And This Is Why People Keep Asking Me If I'm Having Twins

Right now, I am 21 weeks, 3 days pregnant. I know, I look like I am ready to deliver. The funny thing is, I have only gained 8 pounds so far!

I am not big on documenting every month with pictures....in fact, I hate having my picture taken in general.  But, since I know this will be my last baby (I am having my tubes tied so no more oops happen!) I figured I may as well embrace the belly.

I also had my hair cut on Friday. It was the first time I have ever gone somewhere and had a professional do it, and even though it is shorter than I normally wear it, I really like it.

My Family

This picture was taken at my baby shower. My mom is sitting on the couch, her five kids (including me!) are standing behind the couch, and she is surrounded by 15 of her 20 grandchildren.  Three were missing and two are still cooking! Lol! It has been a very long time since us five kids have been together, and I am so blessed that they celebrated my little Harper with me.

It's A Girl ~ Little Miss Harper

I found out a few weeks ago that I am having a baby girl.  The genetics counselor called with the results of the tests I had done, and after telling me everything came back normal - YAY - she asked if I wanted to know the baby's sex. Of course I did, and I was thrilled when she said I was having a little girl.  It was no secret that I wanted another daughter.

This past weekend, my sisters came down from up north for a visit, and to my surprise, they threw me a baby shower! I had no idea! Check out all the goodies I got:

 The baby bathtub in the front is full of clothes, blankets, towels, and other baby things. I love the car seat and stroller....they definitely say girl.  I love everything, and I'm sure Harper will too.

 My sister made this elephant diaper cake. I can't even begin to tell you how adorable it is!

And of course, my mom made the cupcakes! Are you guys surprised that my entire shower was done in pink elephants? Lol! I have the best family ever!

Doctors, Doctors, And More Doctors!

I have had a few doctor's appointments over the last two weeks.  The first was a visit to my regular ob, who I adore! This doctor delivered all three of my other kids, and I am thrilled that she is going to deliver this one, too  This visit got a little scary when two nurses, and then the doctor, couldn't find the baby's heartbeat. My doctor finally brought in the portable ultrasound, and there was my little booger, doing flips! Apparently she didn't want to be still enough for them to hear her heartbeat with the doppler! I also had to do my sugar test at that visit, and I failed miserably. I wasn't surprised, though, since I had gestational diabetes while pregnant with Kasi.

My second doctor's visit was with a genetics counselor. Thankfully, my mom accompanied me to this visit, because I wasn't sure which, if any, tests I wanted done on the baby. After listening to the counselor talk and weighing my odds, which are higher due to my age, I decided to have the chromosome test done. It was a simple test, they just took my blood.  I am not sure I understand exactly what they do, but they can separate my blood from the baby's, and then test her blood for down's syndrome, and the other two chromosome abnormalities.I have to wait about ten days for those results, but I am not really worried.  The results will not change the way I feel about this baby, but knowing will help me prepare for life with her.

My third appointment was with a dietitian to discuss how to control my blood sugar.  I learned a lot, and so far, I am doing really well keeping my numbers where they should be.  It's going to be a long six months without chocolate, but my little booger is worth it.

It was at my appointment with the genetics counselor that they did an in depth ultrasound, measuring the fold of skin on the back of the bay's neck.  I don't remember which birth defect that detects, but my little booger doesn't have it.  I love being able to see her! She is always so active. At one point, it looked like she was sucking her little thumb. This was my fourth time seeing her, and I can not wait until March when they tell me for sure that she is a little girl.  Or that she is a boy, in which case I have a lot of apologizing to do to my belly! lol!

An Easy Decision

In the beginning of November, I found out I was pregnant.  To say it was a surprise would be an understatement.  I had no intentions of ever having another child.  My family was complete.  My oldest had just turned 17, gotten his driver's license, and a job.  My girls are self sufficient as well.  I love being able to sleep in on my days off.  I laughed a few years ago when my sister had her 4th child at 38.  Now here I am, about to turn 41, and having another baby.

