The Little Things: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

Happy Birthday to my lovely little sis, Jenny Penny, who I refuse to believe is turning 26 today. I "adopted" her when she was just 17...and then drove her across state lines for one of the best weekends ever. Now she done went and grew up, became a mom, and more awesome, if that's even possible. Happy Birthday, Jen! I hope it's amazing and I wish I could see you!

Also, congrats to yet another chick I know who was preggo for giving birth to the only other girl I'm expecting during this crazy baby season. Tally up to this point: 2 boys and 3 girls.

I think I ordered the last pieces of art for Sully's nursery! Etsy addict!

I think the Hedgehog is the only critter left. Not fond of what I've seen though.

And speaking of ordering, Todd ordered the cake for Spencer's birthday yesterday and besides being far cheaper than I thought, we get a free smash cake for him! For whatever reason, this has me really excited. Again, it's the little things.

Been having some super solid Braxton-Hicks the last few days. They are annoying to say the VERY least. Making it impossible to get comfortable during the day when I was already struggling at night. But everything is winding down so I just have to toughen up. I've been quite the wuss at times during this pregnancy, I know this. But it doesn't really help that my desire to nest has kicked into full gear so my body is taking more of a beating these days. It is what it is.

I just found out that the week I'm in the hospital is premier week for the fall shows! Anyone who knows me knows I'm a TV junkie and I'll be able to introduce Sullivan to all the important gems...while enjoying pain killers and Jello. Make fun of me if you want. TV makes me happy. It's my hobby.

Oh, just wanted to quickly say that Spencer's PT and ST yesterday seemed to go well. His speech therapist had a lot of nice things to say about his communication so I'm happy. And the physical therapist focused more on the crawling and standing (we need to start letting him put weight on his legs...and his arms, of course). There was some discussion about using a special kind of tape to help strengthen his arm and shoulder muscles. He's getting there. Back in 4 weeks.

He's being a goofball this morning (photos by dad).

(Rocking out to the King Of The Hill theme song).

He had a visit from his Aunt Lisa all the way from California yesterday and I am kicking myself left and right for not getting a picture of them together! GRRRR! I was just enjoying shooting the breeze with her so much that it didn't cross my mind. I really need her to show up every day when I get off work. It made my day so complete. Again, you never realize how much you miss someone until you see them again.

Tonight, I'm having a happy/sad dinner with my oldest pal, Tessa. Happy because she got engaged (and I get to eat at the Cheesecake Factory...let's be honest, that's a perk), and sad because she's moving to Columbus on Sunday. Another friend off to live in Capital City. I don't like it, but I'll support it.

And TOMORROW, I can officially say, "I'm having a baby next month". Wee!



Busy Beaver, Busy Bee: Party In My Uterus & Party At My House

I have to kick this post off in the right direction:

CONGRATULATIONS to my oldest (and one of my bestest) pals, Tessa, for getting engaged this weekend in Las Vegas! Vegas is my happy place and Tessa is the person I talk to every morning so I like the combo, indeed! It looks like this fella did quite alright in the proposal department and she's happy as a clam...so I guess he can stay! Congrats you two crazy kids! Can't wait until October 2013! And NOT just because this will finally be a wedding I'm not pregnant for!

Now back to your regularly scheduled program!

I am 31 weeks today so we have 8 to go...or 1 month, 3 weeks, 4 days...or 56 days. Any way you eyeball it, this baby is coming SOON. And luckily, it appears that we may be ready for him! I busted my hump this weekend and now Sully officially has a place to call his own when we bring him home: Sullivan Forest!

(Pat Catan's was out of the "A")

It's a little sparse but I guess that comes along with the second child. We had a shower for Spencer so he got books and blankets and stuffed animals and whatnot. But I know that will all come in time...Spencer has quite a collection of oddities! And Sullivan has room to grow and a room to grow in! Two more pieces of art are even on their way!

