Here we are

I can´t tell you how many times I have attempted to write here only to hit a block. I don´t know what to say... partly because I am so absent minded, partly because I´m so emotionally loaded I don´t even seem to know where my triggers are.

What I can say is that at least my down times are spent sitting on the couch with little girls climbing all over me which, except for the times when they climb on my belly, I thoroughly enjoy.

Other than that, a few shopping trips here and there to begin preparing what I need to pack for the hospital, going through newborn clothes and washing them, setting up the moses basket next to my bed so the girls can familiarize with it and not climb on it once there is a new little person in it, and wait.

I am setting my mind to go past my due date like the last time, however, everyone seems to have a hard time believing that my due date is not until Nov. 22. So I am slowly getting ready just in case these contraction spells that have already begun are a little bit more than just warming up.

With that, I will go... before my mind wanderings take me down too much senseless thoughtless ramblings...

36 Weeks

I am on the 36th week of this pregnancy. I am carrying this baby so low that hardly anyone believes me when I tell them I still have 4 weeks to go (at least until my estimated due date). But here we are, believing that at least I will stay pregnant until Saturday that my mom comes home (coincidentally, Mom L. will be back that weekend too). Based on my previous pregnancies, I am not expecting to go before my due date, but it wouldn't hurt to be prepared just in case this would be an early arrival.

So in getting ready I have tons of things in my mind. Lists of things I'd like to accomplish before the baby comes, how I want to approach Holiday shopping when I have no budget for it right now (our budget was cleaned out by an unexpected car repair), how I want to foresee entertainment for the girls while we're in the hospital (they will at least visit one day and it will probably be for a few hours, so the better prepared we are the better), etc. All of this while being as absent minded as ever! I keep forgetting what I went into rooms for, leaving food that I intended to reheat (and eat) in the microwave until the next day, and as soon as I am full of energy and feel as though I will conquer the world, I realize how unrealistic that attempt was or a nerve on my leg will get pinched and I won't be able to move for the next while.

Then there is the overall preparation to receive this next little person and make the necessary adjustments as our family grows and hosts another little family at the same time.

I've heard people say that the hardest transition is from one to two babies, others claim that it is from two to three because at this point there are more children than adults in the clan. Going from one to two proved to be quite challenging for us, so I wonder... how do we handle this one? Any advice, seasoned Moms out there?

My Girls

::Adriana gave us quite the scare this week when she fell off the bed. At first she cried right away, but then she just stayed there, on the floor, white as a ghost, little eyes closed. I woke her up and she was so limb and weak and all she wanted to do was sleep, so we kept her up all the way to the ER. You will never know how long that ride felt! Thank God, by the time the doctor made his way to check on her she was happily blowing bubbles, had recovered her color and was willing to move around like her normal little self.

But that's our Adriana, fearless... she climbs on anything and everything she can. Her favorite places in the world are Daddy's shoulders and Mami's side. She loves sleeping and cuddling with us and she'd do it all the time if we'd only let her! She's my little "melancholic"... loves to sing, loves to dance, has the hardest time coping with changes or things not going her way, so she seems to be sad most of the time. When she is in a good mood, though, she is the sweetest, most loving, and affectionate little person in the world. She bestows the tightest squeezes and juiciest kisses there can be. And she is going to be a big sister soon...

:: Elena, makes us laugh and life with her is very fun. Just on Sunday she excitedly came to us saying: "Daddy, Mami, listen... I am E - le - na... see!!! I am not 'nena' anymore! I can say E-le-na!!" She was so thrilled at her accomplishment. She is very thorough in the things she enjoys like puzzles, drawing letters, and coloring. All of a sudden she is so grown and is such a great little helper. I realize I have to remind myself to catch up with her maturity in some areas and her increasing ability to be helpful as well. She is also far more aware of so many things that we can imagine. A couple days ago she said to me: "Mami, when you push the baby out, maybe you will cry a little and I will say 'oh, it's ok, Mami' and rub your back, then we will hold your baby and she will cry and I will say 'oh, it's ok, sweetie, your Mama is here'" Now, we have been saying things here and there in an attempt to prepare them both for the new arrival, but never did I expect for her to nail it so right on and involve herself in the actual process of the baby's birth!

She is my night owl, understands far more Spanish than she leads to believe and has her daddy's sweet tooth!

I am so blessed by my two girls, even when their ages and stages pose the challenges they do. They are the sweetest, most loving, most beautiful little girls and can't wait to meet this third little person. I do get scared, at times, when I realize the work, sacrifices and challenges ahead, but when I weigh them in light of the joy they bring I know it will all be alright!

For fun

Book Meme

I'd never heard of this before but I, too, got tagged so here it goes:

From Spiritual Midwifery, Ina May Gaskin, p.56

"As the moments ticked by and the ambulance got closer and closer, we had a sterile birth pack up there, the room changed, and all the visitors were gone. All of a sudden, just before the ambulance came, it all settled down. It felt like turbulence turning into a peaceful tool. The ambulance pulled right around to the back room, and the midwives helped the laboring mother right into the bedroom."

Instructions:

Grab the nearest book.

Open to page 56.

Find the fifth sentence.

Post the text of the next two to five sentences on your blog, along with these instructions.

Don't dig for the coolest book, or most intellectual book, or your favorite book--pick the closest book.

Tag five more people.

I tag: Brietta, Melanie, Darlene, Danica (only if you find a couple minutes before the new baby arrives!), and Becky

A shout out!

We are getting ready for the season ahead of us and my list of upcoming events includes, but is not limited to, my mom's arrival; a little surprise "shower" for Susi with her husband's family traveling from different states; our baby's arrival; Susi's mom's arrival; the possibility of my dad and brothers coming in for Christmas; Susi's husband's arrival; and Susi's baby's arrival... all of that in addition to the regular demands of life.

