The "Nesting Stage"

5 weeks to go! The due date is December 6th.


I feel HUGE! I'm already bigger than I've been when I delivered the girls (my OB confirmed my suspicions!). I'm so glad this baby is coming out soon! I'm a little more anxious than I've been in the past, so I really wouldn't mind if he or she came early. Lately, the baby has been pushing up against my ribs and it's been really painful. I don't think I could endure this for another month. At this point of discomfort, I have to remind myself how blessed I am to be able to get pregnant, and how excited we are to have another child. We can't wait to meet this baby!

Every pregnancy, I have major goals to finish things before the baby comes. But I think this time, it's been more extreme. I started earlier (as soon as I knew I was pregnant, I started thinking of all the things we need to do before we have three kids--but then morning sickness hit, and I was out of commission for awhile), and I'm hoping my energy and motivation will last up until the day before the baby comes.

So, here's what we've done to our "nest":

Decorated the Basement and Millie's Room

We found the bookshelf on KSL for $50 and painted it. The lanterns were $5 at a garage sale! And I finally forced myself to get some things up on the walls. Even though I LOVE to decorate, I have the hardest time doing it in our own home!


Millie's bedroom should have been decorated a long time ago, and now that it's finally looking "done", we may have to change it into a boy room! Maybe this is one reason why I don't want to know what we're having yet!



Organized the Closets/Drawers/Cupboards

I was inspired to do this after visiting Dave and Holly in NM. They gave me new meaning to being organized. I realized what a mess I was in, and I had a vision of how I could fix it. Thanks, Holly! I love having "a place for everything and everything in its place." I think it makes it easier to keep a clean house.



More Food Storage Space

Our unfinished basement bathroom is now officially a food storage room. It's so nice to have more shelf space. I think this is my favorite room of our entire house!

(before)
(after)


Organized the Garage

There is nothing like a clean garage! For some reason, we get it clean and then a few months later, it desperately needs another big cleaning. But it always feels good when it's done.

I don't know why it took us so long to discover that this area of the garage was PERFECT for shelves! Paul is such a "handy-man!" He always impresses me with his shelf-making.



New Transportation

With the baby coming, it was time to make the plunge into being a minivan family. We looked around a lot, and test-drove some really nice vans. But in the end, we went with something more affordable. Dave Ramsey's "financial peace" principles have really sunk in. At first, I wasn't sure if I liked the van, but we were sure we liked not having a car payment. Now, we really like the van too! It's been surprisingly fun to drive a mini-van.

Good-bye "Blackie"

Hello Minivan!

Millie's in Preschool!

I can't believe Millie's old enough to go to preschool! Sometimes it feels like yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital. She goes to "Miss Kristi's" school called "Oceans of Learning" while mommy and Gracie play with Brooklyn (the teacher's daughter). This works out great to have a friend come home with us, because Grace gets sad to leave Millie behind.

Miss Kristi says that Millie is one of her best singers in the class. Millie is growing up so fast and loves to learn! We're so glad to have her in this great preschool. Millie already knows more about bees than I do!

"Happy Birthday Dear Gracie!"

It's hard to believe that our baby is two years old! We've had fun singing "Happy Birthday" all week long to Grace. She never tires of hearing it and singing along. Every time we finish, she reminds us to blow out the candles too.

The girls have been working on a sticker chart all week long in order to go to Chuck-E-Cheese. We conveniently helped them to earn enough just in time for Gracie's Birthday. We had such a fun birthday together as a family at Chuck-E-Cheese's and then at Grandma and Grandpa Yorgason's house with cousins. I can't believe we don't have a picture of her blowing out the candles--only video!


Grace's Favorite Things to Do:

• taking care of her baby that she calls "my Becca"


• going potty "all by myself," which really means just sitting on the toilet for a few minutes, like a big girl


• having a tea party and pouring the water herself

• saying prayers--she insists on saying most of the prayers in our home, and she'll begin without anyone asking her to say them. And after a sentence or two, she'll stop and complain that "Millie Mae not saying prayer" (Millie isn't folding her arms!)

• brushing anyone's hair who will let her
  


• pushing her dollies on the swing


• dancing in her purple polka dot princess dress
  


• taking off her diaper and throwing it onto the floor before she falls asleep (and then wetting the crib before we discover it's off!)
  


• coloring with markers, gluing with a LOT of Elmer's glue, doing play dough and any other craft she can get her hands on
  


• helping to make Mac'n Cheese or or orange juice or any food that allows her time up on the counter


• singing songs solo style--as shy as she can be, she still loves to perform!

Gracie's Favorite Foods:

• frispies (rice crispies)
  


• fruit (she eats more fruit than anyone in our family)
  


• chicken dinosaurs


• mac 'n cheese
  


• juice


• hot dogs
  


• cheese

• toast that she butters herself

• fishes, crackers, pretzels, etc.
  

• rice that she salts herself


• "torn" (corn)

Cute Sayings:

• As I pick her up, she'll say "ahhh...I so heavy!"


• "um...sure...yeah, sure!" (this is her main way to say, "yes")


• "why?"
  


• "otay" (she hasn't got the "k" sound down yet)

• "amen" when finishing a book or ending a pretend phone call

• "tan you pease help me?" (she is very polite!)

• "tome on, otay?"
  

• when anyone takes a bite of food, she'll ask, "you lite it?"


• "I get mateed (married) in da temple" (and every time she sees a princess, she mentions how they are getting married too!)


• "Mommy,...wha doin?" (she loves to talk about what I'm doing)

Things We Love About Grace:

• her complex personality that keeps us wondering
  


• she can be sweet and cuddly, reserved and shy, hyper and fun, strong-willed or agreeable
  


• her constant jabbering that is getting easier to understand all the time

• she's always talked in sentences! She is smart girl!
  

• her cute nose-wrinkle when she laughs

• she shrugs her shoulders after she makes a comment
  

• she makes the biggest frown with her lower lip out and turning down
  

• her innate mothering nature--she has a need to care for her babies everyday
  


• how she can concentrate for a long time on things like drawing, books , puzzles, etc.