Home again home again.

We've been home almost 12 hours...
Um I should mention that its almost 3 am and we got home at 4 p.m.
So great to be home.
We tried to accomplish too much tonight, of course
and my in-laws are here and have been a fantastic help.
We got home with a newborn and a cranky hyper 4 year old.
To Thanksgiving dinner...they held it for me, isn't that nice?
But no, he can't stay in his seat...not tonight.
And since they're leaving tomorrow,
the inlaws did a little Christmas present opening with Flash.
Wow. At least they were mostly calm presents and we could read a new book before bed.

Did I mention how crazy he was this afternoon?
He'd been told he was "picking up Mommy at the hospital"
and ended up there for 5 hours too.
He'll be fine of course
but there were tears, running, yelling, a time out and some frayed grandparent moments.
But he also ate his dinner, put dishes in the sink, helped clear the table and changed himself into his own PJs.

Alright time for my medecine and bedtime.
Tomorrow is coming

Baby Arrives!!

Guest blogging by Hubby . . .

Hip2B asked that I post a quick update for everyone.

The newest addition to our family arrived this morning at 8:10am.

Mom & baby are doing great!! They both are trying to get a few naps in, but other than that they are doing wonderfully.

Flash had fun this morning showing around a picture of his new baby sister at preschool and has had fun getting to see her since she is now a real baby.

Hip2B hopes to post some on her own in the next couple of days.

Thank you for all of the prayers and thoughts, they are greatly appreciated. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Peace - Hubby

Last Minute Day

Pre-op tests
tidy and vaccuum before the inlaws arrive (optional)
Diaper pail (oops)
pack a bag for the hospital.

NAP.

Flash seems excited.
More so about being dry last night and thus earning a sticker, but still.
We drew a baby face on tomorrow's calendar square so he knows.
Today's has a plane picture because Grandma and Grandpa are coming tonight.
Thank goodness too. We have to be at the hospital at 5:30 and its a half hour away!

Gpa and Gma will help Flash in the morning
and take him to preschool for the Thanksgiving Party and play.
He'll be an Indian boy.
Then in the afternoon they can come meet the new baby.

If everything goes well.
I think it will,
but I also have seen things go not so well,
and terribly so...
I'll hedge a bit.
My perogative.

Week 38

Well, we're at the beginning of a very strange and wonderful week, we hope.
Its my last day of work tomorrow, before maternity leave.
I have 4 classes and then a meeting.
We're reading a book about Thanksgiving called One is a Feast for a Mouse
and then drawing what we'd like on our Thanksgiving plate on, what else, a paper plate!

It has occurred to me that this Thanksgiving may have just a little less football than usual (yay) and I may just get to watch the parade!
Albeit from the hospital with a freshly born baby!

I got totally off track with my snack schedule today,
due to a fantastic nap (Thanks Hubby)
so I'm staying up a little late to fit in my carbs.
This gestational diabetes thing is wierd.
But I am catching up on my blog reading if nothing else, right?

Tom and Jerry

A great Sunday morning ritual at our house seems to be Tom and Jerry.
Hubby needs to focus, we all need to get ready.
Hubby leaves for church before us...which works so much better than our old system.
But as Hubby and I get ready, and get breakfast started
Flash's laughter fills the house, because he's watching...
Tom and Jerry.

Friday5 Cooking Tools

Please answer the following kitchen-related questions:
1) Do you have a food processor? Can you recommend it? Which is to say, do you actually use it?
I have a little red chopper and I use it whenever I chop onions and peppers
and have used it to puree things like soup and apple butter.
Also to pulverize crackers to make bread crumbs.
Probably I use it once a month or so.

2) And if so, do you use the fancy things on it? (Mine came with a mini-blender (used a lot and long ago broken) and these scary disks you used to julienne things (used once).)
I purposely got an easy one without all that stuff.
I used to use my blender for a lot of the stuff I use the chopper for.
Then the blender burned out.

3) Do you use a standing mixer? Or one of the hand-held varieties?(And isn't that color delightfully retro?)
No standing mixer.
I have a white hand-held mixer that seems to do the trick.
Don't use it that often.
A couple of years ago my mother burned her's out
while making mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving.
They smoked! It was very cool to all who witnessed it.

4) How about a blender? Do you have one? Use it much?
I burned it out.
I guess my family is hard on kitchen tools.
I am asking for a new one for Christmas though.
Mostly smoothies and milkshakes.

