Hopefully my last shopping hoorah before the baby comes...

I went to a Mom's sale at a huge church here in Beavercreek today...it was INSANE! I was probably one of the first 25 people in the door at 0830 and there were already "HOLD" signs on many items...probably from the presales *if you're a seller you can shop before anyone else*.  I really went hoping to buy a cozy coupe car for Jake..there was only 1 there...and it was already taken! BOO!  BUT, I did manage to find a Littlest Pet Shop (LPS) playarea thingy for Cassidy...LPS is her new thing...for $7...whoo hoo!! They are usually at least $30 new, so that was a great deal!  Then I got Mister Will a jumperoo...saw my friend's baby in one last week and she was having sooo much fun; I had contemplated getting one when Jake was smaller, but went with a walker that had a jumping function...didn't really work to his liking either way, he usually just cried in the thing anyway :)  I got a new backpack hoping to replace the one that I paid WAY too much for that both kids (Cassidy & Jake) have screamed & kicked to get out of...must be a really comfy one! Ha!  So maybe since we'll be outnumbered soon, this backpack can be a little more useful.  And a few other toys for the kids round out my purchases...no clothes...there was no way I could go back in for clothes...it was a madhouse!  On top of it all...I forgot to eat my protein bar that I stuck in my purse, so as I was standing in the tremendous check out line and starting to feel woozy...I realized, I hadn't eaten in over 12 hours...not good for a lady in my situation -- I devoured that bar in like 1 minute! Ha - I have no brain left!

Loving the baby I have, but wanting the other to come on out!!

I have found that in the last few weeks, while Jake has been taking large strides into toddlerhood, I have throroughly been enjoying him.  He IS still my baby...at least until Mister Will decides he wants to meet us all!  Jake has really stole my heart...just his cute little expressions, his little voice, his mass of curls...*sigh*.  I will miss these days for sure, when it was just the two kiddos -- one parent to one kid -- but I know that Will is truly God's will...so I am more than happy to have him in our family...if he ever decides to come!  I don't know why I've become so impatient with this pregnancy --probably because I don't have full time work to distract me...and I've known that I was pregnant since 4 weeks...so I'm ready to cuddle my little guy already!! Until then, I'll keep making tickle sessions, sand box messes and toddler wrangling my passion :)

Okay...so I'm really bad at blogging

I know that you're supposed to up-date frequently, write things about what the kids are doing, how the pregnancy is going..but really it's all been going "just fine" -- nothing special to write about.  But then reflecting, I think there is a ton to write about.  As we get days closer to welcoming the final installment to the family, Baby Will, I need to cherish the baby that we still have in the house, Jake.  But really, he has started taking great strides at becoming a "big boy".  The first week that Michael was in Alabama, I discovered that Jake's grumpiness was due to cutting FOUR molars at the same time! Poor guy -- but that's his normal fashion...one tooth is for sissies...he always cuts 2-4 at a time.  He has become so much more verbal, using his signs and using "please" & "thank you" a lot :)  He makes me giggle because he likes to use my belly button as a proding place and then blow raspberries on my tummy...the baby just wiggles in every which way!  Jake is also a very loving brother with his "Sissy" -- he can actually enunciate all 3 syllables of "Cas-a-dee" -- each morning he is thrilled with hugs from Cass and looks for Ty, our dog.  He LOVES Ty, not sure that Ty enjoys all of the love, but Jake is very fond of our 90 lb lab.  I think one of the cutest things that Jake started late last week is "motoring" his cars...pushing them along the floor with a distinct "bbbrrrr" - ADORABLE!  And he started riding the small ride-on toys...boy, he really IS trying to make room for baby!

