One month old, and a ton of pictures!

I can't believe my baby is a month old today! She's such a good baby, and has pretty much everyone wrapped around her fingers. She's recently started trying to "talk" to us, and it's so sweet to hear her little voice. She's still eating and sleeping well, but will make her opinion known if she has to! I'm already starting to forget what life was like before she was here, and I'm really not looking forward to going back to work in two weeks. 

Cadence is adjusting well, and will probably have a time getting up tomorrow morning. After spending a week off schedule, the next few days should be a blast for all of us! Sarah is coming up tomorrow to take her to see Tangled, then to see Santa, so at least I have an incentive to get her out of bed in the morning.

I took some pictures of Cadence and Amelia in their matching Christmas pjs, and my mom wanted some family pictures for her Christmas cards. Both photo shoots were spur of the moment, but I think they turned out pretty good! The last picture is a bonus of all the girls in the family. Poor Mike, he's the only guy when we go out with my mom, surrounded by 6 of us!

Cadence:





Amelia:




Both girls:





This is Cadence's favorite

My mom and her family:


First picture of all four of us together:


All the girls:


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Things I'm thankful for:
1) Amelia
2) Cadence
3) The last month with my two girls
4) PaPaw being at Thanksgiving
5) Christmas is on it's way!

Please forgive me...

I know my new baby is 3.5 weeks old, and I haven't posted anything about her yet, but in my defense, this whole "having a newborn" thing is taking up WAY more time than I thought it would!! ;) I've also been told that some people have been worried, and I truly appreciate the concern. This is going to take a few posts to get through everything, but I'll start with the birth announcement:

Amelia Claire is here!

This is copied from a board I visit, so excuse any present tense. ;)
Short version: I finally got in a room about 8:30 Wednesday night, and they started the Cervidil, after about an hour, contractions were painful and hard, so they removed it and gave me Staydol. I labored like that until about 7ish when they started pitocin (still a 2), then at 9 they broke my water (4-5 by then.) At 10 they checked me and I was a six and asking for the epidural. They got it in about 10:45 (still a 6 when they started it), laid me down, and I started pushing. She was here at 11:02 am. It happened so fast that my doctor wasn't able to deliver her, and his partner had to instead. She weighed 6 lbs 14 oz, is 20 1/4 inches long, and has a head full of hair, just like Cadence.

Long version: After my appointment Wednesday, they told me to be back at the hospital at 6 pm to start Cervidil. They were swamped, so it was about 8:30 before I was in my room. Around 9:30 they started the cervidil, and by 10:15 the contractions were really strong and I had dilated enough to remove it and get Staydol. I called my mom to come stay with me, and she arrived about 11. When she arrived, I was at 2, and they let me labor on my own all night (and Staydol is my friend!) Around 7 the next morning, they came to give me an enema and started pitocin, and I was still a 2. At nine my doctor came in to break my water, and I was a 4-5 by that time. They told me they would check me again at 11, but by 10ish I was hurting and asked for the epidural. They checked me before the epidural (about 10:30) and I was a 6. By 10:45 when they laid me down after the epidural, she was coming and coming fast. I had to wait through two contractions before they would let me push, because my doctor wasn't there yet and they didn't have anything ready. I think I pushed through 3 or 4 contractions, and she arrived at 11:02. My doctor wasn't able to make it since it happened so fast, and his partner (who I met for the first time when she walked in) delivered 3 other babies besides Amelia during an hours time.

She looked great, and weighed in at 6 lbs, 14 oz. She's 20 1/4 inches long, and has the longest feet and biggest hands I've ever seen. We are all completely infatuated, and she's a good nurser so far - when she actually nurses. She's still really sleepy, so she has spent most of her time as a baby burrito and asleep. She's a great baby, and I hope to get her home today!

And what I know you're here for - pictures!

Birthday party and Big Sister Day!

We had Cadence's birthday party last weekend (3 weeks early!) so that we wouldn't have to worry about a baby arriving in the middle of it (and unfortunately, she didn't.) She had a blast, got a ton of sparkly, girly things, and has now decided that she needs more presents on Nov. 2, when it's really her birthday. I haven't convinced her yet that it probably won't happen. ;)

Cousin Clayton, who got a little carried away with the chocolate icing.


