but how exactly is he going to get out?

as you can imagine, there has been much talk in the pierse house about baby hugh coming out to play. last night during prayers, i asked luci to pray that baby hugh makes his way out to play safely. we prayed that he had a 'safe journey'.

to which she responded, "but how, exactly, is he going to get out? will you have a hole in your belly?"

luckily dad was there was well. we exchanged one of those, 'oh man' glances. and i'm not going to repeat the answer i gave because it was received with confusion & a bit of revulsion. but then dad jumped in & saved the day by talking about how babies come down a special path, or road. and that luci was a great big sister because she made the path. that Jesus picked her to come first because He knew she'd do a good job making the path & finding her way out. and that because she worked so hard to make that path, that it was easier for gus when he took that same path. so in the end we prayed that hugh finds the same path, and that his trip is the easiest yet. luckily, armed with the knowledge that she made the path, she forgot all about how, exactly, he's going to get out.

nest, available for immediate occupancy...

the lu worked for days & days raking up pine needles to make a nest for the birds in our yard. she was quite disappointed when we didn't have any takers...but, we decided maybe no birdie moved in because birds like to nest in trees. so then she really wanted to somehow mount the wheelbarrow in a tree, but we convinced her that the wheelbarrow was too heavy. she was pretty bummed until she decided tallulah (our cat) should nest there. alas, tallulah has yet to move in. that said, we are preserving the nest nonetheless, should an animal find itself in need.

gus is less than thrilled that said nest is off limits. he'd really, really like to dump all of those needles out.

the pumpkin patch

g was...and still is...in love with the goats. he woke up from nap today saying, "see baby goat. see baby goat!"

not sure if you can see the joy on his face, but it's there!

my girl...posing in the hay!

g was enthralled with this jack-o-lantern

riding the horsey swings

not sure why all of the pumpkins were teeny tiny this year, but the kiddos didn't seem to mind. that said, yes, this is the best photo i managed of the two of them in the actual pumpkins.

last weekend we hit the oil ranch for the 2011 version of the pumpkin patch. we went to church & then came home to put gus down for an early nap - deciding we'd wake him at 1:30p to go. easier said than done. he was not at ALL into waking up...the words 'pumpkin patch' did nothing for him. i thought for sure the prospect of riding a train would rouse him. nope. then i told him how we'd see lots of animals there...like goats, & cows. suddenly the kid was up & at em, ready to go right.that.minute. " go newcar.* see animals. goat. see goat!!"
i was concerned about my ability to participate & facilitate a good time for all given the 87 degree weather, my hacking cough & being 35 weeks pregnant, but i must say i'm quite proud of myself as i was more capable physically than i anticipated. maybe it had something to do with the giant mc donalds iced coffee clay & i split on the way there, but hey, whatever works, right?

*the opportunity presented itself & we bought a minivan...yet another post to come. if anyone needs a bargain priced 2003 honda pilot in EXCELLENT condition lemme know...

our lil giant at 35w2d

say hello to our little giant. a week ago today hugh was estimated to weigh 7lbs, 14oz. at 35w2d. you can actually see the white line of fat on his little leg photo. i'm grateful we make chubby little babies for me to grow. they must think we live up north still where they need all of that fat to keep them warm.

i'm still not thinking much about the actual labor & delivery part. fat squishes, so hopefully i won't notice much of a difference when it comes to his actual entry into the world. i trust my ob & i know she'll do everything she can to make sure a healthy hugh & healthy mama emerge. i'm actually thinking much more about how laborious it is to carry 8lbs+ of baby around in my body while attempting to take care of the rest of my family for the next month or so. luckily i am ever aware of how blessed i am to have such a task in front of me...hopefully i'll keep smiling through the temporary aches & pains. that's my plan anyway.

oh, and this mama's body is showing no signs of letting hugh come out to play early. apparently my cervix could also be described as a steel trap. another blessing, i know. he is head down though, so thanks for that sweet boy - come sunday (37 weeks - aka full term) feel free to use your nails to poke a hole in that bag of water you are floating in...we're all ready to meet you.

pardon me

while i hack up a lung.

we're fighting a pretty serious bug here at the pierse house. lu caught it about 3 weeks ago, got mostly better, and then clay got it. and he never gets anything so i knew we were in for it. then i got it. clay & i are not really getting better, and luci seems to be experiencing a resurgence. it isn't so much a head cold or sinus congestion as a chest cough with chest congestion. as in no voice with hacking wheezing cough. fun times.

