Holy Chickens!! or maybe Holy Turkeys!!

It all started back on Thanksgiving. That poor turkey's wish bone was lying on our counter, dried and ready to make a dream come true. Braden and I each take a side. He wins. He makes a wish. After a few minutes I ask him what he wished for. He refuses to tell me. A few minutes later he says,"I wished for another baby".

And that's how it happened.

At least I wish Anabelle would buy it. I mean, that is a true story. It's possible that not all mechanics and details have been included.

And then came the period known to me as the dark months (this period of time matches up perfectly with the blogging hiatus. Also the cleaning/cooking/sewing/productivity hiatus). Never-ending sickness and puking, worse than either previous pregnancy. Hundreds spent monthly at the grocery store trying desperately to find something to ease the misery, but to no avail. Mascara always running down my face, pajamas at 3 in the afternoon, naked kids eating saltines for dinner. Basically, I'm an inspiration to all homemakers.

And now, I see the light. Just at the time that Braden went away, so did my sickness. (Note that I AM NOT citing a correlation- just a fact). Which is probably fortunate that I feel good now that I am the only parent in the home; I was just hoping to make some fun and fabulous memories before he left for three months. But alas, I resign myself to writing really fantastic letters, complete with Cliff bars and lipstick kisses.

There are no words for how great it is not to be perma-sick. Yakking was getting old. Except for the day I came walking down the hallway to be met by the girls dressed head to toe in my clothes and shoes. They were pretending to throw up over and over and over. Lila's cheeks were wet with tears from gagging so hard. But they marched up and down the hall gagging and puking and yakking away. I asked Anabelle what they were doing and she said, "Oh, we're playing a game called 'Pukey' together". It did make me laugh each time I heard them playing it.

Although Anabelle didn't know why I was sick, I watched her transform over the last few months. We never had a conversation about it, but she just stepped up and started helping in such mature ways. Getting Lila out of her high chair, giving her food, bringing me diapers and telling me that Lila stinks. She would play in her room for hours, requiring nothing of me for long periods of time. When it was time for me to wipe her she felt bad about asking because she knew it would make me throw up. She would ask me, tell me to put my shirt over my face, then say "RUN MOM! GO THROW UP NOW!" as soon as I was done.

One day she and I were sitting on the couch together and she leaned over and said, "Mom, I feel the baby in your belly". Surprised, I said, "You do?!" She leaned over and said smiling, "No, I'm just tricking you!" then got a sudden stern voice and pointed her finger at me before she continued, "but you KNOW I want one in there".

And the asking for a baby continued every few days. So you can imagine her excitement when I decided to tell her this last Saturday morning as we were snuggling in bed together. (I couldn't hide it from her anymore- the day before I caught her staring at my belly and then she said, "Mom, your belly button is sticking out very, very , very far").

This is our basic conversation after I tell her that there is a baby in my tummy, my responses are italicized):

Is it coming out?

Yes, but not for a long time. After we move to the ocean with Daddy it will come out.

If it's a girl it will be prettier because girls have eyelashes and other pretty things.

But we won't be sad if it's a boy.

No, but we do want a girl.

So, Lila and I were the first babies ever but now we're big girls.

I don't like weird names. I like beautiful names like Elizabeth. I wanna name the baby Elizabeth.

What if it's a boy?

No, it's a girl.

How do you know?

Because I want to name it Elizabeth.

Soon we'll go to the Dr. to find out if it's a boy or a girl, do you want to come with me?

SURE! Oh, I would LOVE a girl!

But, we'll love a boy too right?

Yeah, we'll love either one

What should we name it if it's a a boy?

Jack

But girls are much more prettier because they smile prettier

Lila's really nice to babies. And sometimes she's really nice to me. But sometimes she's really not nice.

Like what?

Sometimes she hits a little

How did that baby get in there?

Heavenly Father put it in there.

How?

Um, Daddy helped.

How?

LONG SILENCE...SEARCHING FOR WORDS...

