In anticipation of her birthday party...!

Lily has only ever been to a few birthday parties, so who know what she thinks is happening later on today.

I took this video on Thursday, yes she is still in her (Christmas) jammies, and yes that is what her hair really looks like in the back! I would like to save any hurt feelings and point out that Lily and I have been talking about her birthday party for a week. She asks me to list attendees on a hourly basis. If you didn't get a shout out it isn't because she doesn't want you here, more likely I have just already told her you will not be able to come.

The video is pretty precious if you ask me!

35/35

Today I am 35 weeks pregnant and have 35 days until my due date, pretty cool milestone eh?

Overall I am feeling pretty great. I have gained just over 20lbs and can't get enough of my OB telling me I am "all baby". I start my weekly appointments this week, which can only mean one thing. I am going to have to give birth to this baby! Cue minor panic attack.

I remember coming to this realization when I was pregnant with Lily too. It may sound funny to someone who has never been pregnant, of course I am going to have to give birth to the baby, duh! But I am sure that my mommy readers are shaking their heads right now, remembering the moment when they realized labor/delivery is inescapable. This next part is going to sound horrible, and maybe it is horrible, but it is the truth. To cope with the fear of giving birth when I was pregnant with Lily I comforted myself by thinking, "If ------ did it, then I can definitely do it." Are you now wondering if you are ------?!? Don't worry, you're not, she doesn't read my blog. It was nothing against her, I just couldn't picture her being "tough". In my head I was going to be a champion of labor! What I have learned since is that labor is a total crap shoot, and it is totally out of my control. Complications arise, hormones and instinct run high, nurses can make all the difference. Some of my absolute "toughest" girl friends have horrific labor stories while other friends and coworkers (including -----) make labor and delivery sound like a freakin' walk on the beach. I remember reading (last time around of course, I haven't done any pregnancy related reading this time, oops) that there is no medal or trophy awarded to mothers after they give birth.  All anyone cares about is that they have a healthy baby to take home. Amen. This time around I am not bringing any expectations with me to the hospital.  The unknown of it all is sort of exciting.

It is almost laughable how little Dingle and I have done to prepare for bringing this little boy home. Good thing newborns don't actually need very much! If all I take with me to the hospital is nipple cream and blankie I will be a happy camper. Where is the car seat, swing, and pack-n-play? In the basement...somewhere. No thanks to me, he does have clothes that do not have pink bunnies on them, but nothing special to come home from the hospital in. We realized yesterday that there is not a single newborn diaper in the house! I have officially started a list and set a deadline for getting things done (April 11th).

I do have a very small registry set up on Amazon, mostly because they give you a 10% off completion coupon. Aside from the double stroller (which for now we are holding off on) there are no big ticket items. Mostly it is new pump/feeding supplies and a few new blankets and sheets. Here is the link if you are interested: http://www.amazon.com/registry/baby/WZHAB3KIA9VY

All in all this has been a very uneventful pregnancy. Unlike last time, my blood work and screenings all came back normal, ultrasounds and measurements have been great, and symptoms have been almost non-existent. I have been having killer heartburn for several weeks, but I had it will Lily and was not especially surprised it returned. I slept a lot better and much more comfortably last time around, but I was also working full time and may have just been too exhausted to toss and turn.

With 5 weeks to go I consider myself a very lucky and happy pregnant lady!

As promised a cute video :)

The quality isn't the greatest, I was trying to be incognito. 

The world's most perfect big girl bed!

I can tell you exactly why I failed to update the blog for the past three weeks.  I have spent every waking free second I have had researching and hunting down the world's most perfect big girl bed!! When I get my mind set on something there is no derailing me. At one point during my search I had 57 tabs open on my computer (yes I counted). There has to be a more efficient way to organize internet searches, but I sort of like my system., even if it does say something about my type A personality.

I knew I wanted a twin bed as opposed to a toddler bed. As a matter of fact, I would like to meet the person who invented the "convertible crib" and kick him/her in the shin. Ok, that may be a little harsh. Not to mention it isn't really the inventors fault their design was so popular at the time of our crib purchase. Maybe there is a sales person I should be kicking, hmmm. Anyway, the reason I regret the convertible crib we chose is because while the bed does convert to a toddler bed as advertised, the weight restrictions on the bed are the same as when you are in "crib mode". In our case 75lbs. I had always envisioned snuggling in bed with my little ones reading books before bed. Sitting on the floor next to the toddler bed is simply an unacceptable substitution. My kids are only going to be this little and cute once.

The plan for right now is to stay in this house a little longer and try and wait out the market. Unless we are willing to take a loss on the house, it is really our only option. With that being the case, we would like to keep the guest room just that, so that our lovely family and friends can continue to enjoy the lavish accommodation we have established for them. (Clearly I am being facetious, the room is quite simple, but we have had many compliments on the mattress!) In a three bedroom house it doesn't take long to figure out that means our kids will be sharing a room...eventually. Baby boy will be in our room for the first few months and after that we may opt to put the crib in the guest room until everyone is sleeping soundly through the night. In any scenario I decided that it would be Lily who would get a new bed. Matt definitely had/has his doubts that she is ready to move from the crib. I am just hoping that if we strike now, while the iron is so gosh darn agreeable, she will transition like a pro.

