Another set of little hands and little feet

I was pregnant with a few women, and the babies are now arriving. Tim and LaDonna had Allen in October, Shane and Erika had Ethan December 1st, I had Lael December 6th and now...

Travis and Amy welcomed Halle Brooke yesterday evening. Congratulations you guys! Amy, I can't wait to talk to you, but I gather through Travis and Amanda that it was a wonderful problem-free labor and delivery. Prayers anwsered! We love you guys and can't wait to meet her. Congratulations, also, to big sisters Amanda and Chloe!

Introducing Lael.

Eric has posted some video footage and a few still shots from the hospital. Hopefully more to follow as we have time. Ha. Time. With three kids? Right. :-)

She's here!

Lael Joyce
Born December 6
10:55 am
7 lbs. 7 1/2 oz.
19.5 inches long

We came home today from the hospital. All is well and I'll make sure to post more details and hopefully some pictures on the fadely.net site soon. She is gorgeous and we just can't stop looking at her and thanking God for the amazing blessings He has sent our way.

Congratulations to Shane and Erika!

Wednesday was a pretty rough day. Dean's illness was really hanging on and his fever was rising and becoming non-responsive to fever-reducers like Tylenol and Motrin. So, I took him to the doctor and a series of tests began because he was showing no signs of anything that might warrant such a high fever. Ears were perfect. Throat looked fine. Rapid Strep came up negitive. It seemed to be just a pesky cough with some congestion and this horrible fever of nearly 104. The day included his blood being drawn, his urine being collected (two cath. attempts and two collection bags later!), a chest x-ray (a trip to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital), and lots of cuddles and tears. All doctors and technicians were fabulous and he is now feeling better (if you are anywhere near Nashville and have children- Vandy is *the place* to go). Apparently he has/had an early form of pnemonia that is not contagious and is responsive to Augmentin antibiotics. A few hours after his first dose, his fever dropped and has now stayed away. I thank God that it was nothing too serious, that this all took place before I went into labor, and that we are a realitively healthy family that doesn't routinely see hospitals and doctor's offices. I think this is only the second time Dean's ever been on medicin. We're very blessed.

Speaking of doctors- I went for my OB check-up yesterday and I am now at a "very good three". The baby's head is "right there" and it "shouldn't be much longer" according to Dr. B. That was as much predicting as he was willing to do, but it sounds like it would be a big surprise if I was past due. Very encouraging.

It's extremely fun being nine months pregnant and having a sick child to care for. I feel bad for him, and yet I'm weary at the same time. Dean has had a croup-y cough and fever this weekend and he is very clingy. I've held him for three hours today. I can hardly get up to go to the bathroom because he cries so hard when I set him down. Needless to say, I am still in my pajamas and it is 12:14 p.m. I have managed to prop him up next to me a bit so that I can fold some laundry. Currently, he is distracted by watching Grant play an X-Box game and I'm able to have a moment to myself. Where are Grandad and Uncle Colin when you need them?!

My dad and my brother left yesterday, leaving both boys a bit sad and in want of more attention than I have the energy to provide right now. I don't roughhouse well right now, I don't tickle fight well right now, and I don't slip bits of candy. And lets face it, pregnant or not, I am just not as silly and fun as my dad is.

It was a short but good visit, and saying goodbye was easier knowing that they'll be back at Christmas. They arrived on Thanksgiving at about 1:45 and we came home from the airport in time to help Eric with the final setting of the table. Eric did a wonderful job with the meal, and I only was taken up on my offer to help with one menu item. He did everything else himself and did a superb job. This Thanksgiving, I was very thankful for a husband who can cook- and cook well.

Friday, we relaxed and tried to stay away from the shopping crowds, ate leftovers, and the men took care of the outdoor light decorating. It looks great.

Saturday, Eric made waffles for breakfast and we went out to pick up a Christmas tree. We decided against the Christmas Tree Farm idea and went to Home Depot instead. There now sits a wonderfully full tree in our living room; I think it may be one of the best trees we've had. I am making sure to stay on top of the watering since we bought it earlier than usual. Grant, Dean, Colin, and I decorated the tree while my dad and Eric went out grocery shopping for dinner. We put together a fondue night rather than going out to eat. Traditional Swiss cheese fondue, mexican cheese fondue, broth main course, and a butterscotch/chocolate dessert fondue that was almost fully consumed by my brother and I since Eric and my dad were "too full". Wimps. :-)

Sunday, I took my dad to church with Grant and me. Eric stayed home with sick little Dean, as did my brother who took the oportunity to catch up on sleep. Once home, we watched a bit of the Titans game and then I took them to the airport. I love living fifteen minutes from the airport. Next time we see them, my belly will be a whole lot smaller!

Yep, no baby yet. Come on little one! We have another check-up on Wednesday. Yesterday, I was officially 38 weeks pregnant, so she is considered "full term" and has my complete blessing to enter the world. Today would be fine.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am extremely excited to be picking my dad and brother up from the airport today. They'll be here until Sunday and then I get to see them again in a few weeks when they fly in for Christmas and to visit the baby. This year has flown by so fast; it went unnoticed that the last time we saw each other was a full year ago last Thanksgiving when I was in California with the boys. It made us a little sad to think it's been so long but we plan on making up for it with two visits back to back. Usually, even if we don't make it out to California for a trip, my dad comes out for a weekend at some point. This year, it just didn't happen. We were in Florida in February, England in March, came home in time for Dean's first birthday and then found out we were pregnant... and these last nine months have been a blur. Morning sickness, baby preparation, a trip to Dallas, project after project (I always have my hand in something, don't I?)... and now the year is nearly at a close.

So what have I been up to? We are on weekly doctor's appointments now. Yesterday was our most recent visit and I am now at 2 cm. This really doesn't mean anything more than my body is getting ready. I could go into labor today or it could be two more weeks. This is, however, positive information in two ways: (1) at least my body knows that something has to happen soon and that I won't be pregnant forever, and (2) now I only have 8cm to go- the less progress I have to make during actual labor the better!

Car seat is all ready. Appropriate lists are waiting by each family member's bag to be packed up when I am actually in labor. I've typed up phone list to call people in the hospital, and I've also typed up helpful information for the people who will be watching Grant and Dean on the big day. Tuesday, I designed and carved out the lino-cut I'll be using for the announcements and maybe if I have time, I'll print up the gazillion cards before she's born. If not, at least the hard part is over...hand printing takes time but not creative energy.

I haven't made the Christmas pajama pants or the Christmas cakes (I'm actually looking for the recipe that I've misplaced). It would be nice to do this, but I've resolved that it might not happen.

I have been knitting quite a bit and am rather pleased with all of the new things I'm teaching myself. So far, since picking up knitting about two months ago, I have made: two bunnies, two baby hats, two scarves, a pair of slippers, and I am now making a capelet/ short poncho of my very own design. I have learned to knit on double pointed needles, to knit on circular needles, how to successfully rip out (aka "frog") without ruining the whole project, how to "pick up" stitches, how to create an elongated drop stitch, how to yarn over, and how to cable. I have also discovered the wonderfulness that is Addi turbo and the deals that can be had on elann.com. Grandma and I have now talked a bit about knitting over the phone and she seemed excited for me; I wish she weren't so far away.

So, there's a short update. Hopefully we'll have a baby soon; Eric and I are hitting the extreme impatience stage!

Natural Childbirth

Hot topic coming your way!

I have decided for all my pregnancies to labor and deliver as naturally as possible. I am not passing judgment on those who don't agree with me. This post is simply a way of me getting down in writing my reasons for doing so, because it tends to be such an intriguing topic and it might save me explaining myself a few extra times.

Firstly, let me say that this is not a “pride issue”. I don’t consider women who deliver naturally to be stronger, nor do I feel they possess more will power. If it were just about being able to say that I delivered naturally, then I’d be demanding an epidural upon admission to the hospital!

Actually, I did have an epidural at the very end of my excruciatingly long labor (42+ hours) with Grant 4 ½ years ago. I was completely dilated and pushed for hours. In a last ditch effort before giving me a caesarian for “failure to progress”, they administered an epidural in hopes of relaxing my pelvis enough to allow room for baby. I know why women get them! It was wonderful! Thankfully, the epidural bought me enough time for the doctor to discover that Grant’s head was turned- keeping him from fully descending. All that needed to be done was a slight turning of his head with forceps and he came out.

Dean’s labor and delivery, on the other hand, was almost entirely natural (minus the breaking of my water) and I could hardly have asked for a better experience. Healthy baby. No surgery. Quick recovery.

Grant’s labor and delivery is the perfect example of why I choose to go naturally: It gains me the most options should problems arise. If I had already been given an epidural with him, I probably would have received a C-section for “failure to progress”- it would have appeared that all other avenues were exhausted. I am not against the use of medicines or C-sections when absolutely necessary. In fact, I like knowing that they are at my disposal. My goal is a healthy baby and a speedy recovery. C-sections usually mean a longer recovery and that is why I’m not keen on getting one. But you can be assured that if my health or my child’s health were dependant upon one, I wouldn’t be lamenting my unnatural birth.

There is a show on TLC or the Discovery Channel about the birthing process, and I can remember seeing an episode where a woman who had wanted a home birth ended up being told by her midwife that they needed to leave and get to the hospital instead. She was so torn up about it not being a home birth. Giving her the benefit of the doubt- maybe she was tired after so many hours of labor, or maybe her hormones were causing her emotional side to come out. But, I couldn’t help but think that I’d be less distraught about losing my ideal birth scenario and just thankful that my baby was going to be alright.

