Rainy Productive Day

Danny's napping and Joey and I are waiting for the IKEA delivery men to bring her new big girl bed and my new dresser.  It's been a really productive day.
I went to work while Danny took Joey to Barnes & Noble for story time.  They came back and picked me up and Danny jaunted off to school for some advising for his new semester and to get some schoolwork done.  He finished up at the school early and was feeling productive so he ventured to IKEA alone to pick out Joey's big girl bed & accessories and our new dresser.  Joey and I cleaned up the apartment while he was away.  I made lunch and dinner according to my meal plan (that I made up yesterday, I've been slacking lately).
Danny came home and we started making space for Joey's bed and now he's off napping while I wait for the delivery men.  I'm hoping they'll be nice to the pregnant lady and bring everything all the way up.  Last delivery guys came when only Danny was home and they took one look at the stairs and told Danny he was on his own.  Joey was only maybe 9 months old at the time which made that game super fun for Danny.  I'm hoping they'll take pity on me and my inability to lift any of it (which is why we opted for delivery instead of renting a van in the first place).  Then I get the fun of putting it all together tonight.  I'm rather impatient and I'm confident that I won't be able to wait until tomorrow to put it all together.  I've got all my tools ready and raring to go.  If only I could find my hammer (just in case).  Sometimes those pegs just don't want to go in right away.  But I've got my multi-screwdriver and my allen wrench set.
I love building stuff.  If only I still had the back strength for carpentry work. *sigh* I'll post pictures as soon as I get things in order.  I may be able to build my new toys tonight but I doubt that I'll get the tornado that will no doubt ensue cleaned up by tonight too.
I'm just so excited to have things all organized by the time baby comes.  I've got a dresser for my two little ones to share, an extra dresser for he newest little in our closet for those mid-night changes while we're still using the co-sleeper in our room.  I'll soon have a dresser for Danny and I that will fit our things and not be held together by duct tape.  (WooHoo!) And we're getting a nice twin low loft bed for Joey, and it can be used as a bunk bed if we have another girl (we find out on Tuesday).  Then all I have to do is find everything it's place and fine tune all the minor details and we'll be all set.  Sure we'll need a highchair at some point but I know my mom has one in storage somewhere and there are other things that I need but nothing major.
I'm still trying to find a love seat that will fit up our stairs via craigslist.org, but I'm not having much luck. *sigh again* I don't know what we'll do when people want to come over and meet new baby. I have spent the past month trolling Craigslist trying to find a nice double stroller for cheap but I don't think I want to go out and buy one full price with Joey as big as she is.  I just can't justify it, we've got two strollers and a couple of baby wraps and I think that's plenty.  I've been stalking Craigslist to be honest, I've been trying to find all the things that I've been wanting to buy anyway, used for cheaper but to no avail and now I'm getting to the point where if I don't get it done soon, I won't have enough time to get the rest of things ready.  I still want to make the newest little a baby blanket of his/her own. And I need to start finding clothes if we find out we're having a boy. Wow, ok I'm gong to stop rambling now before I totally overwhelm myself with my to do list.
So, anyway having a really productive week and especially a productive day. Woo Hoo!

Sunny Sunday

Sometimes, having the extra energy from not waiting tables anymore, is so nice.  As stressful as it is when folks don't show up, I was refreshed by having other people step up and help out today and fill in those gaps.  I am able to love people more the less I'm working in a direct serving role.  My job at the church is totally a serving role but I'm not being inundated by people wanting more from me with no regard for what it does to me.  I am surrounded by people who love me and want me to succeed.
And now that I'm taking the time to step back and allowing myself to take some space when I need it, I'm seeing more people's willingness to be involved whereas before I would've just done myself and then been irritated that no one wanted to step up.  I'm seeing now that if I want to have others help out, I need to express my limits and just do it all myself.  But as I'm doing this, I'm seeing more people step up and volunteer.  It's been really helpful to my view of Christian community.
Then, I got home and took a nap while Joey napped.  After that, Danny got home from is adventures this afternoon, and we had a quick PB&J dinner and were off to the grocery store.  I was able to really focus on what I was buying and got things that I really needed.  Lately, I've been finding myself one or two key ingredients short of a recipe(UGH).  But today, I had a very specific list and Danny hung out in the Starbucks and studied while Joey and I shopped.  I got all the fixin's for bean burritos,  chicken tikka masala, grilled cheese and tomato soup, spagettios(sp.) were Joey's request for the week and some other little leftover makeover meals.  Yay me! I feel like I'm getting my brain in order.  I even got a laundry bag so that I can do laundry again and actually get the laundry down the stairs without Danny's help.  So that's my little victory for the day, a successful shopping trip.  Woo Hoo!

