you know it's bad when...

i have to remind myself how thankful i am. my life is happy and quiet and lovely but some of my dearest family members have been dealing with very difficult circumstances for a few weeks now and it hurts my heart. how i wish i could be with the ones i love all the time, but God has reasons for keeping us right where we are. i'm content for now to know that at least we are ALL in the palm of His hand.




i'm thankful for:

1. a wonderful day with amelie--what a joy!!
2. beautiful FALL weather!
3. i lived through buying groceries (going to wegman's certainly makes it more bearable!!)
4. maevey baby and her antics (even though most of those antics are taking place in the vicinity of my ribs--ouchey).
5. my peaceful, clean, comfortable, airconditioned apartment--never more then 2 blocks away from my husband!
6. my parents and their faithful marriage of ....(i'm horrible at math) 33 years and their growing ever-adventurous friendship now that they are unhampered by children at home =-)
7. working transportation
8. flip flops, stretchy waisted skirts and tank tops--comfy clothes are the best
9. my friends--who all add something different and wonderful to my life (and all of their fabulous kiddos who each add something different and wonderful to my amelie's life)
10. internet access
11. stevie-beans--i can't stress enough how thankful i am for my sweet husband.

i could go on and on and on...but i'll stop for now! by the way, the picture is of my little giraffe LAST september--oy vey, does time fly!

it's already sunday?

this weekend went by so quickly--i hate to see monday come around--i love our family time on the weekends! we enjoyed church today and amelie lived through sunday school and seems to be over the separation anxiety she was feeling.
i don't have anything planned for this week but can't help but wonder what it might hold...i'm getting anxious!

aw, my favorites

as a special treat, we were able to squeeze in a quick visit with some of our favorite people ever. being in a room with old friends is like being able to breathe again. i love you sarah rose, i always feel more myself when we are together! amelie had a blast playin' with her pal juju and kept asking him to play soccer, which i think is funny, since i didn't know she knew what soccer was.

amelie gave us the old familiar-"i dont take naps on weekends" battle but was finally coaxed to sleep by dear old dad. well, i'm off to wake the beast and then to a family reunion of our own! here are some more judah and amelie pictures!

insert witty title here

what a whirlwind day! i woke up feeling very BLEH and remained BLEH allllll day. amelie and i had some errands to run this morning and we stocked up on a bunch of last minute baby things and amelie things so that hopefully when the BIG day comes we won't have anything to run out and get! i'm uber prepared now and just playing the waiting game--i'm glad to have what we need as we were totally unprepared for our first little bundle of joy!
we were supposed to see some of our favorite people today but ended up getting a call from steven that he wanted to bring amelie to a special carnival at the elementary school. amelie had fun and it was fab to see steven during the day--it's my favorite! she took a great nap which was awesome since i needed a nap too! this evening we went out to dinner and shopping at the mall (atten. ladies with little ones--children's place is having and extra 50% all clearance....it's pretty much the best). now i'm ready to crash!
amelie is in the other room screaming, "ALL DONE!" (she just finished her bed time snack) and today is one of those days where i kinda feel like yelling the same thing! i'd like to be "all done" being pregnant--i am feeling

**T**I**R**E**D**

i think it's time for bed!

big girls eat "toes and milk"

well, not toes--that's what amelie saying the word "cheerios" sounds like! she loves eating cereal as many times a day as i'll let her and don't tell, but i'm secretly thrilled because it's the only way i can get the kid to "drink" milk!

today was a very busy day for us! amelie was up at 5:30 (i think maybe a dream woke her or something?) but at least she was happy to lay in bed with me until 7! we had to run errands this morning all over the county and then made it back in time to play with our buddies at the park (yay!) before i headed off to my dr's appt. i was hoping to have a really exciting--"she's coming any time" update but since i'm not technically 37 weeks until friday they didn't do the official internal exam but just a strep test, heartbeat listen and send me on my way! the only statistics i have to share are:

the doctor thinks she weighs about 6 pounds (that's not too scary--did you see the story that came on the air today about the lady who had 12 babies and this recent 12th child weighed 17 pounds! how is that possible?!?!?)

i've gained 13 pounds and am starting to lose weight--which the doctor assured me is normal--but i think is strange since i've eaten 3 pb & j sandwiches a day including 2 jars of peanut butter in the last week and a half! ha!!