Back to what I said earlier about how natural childbirth gains me the most options should problems arise. I also feel that the less intervention that occurs, the less likely there are to be problems in the first place. Each medicine or procedure that is introduced brings with it a set of side effect and risk possibilities. Certainly, there are plenty of people that have no complications but I don’t know as any one person can predict their (or their baby’s) unique reaction. This is why I approach each intervention with caution and armed with as much information as possible.

And by “intervention” I don’t simply mean pain relief, but augmenting labor in any way: prostaglandin gel, Pitocin, breaking of amniotic membranes, narcotic pain relief, epidural anesthesia and a host of others. Pitocin can cause unnaturally hard contractions that cause stress to the baby and may be too strong for the mother’s uterus to handle. Epidurals can cause labor to stall, may make blood pressure drop, can cause spinal headaches, may make it harder to push during delivery and has been known to cause temporary paralysis in some people. Narcotic pain relief passes on to the baby, sometimes causing the newborn to be unusually sleepy or unresponsive. Artificial rupturing of the membranes puts a timer on your labor as most doctors won’t allow a woman to labor more than 24 hours after her water breaks due to risk of infection.

The thing that happens many times is a cycle of intervention that doesn’t seem to end. Initially, an epidural may be the start. But then labor stalls and Pitocin is given to speed up contractions. Baby reacts with an elevated heart rate and a C-section is performed. Again, I have no objections to any one individual intervention- they all have their place. I guess I just like knowing that every step was necessary and not a result of a choice I made for convenience… that way, I’m left with no “what if’s”.

The other nice benefit of a natural childbirth is that you are free to labor as you please. If you have medicines pumping through your system, you must be consistently monitored in case you or baby has a poor reaction. This usually means being stuck in bed with wires and tubes- no walking, no trips to the bathroom, no changing of position. And changing positions can help a baby descend properly and make the mother more comfortable.

Labor is intense, uncomfortable, and painful at times, but I am not convinced that any intervention is without risk.

A great book that gave Eric and me a lot of insight and tips on natural childbirth was Husband Coached Childbirth by Dr. Bradley. There are instructors out there who teach the “Bradley Method” of natural childbirth and I’m sure the classes are a whole heap more applicable than the Lamaze class we took at the hospital. Everything I used and found helpful came out of that book and I have referred to it each pregnancy for refreshers.

So, there’s a look at my brain and why I “punish” myself the way I do.

Gosh, am I really going to go through this all again in a few weeks (or sooner). What am I thinking?!

Should I feel guilty?

I am smiling. Laughing even. Dean just got up on the dining room table and held the salt shaker upside down until a nice puddle of salt formed. Then, as I approached and he realized the "wrongness" of his action, he quickly ducked his head down and licked up a whole mess of the stuff. What a face! Serves him right.

Today, I was making a list of what needs to be done in the way of Christmas since I consider myself out of commission shortly. We are probably going to have things very simple, even though we aren't usually extremely extravagant.

My dad and brother are flying in for Thanksgiving, so they will be a big help (even if they don't know it yet) since I'll put them to work decorating. And, if I'm gutsy enough, maybe we'll buy our tree and decorate it. We've never bought one so early before, but I have heard that regardless of when you purchase one, they are normally harvested at the same time...giving all the store-purchased trees a similar life span. Is this true? Has anyone out there bought their live tree around Thanksgiving? Maybe worth checking into would be the cut-your-own farms...then we'd know it was "fresh". But would it still stay green until Christmas? Hmmm.

Last year, we FORGOT TO BUY CHRISTMAS CRACKERS! This is a very big deal as it has been a tradition. It cannot happen again this year, so I got online to research where to buy them and came across this site. They sell clotted cream! Oh what wonderful goodness. I must buy some sometime.

Another English heritage Christmas must is Christmas Cake. My grandmother makes these, and this year while we were in England, she gave me a thorough tutorial on how to make it. They are dense fruited cakes, soaked in liquor, covered in marzipan, and then covered in sugar icing (what Americans call fondant). Not everyone likes them, and they are nothing like the fluffy spongy Betty Crocker cakes with frosting that we have here. But I love it, and I think I'm going to try to make it this year. Oh, I hope I won't be disappointed- sometimes grandmas just do things better no matter how hard you try!

Lastly, I need to buy some flannel to sew matching pajama pants for our family. Grant's first Christmas, I made matching pants for Eric and Grant and the tradition has remained even as our family has grown. Last year all three boys had matching pants. This year, though, I think I will actually make five pairs and include myself and our daughter. I give them on Christmas Eve, and then we wear them on Christmas morning. I'm not into the whole matchy-matchy thing much... but pajama pants are okay in my book.

Happy election day to all Americans out there! I've voted and I hope that you have done your research and gone to the polls as well- but only if you've done your research. I strongly dislike the voting campaigns out there that urge people to get out and vote. Voting isn't the issue. If you are an uninvolved American who doesn't really care one way or another, please don't show up because you "feel you should" now that you've seen such-and-such a celebrity tell you about voting on a television commercial. So showing up to vote, to me, is only part of the equation. There needs to be an understanding of what is at stake, what each canidate stands for, and a full grasping of our responsibility as citizens in the whole process. Do your homework. Anybody can go in there and press a button or check a box.

Congratulations to Tim and LaDonna, who welcomed their third child (a son!) into the world Friday, October 29th. Allen is healthy and mom seems to be recovering well. He was born at 12:29pm, weighing 7lbs. 13 oz. and measuring 20 1/2 inches. I visited the hospital Friday and also saw them again yesterday right before they were being discharged.

And if LaDonna has had her baby, that means that it is really getting down to the wire for me since our due dates were only six weeks apart. So close and yet so far away.

I recieved a package from my Grandma today- beautiful knitted girlie things. Now that I am back into knitting, I appreciate the work that goes into each piece all the more. There is an amazing fine gauge white kimono wrap cardigan that is embroidered with flowers along the neckline. It is on the smaller side, so she might be able to wear that immediately. Mind you, this small shipment is in addition to all of the other sweaters I have from her that she knitted previously. With our other babies, we decided not to find out the sex of the baby. Rather than knitting unisex items, Grandma knitted both boy AND girl items. So I have all of the girl items fromt he first two pregnancies, this shipment of girl items, and all of the baby girl sweaters and sweater dresses and bonnets and mittens that were mine as a baby (also knitted by Grandma) that my mother saved for me. It couldn't be better that we are having a winter baby- hopefully she can use it all at least once!

My knitting is going well. I finished the Latifa scarf, but decided to just do ruffles at the ends. My yarn knitted up a bit bulkier than expected and I think having the ruffles all along the scarf might make it too stiff. Still pretty, but much different than the original. Now, I am working on a pair of these. Knitting is so relaxing that I really want to keep a project on needles. And it is my goal to continue challenging myself with harder and harder projects- or at least things that have something new to try within the pattern. For instance, the Latifa scarf was the first time I'd ever "picked up" stitches.

In other creative news, the "watercolor for a friend" that has been on my To Do list for too long is complete. I started and finished it from draft to end product last week. I have wanted to post details, but couldn't because it was a surprise. I think the recipient really liked it.

My last big project that I'd like to accomplish before our baby arrives is to make her announcements. This time, I think I'll do a lino-cut, but still am unsure of an image. Need to get sketching!

Eric and I went on a date Saturday (can't we get a babysitter every week?!). Amazingly lovely time at Stoney River. Highly recommended. Eric said the steak was even better than Ruth's Chris. My favorite was the cappacino creme brulee with candied cinnamon pecans. We shared, but next time maybe we should share one in the restaurant and take another one to go!

Sunday, we went to church. Eric ran sound for both services and I taught the three year olds first service and attended second service... needless to say, it was a good but long morning. We didn't get back home until about 2:00. Watched the Titans win. Then we got Batman and Robin in their crime-fighting costumes and did the Halloween thing. Our neighborhood met in the cul-de-sac and we did a potluck dinner before trick-or-treating. We have a very kid-oriented street, so there were tons of munchkins and nearly all of the boys were superheros of some sort! Grant and Dean had a blast, and I was extremely amazed at how "into it" Dean got. He really comprehended the bag of candy- dumping it out upon getting home, sitting in the middle of his loot and saying, "WOW!". Grant remembered last year, but really forgot about saying the "trick or treat" phrase until he got a few doors down. So, at his first door, he did the polite thing and said: "may I please have some candy?" [plunk, plunk] "thank you". I love that!

Guilty again, of not posting in way too long. All is well, and much has happened. There really isn't the time to do justice to any one thing, so I'll provide a "highlights" list for you.

- The boys and I survived a crazy week of Eric being gone for the annual User's Conference that his company holds for their clients. He stayed downtown in the hotel because of all the awful and odd hours he'd be putting in. We missed him dearly and made sure to write him sweet notes and bake him cookies to deliver.

- My Home Life Practicum class at church is going so well. God is revealing a number of things to me- both things to work on and different ways of viewing my world and roles. The mentoring group I'm in has been valuable, as each woman (there are three of us) is at a different stage in life (single, married with young children, married with grown children) and has something special to bring to the table.

