Just the three of us

Three. That has been our number for a very long time. Almost 8 years. Technically we are already a family of four. Until Emily is born though it's hard to imagine what it will be like when we REALLY go from three to four. I don't worry that I'll have enough love to spread around but I do worry about time. It already feels like some days I'm always telling Noah, "In a minute, We can do it later, or I'm busy." I heard him tell the dog the other day, "Don't worry if mommy can't play with you all the time after Emily comes home. She still loves you just as much. Babies just need a lot of help." While I was glad that he remembered that information from his sibling class and felt it was important enough to share it with Bella it made me a little sad.

I keep thinking back to when we brought Noah home. Those first few days are a giant blur of coffee, crying (me & him), and quick cat naps. I was lucky if I had time to eat and shower. How will I find time to help with homework? Will there be time to just sit and read on the couch together? Will we even make it to soccer practice?!? I know all of these things will work themselves out but still I worry.

Noah has been the center of our world for so long. He's going to have to share a lot of us with her. He understands that we will have to do a lot for her. I don't really know how he will adjust to the change. So far he likes the idea of having a baby sister...I'm unsure of how the reality of it will play out. I don't want him to feel jealous, sad, or left out. I'm going to do everything I can to make sure its an easy transition for him.

Our days as three are numbered. As excited as I am to meet Emily and find out what kind of person she is, I'm going to hold onto these last few weeks as three. I'm going to enjoy each one... even the ones when he drives me absolutely insane.

School Assigned Reading - The Book Chat

I think the first time I was given a book by a teacher and told, "You will read this. You will be tested on it. You will write a paper." was in seventh grade. From that day I ENJOYED school reading. I was given books that I had never heard of before. New worlds were opened up to me. I loved reading at home before then but didn't really realize how many different genres of books were out there.

I have always been the student that actually reads the book. When asked if I was prepared for the test my reply was, "Of course! I read the cliff notes!" My reply should have been, "Yes I am! I read every word in that book. My highlighters mark the pages. My study guide is complete with detailed answers. My note cards are many." No one actually READ the books. I couldn't be a READER... And so while many of my classmates were home probably watching tv I was snuggled up with those lovely books.

Some of my favorites were:

So did you enjoy school reading? What were your favorites?

Lately...

So here's what has been happening around our house lately....

THIS happened!

Joey sent me a text one morning saying that someone ran into the back of the car. Poor car =(
It's been at the auto shop for a while now. They say we should have it back be September.It looks pretty bad so I'm sure it wasn't easy to fix. Joey started having back and neck pain so he had to go see a doctor. NOW he has to go twice a week to a chiropractor. I'm just glad the other guy had insurance because I'm sure fixing the damage is going to be costly. I'm also glad the Noah wasn't in the car AND that I wasn't in the car. That would have been an immediate trip to the ER for me and the baby. Hopefully we'll have it back soon...maybe they'll wash it too? =)

This mess...

Became THIS...

It took a lot of time, sweat, frustration, complaining, and work to get it done. It was a nightmare. I worked on it a little bit everyday and now finally it's all cleaned up. Maintaining the yard here has been a pain in my you know what. There are just SO MANY plants and flowers...and weeds. I think it's a little comical that I've ALMOST got everything finished and soon it will be fall and all of it will need trimming. Oh well.... =)

Noah had a big moment!

He FINALLY lost a tooth. He'll be 8 in December and all of his friends have been going toothless for a while now. He's been pretty sad about it. At his lats dentist visit the dentist told us that his adult teeth just hadn't come down far enough yet to let those baby teeth know it's time to move on out. We just had to wait. Then he came downstairs one day and proudly showed me his wiggly tooth as I tried my hardest not to be grossed out. Wiggly teeth creep me out! I did a good job though and kept a smile on my face. I asked him if he wanted me to pull it while secretly hoping he would say no lol. He did say no. Thank you Noah! About two days later he pulled it himself.
Now the tough part comes. Noah's mouth is very small. His bottom teeth are already crowded. At his next dental appointment they'll look at the teeth he has lost and determine which ones to pull to make space for his adult teeth. Then once to adult teeth are coming in some of those will have to come out as well because they just won't all fit. THEN braces. I feel awful because I went through all of that. =(

This doggy...

is driving my insane. She's been shedding a lot more than usual. I clean the floors at least three times a day. I thought that maybe it was just because it's hot out so she's shedding her extra fur. Then she started scratching like crazy. My first thought was, "Oh no she has fleas!" but we give her flea medicine every month and I've checked her several times. No fleas. She's also only scratching her face, legs, and paws. I remembered that last year around this time she started doing the same thing. Did you know dogs can have seasonal allergies? Well they can. I really think it might just be that. I'm taking her to the vet though because her itching is getting out of control and I can tell she's not happy. Hopefully they can give her something that will help =(

Do you do "chick lit"? - The Book Chat

I used to read a lot of what is defined as "chick lit". In the last few years the types of books I read have changed. Well maybe not changed. I still read chick lit books but now I also read several other kinds of books. I can't read a ton of chick lit books back to back because they get a little repetitive, I think.  Girl has problem...Girl goes through finding ways to solve problem...Girl solves problem.

