Well – I knew that this was pretty much coming – I have a history of lots of contracting and preterm labor (although no dangerously early deliveries) and it seems to officially seems to have caught up with me this time around too – and I’m starting to contract quite a bit. On Friday morning my doctor sent me to labor and delivery – and it really felt just too early at 22 weeks to be sitting in there getting monitored and checked.

The good news is that I have not started dilating as of Friday, and they also did a test called the Fetal fibronectin Test, that basically assesses my risk of delivering in the next two weeks. The test came up negative which according to my ob gives me about a 95% chance of not going into labor in the next two weeks, but she stressed to me that it isn’t definitive and I still need to “take it easy”… meaning if I feel contractions coming on, that I need sit or lay down and try to limit my physical activity. Since Friday the contractions seem to be really setting in, and I know from my experience with my last pregnancy that this will probably be sticking with me for the next few months until I deliver.

On this friday I have an ultrasound to measure the thickness of my cervix, and I’m really hoping that by keeping things low key that I’ll be able to hold of getting put on full bedrest, because obviously with the three monkeys that would prove to be a bit complicated. But regardless It pretty much feels like I’m useless, a sink full of dishes or a load of laundry, not to mention packing a lunch or chasing down an extra naughty three year old sets off contractions. Plus, I think I’m finding a correlation to stress, which is pretty much impossible to avoid as I’m feeling so ill at ease about all of this, and so frustrated by the prospect of ending up on the couch for the next 3 months (or more!) … not to mention, that it is scary – this little man needs to stay put and it is SO early to be worrying about labor…. deep breath…. sorry, my little bit of venting as I stress over this in the middle of the night.
So that is pretty much what Is new with me, lots of sitting, lots of aching, and more than my fair share of stressing…

I did a page about it all because it was my week to host the Sugar Free Challenge over at Sweet Shoppe Designs:

Click on the image to see the journaling up close, Credits: Credits: BG is from Jessica Bolton, Swirls are from Lauren Grier, Alpha is my Stitched Alpha: Newspaper, Arrows are my Graffiti Grunge Arrows, Frame is from Robin Carlton, and Photo Masks are from Penny Springman, Flowers are from Dani Mogstad and Little Tag is from me.

In the end, I know that this will be a short time in my life, and that I need to just make peace with the fact that it is “take it easy” time now. Deep breath because this will pass – and I am so lucky to have a hubby that comes home every day from work and takes over with the kids so I can rest, and three boys that (for the most part) are super good to me, well behaved little boys.

So anyways, on Monday I did a few pregnancy photos to try to lift my spirits a bit, I thought I’d share a few:

Here is a few I got with Owen:

And one with Gareth (Reece was napping so we missed him this time around):

And here is one Owen insisted we take:

Sigh … see – it is worth it when I get another sweet one of these guys in the end.

Keep us in your prayers that the contracting slows down for my sake, and mostly that little man stays put right where he belongs, and that in the meantime I don’t go completely crazy!
Have a good Wednesday everyone – I’ll be back later this week with a few more pages to share, and I’ll keep you updated on any progress with me and the little one.

Why is it that we are at home, and Owen and Reece are literally rolling around on the ground punching and screaming at eachother…. then we leave the house and no more than 2 mins later, we are at Mc Donalds and the boys are being angels, like perfect ideal sweet children.  And everyone else around us is envying me and my well behaved boys.

You think maybe I need to arrange it that we are never home ever???

BTW – I know the answer to this riddle, it is boredom, they want entertainment – and when we are home and they are bored they amuse themselves by torturing eachother…. maybe the real riddle is, how can I keep them busy and happy and reasonably amused while STILL finding a bit of time for getting things done….

Okay so everyone should be pretty much BRIMMING with pride around there, because I’ve done something I haven’t been able to do since BEFORE I got pregnant – are you ready for this???

I, Shawna Clingerman, actually finished a whole kit all by my self!!!! This is may seem like small potatoes, but let me tell you this was no easy feat! Especially between fighting off the head cold from hell, keeping an eye on three little super-guys (ofcourse this includes breaking up super-fights and the making of many super-peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches), and several loads of laundry (I don’t use several too losely – I litterally mean, like 3 or 4, but still!). Also take into account that I am still puking…. the finishing of a kit is really quite the ordeal for me!

So, on to the kit – this kit “Ka-blamo” was actually inspired by a little onesie we bought for the littlest Mr. Clingerman on the day we found out he was a boy – G found this in target and we both thought it was so funny! Plus, it has that “comic book cool” thing going on, that g loves. After we brought it home, I was just thinking about how fun a little comic-booky kit would be fun.

Well I started on the scheme/patterns that day, and I really was just so excited about it. It wasn’t until halloween night when I was uploading pictures from trick or treating that it dawned on me that this kit is the perfect match for my little superhero’s in their costumes!

When it is all said and done, I’m so proud of this kit! It is GREAT for boys, and filled up with really fun elements!

It is up TODAY at Sweet Shoppe Designs and 20% off today only! Check it out HERE!

I love love love when I make a kit that I can scrap with, for me that is what brings it all full circle as a designer, I create because I love to scrap, so when I can scrap with my kits it just reminds me why I push myself through a whole kit – and it really makes it all worth while!

This page practically made itself, the kit was just too perfect for my pictures of Super-Reece:

Credits: This is my newest kit “Ka-Blamo“! Alpha is “Pile of Scribbles” also from me, and frame is “Artistry – Frames” from Fee Jardine. All are available at SSD!

Also, speaking of the Sweet Shoppe, you don’t want to miss our HUGE weekend there! We added SIX amazing new designers, and we just released a HUGE assortment with mini kits from each of us (22 kits in all!!!) and for only 3.99!!! Plus our Halloween Treat Bucket is still up (ONLY ONE DAY LEFT) and it is HUGE, something in there from ALL of us! As if all that isn’t enough, there is a 20% storewide sale and a TON of amazing new product, including of course, Ka-blamo! AND to boot we have a BEAUTIFUL NEW LOOK – you have got to check it out!

So, happy National Scrapbooking Day to all of you! Squeeze in some scrapping and if Ka-blamo fits for the little comic book heros in your life then I’d LOVE to see what you do with it!

Okay, now off to bed for this tired momma!