35 weeks down. . .35 days to go.

I ment to have a picture today but I don't. Maybe tomorrow. I haven't been very happy today. Its been taking me 2 hours to fall asleep at night (for the past 2-3 nights) and I sleep awful. I get so hot during the night, I feel like I can't move, I feel so thirsty but don't want to drink since that just leads to me having to wake up and go to the bathroom again. I am officially uncomfortable at bedtime. I am officially uncomfortable bending over. I am officially uncomfortable sitting at the table. I am officially uncomfortable. I'm also restless. There are so many random things I want to do but doing them makes me. . .uncomfortable. During the kids nap time Mike helped me clean up/get rid of some junk in the basement which helped a bit with my mood. I'm also starting to swell up a bit too. I don't want to complain too much. . .I know it could be way way worse I'm just declaring I have hit the uncomfortable point. I would like to be able to bend over or pick up the kids and not be in pain. . .I don't dare say I want to sleep comfortably and feel rested, since we know that probably won't happen for a very long time but being able to sleep on my stomach without my big ol' body pillow would be nice. So basically I am excited to say 35 weeks down and 35 days to go. . .hopefully at most. Its a nice thought. 35 days. Pretty good. Tuesday is the doctors appointment and I'm hoping for some progress.

Our Halloween. . .

Obie at the end of the night on his sugar high. He had just stolen that peice of candy from Grace. She had unwrapped it and everything, set it down, and Mr. Sticky Fingers grabbed it and ran as fast as he could.

Grace checking out the goods.

Getting ready to dump out the candy.


Attempting a family shot before the fun began.

Obie already eating candy before we even began.

Thomas the Train.

Ariel showing the train how to pose.

we were pretty normal. Nothing too crazy and exciting except for two kids who only has string cheese topped with way too much candy. Obie didn't get the concept of saving the candy in his bag until we got back home. He thought he was suppose to immediately eat it and then get more and the next house. . .let me tell you. .. Obie on a sugar high, like a real sugar high is scary. He couldn't stop laughing and jumping around. He could hardly walk straight and I'm not exaggerating. He almost seemed drunk...not quite sure what a drunk almost 2 year old would be like but he sure came close to what I would imagine. Well by the time we made it home Grace was still going strong and Obie was on the verge of crashing. We attempted to feed them some real food. . .which was pointless for Obie since he ate so much candy. . .it took about 20 minutes until the crash was head on and he was then rushed upstairs to bed. So overall we had a good night. Grace was Princess Ariel with red hair and Obie was Thomas the Train. They were both very proud of their costumes. So people yelled out to Grace from a hayride and called her Ariel. She was so amazed that they knew who she was suppose to be. The then had to explain to me that she really wasn't the real Ariel but it was just a costume. It was pretty funny. Obie left his hat on the whole time and did pretty well with walking around. Here are some pictures from our night.

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Rainy Days = Crazy Kids

Its been raining all week. Wednesday was pretty much the only day the rain stopped. Today its back to rain. I had some hope this morning. It was 10am and still no rain. I figured this might be my chance to go outside, rake some leaves and let Grace and Obie jump in them. Well we were down in the basement and when I suggested the idea one participant decided princess attire was more exciting and another continued to beg for a DVD. (I won't name names) Anyways after I got annoyed and frustrated I finally got them out of the basement, jackets & boots on and started pushing them out the door when I realized it had started to rain. Ahhhh! So at that point I told the kids I didn't care if it was raining or not we were going outside. . .and they did, and so did I. (they are also more likely to get a good nap if they have actually played outside and run around, instead of just watching DVDs, playing with dress up clothes and building towers. . .so there was some ulterior motives I'll admit) Anyways, out the door we went. Grace helped me rack part of the yard and the fun began. The wet leaves weren't going to stop the fun. By the end of the jumping and rolling the kids were a mess. Their clothes were soaked but we managed to get some energy out and we also got half the yard raked. . .not that its not covered again by now. So that was our late morning fun.

Mission Complete

Obie has a costume. . .and he sure is cute. He picked it out himself and is so proud. You will have to wait until Saturday to find out what it is. . .any guesses?

I think.

I think the tiredness is back.
My nightly thirstiness has increased.
My belly has expanded.
My nightly potty breaks have doubled.
My patience has shrunk.
My heart burn has intensified.
My flipping throughout the night has grown.
My internal temperature, all the time, has risen.
My belly moves on its own, and there is a foot in my right rib. . .all the time.

