Still Kickin’

Yes, we are still around, and all is well at the Cowart household. It is a little de-motivating to think of posting any updates sans pictures, but I was thinking tonight what bad timing it was to have broken my camera when I did—just before I had Ian—and how my blog would surely have SO many posts by now if I had not broken my camera, and then it dawned on me that 1) Perhaps that’s thinking a little too optimistically about how much blogging I would actually do and 2) Perhaps breaking my camera was one of the biggest blessings at just this perfect time.

Let me explain: I’m not very excited about posting updates without pictures—or rather, I figure readers would want to see pictures of our growing boy and our goings-on, not merely wordy updates (yes, I’m aware of how wordy they get, and I’m over it). In my imaginary life, also figure that Casey will convert the pictures I’ve taken with his camera at some point, and at that time, I will post about that particular event (in reality, I have to admit, that will NEVER happen. . . the posting, that is, not the converting. . . although I do wonder sometimes). So, the result of this is that I have not blogged in over a month, and haven’t felt the need to do so. In fact, I’ve rather enjoyed my break from blogging—not even a hint of guilt.

Not only have I seriously tapered off in the blogging department; I have also been very so-so about checking e-mail. I even went a whole two weeks without checking/reading blogs and e-mail, and let me tell you, it was pretty relaxing. The Amish really have something there. . .

What I’m trying to say in these many paragraphs is that we are so enjoying living that we don’t have much time for updating. And I’m really thankful for my broken camera that forced me into being so-so about updating, because I have felt a wonderful freeness about the whole business.

Not giving it up though. Just feeling totally fine with updating sporadically. We’ve had so much going on (in a good way—not just busy-ness) with company in and out and enjoying the waning summer and watching our boy change and our girls’ crazy antics. I love having a newborn—it forces life to slow down and I really see my children and watch them. I laugh a lot more, and Casey and I exchange many more raised-eyebrow and trying-not-to-smile glances and take time to snap pictures the likes of the rose bud that Ruby planted in the dirt this evening (so we could grow a rose bush) or the third-of-a-page coloring book picture that Claire beautifully and painstakingly colored. (She showed it to Case when he got home that day, and he said, “What a pretty picture. Where’s the rest of it?” We explained that there was no “rest of it.” It was torn before she colored it.)

Even though I am with them almost every moment of their lives, I miss so much by doing stuff. I’m not talking over-the-top projects or activities or anything: just the daily maintenance of laundry, meals, dishes and the training and physical care of the children can keep my day busy enough that so much goes unnoticed. (In another way, too. I have become that mom that I once watched—dumbfounded—completely missing the disobedience, disrespect, naughtiness of the child standing inches away from her. Though I’ve seen no video documenting it, I’m under no illusions about it: I am that mom. There’s no way I’m not missing something.)

Still with me? I really didn’t get on here tonight to wax sentimental. My intent was to actually give somewhat of an update, so here goes:

Ruby lost her first tooth a couple weeks ago. Twice. Only minutes after it came out, it dropped from her hand and we haven’t seen it since. I think it may be under the refrigerator. If I could, this is where I would insert a picture of . . .

{Ruby sporting her new smile.}

Ruby is extremely helpful and responsible, and growing in these traits daily. Before Ian was born, she figured out how to get Haley out of the crib (safely, yes), and that has been a fabulous blessing for my hugely-pregnant-and-anemic-and-don’t-know-it self, on to my I-just-had-a-baby-and-need-to-reduce-stair-climbing self, and now on to my I’m-making-dinner or nursing-Ian self. That one thing alone has changed so much about our days.

We’ll be starting our first school year mid-September, and R & C are very excited to start Kindergarten! We have the curriculum all organized in a cabinet and have even started on a few things (so mom can get a feel for the teacher’s manual as well as gain confidence :). I had started this free downloadable phonics program with Ruby in February, and we have seriously taken FOREVER to do it (40-some units, and we’re just now getting to the 30’s—not how they say to do it, but I’m over that, too). Ruby can sound out many words, since by now she knows quite a few phonics rules (sh, th, ch, long vowels, silent e and many phonograms and blends) and nowadays, she’ll sometimes sound out words on her own (signs, labels, etc.—actually, Claire does this, too, though she does not know as many of the rules.). Counterintuitively, Ruby seems to really love reading single words, but open her (level one, super easy reading) book and she is NOT excited about reading. This is the opposite of what I have read and hear a lot, but I’m wondering if she does not enjoy it very much because she hasn’t become proficient yet, and loses interest because of how long it takes to read a sentence, or . . . Dread! . . . a page. I’ve thought of a possible remedy for her dread, and hope to encourage her that reading really is enjoyable: while I read to them aloud, I’ll stop at words for which she’s learned the rules and allow her to sound them out. That way, we’re making good progress on the page, and she’s getting practice reading while also maintaining comprehension of a more-interesting storyline.

Claire is doing better and better with self-control and in her attitudes and Casey and I are getting to know the delightful, creative, hard-working girl that was often overshadowed by . . . other adjectives (that, or she just didn’t have the time to be these adjectives while fulfilling the other ones . . . or maybe these adjectives were just manifesting in a negative way. . . whichever way, the change is a welcome one). Claire does a great deal of quiet busy-work. She’ll play with blocks alone in her room, or sit on my bed and look at books, or organize the kid’s cup cupboard. She loves to help me almost as much as Ruby, and sometimes even more. I can always count on at least one helper when I ask for one.

Haley also loves to help. Her specialty is taking clothes out of the washer and putting them in the drier. She still continues to display the obvious postponement of obedience-training, but recently we’ve been more able to turn our attention to it, and we’ve known all along—and even decided it would be so—that she is not as well trained in obedience as the other girls were at her age. Adding a third child was our apparent threshold: something had to give, and by necessity, we really narrowed down our battles. So far, a fourth child has not had the same effect. We are in such a better place than we were two years ago, or even last summer. Possibly because not just one, but two of our children are now older than Ruby was when we added a third, there are so many things we are able to do now that we could not do before, and it has been such a relief to find that adding children does not necessarily mean being more and more burdened. (We were pretty convinced of this notion until a couple months ago, honestly.) Even so, We certainly have our work cut out for us. Yesterday at a play place, I told Haley to come to me, to which she replied, “No, you come here!” (Our days are fairly full of such talk. There is sure to be at least one, "No, YOU. . . " from her mouth each day.) On the way home later, I explained to her that I could not give her something because I was not able to trust her with it. She began repeating, “I can’t trust you.” over and over. At least the inflection wasn’t argumentative that time.

