Squeak at 24.5 weeks

Almost 25 weeks

Today I had an appointment with my midwife. I love seeing a midwife instead of an OB. My midwife actually practices in a group of OB's at the hospital so I will have a hospital delivery. I had the privilege of attending the home birth of my niece and it was pretty amazing but it is not for me. What I love is that her schedule of appointments allows for her to stay in my room long enough to talk about everything I want to talk about during my appointment. I do not ever feel rushed. She also treats pregnancy as a normal, natural event rather than a disaster waiting to happen. Granted there are occasionally disasters but most women will have a normal birth with no emergencies.

Everything looks good. Squeak is sitting kind of funny with her head up on my left side above my belly button and her bottom towards my back. She said it is why I am not poking out as much as other 24 week moms (though I feel I have grown a lot the last 2 weeks) and it is also why my back hurts. It was hard for her to hear a heartbeat because of how she was positioned, but she was kicking and I had a contraction while she was trying to listen so we know we have an active and healthy baby. The kicks feel really funny right now. It feels like Squeak is trying to escape out my back side. Very weird sensations. It is weird though that in two pregnancies I have never felt a kick above the belly button. My biggest prayer for Squeak right now is that she will not be breech. It is not yet time to be concerned about it but it is hard not to worry. If she is breech than all thoughts of a VBAC are off. There is only one OB in the area (and I heard in the state) that will do a VBAC when the baby is breech. I think that is the point where it becomes too risky for my comfort.

Last appointment I was concerned that I had not gained enough weight. At 19 weeks I had only gained 2 pounds. Well I have caught up a bit. At at 24.5 weeks I now have gained 9. It was at a different office and a different scale but regardless, I caught up. Looking at my journal from Katherine's pregnancy I am doing pretty much the exact same thing. I had gained 7.5 pounds at 21 weeks and 10pounds at 25 weeks. I don't want to continue to gain a pound a week but now that I think about it I guess that would only put me at 25 pounds. My main concern is that Squeak is healthy and gains enough weight. We were all concerned about Katherine being so small and not really growing at the end. I do not stress at all about it except for that 30 seconds that I am on the scale. As anyone who is with me at mealtime can attest, I do nothing to change my diet to try not to gain weight.

Today I also had my glucose test. The special kool aid was not that bad this time. It was very cold and cherry rather than barely cold orange like last time. I pray that it comes back normal. I am not concerned and it is not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things to have Gestational Diabetes but I really don't need another label to put me in a higher risk and therefore more medical intervention category when I plan to have a VBAC.

Adventures in Potty Training

Yes, potty training is an adventure sure. I know it has been a hot topic of my blog lately but as any mother of a potty training toddler can tell you, it becomes quite consuming for awhile.

I am sure that we will have accidents from time to time for years to come (so I have heard), but I am happy to say that I feel like we are in a really good place. We are 2 weeks with no diapers or pull ups at all (even nap and night) and Sunday we had zero accidents during the day and that included 2 hours in the church nursery. Katherine is very good about being honest as to if her underwear is wet or dry and she is good about going into the bathroom when she needs to go. In fact, Saturday Sam walked in on her after she had completed the entire process by herself and she was dumping the contents of her toddler toilet into the big toilet. I do not usually try to get her to do this but she watches me do it and knew it was the next step.

There are a few funny things that Katherine does. One is that even when her underwear is dry, she wants to change them almost every time she goes. She requests Elmo or Zoe or flower. I try my best to convince her to wear the same ones. I kind of wish we had only white underwear now. The other funny thing has occurred because she is getting better at dressing herself. She will sometimes go into her room and take off her pants, go to her drawer, grab another pair and come out in a very random outfit. Today she had her shorts on backwards. She wants to do it "by myself" but she has chosen some very interesting outfits.
Katherine wearing 2 pairs of underwear, leggings, a denim skirt and jeans along with a bib.
A pair of panties on top of her jammies and with her white dress shoes.
The top from her jammies with her sailboat pants.
The top from her jammies with her hot pink tiger pants - worn to school and all day.
Why get fully dressed at all - wearing shorts and having taken off the shirt, just in time to catch some of mommy's smoothie on her chest.


It has been a two weeks of ups and downs since we quit using diapers. I do not claim to be an expert but if any of you who are going to be participating in this adventure have any questions, I am more than willing to share what worked for us, what didn't and what supplies we used. We especially are happy with our "plastic" pants that we use at night, nap and Mother's Day Out.

Catching up

There are a lot of photos from the past few weeks that I have not posted so tonight's post is all about catching up. No potty (training) talk, I promise!

