Ultrasound Details

Let me just start off by saying I thought it was a boy all along :). Dave wanted a girl and so did Carson. I think the general consensus was in favor of a girl, but I was entirely indifferent and everyone else was just vocalizing because I made them. We are all beyond excited to be adding another little man into the family.
This little baby will be named for the Crockett side of the family. Bowen is grandma Crockett's maiden name, and Quincy is the Quinten and Nancy combine (Dave's parents).
Baby boy is measuring about 1 pound and 8 days ahead. Carson and Drake were both 12-14 days ahead, and Brooks was always precisely on. I expect this boy will come a few days early, but after having three kids, all I know is that I don't know anything :).
He did not want to be disturbed during his nap time and wasn't cooperative for the ultrasound. He laid his little head on the placenta the whole time, it took an extra half an hour just to get a shot of his nose and lips. I had to lay on my side and do a little jig to get him to move just enough. While lounging on the placenta, he kept his arms up around his face, occasionally blocking it from view, and kept his legs crossed the entire time. He was boy enough we were able to tell for certain it was a boy, but that doesn't mean that poor little scrotum wasn't getting squished. "I never say what gender for certain because there is no guarantee and you never reeeally know until the baby comes out," said the tech. To which I responded, "I have seen enough of those (I think you know what I am talking about), to know what that is. That is a boy and you don't even have to tell me. I will take the blame if it's not." But really, I am 1000% sure.
His heart rate was 124 which is the slowest any of my babies have ever measured. Really, this boy was mellow during the ultrasound.
My amniotic fluid was 14 (it is supposed to be between 5 and 20).
Bowen stuck his tongue out at Carson during the ultrasound. It was pretty cute.
And lastly, the tech gave me one of my most favorite back handed compliments ever. She was having a hard time getting a shot of the abdomen to get it measured well. "If you had a little more fat on your stomach this would be a lot easier! Your stomach is tiny and you are too skinny!" She was a tiny little Asian woman with a cute little accent. I was sure to inform her my tummy would stay tiny the whole time but that my thighs and rump are more than willing to make up the difference.
It was a fun experience and always makes it a bit more real for me to see that little baby in there. I'll keep praying that this baby is healthy. I don't want any scares like I had with Brooks!

