Counting down the days....

I'm thinking I won't be able to post tomorrow as I'm spending so much of my time with last minute preparations for the baby coming Thursday. I have a lot to get ready for the girls to be staying home with Nanny while we are in the hospital - I want to make things as easy on her as possible! 

So next time I post it will hopefully include pictures of my sweet new baby girl!!! We are all so darn excited to meet her we can hardly stand it! Even the girls - well, I think they may be more excited about all of their grandparents being around for a few days than the new baby, but hey, whatever gets them excited works for me! I want this to be special for them too!

Sunday night we went out for one last dinner as a family of four at our FAVORITE restaurant! It was wonderful and we ALL had a great time! The girls were perfect and the food was amazing and it was just a wonderful way to start out this exciting week. 

I had a doctor appointment yesterday and she is just as shocked as the rest of us that I'm still pregnant and that we will make it to the scheduled date. We both just laughed at how crazy this pregnancy has been and how I'm really getting to enjoy EVERY MINUTE of this last pregnancy! :) 

I'm really hoping the next 2 days fly by - we have a lot to do so maybe that will help :) And again, I have no pictures because I have packed the camera away in the hospital bags - that is one thing we DO NOT want to forget!!!! 

Back to my To Do List - have a wonderful Tuesday!!!!!

I'm Still Pregnant...

If you know me, you know this is AMAZING! Today I'm 38 weeks pregnant. This is my third baby and I've never been THIS pregnant before. It is crazy! I'm actually to the point now where I hope Little Miss waits until next Thursday because I have all the plans made and everything taken care of.

I got up this morning and put on some lounge pants and when I went to grab a t-shirt I realized that none... NONE of my t-shirts will fit over my belly. So what did I do.... I went shopping on my husband's side of the closet. :) I can't believe how big my belly is and every day it seems to get bigger and bigger!

Today we are having a bit of bad weather so the girls and I are staying inside. I wish I could say this was different than every other day for us, but it isn't. I haven't been getting out by myself (other than a quick trip to the post office yesterday afternoon) just because it is too physically hard on me. And I'm afraid of going into labor. Basically we just stay home and play around the house. We play a lot in the girls' room where I can sit/lay on the bed which is nice. I have zero energy and I could pretty much sleep at any point during the day except at night when I want to sleep - then I'm wide awake!

I have pretty much quit calling my family because every time I call they pick up the phone all kinds of excited expecting me to tell them we are having the baby.... then I have to disappoint them. So I just wait on my mom, sister, dad, etc. to call me now :) Speaking of which, my dad called last night while my phone was in the bedroom charging and I hadn't checked it in about an hour. He started to freak out so he called my sister and asked her if she thought we were at the hospital. Like I wouldn't call him!!! Then he did something he has only done ONE other time in the past 4 years, he called Jared. I laughed so hard.... he seriously thought we were having the baby and weren't going to call him. He is so funny!

Everyday I mark the calendar as we get one day closer to meeting this little girl. 6 days left! I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend that may include some quality time with my sweetie and some house cleaning and maybe even a nap for this momma! Happy Friday everyone, hope you have a wonderful weekend as well!

Time to Catch Up!

Ok.... here is my "catch up" post. All the things I've been needing to post but haven't for whatever reason.

Baby Shower -
Here are some pictures of some of the wonderful gifts we received. Again, it was such a blessing in so many ways. I am so thankful for my friends and family. Note: If you don't see your gift in these pictures it is probably because it was in the laundry or already packed in the diaper bag or maybe already in the closet waiting on Miss M to use it!

Check out my new diaper bag in the top left of the picture - I am IN LOVE with it! It totally makes me feel like a cute, stylish Momma (and I've been needing to feel like that lately!)

I love all the monogrammed things we got! I am totally in the mood to monogram everything since I know I won't have to save it for another baby :) I'm trying to restrain myself though.

Red shoes - need I say more!