- My dear friends Mary, LaDonna, and Amy threw an amazing baby shower for me the other week. Being my first girl, the theme was all things girl. The colors were black and deep pink (think Victoria's Secret). Mary's house was all decked out in black and pink pillows, candles, flower arrangements, balloons, tablecloths. There was even a candy dish with black jelly beans in it just for me (I love black jelly beans!). The food was much too much of a good thing- a handbag shaped cake (complete with beaded handle), individual servings of flower-shaped ice cream, mozarella tomato salad, strawberry chocolate bars, fruit, ginger snaps with Amy's famous mandarin orange dip. Okay, I'd better stop or I'll start drooling. It was a really wonderful afternoon with friends, and everyone was so generous in giving us girlie clothes and accesories. Hair bows! Pink things! This is going to be so strange... in a good way.

- I have made it to the gym a few times in the past week after about 2 solid weeks of not going. Yay for me!

- We got a new coffeemaker. The thermos-like chrome coffeepot is the best feature. The coffee stays warm for ages!

- The crib quilt for the baby's room is done. I had plenty of miscellaneous fabric pieces from the skirt, curtain, and bumper pad to come up with something soft and cozy in an appealing pattern. My favorite thing is all the odd mother-of-pearl buttons that I "tied" the quilt with from my mother's old button box.

- The Latifa scarf is on it's last skein, then I just need to finish it with the "ruffles". I used different yarn, so the final product won't look like that one (as much as I like it), but the stitches are the same.

- Mary and I hosted a baby shower/ going away party this weekend for Travis and Amy here at my house. We had a Mexican fiesta complete with burrito bar (similar to Baja Burrito), virgin margaritas and pina coladas, a pinata for gift cards, crepe paper flowers, tres leches cake, Mexican wedding cake cookies, and CHURRO CORN (very authentic, I know). Eric is crazy, everyone else seems to like Churro corn. Travis and Amy are leaving in three weeks for Birmingham to start a church while, at the same time, they wait for the arrival of their third child- due December 11th. Talk about timing! God's got it all under control, thankfully.

- We no longer vacuum, we Dyson!

- This weekend, we had a reunion of sorts. Our old Care Group from Cornerstone met up for an evening of food and conversation. It is amazing how much has changed; a few of us no longer go to that church and we have had more kids over the years. Lots of kids running around, lots of fun- it was good to see everyone.

- Eric and I went on a mini-date Thursday. It felt absolutely wonderful to have two solid hours with just him. We enjoyed talking in the car as we drove around the city following construction detour after construction detour in search of The Frothy Monkey. Their business must be plummeting right now, because it seems impossible to get to the place. Finally, we gave up and settled on Starbucks near Vandy. I had a Pumpkin Spice Decaf Latte and Blueberry coffeecake, he had a Pumpkin Spice Frappachino and lemon white chocolate cake. My drink was better, which is a sweet victory since I normally end up wishing I'd ordered what he picked. Not this time. Ha!

I am loved. Eric came home early, which is a treat alone, but he brought with him a large Caramel Steamed Milk for me. Yum. Steamed milk always reminds me of the wonderful kiosk in Waterloo Station, London that I love getting steamed milk from to combat the usual English cold as we walk along the Thames. I recommend the amaretto or coconut flavors.

Happy birthday to my brother, Colin today!!! The big twenty-one! Whoo Hooo!

Friday, you'd have thought it was my birthday. Eric came home from work with four dozen roses for me. Wow. The sink could hardly contain them while they soaked up fresh water. Thank you, husbando!

I seriously will have to post some photos when I get the chance. I know it's not ultra difficult, it is just a matter of time and desire to do so. Saturday, I started and finished the curtain for our baby's room. Eric hung the rod and it looks perfect. Very simple- I ended up going with an airy cotton in off-white. The curain hardware is silver, and I used silver hooks that hold the curtain up through button holes. Over each hook tip, I tied a length of moss green grosgrain ribbon to add a pop of a different color and to tie in the accent fabric from the bedding. I am quite pleased. The last big project for her room will be a blanket for the crib. Originally, I had decided against making a crib quilt, but since I have leftover fabric from the other projects, it didn't make sense to exclude this element. And after that, it is just a matter of decorative touches to add to the bare walls. I'm not opposed to doing this after she arrives, even. We'll see.

Saturday night, we watched Sense and Sensibility with Kris and Mary. It wasn't Kris' first choice, but I'm glad he caved. Love Jane Austen. The experience was much improved by the consumption of "ChurroCorn". I suggested we make a sweet popcorn with butter, cinnamon and sugar. Eric was the only one who didn't care for the idea; he had some sort of issue with the name we'd given it. I think he was also a bit concerned that my suggestion sounded too confident because he asked, "Have you ever made this before?" Okay, he caught me. I was using our friends as guinea pigs, but it sounded like a good idea. And- HA!- it turned out wonderfully and we loved it and I. SHALL. MAKE. IT. AGAIN. I didn't measure, but tasting as you add the ingredients will surely provide a yummy outcome. Butter the popcorn evenly and a little on the heavy side. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon (it looked roughly like 1/2 cup sugar to 1 tablespoon cinnamon). Shake sugar mixture over buttered popcorn as you toss to evenly coat.

Oh, and I'm still knitting. At this point, I've made two hats, two bunnies, and I am nearly done with a knitted flower. The flower was intended to top one of the hats for our daughter, but I think it just is too big. It would be better as a brooch, like this. I'll have to make a smaller flower for the hat. The book I'm using for the flower patterns is Nicky Epstein's Knitted Embellishments which I've borrowed from the library, but realize would be an amazing book to own eventually; it is quite a resource. So, now I am drooling over patterns trying to decide what I'd like to knit next. The Knitty archives have some wonderful patterns and bits of information. Currently, I am trying to use up the yarn stash that came from my mom, so projects will probably be dictated by what I have. Eric still shakes his head at the fact that I'm knitting. Not helped by the fact that my 80-year-old grandmother is a knit-a-holic, he views it as something "older people do". I try to tell him about the wave of new knitters and the young, hip people that are into it (although that is rarely a reason for me to adopt something into my life). No one I know (besides my grandmother) knits, so he just doesn't see it for what it is. If you or someone you know is a young knitter, tell him I'm not the only one!

Anyway, here are some patterns that have caught my eye:

Cozy

Sueet Suede

Latifa

Lacecap

Eric called me today and said that he was able to track down a Robin outfit online for Dean in a tiny toddler size. So, we will officially have Batman (Grant) and Robin in our home for Halloween. With such superhero presence we're sure to be safe from spooks and ghouls!

We arrived home last night from Dallas and today is a day of getting back to normal- laundry, rest, playing outside, putting away luggage etc.

It was a good visit. Tim and Angie pampered us by giving up their bedroom "for the pregnant woman" and Grant played with Ethan non-stop. Dean and Olivia will need a bit more growing up before they have fun together, but occasionally they didn't scream and cry. We took a day trip to the Ft. Worth Stockyard, had an all-out fondue night at home, went to a photography studio for the kids pictures, attended one of Ethan's soccer games, ran around at a newly opened Frisco park, and made an extremely long trek in search of a Carl's Jr. to fill a craving for a Western Bacon Cheesburger.

More updating later. Glad to be home, though.

In case you were wondering...

If you go to the Post Office with packages to mail, and they weigh everything and put on all the appropriate stickers, and then you try to pay for it all and you have forgotten your PIN number, and you just wrote your last check at the salon where your kids got their hair cut, and all of your plastic cards say "see photo I.D." on the back instead of having actual signatures (even though no one has complained about this before), and you only have minimal cash on your person, then you will be walking back out of the Post Office with your packages in hand (stickers removed) and your head hung in shame.

Super busy day today. We are leaving this evening on a road trip to Dallas. It's about time we visited Tim and Angie- it's been about two years. I'm picking Eric up at work and we are leaving from downtown directly, staying the night somewhere to break up the trip, and arriving there tomorrow. Normally, it is about a twelve hour trip, so it will be very nice to segment it.

Most of the packing occured last night, Eric loaded the car for me this morning, and I just have some miscellanous things to throw in before departure. All the same, it is weird for me being the one to double check the house before leaving and round up all the details for four people.

I have a nice bag of yarn and an assortment of needles to keep me busy. We've got books, the entertainment system, and the X Box as well. Truly, we are set.

This morning I am taking the boys for haircuts, painting my toenails, and running by the post office.

So, I didn't get the dresser done yesterday, it was just too busy of a day.

Eric was running sound for both services at church and needed to be there at 7:00 to set up. He normally is a big help getting the children ready on Sunday morning, and without him there I just barely scraped out the door in time to make it there for assisting in Grant's Sunday school class. Dean had a really rough morning (to add to the really rough few weeks he's been having*), so I felt a bit relieved to hand him over to the caring nursery staff that had the ability to sit hand hold him for a few hours. The four-year-old class went well, and I was proud of Grant's ability to memorize a verse they learned. I attended second service, stoped by Costco on the way home to pick up a few items along with the pictures we dropped off last week, and headed home to catch the Titans game on TiVo with Kris and Mary. I rarely get to watch every bit of a football game because the boys never seem to take a nap on Sunday, leaving me with the job of Official Husher and Corraler so they don't stand in front of the TV or play so loudly that we can't hear. I usually resort to putting the upstairs TV on for them to acquire "glazed eye status" and, consequently, Peace and Quiet. So, having put on a movie for them, I did catch the last half and was able to sit still long enough to work on my knitting. Shortly after the dissapointing loss to the Colts, I finished my baby hat. I made up the pattern (knit 3, purl 3 rib stitch) based on the gauge and decreasing instructions for another baby hat, which means there are a few imperfections that I notice, but the cool thing is that it IS A HAT...AND I KNITTED IT! Whooo Hooo! The double pointed needles were a little tricksy, in the way that french braiding is different from a normal three-stranded braid; you're dealing with more than you're accustomed to. But actually, I guess it's easier than that- I still can't french braid. (Side note to self: must learn to french braid...I'm having a little girl!) The rest of the evening was dinner and playing outside with the neighborhood kids, on bikes, with dirt and rocks and balls. The way the boys have enjoyed the outdoors so much this summer makes me a little sad for winter to arrive.



