Progress

Today Gwen latched on for the first time without the help of the nipple shields. Fantastic! We seem to be making little steps each day. She is enchanting... just look at that face. I took this photo this morning after we walked outside to get the newspaper.


This is her asleep.

Home At Last

Today we came home from the hospital. It's really nice to be home I must say. So many things have happened that the days are blurring together already. I have wept tears of relief and joy after hours trying to get Gwen to latch on and nurse, I have wept tears of frustration as well. Mostly I have just enjoyed looking at her and we both have come a long way. I have countless stories of God's faithfulness to me to share...but basically, the Lord brought so many Christian, kind-hearted people to help me when I felt discouraged. Gwen and I are working on her tongue issues that prevent her from nursing well. Today I have witnessed miracle after miracle as she is latching on (with the help of a nipple shield) and bringing her tongue down and forward. I think she will have an easier time of it once my milk comes in. (sorry guys for all of this info that you probably didn't need to know) :) She is precious and lovely and overwhelmingly wonderful. Here are some pictures from the day.

Uncle Preston and Gwen.

Ben and I in front of our house with Gwen in the carseat.


Gwen all pink and rosy in her carseat. I see some Barreth in her face don't you Beki?


Grandma Morris just moments after birth. I love this photo.


Grandma Barreth and Gwen moments after birth. I love this one too. :)

From Meredith with Love

Hi everyone... it's me Meredith. My brother put that last blog post together and chose the pictures himself. I have to say, some of those pictures look a little goofy. She really is beautiful everyone. The stork definitely didn't deliver her either... it was the Lord. I'm so thankful I didn't have to have surgery and we are now tackling the challenge of breastfeeding. The slightest peep from her wakes me up, so as you can imagine, not much sleep going on. I sent Ben to his mom's house to get some sleep today and to just relax. He has been so wonderful and supportive to me. There have been moments here at the hospital that have been just hillarious to me. (some of that is probably sleep deprovation induced hillarity) For example, I've had two pediatricians come by, my OB come by, and about 100 other people that are from the hospital come in to poke, prod, take off my clothes and Gwen's clothes. They all say the same thing... "you look exhausted, you need to do three things today... rest, eat, and nurse and that's it." Well... try doing that when that many people are coming to see you all the time! Plus, it takes a long time to nurse Gwen. She hasn't got the whole concept of sucking down to an art yet, and I have got to learn myself how to help her best do that. So... we're both learning. Welcome to real life right? I'm so happy and I am happy also to report I can now bend over without holding my breath. More later.... :)

The Stork has delivered

We would like to welcome Gwen Rebekah Barreth to the world today. She came in at 8 lbs. 11 oz and 20 in. She was born at 3:35am Tuesday morning. I am recovering very well and Gwen is healthy. I will give you more details later.