One of her favorite gifts. It was a messenger bag that she could color herself.

My awesome friend, Angel, also took her out this past Saturday for Big Sister Day. They let her dress up in her new Tiana dress and wear makeup and everything, and took her out for about 2 hours and pampered her. They wore feather covered tiaras, had ice cream at Baskin Robbins, happy meals from McDonald's and then a makeup shopping trip to Sephora, where she came home with pink lip gloss, cotton candy perfume and sparkly makeup on her. They also gave her a Big Sister present - a really cool sock monkey for her, and a smaller one for her to give to Amelia. I'm so very thankful to them for thinking of her and trying to make her feel special as well. I couldn't ask for better friends.

Ready to go


First stop, ICE CREAM!






Now, MAKEUP!!!


Aren't we pretty??


And last, HAPPY MEALS! And french fry vampire teeth!


With the Sock Monkeys

37 Weeks - We have Swiss Chard!

Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Woo Hoo!! Full Term!! I had my appointment yesterday, and there’s no change from last week. I’m still having contractions that aren’t regular, blood pressure is good, I’ve gained 19 lbs, and her heart rate is good. Because of all of that (which really is good news) they won’t induce yet and want me to come back next week. I was told that since it’s my second, I could possibly just go into labor, but if not, they’ll see me on Wednesday. We have a ton of things scheduled for this weekend, along with the fact that it’s a full moon on Saturday. I have a feeling she’ll be here soon, but I could be wrong. Right now we’re just waiting!

36 Weeks - We have a Crenshaw Melon! (and the epic hospital stay)

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

I'm really not sure how many more of these I'll be posting after my visit yesterday. At 36 weeks, I was told that she's head down and ready, and I'm "really soft." They also said that if they wanted to push for labor now, I wouldn't have any problems having her. However, I'm only 36 weeks, she is doing fine, my blood pressure and everything is fine, and I'm not having any complications, so they are going to let me wait it out. I am having contractions, but they are sporadic and go away pretty easily. I was told that if I couldn't get them to go away or if my water breaks, call immediately. Otherwise, they'll see me at 37 weeks (next Thursday) and we'll probably schedule an induction. It's looking more and more like I'm going to have an October baby instead of a November baby!

About 2 weeks ago I ended up being admitted to the hospital, hence the reason no updates have been posted lately. That Monday I left work early because I was sick, and I hadn't been able to keep anything down since about 2:30 that afternoon. That lasted all night, I went to bed with a massive headache, and woke Tuesday morning still feeling awful. I arrived at the doctor's office, still not able to hold anything (including water) down, and they sent me over to the hospital to be admitted. Over the next 4 days they gave me 7 bags of fluids, plus I was seen by a neurologist, had a CT scan, an MRI and ultrasounds of my head and neck. They still aren't exactly sure what is causing the headaches (all the test came back normal), but their best guess is that it's a combination of the weather and hormones. I'm extremely grateful that it's nothing major, but it's frustrating to be told that the pain I have been dealing with since 27 weeks is all hormones and probably won't go away completely until she arrives.

I'm thinking some of it is still sinus, because the past few days I've been better. Also, Benadryl seems to help. I asked Kim, and she said it's fine to take, especially if it's helping. I'm still not sleeping much, and we have a birthday party for Cadence this weekend. Every time I start moving too much, contractions start, so I'm worried about how this weekend is going to go. At least I know that she's fine, and they are ok with her coming early. 

I had an ultrasound last week, and was told that she's probably 6+ lbs already (which I know can be off by as much as a pound, but that's pretty close to Cadence's size at this age), she has long legs, and a head full of hair. I can't wait to meet her, and Cadence is even more anxious. I think she's expecting for her Daddy to have to get her every afternoon, and is almost disappointed when I show up and I'm still pregnant! Hopefully soon he can be getting her and taking her to the hospital to meet her new sister!

