Monday and Tuesday

Yesterday Matt took the day off work, and it was so nice to have him home an extra day in the weekend.  Poor thing spent most of it in the bathroom installing this:

Yay!  Now Joanna can wash her hands all by herself.  Whoo hoo!  She just did not have the strength or leverage for the other one.

I had to work in the afternoon yesterday instead of Tuesday morning, and I was so excited to be able to leave the girls with their Daddy during the day on a week day!

I came home and BOTH girls were SLEEPING!  Sure, sleep for Daddy.  :)  Natalie actually went down for her nap in the toddler bed (or really on the floor, but I’ll take it!)

We had Home Group last night and it was a new study for couples.  Matt and I definitely both wanted to be there, at least for the first session!  My wonderful mother was off work and agreed to watch the girls so we could go alone.  Whoo hoo!

I snapped this picture after we got home:

Mom said she fussed a little and the girls stayed up and talked forever, but she fell asleep in the toddler bed!  This morning she was facing the other way, but still on the bed.  She also slept until 8:45!  She took her nap there (or maybe on the floor) today as well.  We’re officially not going back (well, I say that!) to the crib.  Now that she knows that sleeping in the toddler bed won’t kill her, we’re going to keep plugging along.

This is a random picture (I think from yesterday) of the girls after bathtime in their towels.  They’re also pretending to blow dry their hair.  Tough to do through the hooded towel I bet.  :)

Today was a special treat because I’d finished my Tuesday work on Monday, and we had the day at home to work around the house.  It was a Monday-Tuesday.  :)  Because I’d also been home yesterday morning (and Matt had, too!), I was able to pick up, organize, and do laundry yesterday, and actually clean some today.  Amazing!  My house is about as good as it gets right now, and it feels so good!  As soon as I can pry myself up from the couch I need to finish up in the kitchen.

Work tomorrow, Meet and Greet the teachers on Thursday, and Play Day on Friday.  Great week ahead!

Joanna’s prayer before bed

Dear God,

Thank you for all the church.  Thank you for the elevator.  Thank you for all the balls.  Thank you for Anna and Emma and Lisa and Poppa.  And thank you for my poppa and Mommy and Natalie.

Amen.

 

This is paraphrased by me but that was very close.  It made me tear up a little.  The back story is that we were just at the church and rode the elevator and saw the Vandenberges and there were pool balls.  Still.  I love how she calls all the other Vandenberges by their name but she calls Tony Poppa like his girls do.

My children constantly amaze me.

33 Weeks

   

32 Weeks 6 Days

How Your Baby’s Growing (from Babycenter.com):

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

How far along: 33 weeks

Pregnancy symptoms: Braxton Hicks, heartburn, foot/ankle pain, back pain.  I realized that I’ve gotten to this point in the pregnancy where somehow I have all this energy and desire to get stuff done, but my body can’t keep up.  Better than the reverse for me though.

Food Cravings: salty stuff (chips, etc.), ice to chew, chocolate, shakes

Sleep: it’s been good the last few days

Measurement: inches

Movement: I feel him a lot. 

Labor signs: not so much

What I miss: being able to snuggle my babies in my lap :)

What I’m looking forward to: getting the newborn diapers ordered – planning to do that this week!  I have a friend whose baby should be born this week, and I’m looking forward to holding a newborn! 

Milestone: Baby Boy and I had a baby shower on Sunday.  It was so nice!

Thoughts from the Girls: ummmm… I’m not thinking of anything 

Doctor’s visit: not this week

Baby-related projects: (I still have lots of time for all these, but they’re in my head.)

• I’m pondering making Natalie go “cold turkey” from her crib sometime in the next week.  I think I will move out the crib and put her toddler bed in the corner against the wall.  I know she’ll do fine, and not having the crib in there to fall back on will make us try harder. **She slept both nap yesterday and last night in the toddler bed, so I think we’re done with the crib.  At least at night, I’m not planning to let her back in the crib.
• I’m thinking I’ll plan to have “the bag” packed at 36 weeks
• Around that same time I will print a “call list” of people who can come get/watch the girls when it’s time.  My previous deliveries haven’t afforded me much wait time between the onset of labor and birth, so the first person who answers get Joanna/Natalie duty!  (Hopefully this labor will be smooth like the others!)
• Purchase/assemble/organize the newborn cloth diaper supplies.
• Possibly have the house deep cleaned at the beginning of October.
• Pick up some easy snacks/meals for me for when my hands are full.
• Get some meals in the freezer: casseroles, soups, browned meat, cooked chicken, etc.
• Get ahead on the bread making.
• Organize the girls’ snacks and drinks so Joanna can help get them.  (Teach her to use the water dispenser on the fridge, move the crackers and Cheerios down low, make a space in the fridge for easy snacks for them.)  I’m thinking it’s possible she’ll be very helpful in getting snacks for herself and her sister… or we’ll scrap that idea when she makes a big ‘ol mess. :)  I remember everyone was always hungry or needed something when I sat down to nurse last time I had a newborn. :)  **Joanna can (and loves to) get her own water from the fridge.  Yay!
• Read my birth books again.  **started this!
• Replace the faucet in the bathroom so Joanna can turn it on herself.  **Matt replaced the one in the middle bath this weekend!

Baby Boy Stuff

Even though there was a 40% chance of rain today (which around here really means “I’ll believe it when I see it.”), I decided to wash and hang out some clothes, the most exciting of them being some baby BOY clothes!

Aren’t they PRECIOUS?!?!

The clothes got almost completely dry before it started to rain.  They’re finishing up in the dryer right now.

And then my mother came over with the bedskirt for the crib!!!  So of course I had to dress the whole crib up.

