Oliver or Adelae?

Will this baby be an Oliver Creed or an Adelae Grace?  It's time to cast your vote!  Go on over to the left sidebar and take a guess!  (Please be sure to leave a comment, so we know who guessed what!) (UPDATE: Poll issue has been fixed. Vote away!!)

Only a few souls hold the secret to what the gender of this sweet baby is! Remember my friend, Chelsea? She just so happens to be an extremely good little seamstress.  She sewed Chandler's carseat cover and his complete crib bedding! Chelsea agreed to sew our baby's carseat cover, gender specific with certain fabrics that I picked out.  We had the sonographer write down the gender on a piece of paper and stick it inside an envelope at my "big" 20 week ultrasound.  That little envelope was tucked away in a secret little spot in our bedroom for several months.  (I thought that for Chelsea to know for another 20 weeks would just be too difficult! I wouldn't want that kind of pressure.)  Right before Christmas, I gave Chelsea the envelope, and told her that, of course, she could tell her husband, Cody.  She has been so sweet and gracious and most importantly, SECRETIVE this whole time, as I've been making all kinds of remarks around her and many people have been pestering her to cave.  When the Hendrick's were back in Texas over Christmas break, I decided that Heather needed to know.  Since she is going to be far off in Haiti, and wouldn't be close enough for an up to the minute update during this labor and delivery (as in...in the waiting room at the hospital) I thought that it would at least be nice for her to know.  (Not to mention that she's far enough away from me that she wouldn't drive me completely crazy with a potential "power trip".  I still don't think she's even told her husband.  She loves having the power, that much.  I don't blame her.)

So....other than just a few people, no one else knows the gender of this baby! (Including Charlie and me.) Right now, we have a split vote in our house.  McKlayne and Charlie think that this baby is a girl;  Asher and I believe it's a boy.  Just for the record: I HAVE BEEN WRONG BOTH TIMES with the other two.  So, don't let that sway your opinion.

Some of us are more insistent about our opinions than others.  Surprised?  When we first asked McKlayne and Asher what they would do, if the baby was opposite of what they thought it was, here are the responses that we got:

McKlayne: I'm gonna push him!  (Which was followed by much instruction about how we treat babies nice just like we love and care for babydolls.)

Asher: I'm going to protect her!

Totally indicative of their personalities.

So...let us know what you think!  And, if you'd like, you can guess a date of arrival...my due date is February 17, and height/weight, if you're of the competitive nature.

Pregnancy #3: 37 Weeks 5 Days

It's been a LONG time since I've updated on this pregnancy, but the last few months have flown by so quickly!

Pregnancy Highlights for the Week:

How Far Along: Almost 38 weeks! So crazy!

Fruit/Veggie: Length of a Leek (more than 19.5 inches, nearly 7 lbs)

Baby changes: Baby has really plumped up. Baby weighs about 6.8 pounds and is over 19 1/2 inches long. Baby has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold baby's hand for the first time! Baby's organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.
Best Moment this week: Going to our childbirth class with my friend, Rachel.  She's a Bradley instructor.  We've been reading a book and haven't attended the entire series of classes that she teaches, but she taught a "refresher" course for several couples who had experienced Bradley births before and she allowed us to join in.  It was so helpful and encouraging.  I feel more confident than I did just a few days ago.  I have now 100% committed to attempting this birth pain med free, though I do love me my epidurals!  But, considering my history, I know that this will be the best way to labor naturally for my body and not on my back to help get this baby out quickly!  

Gender: Still feeling BOY and I am locked in now.  The only thing that I can recall that is similar this pregnancy compared to my other two is that this baby has been all up in my ribs.  Asher was the same way, where I had no complaints with McKlayne.  (So maybe that one little similarity is swaying my vote?  I know, I know...all pregnancies are different...we shall see in just a couple short weeks!)  Charlie is voting girl.  I'd love for it to be a girl, though, too, so McKlayne can experience that sweet bond of having a sister so close!!  Either way, I will be pleased!!

Movement: Tons!  So thankful that this baby has finally dropped and it's booty is out of my ribs!

Food Cravings: Grapefruit and homemade (or Blue Baker) chocolate chip cookies...can't get enough of them!

Sleep: Loving it for now!

What I am looking forward to: finding out what this gender is!

Symptoms: Feet are swelling.  Remember? Michelin Man!  I've been experiencing lots of lower crampiness and lower backpain, though, I know this could go on for days.

