24 Week Pregnancy Update

So, I went to my 24 week prenatal checkup and all checked out perfect! I gained 8lbs since my last visit! That's a record! I usually gain at the most 5lbs between my second and third trimester! Right now I am a whopping 138lbs and I'm only 6 months!!! My pregnancies in the past I usually weigh in at 145 at 9 months!! THIS BABY WILL BE HUGE!! I blame our unique taste buds this time around: Shrimp and sushi almost every week!! Ummm..come to think of it, I could use a California Roll! LOL

Today was my glucose screening test.This test checks for gestational diabetes, a pregnancy-related high-blood-sugar condition.

Glucose Tolerance Test
Some says it tastes awful, but to me it's just like watered down  soda

Here's R5 tracking at 24 weeks courtesy of babycenter.com:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long, she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Little mama is quite active in the womb! During the fetus check, she was all over the place. The nurse was freaking out because she never experienced so much movement during these exams. R5 measured a slight bigger than a normal 24 week fetus being the size of a 25 week fetus. I wonder if I will finally reach the 9lb mark!? I have pushed out big babies in the past all between 7lbs 6 oz an 8lbs 11oz!! We shall see!!

I will have pictures posted of the belly bump soon!

Featured Blogger- Christa Colomb's Experience as a Working Mom

My experience with being a working mom comes with both regret and reward. I say regret because there has been many times when I had to make the tough decision of going to work and leaving a sick child with a caretaker, or missing out on a football game or school performance. Being the active parent that I am, missing out on anything important to them, was a painful situation for me. I am a firm believer that a parent’s presence serves a far greater purpose than any presents (gifts/things) that money can buy. Unfortunately my household could not survive without my income so going to work was not an option, it was a necessity. Now that my children are older, I am starting to see the fruit of my labor (reward). There is no way to reap and sow in the same season. During my sowing season, it was difficult to walk away from my crying/disappointed child because once again, work had to come first. Now, when I consider all things in retrospect, my strong work ethic back then was a seed sown into my children that I am able to reap the benefits from. Seeing me go to work and make sacrifices for my family then, has now spilled over into their young adult lives. I notice (and am Godly proud) that they all take great pride in a strong work ethic and knowing that my sacrifices in their early years, is now a reward for their character and has built in them a strong work ethic, makes me grateful to God for having the strength and wisdom to follow through with those tough decisions.

Featured Blogger: Experiences in Motherhood by Courtney Kiner

Courtney is a wife and mother of 6 and is a dear friend and model of mine!

Living in a house with 7 different personalities is sometimes like being a telephone operator from back in the day. You have to pick up the server, hear where they want to go, then connect the line until the call is completed, then disconnect. Then connect again, remember who’s connected to what line and at all times remember someone else is waiting to be connected to a line. So, in the honor that is to be responsible for the receiver getting the right information or connection. I know that the LORD knows better than I my purpose.  

Mothers are the life givers so children trust you (don't doubt it) they listen they soak up every word you say so, be what they need when they need it, God will strengthen you.  The day will stop, the night will come, and rest will set over your home and you will be renewed. In this the LORD will reveal our gifts, our dreams, and aspirations. I would read my children the bible or stories I loved as a child and began change my voice and create new endings that my oldest daughter still remembers to this day; so I began to write short plays and stories for the youth at my church and daughter followed. She's better than me now, but I love to write and I pray God blesses her in talent. So when she mentions an audition or she needs ink for her printer... I'm connected, I'm concerned and I follow through.  It’s all in the connection.  

Get Connected to everything your kids say and do and stay there. And remember I will be blessed because I am the blessed of the Lord.  

Pregnancy: 20 weeks

I figured I write about my experiences so far in my fifth pregnancy!

I am experiencing a world of things in this pregnancy. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with the new climate or what! Baby 5 will be my first baby who has gone through their full 9 months here in Texas. I was 4 months when we arrive here.

So....up until this point, I've experienced achy joints, stiffness, sickness, the works!! Never has this happened to me! All of my pregnancies have been smooth sailing, but I've accepted the fact that I can handle anything! My cravings have been a bit extreme!

