Gabriel is always in some sort of imaginary competition with Israel, over things that nobody else cares about.  Tonight, Israel started crying while he was eating his supper.  ”Did you bite your cheek?”  Tim asked.  Israel sobbingly shook his head no.  ”Did you bite your tongue?”  A teary yes.  

“That happens to me all the time,” Gabe stated stoutly over on his stool, shaking his head with a world weary air.

“That really must have hurt, because you cried for a long time!” Tim sympathized with Israel.

“All my bites last longer than that,” Gabe announced to the air.  

Lol.  Shake of head. 

“You know,” Tim said last night to Zion as he was tucking him into bed, “When the New Baby comes, you’re not going to be Baby Zion anymore, you’re going to be Big Brother Zion.”  

Zion said, “No, Israel is Big Brother.”  

“Yes,” Tim said, “and you’re going to be a Big Brother too!”  

“I’m gonna be Israel,” said Zion.  

“No, you’re not going to be Israel,” Tim said.  ”You’re still going to be Zion but Big Brother and not a Baby.”  

Zion put his head down to his chest.  ”I’m Baby Zion..,” he muttered a trifle despondently.    Of course you are, says his mommy when she hears about this conversation.  She wants to lavish some smushy gushy mommy kisses on him.  Sweet Bear…

Going to be some adjustments around here…

Today brought me a special little surprise, starting bright and early – a stomach bug!!! WHOOO HOOOO!!.  Alllll of the fun aspects of such a bug, along with light headedness and a really weak feeling in my arms and legs.  So I have spent most of the day lying in bed steadfastly mediating on how I was NOT/am not going to vomit, nosirree.  Lol.  Let’s just say it didn’t quite always work.  I am the only one in the house afflicted…perhaps it’s a virus, perhaps it’s something I ate…who knows.  I’m personally grateful that nobody else has it.  The kids have had a happy free-reign day with hastily slapped together PB&J for lunch, with succulent morsels such as gummy bears thrown in for snacks.  :)  Israel and Zion gleefully brought me the mail after it came, with great effort.

Tim went to pick up Gabe from school, and told him about how his Mommy was sick.  Gabe immediately came up with a plan.  Gabe loooves plans.  His plan was:

1.  Round up his brothers and go pray for Mom

2.  Get Mom a bowl of healthy food to have beside her.

3.  Since all of this work might tire him and his brothers out, perhaps after that they should all then go play their new Wii game, Lego StarWars together, to relax.

HAAA!!!!  I loved it.  He ran to check on me after he got home, and after I said that I thought his plan sounded like a great idea, he charged out to round up the troops.  They came and crawled up on the bed beside me, and Gabe laid his hand on my forehead and prayed that God would take every single bit of sickness away.  Love him.  Zion was furrowedly-browed praying beside him, “Jesus…t’ank you…Mommy…” whilst sneaking glances at Gabe to see how it was done.  He shifted to place his sweet baby hand on my forehead too.  Israel perched rather tensely on the bed, concerned a bit that Lego StarWars was actually taking place during this prayer, and had to abandon ship mid-prayer and run out to check.  Lol!! 

After Gabe checked with me to see if I would like an apple, which I declined, and Israel asked if I would like some broccoli, which I also declined, the boys trooped to the kitchen, where they busily rustled around for a bit, and then Gabe stampeded back in, bringing me a nice full bowl of baby carrots.  He told me to make sure to tell him if I decided I needed something to drink.  And then they trampled off to the living room to check out their beloved new game.

I was sitting here at the table tonight typing this on Tim’s laptop, because Zion is playing PBS games on my desktop, and Tim came out to give me a pseudo hard time about being on his computer.  Gabe was very defensive on my behalf and said, “But DAD.  She is sick, after all.”    Yeah, DAD.  Lol.  Gabe is like that – he hastens to take care of/pray for sick people.  Sweet boy.  

Initially I thought a bit hopefully that maybe the bug would also initiate labor, but then I changed my mind to hoping it wouldn’t, because I felt waaaaayyyy too lousy to handle labor pain on top of everything else.  