   

I’m in love with it.  My mom quilted the bedskirt and the little pillow case.  She also made the sheet and the quilt (back almost 4 years ago).  The bumper was given to me by a friend, and it goes just perfectly!

My mom needed to do some seam reinforcing, so she took the skirt back, and I pulled everything else off too.  It’s kind of lonely looking right now. :)  I’m so excited for when I kick Natalie out of the crib and get it dressed and waiting for the little man!  (I love you, Natalie.)

Baby Shower!

 

I have such a wonderful group of girlfriends who threw me and Little Man a shower today.  Yay for babies!  I had Matt snap this picture before I left the house:

It was at my friend Lisa’s house, which is thankfully close-by since I was running behind a little!

Take a look at all the work these ladies did:

They know I LOVE a cookie cake!

So many sweets and yummy treats!

There were Little Engine That Could books scattered around as part of the decorations:

And this one doubled as a guest book for everyone to sign in!

Lisa told me they thought about trying to do a diaper cake out of cloth diapers, but didn’t.  I think that would have been quite an undertaking!  I’m sure we’ll use our share of Swaddlers, as well!

You know, I’ve been pregnant three times and this is the only diaper cake I’ve ever been given.  THANK YOU!!

  

Some wonderful presents!

Joanna got to come, too.  Doesn’t she just look like a supermodel or something here?  She is so GORGEOUS!

A couple of other friends were there too!  That’s Joanna’s cousin Jade on the left and her friend Bailey on the right.  They played so sweetly!  At least I think they did; Lisa’ll have to let me know if they wrecked anything in the other room!

I thought this picture was fun because it looks like the jammies are glowing. :)  (Have I mentioned I think my camera is slowly dying?)

Nana and Popo sent a gift to Lisa’s house even though they couldn’t be there!

The baby brother got so so many cute things, which I know you will all enjoy seeing IN USE pretty soon!

Tiny cloth diaper covers are JUST TOO CUTE!

Me and my sweet big girl.  I had actually waffled back and forth between bringing Joanna and not.  I had decided it might be easier just not to, but when there were a couple of other kiddos there, I had Matt bring her over.  Oh, poor Miss Natalie cried when he dropped her sis off!  They went home and had much needed naps though, which was good!

Here are most of the shower hostesses:

My sweet friend Amanda was again unable to actually be there for the shower (she missed Natalie’s too!).  But I’m trying not to take it personally.  :)  She actually had to move (at the last minute!) today.  Boy, some people will do anything to get out of coming to my baby shower.  :)

Back at home, I took a picture of the goodies after Matt brought them in from the car:

I had so much fun going through everything, sorting it, taking tags off, and getting stuff ready to wash.  I CANNOT wait to see some teeny tiny boy clothes hanging on the clothesline!

I really wanted to try on the new Ergo carrier, but the belly is very prohibitive for that.  So I made Matt try it on. :)

Natalie snuggled right in as soon as she was strapped on.

She did NOT want to get out, but I made her so Joanna could have a turn.  This time, on Matt’s back.

She enjoyed it too!

This thing is rated up to 40lbs, and you can wear the baby on your front, side, or back.  The side carry was kind of confusing to my tired preggo self, and the girls really needed to get to bed, so we’ll try again another time!

I had so much fun spending time with family and friends today.  I am just so blessed with wonderful people in my life.  Thank you all for supporting me and being so generous.  I love you all!

Sunday Stuff

Right after church we had a luncheon with the Emmaus group.  Across the hall there was a UMARMY meeting, and Joanna spied her friend Abby.  So she invited herself in to watch a movie (and mooch a cookie!)

Natalie found herself a spot in the hallway with the big boys playing on their iPods.  She just sat and watched them so closely!

My girls are so funny and not at all comfortable around the church. (ha!)

After the luncheon, I was so blessed to have a baby shower for my little man.  I’ll do a separate post (probably tomorrow – I’m tired!) about it.

This is random, but Natalie was trying her hardest to get this balloon blown up this evening!

And Matt hung up my new racks from Ikea:

Yay!  I love using the dead space there at the end of the kitchen.  I had a picture hanging there, which was nice, but really not useful.  Now I can clear some of my spices, etc. off the counters.  Since I took the picture, I’ve added some hooks and my measuring cups and spoons.  I’ll figure out just what I like to use it for. 

Saturday work and play

Natalie asked me please to put Daddy’s socks on her.  So I did.  Aside from the socks, this is a very typical Natalie pose: thumb in mouth, finger in belly button.

I was going through the 24 mo/2T bin of clothes yesterday and came across several long sleeved onesies that would be perfect under dresses.  Too bad I can’t make her wear them.  :)

We stayed around the house today but had many things on the to-do list to accomplish.  I’m happy to say a lot of them did!

This may not look very exciting, but it symbolizes my having folded ALL the clothes and put them away.  I even hung up everything that was hanging over the back of the couch.  More often than not there’s at least a little pile of stuff hanging around.

 

The girls played outside with Matt a lot today.  He worked in the garage and the yard most of the day.  I made them come in some to cool off, drink water, and eat snacks, but they just aren’t fazed by the heat like I am!

One sweaty, grubby girl:

Matt’s dad stopped by and helped him hang this, um… thing.

See?  This thing:

We’ve seriously owned the darn thing for easily two years but probably longer.  It’s definitely older than Natalie.

It feels so good to have that stuff up off the floor!  Matt also used the blower to get all the leaves and junk out – it’s so nice in there!

One thing that’s left to do in there is hang the bicycles (which neither of us ride but Matt won’t let me get rid of).  If they’re out of my way I will let them stay.  :)