Weekend Wrap-Up

We had a busy, busy weekend around here!

Thursday night and Friday we had a lot of rain! It was wonderful! I didn't even mind {too much} running errands with the kids in the pouring rain, with no umbrella! It's been a long time since we've had rain and I loved the touch of fall in brought. We are more than ready for fall around here! 

Friday evening J and I went to a friend's Jamberry Nails launch party! It was a lot of fun and both J and I loooove the product. {Check them out here.} Afterwards we ran to Target for a bit but were both SO tired we had to wrap it up and get home to bed. Target is/was having a great sale on kids' room decor stuff. I found some cute sheets for J's bed for just $5! 

  J all ready to go to the nail party with our new umbrella. :)  

Saturday morning the kids and I had more errands to run. Then off to a friend's baby shower that afternoon. The shower was fun and relaxing! I never thought I'd be able to say that with two small kids in tow but they're at easy, fun stages right now. Besides getting them snacks and helping with a couple trips to the bathroom my kids were pretty much on their own for the whole shower. I hardly saw them. They were busy making friends and playing in the play room. {I did find out afterwards that they snuck upstairs for a house tour with a little 6 year old who was there. So maybe I should check on them a little more often. Ha!} I met some new friends and met a friend I had only known through Facebook. Besides the guest of honor and myself there were 2 other pregnant girls there... all of us due within 7 weeks of each other. All three of them are having girls and I still have NO clue what I'm having. It's driving me crazy. Ha! 

Saturday evening we met some new friends at the park for a cook-out. The weather was absolutely perfect and we had a wonderful time! We're hoping to squeeze in a few more cook-outs at the park this fall.

We volunteered in J's room, at church, Sunday morning. I love the room and kids we have. They are such an easy, fun age! Old enough to go to the bathroom on their own and help set up and clean up snacks. They all follow directions pretty well and play nicely together. And they're old enough to understand quite a bit about the Bible stories, songs and crafts. Volunteering in J's room is a breeze and a lot of fun! 

After church we headed to my sister-in-law's and husband's combined birthday party where my husband cooked out for everyone again. We had yummy chicken and fajitas and spent the entire afternoon and evening outside on the patio, next to a pool. At one point C was walking around the pool but wasn't paying attention to where he was going.. he was looking behind him talking to a little friend. My husband and I noticed what was going on and my husband was yelling at him to pay attention when C fell in, fully clothed! My husband jumped up and his phone fell off his lap into the pool! I ran as fast as I could to the other side and grabbed C out of the water. There was a young girl, around 12, swimming in the pool and she was immediately at his side. We all saw that C popped right up and started moving his arms and legs, keeping himself a float for several seconds. We're glad to know the swimming lessons and all the time in the pool seems to have a paid off. It seems like he'll be able to keep himself afloat if something like that should ever happen again. My husband, meanwhile, is without a phone for a few days until his replacement gets in. 

 The kids playing with their cousin before lunch on Sunday. 

So, we had a packed weekend! We're still tired today and have allergies after spending so much time outside over the weekend. It was worth it though. The weather has been beautiful!

I hate migraines!

Reasons I HATE migraines:



1 - They HURT.



2 - They're ANNOYING.



3 - You lose hours at a time, sometimes DAYS in a row, of your life.



4 - You don't know what's going on outside your pain.



5 - You can't be there for your kids or husband.



6 - Your kids are effected. Suddenly their mom just can't be present anymore. I can't talk to them, can't help them, can't even have them in the room with me :(



7 - My husband has to take over completely when he's at home, after working all day. Sometimes for several evenings in a row and a whole weekend. It's not fair to him.



8 - My mom cancels her plans and keeps her schedule open because she never knows when I will need her. (I can't say how MUCH I appreciate this!) But it's not fair to her.



9 - Your kids cry because they want their mom and things just aren't normal for them.



10 - When you come out of your migraine fog you hardly know what day it is. You don't know what's happened while you were out of it. You don't know where things are in your house. Your house is usually a wreck. The kids do things and get into things they're not supposed to. You have to reorganize and resettle your family back into normal day to day life.



11 - Your kids act like brats for two days after you recover because they want their grandma and have been spoiled rotten for a few days.



