oh boy!

i always knew finn would become a boy. a true little boy who digs in the dirt and climbs on top of everything to experience the rush of being two feet off the ground and carries sticks all over the park for no other reason than to always have a weapon in hand. just in case.

33 weeks

after a few crazy strangers told me this mystery-sex baby was definitely a girl, i was beginning to believe that there was no way this child could possibly be a boy. if you hadn't heard, there was a woman at the pharmacy who stood behind me to pat my love handles (never getting close to my belly) and was then very certain that it was a girl i was carrying. and she never gets these things wrong. never ever. then there was the lady at the park who wouldn't take the "maybe you're right" response i gave her and huffed off as if i truly offended her gender guessing skills.

but alas! i have finally found a crazy stranger who thinks that it is definitely a boy. she came up and proudly proclaimed within seconds that i was in fact carrying a boy. when i told her that i'd had a lot of girl predictions, she simply stated, "it's a boy. you don't got no booty." apparently, you have to have a little caboose to harbor the female gender. sorry tall skinny ladies of the world, we're strictly here to make boys. glad to get that lesson before i got my hopes up. and i have to trust this crazy stranger over all the rest, because didn't you know? she is never wrong.

giving thanks

i wrote a thanksgiving entry for our church's blog. check it out here if you feel the desire to know what i'm thankful for this year! it's basically a repetition of the words "thankful" and "grateful" for an extended amount of time. enjoy!

i'm hormonal and it's the holidays

there have been a few moments in the last couple days where i'm pretty sure people have run away fearing for their lives. by people, i mean my husband, my son, and anyone in the general vicinity when i suddenly realize that i'm only 7- weeks away from delivering a child. a person. another person. you want to know why i thought this was a good idea 8 months ago? because finn was easy and sweet and calm then. you want to know why i'm panicking a little now? because finn is not so easy and is still generally sweet and calm is not even a word i would pick 1,483rd to describe him. in fact, i would say that finn is the antonym to calm.

but here we are. 7 weeks from d-day. or less, depending on what the ultrasound says of the size of this child. judging from the fact that i sometimes lose my breath climbing stairs or picking up finn or god forbid just standing up, or the fact i feel full after eating a saltine and a slice of cheese (don't worry, the fullness doesn't stop me), i would say this baby nugget is big!

really though, i can't wait. but i also i want to be able to enjoy every last moment of finn being an only child. i want to relax over the holiday season and have a no-stress thanksgiving and christmas with all my amazing family members and friends. i am so looking forward to finn turning two and celebrating all gabba gabba-ed out. i am excited to wrap presents and give presents. it's one of my most favorite things of the year. i'm so happy that my family actually likes my cooking enough to request that i bring a particular dish. i cannot wait for the christmas music to blare throughout this house and lift my spirits and remind me that my Christ was born into this world.

i'm trying to remember these upcoming good things and what i can't wait for instead of stressing about the lack of time and the sickness invading our home and the fact that i can't sleep for 3 hours straight without waking up with leg cramps and an inability to breathe and needing to pee. i'm trying to remember that any stress that i have these next 7 weeks will lead up to the amazing experience of becoming a mom for a second time. i'm trying to remember that i have an awesome network of people who care and are going to take as much stress off me as they can (thanks kathy for the hired help for the yardwork and watching finn when i just need a break. thanks mom and alyssa for listening to me rant about how there is never enough time in the day). i'm trying to get into the holiday spirit. with a little help of course from pumpkin spice lattes and kenny g.

long overdue update

one night about two months ago, september 21st to be specific, finn told us that he was done with his crib and wanted to sleep in the big boy bed. and that. was. that. ever since, he has been sleeping well and staying in his bed/room all night long without any sadness or insecurity. okay, maybe i should scratch the part about sadness. he will sit and cry himself to sleep, but (and this is a very important but) he won't ever leave his bed. fantastic! i was expecting an all-out war, where we had to tie him down and put a lock on his door from the outside, but nope. this kid is just too easy when it comes to two things, eating and sleeping. hope baby number 2 takes after his/her big brother!

tiny joy!

there has been far too much going on recently, and i realized that i neglected to introduce you to someone. a delayed welcome to the world, tenley anne. my new niece who is just the cutest little bundle of joy you could imagine.

oh mudge!

my life, no the entire world, lost a very special lady yesterday. my grandma mudgie chose creepy halloween of all days to say goodbye to this world and go live with jesus, her husband and two of her kids. let me tell you, i have been so blessed in my life to have such amazing female role models, and this lady was one of the best.

she taught me a lot about discipline, like when she yelled, "kids, go outside and...and... run around in circles!" when my 15 cousins and myself were rough-housing in the living room. the same living room which held her extensive collection of ceramic angels. so i guess she taught me a lot about trust and patience, too!

she taught me that when in a pickle, buy in bulk. every christmas, my cousin sarah and i were receive the same matching outfit since we were close in age. i already mentioned the total of 16 grandkids. mudgie was too busy to deal with 16 different gifts! she gave the same gift with no remorse. and we ended up loving receiving the same gift (and loving the pictures of us dressed alike).

she taught me that family is important, like when she and my grandpa let my family move into their house when we first moved back to plymouth. without question, they gave up their space. she loved her family. and feeding that family is most important of all. i will never be a grandma mudgie type of cook. i know it's in my dna, but i just haven't found it yet. no one will ever made a dinner roll like she does. i know, it's a dinner roll, but i think it's the love she put in it that made it better than any others!

she showed me what a strong, christian, selfless, loving woman and mother looks like. i will forever be grateful for her.

and to answer your question, i will not be naming this child mudge if it is a little girl. there's only one lady who could carry off that name and she was my grandmother.