Advent Ideas

Believe it or not, I did actually get some good responses and ideas after my last post...it's just that most of them came in the form of emails and conversations (not in the comments section of the blog).

I love what one of my friends does: Starting on Boxing Day her son is given a clue at breakfast each morning to find the wise men as they make their way to the nativity scene.  They are hiding somewhere in the house, and often happen to have a gold (chocolate) coin with them.  On Epiphany they arrive at the nativity scene and the family celebrates by giving their Christmas gifts to each other.

As Jon and I have discussed our ideas, here is what we've come up with so far...
I think we're going to do our stockings on St. Nicholas' Day.  Because we will often be traveling and in someone else's home for Christmas, this is one thing that we can do in our own space, with just our own little family.

I also came across the idea of giving three gifts, like the Magi did.  This year we'll do something to wear (p.j.s on Christmas Eve), something to read, and something to play with.  I think this will help us keep the gift buying/giving under control and allow us to be reminded that Christmas isn't about the material stuff we get.

We talked about also trying to give something that we've created that expresses our love for the other person...perhaps a poem or a song or a piece of art.  We haven't given this the complete thumbs up yet, but I think it would be neat for our girls over the years to experience something like this.

I made an Advent calendar (pictures below).  Clipped to each clothes pin is an activity for us to do that day.  Some are simple crafts (make a paper snowflake), some are experiences (go to Candy Cane Lane to look at the Christmas lights), some are opportunities for us to love our neighbors (pick out a gift from the World Vision Catalogue, take cookies to someone in the neighborhood), and some help us tell the Story of Christmas to the girls (set up the Nativity Scene, go outside and look at the stars and talk about the Wise Men).  I expect the activities will change as the girls get older.

We're also doing devotions together each night.  We're using the Regent College Advent Reader.  Laurel isn't quite ready to sit through a reading like that yet, so I think we might do it after the girls are in bed.  But we'll hopefully find other ways to tell the Story to her in the coming weeks.

To be honest, the real reason I wanted to write this post was to show you this:

Christmas Traditions

I love the season of Advent. I love that we have space to prepare to celebrate Jesus' birth.  I love the quiet space in worship, the candles, the familiar scripture passages that proclaim that in the darkness a light will shine, out of a stump, a shoot will grow.  And I love the cookies and the music and the decorations.

But somehow, Advent seems to get away from me every year.  One minute I'm handing out Halloween candy and the next I'm realizing that it's too late to decorate for Christmas because Christmas is only two days away.  What is meant to be a season of waiting quickly becomes a season of rushing.

I want my girls to grow up with a sense of the rhythm that Advent offers, a sense of waiting, hoping, anticipating.  A sense of light glowing brighter, even as our days grow darker.  A sense of turning our attention away from ourselves and towards God and others.

I've been trying to figure out how to cultivate those things in our family; how to create some family Advent traditions that will slow us down and shift our focus.

I've seen some great Advent calendars to make where each day the kids pull out a card that has an activity for that day written on it.  Most of the activity ideas I've seen are the opposite of where I'd like to go, though.  I am on a mission in the next few weeks to try to come up with a list of activities that will be both fun and meaningful, outward focused and age appropriate.  If you have ideas, please send them my way.

I'd also love to hear your ideas for other family traditions during Advent.  Do you have an Advent wreath and light candles? Do you drive around and look at Christmas lights?   Do you have ways of teaching your kids about generosity rather than consumerism?

The other conundrum I'm facing is the whole Santa/St. Nick thing.  Jon grew up in a family that didn't really do Santa Claus.  I grew up in one that did.  We've talked about the values and drawbacks of both approaches.  Some of you are probably thinking, "How could you ever be so cruel as to consider NOT doing Santa?"  And others might be thinking, "Of course you shouldn't do Santa--it misses the whole point of Christmas."  To both of those responses, I would say: "Yes.  I know."  I don't want to go into all of the reasons on either side of the issue--they all have validity.  (Perhaps one of the biggest for us is wondering if we're comfortable creating a false reality for our kids.)  The real question I have is: how do we create meaningful and fun Christmas traditions for our family that keep our focus on the true meaning of Christmas?  What have you done in your family that you have loved?

And if we don't do Santa, how do we help our kids not ruin it for others (like their classmates or their cousins)?

