Glucost Tolerance Test

I'm 24 weeks now and had to take the GTT this morning which consisted of eating 48 jelly beans on an empty stomach. Now, I never eat candy so I thought this might be kind of fun to enjoy some jelly bellys. I started out eating one at a time and quickly realized I would never get them all down in the allotted 5-10 minute time frame at that rate. I tried to speed it up but even after much diligence and will power it took me over 15 minutes to finish them. My teeth were stinging, my mouth was coated--I never thought eating jelly beans could be so awful. Next time I will take the sugar drink instead. Wait, there will NOT EVER be a next time. Woo hoo! I sincerely apologize for my glib attitude about my pregnancy to any who are having troubles conceiving at this time. I do know how it is. My first was conceived by IVF and I distinctly remember how it feels to be infertile. I am so grateful for my kids and the chance I have to raise them (although I am doing a CRAPPY job of it right now) but I would be lying if I said I wasn't grateful to be done. It's been a blessing for me to experience both sides of the coin because I am better able to empathize with more women. I find because of my experience with infertility I appreciate my kids (and kids in general) more, I take them for granted less and I wouldn't dream of judging a woman who finds it hard to be excited about another's pregnancy. But my experience with trying to raise so many young children and suffering pregnancy that IS a sickness has made me so much less judgemental about the way other people raise their kids. I wouldn't dream of judging a mother whose kids are ratty haired and snotty nosed and whose house is "disorderly." Both of those women are me.

I don't know how I started talking about jelly beans and ended up soliloquizing about my life's experiences. It's probably because I am avoiding my duties for the day due to the fact that the jelly bean episode has left me feeling really nauseous and the fact that I have to change the oil in the van, go to a midwife appt., and wash and pack all of our clothes for the trip we are taking to Oregon tomorrow. It's so much easier to sink into random inner thoughts than to deal with my real life.

My handsome men

Grant's brother was married today. Grant was...somebody...I don't really know the proper terms and such for civil marriages (he wasn't best man), but at any rate he got to wear a tux. Rune was ring bearer and also wore a tux. And, man, did they look sharp. Here are a few pictures:

A seriously handsome kid.

Rune and his cousin, the flower girl.

Grant and Rune looking suai ge.

Get ready to be shocked, I made this dress.

The wedding bubbles are always a big hit.

My mother made the sailor suit.

I know it was his brother's wedding day and all, but I only had eyes for this man. He was the most handsome male at the party by far. The last time I saw Grant in a tux was on our wedding day and seeing him in one again...well, I'm thinking about having another wedding night!

Birthday cake success

Lily turned five on Saturday and we had a very small party to which two friends showed up. I attempted to create a doll cake like the ones that we always had Mom make when we were kids and it turned out not bad. Due mostly to the fact that the doll had a painted on top so I didn't have to try to create one out of frosting and she had a little fairy skirt that adequately hid the fact that she was slightly too tall for her cake "skirt" plus eliminated my having to do something cute at the cake/doll interface. I just piped some stars around the bottom and then let the kids press on some sprinkles. Then, because the doll had a little sidekick, and because Lily declared that the sidekick needed a cake, too, I made another one. Luckily, a cousin and several neighborhood kids helped out eating all the cake. Then, I froze a bunch meaning to save it for some FHE in the future, and we ate it the next day. This is precisely why I never make home baked desserts, I have no willpower. That is to say, I have the willpower not to bake them or buy them in the first place, but once they are baked and on my counter, that's it. Unfortunately, I ate too much and my poor, weak, nauseated stomach has been getting back at me since.

watermelon

I can't tell you how much I loathe and despise winter and how utterly happy I am that summer is here. I'm so happy that I've bought watermelon 3 or 4 times already. I rationalize that Mexico isn't THAT far from New Mexico and that I will buy the ones from Texas as soon as they are available. In the meantime I am happily stuffing myself with watermelon even though it drastically increases my trips to the bathroom even above and beyond the normal million trips I take due to the large growth in my abdomen. The kids love it, too.







Alma seems to get especially excited. Notice his face in this picture taken last year of the kids eating watermelon.


Isn't it said that if you swallow watermelon seeds you will grow one in your stomach? Well, it appears to be true in my case, but I'm not posting any pictures of that.