Let the good times roll...

Gabe is 12 weeks TODAY and 3 months from today, Mia turns 3.  It's as if I've blinked and we've been transported through time.  It seems like just yesterday I was taking Mia to Gator Fred's with Ashley & Meli and letting our little 2 year olds run around, and now they're almost the big 3.  I'm just trying to hold on before they grow up too fast before my eyes...

11 weeks, 6 days 

Meli & Mia, posing on the statue

Gabe's first carousel-ride

We went to the zoo yesterday, courtesy of said friend Ashley, and Mia & Meli had a great time. Gabe didn't mind it so much either...he slept through most of it :)  The above picture might have been one of his few awake moments. 

My parents were in town this past weekend and Mia and Gabe both enjoyed spending time with Mommo & Papa Jack.  And Uncle Luke & Aunt Allison.  Sometimes we take for granted how nice it is to live in the same community as family, but Mia & Gabe are blessed with some pretty good aunts & uncles (that also includes you, Uncle Brian & Aunt Amanda!)

Snuggling with Mommo

This was the 2nd time that day Gabe fell asleep on Papa Jack

First, note that Mia loves holding Gabe.
Then, note the crazy Mia-insisted, Maddie-inspired 'do.

One of the very few pictures of me with both keedz

And likewise, one of the very few picture of Greg with both keedz

It's been a busy but good January.  I'm 29, Greg's about to be 28, and we'll be welcoming lots of friends into our home in February. Can't wait to crack some skulls with Jenn from La Gallina Pequeña and see baby Will, and laugh till I cry with Mike & Angie and see baby Ellie.  Let the good times roll...

Redeeming the time...

I'm 37 weeks as of yesterday and October is almost over! I just knew September & October would fly by but I couldn't have expected it to pass this quickly.

Normally I'm not one of those DIY people who prides themselves on all that they accomplish, although in actuality I wish I was a bit more that way.  However, call it nesting or call it just getting down to business, Greg & I have been busy getting things ready in our home for baby #2, even if it still sort of resembles a train wreck around here.  (The problem is getting things out & then putting them away, it seems. A good lesson for all of us in this family!!)  Lately we've been very DIY-y around here, much thanks to...

My brother & sister-in-law who graciously took Mia off our hands on Saturday and to the zoo. She had SO much fun and the pictures they took with her were incredibly precious. Greg & I were so appreciative of the time they spent with her and how they made her feel special. She is so blessed to have local aunts & uncles who take an interest in her. Here's some of the fun they had!

Ranger Mia

Her new giraffe - she requested Allison take her picture & show her!

Looks like she had a pretty stinkin' good time.  Allison said she sang the whole way home -- not in the least surprised!


While they were busy exploring the zoo, Greg & I had a quick Starbucks date, ran by Home Depot, and then hurried home to work on hanging curtains in 2 rooms, setting up the crib bedding (again) and framing some new artwork that had just arrived.
The curtains that we put up in the bambino's room were from Ikea and as such, were "no-sew" hemming, meaning I had to iron on adhesive at the hem where I wanted it to fall, and then cut it off. Having never done such a thing before I was very nervous I'd mess it up, so I probably spent about 50% longer on that project than was really required, but they turned out pretty well!

New curtains with tie-backs

Arbor artwork from art.com, frames from Ikea

New Anthropologie knobs on dresser/changing table

artwork as it is hung

Greg meanwhile hung up a double curtain rod in our room so we could hang some gauzy, airy, almost sheer and off-white curtains that will be the base of another set of curtains (to eventually be selected and purchased).  We have sliding glass doors off of our master bedroom, and with it come those pretty much unattractive vertical blinds, and the gauzy curtains soften up the look of the room quite a bit, while adding a touch of privacy.  Sorry, no pictures of that yet!

Since then, most of my time has been spent trying to enjoy these last days with Mia before everything changes again.
Last Friday, after my 36 week dr's appointment, we spent the morning with Miss Ashley & Amelia, Mia's little buddy. We completed a fall art project that included finger painting paper, stenciling out leaves, and creating a fall wreath.  Mia had a blast painting and running around with Amelia, and as always I loved spending time with Ashley. She is such a warm hostess and makes amazing cider!

