glutton

total glutton for these types of books.  i love keeping this blog, so naturally, it makes since i would keep pregnancy & baby journals for each child.  when i was pregnant with jack, i was given amy krouse rosenthal's your birthday book as a shower gift.  i have so enjoyed each birthday even more, filling in the memories we've made.  i picked up another copy of your birthday book just in time for dylan's first birthday, and this time around, i wasted no time, finding yet another copy on amazon for baby #3 - it's currently on the shelf in his/her closet...  

i purchased my baby book shortly after dylan's arrival and that was quite fun to fill out through her entire first year.  if you're looking for a great gift for a record-keeping friend, check out akr's webpage or find any one of her books on amazon.  oh!  i can't leave out, if you're looking for great children's books, she also does those, too, with the same laugh-out-loud humor - for kiddos and parents.  i caught ben quoting spoon the other night at the dinner table.  nearly spit out my 2%.  jack's favorite is little pea, dylan's favorite is little oink, and they have chopsticks wrapped up under our Christmas tree.

i'm officially in the third trimester!  i can hardly believe it!  (that's what sparked my iPhone collage of the belly book.)  if you'll notice the bottom left picture, with the yellow, red and green sections - well, as filled in week 24 and completed my last midwife appointment stats, i flipped the page to see "navel gazing: a few last thoughts about the second trimester" - could that be right? i thought we're in 3 of 3 trimesters?!  well, now i'm in the green section, the LAST section - chock-full of info on childbirth classes, baby names, shower specifics and (my fav) "details of your belly departure" aka how the labor went down.  that seems so far away, but i'm hopeful it'll go as smooth as the first half.

my uncle had some very funny (ok, so right now, it's funny) words for me: the last three months go by the fastest.  he's very clever and witty.  and, i can laugh now because i still feel pretty great.

baby is about the size of a carton of egg nog, head to tippy toes.  

DISNEY, day 1

we arrived in california on a monday evening.  after THE worst cab ride ever (including but not limited to: all 3 of us slammed against the plexiglass partition, getting "lost" in a parking garage, driving on sidewalks...) we arrived at the anabella hotel just before room service closed for the evening.  jackie in his own bedroom, us in ours, eating in bed, watching our respective movies.  we ended the night around 9 pm, early to bed but early to rise - tomorrow would be a mind-blowing day for our 5 year old.  little did we know, us too!

the park opened at 10 am, but we were there early enough to grab breakfast in downtown disney and avoid standing in too long of a line.  as it was, that's just the theme for these parks: you wait.  and you get used to it.  and, waiting for 20 minutes is welcomed, compared to the 65 minutes we waited for one ride.  but, that's a story for a later post.

the reason for our vacation was cars land, so naturally, we wanted to visit disney california adventure park first.  and ohmygoshgoodnessgracious, this place did not disappoint!  i cannot stress enough how reallysuperfrickencool it was for all three of us to be in ornament valley!  ha!  i mean, this place should not exist!  it's a cartoon!  but i assure you, we stood on the streets of radiator springs.  

we weren't there for five minutes when the streets started to part; mcqueen's pit crew were making way -   and jb got a front-row view!

  

 look how tickled.

 even waving at mcqueen.

 these spinning tractors were a hoot.  

we rode them twice.

 benji.

whatta sport.

within an hour of being in the park, i received a call from my cousin, saying he had a fastpass for the radiator springs racers - that's the ride that had me so curious as to book our vacation a week after our return from maui.  we HAD to check this place out!  the wait line for the ride was over an hour, but with cousin casey's fastpass, they would only have to wait a few minutes.  so, casey grabbed jb and lyla, and we scoped out a place to (hopefully) watch them zip by - and we found it, along with someone else...

mater!

 not three minutes later, LOOK!

lyla & jackie, cooling off with their cozy cone drinks

jack & i meet red!

after cars land, we entered a bug's land.  of course!

 tuck & roll's drive 'em buggies

 casey & connor ride francis' ladybug boogie

flik's flyers for us

and HA! a popsicle stick bench!

