The business of busy-ness

I've noticed something about when I talk to my friends that have older kids - they're always in the car, or somewhere else.  Soccer practice, music lessons, swim class, church groups, school meetings, etc.  It makes me very thankful that, although our life seems crazy right now, at least I can keep that craziness at home, for the most part.  Now that preschool is over, we only have one perpetual event on our calendar in a general week, and that's church on Sunday mornings.  I can never leave my house the rest of the time if I want to.  Not that it ever works out that way, there's groceries to be got, library books to be returned, clothes to be dropped off for consignment, and all those other little things that creep into my daily schedule.  And if things start to get a little overwhelming we can retreat back to base and take it easy on ourselves for a little while.

We actually have a name for those kind of days, Jack calls them "home days."  In fact, he often will will ask me soon after he wakes up "Is today a home day?"  Because he knows if it is, then he's allowed to wear one his many pants with holes in the knees and we can skip the whole hair-combing ordeal.

But even "home days" have their own level of busy-ness.  And I know I've said it before, but one of the aspects of motherhood that I've never fully adjusted to is just how much work it takes to accomplish so little.    But rather than dwell on all those minor items, let's talk about the good things that have happened recently.  Like a Memorial Day weekend visit from Jon's sister Kate and her two kids Gabe and Aviel.  In some ways, it's almost a small break having other kids around because they all do so well at entertaining each other.  Of course, it's also interesting to see older kids in our house and what new things my kids pick up from them, anything from playing "Duck, Duck, Goose" on the trampoline to standing on the very top of the castle playhouse roof.

We made the beach a priority this weekend, because it's our happy place.

Memorial Day weekend was good for me.  Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my own little world and solving all the issues that mothering three under four can bring.  It's good to have outsiders, guests to entertain and remind me that there is so much more to life than just what goes on in our little bubble.  And it also gives me a good excuse to log-off work for a little while, both the job that pays in cash and the one that pays in hugs and kisses, and just enjoy life with my family and friends.  Which is why we were so quick to beg our Cayman Island friends, Nate and Jenn, to add our house to their itinerary on their most recent trip to the states.  It did involve Jon waking up at 4:30am to drive them to the airport the next morning, but it was well worth it.

We offered Jenn whatever she wanted to do that she couldn't do in the Caymans - shopping, Rita's, downtown Annapolis.  Instead, she opted for a walk among the hardwoods.   So we took her to our special place and introduced her to the green swamp, teepees, dragons, giant snake, and everything else my boys imagine dwells in the small patch of forest at the end of our neighborhood.

We had just enough time to clear out the guest room, empty the dishwasher and clean the bathrooms before welcoming Jon's aunt, uncle and cousin Nicole in for lunch on Wednesday (they''ll actually be back later this week for a longer visit).  This was their first visit to our house, but one look at the gifts they brought and my kids were fighting over who could make friends first.  We used up all 7 bottles of bubbles they gave us within one afternoon, and Jack has already found a number of different uses for the lacrosse sticks from Uncle Gene.

Notice the lacrosse sticks in the background.  Jack said it's a "trap."

On another note, I love that I can bribe my kids to clear their plates with yogurt and fruit, just because it comes in frozen form.

Their visit was short, as they had a flight to catch.  But it was probably good they didn't stay too long since Jude, Julia and I were all feeling fairly shoddy by that evening.  I'm assuming it's allergies, but all I know is last week was the first time I took a nap since my first-trimester nod-off-like-Mr. Bean days.  Granted, I was only able to sneak in about 20 minutes of sleep before Jack was asking me for a snack, but just that obviously means something was very wrong.  Jon started to feel pretty bleh the next day too and actually ended up going to bed at 6pm that night.  Fortunately, he was feeling better enough the next day to leave work early and go golfing with his co-worker.  And not that I begrudge my man a round of golf, we all need a break sometimes, but  it's starting to hit me that I'm just not functioning at 100% anymore.  And after putting the kids to bed by myself 4 out of the last 5 days that week, and knowing that he was going to be spending his entire Saturday in Pennsylvania with his dad while I was alone with all the kids, I was sorta, kinda at my wit's end.