33 Weeks - We have a Pineapple!

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

33 weeks, and still battling the sinus crud. This makes, what? 6 weeks now? Yeah, way too long! I started Zyrtec this morning, so maybe that and the (hopefully!) rain this weekend will fix it once and for all.

Work gave me a shower today, and it was so nice!! We got a ton of pretty things, a ton of Target gift cards, and a ton of stuff that Cadence is going to love. I can’t wait to get home and go through it all! I think the biggest hits (at least with the guests) were the Boon Grass Drying Rack and the Boon Frog Pod for the bathtub. They were both things that I LOVED, but wouldn’t have bought for myself. I’m so glad that I got them!

Here are a few pictures from today, and I’ll post more when I get them.

32 Weeks - We have a Large Jicama!

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Well, I’m still here, still pregnant, and getting more miserable by the day. The sinus crud won’t go away, Amelia is all out in front so it’s making my back, neck and hips hurt, and I’m not sleeping. I also can’t eat anything, because EVERYTHING gives me heartburn, and because of where she’s sitting, I constantly feel like I’m going to throw up if I eat anything. I just keep telling myself “8 more weeks. Just 8 more weeks!”

I have a doctor’s appointment today, and then at 34 weeks I’ll get another ultrasound. Hopefully the visit will be uneventful and over quickly! And I had a prenatal massage on Tuesday, and highly recommend it to everyone who is pregnant! Best. Feeling. Ever!

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Things I’m thankful for:

1) That she’s still in. Being miserable is better than a preemie.

2) Sleep

3) Tylenol PM

4) Cadence being such a big helper around the house

5) Prenatal massages

31 Weeks - We have 4 Naval Oranges!

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

9 weeks to go. That’s what I keep telling myself. And as eager as I am to meet her, I hope she stays in pretty close to that. If she comes on her due date, I don’t have to go back to work until the first of the year, plus it gives me more time to get things finished here before that happens. I know there’s a possiblity she could be here by the end of October (Cadence was 2.5 weeks early!), but I’m hoping she stays put for awhile.

We also officially have a name! We have decided to call her Amelia Claire, and I’m very very happy with it. It took us a lot longer to pick a name this time around, but I’m glad with the choice. Cadence told me she doesn’t like it, but I know she’ll come around.

I’m still having headaches, and have come to the conclusion that it’s something wrong with my back and neck. I discovered while in TX that different positions made it better or worse, and started wondering if I had thrown something out. I have a prenatal massage scheduled for next Tuesday, but Mike has promised to give me a ton of back and neck massages between now and then. I’ve also been taking hot baths, walking around more, and trying to stretch throughout the day. I’m not sure if it’s any one thing that’s helped it, but this morning I woke up and felt almost normal. I threw up  in the shower (just like every other morning), but washing my hair wasn’t excruciating and I just realized that I took Tylenol at 7 and it’s now 1:30 and I haven’t taken any more yet. Maybe I’m on the mend.

The trip to TX was great, and I now have so much stuff! I’m starting to feel at least slightly prepared, and my house looks like a Carter’s outlet exploded in it (thank you, Kahla!!) Millie will definitely be the best dressed little girl around, and Cadence has had fun helping me sort through everything. I’m excited for her to get here and us to be able to use all the great stuff we came home with! The only “problem” we’ve had is that I discovered that both car seats won’t fit side by side in my car. Cadence is still in a 5-point harness seat, and I won’t turn it into a booster seat just to make them both fit. For now, at least, we’ll leave Cadence behind the passenger seat and put Millie behind me. I hardly ever have other people with me, so I don’t think it will be that big of a deal. If Cadence starts complaining about the 5-point harness (I don’t think she realizes yet that there is actually another option in my car), then I’ll change it, but for now we’re going to leave it like it is.

I have a busy few weeks coming up, but know that it will make this pregnancy fly by even faster than it is now. Over the next two weeks I have a massage, my 32 week appointment, homecoming at Mike’s high school (Caroline is a homecoming maid!), and then a shower at the church. I’m so excited!!

And me, the blimp, at 31 weeks! I'm beginning to feel like she has her own gravitational pull!