As much as “2” is a challenge, it is one of my favorite ages. Kids say what they think, they don’t care what others think, and they are equally as expressive of the excitement they feel as they are of any displeasure. I find the flip-side of the “terrible two” traits quite fun.

Ian is 8 weeks now, and I am going be presumptuous and say that he is The. Best. Baby. I sometimes feel like all he asks of me is to be fed every couple hours. There is a little more work in it than just that, of course, but he is so far from high-need, it seems too good to be true. Makes me feel pretty silly for wondering how we were going to deal with a fourth. I had in my mind that God was really pouring it on thick (sanctification, that is) and it was just going to get harder and harder. Casey and I have been floored (and pleasantly-so) that Ian’s arrival has actually marked the easing of our struggles in many ways. In our heads, we knew God would give us the grace to have and raise a fourth, but little did we know that how God would do it was by drastically changing several things that by that time, we’d come to think of as “the way things are.”

For months, I had toyed with the idea of naming Ian something having to do with sanctification, since by then, we equated the words, “child-raising” to “highly-sanctifying,” and were sure we were in for the most difficult time of our lives (admittedly, I was figuratively flinching) but the day after he was born, Casey and I decided on a name that called our attention to God’s graciousness, not knowing that that is what God would be impressing upon us in these first couple months (at least:) of Ian’s life. Ian’s birth was only one of many ways in which God showed Himself faithfully gracious in giving us a fourth child.

It has been a joy to eat crow. Humble pie never tasted so good. It feels like we’re in a different season, though to an outsider it may look like not much has changed. God’s benevolence has been amazing for us to experience and observe.

Ian weighed 14 lb even at yesterday’s appointment. He’s definitely still a chunker, but he seems much slimmer than when he was born. He’s out of most of his 0-3 mo. clothes now, so I think he may have grown a lot longer (we haven’t measured him since birth day). He smiles and coos, and though he still sleeps a great deal (NOT complaining:), he is very active with his arms, legs and face during his awake times. (It kinda makes me tired just to watch infants—they make breathing look like hard work.) Last night, he had an 8-hour stretch between feedings, and I had the most wonderful 5 1/2 hours of uninterrupted sleep. He gave me a long stretch about a month ago, too: going 6 hours between night feedings. And at that point, the 3 1/2 hours I got was the longest stretch of uninterrupted sleep I’d had in many months. It was so beautiful, I almost cried.

Casey started a new job about a month ago (within the same company, but a new position) and from what he’s said, it sounds like he will be busy and challenged, which should keep him fresh for a good while. This new position will likely have him traveling a little more (looks like once a month, instead of the 2 or so times a year) and, while that would have overwhelmed me only a few months ago, I see it as very doable now. He’s headed back to ‘Frisco for a conference in a couple days and is looking forward to the cool weather and great beauty of that old city (American-ly speaking, that is, Karin :). His mom is here now, so he’s not exactly leaving me to fend for myself.

My sister Deb was here last week, and we had good times trying to squeeze in deep conversation while caring for 7 children (4 of which were 2 and under). As one might guess, that usually meant staying up to ungodly hours. A small sacrifice. I was so rejuvenated by the week full of help, fellowship and stimulating adult conversation, we had a couple fun and productive days following her departure.

Have I put you to sleep yet? I almost have myself. Buenos Noches.

Okay, I didn't want to post an update without pictures, but we still have the raw photo thing going on, and uploading photos/changing their formatting isn't exactly top on the list of priorities here at Casa de Cowart (especially since only one of us knows how to do this, and he's been pretty busy providing for and taking care of his family lately. Any grievances may be taken up with him :).

So, these photos are from July 4th. Some pics are better than none, right?

The girls and I survived our first day completely on our own today. Survival was my intent, and I must say it went much better than expected. We even got a few things done.

Mom left on Friday, after over two weeks helping us, and in that time where my duties pretty much consisted of feeding and caring for Ian and enjoying the girls, I regained perspective. For some possibly hormone-related reason, I have spent the last few weeks feeling guilty about many things, most related to my children and life in general--how quickly they grow, how fleeting it is--I really wondered how I'd do once Mom left and my job became more demanding again, since for me, this kind of guilt piles on the more I have to do.

So, today I decided my priority would be to enjoy the children and keep perspective. I would not have a list--mental or otherwise--of things I needed to get done for the day. My "one" goal would be to stay patient, keep a gentle tone of voice and use kind words. It may be hard for some moms to relate to me in this, but I like being real, and patience is a real struggle of mine--always has been (ask my mom :). This already being a struggle, combined with the life situation I'm in (Casey and I noticed last week that it isn't the number of children, or the ages or stages, or even who the children are, but the combination of these things that makes parenting quite challenging at the moment) and there's a good chance I'll be losing it at some point in the day.

But, today, by God's grace, we made it and had a GREAT day. It was truly wonderful. Even got some laundry, dishes, school and weeding done--all with the help of my 3 girls. Time will tell if my impression is a true one, but I do believe that four may be an easier adjustment than 3 was--at least when Haley first joined us. There are so many things that were harder having three three and under than they are with four five and under. I can see how people can handle more children spaced farther apart. That being said, I'm not exactly volunteering for such things :).

I had my first outing with all four by myself on Saturday, and it was also refreshingly stress-free. Granted, we went to McDonald's, not the grocery store, but even so, it was delightfully simple. So much of this has to do with Claire's maturing beyond the fit-throwing self she's been for the last couple years. She still has her moments, but most of them are at home now--hardly ever in public--and they are much (much, much) shorter lived.