We were all outside and working in the garages. Sam saw a huge grasshopper. Being the science nerds that we are we turned it into a lesson and got Katherine interested in the "hopper".
We got her to touch it hoping that it would jump really high but it was pretty lazy.
She even decided that she wanted to give it a kiss. She is so funny, she is scared of some insects and not others. I think part of it is if it is in the house or outside. I have made sure that I never freak out about bugs because I don't want to have a wimpy little girl.

Madi and Ben came over to celebrate Madi's birthday with cupcakes from Sprinkles (very yummy I might add). The kids decided to go play the piano. They both love music and had quite the fun time playing and singing.


Our playgroup went to the park for a picnic and outdoor fun. Katherine loves to just run. She and Robert were all over the field.

To get them back to where we were eating, Janna convinced Katherine to chase her.

Then when Katherine would catch Janna they would both fall down on the ground. I love my group of mommy friends and the fact that we are all helping to raise one another's kids. These women all love Katherine and I love all of their kids. It is a true community.

Mommy, I'm tall!

When it was time to leave Katherine insisted on carrying my backpack along with her lunch box and cup. You can see that it was a bit too big for her and it took forever to get to the car. She is Miss Independent.

Confessions of a pack rat

I am cleaning out and really trying hard to get rid of stuff. So, for those of you who are local, let me know if you want any of these things. I have some listed on Craig's list but anything not claimed by Sunday night is being donated on Monday.
-several years worth of National Geographic Adventure Traveler Magazine (Great articles and photos, a teacher might use for projects)
-about 5 or 6 years of Martha Stewart Living magazine (Taken)
-Twin comforter set (comforter, dust ruffle, pillow cases)
-Queen sheets (floral and navy)
-tan and white shower curtain
-tan, white, yellow and blue bath mat
-red and denim plaid pillows (Taken)
-George foreman grill
-sandwich maker
-old stand mixer (1950's but works)
-blender
I won't post my email address but if you know me you already have it or you can leave a comment.

Inside Joke

Today we saw a joking side of Katherine that was quite funny. She actually made a comment that was an "inside joke" between the two of us.

Earlier this week we invited Jen and Evie to come over for lunch. Being our second week of staying home more than usually for potty training we wanted some fellowship and entertainment. While I was on the phone with Jen, Katherine said, "hoodan eet Evie". I was shocked and repeated for her "Hooligan eat Evie!" because that is what I thought she said. She said it again and I realized that she was saying "Holding Evie". She is really into holding babies these days and any child smaller than her is considered a baby. I was relieved that she did not want Hooligan to eat Evie but explained that Evie is only a little smaller than her and she would not enjoy being held.

Please don't feed me to the dog Katherine!
I would rather just be fed thank you very much!

Well tonight (4 days later) I was asking Katherine who she played with at MOPS. She said, "Hoodan". I laughed and said, "Hooligan, noooo, not at MOPS" and then realized that she was saying "Holden" a boy in her class. She laughed after I said Hooligan and replied "Hoogan eat Evie" as clear as day and then started laughing hilariously as did I. Sam was a little lost on why all of a sudden his girls were both laughing so hard.

I thought it was so fun that she remembered something that made me laugh several days ago and brought it up again. This is officially Katherine's first joke.

I am jealous of my 2 year old

Why? Because she has curls. Today it was a little humid and they went outside at MDO this afternoon. When I picked her up I was shocked at how curly her hair was. It has gotten a lot longer lately so it is quite pretty.

I have never had a curl in my life. Being in high school in the late 80's and college in the early 90's meant that I was supposed to have a lot of big curls. I would get up every morning to hot roll my hair. I would use all kinds of hair spray and by the time I got to school it was stick straight. I rarely even try anymore. I used hot rollers last week for Easter and Katherine had no clue what they were because she had never seen me use them before.
Sam's hair has a little wave in it when it is long (the swoopy bangs from high school are quite funny in photos). She either got it from him or from my grandmother who had perfect soft curls without doing anything at all. I hope that it stays like this, pretty soft curls.

2 steps forward, 3 steps back

This is a sticker that they put on the kids at church when they are potty training so that the workers remember. This week Katherine has ventured out of the house and has gone to church, Bible study, and Wednesday night church. All of these things were at the most 2 hours so I was not too nervous because I figured at most she would have one accident.

Today was our first day to go to Mothers Day Out in panties so I was a bit nervous. That is 5 hours and includes lunch (and fluids) and a nap. I also knew that the workers really prefer for the kids to be in pull-ups. We are not doing diapers or pull-ups at night or naps or at all. We have training underwear and waterproof covers. I was anxious when I picked up Katherine but as soon as I got there Miss Kristen told me that she acted like she had been potty trained for a long time. She did not have a single accident and went both #1 and #2. I was so proud and so was Katherine she called daddy on the phone and said, "Fafrine peepee on potty, poopoo on potty, no accidents!"