A sampling of the sweet outfits M gets to wear soon! The little brown sleeper actually matches some PJs the big girls have so you know I'm thrilled to see all 3 of my girls dressed to match! LOVE IT! I love it all, I really do - thank you all for the sweet gifts!

And the car seat cover from Aunt Whit Whit - we weren't sure if we would need it with the weather being so warm last week, but thankfully it has turned cold again and this will be perfect!

Baby News -

We are packed and ready. I went to the doctor this morning and guess what... NOTHING! There is nothing at all going on. This baby is going the distance. I'm ok with it now. I have been frustrated because we were expecting her to already be here. BUT I am embracing the fun of getting to plan out her arrival. Only 10 days left and I'm going to do my best to enjoy all of them!

Haircut -

My children, bless their hearts, had no hope when it came to their hair. J's hair is full of cowlicks and grows all crazy and my hair is very fine with a nasty wave (that isn't cute no matter how hard I try to work with it) and a lot of cowlicks. So our poor girls have the craziest hair. Well, P has been needing a haircut for a while. Her hair was so stringy and blah and I finally got sick of looking at it so I cut it!  I am just not ready to try to fight with her at a salon to get her hair cut so I decided to cut it myself. I am no hair dresser, but I did an ok job. I just took a few inches off all around so she has a sweet little bob to match her sweet little personality.

I am so proud of her... she is really growing up and it is so fun to watch! Oh how I love this girl!

** I would have taken pictures of our re-arranged living room, however I have a huge wall that is blank because I haven't figured out how to fill it up yet and we are still working on sorting through the toys and finding them all a home somewhere in our house. So it really isn't picture worthy yet! Hopefully soon...

Hope you all have a fabulous start to your week!

I've been bad...

I just realized I haven't posted in a week. And to top it off, I have pictures on my camera that I keep meaning to upload and post but I haven't. So here you go.... a post that will cover the past week or so and there are no pictures to show you!

Weekend:
Last weekend we had a great time. J and I had dinner Saturday night with some sweet friends (Robyn, if you are reading this, I missed you!). The other operations manager at J's work and his wife had us over for dinner. They were so sweet!!! It was such a good time getting to know them and eating good food! The girls were supposed to go with us but my dad was missing them A LOT so he drove down after work on Saturday (tax season has him working Saturdays) and kept them for us. We loved getting to spend that time with him :)

Sunday afternoon, while the girls were napping, J and I decided to re-arrange our living room. So my darling husband moved all the furniture around (every piece).... I couldn't help since I can barely move myself around. We love it! It makes our living room feel more like a living room.

Monday:
I had a doctor appointment Monday.... all is well. I saw the Nurse Practitioner since my doc was in a delivery. We are still set for February 4. And I'm starting to think we are actually going to make it to then. I just knew this whole pregnancy that Little Miss would come early, but now that I'm all ready for that to happen I think she's decided to hang on until the last moment. At least I'm getting to FULLY enjoy this pregnancy. The exciting thing is that Mika Lynn will be here in less than 2 weeks! We are all so ready!!!

The rest of the week:
I have spent the rest of the week in my PJs. I'm too pregnant to maneuver my children in and out of carseats and shopping buggies and around stores so we have stayed home every day this week. J has been working late or we would have done things with him in the afternoons. I am more and more tired every day and I'm sleeping less and less at night. I'm swelling more and more and baby girl is riding low in my belly but she's still hanging in there. It will be nice when I feel good again, and I know J and the girls will be ready for that too!

However, I've had some sweet moments with my girls this week, curled up on the couch or in the bed watching movies and loving on each other. Those moments are usually followed by craziness but I'm loving all of it! I find myself thinking every day that in a couple of weeks things will change forever and it won't be just my two girls and me here all day. I can't wait to have M here with us, but I am also really cherishing these moments before she gets here, knowing I will never have this time with P and L back.

