I don't know the plan, but I know it's going to be AWESOME!

Tomorrow is Tim's seventh birthday. I still don't really know how he got to be seven, he's supposed to be three, but I won't dwell on that now. We told our little man that this year will be pretty low-key because mama can't do much and all of that. He agreed that it will be worth it to have a brother or sister be born near his birthday. Since the girl's birthdays in December Tim has had one request for his birthday, hot wings and cheese fries. Yep, the boy wants to eat hot wings and cheese fries until he is sick on his Birthday, and since we have a doctors appointment for mama and baby tomorrow that's cool with us. Ben and I planned to get the man some wings and cheese fries, go to the doctor, and head back home. Of course there would be a simple cake (by Betty Crocker) and the opening of gifts, but no banners or balloons or any of that stuff that mama usually does. Well those were our plans.

I think there are other plans being made though....What do you think? Ben and Tim were out splitting and stacking wood this afternoon when I heard a lot of moving going on in the kitchen, so I went to investigate. It looks like "the girls" (that's what Tim calls them all the time and I think it's so cute) have plans of their own for Tim's big day. I didn't ask any questions. I try not to be nosey when they have secret plans, I like to be surprised too. Molly told me that she made him a banner and the rest I just observed. The banner is made from construction paper, blue duct tape, and she used markers and crayons on the letters.

They dressed the table in a new tablecloth, runners, and gifts. I have no idea what the gifts are, where they came from, or when they wrapped them, I just know that they said that they have been waiting five days to give them to him. By this time my heart was just bursting at the seams! To see my girls excitedly running around working to set things up for Tim's big day, while he was out, so that he could have a special day like mama usually does it....ahhh...there are no words. You see, these are the kinds of things that I would have never seen were I not on bed rest. If I had done it all as usual I would have never got this little glimpse into the hearts of two sisters who truly wanted to make their brother's birthday special. It's just so precious.

Most days around here they are just like any other siblings, they fight, they play, they argue, and have to be *reminded* how to treat each other...about a hundred times a day....you know, the normal brother sister stuff. They are best friends, play mates, and rivals all rolled into one. I'm proud of my girls today, and the little man that obviously deserves all of this attention. I just heard Molly tell him "Tim as soon as you wake up wake us up." He looked at her funny, because this kid NEVER asks anyone to wake her up, and said "Why Sis?" and she said "So that we can give you all of your prizes!"

 (Yes Maddie was posing in those last two pictures, and I have no earthly idea what the child has on, once again, I don't ask.) I have no idea what tomorrow may bring with these silly kids and their plans, but I know whatever it is, it will be awesome! And I know that my little man will have a very special seventh birthday, even if mama wasn't the one to pull it off....and I wouldn't change that for anything! No matter how upside down and crazy my life gets God is always there to show me something beautiful.

I'll be back soon with a baby update, birthday update, and maybe some crochet! I hope that you find something beautiful today too! xo, Sam

Date night and a few moments out.

Yesterday, Friday, my Mom called and said that they wanted to take the kids to the rodeo. Let's stop right here for a minute. First I didn't even know that we had a rodeo, and second how did Mom and Dad find out about it? Crazy. Anything is possible with those two. They are like a couple of teenagers who are always trying to steal my kids. But I guess that's cool, even if I don't like sharing I know that the kids have a blast and they are WELL taken care of...ahem...spoiled. ;) So Ben took the kids and dropped them off with my parents, then he came back home and surprised me with take-out, a movie, and chocolate....*insert hallelujah chorus here*.......Do you know what take-out means to someone who hasn't left the house in weeks? Oh, it's heavenly. And a grown up movie that you haven't seen fifty times? And chocolate? These, my friends, are the makings of the BEST date-night- in ever! It's the little things, it really is.

This morning Ben called to see if he could go and get the kids, and was denied. Apparently my parents and kids had grand plans to go to the national park and enjoy this beautiful day riding bikes. Brats. ;) It is a BEAUTIFUL day, almost seventy degrees, a nice breeze, the kind of day that kids should be riding bikes all day. The kind of day that, under normal circumstances, I would enjoy outdoors start to finish. This is where my day gets really good. Ben took my big cushy green chair outside for me! He dragged it out to the end of the porch, where I can see all of my animals, and let me plop my big pregnant rear right there for as long as I wanted. It was so nice...no, perfect. I've been needing some fresh air and I've really been missing my animals.

