Alright baby, time to come out and play!

I'm full term.
My house cleaner is currently here doing a deep scrub.
All laundry is washed and folded AND put away. This happens approximately, never ever. 
It's cold out, so not much fun to do out anyway so being stuck in a hospital for a few days will seem like a vacation compared to getting kids in and out of car seats in 5 degrees. 
The bassinet is put together. Hopefully Drew will get the swing up and get the car seat installed this weekend. If not, well those can all be done after baby is born anyway (difference number 1 between first time and third time mom.) 
My maternity clothes no longer fit.
And we are just so SO ready to meet this little man!
Operation: Bouncy ball and spicy food is on tonight! Oh and House of Cards of course. 

I think nesting has set in.

Saturday morning I woke up ( to a little bit of the snow that would fall most of the weekend) and decided, we were spending the morning cleaning, organizing and getting ready for baby. Seems fitting since he will be here in less than 3 weeks! 
I folded countless loads of laundry, stripped everyones beds and washed all the sheets, comforters, pillow cases etc in the whole house, I even scrubbed our bedroom floor. I can't even remember the last time that was done if I'm being completely honest. 
Then I headed out to the mall with a friend for sort of a last girls afternoon/evening out. We went and got pedicures (where I treated myself to the deluxe spa massage package) and then ate a ridiculous amount of popcorn while watching 50 Shades of Grey. Oh yes we did. If you saw the movie/read the book, what did you think? I liked it but thought they left a lot out about Ana's job/life etc that actually gave her a bit of depth. But otherwise I liked it! 
Drew texted me while we were in the movies and said we were in for a surprise when we got out..and we were. It wasn't snowing when we went into the mall, 4 hours later we were in a blizzard with 4-5 inches of snow that had fallen while we were in there.
The snow stopped early Sunday morning. And then started again! They weren't kidding when they said we were in for the storm of the year (so far!) But I so enjoyed the Sunday at home with my family. 
We played outside some (in the love 9 degrees) and made delicious pink snow cream- which Tindra basically thought was the greatest thing ever. 
Throughout the day we got even more cleaning and organizing done, and bassinet building completed, so now I feel like maybe we can relax for the next couple of weeks till little man makes his debut! Hopefully not in the middle of a blizzard..

 ^As soon as T woke up Sunday morning she got herself dressed and went and fount hat and gloves and wait she was ready to go build a snowman.^

 ^It was way too cold for snowman building so they had to settle for snow angel making instead^

 ^Saturday night we remembered to set out a bowl to catch snow in for snow cream making^

Three Days to a Whiter, Brighter Smile *

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, Colgate-Palmolive. All opinions are mine alone. #OpticSmiles #CollectiveBias.
The other night in bed I was telling Drew about my not so great day. Tindra had refused a nap and therefor, was a crying, crabby mess by 3 PM. Jasper was in a bad mood because of his hand and not being allowed to play basketball or football because of his stitches, and then needed a lot more help than usual with his math homework. Which of course Tindra wasn't having because she was in the middle of an hour long melt down. And dinner needed to be made. And I was exhausted because hello, a billion months pregnant and not sleeping at night anymore. Basically I was whining about my terrible day. 

Drew kindly suggested I take some much needed  'mamma time' over the weekend for an hour or two. I was thinking more along the lines of a tropical island without cell phone reception for a week. But since  I'm pretty sure no air lines allow travel at 9 months and I would miss my kiddos too much, I'll settle for a movie and a pedicure next weekend instead.  Taking me time is something I've never been good at. After a few weeks of non stop 100% kiddo time, I think Drew notices that I could use a little alone time and sends me out, otherwise it doesn't really happen. 
This pregnancy, I have been even worse than usual about my me time. I'm so exhausted at the end of the day that going out alone or with friends sounds almost more work than it's worth. Or on a weekend during nap time, instead of sneaking out for a couple of hours  I would rather nap along with them.  So getting out solo isn't happening very often. But I do try to sneak in some me time at home. 
My favorite, calming 'me' time I have been getting over the past 8 months, is taking the time twice a day to lotion/oil my growing belly. In the mornings I get the kids their breakfast and then sneak into the bathroom to lotion up and get dressed. And at night before I get into bed, same routine. A few days ago I added another little quick step to my routine, brushing my teeth with Colgate® Optic White® Express White Toothpaste, because what mom doesn't want whiter teeth? 

