37 weeks

I just cropped this picture and need to acknowledge how great my husband is. This picture makes me laugh, realizing what a sport he is to put up with my photo ideas...so that when I say, "here, hold this watermelon like it's a baby!" he actually does, and then gives the camera a half smile. He's good to me. (This picture is a throwback to the one we took with a pumpkin when I was preggers with Ivar...at the end of this post)

We are 37 weeks and I'm feeling great. I tucker out easily, but found out today that I am pretty low iron and that taking a supplement might really help with energy. And basically I am just very pregnant with a one year old. That's the biggest reason for being tired!

Our closing date and moving date has been moved up a month so that we will now move ten days after my due date. Not sure how that will all turn out, but I'm sitting loose and have boxed a whole lot of our house up already. It's going to be a busy and full summer, but it's all wonderful stuff and I'm not too bent out of shape about the timing. Wouldn't have picked it, but I'm determined to make it work!

Next week I'll start sharing bits of our new place. We could not be more excited about the home we're moving to. And thrilled that everything is coming together so quickly so we can move in and get settled.

backyard camping

Friday night we "camped" in the backyard. It's the only way to camp when you're nine months pregnant and have a one year old.

We went into the night with hopeful (though very low) expectations. Ivar was wired. He kicked his legs around like a donkey, diving into the sleeping bags and thermarests while yelling, "Mama! Daddo!" He laughed and screamed and in time, four of our neighbors had come over to see what kind of party we had going on in our backyard.

At 10:30 he still hadn't really settled down. We read our books, and he dove over our bellies laughing and saying our names as if to say, "Mama Daddo! What on earth are we doing? I am delirious tired and you still haven't put me to bed and we're all together and I love it!"

A bit before 11:00 Rory and I pretended to be asleep and Ivar lay between us. And then I felt a tiny finger go up my nose and heard Ivar say, "hello, nose."

We laughed so hard. And Ivar started kicking his legs again, force laughing and yelling, "Mama! Daddo!" I think that's about when we gave up on the idea that we might all sleep together in the tent that night.

I actually did fall asleep and at some point Rory took Ivar into his crib.

I slept soundly until 1:00 when I had to use the restroom for the fourth time. And then we decided we had nothing to prove and moved into our bed. I was achy the next day, but actually was surprisingly comfortable out there with my four pillows propping my back, belly, knees and head.

raspberry season

Earlier this week I gave Ivar a few raspberries to try and showed him where I picked them.

He didn't forget.

Now, when we go outside, he walks right over to the patch and helps himself. He does a decent job picking the ripe berries, but it doesn't really matter if the berry is fully red yet or not. And it doesn't matter if the stem is still on it when he picks. He eats it all and mmmm's while he feasts.

summertime

sold!

Well that was fast. They didn't even have time to put the "real" for sale sign in the front yard!'

We put our house on the market at 2:00 on Saturday and had two showings on Sunday, three on Monday and one on Tuesday. By Sunday night we had two credible offers. Quite the great situation to be in. Made me wonder if we were getting rid of the best house in the world.

Yesterday afternoon we sat down with our realtor, made our selection and signed our names and initials many, many times. And just like that, our house is sold.

I cannot tell you how grateful I am that we will not have to show this house for weeks and months. It cleans up easily enough, but Ivar is a champion at touching every glass surface in between showings, taking treasures from one room and putting them in the next, undoing all that was just done. I feel so fortunate that we can just live here again... with our kitchen garbage can out of the cupboard, laptops left out, and the high chair put back by the kitchen table.

So that's our good news! Thanks for helping us spread the word. Next on the summer to do list: have a baby.