Let's think about this, shall we?

It just occurred to me, as I was filling out forms and writing down birth dates, that the question I was asked at the pharmacy the other day was even more ridiculous than I first realized.

There was some confusion with my birthdate because the provider had called in my prescription with a wrong day (month and year were correct).  The person assisting me looked at me and asked when my birthday was.  I told her.  She looked confused.  She repeated the date to confirm.  I confirmed.  Then came the question:  "Was that 1975?" with great emphasis on the 19.  Um. Yes.  Is there another option?

So here's the thing... she was looking at me.  Even if she wasn't, it's not possible for my birth year to be 2075.  And, it's not possible for it to be 1875 either... unless I've just aged that well. ;)  Still driving at 136 years of age.  Amazing!

Lady/Daughter Day

Every month a friend of mine hosts a craft day.  The months alternate between a ladies only night from 4pm-10pm and a lady/daughter day from 10am-4pm.  Two months ago I took Victory for the first time, and she really enjoyed it!

This month, I also took Shiloh because she seemed to be having a rough morning and I thought maybe she would benefit from some time away from the house.  Turns out she was the life of the party.  After sitting so quietly for more than the first hour, one mom mentioned she'd forgotten Shi was there because she was so quiet.  At some point, that changed.  She had one of her gut-wrenching giggle fits... the kind that makes my tummy hurt to listen to.  It got everyone else started, and it took me a long time to get her talked back down.  sigh.  (I'm told that while it may have been not so funny to me when it just wouldn't end, it was still quite funny to everyone else that didn't live in the same house with her.  LOL)

Victory decided long ago (right after the last Lady/Daughter Day?) that she wanted to work on her scrapbook this month.  My mom gave the scrapbook to her as a gift quite a while ago, and I finally ordered pictures a month or two ago so she'd have something to put in it.  She managed to get all the pictures cropped and glued down, and added a few embellishments.  It's still far from finished, but she is pleased as punch to have as much done as she does. :)

I brought several small projects to work on.  One project was a reworking of some jumpers I'd made the girls for Easter two years ago. (If you look closely at the picture of Victory's scrapbook - or click on the picture to see a larger version - you can see what they looked like in their original form.)  These first shots below were just 3 of many attempts to get the girls in their skirts (JJ's isn't' quite done yet, as she wasn't there to have the elastic fitted...), without goofy looks on their faces.  lol

And, the finished product...

Another project I brought along was inspired by two things.  First, I saw a gal at church with a bag made from a "recycled" pant leg.  Second, Victory really wanted her own tote.  This bag was a great compromise, and she loves it! (You may recognize the jeans from this post... I just couldn't throw those legs away because the side embellishment was too cute. *grin*  Now I'm glad I kept them!)

All in all it was a productive and fun day.  I'm looking forward to the ladies only night on April 7th. :)

Post linked here, at Sew Many Ways.

Always something new

Pregnancy.  Oh, did you forget that I was expecting?  LOL Understandable if you don't see me often (or ever)... I did only mention it once several months ago.  I realized a week or two ago that I'd not updated about the pregnancy at all.

Well, I'm just over 28 weeks.  What that means for a pregnant woman is, typically, it's time for a glucose tolerance test.  Thankfully, my midwife does not subject me to that test.  She does, however, provide a glucometer and have me test my fasting blood sugar level, and then again 2 hrs after a meal.  My 2 hr number was borderline.  As a result, I will now be test 4 times a day for the next two weeks as well as keeping a food journal.  This is so frustrating for me! And, it's new.  I've never had poor results from a gd test.  Even when I was drinking the nasty glucose drink at the clinic my readings were great.  There's never been a need to take the second test to recheck numbers.  I don't really like this new...

I am thankful that overall this has been a good - yet unique! - pregnancy.  So many weird things I've never dealt with before.  Being borderline for gestational diabetes is certainly the most annoying (and also a bit scary!).  I guess there's a first time for everything!

