My mom had a day off last week and she spent it with us. I love spending my days with Isabella, but its also great to have another adult to share a day with, especially when its a good friend!

 Our science museum pass is about to expire so we headed there in the morning for some play time. Isabella always paints her face, but this time she really caked it on. :)

We went to lunch at a fun girly place and accomplished a few things on my "to-do before baby comes" list. 

 Reading "There was an old lady who swallowed a chick".
Isabella's page has a pocket to put in each item as the lady swallowed it.

 She thought that was pretty fun.

Coloring more eggs. 

The marble paint ones are my favorite.
It was a great day. Thanks for spending it with us Mom!

Easter party

We went to an Easter party this week. There were crafts, singing, a story time, the kids made resurrection rolls, and had an egg hunt. My favorite part was while looking at the resurrection rolls after they had been cooked, the kids were asked where Jesus was, one boy said, "He melted!!!" I don't think that was in the story, but I thought it was hilarious! :)

Trying to get a picture of all the kids before the egg hunt...

Pretty much impossible to get everyone to look.

Finding eggs

(Not pictured is me tripping on a kid's Easter basket and stepping on one of the eggs and smashing it to pieces. And although it wasn't her egg, Isabella got so upset about it started and crying 'fix it, mommy fix it, please!' And cried so hard she peed her pants without realizing it, then when she did realize it she was crying even more. Awesome. We haven't needed it yet, but luckily I had a back up outfit in her bag, so we headed off to the bathroom to change and calm down. When we came back the egg was gone, and all was well. We like to keep things exciting.)

*the difference a year makes:

Easter party 2012

Easter fun

 We have done something Easter related every day this week so far.  I am confident by the time Easter is over Isabella will be an egg hunting pro. Although so far there hasn't been much hunting involved, its more like egg gathering.

 Michael's parents did an egg hunt for her Monday night. She was excited.

Checking out her eggs. 

Probably her favorite thing from her Easter basket! Very fun!
 
Tuesday night, Michael's brother organized an egg dying night at our house.

 He brought everything we needed for dinner and the egg coloring, all we did was preheat our oven to cook pizza. It was great!

Isabella has blackish/green fingernails from putting her hands in the egg dyes. :) She didn't remember about dying eggs from last year but got the hang of it really fast.

 Checking out her eggs.

I love all of the colors! 

celebrating Benjamin Gray

My sweet friends hosted a shower for Benjamin this past weekend. Everything was so cute, and I felt so loved, especially as each host has something big going on in their life right now, for the time they spent on me. 

(She told a few people as they arrived "welcome to my birthday party!")

I was  distracted and didn't take a ton of pictures, but it was great time (despite me feeling awkward about opening gifts with everyone just watching). We were gifted with so many fun, special, and practical things. It is exciting to look at the tiny boy clothes and imagine the little boy who will wear them! I am thankful to all of the family and friends that came to celebrate with us. 

35 weeks 3 days

Hi Benjamin.
We are awake at 4AM, as I'm sure we will be in the many times in the weeks/months to come. You are rolling around and I have burning acid in my throat from food I ate 8 hours ago. For a brief time I will miss not feeling you move from the inside anymore, but I'm more looking forward to holding you in my arms, (and I will not miss the burning acid). :) I'm praying for you as you grow and develop these last few weeks and for our labor. I love you sweet boy,
Mama.

Lately

This time last year I was training for a half marathon...quite the contrast to what I'm doing this year.

34 weeks today...
This time has been different in many ways. I've taken less pictures and documented the journey less, I've done much less "preparing" nursery and delivery-wise, and as I'm closing in on the last 6 weeks I've got a mix of thoughts and feelings. My baby boy is most active at night, or maybe that's just when I'm the most still so feel him more. Over the last week I have started feeling him have hiccups too...which is the strangest/sweet sensation. At my midwife appointment this week she said she could feel he had grown quite a bit since my last appointment (yes, I could tell you that, also). While it is an amazing miracle that a tiny person is growing within my body, I'm ready to not be carrying a basketball in my belly and be miserable in pain while I'm sleeping at night. But I also know that the newborn days will have other responsibilities and my life will revolve around a feeding schedule. So I'm trying to be at peace with what is now, knowing what's to come will be here before I know it. I've had to start taking naps again most days to combat my sleepless nights, which means I'm not getting as many things done as I would like, but that's OK. I wonder about what Benjamin's personality will be like, what he will look like, and it what ways he will complete our family that we won't be able to imagine our family without him. And I think about that moment when I will see my son for the very first time and hold his tiny body to my heart.

Until then...attempting to soak up these last "only child" days...

We went to the zoo last Thursday to get some sunshine and play outside.

She asked to ride the carousel, which we've never done there. Prior to this time she has been really scared of riding on anything except the bench on a carousel. But she told me she wanted to ride an animal and picked an ostrich. She did not like it when I stepped away to take the second picture, "hold me mama", but was very brave otherwise. I might have cried just a little bit. :) Luckily I had on sunglasses to hide my hormonal/pregnancy/mama tears...she's growing up.

Some of this week:

The evenings have been nice and she has been playing on the patio while I get dinner ready.

Serious painting.

Cinnamon banana wake up bread for breakfast.

She spotted Ronald walking into wal-mart yesterday. She asked if she could take a picture with him, and I said if she stayed sitting in the cart for the whole trip she could on the way out. So on our way out she says "I sit in his lap? You take my picture?!" She has no idea who the slightly creepy clown is, but I love her cheese/crinkle nose face!

 Everyone mows in the pool right?

The last couple of weeks have been hard for a few reasons. But there has been plenty good too, as there always is. I'm grateful for good test results, warmer weather, longer hours of sunshine, our parents' that help us with Isabella and in so many other ways, a healthy baby growing in me, and good friends.