In This Second Week of Advent...

...I am very tired.

The baby gestational clock is really ticking now. And I am starting to feel the discomforts at the end of pregnancy. It's funny how eventually the bodily pains and impatience overshadow any fears of labor pain. I just want Michael Ryan out! But not at this very moment. He's under specific orders to wait until Baby Sister returns home from Europe on the 14th. And then Ryan is finished with his semester on the 15th. Come anytime after that. Preferably before the 17th - when M.R.'s godparents leave for California. Got all that little-one-in-womb?

With the arrival of Advent, I have been so much more aware of Michael Ryan's impending birth. He really could be a Christmas baby, with a due date on the 21st. And I have a wonderful feeling of communion with the Virgin Mary, waiting for my son, as she waited for her son Jesus to be born. It gives me a deeper perspective on the meaning of Christmas. To think of Mary riding on a donkey for endless miles also keeps me from complaining about my own inconveniences!

I've been trying to take it very slow this Advent season - to really reflect on the season and the coming Christmas celebration. It's been nice to be done with my job, to be able to spend those 40 hours a week working on other projects with an unhurried pace. I am slowly completing a list of tasks before Michael Ryan arrives. Slow is the key word here.

My successes so far: washing & organizing the baby clothes, putting up Christmas decorations, purchasing almost all the Christmas gifts, and (finally!) finishing baby thank you notes. I've also typed up a birth plan, selected a family doctor, and attended my first Le Leche League meeting. I feel about 80% prepared for Michael's birth - enough that I am not freaking out, but all is not quite finished. I still have a stack of baby gifts to sift through & organize, those Christmas gifts need to be wrapped, and I have a couple of photo album projects I would really like to complete. Each day I just try to do the best I can and go to sleep in peace with what I have accomplished.

In this second week of Advent...

...life is good - even if I'm tired.

First Snow!

I don't like snow. Well, I don't really like snow after dealing with it for a long time. But it's always exciting when you get your first really good snow of the season. And ours has come early this year!

Notice the nice (zipped-up) maternity coat that I am sporting in this picture. I had been wavering on whether or not to purchase a coat because I only have a month left to go. However, my desire for warmth finally trumped my frugality. Yesterday my mother and I went shopping and found a nice, cozy winter coat to fit the expanding dimensions of my belly. And boy, I sure didn't wait a moment too long! The lake-effect snow kicked in about an hour after our stop at the mall. A very fortunate event!

Then last night Ryan and I had to get out and play in the fresh, puffy snow. We threw on our coats over our pajamas and grabbed the camera. I think a few of the hall residents gave us funny looks on our way out the door. I often wonder what they think of us.... I mean, we are obviously older than them, married, and having a baby - BUT - then we have these moments when we can't help but play like little kids.

And then we woke up this morning to...

...MORE SNOW!

Here's a picture of Ryan digging out our car this morning, on his way to class. Even with a foot of snow, and more falling, the university didn't cancel classes. It's an unheard of luxery around here - an honest to goodness snow day.

I am enjoying the snow now. We'll see how long it lasts!

How Can I Live Without the Internet?

It's really fun to not have to go into work each day. My days are so free! And I now have the flexibility to change my daily routine. For example: Yesterday and today I was able to join Ryan on a trip up to Chicago for an academic conference. He's off listening to intellectual speakers while I get to visit with my friend, Aislinn. It's a pretty sweet deal...

Last night Aislinn, her husband Rich, and I enjoyed a wonderful homemade meal - and I was able to bask in the glow of the newlywed couple. They are fantastically cute. I had forgotten the sweet newness that comes with the first month of marriage. I also spent a good portion of the evening in awe of Aislinn's tiny waist. My pregnant waist is so large right now that it's hard to imagine being slim again!

This morning I sent everyone off to work/conference and hunkered down to get a few tasks done on my computer while I was alone. That's when I realized that the internet wouldn't connect to my computer and I had just sent away my tech support with a dead cell phone! So much for my big plans...

The good news is that I have been able to get online through Aislinn's computer. Even more important: the world won't end if I don't fulfill all of my plans today. Maybe I'll just take a nap instead.

My Best Friend's Wedding

Aislinn & Rich enjoy their nuptial blessing

The happy couple smiles for the camera

Baby Michael Ryan enjoys being the center of attention with his mama, the Matron-of-Honor, and his papa, husband extraordinaire

Lots to Catch Up On

I am surprised anyone even reads this blog anymore.... I'm sure not holding up my end of the deal to write on a regular basis! That said, let's move on.

Life has been busy. If I am not sleeping I am running around all over the place. And, believe me, I've been sleeping quite a bit these days (According to BabyCenter.com, 34 weeks pregnant is when the "fatigue" sets in again). In the last month I've celebrated Aislinn's wedding, Ryan's cousin Matt's wedding, and 2 baby showers - and I attended the Center for Ethics and Culture Conference at Notre Dame, as well as the most recent ND football game that went into quadruple overtime. Every single weekend has been booked.

Ryan's life has been heating up too. He's working hard right now to finish his master's proposal. Every night we just kind of look at each other like, "Well, here we are at the end of the day and there's still so much left to do!" The poor guy just can't catch a break. Each evening we hope he'll find time to write his proposal, but some other pressing task (class work, lab work, Hall Director work) must come first.

The good news is that I finally managed to wash the floors last week! Of course, I had the extra motivation of house guests over the weekend to get me moving.

I am also slowly but surely putting our little apartment in order before baby Michael arrives. Each of the wonderful gifts we've received is finding a place in our tiny home. I just can't believe how generous everyone has been with the baby gifts! We've been showered with clothes and blankets and even 2 strollers. There are only one or two items we need to actually purchase. I feel blessed from such overwhelming generosity. And sometimes I just feel overwhelmed.

Anyway, I hope to keep writing more frequently now that I've begun again. (How many times have you already heard that promise?) If you are still reading, check back - you should have better luck than the last month!

Make That An Extended Sick Week...

This is the little cold that keeps on going... I have just over a day to heal up and prepare for my best friend's wedding on Saturday. As the matron-of-honor, I don't wanna be standing next to her with snot running down my face the entire day long!

Good news: the dress fits (had to exchange it for 2 sizes bigger 3 weeks ago)

If you happen to read this, please send up a few prayers for my health. I would really like to kick this cold by Saturday. I'll keep you posted on the festivities. :)

Taking An Extended Sick Day

I have a cold. A long-lasting, enduring, drawn-out cold. It's making me tired, thirsty, and unable to speak very well.

Ryan has a scratched cornea (???) - and he's been restricted from using a computer or reading (you know, all the things a grad student has to do for his work) for 48-72 hours.

That makes for a very stir-crazy couple the last 2 days.

You should see us - all scrubbed out in comfy pants, in the midst of kleenex and chicken noodle soup remnants, apartment lights dimmed, playing 2-man Cities and Knights of Catan all day long.

Don't get me wrong, I love taking a sick day. It's wonderful to have a legitimate reason to lounge on the couch, watch movies, and refrain from showering all day long. But two days, stuck in this little apartment with an "invalid" husband is a bit much, even for me. I'm starting to feel the strain of unfinished work, waiting for me to heal up and take care of it. Ryan is also going crazy, losing two days of work and classes.

So, we wait - and wait - for health to return to our bodies. Hopefully tomorrow will bring us an escape from the apartment. At the very least, I'm going to do the laundry!