Ouch!

On Christmas Eve, all 5 of Jaron's brothers joined us at his parents' house. His sister went to her new in-law's for the holidays. While running around with Eli and his cute little cousin, Katelyn, who is 5 months younger than him, Alden ran smack into the corner of Grandma's organ. This was the result: Okay, these pictures are backwards and I can't seem to get them to inverse. This picture was taken today, about a week after the fact. The swelling from the ginomous bump on his head moved down into his face, leaving half his head green and finally pooling into black around his eye.
This picture was about 3 days after it happened. Notice the nice coloration on his forehead and around his eye already?

Right after the fall. OUCH!! It swelled up big as an egg and bled a good bit too. Of course, being a mom, I was quite anxious about the whole bit and hardly let him go after it happened. Jaron reassured me repeatedly that it didn't crack his skull and he couldn't have bleeding on the brain. Although he wouldn't let us put ice on it (I can't blame him, really), he was pretty tough about the whole thing!


And this is the only picture I got of Christmas. NONE on Christmas morning! I know....I become more unfit as a mother as this post goes on!!

Happy Birthday, Eli!!

On December 22nd, Eli turned 2! I can't believe how much he's grown up since we've been in Idaho. He's turned from toddler to little boy in so many ways. He's obsessed with choo-choo trains so I made him a little train cake for his birthday. He also got a wooden train and track from us. Grandma and Grandpa Brunson got him a little Fisher Price pull dog that Eli thought was hilarious when he pushed it along and it would bark. Grandma Allred sent Eli some birthday money which we're going to use to take Alden and Eli to Blast Off, an indoor playground with slides, climbing tubes, ball pits and fun little arcade games.

At age two Eli loves cars, trains, trucks, tractors and doggies. In the last few months he has become very interested in whatever Alden is playing with it and I have been reduced to the role of referee for much of my day. Eli has also started talking a lot in the months we've been in Idaho and his little voice is so sweet. He answers "yeah" to almost anything. He's picked up Alden's habit of asking "Whhhyyy??" in response to anything he's told to do. Eli loves bedtime stories, his green fuzzy blankie and his binky. When he's not fighting with Alden, he and his brother are best friends. Eli is very affectionate towards Gracen too - always greeting her with a sweet little drawn out "hhiii" and rubbing her hair with his hand. Burping Gracen is downright hilarious in Eli's eyes. Eli loves to run and be outside and loves to think he's the boss of Grandpa's dogs. ("No Bopper!") He repeats anything anyone says or does and is generally very good-tempered, unless he's tired. Eli is just the cutest little two year old boy of the moment, we sure love him!

Gracen's Blessing Day

We blessed Gracen on December 13th, when all of Jaron's brothers could help in the blessing. Jaron's dad and Grandpa Brunson and Jaron's cousin, Jaman, were also there to participate. After the blessing, Jaron sat back down and said to me, "That was weird." I asked him, "Weird, how?" "I only met the girl yesterday!" Jaron had just arrived from Saba the night before but, as you can see by the first picture, it didn't take long for him to get to know Gracen better.

Gracen's blessing dress was made by a great lady that we've gotten to know on Saba. She's the wife of one of Jaron's professors and sewed the dress during one of her semester breaks back in Canada (she's from Ontario). She made the dress out of silk duppioni (spelling?). It is a gorgeous dress, I am so grateful! Thank you, Sally!!! Unfortunately, I never realized how wrinkly the dress was from packing it back from Saba until I posted these pictures. Darn!

Okay, we're all looking in the right direction in this one but...who's pinching Alden?!?

Cutie-pants Gracen

I realized today that we leave to go back to Saba in only 4 days, so if I'm going to post pictures of our holiday adventures, I'd better do it now, before we go back to the land of super slow internet!!