The decision to have this child once I found out I was pregnant was easy.  I don't believe in abortion, though I do believe that each woman has the right to make that decision for herself. (does that make sense?) Unfortunately, this baby's father wanted nothing more than for me to have an abortion.  When I refused, he made it his mission to change my mind, by whatever means possible.  Saying he has made the past two months unbearably difficult would also be an understatement.  Now that I am 12 weeks, he knows he has lost this battle.

I know doing this on my own is going to be hard. Extremely hard. I am already worrying about what I am going to do with her once I go back to work.  Oh, I should probably clarify that I do not know the sex (YET!) but I call her a girl.  My kids are excited about their new half-sibling, and are already offering to help as much as they can, though Brandi refuses to change dirty diapers.  I really can't blame her for that.  I am not looking forward to dirty diapers either.

I am looking forward to meeting this new little creation of mine.  I am looking forward to all the firsts. Looking in her eyes for the first time.  The first time she smiles.  The first time rolls over, sits up on her own, crawls, those first unsteady steps. The first time she calls me Mama.  I wonder who she will grow up to be.  I know God blessed me with this child for a reason.  I may have made a mistake in making her, but God didn't make a mistake when he let her be created.

40 And Pregnant....This Is Going To Be Interesting!

About a month ago, I peed on a stick.  I was a couple of weeks late, but convinced that it was just stress.  Oh, how wrong I was! When I saw that first little line, my heart skipped a beat.  I grabbed the test, ran downstairs to my neighbor's house, and begged my friend to tell me I was not seeing two lines.  I spent a couple of weeks in denial, then after a trip to the emergency room for some bleeding, I couldn't deny it anymore.  I saw my sweet little baby on the ultrasound screen. The heartbeat was weak, and I was told to prepare myself for a miscarriage.  A week and a half later, a trip to my ob showed my little munchkin's heart was beating perfectly, which means barring any future complications, I should deliver sometime in the middle of July. Check out the first picture of my little munchkin:

Holiday Cookies

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Truvia® Natural Sweetener for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Every year, I get together with my mom and my sister to bake Christmas cookies.  We usually pick a Saturday in December and bake all day long, and then split the cookies.  It is a lot of fun, but every year, we tend to make the same cookies.  This year, I am still trying to lose the rest of this weight, so I want to find new recipes that have fewer calories, but still taste yummy.  I found this recipe, and I am excited to try it out.

 Ingredients:

1 ⅛ cups flour

¹⁄₂ tsp salt
¹⁄₂ tsp baking soda
¹⁄₂ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
¹⁄₄ cup + 2 Tbsp Truvia^® Baking Blend
¹⁄₂ tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1 cup (6 oz.) chocolate chips

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 375° F.
2.Combine flour, salt and baking soda in a small bowl. 
3.Beat butter, Truvia^® Baking Blend and vanilla (and optional molasses) in a separate large mixing bowl. Mix in egg. 
4.Gradually stir in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.
5.Drop rounded tablespoons on cookie sheets and press down to slightly flatten.
6.Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned.

Don't they sound and look good?  I am interested to see how they turn out using the Truvia® Baking Blend.  It is supposed to have the same texture in recipes as sugar, but with 75% fewer calories and twice the sweetness. Truvia® comes in a 1.5 pound closeable bag with an easy to use pour spout, which is enough to make many yummy desserts. I am going to try using Truvia® in some of my favorite cookie recipes this year, but I could use some new recipes.  Feel free to share your favorite recipe with me, and I'll let you know if I use it.  Just remember, I love anything with chocolate and/or peanut butter. And you can Visit the Truvia® website for more tips and information on Truvia® Baking Blend.

Oh, How We Have Changed

Kasi and I, on Thanksgiving. 

Kasi and I, a few years ago at Christmas.

I am so thankful that I am a whole lot healthier these days.  Thin, no, but definitely not as fat as I used to be.  I am still a work in progress, but I will get there!

Have You Tried Deal Dash?