Any picture where he is actually looking at the camera is purely coincidence, he's very anti-picture taking right now.

It's a good thing I married a perceptive fella.  Whether it was the sound of my voice when I called him at 7:00 only to find out he still had two more holes to go.  Or the look in my eyes when he pulled in the driveway just as I was giving the final "keep your head on your pillow!" demand.  Or the sight of my bulging belly and swollen ankles.  For whatever reason, he kindly offered to take both boys with him to PA for the day and drop them off at my parents'.  And because I'm feeling so desperate at this point that I was willing to pull favors with anyone, I called up my parents and asked if they'd be interested in just keeping the boys up there until their scheduled visit on Monday.  And in typical Marmie and Poppa style, despite the mere 12 hour notice, they heartily consented.  And so by the time I finished cleaning up the breakfast dishes the next morning it was just me and my girl.

And it was so nice.  We shopped, we ate lunch out, she watched Baby Einstein while I did work, we went thrifting after dinner and topped off the evening with some frozen yogurt.  And she absolutely relished the one-on-one time.  Meanwhile, Jack and Jude were living it up in Central PA, visiting "the little beach" (R.B.Winter State Park), church, the "fun park" (Knoebels), and the animal auction (Dewart Livestock Auction).

Jon took his girls out on a date to Ikea Sunday night.  And we managed to find a Jason's Deli nearby (something I've missed since leaving Virginia Beach).  So while I was happy to have my first "Nutty Mix It Up" salad in three years, I was also somewhat discouraged that we did not find a dresser for our newest daughter.  I'm suddenly feeling the urge to inventory some baby clothes and I NEED a place to put them.  We still haven't decided exactly where we're putting all of our children and their things once the baby gets here, and I'd like to have that figured out fairly soon.  And it certainly didn't help that I was having false labor the entire time we were canvassing Ikea.  Like stop and rest in one of those faux living rooms so I could catch my breath false labor.  It also didn't help that I was hearing heels.  And that the strap on my heel broke before we even hit the marketplace.  Stupid swollen feet are ruining my footwear!!

32 weeks, pre-swollen feet/broken sandal strap, and absolutely positive we'll be coming home with a dresser.

I was vindicated by a trip to the consignment store the following day where I found out I made $78 on my first batch of clothes I've consigned, and got to walk out of there with a bagful of "free" clothes for the new baby.  Too bad there's just no place to put them.

Marmie and Poppa brought Jack and Jude back on Monday and then stayed on to keep all three kids the next day so that I could go watch my husband's award ceremony for work.  Jon's dad drove down to join in the festivities and, after three days of mothering only one child, I got to enjoy an entire day of no parenting responsibilities.  I also got a small glimpse into Jon's job and a chance to meet his captain and admiral.  It was a fun day and I'm so proud of this guy and all his hard work this past year!

When I look at this picture, all I see is belly button. :(

 Marmie and Poppa headed out today.  We're in the middle of washing the guest bed sheets again and soon the bathroom will need another good scrubbing (can I just mention here that my little girl peed on the potty today!!!).  There are two basket of laundry waiting to be folded, half a flower girl skirt that needs finished, and a bunch of teeny, tiny baby girl clothes just begging to find a home.  But it will get done, it always done.  Good thing tomorrow's a "home day."

Mom, Interrupted

I've sat down to write this a few times this evening, confident in the small sliver of time I carved out for myself  by working double-time all afternoon.  But so far I've averaged about two mouse-clicks before I'm called elsewhere.  To doll out a spoonful of honey to a boy who can't stop coughing.  To comfort a little girl who is suddenly making bedtime extremely difficult.  To clean off that same little boy who, for the second time today, has worked himself into such a coughing fit that he winds up covered in vomit.  To the freezer to polish off a carton of ice cream.  Okay, so the last one wasn't really necessary.  Or was it??

So the theme of these past few weeks has been flexibility, a term that carries so much more weight as our family grows.  If you could see my calendar this past month - a plethora of crossings-out, write-ins, appointments and reschedules, travel and travel cut short.  And the resulting things that don't show up on a calendar - the laundry that doesn't get folded, the meals that don't get cooked, the walks that don't get taken.    I miss our routine.  But I tell myself this is only temporary and there is still life happening in between all those lines in my calendar.

