My photos really don't do it justice

Animal Style

Why eat cereal the ordinary way when you can take your pink bowl to the sofa, feed the cereal to your alligator car, and then fish it out of the alligator's mouth during a sticky car kiss? Sounds reasonable.
#hewearsnothingbutjammies
#whymycarpetissticky

Life is pretty good when you're 2.

Today

Quincy was the first to spy the tiny florets growing on our broccoli plants.
12 happy little broccoli crowns will be harvested by the end of April.
Beautiful.

Because it is Wednesday

I know I probably say this every Wednesday, but I really really love my job. Today was a lot of fun. I don't think I could ever grow tired of having a house full of preschoolers. They say the funniest things, stick to their guns about issues that are important to them, and they love unconditionally. I learn a lot from these kids.

Tuesday Love

I need to upload some pictures from my camera to el blog, but until then, here are a few things I love about today:

1) Sunshine and flowers. I'll probably post about this again when I have photos to show for it. It rained and poured every single day last week, but the sun is shining and the world is green and gorgeous again, this week. Bella Vista is in bloom and it is beautiful. I could sing all day long about how much I love the rainbow of tulips in my flower bed.

2) Garden. Yeyah! We've worked hard over the past 3 weeks and the Willy 2012 Garden is going to be delicious. It brings me pure joy to go outside with the kids and answer their little, "what's that? And what's that?" queries as they point out each of the bright green rows of teeny tiny sprouts they have helped plant. My children know where their food comes from, that growing food takes work and diligence, and that every summer a miracle will happen as their little prayers for our family garden are answered and we are blessed with a bumper crop of goodness to enjoy and share. Growing a garden is a simple therapy that teaches many lessons to our family every year.

3) I had a baby check up yesterday and Baby Willy sounds great! I've gained back the weight I lost during the first trimester and there was no sign of keytones in my urine this visit! This is all wonderful news to us and we are so grateful that the hyperemesis has settled into just regular old morning sickness---which is totally manageable! I still get sick with headaches and puke my guts out at least once every single day, but I am able to cook and clean and drive and play and snuggle and live again. We'll find out in 3 weeks if we are having a boy or a girl!

4) The children start swimming lessons at the fitness center tonight. Classes are 45 minutes long, meet once a week, and will last for the next 10 weeks. Corbin turns 3 right before the last day of class, so the director let me add him in, even though he technically is still 2. We'll see how that goes. I'm a little nervous.

5) LDS General Conference is this weekend on Saturday and Sunday. To watch it, click here on Saturday morning. A couple weeks ago in church, we talked about Noah in the Relief Society lesson. He preached repentance for 120 years to the people and when the time came to board the ark only eight people listened. I've been thinking about that as conference approaches and I wonder if I had been alive in Noah's time if I would have listened to his counsel, or laughed with the masses and called him crazy. I'm grateful that I have examples from the scriptures to learn from and can read about the prophecies of ancient prophets being fulfilled. It is so much easier for me to believe in a prophet than it must have been for those people in Noah's time, who were probably filled with regret when it began to rain. I also think about friends of mine who have been the first or only member of their family to convert to the church and how courageous it must be for many of them to believe things that might not have been supported by their families. It's pretty easy for me to live my religion and I don't take that blessing for granted.

6) Good deals! Katie called to tell me she found cute modest swimsuits for girls at Crazy 8's so I headed down there today. Not only did I luck out with swimwear for my girls, but all of their winter and fall clothes were being clearanced out. This is great for me, since Reese is very picky about clothes and will only knit leggings and cotton shirts with very few exceptions. (karma---I was totally the same child.) I bought several of these exact shirts that she loves for $2 and matching fleece jackets for $4 and the matching hair bows for $1 for her to wear to school in the Fall. Really cute stuff. I got a few outfits for Quincy including sweaters and a dress (with matching bows) for the same prices. How stoked was I when I got to the register and they said everything on sale was an additional 30% off? Oh very excited. I grabbed a few more shirts for the girls to wear this summer including an earth day shirt that Reese is going to have a heart attack over.

7) After shopping we sat in the sun and watched the kids play on the outdoor playground at the mall. Corbin climbed to the top of a "rock" immediately and looked like king of the mountain. I need to remember that my little boy needs to climb and wrestle and have a lot of opportunities to be active. He looked so happy today climbing and sliding and running around with his friends and sister and that makes me happy.

