Due

Today is my due date for baby #2. I had a little dream that she'd come early but I knew knew in the back of my mind that she was going to stay in there and go late just like her big sister.

This time around, though, it is so so different. With Josie, I was so impatient, swollen, and uncomfortable. I was miserable to be around and I knew it. I went into seclusion because I was convinced that I looked disgusting and nobody should have to deal with it. Granted, my face was a lot more swollen, so I really did look miserable, but really it was pretty childish.

As of now, I'm not swollen at all (thank you Jesus!!), I'm large and in charge in the belly area but it's not too miserable, and I'm feeling pretty good about going late. Sure, I can't wait to meet this little girl, but she'll be here soon no matter what. My prayers are for a strong and healthy baby and I don't care if it's today or next week. I want to so badly have her without being induced and I'm willing to wait for it. 

The midwife said that she is a good size and she shouldn't get too much bigger in just a week or so which is such a relief to me. She's confident that we will be able to wait and not be induced since she's not a huge baby.

Here's the best part. Last week I was so excited to have some time with Josie just one on one since things would change so much so soon. She was miserable, though, and we had a rough weak. Between teething, runny noses, adjusting from two naps to one, and general defiance, I felt like the whole week was a trial and we were not having fun. Thankfully, this week has seen a huge turn around and God has given me (and my poor little heart) the chance to truly enjoy our time together before those big changes come. My heart truly needed it, and I'm glad and so thankful to have it.

Here I am at 38.5 weeks. I kind of forgot about taking pictures, but remembered on a Sunday. Better than nothing, right?

38.5 weeks

And here I am now at 40 weeks. Feeling good, looking huge but not feeling too uncomfortable, and still smiling and leaving my house to be with real people. No seclusion here!

40 weeks

Want to leave a comment? Click on the title of this post and scroll to the bottom. You'll see the comment section there. Can't wait to read what you have to say!

Living Room Makeover

We redid our upper level living room! I've alluded to it in other posts, but here are the pictures to give you a taste of how our tastes have matured. I didn't take before pictures (even though I knew I was posting the updated photos...when will I learn?) but I have pictures of the room in general from before. Use your imaginations for the rest.

Ok so the furniture has been moved, the accent wall and window area has been painted, and we've added a new TV. The next three pictures will just give you and idea of what it was like before. I'll try to do better next time I want to show before and after shots. (Promise!)

We made the actual living room space more defined without cutting it off from the dining room. I want it to be open, but not empty. 

I love having the loveseat in front of the window. It doesn't block any of the natural light and I can really see what's going on in the whole space (crucial as the mama in charge around here!). Plus, now when I'm feeding the baby, there will be no way anyone can peek in and see something inappropriate. That's a win.

We moved the bookshelf next to the (no longer used) air conditioner which also really helped define the space. At some point, we'll take that air conditioner out now that we have central air. I'm thinking we'll put a window in there but the hubby is in charge of that. 

The dining room area is much more roomy now that I moved the old TV and stand out of that corner. I have no pictures of this because it was UGLY and I avoided it. Now we have room for all the chairs to be moved, Buckley's food bowl that is hidden in the corner, and access to the china hutch. I don't feel overwhelmed. That's most important.

Someday I would like to replace that ceiling light (and the two matching lights that are in the kitchen) but again, not a huge priority. 

Remember how I accomplished so much this last weekend? One of the things that I feel like I'm always battling is clutter on the china hutch and table. I finally cleaned it off and it's surprisingly stayed that way so far. It looks so much better. 

This is the view from the kitchen peninsula. We spend a lot of our day here, and then on the wall just to the left is where the piano is. Between kid time and piano lesson time, this is MY room. I'm so glad we were able to make it more comfy for our every day use. 

That bookshelf used to be completely overwhelmed with random books. Since those books will eventually be on the built-ins in the lower level living room (when that gets done someday), I decided to box them up and make this shelf as usable as possible. All of those books are piano method books/recital pieces. The top shelf will be filled with more piano music that I will use for my lessons. The bottom three shelves are at Jo's  height so she gets those for toys. It may not translate so well in pictures, but once the toys are on the shelves the whole room feels clean and roomy. It's crazy how that little bit of organization makes a huge difference.

And then this terrible picture. Sorry. But I wanted to show the corner by the stairs. It used to house the bookshelf from the last picture, but now has the stand that the old huge TV was on in the dining room area. It's shorter, obviously, so it doesn't obstruct the view to the stairs as much, and we now have a place for my purse and the diaper bag. It is so nice to have a spot for those instead of draping them on chairs, railings, floor space, etc. Again, having a place for everything makes this girl happy!

So there you have it. Our upper level. Someday I'd love to take better pictures and get better angles, just to remember it better, but who has time or talents for that? Not me. 

What do you think of the paint job that my hubby did in 5 hours one Sunday evening? And the new furniture layout?

Want to leave a comment? Click on the title of this post and scroll to the bottom. You'll see the comment section there. Can't wait to read what you have to say!

