No Soup For You!

Come back, one year!
"No Soup for You" You Tube Clip

I feel like Elaine in this Seinfeld episode, when the Soup Nazi won't give her the mulligatawny she orders (complete with a laugh track from my MIL's friend, Elaine, the one who carried her baby elephants to 46 and 44 weeks).

My 39 week appointment this morning netted the same result: No Dilation For You!  Come back, one week!  With a little postscript: then we'll schedule a C section for 41 weeks.

Boo.  Hiss.

But I'm taking it well.  Handsome Hubs had a hunch this was coming I think, so while I was gone this morning he swept, mopped and vacuumed, as well as changed N's pee-pee bedding, and was shopping with the boys at Menard's for a snake (auger) to fix my clogged kitchen drain when I got home.  That definitely softens the blow.  He's turning into quite the Mr. Mom.  And I like it!

Here's a funny for you: last night we walked to a nearby playground and chatted with the neighbors who were out doing yard work.  Coming upon a neighbor who was weed whacking and showering her driveway with debris, M piped up and loudly asked, "Why you making such a mess?!"  

No Soup for You!

Wordless Wednesay: Our Easter Photo

Healthy Kids Day

Daddy and the boys had a special morning on Saturday at the local elementary school investigating fire engines, police cars, and buses at the Y's annual "Healthy Kid's Day."  They brought home a haul of freebies like frisbees, water bottles, coloring pages, toothpaste and floss, but their absolute favorite is the toothbrush timer.  It's one of those 2 minute teeny tiny hourglasses you usually find in board games that they're supposed to turn upside town while they brush the entire time the sand is falling.  But they're just trying to "open it!"  Either way, it's keeping them busy.

They know most of their letters and have been repeatedly spelling "MN Orthodontics," the business who sponsored the frisbees, asking me repeatedly what it spells.  Sometimes I say, "Minnesota Orthodontics," sometimes I say, "very expensive braces!" followed by, "Dear God, let them all have my teeth!"

P.S.  I've decided to give up on giving birth.  This baby just isn't going to come.  I'm going to be pregnant forever. 

Well!

Apparently, it is possible to carry a baby longer than 38 weeks, I've learned thanks to all the "encouragement" I've received from you ladies. The winners are.....

1. EK, who carried her children 4 and 6 weeks late 30+ years ago....what kind of crazy doc did you have?!

2. JK, who delivered #4 last year 2+ weeks late...and like me had her set of twins early, wondering what was going on!

3. MW, who carried each of her 3 girls to 41 weeks and who worried her Japanese doctor about having a huuuuuuuge American baby, making her do acupuncture and moxibustion to get her to turn and start labor.

Honorable mention goes to EP, who carried her daughter to 41 weeks just 15 months after having open heart surgery.

So there you have it. I have not carried this baby longer than anyone else in the world.

Baby Update: 38 Weeks

No dilation, nothing happening, all is well, see you next week. 

I'm not as disappointed this week, I was expecting it. But I'm going to spend the next week working on some of those home remedies I found last night in hopes of making progress by next Thursday morning (except for the castor oil, ew).  It's the best excuse I've EVER had to get a pedicure (not to mention they're looking pretty gnarly) tomorrow afternoon.  And A, by "other things" I meant eating an entire fresh pineapple.  What were YOU thinking ;)?

At least I've been feeling better the last few days, like second-trimester-better, so I don't mind waiting one more week if I feel like this.  Plus I think my Michigan-dwelling help will not be too happy if I go early.  But they'd all get over it when I deliver a ten pound turkey.

Just sayin'...I was a 9 pounder, my brother in law was a 10 pounder, and I know for a fact that my uterus can hold 11 pounds of baby.  So when I say I don't want to go much longer,  I reeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyy don't want to go much longer! What's wrong with wanting to having a normal-size baby in the normal way? Really?!  Can't I do anything normally?  (Sigh)

Okay, this is a very unflattering photo of me (taken on a not-feeling-well-night to boot) but the boys are SO CUTE at bedtime, hugging and kissing baby brother goodnight, singing "Twinkle Twinkle" into my bellybutton, where they've decided is the hole where he will come out - and I'm not telling them any differently.

Mommy and her 3 boys

Late night research project

When you can't sleep and want to know how to induce labor, read some of the crazy threads on babycenter.com! I'm sure there are a million sites out there, but I've spent the last half hour reading all about all the things to do to start labor! Now I've got some great ideas and an excuse to order something hot and spicy at Chapati's. I'm thinking of getting some takeout and a pedicure....among other things.

Why I Ate a Dorito Taco

We are getting reacquainted with fast food for a few reasons:

1. Hubs and I prefer restaurants without a drive thru, so even when we traveled we tended to choose places like Jimmy John's or Quizno's.

2. My sister M was right when she warned me that there would be a time we would refuse to take them out to eat. It happened sometime last fall, after our sweet babies turned two and suddenly had opinions, attitudes, and great pitching arms.

3. As much as I love cooking, it is nice to not have to cook every now and then, so we're relaxing the restaurant ban these days. Besides, mY boy's weren't wild about the delicious shepherd's pie I made from scratch with the leftover Easter mashed potatoes last week. I told them someday they'd be dreaming about Mom's home cooking. They don't believe anything I say.

4. However, the only places we can take them with any degree of success (defined as the kids ate most or all of their food and we didn't slink out with our tails between our legs in shame) must have some of the following:
A. A play structure. I love our new town, buy there is not a single indoor play structure anywhere, so they are all the more valuable to me.
B. nuggets, fries, ketchup and ranch. My kids don't know what a kid's meal is. I know, I'm such an awful mom! They are content with sharing a 10 pc and small fry, which is way more food than 2 happy meals but costs the same as 1. M discovered a neighbor's table littered with chocolate milk containers and the toy from the box at our last McD's outing...sigh.
C. soft tacos with ground beef and cheese. Taco Bell is like their heaven, don't ask me why. We tried an authentic Mexican restaurant in town last weekend, one where we knew the kids would be accepted. Our meals were delicious, but the boys were not digging authentic corn tortillas and chopped beef.

Hence, my introduction to the Dorito taco today. I've eaten more Taco Bell the last few months than I have in all the years since college, and I'm still experimenting, trying to find something I like. Because it looks like I'm going to be spending our restaurant money there more and more. Know what I think?

It doesn't matter what you order because it all tastes the same.

It was like eating a taco and a side of Doritos. The burrito which came with the meal was simply a soft taco only musher with beans in it. The hard taco got eaten by the kiddies because they inhaled their soft taco no "salad" so quickly. I guess we will have to start ordering two apiece soon!

Despite the lack of culinary finesse we are experiencing, we are witnessing some success with the outings. The children are eating food AND feeding it to themselves, they are practicing staying seated in public since they are way too big for the high chairs now, and they are being socialized beyond church and school.

And I don't have to fix every single meal.

I just have to figure out what to order for myself.