Saturday Does not = Baby

No baby today . . . just a busy day filled with birthday parties and weddings.



Didn't want anyone freaking out since I hadn't blogged. More tomorrow on today's events . . . which, again, did not include the arrival of Kate. :)

The "To Do" List

Okay, brace yourself . . . another blog about the pending baby. If you were walking around ready to give birth, I doubt you'd have much else to blog about, either.

All of the sudden, our family is in hyperdrive. Jim is freaking out because he has a bunch of presentations to finish for the BIG company conference PowerPlan is hosting here in Atlanta June 15-18. Until now, everything's been on hold as far as Jim's participation in the conference was concerned . . . but now that it looks like we will most likely be home with 2 girls by the 15th, he's feverishly trying to finish everything so that he CAN participate in the big event. Work is overwhelming him (it always does) . . . he's trying to do as much as he can with any spare second he can find.

I took Meg for a haircut this morning, and I'm going later this afternoon for a trim of my own. I HAVE to get to Toys-R-Us in the next 24-48 hours to get Meg a 'big sister present' . . . I'm thinking a baby doll of some kind. I've packed her bag for my parents house and gathered most everything for me and Kate into a pile in our bedroom. I caught up with laundry and dishes. We put the contractor on alert so that he'll really start to understand the importance of FINISHING the job in the basement.

When you find out that you could have a baby any minute, all of the sudden those things you've been meaning to do ACTUALLY get done.

No baby yet, but we are sure busy while we wait.

Pack Your Bags

This is what Dr Graham told me today.

I left his office elated, excited, and extremely anxious.

I'm walking around right now, 3 cm dialated. That's how far I was when I GOT to the hospital to have Meg . . . after about 5 1/2 hours of laboring at home. Dr Graham said that Kate is head down, ready to go. He asked when Jim was coming home. He told me his on-call hours for the next week.

Dude, the man did everything but tell me that I'm going to have this baby before I see him again next Thursday.

As a matter of fact, as he left the room, he said something like, "See you in a week . . . or before that, really . . ."

So, I called Jim (in Cincinnatti). He proceeded to freak out ever so slightly.
I called my parents. They discussed coming up to stay with me tonight, since Jim is on his last night out of town.
I called Jim's mom . . . who was about the last person still holding on to the idea that I have a month left in this pregnancy. She's boarded the ship "S.S. Early Arrival" and is waiting by the phone like the other passengers.

Now I have everyone on alert. Now when I call just about anyone, they answer the phone in alarm. I have to start my conversations with, "No, I'm not in labor . . ." I have to be cognisant of the time of day that I'm contacting people . . . for instance, I just called my dad (at 10pm) and both of my parents answered the phone. Like I said, on alert.

In other news of the day . . .

Before my exciting doctor's appointment this afternoon, Meg and I had a very exciting morning. A fellow photographer friend came and did a mini-photo shoot for me . . . maternity and mommy&meg photos. Really, what I wanted were just a few of Meg and I together . . . the first shots of me with my 2 girls. I wanted to have a memory of the excitement she and I have shared while waiting for the arrival of her little sister.



Karen did a great job. Meg was really not in the mood . . . who is when they wake up at 6:30am? Of course she picks TODAY to get up obnoxiously early! We made it work. Karen made it work, I should say . . .

Karen is my relief pitcher . . . the one I'm sending my business to while I'm on maternity leave. You'd love her -- http://www.karenbakerphotography.com/ -- visit her site!

Enjoy the weekend . . . we are going to a wedding that I'm VERY much looking forward to, so I'm planning to keep my legs crossed at least through that event. Kate is welcome to arrive on Sunday or later.

Waiting on the World to Change

Here I sit at our computer, 36 weeks, 1 day.

And time is ticking away, slowly slowly, until Kate arrives.

(BTW -- that is such a funny saying to me -- the baby 'arriving'. As if she is coming from somewhere else. She's actually already here. I'm just waiting for her to come out and meet the outside world.)

I spent most of yesterday and this morning with my parents . . . the two people in the world that seem MOST convinced that I'm about to go into labor any minute. It’s nice to spend time with them because they take care of both Meg and me . . . fixing meals, giving baths (just to Meg, of course), and entertaining.