8) I hired a couple of (the best ever) cleaning ladies to come do a deep clean on Monday. I'm looking forward to it, already. Yes, I could scrub my own toilets, and no, my house is not utterly disgusting--it's surprisingly tidy considering what our last 2 months have been like. I'd rather use the hours of energy I have in a day doing fun things like cooking dinner for my family and playing outside in this beautiful weather and making sure the laundry is done (it never ends, does it?) and taking the kids to soccer and swimming lessons. So I hired out and I am not too proud to say it so don't judge. A clean house is very important to us, but scrubbing my shower and mopping the kitchen floor is about all I could do for one day and then I'd need to sit and rest. My kids are more important than a clean floor, so I choose them. But my family still deserves to have a clean floor.

There a saying I see often on the internet that says something like, "Good Moms have messy houses, sticky floors, dirty ovens and happy kids"

That sounds nice, but I don't buy that at all, not for my family anyway. My kids are not happy when our home is messy, and neither am I. We like order. Living in chaos causes contention, frustration, anxiety and serves us poorly. I've let a lot go and sacrificed a lot..and I mean a LOT of things go in order to stay off my feet as much as possible, keep our baby healthy, and survive the past 17 weeks, and Aaron even commented to me last night about how proud he is of me for not killing myself to do things I ordinarily would do. But even he misses our normal routine. Living in a mess does not bless my family. Que Karen and Alma. They are the sweetest women ever and I am already looking forward to having them come bless my home and my family with their love and sparkly magic.

9) My parents are coming! For the children, this is the most anticipated season of the year. They love spending time with grandparents and already have quite the agenda lined up. Dad, get the score pads ready, we have some games to play...

10) I have a new preschool student starting tomorrow. Another small person in my home to teach and adore. My job is the greatest!

11) My friends, family, and visiting teachers call and check in on me every few days. I think that if there is anything that has kept me out of the hospital so far, it is the love and service of people who care about us. Thanks to everyone who has chipped in. I don't think I have ever been as well cared for as I was in February and March.

12) Reese's bus is almost here, which means I am due for one of the greatest run-to-you-with-open-arms-and-a-big-smile bear hugs ever. Probably my favorite part of the day.

Happy Tuesday.

Have a good one.

Overheard

Bryn (Reese's friend): You can't shoot me again, cuz I'm already the dead guy.

Reese: {gasp!} Bryn, we don't play dead at our house.

Bryn: {bewildered} That's crazy, why not? I got shot, so I'm dead now.

Quincy: I'm telling. Mo-ooooooom....

Reese: No, I'm serious. We can't play dead in our house because it freaks my mom out. Just be passed out or hurt really bad or something.

Well, I guess the "we don't play guns in our house" lesson actually stuck with my kids.
If only the "we don't write our name on walls and furniture" lesson had been just as effective...

Update:

The "special surprise" that Reese was doing in my room turned out to be pretty awesome! She and Quincy fell quiet after about 10 minutes, and I assumed they'd fallen asleep on my bed, but they actually made my bed, put all of the stray shoes away, and folded and put away over 3 loads of laundry! Best surprise a mom could ever get!

Great job, girls!

They were rewarded for selfless act of kindness with a spontaneous playdate with Bryn, and now all I hear are constant giggles, counting to 20, and the pounding feet of kids playing hide and seek.

I Hear

Quincy: "If I mix my vanilla yogurt in this chocolate pudding do you think it will be totally disgusting or just kinda gross but still good to eat? I'm going for it, Mom."

Reese: "Mom, since you're having a baby and dad is at work and there is a LOT of laundry on your bed, I am doing a secret special something in your room, so just take a nap and don't peek. And if you need to go pee, you'd better use my bathroom, or knock."

Corbin: "I horsey, Neeeeiiiiggghhhhh!!!!! I horsey! No.....wook! I a piggy, oink oink, rrraaarrrrrrr! I piggy-tiger!"

the dryer humming.

cardinals chirping and nesting in the crepe myrtles.

the kitchen cabinets being opened and closed 100 times by Quincy, our kitchen snacking mouse.

silence from the toilet that isn't "running" anymore because I fixed it (booyah!).

rain pouring out over the sides of our gutters.

squawky Scoutie and Eleanor telling the world there are eggs to collect. (Happy 1st birthday, chickens!)

I thmell thumpting...

