Madsen Boy #3

I'll get straight to the point. Madsen Boy #3 Quick Facts:

8 lbs 14 Ounces
20" Long
Handsome Devil



Mom and Boy are doing fine!
This Concludes the Guest Blogger Appearance.

-Lance

Why Do I Get to Have All of the Fun?

Today was an exciting day.

It wasn't supposed to be.

It started out with me having my pre-testing done at the hospital. I had to fill out a bunch of forms and have blood drawn. A lot of blood, actually. (Side note: I had the best phlebotomist ever. Seriously, I didn't even feel the needle go in. I hope I get her again.)

After that I went to pick up the kiddos from Gigi's house. (Thanks again for watching them, Gigi!) The boys didn't want to go home because they were having such a good time, so I 'bribed' them with a trip to the car wash. They're suckers for a car wash; plus, I was planning to go there anyways.

But the car wash was not to be. Somewhere between Gigi's house and Mike's Express I punctured the front passenger side tire of the van. Big time. As in, there was no air left once I got there.

Great.

I'm freakin' 10 month's pregnant. I've got two antsy boys in the car. It's hot and humid. And I have a flat.

Fortunately, the boys at Mike's really came to the rescue. Perhaps they felt guilty about seeing a pregnant chic change a spare tire. Perhaps they saw the desperation in my eyes. Perhaps they heard Spencer's cries of "Help us! Our tire is flat! HELLLLPPP!!!"

Whatever the reason, a nice employee helped change the tire. Which, apparently, is no small feat in mini vans nowadays. The spare tire is actually stored underneath the car and you have to do all this junk to get to it. But get to it he did and he saved the day.

My gratitude was gratuitous. They will definitly be put on my Baby Thank You List.

But the fun wasn't over. Because I needed to get the tire fixed. Today. (We have to pick up Grandpa from the airport tonight!) So I drove over the the Super Wal-Mart just down the street. Unfortunately, they didn't carry our tire size.

Of course.

So rather than drive all around town I called a bunch of different tire places.

No dice.

Of course.

By this point it was lunch time and the boys were getting hungry. Okay, so was I. So I offered the them an array of choices: McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell... sky's the limit, baby! But they insisted on Sam's Club. Not exactly what I wanted. But cheap, so off we went.

By this point I decided that our car dealer was probably the only place in town that would have a tire. But the phone number I had was weird and I couldn't get through to them. So after our nutritious lunch of pizza and hot dogs and 183 oz sodas we were off to the dealer. I decided that in person would probably work to my advantage anyways. Who could say no to a 10 month pregnant woman with two soda sugar-wired little boys in tow? If they had to they could steal a tire off of one of their cars, right?

We got there at 12:25, and they were so nice and helpful I just about cried. Of course they had a tire! Of course they'd fix it for us! It would only take around 30 minutes! Just as soon as everyone was back from lunch. At 1pm.

Okay. No problem. So the boys and I set up camp in the waiting room. Luckily there were some Legos to play with and lots of vending machines to harrass. We waited. And waited. And played with the water cooler. And changed the channels on the tv. And waited. And then broke down and bought some cookies out of the vending machine just for the novelty of it. (Hey, don't judge - it entertained the boys for a good 20 minutes.)

Then we waited some more. And drew all over the newspapers. And took several trips to the potty. And then the boys started to get really restless and I started to get worried because, of course, my body decided to start having some contractions then. Quite a few. Painful ones. And it wasn't listening to my silent threats of "NOT NOW, BODY!!!"

Finally, at 2:25pm our name was called. The boys were just short of melt downs and my body started calming down. Miracles still do happen!

So that was my afternoon of fun. And by fun I mean an extra four hours of unexpected errands.

I think I've had enough fun for the day.

Diaper Bag Option

Think I could get away with this for a diaper bag?

Okay, it's probably not big enough or really designed for the wear and tear that will come to it. But I love it.