Entertaining – that is the hard part these days. Keeping up with Meg. Playing with her. Doing things I know she loves to make her life enjoyable. She’s GOT to be able to tell that I’m slowing way down. Today, after returning home from my family, we watched Peter Pan. We did some laundry. Then we played with Playdoh. It was all I could do to muster up the strength (and patience) to sit with her at the table and roll out countless balls of Playdoh over and over. I wanted to be ‘into’ it with her . . . and I usually am . . . but today was not the day. Last week, I had to muster up the energy to take her to the park because I knew she would rather do that than sit around the house for one more minute. Me, on the other had, I could sit around for the entire day.

Keeping up with Meg is really a full time job for me right now. Honestly, I feel like a bad mom. And – from what I hear – this is only the beginning. Once Kate is here and I have to split my time, I’m going to really feel like a bad mom to Meg.

Jim is on his last week of traveling (insert big *sigh* of relief here), and I’m on what could be my last week of pregnancy. Meg was born at 37 weeks, 1 day. That is one week from today. WOAH. But, as scary as it seems when I see it in print, I know we are ready. Very ready.

I expressed my desire for Kate to arrive to a friend today, who mentioned she was surprised that I was so anxious. "I told my son to take his sweet time . . . " was her comment about those last few weeks of her first pregnancy. Yes, maybe I did feel like that the first time around. And, the fact that Meg was an early surprise really made the last few weeks of that pregnancy tolerable. But this time around, I'm really ready to have Kate here so that I can move on and see what our new life has in store for us. I look forward to having some energy again . . . although I know I’ll be sleep deprived. At least I’ll physically be able to get around after a week or so. I guess I’m just ready to be on the ‘dénouement’ of the arrival of our second child. On the other side of the climax, settling into to our family of four.

So, here I sit. Waiting on my world to change.

Tomorrow I see Dr Graham . . . he’s going to check me out and hopefully give me some inclination as to what I can expect in the next week or so. I know he’s great – and he’s always right. Please, God, don’t let this be his first time to screw it up and get it wrong. Any other time than this, please.

(Oh – and a comment about the picture. The elbow band-aid is a reminder of the pool incident last Sunday. Meg insisted that I wear it after the boo-boo started bleeding just a bit this afternoon. Then she kissed it and made it better. How could I ever be lucky enough to have two little girls to love on their mommy?)

A Loooooong Weekend

In a great way . . . not the kind of long weekend where you are ready for the week to begin, but the kind that feels like a vacation and you never want it to end.

(Well, minus the falling-in-the-pool incident.)

Jim has been home ALL weekend. He returned from San Francisco on Wendesday -- 2 days earlier than we had thought he would be coming home. He 'fixed' the travel situation so that he was only gone Sun-Wed . . . MUCH more managable for Meg and me. So, we had Daddy home Thursday night, which was very nice.

Jim worked from home on Friday so that I could do a shoot . . . and Friday night we made our first trip to the Northampton swimming pool. Saturday we goofed off during the day and had some neighbors for dinner. Sunday we went to the pool again, then grilled out and ate on the deck. Monday we went to the pool again, grilled out again, but ate inside. (We like the pool and we like to grill, can you tell?)

It's been one of those weekends that feels great from sun up to sun down. One during which I've looked at my family and thought how lucky I am to have them. How lucky I am to live the life I live.

I said to Jim this morning . . . this weekend has been like our last 'hoorah' as a family of three. Within a week or two (God willing) our three will be four. I think I'll always remember this weekend as our last big bash with Meg as our one-and-only.

It was a great, great weekend. I wish I could bottle it and drink it in when times are tough or when I need a reminder of how fantastic life is. It was that great.

I Fell In the Pool

On a photo shoot.

With my camera in my hand.

Only up to my knees, thank God.

It was nobody's fault but my own.

SO embarrassed.

And I ruined my favorite lens.

$400.

Banged it on the side of the pool.

I should be happy that today was the last scheduled shoot.

I'm mad at myself instead.

UGH.

More Video of a Talking Meg

I keep the video camera on 'stand by' these days . . . you never know what cute thing Meg is going to say or do.

This morning, Jim (aka Daddy) asked Meg to sing the 'boat song' she'd made up in the bathtub last night. As soon as she started, a huge smile spread across my face and I ran for the camera . . .



First of all, it's adorable that she's making up songs! I sound like a gushy mom, but I don't care. It IS cute. Second, I love that she and Jim had time together to do silly things in the tub, like make up songs. Father/Daughter moments are priceless.

And then . . . since I had the camera rolling . . . I had to ask Meg to show off some of her most recent discoveries.



