We are heading to Milton!

Well, our house has been rented and the people want to move in by Sunday.

In 2 days.

So we are going to Milton tomorrow!! I'm super excited. It feels like forever since I have seen my family and friends and dog and cat. It's only been 3 weeks so I better get used to it.

We are all driving down together and then loading up the moving truck and then leaving on Monday. At least that is the plan. I would LOVE to stay in Milton until we get the duplex ready to live in. But since I have to go to the Dr. three times a week that doesn't seem to be an option. I don't know how I will ever take moving back into the upstairs of my brother-in-laws house. They have been EXTREMELY hospitable and generous. They have not asked us to pack up and get out once. But I am REALLY ready to have my own home! Even if it is tiny and kind of yuck, at least it will be ours. Hopefully we can get flooring in sooon. I think that is all we are waiting on.

It will be super hard on me to follow the moving van back to MO. I don't think they go past 50 or 55 miles per hour. Pure torture. But it's the price I'm willing to pay to get to take a quick trip back home. And at least I won't be like Heath. He will be driving with a dog and a cat in the truck. Cats are not the best traveling companions. At least I won't have to listen to 14 hours of meowing. I will just swell up like a blimp. I do that on trips now.

Heath's parents are extememely upset that I'm going. They think that I don't have any business going on a 14 hour trip when I'm 35 weeks pregnant. Maybe they are right. Heath's dad asked if I had prayed about it. No, I haven't. Maybe I will tonight. We are waiting to leave until after my Dr. appointment so we won't get in until around 4:00am. Maybe I can sleep through most of that. We will see.

Anyway we are Florida bound!!!! (as long as Jesus and the Dr. say it's okay)

New Home

We are trying to renovate a duplex to move into here in MO. It's super small and super nasty, but Heath works on it everyday and it's slowly but surely getting better. We go look at his progress on most days. Today was one of those days. It was warm out so the children went outside to play in the backyard. It has a pretty big yard, the biggest one we've ever had. So they love that. Londyn got so carried away playing that she peed in her pants. That hasn't happened in a looooooong time. But it happened today. The other side of the duplex houses Heath's parents and grandma. So he took her over there to clean her up. He decided to wash her pants and panties and just put her on one of his Grandma's depends to play in until they were done. Luke, Levi and Londyn then proceeded to play super stretchy long diaper girl. The boys were in a tree that she couldn't get in. She would stretch the diaper out really far and then try to pull the boys out of the tree. Fun game. I REALLY wish I would have had my camera so this post could have a picture.

The property backs up to a college football field and track. Today I heard some yelling so I looked out the back door. Lots of college kids were running around the track. I'm not sure why. But some of the guys were shirtless and just had on these tiny little shorts and shoes. Levi was yelling, "Hey underwear guys!" I told him to stop it. That we don't yell that. Later the children started yelling because they found a dead headless squirrel. The next time I looked out the door Levi had the squirrel on a stick and was waving it all around. I told him to throw it on the other side of the fence. The college can have it. I think the college will be blessed to have us as neighbors.

Discovery Center

We went to Discovery Center on Saturday. It's a super fun place. It's like a science museum. It has all kinds of cool stuff in it. Like a human brain, and pictures that freeze your shadows, and giant eyeballs that you get in and they talk all about the eye to you, and a big room that's like you are in outer space, and you can make a tiny tornado, and generate a bolt of lightening and tons of other stuff. It's one of my favorite things to do in Springfield. Brad Pitt bought it or built it or something because he's from Springfield. I always thought he was a complete loser but obviously he's not. He did that and it's great. I never take enough pictures when we go because Heath and I are running from one exhibit to the other like crazed children too. It's that cool. And it's so educational I feel like my brain will explode. Anyway we went and it was fun, and here are all the pictures I took except like two.

We went to a new church this morning. It was a Presbyterian church. A friend of Heath's told us about it. I had never been to a Presbyterian church before. It was way different than I am accustomed to. For instance the music, it was all just piano and hymns. Not just hymns, hymns I didn't know. So we just stood there while everyone else sang. And they didn't have any classes for the children. Levi was thrilled about that. (of course) He never went to class anyway. He doesn't like them. Luke likes them though and so does Londyn. We sat on the back row because I didn't want to be the new people with the half crazed children. They were all very good though, except when Luke tried to lay down on the chairs and go to sleep. Really? I expected the 10 year old to do the best! I really liked the people though. It was the friendliest church I have ever been to. It runs about 250 people and all of them homeschool except for 2 families. That's nice for us, we weren't the minority in that area for once. And they eat lunch together EVERY SINGLE Sunday, which is just pure awesome. I want to go back. It's unfortunate that I only packed one dress and one pair of very painful boots to go with it....very unfortunate indeed.

