Celebrating on the move.

Dave and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary yesterday with lots of activity. The painter started removing wallpaper and I met with a landscaper, and a decorator. I also had about half dozen friends stop over to check out the new place. It is four floors (including the basement and attic), so as you can imagine, after all of the tours and talking, my body was aching. We tag teamed Sully in order for each other to make appointments and before we knew it, we were sitting at the dining room table eating take out and talking house plans. Not overly romantic, but at the same time, a pretty great day.

I for see a bit of stress in our future, although I am really happy with the progress so far. Dave and I definitely have different opinions on some of the house priorities, but overall, I think we are doing a good job of trying to stay on the same page. After all, that is very important to both of us, and I think if we can keep plugging away as we are, things will go just fine.

As we crawled into bed last night, exhausted and full from dinner (at 9:30pm), I apologized for not getting him a card. Dave's response was somewhat vague, but I didn't pry as he was snoring within seconds. When I got back into bed at 2am (after my second trip to the bathroom), I felt something under my pillow. I pulled it out and it was a hand written note on his personalized National WWII Museum stationary, the header is: "Mr David Munce, Charter Member." How romantic, he knows just how to make my heart patter ;).

In other news, I had my OB appointment this morning, which went great. I will be 35 weeks on Saturday. My blood pressure was amazing and the baby's heart rate was 144. Pretty consistent with the last few checks. We are good to go for two more weeks.

I hope to post soon on some house progress, stay tuned.

Our first photo at the new house. This was taken after
our closing on September 24th. 

Nowhere to nest.

I have found myself itching to do things, I don't even know what, I just know I can hardly sit still. From work to a full day of weeding to tomato sauce producing and random errands, I have being on the move mastered. I am definitely 'nesting,' but don't really feel like I am in the right place, mentally or emotionally. Our house is still on the market, and I am ready to focus on something else. We are a few days away from closing on the new house, which is so exciting, I can't even stand it. I want to be in, I want to throw a coat of paint on the walls, I want to set up a crib (or two) and settle so we are in a comfortable place before the baby is born. I have been antsy for time to fly by and as soon as we sign those papers next week, I will want it to halt so we can get projects done. What a weird feeling. 

We went over to the new house last week to chat with the current owners. Buying this 91 year old home is almost like having a child (another child??!). It is run on a boiler system which is new to both of us, and has all other sorts of quirks that we need to familiarize ourselves with. I think it was our 5th or 6th stop over to ask various questions in order to make for a pleasant transition. As I walked through the house with most of the furnishings gone, I couldn't help but feel a bit emotional. A family with five children was raised there, all of whom are in their 40-50s, so it has been years since babies and little feet have run the stairs and hallways. I chose the nursery and stood there, imagining our crib and glider in the room, trying to envision the perfect color for the walls. I did the same in Sullivan's new room and in the master bedroom. On Tuesday we will breathe new life into this big gorgeous home that both Dave and I feel privileged to call our own. Yikes, here come those emotions again. I can't wait, I get to nest until my heart is content, and then some. 

Im excited to post before and after pictures as we tackle the various projects we have chosen to complete prebaby. We will then take some time off (with the exception of wall paper removal, which will probably continue to take place over the next several months) and do a larger project in the winter of 2015. Im also excited to post something (hopefully sooner rather than later) about the sale of our favorite little house on 6th Avenue (did I mention we dropped the price this week? Hopefully that will help). 

In the mean time, here are some of the things I have been doing to occupy my time. 

Making tomato sauce. 

Harvesting Grandma Banana's fruits and veggies with Maggie.

Soaking up my Sully time.

Peaches, fresh from the peach tree. 

Sully and Mama

Dave spent the majority of last week in Montana visiting his friend John, which meant Sully and I were on our own. I had a lot of anxiety as to how four days on my own would go considering I'm 32 weeks pregnant, but it actually went great. Im not going to lie, I was in bed by about 9pm every night and my body ached, but we got through.

When Dave brought up his want to go, we both knew his window of time was very narrow, it was pretty much now or in a year from now (considering the upcoming baby, move, and remodel of the new home). So, he went. He had a great time, and lucky for us, he was ready to come home (in my almost four years with Dave, he has never admitted to being ready to come home). Turns out, there are a couple of favorite faces in Sioux Falls, and one of them happens to be pregnant with another favorite face, just one we have not seen yet.