Seriously?! I thought kids were at LEAST two -- maybe even three -- before they started calling their parents by their names! She's been doing it all week. It actually started last week, when everyone was in town and calling one another by name a lot more than she is used to. When it's just Jim and I, I think we call each other Mommy and Daddy most of the time. But, with the family in town, names were flying . . . and Meg picked up on it very quickly. She even pointed to a family photo of us this week and started chanting "Jim! Jim! Jim!" Pretty smart kid, if I do say so myself.

As long as she knows my name is Heather but she calls me Mommy, it's fine with me. I waited a long time and I've worked very hard for that title.

The first-name/last-name thing also started this weekend . . . she's such a verbal sponge right now, we just told her about her two names, and she ran with it. She's like that with about anything . . . she'll repeat any word you suggest (including profanities -- yes, we've gone there).

Anyway, just a Friday video post to make you smile.

Happy Long Weekend Everyone! Kate is keeping us in town . . . no beach trip or anything . . . but we are looking forward to some time at the neighborhood pool with friends. Hope you are looking forward to a great weekend with your family and friends as well.

Kissing Cousins

Yesterday, Meg and I went to visit my Grandmother in Newnan. Grandma lives with my dad's youngest brother and his family . . . I think they have 5 or 6 people living in their house. Two of my younger cousins live at home (plus a girlfriend, I think), and one cousin other lives just a 1/2 mile away with his wife and child. It's always hustling and bustling around there . . . people coming and going throughout any visit with have with Grandma.

During our visit, the wife of my cousin that lives around the corner (keep up with me here) came over to visit with their one-year-old son. As she bounces in the door, she plops baby down, and announces . . .

"He's sick. Again. Ear infection . . . they are going to put tubes in, I think. He just keeps getting sick ever since we put him in daycare."

Immediately, I look at my precious Meg, 100% healthy and enjoying every minute of feeling good. I twinge at the idea of her even being around this Sick Baby . . . not because I don't want to see him or spend time with them, but because I don't want to see my kid catch whatever it is that's making him constantly ill.

The wife continues . . . "I'm sick, too. Can't shake this cold . . . been sick for over a week now, but I haven't gone to the doctor or anything."

Gulp.

With about 90% seriousness, I nervously laugh and say, "Well, maybe we should go . . . "

"Oh, no . . . he's not contagious at all. The doctor assured me of it. If his fever is down tomorrow, he can go back to daycare. You guys won't catch anything."

I must admit . . . I found that hard to believe. His little cheeks were so pink, he was litearlly warm to the touch, and this normally rambunctious kid was totally content to curl up in Grandma's lap and rock back and forth. The kid was SICK. Still . . . Meg doesn't tend to catch much of anything, so I figured if we just stayed a bit longer and they didn't interact, we'd be okay.

Then it got worse.

We hung around for another 15-20 minutes, then we really did need to head out to get Meg some lunch and her daily pm nap. I encourage Meg to hug Grandma bye-bye, which -- if you know my sweet huggy Meg -- turns into hugs for everyone all around. Including Sick Baby.

"Calm down," I'm telling myself. "One hug, he's supposedly not contagious, she'll live."

And then she kisses him. Meg kissed Sick Baby full on, on the mouth. I'm pretty sure he opened his mouth, too . . . Meg was a bit slimey after the encounter.

All I could do was cringe. Crikey. Even when kids AREN'T sick, swapping spit isn't the greatest idea. My first instinct was to snatch her away . . . but this was family, and my 'manners' got the better of me. I didn't do anything. I stood there and prayed that we could get out fast and that I could wash Meg's face and hands ASAP.

"Awwwww!" The cousin's wife screams. "That is the cutest thing ever!" Grandma agreed that the kids were really very cute together. Then they called for my uncle to come and see the cute kissing cousins . . . and the wife encouraged Meg and Sick Baby to kiss AGAIN.

Here is where I really should have stepped in. I should have stopped it. And I'm really VERY mad at myself for NOT stepping in. I should have stopped it from happening the first time, but letting it happen the second time was just plain STUPID on my part.

I let them kiss again. Sick Baby and my perfectly healthy baby, unknowingly spreading germs between one another while others looked on and oooohhhhed.

I'm so MAD that I didn't say what I felt. I wanted to protect the health of my child -- I wasn't being ugly or rude. I have no problems with my family or Sick Baby. By stopping the contact, I wasn't saying he was gross . . . just maybe a little too germy at the current moment to be kissing my kid.

Why didn't I? What kept me from stepping in? I don't know -- I guess I was afraid everyone would think I was too overprotective. I didn't want to be rude. But who CARES what they think? I am Meg's mom, and my # 1 job is to keep her safe. I felt terrible as I left, and I still feel terrible about it today. I feel so guilty for letting my 'manners' override what I KNOW was a better reaction to that situation. I should have stopped it.