I welcome your ideas (but not your judgments on whether or not Santa is good or bad).

Halloween Hooplas

This year was Laurel’s first real experience of Halloween, complete with costume, a glow in the dark jack-o-lantern bucket, pumpkin carving, and trick-or-treating.  Her adventure began on Saturday when our neighborhood hosted a tots Halloween party.  I had finally borrowed a costume for her two days earlier, so we were ready.  She made a very cute little bumblebee.  As often happens in our lives these days, though, we showed up for the party about 30 minutes before it ended.  Most everything was winding down and being cleaned up.  I don’t think Laurel noticed.  She didn’t really want to go inside to begin with.  I convinced her to go in, but she didn’t want to make any crafts or stick her hand into any gooey bowls.  She was content to eat a cracker, drink her juice, and watch the little dancing Frankenstein. 

We explained trick-or-treating to her, and her eyes grew wide when we told her that people would give her candy.  You must understand the context.  We don’t give Laurel juice except on special occasions, much less candy.  On the morning of Halloween, I said, “Today is Halloween!  Tonight you get to wear your bumblebee costume again and go knock on people’s doors.  And do you remember what they are going to give you?”

Her eyes again grew wide, and a huge smile of anticipation spread across her face as she exclaimed, “JUICE!” 

I laughed and said, “Well, you might not get juice, but you will get candy!”

“And juice?”

Our household had been busy in the days leading up to Halloween, so it turned out that at 4:00 on Monday afternoon, we still hadn’t carved our pumpkins.  Of course the thought occurred to me that Laurel is two and probably won’t remember if we skipped the whole thing.  But I felt like it was one of those things we should do.  So, we started into the project.  Jon and I quickly realized that this was one of those things we were doing more for us than for her when we kept asking her to stand back so she wouldn’t get hurt and then she eventually wandered off to play, while we tried to finish our carving in time to get supper on the table.  Eventually I called things to a halt so that I could feed Brynna and make supper.

By the time we left for trick-or-treating, we had a pumpkin mess on the kitchen floor, but no jack-o-lanterns on the porch.

(are you still reading this story?)

So…off we go to trick-or-treat.  Here are our two favorite moments from the night:

At one house the woman put a little bag of M&Ms in Laurel’s bucket.  As we were walking away, Laurel stared at those M&Ms and proclaimed (in a very loud voice), “M&Ms…POOP IN THE POTTY!”

A little while later she said she wanted to eat her candy.  We explained that we would wait until we got home.  She then exclaimed that when we got home, she wanted “Two M&Ms.  NO, 5 M&Ms!”  It will probably be the only time in her life that she will think we’re giving her a big treat by letting her eat 5 M&Ms from her Halloween candy stash.

Moments of Grace

Last week was overwhelming. Between lots of things on the calendar, shuffling childcare plans, Brynna's 4 month shots, and getting some hard news, I found myself exhausted. It didn't help that Brynna was opting for the "every two hours feeding plan" some nights. I'd tuck Laurel into bed, snuggle up next to her to read her a story, and find that I had to motivate myself to get up afterwards and not just drift off to sleep.

It's in those moments of being tired and overwhelmed that I am most likely to snap at the girls. I find that packing them up and heading outside is exactly what we all need to keep from going a wee bit crazy.

And so on Friday, that's just what we did. We went for a walk and ended up at our local coffee shop. Laurel and I sat on a bench out front, sharing a gingersnap, sipping our drinks, and watching the cars go by. It was a lovely, damp, overcast day. The fall colors were muted, but beautiful. And I felt my soul fill back up with life. When we made our way to the park, Laurel and I climbed and laughed together, while Brynna slept peacefully in the stroller. It was a moment of grace for me.

This morning was another morning of exploring for us. We headed inside this time, to the Muttart Conservatory. As we were leaving, Laurel said, "Thank you, Mommy." I replied, "Thanks for what?" "Thanks for taking me there." Yep, that's enough to melt my heart.

Other things that are making me smile these days...

We have a tiny (invisible) elephant living with us. I'm always excited to hear what the elephant is doing, because you never know when the elephant (whose name, apparently, is Elephant) will show up next.

At night we've been telling Laurel stories about "Laurel Bear." She's now started calling Jon and me "Daddy Bear" and "Mommy Bear."

