Wait and See

There are many words to refer to the point I’ve reached in this pregnancy:  the home stretch, the waiting game, the last yard, torture, the last leg, and, my personal favorite, the final countdown (queue guitar riff from the Europe song).  I always try to be the type of person that focuses on the positives and doesn’t get bogged down by the negatives, but let’s be honest, at 8 ½ months pregnant, hormones make that almost impossible.  I won’t even pretend that I am handling this last month of pregnancy gracefully; in fact, I am constantly complaining.  I am extremely short-tempered and so exhausted that I can’t be anything but completely blunt.  I just don’t have enough energy to waste time beating around the bush.  I do, however, have the energy to insist on vacuuming the entire first floor when Barrett’s sand-filled shoes seemingly explode. 

Despite my hormonal insanity, my husband has taken it all in stride.  When he sees that I don’t have the patience to take care of the kids, he jumps in to help.  When I tell him exactly what I think of his idea for dinner, he just comes up with another idea.  And, when I start nesting, he nests right along with me. 

Our joint nesting has resulted in the completion of the nursery.  I have mentioned a couple of the projects we’ve done in previous posts, but the room is now ready for the baby.  The furniture is in, artwork is hung, and all of the necessities are strategically placed for easy access.   I am really pleased with the way my vague concept of bold colors and patterns has come together in such a cohesive way.   Here is the photographic evidence.  And, if you don’t agree, I wouldn’t recommend saying anything to me about it at this point, because you probably won’t like the response you get J

Easter is Here!

After all of Billy's hard work in the yard yesterday, it made the perfect setting for letting the kids hunt for Easter eggs and snapping some photos.  We were fortunate that my family agreed to come to our house this year, since I am very apprehensive about traveling further from the hospital than my employer's office downtown.  They all came to church with us and then we enjoyed a delicious Easter dinner, featuring pork tenderloin smoked by my husband.  We managed to eat and get an Easter egg hunt in before the rain started too! 

I am so thankful for our church and the messages that are shared, because I definitely needed to refocus myself today.  I have been extremely crabby lately, everything stresses me out, and I am pretty sure my family can't wait for me to have this baby so I will go back to normal.  The message at church this morning got my mind right back where it needed to be (even if that only lasted until Audrey trampled my hydrangeas during the Easter egg hunt in the back yard).  With everything else going on this year, losing focus on the true center of my life has been all to easy. So, it is fitting that today is Easter, because today, seemingly more than ever, I am in desperate need of God's grace: the grace that we can receive because he sacrificed his son on the cross so that he could defeat death for us all.  I have been short-tempered, snippy, and downright rude, but God still welcomes me with open arms.  Praise God! 

Welcome Spring

It's officially spring, and the trees and flowers definitely got the memo this year.  After a very odd snowfall last Sunday that was almost melted before it stopped falling, we've had string of consistently spring-like weather.  Everywhere you look, the grass is starting to grow and taking on its vivid green hue.  The flowering trees are in full bloom and all of the trees are starting to grow tiny leaves. 

At our house, as soon as the perennials start to show signs of life, my husband can't wait to get out in the yard and start making it look like something out of a landscaping magazine.  Granted, this time last year, we were just having landscaping put in both our front and back yards.  So, today, while I sit inside, Billy is outside planting canna bulbs, mulching, and fertilizing the grass. 

Audrey and Barrett want to be outside too, of course.  They watched daddy digging in the dirt, and amassed a collection of worms. The hilarious thing is that as much as they are fascinated with the worms their daddy dug up, neither of them will touch the worms with their bare hands.  Audrey still wanted to keep the worms for her pets, but I convinced her they'd be much happier staying outside and helping our plants grow. 

With the more pleasant weather, it is not only at home that the kids are spending more time outside.  For Barrett in particular, playing outside at school is a highlight of his day.  Now that the weather is warmer, the sandbox is open again for him to play in.  Twice now he has been so coated in sand when I picked him up that I made him change clothes before we even left the school, because I didn't want my car to be full of sand.  Both of those times I also had to wash his tennis shoes, because they were just so full of sand.  I guess it is time to break out his Keen sandals. 