As far as his weekly development update goes, Sullivan is about the size of a head of lettuce now...almost at his birth length and in between 3 and 4 pounds. I'm having Braxton Hicks for SURE, which is kind of exciting. I've been feeling this kid move A LOT and I guess he should be in his head-down position at this point. His digestive system is ready to go (I hope you like toast, because that's mommy's big craving) and allegedly he should be sleeping 20-40 minutes at a time...pffffft. I'm convinced he's one of those never-sleeping vampires. I bet he'll be born with fangs!

So that's the scoop on zee baby. As for a scoop on my weekend...it was A LOT of house cleaning for the party which is now officially less than a week away, but I feel good about it. Spencer helped by being especially good and sweet. Friday, we took a break to go to dinner with my parents and to what was supposed to be Spencer's 1st live band. 5 songs in, it was called due to lightning but it was good while it lasted.

Saturday morning, Spencer and I high-tailed it to the eastsiiiiiiiiiiide where we visited my sister and picked up some super awesome decorations for his party from The Mays. My mind was really blown, especially by the giant Seuss fish that will be hanging out in the yard. Too cool. And speaking of cool, the forecast says 82 with am clouds and pm sun on party day. I'll take it!

And that's really all I've got. Growing a baby and prepping for the birthday party is pretty much what our days are made of. I even had to make a list for Todd today. I felt icky doing it but he's off and I need the help because I KNOW Friday and Saturday will just be bananas for me. But before getting to work, Spencer has work to do at Physical and Speech. I'm hoping for a good report, but I'm always hoping for a good report. I guess I'll find out soon enough and then YOU will find out, loyal reader!

And speaking of Spencer, he's really into his version of smooching now, which is basically just slobbering all over my cheeks. But I love it. It makes me melt and crack up every time. It really is the little things.

6 days until Spencer's birthday party.
9 days until Spencer turns 1...and goes back to the Oncology clinic.
11 days until my next OB/GYN appointment.

28 days until school starts (just 1 class to start).

53 days until my last day at work.

56 days until the C-Section.

Appointment #7: All The Facts And More

I left my OB's office this morning feeling really pumped up and excited...with the tiniest wave of nervousness! I'm in the homestretch! I go back in 2 weeks and then my check-ups will be EVERY week! But let's not jump ahead, because we are NOT ready for the little man. His crib isn't even built yet. I could have him sleep in a dresser drawer but seriously. Here's what I learned today about Mr. Sullivan and his big arrival:

-My blood pressure is all square again. 120/70.

-I've gained 3 more pounds for a grand total of 14.

-Sully's heart rate was 156 and again, he was kicking the Hell out of the Doppler. AND while listening to his heartbeat, we got to hear his hiccups, too! The doc thought it was really wild. "Wild" is actually the word she used. Love it.

-My belly measured right on track. But after asking how big Spencer was (6 pounds 1 ounce), she thinks Sullivan will be a little bit bigger. And she agreed that this baby is probably feeling a little stronger to me than Spencer since he had low muscle tone.

-I received some instructions/information regarding surgery day. I have to be there 2 hours prior (7:30am) and nothing to eat or drink 8 hours before. The surgery will take about an hour and I'll be in recovery for two hours before moving to my post-partum room where I'll bunk from Monday to Friday. Once there, I can have visitors all day, everyday (10 years old and up). Nice.

-I signed the consent form for my Post-Partum Tubal Ligation. I've decided. It's official.

Official. Officially exciting. Officially terrifying. Officially happening in 59 days!

Spencer didn't attend today's appointment...for the first time, sigh...but I'd like to record his first fortune from a fortune cookie from a few weeks ago for posterity. Pretty interesting since his name MEANS "provider"!!! He picked the cookie himself. It's a tradition in our house that we open our cookies before we eat. This one was just perfection:

Tonight we're going to dinner and to see a band that plays "classic hits of the 50s and early 60s" at Mapleside Farms.  Right up our ally. I so hope that the rain holds out because we could use a little fun after working so hard for the past few months. Hell, we'll still be busting our butts this weekend and week...all the way up to Spencer's birthday party! So I think a good dinner and rocking out to some jams on a blanket are in order.

