On My Mind...

• Baby Boy Clark.  I seriously wish there was some kind of device that could tell you when exactly your baby was going to be born.  That would save me worrying about when to pack for the hospital (which I haven't done yet), when to tell my mom to come out here, etc.  I don't like the fact that it could be tomorrow, or it could be in four weeks. 
• Summer.  Enough said.
• Houses.  We are pretty seriously considering buying something soon, but there are a million little things playing into our decision - budget, buy or build, what is REALLY important to us in a home, etc.  It is fun, and we have been exploring a lot of options, but it would be nice to figure something out and get the ball rolling, whatever we decide.
• How fast Miley is growing up.  We have started thinking about preschools for next year, and I can't believe that she is already old enough for that!  It makes me sad.  :(
• Um, yeah.  Preschools.  How much, where, how often, etc. 
• Clothes.  There are so many things out there right now that I REALLY wish I could fit into.  I am getting excited for the day when I can fit into the new clothes that I got for Christmas!
• Vacations...this is the first time since we moved up here that I really don't know when the next time will be that we will be going on a vacation of some type, or going home to see family.  Not such a fan of not knowing when we will be on the go again.
• Meal planning.  I have been trying to be better about planning meals every week, so that I can do one big shopping trip on Saturday, rather than a couple small trips throughout the week.  I know it is going to be harder to make it to the store once I have two kids in tow, so I am trying to get in the habit now of doing this.  But I am always trying to figure out what meals to make so I don't do the same things over and over.  I have to admit, I don't LOVE cooking, and I am not too creative, so this one is a work in progress for me.  :)
• Double strollers.  I go back and forth over whether this is something that I want or not.  On a regular basis, I don't really think I desperately NEED one, but it would be nice to have one for trips, or for occasional trips to the zoo or things like that.  I also kind of want one, because Miley is actually kind of enjoying her stroller these days, and if I am out and about with two kids and can keep them BOTH contained, then I am all for that, for as long as I can!  That being said, the only double strollers I like are a little on the *pricey* side...and so I am not sure about that.
• My husband.  Just because he is cute.  :)

I am not sure if it is being 37 weeks pregnant, and SUPER uncomfortable that is making it hard to sleep at night now, or if it is my mind racing and thinking about all of these all night long!

Any ideas, advice, or experiences with any of these?  Please share.  :)

36 Week Bump-date

I can really say now that we are FINALLY in the home stretch!  I am hoping this is the last "Bump-date" that we have, and that my next pregnant picture will be when we are getting ready to meet our little guy!  But you never know...I may be posting a 40 Week Bump-date here in four weeks.  :)  Cross your fingers for me that that is not the case.

I have definitely taken a turn into the uncomfortable these last 3 weeks or so.  One day I was still feeling great and not so huge and uncomfortable, and I swear, the next day it was a 180-degree difference.  I have reached the stage where it is hard to sleep at night, because I just cannot get comfortable, no matter what position I am in and no matter how many pillows I have around me. I totally have the pregnancy waddle going on as well.  It is delightful.  :)

At my last doctor's appointment (1 week ago) I had gained another five pounds.  Yeesh.  That puts me at either 20 or 27 pounds total.  BTW, I put both weights on here, because the lower one sounds a lot better (obviously!), but the higher one is closer to my ideal weight, so that is really what I am going to have to get off after the baby is born.  Anyway, the doctor hasn't checked my progress yet, but will begin that next week (37 weeks) when I start going in for weekly appointments.  So hopefully once that starts happening, I can get an idea of when this baby may come (even though it may be a very VAGUE idea!). 

I have been having Braxton Hicks contractions like CrAzY!  Nothing too painful yet, but just within the last couple of days they have seemed to be accompanied with a little bit of pain.  Again, I am sure that doesn't mean anything, but a girl can hope! 

I really am totally fine with this baby staying in for a while, except for the fact that Miley was born a week early, and was a whopping 8 pounds 2 ounces!  So the fact that this is my second, and a boy, has me a little worried about his size.  My doctor doesn't seem at all worried...she even says she will let me go a week over my due date before she will induce!  She thinks that he will end up being somewhere in the 7 pound range, but we will see.  I think it is hard for them to really say at this point.  Anyway, that leaves me hoping for just a LITTLE bit early so I am not birthing a sumo wrestler baby!  Ha ha!

There are a few things that we still need to do to get ready, and I would say that my nesting instinct has definitely started to kick in...which is a little bit challenging when you live in an apartment, and you may be moving soon.  But we are making the best of what we have right now, and will get it all done.  I still feel like I need to pick up a few odds and ends for the hospital and after, so hopefully within the next week or so I can get that done.  Just as long as the weather is warmer than -16, and I feel like going out!