I've managed to keep up with the washing and drying, but folding is an entirely different story.

Like Mother's Day weekend for instance.  My parents had plans to visit Miss (soon-to-be-aunt) Kylee in Ocean City, New Jersey along with Uncle Jared and Uncle Micah.  So our friends Abi and Phil invited us to come to their house that same weekend and make a family event out of it.  And since (a) we've had a visit to these friends on our before-baby-bucket-list for some time now and (b) they're pretty much the only people who invite our whole family to visit other than our parents, we heartily consented.  Then Jon's Alaska trip came up and we had to push our departure back a day.  And then Jon's work insisted he come in on the following Monday so we had to cut the weekend short another day.  But we prevailed and, despite the brief interlude, it was a good time and an absolute blessing to spend 29 hours with such great friends!

Julia with Mr. Phil and "Lil Rae."

It wasn't exactly prime beach weather, but since we're die hards, we shivered our way through an afternoon break in the thunderstorms.

I think watching Julia try to catch bubbles was the highlight of the day!

Phil and Abi are excellent hosts and top-notch chefs.  We ate well the whole weekend, a welcome break from the quesadillas, macaroni and cheese, and smoothies that make up our menu when Daddy is out of town.  But I must say, the creme de la creme of the weekend was Mother's Day lunch - grilled pizza made by Phil and Jared.

We had a number of different kinds but the general consensus was that the bacon, date, feta pizza was the best!

And three gentlemen washing dishes afterwards.

It was nice to see this woman NOT in the kitchen for once!

Uncle Micah helped her pick me flowers!

And, of course, it's always a bonus to get to spend Mother's Day with the most amazing mama I know, my own!

She's such a good sport!

It's also good to know that someday my kids will grow up and actually smile for their Mother's Day picture.  But until then ...

We were expecting to use the week after our visit to catch up on house stuff and life in general before packing the car again and heading north for our annual yard sale at my parents' house.  But, in following our current theme, a few things came up and this time around we ended up leaving earlier and departing later than expected.  Fortunately for us, Marmie and Poppa don't mind an extended visit one bit!

Perfect weather for a yard sale!

Our yard sale wasn't quite as successful as in years' past.  But I was able to unload a good portion of baby clothes, and that's what my husband appreciated the most.  Of course, there are always those items that you intended to sell but which somehow never make it out to the sales floor...

Reigniting our love for Jingle the dog.

And another bonus of this weekend back home is the local fishing tournament.  Both boys caught 6 trout each!!  And they also both won fishing rods.  But since Jack is very much like his dad, he told the tournament people he didn't need a fishing rod because he already has one at home.

He kept swinging these things in my face.  And then Poppa  decided to skin and filet them right there by the yard sale check-out table... ew.

All the changes in our schedule made working a bit interesting.  I was receiving assignments on days I wasn't on the calendar, and having a hard time keeping up on days that I was on the calendar.  And just when I thought I was starting to get it together my boss called, ACTUALLY CALLED, for the first time ever, and asked me to take on a large, rush-order project.  We were literally about to walk out the door to Pennsylvania and begin a weekend of "no work" but when he told me I was his favorite transcriptionist and offered to more than double my rate.  Well, let's just say I enjoyed the 3.5 hour drive like this:



And then ended up pulling an extremely late shift to get it all done.  My husband says I'm a sucker.  I decided to prove him wrong today by telling my other boss that I couldn't work for him anymore, just don't have the time, can't commit, etc.  An hour later he calls me up and I find myself agreeing to un-resign and see where things go, and maybe earn myself a bonus in a few weeks.  Argh, I could slap myself.

But I don't, because I'm preggo.  And while we're on that topic, I went to my second ultrasound yesterday.  The one that I had scheduled and re-scheduled three times.  Because my calendar is a mess like that.  We got a peek a the newest baby J-bird.  We didn't get to see much because she's a lot bigger now (somewhere around 3 pounds) and kinda smooshed in there.  But we did confirm that she is a girl.  Also good to see is that she's head down.  And most importantly, my dear old placenta is up and out of the way.  Which means no bed rest and I can deliver at the birthing center (if we make it on time).