When I first discovered I was pregnant, I craved Flamin' Hots with pickle juice. As time progressed, I wanted anything seafood (so did my husband!!) now it's anything peanut!! Peanut butter spreaded on a piece of whole grain bread with a slice of apple pie is my favorite right now, Honey Graham peanut butter sandwiches, and an assortment of nuts! I have literally gone nuts!! As of today, I need some peach cobbler! LOL... I know! Sad right?!

Now enough about me!! Here's some info about baby's progress so far!
Thanks to Babycenter.com for the info:

How your baby's growing:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against her torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of her head to her bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, she's measured from head to toe.)

She's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in her bowels, and will see it in her first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

My Stats:

My pre-pregnancy weight: 135lbs

Now: 131 lbs

I always lost before I pick up weight due to the desire not to eat as much the first few weeks. But, I am packing on now thanks to this peanut butter diet this baby has me on!

I will try to fit a video in this series soon! Look out for the next post in October!!

MOM FAILS....because we all had them!

Randomly, I will post my favorite failures... I know you're thinking, "What on Earth is the matter with this lady!??" Well, we all post our accomplishments, wanting accolades and pats on our backs, but what about those random failures that mold us to become better women, wives, and mothers?

MOM FAIL #2134
We all that moment during the month where  attempt to eat everything in the refrigerator to clean and bring in new food. Well, this week was my week! This morning, I cooked the last of the sausage and eggs. I had tortillas, shredded cheese, and taco sauce...oh, and Malt-O-Meal...so I "attempted" to make breakfast tacos. Assuming it would be a huge hit with my kids, I served it. The looks I received was unbelievable, the comments were worse!! LOL
My oldest exclaims, "Mom, this looks bad, but I'll eat the eggs." Then she goes on to say, "Everything is nasty, except the juice. I'll drink the juice!" I laughed! Then my second oldest says, "We need to go to Walmart to get more food. I don't like this."
Now you would think all that was said was offensive, but it did not top what my son did! Now, he would eat anything, unless he really hates it. He'll eat my food all day, but not today, he picked over EVERYTHING! SMH.. This refrigerator day was a complete failure, but I got a great laugh out of it!! LOL


More to come!!


Tell me your #momfails!! Comment below, tweet me or leave a comment on my facebook fanpage!

Every pregnancy is different... I believe it now!

Upon my knowledge of my 5th pregnancy, I am aware that I cannot eat a variety of foods nor can I take the smell of them. My choices are slimmed down to fruits, yogurts and juices. During my other pregnancies, I had choices and favorites. What is this baby doing to me??
One thing that is similar to the other pregnancies are my weight and food intake. I lose a lot during my first trimester and I only eat small portions. It is like my stomach is smaller.
One major difference is sickness. I never experienced morning sickness. I was out with the ladies and just had the urge to vomit... I was embarrassed because I never had to do that!

I guess I can relate to the other mothers now... that every pregnancy is different!

What was your most memorable pregnancy story?

The End by Tracie McClinton

The last day of school, the last day of vacation, the last slice of pie, the last child...all great things must come to an end. The day I finally had to face the truth that I have given birth for the last time was a day full of strange emotions for me. No more diapers, bottles, sleepless nights and potty training. I should have been celebrating and doing some sort of obnoxious dance of joy and screaming “Freedom!” But two years ago when my son reached the age of 5, I found myself longing for diapers, bottles, sleepless nights and potty training! I was sad that my bouncing baby boy was now a bouncing big boy who was getting bigger by the day. With each milestone I verbalized “this is my last time experiencing this as a mother”. 

My boy, Brian, who I simply call The Boy, came into our lives as a plan and a surprise all in one. After many years of back and forth indecision, we finally decided to have “just one more”. So we prepared ourselves and agreed that this was it. I had no idea that this decision would be so difficult. The logical side of me knew it was the right decision for our family. After all, I was 37 and my husband was 42. We had a 10 year old and my husband’s oldest child was 17. But the mother in me was not ready for this to be IT. The Boy brought a special kind of joy into our household and brought something into our lives that we didn’t know we needed. This baby fixed something that we didn’t know was broken. I wanted to experience this joy over and over again. But then, I remembered that this is IT. 