Our Almost Father's Day Morning

Not to be too graphic, but yesterday morning I saw it was "show" time. (girls, you know what I mean) I went about my daily schedule having irregular contractions that increased during the day. Last night they became pretty regular, but I decided to try to sleep a bit through the night and if I woke up then I'd consider going to the hospital. I woke up at around 2:20 this morning feeling much stronger contractions and when Ben and I timed them they were about 4 1/2 to 5 minutes apart. We decided we'd err on the side of caution since today I am 6 days overdue and just go in to the hospital.
When we got to the hospital we went in and explained why I was there... what an awkward moment for me since I've never done this thing before. Then they told Ben and mom to go into the waiting room while they got me situated. A nurse took me into a room and whispered "are you abused?" and when I assured her I wasn't she asked if I had an STD which I also replied in the negative. She then rattled off instructions for me very fast... "take off your clothes, take this cup, we're going to get a strip on you (I later found out that meant monitor me and the baby), put on the gown with the ties in the back and leave the waist undone, need a clean sample so wipe wipe wipe and then use the cup and then wipe wipe wipe. She left the room then and I thought.. "now how many times do I wipe?" When she came back I was standing there not knowing if I should sit down on the bed or what. She asked me why I wasn't in the bed and I told her I really didn't know what I was doing and she laughed and asked me my due date. When she found out I was 6 days over she looked at me and said "get your butt into that bed."
They monitored my contractions and the baby's heartbeat. Before I left home I was really hungry and asked mom if she thought it would be ok to eat a piece of toast or something before going. She said she didn't think they would like that so I didn't eat or drink anything. The baby's heartbeat was fine, but they decided to give me something to eat to perk it up a bit. She asked me if I'd like a fruit cup and I emphatically said "yes!" She asked me if I wanted peanut butter and crackers and again I said "yes." Ben said I'd better enjoy that fruit cup cause it probably is an $80 fruit cup, but with our insurance it is a $70 fruit cup. That fruit cup never tasted so good. The baby's heartbeat picked up after that and they said everything looked great with the baby. My contractions were coming regularly, but they were small. They felt pretty intense to me. I happened to see the other people's charts that they were monitoring and their contractions looked like the Swiss Alps. Mine kind of resembled little mole hills. I told mom that if I had one of the Swiss Alps I think I would be having an out of body experience about then because of the pain. They checked me and I was still at 1 1/2 cm. I couldn't believe it... I thought for sure I was beyond that. They also said the baby was floating. They had me walk around for an hour to see if it would speed things along. Ben and I were in the waiting room doing giant squats and breathing through my mole hill contractions. They hooked me up to the monitors again and nothing had changed. So... they decided to send me home. I thought I'd be super emotional about it, but I wasn't. I asked if there was any way they could keep me and the nurse said "there is no room." I heard my mom in the background say "no room in the inn." The doctor on call this morning was named Dr. Vandenboom. That would have been awesome to say "boom baby" all day...but alas. We decided to go out for a grand breakfast after that at a place called "The Big Biscuit." In retaliation I ordered a meal that included pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage and potatoes. Of course, I couldn't get through half of it, but still. We're all exhausted now and at home. I thought I'd unwind a little and write this all out before I forget it all. The baby is kicking me, I'm still having contractions and I'm going to try to sleep anyway. I really think that this baby will come before my scheduled induction on Tuesday night....but we shall see. The little stinker... it likes being in there I suppose!

Looking Out My Window

This morning I got up early and Ben and I sat together and looked out the window and chatted for a while. We were happy to see two little animals pass outside our window today. This first one is a baby rabbit. I've seen several here lately and I think they're cute. (notice the car in the background?... yeah, that's my brother's car. It's um... interesting)


We also were amused to see a skunk. Ben says he's never seen one alive. These pictures are awful, but you get the idea anyway.

It was looking at my neighbor's trash.

It was running around.

*Baby Barreth Update: The doctor said I am 1 1/2 centimeters dilated now and that the baby's head is right there. All I need are contractions now. She also guesstimated that the baby is 8 to 81/2 pounds now! I asked about my bone structure and if she thought I could get a big butterball out of there and she said she thought so. So... we'll see. If nothing happens by Tuesday night I check into the hospital at 8pm for them to get it going for me. I'm praying this baby decides to come on its own before then. So Ben and I should have a baby that we can look at by Wednesday night! Hallelujah!

Patience

Well... I'm still waiting on little Barreth to make its appearance. For the most part I am doing fine with the waiting, but this morning I had "a moment." I woke up and realized I'm still pregnant and just laid there (at about 5:20am) thinking I am ready to see this little face and to love this little person. That thought got me going into a little crying session. (so much for no self pity huh?) Ben has been really great (as always) and reminded me that it won't be long and that God is giving me an opportunity to be patient here. As my previous boss Sister Cooke used to say "in light of eternity...". She always used to say that and then add on something. So I guess my thing could be "in light of eternity... this small blip in time will seem like it passed by very quickly."

Q & A

I was sent this today (my due date!) from my friend. It made me laugh.

Pregnancy Q & A

Q: Should I have a baby after 35?
A: No, 35 children is enough.

Q: I'm two months pregnant now. When will my baby move?
A: With any luck, right after he finishes college.

Q: What is the most reliable method to determine a baby's sex?
A: Childbirth.

Q: My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she's borderline irrational.
A: So what's your question?

Q: My childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labor, but pressure. Is she right?
A: Yes, in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.

