The Doctors Wife

Oh My Gracious!

I seriously cannot believe how fast time is flying by! Mike and I were going over the calendar for the next few weeks and I got a little freaked out. Partly because this is a busy time of year, and partly because my dear sweet husband started asking me if I had my hospital bag packed? (no) and made the comment about how if the baby was early, we could end up with a Christmas baby. (really early) So I started thinking and while I think it is a little early to pack my bag (I drove him crazy when I was pregnant with Hannah- he felt I was waiting way too late to pack) it is making me think that I should perhaps make a list (you all know how I love a list) and perhaps purchase the things on that list that I do not have. So I spent a good part of Hannah's nap making lists, scheduling appointments, and crossing things off my list (ahhh the satisfaction). So while I am sure that my calm is sure to be met with stressed out fits, for now I feel like I am facing the next few weeks with a plan, and it is a realistic plan that will actually allow me to enjoy the holidays and still feel prepared for the new baby. But seriously, next week is Thanksgiving?! Oh my gracious!

*I would like to add that Mike just read this and wants the people to know that I only packed my bag with Hannah after an OB appointment when I was told that I was dilated to 3 cm- even though this was still several weeks before my due date. And I would like to add that I had plenty of time and when the time came my bag was indeed packed. Clearly this is still an area of contention for us.

The Good, Bad and Ugly

What has gone on with me while I have been "away" (in no particular order)

Cuddling
A car that won't start (Mike's)
Tears (Hannah's)
Missing my husband
A tow truck
Vomit (Hannah's)
Tears (Mine)
A play-date
Laundry
House guests
Multiple trips to multiple stores
A cold front
More house guests
More cuddling (by the fireplace)
A trip to the mall (soo unbelievably busy)
More tears (mine and Hannah's)
Planning (so much to plan for, so little time)
Cooking (lots)
Rain
Being so happy my husband is home

Mike's grandmother passed away this morning, please keep his family in your prayers. It may be a few days before I post, there are lots of things that need to get done in the next couple of days. But I will leave you with this bit of cuteness:

Sugar Sugar

I had my glucose tolerance test today. I spent my morning taking care of that, and spent the afternoon feeling a little queasy and dizzy. So not much went on at my house today- hopefully tomorrow things will get back on track and I will feel better. (which I fully expect- how can you feel good after drinking that awful sugary drink?) While I'm not too concerned about passing the glucose test- I really don't want to have to go back and take it again so I'm hoping that I pass with flying colors. There was another woman in the waiting room at the lab who was back for her third round of tests. YIKES! I don't think I could choke that drink down three times in a matter of weeks. Hope you all had a great day!

Dear UPS Man...

Can you guess who rang the doorbell during naptime? Again?!! If you will recall my first encounter with the UPS man prompted me to make a sign. Apparently the UPS man is blissfully unaware of signs, cannot read, or just has a sick sense of humor. So my poor little child was deprived of her afternoon nap, and I didn't get around to cleaning out my freezer. Lucky for the UPS man I am not as hormonal as I was the first time- but seriously, this is getting really old.

Making Your Home A Haven

Monica over at Homespun Heart is hosting a week- long Making Your Home A Haven Challenge. This kind of thing is right up my alley! I am a neat freak/ organizing maniac and while I like to get out as much as anybody, I really am a home body. I find that days that I am just itching to get out and do anything, my home is a mess and clutter has started to take over. When I feel the desire to get out just for the sake of getting out, what I am really wanting is to get out to avoid the chaos. (and that is not the home life that I want for myself or my family!) I enjoy being at home and I want my family and friends to enjoy our home too!

Today's theme is "tidy". Monday is the day that I do a thorough cleaning of Hannah's room- in addition to the regular cleaning, I sorted through all of the toys and pulled out the "baby" toys. I have been meaning to pull them out and put them away in preparation for the new baby, and it is the perfect time to make some room for new toys that Christmas is sure to bring. I am so glad that this is done! The "baby" toys just clutter the room while she is playing- she doesn't play with them, but they get pulled out and moved around. Now they are tucked away in the baby's closet.

