Low Stress = Wrinkly Jammies

The dishwasher debacle may be solved. The repairman was so nice, and we now know what’s wrong. : ) The control board isn’t working, so it has to be replaced: $260. We told him to hold off, while we made a decision.

That decision included some online shopping, review searching, price checking, and a long snowy drive to Lowe’s! Somehow two hours evaporated in there! I looked down and it was a little after one pm! Good grief, I can get lost in any kind of shopping! I think the power to spend was overwhelming. Ches called back after he left for work this morning and told me I could spend whatever I needed to get a good dishwasher. It’s something we use about twice a day! And it needs to work well. I ended up getting a Whirlpool Quiet Partner kinda like what we had in our last house. The only difference is the buttons are up on top of the door, so you can’t see them.

For the two hours we checked out dishwashers, the dryers behind them, played in the car cart (Go, Lowe’s!), took a bathroom break, and Ethan tried out every “tractor”. Twice. I was mainly trying to making a decision. It was so hard. The Maytag and Whirlpool were identical, practically, but the silverware thingie on the Maytag took up valuable bottom rack space, so it was the deciding factor. We’ve had a Whirlpool, and it worked well. I read in the reviews that the WP can make a lot of steam and drip out the vent-scary. I’ll let you know, ToMoRRoW! It’ll be delivered and installed by Tomorrow!!! I can’t wait. Oh, farewall, fair paper products! How I long to hear the clink of silver on porcelain. : ) (or stainless on stoneware, whatever.)

So..my “lowered stress” has been impacting the family. I now don’t stress when the clothes are out of the dryer and sitting in a laundry basket for days. Even five days. Then I run out of baskets for clean clothes. Really. I had to sit and fold three laundry baskets of clothes tonight! (I guess now that the dishwasher is being replaced, my fixation can move on?) I had stacks and stacks! And no, I’m very organized when I pull them out of the dryer, so they weren’t too wrinkly. The undies and socks get slung around, but the t-shirts get folded in half and laid flat. The jammies are a little wrinkly-ish, but just don’t come over for the next week After Hours. You will never even know. : )

I got a new book. Again. I know, but I *heart* books! I got Dr. Oz’s new You Having a Baby, and I’m busy making a chart (if stupid Excel didn’t keep closing down, you wouldn’t have heard from me tonight) on all the vitamins that my Prescribed Vitamin doesn’t even come close to! It’s awful pathetic. The only thing is has enough of is Folic Acid, the minimum of DHA, and Iron (enough to constipate me). So, the chart begins. I’ll have to eat 4000 calories a day to get it all in! Where do they get these recommendations, really? Some are like 3 and 4x the FDA’s guidelines. How do I know? Yep, I googled them! Here. I mean, haven’t you always wondered (or not..) when you read a label and it has 15% of Vitamin A, what is 100%? or exactly how many IU is that? (Now you’re wondering about IU, right?)

Ok, the only other thing on my mind is telling my kids. I want to so bad, but Ches says no. There’s always that chance…and don’t think I forget. I just wish they could share in the joy, even if it was short lived. They are precious, and still praying, and I’d like them to know God has answered a prayer. He listens to us! It’s a great lesson to learn, and by golly, it builds our faith!  Another couple of weeks maybe.  We have an ultrasound on the 26th, so that will make me feel better, and maybe we could tell them after that?

Note to Self: Get Dishwasher Fixed!

The Jones family is safely home, Yay! : )  It seemed like a longish drive (more than the actual 6 hours since we kept stopping to eat).  There was laundry, well, still is.  And the getting back in the routine!  I made dinner, the kids had baths, we laid out clothes, and packed lunches.  I was so glad they had school-we all needed some change and routine!  They got to see their friends, and Ethan was even excited-he wasn't clingy when I dropped him off-and that always makes me have a great day!

I went back for lab work, again.  It was good.  My hcg was at 183, which seems good.  I will get a progesterone update tomorrow, and more lab work on Thursday.  I guess I'm braver than I ever thought I'd be.  I have gotten so many holes poked in me-I used to hate it, but I don't even fear it for hours in advance like I used to: Progress, I guess.  I'm really tired, but not complaining, for I heed my own advice! : )  heehee  I'm just going to bed early.

Clay is getting in with his doctor tomorrow to get his medicine prescribed.  They called today with a cancellation, so we'll fit it in somehow.  I'm kind of excited.  I'd love for him to maintain focus and increase his self-esteem. He's pretty proud of himself, but he can get really down on himself easily.  We'll see how the next week goes.  Apparently it can require adjusting, so we may go/call frequently till we get it nailed down.  I would love to see him utilize all that crazy knowledge he has!

