Whew! These last few weeks have flown by; two whole weeks since I last posted. Usually if I miss that much time on my blog it feels like it, but no, just a whizzing sound between my ears. So allow me mind-dump and catch up on a few things, in no particular order.
This picture I call Peanuts Watching Peanuts. I usually hold pretty firm to that rule about the Christmas season starting after Thanksgiving, but I broke it big time this year, motivated I think by some homesickness mixed with a seasonal variation on pre-baby nesting. We put up our tree weeks ago (though didn't decorate it till today) and already have at least a dozen Charlie Brown Christmas viewings under our belt. I truly love this time of year - dark and cozy evenings, warm lights inside, everything feels peaceful and snug and exciting all at once. And I am also loving the new living room arrangement, which involved moving the stripey chair and ditching the big shelf of toys into the large closet (still there, just behind closed doors). Makes the room feel much more grown-up and comfortable.
And here's the tree. Slightly annoyed at the two patches of lights that don't seem to work no matter what we've tried. However, I wasn't about to take the thing back, or even try to put it in the box again, and it is so much more thoroughly lit than what I usually do with 3 or 4 strands on a "real" tree that you hardly notice it. So I've decided to just let it go for now. The tree is really pretty. It was worth spending the money to get a "good" one because it does look so real.
This little boy looks crazy grown up in this picture, taken while we were still deciding where to put things after adding the tree to the living room. How is he growing up so fast? Oh, and lately he's decided his favorite color is black, so his best days are those when he can wear his favorite black pants AND a black shirt. Still wears his blue rain boots all the time, too. He's got a lot of opinions these days.
And William also takes first prize for nap-ability. Between the early school mornings and fighting a cold this week and last, he has taken an afternoon nap more often than not lately. He's so awesome about it, requiring no ceremony or fanfare; he just gets his Buddy (blanket), finds a cozy spot and falls asleep.
Then there's my beautiful Amy, who also struggled with a cold during that last full week of school and stayed home one day. Here she's just thrilled about having her Daddy back. Don was gone for a full five weeks this time, returning the weekend before Thanksgiving. The kids and I settle into an easy routine when he is away, but we are always glad to have him home again, and especially thankful for his time off this week to enjoy the whole holiday weekend with us.
I should also add some thanks to my baby girl for not pulling any funny business while he was away. I really didn't want to navigate hospitals or extra doctor appointments without Daddy around. As it was we narrowly escaped a late-evening ER trip when William discovered, with great pleasure, just how nicely a small piece of Lego fit up his nose! He's played with Lego for well over a year with never an indiscretion, but somehow those two minutes I was in the bathroom after everyone was bathed, brushed, pajama-ed, and otherwise ready for bed, provided an irresistible opportunity to see what might happen. I didn't believe him until I actually looked, and was quickly plotting how I was going to manage a trip to the hospital with two kids at bedtime... BUT thankfully it didn't come to that, and with one good blow the piece came flying out. William also found that hysterical. Boys.
In other baby news, I have officially scheduled myself to be induced on December 16th, at 39 weeks. The doctors' willingness to do this was a huge relief to me, as it provides some sense of control over the event, and especially how it relates to making sure Amy and William are cared for while I deliver. At the same time, I am wise enough to the ways of the world to realize that the chance of that all actually working out as planned is still probably pretty small. I've been having so many cramps and contractions and general discomforts over the past week or so that I find it hard to imagine lasting another two whole weeks. I have a grand list of all the things (mostly Christmas-related) that I'd like to get done before Baby arrives, but at this point I've become so slow and uncomfortable that I'm starting to wonder if it wouldn't be easier to do those things with a newborn on the outside, rather than in my middle. Doctor appointment tomorrow morning; we shall see where we are.
And lastly (for now), we had a very lovely Thanksgiving with Don's sister here for company. I cooked the works and enjoyed doing it, though the Thanksgiving meal simply is a lot of work, no matter how small a group it's for. It was special for the kids to have a favorite Auntie over for a few days, and a nice diversion for all of us. It was also simply a nice, calm, long weekend at home. The weather was cold and sunny and it felt right for the season, and none of us got in the car at all between coming home from school on Tuesday afternoon and going to church this morning. Very pleasant.
More to share I'm sure; I'd love to post some sewing/crocheting/knitting work I've been doing but a lot of it is gift related so that will have to sit. In the meantime, expect more jumbled updates like this from now until Baby arrives, as this seems to be about as focused as I get these days. Happy Thanksgiving!!
