in other big mama news

the third trimester misery has arrived.

i wondered when it would be rearing its ugly head...and the answer is? right about 31.5 weeks.

tired (but trouble sleeping), heart burn...serious nausea...as in, throwing up in the shower...must empty the dishwasher & do morning chores before i take even a sip of water or i'll be worthless as soon as that h2o hits my stomach kind of nausea.

and the aches. oh the aches. back and hip pain has quickly trumped the foot pain from a few weeks ago. i'm sure it's just hormones preparing my body to deliver this potentially giant (i'm thinking 9lb, 22in+) sweet boy in only 53 or so days...which would be fine if i had nothing else going on for the next 53 days. until then lu will be asking me why i'm in tears as i try to get out of her bed at night after saying prayers.

did i mention shortness of breath? given that the bottom of my ribs to the top of my pelvic bone measures about 6 inches with good posture is it any wonder that i'm a-HUGE and b-can't breathe? (how DO i fit 22in+ of baby in there?!?!?!?)

and finally, the contractions. head exploding, belly tightening, trouble breathing contractions. most likely not doing a darn a thing to prepare the barn door for opening in 53 days. cause that's how this body rolls. it likes to keep those babies in there until their full potential is reached. it's just pain for practice sake.

which really is a blessing, i know.

really, it is...and i tell myself so about 100x a day. i'm not complaining...just documenting ;)

painting with a twist

so as i've mentioned, i think, our good friends the turns' are moving to australia. the bad news is that they are leaving. soon. the good news is that there are a series of good bye events that are proving to be super fun!

the first such event was "Painting with a Twist"...where a professional artist guides you through a pretty serious painting. the painting on our evening was 'twisted sisters'....the goal being to head home with a painting that looks like this:for those of you who aren't familiar with my skill set, lemme just tell you that the lowest grade i've ever received was a c. one in calculus freshman year at iowa, the other in ART freshman year of high school.

but nothing was going to stand in my way. not even that GIANT belly hiding (um...er..or notsomuch) under my apron.
me & my girl sara (of the aforementioned turns family). fresh faced & ready to paint!

my work in progress...and the final product with my girls. kristen, kay, sara, trina & big mama.

sure, mine looks more like a white wine glass (aka...a lil small, tall & narrow for a red wine glass), but whatev. judge if you will, but i can say without a doubt it is the best piece of artwork i've ever produced. not that that is sayin much. 'specially since someone told us exactly what to do. like every single step of the way. but still. i'm proud.

and it was fun to boot!!! i would totally go back & do it again. post baby though. cause perching on that tiny little backless stool for 3 hours was the only not so fun part about it. and i doubt the belly is going to get much smaller from here on out...

thanks for such a fun evening ladies!!!

g...months 19 & 20 in photos

20 months...hair cut courtesy of mama...the first of many, i'm afraid. i need 'kids hair cutting for dummies', if it exists.

19 months...

catching up with g...16, 17 & 18 months in photos

18 months...

17 months...

16 months...

scene: breakfast this am

mama: uh oh gus...did you spill?
g: "no. poon pill."...while lifting up his spoon to show me how his milk & cheerios ended up on the floor...

g's first sentence

my boy* put together his first lil sentence yesterday. *guess i'm going to have to clarify that going forward, huh. my gusgus.

"daddy's nuts, eat pease me? me, eat, pease? daddy's nuts?"

he wanted to eat some peanuts out of clay's big mixed nuts container.

the boy is SO verbal. like crazy verbal.

i have SO much catching up to do on g's milestones that i just can't get started. so i'm going to document as we go from now on. and i'll get caught up one of these days. really. i will.

lil hugh notes...alternatively titled big mama notes at 30 weeks

so...I'm 30 weeks. i've gained about 15 lbs so far, which probably puts me right on track to gain the 30 or so I usually do. especially given that i've got at least 6+ lbs of actually baby weight that sweet hugh will be growing into in the next 10 weeks! pretty unlikely that my third...also a boy...will weigh less than either of his siblings, right? that means i'm looking at more than an 8lb & 10oz-er!

so...lets see. big mama notes first.

-still nauseous on any given day. however MUCH less heartburn to date with this pregnancy. by this time with gus i was throwing up in my mouth every time i bent over. (i know, you really don't want to know these details but i want to document them. sorry. my blog.)

