Diapers made for a prince

I guess being 30 weeks (holy shit, am I really 30 weeks pregnant today?????) it's time to start preparing for the arrival of a little boy here in the girl dominated Ferrie household. I honestly don't know where to start, this house is all pink and purple from toys to clothes to socks to diapers.

It's been a while since I've mentioned that I cloth diaper Clara. I started off cloth diapering Lilah when she was about 18 months old and realized how much I liked it! I bought all sorts of cool girly diapers for Clara. So, what now? We're having a boy, and there is no way I can put most of these diapers on my little princes bum. What's a girl to do???

Well...buy new dipes! 


Kelly's Closet is a Maine based cloth diaper company I have ordered from in the past. Unfortunately, they have stopped selling my favorite Blueberry diapers, but they did have a pretty good sale where you buy at least $59 worth of stuff and you get a free diaper.....so, that's what I did! I bought three one-size Bum Genius 4.0 Artist Series dipes (I'm not a HUGE Bum Genius fan...btw) for the little prince and got a free one-size Rumparooz in yellow...not too shabby! I still need about 6-8 more diapers for this little guy...not to mention lots of other things!

To homeschool......or not to homeschool

That is THE question.

I've always pondered homeschooling for our children, but it has always come down to one thing - commitment and patience. I'm not 100% sure I'd have either when it came to homeschooling our children, especially when there are other children at home who need attention, too. Living here in Maine, the schools in our town are fabulous, it is a small, quiet town that has a lot to offer families. While I've questioned whether or not to homeschool, it has always come down to the same answer - Mairead would go to Kindergarten here in Maine. The friends Mairead has from our town and preschool are wonderful and so are their families. Now that we are almost 100% moving to Virginia, we (yes, even Kevin) are questioning whether or not public Kindergarten would be best for our daughter and our family.

I've done research on schools, and while they have good reputations, do very well academically, they are large and have some issues I am just not quite into - I am a small town girl and we've seen just how wonderful small town living can be for some. For example, in Fairfax County, some Kindergarten programs are full day and some are half, though the curriculums for each program are the same. I've heard the children who are sent to half day programs are sent home with a large amount of work to cover the things they do not have time to cover in school - so remind me again why I can't just keep her at home if I am going to have to teach her myself? Call us selfish, but we love our sweet, innocent little girl. I know children have to grow up at some point, but how fast is too fast? I want to keep her young and I want her to develop at her own pace. I know a lot of people say, how could you seclude your children? Not socialize them? Well, the great thing about living in Northern Virginia is the fact they have a ton and I mean a ton of homeschooling groups that participate in weekly field trips, outings, play groups, and lots of other opportunities to socialize - did I mention Mairead (and Lilah) is currently in dance class, swim school and has participated in soccer, and she's not in Kindergarten, so I am sure no matter where we live Mairead would have plenty of socialization with other children whether she attended public school or not. Not only does Northern Virginia have a ton of homeschooling groups, there is a ton to do and explore from parks to museums to history to well, just about anything and everything that would be great for all of our children....who says Mairead has to learn Kindergarten from home? There is so much to learn for all of us...and homeschooling will force us to take advantage of everything there is to offer.

Another issue is preschool. If we were going to live here in Maine, we would be having Lilah begin preschool this fall, in which she is so very excited to participate in! I've done some research on preschools and maybe I am missing something but everything seems very very expensive, very agressive academically and did I mention expensive? Many preschools I have seen range in price from $8-10K per year.........Mairead goes to a preschool now that is what I call "unacademic" - they don't focus on their ABCs or major concepts like that, they focus on the little things and learning how to socialize, be in a classroom and learn more concepts - it is awesome and a curriculum both Kevin and I fully believe in. I am hoping I am just missing something, but I've researched schools for several days now, read a lot of forums and other articles, and it confirms my suspicions. I am hoping our friends who live there currently will be able to ease my mind a bit about this.