We also visited the midwife today.  I was about to reschedule that appointment for the third time but decided to muscle through and attempt a visit with all three kids.  It actually went a little better this time, Julia didn't cry when she took my blood pressure or insist that I hold her while checking for the baby's heartbeat.  Baby and I are both measuring right on schedule for an end-of-July birth.  Which isn't too far away, as evidenced by the fact that my midwife now wants to see me every 2-3 weeks.

30.5 weeks

It's all becoming very real and a little unnerving.  I mean, where are we going to put the baby's clothes!?  Okay, just kidding.  That really isn't my biggest concern.  And while we're on the subject of "big", I feel it!  And you can snort and chuckle all you want, but carrying around 23 extra pounds is one thing.  Carrying around the majority of that weight smack dab front and center, in the form of a small body with hardening bones and growing organs, well you try and bend over and retrieve that Lego from under the couch.  We've definitely entered the stage where I'm no where near ready to care for another newborn but where I'm also looking forward to being able to weed the flower beds without feeling like I'm suffocating myself.  Or sit at the computer without my feet swelling up.  Or get through the day without reaching for the Tums...

But I'm still thankful all is normal and right on track.  Here's hoping our theme of interruptions ends with this pregnancy.  I'm hoping for slightly more than full-term but not a second overdue.  Because Mama's got a bridesmaid dress to fit in to two weeks later... and it only comes in one size.  

Prelude to Mother's Day

Jon spent last week  “chillin” in sunny Alaska.  Okay, so not really, between all the time it took to travel there, back and within the state, along with the all the meetings for work, he only had a little bit of time for sight-seeing.  But at least he got to add another pin to his world travel map.

I, on the other hand, spent the week at home in rainy, dreary Maryland.  With the kids.  No big deal.  Well, it shouldn’t have been.  We’ve certainly done this before, although thankfully not as often as we used to.  But for some reason the kiddos didn’t handle this one as well.  And it didn’t help that I’m still trying to navigate life as a mom in conjunction with two part-time jobs. 

Back when Raven the dog was still visiting.  The only thing I miss about having a dog is not having to sweep the floor so often.

All three of my kids are going through “phases” right now.  Jack is extra-grumpy.  To borrow his own word, he’s “cross.”  To borrow another one of his words, I make him “nervous.”  He doesn’t seem to mind me most of the time, but as soon as I mention anything about “cleaning up” he’s quick to cross his arms, stick out his lip and exclaim “Mom, you make me NERVOUS!”  So he’s also in a messy phase.  Jack’s our little hoarder, or you might say “collector of objects.”  His favorite toys are those which can be gathered and cargoed around – army men, Thomas trains, marbles, acorns – or toys that can be used to cart things around – dump trucks, buckets,  any of my storage baskets (after he’s emptied them of their contents off course), and backpacks.  This has been going on quite a while now but lately he’s moved on to bigger and badder objects.  For the past few days he’s been putting anything he can carry from the garage into our giant-sized wagon, tying it all down with a bungee cord, and then pulling the wagon around the yard (with a whole lot of extra effort) pretending to put out fires and rescue those in danger.  Of course, at the end of the day, when you ask him to clean up, his legs are “very tired” and his mama “makes him nervous.”  Typically, his daddy is home by this point to take over the reins but, like I said, not this past week.

While Jack is in to gathering and collecting, Julia is in to emptying and disbursing.  Take my wallet for instance.  I always think I put my purse up and away and she always surprises me by dragging it out somehow and completely voiding my wallet of all money and cards.  She also continues to pull out all my jewelry, clean out the bottom of her closet, rearrange the silverware drawer, and empty the container of baby wipes.  She’s recently started exercising her independence by taking off out the front door and down the street.  Usually she’s content to just hang out in the sandbox, which is always the first place I look for her.  But the other night I called all the kids inside and noticed one was missing.  The boys hadn’t seen her, I couldn’t see her (although she had just been there 3 minutes ago), and despite yelling “tubby time” over and over again she didn’t come prancing up to the back door.  I started to comb the back yard and meanwhile gather a few random toys to put back in the garage.  Looking back I’m not sure why I was more worried about cleaning up than finding my misplaced child but I’m glad I did because as soon as I opened the garage door there she was, playing with the potting soil, shut up in there by her brothers in their excitement to take a bath.  And completely oblivious to any panic she might be causing her exhausted mother.

