Birthday Fun!

Kelvin was SOOO excited about being in Texas for his birthday!  It seemed the only thing he could talk about for a while.  I guess since it's been 8 years since he's been with his family on his birthday, he was entitled to make this a pretty special one.  He went to work but took a half day and was home about 12:30.  After a little discussion about what to do that afternoon until the party that night, we opted to just go to his parents house early.  We got there about 2 and had a great time relaxing, talking and Lydia LOVED getting to spend the entire afternoon outside (it's finally cool enough to be outside).  We had a great dinner of Hamburgers (poor guy never gets these unless we go out or to someones house, I just don't make a lot of red meat) which he loved and of course his favorite, his mom's cherry cheesecake.  Next came presents and fun with the kiddos.  When we got home, Lydia was so exhausted from such a fun filled day that she went right to sleep and we watched his new movie Thor!  I must say that it was the best super hero movie I've seen.  It was so well done and most of the credit should go to the director.  He knew how to pull it off so that even I liked it. 

Kelvin had a great birthday and got really spoiled.  He was one happy and exhausted little boy at the end of the day!

Lydia started getting excited when she saw that Daddy was so excited.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Birthday Feast!

Not quite sure about the candle blowing thing yet.

20 week pregnancy pic.  It's not at a very good angle so you can't see how big I really am, but it gives you an idea.  I will post another pregnancy pic soon because in the last 2 weeks I have already grown out of some of my clothes.

Yay for gift cards!

And what's a birthday without legos.

Not sure about the face in this picture, but he liked the clothes he got as well.

It's a BOY!!

We are SO excited to announce that our newest child coming in Feb will be a boy.  Kelvin was grinning from ear to ear all throughout the appointment after we found out the gender.  I asked the technician to check twice to make sure I wasn't make believing what I had just heard.  She did, and he is surely a boy!  He was already being a little stinker during the ultrasound though.  After they checked the gender, she went to check his lips and he had his hands covering his face.  She went on and checked a few other things and then came back, but he was still covering his face.  She told him she was sorry she looked at his man parts but he still refused to move.  After some shaking of my belly he moved his hands and she got what she needed.  Then she went to take some pictures to confirm his gender and the little stinker had his hand covering himself!  She finally got an angle to take the picture and his hand is still there.  What a silly little boy!  After the ultrasound we had a regular appointment with the Dr.  (We actually did the ultrasound at the Dr's office, very convenient.)  We found out that he was doing great but there are a couple concerns.

1.  The placenta is low and slightly covering the cervix.  She said that most of the time this will correct itself but we have to do another ultrasound at 28 weeks to make sure that everything is still looking okay and if it hasn't changed at that point then another at 32 weeks.  She said that luckily the placenta, while being low, was facing my back so she shouldn't have to cut through it when they do the c-section.  (If the problem doesn't correct itself, it's means for a mandatory c-section anyway.)

2.  The baby is measuring big....and I mean BIG!  He is already in the 92% and the Dr thinks that he will be as big as his daddy was at birth if not bigger (9lbs 8oz).  Because he is so big, they will check his weight again at the 28 week ultrasound and possibly check it again at 32 weeks.  At first she was really worried when she was telling us this because she looked at me and said "I don't think you can deliver a baby that big."  But then we reminded her we were having a c-section anyway.  She was relieved at the reminder and said that at this point she would be talking me out of having a vaginal birth if I had still wanted to try one.

Everything else with the baby looks really good though and we are very happy about that.  There is another issue with me though.  I told the Dr that I have been getting really fatigued after a small workout.  I will be wiped out for almost 3 days for doing light weights for 30 min.  She said I could just be doing too much for me and that I might just get more tired after working out.  Then I told her that about a week ago I was in bed and woke up to my chest hurting and a sharp pain shooting down my left arm for about 15 sec.  She was not happy about that and told me that that is not normal and I need to see a cardiologist right away.  She even then told me that that extreme fatigue could also be related to the one incident I have had.  If it happens again I have to go straight to the ER so I'm hoping it was a one time thing.  She did tell us that there is a chance that it could just be a bad case of heartburn that got acid up to my heart one night and that is what we are hoping for, but I still have to get checked out anyway.  It scared Kelvin a little with how serious it sounded, but we talked about it and don't feel like it's anything major.  Even if something is wrong and it wasn't heartburn, I think it would be something that we could work through pretty easily.  Yet another reason for the c-section.  I have to say I am very happy about the c-section now.  I was almost rethinking it and wondering if I should try to do this one naturally again, but after all these issues, it wouldn't be safe.  I can't tell you how grateful I am for modern medicine.

