Tests

I am still waiting on the results from my 3 hour glucose test.  It seemed like they got the results from the 1 hour test overnight.  They have this new thing at Clarissa's office where you can check your own lab results online and I have been a little obsessive with it!  The size ultrasound went well.  Little girl measured on time almost to the day - basically 26 1/2 weeks (last week) - and a little over 2lbs!  For the size, they measure the head and the femur.  Our kids seem to have big heads, so my suspicion is that she may be a little smaller than that, but that would be about the same as our other girls, neither of whom were very big newborns.

Next week, Caleb is taking a standardized test.  We signed up with a group from our co-op to do an online review.  After I went through the sample test, I saw that some of the ways the questions are worded are totally unlike anything he has experience with, so we tried to go over those things.  In the end, I am not concerned about his score.  I'd like for him to score in the average range.  I don't think he will score in the above-average range - it just isn't that important to him.  He didn't do well last year, but after the test he admitted to me that on some sections, he didn't want to do them, so he just guessed.  I've tried to balance him needing to take the test seriously with not worrying that his future balances on it.  It is easy to see how school administrations can get anxious over testing when so much does weigh on it!  At least for us, if he does poorly, we can get a teacher evaluation.  In Florida, homeschoolers are required to "show progress" and he has definitely done that. 

Standardized testing seems to me a very poor way to show progress (or lack of progress) - if a child aces the 1st grade test and does only average on the 2nd grade test are they not progressing?  What if they are just having a bad day?


The glucose test evidently isn't as unreliable.  The longer you are pregnant, the more insulin your body needs to produce and if your body isn't doing it, it just isn't doing it.  I was feeling kind of bummed about failing the 1 hour, but if it is something I need to address, I want to address it.

Egyptian Cat Art

We are studying Egypt this week in Annalise's world book.  She seems to really enjoy learning about other countries.  Usually she completes the workbook page and finds the country on the world map the 1st day.  The 2nd day we usually watch a YouTube about the country.  After that it really depends on the country.  For China we read a book about the Great Wall, for Canada we matched Canadian animals to their tracks, for Cameroon we looked at a missionary's blog.  Egypt is kind of confusing.  There is Ancient Egypt, that ends and a very long period of time passes, and then there is modern Egypt.  Mostly we have focused on Ancient Egypt because it is easier to find kid friendly activities for that.  Today we made pictures of Egyptian cats and read about how Ancient Egyptians viewed cats.  (Let's just say they all belonged to Pharaoh!)

First I talked them through drawing the cat.  I copied an art project I found on an elementary school's art blog.

Then we outlined the cat in marker.  (Natalie loves to draw and her drawing is improving quickly.)

We added a horizon line and some distant pyramids and a sun.

Some of it we colored with crayons, other parts we painted in water color.

Caleb's

Natalie's - hers got very busy once she added the color.  You can still see her curly cat tail and the "claws" that she added spontaneously!  The ears are actually the part in the small purple circles.  I think the person next to the cat was supposed to be Pharaoh...or maybe a princess.  Princesses show up pretty often in Natalie's drawings!

Annalise's - she really got into the fact that Ancient Egyptians put jewelry on their cats!

Interesting trivia - when a family's resident cat (remember the cat was Pharaoh's) died, the family showed their mourning by shaving off their eyebrows!

Anniversary Dinner

Rob and I celebrated being married 13 years this week!  I feel so blessed to be married to someone who encourages me to see the best in things and remember my blessings. :)

The kids made us dinner.  Here is their meal plan:

The unlabeled "brown things" are BBQ chicken legs!

Annalise is very into checklists.  She likes to have things to cross or check off.  The kids get a work checklist for independent schoolwork and it's important to her to do them in the exact order I list them!

Yes, they are using steak knives and a can opener!

My neighbor had a very bad cut on a can not long ago, so we try to be very careful with the can opener.  I have them cut things to help with dinner often.  So far they've not cut themselves.  I try to only give them things that cut without using a lot of force (no carrots, for example).

Salad!

The result:

Natalie sampling the strawberry shortcake:

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I am 26 weeks pregnant this weekend.  I failed the 1 hour glucose screening, not by much, but I have to go back for the 3 hour test.  I also am still measuring behind by about 2 weeks, so I have to have a follow up ultrasound this week too.  I measured "small for dates" with both A & N, I'm hoping it's just a girl thing!  Little girl has been kicking like crazy.  I've finally started feeling her in the middle of my belly.  Sometimes we see it jerk to the side :)  The kids all want to feel her move, but so far only Caleb has had the right timing. 

Stuck in the Swamp Selfie

We were supposed to get a first hand view of rural Florida via swamp buggy this Friday.  Our friend said that it was safe enough the kids could drive it.  After directing Caleb away from a boggy area, he thought it was ok to go through another wet spot, but we got stuck almost immediately.  The 4-wheel drive on the buggy wouldn't kick in, so after many fruitless attempts, he waded through the mud and went off to get something to "rescue" us with.  He had to try 3 or more vehicles before finding something that would work so we got a nice long rest in the open air.  Since we weren't making any noise, lots of deer came out into the open and a roseate spoonbill flew right over our heads!

Finally our friend came for us in a jeep that had to be started in gear (I didn't realize this and wasn't hanging on - I was on the back.  I didn't fall out, but if felt like it for a second!)

Even though our ride was pretty short, I still thought it was a nice way to spend the morning!

Getting started.

Shortly before the incident...

MUD!

She didn't get a turn to really drive.

Neither did she!

Our escape!

Before and After

What a difference a day makes...

Surprisingly heavy!

24 Weeks

• Baby is the size of a canteloupe or an ear of corn depending on who you ask - those are not two things I would normally consider similar!
•  I've been feeling the baby move quite a bit.  Normally I would expect that, but a friend of mine with an anterior placenta told me that she would go days without feeling her son move even late into her pregnancy.
• I feel great, I'm sleeping great (even more great with my crazy looking pillow), however I feel huge.
• I measured 22 weeks at my last appointment (despite gaining 6 pounds) which happened with both Annalise and Natalie, so I kind of expected it.  Still that means more ultrasounds.
• July 16 is 101 days away.
• 101 days ago was Christmas Day - we were in Ohio.

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• Although I've stopped having the intense cravings - I am having a major sweet tooth and discovered I like sparkling water (which isn't sweet at all). 
• Oh and see all that hair in my picture?  I am getting it cut in the next week.  A friend of mine is a hair dresser and she is going to cut it for me.  I'm going to donate it to Locks of Love or some similar organization - I have plenty for them to use!  Actually, I looked into selling it, but for that to be profitable, it really needs to be longer and treated very specifically.  However, my hair is in good shape - much better than when I was in high school and torturing it with all sorts of hair goo and hot metal.

Awana Dollars

On Friday nights our kids attend an Awana Club.  This is a different club than the one we started out at and they are much more creative with the incentives.  The kids earn Awana Dollars at most Awana clubs for memorizing verses ("sections"), wearing the uniform, inviting a friend, etc.  At our current club, they also have special dollar nights as listed on this calendar:

So this week is Tell Your Leader Who is your Favorite Bible Character and Why.  We asked the kids who they would choose.  Their choices are really reflective of their personalities!

Annalise said Jesus.
Natalie said a girl - when given an option she choose Mary, although she also likes Eve (every now and again she tells me how we will all die because Eve at the purple fruit - she insists it was purple)
Caleb said the frogs from the plagues.

One of the Myriad Benefits of Having Children who can Read

Snoogle Cover

I know you've been holding your breath waiting to see this!

I decided to go with a 2 piece cover.

April Fool!