And, I have to be honest, one thing that is really making me happy right now is that Laurel seems to be having a breakthrough in potty training. I never knew I would get so excited about one person's ability to poop in the potty.

Oh, and Brynna slept through the night last night. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Brynna!

Projects

Our office/toy room/dumping ground was getting way too unorganized for my liking. We needed a desk, but only had a table. What was I to do with pens and post-it notes and random scraps of paper, not to mention paper clips and stationary and envelopes? A big craft desk with abundant cubbies and drawers would be perfect. But. Not quite in the budget. So, I found a used desk on kijiji and bought it for a whopping $20. An afternoon spent sanding, and two mornings with a paint brush gave me a nice little desk with ample space for my doodads. (Did you know that "doodads" is an actual word?)

Here is a before picture...

And an after picture...

I've also been wanting to make a little sundress for Laurel. Much like the beloved bunny, I was hoping to do this sans pattern. I think it turned out okay...it might be more of a shirt than a dress, though--I'm not sure if it's going to be long enough for her. I am definitely learning as I go.

And speaking of sewing...here is a little apron I made for Laurel for Christmas this past year.

Four Mini-Posts

I've had various blog entries rolling around in my head for the past month, but haven't had space to put words to my thoughts. And now that I have space, I don't seem to have any thoughts! So, here is a series of mini-posts.

1. Of Reconnecting with Good Friends

We spent some time in a cabin in Glacier with our dear friends from Regent for our second annual covenant group gathering. Three of us are women in ministry in the Presbyterian Church. In the mornings, the women would gather on the porch for opening prayer (guided by the Book of Common Prayer), sharing stories from the past year, and praying for each other. The afternoons would find us on adventures with the husbands and kids. In the evenings we would gather around the table for good food and lots of laughter. And then, with the kids in bed, we'd move to the porch for ice cream and banter. It's good to be with people who understand your story, who have been shaped by many of the same ideas and experiences. We arrived before our friends and left after they did. I realized that an empty house filled with expectation feels very different from an empty house filled with goodbyes. It was sad to say goodbye to our friends, knowing it will likely be another year before we see them again. But we are glad for the tradition that will keep us returning to the little cabin in the mountains each summer.

2. Of Camping

We spent three nights camping in Banff with Jon's sister Pam and her family. Many of you think we're crazy for camping with a two year old and a two month old. Maybe we were, but we had a great time. We had lots of help with the wee ones, and I think they slept better in the tent than they do at home! A highlight for Jon was an afternoon spent mountain biking with Pam and Owen. A highlight for me was the opportunity to kayak on Two Jack Lake. A highlight for Laurel was probably when she swallowed a quarter.

3. Of Laurel's Crazy Antics

We are in the midst of potty training Laurel. Just when I think she's starting to get it, the next day will be filled with accidents. (I know, I can hear your advice, "Wait until she's ready.") We've been putting her in pull-ups at night. Last night, we had one pull-up left, so we put her to bed in said pull-up. Jon went out to go swimming and was going to pick some up when he got home. Well, Laurel wasn't too keen on falling asleep, so she was trying all of the usual stall tactics. She had been quiet for a while and then I heard, "Mommy, POOP!" As I was climbing the stairs, I asked her if she needed to go or if she had already gone. She answered that she had already gone. Sure enough. I look in her room to see her holding her pull-up in her hands, and yes, it had the poop in it. I'm still not sure how she managed to get it off without making a mess, but that's neither here nor there. I was then in a bit of a conundrum as to what to do next, since that was, as you'll remember, our last pull-up. I then remembered that we had one diaper left in the diaper bag. I got the diaper on Laurel and she refused to have pajamas on, so I tucked her into bed in just a diaper. When Jon got home, he went upstairs to check on her and came back laughing and shaking his head. "You should go look at your daughter." I peek in her room to find her in bed with pajama bottoms on, and her diaper lying right next to her.

4. Of The Dark Haired Child

Brynna is loud. I think she might end up being our outgoing child. She squawks and squeaks and likes to be where the action is. It doesn't take much to make this little one smile. And, for better or worse, has recently decided that she'd like to suck on that soother after all.

A Smattering

Theology with Laurel

During our vacation, Laurel and I had some good conversations. Here is a snippet.