Cassidy, meanwhile, just continues to be a loving big sister.  She has already considered Will apart of the family - "Mom, there are 4 boys and only 2 girls" (4 boys=Daddy, Jake, Will, & Ty-the dog!)  When asked how many brothers & sisters she would like to have she stated "2 brothers and 3 sisters" -- so I kindly explained that those "3 sisters" would have to be good friends that she makes!  I think she will relish the idea of being an only daughter/sister.  Especially as she gets older and she won't have to share her clothes or "Girly" things with the boys -- at least that is my hope :) -- in more ways that one!  She has been going so long with a dry pull-up at night that I decided it was time to try sleeping without a pull-up -- so far, so good!  My little girl is really growing up!

Well, the squeals of a busy toddler are calling -- I finally have the laptop back, it's easier to blog with this little contraption that being sucked down to the basement behind the desktop -- plus, Jake doesn't try to "help" me out so much when I'm on the laptop :)

Jake cracks me up...most days :)

Today, as I am trying to clean up the abomination that is our basement, Jake has kept me in the giggles.  From now identifying his pacifier as "Papi" to eating a whole tangerine -- taking time to spit the seeds out -- he's been a little hoot today.  His vocabulary seems to really be improving lately, that or the amount of time we're spending together has made me more able to understand him.  He has enjoyed eating the fake folage & berries off of my artificial wreaths, pulling VHS tape out of the casing and rearranging what I've just arranged..nice huh?  Oh and I forgot to mention that Jake is by far the one who seems to show Ty the most love, but I'm not sure that Ty is very appreciative :)  Ty will be laying somewhere trying to catch a nap and Jake will begin to yell for him, search him out, then once found, proceed to lay all over him, poke at his eyes or nose or even better offer him kisses...this kiddos cracks me up, although Ty has yet to find the humor.  So, hopefully, by the time Michael gets home from work it will look like I at least accomplished some form of clean up today!

My first Car Accident

Well, the first time had to be a doozie, huh?  I managed to total our '08 Honda Odyssey in a head on collision about two weeks ago.  I thankfully only received minor injuries -- nothing broken, but my left knee was badly injured on the steering column, I dislocated my right shoulder (which I've done before), my left thumb was swollen & lacerated, and to top it off I had seatbelt bruises to my pregnant belly & across my chest.  The other driver apparently broke a finger but is claiming that she lost consciousness and therefore cannot recall any of the details of the accident.  Here hun, I'll give you a refresher...I was turning left at an intersection where there isn't a protected turn...it was 8am on Monday morning so traffic was pretty heavy.  I proceeded into the intersection on green and while I was advancing into the intersection, the light turned yellow.  The car in front of my turned without any hesitation, I waited just a second because I couldn't see the rest of oncoming traffic...so I proceeded to clear the intersection with caution...then YOU came barreling out of no where in your silver Mercedes and before I could even think you were plowing into my front end.  Since you sped up to make the light...you hit me going about 40 mph in a 35 mph zone...but were you ticketed...no, only me, for failing to yield the right of way on a left turn.  Ho hum...what's a girl to do?  I was transported to the closest hospital with a NICU in case little Will decided that he was too traumatized by the accident...thankfully I was 32 weeks that day, so delivery wouldn't have been a death sentence ---thank you Jesus!  So after spending close to 8 hours at the hospital for monitoring & to have my shoulder relocated...we came home thankful that I wasn't in more serious condition. 
Michael has been really supportive surprisingly...not quite sure why, but a guilt trip at this point would probably just send me into hysterics which wouldn't play out well for him to deal with :)  So...we have been told "we can fix it", "oh, actually, it's totalled"  so now we wait for the insurance company to determine the value and then we can begin searching for a replacement.  Oh, and another thankful thing is Michael went TDY the following week after the accident, why am I thankful for that...because it wasn't THE morning after he left...I had a whole week to get back into the swing of things before having to manage the two joys of my life all by my hobbling, pitiful self :) 
So, lesson learned: I now do not even mess with a yellow. I think this was a good wake up call for me to improve my driving awareness.

Once again, Thanks be to God for keeping Will & I safe :)

Time flies when they're so little...