Q: When is the best time to get an epidural?
A: Right after you find out you're pregnant.

Q: Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labor?
A: Not unless the word 'alimony' means anything to you.

Q: Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
A: Yes, pregnancy.

Q: Do I have to have a baby shower?
A: Not if you change the baby's diaper very quickly.

Q: Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act normal again?
A: When the kids are in college.

Watermelons

The Japanese are coming out with a square watermelon. They put it in a mold as it grows. It makes it easier to store I guess. I had some watermelon this weekend and what a fruit!! Oh, and I'm still waiting on my little watermelon to be born. By the way, Ben has the watermelon under his shirt and I have no idea why all of my words are being underlined.

Baby Barreth Update

Today I went to the doctor and she said I have made no additional progress as far as dilation from last week. I asked her how long she'd let me go and she said about a week from my due date. If I do not go into labor on my own I will be induced on June 17th at 8pm. Of course, my prayer is that I not need to be induced and labor will begin on its own. I asked her many questions about why she felt it was necessary, yada yada. I am fearful of this baby getting too large for me to birth as Ben was 9 lb 6 oz and I was 8 lb 2 oz at birth. I was a little discouraged by this news, but I can't let it get me down! I'm just hoping for my little baby in there to be safe and as healthy as possible. So... I implore you, my blogging friends, to please pray that I go into labor on my own before the 17th. :) Wouldn't it be neat to make Ben a father before father's day? :)

Here They Come

Baby Barreth hasn't made its appearance yet, but my mom and my brother are on their way up here as I type. Yeah! My brother is moving in with us for a while. He is going to try to find a job up here in Kansas City. I told him if he wasn't careful he might turn into my "manny". (like a nanny... except a man) My mom was going to wait until I went into labor to come, but she has been antsy lately and just decided to come anyway. I'm glad for that because it will be nice having someone around and she can witness the birth. I've made some jello with fruit for their arrival. (festive huh?)

A salesman came by yesterday trying to sell us windows. We do need to replace some of them, but the prices quoted were really high. I answered the door to him yesterday and I said, "hi, are you from the window company?" and he said "yes, are you Meredith Barreth?" to which I replied "yes" and he said "my name is Jay Ray." We had a good laugh over that. After I told him my due date was Monday he proceeded to tell me that I by no means looked nine months pregnant... more like 6 months. I asked him if that was part of his sales pitch because it was working. :)

I also went to my aerobics class for pregnant people last night. All the girls couldn't believe I was still there and able to get into tennis shoes. They poked fun at the end and said they hoped I didn't come next week and that if I did they would personally drive me to the hospital. They asked me what my doctor would do tomorrow at my appointment and I said "she'll probably say, see ya next week!" They thought that was really funny. It's like I've become an instant celebrity or something in that group. All the other girls are saying their due dates are in September, December, ect... and I bust out with my due date being Monday and it's pretty neat. As you can tell, I'm hating the attention. ha!

For Pete's Sake

My friend Leah said, "for Pete's sake post a blog if you're not in labor." Well... here it is. :) I'm still here praying and walking around the house asking God to make me patient and asking little baby to move every so often so I don't start worrying. I mean, the thought of that baby in there all squished just about makes my nerves come unglued. So here are some snippets from our weekend to keep us all entertained.

Saturday some of Ben's relatives came over just to visit and have some iced tea with us and they brought me these flowers from their yard. How beautiful! There's nothing like the smell of a real rose. (not those florist kind I mean) By the way, that bright pink one with the peach in the middle is a peony! Is that beautiful or what?


This was our living room when we first moved in. Let me just say painting is not for the faint of heart.

This is the living room (not completely finished) now minus the popcorn ceilings and plus painted walls. Ben was disappointed in how it turned out with the brown in the panels so he's decided he will try something else. He said it was too "70's revival." Unfortunately, I am not very good at decorating and I am much more of an audible person than visual... so I'm not any help. :)

This is the office/dining room area before we painted. P.S. I did not put that wreath up there.. it was left by the previous owners. :)

This is the seating area in the office now. We use this for our private consultations. (kidding)

This is the newly painted office area. We are going to move that mirror to a different place I think. We haven't decided what to put on the walls either, but we got a new light.