Laurel: Mommy poop?

Me: Yes, mommy poops.

Laurel: Daddy poop?

Me: Yes, daddy poops.

Laurel: Jesus poop?

Me: Yes, Jesus pooped.*

Laurel: The Bible poop?

Me: No, the Bible doesn't poop.

Laurel: Why?

*I think Laurel was really starting to understand the full humanity of Jesus (fully human, fully God). Notice that I answered in the past tense. I didn't think she was quite ready to grapple with the questions of a resurrected body (questions like: Does Jesus still poop? When we experience the new heaven and the new earth, will we poop? Is poop a result of the fall or part of creation before the fall?). We'll save those conversations until she's at least three.

Everybody Needs a Sam

Six years ago when we lived at King's, we started a small group Bible study for students in Rez. In our group was a first year student named Samantha. The next year she became one of our student leaders. And in the years that followed, Sam and I worked together on programs for Rez, planned worship together, and practiced our mad conversational Spanish skills together. When I was overdue with Laurel, Sam showed up at my house with the game Boggle and kept me occupied for an afternoon. I had the privilege of performing her wedding a year ago. And last fall, she started babysitting Laurel every week and quickly became one of Laurel's favorite people. When we moved Laurel into her big girl bed, and Laurel was struggling to adjust, Sam gave her a big girl pep talk and from that night on, Laurel went to sleep without issue in her new bed!

On Saturday, Sam's husband, Josh, left for a tour of duty in Afghanistan, and while he's away, we get to have Sam live with us. Josh tells us that he feels so much better being away knowing that Sam is staying with us. But, really, I think we are the ones who are benefiting the most from this situation. Sam volunteers to take Laurel to the park when she sees that I am needing to get something done (or even just needing some rest). She has already made us dinner twice (and she happens to be a really good cook). She told us to go out on a date night last night while she stayed with Laurel. And yesterday. Yesterday when I said I needed to get some cleaning done while Laurel napped, she cleaned with me! Not only did she clean with me, but she cleaned our bathroom and washed our windows. Seriously. Do you have a Sam? Because everyone needs a Sam. And the best part? The best part is that she is so easy to live with and fun to be around. So, welcome to our family, Sam!

And, on another note...these two girls are making me ridiculously happy these days...

Notice the pigtails? All of the sudden Laurel is asking for them AND sitting still while I put them in. A few months ago she would scream if I tried to give her pigtails!

Brynna's hair is still crazy curly when it's wet! She's starting to smile and look around a lot more now. Pretty fun!

And who wouldn't want to walk around in a diaper with a bucket on their head?

Behind the Scenes

If you had happened to walk by our neighborhood park today, you would have seen me playing with Laurel and carrying Brynna in a sling. I might have looked like one of those hip, have it altogether moms. Before you jump to any conclusions about my have-it-altogether-ness, let me give you a glimpse of the 40 minutes prior to that moment...

A friend called this morning to say they were going to the park, asking if we wanted to join them. I didn't have tons of energy (due to being sick), but I knew it would be good for Laurel to get outside and run around a bit. So, we made a plan to both leave our houses as soon as possible and meet there.

Laurel was already dressed, and I had just taken a shower. I got myself dressed. The easy part was done.

Then I got a snack ready.

Found Laurel's shoes and tried to hold her still long enough to get them on.

Start looking for Laurel's hat.

Filled water bottles, put sunscreen in the diaper bag.

Stocked the diaper bag with diapers. I took out Laurel's cloth diapers because she's in disposables until I get her covers washed (which won't happen until our washer is hooked up). Jon had told me he put disposables in the diaper bag the last time we went out, so I checked, and saw some disposables. Good to go.

Still looking for Laurel's hat.

Brynna was sleeping. Woke her up, changed her bum, put her down.

Can't find Laurel's hat.

Realize the diaper bag was out of wipes, so I grab the box from the change table.

Search upstairs, downstairs, outside. Can't find Laurel's hat.

Walk by Brynna and hear her completely fill her diaper. sigh.

Back to the change table, start to take her diaper off, and realize there are no longer wipes there. So, I take her to the living room, put her on the floor, and grab another thing of wipes that was nearby...only it's empty. Run to the basement for a new box of wipes. Back upstairs, sit down to change Brynna and realize the clean diapers are at the change table. Sigh.

