Sonogram Today

We had a sonogram today. It was good timing as far as I'm concerned because I needed something to help me be excited about this little one. It's not that I don't love him - that's never been the case - I just wish I could keep him in there another year or so to give Aulora some more time to grow up. (Yes, I would be willing to be pregnant for another year.) My hands are so full as it is and it's scary to think that we're about to add a newborn to the picture. I can only hope that he is as easy going as Aulora has always been. After she was born, I got a lot of sleep and plenty done because she slept so much. It was almost like not having a baby. So maybe by the time he's not sleeping so much, Aulora will be a little more independent and all will be well.

It was good to see his face, seemingly looking right at us. Seeing two arms and two legs was reassuring, as I had been having thoughts lately about what I would do if he was born with only one leg or arm. There was also plenty of amniotic fluid, which is good since Aulora had to come early because there wasn't enough fluid. We saw definite boy parts again, so Joshua Clay Sullivan it will be. He will be at least the fourth generation to carry the name Clay on John's side.

He measured about 9 days ahead of my due date. Is he big? Is my due date off? We don't know. If I have to have a c-section, it will be scheduled a week and a half before my due date also. So the bottom line is that I'm feeling the pressure to get things ready. There's so much to do and I don't have much control over most of it. I have to be patient and wait until bunk beds can be put up and baby beds assembled and things brought out of storage. But John promised he would do it when this semester if over in about 10 days. So yea! The hold up hasn't been him, but other things. Yet we decided today that the other things would have to be overlooked before long because it HAS to be done so we can be ready.

After the sonogram appointment, John and I shared lunch at On The Border (a restaurant we really missed living in SA) and then walked through the mall for a little while holding hands. It was nice, except for the stylish shoes I was wearing. They look much better than they feel. I even wore my hair down today (quite the rarity) so walking around the mall just had to happen.
=)

That's all I've got......

Guess Where I Live Now...

I have no idea what my daughter has seen that she's talking about vampires and witches, but I didn't want to forget what she just said to me...

She drew a picture for John's mom and was explaining it to us. She said Gran's house been blown far, far away to the place where witches and mommies and vampires live. All I want to know is why I live with the witches and vampires. What's that about??? I've been very sweet and I NEVER yell. =) Really.

Speaking of Our Smell

A posted about our smell. Funny, because I've mourned the loss of our smell. Silly, I know, but it's important to me. We don't have our own house now, so we don't really have our own smell. Not that the smell here is bad, but it is not ours.

On Sunday night, I was finally unpacking the boxes of the kids' clothes and putting them in their closet. When I opened each box, I was greeted with the familiar smell of home. A, I wish I could bottle it up for me and you both. It was enough to make me cry.

Here are some of my favorite things to create my own unique smell:

• Candles, of course! Burn them often.
• Reed diffusers from Pier One. Choose one scent and stick with it.
• Fragrant bars of soap in your drawers.
• Sachets from Kirklands. Again, choose one scent and make it your own. Put them in drawers, in the bathroom, where you keep your mail. Everywhere! =)
• Dryer sheets in your drawers. (It's a wonder I have room for anything else in our drawers! Ha!)
• Good laundry detergent and softener. Always use softener. Suavetel is great and affordable.
  

Ok, that's it. A doesn't believe me and never has. She thinks I'm keeping some big secret. The truth is, I like the smell of her house. I like to smell the clothes she's given Aulora when I'm missing her. And that's a lot here lately. =(

The Joys of Motherhood

I've had a shot, guzzled a nasty orange drink and had my blood drawn twice all in three days. It's a good thing I love my kids. They're about the only reason I would do this yuck stuff.

Puberty at 7???

John David reached quite the milestone on Sunday morning. He woke up with his first pimple. Right on his nose! His whole face has been itchy lately (allergies plus living with dogs, I think) and he keeps rubbing his nose and eyes. It's pretty funny when he comes home from school with lead and marker ink all over his face. Anyway, we talked about the importance of keeping hands off the face and washing really well. The next morning it was mostly gone, thankfully. The funny thing is that he was quite proud of his pimple, as if it were an accomplishment. Funny guy.....

