a midwife, a last minute ski trip, a test, the flu, easter, the start of construction and getting prepped to move

This is what we've been up to over the past 3 weeks... in a (very big) nutshell.

First of all, we finally chose a midwife to help bring baby Shelton #2 into the world.  We interviewed 3 and all were extremely qualified, but Michelle Fitzgerald seemed to fit my personality best.  She is very laid back, but also very up-front about things.  She's been practicing since 1979 and is a very respected and loved midwife.  She was recommended to me by 3 completely unrelated sources (one was a list-serve where multiple women recommended her, one was a friend from church, and the other a friend from play-group) who all had raving compliments and reviews to share about her.  I have been to my first appointment with her and really think I am going to love having her deliver baby #2.  On a side note, we get to schedule the appointment for the big sonogram for 2 weeks from Monday.  That's when we find out if we're having a girl munchkin or a boy munchkin.  Hooray!

Last week Addie and I made a last minute trip to Colorado to spend spring break with my parents, cousin Sarah and her friend Laura.  We got a one way flight and drove back to Texas with them.  It was a blast until the end.  I got the flu.  It started the one day I was actually going to ski.  I had paid to put Adeline in the mountain child care for the day so that we could all ski together and my mom wouldn't have to miss out on the fun in order to watch Addie (although of course she does loooove to watch Addie and assured me that she wouldn't mind staying back).  I woke up that morning feeling pretty bad, but since the childcare was expensive and non-refundable, I was determined to ski anyway.  We picked up some Tylenol on the way to the slopes and I skiied all day.  My mom's knee started hurting pretty badly around lunch so she didn't go back out which meant Addie was rescued from childcare a little earlier than planned.  While she was there she did well (so I'm told... she was crying when I walked in to get her).  She really started "talking" a lot more on the trip.  Her favorite thing to say was "Pa-pa!"  Much to my mom dismay.  She's been coaching Addie on "Gee-gee" since she was born, but every time she would try to get Addie to say "Gee-gee", she would shout "Pa-pa!" with much gusto and point to my dad.  So cute!

I totally paid the price for that one day of skiing.  I felt like death for the next two days.  Half way through the drive home I started feeling slightly better, but it was another 3 or 4 days before I felt decent again.  Addie did surprisingly well on the trip home.  After we got out of the mountains we turned her carseat around to face forward so she could watch some videos.  I wasn't sure if she'd be interested or not.  It was hit or miss.  If we found the right video, she was pretty engaged.  Her favorites were Veggie Tales "The Toy that Saved Christmas", Signing Time with Alex and Leah, and a sing-a-long video.

Lounging with Rah-rah before the trip


Silly girl

Pa-pa, Gee-gee, Rah-rah, Addie and Mama


Meeting the horses that pulled our sleigh ride



Toasting marshmellows during the sleigh ride


First taste of hot chocolate... she loooved it!


Hot chocolate aftermath


Skiiers Sarah and Laura


Skiiers Gee-gee and Pa-pa


Loungers Adeline and Mama


Snow bunny


Checking out the deer (aka "dogs") that come to the back door every afternoon


A few of the "dogs" themselves


Watch out... pregnant lady on skis

Rescued from childcare

While we were gone Robert had some peace and quiet (and un-interrupted time) to study for his second to last ARE (Architectural Registration Exam).  He studied basically every free minute he had and took the test on Monday morning.  We won't know for a few weeks if he passed or not.  There is one more left.  He takes that one on the 8th and if he passes both he'll be an official licensed Architect.  Woo-hoo!

Addie and I made it back from Colorado just in time for Easter.  Since Easter deserves its own post, I'll write about that later.

Construction started on our house this past Thursday.  They made quick work of leveling the backyard, setting up the silt fences and delivering the port-a-potty.  The stone on the front of the house was removed this morning along with a small part of the driveway that will soon be part of the new carport.  They start forming up the foundation on Monday!  We are so excited to have the extra space, but before that can happen, we have to move out to slightly less space.

The start of the clearing

After a slight re-think on the apartments today we have decided to move into a 2 bedroom apartment (actually it is one bedroom with a "den" that is a perfect size for Addie) in Waters Park apartments.  The location is a little better than the other apartment we were looking at and the extra space (the other was a smaller 1 bedroom) will be much appreciated, I'm sure.  

Robert's mom, Linda, is coming tomorrow for a few days to keep Addie busy while I pack.  We are planning to move in 2 weeks, just before they start to tear down the walls of our house!