If Meg gets sick, I'm going to feel an enormous amount of guilt. I am going to feel so bad because I could have STOPPED that from happening with a simple, "Hey, let's not have them kiss . . . contagious or not, it's not a great idea . . ." They probably would have agreed, honestly. I should have said something -- anything -- to protect Meg's health.

And, selfishly, the LAST thing I need at 36 weeks pregnant with a still-traveling husband is a child with an ear infection. But, if she does get it, I have NOBODY to blame but my stupid self.

Next time, I vow that I will step in and say exactly what I think . . . no matter where we are or who the kid is. I solemnly swear never to let this happen again. NEVER. Overprotective, rude -- I don't care what anyone thinks of me. I only care about my kids; they are the most important thing to me, not my reputation or their thoughts of me. I have learned a lesson in all of this, that is for certain. One that I will not forget.

Really . . . for all I care, anyone that has a problem with my overprotectiveness can kiss my a$$ . . . as long as they don't have an ear infection, that is.

The First of the Lasts

Yesterday was Meg’s first Last Day of School. I capitalize it because it really is an event in a child’s life . . . one that will be a big day for her each year until she graduates from college in (or around) 2027. Don’t you remember the last day of school? Everyone goofing around, teachers dressed in casual clothing, mom picking you up from school, watching movies all day, yearbooks being signed (in the later years). It was always a fun day that I looked forward to each spring.

The event yesterday was actually not even held at school. Meg’s last visit to her classroom was last Friday, and Mommy, Daddy, Nana, and Papa came in to surprise her with ice cream and a birthday party celebration. My poor summer girls . . . neither will ever get to celebrate her birthday at school. Growing up, I always thought it would stink to have a summer birthday. I loved my day in January when everyone would sing to me and enjoy sugary treats that my mom had brought in for the class. Our girls, they won’t get that experience . . . but Meg’s teacher was kind enough to suggest an early party so that she won’t miss out totally. We obliged and brought in ice cream and goodies – we even sang to Meg and her other summer birthday classmate.

Anyway.

Yesterday we met everyone at a local park and enjoyed a school-wide picnic, complete with a duck pond and a huge playscape. Everyone brought a little something to share for lunch, and we ate and played for two solid hours (side note: the teachers assigned me, the mucho-prego mom, THREE 12 packs of soda to drag to the park. Really? They couldn’t have assigned me chips??)

It was such a great time to see all the kids together . . . and it was a time to look back and remember how little they all were in the beginning. The growth and progress in a two-year-old class is really quite amazing. My girl Meg, she was by far the smallest and youngest back in August, being only 14 months old when school started. Meg attended just one day a week this year because she was such a youngin’. In our one-day adventures, we both made great friends and grew up so much . . . and we had a great time doing it. None of Meg’s teachers ever complained about her behavior, and the comments about Meg throughout the year never focused on her age or the things she couldn’t do (like talk for quite a while!). I think I nearly made Ms. Juli cry when I thanked her for everything she’d done for Meg this year. We loved her, and we couldn’t have asked for a better teacher during Meg’s first year of ‘school.’

Amidst all the reminiscing over the year, I met Meg’s teacher for next year. Ms. Becky seems fantastic, very down-to-earth, very experienced, and a very strong teacher. From my conversation with her, I discovered my kid has a reputation at school. Who knew nearly-two-year-olds had reputations? Meg is tagged as the “Gerber baby” -- “the favorite” -- and “the one we fought to get in our class.” Oh, and I have a reputation, too. How’s that for you? Mine is “the one who always has it all together” . . . and I was quickly asked to become the Room Mom for Ms. Becky’s class.

Is it OK to say that I’m flattered? Because I am. As goofy and corny as it sounds, this is just how I want my life-as-a-mom to go . . . I want my kid to be successful, I want her to be well liked by her teachers and peers, and I want to be involved in her school and her activities. I want my kid to be ‘the favorite.’ And I want to be the ‘room mom’ kinda mom. There, I said it. Some of you already could have guessed that . . . and even if you didn’t guess it, I’m sure it’s no surprise.

Anyway.

