Rumor is we're sticking it to the man

Somehow we forgot to take our own advice to not have a baby in September. (Of course sometimes you don't really get to choose). Our new baby is due September 3rd - three measly days after the school cutoff.

In the previous post you learned that I wasn't going to be induced early like I had hoped. So we canceled all our helpers and told them to wait a week. On Monday we went back to the doctor for a check up. I hoped there would be some progress, but knew that even if there was, there was probably no way to get scheduled at the hospital with such short notice.

Well, Dr Judd checked me and then said, "So, do you want to have a baby on Wednesday? I reserved a spot at the hospital for you just in case." What?! Well, that would have been nice to know before we canceled our perfectly arranged schedule.

We spent the rest of the day on the phone trying to arrange help so we could have our baby in August instead of September. It started getting pretty complicated, but finally Dad and Jana were able to come while we were in the hospital to take care of everyone else, and then Brian's mom could come after that. Hooray!

So everything is set. Its not like we had to have our baby before the school cut off. We might decide to wait a year before kindergarten anyway - but at least this time we will have the choice! The other thing about having an August baby is that now we will have birthdays in May (Ashby), June (Me), July (Levi), August (baby) and September (Paige). Fun, right?

What's his name?

We are having the hardest time coming up with a name for our new baby boy.
There are several names we like, but it seems like they have been stolen by the girls. Names like, Riley, Casey, Sam, and Sidney. We can't agree and nothing really stands out yet. Guess we'll have to figure it out soon - we're good procrastinators.

Pantomime

This morning Paige was acting odd. She would only communicate with me by drawing pictures, writing words, sign language and pantomime. It was cute, but confusing. Eventually she explained to me that she had been getting in trouble for talking too much in class so she was practicing NOT talking. Unfortunately this new method of communication requires even more attention. Heaven help her teacher.

Working

For about the past year I was working part time. I was working as an assistant to my neighbor who is a Lia Sophia consultant. I did all the behind-the-scenes things - you know, like design invitations and posters, print everything, stuff envelopes, and mail invites. It wasn't a very glamorous job. (Although she did reward me with a few great necklaces). I got paid $8 an hour. Not much, but I think it was somewhat helpful to our bank account.

Well, I am no longer working. It is nice to not have that little feeling over my head - the knowing that I should be doing something else feeling.

Hopefully I can focus more on my kids. Maybe I'll even get around to some of the projects I haven't done for a couple of years - like family DVD's and scrapbook pages. Its crazy how far behind you can fall.

Negative Attention

I'm afraid Levi enjoys getting in trouble.

Unfortunately I think it may be the only time he gets any attention. I better start looking for more positive reinforcement, or we're in for a really hard time.

Rumor is I'm ready to complain

10 months is a long time to be pregnant.
Throughout the months I told myself I'm not allowed to complain, even if I want to, because I know the worse is still to come and I don't want my complaining to get annoying.

I was doing pretty well, and I could see the light at the end of the tunnel...only one more week. Usually I'm happy to have a baby stay inside me for as long as possible - its much easier to take care of a baby inside, than outside. Newborns scare me. But the last few days I've actually been looking forward to being done.

I had a disappointing doctor's visit this afternoon. He was supposed to tell me that I would be induced next Tuesday or Wednesday. Instead he said there is no progress being made and he guesses it will be another two weeks before the baby comes.

I understand. I definitely don't want to have the baby if my body isn't ready. But...
We had all our out-of-town helpers perfectly lined up - now what?
I only wanted to clean the house one more time
I only wanted to go to the grocery store one more time
I only wanted to do the laundry one more time
I only wanted to shave my legs one more time
I wanted to be able to bend over again
I wanted to not care about bumps in the road
I wanted to be able to move again
I don't want feet in my ribs
I don't want to feel contractions all through the night

[sigh] This is just me complaining, but I'm allowed to now!

