I had a really great 30th birthday.   There is just something fun about my birthday falling on a Saturday!  It feels like the sky is the limit for a birthday celebration.  I must have changed my mind 5 or 6 times about what I wanted to do for my special day.  I finally settled on what I think was the perfect mix of family time and Derek time.

I got to sleep in while Derek got up with the kiddos, and I managed to stay in bed all the way until 7:45.  Ha.  My body is so untrained to sleep in!  After a breakfast of my favorite donuts, I opened my presents.  I didn’t think there would be any because my iPhone was an early birthday present, but Derek took the kids shopping and they each picked me out something.  Logan wanted to get me a new kitchen (I wish!  I dream of new countertops, appliances, and cabinets!), but seeing as that would be a $10,ooo gift, he picked out a cute spoon rest instead.  I’ve been needing one of those, so it was the perfect gift.  Connor wanted to get me some scrapbook stuff, but then he decided that a better gift would be a big stapler, staples, and a staple remover.  So that’s exactly what they found.  Again, it’s really something we’ve been needing and a very thoughtful gift on his part.  The boys also picked out a wooden Welcome sign, which they decided was from Camryn.   I loved all my thoughtfully chosen presents!

By 10:30, we were heading out the door for some birthday fun.  The first stop was the grocery store to pick up food for a picnic.  D and I had sushi and the kids picked out lunchables.  We also picked up a birthday cake, although much to Logan’s dismay, it was not Hannah Montana.  At some point, Logan got it in his mind that I needed to have a “girl” birthday and that meant a Hannah Montana theme.

The next stop was the park.  We had a picnic, the kids played on the playground, rode bikes, and I followed them around and took pictures.  It was really fun…well, there were a few tears shed, but that’s not too unusual.

We got home just in time to put Camryn down for a nap, and about an hour later our baby sitter arrived so Derek and I could go out on a date.  We did a little mattress shopping (well, mattress browsing…picking the perfect mattress is no easy task!).  We went to see Up in the Air and went to eat at a delicious Italian restaurant.  It was the perfect date night, and the perfect end to a great birthday.

Lots of pictures from the day…

I wouldn’t let anyone eat cake until they took pictures.  Mean mommy, but it worked!

Then it was cake time.  The kids were adamant that there be 30 candles in the cake, but it was too windy to actually light them.

And finally…time to play.

She is trouble!  I wonder what she’s thinking about…

Everyone was tired by the time we headed home.  What’s funny is Logan wasn’t really the one struggling, but this picture pretty much sums up how everyone felt.

All in all, it was a really fabulous start to this new decade.  Bring on the 30s!  Can’t wait to see what they have in store.

Anybody want one?  I over bought a bit on the fabric, and I could probably make one more size 2 (that’s what C has on) up to size 4.  It’s not perfect…my sewing skills aren’t the best and my sewing machine’s straight stitch is the tiniest bit wonky, but I’d love the practice if anyone is interested!

7:00-Someone little and snuggly climbs into my bed.  I feel like it can’t possibly be morning yet, but of course it is.  Logan and I snuggle in bed for another 20 minutes or so.

7:25-I hear Camryn talking to herself.  The talking quickly turns more urgent.  Time to get up.

7:30-We all say good-bye to Derek.  Connor has stumbled out of bed by this point.  Good-bye includes hugs and kisses for all, and all of us waving to him as he pulls out of the garage.

7:45-make my coffee, Logan’s bowl of cereal, and Camryn’s cinnamon toast.  Connor isn’t ready to eat quite yet.  I eat some cereal, read blogs and emails.  Finally make Connor and english muffin for breakfast.  Oh, and Logan also eats a pizza lunchable.  Choose your battles…

8:00-the boys watch Diego and Dora while I get myself and Camryn ready for the day.  I clean up the breakfast mess and take a moment to think about the day and make a to-do list and a shopping list.

8:55-Help the boys get dressed.  They can do this themselves, but they are having a bit of a helpless morning.

9:10-Leave to run our errands.  I need to go to Target, and then decide to go to Wal-Mart, too.  I was hoping to find a pool on clearance big enough for all 3, but no such luck.

11:15-Home again.  I only had to remind the kids 3 times to use inside voices, and only had to say no to 15 different “can I haves”.  Not too bad.  No tears, no tantrums, and I stuck to my list.  That’s a successful shopping trip in my book.

11:30-Feed everyone lunch.  Ham and green beans for Camryn, ham and cheetos for the boys, and a leftover meat cupcake for me.

12:00-Clean up lunch.  Start a load of laundry.  The boys alternate between playing a few computer games (Webkinz for C, Nick Jr. for L), and have motorcycle races complete with rock and card obstacles in the dining room.

12:30-Put Cami down for her nap.

12:35-Fold yesterday’s laundry, put away the last week’s laundry, make my bed, do a quick bathroom clean, and break up several fights between the boys.

2:00-sit here and start this blog, read other blogs, enjoy the (relative) peace and quiet.  Logan is watching Max and Ruby, Connor is playing a computer game.  (Sidenote…it sounds like we’ve done a lot of tv/computer time already…usually they are limited to 1 hour per day, but it’s the last day of summer, and I’m just letting them play.)

