hey there!

Long time no see.

I am really hoping there will be some time I can upload pictures on this bloggy before Christmas. but I make no guarantees.

I just wanted to quickly log in and and say thank you to all of you who have emailed or called me with words of encouragement. I want to respond to you individually and I promise I will, but I just haven't had the time yet. Please accept this lame thank you until a better, more personal one can be written.

Many of you have asked me if I am going to pull my kids out of school. The answer is no. The decision to put them in has been a long one coming... made in August 2010. I think I needed a year to prepare myself for it and although the adjustment hasn't been perfectly smooth, it's been very doable. I still have yet to cry about it. and now that I've gotten through the first 10 days, who knows if I will. I honestly believe that everything we do is an education. This experience is teaching us all a lot and even though I don't necessarily think my kids time is being used wisely, I do believe we are learning a great deal.. the least of which is scholastic. I am really trying to squeeze the best out of every situation and gosh.darn.it... before the end of the year, we will have a gallon of lemonade! We really are doing fabulous. One thing I've learned about my kids this past week is that they are all very adaptable. No one has complained about anything and I am proud of everyone (including myself) for how we've handled the new schedule. Heaven knows there will still be lots of adjustments to make, especially after the baby comes.

Speaking of which, I had a little scare this weekend. I started contracting pretty regularly on Friday. I tried to keep my feet up and chill out, but they continued through the night and woke me up early on Saturday morning. By the afternoon, they were so strong that I started to freak out a bit. I know what braxton hicks are and I know when they get more intense. I was feeling rather nauseous during each contraction and started having to breathe through some of them. I still have five weeks to go. Zack was born four weeks early... which is too early, in my opinion. I had the same sort of scare with Simon's pregnancy and went on bedrest at 34 weeks. I don't want to have to do that again, but I will if I need to. I was able to make an appt on Saturday afternoon and felt much better when I got home. Sunday I was a new woman and I have felt great ever since. Until today, that is....

My little toddler is a talented mess maker. He L.O.V.E.S to pour things out-- bowls of dog food, boxes of cereal, large containers of cinnamon, etc. But his favorite thing to do is get a big cup, fill it up with water from the refrigerator and pour it on the floor. Needless to say, my floors are getting mopped often. Today on my way out the door (to pick up the kids from school) Simon was begging for a drink. I gave him a cup, he took a few gulps and then headed out to the car with Zacky. As I turned the corner to follow them out, I realized that Simon didn't drink the whole glass. It wasn't a lot of water on the tile floor, but enough to send me flying in the air. I fell super hard, right on my booty. I was also holding a glass of water and it went all over my face, clothes and newly blow-dryed hair. As if getting around isn't difficult enough these days. I cannot even tell you how crippled I am. It hurts to walk, sit and lay down. What's an 8 month preggo girl to do? I am praying that tomorrow isn't as bad as today... it's all I can do to keep myself from taking more Tylenol than is recommended. I really don't want to have this baby girl early... so grateful she's still kicking and moving around. I guess it could have been a lot worse than it was.

Life is rough sometimes, isn't it? As miserable as I feel, I find comfort in the fact that there are many people out there who are more miserable than me...

happy hump day.