*Dean has been fussy, emotional, irrational, grumpy, whiny, and tantrum-prone. Part of it we chalked up to teething, and partly we figured it was just the stage he's going through (he's 18 months old today). He had 5 teeth break through the gums in the past week and a half...one of them a molar. Last night, Eric seriously coated his mouth in a numbing gel and we gained our little happy boy back. He ate, he laughed, he didn't cry. Why didn't we do this sooner?! I'm thinking his un-fun behaviour was more related to teeth than anything else.

What a gorgeous day it has been today! We turned off the air conditioner and opened all the windows. I (nearly) have the dresser painted for the baby's room. On my final coat of paint, a big gust of wind kicked up a bit of dirt onto some of the pieces that were wet- so the top and one of the drawers need a bit of sanding and another topcoat. But, certainly tomorrow the hardware will be put on and the nice new-ish chest of drawers will be in the room.

And, it is official- I am seriously enjoying knitting. Yesterday, I started a little baby hat with some yummy soft cotton yarn in a rose pink color. This is my first go at using a set of double point needles. I was a bit nervous, but figure that I don't want to stay a begining knitter so I need to charge ahead and try new stitches and techniques.

Knitted Bunny

I just finished my bunny. What a sense of accomplishment to have a completed knitting project for the very first time in my life! It has me thinking of what I might knit next. My little rabbit is a charcoal gray mohair-type yarn (Lion Brand Jiffy) with a pom-pom yarn tail, and moldable ears. Since I started with a 12 inch swatch, rather than the 6 inch swatch the pattern called for, I couldn't use their guidelines for the ears and had to make them up as I went along. Choosing a stockinette stitch made them curl nicely and gives you the ability to bend them to be floppy lop ears or keep them straight up.

The funniest part is that I sewed the whole body up with a tiny golden safety pin instead of a yarn or tapestry needle. I am using my mother's old stash of knitting needles that she must have collected on half sales or at charity shops in England because it ... contains nearly... EVERYTHING: circular needles, double point needles, cable needles, crochet hooks, stitch holders, stitch markers. All sizes. All brands. I'll be extremely surprised if I ever have to purchase anything but yarn (or maybe a really cool needle organizer). But, alas, no tapestry needle. There are probably a few lying around my dad's house in my mom's old things. She tried nearly craft/ artform out there and had the tools and supplies for all of it. It would appear that she passed this creative "must try it" trait on to me. Oh, what a dangerous duo we'd be!

I bet she'd love my bunny.

Proverbs 23:12 " Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge."

I am very excited. Tomorrow night, I will be attending my first Life School of Ministry course. Our church offers the courses to church members as well as those going through the program and doing the internship. The class, which I knew about but had forgotten until God brought it to mind this past week, seems to address all of the issues that are weighing on me with running this house as a mother and wife. The course description of Home Life Practicum as described in the syllabus:

Home Life Practicum is based upon Titus 2:3-5:

“the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior,
not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good
things—that they admonish the young women to love their
husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste,
homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands,
that the word of God may not be blasphemed.”

It takes a practical and biblical look at how to restore the dignity and sanctity of your home by imparting creative home management and vital relationship skills using biblical principles. This class will impact and motivate you to introduce greater value into your home. You will learn and practice new creative home management techniques in addition to learning how to develop an atmosphere of love, peace and joy to all who enter your home.

Course Objectives

· To improve the dignity and sanctity of the home.
· To learn and practice creative home management techniques.
· To develop vital relationship skills.
· To learn to be a peacemaker and make your home a haven of rest.
· To understand God’s sufficiency to supply what you need.
· To learn how to eliminate chaos with organization and time management skills.

I will be particpating as a Level 2 student, meaning that I will not be taking the exam or completing a final project for credit. Which is a very good thing, as my due date for this baby is only a few weeks after the last class meeting. The class meets every other Wednsday night at church, and then on the odd weeks you meet with someone who has been through the study before in their home or a meeting place. Essentially, they will be my "mentor". Bless Eric for committing to this, as well, since he'll be the one doing the night routines with the boys while I'm away on those nights.

Projects

By the end of the week, I should have the dresser all done. Yay. Yesterday, I finished the sanding and did one coat of primer. Today, I went to Home Depot to pick up new hardware and the actual paint color. I decided to go with the same "Colonial Pearl" off-white/cream color that I did the kitchen cabinets in the other year. I figured, that way, any leftover paint can be used for touch up to either surface. The handles are a nickel/silver color and are a different width than the old ones- so far today I have drilled new holes and put wood filler in others. I noticed while doing this that I'm not the first person to reposition handles, the interior of the drawers bare the scars of a few putty jobs. Next is to do another primer coat and then maybe begin on the topcoat. Maybe. It all depends on how long the boys nap for. Working on it this morning in the garage as they played outside was slow going since I had to stop frequently to kiss owwies, pull tiny feet out of large puddles, resolve out-of-hand conflict, and redirect curiosity in the tools ("No, Dean, you may not use the electric sander on Grant's bicycle").

Knitting is nearly done. I had to go buy more yarn yesterday at Hobby Lobby- thankfully, the colors match up. If I had cast on the right number of stiches to begin with, I would have been done 4 times over. Instead of making a 6 inch square, I cast on enough for a 12 inch square. I really did not want to rip out upon discovering this, and I figured that I needed the practice. And, I guess it will be nice to have a bigger stuffed animal than the pattern creates. I just can't wait to see this flat swatch of knitting turn into a 3D bunny!

On the project front, things are proceeding well. I finished our baby girl's bed skirt on Friday and the crib s now assembled in the room with the linens in place. It turned out exactly as I'd hoped. Now, I am just trying to figure out what to do the curtain out of. I bought a rose-colored fabric of the same weave that is in the bumper pad (only apricot in color) for this purpose. But, with all the color in the room, I am toying with getting some plain cream-colored cotton to balance everything out. Then, I could use the rose colored fabric to make a crib quilt. I had orginally intended to go without a crib quilt because they don't seem to get as much use as a lighter weight blanket. I'm just going to ponder it a bit while I work on a few other things.

Today, while the boys nap, I plan on getting to the dresser. Eric began the sanding process, but I think there is a bit more to go. Then primer, then paint. I told Eric's mom last night that we were refinishing Eric's old dresser to use for the baby and she laughed so hard! I guess they got it second hand when he was little and she was amazed that it can even withstand the sanding. Wait 'til she sees it! She probably won't recognize it with new paint and hardware. I'm certain that it will be fine for a few more years, at least.

I also pulled out my knitting this weekend. One look at my half-finished sweater, and I felt inspired. But, I think one of the best things for me right now would be to complete a quick knitting project to fuel my confidence. Because, although I have known the basics of knitting since being a young girl- I have never actually made anything. Lots of squares, and now an incomplete sweater. So, I am about half finished with this since starting last night. And then I plan on making a "sampler scarf" to test out different stitches and patterns. It feels so good to be knitting and purling!

Chasing After the Wind

My poor family. I haven’t been the most happy, cheerful, or easy to live with person the past few weeks. My patience has been short, I’ve raised my voice too much, and I haven’t been silly enough. God opened my eyes to it, and then it was confirmed by my husband this weekend who told me he was concerned.

Though I don’t desire to place full blame on circumstances, I know that a lot has been going on around here. I am big, and tired, and I want so desperately to take naps or sleep later in the morning but cannot with two children. Dean has been sleeping less lately because of the move to the bottom bunk (a.k.a. “freedom”). This child, who used to take two 2 hour naps a day, has jumped to not taking any on some occasions because he refuses to stay put and rest- toys and books woo him endlessly. I gate the door so he can’t roam the house, but I still find myself up and down the stairs for over an hour telling the little man to put his head on his pillow. So lack of proper sleep makes him cranky, and teething makes him cranky. Cranky. Cranky. Cranky. (Oh! the whining and fits!) And the teething is for real this time so I should have more sympathy. Yes, my 17 month old child finally has more than four teeth! On Saturday, tooth #5 broke through on top, to the right of his front two chompers. Thank God!, my child will have more than four teeth- Daddy and I had begun to doubt.

But, the sleep thing has always bothered me a bit. Dean and Grant are both like Eric; they have internal clocks that wake them EARLY without an alarm regardless of what time they go to bed. On a typical day, the boys will wake up at 6:00 or 6:30 a.m. I would be alright with that hour, except that since I am not a morning person I would prefer to wake gently, enjoy my breakfast and morning Bible reading in silence rather than hitting the day like a sprinter. So, my goal is to get up before them and have an hour to read, eat, become alert, and get their meals prepared. But to do this requires me setting an alarm for 5:00 a.m. (I had started a nice habit of doing this before getting pregnant, but it has just been harder now) If I keep them up later the night before, they still wake up at the same time. I have tried softly playing music in their room and hanging black-out curtains to maintain a good sleeping environment. They have comfortable beds and cozy pajamas. Why won’t they sleep later?! The past two mornings, I have forced myself out of bed before them and I find it rewarding once I stop feeling cheated.