I can NOT get a picture with all 3 kids looking decent. So...Gracen is MUCH cuter in real life!
I thought this was kind of sweet - it is Eli's hand reaching for Gracen's head. Eli likes to rub her head like it's Budda's belly - like it's good luck or something. Because of this, poor Gracen's soft little hair is always full of crumbs of one kind or another!

Gracen has turned into quite the smiley-pants. She loves to coo and smile at anyone who'll hold her. She is such a good tempered baby! (Except for that hour or so before settling down for bed at night!)

My Main Man

Jaron will KILL me when he sees this post. But I want everyone to know how AWESOME he is so I'm posting it anyway.

(Sorry the pictures are sideways - I swear I turned them...)

REASONS MY HUSBAND IS AWESOME:

1. He took me to the temple and maintains that temple-worthy relationship with me.

2. He is my perfect match. He helps me understand myself and things in my life better. He helps me to remember to have fun along the way.

3. He is an awesome provider. He has been a slave of the books ever since we were married (6 years ago!), all in the name of providing a good life for his family. Right now he is studying his heart out in medical school. I am so thankful he is such a hard worker!

4. He is the best Daddy ever. His children ADORE him. And so does his wife.

We sure love you, Jaron! We can't wait to see you in 2 WEEKS!!

Selfish...

To me, the hardest thing about having a new baby is the lack of sleep. The second hardest thing is the lack of SELFISH time. At this point, I go to bed as soon as my kids do at night because the first few hours seem to be the best sleep I get. This habit, however, is seriously curbing my ME time. Well, right this moment I have found a rare moment of SELFISH time and am LOVING it! Alden is out with Grandma and Grandpa at cousin Jenna's birthday bash. I stayed home with Eli because he's got goopy green stuff flowing from his nose. Well, Eli fell asleep on the couch in front of a Baby Einsteins movie at 6:00! That leaves me and baby girl Gracen here who has been awake for a shockingly long time but seems to be just chillin' with me while I spend (waste?!) time on the computer blogging and Facebooking.

And while I am sitting here, thinking of myself, I am thinking of things I want to work on in the coming year:

• Me. I have loads of baby weight that need shedding from 3 babies in 3 years (Okay, that's my excuse but really it's from my awful chocolate/ice cream habit.). This is the year to shed it, baby! I also want to work on discovering THE haircut and obtaining it. (You know - the one that is easy to "do" and can be pulled up and back from the face but still makes my awfully thick, frizzy hair look GREAT.)
  
• A hobby. When people ask me what my hobbies are, I sit there with my mouth slightly open and then mutter, "Um, my children?" This year I want to work on a hobby that I love.
  

Okay, that's all I can think of at the moment. Throw in some goals in the spirituality and motherhood areas and I think that's enough to work on for now.

Oh What a Month!

Getting kids to smile for a picture is no small feat! I failed at this one...maybe the next one will go better...

Alden and Eli have big shoes to fill! They love to clodhop around in everyone's shoes these days!

Gracen's first day to church - 3 weeks old.

"They" say babies can't smile at this age - I SO beg to differ! This is not just gassiness!!

Snug as a bug at only 1 week old.

Eli practicing his big brother skillz. Yes, my boys play with dolls and I'm proud of it!

This is Eli playing "with" Gracen. She's clearly digging the attention.

Alden is really tender towards Gracen. He's momma's little helper.

Gracen at 2 weeks old.

It's crazy that Gracen has been with us a month already. Life is CRAZY with three age 3 and under but I think I am enjoying Gracen as a newborn more than I did the other two. I feel so much more confident as a mom this time. It helps that I question myself less but it also helps that Gracen is my "best" baby yet - meaning she has been easy to put on a loose schedule and is a pretty predictable baby. She eats roughly every three hours then spends an hour to two hours awake and then naps. She's generally easy to put down for a nap unless I miss the "window" and she becomes overtired. That is pretty much the only time she cries. When she is awake, her eyes are so big and bright! She looks around like she can't wait to take it all in. I can't wait for her personality to develop more so that I can get to know her. I am so excited to have a daughter!

