Have few minutes and thought I'd catch up here...

Next Thursday, my oldest will be TEN! We're hitting the double digits and it's scary. I mean, 10 isn't so scary, but it's just one year closer to those dreaded teen years. I already see hints of teenage angst in him at times. I'm scared. It's cold and there are wolves after me.

Sorry, stupid Simpsons flashback...anyway...

We're having a little party on his birthday, but then he's having the big party at the local Y a few weeks after. Last year he did a bowling party, which was our first outside-the-house party. I like having the kids' parties at home, but it was nice to not have to clean and prepare at home.

I'm such a meanie to my mother in law (but you don't know her...you'd be mean too!). Usually I bake and decorate the cakes for the kids parties but this year I decided I'd bake one for his actual bday at home then buy one for his Y party. She's always asking "do you want me to get the cake?" every year, knowing full well I like to make them cakes. So this year, I'm not telling her we're going to buy one (devil horns protruding). I'm feel upset at her little unspoken dig that my cakes are not "good enough" for a bday party; and the dig is there, believe me! She also likes to step in and do things that *I* want to do for my kids. Like getting them haircuts when she takes them out, not asking ahead of time or anything. And trying to step in and pay for this birthday party at the Y. I know these don't sound like big things, and if these were the only things I'd agree with you that I sound like a little brat. But the big picture is that she still feels her son is a child and can't make decisions or take care of things himself, which in turn is extended to me. It's like she's always trying to take care of things for us, as if we can't do them ourselves. ugh!

Anyway, this wasn't to turn into a mother in law rant, it really wasn't :)

Things are moving along on our house. Scott has taken out the tacky paneling walls and is in the process of staining the new wood planks that will be our new walls. It's actually coming along and the stress I was feeling over it has abated somewhat. I think just DOING something about it has made me feel better. Knowing it's not just a pipe dream, but something that's going to happen and something that's going to be positive...I dunno, I just feel better about it all.

I'm feeling well...almost 28 weeks and feeling much better than I have at this point in my previous pregnancies. I think this is due, in large part, to my eating better and getting some actual *gasp* exercise!! I'm really looking forward to this homebirth and I feel like it's going to HAPPEN! I ordered my fishy pool today for the labor part. I don't have a desire to waterbirth; tried it last time and wasn't crazy about it. But I loved laboring in the water, so I plan on doing that again. It's funny, one of the little groups I'm in at a certain website is a due date club, with other moms also due in May. The funny part is that they're all discussing nurseries and it just hit me that I don't have to prepare a nursery! I mean, I knew that and all, but I guess it didn't register that other people DO prepare nurseries. Just an odd thing to me since we don't do cribs or changing tables and all that. Mainly, if I have clothes and dipes it's all good.

Well, I'm off home from work in a bit...still not sure if I'm coming back after this baby is born. It's very part time, but the hours wouldn't work with breastfeeding so I don't think I'm going to try to swing it...