Amazing what paint can do

We finished painting our living room last week and I really like it. I don't LOVE it like I LOVE my terra cotta pot kitchen, but it does make it look a little more homey.

I really like the gray with the white accents- I just wish I had a pocket full of money so I could buy all new decor for in here :)




I had my 31/32 week midwife appointment yesterday and everything is great- woohoo. My midwife said I don't need to come back for another 3 weeks because everything is looking great and I'm feeling good :) I really am feeling good- just getting uncomfortable- last night was a bad night. I woke up every hour and I could NOT get comfortable. But- things could be LOTS worse so I'm counting my blessings. I'm measuring right at 32 weeks- so either the baby is a big boy or I'm going to go a little early :) or I'm just measuring a tad big :) The only major complaint I have is my feet are just KILLING me- so I'm off to shop online for some slip-on tennis shoes I can wear around the house :) later

North Crackalaky

Okay- I don't have much to write about- I have a midwife appt tomorrow and I really don't want to drive to Burgaw, but thems the breaks in NC. Why oh why are there so few midwives? Anyway- it will be my 31/32 week appt and I will only have 2 more every other week appt left. Then, I will be going once a week and THEN I'll be meeting the new addition to our family!! Yay! Guess I should put a poll and see if everybody thinks it will be a boy or a girl. Personally I think this baby is a boy, but I do have a lot of nasty zits all over my neck - so gross- and I remember having lots of zits with Tates. I think I had zits with Cagey too- I just get zitty when I'm pregnant- yuck.It will also be nice to have this baby paid for. ONly 3 more big chunks o' money! Under the new Obama regime I actually qualify for free healthcare- would I take it- heck no!! It would be nice to have the extra 400$ a month that I pay for my insurance, but how ridiculous would that be to get free maternity care? Man, 400$ extra month would be great to buy another car with or put towards paying off our student loans- or put into our house so we could actually sell it. OH well- I don't want anything from our government- I wish they'd get the heck out of my life. Public schools- public healthcare- the housing market- they've jacked it ALL up.

This is awesome

I think we elected the wrong senatorial candidate from Illinois. (You may remember Alan Keyes from the 2000 Presidential election, but you might not know Keyes ran against Obama when Barry was first elected to the US Senate in 2004.)

The Mucus Gang

Yes, we are the mucus gang. Cagey is doing better- but now Tates is wheezing and hacking like a smoker. Jeebs is still hacking and this morning I woke up with a dang sore throat. What in the heck? I bought some MORE zicam, but they didn't have the nose swabs at Walmart so I had to get the nasty spray. Anyway- fun stuff.

My feet feel like bloody stumps. I walked all over walmart today and then went for a walk- then walked through Target and I think I should just cut them off :) I have had so many contractions today- I wish I were further along so I wouldn't be stressed about them and I could just enjoy it and be like- hmmm am I going to go into labor soon? But, no, at 31 weeks, I do not want to go into labor. When I was pregnant with Cagey I had lots of contractions too and kept thinking- there is no way I'm going to make it to 40 weeks- oh he was born ON his due date at exactly 40 WEEKS!! So, I keep telling myself- if I can just make it to 37 weeks- and then I think "yeah, I'm going to make it to 37 weeks and still be going strong!"

On Saturday Jeebs and I went to Kinston to test drive a Yukon XL- it turned out not great and the salesman guy was no help. While test driving that car we happened to see a dealership with a Tahoe and a Suburban for sale. It happened to be the dealership our old Bishop had told us to go to and ask for a guy who is in the Stake and he'd give us a good deal. So, we happened to get the guy's son helping us and he figured out we were LDS when Jeebs said we had most recently moved from utah. Anyway, we got a good deal (what we thought was a good deal) and went ahead and traded in our truck for a Tahoe. So, yay, I have a Tahoe again. This one will be the one we drive into the ground. I happened to say in the guy's office that I wanted to get into an SUV before the government made it impossible to get one. He said he had a lady come in just recently that bought a corolla. As she was leaving she said "I'll be back when I get my stimulus money." He asked her just out of curiosity what she thought she was going to get and she said "I'll at least be able to buy a CADILLAC!" She was completely serious. Anyway, just out of curiosity I'm wondering how many people out there think they'll be able to afford a cadillac because Obama is going to send you the money- so I'm putting a poll on the side of my blog. Just interested to see who thinks they're going to get enough money to buy a luxury car.

