Little bookworms

Yesterday, I picked up Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr. Fox at the library. And yesterday, Bekah made us read more than half of it to her. Apparently she likes it. Or she likes that she gets to watch the movie after we've read it. Either way, she insisted that Seth read some more to her before bed last night. And, for some reason, he ended up snuggling with our two girls in our bed while reading.

It was a sweet scene, so I stole downstairs to grab my camera. Unfortunately, Ana saw me coming and dove under the covers. Bekah was too enthralled with the story to duck in time.

Ana (under the covers), Seth and Bekah enjoying Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Ana attempting to re-hide after I threw the covers off her.

Bekah trying to hide under her blankie.

33 weeks and counting

What I thought would be a typical check-up at my OB/GYN's office turned out to be slightly non-typical. Everything was as expected at first. The perky nurse asked how I'm feeling ("Tired, but otherwise fine, thanks."), took my blood pressure (normal), weighed me (not gonna admit what I'm up to, even though I have a perfectly good reason) and deposited me in an exam room.

Then the doctor came in. He asked if I had any questions ("Can I please fill this prescription so I can breathe?"), looked over my chart ("Looks like you're at 33 weeks." "Yup.") and told me to climb up on the exam table. He pulled out his trusty measuring tape and I pulled up/down my various layers of maternity clothes so he could see/feel my belly. He felt around for my uterus, measured it, felt around again, remeasured it, felt around YET again and re-remeasured it. "Hmmm," he said.

Just as I was about to yelp, "What?! What's up with my baby?!" his phone rang. If he were anyone else but my doctor, I would have picked it up and thrown it across the room, but I suppose that doctors need to answer calls while at work. He finished his phone business and turned back to me.

"You're baby's measuring at 29 weeks. Is this your first?"

"No, my third."

"How big were the other two?"

"My first was 6 pounds, 12 ounces. My second was 7 pounds, 9 ounces."

"Is this one a boy or a girl?"

"Girl."

"Hmmm. Girls tend to be a little bit smaller, and your first baby was a little small. It's probably nothing, but I'd like to make sure that this baby isn't TOO small. Is it okay if we do another ultrasound?"

"Yessir, doctor, sir. Whatever you say." (Or something like that.)

So away I went to the ultrasound room.

My super-ultra-perky ultrasound technician took one look at me and my chart with the "growth assessment" sticky note attached and said, "Dr. Baker just likes to be careful. My bet is that your baby's fine. You're just tall."

I lay down on the table, once again burrowed through my layers to expose my belly, and received a generous helping of "slime," as the technician referred to it. She whizzed through everything: "Whatcha having. A girl? I'll double-check that for ya. Water looks goods. Baby's sitting low. Head down. Yup, definitely a girl. Wow. You're baby's head is big. Can't see her face. Her arms are crossed in front of it. Femur's the right size. She's right on target. Right now she weighs 4 pounds, 10 ounces. Due date doesn't change. She's just so low that her head is wedged in your pelvis. Everything's perfect."

Whew.

I didn't really expect anything to be wrong, but every "hmmm" from a doctor to a pregnant woman sends her into a tizzy. And as far as the head being wedged in my pelvis, I could have told you that. By the time I'm finished grocery shopping, I'm limping like an 80-year-old arthritic woman.

Only seven(ish) more weeks to go!

chocolate strawberries

The other night I got home from work and sat down to eat dinner with Andrea and the girls. Andrea had undertaken, with the Bekah and Ana's "help," to make a batch of chocolate-covered strawberries as her Valentine's Day present for me. She had, of course, sworn the girls to secrecy.

As we sat at the table, I asked, "So girls, what did you do today?"

Bekah reported some of her activities to me, then Ana excitedly blurted out "And chocolate strawberries!!!"

Andrea put her finger to pursed lips and said, "Ana, shh!" in hopes that I hadn't heard or understood.

Ana, confused, lowered her voice and whispered "Chocolate strawberries." The poor girl was bewildered about why Mommy wanted her to say it more quietly.

Slowly, however, it dawned on her what she'd done. Her brow furrowed and her little mouth turned into a pout. Despite Andrea's attempts to prevent the flood, soon big, round tears were rolling down her little cheeks. She eventually calmed down and her usual smile returned, and Andrea and I had a good laugh later about it.

Anyway, it doesn't have to be Valentine's Day for me to realize I'm the luckiest man in the world, with the three best Valentines a guy could hope for.

A little pre-Valentine's Day love

We're suckers. Or, at least, we're impatient. We couldn't wait until tomorrow to give the girls the Valentine's Day surprise that Seth had lovingly picked out for them. So this morning before we got dressed or ate breakfast, Seth unveiled their present: little frog princes (accompanied by heart chocolates) that make smoochy noises when you squeeze their knees.

We had watched the new Princess and the Frog movie just last week, so the girls are on a frog-princess kick. And Seth well knew that they'd be head-over-heels for the dolls.

After lunch, the girls had to change out of their jeans and T-shirts so they could play the part completely. Out came the oft-worn princess dresses that Grandma Scott made for their birthdays last summer, and consequently, out came my camera.

Ana inspecting her frog while Bekah shows me hers.

