So we almost had a baby

Last night was wild.  I was up until about 4 am with what felt like Braxton Hicks contractions - but they were consistently 6 min apart.  I wasn't sure if I should head over to the hospital or what.  I didn't want to at all because I feel so unprepared.  I don't just feel unprepared, I am unprepared.  I don't have a bag packed - no outfit picked out for No. 2 and to be honest I haven't even had "the talk" with my OB about when to go in. I was searching Google for answers at 2 or 3 a.m. reading blogs and Yahoo! Answers.

Then finally they started spacing out to 8 min apart then 10... so I went to sleep.  But it was wild.  We were almost sure it was time.  Which is crazy.

It all started with me getting ready for a wedding that we have today.  I was doing my nails during Devil Wears Prada, when half-way through the movie I noticed the contractions kept coming in waves.  They weren't painful at all (except that No. 2 was super active and would try to move around even during contraction which hurt).  Then as the movie ended they kept coming.  So I started timing them and that's when I noticed they were consistently every 6 min... and it stayed that way for at least 2 hours or more... then they spaced out and I was able to fall asleep.

I pulled out "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and starting cramming like for an exam.  I motored through the Ninth Month chapter and the Labour & Delivery chapter in record time, all the while experiencing mild contractions still 6 min apart.

When the book wasn't clear enough for me I turned to online help.  Almost all the bogs and Answers online said "Go to the hospital" but I was ready to wait it out a bit to make sure it was real.  They only want to admit you when you're 5 min or 4 min apart consistently.  And I think there is pain by that point right?  I mean, I understand that every woman labours differently and every pregnancy can be different too.  I remember with Noah I was in pain.  At least menstrual crap style pain.  And last night all I had was a very active No. 2 and almost no pain during any of the contractions...

I woke up this morning and was glad and relived it isn't time yet.  I quickly made up a list of what I need for the hospital and plan on packing that bag and picking out No. 2's outfit tomorrow or Monday.  And we are still stuck on a middle name.  I have to pick that out pronto too!  We have beautiful first name (sorry, I don't wanna spoil it) but Hubby vito-ed my middle name selection.  We are on the hunt for something that will go with the first name...

Well last night's close call really put things in perspective for me.  I need to get my butt into gear and get the stuff ready for baby whether renos are done or not.

I'm happy to announce Hubby's office in the basement is nearing completion.  First coat of primer is already on!  Yay!  Now just two coats of paint and carpet and we are moving the office out of the spare room and after two coats of paint in there too, I can start moving in the baby furniture :)

I can't wait!

We are now in between our friend's wedding ceremony and reception.  A quick stop by home to freshen up and such... so I thought I'd share.

Well there you have it folks.  I got a little taste of "spontaneous" labour and it was everything it sounds like - spontaneous and a wee bit exciting.

Me, today, on pee break just before the start of the ceremony

Orders are sent in

I saw No. 2 this morning.  He is cute!  He's got a slightly different profile than Noah did.  I think his nose is different.  He may have my Romanian nose rather than Hubby's Slovak one.  We'll see - but it does look different to me.  Anyways, went up to visit the high risk OB after the ultrasound (as I do every week) and there was nothing to report, nothing to change, everything has been great.  He says No. 2 is measuring around 7 lbs, 15 oz which is fine since, again, Noah was 9 lbs 9 oz and my BGs and A1Cs have been fabulous (last one was 5.9%)  Yay!

Then off I went to see my endocrinologist as well.  Other than low BGs when I am waking up (due to really agressive wake up basals) everything is all good.  We dialed back the basals a bit and then we started talking about "So once the baby is delivered..." I sat there in the chair in his office and it hit me - No. 2 is almost here.  I am less than three weeks away from holding the little stinker.  He explained that he'd like me to keep my pump on for labour and for the delivery and then as soon as I deliver to turn the pump off.  He was telling me that he's had some ladies that went into a "honeymoon" state where they did not need a drop of insulin for up to 5 days!  What?!  I've heard swimming to cure diabetes but delivery too?  I guess he was explaining that once that placenta ( her and I didn't really get along all that well ) is out my insulin requirements will be much much less.

