The Countdown: 2

I should have posted this yesterday, but I am down to two weeks! These last few weeks have flown by. Here is the update: I am dilated to a 2 plus and 90% effaced. WOOHOO! My doctor also checked my chart to see how I measured at 38 weeks during my pregnancy with Ashlyn, and I was the EXACT same! I thought that was very interesting. But, I think it also means that I will not be having this baby any time soon :( I was hoping to go early, but no such luck.

While I was writing this post, I found out that Brian's Grandpa died this morning. He has been ill with two forms of rare cancer. He has been in 24 hour hospice care and has not been coherent for about a week. We were able to visit him on Sunday and Brian was with him this morning when he passed away. We are grateful that his suffering is over. We are also grateful to him for what he did for Ashlyn. When Ashlyn was born we were able to start an investment fund for her because of the money he gave her. She will greatly benefit from this when she is older. Thank you Grandpa Homer. You will be missed.

Bumbo Recall

It seems as though there has been a large number of recalls lately. I am always interested to see what is being recalled and why, especially when it comes to baby products. Up until today, only one recall has affected us. Several months ago, Ashlyn's toy cell phone was recalled. This proved to be a good thing because the phone was in poor shape and we got a new one for free! Well today, one of my favorite baby products was recalled - The Bumbo. I love my Bumbo! For those who do not know what a Bumbo is, it is a seat designed for babies who can hold their head up, but can not yet sit on their own. The Bumbo allows them to sit up and look around rather than lay on their backs or stomachs all the time. Here are some pics of Ashlyn using her Bumbo:

This is what the recall said:

Hazard: If the seat is placed on a table, countertop, chair, or other elevated surface, young children can arch their backs, flip out of the Bumbo seat, and fall onto the floor, posing a risk of serious head injuries.

Funny thing, this happened to Ashlyn. Well, it wasn't so funny at the time. And luckily she did not fall to the floor. One day, I put Ashlyn her in the Bumbo on top of the counter. I did this all the time before I had a high chair for her. It was great having her up where I could see her while I fixed dinner. Well, on this particular day, I had just pulled a take-n-bake pizza out of the oven, set it on the counter and turned around to close the oven. Apparently Ashlyn was in the mood for some pizza, because she reached for it and went face first into the pipin' hot pie. She did not suffer any major burns, thank goodness, but she was quite upset!

I should add, that I rarely turned my back on her while she was in the Bumbo on the counter. If I did turn my back it was only for a brief second - I am not that irresponsible. Also, I always set her in the middle of the island, never on the edge of the counter. Needless to say, Ashlyn did not spend any more time in the Bumbo on the counter!

Back to the recall. If you own a Bumbo, you are to contact the manufacturer to obtain a new warning label sticker that you can place on your Bumbo! What a relief!!

Heroes

Today MSN featured a list of eight hometown heroes, ordinary people making a difference in their community. It made me think about what constitutes a "hero" and who my hero would be. Truth be told, I don't think I have a single hero, I have multiple. There are many people who have blessed my life. There are many whom I look up to as an example of what I hope to become. Many whom have enriched my life with their positive, happy personalities.

One woman featured in the article, Donna Holmberg said, "A hero is someone who takes on the challenges of everyday life and overcomes extreme adversity." This definition perfectly fits one of my heroes, my Grandma Lifferth. Not only has she overcome multiple challenges and adversity during her lifetime, she did so without complaint. She is a prime example of endurance.

I have heard stories of my dad's childhood all my life. He always made his childhood sound fun and adventurous. It was not until recently that I really thought about the life of my Grandma. She had a hard life! I know that I would not have been as patient and tolerant as she was. I am spoiled! I am too used to modern conveniences.

My Grandma did laundry by hand, chopped wood, lived in a tent at three different times, trapped, killed, gutted and cooked small animals for her family to eat, and lived very meagerly. She had to feed her large family with what little they had which meant that she had to be quite creative.

But it is not just these physical things that makes her a hero. She also read her scriptures daily, went above and beyond her church callings, constantly put others' needs above her own, and never spoke ill of another person. She truly exemplified a Christlike life. She loved being a mother. She loved her family and did her best to make everyone feel important.