And there we sat. We talked about all of the things we want to do in the spring, the garden, camping, bike riding, walking, building a new bridge with the kids over the creek, climbing. We talked about having a new baby here soon. Still a crazy thought! We watched Dot and Kitty play together, those two are such big buddies, it's adorable. I listened to the goats talk to each other and watched them climb the big new roll of hay, goats are so much fun to watch. I looked at how dirty the arms of my green chair look in the sun, and mentally planned to wash all of my slipcovers next month when I'm up and running again. I noticed that my toes could use another polish, and smiled as I remembered Molly saying "Mama, until the baby comes I'll keep your toenails painted for you." It's funny the things that you appreciate so much when you have been "down" for a while. It has just been a wonderful weekend, full of unexpected simple pleasures, and I want to remember it just like this....I hope that your weekend is full of unexpected simple pleasures too! xo, Sam

Adjustments

It has been over a week since I have posted here on the old abandoned blog, I miss you guys! As you can imagine, this last week has been FULL of adjustments for our family. On my end I've been trying to get adjusted to total bed rest and my new medicines. The first week on the brethine is always the worst as far as side effects go, so it should begin to get better from here on out. I've mainly just been really shaky (Ben says that he's going to put me in charge of the jiffy pop! Silly boy), it's been really hard to concentrate (which is why I haven't been able to even throw together a blog post, believe me, I tried, it wasn't pretty), and I only manage to get about four hours of sleep a night. I may be going a little crazy with nothing to work on, but I'm determined to try to crochet soon and maybe since my hands know the motions so well (after 15 years!) it will work out. This not crafting stuff is for the birds! I NEED some handmade therapy! :)

Baby and I are doing well, but my doctor doesn't think we will make it past 36 weeks. We went for another visit on Tuesday. Things seem to be moving more quickly since it all started this time...maybe it's my age or how many babies I've had, I don't know. I just keep praying for a strong healthy baby that gets to come home with mama and daddy! I don't worry so much about girls because both of my girls got to come home with us, but boys....oh those lazy white boys, Tim's little lungs just were not ready. He had to stay for 10 days in the NICU, we got to have him home for a week, and then he went back to the hospital with RSV and stayed another week. If this baby is a boy I sure hope he's ready!

My sweet family has had more adjustments than me. They went from having a part time mama to being full time mama caretakers, everyone has taken on more work and responsibilities. They have all made me so proud! The kids have taken on more chores, and they take shifts "babysitting mama". What they call "babysitting mama" is getting all of my drinks, snacks or meals, snickling (snuggling) up to me (you know how I hate to sit, sleep, or even be by myself), occasionally playing with my hair (LOVE), and getting anything else that a bed bound mama may need. They are such sweet babies! Ben, oh poor Ben, he is working full time outside the home and inside the home. He has cooked, cleaned, done laundry, done a little "nesting" for me, and just been the best Mr. Mom ever! My family has really been wonderful and I am so grateful!

This pregnancy has been different for us. It's been such a shocker from the beginning, and to be honest I still don't think it has quite hit us yet that there will be a baby here in just a few weeks! My children have learned a lot, because with Molly only being three when we brought Maddie home, they don't have any memories of mama pregnant (or what all is involved in that!). I think that we have all learned to appreciate each other a little more, I sooo appreciate them all stepping up and taking care of things while I can't, and they are learning to appreciate mama for all of those jobs that usually get done without notice. Overall there have been a lot of changes around here in the last week or so, and a lot of adjustments have been made, and I have to say that I feel like the most BLESSED mama in the world right now! I have a wonderful supportive family, a sweet baby on the way, adoption paperwork seems to be moving right along at the moment, and God has taken care of everything! Life is crazy, but good. :)

I'll be back soon with pictures from my nest. I've decided to try to document more of this process in the next few weeks. Wanna come along?  xo,Sam

Ben, baby and I went on a little trip...

....they had room service and good ice....

....pull out beds....

....things that go "ding" and "bing" in the night (and day come to think of it)...

...and a few other extras. Funny thing is, with all of the laying around that you do in this place, I only seemed to get a few minutes sleep in the whole night and day that I was there! I think that sleep may be forbidden at this particular place (and other places like it).