This morning I spotted a chipmunk under the bird feeders in our back yard. It's pretty cute so I thought I'd take a picture.

On other news, on Friday I got my hair cut to something that will be easier to maintain when the baby comes. That's right, little by little my hair is going to be molded into a mom helmet I think. I told my mom that probably by the time the baby comes I will have gotten a buzz cut. ha! You all will see pictures soon enough on that. While the lady was cutting my hair I looked up and saw her certificates and her name on there was Emily Loving. I asked her if that was her name and I told her I thought it was a really pretty name. (can you tell I'm sensitive to names at the moment?) She said she's only had that last name for a year and she said that before her husband she dated a guy with the last name of Schmuck. She could have been Emily Schmuck... well, that got me into my name rhyming and stuff. Ben and I are still tossing around names. Last night he asked me "what do you think of Charlton, or Grant." My brain can't handle any more name suggestions so I'll just have to meet this little baby to be able to name it.

Baby Barreth Update

I went to the doctor today and she said I am a little more dilated than last week. I asked her how big she would guess this baby to be and she said "a fairly good sized baby." (!) She said when she feels of my stomach she doesn't feel a whole lot of fluid, but rather baby. So she guesstimated that this baby is somewhere around 7 1/2 to 8 pounds. Basically this baby can come any time now and it's "fairly good sized."

Ragout and Popcorn

Last night I made a recipe that I've been meaning to try called "Rotisserie Chicken Ragout." I got this one from my friend Leah. If you are like me and looking for recipes with lots of vegetables and relatively healthy, then this is one for you to try. Ben and I both liked it very much. A ragout (pronounced RAGOO) is any kind of stew like thing sometimes and sometimes not containing noodles. Here's the recipe in case you'd like to give it a try.

1 C chopped yellow summer squash (I used one whole squash... a little more than a cup)
1 C chopped zucchini (I used one whole zucchini... a little more than a cup)
1/2 C chopped onion
1 1/2 tsps minced garlic
2 T olive oil
2 C cubed cooked rotisserie chicken (I cooked two chicken breasts that I seasoned)
1 can (15 ounces) white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (I used Great Northern beans instead because of price)
1 T heavy whipping cream (I used 2 T because I had a lot of vegetables... and just cause)
1 T minced fresh thyme (I used dried)
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper (I used more salt and pepper than 1/8)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Saute the squash, zucchini, onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add cooked chicken and beans... let them heat through. Add whipping cream and thyme and other seasonings. Leave the Parmesan until the end.


On other news... Ben has been working on house projects. I still have not put up pictures of the office area...but it looks very nice. Most recently he has scraped down the popcorn ceiling in the living room. That means that the whole downstairs (except the half bathroom) have smooth ceilings! I know, exciting stuff. Here's a picture of my hard-working, wonderful husband.

This is an action shot of the popcorn being annihilated.

AWESOME

This guy is one word-- AWESOME!

Sunday entertainment

This first one is of Allison Krauss. I love her singing voice and all the instruments. I have several of her albums and I love them all.



I personally think this is a great pairing of voices. I have both of their albums and I love the song by Bonnie Raitt called "I Can't Make You Love Me."

Jesus Paid It All

Today in church we sang the hymn "Jesus Paid It All" by Elvina Mable Hall. The words struck me this morning and I wanted to share them with you as well as some background info I looked up about this woman. She was 45 years old when she wrote this hymn in the middle of a service on the back of the flyleaf of her hymnbook. She gave the poem to the pastor (I wonder what he thought about her writing in the hymnal!) and it just so happens that the church organist had just written a tune that he didn't have words for yet. The pastor made the connection and put the two together. She was born on June 4th, 1822, (maybe my baby will have the same birthday!) and died July 18, 1889. That makes her... let's see... 67 when she died.

I hear the Savior say, "Thy strength indeed is small, child of weakness, watch and pray, find in Me thine all in all."
Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.


Lord, now indeed I find Thy pow'r, and Thine alone, can change the leper's spots and melt the heart of stone.
Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.


