"We have a bullet in the ceiling at home."

My current Facebook status: 

Got quite the look from the Target check-out lady when Connor told her that "we have a bullet in our ceiling at home".....that would be a nerf suction cup dart....stuck ON the ceiling at home. Not sure if she believed me or not. I can just imagine the conversation around her dinner table tonight...

In addition to this fun, I got to meet Brian's boss today. He stopped by the house at around 2:15 this afternoon. I guess I should be thankful that I was dressed, had a bra on, & brushed teeth. Other than that, it was pretty rough. Here is how it went down...

I have a lot of work to do today after not doing ANY this weekend. To clarify, I did absolutely NOTHING yesterday of any kind because I could barely function due to an awesome cold that has shaken me to my core. Connor was being very patient and I was trying to get a few proofs out to clients before we ran some errands this afternoon. Connor decided he needed to rub something on my head. No real harm done, but I told him he needed to go get a brush and "fix" it. He told me it would require water. (The first time I let him "do" my hair with water was when my Granny was visiting and I ended up with liquid soap in my hair, so keep in mind this could have been worse.) His hair almost always requires water, so I guess this is my payback. I put up a fight at first and told him only a brush, but eventually gave in. I also told him he needed to bring a full-sized towel from his bathroom to put around my shoulders so we didn't get the chair...or me....soaking wet. This was a good plan, right. Keep him occupied while I get these proofs out.

He worked on it and used 1/2 bottle of water on just the top of my hair and then would proceed to brush it. I have no make-up on. I'm sitting on the floor in a maternity jean skirt and red t-shirt.

Knock on door.

Probably a solicitor...we've been bombarded recently.

It is Alek Rivard (neighbor) asking me to open the garage door so he can get the lawnmower out to cut our grass (since B is still in California). I opened the garage.

Standing behind him is a very nice looking man in a tie...could be a solicitor...but he parked in the driveway.

"Hi, I'm Jeff Irish."

Crap.

Of course I asked him to excuse my appearance and explained that Connor had been working on my hair. :) I introduced him to Connor. He shook his hand and then Connor said, "How about a high five?" That was cute. Connor also mentioned something about his birthday wreath and talked about his birthday for a few seconds before disappearing inside with his Transformer Prime Optimus Prime. He had to transform him to show Jeff. Meanwhile, we had a nice conversation and he thanked me for my support, especially being pregnant and with Brian being gone for so long. He gave me a head's up about a few things about the job and we just had a nice overall chat near our front porch. It honestly didn't even occur to me to invite him inside. The house is not trashed, but then again it was also not "meet the boss" clean either....toys in the living room, blinds down, random paint can on the entry table...

 Then Connor appeared again. This time with his new Nerf, suction cup dart gun. I did not "coach" him, but was just praying that he didn't 1) shoot Jeff or 2) shoot the darts off into the yard somewhere while Alek was now mowing the grass.... Instead he aimed straight up and shot at the wooden ceiling of our front porch. After 2 attempts and the suction cup stuck. After about 20 seconds, it dropped. New game. This lasted about 5 minutes. Jeff handed me a yellow envelope and told me "Thank You" and then said the contents of the card are "not for Brian". I told him it was very nice to meet him and that next time I will hopefully not look or or sound like I did today...

It was a $100 Visa gift card. Nice.

Anyway, Connor took one final shot as Jeff was leaving. This time it stuck...and didn't come down.

I came inside, put the navy blue towel down, and glanced into the mirror. Rough, but not as bad as it could have been....I had "messed with" my hair a bit during our conversation so it at least wasn't matted to my head in whatever fashion Connor left it in. I finished my proof, put a little makeup on and got ready to run errands. I wrote Brian and gave him a brief synopsis of this post. Connor began explaining that he was going to get the green ladder so he could get the dart down. "It isn't safe for you and the baby." You are right kid, but that doesn't mean that climbing a 6 foot ladder is safe for a 4 year old.

Anyway, we were off to Target. I guess his dart was still fresh on the brain which is how his random comment to the check out girl came about....

Happy Birthday, CONNOR!

I'm hoping that Connor's birthday will be super special this year even though we aren't having a "blow-out" party and his daddy is in California (wishing so much he was here).

We are having Connor's party at Chuck E. Cheese tonight with just moms and 9-10 kids: Jaxson (5), Justice (4), Aidan (5), Kenzie (5), Broox (3), Ryder (3), Emma (almost 4), Lucy (2), & maybe Kora (3)...and of course the birthday boy!