One other thing with this pregnancy is how huge I got all of a sudden.  It's crazy.  I'm already looking full term, with a good 12 weeks left to go.  But, since the surgeon who removed my gall bladder also fixed my herniated belly button, it no longer sticks out, so for that I'm thankful. ;)  Starting about 2 weeks ago I already started getting the "you must not have much longer" comments... sigh.

As for the possibility of gestational diabetes, I welcome advice from those who have been there.  Please refrain from sharing horror stories about 13 pound babies and ongoing health problems.  I just really need positive encouragement at this time.  Also, prayers are appreciated!

For the most part, I am healthy and feeling good physically.  Baby (a boy!) is growing nicely, and loves to move.  Everyone is excited for him to arrive.  The kids know it's too early for him to come, but Levi in particular will occasionally (and wistfully) say, "I wish it was time for the baby to come out!"

(For comparison sake, here's a pic of my belly at approximately 36 weeks when pregnant with Jericho.) 

Whistle while you... sleep??

Last night I fell asleep on the couch... this is not an uncommon occurrence, sadly.  I woke around 2 am and was going to head to bed.  Just as I reached the top of the stairs I heard Chase calling, "Radar!"  Brief pause, then more urgently, "Radar!!"  (Oh, in case you've forgotten, Radar is our dog. *grin*)

Radar is kenneled for the night in the room at the top of the stairs.  I could see him from where I was standing.  He was roused only slightly, and looking a bit confused as to why his name was being called in the middle of the night.

Then, suddenly, Chase whistled for the dog.  I almost fell over laughing. ;)  Talking in his sleep is quite common (nightly??) for Chase, but I have never heard him whistle.  In fact, I can honestly say that until last night I had NEVER heard anyone whistle in their sleep.

I'm so glad my kids keep my life interesting. :)

Actually, Chase isn't the only one that talks in their sleep (although he does so much more frequently than anyone else).  Sometime last week, Jericho was crying in her sleep.  This is more common for her than talking... I went to calm her and finally had to firmly (as firm as a whisper can be) say, "Jericho, it's mommy.  You need to stop or you will wake the baby!"  She stopped immediately, said "O-tay."  She then promptly rolled over and snuggled down into the blanket and said, "I wuv you," in her sleepy little whisper.  Melt my heart. :)  To top it off, the baby didn't wake, and the rest of the night was quiet.

Never quite as expected

It would seem my days/weeks never go quite as expected.  My entire week has been thrown off because of PJ's illness.  The house has suffered greatly.  Attitudes have suffered.  Schooling (for the littles) has suffered.  Sigh.

Yesterday I finally decided to take PJ to the doctor.  His fever was gone.  The rash was incidental, and didn't worry me.  The fact that he would wake from a 20 minute nap and scream - with none of the normal calming methods of any use - was another issue altogether.  It occurred to me at some point yesterday that sometimes strep is accompanied by a rash.  With the screaming, I figured he had to hurt somewhere.  Was it his throat?  Was it ears?

A trip to Express Care confirmed my suspicions.  Thankfully, he was calm and cooperative the entire time we were at the doctor.  He didn't even cry after the throat swab!  Strep came back negative.  Ears, however, were red.  Also, a tympanogram showed very little movement.  Bummer!

Normal Tympanogram

This is approximately what one of PJ's ears looked like.  The other ear was even worse!

The rash (covers his back too).

Even his face got it :(

Today he seems to be nearly normal.  The ears will get better.  The rash is dissipating.  Maybe next week will be better?  No, next week WILL be better! ;)

Have I mentioned I like sewing?

Before I start this post for real, I want to update on Phoenix.  He's feeling better.  No fever.  Still a bit cranky, though. ;)  He's feeling well enough to get into lots of mischief!  I noticed a rash this evening, so I'm certain it was a viral thing - probably roseola.  Fits the symptoms perfectly, and is really common.


Recently a friend, putting together a gift package to donate to a silent auction, asked if she could purchase one of my totes to hold the goodies she was donating.  I wasn't sure how I felt about that since I've never sold one of my totes before.  I also had no idea what to charge if I did sell one.  I did, however, agree that I could make a tote.

She let me know what she was donating, and also the color of one of the items, and I started looking at my fabrics.  I found something I thought would work... and then it all just sat in my bin, waiting.