-tons of braxton hicks contractions. i pretty much need to drink water all.day.long. to keep them at bay. and that means i'm in the bathroom about every 20 minutes, or whenever i stand up. whichever happens first. you're jealous, i know. buy stock in angel soft i tell ya.

-i'm huge. my fundal measurements are right on, yet when you look at me i look like i'm 40 weeks, not 30. luci has a classmate whose mama is due the same day i am. she looks about 1/2 the size i do. i blame it on my height. and my 'fabulously large' uterus (per the fertility doctor we saw after our miscarriages). my body makes sure our babies are comfy & safe in there. seriously...what a blessing. i'm not so much complaining...as wishing people would keep their comments to themselves. like the elderly man at church who asked if i was due tomorrow...and then when i told him november he asked if there were five babies in there. really? REALLY?

-i'm sooo much more relaxed regarding the pregnancy this time around. i think maybe it's because we got pregnant easily (our first & only time that happened) and almost unexpectedly that it is easy for me to have faith that lil hugh was just meant to come live with us here on earth. i have the occasional glass of wine. i take meds when i need them (thank you God for zofran). and my doctor is letting me only come in every 3 or so weeks instead of every two. i appreciate this since the appointments pretty much take up an entire preschool morning.

-i'm not walking or working out because i honestly feel like 2 kids, 2 cats & a big house to take care of is keeping me quite active. definitely the most active pregnancy i've had....just trying to fulfill my domestic mama duties.

-my back hurt for awhile, but hasn't been bothering me lately. probably because i've largely stopped carrying gus around. his sweet lil 'holdyou' doesn't get him far these days.

-my blood pressure is great. i've only noticed swollen feet once. i'm still wearing my rings.

-my feet hurt the most. my right foot to be specific. stupid plantar fasciitis. i need to be wearing my running shoes & orthotics during the day & my ski boots at night, but in 100 degree+ heat who wants to wear socks & shoes & ski boots? not this pregnant constantly hot sweaty mama. that said i'm going to try to wear my boots at night in the next few weeks since the nights have been cooler.

-why will i try so hard to wear said boots? cause i'm literally salivating at the thought of running & working out. pregnancy is SOOOOO taxing on the body. all of my strength & energy are zapped, constantly. i held onto extra weight for months after i had gus...and i felt like crap all of the time. once i finally started running & working out i felt AWESOME. and luckily i can still taste how awesome i felt. and i can tell you i'll be walking as quickly as i can post partum. and running as soon as i can. sweet hugh is going to be a fixture at the gym as soon as he's six weeks. cause this mama is a better mama when she's strong & healthy & has energy. and with three kiddos under five, energy is something i'm going to need!

and baby hugh notes?

-he's an active lil guy. lots of kicks & nudges.

-he jumps/kicks when i get ice out of the fridge...just like his big sis & brother did.

-he has a crib (thank you lawrence family), and the mattress is on the way (thank you amazon prime). he has a dresser. he has lots of clothes leftover from his big brother (and thank you lawrence family, kenneth, brian, and cousin asher). he has a nightstand. in spite of having all of these things, his nursery still looks like a storage room. it's on my list.

-his heart rate is usually in the upper 140s. and it goes up when we listen :)

-he's got bony little elbows or knees...something in there is bony and it hurts when he elbows or knees me or does whatever that lil movement is.

-haven't seen him on an ultrasound since the level 2 one months ago where we found out he was indeed a boy. i'm looking forward to seeing his sweet face!!

my latest excuse

boo. broke my usb wireless adapter. no internet downstairs for the last week on my laptop. which means i just stay connected via my phone. but now i'm back!

the house is sort of coming along (tv niche sorta complete), and clay has been home much more than he has the last several months so the family is well. i've still got lots to do, but given we've only been here a little over 2 months i think we've accomplished a great deal. that said i've got more projects than i'd like on my table to finish before baby comes. in 74ish days. WHAT!!?!?!?!?!

the kids are well. clay & i are well. all is well :) oh, and we FINALLY had a break from the heat. maybe that is why we are so well? whatever it is, i'll take it.

so...posts to come. a list for myself:

the tiny dancers.

