Waiting is really boring...

I am sitting at home, waiting to head to my appointment with Duckie in an hour or so.  I've got some work to do, but I am constantly distracted by this tiny human in my belly that feels like it's the most appropriate time in the world to start her exercise routine.  I feel like I'm straddling two extremes - on the one hand, I can't wait to get this kid out of me and NOT BE PREGNANT any more.  On the other hand, I'm not quite sure I'm ready to become a family of four.  Last night, Jack and I went about our regular routine and it was so calm and peaceful and I caught myself thinking of how that will all be different in a month.  I am due one month from today - hopefully less than that, but you never know.  It's going to be an adjustment - just like it was when Jack was born.  I know that.  And I know that we'll adjust and create new routines and things will eventually even out.  I also am assuming that Baby Storms will be just as good of a baby as Jack was - we never had any real problems with him, you know?  He wasn't colicky, he was always a good sleeper and a good eater.  He was easy on his new parents.  I think all bets are off with this one.  I keep thinking that I'll have all this "free" time when she's born because, let's be honest, taking care of a newborn isn't exactly rocket science.  But then, I catch myself thinking that I shouldn't assume anything - she's going to be her own person with her own rules and expectations.  I'm the one that's going to have to adjust to her - so I shouldn't really bank on anything.  

So anyways, Jeff was in Chicago last weekend with a few friends, so Jack and I made the most of our time together.  I really wanted to have one last fun and special weekend just with him.  We had a pretty good time, I think - but nothing ever goes quite as planned.  On Saturday morning, we got up and went out to the Minnesota Zoo.  I had told him the day before that we were going to go to the zoo and see animals and this was all that he talked about.  He wanted to see the monkeys.  We were supposed to meet my sister later in the morning at the zoo, but he wouldn't stop talking about all the animals and asking me when we were going to go, and so I just took him out there.  We stopped on the way for a muffin at Caribou - that's what he wanted for breakfast.  

Anyways, he had so much fun - it was a really hot day out there, so I got him all dressed in his swimming stuff so he could play in the splash pad as well.  He loved looking at the animals - he made the monkey noises, he roared like a bear, and found entertainment pretty much everywhere he went.  We stopped at the splash pad to play and eat lunch and wait for my sister.  

We took the boys to see the Big Bug exhibit - I don't know if Jack really cared all that much about the giant mechanical bugs, but he had a lot of fun climbing on the rocks.  

And then we had to come home to take a nap - the sun really takes a lot out of you, especially when you're 2.5 years old and 35 weeks pregnant.  He fell asleep in the car the minute we got on the highway and didn't wake up for three hours.  I really needed the rest too.  I don't think I moved off the couch.

After he woke up, we played outside for a little bit, walked around the neighborhood, and took it pretty easy for the most part.

On Sunday, I realized that I may have overdid it a bit on Saturday.  He was a total nightmare, unfortunately.  We woke up and went to church and he was just a maniac.  I could tell he was tired, not really interested in listening to me and we were just having one of those days, you know?  So, Jeff suggested that I take him to Lifetime Fitness to play for an hour or two just so I could have a bit of a break.  I wanted to read my book and lay out in the sunshine.  Well, I dropped him off and no sooner had I gotten my swimsuit on, I got paged telling me that I needed to come and pick him up.  Apparently, he had jumped over some kid's head, scratched him and was refusing to apologize.  I kind of have something to say about this.  I don't really think Jack knew that he had done something wrong.  I'm sure it's the same kind of thing he does every day in daycare and couldn't figure out why he had to apologize.  So, I went to the center to get him and he was laying on his back behind the check-in desk.  I got him to say he was sorry to the kid he whacked and took him out of there.  Fortunately, I had packed his swim suit, so I got him dressed up and went went swimming for an hour.  After that, we had some lunch and came home for a nap.  

Jeff came home from Chicago shortly after Jack woke up and I was so happy to see him.  Jack was mad at him for going away.  But still, it's nice to have another pair of hands around the house, you know?  

