1 week to go

Word on the Street, the Vegas line, and generally the smart money all have this boy coming before the 5th. Either way he's an Aries

Eviction Notice

Dearest son,
You have two weeks to vacate the premises. After April 11, we're coming in to get you.
Seriously. Come on out.
Now.
Love,
Mom

False Start

For the record, she's not in labor just yet. We were fairly sure last night, managed to get people to watch the dog and the girl, but after a quick exam at the hospital they sent us back home. Could happen any hour or any day from this point on, but I suppose we knew that already.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

It's worth noting that, while she waits for her little brother, Mia makes do with her new best friend, Hildegard the friendly sewer rat. Kids these days.

2 weeks to go

As of tomorrow that is, but felt like jumping the gun this morning. We're currently going through a phase, not unlike what happened right before Mia was born. Excited, anxious, worried? Sure, in spades, but there was then, as now, a slight sadness that this good thing we have now is just not going to ever be again. Then it was the little world of just the two of us, and as much as we couldn't wait for Mia to be born, it was never going to be just the two of us again. In the same way now, it's never going to be just me, her, and the girl.

And much like our lives changed hugely for the better with Mia, it will again with the boy, but it feels important to note for the moment the passing of a period in our lives, that, despite sleepless nights, has been pretty great.

Status Report

Still pregnant.

Crib Jumping

Friends with two came over this morning for a laid back brunch, and a good time was had by all. Walter was as usual far too familiar with everybody, rushing right in for the deep kissing, but he eventually calmed down. Mia took some time warming up to her new guests, but after some circling of each other, some reluctant sharing of toys, they went off to go play by themselves.

Which is how she learned to climb into her crib on her own. We tried to get her to show us exactly how it was done, but she couldn't pull it off without some help. So we've already rearranged her room today, something that was long overdue anyway.

She actually back to sleeping in her toddler bed as I type this, which I'm very happy about, but before we relabel the crib for the boy, its worth noting just how much fun a crib can be.

So here's Mia and Joey having big fun, with young Emma watching on confused.

3 weeks to go

Last week was a bit late, this week is a day early. Deal with it.

Officially, should she go into labor anytime after this Saturday, little boy Johnson will not be considered premature. Time to gear up people. This is not a drill.

4 weeks to go

And that train keeps rolling down the track.

Fashion Show

We've been taking pictures of the girl for awhile without getting around to uploading them. Since that time, she's gone through a number of styles, some more practical than others. Just to catch you all up on what she as been DEMANDING to wear lately....

These are a few of my favorite things

Mia's entry into her third year was fairly traumatic. She caught the stomach bug circulating our fair city the day after her birthday, rendering her completely unable to do anything other than watch videos, read books, and sleep on Mom and Dad's bed all day. It was the sickest I think we've ever seen her, and it took about 10 days for her to fully recover. Ben caught the bug as well, and he too was sicker than I've ever seen him. Fortunately, I was spared, due most likely to extreme handwashing techniques and an immune system in overdrive.

The saddest part, though, was that Mia had to miss her formal birthday party. We had invited a handful of neighborhood friends over to celebrate. Nothing major, just some cake and music and balloons. By Friday we knew we had to cancel it (it was schedules for Sunday), and we just didn't get to reschedule it. She celebrated plenty the week leading up to the big day, but we still feel sad that the festivities had to be cancelled. I just put all of the party favors, streamers and balloons in our storage area--they should still be just fine for next year.

It's not all sad news around here, though. We're nesting in preparation for the boy's arrival, buying tiny pants and diapers and figuring out how to rearrange our home to accommodate a fourth person. Mia is very excited about being a big sister, although the advice she gives herself most often is, "Don't hit the brother." It's a start.

Really, though, this post is just to give as much attention to Mia's last few solo days. We only have a few more weeks of being able to give her all of our love and affection, to devote the hour and half it takes to read books to her at night, to give in to her every whim and desire. All things we do out of our undying love for her. Next month, she'll have to share the spotlight. I don't think she'll be too sad about it. I think she'll love helping out, picking out clothes for her brother, getting diapers and wipes and burpcloths. But just in case, I want to remember what she was like during this period.
Some funny things she says these days:
(While standing up and lifting a leg in the bathtub) "I pee pee like Walter!"
"Mommy, move your tushy!"
(While hitting Walter with a bowl) "Don't hit Walter! He's a good boy!"
(While rubbing Ben's back) "Daddy's a good boy!"
"Chocolate! It's delicious!"

Here's a few photos that show her favorite things, Winter 2008 (eating cupcakes, wearing Mom's shoes, not wearing pants, hanging).

Light at the end of the tunnel

We're starting to get down to the wire here, with our pending second bundle of joy. Time to start acting like it. This means a number of things, from making sure we have the car seat ready for the drive home from the hospital, keeping the cell phone charged and on at all times, clearing up all my files at work so people can keep the projects moving in my absence, etc.

In many respects, it's going to be much easier than the first time around. We've got plenty of hand me down clothes. The co-sleeper is by the bed and ready. We've got all the cloth diapers washed and ready. We know what it means to go without sleep for weeks at a time. At the risk of sounding overconfidant, we feel like we know what is about to happen. A certain perspective this time around keeps me from worrying too much about the sleeping thing. The hard part when Mia was born had more to do with not knowing if or when we'd ever sleep through the night. Having lived through that, and really, it wasn't that bad, gives us more confidence that we can take whatever this kid throws at us.

That being said, he deserves a decent countdown, an online drumroll if you will. So for better or worse, we'll be doing weekly updates focused on his arrival, with of course cute Mia pictures interspersed. Either way, the train is rolling down the tracks, and whether or not we're ready, this boy is on his way.