Don't worry - he isn't in jail! Here's a picture of Charles putting Jack's crib together a while back. I need to take a picture of it all put together.

49 days and counting!

There are 49 days until the latest day my doctor will induce! So 49 days or less until Jack is here:)

Jonathan has started asking questions about salvation and baptism. We are praying for him as he continues to grow toward God and seeks to learn more about Him. Yesterday Charles and Jonathan took a walk, hand in hand so that Jonathan could ask some questions he had on his mind. Charles said that at one point (please hear his sweet little 6 year old voice here) Jonathan looked up at Charles and said, "I just want to follow the Lord."
We already see God gifting Jonathan in so many special ways - compassion, leadership, music. It is exciting to see God working in his heart!

Parent Appreciation

Kaitlin before church Sunday morning. Jonathan praying before the lunch.

Sunday was parent appreciation day at our church. The children's department made us a fantastic lunch after church. The children cooked on Saturday and served and cleaned up after the meal.

Kaitlin sang Amazing Grace and Jonathan did the opening prayer. I cried for both.

The Beach

We really had a great time at the beach in Santa Monica. We hung out on the pier: Charles and the kids got to ride a few rides (the main roller coaster was down though), we watched jugglers and dancers including a Disney promo that they were shooting that day which was really fun to see, got drinks and enjoyed some beautiful scenery. On the beach the kids jumped in the FREEZING water with all their clothes on and then dried off in the sun while we had a picnic in the sand.

Most of our time

The kids had a great time cooking with Aunt Casie. They made some amazing four cheese pizza. On St. Patricks Day they made green cupcakes with frosting (I forgot to take pictures of that).

Since Kaitlin is no longer wearing bows, we took a whole LOAD of them to Zelda and Lucille. She put many of them in her hair right away!

Kaitlin was a super cousin with Lucille. She loved feeding her and playing with her and helping her. She's going to be so awesome when Jack gets here!!!

Charles lost TWO soccer balls over that brick wall while we were there. We shipped them a new one;)

Most of our time in California was spent relaxing. Lots of soccer in the back yard, going to the ice cream truck (a HIGHLIGHT for the kids), and sitting on the couch. I will add more pictures to this post when my sister posts more pictures from her camera online. Beach pictures will come soon too.

LA Zoo

We also got to go to the Los Angeles Zoo over spring break.

Dinossaur Encounter

Paleontological Artist

Jonathan has wanted to be a paleontologist since he could talk, so when we got to go see a wonderful dinosaur exhibit at the Natural Museum of History in LA over spring break - you can imagine how thrilled he was. He got to see a paleontologist working on removing a rib bone from a cast. He got to see a life size puppet show about a T-Rex and how they found their food as well as some great exhibits of skeletons (casts).
Now Jonathan has decided that he would like to be a Paleontological Artist. This is a new career we are learning about. These artists interpret scientific evidence to create visual pictures of prehistoric creatures. So any dinosaur picture you see was created by this type of person. He also wants to be a professional skier on the side;)

Got a great report at the doctors yesterday. Jack weighs nearly 3 pounds already!!! He is 14 inches long. I actually had no difference in weight gain over the past month, but Jack is making up for it! I feel certain that the reason is that I am finally able to get out and walk and move and do things thanks to feeling so much better and having better weather!

Phew - it's Monday (well for me it is anyway).
I was miserably sick this weekend! Today I just have the ulcers on my throat (which often come when I'm stressed, but being sick probably made them worse.) I missed work yesterday, but I am here today (mostly, although my brain is in slow motion from lack of sleep). Charles just came up to my office bearing chl*ras*ptic and soup. I honestly do have the best husband in the world.
We spent Saturday cleaning out and rearranging our bedroom. It is still slightly disastrous as we try to figure out where to put the things that don't fit now, but we made room for the CRIB and got it all put together. It just needs a matress - then I can officially say I can bring Jack home (since we have a car seat) and I will have a place to put him (a bed).
This week is mad dash week (slightly slower due to illness). We will be preparing to leave on our trip Friday by getting the house clean, doing laundry and packing. This is also the last week of Little Dribblers (I really need to get some pictures posted of that).
We are getting closer to meeting Jack everyday!

Obsessed

I am becoming obsessed with the calendar.

