Counting Down

I find myself getting more and more impatient for this baby to finally come. Every contraction makes me wish it were the real thing. Still 3 more weeks. I write that and think, really? Still? Shouldn't it be less by now?? Luckily, I'd say that this has been my easiest pregnancy of the three. During the first I was plagued by heartburn and aching hip joints that made sleep almost impossible most nights. The second brought mood swings and depression that kept me weeping in bed for hours. This one has had small amounts of those things, but mostly I've been fine and it's been such a blessing. Besides the fatigue that comes from being heavily pregnant in a heat wave while tending to two toddlers, I've been great. Doesn't mean I'm not ready to be done, though. I'm certainly not one of those women who say they love being pregnant. No, I like my body to myself, thank you very much. Call me crazy, but I like being able to fully expand my lungs without major effort and I enjoy not leaking every time I sneeze.

So, we've been staying busy and trying to keep my mind off it. The last craft I wrote about was food color-less and that left Benjamin unsatisfied. A few days later during Bella's nap he asked if he could play with the food color again. Why not? Without Bella around it goes much better, actually. I put a paper towel in a large bowl in the sink and he dripped drops of various colors onto the towel to see how it splattered and mixed and wicked and whatever else I could come up with. He got quite a bit on his hands, but I'd removed his shirt so there was little worry otherwise. Until he lost his balance slightly on the stool upon which he was standing and pressed his hand down upon a paper towel we'd finished coloring and which I'd layed onto a dishtowel to dry. The result was a very cool looking handprint on the dishtowel, made up of the various colors he'd mixed on the paper towel.


My first instinct was to get upset about the messed up towel. But, c'mon, it's a dishtowel, it's not my best dress. So we did some more paper towel hand prints and had a great time with it. Of course Benjamin's hands were once again red for a few days. Such is life. He loved it. Food coloring really is so cool.


I also bought a zoo membership this past week with some money I got from my generous grandma as a baby present. Although, I think a zoo entirely without live animals would suit my kids just fine too. Their favorite things about the zoo trip this week was the playground and the frog fountain. The funniest part for me was when Benjamin ticked off one of the monkeys and he got a huge, angry, hissing, teeth-baring monkey in his face. Thank goodness for protective glass. Benjamin thought it was hysterical. I understood the monkey's feelings. He's managed to push me to that point sometimes too. :)


Here's just a cute picture of Bella that Benjamin took. He loves taking pictures and I routinely find my brand-new batteries drained dry at some very crucial moments. It's worth it when I get cute ones like this, though.