Hannah's room generally stays pretty picked up- but Monday is the day that I clean/ wipe down the furniture, change the sheet, changing pad, etc., and put any toys that are in the wrong basket/bin away. I also refill her wipe warmer, add more diapers to the changing area, and wash a load of her clothes/ sheets, etc. One of the reasons her room is not a complete disaster is that a lot of her toys are stored in her closet in baskets and bins. (In her room she has a drawer and two bins that have toys that she has access to, but I find that if she can get out all of her toys at once- she will. I think it is overwhelming and there ends up being very little room to actually play, and she is more reluctant to help pick up) Here are some pics of her closet:

Hannah loves to be in her closet- she is such a girl- she was in all of the pictures I took!
The pink baskets hold extra hangers, hats and other random accessories, toys and books. The pink drawers hold toy sets, and one is for clothes that are out of season or she has outgrown. When the drawer is full, the contents get sorted and put away/ donated, etc. Taking advantage of the closet space has really helped to keep her room tidy.

Other things that are on my list to tidy today are:
Fold and put away towels
Wash and put away Hannah's clothes
Wash and put away whites
Empty dishwasher
Sort/ put away mail
clean out the freezer*

*I would usually do this on the day that I clean up the kitchen, but my freezer is in desperate need of a good tidying up. I honestly don't know what all I have and that has been driving me crazy- so since it fits in so nicely with the tidy theme (and I love me a theme) today it is!

Hopefully I will post before and after pictures of the freezer- but we'll see how the day goes! If you want to join in, head over here to join the fun, or just head over to check out and encourage what others are up to!

Linky Love

Bella Pink
Big Mama
Boo Mama
Heather Ann Melzer
Mama's Losin' It

Tis The Season (Well...Almost)

I love Christmas! It is my very most favorite time of the year, and I have to use a great deal of restraint to not bust out the decorations, music and holiday cheer as soon as November rolls around. So the rule is no Christmas music, decor, etc. until after Thanksgiving. My husband greatly appreciates this "rule" and knows that on our trip home from Thanksgiving we will most certainly be listening to Christmas music. All of that being said, last weekend at Target I saw that Faith Hill has a new CD- and it is a Christmas album! Needless to say it found its way into my cart and I cannot tell ya'll how I have been eyeing it, wanting to rip off the plastic and pop it in the CD player. Well, I am planning on putting Christmas music on Hannah's playlist that she listens to at night and decided that of course I needed to preview this new CD to find out if any of the songs would be included on Hannah's playlist. So out of the deepest motherly love for my child I listened to the CD in my car yesterday on my way to the doctor. It may or may not have made me a little weepy, which may or may not have anything to do with me being pregnant. And I may or may not have had to give myself a minute in the parking garage to collect myself before heading into my appointment. (which went well by the way, I was applauded by the doctor for posting a weight gain- easy to do the week of Halloween and your child goes trick or treating, but isn't old enough to eat 90% of her goodies) But back to the topic at hand, it is a really good CD and I highly, highly recommend it. So if you are looking for some new holiday tunes I think this is a great album!

Recipe Swap Box

Time for another Recipe Swap hosted by Randi at I Have To Say. Since the weather is cooling off, I am in the mood for soups, stews, crock-pot dishes and all of those foods that are too "heavy" for summer. Today I am sharing a recipe for a really delicious chicken vegetable alfredo soup. A friend made it for a get together a few years ago- and yum, I had to get the recipe! It is easy and delicious!

Chicken Vegetable Alfredo Soup
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped broccoli
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1 garlic clove, diced (I usually add more because I am in love with garlic)
1 jar alfredo sauce
1 can chicken broth
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 tablespoon snipped basil
Grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
Chop/ dice broccoli, carrots, onions, bell pepper, and garlic; place in saucepan and add broth- bring to a boil. Cover/ reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until veggies are tender crisp. Add chicken and alfredo sauce. Simmer 5 minutes or until heated through. Remove from heat and add basil, sprinkle with parmesan and serve.

I serve this with fresh bread and a salad or sandwiches (these go great)

I hope you enjoy! Head on over and check out other great recipes, or post one of your own! Thanks to Randi for hosting!

On Call

Mike has been on call this week. And while it's not too bad (he can take most call from home), it is still weird for him to be home on family time and have patients paging him. (And being pregnant and therefore not sleeping as peacefully as I would like, I am grateful that no-one has paged him after we have gone to bed) Mike does such a good job separating his professional duties from his family ones, and I think that is why call can be so strange to me. It feels intrusive to be interrupted at dinner because a patient has an "emergency" (I am using quotes because 95% of all the call he gets is ridiculous and in no shape, way or form constitutes an emergency). And while I certainly understand that there are cases where it is necessary for a patient to get in touch with him, it still feels weird for it to be brought into our home. So as I am about to get ready for bed, I am hoping our streak of no pages after we go to bed continues, because nothing is so fun as being woken up in the middle of the night because a patient needs a refill.