Thank goodness!

I vowed early on, knowing that this might be the last time I experience having a baby, to enjoy every minute of this past nine months. And I think I did pretty well for the first month or two. I had no complaints early on, but as my waistline grew, so did my level of exhaustion and general discomfort.

Of course, being uncomfortable is nothing new to a third-trimester mommy-to-be; in fact, I seem to remember it being pretty normal. What’s also normal is the anticipation that hits right around 36 weeks. You start to realize just how close you are to such a major life change, how close you are to meeting that little one who’s been growing inside you for so many months.

In my case, the excitement (and fear) started building around 32 weeks — that’s when I was sent to the hospital after my doctor noticed signs of early labor. The situation turned out fine, and my baby boy is now nearing full-term status. But all these weeks in between of hearing the birth of my son could be “any minute now” from my midwife has made me extremely impatient.

I’m constantly waiting for any sign that labor is actually beginning. And I find myself jealous of other moms who aren’t playing this same game, specifically my sister-in-law (yes, my baby will be just days old when his new cousin joins the family), who is scheduled for a cesarean section in mid-February. She knows what day her baby is coming, and I’m sure is planning accordingly.

Me? I’ve had everything ready for weeks, just in case. Hospital bags are packed, crib is built, clothes washed, car seat installed — and still no baby.

Because while it could be any minute, it also could be next week or even next month. We just have to wait to see.

But now, my list of goals for the coming year are growing as fast as the pile of empty boxes and used wrapping paper in the garage.

There are some big changes coming to our home in 2010, and then there are the resolutions that I hope will better my boys’ lives for the next year and beyond.

Here’s what I’m looking forward to as a new decade dawns:

–My new baby boy! By early this spring our family of four will become a family of five, and no one is more excited than his two big brothers. They’ve already started planning lots of adventures for the new arrival and can’t wait for him to join in all the fun. I just hope they aren’t too disappointed when all he does during the first few months is sleep, eat and poop.

–Kindergarten. Kindergarten. Kindergarten. This one I have to keep repeating to myself. I can’t believe my oldest son will turn 5 and start elementary school in the fall. Where, oh where, has the time gone? He’s been learning so much at preschool; I have no doubt he’s ready.

–Family dinners. This is a daily goal, but one that I’m really going to put more effort into. Right now, my family sits down to eat at the same time each night, we just don’t sit down in the same room. Our dining table is so cluttered with papers and toys that there is only room for two booster seats, so my 4- and 2-year-old sit together and the grown-ups head to the couch. If I would just take five minutes to clean off the table we could enjoy a nice meal as a family. I have five minutes, right?

–Earth-friendly at every age. My husband and I have really made an effort to live a little greener — we ramped up our recycling, started composting and set up a clothesline in the back yard. Now, it’s time to get the boys involved. I think they’ll enjoy gardening. After a (somewhat) successful attempt last spring, we’re getting the ground ready to plant again.

–The return of date nights. OK, so this one actually involves getting rid of the kids, but a night out for Mom and Dad every once in a while is essential to the health of every family. Between work and school and the boys and daily errands, my husband and I have been neglecting each other (or I’ll admit I’ve been neglecting him). So it’s time to reinstate date night, even if it’s just meeting for lunch one day or renting a movie after the boys are in bed.

With Jan. 1 just days away, what is your family excited about in 2010?

The gifts they are hoping for aren’t anything extravagant: new pajamas, more Legos to add to their collection, a bean bag chair for my 2-year-old and a Seminole hat for older brother. All no problem considering both boys will definitely make Santa’s nice list this year.

Then my 4-year-old started talking about the one thing he really wants: a Transformers racetrack.

“The cars go really fast, and they crash at the end, and it has Optimus Prime,” he said.

I’d never seen him so excited about a toy in his life, so we added it to the top of our list.

As I drove to the toy store that weekend, I was a little leery. My online searches for “Transformers” + “racetrack” hadn’t come up with much, and I started to think maybe with his love of fast cars and love of Transformers, he had blended the two and imagined this very cool toy in his mind.

Once I hit the Transformers aisle at Toys ‘R Us, it didn’t take long to find the toy my son had been describing all week. I picked it up, happy that I’d be able to fulfill my son’s wish.