Paige the First-Grader

Paige woke up bright-eyed and happy this morning. She got dressed, read her scriptures and told me how to do her hair. Today was "red" day which took off the pressure of what to wear on the first day of school. I guess her class has a different color each day this week. We didn't go school clothes shopping this year anyway, since we had so many hand-me-downs. The only trouble is that there aren't really any "outfits".

First grade! Paige couldn't stop talking about how excited she was for lunch time. She even remembered to make her own lunch the night before. She picked out a princess lunch box. I tried to get her to pick out some other cute design, but her heart was set on those princesses.

Paige's desk is in the very front center of the classroom. She is excited to have a secret cubby underneath to store her stuff. On back to school night she noticed that her name was placed under "teacher's helper" for the week. She is still waiting to see what that means.

There are only a couple of kids in her class that Paige already knew from last year. She will have lots of opportunities to make more friends. But I asked her who she sits right next too, and she said it was a boy, but she couldn't remember his name. Maybe that's good - she won't get in trouble for talking to her neighbor too much. Cause she never talks too much. :)

A Summer's End

Well, another summer is gone.

I think it was a pretty good summer. A little lazier than I had originally envisioned, but I guess that goes with the last months of pregnancy.

Luckily, we were able to cross off almost everything on the summer list the kids made.

Places to go this summer:

• Summerfest
• Pet Store
• Dinosaur Museum
• Bean Museum
• Dentist Office
• Water Park
• Sandy Beach
• Canoeing
• Hiking
• Theater
• Race Track
• River Trail
• Hot Air Balloons
• Movie Theater
• Family Reunion
• Parade
• Mini Golf

We were supposed to go to see The Sound of Music that Paige auditioned for earlier this summer, but we waited til the last week and it was completely sold out. I was pretty sad about that.

The summer brought way too many late nights. Fortunately, that meant sleeping in, so it was okay with me. Now the sun is setting earlier, so hopefully we can go to bed earlier.

Paige starts 1st grade in the morning. She is extremely excited and I'm excited for her. Here's to a year of new experiences.

Father's blessings

I'd just like to express how grateful I am for a willing and worthy priesthood holder in my home. It was wonderful and beautiful today to watch him patiently explain to the kids about the priesthood and ask them if they would like a father's blessing. I always looked forward to getting a father's blessing at the beginning of each school year, and I'm glad that we are continuing that tradition. I was also very eager for a priesthood blessing as we get ready for this new baby. Thank you Brian for the tender, thoughtful, and loving experience you helped your family have today.

Bringing up Baby

I have been feeling pretty stressed out about the arrival of our new baby. I just felt like there was so much to do and I was running out of time. So I have been working hard around the house to actually start crossing things off my list. There's moving Levi into Ashby's room and into the toddler bed, rearranging dressers and closets to make room for everything, finding spots for all the large baby items - swing, bouncy seat, bassinet, etc. - and probably the biggest project, sorting through clothes.

We came home from our family reunion with 5 big garbage bags of hand-me-down clothes and ever since, my front room has looked more like a store with piles of clothes everywhere. I am so grateful for free clothes, but it is pretty daunting since our house is already jam-packed and we don't have any storage space. Well, I went through everything and ended up putting 6 storage bins up in the attic. I sorted through all the baby clothes and washed and folded them.

Look at all these baby clothes! And this pile is just the 0-3 months. I bet I could go the whole three months without even having to wash the clothes. Oh,... washing baby clothes...that sure ends up being a lot of snaps clanging around in the dryer.

I'm starting to feel more prepared. There is still a lot to do, but I think I've got it under control. I'm starting to feel a little more excited, and not just stressed.

All these doctor visits

It doesn't matter how many times I have to do it...I don't think I'll ever get good at giving a urine sample.

Splash

Last week we enjoyed afternoon thunderstorms almost every day. It was fantastic. One day provided quite the downpour, so once the storm clouds moved away we ventured outside to gawk at the new river in our street and splash in the puddles. It was a perfect summer afternoon.

Levi's new freedom

I guess I should be grateful for how long it lasted, but I think every parent mourns the day their toddler learns to turn the doorknob.