The 'Due Date'

Despite the fact that we all know that our 'due date' is just an arbitrary date or an educated guess at best, we still find ourselves clinging to the idea that we will be holding our precious blessing by this 'date.' As you remember last Wed. I was "as ripe as one could be without being in labor," and Dr. Sanders even bet us a 6 pack of Dr. Pepper that we wouldn't make it to today. Well today has come and almost gone and no signs of #2. Of course he encouraged us and said that everything was looking great for a fast labor and it should happen any day now. He also promised to bring our 6 pack of Dr. Pepper to the deliver room. We went ahead and made an appointment for NEXT Wednesday at 10am, just in case, but he will allow us to go the full 42 weeks if we want.

Of course I am starting at a 4 (YEEHA) and the baby is active, healthy, and head down, so really I should be thankful for all these things, which I am. The problem is that both Jason and I feel like we are ticking time bombs and this does not lead to very restful nights. We lie in bed and try to clear our mind only to be bombarded with a whole array of useless what if questions that we just can't seem to shake from our over active minds. We never hit this stage with Blythe because we had prepared ourselves to be late and then she surprised us with her grand entrance 2 days before the due date. I have to admit that I feel completely silly being this antsy and impatient, so to speak, seeing as tomorrow is the due date, but non the less that's where we are. We are still cherishing our last moments as a family of 3, but we are also ready to be a family of 4.

Our Little Fish

Almost every evening we have been going over to the neighbors house to swim because it is HOT and its a great family activity. Not to brag or anything, o.k. yeah I'm bragging cause my little one is a rock star in the water, but Blythe has turned into quite the little fish. She will jump off the steps and swim to your arm and pull herself up or she will jump out of your arms and swim back to the steps. It is amazing how much she improves in just a few days. Her latest trick is the crab walk where she walks her hands along the side of the pool from one set of steps to the other. She thinks this is pretty cleaver and I have GOT to get a picture of her beaming face when she is doing that.





Christmas in June

Last week we pulled out the infant items (swing, bouncy seat, car seat, etc.) and Blythe has been in HEAVEN. She had taken a break from her baby obsession, but she is full force again. With babies and bears going in and out of all the infant contraptions. She is such a sweet little mommy to her babies.





I just love how she lays down on her tummy to color with that concentrated face and how she she occasionally looks up at me with this smirk on her face like she knows she is big and doing big girl things.

Baby W #2????

Many of you are wondering when #2 will make his/her grand arrival and we are as clueless as you are. When I was pregnant with Blythe I told myself that I would be late so I didn't have any preconceived expectations. This time around I figured I would deliver right around the due date just like with Blythe. I actually put my 'bet' on today, but only because Blythe was born on the 27th. Blythe lucked out and #2 decided that they should get to have their own day. For all of you who are wondering just what leaf is unturned or what ball of dust hasn't been vacuumed that is keeping #2 in there, your guess is as good as mine. As of this evening all the sewing projects are wrapped up, Jason found the 'missing' cradle sheets, and the house has been cleaned from top to bottom. As of now I officially feel like a ticking time bomb. With every Braxton Hicks contractions (which comes pretty frequently) I find myself asking 'was that different?' Oh and calling people right now, forget it everyone that sees your name pop up on the phone automatically assumes that you are calling with baby news so Jason's and I's phone calls start with "no baby yet, I was calling because...."

Do any of you know anyone who went into labor during the day? I don't know a single person so when I wake up in the morning and I am not in labor I just assume I have another day. Everyone I know either went into labor in the late night hours or the early morning hours each being woken up by contractions, but I can't imagine it always happens like that. Jason asked me today at mass if I would be embarrassed if my water broke during mass and my response was "if it just started leaking I think I could get out of there quick enough for no one to notice, but yes if it just broke and there was a flood gate of amniotic fluid YES I would be embarrassed, but who wouldn't?"

I am tired this evening and feel like I should probably listen to my body and scoot off to bed in case it is trying to tell me that my sleep might be limited. So good night everyone, we will keep you posted on the arrival of #2!

