Greetings

     So, if anyone out there was actually keeping up with this blog, I bet you thought I had the baby early, right?  Wrong!  He is still cooking for two more days!  So, what's been going on all this time?  Stress, that's what.  Right before Christmas my mom came to stay with us and became very ill while she was here.  She spent almost a month in the hospital, and I let my own activities (like blogging) fall by the wayside.
     Since my last post Mom has had a whipple procedure, a very serious surgery to treat pancreatic cancer.  She is home with me now, and feeling better, but will face the battle against cancer as soon as she is recovered enough for chemo and/or radiation.
     Also, I was in a car accident where another driver ran a red light and I couldn't avoid hitting her.  I ended up in the same hospital as my mother a floor down with contractions.  Luckily I wasn't othewise injured and baby was ok.  Since then there have been a few scares where I thought I was having this baby right away.
     So, now here I am two days out from my schedule c-section.  Every night the past few nights I've had contractions that I thought would send me to the hospital.  But I have hung in there because I must.  I have to get my mom to the doctor today.  And I have to wait until my aunt flies in to help us out tomorrow.  I've been lying down as much as I can and drinking as much water as I can force down.  The past month has been more stressful than I thought I could ever handle.  But I've done it, and I can do it.  And I've learned that I'm a lot stronger than I thought I was.  My next post will most likely contain a picture of a baby.  Love you all.

Baby Shower Decorum

     Last week a friend of ours held a shower for my friend, Christy, who is expecting about 4 weeks before we are.  It was a lovely, low-key sort of party that was really more of a girls' night in rather than a shower.  It was a lot of fun, but why - you may ask- did she not get a blowout shower like I did?  Because she has a child who is not yet three years old.  It was only upon the insistence of her close friends that there was a shower at all.
     I think this is an outdated custom we are best rid of.  Traditionally, you only get a shower for your first child, or sometimes if many years separate your children like mine (8.5 years).  It is assumed that you still have everything that you will need.  But babies are expensive.  There is always something you have given away or lost.  And what about diapers?  Wipes?  Formula?  And most of all --- what about the celebration of bringing a new life into this world.  It's just an exciting time.  Every expecting mom deserves a shower, whether it's her first child or her tenth.  We need to rewrite those etiquette books.  Who's with me?

What Have I Been Doing?

     I just realized that I haven't posted in a couple of weeks.  Where the heck have I been?  Busy, I suppose.  And forgetful.  And as usual---a little worried.  That's just what I do.  At last week's doctor visit the nurse asked the doctor to come in and listen to the baby's heart on the Doppler because baby wouldn't be still long enough for her to listen.  Or at least that was her excuse.  When the doc came in she looked very worried and said that it sounded like the baby's heart at skipped several beats in just those few seconds.  She rushed me in for an emergency ultrasound while I silently freaked out.  We listened and watched baby's heart as he played around and practiced breathing.  Didn't know babies did that!  At that time, they only noticed one skipped beat in several minutes and the doctor also confirmed that if it was skipping at least it wasn't skipped in a crazy way as it would if there were an electrical problem.  But still, had to schedule a session on a heart monitor for the following week.  At about this same time I got the news that I had failed my glucose screening.  Ugh!
     So, this week has been busy.  Yesterday I got to do the glucose test again, but this time my blood was taken four times in three hours while I hung out in a waiting room for most of the morning.  Then today I went back to listen to baby's heart again.  Good news.  His heart sounds perfect.  Can't be thankful enough.  One thing to erase from my worry list.

     Also, had our baby shower!  The first I have heard of to be thrown by a man!  That's right, a male friend of Matt and me held the shower at his home.  He had it catered by our country club, and everything went off beautifully.  We had a great turnout, and got the most amazing gifts, and we feel so fortunate to have friends like we do.