So anyways, Jack's latest thing has been playing in the dirt at school.  He loves it.  He comes home every day looking like a chimney sweep - the occasional bath has become an every night occurrence.  Last night, he was so dirty that he went straight into the tub the minute we got home and I had to clean out the bathtub after he was done because he left so much crud behind.  

Other than that, I've had a pretty busy week work-wise.  I've been traveling a lot and trying to get as many cases settled as I can before I go out on maternity leave.  On Wednesday night, my sister brought her kids over for us to watch.  And this is when I started getting scared about adding another to our brood.  They are a lot to handle - I can't imagine what Grammy Camp is like on Mondays!  Still, Jeff and I managed to get all the kids fed, dressed for bed and asleep.  

And that's about it for the week - we've been busy.  This weekend, we don't really have much of anything going on, which will be nice.  I've got a massage (thank goodness) scheduled for tomorrow and that's really the only thing on our calendar.  Like I said, it's just a waiting game - I'm constantly looking for signs of labor but I wake up every morning and go to sleep every night and nothing seems to be happening.  Maybe Duckie can use some of his "modern medicine" to move things along!  

The Evolution of Jeff

Over the past few weeks, I've spent a lot of time watching Jeff and reflecting on who he's becoming.  We've been together for ten years now, and we've made it through some pretty formative years and life altering events.  When I first met him, he was pretty angry, confused, and not very trusting of anyone.  But he had this incredible undercurrent and was insanely driven and goal oriented.  It's what drew me to him in the first place.  He knew, somehow, that he would be great one day, but needed to work to get there.  It was something I'd never seen reflected in another person my age.  

It took a lot of work, love and effort to get him to forgive, trust and commit to building a future together.  But we got there.  And, as anyone who's ever been married knows, it's not all sunshine and roses all of the time.  It can be challenging and frustrating, which is all the more true after you've had kids.  

I don't think he'd mind it if I wrote this, but I don't know that Jeff was exactly ready to be a father.  Sure, he made all the appropriate noises at the right time, helped with the nighttime feedings and diaper changes, but he was pretty aloof during those first few months.  I remember him coming home one night shortly after Jack was born - Grandma Jersey was visiting for Jack's christening - and I asked him to hold Jack while I got supper ready.  I could hear Jeff's mom telling him to talk to his son, and Jeff responding that he had no idea what to say.  She told him to tell Jack about his day.  So, Jeff started talking to Jack about filing Motions for Summary Judgment and that sort of thing.  I can clearly remember standing in the kitchen thinking, "Oh boy.  This might be rough."  I was so scared that Jeff would never really bond with Jack.  And to be honest, that fear stayed with me for a while.      

Biology makes you a parent, but you need more than just genetics to be called a dad.  I've been thinking a lot about that lately.  Being a dad stems from unconditional love and a desire to protect, help, and nurture.  It means setting aside your own needs and putting those of your child first.  It's recognizing that there's no distance you wouldn't go and nothing you wouldn't do to prevent even the smallest of trials from hurting your kid.  I learned this from my parents and this guides my parenting philosophy.  It means so much to me to know that I can call my mom or dad - anytime, day or night - with a problem and they'll do everything in their power to help me through it.    

It took Jeff, on the other hand, a little bit longer to get there.  And I think that's okay.  But watching him become a dad has truly been a joy for me.  And to see my son respond makes my heart overflow.  I love that the first thing Jack does when he wakes up in the morning or from his nap is to find his daddy.  It makes me smile every night when Jeff comes home and both Jack and Jeff run to each other for a hug.  I love that Jack wants to look and act just like his daddy and kicks me out of the bed so that they can have a "boys snuggle" together.  I'm proud of Jeff when he disciplines Jack and then takes the time to explain what he did wrong and make-up with him.  

