Archive for August, 2008
So while talking with some girls in my ABF (Adult Bible Fellowship, also known to the rest of the world as “Sunday School”) I mentioned that I had quite the case of heartburn and couldn’t wait for the baby to drop a little to have some relief. I told them I had tried just about every kind of over the counter and under the counter medicine and even doubled the recommended dosage, but nothing had *really* helped.
One of my friends (who shall remain nameless) ;) suggested that I try a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. She said her dad was a cowboy and they got heartburn a lot because they don’t really eat well. I told her I’d try it that afternoon.
So I did.
I “chugged” a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and my first thought was a not-so-nice phrase, then an expletive, then an uncontrollable urge to pour the rest of the bottle down the drain. (I didn’t; I have a really good recipe for apple cider chicken.) Wow. Apparently none of these “cowboys” had ever been pregnant.
I googled “natural heartburn remedies” and found the following:
1. Avoid stress. Well, dummy, I’m pregnant and have 2 kids. I think that’s textbook for stressful.
2. Wait 30 minutes to lie down after drinking beverages. I could lie down within 3 hours of drinking and it still wouldn’t make a difference.
3. Don’t smoke or drink alcohol. Done.
I did try papaya enzymes (thanks, Rachel) which I found at our local Natural Foods store. Again, I have to take double the dose, but at least it’s better than the chemicals in Tums and Zantac. Plus, I can take the papaya stuff after every meal. Hooray.
Less than 12 weeks left.
August 25th, 2008
This weekend Colby learned how to unbuckle his seatbelt. I asked him a month or two ago if he could do this and he said, “No Mommy, you do it.” Then yesterday I asked him again to push the red button to unbuckle his seatbelt and *click*, out it came.
You would have thought Colby had done a magic trick. And actually, now the magic is to keep him in the seatbelt while the car is still moving. Of course, we’re teaching him that he can only push the red button once the car is OFF and once Mommy or Daddy (or driving adult) has told him this is okay.
Kennedy’s new trick is watching and learning. Actually, she has learned how to climb into the car all by herself and hop into Mommy’s seat to push buttons to eject the cd. Colby did this and I’m sure she watched and waited, thinking, “Someday I’ll be big enough to do THAT.” Oh boy, oh girl, oh girl. 
August 24th, 2008
Happy birthday to Jenna! This obviously isn’t a picture of her, but it is the sunset as we were driving home tonight.
August 20th, 2008
I just found this fascinating link from the New York Times. I don’t read the NYT but I couldn’t resist sharing this. To think, in 1980, the US had 0 medals. And do you know why? I just learned recently that we didn’t attend the 1980 Olympic Games. Do you know why? You get a prize if you can guess.
Most other years we’ve either led in the medal count or been in the top 3.
Even more astonishing is the amount of political history you can see each four years. The names of some of the countries have changed but the people have not… And of course, the gap in the Games during the World Wars.
What else am I missing? I wish there was a chart listing “amount of sleep lost by the American Public while watching the 2008 Olympic Games”. Or “Michael Phelps-mania”.
August 19th, 2008
A short diversion at Sam’s…
August 16th, 2008
Our baby has become a motor-mouth. We have really noticed Kennedy saying so many words lately. Here’s a list of them, although I’m sure I’ll leave some out.
- mama, also known as mommy, mommy-ommy-ommy, and Aunt Alicia’s favorite, MA! (Aunt Alicia wanted Colby to call me this but he wouldn’t bite. She was so excited when Kennedy took it hook, line, and sinker. Just wait, Aunt Alicia. Your turn is coming.)
- dada, or dad-DY!
- Bubba (Colby)
- Dee-dee (Kennedy)
- Doc
- Behw (Belle)
- Gaga (Aunt Katrina)
- Yaga (Aunt Alicia) - I’m not sure how she came up with Gaga and Yaga, but she knows the difference and calls them accordingly.
- peesh (please)
- yesh (yes)
- shoesh (shoes)
- aht-shyde! (outside) This one can be quite emphatic when she really Really wants to go aht-shyde.
- ahp (up)
- deown (down)
- hold you (pick me up)
- fish (accompanied by puckering sound)
- beh-wee (berry, strawberry)
- rabies (raisins)
- ap-pul (apple) - Until recently all fruit were apples.
- pooper (Cooper) - all dogs are Cooper or puppy. Then she makes the sound - “wuf” and/or panting.
- poo-poo (Do you need a translation?)
- ME! (more) This one is quite emphatic at mealtimes.
- Me? (drink, water) - not to be confused with Me! (more)
- all dahn (all done) sometimes with hand signals
- boo! (peekaboo)
- eyesh (eyes)
- nosh (nose)
- dinky (binky/pacifier)
- binkit (blanket)
- bunny
- monkey (followed by sound)
- jewsh (juice)
- bah-bee (baby)
- Elbow (Elmo)
- feet
And of course, the most recent additions, and probably the most clear:
- neaweh (no) - You didn’t know that “no” had 3 syllables, did you? Yeah, we didn’t either.
