My Bag of Sugar

Sugar Bowl and Lemons, 1915

Years ago, while doing Weight Watchers, I remember the leader suggesting that for every pound lost, you put a pound of butter into a bag so you can see how much a pound of fat looks like and be encouraged.

So today, I had an ultrasound, because at my routine one around 22 weeks, they didn't get a look at the baby's kidneys, nose, lips and diaphragm. I love any excuse to get a peak at my baby too :) Everything looks good! She's heading in the right direction and I am measuring just right for my estimated due date (a little funny here, when I said to the technician, "phew, I'm glad she's not a monster [meaning in terms of size], my little girl M said "I'm not a monster, I'm a girl!" So cute!) So how big is she? A little bigger than a "Bag of Sugar". As of today, at just over 34 weeks, she is 5 lbs. 4 oz. A little note here for my family, although its hard to tell completely on a black and white ultrasound, I think she looks more like O and M than C - surprise, surprise, right! (as you can tell from any picture here, our kids look very much alike - C is a little different, but our family - meaning my husband and I - has a strong resemblance!) Unfortunately, at this stage of the game, its very difficult to see everything, and getting a picture of her face was downright near impossible. So no pictures to share :(

With regard to my "handmade Christmas" I'm very mindful that Christmas is right around the corner, but my little boy C has a birthday first to focus on :) I have made good progress, and went to JoAnn Fabrics this morning to buy the remaining things to make. Perhaps I'm naive, but I think it will be easy to "whip" up the rest. At least easier to me than hopping from store to store, getting this and that. Also, it is proving to be easier on the budget (sometimes handmade isn't necessarily, but thankfully this time it is!)

The last few weeks, I have created dinners that are easily doubled. I take half of it and freeze it. So far, I have chili, meatloaf, linguine a la Anne (a white sauce pasta dish with ham and peas) and some tomato sauce in the freezer. I have planned to also make pizzas, a shrimp pasta dish, a chicken/stuffing dish, and other dinners. This is a habit I plan on continuing well after our baby is born. What a time saver! It is taking me no more time to make double, yet it will save me one afternoon/evening of preparing dinner! It makes so much sense to me!

To help our family keep things in perspective this Christmas season, I created (with help from my big boy O) an Advent Christmas Tree. Sunday night, the first night of Advent, we read about what Advent in fact means. Then starting last night (December 1), we read a little lesson that leads up to Christmas day where we will be reminded of the greatest gift of all! Because I thought of this on Sunday afternoon, we made our Advent tree out of paper. Perhaps in time for next year, we will do it out of felt. Here is the link that had the history for Advent. Toward the bottom of that page, you will see a countdown with little gifts (don't worry, the "gifts" are things like goldfish crackers, etc. Also, this evening the "gift" is grape gum or candy, but I will give the kids fresh grapes, in other words, I improvised where necessary. There are other things I will substitute as well, like instead of going and buying stickers of smiley faces and hearts, I will print out coloring pages with smiley faces and hearts on the appropriate days). Each day contains a little one or two-sentence lesson, and the Bible passage to read.

Well, I'm off to sew my father-in-law and his wife's Christmas present. We are going to our favorite Mexican restaurant to eat tonight (kids eat for .99!), so I can sew right up until my husband comes home :)

Let us not forget the reason for this season :)

Blessings,

Jen