When I heard that it contains the professional recommended product hydrogen peroxide in it that helps whiten teeth in three days just by brushing, I knew I needed to try it.* It has two times the amount of whitening ingredient than recommended vs. Optic White Sparkling Mint TP which I figured certainly couldn't hurt my coffee loving mouth. I mean lets face it. I can't even find the energy or time to go crab lunch with a friend I certainly don't have time for an appointment at the dentist office. I should have gone months ago, but it's a hassle enough getting to my OB appointments and kids doctor appointments so teeth have certainly been neglected. 

I've only been using Colgate® Optic White® Express White for three days and I can definitely already tell a difference! 

I found Colgate® Optic White® Express White at our local Walmart, and they are going to be having rolling demos in 550 stores on 2/28 to promote this new product, you can check here and see if your store is on the list!

I for one am glad at least my teeth will be looking shiny and white during the pictures that will be taken with this new little man in the coming weeks, maybe the bags under my eyes and the greasy hair that comes with having a newborn won't be as noticeable! Do you have anything going on a few days you would love having whiter teeth for?  *For best results, use as directed for four weeks. 

Bumpdate

I'm so up to date on these pregnancy posts..I'm like, 35 weeks now? Just about 36? Something like that. Clearly on top of things. Poor third child. 
I have another appointment tomorrow, but so far everything has been looking good! My OB did mention I'm measuring about a week ahead, but considering Jasper was just under 9 lbs that's not a Huge surprise. After tomorrow's appt the weekly appointments start! The end is getting near. And I'm nowhere near ready. Again, poor third child. 
Before this past appointment I hadn't gained any weight since mid December, but I wasn't too worried. I figured baby was just being nice and taking some of the reserve from my ass and thighs that I had been kind enough to store up for him in the second trimester. But this past week, probably thanks to my newfound love of cookies and cream cookie butter from Trader Joes, I gained 3-4 lbs so there's that. Bringing my weight gain up to about 30 lbs. I knew early on I was going to gain more with this one than the other two..oh wells!
Cravings..have been naan bread and hummus and Mcdonald hot fudge sundaes. I have both almost every day. I blame the fact that we live 5 blocks from a McDonalds. Not good.  Other than not being able to sleep and ridiculous hip/pelvic pain I feel pretty good. I haven't wrapped my head around the fact in less than four weeks this little boy will join our family!

Jasper had a four day weekend this weekend, and yesterday he got stitches out of his hand from his fall last weekend so I asked him what he wanted to do today, and it's no surprise he chose…Swimming! Which is obviously exactly what this 9 month preggo wanted to. Who wouldn't want to shove their pregnant stomach, butt and boobs into a bathing suit. But we went. And the kids had a blast. And I kept getting emotional thinking "This is it. This will be the last day we spend just the three of us." And had to keep choking back the hysterical sobs. And then I thought, next time we go to the pool I'll have to figure out how to keep THREE little humans alive in the pool. And more near hysterical sobs. 
But you know what, bring it on number three, your family is ready to meet you! 

Valentines Giveaway: Happy Baby Wrap

Throughout this pregnancy I have been sharing a few of my favorite baby products that I have either loved and used in the past or am ridiculously excited to use with (still nameless) baby number 3. The Happy Baby Wrap falls under the 'can't wait to use' category. 
Honestly with Jasper I didn't really get the whole advantage of baby wearing for his first year. And oh boy do I wish I would have. I can't even imagine everything that I could have gotten done during the day if I had actual use of my hands. When he was about a year old someone gave me a baby carrier and I used it some, like when I took Remi to the dog park, and then a bit more when we studied abroad in Sweden for 7 months and were always on the go. But I pretty much always needed Drew to help me get Jasper on my back with that carrier and it just didn't work that well for us.
Fast forward to Tindra, I knew I wanted to find a baby carrier that worked better, and I tried two different ones, and they worked better than the one I used with Jasper, but I never fell in love love with my carriers. It was more of a like like relationship, you get what I'm saying? 
Well after spending some time with the Happy Baby Wrap, I'm convinced it's a love love relationship already and my baby isn't even here yet. I can't even begin to imagine how much easier this wrap is going to make my life in T minus 5 weeks (agh!) 