Meg has had a great year at school, and it looks like next year is shaping up to be awesome as well. She’ll be attending school two days – Tues/Thurs – which will be great for both her and I. I know she’ll love it, and I know I’ll love the time with just Kate. Do I expect her to come home adding and subtracting or reading from a book? No – no more than I expected her to come home from this year knowing her ABCs. School at this age is so social . . . which, in my opinion, is incredibly important for the development of a young child. She’ll learn a lot next year, I realize . . . and there will most likely be more intellect in her schooling at age two than there was at age one. That is exciting . . . but so is the fact that she’s learning how to take turns, follow directions, and be a positive part of a group setting.

I love her school. I love that she’s going to school at her age. And this time next year, I’ll be looking toward a new year with a kid in the 3-year-old class and one in the Young 2s. Wow. I know that time will fly. For now, we’ll enjoy having Meg home on Fridays. I hope she enjoys it, too . . . I know she’ll miss her preschool family.

Many more ‘lasts’ to come this summer. Our last day as a family of three. Our last day of work on the basement. And, hopefully, Meg’s last diaper will also come along sometime very soon.

It's Quiet Here Today

For the past six days, Meg and I have been hosting Jim's family . . . Nana, Papa, and Aunt JuJu were here to visit and help us do anything and everything around our house so we could feel 100% ready to take on the arrival of Baby Kate. Oh yeah, Jim was around too for a little while . . . at least late Thursday through early morning Sunday.

It's been a hectic week, but a great one. We always enjoy having them here . . . and now that they have a space of their own in the basement (they were able officially able to shack up in the basement bedroom this trip), we have plenty of space for everyone. And everyone can have a little space to themselves . . . namely, ME, who enjoys a few minutes of quiet time sacked away in my bedroom every now and then.

We did SO much around here -- and even managed to find time to get out and have fun at a local Greek Festival. We put in a new screen door on our deck, repainted mailbox numbers, bought and brought home a playscape for the girls (to be assembled at a later date), fixed buttons on shirts and pillows, cleaned and reassemble baby gear, and a muriad of other little odd jobs that were on a list a mile long. And when I say 'we' did these things . . . I should not take much credit. I was a great 'director' this week, but I didn't do a whole lot of actual work. Everyone was just fantastic and begged me to rest while they busied themselves around the house.

The week flew by. Now, everyone has returned home . . . and Jim's in San Francisco . . . so it's back to just Meg and me. It's quite quiet around here today.

After all of our hard work this week and in weeks past, the nursery is . . . . ta da! . . . complete. Thanks to the help of Paulette (also known as Nana and Mom in these parts), a few little projects were completed, and the neapolitan room sits in waiting for a sweet-smelling princess Kate to adorn it. Because I know that I've talked and talked about the room . . . here is the official unveiling:

Yes, the amount of clothing in the closet is silly . . . it's 0-3 and 3-6 . . . plus the dressers are full! Two summer girls in two years, so it's to be expected, I guess.

I painted the name on the wall! With the help of a projector from Jim's office, we traced the letters and filled them in . . . quite an artist, eh? (Oh -- and there is my new, fun diaper bag hanging on the dresser.)

I made these for Meg's nursery . . . they fill up the wall nicely for her little sister . . .

This is my view from the rocking chair . . .

Went with the lambs again because we had so many for Meg . . . although I will admit that 'Kate had a Little Lamb' doesn't have the same ring as 'Megan' did.

Lots of picture frames to be filled throughout the room, as you would imagine!

Now that I see the pictures, it doesn't really do justice to the room. I love it . . . it's going to be a great space for Kate. It's so big, she has her own bathroom . . . what more could a girl ask for, really? You will have to come admire it for yourself when Kate arrives in the next couple of weeks. Thanks again to Jim's mom -- and Jim -- for their help in putting it all together.

I guess I should go about my quiet day now, although I really have little to acutally 'do' around here. I'll play with Meg . . . funny, she didn't go anywhere away from me last week, but I still missed her. I miss getting 100% of her attention . . . I'm a spoiled mommy :)

Happy Monday to you all.

35 Weeks

As of this Tuesday, I'm 35 weeks. That means only about 2 weeks until the point in the pregnancy where Meg made her grand entrance . . . and about 2 weeks until my doctor seems to think Kate is likely to arrive. I can't say I'm feeling bad. But I am feeling pregnant.

We're ready for her. Pictures of her completed nursery to be posted soon . . . until then, you can enjoy yet another picture of me and my belly :)

The Land Down Under

The Basement.

It's not quite done, but we are certainly getting there. We are actually about 2 weeks away from the original end-date we had agreed upon back in February when the job began. 120 days is a long time for this type of project . . . but our contractor works on much of the job himself, with the help of his two sons and a few hired-on guys. So, for the extra time the cost was less . . . and we made the conscious decision to go with them despite their timeline.

