A long time coming...

Ok, here I go again!
I have "meant" to come on here and update so many times since the end of January, but something has always gotten in the way.

The day after my last post I wanted to come on and talk about how much difference a day makes... I was feeling so much more positive and hopeful... but then I ran out of time in the day and the next time I had time, things had changed once again. The truth is that every day is a new day around here. We are in a constant state of flux because of the impending birth of our newest little family member. I can't pretend that my hormonal imbalances have nothing to do with this flux... because they do. They are not the only factor, but they certainly contribute. I CAN say that as of late (and I'm talking the last week or more now) things have been MUCH calmer around here. We (the hubby and I) have been doing our very best to stop making assumptions about how/what the other is thinking/feeling, and actually stopping and (gasp!!) checking in with each other. It sounds so simple, but communication is our most difficult hurdle. We are both making a concerted effort on a daily basis to check in with each other, and it seems to be helping a lot. It is funny how easily we fall into these patterns of living when more often than not they don't work for us... but they are familiar... so we have been trying to change those patterns and some really beautiful moments have come out of it. I think that as long as we are committed to checking in with each other we will get better and better at it.... and in my most optimistic moments, I can envision it not taking quite as much effort and positive communication becoming our "standard". I look forward to that day, but until then I will keep plugging away, because for now that is the best I can do.

I will be in my 34th week of pregnancy tomorrow. WOW!! It is amazing how fast this time has gone! The baby seems to be doing well. I am certainly getting BIGGER. I missed my last midwife appointment because of the weather, but this little one is so very strong now, that I know that the baby is growing and thriving. I have been feeling pretty well physically throughout this pregnancy. After the morning sickness wore off I had some emotional/worry issues with the placental attachment and everything, but as far as how I personally have felt... it's been pretty nice! My last pregnancy, I was so large and uncomfortable for over half of it, that having a "normal" size baby has felt easy in comparison! : ) While I was pregnant with Roscoe I was measuring 4-6 weeks bigger than I was, from 24 weeks on, so that by now I was measuring over 40 weeks! This time around I have been right on target and let me tell you... I have been grateful for it! I look forward to seeing the midwife next week to check in with everything and see where we stand now... but as far as I can tell things are going great!

The hubby and I have gotten through most of our baby to do list now. I have washed, folded, and organized all the clothes, and put them in the dresser. They are ready and waiting to be worn by our newest little one. We bought a new crib... the old one had me worried about safety, so it had to go... a rambunctious toddler (the second one to use it) had gotten into a bad habit of opening the drop side the wrong way and it was pretty wobbly. I had visions of badness, so we got a new one. We don't know if this will be a boy or a girl, and the portable crib with all the features that we liked (and the right price) is so NOT gender neutral.... but I convinced my husband that a boy can happily sleep amongst flowers too.... so here's hoping that he still believes that even if our baby ends up with penis! The truth is that we both think it is probably a girl, but I am almost always wrong (the last one was the only I've had right... not great odds in my favor!), but I honestly don't care if a boy child of mine sleeps in a brown and pink crib. It does add a little more intrigue to the gender outcome now though! : ) We also got a few other things we needed, like a new boppy(the one I used for the last two has become pretty important to Roscoe, he still sleeps with it as his pillow, so we needed a new one.) They are stupid expensive new, the old one we found used, BUT since we hadn't been able to find a used one this time, I splurged and got a new one with a super soft removable sleeve that can be easily washed... it is so soft and comfy. I LOVE IT!! (it's the little things, right?) We also got the baby's going home outfit. We don't buy new baby clothes, they are just too expensive, for what they end up being... receptacles for poop and puke... in fact most of the things we have from the previous two babies were used from the get go... but we have always bought that first one new outfit to come home in... and then I keep it in a box, because I am a sentimental dork. This one is super cute, matches the hat my sister knit for the baby, and involves an adorable monkey butt... enough said right?! : )

Yet another thing we've had going on here is the CRAZY weather!! We have had an INCREDIBLE amount of snow here this month. I think that at last count we had over 70 inches this month. The usual snowfall for February is in the mid 30's. We had a record breaking snowstorm that left behind 22 inches of snow in a 12 hour period. The city was SHUT DOWN for days. The kids and I have been pretty housebound for over two weeks now... and we are all getting just a little twitchy because of it! I don't know how people who live where it does this every winter make it through.... but I imagine that there, the kids don't have 8 snow days in two weeks... or that the streets remain impassable for days (or even weeks, the smaller street across the way has STILL not seen a plow yet!) because they are used to it and prepared for it. People around here have been calling it snowpocalypse... because seriously it has made things around here pretty darn difficult!

All in all I am feeling good right now... I could use a little sunlight and WAY LESS SNOW!!! But on a day to day we are doing pretty well around here! I hope that all my bloggy buddies are doing well with the winter weather, I know that a lot of places have been getting hit hard!

Today I am thankful that things have begun to settle down a little and feel less chaotic.
I am grateful that, although I am not enjoying the copious amounts of snow, we never lost power like a lot of people in our area.
I am grateful to have my hubby around to do things like shovel our sidewalk and spend over FIVE hours digging out our cars(not to mention the daily maintenance since)... if it had been left to me I may have been stuck until Spring!! : )