Then we came home and it was a disaster. I have no idea what happened. She had three full blown accidents where she just stood there and watched as pee went down her leg and onto the couch (twice) or the floor of the bathroom (6 inches from her toilet). I was so frustrated but I think I did a good job of remaining positive and loving even though inside I was furious. We are washing our couch cover for the second or third time in less than 2 weeks.

Fun with Katherine

There are so many random pictures and stories of life with Katherine.


One of the results of having an active toddler is lots of "boo-boos". The other day Katherine fell down on our neighbor's sidewalk and she scraped her knees. Really we have been quite fortunate and this is only the second time I can think of that an injury has drawn blood. Scrapes are the worst. They hurt so much worse than they look.

So, what does a mommy do for scraped knees. Well, of course you kiss it to make it better. Then you clean the scrape and put medicine on it. Finish it off with Hello Kitty band-aids and the are all set to get better. Katherine now knows the routine and whenever there is a bump she asks "mommy kiss it, all better now." She loves her band-aids too.
Our morning routine (when the morning goes as planned) is that when Katherine wakes up I go and take her to the potty then she comes to our bed to cuddle. Then daddy gets up and showers. When he is done he takes Katherine to the kitchen to eat while mommy has time to shower. It works well when we get up with the alarm and go along with the plan. Katherine loves her time with daddy in the morning eating breakfast at the "little table".

The other day I won some natural cleaners from a blog contest (my second thing to win). When they arrived they were covered in bubble wrap. I decided to show Katherine the joy of stepping on and popping the bubbles. The poor thing is just so light that she needed my help to pop them.
When we were in Norway our friends who stayed in our house taught our dog a few (good) things. One was to go to the carpet during meals so that she would not be begging for food. Katherine ate earlier than us the other night so she kept going to the carpet as well. If Hooligan got up, she would scold her and try to get her back to the carpet. She loves her puppy dog.

A few weeks ago I went on a scrapbooking retreat and Sam took Katherine to visit his parents. The only picture he got from the weekend was Katherine, eating a cooking and dipping it in pie with Grandad. I guess that was the highlight of the trip but what could be better than cookies and pie with Grandad?

Easter weekend celebrations

We had a great Easter weekend. The weather was great and we were able to spend a lot of time together as a family. On Saturday we went to a neighborhood Easter egg hunt. Katherine and Cale were the youngest by far. They gave them a head start and then some of the big kids actually wanted to just give Katherine eggs. The problem was that they were all filled with chocolate candy which of course she wanted to devour. A little is fine, a lot makes for a crazy toddler.


Katherine especially enjoyed finding all of the eggs around the fountain.

This is Katherine saying her new favorite (and my least favorite) phrase, "I have it!" when JP told them there was an egg they missed.

Cale enjoyed an entire mini Reece's in one bite. He was making some pretty funny faces.

Sunday we went to church. I love seeing all of the kids in their Easter finery. Luckily we did not have any wardrobe struggles as we often do and all pieces matched. We were also lucky that there were no potty training incidents at church in the Easter dress.

Nana and Pops came over after church for Easter basket gifts, an egg hunt and lunch.
A pretty new dress from Grammy and Grandad
Stickers, Color Wonder paper and a bunny

It is pretty easy to be successful at an egg hunt when you are the only one hunting and four adults let you know if you missed an egg.
I felt bad because I did not refill the eggs and she was so disappointed when most of them were empty.

We tried really hard to get some good pictures but Katherine did NOT want to be held and was not cooperating with the picture taking plan.

Easter Story Cookies

Thanks to Erin for this great Easter Activity. Making these cookies illustrates the story of Easter in a fun and creative way for kids. I won't say that Katherine totally grasped the meaning of Easter through this exercise but she was surprisingly attentive both to the cooking and to the reading of scripture. I will include the recipe here but if you want me to email you a cleaned up original copy for future, let me know.

Easter Story Cookies
*to be made the evening before Easter

- 1 cup whole pecans

- 1 tsp vinegar
- 3 egg whites

- pinch of salt
- 1 cup sugar

- zipper baggie
- wooden spoon

- tape
- Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (this is important – don’t wait until you’re halfway done with the recipe!)

Place pecans in baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11
Sprinkle a little salt into each child’s hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27
So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup of sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know Him and belong to Him. Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16
Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 – 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents purity in God’s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isa. 1:18 and John 3:1-3
Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax papered covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid.
Read Matt. 27:57-60

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.
Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed shut. Read Matt. 27:65-66
Go to bed! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus’ followers were sad when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.
On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter, Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matt. 28:1-9
Making these meringue cookies was fun. They tasted like marshmallows before cooking. Ours did not end up as hollow as they should have. Our oven tends to be off so I bet it needed to be hotter. It was still fun and an activity that we plan to do again.