Super Cheeks

I went to the OB today. Baby performed admirably. Ultrasound showed an average (not small as we feared) baby with plenty of fluid and a healthy placenta. Baby is currently head down (and has been for a while) with his/her feet up by the head/face and actually looked to be trying to suck some toes. Leave it to my child to not suck a fist/hand/thumb in utero but TOES. :-)

Definitely a K_____baby. Check out these cheeks!

In other 'news'. Jack is at CTEP for the weekend. Katie's OotM state tournament is next weekend. She and I will leave for Houston next Friday afternoon and come back Sunday afternoon.

Gracie had a nice birthday. I took her, Emma and a friend out to lunch and she had cake, ice cream and presents at home.

I have a few Easter pictures, not many, as Chris and I split Masses this year so there was no point in time when everyone was dressed up together. I'll put them up eventually.

I got a new vacuum cleaner....again. Chris bought me a good vacuum at Christmas. Consumer Reports Best Buy and all that. I went to turn it on last weekend and it turned on, then shut itself off, never to come on again despite the fact there were no clogs, new bag, perfectly fine belt etc..... The Eureka repair guy replaced the (perfect) cord and did a few other minor things to try and get it going to no avail. He finally took out the motor and tried to power it up by itself and it was a no go. Motor was fried. After less than FOUR months. That is what you get for buying CPC (cheap plastic crap) from China.
We can't take it back to the store, the Eureka warrantee dept is notoriously stingy and unhelpful. Chris sold the blinkity-blank one for parts (getting what he paid for it originally since it was on sale) and bought me a Rikkar, Made in the USA of all metal parts with real horsehair brush attachments.....also has a FIVE YEAR parts and LABOR guarantee. This thing sucks like mad and makes a Dyson look like a toy :-)

Mothering 'type'

Saw this quiz over at Katherine's blog ( http://nofightingnobiting.blogspot.com )

***Your type is: ENTP —The “Independence” Mother

“When I held my babies, I always faced them outward so they could take in the world.”

Full of energy and confident in her own self-sufficiency and competence, the ENTP mother encourages her children—as a role model and as a teacher—to be independent and confident on their own in the world.
A “big picture” person, she points out options and possibilities along the way. Objective and logical as well, the ENTP wants her children to evaluate their choices and learn from the consequences of their own decisions.
The ENTP mother is resourceful and action-oriented. She likes going places and doing things with her children, exploring all that life has to offer. She is less concerned with rules, routines, and schedules. Introducing her children to new concepts and activities, challenging them, and stimulating their intellectual development are top priorities.****

This is based on the Myers-Briggs personality sorter.

http://motherstyles.com/quiz.asp

Glow Worm Update

Glow Worm passed the NST (non-stress test) An NST is a test of fetal well being. The doc wants to see accelerations in heartrate when the baby moves and good beat-beat variability.
My BP is rising and is only below hypertensive levels if I am laying down, therefore I am supposed to lay down as much as I can. I am not spilling protein yet (which is a good thing).
On to next week.

Spring in TX

Some pictures from this afternoon. Unfortunately, I about gave my neighbor a heart attack. I laid down on the ground to get the picture of the bluebonnet with the house and girls in the background. Bob couldn't see the camera in my hands and thought I fell. It's great to have such caring neighbors but I felt so bad for frightening them.

Quickie update

Chris: back from Mexico, working hard as usual, consented to build me raised beds for a vegetable garden-what a wonderful man he is. SMOOCH!
Karen: still pregnant. still being watched like a ticking time bomb BUT the bomb has yet to go off. less than 10 weeks to go!! WOO HOO!!!
Katie: team placed first by a landslide at OotM regionals. They still have a LOT of work to do to be contenders for Worlds at the State competition in April. Keep your eye on the blog for begging for funds for the trip to Worlds ;-)
Jack: promoted to Staff Sergeant last week. Yes, I have pictures, no, I haven't uploaded them yet. He is now an NCO and has all the addt'l responsibilities that go with it. He is stoked! He is attending CTEP at the end of March (leadership school) and will be able to add a cool red/blue cord to his uniform. Won't he look sharp!
Ian: is doing great! Having a blast at Chess Club. He has also started attending CAP meetings. They let children under 12 (usually 10 and 11) year olds attend and participate in meetings, out of uniform and without officially joining, just to get the flavor of it. It is pretty common for younger siblings of active cadets to do this. Ian's first mile time beat Jack's first mile time in PT.
Grace: is not riding for almost two months as her instructor will be away. It won't be hard for her to fill her time as spring has sprung in TX and Gracie is my gardening girl.
Emma: has made her First Confession and is getting ready for First Holy Communion sometime May. No firm date yet. Fr isn't the most organized pastor :-)
Ben: is Ben. Usually dirty and happy because of it.
Lucy: talking up a storm and terminally cute.
Glow Worm: still don't know if it is a boy or girl (so stop asking). No, we aren't sharing names either. A pretty quiet baby, moves just enough to let me know all is well.