and coughing fits are especially fun when you are 36 weeks pregnant and have a nearly 8lb baby + fluid sitting on your organs. (news of our little giant is a whole other post...that i haven't gotten to posting...cause i'm too busy trying to be a good mom & wife while hacking up a lung.) walking up stairs with some sort of normal breathing? not a chance. if it was possible to induce labor by coughing hugh would already be out here playing. but he's not even close. so in case you ever wondered if coughing could cause labor...it can't. but it can cause lots of other unmentionables...that i won't mention...except to mention them as unmentionable.

m'baby.

crib? check. thanks lawrence family.

mattress? check.

sheets? check.

changing table? check. thanks turns family.

dresser? check. thanks turns family.

car seat? on its way.

clothes? check. thanks asher, wally, and gusgus.

burp cloths? check.

infant bathtub? check. thanks grado family.

pacifiers? on the way. green & orange will be his colors...as to not confuse gusgus, whose color is...you guessed it - blue.

bouncy seat? check.

swing? check. thanks grado family.

rocker? currently in g's room.

bottles? check.

swaddle blankets? check.

diaper genie? check.

window treatments? half checked. dad just needs to do some installation :)

still needed...

diapers.

noise machine.

a lamp.

maybe a wall decoration or two.

maybe a little diaper holder thingy.

adapter for jogging stroller...cause this mama can't wait to move.

maybe a monitor? can't decide if i'm ready to be totally unaware of what is going on in the lu's room (she's on the other side of the house...i wouldn't hear if she started throwing up or something like that). i'm probably not. so i probably need yet another monitor.

am i missing anything?!?!?!? i'm sure i am. please feel free to let me know what it is. ;)

pour-ray!

luci: no mom, it's pour-ray! say pour-ray!
mom: lu, i'm pretty sure it's hooray. like hip, hip hooray.

insert pause...mama's brain works slowly these days.

mom: ohhhhh. that is confusing. see, it's actually hip, hip...new word, hooray.
lu: i'm pretty sure it's pour-ray, mom.

she's only 4...i thought i had a few more years before i was always wrong. *sigh*



and...an unrelated photo. just cause they are cute.

g @ 21 months...

so i had my months goofed up before. gotta love the pregnancy brain.

i have SO much fun going back & looking at my luci notes that i'm so sad that i haven't kept gus' up. although far from complete, lately i'm living by the motto finished is better than perfect... so, without further delay...

-he will repeat any word you ask him too. really. even anniversary. i'm certain it is this willingness to repeat that has earned him the title of 'the gt spanish student' in his toddler's day out class per one of his spanish teachers. if he sees one of them when we leave school he says "adios!"

-his vocabulary is so diverse i couldn't even begin to document all of his words.

-he often asks...itiz....as in, "it is?"...or what is this called? what is the name of this? last month pretty much every other word out of his mouth was "itizzzzz...." followed by a pause waiting for my response. then he'd say, "oh.yeah." in a strikingly northern accent that suprised me. till i heard myself say it. frequently. in that same northern iowa accent. he also says "oofta". :)

-frequently heard words/phrases include oh.yeah., ummm, yes, no, nope, peeeaze, tank you, hiya, truck, plane, memememe (as in, who wants monkey yogurt...memememememe), sissy, dad, mama, cat, mine, hey (he replied after dad lightly tossed an acorn at his tummy), owside (outside), booboo, see see (when he wants to see something), iunknow, yaaaci (paci), ankie (blankie), ippo (hippo), holdyou (usually going up or down the stairs), no tank you, snack, more, cup, & up high.

-he's a snuggle bug. i'd like to claim it's really just mama, but he's an equal opportunity snuggler. he snuggles with his teachers in the am when i drop him off, and is usually in ms. j's lap when i pick him up at noon.

-if you ask him what color something is the answer is always blue.

-if you ask him how old he is he says two.

-if you ask him how many of something there are the answer is two. and most of the day he carries two of something around...one in each hand. two.cars. two.planes. two.balls. two.duckies. he first recognized two about 2 months ago when he found a spare blanket in the car. two.blankies was his first recognition of two-ness. then it was two.duckies. later that day in the bathtub.

