Oh, How Time Flies!

It's amazing how quickly a month can fly by when there are two little ones to keep you busy all day long. Calvin was baptized on January 3rd at Little Flower Catholic Church. He has two sets of godparents; Carolyn & Charlie, and Tahnee & Greg. Tahnee is now required to go through with her plans to marry Greg in the summer since she is now a godparent along with him! :) This was our last time trying to figure out how to host a large group of people for a family event. Our little house is adorable, but doesn't fit more than 5 people at a time. The new place will be great for entertaining.

Calvin and Natalie keep me on my toes. My bedtime is now around 9:00---I used to make fun of people for going to bed that early.

Calvin is quite the little character. He loves to smile and is starting to make funny noises. He has also discovered his thumb and I will often hear him grunting away as he chews on it.

Natalie thinks Calvin is okay--just as long as I'm not paying TOO much attention to him. It's quite the balancing act I perform between the two of them, since Natalie can't understand that there's a little baby I need to take care of---and Calvin doesn't care that there's another person in the room other than me.

But no matter how stressful it gets, there's nothing like having your little baby look at you with that great big smile. He melts my heart!

Moving day is just a couple of weeks away. Yipee!!

Big Changes Coming...

I realize January (or early February) is not the optimal time to move to a new home, but apparently, that's what we'll be doing in just a few weeks. We weren't even considering moving until AT LEAST springtime, but fate stepped in and handed us a house that will be perfect for our family.

There it is, in all its summertime glory! What's so special about this house, you ask?

It's WIDE OPEN! There is one short hallway to the bedrooms, but other than that, it's handicapped accessible. Natalie will have plenty of space for her wheelchair or any other equipment she will require in the future.

Here is the formal living room that leads into the great room.

Here is the main bathroom...

Here is what will be Calvin's room:

This is the bathroom that will one day be renovated to fit Natalie's needs. It's also the laundry room. Right now it's kind of a strange layout, but there's plenty of room to make it work for us in the future.

Natalie already has the cutest bedroom in the whole wide world...

This will be her new room...

...and Grandma Lori was kind enough to find this cute wall art for Natalie. It's adorable! Now I have to figure out what color to paint her room. I kind of like the color in the picture. Hmmmm... Oh, the projects we have ahead of us!

I can't tell you how excited we are to get into the new place. It's going to be a busy month for us. Thank goodness the real estate market in Minot is so incredibly wonderful. There will be more to come in the weeks ahead...

Busy, Busy, Busy

Three years old. It's hard to believe our little baby is so big now and has started school. She still seems too small to me, but the fact is...Natalie's loving school. Today they were dancing in the classroom...and you know that's gotta be a big hit with Natalie. She gets on the bus at 8:35 and gets back home at 11:25. She seemed to enjoy being on the bus. I felt so lonely today, but I know it won't be that way for long! Natalie's going to LOVE having a little brother around.

As for me, I'm waddling around here at 38 weeks. We have everything ready and now it's just the waiting game. We have our last appointment with Dr. Bozeman tomorrow. We're scheduled for the C-section next Tuesday (November 3rd) at 8:00am, but if I start going into labor or my water breaks, I'll go in immediately for the C-section. Honestly, I don't see that happening. I haven't had any real contractions for a while now. I think he's prepared to stay in there until Dr. Bozeman takes him out. I can't tell if he's big or small, so I'm guessing he's around 7 pounds. Sorry for the short update...I need to get some sleep!!

The Homestretch

We're just 26 days away from meeting the newest Olson baby. The weeks are starting to fly by now! We're seeing the doctor every week now, so that's a sign that the end is near. Everything is going spectacularly well so far. The only thing I'm worried about is the baby making an early entrance, rather than going by our set schedule. At this point, they won't stop labor and will perform the C-section whenever labor starts. I haven't felt anything other than Braxton Hicks so far, so I'm not too concerned, but things can change quickly. The baby seems to be getting quite big. He's slowed down his movement throughout the day, but when he does move, it's really big movements. It's always fun to watch my stomach move from one side to the other. Natalie thinks it's funny, too. I'll put her hand on my stomach and she laughs when there's a big kick. The only problem I've had so far, other than some minor swelling, is carpal tunnel. I can no longer write or hold things with my right hand--but for some reason it doesn't bother me when I'm typing. That's good, since that's a source of income for us!

We have officially settled on a new name for the baby--so if you thought you knew what it was--you're wrong. You'll find out in 26 days. Chances are, Mom won't like it. :)

The Name Game

I'm happy that the drama surrounding the pregnancy at this point is concerning our little boy's name...not preterm labor. For at least three years now, we've known what our first born son's name is going to be...that is until a few days ago. I've always had about three backup names, but one has been growing on me over the past few months. It's also been a favorite of Perry's...but not enough to sway him from his original choice. Then, on Monday, I mentioned the name once again to Perry, and...well now we've got a real problem on our hands. Just thinking about this makes me nervous! Naming a child is not a job you take lightly...this is serious stuff! Perry is now convinced that the new name is the one...and although I love it, I'm still not sure I'm willing to give up my original first choice. I think I've stared at this old ultrasound photo from last month way too much, trying to figure out if he's this name or that. Oh, boy. There was no doubt with Natalie...but it looks like this one will be decided in the hospital. STAY TUNED...YOU'LL FIND OUT NOVEMBER 3RD!

Natalie's Pictures

Here are a few of the professional pictures we got of Natalie last week at the lake. There is one that shows off her beautiful curls (in case you're wondering why you can't see her face in it!). Enjoy!

22 Weeks

We finally took some profile pictures! Here I am at 22 weeks...feeling great!