Our Clara Noelle at 23 weeks

Check out this girl: Look at that leg completely extended over her head. I wish her Mama was that limber!

I had an ultrasound today to monitor a low-lying placenta so we got to see our lady.

The great news: the placenta has moved up and should pose no problem in the future!

Baby girl's growth is a little slow (which is totally new for this big-baby family), but I've been assured it's not a big deal. It's less than a week off from my due date. They have asked to perform one more ultrasound in 4 weeks to monitor the growth again.

In other pregnancy news:

1. I think I'm huge. Funny thing is, I don't remember what I weighed when I got pregnant, but I think I am already going on 20 pounds.

2. I see my midwife on Friday. I look forward to those visits.

3. Round ligament pain is worse than ever. I thought I might have to go to the hospital for it one afternoon last week. Sometimes it's seriously more than I can bear. But who can blame the ligaments? I've given them 5 children to bear in the last 5 years. I'm sure their not too pleased with me.

4. I don't think I stop eating. Seriously. Yesterday I botched an entire batch of peanut butter fudge and I ate it. Just me. All of it. Who cares if it had the consistency of powder? It tasted the same.

More updates to come after I see my midwife. We'll talk more about birth plan and hospital vs. homebirth this Friday.

Tuesday Musings

1. I love that God has blessed us with the opportunity to send Noah and Sammy to Trinity Christian Academy. I love how much they love to learn! Yes, it requires sacrifice on behalf of the rest of the family, especially the younger boys, but it has proven to be the best choice for our family.
2. I love the day you realize the stomach virus has left your body, that day being today.
3. I love my husband. He is an amazing provider. He works in the dark, in the cold, and does so without complaint. What a blessing he is!
4. I love our daughter, Clara Noelle (well, hopefully Noelle). I am very thankful that God has given her to us. I am thankful to feel her live inside of me. She is a lively little thing. I recently had a horrifying nightmare that I lost her, as I am sure all moms can relate to. I am thankful to God for every single day that He has entrusted her to us.
5. I love The Point, our church home. I feel so lucky (if lucky is even an accurate word) to be part of a body of believers that love God and hate religion.
6. I love late-night bubble baths when the kids are in bed.
7. I love pizza (but did that surprise anyone?)
8. I love this time of year (the holidays) but I hate the cold weather. At the same time, however, the holidays wouldn't be the same without the cold weather.
9. I love my sons. They are growing up so fast. They are gifts. I don't deserve them. God is gracious. I can't wait to see what God does with their little lives.
10. I love that I am done with this list =) My back is hurting and the bed is calling my name!

Target

Today:

10 boxes of Target baby wipes @ .29 each

5 packs Target toddler flushable wipes @ .29 each

2 bags marshmallows @ .50 each

2 packs of Archer Farms trail mix (not pictured because we ate them) @ .19 each

Paid approximately $5.75 OOP. That is what I would have normally paid for 2 boxes of wipes!

Wow-za! I'm on a savings high...

Toys R Us 11/13/09

Great deals on board games at TRU this week:

My deal:

1- Connect Four @ $9.99

1- Candyland @ $3.99

1- Memory @ $3.99

1- Don't Break the Ice @$3.99

1- Ants in the Pants @ $3.99

I paid approximately $27 (with tax) OOP (out of pocket)

I received a $10 gift card (that will be used on diapers!) for purchasing $25 in board games

I will submit for the following mail-in rebates:

$3 for Connect Four

$2 x the other 4 games

That comes to $6 for all 5 games! Can you beat that? They have all been stashed for Christmas.

Today's Savings

I hit Save-A-Lot and Kroger with Sammy and Kaedmon this A.M. We did well!

I spent $43 at Kroger and saved $68. I'm very pleased. Some great deals and freebies:

• Birdseye Steamfresh for .49
• Yoplus for .49
• Danimal Crush Cups for .49
• Dannon Active Immunity drinks for .49
• Krusteaz blueberry pancake mix for .17
• Keebler Fudgeshoppe cookies for .25
• Betty Crocker potatoes for FREE!

At Save-A-Lot, things weren't too shabby either. They had 5 lb. bags of apples on sale for $2. I bought 4 bags. I have got to do something fast with 20 lbs. of apples! I also got Old El Paso complete taco dinner kits (seasoning, sauce, and shells) for .99 on closeout. I bought 5 of those!

Now I relax. My two oldest are with their Daddy and my Daddy at the Kentucky game. The others and I are ready for our naps! Happy Saturday!

Our little girl at 19 weeks

Here she is! Our pictures today were very clear that she is, in fact, a daughter! The picture below, as if it needs explanation, is her sweet face.

You name it, we've got it...

The King home is now occupied by strep throat as well as the swine flu. It's so hard to know who has what but here's what it comes down to as of today: Kaedmon and I were tested for flu because we are at a high-risk for it. Sammy and Simon were tested for strep. Noah and David were sick last week. We have no idea what they had because it passed rather quickly. Test results:

• I have tested positive for the flu.
• Sammy has tested positive for strep.
• Simon seems sicker than anyone. He tested negative for strep but they treated him with antibiotics anyhow.
• Kaedmon tested negative for the flu but UK pediatrics asked he be treated as through he had H1N1 since he is at high-risk for it.

My Mommy predications are that everyone in the house has the flu except David and Noah. Sammy is a sad sight and Simon looks like he may fall over at any moment. Since he is not in the high-risk category, however, they wouldn't treat him were he to test positive but rather they would suggest we flush him with fluids and he rest, rest, rest as much as possible. My frustration as a Mommy lies in whether Simon, then, should be on antibiotics since he tested negative for strep.

This is very stressful and we are trying to make good decisions on how to treat the boys and ourselves. Please pray for us over the next week. Please pray that Kaedmon, baby girl, and I would tolerate the Tamiflu well and not have any side effects.