Happy 2nd Birthday Eliza

It's hard to believe that Eliza is already two years old. Two years ago at 10 am we were still sitting in the recovery room at Clear Lake waiting for color to return to Jared’s complexion, laughing hysterically at the morning events. Where do the years go?

Last night we had a little get-together with neighbors to celebrate. Her birthday is actually today, but we didn’t want to push out luck. We kept it pretty small and low key since I am so close to my due date (yes, no baby yet).

Eliza had a blast! She devoured almost a pound of M&M’s on her own and really got into the presents, she got some really cool things. I have to say the winner was the Nerf basketball hoop, Eliza and Jared played late into the night (not sure who had more fun, my BIL Derek got in on the dunking action also). I think Eliza is destined to be the athletic one; she loves anything with a ball right now.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET PEA!

No Baby, Just Some Good Brittish Humor

Modesty in the Eyes of a 4-year-old

I guess it’s socially acceptable to run around the house and neighborhood naked, strip down every doll that we own, but not to be born naked….

A family at church just had a little boy and I was looking at the email photos. I thought it would be a good chance for Erin to see what a baby looks like right after they clamp the cord.

Erin took one look and exclaimed, “Mom, thats gross! He’s naked, where are his clothes!?” I told her babies are not born with clothes. She was adamant that they came out diapers, onsie and all. Curious I asked her how that happens. She looked at me like I was an idiot and said “Moooom, you eat the clothes and then they get dressed before they come out.”

I asked her how they got a shirt on with the umbilical cord…she is still thinking about that one…

I won’t even go into the dinner conversation we had after my midwife appt a few weeks ago when they checked me and she was there.

YOUTH CONFERENCE & BIRTHDAY

Talk about a crazy week. Thursday – Saturday was our annual Stake Youth Conference for church. Being YW President, attending most of it comes with the territory. We had 13 teenage girls plus adults stay at our home. This is my crew, I love them to death. They showed up Thursday night and announced they had a well-concocted plan if I went into labor. I said really? Christina was like “I am totally ready to deliver you because it would be totally cool just as long as no one died... Brittany (who does not yet officially have a license) is going to drive to the hospital, and the others are on the towel brigade”. The humorous part was they were completely serious, it was all planned out and “well researched”. Luckily for all parties involved I made it though the weekend, baby still intact.

I will admit by Saturday night after two nights past 1am, 12 hour days, a three hour service project in a cemetery with a 109 heat index and 38 weeks pregnant, I was completely and utterly exhausted. If I would have gone into labor last night, I am dang sure I would have slept through it.

Today I turned 28. Jared took the girls this morning so I could sleep in until 9:30. Growing up I always said I would never get married until 28…..now I am married with 2.9 kids and this is what I look like (mom you wanted a preggo photo, thank Erin for her great photography skills). And I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Jared got me a really nice Swiss hiking pack, which looks pretty hideous on me at this point. I am having this dilemma on how people go shopping with three kids, especially since Eliza can slide out of any shopping cart belt ever made…..I think Jared just solved my problem. I figure we will not be backpacking until at least until fall, but it’s big enough to put Eliza in when I go to the grocery store. I could just pack her in on my back; the material is breathable and has a hydration system in it. It would be perfect minus the fact it would probably look like I was hauling around a rabid badger….cps probably frowns on that eh?

Anyway, spent the afternoon at church and then Jared fixed dinner (chicken basil pasta and brushetta). Minus the point he cooked three pounds of pasta, it was wonderful. Erin helped make a cake and once again I am ready to hit the hay.

Bottoms up

This little guy finally decided Sunday night which way was south (lets hope he stays that way). Most babies face frontwards or backwards, he decides to face left, still not perfect but he still has a few weeks to rotate and its a much better situation. I was really getting concerned and not a big fan of the c-section thing, did some of the fun home exercises and guess it worked, or he just decided it was time.

I am now 37 weeks, and all lights are green, guess we just sit and twiddle our thumbs for the next three weeks and wait for the mad 30-mile dash in rush hour traffic downtown.

Brazos Bend

Some of my Young Women kids have what I call Boy Scout envy. They are always asking why as a girls youth group we don’t go camping, especially since the scouts go every month. This year I petitioned for a little extra money in our budget specifically for camping and it was approved.

So Friday night I headed to Brazos Bend State Park with 18 girls, ages 12-18 to go camping. We were anticipating about 10 would make it, but almost everyone did, which made it really fun.

Since I am 37 weeks along, I figured it was best to take Jared just incase I went into labor. We also took Erin and Eliza and several of the other leaders took their families.

Brazos Bend is a beautiful park known for its century live oaks and its alligator sanctuary. And they were out in full force, its mating season and we saw them everywhere. However, they were not the animals to be scared of; the raccoons at the park are malicious.

When we set up camp, I explained to the girls that there can be no food in their tents…no food, no candy, no toothpaste, no deodorant. It took about three raccoons unzipping tents and tearing through backpacks before they understood it. The last was the blood curdling scream at 1am when someone who was sleeping rolled over to snuggle up to one of the little critters.

Erin entertained herself most of the night by throwing rocks and running after raccoons that came into camp. She thought it was a great game.

The weather at night was beautiful for June (upper 60’s). It was perfect for sleeping, minus the fact I spent most of the night completing what I was thinking camping so pregnant, it was mildly uncomfortable to say the least.

Saturday morning, the girls went hiking. I made it through the night without going into labor, so we skipped the hike and went to the nature center. I was really proud of Erin, she pet a snake (several actually), a tarantula and a baby alligator. Eliza was enthralled with the alligator skulls that showed how big they can open their mouths. And Eliza was very found of the raccoon, which she kept of referring to kitty.

We took our fishing pole, but forgot bait. Erin really wanted to go, so Jared took a rock and tied it on the end of the string so she could catch a “rock fish”. This was one of the guys lurking below our fishing pier.

Finally around noon the summer heat caught up to us and we headed home. It was a really fun weekend and the FIRST time we have gone camping in Texas that we have not camping in sheeting rain.

Now I have to survive youth conference this week and then this little guy can come….

A Life in the Day of Eliza

Eliza has decided to hit her terrible twos just about the time I am so preggo I can’t keep up. Yesterday we had a rough day. I was cleaning the kitchen and they were both in the living room…hiding under the bar between the kitchen and living room where I could not see them. Erin denied collaborating in the crime. I walked out to see my wallet completely emptied. It took me over two hours to recover my debit card (toilet), drivers license (garbage can), temple recommend (washing machine) and one insurance card (under the couch). I decided that was enough to survive for the weekend. I am still missing my credit card (I decided it was just easier to put a stop on it and order a new one), insurance cards, grocery store cards, library cards and pretty much the rest of my life…..and that little incident sent the tone for the day, no one was in a good mood.

Eliza was being a pill. I was in the office when out of the corner of my eye I say something go over the stairs with the thunk, thunk, THUD…..Eliza had stuffed herself in a cylinder container and manage to bounce down the first flight of stairs it in. She actually scared herself for once, but for the first time that day I got a good laugh.

This is Elizas little friend Mikey. Typically she is really mean to him, but has been much nicer lately. Last week he was over and she decided she wanted to serve him dinner. Being a boy, he wasn’t into it, so when he got up for the table, he got a plastic strawberry (yes the same one I dig out of the printer a few months ago) chucked at his head.

Let hope this baby is born with a helmet on, I have a feeling the middle child syndrome is already starting.

Well I am off, I just heard….”Mom get down here and see what Lizza did”…and Friday begins….