a little cookie

My Grandma Wagley would always say after she got done with her meal "I need a little cookie." hehehe Grandma, I need a little cookie! Sweets give me heartburn, when I pregnant that heartburn is usually more like heart-FIRE! I try to resist the sweets, but lately I've been needing a "little cookie". I know it's not the thing to do to splurge when you're pregnant, but it really is the only time I can actually enjoy eating things I normally wouldn't. I am so ready though to be able to work-out and sweat! I really tried to workout in the beginning of this pregnancy, but around 16 weeks I did my normal workout and I was down for the count for 2 days afterward. My stinkin' pelvis!! I dream about having a huge soaker tub- I tease Jeebs that he doesn't really love me because I don't have a soaker tub. When I was pregnant with Cagey he took me to the Inn at Temple Square just so I could have a soak in their huge jetted tubs :) He also made me walk about a mile and a half for my dinner because he misread the trax lines :) I was about 31 weeks pregnant- walking through the streets of downtown Salt Lake in early May- I just knew I was going to go into labor.

I have reached the point to where the closer my due date gets the farther away it seems. I need a handle over my bed to pull myself up :) or just a crane to lift me out hehehehe- I'm getting a mental picture of that. I'm laying here in bed watching my belly twitch around- that is my favorite part of being pregnant.

Poor Cagey

Well, Cagey finally went to the doctor today. He has bronchitis. I am just so glad it isn't pneumonia. I didn't think it was because his fever would come and go- when I had pneumonia I had a very high fever that wouldn't go down. Jeebs took him for me and I was so grateful! While they were in the waiting room Cagey was playing with a little toy he always plays with there and he turned to his daddy and said "I think I pooped in my pants." So Jeebs picks him up and takes him to the bathroom. As he closes the stall door he turned around and saw a trail of poo behind him in the bathroom- I would've had a nervous breakdown had I been there doing this by myself. I guess he had A LOT of vitamin C- which is good because he obviously needs it, but not so good when Cagey wants to gamble and lose. He came home with a huge t-shirt over his sweatshirt and a pullup. Good grief!! Jeebs handed me the bag of poo clothes and it was bad. I was rinsing them out in the tub and his sock looked like jeebs had wiped him with it- that was just his sock. I didn't even look closely to the pants and undies. Which reminds me- I need to go start the wash again. He came home and I put him in a warm bath with lots of steam- He got some clean clothes on and got covered up on the couch and immediately coughed, coughed, coughed, puked. So- vomit shirt and blanket- hooray! It's days like these that make you think- why do we do this to ourselves, but it's still worth it! Why does there have to be so much poop, phlegm and stomach acid in a body?

Sick Day #297

Maybe not 297, but it sure feels like it when you have been waking up to a chorus of coughing all around you for at least 2 and a half weeks!! I knew it was a matter of time before I got sick with everybody's colds and it happened on Friday- I knew the signs so I started Zicam immediately. I really love that stuff. If you haven't tried it- you're really enduring colds you don't have to. I have felt kind of poopy, but I haven't gotten near as bad as Jeebs or the kids. Jeebs is still congested, Cagey is still coughing and having a fever on and off, Tates is still coughing when she has the power of suggestion from Cage's coughing. Jeebs is in the recliner asleep with Cagey- he took a 3 hour nap from about 5;30 to 8:30. He is out again, but does not want to go to his bed. Poor kid.

