pictures of the boys

After a rough Sunday I was pretty sore on Monday. According to my doctor that is completely normal, since the uterus is a muscle and mine certainly got a solid workout this weekend. Here I go, over training for an event again! Will my competitive nature ever settle down? =)

By yesterday I was feeling so much better and I even felt well enough to go to a pre-natal yoga class today. It is pretty exciting to know that we will meet this little one by Monday. I am ready.

I am posting a couple recent pictures of the boys, since they are getting so big! Enjoy.

Devin and Alex playing pirates.

Alex hiking. Check out that red hair!

The boys with the Easter bunny at our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt. They had a blast!!

no baby yet

We haven't met our little girl yet. My contractions continued to intensify and we went to the hospital at dawn but my labor proved to be false. Lots of contractions and no real progress with my cervix (I'm at three centimeters). The contractions didn't stop until mid afternoon, and that was with the help of a mild sedative. I had a good nap and felt much better, until the contractions started again about an hour ago. I know that my body is getting ready, but I really want the contractions to cease until its the real deal.

Fingers crossed!

body by baby

I have been meaning to post some pregnancy pictures for all the people who we haven't seen since November/December, and since we just got our new digital camera, here goes!





These were both taken this weekend, which I am starting to think was just in time.



I have been contracting on and off since this afternoon, but without any real intensity or regular pattern so I figured my body was just "practicing". However, I woke up about an hour ago and I think that this may be real. You would think that by my third child I would know when labor is starting, but my water broke both times, so that was a crystal clear sign. It would be pretty ironic if after all my well laid plans of mom coming in to help and an early induction this baby actually came earlier than expected... especially since all who know me well can vouch that being early would truly be a unique characteristic for this little girl. =)

More news soon...

the boys

I guess I'm not the only one getting ready for the baby. Today the boys were playing with two stuffed animals that they found in the baby's room and they were carrying them around like dolls. Devin had an elephant and Alex had a bear. They took turns cuddling them and pretending to feed them and carrying them around. It was so cute!
I know that I shouldn't be surprised, since they are aware that the baby is coming soon (especially since there are so many conversations about the baby these days and her room is nearly ready and we have received baby clothes from some friends), but I was. It was sweet to see them playing like that.

I realized the other day that Devin is just a couple months younger than I was when I met Annie. I couldn't help but wonder if any of the friends that he has made since we moved here would be life-long friends for him. I can only hope that he is that lucky, since Annie is clearly fundamental in my world. I miss her.

getting ready for baby

I think my body is getting ready to have this baby. Since Saturday I have noticed that I am having far more Braxton Hicks contractions and I'm getting the aches and pains in all kinds of interesting places. While I know that this is not a sign that I will be delivering anytime soon, I am getting more nervous about that happening. With my previous pregnancies I would have welcomed an early baby, but this time I am all about the plan.
My mom is coming to town the 21st (Woohoo!! Mom got clearance from her doctor to travel and drive and chase my boys. More importantly, she is really feeling like her old self!) and I will be induced on the 24th. I feel like I need a couple weeks to be ready (I have little projects to finish around the house and in the baby's room) and I really don't want to go early. For the boys I had everything done far enough in advance that I was just kind of waiting for the baby to come. That is not the case this time. Its all part of settling a new house, but Andy and I still fee like we have so many things to do!

That being said, I am getting quite excited about meeting this little girl. Yesterday I bought my my first little dress. =)

Lori McKenna show

I have been meaning to write a post about Lori McKenna since Andy and I went to see her (again!) last Thursday, but most things seem to take me a while lately.

Lori McKenna is a musician from Stoughton, MA whom I have grown to love (http://lorimckenna.com/). I first heard her folksy music when she was featured on Chronicle about five years ago (playing her guitar and singing while her baby was bouncing up and down in a little doorway jumper). Since then Andy and I have seen shows of hers at Club Passim in Harvard Square and even at the Paradise. She is an amazing songwriter and singer, and her musical career is truly a Cinderella story. A few years back some country stars (like Faith Hill and Sarah Evans) heard her music and started recording her songs. Since then she has toured with Faith Hill and Tim McGraw and has put out her first album on a major record label (although the four before that are truly amazing).

