40 weeks

Well, baby J and I have made it to the due date, and there are no imminent signs of labor. I know that could change at any moment, though. My most recent doctor appointment was Monday. I had progressed slightly dilation-wise (more so at this stage than I was with Stella), and she guessed I would not be back for my weekly appointment next Monday. We'll see.

Stella came down with a cold yesterday, and we were up with her on and off from about 10:45 until 3 a.m. She was coughing, so Brett sat in the bathroom with her and steamed it up for awhile; later when I was with her, I lay down next to her for an hour or so. She kept lifting her head up or sitting up because she was so congested and was having trouble breathing through her nose. When I thought she was finally asleep, I left, and then she kept getting out of her bed and turning on the light, so I put her in her crib in the baby's room. She cried out a couple more times, and Brett took care of her. I couldn't fall asleep until 3. My mind was racing and my foot was throbbing with pain. I'm pretty sure I have a stress fracture on the top of one of my feet. I have been hobbling around when I walk waddle because putting any weight on that foot hurts incredibly bad. I should have mentioned something to my doctor by now, but I have had a stress fracture before (during a high school track season), and there's nothing really they can do about it. This one is probably from the water retention and weight gain of pregnancy and being on my feet a lot more with this pregnancy than I was while pregnant with Stella and sitting in an office all day.

Stella has been consistently testing her boundaries lately, and then the next moment she is the sweetest thing ever. We have cut out her nap because it takes forever for her to fall asleep, and if she does nap, she doesn't get tired for bed until 10:30 or 11pm. I still think she's too young to be giving up a nap (she'll be 2 1/2 next month), so I think we'll try the no-nap strategy for awhile, and then try napping again. There were evenings when we were dead tired wanting to go to bed and she would get out of bed, turn on her light, open the door, and run down the halls and all over the house. Her behavior can be so exasperating. Two days ago at Trader Joe's, I was putting her into the cart, and she refused to sit down. I was near tears because it was so frustrating. An older man employee came to my rescue. He said to Stella, "If you're a good girl and sit down in the cart, I'll give you some stickers." He came at the right time! She sat down, he gave her the stickers, and he told me that he had raised four daughters.

I feel that as a mom I should have "this" figured out and to find a remedy to get her to nap and go to bed at a decent time, but Brett said that as parents we are learning and figuring out as we go. I think sometimes toddlers/babies/kids just do stuff that can't be explained or can't be fixed or changed by you. Maybe God is just allowing this to happen to teach us patience or something else.

Lately when Brett gets home, she runs to him to give him a hug and asks, "Whatchya doin' at work today? HOW ARE YOU? You want some chicken/(or insert whatever we had for dinner)?" I love seeing that she is asking someone else about his day and exhibiting some empathy and interest in others.

Brett continues to be swamped at work even with the help of the new hire for operations. She has helped a lot, but there are still so many deadlines and other things that Brett and his colleague need to meet. That the baby hasn't been born yet is actually a good thing for them, even though it's not ideal for me. I have good days dealing with it, but many days that I really struggle to "roll" with it. Lots of tears on the days he can't come home until 8 or so, but I know it's hard on him, too, and that this is temporary. I have to remember he's dealing with stress just as much as I am. It's just that I'm 9 months pregnant and dealing with lots of physical discomfort on top of the usual daily grind. It's easier to lean on God when things are going great - putting that faith in action when you are under pressure and stress is another story. I'm not giving up, though!

Our new couch arrived yesterday, and both Stella and our cat were very excited. She immediately put a bunch of books and stuffed animals on it so that we could read together on the new furniture. Topher sniffed every square inch of the fabric. The color doesn't go with our former rug or anything else, but we will change that in due time. The two chairs are arriving December 12, and I'm hoping we will be able to take advantage of some sales next month or in the beginning of the year for a new rug and accent stuff. Our house is still in a work of progress, and I'd really like if at least one room was entirely done to our liking. Or I need to have a baby to look after to get me distracted from unfinished projects. :)

She still sucks her fingers when she's tired, scared, or cuddly

On a no-nap day, she conked out on us around dinnertime. We let her snooze for about 15 minutes so it wouldn't mess up her bedtime.

We had the chimney cleaned out a few weeks ago so that we could enjoy our fireplace. I absolutely love wood-burning fireplaces. My dad would make a fire nearly every weekend in the winter growing up (he still does).

Her reaction to a car wash on Sunday. She used to be terrified of them, but she saw an episode on Curious George of George and his friend Allie having a blast going through one, and her views changed on the matter.

She was trying to make a paper airplane out of a magazine insert yesterday

New couch. I can't wait to get artwork on the walls and figure out a color scheme. I kind of have a palette in mind, but it might need some tweaking.

Topher approves