Now in week 37, I am using about 36 units of insulin and we just set up the Pattern A to pre-pregnancy basals (I'll be flipping to this basal pattern as soon as No. 2 is out) to be down to 11.5 units per day.  That is crazy, eh?   But at first to run Pattern B which is set up to 0.0 right across the board.  To watch the before meals.  He said for the first meal to not bolus and then to test and see where I am at.  For example if before the meal I am at BG of 4 (70s) then 2 hrs after I am at 14 (mid 200s) to correct and then only bolus for meals.  If it's good, then to just keep watching it.  If I find that my before meals are high to go ahead and flip back to Pattern A which is the before pregnancy basals.

He said he's sending in the orders to the OB.  That means it's really soon!

He also said they will be running a sugar IV for the first 3 or 4 hours after delivery... I'm not sure how I feel about that.  I would like to be able to nurse the baby and be free from tubes and all that jazz.

I haven't really talked about my plans on the blog for the delivery... mainly because I haven't formulated my "birth plan" yet.  But just off the top of my head - I would like to have a natural delivery with no epidural and no episiotomy and no forceps/vacuum ...  That's how it went for Noah and it was great.  I mean, the delivery went smoothly - it was not great!  But we made it through safely and with no complications.  I figure I am already high risk why add all these other drugs and such that raise the likelyhood of other things going wonky?  God created us to deliver children.  I'm not trying to be a martyr and I am not a crazy extremist home-homebirther (not that there is anything wrong with women who choose to go that route - close friends of mine have had all their kids at home) - I know that is not an option for me and I wouldn't choose it even if it was.  I am more comfortable at the hospital in case that something does go wrong.  But I do understand that delivering a child is not a sickness - I am not at the hospital because I am sick - I am there to have a baby and these wonderful people will assist me in doing just that.

Anyways, I was much more assertive and I knew the whys and hows with Noah... I just know I want it to go off without a hitch like with Noah.  I didn't refresh my research this time around.  I think I will do that in the coming days.  I praise God that I even have the option to have options... you know what I mean?  My OB is totally flexible and is fine with whatever I choose - I told him that I trust his medical judgement and that I will be telling him only what my wishes are.  If for whatever reason there is a need to intervene that is fine.  Do it.  But let me know.  We'll discuss it and Hubby and I will let you know what decision we've come to.  The OB is the expert; we are concerned and well-meaning parents.  We want only the very best for mommy and baby.

Ek, as I talk about all of this I realize how unprepared I am right about now.  I am so excited and I can't wait to hold No. 2 and nurse him and all of that!  But at the same time I am a tad bit scared.  I have a lot of wonderful friends and family praying for me - they all understand the risks involved.  And I do too.

But I also understand that my God is in charge.  He already knows how this will all go down and I trust in Him.  I believe God.  When he says he wants only good things for his children, I believe it.  And when things don't go according to my plans I thank him that he knows better than me and that he still has my best interest at heart.  Even with Diabetes.  I know there is a reason why I have this invisible awful but manageable disease... even if I don't know what that reason is.

Stay tunned for "The Birth Plan".

Pharmacy Grocery Bags

I stopped by the pharmacy today to pick up my supplies and I was quite embarrassed when I walked out with what seemed like "grocery bags".  Everyone else was picking up their dainty little paper bags with their one or two prescriptions and there's me carrying out two or three full size plastic grocery bags filled with supplies.  I'm not sure why that struck me as weird/embarrassing/concerning... Is it a testament to how much stuff I need to stay alive?  And if it's true that I spend over 14 hours a week on life sustaining therapy, WHAT IS THIS DISEASE?  Is it really that awful?  How come it's just become part of me and I don't really recognize it as such most days?  Some days I don't know what to make of it.  Is it okay to be embarrassed or should I be proud of it or maybe just accepting?  I'm not sure some times.
  

