3.29.2011

Busy times around here

As our due date approaches I find myself getting very anxious. In some respects the 2nd time around is easier, but in others it is even more daunting. I feel like I don't have the time to really prepare for Fletcher's arrival with chasing after Archie, the increased annoyances of pregnancy, the constant fatigue and desire to catch up on sleep and the worries that are constantly flowing through my head about having two boys 18 months apart.

That said, I am still me and we are knocking out my to-do list a little every day. This past weekend Dave finished the walls of Archie's new room, set up the co-sleeper, set up the pack 'n play/changing table in the front room and moved Archie's car seat behind the driver's seat. I got the Moses basket ready to go, hung up Fletcher's clothing, got the swaddlers ready, worked on birth announcements and did some more on-line shopping for baby stuff. Amazon Prime is awesome!!



Tonight we have our preadmission appointment at our hospital. Basically that means when it is go time we can skip all the paperwork and just be admitted and have a baby. We also have a babysitter for Archie so Dave & I can go out to dinner after our appt.!!! We don't get to eat kid free very often so we are pretty excited.

Archer is growing and changing so much everyday now. All the information he has been absorbing for the past 18 months is finally breaking through. He can recognize and recite most of the letters of the alphabet, count to 10, say words back to us and remember what they are, he is drawing lines with crayons instead of making dots and trying to eat them and doing dozens of other things that we think are simple amazing. He also is learning the art of the tantrum, which is not so amazing but sometimes amusing. We just ride it out and he usually gets over it in a minute or two. I know that they are going to get more impressive as time goes on though.






3.21.2011

4-7 weeks left!

When I was pregnant with Archer I basically just breezed through it all. Yes I had the occasional heartburn and my belly certainly got in the way, but I was by no means miserable or in pain. Pregnancy the 2nd time around is no walk in the park for me. I hurt in places that shouldn't hurt, I get heartburn just thinking about food, I have shooting nerve pains down my back and walking is not possible some evenings. That said, I still want to do it again so we can have a 3rd and maybe even a 4th kid down the road. The end result is worth all the discomfort.

I am now in my 33rd week of pregnancy. Archer was born at 37 weeks, 1 day. If this baby follows suit then I could have another little boy in less than 4 weeks! That is soon. Statistically more women go into labor during a full moon or during a snow storm. April 17th is the next full moon and coincidentally I am also going to be 37 weeks, 1 day pregnant on that particular day. Only time will tell!

During this past week I feel like Fletcher has dropped a bit. Does my belly look lower in the 2nd picture or is it just me?

(32 weeks, 1 day)



(33 weeks, 1 day)

I just need to survive the next 4-7 weeks. I can do it especially now that Archer is walking a whole lot more and is very independent. He likes to do things by himself and only asks for help if he needs/wants it. He likes to pick out his own books for us to read and if he is still hungry will hand us his bowl. The only real drawback is that he likes to walk when we are out running errands and that adds a lot of time to our outings. It's very hard to shop when Archie is pushing the cart at a nonstop pace. Oh well!

Pretty soon I will be posting pictures of Archer's newly painted room! Dave finished painting yesterday and we just need to put up the wallpaper border. I am so excited to start moving stuff into his new room and getting the baby stuff back into the nursery. I started unpacking the newborn clothing and it is all so tiny and cute. I cannot wait to dress Fletcher up in them! Soon enough.




3.14.2011

Look who's walking!

The Life of Madison


Madison ~ 2/22/03 - 3/02/11



It has been almost two weeks and I finally feel like I can write this blog post without being maudlin and depressing. On March 2nd we had to put down our sweet cat Madison after a year of battling kidney failure. She had just turned 8 in February, but was not destined for this world for much longer after that. Fortunately this 2nd onset of her kidney failure came on fast and she did not suffer very long.

I got Madison shortly after graduating college in April 2003. I wasn't supposed to have cats in the co-op but everyone on the 3rd floor of Mich House fell in love with her and I got to keep her until moving out about 2 months later. She was super sweet from the get go, not one of those cats that you fear will claw out your eyes in your sleep. She adapted well to change, loved people, and even tolerated dogs to a certain extent. She took Archie's abuse with aplomb and would bend over backwards just to get a pat on the head. She is sorely missed, but also we are lucky just to have had her for those 8 awesome years.

Her sister Ivy seems to be taking everything in stride. She definitely wants, and gets, more attention these days. She is adjusting better than I thought, but I think she gets lonely sometimes. We are definitely not going to be getting another kitten though. Ivy and Madison tolerated each other pretty well, but I think Ivy would destroy a kitten.

To honor Madison we got a beautiful wall tile of a cat and the vet's office also made clay plaque with her paw print. She was a loved part of this family and is missed.

3.11.2011

Name Plaques

I just finished making name plaques for Archer and his brother-to-be Fletcher. I went to Hobby Lobby and got the unfinished wood plaques and letters. After sandpapering them and painting them with acrylic paint I got to start the decoupaging! I used two different papers for each plaque and a whole lot of Mod Podge. Then I painted the letters, sealed them and attached them to the boards. I still to spray them with acrylic sealer, but this is essentially the finished product. I think they are so much fun!