Pregnancy #4 So Far

I feel like all my pregnancies have been very different. This one was a nightmare to begin with. With pregnancy, strep throat, and the flu all at the same time, I really thought it might be too much for me to handle.
NAUSEA: My parents came in my 11th week and got me to 12. At that point I no longer felt like I wanted to vomit all the time but I still felt pretty rotten. Especially at night. I have definitely been worse in the pm this go around. At about 17 weeks, that went away. Hallelujah. Even though I am feeling better, I am super tired all the time! I am going to bed early (like in the 9 o'clock hour), and having the hardest time peeling myself out of my sheets somewhere in the 7 am hour. I seriously need like 10 hours a night.
WEIGHT GAIN: I hopped on the scale this morning and weighed in at 159.6 lbs. I was THRILLED. I have only put on 15 pounds and even if I put on a pound a week for the rest of my pregnancy I will max out at a 35 pound weight gain landing me at 180. That is 20 pounds less than pregnancies 2 and 3 folks! This is not by chance. I have been SUPER careful about what I am eating. I eat a lot, but I have eliminated all junk food until the baby weight is gone. Bless Dave's heart, he is doing it with me.
CRAVINGS: I had the usual cravings for any form of fried potatoes in the beginning. I also had cravings for refried beans like I did with Brooks. I don't do fast food except when pregnant. I sent Dave for bean burritos at Taco Bell half a dozen times or so. That stopped by 12 weeks. My biggest craving all along though has been...apples. That's a new one for sure! I would bet I have eaten an apple every single day for the past three months.
CURRENTLY: I am feeling great. I am 20 weeks 4 days and get to find out what we are having tomorrow. Dave wants a girl, so it makes me want a girl too. I am more comfortable with boys, and that is what my brain defaults to, so all in all I am truly deeply indifferent on the gender. I am SO excited to even be pregnant and being equally excited for a boy OR a girl is really fun. I can't wait to find out. I am even having a hard time sleeping this week because I am so looking forward to Friday. I am like a little kid on Christmas Eve.
BROTHERS: Carson is really excited an encouraging about everything. He is going to come with us to the big ultrasound. He wants to name the baby "robot" if its a boy. He is semi-joking when he says this. He likes to ask how big the baby is all the time. He also likes to go through birthday order for the family and is always sure to include the baby.
Drake is also excited but doesn't seem to quite fully grasp what it all means. He will be a good brother. He is very gentle with babies and always talks to them in this high, sweet, cute voice. Sometimes when he is talking to his stuffed animals (namely, Ernie), he can go on and on in this voice for upwards of a half and hour.
Brooks will have a hard time. He is a momma's boy (first one I've had :), and he doesn't even like to share me with the older two. He has melt down if I hold another baby, and likes to be my one-and-only. Lately he really likes to coo at other "bubbies" (babies) at church, and will always show me how to be soft with them (carefully caressing their hair/head). Hopefully he will continue to adjust before the new "bubby" comes.
PREPARATION: I haven't done anything :). I think I have most everything I need. If its a boy, I will need a few new clothing items - things have really taken a beating after three boys. If its a girl, as far as clothing is concerned, I don't have a single thing. OH WAIT! I did wash the car seat :). We are planning to buy a bunk bed so we can put the three boys in the same room. I need to wash everything we have, but otherwise, I think that is about it. As soon as we know what we are having I will probably start doing a lot more. After all, I am over half-way. (Time was SOOOOO slow from 4-14 ish weeks, but the last 6 weeks have FLOWN by.)
I can't really think of anything else that really stands out at this point, but I wanted to document this pregnancy knowing I will want to look back and remember. This time of life is difficult, but wonderful.
Time is such a paradox. I feel like the days can really drag on and the minutes just ooze by. I go to bed, wake up the next morning and another year is gone. I can really appreciate now the advice to cherish each moment. I want to do just that.

The Poopetrator

I was getting ready for church this fine Sunday morning when I ushered the boys upstairs to get ready along with me. I would hear running, giggling, slamming, and the usual mayhem and madness. It all died down a bit and lasted more than a mere 10 seconds so I thought I would check it out. I found the busy trio huddled in the bathroom. Carson on the toilet and Drake and Brooks offering encouragement.
Having seen this a thousand times before, I went back to my bedroom to continue what I was doing. A few short minutes later I heard words that made me cringe, "MOOOOOOOOOOOOM! My toothbrush fell in the toilet." Quickly I started racking my brain, had I heard the toilet flush? Had I not? Was that the sink?
I stopped what I was doing and went to assess the damage. As it turned out, Carson had suctioned his toothbrush to the toilet seat. (Carson and Drake have these light up toothbrushes that we just bought last week no less, that have suction cups on the bottom of them so they can stand upright to dry.) As if that wasn't gross enough, he had somehow knocked the toothbrush into the toilet, and there it stuck, bristles down, in a big, brown turd.
There was no way I was touching the thing. I made Carson fish it out and throw it in his sink. I will leave out a few of the hithertos and wherefores and suffice it to say that after soap and water, bleach, and a run through the dishwasher, Carson did in fact brush his teeth with said toothbrush after lunch. Had it not been for the fact that we threw all extra toothbrushes away the week before when we got the new light up ones, I would have burned the vile thing on the spot. I am a mom of boys.

