Last Day

Not of being pregnant (well maybe) but of work :) I realized why I had been taking half days, because a full day this pregnant is really long!!!!

I'm going to try and wait patiently now for little bean's arrival. I'm going the savor the next few days with my firstborn and enjoy some dates together <3

Will possibly try to rest, ha! Make some more fabric baskets :)

Had a great last day....kids behaved. The teachers threw a mini party in our lunch room and we had pizza, cookies and cake, yummy! My favorite girls ever brought me donuts and I got presents of diapers, wipes and a super sweet outfit with shoes.

Won't miss the work, but will definitely miss some very sweet people.

Sights from around our home....

Car seat, with super cool fan attachment, waiting to house a baby!
Diaper bag and Big Brother bag for overnight stays....

Big brother baby training presents below....so MJD can do to his baby what mommy does to the real baby.
MJD's baby which he'll get in the hospital when he meets his brother. Will be interesting to see what he names his baby :)

Baby care center, couldn't find a blue set, so red will have to do, better than pink though. And it matches the real baby's things.

Disappearing Time

How does time just seem to disappear? You know how you await for an event and something to happen and then you blink and it's gone? This pregnancy has been long....now it's close to ending. How did that really happen so quickly?

Scarier still....how quickly will the time with my boys pass by? Don't want to waste a moment of this precious, precious blessing called life.

15 days and ways

15 or less days left and I know I'm ready for him and totally freaked out.....

1. The nursery is set! YEAH!!!!

~ How in the world am I going to split my time and attention with two boys?

2. I feel exhausted all the time, even when I sleep well...body is preparing for sleep deprivation :)

~ I'm already beat, how will I function with round the clock feedings again?

3. Appetite has changed, not wanting to eat some days and then all of a sudden super hungry.

~There are only a few more days in my life when MJD will be my only little boy,
kinda sad about this.

4. Car seat, stroller, swing and all baby gear assembled, batteries installed and ready to be used.

~I loved diaper bags before, but so don't love changing them all the time!

5. Hospital bag packed for mommy, baby and brother's overnight bag.

~I am really going to have to get this baby out of my body, oye vey!

6. Conversation had with MJD that mommy will have to go into the hospital when baby brother comes.

~I hate hospitals, kinda freak me out.

7. Phone tree plans initiated with contact person.

~Really concerned about not making it to the hospital in time :/

8. Crafting table has been cleared off quite a bit...eek! Can't believe I got the projects done!

~ As I start to feel an order and routine to life we're upsetting everything.

9. Only a couple more days of work, finally!

~How will I manage going back to work and life with 2 children?

10. Diaper packages broken open and wipes in the warming machine!

~Again with the diapers! How soon can I potty train this time?

11. Nursing pads strategically staged around my house.

~Loved nursing my first, what if I can't do it this time around?

12. Presents for the big brother have been bought and wrapped.

~Please Lord, let my boys love each other and become best friends, pretty please!

13. Push present ideas emailed to husband.

~I've got to get this baby out of me...eek! I hope it goes as well as the first time.

14. Weekly OB appointments are now looked forward to rather than dreaded.

~This may really be the last time I have a child. Am I okay with that?

15. My body has begun to change, feel like something is happening....something is in the works!

~I am so ready to meet him and so scared at the same time.

A little extra

So this pregnancy has added a little extra weight to the mama belly....maybe more like the mama butt :)

Perhaps the culprit would be.....

Can't even come up with a title

Waiting......

Checking things off a list......

Getting things ready......

Counting contractions.....then actually getting sad when they stop!

Nervous!

Excited!

Wondering when I'll meet my new love and what he'll be like.

Great present

Got a great present at bean's baby shower this weekend. Some great friends of ours (who also own a photography business) treated us to a maternity photo shoot. Which is really sweet since I have like zero photos of me pregnant this time around and have not wanted to be in front of a camera at all because all I look is huge!

We ended up breaking it up into two sessions due to scheduling, time, lighting, etc. So another session will be done here at home tomorrow night.

Here are some of the teasers from the first shoot. Can't wait to see them all. Hans definitely has a gift of making things look better than what they actually are :)

Cease and Desist

Dear Bean,

It has been my greatest honor and most humble pleasure (most days) to be the human incubator for your miraculous growth. I have loved feeling your jabs, kicks, hiccups. Watching my tummy move as you bounce around and get comfortable.

I have greatly enjoyed our morning breakfast time together as we scarfe down Chick-fil-a at work and our mid evening naps as we crash together on the bed while big brother watches too much t.v.

I have been incredibly humbled again that God would honor me with being your mother and the ability to bring forth another little life into this world. I am constantly reminded of the great task ahead of me in raising you.

I can not tell you how amazing it feels to see your little life inside of mine every time we have an ultrasound picture done. Each time I whisper your name or speak to you my heart feels so full I can hardly stand it.

With all of that being said, I am writing to you to let you know this is your final month inside your warm habitat. As much as it pains me, and believe me it will, you will have to come out. You officially have 30 days (or less) until your arrival. Please take notice and enjoy your last month.

I can't wait to meet you, and continue to pray you grow strong and healthy as you prepare to arrive. We're so excited for all you will bring to our lives. We can't wait to announce you!

Love forever,
Mama (a.k.a. Management)

Want to remember

Yesterday while MJD was in the shower playing with his toys on the floor I heard him talking and having a conversation with them. As he was going through this role play thing with his toys, I started to listen in on the conversation and even in his role play he was asking "why?" Either the toys were asking him or he was asking them. Yes folks, we have officially entered the 3 year old "WHY?" stage.