I am blessed to have such a legacy in my life. Even though she is now in a nursing home and cannot communicate, I will always remember her for the life she lived before she became ill. Grandma Lifferth definitely deserves the title of "hero" in my eyes.

Hooray For Uncle Jake!

Every kid should have an Uncle Jake, or U.J., as he likes to be called. Jake raked up a big pile of leaves just so his nieces and nephews could jump in and have fun! Maggie was the only one who did not agree with the others' enthusiasm.

You can tell by this photo that Ashlyn had a great time playing in the leaves! The kids had so much fun that I was tempted to jump in and join them. It would be great if adults could be as easily entertained as children. It definitely would be more cost effective!

Jake is a great uncle. All the kids love their U.J. And I can tell by the way he treats his nieces and nephews that he is going to be a wonderful father someday. Three cheers for U.J. - Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray!! Hip Hip Hooray!!! We love you Uncle Jake!

The Countdown: 3

Mindy gave me this mug for Christmas two years ago when I was pregnant with Ashlyn. It is pretty comical. And since I am not feeling so hot right now, I thought I would post a picture of it instead of myself today.

So, I have three weeks to go. But I really hope that I don't still have three weeks to go. I am ready to be done! I am going to try to everything on my to-do list done this weekend for good karma. Then maybe the baby will feel like it can make its entrance into this world.

As per Mindy's request, I am going to tell a couple more funny things my doctor told me. As I mentioned before, at my 35 week check-up the baby was breech and my doctor told me to get on my hands and knees and move my hips back and forth. She said that this is not a proven method, but it is what a mid-wife would suggest. Well, a couple of other patients have asked her about using different methods:

• One patient asked if doing a head stand in her pool would turn the baby.
  
• Another patient asked if she could get the baby to turn by luring it with food - meaning that if she positioned a hamburger between her legs...something to that effect.

Where do people come up with this stuff?

Oh Pumpkin Patch, Oh Pumkin Patch

We went to my parents home on Sunday. As I mentioned before, my dad is a wonderful gardener. Well, he had harvested all of his pumpkins and had them all laid out ready for the grandkids. I think I was more excited than the kids. After dinner, we all went outside and each family walked away with six beautiful pumpkins.

I love pumpkins! It must be because they are the symbol of my favorite season. I have been wanting to take Ashlyn to the local pumpkin patch, but no need - these were FREE! Who can beat that! Thanks Grandpa, we love you!

I love fall days when the sky is blue and the air is crisp. Cold, but not too cold. Ashlyn was so happy to be outside on Sunday. I need to take advantage of days like this because it won't be long until it will just be too darn cold to go outside.

And just one more picture. Ashlyn loves her daddy. It has been so cute lately, because she is always asking about her daddy. "Where daddy go?" I get this question on a daily basis. I explain to her that he is at work, and then we call him. She loves calling daddy when he is at work and telling him about her day.

Dog Food Fetish - YUM!

For some reason, Ashlyn LOVES dog food. I have no idea why, but if I were to put a PB&J next to a bowl of dog food, she would go for the dog food. She has eaten more dog food in her short 19 months here on earth than I would like to keep track of. But she doesn't get it from our house. We have to keep Cooper's food outside so she doesn't get the opportunity to partake of it on a daily basis. However, I have to keep my eye on her when we visit other dog-owning homes. If she spots a dog bowl of food on the floor she will make a B line right for the bowl and shove as many pieces as possible in her mouth before I can get to her. GROSS!

This picture perfectly captures her obsession. Upon arriving at Grandpa & Grandmom's house recently, Ashlyn immediately asked for a cookie. Grandmom always keeps her cookie jar full and the grandkids know it. So, I gave her a cookie, which seemed to satisfy her. WRONG. She wandered over to the pantry, opened the door and was delighted to find a big bag of dog food waiting just for her. She dropped the cookie (it is at the bottom of the pic) and grabbed the bag of dog food. She was attempting to open the bag when I intervened and took it away. What a mean mom I am. I do not understand why someone would choose dog food over a cookie?! Oh well, to each their own I guess. Hopefully this is just a phase.