Watching Jeff learn how to love unconditionally has opened up a whole new door in our lives.  Every time I see my boys together, I get this incredible swell of love for each of them and I can't believe that I get to call them my own - my family.  Being a father isn't something that happens overnight and we are still learning how to raise Jack to be a strong, independent and loving man.  But Jeff is learning how to set that example.  I will never get over the fact that he is constantly trying to improve himself and is always working to be a better man.  He is learning how to be an incredible role model for his son and I know he'll instill an invaluable work ethic in Jack.  

The point is this - Jeff became a parent the minute Jack was born but it's taken him a while to become a dad.  And I am so proud of the father he's become.     

Father's Day 2014

Even though it was Father's Day, it was my kind of weekend - productive and lots of time with family.  On Friday, I went to see Duckie for my regular check-up and he is of the opinion that this little girl might make her debut sooner rather than later.  I'm okay with that, for the most part.  I'd like to keep her cooking at least until July and then she can come whenever she feels like it.  As long as it's not in August.  Being an OB and trying to predict this sort of thing is like being a weatherman or a psychic.  You can throw out a bunch of opinions, thoughts, and random musings, but they're only going to be true every once and a while.  Babies come when they're ready, and she's on her own schedule.  So I guess I have to mind that.  My mom said that Jack was late, just like his daddy and maybe Baby Girl will be early, like her mother is.  Let's hope that holds true.  I'm pretty over this whole pregnancy thing.      

On Friday after school, we went over to my parents' house to celebrate Father's Day with a cook-out.  My whole family was there, including Gammy and Gampy, and it was so fun to watch Jack and Wim run around and just be boys.  I think that Baby Bash is starting to get the itch to join the big kids because he got the biggest kick watching them.  The food was amazing, the company was fantastic and all was fun and games until Wim got a stick up his nose.  Seriously.  He's fine, but he got quite the bloody nose.  So, my sister and her family went home.  Jeff and I stayed around a bit longer, cleaning and helping pick up and then we went home and went to bed.  

On Saturday, I kicked into high "nesting" gear and my whole family came up to help us finish getting things ready for the baby.  I'm pleased to announce that we finished the nursery, got all the baby gear set up, and I did about ten loads of laundry.  I think it's funny how much you forget about having a baby.  They come with so much stuff.  Swings, bassinets, baby tubs, slings... you name it.  I really wanted to get everything out of the basement, cleaned up and put in its "proper" spot around the house so that, by the time Baby Storms gets here, hopefully Jack loses his fascination with all of the new stuff encroaching his territory.  I was upstairs putting away a load of clothes on Saturday after everyone left and I hear him yelling, "Mommy!  I'm stuck!" which is really a common phrase around our house.  He thinks he gets stuck in everything.  But, I went downstairs to find him wedged in the baby swing, unable to get out.  We had a talk about how there would be some new things around the house that were "for babies" and that we need to be very careful around everything that is "for babies" so we don't break it.  Jack gets it... sort of.  We came downstairs this morning and we've got a swing set up in the corner of our family room.  Jack pointed to it and said, "For babies!" and then proceeded to push it as hard as he could into the wall.  Yeah, we've got some work to do yet.  

Anyways, I am so grateful for my parents.  My dad spent the morning hanging pictures around the nursery and fixing other things around the house.  My mom and sister watched the boys while I spent time cleaning and organizing.  Jeff kind of floated between all three areas, helping out where he was needed.  And by the end of the day, I can finally say that we are ready for her to arrive.  Seriously, she could come tomorrow and we wouldn't even need to run to Target for diapers.  My hospital bag is even packed, with a neat little list on what I need to add when I actually go into labor.  And, with all this preparation, I'm probably jinxing myself and she'll be two weeks late.  Anyways, here's the final result of all our hard work:

So, on Saturday night, I think I really wound the poor girl up with the day's activity because she would not let me sleep.  She kicked me and rolled around for about four hours before I started getting contractions for another two hours.  I hardly slept at all, and finally dozed off around 4:00 in the morning and woke up completely exhausted.  Still, it was Father's Day and Jack and I went downstairs to make Jeff his favorite breakfast.  After that, Jeff took Jack to the gym to "climb and jump" and then they went for lunch and a haircut.  And by the time they got home, it was nap time, so I ended up being able to spend most of the day resting.  While the boys were out and about, they made a stop at Toys 'R Us and Jack came home with a new scooter, a few new DVDs, and a cool Mickey Mouse watch.  