This decision to homeschool or not is not one we will not take lightly. It is a huge decision and we will make sure we research, read and explore as much as possible to make the best decisions for our children and family. I surely think about having all four children at home, while teaching (and honestly makes my head spin just a bit...), and the big one - not having any time to myself, but right now, life isn't about me, it is about our children, and making sure we guide them in the direction we feel is right - life isn't about raising children, it is about raising positive members of society. Homeschooling isn't for everyone,  I am not even sure it is for us, but, at this point, both Kevin and I see a lot of positives for our family in homeschooling. We are thankful to have several friends who choose homeschooling for their children and they have been extremely helpful.

What I do know is that Kevin and I are educated individuals who want the best for our children. We both know we have a very bright almost 5 year old who is eager to learn no matter what setting she is in - and from others who have chosen homeschooling for their Kindergartener, they have said it is pretty cut and dry and not as time consuming as one would think. It excites me that both Kevin and I could be so involved in our childs education and continuing to teach them about life. So, at this point, it's just the beginning of exploration for us - choosing what paths are best for each of our children and our family, taking it day by day, month by month, year by year. It will surely be a year filled with lots of changes - both positive and negative!

DC it is...

Sometimes you think you can prepare yourself for certain circumstances. You try to prepare yourself mentally for what is to come, even though, it isn't quite what you want - but no matter how much you try to prepare, it is never quite good enough...

I know both Kevin and I have been preparing ourselves for our next transfer for a while, telling ourselves, we probably won't be staying here in Maine or even getting to stay in New England, thinking  maybe we will be pleasantly surprised when we find out we will get what we have wanted - to stay here in New England. Sometimes it is just easier to push those thoughts aside and choose to not think about reality and every so often, I find myself just ignoring the inevitable. Maybe if I don't think about moving, it won't happen. Yeah, I know, silly, but, sometimes it is just easier that way.

But then, just like that, you are slapped right back into reality.... when your friends or family ask if you've heard where you are moving or when your husband calls you and tells you the jobs he requested have been filled - by someone else...

As I sit here looking at home rentals in Northern Virginia, I can't help but think......no, this is not our home. This is not what I want. This isn't right. I want this house. I want to walk down the end of our long driveway, look left and see the water. I want to sit outside on our deck and hear the seagulls or smell the beach. I want to have spontaneous dinners on the beach with our girls and spend our days there. Kevin and I poured our heart and soul into this house - probably not the smartest choice, but we knew the location would give our family just what we were looking for. - and it has. We laid every piece of hardwood floor by ourselves. I painted every single room. Kevin hung molding and countless other things. Kevin and I hung our kitchen cabinets (while I was big and pregnant might I add) and knocked down walls and countless other things. We made this house our home and the best part - we did it together. I guess I should mention it is so much more than our home - it is everything. It is where we live and the people who are in our lives here - everyone from our family to our friends to those who teach our children. I think about living away from family and how we will be on our own to care for our four small children, my parents will no longer be just an hour car ride away to take the girls for a sleepover or to help with whatever we may need. When we moved here, I never would have imagined feeling so welcomed by a community like we have been. We have an awesome life here. Wow. This is making my hormones rage! Dealing with this while being pregnant is tough!

I also know that we put DC on our list for a reason (and I keep telling myself this). It's the lesser of many evils. We knew if we didn't get our top choices, that we would be sent to DC. We lived there for four (me, three) years, we have friends there, and it isn't so foreign to us - we know what we are getting ourselves into. It is a fairly good place for families and again, it is nice to know we will have friends welcoming us back - that is what makes this all more bearable.

So for now, we will be disappointed, but try and accept what is handed to us, and eventually we will make the best out of a disappointing situation. We know it could be worse, and for that, we are thankful to be going to DC as opposed to other locations or other shitty situations that so many people are faced with every day.

Helllloooooooooo, Baby!

Little prince sucking on arm

This afternoon, I had an ultrasound to check on our little prince. Now that my regular cervical length checks are through (just checked through manual exams), they are now on to monitoring my fluid levels since I have a history of oligohydramnios with two of our girls.

