Things have been busy at the House of S, as we prepare for the arrival of kidlet #2 in less than 5 weeks. Squeezing in lots of quality time with the big girl, getting organized, and generally taking care of business! Some highlights & things to catch you up...
1) Em is super into letters, spelling, sounding out words and practicing her writing skills. Every car trip now includes practice on her Doodleboard, usually with Mom writing a simple word (cat, car, dog, sheep) and Em sounding it out. She is so proud of herself!
2) Baby boy is flipped the wrong way...head is up, butt is down. He's got a couple weeks to figure this out, as I'm told babies are usually stuck in their final place around 36 weeks or so. No flip = C-section for me. We'll see!
3) Em has her dance recital coming up the first weekend in June. The theme is "Where the Wild Things Are". We checked the book out from the library so she understands the theme, and she has a little image of what she's to be. I'm looking forward to seeing the costumes, and it is fun to see the instructor begin incorporating elements of the routine into the usual classes. Em has now begun "putting on dance shows" in the living room, complete with multiple "costume changes" and passing out of refreshments for the audience.
4) We took a quick weekend trip to the coast 2 weeks ago, staying with church friends at Bald Head Island. Definitely want to go back, as it's very underdeveloped, quiet, and has lots of nature preserves to explore. No cars allowed on the island!
5) Last weekend was spent in DC, visiting all of the Stouders. Em got the hang with both cousins, and I think the earliest she fell asleep was 1030 or 1100 pm. She had a ball, and we were able to get some family photos done. I took the opportunity to get some maternity shots done as well. Got a few cute ones...will post once I have the disc.
6) Em's imagination is going wild! She loves to "write books" and tell us stories. The stories often include things like volcanos with "hot laba", trips to China, baby snatchers and of course, her old (imaginary) pal Olivia, who I'm convinced is Em's evil alter-ego. She's a naughty girl! It's really funny to listen to Em ramble and see where the story goes.
7) This past weekend we took it easy, since we'd been out of town the previous 2 weekends. Saturday was our usual dance class, errand day. Keith went & got the taxes done...Em and I went & got our toes done. Seemed like a good deal to me. We explored a new restaurant in Durham on Friday night, and went to the NC Museum of Natural Science in Raleigh on Sunday afternoon. Admission was free, and the place was really neat! Fun times!
8) Keith is working hard to finish his big database project for his class at UNC this semester. It's worth 50% of his final grade, and is due in a little over 2 weeks. He's got a final exam as well, and it's crunch time! He's doing really well, and is enjoying the instructor and course very much. No class during the summer session since we'll be sleep deprived & have our hands full at home!
9) The warm weather has brought pretty significant swelling in my hands & feet. My toes resemble stuffed sausages, and 90% of my shoes no longer fit. I can't get my wedding rings off, so hopefully I don't develop a purple digit which requires getting them cut off. 5 more weeks, 5 more weeks!
10) The pollen count has skyrocketed this past week...everything is a lovely shade of yellow-green, thanks to all the pines surrounding the house. Poor Em is sniffly-goopy-drippy, and wants nothing more than to be playing outside in this nicer weather. Generic Zyrtec & Rhinocort nasal spray are keeping her functional & happy, so we'll just hang on for the next couple weeks until this stuff clears out!
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