Jack still adores Mickey Mouse, don't get me wrong, but he's discovered that there are new things out there on the television - specifically, we've become obsessed with Frozen, Brave, and Jake and the Neverland Pirates (or Gee-Lo-Pi as he calls them).  But, we now listen to the Frozen soundtrack on our way to school (specifically Demi Lovato sings "Let It Go") and he wants to watch his Gee-Lo-Pi when I'm doing "chores" at the end of the day and his wind down show is usually Frozen or Brave.  This pleases us.  We don't have to bang our heads against the wall every time we hear "Oh, Toodles!" and my desire to reach inside the television and smack Goofy around has considerably lessened.  However, it also opens up a whole new area of merchandise for purchase.  When I was shopping yesterday, I ended up picking out two Gee-Lo-Pi toys to give to Jack when I have the baby.  

Anyways, so Jeff and Jack came home on Sunday afternoon, loaded down with presents and a stylin' new hair do.  The first thing Jack does is show me his cool watch and tell me he's just like his daddy.  He was so excited to wear it.  And then, after nap time, we went outside to ride his new scooter.  He loves this thing.  We rode it around and around, up and down the street, on the driveway, and all over.  

If you watch the two videos, you can tell that Blue did not approve of this activity.  I actually have an old razor scooter somewhere in the garage that maybe I'll take out post-pregnancy and scoot around with Jack one day.  

And that's it for the weekend.  My parents left for Bend this morning (sniff, sniff) so Grammy Camp is on hold until July.  But still, Jack told me this morning he wanted to go and "see friends" at school, so I'm taking that as a good sign.  He had a pretty great week at school last week - they had "Water Day" on Wednesday, and I think that Jack is secretly hoping that every day will turn out to be "Water Day."  

  

Then, he also packed a suitcase up last week and told his teachers that he was going on an airplane to see his Grandma Jersey.  He went so far as to pack his "suitcase" and pretend to leave.  

He still talks a lot about going "up up up" in the airplane "and then back down" so I think he's pretty interested in going back to New Jersey.  I told him that Grandma Jersey would be coming to play with him in August, and that's seemed to prevent him from running off to the airport for now.  

Jeff is going to Chicago on Thursday night, so Jack and I are alone for the weekend.  We don't really have any big plans although I'm going to try and take it easy as much as possible - I told Jeff that my Father's Day gift to him would be keeping the baby cooking until he got back from his trip.  Because, you know, I can control that sort of thing.  

    

Tears

Oh my goodness, I must have been hit by some kind of estrogen truck because I cannot stop crying.  I cry about everything.  I woke up at 4:00 this morning and started sobbing, thinking about the tough transition that Jack has coming his way in a few short weeks.  And now, as I type this, I'm crying again.  It's strange to think it's never going to be "just the three of us" any more.  It's never going to be "Jack and Mommy Against the World" again.  I wonder if I'm going to miss these days because right now, it sure feels like I will.    

And then, I start crying when I think about how excited I am for Baby Storms to finally arrive.  I think about those first few days after I had Jack and how in awe I was over this tiny human we had made.  I can't wait for her to get here.  