The girls giving their frogs smooches.

Ana and her prince.

Bekah and hers.

Open mouth, insert foot

You'd think Seth would have realized by now (after more than six years of marriage and three pregnancies) that you never EVER make comments that can in any way be misconstrued by your wife as being derogatory in the weight department. You'd think. Then why has he made the following THREE comments on THREE separate occasions?

#1
Me: "I wish I had some bigger pants."
Seth: "Bigger than MATERNITY PANTS?!"
(The maternity pants fit me just fine, by the way. I was referring to pajama pants.)

#2
Me: "I look like a beached whale."
Seth: "You're not beached."

#3
While sitting on the couch after the girls' bedtime watching T.V.
Seth: (Scoots closer to me) "I'll come over to be in your orbit."

So apparently now that I'm seven months pregnant and my girth has exceeded what even super-stretchy maternity pants can handle and I've adapted to living out of the ocean, I now have my own gravitational pull. Swell.

(But honestly, after shooting him a crusty and pointing out the error of his ways, we have both had a good laugh over Seth's slips. I'm not posting this to exact revenge or tattle on my husband; I just think that these are too hilarious to remain unpublished. Love you, Seth. ;-))

A neighborly visit

I just did a quick search through past posts on our blog. How have we NOT mentioned the wildlife that visits our yard?

Because we live outside of the city in a farm community, we have had our share of animals wander onto the lawn. This has included (I swear!):

• cats
• dogs
• squirrels
• all sorts of birds
• pigs the size of Shetland ponies
• cows
• goats
• chickens
• ducks
• turkeys
• a pheasant
• a fish (while irrigating our lawn)

(The title of my post would be a lot funnier if we had had a horse or two in our yard.)

Bet you're jealous! Now, keep in mind that we do not own--nor ever have we ever owned--any animals ourselves. Not even a goldfish. But why spend money on shots, food and shelter when the animals visit free of charge? Of course, a goldfish wouldn't munch on your legs like those pigs would, given the chance.

Anyway, when Bekah called to me from the living room to say that the neighbors' goats were in our backyard, I wasn't surprised. But when I came up the stairs and saw them staring in through the back door from our porch, I was at least amused. The girls have often fed the goats clover and alfalfa during the summer, so they wanted to go outside and play with their friends.

Being a sucker, I obliged. At least goats aren't omnivores.

Ana sliding down the icy mound that is our back porch while the goat stands by.

It's hard to tell what's actually going on in the photo (I shot these through the window; I'm WAY too lazy to get dressed up in snow pants and boots just to take a few pictures), but Bekah is about to peg that goat on the right with a snowball.

Ana discovers that lawn chairs are meant to sit on the grass, not the squishy snow.

Ana-ism #6

While grocery shopping.

Andrea: (Looking for something.) "Hmmm."
Ana: (Parroting.) "Hmmm."
Andrea: "What are you thinking about, Ana?"
Ana: "Hmmm."
Andrea: "Are you contemplating the mysteries of the universe?"
Ana: "No. I'm thinking about roast beef."

29.5 weeks

I know all y'all (like, maybe my mom who reads this when I ask her to) have been dying to see a prego-Andrea pic. Seth and I have been lazy taking tummy pictures during our third pregnancy. I SWEAR it won't be like that when the baby gets here. She'll be much cuter than my bulging belly. Only 10ish more weeks to go!

This baby has sunk to the bottom of my long torso. And what is up with my half-closed eyes?! That darn flash ... gets me every time.

Before AND after pictures

It's been seven months since my infamous oral surgery. I've been lax in getting the before and after pictures up. So without further ado, here they are:

Before--I show mucho gum when smiling. Now it's all teeth ... and braces.


Before--my lips wouldn't close over my teeth unless I utilized some facial muscles. Now they close naturally over my teeth. This means that I can breathe through my nose all night because my lips don't fall open when I'm relaxed any more.


Before--my natural bite left an opening wide enough for me to shove the end of my thumb through. Now it's nice and tight.

It's amazing to me what modern medicine can do. And I don't think I can thank our health insurance enough for deciding to cover these procedures. Back in the day when we first learned about my situation and tried to get my parents' insurance to cover the surgery, they turned us down because they deemed it "cosmetic."

It's obvious that I look different now post-surgery, but isn't it also obvious that having such a drastic change could affect more than my looks? YA THINK?! The other day, I actually chewed a piece of gum (don't tell my orthodontist) for more than five minutes and didn't have to take ibuprofen afterward for my aching jaw.

Huzzah!

Following in others' footsteps

Bekah didn't ask Santa for a camera this year, but Santa is a wise man and knew that she would get a kick out of having her own little point-and-shoot. So on Christmas morning, Bekah was surprised when she tore open some wrapping paper and saw this inside:

Okay, so this isn't the EXACT camera Bekah received; it's a different color. I'm just too lazy to actually take a picture of her camera and upload it right now.

She immediately got to work. Now that she's had her camera for almost a month, we're beginning to see that the subjects of her photos can be classified into four different categories. (Keep in mind that this is an inexpensive children's camera. It doesn't have a flash. It doesn't have a large aperture. But it does have a slow shutter speed. Hence the often-blurry pictures.)