Alden and Eli are awesome kids. I am so thankful my kids have the personalities that they do - I could not have had three so close together if they didn't! We have our challenges, of course, but I really couldn't ask them to be better little boys. They are so helpful and they both have adjusted to baby Gracen so well. I was surprised at how well Eli adjusted since he's such a Momma's boy. Both boys love to talk to her and love to rub her head like it's Budda's belly; hence Gracen's cute little hair is always full of stickies and crumbs. Alden loves to hold her but doesn't last long - she is probably about 11 lbs now, afterall!

We all miss Daddy and can't wait until he gets here in 2 weeks. Jaron is studying his heart out in what is supposed to be his hardest semester of med school. Although it's been hard to be apart throughout all this in a lot of ways, in some ways it's worked out for the best. I can't imagine adding sleepless nights to Jaron's plate and having him still survive his classes. It's true what they say - absence makes the heart grow fonder. Being away from each other has made Jaron and I appreciate each other more. As we've been apart, it's also struck me again and again how grateful I am that Jaron and I have been married in the temple and that our family will be together even after this life. There is nothing more important!

My only complaint right now is sleep. Oh how I miss sleep! Me and my three kiddos are all sleeping in the same room and somehow they can never coordinate to wake me up at the same time. In fact, it seems they get together and decide to gang up on me. As soon as one goes down, another is up crying. I am up MANY times a night but hardly ever with more than one child at once - sometimes for hours at a time. But, it's only sleep, right?!?

Welcome baby Gracen!

This is a funny picture of Alden - oh well! I am SO BLESSED to have 3 beautiful, healthy children! Who could ask for more?!?
Alden ADORES Gracen. He is such a great big brother.

She's all cheeks!!

A healthy baby girl!

Last belly pic. Can you believe there's almost 10 lbs of baby in there?!? YIKES!

Our family welcomed baby Gracen Ivie on Thursday afternoon! It was a long, tough labor but it successfully ended in a VBAC and a healthy baby girl, which is all we wanted! Thank goodness for Grandma Brunson. She did everything for me during the long 18 hours of labor and then went home and took good care of my boys. Given the circumstances of the labor and Gracen's size, I am so grateful that I was in the U.S. to have this baby! I think I had to have just the right doctor with just the right attitude in order for this to have been a successful VBAC birth! I am so grateful to Heavenly Father that everything has worked out so well.

At my appointment on Wednesday, the doctor said he was uncomfortable with the baby's size (estimated to be about 10 lbs!) and said he wanted to do a c-section the next morning. I told him how badly I wanted to do a VBAC and after consulting with another doctor, Dr Evans said he would give me until Monday to go into labor on my own. He sent me home after an "aggressive" physical exam that revealed I was 4 cm and 50% effaced.

I was totally upset at the prospect of such a large baby and having to have a c-section again so that night my father-in-law gave me a blessing. It wasn't an hour later that I realized the contractions I'd been having since my appointment were coming about 5 minutes apart. After 6 hours of contractions 3-5 minutes apart, we headed to the hospital at about 3 in the morning. I was devastated when we got to the hospital and I found out that I was still only 4 cm dilated! All that pain for nothing! But Dr. Evans admitted me anyway and was great about allowing me to do things I wasn't allowed to in a VBAC labor last time - like walk the halls and bounce on a birthing ball. I did that until 10 AM the next morning, with contractions still 3-5 minutes apart. I was still only 6 cm dilated but the anesthesiologist was coming and they recommended that if I was going to get an epidural, that I get it then. Oh blessed epidural! I was born in this generation for a reason. ;-D It wasn't 10 minutes after the epidural that my water "popped." But the epidural was only taking on one side so it had to be redone. After that one, I slept the afternoon away until I was fully dilated at about 2:30. I was nervous about whether or not I'd be able to push out such a big baby but half an hour later, the nurse was crossing my legs while we waited for the doctor! A few short pushes later, and she was here! And she was BIG!!! 9 lbs, 8 oz of cheeks and flubbers. She has plenty of black hair (just as we ordered ;-D). She is pretty lethargic, as they say the bigger babies often are. We're enjoying her immensely. The boys are just tickled that they have a new baby around. Hopefully it stays that way for momma's boy Eli!

