Life Lately - Countdown to Baby!

Hello, my friends! This space has been very neglected over the past two and a half weeks. I'm currently almost 37 weeks pregnant, and we have been in full Prepare For Baby mode lately! My focus is on organizing all the things, getting the house ready for a newborn, and dealing with the usual busyness of life right now!

I feel so much guilt over neglecting all the posts I had planned, but I'm working hard on giving myself grace. This pregnancy was a big surprise, and it has been very difficult for me. I am so ready for it to be over, and for this baby boy to finally be in our arms! I'm ready for my body AND my life to get back to normal, even if that new normal is going to be even busier!

Here's what we have been up to over the past few weeks while counting down to our baby's arrival...

Monday, January 28th

It was a ridiculously cold morning, but back to school for my crew! After dropping Lexie, Lily, and Liam off at school, I headed out to do my grocery shopping. I had just enough time to drop the groceries off at home and put them away before I had to pick Liam up from Kindergarten. The rest of the day was spent at home. It was a typical school night, which means homework x 4, dinner prep, showers, nighttime chores, bedtime routines...you know, so busy that I collapse into bed after all the kids are in their own beds!

Tuesday, January 29th

Another school day...this day, however, Liam stayed home. He had woken up late the night before with diarrhea. It was probably from something he ate, because he had no other symptoms, and never had it again! While the big kids were at school, the district had already called a cancellation for the following day due to the expected low temperatures and windchill the following day. They were SO excited when they got home from school, and we had a relaxing night since they didn't have to get up for school the following day!

Wednesday, January 30th

Sure enough, the polar vortex hit, and it was REALLY cold outside. Negative temps and a windchill of almost -20! We stayed inside all day! Yet again, the school district called another cancellation for the following day. Because of how cold it was, Dylan didn't have to go to basketball practice, either. We ended up having another relaxing night!

Thursday, January 31st

I celebrated the polar vortex by heading to my weekly OB appointment/NST at the crack of dawn! It was -5 outside when I left my house! I had a few contractions during the NST, but the baby is tolerating them really well, so the doctor isn't concerned about his well-being. As soon as I got home, Grant headed to the office. By that point I was wide awake, and didn't even attempt to go back to bed, even though I could!

We had another day of staying indoors all day! Dance was also cancelled that evening. I'm not going to lie...it was a bit of a long day with all the kids home for the second day in a row, but we got a lot of work done around the house! That evening, after dinner, they all got ready to head back to school the following day. After everyone was tucked into bed, Grant and I escaped to our room to watch some shows on Netflix before going to bed.

Friday, February 1st

It was rough when my alarm went off at 6 AM on Friday morning! I noticed that it sounded very quiet outside, but didn't really think about it. I woke Dylan up, then headed to the front door to check the temperature outside. It was then that I realized that there was snow everywhere, and the roads looked terrible! I checked my phone, and of course, I had just missed a phone call from the school informing us of a two hour delay. I headed back to bed, but couldn't sleep, so I came back out to work. While I was working, the two hour delay changed to a third cancellation in a row!

Grant was working a half day from home, so he joined me in the living room to work around 8 AM. A few minutes later, the girls and Liam ran out, excited about another day off! Around noon, Grant and I had to brave the nasty roads to head to our growth ultrasound. Thankfully, the main roads were clear by that point!

The baby is growing really well! He looks great, and weighs about 5 lbs 14 oz, which was in the 73rd percentile. The ultrasound tech looked up his siblings' stats, and they were all in the 80th and 90th percentiles, so he's a bit smaller than they were (at the moment)! He refused to show us his face or profile, but the ultrasound pointed out that he had a LOT of hair. It was actually floating around his head! We were very relieved that he's healthy and growing well!

That afternoon, the girls, Liam, and I headed over to my parent's house for dinner. Lily stayed behind for a sleepover, but the rest of us headed back home to finish laundry, and get ready for Dylan's early morning basketball game. It was REALLY cold again, but we knew there was an end in sight!

Saturday, February 2nd

Apparently Friday night and Saturday morning are going to be my days to have false labor and horrible round ligament pain. I was in so much pain when I woke up, that I could barely move, but we were at the gym by 7:45 for Dylan's basketball game. The coaches decided to switch things up a bit, and do a team trade, and Dylan ended up on the rival team. He wasn't happy about it, and I contracted through the entire game, but at least it went quickly!

