When it's this good, you don't want to jinx it.

I don't have a good excuse as to why I haven't been posting updates lately. It just got away from me, I guess.

It's been gnawing at me that I need to jump back on blogging. After all, I started this online journal because I wanted to document our journey as we started a new life here in Chicago together -- and, well, it doesn't get more momentous than having a baby. If there's anything you want to remember later, it's this, right?

So I'm here at 4:48 am the day before baby #2 is due thinking two things:

1) I'm nuts. It's FOUR FORTY EIGHT AM.
2) How the hell do I catch up?

Hmmmm.... No good answer for either of those questions, so I guess I'll just type...

• It's a BOY! It's fun to think we'll have one of each and get to experience all the magic of little girlhood *and* boyhood as they grow. It's also fun to think how Audrey will boss her little brother around. (We can already see she's got my gift for bossiness, and her daddy's stubborn instinct to figure out, and immediately conquer, any challenge in front of him. She's cursed.) We're hoping it will be good for him.
  
• Baby #2 was planned. We realize it may be a little nuts to have a two babies only 17 months apart (and that's 17 months only by a few days) but the opportunity I have right now to work from home while the babies are young is something we wanted to maximize while we could. Also, as my sweet and tactful husband likes to say, "we ain't gettin' any younger."
• Thanks to a furious spurt of nesting in the last few months the house is looking quite spiffy. We've stripped paint from the trim on the first floor and stained it to match the fireplace and kitchen woodwork. We've done some electrical work. We've painted. We've got some new furniture. We've hung blinds. It's actually starting to look like real people live here, full time. Not a construction crew that oddly leaves baby toys lying around. I'll post pics soon.
  
• Audrey is doing BEAUTIFULLY. I could go on and on about her, naturally, but I don't want to watch as your eyes roll to the back of your head. She's growing well, she's healthy, she's happy and she's smart. Soooo smart. Like, 'watch your back' smart. If we weren't so proud we'd be scared as all hell frankly.
  
• Work is going really well. I've signed another client and I actually managed to have my biggest billing month in my work-from-home history last month while I was 8 months pregnant. (That's always the way, right?) I'm tired, but mostly I'm grateful. This was the dream -- to work from home while the babies were little. And I'm making it happen. And that ain't nothing to sneeze at.
• The pregnancy is going really really well. (Another thing to be grateful for.) It's been generally so much easier than when I was pregnant with Audrey. The most monumental difference is that my back is holding up well. I keep telling my dear husband (ironically, usually between complaints about aches or swelling, or my general discomfort) that really, I had no idea how bad I was with Audrey until this baby. With her, I was always paranoid about hurting myself by moving the wrong way, or stressed out about pills or how to manage pain, or frankly, I was just trying to breathe, and walk and sleep without losing it. With this pregnancy, I've been able to enjoy the simple things, like... nesting, feeling the indescribably unique sensation of the baby rolling around, and eating yummy treats because I'm pregnant dammit. Luxuries I tell you. Luxuries.

OK, there's a ton more to write of course, but it's 5:30 am right now. (Wait - let's just think about that -- It's FIVE THIRTY AM the day before my baby is due. And I'm blogging. I am INSANE.) But right now I must obey the warm, happy, insulin-induced sleepy feeling I'm getting (from the large apple juice and bowl of cereal I just ate) and head back to bed while I still can.

More later.