Being pregnant has really gotten in the way of my social life as of late. I know I know, just wait til the baby is actually here! However this past Tuesday, I was fortunate enough to meet up with old friends for dinner and I must say we waited far too long.

Not only did we eat great food, but it was so nice to be a part of adult conversation. While discussing the general “goodness” of people, my friend mentioned that her mom now carries on a saying that her grandmother once said – “If you can, you should!”

I haven’t heard something that has resonated so strongly in quite some time and I too plan to carry on not only this statement, but way of life – even if I’m not family.

If you can, you should – sums up exactly how I try to raise Ella. I can’t express how important it is to not only take care of your family and friends, but to think about those who are less fortunate and truly NEED the help. There is no better feeling!

On another note – please ignore my rather large belly (also seen here). I am currently 37 weeks, only 21 days to go and feeling larger than life. My belly hurts it’s so tender! Yesterday I spent the entire day outside at Miller Park for a work outing and I’m pretty sure I was literally baking this child. There was sweat in places I didn’t even know was possible. On a brighter note, today was the first day this month that it was under 87 degrees and I have thoroughly enjoyed the much needed relief!

sac·ri·fice/ˈsakrəˌfīs/ : motherhood

With exactly one month to go I am starting to experience some major aches and pains in the final days of this pregnancy. I’m trying to remain patient and positive, but to top it all off I’m sick right now too. My glands are so swollen I can barely swallow, I’m pretty sure my tailbone is broken and this little man is so low that he is pinching my sciatic nerve preventing almost all walking.

Since my mother taught me a good bath will solve anything, I thought I’d give it a try tonight. I slowly crawled into the warm bubbly water, began to sink down in and just closed my eyes and in came Ella crying because she had hurt her toe outside. Of course when she saw that I was thinking of enjoying a bath without her she immediately stripped down and wanted to come in. Since that’s the only way we could make her toe feel better, I let it happen. We then spent the next 30 minutes maneuvering around each other – her to play with her 1,000,000 toys and me trying to relax with a Barbie jammed into my side.

When she said she had to go to the bathroom I coaxed her out of the tub to get ready for bedtime. I proceeded to let the now chilly water out of the tub and refill it with clean, hot water. Just as I was about to sink back down to hopefully eliminate some of the swelling in my neck – my husband strolls in and has to use the restroom. For those of you who don’t know – our bathroom is not big and the tub basically sits on top of the toilet. At least it was #1 vs. #2 but lets just say he left me with an odor that was anything but calming.

As I lay there looking at him (he was oblivious and I’m sure will appreciate this blog) I realized – I can’t remember the last time I have enjoyed a bath, or anything for that matter – uninterrupted. There is no ME time. There is time for work, family, pets, cleaning, errands, projects, etc. Almost everything I do is because someone else needs me to get it done. I can’t sit down on the couch and read a magazine without Ella bossing me to read her a book or watch her latest dance routine.

Currently I can’t bend over long enough to paint my toenails, without experiencing a lot of pain. Soon enough I might be cooped up in this house with a new baby that prevents me from going out in public. Therefore, I vow to go and get a pedicure at some point this week. I hope to report back before the weekend that I have crossed it off MY list, wish me luck!

Speaking of lists – as I mentioned I’m due exactly 30 days from today (I’m currently dilated to 2 cm) so we have been in project overload. This past weekend we were able to divide and conquer and got a lot of things accomplished. On Friday we traded in our old ride for a new one (Toyota Highlander) that is bigger and offers third row seating. So far we love it! On Saturday I was able to touch up all the painted stripes in the nursery. It was a long and tedious project that I am VERY happy to have behind me, but they look great! Joe put the finishing touches on the changing table so we were able to finally start putting the room together. We also ran some errands and bought some necessities that we didn’t have. At the end of the night I sat in the glider and looked around and realized how surreal it is that we will be welcoming a new little addition into our lives so soon! Motherhood may be a sacrifice, but one that is worth EVERY. SINGLE. SECOND. 


