FRUSTRATION!

For the past 4+ weeks I have been SUFFERING through a horrible rash. I contemplated posting pictures but decided no one really wants to see that. Just picture your entire upper body (neck and arms included) broken out in such a dense, red rash that it looks like the worst sun burn of your life. That was me. Now imagine the worst itching you have ever experienced, multiply it by ten, and the fact that there is no satisfying the itch, and there you have my life for the past month. AHHHHHH!!!!! My OB scared the life out of me by suggesting it was my liver malfunctioning, which can lead to serious complications or even stillbirth. So for a week I was freaking out about it, waiting for the call from my doctor on my blood test, until I had finally had enough and called them to find out the results, which were thankfully negative. But I still itched! I saw a dermatologist who took a look at me for 2 seconds, wouldn't listen to a word I had to say, and diagnosed it as being allergic to something I wasn't allergic to before. Use this expensive lotion, throw out all products at home and get all new stuff. And use this steroid cream even though you are pregnant. Can you tell I am not thrilled with my doctors at this point? I left his office sobbing. I went to Wal Mart to get the prescription filled, sat there for 45 minutes, asked 3 times if it was ready, and finally a lady pokes her head around the corner, "Oh, didn't anyone tell you? We don't have enough of the product so we have to order more. Come back tomorrow." AHHHHHHH!!!!!! I left the store sobbing. The next day I finally got my prescription at 4 and the pharmacist practically screamed at me not to use the product because I am pregnant. I left the store sobbing once again. After a call to my OB's office and my sister who had been on steroids her whole pregnancy, I felt that I could safely use the product if I use it sparingly. That night though, I gave Benadryl a try to see if it really was an allergic reaction. Nope! I woke up itching and sobbing for 2.5 hours because I couldn't get back to sleep. That was par for the course for many nights actually. For the past 3 days now I have been using the ointment and the major redness has gone away but the underlying itch is still there. I don't know what happens when I stop using the ointment, hopefully soon, but I do know I can't survive 17 more weeks of this horror. My poor kids and husband already had to deal with a cranky pregnant mom/wife, and this has just been a hundred times worse. Sorry guys! And I have been a hermit, much more than usual ;), because I can't move without wanting to rip my skin off and run screaming away! Hopefully things will settle down now that the major rash is being taken care of. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions I will gladly listen to them. They ruled out the most common pregnancy rash, PUPPP, so we have no idea what this is. Hopefully this too shall pass and I can look back and laugh about it (yah right) but I wouldn't wish this condition on my worst enemy.

Another Daughter!

We are having a girl! Still due February 3, 2010. Looks healthy, with all her parts, and she is quite cute, if I do say so myself. Look at that profile! I love the little nose. And her little feet are just too cute. What a blessing ultrasounds are. I stress myself out for the first 20 weeks, wondering if the baby is OK with all their parts in all the right places. I love that first glimpse of the little thing, all put together in a little package. And it always gives me a sense of wonder that that little functioning body is actually inside me! What a miracle.

We were surprised by the announcement that this is a girl, since all of us but Mason were sure that it was a boy, but we have readjusted our thinking and are excited to welcome another little girl into our family. All except for Mason, who is now disappointed that it isn't a little brother. The questions now are do we come up with another "D" name, and will she be a mini Drew or a mini Darcy? We are excited to find out in just 20 more weeks!

First Day of Kindergarten!

My baby is all grown up! Drew started Kindergarten last Thursday and our lives will never be the same. I kept telling myself I was ready for her to go, that I would enjoy not having to referee her and her brother for 3 hours a day, that she would be just fine without us, that she loves to learn and this will be the best place for her to do that. Well, I still believe all those things, but I also realize that I will no longer be the most knowledgeable person in her world, she will find others to confide in, she will learn things from others that I have tried my darndest to shield her from, and if she's anything like her mom, she will have her first crush when she is five. Heaven help me, I don't know if I am ready for this!

The night before school started she was an emotional roller coaster, giggling hysterically one minute, bawling about nothing the next. I knew she would probably be like that the next day and I was right. She did great as we stood in line to leave for class, a little nervous, but not crying and clinging like many kids there. I, on the other hand, turned into a mess. I was trying to hold it together and not let her see me cry, but as soon as that line started moving I grabbed Mason and Darcy and we took off, with me sobbing all the way home. I pulled it together in time to pick her up 3 hours later though!

She met us at the door with a scowl and I knew it was on! She immediately started crying about not getting to ride the bus, but I think that was just what she chose to focus on to let out her emotions. She "didn't want to talk about it," how her day went, but she did manage to say she really liked her teacher and the kids. As soon as we got home she shut herself in my bedroom and locked the door. I gave her 5 minutes to herself and then made her open the door for me. We snuggled a bit and after I tickled her a bit she opened up a smidgen more, but that was an emotionally draining day for my Drewsy. The next day after we picked her up she was flinging attitude left and right and was picking a fight with every little thing anyone said. So I had to remind her who was in charge and threaten home school if she didn't pull it together and come home with a better attitude. We will see how she does tomorrow. Hopefully this will only last for a few days and then she can really get into school and enjoy it.

