After picking up Austin from school, I took the boys to the post office so they can mail off their hair to Locks of Love and while we are there we got several cute comments from strangers.

Lady #1

Matthew was whining because he was tired and not knowing he wanted a nap. She commented “Isn’t it funny how when we are little we cry because we don’t want a nap, but then when we grow up be cry because all we want is a nap??”

Lady #2

We will call her “The Mystic” (TM)

TM: (Looking at Austin and Chris) Are they twins?
Chris: Nope, we are 16 months apart.
TM: You must hear that a lot, are you older?
Chris: Nope, he is older, and he’s adopted.
Me: Christopher, you are oversharing! (Feeling mortified for poor Austin)
TM: Amazing how much alike they look!
Me: They are biologically half brothers, but legally full brothers, they look like their daddy. (Still reeling from Christopher’s oversharing, poor Austin looks like he is stuck between bored to tears and annoyed at the conversation).
TM: And when is the little girl due?
Me: (Realizing I never mentioned I am having a girl) Next month
TM: That is wonderful! Little girls….. (I start tuning it out, I have heard it all before)
Me: Yup, we are excited, we were not trying for a specific gender because we knew we would love either one equally.
TM: What hospital are you delivering at?
Me: Oh, I am having her at home (waiting for the look of mortification I hear everyone gets in my family when they tell people I am having a home birth)
TM: Oh! That is wonderful! I had my son at home, we lived in Japan where my husband was stationed at it was the most wonderful experience!
Me: That is great, I read that 70% of women in Japan have their babies at home and they have better outcomes than here in the US.
TM: So you found a good midwife?
Me: Yes, she’s very experienced.
TM: That is wonderful, I wish all women would have their babies at home.
Lady #1 (L1): I had three of mine at home, I agree, all women should have their babies at home. In fact my friend has 6 kids and she had all hers at home too, but the last three she delivered without an attendant!
TM: Hospitals are for the sick and high risk. I hope you have a wonderful delivery.
L1: I agree, blessed birth to you!

As I leave about 3 other ladies and a man in line are all smiling some tell me congratulations, some tell me I have a beautiful family, some tell me good luck.

It’s amazing how one little old lady who just assumed I was having a little girl was able to start a conversation that transfixed an entire line for the post office.

One of my friends, Tali, was complaining that she has not seen any pics of my husband, so I forced him to pose for me. He asked which cheek, but thankfully was not serious, however it did take a couple shots to get him to put his middle finger down.

She then complained that I did not “show off” my husband enough, because he is a good looking guy, this I know, but I guess I have been keeping him to myself too much. So now you can see why I make such beautiful babies, it is because they look just like their daddy. I am just the pod that incubates his little clones.

Austin and Christopher decided back in 2005 that they would like to start growing out their hair, like their dad had his when he was a teen. The glamor of long hair wore out last year when they started getting teased at school, but Austin said he would like to let it grow out long enough to be donated to the charity “Locks of Love”

Here is a before picture of my little boys:

Christopher with his hair all up in pig-tails before the big snip:

Austin, minus the long pigtails, but before the real hair cut:

The three boys after their hair cuts:

Monday after school we will hit the post office to mail their hair, the boys are loving their short new cuts and look forward to seeing the reaction they receive on Monday at school. I am so proud of my sons, they have put so much into this and taken a lot of crap because of it, but they feel it is worth it and have no regrets.

PS. To see the full photostream, make sure to visit the entire set on Flickr.

Thirty five weeks. I should be excited, I mean that is a week away from my 9th month, but why does it feel like I have SO far to go?? I can safely birth at home in 2 weeks, but it also means I could still be another TWO MONTHS from having her too, especially since my babies like going overdue.

I cried to Bobby last night, I feel so done. I am so ready to have my sweet little baby now, but of course I know she is not done cooking yet and I don’t want her to come out before she is ready. However I wish I could fast forward to my birthing day so we can both be ready and I can skip over the next X weeks of wishing it was time now.

I never really saw the appeal of keeping dogs outside, after all, my dogs have always been family…. however I never remember having problems with family having explosive diarrhea on my floor at 6am.

I would love to know, are my dogs eating something that is causing this or am I just lucky to have two dogs to have these problems? Not my two current dogs, because I don’t remember going through this with Chloe except maybe once, but former dog Mika and now Isis. I do not have Isis on the same brand of food as Mika was on, nor do I have her one the same brand she was on the first time she had this same horrible bout with explosive poo. Makes me wonder if it is caused by a weed they are eating outside, or if this is normal dog stuff, but I never remember any of my childhood dogs having this issue.

Isis’ bed was finally sacrificed to the great garbage gods, when she had her first heat I was able to wash most of that mess (it looked like she had killed a small family of rabbits, and by “small” I mean 47), and we planned on keeping the gross one until June, when we have her spayed, but it looks like she gets the new bed now.

