Sing with me..."As time goes by."

Don't feel bad. I don't really feel like singing, either. And I don't really feel like time is going by.

I've only been sick about 4 weeks. I still have six more to go. That is a really depressing thought. Truly, this is the worst part of having a baby. The c-section and recovery are better than this! When I was pregnant with Rebekah, I starting bleeding a lot at 13 weeks. I really thought I was miscarrying. While I was sad to think that was happening, I was more disappointed to think that I had been sick for so long for nothing! Obviously, I didn't miscarry and all the suffering did result in a beautiful baby who now says "uh-uh" to 95% of the things she's told to do. The suffering is cyclical, obviously.

Today has been such a fabulous day...to put it mildly. I got up for family prayer this morning, put some breakfast in my stomach and went back to bed. So I finally stumbled into the shower at 10 AM, made lunch at 11, then went back to bed for naptime. Now, after all this sleeping, I wasn't really tired, but I just can't seem to favor an upright position. The doorbell forced me out of bed at 1:30. If I can stay up until bedtime, I should be able to fall asleep ok tonight.

I am constantly eating, just to fight the watery taste that's always in my mouth. So at least I don't have hunger pangs on top of everything! I've already gone through a prescription of Phenergan (w/codine) and two refills in 3 weeks. That's what's probably saved me from throwing up so far. I normally start the day feeling "passable" and go down hill from there. By the time I lie down at night, I'm hoping to loose consciousness quickly and wake as little as possible before 3 or 4 AM.

I've got a lot of reading done. I got 4 books from the library last Wed. I'm halfway through the last one. I've read about 1,000 pages this week.

And yet life has gone on around me. Chad was called to be Exec. Sec. a few weeks ago. He gets to wear a tie a lot more now. I'm still in Primary. I get to yell at Daniel all week and then a bonus 2 hours on Sunday. He doesn't listen to me as well as the other 4 or 5 kids in the class. I wonder why?

Daniel has reading homework every day. So right after school I sit next to him on the couch, trying not to smell him (or anything else around me for that matter) and listen to the same story 2-4 times. Speaking of smells, I've changed a lot fewer diapers lately. THANK YOU, CHAD!

The other night Leah came into our room (I think we need to duct tape her into bed) with some "important" thing to tell us, and I noticed that she had some short hair on one side of her head. But it's not what you think. Nathan was the one that cut it. WHATTTT???? We woke him out of a sound sleep and ruined his night. It's hard to remember that they aren't "accountable" yet. I sure hold him accountable. And he won't be holding any scissors for a long time.

Rebekah is 20 months old next week and still not talking. Nathan didn't talk until he was 3, so I'm not worried about her development (yet). She understands us just fine. We just don't understand her. The shrieking and moaning sounds she's using are nigh to drive me insane.

I have no patience with my kids lately. I feel so yucky that I just yell at them or ignore them completely. I am truly amazed that this planet isn't one big barren rock. The fact that this is my fifth time putting myself through this has convinced me that I am indeed out of my mind. I used to be such an intelligent girl. *sigh*

Oh Boy (or Girl)

Well, most of you now know that the hidden message was that we are expecting another baby. I tried to leave it as long as I could to give everyone the chance to figure it out. Some of you needed more help than others.

So now I am back to incredibly long days as I feel yucky and exhausted. Today has not been the best. If you don't hear from me much, it's because I don't feel like blogging. I figure I only have 8 weeks to go of this!

We went to Utah on Friday (returned home Sat. evening) for a family Easter BBQ. Surprisingly, I didn't feel too bad until about the time for the BBQ on Sat. I gained 2 lbs. trying to keep enough food in my stomach to keep the queasies away. I have some pictures of our mini-trip that I'll post later...someday...maybe.

This baby is due in November. The strict 40 weeks, typical calculated due date is 22 November. We won't make it that long. (Thank goodness!)

Chad is getting released from Scouts. He was sustained as the Exec. Sec. today. I'm already planning on how to get myself and the kids ready for church each week while Chad is in meetings for 2 1/2 hours. I've decided to get them all dressed the night before. I credit myself with cunning and foresight for coming up with such an ingenious plan. (You can already see how well my mind functions under such less than perfect emotions and conditions.)

A different kind of mystery...not a picture

Ok. There is a hidden message on this blog page. NOT this post, but this WEB page. Can you find it?

Here is a clue. I won't be adding any more posts until the mystery is revealed because it will change the message.

The message is hidden within the regular text. I have edited it a bit to make it stand out more.

Any additional clues or information will be edited into this post. Leave your guesses in the comments. Don't we all love a game?

F inished and unfinished projects

Here are some things I've been working on. Some are done. Most are not.


The finished first.


I got the girls' Easter dresses made during General Conference. It's amazing how much better I listened while I had my hands busy than when I just sit in front of the TV and watch. Leah's is pink, Rebekah's is yellow.



Here is the quilt square that I was creating for my Enrichment Quilt Group. I didn't like the way it turned out, so I went for 'plan B' and ended up with this. The next pattern is paper-pieced sailboats for June.

Leah got her hair cut this morning. Her FIRST haircut (if you don't count the snip she took herself during the summer last year)! Here are before and after shots. It's still long, but seems so short to me. I'm just hoping that it will be 100% easier to comb through now.

Here is Leah's "name blanket." This is a reward that she's earning. Every day that she wakes up from a nap without crying, screaming, or being grumpy in any way (she has to "wake up happy"), she gets to put a sticker on a chart. After 30 stickers, she gets her blanket. So far she has 16 stickers. (She didn't earn one today.) I just have to put the top and bottom and batting together.

And this is my "in-over-my-head" "eternally-unfinished" project. I'm quilting the quilt from last year's quilt group. This is only half of it. I'm not even 1/4 through it. But won't it be nice when it's done?