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Things I’m thankful for:
1) A name!!
2) I’m starting to feel slightly better
3) Seeing family (that I already miss!)
4) All the awesome baby stuff
5) Baby kicks and turns

Big Sister Class

Last Saturday, the hospital I'll be delivering at had a class for siblings-to-be. It was free, and Cadence was SO excited to get to go. They let them watch a video, practice putting diapers on baby dolls, took them on a tour of Labor & Delivery, the nursery and the recovery rooms, and gave them a ton of goodies. She came out with a shirt, a bracelet, a certificate and a coloring book and colors. She loved getting to see the hospital (and commented that the statue of St. Dominic in the lobby was God), and even though I thought it was impossible, I'm pretty sure she's even more excited now than she was before!

With her certificate


her and some of the other "Big Sisters"




Investigating the L&D room


Checking out the view from the recovery rooms

Seeing a 4lb baby in the nursery. I'm glad she was able to see her, because I think it brought home the conversations we've been having on why our baby doesn't need to be here yet, and needs to stay in my tummy awhile longer. She was sweet, but SO tiny!

With her new shirt (that's she's worn to bed almost every night)


Her "Big Sister" bracelet

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Things I'm thankful for:
1) Cadence's excitement
2) Hugs and kisses to my belly
3) Conversations that she's already having with the baby
4) The big helper that she is

30 Weeks - We have a Cabbage!

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

Wow, what a week the last one has been. I’m still dealing with the sinus crud, and last week was pretty much hell on earth. I had been getting severe sinus headaches - to the point of making me nauseous - and by last Thursday spent more time puking in my garbage can in my office than actually working. I went in to the doctor on Friday to see if they could fix me, and discovered that my blood pressure was elevated (141/82.) He took me off of all the sinus medicine, put me on a blood pressure medicine and then gave me oxycodone to take every 4 hours for the headaches. I still have the sinus crud, and have been treating it with fluids, warm showers and a humidifier at night, but that’s about all I can do at the moment. The headaches are S-L-O-W-L-Y getting better (even though I’m still throwing up in the shower every morning from the sinus drainage), but I’m going to talk to them at my appointment today about maybe a decadron shot or something. I figure that has to be better than oxycodone every 4 hours!

And on a funny note, I’ve been taking just one of the pills, even though the bottle says I can have two. On Tuesday, I decided to take two since the headaches were coming back before the 4 hours. Well, that was a BAD move! I was high as a kite for over 2 hours! I went to lunch with my friend Rhonda, and she laughed at me the entire time. I couldn’t complete sentences, couldn’t complete a coherent thought, kept wanting to fall asleep, and was just out of it. I’ve decided that I’ll deal with the headaches, because 2 of them is WAY too much for me to take!

We leave tomorrow for TX, and I can’t wait! I’m so excited about seeing my family over there, and just as excited about getting actual baby stuff to bring home! It’s hard to believe that it’s getting so close. I also might be having a shower here at work soon, but I have no idea when. It started as one for me, then turned into one for me and one other person, and now that girl has been put on bedrest. She’s due early October, and has already been told she won’t make it that far. I don’t know what’s going to happen with the shower yet, but maybe I’ll know something soon.

And yesterday, Cadence finally REALLY got to feel the baby move. It was amazing to watch the look on her face when she realized that was her, and she was so excited. At one point, she was laying on the couch beside me, and put her head on my stomach. She had just complained about not being about to feel the baby, when the baby decided to kick her - right in the cheek. The look on Cadence’s face was priceless!

I have my latest check up today, and after this I start going every two weeks. I can’t believe it’s getting so close! And here’s some video I finally got of my belly moving. She starts this about 5am, and doesn’t stop until sometime around midnight.

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Things I’m thankful for:
1) Heavy drugs
2) Family and free baby stuff
3) Cadence getting to feel her kick
4) 30 (mostly) uneventful weeks
5) A healthy, growing, active baby

28 Weeks - We have a Chinese Cabbage!

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

So, the waddling has begun. Today was the first day that I really don’t feel like I have any control over it, and feel like a toddler! I thought I was doing ok, but had two different people comment on it first thing this morning, so I gave up trying to be discreet. You know what? I’m huge and pregnant! Everyone here knows it, so they’ll just have to deal with me waddling up and down the halls, too!