My favorite CL author is Jennifer Weiner. I really do love her. I've rarely been disappointed with one of her books. My favorite book of hers is Goodnight Nobody. It's a CL story with some mystery mixed in.

 From Goodreads:

For Kate Klein, a semi-accidental mother of three, suburbia has been full of unpleasant surprises. Her once-loving husband is hardly ever home. The supermommies on the playground routinely snub her. Her days are spent carpooling and enduring endless games of Candy Land, and at night, most of her orgasms are of the do-it-yourself variety.

When a fellow mother is murdered, Kate finds that the unsolved mystery is the most exciting thing to happen in Upchurch, Connecticut, since her neighbors broke ground for a guesthouse and cracked their septic tank. Even though the local police chief warns her that crime-fighting's a job best left to the professionals, Kate launches an unofficial investigation -- from 8:45 to 11:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, when her kids are in nursery school.

As Kate is drawn deeper into the murdered woman's past, she begins to uncover the secrets and lies behind Upchurch's picket-fence facade -- and considers the choices and compromises all modern women make as they navigate between marriage and independence, small towns and big cities, being a mother and having a life of one's own.

Do you have a favorite chick lit author? A favorite book? Do you like chick lit? Hate it?
Link up with the book chat!

Another Year

Noah is now officially a second grader. He woke up early this morning. An hour early. I was happily sleeping when he woke me up and asked, "When are you going to get up?" He stood dressed and ready for school. He was obviously very excited about his first day. All morning he kept asking me how much longer before we had to leave.

I was, as usual, a little sad. He just keeps growing up and I can't stop it. I wish I could freeze time for just a little bit. I was so ready for him to go back to school. He was getting bored during the day and that ended in him getting in more trouble than usual. The last few weeks have been tough. Now the house is quiet. It's just me and the dog. She sleeps most of the day so she isn't much company. It's too quiet! This will be a nice break though because in about five weeks Emily will be here and I know it won't be so quiet anymore.

I hope Noah has a great first day!

Where do babies come from?

I'm actually surprised it's taken this long for Noah to question how a baby managed to get inside me. He hasn't asked any questions other than, "So does the baby eat the food that falls into your stomach with it?" I told him then that she isn't in my stomach but in my uterus. After that he had no further questions.

Until last night.

I was tucking him in and he said, "So how did Emily get in there?"

Cue the crickets chirping.....

I just told him it was bedtime and we would talk about it in the morning. Although I thought I was prepared to answer this question when the moment actually arrived I had nothing to say. He's seven so he doesn't need all the specific details. I decided I would give him a tiny bit of information and if he asked for more then I would tell him more....

So this morning I first asked him how he thought she got in there. His answer: A doctor cut me open and put a teeny tiny baby in there. Then the doctor stapled me up.

That's a little scary lol....

 I told him that God takes a little part from the mommy and a little part from the daddy and when they're together in the mommy's uterus they make a baby. The baby grows and grows in there until it is big enough to be born.

I was waiting for him to ask, "What parts?" but he never did. He just started talking about how babies have wobbly necks. He also mentioned that since I'll be busy watching Emily he can probably do whatever he wants since I won't be able to ground him.... I don't think so.

I know there will be more questions to come. Hopefully I won't have a panic moment like I did this time!

34 Week Update

So here we are at 34 weeks. I am so ready to not be pregnant anymore. My doctor told me I'm her smallest patient BUT I feel enormous. I feel like there is absolutely no way Emily can take up anymore space...I know she'll find a way though.

My biggest complaints right now are just being uncomfortable all of the time and not sleeping. I wake up all night long. The longest stretch of uninterrupted sleep is from about 4am until 8am. Not fun.

We found out at my last round of needle pokes and testing that I'm anemic. That didn't surprise me since I became anemic when I was pregnant with Noah. It went away shortly after he was born. This means I get to take iron pills. Bleh! They make me feel awful and I have to take them TWICE a day. At first I wasn't really taking them like I was supposed to...BAD ASHLEY! Then my doctor told me that although I'm not causing harm to the baby by not taking them I am hurting myself. The real risk with pregnancy anemia comes after you have the baby. Your iron levels drop a lot after the baby is born. If you already have low iron that's bad news for your body. The only way to pump those levels up quickly is a blood transfusion and extra time in the hospital. After she told me that I was totally on board with taking those nasty pills like a good girl.