Last night after he went to sleep I put streamers up on the outside of his door (hoping he would stay in his bed all night and they wouldn't frighten him if he got up in the middle of the night) and balloons up on the mantle. I lucked out and although I did go to his room for about 2 hours from 1:00-3:00 am, he stayed put. When he came out this morning he was so excited to go through his "car wash"! And he kept pointing to the balloons on the fireplace...as if I didn't know they were there. :)

He has "school" today at the YMCA. I'm thankful he'll have a day of fun there and I can finish getting things ready for his party and clean up the house a bit. He took brownie bites with red frosting and sprinkles to share with his class for his special day.

Connor has only really asked for one thing for his birthday: the impossible to find Transformer Rescue Bot, Blades. It is the only one he doesn't have and I can't believe I'm actually writing this, but I was "lucky" to find it for $60 on an affiliate of the Sears.com website. It came in about 3 weeks ago and I can't wait to see his face when he opens it!

Connor cuteness...

Yesterday evening while I was in the office cutting some invitations to send out, Connor opened a drawer under the daybed and found Brian's old-old camera case...one for a point & shoot with film.

Connor immediately said, "Mom, it looks like a 'Shellington' bag!" Shellington is a character on one of his favorite Disney shows, Octonauts.

SHELLINGTON SEA OTTER 

Dr. Shellington is a nerdy sea otter scientist who loves doing field research and working in his lab. He's easily distracted by rare plants and animals, but his knowledge of the ocean is a big help in Octonaut missions.

Anyway, I found it to be completely adorable. He proceeded to "pack" it with an invitation he made himself for his birthday party next week. This is what he worked on while I made his actual invitations. (I still can't believe I am going to go to Chuck E Cheese's in the summer....bring on the hand sanitizer, and pray it is not 85º next Wednesday!)

I digress.

Then Connor said, "Hey mom, we need to go on a picnic to the clubhouse with my brand new Shellington bag." Although it was already 7:45, how could I say "No"?

When we came upstairs, ready to go outside he asked me to wait while he packed us juice boxes and fruit snacks to share on our "picnic". — be still my heart.

I convinced him to let me shorten the straps a little bit and put it on him across his body, and we were off. Once we got to the clubhouse, he was all business. I asked if he wanted to ride around the loop or play on the playset. Nope... "We can just share our snacks at this table right here...so we can watch the fish and the ducks." (overlooking the lake from the clubhouse). When we finished (he only packed one of each, so we most definitely had to share) he wanted to play on the playset for a few minutes, then had to go pee, so we headed home.

Obviously, this is not an overly exciting post, but an example of our sweet kid that I want to remember.

Of course this happened only an hour and a half after he injured 9 year old, Ian while we stopped briefly to talk to Tim/Tammy this afternoon. I'm still not sure what happened, but Ian came in teary and said something about Connor hitting his head into the ground (?!?). Why a 9 year old would allow an almost 4 year old to do this is beyond me, but I still needed to address the issue. When I went outside to ask Connor what happened and encourage an apology, Connor told me he couldn't come in to apologize...he was already in time out. Of course we went in to find Ian to check on him and for Connor to apologize. I sent him up to Ian's room. He returned 2 minutes later. I asked if he apologized. He shook his head no. At least the kid is honest. I went with him this time.

Then he told me it was time to go home. As we were walking home, he told me he made a "mistake" and a "bad decision".

I wanted to make a pit stop & take my new ultrasound picture to Rita's next door, but I told Connor he could go inside our house. When I came back in (Rita didn't answer the door) he was sitting in the time out chair. Since I'm not the one that sent him there, I asked him how long he was going to stay there. 3 minutes...because he's still 3. That kid....  I still don't know exactly what happened, but at least he took some responsibility for his actions.

Our Sweet Little D

So happy that we got a little good news today.

I had an ultrasound this afternoon because I was measuring 1 cm over my weekly point and the doctor was a little concerned that he could be getting big. He also thought that he may be breech.

Well, he is head down and all stretched out. My lopsidedness is due to the fact that his legs are extended straight out into the left side of my uterus while everything else is on the right...back, butt, arms.

It was a much needed treat to see his sweet face, that actually appears a little plump! He has beautiful lips and a gorgeous nose...just like his daddy and big brother. His eyes still look a little creepy, but hey he's not even born yet.

