The Home Stretch

Happy to be 34 weeks along today! Can't wait for little Jack to get here and to start soaking up the baby snuggles. I know Bea will be such a sweet and caring big sister and I'm so looking forward to watching their relationship develop. Bea is a bit of a mini-me in her looks, so we're curious to see if Jack will have more of his daddy's features.

This pregnancy seems a lot different than my first. Despite being sick in the beginning, I've enjoyed it more overall. There has been a lot less anxiety and it's nice to already have a little one running around to grab when you get those emotional "I sure wish I could love on my baby now!" moments. In some ways I feel a little more connected to in-utero Jack, already knowing the kind of love I will have for him and a clear understanding of the happiness this new life will bring to our family. I love knowing that he can hear me as I read Bea bedtime stories and sing her lullabies.

It's been strange being out of school and having so much more time. In the beginning of the summer, I sort of created a little mini pre-school for Bea trying to keep up what she had been working on in school. I was so used to the often chaotic days of both of us being at school and Mark working all day. To go from that to having such a huge mental weight lifted required some time to reset and relearn how to just relax and live quietly for a minute or two. Mark would always tell me "you don't have to just do stuff all the time." Well, I think I've pretty well mastered that now. With the weight of school and other school related commitments lifted before baby Jack gets here, it's been a really nice break to just enjoy time with my family. We know it's temporary and the chaos will return in a year, but it makes the time we have now that much more special. I think about how much I will miss them when I go back to school, but then I know how lucky I am, as a "working mama", to have been able to spend the first 9-11 months at home with each of my babies. So thankful.

In the midst of me taking it down a busy-scale notch, I get these crazy nesting/"I have time to do this so I better do it now" moments where I get this giant burst of energy and go crazy DIYing and starting new projects around the house. When I get a new idea I can't even sleep because I can't stop mulling over the details. What can I say, there have been a lot of late nights spent on Pinterest - such an enabler! I've been obsessing over transitioning Bea's girly room into a more gender neutral space for the kids to share. Then Mark came home Saturday night to find that I had somewhat randomly painted the living room and started the peg board project. It's been one project after the other, so he's pretty used to it now (and sweetly understanding). It's been a fun ride, I like having these moments of inspiration that I am able to act on. Helps the baby waiting game go by a little faster and I am happy that I'll be able to sit back and admire the handy work while I'm soaking up the time with my two(!) little ones.

Six more weeks! It seems so close yet so far away. Just have to keep on enjoying this one on one time with Bea and getting the house all set and it will fly by. And I'm pretty sure Fall weather will help, too. : )