He may have both ears, but he's still my little Van Gogh...

Hello another level of fine motor control - where did this come from? I gave CR a piece of paper the other day after he asked repeatedly for it, and he actually drew something instead of incessantly scribbling multiple colors over the same spot on the page. I was shocked. He started off with a circle...easy enough - he draws circles all the time.

Then that circle was transformed into a person...not just a scribble that he thought was a person, but one that I could distinguish as well. The way that he holds his marker makes you wonder how on earth he could guide the ink with precision over the page. The little people each had two eyes, a nose, mouth, body and arms and legs.

After I picked up my jaw off the floor and repeatedly hugged and praised him for his works of art, I told him to draw our family. Instantly he sketched out Mommy, Daddy, Ga, Gee, Mimi, Pop-pops, Aunt J, Uncle D, AW, AM, and Uncle J.

I am excited to draw with the little guy - who knows what will come out of his little quill next. We needed some floor plans for our current residence drawn up last week. Maybe I should have come to CR first for his artistic impression...next time...

Mother's Day Weekend

This weekend satiated much of the nesting urges that I have been experiencing. I am not saying that I am finished purging my home of unnecessary items, but I feel a heck of a lot better about any next steps we may take toward (or away from) moving. Oh, and also that small matter of welcoming our next child into the world.

Saturday was rainy and unpleasant, so my wonderful husband forced me to go out and pamper myself a bit with an eyebrow wax, pedicure and haircut. I was thrilled with the results from the two former services...the latter? Not so much. I went to LaTete on Newbury, and did not have my regular stylist (by regular, I mean the woman who I have been to about seven times within the past four to five years...I am not a loyalist when it comes to my hair - strange, because once I find someone who is reliable in the brow department, I will wait an extra week to make an appointment with them if I need to...my hair? I am willing to pimp myself out from dresser to dresser based on availability). My regular girl was running 15-20 minutes behind, so I just went with the next person who was free at the time that I walked in...see? I am not a coiffure-monogamist. The substitute gave me a bad set of faux bangs...not too happy about the prospect of having to barrette my hair back until it grows out a bit...more to maintain, not to mention one more distraction during labor...yeesh...

Anyway, despite the fact that my hair came out a little shoddy, I was able to get out by myself for a couple of hours, and make myself feel a little bit human (albeit, like a female - gasp!) again. Thank you, B, I love you.

That night, B's parents came into town, and we shipped ourselves out to Needham for dinner at J and D's house. Fantastic food (my filet was one of the best I've had in a looooong time), and a very fun night.

Sunday, the whole clan came to our place for brunch - B cooked up a Mother's Day feast, and after dining, we went to the park in shifts with the kids. AW brought his scooter, so along with CR, the two of them circled the playground with AM on the Kettler bike.

(AW looking cute and smiley)

(Much needed juice break across the board - AW looks super-sized next to CR and AM)

After the park, D and B brought a lot of toys out of Mantown to the storage space above the garage (cleansing therapy), and Mimi and I organized the linen closet and Baby C's drawer (more cleansing therapy). Aunt J and Mimi brought over a basket of clean hand-me-downs and a few new pieces for baby C's "wardrobe" - you both are the best. I cleaned out the vanity in our bathroom and finished organizing our closet (boring details for you, but believe me, with the pregnancy making mass amounts of alcohol off limits, this is as close as I come to a feel-good buzz these days).

We absolutely missed Ga, Gee, and Uncle J this weekend - they will definitely be up soon for a slightly extended visit once baby C arrives - thank you for being on call, and thank you again to all family for helping out this weekend and beyond.

A final note about Mother's Day - it definitely was good to me this year in the floral department...

Thank you to Ga, Gee, Mimi, Pop-pops, and especially to CR and B - a wonderful weekend all around.

Possibly the last Friday with just me and wee-man

I have been somewhat dreading this day for my entire pregnancy. I am so excited to meet our little girl, and for CR to become the amazing big brother that I know he is capable to being, but welcoming our new addition to the family means saying goodbye to the days of just CR and Mommy.

The weather was amazing today, so I took CR on a little boy fun-day outing. We took the train downtown to the MGH stop, and sauntered down Charles street to the Common.

He wanted to "run," so as soon as we entered the public garden gates, he headed straight for the carousel that seasonally has taken up shop by the Frog Pond.

We waited 15 minutes to buy tickets (we got there a little prematurely and had to wait for the ticket lady to show up for work) - while we were waiting, CR decided that he definitely wanted to ride on the "bunny" character, and was extremely amped up about the whole thing.

Once we had ticket in hand, we boarded the kiddie ride - I lifted him onto his cottontailed-mount, and watched as his smile transformed into a scowl, and then quickly to the face of a scared passenger.

He has been on merry-go-rounds before, so this manifestation caught me by surprise. He wanted down, so down he came. I shrugged my shoulders while passing by other parents who stood a little impatiently in line for passes to the ride, and then offered to sell my tickets to a couple in the way back who were struggling a bit with two toddlers - they happily shelled out cash for the golden stubs, and we both parted ways with a smile.

