37 Weeks and Counting

Silence.
Then, all of the sudden Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump. Little feet running down the upstairs hallway, pounding on the hardwood floor.
He runs everywhere now, I think to myself.
"MAMA! I GO NY- Night!" he yells triumphantly from the top of the stairs.
"Good job!" I reply, because even though we both know he had no choice, he makes this remark with such enthusiasm that you would think he had just built a small castle from toothpicks in his room. I have to respond with equal enthusiasm.
I hear his footsteps climb steadily down the stairs. He comes into sight at the landing.
"MAMA! I get DOWN!" He emphasizes "down" because we both know this is the true accomplishment. A big boy bed means he can get DOWN whenever he wants. No need to wait on mom to come and get him out of the crib.
He is growing up.
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The garden is putting on fruit and veggies, peaches and corn are in season. I will be 38 weeks pregnant on Monday. We have been so busy that even though I am half-way through my 9th month I have yet to count down a day. So far, my mom-in-law and I have put up:
31 pints of salsa
22 quarts of frozen onions
41 quarts of frozen corn
23 pints of green beans
8 pints of jalapeno peppers (sliced)
29 half-pints of apricot jam
23 quarts of apricot sauce

Today I hope to get to the pepper jam we love so much, as well. We have also cleaned and re-organized my canning room and the laundry room downstairs. Phew. I am ready for baby to get here (hey, who wants to wait for a small bundle of happiness like a baby?) and at the same time I am really enjoying making such progress on my goals and prep for winter. We have a lot of "winterizing" we would like to do before the chill sets in, and having a new little one will make that more difficult.

I suppose I will just take it a day at a time...giving it to God on when He wants to give us our little man.

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I am an Auntie all over again, too! My sister had her little girl Chloe Elizabeth last Thursday (which makes her one week and two days old today). It is striking to me how different she is even from Ryan- aside from her dark complexion and hair, her arms and legs sprawl out as she sleeps (for the first month Ryan's were curled close in) and she sleeps...a LOT (which, truly, just makes her my sister's kid.)

In the hospital my sister called me and explained that this was indeed her baby. 'Uh huh..." I replied. "Well, see, if I put her on the hard bed that the hospital provides, she will only sleep like 5 minutes. But if she is laying on my lap on a pillow cuddled in a soft blanket next to me, she will sleep forever."

And this makes her my sister's baby because Krissy was one who, growing up, had a pillow-top mattress, a feather bed on top of that, 6 pillows of varying softness, one body pillow, and a light, soft feather comforter. She was so protective of her bed setup that she knew if I tried to switch out one of my pillows for one of hers.

I slept on my futon with a quilt and some sheets.

A creature who loves comfort she truly is. Baby is beautiful and sleeps more than any new mom deserves. She came just a few days before her due date and was 8lbs 2oz. Fun!

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I also became an extended Auntie to a baby Levi Anderson, who is the new son of our good friends Tycen and Sonja (you may have seen them comment on here before). Levi decided he really wasn't willing to miss the family photo his mom painstakingly arranged, and came into this world at 33 and a half weeks (might I add, on Family Photo day!).

He is a trooper, and though most babies require lots of intervention at this early age, he has really defied the odds, breathing on his own right from the start. He is so teensie and perfect with adorable chubby cheeks.

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All of these babies are really just making me excited for my own to come. Ryan sees all of the little baby stuff around and knows that it belongs to "baby brover". His two bears:a coast guard bear (from Uncle Eric) and his small brown bear (from Grandpa Johnson) sleep consistently under the co-sleeper in the little zippered compartment. His giraffe spends a lot of time rocking to music in the swing.

I just hope that we can explain that once baby is here...you know...the giraffe might have to scoot over a bit.

Mom's Helper

Me: Oh Ryan. Mama is SO tired!
I fall down in mock faint on the couch, legs weak and back aching from 35 weeks of pregnancy.
Me: Will you carry baby brother around for me just for a little bit?
Ryan: Sure!
He runs in from the play room a few feet away, clamors up on the couch next to me, and attempts to wrap his arms around my stomach. His little hands barely reach my sides and I feel his grip tugging on my shirt.
Ryan: (audibly straining) So...'evy!

