Comparison is....

a lot of fun!! Well, it is when you get to look back at old pictures of yourself. I know that isn't always the case. I know many women who would rather forget some of their past looks, but when it is looking back to enjoy prego belly shots I am all in!! I recently had a friend who said I looked as if I were going to pop. My mom also told me she didn't think there was any way I could get any bigger. Both ladies then paused and thought about me pregnant with twins. I must have been bigger then, right. So I thought we should compare. This is me the day I delivered the boys. 37 weeks pregnant with twins!Now here I am at 35 weeks pregnant with one little boy. So, I will let you decide do I have room to grow or am I going to pop? I sure feel like I am going to pop at any moment.

Your request

After posting about my home made beans I had two requests to share the recipe. I will start by saying this came from my friend and turns out the first time I made it I forgot salt and doubled the pepper. They were still yummy and only required stirring in the salt before eating. So by request here is the recipe.

1 diced onion

1 Jalapeno seeded and diced

4 Tbls minced garlic

8 tsp salt

1 Tbls pepper

1/4 tsp cumin

6 cups dry pinto beans

water(the original recipe calls for 9 cups I was told fill crock pot till I thought it was good and check throughout cooking never did measure how much water I used)

Place all ingredients into crock pot and cook on low for about 8 hours or high about 4 hours. Once cooked mash to your desire. I mashed by hand and talked to a friend today who used her food processor. You get the most flavor on low. You can start these at night and in the morning they will be ready. I got four quart size bags into my freezer. Each bag I used about 3 cups of beans. If you put them in at night I would add extra water so the don't dry out while your sleeping. This happened to a friend who simply added water during the mashing phase.

34 weeks!!

Now for most pregnant ladies 34 weeks is not a thing to celebrate. Unless of course you are trying to stay pregnant for as long as possible. That is the case with me. 34 weeks was the goal my doctor gave me to reach. And I reached it!! If baby were to be born now a lot of preemie issues would be gone. The biggest problem would be the possible need for respiratory support. Of course I want baby in longer so now I have 36 weeks in my sights. Two more weeks to go!! The doctor said her gut feeling was I wouldn't make it much past 36 weeks. Which probably means I go 41 weeks. The thing to look forward to is my ultrasound on February 1st. Get to see how big this boy is now!!

Home made

Turns out my kids prefer home made food over store bought already prepared! I learned this because of my good friend who gave me a loaf of home made wheat bread. Caleb had gone on a major bread strike. He would just through it on the ground. We got the good home made bread and he devoured it! Good thing they have a mom who loves the kitchen. I got the recipe for bread and away I went. I love watching the dough mix. I love waiting for it to rise and the smell that fills the air.The taste of home made bread is the best. Samantha has requested that we never buy bread from the store again. The next surprise was when we ate some home made refried beans from our same good friend. All my kids loved them! Mr. Caleb especially! He is anemic so any iron I can get in him is a good thing(he isn't fond of meat). Beans are full of iron. So again I got the recipe and set out to make beans. They are super easy because they are a crock pot creation. They don't look so pretty cooking, but they smelled great! In the end I got four bags of beans for the freezer. It felt good to provide for my family in a new and simple way

Snug as..

Okay, so maybe its more of squished then snug. Last night I was trying my best to rest because I was having pretty regular, pretty strong contractions. As a matter of fact we almost went to the birthing center to get checked, but I am stubborn and stayed on my sofa. Which meant my sweet boys wanted to cuddle. In case you are wondering a 2 year old boy on your tummy while you contract is not comfy. But as we laid there I was reminded of when they were newborns and all three of us would sleep together on that same couch. Middle of the night feedings were much easier if we were all snug together. Now poor Caleb is barley able to move wedged in by his mama and bother. It amazes me how fast the grow and change! It reminded me to hug them often and no matter what stage they are in now it won't last long so enjoy!!!

Prego Belly!!

