The Belly Bakery

SALE

2010-11-26T23:06:00.001-05:00

So, I've been super excitedly waiting for Cyber Monday because Grocery University is having a sale. I've heard alot about her curriculum on how to save lots of money at the grocery (2 hour workshop and 40 page workbook.) It's only $5 if you get it before 6 am. She'll add a dollar each hour after that, but it tops off at $9. Here's a link: http://groceryuniversity.com/?ap_id=stephlove

Picture

2010-08-27T21:16:00.001-04:00

I'm never on here anymore because most of my friends and family also have Facebook accounts and I can leave pictures there. But I thought I'd post a new one here just for fun. The girls are 5 months now. Lucy is everywhere. Up on her hands and knees, scooting, rolling all over, chewing on toys, eating every food we'll let her try. Daisy is...content. She doesn't really do anything but lay there and be sweet and happy. She can roll over one way- IF she is incredibly desperate, but honestly, it just isn't worth it to her. :) She really doesn't want anything to do with food, but can't get enough of nursing or bottles. She is really chunking up now. They both coo and laugh and are generally delightful and delighted over. If I was getting some sleep, it would be a glorious babymoon time. As it is, between the lack of sleep, the five other kids, and Daniel's very demanding job, I'm feeling stretched a little thin. (If only that were literally true. Thin sounds good!) But it's still pretty fun have two baby girls at the same time. Overall, I'm really loving it.

Daisy is on the left and Lucy on the right.

Picture Angst

2010-06-25T22:35:00.001-04:00

The girls are three months old now and I still haven't gotten ONE single picture of them together where they both look cute. Should I take them to a professional, or will I just pay a bunch of money to someone else who can also not get them to both look cute at the same time?

I also really need a new picture for the top, but I'm not sure when that will ever happen.

Is It Okay....

2010-06-25T22:32:00.000-04:00

......to think my daughters look beautiful in this picture? I am madly in love with it. With them.

Feeling Antsy

2010-06-25T22:28:00.002-04:00

We've been making an ant farm and doing an ant experiment.

Lucy Snoozing

2010-06-25T22:25:00.001-04:00

Usually Daisy is the one to sleep with her hand folded up by her face, but here is a cute litte picture of Lucy doing it.

There Were Four in the Bed....

2010-06-25T22:22:00.000-04:00

And the big one said, "No. Please. That's okay. I'll just sleep down here at the bottom of the bed."

Queen Daisy

2010-06-03T23:44:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Gus, Daisy got to be the queen for a few minutes.

Friends

2010-06-03T23:41:00.000-04:00

Brothers and Sisters

2010-06-03T23:38:00.000-04:00

Waking up Bald

2010-06-03T23:36:00.000-04:00

Did I mention that Daisy woke up about half bald one morning? It was quite a shock. This picture was right after that happened.

Remember, at first she looked like this, the one in the middle.

Photo Contest

2010-05-27T09:32:00.002-04:00

We did a fun little activity the other day. We talked about photography being a form of art (not that I actually know what I'm talking about). And then the kids had two minutes to walk around the yard looking for the most interesting angle from which to shoot a picture of the diapers on the clothesline. Then they all went inside and came out one at a time and took a picture. Here are our results:

GUS- age 4

KYLIE- age 6

ELIJAH- age 9

And the WINNER is.......

GILLEN- age 8

At least, that's who I picked as the winner. I thought Kylie's had potential, but since the tops of the diapers were cut off and the neighbors garage and grill is in the background, I didn't choose it.

Whose picture do you like best?

Baby Love

2010-05-18T10:21:00.002-04:00

Pictures

2010-05-06T15:13:00.005-04:00

Daisy practising for blowing raspberries and Daisy looking sweet.

Okay, so Lucy has been too grouchy lately to get pictures that I'd actually call "cute." But we don't want to leave her out, so here she is in her cherry dress.

Kylie holding a pensive-looking Daisy.

Jesse, being adorable.