The most amazing change that spring seems to bring every year though is a renewal of spirit.  Despite being 8.5 months pregnant and ridiculously crabby, I can't help but smile as I look out the window at the sunshine.  Spring is such a humbling reminder of the way God is always at work, always creating new growth and always renewing the earth and its people.  Hooray for spring!

Spring Break Fun

For the past week, our children have been on spring break.  Last year, we stayed close to home and enjoyed hanging out with friends at local attractions like the zoo.  This year, I had a work trip to Kansas City scheduled, and since I was so close to my due date, Billy and the kids decided to tag along and spend time visiting some of our KC friends and the local attractions there.  They definitely made the rounds and went to the aquarium, Lego Land, Union Station, and the planetarium.

Prior to going to KC, we spent Saturday and Sunday of last weekend at Lake O.  The weather was gorgeous for the most part, so we went on a couple of boat rides on the pontoon, played a lot of games, and basically just relaxed.  The most surprising part of the trip was how low the water was.  Bill and Lana said they'd never seen it that low, and I can believe that.  We saw docks that were resting on dry land and a few docks that were broken in half because of being at a weird angle with part of the dock on land.  We also got a better idea of where the really shallow spots on the lake are, since they were exposed.  Fortunately, our dock was far enough out that it was ok. 

We all came home on Wednesday, so Thursday I spent the day with the kids running errands and getting things back in order at home.  After being gone for 5 days, I think they were worn out and ready to spend some time relaxing at home.  They both played so well and pretty much entertained themselves most of the day Thursday.  Barrett also took a nap that was over 3 hours long, and Audrey slept until 8 am two days in a row (that is unusual in our house, considering they go to bed between 7 and 8).

While I am sad that I was working and wasn't able to see the sights in KC with the family, I am at least glad they got to visit with some good friends and see some new sights.  Next week, it's back to the normal routine...at least until Baby #3 decides to make his appearance.     

It Only Takes a Song

When I was pregnant with both Audrey and Barrett, there were popular songs from the time that really resonated with me through the months leading up to their arrival.  They were songs that made me think fondly of the baby I was carrying and the anticipation I had for their birth.  For Audrey, that song was I'm Yours by Jason Mraz.  For Barrett, the song was Beautiful, Beautiful by Francesca Battistelli.  Even when I hear those songs today, it takes me back to the days when I was pregnant with my two oldest children.  I am flooded with the emotions and memories of what life was like and how I felt. 

For some reason, with Baby #3, I have not found a song that conjures the same emotions.  It isn't for lack of trying either.  There are many great songs that are popular today, and many that spark certain emotion for me.  It's just that none of them stir the emotion that I have in carrying this child.  The songs for Audrey and Barrett just came so naturally; I wasn't trying to find them.  This time, I didn't really try to find one until about a month ago when I realized that this baby didn't have a song.  I know it sounds silly, but I don't want him to be left out.  So, I'll keep seeking the perfect tune to remind me of this pregnancy and this child whenever I hear it. I just keep hoping the emotion will hit me when I hear his song.

Looking Back

Preparing for this baby has caused me to reminisce about the preparations for the birth of my other two children.  To help jog my memory, I decided to go back and look at my blog posts surrounding those events.  After all, I started this blog just before Audrey’s birth to keep friends and family updated.   In reviewing my previous posts, here are some of my observations.

