Akers

Hiya ladies,
It never seems like too much is happening in my life, but when i look back I realize i have a lot going on and it's all just little stuff.
So I'm almost 32 weeks now, and feeling quite large. Chris and I no longer both fit through the hallway at the same time. I used to squeeze by him without thinking about it. Nobu can't crawl on my lap anymore, he gets frustrated by the lack of space and ends up instead taking his guardian pose right in front of me. It's a challenge to get out of bed, but surprisingly I'm still sleeping really well. I'm still mowing the lawn but have given up on weeding the flowerbeds. They will just be ugly and unkept this year. Joseph's room is almost ready for him. It's amazing how the nursery evolved into a toddler room without me even realizing it. I just have to put Joseph's name on the wall and remove Megumi's. Little boy clothes line the closet and it looks so strange in there without all the pink. I am losing energy FAST. During Megumi's nap time i have also taken up napping. It's nice, except that nothing else gets done.
My hours have lessened at the office (from home, still). So I've taken up helping my mom with her craft business as well. I continue to sing and play keys for the worship team at church, and Chris and I still help out with Jr High ministry.
Megumi is a very social 18 month old! She says "hi" to everyone we meet and loves playing with other kids. Her favorite toys are puzzles, babies, blocks, and books... in that order. She LOVES being outside, and i finally found a little sun hat for her. So we will be spending more and more time outside and in our little kiddie pool. She adores her grandpas and grandmas, and has all 4 of them wrapped around her little finger. This last weekend I was out near Bloomington, IL with my cousin and aunt. Chris had daddy duty. And Megumi got her first stomach bug. I can't believe i wasn't here for that! But, it proved to be really good for Chris and Megumi to bond. They are in-separable now. I feel like chopped liver when daddy is home :)
In 2 weeks we are headed down to Arkansas for Jaren's wedding! I'm really excited, except for the drive...
see, really nothing exciting going on with us!

pictures

Hi girls! Just a reminder... I need your pictures!... for the scrapbook. Please send me your pics or send me a link to your webpages (flickr, shutterfly, kodakgallery, snapfish, etc.), wherever you post pictures regularly. I know Kim posts on flickr, so I have that already and Liz and I both do shutterfly. But I need links or pics for the rest of you. Particularly those of you who will be having babies right before the reunion, maybe a page like shutterfly or something that you or somebody close to you will be posting baby pics to so that I can order them directly off the site would be ideal and easiest for you. It doesn't really matter to me how I get the pics, just do something that's easy for you. Thanks girls! =) Love ya!

Thanks!!

Thanks to you all, ladies for making Jamie's Sapphire shower so great. She and Nick were very surprised, loved the gifts, and loved the 8x10 pictures of everyone (aren't the pictures adorable!?). Nick and I both had low batteries on our cameras, but he got the best pictures. Check out Jamie's face-book page if you haven't seen them already.
And thanks everyone for getting such small, pack-able gifts :) Made my packing job much easier!
Update on us...
Since we have returned from Colorado, i have had some weird heart issues going on (me, not Joseph... he's active as ever). My heart will skip, for several hours at a time, every 30 seconds or so... and also at random times during the day. Strangely, it happens most when i'm relaxing... or trying to, that is. My OB says it's somewhat 'normal' so isn't too concerned. It's annoying though, and i find it difficult to relax/sleep when it's going on. Today was a good day though, and i'm hoping it won't happen again.
Chris and I have decided not to schedule the C-section for Joseph, as originally planned. And we are praying (please pray with us!!!) that I go into labor on my own. At 39 weeks, we are going to re-evaluate with my OB, and decide then whether to schedule a C-section or wait a bit longer to see if my body figures it out this time. Basically, if they scheduled the C-section, it would be at 39 weeks. And we would like to go till 40 if everything looks healthy. And i love the idea of a faster recovery than last time... it will be summer, after all.
Megumi is moved into her big girl room and likes spending time in there playing. But, we don't get much playtime inside these days as i am taking full advantage of the beautiful weather we are having. Meg looks so cute in little shorts. You can just see her thigh rolls peek out the ends of her shorts, and i think it's adorable. She LOVES playing outside, especially at the parks where she can giggle and chase other kids. And that's exactly what she does, go up to them, smile really big and giggle. She likes to give hugs to other mommies too, as if to say "thanks for bringing your kids to the park today!" Little miss Extrovert!
So, nothing much going on here, just getting ready for Joseph now. Jaren is getting married in a month and we're driving down to Arkansas for that. Then, sit and wait! I'm 29 weeks today and Joey is starting to get rough with his movements, jabbing, stretching, and punching my bladder. all normal stuff :)
miss you all!!