My Cheap Phone Got Swiped

So, exciting day! I did a boatload of stuff: painted a room, wrote ten pages, did lots of gardening. Then I got my phone stolen by a door-to-door solicitor. Thankfully, our neighborhood has a good constable service and they promptly came, found the group of solicitors, and somehow returned my phone. We decided not to press charges and Rob and I both prayed that this would somehow be a moment that would turn this guy to a different direction.

I feel kind of weird about it. I mean, I'm glad I had my phone back, but what the constable said about why the guy took my phone made me sad. I had left the phone on our front porch and forgot after gardening. The constable said the kid was poor and wanted a phone. I mean, if you've seen my phone, it's worth less than like $5. It's a go-phone, basically. For someone to want a phone badly enough to steal MY phone...yeah.

It was also disturbing that this happened in the middle of the day, while our neighbors were outside, just a few feet away, and with Tex barking his head off just inside. That didn't make me feel very safe. You'd think that those things would deter...but no. I'm not the type to worry much, but it did make me re-think the kind of lazy attitude I have about keeping our house locked and things put away. Not that I want to change a lot of things about the way we live, but I do think it made me see things a little differently. Just a weird day. Glad to have my phone back, and hope that kid is okay.

It Would Have Been Cute If Not at 3am...

So Sawyer has stopped with "yeah!" and become Mr. Manners with a nice, polite "yes." (Which sounds a little like "yeth" right now.) In any case, he did not sleep well last night to my dismay, but when I went in at 3am, he was being so cute it was hard to be tired and grumpy.

I walked in and he's going, "Bottle?" (Which he says with a kind of cockney accent--bah-uhl.) This is pretty normal for early morning or even middle of the night. But he must have sensed my hesitation it quickly transformed into this gem: "Bottle? YES. Bottle? YES."

I love it. More now that it's actually day time, but it was a little cute then.

Sleep and Stuffing

Sawyer has been sort of semi-sick this week--runny nose and light cough. Not bad, except for the night before last, when he was up a ton during the night, and then yesterday when he seemed to have a mild fever. Last night he slept all night--yay!--and today was much perkier and ate a lot. He also coughed so hard that he threw up once, which was a low point. But overall, better day.

The rest of us are as stuffy as we could be. I used half a box of Kleenex today. Mom just got it, and so she's feeling blah. It's nothing but a head cold, but I really miss breathing when I can't do it. I also sound a lot like a man--if you have my number, you should call me for a laugh. It's a cross between 900-number Kiki and Mr. Kiki. Pretty awesome. In any case, I'm thankful that in all our sickness, we're never THAT sick.

Prenatal Testing: Would You?

There are so many things that you can get screened and tested for when you're pregnant. I actually don't know most of them because we are not so big into the prenatal screening. Here are some of the things you can test for: spina bifida, cleft palate, downs syndrome, sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia. Our main reason is that no matter what we found out about baby, it would not make a difference--we would not consider abortion. In some ways, knowing that baby might have different or special needs might be good for mental preparation, but then again, many of the tests have false positives. Also, many require amniocentesis, which has a number of risks. Rob and I feel comfortable waiting and trusting that the baby we get is the baby God is giving us, and he'll give us what we need to care for him or her.

What about you? Have you, are you, or would you undergo the various prenatal tests that are available now?

The Best Pumpkin Cake EVER

It's fall holiday season! I want to eat nothing but pumpkin. Okay, maybe pumpkin plus some other things. In any case, here is one of my favorite desserts to make in the fall. I wish I could totally take credit for this recipe, but the basis of it came from some random internet site. I definitely made it better, but only by small bits: chocolate chips and some spices that make it perfection. It's so moist that it's deadly, and I'll thank Laura Y and Maxie B's in Greensboro for the inspiration to add chocolate. Chocolate and pumpkin really go well together. Don't believe me? Try this cake.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake

1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, beat pumpkin, sugar and oil. Add eggs; mix well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, spices and salt; add to pumpkin mixture and beat until well blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour into two round pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool.

Frosting
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
5 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
3 to 4 teaspoons milk
Chocolate shavings

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until smooth. Gradually add sugar; mix well. Add milk until frosting reaches desired spreading consistency. Frost cake. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Eat until you're sick.

Want a Free Nursing Cover?

I got an email (thanks, Krista!) with this promotional code for a free nursing cover from Udder Covers. This offer is from What to Expect, and all you need is the code "thanks" when you check out. This will cover the price of the cover, but not shipping. It's a great deal, whether you're buying for yourself, or buying a gift for someone else!

Watch Me Give Birth Live on the Internet!

No, I'm not really going there. But a Minnesota school teacher is. Viewing the experience as a teaching opportunity for people. Yeah...it is a teaching opportunity. Among other things. Click here if you want to read a little more or find out how you can watch.

80s Prom, Pregnant Style

It's always fun to dress up, but a little more challenging when you're almost 6 months pregnant. Thankfully, I found a perfect dress and shoes at Value Village for $8 total, and with the help of my Mom, transformed the back into a corset style so I could head out to the end-of-the-season roller derby party. So fun! I'd always dreamed before doing derby of being rookie of the year, but there was no way with the great talent from this year. (Speed-o, you totally deserved it!) I was super excited to win two awards--Miss Congeniality and the Mommy Dearest Award. And my team mates took away a TON of awards, so all in all, it was a good night!

I think the ruffles and big hair definitely minimize The Beast. Maybe I should dress 80s all the time... Some serious 80s hotness.
Me and Babyface workin' it.

A Word on Birthdays...

I've been asked about what I did on my birthday yesterday, so I'm adding a few pictures. I really hate birthdays--that's the truth. It's one of those days I kind of dread, and then wait for it to be over. I'm not sure why, exactly--maybe it's all the expectation (though I usually have pretty low expectations about things), or just that growing older, birthdays just aren't as fun.

My birthday blues aside, I had a great time with Rob and was glad my Mom was here as well, since I usually don't get to see my fam. Rob made us all crepes for breakfast, then he and I went to see Katy High School (last year's state champs) take on Cinco Ranch. For dinner, Rob took me to Texas Land and Cattle, and then we came back for an ice cream cake with my Mommy.

This crepe kind of fell apart, but Rob still flips like a champ. (Oh, and pay no attention to the mustache...it will be gone tomorrow. Rob, it WILL BE GONE TOMORROW.) This is Texas football pride. Check that out!
We hadn't done a shadow pic in a while, and we look pretty funny in this one.

Child's Play

I have talked about Sawyer's increase in play recently, and I'm continually excited by how well he plays alone. He likes to play with his toy house and new toy barn, and must have some imagination, because he seems to make the little people interact with the animals--typically they either fight or give kisses, or both--and move around the house or drive the cars. It's pretty cute.

And then there's the other kind of play...at this very moment he is chasing around his plastic golf ball and bashing his the floor with his plastic golf club in an attempt to hit it. Either way, it's entertaining to watch and also allows me to sometimes do things like check my email and post to the blog.