And you know what else is in order?? A big cyber-Happy Birthday to Spencer's Aunt Bizzle who is leaving town on an adventure today! We love you and hope you have a really amazing and exciting birthday. We'll plan a face-stuffing celebration when you get back!

Good Day Turns Sour: Needing To Order a Thicker Skin

You know, I was having a pretty good day yesterday. I woke up in a good mood, started the day off on the right foot, and had high hopes all around. Even when I started feeling some insane anxiety (I'm sure it's hormone related because I'm feeling pretty good about life in general). So OF COURSE with everything going so swimmingly, you know they day had to go right down the tubes.

Spencer has recently been making this fake gasping noise. I hate it. It's like when he was fake coughing. Well, on the drive home from the babysitters yesterday, he started making the noise and I was like, "Spencer, you know I hate that sound", as if that would do any good. But he was making it over and over again so I pulled my car over like a maniac and hopped out like a mad woman.

By the time I had opened the door, he had thrown up and there was something that looked like a tiny piece of felt on his chest. It turns out it was a coupon (no clue how he got it because he can't reach out of the seat and I don't clip coupons...it had to have gotten IN his seat somehow). The uneaten portion was all crumpled up in his lap.

He was fine. Me, not so much. The rest of the way home, I was flipping about every little squeak he made, and also when he DIDN'T make any noise. But he really was fine. He coughed a little for the rest of the evening but overall, he's unfazed.

That was bad but that wasn't the worst part of my day.

And let me preface this by saying I know everyone has the right to their opinion, to freedom of speech, and I KNOW that EVERYTHING will offend SOMEONE. I am also plenty aware that I've said things in my life that were horrible and that probably made someone feel horrible. But sometimes something happens in your own life and certain things aren't funny anymore. They weren't funny then but you don't really get it until it happens to you.

Moving on...

Yesterday via stupid social networking, I saw a comment a friend of mine had left on a photograph. He wasn't saying anything directly to me, it just showed up on my page and the photo itself drew me in so I looked to see what he said. Well, it turns out that what he said broke my heart into a million pieces. Without getting into too much detail, I'll just say that I could easily relate it to Spencer and that's all it took.

Many, many of you know Spencer's situation so when I tell you that the word "Eugenics" was used in one of the comments (a science that deals with the improvement, as by control of human mating, of hereditary qualities of a race or breed...think Nazi Germany), I hope that makes you as sick as it made me. And it made me SICK.

I'm sure this person was just trying to be funny or provocative. And maybe he doesn't even know Spencer's whole deal because I don't broadcast all the details. But it stung so horribly. It made me think that if you took away the fact that I know this guy, if he was just a stranger mouthing off...these are the people Spencer might have to deal with when he grows up. These are the people that are going to make fun of him.

To me, Spencer is perfect. He is adorable and sweet and smart and tries harder than anyone I know without even realizing it. He is motivated and funny and bursting with personality and he makes each of my days brighter. There is NOTHING about him that needs to be manipulated or improved. Sure, I wish he had better muscle tone and do I wish he got dealt a different set of cards? Sure. But I wouldn't trade him for the world. The world is LUCKY TO HAVE HIM.

That being said, and reminding you that I know everyone has the right to say and feel whatever they choose, I had to delete said friend from my cyber-life. He is actually the second person I've deleted because I simply just don't need that stuff rubbed in my face all the time. This is my reality, not just a picture on a website. Not wanting to see you make what I think are stupid and ignorant comments is my choice and it most likely won't affect you at all.

But what you said made me cry myself to sleep last night.

Maybe this all sounds like a lot of babble and ramble and some of you may even find it stupid. I know what was said wasn't THAT big of a deal and I acknowledge that I've probably said something crummy that hurt someones feelings in the past. But there is no need for me to keep negativity in my life. Especially when it has to do with something as stupid as Facebook, you know?

So that's how my good day went south, carrying over to today.

That helped though. It's good to have sisters.



Throwing Stuff At You: A Buffet Of Randomness

1. Today is July 24th which means Sullivan is scheduled to be here 2 months from today! Sometimes I think it sounds so far away (but when you're actually pregnant for 10 months, 2 is easy breezy) and sometimes I think I'm going to blink and September 24th will be here! EEK!

