my purple monkey: September 2009

Whew. Summer is over. At least in my mind it is. And 'tis Fall. The season of change. Every year Fall has me itching for some changes in my life, whether it be home, or job. Of course this time around will be quite a change for the entire family-a new baby. I'm 34 weeks now and time is really flying. We have been super busy with getting things ready. Luckily all our baby stuff was stored in David's parents' basement so with one trip out with a rental car we were able to bring everything we needed back. We also were lucky enough to score a (free!) crib courtesy of our temple garage sale. Of course we'll make a small donation for it, but essentially it's free. Sophie isn't ready to leave her crib just yet, as she seems content and never climbs out, so I see no reason to rock that boat. I will be tired enough with a newborn and see no reason to add in a possible waking-in-the-middle-of-the-night-and-wandering-around-toddler to the mix! So for now she'll stay in hers, and baby will have his/her own.

We painted the room last weekend a light yellowish-beige. At first I was unsure but now I think it's a great color. I've been super busy ordering things online-diapers, Fall clothes for Sophie and new baby, as well as creating a list of other things I need to buy (and soon!) for baby. Hopefully I'll be able to launder all the clothes and car seat/stroller fabrics this weekend sometime. I have this feeling that I will deliver early. Not sure what sparked it, but I've felt this way all through the pregnancy, and something keeps urging me not to put these things off. So for a constant procrastinator I think I'm doing really well. Go Simone!

We're also thinking about signing Sophie up for a pre-school soon. I'm very nervous about how I will handle being at home with the two of them. Sophie is quite a handful now and becomes bored at home very easily, especially since I don't have much time to play with her the two days a week I work from home. It's become increasingly more difficult to juggle the two, and often I end up doing the majority of my work during her 2-3 hour naps and later at night. She definitely needs more stimulation in her life so we're thinking of staring her off in a 2 half day a week class and possibly moving her to a 5 day a week morning preschool in January. The thought is so crazy-our baby girl going to school! But I believe she will truly flourish so it's definitely what needs to be done.

Being pregnant the second time around is truly exhausting when you are working full time and running after a two year old. It really is non-stop. The only time I get to relax is for about an hour or two at night after she goes to sleep. And often I try to do some work or clean things up around the apartment that time so then the only rest I get is when I sleep.

Every single person that I know or don't know has told me I'm having a boy. EVERYONE. Because of this I am convinced I am and have even bought newborn clothes that lean more towards blue than neutral. If it is a girl then I'm sure they'll work for her too.

I still can't believe that in less than 6 weeks we'll have another child. We've gotten so set in our routine that I am very nervous about the shakeup to come. From everyone I know the transition of one to two is pure chaos. Just remembering how long it took to either try and nurse or pump for Sophie, I can't imagine how I'll handle that and tend to Sophie's needs too with #2. It's definitely going to be a juggling act and take some getting used to. I'm so glad David will be home the first two weeks to help out, and hopefully I'll get some type of routine down to where I can manage it all.

I plan to try for a VBAC this time around, and my Dr is on board as well. I actually chose the practice based on their pro-VBAC views and I really hope it pays off. I really would like the experience of a natural birth, as well as having less of a recovery period. The thought of not being able to pick up Sophie for 6 weeks after also scares me as I feel bad enough worrying about her feeling left out when the baby arrives. But there are no promises or definite birth plans, so we will hope for the best and do what we can but of course also whatever is safest for me and baby is what will ultimately be the outcome.

I know it's been awhile since I posted. Here are some pics from our annual trip to Block Island. I have to say it was the least enjoyable time out there of all our past trips, if there is such a thing. With the ridiculous heat and humidity (90%) all week, virtually NO breeze, and being pregnant I was just really uncomfortable for a majority of the trip. It was highly unusual as normally we are so chilly in the evenings out there that we need sweatshirts and blankets to keep warm while sitting on the deck after the sun goes down! I think it just really threw me for a loop and others were feeling it too. But of course we did have a great time, with daily trips to the beach late in the day, wonderful homemade dinners in our dining room, and just special time hanging out with our friends, it's always a fantastic time.

Sophie enjoyed the beach immensely and since we've been back has asked to go to the beach on a daily basis. But I must admit I'm a tad bit happy not to have to apply sunblock constantly anymore!

Here are some photos. Mainly of Sophie of course!

The most memorable part of the trip for me was this 7am dip in the ocean with Kelly. There was a very thick fog that covered the island and everything just looked amazing and surreal. The high tide was rolling in and Sophie had a great time playing the the little pools of water that were created as a result.

As Sophie would wake with the sunrise around 6am every morning, we had to get her out of the house immediately as to not awaken the other guests who were still sleeping. One of the days we took her to the airport diner and she enjoyed this ENORMOUS pancake!

Sipping some evening juice on the side deck of the house.

Sunset from our lawn. Unfortunately with the high humidty and haze, we never got to see the sun actually go down past the horizon, nor a really memorable afterglow afterwards. Still, always a beautiful sight.