By now you've probably guessed that it wasn't exactly a vacation. :) We made our first preterm-labor-trip to the hospital on Monday night. The procardia just wasn't helping with the contractions that were coming steadily at 3-4 minutes apart, so we bit the bullet and drove in. We officially have about 8 1/2 weeks left before this baby is due, so it's not quite time yet. Thank God for good doctors that don't mind working with high risk trouble-makers like me! After a few shots, sticks, IV fluids, lots of pills, and steroid shots (to help develop baby's lungs quickly), my body calmed down and labor stopped. They have change my medicines up again and as of now it seems to be holding. They let me come home tonight, but now that I'm "dilated and thinned out" the "strict bed rest" begins! The very shaky Brethine kind. This may sound like bad news, but it's actually very good news for us! First off we have never before made it completely through the second trimester without being dilated, and this time I made it to the third! Second, we have always had to make our first hospital run at least a couple of weeks before now! So who knows? I may be able to hold out for 36 1/2 weeks this time or MAYBE even 37 weeks. A girl can dream right?

I had a crafting post lined up for yesterday, but I wasn't feeling so hot with the back-labor and all, so I will try to get that posted in the next few days. There may not be many more crafty posts for a while, as it's almost impossible to work with these shaky fingers, but you'll still come and visit wont you? Right? I'll see you soon friends! I'll keep ya posted on little Silas or Claire. Oh, and if you have an extra minute today could you send up a little prayer? Thanks :) xo, Sam

Our new girl :)

I got to see our little Violet again yesterday! I was kicking myself (again) for leaving my camera at home but Ben got these two pictures with his phone. Isn't she lovely? She likes me already, in fact I think she may have cried when I left. ;}

One night when Molly was a couple of months old Ben and I went out to eat at a nice restaurant. I was holding her while I ate and an old minister stopped by our table to see her. He looked at her for a minute and his eyes filled with tears and he told me something that I will never forget..."This is the closest to heaven you will ever be here on earth." That's how it feels to me now too. Every Time I get to hold one of God's little gifts I think about those words. I think they mean something different to me now than they did then. Back then, as a very young mama, it seemed like having babies was just the most natural thing in the world, it was just a choice you made and then everything always just came out the way it was supposed to in the end. Now the older more seasoned me knows that that's not quite the way things work. The longer I'm a mama the more I appreciate these precious little gifts. As I held our little Violet yesterday I thought about what a blessing she is and will be to our family. She is here because God sent her. 



Honestly though, who could not be excited over a sweet little face like that? Impossible! Oh, and the kisses that come off of those cheeks are addictive let me tell you! She's just so sweet, and I LOVE being her aunt!

Violet is here!

Bylet (that's how Lily and Iris say it) made her appearance yesterday evening! She weighed 7lbs, 14oz and is just the most perfect little angel in the world! I was so excited that I didn't sleep a wink last night thinking of her. She already has us all wrapped up! My sis, Rae, is doing great- just starving to death, but you know how that goes. Ben and I are going to stop by and get her a HUGE bag of take-out from her favorite place tonight and while she's eating we're going to love up on Violet. Being an aunt just gets better everyday!

Ice in Alabama?

Yep, we got us a little winter storm this weekend and we still haven't quite recovered. Schools, roads and businesses have been closed this week and we've just been as happy as pigs here at home. Alabama isn't really equipped to handle ice and/or snow (since this sort of thing only happens once every few years), we don't have snow plows or road crews so it completely shuts us down. I couldn't be happier! We mostly got ice in our area, it's sort of like a giant snow cone has been dumped out over our house. The kids have had a blast! Here are my girls looking like little snow angels. Boy am I glad that we hunted down those snow suits last year! The only thing the kids have had to make do with are gloves. They have used their work gloves and that seems to work well for the amount of time they stay out. You know southerners can't handle the cold for too long! 

The first thing I thought when the weather man started predicting snow and ice was "Yes! Everyone will get to wear their wool hats!" Was that great timing or what? I finally got a picture of Ben in his hat, and it doesn't get more perfect than snow as a backdrop!

