due in five days...

...and here's what I'm thinking:

*There was a sweet innocence and excitement about going into labor with baby #1. Now I know better. And I remember it all. And even though I am so excited for the baby to be here, I am really not excited about the painful process that takes place in the hours before the baby is born.

*In my wishful head, I had hoped the baby would come early so that we could have some down time before the moving day. I am now realizing wishful thinking is not very helpful because this baby will come when it wants to. And that might be a week late. And I'll just have to roll with that.

*Ivar has been especially snuggly lately and I love it. I wonder how aware he is of all the changes that are happening around him. He rests his head on my shoulder, needs lots and lots of attention and affection and is very concerned if Rory and I are out of his sight. He also gives my belly lots of hugs and rocks the cradle while repeating, "baby. baby."

*I am so glad we are pulling off this baby-and-a-move-craziness with baby #2. It would have been too much with baby #1, with how much I needed to be set up and prepared. With this baby, I am fully aware that a cradle, diapers and a few outfits will be plenty for baby until we can get settled into the new house.

country roads

We’re moving from 1/8 acre to 10 acres. It used to be a farm, but the barn and silo have been torn down and it hasn’t had animals for over 40 years. It is part wooded, part corn field rented to the neighboring farmer and a whole lot of lawn to mow. (We got the riding mower in our purchase agreement!)

The farm house was built in 1890 and is in impressive shape, considering its age. The owners we are purchasing the house from have lived in this house for the last 40 years, raising their kids, hosting all of the family gatherings out on the front lawn.

Rory has been looking for a rural property for a bit over three years now. When we lived in Nebraska, he would take weekend trips back to Minnesota and scout out the areas he loved the most. He brought me along to see some of these properties and I humored him. I knew he was serious about this dream, but I didn’t really see it happening anytime soon.

We knew when we got pregnant with baby #2 that we would either have to finish our basement and put another bedroom in down there, or find a new home. And after pricing out the basement remodel and then realizing that the basement would just be the start, we decided we probably would have to move…because everything else started to feel a bit cramped when we envisioned another kiddo running around in here.

So we kept looking. Not really expecting to find anything, but hopeful.

We didn’t tell anyone we were looking though. This was mostly because we didn’t know if it would take three months or three years to find what we were looking for. The house hunt felt very casual, very non-committal.

So we took our road trips, visited properties and kept this fun little conversation between the two of us. And strangely, as Rory continued to tell of his dreams for this rural life, I started to feel some of my own dreams come to life as well. I began to envision my days. In February we found a house that we loved.  It had a huge porch and a big sun room. I could see myself living there, content and really happy. That property ended up falling through because of crazy zoning stuff beyond our control, but I told Rory after that visit, “something big just happened. I just became un-tethered.” And from that moment on, I was fully on board with this house hunt. His dream had become my dream too.

I think this is such a crazy and amazing part of marriage: the birth of dreams. It’s amazing, because usually a dream is birthed in one partner.  But to watch this dream grow into our dream might have been one of the cooler things to behold in our marriage.

When we first drove onto the property, we let Ivar out and he quickly ran opposite of the house. We just watched him as we caught up with our realtor. He was giggling and stumbling, and kept turning around to see when we were going to tell him to come back. But we never did. He was free to run in any direction he wanted.

And in that instant, I wanted to live there.  I envisioned a whole lot of our future days running around that yard, exploring the woods and raising our kids with a big garden, forts in the woods and a gravel road.

The next day we bought the place. A week later we sold our place. That felt crazy and wonderful. And now we are due to have a baby in one week, and to move the week after that. Which also feels quite crazy and wonderful...

our new place: a sneak peek

I had every hope to write about our new place this week. But it's going to have to wait until next week. Until then, here's Ivar giving you a glimpse of where we're moving to. It is gorgeous and we cannot wait to spread out a bit.

olympic count down

Are you ready? Because the Olympic Opening Ceremonies are upon us. Today marks our three week count down. We had the greatest closing ceremonies buffet two years ago during the winter olympics...remember it? I think I'm still digesting it.

Anyway, I had high hopes of having another party for this Olympics, but instead I think we'll move that day. A different kind of party, really. But be sure you check out this post for some pretty awesome olympic ideas...if I do say so myself. A Doritos torch? That's clever stuff...

bookworm book club

I am so excited about this.

My sister just forwarded an email to me, written by a friend I worked with at summer camp in Montana. Lindsey is one of the funniest people I have ever met...and apparently quite the reader. She has started a website called The Bookworms Book Club where each month she reviews four books and invites you to read one of them too, to write your own review, and join the conversation on her website.

I love this idea because she reviews the books at the beginning of the month, allowing you to read her thoughts before you make your pick. Genius. And it's just her honest opinion, not the perfectly worded back cover that makes every book sound amazing. And not all of the books are new releases...which means I don't have to go and buy every book at Barnes and Nobel. I can check them out at the library. Cha Ching. (That's the sound of money still in my pocket...)

But what I think I love the most is that this sort of book club takes away all the obligation of having to read one particular book by one particular date. I hate assigned reading. I resent it. Reminds me of 6th grade when my reading teacher made our reading assignments into bookmarks, so that I was always keenly aware of how many chapters I was behind. And I was always behind. A procrastinator and a slow reader...reading always felt like a chore.

It's a whole different topic for another day...but just as a side story: I remember when I read Harry Potter while abroad in India. I was on the top bunk of a bed with three other students in an overcrowded train, barreling down the tracks. The train was potent with people and engine and I was totally lost in a game of quidditch taking place on the pages of the book. And when we got to our destination I remember actually thinking, "I think that's what people mean when they say they get sucked into a book." I was 19 years old when I first got sucked into a book! Isn't that crazy to think about?!! I was so late to the reading party.

Anyway, I hope you join in with the Bookworms. This month I am going to read The Giver. I remember student teaching 8th grade and the students going crazy for this book. Should be a fun read.

And just a suggestion to Lindsey: I think The Bookworms Book Club should have buttons with iridescent rainbows on them and a place for five star stickers, one star for every book read. And when your button has five stars you can turn it in for a personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut. Oh man, does anyone remember Book It? I LOVED that program. Food always has been my best motivator...