Doctor Visit at the Scary Time :-O

     Yesterday I had my 28 week checkup.  It went well.  Very well.  So why do I drive myself crazy?  They did the glucose test to check for gestational diabetes.  Not so worried about that.  I really don't think I have it, and if I do...well...I know several people who did and it's fine as long as you're careful and follow doctor's orders.  They also did an ultrasound, where we got to see my darling baby boy sucking on his hands like a madman.  He's hungry, clearly, and can't wait to get out and get some real chow.  Baby looks great.  So, why am I worried?  My cervical length is back down to 3.1.  Doc says it's fine as long as it's over three.  But a few weeks ago it was at 4.3, so it has shrunk back down considerably.  However, it was right at three before then even early on, so I really shouldn't worry as long as my doctor doesn't...right?  Wrong.  I worry because that's what I do.  However, I will be a frequent flyer for the next month or so.  This is the precise time that I went into preterm labor with my son.  And he was born about a week and a half from now, so that's the reason for all my worry and the doctor's concern.  Can't imagine going through that again, and putting a wee baby through it.  So here's to keeping him in there!

     I've also completed my baby registry at Target.  I don't remember what I'll need, and I didn't use a list because they are so padded with things that they don't need but that the store really wants you to buy.  So I just took my registry gun and went down the aisles and registered for my favorite one of everything.  We are just going to have to figure it out as it comes.  I'm like a clueless new mom again.  But that's ok.  My first boy helped me to finally grow up.  And this one will keep me young.

The Rebels of Paris

     It's finally done.  Starting about fifteen years ago my husband wrote a screenplay called The Fort Henry Man after trying unsuccessfully to sell it for many years I decided to turn it into a novella.  I changed the name to The Rebels of Paris and kept the story very similar to the original, just adapted into something meant to be read instead of seen onscreen.  It is both touching and funny, and an easy, light read.  The Rebels of Paris is now available in downloadable form to your Kindle from Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/The-Rebels-of-Paris-ebook/dp/B009YHQ0XQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351779771&sr=1-1&keywords=the+rebels+of+paris and will soon be available in print form also.  I hope you all check it out!

Kicking, Joe, and Harry

     I must say, our Halloween costumes were a hit.  Those of you who are fans of the movie "Joe Dirt"  will appreciate the fact that not only did we allow our eight-year-old to watch the movie (we did fast forward through a questionable scene or two), but we insisted that he dress up as Joe for Halloween.  Luckily he was more than willing.  The result was the most adorable version of the character I've ever seen.

     Hilarious.  We borrowed the wig from a friend who was Joe a few years ago, and I used some eyeliner to do the goatee and  voila!  How cute is that?

     The obvious costume choice for me was to go as Joe's friend Kicking Wing, since even with a pregnant belly I evidently look like a Native American man.  I borrowed the western style shirt and the cowboy hat, and went to the nearest movie theater to get 3-D glasses so that I could pop out the lenses.  Where else was I going to find glasses that clunky?  Then I took three minutes to braid my hair and I must say I looked pretty damn perfect, don't you agree?

   
      We were unable to convince my husband to go as Joe's lady love, Brandy.  I think the thought of wearing Daisy Duke shorts was just too much for him to deal with.  He decided on a whim to go as Harry Potter.  We made quite the crew to our friends' Halloween party on Saturday.

     The following day we went to Boyd's Orchard in Versailles, Kentucky for a birthday party for a friend of Ridley's.  It was a gorgeous day for it, and I highly recommend the place for anyone who will be near central Kentucky before it gets too cold to enjoy the outdoors.  The gorgeous farm has a corn maze, pumpkin patch, hayrides, a petting zoo, restaurant, and lots of farm-made goods for sale.
     I had been feeling lots of soreness and a little pressure in my lower abdomen since the previous day.  I knew I would be walking around a good bit, so I decided to try the belly band again.  I really think it helped quite a bit.  After just a short time wearing my Motherhood Maternity Belly Band, I noticed that the soreness was gone.  And as I was going to bed last night it hit me that I didn't have any back pain at all.  Score one for the belly band!  I will definitely be using it from now on when I know I'll be on my feet.