Ryan the Builder

After making some great garage sale finds, we put together a play room for Ryan. One of the coolest things we found was this sturdy kid's height table for $5. His whole train set fits on it with room to spare. With all of this room, we have been building cities with blocks for the trains to circle around.
Ryan built this "house" for the "workers". We think he might just be the Jenga State Champion by the time he is three. He just loves stacking up towers, knocking them down, and building them up again. One day he was asking Grandma to build a tower. She replied "Oh, I don't know. My towers always fall down.You might have to build one for me." Without saying anything, he started stacking blocks in a horizontal row in front of her (think train versus tower). Then, he smushed a "worker" between two of the blocks. Like "See, Grandma? Here's one that won't fall down. Even YOU can build a worker house."
Everything is becoming more of a process. For example, he uses a hammer to build lego towers, gingerly placing one on top of the other, grabbing his hammer and pounding it into place. He will be a solid builder like his dad, for sure.
With the hot weather he has also learned to capitalize on a small hole in the hose. When I first saw it, I thought "Oh man, I'll have to get a new hose." But seriously, this is entertainment central for half an hour at a time outside. I water the garden, he gets soaked. Pure Joy. It's so warm here today that, with his gentle coaxing "Chom ahn" and a tilt of the head, he had mom, dad, AND Grandma taking turns through the makeshift sprinkler. I would post those pictures but I think I might get sued (yes, even though they are family). I also have to mention (for my Seattle-ite friends) two other Ryan-isms. First, when we play play-dough, his favorite items to make are turtles, worms and coffee. Lots of coffee. (Think ball of bright orange play-dough smashed into a plastic cup). And, secondly, Michael, whenever we hear a plane outside he jumps up, runs to the window and yells "pane!" or "hebicopter!" Each time he does this, I am shown again that all of those B-25 discussions when he was so tiny really paid off.

A little planning ahead

Being out on the gravel roads we seem to get more nails in our tires than we ever have before. I think in the past year we have had about 8 flat tires as a result of 8 separate nails. Unfortunately, we do not have a Les Schwab nearby (oh, how I miss those guys!) and each "fix" costs roughly $12. Small, yes, but aggravating nonetheless.

This Monday, Phil noticed we had yet another flat tire in front. A result of a slow leak, he explained. One he could drive on when pumped up, but that would flatten over the course of a workday. As a side note, we have also been planning to buy new tires soon, as our tires are getting a little bald (which is a nice way of saying that we slide, rather than drive places- just kidding, dads). We thought, hey, instead of fixing the tire this time, lets buy TWO new tires, and then next month we can purchase the other two tires.

Great. Way to think ahead before they just blow up or become dangerous. Good job, us!

So I take Phil to work on Tuesday and head into a little tire store in a town about 40 minutes away (the closest "major" town). The mechanic walks out to the car with me and I explain that I would like to replace the front two tires, and that also, I need an oil change.

No problem, he ensures me, and sets straight to work. Fifteen minutes later he comes in and asks if I needed a light replaced, because I had extra bulbs sitting on the dashboard. By golly, I did, actually- TWO of them. "No problem," he says, we will just go ahead and do that for you.

At this point, this guy has been very friendly and helpful. I sit and wait, and at one point the lady at the front desk asks me if I am just getting two new tires. "That, and an oil change...". She gives me a concerned look and heads through the door to "check on their progress."

Upon her return, she explains that he is rotating the tires, and taking extra time to clean the rims and all of the places where dirt can build up.

*Sigh* I love small town mechanics.

I leave there, after having been charged only for my new tires and the oil change, a happy customer. Also, I am quite pleased with the fact that we have four well-working tires, a new oil change, and working lights all around.

When I get home, I excitedly tell Phil about the wonderful mechanic and all he did for our vehicle.

The next morning, as he is about to leave, he notices that the back tire is flat.

And through deduction I realize that I did not tell this friendly mechanic that I had a leak in one of the tires, only that I needed two new front ones. So, he just rotated the two old front ones to the back and put new ones on the front.

Ha. Kind of funny. Except not that funny. Because we still have to find a way to fix the flat tire.

Why I Need Lists

To further illustrate the vast chasm between my sister's preparedness and my own lack of it:

On the phone:
Kristina:I almost posted in the comments of your blog that my hospital bag has:
15 diapers, but half are newborn and half are size one diapers.
Three pacifiers with little holders to clip on her clothes.
Three changes of clothes.
A toy. I know she won't need it, but its there anyway. Just in case.

Tracy: (Laughing) And you know what is awful? Even though I have already been to the hospital and even though I wrote that post, I still have nothing packed.

Kristina: I also have three copies of the list of people who need to be notified and when (like, when I am admitted, updates, and when she's born).

Tracy: Don't you have a cell phone?

Kristina: BUT what if the cell phones can't be used? Or what if I don't have the wherewithal to tell someone who needs to be called? A paper copy would then be necessary. It suggested doing it in "the book".

Tracy: Ha- those books were made for people like you!

Kristina: No, they were made for people like you. People like me think of these things.