Once again, we had an awesome ultrasound tech! The baby looked awesome, and growing perfectly, with an estimated weight of 3lbs7oz at 29w2d according to me (30w2d according to them) which is the 50%! My fluid levels were normal with an AFI (amniotic fluid index) of 12. Normal levels are between 5-20, so a pretty wide range.

Little foot by face - you can see his arm holding his foot in place :)

And just his sweet little face...

Our little prince was anything but shy. Thankfully he is head down and was having a snack on his hands, feet, legs and arms - well anything he could get into his little mouth, really. I have a feeling he is going to be just like his big sister, Lilah - a big eater! When we had our frequent ultrasounds with Lilah, he always had her hands and feet in her mouth. When she was born all she wanted to do was nurse, nurse, nurse! She used to gorge herself, and then would projectile vomit all over the place :) - such great memories!


Oh, and PS........we just got word we aren't staying here in Portland, someone else got assigned to Kevin's job. We're still waiting to hear where we will be going. Looks like Boston or DC. Let's pray for Boston.....something is telling me we're going to DC.

Moving...

The "Cliff Walk" literally a few miles from our house

I don't talk much about being a wife to someone who is in the Coast Guard. It provides us with a pretty good way of life, but there are certainly things that go along with the job that aren't exactly ideal - I guess that is the way with most jobs. For the most part, the Coast Guard has given Kevin the ability to help raise our girls, live a good life and have a fairly flexible schedule.

The dogs enjoying an early summer day at the boat ramp

The one crappy thing about the Coast Guard is that they make you move every 3-4 years. When Kevin and I were dating, he was working at Coast Guard Headquarters down in Washington, DC, once we were engaged, I left my job and moved down to be together. Mairead and Lilah were both born there, and moved here to Maine when Mairead was exactly two and Lilah was 5 months. While we liked living in Northern Virginia, it wasn't where we wanted to plant our feet. The busy hustle and bustle of "city" living just wasn't our speed. When it was our turn to transfer, we wanted to head up to New England. We were lucky enough to have been given our first choice, Portland, Maine. We were so excited to move and live somewhere near the water - being water lovers, this was huge for us! We bought a cute little house about 1.5 miles from the ocean and settled in nicely. We have a huge backyard surrounded by trees - the girls love running around the yard on hot, sunny days and no one but us can see their cute little bottoms running around, though our neighbors can hear the girls squeals of fun. Even our dogs are in heaven, too. We live just a few houses down from the marsh/river with a public boat ramp where the dogs can swim anytime they want. It really is as nice as it sounds. We've lived here just about three years now and we've made ourselves right at home. We love it here. We love everything about it. The family life is amazing, and it has almost everything we could ever want - my parents even live about an hour away! It's been great having family close by and having them near to watch our girls grow up. We have met amazing people who have great children, and it hurts to know we will have to leave them!

A hop...skip...and a jump from our house

Unfortunately....our time is up.

Kevin's tour was three years, and come May, we will have been here three years. We are awaiting our call any day now from the assignment officer who will be telling us if Kevin will be working in Boston, staying here for one more year or moving back to the Washington, DC area. It's been a bit dreadful, I'll admit. We don't want to leave. We have amazing friends. We have family. We have everything. And now, we will most likely be leaving all of this. If Kevin gets transferred to Boston, the change will be exciting knowing we won't have to leave New England, be too far away from our friends and still be close to family. If Kevin gets transferred back to Washington DC, it will be sad. Even though we have some great friends in DC (some of Mairead's very first friends!), it will just be a huge transition for everyone to go back to living in a face paced and highly populated area.

N aked summer days in our yard...

Just in the last few weeks our girls have started to talk about summer. They talk about the beach and which beach they want to go to the most this summer, hunting down hermit crabs and finding big sea shells. They talk about eating big ice cream cones and taking the dogs for a walk down to the water near our house for a swim. They talk about school, and Mairead talks about starting kindergarten with some of her best friends from preschool. While Mairead has very few memories of living in Virginia, our children's home is here in Maine. This is where they have grown to love. This is all they know, and I think it is the perfect place for small children to grow. I don't have to heart to interrupt their desires to tell them we most likely will not be living here this summer, and we may be living somewhere without a beach....or ocean.....or hermit crabs ......or a house near the water.......or near their friends.