You're about to turn the corner and find a big mess in your bathroom:

The red flag:
Me: Corbin, why do you smell like shaving cream? And hey...is that lotion on your shirt? What are you eating?

Aye Un Amigo En Mi

We celebrated the 4th Annual Gringo Fiesta, last night.
Usually, this glorious made up holiday kicks off around the 18th of February, but due to the fact that around the 18th of February I couldn't keep any solid food down, well....a big feast didn't sound so great. And cooking? Hahahahaha! Out of the question.

Rather than cancel, we postponed for a month, and I am so glad we did!

My friends did most of the work this year, which made el party easy cheesy for me and I only threw up once during the party. Viva la Gringo Fiesta!

I love love love this tradition! We always have our "regulars" over, and then mix it up and introduce a few newbies to the goodness of the Willy House Party. Fun fun times.
And now for what you've all been waiting for :

The Menu:

Main Dish: (prepared a la crockpot style by the lazy hostess)
Lime and Chili Shredded Pork (this recipe can easily be halved...and probably even quartered, although I'm not really sure why you would want to make so little...)
4 Pork Tenderloins
2 cans diced (or chopped) green chilies
4 TBS Caldo de Pollo
juice and pulp of 2-3 fresh limes
2 tsp minced garlic
1 jalapeno (Whole. Remove and discard before shredding the meat)

Dump everything into crockpot and let that sucker slow cook on low for 6-7 hours.
1 hour before dinner, remove jalapeno and shred the meat with a knife and fork. It will fall apart very easily.

Carnitas are traditionally served after baking or frying in a pan so they get a little crispy, but these were just right so we left well enough alone.

Serve with Tortillas, Cilantro Lime Rice, and Black Beans
toppings (brought by friends): cheese, sour cream, guac, salsa, and http://meandmyapron.blogspot.com/2011/01/salsa-de-tomatillo.html

Appetizers a la Kasey and Tia:
Kasey's Mango Salsa, green salsa, guac, homemade jalapeno gouda, guacamole deviled eggs, and a lot of chips and olives.

Beverages a la Kasey: Dr. Pepper and Brazillian Lime Punch (recipe coming soon)

Desserts a la Ruthy, Tia, Kasey, and Tanya: key lime bars, lime bundt cake, butterscotch cookies, lime finger jello, and strawberry spring delight, which, thanks to Ruthy's facebook page is the only thing from the evening that I have a photo of!

I totally forgot to take out my camera last night, but basically, we sat outside, we ate, we talked, we ate more, then we talked about how much we ate, we ate dessert, then we packed up the leftovers to eat later. It was a great, casual evening. Big thanks to the Meadows, Glovers, Jefferys, Murrays, and McMurrins for a fun night of friendship and feasting. Thanks for doing all the work, guys!

And let's not forget to express our gratitude for the real reason we celebrate this great holiday:
The END of winter. Wahoooooooo!

We made it, guys.

"It's Leprechaun Day!"

Last week, I gave the kids some craft supplies and they made a pretty impressive leprechaun trap. It had a ladder up the side of a tall box with leprechaun enticing things inside: a bed, a box of "gold", some lucky charms (always good bait) a few pennies, and a rock path that Reese made with glue and string. The idea was that the leprechauns would climb up the ladder on side of the box and jump inside, but not be able to get back out.

I didn't get a photo of it, but Reese used a cut pepper to stamp green shamrocks all over the box. It was pretty cute.

The leprechauns could not be fooled, and left a trail of skittles and leprechaun cookies to show us just how they escaped! Tiny glitter footprints were found on all of the rocks, and it was found hanging over the side of the box. They used it as a ladder! Those sneaky sneaky leprechauns...

They also left us a message in gold glitter on the side of the trap.

Until next year, leprechauns...until next year.

Coming Attractions

So there's this grocery bagger that works at Allens in Bella Vista, named Max.
Probably the nicest human being on earth. He hugs every person that leaves the store and hands out suckers to the kiddies. Great guy.

Last night I went to a Relief Society planning meeting at a friend's house. Having never been to the house in the daylight, I drove right past her driveway. Her neighbor came running from his yard and flagged me down. "Stop! If you're looking for the Binghams, you just passed it. There are a lot of cars in her driveway, so if you need to, feel free to park anywhere on my property. Have a nice day. Tell them Max said, 'hello'."

Whoa. Nice neighbor.
I'm surprised he didn't offer to carry my purse into her house for me. Then I made the connection that Tonya's Max was the Allens' Max.