Back at home, Liam and I went back to bed for a few hours, and I woke up feeling a lot better. It also felt better outside, reaching a high of 40. It felt amazing after the polar vortex! I spent the afternoon rearranging Liam and the baby's room, and putting away baby clothes in the dresser/changing table. That evening, Grant took Dylan to a friend's house, then our friends came over for a few hours. My contractions were picking up a bit again, so I decided to take it easy until bedtime!

Sunday, February 3rd

Superbowl Sunday! It was BEAUTIFUL outside, so the kids and I spent a few hours outdoors that afternoon. We didn't even have to wear jackets! Grant picked up Dylan and ran to the store for some last minute party supplies, while I cleaned the house. That evening, our friends came over for a casual Superbowl party. The kids outnumbered the adults, so it was a bit chaotic, but the food was good and the company was great! It didn't even matter that the Superbowl was really boring!

The kids were up really late, and we had to rush through our school night routine to get them to bed. It was a fun weekend, but I knew that after 5 days off from school and a party, it was going to be a tough Monday morning for all of us!

Monday, February 4th

It was a rough return to school after five days off! I drove my crew to school and returned home to get some work done. Grant was working from home again. He's logging in a lot of hours at home these days to help out, and will be off for two weeks when the baby is born for paternity leave. I ran errands before picking Liam up from Kindergarten, and we spent the rest of the day at home. It was beautiful outside, so as soon as the older kids got home from school, they went out to play.

Tuesday, February 5th

After dropping my kids off at school, I did our weekly grocery shopping. I managed to get everything home and put away before I had to pick Liam up from school. We spent the rest of the day at home.

Wednesday, February 6th

On Wednesday morning, my kids had a dentist appointment. I schedule them all at once (with the exception of Liam who is more hands on) so I only have to make one appointment. They were a bit behind that morning, and Dylan needed xrays and Lily needed two sets of xrays, so I didn't even drop them off at school until 11. Liam ended up missing the day, because he just has half day Kindergarten, and it was too late to drop him off. We spent the afternoon visiting my parents, and I ended up taking my mom shopping. That evening we had to rush to fit in our after school/dinner routine before Grant took Dylan to basketball practice, and I got the rest of our crew ready for bed.

 

Thursday, February 7th

I kicked off 35 weeks of pregnancy by returning to my morning workouts. It's officially my safe zone, since the baby is big! It was very foggy, and a giant tree fell down near me while I was walking, but it felt so good to get back into an exercise routine after a few weeks off! That evening, my dad came over to watch my kids until Grant got home, while I took Lily to dance. We don't get home until 7:30, so we always have a late dinner on Thursday nights, and a rushed bedtime routine!

Friday, February 8th

I had my weekly OB appointment/NST bright and early on Friday morning. Everything is still looking good with the baby, and he's tolerating the contractions well! I made it home in time to take my kids to school without them being late, then headed out for a walk. It was really windy and cold, so I only made it 1 1/2 miles. After I picked Liam up from school, he needed a nap. We visited my parents that afternoon, and the girls made chocolate covered Valentine's Day pretzels with my mom. That evening, Liam stayed behind for his sleepover, and we came home and finished up the weekly laundry.

Saturday, February 9th

Dylan finally had a 9:00 AM basketball game! I swear, that extra hour of sleep made all the difference. Dylan was on fire during the game, and scored 13 points, which was about half of their final score! When we got home, Grant and Dylan ran out for a a few hours for their weekly father/son bonding time, and the girls and I put together our awesome new travel system, which was a gift from my godparents and cousins! They spent the rest of the day playing in the giant box it came in, and Lily even napped in it and slept in it overnight!

Saturday has been our big project day lately, and our project this week was starting to clean out the attic. We have a huge attic, and it's overfilled. I managed to organize the toy storage room, and the baby gear storage area, and donate a ton of clothing!

Sunday, February 10th

Sundays have been our lazy days this Winter. The past few weekends, I've had a lot of contractions from Friday-Sunday, so I try to take it easy. The kids spent the day playing, and we had dinner together that evening, before jumping back into the school night routine.