We've gotten to know them all very well in these past few months. Aaron, our mid-fifty-year-old-contractor, is always talking about getting back in shape. He sings in the chorus at his church, and he's expecting a new grandbaby late this year. His son Austin was in a terrible car accident a few years ago, and Derrick has a girlfriend that calls a lot while he's here working. Like I said, we've all gotten to know one another pretty well . . . which is nice and difficult at the same time.

It's difficult because the job seems to be dragging out a bit, but we like everyone so much that it's HARD to really lay into them about the work getting done. Check that -- I like everyone so much and I am the one dealing with them daily, so it makes it hard for me to tell them to get a move on. Jim would have Aaron on the phone in a minute to tell him about any disgruntlement or any problems . . . and I'm the one stuck diffusing the argument before it begins.

Diffusing the argument between Aaron and Jim, that is. The argument between Jim and I seems to be somewhat on-going, and won't end until the basement work is done.

I'm really very tired of playing referee. Jim asked me if I was upset about the basement this morning during our daily 'good morning' phone call. I finally told him that the work in the basement is not as upsetting to me as the constant badgering and complaining I get from JIM. I asked him to just cool off or I was going to lose my cool. I'm hoping he got the point. I can only handle so much . . . complaining to Aaron is NOT making the work get done any faster, and it's just making my life hell. I can only take so much.

(Um -- and one more thing to add to my stress . . . next week I'm going to be 35 weeks, taking care of a nearly-two-year-old, and looking down the barrel at a SIX DAY out-of-town trip for Jim. He leaves Sunday morning and most likely won't be home until late Thursday or even Friday. That doesn't help my mood at all.)

At any rate, here is a clip of what 'the land down under' looks like to date . . . I took the camera down today and did some live video to give you a real feel for what the space looks like. We have carpet now, so it really is almost a 'liveable' area. Jim's TV is being hooked up Monday, the new Media room couch arrives Thursday, and hopefully we'll be all done 'moving in' down there in a matter of weeks. (Cross your fingers for us, PLEASE.)

Pregnant Dreams

In all 3 of my pregnancies, I have had strange dreams . . . actually, it was one of the ways I knew I was truly pregnant with baby 2 and with Kate. The dreams are vivid, long, real . . . and strange.

With Meg, I dreamt (dreamed?) that I was standing outside the Skippy Peanut Butter Factory, watching it burn to the ground. I also dreamt that I ran into an old high school flame and finally told him that I was over him and that I was with someone else. In that very dramatic dream, Jim happened to walk into the room just as I was saying these things to the old beau, and I got to whisk off into the sunset (or leave our high school cafeteria, as the case was in that dream) arm and arm with my love.

With Kate, I had a strange dream early in the pregnancy about being in bed with Heath Ledger. I wasn’t doing anything – I swear – but I did leave him and return to my apartment (yes, for some reason Heath and I lived in the same apartment complex in this dream) to find that I’d left Meg alone and the cops were knocking down my door to take her from me. Yikes.

But now, at 34 weeks, the dreams are getting stranger. On Saturday night/Sunday morning, I had a series of three such dreams . . . all of them about Kate’s birth or the care thereafter. Each time I woke up and fell back to sleep, a new dream would begin . . . equally as disturbing as the one that preceded it. It was a long night.

In Dream #1, I was in labor with Kate and Jim was far away in San Francisco. I was at the doctor, and he was telling me, “Yep, we aren’t going to have this baby today, but tomorrow for sure . . .” and I freaked out because Jim was not home. Jim does, in fact, travel to San Fran next week . . . but I’ll only be 35 weeks, so it’s really a bit too early even for an early arrival of Kate. Still, my subconscious must be unnerved by this travel of Jim’s.

In Dream #2, Kate had been born, but I didn’t know where she was. I was roaming the hospital in a pink polka-dotted nightgown, looking all over for her. At one point, Jim and I left my hospital room to search again, only to find Kate in the lobby in the arms of my mother, drinking a bottle. In the dream, I FREAKED out. I was so furious at my mom for giving Kate a bottle of formula. I yelled, snatched her away, and tried to give her my breast . . . which she totally refused. Those who know me know how much I enjoyed breastfeeding Meg . . . and the idea of having another to nurse is simply delightful to me. So, the freaking out was understandable . . . maybe that was my subconscious revealing some fear that there could be nursing issues with Baby Kate.

