This last week update

For some reason, it has been the most upside-down spring/summer ever.  Even the weather is discombobulated and it is getting OLD.  I am ready to concede that it doesn't ever have to get consistently warm.  It doesn't even have to be consistently sunny.  But, please God, please at least if it has to be cloudy, could it sometimes be without the rain?  I'm getting a little nuts having to choose between the chaotic noise of children bouncing off the walls, or the alternative of letting them out to play only to bring themselves in with soppy wet clothes and muddy shoes, which looks to me like just another load of laundry that I have to do!  Oh, just a few more sunny days would be nice!

BUT things are still good.  Schooling is still good.  Baby is still good.  He or she blessed us with hearing his/her heartbeat last week, and also moved during the listening, which was fun!

Pregnancy-wise, I was doing really well, and still am, but I've gone back to more tiredness lately.  The other night I asked Paul what time it was as I lay on the couch, mindful of my commitment to be asleep by 9:30pm.  I believe it was 10 minutes to 9:00pm, so I just kept on relaxing.  I later woke up with the unmistakable proof that I had been suddenly, completely OUT.  I said to Paul, "How long have I been sleeping here, drooling on myself?"  Apparently, it only takes 5 minutes.  :-)

The sleepiness makes it difficult for me to make good food choices - after all, what better than carbs or sugar for an instant pick-me-up - and makes me get a lot less done.  For someone who loves to make lists and cross items off as they are accomplished, this is a little difficult.  How can I ever get things done if I am too sleepy to do them all?  But then I just remind myself that I am busy building a little baby, and of course that takes lots of energy.  The dishes, laundry, home video transferring, email catching-up, etc. can wait.

Interesting news here is that the person who was interested in buying our house, and then wasn't again, now suddenly is again.  She saw it again yesterday and we are hopeful that we will get good news in the next 24-48 hours.  We're not being picky; we'd just like a decent offer as soon as we can get one.  At any rate, it's good news that the house was still in her mind.  If she doesn't want it, hopefully someone else will find it hard to forget, too, and will buy it.

Sophia is getting molars (she only has 6 teeth - just 2 on the bottom) and is crankier than usual.  Grr.  When she smiles, often you can only see the bottom two teeth.  Now she'll have 5 teeth on the top - kind of an odd progression of teething if you ask me.

The girls have swimming lessons twice a week and they are doing really well!  It's still not easy for Nadia, but she isn't scared right away and doesn't cry out of anxiety nearly as much as I had feared.  Her teacher is very good at gently working with her, moving her toward a goal, but not forcing it in any way that makes Nadia feel uncomfortable.  Kassia is doing great and is only inhibited by her bad habit of inhaling water with her nose.  I've been meaning to try and figure out how to help her with that.  I plug my nose "internally" if you know what I mean - but how to teach her that?  I'll have to look into it more.

Luke is cute and likes to say he wants to do things with me because he loves me.  For example, he'll say, "Mom, I want to go to the store with you because ILOVEYOU," ending with a cute pouty tone.

We are all looking forward to camping in July.  As long as it doesn't rain and isn't unbearable hot (not likely), we'll have a great time.  This will be Sophia's first time camping - I hope it doesn't take too long for her to learn to stay away from the fire!  My only other desire, besides good weather and health, is that Luke would suddenly be potty trained before we go.  It would cut back a lot of trash output.  But I'm using my energy helping Baby to grow, so that will have to wait until I am more fully into the 2nd trimester - but hopefully before September!

Here's a random question - I can't keep up with developing photos and putting them away, not to mention the cost factor of all of it - what do you do - what works for you for keeping photographic memories and those digital photo files organized?

Oh, and for the record books, this baby makes me crave Pad Thai.  And you can't really get good Pad Thai around here, but I've found a place that makes it well enough to satisfy my craving, at least for a day or so.  But after 24 hours, I'm back to wanting it again - badly.  Something's gotta give here - and I hope the cravings settle down soon, because getting take-out is not the best thing for one's bank account!

That's about it.  Now I have to go and show the baby the construction equipment picking up stick piles in the neighborhood.  Yes, brush is THAT interesting!