Christmas week: Part two

Our second half of the Christmas week was spent at my parents' lake. We got there early enough for naptime, and then proceeded to have appetizers (again, funny how both of our families have this tradition!) and open gifts.


[Before we were able to leave town, we had to repack clothes and get the gifts for my family packed up. We also took a bit of time to eat brunch with my two best friends that decided to abandon us for greater things and move across the country a few years ago. They are never in town at the same time, so even though it was brief, it was awesome to get to see them both for a little while.

The girls enjoyed their finger puppets while waiting for Mommy and Daddy to finish packing.]

The girls pulled up chairs for themselves but never sat in them. Instead, they ran around helping pass out gifts and checking out what everyone else was doing.

My grandma is always so thoughtful when it comes to gift giving. She always ends up finding the perfect, most simple gift. This time, she got each girl a small heart shaped cookie cutter. While she thought they would just forget about it or not like it, the girls saw it and shouted with glee because they knew we could make cookies or playdough shapes.

Our dear friends, Jerri and Henry, got the girls something for Christmas too. Jerri proclaimed that she was most excited for Audrey's gift, a plush puppy so soft and similar looking to my parents' dog, Hannah. It was a hit with Audrey, too, as this is the first baby/stuffed animal that she has named herself. The puppy's name is affectionately called, "Gingerbread." Nevermind that it is black instead of light brown. :)

For Josie's birthday last year, they had got her the pirate Tinkerbell movie, so for Christmas, they stuck with the same theme and got her a barbie size Tinkerbell. She absolutely loved it!

We got her this backpack with her name on it (to replace one that we had lost earlier this year... still upset that it's just gone). It's a bit bigger and she felt very official walking around with her treasures all zipped in tight.

My sister got the girls hockey skates that will be awesome next year (a little big this year, plus a pregnant mommy that shouldn't be skating so it'll have to wait) and Polly Pockets for each of the girls. Did you play with Polly Pockets as a kid? They were huge hits in our house, and one of the few toys we vividly remember playing with. While they aren't the exact same, the girls still thought they were pretty fun.

Our gifts to my parents were new cell phones since they both still had dumb phones that were pretty old. They were not too excited about this gift, however, because it meant more work for them. Who wants to have a huge learning curve on something you use every day?? Their reactions were priceless. Fake joy, all around!

Thankfully, after teaching them how to use the basic functions on their phones, they didn't seem as overwhelmed and even seemed to enjoy them a bit. We'll check back in six months from now and see what they think. ;)

My parents' gift to the girls was a huge dollhouse. I figured since we keep having girls, it'd be a useful thing to have around the house, no matter how big it is. So, my dad set the stage, with the girls already having opened the furniture and dolls, asking them if they think those things would like to have a home of their own. They strongly agreed. You should have just seen the look on their faces when they saw it. All of their little girl dreams coming true. It was so fun to watch.

The next day was my 28th birthday! Nothing special was done, per my request, except going in to town to see my grandma and opening presents and eating cake. Being almost nine months pregnant, I had no desire to have a party or go somewhere to celebrate. Sitting at home with my favorite people was good for me. :)

A few of the gifts to me were a tripod and remote for my camera. We fiddled with it for a while and got a pretty decent family picture. I smell a family tradition starting!

And of course, my sister modeled for me while I played with the settings. So nice of her to make it festive by spelling out JOY for us. She's single, you lucky guys! I can hook you up with her info if you ask nicely. :)

What a marvelous Christmas week!

A busy Saturday to-do, if you will

I've been nesting. The combo of post-Christmas mess and baby coming in less than a month (!) has done wonders on my motivation. Every year after Christmas, well at least since we've had kids, I feel completely overwhelmed with stuff. I get in that wondrous purge mode and get.to.work.

Today, I purged the girls' clothes that we've had in drawers but have never been worn. I replaced broken hangers with new, stronger, more "grown up" hangers in their closets, I cycled out what no longer fits Josie but now fits Audrey (how are they only one size apart? It never fails to amaze me), and cleaned up more of baby girl's room. (It's not yet 11 AM, by the way.)

