Preparing for Graham

As a side note of background information, sometime while we were somewhere in New Orleans for Mardi Gras Jack lost his toy Thomas engine. You don't need to feel too sorry for him, however, because 1) he still has two other engines and multiple other train cars to play with, and 2) I've been constantly reminding him that maybe he'll get a new one for his birthday in a few weeks (I've already got that one covered).

A few days ago I was talking to Jack about how Graham getting here would bring a lot of changes, and many of them will be very fun. I'll be able to chase and play tag with Jack more and I'll have a bigger lap for him to sit in. I then mentioned that Graham would come with "the best gift in the world," referring to the fact that Ben will be home with us on paternity leave for six weeks. Jack immediately looked up at me and asked, "Is Thomas the best gift in the world?"

It's fading fast, but Jack still has a few mispronunciations that I find completely adorable. One day he came home from preschool telling me that they had learned about snowmen and had had "mosh-a-moes" for snack. It took me a few minutes to realize that he was talking about marshmallows, but since then they've become a frequently requested treat in our house.

Wednesday night I got my new Momma haircut--not that much different but a few inches shorter with a few more layers. Ben was at home getting Jack ready for bed. As they finished reading Jack's second story of the night, Jack asked if he could have some socks because his feet were cold. When Ben responded, "Oh, yes, of course. I forgot," Jack replied in a very serious tone, "Momma never forgets."

The nursery is completely finished now and has been for a few weeks, thanks to the fact that a few friends' early labors prompted me to have intense nesting instincts all during January and February. Even though Graham will be in our room in a Moses Basket at first and won't move in for another six months or so, I have to say I'm fairly proud of how nicely the nursery has turned out and how quickly we were able to get it pulled together. When Jack was born we were living in a rented flat, so our ability to decorate was limited. We couldn't paint, the odd-sized windows already had curtains on them, and the bright orange carpet ruined any possibility of a seamlessly integrated traditional baby theme/color scheme. Thus it was extra fun for me to plan out Graham's nursery, complete with dual colors on the wall and added chair rail, matching furniture, and a (subtle) woodland creatures theme.