30 weeks

Wow.  I am really doing quite a miserable job at keeping this blog up to date.  My apologies to the mighty few who check in with it periodically.  As this pregnancy progresses into the home stretch, my desire is to have it well documented to one day share with this baby boy who's about to enter our lives.  Therefore my new, fairly realistic goal is to begin updating once a week.  So here goes nothing!

Yesterday marked Little Guy's and my 30 week milestone together on this journey.  Officially a couple of weeks into my 3rd trimester, I find my energy supply is definitely beginning to slow down.  It is interesting doing this for the second time and noting the things that are the same and those that are different than my pregnancy with Emma.  For one thing, I had far more "morning" sickness troubles this time than with Emma.  During the second trimester with Em, I experienced a nearly full bounce-back to my pre-pregnancy energy levels.  Not so much with Little Guy.  That honeymoon trimester energy surge never really arrived with the same "oomph" this time around, although kicking the around the clock nausea was a much welcomed event.  I suspect the ongoing tiredness has a lot to do with having my first baby, now at a rambunctious age 3, to keep up with.  No rest for the weary with Emma in the house!

Now at week 30, I'm having a few of the same 'ol symptoms as before, but they are more mild thus far.  At this point with Emma I had a full-blown case of carpal tunnel syndrom, and already the makings of outrageous swelling of ALL extremities.  And while there is a faint tingling in my finger tips each morning and some puffed up feet and ankles in the evenings, it is nothing, NOTHING like it was at 30 weeks with Emma.  So I'm rolling with the punches for now.  10 weeks from my due date, yet only 7 weeks from the point at which Emma was born (37 weeks to the day), the time frame feels manageable.  Now ask me to repeat that 4-5 weeks from now and you may get a whole different response!  ha!

This week Kurt and I are busily selling off some of the furniture that has occupied the room that will in a very short time belong to a new member of the family.  Once all furniture is cleared out, the carpet will be cleaned and fresh paint will be applied where needed.  Fortunately the room is already the same pale aqua-blue I would choose to paint it for Little Guy if I were picking out paint colors today, so touch-ups to the walls and a fresh coat on the baseboards are all that will be needed for the most part.  After that we'll bring in Little Guy's crib, dresser, and glider rocking chair for those late night meals he'll need.  Extra shelving in the closet will be installed, diapers organized, and little outfits featuring dinosaurs and fire trucks will be washed and hung or folded, all ready for his arrival.

Some days I feel overwhelmed at all there is to do, and others, like tonight, I just have faith it will all get done one step at a time.  Just trying to keep that sense of balance between what must get done, and what would be nice to have done upon his arrival.  One thing is for sure, I can't wait to meet him.... in no less than 7-10 weeks of course!

New Year's 2011

For New Years 2011 we happily traveled to Black Butte for several days of absolute, total relaxation.  We are very fortunate that Kurt's uncle and aunt are so kind as to let us invade their home away from home there a couple times each year.  We always appreciate their generosity so very much, as Black Butte has become the Moke crew's favorite place on Earth, and this trip did not disappoint! 

We arrived late our first night as snow was beginning to fall on ground already covered in several inches of snow.  When we woke up the next morning we were THRILLED to see it had snowed all night long, providing nearly a foot of gorgeous, beautiful, perfect snow!  It continued to snow over the next 24 hours, leaving nearly 2 feet in which we enjoyed plenty of sledding, long walks, and playtime during our mini-vacation, in addition to lots of great food, hot chocolate, and warm, cozy fires. 

To make the trip even better, we were joined by our dear friends, Tasha, Matt, and Sawyer, for several days.  It was so much fun to relax and play together, not to mention watch Emma practicing her big sister skills with baby Sawyer.

Rewind: Christmas 2010

I am remembering now why I took a blogging hiatus from the old blog a year ago:  Because it is SO hard to keep up!  Between filling roles as mommy, wife, 5th grade teacher, friend, housekeeper, cook, personal shopper, recreation coordinator, and chauffer - all while growing a healthy new human being and preparing for his arrival - precious little time is left over for anything else.  I'm finding any spare time I am lucky to have is designated as much needed rest/sleep time, and that's only after properly researching preschools, investigating options for swimming lessons, and bargain hunting for the new baby gear we're going to need.  Needless to say, I am feeling stretched extremely thin lately!  Extremely.  Thin.

In spite of all that, this holiday season was too wonderful and too memorable not to share at least some little snippets of it.  We had our regular 3 days of Christmas, this year spending Christmas Eve with my mom's side of the family, Christmas morning to ourselves at home while the afternoon was with Kurt's side of the family.  The day after Christmas my dad's whole side got together, so it worked out perfectly.

This was the very first Christmas where Emma fully understood everything, as she soaked up every moment of each holiday celebration with every family member.  It was such a joy to watch her take it all in, and absolutely magical to see Christmas through her innocent little eyes.

Blabbermouth

One thing has recently become abundantly clear:  There is no secret-keeping with a three year old in the house!  As we've been gearing up for Christmas, it has been such fun to include Emma in the preparation of the festivities and gift-giving.  This is the first Christmas where she really, truly "gets it" and is enjoying every aspect of the holiday season.  Like most people, we have been doing a lot of shopping as of late, and I've found that Emma has made a very entertaining sidekick in the process.  She's loved having a say in the gifts purchased for others, and particularly "helping" with the wrapping of gifts.  She has especially relished preparing gifts for her Dada, which has been so incredibly sweet. 

This has come back to kick me soundly in the backside though, as Emma has also had a good time telling Dada exactly what is under the tree for him!  To quote two instances:

"Dada!  Your secret is the duck shirt!"  (in reference to his new UofO shirt she helped to *secretly* pick out for him) 

and...

"Dada!  You're going to like these movies!"  (said as she's waiving two wrapped DVD's in the air)

These and several other scenarios where Emma and my covert holiday activities have been outed have certainly provided a lot of laughs.  There is never a dull moment with an ultra-chatty little kidlet around!

Cookies With Santa

Last weekend our good friends, the Cooneys, threw a fantastic Santa party in which the featured guest, Santa himself, arrived bearing gifts for all the little people!  However somehow our fearless three year old decided she wanted nothing what-so-ever to do with the man in red.  Luckily Santa presented her with something she's had her eye on for a while - a brand new toy guitar, just like Mama and Dada's Guitar Hero toys (only far less fragile and spendy if broken), winning back her affection.  It was a wonderful afternoon with great friends, delicious cookies, and holiday spirit!

Party hard, sleep hard

A big birthday celebration takes its toll on a kid - even a big partier like Emma.  I couldn't help but sneak in and snap this shot after she crashed for the night following her birthday bash...

Three!

Its hard to believe our little Emma just turned THREE!  To celebrate the big event we had just a few family and close friends over for pizza and cake on Sunday, December 5.  Em fully enjoyed being the center of attention and having her favorite people around her!