Back to routine

Aahhhh, can we all breathe a sigh of relief? It's funny, because the fall brings more busy-ness, but I'm happy to get back into "stuff" to keep us busy. I have to admit a bit of boredom throughout the summer. Colin worked days at the restaurant, too, which meant he had the car during the day. I missed my car! He walks to school, so I'm happy to have my mode of transportation back. How on earth did we "bus it" for 6 months when we got here?!?

Like I said, school is up and running for Colin. The Head of School invited the staff from both campuses to his house for a Welcome Wine and Cheese evening last week. We didn't get to go last year, but we wanted to this year. Colin got a student of his to babysit Ethan. It was the first teenage babysitter we've ever had! It was weird. But she was lovely, and Ethan had a blast with her.

Colin's schedule is busy almost right from the start. They're doing their major production in the fall this year, so he jumps right into rehearsals. They are doing "Little Shop of Horrors", and he's so excited. He will be rehearsing 4 nights a week, working one night and all day Saturdays at the restaurant. So, I'm gearing up for a little bit of single parenthood for the next 3 months. Such is the life of a Drama teacher's wife. I accept it. :) But I told him that after his show closes on Dec. 2, he's mine! For the rest of the year! At least for this year, with a new baby in our home.

Ethan's and my schedule has picked up, too, which is a great way to pass the time while Colin works so much. Next week, Ethan will be starting Kindermusik on Tuesdays, swimming on Wednesdays, playgroup on Mondays, and the library story time on Fridays. We also are starting "school". We are strongly considering homeschooling in a couple years, so I don't really see the need for preschool (not at this point, anyway), so we're doing "homeschool preschool". I spent some time at the teacher supply store this week, and bought a few supplies to get us started. Can I just say that I could have spent all DAY in that store. I LOVE teacher supplies! Hehe. We do a little bit of school every day. So far this week, we've focused on numbers up to 20, and we'll soon work on tracing and writing letters, and other typical preschool/kindergarten skills like cutting, pasting, sorting items, etc. Ethan's so excited every day when we do this. He's such an eager learner. I want him to always have that joy of learning that I see in him. He spells his name with the letters on the fridge and sounds out the beginnings of words and gets so proud of himself when he knows he's accomplished something. He also has a new backpack and he wears it from room to room in our house, "going to school". Funny boy. The rest of our time is spent playing and reading and going out and about, as always, as these "every day" things are the main ways he's learning right now, anyway. The whole world is our "school".

I'm halfway through my pregnancy, now. 20 weeks. Hard to believe. Hard to believe because I really thought this baby would probably not make it. And hard to believe because it's going so darn fast! Gosh, I hope I get everything done that I need to before this baby shows up. Hehe. Honestly, there's not a lot to do. I do have to somehow get our baby clothes here from Lethbridge, and buy some newborn cloth diapers (which might not happen until after baby's here, anyway), and buy a couple more items, such as a playpen (which substitutes for a crib, as we have no room for one) and Colin has told me we can afford a glider rocker, so we're also getting one of those. I can't wait to nurse our new baby in a soft, comfy new glider. Our bedroom is going to be jam-packed full.

I had a midwife appointment today, this time with my secondary midwife, Jill. She's very outgoing, and quite different from my primary midwife, but I quite like them both. Everything is good and normal and boring, just like I like it. For the first time, she listened for the heartbeat with the fetoscope and she heard it! I didn't listen, as she said it was very faint, but it's beating at about 140-150 beats per minute, which is perfect.

I feel baby move quite a lot, and even Colin has felt it, though very lightly. This is a busy little peanut, let me tell you, and already takes after big brother with the way it shoves and pushes its way around inside me and manages to find some pretty uncomfortable (for me) positions to hang out in. Little stinker!

The biggest "bane" of this pregnancy is the heartburn. I had it with Ethan, but much later on. This has been "gracing" me for about a month now, and I can time it like clockwork. Whether I've eaten recently or not, and no matter what I've eaten, 7pm rolls around and my body thinks, "Oh! Time for heartburn!" And we're set for the evening and early part of the night. *sigh* Thank goodness I only have it during pregnancy. My deepest condolences to anyone who experiences heartburn on a regular basis without a baby pushing up on all your inner organs.