Our Family of Four will become FIVE this week!

In my previous pregnancies, I felt like time stood still for the [almost] 40 weeks while my baby grew. Other people would always exclaim toward the end of the pregnancy that they couldn't believe how fast it went. I'd smile, laugh, & think to myself, "Yeah, maybe to you because you don't have this little alien invading YOUR body at the moment!" Haha. I don't know what the difference is this time... Is it that I have two very active children to keep up with? Is it that I am not worried about labor & delivery? Is it that I'm comfortable & confident with my role as Mom? Whatever the reason, I honestly feel like this pregnancy has zoomed by and have a hard time believing it is just about over. I feel like it was yesterday, not last August, when we first saw the 'pregnant' on the digital test. It seems surreal to me in just a few days we will have THREE children!!! This is a BIG week for our family, and yet I'm still going about my day-to-day routines like nothing is happening. Quite weird.

I'm very excited to meet Henry this week :) I cannot wait to see what he looks like. Will he be born with dark hair like both Alexa & Jack? If so, will it stay that way or will he too be a blonde like his older sibs? Will he have my brown eyes, Dan & Jack's blue eyes, or Alexa's hazel eyes? What will his personality be like? Will he be a silly, brilliant, feisty, and emotional chatterbox like his big sister? Or will he be a sweet, brave, rambunctious, and adorable charmer like his big brother? Probably a combination of both... I know he will be a unique individual that we will love soooo very much! Ahhhh, I am SO EXCITED to meet our newest son ♥

What's new with Alexa: We've been battling some "Terrible 3's" behavior lately... Alexa is so curious, has such a wonderful imagination, and is very stubborn. This can lead to some dramatic behavior from her, which has proven to be quite challenging for Mommy & Daddy... Her 'testing of boundaries' has led Dan and I seeking a better means of discipline in our home. We've both been reading 1-2-3 Magic by Dr. Phelan, which focuses on controlling obnoxious behavior, encouraging good behavior, and strengthening your relationship. We have slightly begun to modify how we handle situations with Alexa, and once we are both finished with the book we plan to more fully practice the principles discussed in it. Our goal is to have a happy, smooth-operating home that empowers our children to be independent, opinionated, and respectful :)

Onto more positive things... Alexa can make a friend anywhere we go. Seriously. Just yesterday she made friends with two little girls in the play area at Polaris Fashion Place. She was playing tag and hide & seek with them within a few minutes of entering the kiddy-chaos. Some of the friends she has had playdates with lately are kids of my friends (the Nguyen boys, the Sip kids, the Hinton girls, and our neighbor girls the Hull's), but she has also made some friends of her own (Miriam, a girl who was in her art class, and Max, a little boy from the gym that she calls her boyfriend). It amazes me that we have a daughter who is old enough to make friends! It doesn't seem like all that long ago that she was a newborn!

Alexa is really into books, both being read to and looking at books & 'reading' to herself. She loves fairy tales, Bible stories, anything Dr. Seuss, and even educational books. She loves learning and is so inquisitive. Some of the questions she has even stump me! Alexa is a pack-rat. She loves to collect other people's junk. It drives me bonkers, but it makes her happy and I'm sure my Papa is smiling down from heaven at his little prodigy ♥

She had her first haircut at a children's hair salon last week (her other cuts were done by my stylist up in the Perry-area), and she really loved it. She was able to watch Horton Hears A Who and the girl pampered her with cupcake-smelling mousse, diffusing her curls, and braiding her long bangs. She was a Curly-locks Beauty when we left, and you could tell she felt girly & special :) It was a good lesson for Mommy who with bone-straight hair didn't have a clue what to do with her beautiful loose curls!

 

Alexa is excited to become a big sister again! She shouted at my belly a few weeks ago, "Henry, I can't wait to meet you in two weeks!!" Hard to believe that is now just 4 days away!

What's new with Jack: He has been a bit clingy to me lately. Ok, that's an understatement. He has been a lot clingy. Like throw a screaming fit if Daddy carries him up the stairs, even though I am right behind them. Flailing on the changing pad until he sees me enter his room. Shouting "Mama" 1,008,957 times a day. He is a Mama's Boy for sure. I think he senses that change is coming and for that reason he is trying to "cling" to his comfort zone. Even though he won't be the "baby" per se in our family anymore, I hope being so close in age to his little brother does not force Jack to 'grow up' too quickly. I still want him to be able to be a baby/toddler!

A few weeks ago we moved Jack into his Big Boy bedroom. It is a John Deere tractor theme, and he loves it! He surprised us by making a great transition from the crib to his new twin-size bed. Although every few nights he'll fall out of bed, as he is still getting used to not being "contained" while sleeping. I bought a pool noodle (a suggestion from my friend Sarah) to place under the sheet, and thus far this cheaper alternative to an expensive bed rail seems to be working! 