Last night after Noah went to sleep,  I asked Hubby to watch a movie with me - I was craving The Island.  I was surprised when he agreed.  I wanted to go to the kitchen and get some snacks ready for us and pull out the blankets - make it a true "Movie Night".  But suddenly, I nearly passed out.  I couldn't will myself to go to the kitchen, couldn't think where the blankets were and couldn't even get to the family room to sit down. A quick glance down at my CGM on my pump showed 6.8 with an arrow down.  What the monkey?  He helped me over to the couch and retrieved a glass of OJ for me and my tester.  My meter read 5.4 and I knew I must be on my way down fast.  I drank the OJ and waited for it to kick in.  Nothing.  Five minutes later I still feel like crap and my head was hanging back against the back of the couch as if my neck was too weak to hold it up.  I couldn't even think about the movie or starting it or where it was or anything - just how awful I felt.  Hubby got me another glass of OJ and I downed that too.  It was so strange.  Finally ten or fifteen minutes later I felt myself return to normal.  The 3hr sensor graph on my pump showed a quick drop in blood sugar from 7ish to mid 4.  Was it just the sudden drop that did that?!  We poped in the movie and Hubby served up the snacks - brownies with my homemade strawberry jam on top and a big glass of milk - what a sweetheart!  He had two honking brownies while I had one 2x2 square.  It was so good.

I do not like how diabetes has an effect on me as a whole.  My mood changes, my personality is altered, and I am rendered completely useless.  All plans are halted until diabetes decides it's going to ease up a bit and let me breathe again. Then down goes some sugar and SHE'S BACK!  I don't like it.  I don't think it's fair.  It completely takes over.  I have no control.  It's like those dreams where you are running away from something but you can not move your legs - it feels like you are going in slow motion.  And no matter how hard you try to speed up, you can't and it's so frustrating and scary (since most of the time you are either running away from something or towards something).  With diabetes I am not running away, I'm trying to just function.  I'm not asking for the extraordinary.  I'd like to just function normally.  It's weird.  You think you're okay with it - you think you've accepted it and an episode like the one last night really kicks my butt.

We are down to the last month before the baby.  I have 29 days left before No. 2 is due.  I am slowly starting to feel the "let's get this over with" feeling.  I am much more tired these days and the backpack in the front is getting quite heavy.  Sometimes I feel like I just have to sit down that instant.  My little one is still kicking the living daylights out of me.  I can't get over how much more active No. 2 is than Noah.  I am peeing like an undiagnosed diabetic and turning over to the other side in the middle of the night (my two sleeping options - on the left or on the right - FUN!) requires that I actually wake up and use the headboard or Hubby to roll over.  It's ridiculous I say.

Both my endo. and my OB leave on vacation next week and so I hope No. 2 is not early.  At this week's appointments I'll have to make sure all their orders are in place.  I have to finish my birth plan (my wishes and wants for No. 2's delivery) and also maybe I should pack a bag (?!) Is it too soon?  I'm over 36 weeks already.  It could happen any day right?

I am slightly scared of the whole "spontaneous" labour bit.  I liked knowing when I have to go in.  It gave me a chance to shower, shave, get ready, take pictures in the nursery the morning of...  I have no clue what to do if I go into spontaneous labour.  What if my water breaks while I'm out running around, maybe carrying the "groceries" out of the pharmacy or at the bank or at my in-laws... What if it's the middle of the night and I am not yet rested enough to embark on the delivery journey?  Ek, I better get going on getting myself ready for delivery.  It seems I keep putting it off, hoping that the renovations will be all finalized first.  Than I can lay out all the baby clothes and put them all away, find my breast pump and make sure it's sanitized again, set up the base in the car and buy the newborn diapers... There really is so much to do and I think it's time I make a to do list and start checking it off.


On a totally different note, there is a dead bird on my back patio right at the sliding glass doors.  So random.  I walked in with my "pharmacy grocery bags" and as I passed by the sliding doors I thought, "I think I just saw a dead bird.  Nah."  But when I walked back and yup, there it is.  I'll wait for Hubby to come home to dispose of it... before the little monkey comes back from his Apko's house.  I'm not sure if he'd notice it... but I'm not really in the mood to explain that the birdie is "sleeping".  I wonder if it hit the glass and died... or maybe it had diabetes and there was no one there to bring it a glass of OJ... no that's an awful thing to say.  What a weird day...

