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
by Jenna
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
by Jenna
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
by Kevin
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
by Jenna
A short diversion at Sam’s…
August 16th, 2008
by Kevin
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
by Jenna
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
by Jenna
Breakfast with mommy and the kiddos!
August 7th, 2008
by Kevin
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
by Jenna
Outer bands of Edouard making its way into College Station.
August 5th, 2008
by Kevin
Six years ago today, I married the love of my life.
August 3rd, 2008
by Kevin
…watch movies! My sister Katrina is in the Texas Baptist All-State choir and this past weekend performed at 2 Baptist churches in the DFW area. (FBC Duncanville and Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas.) My parents and Alicia offered to take the kids with them to see Katrina and to stay a night with Kevin’s parents. Of course, we said no. Just kidding. Katrina loved seeing the kids, probably more than she would have loved seeing us (also kidding), and now Katrina is in Germany, performing with the TBAS choir, praise team, and drama team as part of a worldwide Youth Conference.
So, Kevin and I were blessed with the opportunity to have the house all to ourselves this weekend, so we decided to catch up on a favorite pastime of ours, watching movies. He and I rented so many movies during college and before we had babies, but now it takes us about 3-4 days to watch one movie with interruptions!
Friday night, before the kids left, I went and saw “Mamma Mia” in the theater with Alicia and a few girls from my MOPS group. I Loved it, even though it didn’t get good reviews. The main character, Sophie, was so cute and a very good singer.
Saturday, Kevin and I saw “The Dark Knight“. It’s sad that Heath Ledger won’t be around for a sequel, and my vote is for him to win the Oscar. The movie was incredibly good, and I’m not usually a fan of the comic book movies. Not for children, seriously… the subject matter really is dark and evil. Know the Truth.
Then we went to Blockbuster and rented 3 movies. That night we watched “Charlie Wilson’s War“. A good historical movie but too many uses of the f-word.
Sunday after church we watched “The Bucket List“, which was really good especially after the first 30 minutes (I was sleepy anyway, it WAS Sunday afternoon during my nap. :)) I highly recommend this one if you haven’t seen it.
Our back-to-back features were complete with “License to Wed” with Robin Williams, Mandy Moore, and John Krasinski. Most of the cast of “The Office” had small roles in this movie, no joke. Very funny.
And to complete our journey, we went back to Blockbuster to rent “The Kingdom“. Kevin wanted a loud, action, guns blazing, fire and smoke movie, and he got it! We’re usually so concerned with how loud the movie is to not wake up the kids. Didn’t have to worry about that! I liked this movie too.
I realize that most of these movies are old but you have to realize we haven’t seen many movies in the past 3+ years! We enjoyed our weekend and missed the kiddos immensely. Oh, and my house is so clean now! We are so blessed to have family that loves their grandchildren (and niece and nephew!) so much and takes such good care of them. Colby and Kennedy came back from the weekend exhausted and ready for sleep. Good job!
UPDATE: Kevin went back through and added images and got link happy with links to IMDB.
July 29th, 2008
by Jenna
This summer has been quite emotional for me. Several members of our church have passed away. Let me retract that statement. Several serving and active members of our church passed away this summer. These are people that weren’t just fixtures on the wall. They got their hands dirty to serve and to be used by the Lord, for many years. They sent me (or made me) baby gifts when the kids were born. They came to our wedding. They called us by name in the hallway. And the Lord has called them Home.
Then just yesterday I heard that my former boss passed away last week while we were vacationing. I just spent an hour crying to Kevin about this event, and hopefully it won’t take me an hour to blog about it. My first words through my tears to Kevin about my boss were, “She was so mean to me.” I don’t know any other way to say that, but she was. I endured the year with her while pregnant with Colby, and she was mean to me. If it weren’t for a handful of wonderful students and their awesome parents, I would never have made it through that year. Figuratively speaking, my boss had a “good list” and a “bad list” - and pretty much everyone under the age of 30 was on the “bad list”. I never knew why. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t work my way off the “bad list”.