Update on the preschool "issue"

So I talked with the teacher the next preschool day to see where we stood in the whole ordeal. Basically, Carson gets off the hook because he is in preschool. If he were in Elementary school, the record would follow him through.
I haven't been sure how to handle the whole thing with him, but I have talked to him a couple of times in very mild ways, all the time trying to assure him that some people just get scared easy so we have to be really careful what we do or say (even if its not wrong) so it doesn't frighten them. After the second time (these talks are literally 30 seconds long) he said, "I know mom", in such a way, that I knew he really truly got it. And that he didn't want to talk about it again. I just want to hug the awesome little guy.
To make sure he internalized it, we had him teach the FHE lesson to Drake this last week about how we should or shouldn't act in public. Some of the issues we've had that we made sure were addressed were:
Commenting on someones looks
Commenting on they way someone talks
Staring at people
Pretending to shoot people between the aisles at the store
Words we probably shouldn't say in public (shoot, kill, stab, etc.)
Helping someone in need
I am sure you get the idea. He did great and hopefully Drake understood some of it too. He opens his mouth a little too readily sometimes. Then we followed all up with a really yummy treat so we could always remember to be "sweet" :).
I have such good little boys.

She'll never let me come visit teach again...

I am kidding about not going to visit teach again; the whole family is awesome but that doesn't change the fact that Drake just pooped all over their floor...in a big way.
I think he peed into the toilet while launching it out the back. It was stinky, and it was A LOT. Never mind the fact that he has never actually pooped on the floor before (without being horribly ill). Oh, well. I guess I just marked another one off my mom-bucket-list-of-no-choice.

My Child - The Documented Offender

I am ticked. Honestly, I feel blind with fury. I am hoping to vent here. Maybe feel a little better. Maybe reason through some of this. If you are looking for rainbows and sunshine today you should find another blog.
I went to pick Carson up from preschool today. When I entered the room one of the teachers quietly asked me to stay after because she needed to talk to me.
When most everyone was gone she prefaced things with, "This really isn't a big deal, and I have already talked to Carson, but he drew something that "offended" someone." My stomach was immediately puddled in my feet. I wouldn't think Carson would do something to render him a school district offender but obviously this was serious. The teacher briefly showed me photocopied  mural Carson had drawn for another little girl in the class. Here it is in detail:
There was a large boat, a pirate ship with multiple characters. Over on the left, there were two stick figures. Over on the right, there were pirates. They had bandanas, furrowed brows, and swords. Over one of their heads was either a thought bubble, or word bubble (couldn't tell) that said, "Kill Jane" (I have changed the girls name).
I honestly couldn't figure out what the problem was. The teacher then explained the picture to me. Carson and "Jane" were on the left, and he was trying to save her from the pirates who wanted to "kill Jane". I was STILL confused at this point. Maybe I am dense, but I didn't see any problem with the picture. The teacher then pointed out the bubble and said, "this is the problem". She couldn't even tell me why it was a problem. All she said over and over again was that it was what "offended" Jane's mom so badly.
Jane's mom had freaked out, photocopied the photo and brought it to the attention of the school. She couldn't even explain why she was offended; she just was. She had also instructed her little girl to tell Carson not to draw her any pictures anymore because they are bad (Jane and Carson have been exchanging MANY pictures all school year). Frankly, I am relieved. I don't want Carson to have anything to do with the girl because obviously her mother doesn't have enough to do and is easily excitable, thus resulting in the current situation. As a result, she is picking on my child and I am ready to attack. I know that is not the Christ-like response, but this mother bear is seething.
I understand bad things have happened in the world. And I understand bad things have happened here in CO. I also feel like people get attention for drama. I think morals, perspectives and people are screwed up. Unfortunately, if a five-year-old writes the word "kill" on behalf of a pirate he is trying to save his friend from (oh, and by the way, he told me he only wrote "kill" because "throw Jane in the water" wouldn't fit in the bubble), he is a menace to society. However, kids/people in general copulating all over schools is ok, even encouraged. I don't get it.
Now I have to make sure he doesn't even tie his shoes wrong. Grrrrr.
I know what the answer is. Accessing it for me seems far reaching right now, but the only way to change and heal is through the Atonement. I know the anger I am feeling is not God-given. Guess I better start praying like life depends on it because in truth - it does.

I laughed so hard I cried most of my make-up off

I had to repost this picture. It is so terrible - I can't get enough of it! Clearly, they get their looks from me :)

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo!

Last weekend we went the the Railroad Museum. We all had a lot of fun.