-he says up when he wants down.

-he loves to go 'byebye'. if we haven't left the house much on any given day usually by 6p he's crying while holding his shoes at the garage door saying byebye, byebye.

-he LOVES cheese. he LOVES juice. he likes all bread products. he doesn't like any vegetables. bless his little heart he'll try them over & over...like he tastes the same piece of broccoli about 6x in a meal, but spits it out each time. lately he'll put crunchy veggies in his mouth, but then spit them out once they are all chewed up.

-he knows what a treat is, and he wants one whenever one is mentioned or spotted.

-he knows i keep lollipops in a little red bag in my purse. and if he sees it, he wants one.

-as of 10/5, he only gets his paci at nap time & bed time. we've been casually trying to limit it & i think it was harder on him than a hard & fast rule will be. at least i hope.

-his lovies are a blue fuzzy plane blankie that aunt brookie got him and his flat blue hippo that miss amanda gave him (both received before he was even born!). he has to have them to sleep.

-he likes to sing and often gets songs stuck in his head. "babies" from yo gabba gabba is a big one lately. he also likes a song called "subway" by david weinstone. the chorus is "bing bong" and he says that phrase about 30x a day. he also sings a mean happy birthday.

-he still drinks soy.

-size 4 diapers. huggies lil movers. and we had to move to the overnight diapers cause he was leaking every night.

-pants are 18 months, shorts are 18-24 months, shirts are nearing the 2T range.

-his shoes are size 6.5. he loves shoes...and will put on & walk around in any one's shoes, proclaiming whose they are. "daddy's.shoes. mama's.shoes. sissy's.shoes."

-for the first time he picked out his own book at the library. came walking over to us with it. it was a book called i'm dirty about a backhoe. he's a big fan of heavy machinery and knows most of them by name (or at least what i've attemptede named it ;).

-he love, love, loves airplanes. and thanks to grandma pierse can identify its various parts by name, including the fuselage.

-he also likes tools. he likes to use his little (yet quite loud) drill from grammy rosonke & 'fix,fix' things all over the house...usually to the annoyance of his sister. she's not a big fan of noise.

-he is a big fan of noise. opposite of his sister, he comes running when he hears the vacuum, hairdryer, or any other loud/exciting noise.

-his favorite thing in the world is to just be outside. usually barefoot, with a backpack of some sort on. pretty sure he gets this from his dad.

m'girl.

she's complicated.

i suspect she's going to be our biggest challenge in terms of parenting...

i hope we don't mess it up.

i love ya sweet girl.

the love of my life

look at that belly. i mean really. holy cow. it's a wonder i can stand up, isn't it?!?!

as excited and grateful as we are to be adding to our family, i'm already lamenting how much i'm going to miss this handsome fella after hugh arrives. not that he's going anywhere (other than the usual job requirements)...but newborns, at least our newborns to date, have required huge amounts of attention. the every 3 hour feedings, the reflux, the sometimes inconsolable crying...all compounded by the lack of sleep...all of it has been very hard on our relationship each time. and this time we will have two other lil blessings demanding our attention on top of the newborn. that said, maybe the third time will be a charm?

regardless - what i do know - is that each time after we have emerged from the newborn phase we are a stronger, more united couple. we share a most meaningful goal in life...that of raising our children to become capable, loving, happy & healthy adults. and so while it might feel like two steps back, one step forward, we both know in the long run the few difficult months will fade away into years of reward.

love you, handsome. please remember me as the loving wife i am when the sleepless nights cause me grow horns (i don't do well without sleep...just ask the girls i grew up with how fun i was at slumber parties). and know that i'll be missing you until we emerge on the other side. horns, hormones & all. ;)

measuring big...

so I'm 33 weeks. and measuring 35. my weight gain is inching ever so close to my goal of 30lbs. dr. j thinks we are looking at a 9 lb-er...but she told me not to worry...that hugh was going to walk out :)

in 2 weeks i have my 35 week ultrasound to get an estimate on how big our lil boy is & confirm his exit-ready position. if i'm 2 cm dilated by 39 weeks, i can be induced then. that'd be around november 14th. if i'm not - which i wasn't with gus - then it'll be 41 weeks...november 28th. unless of course hugh decides to be a trend setter and come on his own...something we've never experienced before here in the pierse household. wouldn't that be something...

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!