I also broke down and went to the doctor yesterday about the sinus crud that won’t go away. They had told me they would give me a decadron shot if I came in, but when I got there they couldn’t. One of my ears is red and my lymph nodes are swollen, so they called in a z-pac instead. They also told me to stop taking Sudafed, and instead take Mucinex to help with the sinus headaches. I’ve tried to stay really hydrated, and have been sleeping a lot the past two days. It’s the only time my head doesn’t hurt. I’m hoping I feel like a new person tomorrow, because if not, I’m calling them back and begging for the shot.

Upside to going in yesterday was that my blood pressure is great (106/73), I haven’t gained any weight in the last two weeks (which is good since I was up 10 pounds at my last appointment!), and I got to hear her heartbeat. I’ll never turn down that opportunity, and it was definitely the highlight of my day.

I’ve now reached the point that it hurts to breathe, hurts to sleep, and nothing tastes right. Nothing sounds good to eat, so I’ve been eating just because I know I need the nutrition. Also, anything I eat makes me have to live off Tums, so that’s making everything even less appetizing than it was before. I’m sure that the sinsus crud has something to do with it, but I can almost guarantee that stupid pregnancy hormones are playing a part, too.

I have my next appointment in 2 weeks, then go to TX the week after that. I’m so excited, and can’t wait to actually have baby stuff at my house!!

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Things I’m thankful for:
1) Baby heartbeats
2) Baby stuff!
3) Mucinex (if it will kick in)
4) Decadron shots (if it doesn’t)
5) Good check ups

Cute kid items

I wanted to shamelessly plug two online sellers I know, and brag for a minute on their really cute stuff! One is a friend of mine who owns Sew Pink and Blue, and she makes the cutest little girl and boy outfits, along with a few other kid-related items. The other is my cousin, owner of The Pink Bulldog, which specializes mainly in baby items.

Sew Pink and Blue is owned by a friend of mine, Emily, and she makes everything herself. She started with making clothes for her son and daughter, and it’s expanded to include a few baby items as well as these awesome things called Tot Spots. They are basically these really awesome, machine washable place mats that you can use at home or at restaurants, and have these really cute designs on them. They are non-slip, can be thrown in the washing machine, and are awesome! I’ve done some design work for Emily, and instead of money, asked to be paid in these instead. They are so useful, and so very cute! If you have little ones, go check them out, and take a peek at some of her awesome clothing and other kids items while you’re there! You can also check her out on facebook, here.

The Pink Bulldog is owned by my cousin, Kahla, and she specializes in baby items and girly things like tutus and bows. I can’t wait to go to TX in September to see her, because she’s promised to make the new little one some burp clothes and pacifier clips from some fabric and ribbon I already have. Her stuff is SO cute, and she uses her daughter as the model - so again, absolutely adorable! For girly or baby items, (and a few things for mom as well!) check out The Pink Bulldog on Etsy, or on facebook by clicking here.

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Things I'm thankful for:

1) Creative friends and family

2) Cute girly and baby stuff

3) The internet

4) The rain that came in today

The “glamorous” side of pregnancy

My poor husband. I might be the one going through the physical changes of pregnancy, but he’s having to put up with quite a lot as well. Not only am I going through the obvious physical changes - clothing doesn’t fit, I have a stomach that can now take out small children if I’m not careful, the waddling is starting -  but there are a ton of not so obvious changes taking place.

First, I can’t sleep. I’m waking every hour and a half or so at night, either to go to the bathroom, to roll over or because I’m hot. We have the air down and a fan on, and I still sleep under nothing but a sheet - with a foot hanging out most of the time - while Mike is beside me under the sheet and the down comforter. If I even THINK of putting that comforter on me, I start sweating. The plus is that we’re not fighting over blankets at the moment. But when I wake, if it’s to go to the bathroom, I have to stretch and get my right hip moving or I’ll fall when I try to stand up. So I spend a few minutes stretching (which really wakes me up, and I’m sure bothers him), then go to the bathroom, then it takes me 15-20 minutes of tossing and turning to get comfortable and finally back asleep. Neither of us are getting much sleep at the moment.