lil goo details...i could just eat him up most of the time these days.

the blizzard...i mean ridiculous summer heat...that wouldn't end.

lil hugh details.

so that's the first time i've written baby's name on the blog. at least what we think his name is. luci sure thinks his name is hugh. we aren't sure though. it's not final. but maybe tentatively & preliminarily final...as we used to say in the good ole arthur andersen days ;) hugh halvorson pierse. if he doesn't like hugh he can go by hal, right? that's my only hang up...what if he doesn't want to be hugh? augustine & lucia have multiple options if they grow up & want to mix it up. what does poor hugh do? becomes hal, i guess. time will tell, time will tell :)

in the meantime here are some more phone photos!!

mood swings...

so last week the kiddos started school. there were a few tears on tuesday from gus. on wednesday the entire family took both cats to the vet...and while walking into petsmart with them tallulah broke out of her busted up kennel (being held together by bungee cords) and took off running in a huge, super busy target/tjmaxx/ross/petsmart parking lot. on thursday gusgus was super sad when i left him at school.

and me? zero emotion. like woman of steel. like not a tear shed at preschool last week. not even with a sobbing gusgus clinging to my leg. after tallulah took off i let out a loud, inappropriate for the audience "sh*t!", but then i was seriously waving my cat of 8+ years good-bye. i mean really. if clay hadn't been there & super fast to react, what was this gigantically pregnant mama with 2 preschoolers in tow with another cat gonna do? run & catch her? i don't think so. i even went so far as to think, "so this is the end, huh. at the parking lot of the vet...where we are attempting to keep her healthy & fulfill our pet owner responsibility."

the kids survived. g was even sent home with a note that had the happy box checked under 'mood'. tallulah survived too. luckily my rockstar super fit, fast, runner husband caught her. in the 105 degree heat, i might add. in a parking lot. he must really love me.

then, all of the sudden today, the weepy me is back. a girl in luci's 4 year old class was near hysterics today when we dropped luci off. she looks a bit like my friends daughter, so i think maybe that is why it got to me. i was nearly in tears walking out of the preschool today. for someone else's child. under circumstances i know nothing about.

and it was a looooonnnngggg afternoon. the kids were bonkers. clay has his big annual proficiency check the next two days. he was studying and i was trying to keep the kids calm. ha (i'll be writing a 'worse than a blizzard post' tomorrow, i think). after dinner they were beating each other up and i decided it was time to rotate to the playroom until bedtime. the lu put on her cinderella ball gown & gloves (for the gala, obviously), and twirled around. then she picked up a phone. and told me to call her prince. and i pretended to talk to him (asked him his name, how old he was, and would he wait 20 or so years please before taking my daughter) and this suddenly weepy mama was at it again. watching my pea twirl around, thinking about her really meeting her prince someday. and suddenly i'm sobbing & lu is looking at me wondering what alien has taken her mama away and yet i just keep sobbing. 'why are you talking that way mama?' ugh, just cause i love you so, so very much my lu.

so consider yourself on notice family & friends...my moods are a-swinging!

so i didn't post last night.

instead, i stayed up until midnight finishing projects around the house i'd started and left 85% complete. i had attempted a very ambitious stencil project above the fireplace mantel...i'd finished the 'easy part' and it was quite sloppy looking & had been anything but easy. so last night i stayed up & just painted the whole thing one solid color. and i like it well enough. and i love that it is done.

so...i was exhausted today. and it was literally 107 degrees outside....i'm not even talking heat index (109, in case you are interested). so i did.not.step.a.single.foot.outside today. except to feed & water my super hot fat cat.

so anyway. i'll leave you with a few old photos i've just uploaded from my phone. cuz i decided to do that today while lying on the playroom floor watching my kiddos play with every.single.toy.in.the.room.

this one is actually from a few days ago. luci's friend allie eats whole apples (per the lu), so lu is on a whole apple kick. and you can guess who else wanted 'myyyne ayy-pple' then.

me & the lu...this one must be pretty old i think...it looks like a winter top.

and my face has that 'i've been running' look...not that 'i'm pregnant' look.

finding out there was to be another :)

i'm 28 weeks almost, so this would be from about 26 weeks ago.

the lil lu details

see, part of the problem is that i'm using my old work computer now, as our old personal laptop is a quickly sinking ship. and this laptop doesn't have a photo card thingy. so i have to use clay's new desktop to do photos. which, as we all have gathered, doesn't happen all that often.

so i'm making a pledge to post everyday, even if it is just a short blurb. cause i'll forget all the funny lil details of life that i absolutely LOVE going back & reading from prior years if i don't get them down.

so without further ado...i present the lil lu details...

