Only Time Will Tell

We are getting down to the wire, only a couple of more weeks to go and it's both exciting and strange to know that very soon we will no longer be three. Braedan was a week early, but I have heard time and time again that everything you experienced with the first will be the exact opposite for the next one. So much for feeling like I might be a little ahead of the game this time around in knowing what to expect. But if this is to be true then maybe she might feel like coming on her due date which would put her right on time, and if that's the case then that is the first indicator that she will take after me. When I'm on my time, which is rare, it's a feat but I think, hey I made it at the scheduled time. According to the hubby if you're on time you're late, so we shall see. The doctor did say if there is no change by 39 weeks then we can induce. Keep up us in your thoughts and we will keep you posted. Love the three of us...for now.

Too Fast, Too Soon

Since about the last three months of my pregnancy Braedan has shown signs here and there that he is growing way too fast, too soon and it's all taken place in little things he says and does. For example, he sneezed the other day and I wasn't fast enough in telling him, "Bless you," so before he gave me a chance to say it he blurted out, "You forgot to tell me bless you." On a different day he outsmarted the hubby during one of their trips to the mailbox. Braedan loves to ride his bike there and on that particular day, the hubby didn't want to go through the process of opening the garage and getting his bike out so he tried to talk Braedan into just walking there. Braedan took the time to listen to his request but at the end of it he pointed out to daddy that, "But I be faster on my bike." The hubby couldn't argue with that so there he was forced to take out his bike.

Another sign occurred on the first day he began school with the same Mother's Day Out Program he participated in last year. The morning of I wanted to take a picture of him at the house, and he refused to oblige to my repeated requests. Like any preschooler, he has learned to become a lot more independent and let us know what he likes or doesn't like so there I was settling to take my picture while he sat in the car, but thankfully poopy pants was in a happy mood after school and let me get a full length picture of him then.


Before...
 

and after

But the best, and most significant, sign of his growth was never more obvious to me than this past weekend. Last Friday he and I took a trip to Build-a-Bear to pick out a special bear to give to baby sister when she gets here. I thought this to be a perfect gift for her from him, because Braedan has a special bear of his own who he must sleep with every night. On our way to the mall, I was a little worried that once we started the build-a-bear process, he would see the fun and appeal of it all and might begin asking for a bear of his own, but from the moment it started the thought never even crossed his mind. It was so sweet to watch him and he explained to the employee that this bear was for his baby sister. He enjoyed choosing the bear and prepping her for baby sister.

Here he is giving the heart some love before they place it in bear.
 

A little bath time

 

Dressing her

 

Here he is all set to show sister her new bear. I cannot wait for him to meet her, and that definitely cannot come soon enough.







Don't Blink or You'll Miss It

A couple of weeks ago while in the shower, which happens to be the one place where I get some alone time and do my best thinking for the day, you know the typical mom stuff: What will we have for dinner tonight? I need to add grapes to the grocery list? What am I going to wear today. Well during that particular morning while running through my scattered thoughts list, I realized that September was almost over. On top of that it felt as though I had blinked and pretty much missed August. If it wasn't for looking back and reflecting on the numerous good times we had that month, I would just continue on thinking that August was just another blurred moment until the baby arrives.

But August started out with another episode of "Parents Gone Wild" as we both celebrated and mourned the move of our dear friends and neighbors, the Jensens. Like us, the Jensens have moved around a bit with the ultimate goal of getting back to San Antonio, and during the summer they finally received their wish much to our and other friends dismay. I think other mutual friends of the Jensens can agree with me when I say they have been our go to source for a good time. So it was only appropriate that they continue their streak, and leave us with the ultimate of good-byes by coordinating a fun-filled weekend which included drinks, dancing and a dinner party.

 

It's been a full month since they moved and LWOJ, or Life Without the Jensens, has been an adjustment, but we are surviving. Even Braedan understood the impact of their move and has significantly cut down his questions on whether his good buddies Ethan and Carter would be at certain play dates. When I tell him that they unfortunately won't be there and remind him they now live in San Antonio, he immediately tells me, "I go to San Antonio to visit them," and I make sure to let him know they will be reunited again. I love that I can tell him they are the first friends he ever made here in Corpus.

 

 

During that following week I celebrated my birthday, and it was a typical, quiet day, which has become the norm now that we have a family. And living up to my pregnant lady role, my dinner request for that evening was a nice, big bacon cheeseburger grilled by the hubby. He fulfilled my other pregnant lady cravings by bringing home cupcakes, and the icing on the cake to it all (no pun intended) was having Braedan sing "Happy Birthday" to me. During his serenade he made sure to put himself as close as possible to the cupcake.

The weekend after that I decided to make a trip to San Antonio making it the last time I would drive up there until the baby comes. I kept going back and forth on the timing of this trip causing a frenzy of planning for my sister because unbeknownst to me, she was secretly working on a surprise baby shower. Even with my typical, and not to mention annoying, habit of indecisiveness she still managed to pull it off. She got my whole family to be there and even a few of my closest girlfriends from college. I do not know what I did in my previous life to have been blessed with such a thoughtful, giving and helpful sister. She truly is the best, because like I said she pulled it all together within a matter of days since I kept changing my mind. She managed to get everyone there on short notice, make party favors, coordinate with family to help with decorations and other favors, bake my cake, and on top of that, pretty much watched Braedan the entire shower because as usual he did not want to be more than two feet away from her.

 When the baker she was trying to order from couldn't fulfill the request, she said no problem I'll just bake the cake.

 Our family

 My sweet girlfriends who always make time to visit despite their busy schedules.

 And Braedan enjoying his favorite part of the shower.

By the length of this post, August looks pretty busy, but I still haven't finished. So as they say, to be continued...

Part II

As promised, we continue on with Part II of August and the remainder of our San Antonio trip. While we were in town, we made another visit to Sea World and took advantage of other attractions we haven't seen too much of during our previous stops. We fed the dolphins (which I didn't get a picture of because I had my hands full with lifting him up to the pool to actually see and feed them), caught a show with Elmo and the Sesame Street gang, splashed around in Elmo's Bay of Play and saw a special night time performance of Shamu.


     

Having fun at the water table.

Patiently waiting to see the Sesame Street gang.

Braedan's second cousin Ariel who loves all the characters  and who
actually started crying when we left Cookie Monster.

After all the Sea World fun, we visited with my grandmother and Braedan always does his best to get her movin' and a shakin'. Needless to say this gives her a good laugh, and it's sweet to watch him try and give her a pep in her step. Here he is showering her with his hugs.

And when the end of August finally rolled around, I received another chance to celebrate our baby girl, this time with friends here in Corpus. My friends Allison and Emily quickly put together a shower all before Allison was set to make her big move to San Antonio. They did such a great job with it all, and it was a fun excuse to have a child-free dinner with the gals where we could gab, laugh and, the best part, finish a meal with no interruptions AND before it got cold.

Here I am with the shower hosts. Emily, on the right, was my co-teacher last year.



Since I know my friend Emily doesn't toot her own horn when it comes to her crafting ability, I will do it for her. She made the cute table toppers below and is always coming up with something fun and creative.



As I've frequently mentioned before, there's nothing I enjoy doing more than having a good meal,
especially when I get to do it with friends, and I only wish I could have had a glass of wine to go with it. 

 



So there is August in a not so small nutshell. I told you I needed two posts just to keep you from saying, "When will it end?" In fact, looking back on it now, I wish it didn't have to end so quickly.