not quite an Easter baby

I saw my OB last week and things are progressing well. She is so laid back and considerate that I really feel lucky to have found her (thank you to Andy's co-worker Carla!). We got talking about the delivery and I expressed my concern about child care for the boys while in the hospital. Let me be clear, we have made some good friends who I know would watch the boys during labor and delivery so Andy could be with me, and for that I am really grateful. However, we don't have an Annie or a Clare or a Jen that I know can handle my two plus their own, who know my boys so well from years of interacting with them and who can work together to take care of the boys for the 2-3 days that I am in the hospital. So while I would have Andy on hand for the delivery, he would need to be home with the boys after that until we could get my mom down here. Well, given that this is the epitome of a healthy pregnancy and that the baby is measuring a healthy week ahead of schedule and that I tend to labor quickly, my doctor suggested inducing me a week before my due date. Woo hoo!!!! So on March 24th (the day after Easter) I will meet my baby girl. It feels a little strange going into this delivery knowing so many details; I know its a girl and I know when she will come. For both of my previous pregnancies we didn't know the gender or dates or anything. Its exciting either way, but I am glad to be able to plan a bit more for this one.
That being said, my parents were here this weekend so that they could see the new house (which met their approval, I think) and so that my Mom could start learning her way around in preparation for her solo tour with the little men in March. We had a really nice visit. My parents are easy going house guests. Before we had kids we did a lot of sight seeing when they came in town, which was fun because I got to act like a tourist in my own home (and we all know there is a ton to see in Boston!). Now they are content to hang out with their grandkids, and the touring is replaced with walks to the park, playing basketball and building with blocks. I think everyone enjoyed themselves, and we were sad to see them go. But since its nearly February (!!), we take comfort in knowing that we will see Grandma again very soon. Another exciting thing is that Annie (aka Aunt Mo) is going to come down after the baby arrives. I am thrilled. John (her husband) surprised her with the offer, and once they figure out child care and schedules on her end she will get her tickets for sometime in April. I can't possibly communicate how much it means to me to have my oldest and dearest friend here for such an exciting time in our lives. I am soooo lucky.

lazy day

Today we had a very lazy day... or at least as lazy as the two little men allow. In fact, the boys and I stayed in jammies all day long. It really was a nice change of pace. Alex is potty training, so we planned on staying home most of the weekend so we can keep him bottomless (since that worked well for Devin). He's really doing well so far, and hasn't had any accidents. In fact, he has only wet his pull-ups during naps or overnight. However, when it comes to bowel movements, he treats the pull-up like a diaper. I am sure that once we get him to poop on the toilet he will make a habit of that as well, but we need a good success there. Maybe tomorrow.

I am definitely feeling more tired than I expected this pregnancy. Today was the only day this week that I didn't feel completely exhausted by mid-afternoon, and I think that is only because I slept until 9:00 am this morning! I love my weekend sleep in day!! Once Andy gets up with the boys I put on the sound machine and close the doors to my bedroom to muffle the wild men and I can usually snooze pretty well. Its glorious!

After Andy had a few late nights at work this week, he encouraged me to have a night out. I was all set to meet up with a friend for manicures and maybe dinner, but when he got home I was so exhausted that all I managed to do was hide out in the sitting room in our bedroom and read for a while. I could have napped, but I thought that a 6:00 pm nap was a sure bet for a horrible nights sleep. So the reading was relaxing (and missing out on the dinner madness was great) and once the boys were happily in bed I had a chance to hang out with Andy (double bonus!).