Get Brynna's bum changed.

Call Jon as work to see if he knows where Laurel's hat is. He doesn't. But I assume it must be his fault that I can't find it.

Find a sun hat for Laurel that is really too small, but will have to do. Put it on her head, and send her into the back yard.

Put my shoes on.

Go outside to move the stroller to the backdoor and begin loading it. Discover that Laurel has taken her hat off and put it in her water table. I had dumped the water out earlier, but apparently I didn't get it all because the hat was now wet. Great.

Came inside. Banged my head against the wall. (over and over)

Picked up the diaper bag. There's Laurel's hat, sitting right under it.

Got Brynna, gear, and Laurel into the stroller. And we were off. Brynna is crying. And please imagine the above scene with the background music of Laurel asking me "why" every 2 minutes.

We get to the park. Our friends are there. This is fun.

Wait. Laurel has pooped and needs a diaper change. Brynna is crying and needs to be fed.

Get Laurel ready for her diaper change...only to discover that all of the disposables in the bag are actually Brynna's. I have enough diapers for Brynna to be gone until bedtime, but not one diaper for Laurel. I put one of Brynna's on Laurel, and sent her off to play, but quickly realized it wouldn't work. Luckily our friend had one that was a little more appropriate.

Get Brynna fed and into the sling.

And that's when you might have walked by and thought that I was a hip, have it altogether mom!

I won't even tell you about coming home, pulling the watermelon out of the fridge for lunch, having it bump a shelf on the door, the front of the shelf coming off and the bottles all crashing to the floor.

Laurel's Prayers

Our bedtime routine with Laurel is pretty simple. We read a few books, say prayers, and then she gets to choose what song we will sing as we leave her room. When we pray, I always ask her what we should thank God for. Every night for the past 4 or 5 months, we have the exact same dialogue. It goes like this:

Me: Laurel, what should we thank God for tonight?

Laurel: ABCDs

Me: Okay, we'll thank God for the ABCs. Anything else?

Laurel: Rory and Lisa

Me: Okay, we'll thank God for Rory and Lisa. Anything else?

Laurel: Jack and Jonas (the other half of Rory and Lisa)

Me: Okay, anything else?

Usually she doesn't say anything or she goes back through the list.

So, we thank God for the gift of language and the fun of learning, and we thank God for our friends. Every night we have this same exchange. Until last night. Last night Laurel switched it up a bit...

Me: What should we thank God for tonight?

Laurel: 1234

Me: Oh. 1234? Okay, we'll thank God for 1234. Anything else?

Laurel: Big books.

Me: Okay, big books. Anything else?

Laurel: Tiny books.

Me: Okay, tiny books. Anything else?

Laurel: Books. Big books. Tiny books.

So last night we thanked God for books of all sizes and for numbers. Children remind us to be thankful for the everyday things. They remind us that we don't have to wait for the big, impressive events to be thankful.

And speaking of Laurel's prayers...when my parents were here, each night before we ate supper, I would say to Laurel, "Who should pray tonight?" And every night, without fail, she would say, "Elmo." I love it!

Table

Here is a little table I made for Laurel for her birthday...

No, it wasn't from a kit...I bought the wood, cut it, built it, sanded it, painted it...

al-didi-telf (That's Laurel's way of saying "All by myself.")

What Will Probably Be My One and Only Hockey Blog. Ever.

I am not a hockey fan. In fact, Jon and I have a joke that if our kids ever start showing an interest in hockey, we're moving to someplace where hockey is unheard of. When I moved to Canada, I gave it a fair try. My friend Jane (who is a legit hockey fan) invited me over to watch a hockey game. I went, ready to learn the ins and outs. During the evening, Jon stopped by. Jon and I weren't yet dating. He scanned the room, saw a lots of guys, Jane, and me. He loudly proclaimed, "Julianne Fraley, since when do you watch hockey?" and later accused me of only going to Jane's house to meet guys. He might have been right.

I have probably watched hockey three or four times. In my whole life.

But, I am always up for jumping on the bandwagon, so I was rooting for Vancouver this past week. (When I say rooting, I mean I was rooting from a distance--I didn't watch a single game).

