Of late

We have had to take life a little lot slower of late. Between my low iron levels that make for some interesting scenarios if I push myself too hard (passing out, heart palpitations, etc)-- and pushing too hard can be as simple as trying to vacuum the entire house in one fell swoop-- and a continuous cycle of sick kids, the home fires have been burn-ing! If I leave the house for something, Daniel's here with those who aren't healthy enough to be out and about; but usually, it's me here with at least a few of the five little people running fevers, nursing sore throats, coughing and wheezing, and/or blowing their noses. The family room couch has looked like this for about a month straight, except with rotating patients:

Jack and Claire are the ones I'm home from church with this week.
 

Overall, I've got pretty good patients. It is, of course, inevitable that the sick ones don't sleep soundly through the night, though. That adds to the exhaustion, to say the least, but we're managing. Overhauling expectations has helped with that: at this point, I'm really pleased with a day that includes school, basic housework/chores, and meal prep. These are the expectations I'm not accustomed to switching to until after the baby's born, but it is what it is.

And while I tend the sick crew, Daniel keeps chipping away upstairs. Hormones haven't quite kicked into the It-Has-To-Be-Done-NOW mode yet, but they are certainly adding to my eagerness to get at least the bathroom done. Seeing it slowly take shape as Daniel puts in a few hours here and a few hours there doesn't help my impatience. We're getting really, really, really close to finish work now!

Claire loves visiting Daddy to check on the work. One of the things finished on Friday was the framing in of this linen closet. Only a homemaker can appreciate my excitement about actually having a linen closet after six years of shoving extra bedsheets, towels, and pillows wherever I could find a spot to put them!
 

Plumbing lines run for the 2 sinks, along with the electrical boxes where 3 sconces will frame the two mirrors I have yet to find (anyone have a good lead on oval wood-frame mirrors? I never thought I'd have such difficulty locating inexpensive ones!).
 

Josh and Daniel totally humored me and installed this recessed light/bathroom fan unit that was MUCH more difficult to install than a traditional fan. I'm spoiled, I know.
 

The man on a mission. For me.
He's the best.
(And, if you didn't notice, we have a tub! UPSTAIRS!!!)

 
Also of late, I am continuing to beef up my diet (no pun intended) in an effort to quickly increase my iron levels. Animal protein is most quickly absorbed, so adding lots of that has been a major change to our normal way of eating, which is typically minimal meat/poultry and more rice/beans. With the clock ticking and the countdown ever nearing on this baby's arrival, I don't have time to mess around, so along with molasses in everything I can think of (cookies, bread, oatmeal, milk, granola, and more), I've dramatically increased my animal protein intake. Yogurt, eggs, chicken, beef, and pork are becoming a part of just about every meal I eat. I can't say that I love it, but when I think about how lousy I feel now and how hard it would be to take care of a newborn with this kind of exhaustion, I get motivated to take one more bite.

Today I'm going to try my hand at cooking liver and onions for the first time. I found what reviewers say is a palate-changing recipe. I've never actually eaten liver, but I have to admit that slicing it a bit ago just about turned me into a firm vegetarian. That stuff is weird! The liver is soaking in milk now, which according to much of what I've read is essential to taking the rubber sole taste out of it.

I'm a little afraid of food that has the potential to taste like a rubber sole.

I've got bread dough rising so that even if we all hate the liver, at least we'll still have something to eat for lunch.

(Come to think of it, maybe I'll try to get a batch of molasses cookies made, too. I'm seriously concerned!)

One thing's for sure: the anemia sure doesn't seem to be slowing down the growth of this unborn baby, although perhaps some doctors would see slower growth as a good thing in my case since I tend to give birth to 3-month-olds??? Claire puts her hand on my belly several times a day for the past few weeks and says, "Belly big, Mom. Baby big."

Thanks, hon, you're really boosting my self-esteem. I mean, is it not enough that I look as pale as a ghost, I've gained more weight than I did with either of the last two pregnancies (which, by the way, reinforces my "hunch" that we've got a boy on the way), and I generally feel less than human these days? No, on top of all that, I have to be regularly told how huge I am.

By a two-year-old!

33 weeks pregnant; I'm guessing that Baby is about 5lbs.

Still, I'm just thankful that all is going well for the most part. The baby seems healthy. I'm getting regular prenatal care. I've got what seems to be a good plan for delivery, and the back-up solution of heading to Syracuse (where they are all for my VBAC'ing) if all else fails. Daniel is unendingly patient with how slow I have to take things. The kids are stepping up and doing so much to help: Gabriel and Bronwyn regularly tuck the younger ones in on the nights Daniel's not home so that all I have to do is come up, pray with each of them, kiss them good-night, and then head down to my own bed-- not mention a whole host of other things they do to help all day long.

So of late, we're taking it slow, but I'm also feeling tremendously blessed. Not everyone has a support system right in their very own home like I do. God has been so, so, SO good to me!