- mine
Like I said, I’m sure I’m missing a lot of them. Kennedy loves to clap along with music and stomp her feet, wiggle around, etc. She loves to clap and say “yay!” as soon as a song is finished playing. Whenever the Aggie War Hymn is playing (or if Colby is singing it), she sways along to “Saw Varsity’s horns off”. She also has quite the knack for dancing, especially to music, but sometimes she has a song in her head and decides to dance to it! She’s got the rhythm, for sure. (I know, I know, and I’ve got the blues.)
Edit: I wrote this post a few weeks ago with the intent of getting some video to put with it. Since then, her vocabulary has increased yet again, so I’ll get video of her *new* words instead!
August 12th, 2008
I can’t remember the last time I tried to update my Now Reading section, but it’s on the fritz and Kevin has tried to fix it multiple times. I might have to perform last rites and play Taps in loving memory…
IN the meantime, I will let you in on some books I just recently finished:
The Life You Want Your Kids to Live by Les Parrott, Sr. and Les Parrott, III
Fabulous. A quick read with powerful info.
How to Really Love Your Child by Ross Campbell
Campbell is the co-author of The Five Love Languages for Children, and I highly recommend both books to any parent, especially to those with school-aged children.
…Book of Christian Parenting & Child Care… by William & Martha Sears
The title is Really long but the book is Really good. I am liking the Sears’ books more and more… and it only took me 2.5 kids to figure this out.
Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon
Just for practice! I never heard of Bradley methods until I was well into my pregnancy with Kennedy (or maybe it was just afterwards..?).
Lord, Teach Me to Pray by Kay Arthur
I did this as a Bible study with some ladies from my Sunday School class. I enjoy summer Bible study and was glad to spend directed time in the Word.
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
Wow. A complete 180 from the other books listed above (actually, from ANY book I’ve ever read). I don’t trust an economist as far as I can throw him, but after reading this book, I do look at some things a little bit differently. I recommend this book, but it’s not for the faint of heart.
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Another “different” kind of book… I didn’t agree with a lot of things in this book, especially her views on religion and family. But, it was a fun read. I DO want to visit Italy but not India or Indonesia. (And that’s not any different from how I felt before I read the book.)
Here are the books I have planned to read next:
The Shack by William P. Young
Kevin just finished reading this book. My mom and dad have read this book, along with my dad’s book club. They are speechless about it, apparently because they don’t want to give anything away…
Marley & Me: Life & Love With the World’s Worst Dog by John Grogan
My sister-in-law talked about this book a few years ago and I saw that a movie of this book is coming out soon. (I’m always the last to read things, but this time I thought I’d be proactive.)
And a book by Francine Rivers. I’ve heard she’s a fabulous author, so I reserved one of her books at the library. I think it’s called The Last Sin Eater.
These books are already on top of the ones I’m currently reading AND already have planned for next in the deceased Now Reading library. (May it rest in peace.) I’m on my way to 50 books for sure!
And in case you’re wondering, I’m trying to get them all finished before the Baby Girl makes her grand entrance into the world. Which, if you haven’t noticed, is roughly 8 weeks before the end of the year, and is roughly 7 weeks before Christmas… so I’m also trying to get my Christmas shopping done even earlier than imaginable.
Did I mention I’m 26 weeks pregnant now? I don’t want to think about what else I need to tackle in the next 14 weeks.. or 3 months… or 98 days… (give or take a few days)
August 9th, 2008
Breakfast with mommy and the kiddos!
August 7th, 2008
Ladies and Gentlemen, children of all ages, welcome to the world of pregnancy woes and throes!
Behind door #1 we have, *drumroll please*…… ching! HEARTBURN! That’s right! At approximately the same time each night before your head hits the pillow, you’ll have that burning sensation deep in your throat. And then when you take some medicine to make it feel better, your stomach will churn and groan, knowing that you had to drink even the tiniest sip of water to make that medicine go down. Congratulations! Audience! Let’s give her a hand!
And behind curtain #2 we have, *timpani roll please*…..BAAHHHHMMMmmm…. SLEEPLESS NIGHTS! That’s right! You just thought those were for after the baby was born, didn’t you? No! Instead you’ll be forced to use 4 pillows while you sleep, which may or may not make your husband want to sleep on the couch! You can put 2 pillows under your head, making your neck stiff, 1 pillow under your stomach, making you queasy, yes queasy!, and one in between your legs just because you don’t have anywhere else to put your feet. And as a bonus, you get another pillow free for your back, so you can be wedged into that bed (or fall out of it) at a moment’s notice! And, you’ll never know where to put the pillows each night because not only do you need to get up and go to the bathroom, there’s a constant need for you to turn over every hour! Congratulations!
……………..
Okay, so it’s really not THAT bad. The heartburn is starting to let up some and I’m figuring out how to deal. But for those of you that have ever been pregnant, am I lying about any of this stuff?
August 6th, 2008
Outer bands of Edouard making its way into College Station.
August 5th, 2008
Six years ago today, I married the love of my life.
August 3rd, 2008
