Baby vest...this is so cute!

I've been looking for a good baby project, and isn't this the cutest??? I love this little vest, and what's more, the pattern and instructions are online here. What a gem!

Other news...I am now 22 weeks along, which incidentally is the age of the youngest preemie to survive--at least according to one website. Not that I'm planning on letting this guy out a moment too soon, but with all my contraction trouble and hospital stays...I did find comfort in that random tidbit.

It is very strange to have much of each week simply reduced to checking off a number (like Week 22!), and THAT is the week's big accomplishment. But, I know it means a lot to Jordan, the little kicker inside me. =) It has been good to slow down and do a lot of journaling and pondering life in general. Somehow my other children have become that more precious.

Glad to have a girl...

Just in from San Francisco...

The Wilmot Clan

So, these are my Dad's children, photo taken at his funeral. I'm the pregnant one in the while, then came Zeke, the handsome guy in the back row middle. Then Lani, my sis in red (who was also just barely pregnant at the time (congrats!) . Next came Nick, far left back row, John, far right back row, and last, Megan, far left front row. That's the Wilmot Clan.

Here is Megan with her son, my nephew, Talon. He is so cute and fun to play with!

It's weird how you are all kids together...and then you grow up into these big adults. It just is.

Yea! My Yarn Order is Here!

Wow--that bag of 10 is for a sweater I'm going to make, minus the tummy showing. (Stretch marks just aren't sexy!) Have to admit all those balls are a bit daunting, but the yarn feels great, so it should be fun. The colorful kind is Felici Patina, and with make some funky, self-striping socks. I grabbed a color chart as well, because it was crazy trying to decipher what was what on the website. Well, off to cast-on I go.

More Food Stuff...

Do you ever shop for a bunch of recipes, come home with a ton of groceries, get them all put away, and then wonder what's for dinner? Or "What was I going to make again?" I didn't want that to happen, so I armed myself with my camera. Pictures say a lot to me!


We did the Eggplant Parmesan...the kids loved it. No, we didn't add pickles. (how'd they get in this photo?)



This was for some Raspberry muffins from Marie's recipes I mentioned last post. Very tasty.


This was the best for coming home ready with a snack. Fuji apples are my favorite, and this caramel is the best!


We did a whole oven-fried tofu meal with lots of goodies from Marie. The family all like this one as well. I didn't know which Tony seasoning to buy, so we grabbed both. That's an English Cucumber up front.


And for a yummy smoothie.

Hmmm....I need to head to the kitchen find some more goodies. I think we have the caramel...but not apples. How did I manage that with the kids? Hiding the caramel, of course. Should have hid me some apples too! =)

What's for Dinner

Spinach and Artichoke dip from the Olive Garden Recipe...yummy!


The aftermath of the shopping excursion...this was a couple weeks ago.




Some yummy Pita & Olive Oil chips from Marie's recipe book.

The finished picture is at the top, along with my favorite salad lately...Simply tomatoes (Roma, if I've got them) cucumber, a little lettuce, and Light Italian dressing. It's so good! and easy!

Playing with the Fam...before the Bedrest days

Just catching up with some photos. I finally got an adapter for my Mac so it can handle an SD card. Very weird it didn't come equipped already...it's practically perfect in everyway, just like Mary Poppins.

The verdict is in...it's a....

Come on...is anyone really surprised here? Another Jensen boy. If only we were into basketball, we'd have a whole team!

Downside is that the way we found out was by spending the night in the ER. My body is jumping the gun again and I was having painful contractions like crazy. So I've spent the weekend on bedrest, doped up on Lortab and Brethane...but at least it seems to get the contractions under control.

I'm 19 1/2 weeks. Yipe.

We go in for another check-up today, and I'll keep you posted. The happy news is that the baby is healthy and growing right on schedule. And, very obviously, a boy.

Steph is tickled to remain the only princess in our castle, and Jasen was hoping for a little brother anyway.

So there you go. Really...is anyone surprised? The only comments I've heard were, "I'll bet it's another boy!" =)

The female form

Interesting things, these female bodies of ours. They change as needed. They follow an internal rhythm.

They stretch and grow to encompass the life within them.



They feel and know the one within them. The one the rest of us can't see.



They express. They feel.


They play.

In a nutshell...

I think it was Covey or someone like that that said, "The more I learn, I find the less I know." I always thought that was weird, but now it feels so true. All I know is boiling down to two things. Light and Dark....Life and Death. Enjoying myself, laughing, smiling, focusing on joy, pleasures, and happiness...feels like life. Stressing, judging, being uptight, worrying, slowing into inactivity...feels like death.

And I prefer Life and Light.

That's all I know.

My pretty...

I've got The Hobbit on the brain, since that's our latest family read. But I wanted to show you another new necklace I acquired. This darn pic is so dark, it doesn't give the necklace it's justified POP. It's made of shell and is so shiny. Love it.

So, picked up some groceries to give some of Marie's recipes a go. You can download your own here.

Alright...of to go be social at the neighborhood get-together. We'll see how THAT goes!

(Dang...is my bed ever made? I know it is...just not when I take pics!)

Random Pics

If you don't have lawn, apparently walking through the "not lawn" can result in this effect. Ow! I got a nasty scrape from it as well!



