overdue.

yesterday was the due date of our second son. honestly i was hoping i wouldn't make it until the due date still pregnant, but here we are.

don't let the smile fool you...

the first part of this pregnancy absolutely flew by. the last trimester, though, has really dragged on.

at least these two are taking good care of me!

it's been frigid and snowy in minnesota for the last three months, so we've been stuck inside, really making the days feel especially long. we are starting to get a small glimpse of a warm up and are anticipating warmer weather like never before.

loves wearing daddy's hat and "hands"

with a busy toddler on my hands, the thought of being able to walk to the park or play in the backyard sounds like heaven. bennett has watched far more tv than i like recently thanks to a very pregnant mom and these freezing cold temperatures. (fellow moms, please tell me i'm not alone, and that i'm not permanently damaging bennett's brain with all the screen time...) i have tried to find some sort of indoor place to go play at least once a week or so, but i am quickly running out of ideas!

i've tried to be as patient as i can in these last couple of weeks, soaking up my last moments as a mom to just one. but i truly haven't done a great job of finding joy in the waiting. i've been irritable and restless (as joe would most certainly attest). there's just so little that is fun about the end of pregnancy, and so much to look forward to when the baby is born. (i mean, i am well aware that with a new baby comes a lot of challenges, but we will cross that bridge if we ever when we get there.)

i'm looking forward to being up in the night for a purpose other than to pee and tossing and turning trying to get comfortable again. i'm looking forward to being more active/mobile. as i alluded to, i feel like i've been a really crappy mom to bennett many days lately because i just don't have the energy to keep up with him. his new insistent phrase "'mon, mama! huwwy, huwwy!" (come on, mama! hurry, hurry!) is probably a giveaway of my lack of energy and mobility. i know i'll be tired with a newborn but i think getting around will be physically easier and that will make it less challenging (and hopefully more enjoyable) to actually play with ben.

he likes to copy mama (embarrassing)

i'm looking forward to being productive during bennett's nap time rather than taking a nap everyday myself. there will be nap days for me after the baby comes, to be sure, but hopefully i'll be able to make use of that time more days than not. which leads into another thing i'm looking forward to- finding a better rhythm to keeping the house in order. i did a great job of this at first when i started staying home, but the further along i got in my pregnancy, the less control i've had over the chaos of dishes, laundry, toys, etc. i'm ready to feel like i can stay on top of it again.

two "false alarms" have not made waiting any easier. i didn't actually go in to the hospital either time, but for sure started thinking "this is it" both times. but, sure enough, contractions stopped and pregnancy continued. at this point i'm dilated to 3cm and praying (pleading, really) baby comes soon. i have an appointment scheduled for monday and will be induced tuesday or wednesday if he hasn't come on his own by then. 5 days or less... 5 days or less...

i have been reading over these verses today and they have given me a lot of comfort that God's timing is better than my own:

"take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. commit everything you do to the Lord. trust him, and he will help you. he will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act." -psalm 37:4-7

i'm doing my best to be still and wait patiently for God. well, actually i'm trying to do a lot of walking, but he will let the being still part slide this time, right?

over it.

9 more days. more or less. i'm trying my best to anticipate that the baby will be late like bennett was, but it's hard not to go a little crazy hoping he will come early. i am pretty uncomfortable and tired but having a hard time sleeping, primarily because my hands are swollen and achey. nesting is not even on my radar. even my maternity clothes feel tight. i. am. over it. you know you're ready to have a baby when going on a diet to lose the baby weight sounds more appealing than continuing to stuff your face with doughnuts. not that i've been doing that...

today (38 weeks 5 days) marks the first time i've used my hair drier in an embarrassingly long time.

i have planned things to look forward to most days this week so i'm not just sitting here thinking of reasons it is joe's fault i'm still pregnant. ha, poor joe. i'm excited for a fun dinner out with my friends katie and julie tonight. julie is in town from chicago where she is a third year OB/GYN resident. i will work hard to not ask her to slip me some pitocin or check my cervix in the bathroom. ha. but seriously. we also have a few play dates planned and a breakfast to celebrate my friend blair's return home from her year in germany where her hubby plays hockey.