-background: lu was curious about the little lever on the sink faucet that makes the drain plug, so i had explained how one could use that to 'make the sink a bowl'. she also was curious about the two handles for the faucet (one has a red circle for hot on it, the other blue for cold), as our old house had the one handle that you just pulled straight up. funny lu details: i find her last week drinking water out of the sink she had 'made into a bowl' with a straw. when i asked her what she was doing she excitedly told me that she was 'mixing colors! red & blue make warm!'

-she's been wearing regular panties to bed now for almost two weeks with ZERO accidents.

-she's started hitting herself in the head or pulling her hair when she is frustrated :( we encourage hugging of stuffed animals instead (per the pedi) but she seems to prefer inflicting physical pain on herself.

-she picks out every piece of her outfit, every day. rarely do they match. but that is okay.

-for the first time since she could barely walk she's not taking gymnastics. just dance this year. and she seems just fine with it. she 'practices' dance for at least an hour a day.

-she loves her some friends, but things can go downhill quickly. the 4 year old set has an amazing level of drama. her besties are allie, clara, keeley, & margeaux.

-she's super into my little pony right now. we have to play my little pony every.day.

-she loves her lil brother, but she loves him most when he does exactly what she wants him to do. which is happening less & less these days...

-she sleeps from 8pish to 6:30aish on average i'd say. many days it feels like less, and very few days it feels like more.

-she's finally into bows, braids & headbands. that she picks out, of course.

-she wears shoes & socks all day long. inside & outside.

-she prefers long pants to capris, shorts or dresses, although some days (not many) she surprises me.

-she's still a great eater. she loves her some broccoli & cheese, carrots with sauce (ranch dressing), peas, corn, pretty much all meats & cheeses, pastas, etc, but her favorite meal by far is a peanut butter & jelly sandwich.

-her favorite snacks are the salty ones...she LOVES super salty popcorn. she also loves yogurt smoothie drinks.

-she is getting really good at coloring...no 'scribble scrabble' (that is what her new teachers must call it?) for our girl anymore. just 'small strokes' she says.

-i'm reading the love languages for kids book...and i'm pretty sure her primary language is quality time. if i'm with her but not fully engaged you can be sure a melt down is soon to follow. so i've been working hard on incorporating her into helping me with my daily tasks so she feels engaged even when i'm just getting housework done. it usually takes a little longer, but the reward (a happy, confident pea) far outweighs the extra time it takes.

-she's started reading me stories at night. she thumbs through her little princess memo pads that she's scribbled in & makes up a (usually nonsensical) story. i kind of love it.

-she's SUPER excited for sweet baby to join us in november. every few days she asks if it is getting closer to thanksgiving :)

i'm sure there are tons more, but in the spirit of moving forward i'm going to publish & add things as i remember them.

first days of school...pre-k 4 & toddlers day out!

my peas started school this week...meet the teacher last week went well so i wasn't too worried about how the first days would go. and they were great.

lu started on monday and jumped right into her big kid 4 year old a beka curriculum...it is quite a bit more structured & academic than last year, but she thrives on structure so i think it'll be a good fit for her. she attends everyday but wednesday from 8:30a-12:00p, and eats lunch at home (woohoo for not having to pack lunch everyday!) . she's enjoyed it all week, but today she wasn't that into going before we left...although no tears were shed. she earned three 'happy sticks' and got to pick out something from the 'treasure chest' (3 sticks for good behavior in 3 days of attendance is pretty good i think!!) so that was the highlight of today.

he wasn't into a first day of school photo...

