Almost 37 Weeks

Well, here is the photo asked for by some. I will be considered 37 weeks this Saturday, and that means if Vance arrived any day from that point he would be considered full term.

At the beginning of this week I was ready for Vance to come anytime, but then Tuesday afternoon I got a call informing me that my doctor fell ice skating with his kids and broke his shoulder and won't be back until April. This put me in a panic because I really liked my doctor, and now I have to have a different doctor deliver Vance. As far as another doctor goes, I basically just had to go with the only doctor who had an opening this week that fit my schedule. Well, needless to say, he didn't win me over in our first visit, and at this point I feel like there is no time to meet with other doctors until I find another one I like. So, I will just stick with the one I got and hope that his obvious experience will be exactly what I need to do a successful VBAC. I also have to trust in Our Lord's guiding hand and know that He will never leave me and Vance through this whole experience.

As far as the pregnancy goes, I think my nesting phase has ended or has been put on hold. Now, I just feel the need to take naps in the afternoon while I still can! I am experiencing the practice Braxton Hicks contractions quite often now with some of them being on the verge of painful and leaving me feeling like I can't get enough air. Other than that, I really don't have much to complain about except the typical tiredness, frequent bathroom breaks, and trouble staying comfortable at night.

Speaking of nights, Michael and I feel even more prepared for Vance to get here now that we have successfully taught Weston to fall asleep on his own and sleep through the night. We hadn't done it sooner because I was under the impression that the only way to accomplish this was the "cry it out" method and I just didn't feel right about this method. Up until this point, our bedtime routine was so peaceful and positive, but the waking up at night was getting tiring. Well, after some good advice from his doctor and my own intuition, we developed our own process that in the end left Weston feeling safe and secure to fall asleep on his own without any fuss. As a result, we (well, at least Michael because he doesn't have another baby keeping him up) are getting a good night's rest because Weston isn't needing us to help him fall back to sleep in the middle of the night. I think I was the only one sad in the end because I didn't realize how much I would miss having Weston fall asleep in my arms! I think I was more addicted to it than he was:)

Happy Birthday "Bichael"!

Thursday we celebrated Michael's 27th birthday! In the evening my parents, his mom and his brother joined us for dinner, cake, and presents. However, we almost didn't have a birthday celebration because Michael forgot about his own birthday and scheduled an appointment that evening. Luckily, it was one that he could easily reschedule and he was able to join us for his birthday:) Weston enjoyed helping Daddy blow out his candles and would have put his face right on them if Michael didn't hold him back.

In fact, Weston liked the candles so much that he insisted on eating his cake using the candle instead of his spoon. A little wax never hurt anybody, right???

Michael's birthday, of course, is right before Valentine's Day. This means that I have to plan for two special occasions right in a row. I never used to be the Valentine's Day planner in our relationship, but this time last year I attended a book study to help me grow in my role as a wife, and it was at one of these meetings that my friend Mary's mom, Elaine, shared some information that really made so much sense to me. She told us how in their relationship she planned Valentine's Day every year because she enjoyed doing it so much and liked surprising her husband. Up until that point I had it in my head that it was the man's job to plan Valentine's Day, but (not trying to insult Michael here) this almost always lead to some disappointment. It wasn't until this meeting that it hit me that I too enjoy, and have more fun, being the surpriser rather than the surprisee! So, last year I planned Valentine's Day and it worked out wonderful for both of us. I had so much fun planning the day and Michael enjoyed having a pressure free Valentine's Day that he got to simply enjoy and not plan:) This year, I again had a blast planning Valentine's Day and was so excited I could barely wait until the day got here! This year, the highlight was playing a game I created. Michael and I are both big game people, so it was very fitting for us. The game involved answering questions, like those found on the Newlywed Game Show, or competing against each other to do certain tasks. We laughed lots and had a good time learning more about each other. (Yes, we still have lots to learn about each other after 5 1/2 years!)

Our Valentine's Day also involved solving a mystery. For weeks now Weston has been saying "bichael" and we couldn't figure out what he was trying to say. He never said it pointing at anything and said it in different situations. Well, we were over at my parent's house for supper when it hit us what he has been saying. As he walked around the house talking on Daddy's phone saying "bichael" over and over we realized he was saying "Michael, Michael, Michael!" DUH!! Once we realized it, it seemed totally obvious! (And I am sure it looks obvious when I type the word out like "bichael".) Weston has heard me say Michael (especially on the phone) many times and was repeating it. I might also add that when he says this word, he usually says it loud and I am sure that is because most of the time when I use Michael's name I am trying to get his help from another room:) I don't think he understands that Michael and Daddy are the same person, but it sure is cute to hear him say it:) Oh, and after a couple times of emphasizing the "m" in Michael, he now says "Michael" and not "bichael":)

Colors

It seems like since Weston has turned 1 1/2 he is learning something new everyday! Michael and I are enjoying this stage very much and love to watch him absorb new information like a sponge:) He has been working on his colors and is beginning to recognize them:) He still gets confused, but definitely has a concept of what colors are. When he has to name a color on his own he mostly says orange, but he is getting good at picking out what color is what when we say it. Check it out!