Jake...he is the best little man a gal could ask for.  He gets cuter by the day!  I just can't imagine that in about 6-8 weeks he is not going to be my little baby anymore.  But as each day passes, he is really starting to show that he doesn't want to be "the baby" anymore.  He has really done well with his walking, he is now using most of the signs that we...well, I - have taught him, and funniest of all, is he has now started shaking his head in agreement/disagreement.  He will sign "eat" "more" "all done" and "please" is just around the corner...I know it (please?)! I think that his nodding is the funniest, because he usually does the opposite of what he really intends to "say" :)  (He shakes his head "no" when he really means "yes") Anyway, last night I could tell that he was starting to get tired, so I said "Jake, ready for night-night?" he shook his head "yes" and started walking to the stairs to go up to his room.  I didn't follow right away because I was trying to finish what I was doing, so he came back to the living room and got my attention (screech) and then I got up and he walked to the stairs again.  He walked to his room and headed straight for his bed...I said "wait, we need to do pj's" and so he waited by his changing table for me to return with his pjs...who is this kid?  I changed him and then put him down, he walked to his bed, I said "get in bed Buddy", he crawled into his little toddler bed (which is just so darn cute) and he waited for me to tuck him in...I just LOVE him :) 
We really need to start the book habit at night like we did with Cassidy -- she has to have a couple of books before bed, otherwise she gets out of bed constantly until she either gets in so much trouble that she cries herself to sleep (which makes me feel like a terrible mother...but she hasn't correlated that late bedtime = grumpy Cassidy in the morning) or it just gets so late that she just can't fight the sandman off anymore. 
AND on top of Jake being such a good little guy, he has had the most terrible cold & cough this week -- its the first time he's been sick since his RSV in December.  So he has coughed himself through sleep for most of the week, but still woken up with a smile (and green slimey nose! ewww) -- sounds like it might be bedtime tonight...maybe I'll take him to his room rather than have to be led to... :)

March 1st...celebrating 3 firsts in 2010!

Well, I am terrible at planning ahead for haircuts..even with my own.  I started to implant the idea that Cassidy was WAY overdue for her first haircut at the end of last year.  Michael was reluctant to cut it, claiming "it will just grow"...obviously it will keep growing, but it might grow healthier with a little trim.  So, I set out to get Cassidy a memorable first cut experience...well, the place here in town that catered to kids, closed ---and it was Sunday, amazing how many salons are closed on Sundays...ALL of them.  But Sallys was open - fancy scissors & a cape - wa-la, we're in business.  I have had my hair cut enough times in my life that I should have paid attention at least once...right?  Well, as with most "at home" cuts, it is shorter than I was intending, but I had to get all those dead ends off..they've been there for almost 4 years now!  It did prove to be a challenging task though..her hair has no natural part and it actually started to get more curly/wavy as I cut...she has some good body in it now!  In the end, I was pleased with my work & Cassidy's patience, she got to watch "Snow White" while she was getting her cut!  And she actually liked it...once I showed her that we could still do all the same hair styles as we'd done before :) 

And little Jake man -- wow, he has really started to take some steps into "Big Boy Land" -- literally!  He started walking last weekend, just after turning 14 months!  We thought that he'd be an early walker for sure because he was crawling at 8 months...but I think he knew he wouldn't be as fast as when he crawled!  He looks like a little monkey when he is walking, holding his arms up above him for balance.  Now, he's experimenting with how to get from sitting to standing...he gets a kick out of himself falling over- LOL!

AND Jake started sleeping in his toddler bed -- I can't believe it, I've only found him out of it once, and that was after he'd woken up at 7am and decided that he could use a little more shut-eye :)  I think he could sleep anywhere...but it did help that I put it up in his room once we moved in, and he would climb up in it and bounce around and he definitely should remember Cassidy sleeping in it...he's such a clever boy!