Other than that, we've spent much more time outside as the weather has been beautiful...a slight breeze and sun, and Mia & I have taken our fair share of excursions outside of the house.
One morning to Wiregrass, another morning to the library, a stop at Walgreens (oh so fun), and yesterday, we redeemed a Groupon at a local German restaurant! Not your typical lunchtime destination for a mom & a 2 year old, but it was quite an experience and totally worth repeating.  I'm trying to make these days memorable ... not only for myself but also for Mia.  I hope she doesn't get cabin fever after the baby is born but there will only be so much that can be done initially. And since I'm all sentimental I've been snapping as many pictures as possible!

Train ride at Wiregrass - Ticket: $3

Sharing a lemonade from pretzel stand: $1.69

Lunch at Mr. Dunderbak's with Mommy: $10 (for Groupon) + $4 for tip

they have excellent homemade "pommel frites"

hopefully the only picture of Mia at a bar you'll ever see! ;)

 Enjoying a snack & my chai frap at Starbucks: $5.97

Running through the   "fields" of our front yard and picking "flowers": priceless

Greg would probably like everyone to know that on the day this picture was taken,
the yard was later mowed.
We do not live in the wilderness :D

I'm thankful we've come this far and have all the mixed emotions that come with being so close to the end.  I have my 37 week appointment tomorrow where all the normal stuff will be done plus another biophysical profile and a growth scan.  The bambino's looked pretty good thus far, and despite my fundal measurements not vastly increasing at this point, the amniotic fluid levels look good, which mean his growth is less likely in jeopardy.

If there was ever anything to complain about (and I shouldn't, because it could ALWAYS be ten times worse), it's that I've switched to Heparin now instead of Lovenox, which means I have to give myself injections twice daily now.  And since the syringes don't hold the full vial of Heparin, it means I actually have to give myself 2 injections, twice daily.  Yep, that's right, you did the math correctly: 4 injections. Aren't I lucky? I'll be put back on Lovenox for 6 weeks after the baby is born, so in a way, I'd actually prefer to deliver earlier than later if it means only one shot a day.  We'll see what happens though.  Everything else is pretty stinkin' good.

Enjoying this time while it lasts!

on an island far far away...

Well it wasn't an island but it was Clearwater, which is far enough!

Last night Greg & I went to a concert.  What, you didn't know parents did that?  Well, it had been a while. The last concert we went to was a last-minute, pay for your tix at the door sort of thing for John Mayer & Sheryl Crow in August 2008.  It was actually the weekend we found out we were expecting, and so I went wondering if the sound was going to bother my baby's developing eardrums.  Srsly.


Alas, we went to Clearwater to see Mat Kearney & Ingrid Michaelson.  It was, for lack of a better word, awesome!  They played at Ruth Eckerd Hall--first time we had been there--and the venue, the sound, the energy, were all perfect.  It's not a huge venue, as the name "hall," suggests, but the seats are plenty cushy and everyone brought their A-game.  Greg's more of a Mat Kearney fan, but as he's listened to my Ingrid CD about 5 billion times because it basically was permanently implanted in our CD changer, he recognized most of her songs.  They both were brilliant.  Enthusiastic and clever and Ingrid is very funny.  *Sigh*


Mia was left in the capable hands of Miss LPK and Aunt Allison.  We tried to get her to say "Al" before the girlies came over but she didn't go for it.  I've heard her say things like "Rorwa" so maybe she already has L's name down.  Who knows.  I was a bit nervous leaving her with someone else for bedtime -- I guess that is typical new parent territory -- but she did pretty well from the report we received.  A little bouncing here and there, but she went down around 9:30 so that's not too shabby.  




I tried to take pictures of Mia yesterday--wannabe photographer here--to get something good for her birthday invites.  I really wasn't that successful getting her to look at me, smile at the camera and look natural, but I did wind up with a few decent ones:

Speaking of, her birthday is now just one month away!  Her birthday party is just a couple of days before.  It's mind-blowing to realize we've come this far and to think about what we were doing just a year ago at this time.  A lot of baby prep.  Totally different lifestyle.  Good times!