Did I mention I'm pregnant! There are barely any days left. . .really. I'm in the thirty something day range. . .and that's if I get to December 5. What if I don't?!?!? We have 5 1/2 weeks left. . .could easily be less. The next time we see most of our families we will be five not four. We will soon be out numbered. We won't fit in all cars anymore, along with the carseats. We won't fit in a booth at restauants. We will be five. FIVE. I don't know if I'm mentally prepared. I should get busy on that "mental preparation." Like now. I should work on that now.

All I wanted. . .

was some time alone to take a nap. I felt exhausted. The kids seemed tired so I was hoping they would take extra long naps. I layed them down, they were both quiet. Grace said she was tired. . .there was hope. Until about 45 minutes later when they both started screaming and jumping and yelling who knows what upstairs. I was almost asleep. I was so bummed. I knew if Obie was that wide awake after 45 minutes there was no way I was getting a nap. Today its cold and rainy and dark. Its the perfect day for a nice long nap. . .I guess the kids didn't get the memo. Bummer.

Saturday=Pumkin Patch

Saturday we headed off to the pumpkin patch along with the rest of Saint Louis. The weather was great but after a week of rain the ground was so muddy. . .which lead to some interesting noises on the tractor ride. We played in the kids play area for a while and attempted to get Obie involved. He wasn't in the best mood but was interested in the Carmel apple we enjoyed at the end of the visit. We weren't too successful in the picture department but we did have fun. It was so much easier when they were really little and could just set them between a few pumpkins and take pictures for as long as we liked. . .

Dangerous. . .

Nutella, that is. Its my new love. I wish I could truly believe the commercial that claims that nutella is part of a healthy diet and will help you feed your family healthier. . .spread it on whole wheat toast and Ta-Da! Its healthy. The commercial really made me want Nutella and after I saw it a second time I just had to pick up a jar. I have been making it healthy. . .I've put it on whole wheat toast and on a banana. . .boy was that banana good. I've been limiting myself but it is so so dangerous I tell you.

Fall Day.

Hum. Thinker?

Torturer.

Dirt eater.

Two peas in a recycle bucket.

Fall leaves.

Milk hoarder.

Future fashionista and builder.

Staying inside all day is a disaster in all possible areas. The kids start going nuts, everything gets destroyed, I get frustrated and nap time is short since they haven't worn each other out. I figured we better get out while we could so we went out side and wondered around, played with some dirt and worms, and flipped our motor bike. I don't know what Obie's problem is but he tries to drive his bike up hill, curbs. . .basically anything with and incline. This results in the four wheeled motorized bike flipping up side down with Obie laying flat on his back crying. You would think that as the front starts to go up, and he starts to realize its going to flip he'd take his little thumb off the red button that makes it go. . .but oh no, not Obie, he panics, and pushes harder. No more bike for Obie. He just couldn't handle it today. . .when I took it away from him he had an even brighter idea. He ate dirt. . .and he thought it was funny. Grace on the other hand found little creatures, played with them and then smashed them with a shovel. A little snail and a worm were her victims. So that was our attempt to get some energy out out side. It wasn't too cold which was nice and the rain held off. . .overall a success.

On a side note: I thinkObie is getting a new tooth. . .at least one which is contributing to his grumpy behavior and lack of interest in food. As we were watching cartoons this morning Grace says "Mama, its time for Obie's nap." I asked why. (he was laying on the floor fake crying trying to get me to come pick him up, and refusing to just walk over to me) "He's acting grumpy. Its time." I laughed. It was totally true. He layed down for and hour for "alone time." I don't think he slept, an hour later he was still wide awake.

Today we played in the rain. . .

and drove up and down the driveway trying to crash into anything we could,

and stomp in every puddle we saw,

and laughed hysterically,

and did our hair, kind of,

and posed for pictures,

and tried to take a group shot, failing miserably,

again and again, anyway we tried it,

so we posed some more. . .then managed to climb upstairs and take a nap. The End.

Getting up there. . .

