Still

Yes, I am still pregnant.

I am, apparently, having contractions.  I cannot feel them, but they can be seen on the monitor during my NST.  But it was obviously not enough to concern anyone this morning, as they cheerfully sent me home with a "Hey, how about you have that baby sometime, ok?"  OK.  I'll work on that.  Dex and I took the mutt for a walk.  I'm not quite sure what else we can do to encourage her to come out.  Aerobics?  Jumping jacks?  Dex IS awesome at jumping jacks.

I've been working on some Fair Hill stuff.  I will pass the Special Events hat over to another capable person next weekend, but I am doing all the pre-planning.  And also updating the blog.  And also the website.  And if this baby waits til Wednesday to make an appearance, Fair Hill is going to panic.  Because WHO is going to update the web?

Here's my most recent Fair Hill post.  I like the "getting ready" ones - it's fun to see the progress, and the difference a week can make.

From a couple weeks ago at Longwood.  YAY!  The trains are back!

Two Things

1).  Yes, I am still pregnant.  No, we do not have a baby yet.  No, Dad, you're not a Grampa yet.  I am sure when I go to the hospital tomorrow morning for my ultrasound and NST they will all exclaim "You're STILL pregnant??!!"

2)  Dexter helped Daddy mow the lawn today.  He was totally jazzed when Daddy came home early, and I told him he was coming home to mow the lawn.  I am going to mow the lawn with my Jeep, he says.  Fantastic.  It was all well and good til he tried driving across the front yard and up the driveway, at which point his Jeep spun around and went sliding backwards down the driveway, giving John and I a collective heart attack.  Dex just grinned and kept driving.

Click below for video.  Not of the heart attack moment.

Lending a Helping Hand. Again. Some More.

Remember over the summer when Dexter helped Daddy fix the truck, and it was ridiculously cute?  It was no less cute this afternoon, when Daddy helped get Dexter off the bus and told Dex he was fixing the truck.  Dexter's eyes lit up and he immediately asked if he could help.  But, Hold on, he says.  I've got to go get my tool box.  And off he trotted inside to find the tool box that Aunt Marcie gave him.

This time the truck was really broken.  Like, move the shifter stick thingy and it would not shift.  So we had a nice red truck, stuck in park, sitting in the driveway for a couple days.  Fortunately, Mr. Adam lent us his car so John could get to work.

Dexter pulled out his screwdriver, found all the broken things, and fixed them.

He, of course, needed a light, too.  Because Daddy had a light.

Buddy is also tremendously helpful

He's sexy.  And he knows it.

I forget, often, that fish is a viable, yummy, easy food to cook.  So we haven't had it in a long time.  I finally bought some salmon yesterday, and cooked it for dinner tonight.  Dexter ate at least one whole salmon fillet by himself.  That boy loves him some fish.  And also, apples.  We shall be sad when fresh apple season is over.

No news on Baby Norman.  Every time I go to the hospital for a non-stress test or an ultrasound, all the regular people exclaim - Are you STILL pregnant?  When is that baby going to come out?  I dunno.  She's not talking.

What is God?

Yeah.  That's the question Dexter asked me this morning, after he read some saying we have posted on the fridge.  Some saying I have nothing to do with, and Dexter found the other day, and asked me to read to him.  Something about how God can't be everywhere and that's why he created mothers.

So he asks, What is God?

And I answer, Oh, Baby, I am so not the person who should be answering this question.

But I gave it my best shot.  Because I don't really know how to explain God to a grown-up, much less a three-year-old.

God is someone that some people believe in.  He's kind of like a pretend Mom or Dad, who watches over people and takes care of them.  Some people believe in God.  Some people don't.  And that's ok.

Dexter says, I believe in God.

OK, kiddo.  That's fine.  Mama does not believe in God, but you are more than welcome to.

Dear Sweet Jesus, kill me now.  I am not equipped to answer these questions.  I struggle already with where to send him to preschool next year.  Christian preschool, non-affiliated preschool?  We have some awesome Christian preschools around here, but I don't really want God drummed in to my child's head.  I don't think I can deal with it.  But then again, if we want him to learn about God and Christianity, he's gonna need to get it from somewhere.  Because it sure as hell isn't going to come from me.

This makes my head hurt.

In other news, it looks like the final deadline for Baby Norman is next week Wednesday.  If she doesn't decide to come out on her own before then, induction will be Oct 17.  Mostly because induction increases your chance of a C-section, and they don't wanna do a c-section on a weekend if they can help it.  Slackers...  :-)

Cute pic from Longwood.  A while ago.  Like, August.