Our preparation has us thinking logistics, how we can provide comfortable accommodations without breaking our budget, mainly. I thought of "shouting out" for some help in procuring some items we may need. If you had any of the following to lend, sell or give away, we would be very grateful:

One or two nightstands,
an area rug (12" x 12")
a couple throw rugs (any size) or hallway rugs
a book shelf or small dresser
lamps for said night stands
a free standing screen (to provide a sense of privacy for a sleeping space)

If you have any of these items and would like to lend a hand, please let me know!
Thanks!

34 weeks

These is what we're looking like at 34 weeks! Ben posed as well...

Blueberry muffins

All the meetings this week have thrown our regular schedule off and we´ve been having late nights, late mornings, late naps, etc. However, that little disarray served a wonderful purpose this morning. For the first time in months, and months, and months, I was able to actually open my eyes before any other member of this little family.

That led the way for blueberry muffins to be made before they were downstairs and even earned me a "Mami, you´re the best for making these!" from Elena (then again, who can go wrong with blueberry muffins?).

So it was a happy, although late, morning in this home!

P.S. Thank you all for your encouraging comments on my last post... yeah... this pregnant woman is going through some hormonal ups and downs! Thanks for your love and understanding!

Unsophisticated me

Here I am... sorry about the unannounced absence. We had three days of fasting and prayer at church in preparation for some special meetings with Pastor Charlie Sweet this weekend. I can't really fast that much food, so I "fasted" internet, among other things. We are very excitedly looking forward to this weekend's meetings.

:: I've been asked about the ticker on my blog. I don't know what happened but it sort of got stuck on 19 weeks about two months ago and I've unsuccessfully tried everything to restore it, but it always comes back in as 19 weeks. So, If I can't get a newer one, I'll have to keep track of the pregnancy the old-fashioned way: I am 33 weeks along. Thanks for your interest!

:: Every once in a while I look at older pictures (aka pictures of my life as a single, children-less woman) and I wonder if I am being unfair to my husband and children as we; all wonder where that woman went. In my way through marriage and motherhood I have lost several habits I used to have. Some are justified (at least in my mind) some have simply slipped away from me. I know I've blogged about this before... I've mentioned how there used to be a time when I wouldn't even consider leaving home without makeup, where I'd make sure my hair was styled, my clothes carefully chosen and matched, etc.

Among the justified changes: When I have a newborn, especially, I ditch the lipstick, the wristwatch and perfumes on purpose. The lipstick because I keep kissing that little tiny face and don't want to leave any residue on the sweet baby; the wristwatch because I don't want to hurt the babe when I shift them from arm to arm, car seat, moses basket, etc.; and the perfume because I don't want to overwhelm that new baby with the strong scent of a perfume. Then come the comfortable shoes to make life after a toddler easier on my feet; the more simple outfits that won't mind smudges of sticky fingers, food stains and other incidents that happen when you live life with little ones.

Then, among those that have simply slipped away are the styling of the hair... I just don't have the time to blow dry my hair every single time; etc., etc., etc. Then there is the money you need to spend in order to keep up with hair styles, clothes, make up... it is expensive to look sharp all the time! I have become so "unsophisticated" not to say plain... am I doing my family a disservice? Do I look as frumpy as I feel, especially when I compare myself to my "old" self and/or I get someone like Susi living with me who spends so much time doing her hair, and nails, and make up, and her husband isn't even here to see her right now!

Oh well... I suppose it is another one of those seasons we have to go through... right?

Today

Due to Elena's medicine (which, happlily, she will be done with tomorrow!) she has had a hard time sleeping. My poor sweet girl, not only she already struggles with wakeful hours every so often but now is having the hardest time going to sleep and staying asleep long enough. It hasn't been uncommon during these 10 days of medicine for me to come out of the bathroom in one of my many trips during the night to walk by their bed and see her wide eyed little face looking at me (because no remodeling has been done upstairs, we still have to walk through their room to go in and out of ours). Bless her little heart, she'll stay there trying to go back to sleep for who knows how long. Last night was one of those and it was past midnight when she finally fell asleep. I didn't sleep to well last night either, so at about 7:00 a.m. Ben woke me up to let me know he'd be going downstairs to work on his message for Saturday night. He gave me a kiss and quietly left the room, I drifted back to sleep in the hopes of sleeping a little longer as I realized I had a headache.

Next thing I knew, Ben was back on the side of the bed, waking me up again with a smiling Adriana in his arms. As Adriana threw her arms at me Ben told me that she had already had breakfast and that he needed to leave for the office. "What?!" I vaguely remember Adriana's little hand stroking my face and telling her that I wasn't feeling too well, could we go back to sleep for a little longer... I have no idea when she got out of bed and how she managed to make enough noise for Ben to come get her without my waking up. So Elena and I rolled out of bed at about 9:30!!!

In spite of having forgotten that I had to take Susi to get her hair cut and having had to get the girls ready and out in a hurry, I managed to accomplish a few things. I cleaned my kitchen, got dinner for tomorrow started in the crock pot, baked an apple pie, and almost finished the countdown calendar I'm working on to get the girls (more) excited about my mom's coming. The girls' room still awaits some serious work (that's why I haven't showed any pictures of the new beds) but as pregnant as I am, I don't envision finishing it before next week is over.

Well, thanks for letting me ramble!

Please pray

Many times during the day, as I feel this baby move inside of me, I remember them. My heart breaks as I can't even imagine going through such an ordeal and my prayers are for the overshadowing peace of God to cover them and minister them through it all. Please pray for them even if you don't know them!