We're getting closer...

This Saturday puts me at 2 weeks until my due date, and my feet are feeling like that can't get here soon enough! At my prenatal appointment on Monday, Baby Girl was doing great: heartbeat in the 150s and I'm measuring right around where I should be. I've been *feeling* like she'll come before her due date, but who knows if that means much of anything, right? :)

Joshua and I surprised David at his office on Tuesday for a "baby daddy" party they hosted for him (they decided that "baby shower" was too feminine, and I thought the name they chose was hillarious!). He was completely shocked--he hadn't expected anything, so they pulled off a great surprise! They had pizza and cake, and so many precious gifts for the baby--we were overwhelmed by everyone's kindness and generosity! I especially love a really cute shirt they picked out for Joshua that says "I'm the big brother" :) It was also really nice for me to meet David's co-workers and finally put faces to names. And while I actually remembered to take my camera with us (a HUGE improvement for me), it sat in my bag the entire time :(

Joshua has a new "big boy" booster seat, thanks to David's grandmother. We were able to put his high chair in the attic and open up some space in the kitchen, and we won't need to bring it down again until Baby Girl needs it. We'll take off the tray soon and scoot him right up to the table, which I think he'll love. Here's a picture from breakfast this morning:

A funny thing from yesterday: Joshua picked up a play cell phone from his toy box, opened it, and said, "Hi, Daddy!" Then he dropped it on accident and said, "Uh-oh, Daddy!" like he had actually dropped David. It cracked me up! This little guy makes me smile and laugh so often during the day, and I'm constantly amazed at how much he picks up on and learns each day. He has favorite books that he wants me to read over and over because he's memorized some of the words and wants to say them with me as I read. His current obsession: Rameses (the UNC mascot). He has a book about Rameses visiting all these placed on UNC's campus, and he wants to read it all the time and always talks about "Ra-ses." He even has a toothbrush with Rameses on it! We're starting him off right :) Go Heels!

All aboard!

Grandma Martha is quite the professional yard sale master, and she hit the jackpot this weekend with a Brio train set for Joshua. When we got back from my 36 week prenatal appointment this morning (good measurements and heartbeat, and I'm Group B Strep negative this time--woo hoo! No IV antibiotics this go-round!), Joshua and I put together the set in the dining room...rather, I put together the set despite Joshua's best efforts to "help," which usually consisted of him sitting on whatever I'd already put together and accidentally destroying it :)

Can you tell he's a little excited?

The swing bridge

My best efforts at using as many pieces as I could,
while still being able to make one complete route
(How cool is that train station?! When the train goes
through the station, it triggers these really neat train
sound effects that Joshua loves)


Even though the train is battery-operated and runs
all by itself, Joshua wanted a little more control

So we turned off the power and let him run the show :)

The engine was getting all the love

Who needs a boxcar or caboose with rider?

Over the swing bridge and through the mountain tunnel

Eventually he realized that the train and the tracks

didn't have to be a group package, so he took off

with the engine and carried it all around the house

The carnage left behind :)

**A few funny things from this weekend**

***

~Joshua is currently obsessed with prayers...out of nowhere,

he'll walk up to me, fold his arms and ask for me to pray...

so I just say a short prayer about whatever comes to mind,

and once I finish and we say "Amen," he's happy to go back

to whatever he was doing :)

***

~As we were working on converting our guest room into

the baby's nursery, Joshua decided he loved playing inside

her closet in the dark...after a minute, David and I realized

he was in there saying, "Prayer...amen" over and over.

I guess he's taking the Scripture about not praying out in

public but retiring to your closet to pray in secret very literally!

***

~The first few months Joshua was in church nursery, he did

great...he never got upset when we left and went to our classes.

Well, the last few months have been a different story.

Since David teaches the 11-year-olds in Primary during that time,

and I'll have a new little one very soon to take care of, I'm really

trying to get him to stay in there the whole time by himself.

So I snuck out after a few minutes and went to Sunday School

with no trouble. A few minutes into Relief Society, I hear

the back door open and after a second or two of silence,

I hear a voice I recognize right away cry, "Mommy!" His nursery

teacher said he got sad a few times earlier and asked for me,

but they were able to distract him and he was fine. Well, for some

reason, when they got snack out and another mommy came

to check on her little guy, Joshua lost it...and they couldn't get

him settled down...sobbing, runny nose, begging for Mommy...

the whole deal. When I came out into the hallway, he practically

jumped from his teacher's arms into mine and did the death-grip

hug and wouldn't let go for quite a while. We've only got a few

more weeks before this is going to be a lot more difficult...yikes!

Lunch with the girls!

My friend Amanda organized a little "Erin's having a baby girl" lunch for me at Macaroni Grill today, and it was so much fun! It was really nice to be able to spend some time with friends from high school, college, and my "current" life before we welcome a new little one into the family and I'm a *little* bit busier :)

(Erin R., Nancy, Erin B., baby Owen, Sarah, Jenny, Katherine, baby Marie, Amanda, Carla, and me with Baby Girl in utero)

Good food and good friends...what a nice afternoon! Thanks ladies :)

These are a few of my favorite things :)

It seems to be the little things that bring so much joy into the life of an active toddler boy :)

Like empty boxes:

Climbing into them...

Posing reluctantly in front of them for Mommy...

There's that smile Mommy loves!!

Climbing onto the coffee table and dropping them

over the edge while saying, "Uh-oh box!"

Scooting them around the table like a car...

see, the fun just goes on and on!



And the movie Cars:

Especially when watching it with Daddy :)

And his very own pair of sunglasses:
(these pictures were taken right before bedtime,

so Little Man was quite tired)

He rocks them in various ways--propped on his head...

Chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool...

(A little Fresh Prince of Bel-Air shout out for ya)

And finally, around the neck...the closest to being

a frat boy that he'll ever be allowed to get :)

He's my little reminder that it doesn't take much to make us happy...I mean, all I need is this little guy and I'm grinning from ear to ear! :)