Very Important Topic: My Last Meal

I've been thinking about my last meal lately. No, not the meal before my untimely demise. The one before I have this bebe. Since I'm having a c-section I can't eat after midnight the night before. Surgical safety and all that. And then afterwards I'm usually on an all liquid diet for a day or two. And then for about two weeks after that I never have much of an appetite because of the exhaustion/narcotics/eight inch incision on my tummy. (Not a diet I'd recommend...)

Then, even after I get my appetite back, I usually don't get to eat a hot dinner for 2-3 months. My babies have the uncanny ability to know when I am sitting down to dinner and then DEMAND that they be fed RIGHT THEN because they are poor STARVING infants who no one loves. (That's sarcasm. Josh had fat rolls on his fat rolls.) ((But he also had a set of lungs that were impossible to ignore.))

Anywho, what I'm trying to say is that I deserve one last uninterrupted meal before my life is turned upside down for a while.

I don't think that any woman should have to cook her own last meal. It's unconstitutional or something. But since my surgery is on a Monday and we don't go out to eat on Sundays, I'm kinda stuck. Unless I have Lance cook. But I don't want my last meal to come out of the Lance Madsen repertoire of cooking: mac and cheese, quessadillas, or pasta with parmesan cheese on top. (Carbs and cheese, carbs and cheese, carbs and cheese.) Sorry hon; I'm a little picky like that.

So I've decided that I get two last meals: one at my restaurant of choice on Saturday night and one that I cook on Sunday.

I'm still trying to decide where I want to go on Saturday. I have a few criteria: it has to be kid-friendly (my last meal won't be any fun if I have to spend it fighting my kids), it can't be too expensive, it cannot be fast food, and (most importantly) it has to be yummy. I've narrowed it down to a few choices:

• McCallister's Deli (I luurrrvvee sandwiches.)
• South Street Smokehouse (I haven't been in a while and it's good eats. Darn good eats.)
  
• El Meson (Because good Mexican food is always a good idea. Always.)
• Chuck E Cheease (Kidding. Because that place would only be my last meal if I were... well, I can't think of any reason. It would never be my last meal.)
• Noodles and Company (Because I loves me some noodles.)

Okay, what I choose will probably have more to do with what I'm in the mood for right then rather than what I'm thinking now. Any ideas that I might have overlooked?

On Sunday I am actually more than happy to make one last meal for my family. (Mainly because I know we're going out on Saturday. Otherwise? Bitter momma.) Anyways, I've decided to make some of my favorite things: BLT pasta, salad, fruit, The Bread, and Banana Tres Leches cake. It's all yummy and it's all easy to make.

Okay, what would you make for your last meal? Or where would you go?

Old Friends

Yesterday evening we had dinner with our old friends the Munz's and the Bodies. (The Bodies are visiting from Louisiana.) It was really nice to catch up and spend some time together. It was also fun to see their cutie-pie daughters, Sydney and Eden. They are both one year old, and as Spencer explained, "Not too big babies, and not too little babies". (Of course when I asked him if they were 'medium babies' he looked at me like I was crazy.)

I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked. (And why didn't we get a photo of all of us together?!) But I did get a free dinner that I didn't have to cook. And I didn't even swell up that much in the heat. You can't ask for more than that!

We tried to get a picture with all four kiddos. Can you say "Exercise in futility?"

A boy with a bat. No good can come of this.

Eden and Ashley touring the yard.

Elizabeth and Sydney. I had asked Sydney to say "Cheese!" and this is the look I got. (It's the "Whatever, crazy lady" look.) Love it.

Belated Self-Portrait Tuesday: Week 38

Stick a pin in me and I might just pop. (Or cry. Because pin pricks hurt.)

The Wonder of the Wizard

Today my boys watched The Wizard of Oz for the first time. I wasn't sure how they'd like it, considering how old the movie is compared to what they're used to watching.