Wishin'

Yesterday was a funny day for us, but I believe the story starts on Saturday.
We were expecting company late Saturday/early Sunday morning, so Saturday Greg & I were busy cleaning up our house for our guest. Having people over is always a good motivation for us to tackle projects around the house, and we got three major projects out of the way (getting rid of old computers; returning borrowed baby equipment; and moving a bunch of storage stuff into the garage, thus cleaning up our front room). Even though I felt stressed on Saturday trying to get everything done + grocery shopping, somehow it did all get done, and we were able to turn in before midnight. Yet, it was one of those nights where you know your visitor is coming after-hours, and even though you leave instructions, a key, etc., you are still anxious hoping they make it in okay. We heard our visitor make it in okay and get settled, but for whatever reason, we ourselves couldn't get settled. I think we tossed and turned for a couple of hours before we fell asleep, and even then, I think I clenched my jaw, hunched my shoulders, and thought, I hope I remember to wake up in the morning, or I hope I make coffee early enough ... just silly things that prevented a good slumber.

We must've sent those vibes to Mia's room, because she woke up at the odd hour of 6:30/6:45am Sunday. She would whine on and off for a few minutes until I finally did get her ten minutes till 7. She was fussy and irritable -- already cranky, I believe, from her early wake-up time. Sunday was the first day Mia could have gone to the babies bible class at church, since she just passed 9 months, but based on the way she was acting, I didn't think it was the best time to try it. So, anyway, off we went to church, and no lie...after getting there, I'm not really even sure what happened.
Sometime during bible class I took her to the nursery so she could eat and hopefully fall asleep. She ate but wouldn't fall asleep. I was trying all my tricks, but it seemed futile. So, I brought her back out during the beginning of worship, and she sat in between me and Greg for a bit, but eventually got a little too loud/fussy. So, Greg took her back to the training room, where she got to sit with other loud children who need help learning how to sit in the auditorium. Sometimes it's a hilarious room to be in. I could see Greg & Mia in the room from my viewpoint in the auditorium and could tell she still wasn't having the best of times. Greg texted me (during church, scandal!) and said, "Work called. I need help," which I thought was code for, "Mia's crying, please come help me." But no, he actually meant that HIS work had called. Odd for a Sunday, I tell you. So, Greg had to take a call outside, while I was holding Mia in the foyer.

Turns out, it was a bad day for lots of kids. One kid, who shall go by "E," was taken out more than once and given a few good swats. Another parent, who shall go by "C," told me that his daughter "J" "doesn't really like church." That statement made me laugh out loud. My friend "J" was out with her daughter "L," who had slumped on the floor reading books. And then there were whole families in the foyer, and a baby "A" just a couple months older than Mia, whining and not wanting to go to sleep.

So, what was the sermon about? I think it was about Grace, but I'm not really sure. Reminds me of the verse in 2 Corinthians 12:9 where Paul quotes the Lord: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness," where I know that God gives us enough grace for each day.

Well, back to our story, where I explain my title of "Wishin'". You may think I was just wishing she'd fall asleep during church, and while this is true, this isn't what I really wished for after Sunday morning services were said and done.
Mia was in the overtired and quiet phase, and when her Aunt Amanda asked to hold her after church, I wasn't optimistic that it would necessarily go over well, seeing that Mia was so ready for a nap.

However, Amanda was wearing a long necklace with little beads interspersed along the chain, which Mia found fascinating and almost like a little comfort tool, and snuggled contentedly against Amanda. Greg and I left Mia with Amanda for a while as we chatted with some friends & visitors. Later, I wondered where Mia was as some visitors wanted to see her, and the look of shock on my face when I saw my two good friends Linz & Laura, surrounded by Amanda & Mia, also shocked, was due to this scene:


Mia is not the kind of baby that will fall asleep on anybody just anywhere. She hasn't pulled a move like that since was probably 3 months old. Only in rare occasions will she just pacify herself to sleep in public on another person, although I wish that were not the norm.
So here I was seeing this sight, just shocked that she had done that. And righteously jealous too, I believe.

Thus, the "wishin'" is because I wish she would do that more often for me or Greg. It would make certain situations so much easier!! (And while it looks like Mia is sucking her thumb, she actually has one of the beads from Amanda's necklace clasped in her hand almost to her mouth.) Silly bebe!

PS: We were all granted grace later in the day, as Mia took an almost unprecedented Sunday afternoon nap for about 2.5-3 hrs, and Greg & I got our own naps in too. Very good!