Thanks for sharing in our joy!!

Why I Love Being a Mom

I don't know why, but I was thinking about this hard last night so I guess I'd better get it written down.

On our eventful cross-country trip last week, I heard many comments from people expressing their opinions on the level of my sanity/insanity as I lugged two toddlers and a ginormous belly around airport after airport. Most sounded something like, "WOW." "Look at that lady!" "Boy, you've sure got your hands full." "You're crazy!" "I would never do what you're doing." Etc, etc, etc.

Then, as we prepared to board our 4th flight in two days, I was folding up the stroller for the gate check man and he said, "You sure like being a mom, huh?"

It totally stopped me in my tracks.

I looked up at his sincere smiling face. My answer was, "You know what? I sure do."

And it's had me thinking ever since. Here's why I love being a mom:

• Because I come upstairs after running down to grab something and Eli greets me at the top of the stairs saying, "Mom!! My Mom! My Mom!" like it's just AWESOME that I'm back. Makes me feel like I'm #1!
  
• Because I get to sneak in and watch my kids sleep at night. If you don't do this often, do it more. It's so easy to see them as God sees them while they're still and sleeping.
• Because I've grown more in the 3 1/2 years I've been a mom than my kids have.
• Because I get to overhear my kids teaching others things I've taught them.
• Because my life has more meaning and true joy than ever before.
  

I think I needed this post more than anyone who may read it. It's a nice reminder as I start another challenging round of moming a newborn!

Blog Tutorial: How to go into Labor

WARNING: Side effects include exhaustion and swelling of the feet into flippers. However, you will also learn to recognize the phrase "Look at that lady!" in several languages.

Step 1: Move to a Caribbean island while pregnant. Visit island doctor starting at 15 weeks, discussing VBAC history, etc. Make sure said island doctor waits until 34 weeks in pregnancy to decide you cannot deliver on the island.
Step 2: Obtain last minute tickets to Idaho to deliver at the in-laws place. Be incredibly grateful they're willing to welcome you and two crazy toddlers with open arms.
Step 3: Leave home in Caribbean at 10 AM on Thursday. Take off on world's smallest runway to stopover on the island of statia. Tiny aircraft will be very turbulent but will make the flight safely.
Step 4: Take off for St. Maarten.
Step 5: Once landed in St. Maarten, enlist the help of two manly-men to pull your luggage off the baggage racks and to the ticket counter for you.
Step 6: Wait patiently while ticket agent does your tickets twice, getting the names in the computer correctly the second time. Wait further while he consults with fellow employees whether you are competent to make the trip with two toddlers while pregnant without assistance.
Step 7: Thank manager who asked said ticket agent why on earth you wouldn't be able to make the trip and gives the OK.
Step 8: Take off for Miami at 3:15 pm Thursday afternoon.
Step 9: Arrive in Miami, one of the busiest airports you'll ever see, at 6:30 pm. Again, enlist manly-men to pull luggage from baggage claim.
Step 10: Wait in line for passport clearance and customs. Realize at customs counter you've forgotten to get written permission from your husband to travel internationally with his kids. Fear not, however, customs agent probably figures no one would possibly want to travel as you are unless these kids are yours. Agent will not ask for permission from other parent.
Step 11: Wait in wrong place for hotel shuttle for 30 minutes. Thank your lucky stars an airport worker takes pity on you and personally escorts you, stroller, and luggage train to the correct place.
Step 12: Teach older toddler who has been off American soil far too long what a stop light is on the way to hotel.
Step 13: Arrive at hotel at 8:00. Walk one block to diner for dinner.
Step 14: Take LONG (10 minute!!), hot shower and be grateful you're back on U.S. soil.
Step 15: Retire to bed at 9:00.
Step 16: Have fitful nights sleep in which you will awake at 2:00 to realize you haven't checked the morning flight's status. Call agent.
Step 17: Wake at 3:30AM Friday. Get you, your luggage, and your kiddos onto airport shuttle at 4:00.
Step 18: Wait in line at airport for 10 minutes, wonder why everyone's luggage in line is wrapped in plastic wrap. Finally ask someone who tells you in broken English you're in the line for people going to Cuba. Find correct desk and check-in at airport again.
Step 19: A saving grace! 7:00 morning flight will not be full. Spread each child across 2 seats to sleep most of the flight away.
Step 20: Arrive in Dallas, TX at 9:30 in the morning. Play on McDonald's mini-Playplace and eat breakfast. Avoid the eggs as they look and smell questionable.
Step 21: Take shuttle to different concourse. Find an awesome play area for kids there. Obtain lunch for kiddos and board plane at 12:20. Thank the heavens for new Happy Meal toys for the airplane.
Step 22: Arrive in Salt Lake City at 2:30. Meet father-in-law who has taken entire day off work to come and meet you and take shuttle to parking lot.
Step 23: Load kids who don't remember car seats into car seats despite protests.
Step 24: Drive 3 1/2 hours to Idaho Falls, ID where oldest child will be ecstatic he's finally at Grandma's house. Arrive at 7:00 Mountain Standard time, roughly 34 hours after leaving home in Caribbean.