They lost. I was disappointed. I no longer live in Vancouver, so I couldn't go join the riots.

The what? Yes, the riots.

I really don't get it. I understand being a sports fan. I understand the mob mentality. But, really, people, riots? What happened is that a group of overpaid men didn't manage to get a small disk into a net as many times as another group of overpaid men. That's all. Is that really worthy of riots? They didn't plunder your village. They didn't rape your women. They didn't set fire to your fields.

Of course I get that lots of the rioters were probably just looking for a reason to get drunk and act stupid, and probably would have done similar things if the Canucks had won.

But, really, of all of the things in this world that might be worthy of such emotion and such an active response, I'm not sure that a sporting event really makes the list. (I know, I know, it's more than just a sporting event--it's the Stanley Cup, for Pete's sake!). What if we put that much energy into something that mattered? (I know, I know, this matters--it's the Stanley Cup, for Pete's sake!). What if the statistics on global poverty or human trafficking actually got us fired up enough to rally in the streets? If we cared as much about others as we do about sports, this might be a very different world.

That's all. That's my hockey post.

Just Because

Here are a few random shots of the girls...just because I feel like posting them.

Brynna and Laurel in the same getup...do you think they look alike? (And do you know who is who?)
Brynna's hair gets crazy curly when it's wet...and then dries straight....here's a picture after a recent bath...

It was a warm day today, so Laurel put on her "timming toop" and played in the water. How could I not post a picture of this cuteness?

ABCs with Laurel

Favorites

Here are a few things that are bringing me joy these days...

Having Brynna sleep on me while I type this.

The songs Laurel sings. She gets the basic idea of the song, but skips words here and there--it always makes me smile.

Our new friend, "W." Not really sure who this W character is, but yesterday Laurel was pretending to talk on the phone. I asked her who she was talking to, and she said, "W."

When Laurel says our friend Emily's name, it comes out "Enabee."

"Timming toop" = swimming suit.

The way Brynna's hair gets crazy curly when it's wet.

Laurel puts herself in time-out when I start to question her about something she's doing that she shouldn't be.

Laurel wants to do "tummy time" next to Brynna.

Now the once sleeping baby is awake and protesting, so I must conclude this post.

What's In a Name?

Jon and I are somewhat picky about names. I don't want anything that is too trendy. He doesn't want anything that is too strange. Many people have asked questions about Brynna's name, which makes me wonder if it's stranger than we realized. Well, since you asked...here are some answers....

1. How do you pronounce it? I didn't realize this would be an issue. It's pronounced like it's spelled. Think Lynn, only Brynn. Not Bren, not Brine. Now, I apparently have issues with my "i"s sounding like "e"s, so if I pronounce it wrong, it's just my unsophisticated tongue.

2. Where did you find the name Brynna? We liked the name Brynn when we were going through name books. When we looked back on the short list of names we liked when Laurel was born, Brynn was on that list, although neither of us remembered it being there. The name stuck with us, but I am drawn to names with more than one syllable, so we kept playing around with variations of Brynn. One day Jon suggested Brynna, and we both really liked it.

3. What does it mean? Well, like most names, I've seen a few different interpretations. One I've seen is "raven or dark haired," which definitely fits at this point in her life. The one I like the best, though, is this one: One who is strong, virtuous, honorable and exalted. The feminine form of Brian. A name which has existing since the 1500s.

4. Why Martha? No one has actually asked us this because most people know that Martha is Jon's mom's name, and we were delighted to honor her by giving Brynna the middle name Martha.

5. Now that you've explained Brynna, can you explain Laurel's name...in an abridged version? We stumbled upon the name Laurel a few weeks before she was born...as I was reading a book that had the word laurel in it. Most websites say that it means "laurel" (deep, I know), but I also read that it means to be crowned with wisdom. Her middle name is Katherine, after my grandmother, who was a strong and classy lady.

6. What other names did you consider? That's top secret information at this point.

7. How much sleep did you get last night? Not much. Not much at all.

Boys Names

Jon and I have two girls' names that we really like. And a smattering of boys' names that we don't completely hate. We are still looking for boys' names, which has meant reading through a book that boasts over 40,000 names that have actually been used. Here are a few from that book that we know for sure we will not be using...