Before bed last night as we were laying in bed watching a show as a family, bean got the hiccups. Not uncommon for baby at night anymore, but MJD loved putting his hands on my belly, feeling baby and then talking to his little brother. I didn't realize how much he enjoyed it until this morning when I was getting ready and he came up to me, put his hands on my tummy and just started talking to his brother. Then he got a little sad about the fact that brother wasn't having hiccups anymore. :)

Second time around

As a second time mom, I've been thinking about all the things I'll do different, all the lessons I've learned and all that kind of jazz.....final conclusions are:

1. The reason you wake up at a certain time in the morning (or night) during the end of pregnancy is because God is really trying to be kind to you and train you on what time your baby will wake up. So just accept it, embrace it and move on. Hello 5 a.m. I believe we are going to become good friends for a while.

2. I am totally going to screw things up. My kid will still be okay.

3. Sleep training is awesome, but somewhere before 3 years old everything changes and they walk into bed with you at night and you never even know because you're so tired. I won't be so rigid on a routine this time.

4. I'm going to snuggle a little more and stress about the house a little less. Investing in a cleaning lady to do the work for me.

5. I'll listen to other people less and my own instincts more.

6. It is totally acceptable for me to wear pj's all day at home those first few weeks.

7. Labor is hard....otherwise they wouldn't call it labor. I won't feel bad for any choice I make on how to deliver my child or whether I use pain meds or not. I want to enjoy his birth as much as possible, not be so miserable that I need it over and then feel awful. No one gets a trophy when you leave the hospital for enduring the most pain, we all take our babies home.

8. My body has gone through some major changes due to pregnancy and it took 10 months to make happen, if I don't fit into my sexy jeans in the first weeks, or even months, it's not the end of the world. I'll get there in time and I am going to enjoy the mean time knowing I made a healthy beautiful baby with this body.

9. Sleep deprivation sucks....I am going to take care of myself and rest as much as I can while my boys rest. I won't say no to help and try to be super mom on my own. I need others in my life to pick me up and carry me a long. My husband really rocks in this area. I will let him know more how much I appreciate him.

10. I never have and never will be able to control things or make things perfect. These boys are not really even mine, as much as I try to tell myself they are. They totally belong to God and I'm just here in the meantime supposed to be doing what He tells me to do with them. I have to trust He knows what is best and will guide, protect, and lead all our lives.

Timing

Always amazes me how God gives me what I need when I need it....also happy to see my little toddler learn an important lesson.

I've blogged before about MJD receiving "Nena Mail" and some spending money. Well about 2 weeks ago on a trip to BAM he found a "spiderman baby" as he calls it. He really loved the toy, but we knew Nena had sent him a box and money so we told him he had to wait till his mail came and we would take him to buy his baby himself. Well, after waiting, waiting, and lots of mailbox checking and some very sad days of no mail, when we came home tonight the box was at the front door. Of course it would be a night we didn't get home till past 7 and were exhausted, but nevertheless, we opened the box, packed ourselves up and went back out to buy Spiderman baby.

What a happy little man he was tonight. We all had fun and there is a sleeping boy and spiderman baby in his room who understands the importance of waiting for things, that mama and daddy will keep their word and the joy of buying something all on your own. There are a ton more photos here, but this is just the recap....
Nena money!!!! (The frog card had to burp up the money!)


The "loot" from the box!

Spiderman baby is still here. (You have no idea how much we prayed they would still have it!)

Paying for my toy all by myself.

Counting back my change for my wallet.
Just silly pictures of a detour in the store so MJD and TAD could play with the hats.

Corbin and Bean before they come out

This photo was taken to appease a co-worker.....Not at all a great photo of me, but I suppose in the years to come I'll learn to appreciate it. Sharon was such a good sport to go along with it too.

Dear Bean,

Hello sweet boy,

Only 45 more "official" days until you are here, but I think it will be less than that, either by your choosing or mine. While I would love for you to be here a.s.a.p. I know you still need a little more time to "cook" in there.

Your nursery is coming along, slowly but surely it will get there. I'm working on some decorations and other odds and ends. I bought you some new jammies to wear in the hospital, elephants of course! I even picked up a new outfit to bring you home from the hospital in.

You're getting quite unhappy with your cramped quarters in there, and your kicks and punches are not going unnoticed at all, each one hurts something fierce! Monday night I thought we might be having to take a trip up to the hospital since I had a few hours of contractions when I came home from work. Please don't scare us like that too much, Daddy is under a lot of pressure and stress on his own right now getting ready for his test.

Your big brother is getting awful excited about you coming soon. I hope he's still this happy when you get here. He does love to kiss my belly and feel you kick. It's hard to explain to him that he can't kick you back :)

Some friends of ours are planning you a little party next weekend, it will be nice to spend time with friends and celebrate you. I got to meet your buddy Corbin yesterday. He was born Tuesday and is super cute and sweet. Definitely think you guys will have fun together and like each other. But you'll have to get here first.

I've been dreaming about you the last few nights...can't wait to see your sweet face, hold your hands, and kiss your toes! Until we meet, enjoy your warm little cave, be kind with your kicks and punches, and don't start the contractions again until you're sure you're ready to come out :)

I love you so dearly little one and am praying for you all the time.

Love,
Mama