Happy Birthday, Kirby!

Happy Birthday, My Love! Like Asher said, you don't look a day over 16. We all love you with all of our hearts!!

No matter what name you're going by, even if it's "Wicked Step Mother," you are always the dearest person to each of us.

Thank you for tirelessly and selflessly giving your whole heart to this family day-in and day-out. It is such a testimony to God's faithfulness to you and to these kids and of your desire and wisdom to submit to Him. Our sweet, brilliant children are who they are because of how God has used you every minute in their lives. And I would be a completely different man without God's work through you, too. You challenge me and teach me so much about loving others — especially these two — almost three — of ours. Thank you for giving me so much grace and filling me in on everything Asher and McKlayne are doing and experiencing and learning. I'm thankful for when you let me know that they've had a hard day and need me to 'let this one go'.

You are such an 'in demand' mentor. I love how you faithfully listen and genuinely love those younger women — no matter what they do {or what they say to you}.

This has been such a sweet year with you — the sweetest. And I look forward to every year after. I am so grateful to have such a friend in my life and a mother to my children.

Happy Birthday, Hobby Lobby Mommy Step Mudder Kirby!

Great Wolf Lodge

We decided to forgo another frigid, outdoor January birthday party, and take the kids to Great Wolf Lodge for a night to celebrate Asher's birthday instead.  And, let me tell you, it was worth every penny.  We had such a great time and the kids were beside themselves with excitement and wonder.

Have you ever heard of Great Wolf Lodge?  It's a hotel with an extreme indoor waterpark that is kept at a comfortable 84 degrees; there are locations all over the U.S., and there is one in Grapevine about 4 hours from us.  My sister's family had gone to GWL over summer vacation about a year and a half ago and they'd had a blast, but we were a little unsure if there would be enough for our two young kids to do.  And, boy, were we mistaken and blown away!  Having a two and almost four year old (I had to let him remain three as long as possible), (and with me being 8 months pregnant) really probably couldn't have survived more than one night's stay.  Two days of playing in the waterpark was so much fun and the accommodations were so nice, but it was PLENTY...it wore us out!  Let me give a disclaimer here: our kids are WATER LOVING KIDS.  If yours aren't too fond of the water, I can't promise that you'll enjoy your stay as much as we did.

The lodge is so beautiful and we were extremely impressed with all of the detail that went into everything...we felt like we were at a Disney Resort!  Unfortunately, I was too busy taking it all in that I didn't get any pictures of the lobby/family area.  The lobby was decorated in a "winterfest" theme with Christmas lights and snowflakes everywhere and several times a day it would "snow" in the lobby.

Our little wolf pups with their wolf pups.  We referred to Asher as either "Baby Wolf" or "Brother Wolf" and McKlayne as "Sister Wolf" or "Babygirl Wolf Pup" the entire trip.  They chose those names and would answer to nothing else for 30 hours.

As soon as we checked into our room and the kids saw that we had reserved a Wolf Den Suite, they were already asking when they'd get to sleep in their bunk beds in the wolf den.  (Totally worth the extra $40! Each time they went down for naps/bed they were asleep within 5 minutes. It was nice to have them "walled in" on three sides in a dark "den", so that we could freely move about/have lights/tv on without having to worry about waking them up, etc.)

Like I've already said, the waterpark had SO MUCH to offer: lazy river, wave pool, tons of slides, splashpad and pool area just for toddlers, a pool with basketball hoops and logs that you could jump across, a huge fort with a ton of different water gadgets and contraptions, hot tubs, and more.  Asher could go on almost every ride/pool area b/c he's taller than 42 inches, while McKlayne was more limited.  But, honestly, there was nothing that she couldn't go on, that she desired to, so it worked out well.  We certainly did not run out of things to do!

McKlayne's two favorite areas were:

1. Fort Mackenzie: the three story treehouse where she loved standing under the giant bucket that poured a TON of water out and dumping water on each of heads as we went down the orange slide on Totem Towers.  Each time she'd hear the bell ringing, signaling the giant water bucket dump, she'd run down towards the bottom of the fort to stand underneath the rush.

2. Whooping Hollow: She was happy to be able to freely walk about, crawl on her hands around the beach front entry like "Ariel", sit in mini fountains, shoot water guns on jet ski's and slide down the mini slides.