2. A big congratulations to my grade school pal, Becky, who had a pair of healthy twin girls yesterday morning! Already a mother of 2, she welcomed Macie and Madelyn into the world. They are teeny tiny and adorable. Congratulations mama! The streak of friends having boys is over with the addition of these little ladies.

3. Jen May sent me a sneak peak of the stuff I asked her to do (with those amazing design skills of hers...is there nothing this chick can't do??) for Spencer's birthday party and it's just amaaaaaazing! I didn't see the e-mail alert until 1:00am and it was all I could do not to go into the bathroom and check it all out. Now that I'm less nervous about the party in general, stuff like this is icing on the cake! Ooh, I have to remember to order the CAKE!

4. Regarding the party: we would have LOVED to invite all of our friends and everyone we know because Spencer got off to a rough start and celebrating a year of his wonderful life is important to us. However, we both come from REALLY large families and are having the event at our house in (no doubt) burning hot August. So please don't feel bad if we couldn't invite you. We wanted to, believe me, but we kept it at family and the friends who saw Spencer when he was bunking in the NICU. We'll have a pool party for all pals before the summer is over!

5. It looks like Todd might be off on Spencer's actual birthday! He can accompany us to the Oncology clinic...fun, I know...and then I'm thinking we might go to the frog exhibit at the Science Center and to lunch somewhere fun. I think the 1st birthday really has a lot to do with the parents. We made him together and got him safely through his first year of life together. We could use a day to celebrate.

6. This is what a year looks like:

7. My upcoming Hell Week seems to be getting a little less Hellish. Due to some seminar you think they would've known about, Spencer's OT evaluation and his regularly scheduled physical and speech therapy have been rescheduled for the following week. Yes, this means I'll have 3 appointments in one day (!!!) but that day was already a wash and Todd will be there so why not? Things are a little more spaced out now making it easier to handle, physically and emotionally.

8. I have never owned a Ramones shirt. I feel like I should or should have. Do I want to get one? Or do I want this to be one of those things I refuse to ever do...like watch The Wizard Of Oz? Decisions.

9. Going back to the previously mentioned pool party...we really need to make that happen. I miss my friends. It's been a month since Erin and Josh's wedding which was really the last time I saw some of them. And what would be better than seeing them in their bathing suits??? Nothing. Nothing at all. This would be a no-frills, come if you want to, BYOWhatever kind of event. Perfection.

10. After 4.5 years at my job, I finally got speakers for my computer. Instead of listening to the hideous sounds of machines or the air compressor...which I am very used to, to be honest...I can listen to music! My nephews turned me on to Spotify and I am thoroughly enjoying a playlist I made called "Summer Is Ready When You Are" and 'Liquor, Beer, and Wine' is kicking my day in the right direction.

"Liquor, Beer, and Wine is a flashing sign I see. Every single morning I get up, it's buzzing down at me. I look up to the heavens for a ray of hope to shine. And there it is in neon...Liquor, Beer and Wine" - Reverend Horton Heat

Pat On The Back: Actually Accomplishing Things Without Going Bat-Crap Crazy

Before I get into the Monday morning Sullivan scoop, I thought I'd let you know that my chest pain seems to have subsided. I'm still pretty out of breath from time to time but my little buddy is squashing my lungs so I guess that's to be expected. And the back pain and abdominal pressure is probably to be expected also, seeing as we're starting to get towards the finish line. So I'm OK...tired, but OK...and want to thank everyone that was looking out for me. A little disappointed no one showed up in a saucy nurse costume but that may be asking too much.

So exactly how far away IS that damn finish line??

I'm 30 weeks along today so depending on how you personally like to look at things, I've got a) 9 weeks to go, b) 2 months to go, or c) 63 days to go. Hell, by next week (next Wednesday to be exact), I can officially say, "I'm having a baby next month". It's all coming together. It's all winding down...which is good, because I'm winding down.