after a bug's land, we decided to check out disneyland.  our visit there was shortened by blisters, hungry tummies and over-tired kid(s).  on our way out, we spotted minnie performing with her fly girls.  jb was all-giggly and shy, watching minnie dance, sing and wave.

after a three-hour snooze (by both boys), we made our way back to cars land.  we had also picked up a fastpass for the racers, but our time frame to enter was between 6:45 and 7:45 pm.  we arrived promptly at 6:45 and sped (pun-intended) right to the front of the line.

radiator springs is something to see at night! 

 long line, no thanks!

 filmore's fuel

 flo's

just before the park closes, the world of color begins.  it reminded me of vegas' bellagio fountains - only awesomer.  really.  the music, combined with the array of colors, the disney movies projected onto the water... it was incredible.  perfect ending to a next-to-perfect day.

the details.

ok, former pregnant ladies... you know how the last few months and weeks (ok, and days) of pregnancy just seem to drag on, leaving you feeling like you'll be carrying the baby into their toddler years?  just me?  nah!  well, that's the way this project is feeling.  we are THIS close to completion, and yet, it feels like we are still so far from move-in day.  

my last update was at the beginning of october - however, it's nice to see progress, and how far we've come.

i didn't get stage-by-stage with all the mud & tape and sanding, texture and more sanding, etc. but here's a look at where we were...   

ben's head is still spinning at my color selection in the studio.  there's white duck on two walls, extra white on the ceiling, glimmer on the one kitchen wall and tidewater on the funky walls and in the bathroom.  BUT.  let's not come down on the preggo too much - check his shop!

zow!

black friday was very good to us, and we were able to get the range and the refrigerator for a steal.  (thank you, lowes.)  i've been to home depot, lowes, sbs, brown's electric, ferguson's plumbing, keller supply, central plumbing & heating enough to last me a lifetime.  goodness.  this girl needs a rei-fix!  i'd even suffer through a mall excursion with two kids!        

december 1st  

entryway and wood flooring

cabinets and butcher block countertop

bathroom goodies

windowsills ala benji's handiwork

gorgeous cast iron kitchen sink, big enough for tub baths

the sink's future home

as i was ready to publish this blog, ben came upstairs to give me the rundown on the night's progress.  as excited as i am to see the sink and refrigerator now in place and the shelving built in the shop (that will hold the furnace) it's 9 degrees and blowing 50 mph.  there's no way i'm creeping out there tonight.  

my super-yummy, buttery-yellow barn light will soon be hung over the kitchen sink; can't wait to see the pendant and mirror hung in the bathroom, although i still need to choose which shade will hang: the shimmery white, the bold red or the frosted... decisions, decisions...  the over-the-toilet cabinet needs to be hung, the behind-the-door towel hooks, installation of the range and range hood.  my head is spinning!  

   

jb's love

i forgot to include these in my last baby update.  i really can't express enough how sweet jack is when it comes to anything baby.  he's so excited to have a... brother...  he's thought from the very beginning that i was having a boy(s), and like any mother wanting to see their child smile, i hope i can give him that brotherly love.  they'll be 5.5 years apart, but yet, i know with the 4.5 years between my brother and i, that doesn't exactly make a diff.

he loves to smooch my belly, always talking to the baby good night, baby, wuv you too.  he's felt a kick here and there and that always makes him pull his hand back with a giggle.  he's come to several appointments with me and hearing the heartbeat always makes him stop whatever he's doing.  just today, during a playdate, i found him rocking my girlfriend's new baby in her car seat carrier; baby mae was fussing, and he started moving the carrier back and forth - wow, what an instinct!  he's going to be an excellent big big brother.

because jb spent a few nights with nana, he missed out on the original 22 week update.  these were taken the night after dyl and i had our moment together.  whatta sweetheart, huh?

sunrise & sunset

lately, we've had some incredible skies.  my camera's been close at hand to capture the colors and wondrous views.  i'm certainly not a fan of the temperatures, but when it's this clear, it's sooo beautiful.

just after 9 am

just before 3 pm, sun's already on her way out.

