Sun, Sewing and Sweet Boys

Hi everyone!  Well tomorrow is my ultrasound-based due date.  Forty weeks people!  And still baby girl is in my tummy.  Is anyone really surprised?  I don't know why I constantly convince myself, with all 3 kids, that I'm going to have them early!?  I clearly carry my babies past their due dates, and that is just that.  So little Miss Snug and Comfy remains firmly in my ever expanding belly, and while I anxiously await her arrival, I've been indulging my newfound hobby of sewing.  My good friend Tanya was nice enough to share some adorable dress tutorials with me, so I've been busy sewing her pillowcase dresses, which is about the extent of my skill level.  While easy, they are still SUPER cute, and her closet is becoming even fuller!  I've also been sewing blankets and bibs, and carseat covers.  It's "sew" fun.  Ok I'm just a nerd now, clearly.  But it's been nice to kind of channel my energy into something productive (you know, instead of cleaning, organizing, working, etc). 

   

In other news, it has finally become more spring-like, after a month of just really cold, snowy weather.  It makes me feel positively GIDDY to be able to get outside and watch my boys run around and have fun.  We all have a rosy glow to our cheeks after three days of being outside nearly constantly.  Parks, playgrounds, "mechanical" (aka botanical) gardens, and our very own backyard.  In fact, in the spirit of spring, I just ordered some soccer nets, soccer balls, and cones for the boys, so we can start practicing in our backyard.  We decided to keep Hayden in blastball this spring (in fact he is playing on a team with all of his friends this time around, which will be SO much fun), so soccer isn't really an option - there are major time conflicts since both games are played on Saturday mornings.  We'll just work on his skills on our own, and then sign him up this fall if he is still expressing an interest.   Our little dude is so completely into sports and would play them all if we let him!

   

I realized as I was posting these photos that I never actually posted any from our "ice-pocolypse" from a few weeks ago, where we were literally snowed into our house for 4 days straight!  Roads are not cleared here like we are used to in Colorado and Wisconsin, therefore the layer of ice that formed on the roads during an ice-storm that preceeded the snowstorm was never treated, and just made the roads a skating rink for 4 days until temps rose above freezing.  It was fun at first, but being stranded at home with 2 bored little boys wasn't ideal for that long!  We did have a lot of fun playing games, and Hayden loved sledding with his daddy.  Pierce, however....not such a snow fan!  He and I are both thrilled to have the warm weather back 

   

   

Finally, I have to re-tell a story from our Valentine's Day.  It was a rather low-key holiday, since like everything else in the month of February, we have been reluctant to schedule anything since we could be in labor, or with a newborn.  It was a real treat for Hayden to open a card from his Gigi (great-Grandma) that had a crisp $10 bill in it, which I told him he could spend on something special.  Nate was about to head out to Target so he invited Hayden along and told him he could bring his money and pick something out. So we were chatting about what his choices were. He is really into the cars from the movie "Cars" right now, and he actually has 3 different versions of the main character, Lightning McQueen. One has muddy tires (Muddy Lightning), one has tires with tar on them (Burnt Lightning), and one is the "Lightning with nothing on his tires", which is Hayden's very favorite. So Pierce usually plays with the other two. Well Hayden must have felt sorry for Pierce that he didn't have his very own "nothing on his tires" car, so he told me he was going to use his $10 to buy one for Pierce. Well I thought it was very sweet, but in the back of mind I figured he'd be swayed once he got to the store with all the other options available. Well Nate said when they got there he immediately picked out the Lightning McQueen for Pierce, and even though Nathan reassured him that he could get ANYTHING, he insisted on that! Then when he got home he proudly handed it RIGHT over to Pierce! And they played with them together all night. He even made me write a little "P" on Pierce's car, and a little "H" on his, so they can remember which one belongs to whom. It was about the sweetest gesture I've ever seen. He sure loves his little brother, and he is such a sweet and generous little boy.  I've waited a long time to see their relationship grow, and it's so rewarding to see what great friends they have become.

And I will leave you with a few random fun photos from the past weeks.

   

Baby Bellies

So today I took my first "bare belly" photo of Miss Ruthie.  I don't know why, but this time around I just haven't been as enthusiastic about taking my weekly belly photos.  Ok I'll be honest, I haven't taken ANY!  So today I thought, really, before she is born and my opportunity is lost, I'd better take a photo to remember these days when she was in my tum.  With the boys, I photographed my belly with their names on it, and decided to go ahead with this same method for Miss Ruthie.  It was fun!  I chose pink and glittery haha!  My tummy actually looks very similar to each of the boys - which is not surprising since my weight gain has been almost exactly the same.  It's crazy to think that this is probably the last time I'll ever post a belly photo in my life!  Wow....a chapter is about to come to a close.

Hayden:  August 2007

Pierce:  April 2009

Ruthie:  February 2011

And here is the full on side shot of my 38 week belly with my girly!

I've been heading to see the midwife weekly for the past 3 weeks, and everything is going well.  She checked me for progress, and I'm about 3 cm dilated at this point, which doesn't surprise me given some signs I've been having, including contractions with a frequency of at least once an hour for the past few weeks.  Occasionally they are mildly painful, but for the most part they are of the run of the mill braxton hicks variety.  It really could be any minute now, which is such a curious feeling!  One minute she'll be in my tummy, the next she'll be in my arms (and I'm trying to block out the whole part about how she makes that transition haha).  But honestly, although I'm anxious to meet her, it's really fun to wonder about when she'll suddenly decide to make her appearance.  Birth is such a mystery!  And for some reason, I have this gut feeling that my water will break this time around to start labor, although that has not happened with either of my previous pregnancies.  I don't know why....but I just have a feeling.  We'll see if that pans out?!