But, pretty much anything makes me cry.  Television commercials, mostly.  Watching Jack and Jeff taking a nap together and having their "boys snuggle" totally sends me over the edge.  Most Carrie Underwood songs.  Random articles in People magazine or on Facebook.  All I can tell you is that I was totally unprepared for this extreme rush of whatever it is and I'm walking around looking like a very pregnant woman with bad allergies.  I'd prefer not to be a hysterical mess - I'd much rather be really angry because then I'd feel justified.  Yelling is therapeutic, in my book.  Tears just make me feel bad and ruin my make-up.  And, I can barely work when I'm like this - I can't dictate because my voice cracks, forget about talking on the phone, and I have problems reading anything through tears.  At least if I was angry, I could push people around and yell at them for being ridiculous.  Now, people want to talk about a case and its all I can do to get them off the phone before I start weeping again.  

When I was still in law school, I ran the Twin Cities Marathon.  I remember talking to my dad about my strategy and he told me that I needed to make sure I saved "something" for the last six miles because, at that point, the race was really only half over - the last six miles were going to be the toughest.  And, sure enough, he was right about that.  I remember hitting the twenty-mile mark, limping along with a broken foot, and thinking "How the hell am I going to make it six more miles?"  Well, I've got roughly six weeks left of this pregnancy and that same mentality is setting in - how am I going to make it six more weeks?  But, I finished that marathon and I've made it thirty-four weeks in this pregnancy, so it'll happen.  Obviously - as if I really have a choice.  I get Braxton-Hicks contractions fairly regularly now and I send people into a panic when one hits because they're a bit intense - I usually have to stop mid-sentence and breathe through them until they pass.  The sight of a very pregnant woman doing Lamaze breathing tends to lead people to believe that I'm about to drop a kid right there in the middle of the grocery store or the office.

The nursery is almost done now.  My parents are coming over this weekend to help finish everything up and pull all our old baby stuff out of storage, hang stuff, and help me rearrange our house to make room for everything.  And then, we'll sit and wait.  Nana Sue and Grandma Jersey have started shopping as well, so Baby Girl's closet is filling up quickly.  I'll try and remember to take some pictures of the nursery when it's all done.  I think it's turning out quite nicely, if not exactly what I had envisioned.  

So, I suppose the biggest news of the week was that Jack had his first trip to the dentist.  And before you ask, no, it was not prompted by injury.  His pediatrician just suggested that we take him to the dentist around this time to establish care and to make sure there were no "lurking" issues.  Anyways, it was not fun.  He did not like to sit in the chair.  He did not like it when the hygienist tried to clean his teeth.  He pitched a full out fit when the dentist looked at his teeth.  The only thing he liked was when they'd squirt water into his mouth.  The good news is that he's got fantastic looking teeth, so at least we don't have to deal with dental issues.

Anyways, this past weekend was one of the laziest I've had in a while.  It was kind of nice, but by Sunday I was really feeling like a bum.  I think Jack was a bit out of sorts as well, because he was rather subdued for most of the weekend.  I picked him up from school on Friday and he had a black eye - no one at school knew how he got it (I call BS on this one), but it didn't really seem to bother him and it's not the last one he'll ever have either.  We had the makings of a perfect storm on Friday though - he was really upset about all of his mosquito bites on his ankles, hadn't napped that day, had a huge blowout at school, and somehow had inadvertently gotten punched in the face.  So, I took him home and kind of just let him do his thing.  I figured the only way to keep the peace was to leave him alone.  Well, we had to go to our babysitter's graduation party that night, so Jeff came to pick us up and off we went.

As a side note, can I tell you how old that makes me feel?

So, we got to the party, which was in some kind of club room at an apartment building that had an indoor pool.  Of course, Jack thought we were going swimming.  It upset him greatly to learn that we weren't.  Still, he behaved himself for the half-hour we stayed at the party.  I tried to appease him by feeding him Skittles and chips and salsa.  Now here's a clue as to how my view on parenting has changed - two years ago, I would have scoffed and been absolutely appalled at the fact that I was feeding my kid junk food to keep him quiet.  Today, if it keeps the kid happy and prevents a very loud meltdown...well, you know what I would do now.  I'd never condone a diet that centers AROUND junk food and candy obviously, but sometimes its a necessity.

