Tick, tick, tick...

Things are about as ready as they can be (given my level of exhaustion: there's ALWAYS more cleaning, dusting, laundry and shopping to do), and I feel mentally ready to have this baby. I've gotten things resolved at work. I met with my CEO for a 90 minute meeting last Friday, and talked about my proposals... why I was proposing what I'd proposed, what his vision for the clinic was, what my vision for the clinic was. Lots of business. What his expectations for me were. Some information I wished I'd had MONTHS ago from him. I left the meeting feeling okay about most things, a little frustrated on some issues, and comforted on others still.

Ultimately, my "Go Big" proposal was turned down in favor of something more moderate... which is what I fully expected. I didn't get quite the raise I was hoping, but I think it will be adequate to allow us to keep both kids in daycare, provided we make smart financial decisions (i.e., if this kid is a boy, I think I will spend a lot more time shopping at garage sales and consignment shops for clothes. The timing for this is good, since it's garage sale season, anyway! And I'd like to find a new baby swing since the one we had for Maia has some issues with the seat, so I keep checking out Craig's list, rather than looking at buying a new one for $130+). Besides which, Maia had WAY too many clothes (mostly due to generous gifts, but partially because I couldn't help myself either!) and never got to wear many of them, or if she did, not more than once! So moderation is certainly in order for June Bug. For finances, for space, and perhaps even for the environment.

Lately, Maia has been spending a LOT of her play time at daycare and home with her dolls. Wrapping them up in blankets (and uncermoniously spinning them out again: "Wake up baby!"). She will stand with them, bounce and say "Shh Shh Shhhh!" I'm thinking she must be REALLY watching the teachers in the infant room take care of the two baby girls in there.

This morning after eating breakfast, Maia wanted to "See Juuu bug?" which consists of pulling up my shirt, and peering intently at my gigantic belly. Sometimes a poke in the belly button. "Hi Juu bug! Hi!" She will lay her head on my belly, put her arms around it. Today, however, she assured me that June Bug was a girl: "I go git a book? I read to her?" "Oh," I asked her, "Is June Bug a girl or a boy?" "Giirl! I git a book!" She ran to get a book and brought it back to where I was sitting in the kitchen, getting myself ready. I pulled my shirt back down (thereby covering up June Bug) "No! See Juuu bug! I read!" I was curious to see if she would "read" to the baby, but she mostly stood there with the book. She did NOT want me to help her, though. She's been very much entrenched in the "NOs" of the "terrible twos." The next few weeks are bound to be extremely interesting!

On a side note, one other thing Maia has been doing for the last month or so is singing... a LOT. And what I love is that she is starting to get the concept of the rise and fall of pitch. I don't imagine it will be much longer before we can start working on pitch matching with her. It's really fun to listen to her, and which songs she chooses to sing. This morning, it was a little of Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds (Don't Worry)" (which she knows from her That Baby cd) and some "Old McDonald Had a Farm." Her rendition of "Three Little Birds/Don't Worry" went something like this: ... don wowwwy.... bout thing..... thing.... be awiiiiht. If I start singing the song with her, she gets a HUGE grin on her face. Then I'll sing some of the words and stop, to let her sing the next ones.