Nothings Happening

So yesterday in an effort to try and start labor my sisters-in-law and all of their kids hiked a mountain with us.

Seven kids, three moms, one stroller.

 

So what’s happening today?

Nothing.

Literally nothing.

Still dilated to a one, not effaced a bit.

C-section is scheduled for the 23rd if this baby doesn’t come on his own before that date.

I told the doctor, “He’s a Dunbar, takes his sweet ol’ time for anything. That’s exactly what Monkey did and he’s just like his Dad.” Actually I used some other choice words, made the doctor turn red in the face but this is our third baby together, so he already knows me. He just shook his head and said, “Poor Scott.”

Poor me!

I’ll be spending the weekend trying to jump start labor.

Any suggestions?

~mrs. dunbar

Keeping it healthy

Two things I’ve been doing lately to try and add some more nutrients and naturalness to our diet: flax seed and oranges. No, not together.
First up, flax seed. According to WebMD.com “Some call it one of the most powerful plant foods on the planet. There’s some evidence it can help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. That’s quite a tall order for a tiny seed that’s been around for centuries: flaxseed.”
Because it contains: 

• Omega-3 essential fatty acids, "good" fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.
• Lignans, which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75- 800 times more lignans than other plant foods
• Fiber. Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types.

So my primary way of getting it into our diets is through pancakes. You can’t taste it at all and it blends right into the batter. I’ve also used it in cookies and tomorrow I’m going to throw it in my granola.
A seriously easy way of adding just more good things to the boy’s food.
Part 2: Oranges.
Living in sunny Southern California we never have a shortage of these beauties and when you have a Grandma who loves to garden, there’s quite a good supply.

The boys and I have been heading over to her house once a week to pick them. Its been a fun experience for all of us and such a good way to talk about God’s creation, healthy foods for our bodies, and growing plants and food. (Of which I am notorious for KILLING.)
Can we say “organic”?  Look at that dirt, it doesn’t get any more natural than that.

Mr. Dunbar put it this way, “There are no better oranges than the ones that have been grown with lots of water and love.”  That Vitamin C has been fighting off all kinds of little colds around here.

~mrs. dunbar

Super Sweet Day

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Today is such a sweet day don’t you think? Mr. Dunbar told me he hadn’t gotten me anything, I told him “Don’t worry, I already took care of that for you.” Hey, a girl knows when her husband hasn’t gone shopping yet… and I’m a gifts girl, so sometimes I just help him out a bit.

As we were dropping off Monkey at school this morning we hadn’t even gotten two car spaces away from our car and he was already passing out Valentines to his friends. Such a dear sweet soul he is.

Bogie is just into the chocolate.

Today is even happier day for us since yesterday Mr. Dunbar and I spent a few hours over in L&D- and I didn’t even think I was in labor. The little guy in the belly decided to take an extended nap and wouldn’t budge even with all of my prodding and sugar eating. After two hours we headed into L&D for a little monitoring. All is well. He’s just got to be here by Friday or a c-section will be scheduled.

And since this will be the last time I post this…

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 39 Weeks
Size of baby: At least 6 pounds and 18 inches.
Total Weight Gain: Gained 27lbs pounds, unbelievable!
Maternity Clothes: Every single day

Gender: BOY.
Movement: He’s pretty active any time I sit down. Like back and forth, back and forth across the tummy and under the ribs.

Sleep: Sometimes, I am drained by the end of the day but getting up is a constant at night. My bladder is now the size of a pea (no pun intended), so I am constantly getting up to go.
What I miss: Margaritas and being the size of a normal person.   
Cravings: Cookies and lots and lots of water.
Symptoms: Contractions all the time but nothing consistent.
Best Moment this week: Hearing his little heart beat over and over and seeing his movements on a sonogram.

And just because I know you love the visual.

 

So not a pretty sight.

Monday is laundry, groceries, bathroom cleaning day. So the outfit is just representing “work.”

 

Hoping you are feeling loved today. I sure do. I’ve got three (almost 4 )great guys to love on today. Mr. Dunbar is my number one though, and I love him with all my heart. Especially since he fixed the clog in the bathtub- that I may or may not have caused. I going with “not."

Cheers and hugs.

~mrs. dunbar

The Divine Birthday Cake

One of my best and favorite friends had a birthday last week. Miss Erin. Here she is looking up safety laws for kids in cars. Because she’s a “safety kind of girl” she does stuff like this at her birthday party.

 

Jenn, who is now a Pampered Chef Consultant made Molten Lava Cake.

Have you ever had this? Um, HELLO! Yummy.

That glass of wine was in my way, but since I was coveting it, I didn’t ask anyone to move it.  You get the idea.

Then  she added more goodness, by putting toffee bits on top. Oh my.    

Now, Jenn used the Pampered Chef Rice Cooker, of which I don’t own, so somebody who does, will have to make this cake for me very soon. I even looked up the recipe.

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake
-One box of chocolate cake mix
-Ingredients to make the chocolate cake (from the back of the box)
-One can of chocolate frosting

Empty cake mix and cake mix ingredients into Rice Cooker Plus and mix together.
Add ½ the can of frosting with Small Scoop.
Microwave for about 8-10 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Microwave time may vary.(I've done it with the lid and without. Both work but I think with the lid you get a more even surface so it sits straighter when you invert it onto a plate.)

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I just thought this was a funny picture. And then E and I took our favorite picture that we do every year.

~mrs. dunbar

Quiet Super Bowl

We spent a sunny, but quiet afternoon watching Super Bowl 45.  I made meatballs, the latest “sell” from the Trader Joe’s tasting booth. My boys loved em. We also had mini tacos, chips, guac, celery and carrot sticks. Not too unhealthy finger foods for what is usually such a fattening day.

Bogie planted himself right in Mr. Dunbar’s lap.

Touchdown.

Bogie didn’t really care either way, he was playing his own games.    

The belly this weekend.

Can you see him shifting?  Exhibit A.

Exhibit B.

He’s still rocking and rolling as I type this. Crazy to think that he could be here any day, I thought he’d show up super early, but perhaps he’ll be like his biggest brother and want to bake for a week longer than expected. Either way, it’ll be fine. (Just pray my water doesn’t break all over my wood floors, and my friend Erin made a good point of sitting on a towel in my new car…) I’ve never had to really worry about this at the very end as the older two ended up being scheduled and induced.

The boys managed to stay like this until almost half time. We stayed in to watch the show, which I thought was spectacular,  then I had to take the boys out to ride their bikes. Who knew that while the Super Bowl was on, not one car would drive down our street. It was fabulous.

Okay, do share what’d you do for Super Bowl. Or your water breaking stories, I’m curious.

~mrs. dunbar

On Being a Mom of Boys

Growing up I went through stage of wanting to be a mom and NOT wanting to be a mom. In college I decided I was going to be a corporate woman and make a million bucks, that is until I met Mr. Dunbar. (Then I figured, I’d marry him and he could do all of that for me.) As our dating progressed and we got more serious I pictured our future lives full of all things girl, two girls in fact. In my mind I had it all planned out.
The wedding, the house, the girls.
I did. It’s just something that I always assumed would happen.
My plan. My way.
Usually worked.
A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure. -Proverbs 16:9 (AMP)
Being a mom to three boys was not what I envisioned. Ever.

Today I know that for the rest of my life I’ll always be a mom to only boys.

A mom to someday men.
When I was told that this baby would be another boy, I didn’t really know how to feel. Partly because I already knew in my heart it would be a boy, partly because I was shocked that God didn’t give me what I “wanted”, partly because in the midst of potty training, I thought “Oh, how can I do this again?” But that very same day after I was told “Boy.” God was showing himself to me. That He is in charge, that this is a good thing, that this is His plan and that I am going to have to walk by faith in this journey of motherhood to boys. Songs on the radio that I hear all the time took a new meaning. Two sermons in a row were on trusting God’s perfect plan. Even blog posts popped up about women of God and ultimately their sons. Umm, Rahab? Ruth? Mary? All had sons. These women have all marked the fate of humanity because of their actions, their faith, and their SONS. Not that I, even in the smallest glimpse resemble these women, but the fact that they stayed faithful and it was through them that men were birthed and raised and sustained the work of God has given me hope and reminded me of my goals for these souls. I wrote this almost two years ago:

I am not raising boys

I am raising men,

who will hopefully one day

be warriors for God,

leaders of homes,

gentle lovers of wives,

and men of integrity.

In my heart of hearts, even then, I knew it would always be boys.