Haley's right at Claire's heels in the challenging department, and she's giving us a run for our money. Bossy hardly describes it. Sass, perhaps, but that's still an understatement. Yesterday, Case and I had to not look at each other just so we could keep from bursting into laughter at the absurdity of this 26 month old taking such tones with us. (Last week at church, a loud guffaw escaped from one of the attendees upon witnessing one of these moments. My raised eyebrows must have communicated something other than the, "Can you believe this?" I was trying to communicate, because he immediately looked apologetic and embarrassed for having laughed--I had to apologize later.) She'll often shake her finger and be very stern, multiplying words and ending with, "K?!" (as in, okay? as in, do you understand me?). Now that Claire is doing better, the bulk of our training attention needs to focus on this pint-sized dictator.

Ian. Well I guess I'll finish the post with a little about our 3-week-old little man. He's a fabulous baby. Sure, he cries, but he stops pretty quickly when he senses his needs will be met soon. He's a hungry one. His one long stretch is about 3-4 hours between feedings, but he is otherwise very content and super sweet, so I don't mind how often he's hungry. And even though he prefers to be near me at night, he does not require being attached to me every moment of the night, as his next-older sister did at this age, so though it isn't the most comfortable sleep I've had, it beats what it could be. Currently, the evenings are spent marathon-nursing him until he's finally satisfied to go those 3-4 hours between feedings. After that last feeding, he's O-U-T. That's when I try to get my good sleep--when he's in his bed and I have all sleep positions available to me.

All that nursing is doing something--he was 11 pounds last Monday. I didn't think I could keep his weight-gain going as aggressively as it apparently was in utero, but it seems he's getting what he needs.

Ruby cracked me up today. She'd put on a CD of children's songs while we putzed around this morning. A few hours later, she came to me asking what that song meant about "pooping the ark." "What?!?" I was truly at a loss. She started singing to the tune of "Who built the ark?" (No-ah, No-ah), but instead of hearing "Who built the ark," she'd heard "poo-ping the ark" (No-ah, No-ah). . . I'm still wondering how she got that. They don't sound similar to me.

So far, so good. I'm really enjoying my four blessings. Determined to continue enjoying them, even if it means the house is so-so and meals are nothing to write home about. How I treat my blessings is more important than what I do with them, what I feed them, or what I "accomplish" for the day. Today, a simple, sweet, easy-going day was accomplished. I'll take that any day.

Un Random Update

Just a little about things going on around here lately. . .

We now have 5 new trees growing in our backyard. Wish we'd had them planted when we first moved here. They might've given us some shade by now!

I'm looking most forward to enjoying the globe willow's shade in a couple years.

This evening marks when we FINALLY turned on the air conditioning. Case (is every man like this?) had a goal to make it to May 1 before we resorted to cooling ourselves by such means. Before the crazy cold snap last week, we were laying under ceiling fans as the thermostat registered 84+ degrees. I actually welcomed last week's freezing rain. (But not so much the 90 mph winds that drove piles of fine dust through our closed windows.)

We had class 8 tonight (Bradley), so we thought it would be nice to let our almost-due couples have a cool environment in which to learn about variations of labor and possible complications. (Want to watch a cesarean video in an 80+ degree room, anyone?) One of our students had just witnessed her first labor (not hers--her first to witness) and told us a great story of prodromal labor . . . ending in the unmedicated birth of a healthy baby! I'm excited to hear more.

Let's see. . . last Thursday, the girls and I made it to an unofficial church play date at a local business that is like a coffee shop and a play place in one. We've been there a couple times. The girls really love it. I don't think the business will last long--we've been some of the only customers when we're there--but it is such a great idea. I really want to support them as long as they're open.
Over the weekend, we made our family pilgrimage to Costco (I don't know how I've talked Case into coming to help me with the shopping here several times now. I think I might be throwing my weight around. . . or maybe just my belly.)
These girls. . . I guess it's too much to ask that they all look my direction and like they are not homeless and drugged. Yikes, I really need to do their hair before setting out in public. A hat can only hide so much. (This is the tip of Haley's cheesiness iceberg.)

Case and I had the special treat of going on a quick dinner date Saturday while a couple from church watched the girls for us. It was a treat for the girls as well-- they got their nails painted and got to play with another little girl AND a puppy! They were disappointed to find that the couple was not sleeping over.
This has been a spoiling week for the girls--on Monday they had another couple friends come over to play and then on Tues, we went as a family to dinner at an acquaintance's home. She's the one who has given birth on the same day as have I the last two times. Claire and J are exactly the same age, as are Haley and D! They have 3 boys and have recently discovered they expect another baby in October. Claire asked if we'd have our babies the same day again, and I told her I really hoped we didn't this time!

This family was so gracious. Claire threw a HUGE tantrum outside where the dads had taken the children as we cleaned up dinner, and the other father was extremely understanding. Case and I had wondered how he and the husband would fare in conversation, since many of Casey's interests/hobbies and job all have to do with technology (and, dare I say, violence?!) and as Mennonites, they have little to do with such things. Well, I think Claire's fit may have just brought them together on a point of commonality . . . to our surprise, they struggle with similar things with their oldest. We laughed that if they hadn't said anything, we would have never known, and the dad very humbly said, "Well, you've caught us at a good time." We went on to have several hours of great conversation.

Speaking of our fiesty fit-thrower, Case let Claire play in her room tonight while Ruby sat in on our class. He forgot to turn off her light, and we found her asleep on the floor next to her toys. So sweet. And yes, it's times like these when I wonder, can she really throw such out-of-control fits? Surely not THIS girl.
In other news, I am 30+ weeks and getting bigger by the moment. Today, at Ruby's dance class I was asked (again) if I was having twins. . . which sparked a conversation with two ladies in their 70's who each told me about their twin births, one with the traditional "knock-em-out, drag-em-out" (as Dr. Bradley put it) method, the other whose Dr. hypnotized her. Very different. It is funny how many twin stories I have heard since sporting a large belly. More than I have ever heard before (even though I've had a pretty large belly at some point each time).