Nesting Part Two (or three?)

Oh man the urge to clean is overpowering. I spent the whole weekend organizing, moving things around, reorganizing, cleaning, cooking, and prepping for the week. My feet hurt, but my heart (and head) is happy.

Laundry? Folded and put away.
Healthy dinner? Made with enough leftovers to get us through the week for lunches (always my goal but rarely happens)
Clutter on table and china hutch? Put away finally.

We bought a new tv for our living room/piano room upstairs. We'd been using an old gigantic outdated TV that had terrible sound and was in an awkward spot up until now. Originally I hadn't wanted a TV in this room because I didn't think it was necessary to have more than one TV for just two of us. That changed when I had Josie because I spent most of my time upstairs and a lot of it sitting bored while feeding her. This time around, with me staying home and breastfeeding longer than just maternity leave, I figured it was worth it to get the upstairs more comfortable long term. I'm so glad we did this. I'm so happy in this space now and don't dread it like I did before.

I'll post pictures this week because we made a lot of changes to the space. Paint, furniture moved, furniture purchased. It finally feels "right".

I also reorganized part of the kitchen to be more efficient. With all of the stuff that comes with babies like breast pumps, bottles, freezer bags, and all the other little things, I knew I would want a specific spot where they could all be together. I cleared off a whole shelf in my mini pantry in the kitchen and it feels amazing. Our kitchen is so small, but with me keeping it really organized it doesn't feel so bad. In fact, I'm almost to the point where it doesn't overwhelm me with clutter and mess like most small kitchens do. Sure it's still out dated, but I can live with that.

I ordered more diaper inserts for our FLIP diapers. They are such great quality and totally worth having, especially now that we will have two in diapers. I got them in the mail on Saturday and am prewashing them right now. It feels amazing to be so caught up on cleaning and laundry before the week even started. This is necessary, though, because I need to make a few freezer meals for a friend that just had a baby and maybe even do it for us too. It never hurts to have a few meals ready to go when I can't get my act together! I need to keep myself busy to distract me from the fact that I'm still hugely pregnant. Keeping busy is the only way I don't dwell on it. Let's face it, nobody likes a crabby soon-to-be mama that can't stop complaining about something that is going to happen sooner rather than later.

Oh oh AND I hung up the baby's name letters in the girls' room. Now it really feels official. I'll show pictures of their room once she's here and we've got things more figured out. A lot of it is tentative right now because I have a foggy haze in my memory when it comes to all things newborn. Once that clears I am sure I'll want to change things around some more.

I love weekends like this. Did you get a lot done too? Share with me your success so I can maybe be motivated to get even more done!


Want to leave a comment? Click on the title of this post and scroll to the bottom. You'll see the comment section there. Can't wait to read what you have to say!

Get it??

Ok so now that you've looked at it, think "instant grandma"... now do you get it?? Pretty clever, isn't that sister of mine!



Want to leave a comment? Click on the title of this post and scroll to the bottom. You'll see the comment section there. Can't wait to read what you have to say!

Halloween Take Two

The real Halloween celebration followed the yearly tradition of eating out during prime time trick-or-treating hour. I don't mind handing out candy at our door, but it gets crazy for a while so we usually go eat and then come back once it slows down a little. 

Josie and her cousin, Dean, got all dressed up for dinner.

Debuting Josie's real costume...a Sailor Girl!

I love the hat. And the bow tie. Too cute. 

Her kid's meal came in this cardboard truck and that was way more fun than the food itself. Great idea!

Uncle Mike with his nephew Dean

Once we got home, we met up with my sister Auntie Lara to quickly give Jo her first trick or treating experience.

Here we go!

Not quite sure what to do with all of this delicious candy in front of her 

She did pretty good. She never said trick or treat (my fault, forgot to practice that one) but she smiled and held her bucket like a champ. She doesn't always talk a lot when thrown in a new situation, so we didn't get any thank you's or bye's either.

I wish you could tell I was nine months pregnant instead of just... awkward... in this picture! Ha. Jo had to wear her coat because it was so windy and cold, but thankfully you could still see her little sailor costume. The hat helped make it more clear what she was.

Auntie, the unofficial photographer, was so glad she got to come. We were too.

After the last house - it was so windy and freezing cold but girlfriend still had that big smile! Her face was just wet from tears and snot but she had a lot of fun.

Once we were home, Daddy had to check to see if there were any razors or needles in her candy. She was good, and he got a couple of treats too (don't tell her!).

Obligatory picture of Auntie being excited for her next niece. Remember this picture?

Want to leave a comment? Click on the title of this post and scroll to the bottom. You'll see the comment section there. Can't wait to read what you have to say!

Halloween Take One

Yesterday we got a chance to "practice Halloween" by going to an Autumn Festival. We had a costume bought because it was super cheap (generally for baby #2 next year) but figured why not let Jo wear two costumes this year? So we dressed her up and off we went. She didn't really nap that day so by 6:30 at night she was getting kind of cray-cray.