It sucks. But, I do know we will make the best of whatever is given to us and know that it is only temporary. When Kevin retires from the Coast Guard, Mairead will only be 11.... 11......plenty of time to grow up in New England and enjoy, but it still makes me sad to think we have to go.

Let's get this party started!

Me & Kevin at my first 5K on Mother's day - what a gift!!! 

If you have been a faithful reader of my blog for the last year, you may have remembered me starting my own 90 day running challenge!

Me, my girlfriends and mom at Fathers Day 5K! Awesome day!

I started a new blog last year called Melting the Muffin Top where I blogged about my trials in tribulations on learning to run and live a healthier lifestyle for myself and my family. Doing this challenge was one of the best things I have ever done for myself. Here is more information on how I started. I decided to start a separate blog about learning to exercise in order to make myself accountable for my commitment. If I knew people were reading about my successes and failures, then, I knew I had to finish what I started. During my challenge, I had friends, family and complete strangers tell me I inspired them to take on what I was taking on. I inspired them, and I have to say, it only gave me more motivation to finish my commitment as well as continue it! When I completed my 1st 5K on mothers day alongside my husband, it was such an amazing feeling! And on fathers day, we completed another 5K along with my husband, mother (her first), father (his first) and several girlfriends!

Without stepping foot in a gym, I lost about 18 pounds, went from a size 8 to a size 2/4, learned to eat healthy, ran two 5Ks and worked out on average of 5-6 days per week.

Me and my mom at Father's Day 5K (about 3 months into challenge)

I want to feel that good again and this is why I am going to start laying the foundation to being physically fit again. In about 2 weeks, I am going to start doing some light exercises at least three days a week for at least 30 minutes per session. These "sessions" may include a light walk, yoga and various other methods I used during my challenge last year. Since I have high risk issues with my pregnancy, I will have to pay close attention to what my body can and cannot handle. I realize I will have some days where I will not be able to exercise, and some days where I can tolerate it easily. I am not trying to get "in shape" or transform anything at this time, all I want to do is prepare myself mentally for what I am going to start after the little prince is born. My ultimate goal is to be able to wear a two piece bathing suit and get back to my pre-baby #4 weight by mid-summer. While I know making another commitment like this is going to be difficult, especially with a newborn and three other children, I know it is something I have to do in order to do something for myself - even if it is for 15 minutes. It is something. And you can do it, too.

So, if you're interested in joining me on my challenge, come on over to my Melting the Muffin Top and join me!

Doctor, Doctor

Today was a day filled with lovely doctor appointments. Lilah and Clara had their 3 year/15 month well child check - poor Mairead was sad it wasn't her turn for a check up, she loves going to the doctor.

Lilah was a wonderful patient, got two shots and barely shed a tear. At just over three years, she weighs a whopping 27lbs and is 35'' tall! She's my petite and perfectly portioned little girl at 25% for both height and weight. The pedi was impressed with her skiing ability! I chuckled as I answered the questions about whether or not she can "jump" (HA!) and whether she can dress herself, among other "silly for Lilah" questions.

Clara was all over the place! She got one shot and cried for a second. She is surely our "bruiser" weighing in at 23lbs and 31'' tall, about 50% and 75% each - Kevin and I often wonder where she came from as both Mairead & Lilah were barely 20lbs by 18 months old. I keep wondering if she will catch Lilah with her weight - I am thinking it may be very possible! She also impressed the pedi with her climbing and running skills. The pedi listened to her chest and said she definitely sounded congested, with some slight wheezing noted, but nothing worrying to her, and said she looked great otherwise! She said there has been a ton chest colds going around, some taking several weeks to clear up. She said I shouldn't be surprised if she still sounds congested for up to another week, and as long as she doesn't develop another fever, she'll be fine.