For nothing good have I whereby Thy grace to claim; I'll wash my garments white in the blood of Calv'ry's Lamb.
Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.


And when, before the throne, I stand in Him complete, "Jesus died my soul to save," my lips shall still repeat.
Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

Another Day On The Farm

Today I had a doctor's appointment and afterwards I went out to Ben's Grandma and Grandpa's house. I love to go out there because it's peaceful and they are a lot of fun. There's always some form of wildlife to behold, so I took along my camera. *By the way, the baby's doing fine and the doctor said I am 3/4 of the way effaced, and 1 cm dilated. Apparently I've been experiencing real contractions although I thought they were just practice ones and they said it could be any time now.

This is a turtle that I saw on the road.

This is a snake that Grandpa caught in the garage on a freezer. He just grabbed it. It bit him too. Grandma said "don't worry, he's on blood thinner, so it looks worse than it really is." It takes some serious guts to just pick up a snake like this. I thought that he released the snake and later on I told him if that snake had bit me it would have been a gonner. He replied, "it is a gonner... vengeance is mine."

This is Grandpa getting some alcohol on his bite. Notice the snake coiling around his arm.

Then Grandma and Aunt Jo busted out the accordions. Jo is really into the accordion and she borrowed the small white one from a friend. She said that it was the baby one and the one she's holding is the "Mrs." of the accordions. She said she wants the whole family. I tried the small one myself and everyone laughed when I asked how to turn it on. It's like a harmonica... you squeeze it to make it sound.


Here are some of the spring flowers at Grandma's place. She works very hard on her flower beds.

Peonies

Here is a picture of some of the peonies from our yard. Aren't they beautiful?

Also, below are the lyrics to a new song that I heard part of yesterday for the first time. We turned the channel when I burst into tears in the middle of it. You'll understand why when you read the lyrics.

V1:
She took the test and failed it, we blamed each other for awhile, all our big plans had no little ones in 'em. We just weren't ready for a child. So we set the alarm for seven. There's a place right down the street. It was a night like any other night, but when I fell asleep...

Chorus:
I saw his face, he had my eyes, I swear he had your smile, chasin' a butterfly, he laughed and skipped and caught it softly, placed it in my hands, he said please don't kill the butterfly.

V2:
Well I woke up kinda shaken, tried not to wake her from her sleep. And then she quietly whispered, I just had this dream...

Chorus:
I saw his face he had your eyes I swear he had my smile, chasin' a butterfly, he laughed and skipped and caught it softly, placed it in my hands, and said please don't kill the butterfly.

V3:
The alarm went off at seven, but we laid in bed till noon, and she and I spent the rest of the day, painting butterflies in his room.

Chorus:
I saw his face he had my eyes, I swear he had your smile, chasin' a butterfly, he laughed and skipped and caught it softly, placed it in my hands, and said please, he said please don't kill the butterfly. Don't kill the butterfly.

Animal Surprises

Make sure you turn your speakers on for these! :)

Even pandas have to sneeze sometimes...

Beth Bread and Baby Shower

Well... yesterday I made the Beth Bread I told you about. Honestly, I didn't think it turned out like the Beth Bread I remember. Maybe the starter isn't the right kind, maybe it was something I did. Sometimes you have to play around with a recipe to see how to make it just right. The loaves look pretty though I thought. :) Below is the recipe in case you want to try it on your own.

1 C starter (it's supposed to be a sourdough starter... I think I made a sweet bread starter, but it's almost the same... I think)
6 C bread flour (I used all-purpose.. you think that made the difference?)
1 1/2 C warm water
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C oil (I didn't have quite a half cup, so I put in some applesauce... do you think that made the difference?)
1 T salt
mix and knead lightly. Let rise overnight. In the morning, punch down, form 3 loaves, let rise all day. Bake 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from pans to cool, can top with butter.

Yesterday the girls from my choir gave me a baby shower. We had a really good time and ate some great food- spinach quiche, two kinds of scones, fruit salad, and cinnamon twists.

The girls in this first picture are Sarah (on left) who is a GREAT cook and singer and violin player and piano player. I ask her all the time how one person can do all of those things really well. Then me... is it just me or am I getting that pregnant lady swollen face thing? Then Paula who I sing next to in choir. She looks like Princess Diana I think and she is a very accurate and great singer. They are both very funny.