So according to my original due date of Feb 21 (which admittedly was settled on primarily because I had only a vague idea of when I got pregnant, and it sounded fun to share a due date with my birthday), I am 38 weeks pregnant as of tomorrow.  If you consider my ultrasound based due date (from my 8 and 18 week ultrasounds) of Feb 16, I am actually almost 39 weeks.  Who knows?  I have a feeling I'll still be pregnant for a few more weeks.  I tend not to go early.  So the wait continues!

Superbowl and Baby

Or maybe a Superbowl baby?!  Haha wishful thinking, since she's not due for 3 more weeks....

So after an awesome season of football, our hometown Packers are Superbowl bound!  And bound for our home city of Dallas!  Too bad tickets are something crazy like $2500 at a mimimum, that is of course unless you are willing to pay $200 to stand in the parking lot?!  Crazy but true.  Despite that enticing offer from Jerry Jones, we plan to watch the game from the comfort of my parent's house, decked out in our green and gold (my classic t-shirt is looking more and more like a bikini top as my stomach becomes bigger and bigger....lovely visual I know).  When we were home in Wisconsin this fall, I splurged on two Packers sweatsuits for the boys that have become Sunday staples in our household.  The boys are actually enthusiastic little supporters of the Pack, and Hayden insists on wearing this outfit when they play, so I have to make sure to keep up with the laundry   Pierce just yells "GO PACKERS" at the TV the whole time they play, while Hayden is genuinely interested in the rules of the game, and will just sit with Poppy and ask question after question, which thrills his grandfather, who is enjoying raising a little football fan.  Sharing this season of the Packers heading to the Superbowl has been really special for my family, and I wish them TONS of luck next weekend!

   

As much as I'd like to have my little daughter here, cheering on the Packers in a green and gold cheerleading uniform, she still has a few more weeks to grow.  I'm just hitting 37 weeks, and have started getting really anxious about all things baby related.  I've had two beautiful showers this month put on by several friends, which were so much fun!  Not only it is a gift to have friends who are so eager to welcome my little girl, but it's also fabulous to have closets and drawers stocked with clothes and necessities for her arrival.  I really need very little at this point, except a baby girl to hold in my arms.

I'm down to weekly visits with my midwives, and at my last appointment I got a list with everything I need to bring with me to the birth center on her birth day.  The list, not surprisingly, is very similar to what you would bring to a hospital, but it's more customized to making you and baby comfy - in your own clothes, blankets and with your own food and snacks.  So I've begun to pack both Ruthie and I, and seeing that little pink bag in her room, full of clothes, blankets, diapers, and of course bows, makes it feel more real!  We washed all of her newborn sized clothing, and both Nate and I commented on how fun it was to fold the soft little pink and purple onesies and blankets.  Such a change for our household!

Baby seems to be in a perfect spot; head down deep, and rotated into such a position that should ensure a safe and painless delivery.  Ok that second part is probably not true but it is what I tell myself, so I thought I'd tell you all too haha.  I am already starting to progress in terms of dilating and effacing, so all these contractions I've been having recently are actually doing something!  So really, since I'm technically full-term, it could be any day now.  However, since I have gone full-term (or post dates) with both boys, there is absolutely no reason to suspect I would have this little girl early.  So I'm not holding my breath on that.

Here are us girls at 37 weeks pregnant!  Hitting the homestretch.  I know, scary huge and low.

And here is the most beautiful flannel quilt that my mom made for her grand-daughter.  It was such a simple and sweet surprise, and I just know it will be her favorite and most treasured blanket!!

Texas Seasons

So two weeks ago, it was a winter wonderland in Texas!  Although Nate and I claim to miss our wintry upbringings in Wisconsin and Colorado, we really haven't been suffering too badly since it's snowed heavily at least once a winter since we've lived here.  I'm so thankful that the boys have grown up at least seeing snow a bit, and being able to bundle up and throw snowballs and make snowmen.  I'm also incredibly thankful that it only happens about once a year haha!  Here are some photos from our most recent snowfall.  Hayden LOVED it!

   

Pierce did not 

Snow angels.  Not to be confused with grass angels or wood chip angels, which are more commonplace here 

The only two photos I have of Pierce smiling.  The rest of the time he was panicking about the fact that he apparently couldn't move in the 1 inch of snow.  I also love the Texas snow photo with the pool in the background!  Classic.

   

By contrast, today was 72 and sunny!  A mere few weeks later.  And still January.  Amazing.  I have to say while I appreciate the joys of snowfall, I much prefer the balmy winter days that allow us to spend time outside in the fresh air.  We broke out the picnic table for an afternoon snack, followed by sandbox time, sidewalk chalk, the water table, racing cars down the slide, and some backyard golf.  We wrapped the afternoon up just hanging out in patio chairs, taking goofy photos with my camera phone and sending them to daddy, and just chit chatting and watching airplanes fly over.  Just what we all needed!

   

   

Look at that swing!

   

   

Whatever the weather, I'm having fun here with my little men