12-12-12

This date ended up not being significant for 2 reasons. The first one is that it was supposed to be my last day of work but obviously that happened awhile ago. Now that I know Easton won't be coming this week I THINK I could've made it until today at work. On second thought, no I couldn't have. The stress probably would've put me into early labor. Plus, yesterday my back was hurting so bad that I was in tears. So I'm glad I ended my contract when I did. The other reason today is not significant is that my dr had originally said I could have Easton today but then changed her mind. Before I left for MS she thought I'd be lucky to have him after 34 weeks. Then, just like she did with P's birth, she said I was good to go until probably 37 or 38 weeks. Today would've been a cool birthday for him to have but not at the expense of him being on oxygen from a pre-term birth. So, although 12-12-12 means something to some people, it's just another cool date in my book.

Rough N Tumble Kind of Day

Although P lacks grace like his mama, he doesn't really get hurt much and...knock on wood...has yet to get hurt seriously. By the end of the day, however, I felt like I needed to bubble wrap our poor son. We were at a store this morning and he was just standing next to me, not goofing off, when he lost his footing and slammed his eye into the sharp edge of the counter. It's times like that when I feel bad that I can't just swoop him up to console him. But he was fine with me kneeling down and hugging him until the tears stopped. We got home and when he went to climb into his booster seat at the table he slipped and fell, hitting his knee and head pretty good on the way down. Once again I held him until I knew he was going to be ok. After our nap we decided to take Holly for a walk to the water house up the hill. All was good until we started back down the hill. He usually runs down it but because of all the mud we were just taking our time walking down it. He tripped or something and fell, rolling down a few feet on his head. That fall had me worried more than the rest because of all the rocks and being on his head most of the fall. When it was all said and done, it scared him more than anything. I checked him over, held him and then we made our way home. To top it off, our poor kiddo has dealt with diarrhea for about 10 days now. Tonight when we were playing with him, we kept teasing him that he was stinky, thinking it was him passing gas. When he got ready for bed I found out why he was so stinky. Although he is fully potty trained, he must've thought he was passing gas. But he wasn't. It was quite a mess to clean up! He is now in bed and we can put this day behind us. I pray that tomorrow is not such a rough and tumble kind of day because this mama can't handle all the hang ups and bang ups!

A Photography Type of Day

I had a fun day not being a mom or wife but being a photographer. I started out doing a friend's family portraits, including her 2 year old's pictures.

From there I got to take part in a special photography shoot, Reno Help Portrait. It's a day where local photographers get together to take pictures of people in need. The people get to get dressed up, have their make-up done and get professional pictures taken....for free. I didn't stay long because it was a little unorganized and I was pretty worn out from my previous photo shoot but it was a fun experience. I hope to take part in it next year after it's up and running more and more families are involved.

 When I got home I opened our mailbox to find our photo CD from our maternity/family pictures last weekend. It's been fun to delve into photography because I feel like I've been lacking enthusiasm in that area of my life lately. Once Easton is born I look forward to getting back to my passion of photography on a more consistent level.

We're Ready!! I think.

We're ready for Christmas...or Easton's birth...whichever comes first. OK, maybe not 100% ready but pretty darn close. This weekend I will wrap the rest of the presents that are in our possession. I have one more family member to buy for. Our photographer has our family pics in the mail as I write this so Christmas cards will be addressed and mailed out Tuesday...I hope.
As for Easton, P's carseat has been washed and sanitized and will be installed by the end of the weekend. The diaper bag has been cleaned out and Easton's stuff will be put in there by the end of the weekend. Pacifiers and toys have been sanitized. All of his clothes and blankets have been washed. Diapers and wipes have been supplied and put away. The hospital bag has been packed and P's overnight bag has been stuffed (if it's needed). I had my last prenatal massage last night (Yes, I like to be a diva in my testosterone world sometimes!). I have 2 minor things left to buy but if I don't get them before Easton makes his debut we'll survive.
All I have to do is get through the weekend. I have a family photo shoot in the morning and a charity photo opportunity tomorrow afternoon to take care of. Then Sunday, after church, we're going on the Santa Train as a family. I may take P to a Christmas party my friends are having Sunday night but other than that all my commitments will be taken care of. Then we can enjoy Easton or Christmas...whichever one comes first!

Let me introduce.....

Shooby, our Elf on the Shelf.

 

For those that don't know about the Elf on the Shelf, it's something that started a few years ago (to my knowledge). The elf is named by the child (hence Shooby's name) and watches the child throughout the day to report back to Santa every night.

 

Some elves are mischievous but we were lucky to get a well behaved one. (P doesn't need anymore ideas on how to make messes!)He leaves at night to report to Santa, which really hasn't had much effect on P's behavior as of late, and then "hides" for him to find each morning.

 

He has magical powers which supposedly dissolve if the child touches it. Not the case at our house. P plays with Shooby every day and has yet to wear the magic off him. Maybe next year he'll be more magical after hibernating for 12 months.

 Either way, we've had a lot of fun looking for Shooby first thing each morning. I'm sure P will be sad to see him go Christmas Eve but come Christmas morning he'll be glad that Santa got SOME good reports!

Winter Wild

It never rains here 3-4 days in a row....until we live in a house that lacks a huge downstairs playroom. Monday I set up a playdate with a girlfriend who has 2 boys that are P's age. Yesterday I let him run around the mall play area to get some energy out. Today I just ran errands. And I paid the price. Actually I can't tell much difference in P's behavior at all the past few days. He has more energy than Rob and I combined so we try to get creative in wearing him out. Today was the worst. He took a super long nap and woke up with energy to boot. So I tried to channel that energy by doing some craft projects that he has asked about. Between that, running the stairs in our house, wrestling with Daddy and working on a counting book that Mimi sent him I think he MAY go to bed tonight. Thankfully we get a break from the rain for a few days so he can play outside with the dogs tomorrow. All day. Every waking moment. :) 

Baby, Baby..... Ducks!

As I write this, I am sitting with my feet up, something that I've unfortunately gotten accustomed to. :( The more I sit with my feet propped up the less "elephant feet" I get. Yesterday I didn't have a chance to prop my feet up for more than 30 minutes and I paid the price. By mid afternoon I could only fit into my slippers. But I was willing to pay the price for the fun day we had. It started out with maternity/family pictures. We were supposed to do them a few weeks ago but had to reschedule due to Rob getting called to the East Coast. Luckily our family photographer is great and was able to reschedule for us. After we spent a fun hour in the studio with her, my mom and I rushed off to my baby sprinkle that two of my good friends were throwing for me. A group of my friends and I enjoyed a nice lunch together and then Easton got spoiled with lots of fun new stuff (He won't have to wear his big brother's hand me downs every day!). I was able to prop my feet up for a few minutes before we rushed off to meet the Archery Family. We were in the Parade of Lights, representing Ducks Unlimited. Rob, P and I rode in the truck where it was warm. Rob drove and pulled the DU float while P and I threw out candy and DU hats. We topped off the night by  going to some friends' for a quick bite to eat. By that point I was so exhausted I could barely put one foot in front of the other and my feet were so swollen they were unrecognizable. Although it was a fun day I was more than ready to call it quits by the time I crawled into bed. But, like I said, it was well worth it and today I enjoy the Sabbath by observing it and relaxing.