Ben made the kids a sled out of an old pool lining that was in my Dad's cellar. What's that old song? "A Country Boy Can Survive?" Ha! You wouldn't believe all of the things we have used as sleds in my life! My all time favorite has to be the car hood that we took off of a junk car behind my uncles garage the year that I was thirteen. We got an all out, once in a lifetime, blizzard that year! We didn't go to school or have power for almost two weeks, we cooked on camp stoves, and all slept in the living room on mattresses around the fireplace. We also had another family get snowed in with us! I bet we rode that car hood down the steep road in front of my Nanny's house a hundred times. THAT was a good year!

This storm was nothing like the blizzard of "93" but my kids have had fun. Tim even let me get another picture of him in his hat. You see my babies (goats) there in the background? They have no idea what to think of this white stuff.

I quickly realised while proudly looking around at the wool hats that not everyone had a mama-made-hat. This little ham didn't! My Madeline got a pair of leg warmers, which she loved, but no hat! So I guess you know what I'm working on now. Yep, another hat. This time I wanted a little more challenge so I've been working on this little number. I think I have it all figured out now though it did take me some time to understand how it would work out. I'm hoping to finish the hat up tonight and then maybe she will want to do a little photo shoot with the hat and leg warmers. She told me the other day "Mom, I love for people to take pictures of me" Silly girl!

I'll be back soon with more knitting. Stay warm friends! xo, Sam

They Love Me

She is still wearing the hat....I think that she loves it almost as much as her guitar, which also rarely leaves her side these days. This morning, as we were all waking up, I called from the bed "Molly, will you make a pot of coffee?" and she called back "Yes, because you made me a hat!" My sweet girl. 

After some testing yesterday I started on Madeline's leg warmers. Since they are basically just a long tube, all I had to figure out was how many stitches to cast on to make the ribbing fit over her foot and onto her calf. The number also had to be divisible by 4 so that the 2x2 ribbing would work out. Her magic number was 32. I made a little tester cuff first by casting on 28 stitches and working about 5 rows of ribbing and then binding off. The tester was a little snug so I decided to size up and it worked out great. Oh, and now Maddie is wearing the test cuff as a bracelet and she thinks I'm awesome for thinking of such a cool thing. Who Knew?! I'm on a winning streak here! Can it just stay like this forever? Please? God, are you sure they have to grow up? This is just so much fun, I'm going to enjoy every moment! xo, Sam 

More knitting anyone?

Before I tell you all about this knitting project, I should probably introduce the pup first. I realised after the last post that I haven't introduced her yet! How could I? Let's just blame it on baby brain and move on. This is "Dorothy Gail from Kansas". We call her Dot. Isn't she a sweetie? She has been living here for a few months now and she has taken to farm life like a pig to slop. She quickly made friends with all of the other animals and it feels like she has always been here. She's also my kid's new favorite picture prop! When I take pictures of the kids I always let them choose where they want to be and what they want to be doing, and they think Dot makes the perfect little cuddle bug for picture taking. So sweet.

Shall we talk about knitting now? Yes! Just as I was finishing Ben's hat the other night (I'll show ya that one as soon as he can model it for me- that's the rule) Molly peeked over the arm of the couch and whispered "I want a hat too!" What mama can resist a baby asking for mama made? Not this one. So as soon as the ends were worked in I cast on for another hat.

This time I decided to try the rolled brim, then we decided on three different colors. Another thing that made this hat a little different than the boy's hats was the top. I wanted to try the gathered top, but I didn't want it to be too gathered. I started the decreases and worked them until it was almost time to move to double pointed needles (or magic loop, which I love) and then knit around until I finished off the amount of rows that there was supposed to be just knitting, and then I just gathered up the remaining stitches onto the thread tail and here we have it! Molly loves it. :)

Ya know how I know? Cause I snapped this picture with my phone last night just after she fell asleep wearing it. *JOY* And she still has it on now! If I could do a happy dance without ending up in the hospital, I totally would! There is just one thing that makes me happier than making things for my babies and that's when they love it as much as I loved making it.

Next up....leg warmers requested by Miss Madeline. Miss Sassafras wants them to be the same color stripes as sissy's hat. I can just see all of the crazy outfit combos that will come outta this. It will be fabulous! I guarantee it! I've just started the ribbing for the first one...I'll keep you updated. Until then I'm needing a good list of knitting blogs to visit when I take a break (one day), got any favorites? xo, Sam