I am typically very optimistic and glass-half-full type of gal, but today I have a glass of OJ half-way empty and I am realizing I am slowly starting to hate OJ.

The Basement Project: going great!

The Basement Project: Future Guest Room BEFORE

The Basement Project has hit the ground running!  I can't believe how much work we got done in the last two or three days.

I spent about 3 or 4 hours today completely transforming my most cluttered room in the house (the future guest bedroom in the basement) into a perfectly ready to renovate/drywall/finish space.

The Basement Project: Future Guest Room AFTER

The Basement Project: The clutter - D-cluttered

If that's not nesting I don't know what is.  All that clutter became very organized and neatly stashed away in the only room in the basement that has a finished floor - the laundry room.  Wow.  I even impressed myself.

And late in the afternoon I felt like I was running out of steam and a cat nap was in order... but somehow I was determined to get the room done so that Hubby can lay down the prep-flooring layers (some dimpled plastic that goes on the concrete and then plywood) so I skipped it.  I was fine.  I've been napping every day around 2ish so missing one day isn't so bad.  I had determination today!   



And check these pics out of Hubby's future office:

Step 1: Clear the space

Step 2: Add dimpled plastic on top of concrete

Step 3: Framing for the door

Step 4: Drywall the inside of the office

How can I not be excited?  This is great!  Tomorrow early A.M. I am picking up some more dimples and some more plywood (don't worry the peeps at those Big Box building supply stores do all the loading) and Hubby will be working away at other various things.  So excited!

And an update on the marble: CostCo headquarters is now involved.  I guess they don't like it that we've had such a horrible experience and have put us in touch directly with a top-dog at the company that supplied them the marble.  Spoke with him today and he is looking into it for me (at their warehouse in Los Angeles and also on the East coast) and getting back to me tomorrow. 

My mother-in-law has been graciously watching Noah while my father-in-law is the jack-of-all-trades in our basement - I sure love that Hubby takes after him.

On the diabetes/pregnant front: at today's ultrasound/OB appt, No. 2 is measuring around 7 lbs.  Ekk.  Really?  I'm supposedly only 34 weeks.  Um, I guess I make big babies.   Reminding myself that Noah was 9 lbs 9 oz when he was born and that I pushed for only 10 min and that total labour was only 6 hours.  Also reminding myself: God is good and He will give me the strength to get through this upcoming delivery too.  I am sure of it! 

Praising God for all the hard work that is going into The Basement Project.  All to make the pregnant lady happy.  And I guess to sleep her parents somewhere when they visit too.  And to give No. 2 a nursery.  Alright, it's not just for the pregnant lady.  But it does make her happy.

Oh you know what else makes me happy?  Hubby.  Last night we had some friends over and I had a craving for pistachio ice cream  (of all things!)  So off Hubby went to the 24hr grocery store to pick some up.  But who carries Pistachio Ice Cream?!  Not Metro.  He returned with Vanilla Ice Cream and Pistachios.  How cute is that?  Then he opened a whole bunch of pistachios (resisting the urge to eat every other one) and put them through the food processor.  Then in the blender they went with the Vanilla ice cream!  It was really good ice cream.  Totally quenched my craving and make me a very happy and in-love pregnant mama!

A tiny bit further along..

So the whole thing is moving at a snail's pace.  It seems we keep hitting brick walls.  We bought some marble tile that we decided we'd lay with the black granite and get some sort of checkered pattern in our kitchen.  We emptied out one CostCo of all their Marble tile and went home.  We called around and the other 3 or 4 CostCos we called in the area had anywhere from 50-80 boxes on hand ( we only needed an extra 10 boxes ) so we started on the project that night.  We were up until after midnight laying down all the tiles that we had - and it looked awesome. 

