A few random tidbits....

Had an OB appointment today. Baby and I are both doing well. All of my numbers were perfect - including the dreaded glucose test.  I also had an ultrasound to check on baby's growth and the location of my placenta (it had been too low earlier.)  She measured exactly right and her estimated wight is 2 pounds 6 ounces! And the placenta has moved to where it should be.  If everything continues to go as planned, we'll expect her arrival the week of April 20!  

Baby wasn't too cooperative during the ultrasound - she had her hands and feet near her face, and did everything she could to turn her head AWAY from us.   We caught a few glimpses of her profile, including once with her mouth opening and closing as if she was trying to talk. I can't imagine she'd already be talking - not MY daughter!  But, the most identifiable picture I came home with is this one of  her foot. Enjoy the cute baby toes!

As for the big girls, they've had a decent week.  Maggie had her parent/teacher conference on Monday. She received a glowing report.  Her teachers are just as amazed by her reading skills as we are.  She clearly enjoys school and her teachers enjoy her.

After conferences we took a trip to the Mitchell Domes in Milwaukee. Mondays are free admission days for county residents - so we took full advantage. It was great to feel WARM for an hour and enjoy the flowers and feeling of spring. An added treat was the special train display in the show dome.  

We're expecting a  slight warm up this weekend - it might get ABOVE freezing!  I think we'd all appreciate the chance to get out of the house and enjoy the fresh air.  Maggie has been asking to play in the snow. Katherine is not as interested in snow play - but she might be interested in a sled ride. We'll see what happens!

A shameless plug here.....

For the second year, I am the captain of our March of Dimes - March for Babies team - St Francis Nurses for Babies. I walked with a group of my colleagues last year and we managed to raise almost $3000.

Although I won't be able to WALK this year (as the event is within 2 days of my due date) I am still coordinating the effort and hoping to beat our fundraising total from last year.

I  invite everyone to participate in any way that you can. You are welcome to walk in our event. Or find a walk in your own hometown. Or give a monetary gift to anyone you know who is walking. My  donation page is   www.marchforbabies.org/sepersky.    I'm sure that Meg and John will post their pages soon.

March of Dimes does amazing work with the money raised - promoting healthy Moms and Babies.

THANK YOU  for your support!

I officially have TWO big girls now. Katherine finally made the leap from toddler bed/crib to BIG GIRL BED today.  Chris had the day off, so while Maggie was at school, we took just ONE child with us to the store to look at bunk bed sets.  We decided to get bunk beds because eventually we'll need that 3rd bed, once child #3 is out of her crib.  I think the girls were slightly disappointed that we weren't going to set up the full bunk set right now, but they got over it.

It really wasn't hard to choose what we wanted. Chris and I had strong feelings about what we needed, so we combined those desires and had 2 choices out of about 300 options in this store.  Marriage is all about compromise right?  Chris  returned to the store during afternoon naps and brought everything home. And then it took about 4 hours to move furniture in and out of rooms, set up the bed, take down the spare bed in the guest room, and put everything away. Unfortunately we  don't have the spare bedroom anymore. But it IS pretty exciting to see the crib in there and know that soon enough, #3 is going to be here!

Katherine LOVES her new bed. She looks TINY in it. But we are using the rails that would usually be on the top bunk for her bed - so there is NO WAY that she can fall out.   When I told her  "Have a good sleep in your big girl bed tonight" she responded, "OK Mommy, you have a good sleep in YOUR big girl bed too - don't fall out!"

Of course, Maggie needed something special today too. She decided that she didn't need the rail on her bed anymore. So she is spending her first  night without any guard rail.  We'll see if she can manage to stay IN her bed. 

I'll post some pictures here. But please don't think the girls live in a jail cell. Chris thinks the pictures look dull and boring. What does HE know?

Another week of milestones here in the Sepersky house.  Maggie finally outgrew the straps of her car seat. And, though she isn't actually 40 pounds, she does meet the criteria of being more than 4 years and 40 inches, so she  graduated to a new car seat. This one uses a regular car seatbelt, instead of a 5 point harness belt system. She is THRILLED.  Now, she needs to learn how to do the buckle independently!

Katherine also graduated - to Maggie's OLD car seat. She has been waiting for this switch, although it has caused some confusion. She seems to think that the baby should arrive NOW - since the seats are ready!  

And yes, all three seats WILL fit in the  back seat of our car. It will be tight, but it will work. Maybe someday I'll get my minivan! Someday!

Katherine's other "big girl" accomplishment this week was her first hair cut. Yes, she's 2 1/2.  But I happen to LOVE her curls, and Maggie's curls disappeared after her first hair cut, so I've been stalling. The dry winter air, constant "hat-head" and frizzy split ends finally got to me. She was SO SHAGGY all the time.  I'm a terrible mom and forgot to bring the camera to the salon, but I can report that she sat perfectly still the whole time. She actually looked mad, her face was so serious, but if you asked her any questions, she grinned from ear to ear!  She came out with a cleaned up, healthy looking set of curls. My stylist thinks she'll keep the curls at least until she gets "grown up"hair - whenever THAT is!