P.S. Happy 22 month birthday to Blythe

Mall Wednesday

Today we opted for a cooler environment for our morning play date with friends. We went to the mall and played on the mall playground. Well that was the game plan, but I quickly learned that the airplane, ice cream truck, race car, and jeep, were much more entertaining. Luckily the other kiddos agreed that playing on the cars was a lot of fun and none of us mom's felt any need to actually feed the cars our precious quarters so the kiddos had no idea that they weren't experiencing all the cars had to offer.

This afternoon we had my 39 week check-up and according to the doctor I am "as ripe as one can be without being in labor." He bet us a 6 pack of Dr. Pepper that we wouldn't make it to my next appointment (next Wed.) and told us that he is on call this weekend. Predictions like this really play mind games with you. On one hand I feel a sense of urgency to do the packing, last minute sewing projects, get the bassinet ready, etc. On the other hand I feel like because of this prediction I will inevitably make it to my next appointment and then possibly past my due date. No rush baby W#2 we are ready when you are :)

Although I have been to this OB/GYN office numerous times I never stopped to notice that the OB/GYN office shares with Geriatrics. It got me wondering if this was just coincidence or if they purposely put the beginning of life with the end of life. HUM..something to ponder...

We concluded our Wednesday with dinner at the Hartl's with the Romansky's. Just your typical Bradley group/commune get together! I think the toddlers are really catching on to the commune idea as they all sat on the ground and ate dinner out of a single serving dish. We concluded the night with the thought that this would probably be our last get together with just 5 kiddos instead of 6. Jason and I were the last ones to deliver with the first round of babies and we are in the same boat this time.

Splashing on Tuesday

So my big plans to "live it up," this week with Blythe were delayed by a day. On Sunday I started to have the 'thick throat' feeling where you know a cold is on the verge of taking your possibly last blissful week with just you and your first born and turning it into a Kleenex and coughing frenzy. I pumped the Airborne and the sudafed and was feeling much better by Monday afternoon. So we 'lost' Monday as far as going out and about, but we still enjoyed coloring and baking and fun activities that will be more challenging with a newborn.

Today we met our friends Jonah and Oslo at the splash pad. Prior to today Blythe had not been interested in the splash pad at all, but I was hopeful that she would find it fun since she has started to like showering in the last few days. We lucked out and she did venture into the water and had a fun time with her friends. I have to admit that I came prepared to need to do my own little 'splashing,' wearing light weight clothing that would surely dry quickly, but I lucked out and it was pretty nice sitting in the shade and getting the occasional breeze from the sprinkler and the little wet hugs from Blythe.







We all know that Blythe doesn't have much hair, but what little hair she does have sure can have a mind of its own!





We had a great Tuesday, hope you did too!

Daddy's Home

In anticipation of Jason's arrival from Scotland Blythe and I made a "Welcome Home Daddy" poster. Blythe first decorated it with markers, then she tried crayons, but found they didn't write very well on cardboard. At one point she had several stickers on the poster, but those slowly migrated to other crevasses of the house. Friday morning Blythe and I headed to the Children's Museum to put the finishing touches on the poster with paint. Blythe really enjoys painting and the museum has a great set-up for it. After the paint dried I wrote in Sharpie on the poster and Blythe was not happy that she could not participate in this part.

The flights from DFW to College Station and vise verse usually get in about 10 minutes early. Knowing this I planned to leave at 5:15 to get there no later than 5:30 so Blythe and I would surely be there when Jason excited the plane from a 5:45 estimated arrival time. I had Blythe practice standing with the sign and saying "Daddy." My intention was to have Blythe standing all cute and proud with her sign calling for daddy as he exited the plane and I would be just a few feet behind her capturing it all on camera. I am usually good at executing my plan and being on time, but I have to admit that I failed. We ended up leaving the house 5 minutes late and of course Jason's flight arrived more like 15 minutes early. By the time we arrived he had already collected his luggage and I had a missed call. I was hoping that he had called right when his flight had landed giving us 2 minutes or so to get inside. I got Blythe out of the car seat as fast as a 38 week pregnant lady can and we ran inside with our sign. Jason met us at the door. So my vision of how we were going to greet Daddy didn't exactly pan out, but Blythe still got to give him his sign and I think he still felt special. Of course it would have been better if we were there right when he walked off the plane, but I guess you have to roll with what you get. We'll do better next time daddy, promise!