So...what do you think?  Anyone have any guesses on when this little guy will get here, or how big he will be?  It would be fun to hear what y'all think!

Here's a summary of the facts:
Due Date - February 18
Miley born 1 week early
Miley weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces
No progress checks yet...so it's a mystery where I stand at the moment!

I Don't Really Know What To Say...

Ummmm....yeah.  Don't you wish you lived here?  I think we will be hanging out inside today.

"'Nastics!"

In November, and now this month as well, I signed Miley up for a Parent/Toddler gymnastics class.  I figured we needed something to do to get us out of the house this winter, and this seemed like the perfect thing to do, because it is fun and burns off some of that energy that Miley has 24/7, plus it puts her in an environment where she has to learn to listen to a teacher, which, Oh.My.Word. we all know that Miley needs. 

Every Monday, Miley will wake up asking for "'Nastics" and she always wants to immediately put her "'Tard" (leotard) on.  So once we have eaten breakfast, and she gets her hair braided, she gets to sport her beloved "tard".  :) 

Miley does pretty well for the most part, but will occasionally just bolt off and try to do her own thing.  Let me tell you.  It is so much fun for this pregnant lady to chase her around when she does that (insert sarcasm).  But really, she loves it and always has so much fun while we are there.

She is totally freaked out by the bars, but loves the trampolines, doing somersaults on the mats, and her absolute favorite is the balance beam.  

And the best part?  She usually looks like this the rest of the day.  :)  It definitely wears her out.

Or at least until she realizes I am taking pictures...

I am so glad that I have been able to do this with Miley, because I am really trying to enjoy the little one-on-one time that we have left.  Obviously, I won't be able to do the classes with her after the baby is born, but I am hoping that within the next 6 months or year, she can do more stuff like this on her own.  

Plus, I have to admit, it is pretty fun for this momma to watch.  :) 

My Buddy and Me...

The other night we had our good friends, the Ferrins over.  We set the kiddos up in mine and Cameron's room with some popcorn and a movie so that we adults could do the ever-so-important task of playing Super Mario Brothers on the Wii. 

I had to take some pictures, because they were just too cute hanging out with their pillows and blankets and loving just hanging out together. 

We are so grateful for good friends up here, for us AND for Miley.  She loves all of her little buddies, but she and Jack are just two of a kind (that is why you often see pictures of them together on this blog...kind of a recurring theme on here!). 

We are in an area where we know a lot of people who are in "transit"...many of the people that we have grown to know and love over the last 3 and a half years and come and gone quickly. whether it is to continue their education somewhere, or to take another job somewhere, or to move closer to home.  But we love the relationships that we have gotten to have with everyone, and know that we have made some lifelong friends up here.

And I am pretty sure Miley has too.  :)

**Those last three pictures were taken were taken in May of last year, but I realized I had never posted them, and they were too cute to skip out on!

Just Hanging Around

Now that we are getting back into our normal routine, I have been more grateful than ever for all the new toys that Miley got for Christmas!  I think it is a little hard on her going from having lots of people around, and little buddies to play with 24/7, to being stuck all day every day with just mom again.  :) 

Not to mention the fact that it is January in Minnesota...and we all know that means that our options for entertainment are dramatically reduced. 

Miley had a couple of late Christmas presents waiting for her here once we got back from Wyoming...one of those being a big tub of blocks.  She enjoyed building with the blocks, but found other ways to amuse herself with the toy...

Hey, whatever works, right?  :)

Ringing In the New Year

We spent New Year's Eve this year with Cameron's brother, Don, and his family.  That has kind of been our tradition since we moved up here, and we always love it.  We had only gotten back from our trip a couple days before, so it was a good chance for us to spend time catching up with them!

We spent the evening playing Guitar Hero, Blokus, eating pizza, and chocolate fondue.  We let Miley stay up till about 8:30, and then put her to bed, but planned to wake her up later in the night for the big countdown.

PS...all these pictures were taken with my new lens that I got for Christmas...I am in L-O-V-E!   *SQUEAL!*

I have to admit, being 7 1/2 months pregnant makes staying up and partying pretty tough on me.  I was exhausted and struggled to keep my eyes open once we hit about 11:00...I promise I was having fun though!  :)

We got Miley up at about 11:50, and she was none too pleased.  I thought she would be really excited to get to hang out with all the older kids, and wear party hats and play with noisemakers, but she just wanted to be held...oh well.  Lesson learned.  Maybe next year we can try again!

2011 is definitely going to be a big year for us...baby boy coming, possible grad school for Cameron, and potentially buying our first home.  I am sure it will be one to remember, and I can't wait to see what is in store for us! 

Wishing you all the best in 2011!