Then my smile dropped. As I looked a little closer, the racetrack included a handful of cheap plastic pieces with large, dragon-like head at the top with glowing eyes. Down in the corner of the box was one tiny truck that was no bigger than a matchbox car; next to it in small print was a note that other cars could be purchased separately. And the price, well, let’s just say it wasn’t cheap.

I could see my son on Christmas morning excitedly picking up his new toy, playing with it for a day and then slowly relegating it to the bottom of his toy box after finding the real thing wasn’t near as cool as the commercial on TV. So I made a tough decision — one I’m still not sure was the right one — and I put the toy back on the shelf.

I wandered up and down the rows looking for a gift for my little man that he would like just as much as that racetrack. In the end, I think I found one that he will love and will hold his interest long after the decorations have all been put away. But I’m anticipating at least some level of disappointment on his part once all the gifts have been opened. He’s so excited about this toy that he’s never even seen, part of me is still wondering if I should run back to the store just so he doesn’t think that Santa (and Mom) let him down.

I guess I’ll just have to hope that the holiday spirit and love (and other fun gifts) surrounding him that day are enough to keep his mind off what isn’t under the tree.

I make sure they eat right (for the most part — a few chicken nuggets never killed anyone that I know of), bathe, brush their teeth and run around outside as much as possible. I also make sure they get regular check-ups and kiss their boo-boos.

I know that every sneeze and sniffle doesn’t require a doctor’s visit, but I also know that there are some that do, which is why after a stressful week of both boys feeling a little under the weather, my husband and I rushed our 4-year-old to the emergency room in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

It started Saturday night when my older son, who had run a low fever on and off during the week but seemed on the mend, started running a high temperature. Three hours and a dose of Tylenol later, he wasn’t improving; in fact, he seemed to be getting much worse. He woke up in tears, telling us his head hurt really bad. He wasn’t moving his neck either, and when we asked him to look to the side or down, he cried even more.

“I hate to be paranoid,” my husband whispered, thinking just like me that something was very wrong.

“Me too, but …”

And just like that we started getting dressed.

We walked into the ER around midnight, my shoeless son covered in a blanket in daddy’s arms, still not sure whether we really needed to be there.

Five hours, two more doses of Tylenol and lots of questions later, my son was slowly showing signs of improvement. He still had a fever, but it had gone down a little. He still had a headache, but there were no more tears and the stiffness in his neck was gone. We drove home with prescription in hand and directions to call his pediatrician first thing Monday.

Back home, I sleepily looked at my husband: “I guess we overreacted.”

“Yeah, maybe, but that’s OK,” he said.

I knew he was right. Our trip may not have turned out to be totally necessary, but neither of us regrets following our instincts. After all, a scraped knee is one thing but seeing your child in real pain is another — and there’s no such thing as overreacting to that.

I like pizzas and purses, and I love the idea of giving something extra to the wonderful teachers who take darn good care of my children every day — they are worth it. But I hate, let me repeat, hate fundraisers.

Every parent has to do them at one time or another, whether it’s for school or youth sports or scouts or church. I say every parent has to do them, because, let’s face it, the kids may pitch in a little but it’s mostly the parents out hawking everything from raffle tickets to wrapping paper to friends and family.

It’s not that I can’t sell things — in fact, I was a top cookie seller in Girl Scout Troop #85 circa 1991 — but now that I run a household on a semi-tight budget, I just don’t like the idea of asking people for money or to buy items that they may not really need or want. I don’t like making others feel obligated to help out my good cause.

Now, after having said that, I’m a sucker for kids who come by my house or whose parents catch me around town. I love helping a child go on a field trip or pay for his baseball team’s new uniforms, even if it means I’m up to my ears in flavored popcorn and decorative candles.

So this year, I’m 95 percent sure I’ll take the easy way out and just write a check to the teachers’ fund. They’ll probably get more from me that way than my feeble attempt at fundraising anyway; plus, I know every penny of what I give is going to those who really deserve it.

Of course, if you’d like to buy a pizza kit or a new purse, you know where to find me.