After spending most of the morning in the pediatricians office, we came home and ate lunch, then it was time for me to go to my 28 week OB appointment. Seriously.....what a waste those appointments can be. I swear if I didn't have to have my blood drawn, I'd wonder why I needed to go! I also saw the OB I am least thrilled about. I just am not into her - she's the only OB in that practice that I pray does not deliver me. I joke to Kevin about keeping my legs crossed when it is time to have the kid so I don't have to have her deliver this baby. Anyways, she checked my cervix and it was the same, so that's great news....still 1cm/50%. I also had my blood tests for checking my iron, and my A1C/random glucose since I asked for an alternative to the glucola testing. Other than that, it was an uneventful appointment....Next week I have an ultrasound.

You're a tease, Mother Nature!

Lilah enjoying her bike! 

Living in New England you just never know what Mother Nature can bring for weather. One day it can be a blizzard and the next it could feel like spring! Just two days ago it was barely 20 degrees and the winds were blowing at 20-30mph. It was NOT a day to be outside! Today is an entirely different story! 40 degrees, Sunny and absolutely beautiful. When the kids stepped outside, they screamed with excitement "It's SUMMER!!!" - Ha! I wish...but I'll take this weather any day! While Mairead was at school, we went on our first bike ride of the year around the block. Everyone had smiles on their faces, even the dogs! Thankfully Clara's fever is gone and she is almost back to normal - she loved every second of being on that bike! Yeah! After we picked Mairead up, we went back outside for another bike ride. We stopped and admired the ducks down by the water at the marsh. It was absolutely beautiful! The big girls didn't want to go back home, but Clara was almost falling asleep on her trike, so back home we went for lunch and naps! While I know days like these in February are few and far between, it surely gives a small glimmer of hope that warmer weather isn't too far off in the future, though it sure is a tease! I want it to be warm and sunny every day! I'm done with winter!

Clara is loving it, too! 

Could Mairead's smile be any bigger??? 

My three little angels

At the marsh - isn't it beautiful!?! 

My sick little baby...

I hate when my little girls are sick. I was hoping she'd be bouncing back by today, but it seems as though we've hit a small plateau. On Sunday night she started with a persistent cough and fever and now today, the cough is pretty junky, with a runny nose and a continued low-mod grade fever. I feel so bad for her, she's just not herself as evidenced by this photo of her passed out at noon time on the couch - she's usually tearing up the house at this time of day! 

Poor little Clara belly (yesterday)

I'm not one to rush to the pediatricians office, so we haven't gone yet, and I don't really have a reason to...yet. Yeah, she has a fever, a cough, but she's eating, drinking well and responding very well to tylenol and motrin, so for now, I'll just ride out the storm for another day or two here at home. 

Last night I let her sleep with me in my bed, and she slept okay...woke up a few times, but she settled easily and went back to sleep, but I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't exhausted. After skiing for the day on Sunday and caring for a sick, clingy Clara, I'm wiped out. Though, I have to admit, I do love the sweet, clingy Clara who just wants to love on her mamma! 

Right now, she's happily doped up on some motrin and tylenol and running around the house like she owns it. She's climbing the kitchen table and has a smile on her face. I hope she turns the corner really fast! 

28. 32. Valentines. Cough.

Phew. It's been a busy last few days here in the Ferrie house! I need a vacation, and since that won't happen, I need to make an appointment for a massage or something.

On Saturday, my parents came up to celebrate my ......um.....22 32nd birthday. It was a nice, relaxing afternoon, we ordered pizza, and everyone sang happy birthday to me! The girls were so excited for my birthday - I'm glad someone was! Mairead kept asking what "type" of birthday I was going to have! It's hard to explain to a 4 year old that once you're an adult, you don't really get "birthday parties" anymore!

