Poor manners

Amy was watching a children's Halloween movie today, and after a few minutes of viewing, she came running to me with a horrified look on her face.

"Mommy, you won't believe what terrible behavior I just saw. There was a Halloween party, and one of the snacks at the party was a big bowl full of apples. They were floating in water to keep them clean. A man came along, and instead of saying 'Could I please have an apple?', and then reaching in to pick one out, he PUT HIS MOUTH into the water and bit into an apple! He pulled the apple out with his teeth!!! Isn't that really, really rude?!!"

Growing Baby

Today I had a routine doctor's appointment, to make sure all is going well with the pregnancy. My visits are becoming more frequent now during these last weeks, so I see the doctor every-other-week. As any pregnant woman knows, part of these routine check-ups is the measuring-of-the-abdomen, to make sure that the pregnancy is progressing properly. Up until now, I have always measured at or slightly below normal. Today that all changed.

I'm seeing a new obstetrician, because my former doctor moved to a new practice. So I watched with some amusement as the doctor measured my stomach, frowned, re-measured, frowned, and re-measured again. She was trying to remain chatty and calm, but I could see the concern in her face. Finally I decided to put her out of her misery.

"Am I measuring too big?" I asked her.

She looked up at me in surprise, and confirmed my suspicions. In fact, I was apparently measuring quite big for my dates, which was causing her to become worried. But I've been through this exact same scenario three times before, and it always starts at this exact point in the pregnancy.

I explained to her that my babies are big. Very, very big. As in... more-than-ten-pound baby girls. Once she knew more about this history she seemed a bit relieved.

"I think you're probably going to have another very large baby", she warned me.

That's okay. We're used to it. We'll get the 3-6 month clothes ready for those first few weeks, and we'll avoid buying any newborn-sized diapers. It's going to be an uncomfortable 7 weeks, while this baby continues to grow and grow, but the end is in sight! Any bets yet on whether it's a boy or a girl?!!

Soccer Mom

That's what I've officially become.

Yesterday was Beth's first soccer practice and "game". She's been begging to try the sport, so we signed her up for the Fall session at the Y. Dan was so excited about the whole thing that he went out and bought her a pair of cleats, pink shin guards, and a new soccer ball. She was supposed to start last weekend, but unfortunately the game was rained out.

But this Saturday dawned bright and sunny, so off we went to the field. The kids were assigned to their teams, and they split up for a short practice before the game. I'll admit that I was a bit nervous when I saw that she was on a team full of boys, but she seemed to handle it well. She looked quite cute out there, in the midst of all that testosterone, wearing her neon pink shin guards and pink shorts!

After a few minutes of kicking and dribbling, they lined up to play. What a riot. I don't think any of the kids had the slightest clue as to what they were doing. They all just kicked away at the ball, paying no attention to the referee's whistle. Sometimes they would be so far out of bounds that a couch would have to run after them and reel them all back onto the field. But Beth had a wonderful time, and Amy and Erin seemed to enjoy watching the fun.

So that's what we'll be doing for the next 10 Saturday mornings. It was quite enjoyable yesterday, when the weather was warm and sunny, but I'm not sure I'll find it quite so fun on a drizzly November morning. I think I'll send Dan and Amy along to watch those games, while Erin and I stay warm and cozy here at home.

She may be onto something here...

AMY: Mommy, when are we going to buy new winter boots? I want to get some purple ones this year.

ME: It's too early to buy winter boots. The stores don't even sell them yet. We'll wait until it's cold and snowy, and then we'll go shopping for them.

AMY: That won't work AT ALL. If it's cold and snowing, we would need to put boots on before we could go shopping. And we couldn't do that because we wouldn't have the boots yet. We need to get the boots before the snow starts. So, shouldn't we go tomorrow?

Fall fun

It finally feels like Fall around here. It was downright chilly this morning when we awoke, with temperatures in the high 40's. It was the perfect day to go pumpkin picking with friends at a local farm. The girls had a wonderful time trying to pick the "perfect" round pumpkin, and it was hysterical to watch Erin trying to walk while carrying a pumpkin almost as big as she is. The farm was mobbed with people, so trying to maneuver 3 kids and a large pregnant Mommy around the shops was somewhat challenging, but we managed to make it out of the crowds holding 4 pumpkins, a large bale of hay, an overpriced bag of apples, bright yellow mums, and three huge, sticky lollipops (The girls are very lucky that Daddy was present, since Mommy vetoed the lollipops right away, but was outvoted by the rest of the crew!). Dan made 3 trips to our car, which was parked about 1/4 mile away from the farm.

We arrived home safe and sound, but Erin was messier than I think I've ever seen her before (and that's saying quite a lot). There was lollipop in her hair, all over her new clothes, on her hands, face, chin and neck, and an additional layer of candy covered her car-seat. Needless to say, it took quite a bit of soap and water to return things to normal, but I do think she enjoyed her sticky treat.

Now our front yard looks quite festive, with pumpkins, hay, plants and a few scarecrows. Fall is finally here! Yeah!

Amy update

In case you're wondering...Amy loved her first day of school.

She happily marched into her classroom, carrying her Dora the Explorer backpack. She was fighting some nerves, but she greeted her teacher with a smile. I snapped a few photos of her, sitting at the table coloring a picture, while her classmates sat alongside her.