I realized that I have been awful about posting belly shots. I love prego belly shots!! I thought since I have posted about how big this baby is maybe you were curious how big the belly is. So here it is. Now in case you think this is no big belly just remember I am only 33 weeks along and 5ft 2inches. I have 7 weeks for this bad boy to grow. Although with all the contractions I've been having I don't know if we will make it the entire 7 weeks. Jeff is still amazed at how much farther along my body is acting. All women have those tell tale signs that your body is getting ready for birth and my body has been showing all the end of the road signs. Enjoy my belly and I promise at least one more prior to birth.

Gearing up to slow down

At my last doctors visit I was told it was time to start resting as much as possible. Big baby was equaling more contractions. So I tried a week with no plan and good intention. Even on the most restful of those days I was having what I thought were to many contractions(along with some other common to me discomforts that are sure signs of the end). So I called work, said I was done and started a plan. Since I need my rest I can't just tackle everything I need to get done, so I am gearing up for a major slow down. With a lot of help from the girls and soon friends we are starting by filling the freezer.Thank you Chessa for the wonderful cookbook that has helped me many a time. Easy meals that Samantha(and little girls) can do and make complete by adding a side!! Dinner time is one of my hardest times. I am usually exhausted from a day of baby pain and not very hungry because my tummy is so small. Basically cooking is last on my list. Now it is a no brainer that the girls take care of(they did last nights meal alone). The other big thing is keeping the house in order. For this I made a chore chart. We have had them before divided for each girl. This time its one list that has to be done by nap and they have to work together. Yesterday was the first day and it went so well. It required some directing on my part which I did while sitting on the sofa. When Jeff got home he was amazed at how clean it was. My thought was why didn't I start this sooner!! Some items are to help keep hands busy, but it is also training the girls about a mommies day. The best thing was I didn't need to use the T.V. during the day to entertain. After nap and before dinner we did watch an educational cartoon that was well earned. Tomorrow will be the final day of meal prep and we will be in full on rest mode. Which does still include lessons out of the house as long as all I have to do is sit and wait!!

TWO!!!

Today the boys are two!! I can't even believe it. I remember so vividly finding out that we were going to welcome not one but two little ones into this world. The boys have taught me so much in their short two years here. How different they are then little girls and how even though I think they are yucky they are so precious. I am very excited for this next year. Watching how they grow and change. Excited to see what things they get into. What dare devil stunts they attempt. Seeing them as big brothers. All of it is overwhelming!!

Third times a charm!

It is done!!! The third and finale scarf. It was my first scarf to start on and I learned a lot. The number one lesson learned was cast on the number of stitches the pattern says. I thought this scarf would be to thin so I almost doubled the number I cast on. Kellina ended up with one fat scarf. She also ended up with the shortest scarf. It turns out she is my one child who wants to tie it around her. I hadn't planned on that. She loves it and that is all that matters. Now I will go back to the baby blanket I am working on for the little man inside me. After that(or during) I will make the little girls matching hats!!

HUGE!

Today I learned that the reason I feel so big and uncomfortable is because my bay is HUGE! While doing the ultrasound the tech said,"The dates I have for you only put you at 31 weeks. Is that right?" I assured her I was only 31 weeks and she promptly told me the baby measured in at 35- 36 weeks. He is in the 90th percent for size right now. Turns out he is also in a lot of fluid. It means I now have doctors orders to rest. With the bigger size and extra fluid my risk of preterm labor jumped. The up side is I will probably get two more ultrasounds before birth to keep track of his size. The down side is if he gets to big I may need a c-section. Although his sister was 8lbs 12oz and she didn't require a c-section. It is all in Gods hands and I trust what ever happens. Oh, babies heart looks fine this time around and they don't think there are any chromosomal abnormalities!

FINISHED!! part 2

The second Christmas scarf has been completed!! With this scarf I learned that a 5 year old doesn't care if the scarf has some cool pattern. She really only cares that it has "danglies" like her big sisters. Also nice is you don't have to make it as long as one for an 11 year old. So the last scarf I have to complete is the one I started first. I hadn't learned all my cool tricks yet, but I am sure I will get it done soon.