It’s awfully quiet here in the house of PaNaMa. Pa took Na to Michigan to visit the grandfolks and then Pa headed to Philly on business until Friday. He’ll be back with Na over the Fourth of July and then they’ll both come back here late Sunday night.

That leaves me home alone with the dogs and my thoughts. On the one hand, it’s lovely having all of this free time to myself, knowing that in just a few short weeks, we three will be in cramped, hot and sticky quarters, with the hopes of adding a fourth to the mix. But Na’s sweet voice on the phone this evening tugged at my heartstrings. I miss him already, and it’s only Monday!

With three weeks to go before the trip, our house is still in a state of upheaval. I’ve been painting trim for our den because Pa widened the doorway to the walk-in closet. Now it’s a nook for our TV! Pa is giving up his home office to move Na into that room so our new little one can have the nursery upstairs. Pa’s scattering his office furniture throughout the house–a bookshelf in the living room; a leather chair in the upstairs hall; and his desk will be in the den. Once his office is cleared out, we’ll be painting over the existing “Sand Pail” red with “Liberty Blue” — Mr. Na’s choice. Pa’s next big project (though we suspect this will be after our trip to Ukraine) is to make Mr. Na’s bedroom furniture, including a bunk bed.

I think it’s easier for us to work on Mr. Na’s new accommodations than it is for us to prepare for our new arrival because he’s already here, and the little one…well…he/she isn’t, which makes it so hard to plan. But I am excited about the fact that Mr. Na and I will be coming home at least two weeks earlier than Pa and little Mr./Miss-Who-zy-Whatsit so we can shop and clean and prep for the homecoming. It’s nice, too, because I want Mr. Na to be involved with this process as much as possible, so that he feels important. I’m learning fast that six is a tricky age and kids want extra reinforcement that they’re good in our eyes and loved in our hearts.

Before I close for tonight, I’ll share a cute little conversation we had on the phone this evening:

Na: I miss you soooo much, Momma.
Ma: I do too, sweetie.
Na: I wish I could get smaller and smaller so I could come through the phone to give you a big kiss.
Ma: Awww. That’d be nice.
Na: But then I’d get big again, ok?