Monday, February 11th

On Monday, I hit the snowy trail after dropping my kids off at school. I picked Liam up early, because I had to drive down to Grant's office for a surprise baby shower for him. He was definitely surprised, and we were blessed with an abundance of diapers, wipes, baby necessities, and gift cards! He has the best group of coworkers!

When I got home from the shower, we unloaded all the food and gifts, and the kids started arriving home from school. That evening, I met one of my closest friends for dinner at Olive Garden. It was so nice to go out without kids and reconnect! We ended up chatting until we pretty much had to go home!

Tuesday, February 12th

On Tuesday, Liam had PJ day at school. After dropping him and his sisters off at their schools, I headed out to do the weekly grocery shopping, then ran everything home before picking Liam up. When the rest of my crew got home from school, we set up our diaper supply area in the attic (we are totally set with diapers and wipes!), then worked on valentines and Valentine's Day boxes for the kids' parties at school. We totally went store-bought this year. I didn't have it in me to help the kids create homemade masterpieces!

Wednesday, February 13th

Lily had her Valentine's Day party at school on Wednesday, and it was PJ day! She was so excited! That night, we had our Valentine's Day Dinner since Lily had dance the following night. Grant took Dylan to basketball practice, while I handled the bedtime routine.

Thursday, February 14th

Happy Valentine's Day! The kids (and Grant) woke up to treats, then headed to school and work. Liam had his Valentine's Day Party at school, and had a great time! Grant managed to head home early from the office that day so my dad didn't have to come over to watch the kids while I took Lily to dance. When we got home, we had dinner together, and Grant surprised me with a giant box of my favorite chocolates. After putting the kids to bed, Grant and I watched Netflix until it was our bedtime!

Friday, February 15th

Grant worked from home on Friday, because I had a pretty big OB appointment/NST. The NST ran longer than usual, because I was having regular contractions that they were watching. I got some pre-delivery tests done, and when the OB checked me, I was 2 cm dilated and 70% effaced. He said he wouldn't try to stop labor at that point, so we're officially on baby watch!

Lexie, Lily, and Liam were late to school since my appointment ran so long, but no big deal. He'll be here soon enough, and all of these appointments will be over! I returned home briefly, then had to head back to Liam's school to read to his class for his half birthday (which is technically today). He was SO excited to see me that he practically trampled his classmates to get to my side! We read three of his favorite books (How Do Dinosaurs... and Llama Llama), then his class sang Happy Birthday to him!

Liam got to leave school early and come home with me, and obviously needed a nap, because he fell asleep fast! Later that afternoon, we headed to my parent's house for our weekly visit. While we were there, my dad took her shopping for her birthday. He does that for each of my kids just before their birthday, and lets them pick out a few gifts. This week, it was Lexie's turn to sleep over, and the rest of us headed back home.

Saturday, February 16th

Another basketball game at the crack of dawn! It was a good game, and Dylan's team came so close to winning, despite only having one alternate. When we got home, Dylan and Grant went out for their weekly drive, and Liam, Lily, and I ended up taking a late morning nap. After dinner, we did a kid swap with our close friends. Lily went to their house for a sleepover, and their son slept over our house. Lexie eventually came home from her birthday celebration with my parents. They took her to Barnes and Noble, and out to dinner at Applebees. It has been their tradition for several years!

 I had a very uncomfortable pregnancy day, but I managed to organize our bathroom closet, and throw out two bags of garbage. I have to admit, I DO love the nesting instinct that comes with pregnancy!

Sunday, February 17th

Our lazy Sunday tradition turned into a day of work. The baby's crib arrived, so we are in the process of setting up Liam and the baby's shared room. We condensed all the toys that were in Liam's room, and placed them in bins in the attic for toy rotation each week, rearranged the furniture, and put all the remaining baby items away. We still have several deliveries coming this week, and a few more things to buy, but we are mostly ready for his arrival! The room looks great, and is officially ready to be painted and decorated!

By the time I finished, I was exhausted. Logan got picked up by his brother, and Lily decided to spend another night at their house, since they had the day off school today. We ended up eating dinner together and watching Netflix that evening, and we didn't head to bed until much later than usual.

I know this was a LONG recap, but I'm commited to it this year. The countdown to baby is on, and it really could be any day now! I can't help but wonder if next week's recap will include the birth of our 5th baby. Oh, how I hope!!!

Should I even confess that I started this post over two weeks ago and just finished?!? 

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