This is a picture of all of the girls. The girl on the far left is expecting too. She's having a little boy and she stands on the other side of me in choir.

Amish Friendship Bread

Today is the end of the 10 day process for making the starter for this bread. I wanted to post the recipe and pictures in case any of you want to try it. From this starter I am making Amish Friendship Bread and also "Beth Bread." The Amish Friendship Bread recipe makes two loaves- one for Ben and I and one for my mother-in-law. (Maybe I'll get a few brownie points for that... or should I say bread points) The "Beth Bread" recipe will make three loaves and I will have one for Ben and I and freeze the rest for when baby comes. I still have lots of the starter left over so I put it in a freezer bag and stored it in the freezer. When I get ready to use it again I will put the bag out and let it get to room temperature and then use a cup of it and stick it back in the freezer.

Here's how you make the starter:
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 C warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 C all-purpose flour, divided
3 C white sugar, divided
3 C milk

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes. In a 2 quart container (glass, plastic or ceramic- NOT metal) combine 1 C flour and 1 C sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when milk is added. Slowly stir in 1 C milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand until bubbly. Consider this day 1 of the 10 day cycle. Leave loosely covered at room temperature.
2. On days 2 through 4; stir starter with a spoon. (wooden or plastic spoon) Day 5; stir in 1 C flour, 1 C sugar and 1 C milk. Days 6 through 9; stir only.
3. Day 10; stir in 1 C flour, 1 C sugar and 1 C milk. Remove 1 cup to make your first bread, give 2 C to friends along with your favorite Amish Bread recipe. (or store in freezer) Store the remaining 1 C starter in a container in the refrigerator, or begin the 10 day process over again (beginning with step 2). (The refrigerator cup is if you want to continue having the starter around and feeding it)


Amish Friendship Bread Recipe
By the way, Amish Friendship Bread is a sweet bread... not like for making sandwiches. That's the "Beth Bread" kind. Amish Bread has a very unique taste that is a bit cinnamony and delicious!

1 C starter (after adding day 10 stuff)
1/2 C milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl combine the following dry ingredients and mix well:

2 C flour
1 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 (5.1 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
1/2 tsp salt
1 C nuts (optional)

Add dry and wet ingredients. Mix and pour into two well greased and sugared bread pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Tagged

Ok... so I've been tagged by Lisa Swinney... so here's to you Lisa! :)

10 years ago it was 1998. Ok, now let me think. That means I was 21 and finishing my junior year at Jacksonville State University. I remember on my twenty-first birthday I went to bed early that night (so wild-I know) and then Adam and some other people came and banged on our door and "forced" us to go get ice cream. I've been addicted to the stuff ever since... thanks a lot. :) It was a wonderful time in my life. I absolutely loved college and my experiences there.

5 Things on my to do list
I always have a list going. I guess that's why I like blogging. I like documenting stuff. Anyway.. here is what is on my list at the moment.

1. Go to the La Leche League meeting today. (I went and that's a whole other blog unto itself)
2. Clean shower
3. Bring library books back
4. Ask Ben to help me hang some pictures
5. Remember to stir my Amish bubbly stuff. :)

5 Snacks I Love
I only get to choose 5? ha!

1. Red grapefruits
2. Salsa and tortilla chips
3. Chex mix- the bold party kind
4. yogurt
5. smoothies

If I were a billionaire I'd pay off our house. I'd give more to lots of different ministries. I'd invest some for our kid's inheritance and I'd get a massage every now and then. I know a guy named George that was asked a similar question and I really like his answer. This is what he said he'd do. He'd get like two huge Greyhound buses and go around Kansas City and pick up all the homeless people he could find. Then he'd take them to a really fancy restaurant and let them eat all they want. That sure would be interesting wouldn't it?

5 Bad Habits

1. Using about 3 new glasses every day. I like them clean.
2. Not flushing after every single time to save water. That's my theory anyway.
3. Buying a ham from Aldi's grocery and letting it expire sitting in the fridge. That's a true story.
4. biting my cheeks. I'm not sure why I do that.
5. I collect every plastic bag I get from the store and the other night Ben cleared them out. It was astonishing how many I had.

