E and Steve's Wedding

Today is an emotional day for me.
My best friend is getting married to a wonderful man in the Outer Banks and I can't be there.
Elizabeth is a very special person in my life. Without her friendship, I don't think I could have survived high school. She was always my "cool" friend, the one who went off to a big city to go to art school, who introduced me to finer things in life that I didn't know existed outside our zip code in suburban Iowa. For some reason, she thought I was interesting enough to have as a friend and in return, she became my accomplice on many bold outings, like when we decided it would be funny to dress up weird and attend the International Model Search that came to town (see photo) or when we got in big trouble for our senior yearbook pictures at our Catholic high school because we wore 1960s Goodwill dresses and Cleopatra eye shadow. We also did more heady stuff, like go on spiritual retreats and became counselors at my beloved Catholic Youth Camp. She even tagged along in college when I decided to do RAGBRAI and rode our bikes across the state of Iowa, me chasing a really stupid boy. Over the years, when we lived in our separate cities, we had infamous wine dates on tbhe phone where we would discuss our relationships at the time. No one in my life has had more boyfriends than Elizabeth. No one has had more BAD relationships than Elizabeth. The fact that she finally met Steve, someone who is normal, churchgoing and who thinks she walks on water is nothing short of a divine miracle. I am shedding many tears of joy today, feeling incredibly happy for my best friend and for Steve. Congratulations to both of them! I hope they are as happy as Mike and I are!!!

38 week belly

Whoa!













Here's me with JM...

Ready for babies and or nuclear meltdown

Sadly, HEB doesn't start its curbside service (you drive up to pick up your groceries! for free! just like Hy Vee in Iowa! it's a miracle!!!!) until Monday, because I bought out the whole store (note: I did have someone help me to my car, but it really stinks that they are just now starting this service as I'm ready to give birth, but it will be awesome with two littles, too!). I'm not going to bore you with a picture of my 2nd freezer, but believe me, it's stocked, too, as is my pantry. Bring on the baby!



P.S. Have y'all discovered Greek yogurt, yet? It's pretty much the best thing ever. I don't know where it's been all my life. Especially the Greek Gods honey one! Double the protein!

37 week check-up

Drumroll please....
I'm 1.5cm dilated and 70% effaced! When Mike and I asked what that means, Dr. S said that it means my body is remembering what it did last time. He said that they try to predict based on your exam and how long you lasted with past pregnancies, so since JM was 5 days early and my body is already moving, he thinks I won't make it past my due date. Personally, I'm thinking it might be sometime next week. Of course, no one knows but Noodle and God, so we'll see! I'm going to enjoy eating cupcakes guilt free while I can.

The Wait

Ever since last Tuesday's wake up call that things might be moving along, I have been busy.
We had JM's sprinkler park birthday.
I finished my newsletter.
I finished my defensive driving.
I made some more freezer meals.
I got a massage (thank you, Mom!). Massage Envy's introductory special= not bad.
I bought "going home" outfits in blue and pink.
Mike put the infant seat in the car.
We packed our hospital bags.
I had a surprise shower and Moms Night Out with the awesome ladies from playgroup.
I bought a new baby monitor and new bottle drying rack from Babies R Us.
We went to a movie just Mike and I, thanks to Chad and Kim.
I feel like I'm slowing down.
I am HOT. All.the.time. Which is funny because I am cold when it's below 75 usually.
I feel like I'm having a lot of contractions. I'm starting to feel more ready and told my mom this yesterday, which now means she is calling every 5-6 hours to make sure we didn't forget to call her to let her know we went to the hospital.

I'm still pregnant, but feeling a little more calm and ready. This has given me time to get really bummed that I'm missing my BFF's wedding next weekend in the Outer Banks. Her sweet fiancee told me I could give him the "If you do anything to hurt my friend, I will kill you speech" over the phone tonight, and I tried, but it's just not the same not being there to deliver it, personally. And, seriously, anyone who asks for that speech is just too sweet to need it. I am SO happy for them.

Anyway, a few pics from the past few days... We took the boat out for a ride this morning and had some doughnuts and watermelon and swam a little in a little cove. JM loves the boat. Like my friend Katy says, it's a floating playpen. The kid's got a good life. Mike and Chad went and got some really nice sand for JM's new sandbox and he's been loving that, too. Seriously, as long as the kid's outside, he's happy. And, are the playgroup kids at the sprinkler park not the cutest kids in Austin?





Anyway, until the baby comes, I wait and wonder. Will it happen in the middle of the night, again? Will I know I'm in labor since I'm having all of these contractions, already? Will my water break, again? Will my water break somewhere embarassing, like in the middle of church or Target? And, seriously, what sex is this baby, anyway?!!! Now that we're so close, I am DYING to know and cannot wait one more day to find out! We still aren't solid on a name for either sex, which makes Type-A me really weirded out and hopeful that we will know when we see him or her what the name should be! We'll see... I could still be here in a few weeks, I know. I am in NO HURRY for the baby to get here. With JM's "failure to thrive" status at 3 days old (meaning he had lost weight and was not back up to his birthweight), I want to make sure that this baby is as fat and developed as possible, but now can breathe a sigh of relief feeling a little more prepared and enjoy this time with my boys as a party of three.