Fall Break Long Weekend

     Back to real life after a nice long weekend.  Ridley really needed a break from school, and Matt certainly needed one from work.  And I really needed some quality time with them both.  Ridley had Friday and Monday off, so Matt took those days off, too.  Late Friday morning we packed up our little camper (really little---15 feet!) and headed to Fort Boonesboro for the night.  It's only about 20 minutes from home but it always feels like we are far away.  The campground was busy, and it was incredible how many Halloween decorations that had been put up by the campground and campers alike. 

     There were hundreds of carved pumpkins, lots of lights, and even a resident Michael Meyers who was following kids around in a very creepy fashion.  Two families came down to join us, each bringing several children, so Ridley really had a great time running wild.  The others didn't stay, but stuck around until after dark when it started really getting cold.  After they left, Matt and Ridley and I played cards and yahtzee in the camper until we all admitted we were ready for bed.
     The following day we drove two hours to Harveysburg, Ohio to attend our first Renaissance Festival.  I couldn't believe how enormous it was.  All the people working there wore period costume and affected English accents.  There were vendors of all sorts of handmade products that I would have loved to buy, but knew I would not want to lug around all day.  We did a ton of walking, and I really did fine back and belly-wise.  I still haven't been wearing my belly band, but I'm thinking I will probably really come to appreciate it eventually. 
     We also saw an incredible acrobatics show called The Kamikaze Fireflies.  The one-man one-woman show was really entertaining.  They were not only fantastic acrobats and skilled with fire tricks, but they were absolutely hilarious.  They have a facebook page if anyone is interested.  Sorry, I don't have the actual address, but if you do a search on facebook they pop right up. 
     It was a great day, but a lot of the shopping and sightseeing really didn't interest Ridley that much.  And the food was expensive and... well...disgusting.  Matt and I have decided that next year we will get a sitter for the day and the two of us will go.  We plan on dressing up, drinking lots of beer, and doing absolutely everything and watching every single show.  We haven't decided how we'll get home after all that beer, but we'll figure something out.
     On Sunday we decided to go geode hunting in a little town right outside Danville, KY called Perryville.  I had never been there before, as close as it is, but it was a lovely little town.  I wasn't really feeling up to wading in the water looking for potato-sized rocks with the boys, so I took some pictures of the gorgeous scenery instead.

     Matt and Ridley found about 20 geodes!  They cracked one open with a hammer, and it burst to smithereens.  Next time they'll be using a saw, I believe.
     Monday was a day of relaxation, Ridley had a friend over, I caught up on some reading, and Matt was rather bored.  He did harvest some of the last bits of garden goodies.

    
     We had a wonderful weekend.  I'm ready for another.

To Clothe the Bump

     I finally broke down and bought some new maternity clothes at Motherhood Maternity.  I was starting to get made fun of for wearing the same two shirts every day.  I think I have the pants covered for the rest of this pregnancy.  I have two pairs of black leggings and two pairs of dark skinny jeans that aren't in the least bit skinny.  I now have five tops, all short sleeved.  I figure that I can mix and match with sweaters and jackets to make them really last.  I never wear dresses in the winter anyway, so unless I get invited to a special function or heaven forbid someone dies and I have to attend a funeral I won't be buying any dresses. 
     I've elected not to post any photos of me wearing any of these clothes.  I must say that my get-up-and-go when it comes to personal grooming (not hygiene, I still shower and brush my teeth) has got up and absolutely went.  I'll consider posting some if I decide to put some effort into my appearance, but it just isn't very likely.  I'm fully aware that I will look like death on a cracker for the next six months to a year.  On that note, if anyone has some old maternity clothes lying around please send them my way!  Or for that matter, any baby stuff.  Or...anything really.
     Anyone care to comment on their pregnancy wardrobe or lack thereof?

A Good Weekend Had By all

     I think I'm starting to live for weekends.  There is always so much going on now that the brisk air of fall has taken over for the lazy summer days.  Matt and Ridley being home to keep me company is the best part of the weekend.  But I must say that the highlight of this past weekend was without a doubt Ladies' Night at my good friend's gorgeous home.  Ashlee is an entertainer extraordinaire who really needs to open her own catering/party planning business.  She offered two types of sangria (which I obviously only got a wee sample of) and a table loaded with beautiful food.  My contribution was these chicken crescent rolls that I swiped from the lovely website tidymom.net.