Asher loved it all, but his favorites were:

1. Fort Mackenzie: He enjoyed turning on all the gadgets that sprayed water out (it amazed us that our kids knew how to work these better than we did...maybe because they were just above eye level for them?!)  and racing us down one of the slides on the Totem Towers.

2. Slap Tail Pond: Asher could not get enough of the wave pool.  He loved being able to jump the waves, like at the beach, without having to worry about being stung by a jellyfish or being tossed around on the wild waves in a tube.

3.  Coyote Canyon/River Canyon Run: Though he was not a fan of climbing 4-5 flights of stairs (and he didn't have to very often because one of us would carry him up) he LOVED the tube rides.  He would scream the whole way down, with his arms up in the air, saying, "This is so much fun!"

Charlie and I enjoyed it all, too, but our favorites were Fort Mackenzie and riding any of the tube rides.  The only problem was...we didn't want to go by ourselves on the rides (what fun would that be?) so our only other option was Asher (since we couldn't neglect both of our small children in a waterpark to go with each other, though we did consider it...) but he wasn't a fan of climbing the 4 or 5 flights of stairs (depending on the ride) to get there.  So, as desperate as I was to go ride these things (they were so fun!) I'd promise Asher that I'd carry him up the 4-5 stories.

I climbed these stairs four times over the course of two days while carrying my 42 lbs almost four year old.  (You should have seen my feet and cankles the day after we got back from our trip...I looked like the Michelin Man...really!...ask my friends..and this was the first time that my feet had even started to swell this pregnancy!!)

After climbing the stairs, I thought that I would enjoy the lazy river with McKlayne while the boys rode a few tube rides, but let me tell ya...you think getting yourself situated in a tube is awkward enough while trying to juggle a child on your lap?  Try it 8 months pregnant, when you have no core to help you maneuver and a big ol' belly in the way where your toddler wants to sit!  After several failed attempts, we resorted to the wave pool.  Seriously, if it wasn't for Crossfit, this pregnant momma would not have been prepared to help tow two little ones around a waterpark for two days...so, be warned, if you're hugely pregnant and wanting to go here, it is hard work!  My kids (and I) didn't last much more than 2 hours at a time in the waterpark.  There was so much to do and we were loving every minute of it, but we just couldn't survive the exhaustion.  So, we pretty much planned our time in the park in two hour increments.

At 8:00 each evening, you're encouraged to show up in your pj's for a show at the Clocktower, followed by Bedtime Stories where either Wiley Wolf or Violet Wolf make an appearance.  Our kids were thrilled to get their picture taken with Violet. McKlayne, of course, adored her bows and "cute crocs".

Our two tired, happy little wolf cubs howling about how much they loved Great Wolf Lodge...

They still can't get enough of looking at themselves in their wolf ears...and with those sweet faces, neither can I!

We're thankful for such a sweet time spent enjoying each other and exploring all the fun that God created in the world of waterparks.  What a wonderful Creator, He is!

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Here are some tips that I wish someone would have given me to schedule our days with two young kiddos to maximize our time at the park/budget.  We'd planned beforehand to eat one meal out, so I packed everything else for breakfast, lunches, and snacks and kept them in the mini fridge/cold bag in our room.  The entire staff was so friendly and laid back. My sister had told me that outside food and drinks weren't allowed in the waterpark, but after seeing several families with their snacks and lunches inside, we opted to try and bring our food in the second day. No one searched our bags or even gave us weird looks as we sat at the tables and ate our lunch.  (We also went during the "off season"....so maybe that's why they were so lenient?  The occupancy was only at 20%, so that was VERY nice and we will definitely plan on going in the middle-end of January in the future.)  If no one else benefits from my ocd planning, at least I can look back on this as a reminder for future trips:

-Plan on arriving at 1 p.m., in your bathing suits and fed, so you don't have to worry about stopping (or paying) for lunch and have one spouse get the kids started in the park while the other spouse gets all of the luggage/food settled in the room.
-Play for two hours in the park and go back to the room for a short nap around 3 p.m.
-Clean up and go eat dinner around 5 p.m..  There are several restaurants at the hotel, but since we were trying to save money and eat somewhere we know that we'd enjoy the food, we ate at a Fuddrucker's about 2 miles away.
-Go back to GWL around 6 (with bathing suits and pj's packed, so we don't have to go back to the room) and go play at the waterpark for a bit/explore the cool hotel.
-Report to storytime at the Clocktower with kid's in pj's at 8 p.m.
-Head back to the room by 9 p.m. with kids in bed.