A Small Motorcycle

At 12:15 last night a small child appeared in our doorway.  Which kind of freaked us out, as he has NEVER, EVER gotten out of bed and come in to our room.  So John scooped him up and brought him in to bed for a while, as we tried to figure out what was wrong.  He said that a small motorcycle woke him up.  Hmmm.  OK.  Time to go back to bed.

Some time, either later last night when John took him back to bed or this morning when the boys got up, John asked again what woke Dexter up.  A small motorcycle, he replied.  The sound was coming from Mama and Daddy's room, so he came to investigate.  And then John burst out laughing and fell on the floor, trying to breathe.  Apparently the small motorcycle is Mama.  Snoring.  Really loud.

John is really hoping that the snoring subsides when the baby arrives.  It doesn't bother me at all - I sleep right through it.  But apparently it is affecting the quality of sleep of the entire household.  Sorry, boys!

Couple pictures from today, and a video from soccer.

Soccer jumping jacks (click for video)

Dex and Daddy went to pancake breakfast at the airport, and apparently Dexter got to sit in the seat of a very tiny airplane.  Not this one.

The boys watching football after dinner tonight.

Weekend Fun

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit last weekend, to hang out with Dexter and to babysit for us while we went to a wedding.  We were cute:

As were these two boys - perhaps two of my favorite grown-ups ever.  Adam, by the way, is a brand-spanking-new Dad.  Congrats!

Dex went to soccer on Saturday morning, and everyone went to watch, and fall on the ground peeing their pants with laughter when he did jumping jacks.  Oh, my lord.  The funny.  I did not get a picture or a video.  But trust me.  Hysterical.

A little dribbling during warm-up

Click above for video of Dex scoring a goal.  I was not filming when he went up to the goalie and, instead of kicking in the ball, he just hugged the goalie instead.  He's a lover, that one.

After soccer Dex went to a free festival with Grandma and Grandpa, where he did a whole lot of jumping on a moon bounce.  Or three moon bounces.  And then dinner at Applebees.  And then fireworks at Fireworks Wal-Mart.  It sounds like a lovely time was had by all.

Sunday we had a tree to remove.  Grandpa brought a chain saw and a tow strap, so we could try to pull it out with the truck.  The tree, however, had other plans.

John would like one of these chain saws, please.  It's only (gulp) $600...

Dexter checked out the stump to see if it would make a good drum.

Then he got his shovel so he could help Daddy

And then he used the stump as a drum while Daddy shoveled.  He is tremendously helpful.

Also, cute.

We brought the truck around and made an attempt at pulling out the tree.  The tree didn't budge, but we made some nice mud marks in the yard with the truck tires.  So Dexter decided he would push buttons in the truck while Daddy and Grandpa dug some more.  Unfortunately, this killed the battery in the truck, so pulling trees out was no longer a possibility.

Don't tell the child, though.  He was insistent - let's hook up this rope to the tree!

One doesn't need a working battery to push buttons in the truck.  With the dog riding shotgun.

Who needs a truck when you have Daddy and Grandpa?

Dex helps fill in the hole

Grandpa comes over to help out.

Front of the house with no tree.  Ahhhh.  Much better.

No progress on Operation Baby Girl Norman.  Today is my due date and she remains firmly implanted in my belly.  Ultrasound still looks good, non-stress test is fine.  Everything is fine.  And apparently the ultrasound says this is gonna be a big old baby.  She might kick her brother's ass.  Or, hopefully, the ultrasound is wrong and she'll be cute and tiny and will slide right out no problem.  We'll have to wait and see.

Hey, Aunt Jeanne!

The above video cracks me up.  Because he's OBVIOUSLY excited about me video taping him in front of his flowers.  And also FAR more interested in the strings on his pants.  Or...  something.

Anyway!  Aunt Jeanne!  Look how big our flowers are!  They went from this, which you helped us plant:

To this.  Which has already lost some flowers because I pulled out the dead stuff last week.  So long, marigolds.

Dex is also obviously thrilled about doing this little photo shoot.  I took him away from throwing baseballs in to the ball pear tree.  He was displeased.

See?  Super psyched.  But check out the alysum that still looks and smells awesome!

Plus now we have a cool little place to walk and sit, since I pulled out the smelly marigolds that I hate.

And the flowers look pretty good, despite serious amounts of neglect on my part.

After our flower photo shoot we played in the yard for a while, and took some pretty pictures with the nice blue fall sky.

Got photo-bombed by the damn dog

And then Dex rolled down the hill a bit.  Click below for video: