Winding Down...

Well, things are winding down around these parts in preparation for baby...

BYE-BYE TEACHING!

Today was my last assist day at Camryn's preschool "FUMCN." Her preschool is a co-op where parents are required to assist the main teacher. I was seriously stressing out for next semester's assist days because I wasn't sure how it was all going to work out with nursing and babysitting. Anyway, I'm so grateful to the nice ladies at FUMCN that agreed to swap their assist days this semester with mine next semester. So basically I've been living at FUMCN lately to get all of my assist days next semester taken care of. I'm finally done and so I don't have assist ever again. Whew - what a relief!

BYE-BYE BRACES!

Yesterday was a day that I had been anticipating for the last 15 months. I GOT MY BRACES OFF! Wahoo! I've had this obsession since my early married years to have straight teeth. We could never afford it until now so I'm super grateful to finally get it taken care of. I'm very happy with the result and feel like it was worth the time and money. Granted, I still have 4 - 6 months of wearing a retainer 24/7, but I'll take it. Joel....we get to eat Indian food whenever we want now - no more stained rubberbands! I'll get the before and after shots soon. I'll definitely post those babies when I get them.

NOT SO SOON HEATHER!

I have an induction date of February 11th in the evening. I told Joel that I'm going to start running on the freak'n treadmill to force this little guy out! Whenever I get spastic like this, he always looks at me and shakes his head, "Quit trying to force it." or "I didn't know 38 weeks was the new 40," or the one I love the best, "You've spent the last 8 months worrying about having a short bus baby and now it doesn't seem to bother you." Wow Joel, you rock. He's actually been really good with this pregnancy, but I think the honeymoon is finally over. He's sick of the whining and emotions. Where's the freak'n sympathy?? My own husband doesn't even love me anymore! (That last sentence should force you to comment on my blog!)

REALITY CHECK

The truth is that I'm feeling pretty good considering everything. My back hurts with every step and my uterus feels like it's going to prolapse at any moment, BUT I'm still not ready for him to come out just yet. I'm very grateful that I've held onto him this long and that he's got all 10 fingers and toes. I got excited today picturing my new little boy. We seem to be ready now - except for a name. We like Spencer Aaron and Logan Davis. Hopefully, we'll be inspired when he is born! Good luck to us!

And the Word of the Day is...

For some reason "P" words have been on my mind lately - maybe because I have to all the time (ha ha). Wanna know what's been going on my pathetic brain, please read on. Yes, I really am a freak - I mean phreak.

~Photos & Publishing Blog Books~

I haven't written lately because I've been so busy putting my blog book together. I finally finished it and it came in the mail the other day. I'm soooo happy with the results! The whole reason I started blogging was to keep a family journal so that I could just print the baby off each year. I love that I don't have to scrapbook anymore! If you haven't done a book yet, I highly recommend it - come check mine out if you're around!

~Politics~

So how could I not comment on the whole political scene at least once this year?? I love being up on current events, but I feel completely overwhelmed with the whole political climate in our country right now. I watched the inauguration of our 44th president last week and it boy did it elicit some emotions for me.

First of all, I love my country and our rich heritage. I couldn't help but compare Obama's inauguration with that of John Adams. Talk about a serious juxtaposition of pomp and circumstance vs. humility. It all seemed a bit "paradish" - a new "P" word I just made up. I felt like I couldn't enjoy the historic nature of the event because it was being shoved down my throat by the media! I do think it's quite amazing that our first African American president will be living in a house that slaves were forced to help build. However, can we please move on to policy and stop the whole Obama worshiping? I mean our country is a mess and I'm hopeful that Obama can clean things up. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him these last few months - I mean he's only a man and people are certainly excited to put him up on a pedestal rather quickly. That's a lot to live up to. I didn't vote for him, but he's my president now and I'm actually really excited about moving forward. Hopefully the next few years will be better than the last.

~Piano~

So piano is included in my latest post because my wonderful son has decided that practicing the piano is the time to revert back to toddlerhood. Joel and I LOVE this time of day: the whining, crying, excuses, tantrums. Ahhh, now this is REAL music to our ears! What should take about 15-20 minutes, ends up taking up to 1 hour sometimes. When it does get to this point, half the time is taken on either Joel or me (usually me) trying to discuss the benefits of not giving up, the benefits of practicing, being well-rounded etc. I swear I love JD, but sometimes he kills me! He is so smart and wonderful I guess I just have so many expectations and hopes for him. I keep telling him that some day when he impresses a girl he likes with a lovely little tune, he'll think, "Man, my mom was right all along!" I warned him that when that beautiful day comes, he is to immediately hug me and say, "thanks mom!" That's what gets me through the 4:30-5:00 practice time.

~Pregnancy~

So I have about 3 weeks left before #4 comes. At my last appointment, I was informed that I was 2 cm and 70% effaced - pretty normal for me. What scared me was all of the cramping I experienced after my appointment. It dawned on me that I could go into labor at any moment now and I'm so not ready! Once I felt better, I got to work: organizing some clothes, buying diapers and nursing bras - all the necessities! Is this a sign? Is he coming soon? I hope not (I can't believe I just wrote that!)! I have so much stuff to do before that day comes. I have to finish Camryn and Christian's baby books, start a new one for baby #4, finish assisting at Camryn's preschool (so I don't have to next semester), get my braces off (wahoo!!!!) and get my hair done (since that won't be happening again for a very very long time!). This baby better behave himself!

~Paranoia, Pain & Perspective~

If you know me, you know I'm a paranoid basket case during pregnancy. I mean these babies are such miracles and to have so many of them turn out healthy is amazing. My personal paranoia seems to have tapered off a bit (it's true Joel - seriously!) now that his birth is imminent, there isn't much I can do. I better just enjoy this last experience. In terms of pain, I definitely have my share of that, but it's not as bad as it was with Christian. That perspective keeps me going. Perspective has also taught me that it is much easier to take care of these babies while they're still inside! Forget it, I'd rather have a newborn!

~Random "P" stuff~

Progressive Soup: I experienced a little miracle last week at Costco. JD actually tried a new food item. Upon tasting the flavorful elixir Progressive created in a can (chicken noodle), he exclaimed, "Mom, I just can't stop eating this (about 1 1/2 tablespoons worth)! It's so dang good!" Yes, I bought it. We've been eating it each night Joel is late at the hospital.

Parties - tea that is: Camryn's 2 favorite things in the world are playing with Kit (her American Girl Doll) and hosting tea parties - multiple times a day. She thoughtfully sets the table up with her "glass set" (a porcelain set she got for Christmas) and snacks (her favorite part). She has a special chair for Kit. She even gives her a plate full of treats (her way of getting 2 treats!). Christian adores being invited because he gets to pile in more food. Dad and Mom LOVE her tea parties because all we have to do is sit and she serves us food - a perfect arrangement.

Pigging out - Man, I wish my mouth were bigger! I'm totally out of control - it's my way of finding happiness right now! I don't cook anymore because my belly aches when it's pushed up to the countertop. So what do we eat (besides Progressive soup)? Ummm...yes please. I got Jimmy John a couple of days ago, Joel took us to Bob Evans (my kids' favorite) last night, and I had lunch with a friend at Olive Garden today! Man, what a porker!

Plastic and Paper Products - I worship them. I keep that a secret from my conservationist Ann Arbor friends. My kids won't know what to do with real silverware and dishes when we move!

Pokey Real Estate - We put an offer on a home a few days ago. We actually offered full price (from when we saw the house). They since raised the price (yes, raised - in this market no less!) The crazy people countered with a number even higher than their current price! What? We thought that it was quite phunny and phrustrating so we told them to phorget it!


OK OK, I'm done with the "P" thing. Now I've been sitting here writing this for awhile, so if you'll please excuse me, I must leave and go "word of the day!" Told you I was a phreak.

Nesting and New Year's Resolutions...

I can't believe it's a new year! I haven't been prompt on blogging lately because I've been making my family blog book. I'm so excited! This is totally the way to go: I get a scrapbook of pictures AND a family/personal journal out of it. I really don't like scrapbooking (the old fashioned way anyway) so this seems perfect. Hopefully the quality of the book is adequate. We'll see. On another unrelated note...

Hmmm...I'm not so sure about that...

So I have about 1 month left until this baby of mine is going to make his entrance. I've been expecting the whole nesting thing to begin. I can't recall when it kicked in with my previous babies, but it seems like it should've begun by now. It's hilarious because this jive town apartment has no hope for true cleanliness so I wonder if I'll even go through any nesting with baby #4?? I remember going through some serious nesting with JD and Camryn. With Camryn, we lived in Arizona during Med School and were residing in our first house. I recall washing all of the baseboards, walls and tile grout. I was literally on my hands and knees in my final weeks of pregnancy scrubbing the tile grout with an old toothbrush.

Hmmm, I'm not feeling the need for any of that with this baby! I mean seriously, if I start in this apartment, I'll never get done! Having done this 3 other times must play a role too. By this point I know that all the baby does is eat, poop and sleep. I have all the goods for that! We'll see, maybe the week before I'm due, I'll turn into a super freak and put a month's worth of nesting into a single week!

In terms of New Year's Resolutions, I have but a few:

• Survive another month of pregnancy without checking into the loony bin.

• Survive another year of breast feeding without checking into the loony bin.

• Survive months of looking at my post-pregnancy body without checking into the loony bin.

• Survive another cross-country move without checking into the loony bin.

So as far as I can see, as long as I don't check myself into a loony bin this year,
it'll be an outstanding 2009!