Next morning:
-8 a.m.: Mom: get dry pair of clothes (and undies) and bathing suit set out for each family member and pretty much pack up and gather things to be ready to check out.
-8:30 a.m.: Eat breakfast in the room, dress for pool, call front desk to request a later checkout (they moved it back an hour to noon, which was what we were hoping for!) report to waterpark when it opens at 9 a.m.  Play for two hours.
-Head back to the room around 11 for snacks and to take a short nap/rest.  Change into dry clothes and have either another pair of bathing suits ready to put on or send husband with $1 in quarters up to the 6th floor to dry everyone's suits.
-Mom: while children are resting/napping pack up the room and make lunch: make sandwiches and cut fruit, fill up nalgenes. Have a bag or two with the essentials that you'll need for the waterpark: suits, lunch, snacks and dry change of clothes for car ride home.  Anything you won't need until you get home, goes in the suitcase to be packed in the car.
-Dad: Load up the car and checkout at noon, while Mom wakes up the kids and changes them into suits to go play some more.  (Once you check out, your wristband, which acts as a key to unlock your room door is deactivated, so make sure the other adult with the wristband is still in the room so you don't get locked out.)
-Head down to the waterpark around 12:30ish and eat lunch. (We were able to eat inside the park with our own food and drinks, but maybe they were just laxed since it was the off-season? Either way, we were thankful.  You could easily just eat at a bench/table on the first floor.)
-Play some more from 1-3 p.m. Change, get snacks, load up for home.
-Head for home with two very sleepy children.  Stop halfway for dinner. And be home by 8:30 p.m.

Happy 4th Birthday, Asher!!

Happy 4th Birthday, Asher...errr....I mean, Donatello! (that's who you insisted that you were, today! I think the jammies had something to do with it.)

We started out your big day with Birthday Breakfast cake, bacon, and blackberries--all of your favorite things.

You were pleased with your new cowboy boots and even the playdough, but, by far, your favorite gift was the ninja turtle underwear that I appliquéd for you out of old t-shirts.  

Let me explain why I knew you would love this gift:  Your new obsession for ninja turtles is overtaking our life.  There is not a day that goes by that you are not pretending to be at least one of the ninja turtles.  You are very irritated if I cannot keep up with who you are, or if I, by mistake, call you Asher while you're in character.  You had one pair of TMNT undies that I had bought you from a garage sale (I know, that sounds gross, but you picked them out several months ago and were begging for them, and I thought, "What could be so bad about a pair of toddler's underwear that can't be washed out?") Anyways, each night after your bath since your "ninja turtle Christmas" (this is when the obsession really took off), you ask to wear your ninja turtle underwear.  And with my one laundry day a week, I just couldn't wash the things quick enough.  So, when I remembered these skivvies that I had seen on a blog, I knew what handmade gift you were going to receive and adore.

And...I am pleased to say that you loved them! (What four year old's favorite gift is undies?) We were video chatting with the Hendrick's (in Haiti) and you pulled your pants down and bent over to show them your favorite gift.  The boys thought it was hilarious.

Your birthday was on a Wednesday this year-your favorite day of the week-with school and Life Group.  You requested brownies with M&M's to take to your class for a treat. Then, Daddy met us up at school for lunch and brought us Chick-fil-a.

The theme for our Life Group meal was soups/chili's, so you requested that I make your beloved Manitoba Soup.  (You can thank Catey Nana, for the recipe...see the bottom of this post for the recipe!)  Most all of your (everyday College Station) favorite people were there, so it's like I was throwing you your very own party!


I think that you told every person that we saw today, that you were four.  You couldn't be prouder that you were, "now four like your cousin, Brynnie."

And, of course, I made you a ninja turtle cookie cake (made out of our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, also at the bottom of this post) and we sang to you again at Life Group.  Once McKlayne saw the cake, she insisted that she was Rapheal that day, so she was the one on your cake wishing you a Happy Birthday.  You got a kick out of this and played along and said, "Oh, thank you, Brother, Dude!"

At the end of the day, you were very upset and almost started crying, telling me that one day was just not long enough to have a birthday and that you still wanted to be four.  I didn't know what you meant by this at first.  But then I explained to you that you were not going to be turning three again the next day. (And you were very relieved.)  Once I told you that you had a whole year to be four, until next January 19, you were much appeased and told me how great of a day turning four had been.

