This Week

Highlights/Lowlights from This Week:

Charlie-isms

• Charlie is our pickiest eater by far and dislikes most meat, but will eat steak on occasion. His main meat of choice would be hot dogs. (Gross!!) Anyway, I grilled hamburgers for dinner two nights ago, which isn't my normal kind of dinner, but it was easy and didn't take long to prepare. It was a nice night, so we sat outside at our patio table. Charlie took one look at his hamburger and said, "I don't like chicken." Yes Charlie, we know you don't like chicken. Ben told him it was steak, and Charlie's response was, "I DO NOT like. CIRCLE. steak." He really likes to use the phrase, "I DO NOT like..." with lots of emphasis on the DO NOT. :) Ben and I could not stop laughing - Charlie just had to have a reason for why he wasn't going to like the dinner I had prepared. He is a funny, funny little 3 1/2-year-old with a lot of confidence who IS NOT afraid to share his very strong opinions. He can be a total pill one minute, and the sweetest, snuggliest little boy the next. I'm looking forward to not having such a huge belly so I can hold him better in my lap when we read books together. :)

Eli-isms

• Eli continues to insist this baby's name is Trio. I wish I was that certain of what his name should be. Sorry Eli, we're not really naming him Trio.  
• I asked him how he was feeling about starting kindergarten next week, and Eli's response was, "I'm a little anxious because I won't be with you and Charlie all day!" I had to fight the tears. Ben said Eli just knows what to say to me to pull at my heart :)
• I've noticed Eli has been a lot more aggressive/naughty/sassy this week, I think exhibiting his stress of the upcoming changes with starting school soon. But yesterday we were out running errands and on the way home, I was having a lot of back pain and Braxton Hicks contractions that were really strong. Eli piped up from his seat, "Mom, why do you have that look on your face??" He could see me cringing in the rearview mirror. :) Especially when we went over the speed bumps in our alley. Ouch. The upside to when I don't feel well is Eli is totally sensitive to it and turns on the charm. "I'll clean everything up, Mommy!" He is a sweet, thoughtful little guy.

The Great Bathroom Remodel

• We're ending Day 11 of not having access to a shower/bath in our house. The bathroom remodel is taking a looooong time. Demo took four days. Plumbing had issues that set things back by a few more days and caused a leak to the foyer ceiling. Awesome. The tile just started going up today and we've been promised that we can bathe in our house again by Saturday. For the first week, we were feeding our neighbor's hedgehog and fish while they were out of town, so we could use their bathroom whenever. But this week has been a little more complicated/awkward/total pain. It's not our neighbors that are awkward, it's us!! It's just not the easiest thing to go to someone else's house to take a shower. Are you with me on this? The whole project probably won't be completely done until the end of next week. That will be three weeks of workers in my house every day. They are wonderful, but I'm ready to have my house back to myself!

Baby Prep

• The baby's room will be painted tomorrow. I'm going with Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray, which I'm excited about. I'm hoping we can put his crib together and start getting things more organized this weekend. I was crazy and started sanding/painting the dresser that is going in his room late one night this week out in our dimly lit yard. The dresser needs one more coat and then I am calling it done. I finally went through the newborn/0-3 baby clothes and am relieved to at least know where they are. But they still need to be washed and placed into the dresser that is in DIY mode, hanging out in my back yard until I'm all done. The upside to the drought of 2012 - it's been hot and sunny all week, so no chance of it getting rained on. :)
• I realized today that I've been going to the same OB/GYN for the last 10 years. I am very attached to him - he's delivered both of my babies and was all set to deliver this third baby, but he recently was diagnosed with cancer. A very treatable cancer, but he had to have surgery on Tuesday, and now the best case scenario is he'll be back to work by September 13th. My due date is the 16th. I now have a backup OB in case things happen sooner. I saw her today and she was terrific, I have full confidence in her and think whatever happens will be fine if she has to be the doctor who is there this time around. 
• If only I felt that calm about the actual delivery being smooth and easy. Nope. Don't feel calm. :) More like dread about the delivery, but happiness that we get to hold this little guy soon! Third time has to be easier. I keep repeating this over and over. 
• Speaking of going to the OB, I was checked at my appointment - 1cm dilated, 50% effaced, and baby is low. The doc didn't think he was coming in the next few days at least. Which is a good thing because there is still lots to do :) 

Kindergarten Tears

• I took Eli to see his kindergarten classroom this week, and then I went to a parent meeting for kindergarteners. I was sitting on the front row and had to work really hard at holding it together while the principal and teachers talked about various logistics and explained how the school day will go. I totally lost it afterward when I was talking to a few of the other moms and had to bolt out of the room and escape out the back so I could avoid the majority of parents seeing me fall apart. ugh.

Dry Nights

• Eli is on a new medicine that helps his bladder not produce as much at night, and it has made all the difference! We still have him wearing the underwear alarm, but he's stayed dry more nights in the last two weeks than had accidents. I am amazed and so happy we've finally reached this point. He now gets time to play an iPhone game when he's dry all night and a little more time when he's dry all day. Current faves include the free Lego game and Where's My Water? 
• The best part of night training Eli during the bathroom remodel is that our only working toilet has been the downstairs toilet. So we've had to traipse down the stairs (that are currently covered in plastic to protect the carpet during construction) anytime he's had an accident or gotten up in the night to go to the bathroom. I will be very glad when we have a toilet upstairs again!! And it's horrible to be 9-months pregnant and have to go down stairs in the night when you have to pee. But this was my choice to do the bathroom now, so I can't complain too much.

Work Craziness

• I've been finishing up editing the photography sessions that I squeezed in at the end and just have two more left to work on. My usual routine is to do the client ordering session in person - two nights ago I had two ordering sessions back to back and went grocery shopping afterward since we were totally out of food in our fridge. I got home at 11:30 p.m. and couldn't decide if I totally lost my mind or I just felt happy for getting all of that done in one night. Maybe both.

I need to go to bed earlier. :) Next post will actually have pictures again! And next week should be less hectic. Crossing my fingers.