35 Weeks!

I have been much, much busier with this pregnancy than the last one... so taking weekly photos has been placed on the back burner!  I did, however, manage to get one this morning.  ...and I found one from November 2010 for comparison!  I definitely feel bigger, and all of the typical aches & pains of pregnancy set in a lot faster this time around.  (Heartburn?  Aching hips?  Yup.)

I've now had two appointments in the new medical practice.  I know that I will get great care (and really, all I really care about is a great epidural) and I'm not too concerned with frills of the facility.  The doctor I saw today told me about a date that I can tour the hospital, and told me that the facility is 'modest.'  Now, coming from an amazing, Baby-Friendly Hospital like Tacoma General, I'm sure that I have pretty high expectations.  So I can safely say that my expectations are being lowered!

So I'm 35-weeks pregnant, and everything is looking good.  My blood pressure is good, and baby is measuring well.  Our due date is October 4, but of course, we hope to see some action before then.  We can ask Susan, 'where is Sister?' and she will point to her stomach OR my stomach.  So, I'm trying to tell her that she's the Big Sister, and I have the Little Sister in my body.

A few people have asked if we have a name picked out.  Eric & I have a name that we're pretty set on, but as with Susan's birth, we will wait until we get a look at Baby Girl to 100% determine her name.  I'm so excited to meet her, although I can't believe that my days with Susan as an only child are numbered.

Thank you for all of your prayers as we have had so many major changes in the last month.  One more month to go, and I know I can anticipate one more big change to our family!

Morning Snack

Fish in a Boat

Now that I'm officially a SAHM (Stay at Home Mom) I'm looking for ways to pass the time with Susan.  Last week, I got a book from my sis and bro-in-law that should help keep Susan entertained, as well as improve some skills.

It's broken down by the child's age in weeks, then they recommend simple, age-appropriate activities.  Today, we played a game called "Fish in a Boat."  It was easy to pull together... I just made some different colored fish and took a long envelope and cut it to make the boat.  I sat with Susan and we talked about the numbers on the fish, as well as their colors, and then put them in and out of the boat.  It lasted a whopping ten minutes, but I'm sure I'll bring it out to play it again.

Exploring

We live very close to the Pennsylvania Military Museum, and today Susan & I went to run around the grounds a little bit.  We dodged some rain, but it gave us a great chance to stretch our legs!  Susan has been cooped up in the house while we've been getting gradually unpacked.  It was nice to get out and let her explore a little bit.

Finger Paiting

We are still getting settled and figuring out our new daily schedule; yesterday we tried some finger painting!

Getting Settled at Penn State

Whew!  What a crazy few weeks it's been!  We have moved out of our home in Washington, and we are now residents of Pennsylvania!  Forgive me if you've called/texted/emailed and I haven't gotten back to you.  Things have been very busy as we've tried to get settled into our new apartment.  Eric starts band camp in one week, so we are definitely feeling the crunch to get things done before he is out of the house for most of the day.

Eric's parents helped us with most of our move.  Eric & his dad drove across the country, and Robyn & I flew with the cat.  We all met in State College, PA on Friday of last week.  Then, along with the help of my parents and a few friends, we moved our things into our new apartment.  (We aren't living in the same town as Penn State, but we are close!)

The last few days have been spent unpacking box... after box... after box.  We have a great apartment, but it lacks storage space, so we're trying to figure out what to do with things like Christmas decorations and fine china.  But, we will survive and I'm sure this new place will start to feel like home soon.  (...or at least I hope so!)

Today braved the afternoon heat to go to the Lion Shrine on campus.  Here are a few pictures of Susan with her family:

I do hope to start blogging regularly again.  We have internet in our new place, so that should help!  Thank you to everyone who helped us moved, offered up prayers, and expressed their well-wishes for us.  We are feeling very blessed, and we are excited to kick off this new adventure!

Last Day in Our House

Yesterday was the last day in our house. We lived there for approximately two years and two weeks, and while I knew we wouldn't live in that house forever, we left sooner than we than I thought! ...and in quick fashion, too! Only 28 days from the offer to buy until closing!

I can take credit for cooking a few good meals in the kitchen, hosting a few get-togethers in the living room, and playing with Susan a lot in the backyard. Eric gets all the credit for maintaining the outside/underneath/sides of the house. I can't believe all that Eric did to improve that home! Plumbing, electrical, rodent control... He did it all, even if he was learning in the process. I am so proud of him. (...and appreciative of anyone who helped him in his endeavors!)

Moving INTO the house in 2010 was extra special for me... Because I didn't help with moving at all! I had been visiting my family in PA when Eric closed on the house and moved our belongings. When I flew in and Eric picked me up from the airport, he brought me straight to the driveway of our new home. How special is that?! I was able to walk through the front door and see the furniture set up and our belongings laid out. The house only got better as we remodeled the kitchen and two of the bathrooms. We put in new flooring through most of the downstairs and we made little tweaks to the lawn & landscaping.

Visitors came and went, and blessed us as they stayed in our home. I could list names as each visit was clearly special to me (and of course, I have pictures to help document each family & friend who came!) I enjoy hosting people, and having a home gave me a chance to do just that.

And then there's Susan- we bought the house for her! We wanted to put roots down in this area of Washington and offer more room than our apartment. We wanted a quiet neighborhood and a backyard. We searched for months before finding a house that we liked, and as we made improvements, I liked it more and more. Being pregnant for twelve of the twenty-four months we lived there, I really hated the steep driveway the most. And the moles in the yard. And the wacky neighbors to the right of us. And of course there was the whole burglary incident in January... But it was our first home and it was FUN to own it.

So now we move to PA. The house started to look oddly small as we moved the boxes out, one by one. As I walked Susan through each room, we said, 'bye!' and finished our time at the house on 26th Avenue. I couldn't help but cry; cry because we are leaving our first home, cry because Susan will not have any memories of our home and it's great backyard. And, I cried because We Are.... Going BACK to apartment living. But in doing so, we are going back to living near my family, and Susan will get to know her cousins. Eric can pursue his dream, and another Masters degree. And, we can raise our little girls as 'Lion cubs' in Happy Valley.

We have left our house, and we will surely own another someday. Goodbye, Federal Way!

Sprinkler