P.S. Did I mention that my "failure to thrive" baby was 85th percentile for height and 65th for weight at his 2 year checkup? I am so proud!

36 week check-up

This morning we dragged our poor birthday boy out of bed for my 36 week doctor appointment.

Drumroll please..... I'm already 1cm dilated and 40% effaced...

Last time I didn't get to 1cm dilated until 37 weeks. The only reason that I know this is because of this blog! Thank you, blog, for keeping me organized!
Anyway, we are so happy that the baby is head down, that his or her health looks great and that they think he or she is about 6 lbs (JM was 6lb 5oz at this point, thank you again, blog). These are all great things! But, damn, knowing that I am progressing already scares the BEJEEBUZ out of me because I am SO NOT READY to go at any time... I have a June newsletter to put together. I have to finish my damn defensive driving for my speeding ticket. I still need to get all the "new" baby stuff washed and sterilized. I have a lot to do beyond that that I've been taking my time on, thinking I have 4 weeks to go. Now granted, I know that women can walk around being dilated and effaced for weeks and it's no big deal, but knowing that I am ahead of where I was with JM and he was 5 days early sends me into a minor panic. That, and Dr. S said he was here this weekend if anything happened. Seriously!? This weekend? !!!

Dr. S also noted on my chart that my labor was 6 hours last time and said that usually labor gets shorter with every pregnancy, so he's thinking that my labor will be around 4 hours this time. Mike better not get too far away! He asked if we lived close to the hospital (thankfully, yes) and offered to drive me there if Mike can't get there. Love my doctor! And as much as I would prefer Mike to drive me to the hospital, would love the story of Dr. S picking me up to carpool to labor. Apparently, he's done it before! How comforting to know that if my body can't make it to the hospital because of Mopac traffic, the doc could deliver me right there on the side of the road amidst the wildflowers...

We got some ultrasound pictures of Noodle this morning that I'll scan in later. They aren't as clear as JM's 36 week pics, but the little one does have chubby cheeks like his brother, for sure!

AC: Responsibility

Happy 2nd Birthday!

Two years ago today at this very time, we were getting ready to meet John Michael.
Two years ago, our lives got significantly more amazing and blessed.
Happy birthday, son!


JM celebrated his 2nd birthday by attending his mama's 36 week check-up (more on that later), having a bacon and egg Torchy's breakfast taco and will be hanging out with his playgroup buddies this afternoon at the sprinkler park.

Party at the Fire Station

I've cried at least 5 times this weekend, thinking about how my baby is turning two on Tuesday. Yes, the pregnancy hormones have me especially emotional, but I can't get over the fact that two is such a milestone. No more counting in months! Where do we go from here but to three and four and God help me, beyond? They had a blessing of high school seniors today at church and my eyes welled up again, thinking about him leaving us! I don't know how other parents deal with this, but I am not a fan of aging. I know he will do all sorts of neat things as a two year-old and beyond, but I want him little, darnit! I can't handle this.

Anyway, the party part of the "family only, low key" birthday party was really fun. It was the most relaxed I've ever been hosting a party. Mom came early to help me get stuff ready. We ordered pizza. We made a salad and a few easy appetizers. It was really fun visiting with our family "one last time" before the baby comes. We got to chat in the driveway with my brother and sister until the late hours, which was nice... and I have to say that the birthday boy had a blast at his party. He loves having people around. We got out the Power Wheels Jeep I got for $15 from a lady from church and sire and friends had a ball trying to navigate the driveway with it. JM is way too little to "get" the pedal functionality, but his older friends could do it and they thankfully made it through the evening without injuring themselves or anyone else or running into any parked cars. JM LOVED the firetruck theme of the evening and God bless him, seemed to appreciate the fire truck cake that I (yes, I, the non-baker) made for him.

I feel pretty energetic, still, in this pregnancy. By some mystery, I'm not retaining any fluid like I did last time and I even managed to make it through Zumba class yesterday morning and the day's festivities still feeling good. This morning we enjoyed a sweltering "Family Day" at Mike's work, including a 5K and then adding on church tonight, the three of us are now officially pooped, though. It's a "sit on the couch and watch bad TV" night over here, for sure.

Imma Be

It's been too long since I posted some JM videos. It's weird once you get past say 18 months, when instead of big milestones like rolling over or walking, their milestones start to happen every day, when they are constantly adding to their vocabulary. Before you know it, months have passed and they've changed, not in physical changes, but cognitively a lot! I've been trying to get some good video of JM talking, but it's hard. There are so many things he says that I want to have on tape, especially his cute mispronunciations. My current favorite is honey, which he says as HOE-knee, which makes me giggle thinking about some skank with a limp. Yesterday, when Bella the dog accidentally jumped over him and scratched him he told me frankly that she needed a "time out." Last night, out of nowhere, he also proclaimed when he was eating his dinner "Dada looooooooooves beets!" Nice sell job, mama. I wouldn't eat a beet with a 10-foot pole, but apparently I talk them up quite a bit! Whatever works!