That nursery is coming together! My mom and dad came up the last few days to help out and hang out with the girls a bit more while they are on Christmas break. We hammered out a changing table cover with matching sheets and two more crib sheets as well. I solidified fabric for the crib skirt (which I've never had before... I'm hoping it's everything I've ever dreamed it would be, wink wink), and what would go in the frames on the wall. The whole room generally feels about 90% done and what is left is not that important. It's such a relief! I do plan on posting pictures once we fill in that last 10%. Most of it is in transition mode, so I promise it will be before baby girl is two. I want that room done and not hanging over our heads when life suddenly gets busier.

So, today we work on taking down Christmas decorations, moving toys around to new homes and more efficient storage solutions, and finding homes for a few new things that we love but can't have sitting out all the time (I'm looking at you, giant dollhouse).

What are you all up to?

Christmas week: Part one

Just like that, Christmas season is done! I can't say that I'm too disappointed, because guess what is next?... baby time. There isn't anything else to look forward to but the arrival of a baby girl that we have been eagerly waiting on for months. 

But since that is still a few weeks away, let's recap Christmas.

On Sunday, we celebrated our Goddaughter's first birthday. The girls were totally into every aspect of the party, the food, the other kids, the balloons, and the gift opening. This was the only picture I got, but it represents the day quite well. 

On Monday, three days before Christmas, our family joined up with our dear friends, the Buske's, to go to the old Catholic church downtown for their first annual Caroling Night. It ended up being fairly formal (sitting the whole time in the big cathedral, not many other kids, very very quiet when the music was not playing) and the girls were quite hyped up since it was later in the evening and I had mistakenly made this a huge-fun-high-expectations event. The first half was mostly just us in distract-the-kids mode, but thankfully, they settled in and we ended up enjoying it despite things working against us. Josie even sang along on the few songs she knew. 

Afterwards, they served cookies and hot cider. They decorated the tables by coloring Christmas pictures on huge white sheets (adorable) and with laying a few Christmas ornaments around. The only pictures we got were of them holding up their favorites. Audrey found "Joy" which is her middle name, and Josie found a dove, because she likes birds. (Well, she was pretty goofy here, so who knows why she picked it.)

The next day, we headed off to the family farm on Mike's side. We got there before everyone else, so I had the girls make a birthday cake for Jesus. Josie did most of the stirring (seriously, I just finished up the edges and the big chunks) while Audrey waited patiently for her chance to lick the batter. That's about all we could expect from her, the two year old. And yes, Josie picked a red velvet cake with purple frosting. Only the best for Jesus!

More of the family showed up the next day, Christmas Eve, so the kids played, checked cows, napped, and then got all dressed up for church at night. They dress up nicely, if I do say so myself.

After church, the rest of the family arrived (the cousins, aka the other kids, so the girls were thrilled) so we ate appetizers (a tradition on Christmas Eve), opened gifts, and stayed up way too late. The girls did awesome even with a lack of sleep. 

On Christmas morning, the girls got up at a decent time, since they aren't really into Santa and stockings, so we headed upstairs to watch them open their stockings. Each girl got a book, some candy, and a handful of finger puppets. Keeping it simple around here. :)

The rest of the day consisted of the kids playing with their gifts (all while wearing their new Elsa and Anna dresses of course) and enjoying each other's company. Mike's grandparents came over for dinner, and then it was time to hit the road back home! Our plan was to drive starting at bedtime, but of course they didn't fall asleep until we were only an hour from home. I'm so thankful with how well the girls can adjust when their sleep schedules are off. It wasn't always the case.

One Christmas celebration down, one to go.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Deyle's! 

We are busy celebrating with family but just thought we should share our Christmas card with you all. We hope and pray that your Christmas is peace-filled and enjoyable and that we all can focus on the true reason we celebrate. 

Happy birthday, Jesus!

34 weeks with Baby #3

How far along: 34 weeks

How big is baby: 17.2-18.7 inches and 4.2-5.8 lbs, about the size of a butternut squash

Weight gain/loss: Not sure, although I do think I've reached 40+ lbs. Not ideal but also not that crazy compared to the previous two.

Maternity clothes: All the time, and running out of options. I'm in the homestretch of wearing the same seven shirts over and over. Boring.

Stretch marks: No new ones, thankfully.