     This easy recipe involves simply putting a dollop of a mixture of shredded chicken (I used rotisserie), cream cheese, and garlic powder in the middle of the triangle of dough, then folding  and baking.  Easiest thing in the world.  And delicious.  I was rude and brought some back home.

Ladies Night Fiesta

     It had been way too long since I had had my favorite girls over to just hang, chat, and laugh.  I was having a craving for Mexican food, so I decided to make that the theme for the evening.  I made two types of quesadillas:  one with cheddar and apples, and the other with guacamole, pepper jack cheese and onions.  I just folded over the tortillas with the contents inside and heated them in my little sandwich maker.  The ones with guacamole were a hit.  The apple and cheddar---not so much.  I had a bunch left the next day and they were even worse after sitting in the fridge all night.  Ick.

 

 



     I also made a dip in the crockpot that turned out delicious, even though it wasn't as pretty as the quesadillas. 

                 One package of Velveeta
                 One package of Philadelphia cream cheese
                 One 16 oz jar of salsa (I used the kind with corn and black beans in it)
                 One packet of taco seasoning

     Dump it all in the crockpot and turn it on low for 3 hours.  That's it.  Seriously.  And it was good.  Then the decidedly non-Mexican dessert that I found on Pinterest.  It came from Baked from a Box and it was very much a hit.  I will be making this stuff again.

                 One box of yellow cake mix
                 One cup of confectionary sugar
                 Half a stick of butter
                 A quarter cup of milk

     Mix together and microwave for two minutes, then pour into a pan and cool for at least an hour.  That's it.  Cut into little bars and they're like crack.  I also made a mocktail for my other prego friend and myself where I simply mixed white grape/peach/mango juice with seltzer and dumped in some sliced peaches.  Pretty good.  I also froze some grapes for the girls without babies in their bellies to use to cool their wine.  Turned out nobody drank white wine anyway, so we just ate the grapes.
     My wonderful friends brought some heavenly things, too.  Like stuffed peppers, guacamole with pineapple (it's very tasty), artichoke dip and very American apple pie.   We had a marvelous time just catching up.  I plan on doing this again in a month or two, maybe next time with a French theme?  We shall see.

Long Weekend

    I do love a gorgeous tree.  Yes, I'm a tree hugger.  My son Ridley had Friday off school, so my husband Matt took the day off and we grabbed a buddy of Ridley's and all headed to Fort Boonesboro for some camping.  And by camping I mean staying in our air conditioned camper with a bathroom in it. 

     Did I mention that I cheated and didn't even stay?  Well, I didn't.  It's too hard for me to get comfortable when I'm trying to sleep.  So I drove Ridley's friend back and headed home.  A cramped camper with two sweaty boys just isn't going to cut it for a few months.  But I had a nice relaxing time reading alongside hubby while the  boys got muddy. 

     I've added some tree photos, both old and new, from Fort Boonesboro.  I love getting up close and personal and sort of grabbing the tree's personality.  Those old trees near the fort have seen a lot and their faces show it.

     Thank you for bearing with my obsession with tree photography.  After my boys returned on Saturday we headed to a birthday party for a lovely seven-year-old girl.  It was a pool party, and I'm sad to say that it will probably be the last time any of us are anywhere near a pool this year.  The summer goes so fast.   All in all, it was a great weekend.  Thank you for letting me share it with you.
 
    

 

Greetings

      Hello all.  I'm Amy.  Mommy's Delightful Mess is a blog about life, my own in particular.  I'm the proud mama of a brilliant and beautiful eight year old boy and am embarking on the surprise adventure of having another.  I'm especially interested in beautiful things, beautiful people, lovely food and cooking, and at the moment about pregnancy (mainly of the high-risk variety like my own).  I've started this blog to help me work through the trials of finding oneself and keeping onself after having children, and to preserve our inner children by appreciating the little things.  As I get this blog moving, I hope to hear from other women, mommies, and just at the moment, mommies-to-be that have been given that high risk diagnosis.