Right about now, Sully is probably starting to dream and fetal REM has begun! I have serious doubts about this because this boy NEVER sleeps. No REM for him! He's blinking his peepers and is about the size of a 3 pound eggplant or squash. He's basically just kicking back and growing. I see the doc on Friday so we'll have a better idea of how things are cooking. Getting closer to those weekly appointments! And getting closer to Sully!

Luckily, the nursery was painted this weekend. Spencer helped.

Spencer also got his 1st haircut (just around the sides and back).

I think he looks very handsome, indeed!

As we're wrapping up Sullivan Forest, all the room swapping and house projects are coming to a close, thank sweet Buddha. Basement, Aiden's room, guest bathroom, front and back yard, nursery...everything is solid! And with a whole weekend to spare before Spencer's par-tay! I'm sure I'll find one million things to do before we celebrate my little boo turning 1, but the pressure and stress have been lifted. I feel more relaxed now. I think I'll actually be able to enjoy myself. Hot dog!

And just for fun, here are some pictures of MY hot dog.

And on the "one million broads in my life having babies" front, one of my best friends from childhood is having TWINS today! Of course, I am anxiously awaiting gender and names and am so very excited for her! Good luck and congratulations Becky! And a very belated congrats to Todd's cousin who had a baby boy a few weeks back but he neglected to tell me. Pfffffft. Dudes. And babies! EVERYWHERE!

I guess that's all I have to jabber about for the time being. I'm OK, Sully is OK, the house is OK, Spencer is MORE than OK, and I think his birthday is going to be better than OK. After the festivities, I'll have 6 wide open weekend to just turn my brain off.

Well, not COMPLETELY off. The word on the street is true. I'm headed for nursing school. I have 2 prerequisite classes that I need to square away and Tri-C offers them online so I'm all registered for one of them (a math class...uuuuuugh, I am right-brained all the way) and we'll see how I can manage being a student and mommy. If all goes swimmingly, since I already have a Bachelors, I'll transfer to either Kent, Akron, or CSU for their accelerated BSN program next fall. 12 straight months of insanity. Sounds so scary!

I'd already like to thank a bunch of pals, my parents, and my hubby for their support. I want to make everyone proud. This is far different than my first shot at college. I'm terrified of failure. But I'm different now than I was at 19. I'm surrounded by good people and good things. I have high hopes.

And when Todd was young, he always wanted to be a mechanic married to a nurse. HA!

4 days until my next OB/GYN appointment.
13 days until Spencer's birthday party.
16 days until Spencer turns 1...and goes back to the Oncology clinic.

35 days until school starts (just 1 class to start).
60 days until my last day at work.
63 days until the C-Section

Emergency Room 3: Going In Scared And Leaving Angry

GET COMFY! This is a monster...

These last 2 weeks are really trying to test me. Monday night, I was having a lovely and long overdue dinner and gossip session with my oldest friend and I could NOT get comfortable. No matter how I sat in my chair, no matter what I did, I was all out of sorts. By the time I got home, I couldn't catch my breath. For a few days, I've felt like Sully is wedged up under my ribs. It's common at this stage of pregnancy to feel like your lungs have no room but this was the first time it was really affecting me.

By the morning, I had a plethora of new symptoms.

In addition to the shortness of breath, I had chest pain (PAIN, not discomfort), abdominal and lower back pain, and a LOT of abdominal pressure. When I stand up, it truly feels like I'm going to gush amniotic fluid, not to be graphic. I called my OB to be on the safe side and she told me to go right to the ER, do not pass GO, do not collect $200, and let them know immediately about the chest pain, shortness of breath, and the fact that I was 29 weeks pregnant. So off I went, terrified that I was going into pre-term labor.

I got to the ER and was treated like garrrrrbage from jump. Everyone looked at me very accusingly like, "Are you realllllly having chest pains??" and jumping on every word I said. I get it. A lot of people say chest pains so they're seen right away and then people like me, who are actually HAVING chest pains, pay for it. Before I even got registered, they were suggesting I was just "hyper nervous". No, bitches, I'm not hyper-nervous. I'm in pain and possibly a titch anxious about the fact that I can't BREATHE! Later, I was informed that the baby gets his oxygen from the placenta so he wasn't suffering like I was. Good to know.