Yesterday evening I realized I didn't know when she needed the tote!  LOL  So, I made a phone call and discovered I only had until about noon on Friday.  That got my butt in gear.  I gathered my supplies, made a plan, and started cutting.

As usual, I made an error.  And, as usual, it turned out to be just the thing the bag needed to make it special. :)

Here's what I ended up with:

It was tough letting go of this one!  It turned out really great, and I love the colors.  I hope it helps bring a good price for the gift bundle at the auction.  My friend loved the bag as well, and the colors were perfect!

Today, since Tim was off work all day, I took the opportunity to take a project out of my "project box".  The box is full of 1/2 finished projects, and hasn't been touched in well over a year.  An adorable pair of pants with a hole in the knee found new life. :)  After completing this project I thought perhaps a ruffle would have been better.  Then again, Shiloh will be the one wearing them, and ruffles aren't really her thing.  Maybe when they get passed down to Jericho I'll replace the cuff with a ruffle. ;)

(For the record, she did not wear the pants today... hopefully she'll choose different socks when she does wear them! LOL)

I saw a great idea tonight for the rest of the legs. :)  Can't wait to work on that project!  Hmm.  It seems that projects breed new projects...

HOT!

snuggling with daddy

Sunday morning started out slow.  I didn't wake up until 9:45 a.m., and at that point only Levi and Victory were awake for the day.  I showered, and dressed, and by that time everyone else was up... but no where near ready to head to church!  Victory and I went alone.  It was nice!  I think she actually paid attention to the sermon. ;)

We came home and I fixed lunch.  Tim and I discussed the rest of the day and decided we would run some errands.  Phoenix went down for his nap just as we were leaving.  When we returned home about 3 1/2 hours later, he was still sleeping.  I thought it was odd since he's been taking very short naps lately (typically 45 min. to an hour - even though he could certainly stand more!).  A while later I finally sent Alex to get him out of bed.  It was nearly 6:30 at this point, and I wanted him to fall asleep for the night!

He was HOT! I took his temp, and it was about 102.5 degrees.  It was the strangest thing!  He ate his lunch fine, and hadn't shown any sign at all that he was not feeling well prior to his nap.  At that point he just wanted to snuggle.

Later, after all the other kids had gone to bed, he was still snuggling on Tim when he suddenly evicted everything he'd eaten at lunch.  We got him (and Tim!) cleaned up, and I sat in the bathroom while he sat in the empty tub with just his diaper on in case he threw up again.  About an hour later I offered him some generic pedialyte.  He took it readily!  I wanted to make sure he was well hydrated at least.  Not long after, he lost the drink along with what little was left of his lunch. :(

We cleaned everything up again, and he ended up putting himself to sleep on the floor.  We allowed him to sleep there until we went to bed.  Thankfully, after all the puking, his temp came down to about 101 degrees, and he seemed to be doing better.

[In the middle of all of this baby drama, I was making phone calls to find substitutes for myself for co-op on Monday morning.  Thankfully I was able to cover the two hours I needed too without too much difficulty -- just lots of phone calls.]

After sleeping all night, PJ woke Monday morning with a very low temp (low enough I didn't even bother checking what it was) and seemed to be feeling just fine.  I made sure he was drinking his pedialyte and after determining he was keeping that down I fed him 1/2 a banana, and later some animal crackers.  Still no issues.  Yay!  He continued to perk up all morning and by lunch time didn't even seem to have a temp.

After lunch, he again went down for his nap.  This was a more typical nap - in the neighborhood of an hour.  When he got up he was HOT again!  And cranky. =S  However, he was clearly well hydrated as evidenced by his diaper!  Got him changed, and left him in his diaper for awhile - eventually adding a onesie so he didn't get too cold.  Tim and I had our chiropractor appointment at 5 p.m., and by the time we got home PJ was REALLY HOT!  I took his temp and IMMEDIATELY gave him some Tylenol.  This time, the reading was over 105 degrees.  I don't generally treat a fever because it's the body's way of taking care of whatever is wrong, but this was just too high.

