Flashback Friday: One

Today's Flashback Friday is going to fit a different mold than my normal post. I'm going to flashback...WAY BACK.  See, two days from now is my eldest child's birthday.  One will be 15.  Holy.  Hell.  How does this keep happening???

15 years ago right now I was probably the most miserable person on the planet.  I was gigantic...and people who see me now, never believe that--and if you've known me through my other pregnancies NONE of them were even CLOSE to how big I got with One.  When I sat down, I couldn't see my thighs.  No lie.  I have this theory that she must have been lying perpendicular to my body (yeah, I know...she wasn't.  But it felt that way.)

15 years ago tomorrow I saw my OB for what was one of three weekly visits at that point.  You see, I changed doctors in the middle of my pregnancy, and my 2nd OB (whom has stayed my OB for the last 15 years) did a "dating ultrasound" and moved my due date up by a week.  Well, when the due date came and went...he didn't want to rush to induce me, since maybe my original due date had been more correct.  Instead of inducing me, they just monitored me very closely.  It was June in North Carolina, and while I'm sure there are places closer to hell than here...I was incapable of believing that 15 summers ago.  I went in to see my doctor, and they monitored me and they checked my fluid levels...and he said to me "The baby looks great still, around 8 maybe 8 1/2 lbs...your fluid levels are fine.  I see no reason to evict her yet...if you come in on Friday and nothing is happening (because, you see, I wasn't dilating or effacing, nada) we'll wait it out over the weekend and Monday we can talk about induction.

Another week??  ANOTHER WEEK??  Of being a whale, of being unable to move or sleep, or just feel like a human....I couldn't do it.  I COULD NOT.  I was not being a manipulative person when I burst into tears that day.  I just honestly, in my core, knew that I could not be pregnant another 7 days.  The OB took pity on me, and stepped out and asked his office manager to set up an induction for me the next day.  Hallelujah.  For those of you who would like to jump on me, or my OB for an elective induction....I've never 2nd guessed this choice.  In the end, their u/s size guess was completely WRONG and I'm grateful we got her out when we did.

She was a giant baby.  9 lbs 9 oz and 21 3/4" long.  She had a head full of black hair, and my nose.  She got stuck...and as a result I had nearly 100 stitches in an area that you don't want them to stitch.  She was breathing, but not really well on her own and my OB had rightfully ordered the NICU respiratory team into the room during delivery.  Difficult births occurred with two of my four children.  It must be total coincidence that they are the two most challenging personalities of the group as well, right?

My eldest child has always been independent and strong.  She's crazy gifted, and incredibly creative and talented.  She would crawl away and "read" books in her room alone for nearly an hour when she was just 9 months old.  She would "read" picture books to her sister when she was 2.  And she could truly READ before her 3rd birthday.  Coincidentally, she hasn't read anything non-school required or web-based-fan-fiction in YEARS.  *eye roll*  She is empathetic, often to her own detriment.  She is huge into fashion, which fits well with her artist personality.  And as an aside, she is stunningly beautiful.  She made me a mama.  And, she broke me in well.  It's been incredibly hard being her mother, and I am still only hopeful that I didn't screw it up entirely.  That there has been enough good, to outweigh all the really bad.  For what it's worth, this person she is at 15 (although I could live without the attitude and eye rolls) is pretty great girl.

I can't believe she's been here 15 years.

Lazy Housewife: Crockpot Apple Crisp

Summer is upon us, and I'm looking for as many opportunities to use my crockpot (and not turn on the oven) as possible.

Yesterday, I marinated some pork chops and did them on the inside grill and made brown sugar carrots (a family fav) and this Healthy Apple Crumble.  It was so easy to make--I had Three core and cut the apples with the apple corer--and was seriously YUMMMMMM.  We had it as a side dish to our pork, but there was JUST ENOUGH left over for me to have it as dessert tonight with some vanilla ice cream on top.  Yeah, it is hidden in the back of the fridge, cause I'm that kind of mom.

We used only 4 apples-because that's how many we had-and I turned it up on HIGH for 2 hours because I didn't get my stuff together until 2 hours before we needed to eat.

Bon Appetit!

Sunday Snapshots

Two, or so, weeks worth of stuff.

Roll-an-equation:  Roll the dice, put one number down as the first addend (or whatever types of equations you are working on,) another down as the second and then find the solution.

One of my favorite birthday pictures...he is giving his big brother big hugs and kisses for the stuffed meerkat that he gave him as a gift.

"All about 10" worksheet.  We've done five of these now, he likes them.

Using the number line I taped to his table.

For this sheet, I wrote equations with a sum that was 4, 5, 6 or 7.  Then I assigned a do-a-dot color to each sum.  He had to add the equation together and dot it with the color that matched it's sum.

I made these "jet packs."  They were a HIT!

We were playing bookstore...counting by 10's included.

Can I scoop my own ice cream?  Sure!

Our bluebird box has babies in it (although, they are not bluebirds.)  And, for the past week, this is the view whenever you walk by it.  Some HUNGRY babies!

A sure sign of summer...swimsuits adorn my bathroom (oh, and running shoes!)

On a recent trip to a GREAT park (these carousel pieces are at least a hundred years old, restored and put back on the ride!)

I led my first official Zumba class!!!  Wahoooo!  This is the first class I'm not just 'subbing,' it's MINE.  I looked like had just stepped out of the shower...I think that makes it a success.

I finally got around to making these.

A money game on the computer.

Upper-lower case letter matching spoons.  And, yes, he's in his underpants.

The Bestie gifted Four with some great independent school mats.  Here he is using one of them.

And here is his sister, Two, using another one.

We talked about temperature this week, and here is Four holding the thermometer in some ice water.

I ran a 5k with one of my really great friends on Saturday at the NC Zoo (which is incredibly hill-y!)  We both actually improved our most recent 5k times...hills don't slow us down!

Later on Saturday morning, the family and I returned to the zoo, here are Three and Four in the polar bear cave.  I have so many pictures of the kids in there...One and Two, and then One and Two and Three, and then all four of my kids.  Only Two, Three, and Four were with me...and Two is 5' 8" so I didn't force her in.   Next time when it's all of us though, I will make them climb in for ONE LAST picture of all of them in it.  Nostalgia.

Our zoo is currently running a great dinosaur exhibit with these robot dinos.  Four is obsessed with all things dino.  This is the 2nd time we've visited the exhibit.

This morning we headed out for a hike.  Here are Three, Four and our dog anxiously awaiting the hike.  

Three and Four playing in the creek bed.

The dog joining them...

I asked The Punk to get a picture of the three of us in the creek because "Mommy, will you come play with us?" almost never fails...I mean, in reality I was just looking for an excuse to strip myself of those shoes and get in the creek too...I hate this picture of me..but I share it anyway.