DISCLAIMER: The preceding process will result in strong Braxton-Hicks but is NOT guaranteed to put you into labor, as it didn't work for me!

So I'm headed to Idaho...

I haven't posted in a long time. It's because I've been taking pictures of Saba that I want to post but I know that it'll take forever to post them on our slow internet so I keep putting it off. Lame-o? Yep, sorry.

But I have something to blog about that doesn't require a picture! On Monday the doctor here decided that I am too risky to deliver here since I have had a c-section (with Alden). Why he had to decide that when I was 34 weeks along and not 20 weeks ago when I started seeing him, I don't know. After getting that news, I spent a couple of days weighing the pros and cons between delivering on the next island over, St. Maarten, or going back to the U.S. After Jaron and I talked about it, we decided it'd be best if the boys and I head back to the good ole' US of A. We leave on Thursday and we'll be staying with Jaron's parents in Idaho. Bless their hearts for welcoming a very pregnant woman and her two crazy toddlers into their home with open arms! We'll be in Idaho until all of little bebe's paperwork can be completed - her birth certificate and passport. I hate that Jaron will miss her birth and the first few weeks of her life but it's just the way things have to be!

So the past few days have been spent scrambling to figure out last minute flights and to tie up loose ends here. Mostly I've been trying to figure out where we'll be moving to in January because Jaron may possibly have to make the move himself! But we've found a cheaper place to move to and we're getting things done. Alden is excited to see Grandma and Grandpa and his cousin Katelyn but he's even more excited to see their pets. (EVERYDAY he comes up to me and says, "But I just want a pet, mommy!") Oddly enough, Alden is also very excited to see snow. I'm not sure why, but he asks every so often when it's going to snow. Since the weather forecast is calling for snow late next week in the Rocky Mountains, Alden just might get his wish sooner than later!

P.S. Genny had her baby early this morning! The Superwoman and McKay welcomed a second baby girl after a relatively short labor and just one single push! She's 6 lbs, with no name yet as far as I know. Apparently she's got some reddish brown hair that I can't wait to see in a picture. Congratulations Genny and McKay!!!

Island Life - What we've been up to.

Some pictures of what we've been up to lately...... Making cool goggles. Yes, neither boy has pants on. These kids are happiest when naked and scream and cry when I make them put on clothes after baths.
...Catching fish at the cove. My man Jaron caught these with Alden's tiny Scooby Doo pole! It's about 2 1/2 feet long. I'm going to put one of those puppies into our 72 hour kit and we'll be set for life!