Here's a little trivia for you: I personally know 3 different people (not the above ladies--they both knew beforehand) who either had or were undiagnosed twins (as in, they didn't know there were twins till the first baby was out and/or the second baby was being born). I'm not saying that means I'm having twins . . . I'm just sayin'. . . it isn't exactly unheard of.

Anyway, I'm not always asked if I'm having twins, but it is a normal suggestion/question when people find out how much longer I have to go. But that's with strangers, mainly. With those who know me, I get the entirely too brief, "Wow, Sarah." or "When was it that you said you were due?" I get it, guys. I'm huge.
Last midwife appointment (we're down to every 2 weeks now--really closing in!) I measured 33 weeks--only 4 weeks ahead, instead of 5, so the gap is closing, rather than widening. I have another appointment tomorrow, which I purposely scheduled for when my MIL is in town (as in, immediately after she flies in--sorry, Sandy!). Hopefully, my blood pressure will be back to normal. It's been high (for me) the last two appointments (114/60 at 29 weeks) and I have a hunch that sans children, we'll get a lower reading.
Incidentally, in all of my appointments where I follow behind another prego woman or one follows me, I am the only woman who comes to appointments without a husband (or whatever). Seriously, what do these women's husband's do? If Case took off every time I had an appointment, we wouldn't have any family leave time for him to take when I REALLY need him--after the baby's born and my family help is gone. I think my midwives might find the fact that I come without him a little puzzling and concerning, but it just isn't feasible for him to burn up several hours of family leave for each appointment. Anyone else have this experience? Is this a home birth thing, or do most couples consider it "thier" midwife/doctor appointment, and go together? Are we just too practical? I know I'd enjoy it on this side, but I'm sure I'd regret it when he only has a day or two he can stay home with us after #4 arrives.

Contractions are getting stronger. For the last few weeks, it has been pretty normal to have an evening with fairly regular contractions every 5 minutes (some evenings, every 10 minutes) for 5 hours or so. They usually kick in around dinner time and die down by 11ish. Some days, like yesterday, I have strong contractions all day (not as close, though). I'm having them very strong and less than 5 min apart now for the last 1/2 hour, so I'm going to call it a day. Relaxation practice awaits!

We Made It

Today, we celebrated having made it through the week while Case is in Seattle. (Flying home tomorrow afternoon.) Usually, while Case is gone, the girls and I do a few more things out and about, since schedule doesn't matter as much and I don't tend to "make" dinner like I do when he's home. This time was different, in that Haley gave me a bad head cold and I realized on Sunday morning, when Case left, that I'd need to really take it easy just to make it till class on Wednesday. (I may not have mentioned it, but I'm on week two of my second provisional series w/Bradley).

So, things were simplified as much as they could be. I am not exaggerating when I say that it took me from Sunday to Wednesday night to prepare for class. Between doing the needed preparation for teaching and trying to keep up on the house, (to say nothing of keeping up with the girls' needs and training) I was worn out. As soon as class was over last night, I breathed a sigh of relief that we'd actually made it. Another day and a half would be cake after this!

The girls did fairly well during class. There was a lot of noise at times--extra bumps and squealing (the happy kind, thankfully!) above us as we went through the first half of the material. I did have to come check on them once or twice while the students were watching a DVD, but it went much better than it could have. In the last few days, there was a lot of rehearsing what was going to happen when Mommy had class, and that they were to stay in their room (the older two--I put Haley to bed) and play quietly until their light turned off (it's on a timer) and then climb into bed and wait quietly for me. All in all, they did fairly well, though we spent a good 45 minutes cleaning their room this morning (much of this was due to the laundry I had piled just outside their closet before class--one of the girls' piles was pretty much scattered all over the room. I'll let you guess whose :). I told them if they did well, we'd spend today taking it easy and celebrating, and that's what we did!

Tonight, we ran to get a bite to eat and got a special ice cream treat on the way home. After getting ready for bed, calling Daddy and putting Haley down, we snuggled on the bed and watched a movie and had popcorn. The girls have been asking to do this since Monday. Then, we played their Tea Party game to finish off the celebration.

I wasn't clear on how to play this game. Claire volunteered to "read" the "structions."

It was a good week. God was so gracious. We all survived and the house is even in good shape, thanks to class last night! Case will be thrilled to come home to a clean(ish) house. And we will be thrilled to have him back.

I'll leave you with a quote from my niece that made me chuckle yesterday: "When I get married, my husband will be my boyfriend forever and that's the best way to not get a divorsion." Sounds good, Lyd.

Trying Something New

This is my first attempt using Windows Live Writer (found a post about it that was convincing here). Hoping to have a better time of posting pics and videos now that I’m using a more user friendly program than Blogger seems to be. I’ve posted through Word before, but any pics or videos I include also have to be uploaded to Blogger, so the only helpful thing about it is that it doesn’t time out or glitch and lose what I typed. Problem with that is that my biggest complaint w/Blogger is the pic/video uploading. Rarely do I lose text. But one good thing about using Word to post to my blog is that if I do happen to lose a whole post at some point (I’ve heard it happens!), at least I have a back-up copy. I’ll post my thoughts about using WLW when I have more to say about it.

Case is with the girls tonight. I left him herding them toward sleepytime. He let me get out of the house ALONE for the evening. Very refreshing. I really enjoy having an hour or so here and there to better appreciate all the wonderful things that make up my very blessed life.

When I am away, I can see things more objectively. Like how sweet my children really are, and how much I do enjoy being with them all day every day and what a privilege it is to be the one who knows them best and see all the ways they grow and discover the world around them. Case and I can tell when I need a break when my general attitude has the undertone of negativity and discouragement. Since I use my blogs to decompress in some way or another, it is probably obvious to you, my readers, when I need a break as well! Perhaps it is a very good thing that I do not have time to blog much. I would surely give the impression of an ungrateful, crabby woman much more than I already do!