12 - Just because your migraine is over doesn't mean you're instantly back to normal. Sometimes it takes me two days to feel normal again.



13 - You plan everything knowing that if you have a migraine your plans will be canceled. Your kids have their plans canceled often.. and now take it in stride.. because it happens so often. You pray hard to be able to make it through one event and it feels like you won the lottery when you make it through your son's birthday without a migraine.



14 - If you take anything for pain you worry about your unborn baby. How does all this effect the baby?



15 - One side of your face gets burned, often, from heated rice socks. Not using them is not an option during a migraine. One side of your face looks burned for days after your migraine. After years of migraines and using rice socks one side of your face is actually much more wrinkled and damaged than the other side.



16 - You can't do lots of normal, every day things you would love to do without lots of planning and or compromising. I've never been to a concert and not sure I could go to one. The noise and lights can be huge triggers. Even the circus (!) can be a trigger. Besides swimming you can't do any summer activities outside. The heat and sun are triggers. Even a few hours at the pool takes planning. Will there be shade? Do you have all your migraine pills and "gear"? You can't stay too long, regardless. Painting your house has to be done with caution and sometimes rescheduled for days or weeks at a time because you can't handle the smell. And SO much more.



17 - Time on your laptop can be a trigger. So blogging, uploading/editing/organizing photos and connecting online have to wait until you can handle it.



18 - When you are able to take a prescription you have constant anxiety that your pills are running out for the month and you won't be able to get more for several days or weeks.



19 - You seriously consider NOT trying for a fourth baby even though you've always hoped for four kids because you're not sure it's fair to yourself to put yourself through another 9 months of migraine pain, it's not fair to your children, your husband or your mom....



20 - You're planning to not breast feed your baby because you know you can't go through several months of breast feeding another baby without a prescription.



20 - You were in a migraine fog for a good part of all your pregnancies and a lot of your kids early years.



21 - You have anxiety and mood swings because you are SO worried and fearful of getting another migraine. Every sound, light and smell can be triggers and your kids have to be very quiet and mindful of your headaches ALL the time. They can't play with certain toys, watch certain shows, go certain places, play outside when they want to and more because you could get a migraine.



22 - You try to cram all your cleaning and normal life into a few days because you *know* you only have so much time before another round of migraines hit.



23 - Almost every vacation and many special occasions from your past are littered with memories of having a migraine. Had a bad one in Jerusalem. Check. Had a bad one during that awesome musical. Check. Had one in Peru. Check. Was crying during church because my head hurt so bad. Check. Had one on the plane to Germany. Check. Threw up in Mexico City while an old boyfriend held my hair back. Check. Couldn't go to a friend's wedding shower because I had a migraine. Couldn't go to a friend's engagement party. Got a migraine and threw up in my Honda Accord, all over myself in my Honda Pilot, outside my VW Bug, in my parent's van. On and on. I hate that my life has revolved around stupid migraines for SO many years!



(Disclaimer: Some of this list applies only to migraines in pregnancy/this pregnancy.  I know that people all over the world go through things MUCH worse than migraines and don't have the help that I have. But you know what? I just need to vent. Migraines really SUCK for me. Really suck. This is MY life and what I go through. My life may be better or worse than your's or someone else's but this is what I'm going through. I try to stay positive and suck it up. I try to keep things in perspective. I AM thankful that I have lots of good days, I have wonderful help and at least I can take a prescription when I'm not pregnant. But for the last few months my life has REALLY revolved around migraines and this is what I have been going through, more than ever, lately.) 

Saturday Top 5 Laughs

1 - The kids are always hugging and kissing "the baby" (my belly.) It's so sweet! And J talks to the baby a lot. The kids also set a stuffed elephant by my belly every night and say it's "for the baby." So cute! :)



2 - C is hilarious. The other day he was using his toy saw to saw on the couch. I asked him to stop and he held up his saw and said "It says right here [on the saw] 'Saw couch in half'". Haha! And I bought some mini Christmas trees to go with mini decorative houses to set out during the holidays. C saw the trees and said "These are to put outside in the snow at Christmas time!" I told him we have to keep them inside and put them on a shelf. He held up the package and said "No, it says right here [on the package] 'Put in snow at Christmas time.'" Hahaha! He makes me laugh so hard! Even funnier: He doesn't say "Says" properly he says it rhyming with 'hays'.