The coming week will be a busy one with the painters here, two days off of school, our hospital tour and all the other unexpected mayhem before my parents visit next weekend. Our first visitors! Andy still wants to get a bed for the guest room before they come, but I think the pull-out couch will suffice for this visit. I'm sure that we will have the bed thing sorted before my mom comes to help out with the baby, but for now they will have to suffer through a couple nights on the pull-out. At least they have their own room again though. =)

all in a day

I have made a successful return to the gym - woohoo! Of course I haven't done anything all that strenuous or challenging, but its good to get moving and lift some again. I think that tomorrow I will try out a nearby Y that is supposed to have an amazing pool. The Y in our neighborhood only has an outdoor pool (and water park) and I have been missing my laps. Plus I'm sure that I would enjoy being buoyant at this point in my pregnancy. Speaking of, I had my ultrasound that week and everything looks great! Of course, they took special care in looking at the heart (two separate techs had a turn) and the baby is measuring a little ahead of my due date; should be another healthy little one. =) They did both a two dimensional and a three dimensional ultrasound, and the 3D one was wild. I could see her little profile so clearly and it was really cool to see the shape of her nose and face. She really reminded me of Devin. We'll see how close the resemblance is once she's here.
The boys were a lot to take today. Sometimes when one is naughty the other one joins in and things really spiral downhill quickly. It started outside with them pulling out clumps of grass and throwing them at each other. Then they were using the arm rests of my Adirondack chairs like diving boards, and finally they came inside only to have their first real food fight. A few minutes into dinner they started throwing kernels of corn at each other. Thankfully I ended that before they made it to fist-fulls of corn, but I was not at all happy. Of course they do all of this on a night when Andy isn't home because he's working late. Tomorrow should be another late night for Andy, but I am confident that after my wrath tonight we will not repeat this tomorrow. Not if they know what's good for them!

I miss the gym

Those who know me well know that I derive a certain amount of my sanity from going to the gym. Its like my reset button when things are crazy. Before the holidays I was making it to the Y a few times each week (and loving it!) but sadly I have yet to return. I was sick, so avoiding the gym was probably prudent, but now I am ready to go back and I am really missing it! I thought that this week would be my glorious return, but other priorities have usurped my morning plans. On Monday I went on a school tour (the effort to educate our eldest continues) and made the obligatory Target trip to get tissue and diapers (yes, Alex's behind takes priority over my workout). Today I worked through teacher recommendations for Dev's school applications, picked up eight different paint samples, scheduled meetings with two painters and (finally!!) got my hair cut. Tomorrow I have my glucose test and an ultrasound, so Thursday will be my triumphant return. I can hardly wait.

Let the search begin!

As we suspected, the local public school is not for us. We weren't sure about it when we chose this house, but were comfortable moving forward here since we knew that there were plenty of great private schools nearby. So we have begun the process of touring schools in the hopes of finding the right place for Devin for kindergarten next fall. Since most of the schools go K-5 or K-8, we are trying to find a place where we will hopefully be comfortable for years so we don't need to switch him again. The challenge is that most schools are accepting applications already and some close admission in the coming weeks! So we're busy. Some schools recommend that you start learning about the schools and the admissions process years in advance ~ clearly not an option for us. We are not visiting those schools. =) And the process for most of the schools is extremely thorough, including testing Devin, getting recommendations from current teachers and interviewing Andy and I. Pretty intense for kindergarten if you ask me.
I am also making myself crazy trying to figure out paint colors for the baby's room and the rest of the house (have I mentioned that the previous owners painted almost nothing in the four years that they were here?). I really want most of the painting done before the baby comes, so I am a woman on a mission right now. The folks at Benjamin Moore are going to love me! Andy wants to do the work in the baby's room, but we will hire someone for the rest of the house, since we have some two story rooms and all kids of vaulted ceilings (and Andy is not a big fan of scaffolding or heights). Yet another search commences...

Happy New Year

We had envisioned a lovely day playing with the kids and watching our beloved Illini in the Rosebowl, but things have not worked according to plan. Unfortunately half of the family is sick (Alex and I) and I think the other half is growing tired of our lazing around and coughing. Devin's plans of playing outside were foiled by the long afternoon naps that Alex and I took and by my general unwillingness to go outside while feeling gross. Andy had kid duty almost non-stop today, which we all know can be challenging, and the Illini certainly aren't playing their best football. While they still have a quarter in which to redeem themselves, the prospect looks bleak when facing the dominance of USC.
Ah well, things don't always go according to plan. I am much more relaxed about that fact than I was in my younger years, which I believe is a good thing. I certainly don't feel that this is a preview of what this year will hold for us, since we have many good things coming our way. =)