Thankfully, he's so cute. Lately, he's been a little on the short-fused side, such as when he threw himself down on the floor at TJ Maxx the other day because he decided he didn't like the look of the place. Nothing like scooping up a 30 pound sack of screaming two year-old potatoes when it's hot and you're really really pregnant. I wouldn't trade it, though... Anyway, I have no idea where he learned to sing such a dorky song as KC and the Sunshine Band's Shake Your Booty. And, what kind of person would teach that to such a young child? The second one is just pure JM right now... He talks about "dee dobby trucks" every.single.day., meaning green garbage trucks and Thursdays when the garbage truck comes, is a big day around here!

Spent the day with a cute firefighter

When I found out I was going to be a mom to a boy, I had no idea what to expect. Little did I know that it would mean I would get to spend the days with cute firefighters. I mean, look at those blue eyes!

He's pretty much wanted to wear that hat all day today. So yeah, if you were at Home Depot this morning and saw a very pregnant lady accompanied by a squirmy little blonde boy wearing a fire hat in the garden section, that was us. We got the hat for his 2nd (!!!) birthday party which is this Saturday. How time flies!

AC: Strength

34 week belly

Holy cats! My tummy is quickly becoming more and more shelf-like. This is what I looked like with JM (stupid shutterfly pixelized my photo URL, sorry), confirming my opine that I am also carrying a boy this time. I think my shape is definitely the same. I have a lot of pressure like a bowling ball in the nethers lately. I remember feeling this way with JM, but I can't remember when. The playgroup ladies freaked me out, reinforcing my theory that things might be moving along when they said they thought I had dropped the other day. Yowza! I've also started having to get up to go to the bathroom at least 3 times a night, sometimes 4. Good times. I have a doctor appointment tomorrow morning, so we'll see what they say. I have bad acid reflux, again. I had it occasionally earlier in pregnancy, but it has really kicked in these past two weeks. Even water gives me reflux. I've also gotten to the point where I like to groan a lot. Especially when dropping things or more often, picking up after my toddler (who has gotten really bad about leaving things all.over.the.house, messy things like playing cards and numerous Thomas the Train figures!). Yes, I am irritable and SO glad I'm not going to be this pregnant for the summer. It's already getting hot late in the day! A major difference so far with this pregnancy is that I'm not swollen, yet. No cankles. I wonder if working last time made it worse, being seated during the day for much longer. Hmmm...

This week has begun my stocking of the freezer stage. People were so kind to us last time and brought meals for 2 days a week, for at least a month after JM was born, but even still, I should have made more stuff to reheat ahead of time. I am not a good sleep-deprived cook. This week I froze some enchiladas suizas, spinach manicotti, taco soup and chicken pot pie. Next week, I'm making a batch of my friend Katy's famous burritos and some other casserole type stuff. Do you have any good freeze-ahead recipes? Share them here and I'll be glad to get em cooking.
AC: Forgiveness

Lakeing it Up

Since I'm now 34 weeks (p.s. whoa!), we are quickly honing in on the end of my ability to travel, so went to the lakehouse one last time as a threesome over the weekend. We got out the boat for the first time in a long time and JM LOVED it. The three of us went out on Saturday morning and it was chilly enough that we had to wear sweatshirts, but we still had fun at a little beach out there. Because of last summer's drought, Lake Buchanan has been below normal lake levels by a lot (that is, DRY and creek-like in some spots) so we haven't gone out on it in a long long time. It was so nice to see one of the waterfalls past our house, again.



We also brought the boat back to Austin and had a blast last night with John and the J's. Art has been working on some renovations at Ski Shores and told us that they had an awesome new playscape and pizzas and stuff, so we went there for dinner. (sidenote: it was good! kind of like a Waterloo IceHouse on the lake vibe). The weather was so nice and the kids were so happy, even baby Sela who is just a little bitty. Rhys and JM thought the boat was super cool and because of the delay in getting our dinner (it was packed), and then when the self-proclaimed boating Stupids (us) had a tough time getting the boat on the trailer, we didn't get home and our happy boating baby into bed until, ehem after 9. Yes, we became the parents I have judged on occasion for having their kids out way too late on a school night. Being a parent, you learn quickly never to judge but still I get sensitive when I see kids out at 10 at the grocery store. Ehem. I'm pretty proud of myself for not having a coronary and letting myself have fun even though we got "off schedule." I will admit that I'm probably way too inflexible about this stuff. Not to mention the fact that JM was having so much fun. We may pay for it at some point, but hopefully although he went to bed frighteningly close to my bedtime, he'll still get into college.