And yet, the things I remember about this boss were the good things; she was the first person (after Kevin) to whom I announced my pregnancy. I pretty much had to, so she would cut me some slack. And then, she was the person I called when I was in labor, to let her know I wouldn’t be at work the next day. I still remember her voice at 11:30 that night - “Good luck, Jenna, we’re all pulling for you!”, she said sleepily.
Why am I blogging about this? For starters, I’m just so confused about what to feel. I am sad for her family. She had a son my age, and we went to high school together. His kids will never know their grandmother. I am also upset about my feelings. I thought I had forgiven her for what she did to me but hearing about her death has brought up emotions I thought I had conquered. Jesus told us that when someone offends us, we are to forgive him/her for that offense 70 x 7 times. Now, I’m not keeping a running tally of how many times I’ve forgiven her, but I thought it was surely close to that by now. I am not rejoicing over her death, only that she is in Heaven now. There were many who loved her and respected her, and I just wish she had given me the chance to do so.
I don’t feel “unvindicated” by her death, if that makes any sense… I know there’s no way I could have ever told her what a horrible year I had with her. Kevin put it so succinctly, “Now our job is to train our 2.5 kids to love and respect others, because we don’t want them to have to experience what you went through.” Well said. Well said.
July 24th, 2008
by Jenna
Ever heard that song? “…I can do anything better than you.” Now picture Kennedy saying this to Colby, and then Colby answering back:
“No you can’t.”
Kennedy: “Yes I can!”
Well, I’m sure you get the point, but that is the motto for the Fearsome Twosome right now. They take turns chasing each other, playing with each other’s toys, hitting and pushing each other, talking with each other, and laughing with each other, which is the most fun thing to listen to. I love that my kiddos are so close in age and that they have a built-in playmate. This is especially going to be fun when Baby Girl gets here and figures out her role in the mix of things. Both kiddos love looking at babies and talking about babies, and we’re trying to do our best to prepare them for their baby sister to be here, as much as we possibly can.
On another note, we just returned from vacationing in California! I’ll let Kevin post pictures, but we had a great time and I would love to go back anytime. Kevin says he would love to live there if he could, meaning weather-wise it was so much cooler and the scenery was beautiful too. Plus, we had a really great time being together as a family, and my parents and sisters were there to help shoulder some of the burden of baby-handling so that it really did feel more like a vacation. We will update you with stories and pictures as soon as we can!
July 22nd, 2008
by Jenna
Oh, Roomba, oh, Roomba, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…
For those that have never heard of this wonderful contraption, I’ll spare you all the technical details and tell you about my love affair with the Roomba. If ever I could marry an appliance and have robot children, this would be The One.
I told Kevin a few weeks ago that I was tired of constant vacumming… between the 2 kids and 1 dog (plus 2 messy adults :P), I would vacuum one day and the next day you couldn’t tell I had even touched the vacuum. So, I asked him if I could get a Roomba for my birthday. Being the wonderful husband he is, who fully understands and loves my desire to keep a meticulously clean house most of the time, he told me to look online and order what I wanted. He knew I’d find a good deal, which I did! And, he knew he wouldn’t have to get me a birthday present on his own! (Who cares that my birthday is in late August? Not me!)
Soooo, I got the Roomba in the mail yesterday. I opened it and read the manual (very short, a plus for me) and then pushed the “Demo” button. It worked! It was so cute and so functional! Colby watched it work and then the darling little Roomba worked its way to the docking station, so it could charge the batteries. (Hey, I need a docking station every now and then so I can charge MY batteries…) When the Roomba had “landed”, Colby and I clapped and said, “Yay!!” Then Colby asked if he could do it again.
Colby and Kennedy sat next to the Roomba and ate their snack while the Roomba charged. I should have taken a picture. So that the battery could fully charge, I had to wait until today to run the Roomba’s first full cleaning cycle. (Maybe I should buy the Roomba a baby book and put all its first milestones in it…) But, the Roomba cleaned my entire wood floor and my living room rug this morning. When the kids wake up from their naps, I’ll get it to clean the rest of the house. Now if only it would fold laundry and do the dishes too…
July 10th, 2008
by Jenna
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