My Christmas item that stays all year. Really, only the glitter made it Christmas-y. And up above, you can see Randy's lastest religious find. I think he got this guy at the Krishna Temple. He has a Buddha on the opposite side. It glows.



Justin and Jasen are finally getting along. Jasen's learning to not beat up on his older brother.


What 5 year old wouldn't want a picture with a Legos man from Star Wars. Heavens....Lego Star Wars is his favorite game!

Playing with Video...Knitting Finds

So Marie suggested I check out Heindselmann's knitting shop in Provo. I find I much prefer the drive into town to get the kiddos from school if I get to do something fun, too. So today, I got to explore the wonderful world of fibers...with my fingertips. Among my finds were a fairy dust necklace, with a little fairy on the front, some sock yarn, and some needles. But actually, I got the needles at Roberts. It was a great little outing. Thanks for the idea.

Apparently, this is the face I make when I can't get a container to open. Lovely!



Be sure to notice the cool birthday necklace from Marie.

Inspiration...

Ever notice how when inspiration hits, it rarely has anything to do with the dishes...or any other kind of housework for that matter?

Today I'm brimming with new ideas, and ready to write. Sorry, sweet kitchen. It's true, you aren't nearly as fickle as the muses, but when they call, I've gotta run. We'll chat later!

Favorite Song

This has always been a favorite song of mine, but now with new reason. Isn't this amazing???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Happy People...

I like happy people:

What to say?

Well, it was a very strange week. Seeing my Dad at the viewing...good for closure I guess, but not a highlight. Jasen, my 5 year old was curious and stayed for a few minutes...then BOLTED out of there. I could relate. Dead bodies.

It was awesome to see so much family I don't see much. It was wonderful to see my handsome brothers and cute little sister, and her little boy Talon.

But all in all, it was rather weird and surreal. And at the same time, it's nice to have it all over with. I guess part of me knew the day would come that I'd get that phone call, saying Dad had died. And now it's over. I can't help but feel some relief. Mostly because I know he was struggling and not at peace. And now he is.

The kids handled it all well. They hadn't seen Dad for a while and didn't see him often, so I think in a way that made it easier on them. But Josh summed it up well (my 10 year old).

"How do you feel about Grandpa Dave dying?"

"Bad!"

They all loved their Grandpa.

Just had another surreal moment where it seems so strange to be writing this. That someone's life has ended.

We went out to eat tonight--us siblings--to PF Chang's. I love my family. I actually got to have 2 families, with the divorces and remarriages. The more the merrier.

I hope my children will love each other and enjoy each other like I do my family.

More changes on the horizon. I'll keep you posted.

Bye, Dad.

Today I found out that my dad died. He was only 56.



This was in '82 when he took us to Disneyland. What a cutie!



This is my dad, myself, with a classic Nike tee-shirt (Dad owned a shoe store) my sister Lani, and then my brother Zeke. We were at my grandmother's house--Dad's mom. She just died a few years ago. I like to think they are having some good chats now. =)


This is little me, and my dad. He was probably only 27 or 28 at the time. He always loved the outdoors.



And this is one of my favorite pictures of him. He always said his nose was so pointy he could use it as a pencil. But it was actually quite a handsome nose. =) We went cross country skiing in Sun Valley, and built a snow wall. My uncle Tom took this shot through a hole in the snow wall. Back before Photoshop. =)

I love you Dad. Thanks for sharing this time here with me. You are missed.

12 Weeks 3 days

Week Twelve: Fingernails and toenails appear

You are 12 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 10 weeks) The fetus is now about 2.5 inches (6cm) length and weighs about 0.7 ounce (20 g). The feet are almost half an inch (1cm) long. The fetus starts moving spontaneously. The face is beginning to look like a baby's face. The pancreas is functioning and producing insulin. Fingernails and toenails appear. The baby can suck his thumb, and get hiccups. From this week you may well be able to hear the baby's heart beat through a doppler monitor on your tummy. You will notice that the rate is up to 160 a minute, double that of a normal adult. Your baby now has a chin and a nose and a facial profile. Vocal chords are complete, and the baby can and does sometimes cry silently. The brain is fully formed, and the baby can also feel pain. The fetus may even suck his thumb. The eyelids now cover the eyes, and will remain shut until the seventh month to protect the delicate optical nerve fibers. The hair is on the head and the fingers and toes have developed soft nails. The kidneys are developed and begin to secrete urine. Your baby weighs between 0.5 and 0.7 ounce (14 to 20g), and crown-to-rump length is almost 2.5 inches (63mm). Your baby's size has almost doubled in the past 3 weeks. Wow...that's a lot of development in a tiny 2 1/2 inch baby. Amazing. Can you imagine 1/2 inch feet?

Checking in....

I think I'm finally getting close to being done with morning sickness...at least a little bit. I'm at the weird state where I don't really look pregnant...just more like...chunky. I'll prefer to just move on up to obviously pregnant. =)

I feel a lot more at peace with having another child. I was overwhelmed with 5, but you know what? They all seem to really like me, so I must be doing something right. And I love them too, so it works.

I feel so much older for this pregnancy. My first was when I was 20. Wow. I don't feel "too old" or more aches and pains stuff...more that it's much more profound now.

Hmmm...guess I don't have a lot to say tonight...but I've been a stranger to blogland for too long. I'm still kickin' around.