A Reminder to Laugh... And to Mop.

It is not very often that I see something that causes me to actually gasp out loud, but...

The most exciting thing happened in our kitchen today!

And no, it definitely wasn't cooking.

Today is the glorious day known as laundry day. I finally finished all of the baby laundry and sorting yesterday, so I decided to do our grown up laundry today. I was feeling so ambitious, that I decided I'd do a load of towels and other linens too.

I know. Look out.


Important background information:

In our little college apartment, our washer and dryer are across from each other in our kitchen.

We are VERY used to random water sounds in our apartment. It constantly sounds like someone is peeing down our wall or that a pipe upstairs burst and is leaking into our apartment. We're good at ignoring them by now.


Scene.

The last load, of towels and linens, was in the washer. I had just finished organizing a bunch of baby stuff. I decided that it was time for a break. I would put my feet up, listen to Harry Potter, and crochet for a little while.

All of my hopes and dreams of putting my feet up walked out the door the moment I did. I heard the sound of gushing water and looked toward the kitchen to see a fountain of it!! [Good thing I had just emptied my bladdder.]

The output hose on the washer decided to disconnect itself from the drain and shoot straight out towards the dryer and into the basket of my freshly cleaned and dried whites. It was quite an impressive jet of water. How long it had been like that, I don't know -- Long enough to pump quite a bit of yummy water onto the kitchen floor and everything else near it [including my basket of clean dishtowels].

I was so shocked, the only thing I could think to do was run over there and shove the hose back in the drain. So I did, soaking my socks and myself in the process, along with my stack of cook books. It worked to stop the flow though.

I didn't even try to clean it up right away because I was so stunned. I called Logan and laughed for about 5 minutes with him before getting to work on cleaning it up. It was quite a process, made especially exciting with my protruding belly.

I guess it was time to mop the floor anyways...

Moral of the story... There isn't one. But, it just goes to show that things tend to get really exciting right when we think we have it all under control.


And boy, did I find a wonderful excuse to enjoy a big bowl of ice cream with my feet up. ;) [As if I needed one. Hehe]



Also, 34 weeks now. Baby's got developed lungs! "Everything looks good." [I feel like this phrase just doesn't describe my swollen, pregnant body, right now, but it is what we say, isn't it?]

Normal faces and poses are overrated this week.

Baby girl is still extremely active. She kicked the doppler while they were listening to her heartbeat this morning. Apparently it is not ok for anyone to invade my her space. Also, she is head down. Woop!

Everything is swollen and uncomfortable. My fingers have started to feel like they are broken when I wake up each morning because the fluid likes to build up there in my sleep. My doctor informs me that this is probably going to get worse. Yay! [At least he's honest, right?]

The mustard craving is back! Mustard on tuna sandwich. Mustard on fried potatoes. Mustard on everything! MMMMM is for Mustard.

I look significantly pregnant enough now that strangers often ask me "what I'm having." [When I feel particularly spicy, I want to say, "A Human." But, I am good at keeping a nice exterior most of the time. ;)]


Don't be spicy. Don't think that laundry day is always boring and monotonous. And DO eat ice cream. :)

Traditions! Traditions!

Today I realized how into St Patrick's Day I apparently am. My family is pretty much European mutts, but we do have a tiny bit of Irish in us. As such, I have a lot of happy memories and traditions that were beaten [or rather pinched] into my very being.

I noticed this intensity in myself when I changed out of the green basketball shorts I was wearing [just to drive Logan to class, mind you] and HAD to find a bracelet with green on it. Just to drive Logan to class! Old habits die hard. I'm feeling pretty nostalgic, so I'll share some of my memories and our traditions.

The Food:

I have wonderful memories of my mom making green eggs and ham, green pancakes, green milk, green everything for breakfast. [Side note: The green milk always kind of grossed me out. I swear it tasted different. Milk just shouldn't be green, however fun.]

Corned beef and cabbage. And potatoes. Oh my! Corned beef and cabbage. This has to be my favorite tradition. I am depressed this year without it. But, I just couldn't justify making it for just Logan and me and having a bunch of leftovers. I am a strictly once-a-year corned beef eater. Plus, I really don't like cooking these days... Especially meat.