How would flying monkies...

a scarecrow, tinman, and cowardly lion...

a horse of a different color...

an Emerald City...

magical ruby slippers...

funny munchkins...

and a wicked witch who melts with water...

compare with the likes of Cars or Bolt?

No competition whatsoever.

The boys sat like this during the entire film, completely entranced.


Which just goes to show that some things are timeless. Even 70 year old magical movies.

First vs. Third Pregnancy

On the way to church today I had a couple of big, strong contractions. They hurt. I almost had to pull the car over.

Now if this were my first pregnancy I would have freaked out a bit, called Lance, (who was already in meetings at church) and gotten really worked up and excited at the prospect of finally going into labor. (!)

But this is my third pregnancy and a whole different ball game. I found myself silently telling my body "No way! The baby CANNOT come today. I am teaching Sharing Time, my first counselor is home with a sick kid, and my 2nd counselor is teaching the Sunbeams. I refuse to go into labor now. KNOCK IT OFF!"

And for once my body listened.

*****Don't forget to guess my baby's birth weight and win fame and fortune. Someone already take your guess? Just guess half and ounce higher or lower! Go here to enter!*****

Little Zoo

Now that preschool is over the boys are feeling a bit of cabin fever because I just don't want to go anywhere or do anything. Oh sure, they can play outside all they would like, but I guess that doesn't always cut it.

So yesterday we ventured over to the Columbian Park zoo, which we call the 'little zoo' since it's tiny compared to the Indie zoo. (Or any other zoo, for that matter.)

The boys spent a good hour in playing in the water fountains and perhaps 10 minutes looking at the animals. About what I expected.


The most exciting part of the trip was the escaped chickens. About five of them somehow got out of the petting zoo and several teenagers were chasing them with large nets. You could hear their squawking and clucks of indignation everywhere. It was very entertaining.

The least exciting part of the trip was all of the comments on the size of my belly. It was apparently very intriguing to many of the zoo's patrons. People! I'm huge and I know it! Please don't remind me!

I'm just sayin'...

After a while I started to swell up quite a bit. Attractive, yes? (And this wasn't even at their worst.)


After I told the boys it was time to go home, this little exchange occurred:

Spencer: But why? Why do we have to go home?

Me: Because I am getting too hot and am swelling up. See my fingers and feet? Yuck.

Spencer: But why?

Me: Because it is too hot. When mommies who are going to have babies get too hot they swell up and it doesn't feel too good.

Spencer: Oh. I bet ice cream would make you cool and feel better!

Me: Absolute genius, Spencer!

Does Spencer know how to work the system or what?

So we walked across the street to Igloo and enjoyed some frozen custard cones. It was the perfect ending to the day.

Bread of the Month: The Bread

For this month I decided to go with a recipe just posted on The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Her friend, Pastor Ryan, made it for her. Apparently he just calls it "The Bread". Which is just fine, because this bread is fantastic enough to have a name like that. (Kinda like Cher or Madonna. This bread is just "Bread". Or "Mr. Bread" to you.)

Just as the recipe says, I dumped all of the ingredients in my Kitchenaid and let that wonderful machine do all the work. Oddly, the dough kept separating while it was kneaded. Weird.


I let it knead the dough for a long, long time. Long enough for me to surf the web for a while. And then realize that my two most favorite household items were together on the counter. I *heart* my laptop and Kitchenaid mixer!


Is that the pregnancy insanity kicking in? Whatever.

So I kept trying to knead it long enough for the "window pane" effect (see the recipe for an explanation), but even after 15 minutes it wasn't there.


Meh. Whatever.

I decided it was ready for a good, long raise. Oh, I could have made it all pretty, letting it raise on the counter covered with flour, just as Pastor Ryan did. But that makes a mess, which is something I do not need. So it went where all of my dough goes:


in the mixer bowl, on the stove, covered in an old (but clean!) dish towel.

After a couple of hours the dough had at least doubled in size. Pretty.