We're eating these for dinner tonight!

...Thank goodness for the dirt path of a driveway that we have right outside our front door. The boys play in it like it's a sandbox.

...Eating Dutch cookies on the deck (less mess!). Alden and Eli are really the bestest brothers ever. It warms my heart!

...Chillin' with pet snails. Don't focus on the mess on the table - focus on the tiny snail on the EDGE of the table! Bless this boy, he is going to make snails extinct on this island! He loves to find them and bring them home and "mother" them until they die a few hours later. Poor thing!

...Eating TONS of sno-cones. We scored this sno-cone maker when SOS cleaned out their garage. It came complete with cups, spoon straws and syrup. We eat them no kidding every other day. I'm starting to look for more syrup/cups/straws on e-bay already. It's the perfect snack - relatively low in sugar (a little bit of syrup on a lot of ice) and the machine only has to dry out so there's no clean up! Yay for cold treats in a HOT climate!

...Eating cupcakes and other yummy desserts, and a few healthy meals too (I've learned how to make homemade donuts - DELISH!!!). (By the way, the toy fishing pole on the floor behind cutie-pants Eli is what Jaron caught those fish with!)

Since I can't post pictures, I'll just blab!

So here's a run down on where we're at since our computer is falling apart as I type (Murphy's law is unbelievably active on this island). Sorry, no pictures (the SD slot doesn't work and I'm typing with only half a working screen), just updates and some thoughts of a crazy lady.

Jaron is liking school. He'll finish his first semester at the end of this coming week. Even though the classes are harder and more fast-paced than chiropractic school was, he does see a lot of material that is review so far. He's been nice enough to tutor a bunch of people, especially in the anatomy lab, but he says it helps him too because he has to know his stuff. Everyone seems to ask what he wants to do when he's done school but it's too early to decide what he wants to specialize in. A lot of that will depend on what he likes in clinicals and how well he does on exams. As long as he doesn't say he wants to do more school, I'm fine with whatever he chooses! ;-) Not much fishing for Jaron yet, unfortunately. It seems like you have to have a boat to do much of that and Jaron hasn't had time to meet many locals who'll be willing to take him out. Hopefully he'll get his fishing fix this semester break.

Alden is a laugh a minute. He says the funniest things these days. The other day, he found a tiny snail under our deck and it was the cutest thing. It crawled all over the place and Alden was in heaven "mothering" it until about 3 hours later when the snail was toast. Somehow it accidentally got squished. Poor thing. I am thankful the snail sacrificed his life for Alden's 3 hours of pure joy, however. Alden is such a good, good kid. I know I say that a lot but he really is. Sure, he whines a lot like any other 3 year old (which drives me UP THE WALL some days) but he is so obedient. He has a remarkable memory which means he remembers rules and reasons I've given him those rules forever. I guess one morning Alden came in to wake me up and I told him that I was really tired because the baby had been active that night and kept waking me up. Now, a few weeks later, Alden often comes into our room in the morning and says, "I'm tired. The baby kept me up all night. Did the baby keep you up all night?" Alden is a great big brother. Often Alden and Eli want to play with the same car (we're getting 2 of everything from now on!) but Alden is also really willing to help Eli out whenever he needs it. He's great at sharing with Eli, even when it's his favorite candy. I couldn't have asked for a better firstborn!

