The Waiting Game

So I'm playing the waiting game now...38 weeks and counting! No baby here yet but I'm definitely growing more uncomfortable by the day--the Braxton Hicks continue, and when I walk around too much I get that pressure in my lower stomach that feels like gravity is trying to push this baby out! Marlon is getting dizzy watching me run circles around him, cleaning, doing laundry, organizing (his approach to baby prep is quite different from mine--he prefers to spend his time relaxing! He might as well enjoy it while it lasts because those days are soon going to disappear!). I'm in full-on nesting mode and I have a lot I still want to accomplish. We had some of our old neighbors up this past weekend so it was good to spend one last weekend having fun, and now that the last of our pre-baby company has come and gone I can really prepare the house for the baby's arrival, as well as the arrival of my parents who will be coming out to help with Alex once I go into labor. I think I've done most of the necessary shopping, and I have packed a bag for the baby and an overnight bag for Alex--just have to finish off a bag for me! Our plan is to send Alex over to my friend Jess's hosue when I go to the hospital. Her boys are friends with Alex and they go to the same school, so she will be able to assist us with taking care of Alex until my parents can make it out here. We are so fortunate to have them as friends and I hope everything goes smoothly!

Alex is showing more frequent glimpses of what I'm predicting will be the "terrible 3's" (which I'm hearing is worse than the terrible 2's!). She is learning to forcefully use the words "NO" and "YES" to disagree with me, and she's mastered the art of jumping up and down, stamping her feet in protest if you tell her something she doesn't want to hear. She put on a great display for her teachers today at school when I got there to pick her up (they swore this was the first time they'd witnessed it) because one of the boys in her class took a little dora doll from her that she was playing with and wouldn't give it back. It wasn't a pretty sight! I'm trying to figure out the best way to teach her in a way that she understands what "talking back" is and that it is NOT acceptable behavior. We're also talking to her a lot about listening to mom and dad and that what we say goes--I'm just not sure how deep her understanding is of the big picture. Any suggestions? I really want to nip this in the bud before it gets too out of control. Once these moments pass she is her usual sweet self, but we just need these moments to come less often! My parents find this amusing since I apparently was pretty similar as a child (who ME?) so I guess I'm getting my payback. Of course she definitely displays this behavior more for me than for anyone else...I have a feeling she will be spending a lot of time in time-outs in the not-so-distant future if this continues. I've got to catch up on my Supernanny episodes to seek out Jo Frost's advice. She can solve any problem in an hour show, right?