Though Mr. Dunbar and I are continuing on this “Boy Only” road of parenting, I know that this is where we belong. I know that I am going to have to look to my husband and his knowledge of boys (even though that is a scary thing because he grew up in a way more relaxed environment than I ever did), but I couldn’t ask for a better husband or  a greater dad to my kids. Even though I am going to attend a gazillion sports practices and a bazillion number of games, matches, and tournaments for the next 23 years or so, wash countless loads of dirty laundry, and I mean DIRTY laundry, have to buy polos and boxers and baseball bats and cleats and there will never be dresses or bows or dance recitals everything is going to be okay.

So I smile bright every time someone gives me that pity smile for a mom of three boys, and I laugh when I think about all of these hooligans and what they’ll put me through in the next 30 years, and I cry when I remember that they are mine for a short short while, and then I smile again and exhale when I’m reminded of Who is really in charge. And I know in my heart that this is where I belong and I have been given more than I could have ever asked for with girls. You know; games like Dog Pile (which often gets called Dog Poop in our house), and swarms of giggles after words like “Butt Crack”, and the strong desire to turn everything into a gun or sword. Seriously though, I’ve been granted the opportunity to change the future for the better by offering strong intelligent men to this society that we live in where there is an immense lacking for strong men. I can get so consumed in this responsibility that at times it encompasses my whole being because I want so badly for them to succeed in life. I guess all mothers feel this way at times though. But three boys is what I’ve been given, and man o man, am I going to do my best by each of them. My individually unique  men.

So next time you run into a mom with only boys (or only girls even), please remember that there’s no need for pity or a fake smile, or a “You’ll get one on the next round” (that’s like driving nails down a chalkboard to me) because there just may not be a next round, but recognize that the baby in the tummy is a gift. Each child is his own person; made wonderfully and unique by the Creator of all that is good whether he be baby number one, two, or three.

~mrs. dunbar

32 days is enough

oh my, january was a marathon month for me. on the 1st i went into complete nesting mode and everything in the house erupted. my S-I-L, was encouraging me that you’ve always got to make a bigger mess to clean things up and out. well, messes i made. boy howdy, there were plenty of days you couldn't even walk through the living room. but i think that is all behind me now.

and for my sense of well being, here is a bit of what was accomplished:

every clothing drawer in the house is organized

90% of every other type of drawer cleaned out and organized

closets re-arranged, cleaned out, and shuffled (do you know how much stuff is in your closet?)  here is about 1/5 of the stuff i got rid of; 8 bags full waiting for the goodwill truck.

bogie’s clothes and toys moved into the bunk room

large nursery items washed and arranged in nursery

all new needed baby items bought and washed or sanitized

washed all baby clothes and blankets and stuff

bunk beds put up (thanks to the parents)

bedding of every kind washed and stored or put on beds (everyone got new bedding… pictures forthcoming)

walls, windows, ceiling fans, baseboards and oven cleaned (thanks to mom, she sent her cleaning lady here. Can i get Amen for that blessing?)

painted picture frames and small side table

rearranged furniture

cover for glider sewn

And there were so many other things done as well, but you get the idea. and after all of that you’d think my house would be sparkling clean, right? well, I do have 3 men that live here and could really care less about most of it as long as they can find their underwear or shoes or toys. so today i have to clean floors and the bathroom. (joyfully, of course.)

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we also had some very exciting purchases this past month.

like a new A/C and heater.

old heater: yucky and broken. that thing is probably as old as mr. dunbar. 

bye bye old heater!!!

HELLO, new one!

 

Thanks Grandpa Jerry!!!

And a new car.

Bogie, just bolted right past me when he saw the car he was so stoked. Monkey’s face when he saw it was great.

But have I taken a picture of the car?

Not yet, sorry Pregnancy Brain is working on overdrive over here.

We got the Honda Pilot.

And also dentist visits are complete. With no problems, I am happy to report.

so 32 days of list making, cleaning, washing, organizing, and more list making was enough to send anyone over the edge. i was a bear. literally. and i didn’t sleep much because i was trying to get it all done. a few more projects are in the works, just the polishing up things and then hopefully pictures can be taken.

i’m hoping to get back to normal blogging soon, and not have to do these catch-up posts.

missed you all in blogland.

~mrs. dunbar