I saw so many nurses within a 5 minute period, I really can't even count but I CAN tell you that they were all nasty people. And they basically decided without even examining me that I was having a Pulmonary Embolism a.k.a. a bloodclot in my lung, which is quite common during pregnancy. After a quick EKG (which was normal), they sent me upstairs to Labor & Delivery to make sure Junior was doing alright. My main concern, of course.

In Labor & Delivery, the nurses are nice and caring and actually want to take care of you and worry about you and are organized and efficient. Or maybe that's just an act but I bought it! The nurse hooked me up to the fetal monitor (deja vu, as I was hooked up to the fetal monitor at about this point with Spencer) and left me to click a buzzer ever time Sully moved. Which was every second as he's clearly cooking meth or something in there. Berzerker.

After about 30 - 45 minutes, the consensus was that he was just perfect. Heart rate was solid, activity was great, and I only had 1 contraction the entire time and it was nothing severe. SO HAPPY to hear that everything is going swimmingly down below. Not so happy to be released from L&D and sent back to that zoo of an ER.

When I got back, they took me to a room, got me in a gown, hooked me up to heart monitors, an IV, oxygen, blah blah blah. They took a bunch of blood and I saw a whole new batch of people. Every time I told someone my symptoms, they took what they want out of it. No one wanted to look at everything as a whole. By the time Todd showed up, I was so angry and agitated that when he said something to make me laugh, I laughed and laughed until I CRIED and then I cried until I SOBBED. I was a mess.

They kept asking me if I was SURE I wasn't lightheaded and was I SURE that I didn't feel faint. I mean, I didn't feel great because I couldn't breathe but was I going to pass out? No. But they really didn't believe me. I guess my blood pressure was reallllllly low. To remedy this, they would typically have me tilt my head back but seeing as I couldn't breathe, this wasn't recommended. Nurse #405 of the day just shrugged, dubbed me "asymptomatic", and went about her business.

Some random doctor came in and asked if I wanted something for the pain. Was that safe with being 29 weeks pregnant? Whatever they intended to give me would at most make Sully a little sleepy (and maybe that was a GOOD thing). I was terribly uncomfortable and had been for about...18 hours at that point. So after the doctor reassured me that it was safe, I decided to go for it and get a little relief.

I was told by another hospital stranger (a nice one, actually) that I needed a Cat Scan, which I assumed was dangerous during pregnancy. They said the risk to the baby was very low and typically only a risk during the 1st trimester when organs are forming. They found the risk of me having an untreated blood clot to be more concerning so off we went. They shot me full of the contrast dye that makes you feel like you're wetting your pants and before I knew it, I was back in my room waiting for the results.

The results showed no blood clot. WEE!

But after they found that out, they were done with me. They had no intention of trying to find an alternative cause for my pain and discomfort. They brought discharge papers and sent me on my way, telling me it was probably acid reflux. Or I was probably confusing heartburn with chest pain. Yeah, I've been pregnant twice and lived on this planet for 33 years. I KNOW what heartburn feels like.

Did I mention that they never came back with my meds? A nurse asked me as I was practically out the door if I wanted them to give me something but at this point, why bother? It had been hours since they were offered.

Once the blood clot was ruled out, they really and truly didn't want anything to do with me. Made me feel like a burden. I even spoke up and said, "Soooo...I just go home not being able to breathe and having chest pains?". I guess so cause all I got were a bunch of weird faces and shrugged shoulders. I hope they all get hunchbacks from the amount of shrugging they do. They hallways of the ER were littered with beds and sick people in chairs. They were busy, I get it, but I left feeling exactly how I did when I walked in.

It's Thursday and I STILL feel exactly how I did when I was there.

No, wait. I guess I feel a little different. I now feel like when I'm done with nursing school (stay tuned for more info on that as it develops), I will do everything in my power NOT to work in an ER. Because if working in an ER is going to be like THAT, and make you treat people like THAT, I don't want to be a part of it. Garbage. Also garbage? The fact that I know a hefty medical bill will be coming my way and I'll be paying for a whole lot of nothing.