Next we went to the playground...then to the Frog Pond snack shack restroom to take care of someone's accident...then back to the playground.

On our way out of the park, CR spied a little girl and her mother having a picnic, so of course he requested that we plop down and share an apple (he has been really into sharing things with me as of late - apples, yogurt, bananas...you name it, little one wants so sit down and share it with his Mommy, bite for bite).

(I was forced to eat the skin, and CR snacked on the tasty inside)

We boarded the train back home, had a more formal lunch, and played some baseball in the front driveway.

(We practiced our baseball card poses)

(Really not sure what he was going for in this pose, but it made me laugh)

Even though it was akin to any other Friday that we spend together, it meant a whole lot more to me today. There is nothing like exploring with my little buddy...soon we will have a petite third wheel with us everywhere we go, and I hope her presence makes our adventures that much more rich and full.

Belly Update - 37+ Weeks

Bad picture...big belly...37 weeks and change. My doctor is going on vacation for a week followed by a half-week conference...will baby girl hang out until he returns? I am guessing not. In fact, my guess at when she will arrive is May 16th...if that's the case, then I hope my girlfriend AHM won't mind sharing her birthday with baby C.

Health inspection, house inspection...you name it, we had it checked out

On top of all the things we had on the docket for today, CR had his 3-year wellness visit. The appointment was straight-forward - weight and height measurements, the doctor listened to his chest, poked and prodded a bit, and capped things off with two vaccines and a finger prick to test his iron count and lead levels.

(It's sort of uncanny that CR only gained 2 pounds over the course of the past year - that, and the fact that they weighed him on the same type of scale that they did when he entered the world)

After leaving with a clean bill of health, we went to our second check-up of the day - the house inspection. The inspector was thorough (to say the least - the process took nearly three hours), and the issues that he found we not ground breaking, nor were they things that need immediate attention. The boiler is old...like six-years past it's life expectancy old...so, we may not have heat and hot water once the thing decides it's time has come. Not small potatoes, but nothing that would turn us away from this deal. I do still love the house, the yard, and the idea of living there. As I drove away from the [possible] new house, I looked around at the other homes in the neighborhood. The front lawns were riddled with children playing, and stay-at-home moms socializing with one another.
I, too, wear a SAHM title, but I guess I never really looked at it that way before. With my contract work, I guess I kind of tried to mask that label. Not that it is a dirty word or anything like that - it's just that sometimes I don't think people get how hard it is to be with your child all the time, and the title sometimes gives the impression that it is not work, per se. Skeptics are right in some regard - it is not like the traditional sense of work...I did that for years...being a stay at home is often much, much harder. Among many other things, you [attempt to] teach them right from wrong, you teach them their ABCs and how to count, you are an entertainer, a playmate, and a nurturer...you are constantly having to multi-task, and are never really able to be alone - the solo drive to work, running out to grab lunch, or run an errand are things of the past. I am grateful for being able to be home with our son, and appreciate everything that B has done to allow for us to make this a reality...maybe I should shake my pride off a bit and just roll with the SAHM name...
Okay, a little side-tracked, but it was just a little haunting to drive through our [possible] new neighborhood and see how suburban it really is. I know that I will love it once I adjust to the new suburban soccer-mom ways, but until then, I know that I will continue to breathe a sigh of relief once I reach our current city limits...

Every nook and cranny...

Tomorrow is the house inspection. The time when we assess all aspects of our possible new home, and find out all the dirty little secrets the structure holds. From an aesthetic standpoint, the house is finely polished; the contrast colors on the walls, bright sunny spots that pepper the interior spaces, all might give way to deal-breaking issues that lie beneath.

We love the space, and are crossing our fingers that the walk-through comes out clean as a whistle (aside from the few issues that we already know about); however, the People's Republic in me still has a tight hold on our current town...a total conflict of interest.

Tomorrow kicks off the chain of events that will either land us in the 'burbs, or keep us here close to the city...

(image from here)

Bumps

Ever since I started showing with this pregnancy, CR has been mildly obsessed with my growing belly. He periodically wants me to lift up my shirt to show him the baby's "foot," and he talks to his little sister from outside my belly - it really is too cute for words. Late last week we were at the park, and he wanted to join in the belly brigade and put his buddy "Austin" under his shirt, just like Mommy's baby...

We shared a similar profile...

His words: "I have a baby, too"

The big difference is that he can take his baby out whenever he wants....mine will not be chased out of me until my hormones trigger that it's time...and that time is approaching. I am coming up on 37 weeks, and am beginning to finally feel pregnant. Not that I didn't feel pregnant before, but I have been able to put it on the back burner more often than not, and have been able to push on through any fatigue and discomfort I have experienced. I think the events from this past weekend (I helped host a baby shower for my girlfriend) slapped me in the face, reminding me that I need to take a step back - I need to cut back on lifting heavy things, and doing too much overall. I am not ready for our baby girl quite yet - I need a good two more weeks before we welcome her into the world. Unnecessarily throwing myself into early labor could interfere with our upcoming buying and selling of property. I just want to get through that, and then little baby C is welcome to join us.