3 - I have 2 socks full of rice that I heat up when I have a migraine. I usually just use one at a time but the other day I used two.. one for my head and one for my neck. J was asking why I needed two and I told her. I put one in the microwave last night then went to the bathroom. J burst into the bathroom and said "Mama! What's in the mircowave?!" I told her. She said "Do you need two!? There's another one in the living room if you need one for your neck, okay!" She's so sweet and helpful. She's also very exuberant! :)



4 - And, last night I had that heated rice sock on my head for awhile, then my head started feeling better  so I took it off. C noticed that it was off and picked it up and put it back. He said "You need to keep it on your head, okay?" Then he asked if I needed ice. He said "I think you need some ice for your head." He can be so sweet and helpful too. I guess the kids know quite a bit about my migraines. Sometimes heat really helps and C knows that other times ice works better.



5 - C was crying the first few times I dropped him off at Mother's Day Out. We started praying every night that he wouldn't cry the next time. One day on the way to MDO I asked him if he was going to cry that day. He said "No, I prayed about it the other day." As if it was settled since he prayed about it! And he hasn't cried since! We're so proud of him. :)

Pregnancy - 20 weeks!

How far along: 20 weeks

Due Date: Feb. 1, 2014

Total Weight Gain/Loss: No idea. I haven't thrown up in a few weeks so I'm sure I've gained something. I just don't keep track. 

Maternity clothes: I've been in maternity clothes since around 6-7 weeks

Stretch marks: I have a few from my second pregnancy. We'll see if this pregnancy adds a few more.

Sleep: Great!

Symptoms: Tired, annoyed, aching, headaches, a little nausea. I've had migraines this week (almost every day) but they haven't been terrible and I haven't thrown up.. so that's good.  

Food cravings: I have random cravings all the times 

Food aversions: Lots!

Labor signs: Nothing, thank goodness.

Belly button - in or out? In 

What I miss: Feeling better and my blessed migraine meds! 

What I am looking forward to: Our big sonogram Monday morning! Really hoping they can actually tell us, for sure, what we're having! 

Movement: I feel the baby several times a day. 

Milestones: Reaching 20 weeks.. half way there!! 

How big is baby: About the size of a cucumber, I think.. 

Gender: We *think* we know after two early sonograms but the tech never acted 100% certain so we're waiting until the big 20 week sonogram at the OB office. 

Names: Middle names are pretty much set. No idea on first names.... 

Best moment last week: Feeling the baby move. Reaching 20 weeks.. half way there! And NOT throwing up with my headaches. Hopefully those episodes are over. (Keeping my fingers crossed.) 

Weekend Wrap-Up

We had a great, and busy, weekend!! Saturday morning the kids and I joined friends at Fudruckers to celebrate the adoption of their 3 kids! We had a great time and we're SO happy for our friends and their sweet children. The oldest is a little girl J's age and one of J's best friends. J has been SO excited for her friend and was telling everyone we met that her friend was being adopted this weekend. :) 

Of course C spotted the little arquade area at Fudrucker's and had to play for a few minutes. :) 

 Saturday evening DH and J went grocery shopping while C and I met my mom and sister at TJ Maxx for a little shopping. C found this mask that he had to try on.

I'm in the process of starting to re-do the kids' bathroom. The shower curtain was on clearance at Target for $14.99 and the owl and towels are from TJ Maxx. I'm not sure if I'll stick with gray towels.. I'm not sure if they go with the shower curtain. Still debating that. I was thinking of painting the walls a light, light gray though. What do you think?



We've had a great couple weeks around here! I haven't been sick in over 2 weeks (I think) and was able to celebrate my birthday the end of August and do several things that I've wanted to do. The kids are enjoying school 2 days a week and I'm really enjoying the quiet time while they're in school. I have a lot of catching up to do on the blog.. I still need to post about C's birthday in mid-August.



I'm so glad to be well into my second trimester and feeling better on a day to day basis. I usually love summer but this year I'm glad to see it go and I'm really, really looking forward to fall!