By the way, my fresh herbs of choice for the bread were thyme and rosemary. Mmm...

I don't have a fancy Le Creuset dutch oven like the Pioneer Woman. (But oh, how I wish I did. This one, in fact. Just in case you had an extra $200 you wanted to spend on me.)

But I do have this wonderful oven-proof casserole, which works just as well in this situation. So I slathered it in olive oil and plunked the dough in.


Then I sliced the dough to make it all pretty and drizzled it with more olive oil and sprinkled it with kosher salt to make it all yummy.


On a random note, look at this cute little pot I've started putting my kosher salt in. I rediscovered it the other day and am so pleased with myself. :) (I think my mom bought it in England at some point and I inherited it.)


Anywho, on went the lid and in went the dough into a 450 degree oven.


Around 45 minutes later this beautiful loaf came out.


Oh mercy, it smelled good. The fear of third degree burns on my tongue was all that kept me from tearing into that bad boy right then.

I let it cool on a wire rack and then sliced the loaf.


Soooo very good. Soooo very yummy. The flavor was fantastic, but what really got me was the crispy, salty crust. Man alive.


I decided to have an all Pioneer woman meal and served the bread with baked lemon pasta (heavenly!) and roasted ricotta tomatoes (oh baby!).


What a meal. I'm seriously considering this as my last meal before the baby comes. (More on that later.) The kids turned their noses up at everything but the bread, but they do that no matter what I make, so I'm not particularly offended.

But back to the bread. Oh, The Bread.

The verdict? This will definitely become a staple in the Madsen kitchen.

An Afternoon with Darth Sith Joshie

Joshie with a light saber.

May the force be with all of us...

Baby Weight GIVEAWAY!

No, we're not guessing how much weight I have gained with this baby.

That would be cruel.

Nope. Since we already know the gender (boy), the birth date (June 1st), and the name (well, Lance and I know the name!), I thought it would be fun to have a contest to see who can come closest to guessing the one remaining variable with this baby: his weight.

The prize? Something anybody can use: an Amazon.com gift card!

And here's the kicker: the amount will be the amount of the winning guess. In other words, if you guess 8 pounds 12 ounces, you'll get an $8.12 gift card from me. So it's in your best interest if the baby is nice and big, whereas it's in my best interest (both monetarily and physically!) if the baby is smaller. Ah, fun.

So...

1. Leave a comment on this post with your guess. (Remember, there are 16 ounces in a pound.)
2. The winner will be the guess closest to the actual birth weight without going over.
3. You can guess more than once - but I'll only accept your most recent guess. (So if you guess three times your third guess is the one that counts.)
4. You can guess from now until May 31st at midnight.

Wait... you want some hints? Okay. How about the weights of my other two kiddos.

Here's a picture of Spencer a day or two after he was born.


As you can see, he was a perfectly reasonable 7 lbs 12 oz.

And then here's a picture of Josh literally right after he was born. (See? He was born scowling!)


As you can see, he was a perfectly unreasonable 9 lbs 15 oz.

Yes. That's a 2 lb 3 oz difference. So that's probably not much help. How about this: my doctor has now said twice that he thinks this is going to be another 'big baby'. But then again, this same doctor dismissed my claims that Josh was going to be huge and we all know how that turned out.

Happy guessing!

Sponge Bombs

No, not the square pants type. Sponge bombs.


We needed a project today, and this one was right up our alley. (A friend of mine sent me the tutorial.) The boys helped me cut the sponges and tighten the zip ties. Making all four sponge bombs took all of 10 minutes, and that's only because each child was very particular about what color went where.


The boys have been playing with their sponge bombs non-stop for the past 30 minutes. Mainly throwing them at each other. And me. But at least they're entertained.


They're very excited about the prospect of using them in the bath tonight. I'm not sure how much actual washing will get done, but at least the parts the sponge bombs hit will be clean!


p.s. Yes, it was only 11am and I already had one child with no pants on. Welcome summer!