Another “break” I enjoy is when we have company and I am able to observe the girls more from an outsiders’ view—actually seeing them, not just being with them—there is such a difference! Sometimes, it is surprising to me how much I don’t notice on a usual day alone with them. I also treasure the rare phone call that one of the girls will make to me. I’ll save those messages forever, or so I tell myself. Probably seems strange, but I so rarely hear how they sound on the phone, and it is terribly precious to me to hear those sweet, tiny voices call me “Mommy” on the phone.

What do you know? When I decided to wrap up this post, I thought I should at least try to insert a couple pics to see how easy it could be, and it totally was! Blogger-users, brace yourselves for a shock: I put the curser where I wanted to insert the picture, and, viola! There it appeared, only seconds later! And another thing: I posted the second picture SECOND, and it is AFTER the first one! Such luxury! Now I have only to publish this post when I get home and then try a post with a video, which I'm not sure I can even do with Live Writer, but I'll let you know. That will be the true test of WLW!

(Oh, I guess I should do some sort of caption for the pics I chose: this is why it took us so long to let Haley feed herself “messy” stuff. It just didn’t seem worth it to have a few minutes of peace and then have to deal with the aftermath. Once in a while, after an exceptionally challenging day, I found it worth the clean-up to eat my own meal without much interruption, but it is almost NEVER worth it to Casey. That’s why some nights, I put him next to Haley—so he can decide what he wants to do. Oh, and this pic is from Jan. We have been working on the “don’t put your bowl on your head when you’re finished” lesson these last couple months so messy food isn’t quite as bad here in March. But it still isn’t always worth it. We hadn’t been using bibs for a few months in there, but they’re definitely BACK now!)

Why a Pregnant Woman Should Not Do the Grocery Shopping

You're probably thinking you know where this is going--a prego woman is always hungry and will impulse-buy a ton of terrible stuff.

So, maybe I should have titled this post "Why THIS Pregnant Woman Should Not Do the Grocery Shopping." It is not because of hunger or cravings. This is about brain power.

This afternoon, as Haley finished lunch beside me and the older two played happily in the back yard, I decided to do something that I rarely do nowadays: make a complete and thorough list of items based upon the sale ad. (Normally, I'll just quickly glance to see if there's anything I'd want to stock up on, and note any out-of-the ordinary items we may need. Otherwise, we get pretty much the same things every time, and I'll pay attention to pricing, choosing as we go.)

I spent a good twenty minutes on that list, noting which things and how many I should get in order to get the "10-for" pricing. Then tonight, after the kiddos were in bed, I left to do some serious shopping, where I could pay attention to the ad and leave nothing to chance (a luxury I do not have when my children are in tow).

You probably really do know where this is going now. About 45 minutes into my quest for great deals, I noticed (once again) that the price on this item did not match the price in the ad, (as well as the fact that nowhere did it say anything about a 10-for pricing ANYWHERE in the store). This had happened on a good 6 or more items, and it was now finally dawning on me what the problem might be. I searched the ad for the date and could not find it. Finally, in some very fine print I discovered what I should have suspected the first time I noticed an item not being the right price: the ad expired 2 days ago.

Made a lot of sense then. So much for my preparation and money-saving! I ended up spending another 10 minutes putting items back, and I had spent a good 10-15 minutes just wandering down isles, looking for those "participating items" that I did not usually purchase. Seriously, where do they keep the Velveeta? (Shh. Don't tell anyone that a Bradley teacher was planning to purchase Velveeta. I will have lost any respectability in the nutrition department. But maybe it counts for something that it is so rare that I buy such an item, I had no idea where to look. . . ? And that I did not ever find it, and would not buy it, now that it is not on sale? Maybe? :)

I think I just might stick to the usual mad dash (that ends up being a good hour or more) through the store with all three children, focused on getting the essentials before somebody has a melt-down.

While on the subject, is it just me, or do others find grocery shopping stressful? As if finding items is not already a problem, My biggest challenge seems to be at the end. I must simultaneously empty the cart, keep melt-downs at bay, watch that my children are still with me and baby is not trying to pitch herself head-first out of the cart, watch the cashier/cash register to make sure that the items are priced the way they were advertized, and--here's the icing on the cake: WATCH THE BAGGER LIKE A HAWK SO HE/SHE WILL NOT PUT MY BANANAS AND TOMATOES ON CANNED GOODS, AND PUT MORE CANNED GOODS ON TOP OF THEM!?!?! Do grocery stores not train baggers anymore on what items should and should not be bagged together and that absolutely, under NO circumstances, should produce (or baked goods!) be placed in the bottom layer, under hard and heavy items?!?! I try to counter-act this as much as possible by how I empty my cart (I have become very strategic in my efforts to thwart what seems to be blatant disregard for common sense). However, this is not fool-proof, as tonight reminded me.

Anyone remember Bag-N-Save? Where you buy your items, then take your cart to the bagging station and do it yourself? If I could find one nowadays, that would be fabulous.

Snapshot Update (no snapshots included)

Busy last couple weeks. . . Casey's cousin, then mom in town visiting, my first student gave birth (amazing job!), Case's and my first overnight date in 2 years (and presumably the last for another couple years--Thank you, Sandy!), our rental home goes on the market, getting an offer next day (God willing, we'll close in a month!), Ruby turns 5. . . and I think we are now slowing down.

No pics today--a little much to do at the moment. I'll be doing well to get the house together again by the weekend! But hopefully I'll get a few pics uploaded soon. We are overwhelmed with God's goodness in so many areas. Worn out, but blessed immensely!

I Shouldn't be Doing This

a) blogging.


b) showing yet.


And yet, I am. (Both.)



That's right, I am showing. Not the baby, or even the uterus. It is me. I have to admit this to people who exclaim excitedly, "Wow! I can tell you're pregnant! You're really showing!"


Yes, I tell them. I am. My pregnancy will probably show in another few weeks, but practically speaking, the only time it does that nowadays is when I am on my back and a) my bladder's full or b) I'm having a contraction or c) both. If you don't believe me, see this pic from a few weeks ago. The contrast of this cantaloupe-sized belly compared with my usual "look" is undeniable. I am most definitely the one showing at this point.