Have you heard about DealDash? It's one of those auction sites that are becoming popular.  On Deal Dash, you can bid on great products, and if you are lucky, you can score some good stuff for pretty cheap.  I have never used a site like DealDash before, but I am interested to hear from any of you that have.  Is it easy to use, and did you even win an auction? Let me know about your experiences, so I can decide if it is something I might try for myself.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today was a wonderful day! We went to my sister's house, where we ate with her family, my brother and his family, and my mom and her boyfriend.  There was turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, veggies, dressing, and my favorite, macaroni and cheese.  The weather was beautiful. The kids spent most of the day outside, enjoying the warmer than usual weather for late November. They were riding bikes and playing hide and seek.  For the most part, they all had fun.

I remember playing outside when I was little.  My mom used to tell us to go outside and play, and not to come back inside until she called for us.  We would spend the day playing all kinds of games, like Red Rover and Freeze Tag.  The boys liked to play war, and I remember my sister and I drawing "houses" in the dirt, complete with furniture and appliances.  We used our imagination, instead of relying on arcade games and the internet to keep us entertained.

We used to ride our bikes all over the neighborhood.  There was this one time I got so mad at my mom that I rode my bike all the way to the end of our street, which I wasn't allowed to do.  I was gone for about half an hour, and on my way back I was sure that I would get into trouble.  The funny thing was, my mom never even noticed that I was gone.  These days, I think parents are a little more concerned with the dangers associated with kids playing outside, and that is why so many kids spend so much time indoors.  I never worried about being hurt or kidnapped, but I do worry about that for my kids.  I guess it is just that times have changed so much.

Hailey

I can not believe my little girl is going to be 11 in a couple of weeks.  In some ways, she acts like she is way older than that.  But in other ways, she is still my little girl.  For instance, she still has this one baby doll named Hailey that she loves.  She doesn't necessarily play with her all that often, but occasionally I will find her holding her, or dressing her, or even pretending to give her a bottle.  I sometimes catch her playing doll games online, too. She has such a natural mother's instinct.  I believe she will be an excellent mother someday.

One of her favorite things to do is scour thrift stores for close for Hailey.  Her baby doll probably has more clothes than I do.  I try every few months to clean out her old toys from her room, and while she has gotten rid of things like Barbie dolls and building blocks, she refuses to get rid of anything related to Hailey.  This doll has a crib, and a playpen, and a stroller, and a car seat.  When she was a little bit younger, she used to take Hailey with her everywhere.  She would push a buggy in the grocery store with Hailey strapped into it.  These days she doesn't like to take Hailey in public, but she will occasionally ride in the car with us.

I know that someday she will be ready to get rid of Hailey.  But for now, I will let her continue to mother her.  I mean, why force her to grow up? It will happen on it's own whether I like it or not, just like it did with Ryan and Kasi.

Sandy

I have two sisters who live up north.  On lives in New Jersey and one lives in New York.  They were both, in different ways, affected by Hurricane Sandy. My older sister in New York lives on Long Island, and though she never lost power, she has been without her phone for a while now.  My younger sister in New Jersey did lose her power, and a tree fell into her house.  Thankfully, her, her husband, and their three small children were all safe and came out of the storm more inconvenienced than anything else.

In this day and age, having no power means more than not having lights and heat.  For my kids, being without the television and internet would be the end of the world.  I mean, what else is there to do if they can't play their online bubble games all day long?

I remember when I was little and Hurricane Gloria hit Long Island, where I lived.  My parents and us kids (all five of us!) spent the day in the basement, amusing ourselves with board games and Barbie dolls. Back then, we didn't have iPads and laptops to amuse us, which probably made it a little easier on our parents.  I can't even imagine having to deal with my kids if they couldn't have access to Facebook.

I also remember when the storm was over, how exciting it was to go outside and see the fallen trees and debris everywhere.  I think that if I were to have lived through that an adult, with children of my own, I would have been more worried than excited, which I am sure is how my sisters were feeling.

And probably still are.

Online Games For Kids

My kids spend a lot of time online.  Most of the time they are playing games.  I think they get their love of games from me, because, well, I love playing games.  I grew up with three sisters and a brother, and we were always playing board games.  I am sure if there were computers back then, we would have played online as well.

