Are you there, Blog? It's me - not Margaret.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I said I would finally blog again and still weeks have passed without nary a new post.  Sorry, Charlie!  As much as I'd like to write more often, "real life" takes precedence, and let's just say that "real life" has laid it on thick lately!  Good intentions can only get take you so far... Alrighty, let's get down to biz-nass.  That's why you're here, isn't it?  ;)

* First things first.  We moved.  I have never moved quite like that before.  I've only ever been responsible for moving my own individual belongings from one location to the next - never a family move!  Can we say "stuff?"  I don't collect anything.  I don't like a lot of things around.  I purged as I packed, and I purged as I unpacked.  And still, we have stuff.  Despite unpacking all of the boxes within the first days, we're still not quite done, but most of what remains are the things that we will slowly accomplish over time.  (Except for hanging the mirror in our bedroom and the candle/art piece in the living room -- how many weeks should that take, Jeff, really?)  Oh, and replacing the dishwasher, STAT!  I may have to get back into the business of slangin' plasma with a dear friend (you know who you are) to fund my kitchen appliance replacement dreams.  Double wall oven - somedaaaaaaaay!  :)  

The best part of the new house?  Everything.  It feels likes home.  Our family will enjoy living here over many, many years to come.  I'm excited about the prospect of adding our personal touches to the place as time goes on, too.  I'm so thankful to my husband for making this a reality for our family.  He works very hard to provide for the three of us (soon to be four!), and I'll be forever grateful for his love and effort.  

* Harper la-la-loves her big girl room.  Her room is upstairs aka "Harper's stairs."  Hey, if you want to lay a claim to something, let it be known!  Her room is near completion minus a few finishing touches.  If you can call painting the entire room a finishing touch, then you're one of my kind!  I'm thinking chartreuse....thoughts?  A horizontal magnetic stripe across one wall is a must.  Who doesn't love magnets?!

* Cooper's room - it's coming along even more slowly.  The colors being used are white, brown and orange.  Think Texas-themed, but not over the top.  I need to pick a paint color.  I hope Sherwin Williams is ready for this girl!  My plan is to work on his room this week...I'm feeling inspired (slash pressured) by the baby shower on Saturday celebrating his upcoming arrival.  Let's strike from history the fact that Harper's nursery was literally done within days of learning her gender.  Ah well...we'll get 'er done!  Or "him" done, rather.

* Speaking of Coop, we're now at 33 weeks (and 3 days if you're counting, like me!).  He is movin' and groovin' more than ever.  According to Babycenter.com, he probably weighs around four pounds by now, and is growing like a weed -- as evidenced by my protruding belly.  I have gained sixteen pounds myself, and I'm thankful that none of it has settled in random places like my earlobes or ankles.

I'm excited AND nervous to meet him.  What will he be like?  How similar or different will he be from his big sister?  Maybe he will be a July baby instead of August?  While he is officially due on August 6th, Jeff and I both think he'll arrive between mid- to late-July.  I've talked to my doctor about inducing on August 2nd if he hasn't already arrived by then, but I'm sure we'll talk more about that as the weeks progress.  One can only hope!

* Current Harper-isms:
     -"No, Jeff!"

     -"I know, Mommy!" (Her tone adds extra flair to that one.)

     -"Shake your body" (While dancing.)

     -"Go, Harper!  Harper did it!"  (When she is proud of completing a task.)

     -"Harper is drawing. Harper is coloring with crayons."  (Sentences are coming on strong to quite strong.)

     -"Harper is sad, sick, happy or _____." (She is really starting to communicate her feelings to us, though at 

       a basic level.  What a difference that makes in our lives!  She also loves speaking in third person.) 

     -"This is 'licious.  Harper-licious!"  (Her version of delicious.  I laugh every time.)

* "I love you."  I've been waiting a long, long time for that one.  Seriously, I've prompted her at every possible occasion and got nothing.  Nix. Nada.  She uses it sparingly, but I've gotta respect her for it.  Oh, and I can't forget the other day when I told her I love her, and she smiled and replied, "I know, Mommy."  When I repeated the story to Jeff, he reminded me of how eerily similar of a response I gave when he first told me those same three words.  :)  What is that old saying about the apple and the tree?  Yeah....

Well, that about covers it for now.  I've purposely left out details about Harper's most recent teething experiences, our Memorial Day trip to Abilene, swim lessons, her recent lack of sleep (and our own) and volunteering for four days straight for the Starburst Junior Golf Classic among other things.  I didn't want to risk inducing complete and utter exhaustion by mentally reliving any of those particular moments!  We are already knee-deep into a busy, busy summer.  June is rapidly coming to a close - how is that?  

If you've made it this far without developing a headache, then I am impressed.  Until next time... later gators!