Still cookin’ over here…me and my ginger ale and my carrots…  

Why yes, I am still vastly pregnant with the largest child in the world.  Ever.  I am enduring.  I’m not even 37 weeks yet, and I am enduring.  Sigh.  Over the past few weeks, I have often wished that I could just go to sleep and sleep until I woke up in labor, because I am always so tired anyways, and moving around or even laying down feels like a massive chore that requires lots of wincing and belly adjusting.  I am pretty sure this is the biggest I have been; I don’t remember the skin on my stomach feeling this stretched before, even with Israel.  It is sooooooo tight!!!!  I’ve gained 30 lbs, which is the most weight I have gained with any of them.  I have strangers exclaim over me and tell me I am going to have this baby any day!!! and then get very wide eyes when I tell them I’m not due until April 24th.  I always heartily appreciate this expression of support.    I’m like – that’s what I’m sayin’!!!

Waddle.  Waddle waddle.  Wince.  Belly rub.  Pained expression.

She often is awake around 1 or 1:30 AM and I often can’t sleep because it is so uncomfortable when she is moving around, stretching out my sides and belly; she just feels crammed in a small space.  Over the past week or two, I have had some return of queasiness, especially when I brush my teeth.  Or if I think too much about something random I am eating, like cilantro.  I have been SUPER tired.  As in SUPER.  See why I am ready for this to be done with?  

She hasn’t dropped.  The midwife today said that she could feel plenty of fluid around the baby, and pressed my hand on a big fluid pocket through my skin.  She was laying posteriorly today, her back against my back; hope she changes that before labor!!!    No thank you to back labor, please…

I tested positive with my Beta Strep test or whatever they call it; that means I need to get IV antibiotics at least 2 hours before her birth, ideally 4; which cuts into my plan to labor at home as long as possible.  Hopefully I can use the tub they do have at Nanticoke – that’s my new plan.  We’ll see!

The other day I thought about the fact that I haven’t had any dreams about this baby yet; usually I have had some weird dream about having the baby and doing something distracted with it, forgetting about it.  I think it’s because I don’t really feel much anxiety at all about her birth, just eagerness.  The next night after I thought that, I had a dream…ABOUT BEING VASTLY PREGNANT.  Lol.  :)  

I know.  I sound lament-y.   I just can’t wait to meet her.   

Her heart rate was 134, just like normal.  The only thing I feel vaguely anxious about is that she will actually turn out to be a boy instead of a girl, since our ultrasound was so hurried and we didn’t have any pictures hardly at all, and her heart rate is low like the boys was.  But so was mine when I was in utero, according to my mom.  And this pregnancy has been so different from my other three.  So I think we’re on target for Team Pink.  :) And when I say “anxious”, I don’t mean “worried”.   I would seriously laugh if “she” was a “he” – I just want to make sure I KNOW either way.

I am of course grateful for all kinds of things regarding this pregnancy…I’m just having a grouse session.  I’ll be cheerier next week.  I think.    

After a three year licensing period, Tim was ordained (per Merriam-Webster dictionary: : to invest officially (as by the laying on of hands) with ministerial or priestly authority) on March 20, 2011.  

We were very excited to have both sets of our parents out here with us…the boys could hardly WAIT until they arrived.  I was asked REPEATEDLY every night about when Grandma and Granddaddy were coming and when Nana Carol and Grandpa Norm were coming.  

Carol and Norm got here Friday morning.  Israel and Zion were simply delighted to see them.

After Gabe came home from school, the boys had a thoroughly enjoyable time dyeing Easter eggs with Nana Carol.  

I was really glad they could do it, because I’m pretty stinkin’ sure I’m not going to be feeling up to such exciting activities at Easter.  Hopefully I shall be cradling a freshly birthed child by then.  Please, God…

For supper Tim wanted to walk to the fish market that is close to our house and have fresh fish for supper.  That was a boy excursion that everyone enjoyed very much.  Then the boys prepared and grilled the fish.  I thought that was quite excellent.

Baby was QUITE overwhelmed by all the excitement of the day, and spent his supper screaming his head off exhaustedly.  Here he is yelling crankily during supper preparation…

My mom and dad got here Saturday morning.  

The boys and their Nana Carol had prepared for lunch by an Easter egg hung in the morning, and the peeling and making of deviled eggs with the discovered eggs for lunch!