Then we went to Cheddars again. It was delicious again, but my feet were really starting to hurt. I was telling Heath that I would have to be sure to buy some new ones before next Sunday.

Next we went to visit Heath's grandpa in the hospital. He has been very sick but is doing better now. By this time my feet were ACHING.....KILLING ME....THROBBING....EXCRUCIATING....

Then we went to Wall-Mart because we needed a ton of stuff. We took my throbbing feet along with us because I didn't have much of a choice. I didn't want to go. I asked Heath if we could just go to his brother's house and let me change shoes first. He said we could because he's awesome like that. But I didn't want to because we would pass Wal-Mart and drive 15 minutes and then drive 15 minutes back.
That's a grand total of 30 wasted minutes and some amount of gas.

So I said I would go along and suffer because I'm great like that. But then I got a good idea. I could put some slippers on at Wal-Mart and then purchase them when we left. Yes I would feel ridiculous but that was the price I was willing to pay to save my family the time and gas. Then I got a brilliant idea. BRILLIANT!!!! I could just ride in one of those little battery operated carts. I had always wanted to ride one anyway. I am 35 weeks pregnant after all. One can only guess what might be ailing one who is 35 weeks pregnant. They didn't have to know it was uncomfortable shoes. So that's what I did.

Can I just say it was awesome??? Heath just kept laughing and at first I did too. I'm sure it made me look even more sickly. But talk about shopping made easy!!! Heath just pushed a regular cart and Luke walked and the two little ones just took turns joy riding on the supper cool cart with me. I even let Levi drive for a while. That part was kind of scary. When I backed up it made a beeping noise like a dump truck. That part was almost embarrassing. But the children loved it, and everyone in Wal-Mart gave me the ride of way like I was royalty. It was fun. I almost had one wreck though. I came less than a centimeter away from hitting the end of an isle. Heath couldn't believe it. I do wish we could have gotten a picture for this blog post though. Sadly the camera was left on a dresser, and I never even thought of it.

Heath had to use one of the awesome electric carts when he had his injury. He didn't think it was fun. He scowled and pouted the whole time while I was bent over double with laughter. He looked like a skinny athletic guy. Not like a guy who had just had major surgery on his guts and could barely walk. But that's a story for another day, and it's was way better than my own story about uncomfortable shoes.

Visit to the gestational diabets specialist

Today we went to Springfield to visit my specialist. Honestly it was horrible.

Horrible!

Apparently I was already in a terrible mood. I had no idea about that until Heath informed me after the Dr. visit. (Although I did think it was weird when I went ballistic when Heath put a frozen water bottle in front of the heater vent in the car to thaw it for a thirsty child.)

Anyway, when cantankerous Heather arrived at the office which was an hour away from here, with my three beloved children in tow, the woman at the front desk said, "You were informed that children under 12 are not allowed past the waiting room right?"

No I was not.

I was angry. I have never scowled and muttered at a person in a public place like I did at the poor receptionist who was just letting me know about a rule which I was sure she didn't come up with. I thought it was odd behavior for me but I didn't care. So Heath was a little shocked but he cheerfully agreed to just stay out with the children. Forty-five minutes later they called me back. Then they asked me 500 questions and took my vitals. Then I went to a separate waiting room in the back (where my family wasn't allowed) and sat there.

Next it was time for my ultrasound. I was happy because ultrasounds are ALWAYS fun. And it was....for a while. The baby is almost 5 lbs. It was a really long ultrasound. They kept talking about how usually when babies are this big you can't get a good look at them but she was being very cooperative and they could take all the pictures they needed! Great...but it took a long time. After a few minutes my back began to hurt from laying on it. The ultrasound tech let me put a pillow under it to help. Then it began to REALLY hurt, but I'm tough so I didn't say anything. Then I got nauseous. Luke had thrown up this morning so I thought, "Wow. I've contracted the stomach bug and my body is choosing to throw up NOW????" Then I got REALLY nauseas. I said, "Can we take a break? I need to throw up." The lady jumped back and said, "Yes!" I told her I didn't know what was happening to me but that I felt really sick. She told me that it was very common. Apparently when you get so far along the baby lays on some artery and cuts off blood and oxygen to your brain and it can make you very sick. She said lots of women just started throwing up on the table.

???????

Wow. So we had to stop the ultrasound twice for me to get up and let blood and oxygen go back to my brain, and then I was able to lay on my side so the ultrasound was fun again. I was really sad Heath missed it though. The baby kept playing with and chewing on her feet. It was really cute. And when they were trying to get a picture of her nose she kept covering up her nose with her hands. They said her growth was right on target and she wasn't too big. Everything looked great. It was the good part of the visit.

Then I went back to the God forsaken waiting room.

Then I met with the head doctor and she pretty much just said that everything the other 3 women I had met me was okay.