• The more children I have, the less attention I pay to the due date.  With Audrey, I knew exactly how many days it was until my due date.  With Barrett, I knew how many weeks.  With this baby, I had to check how many weeks I was twice within the past two weeks.
• With Audrey, I was convinced I’d go past my due date.  I did by two days.  With Barrett, I was convinced he’d come early, and he came 10 days early.  This time, I am also convinced he will come early.  I am just hoping it’s not 10 days again, because that is Audrey’s birthday.
• Life was a lot calmer when we were preparing for Audrey’s birth.  All of my posts are about my feelings, our preparations, or the dogs.  The months leading up to Barrett’s birth were pure chaos.  We sold our downtown condo.  We moved. Audrey turned 3. With everything going on, my posts were more of just status updates than introspective reflections.  It wasn’t until almost exactly a month before Barrett was born that I finally wrote a post that was about him and the preparations for his arrival.  With Baby #3, I would say we’re somewhere in between the tranquil progression toward Audrey’s arrival and the crazy amounts of change that lead up to Barrett’s.  Things will never be as peaceful in our family as they were before Audrey’s arrival, but I wouldn’t want it that way anyway. 
• I had things much more together after Barrett was born than I was with Audrey.  Case in point – I did two blog posts while I was still in the hospital!  There are a variety of factors that contributed to this including delivering without pain medication, knowing more of what to expect, and having him in the morning so I got two full days in the hospital.  Now that I’ve had a crazy hectic birth and a super laid-back and smooth birth, I am really curious what will transpire this third time around.  I’d definitely prefer the latter, but I guess we’ll have to see what Baby #3 has in store for us.  The one thing I am pretty sure of is that when he does come, he is going to come fast. 
• I noticed that I referred to Audrey by name in even my earliest posts almost 4 months before her birth.  With Barrett, he was just baby boy until he was born, because we honestly had not picked out a name.  This time around, we have a name, but we aren’t sharing it.  I guess we’ve taken pretty much every approach in the book as far as the timing of choosing/sharing our children’s names. 
• I am pretty sure that all I thought about when we got close to Audrey’s arrival was being pregnant and having a baby.  With Barrett, I clearly had other things on my mind, because many of my posts don’t even mention him.  This time around, based on my posts, I seem very focused on getting things done to prepare for baby’s arrival. That does include how the kids feel about his arrival, but I am definitely more focused on baby this time around than I was with Barrett.  Poor Barrett!  I guess he is a true middle child. 
• With both of my other pregnancies, and I would say this time around too, I had to put my tendency to want to control the situation aside and trust wholly in God’s plan.  You’d think it would be easier by now, but with more logistics to work through (who’s going to come stay with the kids so Audrey can still go to school?), it is still a struggle.  I guess some things never change.  Fortunately for all of us, the foremost of those things that remains unwavering is God’s faithfulness.  I know His timing will be perfect, but it doesn't make waiting any easier.
• I just couldn't resist posting some of the first photos we took with Audrey and Barrett after they were born...I can't wait to meet this new little guy and start taking pictures of him!

Preparing for Baby

We are less than 6 weeks from baby #3's due date, and we've spent the past couple of days trying to prepare.  I have done a ton of laundry (4 loads to be exact) to wash up bedding, clothing, blankets, etc.  I took inventory, and we made a trip to Target to get some odds and ends that just didn't survive two kids (sound machine, fitted mattress pads, and baby monitor).  We let the kids each pick out a gift for the baby as well.  Audrey picked a pacifier with a mustache on it that says "I mustache you a question."  Barrett wanted to get the baby a puppy taggie just like his, but 4 years later, that one doesn't seem to be on the market still.  So, he picked out a different taggie to give to his baby brother.  We already wrapped the gifts, so when we bring the baby home, the kids will get to welcome him with their gifts. 

Billy had already painted the room and the dresser for the room, as well as putting the other furniture in place, so no we're onto the fun stuff, like hanging up artwork.  We let the older kids help with painting some of it.  I have seen a lot of canvas prints on pinterest where a dominate shape (like an airplane) is printed in front of a patterned background of some sort.  I had a couple of extra canvases in the basement that a friend had given us, so we let the kids paint the background, which consists of orange and gray clouds. Then Billy painted the planes on top of that.  I must admit, there were several moments when I was nervous about how the paintings would turn out, but in the end, I think they're great.  And, the best part is that the whole family took part in making them.  They are one of a kind. 

Here are some snapshots of the creation process.  It took all afternoon, because we had to let one paint color dry before we could do the next one.  Once the entire nursery is complete, I'll post more photos of it as well.  For now, you'll just get photos of finished plane paintings. I am so excited to see everything coming together!