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Our Precious Firstborn,

In some ways I can't believe that you've only been around for four years.  Daddy and I don't really remember what life was like before you...and for that, we are grateful.  Just like the meaning of your name, "God has made me happy" or "a life blessed with abundance" that is truly what our lives have become in these last four years, since becoming your parents.  God has graciously and patiently taught us so much through you, sweet boy. Things that, more than likely, you will not discover until you become a daddy one day: Hard things about ourselves; sweet things about Him.  What joy and blessing (and much growth) even those hard truths have brought!  In these last four years, as we've made many mistakes, you have graciously forgiven us.  Your sweet little heart is eager to forgive and quick to allow us to move on once we apologize to you.  I pray that you are always so quick to keep no record of wrong.

Other days, I can't believe how big you are, how helpful you have become, and the truths that you are able to comprehend.  You are constantly teaching McKlayne how to accomplish a new task, helping her master her knowledge of letters, complementing her on her beauty and you are thrilled when she asks for your assistance.  McKlayne recently moved into your room and you couldn't be happier.  At night, we allow you five minutes to talk to each other, before we're even done setting the timer and have left the room, you first questions is always, "McKlayne, what are you doing?".

You have a servant's heart like your Daddy.  You respond with eagerness and joy when Daddy or I ask you to do something.  You enjoy carrying your laundry to your room, loading the dishwasher with your dishes and utensils after a meal, and helping me cook dinner or prepare a special treat.  You have such a tender heart.  When someone gets hurt, or even if I just stub my toe, you are quick to say, "Are you okay?  I'm sorry that you hurt your toe, Momma," in the most sympathetic voice, often followed by a, "be tough, Momma."

You love to sit in either my lap or Daddy's lap to read.  And you still allow me a lot of cuddle time once you wake up in the morning or from your afternoon nap.  I'm thankful that even at a big four years of age, you still find much comfort in our arms.  You are going to make your wife very happy one day.  It's almost never that you will pass a flower and not stop to pick it for me or your sister.  Even if we're not around! You'll pick them and give them to us the next time you see us. You are often telling me or McKlayne when you think that we look cute or beautiful.  A few weeks ago we were at a restaurant with several families of friends from church and you told just about every mother that their daughter looked beautiful or that you liked their bow or that you thought they looked pretty in their dress at different points throughout the evening.  You are quite the charmer, which for now is completely sincere, but we're watching you, boy.  Daddy and I know that we may have our work cut out for us in the ladies area.

Your imagination is so fun to watch.  You spend most of your days changing between dress up clothes as you pretend to be a ninja turtle, super hero, or cubscout (you wear Daddy's old uniform) to fight off evil villains or protect your princess (McKlayne, of course).  You also still love to act like animals, as your run-crawl around the house making noises and mimicking their actions.  You so often ask me if we can "do school or a craft" that I find myself running around trying to think of new things to do with you.  This is our special time together, so I really enjoy it and am amazed at how brilliant and gifted you are.  You love for me to affirm you after you've completed a difficult puzzle, to display your artwork or show off your inside-the-line coloring skills.  

Your memory is incredible and your love for and memory of Scripture has spurred Daddy and me on to memorize more, too.   We pray that you are always so eager to share God's word with others.  You like for me to watch you ride your bike "fast" and see you jump off high tree stumps or steps.  You are proud that you know how to swim, but I'd have to say that your proudest accomplishment is a tie between eating a worm and being stung by a jellyfish.  The moment you meet someone new, you often say, "My name is Asher and I ate a worm.  And, I got stung by a jellyfish."  They're usually great conversation starters, though, they often leave Mommy or Daddy shifting around trying to explain the first proclamation.

All year long, you have been asking us when you were going to turn four.  Any time that Daddy responded he would say, "Not until you wrestle me!  I won't let you turn four until you wrestle me and win!"  Last night, the evening before your birthday, Daddy declared a wrestling match to see if you could turn four.  After much anticipation, you and Daddy squared off on the living room floor.  You put up a good fight and won, so Daddy "allowed" you to become four.  You were a mix of the giggles, along with immense pride and shock that you'd just beaten Daddy and were actually granted permission to age.  

