Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Ivie and Macie's school made a big deal out of encouraging the kids to wear green today. So much so that Ivie was terrified of forgetting and being "pinched".

Thankfully, we remembered.

Macie was very proud to show off her green M&M shirt for the camera.


And Iv thought it was pretty neat that the saying on HER shirt talked about "luck".


And I thought it was a good opportunity to share another prego picture with you all. So Happy Saint Patrick's Day from the Herman girls (and Bryce at 34 weeks in utero!).

Our Journey to Five (#11)

Saturday, March 12th

Today, as I pulled new car- and truck-laden burp cloths out of the dryer to be folded, I admit to throwing one over my shoulder and envisioning Bryce lying on my shoulder.

Ahhhh, I'm so ready to be a baby mommy again!


Monday, March 14th

Two days ago (above), I wrote that I am ready for Bryce's arrival. At least from the Mommy perspective (not so much from the work perspective - I need another 4 weeks!).

Now, two days later, it seems my body is physically telling me that the time is about to arrive. Without getting too graphic (for all my male readers), suffice it to say that I'm just sore and achy. Walking hurts, bending over hurts, etc. I don't remember this feeling with the girls, though Dale said he does. Selective memory for the mommas, I guess! I'm not sure if this is the "dropping" or "lightening" process occurring, but, if it is, I hope the immediate side effects go away quickly! Otherwise, it's going to be a long 6 weeks!

But I'm still sleeping great, so no complaints there. Now, if I could just convince myself to go to bed at a decent time instead of staying up late, catching up on the DVR, and working on my laptop from the couch...


Thursday, March 17th

I had my 34-week doctor's appointment yesterday morning. As with most of my appointments that don't involve shots or blood draws, this one lasted, ohhhh, about 7 minutes. Long enough for Dr. T to check on Bryce's heartbeat (133 bpm), tell me that he doesn't believe Bryce has "dropped" yet (there goes my theory on the soreness!), and ask me if I was making the trip to Charlotte for basketball this weekend (he's a big UNC sports fan, so that gives Dale and me something to chat with him about unrelated to the pregnancy!).

I did schedule the remainder of my appointments, though. 36 weeks, 38 weeks, 39 weeks, and 40 weeks. Almost there!

Ivie's Random Thoughts (#17)

Tonight after school, the girls were outside playing and were quite pleased to be joined by Emerson. They each had their own mode of transportation: Ivie on her new pink bike (I'm sure there will be pictures soon), Emerson on the scooter, and Macie on the battery-operated Dora four-wheeler.

Ivie and Emerson had figured out some sort of racing game to play. The first couple of times, due to the bicycle's ability to exceed the scooter's speed, Ivie won.

The next time, though (as Dale watched and recounted to me afterward), Ivie clearly slowed up and gauged Emerson's pace, ultimately allowing her to arrive first at the finish line. Then Ivie jumped off her bike, ran around, and made a big deal out of proclaiming, "Emerson, you WON!!!".

A couple of hours later, on their way home from Gymnastics, Dale and Ivie had the following conversation. (Note that Dale's line is my paraphrased version. Since his statement isn't the funny one, I didn't feel the need to take the time to get it verbatim.)

Dale: Ivie, I was very proud of you for letting Emerson win this afternoon when you were racing with her.

Ivie (matter-of-factly): Yeah... No worries!

That kid cracks me up.

Wordless Wednesday (#47): Playing the Monster Game

Meal-Time Blessings

We currently have two different blessings that we say in our family at meal time. They both come from the girls' school, where, from what I can gather, they have a different blessing for each class. So as the kids get older, their blessings become more "advanced".

Since Ivie and Macie, then, have different blessings, we generally will say both of them prior to eating dinner. For several weeks, I've been wanting to get these blessings on video. Partly to document them for the future when I forget how they "go". But also because of the sincerity and focus with which Macie, in particular, recites her prayer (as I watch her through my barely-cracked eyelids). It warms my heart; I can't get enough of it.

