I What??

I know you are probably sick of pregnancy posts but it's all that I have to post about. It dominates my life right now. So here it is:

This morning I had my 35 week appointment. At this point in pregnancy the appointments are pretty boring. Weight, belly measurement, and blood pressure. That's about it. Well today I was in for quite a shock when I weighed in at +4lbs from two weeks ago and yet my belly hasn't changed a bit! At 33 weeks my belly measured 32 weeks and today, it still measures 32 weeks. It's too bad about those 4lbs. I hate to think where they are going. :)

By the way, no need to worry about the belly not growing thing. The doc didn't seem concerned, so neither am I. Just as long as they don't change my due date!

And This Is Why I Don't Post Picture's of Myself....

Okay, you asked for it. Here is a picture of Baby Shideler #2. Try to concentrate on the belly not my face. I'm feeling huge, but most people tell me I'm looking small considering this baby is coming in a month (exactly one month from today!) My belly measures a little small so I guess it's no surprise I look small. plus I've gained less weight this time around, probably due to running around trying to keep up with Ava. All in all, I feel okay. But I'm ready for this baby to come out! Ava and Daddy posed for some pictures the other day so I thoght I'd share. Ava is still such a daddy's girl that she hardly has anything to do with me if Dad is around. She's practically glued to him, just like in the picture.

And, just for fun I had to share this picture. The other day we were at Grammy's house (Chris's mom) and I look around and realize I don't see Ava. Marilyn looks out the window and says "oh Jenn, you have to see this!" So I quickly grab my camera and sneak outside to find this:
Ava relaxing with Blue. So cute!

what we've been up to

It's been a while since I've posted so here is just a quick update about what we've been up to. Last week we had beautiful weather so we spent a lot of time outdoors. Ava loves the sun and had a great time running around the yard.

I'm sure the sucker helped her good mood. :)

We also had a few babies last week. Our cat had 4 kittens last wednesday. This picture is of them the day they were born. They look like little rats but they are much cuter now. They've opened their eyes and grown a ton. I want to keep them all but Chris won't let me. Oh well. :) I get to keep at least one.

This weekend Ava and I went on a road trip to Denver and Colorado Springs. We went to visit a few of my friends and it turned out to be a very eventful trip. Our first night in Denver Ava fell off the hotel bed and hurt her arm. I almost took her to the hospital because her arm was just hanging limp and she wouldn't calm down. After 30 minutes of crying she finally fell asleep (it was bedtime anyway). But two hours later she woke up crying again. I called Chris but he said to just stick it out through the night and see how she was in the morning. Oh what a nightmare it turned out to be. She was up from 10:00 to 3:00 crying on and off trying to fall asleep. Finally, mercifully, she fell asleep and I was able to go to sleep. I found out later it was her elbow that had been hurt (probably hyper extended) and it took a few days, but she did get better. Other than that we had a good time but I was glad to be home and have Chris's help again. THank goodness I'm not a single parent. I'd go crazy!

So that's what we've been up to.

My Problem With Bread

A couple of months ago I got an itch to make homemade bread. It doesn't happen often. The last time I made bread was probably about a year before. But on this particular day it sounded like a good idea. So I got out my kitchen aid (without which I would probably never make bread!), and went to work. A few hours later out popped these two beautiful loaves of bread. UNFORTUNATELY.....when I copied down the recipe I left off the salt. My beautiful bread was as blah as blah can be. I was so upset. But I put my apron back on and went to work on another batch. I called my mother-in-law to find out how much salt the recipe called for and the second time it turned out perfect. My faith in making homemade bread had returned.

THEN....yesterday I got the itch again. I got out the kitchen aid put on my apron (which I got from this website) and Ava and I went to work. A few hours later out popped two loaves of beatiful bread that were as blah as blah can be! Now this time I KNEW I had added the salt but it was still not right. I bumped into my mom-in-law a few hours later and told her the story. "I thought you said to add 1 TBSP of salt" I said to her (and since I half her recipe I only used 1/2 a tbsp). "No" she says. "I use 1 TBSP per loaf!"

So maybe I'm just not cut out for making home made bread.

Be Prepared

One VERY happy, kid-free, trip to Sam's Club............ And 25lbs of Oats, 25lbs of potatoes, and 25lbs of macaroni later.....
And I am not even half way there yet!

I'm getting really excited about putting together my 1 year supply of food storage, which we have been counceled to do by the leaders of my church. It's a work in progress as you can see and I still have a long way to go.
If you are interested in getting yours started or just making it better I have a lot of good info to share. This is a great website for purchasing canned food (though it can be pricey): BePrepared. To find calculations for the amount of food your family will need go here. On left side under "browse topic" click on "food & emergency prep", then click on "Food Storage Calculator".


"At one time or another, nearly every family will face accidents, illness, unemployment, or other emergencies that will require them to depend on the resources they have stored."

One Step Closer....

.....To being a mom of two! Chris and I decided it was time for an upgrade. With another kid only 7 weeks away* I am relieved to finally have the buying process over. Today we officially became owners of a Toyota Sienna. Though I still feel too young to be driving a van, I actually do really love it. There is so much space and so many features about it that I love. And I now feel a little more prepared for baby to arrive. * My c-section date has officially be set for June 24th. 7 weeks from today!!