Figuring things out

So as Danny and I were heading down to the Norwalk Children's Museum today (pics to come soon), I kept seeing all the lovely houses down in that area and I made me long to be studying architecture again.  I seem to keep coming back to it.  It's the only thing that maintains my interest long enough for me to think that it would be a viable career option.  But I still hit the snag of not wanting to work in someone else's firm drawing their designs for 40 years.  But I had the thought today, I could teach it.  I could go back to school, finish my degree and go for my Master's and then teach it in college.
I know that I don't have the patience to teach oodles of little kids, and I can't stand high school kids, I couldn't even stand high school kids when I was in high school.  But I do enjoy breaking things down into manageable chunks.  I think I may have finally figured out what to do with myself.  Now, to just figure out how to make it all happen in Colorado, with two kids, after a cross country move.  We shall see.  But I am more hopeful than I've been in a while about the whole subject.

Can't sleep

It's 5am and I can't sleep.  The cat woke me up by getting stuck behind the TV.  Now I'm up.  It feels too weird to go back to sleep.  The apartment is so quiet and Joey's not here.   Ugh. I'm sleepy and sappy and I want my little girl's good morning kisses in a few hours and she won't be here.  So, now, not only am I up at 5 am but I'm up at 5 am and crying because I miss my little girl.  I'm going to see her tomorrow and I know rationally that it's not that far off but I can't stop crying.  I'm such a sappy lady today.  Grr, hormones: Just let me go back to sleep and stop crying, Please.

Baby Kicks

I love teeny, tiny baby kicks.  They make me smile.  Right now they're at that fun stage where they're just a nifty little secret between the little one and I.  We find out in a few weeks whether were having a boy or a girl.  Joey told us the other day while Danny and I were discussing baby names that if we have a girl baby, we should name her Mary Poppins.  It's her favorite new movie, which just tickles me because I love it too.   Now, I just need to get her hooked on The Sound of Music and we'll be all set.  I've been a very sappy mommy lately.  But I can't help it when I tell Joey that she's my little snuggle bunny and she goes, "no mommy, you're MY snuggle bunny!"  What's an emotional pregnant lady to do? It just washes away all the temper tantrums and kicking fits of the day and just leaves me so happy to be her mommy.
The other day, I got one of my monthly baby updates: What's your 31 month old up to?  I was floored. They tell me that she should be stringing together 2-3 word sentences and following 2 step instructions by now.  So, I sat there and thought about that a bit.  Just a few days prior, told me a story (presumably a dream she had) using a sentence with two prepositional phrases in it.  Now as I sat there thinking about this, I got this overwhelming sense of 'what on earth am I going to do with this kid?'
Where do I begin? because she's memorizing her books left and right and we've started home-school for her to prepare her for Pre-School in the fall.  She's breezing through all of it.  Still a little slow on hand eye coordination in regards to tracing but how do I keep ahead? I'm totally stumped.  I know that I was always bored in school and in private school, they'd often give me extra work to do just to keep me busy but how do I do that with her?  I know that she's not likely to get that kind of attention in Public School just as a sheer matter of numbers.  And if I have to work, I can't home-school like I'd like to.  Oh, I'm overwhelmed.
Then to top all that off, Joey's had a cough for a while and children's tylenol hasn't been doing any good.  Tonight I tried a little vicks on her feet under her jammies and a spoonful of honey a few times today.  She likes the honey, but I don't know if it's doing any good.  I'd like to try some more homeopathic stuff but I can't think of anything at the moment.  And of course this just leads to me being more anxious.
Ugh, maybe I'm just being oversensitive, I am seriously hormonal at the moment.  I welcome any and all suggestions.  My brain seems to be on overload.  AHHHHH.

Windows Open

Isn't it a lovely day today.  The sun is shining, the weather is warm.  There's a nice breeze of fresh after rain air.  I love days like today.  The winter is gone and spring is here.  I love the smell of a freshly rained on earth.  Everything smells so clean and bright.
I had a lovely afternoon outing with the hubby and the little one.  I was on a mission to find maternity jeans since I think I donated my old ones to relieve myself of wearing them to long after Joey was born.  But sadly the maternity store in the mall is no more and I've only been able to find dress pants in Target's maternity section.  I need a pair of jeans, they're so crucial to my wardrobe.  At least this go around, I can stick to mostly yoga pants but I still need just one pair of maternity jeans.  They have to be around here somewhere, I'd really like to be able to try on a pair instead of ordering them online.
But I digress, Danny and Joey and I went to the mall and had a lovely lunch at Panera.  Joey and I got new sunglasses since I recently lost my pair somewhere and I just can't go out on a day like today without sunglasses without coming home with a massive migraine.  I actually had to keep my hoodie over my head and my eyes closed just to make it to the mall.  We also got Danny some new plugs and a cigar for his first official boardwalk-God walk of the season and to celebrate the end of mid-terms and the start of his first spring break.
I'm so proud of my hubby.  He's back in school and loving it.  He'd been out of school for 10 years and he's on the Dean's list at Gateway.  He may be stressed about some of his core classes but he always comes home from his Early Childhood Ed. class feeling renewed in his calling to open a bi-lingual daycare center.  I just know he's going to do so well.  The class even organized a group trip to a local Christian Day care during their spring break, separate from the curriculum, just because.
Danny's all excited to go because he was encouraged to take Joey.  And now Joey's all excited because she's been asking to go to school and now she gets to try one out.  She loves to learn and I'm so hoping that we can get her into the program at Gateway.  It'll be nice for her to have her school where Daddy has his school, especially since we can get the Grant for it for her.  I love her vibrancy and excitedness to learn.  Even when she starts to lose focus when I do school with her, she still hates putting it away and just wants to keep going.