A Wish Come True

Wendy had a poll not too long ago about what kind of help we would like around the house - maid, nanny, cook, or landscaper. I voted for a cook and, well, not to brag or anything, but I have a cook now. =) Hahahaha. My mother-in-law is a great cook and despite my urgings that she does not have to cook for us all the time she does! Of course, I help out but still - she rocks. Woohoo! That's all.......

Note To Self

I never, ever want to have a pedestal sink again. They're pretty, yes, but soooo inconvenient. Now that I have one big counter in our bathroom and another big counter on the kids' side I think I'm going to be spoiled. Plus, I've never had so many drawers to fill in a bathroom. Most of the kids' are empty, and since we don't have a dresser or anything in our room yet, I'm using some of ours for socks and underwear. Pretty classy, huh? Aulora really likes to pull them all out though so there's often panties strewn around the floor. Oh well......=)

So Much and Still Nothing

There's so much going on and so much change, but I still feel like I have nothing worth taking the time to post. All the goings on are mundane - things like unpacking, making phone calls, canceling accounts, finding new doctors, doing laundry, homework, and housework, and the list goes on.

Today is grandparents' day at John David's school so all day long at least one of his grandparents will be with him. They were having donuts for breakfast (yea! that should be great for his behavior!) and then going to chapel and later on having a catered lunch. His grandma was very proud to be going with him and I think he will be equally as proud. He's had a happy face 3 days in a row so he's doing well. I don't think he liked his punishment on Monday when his behavior was less than happy face worthy, to say the least.

Aulora is settling in and seeming much happier now. She doesn't get mad when we go upstairs and close doors to keep her from going down. She's not afraid of the dogs anymore, even when they bark. She gets right in their faces and has learned to say "dog". If they try to get her snack from her highchair, she points at them and says, "No dog!" She also figured out how to say "Julia", "Bubba", and "Mamma". Do you know how long I've waited for her to say my name? She started saying "Da" and "Dada" months ago. I was smiling so big when she said my name!

Julia and I are going to make blueberry muffins today. (Kylah's blog spurred this thought.) I had to promise her something to do so she wouldn't cry when her grandma went with John David to school. It worked great and it was our special girl secret. She delights in having secrets from her brother, although she tells him sometimes so she's not too trustworthy yet.

My family is coming here for Thanksgiving next week! It's going to be one big dinner! I'm not sure yet if we're doing any black Friday shopping yet. Last year was so awful and I'm don't know if I've recovered yet. We are closing on our house on Monday though and I'll have some money for Christmas shopping. So tempting......

My cousin's cousin, who is also the sister of my friend here in WF, just won Emeril's stuffing contest on Good Morning America this morning. It was so cool to watch her and her sister on tv. They got to fly to New York for the show where the winner was announced. Her name is Holly and she did so great! So if you happened to catch the show this morning, you got to see my new friend, Jennifer, standing beside her sister.

That's all I've got. Really.....

(I guess I had some things to post after all. Whether or not they were interesting at all, I don't know. Sorry........)

It's a New Day

I realized yesterday that I've been pregnant every time we've moved. How ridiculous. There should be a law against that.

John and I left Thursday morning and I dropped him off at school where his truck was. I headed on to the house to keep packing. Work, work, work. Dinner at Bonzai Garden looking rather trashy. Oh well. It was so good I didn't care. =)

Friday morning. Work, work, work. How much stuff can one house actually hold and still look neat and clean? Amazing. Work, work. John and I share a lunch at Logan's where our check is picked up by an anonymous person. Very nice. Run errands. Sign some papers. Buy some boxes. Blah, blah, blah.

Drive a little trip with A. That was a needed break and it was great hanging out with my friend. It ended too soon though. =( Work some more while trying to hurry and catch up on my favorite shows on DVR before I don't have them all anymore. What pressure! John and I both slept on the same twin mattress on the floor. We were both so tired it was ok though.