2:30-Camryn wakes up from her nap.  I make snickerdoodles, she walks around being cute, and the boys finish up their shows/computer games.

3:00-We all go out in the (hot as you know what) backyard.  I fill about 50 water balloons.  What takes me half an hour to accomplish is undone in less than 5 minutes.  But the boys are having fun, so it’s all good.

3:30-Camryn and I head inside.  The boys continue their water fight just using the hose.

3:40-Everyone is back inside.  Camryn and I take a little walk to the mailbox, and the boys spend about 15 minutes just running around the house naked, eating cookies, and cleaning up the cards from this morning’s obstacle course.

4:00-Finish making the snickerdoodles.  Eat too many of them.

4:10-Boys go back outside to play with our neighbor.  I have no idea exactly what they are doing, but it definitely involves dirt, the hose, some cars, some legos, and some sticks.

4:22-It starts to thunder.  I’m hope the storm holds off a little longer.  They are having a great time outside.  I play with Camryn, and start working on Connor’s official Morning and Nighttime Charts.

5:00-Outside time is over.  The thunder and lightening is close, and it’s going to rain any minute.  The boys run back to their room to play.  They play nicely together for the next 45 minutes, which is a rare thing these days.  I finish up the charts and sort of putter around, waiting for Derek to get home.

5:45-Derek is home.  Yay!  We eat leftovers for dinner (taco salad for me, meat cupcake for Connor, nachos for Logan, sausage and tortellini soup for Derek, and quesadilla and peaches for Cam.)

6:35-We all load up to go see the class lists at C’s school and to rent a movie.  I was definitely the most excited to see the class lists.  I loved that part of starting a new school year!

7:15-Home, with Shrek the Third and a Diego movie.  The boys get their jammies on, I give Cami a bath and get her ready for bed, and Derek finishes cleaning up the kitchen.

7:30-Camryn goes to bed and the boys start their movies.  I clean up a few things, and then get out Connor’s yearbook from last year to see his teacher and try to find the kids who are going to be in his class.  I’m such a dork!

9:00-movies over, time to brush teeth and head to bed.

9:10-Goodnight hugs and kisses all around, and boys are tucked in.

9:12-Logan is out of bed because his nightlight isn’t plugged in.

9:14-Connor is crying because he doesn’t want a nightlight.

9:20-silence all around.  All the crying was just a last ditch effort to stay awake.

10:00-finish up this blog, and I’m headed to bed!

(sorry for the lack of pictures.  This would have been way better with pics.  Oh well!)

Let’s go back to early March, 2005.  I was about 38 weeks pregnant with Logan.  I remember I was wearing my red work out pants and a t-shirt and I was doing the dishes in the .  Suddenly, I was leaking fluid all over the place.  “Derek!  Derek!  Oh! oh!  My water is breaking!”

I was so excited.  I immediately called my mom to tell her the exciting news.  I started packing my stuff for the hospital, and called my friend Chelsea to come over and sit at the apartment with Connor while he slept.  I kept waiting for the contractions to start, but they really weren’t strong. But I just knew my water had broken, even though my mom was skeptical.  With Connor, once my water broke, things progressed pretty quickly.  So she was surprised that nothing was happening an hour after the event.  Looking back, this was definitely one of those times when I should have listened to my mom.  Even Derek brought up the possibility that maybe it wasn’t my water.  No way!  It’s not like I hadn’t given birth before.  I just knew my water had broken!

Derek and I headed into the hospital.  “My water broke about an hour ago,” I announced quite proudly to the nurse.  I got checked in and hooked up to the monitors.  The L&D nurse came in to to check for amniotic fluid.

The test was negative.

She tested again.  Still negative.  I was having some contractions, but nothing major.  I think I was maybe 2 or 3 centimeters.

She tested one last time.  Still negative for amniotic fluid.  I started to get a little suspicious since I hadn’t had any more leakage since the flood at the sink.  And the contractions were not there.  Derek’s words kept coming back to me…”Meg, I really think this might be pee, not water…”

Two or three hours later, we headed home from the hospital.   As it turns out, I was just a big, fat pants-wetter.  I peed all over myself.  Not just a little dribble like when jumping on a trampoline.  Not even like at camp (or the other times) when I laughed so hard I peed on myself but I knew what was happening.  It was completely uncontrollable, and not only that, it took a doctor and a nurse to convince me that was what had happened.

It was definitely not one of my finer moments.

The whole reason I’ve been thinking about this is because I really want my water to break at home this time.  With both of boys, it broke in the hospital, and for some reason this time, I just really want it to break at home.  It just seems so exciting and so definite when it happens that way.  If it does happen at home, I will be checking and double checking that it is actually amniotic fluid, and not just me being a big dork who pees on herself.

I’m cool with being a dork.  Just not a dork who pees on herself without knowing.

How do you like my natural smile in this next one? Apparently, it was too much multitasking to make sure that I got my belly in the picture, held the camera steady, and showed the belly. Also, I am glad that my stomach is at least one shade darker than that white towel.