We had a very restful Father's Day. We celebrated mass as a family and then stumbled upon some old Married Couple's friends. I have to admit that I had to do a double take because they live in Austin and we also have not heard from them in 8 months since they had their daughter. We were excited to cross paths and they even had time to come over for home made waffles. It is always so nice to get to catch-up with friends and is there anything sweeter than seeing your little play with friends littles? Blythe was very eager to 'help' out and to share her toys with Bethany. Thanks for squeezing us in Bullet and Kendra!

We wrapped up Father's day with a tasty dinner at The Road House. Oh and what better way to celebrate Father's day than to have your little one wear one of daddy's old outfits?

FREEDOM

Today is my last physical day of work! WHOO HOO. For those of you who know anything about my workplace in the last 4.5 years you know that this is a long time coming and the end is SO near I can taste it. 4 more hours! You will hear me rocking out to Free Falling all day today. There is another song that comes to mind (if you know me, you know I butcher lyrics), but I can't find it. It (potentially) goes 'Freedom, Freedom, let me hear you say, Freedom, Freedom...and the Freedom continues to escalate. If you know what song that is shoot me a comment so I can get it playin!

This morning it was so great to know that this was the LAST morning I had to tell Blythe that mommy was going to work. She is so great about me leaving, but I love not having to tell her that anymore! Of course mommy is still going to go bye bye on occasion, but not every morning like clock work. I am looking forward to our last few days, maybe weeks, together. I am hoping I feel a surge of energy now that work is behind me so I can really live it up with her. Take lots of pictures, breath in her beautiful blond locks, study her pretty toes, have conversations with her, and enjoy all her loveliness. Not that I won't be able to enjoy it after #2, it will just be different.

I am just bubbling over with excitement at the thought of being a FULL TIME STAY AT HOME MOM!!


****Yes, I realize this next part is not really fitting for this post, but I keep forgetting to document it and it's well worth documenting!

Apparently I must tell Blythe o.k. a lot because she has recently picked up on it and it is SO cute. She even says it for you, "mommy color this, o.k." like she knows I am going to say o.k. so why wait for my response when she can just say it for me!

Also, forget phrases we have moved into full sentences! This little takling wonder will have you smiling and laughing in no time, whether its how she sternly she tells her babies to "SIT DOWN," or the way she says "Teble" for table or how she so delicately bosses you around "mommy, sit here, right here." She has even figured out phrases like "help me," "Blythe help you," using the me and you and I correctly. Oh this little smarty pants how ever will I keep up with you?

Love

My little love bug has recently become quite the little artist. At least a dozen times a day you will hear her say "color Thomas," or "where my markers, I color." It is fun to watch her carefully turn the pages in her Thomas coloring book looking for the perfect page she wants to color. Sometimes she stays on the same page long enough to douse it with different colors and exclaim all the items she sees on the page. Other times she can barely turn the pages fast enough as she selects one lucky color to mark a line or two on each page, turning the pages as fast as she can. We refer to this as speed coloring when she insists that you color along. Choose your color wisely because you do not have time to change colors, in fact you are lucky if you have enough time to color an entire wheel, whistle, or face. So don't be alarmed when you see purple fences, orange wheels, or even pink dogs! Thus far she has not crossed from her Thomas coloring with crayons to her blank pages coloring with markers. When she wants to color with her markers she gets out her blank doodle pad and away she goes. Luckily she doesn't realize how bad of an artist her mom is and she is happy to have mommy draw umbrellas, balloons, hats, etc.







Although her shoe fetish has died down she still loves all things shoes and sock related...even in the dead of summer. She tried very hard to convince Mamo and I that we should join her in wearing winter socks in the summer.










My little one is also quite the helper. If she catches you in the kitchen without her she will loudly proclaim "Blythe's steps." Letting you know that she will be joining you on the step stool, and watch out because she can maneuver that thing very quickly and without regard to other objects or people in the way! But could you tell this little cutie that she can't help??? I sure can't.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Jason turned the big 27...EEK only 3 more years till 30, that's scary!