Lucy in an outfit from Cousin Megan, that I have been looking forward to putting on them since my baby shower. So, so cute!

Daisy in her coordinating outfit from Megan. I love them both! And then just a picture I think is cute of Daisy. She is making up for all the less atractive pictures when she was really tiny.

Oh. My. Cuteness.

Elijah is nine and Gillen is eight. VERY different guys, but I think both are pretty great.

Posers.

We watched a great documentary called Amazing Caves and the kids spent several days caving and "repelling" up and down the steps. Jesse's all tricked out in his gear.

She's a Natural

2010-04-21T18:16:00.002-04:00

A mom in the making.

Maybe we should get a girlier carrier. :)

Kylie Grace and Lucy Arwen

This and That

2010-04-16T17:32:00.001-04:00

Elijah reading with Daisy

Me trying to nurse two at once. Doesn't happen very often.

Daniel

2010-04-16T17:26:00.000-04:00

I don't know how I happened to NOT post this before. It's so cute.

Daisy has HAIR!

2010-04-16T17:24:00.000-04:00

I have never had a baby with HAIR before. This is after a bath, when her fuzzy, little baby chick hair is sticking up.

Look! I Figured Out the Moby Wrap!

2010-04-16T17:21:00.001-04:00

Two Peas in a Pod

2010-04-06T20:00:00.000-04:00

Just Because....

2010-04-03T14:59:00.000-04:00

...I'm in love with them. Yes, them AND their bracelets- which my mom made for them.

I wish I could take good pictures. None of mine really show how sweet they are.

Because He Didn't Have Enough To Do......

2010-04-03T14:55:00.000-04:00

taking care of me and seven children and some laundry and some meals and helping with nighttime feedings, Daniel took up a few projects for his "vacation." He hung towels racks and other accessories in our new bathroom. He spent much time finding and purchasing the right wood for the linen closet he is building in the bathroom. He learned to make artisan-like bread from the amazingly easy book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. Delicious!! He also decided that since we don't eat pork and he really wanted a good andouille sausage for gumbo, he'd learn to make it himself. So he sort of half followed/half invented a way to make ground beef smoked sausage on our grill- that turned out beautifully. Then he turned it all into gumbo in fresh bread bowls. He is totally amazing!

Pictures

2010-04-01T18:36:00.001-04:00

Welcome Home

2010-03-26T19:15:00.001-04:00

Daisy Susannah and Lucy Arwen

Gus, Daisy, Kylie, Elijah, Lucy, Gillen, Jesse

Lucy and Daisy

Born March 23, 2010

Daisy Susannah 6 pounds, 6 ounces 18 1/2 inches

Lucy Arwen 6 pounds, 5 ounces 20 inches

Here They Come!!!

2010-03-22T21:44:00.001-04:00

Well, tomorrow morning we finally get to meet the long-awaited, much-prayed-for, deeply-desired Daisy and Lucy. My mom just gave me tiny, adorable beaded bracelets with their names on them (she made even made them) and that has made it more real than anything else. Although, it is still not very real. Not very real at all. They will be arriving by cesearean and I hope I made the right decision to just schedule instead of going into labor and then having a c-section. But they weren't turning and they really can't turn now, so it was going to be a c-section one way or the other, anyway.

Here are the last few belly shots.

I'm thinking tonight of the third verse that God gave me when we found out it was twins and we were trying to make all the decisions necessary to have the most natural and safe and healthy experience possible.

"Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God." Psalm 84:3

Here is What Happens.....

2010-03-12T10:05:00.001-05:00

.....when you take a nap while your kids play in the back yard unsupervised. They created a mudhole. Purposely. The kitchen floor was covered in mud tracks where they had carried water out over and over. You can't see how covered in mud they are because it had already dried and gotten much lighter. It's in their ears, even. And Kylie is wearing, of course, a brand new outfit her Nana just gave her that morning that will not come clean. The shirt is covered in mud and then she put on a new white sweatshirt and the sleeves of that are completely ruined, too. That poor girl loves clothes, but immediately stains EVERYTHING.