The main point being that lack of sleep and a lot on the “to do” list don’t mix well. I have felt a bit stressed about completing projects for the baby and around the house. The deadline I gave myself was to have everything done by the end of September so that I can spend the rest of my pregnancy relaxing. I’m doing pretty well at it, but it does add a chaotic feel to things. The past few weeks I have been rushing a great deal. Especially when you add in the daily duties of running a household (which, to be perfectly honest, I have not been doing very well). Eric has done so much around here lately because I just can’t seem to keep up with all of the tasks that need attention.

So, I am now in a process of change, and the Lord is making me quite aware of what my priorities need to be and how I need to be viewing each task of the day. Certainly, my children and my husband deserve better than what I’ve been giving them as of late. I’m sorry, guys.

The most impacting words came to me through Ecclesiastes. I thought I’d share them with you, because where one finds wisdom and insight, so might someone else:

Ecclesiastes 1:3 “What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?” A great verse to hang up as a self-check.

Ecclesiastes 2:11 “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” I certainly feel like this sometimes with those “revolving door” chores around the house that never seem to stop, yet also never provide a tangible sense of accomplishment because they will just have to be redone later (dishes, laundry, cooking…).

But God provides this bit of wisdom and hope through the author, Ecclesiastes 3:12-14 “I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil-this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it.” So, it isn’t about what I am doing, but the attitude with which I am doing it (duh.). And, even meaningless tasks will have lasting value as long as God is in it. Be involved in what God is involved in. Value what God values.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandment, for this is the whole duty of man.”

Well, as close as completion of the bumper pad for the baby's room felt- it was not to be. After working a good long time yesterday on it (and breaking three needles in the process due to the heft of all the layers), I sat down after the kids were in bed hoping to finish. Unfortunately, Eric witnessed my near meltdown as I broke my fourth and last needle forcing me to put the wretched thing away.

Got more needles today. (Did you know that Target sells some sewing machines and supplies? This was wonderful because I was already there and it saved me a trip to the craft store. Yay!) I successfully got both boys settled for some rest time and finished the remaining portion of the two-piece bumper pad.

Our little daughter's room looks gorgeous with it's new paint that Eric finished last night. A flawless job and so wonderfully girlie. Anyway, I went up there to put the bumpers on and get a look at my fine work when it becomes apparent that THE BUMPERS ARE TOO BIG FOR THE CRIB! The U-shaped longer one is alright, although there is a bit of excess in the corners. The front panel absolutely will have to be re-done. Redone! Few things are as disappointing to a do-it-yourselfer than having to put further energy into somehing that shouldn't require anything more from you.

Given my previous issues with the pattern- and now this, I now have anxiety about the bed skirt. Bed skirts should be terribly easy- in fact I really don't even need a pattern, but I used their pattern pieces to cut out fabric because they were right in the same envelope with the bumper pad pattern (which I apparently shouldn't have used, either). I hope I don't regret that.

For now, I am taking a break and mentally going through the steps of fixing the bumper problem. Where to begin and how to do it without doing more work than necessary?

Grrrr.

Knitting

Okay, I know that I have a bazillion other things to do, but I have really had a hankering to knit lately. I like the portability of it, and enjoyed it a great deal when I was working on The Dreaded Sweater. And it doesn't help that I have happened upon some great crafty goodness at Craftster.org. So inspiring. There was a knitting post about this book that sounded delightful.

Really, I am plugging away quite nicely at some of my "to do" items and maybe I could get back to the knitting shortly. I worked a great deal of the day yesterday on sewing the crib bumper. The colors are so yummy.

The pattern I picked up (Simplicity 9140) could have been better designed, as there was a miscalculation on some of the fabric causing me to fudge the cutting a bit to keep my grain going the same way. Another fabric was needlessly used as the base for the crib skirt (the part you sandwich between the mattress...the part you don't see). I bought muslin instead, but only after previously purchasing the full amount recommended of the printed fabric. At least now I have the additional yardage for another purpose. And, rather than adding ruffles like the pattern shows, I opted for piping which created a bit more figuring on my part- but that's my fault. So, if anyone might be making custom crib bedding in the near future, don't buy this pattern. Thankfully, I have also borrowed another pattern from a friend and am able to combine the best of both to accomplish the task.

Eric has painted the room, and has some minimal touch up work this evening. For a guy who always hated painting, he has been so wonderful about it. Thank you sweatheart.

So, if I can get the bedding done this week and Eric has the paint taken care of, painting the dresser remains to be the largest task. Oh, and I need to make a curtain, but curtains are easy. Then, the essentials will be finished. There are always decorative elements to be added, but I think I want the main things in the room first to see what "pops" of color are necessary, or what looks as though its "missing".

Additionally, I still have these things on the pre-baby to do list:

- get the binding on my baby quilt
- paint a watercolor for a friend of mine
- design birth announcements
- host a baby shower for another expectant mommy
- finish tagging/ packaging some of the handmade Christmas gifts I made the other month

THEN, I might be able to pick up some knitting.

Eric just told me that he'd be taking me off his "frequently visited sites" list last night because I haven't posted enough lately! What nerve.

Proof that a little pressure can be good, I'm posting. In truth, I already posted three days ago, but some Blogger glitch occured and it has vanished into somewhere. I haven't the energy to retype my previous effort. Maybe I'll go back and do that at some point. For now, just a simple update.

Last Saturday was the baby shower I hosted. I think everthing went very well. Regardless of the work leading up to the actual event, I was able to relax and enjoy the company while they were here- being able to meet and chat with some of LaDonna's close friends that I had not met before. Many times, when I host sewing parties or other occasions, I find myself so busy that I don't have the chance to participate in the festivities or include myself in conversation. It was so nice, and I loved having a few leftovers to enjoy the next day. Thank you to Mary who prepared some execellent tea sandwiches to lighten my load, and to Amber who ran a pre-party balloon errand for me. For the Tea Party theme, we enjoyed:

-Chocolate Citrus Scones
-Pumpkin Muffins
-Sour Cream Apple Streusal Coffeecake
-Various fruits
-Sundried Tomato & Olive tea sandwiches
-Crab & Chive tea sandwiches
-Shortbread pastries
-tea
-coffee
-orange juice

Yum. So good. I could go for some of those tea sandwiches right now!

Saturday evening, we were invited over to one of Eric's coworker's homes for a pool party. Tons of young kids, good food, lovely people. Grant had a blast most of the time with some Hulk gloves belonging to one of Doyle & Candy's older boys. They are large foam "boxing glove" like hands that make Hulk noises when you hit something with them. And they came home with us. Apparently, though much desired at Christmas, they have not been used in their household and it was figured that my little boy would enjoy them more. How he does! Four years old, big green hands, Hulk noises, and permission TO HIT THINGS... simple equation.

The rest of the week has been rather normal (although, given a wonderful soundtrack with sounds of "HULK SMASH"). Here's a quick run down:

- Eric whisked the boys away from the house Saturday so they would not have to endure the dreaded girlieness that was the Tea Party (and I don't think they were invited). They returned with two little boxes for me containing a gold bracelet and an anklet of white, red, and yellow gold. They are both so shimmery and I am so spoiled. Never would I classify myself as a "diamonds are a girl's best friend" type of girl, but when I am given jewelry I do love it.

- Went swimming this week at the gym for excercise and the added benifit of weightlessness. I am still sore a bit. My body is not used to that type of workout, showing me in a painful way that I need to vary my routines more often. My new anklet broke in the water [big frown] and will now have to be returned. I am thankful I was able to find it in the pool, as I did not realize it until already showered and dressed. Thank you to the lovely woman who dove down to retrieve it for me!

-Had a doctor's appointment this week. Baby is healthy and happy and mommy is big. I have now gained 15 pounds since the beginning, and this checkup marked my biggest jump. I am still doing better than I did with both boys, but am nervous about it somehow getting out of control. Each time, I gained nearly 50 pounds with them even though I didn't think I was gorging or doing much different. My excercise decreases in intensity when I'm pregnant, maybe that is the reason. I hate having to keep my heartrate under 140 when I normally enjoy interval training where my rate spikes up to 90% occasionally. I guess I'm just too tired to work out longer at a lower intensity. I just want my body back! I am seriously getting to that stage where I don't feel "cute pregnant", I just feel big. And I have three months to go! [pregnancy rant over]

- Made dinner for Kathy and Michael and took it to their new house in LaVergne Wednsday. They just moved in, and just had a baby. Kathy had a rough time of it all and they really need rest. Thankfully, little Sarah Ashley is beautiful and tiny and cute and healthy. Congratulations you guys!

- I have washed all of my fabric for Baby's room and am ready to start cutting and sewing. I even have paint chips selected. Ooooh, it is going to be so pretty.

- The weather was gorgeous last night and I let the boys play outside until dusk on their bikes, on the trampoline, down the slide, in the grass, collecting rocks. I love nights like that when the neighborhood comes to life and you wish you could catch it all in a bottle to carry you through winter.