He is currently weighing in at 4 pounds, 10 ounces. Estimated length at birth is around 18"....significantly shorter than his 21.5" brother. Time will tell.

My fluid levels are good at this point, which was also a concern because they were so low with Connor. Perhaps that is why I am measuring big??

My internal thermometer is pretty much off the charts now and I am wearing skirts or leggings almost all the time because that is all that is comfortable...I am wide...compared to my former self.

Current weight 163 (as of this morning on my scale).

6 weeks and 2 days to go until scheduled c-section...

really ready for this week to be over 8/8-8/14

8/8/12
BAD: 3 hour glucose test...miserable & starving
GOOD: I found out I passed on 8/10...no gestational diabetes

BAD: about 2:30 pm...call from my mom, their house is burning
GOOD: no one is injured
BAD: they are confident it will be a total loss because of the vast smoke damage & heat even though the fire was contained to the basement and rooms directly above the source of the fire: den & kitchen

8/9/12
BAD: saw pictures of the house....oh my goodness
GOOD: some of our pictures should be saved as well as some of the priceless pieces that my dad made & other family treasures.
BAD: saying "goodbye" to lots of "things" my parents have stored and held on to for years and years

 8/10/12
GOOD: Baby appears to be doing good at my doctor's appointment
BAD: Dr. thinks Declan is breach just like Connor was...ultrasound scheduled for Wednesday to check fluid levels and baby's position
GOOD: Sent my mom and dad a large box full of complete outfits since they have NOTHING and I think my mom deserves to look cute amidst a tragedy
BAD: Up way too late, especially after 2 almost sleepless nights

8/11/12
GOOD: Happy Birthday, Elisa!

BAD: Nash is taken to the ER because of his inability to breathe...sterroid treatment does not work and he is put into an oxygen bubble and has to spend the night
GOOD: Connor and I drive to Avon Lake to visit with Brian's family for a quick weekend trip.
GOOD: They have a Charming Charlie's and I got some accessories for my mom to go with her outfits

 8/12/12
GOOD: Nash got to go home from the hospital
GOOD: The sun decided to come out and we were able to go to the AL pool
GOOD: family birthday party for Connor (minus Brian & Scott)
BAD: traffic on 96W on the way home from Ohio...4 hour trip turned into 5.5 hours
BAD: I turned around to check on Connor and idled into the car in front of me....a 2000 Chrysler Town & Country Minivan... I dented their tailgate....URG. NOT what I needed.
GOOD: The family in the van was very very nice. Police not necessary, we will coordinate for repairs without involving insurance.
BAD: I'm not sure that I handled it properly and I don't want to get screwed. I don't think I will, but it just sucks all around.
GOOD: Didn't see any damage to our car & I was going so slow, injury was not even an option.

 8/13/12
GOOD: although Connor got up at 6:30, he played in my room and let me sleep until after 9:00!
BAD: weather is gross
BAD: I took the car out and noticed that there is actually a very small amount of damage...not even to the bumper, but the black piece under it....NOT what I wanted and especially not on a new car. It isn't bad at all, but it is no longer perfect...fix or not fix?
GOOD/BAD: Finished Connor's Chuck E Cheese birthday invitations for the 22nd. Bad part is that the party is in a week and a half and I just got them out...

BAD through the whole week....Brian is in California and still won't be home for 2 weeks and 4 days...

HOME

Connor and I returned from a wonderful, 2-week trip to Georgia this evening. I will say it is wonderful to be home and the kitties are SO GLAD to see us!

I will post more including a few of the very minimal pictures that I took during our travels.

Since I failed my first glucose test a few weeks ago, I am going to go to the hospital in the morning for the 3 hour test. Oh joy. Connor has "school" tomorrow, so I figured it is the best time to go, even if I do have quite a bit of work to catch up on and I need to "clean" the house for the cleaning lady to come. :)

Of course I am not usually hungry late at night, but tell me I can't eat and I become ravenous. I guess I'll go grab a tall glass of water....

Trimleston House Fire — Day 2

My email to Granny.

Grant took some pictures of the damage inside the house with his phone and sent them to me...and asked me not to distribute. I am not "publishing" this, but want to have it as a record of what is going on.

I'm sure it is fine to send them to Randy. I'm not sure if it is because of insurance stuff or what, but we just don't want them getting out or being openly talked about.

Thanks...love you and am thankful for our chat today. I talked to my mom and dad this evening. My dad sounds as good as can be expected and my mom sounds good, but very tired. Neither of them slept last night. I think I probably got the most sleep of anyone in our immediate family at about 4 hours.