Sounds like a couple of little girls are waking up from their naps and will want to play with their Mommy... hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Note: I'm posting this without re-reading it because of the girls getting up, so excuse any errors or sentences that don't make sense. :)

A Week of Thanksgiving...

I mentioned that I would be very busy last week... and I was!

Monday evening my mom and grandmother came and got the girls and I to go to stay with them until Thursday. Hubby had to work through Wednesday so they offered to come get me so we didn't have two vehicles when my sweetie finally got to come on Wednesday.

Nanny and I had a list of projects we needed to complete so we spent a bit of time working on those! I love doing projects with her.... she's so fun!!!! We finished the bedding for Baby M! It is perfect, I love it so much.... when I get a mattress in that bed I'll take a picture and post it. :)

We also finished L's stocking. I totally realize this is her second Christmas and she is just now getting a stocking, but it is getting harder and harder for me to get those stockings done because they require so much time! But her stocking turned out perfectly! I love it! Again, when I get some time to take pictures of my Christmas decorations, I'll post a picture of her stocking with those!

The girls and I had a great time celebrating Thanksgiving with my Nanny and Mom. And Thursday morning we headed to my dad's parents house to celebrate with that family. My grandparents live in this pretty small house (only one bathroom) and there were about 55 people there Thursday.... My Pawpaw celebrated his 90th birthday the Sunday before Thanksgiving so it was great that there were so many of us there to spend time together.

After eating some amazing food there we headed back home to spend Thanksgiving with my in-laws. By this time I was pretty miserable. I have been in some pain in my upper abdomen and back for a while but it keeps getting worse and Thursday I was miserable. I'm sure it is just part of being pregnant for the third time but the doctor today drew some blood for testing to make sure it isn't anything serious. Now I am just waiting to hear about that. We did have a good time with our family here... they are all so wonderful.

Friday my dad came and then my sister came that afternoon. We had a great time together.... Dad and I even hit up Wal-Mart Friday morning for some sales. :) We ate at our favorite restaurant Friday night - oh it was so good! And my dad even talked me into letting P sleep on the couch with him that night. She loved it and I'm pretty sure Dad didn't get much sleep :)

After Dad left Saturday morning my Mom and Nanny came and we had a shopping day! I didn't buy anything (shocker - I never buy anything) but I helped Nanny pick out some Christmas presents. We found the girls' Christmas dresses and I even picked out my gift from Nanny. Nanny and I share a major love of shoes. So I picked out some black boots for her to get me (she insisted on me picking out some shoes!). I absolutely love them and cannot wait to get them on my feet!!!!

We spent yesterday hanging around the house.... both of the girls have been sick at some point during the past few days so we didn't want to take them to church. And I needed some down time... I was hoping I would stop hurting (didn't happen).

It was such a wonderful week and I spent much time being thankful for all the wonderful things in my life. I loved spending so much time with the people I love! And just because you have made it to the end of this post I'll share a rare picture of my little family....

The mind of a two-year-old....

We are having much success in potty training so my girl is wearing her big girl panties all day pretty much. As we all know, wearing panties brings the joy of having them ride up or get twisted or basically just not laying right. Big Sis is figuring all of that out now. I have pictures, but I will not post them on here because while I think her bootie is cute as can be, I don't want anyone else to see it! :) I'm sure you all understand.

Anyway.... she has started letting me know when her panties need adjusting. And what she does is come tell me that "my bootie is coming out"! Seriously, she came up with that all on her own and every time she says it I crack up! My bootie is coming out! LOVE IT! And I am constantly amazed at the mind of my two-year-old.