When Moms and Dads love each other and they are married there is a special way of getting it in there

HOW? (She is frustrated with me now)

Um, when you get married then you'll know all about it.


Sheesh kid, you are relentless! Ease up on the heavy questions, eh? (On the way to church the next day she asked me "why did Jesus HAVE to die for us" and then "why did Adam eat the tree?")

So Monday we did go to the ultrasound together on a Mommy-daughter date- ice cream and all. And the verdict is....the baby is healthy!!! Which is absolutely ALL I cared about.

(C'mon, Braden doesn't even know yet, he has requested not to find out on the blog).

But, YEA, a baby with all it's "pieces" is on it's way!! They moved my date up to August 3rd , which makes me 19 weeks.

That will make three kids under three!

(FYI Brade-this year there will be absolutely NO pulling of the wishbone).

Let's be clear

I was holding Lila the other day when she noticed a picture of Jesus and got excited and started pointing and smiling.

"Did you spot Jesus Lila?"

Anabelle comes running from the next room excitedly, saying, "where? where?"

My heart warms over as I bask in this moment where my children are recognizing and ecstatic about Jesus.

I point to the picture and say to Anabelle, "See? Right there".

Her shoulders slump and her countenance falls and she walks away totally dejected saying, "Oh. I thought Lila Spotted Cheez-its, not Jesus".

Warm moment in my heart cut short.

Laughing ensues.

It's official

Well hello single parenting! I never saw you in my future. Care to stay for dinner? We're having cold cereal (again). Everyday. For the next three months. Won't this be charming. And much, much, cheaper.

Braden has been gone for two full days. We are already enjoying all the many perks. I bought my favorite scent of candle that he hates and our house smells like Black Cherry heaven. Um, what else? I haven't cooked. We eat strictly chick food in this house. Because after all, we are a house full of chicks. Salads and yogurt and cottage cheese and fruit...basically a man's starvation station. Um, well...I guess that sums up the perks.

We had a terrible time getting him out of here. He had to stay in Montgomery on Monday night so I went with him. Our computer guy who has had Braden's computer for the last 2 months and knew he was fixing it for OTS did not finish it and avoided us completely. We went to his house and called him a jillion times and he was hiding from us. So in the only few hours we could have had together we were freaking out at Best Buy trying to figure out what to do. Grrrrrrrrrrr. The next morning he had to be at MEPS (military entrance processing services) at 5am. I went with him just to spend any and all time together that we could. I was the only spouse there. I walked down a hall to get a snack and some Sargent got in my face and yelled at me, assuming of course that I was joining:

"ARE YOU SHIPPING OUT TODAY?!"
"Um, well, no"
"THEN GET UPSTAIRS TO THE SECOND FLOOR!"
"um,well, I'm just here...my husband is...
"THEN GET DOWN THE HALL IN THE FAMILY WAITING AREA!!"

Yikes. I can't believe I got busted. There I was thinking that I wasn't even bustable. I am a Mom, I am the one who does the yelling. The only place I was shipping out to was the vending machine for the third time. And they had signs with rules like, "NO TOUCHING, NO SLEEPING, NO LOUD TALKING". They would yell at you for slouching. It was clearly no place for a lazy loud sleepy sloucher like myself who likes to buy M&M's whenever I so desire. Eight hours later, we finally got out of there.

We had an hour or so before he had to report so we went to the mall and had a skee ball tourney at an arcade, got a milkshake, and took best friend pictures in a picture booth. In case our wedding rings don't say it enough, now we really know that we are besties to the end.

And then we went to the base and said goodbye and I cried my eyes out. But just for a minute. He got to call that night for a minute to tell me his flight number and his voice was so raspy from yelling all day. He sounded exhausted, I hear they have 20 hour days. So after 2 years of waiting for this he sounded like he was really enjoying the warm welcome of the military.

Two days down, 84 to go. On my way to the post office to buy stamps.


Braden swearing in

An amazing cake that a friend made for the sendoff party from the ward. Best ward ever? Yes, definitely yes.