5) Finally, what old-fashioned, non-electric kitchen tool do you enjoy using the most?
Hmmm.
I have this cool circular thing that makes sandwiches into circles.
Flash likes that. Good for pastry also.
I have a whisk I like.
And our pizza cutter gets a lot of use.

Bonus: Is there a kitchen appliance or utensil you ONLY use at Thanksgiving
or some other holiday? If so, what is it?
I have a pizzelle iron that only comes out at this time of year.
Made some a week or so ago.
and the cookie cutters of course. No, thats wrong...we use them for playdough too.

I like to cook but don't really have time or energy.
My most used appliance is my crockpot
which will be in use tomorrow for some chili!

Another Day

I only have one more day of work before this baby comes.
And I'm having a hard time doing much
and I'm emotional and tired and anxious.
So basically I'm 9 months pregnant...
And hungry
and impatient
and thinking that maybe next week is too early...
and dreading the hospital stay
and worried about Flash and rocking his fantastic world
and maternity leave
and advent
and
and
and
OK snack time and then bed.

Grumpy Pastor's wife stuff

You know just the title here might be enough.
Grump
grump
grump.
Back from "retreat"
Thinks he's going to some presbytery thing tomorrow.
Less than a week until baby.
And I have a work thing, for a change.
GRRRRRRR.

Baby showers

We were too early for a baby shower for our first.
And I had Flash too early to attend the one for him.
I was already in the hospital and he was already born!
So, Hubby went with my mom.

So today's shower was very nice,
some cute girl outfits,
some essentials and a gift card for odds and ends.
And one gorgeous hand-chrocheted blanket.
Flash had fun opening the gifts,
playing with his gifts (2 beanie babies)
and eating a cupcake that looked like a baby.

We had a really nice day today, not a lot going on, watched some football, napped.
Flashed played with his animals and made up stories about them,
we took a very chilly walk with the neighbors,
and Flash had a very entertaining shower.
He was singing and playing so loudly that we could hear him from the living room.
Very happy. I hope this new baby is as entertaining as he is.

Our big things while Hubby is gone...
we're going to go to the recycling center and crash our cans in the bins!
Possibly we'll make stuffing to have with dinner one night
since he seems preoccupied with it for Thanksgiving.
Maybe some babyroom stuff, but I'm not promising anything.

Ah a weekend!

Hubby is working on a sermon - Parable of the Talents. Ugh.
Tomorrow church, congregational meeting, baby shower and church soup and sandwich lunch.
I have already gotten the message
that I should leave when the congregational meeting happens
...but I can't go home, cuz they're throwing me a baby shower!

Its been a rough few weeks around here.
Hubby's been out most nights with meetings, hospital visits, funeral etc.
He hasn't had his day off in 3 weeks.
So he's on retreat Mon-Wed. And taking the computer I imagine.
We'll miss him, as we have been...but he needs to retreat.
Seriously.
So a few prayers for him to be able to relax, retreat and unwind wouldn't go amiss.

My test went fine. Flash was able to have some Daddy time today.
Pancakes and Star Wars feature prominently.
This afternoon he packed his backpack for an adventure in the playroom:
marshmallows, a stuffed rabbit and a whistle.
All you need really.
Perhaps we'll pack some of those things for Hubby.

Friday5

1. I feel like we're past Veteran's Day here.
The church part was last Sunday and at school we had an assembly.
It was very nice.

2. We had a death in the church family this week,
so things have been busy with arrangements.
Last night, the visitation, today the funeral, graveside service and luncheon.
Tonight, rescheduled session meeting.
I am looking forward to getting my husband back.

3. Dr's appointment went well, still on schedule for the day before Thanksgiving

4. Tomorrow, my big license test.

5. I'm thinking date night tomorrow
after the test
and the past few crazy weeks
and less than 2 weeks to being the parents of 2.
Probably the new James Bond flick.
Now to find a babysitter...

What a day

Hubby is preparing for his 10th funeral and it's our organist.
My Dad called to say that he'd been in the ICU from Friday til Yesterday...
and he didn't want to worry me.
Need to study for my big exam on Saturday at 7:30 a.m.
Baby is very busy today, making it hard to concentrate on things too.

Just another Manic Sunday

We had an OK morning at church.
At the request of Hubby and the hints of several church folk
Flash has been attending church. With me.

This is week 3.
My grumbling (and Flash's) aside it has gone...ok.
He has mostly stayed in the pew.
Here and there he's been loud, completely inattentive and distracting/
Mostly he plays with his toys and draws things, talking the whole time.