Dean is one tired little boy! He isn't getting the sleep he needs because he keeps getting out of bed. Tuesday, he acted as though he was playing against his will! From downstairs I kept hearing wimpers and moans and cries. I peeked in and checked on him through a crack in the door- he was sitting on the floor playing with Hot Wheels and Rescue Heroes with half closed eyelids...clink clink (of the toys), smile, whine/ moan/ cry. Repeat. Repeat again.

I scooped him up and placed him into bed and, finally, he did not struggle. But that was at 3:30 p.m. We had to wake him up at 4:45 so that he wouldn't be groggy for dinner.

Yesterday, I was next door all day painting a mural on their new baby's wall. It took longer than I'd estimated, so Grant and Dean played with Jake and Luke the whole time and missed naps again. Grant was alright, but Dean needed to be fed his dinner by Mom and Dad with his head resting against the chair. It reminded me of a partially paralyzed old person in a nursing home.

The mural turned out well, I thought. It was a banner with the words from Proverbs 4:8 being held by two doves. "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety". The letters were the hardest for me since I'm not a calligrapher and you can't get away with improvising. Before, when I've done murals of trees or flowers and a bit of paint gets away from me, I can easily add another leaf or petal to cover the 'oops'. So, I did everything in pencil first and had to go back over my lines a few times when they wouldn't show through. Finally after laying down all the background color, I was able to actually paint the letters. They still had an imperfect hand-done quality that can be charming- nothing like a computer font.

In doing all of this, I wonder what real true professional muralists do. Do they have better techniques than what I've used? Are there special tools out there that would make the whole thing much easier? I seem to remember reading about mural painters drawing on huge paper beforehand, perforating their marks, and applying chalk through the holes onto the wall. Like a pin dot stencil. Since I am a self taught artist/ crafter I'm sure I go about things the unconventional way. With each thing I do, I think that it would be wonderful to know a master in the field to observe for a short period of time. That would beat classes anyday! So far, I have a list of things that I fudge through: linocut, watercolor, quilting. I am pleased with what I'm able to create while knowing that improvement could be guaranteed with some instruction. Sometimes, I think I know so much because I am a good researcher and I read all about techniques and materials and styles of such-and-such art. Reading is not doing, though. And maybe some of my frustrations would be lessened if I'd been shown how to do something properly to begin with. Then again, when you embark on a creating adventure armed with necessary (even if incomplete) knowledge, you usually think outside the norm and discover your own style without unintentionally mimicing another person's work. This happened to me with the quilt I'm making.

My first quilt, and I'd never really been around quilters. Not only did I develop my very own ungraceful "poke/stab" stiching method, but I came up with a design for my quilted stiches that wasn't very standard. Admittedly, the stich method needs improvement and I have tried to work on it for appearance and efficiency sake. But, I like my non-traditional pattern that I am quilting over the pieced top. Now that I've read more and seen more quilts, I have noticed that most quilters use semetrical patterns or they outline their pieces. Would I have done the same if I'd "known better"?

What a ramble! I think I've enjoyed having my feet up too much and considered this post an excuse to rest. But, I have all sorts of things to get back to around here. I'm hosting a Mother-to-be Tea for a friend of mine who is expecting a new baby. House to clean. Food to make. Shopping to be done. Must. Get. Moving.

I just happened upon the web site for Modern Seed. Stylish baby/kid/parent stuff. They carry a set of crib bedding that I fell in love with from babystyle. $300 is more than I want to spend since I know how to sew, but the wonderful simplicity is...wonderful. Anyway, be inspired.

Positively cranky child.

Last night, we moved Dean out of his crib. He is now on the lower bunk with a guard rail keeping him secure. The ability to get out of bed whenever he chooses has proven that wisdom is a necessary accessory to freedom. He stayed up until at least 9:30p.m. (more probably, 10:00) giggling, climbing up and down, and getting frequent reminders from Mom and Dad to return to bed and put his head on his pillow. Finally asleep, Eric and I peeked in and took some Night Shot video of the tired little man. Not too tired, apparently, because he was out of bed again playing Rescue Heroes in the dark at 3:00 a.m.

The whole saga ended- temporarily- at 6:45 a.m. when he woke for good and grunted in response to Grant saying something about breakfast. Now, at nearly 3:00p.m., Dean is still fighting a nap even though he is crying and moaning with exhaustion.

Grant did this exact same thing, but he was a bit taller and could reach the light switch- a certain tip off to the parental units that someone was out of bed! It took a few weeks to a month before he would consistently remain in bed. I hope Dean is faster at adapting.

Positively cranky child.
Positively cranky mom.

Roberts to Produce 'American Girl' Movie

When I was younger, my aunt Leslie gave me a catalog for American Girl dolls. I fell in love with them and would pour over the pages with their lovely accessories and detailed wardrobes. My favorite was Samantha, although perhaps just because I was infatuated with that name. For a long time, I wished my name had been Samantha ("so I could shorten it to 'Sam' if I wanted to"). She had brown hair just like me. But I can also picture the Swedish-American doll with the golden hair and her traditional Christmas gown and candle-crusted wreath/crown creation. One of the girls' accessories was a trunk for her amazing clothes.

Everything was so pricey, that I knew I wasn't going to do more than dream about them- I don't even think I ever asked my parents for one of the dolls. But, I looked at that catalog for so long and read about the girls' stories and their backgrounds. I seem to remember reading one of the books from the collection at some point...maybe that fueled the obsession a bit.

Isn't it funny how, in a home where I was provided for so well, that I still desired more? Partly, that is a child's way, unless they are often reminded to have a thankful heart for what they have. I see it occasionally with Grant now, mostly when he spends a lengthy period of time with another child and they are able to compare toys. This week, after having spent 5 days with his cousin Ethan, he has begun telling me he wants _______ "like Ethan". We then sit down and talk about what he *does* have and how he is so blessed to be Grant and have the house that Grant has, and the family that Grant has, and the food that Grant has, and the toys that Grant has, and all of the friends that Grant has. Without laying on a 'guilt trip', my intent is to get him excited about the good things in his life and steer him away from comparing himself to others and setting his desire on what they have.

Whew!

I just made two entrees for future meals. Baked Chile Rellenos and Baked Winter Squash Pasta.

Eric is off playing golf tonight with a co-worker. So instead of taking the night off cooking and eating sandwiches like we normally might, I decided to work in the kitchen. We still ate something simple for the three of us, but now I have cut my workload for another night- two other nights! I really should do this more often.

I gather that quite a few people cook ahead and freeze things. I guess I've always been nervous that a meal might not taste the same if it is frozen and then reheated. How do you know unless you try? The idea of wating good ingredients to find out frustrates me. Tomorrow when we're at the library, I should see if there is one of the books I saw on Amazon. The whole concept especially entered my mind when I read that French Toast Girl does cooking ahead to preserve energy while raising her daughter and newborn twins... and working... and doing artwork (I'm tired just thinking about it!).

When my due date with Dean was approaching, I made ahead a few things to get us through the rough first weeks. Some things froze well (quiche), and others did not (enchiladas). I've always had success with bread-y type items...waffles, muffins, pancakes, loaves of bread. But having a side-by-side refrigerator certainly limits my possibilities, as there is only so much you can squeeze in there alongside the normal freezer items. A few people we know have stand alone freezers and I think that would be nice; we simply don't have room for one.

Random freezer thought: Emeril calls the freezer an "icebox"- I like that. BAM!

This past week we were visited by Eric's sister Angela, her husband Tim and their two kids Ethan and Olivia. We were all hustle and bustle: visiting people for dinner two nights, going to Nashville Shores one day, attending a wedding, playing golf (Tim and Eric), getting manicures (Angie and I), going shopping at Opry Mills, eating at the Rainforest Cafe, attending story time at the library...

Right now, we are in the process of catching up on sleep and tidying the house. Both of which, received a good start yesterday- Eric did all of the laundry that had piled up and I took a few naps. Yes, I said "a few"...AND I slept in late this morning!

So, there's the short in-a-nutshell version. I'll write more when I have time, energy, and something more to write about.

For those of you interested in Baby information, the previous post really sums it up- we're having a healthy little girl around December 12th of this year and are thrilled with the news. Thank you all for your warm congratulations- it is wonderful to have so much excitement surrounding her even before she arrives!

I haven't been able to stop thinking about her this whole week and I almost wonder if it was a good idea to have found out the gender. My brain hurt a lot less with the first two when we left the boy/girl issue a surprise, I guess because I was forced to have more vague baby thoughts. Now, I am planning a feminine-but-not-too-frilly nursery, thinking about how we seriously have to get her some clothes, wondering what she'll look like, attatching a name to the kicks and asking myself if it sounds right, etc... Before, I just made sure we had some unisex baby clothes to get us through the first few weeks and I looked forward to his/her arrival (okay- maybe I did a bit more than that!). This seems more involved, too, because I am thinking about all the unknowns with raising a girl. Not that I have this whole boy thing worked out, but it is definitely more familiar territory.

So, I bought fabric to make some crib linens and a curtain for the room. I'm going with apricot and pink colors with accents of white, yellow, and orange. I have an inspiration fabric that ties them all in and reminds me of sorbet or a sunrise. Originally, I thought I wouldn't use pink because that seems too stereotypical for girls. But, a bit here and there done without lace, bows, or fluffy bunnies should suit my tastes. Also, the main fabrics are striped, as opposed to huge flowers and hearts. I can't wait to have time to get started.

