When you have 3 brothers...

... reading can be a full-contact sport.

In addition to his long-time love of books, Davy has become even more talkative lately (even rivaling our chatty Thomas) and it is hilarious to listen to his word combinations. This week's new combination was"NO LIKE!!" to his brothers when they were bothering him. He says it with quite a bit of authority, too! He also has said "This is BIG truck!" and "It is FUN!" and it's neat to hear him using more and more words in their correct context. He does appreciate a quick response, though, and tends to repeat himself louder and louder until he gets the response he's looking for. So my daily conversations with him often sound like "Mama? FUN!!" (... wait a few seconds) "Mama?!? FUN! LIKE!!" (....wait a few more seconds) "Mama?!? LIKE! TEE-TEEN!" then I'll ask "Oh, are you having fun on the trampoline?" and he replies "YEAH!!". He likes to use top volume for emphasis whenever possible. :)

Anyway, he is a riot to have around! He loves to tackle his brothers whenever he gets the opportunity; he just plows right into them, sits on them, and pretty much acts like he's on par with their strength and ability. Jack, Peter, and Thomas adore him, even if he sometimes messes up a carefully built Lego creation. They are teaching him to say "May I please be excused" when he is done eating, instead of "AlldoneAlldoneAlldone!!!" ... and Jack is carefully instructing him in the art of belching, which Davy finds hilarious.

I knew that we would of course celebrate each kid's milestones and developments equally, because even though we have been through 4 kids learning to walk, talk, etc., it is always new for each child, but I don't think I have fully appreciated, until now, how great it is to celebrate the growth of a little person with a gaggle of his older siblings. They cheer him along with even more gusto than David and I sometimes, and I am really grateful for this aspect of larger family dynamics. I look forward to starting over again with The Girl's milestones and her 4 big brothers cheering her on!

35+4 weeks

I'm usually the one behind the camera, but I asked Jack to take a picture of me today so that you all can see how big the baby girl is getting :).  I had my last OB appointment today with all 4 boys in tow, and it was also my last appointment before I start going weekly until the end.  I definitely feel like some sort of exotic zoo animal when I bring all 4 boys to my appointments.  I did manage to get a sitter for my last appointment, and that was lovely to be able to sit and read a magazine while I waited, but today the sitter wasn't available and honestly I didn't really feel like going to the trouble of arranging another one.  I sort of found the secret to getting through an appointment with the boys, so it's really not all that bad except for feeling like we are such a huge crowd in a tiny waiting area.  I let the boys take 15-minute turns on the iPad while we wait, and then when I actually go back in to the little exam room, I bring Davy and Peter with me and let Jack and Thomas sit out in the waiting room.  It wasn't that long ago that I would have felt they were too little or unreliable to do that, but at 9 and 7 years old they behave very well and it seems to work just fine.  Peter is a little indignant that he isn't allowed to stay out there with the big boys, but honestly he and Jack have had such an explosive relationship lately that I can't trust them to sit nicely next to each other for the little while that I'm back in the exam room.  So, he gets to come with me and listen to the baby's heartbeat, which I think is kind of neat anyway.

Today's appointment went great; no worries for me or the baby.  She is head down, which is great, and is active and everything seems to be going well so far! 

Misty Meadow Farm Creamery

We took a trip to a dairy and creamery today and had a great time. They had fresh ice cream made from their dairy and it was delicious! Peter had bubble gum ice cream, Jack had banana peach, Thomas had almond coconut chocolate chip, Davy had chocolate, David had almond coconut chocolate chip and chocolate, and I had coffee crunch and some of Davy's chocolate :). On the way home we picked up a bag of fresh peaches from an orchard and they smell delicious! The creamery was about 1 hour 15 minutes away, and it will likely be one of the last, if not the very last, family adventure days we have before the baby is born.

Six weeks left

Six weeks from today is my scheduled c-section, in case I don't go into labor on my own. I'll be 1 week overdue at that point, so I really hope the baby has made her appearance by then, but I think it will likely be sometime during the week of Sept. 19th-26th, if past experience holds true.

In a way, 6 weeks seems like so long from now, but I know it will pass quickly. I think we are all set for most of the baby basics -- car seat, baby blankets, diapers, etc. We're getting closer to a name, but I don't think we're ready to announce it quite yet.

I'm feeling OK, and grateful that this pregnancy seems to be going pretty smoothly (no health problems for me or the baby), but I am starting to slow down quite a bit and just feel ... tired and introspective. Baby girl likes to kick and squirm a lot at night when I'm trying to sleep, and let me tell you that she is big enough and active enough that it really does not feel good! My sister Kim compared the feeling of the baby moving to a wriggly fish trapped inside a plasitc, water-filled bag. And she hit it spot on! At this point, though, the fish feels more like a fat, grouchy carp rather than a cute little carnival goldfish :). So I kind of avoid going to bed at night, which doesn't make me feel all that rested or cheerful the next day, but I am trying hard to be patient and pleasant with the boys. My mental and physical energy is largely taken up with being the life support system for this nearly full term baby and I find that it takes a lot more effort to feel like doing even basic stuff, let alone anything adventurous. But I know that's all normal at this point ... frustrating but normal.

The boys are all doing well. They are both looking forward to school starting in 1.5 weeks and dreading the end of summer. I'm not sure where I stand. I love having them home, and I like the more relaxed pace and schedule of summer, but I am excited about their new school, teachers, and classmates. Anyway, I will try to post updates in the coming weeks, and certainly photos of the new baby here, so stay tuned!

Tie-dye

Summer days flying by

The boys have about 1 more month of summer vacation left (they start back to school on August 26th -- it seems so early!) and we are making the most out of our time together.  Our summer kicked off with a great vacation in CA, and since then we've been keeping busy with activities and errands and still unpacking the house :).  The unpacking is about 90% done, but we still have some pictures to hang and some furniture to rearrange a little.  I found some fun activity ideas on the internet, and the boys and I have done a handful of those so far: tie-dyeing shirts (I need to get a picture!), making "dinosaur eggs", making rock candy, and we have a few more to try out -- marshmallow catapults, painting projects, mini bows and arrows, etc.  We've also been to the pool and library a lot, both of which they love.

I've been trying to accomplish a bunch of other tasks this summer (like making dental appointments for everyone, well checks for the boys, an updated round of allergy testing for Jack, a hematology followup for Peter) but it turns out that I was a little late in making these appointments.  I should have been calling the offices and making summer appointments back in May because by now all the summer appointments are booked and the next available week is .... you guessed it, the week of mid-September, my due date.  :).

Well, we were more than a little busy with crazy life events, so making routine appointments definitely wasn't on my radar.  So, I predict one of two things is going to happen, and neither one is terrible, but it will be interesting to see how things play out.  One, Murphy's law will dictate that because I made several important appointments right around my due date, I will actually go into labor early for the first time ever and will have to miss these appointments because I'll be in the hospital.  :).  Not a bad thing at all, if I can remember to cancel the appointments with enough notice so I don't rack up a bunch of $25 no-show fees.  And if I do go overdue, then I'll be able to go to all these appointments while hugely pregnant, but at least Mom will arrive that week so we can tag-team the kids if necessary.  It's going to be a busy time no matter how it works out!

Brothers

Life is pretty good when you can get one of your brothers to read to you.