The two questions that I hear most consistently (and often multiple times) from you each day is, "When is Daddy coming home?" or, "Is Daddy coming home for lunch today?" Thankfully (for all of us), Daddy has a schedule that allows him to come home (his office is only about five minutes away) for lunch most everyday, unless he's planned to meet with someone else.  Most days after your nap, you go sit on the front porch, with a weapon in hand, ready for Daddy (also known as Shredder, since you're so into Ninja Turtles these days) to come home and fight with you.  Somedays I try to distract you with another activity, because it will be close to an hour or more until he'll be home, but often you tell me that you just want to wait.  You quickly find something to do outside so that you can be the first to greet him and honk his horn once he pulls into the driveway.

You bring much happiness to our home, at the funny remarks you make, the loving affection that you shower upon each of us, and the kind words that you generously offer.  Several times a day, you will grab my hand or my face and kiss it, to reassure me of your affections.  And, even more often than that, you will aggressively grab your sister by her chubby cheeks, grinding your teeth as you lay one on her.  (She, however, is not always as pleased to be interrupted from whatever she's doing with that adornment.  She, in turn, adores you, but she welcomes your showers of kisses on her time schedule.)  The other day when you asked me if I would give you permission to turn four, I took your sweet cheeks in my hands and said, "Only if you will still kiss me, and hold my hand, and sit in my lap, and let me hold you, and do all the other sweet things that you allow as a three year old..."  You took in every word, as you looked up at me with those big blue, serious eyes and promised, "I still will, Momma."  Tonight, on the evening of your birthday, you called me to your bed and said, "Even though I'm four, I still need kisses from you, remember?" as you asked me for a kiss goodnight.  That, sweet boy, is why your Mommy is so weak for you.

We're thankful for your big, little life, Asher, and trust that God will continue to shower us and others with an abundance of blessings though knowing you.  We pray that you would soon come to know and trust Jesus and turn to Him in repentance, as the Holy Spirit causes you to love Him, as your most abundant blessing.


All of our love,


Mommy

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Manitoba soup

1 pound ground beef

28 oz. petitie diced tomatos

medium onion-diced

medium green pepper diced

1 onion soup mix packet (I didn't have this so I just used a bunch of onion salt, garlic powder and a little bit of celery salt)

small can of tomato paste (either 6 or 8 oz can)

1 c. carrots

1/2 c. celery

2 c. potatos

1/2 tsp. basil

1 tsp. salt and paprika

1 tlb. sugar

Brown ground beef and then add the pepper and onion and brown 5 more minutes.  Add 4 cups of water, soup mix, and remainder of ingredients except for carrots and potatoes.  Let simmer 30 minutes.  Then add potatoes and carrots and simmer for another 30 minutes.

BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies. Ever.

2 1/4 cup flour

1 large package of instant vanilla pudding

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup softened butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

6 oz semi-sweet choc. chips

6 oz semi-sweet choc. chunks*

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix dry ingredients.

Mix butter, sugars, vanilla.  Then, beat in one egg at a time.  Add dry ingredients to wet.  Stir in choc. chips.

Bake 8-9 minutes or until done.

Friday Funnies

Asher was looking at the pile of Christmas cards that we'd received.  He was going through each family, saying, "The Birkenfeld's sent us a Christmas card..." and so on as he recognized each family by their pictures.

A few minutes later I hear a really excited inhale, "Momma! Mary and Joseph sent us a Christmas card!" as he held this up:

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One night while I was playing Bunko, Asher's dinner prayer went like this:

"God, will you please help Mommy win her game and help the other mommies to lose? Amen."

I, did, in fact, win a prize that night....just for the record.

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We were at the mall and McKlayne spotted a mannequin wearing a big, stuffed coat with a furry collar.

"Oh my! That lady has a cat on her shoulders! Do you see the cat lady, Mommy?"

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And...usually the Friday Funnies are reserved for only things that my kids say...BUTT...this one is just way too good, I had to share.  Only because I love this girl so much is this laughable...it still might make the top of my list of most outrageous things said to me during pregnancy, though.  It even beats this comment.

Here goes...earlier this week a college girl was sitting at my kitchen table.  I'm standing up at the counter making my kid's plates for dinner...she is very obviously checking out my growing pregnant body.

CG: Does your butt get bigger during pregnancy?!

M: {Speechless...I wish I could have seen my own face, but I pretty much gave her the, "Yeah, you just said that outloud" look.}

CG: Because, I was just going to say, that your booty is looking cute these days.

M: Ummm....yeah.  Nice one.

Mel, I'm calling you today so you can sing me my favorite pregnancy theme song!

I must add that I feel MOST sorry for my husband when I receive comments like these, because he spends the next several days really trying to overdue it on the compliments.  Sweet thing.