He's almost here

So little Gabe dude is almost here.  Melody says it could be any day and I think the sooner the better.  The pregnancy with #2 has been quite different than it was with #1.  When I really think about it I get the same excitement and nervousness as before, but it doesn’t monopolize my thoughts as it did with Julia.  This has everything to do with Julia being the center of everything right now and the fact that we have done this before.

 So I’m a little interested in what to expect.  For you parents of 2+, how did your life change?  Try to think back to when #2 was born and your life with #1.  What advice do you have?  What would you have done differently?

I’m not so much nervous as I am excited, but I figure this is a good way to get some advice—so bring it on, and thank you!

Hope the next post contains pics of the little guy.

"Means" and more toddler fun

I knew we'd be a little bored this week with no preschool to break things up and winter weather pending. Reading books and playing with the same old toys just wasn't going to cut it. After racking my brain and searching online, I had some promising toddler activities for us to try out. I know some of you have restless toddlers as well, so here are a few of the favorites:

Shadow Puppets/Flashlight Show (from babycenter.com)
-Julia loved being in the dark bathroom with flashlights. The shadow puppets were fascinating to her, and wearing a headlamp flashlight was a bit hit.

Hide the Teddy (also from babycenter.com)
-Simply hiding the teddy bear in funny places around the house kept us busy for a little while. Her favorite spot to find him was her high chair. Now she's been wanting to feed him at every meal!

Playdough
-An obvious one for most, I am sure! But before this week I had never even thought to introduce the stuff to Julia. Today she played with it for an entire hour. Now I need to get some plastic cookie cutters and other tools to make it even more fun.

Finger Paint
-The Easter Bunny left finger paint in Julia's basket this year. Thanks to him, she had a blast getting messy and making masterpieces.

Pretend Paint
-My sister Cami told me about this favorite activity for her kids. You just get some paintbrushes, fill a bucket with water, and let the kids "paint" the sidewalk, house, deck, whatever! We didn't actually try this one outside yet, but Julia loved "painting" the table and walls with simply the cheap brushes I picked up at the store.

Beans
-I thought to buy a rubbermaid, a bag of beans, and some jungle animals after I remembered playing with such a thing the summers I spent with the Mitton triplets. Julia can't get enough of her beans. Today she found a straggler on the carpet and was begging for "Means! Means!" I finally saw the bean in her hand and figured out what she wanted. This week the beans have been Julia's favorite activity by far. She buries the animals, shovels the beans, and today she realized she can even sit inside the container. (Maybe I'll get a larger container and store it some place where I don't have to lift it. That would be more like sandbox, I guess. Fun!) Personally, I love the beans because I don't have to constantly supervise or participate. She knows the beans are not for eating, and she's content playing by herself for quite a while. Lovely.


These simple activities were lifesavers this week. I'd love to know any of your ideas so we can keep the fun happening around here, especially when the new baby comes and we'll have a lot of time at home. And although Julia wouldn't mind watching WonderPets, The Backyardigans, Blue's Clues, or nearly any cartoon for hours on end, I think we can do better than that. (Don't get me wrong, though. I am by no means anti-TV. Julia typically enjoys a few daily shows. And I enjoy resting on the couch, showering, reading, or actually getting some cleaning done while she is totally captivated. If it weren't for Curious George at 5:00, I might never get dinner on the table!)

Easter Sunday

The only big excitement for Julia last Easter was the fake grass in her basket. But this year she was thrilled with the Easter festivities. It was so fun to see her get into the egg dying and hunting. She even enjoyed a deviled egg at dinner.

I have always loved this Spring holiday. We really want to start some Christ-centered traditions to go along with all the egg and basket fun. Anyone have any good ones? We were going to watch The Testaments but were in the middle of the classic Ten Commandments. (It was my first time watching it in full. Quite a masterpiece for its time. Had to laugh a little at the "special effects" though!)

By the way, I hesitated but then decided to include a few pictures of my pregnant self. (Jill, are you happy now?) Yes, my Easter egg of a tummy is quite large. Never mind I still have a month to go! Yikes.

ready to run

These past few weeks I have had the strongest desire to get outside and run. I have loved running since junior high. (Yes, I actually enjoyed and looked forward to the one-mile "Fun Run" we did every Wednesday in P.E.) I don't know - maybe it's the sunshine, the recent buzz about spring and summer races, or the fact that my 35-week-pregnant body just won't go for it - but I just have the unquenchable urge to put on my dusty shoes and take off. Julia and I go out walking on nice mornings, which is refreshing. But what is walking when you want to run? Oh well, I guess I'll just have to sit tight for another few months.

P.S. This is what my fortune cookie read Tuesday night:

"Big things coming in future. Only matter of time."

Interpret it as you will, I'm just hoping we're not talking about a ten pound baby next month.

no joke

I felt somewhat like a failure on Wednesday. It was April 1st and I didn't play one joke on a single person. Almost equally sad, not one was played on me! In years past I have planned and plotted several jokes that have been quite successful. (I don't believe in doing anything harmful or hurtful, although setting Em's clock three hours early so she was showered and nearly ready for school by 4 am may have upset her a bit...) I have always enjoyed April fooling friends and family, and taken pride in my reputation as someone to watch out for on that day. That's why I just don't know what went wrong this year. I guess I didn't take the time to plan ahead. And then when it came to Tuesday, I wasn't even in the mood! (The uncharacteristic party-pooper in me watied until the preschoolers were lined up to go home to even tell them about the fun day. I must admit though, it was nice not to have 4-year-olds yelling "There's a spider on your head!" all day, as they do if I introduce the festivities of April 1st at the beginning of class.)

Oh well, so an April Fools' Day has come and gone nearly unnoticed. But if I start thinking now, I bet I can make next year's April 1st one to remember. We'll just have to wait and see...

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!"

While listening to a Beatles mix in the car a few days ago, we discovered Julia loves the song "She Loves You." (I guess it's because she knows most of the words in the song!) She goes a little crazy when we sing and dance to it, as you can see:

Note: Jonny and Julia are dancing in the new nursery-in-progress. Jonny painted the room last weekend. It's so fun to have blue around here! Thanks again for all the lovely recent paint jobs, Jonny. One more room, and you've tackled every one in the house!

putting her to work

Julia's Friday afternoon just became so much more eventful. Jonny is home early from work and these two are already out there getting their weekend jobs done. He says she'll be washing the car on her own by the end of this summer. That's more like it.