I'm having a sappy mommy/pregnant lady day in case you hadn't noticed.  :-)  Hope everyone else is feeling the love today too!  Happy St. Patrick's Day.

The rain

Usually the rain makes me feel like curling up in a ball and reading a good book.  But today, it feels cleansing and refreshing.  Joey woke up early this morning, it seems she has a little cold.  But she came into bed with Danny and I and fell back asleep and then slept late.  I actually had to wake her up after a bit to ensure a nap later.  I'm feeling uber-productive.  I've already done dishes, made breakfast, started making yogurt, did Joey's hair and did her school for the day.  Today we worked on tracing lines and the Alphabet and matching, we also have some Sesame Street You Tubes that we watch at least a few times a week to teach her things like counting and rhythm and things that we did.  I've got way more on my agenda for the day but I can do it.
Last night at Care Group(what our church calls Bible Study) I got some really good prayer and it just pushed every last bit of that depression out of me and I left feeling really encouraged and ready do keep doing what I feel like God has been calling me to do to prepare to move out to Colorado.
So, the rest of my list for the day is as follows:
*Finish the yogurt
*Make Irish Soda bread
*Do two loads of laundry
*Take out the trash (I cleaned out a closet a few days ago and have yet to take the trash from that closet down our three flights)
*Try and search for my maternity pants from two+ years ago
*Make a plan for turning Joey's favorite bed-time story into a children's book
*Try to remember to do my daily Lenten devotional during nap-time

I can do it.  I know I can.

Weird Funk-be-gone

So I've been in a really weird funk for the past few days.  Since giving up television and farmville for Lent, I've been having a rough go of things.  But today I think I figured out why.  I lo of watching tv or playing online games, I've been reading.  But I've only been reading books that upset me quite wholly.  I've been reading books about the FLDS church and some of the stories of girls and boys who have escaped it's grasp.  Granted, they are totally interesting but I become engulfed in stories about incest and rape and child abuse on many levels and without the mindless cheery television to span between reading sessions, it's affecting my spirit.
So even though the weather has been lovely and we've been enjoying more time as a family, I've been struggling with a small battle of depression.  And, I've been so engulfed by my books that I failed to realize what had caused it until now.  Today I forwent my usual afternoon nap reading session for a lovely movie that as unlikely as it may seem has lifted my spirits in it's Good triumphs over evil way.  
So, I'm finally feeling a bit better and now I suppose that I should go get cracking on making dinner and get a shower before care group tonight.  I know the rest of the group will appreciate it.

Lent, discipline and growth

It is Ash Wednesday.  How many people did you see with ash on their foreheads?  It's one of the few markers of the Catholic church that I wish were carried on in Evangelical churches.  Such a lovely reminder.
So, as a family, we've decided to give up television for Lent.  Well, I decided that I needed to give up television for Lent but I knew that if we all didn't do it, I probably wouldn't stick to it.  So Danny offered to give it up as well.  And then of course we decided for Joey that she'd be giving up television for Lent.  She's allowed to watch TV when she's at Grandma's house but the TV in the apartment has been disconnected.  It's still in the living room, and we're thinking of putting it out of sight but we haven't quite decided all that yet.
I also decided that I'll be giving up my internet game of choice as well.  It's going to be tough but I've been meaning to stop playing anyhow and Lent is just one more reason to do it now.
But giving things up for Lent isn't just about the sacrifice, it's about making better choices and using the time that would've been spent on useless pursuits on things that help to grow myself and my family closer to God.
One of the things that I'm adding into my daily routine is a Lent Daily Meditation.  I know I'm only one day into it but I really like it so far.  I may or may not have looked ahead a little and it has a different activity every day to go along with the Bible passages.  One that I can't wait to get to asks the reader to sketch that daily verse.  I hope that this will help me to more disciplined all year round in having quiet times with God.
I'm also trying to do more projects with Joey.  With the warm weather coming, I am imagining walks in the woods to look at budding leaves and flowers, shell collecting expeditions on the beach, trips to the Children's museum, science experiments, and teaching her to grow things.  These are also all things that I hope to lead to being more disciplined in doing all year round.  Now, who knows what of these I'll be able to accomplish as I get more and more pregnant.  But I have dreams and goals and that is always a good place to start.