Now we get to prepare and get all sorts of cute little baby boy clothes.  I can't wait to hold another little one in my arms and am very excited to actually enjoy my child the first few days of their life.  We are very blessed!

Lydia Loves the Primary Program

Today was our wards primary program and since I am in the primary I was obviously on stage with the other children.  Lydia was throwing a fit so Kelvin had to take her out during the Sacrament.  I brought him all our stuff because I didn't think that they would make it back in for the program and I wouldn't be there to watch it.  Once I got on stage the the program begun and after the first class did their presentation we sang "Scripture Power".  Right after the song I heard a child loudly say "YAY" and start clapping their hands.  I just laughed and looked around for Kelvin and Lydia because I KNEW it was her.  She does that all the time whenever we sing fun songs or when I would take her into primary when we were walking the halls a few months ago before she went into nursery.  She did it with a few of the songs and my heart melted.  She loves music and can't wait to grow up and be like the big kids.

After the program and every dispersed to their own classes Kelvin confirmed that it was indeed Lydia and that everyone around them was just tickled pink from her reaction to the songs and kids.  When I got to the primary room, one of the lady's from the ward got up and told the kids that during the program there was a little girl in back being held by her daddy who payed very close attention when the kids got up and spoke their parts and then after the songs would yell "YAY" and then clap her hands.  She went on to tell them that even though they are small they are still being an example and this little girl's daddy had to hold her pretty tight because she wanted to run up to the stage and join the other kids.  I almost cried at that  point.  I was so proud of both the primary kids and my baby girl.  Granted there were a few times throughout the day that I almost burst into tears.  Call it hormones or the spirit, either way it can get a little embarrassing tearing up at little things. 

While we do have a very strong willed daughter, I am grateful for every moment we have with her.  Kids these days have to have strong spirits I think to face the world in front of them.  We are so blessed to have her in our lives and also to have another little child joining us.

WOWSERS!!!!

We went to Gregory's parents house last night for dinner and it was brought up that one of the neighborhoods in their area was having a garage sale.  We were all eager to go because there are times you can find amazing things for amazing prices.  People here in this area of Texas don't hold onto their stuff and it is usually gently used.  I have been to garage sales here before and found really good buys.  In fact a week or so after we moved here we went to one and got a beautiful large wood dresser for $35. Other times I have found name brand clothes for $1 a piece!  So needless to say, I was REALLY excited to go this morning.  I got up early and headed over to his parents house in Frisco where we had breakfast and went shopping all while Gregory stayed at home with Lydia.  This made driving and looking around SOOOO much easier than taking her with me. 

While the intent of the shopping was to be for the expectant baby (of which we don't know the gender yet but are betting on a boy), there was NOTHING for baby boys.  Everything seemed to be for girls.  The first place we stopped I found some great little toys for a baby and got those for $1.  Then spotted an easel and thought Lydia would love that to color on for $5.  THEN the ladys husband pulled out a princess vanity that lights up and plays music and has a little keyboard.  I about died!!  My wills were slowly leaving me and I asked how much it was.  "$30" she said, "oh, that's a little too much for me."  "How about $20?"  "Eh," I replied.  "Okay, $10."  "Alright, I'll take it for $10!"  And that was where it all ended.  I quickly told Maritza that Gregory was going to kill me and she laughed and said yes he will.  Well, an hour and a half later, I had bought a car full of stuff and only a small percent was for the new baby.  I had to laugh but there were such crazy deals that I couldn't pass some of them up.  Lisa got some awesome stuff and Kelvin and Maritza also got great stuff.  My total bill......$32.50!  That's right folks look at the pictures below to see how much I got and then you can all tell me how amazing my day garage sale shopping was today spending only $32.50!  Yep, I think I like Texas!

