All sorts of updates

The basement project is nearing a close...Paul and my dad are laying tile, having finished painting, as I type this. Then they'll put the toilet and vanity in. We'll have to wait on the shower since we decided to tile the walls. My dad will most likely come out again to finish that up. He's been here for 3 weeks so I think he's anxious to have a break!

I worked in Allison's class this week...it was so neat to be a part of her learning experience. The parent's job for this co-op committment is to lead the art project of the day. It's neat to see how their little minds work when given a task...and how different they all are. One boy in particular is a total nightmare. I hope Thomas doesn't end up like that. He has meltdowns often and hits the kids a lot. It's a mother's worst nightmare! Since Allison is the only girl she is markedly different when it comes to activities like this. She sits quietly and methodically does her art project. She's really into art in general, always coloring and painting and glueing things, so it was fun to guide her through one at school alongside her little friends. She also helped me set up the day's snack and got to have first pick of where she sat. It's so cute!

We went up to see the fall colors this week and it was totally worth the drive! We went up Boulder Canyon to the Peak-toPeak highway. The aspens are bright yellow and the mountains have splotches of reds and oranges as well. The mornings and nights are pretty cool but it has yet to get REALLY cold, something I'm anxious for.

I finally weaned Thomas this week. It was much easier than I thought. I simply stopped going into his room when he woke up too early. I don't think he was actually getting much milk anyway, it was more of a comfort thing. We had to re-teach him how to sleep through the night (again, for the thousandth time) and it took a few nights but now he knows the deal. Even if he wakes up (and he still does) we just ignore him. It's really made us all better off. He seems more well-rested and he naps much better, too. I was always worried about him waking up Allison but it doesn't seem to affect her, even if she does wake up. I'm trying to stay the course this time because I really worry what life will be like if I have 2 kids that wake up at night (meaning Thomas and the new baby).

I'm 15 weeks now and feeling ok. I still get queasy and really tired, plus headaches sometimes plague me, but I'm trying to hang in there. Usually by 17 weeks or so I start to feel more normal so I hope I follow that same pattern. Today is a good day so I hope I have more of these.