Sleep: Sleep has been so sporadic. I have the hardest time getting comfortable, and then once I do get positioned just right I have to go to the bathroom. Now, even with a pillow between my legs and another one propping up my back or belly, I am still feeling hip pain in the mornings. I think I'll just have to wait this out til baby girl is here because there doesn't seem to be a good solution that lasts throughout the night. Some nights I can get comfortable enough to sleep for most of the night (minus the bathroom break or two) and some nights I toss and turn all night and really feel it the next day. Naps are almost nonexistent. I would say I sleep for maybe 10 minutes during the week if I do lay down. The weekend, however? Whew! I napped for over an hour both Saturday and Sunday. It was glorious.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: Love water, citrus fruits, and the Christmas cookies that are everywhere. My appetite has greatly reduced. No more snacking at night, just never feel good at that point. Minimal snacks throughout the day unless I start to get light headed. Yep, that's back. If I'm not eating often enough I get shaky and light headed. I try to avoid it, obviously, but with a lack of appetite I just kind of forget about it. Thankfully, we're home most days so if I do get like that, I can grab something small to eat and a big glass of water and sit down til it goes away. It's just more annoying than anything else.

Exercise: Nothing planned out, just daily life. I'm happy with that at this point. I have no problems with walking around a bunch for shopping outings (which seem to happen so frequently this time of year - hello Christmas shopping).

Gender: sweet baby girl!

Movement: I don't remember this as much with the other two, but her movements are actually pretty painful some of the time. My guess is that she stretches out as much as possible even if there isn't much room. If she's transverse, then her movements would hit me right on both sides instead of ribs and bladder. There is no cushion there so it really hurts. I also have a feeling that she moved a bit more towards being head down in the last couple of days. One day, she rolled or really wiggled and I jumped (yes, I really did) out of my seat just to make room for it. Once she moved, there was a little bit of a release of pressure towards my rib area, which is why I figure she moved down just a teeny bit. It isn't enough to be noticeable from the outside, but since then I haven't been as nauseous and I feel like I can breathe again.

So other than that, movement is all the time and I love it! Hubby has got to feel quite often, and the girls will "feel" her kick but don't have the patience to actually wait to feel anything.

The belly: This week's picture comparisons make me look like she's a little lower, but I think that's just the angle. If she is transverse, then that would make sense why my belly is less pointy looking than it was with Audrey. Obviously I'm bigger than with my first pregnancy (Josie).

What I'm loving: I had a realization recently that next year's Christmas season will include a 10 month old. That first year goes so fast. She could be walking already by then! Isn't that insane?

Another thing that hit us pretty hard this week was when I mentioned to hubby that if we hadn't adjusted our due date, we'd be sitting at 36 weeks right now. That really made this upcoming labor and delivery a reality!

Other than that, the girls and I talk about this baby all the time. They are calling her by name and both seem to really understand that she's coming soon. It helps that the nursery is getting all set up for her. I've stressed that this is her room, not theirs, so they aren't allowed to play in there or be in there without mom or dad. That rule won't last forever, but for now it's good to keep it clear for them that it isn't theirs. It's harder for Audrey because she naps in there, but overall she follows Josie around anyways. If Josie listens, so does Audrey.

What I miss: I mostly just miss regular movement! Getting up off the couch without practically grunting, not being short of breath, having minimal pressure on the bladder. I feel pretty good most of the time, though, so I'm not complaining. It's only a matter of time.

Symptoms: See above! No heartburn although I wouldn't be surprised if she has hair. I never had heartburn with the other girls and each of them had a full head of dark brown hair at birth. My fingers have swollen up on occasion but it isn't uncomfortable or even that often.

The nursery: Progress has been made! Hubby painted the walls a light gray. We got the valence built and done, the furniture in the right spots, and baskets purchased to put in the changing table. They are remarkably perfect for it and add a bit more class to the room instead of screaming "child's room" like the girls' room looked like when it was a nursery. The three frames above the crib are hung but I haven't decided what to put in them yet. I have fabric for a changing table mat cover and sheets. I will also be making a crib skirt although I haven't found the perfect fabric for that yet. Overall, the room is close to done! I still need to solidify what I want to do on the last open wall, but I have a few ideas bouncing around. Finishing touches are fun, so there is no stress at all.

Now, the other stuff, car seat, bassinet, baby swing, etc are not ready. But I know that won't take long so I'm not stressing out about that either. Oh! And all of the newborn and 0-3 month clothes are washed and put away in the drawers. I feel quite on top of it because of that.

What's different/the same this time: I think I'm about the same amount prepared. I think about this baby more than with Audrey since I have more time (the girls entertain themselves more so I'm not just chasing them around all the time).