Both boys are in a "run away from the camera" phase right now too.  Apparently, in this picture, he couldn't see it through my hair.

Jude’s three now so, as I should have expected, he’s going through the “pee everywhere but the toilet” stage.  As batty as this is driving me, I can still be thankful that he’s not urinating on my couch or rugs like his older brother did at this age.  Oh no, Jude is much more creative.  For a while it was the roll of toilet paper, typically a big, thick, fresh, roll, that I then would have to dispose of.  Then it was the tub.  I would never catch it until after the fact, and since I have two boys that are very capable of doing something so silly, and two boys who would never fess up to it, I was at a loss.  When someone peed smack dab in the middle of my laundry room floor it sorta put me a little over the edge.  And since Jack said it was Jude and Jude said it was Jack, well they both got punished and none of us went to bed happy that night.  The next morning Jude confessed, with a smirk, that “I did it, I lied Mommy!” 

He was a marked man, so I was shocked when I caught Jack walking out of the laundry room the following day, pulling up his pants.  “Hey Jack, did you just go to the bathroom?”  “Yeah, I went in the potty.”  “How?  I locked the downstairs bathroom so no one would pee on the toilet paper.”  “I went in under the door.”  “Oh, really?  Show me  how you fit under the door.”  “I went here, kicked it open, went under the door and peed on the potty.”  “Then why is the door still locked and there’s a giant puddle on the floor?”  “It was Jude.”  “Jack, Jude is sleeping and you’re telling lies.” 

It was oh, so rainy this week.  But on a positive note, when it wasn't raining, it was so beautifully green!

Green and gray, God has such a way with colors.

But I’m getting a little ahead of myself.  It was Thursday, I was literally counting down the hours until Jon’s return the following night and trying to rally to get through the rest of the week.  After an exceedingly rainy week and morning, I was determined to take advantage of a break in the clouds with a post-preschool picnic at the park.  I packed lunches, picked up Jack (who had his first bad report from the teacher in a while) and pointed our minivan towards the nearest playground.  Two minutes away Jude starts yelling “Poopy!  The poopies are coming!!” And since there are no bathrooms at the park we turned right around and headed back home for lunch on the deck.  Once we got home I found out I had a new transcription assignment.  My biggest one yet which also just so happened to be a rush order, which meant working in to the weekend, which I had purposely not put myself on the calendar for because we had travel plans.  So while my kids are out on the deck flinging egg salad at one another I’m staring at my agenda trying to determine just how many hours of typing I can squeeze in before we leave, with an absent husband at that.  Oh, and did I mentioned Jon’s one request was that the house be completely clean when he got back and before we left on our trip?  I determined it could still be done if I worked through all nap times and late into the night.  I soon discovered one small problem with my plan.  The internet - which went down right after I’d been assigned my project but before I had a chance to download it.  And no lengthy phone-call to Comcast could restore it. 

Every day I try to explain to the boys that is an invisible fence between our yard and the neighbors - don't cross it!

While I was jamming to Comcast's hold-music on the phone, both boys were sneaking over to the neighbor’s yard, flipping over their kayaks (in light of a pending rainstorm), removing the plastic tarps and filling them with sand.  I ran out the back door and pointed those boys right back indoors.  Meanwhile, Mr. Tom, who is thankfully a kindred spirit and big fan of Jack, came out to right his kayaks and assure me he doesn’t mind the kids playing in his yard at all.  I just love Mr. Tom.  But I do not love when my kids play with objects in his yard.  And so, with this event as the clincher to my entire week, I stormed into the house ... and had a complete and total meltdown.  

29 weeks, back when things were still sunshine and roses.