well, maybe next week i'll have some exciting news to share...it's gotta be getting close--i think she's out of room to maneuver =-)

my daughter is a genius inventer who will someday make me..uh, herself millions and millions of dollars!!!!

what did she invent!?!?

a bologna and cool whip sandwich....
GROSS!!!

i was going to take a picture but i was too busy pretending i didn't see it happen!

the park's a lark except for when it's a goose

** we went to the park this morning--bright and early--and i was feeling ambitious and amelie was ready to play! after a few trips down the slide we headed off to walk around the local "lake" (about 1 mile all the way around) and amelie decided she was afraid of geese (she wasn't yesterday...so maybe she had a bad dream? who knows!). every time a goose came near us she would say, "hi goose! honk honk!" and then scream at the top of her lungs and run away. it was different....
** her fear also was transferred onto the ducks, which is a shame, because ducks, at least, are cute!
**we found some fish swimming by the dock and fed them some goldfish crackers--it seemed to border on cannibalism but i didn't share that with amelie.
** she is not scared of fish (for now...).
** btw--i am now too pregnant to walk a mile--i thought i was going to explode! i just did it last week and was totally fine--not fine today!
** i thought i was going into labor last night--turns out i just needed a nap, ha!
** tomorrow is my dr.'s appt--i'm hoping for some news like--she'll be here any minute! (well, any day at least!!)

we shall see...

i'm super grumpy right now b/c my nap didn't seem long enough so here are some things i'm thankful for so i don't take up this space complaining!

1. hair bands--i would shave my head if i couldn't put my hair in a pony tail!
2. mu mu type dresses--'nuf said
3. peanut butter right out of the jar
4. a.c. + couch + pillows (at least 4-6) + blanket + t.v. and last but certainly NOT least
5. patient husband

when nesting goes awry...

let me set the scene:
yesterday amelie and i had such a picture perfect morning--it was totally the best and we came home and she took a fabulous 2.5 hour nap (with only 1 crib jumping incident). steven got home from work BEFORE she woke up, we ate dinner and he whisked her away for almost 3 hours of park/play/icecream time--which was wonderful at first but then i started to miss them and he wasn't answering the cell phone (it was dead)--this is when the nesting instinct took over and took a decidedly morbid turn...

i decided to sort all of amelie's clothes (and i mean ALL) in pre arranged, mommy-approved outfits so that in case i die during childbirth, she would still be well dressed. HA! i'm not sure why, but this was vitally important to me last night. i also set aside a funeral dress for amelie and told steve that maeve didn't have to mourn because she wouldn't have known me as well...i'm pretty sure this isn't normal, but i feel better now and know that i'll have a well dressed toddler even if i'm not around.

on another note, less morbid but still slightly disturbing...
i found the solution for crib jumping--sadly, it's corporal punishment. insert big sad mommy face here! amelie only jumped 2 times last night b/c when she did i smacked her hand and told her to stay in her crib and go to sleep. urgh, worst sadness ever. she kept popping out the door saying, "hi mommy!" and no, i didn't slap her hand hard enough for her to cry--she just looked confused and stayed in her crib--which was a good thing even though i stayed awake for an hour crying b/c i had to be mean. hopefully the lesson will sink in and it won't have to be repeated! it's hard to be the mama sometimes (especially when daddy gets to be the nice/fun/park loving/ice cream buying man of the hour!).

well, enough amelie news! it's maeve's turn and we've made full term! go girl! (seriously, get going so i can hold you soon!)
Week 37
Your Baby's Development

Now Baby weighs almost 6.5 pounds and her total length is about 21 inches long. But she hasn't stopped growing yet; she'll continue to develop about a half-ounce of fat a day. Still, overall growth does slow from here on out. That's fortunate, since there is very little available space left in the womb as it is.

Here are a few final developments taking place in week 37:

Baby's immune system continues to strengthen. Her immune system will continue to get stronger after birth, and will not be completely functional until early adulthood.
Baby can now grasp with her fingers as dexterity improves

oh what a beautiful morning!

well, amelie was a night owl again and didn't stay in the crib until 11....bleh. i woke her up promptly at 9 and we had a quiet bowl of cereal before we headed off to the park to meet our friends--it's BEAUTIFUL outside! i love these fall-ish days with low humidity and warm sunshine! the kids played so well at the park and only got slightly covered with mulch. i'm so thankful that we have friends to spend time with during the week--what a blessing!

