Second Daughter's Birthday!

Third baby arrived surprisingly quickly in the wee hours of the morning. Here are the details:

A girl!
12:07 am
8 pounds, 10 ounces (my smallest yet)
19 inches

I'll post later with more pictures and details, but wanted you all to know the news. I'm sure I'll be slow on the blog for a while as we all catch our breath a bit.

I Have a Badge and Everything

I was thrilled to be accepted as a reviewer for The Catholic Company. My first book is on the way so I don't have a review to post yet. I do, however, have a badge (now appearing at the bottom of my sidebar).

A Momentous Day

No, baby hasn't arrived yet. In fact, I had a doctor's appointment and he said I'm not even close. Even if I was interested (I'm not), he wouldn't have scheduled an induction before his vacation. So now we wait and see.

For the momentous news - Kansas Dad and I are ready to make an offer on a house (and land). We have the contract and just need to read it and sign it, both on the schedule for tonight after Kansas Dad's class. We're offering a lot less than the asking price, so we may not hear anything at all though I'm expecting a counteroffer. Again, we wait and see. The land has lots of possibilities, but it's not absolutely perfect so we'll be okay if it doesn't work out.

I almost forgot! In other news, Kansas Dad has lost the cast! He's off crutches and just has a brace for his ankle. Hopefully he'll continue to heal well.

Another Due Date, Another Slowpoke

This is my third pregnancy and every time I've watched that due date come and go without a birth. I didn't really expect the third one to be any different, but I had hope. So life goes. Baby will come when it's time...Now I'm just hoping the "time" is before my doctor goes on vacation on Friday.

Oh Yeah, This Is Helping

What could be better than being nine months pregnant with a husband in a cast and on crutches?

If both kids get colds.

And then give them to Mom and Dad.

Oh yeah, we feel much more energized and able to handle the next few days now...

Baking, Yes. Cleaning, No.

Does baking count as nesting? Today I made bread (in the bread machine, but still) and chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-brownies and was severly tempted to bake some chocolate-chip-zucchini muffins as well (though controlled that urge). I did manage to keep the dishes done, but the laundry is in a state of disgrace (mostly clean, but at least four loads piled in the laundry basket right now mocking me as they wait and wait to be folded). Thinking about cleaning makes me tired.

By the way, this picture in no way does justice to how enormous the baby belly is. I'm a little frightened of it myself. (And it's not just all the baking. I haven't gained any weight in a week and a half but the stomach just seems to get bigger and bigger.)

Always Looking for a Challenge

First Son insisted on putting together this 100 piece double-sided puzzle one piece at a time, in order. I am continually astounded by stuff like this. He could describe exactly the piece he next needed.

A New Rival

One of Grammy's dear friends sweetly bought a new backpack for First Son (which he calls a "packpack"). She's a big Alabama fan and thought we needed some Crimson to go with our Illini and Michigan gear.

Please note, First Son dresses himself in the mornings. He added this hat to complete the ensemble before heading to the zoo.

Baby and More Baby

First Daughter has a lot of babies.

1. Baby brought by Grammy so First Son could play with one before First Daughter was born. First Son was interested for about thirty minutes. First Daughter has been fascinated since we can remember.
2. A baby purchased just for her last Christmas from Grammy and Paw Paw.
3, 4 and 5. Three babies that were mine when I was little that I recently pulled from storage.
6. A Cabbage Patch baby that was confiscated from Kansas Dad when he and his brother were caught in a contest to see how many times they could flip them before they hit the ceiling (so it's in near perfect condition).

First Daughter calls these babies "my baby, more baby, other baby, more baby, other baby, more baby" in no particular order. They all must sleep with her. They all must be pulled from the crib for her to play with during the day. She also sleeps with Elmo and two Hippos. She sleeps with Rory during her nap (when First Son won't notice). (We've ordered one for her so she can have her own at bedtime.)

On some nights, she insists on up to three blankets as well. Her crib becomes very crowded very quickly.

But at least she's sleeping.

On Planning Ahead

I am a planner. Did you know that about me? I don't just plan; I love to plan. I love to plan for contingencies; what my options might be in any situation. So while I am anxiously looking forward to meeting our newest little one face to face (instead of feet to stomach), I find myself a little frustrated at the end of a pregnancy. You see, I want to know exactly when the baby will be born. I want to plan ahead. Every time we talk about doing something tomorrow or the next day or the day after that, I think "What if the baby comes?" Then all my plans will be ruined.

Having been through this before, I know the elation of a birth will easily conquer any frustration from a change in plans...but that doesn't help me much in the anticipation of potentially marred plans.

I suppose I will survive. Logically, we're hoping baby will wait until the evening of the 16th as Kansas Dad should lose the cast (and crutches) that afternoon. I know his class is praying for that exact night so he'll have to cancel class.

Just between you and me, baby, you can come anytime now. Anytime. Let's finish this pregnancy and get on with the rest of your life!

The Offer that Almost Was

Kansas Dad and I drove down to look at another house yesterday. It's still a little crazy to me that we're actually looking at houses, but this one was well within our price range and just the perfect distance from campus, so off we went.

It was very muddy. We didn't even drive all the way down the driveway because we were afraid the van would get stuck. We had the kids with us and they waded through the mud in their boots. I'm sure we made quite a scene: Kansas Dad on crutches, me nine months pregnant and the two little ones. The house needed quite a bit of work, but had its good features, too. Last night we debated and debated and decided to go to the bank this morning.

We are officially pre-approved for a mortgage loan. Craziness.

Kansas Dad called about making an offer on the house after lunch. (Yes, we were really willing to buy it, contingent on inspection and so forth.) Not too surprisingly (given the price), they had already signed a contract. So, we haven't made an offer.

We're scheduled to see another place tomorrow. Now that we're pre-approved, I told Kansas Dad I wanted to look at a variety of places so I could get a better idea of what's out there.

Most of our friends have already bought their first house (and second and even third!), so please feel free to email with advice.

Date Night

Tonight, Kansas Dad and I went out on a date. Grammy very generously handled dinner and bath and bed with First Son and First Daughter. We went out for a nice dinner and then saw an early movie. It was such a blessing to have some quiet time together.

By the way, I highly recommend the movie. I won't review it since you can probably find much better reviews out there. I will suggest you see this movie first (even though I don't particularly like it). A little knowledge of it will contribute greatly to the humor. (At one point, Kansas Dad and I were laughing out loud!)

Face Painting

It seems every time we get out the markers, First Daughter ends up looking something like this. I always end up wondering if those washable markers are as non-toxic as they claim...probably not. I've convinced myself, however, that the risk is small enough I shouldn't let it bother me too much. Most of the time, I'm convinced.

You can read about some eco-friendly art options here.

The Harvest from Two Days

And there's a lot more coming (not to mention the five cups we've already shredded and stored in the freezer).

Squash for breakfast, squash for lunch, squash for dinner...

Smile Guys!

And this is what I get.