Dad said that the smell is the most overwhelming part. EVERYTHING reeks. Even both cars smell like smoke when the air conditioner is turned on. I think my mom really wants the house leveled to just start over because otherwise they will likely be fighting the smell for years...even with everything new. My dad had to get a new phone cover because even though his phone was in his pocket the whole time and he was obviously not in the middle of all the smoke, it smelled every time he put it near his face to talk.

They are going to get dinner somewhere tonight and go buy toiletries....they have nothing. They are staying at a Candlewood Suites through the weekend and then they will be at the VIP Suite at the Georgia Club through the end of the month (except next Saturday when a bride has it reserved). Then they are hoping to get a 6 month lease at a property within the Georgia Club. Grant told me my mom was wearing a "corvette" tshirt that their neighbor Linda gave her and my dad was in pocketless shorts because they have no clothes. The fabric people were already there to evaluate the clothing and very little is even being attempted to be saved. Among the things that they will try to save are my wedding dress, my mom's wedding dress and all the guys's letterman jackets from high school. I assume my mom's and my old cheerleading uniforms too, but she did not mention those specifically. Mom said unless it is 100% cotton it is almost impossible to get the smell out (according to the fabric people). I'm hoping that some of your cross-stitches, especially those that were under glass were not damaged too severely...and the ones that were not covered in glass, perhaps they can be cleaned and even under glass if the smell is unable to be removed.

The grandfather clock is still ticking.

The little red push car from the basement was not completely melted. It was near some of Odie's paintings, so although not likely, maybe some of those are okay....again, maybe just need to be framed under glass...not sure if that would work or not.

It got so hot, even upstairs where the fire never reached that all of the plastic lightswitch covers melted. The whole house appears very dark because every window is blackened from soot and smoke.

Some things can definitely be saved, but it will be a challenge to get the smell out of everything....period. My mom asked me to start making a list of everything I could remember that was in the den and in the basement that was completely destroyed for proof. I will have to look through pictures and go off of memory. Of course mine is probably one of the freshest, since I was just there. The structural engineers will be there in the morning around 9:30 and then the "contents" guy with the insurance company will be there at 10:00. Someone even told mom to inventory the contents of the refrigerator (milk: $2.69, etc.) to list out as a loss.....that is a bit overwhelming to say the least. She also asked me to try to remember everything in the pantry as well...so I've got to put my not-so-photographic memory to work!

The Apple Store gave my mom a loaner computer for 2 days because when they bought the iPad and MacMini on August 11, 2011 they got the "peach plan" and that was part of it apparently. Georgia is tax free tomorrow and Saturday, so they will get their new computer in the next 2 days. They also went to Belk's (department store) to get some clothes. Mom said she spent about $100 and my dad spent about $200. My frugal mother couldn't justify paying $40 for shoes that she didn't LOVE...even though she currently has no shoes. I think she got some....but not the $40 ones. I wish I was there to be her personal shopper. I guess I will just have to attempt to do it from afar....it just isn't the same.

Ok, I think that is all for now. LOVE YOU!

31 Weeks — Bump Progression

Round 1 with Connor.

I am currently in Georgia, but I managed to take my monthly photo today and Photoshopped the background so it matches. :) I did NOT retouch my size at all...I'm freakin' huge with 2 more pictures in the series to go (oh my goodness...)

We got to visit with our dear friend, Johnny today. In the kindest way possible, he let me know he thought I had about 2 weeks to go...not nine. Oh boy.

I have good days and bad. Today has been good. Declan likes to hang out on my right side, just like his big brother did at this time 4 years ago. He is still hanging out very low and the pelvic pain is especially bad during these moments, but I think I've managed to keep the limp and waddle to a minimum.

I'm not sure if it is because I'm in Georgia or if it will continue once I get home, but my internal thermometer has gone up in the past few days. My mom touched my arm the other day and said I was radiating heat. I guess that is just part of being very pregnant in the summer.

Overall, things are still very good. I am getting several bouts of heartburn (like right now) but it is tolerable.

Connor and I are certainly missing Brian, but enjoying our time with family in Georgia. I will be adding pictures from my annual Girl's Weekend that took place this time last week shortly (just got them off the camera, too). My friends are truly the greatest and surprised me and little D with a baby shower. They each made Declan a custom, handmade, onesie and gave us a gift card for essentials.