Here were the kids waiting in line on the first day. Mason really wants to go to school now and asks everyday when he gets to go. I was hiding my face behind the camera so Drew wouldn't see me cry!

Hot Summer Fun

Swimming lessons started last week for Drew and Mason. It was perfect timing. Last week was beastly hot and there is no place better to be (other than in my nice, air conditioned house) than in the pool. Darcy and I were sweltering, sitting pool-side the first lesson, but we found out that a parent/tot class takes place at the same time as the older kids' lessons. Darcy and I have been in the pool every day since! She doesn't enjoy it quite as much as I hoped she would but it beats sitting in the muggy heat. Drew loves the lessons. She is doing great and she swam on her own on her tummy today. Pretty good for a beginner I think.

Mason isn't as thrilled. For days leading up to the lessons he would carry his suit and towel everywhere so he would be ready. Well, now the only way I can get him in the pool is to bribe him with the promise of ice cream on the last day of lessons. It has been a good experience for him though. The first day he tried to do whatever he wanted to do, till the teacher got in his face and told him to listen to instructions. He has held onto that pool wall ever since! He needs the instruction and discipline from outside sources and I am happy to see he will actually respond well to it. I think he really is having fun but he won't admit it.

Darcy is exhausted at the end of lessons. They cut right into the middlle of her nap time. Here she is tired and soaking wet after she gets out of the pool.

And here she is nice and dry after a few minutes in the dryer! I actually caught her in there today as I was doing laundry. Darcy will be 13 months old in a few days and is still showing no signs of a desire to walk. This is driving me crazy. I thought she would be an early walker so she could keep up with Drew and Mason but I guess not. She buckles her knees everytime Paul and I try to get her to walk. Crazy girl. I guess she likes to be held more than asserting independence.

We went to Tillamook this weekend for a small get-away. Paul told me it was to save me from myself, so I wouldn't be on my feet all day canning and drying fruit and making pies two days in a row. I think it was a bit of self-preservation on his part too, since he was in charge of the kids all the previous day and they wore him out. We visited the Cheese Factory, the beach, and the Air Museum. That was a really neat place. The kids were afraid of the mennequin so they stood on the other side of Paul for this picture. They got to sit in some airplanes and pretend they were the pilots, and Mason was very concerned about the blimp with aliens painted on the outside. It was a memorable place for the kids.

Here are my tired babies as we arrived home. I am so glad they all fall asleep well in the car!

We went to Sauvie Island Farms for some peaches and came home with 74 lbs! I canned 21 quarts, which will hopefully keep Drew fed through the winter. She downs these like crazy. I lightened the syrup a bit this year without telling her so we will see how well she likes these. The ones I have made in the past have been way too sweet for me but she loves them. I also made 4 pies and froze 3 of them. We ate one and there are enough peaches left for one more pie I think, which we will probably eat right now too! I LOVE peach pie. As I was canning tonight I heard a pop and one of the bottoms of a full jar of peaches cracked off in the boiling water bath. Luckily the jar didn't shatter so there wasn't a glass mess to clean up, but all the jars got to take a bath in sticky peach water. What a mess. The thought of fresh peaches and pie always makes my mouth water, but as I am staring 74 lbs of peaches in the face I always question just why I think I need to do all this work. In the end its worth it? I have also been drying 18 lbs of apricots. Yummy!

This is my little garden. Corn, peas, green beans, yellow squash, and cucumbers are planted here. I have two pots of tomatoes growing on the patio and 2 cauliflower plants among my shrubs, but they aren't doing very well. I don't know if its location or what. This is the first year I've tried cauliflower and I doubt I'll try it again. The heat of the past two weeks took a toll on my pea plants so they have been removed and the green beans are spreading out all over. Fine with me, I love fresh green beans.

I am feeling well, happy to be moving into the second trimester. I saw the little baby on an ultrasound a few weeks ago because we couldn't hear a heart beat from the outside. There it was though, just hanging out with a little fluttering heart! I always appreciate that first evidence that there really is a baby in there!

Here We Go Again

Number 4 is on the way! We are excited to announce that we are adding to our family, and the new little one is due February 3, 2010. Drew and Mason are happy about the new addition but I'm not so sure Darcy will be. She is an awfully big momma's girl and she will only be 19 months older than the new baby. We will have to get lots of snuggles in before February. Mason likes to tell me he has a baby in his tummy and he shows me his poochy belly all the time. He also was wondering when I went to the doctor if the doctor would take the baby out of my tummy to check it and then put it back in. This is going to be fun trying to explain it to my very special 3 year old!

Big Birthday Bash

July 8th my sweet baby turned 1! I don't think we even sang happy birthday to her that day because we were getting ourselves ready for the big birthday bash on the 11th. We always throw a big first birthday party for the kids, then pretty much refuse to have parties for them as they get older. Maybe because these parties are so draining on me. Paul knows now to just quietly do whatever I ask him to and not take anything I yell at him personally during these happy events!