But hey, they weren't sitting if front of a movie, which is what they usually do when I nap, and they got lots of fresh air!

36 Week Update

2010-03-12T09:55:00.003-05:00

36 weeks

I measured 46 weeks pregnant yesterday!! WOW! So much for all the people who keep saying how small I look. The ultrasound tech kept saying, "Bless your heart. And I really mean that. You are absolutely stuffed with babies!"

Here is one more shot from yesterday.

35 Weeks

2010-03-03T16:41:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago

And today.

Funny the difference angle makes. Elijah took the picture today and I think it doesn't show a good comparison to the last one, because of the difference in the way he does it from the way Daniel does it. But it IS bigger!

I'm definitely starting to have a hard time waiting because of all the discomfort and the lack of sleep and difficulty just sort of moving around. I feel like I can't go on and yet I know that I just will.

And I'm getting so excited to meet them and to hold and nurse them, that makes it hard to wait, too!

33 Weeks

2010-02-17T21:16:00.005-05:00

33 weeks

And because I always like to see a comparison close together, here's last weeks, too.

32 weeks

Yes, it's a terrible picture. They usually are because we take them at 9:30 or 10:00 and I'm wiped out. But it's honest and that's worth something, right? Sleep is hard to come by and exhaustion is ever-present. So when I look back on this, at least it will be truthful to the state of being.

Front Shot

2010-02-11T21:58:00.000-05:00

I realized we haven't done a front shot in a long time. I find it slightly staggering to look it at like this. But I'm glad I've documented the belly this pregnancy. I've never done this before and I know I'll like looking back on it.

32 Weeks

2010-02-11T21:40:00.005-05:00

This week

Last week
Wow! Is it just me or did the belly get waaayyy bigger this week???

Jesse's Love

2010-02-08T09:41:00.000-05:00

So I have to wear a ponytail most of the time, as I mentioned. Jesse, who is very, very clingy and attached, spends a lot of time near this ponytail and he often plays with it. One day, as he rubbed the ponytail against his cheek, over and over, he said with delight, "It love me, Mama. See? It love me!" Several times since then he has done that same thing and told me the ponytail loves him. He even rubbed it on his face once when he got hurt, for comfort. I think it's very sweet. It also explains why he wants to spend so much time cheek-to-cheek with me, sometimes gently rubbing. Clearly, he associates touch against his cheek with love.

31 Week Picture, A Little Late

2010-02-08T09:32:00.001-05:00

30 Weeks!!!

2010-01-26T22:28:00.001-05:00

Ten weeks to go. I'll admit I'm praying they'll be early. Not dangerously early, but as early as is safe.

His Apologies

2010-01-25T22:50:00.002-05:00

So I got out the only video we have of any of our kid's births- Gus's- so the kids could see a newborn baby again and mostly, so that Gus could see himself. Our camera broke right before he was born and he doesn't have as many baby pictures as the other kids. Anyway, I fast forwarded thru all the labor stuff and started playing right when I'm holding him for the first time. I was crying in the video. Except with Jesse, I have always cried for just a minute or two after the baby comes out. I wish I could say it was with joy, but it really isn't. I'm not a cry-for-joy kind of person. I cry because of the relief that it's over and because I find pushing completely excruciating and I can't really believe I just endured it.

So, in the video, I'm holding Gus and crying for a minute. I'm sitting on the floor while we watch and Gus comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my neck and says, very matter-of-fact, "Sorry about that, Mama." As if he totally understands that I'm crying about the pain his birth caused. It was so funny and so insightful, I had to laugh. I even double-checked and asked if he was sorry because it hurt for him to be born and made me cry. He said, "Yeah. Sorry about that." I have gotten a kick out of that all day.

Another funny story- He also came and asked me to clean his ears to "turn them back on," because he had sniffed and it turned one of his ears "off." I loved it! And I knew exactly what he meant. He is so stinkin' cute sometimes!