I had a moment of weakness tonight- it was a rough day- worrying about Cagey, being uncomfortably pregnant and putting up with the noise and insanity that Tates and Percy cause when they start antagonizing eachother- ARGGHHH!! So, after Jeebs took tates to karate and left for his meeting at the church, Cagey was asleep and there was nothing good on TV. SOOooo, I bought Nights in Rodanthe on pay per view. It wasn't as cheesey as I thought it would be. It was cool to see the signs for Greenville and Moorhead City. I'm not a Nicholas Sparks fan, but it was something to watch and decompress to. I also watched a Backstreet Boys concert on tv the other night. I was just flipping back and forth and saw bits and pieces of it, but it sure brought back memories ;) shelly? :) hehehehehe. I never had a thing for them or anything, but their music was perfect for breaking it down in the car on roadtrips!!! My friend Shelly and I just about drove her mother crazy from Texas to Maryland with the first Backstreet Boys CD - EVERYBODY!!! yeah!! ROCK YO BODY!!! yeah!! ya know you're feeling it!! y'all liked it too, don't lie! hehehheheahhaa ahhh ridiculous.

Day old donuts

You ever put on a pair of pants and think "Oh, I must have just washed these," and then you find something in your pocket that was from the last time you wore the pants (and it shows no sign of being washed:). Well, it's annoying, but that's what happens when I'm pregnant. I gain weight by the day - woohoo!! Oh well, everybody is still trying to get over their colds. Cagey is still coughing- Jeebs still sounds congested and Sunday morning I woke up feeling like a train hit me. Jeebs and I had to do the switcharoo about 3 times on Sunday. So- in total- we made 3 trips to and from the church. what fun!

Is everybody so happy that the "stimulus" plan has passed?? Woohoo- 4.2 TRILLION dollars of tax payer money is going to be taken and spent on ridiculousness. Hello communism- hello everybody being fat, happy and comfortable in their poverty. Ridiculous. I didn't think such bad things would start happening this quickly under the Obama Regime. Hooray we have at least 8 more years of this!!

Okay- enough political rantings and ravings... I am now 30 weeks!! woohoo!!!! I could quite possibly have a baby in 7 weeks! I feel very unprepared. I still have to get the baby clothes bins out of the attic and dig out all my newborn stuff. I need to order my Moses basket from Restoration Hardware, I need to buy my brother's plane ticket to come out in April to work on me, I need to start gathering my birth kit and all my homebirth supplies, I need to order my 6 week formula etc. Ya see- I gotta get busy. Man, I can't believe I've pushed 2 babies from my loins and I'm going to do it again! sometimes I am so ready and sometimes I get a little panicky. OH well, no turning back now right :)

Texas Our Texas

Monday night we were having pizza for dinner (yeah I'm just a good mom that way). Cagey ate a few bites out of his piece, chuckled and said "It's Texas!" He showed it to us and it did look a little like Texas without the panhandle :) Cagey is all about going to Texas to see grandpa and grandpa- no my parents aren't gay he just calls them both grandpa. He's always ready to go somewhere- especially if he gets to go on a plane. Poor Cagey has been coughing and coughing and coughing!! I really hate coughs. After having all the issues with lungs that we have in our family- a cough really stresses me out.

If you're having a baby or had a baby

A must read is "Pushed" by Jennifer Block. My midwife introduced it to me and I've only read a few chapters, but it is really informative. I've always known these sort of mentalities exist, but reading about exact cases and quotes really drives it home. Anyway- it's a good book and if you're having a baby or had a baby in a hospital your experiences are probably described in this book.

I know problems arise during pregnancy, but how many are caused by doctor intervention? Pregnancy should not be treated as a medical problem- it is a natural process of life. I know a lot of people think I'm crazy for having homebirths. I can only say don't knock it until you try it. The things that doctors do to you to mess up the pregnancy and birth process that you have to endure in their hands is much more scary to go through than a natural birth in the privacy of your own home. Anyway, I'm not trying to step on anybody's toes- just suggesting that if you want to know exactly the mentality of many OBGYN's concerning your pregnancy read the book! :)

