My Date with a Super Hero!

Ok, I know the title of this blog is about a date, but I will get to that at the end because there is a lot of exciting stuff that had to happen before our date. First of all, on Monday we had some people come and finish the wood floors in the new baby's closet. (There used to be a central heating and air unit in that closet, which we had moved up to the attick, leaving a hole in the ceiling, and a hole in the floor). So they fixed the floor, but it stunk up the whole room because of the stain and the poly, etc. So, Luke and I decided to put Mandie down for her nap in the big girl bed in her room (it's my old day bed from when I was a girl) so she wouldn't have to be in there with the strong smells. (and so we could work on the closet while she was asleep). The nap went great, she slept for 2 hours, which is about normal for her, and so we decided to put her down in the big girl bed that night. Next thing you know our 19 month old daughter is sleeping like an angel in a big bed and it was no big deal for her at all!! This is wonderful news because it frees up the crib for the new arrival that will be here in no time!!

Anyway, on Wednesday MiMi (Luke's mom) called to see if it would be a good night for Mandie to stay the night over at her house. Since we are about to have another baby, we have to get Mandie used to staying somewhere else so that when I go into labor she can be over there and stay at least a night or two without it totally shocking her system. We decided this would be a great night, especially since Mandie seemed to do so well out of the crib. Mandie is 19 months old and has never stayed a night without me and Luke, so it was kind of a big deal. MiMi came to pick up Mandie at about 3:30 on Wednesday, and she kept her until about 10:30 Thursday morning, it was wonderful! Especially because Mandie did so well over there! She took a bath, brushed her teeth, said her prayers, and apparently was asking for "night night" all during story time! She slept solid from 8:15 to 6:30! And when I went to pick her up she was so silly and happy.

So, Luke and I found ourselves with an entire night together with no one to take care of! So we went on a date. I know there are some people who continue to date on a regular basis after the birth of there first child, we are not those people. I was one of those Mom's who wanted to be with my baby, and Mandie wasn't even weaned until about a month ago making it harder for me to be away from her. Not to mention that we simply did not have the funds to date until Luke was out of school and working. So, it was a big deal for us to go on a date. Luke told me to be ready by 6 so we could go out to eat and still make it to the movie (and still be home in time to get a good night's sleep since it was the middle of the week). Luke was so wonderful the entire night! He opened all my doors, and he took me to a resturaunt where I could eat a gluten free meal (we went to Sakura and had chicken fried rice without the soy sauce because it has a lot of wheat in it). Then we went to see "I am Legend" with Will Smith. The movie really was so good! And Will Smith did a fantastic job . . . but I think I am a little too pregnant to put myself through that many emotions during a 2 hour period, because some parts of it really were sad! Overall, it was awesome! And the best part was that when we got home we still were child free!

Don't get me wrong, we LOVE our daughter, and we are so excited to have another baby in the house, but 19 months is a long time to go without a night to yourselves! We are going to have to do this again before the baby comes!

Speaking of the baby, I am officially 34 weeks pregnant! I can't believe how soon the baby will be here and I really can't believe that I am actually ready for it to come. We decided not to find out if we were having a boy or a girl until birth, so I am really anxious to find out what it is. We are having another planned homebirth with a midwife just like we did with Mandie, and we are really looking forward to that because it was such a wonderful experience for us the first time around. I can't believe how fast time goes by! Luke is done with four years of Optometry school, I thought that would never end!! And now we are settled and expecting our second child. I am so grateful for where we are in life right now! If you think about it, please pray for the health of our new little baby and for a smooth labor and delivery! I have some pictures that go with this post, but they are still on the camera so I'll add them in later. Love and Prayers, Cassie