i have been reminded of how blessed we are to have so many supportive people in our lives. we have had countless offers to help with bennett when i go into labor and know we could call any of them, even in the middle of the night, and they'd be here. also, my mom has been a huge blessing to us. not only has she watched ben for me almost every week for the past 2 months so i can make it to my weekly ultrasounds (even though it's a 1-2 hour drive, depending if she's coming from their townhouse in minnetonka or their house in wisconsin), she has also helped with cleaning and laundry, set up both boys' new rooms, and is treating me to a manicure/pedicure (and babysitting during the appointment) this week. i'm honestly not sure what i would do without her.

the bags are actually packed now (except for joe's, but that's on him), the infant car seat is installed, and we are ready for this baby's debut. any time now, buddy...

nursery and big boy room.

well the nursery is complete, and just in time! two weeks (more or HOPEFULLY less) to go! it's so funny to me how much urgency there is with your first baby to get everything set up and ready months in advance. and now here we are 2 weeks from our due date with our second and things are just starting to really come together. although the infant car seat is not installed. and my hospital bag is only half packed. but whatever. we're getting there.

bennett has been in his "big boy" room for several weeks now and has completely adjusted, i'd say. we just had the new carpet installed in there last week (long story) and there are a few finishing touches still that need to happen, but for the most part we're all set.

we are really happy with how both of these rooms turned out, and give most of the credit to my mom for putting it all together. i may have chosen the individual pieces but my mom is the one with the vision for making it look cohesive and complete. i wish i hadn't missed out on that gene...

many of the components for each of the rooms came from pottery barn kids. i just love that place and could spend thousands of dollars in there in 5 seconds if given the opportunity. but i think a few items from there can go a long way and then you can fill in with more budget-friendly items from there. i feel that way about pottery barn for our home decor as well- bedding, pillows, etc. from there make a big statement and you can find accessories and other things elsewhere for much less but still get the same overall look. there's my very limited (and not solicited from anyone at all i guess) decorating advice. you're welcome.

we'll start with bennett's room. i call it his big boy room because it's downstairs away from mom and dad. don't worry, i already had my "he's not my baby anymore" meltdown weeks ago. but for all intents and purposes it's not really any more "big boy" than it was upstairs.

this is the same crib he's had since he was born. we decided since he was getting a new room and a new brother, he should be able to keep his same bed. we knew we were going to buy another crib for the baby since bennett's not yet ready for a big boy bed. the baby won't have a preference, but i think it made for a smoother transition downstairs for ben.

we chose an "all star" sportsy theme for him. we added this new star sheet to go with the quilt mimi made him when he was born. most of the art/wall decor is stuff i had from his nursery, just assembled in a different way; we did add the tin star on the wall.

the room itself was originally yellow and had white paneling on the wall under the window. the pictures are from when we bought the house and the previous owners' things were still in the house.

i tried to get the lava lamp written into our contract when we bought the house but they just wouldn't give it up- ha.

the room had this weird accordian-style door, so joe and his dad installed a real doorframe and door. then joe tore the paneling out and sheet rocked the wall. we painted the room the same gray as bennett's room upstairs and joe installed new white baseboards. we got the new carpet put in and we were all set! now that i think about it, i guess that was a lot of work that had to be done and explains why the whole process took so long!

and now, the nursery. and i suppose a name reveal too, for those of you i haven't shared it with. we decided on hunter joseph. i've loved the name hunter for a long time. joe was iffy on it at first but eventually (after very little coaxing on my part, honest!) he came around. we are so excited to meet our new pal.

the bookshelves are actually spice racks from ikea that we spray painted white. thank you, pinterest.

the changing table is a dresser my parents gave us when they downsized and the rocking chair is the chair my dad bought my mom when she had me. i bought the gray chair pad from carousel designs online and its really comfortable!

the letters are from michaels and the lion mirror i found on pottery barn kids website on clearance. score!

i had these frames that i bought at pottery barn on clearance months ago but hadn't found a place for. the verse print i ordered on etsy. we'll fill the empty frame with baby pictures after he's born.

the bedding is from pottery barn kids. notice i've loosened up and will let this babe have bumper pads in the crib. i'm so lax. oh and the crib is from target.

so, there you have it! nothing too extravagant, but both rooms feel cozy and fit our style, so that's all that matters for us. now all that's left to do is have this baby. and install the car seat. and pack my hospital bag. hopefully not in that order though.