gus is in the toddlers day out program for kiddos 18mo-2years old on tuesday & thursday from 8:30a-12p. he's the third oldest in the class of seven kids, which will eventually grow to nine. one of his teachers is ms. j - lu's teacher from last year. he's in lu's old classroom so i think that helps...he recognizes the fish, the sink, etc. he did great on tuesday...he was SO excited to wash his hands in the big kid sink that he barely had time to tell me good-bye! today was a little different though as he knew what was coming...as soon as we got to the door of his room he started crying...and forget about that sink today. ms. j assured me he was soon fine & had a great day in spite of the rough start. she said he only cries at drop off, and then at pick up when the first parent shows up. he eats lunch at school, which is a good thing since he's usually totally sacked out by the time we get home. yes, he's one of those kids i thought i'd never have who falls asleep in the car & stays asleep while you put him in his bed. it's nice :)

interestingly enough, both of my very early rising children slept in until 8a (at which point i woke them up) on their respective first days. it never fails that the only time they sleep in is when i'm counting on them to be up!

and so you'd think i'd have all of this free time now, but on monday gusgus was super needy & a bit lost without his big sis around. on tues & thurs when i have the time all to myself i seem to keep uber busy with OB appointments, dentist visits, grocery shopping, and general errand running. although today i did have brunch with a girlfriend & that was super nice :) i'll have more of that, please!

it's not writers block...

it's just that time is flyin by my friends. the hours are limited and the tasks are endless. all wonderful tasks...tasks of a full family life coupled with having just moved into a new home. but i have to spend my energy wisely, and lately it's been spent on trying to make this new house our home while still giving my 3 peas & often traveling husband what they need. it's a tall order most days, but my chin is up and i'm marching on. happily, most days.

we took a long overdue trip to indiana to see the pierse family (g's first time!). it was lovely. grandma pierse made luci a homemade winnie the pooh cake & then the next day she got to have an ice cream cake! we had a great time and wish it wasn't such an ordeal to travel the distance. it'd be so nice to do it more frequently.

we got home on a wednesday at 2p and closed on our old house at 4p that day. so we are again the proud owners of just one home. it feels good. and our old house is in good newlywed hands...just the kind of people who are going to love it & keep it a home...not just a house.

the next morning (thursday) clay left to do a stint with the navy for 8 days. on friday my oldest dearest friend jenny came to visit. she worked hard (did my laundry, painted my dining room, took my kids to ikea with me...) and we SO enjoyed her company. luci told her she loved her & gus was looking for 'enny, enny' for days after she left. i love ya girl. thanks so much for coming.

then i was on my own from sunday afternoon until thursday afternoon (it was a long 4 days) when grandma & grandpa pierse arrived for their first visit to the new pad. clay got home late thursday night and much to his chagrin i put him to work right away...picking up furniture i found on woodlandsonline. it was no fun to dive right back into house projects, but with my growing belly there are just fewer & fewer things that i can do on my own. a HUGE thank you to clay & grandpa pierse who moved & assembled furniture MANY times. and to grandma pierse (& grandpa) who watched the kiddos for HOURS over multiple days while i repainted the kids' bathroom...it was a serious sunshine yellow that i just couldn't stomach. i'm much more of a neutral paint kinda girl. that said i TOTALLY underestimated how hard the painting of large-ish bathroom with 4 doors, a window, a shower & a mirror would be. um, yeah. it took FOREVER. but the 'atmospheric blue' color that it is now fills me with fresh peace, so i think it's worth it in the long run.

and so here we are. today was the last day of summer school for the kiddos. BONKERS. next week is a 'home week' with no activities except for a playdate at our house with some friends. we haven't had many people over since we moved so it'll be the first for most of them. fun times. we have a few doctor appointments (fun glucose test for me & my sweet boy) & a meet the teachers (for the regular school year) on friday but other than that we'll just do whatever we feel like. it'll be nice, i'm sure, and then nice to get back into a more structured rhythm once school starts. can't help it, i'm type a. i like a rhythm.

yet i know not to get too comfortable in said rhythm...see that 101 days over there? um, yeah. 'nuf said.

