Okay, as I type this, I am 37 weeks pregnant with baby #4...I am so over this pregnancy.  I go to the doctor once a week now and I was already measuring 1cm dilated last week.  I hope there is some progress this week when I go.  I need to start getting out and walking...

Here are my stats from last week - 36 weeks:

Weight: +22 lbs

BP: 101/72 (which is a little high for me)

Baby's HR: 138

Everything is on track for me to have another induction the week of January 17th...at least that is what I am planning.

The holidays were CRAZY!!! We didn't leave the state of Maryland, but managed to travel all over or so it felt.  I felt terrible the whole time and eventually went to the doctor on Monday, the 26th.  Upper respiratory infection - awesome!  Elli then came down with something the week after Christmas - just a virus...

I am now in organizing and simplifying mode - getting rid of all my tupperware (especially the ones with mismatched lids - there is nothing more annoying to me).  I got new pots and pans for Christmas so I am recycling my old ones...I hope you can recycle them - they are in the yellow bins...we'll see if they take it later this week...

Christmas decorations, tree, etc came down after our last Christmas celebration on the 27th, then I got a bug up my butt to sort and organize the kids toys.  We have too much crap.  I need to donate 50% of what we have...it is so hard though...maybe this will be a spring cleaning effort.  

My goals for this new year start with financial stuff - get my financial house in order and get rid of my one credit card...it is annoying that I carry a balance and I really need to get serious about getting rid of it.  I have been following a lot of money saving mom blogs, and hopefully they will give me a jump start and motivation to follow through.  It will be tough for the 6 weeks where I am not working...and our maternity leave plan SUCKS...it isn't a maternity leave plan, it is short term disability and it is just crap.  I love my company (well, I love the people that I work with) but the benefits are not that awesome when it comes to maternity leave...I will keep harping on the President until he fires me or until he retires...

Packing my bag for the hospital - this has been quite a challenge for me.  I think because I am just lazy right now and I keep putting it off because I know that I will probably have to be induced and it will be a night before I am scheduled to have the baby.  The problem is that with my last pregnancies it was always hot out, so I didn't need to really bring anything EXTRA.  This time it will be freezing out and I just feel a little unprepared.  Oh well, my strategy is LESS is MORE.  As long as I can take the laptop and get a connection at the hospital, all will be fine.  I will only be there for a day or two...

I installed the car seat this morning, after washing everything so it smells wonderful!  It will be weird to have 4 car seats in our suburban.  We will no longer be able to take the camry anywhere - for emergency cases, we were able to fit 3 car seats in the camry by slamming the doors shut, but not anymore...no room for 4!

Jake started his new "structured" playgroup this morning.  It is a one-on-one intense learning environment.  He cried the almost the whole time he was there.  The poor guy, in the past month, he has been to a neurologist, he has seen a sensory specialist, Thursday he is having his hearing checked, and we are still waiting on confirmation back from Kennedy Krieger to see if they will schedule us an appointment at their Center for Autism Related Disorders.  The structured playgroup is a free program offered by our county infants and toddlers program.  I love the county program and have been very satisfied with them so far.  Jake is 27 months old and not talking.  He babbles, but he doesn't say "Mama" or "Dada" or "Baby" - none of the words he is "supposed" to be able to say around the 12-15 month range.  So, he will go 3 days a week for 90 minutes each day to be seen by an Occupational Therapist, a Speech Pathologist and a Sensory Specialist.  We have been doing a lot with the sensory "diet" and he seems to be comprehending things more now, but not vocalizing anything...so, I hope this playgroup helps him.  They thought he might be on the Autism Spectrum, and they might still think this.  But, I had him evaluated by Dr. Marc Disabella from Children's Hospital and he said he thinks he just has a developmental speech delay.  More to follow on his progress later.  He is such a sweet boy.

Hank is just as lovey as ever.  He does this "thing" where he kisses my whole face.  He kisses my eyes, both of my cheeks, my chin, my forehead, my nose, and my lips and he is just so freaking adorable.  It just melts my heart.  I hope he always does this to me.  He also tells everyone all the time that he loves them...could there be anything more sweet???

Elli is also doing extremely well.  She was very interested in where Santa lives and why we celebrate Christmas and how old is Jesus?  She is so cute and in this questioning sort of phase right now.  She is also goofy as ever.  

Anyway, this is a long overdue update...

Did I say that I am DONE with this pregnancy???  Who knows maybe I will go into labor naturally???  Ha!!!

Almost done!