Noah was born 10 days late. I talked to my doctor about my concern that this baby will decide she is too comfy in there as well. She said HOPEFULLY I won't have to be induced and HOPEFULLY I won't be really late. If we get to 40 weeks and I really just want her out she said we can talk about induction then but normally she would let me go until 42 weeks before doing anything. So we'll see what happens.... Emily please don't stay in there until 42 weeks!!!!

If you follow me on Twitter... Follow @ThisUnscripLife

Then you've probably seen this picture. Noah went to a Very Important Sibling class. It was a really fun thing to do and he enjoyed it more than I thought he would. He learned how to hold, swaddle, and diaper a baby. He did a really good job too! They also talked about baby safety and how things might be different after the baby comes home. Our favorite part was going upstairs to the nursery to see the babies. There were only 2 in the nursery at the time and Noah was disappointed with such a low number of babies to look at.

The hospital is set up so that you have the baby in the labor and delivery ward and then they move you to the postpartum ward where the nursery is. Both areas have just been remodeled and they look amazing. They look more like nice hotel rooms and not so much cold sterile hospital rooms.

We are all ready to meet Emily. It feels like the last 34 weeks have flown by so I'm sure she'll be here before we know it!

The Book Chat - Memoirs & Autobiographies

At first when I saw the topic of memoirs and autobiographies I thought I didn't have anything to say about them because I haven't read any. Then I realized that I have! It's a small number though...

Love You, Mean It: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Friendship

This book should come with a box of tissues. It's the story of 4 women who lose their husbands on that awful day...9/11. They didn't know each other before that day. The book follows them from just before the one year anniversary to 4 years after the tragedy. They end up meeting and forming a very strong bond and friendship. This book makes you appreciate the people you have in your life. 

Bright Lights, Big Ass 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Jen Lancaster. She's written several books cataloging her crazy adventures but this one is my favorite. Even though I've read it a few times it still makes me laugh out loud. It is a great pick me up kind of book. 

Bossypants

This was a great book. I laughed a lot while reading this. I like her even more now. Go read it!

Seriously, I'm Kidding

Who doesn't love Ellen? She's amazing. She's so kind and soooo FUNNY. When you read this book you can really hear her tell the story. I loved every page of this book. I want to go read the other books she has!

So that's about it for me in this genre. Maybe I'll read more someday....

..end of my rope.

I want someone to tell me how to get a child to listen. So far I'm not having much luck. Lately it seems everything is a battle and I'm losing. I think we are going on a record number of days that Noah has been grounded. It's really ridiculous. This is summer. He should be outside playing but instead he chooses to misbehave and gets grounded.

It always starts with something small. I've asked him to clean up or to stop doing something. Somehow it snowballs into an argument over why he doesn't want to do it and why I say he has to do it. I'M the GROWNUP! When did I lose control? When did he stop just doing what I tell him to do because he's the kid and I'm the mom? By the end of the night I've run out of things to take away from him.

I need more tools. I need Supernanny. I need someone to say do this (and have it work). I don't like going to bed frustrated and angry that I can't figure it out. I just want him to listen to me. This has to stop. I spend the most time with Noah because I'm home all of the time. Once Emily is here I simply will not be able to constantly argue with him while trying to take care of her when it's just the three of us. It just won't work.

Today we are making a list of his rules to hang up. Maybe if he can SEE them he'll be more likely to follow them. Today we are making a list of his consequences for NOT listening...NEW consequences because obviously just losing things he likes isn't working.

Wish me luck....

Birthmarked (Book Review)

I'm ashamed to say it but I tend to judge a book by it's cover. When I'm strolling through aisles and aisles of books the nice covers call to me. The not so nice ones scream, "Don't pick me up! I'm not worth your time!" When I saw Birthmarked the cover was pretty, gritty, mysterious....I had to pick it up. After reading what it was about I quickly added it to my stack of books to bring home.

From Goodreads:
IN THE ENCLAVE, YOUR SCARS SET YOU APART, and the newly born will change the future.
In the future, in a world baked dry by the harsh sun, there are those who live inside the walled Enclave and those, like sixteen-year-old Gaia Stone, who live outside. Following in her mother's footsteps Gaia has become a midwife, delivering babies in the world outside the wall and handing a quota over to be "advanced" into the privileged society of the Enclave. Gaia has always believed this is her duty, until the night her mother and father are arrested by the very people they so loyally serve. Now Gaia is forced to question everything she has been taught, but her choice is simple: enter the world of the Enclave to rescue her parents, or die trying.
A stunning adventure brought to life by a memorable heroine, this dystopian debut will have readers racing all the way to the dramatic finish.

From the back cover:
"You can't take my baby. She's mine."
"You'll have others. You'll get to keep some. I promise."
"Please. Not this one. Not my only. What have I done?"
"You've provided a great service to the Enclave."

