The sun is shining!

The sun is shining today! Yea! That's a big deal since we've been having an inversion for what seems like forever. It's still bitterly cold, but the blue sky is a welcome relief. I just watched Emma try to put on a leotard over her pjs, get frustrated, strip down to her undies and try again. The leo is wrong side out, but she got it on. Talk about independent! She was determined to do it herself. 

Nothing really going on. We had a nice weekend; I shut the computer off and tried not to worry about any deadlines. MJ and I played restaurant (sorry, no pictures though). Josh started painting a dresser I bought secondhand. He really couldn't see my vision for it, but I think now that the paint is going on he's trusting me a little more about it. I went consignment store shopping with Stephanie Saturday and found some great end tables for our bedroom. They were already painted black too, so that's one more project we don't have to do! They look really nice in the room. We moved some more stuff around including putting more toys/clothes downstairs. Still trying to get a few more things taken care of before baby. Josh was just convinced I was going to have that baby yesterday or today. No sign of it though. I think he's getting nervous about us getting to the birthing center and everything, especially if we have bad weather. Emma was delivered about thirty minutes after we arrived and that was 2 1/2 hours after my water broke. I'm hoping this labor goes that fast too! I think he will relax once he knows the baby is here. He knows I'm a little stressed right now and wants me to be able to relax too. He's such a sweetheart. I really picked a winner! 

Mackenzie's always been a good pretender, but it's been fun to see Emma really start to play pretend. I don't know how many times she's dragged her babies out this weekend. She and I also played with blocks. We practice the words and sounds on them then she stacks them up. Of course, she loves to knock them down too. The girls have been playing really well together lately. I have to be thankful for the little things! :)

We go to the doctor tomorrow, so we'll see if she thinks we're any closer.

Mommy, tell me about when I was born

The other night Mackenzie asked me to tell her about when she was born. This was the second time she had asked lately. I enjoyed reminiscing with her. Then she asked to hear about Emma's birth and she remembered different parts of it too. Sometimes I'm so tired at night and just want to get through the bedtime routine, but that's also the time MJ and I have some really good chats. She tells more more about her day and asks me questions. We get in some snuggle time that we haven't gotten during the day. I have to remind myself that these days/nights go by so fast and I will never regret the time spent with my children, only the time I didn't take for them. 

I can't believe we'll be welcoming a new baby into our family soon. I feel so much more nervous this time around; I don't know why. I keep thinking I may only have a few more days with just my two girls; what more can I do with them right now? I have no doubt I have enough love for all my children; God gives us a great capacity to love. But, I wonder how do I manage a newborn and have both of them still feel special and not get lost in the shuffle? It really didn't seem hard at all when Emma arrived, but somehow number three makes me nervous. MJ said she is quite excited and can't wait for the baby to be here; she's really ready to help out. Emma, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have much grasp on what's happening and I worry about how she'll adjust. When we ask where the baby is she lifts up my shirt and points to my belly button. It's cute, but the poor girl has no clue. She just loves attention and I just hope we can get her through the transition of a new baby. I so badly just want to be enjoying this time right now and yet there seems to be more anxiety in these last few weeks. Part of it is work deadlines, but they are really unavoidable right now. Please continue to pray for me that I can let go of what I can not control and just be at peace with whatever comes our way each day. 

Sorry for such a heavy post, but this blog is as much a way to update friends and family about what's happening with us as it is a way for me to journal and connect with others. I've debated about putting this kind of stuff on here, but I feel I have to be honest about how I feel. Writing has always been therapeutic for me too. I also don't have any cute pics of the girls that haven't been posted; maybe we'll get some tomorrow. I promised MJ some Mommy/Mackenzie time tomorrow and she could pick whatever she wants us to do. I'm excited to see what she comes up with. She mentioned baking something, making a baby blanket and playing chef with her kitchen. Should be a fun day! 

Well, now my hubby is calling for attention so I best be going!

This kid cracks me up!

These photos don't really capture quite how funny Emma was last night. She came bounding up the stairs and gave a little laugh when she got up there, like ta-da, look at me! She had put on Mackenzie's socks (the ones she had worn that day, no doubt) and had found her slippers (unmatched of course). She proceeded to run around the house like a crazy woman. I just couldn't help but laugh. She is just so funny. And she loves attention. We might be creating a monster. Fortunately, when she displays bad behavior, a little ignoring usually gets her to straighten up. I just love this girl! 

Is it possible to dream a contraction?