This week Eric's sister Angie and her family are visiting from Frisco, TX. Specifically, they are here for a wedding we've all been invited to, but I'm sure that staying with us is the highlight of the trip (how could it not be?!). I can't wait to see how much Ethan and Olivia have grown since Christmas and it is always a blast to watch the kids play. Grant adores Ethan and talks about him all the time; you'd think he lived around the corner! Occasionally, Grant will leave out a glass of water in the bathroom "for Ethan" or set aside a toy that he thinks Ethan will want to play with. It's really quite sweet.

So, I better get back to making sure the guest room is in order for them. I've been sorting through baby things in there, as it will soon be her room, and it could use some last minute clearing out. That and the rest of the house is getting its usual cleaning. Busy. Busy. Busy.

Oh, yeah. Hey!- If you or anyone you know considering getting some new cookware, Eric and I have a brand new set on Ebay. There is a story, that should be told at some point, behind why/how we acquired this cookware. However, the necessary details are that it is a set of Nutritional Waterless Cookware with a retail value of nearly $2,000 (I gather that it is normally sold through in-home demonstrations). Surgical stainless steel. Lifetime warranty. 22 piece. Instructional video. There are about 4 days left on our auction and three bids thus far. Check it out here.

Ultrasound
 
There are so many things on my mind to post about, because- as always- much happens around here.  Grant is excelling at his swimming lessons, Dean has actually said some words lately, I taught my first children's class at church this Sunday, Eric and I accomplished some good "to do" things around the house this weekend...

But I am sure that you are all more interested in discovering what the Fadely family discovered yesterday afternoon, and I best not delay the information further.  3:2, boys will still outnumber girls here.  But there will be a girl.  A daughter.  We are welcoming a daughter!  A beautiful daughter with gorgeous vertebrae, a functioning stomach, perfect umbilical cord, tiny hands and feet, wonderfully formed brain lobes, and a "girlie area" that she immodestly exposed to us all without hesitation.

We feel extremely blessed (Thank you, Lord!) and are very impatient to meet her.

Apparently, this has been going on for awhile, but I just found out about it.  Save three proof of purchase symbols from STASH tea and mail in for a free night at a participating B&B.  You have to purchase the second night, but if you already drink tea, and you are already considering a few nights away- this is your deal!

I was in Wild Oats the other day and discovered that they have an amazing tea/coffee aisle.  (what isn't amazing in that store?!)  Hadn't noticed before and I'll certainly have to keep that in mind for the next time I am looking for a new flavor.  (I recently read that the STASH licorice tea is very good)  Right now, my cupboard is nicely stocked, though.

I usually try to "contain" Dean while I am in the shower so that he doesn't cause trouble and doesn't get hurt.  Most times, I put him in the exersaucer or in his crib.  A few days this week, I have let him play with Grant instead of being confined because they play rather well and Dean certainly enjoys the freedom more.  But this morning, I knew there was mischief brewing when a tube of toothpaste clunked down into the tub and I heard little pitter-patters fleeing the scene.

Just another "mish mash" blog to update on Life: 

Eric's birthday was Saturday- his official birthday of undisclosed age.  Though we celebrated in Atlanta, and had an absolutely wonderful time, a little group "hurrah" was due him.  So, we had friends over and enjoyed one game of Taboo (girls rule!) along with plenty of Lemon Sponge Pie, Breyers Ice Cream, and other munchies.  Friday, I also made him some Sugar Cake Cookies- providing him with a good assortment of favorite treats.  That morning, Grant presented him with his very own handmade picture holder (similar in concept to this wire holder).  We created a base with home-mixed flour salt clay and used bamboo skewers with miniature 1/2 inch clothespins as the picture holding arms.  The clay worked very well and came out hard without crumbling, but was a bit softer than Play-Doh while wet and, as a result, was more difficult to manipulate than I'd hoped.  We managed to create a heart-shaped base using some pancake molds.  Once hard, Grant went to town with the paint and I did the hot-gluing of the clothespins.  Though I came up with the idea, it certainly has that made-by-a-young-child-with-love look! 

Dean has been the ultimate squealy screaming nightmare these past 2 weeks. He has woken up in the middle of the night for 3 nights, and has lately fought naps and awoken early regardless of how late he goes to bed. I've tried to let him cry, or coax him to fall back asleep but he hasn't really cooperated. I would blame teething for the fussiness but there...simply...isn't...anything...in...there. Where are his teeth? There are only four chompers in that mouth of his, and he will be 16 months old this week. No pink or swollen gums, either. Why the screaming, then? I nearly said, "I wish he could just talk" but that brings its own set of problems. Grant is the perfect example: he never stops talking! I want to encourage his curiosity and communication, but there are moments that I desperately desire silence.

I am ticking away at my pre-baby checklist. Working on some Christmas gifts and they are going quite well. This is the first year that I haven't been scrambling at handmade items in November. I guess being pregnant has not only stirred my nesting instinct, but it has forced me to be organized (and realistic) about what I'll be able to do immediately before Christmas (nearly nothing). It will be strange this year, depending on when the little one arrives. I went 10 days early with Grant. Dean was born one day before estimated, essentially "on time". The latest my physician will allow me to go beyond my due date is 2 weeks. So, with an EDD this time of December 12, we probably wouldn't deliver past December 26. I really hope to have our little Extra Special Present before Christmas. It would even be nice to deliver a few weeks early, as my Dad and brother have talked of a possible visit out here at Thanksgiving. Times like this, I really hate being so far from family. Even our "Nashville family" composed of close friends may miss the arrival since people have plans to be out of town for the holidays. It's out of my hands.

We haven't played outside all week. Not because Grant hasn't begged, but because I am a wimp and think I'd faint if I had play along with him. The last few days have been quite comfortable, but not by pregnant girl standards.  To make it worse, we had a storm last Tuesday night that knocked out power...which knocked out air conditioning...and knocked out our ceiling fan. Where is the Southern Californian in me that grew up without air conditioning. I used to sleep in the summer with windows open and just sheets. I was fine. Now I am pampered with my ceiling fan and my always constant 68 degree nighttime temp. The power went out as we were headed up to bed and didn't come back on until about 3 in the morning for a minute or two until a huge bolt of lightning struck and knocked it out again.  Eric and I both slept terribly because we were uncomfortable.  With the windows cracked, the neighborhood noises only contributed to the restless sleep.  Toss.  Turn.  Toss. Turn.  The power finally came on and remained on around 6:30 a.m.  What is really neat, is that Eric has our TV hooked up to a UPS battery and we were able to watch the weather reports even though the rest of the power was out in the house- it was nice knowing that no Tornado warnings were in effect for our county.
 
Grant is now moving quite well on his two wheel "big boy" bicycle (with training wheels).  It was such a transition from his low riding tricycle, that he's been nervous for the past month.  But, the other night, we went out in the cul-de-sac and I think he's over his fear.  Dean, has now claimed the tricycle and was amazing.  Even though he can't reach the pedals, and can't really sit well on the seat, he moves around Flintstone style and steers so well!  Grant was having trouble only 9 months ago with the steering of the handlebars and here is Dean doing it perfectly at 16 months old!  they really are so different.  I think Dean picks up a great deal from having an older brother and he is less fearful of things because he sees Grant do them and is unable to reason that the age difference between them may dictate different skill levels.  A few nights ago, he climbed up our "little tykes" slide in the back yard and rushed down it without help...his bottom zipped down so fast that he ended up flat on his back in the grass with his feet in the air.  No tears- he got up and did it again.  For a half hour, this continued with Dean going down and Grant getting in two turns down while Dean toddled to the ladder again:  Dean's turn, Grant's turn, Grant's turn, Dean's turn.  It only ended with Mommy being the "bad guy" and Dean screaming (yet again) as I carried him into the house for the nightly bath.
 
Grant had his first swimmng lesson today at the Y.  We'll be doing this every morning for the next two weeks.  He did so well and is very excited to go again tomorrow. 
 
We have our appointment next week for our ultrasound and 20 week prenatal appointment.  I can hardly believe it!  Finding out what we're having will be unreal.  Acckkk.  I'm giddy just thinking about it.

Happy [Early] Birthday, Eric!

We had an amazingly lovely weekend. It was like a birthday present for me, too. Refreshing. Relaxing. Renewing.

I was telling Eric while we were walking through Atlanta, that being away from the kids not only adds life to our relationship, but it makes me appreciate the kids enough to be a better parent. When a tantrum is being thrown or I find myself wiping clingy grubby hands for the fifth time in a day, it is hard- during that tired instant- to thank God for the precious children He has placed in our care. But being away, made us think about all of the unique characteristics that each boy claims as his own. Things we love, and things we'd miss if we were away too long.

Our neighbor across the street just spent the month of June without her two girls (9 and 13) while they were away visiting their father. What freedom! A whole month without your kids, to do as you please- it sounds appealing. At that age, maybe. But I started thinking how much change occurs in my little ones during a 3-4 week period. I'm not ready to be away from them for that long; I'd miss them terribly.

Friday night, we drove the boys up to LaDonna and Tim's house after dinner and then headed out to the movies: Spiderman 2. We stayed at home that night and headed out on the road early Saturday morning for Atlanta. The trip was expected to take 4 1/2 hours, but it only took us roughly 3 1/2. Along the way we made the usual pit stops for food and bathroom. It was my happy find to score a tin of smoked almonds at a Stuckey's...I've been craving them for a few weeks for no apparent reason.

