Responsibility. Something we seem to want to rid ourselves of every chance that we get. In a climate when jobs are fleeting, money disappearing, and danger threatening, we tend to get all wrapped up in how the government has failed us.

Perhaps it has.

But do we have any responsibility for ourselves anymore? Are we entitled to everything? The generations that came before us knew what responsibility and sacrifice meant. It was not some outdated unfashionable word used when talking about martyrs and missionaries. It was a way of life.

To whom much has been given, much is expected. I am pretty certain that is a principal that has been around, oh about 2000 years. We may not think that much has been given us. Let me argue that we, Americans, are the most blessed people in all of the world.

We have been given freedom. At the hands and blood of other men and women. We have been given opportunities. That our forefathers fought to secure for us. We have been given choices. And asked only to think not just of ourselves when making them. We have been given liberty....and with that comes much responsibility.

Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.

~George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)