3 months
5 months
7 months
9 months (taken yesterday) Notice my belly sticking out the bottom:)
It's hard to believe that we're already more than halfway through March, and the birth of our baby is just around the corner! As I talked about in a previous post, I had the idea a while ago to take the kids to Build-A-Bear and let them make a bear for the baby. Because of Steve's current work schedule, we were able to take them in the middle of the week when the mall was relatively empty, and we had all sorts of fun! If you've ever been to Build-A-Bear, you know that it is quite easy to walk away with a $50+ bear, and our goal was to NOT do that! The staff there was great and the kids really enjoyed themselves, though Travis has told Jayna every day since that the bear is for the baby, and not for her. Anyway, here are a few pictures from our outing.
Each of them put a heart inside...
And the finished product!Speaking of baby...physically, I am feeling great! Usually by this point I'm so beyond ready to get the baby out, but I'm really feeling good right now. Maybe in a couple weeks I'll feel differently! I'm a bit anxious about the timing of it all, but I know the baby will come when he/she is ready, and we will never be 100% ready, so there's not much point in worrying about it. My dr.'s appointments have been great, the baby is in the right position, and is measuring right on track. I am so thankful for such a smooth pregnancy! I do have a few specific prayers for the labor/delivery....
1)that my doctor will be there - I LOVE my dr. and really want her at the delivery, but she's going to be gone Apr. 2-8, which is right around when I'm due. Hopefully it will happen before then, but that might be very wishful thinking.
2)that it will be a fast labor (and not so much pushing...I pushed 3 1/2 hours with Travis, 1 1/2 with Jayna)
3)that the baby will not be too big...and by that I mean less than 9 1/2 lbs. (because I know I can push a 9 1/2 lb. baby out!)...mainly so that there won't be a lot of tearing and the recovery won't be so difficult. I honestly don't feel as big as I did with the other two, and I've only gained 21 lbs. this pregnancy, so hopefully that will mean a smaller baby. But who knows.
So if you're thinking of it, we'd appreciate prayer for those things! In any case, we are so excited! Very little in this world compares to holding your newborn in your arms!
Travis...well, half the time (maybe a bit more than half the time:), he is so difficult. I guess the hardest thing we're dealing with now with him is that he's begun arguing with us and talking back A LOT. Only 3 1/2, and already, he thinks he knows better than we do! I take comfort in the fact that most other parents of 3 1/2 year olds are dealing with the same issues, so hopefully it is normal and just something to work on, not necessarily something we're doomed to having to deal with for the rest of our parenting days. It is quite frustrating for both Steve and myself, however. One kind of funny new line he has come up with...after he does something he shouldn't and we talk to him about the way he should have acted (not thrown a fit, not argued, not hit Jayna, etc.), he says very matter-of-factly, nodding his head, "When I'm 81 I will do that". It's always 81...no idea where he came up with that number!
On the other hand, what keeps us hopeful and (somewhat) patient with him is the many moments of humor (he really is such a funny kid!) and of pure sweetness. I was sitting on the couch with him the other day watching a "big boy show", and out of nowhere he scoots really close to me, lays his head on me, and says, "I love you, Mommy" and gives me a squeeze. Oh, Travis, you have no idea how much I love you, too. You are growing way too quickly.
I've been doing a bit of research lately on preschool for him for next year. There are a variety of options, but I haven't found one yet that I really like. We know that preschool is not a necessity and that he will be prepared for kindergarten regardless, but for a number of reasons, we'd REALLY like to put him in preschool. He is SO ready for it, he really thrives in a classroom setting, he could use the time away from the house and with a teacher and peers, and I could really use the break, too! I'm hoping for 3 days/week, in the morning. There seem to be 2 main options...either a private school that would way too expensive (I looked up several, and the cheapest I've found is $160/month...yikes! And most were at least $200!), or a co-op-style, which is considerably cheaper but would be such a pain for me, having two other kids at home (plus almost all of the co-ops are in the afternoon, which won't work for us). So, we'll continue to weigh our options. I'm sure there are still options out there that we haven't yet thought about.
Jayna seems to have grown by leaps and bounds in the last few months...not physically, but in pretty much every other way. She talks SO much (at least at home)....way more than Travis did even at 2 1/2+. And she is incredibly observant, mimicking the rest of us in so much of what we do. I actually think that she could start potty-training soon, but we figure it's best to wait until after the baby is born to start trying.
I find myself especially attached to Jayna lately, likely because of the baby's impending arrival. I remember when I was 7 months or so pregnant with Jayna, and the night before we were going to switch Travis out of his crib into a big-boy bed, I sat by his crib as he slept and cried for a good 20-30 minutes. As excited as I was for Jayna to come, I really had a hard time letting go of Travis as "the baby" and the ease and wonder of being a parent of one. And of course, I felt guilty that we were forcing him out of the "baby" spot. I'm feeling a lot of those same things this time around. Maybe not as strongly, since I've already dealt with it once and divided myself once. But I'm constantly noticing how much older she seems, and yet how little she still is. She's been receiving extra kisses and hugs from me lately, that's for sure!
Steve is nearing the end of his 4-month police training. Actually, he is just beginning his final 2-week evaluation, after which he will hopefully be on his own (he's had a different training officer patrolling with him for each of the last 4 months). Fortunately, he will be able to take off a good chunk of time when the baby is born...we're still happily adjusting to the amount of time he spends at home! It will be nice, however, to have him on the same shift for awhile (in each of the four months he has had to switch shifts/days, and it's been a pain for all of us to have to keep adjusting). At this point, he will be on day shift through the end of the year once he's done with the training.
Like I said earlier, I am doing well. Just keeping up with housework and kids keeps me plenty busy, and I'm overwhelmed by all I want to accomplish before the baby comes. But I know I'll have to let some of that go. It will get done eventually. Our MOPS year is coming to a close (4 meetings left!), and the other coordinator is graciously doing everything she can to take the pressure off me. More of a concern to me is my high school 10-year reunion coming up in July, which I am doing much of the planning for. It is basically the last thing I want to deal with right now with this baby coming, but I will have to get going on it at some point. Eh...later:)
This video is actually pretty lame, but Bonnie says I should be posting more videos...so here you go, Bonnie! Also, the kids have been fighting like crazy lately, so I figure I should try to document any time they are actually getting along. This was just last week when it snowed, and they had been sitting watching it for a while before Steve got out the camera.