We arrived at the Renaissance Waverly in around lunchtime and checked in at the front desk. Major snafu with our Expedia reservation that ate up about 48.6 minutes of the day. The hotel didn't have our reservation down and Expedia could only prove that we had paid for it, but seemed to have trouble giving the hotel staff the much desired "confirmation" number. Though it wasn't their fault, the Renaissance manager gave us a corner room (a bit bigger) and "club access" for our trouble. I'm not really sure what it would have cost us to acquire club access, but it was a nice bonus. This meant that our key card gave us entry to the 14th floor lounge where complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea, and evening appetizers are served. Our experience was wonderful there. This was the first hotel Eric and I have stayed in that gave us chocolates on our pillow (along with a weather forcast for the following day). The room was beautifully decorated in fabrics that I would actually have in my own home. The miniature bath products were from Bath and Body Works and bathrobes hung in the closet waiting for us. The concierge desk was helpful in proving us with movie times for a local theatre. And the front desk had large bowls of Peach (what else?!) Jelly Bellys for the taking. Daily room rates are not bad (especially since we booked online), considering that many other hotels of lesser quality would charge the same and include much less. Recommended.

As far as Atlanta goes, Eric and I were so focused on spending time together that it didn't seem to matter what we were doing...where we were going...or what we were eating. It felt like a honeymoon. We did go to the World of Coca-Cola. We be having some good fun! It was pretty interesting but so much of the square footage consisted of memorabilia, that I left feeling like they could have provided more information and less Coca-Cola emblazoned thingamajigs. We went a few years ago to the Hershey Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania near where Eric was born and there was a riding tour (like "It's a Small World") that took you through a replicated factory and showed you the process of making chocolate and you got to see it. Coca-Cola had a number of computerized/T.V. screen kiosks scattered about that had a wealth of information and were quite interesting. I would have enjoyed seeing that information put into an exhibit rather than the 100s of examples of Christmas Coca-Cola items, or pop culture collectibles like Paula Abdul and Coke or such-and-such an athlete and Coke. One of the kiosks I stopped at gave some information on the huge Times Square sign of Coca-Cola in NYC, another about the significance of Coke and the soldiers during WWII. The highlight of the experience was the tasting area where we were allowed unlimited samples of Coke products from the U.S. and worldwide. The beverages from other countries obviously reflect the tastes of that culture. I expected something along the lines of carbonated green tea, or fizzy bamboo-shoot water. But really, it was normal things like: apple, watermelon, lemon, and tonic water. The only thing that seemed strange by American standards was lychee, but I like lychee and this was probably my favorite.

We walked along Underground Atlanta which smelled horrible and wasn't exactly what we expected, but was at least a bit of exercise. Ate dinner at Don Pablos where Eric ate a whole Conquistador and I tried rellenos for the first time. Since this was Eric's weekend and he loves movies and there are way too many that he wants to see during the summer "blockbuster" season, we followed dinner with another flick- Anchorman. Afterwards, we ran by Kroger and picked up some push pop popsicles for dessert and headed back to the room.

The hotel had some magazines and books with all sorts of ideas for doing things in Atlanta. I could see going back sometime and taking in a bit more than we did, but we got what we wanted out of it and weren't disappointed at all. It was such a great time.

The boys must have had a great time, as well. We didn't receive the amazing greeting that we had pictured in our head. Eric and I talked about it in the car, how Grant would probably run and hug us and Dean would giggle and cling and want to be held and both would be so happy and smiley and... Well, it just didn't happen. They were content and a bit unmoved by our entrance and Grant wanted to know if Amber could come back to our house with us. Thank you, LaDonna and Tim for taking care of them so well!

The weekend is nearly upon us, and I couldn't be more excited. Eric and I will be without children for two whole nights! A friend of mine will be watching the boys and later down the road, I will return the favor by taking her two girls for a weekend.

Eric's birthday is coming up on July 17, and this is a birthday present of sorts. Considering his birthday present to me was a trip to Paris, I feel that nothing will top that. However, we will head to Atlanta and enjoy seeing the sights and relaxing without interruption. The only thing currently on our agenda is The World of Coca-Cola. Neither of us have spent much time in Atlanta. Technically, all I have seen is the downtown cityscape by car and the airport (countless times). Eric had a business trip that took him to Atlanta recently, but without me, I'm sure it was no fun at all! Actually, he bought seats to a Titans away game and then had work to tend to. We won't have but a full day there; it should at least give us a taste of the city.

So, today is about: making lists of what to pack, tidying the house, and writing up light "care instructions" for my little rascals. That, and the other daily bits: breaking up sibling squabbles, working out at the gym, cooking dinner, Play Doh time, Bible study, changing diapers, dishes....

In Baby news, I have been feeling little kicks and movements. It has probably been happening for 2-3 weeks, but I questioned it for a long time. Not a doubt now! I am also currently itching with anticipation because we have to wait 2 1/2 more weeks for our ultrasound! How did we wait until delivery before?! I mean, we'll be finding out 20 weeks sooner than either previous pregnancy, and it feels like torture! My slight nightmare is that the technician won't get a clear view of the between-the-legs zone.

Meat-a-tarian

My previous post about Wacky Cake and my vegetarian upbringing received a comment asking whether I eat meat now or not. Technically, yes.

The real answer is more tricky, though. Unlike my parents who had some moral issues with eating animals, I find no problem with it. Not to say that we shouldn't treat animals nicely or respect the resources we have here on Earth, but I believe that God provided us with nutrition in plant and animal food forms. So, morally, I have no problem eating dead animal flesh. My problem is liking it. You try eating absolutely no meat for the first 19 years of your life and then sample chicken or fish or beef.

I have no taste for it. I do not desire it. Currently, I am at the "if it's in there, I won't pick it out" stage. Whole chicken breast, steak, or fillet of fish have yet to be consumed by me. I am fine with mixed dishes, though: chicken pot pie, chili with ground meat mixed in, stir fry with flakes of fish folded in rather than a slab of fish on the side...Does this logic make sense to anyone but me?

The only exceptions are scrambled eggs and terriakyi flavored beef jerky. Both are fairly recent cravings. Last year on a road trip, Eric picked up some beef jerky and I tried it...and liked it! Don't like the plain, and I've never tried the "stick" style. I like the strip kind especially when it isn't rock hard. Jack Links seems to be a good brand. Eggs, I think, are a pregnancy craving. There is no other good explanation...I have disliked eggs for some time. My favorite of late is to make bagel sandwiches of scrambled eggs and cheddar cheese. I have consumed at least five of these creations in the past week and a half.

Anyway, since I'm the main cook in the house, I make it all. I try things along the way and have found that I wasn't missing all that much. In fact, sometimes I crave the tofu imitations still, they are usually less greasy even if they're not accurate representations of the original (hot dogs come to mind).

Today, I took the boys to get their hair cut.

Grant has matured so much as even our stylist, Barbara, will point out. He used to have a terrible time getting his hair cut- never wanting to wear the cape and being positively revolted by the snips of hair that would fall onto his face and clothes. It was never really about the clippers or the scissors, it was just the icky hair feeling that bothered him. Last cut, he wore the cape and this time...not a single fuss. He sat quietly and was extremely well mannered. I guess that's what being four will do.

Dean wasn't nearly as easy, but thankfully there wasn't much work to do. He still doesn't have a ton of hair, but Eric and I wanted the bits around his ears and neck to look less scraggly. For awhile, we have called him "Gollum" because of the wispies. Truthfully, my child is much less ugly (in fact, quite handsome!). So anyway, I held him for his first haircut. We took pictures and set aside some hair trimmings that I, sadly, left at Barbara's station. Next time, I'll have to tuck some in a baggy.

The rest of today has been filled with quick errands and birthday preparation. Grant's much postponed party is actually happening tomorrow at noon. I've baked a cake and am waiting for it to cool enough to frost.

Grant suggested chocolate cake and instead of buying a mix, I decided to pull out a childhood memory. For nearly every birthday of mine growing up, my mom would make 'Wacky Cake' with homemade quick frosting. If I knew the source I'd give credit, but all I have is the typed recipe my mom sent me via e-mail shortly after Eric and I were married and I was learning to cook. I think my mom made it often because it is one of the only moist, successful eggless recipes she had come across. I grew up vegetarian, and we didn't use eggs. In fact, I think the first time I ever cracked an egg was in the apartment after Eric and I were married! I'm still not a steak-loving carnivore, but I've come a long way in 6 years.

So, for those of you who might be interested, here is the recipe. I mixed mine in my largest green mixing bowl from the set my mom made- it seemed only right. If she gave you a handmade porcelain bowl years ago- use it! I've often said that I'd cry for ages if one of my bowls broke, but it would be even more terrible to keep them up and never use them.

WACKY CAKE
(makes one 9 inch square layer, double for rectangular layer or for a two-layer square cake)

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cocoa (if spice cake is preferred over chocolate, you may substitute 1 1/2 tablespoons "pumpkin pie spice" for cocoa)
6 tablespoons oil (up to half the oil may be replaced with applesauce for a lower fat version)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup warm water

Sift all dry ingredients into a large non-reactive bowl. Add oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Pour warm water over all and stir with a wisk until well combined. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9 inch square pan. Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.