Tracie McClinton

Now my boy is preparing to enter second grade. He is becoming more independent, losing teeth, liking girls and changing right before my eyes. He recently informed me that he was too old for Yo Gabba Gabba, Calliou and Sesame Street. This announcement hit me so hard and sent me into a week of gazing at baby pictures, touching baby clothes at the mall and sniffing packages of Pampers at Target.

It’s time to move on. Motherhood has exciting things still in store for me. The teenager will be in college next year. My husband and I are preparing for new and exciting things and my boy is still my boy.

This is it….the end. All great things must come to an end. (Insert HUGE SIGH right here). I am done having children. That’s all there is and there isn’t any more.

SPECIAL REPORT!!

Our family is growing and growing fast! We are expecting again! 

I called myself doing something a little different to have myself some time before the next baby, but God had a different plan. I will be doing pregnancy updates so..stay tuned!!

When is the best time to make your kids do chores?

Well... to answer this question as blunt as I could... when they are old enough to blame their sibling for a mess. LOL If they notice that something is dirty or smelly, it is time for them to get schooled! As you may know, I have 4 children. I am a stay at home mom and have a full schedule all day long. With school, potty training, finances and budgeting, cooking, cleaning and grocery shopping things tend to get pushed further on my list. Now, I keep a clean home, but it is always good to have help. I have decided to buckle down and create a chore list for the kids. They make messes ad it is time for them to clean it up. I believe once they realize that they don't have to be messy after playing or eating the messes will get smaller.

 My mom started my off pretty young too with cleaning. But my story is a bit different. One day after school ( I was in kindergarten at the time), I thought I will surprise my mom by cleaning the dishes. When she finished her nap, I walked her into the kitchen and she was completely floored at the job I did with cleaning the kitchen. This started some major responsibilities for little ol' me. At times I regretted starting myself so young, but I know now that I was a big help for my mom.

My children are pretty independent and started making themselves and each other lunch and pouring juice at the age of 2, so why not make them know the importance of keeping a clean home and learning responsibility?

Conquering Potty Training

For the past 6 years, I've been mothering and know the struggle that comes with raising Godly children. Knowing that they mirror our behavior and words has had me on my toes. Besides being the nurturer of the home, I have learned the importance of routine and discipline, especially when it comes to potty training.

When Raymiah was reaching her second birthday, I decided to buckle down and start potty training. With no experience, I was able to successful train her to use the toilet almost a year later. I now realize that was entirely too much time in training her. My patience and Raymiah's frustration took the best of me. When Rylee came along and it was her turn, it took a WEEK to train her. I believe it was the help of Raymiah that sped up the process. Now....here comes the boy!

My son, Ray the Third is quite independent and I figure this would help me during the potty training, but I was so wrong. Not only did he enjoy hours "free", but he is also curious about "it" which makes it a challenge to keep him focused on making wets.

I started potty training him at 13 months (approx. Dec. 2010). Then stopped because he wasn't ready. I tried again May 2011. After a few life changing events, I put potty training on hold. Now almost a year later, we are back at it again. My husband has been a HUGE help in training him by taking 2 days off of work to monitor him and discipline during the training. As of today, potty training is a success and we haven't had a major accidents in about a week. We may have the occasional "I am extremely too excited to make it" or "I am in trouble and can't control it" but it is working out.

To award him for his potty successes, we usually compliment him. I have tried candy and treats, but no go. Ray has also brought home monster trucks ans games for their successes which helps a lot.

Do you have any suggestions or ways that made your training a success? What didn't work?

Let me know!!

Raymiah in her potty training stage

Cartoon can be a blessing too!

I discovered Veggietales months before Raymiah was born and I knew that this ministry will both educate her and entertain her. I wish my parents knew about Veggietales during my childhood years. I love their movies and characters. I went on a Veggietales craze by buying used DVDs on Ebay and Amazon.com. Well, for those who are like "What in the world is she talking about?" "What's a Veggietales?" I'll catch you up now!