I think my kids are missing out on some of the things I loved as a kid, simply because we are living in a different time.  I used to be told to go play outside almost everyday.  My sister and I would hop on our bikes and ride all around the neighborhood.  These days, I don't like Brandi to go further than the sidewalk in front of our apartment.  I remember one time when I was little, I was riding my bike on our street by myself, and some guy in a car started following me.  He eventually asked if I wanted a ride, and I rode back home as fast as I could.  Scared me to death.  These days, I don't think people offer kids rides.  They just snatch them up.     I see so many stories on the news about missing kids.  Or kids who are hit by cars.  There are so many dangers out there!

So I am not opposed to Brandi spending time inside, playing music games online, where I know she is safe.  I know I can not protect her from everything, but as a mom, I will try my hardest!  Some day I will have to let her spread her wings and fly, but I am not ready just yet.  And I don't think she is ready, either.

I Need Money!

I am so tired of seeing posts on Facebook about how fast Christmas is approaching this year.  I am completely stressed out about it!  I have very little money to get my kids gifts, which means that, once again, I will not be getting anything for anyone else.  This fact breaks my heart, because I love giving gifts on Christmas.  I will probably end up making a bunch of cookie tubs to give out.

My lack of money has a bright side, though.  I will not have to spend time trying to figure out what to get people.  Some people are easy to buy for.  Take myself, for instance.  Buy me an elephant and I am one happy girl.  I don't need Tibetan Singing Bowls or scented candles, though I would love those things, too.  My mom is easy to buy for.  Every year I hit up Black Friday sales and buy her some dvd's.  She has quite a collection, and by adding to it, I increase the number of movies I have to pick from when I raid her collection.

What are your go-to gifts for hard to buy for people?

Appliance Repair

I hate the refrigerator in my apartment.  It is tiny, and has wire shelves, which make everything fall over.  In my old life (aka when I was with my ex) I had a beautiful, black refrigerator.  It had glass shelves and several drawers.  The best part was that the drawers were not only on the bottom of the refrigerator, they were on the high shelves, too.  The doors were deep enough to hold a gallon of milk, which was also nice.  Unfortunately, when I had to move, I couldn't take my appliances with me, so I am stuck with the one that was already in the apartment.

I wish I could call out someone who specializes in Appliance Repair to fix the biggest problem, which is temperature control.  If I keep something in the back of the fridge, it freezes.  If I turn the temperature up, things still freeze, but my drinks get warm.  I just can't seem to win. A repairman could probably fix the problem in no time, especially one with experience.

I just have to convince my apartment manager to foot the bill.

Ryan Is Working!

After many, many months of looking for a job, my son finally got hired on at Hardee's.  He's been working for a couple of months now, and he loves it.  I love that he is not only learning on to be a productive member of society; he is also learning responsibility.  I have told him from the beginning that it is his responsibility to make sure his uniform is clean every day and that he gets himself to work on time for every shift.

The managers at the store love him, too.  He is such a hard worker.  If they have someone call in sick, Ryan is the one they will call in.  He gets paid every two weeks, and as of today, he has blown every cent he has made.  I am okay with this, because right now, he doesn't have a car.  In February, when I get a new car, I am giving him my Sable.  At that time, he will be responsible for paying for gas and making sure his car insurance is paid every month.

The biggest thing he bought himself is an xbox.  He had wanted one for a while now, but I could never afford it.  He got a good deal on a used one, which unfortunately didn't come with any games.  I am thinking that I can get him some Hedgehog games, or something. Do they even make those for the xbox? I guess I'll have to do a little research first.

I am curious to see what he buys me and his sisters for Christmas now that he is making his own money.  He told me the other day that for my birthday, he is buying all of us circus tickets.  Even though it will be my, ahem, 41st birthday, I am super excited about going to the circus.

I mean, they have elephants there!

Chemistry Was Hard For Me, And It's Hard For Ryan, Too

For my girls, learning comes easily.  Brandi has been in the "smart kids" program since third grade, and she loves the challenge of the things they do.  Kasi is in mostly honor classes, and will be inducted into the Beta Club at the end of November.  Neither daughter studies, yet they both do well on tests.