Well, my dishwasher is really broken.  It wasn't working before we left, but we weren't sure if we'd just overloaded it, or if the dishes were really dirty (even though I prewash/rinse them).  There were little brown things on the tops of some of them.  So, I ran it again, opening it halfway through the cycle.  I poured fresh water on them, closed it, and opened it later, to see more yucky things.  It was like the water (wash cycle, maybe?) wasn't running, but the heating/drying cycles were.  Weird.  So, when we got home we had the dishwasher dishes plus the ones waiting in the sink (cause that's how we operate).  So, they allll had to be washed. : (  Tonight I washed all of today's plus dinner dishes.  It took a long time!  I take that workhorse for granted sometimes!  I will appreciate it more when it's working.  I can't decide if I need a service person to repair it, a plumber to check it, or a new one...I'd really like the double dishwashers, but I think you have to have the cabinets changed.  Not happening.  I can dream, but not really practical.  Anyway, I am willing to wash, but I paid a putter-awayer today.  Only fifty cents, but I'd better get it fixed!

Next Tuesday night we have too much to do.  Clay has a boy scout meeting, Mary Claire has gymnastics (which I'm not happy with-she can do her bridge and cartwheel, and has yet to be moved up!), she has a school musical, and her first confession (Reconciliation Service).  I am not sure how it's all going to play out, but we'll make an effort.  She opted not to have a speaking part (she LOVES to sing, but not in front of people, go figure), so I'm ranking it pretty low.  Reconciliation is first, since she has to go to make her first communion.  She could probably arrange to go another time, but I'd like her to be with her class.  The priest will be prepared to hear young kids, and hopefully patient.  It takes some of them a really  long time to name all the sins they can remember from their whole life!  Boy scouts may get bumped-it's three times a month now, and it's a lot.  He never misses, so we'll see how it plays out.  If (Big IF) Ethan gets a nap, I could take him with me to take Mary Claire...  ahhh, just planning it is a lot!

My friend, Sandra, had her baby!  It is a girl, Rose Eileen, and she is beautiful and just perfect!  I went up there today, because I just couldn't wait.  I always say it, but they are sooo tiny, and for such a short time.  Her sisters came up there when I was getting ready to leave, and they were so sweet.  They loved holding her hands (which seem sooo tiny too!), and I think they were happy it was a girl.  I know they would've been happy with either, but it was precious to see the three of them.  I think when you have all the same sex kids, they are close.  They usually have similar interests, and understand each other.  And Emily has had a baby sister before, so she knows what to expect. : )

Clay was soo small (17 months) when Mary Claire was born, that I don't think he remembers much.  They both remember Ethan, but they were older.  They both adore him, even now, so it was fun for them.  I think babies are a gift you give your family. Fun, sweet memories, even despite all the not-so-fun times.  It's just work, and you create the happiness.  They remember even the smallest things!  I think if you asked the kids what their favorite thing was from our trip to Dallas, they'd probably say the swimming every night! (well, and the all-you-can-eat-breakfast!)

Bed Hopper

He had no nap again today. : ( Tonight we meant to get him to bed earlier, but it's just almost impossible! (with dinner late after girl scouts, bath/showers, spelling words, cupcakes for dessert, books..) We set up gates at both of his doors, so maybe that will help the little bed-hopper stay in his own room! He went into both kids rooms early this morning, and never went back to sleep. It annoys Mary Claire, but Clay just lets him climb in! I think it's sweet. They just aren't getting their rest, and it all comes down to Ethan sleeping. I'm not get to rest or nap either, so it's affecting me too! : P Of course he pretty much went right to sleep tonight after not having a nap! That's the good news.

When it was time to go up and read his bedtime stories, I wasn't sure if I should sit on his bed: he'd used the back of my jeans (my pockets) to wipe his cupcake remainders on! He'd walked right up and wiped his face on me! Silly boy.

What do you dream of? Lately I'm dreaming of two dishwashers. More and more frequently (not EvErY night yet), I have to wash dishes while the dishwasher is running. There just isn't room in the dishwasher. We run it every night, but it seems to fill up as I finish making dinner (measuring cups, cutting boards, mixing bowls, etc. added to breakfast/lunch/snack dishes and cups/glasses). I just can't imagine running it right after lunch, since it's not quite full yet (and that seems wasteful I think). Oh, what to do since another dishwasher just isn't fitting on my To-Do list? : )

I'm having ambivalent feelings about a baby again. It's still hard. I still want one more baby, that last time to be pregnant, one more chance to buy baby clothes, smell a new baby, watch them sleep, learn to crawl, and watch the kids adore them. But. Sometimes I wonder if we got another chance to not have a baby. Ethan is almost in preschool, and there is a day coming soon that he'll be in school, and I'll be busy with projects and time will fly while the kids are in school. I just wonder both ways a lot lately. I might be preparing myself for the chance it won't happen, who knows. I just can't get my hopes up again. What if it was a chance to want one even more than last time? I just have to lay it at God's feet, and not worry about it.

The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11