It took a while, but his temp went down with the Tylenol, and he went to bed at his normal time.  I believe it was about 9:30 when he woke up and was hungry since he hadn't eaten any supper.  We fed him some soda crackers, gave him something to drink, let him hang out and snuggle for a while and then put him back to bed.  Again, he slept the rest of the night (I think... it just occurs to me that perhaps Tim got up with him once?? lol).

This morning he was still warm, but again, is acting as if he feels better.  I guess the day will tell!  I have to admit, I'm a little worried about putting him down for his nap this afternoon!!

So, there's my novel... we would appreciate prayer that not only would Phoenix heal quickly, but also that no one else gets whatever it is he got!

Updates, and some randomness

I finished 15 bags for Craft Hope.  I plan to have them in the mail this week.  I made as many as I was able with the fabric I already had on hand.  I have plenty more fabric, but wanted these to be more "fun" because they will be used by kids.

A friend purchased fabric to make a cute little peasant dress for her daughter.  She found the pattern/tutorial free online.  She was going to have one of the grandma's make the dress, but I offered.  I figure it's a fair trade since she bathes my dog for me so I don't have to, and also clips his nails. ;)

PJ was none too pleased to be a model. ;)

I made a cute little matching headband as well out of the scraps that were left over.

The finished product on the recipient. :)  Isn't she adorable?  It was tough getting a clear shot because she wouldn't stop moving. ;)

Tim and I made our first trip to IKEA.  It will not be our last!  If nothing else, we have to go back for the swedish meatballs. ;)  We purchased a couple of bookcases... a large one for the toy room that houses my crafting supplies and fabric, and another small one for our bedroom to hold sheets and (eventually) a bit of baby stuff.  We'll be going back in the next couple of months to pick up a new crib.  Our crib is about 17 years old and has been used by ALL of our kids, as well as one of my cousin's kids.  It's a drop-side, so we won't be able to sell it, but we do have plans to repurpose it. ;)

One of my favorite purchases!  No more scattering of kids dirty clothes all over my living room!  The best part?  I don't even have to remind them to use it!! :)

For the first time in a LONG time I'm beginning to feel as though I have a handle on things as far as housekeeping goes.  I am making lists every night, and do a fairly good job of crossing everything off by the end of the next day.  All this progress is working up to making a master schedule for the entire household.  Another project I'm working on involves our meal planning/grocery shopping.  It's all a work in progress.  Check back with me in about 5 years to see if I've got it done. ;)

We once again made some modifications to school schedules/expectations.  All seems to be moving along well at this point.  Some days are easier than others.  We also see some areas that are in desperate need of improvement, but just like with my household plan, they will work out in time.  Alex and Chase will have their Peabody Tests again next month (can it possibly be that time again!?)  Tim and I will also have the opportunity to attend the Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators (MACHE) mid-April.  We are looking forward to our first visit to the Convention, and hope to come away with even more great ideas we can implement in our own school. :)  We also hope it will be a time of relaxation and rejuvenation for us as a couple.

I've been so thankful for the mild winter.  It's allowed the kids to get outside a bit more frequently than is typically possible.  I still see the signs of "cabin fever" setting in, and will be so glad when they are able to get out even more - as will they!!

I feel as though I'd like to blog more frequently.  I guess I'm just not always certain what to blog about.  I don't want to bore my readers (all 3 of them.  lol), but I also feel like waiting too long between posts results in these longer posts that are maybe more difficult to handle?  I guess that is one of my goals for the foreseeable future - to blog more frequently, even if there are no pictures and the posts are short.  We'll see how that all goes. ;)

Leaving you with a giggle...

Actual signage in our local grocery store (Thanks, Cindy, for pointing this out *grin*).  Upon my THIRD visit I mentioned it to one of the produce guys.  I asked him just exactly what a PINE apple was.  The very next week, the sign was changed. LOL

A pine tree that produced apples might actually be nice!  Tim pointed out that it would make decorating at Christmas a lot easier... the decorations are "pre-hung", you'd just have to add lights.  ;)  If I ever see a Pine Apple Tree I'll be sure to take a picture!