It’s a lesson my husband and I have been reminding ourselves of over the past few months as we, like a lot of other families, have focused on budgeting, saving and living more simply. Sure, I want that new purse, but I’ve got five hanging in the closet, so I don’t really need it. And we may not want to, but we need to build our savings and make sure we’ve got a little extra cash on hand for a rainy day.

The current economy has helped us focus more on what’s important, and I think it’s time to show the boys just why they should do the same.

Of course, this is a whole lot easier said than done considering every other commercial on television is for some new, cool, must-have toy for the holidays. And the boys flip through the Toys ‘R’ Us Big Toy Book that arrived a couple weeks ago like it’s their favorite bedtime story.

I’m bombarded daily with: “We need that toy!” from my 4-year-old.

His copy-cat little brother is quick to follow with a hopeful “Get that?! Get that?!”

And while we’ve had a few family talks about why we don’t need every toy or game that we see on TV or in the store, the value of saving and working hard to earn the fun things we want aren’t the easiest concepts for little ones (or some adults, for that matter) to grasp.

So this Christmas, we’re going to scale back a little bit. Yes, there will still be presents (read: toys) under the tree, just not as many. Many of the gifts will be a little more practical, and some may be handmade or homemade.

Instead, we’ll show our sons that spending time with loved ones and singing carols is more fun than shopping, and giving to those less fortunate is more rewarding than getting. In the end, I think they’ll find those are the things that they really want and need.

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If your family is looking for ways to give back during the holiday season, here are a few opportunities for kids to get involved in their community. If you know of more ways that our children can help those in need, add them below in the comments section.

• The Thanksgiving Baskets program is a donation-based event that allows low-income families in Alachua County to celebrate Thanksgiving the traditional way. Donations of frozen turkeys, cranberry sauce, canned fruit, instant potatoes, Jell-O, gravy, stuffing, canned vegetables and yams and sweet potatoes are needed. Cash donations and Publix gift cards in $10 or $15 increments are also a help. Food drop-off days are Nov. 16-19 at Trinity United Methodist Church, 4000 N.W. 53rd Ave. (416-3037, www.ThanksgivingBasketsGNV.org)
• The Bread of the Mighty Food Bank needs help preparing for the upcoming holiday season. Help make a difference in the lives of the needy families in the community this holiday season by donating canned holiday “fixings” to the Food Bank. Financial contributions are needed as well. (325 N.W. 10th Ave., 336-0839, www.breadofthemighty.org)
• For many of us, the holidays represent a time for joy, family traditions and fun. Sadly, for many of the children in Children’s Home Society’s programs, the holidays do not bring these fond memories. Consider helping make a child’s holiday dreams come true by organizing a holiday gift drive. CHS has wish lists available that provide the age, sex, clothing sizes and three holiday wishes of a child. (334-0955, Terry.OConnor@chsfl.org)

Don’t get me wrong, I would have loved to sleep in a little — I’ll take every minute of rest I can get at this point — but apparently my boys’ internal clock doesn’t recognize Daylight Saving Time.

As morning broke on Sunday, both boys came running into my room wide awake and ready to start the day. I turned over to look at the clock: 6:45 a.m.

No big deal; my sons are early risers, and 7 is nothing to shrug at — even on the weekends. Just one problem: It wasn’t 6:45, it was 5:45 … a.m. … on a Sunday!

“Don’t you guys want to go back to bed?” I asked (er, begged is more like it).

But they just climbed up into bed. “I want cereal,” my 4-year-old said.

During the week, they’ve slowly started getting back on track with the rest of the Eastern Standard Time Zone. (This morning, they woke up only a half-hour earlier than usual.)

By the end of the month, we should all be back on a normal sleep schedule again, just in time to spring forward and welcome a new baby.

My feelings turned from fear for the little boy’s safety Thursday as the event unfolded to sheer disgust when news came out this morning that authorities would seek charges against Richard Heene and his wife, Mayumi.

The couple apparently staged the event to promote a reality TV show featuring the family — one that had already been turned down by numerous networks, including TLC, home to reality families such as the Gosselins of “Jon & Kate” and the Duggars of “18 Kids and Counting.” The family had previously appeared on ABC’s “Wife Swamp.”

Why is it that so many parents are willing — no, eager — to put their families in front of the camera these days? Is it all about the fortune and fame?