Sully and I kept busy, morning walks with Kenzie, Courtney came over one morning so I could get out, and a get together with a few friends one evening as well. We had our daily stop over to the Oliver's, which was perfect. We packed up after nap time and ate dinner with them each night. Isaac continues to love on Sully every chance he gets, and Anna continues to be a diva :). We picked Dave up from the airport on Friday morning and I put Sully down with the idea he would run to him. He took three steps forward, then turned around and headed right back to me. This was a first, he generally prefers Dave to me. I soaked it all in and then gently encouraged him to go to Dave, which he did. No need to worry, things are back to business as usual around here, and Sully is back to being a daddy's boy.

We are glad to have everyone under the same roof for the next several months. The next item of excitement is the house closing, which will be here in no time. Yay!

Happy Sully

Giggles with Mama.

My sweet baby boy.

Mumford and Sons

One of my favorite friends called me in early February to ask if Dave and I would be interested in meeting them in Troy, OH for a Mumford and Sons concert over Labor Day weekend. After checking dates and schedules, it looked like it would work, so we booked. Little did I know, I would be exactly 31 weeks pregnant! Oh well, it was still a blast. Sullivan stayed home with Courtney, our babysitter and they did great. No issues whatsoever, thank goodness.

We flew out on Friday morning and arrived in time for an afternoon nap before Stacy and Dave arrived. We stayed in Dayton, which is also where Dave (Winters) went to college, so we had our own personal tour guide. Upon their arrival, we went for dinner with them and another Creighton couple who were also in town for the concert. We turned in early and slept like rocks, Dave even slept in until 10am, something completely unheard of for him. The guys dropped us off at the mall for shopping and pedicures while they went to The Air Force Museum.  After shopping, we ate, took naps (again) then made our way to the concert.

The concert was amazing. The town of Troy has a population of 25,000 people and they basically shut most of it down for the concert. The main streets and surrounding areas were roped off and everyone was celebrating. Unfortunately, it did rain a bit, but that didn't scare off any of the 35,000+ fans. We found our way to the bleachers and settled in. I will admit, going to a concert in a completely sober state was a foreign concept to me, but it was great. I had an absolute blast, hopefully we can do something similar when we I can enjoy some of the specialty beers and whatnot ;).

Stacy and Dave dropped us off on their way out of town on Sunday morning after brunch. We were able to catch an early flight and get home to Sully shortly after he woke up from his nap. I wont be leaving him again until I go into labor, which is actually a really good feeling. Dave turned around and went to Montana yesterday for the rest of the week, so once he returns, we will be put until baby number 2 is here.

It was great to spend time with Stacy and Dave. Dave and Dave have a lot of similar interests and share a lot of common knowledge, so they are good entertainment for each other. Stacy and I have been friends forever and are good about keeping in regular contact. We have no problems picking up where we left off, which is great. Looking forward to the next rendezvous!

Group photo, pre concert.

Here comes the rain, and a really flattering
poncho at 31 weeks pregnant. 

Suzie and Stacy

Dave and I at the concert. 

Catching up.

We are cramming everything in to August, apparently. It seems like we have been going nonstop. Between packing up the house an over night get away here and there, work, doctors appointments, etc. I have barely been able to keep up. 

Boring things first, our current house...we threw in the towel and hired a realtor. We actually did have a couple of offers, both of which were a bit too low for us, so we let them go. The house has been on the market for almost a week, and although things have started out slow, we are optimistic that more activity will come our way. 

Dave has been on vacation for almost a week and we have filled it up with little get aways. We were in Okoboji last weekend with Mag and Jeff and family and then took a quick trip to Minneapolis to shop for beds. We cannot wait to get into our new master bedroom which will have room for a king sized bed. We were successful in our trip, but plan to order after we have moved in. 

We had our inspection at the new house this last week as well. There were a couple of minor issues (to be expected considering the house is 91 years old), but nothing too major. We had a chance to look around and did lots of measuring. I have hired someone to come to remove wallpaper and paint, and Dave will do some the carpet removal with a friend or two. I am trying to mentally prepare for what the next month has in store. A bit overwhelming, yes, but also very exciting. 

On the baby front, everything looks great. I passed my glucose test two weeks ago and the heart rate was 138. This week was very similar, measuring right on and the heart rate was 134. Seems like the baby is pretty chill in there, although it moves like crazy. It is great when I can catch it just right and get Dave involved. He seems as amazed as he did the first time he felt Sully move. I have been having some occasional contractions (like right now!), so know we are moving in the right direction. I will be 31 weeks on Saturday, so the end is near.