Mmmmmm.   Here was one highly proficient mess-maker helper.  :)

Man, that child has skiiiiillls.  

We all had a great time together, and were ESPECIALLY delighted with the surprise gift of longed-for shades for our bedrooms and two bathroom windows that were also installed by very proficient fathers,

for a fan and light installed on our screen-in porch where previously wires had dangled uselessly, and for a fluorescent light replaced above my sink, along with a rod installed for a valance I had previously purchased.  I was one happy girl.  

Baby had a MUCH needed nap on Saturday, and his mommy thought he was quite precious as he was sleeping…

In honor of the occasion on Sunday, instead of a more casual outfit like I normally wear, I wore a dress on Sunday that I had actually purchased when I was pregnant with Zion, but had never worn.  I LOVED it!!!  It was purple knit with a darker purple sash.  As I was walking out of the church Sunday afternoon to the minivan to go back home, Tim, who was waiting out there with the kids, heard Israel say, completely without prompting, “Mommy’s dress is reeawy (really) pretty.”  And Gabe agreed, “Yes, it is!”  :)  Sweet boys.  

The “nice family picture” after church on Sunday was one of those…sigh.   Fidgety husband, fidgety children.  Well, you take what you can get.  

Family life stage dutifully recorded.  My dress also looks strange in this picture.  Pretend you don’t see it, and take my word on it’s delightfulness.  ;)

Mom and Dad left after church on Sunday, and Norm and Carol left Sunday evening.  

I also really liked these: 

And waving goodbye…

This seems to have been one of those visits where for some reason I got more pictures of one set of grandparents than the other.  Sorry, Mom and Dad.  Just come back soon and I’ll make up for it.  :)  Israel is already eagerly asking about when Grandma is coming to stay for a couple of days when the Baby Sister is born.

Thanks sooooo much for all your generosity and hard work, Mom and Dad and Norm and Carol!!!  We love you very much…the boys are already eager for you all to return.  :)  

We also love you, Cannon Mennonite Church, sooooo much!!!  You are such a warm embracing family yourselves in so many ways.

I KNEW I was bigger with this baby.  This is me at 33 weeks, 4 days with Zion, and 33 weeks even with this bebe.  I’m telling you, this is another Israel baby.  An 8-ish pounder.  This is a large child for me whatwhence to bear.    At least 7 pounds, I’m betting on it.  Zion was 6 lbs 8 oz.  Big enough, thank you.

Yesterday was Tim’s day off.  He has been talking for a couple of days about taking the boys bowling.  I woke up tired and stayed tired the whole day, and it felt a bit like combing my hair backwards to strategically PLAN to extricate myself from pajama-like clothes, expend the considerable effort it took to NOT look like something the cat dragged in, and to round up appropriate clothing for 3 young hoodlums.  To his credit, their daddy expended most of the effort in preparing them to leave, and was fully in charge of the bowling process as I propped myself up in a chair and sat there like a lump of matter void of any and all energy.  

The boys had a splendid time, as I knew they would.  

Israel won, basically because of this thing they have where you sit the ball on top and roll it down.  And because of gutter guards.  :)

I took an exhausted nap when we got back and basically was worthless the rest of the day.  I hate being so tired…

I am SO READY for this baby to come!!!!!  I am tired of being pregnant and tired of being tired (not that that will change for a few months anyways, but still…)  I was eagerly counting down the weeks the other night for Tim, and was more than a bit disheartened to discover that I had a full SEVEN weeks left.   I mean, hopefully it will just be five or so, but who knows, really?  The skin on my stomach feels so tight and stretched, and although most people (aside from Tim and I) seem to think I look relatively small, I feel SO BIG belly wise.  I can feel her right under my skin…she is starting to do the thing where they “breathe” in utero, which has always been one of my favorite things.  I can put my hand on her little back and feel it rise and fall in quick baby “breaths”.  :)  I love it.   

I went to the doctor today, and everything looked good; the baby is head down, just like I want her!  

 

33 weeks…

BP: 106/75

Baby’s HR: 135

Weight gain:  24 pounds

So, I read somewhere the other day that at this stage I am gaining a pound a week.  I was very suspicious as to how they knew that.  Because I am.  And it is somewhat unnerving, I must say.  Supposedly 1/2 a pound goes to directly to the baby.  Huh.  I’m sure the other half a pound is all water weight and what not.    Naturally, water is directly what comes of eating lots of cookies in a row.  You see.