The girls with their friends on the "Chondola" at Sunday River

Sunday was my real birthday, and there was no sleeping in for this tired, weary birthday mamma - it was another ski day, so it was up bright and early, and let me tell you, I am not so bright at 615 in the morning! We headed up to Sunday River for the day with friends and had lots of fun! Once again, we had tired little kiddos at the end of the day. Overall, it was an awesome birthday! We left Clara with Mairead's preschool teachers daughter (got that?). She did really great, except for the fact that she woke up with a bad cough and fever....I guess there are more fun times to come in the Ferrie household. When I got home all Clara did was cough, at first, I thought she had or was getting the croup, but thankfully it wasn't...she was up pretty much the entire night. I felt so helpless, I didn't know what more I could do for her. I hate that feeling. I am just praying it isn't RSV.

Being pregnant. Skiing all day. And up all night with a fussy, sick 16 month old is not fun. I was tired. And when I woke up this morning, I felt like I was hit by a huge ass freight train. I hate when my babies are sick, and thankfully, we have been so lucky to not have had many nights like those in our parenting history, but nonetheless, it still sucks!

Clara sporting her Valentines outfit - If only adult cellulite could be so cute...

It was tough to get into the "Valentines Day" spirit with the girls, but I tried to rally! We showered, and they dressed themselves in red dresses and we headed to the local grocery store to pick out things for a special Valentines dinner for daddy. Poor Clara was out of it, I felt like a horrible mamma bringing her out of the house, you could just tell she felt miserable.

Mairead & Lilah looking cute & festive for Valentines

Mairead writing out her Valentines for her school party

Once daddy came home, we cooked steamers (our girls LOVE them), cheese fondue and bread, then Kevin grilled filet mignon, and afterwards we finished off with some chocolate fondue with strawberries and graham crackers.....oh and you can't forget a glass of red wine for me and Kev and some sparkling pink lemonade for the girls! Overall, it was a nice, quiet Valentines day...

Chocolate and Strawberries

Mairead & Lilah enjoying their Valentines Sparkling lemonade

And proof that my kids eat steamers! 

Oh! I almost forgot...

Not only was today Valentines day, it was a huge milestone for our little prince! 28 weeks! I am still in denial that my cerclage will be taken out in about 8 weeks! SCARY, SCARY! Looking forward to meeting this little man!

1cm/50%

Just to be on the safe side of the fence, I gave my OB a call this morning. I told them I had been throwing up on Wednesday, and had had some significant cramping, which subsided (but not totally gone) as the day went on yesterday. When I awoke this morning, the cramping was almost gone (though not completely - is it ever with me?), but I still had some pressure down there...so, they said they wanted to check my cervix, which was fine considering it has been 2 weeks since I've had an ultrasound and I wanted some reassurance.

Well, I am back, and I was able to see one of my favorite OBs in the office. She's just great...anyways, she checked my cervix and I was 1cm/50% - Yes, at 27 weeks....but, I am not really that concerned and either was she. I was 1cm fairly early on (by 30w) with Clara, and stayed there until my cerclage was removed at 36 weeks with Clara. Now, you may be asking yourself "I thought you cannot dilate with a cerclage???" Well, the answer is, you can - to a point. The cerclage isn't pulled so tight that the body cannot dilate, because even with certain movement and activity, there has to be some (and just a little) give in the cervix, so, some women are able to dilate a tiny bit, and probably not much more than 1cm. I would think if my body tries to dilate more than it is now, I will notice spotting and/or bleeding with heavy cramping and pressure.

All I have to say is that I am so glad I have a cerclage. These are the times when I ask myself where would I be if I didn't have one? Would I be more than 1cm? What would be the scenario? Bed rest? Premature delivery? Good or bad outcome?

The OB did place me on the monitors just to make sure I wasn't having any more cramping/contractions than I usually have, and sure enough after about 30 minutes on the monitor, she let me go. I did have a few, but nothing that was concerning to her or unusual for me. Phew! The baby sure was active though!

