The B-HIVE: Waiting

This is the final entry I need to post before this this baby can come--then I will be all caught up and ready to blog about new baby stuff (that is if I ever have time to blog again). Maybe once I get this off my to-do-list my body will finally send the signal to my baby that he can come out. For the last month or so my OB has been talking about inducing me Friday, September 9th. Well, yesterday came and went and no induction--no baby. (Not that I want to be induced--we just don't want to have another baby on the floor.) But, the hospital and my doctor were too busy yesterday with "medically necessary" inductions so we are going to now shoot for Monday. Unfortunately, I am not very optimistic that he will come out on his own in the meantime. I am so ready for him--Maggie has been here for over a week now, and my mom just got here. We are covered and very prepared. I just need to get this last blog entry done...

These are just random pics of the final weeks of summer--and the pregnancy. In the pics below, Max and Sam are helping mommy bake chocolate chip cookies. We haven't done that in months. The boys take after me--they much prefer the dough over the finished product.

In the picture below I am 36 weeks pregnant. We got a sitter this night and enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Morton's Steakhouse (one of my favorite restaurants). Notice the beautiful accessory on my foot--compliments every outfit nicely, wouldn't you say?

36 weeks pregnant

Max and Sam love it when we go to Morton's--they get to enjoy our leftover expensive steak for breakfast! My boys love a good NY strip!

The following weekend--August 27--Sammy turned 2! What a big boy. This picture was actually taken on the eve of his second birthday.

We had to sing the "Happy Birthday" song to Sam several times because he kept blowing out his candle before we even got to the "to you" part of the lyrics. The ice cream cake was very yummy and a great idea since with this type of cake my boys will actually eat the entire piece and not just lick off the frosting--if that can be considered a good thing...

On the morning of Sam's birthday we quickly opened presents. We wanted to get all the fun and celebrating out of the way since we had a ton of preparation to do as Hurricane Irene was headed our way. Poor Sam didn't get a birthday party, but I would definitely say that his special day was an interesting and dramatic day, nonetheless.

The hurricane wasn't expected to touch down in our area until later in the afternoon, so after presents we (meaning Paul) scrambled and rushed to gather all of the patio furniture, the bbq, toys, the trampoline--everything and anything that might have become a projectile went into the garage. Then we took a breath and a break for lunch and went to grab pizza at "The Pizza Peddler". This was the place I had lunch the day Sam was born so it has become a tradition. After that, in the pouring rain, we rushed to the grocery store for last minute items and then waited in a horrendous (almost violent) line at the gas station to stock up on fuel just in case. The rest of the afternoon we watched as the rain pelted down and the wind whipped through the trees. Then, we made Sam a (disgusting) birthday dinner of broiled/fried steak and corn-on-the cob. Well, the corn was good, but the steak turned out gray and chewy--let's just say it would have been vastly improved if we could have grilled it outside (and our house wouldn't have smelled like Burger King). We tried to make him a special dinner, though--that's what counts, right? Of course we had more ice cream cake for dessert (and more singing and blowing out of candles).

Then the boys settled in on the couch for some nice, quiet reading before bed...

Not long after we got the boys to bed, Paul and I turned the TV on to see what hurricane news we could find. Just seconds later an emergency alert flashed on warning residents of several counties in PA (including ours) of a tornado. So, we had to rush around finding pillows, bedding, candles, flashlights and anything valuable that we might want with us--particularly our sleeping boys--and take cover in the basement. Thankfully, our basement is quite comfortable--particularly the guest bedroom...

Fortunately, the storm did very little damage in our area--and the tornado didn't pass over us after all. The most damage we got was from all of the rain. Here are some pictures of our garage crammed full of patio furniture and toys and all the other "outside stuff." It looks like it did when we were finishing our basement. Boy was it a pain to move that stuff back out into the yard and onto the deck (according to Paul)...

The boys are getting excited for the arrival of their new baby brother. At least Max is--I still don't think Sam completely understands. I do think they are wondering, as I am, if this baby is going to stay in my gigantic belly forever, though...

Best Buddies...

Tio and Tia gave Sam this adorable monogrammed backpack for his birthday. When he opened it he immediately wanted to put it on and he wore it around all morning.

Daddy's boy...

While the boys and I were in Utah, Paul was kept very busy with a "honey-do" list. Painting the dining and living rooms were just two of the laborious tasks he completed while we were gone...