In other news... I have been a busy bee working on some projects for an upcoming baby shower! Yippee!! I am having such fun with it. I've also been working on some other projects for my girls and for some people I know who are having babies. In the past year I have become this girl who loves a project - especially the crafty projects. I never knew I had all this craftiness in me... but I love it! Plus it keeps me from going crazy :)

On the pregnancy front things are well. Little One is growing and is about the size of an apple right now. So cute! I'm feeling great and am looking forward to my appointment next week. We will be scheduling my big ultrasound then and I can't wait to get another look at this sweet miracle. Husband and I are having a serious name dilemma. First of all he doesn't want to pick a name until we know the gender. Ok, I can live with that. BUT.... every name I suggest he shoots down. And every name he suggests I don't like either. SO we are really struggling on agreeing on any names for this baby. There have been a couple of names we agree on but seems like with each of those something is holding us back. I guess we shall see.

Looks like I need to get to work on some projects while my kids are napping.... hope you all have a wonderful day.

The heat.... oh, the heat!

Seriously.... it is scorching hot here. I am talking disgusting hot. It is too hot for me to take the girls anywhere by myself because it takes too long to load and unload them from their carseats and I feel bad for them sitting out in the heat during that time. So today I didn't even step foot outside my house.

Even though I kept us cooped up inside, we had a pretty good day. The girls were fairly good today, which is more than I can say for the past few days. I've been a little testy with them lately and I'm working really hard on correcting that. Today was much better.

I blame my irritability on being 6 weeks pregnant in ridiculous heat. :) The nausea is picking up and so is the exhaustion. It hasn't been bad though. Right now our little teeny tiny baby is the size of a lentil :) Its funny how something so tiny can make my belly look so much bigger :) and make me so hungry! I don't think I'll ever get used to the nausea-hunger relationship in early pregnancy. I will be starving one minute and so I'll eat something (I've learned not to give myself too big of a serving because I know I may not finish it!) and within five minutes I'll be trying not to be sick.

Anyhoo... enough about that! I hope everyone had a wonderful Father's Day. What a special day, right? We went to church and got a great message about fathers. I fixed my husband's choice for lunch - spaghetti with meat sauce and all the fixins. The girls and their Daddy had an afternoon nap then we ended the day with a pool party. My children love to swim so the party was a lot of fun and a great way to celebrate the dads in our lives! The only thing missing was my wonderful daddy. But he was busy taking care of his other daughter :)

Well I'm about to go eat another round of dinner :) Hope we all stay cool in this miserable heat!!

Pregnancy... The Third Time Around

First of all, let me say that I LOVE being pregnant. I have so many friends who hate pregnancy but I can honestly say that I absolutely LOVE IT! I love the cravings, the sleepless nights where I lay in bed praying for my family, the belly!!, the maternity clothes, the doctor appointments, everything! I love it all! And I love the child that comes at the end!

Right now I'm almost 6 weeks pregnant with this sweet new "teeny tiny little baby" as my Crazy Girl calls it! I have a tiny sesame seed sized baby in my belly, yet I'm clearly pregnant. I mean, you can so tell.... the tummy, while it hasn't been flat since my first pregnancy, is definitely getting that roundness to it again!

Right now I'm just getting to where food doesn't sound good to me. I know I have to make myself eat, so I'm eating biscuits, crackers, cheerios, and relatively plain things right now. It really isn't bad though, and I'm thankful. I have my two girls to take care of everyday, so I can't let nausea keep me down! I have a plan, though, if it gets worse! :)

We are working on a plan of how to fit the five of us into our house... I'm excited about the changes. My husband will tell you that I like to change things around in our house every few months, unfortunately our furniture and the layout of our home doesn't give me many options. So I'm forced to play with the kids' bedrooms.... and now I have a wonderful excuse!!!

In other news... we are buying the Little Doll a new carseat today! Woo Woo! I also have a list of projects I need to be working on. I have a lot going on over the next few months.

1. Birthday party for a precious little girl (actually 2 birthday parties)
2. Go through all my baby clothes to give to my sweet cousin
3. Get out the maternity clothes!!
4. I know there is a lot more I need to do, but it is escaping my mind right now. :)

So there you go. A little update on us.... Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!!!