So anyway, back to the big girl bed I chose and the only thing that people really care about, pictures. After no less than 40 hours of research I had narrowed our choices to these three beds.

The first bed got decent reviews online but was sold out almost everywhere. I was struggling with the sticker shock of the whole bed buying experience when I first came across it so I put it on my wishlist and kept looking. The second bed got great reviews but was slightly more than the first bed. The third bed is actually four separate pieces, a loft, a bookcase, and two three drawer dressers. This would have been the biggest investment by far, but just look at all of that storage! Matt was convinced that Lily was going to swan drive off of the loft and break a bone. We even went to a local furniture store to see that one in person just to get a feel for how high it was. Lily scurried up the ladder like a champ but Matt wasn't completely sold. After three weeks of looking I was starting to get frustrated and just wanted one of them to go on a "I can't possibly pass this up" sale. Finally last Monday night it happened. I found a 15% off coupon code for the middle bed with free shipping and no sales tax!! 

The bed actually arrived before I had a chance to get the bedding (which is now en route and I am super excited!)    Last night Lily was amazing. We all went up and cuddled into her big girl bed and read books (which was everything I dreamed it would be) and when we were finished we showered her with praise, reminded her of the rules, gave hugs and kisses and left. She looked very small and I cried a little, but after 7:20 we never heard another peep and all was right with the world. Around 7:45 this morning she started calling for her dad to come and get her (have I mentioned how much I LOVE this kid!) and he found her exactly where she should be, sitting up proudly in the middle of the her stuffed animal army.

How about a few pictures?!

Celebrating the delivery of her BIG GIRL BED!!
(said like Oprah announcing that everyone is getting a new car!)

All set up! Daddy did a great job maneuvering it up the stairs. 

All snuggled in, happy and smiling :)

A little less sure as we backed away but happy to have company. 

She is in there somewhere! 

I will take a few more pictures once the bedding has arrived and we are finished shuffling the furniture around but these will have to do for now. Hopefully night two goes just as smoothly!

American Idol 2027

Lily has been going to Music Together (aka music class) since January. After some of the bizarre behavior she has exhibited in other "classes" we have taken, I threw any and all expectations out the window. On the first day of class my kookie little odd ball, who on more than one occasion spent the better part of gym class dancing in the corner alone, marched into the room like she owned the place. She then proceeded to greet each child loudly and overly enthusiastically. The other mothers must have thought she (and I by extension) was nuts.

For the past 9 weeks we have been singing our hearts out on Tuesday mornings. Some weeks were better than others. There were definitely moments when she refused to participate, but overall she is totally into it. Class comes with a CD to listen to at home and in the car. Personally I don't mind most of the songs, but there are a few Lily hates for whatever reason, and we always have to skip those ones. Like most toddlers repetition is her best friend, and there are a few songs we always have to listen to twice...or ten times.

Admittedly, I feel like I total wanker during class. Trust me, to have fun at music class you have to check your pride at the door. Lily's love for the whole silly thing is totally infectious. She talks about music class for three days before class and for several days after. Hands down the curtest thing though is when Matt and I catch her singing to herself in her playroom or over the baby monitor. Naturally she gets half the words wrong but the singing just goes on and on. In typical toddler-double-standard terms Lily has no tolerance for mommy not knowing all of the words to every song, right this minute! Lucky for me I have always had a crazy affinity for reciting lyrics, and I was able to learn most of the 22 songs within the first week or so.

About two weeks into class Lily and I were sitting on the couch and she was requesting songs from her personal jukebox. I was unabashedly botching the second verse of some song when she looked up and me and said, "sneaking around", i.e. the missing words to the second verse. I don't outright brag about my kiddo very often, but there is just no denying she has an ear for all things musical. You should watch her dance and clap her hand in time. Matt is incredibly musical and can play at least four different instruments, but unfortunately he can't sing to save his life. Seriously, it is bad. I can carry a tune alright but only barely played the clarinet for a few years in middle school.

I would be over the moon if it turns out this little girl can sing. Even if she only ever sings to me.

Playing catch up (again)

I can't believe I haven't blogged since the tree came down!

I love my blog and really need to work harder to keep it updated. I know my millions of loyal followers make sad faces when the blog is neglected, but more importantly I make sad faces when I think about all of the moments I am going to forget. I have so many things I need to blog about, none of which I am going to write about now. It's after 8 and I am super tired. So for now you will have to settle for a list of what's to come! (I did post a new bump pic a few days ago)

I really need to brag about Lily and her music class.

Did you know I went to New York for a whole weekend without my husband or child?

Lily is just days away from moving into the world's most perfect big girl bed!! 

I suppose I could do a pregnancy "the sequel" highs and lows post :) 

I have a major gripe about the amount of vomiting on TV shows! 

We went to Maine! 

I have an amazing video of Lily "reading" to herself that has to be shared. 

Also, I have been working toward my 101 things list...and I haven't blogged about any of it! 

Stay tuned, I promise the blog will be bursting with new posts over the next few days!