Question: How do I score a Max for a neighbor instead of the circus tent I have going up on my street?
No, really. I want to know.
The Binghams have a Max, who has literally been voted as the nicest person in Bella Vista and I have a Keith. And a Flattop Mike. And a Crack Charlie with a freaking mini horse in his living room. And a Naked Marge. And remember Cindy? The one who gave me the sequined flapper dress with the fleas in it?
And a Henry.

Speaking of Henry, he was outside when I got home today, so we exchanged our typical friendly hello's and how are you's and I told him that we are going to be listing the house in the next month.

His response was sweet.
"Ooooh, that's bad timing for what I've got going on right now. Do you think it will affect the sale of your house much if I start using my crockpots on the porch? A friend was throwing these out, just because the bottoms are broken off. Can you believe that? They work perfectly fine, too. I'm going to rig em up so they'll still work, but I'd like to do all my cooking outside, in case they tip over, the mess will be outside on the porch."

For those of you who live far away, let me explain one thing: outdoor cooking in Bella Vista = vermin and bugs. You don't leave food outside all day, here. You just don't.

Wow. You know you've lived in Arkie for awhile when you use a word like vermin. When did that one become a regular in my vocabulary? Gross.

Anyway, patio crockpot cuisine coming right up at Cirque du Our Neighbors.
Do I really need another reason to get out of here?

House for sale. Tell your friends. Or enemies. I'm indifferent.
But if you do happen to be friends with a bearded lady, send her my way.
I'm willing to make her a deal she won't be able to refuse.

Waiting, Springing, and Hoping

I had my first 24 hour stretch without throwing up! This is incredible news, to us. Even though it was a short lived break, and on Sunday, the yuckies returned (and returned, and returned) it was a break. Almost 2 full days where I kept all of my food down. Before Friday, I hadn't had gone a full day without throwing up in over 8 weeks.
8. solid. weeks. of vomit.

And even though I've yet to see a repeat of that glorious puke free day, we know it is near, and we have hope.

We are so grateful to my mom for coming out to help.
I think it freaked her out a bit to see that we weren't kidding about how sick I was. Sometimes, people will see me at the grocery store or something and say, "Oh, I'm so glad you're feeling better!" when in actuality, I just threw up in my car, or the produce aisle. (yep). She got to see the Big Brother version of my life and the 24 hour life feed wasn't exactly glorious. The week that Aaron was out of town could have been a disaster without my mom. She was so helpful, and her visit provided me with some much needed rest and hope.

Even though I still have some really icky days, I feel like I've turned a corner. More puke-free days are on the way, I just know it....and pretty soon, there will be more healthy days than sicky days. And until then...well I have one great husband, 3 great kids, a bunch of wonderfully reliable friends, and one very compassionate Savior whom I know I can rely on to give me strength and relief anytime I call on them for help.

Here's to week 15, hope, and the very good people in my life!

I sent my mom back to California, today.
The drive home from the airport was beautiful and inspiring.

3 cheers for this beautiful spring. I am not blind to, nor without gratitude for the gorgeous scenery developing outside every window of my home.
The crocuses are up and the pear trees are popping popcorn all over NWA.

Spring has been lovely.
...But I've lived here long enough to know the full potential beauty of an Arkansas spring.
The redbuds are just baaaaarely starting to show color.
The tulips are up, but not open.
And those majestic dogwoods that will soon be frosting every lot in the village, defining the true arrival of spring, haven't even bloomed, yet.

Every bare tree is a message from God, "Oh, you think that's nice? Well, just wait 'till you see what comes next. You know what comes next, so just be patient, Meg. Be patient and hope. It gets even better."

I'm still working on the patience part, but we are definitely springing with hope in the Willy house.

Jan-Feb in Fast Forward

Here is the speed version of some of the highlights from the past 7ish weeks.

1) Reese and Quincy finally saved up $30 and earned their long-awaited trip to Build a Bear. They were so proud of their accomplishment and told pretty much every person in the store that they raised baby chicks, took care of them, and sold the extra eggs once a week. I love that they paid for the experience with their own money. The girls are eager to feed the hens and gather and wash the eggs every day now that they have a physical reminder that hard work brings great rewards. Here they are in the store, flashing their cash around like gangstas. It was super tacky and totally awesome.