Here are the best "before and after" shots I could capture.

I started a post last week about being stuck in the house due to the freezing temps. I thought I had saved it, but I guess not. I'm just now finding time to post it.  OOPS!  So instead of my  ramblings, I'll give you some pictures - you can figure it out!

There was TV watching, sitting by the heat vents, playing happily, and finally, Mom doesn't care anymore - throw the newspaper around, take off your pants and play with ponies on the end table.  It was a long  couple of days - but we survived. It's a new week, and I'm sure there will be plenty to write about soon!

Just a quick note about bedtime tonight. I don't want to forget the moment. The girls had been a little crabby with the bedtime/bath time/clean up  routine. I had little patience left. But once  the jammies were on, Maggie asked the sweetest question, "Can I read the baby a bedtime story?"

Even if it was just a stalling technique, I fell for it.

She chose a simple "Peek a Boo" book, and sat in my lap, reading to my belly.  Not to be outdone by her sister, Katherine chose a book of bedtime rhymes, and "read" it, with a little help. Both decided that the baby really liked listening to stories, and they would have to do it again sometime.

I just hope they are this interested in the baby once she arrives!

What better place to spend a Saturday morning, than in the swimming pool?  Maggie and Katherine started swimming lessons yesterday.  Katherine swims 830-9am, with Daddy. Maggie is 9-950, luckily with no parental requirement! Both girls LOVED the pool.  Katherine enjoyed the singing and rubber duckie games during her lesson. 

 If you look closely, you'll see Maggie and her teacher with a kickboard. She is 

learning that you don't SIT on the kickboard, but rather extend your arms, blow bubbles and kick your legs. She won't be seen in the olympics anytime soon, but she is learning some basics -and LOVING it!

In other news, Baby #3 is making her presence known more frequently. Maggie enjoys putting her hand on my belly and feeling the kicks. Of course, once she feels something, she doesn't want to REMOVE her hand. I've had to explain more than once that she can't walk around holding onto me waiting for another kick! 

If you ask Katherine about the baby, she'll likely tell you "Baby wants to come out NOW!"  She isn't grasping the idea of waiting until April.

We missed the brunt of the snowstorm this weekend (5-6 inches, instead of the 15  that fell not too far away!) But, we're bracing for the arctic chill. Supposedly the highs this week will be lucky to get above zero. I'm predicting a lot of creative activities to ward off cabin fever!

It was a very exciting day today. Maggie's Christmas concert, which was cancelled because of 14 inches of snow a few weeks ago, was finally performed today.  She had been waiting and waiting for this day.  She practiced her songs for us MANY times during her vacation.  She was ready.

Last year we thought she was ready - and she barely sang at all during her concert. This year, she was clearly more mature.   She sang every word, did all the actions, and even remembered the sign language and French verses in the songs. She beamed all the way through. And tonight as I put her to sleep she sighed proudly, saying "Wasn't it a GREAT concert Mommy?"  Yes, indeed it was.

Some technical difficulties (missing video transfer cord) prevent me from sharing video at this time, but enjoy a few pictures.

Maggie playing "sand scrubbers" during "Kris Kringle's Jingle Bell Band", Maggie performing a hug during "Christmas Fun" and Maggie and her best friend Mikayla before the show.

It was back to reality for all of us today. Chris and Maggie headed back to school, and Katherine and I jumped back into our routines as well.  After 2 weeks of near constant togetherness, I think we were ALL ready for the change.

Maggie also created a new friend today. She's  always had quite the cast of characters in her imaginary world. Today she invented "Thirteenie" who joins Kitty, Bella, Sheep, Taco-Taco, and Nina Arelina, to name a few.  I understand it is normal behavior. But I never knew it could be so exhausting! I can't keep up with who is celebrating a birthday, who is coming to play, and which friend either has a new baby in the house, or is waiting for a new baby to arrive.

 Honestly, Maggie can't either, and the same characters often have multiple birthdays in a week.  

You might have guessed that since Maggie has a friend, Katherine must also have a friend. She often uses "Kitty" as her imaginary friend. Her favorite activity is to call Kitty on the phone. She enjoys walking around with her pretend phone having extensive conversations with Kitty. I'm not sure WHERE she learned that!

Katherine is also interested in playing "dress-up" with Maggie now.  The costumes they create, and the stories they act out are hilarious.  Chris and I are often treated to a "concert" which might involve singing, dancing, or just running in circles.  We can't complain. The tickets are free, the (pretend) popcorn is mess-free, and the result is always memorable!

A new year seems like a good time to start a new project.  I've been asked my many to share news and pictures more frequently, and I thought a blog might be the way to go. And, Santa brought me a computer that can handle such demands, so I no longer have an excuse not to!

So here is the new Sepersky Family Blog. We'll see how it goes.  It probably won't be daily, and might not even be weekly. But it will be more than before, and will hopefully satisfy the needs of my demanding public!  For right now, I have soup boiling on the stove, cookies burning in the oven, and 2 little girls running in circles shrieking with delight. Just another day in the life of the Sepersky Family!