5 Jobs I've Had
I've had lots, but here are the most entertaining.

1. Caretaker in a mental facility. I did laundry, cooked dinners, bathed them. You can imagine.
2. "Picker" in a blue jean distribution center. I went around filling boxes with jeans. All I can say is that whoever is wearing size 50 jeans they almost killed me those months working there. They are heavy!
3. Summer activities coordinator at our church in Alabama. The first trip we took was to a cave. It rained really bad while we ate lunch and afterwards they were begging to go to the playground. I let them while I cleaned up. Little did I know the mire that the playground had become. All of the kids were covered head to toe in mud and having the time of their lives! My chaperons told me to put in an application at McDonald's.
4. I worked in the Nibble Nook at Ridgecrest one summer. Like I needed to work around ice cream.
5. Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart. I taught there 5 years and it's an all-girls Catholic school in Miami. I taught grades 1-6. I learned a lot there and really enjoyed it too.


5 Places I've Lived

1. Flintville, Tennesee (small town, had great hayrides in the fall, and everyone knows everyone)
2. Holly Pond, Alabama (sounds fancy, but it's basically a lot of really nice chicken farmers)
3. Jacksonville, Alabama (college town)
4. Miami, Florida (crazy driving, cafe con leche- not to be confused with La Leche League, hot and beautiful city)
5. Overland Park, Kansas (friendly people, laid back, famous for BBQ and crazy weather)

Ok... Olya and Leah, if you are up for this then consider yourself "tagged."

Some Neat Ideas

I am reading a book right now called "Every Day Deserves A Chance" by Max Lucado. If you aren't familiar with his writing, you should get a book of his from the library. Last night Ben was priming our deck in the backyard and I decided to take my book out there and read. I read this story last night and thought it was very clever.

"When my daughters were single-digit ages-- two, five, and seven-- I wowed them with a miracle. I told them the story of Moses and the manna and invited them to follow me on a wilderness trek through the house. 'Who knows,' I suggested, 'manna may fall from the sky again.' We dressed in sheets and sandals and did our best Bedouin hike through the bedrooms. The girls, on my instruction, complained to me, Moses, of hunger and demanded I take them back to Egypt, or at least to the kitchen. When we entered the den, I urged them to play up their parts: groan, moan, and beg for food.
'Look up,' I urged. 'Manna might fall at any minute.'
Two-year-old Sara obliged with no questions, but Jenna and Andrea had their doubts. How can manna fall from a ceiling?
Just like the Hebrews. 'How can God feed us in the wilderness?'
Just like you? You look at tomorrow's demands, next week's bills, next month's silent calendar. Your future looks as barren as the Sinai Desert. 'How can I face my future?' God tells you what I told my daughters: 'Look up.'
When my daughters did, manna fell! Well, not manna, but vanilla wafers dropped from the ceiling and landed on the carpet. Sara squealed with delight and started munching. Jenna and Andrea were old enough to request an explanation.
My answer was simple. I knew the itinerary. I knew we would enter this room. Vanilla wafers fit safely on the topside of the ceiling-fan blades. I had placed them there in advance. When they groaned and moaned, I turned on the switch."

Clever huh? I thought so...

Also, there are many recipes out there for homemade baby wipes. Here's the one I have decided to try:

• 2 TBSP baby wash
  
• 2 TBSP Olive Oil
  
• 2 Cups water

  Mix well in a spray bottle or your wipes box. Spritz on wipe before using if in spray bottle. Swish solution around over wipes if using a wipes box. (I'm using a tupperware container and I cut Bounty brand paper towels into fourths and put in there)
  

Happy News

I know many of you know the Baldwin family. Well... Joy (one of their daughters) has just had a baby on Saturday night. His name is John Brennan and they will call him Brennan. He weighed 8 lbs, 2 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. She and the baby are doing well. I just thought I'd pass on this wonderful news!!