Everything here is being put away for Lydia for Christmas.  She is getting a kitchen I bought off of Craigslist and needed some more dishes for it and has been starting to get into dress up so I got a few things for that.  Total price $3.75.

Some nice books and a magnetic princess dress-up set.  Most of this is getting put away for Christmas too.  Total price $2.75. 

A boppy in great condition, 4 baby toys, a bunch of plastic baby chains and a cloth busy book that has zippers, buckles, etc.  I figured the book would be a great distraction for Lydia during church.  Total price $6.50.

A peg board and one of those toys you see at Dr's offices.  The peg board is great for counting games and such when she is a little older and the other toy (I don't remember the name) is just fun for kids.  Total price $3.50.

The easel.  One side is for dry erase markers and the other is a chalk board.  "Wow," you say "Lydia isn't really old enough to play with chalk or dry erase markers."  Ah!  Never fear!  See the red clip on the top?  That holds paper and will work great for crayons, not to mention the little bins on the bottom that will hold all her crayons as well.  Total cost $5!

The Princess Vanity set.  It lights up and plays all sorts of music and even comes with a little stool.  Total cost $10.

The front even folds down to cover the keys so you can put other things on top like the little items you might be able to see (purple tambourine, pink bell and pink fake perfume bottle) which all came with the set.

The last purchase I made.  Lydia has loved pushing play strollers when we go to other peoples houses and I knew she would love this one.  When I bought the stroller I handed the money to the girls who were watching everything and then the mom came out and asked me if I wanted the other push toy for free.  I told her I didn't want to take anything from her but she just smiled and said, I'll just be glad to get rid of it.  So I got the other toy for free.  Total cost $1!

I came home just before Lydia was supposed to go down for her nap and you can only imagine that she wasn't tired any more after seeing all the new toys.  We let her stay up for an hour while I showed Gregory everything I got and then after a little fight with her she went down.  What was Gregory's reaction when I came home with a car load of stuff you ask?  Why he was quite impressed with everything and very amazed that I did as well as I did.  I must say I am quite proud of myself as well but having him proud of me for my spoils is even better!

And here is a video of Lydia after we set the vanity up.  She is loving it as we suspected.

 

It's the Little Things

We have had such a great last few days.  Nothing in particular has happened, it just been the little things that have made us happy.  Yesterday morning Lydia grabbed her shoes and handed them to me which meant that she wanted to go play outside.  I was fine with this since I had actually gotten up a little early and was completely ready before she woke up.  So we went to a little open space they have right by our building in the complex.  We ran around and she splashed in the little pond they had and then ran to a large potted plant and got her hands filthy and then ran back to the pond to splash some more.  She was having such a good time and squealing with delight that all I did was laugh.  I know that she was getting soaked and filthy, but you know, kids wash off and I can put her clothes in the laundry and she was SO happy that it made my day to see her so care free.  She also practiced going up and down stairs without my help on the sidewalk and did so well.  She is such an independent child that I try to let her do as many things as she can by herself.  I know she appreciates it even though it can try my patience sometimes. 

Later when Kelvin came home from work, Lydia and he played and played.  She was very happy to have him home to climb all over because she had been trying to climb all over me during the day but it wasn't working well.  I don't think she understood that I am not as limber with a large tummy poking out but she tried her darnedest.  She even took a 3 hour nap for me and I was able to get some stuff done.  After her bath, we were playing music in our bedroom and all three of us were just dancing around and having a great time.  We all love music and dancing.  Lydia has been very fond of music since she was born and loves having it on and making her own music in a variety of ways.  She is also a pretty good dancer and loves it when daddy picks her up and swings her around while dancing with her. 

When Lydia went to bed we were listening to some music we didn't have and were thinking about buying when a particular song came on.  It's called "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins.  It basically talks about how we sometimes can't wait for the next stage in life only to look back and realize that we miss the things we had before and wish we would have cherished them a little longer.  I had been looking back at our blog getting pictures from the years we lost when Lydia broke our hard drive earlier that day and realized that the song is really true.  Kelvin and I talked about it for a while and decided to stop hoping some things happen so fast.  Being a parent isn't easy but Lydia will only be this age and way once, not to mention time is ticking when we only have one child in our family.  It was such a great ending to a day where I really felt like we grabbed onto every moment and cherished it.  When we look back, it won't matter that we didn't have fancy things or a nice house.  All we will remember are the memories we made, and that is what we will cherish forever!!!