I go back in a week for a recheck. Since I was seeing my favorite OB, I brought up the gestational diabetes test again. I asked if I would be an "Irresponsible patient" if I declined the test. She laughed, and said no, and asked me a few questions about my history with the girls. She said I didn't have to do it if I didn't want to (after looking through chart), and I could just do a simple blood test for A1C, which is a test to indicate blood sugar control over long term in the body......I didn't decline that, why would I? I was just glad someone finally offered me a reasonable alternative rather than "suck it up" to the nasty test.

So for now, I'm hanging in there, and just trying to rehydrate myself!

Not so lucky

The past two days I haven't felt like myself.

Super tired.

Bitchy, really.

Of course, I blame it on being pregnant, but I rarely feel crappy and so bitchy while I am pregnant.

Then yesterday, I woke up, and I felt like I could sleep for days. and days. I had waves of nausea, but I blamed it on over-tiredness. Wondering if all this skiing and running around is just too much?

The girls gave me the run around yesterday. Mairead was up to her no-listening-fit-throwing antics. It was so bad, I put her in her room and took a nap with Lilah.

I woke up, and was starving. I hadn't eaten since breakfast, so I made myself a PB&Fluff sandwich. I still felt nauseated. I couldn't wait for the day to be over.

Then, my savior walked through the door.......ahh, daddy's home. By then, I felt really, really crappy. I plopped my rear on the couch to lay down, and then, I started to feel worse. Then, Kevin yells........I remember that tone.

"Lilah threw up!" 


OH NO. Please, not again...please. I grabbed her and we took a hot shower together. She seemed fine after that. Threw up just a little after, but was fine after that. And, thankfully, is great this morning!

Me on the other hand, started to feel like I was going to throw up. And sure enough, I did. Throwing up while pregnant is horrific, and add a cerclage with a history of preterm labor, I am one nervous mamma.

Then, as Mairead was eating dinner, she threw up. In her bowl. Nice one, Mairead! Three down....that didn't take long!

The girls perked up nicely, and didn't seem at all phased by throwing up like they did back in December. Me on the other hand....no way. I felt like I was struck by a freight train. I was cramping and just feeling really crappy. I hoped the cramps would just go away.

Thankfully, we all just threw up once, but I had cramping and pressure down below all night. I knew it was because I was dehydrated. I tried to sip on water each time I woke up overnight.

Here we are, 930, and Mairead was great, and well enough to head to school, Lilah is fine, too....Clara has some funky poops going on, but no signs of the pukies from her or Kevin. I am still cramping, but it has lessened a bit. I have been able to eat, and drink some tea, and I think just relaxing for the day on the couch is probably the best choice. I may call my OB if they don't go away...

Ugh. Thankfully this was short-lived, I don't think I could have handled another December repeat, especially since I wasn't spared this time!

Kind-of-Wordless-Wednesday

We decided on a whim last Friday that we would take the front off of Clara's crib. Both Mairead and Lilah were 15 & 18 months when they went into a toddler bed. It took a few mornings of adjustment, but the last two mornings have gone very well. I am hoping it continues!!!

This is how I found our two dogs this morning....do you think they like each other??? 

After we dropped Mairead off at preschool, Lilah was quietly playing in the toy room...then, when she sees me approaching, she says "Mommy! You can't come in my toyroom!" Hmmmm....that doesn't sound suspicious, now does it???

Of course it does! She was taking her milk cup, and dumping milk into her play cups. Nice try, Lilah! 

All day skiing + Lots of energy spent =

two tired girls who need a day to relax. 


One tired, preggo mamma who needs a day a week to relax. 

Skiing is a blast with the kids! They love it. We love it. We're all happy!

My favorite thing about skiing with the girls...

Two very tired girls who just want to sleep for the next few days. Everyone sleeps and sleeps hard! 

My least favorite thing about skiing with the girls...

Two very tired girls who just want to sleep for the next few days. They're a bit more whiny...they have selective hearing and just aren't themselves. But who can blame them! 


Yesterday, I probably asked a little too much of the girls. We woke up. Had a quiet morning. Got dressed and headed to the grocery store. Listening was a hot commodity at the store - they weren't wild, but they weren't in control either....they surely rode that fine line.

