Going Into Hiding

I think I've reached *that point* where I can no longer go out in public. Yep, I'm still pregnant. Yep, I waddle. Yep, I look pretty big. And yesterday at Wal-Mart (one more reason to hate that store), everyone had to point it out! I really haven't been bothered by comments until now, but for some reason it was all I could do yesterday not to glare and mumble profanities after the 6th person said something like "wow you look like you were due a few days ago" or "wow that looks like an 8 or 9 pound baby" or "wow you could go at any second!." Really people, it's annoying and I dare say, bad manners to say such things to a pregnant woman you DON'T EVEN KNOW. It probably didn't help that my sweater was a bit too small and my belly was dangling out the bottom (albeit covered by a stretchy tank top at least) but still... anyway just thought I'd check in. We are getting anxious because everything is all set and ready. I haven't really felt *ready* up until now - just another cue that the arbitrary 10/30 due date was totally wrong. I'm not really *late* until after Sunday but I don't know if I'll have the energy to go that long, lol! I NEED to have everything set perfectly (all laundry done, kitchen cleaned, fridge stocked etc) in order to relax in labor, so I've been cleaning and doing laundry on a daily basis to make sure everything stays perfect. You know, if I am still pregnant on Sunday I don't know if I could even force myself to go to church...it would be the 3rd Sunday in a row of shocked looks at why I am still here and pregnant... really everyone there is much nicer about it than Wal-Mart shoppers, but still....

In other news, Brad bought a fabulous 20 year old Toyota Corolla this week so he won't have to ride his bike to work in the snow. He has been so good about letting me have the car with no complaints, even through all the summer rain and the recent cold spells we've had. I'll have to post pics of the beaut! We left one of our cars in AZ because it was too expensive to ship and ended up just selling it. We don't want to be stuck with something when we move again this summer, so we got the beater for cheap and hope to be able to unload it again quickly when the time comes.

Let's Play!

Anyone want to play the baby game? I thought it might be fun to see if anyone can predict the day/time of this baby's birth and his weight/length! If you want to "weigh in" just leave a comment with your guesses. If I'm ambitious, I'll send a prize to the winner. Here's some helpful info:

The Dr's due date based on lmp was 10/30 (we're past that).
Ultrasound due date is 11/6, date of conception calculator says 11/9.
I've gained 30 pounds (vs. 50 with Eli!)
Eli was 9lb 7oz and 22 inches long ... I went into labor with him on my due date (the one Brad and I calculated) and had him the next day at 8:21am. Labor was 28 hours long.
At my last check, I was 1cm dilated. With Eli I didn't dilate until the day of labor.

So post your guess for date and time of birth, and weight and length!

Fun Times

I just had to post a few candids of Eli while he still has the spotlight all to himself. He is getting funnier by the week and is almost 23 months old. He chatters up a storm, loves to name his letters (he has an alphabet puzzle and fridge magnets) and to have me sing Itsy Bitsy Spider! Here are a few fun times with him from this month.

Naked Driving:

Movie Star:
Shoe Organizer:My personal favorite- Playing Cars in the Stirrups at my pre-natal appointment:

Autumn Beauty

The Fall sure came and went quickly out here! It seemed like one week the leaves were glorious, the next week they were all falling off! Not to mention the early snow we had.... I just thought I'd post a peak of some of what we enjoyed this year. Luckily my mom got to see some of it. We took a drive on my birthday down through Lenox and Stockbridge and got to see some neat houses too. Enjoy the show!

And here's what it looked like on Weds morning after quite a snow storm the night before on my b-day! Oh well, Brad and I got to go out to a romantic dinner at the Dakota Steakhouse (think Ski Lodge ambiance) with dim lighting and a fire blazing since Grandma was home to watch Eli. We could see the snow blowing through the trees out the window and it was breathtaking. It was the best date we've been on in like two years! =)

Happy Halloween!

We didn't make it out trick or treating tonight, but we had a little ward party last week and got to eat chili, dance to a live blue-grass band, dress up, and trick or treat in the classrooms. Eli was a bit shy about taking candy from strangers, but he's not too shy about eating it. We keep it well hidden, but so far he really likes sweet tarts and even a bit of chocolate now and then!

What a cute little monkey!

Adventures with Grandma!

