7 Quick Takes: Volume 5

Thanks to Jen for hosting!

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So here we are - June 8. Will this day be our girls' birthday? Will it be tomorrow? According to the doctor, it could be "any day now!" I think my patience is being tested, because I really want to know. I'm excited for them to be born, obviously, but I'm more excited to just know the date. We do have some idea of when it will be, or at least when it won't be - I was told this week I'll be induced by 38 weeks (so before June 20th, as far as I can figure. I'll get confirmation from my doctor next week). I guess I need to pray for patience . . .

I'm starting to see why I attract so much attention in public now - I hadn't looked at myself in the context of my other "belly shots" until yesterday!

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As I'm sure any expectant mama does, I have a long(ish) list of things I'd like to get done before the girls arrive. As I mentioned yesterday, one of those is getting some lists and charts made that I imagine will be helpful in our new life as four. Meal planning and grocery shopping, chores, and (most importantly) baby records for the pediatrician. I think I may end up designing these myself, but again, if anyone has links or ideas, I'd love to see/hear about them!

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Even though our Oregon weather hasn't looked like it this week, it's almost summer! One of my favorite things about summer is the bounty of fresh fruit and vegetables. I have a few dishes that I love to make this time of year, like fresh raspberry pie and Italian zucchini. What's your favorite summer dish?

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It was Dan's birthday this week, and we had fun celebrating with his family and also at home. He's a big fan of vanilla cake (as a kid, he couldn't have chocolate) so his sister made him a big batch of vanilla cupcakes for the party and I made him a cake for home. Well, I should say my mom and the mixer helped me make a cake. Either way, it looked pretty awesome and tasted even better! Did I mention there were sprinkles on the inside, too?

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I had a guest post this week over at Reflections of a Catholic in Formation. In case you missed it, check it out here! And while you're over there, don't miss the rest of the You Are Beautiful posts so far - Christina is running this series through the whole month of June, with a different talented blogger sharing her views on beauty each day. Check it out!

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I finished reading Bringing up Bébé this week, and I enjoyed it. My mom is enjoying it now that I'm done! Overall, the author brings up some good points about how American parents can tend towards overdoing it when it comes to taking care of their kids, trying too hard to make everything perfect and forgetting to just let kids be kids. The environments, however, are so vastly different that it would be difficult to replicate many of the things the author points out as being beneficial. State-run daycare and preschools certainly would improve the behavior of many children in America today, providing a consistent source of nutritious food and a more stable disciplinary environment, at least as described in the book. They also offer peace of mind to parents, who know that there is a rigorous certification course needed to work in one of these daycare centers or preschools. Overall, I'd recommend reading this book, even if you don't have kids yet or yours are grown up. I still think there are some ideas that would be worth trying in there, and like I said last week, it's an entertaining read either way.

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Last but not least, I got new running shoes this week! I'm super excited about this, perhaps overly so. They were on sale, which is always nice. Apparently this week was an in-between time where the store was trying to clear out last year's styles and colors, so our selection was a little limited, but I found a pair I liked and so did Dan. (His birthday present from his family was gift cards to pick out new running shoes). He's already taken his out for their first few runs, but mine are still sitting with their tags on. All the more motivation to get out there and get to it this summer! They look pretty nice right now: I know that I'll get plenty of chances to run in them, although their first few weeks will likely be as walking, not running shoes. From what I've read, it's important to wait for a few weeks post-partum (I'll have to ask my doctor exactly how many) before running, as your body has to put itself back together, so to speak. If you're like me and didn't run during pregnancy at all, that's even more important. It will be worth it though - I can't wait to take our babies out in their new jogging stroller!

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