hiccups and contractions... {Dear Itty Bitty}

August 31, 2013

Dear Itty Bitty,
 

It's kind of been a long week for us....Mommy has been sick and feeling pretty crappy.  Then, our doctor's appointment on Tuesday was a bit stressful.  Daddy couldn't come of course, so just mommy.  Appointment running late, then the first nurse couldn't find the heartbeat...she tried really, really hard but couldn't even get a faint sound.  Nothing.  I wasn't too worried at first because I was pretty sure I'd been feeling you that morning but the longer it took and when she finally gave up, I was getting a little teary eyed.  She reassured me and headed out to grab the other nurse, who was on the phone.  So, I had to wait.  Went to the bathroom to try and get my mind off it.  Came back and she stopped in, looked at my belly and said, there's a big bulge on the upper left, let's try up there.  Sure enough, she quickly found the heartbeat way up high.  I was thankful but then also bummed.  Big sigh and Katrina the nurse commented, "Sounds like you know what that means.  I'll go get the scanner so Dr. Gray can check the position."

So, I sat and waited again, by myself...tearing streaming down my face.  Clearly I know a breech baby and subsequent c-section is not the end of the world, but it's just not in the plan.  Going into this appointment, I wasn't at all concerned about where your head was because you had flipped around before the last appointment.  And, I've been doing plenty of squats to try and keep your head low.  Now this...Dr. Gray came in and said, "I hear you have a stubborn little one in there.  Let's check that position right away."  She flipped her scanner on and quickly found your head to be about mid section, that's so much better than I thought!  At least you aren't completely flipped around, just need to encourage you to keep moving lower.

I left the appointment a little disappointed thinking we were all set at the beginning, but also being so thankful that we are where we are and we still have 3-5 weeks.  That afternoon and through the next 2 days I felt tons and tons of contractions, and felt pretty crummy.  I often needed to lay down and even a time or two thought about calling the doctor to get her input.  The contractions weren't so much painful, just really consistent and close together, and very out of the ordinary at this point.  So much lower back pain!  And, I just felt yucky.  Thankfully Daddy was insistent I lay down each night early and that seemed to help, but I kept thinking "if I have to endure this for 3-4 more weeks, I will not be a happy camper".  

Sleep was also very difficult.  You managed to get the hiccups most nights for a long time and no matter what position I laid in, they just kept me awake.  Not to mention waking up in the middle of night to use the potty, and then just laying around for hours.  It was brutal and probably led to the contractions and next day crumminess.  Then, Friday things were greatly improved and I felt "normal" again with very few contractions during the day.  I think we're all good now and just hang out for a few more weeks.  Back to the doctor in a few days!  Hopefully another good check up with your head moving lower and more reassurance.
 

Your big sisters are getting ready for baby too!  So many kisses and hugs lately...very sweet.  We pulled the carseat out of storage so I could wash it up, and they have now claimed it for their babies.  I guess I'll have to wash it when the excitement and newness wears off.  They've also been "mothering" their babies and learning how to swaddle with Daddy's tutorials. 

Leah also helped me pick out one more diaper with a coupon getting ready to expire, and a medium sized wet bag for your stinky/wet diapers when we are out and about.  I also sorted through all our boxes of little girl clothes, separating out some things we are going to get rid of and just organizing into tubs by size.  And, we have a small tub for newborn, gender neutral things, just in case.  Big shopping spree if you are a boy!  Generally, we are getting ready for you!  So close now....

On the agenda for this holiday weekend includes hanging a few more things in your room and trying to figure out how to make some "big sis" shirts.  Poor Leah has been asking to sleep in the baby room since she doesn't want to sleep in Lesley's room anymore.  I feel kind of bad for your middle sister, but hopefully she understands eventually and refers to their room as hers.  They had a rough spell sleeping in the same bed, so she's back to sleeping on her mattress again only in her new room with Lesley.  That's going better at least so they are getting full amounts of sleep for now.

Let's hope for a smoother week!  See you soon!

Love, Mommy

Phone dump (Week of August 25th)

I've never had much luck getting the pictures off my phone loaded straight to the blog so am often lazy and just post to Facebook.  But, I think I finally figured out a way to do it efficiently and effectively.  And, during this process, I even managed to send photos from way back in the Spring...you might be seeing some old pictures loaded here soon.  You'll know they are old because the girls just look younger.  Why do they keep growing up so fast!?

 

 

First day of dance!  Leah did great, was pretty nervous when I took her into the room with Miss Kristen but survived the entire hour.  She came racing out of the studio and right into Daddy's arms who had stopped by for a short bit.  He said that was one of the biggest hugs he's ever gotten from her.  She was most concerned about her friend Kennedy who only lasted 15 minutes into class before her daddy had to rescue her, or maybe I should say rescue Miss Kristen.

 

Leah's class is at 5pm and then Lesley's class starts right after it at 6pm.  So, I think the new routine will be me packing dinners to take along and they can each eat while the other is dancing.  Leah enjoyed her food - carrots, red peppers, grapes, strawberries, rolled up ham and cheese, and crackers.  I put cantaloupe  in them too, but they didn't eat that.  I was trying to be tricky and putting them on toothpicks with strawberries and grapes for a fun idea, but they were not fooled.

 

 

We had to try on shoes and leotards the night before.  Lesley has outgrown the tap shoes so will be getting those this weekend, but other than that, no new supplies.  I had found the bigger ballet shoes at a garage sale for $3 earlier this year and they are going to be perfect for Lesley.  Then, poor second child Leah, will get the hand me downs for now.

 

 

Doesn't she just look so old to you?!