Well my mom made it in last week safe and sound... now we're all just waiting on a baby! We've had time to do a little sight seeing though which has been nice. And it's a good thing we got to it early - it snowed this week on my birthday and has been chilly! I have felt a bit robbed of Fall! Today was lovely weather but we didn't even make it out to trick or treat because Eli is sick and we're all tired, lol. We did attend our ward party last weekend and had a little taste of trick or treating indoors so that was fun. At least Eli got to dress up. Here are a few recent pics.


Wagon ride at Green River Farms - it was pulled by a tractor up into the hills where had gorgeous views of the valley. It was a drizzly and chilly day though! My mom was a brave Arizonan and toughed it out... it helped that she got some great thermals before heading out here! Oh, and let me tell you, it's quite a gymnastic feat to get that jacket zipped up over my belly!
Eli of course loved the petting farm. He learned to say "yama" (llama) and he loved the baby chicks. Best of all, he got to pet a cat! He calls cats "me'ams" for "meow" and loves to get close but has never been brave enough to pet one.

And the hi-light of the day? Eli ate an apple. As in, the ENTIRE, WHOLE piece of fruit. He has never wanted to even try taking a bite from a whole apple before, much less one dripping juice down his arm. As part of our day on the farm we got to pick apples again, and I guess between the adventure and his revved up appetite from the cold, the apple looked great. He devored it - core, seeds, and even stem (I had to fish that out of his mouth). We brought home three huge bags of apples and he looks forward to getting one everyday (though often now he takes a few little bites and is finished). They are the perfect size for his little hands!

Trains and Pumpkins

We took advantage of Brad's day off this past Saturday, as well as the GORGEOUS fall weather. We took a train ride on a historic train from Lee to Stockbridge, MA to see the foliage. It was a relaxing way to enjoy the colors! Eli seemed to get a kick out of it for the most part. On the trip back to the station, the train had a small malfunction and got stuck on the tracks for about ten minutes, so it added a little dramatic flair to the trip.


After we all had a nice afternoon nap (seriously I don't think Brad and I have had a 2 hour afternoon nap since Eli was born!) we went to the Whitney Farm in Cheshire to get pumpkins and let Eli run around the petting zoo - his favorite place in the whole world. We ended the evening with some fabulous pumpkin ice cream from the farm's Dairy Bar. It wasn't good for my blood sugars that evening, but it was oh so heavenly going down!!!

Hey Baby!

Funny story:

Last week I had to take Eli with me to my La Leche League meeting because Brad was working late (until 930pm!). Usually my meetings are my mommy social time, and since most of the kids that come along are nursing babies I wondered how he would do. There happened to be one 3 year old little girl there - kind of bossy and a little mean - but Eli took a liking to her and followed her around all evening. Only he couldn't say her name - he just kept calling her "Baby!" When she would get out of his sight, he would go walking through the room pointing and calling for "Baby!" It was hilarious. She was a good two inches taller than him too, but apparently he likes tall, bossy, older women. Oh Baby!

Small Miracles

Today when we were leaving my midwife appointment, Eli ate a carrot. That's right folks, a real, raw, damp baby carrot! I was scheduling next week's appointment when he started begging to "Eat!" I let him look in the lunch box and he actually bypassed the granola bar and pointed to the bag of carrots. I didn't believe him, but I gave him one anyway. And he ate it. The whole thing. I think I'm still in shock!

And there's more.

I let him sit in the front seat of the car with me in the parking lot while we finished our picnic lunch. And he wanted to eat my banana. A BANANA, people! That has texture galore! I broke off bits for him and he actually touched them, put them in his mouth and ate them - the whole banana! And this after his 2 1/2 week strike of real food. I guess you just never know with kids! Brad gave him a blessing on Sunday and we've been praying that he will loosen up a little bit. Even though it's only one day, I will take any small miracle I can get! Wootwoot!

Haircut and Belly Shot

I went ahead and chopped my hair again. It actually wasn't supposed to be this short, but it is so easy to fix (just wet, gel, and let airdry) that I don't regret it! And this is my ever expanding belly at 35 weeks (I'm almost 37 weeks now). That fantastically LONG fitted t-shirt is from www.downeastbasics.com and they are ON-SALE. So friends, if you are preggo or expect to be, stock up! These are great for going under things that tend to ride up when you have a big belly, and they cover the pants that tend to slide down, lol. They have non-maternity ones too. But these are so stretchy I'll be able to use them post-partum too. I'm using them now with all my non-maternity sweaters so I won't have to buy a whole fall maternity wardrobe for a month of use!