I visited a friend with a teeny tiny newborn last week and had her test out the wrap for a minute! That made me even more ready to get to test it out on this little guy! 

Some amazing benefits to the Happy Baby Wrap Wraps are super light without any extra bulk (something I have noticed and hated other wraps have)  I think I can actually nurse in this one, something I haven't been able to do in any wraps or carriers I have owned 100% adjustable for a perfect fit each time Can support baby up to 35lbs! Tindra is almost three and still nowhere near that Wraps are made of super soft organic bamboo
And now one of you YOU lucky mamma's can win probably the best Valentines day present ever  (Drew thinks he's off the hook now since I already have one..)  Goodluck!!  a Rafflecopter giveaway



Winner: 

Getting My Oil Changed While Shopping! #DropShopAndOil

This #DropShopAndOil shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc and it's advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
When we were living in Sweden when Jasper was a toddler, we used public transportation every day to get us to the grocery store, school, Jasper's daycare, the beach, really anywhere we wanted to go. I loved it. The only thing I needed to do to get around was make sure my bus card was loaded, and know what times the busses ran. They ran like every 5-8 minutes so clearly not a difficult task.
When we got back to the states, having to have a car to maintain was such an adjustment. Now instead of grabbing my bus pass and walking right outside to the bus stop to get anywhere, I have to make sure I have my drivers license. And keys. And tank of gas. And car seats. And an ice scraper in the winter. And windshield wiper fluid. And oil that needs to be changed every 5,000 miles.Etc. Etc. So much more to think about vs just a bus pass or if I forgot that, a few kronor.
Now that I'm driving the most precious cargo around, keeping my car safe is the most important thing. Regular check ups, never going below half a tank a gas (my mom taught me that one in high school) regular oil changes, making sure their car seats are installed correctly are just a few of the ways I make sure my kids are as safe as they can possibly be in the car. 
I'll be honest, Drew is usually the one that's in charge of taking my car to get it's oil changed. It's almost always right before I'm driving back to Iowa solo with the kids (several times a year) that he decides it needs done before I leave the state. He usually drops it off with his bike in the back and then bikes home and goes and picks it up later. But the last few months he has been swamped at work and I knew it was time for an oil change. So when I found out that Walmart offers oil changes using Pennzoil, and that I could drop my car off there to get my oil changed while I shopped and wouldn't have to deal with hanging out in an auto shop for hours, pregnant with two kids, I knew it was something even I could handle. 

So I headed to Walmart bright and early to beat any sort of crowd and got right in! I talked to the friendly guy working and got a little panicked when he asked what kind of oil I need because hello…Drew is the car guy in this family. We had decided to go with Pennzoil for several reasons; Pennzoil is designed for complete protection and will allow you to drive for an extra 550 miles a year, and they offer a free warranty that covers 15 engine parts that may fail do to engine wear.   Did you know that Pennzoil comes in three different varieties? I sure didn't, I just assumed..oil is oil. What's the difference? Turns out, big differences between the types of oil. 
The options are; Conventional Motor Oil, High Mileage Vehicle and Platinum Synthetic Motor Oil.   After talking talking it over, we decided that High Mileage Vehicle blend; which helps reduce leaks and oil consumption in high mile vehicles, was the best for my car because it's designed for cars with over 75K miles, and she's pushing 100K.

After I dropped off the car, the kiddos and I went in to do our last minute baby shopping. Oil changed AND all the last minute baby items I needed all in one stop?So simple and I felt so accomplished! 