I don't know what's going on with me but it the long run, as long as Sullivan is OK and thriving, then I'm OK. I'll see my OB and see what she has to say about everything because at least I'll be listened to. And maybe there really isn't anything terrible wrong...but they sent me away knowing I was still in pain and still couldn't breathe and to me, that's just not right.

Setting up the nursery this weekend and getting allllllllllll the rest I can.

Thanks for listening to my angry babble.

Burn Out Or Fade Away: Looking Forward To An Agenda Full Of Nothingness

70 days to go.

So the countdown continues with 10 weeks until Sully appears on the scene. And my little cabbage (his measurement this week) has been non-stop rocking out in my guts. Speaking of countdowns, the ball...or balls as it were...are about to drop! Yep, the testicles are descending now. And his bones are hardening, making his moves tuff enough to make me cringe from time to time.

Sullivan's brain is getting all wrinkly as the tissue increases and his bones are making red blood cells instead of his spleen. He's adding on fat which allows him to regulate temperature so he's shedding all the fur he's been sporting. Every week, he gets closer to being ready for this world, and we're getting closer to being ready for him in our homestead. And believe me, my poor body is ready. It's BEAT!

I'm still bouncing back from the sickness but I'm not feeling toooooo sluggish anymore. Spencer took it easy on me over the weekend and I thank my little boo for that. We even had a nice 2 hour nap in the big bed on Friday. Heaven. I always despise going back to work after spending extra time with him. I feel like I'm doing something wrong. Like I'm abandoning him. But he's got to be sick of me by now.

Lounging on Sully.

Kicking it with sick mommy.

Bath time drama, per usual.

His mind was blown by how entertaining I can be.

2 hour nap. Looks like such a little boy.

Watching Saturday The 14th.

Rocking his new hat! Just like mommy's!

Despite my shabby form, a lot was accomplished over the weekend. Some organizing was done, a new stove was purchased and put in place, paper products for the party were bought, and most importantly...Aiden's carpet was installed and he is officially moved in and bunking on the 1st floor. It's weird but I can't even picture the art room ever being there anymore. It's a big, and awesome, change. He's going to flip when he sees it today for the first time.

All new rooms need a lava lamp. It's a rule.

So where do we go from here? Now that Aiden has relocated, it's time to get down to business in Sullivan Forest. Todd is patching nail holes and sanding today and then we can buy paint (a chocolaty brown), as the bedding has arrived. His second print, The Dictionary Hare, also arrived! I love you Etsy! I can't WAIT to see where Sully is going to live. All 3 boys have awesome new rooms. Not bad.

Once the nursery is squared away this weekend, it's pretty much going to be surface cleaning and supply shopping before the party! My stress levels are actually fairly low now, thanks to help from family and friends (including an impromptu visit from his Aunt Potsie). And low stress levels are EXACTLY what I need because I just realized...Spencer and I have another Hell Week coming up!!

If you remember, we had a Hell Week back in May that included a bunch of appointments/events...it was a lot on a little boy and his pregnant mom. Well, I'm MORE pregnant now and we have MORE appointments/events.

Over the span of a week, we will have his occupation therapy revaluation, his birthday party (with a mighty large family guest list), speech AND physical therapy, the Oncololgy clinic (on his 1st birthday), his 1 year appointment at the Pediatrician which includes more blood work to make sure his thyroid is behaving, AND I have an OB appointment. Holy cow. It's even more terrifying when it's spelled out.

Once all of that is said and done, I'll have 44 days left to cook a baby. And I'm going to spend each of them in a coma, I'll tell you what.

Eventually I'll get around to telling you about going back to school. Time to dust off my plaid skirts and saddle shoes!

11 days until my next OB/GYN appointment.
20 days until Spencer's birthday party.
23 days until Spencer turns 1...and goes back to the Oncology clinic.

42 days until school starts (but that's another story).
67 days until my last day at work.
70 days until the C-Section