At any rate, this is not bothersome to me. In fact, I love pregnancy, if only for one reason: It is a great excuse to look pregnant. There's no feeling badly that I can no longer button my pants (as of this week) and that I definitely have a pooch going on. Ahh, what an excuse pregnancy gives me to let my abdominal muscles have a sabatical. Not pregnant, I must be vigilant to not look pregnant, so as not to have anyone ask me if I am, and who has that kind of drive and muscle tone? Well, not me.

I had my first prenatal appointment on Monday, at 14 weeks. The girls and I had a relaxing time in Barb's new office. So relaxing, in fact, that I had the lowest blood-pressure reading I can remember having (not that I remember these things): ninety-something over fifty-something(Don't you love the preciseness?) This is especially surprising because at the time of the reading, I had two children on my lap, restless and demanding. I think this whole, "refusing to feel guilty" first-trimester attitude has contributed greatly to this. But I am no longer in the first trimester, so my guess is that my blood pressure will never again in this pregnancy be that low. I simply must begin my daily regimin of guilt soon. If not, I may run behind and have to pile on some double-doses.

Oh, and we got to hear the heartbeat, which was a little confirmation/reality check to me that yes, I am pregnant, and yes, it is a baby in there. (Not that I questioned this, but there's something about that super-fast heartbeat that clears up any doubts that I could just be gaining a great deal of weight in . . . my. . . uterus.) The older girls, playing on the floor, stopped, looked up and smiled as Barb said, "That's the baby!" Haley was right there, front-and-center, enthralled in what was going on. On her tippy-toes, eyes level with my belly and bright with curiosity. Her expression was priceless. So full of wonder and awe. Barb and I laughed that if we didn't know better, we'd think she understood the significance of what she was hearing. But we both knew it was simply an interest in that cool electronic device that made weird sounds.

So, that's the update. We're just surviving away here at Casa de Cowart. Keeping up on the essentials and barely anything else. It's quite enjoyable when life's this simple. I think my children would agree. Their mommy is not the same mommy from a few months ago. She's much nicer.

Okay, enough yammering. Here are some pictures.


When we got home from Christmas in Colorado, we bunked the girls' beds. We were also going to move Haley out of her/the guest room, but still finding myself not ready for the day each morning, we opted to leave her in her own room a little longer. She wakes a good hour or more after the other two, and I want to hold onto that as long as I can.


Casey and his buddy from work got this dollhouse for the girls for Christmas, and built it from the foundation up. This was in the garage a few months ago. Case is glad to have given it to the girls now so he can finally work on it in the house. Since Christmas, the house has been here, on the dining room table. It still has a LONG way to go to completion. I hope to post updates as things are done (shingles on, windows installed, electricity, etc.--he jokes this house will end up costing us as much as a full-size one, and I think I believe him).

Daddy and the girls assembling the windows. It is so sweet to me how much he puts into this for them.

Couple weeks ago. Playing play-doh.


Lately, I can let Haley play play-doh and don't have to watch her like a hawk to not eat it. Guess she's finally learned it's not yummy.


Ruby is getting better at fine-motor skills. She did so well rolling and cutting. They were the best "cookies" she's made so far.


This is new, though it may be surprising, since she's 19 months, but Haley is getting really great at feeding herself, even messy things like yogurt. She probably could have done better sooner, but we haven't really let her feed herself such things until recently. It just didn't seem worth the clean-up effort. It may be a small milestone, but it means a LOT to a mommy for baby to feed herself!

Only a couple months ago, this was going on. Claire was thrilled, but it is nice to have Haley independant.

The story behind last week's take-it-all-off haircut? A little trim in the bath by an overzealous mommy. Looked kinda okay when it was wet, but like one of her sisters had done it by morning. I had to go get it fixed (no pics of the oops--didn't even think of it). Interestingly, the one thing I did do just right was trim her bangs, but when I took her in to fix it, they trimmed her bangs much shorter than I would want--I almost stopped them.)

So, she pretty much has to have her hair "done" or wear all pink or something to look like a girl anymore. My babies always get mistaken for boys anyway, and this haircut will not help. Upon expressing this to the hairdresser, one of the other patrons looked over and said, "He's doing such a good job sitting still!" My point was made.

Problem is, Haley being the third and all, I didn't really put clips and bands in her hair much as an infant. And she is totally not used to them, and takes them out right away. We're working on it, but we'll probably have a few more comments in the meantime.


To Ruby's delight, Haley will occasionally let Ruby "baby" her. She'll let her pick her up, rock her, hold her hand. For a time, that is.
Ruby loves this big-sister role.

Recently, I started letting the girls "read" some of their school books. When we first got them, I wanted them to stay mysterious and exciting. They still are. The girls will sit on my bed for many moments, reading away!

Notice Claire's book is upside-down. She has never allowed this to affect her reading.

(And yes, those are p.j.s. And yes, it is probably about 11 a.m. They stayed in them till after naps. And I don't feel guilty about it.)

This was Friday. Actually did some "school." I got the lacing cards out again (they have always been a real frustration to the girls) and for whatever reason, today, the concept clicked with both of them. I have no idea what changed, besides not seeing them for a very long time. I told Ruby it was like dot-to-dot and sewing, and she caught right on. They were so excited, they ran to show daddy what they could do right after dinner. Got them out on their own again today.

Do You Know What This Is?

It is the first load of laundry in months that went from totally soaked to bone dry in 36 minutes. Not impressive, you say? Well, I'm ecstatic!

It has been several weeks now that our dryer has taken two to three hour-long cycles to completely dry a small load of lightweight fabrics. Whereas my usual routine is to do one load of laundry a day (it's a big one--thank God for front-loaders!), the routine has twisted slightly into taking an entire day to do one load of laundry.

Sometime in the spring (not surprisingly, as you will soon understand), our (ahem) one-year-old dryer began taking longer and longer to dry loads of laundry. By summer time, it had gotten bad enough that I had to notice (I am not the most observant person, and often doubt my impressions until the facts are undeniable).