So on Saturday it will make 34 weeks with my due date of 12/05. I'm feeling quite large. I've decided the seven pound thing could have been worse. Since the beginning of September I have gained seven pounds. . .which was seven weeks ago, which means I just played a little catch up to my pound a week. . .a very fast catch up. Its getting difficult to get my shoes on and tie them. Things are getting more uncomfortable and some of the braxton hicks are getting painful. I also have a little foot sticking out my right side. If I want to feel the baby move all I have to do is push on that foot a few times and it gets moving. My next appointment is the first Tuesday in November and that is when I'll start my weekly appointments. I kind of freaked myself out while leaving the doctors office. I realized I had Obie at 37 weeks 4 days. . .that is less then 4 weeks away from now. . .I know probably unlikely but we could have a baby in 3 1/2 weeks! Like less then a month. . .ahhhhh. . .crazy. So until then we will sit and wait and enjoy just the four of us for the last few moments.

(Oh, and just so you know we played in the rain, I didn't blow dry my hair or put any makeup on. Fabulous, yes, and lazy. Thats why I look like I just rolled out of bed. . .tired and oh so happy)

Only I. . .

could gain seven, YEA, SEVEN pounds in two weeks. Pretty amazing huh? This is my only news from the doctor today. I had the nurse check a second time to confirm that was really the verdict. It was. I told her maybe it was water and I was swollen. She looked at my feet and said "yeah right, real swollen." Sarcasm was dripping from her voice. Great, just Great. So then the doctor came did the whole heart beat thing (128-130) and that was my appointment. Not too eventful. . .except for those lovely 7 pounds. I'm basically 33 1/2 weeks. . .I'll post a picture on Thursday. . .

Ahhh. . .What a day. . .

So today. What "great" highlights can I share with you from today. . .I think the whole nesting thing is starting. All I want to do is sleep, eat and clean. . .only problem is Grace and Obie only enjoy 1 of the 3 things. Jenny would be so proud. I cleaned the living room today, but not only did I clean it I also vacuumed something that I haven't vacuumed since we moved in. On the floor in the corner is a vent thingy that I guess is suppose to suck up air for the air/heater or whatever. Anyways, it has had stuff fall in it, its been dusty. . .but its in the corner on the floor and I forget about it. Today was different. I conquered the vent. Yahoo. We also vacuumed all the furniture and moved the couch and chairs and cleaned under and behind them. Let me just remind you this was Obie, Grace and I who accomplished it. I also really wanted to move everything around but figured, after much internal conflict, that I probably shouldn't be attempting to move the entertainment center. So that was the cleaning spree. I started to attempt more but Obie fell off the couch when I wasn't looking and then him and Grace went crazy. Yes crazy. I wasn't sure we were all going to make it through the day, Seriously. I accidentally taught Grace the word attack so she ran around up stairs with Obie chasing her all while yelling "He's attacking me!" Obie loved it. They have also decided its fun to tackle and hit on each other. At this point I decided to move on with lunch and bring on nap time. While I was making lunch, or more like attempting to make lunch Obie refused to get out of the fridge and refused to stop taking stuff out. As I tried to close the door he grabbed the shelve thingy on the door, broke it off and watched all the bottles fall onto the floor. Ahhhhh! I was so mad. I stuck him in time out, and he stayed. After that ordeal I stuck him in his seat with a piece of cheese while I finished up lunch. He had a hot dog. Watching him eat it made me want to vomit. I don't know what the deal was today but some how he thought it would be a good idea to squeeze the life out of the poor hot dog. Then after all the squeezing he managed to eat the insides and leave the skin on his plate. What an accomplishment. Next he decided rubbing his nasty hands all over me was a wise ideas. Little did he know that it was not so wise. Even though it was an hour early Obie's nap time had come. Grace followed her lunch with an hour of dancing and then it was nap time for her. I had big plans but after my issues with Obie I surrendered and took a nap. . .but first I made sure I called Mike to let him know he was lucky "his" son was still alive. We are hoping for a better rest of the week.

27 1/2 hours of driving and we have made it back. . .

that's right, a whole lotta driving. We left Thursday morning at 3am and got there around 6:30pm. Friday was the rehearsal, Saturday the wedding. We had a great time seeing everyone and wished we could stay longer. We left Saturday night at 6:30pm and got back home this morning at 6:30am. We discovered driving all night is better then driving in the day. . .There was barely any sleeping on the way there. . .which meant we were the entertainment (Mike and I) and tons of sleeping on the way back. . .which meant adult talking and music and no entertaining. So much nicer. Anyways, here are a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend. Mike and Grace where in the wedding so I had Obie with me the whole making picture taking a bit difficult. Grace had an amazing time in her dress and actually did a great job following

directions. . .due to lack of sleep on her part I was a little worried but all turned out well.