Saturday more of the same.....talked to my best friend from growing up. She just got engaged and I'll have a little more than 2 months after the baby is born to fit in a bridesmaid dress. Oh boy! Anything for her though. She's absolutely amazing.

John had an online test due by midnight so he hurried to do that while I worked more. We were supposed to go home that night but I was too tired to make the drive. Aulora was sick though so I knew we needed to go. We went to bed planning to leave first thing the next morning. But then John got really sick during the night as we were again sharing that twin mattress. So fun! He was sick all the way home and still is. So is Aulora (as evidenced by all of her bedding drenched in throw-up from last night) and John's mom.

I was past my limit last night as I hurried to help John Davied do a turkey project that was due this morning, feed the kids, go to Walmart, and do a little laundry. I set Aulora on the chair right beside me to pick up crayons. I got distracted by another child trying to eat junk food and turned away. Aulora fell flat on her face on the hard stone tile. She was screaming and the other kids were still telling me what they wanted. I could have been committed at that point. Really. Thank goodness my sister-in-law, Kara, was here to help me some.

Today is a new day. I took a shower, put on a little make-up, and even ate some breakfast. John David was on time to school, turkey project in hand. Aulora is sleeping with Daddy and Julia is playing. Now I just need a brownie.....or a cherry limeade. Meems??? =)

I miss all of you so much and wish I could have brought you with me......

Sorry, Sarah......

......but we definitely win the most crud award. I hope you're not too disappointed. I know I am.

Half Way Done

We're here, kind of. I think we're more than half way done with the move. We still have to go back home to get the rest of our things and clean the house, but most of our stuff has been moved.

Living in a 2 story house with a 13 month old is NOT fun! =) Baby gates are useless because of the design of the stairs and railings so we've tried things like big chairs and stuff, but she's too smart. Nothing has worked so far so I have to constantly keep an eye on her. And of course, the stairs are what she wants. She can go up just fine, but the problem is she can't go down on her own. So I can assure you that I will never buy a 2 story house for ourselves.

John David loves his new school and I've been very impressed with it so far too. His teacher is very organized and the curriculum seems to be a little more aggressive which I like. I'm so embarrassed to admit that I had to ask John for help when I was helping John David with his homework. Isn't that just sad? Some of the directions just weren't very explicit. Apparently, the type of stuff he was working on is something girls typically have a harder time with than boys. Hmmmm. Maybe so. John David understood much faster than I did. What really tripped me up was how many "faces" a pyramid has. You don't see the whole thing, only part of it. In my mind, I thought it would have 3 sides, plus the bottom. But no, it has 4 sides plus the bottom, giving it a total of 5 faces. This fact was very obvious to even my 7 year old, so why did I not get it? Can I blame it on being pregnant?

Julia gets to go to preschool 2 times a week from 9-2 and she loves it. I'm really glad she finally gets to do that. She's been waiting for school a long time. Poor Aulora gets bored with no one to play with. I guess that's why she likes the stairs so much.

I found a hair bow shop today that all of you mommies of little girls would go crazy over. Super prices and a huge selection. They even do custom stuff on the spot if you bring them an outfit. My new banker let me in on that secret. I never even found a place this great in Dallas!

That's it for now. When things get settled down some, hopefully I'll get back in the groove of posting often......

Update

Just a VERY quick update, as I'm still under great pressure to get moved this weekend.....We weren't able to come home Thursday late afternoon as we had planned due to an all day meeting we had to attend today in Abilene. Sooooo, I'm behind a day and a half. Enough said about that. =)

The guys are using their muscles to load lots and lots tonight and tomorrow while I hurry to try and finish all the packing. It's amazing how much stuff you have without realizing it! I think I could fill a full size U-haul with just our kids' stuff though. They have SO much! This weekend's move is concentrating on stuff going to storage. (long story, don't have time to explain) We'll have to get the rest next weekend, I guess.

Anyway, all is well, just very busy..... =)