... And let's be honest. The latter excuse is the real driving factor here. But don't worry. I told Logan I am never allowed to be pregnant on St Pattie's Day again... Ha! ;) Today we had "leprechaun's gold" and "four leaf clover trees"... AKA Mac n Cheese and Broccoli. 

The Attire:

My siblings and I would plan out our green outfits in advance--definitely including pajamas the night before--because you couldn't wake up without green on!!! Absurd. You'd be woken by pinching for sure. Our underwear also always included green. Amelia and I used to share a room. If you didn't have green on your underwear, you just might get pinched while you change from pjs to day clothes. Usually we had to paint our nails too, just to be safe.

As we got older, we liked to wear as little green as possible so that maybe, just maybe, someone might be tricked into pinching us so we could pinch them back. I remember my wonderful mom [almost surely intentionally] not wearing green pajamas so we could pinch her in the morning. It always felt so sneaky and satisfying.

The Superstitions:

I don't know about at your house, but leprechauns liked to get into some mischief at the Clark house. The one I remember most was all of the clothes being dumped off of my closet shelves and onto the floor. Those sneaky leprechauns. *Cough* Amelia *Cough*

But better than that.... When I was about 4 or 5, my siblings convinced me that I was adopted. From leprechauns. Yep. You read that right. And they told me that on my next Birthday, the King of the Leprechauns was going to come back and claim me.

I was terrified. They described him quite vividly and told me that if I paid attention, I'd start noticing that I had leprechaun powers beginning to develop. I was soon going to be one of them. I was so afraid of this little bearded man hopping out of a hole and kidnapping me. It was awful.

Other myths included the typical one about the gold at the end of the rainbow, or the one where every time you hear a bell ring a Leprechaun wedding just happened. I also spent some time searching for four-leafed clovers.

I doubt my older siblings remember half of these things. They must have just happened when I was at a critical age or maybe I'm just silly. BUT, with this little baby coming, it has me thinking. I sure hope that our home has as many fun memories and traditions, even for the little holidays. My mom [and siblings] were just so good at that. I hope I can create that magic here too.

And chances are, since I still have to paint one of my fingernails green before I get into the shower on St. Patrick's Day... I'll pass on the crazy.

Just call me Tevye.

From the little bit of Irish inside of me [and the whole lotta leprechaun] I say to you, Erin go Bragh! (Ireland forever!)

A Weekend Back on the Farm

I know the whole farm life thing is on hold for a little bit while Logan finishes school, but we went home for the weekend. A couple of hours sitting in the tractor with Logan while he was discing manure into a field was all it took for more farm facts to surface that I just can't resist sharing.

Fact: Farm life can be a little harsh. Luckily, farmers like to put the best face on unsavory things by giving them friendly names. Examples:

Cheerios - Not only are they a delicious and nutritious breakfast cereal...

The little rings that they put around a male calf's man parts to make them dry up and fall off.


Lagoon - Sounds exotic, doesn't it? Somewhere you might want to vacation? Think again.

A big pool of liquid cow poop.


Honey Wagon - Yum! This one must be something about bee farmers, right? Nope.

The machine that sucks the poop out of the lagoon and transports it elsewhere.


Fact: Everyone in a small town knows and cares deeply about the high school sports teams.

This is not specific to farmers, but it is new to me even still. A few high school basketball teams in the area made it to State, which happened this weekend. EVERYONE knew the score. It was in the newspaper. It was on the radio. It was the talk of the town! People were even bearing their testimonies about their experiences at church! It seemed like half of the town actually made the 4-hour drive to go to the game!

So... Different. But, pretty cool that people care and are supportive.

In contrast... at my high school, (not even counting the rest of the town who didn't attend) we usually knew if one of our teams made it to State... But we didn't know the score. Our parents didn't usually know about it. If you had a friend on the team, they would probably tell you about it. But... other than that, the town pretty much had no idea.

Of course, we ALWAYS knew when our rival high schools did well or terribly. We definitely had our priorities straight.

Last, but not least...

Fact: Idaho Directions are both entertaining and informative.

In the country, the roads are not as well-marked as in a more populated area. The speed limits are usually pretty fast on country roads, and without these unique directions, you'd just get lost.

Question: How do you get to so and so's house?

Answer: Go west from the freeway, you'll pass the high school, and go about 2 miles, then take a left. Go until you see the granary and turn right at the stand of trees. In about 3 miles, you should see it on the left after the road curves a bit.


