"My baby brother is coming..."

We're 34 weeks into this adventure, and as it turns out, it has been quite the adventure. I've been more tired this time around, working more (a lot more) than I was when I was pregnant with Will. Beanie is a pusher - he kicks sometimes, but he's more likely to stretch, seems he's trying to make a little extra space for himself. As I type, he's pushing against my ribs. I spend quite a bit of time in meetings trying to gently push a knee or a foot back in so that the lump on my side or below my ribs will disappear. At points, I've seriously wondered how we're going to manage 2 kids and 2 careers and everything that goes along with both...without going completely crazy. I know people do it all the time...but really, there are times when it all seems a bit much.

I pulled out a big pile of newborn clothes today - side snap t-shirts, swaddlers, newborn hats and socks. They're now sitting in a pile on the basement floor waiting in line for the washing machine. We have the carseat and the bassinet, will be washing sheets/bumpers next. We're still working on a name, made a big list last night, so now we're going to have to play a little mix and match with the first and middle names. We really can't formally name this poor kid "Beanie", we need to come up with a name we really like.

And now for the latest on Mr. Will.

• Our sunshine - happy happy boy - is an absolute motor mouth. From the moment he wakes up until he collapses from sheer exhaustion, he often doesn't stop talking.
• He's funny - and knows it. We will often get a pause in the conversation on his end when he thinks he might have said something funny....just testing - are they going to laugh?!
• We've finally entered the "mine" stage (he's a bit late on this front...), which means we're also witnessing Will's version of the terrible 2's on a pretty regular basis. The good news is that because he's so verbal, we have a shot at talking through most every issue.
• He knows when he's doing something he shouldn't (bouncing on the couch is a current favorite), and will say so, he just often lacks the self control to actually resist whatever is tempting him.
• He surprises us almost every day - we've been very gentle on trying to get him to understand he's about to have company in the kid department. When we have talked about Beanie being the baby in Mommy's tummy...he often lifts his shirt, points at his belly button and says "Beanie in Will's tummy". People ask and I usually say that he doesn't get it. And then...he'll connect the dots - today as we were pulling out the clothes, he walked over to me, looked at me very seriously and said "Mama, my baby brother is coming."
• Naps are optional at home. He manages to get a nap at school every day, but we've discovered it isn't terrible if he doesn't nap. He's tired at the end of the day, he doesn't have quite the stamina to make it all the way through the day, but he can do it and not completely melt down.
• Going to sleep is currently a looooongg process - it is the time when separation anxiety rears it's ugly head for him.
• He loves school - there have been some challenges with separation anxiety there too - but he seems to be over the hump (for the moment), and he's coming out of his shell and gaining confidence rapidly with the other kids.

I would promise to write more often...but it isn't likely given what I know is going to be happening in our world in the next couple of months. I WILL make sure there are pictures of Beanie up as soon as possible after his arrival...So for now, that's about it - going to get some dessert. :)