WHAT?!?!? 114 DAYS?

this pregnancy is FLYING by. 114 days? holy moly.

we're back from a trip to indiana to visit grandma & grandpa pierse. the kids travelled as well as we could have hoped, but i'm glad to be home.

my dearest, oldest bff jen is on an airplane right now so she can come hang for the weekend. SO EXCITED.

so, more to come next week!

life is full

seriously clay, can you believe we've been parents for almost 4 years?!?!

high five, my love :) i think that deserves a date night. go us. birthday loot from the rosonke side...
crafting in the new craft (yet currently still chaos) room.

and what post would be complete without a few of the many faces of my boy.
bashful...
i'm blessed.
life is full of lots of wonderful things that are proving to be all consuming.
namely my family & my new home.

seriously, could a girl ask for any more? not this one.

i need to blog about the lu's various birthday parties (officially 4 this coming Monday) and g's month notes for the last, um, too many to count months. i have photos :) thinking i'll post all at once come 19 months next week. geez, a 4 year old & a 19 month old. and an unborn 23-weeker.
i might get down in the daily tears & never ending tasks from time to time...
but i'm a grateful girl i tell ya.

spent.

i'm so spent i couldn't really even think of a title. i was thinking, 'i can't even think of a good title. i'm just spent'. so there you have it. i'm officially spent.


the house staging, packing & unpacking while continuing to mother my unborn, my toddler, & my drama filled incredibly emotional & suddenly insecure nearly four year old, not to mention an attempt at wife-ing (i'm fully aware that isn't the right word. or really even a word at all, but again, i'm spent) has taken its toll. i have nothing emotionally to give anyone except the occasional tears (to which luci asks me why i'm talking like a baby...i think because we tell her only babies cry, big girls use words?) and physically i'm beyond drained. i'm not sleeping well (that nausea/heartburn combo) and i know that is only making everything seem harder than it is.


in other news, yesterday was my last day as a gainfully employed professional. almost 12 years exactly. i started on july 7, 1999 at arthur andersen in chicago, and finished on july 15, 2011 at fifth third bank (in chicago...appropriately enough). i'm more emotional about this than i thought i'd be, and i'm having a hard time articulating those emotions. i'd like to. but again, i'm just too spent for the kind of cathartic thought and writing this seemingly momentous event requires & deserves.

the lu had one of her 4th birthday party celebrations today...the one with her friends as 'the craft place'. it went well for the most part, but it was a long day. more to come on that later. not sure why i'm so surprised at her fragile emotional state given my own. i'm certain they are connected.

i left my wallet at the grocery store after paying for her cake this morning. and didn't realize it until 5:30p. i'm grateful for the person who turned it in, untouched.

yep. that's about all i have in me at the moment.

i'm grateful for so many things. and i haven't forgotten how blessed i am. i swear. i'm just spent.

perks...

i'm not going to lie & say the move has been easy...quite the contrary...but we are exploiting the perks for all they are worth...

the first being that we spend a.LOT of time in our new (much larger) backyard. i love the paver stones that keep the bugs down & the new comfy chairs to sit in. the kiddos love the space, the play structure, the plastic pool the previous owners left, and the kai lan sprinkler. i do my best to keep them inside until 4ish (when the shade takes over), then we head out until dinner. sometimes we play after dinner too, like we did this day. in our clothes. they thought it was super cool. sometimes they are so easily pleased... i love it. next time nothing pleases them (which i'm sure will be soon) i'm going to remember this...

we paint with wet chalk...in our big girl panties.

g practices opening & closing the screen door...

while lu dumps buckets of water on our potted plants.

the new 'play constructor' as the lu calls it.

i think she's confused about us calling it a 'play structure'.

our pool & waterslide...

g spends a.LOT of time getting in & out of this car.

as my ever-wise mama friend amanda said, there are a lot of start up costs

(actually she probably didn't say costs...but the economics major in me turned it into a cost/benefit, ROI type of analysis...cuz that's how my brain works)

but the long term quality of life benefits life far outweigh this initial investment. it is a TON of work right now for clay & me getting everything settled, furnished & paid for.

but in the long run i know we are making a good investment.

i just might need to write that on my hand so i don't forget in the meantime.

grammy

joined us for nearly two weeks over the move. bless.her.heart. she came down on her 54th birthday...but i couldn't find the #4 candle to save my life, so we improvised.

we made her cake the day before :)
somebunny likes cake...

yum, yum!

seriously, i can't thank you enough mom.
thanks for always being there when i need you.

speaking of needing you...
can't wait to have you back in november (or before if you are up for it ;)!