An older man walked past me and said "you probably don't need a gym membership with those three, do you?"

My response: "Nope. But maybe a membership to a liquor store would come in handy on occasion!"

And...I wasn't joking. Today was one of those days where if I wasn't pregnant, I'd probably pour an extra large glass of wine early on in the day!

We got home, had lunch, and our friends came over. They had a blast together. Only problem. No rest for Mairead. No nap for Lilah. A short nap for Clara. Probably not the wisest decision to have a play date today, but, the girls were excited, and how could I say no? Lesson learned. Always trust the mommy instinct!

What does that equal out to?

A not-so-easy task at getting three, tired girls ready for dance class. A 4 year old having a fit because I told her to go potty and to get her leotard on....A 3 year old who was on the verge, but held herself together because she remembered what happens when you don't listen and have a fit before dance class.

Poor Mairead couldn't contain herself and ended up watching dance class from inside the dance studio and not dancing.

I felt guilty. She loves to dance and had been looking forward to dance class all day...but, I can't let her know that it would be acceptable to have behavior like she had and still get to dance. It just doesn't happen...I felt better after her teacher told me she appreciated parents who actually discipline their children. Disciplining sucks. It's definitely not fun.

So, no dance for her yesterday...but, she came home, cleaned up and pulled herself together for the remainder of the evening. I am hoping I won't have to keep her out of an activity for a while, and she'll remember when I say "If you can't pull yourself together, then you won't be able to.....................today" And know that I will actually follow through with what I say - which isn't easy to do!!!

And do you know what?

Bed time was a breeze last night. I am thinking this afternoon will be nice and quiet...I would be lying if I said I wasn't really, really, really looking forward to a bit of quiet time today!

Winta-Winta-Winta-time.............

I wouldn't mind the title of this post "summa-summa-summa-time......" - but, I'd say we're not quite there yet! So, in the meantime, we'll stick to playing outside in the snow and skiing with the girls, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't anxiously awaiting beach weather!

Last week we got more snow. Yes, more snow...along with the rest of the country. As of right now, we have about 20+ inches of snow on the ground. During last weeks storm, Kevin got out our snow blower and started making "Mount Ferrie" in our backyard. Not only did it give a fun hill for the girls to play on, it made it easier for Clara to be outside in the snow.

The girls had a blast going down the hill with their sleds!

I think Mairead would be happiest just eating snow all day long!

Even little Clara belle enjoyed being out in the snow now that she can walk without doing a face plant every time she takes a step in the snow!

Even our 7.5 year old lab, Phoebe loves being outside in the snow! How can you not love a brown eyed girl like this!?! Don't those eyes just get you??? And yes, she is as sweet as she looks!

And then on Saturday, we packed up the kids, dogs and everything needed (and that's a lot of crap!) to spend a night away (and go skiing) and headed off to my parents house. My parents were kind enough to watch Clara on Sunday while we took the girls to Mount Sunapee for the day. They have a great "learning center" which has all sorts of great trails for the kiddos. It was awesome, and the first day we skied entirely with both girls. At first, we were a bit cautious with how Lilah would do, but let me tell you, she shocked the hell out of everyone. That girl is insane.

We didn't think she could turn.

The kid can turn. 


The kid can turn almost on a dime. She just chooses to bomb down the mountain instead!

Yeah. She hit a few people, including myself, her sister and her cousin, but, thankfully she is about 25lbs soaking wet, so it didn't hurt too bad :)

Mairead did fantastic as well! She really is getting close to parallel skiing all of the time, and is so comfortable with it all. She is even doing great at getting on and off of the chair lift independently! I would have to say we had an absolute blast! They had a mini-terrain park area with "bumps" as the girls call them, and they would have spent all day there!


Sunapee2 from Stephanie Ferrie on Vimeo.


We are so proud of the girls, and it really has turned a long, snowy winter, into a fun one!

*I've posted some new videos of the girls skiing to the right labeled (Sunapee 1, 2 and 3)