Feeding Tory or "Toreeee"

Weston has a new favorite chore that he gets really excited about and that is helping feed Tory:)

Oil Heat

Michael and I were both unfamiliar with oil heating when we bought our house, but feel like we are learning lots about owning a house with oil heat.  Last week we learned an important rule- make sure the guage on your tank works so that you know when you are about to run out of fuel!  Our heat went out at night (which also happened to be one of the coldest nights this winter) and we woke up to the house being 50 degrees and dropping.  In the middle of the night we brought Weston in bed with us and we all stayed cozy under the covers, but when it got time to get out of bed it sure was cold!  Weston and Eli had no problem keeping on their winter hats and layers until the oil man could come and fill the tank.  I usually don't let the boys watch TV, except for 1/2 hour while I make lunch, but that morning I turned on some cartoons so they would sit on the couch under blankets.  Overall, I think they enjoyed having no heat until later morning:)

Luckily that was the only day Weston had to experience being cold inside the house, but I think he has a new appreciation for winter clothing after experiencing his first Wisconsin winter.  At the beginning of winter he wasn't to fond of his winter apparel, but lately he has liked putting on his boots, hat, and mittens.  When cousin Gianna was visiting he couldn't get enough of her boots and mittens either:)  Actually, most of the time Weston would wear one boot and Gianna would wear the other. 

Toddler Activity #2- Piggy Bank

This is a simple activity that has been one of Weston's favorites and he has yet to get sick of it.

Activity: Piggy Bank

Materials:

-clear disposable tupperware container with a slit cut in the lid (I put some tape on the sides of the slit so that it wasn't sharp and made the slit easier to see)

-poker chips

Skill/concept development:

fine motor development

hand/eye coordination

counting

Extension: The poker chips also make a great dump and fill material with cups.  Both Eli and Weston enjoy filling up a cup with the chips and then pouring them out.  Weston also really enjoys dumping them back and forth between two cups. 

If your container is big enough, you can also use an old deck of playing cards to put in the bank.  I found that this created a little more of a challenge.

Nesting

So, apparently I am "nesting." I don't remember doing this when I was pregnant with Weston, but I have these incredible urges to get things done before Vance gets here! Although his arrival is probably still at least seven weeks away, I feel like we are going to run out of time! I am tired most of the time, but somehow there is still some motivation to get things done. Here are some of our latest projects that we have intended to do since we moved in and have gotten done in the last two weeks.

1. Michael finally finished painting my paintings for the living room! No more empty wall space waiting to be filled above our couch- yeah! The the paintings symbolize the Trinity. (The pictures are not really crooked hanging on the wall- I am just a bad picture taker.)

2. We finally found and purchased a van to accommodate our growing family. We have been searching for one in our limited budget since we moved and we feel like it was worth the wait because we got a great deal on a good van:) Here is a picture of what my van looks like, but isn't a picture of my actual van. When I sat down to do this post I realized I had yet to take a picture of my van, and since it was dark and cold outside I decided this internet picture would have to do. It is a silver 1999 Chrysler Town and Country.

3. We painted Weston and, soon to be, Vance's room blue. Then, I wanted the same thing on the walls that we had in Weston's room in Texas. This time, however, we omitted the clouds. Michael wasn't too fond of them to begin with and I decided it would be too much on the wall space that we have now. We also added Vance's name to a plane:)

4. I made some valances for the windows in the boys' room. I wanted something similar to the bedding that is currently on the crib, but wasn't having much luck finding what I wanted. Then I thought, why not not just cut off that parts of the bed skirt that nobody sees and create great matching window treatments.

5. I finally got all of my photo albums updated. I only had to get almost 500 pictures printed to catch up! This means that I also finished updating Weston's album, which hadn't been updated since he was three months old.

In addition to these projects, I am also currently working on making a valance for the living room window. Then the only other big project I want to get done is painting our living room trim white. Oh, and ideally I would like to get Michael and my bedroom painted, but I think that may be a little too ambitious.

Michael's to do list is a little different than mine. Here is what he has felt an urging to do-

building a snowman with Weston:) I had a great time watching from the window:)