Ryan, on the other hand, has to work really hard just to get passing grades.  I know part of his problem is being un-medicated for his ADHD (if you remember  he was having heart issues on all of the stimulant medicines, and the non-stimulant medications had no effect on his ADHD, so we took him off of everything last school year).  Right now, he is only taking one "real" class, chemistry, and he did pass the first semester by the skin of his teeth.  He has no problem passing his auto mechanic class or driver's ed.

I am worried about him failing chemistry, and if he does, he will have to quit his job.  My only rules for him working are that he gets up and goes to school every day, even after working a late shift, and that he passes his classes.  I am thinking about looking into online tutoring to maybe help him out a bit.  I know if he could find a way for it to "click" for him, he would do well.  That said, chemistry is the only class I ever came close to failing when I was in high school, because I just didn't "get it".  So I can kind of understand his not getting it either.  I am hoping that a little extra help will keep his grade up above failing.

Do any of you have any tricks for learning chemistry that I could pass along to him?

Twinkies!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hostess Cakes for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I don't think there is a person in America who doesn't know what a Twinkie is.  And I don't think there is a child (or adult if I am being honest!) in America who doesn't love that golden yumminess with the cream in the middle.  I haven't had a Twinkie myself in years, simply because they were hard to find when I moved to South Carolina all those years ago.  Now that Hostess Cakes can be found in just about every grocery store around here, I can't have them because of my sugar issues.  I do buy them as treats for my kids, and they love them.

I was searching for new ideas for Ryan's Halloween party on Pinterest, and I found these:

How cute are they!  The recipe says to simply cover a Twinkie with vanilla frosting using a ribbon piping tip and then use mini m&m's for the eyes.  I wish I had seen this before the party, because the little kids would have loved them!  I did, however, pin the recipe onto my Halloween party board for next year.  

I am always looking for ideas for cute Halloween food.  This is something I could even let the kids do for themselves, as long I don't mind them making a mess.  Which I don't.  There have been several times in the past when actual food fights have broken out in my house, so a little mess with frosting is no big deal.  

I wonder if I can figure out a way to make Twinkies into ladybugs for Brandi's birthday in December?

DealDash

I have never used an online auction site, but I hear that you can score some really good deals that way.  Deal Dash is one of those sites, and they offer free registration, though you do have to pay for your bids.  You can buy bids for $.60 each, in batches of 60, 100, or more.  They also have Bid Sales where you can get bids for as low as $.15, so check the site often.  

Here are three reasons why you should check out DealDash:

1.) If you’re a first time bidder on DealDash and use all your bids without winning a single auction, DealDash will return all the bids from your first bid pack purchase, for free, to give you a second chance!

2.) Bidding on DealDash is also risk free thanks to the Buy it Now option. If you don’t win the auction, you can buy the item you were bidding on for its regular price and get back all the bids you used in that auction for free. This way you not only get the desired item, you don't lose the bids and can use them again to try and win another auction.

3.) DealDash offers a no questions asked 100% money back guarantee. If you are not satisfied for any reason, DealDash will refund your entire first purchase – no questions asked! 

So if you are looking to get a great deal on great products, check out DealDash!

Old School Video Games

I think my son has outgrown video games.  I didn't think that was possible for teen aged boys!  He used to spend hours playing all kinds of games on his Playstation.  Now, he spends hours texting and messaging people on his computer.  I can only assume that one day, he will rediscover his love of video games, and he will once again be glued to his controller.

I have always loved video games.  I remember when I was little, our local television station had this game you could play live on television simply by calling into the station.  If I remember correctly, the object of the game was to shoot little balls as they crossed the screen.  All you had to do to shoot was to say a certain word, that I can not remember.  The more balls you hit, the better the prize you won.  I wanted so badly to play that game, but I could never get through when it came time to call.  I remember yelling at the television when the kids who was playing would miss the balls.  It seemed so easy.  How could they miss?

Video games were so much different when I was a kid.  The best game was pacman, and I was really good at it.  I could clear the boards easily.  I wonder if I were to play pacman today if I would be just as good? I wonder if I would be good at any of those old video games? I am pretty good at the games my son used to play, but I am not sure that is something I should be bragging about.  I mean, video games are a guy's obsession, right?

Right?