Today has been a much more productive day! Do you hear the freedom? No more cough syrups, no more of those awkward little dosing cups or syringes. I am still taking Sudafed, the real stuff, not the PE. Long story short: I am clueless as to this whole meth thing, that some meds are only available behind the counter, you know, the ones I need... I bought the Sudafed PE, my approved list said Sudafed, and that is what they had, I saw no card for Sudafed (no PE in front of it)... Peyton has been really active ever since I took a couple doses of the PE, and Merrill claims she is detoxing now. No worries, I have the right stuff (after going to two different stores). I thought I could be done today too with the meds, but I still felt that sick feeling in my head...
I got all of the Christmas cards done, ready for the mail tomorrow. That is an accomplishment for me, considering I wanted them sent out last week...
I also lay awake last night dreaming about my Hall of Fame entry for CK magazine. I have always wanted to do it, never have. I did enter the Scrapbooker of the Year contest over a year ago. $10,000 sounded really good, like enough to have a baby and a most of a new car. It was kind of a downer, not winning, but to see how much being SOY really entails, I'm so glad it wasn't me! (Like I had the chance...) So Hall of Fame... Brooke really got me thinking, and I read the rules in this month's mag and decided I'd do it. It isn't nearly as much work as I had to put into SOY (20 original layouts, product lists, color copies of all, a portfolio for them, and an essay...) this one sounds like much more fun too. So I've been dreaming about the details for my submissions...
Got a BIG package via UPS today. Although I have to say it's really Santa's deal and not so much mine ;)... Ashley got all excited when she heard the doorbell ring and then a quick knock. I knew what it was, I tried to distract her. I put off going outside to bring it in and then hide it until I had them distracted. I thought I did... Ash came up and saw me struggling to bring it in (it was a lot bigger and heavier than I thought.) she of course started to ask what it was. I kept telling her I really didn't know. She left and I tried to take it to hide it. Before I knew it, Lynn was right there, really excited. She asked what it was. I told her a package. She said, "Let's open it and see what's inside!" Thinking, creatively and on the spot, I told her that we couldn't, it wasn't ours, it was Santa's. She said, "If it's from Santa, then it's for us! Let's open it!" I told her that we were not supposed to open it, he sent it to us so it could be here for him on Christmas Eve, it was too heavy for his sleigh. She still wanted to open it. The only way I could get her to leave it alone was to tell her I was going to have to send it back and tell Santa that we couldn't keep it because she wanted to peek. That settled it. Then another question came. How do I know all of this? I told her that I talk to Santa, everyday just about, either on the phone or via e-mail. That seemed to satisfy her. She's been good all day since then too...

After having a day of feeling really crappy, I mean crappy as I lay on the couch most of the day, I have to say that I am thankful for two little girls who were really sweet and good to me!
For some reason (could it be a week of two sick little girls and little sleep???) I was wiped-out today. I managed to take a shower, and it took two more hours just to get decent afterwards. I lay on the couch for most of the day, Lynn getting me pillows and blankets, and even a bottle of water. She was the best at giving me kisses and gentle pats, asking me if I was okay. Ashley was great at not having any accidents (Yeah!) and snuggling with me, bringing me books to read to her.
I about lost it making lunch for them. Nothing sounded good to me, Lynn wanted only a peanut butter sandwich. A while later, I had a cup of cocoa... everything made me feel so nauseous!
I got a little pick-me-up from Darlene (mother-in-law) when she brought me a new maternity skirt and a couple of new tops. I felt dumb, as it was noon and my hair was still wet and wrapped-up in a towel, and my face was void of make-up (that's really kind of scary). But at least I was dressed! She is the early-bird type, ready to go around 7 am, so I can imagine what she was thinking when she saw me.
It was a nice surprise, I was feeling a little down the other day looking into my closet. I have a lot of short-sleeved maternity tops, not too many that are long-sleeved, for colder weather. I was in the mood of, "now how many times have I worn this?"... I feel like if it's Wednesday, chances are I am wearing the same outfit I was a week ago... So that was an upper for the day. I have already gotten "Happy Birthday" cards from some stores with a coupon (most of them non-maternity). Victoria's Secret might get used... pregnant boobs... Express I am tempted to go and use, so I have something to look forward to, maybe even a little motivation?
Hopefully things will go better tomorrow. I stopped taking the cough syrup. I think that was the culprit. I actually started to feel hungry. I made some Rhodes cinnamon rolls for a nighttime treat, Merrill really liked them :)... Now the only discomfort present is the heartburn, of course... that was one plus to not wanting to eat all day, it put the heartburn off.

I know I have gone on and on and on about the awesome ladies that I get to work with in Primary.... But I have to say that I LOVE Christie, Julie, and Jen. I love how we all seriously think the same way. I had Julie call me tonight before PIs, ask me a question that I really was going to call and tell them about earlier in the day (pregnant thing again) and she was already thinking the same thing. When I called, the other two, same thing, they were already thinking that way. I absolutely love that life is easier because I am so blessed to work with them!