Early the next morning I went to the next CostCo to pick up the rest of the tile that I needed.  WOW!  It's not the same colour.  But the same item number and the same brand and everything. So I went to the next CostCo (20 minutes away) and found the same thing.  Beige marble tiles.  Not greyish like the ones at home.  And the next Costco (30 min away) same story!  How is it possible that out of all the 8 or 9 CostCos in the area the CostCo we happen to clean out of marble tile was the ONLY one that had a different tile?!   I thought "It's okay.  That's only 3 out of 8.  I'll hit the other ones the next day."  So I did.  My expedition continued... and guess what.  Not the same!  But all the CostCos I stopped by, would have nicely matched one another - GO FIGURE - but none matched what we ALREADY laid down at home.  

 

 So we're in a little bit of a pickle.  I'm interested to see how God will help us out in this.  Imagine me, 8 months pregnant waddling from CostCo to CostCo determined to see for myself that this tile does not match.  Never mind that every associate that I got on the phone at every one of the CostCos I called assured me their tile in the warehouse is most certainly beige and not gray.  I had to see it for myself.  But I have stressed out about it and it's gotten me nowhere.  So I have now prayed about it and I will wait upon the Lord to come through somehow.  (Why didn't I think to do that before freaking out?)  It may seem trivial to pray for help with a "tile problem" but I know my God is a God that cares about the details and the daily stresses of my life (he says he knows the number of hairs on my head -Matt 10:30 - and that he is also the one that knits together the baby in my womb -Psalm 139:13-) why wouldn't he care and want to provide all good and wonderful things for us?  - he does care about my tile kitchen and he does want me to come to him with all my worries and concerns. 

Thankfully, I've got one CostCo manager who graciously offered to contact the manufacturer of the tile in California and see what they can do.  And my mother-in-law went all over town at the specialty flooring stores (since we've already checked all the Big Box stores) and she found one place that has a marble tile that is close enough that it will do - but it's about three times the price of the CostCo tile.  So we'll see.  It is possible.  Somehow this will resolve.  I will not allow the hormones to take over.  I will keep it in perspective.  Check out the kitchen floor I will have when it's done!  That alone makes me feel great!  My Hubby and father-in-law are doing it all themselves too!  Praise God for handymen! 

Tomorrow it's on to The Basement Project.  We're going to start with drywall!  That is pretty exciting!  :)  Yay for drywall.

While in the States hitting CostCo after CostCo, I also stopped by Toys R Us.  I picked up some more stuff for No. 2 - a new baby seat (the Prince Lion Heart brand - Noah had one but it was lost in the flood), diaper bag, and some rattles and toys that are ever so cute!  So that kindda cheered me up too.  It's always fun getting new stuff for the baby.

On the diabetic front - yesterday's A1C results: 5.9  How great is that?!  Despite all the craziness and the weekly basal increases and the correction factor that just didn't seem to wanna co-operate (finally now it seems to have been tamed) it seems somehow all is still well with the baby.  Thursday I'm going to another ultrasound and seeing my brilliant OB too... oh and the chiropractor too.  My Thursdays from now until the baby are jam-packed with doctors.  I see about 3 or 4 every Thursday - every other Thurs there's an NST and an ultrasound the other - with a visit to see the OB right after and the Endo after that... and I scheduled my chiropractor on the way in... So yeah. It's basically: Chiropractor at 10 am, Ultrasound/NST 10:45, OB noon, Endo 1:30ish.   I gotta bring a really good book with me since a lot of that is the waiting game.  From waiting room to waiting room to waiting room.  One more month.  Wow!  Really eh?  I can't wait!

The End is Near

So I am now using about 300 units of insulin every 2 days!  Two days!  I am up to 30u/day for my basals alone.  So frustrating.  And it seems the 3:1 ratio is not enough because no matter what I did today - I would skyrocket after meals and then the correction on the pump would just shrug its shoulders at me and I would have to guesstimate how much to correct.  And I have another 54 days to go. 

I saw the baby today at the ultrasound.  He's weighing in at about 5 lbs and a bit.  That means he's practically ready.  Noah was 9lbs 9oz when he arrived so I guess No. 2's got a bit to go.  I haven't put on a single pound in the last two months.  Something neither my ob or endo are concerned about.  I was a bit.  But they said it's fine.  In total I've put on 25 pounds... but that stopped cold turkey around the time I killed "the carb terrorist".

