WE MISS THE OLYMPICS!!!!

 So as always the Olympics were a huge hit in the O house.  The TV was pretty much on for two weeks straight.  Something that only happens when the Olympics are on.  We let the kids have many late nights up watching their favorite events.

 There is no better way to spend a morning than playing with Lego's while watching.

The kids are already figuring out how long they have to wait for the Winter Olympics 2014.  The winter games are never as much anticipated as the summer but it's nice to have something to break up that long four years of waiting for the summer games to return.

Why I'm {Sort Of} Happy I Still Haven't Had This Baby

So......I'm still pregnant.  I'm not sure which is more hilarious, the fact that I tend to scare myself when I walk in front of a mirror or the look on my doctor's face when she has walked into the room for my appointment the past few weeks and acts completely surprised I have NOT had this baby yet.  She offered to break my water this week....but I declined.  I'm pretty sure I have gone completely insane!  It just didn't feel right and technically I'm not overdue for a few more days and so I decided to wait until after my due date to schedule anything.  Because I have gone so early with the last two it seems like I'm a month overdue right now!!!!  But I sit and I wait.  My doctor has had a few stints of time where she was out of town which was a tad worrisome.  I basically relaxed in bed or sat outside with my feet up and did absolutely nothing.  While I am feeling like I may be pregnant forever I have also seen the blessings that have come from this time of waiting.

1. We have never had this time of being so completely prepared and just sitting and waiting.  Because this is number five we feel so relaxed about the whole process of labor, delivery, and having a new baby that this last month has been pretty enjoyable.
2. I have spent some great cuddle moments with Lovebird this past week when she couldn't sleep.  Her not being the baby anymore doesn't seem as bad as it did a few weeks ago.  She seems to have made that switch from baby to toddler even more in these last weeks.
3. Our house is in a good schedule of keeping picked up.  I'm not saying the house is spotless at all times but we can easily have the house "guest" ready in 30 minutes.  Laundry is on a good schedule and I'm keeping up with very little effort.  Clothes are being put away within hours of coming out of the dryer.
4. There is no question if the baby's lungs are developed enough and we know that NICU won't have to be there at delivery as a precaution.  Even though we have never had a problem this is a good feeling.
5. While I do feel like we have not spent as much time at the beach or the neighborhood pool this summer we have made other special memories.  Mini Golf, badminton, the slip and slide, and just playing in our backyard have filled our days.  It's nice to just sit outside and relax.
6. It's kind of fun to feel like first time parents!!!  The not knowing and going against our usual pattern of having a baby is keeping things interesting!
7. I've had plenty of time to prepare for the upcoming school year.  I have decided we are taking an extra week off than we had initially scheduled but because we have been doing part time school for most of the summer we are still sitting great and we should mark off that 180th day well before Memorial Day.
8. Our kids have learned about patience and putting others needs first.  They understand that I'm not up to doing certain things right now.  The older two have also started taking on extra responsibilities around the house.  
9. I have not really wanted to leave the house or really talk to people.  Not really like me but I'm so thankful for texting, email, and social media to keep in contact from a distance.  In this time I really have just wanted to spend time with my family and I'm seeing the benefits of just staying at home.  It kind of makes me want to get rid of all our phones and move to some remote place where we can just have good family fun with no distractions!
10.  I have never been so ready to have a baby!!!!!  Because the last two came 4 weeks early I always felt really sad that things went by so fast and this time that has most definitely NOT been the case.  I did feel a little depressed because I felt like the whole summer has been waiting for baby but I quickly focused on all the fun things we can do this fall to make up for some of the things we didn't get to do this past summer because of pregnancy.  When this baby comes I know I won't have the feeling, "That pregnancy went so fast.".......because it didn't!  {smile} 
    
    
    Added Bonus!  I am going to have such a head start on working out those stomach muscles considering I've been having bouts of strong contractions for almost four weeks!!!! 

Waiting for Baby and Keeping Up on the House While Doing So

If you would have told me last Monday that I would still be pregnant one week later I would have told you that you were nuts.  Last Monday I went into my Dr. for my regular appointment but having contractions and it felt like it was going to be "the day".  She sent me over to the mall to do a few hours of walking and to see where things would go.  We walked, we shopped, and I grew more and more uncomfortable. We ended up going to a nearby cemetery to walk where there was shade and we could be alone without a bunch of people around.   I went back to be checked and still the same 4cm.  My Dr. could tell that I was contracting though and she believed I was in labor so I was sent to the hospital to be watched.  After more walking and harder contractions.......still at 4cm.  Now I normally have a baby within a few hours so this whole process was not normal for me and I was getting a tad frustrated.  For about an hour I was having painful contraction every two minutes and then..........everything halted.  I was still contracting but not nearly like I was......and I was still only 4cm.  I was sent home.  That night I finally got to sleep in between contractions and woke up the next morning feeling better than I had in weeks.  My Dr. is now out of town for a few days and so I'm really trying to make it until she gets back.  So we wait.

This time of waiting has actually been very relaxing and I think a huge part of that is because everything is done and the house is being kept up with very minimal amount of work.   Now we aren't doing our normal weekly cleaning schedule and just focusing on maintaining.  So after the baby comes I will probably have to spend a day dusting, doing windows, etc. but then I will be able to!!!

I have food in a bin on the counter and in the freezer so when "the day" does finally arrive I know my sister will have meals to feed the kids.  There are also lists and instructions waiting on top.  Can you tell that I didn't want to walk up the stairs to get fancier tape than the duct tape that was in the drawer closest to me?

The Aerobed and sheets are set out for my sister and her husband as they will stay overnight so Prince Charming can stay with me.

Now my kids are also a huge reason why things are going so smooth and why I'm making it through these 5 days of my Dr. being gone and trying not to have a baby.  I have given the older two each four areas to keep picked up.  This leaves me with the kitchen, our bedroom, meals, and keeping up on laundry.  B.W. is my muscles and he has been carrying all the laundry up and down the stairs.  We try to vacuum and swifter all the floors every 4-5 days or as needed.  Curly Bear has been doing a great job at keeping the kids bathroom counter and toilet clean.  Our pick up time only lasts for an hour and then we are done.  I have also been containing the kids to certain parts of the house which also keeps down on the mess.  Thankfully the Olympics has come at the perfect time for this season of not being able to do a lot!   I also try to take the kids outside if it's not too hot and I sit with my feet up and watch them play.  Again the big kids have been doing a great job at chasing after Lovebird for me while we are out.

This is my life saver in the kitchen.  When I was pregnant with Cuddlebug over the holidays and had all the holiday baking to do I found this counter height stool was a HUGE help to keep my standing at a minimum.  Now I still do a lot of standing in the kitchen but this really helps.  Especially when I'm halfway through cooking a meal and just want or need to sit down.

While I'm feeling like I may be pregnant forever it has been nice to be able to relax a little bit this last week and enjoy the end of pregnancy.  It's nice to enjoy the fruit of my labor from the last few months of organizing and setting some new schedules in place.  I feel like not only are we setting good for the upcoming arrival but also for the upcoming new school year and that feels fantastic!!!!