Blythe really enjoys helping to cook so I decided that she should make daddy a birthday cake. When I asked her if she wanted to make him a cake her face lit up like a little kid on Christmas morning. She knows that bake means that we get to get out all the good stuff and make a big mess! She proudly climbs up onto the step stool getting herself at hip height with the counter and points to the flour cabinet and says "need this." I quickly pulled up a recipe on the computer and away we went. She had her Blythe mixing bowl and very meticulously mixed in the flour, baking soda, cocoa, etc. Of course she had to sample each ingredient on the way into the bowl, only to make sure they were the freshest ingredients possible. I was surprised she didn't make a really funny face when she sampled the baking soda, but I guess she knows what she's looking for.

To be fare, as much as she loves to help cook, I think she might enjoy the clean-up process just as much and sometimes more, especially when licking chocolate is in the cards. After the batter went into the baking dish and into the oven she knew it was clean-up time so she slid the step stool over to the sink and said "need soap, water, wash."

It's a joy to bake and clean with you my little one!

It might be daddy's birthday cake, but Blythe knows how to clean-up the candles!




"Oh no, I can't watch, what if he doesn't get them all blown out in one breath"

We also want to send a special thanks to Gigi and Grandpa who stopped by to celebrate with us. We ate delicious pizza from Leaning Tower and shared the birthday cake!

Happy Birthday Daddy, we LOVE you!

random thoughts and happenings

I guess you could say that the 9th month and the heat have struck. This past week Blythe and I spent a lot of time just hanging out at the house. I am typically not good at 'staying home,' but this past week it was a welcomed change. As much as I don't want to admit it, I am starting to hit the tired phase of pregnancy. I have been enjoying napping with Blythe and getting lost in her little world. It is so fun to watch her love on her babies, dressing and undressing them, changing their diapers, feeding them, etc. I'm not sure if she will be as excited about babies once she has a permanent brother or sister, but one can hope. I predict that she will want to be helpful and probably even a little TOO helpful. Robyn, Mike, and Baby Anna came over to swim with us and Blythe was very insistent that baby Anna get in the water and that she got to hold her. Sorry B, you aren't old enough to hold that precious baby by yourself on dry land, much less in the water.

I am looking forward to my last 6 days of work before #2!! I am hoping that Blythe and I can get out and about in the mornings and really relish in each others company as we share our last few weeks/days just the two of us. Since turning 36 weeks last Thursday it has really hit me that we are on the home stretch to #2. I am looking forward to seeing Blythe as a big sister and seeing our family transform from 3-4, man on man with daddy and me moving to a zone defense. I know it will all fall into place beautifully with a few hiccups along the way, but I also want to soak up these last few weeks with my first born. I know that she will never again have the same undivided attention, but then again #2 will NEVER get that.

Speaking of #2's the Hartl's have now jumped into the boat, welcoming baby Isaac on Saturday June 5th weighing in at 7lbs 9oz and 20.5 inches long. Crissy had a beautiful, classic Bradley birth and I am hoping to repeat her experience. (yes, probably wishful thinking).

Sunday late afternoon Blythe and I dropped Jason off at the airport so he could start his trip to Scotland. Blythe was really hoping that she was going to ride on the airplane, but I explained to her that last time Blythe and Mommy got to ride on the airplane and daddy didn't so this time it was daddy's turn. She must have repeated at least 20 times, "daddy's turn to ride airpin," with a slight wishfulness in her voice hoping we would say "now it's Blythe's turn to ride the airpin." 2 weeks without Daddy won't be easy and we will miss him tons, but we do have the next best things: Loli and Mamo!

We will try to be more adventurous and take more pictures this week and get back to the blogging.

Have a great Tuesday!

Cheering in Austin

This weekend we packed up and headed to Austin to cheer on Tia and Papa as they competed in their first Triathlon.











Blythe did a great job cheering them on yelling "Go Papa, Go Tia" and giving high fives during the run!







Waiting for everyone to cross the finish line.





All that cheering makes a little one tired



We also have to give a big cheer to Blythe who had an accident free weekend despite being out of her normal enviornment and full of distractions! I am signing off on the potty training updates since I think we are TRAINED!!