• 5 days until my next doctor appts
• 8 days until California
• Only 2 1/2 weeks after we get back to prepare for book fair (major library event)
• 8 weeks until I go into the hospital
• 10 weeks until estimated D-Day (doctor is thinking 38 weeks at the latest which is 10 weeks away, but he may induce at 37 weeks)

I can't seem to keep myself from counting days and weeks - at least I have not resorted to counting minutes and hours!

I have also become obsessed with the clutter that has taken over my house in the last year. Between working full time and being one very sick gal for much of the past year - it has just built up. Its been hard enough to keep up with laundry for 4 busy people - much less do the regular purging and cleaning out that I typically do in a year. At minimum I always do a major clean out before birthdays and Christmas. Obviously I was in the hospital around that time this year, so no clean out.

I feel like I need a week of concentrated at home group effort to get the house organized enough and clean enough to bring a baby home to!!! Not to mention that the baby stuff is already overtaking the house with no organization to speak of. He needs a dresser in the very near future I suppose (not to mention that Jonathan's has needed a new dresser for months because his drawers are falling apart!)

And I won't even start on things like cleaning carpets and baseboards and corners in the ceiling and behind dressers and under beds and back room closets and I think I'm going to hyperventilate here people! I'm seriously near panic attack. But add things like little dribblers, homework, doctor visits and being tired because I'm in my third trimester - and you can see why a little time here and there after work isn't getting all this done.

I just keep thinking when we get back from California...

• I will be busy getting ready for book fair.
• I will be 30+ weeks along trying to get ready for book fair and a baby
• It will be less than 3 weeks until book fair begins (notice the book fair stress)
• I will be in near panic mode trying to clean, organize and make sure we have what we need before we bring Jack home (remembering that when I go into the hospital there is a chance I won't be coming home without a baby)
• TAKS will almost be here (and its Kait's first one)
• I need to have the baby soon enough that I can get back to the office (after hours) to get awards, etc printed before end of year awards programs (that is a BIG deal people)
• at least when I get back from CA I won't have to worry about flying and how the trip will go!

Also - I got the diaper bag I was so excited about last night. It has pink in it. Small thing, but it kind of took the wind out of my sails a little. So there is some of my stress - I will send it to you. Pray over it and also pray for all the anxieties that are just consuming me at this point of hormonal disturbance!

We do have some things ready

Our bouncy chair

The stroller and car seat:) - This is called chicco fuego - I just love the name and the color. The crib. Took a picture with my iphone for Jules. It isn't put together yet, but I really like it. It turns into a toddler bed and full bed later.

Possibly my favorite baby hat on the planet! This one is 6-12 months. I may buy it in newborn too, b/c I am really that in love with it.

Love Love Love this bag. It is laminated/ wipe off and very stylish, but not TOO girly to be a boy's diaper bag.

We have a few clothes (thanks to Nana and Mandy).

We have our stroller and car seat- which I think I am going to love. You never can really tell until you start using something like that, but we put it together this past weekend and I think its awesome. We have never had a vehicle/car seat with latch before so we will need to learn that.

We have the crib - not put together yet because we have to figure out where it will fit in our room. We are thinking about doing a cosleeper at first. Thanks Aunt Julie (who has gotten several things for her baby Jack already).

We have one of those bouncy chairs which I love. We found one just like Kaitlin and Jonathan had that they literally both used until they were 2 and then it got handed down to someone else. It turns into a rocker. It is being used for baby dolls and to make Jonathan talk funny for now (he leans against it and turns it on).

Aunt Julie got us a breast pump. We have monitors (the kind that are sound activated - yipee), some blankets, a very sweet dinosaur hat, a small diaper bag and a big diaper bag on the way (the one I really really wanted).

So see - we are not totally unprepared.

I just wish I could find the energy to get my house organized and in order and find a place for all these little baby goodies that we have acquired!

Woah

I miscounted. 9 weeks until I go into the hospital - a little less than 9 weeks!!!! And the doctor is considering putting me in a week early. I'm just trying to talk him out of that because that is TAKS week!
One week until next doctor appointment.
12 Days until we fly out to California.
Less than 9 weeks until we go to the hospital.

10 Weeks People

10 Weeks until I go into the hospital to change over my medicines and there is always a chance we could come home with a baby or to bed rest after that. And ONE of those 10 weeks we will be in California.
That means we have 9 weeks to get ready for Jack! Is that enough time?
I need a professional organzier.