29 Weeks (and Comparison)

2010-01-23T21:56:00.004-05:00

29 weeks

28 weeks

27 weeks

The Flu

2010-01-14T20:49:00.001-05:00

While we all had the flu, no one had it as bad as Kylie. She reigned Couch Diva Supreme for 7 looong days. But there were sweet moments, like this one, when she shared her domain with Jesse.

28 weeks

2010-01-14T20:46:00.002-05:00

27 weeks

2010-01-06T22:19:00.002-05:00

I don't think I really look any different, belly wise, but here's the picture. Daniel made me look at the camera, despite the fact that I'm recovering from the flu and really don't want to be seen. :)

25 Weeks

2009-12-23T21:33:00.001-05:00

25 weeks

Modern Mind

2009-12-19T20:34:00.001-05:00

Gillen, on reading the word phonograph in his phonics book: "Oh, Mom, I know what that is!! It's a photograph that you take with your phone!!" Actually, Gil, that is a really good guess.

Another Funny Boy

2009-12-18T21:59:00.000-05:00

I thought this little post at Blessed Among Men was so funny.

Funny Boy

2009-12-18T21:56:00.000-05:00

Gus, who I usually find pretty funny, came into the kitchen dressed as a Rescue Hero. He was a firefighter and I could see by the look on his face that he was proud of this get-up he'd assembled. I asked him what his name was and he answered, "Handsome. I mean, Gustin." Oooops. I think the truth slipped out. :)

10 Years

2009-12-18T12:02:00.001-05:00

Today is my tenth anniversary! And Daniel and I have been together for about 15- almost half of my life. I love that I can say that. I love that we have been together so long. I love that our love is quiet and comfortable and satisfied and simple. I don't mean there's no passion. I just mean that for both of us, we seem to be enough. In a world where people so often need more, better, or different, having this small little life that satisfies us, seems like such a gift. And I just love to think how much we've accomplished in the last ten years. Not in our careers or our community- but hopefully, for eternity. Just look!

Baby Pictures!

2009-12-17T12:42:00.002-05:00

Daisy is the baby on the top. It's mostly a profile shot and her mouth is open. She kept drinking the water. Lucy is on the bottom and her face is more head-on.

I love them so much, already!! :)

24 weeks

2009-12-15T16:29:00.006-05:00

24 weeks

Big is In

2009-12-10T09:28:00.000-05:00

I have NEVER known of so many people to be pregnant at the same time. I go to a small church and I believe there are 8 people having babies within about 5 months. {I think I'm at the tail end of it, so I'm counting down babies as people have them, until it's my turn. It's hard to be last, but then I get to have the tiniest baby! Well, babies. :) So I'm glad I'm at the end.} And I know a lot more pregnant women that are not in our church. For example, my sister. We are pregnant together for the first time ever. This is her third and she is due in about a month. We don't look like we could be related, but we are very close. I can't wait to see who is in her belly!

Growing

2009-12-09T21:42:00.002-05:00

So here's some belly shots from the last several weeks.

20 weeks

22 weeks

23 weeks

Is it getting bigger? :)

Comparisons

2009-12-07T20:20:00.000-05:00

Kylie, on the size of my stomach: "I think your stomach is small. I mean, you're not as big as a bus or anything." (I did not actually say anything about being the size of a bus. Apparently, this was just what was in her head when she walked into the bathroom during my shower.)

The Business of Being Mary

2009-12-07T20:17:00.000-05:00

Gillen, singing: "The merchant Mary had a baby boy. The merchant Mary had a baby boy."

I Walked In To This

2009-12-05T09:34:00.000-05:00

This morning after the kids played in the snow, I put the three little ones in front of a movie and went to get a shower and get dressed and start the laundry. I came downstairs to this sweet little scene.

Okay, so his face still has breakfast on it, but isn't it all so darling?

And I wouldn't want to leave out the other sweet little guy, so here is his picture, too.

I really have a thing for thumb-suckers! :)