So, I am almost all done with my Christmas cards...I stayed up last night making labels to put on the back of the envelope with the address of our/my blog.  I used to do a Christmas letter and LOVE reading everyone else's...really, I love getting the Christmas cards with letters...but I think that the blog serves as a year-long letter and since I am not as diligent as I should be there aren't that many posts:)

Well it has been about 3 weeks since my last update and LOTS has been going on.  Jake has started walking....he is still my little peanut, but he is getting to be a big boy.  Hank had his 6 month evaluation with the Infants and Toddler Program (ITP).  And, Elli had her first birthday party at Chuck E Cheese.  Daniel and I got away for a few days (sans kids thanks to my MIL) to Florida to see Megan Welsh and Jeremy Chayer tie the knot in Fort Lauderdale.  It was SOOOO so so so much fun!  I have LOTS of pictures, and luckily I brought my camera to piece together the nights that were a little fuzzy:)

The weight loss is going great - I hit 36 pounds and am not really TRYING to lose anymore...but would like to get down to 140, which is a few more pounds away.  I am really happy where I am now, but I am stuck on that stupid number.  ugh!  I am going to try a low fat stuffing to bring to Thanksgiving dinner....I want to try it out first here though....we'll see how that goes!  I love stuffing and I LOVE it when it cooks in the bird, but that is the fattest way to cook it:(

This year for Thanksgiving, we are staying here.  We usually make the trek down to Lumberton, NC to Daniel's parents house, but this year is my Godfather, Uncle Diz's, 60th birthday on Thanksgiving Day.  And, our family (mom's side) has strayed away from getting together on Thanksgiving because everyone is all over the place and everyone has done their own thing, so it's nice that we will all be together - even Brendan is coming into town from LA and bringing Jess!!!   I love my in-laws dearly, but wish they didn't live so far away.
When it was just Daniel and I - it was no big deal....but now it is so stressful for me and then the sleeping arrangements when we get there are not ideal and I am moody.  The kids don't sleep well because there are 3 other kids and people up at all hours.  So, it hurts me to say that my stress level is zero right now.  I can get all the Christmas decorations out and put the tree up and start decorating on Friday and Saturday.  I am pretty excited for this Holiday Season!!! 

Happy, our Elf on the Shelf, comes back on Friday and I am so excited because every year the kids understand a little more.  It also makes me a little sad that they are growing up.  Life is just too short and goes by in the blink of an eye. 

Black Friday - I'm thinking of going....but I need a plan and I need a specific list of things to get for people and a specific budget.  The townhouse is still vacant, so I need to get that rented ASAP...

Hope everyone has a good week.   I am working Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday (from home).  Have a great Thanksgiving!!!

xo,
Kristen

Good morning, November!

Well, this year is FLYING by....speaking of flying - I will be on an airplane in exactly 10 days and the anxiety is already starting.  I think it is so ridiculous to have a fear of flying, but it is more of a fear of I'm not in control and there is nothing I can do about it.  So, with that said, I got a fresh script from the Shrink and I guess with a few Double margaritas, vodka tonics, bloody Marys or mimosas! 

We just got our holiday photo cards and I am bound and determined to get them out the day after Thanksgiving!  They are beautiful - Thanks to Heather Owens.  Speaking of her, she has really been with us to watch our family grow and I just wanted to thank her because she has really captured SO many great shots that are irreplaceable in my mind.  Growing up I would always as my dad, what he would grab if the house was on fire (I don't know why I would ask this) and he always said the pictures because you can't get back those moments and they are irreplaceable.  Today, thank goodness for back-up hard drives, Kodak gallery and facebook, of course.  So, I am working on my holiday Christmas Card list!

This weekend we did not do much at all.  We had so many options of things to do and we have just been on the go so much this month that we decided to just stay home (for the most part) and just relax.  Well, Daniel worked on Saturday and I took the kids to the neighborhood Halloween party, but other than that I just baked and cooked...I made this stew with barley, sausage, spinach, garbanzo beans, and some herbs.  It was pretty good.  I am trying to use stuff that I already have at home because I rarely take inventory and then go out and buy in excess (especially if I see 10 for $10). 

Two weeks ago I opened my Etsy shop....well, I hadn't gotten ANY orders, which I am new to this so I didn't mind.  But this weekend, I got my first two orders.  I have a few lessons learned already.  I got an order for Oreo truffles and an order for cake pops.  I am shipping them out today and hope the chocolate candy coating doesn't crack during transit.  I would totally do this for free for any of my friends....seriously, I love it! 

The weight loss - I have been making WW meals almost daily, and avoiding my trigger foods...but I still love my cheese...ugh, it is going to be so hard during the Holiday, I am trying to prepare myself now.  It will be nice though, we are staying here for Thanksgiving.  This is the first time in 5 years that we will do Thanksgiving here!  Pretty excited!!! 

Anyway, I can't think of anything else going on....Megan and Jeremy's wedding is in less than 2 weeks and that is why I am flying....to Ft. Lauderdale!!!!  Woo hoo!!!  So excited for the warm weather again!!!  I just have NO clothes that fit....I know, I know....wah, wah wah I don't fit into my clothes because they are too big...but, it is really expensive to buy new clothes every couple of months and since I am still losing, I am very apprehensive about buying size 8s....well i had to buy the basics - jeans, pants, etc.  I can't imagine that I would go down to a size 6...I can't remember the last time I wore a 6 - high school?  And, last week when I visited Courtney (Blandford) Challoner - she gave me the best compliment - she said that my boobs were the smallest she had seen them - call me crazy, but that just makes my day!!!  Good bye big boobs!!! 

That's it for now!  Hope everyone has a wonderful week - it is FREEZING here in Maryland....and Daniel just told me that I need to go out and buy the kids sweatshirts because they don't have any that fit...so we will be taking a trip to the Super Walmart today.  Yeah! 

Later peeps!