I feel like all my shirts are getting small from all this “water weight”.  I’m moving on to Tim’s side of the closet as of late.  All those shirts fit just right.  

Let it be known that the Two Year Old of the family is a Tremendous Amount Of Work of late.  

Weary, weary sigh.

Not only is he in stage to challenge a “no” with direct disobedience that must be addressed, but he is also in a stage where he can cause a voracious amount of work when your back is turned; happily flinging particles of whatever he happens to find near and far, pulling his books off the bookshelves over and over, and causing messes upon messes.  He can be a bit of a mini tornado in his room effect.

Then there is the screamy fit throwing stage he has entered lately that pops up from time to time.  

If he falls asleep during the afternoon, he is up late.  Waaaayyy later than you are in the mood for him to be up, because, quite frankly, you need a break from him.  Then after he goes to sleep, he often wakes up in the middle of the night, completely irrational and screamy, and I am often up with him for close to an hour, ASIDE from also getting up to pee numerous times since I am vastly pregnant, and getting up to let the dog out numerous times since she is apparently also vastly pregnant except she is not, and THEN he wakes up before my alarm goes off to get Gabe up for school.  This is just not an enjoyable, or restful process for his mommy.  The sleep aspect is the one that I am the most intimidated by after the baby comes, because I am up with Zion so much right NOW.

Then, when a mommy creeps painfully back to her bed just to rest her weary head for a few more shut-eyes after everyone is shuttled off to their appropriate destinations, he interrupts me about every 3-4 minutes, making a real rest basically impossible, with things that require getting up.  And he is MOST persistent.  

This morning as he was clambering back and forth overtop of the Pile of Pregnant Exhaustion in the bed, I wearily told him that we needed to go change his diaper.  He happily agreed, and zipped down and out of the room, returning in a few second with two bottles of powder.  He stood by the bed, one in each hand, looking back and forth between them saying, “This one?  Or this one?  Or this one?  Or this one?”  Then he carefully arranged them in the crook of my left arm, closest to the edge of the bed, and climbed back up to sit on top of me, looking at them with great satisfaction.  ”Those your babies, Mom,” he told me.  

Then he was gone again for a few minutes, and waddled back in with a large pack of new diapers, which he carefully set on top of my chest.  ”Those my Micka-Mouse diddies (Micky Mouse diapers),” he stated with great contentment.  He climbed back up to examine his work, and then happily zipped out of the room again, returning with a partially empty pack of diapers, which he piled on top of the first pile.  

Then he was gone again, returning with a wooden Christmas figurine set of Joseph, Mary and Jesus, that hasn’t made it back up to the attic yet, and he placed this on top of the two packs of diapers.  ”Fam’y s’eepin’ (family sleeping),” he said happily.

Gone again, and back in with a green rubber kickball.  ”Ball s’eep (sleep) on Ma’wy (Mary),” he stated.  Guess he knew who the s’eepin’ fam’y was.  :)  The ball did not cooperate, despite repeated attempts.

His mother was finally amused enough to rouse herself from her entirely dissatisfying “rest”, and change his diaper.

Guess the kid is lucky that he’s cute, ’cause he sure can get on a body’s nerves from time to time.  

Shewwwwwww-wheeeeee!!!!!! 

I MAY or MAY NOT have made several trips to WalMart lately looking about four shades less than stellar.  I MAY or MAY NOT have been wearing fuzzy pants that I could not bring myself to change out of, and MAY or MAY NOT had a random shirt and flip flops on.  We won’t talk about what my hair may or may not have looked like.  It does seem, however, if one take such trips to WalMart, one always can manage to run into someone that one knows.  

Ah well, when one enters the third trimester of pregnancy, one sort of gravitates to clothes with the label “comfortable” on them.  These clothes are not always the most attractive of items, but really, in the long run…I DON’T CARE.  It’s perhaps a bit sad to already reach this point in pregnancy, with TWO WHOLE MORE MONTHS left, but again, apathy is reigning here.  

