Modern Miracles of Technology

Exhibit A for why I love my new washer:

Before washing:

note the clearly visible black footprint on base of sock

After washing:

ta da!

Any device that can take a disgusting, stinky toddler boy sock and turn it into a respectable member of the clean clothes drawer is a device worthy of admiration.

Place ye bets!

Today marks 36 weeks!  Which means that if I go into labor tomorrow, they wouldn't try to stop it.  So this year's new Pickles model provides some extra betting categories: in addition to the date, you also have a chance to bet on weight AND location of birth!

Here are all the previous stats:

Miriam:
born at 37 weeks, 5 days (on a Tuesday)
weight: 7 lbs. 12 oz.
location: hospital, with 3 hrs. to spare


Katie
born at 39 weeks, 5 days (on a Friday)
weight: 7 lbs. 5 oz.
location: hospital, with 5 hrs. to spare


Joseph
born at 39 weeks exactly (on a Friday)
weight: 7 lbs. 10 oz.
location: hospital, with 4 hrs. to spare


Daniel
born at 40 weeks, 4 days (on a Tuesday)
weight: 10 LBS. 7 OZ.
location: home, total labor 1.5 hrs.


The official due date is either Oct. 27 or 28, depending upon whom you ask, which are a Saturday and Sunday.  Note that all the others were born on either a Tuesday or Friday.  Will this one fit the pattern?  I also checked phases of the moon for the other births, but there were no patterns.

My personal prediction is that the baby will be born either right in the middle of me working on the last Halloween costume, or on Halloween itself.  Actually, I take that back.  This pregnancy has been so unobtrusive in general that I have a feeling the birth will be the same.  (please, God!)  It would be awesome if he were born on the weekend so that the sitter wouldn't have to show up at work the next day bleary-eyed from driving to our house at 2 am.

Speaking of the sitter, we actually have a Battle Plan for this birth.  Since we can't afford the home birth I was hoping for, we need to get to the hospital 30+ minutes away, ideally BEFORE the baby comes out.  As soon as I start feeling restless and more cranky than usual, we'll call the sitter and ask her to come over that evening, Just In Case.  Then at the first pair of contractions that are 5 minutes apart (which usually comes around midnight -- why is that?) we'll jump in the car and call the doctor on the way.  The worst thing that can happen is that the hospital would send me back home for a false alarm.

I will still pack a plastic tub and towels in the car.  You know, just in case. :)

The hardest part about waiting for labor is... well, the waiting.  Not knowing when or where.  A homebirth would have removed all the anxiety of Getting There In Time.  Even so, I do have a lot of peace about this birth.  This pregnancy has been such a blessing already (except for the occasional painful jab right in the liver), that I trust the birth will happen exactly the way it's meant to.  God will never be outdone in generosity -- we said yes to Him when we chose to accept this baby with joy, as much of a surprise as he was, and already He's blessed us in little ways that strengthen our trust in Him.  A father of a large family confided to Mr. Pickles once that it's the "unplanned" children that end up bringing the most joy to a family.  So far that's true for us as well!  I look forward to watching this child grow, and seeing what unique gifts he brings to our family.

And I sincerely hope that he's on the smaller side when he's born -- I've got some darling newborn size outfits that I want him to fit into!

Off to make lists of names....

Big News!

We're pregnant!

Oh, wait, you already knew that.  Although an announcement at 7 1/2 months isn't entirely out of character for this blog, considering my usual timeliness in reporting family happenings.

My latest excuse for not blogging is twofold:
a) we've been spending lots of time in doctor's offices lately.  chiropractor, OB, eye doctor, dentist, pediatrician, pediatric orthopedic (say that five times real fast)... umm, did I forget anyone?  oh yeah, we also need to find a good orthodontist (and by "good" I mean "covered by our insurance") as well as periodontist. And,
b) we started school last week.  That means I had to archive last year's school work, clear out some shelves, order books, and lesson plan.
A secondary bullet point to b) is prep work for the homeschool groups we belong to.  I manage the roster for one group, and the finances and some lesson planning for another.

All that stuff takes time and energy, both of which are in short supply these days.

whew!  homeschooling is hard work!

Plus it's all on top of all the regular stuff I do, like keeping 6 1/2 people (Thumper counts!) fed, clothed, and relatively happy.  I wasn't quite mentally prepared for how much time taking care of a large family requires -- I mean, I knew in theory that it would require more juggling of time.  But I wasn't aware that I would never be able to read one whole sentence without being interrupted, at least while the children were awake.  I don't feel frantic, or even overwhelmed, just... full.  My days are full, my weeks are full, my time is full, my house is full!  I'm sort of wondering what adding another small person to the mix will do.

ANYWAY, the whole point of this post in the first place was to show off how simultaneously cute and more grown up Miriam looks today!

yes, they are hot pink.  not visible in this shot are the little hearts along the sides. please note the jungle print glasses case.

So far only her left eye needs the correction -- so it looks like she's destined to have her mother's wacky vision. I told her to blame Grampa Mike's genes. :)

Oh, and teeth are falling out of Katie's head!

Also, we just replaced our fourth and a half major appliance this summer -- the oven (and hood).  Next up: dishwasher!

So that's the news from Die Gurkehaus!