Is it time?

Well Friday night was one of wonder as I started having pretty frequent contractions that lasted until about 4:35 AM!! Having sent a text to our friend Sarah - she was on standby (however if I was her I would have shut off my cellphone and gotten a good night's rest) - and so Jules and I took to cleaning the kitchen cabinets because really when you live in a home for 6 years - no time like the present.

The contractions died off about 4:35 AM so Mommy and Daddy took to bed - of course Matteo arose at 6:30 AM :-)

I didn't want a july baby anyway.

Just so you know....

GRANDMA------ we're all set for your arrival :-)

Even Matteo can't stop talking about you.

Hot Hot Hot

How do you spend your hot afternoons?

Where did he hear it?

Why is Matteo in the corner - well seems as though he picked up some rather inappropriate language somewhere and decided to repeat it a couple of times over throughout the course of the day and Mommy can only take so much.

He only last about 2 min in the corner Grandma - - then I missed him and felt bad -- horrible I know.

Anyway the end result is that later that day he stopped saying it and we have yet to hear "shut up and play" again in this house since.

Personally I would not advocate the corner.

A/C!!!!!!

Much to my dismay the A/C went in today!!!!
Not that I don't love sleeping in 69 degree temps - - however I could do without the triple digit electricity bills

Thanks for al your hardwork Daddy :-)

41 Weeks!

That number above my head does not represent how many weeks pregnant I am !!! :-) Nope, just taking a last photo per Grandma's request - - I am approaching the 41 week mark here.



And below, Mommy and Matteo send Grandma a little video reminding her what is so vital next time she visits PIT CREW and Mac!! (We can't wait to share these new car additions with our friends Caleb and Rory!).

Sunday happenings

Well today was a very lazy and then busy day for Mommy. Unexpectedly at 11:30 I took over an hour nap. Where were my two sidekicks you ask - - GETTING ALONG!!!! surprise surprise. Well Daddy took Matteo for a 35 minute bike ride and then they went for a walk and to top it off - off to a worm hunt! (Matteo's new favorite thing Grandma, just so you know).

Well needless to say after all of that activity, Matteo was exhausted - - hence the 2.5 hour nap (only to rise when Mommy woke him at 5:45). And what better way to wake up then the promise of a freeze pop? Below Mommy and Matteo are enjoying a nice cool afternoon treat and might I mention, Mommy's arms are STILL skinny....no baby tonight.

Daddy and Matteo enjoyed more bonding time with chalk - and yes those eyeglasses Daddy has on are specifically designed for chalk-use.

And the picture Grandma requested - -a picture of Mommy :-) (did I mention Daddy took this).

Too busy to deliver!

Friday was such a busy day, so I really COULD not have gone into the hospital then.

You see on occasion Walter (dog) likes to roll around in...well poop. Not sure why, I personally consider it disgusting, but he prefers that activity over something more productive (i.e. digging holes), hence Daddy and Matteo took to washing Walter.

And yes Grandma, the water is cold.

Also with Grandma leaving matteo so so many phone messages (and Matteo not quite understanding the use of the phone), he decided to try to share his juicebox with Grandma as he was listening to her phone message.

(Notice he has not been mentioning Gramps - - - I'm wondering if they had a falling out.

And lastly, in an effort to cram yet another activity in before Baby arrives, Mommy enlisted Daddy's help - because she has the ideas and Daddy executes them - into making Matteo a sandbox. A nice little nook which we can't wait for cousin Andrew to come and help us dig in.

Decision Thursday

Well as many of you know, yesterday was my dr. appointment and despite having a 7/27 induction date, "we" (it did take a team) decided to cancel the induction and give my body more time to do naturally what a woman's body should do naturally.

Ok enough medical talk!

Matteo and I enjoyed such a nice AM & early-afternoon together today. Matteo started the day on a bike ride with Daddy while Mommy went for a walk. Then when I got home a new friend I met ccalled to see if I wanted to go "hiking" (really walking through a forest) at the library - - - SURE! What a delightful time Matteo had - - running ahead, picking up sticks, loooking at a turtle we found. A very nice way to begin a Thursday if you ask me :-)

And then to top it off we were treated to a rainstorm around bedtime which is always lovely to listen to the rain dancing on our roof (though I should have listened to Daddy and closed the windows as the rain decided it too wanted to dance on our furniture - - hence I had to clean it up this morning).

Hope you enjoyed some wonders on this fine day.

Wednesday

With our continued rain yesterday, Mommy wanted to keep Matteo in the routine of walking his one lap around the block (hence eliminating his cottage cheese thighs!!! JUST KIDDING) - - so I dressed him in his new Target rain gear and off we went.

However our walk was cut very short as he insisted on puddle jumping the whole time (same puddle how boring in my opinion) and then proceeded to fall and skin his knee. Ironically he wasn't upset about the knee bleeding, he was more upset that I didn't want blood all over the house and hence put a diego bandaid on his knee - - of which he told me for over an hour how much "Diego" was hurting him. He's fine Grandma.

