Week of good news!

We've had a great week! We found out on Tuesday that Baby has turned into the head down position in preparation for birth. This is a huge relief and we can now relax and wait for Labor Day!

In other good news, Peg's dad had surgery in Detroit on Thursday to have the rest of his bladder tumor removed. He was in fantastic hands with Xanthe's uncle as the surgeon. Dr. Moreland was able to remove all of the visible tumor and Jim Flynn will likely be discharged on Friday. He'll spend the weekend recovering at Jay, Xanthe, and Beatrix's home in MI. We will get the pathology report on Monday and find out if the cancer has spread to the bladder wall. We're hopeful that will be more good news!

Happy Easter!

We enjoyed a sunny Easter this year, much nicer than the snowstorm we had last year. It was the first holiday we've spent just the three of us. We enjoyed the Farwig tradition of Nana's breakfast casserol, and the Flynn tradition of Esther Price chocolates. Maggie was the picture of cuteness in her Easter dress and loved the toys that the Easter Bunny brought in her basket.

Daddy and Me

Very happy with the new ball (from the infamous Target trip)

Demonstrating the Baby Sign for milk as she sees a picture of it in her new book

Mom badge of honor

Just like the girl scouts, I think we should get badges of honor when we accomplish certain mom things for the first time. It sure would be nice to be recognized for navigating the milestones of motherhood. Today’s first was the very first public temper tantrum. Oh what fun! I have no idea what set it off. Maggie was contentedly sitting in the cart at Target, snacking, and looking at all the faces of babies on products in that department. All of a sudden, out of the blue, she was turning in her seat, trying to reach into the cart and was screaming “BABY!” I tried giving her the pack of wipes with the picture of the baby, NOT what she wanted. The tag from an article of clothing, nope, wrong again mom. Her baby doll that we brought along…are you a crazy woman! The shrieks and cries escalated into a full blown fit when I decided that was the moment to try and strap her in the cart. She was inconsolable! I tried taking her out to give her hugs (not easy with an 8 month pregnant belly) and she wanted none of it. She just squirmed free and proceeded to pull the clothes off the racks. So I put her back in the cart, ignored her screaming, and kept shopping. What else was I to do? Of course, everyone in the store was looking at me like “What are you doing to that poor child?!”

While writhing around in the cart with huge tears and a runny nose, she managed to throw the contents of the cart on the floor. At this point, I thought that "distraction" would be the best tactic to employ. So we head to where else, the toy department! Maggie sees the big bin of plastic balls and in between screams excitedly proclaims "Balls!" I try and fish one out through the top of that 9-foot tall bin, again 8 months pregnant here. After we acquire three balls of various sizes, Maggie begins to calm down. She has a sip of water, gets some hugs and kisses, and is back to her normal, happy self as if nothing has happened. I ended up buying two of the three balls, and of course now worry that I am rewarding her behavior. Oh well, I wanted to get her a few more balls anyway.

Getting ready for baby

After we got back from Ohio last week, it became obvious the next big thing we're doing is having a baby! Peg's been busy finding and washing all the green and yellow clothes, which suddenly seem incredibly tiny. Jim's reading up on the Bradley Method and fixing miscellaneous things around the house. Peg starts weekly OB appointments now, which really mark the home stretch. The baby is still breech, so we're weighing our options. The doctor is very supportive of letting nature work and doesn't like to do many interventions, so he's just our guy! We're keeping the faith that the baby will flip, while at the same time encouraging him/her to get head down. We're trying every trick in the book including: Peg lying on a bunch of pillows with her pelvis high in the air (NOT comfortable), hot and cold packs to the belly, and shining a flashlight where we want the head to be. We did this all at once yesterday and it was quite a sight!

Maggie found the infant car seat and declared "baby." She's so smart! After that, she climbed right into the seat and made herself comfortable. It was hilarious! As long as she doesn't try to do that while her little sibling is in there, we'll be okay.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Mag and Mom enjoyed a St. Patty's Day party with the mom's group we're in. Maggie loved the chance to run around, kick the soccer ball and play with the kids. Later that afternoon she became obsessed with the Swiffer. After finishing her "chores", she decided it was time to water the plants, just like Mommy. That evening, staying true to her Irish side, she devoured the corned beef and cabbage we had for dinner...must have been all that child labor!

Visit to Ohio

We spent a week in Ohio visiting friends and family. It was great to see everyone, especially Kathy, the best massage therapist in Cincy! We celebrated Deanna's birthday with a girl's brunch and a group dinner at Don Pablos. We ended up extending the trip due to a death in the family. Peg's aunt Marie passed away, ending her 18 month battle with cancer. We were very glad that we were in town and able to say goodbye and support Grandma in the loss of her sister.
Deanna's birthday brunch

Baby bumps, 34 and 20 weeks respectively

Visiting friends Charlie and Lauren