So, on Saturday morning, I went and got a prenatal massage.  It was heavenly.  I thought I'd come home and do some work around the house, but my sister called and asked to bring the boys up.  It was raining, and I figured we could all use the play time, so they came up and stayed through lunch.  Again, as I put Jack down for a nap, I considered doing some cleaning around the house but sat down to read a book instead.  My parents came up for dinner after Jack's nap, so we just hung out with them, watched the Belmont, and let Jack go crazy.  So yes, Saturday was a very lazy day for me.  I did try and get a picture of Jack's black eye after his bath though - you can't really see it all that well because of the lighting, but it's turned out to be quite the shiner.

On Sunday, I think Jack woke up a bit out of sorts.  Typically, we go to church on Sundays but when I asked him if he wanted to go, he said, "No, Mommy" and told me he just wanted to lay down in bed.  Which he did for roughly four hours.  He also needed a significant amount of snuggle time, which I was happy to provide, of course.  

So, I got up and got dressed, did some cleaning around the house and one of my girlfriends came over to visit.  We sat outside on the front steps while Jack played in the yard.  She commented that he was really good at entertaining himself.  Again, I told her that the idea behind parenting Jack is providing containment not entertainment.  Just give him an area semi-free of hazard and he can entertain himself for hours.  There's no need to provide activity.

Anyways, after nap time, we went over to the neighbors' house for some playtime and trampoline jumping.  Jack was into that for a little bit, but he really liked flinging water in the kiddie pool and the kids got into quite a water fight.  We came home for some supper and he ran to his sandbox and promptly covered himself with sand.  So, instead of eating, we went straight into the bathtub.

And that's pretty much it.  Like I said, we had a pretty lazy weekend.  Coming up this weekend, we're going to Nana and Boppa's on Friday night for a cook out and to celebrate Father's Day.  On Saturday, we've got plans to finish up getting things ready for the baby, and Sunday is Father's Day, obviously.  Jeff woke up LAST Sunday, thinking it was Father's Day.  I think he's excited for it this year.  It's his day, so I told him we (or he) could do whatever he wanted to.  He hasn't let me in on his plans yet, so who knows what we'll (or he'll) end up doing.   

The Man-Child

Jack had his 30-month well visit today.  He is, officially, bigger than all the babies out there.  He was 39 3/4 inches tall and weighed 45 pounds.  This puts him in the "100%+" percentile, which means he's a freak of nature.  Not really, obviously, but he is one big - and energetic - little kid.  Fortunately, his speech finally seems to be coming around and the doctor got a kick out of everything that he was telling her.  He also enjoyed showing off all of his "skills" for her - following directions (yes, he does do this), making animal noises, and doing his numbers.  He also had a lot to say about his baby sister - I told him that he needed to practice being a good boy at the doctor so he could show his baby sister how it's done, and he shared a lot of information about this with his pediatrician.  He talked about how Mommy holds the baby in her belly, what her name is going to be, and how she would have to go to the doctor too.  Honestly, it's like having a running commentary on everything we're doing these days.  

Speaking of which - we've obviously talked to Jack a lot about how there's a baby coming soon.  He seems to think that everyone holds a baby in their belly, because he points to his stomach quite frequently and tells me there's a baby in there.  He also does this to Jeff.  However, whenever he talks about how I have a baby in my tummy, he needs to pull up my shirt.  So, we were at Target on Saturday and we were shopping for a few nursery items.  I was talking to Jack about what we were buying and where it'd be going and he pulls up my dress in the middle of the store to point to my stomach, telling me that there's a baby in there.  Awesome. 