So, about June-ish, I vacuumed out the place where the lint catcher sits and took a look at the foil hose behind the dryer. How relieved I was that I had decided not to grab that huge wet ball of lint at the bottom of the hose, because it turned out to be a dead bird. I was more than a little disturbed and grossed out; had to take a break for a moment and compose myself.

A dead bird. In our house. And me daily supplying the carcass with tons of wet air, making a very good situation for nastiness. But it wasn't that nasty. Not that I breathed deeply as I was dealing with it, but I was a little surprised that it hadn't gotten our attention by means of smell. Perhaps it had just fallen in a few days ago, but then why had the dryer been having problems for months already?

Anyway, fast forward another month and I notice (being no more observant than I was before) that cleaning out the airways did not seem to do much to improve the dryer's performance. So, like a good, responsible person, I decided to take a gander at the owner's manual.

My hubby and I have many things in common. One of the perspectives we do not share is when we crack open the user's manual. When he recieves something, before (or as) he uses it, he will take a big chunk of time--like hours and sometimes over days--to review the manual; reading about and testing different aspects and capabilities, no matter the item.

I, on the other hand, will rarely open the manual for any object, unless at least one of these criteria are met: a) I have absolutely no frame of reference on how to use it/what it's for or b) It is not working properly.

As you may have guessed, since I have been using a dryer regularly for nigh these 25 years, I had not to this point had a reason to open said manual. I found some helpful troubleshooting hints, but none of them made a difference.

In the perusal of the manual, I discovered the installation had been done incorrectly last year, so we set about arranging the replacement of a part that was not recommended to be used with our dryer. Today, they came to replace the part. I tried not to get too excited that maybe today would be the day that I didn't have to re-start the dryer two extra times to get a load dry, only slightly hopeful that this could be the reason for our dryer woes.

So, I was only a teensy-weensy bit disappointed this afternoon to come home and find the load laying heavily and obviously wet in the dryer. I turned it on for another hour and expressed to Casey that apparently, the foil tubing was not the only problem. Our dryer saga continues . . .


Case, not that surprised himself that putting a different type of ventilation on the back of the dryer didn't solve everything, decided to look outside again (which we had each done before on different occasions) and see if he could snake out the house venting. Perhaps there was something in the wall venting that caused the lack of air flow (which we knew was at the bottom of this problem).

Getting a ladder, he climbed up (it is strangely placed--about 8 or more feet above ground. Not the best thing for air flow itself, I'm sure) to peer in and fish about with a hanger, and in so doing, found . . . a nest.

A really big nest. With sticks and grass and plastic wrappers and feathers and two rotting eggs.

Which makes perfect sense with June's bird and all, but there was no sign from the outside (debris) that the birds had chosen it to be their home, and the vent has a flap (presumably to keep this kind of thing from happening) that was only about a half-inch open anytime we had checked.

So, it may seem like small potatoes that my dryer can dry a load of sheets in less than three hours now, but to me, it is SO EXCITING!!!! There's nothing like having lost the use of an appliance that makes me appreciate it that much more. These things really do make life easier!

Pseudo-Update and TMI

Taking a break from a crazy last few weeks to check my e-mail and catch up on my blog-reading. Wow. You all have been busy a-bloggin'!

There really is so much going on that it wouldn't do to try to post about all of it. My little sis came down last week to show off her newest addition. And what do you know? She does have all her hair. I hope I got a few pics I can post later (it is such a blur, I really don't remember taking many). They were here about a week and I actually think I could tell a behavior difference in little Grady by the time they left on Monday. He seemed to last longer between feedings and wasn't quite as fussy in the evenings/nights. I hope that continues, Deb! Wouldn't it be nice to have a quiet, contented newborn? I'm sure you dream of that one day. Maybe on the next one. Not that you need to be thinking about a "next one" at the moment.

Today I had a friendly reminder that God is the one who opens and closes my womb. Unfortunately, that was not my first response upon noticing this monthly gift. A far more fleshly (i.e., grumpy) response was mine this morning as I pried my eyes open and tried to down some coffee to snap myself out of said bad mood. Contrary to what I had always heard (and hoped), cramps for me did not lessen in intensity once I gave birth. In fact, I would dare to say they have intensified (I really feel as if I'm in labor every month, only this contraction lasts all day with no break and after all that, I have no baby to show for it), and along with the cramps comes an anger I have not experienced prior to having had my first child.

Weepy, I've always been, but angry? That's a new PMS symptom since Ruby was born. And it, like the cramps, seems to intensify with time, as well. What will the next decade bring? I jokingly tell Casey maybe our "family planning" decisions will one day be permanently solved by a hysterectomy when either he or I give up trying to deal with this. This is the first time in years I have broken down and taken something for the cramps.

Usually, I see it as a practice session (and a very good one, I might add) to keep up on relaxation techniques in order to remain prepared for birth. But life with three children doesn't always accomodate a monthly two-day birth rehersal, so tonight and tomorrow I am taking Midol (I believe this is why I'm up, but at least I'm not hurting). I'll confess, it was a struggle all the way home from the store where I'd bought the drug: I felt very guilty taking something since I am still breastfeeding. This is the other reason I haven't taken drugs much at all since I got prego with Ruby. Almost without exception, I have either been pregnant or breastfeeding for the last 5 years. And in my mind, it seems logical that if I'm going to birth without drugs, I shouldn't expose my babies to drugs too-big-for-them beyond birth, either. (Yes, there is a lack of logic in my logic: that of continuing to consume caffiene throughout these same five years. Truly, I have a dizzying intellect, right?)

Plus, I think in general it is a good idea to listen to your body's cues. If I or my hubby has a headache, backache, etc., a massage, nap or bath is in order. All day, I had this fight in my head, that instead of bulldozing through, I should take it easy. But that's much easier said than done as a mom with little ones. It is much more realistic to just take something and pretend I'm not in this "condition" rather than try (and try is the operative word here) to rest and relax through my body's cues. Which is what I plan to continue at the zoo tomorrow (or today, I guess). It goes against what I believe to be smart, yet I really want to do something fun with my kiddos, so drugged I'll be, and happy they'll be. . . or ELSE!!!!