Two things I can now cross off my 'Must Get Done Before Baby Comes' list. Now if I could just bring someone in to do wash, dry, fold and put away all of our laundry I'd be good to go! Now, want to enter an amazing giveaway?  As part of the current #ShopDropOil Pennzoil campaign at Walmart, three (3) lucky winners will each win a trip to one of the Richard Petty Driving Experiences (each trip valued at $1,100). This means that the winners get to climb into a NASCAR car for an adrenaline-pumping experience that simulates real NASCAR driving. Click  here to enter! Pennzoil Richard Petty Driving School "Experience of a Lifetime" Giveaway

TGIM

Thank God It's Monday. I know, can you believe I just said that? After the weekend we had though, I'm grateful it's over and Monday. New week, has to be better right? Right??
Saturday morning started out great. I had finally remembered to set out the Trader Joe's chocolate croissants I bought a few weeks ago to let them rise over night. So when we woke up Saturday morning all I had to do was pop them in the oven and cut up some fresh fruit while Drew ran and got us coffee. The sun was out, it was going to be 72 degrees again so we opened up the doors and ate a delicious brunch. Then Drew took the kids outside to play before Jasper's basketball game while I ran down to switch out some laundry. Perfect morning right? 
It was till I heard Jasper start to cry followed by Drew screaming DARLENE in a super panicked voice. I knew immediately something was wrong. I sprinted up the stairs faster than any bazillion month preggo has ever ran before, guarantee you. 
Jasper had been walking up the concrete back steps with a mason jar full of water to give to his dog when he tripped and fell, breaking the jar cutting his hand open. We quickly went to urgent care just a few blocks away (where Jasper soaked through his towels covering his hand) and they told us to go to Children's hospital. 

4 hours and 5 stitches later we headed home. To realize that in our hurry to leave, we had left a pot of boiling water with eggs in on the stove. Exploded, black eggs all over the kitchen. And the most horrible smell lingering in our house after two days, even with all the windows open and fans going. 
I have to take a second to brag about Jasper. He had to be in a TON of pain. They were having to have him move all of his cut up bloody fingers to make sure he still had function in them after hitting tendon (but thankfully Not severing them.) But he was so incredibly brave. Didn't shed a tear after the first 5 minutes at home and getting in the car. And Tindra did So good too. Cooped up in a little hospital room  for four hours without any complaint. My kids are such troopers!
So that was our wonderful Saturday.
Sunday we went to look at a house (house hunting!!) that we thought would be perfect for us from the pictures and yard. I had already decorated in my head. Till we got in and realized the layout was just so wrong and chopped up. So back to the drawing board we go. I know we have time, our lease isn't up till September, but I'm getting anxious to find the perfect home for us. 
After we looked at that house we headed to the park with burgers and fries to enjoy some of this gorgeous weather. Jasper and I were kicking his soccer ball around since he can't use his hand, poor guy. Or rather he was running around kicking it, I was walking  waddling after him and Drew and Tindra were playing. All of a sudden I hear Tindra crying, hard. She had slipped on the 4 inches of ice in the entire park and hit her head. Bloody nose, scuffed up nose and forehead and a slightly swollen palm. 
I swear my kids aren't normally this accident prone, but it was a rough weekend for all of us! 
So I'm so thankful we got through the weekend, and next weekend just has to be better.
Oh and while we were in the ER with Jasper I'm pretty sure I was having contractions. Painful lighting bolts and tightening/cramping for 30-40 minutes. I realized it was 1PM and the only thing I had had to drink all day was 1/4 cup of coffee. Drew went and found a nurses station with plastic cups the size of my head so after chugging to cups of that it went away so I'm sure it was just a combination of stress and being dehydrated but it still scared me for a minute. This guy needs to stay put for at least a few more weeks! I think he probably just wanted to join in with worrying his mother like his big brother and sister did this weekend. I can tell he will fit in juuuust fine with this crazy clan!