Veggietales is a Christian based cartoon created by Phil Vischer and Mike Narowski in 1993. Since then they have dozens of educational and moral values that come straight from the bible. I am mostly encouraged by "The Snoodles Tale" (2003). It was the 22nd short film of the Veggietales series. The moral of this short film is to know that God created you for a purpose and even though your peers are  not accepting of your skills and appearance, "God has made you special and He loves you very much!" It has a Dr. Suess/fairy tale feel to it and is very cute!
If you haven't had the privilege to enjoy a Veggietales movie with your children, I think you should!

Cupcake Fun!!

My daughter Rylee celebrated her 4th birthday last month! YAY..I wanted to do something creative for her. So, I decided to make rainbow cupcakes. It turned out wonderful! It is so simple. I divided the cake mix into ziplock bags and added food color in them. Then I layered the cupcake pan with the colors. Bake as directed and BAM!!! A colorful dessert for my beautiful daughter!

Here's some pictures of the process:

The batter

Layered in pan

Finished product

Blurred photo but here's how the inside looked

Happy Birthday, Rylee!!!

Today is my 2nd daughter's birthday....Miss Rylee Antoinette and she's 4 years old today! I remember going into labor with her by breakdancing the night before with my husband. We wanted to have this baby and was willing to do whatever it took to have her that weekend. So, from 10pm (Feb. 22) to 2am (Feb. 23) we surfed the web randomly ad ended up watching people from the 20s and 30s doing dances of the time then I watching young Asians do their breakdancing thing...so I decided to join it! LOL...Lo ad Behold, at 7am we headed to the hospital. Then at 10am, Rylee was born at 7lbs 15oz!!

Mealtime=Family Funtime

Earlier this week, I wanted the kids to experience preparing a meal. I decided the best meal to prepare with them is pizza. I think pizza is a universal meal..it's quick and easy! I found some pizza dough from Pillsbury and I had a few ingredients on hand: sauce, mozzarella cheese, and Italian sausage. I baked the dough them cooked the sausage. Once the hard work was completed, the kids began to assemble their pizzas. It went well and the clean up was little to none. What a great way to cook and get the babies involved!

Disclaimer: This might not be suitable for adults. Ray and I were messed up after eating this! LOL

Mommy needs.....

Until recently did I realized the importance of having time to myself. Whether I'm polishing my nails quietly in my own quiet space or out with the ladies for the day, it is extremely important to recoop. Every year since I have been married, I have been pregnant and/or with a baby, I definitely am qualified for an hour or 6 to myself. I am grateful that I have a husband who sees my need to collect my thoughts. I love being a stay-at-home wife and mother, but this mother needs her time away! I know when it's time to head home, especially when I begin to lactate...LOL (TMI) But if you are like me and need to getaway, even if for a 1/2 hour, you deserve it and as the saying goes, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" (or something like that...lol)

The important people in my life!

I am so grateful for the ability to have awesome children. Motherhood has its joys and pains but it is so worth it!
This is what makes me proud to be a mom!

Staying Home

In my opinion, you have to be very creative to make staying at home a fun thing. During the first few months of marriage, I was home by myself. I had a way to get around if need be, but I enjoyed staying at home! I became interested in sewing and designing. As a result of all the studying and researching, I became quite good at it and had a few hobbies to occupy myself. I Googled everything and my knowledge was limitless so being at home was AWESOME!

Now having little ones, that creative energy has to multiply by 4! Television was not the answer nor did it come across my mind, but flashcards, songs and crayons was the star of “Mommy Daycare”. We did not have the television to teach or entertain our children. We created activities and printed worksheets to simulate their curious minds. My oldest recited the alphabet at 10 months and that’s way before she began to actually talk! I felt accomplished and proud that I had the ability to teach. Now with a full house, they all learn from each other so all I have to do is reinforce it! I love it!

Staying home was one of the best decisions I’ve made!