So finally, tonight, I asked the girls if it would be okay for me to video them saying their blessings. They obliged, although it's obvious, particularly with Ivie, that she knew she was "on-stage". But it still will serve its purpose to me here as a reminder of the days when the girls so sweetly thanked God for our many blessings.

I've included two versions of Macie's blessing. The first one is when I asked her to do her blessing by herself. As you'll see, she doesn't quite remember that she's supposed to say each line twice. So, after I recorded Macie solo, I asked Ivie to "help" her through it. Which she did, but, as you'll see, they also managed to confuse each other in the middle. As you parents out there know, nothing is ever quite as chaotic as when you're trying to catch it on video...

Exasperated

We still have mornings in our house when one (or sometimes both) of the girls makes her opinion crystal-clear regarding our rule that she eat a fruit cup before a Pop-Tart...

Show-and-Tell, Round 60 AND Macie's Turn (#6 and #7): Remote-Controlled Vehicles

I've fallen behind on the Show-and-Tell blogs for the past couple of weeks, so it's convenient that the toys the girls chose have been themed in such a way that I can combine them into one post!

Two weeks ago, Macie chose the pink remote-controlled car. Sadly, this car has suffered some mechanical failures in its short (I think it was from Christmas, 2009) life. Namely, the two back wheels turn in different directions, causing the car to go round-and-round in circles. Not really what you're looking for when it comes to this sort of toy.

Mac actually found it amusing, though, and the good news is that you don't have to chase it very far, since it never gets away from you!


Then, last week, it was on to the My Little Pony remote-controlled motorcycle. Both Ivie and Macie chose this car for their respective Show-and-Tell days. I'm surprised that this doesn't happen more often, actually, since Ivie's day is Thursday, Macie's is Friday, and Macie adores her big sister.

This toy actually still works as designed, so we're 1-for-2 when it comes to remote-controlled contraptions. Why do I get the feeling that the number of these toys will increase exponentially when there's a little boy running around the house?!?

Ivie's Random Thoughts (#16)

The Letter "K"

Ivie's been struggling with writing the letter "K". Something about having the two diagonal lines meet in the middle wasn't meshing with her, so you never knew where (or if) they would connect.

As is typical, though, she learned the solution to her problem at school. And I didn't realize it until she was writing her friend's name on her birthday card last weekend.

When I commented to her about what a great job she had done with her "K", she said, "Thanks! I put a dot in the middle now. It makes it easier for me to remember.".

I would have never thought of that. Love the little tricks!


Eggs

This morning, I made French Toast for breakfast. Not sure why I don't do this more often on Saturday mornings, since it's different, quick, and uses up all the extra bread in the loaf we purchased the previous Sunday (our grocery shopping day) and didn't come close to finishing. Which makes me happy, because I then don't have to look at the large loaf remaining in the pantry and be upset with myself for not finding a way to use it before it has to be thrown out.

But back to the preparation of French Toast this morning.

The girls wanted to watch, so they each pulled their stool up to the island. I first cracked two eggs and put them into the bowl. Before heading to the utensil crock to get the whisk, I cautioned the girls not to touch the bowl or the quickly-heating-up skillet.

My back was turned for only a brief moment when Macie must have decided not to heed my warning about keeping her hands off of the bowl. I heard the sound of glass scooting on the island, presumably Macie pulling the bowl closer to her so she could "see better".

Just as I turned around to scold Mac, Ivie exclaimed, "Macie! Be careful of the eggs! They might HATCH!"

Ummmm, exactly.

32 Weeks...

It's been a while since I've posted a pregnancy picture. And I'm pleased to say that I'm running out of time!

So, allow this picture to document both 32 weeks as well as the first time I've had my hair out of a ponytail since July (ahhhhhh, gotta love hair cuts and having my hair thinned out!).

Notice I still come home after work and immediately put on non-maternity (yet super comfy) t-shirts, regardless of how tight they're getting!

Wordless Wednesday (#46): Dressed for a Princess Birthday Party