Waiting for a Houseguest

I thought for sure she was coming this weekend.

The baby that is...

Both of the girls were a week early and my due date is next Saturday...therefore Little Littlewood #3 should have been due to arrive Saturday or Sunday of this weekend, but she apparently decided otherwise. She decided she is pretty comfy inside of my belly....or maybe it was the screeching, laughing and general noisy chaotic craziness created by her older sisters that scared her away for a few more days (I'd be scared if I were listening too!). 

And so we wait...for an undetermined amount of time. Me, the planner...the one who prefers a schedule to a surprise...this little one already teaching me lessons about life. About the fact that some things, many things, are out of the control of my plans and scheduling. 

As I chatted with my good friend Sara earlier today (she was calling to check in, knowing about my week early deliveries in the past) I told her I felt like I was waiting for a houseguest who promised they were coming but was incredibly vague about the date. 

"Haha," she laughed, "There's a blog post in that." 

"Ahh...I suppose your right. If I'm not going to go into labor I might as well blog about it!" 

And so I keep grocery shopping for easy to make meal items. I've cleaned the mudroom and parts of the basement. Our "guest's'" room is just about ready...new sheets, vacuumed rugs, soft lightbulbs placed into lamps. I keep trying to tidy up the house...like just before a party. You want to offer your best impression, at least for the first few minutes. 

Mostly I'd just like to bring the baby back to a clean house, but alas, that is much harder to accomplish when you're getting ready to bring home baby #3 than with #1 or #2. So I tidy and the girls come careening through to make their mark...I tidy again...more marks made. I vacillate between wanting to just give up and thinking that if I keep tidying up  I'll catch it just right one of these times-- my contractions will finally start right after I put away that last socks and Barbie doll shoe. 

In the meantime, I answer funny questions from the girls about how I will know when it's time to go to the hospital and what the "plan" will be when the time comes. They are, after all, waiting too. 

I read web articles about 'early labor signs' and they tell me to be patient...that I won't, after all, be pregnant forever. 

I won't? I want to say. Really? I won't? 

I guess for now I'll take their word for it...even though I'm not completely sure I believe them. I'll find another drawer to clean, take the library DVD's back (before I wind up paying big fines!), and try to wait patiently for our precious houseguest. 

Snapshot Snippets

Hi Friends, 

I know, I know... I haven't posted much lately. 

Why not? 

Just the normal family life stuff...busy holidays (Easter), busy kid stuff, I've been busy nesting and getting the nursery ready, and have been a very tired pregnant momma when things aren't busy (aka: a momma who reads for six minutes before falling asleep on the couch or watches mindless television-- I just finished Season 1 of Parenthood on Netflix!). 

There seem to be some super mom folk out there who manage to be super duper busy with their 14 children, making crafts, homeschooling, making do it yourself curtains and fabulous meals and STILL blogging...I'm sorry to say, I'm not one of them. When life gets busy over here, blogging gets the boot...

For a while anyways. I'll always come back to ya though...eventually. 

And since my brain doesn't seem to be processing deep thoughts about anything but nursery curtains and whether or not to buy new bottles and car seats, I decided to flip through my I-phone and give you a little "snapshot snippet" of what we've been up to! 

So here are some piece of our life from the last two weeks in photos! 

Ella and I visited our favorite little cafe/bakery for lunch. We were playing counting games with the creamers and then decided to build a tower!  She's been going through a little "I need mommy" stage, probably her 4-year old way of subconsciously saying "hey, spend some time with me before that baby is crying and nursing all the time!" So we went out to lunch the other day and I've been trying to read her a few more books and pay extra attention to her in the spaces that it seems feasible.

Ella's favorite thing to do in the car with her umbrellas...she builds a tent and hangs out inside! 

Me, earlier this week...37 weeks preggo!! Due date is swiftly approaching! 

Ella and I have been doing all sorts of counting activities lately...it's funny the things you end up teaching and working on with your second child that you never would have with your first...like who knew that 4 year olds could count by 10's to 100?! I know, it's the little things, but Ella is one smart little cookie in the number department...So I made these flashcards today.... mixed them up, put them on the floor and she whipped them in to order in a matter of seconds. Go Ella! 

My laptop decided to not function properly any longer and we had to get a new one...this is the new one! We were not thrilled to buy a new laptop when mine was only 2 1/2 years old, but apparently some coffee or water got into the keyboard and caused things to go bezeerk. For the record, I did NOT spill coffee on it...I swear (you know I would tell you if I did!)...apparently the smallest amount made it's way in there somewhere along the line and started to make the computer do wacky things...

For the record...how long do the rest of you seem to get out of your laptops?! I'd like to get 4-5 years...is that possible? 

Daddy volunteers ONE day in Ava's classroom and gets a thank you sign from the entire class!!! I've been in at least six times this year...no sign for momma! Want to know why? Scott wins everyone over with his best love language...donuts. That's right, he was the only parent all year to bring in Timbits (Tim Hortons munchkin donuts) on the day he was volunteering...the class LOVED it. Pretty cute, huh? 

I'm an avid label reader...problem is I often don't read them until I get home and am ready to make something for dinner. Imagine my surprise when I discovered PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED LARD listed on this can of refried beans. Ewww! They went right into the trash...Refried bean buyers- beware! 

Ella "hiding" from me behind all sorts of stuff this afternoon! 

Other things going on? 

Ava is getting SO big...it's crazy how much they grow up during kindergarten-- physically and emotionally. Oddly enough, I don't have any current pictures of her on my phone. I spend so much time with Ella during the day and by the time Ava gets home from school I get caught up in the evening dinner, bath, spend time with her, bedtime shuffle. 

She's got these crazy long legs and mature ways of saying things and doesn't look like a "little" kid anymore. I know she's going to be a big help when the baby comes-- she LOVES to kiss my belly and say hello to the baby. Besides meeting the baby myself I'm most looking forward to having the girls meet her to see their reactions. 

Other than that it feels a little like the calm before the storm in Littlewood Land. I told Scott yesterday that I actually felt a little "lost" and like I didn't know what to do with myself.  I've stopped going to the gym (about two weeks ago when I felt like lugging this belly around all day was exercise enough!), I'm wrapping up most of the small writing projects I've had, the nursery is just about ready and I've cleaned many of the nooks and crannies around the house (not all, but enough to make me happy!). 

Now we just wait...

Isn't waiting hard? I don't know how to function in "wait"...

So, I run a few more errands, and find another drawer to clean and give Scott crazy 'honey do' jobs...like cleaning garage (something my nesting instincts want done, but I can't do!). 

Waiting makes me antsy. And then there is the sometimes nighttime pregnancy insomnia which makes me even antsier (like when I was WIDE awake from 2-4 last night sipping chamomile tea, eating peanut butter toast and putting an Etsy order through for handmade curtain tie backs for the nursery at 3 a.m.). 

But we have no choice and so we wait...

I figured finding a good quote on patience might make me feel better...here's what Goodreads quote page gave me...

"Patience, he thought. So much of this was patience - waiting, and thinking and doing things right. So much of all this, so much of all living was patience and thinking.” ― Gary Paulsen, Hatchet