The only thing that stays the same...

...is that everything changes.

At my appointment this morning, my midwife says I'm 3 cm dilated!
Just in time, I wanted to share some quick belly pictures I took this week for baby boy's Project Life book:

Now that we could be just days away from baby's due date, I've been soaking up the quiet

moments. I've even taken a break from my nesting activities to take a nap when Avery naps a few times. It feels so much like the days before Avery was born, yet completely different at the same time. One of the things I realized is that so much of our daily routine will soon change and will never be the same again. I will never again have just one child to pack up and take out, I will never again have just one little person's schedule to work around and I will never again be able to give 100% of myself to any one of my children like I do now.

That being said, I wanted to share what our typical day looks like for preservation's sake so in a few months I can look back and say, "Wow, what did I ever do with all that freedom?! :)

7:00-8:00: I wake up to Avery yelling "Mama! Mama!" 
I put my contacts in, get his milk out of the fridge and walk in to a happy boy usually bouncing like a maniac on his bed, his blankets and animals strewn all over the floor. We sit and read stories while he gets his morning milk fix, I dress him and we head downstairs to start our day.

8:30-9:00: Breakfast time! While I make breakfast (either oatmeal, eggs & toast or dad treats us to pancakes), Avery usually wanders around re-acquainting himself with his surroundings (and Bella). We eat, Avery commenting on every car and school bus that goes by, and decide what our day will bring.

9:00-9:30: After cleaning up after breakfast, we head back upstairs to brush our teeth and I get dressed. I often put laundry in at this point or we get ready to leave the house.

9:30-11:30: To help break up these long winter days, we try to get out-and-about at least once a day (while it's 'easy'!) and in the morning is our best time. We often go to a store, run errands, go to story time at the library (on Mondays), go swimming, or have a play date with friends.
If we end up staying home, we will often pick a cleaning task like washing windows, sweeping or vacuuming (this is STILL one of Avery's most favorite things to do and he asks to pull the vacuum out of the closet at least once a day), play hide-and-go-seek, read lots of books, color lots of pictures, or have a heated game of basketball ;)

11:30-12:30: Lunch time, then some fun playtime before nap. We often look at flash cards, play with Megablocks, bounce on the trampoline, or set up a Little People village.

12:30-1:00: We grab a cup of milk and head upstairs to read some stories before Avery takes his nap. He's usually pretty good at going right down to sleep, although he has days every now and then when he 'boycotts' his nap and chooses to bounce and play and read books for an hour or so before finally tiring himself out.

I use this time to clean (the jobs that aren't so easy to do with a 'little helper'), catch up reading blogs etc. on my computer, work on Avery's Project Life book (it's beginning to seem like a never-ending project...), edit pictures, update this blog or prepare something to be made for dinner later.

2:30-3:00: Avery wakes up, usually so happy, and is ready to take on the afternoon. We head back downstairs and have a snack while he tells me stories that I may or may not decipher completely (he's always SO talkative after his nap!).

3:00-5:00: This is the time we will usually take on a bigger project in the house like playing play-doh, baking something, painting, or head outside if it's nice enough!

5:00-6:00: I'm cleaning up from our messy fun and starting dinner while Avery bounces on the trampoline or plays with his Little People. Justin usually comes home sometime within the hour and watching Avery's reaction when he hears the garage door open will NEVER get old. I am grateful for the days when Justin is home before dinner time because usually he and Avery play together while I finish cooking, which makes this a MUCH less stressful time for mama ;)  (What is it with that before-dinner witching hour?!)

6:00: Dinner time! We almost always get to eat as a family (even on the days when Justin works later, I try to stay consistent with a 6:00 dinner time for Avery's sake and he just re-heats his food when he gets home)

6:30-7:30: Play time with dad - Avery's craziest play of the day :) Unfortunately, I've gotten bigger and less energetic as baby has grown, so this romper-time with Justin has been such a needed part of Avery's day. We've also taken to watching Wheel of Fortune at 7:00, which Avery LOVES. If spring ever comes, we will be spending this time OUTSIDE taking walks and enjoying warm evenings.

7:30: Bathtime!  Avery still loves bathtime and we love watching him play, paint, blow bubbles and 'swim'.

8:00/8:15: Milk, stories, and bedtime (dad takes the bedtime shift) 

That's a sampling of our day, and like clockwork I hear the familiar thump of Avery's toys being tossed out of his crib, so my happy blog time is over :)  I'm going to spend my afternoon with big brother as we await his little buddy's arrival!

As I look at these photos, I'm amazed at what the human body is capable of.