Quincy chose an obnoxious hot pink valentine kitty to stuff and named her Emma.
Reese chose a white puppy with a red heart patch over the eye and named him Pupcake.
Corbin fell in love with every animal in the store and filled an entire basket with treasures.

I had a coupon and we paid for Corbin to make a little brown dog named Puppy.

2) Aaron and I went on a date to see Hairspray at the Rogers Little Theater. The show was great...mostly because of Aaron's coworker. Kalisha is a Planner for Walmart by day, but a highly talented singer, dancer and actress by night! She played Motormouth Maybelle and one of her solos was given a standing ovation in the middle of the show. She is amazing. Aaron and I both love live theater, but it is even more enjoyable when you know a member of the cast. This was our first time to the RLT and we will definitely go back. Great job, Kalisha!

3) Preschool was great and busy as always

4) This one is a highlight for the kids, but was definitely a lowlight for me. We Bunny-Sat for a couple weeks. The children fell in love with having regular access to a furry pet. I learned that bunnies smell absolutely terrible and threw up every time I went into the garage. Our friends picked up their sweet bunny during naptime, so now Corbin is confused and still looks for the bunny cage in the garage every time we go out to the car, and says, "Oh no! The bunny's gone, Mom!" and occasionally searches for her in the yard when we're playing outside. Asia (the bunny) was very spoiled with hay and carrots (and a few Little People) stuffed into her cage during her visit here and the children loved taking care of her.

5) We wore a lot of pajamas and ate a lot of pizza and takeout

6) We discovered Mario Kart, Skeeball and the sushi chop game on the Wii

7) We had our first snow day and the kids spent an entire day putting their little snow bunny suits on, playing in the backyard, then coming in and taking them off, warming up with hot cocoa, then putting thier suits back on again. I loved that it was warm enough for them to actually enjoy the weather and spend a good amount of time playing in the snow without freezing. Usually when it snows here, it is so cold they only last a couple minutes outside. We didn't get a ton of snow, and it melted after one day, but that day was a good one, especially for Reese, who loves snow so much she prayed for it to come before winter ended.

Aaron pulled Corbin all over the yard in this little inflatable sled.

Stuff that ain't fo sissies/I'm spent.

Unless you have acually suffered from Hyperemesis Gravidarum yourself, you truly cannot understand what it is like. You just can't. Wishing for sickness to get better does not translate into ingratitude for this baby, and I would do it all 150 times again, because even though it is hard, it is worth it.  Here is my reality:

Every day, my schedule goes as follows:

4:15 Aaron's alarm goes off. I make a mad dash to the bathroom and throw up. Crawl back into bed. Eat some crackers or a piece of toast.

6:15 Get Reese ready for school, pack her lunch, and send her out the door. Throw up in the driveway or on the lawn while we wait for the bus.

6:45 Eat a bagel and cream cheese and a juice box. Read and then pray that today will be better or at least different than the day before.

7:15-8:15 Sleep

8:15 get dressed, take Quincy to school. Pull over on the way home and throw up somewhere along Lancashire blvd and then throw up again and again for another 1-2 hours when I get home. Lay on couch with a bowl and watch Spirit or Toy Story with Corbin. On the days I don't have to drive anywhere, lie on the sofa and do absolutely nothing and don't start throwing up until I have to sit up and do something.

11am Eat Breakfast #3. Take Zofran. Turn all the lights off because Zofran may help keep food down, but the nausea never goes away, and Zofran causes headaches, light sensitivity, and anxiety attacks.

12:00 pick up Quincy from school. Throw up Zofran. Take another dose.

12:30-3 eat lunch, nap Corbin, set Q up with a quiet activity. Sleep on the sofa for 2 glorious un-nauseated hours. On a really good day, take advantake of this time and go to the store, or take the kids to the sand park. When I feel great, I REALLY feel pretty great and try to make the most of it.

3:00 Reese gets home, homework, snacks, think about what I could eat for dinner.

3:15 Bring on the Zofran headache....

4:30 - 6:30 pm = sick sick sick. Aaron brings home dinner, and swoops in like a knight and feeds the children, gives them much needed attention, and helps get them into bed. Dinner gets eaten and thrown up multiple times.

7pm finally keep another dose of Zofran down. Eat a bagel and cream cheese or something equaly bland and boring.

8-9:30 pm, I usually feel pretty great. This is definitely the best hour of my day and the only time I will get anything accomplished.