Okay, so this may sound crazy, but I really think I was awakened at 1 a.m. to a major contraction. It started in my back and came around to my belly, which is how my labors have been. I remember thinking, this can't be happening right now. I looked at the clock, saw how early it was, tried shifting around and fell back asleep. I think I felt a couple more throughout the night, but was so tired I didn't want to get up. I feel fine this morning, but just wondering if something is happening or if dreamed it all?

Even though I needed to get up early to work before the girls awoke, I really wanted to sleep in. However, neither is happening. They both joined us in bed at 6:00. I thought they would stay there with Josh and I'd get up. Wrong again, little Miss Emma is wide awake and already into things. Ah, you gotta love two-year-olds. 

Random thoughts

Just a few thoughts from this week.

The baby has been moving around quite a bit and I just love the feeling. I am going to miss it, but it will be even better to be holding this baby in my arms. No real news from my doctor's appointment. Just had heart rate and length checked. My doctor did remind me Emma came at 38 weeks, which would be next week. We'll just have to see what this little one decides to do.

My hubby has been nesting again. He's so helpful right now; I really appreciate it. He cleaned out the van, had it serviced and put two new tires on it. He picked up a dresser I purchased the other day to use as a changing table and got it put in the baby's room. He also brought up the bassinet to put in our room and put the carseat in the car. Tonight we watched Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares and ate popcorn in bed. He loves that show and I love having the time with him. He also took MJ to preschool and ballet for me today so I could keep working. Mackenzie started calling him her driver. We're still debating baby names. We have about 10 on our list. I think we're both getting nervous this baby won't have a name when it's born! 

I finished one magazine issue and moved onto the next two projects. I hope to get them both done, but do have a back-up plan if the baby decides to come early. 

Brownies for Breakfast

I guess like mother like daughter. I've been known to sneak a brownie or two for breakfast myself. While in the other room, I heard MJ holler, "Mom, Emma's in the brownies!" Here's what I found. You would think I'd put things a little more out of reach. But, even then I don't think it would help. Emma has now figured out how to scoot a chair over to the counter in the dining room, climb up onto the counter, open the cabinets and get into the snacks. Today I found her in a bag of candy! No place is safe from this child. I just have to pay attention more as any time I hear a chair scooting, she's probably about to get into something! :)

This week

We’re having an inversion this week, so everything is quite gloomy. Cold, wet and very foggy. Josh left Tuesday for the stock show in Denver and will be back Sunday. The girls and I are definitely ready for him to return. While I’ve gotten away with not cooking much this week, it will be nice to have him home soon. MJ had three great days at preschool. I’m so glad she loves school. Emma and I ran errands a couple mornings and had a few appointments. Other than that I’ve just been trying to meet deadline one.

Here's another update on Emma's speech therapy. She had her last session with the fill-in therapist on Monday and started back Wednesday with the regular one. L was really excited about all the progress Emma has made since October. She said she could tell definite improvement. We went through the goals we had established in August and were able to check off a few, as well as write new ones. As Emma is maturing, she wants to read more books and has more attention span to sit and listen, as well as practice saying words. Before nap and bedtime we have been going through alphabet letter books. Each book as four pictures and words that begin with a letter. One of the main goals from the start has been to get Emma to master the beginning sounds. That's where her language was stalled. She is much more willing to imitate words and can get all the syllables of complex words, even if the sounds aren't quite right. She is also starting to put together a few two and three word phrases. She's very animated when she talks and talks fast, so a lot of time her full sentences are still a lot of babble, but we aren't worried or focused on that right now. This is going to be a process. L also said she's always thought Emma's prognosis was good because she's so smart. Emma still leaves off the end of many words, so now we're working on saying the endings of the words. Speech progresses through mastering beginning, middle and ending sounds. She is also getting better at her vowel sounds. A lot of the therapy has been play-based. That's how it starts with kids this age. We also do listening exercises and are starting to do more drill-type therapy. It was neat to watch her go through the drills with L and see her do so well. I feel really good about how things are going and where she's at right now. As her birthday approaches, we'll have a transition meeting to determine what we'll do when she turns three, but I've already started looking into our options. For now, we'll continue as we have been. She's such a smart, happy and curious little girl. We're so thankful for that. 
In baby news, there is really nothing too exciting to report at this time. I had an appointment Tuesday. Blood pressure and heart rate were normal. The girls were with me. Mackenzie commented to the doctor that my appointments were always so short. Dr. H said that's because my babies haven't had any problems. We are thankful for that too! We go back again on Tuesday. My doctor mentioned the baby might come early, but probably not before the end of the month. I am hoping to wait until February. Best laid plans though, right?! :) We stopped by the birthing center and they had my paperwork so we're all set there. I got my little card that tells me what to pack. I guess maybe I should do that too.