Eli is a sweet and funny little ball of personality. Ever since he was born, he has always displayed so much personality for his age. His bowel issues started when we moved to the drier climate in Colorado and magically cleared up when we moved to this extremely humid environment and he is now generally a very, very happy kid. He loves to make people laugh and has won over the hearts of many island women with his sweet little wave and "hi!" or "ba-bye!" when we're out on walks. He loves to swing in a swing we have hanging from the tree out in our yard and he says hi to every car that drives past. I'll push him in that swing for 30 minutes and he still cries when I pull him out. The funny thing is, he is the shyest kid I've ever met as well. Eli gets upset when people come over to our house to visit, especially people he's not familiar with. Anytime I pick up hitchhikers in our car (very common and safe on Saba), Eli bawls and bawls and tries to climb into my lap (yeah, no carseats) until the strangers aren't in our car anymore. He won't go to anyone but mom and dad, a phenomenon probably created by a mix of age and the fact that I can count the number of times he's been left with a babysitter in the last year on two fingers. He is picking up new words everyday it seems. Eli loves mechanical stuff, especially cars. Anytime there's a car in our yard he goes outside and walks circles around it, just "inspecting" it and touching it. His favorite place to play is in our car and all he plays with in the house is toy cars. Anytime a loud vehicle goes by, Eli stops whatever he's doing and runs outside to see what's coming. He loves to be tossed around by Daddy but Alden is the apple of his eye. Eli tries to do everything Alden does and loves it when Alden runs with him. I am so thankful to have two boys so close in age, it is SO, so worth it!

I am doing well. Third trimester has brought with it that "stiff belly" feeling where I just can't bend like I used to and it seems something is always pressuring my diaphram (sp?), making me sit up straighter. Jaron says I always have to have something to worry about and right now I worry about two things: 1. How much it's costing us to live on this island and whether we'll have enough and 2. Delivering a baby in such limited circumstances. But, worrying keeps me praying a lot and in a way, I've never been happier than I am here either. Living on an island where I have absolutely no outside demands on my time (jobs, church callings, mother's groups, etc.) has truly pulled me inside my house. My whole focus here is what goes on within these four (very close together ;-D) walls. And it's made me happy! I focus on Alden and Eli like I never had time to while we lived in Colorado. I focus on Jaron and what he needs from us like I never have before too. I cook like I never have before for a few reasons. One, it's difficult to get things like chinese food and donuts on Saba. And let's face it, if "the baby" wants chinese, who am I to deny?! So I've learned how to make them. Two, food is expensive so I make more things from scratch than I ever have. And three, making dinner gives me a focus - something to plan and prepare for. (Do I sound bored? Sometimes I am but two little boys help fill the time!) Oddly enough, it took extreme simplicity in my life to make me realize that taking the time to plan ahead makes everything go smoothly. Funny, huh? I'm a little worried about delivering baby #3 here in a hospital that doesn't have much as far as access to emergency care goes but given my delivery histories (even though I had a c-section which me and the doctor here both believe was totally unnecessary), all should go fine. I'm very worried about an all-natural childbirth but if you know me, you won't be surprised to discover I've been reading books on the subject and I'm convinced that childbirth will be really hard and really painful but I can do it. And a little part of me looks forward to the satisfaction and sense of self I'm going to get after I have done it. But please keep praying that all goes well with the delivery for us!

Well, that was quite a book, sorry for the boredom! I don't usually journal like that on my blog - I usually save it for my good ole' fashioned pen 'n paper journal where no one can comment on my craziness. Oh well!

Okay, just one more funny Aldenism...

I know I just did this but I need to post one more funny thing that Alden said today. I was out on the deck pumping water this morning and when Jaron got home from the school, he came out to help me. It was so hot that Jaron took his shirt off. Alden took one look at Jaron and said, "Hmmm. I have a little circle tummy and your tummy is a rectangle. Mommy's tummy is a very, very big, big circle tummy!" Thanks for telling it how it is Alden!

St. Maarten Trip Pictures

I never posted the pictures I took when I went to St. Maarten a few weeks ago for an ultrasound. Here they are:

The Saba airportThe view as we take off. Is the runway a little close to the ocean? Yeah.The sprawling metropolis of Philipsburg, St. Maarten. It's funny how flat St. Maarten is compared to Saba. There are two sides to the island. St. Maarten is Dutch and Sint Martin is French. The view of St. Maarten as we fly away.