Funny things...
Ashley climbed up on the counter and told me she was "birsty" (thirsty) for a piece of Lynn's birthday cake. She said this while licking her lips and rubbing her tummy.
Instead of asking me to put on her princess nightgown, she pees in her pajamas so I have to change her. (Okay, that one is not so funny...)
She comes up to Merrill and I, who are just catching-up on the day, having a nice conversation, and yells: "Do you want Miss Hannigan to come in here?... Then go back to bed!" She stomps off...
Maybe we've had the TV on a little too much in the evenings with the long weekend and all... Lynn turned to Mer and yelled, "Bertoli!!!" There's some Italian food commercial where a chef yells that name, the name of some frozen Italian meals.
Lynn popped off the arm of a cheap doll she got from a birthday party for a friend. She held the arm up in the air and asked us, "Does anyone need a hand?"
I told the girls the other day that they had been so good while I got some errands done, that when we got home, they could have some ice cream. We keep two favorites on hand: Bubble Gum and Oreo. I asked them which kind they would like, and named the two. Lynn immediately said Bubble Gum, and Ashley just looked at me. She said, "We don't have Oreo ice cream." And just so I could sound like a kid I said, "Uh-huh, it's in the freezer." To which she replied, "Nu-uh." To which I came back, "I'll show you, it's in the freezer." Her retort helped me to understand what she was really saying: "Do we have 'Blounder' (Blounder = Flounder, from The Little Mermaid) ice cream too?" I got it, Oreo = Ariel.

Just had a doctor's appointment. Did the "fun" glucose test... All is well. I am pretty proud, I've gained only 21 pounds so far... I feel like that is pretty dang good considering with Lynn, I hit this point at about 5 months! Baby Peyton is 2 and 3/4 pounds of it. Her head is measuring at 29 weeks instead of the almost 28 where I am supposed to be at. So we are a little ahead. Dr. Bierer is keeping the due date at February 22nd, even though my BIG ultrasound said February 16th... I know I'll probably start to go earlier than that anyway!
A couple of funny things the girls have been saying:
We get matching PJs every year for Christmas from Darlene, and Mer's and mine are exactly alike. Well maybe not exact size wise... We happened to be wearing a pair of pants that just happen to be the same, and the other morning Ashley asked me why I was wearing Daddy's pants, disgusted that I would be wearing his pants. This morning, Lynn asked me the same question! It's funny considering they have seen us wearing them at the same time, but they think they are his...
Yesterday Ash was having a bad coughing fit, like nearly throwing-up, and being really pouty about it. I told her that if she would just take her Mucinex, she wouldn't be coughing so violently. I asked her if she wanted to take it, of course, she said "no". She started coughing again, and getting upset, again. I asked her if she was ready to take it now to which she replied, "Well then, what are you waiting for?" Do you think she took it? No way.

Am I nesting already???
Today I got this crazy impulse to clean EVERYTHING.
I mean, I usually clean the house every week, but today... I vacuumed everywhere, moving beds and couches, removing the cushions, taking everything out of the closets and cleaning them too...
Even the whole kitchen. The cupboards inside and out!
Every stitch of laundry, sheets too, washed, dried, and put away.
Either I am nesting or this Sudafed has another side-affect!

The cake is done! A five year-old birthday, pretty much over. I'm kinda depressed. She's not supposed to be this old!

Last night was interesting. I ended up throwing the cake away, after Lynn coughed all over it, and it didn't look right anyway. I got the girls all ready for bed, meds and all, and sat and told Lynn all about the day she was born. I got ready for bed, and went to check on Ash, she had a pretty high fever, a little over 102. She had kicked all her covers off, and pulled up her nightgown around her armpits. She was sleeping like that. So I decided to take her temperature. 103.7! I was a little freaked. Merrill told me to give it a few, maybe she just got too hot. So I waited, went and checked again and it was 100.9. I fell asleep. Woke up around 2 to give her another dose of Tylenol, trying to keep this fever in check. A little after three, the weirdest thing happened, I was woken-up by the sound of candy falling off of the gingerbread house in the dining room. I got up to see if one of the girls were up. Ash was flushed. I checked her temperature, again, 103.9. I had just given her the Tylenol! I decided to go to Wal-Mart, one of those again, to get Motrin for her (I also bought more cake mixes:)). I got worried though. I had dosed her last at 2 and wanted to be sure it was safe to give her the Motrin so soon. I haven't had sick kids like this ever, but I knew to break a fever, I should alternate between the two meds. I just wasn't sure how soon I could give her the Motrin. So I did my own internet research. I thought to call Jen, from the ward, but I thought not to bug her. I wish I had. Everything I found said to not give them Motrin until it would be time to re-dose with the Tylenol. There went my plan to ease my worries. I took her temperature again. Still almost 104. I waited about ten minutes, hoping it would go down like it had before, and took it again, and then I did that about two more times. I couldn't sleep. Then all of the sudden I had a "duh" moment. What do I teach the girls? What do I teach the primary kids? When you have a problem and need help, PRAY. I did. I let myself relax for just a minute, it is hard to get up out of bed, and I went and took her temperature again. 100.9. I slept. I feel so dumb that I didn't think to pray in the first place, that I thought I could take care of it on my own! Let's hope that I was not too tired to forget this lesson!