In Dream #3, I kept waking up in the morning and getting kicked out of my hospital room. “You can’t stay in this room, Miss. We have to move you . . .” the nurses kept telling me. I’d wander around, but Kate was not with me. I didn’t know where she was, but each time I was put in a new hospital room, she’d turn up. I don’t know WHAT my subconscious was telling me with that one.

I told Dr Graham about these crazy dreams at my appointment on Monday. His only response was, “Exactly when does Jim stop traveling?” I guess he was validating my subconscious worries that Jim might be missing in action when this baby is born. (Highly unlikely, I promise.)

(Oh – and Dr Graham also told me that I can expect a labor of only 4 or 5 hours, since Meg was pretty quick. He again confirmed that he thinks I’m going early . . . so only a couple more weeks until Kate is here, I guess.)

Anway, the dreams are always crazy, but I can’t always remember them. I’m glad I have the Skippy memory to share with Meg and the crazy hospital memory to share with Kate. Who knows what kind of dreams I might have with another baby.

Bunnytown

I love this kid -- she is always up to something new. Today, it was an obsession with Disney's Bunnytown. It probably started with singing our 'bunny song' at music class this morning, which reminded her of the cool rock-n-roll that the Disney bunnies do each morning on their program.

Serioulsly, we've watched this program maybe 2 or 3 times, and we've sung the 'bunny song' in music only twice, but the kid latches onto things of interest EASILY . . . and she's hooked.

Who knows what we'll be in to tomorrow . . .

The Wagon

I know, I know . . . I fell off the wagon. It's been nearly a week -- and I gave no warning that I'd be skipping so many days. Sorry to the pair of you who might read faithfully . . . I'm back, I promise.

Last week was much like the weekend that proceeded it . . . really, really fast. Jim's mom was in town at the beginning of the week, we went to Newnan to celebrate my mom's birthday on Tuesday, DirecTV attempted to set up the massive TV Jim bought for the media room (which meant I sat home all afternoon one day), we argued with the basement contractor on and off about getting work done quicker, and I had a shoot while Meg was in school on Friday.

I just lost track of time.

And, honestly, I couldn't think of much to post about. I had nothing except Meg, pregnancy, photography, or basement stuff to write about . . . and I just figured some of those topics were getting old.

Actually, I think that a lot, lately . . . that I don't have much to talk about aside from my kid(s) and our house. I'm starting to think I'm really very boring. When we go to out with friends, I feel like my input in the general conversation is far from interesting . . . like, "Who cares if Meg remembers restaurants based on the fact that they have candy in the lobby?" or "Yes, pregnancy must be hard with Jim traveling . . . " I find myself NOT talking or taking part in the conversation because I don't want to sound like one of those women . . . the ones that talk about their kids incessantly. The kind of woman who couples talk about on they way home . . . "Man, does she have ANYTHING to talk about besides Meg? Gosh, I know her kid is cute, but I'm tired of hearing about every little detail . . . . " You know exactly what I'm talking about.

I think I'm starting to feel a bit TOO much like a housewife. Mundane. Boring. Stuck.

But I don't genuinely feel that way. I'm extremely happy with the life I have. It's truly exactly what I wanted for myself . . . to stay home, raise a family, and love my husband. But, I guess that the reality of it all is a bit boring and mundane at times.

But, isn't everyone's life like that at least sometimes?
Anyway . . . I digress . . .

I'm going to be better about posting . . . even if it IS just about Meg, Kate, the house, or my photography business. I guess that's all I've got right now. What do you expect? I'm 34 weeks pregnant this week . . . you are lucky I remember that I have a blog to post to.

Here's to the second week in May . . . may it be a little less crazy that the first (don't count on it) and may I find something interesting to write about.

Oh -- and on the topic of kids and motherhood -- I did have a fabulous 2nd Mother's Day today. Jim and Meg made me breakfast in bed, we did odd jobs around here that I've wanted to do for weeks, and we went out to lunch as a family. Jim picked out a rockin' diaper bag (2 red hens -- see photo) for me . . . one that I'd mentioned I wanted and he picked out on his own. He also totally surprised me with a navigation system for my car . . . which we played with all afternoon while driving to lunch and post-lunch errands.

Happy Mother's Day to all of my mommy friends out there who don't MIND my excessive Meg-chatter and like hearing about my pregnancy. Love to you all . . . and I hope you had a great day with your families.

Paging Dr. Gray

Today I found out that Dr. Gray, Meg's pediatrician, has left the pediatric practice at which we are patients.

When I called to check on Baby Kate information and schedule Meg's 2 year check up (yes, I'm booking an appointment for July now because if you wait too long, you can't get in forever), I was so shocked to hear this news.