I am totally feeling the outside love right now… but hopefully that will pass as quickly, just like I hope this “bug” she has does.

I saw my midwife today, it was a good visit, still no weight gain, blood pressure is fine, Sophie is still head down and has a nice strong heartbeat (130 bpm). She gave me my birth tub, and my supply list (looks like I have 80% of what I need on hand). Now I get to have a project gathering it all up and keeping it in one central location. I have one more bi-weekly visit Tuesday after next and then I have my home visit at 37w (May 13th) and then I am cleared to have my baby any time after that. I will have weekly visits from 38 weeks until my birthing time.

I do need to work on increasing my protein intake and increase the number of snacks I eat. I also checked out two videos from her birth library, one a documentary I was wanting to see, another which she said would be a great video to show the boys to make sure they are comfortable with birth. Bobby and I told the boys last night about the homebirth, and the expectations of being here (that they will have to get their own meals, entertain themselves, help with Matthew, and that we will not be giving them permission for anything, so they need to make their own judgment calls, since normally they ask before going outside or turning on video games). We also let them know our stances on them being in the room for the birth, I told them I ONLY want them there if they feel 100% comfortable since you cannot “un-see” birth and I do not want them to have any regrets. Bobby told them he did not want them there at all, but was willing to let them chose. We also told them we would not wake them, but that they are more than welcome to come in and see us after she is born if they are more comfortable waiting.

Both of my old OB offices still have not faxed her my records, even though I faxed them releases 2 weeks ago! They are supposed to have a 48h turn-around and I am getting irritated. She is going to call both of them today to remind them, but if they don’t fax them soon I am going to call and raise hell.

I made my dad’s famous red beans and rice recipe tonight and it could not have tasted better, it was so yummy and SO filling. I doubled the recipe because I figured my little boys would not be full on just the normal serving amount, so I doubled the recipe… wow, talk about a cheap way to have TWO meals! They ate exactly one of the two casserole dishes and were full, so the second one went right into the freezer for an easy way to come up with a hearty, healthy meal for after I have the baby.

I also doubled the corn bread recipe so we can have it tomorrow with our chili, which I am hoping yields the same overabundance to make enough for a second meal. Each meal I am able to freeze will just be one less meal I need to burden Bobby with, or one less meal we might get from the drive through. I have to tell you, making 2 cups of rice instead of 1 was not any extra work, but it will save me the time it took tonight to make two meals later down the road.

My beans for chili are already soaking tonight and I am hoping I can get it into the slow cooker before my prenatal appointment tomorrow with my midwife so I have the crock pot doing the work while I am away.

But I probably won’t be updating as much as I would like… I am under an immense amount of stress that I can’t talk about on here and I doubt it will ease up until after Sophie is born. I will update on the topics I feel comfortable talking about, but until then expect some changes of past and future blog posts. Sorry guys, I am going to keep blogging, by my entires will remain private until I feel comfortable sharing.

*Update 4/20*

Ok, took some soul searching and I reevaluated some of the issues I was having a realized they were not as big of a deal as I thought. I think as my birthing time gets closer, I am starting to wig out a little bit… not because I am worried or scared, but just because I feel like I have so much to do in so little time; yet at the same time feels like I have to wait a lifetime to meet my sweet little baby girl.

So false alarm, chalk it up to hormones and overreacting.

First Christopher came down with a mysterious cough, we tease him that he needs to quit smoking before it kills him.

Then Bobby gets this coughing/feel like walking death/puking thing that he is still recovering from.

Now Matthew has been coughing/sneezing/running a fever since last night. When I took his temp he told me he had a tiger in his ear (always the right ear) so off to the ped we go this morning. Good news is, he is tiger free, even better news is that he also does not have an ear infection, he has a cold. Bad news is, last night after he puckered up to kiss me last night, he coughed directly into my mouth, so I may be getting it soon.

Completely off topic… please pray for my Great Dane. Poor 100 lb dog is being rubbed on by a 10 lb cat and looking as if she has just been violated in the worst possible way. I hope she does not need therapy after this because she is acting very traumatized. There is a line from a movie I was trying to quote, but I just cannot seem to find it, however this scene from Ghost Busters works too.

Dr. Peter Venkman: This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.
Mayor: What do you mean, “biblical”?
Dr Ray Stantz: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath of God type stuff.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Exactly.
Dr Ray Stantz: Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!
Dr. Egon Spengler: Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes…
Winston Zeddemore: The dead rising from the grave!
Dr. Peter Venkman: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!

Poor Isis, she is involved in a disaster of biblical proportions…. she was touched by a cat. Poor dog.

Bobby is dying.

He has a cold that he thinks is turning into the flu.

I love my husband, I really do, but men are no fun when they are sick.

Bobby is convinced he is headed to death’s doorstep, and I am willing to help him get him there faster. *Insert evil laughter*