10pm-12pm moan and grown on the sofa and run to the kitchen sink every 30-45 minutes. Feel extreme gratitude for Aaron for helping keep life running around here. Sip a bowl of chicken broth, eat 5 crackers, drink some gatorade.

midnight: collapse into bed, somehow exhausted, as if I done anyting other than lay around all day.

This has been our daily routine for the last (count em) 7+ weeks....except I didn't get any Zofran until 3 weeks ago.

Now, throw in a round of RSV, several ear infections and a burst ear drum, strep, pinkeye, midnight kid puke all over the beds, a lice scare at Q's school (luckily, we didn't get it, but that's probably because everything in our house was basically boiled when she got home), excess saliva (so gross), pregnancy incontinence and then of all things, I got a sinus and ear infection this week.
So it hasn't been hard because friends haven't offered to help with playdates...they've totally offered, my friends are awesome. Luck and good health just haven't been on our side long enough to send the children anywhere, this month!

I had to quit teaching my older preschool class because it was just too hard to load up on enough Zofran to stay well for the 2 1/2 hr class for two days in a row. I'm managing the other class fine for now and openly admit that I simply love it too much to give it up entirely.

My mom arrived Wednesday night, and witnessed the horror show that is my puke(/pee my pants) schedule and we couldn't be happier that she is here to help.

I've managed to keep hydrated enough to stay out of the hospital, our baby is healthy and growing, I was well enough to make it to church on Sunday and have a few good outings last week, and for all of that we are grateful beyond words.

This is my 8th pregnancy in 8 years. You would think that each one would get easier, but for me, they don't.

Tonight, all I did was stand up, and I immediately (like, immediately) started throwing up. It was like watching Saturday in reverse.

I don't know why it is so much work for me to have a baby when it is so much easier for other women. I also don't know why those women will see me throwing up in a trash can or a bathroom or a parking lot somewhere and feel compelled to tell me how easy their pregnancies were and how "this never happened to them". Why, ladies, why? Be useful, go get me a paper towel...and some clean underwear...and second (or third) lunch.
And don't ask me, "why did you decide to have more kids if being pregnant makes you so sick?", or tell me that my wishes to feel better mean I am ungrateful for this baby. And don't assume that I have any kind of control at all over how I feel, cuz girl....you don't know my life.

Anyway, obviously want this baby very badly. The effort to have him or her here began a year ago and has involved a terrible miscarriage, a lot of heartache, and a lot of waiting. It only seems fitting that the entire process will be filled with trials and opposition until he or she arrives. We are thrilled and terrified and happy and grateful and already madly in love with who Aaron has decided must be a sassy-pants little red-head daughter to be giving me so much grief already ;)

Seriously, we will be SHOCKED if this baby is a boy. But then, we were already shocked at the first ultrasound when the dr told us there is only one baby in there, because I am bigger than I was at 20 weeks with the last pregnancy, and sick enough for 10 babies.

My mom got here on Wednesday and she has been a life saver. I've already thrown up one less time for every poopy diaper of Corbin's that "Gwamma" has changed ;), and she's held my hair back a lot more than anyone should ever do in their life. We're enjoying each other's company, too, of course, and the hours I felt really good (or was drugged up into believing I felt good) we've gotten out of the house and enjoyed. Aaron will be gone all next week for work. I would seriously be panicking if my mom weren't here to take care of us!

Anyway, that is our life right now. This post is whiny, but I don't really care. I never post how I really truly feel, and maybe if I had written a play by play of my pregnancy over the summer (where I also spent several weeks throwing up, so FYI, it's absolute bull when a dr tells you that being sick is a sign of a healthy baby. just sayin'.) we would have been better prepared and not foolish enough to actually believe that we understood what our "worst case scenario" hypermesis scenario looked like. We had no idea just how bad it could get!

Some days do seem like it is getting better. Corbin was most definitely my easiest pregnancy and I quit throwing up by about 17 or 18 weeks, so we have our fingers crossed that relief is just around the corner.

Thanks, Mom, for still being my "Mom" and giving my husband, children, and girlfriends a much needed break from being my caretakers (I have a whole other post for them coming soon) and for never having anything but positive things to say about another baby joining our family. We are pretty super incredibly happy, too.

And also, thanks for making sacrifices and enduring the not-easiness of pregnancy one last time, 30 years ago, so I could be lucky enough to call you my Mom, today. I am grateful for you, and well...wasn't I totally worth it? ;)