Imagine my surprise when we found that Lori was playing here in Charlotte (for what would actually be her first trip to NC). We were thrilled - my favorite local Boston artist here!! The show was far more mellow than the most recent one that we went to at the Paradise, and the crowd was far smaller, but Lori was awesome! I have to say that I wish she played some more of her older music, but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to her (and to Mark Erelli who plays with her but is a fantastic musician on his own http://www.markerelli.com from Cambridge, MA). Per Devin's request, I have recently put her Pieces of Me cd back in my car changer, since he was asking to hear the song "Mars". There is something truly adorable about hearing my four and a half year old singing, "I see Mars reflecting in my little boys brown eyes, and he says 'Mama I'm gonna get there someday. Mama I'm gonna get there someday'." Devin's other favorite on that album is the song "Fireflies" (which Faith Hill recorded), although Devin calls it "Peter Pan and Tinkerbell" because of the lyrics. I adore that song, but it reminds me more of my niece Brianna than of the boys. Alex however is partial to another song that Faith Hill recorded called "Stealing Kisses" which is on the Bittertown cd. Andy loves that our little Alex sings "I was stealing kisses from a boy. Now I'm begging affection from a man..." but I think its cute. Its funny how they can identify her voice now in other songs. I personally am partial to the song "Falter" these days (which is on both The Kitchen Tapes and Unglamorous), but actually would recommend any of her cd's. There is a little something amazing on each one that she has put out.

House pictures

I have promised pictures of the house, and now that we have added memory to the pc, I may actually be able to post them! Here goes...

This is our house from the front.

Here is a picture of the family room. The room is two stories high and it has amazing light all day long.

Here is the view of the hallway from the family room. I included this because it shows how open the floor plan is. We love it!

Here is the dining room (which happens to be the only room we haven't repainted). We are still working on getting coordinating dining room furniture, but these things take time. We found chairs we like though. =)

Here is the toy room (complete with boys playing).

Andy suggested I wait on the pictures of the kitchen until we replace the counters (hopefully by summer). The boys rooms and the nursery are nearly done and I will post pictures of those rooms when I have them.

As you can see, we have paint on the walls, but that is about it! Andy is anxious to hang pictures, but I haven't yet figured out where I want things to go. We'll get there though. Andy said I should post a picture of the guest room, so everyone knows that we are sincere in saying that we want visitors. I will say that the guest room will be far more comfortable soon, since we are upgrading to a king sized bed and planning to put our queen in the guest room. Now taking reservations.... =)

mom is home

and seems to be doing well. she still has quite a headache and will be visiting her doctors quite frequently over the coming month, but she's hanging tough! woohoo!!

my mom

My mom was in a car accident on Friday. She was making a left hand turn onto a busy street and was broadsided. It was pretty bad accident. She is doing alright, but is still in the hospital for observation because she has a small subdural hematoma. For us non-medical people that means that her brain bled from the trauma of the crash. She has been in the ICU under close observation since Friday, since they want to keep tabs on her brain function (testing her every couple hours with questions and small physical tasks) and any swelling in her brain. The good news is that the CT scan that she had this morning showed that there is no more blood now than there was on Friday, and she was moved out of the ICU to a regular room. She has a bad headache and her neck and left side are pretty banged up, but otherwise she is doing well. We are hopeful that she will continue to improve and get home soon.

well the weather outside is awesome

Have I mentioned that the weather here seriously rocks? I have never lived somewhere as sunny as this. Its fantastic! I find it much easier to get in a good mood when the sun is shining and I'm not freezing cold. Lately most days the high is around fifty degrees (some warmer, some colder), but sunny and fifty is perfect - especially for February!! Now who knows how I'll feel about the weather in August, but so far it has been a wonderful change from New England.

Andy and I are working diligently to settle the house (and get the baby's room done) and good progress is being made. I had intended to upload some pictures of the house (since more than a few friends have asked for them), but the pc where we store photos is in need of memory and is god-awful slow and I am terribly impatient. But soon - I promise!

The saga of the potentially broken foot...

