Seven Weeks and Counting.

Wow, is there a lot to accomplish before Delaney arrives. One would think that with a second child, especially of the same gender, things would be fairly straight-forward and not much preparation involved. Wrong!

We have to finish cleaning up the kids' room, remove the old dresser (which I really wish would fit ANYWHERE because we could use the extra clothing storage), put the crib back together, find a new bumper for the crib, finish my art projects, get the newborn clothes rewashed...the list just seems to have multiplied out of the blue.

In the meantime, Rudy is being jerked around at work. It seems that his bosses are punishing him for going to school because it will interfere with their want to have him at work constantly as a salaried manager. So they've postponed his MIT from April until June, which is right in the middle of his summer classes, most likely because they want to push him out of the program entirely. It is a HUGE letdown for us, because we really need the money the promotion was going to bring. It almost feels like we've gone back to square one. This has been our luck for years.

And as I bring up luck, how lucky is it that the gas company accidentally turns off our gas, then comes back and turns it on, but somewhere in there someone manages to break something pertaining to the meter and fails to report it. After what seems like hundreds of calls to the gas company, we find that they are attempting to fix the problem, but in the meanwhile, we've been without hot water for an entire week. What.thehell.man.

I don't want to end this post on a negative note, so I'll say that tonight Afton was goofing around pretending to drink from a block and shaking her head a bunch of times. She was giggling and babbling and at one point Rudy and I imitated her babble by saying "nigh-nigh", to which she turned suddenly, said "nigh-nigh" back to us and began waving as she ran down the hall. We both just stopped and stared at her because we couldn't really believe that maybe, finally, we had happened upon a truly recognizable word! So we began saying it again, asking Afton if she wanted to go "nigh-nigh", and sure enough she continued to turn, wave and run down the hall toward her room. Rudy then picked her up, and to test the theory he put her to bed. Not a peep!

Talk about awesome.

Just a few weeks left now!

My insides are Bewitched!

I have been sick for an entire week now, and I am so absolutely tired of it I could scream! I understand that one's immune system takes a major hit when harboring a fetus, but for someone who never gets sick to fall ill twice in just a few months is, well...annoying to say the least. At least this time I didn't need to go to the hospital, which is a plus.

I feel bad for Afton, though, because I am so wasted tired that I can barely get out of bed/couch/floor/any surface I may be laying on, let alone actively play with her. Everything I do makes me want to fall over, or my heart will start racing and pounding. I can't even sleep anymore because I am so uncomfortable and because of my heart, it's wearing me out! My next appointment is on Tuesday and it cannot come soon enough.

In the meantime I need to muster enough strength to get the house cleaned up, the laundry completed and finish some work on an art project. Oh, and I guess it might be important to feed Afton at some point as well. Poor baby girl.

Did I mention I hate being sick?

10 Weeks and Counting.

Since Afton and Delaney will be sharing a room, it's important to me to have some sort of...well, symmetry. I've always had a knack for decorating, but I find myself going in ten-hundred thousand directions when it comes to what I want to do with the girls' room. I was exploring a website the other day and created the most beautiful crib bedding set for Delaney.

I was able to pick the patterns I wanted and attach them to each individual part of the set, creating something uniquely individual (because individual alone just doesn't cut it in Karlyville). I am absolutely in love with my crib set, but I couldn't possibly ever afford it, since the total is somewhere around $425. I'm sure many people wouldn't bat an eyelash at a price like that, but I don't even spend that much on my OWN bedding, which I lovingly buy from Ikea every few years.

It is a time like this that I wish I had a sewing machine, because I would love to add something like making a crib set to my to-do list. For you know, my kids' kids. Until then, I will just keep the crib set on my wish list and wish for a miracle.

The only other thing on my list for Delaney is a double stroller. I spent a lot of time watching mothers and children in double strollers to try to determine what would be the best buy for me and my family. In the end I came to this stroller:

The Baby Trend Sit N Stand. I learned from watching other families as well as talking to Mom that a lot of younger siblings have a high desire to help push the stroller with new baby on board. This leaves little desire to have a stroller that I would have to constantly buckle and unbuckle Afton into. The front seat of the stroller is made compatible so I can attach my Graco infant carseat easily, and the jumpseat in back would allow Afton to sit when tired, or stand when engaged, or to even step off and walk when she felt like it. And I won't have to be troubled with taking anything apart! This makes the stroller lighter than other doubles and more compact.

I did debate the jogging strollers for awhile because they are supposed to be easier to push and more maneuverable, but they are just gigantic and ill-equipped to handle small spaces and stores with narrow aisles. And since I am not a jogger, why bother? The reviews for the Sit N Stand seem to be pretty overwhelmingly positive and the product itself is only $129.99 at Babiesrus.com, which is remarkably inexpensive. I think I can convince my husband to go for it, I can hope!

In the meantime, I have several small projects to work on for the kids' room, but all this sitting around is starting to leave me frustrated and depressed. I need friends down here, and so far I have none. And I don't have any customers either. It's all very lonesome. So off to bed I go.