FAMILY & FRIENDS

Andrea and Ana getting ready for Grandpa Scott's retirement dinner. Andrea outside. Grandma Susan on the phone. Uncle Doug. Baby Cooper. Grandpa Dennis pulling a funny face. Bekah and Kimberlyn. Seth.

TOYS

Shapes on the MagnaDoodle. Some cars. A "ball meeting." Two girls made out of Legos. A car made out of Legos. A G.I. Joe with Ariel next to a four-wheeler. Minnie and Mickey Mouse. Lightning McQueen.

PATCHES

Patches. Patches. Patches. Patches. Bekah shot these all on Christmas Day at Grandpa Dennis and Grandma Susan's house. Uncle Doug had brought over his dog. Bekah repeatedly shot her, then showed the pictures to the dog. She remained aloof.

ANALEE

Ana pulling a funny face. Ana posing under Grandma Susan's Christmas tree. Ana eating lunch. Ana smiling for the camera. You'd think Ana would be in the "Family & Friends" category, but Bekah shoots so many pictures of her little sister that I think she warrants her own category.

So the next time I have a wedding, engagement or senior shoot, I'd probably better take my little photography apprentice along. Her photos are worth at least as much as mine, right?

Sack races

The girls were being extra-silly last night playing under the covers of our bed. I enjoyed the silliness for a while, then came downstairs to talk to Seth who has busy doing some hacking on the computer.

This is how the girls came downstairs:

Bekah and Ana sporting the latest fashion.

They had stolen the pillowcases from our bed and thought they'd make good sacks to hop around in. After a good romp in our cases, they had to run back upstairs and get their own. Soon they were double-sacking or wearing one case on their heads and another on their legs. Where do kids come up with these ideas?

Ana having a riotous time in her pillowcase.

Bekah doing the double-case.

Ana-ism #5

While driving in the car. I had just explained the difference between Captain Moroni and the Angel Moroni from the Book of Mormon.

Bekah: "When I get to heaven, will I get to talk to Captain Moroni?"
Andrea: "Yes, you certainly will."
Ana: "Will Captain Moroni have an accent?"

Bekahism #24

Singing to herself.

Bekah: "Abraham Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln. You are my favorite prophet."
Andrea: (Thinking.) She STILL hasn't figured out the difference between "prophet" and "president." Oh, well.
Bekah: (Still singing.) "Abraham Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln. I can't wait to talk to you in heaven." (Stops singing and finds me downstairs.) "Mom, can people in heaven hear everything we say?"
Andrea: "That's a good question, Bekah. I'm not sure."
Bekah: "Oh. Daddy will know! Daddy is a science kid!" (Thinks for a moment.) "Is heaven science?"
Andrea: "No, heaven is actually religion."
Bekah: "Does Daddy know a lot about religion?"
Andrea: "Yes, Daddy knows a lot about religion."
Bekah: "Then I'll ask Daddy because he's a religion kid!"

Island Park winter adventure

Although this year's trip to Grandma and Grandpa Hendricks' cabin wasn't nearly as eventful as last year's, we still managed to have some adventures. Unbeknownst to us, the pipes had frozen ... again. But much to our (pleasant) surprise, they thawed while we were enjoying our first afternoon in the wintry north, so we decided not to shorten our stay.

During our three-day trip, we had four separate jaunts in the snow, followed by four helpings of hot chocolate. As we warmed up inside, the girls (with the help of their daddy) made some elaborate Hot Wheels tracks and ran cars on them. I finished reading a novel. Seth started to learn the secrets of the Rubik's Cube. The girls watched several movies. Seth and I watched several episodes of Scrubs. The girls learned to share a double bed. I enjoyed the electric blanket on the bed in the loft.

'Twas a delightful time. See for yourself:

Seth harvested many-an-icicle from the roof of the cabin for the girls to enjoy. And they did ... in more ways than one.

Ana and Bekah fighting with icy lightsabers.

Bekah tasting the icy freshness of Island Park icicles.

Ana sampling some of her own.

This morning after we woke up, we noticed that it had snowed a little bit during the night. The truck, which had been totally snow-free the day before, looked like this:

Check that out, people. That's easily a foot of snow in the bed of that truck. That stuff fell in less than 24 hours.

Needless to say, we were very grateful for four-wheel drive. This is why we didn't bring Vinny (our van) up this year. He stayed nice and dry in the garage while the "big daddy truck" (how our girls refer to it) did all the work.

To see more pictures of our trip, click here.

Fair flashback

While stealing pictures off my dad's computer, we found some cute ones he shot when we went to the Eastern Idaho State Fair back in September. Since we wouldn't want anyone to miss out on the cuteness, here is a sampling. (To see others, click here.)

Analee and Andrea checking out the tortoise at the petting zoo.

Bekah smiling because she just showed Grandpa Scott (the photographer) her balloon (which is now out of the frame).

Analee feeding the goose doll some straw.

Seth watching as Bekah rides the tractor.

Seth, Andrea, Grandma Scott and Aunt Jessica sitting/watching/waiting for our girls to finish playing.