Jack has been 'communicating' more lately. The cutest thing has been his head nod. Whenever you ask him a question that the answer is yes to, he nods his head with a sly smile on his face. Sooo cute! He knows the names of lots of the members of our family, and says simple words like up, please, thank you, book, ball, Donald Duck, diaper, baby, more, grapes, banana, water bottle, milk... He is not talking as much as Alexa did at this age, but seriously how many children really do?! We understand what he wants (most of the time) by his grunts & pointing and the rest of the time Alexa talks for him, leaving him no real motivation to use his words. And although Jack may not be talking tons, he understands everything we say to him. Now, getting him to listen is another story, haha.

Jack is SO BRAVE. His daring nature scares me. He will climb anything without fear. He will go down any slide without looking to see if someone is at the bottom to catch him. It is so contrastingly different from Alexa who always has sought me for approval, reassurance, safety, what-have-you. His bravery/daring nature has led to some bumps and bruises, but he usually "shakes it off" pretty quickly. 

Jack likes to point at my belly and say "baby." And he smiles when you ask him if he is going to be a Big Brother :) We'll see how he feels about it on Thursday ;)

What's new with me: I'm actually feeling pretty good. I've never been in such good spirits at the end of a pregnancy. Usually I'm wishing it to just be over with already and doing a lot of complaining. Don't get me wrong, my belly is heavy by the end of the day, my hips do hurt, and my sciatic nerve is painful, but I'm still just enjoying the pregnancy. I'm cherishing feeling Henry move and keeping him to myself just a little bit longer!

Inspired by some devotionals I did during Lent, Alexa's growing spiritual curiosities, and witnessing another set of students receive their First Holy Communion, I have been trying to work on my relationship with God. When I reflect on various times in my life I know the periods that were most peaceful were usually around the times that my faith was the strongest. Not only do I want to feel more peaceful, but I want to set a good example for my children of trusting in the Lord. So I am seeking short but meaningful devotionals and books to read to continue to help me grow in my faith.

What's new with Dan: He is excited about starting a new project at work sometime this summer. But before that, he is looking forward to spending about two weeks off of work with me and the kids :) It will definitely be a BIG help to have him home with us for so long! Every day Alexa asks if Daddy is going to work that day, and she loves hearing "No" on Saturdays & Sundays -- she is going to be overjoyed to have him home! Dan brewed a new beer a few weeks ago, he says it is a Cream Ale, whatever that is. He needs to bottle it sometime this week and it should be ready to drink in about two weeks. I don't think I ever mentioned (probably because I've been a ghost on my blog until recently) that Dan GRADUATED!!!! After more than a decade (and lots of nagging from me) he received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Franklin University this past winter. I am SO PROUD of him for this accomplishment!

Recent Activities

We've been trying really hard to stay active and do loads of fun things with Alexa and Jack these past few weeks!

 

The week of April 16th - 22nd, we had a playdate at Lattes & Lollipops (this is a new cafe in Powell, check out the website) with the Nguyen family, we went to Liberty Park one evening (there are other parks that are closer to our house, but this one is Alexa's favorite), we had a playdate at the Columbus Zoo with my friend Ashley & her son Peyton (and we ran into Alexa's boyfriend Max & his mom Holly randomly while we were there!), Alexa got a haircut, and Noni & Papa came to visit for the weekend.

The week of April 23rd - 29th, I took the kids to Chuck E Cheese for the first time (and had a blast thanks to my dear friend Amy who is the GM there!), went back to Lattes & Lollipops so the kids could play while I crocheted (hehe), had a playdate at Miriam's house, had lunch downtown with Daddy & Grandpa, learned about & celebrated Earth Day, went shopping at Toys R Us & the Disney Store, went to Scioto Park (a park that Alexa has been asking to go to because there is a picture of the stone face from the park inside our Kroger), and spent time with Grandpa & Grandma.

This coming week, tomorrow will be my last full day alone with just Alexa & Jack by myself. Besides a quick trip to The Anderson's in the morning, I plan to spend the day playing in the basement doing whatever they want to do and snuggling on the couch watching a favorite show or two with them!! On Tuesday, we will have our last pre-baby playdate with my friend Jess and her two daughters :) Wednesday is the start of Daddy's vacay from work. Not sure what we will do all day, but I want it to be something extra special since it'll be our last day as a family of four. My mom will arrive that evening so that she can be with A&J while we are at the hospital. The induction is scheduled for Thursday, May 3rd at 8:00 am. If all goes well, hopefully we'll be meeting Henry in the early-to-mid-afternoon :) We will probably stay at the hospital until Saturday morning. Anyone who wants to visit at the hospital or once we are home, please contact me or Dan to figure out a good time!!

Preparing for Henry:

The clothes are all washed and hung.
We have a stockpile of Newborn and Size 1 diapers.

The nursery is all ready (minus a statue of a bear that we really want but can't find).

The hospital bags are in the process of being packed.

Three of the four hats I am crocheting for his newborn pictures are done.

... The next time I post we will have a third baby!!! It is so exciting (and a little nerve-racking) to think about!! I'm sure pics of the lil man will be on Facebook & Twitter within an hour of his arrival, and hopefully I will have an opportunity to post my Labor & Delivery Story before too long, as well as update y'all on what Henry's personality is like! Until I blog again... Ciao.