Nine Months and Counting

Well... here I am everyone. I'm now entering into my ninth month. Honestly, the time is flying by. Ben and I both are very excited to get to know our little baby and all that being parents entails. Yes, we know that it entails more than we realize...but what does worrying profit right? (I learned that from Jesus) Anyway... here are some thoughts and feelings from the ninth month. (or at least the things I can talk about freely on this blog)

1. If I thought I was going to the bathroom a lot a month ago... well... let's just say I was naive.

2. I am planning on using cloth diapers and I have discovered that the stores don't sell a lot of stuff for that. Also, people online are pretty passionate about their own opinion about that. I am personally doing it to save money. We'll see how it goes and if I can hang in there with it.

3. I am not overly anxious about the actual birth. I am anxious about when it comes home... forever... with ME!

4. I have read some women saying they wish they had more time being pregnant they love it so much. I do not feel that way. Although I've had a good pregnancy it's uncomfortable now.

5. I've started to stockpile food now. I'm collecting soups and canned goods and making extra with every meal to freeze. I hope this helps when the baby comes. I've also bought supplies to make my own baby wipes. I know... it's a little different, but hey, I got it from my Amish cook book! :)

6. At the beginning of pregnancy I would sit at the table and cry because I had to eat an apple. I didn't feel like eating then. Oh boy, how the times have changed. I wake up hungry and (this is aweful) one of my first thoughts is "what do you want to eat?" My favorite thing of late is toast with peanut butter and banana on it. I've gained a total of 20 pounds now and 5 of those in the last 2 weeks! I've pledged to myself to lay off desserts. We'll see how that goes. It's day two in that quest.

7. To help count down the days I am making an Amish friendship bread starter that takes 10 days to complete. I really like seeing the little experiment on the counter all bubbling and stuff. I'm going to try to make "Beth bread" with this starter. If you don't know Beth Baldwin, well... she makes good bread.

8. I'm really enjoying the flowers in my yard. I didn't want to plant anything until I knew what the previous owners had planted. Beside the house there were these stalks growing up a few weeks ago. I thought they were rhubarb, but it turns out they are peony bushes!! Yeah... so much better than rhubarb! ha! I'll show pictures below of some flowers we have in our yard. Happy Mother's Day!


Iris

Peony bud

Peony bushes

The Duggar Family

I first heard about this family from my friend Leah. (hi Leah!) I watched a clip on the web of them on the today show this morning and they announced that the mother is expecting her 18th baby. I can only imagine having 18 and homeschooling to boot! What a truly remarkable family. That lady's voice is so sweet it makes me go into wide-eyed amazement. I'll put the link below for you all to check out.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/24537885/

P.S. Went to the doctor today and she said the baby is still head down and happy in there. She also said that only 5-10% of people make it to their due dates! Yikes.... it might be soon!!

Cute Baby

Today's Entertainment

I want to be a Celtic woman... well... kind of.

Amazing talent!

Baby Prep

We had such a nice weekend! Ben has worked really hard painting on the office area (used to be a dining room). I'll show pictures later on that. He also has put down grub stuff to well... to kill them in the yard. He is determined to have a nice lawn. We also had some friends over for lunch on Saturday.
Today the sermon at our church was great and we spoke to some people we met at the new members class. It was really nice. Then we went out to Ben's Grandma and Grandpa's house. They live out in the country and I love how peaceful it is out there. It never fails that I see some wildlife at some point. Today I saw a turkey. Grandma gave me some little outfits she found at a yard sale. Here we are trying to imagine our little baby in one of the outfits. Although I think my head looks huge in this photo, I'm posting it anyway!




Ben's Aunt Teckla was there today along with his Uncle Dennis and Teckla gave me these paintings she did for our baby room! She is a very talented artist and I think they are cute.

Crazy Orchid and Its Happy Sidekick

You know by now that I am fond of orchids. My mother-in-law is preparing for a move, so she asked me to babysit her two orchids. I call this first orchid "the crazy orchid." It's crazy because it is always in bloom- ALWAYS! It never stops! If you look closely you can see all the little buds that are about to bloom on it.

I call this next one its happy sidekick because it blooms very often, but is a little more reserved with showing out. In this picture you can see it has buds that are preparing to bloom.