We circle things in the children's bulletin, during the announcements.
He was happy to sing God Bless America today though,
cuz he knows parts of it from school.
He left after the Passing of the Peace,
during the Bible Verse, and before the Children's sermon.
Not real quiet about it either...sigh.
But this is the way it is. I guess.

Course...soon the baby comes.

The date...

Looks like I'll have my Thanksgiving dinner in the hospital folks!
November 26th!

Luckily my in-laws are coming in the night before
so they can take Flash to his school Thanksgiving party...
and afterwards they can come to the hospital and meet the new baby.

Comic Friday5

1. What was your favorite comic strip as a child?
Probably Family Circus or Fred Bassett...I usually understood them.

2. Which comic strip today most consistently tickles your funny bone?
Theres one called Pickles which I like, Rose is Rose, and Red and Rover.
I really liked a comic called Bliss, but the fellow who drew it stopped
and started writing Red and Rover. And Calvin and Hobbes of course.

3. Which Peanuts character is closest to being you?
Ha! Pigpen! No no...um...
Not Lucy, the red-haired girls, Charlie Brown, Linus or Marcie...
I guess that makes me Peppermint Patty, without the sports proficiency.

4. Some say that comic strips have replaced philosophy as a paying job, so to speak. Does this ring true with you?
No, I don't think so. Its more like commentary or punditry. Literature, I guess.

5. What do you think the appeal is for the really long running comic strips like Blondie, Family Circus, Dennis the Menace as some examples?
They're good and accessible! Flash will laugh at them and my step-father will chuckle.
Good for everyone. I think For Better For Worse is reaching that level.

Bonus question: Which discontinued comic strip would you like to see back in print?
Bliss.

Bonus Bonus: Where do you read you comics?
I read them online, because I only take the small town paper, which has no comics.
Hubby used to take the WSJ, also no comics.
When we lived in Atlanta I'd get the paper, but not in NJ and not here.

The C-section

35 weeks and counting down..oh yes.

On Friday we will probably schedule the c-section.
Our hospital has scheduled c-sections on Mondays and Thursdays.
So I think it will be the Monday before or the Monday after Thanksgiving.
I doubt they're scheduling c-sections for Thanksgiving day.
I am hoping for the Monday before since Hubby's mom is coming for Thanksgiving.
It would be a shame if they went home on Sunday and the baby was born Monday.
But, given my track record...I think the scheduling thing is um...optimistic.

I'm really enjoying telling folks that I'm having a c-section at Home.
Our Hospital is called Home Hospital.

Pastor's wife observation

I can't believe I'm on the computer on a Saturday night!
Do you think Hubby has forgotten he's preaching tomorrow?
No, Texas vs. Texas Tech is taking his attention tonight.

Friday5

1) Your work day is done and the brain is fried, what do you do?
Drive 40 minutes eating a snack and hoping that no one will need me to do anything when I get home. Blast the radio if I can find something good on, which is very difficult out here in the boonies. Gotta get the ipod working again.

2) Your work week is done and the brain is fried (for some Friday, others Sunday afternoon), what do you do?
Ummm, ditto.

3) Like most of us, I often keep myself busy even while programs are on the tv. I stop to watch The Office and 30 Rock on Thursday nights. Do you have 'stop everything' tv programming or books or events or projects that are totally 'for you' moments?
I really like to watch House. I have this suspicion that its really a comedy, hidden in a drama.

4) When was the last time you laughed, really laughed? What was so funny?
Flash came up and squished his nose against mine about three minutes ago and yelled AAAAAHHHH in my face. We both collapsed in giggles. It was good weird fun. I have no idea what was so funny.

5) What is a fairly common item that some people are willing to go cheap on, but you are not.
Ummm, I'm a confirmed cheapskate, but I don't cut the guys hair. I buy mostly names-you've- heard-of groceries. I'm not very label concious of clothes...when I buy clothes, which isn't often. I'm kind of a fan of Lands End. Hmmm...this is tough.

Bonus: It's become trite but is also true that we often benefit the most when we give. Go ahead, toot your own horn. When was the last time you gave until it felt good?
Hmmm. Its been longer than it should have been.
Been feeling very "pinchy" this year.
I've taken a lot of things to Goodwill this year though and I do feel good about that.
Flash really enjoys putting a few coins in the freewill offering jar at the back of the sanctuary. The money is going for the Town's Christmas Basket project this time. In August and September it went for school supplies for kids who needed them. Always something local.