But as longtime readers and myself are fully-aware, the 30-some-week meltdown is just a typical phase of a typical Coastie Mama pregnancy.  I'm definitely extra hormonal lately, my emotions are on high-alert, and I'm feeling unusually vulnerable, broken by the simplest things - watching a promo for the local pregnancy care center, transcribing a court case in which the man's daughter passed away at five days old, and being without my husband, my solid rock, for five straight days.  But there wouldn't be mountains without the valleys and I'm happy to report that the house got cleaned by Friday (despite Jack's "nervousness"), Mother's Day flowers arrived that afternoon (Jack said Daddy sent them from the North Pole), Comcast was able to replace our internet cable, I managed to get my project finished (after a very late night and while working in the car during a 2.5 hour trip), our favorite Chick-Fil-A lobby lady, Mary, heard of my plight and completely pampered me and the kids over lunch on Friday, and most importantly my babies' daddy is home safe and sound.  And despite all the anxiety and exhaustion from the last few days, we had a wonderful weekend with family and friends that I'll save for another post.

It wasn't the week I had in mind, it's not the kind of thing that will ever make it on a Hallmark Mother's Day card, but it is our life right now.  And I wouldn't trade my worst of worst weeks with my kids for one day without them.  I still just love being a mama!

1,2,3 and 4!

We're dog-sitting for some friends this weekend.  If you thought life with 3 kids under 5 was chaotic, try throwing a dog into the mix!  The dinner/witching hour was over the top tonight.  (Probably something to do with wild toddler boys and a hyper 8 month old puppy feeding off each others' energy.) In fact, it was so bad that my husband is out doing the dishes and the dog and I are shut up in the office for a little "time out."  Surprisingly, I've made some good headway on my lengthy "to-do" list this afternoon so I'm rewarding myself with a little blogging time.  Here's the latest update on our brood:

1.)  Jack

He's always trying to hide from the camera.

By now, I'm sure you're all aware of our beloved Monkey, Jack's lovey-toy since he was a baby.  Monkey's been on many adventures and a few extended vacations.  Last week was his most recent.  Typically he turns back up after a day or two out on the road, but this time, well a week later and still no Monkey.  I seem to vaguely remember Jack having him outside.  So I made two separate searches on my own, in addition to turning the house inside out, but all to no avail.  I thought perhaps Monkey had had his last stand.  On Thursday, Jack and I were outside during the other kids' naptime and just for kicks, went in to search and rescue mode and started calling out Monkey's name.  The sun must have been shining just right because, lo and behold, there in the what Jack refers to as "the digging place," a stretch of sandy dirt located between the swing set and my garden, was a very dirty mound of monkey fur.  There had been two rainstorms since Monkey's disappearance and by the time we got to him he was barely recognizable.  Jack gasped and tenderly scooped up his "best buddy."  I wanted to get a picture of our successful hunt but Jack was so distraught, his face a mixture of fear and responsibility (that tangle of emotion that just about any mother can relate to!) that I felt too horrible to capture it.  I brought out a basin of soapy water so Jack could give him a bubble bath.  Then we put him through a wash and dry cycle and (considering how old and well-loved he was before he got lost) he's looking very much like himself these days.  And Jack is much more careful about where he takes (and leaves) Monkey.

This was was a little bit after we found Monkey.

Jack is entering in to his last month of preschool.  He came home last week quite upset that he wasn't "graduating" at the end of the month like so many of his other friends.  I told him that he's so special he gets to come back to preschool next year and meet all the new friends!  I don't think it would be so bad if the lovely Bryn wasn't graduating too.  It isn't a preschool day if Jack's not talking about Bryn and her pretty dresses.  Oh dear, aren't we much too young for this?  Soon it will be summer break and the only girl he'll have to practice his moves on will be Julia.

2.)  Jude

His latest look - covered heard to toe in dirt.

You've heard about Jude recently, our big 3 year old.  He's struggling with his recent wardrobe change.  A combination of changing seasons and growing boy and we've had to put away most of the shirts and pants he's become so familiar with.  Unfortunately, my stack of 3T boys clothes consists largely of stripes and solids and not nearly enough animals and cartoon characters.  Which makes our morning routine that much more difficult.  As long as he's able to locate a pair of Thomas underwear though we're off to a good start!