A tribute to my Grandma

This is my gorgeous grandma. I had to post this picture that my ma sent me. She was the best person I ever knew. She was born in Salt Lake and raised in Los Angeles. We always say "she had a life!" She got to go dancing at night clubs with big bands playing- how cool is that? She worked in Hollywood so she saw her share of movie stars. She didn't work on films she just worked in the town of Hollywood- just to clarify. She never took an algebra class her whole life which shocked her BYU counselor when she went to college. He signed her up for an algebra class at a nearby high school- she never went :)

After being raised in LA, then living in Salt Lake- she met my grandpa who was from Louisiana. Imagine the shock she must have felt when moving to East Texas :) She told me once that it was bearable being away from her family and enduring the heat and humidity because the people were so kind and warm. She had wonderful friends in her ward.

My grandma lived about 5 miles from my home the whole time I was growing up- we loved going to visit and having her come visit us. She used to take me and my sister to the symphony. It was always a treat to get to go and dress up- I remember having a fur coat that I got to wear and I thought I was at the height of fashion :) She used to take us to Shoney's for the breakfast buffet when we would spend the night- it was really tasty when we were little- I think it's pretty much crap now.

My grandma was totally committed to the gospel- she pursued excellence her whole life. Her life was not easy- to put it lightly. My grandpa died when he was 55 and my grandma was very lonely. I'm so glad that my sister now has her on the other side. She passed away 2 years ago in January. She kept her sense of humor the whole time she was alive. The last time I saw her she was still being so funny- I can't remember the exact incident, but she used to do funny things in response to us picking on her. We used to like to act like we were kinking her oxygen tube and she would grab her throat and make gasping sounds and then pretend to die. LOL It sounds kind of morbid I guess, but she never seemed phased by it. I was so glad she got to meet 2 of my children. Cagey was named after her grandfather- Cagey's first name is Frazier- her grandfather's name was Alexander Frazier Edward. She insisted on calling him Frazier- which was fine with me because I like the name Frazier just as much or more than Cage. Anway- that was my wonderful grandma!!

Everybody is sick!

So- Tates was sick and then Cagey got sick and now Jeebs is sick!! Wonder who is going to be next?? blagh. Today we went to the health food store to get some vitamins and to see if they had the 6 week formula. The 6 week formula is an herbal blend that helps your body prepare for labor, works out your uterus, shortens labor etc. Anyway- they didn't have it and the guy that runs the joint had never even heard of it. This does not inspire confidence. Luckily, I still have 5 more weeks before I need my 6 week formula so I'll either order it online or get it in Raleigh. After that semi-wasted trip I went to Target. I just have to say that I get sick of people invading my bubble. I had enough of that when I lived in Utah. I swear people in Utah do not respect personal space- do not invade the bubble!! When I'm pregnant- my bubble enlarges (along with the body). People in Target were walking way too close behind me. When I can hear your every word and smell yo' stanky breath- you are WAY too close. Okay, glad I got that off my chest :) I'm not even going to go into the annoyance that was Quiznos today- let's just say I felt like Elaine on that Seinfeld episode where she's stuck on a super crowded subway car the whole episode. Luckily- I got out of there without screaming, going into labor, or cursing :)

Global Warming my big fat PATOOTIE!!

This is what we woke up to this morning. It was snowing pretty good when we got up, but by the time I got the camera and went out to take a picture of the snow it had stopped snowing. This is our fourth snowfall this season. I don't think they've had this much snow in eastern NC in a long while. Interesting :)

This is just a cute picture of Cagey in his new shoes. His vans came the very next day from zappos- love zappos. He is addicted to playing this nintendo thing. This was supposed to be MY Christmas present- hahahaha.

Also- warning I"m going to brag on my Taters so if you don't want to read the bragging- look away now. I was so excited for Tates to get her white belt in karate. She's been going since September and her teacher told us she could get it several weeks ago, but he had them for sale just a couple of weeks ago. We finally bought one and she was beyond excited to get her white belt. The very next week she got another promotion. She got a yellow stripe on her belt- I don't know what all these mean, but I know she's doing well and getting better. She went last night - even though she was still not feeling 100 percent. She fought through it like a champ and her teacher came up to me to ask how she was doing in school so she could get yet another advancement on her belt!! She was so excited and I was so excited for her. She now has a white belt with a yellow stripe and a white 'awesome grades' stripe. Woohoo! I need to post some pics of her punches she's got some serious power behind those things.