Alex has been limping since the Superbowl. I don't think he's just trying to show his support for Tom Brady, much as we all love number 12. We had some friends over that day and while many adults were outside when Alex went down, no one saw what happened. All we know is that he came in the house sobbing that he was pushed down and the limping began. After a couple days he seemed to be doing better (still limping some, but also running around with Devin and riding his bike), so we thought he was healing. Then we had a very active weekend; I'm not sure if it was the hiking or the jumping on the trampoline, but by Sunday he was limping badly again. Now this limping didn't stop him from running around and playing, but when he was walking he would limp. On Monday I took him to the doctor and we went for Xrays, only to be told that he had a small fracture on his left foot. The nurse set up an appointment with an orthopaedic doctor for this morning, and advised us that the ortho would likely immobilize Alex's leg for a while... and the panic began. How can we immobilize a child who doesn't sit? Would it be a cast or a boot? How long would he be in it? How will we explain this to him? How will I manage all of this in the last month of my pregnancy?
So today we went to the ortho, and she said that she does not see a fracture in the Xrays. The ortho was great. First she gave me a much appreciated anatomy lesson on how kids bones develop and the differences between "soft bone" (or cartilage) and "hard bone". Then she explained that what the radiologist thought might be a fracture in the left foot looked consistent across the right foot also, so she thought it was just how the bone is developing. She said that she thought his was more of a soft tissue injury, which should be addressed with anti-inflammatory meds and rest. She said that if he was totally hobbling or unable to put weight on the foot she would put him in a boot, but since he was getting around pretty well, she recommended motrin and rest.
Let's be clear that I am thrilled. Annie said it best when she said, "Alex and immobilize just don't go together well". But since my pediatrician told me that motrin and rest would be the treatment if there was no fracture before we ever went for Xrays, I couldn't help but wonder why I was even at the ortho this morning (after all, I have nothing else to do these days... right?). So while mildly annoyed, I am focused on the good news... we don't have to immobilize Alex. Woohoo!!

Two big boys

It's official. I have two big boys now. In addition to the facts that Alex (a) has stretched out and lost all of his baby fat and (b) speaks so well that I no longer need to translate for him to everyone except for the few who are proficient in toddler-ese, Alex is potty trained. Alex is potty trained!! This is not to say that we are completely accident free, but we're close. I am much more excited to deal with two accidents in a week instead of changing 5-6 diapers every day. He is so proud of himself and we are thrilled.

Yesterday we were "crafting" at the kitchen table, when Devin picked up a pencil and started writing out the alphabet. He got to "M" before he had to ask me for some help (maybe because that is the part of the alphabet song that's faster?), but he did it. He wrote the entire alphabet. He does this at a time when he is going through placement testing for Kindergarten. Recently Andy and I were considering whether Dev should go ahead to Kindergarten or if he should wait another year (as many of his friends with summer birthdays are doing). We decided that we think he's ready academically (and certainly physically), but we wondered if he's mature enough for Kindergarten. I think that he has solidified our thoughts on this. He's going; if we kept him back I think he would be absolutely bored with school.
My boys. I love my boys. Sometimes they make me so proud.

Brianna

Yesterday my niece Brianna would have been twelve. Twelve. I can't believe it. Twelve seems like such an enormous difference from the nine years that she was when I last saw her. I wonder what she would be like now. I am sure that she would still be smart and fun and athletic, since those characteristics seem fairly permanent. But what would she look like? Would she still be a little cutie or would she start looking more grown up? Would she be in that awkward phase where some of her features grow before others? Would she be gangly?

I like to think that she would still be energetic and fun, and a little boy crazy (since she was already starting to show interest), but that she would still maintain some of the innocence that we all loved. I can't imagine her at twelve. I guess she'll always be a little girl to us.

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. =)

Home Sweet Home

We came back from Chicago on Friday and managed to sneak out before the snow was really a threat to our travel plans. Woohoo! We had a great trip. Everyone enjoyed themselves and we got to spend a good amount of time with our various family members (and even got the chance to see a couple friends too!). And I don't think we angered or offended anyone, which is always a challenge when we have so many schedules to try to manage, and so many demands on our time. Overall one of our better trips. Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to see my cousins Donna and Barb. I had really hoped for some time with them, but between being busy with the family and my being extremely tired (not only because of my pregnancy, but Alex's fun sleep schedule had its impact), I never had the chance.
We were glad to have the weekend at home before Andy started his work week. In the past we always came back from trips on Saturday or Sunday and jumped right back into the routine on Monday, and I can now see the real benefit to having some time before getting back to reality. It was far more relaxing... the boys were happy to play with their Christmas presents that we had left behind for our trip, Andy and I had some time to unwind and get things done (like the eight loads of laundry I tackled) and we are more prepared heading into the week. Plus returning to the warm weather feels like a vacation even though this is home now. I'm sure that the novelty of the weather will wear off, but not yet. =) We were also quite excited to return home to a giant stack of Christmas cards from our friends and loved ones; they were wonderful! Its always nice to get the quick update from our far away friends, and now more and more of our friends fit into that category. We miss you!
We have our usual plans for New Years Eve... watch a movie and hope that I can stay awake until midnight. These plans started when I was pregnant with Devin, and have become our status quo since. Not terribly exciting, but I am sure that we will enjoy ourselves. I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year!!