Real life.

I've also heard:

Go straight for a few miles and turn once you see the three grain bins in a row. My house is the white one with the sheep in the back a few miles down the road. If you get to the curve in the road, you've gone too far.

The good thing is that the directions are usually effective... If you know your Northeastsouthwests. ;)


We miss our life on the farm. We are excited to get back to it soon. :)


As for pregnancy...

I'm 32 weeks today, which means I've started month 8! Baby is about 19 inches and 4 lbs. She's moving like crazy and still pushing the nausea button on the control panel she has in there. My belly is rarely round and normal-looking because she likes to push out in random places and do the wave.

We went home for our second baby shower, and it was awesome! People were so generous, and Logan's family threw a great shower. We feel very blessed! Now I am going nuts wanting to get the rest of the stuff we need/ want and feeling like I have to sew everything and pack my hospital bag already! But, none of this has actually happened yet. I guess nausea is a blessing in this case to tell me to chill out. :)

Life's good here! Remember that not all lagoons are vacation-worthy, and that honey wagons don't actually contain honey.

Third Trimester Malarkey

Let's pretend that I haven't been neglecting this blog (along with many other things in my life) for the last month or so. I found myself all of a sudden in the third trimester, and not feeling awesome. Queasiness and fatigue are a really great combo... The last couple of days, however, I have been feeling more like myself again! Yay!

I wanted to see my bump progression, so I made this collage. It is nice to remember that I was not always this large, squished, awkward, and uncomfortable, and that soon, I won't be anymore!

I'm 31 weeks now (or in my 7th month). Everything is looking awesome! I gained a LOT of weight last trimester, but it hasn't been as crazy the last couple of weeks. Last month they found I am/was a little anemic, which helps explain some of my exhaustion. This baby just wants all of my iron so she can be buff. It's fine. That's what supplements are for anyways, right?

New and emerging 3rd trimester symptoms for me include:

• Heartburn - (From water. Seriously.) So bad I want to swallow a glacier
• Leg cramps - What a wake up call!
• Not sleeping - Especially at night, when I really, really want to
• Increasingly strong kicks to the cervix - Yeow! Zing! Hello! 

But, it is really starting to get close and real that this baby girl is gonna come play at our house so soon. Despite all of the uncomfortable and unpleasant things, I am so grateful, and we are so excited!

I feel like all of the things that didn't apply to me in the first two trimesters all of a sudden... DO. I never thought this time would come. Haha It sounds silly, but I'm just all of a sudden THERE. I spend a lot of time researching labor pain management, nursing, recovery... all kinds of baby things. I haven't packed my hospital bag yet, but it's definitely on my mind. I'll just say. It's gettin' real REAL over here.

We got to go down to Colorado last month for a weekend for my baby shower down there! It was a whole bunch of driving (24 hours) for a very short stay. But, it was nice to see everyone and be completely spoiled with baby goods.

One of my favorite parts was getting caught in an intense, fork-gesturing conversation with Malena, and showing her my bare belly. Her reaction: WOAH.

My favorite Grandpa Hays quote of the weekend was, "Sorry, I can't hear you. I'm half deaf in one ear and blind in the other." If anyone asks, I get my sparkling wit from him... And Jane Austen. ;)

And, I like that I have a bump picture with Logan in it too. :) Thanks, Mom. He definitely deserves a lot of credit for putting up with some joys of pregnancy--especially the ones that I don't handle well.

I have gotten my crafty bone back! It skipped Christmas, but now I'm back in the game for Valentines and St. Patricks Day. I really, really love random holidays that tend to be the smaller ones. The Day of Love is no exception. I went a little crazy with [cheap] decorating. Mostly, I used printables from this link. But, I did try some embroidery and make a few little creations of my own.

For St. Pattie's Day, I've actually created my own little printables. I am definitely an amateur, but, I had fun making them. Here's my favorite. Because I love the word Malarkey.

        

I like printables because they are cheap and easy. Throw them in a frame and voila!

I hope I'll be a better blogger. I've had so many blogs come into my mind the last month and I just never got the motivation to write them. Then, I just get stuck doing the boring update ones. :/


Remember to take pictures of your belly button BEFORE you get pregnant, and that milkshakes are an excellent source of calcium. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. ;)