I can’t say that I find either of those things worth giving up my boys’ privacy or robbing them of a normal childhood (because I don’t consider a full-time camera crew and staged, all-paid vacations normal). I’m not alone. A poll published in this month’s issue of Parents asked, “If you and your family were asked to be the subject of a reality show, would you do it?” The result was overwhelmingly no — 77 percent.

It’s too much pressure for a little child to always be cute, always be well-behaved, always be “on.” And all those embarrassing just made-for-TV moments that viewers ooh and aah and laugh over, those may not be so funny when the child is 16 or 30.

There are numerous studies that explain why watching too much or inappropriate shows on TV can affect children’s health and behavior in negative ways, but I couldn’t find a single one about what can happen when a child appears on TV, whether it’s day-to-day like the Roloffs of “Little People, Big World” or all the little pageant girls on “Toddlers & Tiaras.”

Sure, you could argue that reality TV isn’t real, but the kids who are on it are. So maybe it’s time for all parents to change the channel.

I, like many parents, have yet to decide if my boys — ages 2 and 4 — will be among those kids who get the vaccine. I do, however, know that they won’t be getting ones that came off the truck this morning.

My older son got the seasonal nasal spray about two weeks ago, and, since children must wait at least 28 days after receiving the FluMist before getting the H1N1 version, he’s not eligible.

My younger son, who had an ear infection and was suffering from allergies at the time, did not receive the seasonal vaccine when his brother did. His pediatrician just didn’t feel comfortable giving him a live virus when he was feeling under the weather. Since my little boy ran a high fever for two days this weekend, I’m willing to bet she wouldn’t be comfortable giving him the H1N1 vaccine so soon.

So there we go, the decision — one that I will have to make eventually — is out of my hands for now.

So far, 76 children have died in the U.S. from the new virus. While that number means that deaths among children nationwide are rare, that probably isn’t much consolation to the parents who have lost a son or daughter.

Would I do anything to protect my boys from suffering from this potentially deadly strain of the flu? Of course. But am I scared of some of what I’ve read about the vaccine? Of course. I feel like I’m in a damned-if-I-do, damned-if-I-don’t position, and that’s never the position a parent wants to be in when making a decision about their children.

And the stakes are even higher still. I have to decide if by not vaccinating my boys against the seasonal and H1N1 flus, I’m putting myself and my unborn son at a risk as well. According to the CDC, pregnant women are more vulnerable to the H1N1 flu. My own midwife told me her office has had to hospitalize a handful of mothers-to-be with symptoms that turned serious very quickly.

With so much to consider, it’s enough to make this mom worried sick.

Finding a stack of books to read was a cinch — a colorful cover and catchy title is about all it takes for us to grab one off the shelves.

But when we hit the movie aisle, we ran into a little problem: We had already seen all the films that were 1) age-appropriate and 2) made for an audience of little boys. So I decided to take a little bit of a risk, and, no, I didn’t start edging toward the PG-13 section. I grabbed two movies that had action and adventure, sword fights, gun battles, even a fire-breathing dragon. Each also had a female lead who exhibits strength and courage despite the obstacles that stand in her way.

“Pocahontas” was the first flick we sat down for, bowls of popcorn at the ready. My 4-year-old couldn’t take his eyes off the Indian princess who brought peace between her tribe and the English settlers. Later in the day he watched “Mulan,” about a young Chinese girl who poses as a man to battle the evil Huns and save the empire.

I’ve always given my husband a hard time for not wanting our boys to wear pink or play with dolls, but as our mini film fest drew to a close, I realized I was putting the same stereotypes on my sons through what I allow them to read and watch. Our bookshelves are covered with stories about cars and trucks, dinosaurs and zoo animals, and our DVD collection is packed with the classics — “101 Dalmations,” “Jungle Book” and “Aladdin.” They’re surrounded by tales of boys and men who fight the bad guys and explore the wild — with not a tiara in sight.

By the end of the night, I was happy that both my boys could see that a princess can be just as brave as Pinocchio and independent as Peter Pan. She can be as tough as Tarzan and as smart as Robin Hood; she can rescue her Prince Charming and live happily ever after.