"Dr. Gray has left our practice."

I didn't ask where she went. Am I allowed to? Can they tell me - or will they - even if I ask? I had more (inappropriate) questions I didn't ask . . . Did she leave on her own -- did they fire her? Did she just move -- or did she leave on bad terms? WHERE did she go??

I went ahead and booked an appointment with the doctor who founded the practice, which is also the one that was recommended to me back in 2006 when we were first searching for a pediatrician. That doctor certainly is nice . . . but we've developed a relationship with Dr. Gray. She knows Meg, and we know her.

Dr. Gray was there through Meg's hemangeoma incident. She's done almost every single well-baby check up we've had. Her own daughter's name is Meg, for crying out loud!

Oh well. I guess we'll see how Dr. Ho does. I just loved the personal care we got with Dr. Gray. I hope it continues.

I guess it's not reasonable for me to expect to have the same pediatrician for Meg's entire childhood. I guess we might end up changing a few times in the course of the coming years.

We did Google 'Nani Gray' -- but since she only left our practice a month ago, she's not surfaced anywhere else just yet. If she does . . . and it's close enough to us . . . we might have to stalk her.

I'm such a creature of habit -- I hate it when things like this change!

WOOOooosssshhhh . . . .

That's what our weekend was like. It went from Friday afternoon to this morning in one big wave . . . wooossshhhh. I think I missed some of it, really.

When Jim woke me up to kiss me goodbye this weekend, he said something like, "I had a great weekend."

My (sleepy) response was, "It went by too fast . . . is it Monday morning already?"

I have mixed emotions about these kinds of weekends. Part of me loves the hustle and bustle, the fun, the accomplishments (we did get a lot done), the busy-ness of a jam packed 48 hours. But a bigger part of me hates too-busy-weekends . . . I don't get to see much of Jim in our 2 days together, and Meg sometimes gets drug around from event to event or errand to errand.

Hopefully, next weekend won't be quite as crazy. It's Mothers Day, so does that mean I get to be the one to call the shots and make us slow down for a change?

Hope everyone out there had a great weekend . . . be it busy or lazy. Either is a great way to spend some time OFF from the regular routine, so I won't complain.

The Things We Do for Our Kids

I'm blogging from the car. I'm parked in front of the Best Buy at Northpointe Mall. Jim is inside, purchasing the first of several high tech electronics for our new media room.

What? What am I doing?

Ah, you see . . . Meg is alseep in the backseat. She fell asleep on the ride here, and she NEEDS this nap . . . so Jim and I just did a little solo shopping. I went into JoAnn and picked up a few things while Jim car-sat with Meg, and then we switched.

The funny thing is, we've done this before. It's so much easier to let her get a 20-30 minute nap in and have a happy girl for the afternoon then to drag her in and out of errands with that sleepy twinkle in her eye.

I do feel a bit strange, I'll admit. I wonder what other people think of me . . . a weirdo lady just chillin' in her Tahoe, engine running, computer in her lap. But, the result of Meg's nap is far more important than the impression I make on the Sunday afternoon shoppers that pass me in the parking lot.

The things we do for our kids.

Gotta run . . . Jim's back, so now we are off to Babies-R-Us . . . and I think Meg's had a good rest, so we have to wake her up . . .

Hooray for Thursday

To update from yesterday . . .

Breakfast this morning was a breeze. A slight hint of whining . . . but nothing that is out of the ordinary. All food was consumed, and a happy mommy and Meg left the table in a friendly state.

Morning outings were perfect. Meg told mommy repeatedly "Poo Poo" while we were enjoying our swimming class . . . and sure enough, about 3/4 of the way through, she pooped. Happy that she'd TOLD ME BEFORE SHE WENT yet sad we had to leave the pool, we dried off and went to the locker room to change diapers. Is that a milestone -- telling me about #2 before the fact? I think maybe.

Lunch was every bit as pleasant as the 'old days' -- once again, food was eaten and times were enjoyed sans whines and cries.

Naptime . . . no problem. Went down at 1pm without a complaint, still snoozing soundly at 3:05pm.

I think we might have our big girl back. Our GOOD big girl.

Hooray for Thursday!! T-minus 3 1/2 hours until Jim gets home.

I do have to admit . . . now that Meg is back to her old self, I have a feeling that NOBODY will ever believe what happened around here the last 72 hours. Of course, she'll act like the angel when she is around daddy. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that the little devil does NOT return when Daddy leaves again Monday morning.