Look what's happening at our house...

Well, because you're not a Patterson until you've lived through major construction in your first year of life, we've decided to build a new garage.

People think I'm crazy, asking how I can have a newborn baby and be doing a major project at the same time.  My answer: This project is outside.  Plus, this is how we Pattersons roll.  (Cue up Montell Jordan's, "This Is How We Do It".)

Of course it's been a process.  Aside from the architectural drawings we needed approval from the Historic Preservation Commission again.  And then there were a few modifications.  And then we had to lose a huge tree because, after consulting with an arborist to make sure we weren't going to kill the tree by building too close to the root structure, we discovered that the tree was in distress and needed to come down.  We knew this was a possibility, but had hoped to save the tree.  The arborist told us that it could probably live a few more years, but then it would definitely need to come down, and it would be much harder then with the new garage.  Plus, we figured with our luck, we'd build the new garage and then we'd have a storm and the darn thing would fall on the new garage.  So, down it came.  The other big tree next to it needed to be pruned, so we did that at the same time, and our yard looks so different.

Then, this Saturday, down came the old garage.  The construction crew took it down by hand in less than five hours.  These guys are awesome.

And now we're left with a clean slate.  Time to rebuild.  We're building a bigger garage, and changing the entrance to the alley side, so we'll gain a lot more yard.  Process should take about 7 weeks, so really baby brother gets off pretty good.  Less than two months, albeit the first two months of his sweet little life.  I'll be sure to post the progress. 
 

Advanced Maternal Age

Well, I guess I'm officially old.  At 35 I am considered to be of Advanced Maternal Age.  Hilarious, right?!

It means I have to have a few extra tests and steps and that a few more tests are offered to me.  One thing I have to do at this stage is have a non-stress test every week that I remain pregnant.  As if I'm so old that the baby must be stressed out in there just thinking about it.  It's not pretty, but it's totally painless. 

There I am- hooked up to the machine, pushing a little button every time I feel him move.  It takes between 20 minutes to an hour.  Awesome.

Here's the bottom line: Let's get this kid out already, huh?  I don't want to make the baby come before he's ready, but it really is time.  It's not just the non-stress test.  I have horrid heartburn and carry tums with me around the clock.  I stopped sleeping weeks ago, although I can get rest if I prop myself using 4 different kids of pillows, I still get up to go to the bathroom at least four times a night.  And the sickness.  Oh yeah, it's still there.  Every. Single. Morning.  I'm almost 38 weeks pregnant.  Times 7 days a week.  That's 266 days of waking up feeling like garbage.  Have you ever had the flu?  It's a bad day, right.  Yeah this is 266 of those days.  Talk about feeling old.  Although really since about 20 weeks I have only been getting sick in the mornings, so it really isn't that bad.  It was about 90 days of the flu, and then just flu-like in the morning.  Once I get sick I usually feel much better, and by noon I'm totally fine.  Still, even waking to a hungry, poopy, crying baby will be a welcome change to waking up and throwing up.

The good news, and the most important news, is that the baby is totally healthy.  And we're ready for our meet and greet!  Hopefully he doesn't think I'm old too.   

The final countdown

If you are humming, "duhn nuhn uhn uhn, duhn nuhn uhn uhn uhn" in your head right now, I love you.  Sorry if I got that Europe song in your head for the rest of the day.  Gotta love the 80's.

Aaaaaanywho.  We're only a few weeks away from baby brother's highly anticipated arrival date.  And although there were most certainly not be paparazzi staked outside the hospital for days ahead of time like they were Princess Kate and Prince William's sweet blue bundle, there are at least two pending big sisters in this house who are as excited as US Weekly to welcome their little brother into the world, and learn his name.  "Can you believe it!?  We don't even know what to name him!" says Marin.  (spoiler alert, we know the name, but if Marin did, so would you and everyone else in the county.)

Emilie likes to "kiss it baby".  She asks me, "I kiss it baby?!" And when I get down so she can kiss the baby she says, "I love you baby brother.  I Emilie!  I your big sister!"  Uh-huh, it's adorable.

And so baby brother has become how he is most often referred to in this house.  I can't wait to see what baby brother does to our pink frilly tutu world of fairies, princesses and my little ponies.  I am certain he will be lipsticked and dressed up with in days of his arrival on James Street. 

The room is pretty much ready, or at least by the end of the weekend it will be.  When I carried the bassinet up from the basement to clean it all up last week Emilie excitedly asked, "Your baby come out, Mommy?!"

The breast pump and mini bottles are all washed and put away.  I even washed baby bibs, although he won't use those for 6 months.  Clothes are all washed and put away in itty bitty little stacks in the drawers.  Don't you just love the smell of Dreft?  The lifesaver baby swing is all washed and ready to be set up this weekend, along with the baby car seat.  I even washed the boppy, but I don't think I really used it that much with Emilie.  Same goes for the hooter hider.  If you're in my home the first few weeks of baby's birth- be prepared to see some nippage.  There really is no way around  it.  And yes, I suppose that's a warning.

I have a few things left on my to-do list (you know I love a good to-do list) and then I think we're all set.  Molly knows that I need to survive the day, Lindsay is at the ready and Marin keeps reminding Emilie, "When Mommy has the baby, Lindsay is going to come and spend the night with us at our house!!"  Jason took his last pre-baby business trip out of town and my mom and dad are already starting to get nervous when their phone rings past 9:30pm. 

All systems are a go.  Just add baby. 

Cravings!

When I was pregnant with the girls I craved apples and tuna melts.  With this little guy I absolutely can not get enough Grahams ice cream and chocolate donuts (not just any donut.  I crave the small donettes commonly found in gas stations).  And chocolate salted carmels, and frozen milky way ice cream bars.  And nutty bars (remember those?!) And.... any other junk food I can get my hands on.

The funny thing is that even while gorging myself on what I'm pretty sure is a 2,000 calorie (and amazingly delicious) homemade raspberry chip Grahams milkshake, (hell yes I'd like the whipped cream and chocolate shavings (also homemade)), I have gained less weight with this pregnancy than with either of the girls.  My reasoning: give the body what it wants.  And when pregnant, give it now.

I usually try to eat pretty healthy and I'm almost an all out freak about the things my kids eat.  I try not to have them eat anything too processed, and when we can't help it (if you have a 4 year old and you avoid fruit snacks you are some kind of crazy angel) I read the labels and avoid all food dyes and processed sugar.  But when mamma is craving some cheep, nasty chocolate donettes, the rules change a little bit.  What am I supposed to say, "Gross, fake processed food is only for mommies"?  So my kids have gotten used to donettes.  When they're gone Emilie sweetly reminds me, "Buy more donettes, mama!"  Great.

I did try telling them a few times that some of the crazy things in our cart were not good for us, but were for pregnant ladies.  This was a real trip.  Marin bought it hook line and sinker.  Now whenever she wants to buy oreos, or cinnamon apple sauce and I tell her that they're not good for us, she says, "Not even for pregnant ladies?!"  I kid you not.  I literally laughed out loud in the candy aisle (this, of course, is where the donettes are located).

Grahams is a slam dunk.  It's summer.  It's 104 outside.  Kids will gladly hop on their bikes and go to Grahams at the drop of the hat.  And I walk there and back, so I figure that kills at least 12 accumulated calories.  Seriously though all this Grahams talk is making me hungry.

We went to the grocery yesterday, and since anything I buy now could remain in my house after the baby is here, I am proud to say I resisted all temptations of the nutty bars and donettes and frozen milky way ice cream bars.  The kids haven't even noticed.  Bummer.  I was hoping I could blame them for a few new grocery list staples.