3:10 pm

a balmy 5 degrees - doesn't this picture just evoke the shivers?!  

3:20 pm

4:10 pm

today is december 1st so that means to us alaskans that in 20 more days, we will begin to GAIN daylight again!  weeee!  i love winter solstice, if for only that reason.  at our "worst" (in my opinion) we will have only 5-some hours of daylight.  blech.  soon, we'll be on the up and up!

22 weeks

not having access to my imac at all times, puts me weeks (ok, months) behind...

best birthday present to date, all 32 years of them, having baby 3's 20-week ultrasound on my special day.  it was only an hour of the day, and yet, it made me so happy.  you couldn't erase the smile off my face all day.  i've now had a handful of the 3D/4D ultrasounds, but this was my most "successful" one.

baby is measuring a week ahead and is looking a tad chubbier than i remember jb and dyl looking.  and this little guy (gal) was cracking us up!  see that bottom left picture, screaming, with his (her) tongue out?!  hilarious.  and, what a perfect little hand, waving to us.

how fun to have such movement and action... notice the bottom right picture, baby's foot up by his (her) head?  and the punching?!  don't get me started.  i can't help but smile looking at these weeks later now.  and, the profile shots are always heart-melting.  there's a real-life baby in there!

with all the hype around our california vacation with jack, birthday fun and just overall busy-ness, we missed the 20-week fruit/vegetable picture.  just so i have it in writing, at 20 weeks, baby was roughly the length of a banana, head to toe.  another a change - we now measure to toes, not just rump.  and, this is also about half the length of baby at birth!  10 more inches to go, and we'll have a baby here!  ...oh, if only it were that simple.

i'm feeling great.  my back/pelvic discomfort has subsided, and it's nothing that doesn't feel better after some minutes with a heating pad or taking a nice soak in our jetted tub.  it's mind-blowing to me how the discomforts & such that you feel in month 9 (or 10), i'm already experiencing.  that's #3 for ya!

the other adjustment that i've had to make: taking time to REST.  not necessarily sleeping, but realizing that i can't go all day, every day - run countless errands, have a play date, exercise the kids, etc.  taking one task a day is plenty.  i think before, i was carrying on like "normal" and that just wasn't working for me.  the day following a busy day, i'd be laid up in pain, unable to move.  i have to remind myself that i'm older, this is baby 3, and it's ok to take care of me!  mama's aren't used to that selfish-type of thinking, am i right?!

a few days after our return from california, i dragged out all our Christmas boxes.  disneyland and california adventure park were littered in Christmas decor.  so, it seemed appropriate that we continue with the celebration, even if thanksgiving was still a week and a half away.  the kids were so excited to decorate the tree and see all the fun ornaments.  dylan liked to place 5-7 ornaments on one branch, but jack preferred to space them out along the very bottom branches.  the obsessive-complusive in me had to really restrain myself from "fixing" how they decorated.  i merely was avoiding broken ornaments, spreading the love all over the tree...  as a parent, you try sooo hard to not curb their creative tendencies.

so with that, here's a glimpse of our tree, the size in length of the baby (according to dylan's spaghetti squash) and my ever-growing bump.  i was 23 weeks last thursday, but who's counting...

jb's birthday party

in our house, there's always such build-up for birthdays; there's talking about who's birthday is next, the planning of the party, buying a few gifts, and the days of celebrating.  we always celebrate ON the birth day with family.  then, a party to follow that weekend with friends.  this year, jb was lucky enough to have three days of celebrations - birth day, at school, then his party.  whatta lucky little guy.

for his party this year, we chose to have it at his gymnastics gym.  he started lessons in the fall and has really enjoyed himself.  like, so much, i'm wondering what took me so long to get him enrolled!  he loves his coach and the friendly friends in class with him.  because of his excitement around everything-gymnastics, i thought this would be a fun place to have his party.

 even the big kids had fun

 i think this was when we determined it was time to wrap up the party...

...happy birthday, dear jackie...

these minions were sooo delish!

such a fun two hours with friends!