You know how sometimes you just need to start a task (or a list of tasks) in order to make yourself feel better? A few weeks ago, I wrote a huge list of things that need to be done before Baby Boy arrives. It was literally 3/4 of a 8 1/2 x 11 page long. And in the past week, Kris and I have started (and in some cases completed!) some of those tasks. I'm already feeling better. We are a long way from being ready but we also have a couple months yet to prepare. I told Kris I wanted everything done (at least the nursery complete and big items purchased) before Christmas and preferably by the middle of December. I didn't want to hit full term (beginning of January) and still be preparing. Here is what we have accomplished: 1 - Annika's new bedding/accessories have been purchased. The only thing I need yet is a waterproof mattress pad for her new twin bed which I'll purchase tonight at Target. Grandpa and Marcia are going to help us haul the bed and dresser over from their house to ours the weekend of Nov 11th-12th if their calendars are open. 2 - Crib bedding has been purchased! Along with curtains (valances anyway) and three Winnie The Pooh wall hangings. When we got the new bedding home yesterday we brought it up to the office. It looks amazingly good with the current wall color. If we wanted, we wouldn't have to paint anything! Kris is thinking of painting the top half a lighter color and maybe putting a border (painted most likely) around the middle. 3 - I ordered blinds for both kids rooms. To date there is a sheet in Annika's window and cheap Target curtains in the office window. Now both rooms will have nice blinds (Hunter Douglas Duette's Semi Opaque with LiteRise (no cords) and top down/bottom up feature - they're going to be so nice!). The first ones in the new house! 4 - We started clearing the office yesterday. A bookcase and the filing cabinet have been moved to the basement. It was a small first step since there is still much more to be cleaned out but you know, baby steps and all. 5 - I called about a co-sleeper I found on Craigslist and have an appointment to go pick it up tomorrow evening. It sounds perfect. I'm getting it for almost half price and the owner only used it for 2 months with her twins. Score! There is still much to do but even getting these first things started or stricken from the long list is fantastic!

Saturday morning Uncle Dusty accompanied us to gymnastics class. Annika was pretty excited to see him. And Dusty got a kick out of watching her stretch and jump around and such. Afterwards we went to have breakfast. Uncle Dusty followed us in his car and Annika was demanding her Uncle Dusty the whole way. We told her that he was following us in his car but that wasn't good enough for her. She kept repeating "Uncle Dusty, come here!" Then of course, when we arrived at the restaurant she got all shy again around him. By the end of breakfast though she was sitting on his lap and was his best friend again. She asked for him all afternoon too and we had to keep telling her that he had gone home.

Saturday night we want to my Aunt and Uncle's surprise 25th wedding anniversary party. Annika had a great time and even stayed up (while still being an awfully good girl) 3 hours past her bed time! There was a bunch of other little girls there and she kept asking to go play with the kids. I brought her downstairs by them. Two of them are about a year and a half older than Annika (twins Ann and Beth) and they just adore Annika. They like to smother her with affection and attention, stroking her cheeks and hair, talking to her right in her face and giving her big bear hugs. Annika, however, needs her personal space and gets this panicked "Help!" look on her face when they do this to her. Girl needs her warm up time. It wasn't too long though that she was running around after them. The were playing "monster" where Caleb was the monster and all the girls were running away (screaming) from him. Annika loved this game and had a great time participating. It was also nice for me that one of my teenage cousins, Rachel, and her friend were supervising all the playing so I didn't have to worry (too much) about Annika. By the end of the evening all the other little kids had gone home and it was just Annika with Rachel and her friend in Rachel's room. Annika was relishing the attention and was busy playing (with things she shouldn't) and jumping on the bed and such. One time I went in to check on her and of course started asking her to please stop doing this and that and the other thing which the girls were letting her get away with. Pretty soon Annika looked at me, gave me the stiff arm and told me "Mom, go away!" She told me this at 2! What are ages 12-17 going to be like? Yikes! Anyway, since she was being watched, I knelt down and she gave me a hug and kiss "good-bye" and then as I walked out the door she yelled "See you later, Mom!" That little stinker. She did the same thing to Kris on Friday at their ECFE class. Annika was busy playing with something and Kris sat down beside her to play too and she stiff-armed him and told him to go away. So he went and sat in a rocking chair and just watched her. I'm grateful that our child is independent enough to play by herself and with other kids instead of hiding between our legs, but it's still bittersweet to watch her grow up and not need us as much anymore. *sniff*