family time

Now that I am finished with work for quite a few weeks, I am trying to use these last days before baby arrives to just soak up quiet time or time with Juni or time with Zach. I will enjoy my baby so much each and every day, but I know it will be many days and nights before there are such simple, quiet moments again.
It was supposed to rain last week, but ended up doing so while we were sleeping. Juni had been promised she could go out and play in it, and with this dry spell we have been having, she was so disappointment she didn't get to. Thankfully, when we woke up this morning, rain was coming down! We hurried and got dressed so we wouldn't miss a minute of it. We went for a family walk, taking time to splash in the puddles, get a donut at our neighborhood shop, and water the flowers (that are covered by the overhang) with water collected from the drain spout. What's that you say? It is Super Bowl Sunday? Oh. We don't really even know what that means at this house :) We had a free Redbox movie code, so we rented a free movie! :)

Tick Tock

 38 weeks

 Baby is dropping

 

39 weeks, yoga pants and non-maternity shirt... but comfortable :)

"Look how big she is!"

Juni-O, growin' up

 my little baby :)

 Juni's very own Juicy made from her shapes

 Practicing for baby by pushing Ariel in the swing

 sick little lovey cuddling Mama in bed

 Trying to comfort (indoor) Juicy who wants to come outside

 One birdseed egg wasn't enough to entice the birds, maybe FOUR will be? Cross your fingers, please :)

 Our bulbs are sprouting! Hooray!

Just hangin' out. Bein' happy! :)

While watching the bachelor wedding (quality, I know, ha ha) on t.v. while Juni was playing with her squinkies, the boy said something about how he, "hates, hates, hates," being away from his fiance. Juni looked at me and said, "Mama, what is hate?" Sigh. There is a part of me that loves that she didn't know this work. A part of me that is so proud that her papa and I don't use that kind of language. An part of me that was so thankful that in the context it was used on the t.v. wasn't something damaging to her world perspective. So innocent. So sweet. "Mama, what is hate?" I did take the time to stop and explain to her that it is when someone really, really doesn't like something, a lot. In this context, it was easy enough to explain. My sweet loving girl, doesn't have a bit of hate in her.

Many of you know Juni does a pretty good job of using her words to describe her feelings and often explains when she is frustrated and why. This week she started using angry, with grunts! I love that she is so verbal with her emotions and that she knows this is a safe environment to say whatever she is feeling. I wish I could have recorded it! "I'm angry! Grr!" Gosh, I love her.

Unwinding my brain...

The hospital bags are (mostly) packed. I have "safe" food for me to eat while I'm in the hospital ready. I completed the smallest registry at Babies R Us ever, since a few folks have been asking for last minute ideas. My belly button is nearly flush with my belly and, knock on wood, I just barely see some stretch marks coming to light (after getting them at 20-some weeks the first time around). I feel like we are as ready as we will be. Sigh. ...and I'm getting a little nervous :)

Ooo baby baby

 36 weeks, still squatting :)

 37 weeks, what I look like

37 weeks, what I feel like :D hahaha, actually, I feel pretty great! Things are feeling very stretched and I am moving so slow I drive myself crazy, but everything else is great! The reflux is gone again. I'm sleeping pretty well, definitely better/more than I will be after baby's arrival!

...and at my 36 week appointment Dr. did a quick ultrasound to check on baby since Juni being breech was a surprise, and she found baby was head down, face down! Cha ching! Cha ching! Fingers crossed she'll stay that way!

Our house

So, now that we are as settled as we'll probably be, I thought I'd post some pics of the place before baby-mania takes over morning, noon, and night.

 Kitchen/front door

 kitchen from the front door/into living room/running cutie-pa-tutie

 Living room from edge of kitchen/back door

 Living room from edge of kitchen/peek of Juni and baby's room at far left

 Living room into kitchen from back door

 Into mini hallway from back door/ bathroom at the back/Zach and I's room door closed

 Girls' room

 Girls' room

 Linen/Coat storage in mini hallway/bathroom

 Zach and I's room

 Zach and I's room

 Bathroom

 "Backyard"/our back door/Laundry Room on far left

 "Backyard" towards gate/Owner's house up by Juni

 Behind our house storage/play area/hammock/Zach's weight bench under tarp

 Little back alley/Front door by mini gate

 Back door

 Back door/Laundry Room

 Sidewalk alongside owner's house back to our front door

 Meyer lemons

View from street/Owner's house

Enjoying the moments

 Riding around like a princess on a train :)

 Hiking in Redwood Park

Sharing music before bed

 Little Mermaid Squinkies she picked out with her Christmas money... and she has used her Walgreens giftcards to buy 2 more sets since. Squinkie madness :)

 Christmas craft completed a little late, but done, and packed away to hang up next year!

 Hanging up her birdseed egg from Grandma

 Kristina came to visit! Hooray!

 Dressing up for fun, since it isn't really cold enough for all of this. And her new glasses from Build-A-Bear :) Just her size.

 Juni's sparkle polish from her stocking, and her first time painting Mama's nails

Watching fun videos on Kristina's phone

And strawberries are back at the farmer's market, although tart as can be, and not really in season, Juni was still excited to get berries again!

Juniper has been sweeter than sweet and has been spending lots of time asking us to hold her and cuddle her and hold her hand. I'm not sure if she senses baby's impending arrival or if she is just feeling extra lovey, but we sure are enjoying every minute of it.

She really has been enjoying just running outside, going to the park to slide on the slides again and again and again, and pretending to (or really) going shopping at all her favorite stores. She'll 'buckle in' by wrapping a towel around her and then ask me to 'drive' her somewhere and then we'll spend time pretending to look at her favorite things (greeting cards that make music, stickers, toys). Her imagination is on fire.