Look at this cute elephant. Can you stand it? Animal costumes are pretty much the best for toddler-esque girls (and boys too I'm sure).

Look at the tail! 

Group shot painting and carving pumpkins 

At one point, Jo bee-lined for one of the painted pumpkins and decided to give it a little taste. G-R-O-S-S. She was not impressed. Neither were her parents.

I personally did not decorate a pumpkin, but it was a fun night!

Want to leave a comment? Click on the title of this post and scroll to the bottom. You'll see the comment section there. Can't wait to read what you have to say!

The end is near

I'm in the thick of it. From this spot, being 39 weeks pregnant, I feel every ache and pain. I feel all the built up frustrations and anxiety. I am irritated easily, way too easily, and am probably driving those around me crazy.

I find myself annoyed that I'm hitting every red light every time I drive somewhere that has a deadline. I'm annoyed that my daughter is teething pretty heavily right now so our last week together just her and I is tainted by her mood swings (and mine). I'm annoyed that my house is cluttered all of the time and some of the time it's not my fault. Sometimes it's because someone wants me to have something that I have to store. It's just overwhelming. I didn't ask for it. Overwhelmed. I find myself going over and over in my head what else needs to be done, can be done, should be done before our little baby girl gets here. 

This time of waiting is so minute. I know this and have experienced it before, but it doesn't make it less real. Two weeks ago seems not so long ago, and one week ago is even less. Yet the idea of waiting a whole week more seems unbearable.

The funniest part? This pregnancy has been awesome. There have been little things here and there but I know just know that I will look back and say being pregnant was not so bad. This pregnancy was easy and great. Being in the thick of it, though, dealing with each struggle and muscle pain and irritation, it's hard to believe that truth.

We're ready for you baby girl! Come save us from ourselves (myself) before we drive each other crazy with the anticipation!



Want to leave a comment? Click on the title of this post and scroll to the bottom. You'll see the comment section there. Can't wait to read what you have to say!

This day

Do you ever have days when you wake up and just don't feel like going through with the day? Where everything that happens is aggravating and nothing seems to go quite right? Today was one of those days. To be honest, I'm not that surprised that I had a day like this. When I skip quiet times and don't spend that crucial time in prayer,  my attitude suffers. When my attitude changes negatively, things are bound to go wrong or drive me crazy. It's my own fault, but I was still frustrated even knowing this. Resisting God is hard work! Why do I do it?? 

I had another midwife appointment today. She said I am 1 cm dilated and that the baby still needs to move down a bit more before she expects more progress. She said she fully expected to see me again next week and that I probably wouldn't go into labor this week. I was discouraged hearing this because it sounded oh so familiar (like Josie 16 months ago). She said that there are things I can do to help a little so I'll work on that this week, but I feel discouraged. On the way home from the hospital I just had to pray Lord, please let me remember that this is in your hands and you know the outcome already. If I'm praying against your will, it is doing no good. Help me to remember to pray for your will and not just for what I want. It's hard to remember to do that when I'm so consumed with my own ideas and visions for my life.

Josie was in a funk. I take 80% of the blame for this because I know that she reflects my mood and attitude the majority of the time, but today I really do believe that even if I would have been happy!crazy fun!cheery! mom she still would have been mischievous and ornery a little bit. She might be teething since she has the runny nose/eyes thing going on, but I don't see anything happening in her mouth right now. Hopefully that doesn't mean she will be going through this even longer because they aren't even showing. If it is teething I pray they come in soon! 

It was definitely a rude awakening for me. As I found myself stopping and redirecting her for the umpteenth time,  I realized that having another baby around will most likely bring out this side of Josie more often. She's going to get a little less attention and I won't be able to do exactly when she wants when she wants it. I hope that I have taught her some of this already, but it will still be an adjustment.

Hubby is working so hard right now. He had a busy schedule already and then another job thrown in on top with a crazy deadline. This is such a busy week already with Halloween activities and baby prep like crazy. He's working late trying to keep up and then he comes home and I have a million things I can't do right now even though I want to and not bother him (think bringing out garbage, painting walls, mowing the lawn etc).

Days like this remind me of why I need Jesus so desperately. It's not something to be taken lightly. The devil is constantly looking for opportunities to bring us down and today I sadly gave him way too many of those.

Tomorrow is a new day, and thankfully my sins are forgiven and I can start over. 

The weather today was wonderful and we got to enjoy it by going for a walk and playing a little at the park. Hope you all are having a fabulous week!


Want to leave a comment? Click on the title of this post and scroll to the bottom. You'll see the comment section there. Can't wait to read what you have to say!

Auntie's the best

Just a little picture to show you this cute outfit we "threw together" today. Auntie for the win because she bought the shirt that has a puppy on it. Josie loves her some puppy.

We had these polka dot pants and I couldn't figure out what to put them with. Mixing patterns? LOVE IT. Only she could pull it off so well.

Happy Friday!

Want to leave a comment? Click on the title of this post and scroll to the bottom. You'll see the comment section there. Can't wait to read what you have to say!