Second, the stupid sinus crud. It won’t. Go. Away! For the last two weeks I’ve lived off of Sudafed and Tylenol Cold and Sinus, and have to get straight in the shower when I get up in the mornings (the steam helps slightly.) Then, once the meds wear off, I’m not much fun at night either. I know he has to be almost as tired of me complaining about the headaches as I am with having them!

Third, the dreams. Oh, the dreams! I’ve woken up a few times because a dream was so vivid that I was crying or angry in it, and it translated to me crying or being angry in real life. Last night there were two that I really remembered. In the first, Sarah wanted me to go on a Disney Cruise with her, because they were having an awesome deal. However, she couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t come up with the money on such short notice, and why there was no way I was going in OCTOBER - when i was due in NOVEMBER. We ended up fighting over it. In the other Aarti, Tom and Herb from The Next Food Network Star had to make dishes based on the names we were considering for the baby, and that challenge was what determined who won. Yeah, after telling Mike about the, I know he thinks I’m crazy.

And the best part? The hormones. Saturday I spent the day rearranging, cleaning and working on the crib, only to discover that I'm missing some bolts and others don't fit. It's really not that big of a deal, and something that is easily fixed by a trip to Ace. I got Mike to look at it when he got home, and when he couldn't fix it, either, I dissolved into tears. The crazy thing is, I KNEW I was being irrational. However, once the tears started, I couldn't stop them, and every time he would try to get me to tell him what was wrong, they started up again. I spent probably close to 20 minutes just crying and crying and crying. He finally looked at me, said "I love you" (in that "you're acting like a total emotional girl right now, but I know you're going to bite my head off if I say anything so I'm keeping my mouth shut" voice), gave me a hug and walked away. Eventually the tears stopped and I felt much better, but I hate just breaking down like that. It's so crazy, for both of us!

I can't wait for this yet-to-be-named little one to arrive, and know things are going to be great when she's here. But why I have to go through this roller coaster to get her here is beyond me!

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Things I'm thankful for:
1) The new baby
2) Kicks - even at 3am
3) Baby furniture
4) Dreams - because that means I'm asleep
5) Sudafed

Cecily was on the local news!

Momma took her yesterday to move in to college, and while they were there, there was a girl interviewing people moving in. Turns out, the girl graduated with Sarah, so when she saw Momma and Cecily, she insisted that Cecily get on camera and the clip made the news there! I was able to find it online, so if you want to see it, here she is! You can read the article, or click on the video on the right to see her. She shows up about 50 seconds in, and then again at the end!

http://www.wdam.com/Global/story.asp?S=12977187

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Things I'm thankful for:
1) Family
2) A great move-in experience
3) Great scholarships
4) A new beginning

27 Weeks - We have a Head of Cauliflower!

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle

The sinus crud is back, and I can’t wait for August (and this crazy heatwave!) to be over. I don’t enjoy having a heat index over 100 every day (it’s currently 106 at 4:45 pm), and I’m ready to be able to breathe again. I bought a fan for my office, though, so that has helped a lot. At least it’s not stuffy in here now!

I hope to get to TX by early September to get all the awesome stuff Kahla is going to let me use, and Momma has agreed to go with me. I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine, but I think we’d both feel better with another adult there, especially since I’ll be 30+ weeks at that time. I can’t believe it’s so close!!!

I think I’ve ballooned again, because I feel like I’m leading with my stomach everywhere I go. I also updated the registry, because I’ve been asked by a few different people what we still need. My answer? All the little stuff! I’m so not ready for her to arrive! 27 weeks down, 13 more to go!

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Things I’m thankful for:
1) Free baby stuff
2) The fan in my office
3) Free maternity clothes
4) Vicks and Tylenol Cold and Sinus
5) Ice water