Two and a half hours later I was done! My poor children and husband. And I was STARVING, in a hungry mother bear who has been hibernating all winter kind of way.

So we went to Cheddars (my favorite restaurant in MO) and I ate like a wild beast. I drank Coke, I ate nachos and cheese sticks and chicken tenders....and then I followed it up with Cookie Monster. It was not pretty.

When Heath thought I was all done eating he stacked the plates in the middle of the table. I saw that and wondered what on earth he was doing because there was a chicken strip on one of the plates. I asked him if he was sending that away. He said yes. I looked at him like he was crazy and snatched the chicken strip off the plate like a cave woman. Luke started laughing. I looked at Luke because I had no idea what he was laughing at. Heath informed me of my insanely bad mood of the day. I was sad. I don't want to be a monster. (so lay off the cookie monsters right??) I didn't even know I HAD been a monster. Heath pointed out various horrible things I had done since opening my eyes this morning.

Wow. There was a lot. I said, "I'm sorry. I didn't know I was being awful. What should I do?" Heath said, "Nothing, you get a free pass today." I said, "I feel like I'm doing all kinds of bad stuff for my family." (because I had also knocked a glass of water all over Londyn and Levi in my haste to shove unhealthy food in my mouth) Luke said, "No you don't! You do great things for our family all the time! You are even having a baby for us!"

I think I have the perfect family and I thank God for them. They are so forgiving of my faults and even encouraging to me when I'm a monster.

Lethal Combination

It's 1:36am. All my family is asleep except for Luke and myself. He's reading what must be a very good book. I'm DYING of heartburn. I finished eating at 5:18. I know because I have to keep track of that stuff for blood testing. So why do I feel like I could shoot flames from my mouth???? Oh yeah, it's because I'm pregnant and I drank water. It's a lethal combination. And I can't find my tums anywhere.

Firsts

The children and I had a bunch of firsts the other day. It was their first time sledding. I didn't do that because of my huge pregnant condition. They really liked it. And then we all had our first time being pulled around on a tractor inner tube. I did that one, they went slow and it wasn't too bouncy. Then we all went up the hill and slid down on the inner tube. It could hold 4 people at a time so that was even more fun than sledding and it wasn't very bouncy so I was included. The strange thing was that I kept getting sweaty! It was 37 degrees but I must have overdressed. For us Florida people that was a bunch of firsts. We had fun. We tried to make a snowman but it wound up looking more like the Washington Monument. I just don't feel much like bending over these days. It takes real effort.

I have to go to a gestational diabetes specialist tomorrow. That's another first for me. The Doctor said that starting next week I will need to see him once a week, and go twice a week to the hospital to be monitored (I'm still not completely sure what that means...we'll see), and go to the specialist once a week. That's 4 Dr. visits a week! YIKES!! Maybe I will get lots of ultrasounds? I hope so. Apparently ges. diabetes ups your risk for stillbirths and C-sections. The Dr. said that every time my blood sugar gets high it's like pouring fertilizer on the baby. So they want to watch her closely and leave her in as long as possible but not let her get so big that a c-section is very likely. It's going to be a pain with us trying to renovate this duplex to live in and all, but it's only for a few weeks and the payoff will definitely be worth it. I still have about 6 weeks to go but I already can't wait to hold that sweet baby girl in my arms and not my belly! I am definitely the most impatient with this pregnancy. I'm sure it's because I can't eat any deliciousness and also because by the time she gets here we will be settled into our own home, which I CAN NOT wait for. Heath is painting and fixing it up as fast as he can but it sure doesn't feel very fast. It feels like we aren't accomplishing anything and the stuff we need to do is growing every day.

So frustrating.

So I'm praying that things start moving around here and that I don't go crazy waiting for everything to be accomplished.

Blizzard of the Century

The blizzard of the century, that's what they are calling it. It just looked like some snow to me, but I'm from FL, what do I know? We are in MO now. Just in time for this "blizzard". Heath's parent's have lived here for 37 years and they said they had never seen anything like it. We got about 2 ft. of snow. My children and I love it! Wal-Mart just re-opened today and it's a good thing because we need some stuff.

Heath hasn't had time to work on our future home because we have been snowed in for 2days. Hopefully tomorrow he can do some painting. We have already been at Heath's brothers' house for 5 days. I hate to stay so long. I feel like we are imposing. But we didn't count on "the blizzard of the century" and has really delayed us.

Tomorrow I also have a Dr. app. I'm a little excited because I always like to go and hear the heartbeat and stuff, and I'm a little sad because I have let my blood sugar go to high the past day and a half and I don't want to get in trouble.

I am WAY past ready to get in our own home and start nesting. I'm really feeling the need to nest. Hopefully I can soon!