Good Links

Hope you enjoy these!

VistaPrint:  140 Custom Labels for $3.11 Shipped
We have made these for address labels and also to put Jonathan's name in things for school...you might enjoy making some for Christmas cards, thank-yous, etc.

Parents Magazine:  3 years for $5.99
I don't even read through the articles most months, but the coupons in this magazine are great.  20% off your Gymboree purchase, for example, and 20% off diapers at Amazon...plus others.  I have signed up for 6 mos. for free in the past, but to have three years and not worry about my subscription running out would be great.

These next two, I can't describe very well...just go take a peek!  My sister-in-law, Corinne, sent these to me, and I think I'm going to have to try them.  Such great, easy ideas.

Halloween Candy Jar
This one is so simple and so cool and cute that I think I'm going to have to do it.  You could make one for any holiday.

Dollar Store Hurricane Lamps
And this one is beautiful.  The kind of crafting I can do right now...I think I will.  :)

It's Official

The baby has migrated up to my ribs.

Please know that we are so thankful for this baby and excited for him/her to come, so my lament over this development doesn't change that.  But, I am sobered by the fact that my due date is 11.5 weeks away, and I am already feeling discomfort in my ribs (just on the left, so far) when I sit in the car or on the couch because the baby is pushing up, and pushing hard.  That makes breathing interesting, too.  I don't remember the rib thing starting so soon with the other two little darlings.  With Grace, the pushing hurt my back, too.  With Jonathan, I think it was for the final four weeks, and with Grace, it was earlier.  Like I said, we are so thankful for "Apple Baby," and I will keep the end reward in mind while I feel the pain in my ribs.  But, I can't believe that I am likely to feel this way, more and more, until Christmas.

Eyes

I think the walks to and from school are the best times for talking with Jonathan.

Jonathan:  Mommy, my eyes are like a movie camera!
Me:  They're even better than a movie camera!
Jonathan:  Yeah, they can take a movie as long as my whole life!

Lasts and Firsts

I love sleeping baby/kid pictures. And since Grace is about to move out of the nursery into what is, right now, Jonathan's room, I've been wanting to get a picture or two of her last sleeps in her crib. Unfortunately, she's a very light sleeper. But not in the way you might think. I'm sure I have dozens of sleeping pictures of Jonathan, because he doesn't wake up when I open his door and take his picture. Grace, though, pops her head up as soon as she hears the doorknob. She doesn't fuss and goes right back to sleep, which is great, but it makes it nearly impossible to capture her on camera while she sleeps.

A few days ago, I went in to get her after her nap, and she was asleep!!! I sprinted (or whatever they call it when a very pregnant person tries to move quickly) to get the camera, turned it on, and read "Replace Battery Pack." Grr! So I sprinted to get the battery. By the time I returned to Grace's room, she was stirring, but I took pictures anyway.

A groggy, sweaty baby is still pretty cute.

And she woke up happy!

The other night, when we got back from date night, I checked on her before we went to bed. My mom helped us out for the evening because the babysitter got sick. (Thanks, Mom!) Mom must have the magic touch, because Grace was sleeping hard. I got a picture of one of her last sleeps in the nursery, just like I was hoping:

Today, I gave her the first nap in her new-to-her crib. Jonathan has been anxious for her to begin sharing his room. (I'm pretty proud of myself because he's so excited. I hope it works out as well as I've been telling him!) We'll try a few naps and then give nighttime a try. She took awhile to fall asleep, but sleep she did, and I got a picture.

Sorry for the awkward angle. Perhaps I should have chosen some less-crazy pants for her so your eyes didn't hurt looking at this one.

I'll take pictures of their room and post when I can. It's hard to get it all clean at once. But I'm optimistic about how they'll do sharing a room.

Evidence...

that she really does stand. I didn't make it up!

No steps yet...

(The shoes used to be Jonathan's. I still love them!)

She's Standing!!!

Yes, friends, she is making progress, little by (very) little.  She is still walking while holding onto a grownup's finger (or Jonathan's sometimes.)  But now, if you talk to her about standing and help her to let go, she'll stay standing for a few seconds and then lean over and catch herself with her hands.  The great thing is that she can go from that all-fours position and push up to standing on her own, as of today.

We made a huge deal of it, so of course she performs the trick over and over for the cheers of Jonathan, Jeff, and me, and she thinks she's pretty fabulous.  That's fine with me as we think it's fabulous, too!  I'm hoping for steps soon.  Will she do it before she turns 19 months old?  Stay tuned...

28 Weeks

Jeff, me, and Apple Baby (aka The Basketball)

DIY Swiffer Pads

Here's one idea for making your own Swiffer pads.  I haven't tried it yet, but it looks like it would work great for my Wet Jet.  She uses cloth diapers but suggests other fabrics if you don't have diapers on hand.  I do have a few diapers that will be too worn out to use in the next few months, so if this doesn't go the way of some of my plans that never happen, I'll give it a try.  She suggests refilling the bottle of solution with your own cleaner, too.

28-Week Appointment

I will be 28 weeks along tomorrow, so I had my appointment with the midwife today, and I'm thankful to say that she thinks all is going well with the baby and me.  I'm so happy that I passed my glucose tolerance screening.  I have been somewhat of a worry wart this month, with all the comments I've been getting regarding the large size of my belly.  And the fact that I'm outgrowing my maternity clothes.  My midwife was very reassuring and said that I am (still) measuring big but that's to be expected, and we will do an ultrasound in a couple of weeks to check on the baby's size just to put our minds at ease.  (She says I look like someone stuck a basketball on my tummy.  My sister says so, too.)  The baby's head is down, and he/she has switched from lots swift kicks to lots of sustained stretches and pushes.  Jeff, Jonathan, and Grace have all had the strange experience of feeling a large, hard bump pushing out against my tummy, trying to make some more space.

Hope this all makes sense.  I have run out of energy today, and I'm feeling a little foggy.  Anyway, I'm so thankful for how things are going with the baby, and thankful that you are here checking in.  The next big news will likely how Grace and Jonathan do as they transition to room sharing.  I'll post about it when it happens.

October

Well, it's October, so it looks like it will be at least October before Grace walks.  Hopefully soon!  Hopefully the weather will also soon tell us what the calendar is telling us:  that it's fall.
And today's the day for a checkup for the baby and me, so we'll hope for good news all the way around, including the results of my glucose screening.  I'll post when I have any news...