That's a Whole Lotta Money!!!!

Kelvin and I have been thinking about ways we can cut corners on our budget to help pay off our student loans faster so I have started to look into different things.  I watched an episode of "Extreme Couponing" and decided right away that that wasn't for me.  I mean lets be honest, I didn't want to store hundreds of items in a small space that we won't use within the next 6 months to a year or spend 40 hours a week getting the list together.  Plus I always HATE it when a sale item at the store is gone because someone bought everyone they had in stock.  Then I next looked into little things that we could do ourselves and came across a recipe for Homemade Laundry Soap on a blog.  I was intrigued and so I read all the comments about how it worked for other people.  There were a lot of good responses and a few people even posted that they used it with their baby clothes because it wasn't harsh at all.  Well, after some thought I decided that I just might try such a feat!  After getting the necessary items  Kelvin and I put it all together.  The house smelt WONDERFUL for the rest of the day, so clean and fresh.  It made 2 gallon zip lock bags worth (you should store the soap in an air tight container) and uses 1-2 Tbs per load.  Pretty sure we have plenty of soap for an entire year!!!  Total cost $19.24 INCLUDING tax.  FOR AN ENTIRE YEARS SUPPLY OF LAUNDRY SOAP!

All the ingredients necessary!  

Everything together in a 5 gallon bucket, the grated soap is on top and looks a lot like cheese to me!

 Everything mixed together.  We tried to use the spoon but it really didn't work well.  We ended up taking the garbage bag out and mixing it by rolling the bag around.  That worked a lot better and easier although I would say if you do it that way, make sure to line the bucket with 2 garbage bags so you don't have a mess!

When I used it on my clothes it did wash them well only it was weird because of a few differences.  The first thing I noticed is that it doesn't get many suds if any at all which is something that was strange to me when thinking about washing something and the next was the clothes didn't come out smelling like a "spring breeze"  which I equate to using too many soaps with fragrance!  You could add fragrance if you wanted I guess but the soap smells great on it's own, it just doesn't transfer to the clothes very easily.  All in all we are pleased with our homemade laundry soap and I feel great every time I use it knowing that I only spent $19.24 for an entire year of soap!

If interested in the recipe/blog or other ideas on how to save money making your own things, check out the blog I got my recipe off of.  It even has DIY dish washing detergent. 
beingcreativetokeepmysanity.blogspot.com/2010/11/homemade-laundry-soap.html

Labor Day

Kelvin had the Friday before Labor day off and then the Monday off which made for a great weekend for us.  We had a great lazy day together on Saturday and on Monday we had planned to go swimming and then do lunch with Kelvin's family.  Well, unfortunately it was a little too cold to go swimming.  I know I know...How in the world can that happen in Texas when we've had one of the worst heat waves ever.  It just kind of happened all at once.  One week it was so blasted hot and the next we were all praising the 85-90 degree weather.  It's been great ever since.  So instead of the pool we opted for plan B and went to the park instead.  Lydia had a blast like always.  I let her be a little more independent and do somethings on her own without someone holding her hand the whole time and she just took to that independence like she'd been doing it for years.  In fact one time when Maritza was helping her get up the little stairs to get to the slide Lydia glared at her to let her know that she could do it all by herself.  Ah, kids!

She's usually not a huge fan of swings but she enjoyed being pushed by daddy.

Who doesn't like sidewalk chalk?  It took her a little while to get the hang of it.  Probably because when we color at home I am always telling her to only color on the paper.

So excited to get to go on the BIG slide.

Of course, she loved it.

Trying the other big slide.  She preferred the tube slide over this one.

Daddy would let her go at the top and Papa would catch her at the bottom....

 ..and then hand her right back up to daddy.  She really liked getting to ride the slide again so quickly and not having to take the long way around every time.

At the top ready to slide down.

Found a ball and wouldn't let it go.

Exerting her Independence on the playground.

This is the video where she totally give Maritza the "let me do it myself" look.