Best moment of the week:  By far, the best moment was all of us in the nursery, me in the rocker, just taking it all in. Josie decided to cover up the baby with her blanket (my belly, therefore, was covered in her little doll blanket). She then "rubbed the baby to sleep" and even sang to her a little bit. A couple of minutes later, Audrey wanted to sit with me, so I pulled her up and she snuggled in, hugging the belly with her head laying on top and arms around as much of it as she could reach. She still makes a point to say "Hi baby, my name Audrey" every time she remembers. It's just the sweetest. 

Last appointment details: My weight gain was higher than my midwife expected, although not higher than I expected. I think she was looking for signs of preeclampsia, but my swelling is very minimal and blood pressure was actually lower than it usually is. That's good to see! She had me measuring just under 32 weeks at that 32 week appointment, so we laughed about how my babies hide themselves in there more than most. Audrey always measured behind but was a healthy 8 lb 6 oz, so we aren't concerned. Thankfully, she remembers that and even expects it this time instead of getting concerned.

Next appointment: 35 weeks, so next week, and then another one right away after that for 36 weeks. Christmas week really screwed it up so now it'll basically be weekly.

And the bump! Feeling large but I can tell that I will be getting larger. Just the general shape of the belly and the way clothes are fitting, I'm not disillusioned. I know that I will keep growing!

Baby #3 at 34 weeks, Audrey at 35 weeks, and Josie at 35 weeks

Little stories all thrown together

There is a batch of sugar cookie dough in the fridge cooling so that the girls and I can make cut outs, bake them, and get them all prettied up today  just for fun. I think if it's broken up into mini projects (cut out and bake before nap, icing after naps, eating after supper wink wink) then it won't feel overwhelming and will instead just be a fun memory.

A mama can dream.

All dressed up in their Christmas dresses.

As I cleaned up the kitchen and looked around, I was able to sigh happily because the kitchen is pretty clean. Not like "oh I just cleaned up after making cookie dough" but like "hey I've maintained a general state of cleanliness that is unheard of lately" clean. You know what really sealed the deal? My microwave is still all shiny and clean from wiping it down three separate times this last week. The inside of the microwave that you can't see unless you're using it is what makes me happy.  Anybody else have weird things like that that make them just feel like all is well?

We won't mention those two baskets of clean laundry waiting to be addressed in the laundry room. Out of sight out of mind...

I'm the first to admit that I'm terrible at Christmas crafts. We've done just one this year, consisting of me printing out a few Christmas-y pictures and having the girls color them in only red and green markers. I did it with them and it was really fun, so I thought, Hey! We should do this more often! Well that clearly didn't happen.

Maybe today we'll make sparkly paper snowflakes. How's that for ambitious?

The girls got their hair trimmed a while ago. They did pretty well. Josie was very serious and a little squirmy, but overall it was a success and her hair looks healthy, nice and even.

The baby is coming in six weeks! I haven't done my 33 week update like I did for the other girls, but instead of stressing out about it I'll just do it at 34 weeks. No big deal right? Hey, that is a big deal for me. I'm quite Type A about random things and that happens to be one of them. I've done more updates for this baby than I have for the other girls so I'm giving myself a break. I'm so kind to myself. :)

This was actually taken a different week than the Christmas program, but I didn't get a chance to take a picture that day so it is close enough.

I promised a post about our "Santa's Village" adventure, and then proceeded to lose all of my pictures from that day. So here's the story: We had limited time there and decided to skip the craft making section and start with Santa. The whole day, both girls were pumped to see him. We had talked about it positively and they seemed genuinely excited. We waited in the relatively long line and they both still seemed ready and into it. Then, the kid in front of us lost it. He was little and had probably never done it before so he was screaming and flailing and his parents forced him through it instead of removing him right away. No judgement here, I mean, the screaming child pictures are funny, I get it. But the girls were closely watching and that was it. Josie was pushed by me walked up to him but immediately started screaming and backing up. There was no way to get her up there, the more I tried, the more she backed up. Since I was in the thick of it, there weren't pictures taken anyways. Audrey also was screaming and gripping hubby's neck, so we just called it quits (trying not to laugh at our screaming children) and headed over to Mrs. Clause, who was decorating cookies. We had no problem over there! Poor Santa was such a nice guy and just sat there calmly waiting. I'm sure he's seen in it 1000 times before. 