This is why Saba doesn't have a beach. This is what the rocky terrain of the island looks like:

Another picture of Saba's shoreline:
Here's a great snapshot of Saba's runway (the captain's cabin is open on the airplane). Saba has the shortest runway in the world (literally!!) and it is quite an adventure taking off and landing. It is so short that take offs and landings cannot take place at night or if the wind is blowing in certain directions. Crazy!

Alden Says the Darndest Things

I don't know why, but it seems to be easier to blog than it is to journal. So I want to record some of the hilarious things Alden has said lately. Once that kid started talking, he pretty much never stopped. He is quite the jabbermouth and it keeps us laughing.

One day Alden and I were walking down the steep hill from our friends, the Westwoods', house. Alden was tired so I suggested that we walk down the hill in funny ways to take his mind off how hot and tired he was.
Alden - "Why don't we hop down the hill now?"
Me - "Okay, you hop down the hill but I'll just pretend to hop because I have a baby in my tummy."
Alden thought about that for a minute and then said,
"I know, mommy! You can hop and hop and then the baby will come out of your mouth and will be here!"
Cute kid. I don't know where he got the idea, but he's convinced the baby will come out of my mouth one day.

Yesterday, Alden was whining at me while I was at the computer. I absentmindedly grabbed the arms he was putting in my face and kissed them back and forth.
Alden - "Stop kissing me, I don't have an owie."
Me - "Oh. Am I only allowed to kiss you when you have owies and at bedtime?"
Alden - "Yes, only when I am going sleepies or when I fall down and get owies."
Me - "Oh. That's too bad."

Tonight, we were driving home and for some absentminded reason I signaled around a bend in the road (which I do once in awhile!).
Me - "Oh, I'm so goofy."
Alden - "Why are you Goofy?"
Me - "Because I signaled on that turn and I didn't have to."
Alden (who watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) - "But you're not Goofy."
Me - "Well, goofy can be another word for silly. I was being a goof."
Alden - "Oh. Well, you are a goof, but you're not Goofy!"

I've got to add this one that has happened since this post:
Yesterday I made cookies while the boys both napped. When Alden got up, I told him he could have one. When finished it, he asked for a second one and I told him he could have it, but it was the last one. Then I went out to hang the laundry. When I came back in, I was taking cookies off the baking sheet and I noticed a cookie on the cooling rack had a big bite out of it. I picked it up and said,
"Alden, what's this?"
Alden (with his very serious "guilty" face on) - "A broken cookie."
Me - "It looks like a bitten cookie. Did you take a bite out of it?"
Alden - "Yes."
Me - "Why did you do that?"
Alden (with the same serious face) - "Because I just LOVE cookies SO MUCH!"
The poor kid looked like he expected he was going to get in trouble but I couldn't help just laughing. He is so funny! I told him to eat the rest of the cookie.

Sometimes Alden is such a riot!

Mammoth Me and Our Little Car!

I can't believe this belly has 3 months left of growth in it. Yikes! Thanks to my great new friend Amanda for taking this yesterday. Only she could make wood panelling look like a cool backdrop!

I was talking to Jaron's Dad on the phone this morning and I tried to describe our cute little car to him. He suggested I should put a picture of it on our blog. It's such a tiny car but perfect for Saba's tiny roads. (I've already "Saba kissed" it [i.e. scraped it on the rock walls lining the skinny roads] 3 times!) This isn't the actual car, it's a picture I stole from the internet. Unfortunately our computer has pretty much gone kapoot and it won't let me put my own pictures on here. Ours is pretty similar to this one, though, even the same color. Let me tell you, it's wild driving a stick shift on Saba's impossibly steep and small roads! And there's almost no such thing as car seats here - my kids just roll around the back seat as I navigate the sharp switchbacks. (We will borrow a friend's car seat for the new baby. It's PINK and everything! ;-D)