On that note – I’d like to welcome one of my dearest friends to motherhood, as she welcomed her baby girl Bria Lynn this past week. Isn’t she precious? I can’t wait to squeeze on those sweet little cheeks.

Slowly but surely you inch up the steep incline and just as you’re about to admire the view from the top, you plummet to the bottom of the trenches again – right back to where you started from. It happens so quickly that you don’t even get a chance to take it all in.

I last wrote 9 days ago and at the time had a lot I could have talked about, but instead chose to highlight some of the Super Parents I know. Now less than 10 days later, I feel like I still have one million updates in our life that are worth mentioning, therefore this brief just might not be so…brief.

Ella’s life is in full transition; dance ended, swim began and each day that goes by marks one less day where she gets 100% of our attention. With Summer upon us, I wanted to meet with the school district to determine the best course of action for her speech development. Sadly we will not be going back to Phonology Clinic, but will be making changes to our IEP for more one-on-one sessions when the school year resumes. Her behavior issues have seemed to calm a bit, but we still haven’t gotten her potty issues under control (not for a lack of trying).
We had our last 3D ultrasound and everything continues to look great, minus the fact that the doctor predicted our not-so-little Will already weighs 5 lbs. 2 oz. Needless to say I am a bit panicked. I met with my OB this week and she says that those predictions can be off by up to 15%. She also said that over the next 7 weeks Will stands to gain another 4 lbs! Even if the prediction is off a bit…where I am going to fit a 9 lb. baby? The poor little man is already so smushed in there that we could barely see his face. His poor nose is going to take some time to adjust once he is finally out.

All this talk has us feeling like we should probably be prepared in case he decides to make his debut a bit earlier than August 9th so we’re trying to get the project list wrapped up ASAP. Therefore, we didn’t spend our Father’s Day weekend relaxing and grilling on the deck. Joe was able to get the crib refinished and set up in the nursery while I finished the tedious paint striping. We are definitely making progress – I ordered his mobile, looked at art to adorn his walls and began to sort through some of his clothes – but we still have a lot to accomplish before he is here.

Before Ella was born we went on a Babymoon to spend some quality time together before 2 became 3 and I wanted to do something similar before 3 became 4. Originally I had wanted to try to go somewhere that required a bit of travel because Ella really wants to fly. Of course time got away from me and that’s not really an option now so we are going on our family trip this weekend to the Wisconsin Dells. I wanted something that was relaxing but could still offer plenty of things to entertain us if we felt like it. We rented a cabin at a place Joe and I stayed when we first started dating and I think it’s kind of cool to take Ella back there now. I bet back in 2005, neither of us thought that 7 years later we would be going back as husband & wife, with our 3 year-old daughter in tow and our soon to-be-son on the way.

I have said 1,000,000 times before that parenting is hard-but it’s probably not enough to get the message across, so here I am again-it’s really, really hard!

To make it better, no one ever tells you that you’re doing a good job. They have no problem criticizing your decisions but when you’re juggling a thousand things at once and trying your best – no one stops you and says, “wow, I think you are a great parent! Keep up the good work.”

Lately it seems like I just can’t keep up with life and I realize that this is the slowest our life will ever be. Soon we will add another little monster and have one more person to run to daycare, get to doctor appointments and provide for. I try to remind myself that so many other parents are going through the same thing and in most cases dealing with even more. I know a lot of great parents but a few stand out and they should know just how exceptional they are.

My friends Brooke & Shane do so many fun things and provide their two boys with a new adventure almost every weekend. Whether it’s Twins games, Badger hockey games and even trips to Disney World – they never make an excuse about why they can’t go do something and just do! They drive all over the place with boys in tow. I like the idea of taking Ella somewhere but in the end usually opt to leave her at Grandma’s so Joe and I enjoy a trip to ourselves.

(Ella’s first Brewer game; attended with Brooke, Shane and their son Cameron —->)