Anyways, we got back from Arizona on Wednesday night and we returned to some beautiful weather here in Minnesota.  Finally.  My mom came up for dinner on Thursday night and Jack was so excited to see his Nana.  I was too - it was nice to catch up with her, and I loved having her there to entertain the monster while I got dinner ready.  I put Jack's water table together outside and he's been having a blast playing in it every night.  He also likes playing in his sandbox.  But the two of them together means I've got a disgusting, dirty little man on my hands just about every night.  Which means he needs a bath every single night.  This is hard for me to do these days because I have a tough time getting down and bending over the tub.  On Thursday, Nana took over bath duty, which made things a whole lot easier for me.  She helped get Jack to bed and then left.  Jack kept asking if Nana was going to come lay down with him.  It was pretty cute.  

We spent some more time outside on Friday after school.  I didn't really feel like cooking, so I ordered a pizza and Jack and I had a picnic outside.  However, its tough to keep him sitting in one spot - he kept getting out of his chair to run around, smell flowers, find Blue, or you know, any reason to keep from sitting still for too long.  

   

On Saturday, we got up and Jack requested pancakes for breakfast.  We spent the rest of the day, running errands and getting things ready for a big cook-out we were going to have with our friends on Saturday night.  Well, just as I put Jack down for his nap, the sky opened up and rained hours.  The thunder was loud and the lights kept flickering in our house and I kept thinking that, at the same time last year, our basement flooded.  So, I was constantly going down in the basement to check the sump pump.  Well, nothing happened, obviously, and everyone came over for a "cook-in" instead.  I had told Jack that, when he woke up from his nap, his friends were going to come over.  He was so excited that he sat by our front window, watching for his friends to come.  He had so much fun playing with all the kids and was so great at sharing his toys.  He loved entertaining the little girls, making them laugh, and chasing the bigger kids around the basement.  He also got a kick out of my girlfriend's rain boots.  He kept trying to put them on and walk, but they were too big for him.  So, he'd get them on, stand up and try and take a step and fall over.  This would make him laugh hysterically.  

On Sunday, Jeff had to go to Wisconsin for a deposition, so Jack and I went to church and then went to McDonalds for some playtime.  He played so hard.  He was an absolute sweaty mess by the time we left.  He loved climbing to the top of the playground and yelling, "Hi Mommy!" before running away to find the slide.  We made it home in time for a nap.  Jack informed me as we were driving home that he did not want to take a nap.  I told him that I needed a nap too.  That stuck in his head for whatever reason because when we got home, he tried to put ME down for a nap.  He took my hand, led me upstairs, asked if I needed to go tee-tee boy, and tried to tuck me into bed.  I told him, instead, that he should go potty, and that I'd lay down with him for a little bit.  That worked like a charm and he was out like a light about thirty seconds after his head hit the pillow.  After nap, we played outside with Blue for a bit.  

He got so filthy playing with the dog that he went straight into the tub.  I actually stripped him outside and carried him directly upstairs to the bathroom.  

Anyways, because it's been so nice out (and because Jack gets so dirty), I strip him down to go outside and play.  However, the poor kid has been mauled by mosquitoes.  Seriously, his back is absolutely covered in welts.  The bites swell up to the size of golf balls.  There's nothing I can really do about this, but I think the bites bother me more than they bother Jack.  So, he's been getting regular doses of Benadryl every night and I bought out the citronella aisle at Target on Saturday.  

I had my 32 week appointment with Duckie last Friday as well - and the placenta previa has resolved, which is great news.  Baby Storms also looks fantastic - she's a big girl already and Duckie says she'll probably weigh between seven and eight pounds by the time she's born.  Which, again, is some time in July.  My "official" due date isn't until July 27th, but Duckie thinks I'll have her sooner than that.  Fine by me.  We're pretty much set as far as things go - we still need to bring all the baby stuff up from the basement and get it set up around the house (i.e. the Pack 'n Play, baby swing, car seat, etc.) and I'm still trying to find some pictures to hang in her room.  But, we've got diapers, burp cloths, clothes (thanks Nana!), and a crib.  So, game on.  I'm ready when she is.