After a few minutes, she asked me to come closer so that she could tell me a secret.

I bent down to her level with a smile, prepared to hear her confessing to some lingering jitters. I was all ready to bolster her confidence with some words of wisdom. She whispered loudly into my ear.

"Mommy, all the other mommies and daddies are leaving now. Shouldn't you go home now, too?"

And that was that. Erin and I reluctantly exited the schoolhouse, and Amy cheerily waved goodbye. I guess I was the one that was having the first-day jitters...Amy handled it all just fine.

Getting ready for Baby!

What a busy weekend! After spending an enjoyable Saturday morning at our church fair, we finally re-did Beth and Amy's bedroom! Dan has been working on their new beds for weeks now. The beds are actually my brothers' former bunk beds, and Dan sanded them down and painted them white, to match Beth and Amy's bureaus. They came out beautiful, and Saturday was finally moving day.

There are no words to describe the massive amount of "junk" that had accumulated under Beth's old bed throughout the past few years, and for her it was an amazing trip down memory lane. Once her old bed was dismantled, there was a constant chorus of "Look! The birthday card Maeve gave me when I turned 4!" and "Hey! This is the McDonald's toy I got one time when I was only 3!" I spent the afternoon rushing around with a trash bag, trying to confiscate as many of the treasures as I possibly could. Beth frequently let out loud shrieks, saying "Hey! What's THIS doing in the trash?!!" It was a constant battle between the mean Mommy trying to destroy memories, and the "pack-rat" 5-year-old.

We rearranged furniture, and put up the new beds, complete with the new comforters that the girls chose last week. Above you can see the bedroom in all its glory.

After this massive job was completed, we then moved Erin into Amy's old bed, which left an adorable crib for the new baby! So now Erin is sleeping in her new bed, decorated with Elmo sheets, blanket and pillow. The "Pooh bear" ensemble graces the second crib in her room, which awaits her new roommate.

And now, the most daunting task of all awaits us. Dragging all the bins of baby clothes out of the attic, washing them, and sorting them into boy-girl piles. Exhausting, but exciting at the same time. It's starting to feel more real! Nine more weeks until our newest family member arrives!

Amy's Turn!

Here she is!!! She's smiling and ready to go, but Dan said that she kept up a frequent refrain of "I'm nervous, Daddy", and "Please, pick me up and hold me, Daddy!" Nevertheless, she made it through her orientation day without any tears. She clung tightly to Daddy's hand while she sat in "circle time" with her new teacher and classmates, colored a picture, and did a scavenger hunt to help her get acquainted with the preschool teachers and the schoolhouse. It was a successful first outing, but I am not at all sure that she will happily let me leave her there alone on Tuesday. We shall see.

As for Beth, she woke up in tears this morning because it's Saturday and she can't go to school. "But the toys there are so much better than the toys here"!, she wailed. She won the "super bee" on Friday...a stuffed animal which comes home with a well-behaved student each day. Because it's the weekend, she gets THREE NIGHTS with this reward. She slept with it cuddled next to her last night, while I tried to push aside thoughts about how many hundreds of children's beds this plush toy has probably been sleeping in over the last few years.

We're all starting to feel a bit more settled into our new routines, and yesterday we found out that the c-section will be done on Wednesday, November 14th (unless baby makes plans to arrive earlier!) Two more months until Erin becomes a big sister!!!

First Day

Here's Beth all dressed in her stiff-as-a-board uniform! (I washed it three times, but it still could stand up on its own...) She is loving her first week at school, and keeps asking, "Why do we have to have these Saturdays and Sundays all the time? I just want to keep going to school every day!" She adores her new teacher, and has met a couple of new "best friends". The school bus is a wonderful adventure, as is gym class, music class and recess. She is in awe of everything, and I only hope that it continues for a long time!!

Tomorrow is Amy's first day of preschool (orientation day, with Daddy). I'll try to post a few pictures of her tomorrow evening! Hope everyone else is enjoying these back-to-school days as much as Beth is!

Elmo Bonanza

On Friday evening we had a small "family" party here at the house, complete with an Elmo cake, and some Elmo gifts for the birthday girl. As you can see from the above photos, Erin fully enjoyed blowing out her candles, and made quite a mess with the bright red frosting that topped her dessert.

On Saturday afternoon we had a wonderful time celebrating once again, with friends and family. Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, cousins and neighbors all spent the afternoon at Erin's ice cream sundae party (and of course, the Elmo theme continued). Erin has been waiting for weeks to use the Elmo plates, napkins and hats, and I made some Elmo cupcakes to complete the feast. She was a bit shy at first, but eventually began to enjoy all the attention. People traveled from far and wide to see her, and Aunt Ru even made the long journey to the party and back home again, all in one day! We are so grateful for the love everyone showed to little Erin.

Of course, after opening all her birthday gifts, she gained a new favorite word..."mine". Not much around here is truly "hers", so she is thrilled to pick up her new gifts and tell her sisters "my Elmo book, my Elmo toy, my new mouse doll, my new teddy bears, my new clothes" etc. Hopefully she learns to share her new-found wealth!

It was a busy couple of days, but now we're relaxing and enjoying our last weekend of summer. Beth and Amy start school this week, so there's still lots of excitement yet to come! We'll post back-to-school pictures soon!