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somedays never end

yesterday was a longgggggggggggggggggg day! amelie slept in like a champ but did not take a nap and then didn't finally stay laying down in her crib until 11 p.m.....i didn't think i was gonna make it! this pregnant mama is feeling those nine months of baby making and is exhausted! yuck! i even bailed out on church early to come home and rest--whew! happily, amelie DID take a nap this afternoon and i got to go shopping with my mother in law and we procured amelie and maeve's super cool double stroller--it's awesome, i totally hope it's not too big to fit in my trunk...ha!
steve and amelie are currently at the park so i'm gonna lay down and take it easy (i wonder if i'll ever be too tired to blog? =-)

i rue the day...

...that she became a crib jumper.

sleepy saturday

amelie was a super duper champion sleeper this morning and didn't roll out of bed until 9:15--woo hoo! mama and daddy got some much needed shut eye (although we paid for it later with some nap time rebellion!).

lately amelie has been eating us out of house and home--she must be growing b/c she is on a serious eating spree! (she ate more then steven and i at lunch AND dinner! weird...).

we had a quiet day with a little bit of errand running, applesauce making, movie renting and a park date for steven and amelie (i sneaked in a two hour nap, yay!).

i'm feeling very pregnant and tired...but the good news is i'm going to procure my stroller tomorrow with my mother in law, yay! i can't wait to give it a home...where am i gonna fit it though?

p.s. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAR MADRE AND PADRE (and many more!)! i'm so thankful for you both and i love ya'll and wish i could be with you to celebrate your special day! i told maeve that she could be born today to help you celebrate but she isn't budging--i tried though =-)

aw, friday, i've missed you.

aw, i love friday. steven had to go back into work today but should be home early, yay! i love him, he's my favorite! we've been in our little apartment for a week now and it definitely already feels like home--it would feel slightly more like home if there were a dishwasher here, but otherwise it's all good =-) it's also fabulous to be close to everything! there are a million (well, about 5) different parks within 2 miles, our favorite ice cream joint, church & steven's school, 2 libraries, etc....i like it.

i <3 the library, btw--i scored two hi-5 videos for amelie to watch! she's having cable withdrawal so this has definitely hit the spot! yay for the library! i can't wait to work in one someday....

not too much planned today--i'm thinking of taking amelie to a new park and for a long walk as she has been resisting nap/bed time lately (anxiety over the move perhaps?). she certainly has that daddy of her's wrapped around her lovely little finger--here's a list of some of the reasons why her daddy is the best!

1. he's hot (this is more for my sake then hers, ha!)
2. when my patience runs out his is still overflowing for her
3. he loves to take her to the park and for ice cream when i'm too tired to move off the couch
4. he dances the routines with her from barney and hi-5
5. he tucks her in at night and sings her as many songs as she wants
6. he works all day, takes care of amelie all evening and works hard on his school work until the wee hours and never complains, is always helpful and almost always understanding of our needs in every way.

he's the best, i love you honey! that's enough mushy stuff for now--i received this in a pregnancy email and thought i would share as it made me laugh:

thursday with daddy

so happy my honey is home today--sometimes i wonder how i make it through the day without him! we had a relaxing morning doing laundry and picking up a few odds and ends that we left behind when we moved. we also went out to a mostly enjoyable family lunch--amelie has learned how to jump over a restaurant booth so that made it slightly harrowing. i think, just so daddy wouldn't get too fond of staying home, amelie fought her nap today and crib jumped like 5 times before she finally gave up--what a daredevil! she's sleeping peacefully now but soon it will be time to wake her! yikes! maybe some ice cream will soothe the beast...=-)

amelie says, "i know, let's go to the park and get chocolate ice cream."

every evening amelie has been telling us that it's time to go to the park and get some ice cream--i think this trend will stick b/c every time she asks, she gets it! (daddy has a hard time saying no to his precious!) i've been a bit bummed b/c i haven't had the energy at the end of the day to accompany on park/ice cream trips. it's been good to have time to nap and rest but i miss my little family and our afternoon adventures. i'm a wee bit jealous of my good friend who knows exactly when her baby girl is coming....is there an end in sight? (i know that technically there is, it just sometimes doesn't feel like it, also, i'm really excited!!!)

anywho, nothing much planned for today--maybe a quick trip to the park (but don't tell amelie b/c i wont' hear the end of it until we go!).

also, i love my apartment. i don't think i ever really appreciated how wonderful it is to have your own space. well, it's wonderful and i'll never forget it!