We also checked out the huge train set (for like 20 minutes...it's a hit every year) and the reindeer. They loved all of it and we still called the day a success. I just don't think we'll ever have those happy "sitting on Santa's lap" pictures. I guess I'm fine with that. This is wayyyy more entertaining.

This was Audrey's first real haircut, up on the little chair booster and everything. She rocked it. She held her head so still and it hardly took any time. She looks much less like a rag doll than she did before. :) (No good "after photos" but it really wasn't all that noticeable anyway.)

We also had the girls' first Christmas program at church. Mad props to the moms that took that on; I don't think I could have handled it. They had two and three year olds in it, which was quite risky since they just don't get it. Both girls just kind of hung out up there on the stage. They were supposed to hold up a letter at the appropriate time. Audrey completely missed her turn and Josie held hers up from her turn until they were escorted off the stage, so basically through 10 more letters besides her own. She was so proud to be holding it up. I hope the other moms didn't mind her blocking their views of their kids while she held it up... because we thought it was adorable. Not biased at all.

No great pictures, but you can see how adorable they looked on stage!

Well, Audrey is holding up her "C" even though it probably wasn't at the right time and only lasted for a few seconds!

Audrey is holding the letter "C" and I believe she had juuuust spotted Daddy at this point. She gave both Mommy and Daddy shout outs through out her time up there. 

Audrey is standing right next to the letter "A" ... totally over stimulated by what is happening around her. She's a "watcher" more than a "doer"

Josie, holding up her "D" way longer than necessary

In the next couple of days, we are going to pick out our yearly ornaments, go to a one year old's birthday party (why are these so fun??), go to a caroling event (I hope it works to go... it sounds almost magical), and then hit the road for all of the Christmas festivities. I just love this season.

What are you doing for Christmas?

She's a dancer

She did it! After an entire semester of her avoiding dance while still going to dance class, she got on stage and did her very best. To say we are proud of her would be an understatement for sure.

Josie's always liked the idea of dance. She loves tutu's, she loves to listen to classical music (ballet music as she calls it), she loves to look at pictures of "princess ballerinas," and she really likes to watch others dance. You'd think all of that together would lead to her loving dance class, but it just didn't click. 

Each week, I'd basically drag her to class, tell her we're committed until the end of the recital, and wait in the waiting area hoping she wouldn't come out crying. She only ever came out once, the week her dance teacher was gone and there was someone she didn't know, but she never fully participated and definitely didn't seem to enjoy it.

When I say she didn't participate, I mean she would run around, turn the lights on and off much to the dismay of the teacher, sit on the side, watch the other kids, or put her tap shoes on (with the other kids, at the right time) and stomp around. Most of it is partly because she is just young. She doesn't understand a classroom setting like that, and didn't seem to find any reason to follow along. She's strong willed, that one. 

But another part of me didn't think it was all age related. She didn't enjoy it, plain and simple. I also realized that it would be hard to get her to dance once we had the baby, so I decided that we would be done after the recital. I just wanted her to get through the recital.

this face...

She loved wearing make up (much to her daddy's horror), and I'm pretty sure she was all about the lipstick, hence this face:

Watching the other kids, absolutely enthralled with their performances:

The night before the recital, I spent some time with her rehearsing her dance (I had a video of the other kids dancing to their recital song earlier in the year) and then left her to watch the video 20+ times since that's what she really wanted to do.

I am not sure if she just knew the dance from watching all year, or from watching the night before, but she got on the stage at the dress rehearsal and did her best, watching "Anna" (one of the older girls who was dressed as Anna and led them through their routine) and the other kids around her. There didn't seem to be any  fear of being in front of so many people, bright lights, and a huge stage. Who is this child??

I cried, you guys. I cried. She was so happy to be performing on stage and gave it her all. The performance also went well, although she didn't quite dance as much as she did during the recital. The best part of all was right at the end, while they were all holding hands and walking out. Josie was the last one (I held my breath as the girl next to reached for her hand... but she didn't object) and as everyone clapped, she turned, smiled, and gave a little wave. The star of the show, everyone. 

But in all seriousness, I was and am proud of her for overcoming her dislike or fear of the class itself and for going in the classroom every week even when she didn't want to. All of these little obstacles in life build character and it's fun to see her developing into such an awesome little person. I can't wait to see who she becomes (with all of that strong-willed, stage loving personality).

She found the dress up photo both area and as always, it was a crowd pleaser, at least for this little lady.