Other than the clothing change Jude is taking full advantage of the arrival of spring.  He loves to be outside and is the first one out the door if you merely mention the word "walk."  He also loves mud and bugs ... two things he hasn't yet mastered to leave outside.

Of the three kids, Jude is THE MOST keen on my pregnancy.  He loves to sit on my lap and poke at "Baby J___" (nope, not giving away the name just yet!  You could always ask Jude, but his pronunciation might throw you off a bit!).  He's a bit confused thought about what, exactly, an unborn baby is.  He apparently thinks any "bump" on Mommy's body is a potential baby.  And that some are bigger than others.  I won't go into it any more than that but lets just say Jude thinks I'm carry one big baby and two smaller ones.  *cough, cough*

3.)  Julia

As usual, hands behind her head.

She's sitting on my lap now.  She got removed to the "time-out room" too after Jude decided he wanted to put her in the dog's crate.  She's a little teary-eyed and shaken, but soon she'll be slapping away at the keyboard and tearing apart all my important paperwork.

This girl is ALL 18 month old, whatever that means.  Just like I predicted, she figured out not only how to remove the slats from her window blind but also how to use them to knock down the fabric rounds hanging above her crib.  She then spends a considerable amount of "naptime" disassembling the decorative pieces I spent so much time putting together for her before her birth.

She's also very much in to her Daddy now.  If the boys weren't so much faster than her, she would be the first to greet him at the door of his car when he comes home from work.  But since she still insists on turning completely backwards and inching her belly down from the front step, it takes her a little longer to get places.

I think we finally have our first word (other than "Mama" and "Dadda") I was afraid, for a moment, that it was going to be "poopy" but she hasn't been using that one consistently yet.  And then I thought perhaps "dog."  But again, not consistent enough to know for sure it's one of her legitimate words.  Nope, Julia's first official word is ... BABY!  I love it.  It comes out more like "bee bee."  But she says it to all her baby dolls, when we see a little one out in the store, and when she's pointing to #4's ultrasound picture on the fridge.  I am so looking forward to her playing the part of big sister in a few months.  Although giving up her baby-of-the-family status might be a bit more of a challenge!

4.)  The baby
I've forgotten to take belly pics for the past two weeks, this is our fourth after all...

27 weeks now and strong and healthy!  I can feel this one's presence so much more pronounced than the other three at this age.  She's more "in the front" and we very quickly went from "butterflies" to distinctive kicks and body parts.  Apparently things are a bit "rearranged" in there.  I've been put on placenta previa watch.  In other words, at my last ultrasound the placenta was a bit too close to the cervix.  It is very likely that it will move (actually that the uterus will grow and therefore it will no longer be a problem) but if for some reason it didn't, or if it moved the wrong direction, I'd be looking at a hospital birth and possibly bedrest.  And since bedrest with 3 kids in the middle of summer is simply NOT an option for this Mama, we're really hoping for a good report in a few weeks.  I'll go back for another ultrasound then.  The doctor will want to see the placenta but I'll want to see this baby girl and make sure once and for all it really is a she.  Because if she isn't, I got a ton of yard sale clothes I'll need to retrieve from Marmie and Poppa's house!

Big Sister laying on Little Sister, and subsequently getting a head massage.

And it's official, the first stranger commented on my pregnancy today!  The lady sitting next to us at lunch after church wanted to know if we were expecting another girl.  "Why yes, we're very excited!" and then the older lady behind us commented to Jon on our impending family of four as well.  "We're trying not to wish these years away!" he said, because Jon is very charming with little old ladies and we all know that mother's of very-grown kids have that historical perspective.

And we're not, we're not wishing these years away, as challenging as they sometimes are.  We enjoy them, not every minute, particularly not those few minutes this evening when the boys were running trucks in circles, freaking out the dog who peed on the floor and then knocked Julia's snack out of her hands, but most of them.  They're GOOD minutes and I'm so incredibly thankful I get to repeat them not two, not even three, but FOUR times.  We'll just put that dog-dream off a few years longer!

Typical dinner at our house: Jude killing bugs, Jack playing with his food, Julia doing her hair.