Last night when we got home Cagey was playing on the leapster. I told jeebs he knows what colors mix together to make other colors and so Jeebs asked him what colors made purple. Cagey said "I just learned my primary and secondary colors". He's so funny. He also saw Barack Obama on TV a few nights ago and said "That guy is making me sick, Barack OVAMA (that's how he says it) is making me sick!" It was hilarious. What a goof! You can tell what we talk about in our house a lot :)

I hate flats!!

I've always been able to wear whatever kind of shoes I want to wear- never even thought about it. My eyes were generally drawn to something with a heel because I liked to look a little taller and I just never saw many flats that I really liked. Since being pregnant with #3 I have not been able to wear heels of any kind. I have a pair of shoes that were my every day slip on and go shoes - they have about a 2 1/2 inch wedge- not high at all, just enough lift so I"m not flat on the ground. Nope- can't wear those. I realized this one Sunday- on Sundays I would have horrible backaches and be barely able to walk when i got home. Yep- high heels. DAG! So- I switched to only flats. I can now say I can totally sympathize with my mom who has never been able to wear the shoes she wants- especially high heels. She had polio when she was younger that settled in her right arm, leg and foot. She always told us that she wanted us to bury her in the highest high heels we could find. I can totally understand now. I HATE FLATS!! I realize a lot of you out there are going- you're a freak, they're so comfortable- yada yada. Well maybe so- but I really hate the look of them on my feet. I've always had ankles that fall in on themselves- with flats it's just very obvious how funky my feet and ankles are. I also hate the way my legs look in flats- blagh. I am all about fashion over functionallity and comfort :) sorry. I have a pair of black suede oxford very high heels- I've worn them a total of 3 times. They look like Ginger Rodger shoes and I love them. They are in no way comfortable- but I love them and 3 hours at church- I can handle it :) I so miss my shoes!!! I look for shoes online as sort of a hobby now. All I can look at to buy now are flats- so sad. I'm already planning what shoes I want to get for the baby's blessing. Pretty bad when you're thinking about what shoes YOU want to wear for your baby's blessing more so than what you want your baby to wear :) Actually if I have a girl I already have the perfect outfit- I got it when I was pregnant with Cage before I knew he was a boy- I really think the baby is a boy though. In that case- I'll be trucking it on over to 3 Little Fishies for something super cute. I don't know how this post evolved from hating flats to blessing outfits, but oh well. I've got to go do something today even if it's wrong. Jeebs spent the night in Raleigh yesterday so when he gets home tonight maybe the house will be clean and a delicious meal will be prepared waiting for him on the table. :) if only I could walk a little easier. DAG stupid flats

sick tates and the reverting ds addict

My poor Tates is sick today. It's always so sad when Tates gets sick because she is just totally not herself. Thankfully she doesn't get sick very often. She is usually happy, sweet, helpful and ready to do stuff. She has been on the love seat all day. She just got up about 30 min ago to eat some soup. She hasn't said much and she's usually little miss chatty. Cagey woke up at about 6;30 wanting his daddy to come back into his room so he would have "people" in his room. He was sleeping so well at night- falling asleep by himself and not waking up during the middle of the night. Just recently he's started saying "I need people" when he goes to bed. It might be all the nintendo ds playing- or he's just doing the exact same thing Taylor did right before he was born. It's like they know something is about to change soon and they need to get in all the mommy/daddy time they can before it happens- in fact that's probably exactly what it is. It will be interesting to see how Cage reacts to this baby. He'll probably be so engrossed in his ds playing that he won't even care. We have to set limits. At least he does still want to go on walks with me when I go - Taylor won't hardly go anymore unless there is much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.