Today, Wednesday, Mommy and Matteo enjoyed some time in the mulch. Matteo was very big on playing in the mulch and getting as much dirt under his nails as possible. Mommy enjoyed our conversation very much and just having some one on one time together :-)

And could not resist this picture, as it shows the dirt all over his bum.

Oh to be a 2 3/4 year old boy without too many cares/worries in the world :-)

Like our library books..........

I'M OVERDUE!!!!! :-) Officially. Yesterday I gave this baby the benefit of the doubt, saying "perhaps s/he is on a different time zone", today, there is no hope. I told Grandma yesterday, I had trouble getting the baby to stay in, now can't seem to get him out!!! :=)

Just having some fun, don't mind me. Speaking of fun, guess what Matteo did this morning in his PJ's (whom he is often confusing with TJ [or DJ] from Cars) - - played outside in the pouring rain! Yes and despite his repeated requests to have Mommy come outside, he failed to understand that Mommy has 2 outfits that currently fit her and with one in the wash, I cannot get my last remaining outfit wet or dirty. Hence, my Matteo took to the yard himself..........

BUT WAIT! Mommy enlisted Daddy's help (much to HIS dismay -- - why does he have only 2 outfits?) to set up Matteo's slide and pool (free water is just that - - free water).

And when we had enough playing outside, Mommy decided to put together our new tandem stroller. Actually I read the directions (not that he really needed me to, but it's nice to be included) and Daddy put it together. Note: Matteo can sit or stand on this stroller, but for now I said to Daddy let's not introduce the "stand" and buckle him in instead.

PRESTO! (can't spell the french word I am thinking of) so this will have to do.

And that Dear Friends is how we spent our 70 degree rainy July day. I read today many forecasters are saying this is going to be the Summer that wasn't - - meaning no heat wave, not many days above 90 (if any) - - - time will tell. One thing is for sure, in the next 10 minutes to 15 days this child is coming out! :-) Tomorrow perhaps?

A camping we will go!

Well D day has officially arrived and here I sit........ho hum.

On a brighter note, I had the WHOLE bed to myself for over 6 hours last night (yes we all turned in early at 9:30!). You see I was washing the sheets which weren't dry until 9 PM, hence our late going to bed. But when Matteo saw his Christmas blanket that Grandma had bought for him he HAD to have it wrinkle free on the floor and decided he wanted to camp out with Daddy. Hence below you will see what I discovered at 1:30 AM - - - Daddy and Matteo camped out on our bedroom floor.

This made me very happy as Matteo has never slept more than an arm's distance from me.

Why didn't I join in you ask? Clearly I didn't have anything red to match these fellows :-) Also if YOU had the whole bed to yourself after 2 3/4 years, would you sleep on the hard floor???

Ok no baby today (unless s/he is on a different time zone).

Giving

A few days ago our neighbor lent us this book called "The Giving Tree" and I cannot believe that I have never read this book or come across it in all of my 31 years. What a great story - simple illustrations with a beautiful message. Anyway Matteo and I have read it about 3x a day since receiving this book.

Today while reading it, there is a page that says "the boy swung from her [tree] branches", well Matteo decided that he too wanted to swing from some tree branches and hence we enlisted Daddy's assistance in helping Matteo accomplish this task.

Two pictures, as I could not decide which I like best.



And on a sad note, I seemed to have developed a sore throat - which to a woman in my condition is not a good thing as I don't need this added stress to my body. So on this mildly hot day I sit sipping tea with honey - Amy I wonder if you got me sick over the phone :-)

Tomorrow is my official "due date" - - - keeping my fingers crossed our little bundle of joy arrives this week :-) (if you are wondering if s/he arrives - give a call or listen out your window if you hear fighting or crying you know s/he arrived and Matteo is spending time with Daddy ---hahah)

ice cream!!!!!

Again chronicling our last few days together I find myself sitting back and enjoying this picture, which has no picture of me in it, but was ALL about me. You see when Matteo woke up from his nap at 5 PM Mommy sooooooo wanted a milkshake...but was that homemade or from the store? Well based on our picture below......



I would say we went to Friendlys :-). Now yes you may have seen pictures of us in months past having gone to Friendlys, but we really don't go there much, and with this craving, nothing else would do. So before dinner we found ourselves enjoying enjoying some refreshing ice cream, but don't worry we had a lovely vegetable soup for dinner at 7:30. Sometimes this Mommy likes to put the cart before the horse and do things out of order, keeps life interesting.

A new addition!

Well with Baby No. 2 set to arrive any day now, what else are we to do but get those last minute errands/tasks out of the way (as if we are going to be stuck home for months upon months!).

So today Daddy took off on a road trip to go get a chair my Dear Friend Annemarie FINALLY parted with (I've only been telling her how much I love it for 2 years and asking for it!). This chair is perfect, feminine, a rocker and just right to go in our basement by our wood burning stove. And please notice the care Daddy took in taking the chair back home, he strunk wrapped it, put some carpeting under it and some blankets behind it.