I am waking up at night to respond to high alarms on my pump more than to pee... but then since I'm awake and frustrated anyways why not stumbble down the hall, and hit my shins on some toys on my way to the bathroom?  Sounds familiar? 

I can't wait to deliver this placenta.  Sure, it's doing lots of good for the baby, but it's kindda like an overbearing mother - doesn't really realize how much damage it's doing while it's breathing down my baby's neck.  Just ease up a bit Mrs. Placenta.  I'm not trying to harm my baby, really.  This is called "insulin", it's okay for the baby to get some.  Quit resisting it! 

I am a tad frustrated, as you can tell.  We are about to wrap up week two with no kitchen.  Imagine that - I'm 7 months pregnant, nesting, and my house is three or four steps backwards.  Now I'd like to add the front of my house to my list of things under renovation.  I have a beautifully landscaped front yard... correction: I HAD a beautifully landscaped front yard.   Complete with miniture evergreens and bushes of all types and sizes.  I did not do it myself - it came with the house.  Aside from some light trimming here and there, some new mulch every year, it's pretty maintenance free.  Well now with the "leaky foundation" we had to dig up the whole side of the house AND in front of the bay window where all that landscaping is.  Two talls "twisty" trees and two evergreen bushes (one is a blue spruce - I think... shows you how much I really know about gardening or landscaping) are no in the middle of a big pile of dirt in the middle of our front yard.  Will they surrvive the move?  Who knows?  They have to make it until we 1. seal off the foundation, 2. pour in rocks 3. push back all the dirt 4. THEN they can go back to their original spot.  Maybe tomorrow... if it stops raining tonight and the blocks completely dry so we can 1. seal off the foundation with this sticky "blueskin", then 2. etc etc etc.

I am trying to be patient and understanding.  I'm sure you can sense a lot of sarcasm in this post.  And I guess I am just venting.  There is a reason.  There is a reason.  I gotta believe I am supposed to learn something through all of this: patience... maybe.  Trust... probably. 

So I will now go and try and do something relaxing.  Unwind from a stressful, hot day.  Maybe a soothing bath... hm.  Yeah, that sounds nice.

Oh What a Day!

Today was one of THOSE days.  Really.  Those days.

We had one of my childhood best friends and her young family come and stay with us this weekend.  During clean up around the house for their arrival we must have somehow unplugged the dishwasher drain hose under the skin (it's supposed to have a clamp on it - our didn't for some reason).  Well sure enough the next day as my friend and I loaded the dishwasher and left the house we have no clue that for the next two hours, gallons and gallons and gallons of water was pouring out in the cabinet under my sink.

The kitchen is THE ONLY room in the house that completely survived the fire that was in this house before we purchased it.  Which is great because that meant we didn't have to replace it when we bought the house - but also bad because you never know when smell may or may not leak out of it.  We gave the kitchen a good scrub down three times before moving in and obviously, new paint.  But the laminate floor we didn't intent to replace right away - eventually we'd replace it with tile, but it was doing fine, why fix something that ain't broken?  We'll leave that for The Kitchen Project.

Well, guess what.  This weekend my kitchen decided it had had enough of being "left behind" while the rest of the house gets a pretty face lift.

So my friend and I return from a very successful Toys R Us shopping experience (I bought two of everything that was lost in the flood, 2 Sit N Stand strollers, 2 pack n plays, 2 excersaucers, 2 swings - one for our house, and one for the in-laws - where we and the kids spend a lot of our time) to find that my house smells like D-Day all over again.

D-Day was DEMOLITION DAY - first day when we got the keys to this house.  We had a demolition party.   All our friends and family came over and smashed walls, lugged out old bathroom stuff,  removed carpets, baseboards, curtains, and scrubbed the living daylights out of this house.  Then the real work started.  Removing all the ash out of the one downstairs room where the fire happened, and then paint whatever walls and 2x4s remained with this special B*I*N primer that seals in all smells that may remain even after the walls were removed and/or washed.  Anyways, it was "fun" and we are very thankful for the way our friends and family blessed us with their help that day.