All kidding aside, Case was home sick today, and was able to help me quite a bit with the children as he worked from home. I do not believe it would have been pretty had he not been here. He did tease me that if he was going to do that every time--put a ton of time in for work as well as have a major role in caring for the children--he might just go to work next time he's sick! But he did admit he found it enjoyable and would love to work from home some day. I can't disagree. That sounds pretty great to me, too. We'll take him whenever we can. He's "The B E S T" (said in "Nacho Libre" fashion, of course).

Just to Get it Done. . .

I am going to jam a ton of stuff into one post. Forgive me.

On Mother's Day (yes, that's how far behind I am--only moreso!) Casey and the girls agreed to take me to dinner at my favorite restaurant: Macaroni Grill. It was a long wait (45 min) but it was worth it. The great thing about that place is that a squawk from a baby or a protest (even quite loud) from an on-the-verge-of-a-fit toddler just blends into the overall din of the restaurant. Therefore, it was more relaxing than a fast food joint, believe it or not.

Haley loved sharing my meal with me. Noodles are so fun!

Ruby and Claire enjoyed a visit from their cousin, Savannah, last month. Savannah and her mommy brought the newest cousin for us to see for the first time.

Elijah (yes, a boy, despite the pink boppy--it's Haley's, not his!) slept most of the time. Here, he is 11 days old. He was born (at home--whoohoo, Tiff!) on May 2, and weighed 8 lbs. This boy was "late" by a few weeks. I teased Tiffany that she must have taken my mom too seriously when Mom gave her a hard time about all the April b-days our family already had and must have held off from birthing so as not to add to the already over-full month. (I still think Deb had an early baby last year just so he wouldn't have an April b-day! :)

Mom was in town for the week to help Si and Tiff.

The gist of the conversation that surrounded this picture (that made us chuckle to ourselves):

Me: "Claire, stay on Nana's lap another minute. I want to get a picture."

Claire: "Mmm, no thanks, Mom."

Elijah in his mommy's arms. He was very quiet that day. The update from his uncles is that, at one month, he was very alert and had a strong set of lungs.

A special thing about Elijah: though the fourth born grandson on my parents side of the family, he is the first grandson to carry on the Schultz name. Odd, considering my parents are going on ten grandchildren as of this moment. The reason? Only one of their four boys is married so far. (Ahem, single ladies--JK! You know I'm not that way!)

Haley found Elijah very exciting.

The next day, the girls and I met Nana and Savannah at the zoo. (No, we did not relinquish the children to the zoo, as this photo indicates. Our first stop was the play area so I could feed Haley. Normally, I make it a point to not have activities going on every day (I consider even grocery shopping an "activity") but I've realized that I need to sieze the moment when it comes to having help around. Since Mom was in town, and Savannah needed an outing, to the zoo we went!

The girls watch the seals and sea lions being fed. I know what you're thinking: this pic sure would be better if it had a seal or sea lion in it. I was a little lazy about pictures. Just being at the zoo was enough effort!

Haley enjoyed the small bit of time she spent in the wagon (the rest was mostly in the sling or in my arms--such a clingy baby!).

One of the orangatans was by the window this time. Something we haven't encountered before. The girls were very curious, and so was he!

Ruby and the ape exchange quiet glances.

It was hard getting all four in one picture.

On our way out, we stopped to say goodbye to the stinky flamingos. (To this day, the girls describe any picture of the pink birds as "those stinky birds.")

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Our girls had the special privilege that day to see both grandmas in one day. This has only happened twice before. They have yet to see them at the same time, though. This was as close as we got: the zoo with my mom in the morning, and the airport to pick up Sandy in the afternoon.

Sandy cleaned their little slide and put it in a different place in the yard. What, for the last 6 or more months has remained an unloved, untouched, unclimbed-upon large piece of plastic, those simple changes made a desirable and exciting toy once again. The girls (all of them) played on it for quite a while.

Haley finds herself at the bottom of the pile.

But . . .

Don't worry . . .

This should assure you . . .

She's not exactly helpless.

Somehow, it is very exciting to go down the slide upside down with Haley sitting atop. They couldn't get enough.

Getting dark . . . mosquitos out. Time for bed, short ones (yes, you too, Lita :)!

This is just a random picture from that week. As we finished getting dinner together one evening, I put Haley's dinner in the food chopper and was touched with the beauty of it. Salmon with onions, spinach and pasta salad. Yum!

Chillin' by the pool.

I wasn't joking the other week when I referred to the infantesimile pool. But it's great for kids this size (especially when only one of them likes to get more than her feet wet).

Every time I give the girls a bath, I think about how I have zero bath pics of Haley. But the camera is always downstairs and they are already in the water when I remember. With Sandy here, I could run and get it. They all love bath time, but I'll give you one guess as to who is just crazy about water.

Haley's a good sport.

Soon, I hope to post an explanation to this picture, regarding an evening ritual our girls love. I want to include a video, though, and don't have the time to fight with Blogger for an hour just to find that it froze. I'll need a big chunk of time and a bigger chunk of patience!

I think I may know where Haley gets her cute shoulder-shrugging smile.

She's way into doing things like this. Keeps her occupied. I like it.

The last day that Sandy was here (I knew I'd run out of steam if I tried to do it alone--carpe diem, right?), we helped the girls make beaded spider webs and spiders; a craft from April's Family Fun magazine.

It took quite awhile. Though the project was not meant for such a young age, the spider webs turned out well.

Claire loved sorting her beads and putting them in categories.

Ruby was a little more on task.

The girls help 'Lita get ready to fly back to Oregon.

She's such a sport.

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Ruby had her last lesson in May. I wanted to post a video showcasing the last performance they did (Ruby was not involved in the final event, like last time). Video will have to wait. . .