Christ

Lake Charles

Ro'Mance

Boy of Shantay

Boots

Jacob-Don't

Sonny Boy

Redeemed

Sir

Uno

Z

Call us picky, but the above names are not making the cut.

The Checklist

This baby is due in less than two weeks. So...I could have the baby tonight. Or I could have the baby in three weeks. Or anytime in between. Here is how things are progressing in terms of my "readiness":

Freezies: CHECK

Meals in the freezer: CHECK (about 16 meals)

Muffins, bread, and homemade energy bars in the freezer: CHECK

Baby's clothes washed and in the drawers: CHECK

Diapers from diaper service delivered: CHECK

Hospital Bag packed: Kind of, not quite done

Car seat installed: Nope (but the cloth lining is being washed as I type this)

Crib ready to go: Check

Names picked out: um....working on it.

Laurel's bag packed: Nope

Guest room ready for grandparents: Nope

Haircut and pedicure: Check (I have my priorities)

Thank You cards purchased: Nope

House renovations completed: I don't think we'll ever get to check this off the list.

Desk at work cleaned out: Check

Am I forgetting anything?

Life These Days

Spring....

The snow is melting, the air is warmer, and I feel like we are finally emerging from a winter slumber. Life these days is feeling pretty good. Even though this picture of Laurel makes it look cold, it's been quite nice here. We've been able to get out for walks and puddle splashing.

Pregnancy....

I am almost 37 weeks pregnant...which means we're getting down to the end. Technically, this baby could come at any time. To answer the question everyone asks, no, we're not quite ready. Of course, I don't know if we'll ever feel ready, nor do I think it matters if we're ready. Once the baby comes, we'll switch into ready mode, whether we feel it or not! But for right now, I don't feel ready. For one thing, we still don't have names picked out. We have some girl names we like. We have some boy names that we don't hate. But we don't have any names that we love. I've done a bit of baking and a bit of cooking for the freezer, but I want to do more. We've got some baby clothes washed and in the drawers. I still need to dig some more baby gear out from under the stairs. The house needs to be cleaned. The guest room sheets need to be changed. But, really, the thing that is stressing me out the most (other than the lack of names) is that we don't have freezies! I know, right? Three weeks until the due date and I don't have any freezies.* It's not that I haven't tried. I asked today at a store and they haven't gotten any in yet. I looked at a store the other day, and they only had a generic brand...and I am a bit picky about my freezies. Do I really have to wait until the snow melts completely before I'll be able to find freezies?

Laurel...

Laurel continues to delight and entertain us. One of her frequent phrases right now is "Laurel do it." This morning as I was trying to get us out the door, she was picking things up on the way that she wanted to take with us. By the made it to the back door, she had in her arms her tiara, a Dora doll, a baby blanket, her bike helmet, and a small block. All, apparently, were very important because she wouldn't part with any of them. She's also asking "why?" a lot, and I am struggling to come up with answers that satisfy her.

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of ours said to Laurel, "You're a monkey." Laurel responded with, "No! Owl! Hooooo!" Apparently we have a wee little owl on our hands. She also loves bunnies, the ABCDs, and "Elmo Music."

Sewing Adventures...

In my recent burst of pregnant energy, I decided that I wanted to make a little stuffed bunny for Laurel's Easter basket. I was determined to not use a pattern. Why? I'm not sure. I was also determined to only use things in our scrap basket. The result? Hmmm. Well. It's pretty much the ugliest stuffed bunny you've ever seen. It's poor little head is lopsided and won't stay up. Jon's response was, "Well, they have dolls called Ugly Dolls, so maybe it's not so bad." Maybe it's not so good, either. When Jon casually asked if I had considered using a pattern, I responded with, "I didn't want to. I was going to make a small fortune with this bunny." For some reason he doubled over laughing. Odd.

On a more successful note, I have also been replacing the velcro tabs on our diapers.

Pampering...

Tonight I'm getting my haircut. Saturday I'm getting a pedicure and manicure. Now I just need a massage, and I will feel sufficiently spoiled.

That's what life is like for us these days. Thanks for checking in.

*For those of you who are scratching your heads, wondering why I need freezies, they're great to suck on during labor. Will the baby come without them? I think so. But for some reason this feels like the big thing I need before I will feel ready. Weird. I know.