This year we hosted the party at my parents' house because it has a huge lawn which could hold the 39 family member attendees. The weather was perfect. Overcast at noon while we ate our bar-b-que, and then the sun came out about 2, just in time for the kids to swim and have water fights. We threw a sunshine pinata in there for fun too, so the kids all went away with goody bags full of candy and tummies full of cake and ice cream.

Darcy wanted to grab the pretty flame on the candle so I had to blow it out for her.

My family. Missing my oldest sister, Cindi, but all of us together only happens once a year if we are lucky.

Drew took a few good wacks at the pinata. It actually broke after the 5th person I think. The older kids didn't get a swing but I don't think they minded since they got the candy anyway.

This is my niece Ruqayyah. So darn cute, and I LOVE the rolls on those legs!

Just a smattering of all those who attended.

Paul and my dad hard at work cooking up the chicken, hot dogs, and hamburgers.

Darcy and some of her cousins.

The party eventually ended with the last guests leaving 8 hours after it started. I guess I will call that a success! We finished the night playing Rock Band, and at one point Darcy was playing the drums while my mom was on the electric guitar. Good times!

Since Darcy can't answer my birthday questions I will list those things that I believe are her favorites:

Food - anything, the girl is a bottomless pit

show - Baby Einstein shapes

Things to do - play with Drew, suck her thumb and play with the tassles on her blanket, snuggle with mom.

My Darcy is such a sweetheart and I am so in love with her. She gets along really well with her sister, and cringes everytime Mason gets near her, but I'm sure she likes him too. She loves to army crawl and still has no ambition what-so-ever to get up and walk, but I think that's because she knows we wouldn't get to snuggle as much if I didn't need to carry her around. We are so blessed with this little girl in our lives. What a happy little thing, and I just love the red hair. She is an original and I wouldn't want her any other way! We love you Darcy!

4th of July Weekend

This 4th of July we had Paul home! What a treat. The last 3 years he was working the graveyard shift and missed the festivities. It was fun to have him home, even though we didn't do anything thrilling. That morning I headed out to Sauvie Island to pick blueberries and raspberries, with the intent of being there at 8am when the farm opened for business. Well, 8am on Sauvie Island on the 4th of July puts you smack dab in the middle of a marathon. I had to drive completely around the island, through a mass of running and walking bodies. It took me about 40 minutes to get to the farm once I got on the island! Argh. The berries were worth it though. I made raspberry jam, a raspberry dessert for the next day, and ate and froze a bunch of blueberries.

We lit our own fireworks in the street and Drew and Mason seemed to enjoy it. I am not impressed with what Oregon will allow as fireworks. I grew up in Washington with Roman Candles and Saturn Missles and trips to the reservation for the good illegal ones. Ahhhh, those were the days. Paul kept stacking the used boxes on top of each other so we had quite the tower in the end, which made the show a bit more interesting with sparks raining down onto the road from high atop the stack. By that point Drew was getting a bit leery and asked if she could go inside.





The 5th of July we went to the blessing of my new niece Kennedy, who was born on June 3rd. What a cutie. We had a good time visiting with family and eating my raspberry dessert! Here are Ruqayyah, Kennedy, and Darcy - all born within 11 months of each other. Darcy looks HUGE compared to her cousins.

The 6th of July is my birthday! Happy birthday to me! I was hoping since Darcy's birthday is the 8th mine might get passed by this year but no such luck. Drew made me a lovely pipe-cleaner tiara to wear for the party, and we ate my very favorite dessert, Angel Delight. Angel food cake, melted chocolate chips, whipped cream, and egg whites all mixed together. Heaven in a bowl!

I got a leather-bound pocket guide to the National Parks, which is just what I need for our road trips! Try to read the comic Paul wrapped it in. It is exactly our life.

I also received Rock Band for our Xbox. Mason loves the guitar and Drew likes the drums. That usually meant I was singing. Not so good. Luckily this game rewards you for being loud and screechy, right up my alley. The game is fun but I can see where A LOT of time can be wasted on it.

In honor of my birthday I asked Drew and Mason a couple questions about me. I also asked Darcy but she just clapped so I guess that means she likes me?

How old am I?

Drew - 36 (she said 56 the day before)

Mason - 20 (thanks sweetheart!)

What is my favorite thing to do?

D - help kids

M - put sauce on it (HA! this kids is so insightful!)

What is my name?

D - Tiffiny

M - momma

Favorite color?

D - Pink

M - Blue (I'll say they are both right)

Favorite Animal?

D - Elephant

M - Giraffe (I thought this would be an easy one - Hippo! Drew inherited my many stuffed hippos so I was surprised she missed it)

What do I do that makes you happy?

D - Play on the computer

M - Give pirate toys

What do I do that makes me happy?

D - Snuggle

M - Eat Fire Chips (Doritos - I think he was confused, he's the one who likes them)

What makes me sad?

D - kids not listening

M - birthday cake (like I said, what an insightful guy!)

We are gearing up for Darcy's first birthday party at my parents' house this weekend. We could have close to 50 people if everyone from both sides of the family show up. Me stressed? Nah.