Things my children say when we're out in Public

At Wal-Mart I was walking VERY slowly, trying to maneuver a cart and 2 kids. Aurora, frustrated with our slow pace, said:
"Mommy, I don't think you're gonna make it to Thursday. I mean, I think you're gonna have this baby right now!"

At Wal-Mart, Ryan saw an elderly woman in one of those electric chair carts. To my horror, in his loudest voice he said:
"Mommy, why does SHE need that cart? Can't she walk just like you?"

At LifeWay, as we were dropping off Rob's lunch, Ryan had to go to the bathroom. On our way back out of the store--as we were passing the largest group of customers in the store--Ryan started thinking out loud:
"Mommy, I don't think Jesus made any aliens. If He made aliens, then that would mean that Aurora would be scared and Jesus loves Aurora so He wouldn't make anything to scare her."

Now, I don't know how to explain where these thoughts came from. I don't know what goes on in my children's heads. I'm just so grateful to God that they have such solid minds; that they think so much and that they are so intelligent as to come up with some of this great stuff! I mean, think of all the stories I'll get to tell at their weddings!

We're home now and we [barely] survived our outing. I think we might have to cut these outings down to once a month, though. I just don't think my cheeks can handle the blushing heat much more often than that.

Prodromal Labor

I've only got 3 more days left of this pregnancy. On Thursday, at 5:30 a.m., Rob and I are to arrive at the hospital for my scheduled induction! At my appointment this past week, I was measured and baby was measured and my OB was finally in agreement that I should be induced. He measured the baby at 7.5 lbs. I think she's already beyond 8 lbs, but what do I know? I'm just the one carrying her around. My goal is to avoid another 9 lbs baby. Because of the way babies gain weight in the last month of pregnancy, if this baby is 7.5 lbs at 37 weeks, she would be a 10 lbs baby if I went over my due date!!! I'm not birthing a 10 lbs baby!

I have been having contractions since about 33 weeks. They are not getting "stronger, longer and closer together", so it's not really something that I could go to Labor & Delivery about just yet. They would send me home until my contractions are closer together. It's not false labor, either, since the contractions have a definite pattern. They are every 9-15 minutes apart and some of them hurt like a champ!

It's ok, though, because it has been making me dilate and efface and that's what a woman who is about to have a baby wants to hear! I have been induced with all my pregnancies and think it would be lovely to go into labor on my own, but I don't see that happening here. My body just doesn't know how to get beyond this Latent Labor, otherwise known as Prodromal Labor (real labor that doesn't progress).

In the meantime, it is 4:45 a.m. and I am up with these contractions, along with all the other late-pregnancy discomforts. I'm tired, restless, I'm feeling very awkward and heavy, and I can't wait to hold this baby in my arms.

Mostly because it will mean that she will no longer be a part of my body!!!

Ryan and His Babies

I haven't been sleeping well at night. The newest baby (who is yet to be born) is keeping me up all night long. So this morning when I had to get the kids to school, I had a little bit of a short fuse. Both kids were cold and tired, too, and it was quite the combination.

All day yesterday, I was shopping for the kids' Christmas presents and for the last baby supplies we needed. Rob went out with me in the morning and my friend, Lynn, went out baby shopping with me in the evening. While Lynn and I were baby shopping, Rob texted me to get some wrapping paper for the kids' Christmas presents. No problem, right? I mean, how hard could that be? Lynn and I found wrapping paper within 5 minutes of the text. We were on our way to the checkout shortly after that.

It wasn't the shopping that was the problem... It was Ryan! He saw the wrapping paper this morning and decided he liked Aurora's pink wrapping paper better than his red wrapping paper. Now, this is the child who loves red. This is also the child who is content with whatever he gets--most of the time. I asked him why he didn't like his red penguin wrapping paper and instead liked Aurora's pink wrapping paper. The answer astounded me:

"Because Aurora's wrapping paper has babies on it."

I looked at him and told him that was too bad. He's getting red wrapping paper with penguins on it. *rolls eyes* I'm NOT going back to the store to exchange wrapping paper because it doesn't have babies on it. For goodness' sakes!