So for a pregnant lady, who is nesting, who has just purchased brand new items for the baby, to walk into her pristine clean house (since we were having guest my house was in tip top shape) and to find that my worst fear was happening - THE SMELL OF SMOKE was back.

The water must have stirred something up under the cabinets, that were not removed, and under the laminate hardwood that was also not removed two years ago.  The joints of the laminate flooring were already bubbled and every time I stepped down somewhere close to the dishwasher, water came up through the joints of the laminate floor.  OH NO!

So this morning, my guests left yesterday, hubby tore up the whole kitchen.  He removed all the flooring, and moved all the cabinets and the dishwasher and the sink out.  Then on a separate project  he also cut out two big holes in the drywall (about 3x3 big) to find out another leaking problem in our house... our shower.  We can't finish the bathroom downstairs (which is located directly below our upstairs bathroom) until the tiny little leak that we have when we shower is found and fixed.  I think his logic was: If I'm redoing plumbing in the kitchen might as well fix the other plumbing problem in the house - totally understandable.

But this means that two rooms in my house which were done and both have nothing to do with the baby coming, are now also under renovation.

You can just imagine what this is doing to my "nesting".  I am trying to keep it together, thanking my hubby for really tackling all these things head on and really getting this house under control.  But I fear with less than two months to go - how will we get ALL of this done.

Oh wait.  That's not the end of my day.  So now that my kitchen is torn apart and all my counter top items - spices, spaghetti jar, knife block etc - has spilled into my dinning room, and all of Noah's craft items - brand new easel from IKEA, craft table with chairs - are now shoved into his bedroom and my bedroom has drywall dust all over the place... now I come home with Noah from his haircut to my hubby on the driveway telling us to stay out of the house.  He said our carbon dioxide detector is going off and he isn't feeling so well - headache and dizzy (he was working in there all day).  He suggested we call 911.  So we do and the fire department comes over.  They inspect the house while Noah and I check out the fire engine and Noah has his picture taken with it.

Oh what a day!

The fire department gave us the go ahead to come back in the house - a false alarm.  Hubby had even changed the batteries and everything before we called 911 and it was still going off.  So I'm not sure what that was...

It doesn't matter.  After the kind of day I've had today, a whale could appear on my driveway at midnight - and I wouldn't be surprised.

And to top it all off - wait for this!  Today is the first day that lovely KANKELS have made their appearance.  I just love fat ankles.  At least with Noah I had kankels only during the last month, with No. 2 it's the last 2 months.  Nice.

And my father-in-law and mother-in-law (my fabulous drop-off-Noah-anytime-and-if-you-don't-we'll-come-to-see/take-him-for-a-bit babysitters) are out on a camping trip THIS WHOLE WEEK!  Oh and just an update on my parents - they're still in Europe!

WOW.

Somehow I am still smiling and really being thankful for what I have or will have.   Like for example:

*I get new tiles in my kitchen.
*I get a new paint job in my master bedroom.
*The smell of smoke will now be gone for sure from the last place in the house that we didn't fix.
*My hubby is completely loving me by accommodating my nesting and encouraging me to purchase whatever I need for the baby, and fixing the house how I want, and I LOVE HIM SO MUCH for all of his hard work - I am so proud of him. 
*My house's square footage will double in the next two months (with the completion of The Basement Project at our raised ranch home)
*I have a toddler that listens to his mama - he is a really good boy - he didn't go into the kitchen all day today because mama told him not to because of the demolition/construction in there.
*Hubby said he has very good faith that The Basement Project WILL BE COMPLETED by the time the baby comes!
*I will have my very own studio downstairs for scrap booking/video editing/whatever creative way I want to express myself.
*We will have a fireplace
*We will get a nice new L.E.D. TV and new furniture
*All the artwork and black and white photography will finally be hung through-out our house
*God has provided a way for us to financially support all of these upgrades/renovations - praise GOD!

So there is so much to be thankful for.  So much.  I believe that God will continue to give hubby the strength that he needs to work and that in the end whatever will be done will be just great.  More than great.  Fantastic!