Gaia grows up in a land outside "The Wall" called Wharfton. On the other side of the wall, guarded by gates and soldiers, is the Enclave. Gaia is following in her mother's footsteps as a midwife. Every month the midwives have to bring the first 3 babies they deliver to the Enclave. Knowing that the children who grow up inside the guarded walls have privileges like running water, nice clothes, and plenty of food make this task easier. 

One day a guard is waiting for Gaia at her house. Her parents have been arrested. They've been accused of keeping a record of the babies that have been "advanced" to The Enclave. As far as Gaia knows her parents have done nothing but faithfully serve the Enclave. As time passes and they don't return she forms a plan to find them and bring them home. 

Once inside the wall Gaia quickly sees the difference between her world and this privileged one. It's not too long until the truth behind why the babies must be given to the Enclave is revealed. She also finds that maybe her parents did have something to hide. Maybe the marks her and her mother placed on each baby they gave to the enclave have a special meaning. 

Gaia's adventure in the Enclave is exciting and kept me turning page after page. Will she find her parents in time? Will she figure out the connection to the marked babies? Where will her discoveries lead her?

I really enjoyed reading this book. I didn't realize until I was almost finished with it that it is the first book in a trilogy! I'm very excited to read the other two books. I NEED to know the rest of the story! I haven't LOVED a book in a while. I'm hoping this is only the beginning and that I'll love the other books too. 
I already love the covers... ;)

Prized BOOK #2

Promised BOOK #3

Friday's Letters

Dear Noah,

I'm so excited that you FINALLY lost your first tooth. I'm more excited that you pulled it out yourself...loose teeth creep me out. Now you sound so cute when you talk!

Dear Keurig, 

Making weird sounds and only filling my cup up 1/4 of the way is unacceptable. Time to google what the problem could be....

Dear Sleep,

I miss you =(  It's nearly impossible to fall asleep at night. Then I wake up at 3am wide awake but also exhausted. If I manage to drag myself out of bed before 9 I need a good 2-3 hour nap in the after noon. MOST morning I don't even get out of bed until 10... Poor Noah. At least he comes to tell me he's awake and that he'll just get a poptart to eat. I'm glad he's pretty independent! 

Dear baby Emily,

Please stop hurting me. I understand that your strong movements mean your healthy and happy BUT it's making me extremely uncomfortable and we still have 7 weeks to go. I really feel like there is no more room for you to grow in there...although realistically I know you will find room. Let's try to keep those sharp jabs to a minimum..k? =)

I hope you all have a fantastic Friday!!!!

The Book Chat - Catching Up!

The book chat has been missing for a while because Jessica from The Tangerine has been without REAL internet since about April. Can you believe that? Me either. That's just inhumane... However now she has a reliable internet connection and the chat is back!

I haven't really been reading a lot this summer. I'm having a hard time finding books that I love and actually want to review.

I DID fall in love with these three books. Lucky for me they are all the first book in either a trilogy or series!

I have Jessica (The Tangerine) and Brighton (Dear Brighton) to thank for introducing me to the world of the Black Daggar Brotherhood. Dark Lover by J.R. Ward is the first book and it was GREAT! Thankfully the next several books are already out so I won't have to wait for a release date to sink my teeth (ha ha ha) into the next one. 

I finished reading What's Left of me by Khat Zang in June. You can read my review here. The second book wont be released until September.

I started reading Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien on Tuesday. I finished it yesterday. It was THAT good. I did not put this book down! I highly recommend you go read it....like now. I didn't realize until I was almost finished with it that it was the first book in a trilogy. That made me extremely happy. 

Today I will start to read Almost Moon by Alice Sebold author of The Lovely Bones. I don't really know what I'm expecting from the book. The Lovely Bones was such a haunting book. The first line of The Almost Moon is, "When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily." So...ya...we'll see where this story takes me.

Welcome back book chat!!!!

Emily's Room

Emily's room is pretty much finished. It's so girly and cute. I think my favorite thing about the room is that Noah helped me make almost everything in it. We spent a LOT of time painting and gluing things. It all came together so well.

It really all started with this chair. I found it for $5! I sat in it and it was so comfortable but I wasn't sure yet. Then another pregnant lady sat in it and I thought, "HEY! Get out of my chair!" I took it home, cleaned the cushions, repainted the frame, replaced the buttons, and added pink trim. It matches perfectly.

I spent a lot of time coming up with ideas for things to hang on her walls. I didn't want to spend a ton of money on anything. I bought a few frames and the oval wreaths from the dollar store. Then I picked up a few pages of scrapbook paper and craft flowers. About two hours later I had it all pieced together. The frame in the middle is something Noah brought home from school when we first found out I was pregnant. It says, "I love my sister of brother. It is in my moms tummy. I don't care what kind it is." He was very happy that I put it on her wall.

I'm really pleased with how her room turned out. Now I need to start organizing all of her baby things!