Remember This!

In the next week or so, life is going to change drastically. We'll soon be meeting the newest member of our family and I know that transition is going to be rocky and lovely and full of cuddles and tears and heart-swells and meltdowns {from all of us}. Part of me cannot wait, especially since I got my final grades submitted and I am officially done with work for the next few months, but the other part of me wants to bottle up as many memories of our family of four as possible before all of our lives change forever. Between the stresses of work and the to-do lists before the baby arrives are these moments when I am acutely aware that this phase of our life is so incredibly fun and special. The boys are each in a crazy awesome stage and, even though I totally dropped the ball never even picked up the ball on many holiday traditions this year, I feel like this Christmas has the potential to be one of the most magical we've ever had.

So, in order for my soon-to-be-scrambled brain to recall the way life was right now, here are some observations of our life lately.

Every morning, the boys wake up and come into our room to get one of us up. It was always me they got first until a few weeks ago when Gehrig started waking Jason instead. I didn't question it because...why would I mess with a good thing? Then one morning Jason overheard Gehrig whispering to Milo, "Just don't wake up Mom! She needs to rest because of the baby in her belly." Since then, they both climb on Jason's side of the bed and let me "sleep in."

One of my favorite things to do is listen to the games the boys come up with while they play together. It's of course fun to play with them, but discovering what they dream up on their own is amazing to me. Most of the time they get along and will cooperate with the other's ideas, though Milo still gets "scared" when Gehrig {as whatever animal he's chosen to be that day} attacks or chases him. This is ironic because when the game does get too rough, Milo is always more aggressive and his older brother is usually the one getting hurt.

Gehrig is constantly impressing us with his desire and ability to read. He picked out an Easy Reader "for the baby" {it's about dinosaurs...} and read the whole thing in the car on the way home with very little help from Jason. When he read it to me that night, I cried. It's sort of incredible and my current brag-worthy topic. Also, I'm pregnant and emotional.

Milo is one of the funniest people I've ever met. If you need a laugh, come have dinner with him. He spends the entire meal trying to get everyone at the table laughing and, even though I shouldn't encourage some of the behavior {eating like a dog, burping, not eating any of his food because he's too busy making "jokes" etc.}, the facial expressions and giggles he makes are just too much for me to handle. Jason says Milo gets away with so much more than Gehrig does/did, and I'm not sure if it's actually true, but something about his delivery makes it impossible for me not to smile. In fact, when he does get scolded, he furrows his brow and laments, "ohhh, dat was just joke.."

Other things to remember about Gehrig right now:

He talks about animals, all day every day; cries when the snow melts {what is up with this mild Michigan winter??}; was called "the definition of a good listener" by his teachers; thinks the baby is a boy and we should name him Owen {his friend at school}; likes bossing his little brother around; wants to be a Wild Kratt when he grows up.

Other things to remember about Milo right now:

He loves playing cars and trucks; is not interested in potty training AT ALL; has the poutiest lip when his feelings are hurt, but also has the biggest attitude when he doesn't get his way; cuddles with me more than his brother ever did; thinks the baby is a boy and we should name him Owen; repeats everything his brother says.

Both boys are obsessed with the baby. They check my belly constantly and give the baby hugs and kisses. Milo continually asks if he'll get to hold the baby, which ends in an argument between them about who gets to hold the baby first {mom! mommy does!}. They're going to be amazing brothers to this kid.

All-in-all this pregnancy has been pretty smooth. Emotional? Yes. Uncomfortable? Yes. Weird symptoms I've never had before? Absolutely. But when it's all said and done, this baby has been good to me. The semester kept me very busy, which is always an excellent distraction, but now that it's OVER {if I could drink, I'd throw myself a giant fiesta with alllll the beer and margaritas}, I am overly excited to relax for a couple days {weeks? hours? who can tell?} before baby comes. Unfortunately I'll just be drinking tea, water, and orange juice to try and kick the cold I caught from my germy preschooler while I try to stock up energy for labor. Along with the end of work stress  always comes the beginning of viruses, which is not ideal right now, but when is it really? Just give me all the good vibes and prayers and clementines you can, ok?

So, off I go to wait for labor to start. Have the most peaceful of Christmases with those you love!