********************

I am feeling a mite frantic about the quality of my sleep come the days post-April 24th.  Since we came home from the hospital, Zion has retained some of the charm he picked up there; the screeching angrily at the top of his lungs and throwing his bottle out of his crib charm.  And not going back to sleep very quickly.  At 2 AM.  Regularly.  

I’ve also noted with trepidation that Baby Girl in Utero sleeps generally QUITE soundly during the day and is up for sustained aerobics at 12 AM and later.  

Hmmm.  

*******************

Zion and Israel are quite the buddies of late.  They often play together in a pair, even when Gabe is home.  Gabe spends a lot more time doing his own thing, like painting or drawing or writing words.  They still all play together, but it’s cute to see how often the two of them pair up.  

Gabe is usually very affectionate with Zion, but quite the little Bossy Pants with Israel, constantly instructing him on how things REALLY are.  ”NOOO, ISRAEL!!!  That’s not RIGHT!!!” His parents shake their heads and roll their eyes a lot and have to intervene with reminders that Gabe is not in charge of Israel.  

Zion is the little sassy pants of the family.  He will NOT be messed with brother wise, and will tell it like it is when his territory is breached, with protesting screams and grabbing of said item.  And lowered scowl-y brows.  

*******************

This is one of my favorite pictures lately:

Essence of Israel boy-dom.  Buzz Lightyear and his favorite green garbage truck.  :)  Sweet baby.

***********************

My pleuritis is completely resolved THANK YOU JESUS!!!!!  I was on pain meds from Tuesday to Friday.  15 Percocets total.  :)  Saturday I was almost completely better, and didn’t need any medicine all day.  You just appreciate pain-free breathing a whole lot more consciously after a bout of pleurisy, I must say.  

I also appreciate things like

-not having to live at the hospital

-not having the flu

-energy

-life as normal

One of these days I may also get to appreciate “not being cranky. A lot.”  :)  Man, I’m cranky a lot.  Shake of head.  Irritable and grumpy.  I’m pretty sure it’s pregnancy related.  Sigh.  I don’t like it.

Today I even got to have A Gloriously Productive Day.   Laundry attacked, cabinets cleaned out, items stowed in the attic, floors picked up.  Happy sigh of nestingness.  It was the first day I have had this much energy for over a month.  That’s a long time, my friendlies.  A looooong time.  

Today I was puttering around in the kitchen when my ears tuned in to the conversation that was going on at the table.  Gabe and Israel were discussing what it is like to go to school, particularly kindergarten…

Gabe:  And there are sprinklers, I think, in the gym too. Sprinklers in the cafeteria and the gym.

(Israel sits in rapt silence, listening to Gabe spin magical tales of this thing called school.)

 Gabe:  And you get to go to the cafeteria for lunch -

 Israel:  LUNCH?? (Excited gasp.)  I love lunch!!!

 Gabe:  And you have a snack -

 Israel:  A SNACK?? (Excited clap of hands.)

 Gabe:  And you will have a recess! (Pause to bring in the harder parts…)  And you have to do what Ms. Warfel tells you to do.

 Israel:  I will, Gabe, I will!   (Big-eyed swell of commitment in Israel’s chest.)

 Gabe:  (seeking to communicate the seriousness of such a commitment)  And it’s hard! It’s really really hard! She will ring the bell and you have to freeze and you can’t keep going.  (Pause)  And sometimes I forget.

 Israel:  (with great seriousness) I will listen to your teacher, Gabe, and I will raise my hand and ask a question.

 Gabe:  (pensively)  Yeah, I should remember to do that sometimes. I forget to raise my hand before I ask a question. I need to remember to do that….(moving on to the fun parts…)  And when you eat, there’s juice to pick from – “

 Israel:  JUICE??!!

 Gabe:  …and milk…

 Israel:  MILK??!!

 Gabe:  …and regular milk…

 Isreal:  REGULAR MILK??!!

 Gabe:  …and sometimes you get to pick icecream…

 Israel:  ICECREAM!!!!

 Gabe:  and you get to pick what you want for lunch and sometimes we have goldfish and sometimes we have shepherd’s pie and I loooooove shepherd’s pie……..

The conversation trailed off around here into something else, perhaps involving robots and what not.  I just found this portion hilarious.  :)