Sullivan's little world just keeps getting bigger and bigger. He is finally growing out of his 12 month clothes, walking like a little champ, popping teeth like crazy, and a stellar sleeper. It has taken me a solid year to be able to type that, but it has finally happened, just in time for baby number 2. He had his 15 month appointment today and remains our perfect little peanut. His height is 29.5in (8%), and weight is 21lbs 1oz (8%). His 11th tooth just popped through and there are several more on the verge. 

Ok, I think that pretty much sums up the last couple of weeks. Below are several photos from the last couple of weeks, enjoy! 

Sully working on his walk.

Visiting daddy at work. 

Okoboji with a few cousins. 

30 weeks pregnant and trying to stay cool.  

Lake life. 

Hotel swimming with daddy. 

Lego Land detour.

Sully checking himself out. 

Connelly family vacation.

The planning for the Connelly get together started nearly a year ago when my mom called Maggie and I to start looking for a cabin. There were so many options. Do we do a resort, VRBO, etc.? After a month or so of looking, I checked out. Fortunately, Maggie was more persistent and found a spot north of Alexandria on Lake Miltona. The cabin was great, slept us all comfortably and had a great kitchen and community area, as well as a massive front lawn complete with a fire pit and a sandy beach. My dad hauled his old fishing boat up and we rented their pontoon boat as well. What more could we ask for?

We had lots of fun, my sister in law, Shelley, celebrated her 40th birthday, and my dad celebrated his 73rd (with walleye he caught earlier that day). We had huge family meals and enjoyed being together. The weather was so-so, it only rained once or twice, but it was cool, in the low 70s. I was bummed for the kids as it wasn't prime lake weather, but I did not complain as I neared my third trimester.

We had some excitement as well, my dad had his old fishing boat all fixed up for the festivities. One evening as I was lying in bed with Anna reading her stories, I heard Maggie come into the house and say something about needing an extinguisher, a boat and a fire. Anna and I quickly went out to see what was going on. When we walked outside we were greeted with lots of excitement, Alex was getting the old fishing boat ready for an evening ride when the engine started on fire. Fortunately, no one was hurt and it was under control by the time we got outside. My dad had it in the shop the following day and back on the water, but forgot to replace the plug. I did not see it first hand, but it sounded like it was moments from sinking. I cant imagine how we would have recovered that incident. Sully rounded out the excitement with taking a few steps and getting another tooth.

I was spoiled with lots of rest. Dave woke up with Sully every morning, whisked him out of the room and quietly closed the door so I could sleep until my heart was content. What a gift. I hit my 28 week mark on Saturday and have definitely started to feel pregnant. The baby moves a lot and sleep is harder and harder to come by. The end is near, however, and baby excitement is starting to sneak in.

Isaac and Sully on the beach.  

By buddy, growing up so fast. 

Oliver/Munce family photo. 

Sully working on his balance. 

Sully and daddy driving, grandpa supervising. 

Munce family photo. Sully is 14 mos,
Im 28 weeks pregnant. 

So much has changed.

Sullivan turned 14 months old yesterday, and boy has he changed. It seems like just in the last few weeks he has gone from a baby to a toddler, right before our eyes. He is really fun and really busy. We are two weeks into our new sleeping routine and I am happy to report that he is a sleeping champ. He has mastered the 2-3 hour nap and has been sleeping from 8-8, all night long. We get the break we need, and so does he. Too bad the pregnancy has started to interfere with my sleep. Oh well, we will sleep again at some point in the future.

Sully has started to point to things he wants, and says 'uh uh uh,' and when I ask him if he wants something he will occasionally say 'esss' while nodding his head. He is so close to walking, but not quite there yet. Dave and I put him in his walker last week in the driveway and he literally ran from one end to the other, giggling the entire time. He is able to occupy himself for short periods of time, which has been great with all of the house things we have going on.

Since my last entry, we have had a slow steady stream of house activity, even a couple of offers, although both were too low. We have decided to stick to our guns, and hold out for an offer closer to our comfortable range. I chatted with my realtor yesterday and told him of our progress and he seemed quite impressed with all of the traffic we have had, especially since we have done little to no advertising. Im still optimistic that we will snag a buyer, but Im also at peace with the idea of it not working out. What will be will be.

Dave and I have made the McKennan Park swimming pool part of our weekly routine. It is really perfect for all of us. A great way to spend the evening, and just a 10 minute walk away. Ill attach a few photos of the last pool outing (it was a bit cloudy and cool so we almost had the pool to ourselves).

The anticipation of the slide. He loves it. 

Hanging on the turtle.

Back and forth, back and forth on this bridge.