Welcome home new chair, whom we now refer to as "Annemarie" and if Matteo dares to stand on you again, please let me know, as one of you will be on the curb with a "Free" sign on HIM! (haha).

Hair Cut!

Well since we are making the most of our days together until baby arrives, Mommy decided that with two previous days at the beach today was a good day to get some errands done (and they did call for rain, however as of 4 PM no rain!).

Well Matteo was thrilled when he found a hat that used to belong to Cousin Andrew. Almost a perfect fit, but none the less Mommy let him wear it (and it matched his outfit very nicely).

Here we are at Mommy's doctor (which has become a weekly visit now). Notice the hat that is just slightly too big :-)

And - oh don't be mad - we had a donut today...mmmmmmmm. We almost NEVER have donuts (1 a year?) - however today we decided to have a little treat, and look at the joy in Matteo's eyes to have "10 sprinkles" on his donut.

And we finished the day with a haircut. Too short in my opinion (though the woman thought she was doing me a favor), but like all haircuts in a day or two they "grow" on me :-)



And that is what we did today during our countdown to Baby No. 2.

What will tomorrow bring, a baby, more water, more fun, ....... tune in to see :-)

Beach Day!

Having had so much fun at the beach yesterday, Matteo and I decided to take our morning snack there and enjoy another 2-3 hours at the beach together.

Below is a picture of Matteo enjoying his homemade waffle. Funny as we were leaving I told Daddy I packed some waffles, to which he replied (seriously too I might add), "did i bring the syrup". Silly Daddy. Yes Daddy came with us, but only for an hour - - that way Matteo could enjoy the water with Daddy as Mommy is too TOO large to find a bathing suit so big.

Below Daddy and Matteo walking along the beach together.

And yes, they went for a swim too. Daddy was kind enough to let me live vicariously though him in that I stood in the water up to my knees and he went for a swim....... boy are my muscles tired :-)

Looking at this picture I cannot believe the little boy Matteo has become :-)

And so folks today I have decided to undertake taking a 6 hour driving course on line!! Crazy - probably - in that I'm trying to spend as much time with Matteo as possible, and due any day but 10% to save on car insurance is great. Even better - - how much you forget and truly what a great refresher it is!

And with the countdown underway....

With the countdown to baby arrives (I really think it is going to happen this time...SCARY!!), Mommy decided to spend as much individual time with Matteo as possible and enjoy our last few days/weeks together.

I wanted to chronical his last few days as an "only child", so this morning we took off to the beach for two hours, and of course Daddy came for one of those hours to take Matteo into the water.

Just a great shot I wanted to share.



I hope to be here tomorrow, though part of me also just wants to have this baby so I can come home to my "big boy."

Down to the count.....

Ok fellow readers, we are officially down to the count with 7 days until my due date...but really this means nothing, as the baby can take another 3 weeks (you can go 2 weeks past your due date). So what can I say......stay tuned :-)

Another visit!

Never fully having his full of us here on Tall Tree, look who took a trip down with Grandma and Gramps this weekend - COUSIN ANDREW (age 5)!!!!!! Now Andrew had a 2 year old birthday party to attend at Chucky Cheese, so when I invited him, I could not (actually I could) believe he said yes. Clearly this child knows fresh air is more inviting then inside, stale environment, etc.

So after Mommy and Grandma hit the outlets for a quick hour, we took our "tres amigos" to the beach with us and as always oh what fun we had :-)

Here Daddy is instructing the boys on building a large pool at the beach.

And, as is becoming customary, Daddy picked up a friend.....no we didn't take him home to/for dinner, rather let him free after showing Grandma.

And yes here we all are :-) 39 weeks pregnant..can you tell - - haha.



And in case you are wondering where Gramps is, he stayed back at home to clean his new car. Yes loved the visit with you too Gramps (actually I don't care, but it would not be me unless I otherwise mocked him on this every chance I get).

Pretty soon........

Boy does Matteo look long or what?



Well move over buddy, your new sibling is on the way :-) (just not today).

Gramps' 64th (yikes!!!!)

With Gramps' big 64th birthday arriving today, we took the opportunity to venture up to our hometown and visit with Gramps and our cousins.

Below you will see Kimmy is showing off her new hat to us - and yes that is the extent of her smiling thus far :-)


Andrew took to the waterslide and clearly is having a grand old time

Matteo too enjoyed the waterslide.

And of course here is the Birthday Boy himself with Grandma and Co. Only people missing are Jessie and "Gene/Jean" what we call our baby when Gramps is around...however next year, I'm thinking "Gene/Jean" WILL be present....oh by the way "Gene" is Gramps' name ... its just mockery.

There is Jessie and Aunt Adrienne, just in time for cake :-)

4th Cont.

After such a busy 3 days with Grandma and a parade (where we got to see our friends for a bit), Matteo was sure worn out come nap time.

And yes, as promised, the all famous root beer floats.