 

 

Monday was Grandma Nancy's birthday so we decided to send her a quick text message that morning.  We had already sent her present in the mail which she got on Saturday, but it was nice to send some smiles too.  And, I'm actually surprised I look 'nice'....I have been waking up feeling like crud which is why Jason came home after working out to help me get the girls ready and drop them off this morning.  Usually I'm on my own in the morning so it was certainly nice to have help this morning when I woke up with a lingering head cold, phlegm, cough, mattter-y eyes, and a recovering voice.  I couldn't even talk on Sunday!

 

 

Quick stop at the aquarium after church Sunday....again, you can't tell here, but I had no voice this day.  It was an awesome day for everyone!  The girls were walking around whispering since I had to do the same to get any sort of sound out.

 

 

I guess they needed a ride....no worries, I feel like that many days as of late too.  But, I have yet to find a turtle to hitch a ride with.

 

 

We actually saw them feeding the otters this day.  Usually those guys are hiding but they sure enjoyed their fruit and veges!  (No photos.)

 

Then, we watched these giant toads for a bit.

 

 Leah got invited to two of her friend's birthday parties last weekend.  They were at the same location, back to back....it was nice for us who wanted to celebrate with both.  Except, Leah didn't want anything to do with playing on the Bouncey equipment and pretty much just stood next to me the entire time.  If Jason had been there, I'm sure one trip up the slide and down along side him would have gotten her involved but this preggo mommy wasn't willing to do that.  Even her friends Finley, Charlie, and Jillian couldn't convince her, and Finley's daddy offered to carry her up the ladder several times.  Nope, not happening!

 

We stuck around long enough to sing to Finley and grab a piece of cake, then headed out.  Hopefully Beau didn't realize we skipped his cake....I was frustrated and Leah was not enjoying herself.  Plus, we needed to get to swim lessons.

 

It did solidify my decision NOT to try and have Leah's birthday at the Bounce House.

 

 

Daddy ran a 5k that morning before the birthday party and we decided to meet up with him after he finished so he could take Lesley to the Farmer's Market while Leah went to the birthday parties.  The best option to meet was at a donut shop, different than the one we usually go to.  Leah picked out this cute little lady bug.  I thought for sure Lesley would want the Miss Kitty donut, but opted instead of donut holes.

 

The next series of photos are what you call "the girls know how to confiscate my phone and take endless number of photos on it".  I have a lock on it, but sometimes I set it down without actually turning the back light off and they are able to snatch it before it automatically times out.

 

Leah is most interested in taking pictures, but often I find shots with her in it indicating Lesley is the culprit.  Again, I am looking forward to Leah's birthday gift - a pink camera she can snap any amount of photos with.  Hopefully she shares with Big Sister!  Enjoy these shots before I not only dump photos to my blog but also delete millions of photos they have snapped as of late.

 

A Sunday Afternoon Adventure

We've been trying to find some fun, new things to do on the weekends.  A couple weeks back, we decided to take the girls out to Okmulgee State Park and also Dripping Springs State Park which is right next to the first.  The location is just about 45 minutes of us and we have been talking about camping at some point with the girls and thought we'd check this place out.  Unfortunately I don't think camping is going to make the list yet this year (unless it's in the backyard and Mommy gets to sleep in her bed), but we did have a great afternoon.

 

We told the girls we were going on an adventure and they just soaked that up.  I mean, the word "adventure" is fun by itself and they just loved the concept.

 

We first stopped at the park in one of the campground areas of Okmulgee State Park.  It was a great place to play, but unfortunately the equipment was super hot that afternoon.  Our intention was to go on a cooler day, the ones we've been having but this particular day got kind of warm on us.

We overcame though and used some blankets that were in the car.

 

Swinging is always fun....

And, Leah LOVED these monkey bars as long as Daddy was there to help.

The slide worked out well with the blanket, just got the girls moving pretty fast.  :)

 

Once they were tired of the playground, we took out a ball from the car and kicked and batted it around in the shade for a bit.  This was a great activity since Mommy got to sit off to the side and just kicked when it came near her, otherwise the girls just ran around chasing the ball. 

 

Energy was being burned!

We also really like the camping area if we ever get brave and want to do that.  It was very shaded, had bathrooms near by, and overlooked the lake below.  I didn't like the tent sites, but we'd probably just get a camper site and use our tents so have the nice picnic area and to be near the playground/bathrooms.  The tent sites were a lot more "remote".

Next we headed down toward the lake so we could check that out. 

 

We had discussed bringing their swimsuits, but neither Jason or myself wanted to get in the water that day so we opted to just make a big deal out of throwing rocks in.  Totally worked and they thought it was great!  Even with people swimming nearby, not once did the girls ask if they could swim or why we didn't bring our swim suits.

 

While we were throwing rocks in, one of the guys out in the lake swimming pointed out a bald eagle who was flying overhead....yes, it's in the photo above but not a great picture where you can even tell.  Should have brought our bigger lens that we never use!  Still pretty cool to see one flying overhead so close to us.

Please don't mind my clothing.  I promise I was wearing a maternity undershirt and that is not my skin.  After this weekend, I have now confiscated a few of Jason's shirts to sport during the day.  It has been amazing to work from home during this pregnancy since I had minimal investment in clothes and really didn't even unpack my maternity dress clothes.  I actually had to pick up some maternity t-shirts and everyday wear....it's just that the 3-4 shirts I have get old and I sometimes go back to my t-shirts that I think cover all the necessary skin.  And, I just wear undershirts most of the time anyway.

 

I did love that one day Lesley asked me (while at the house, not in public), "Why is your baby belly sticking out mommy?"  That's about the time when Jason offered up some of his wardrobe.  Point taken sweetheart.

We had packed our dinner and planned to stick around to have a picnic, but the girls were getting hungry around 4pm so we decided, what the heck...let's just eat it now.  So, we had our picnic lunch/dinner then hit up the above playground for a bit more fun.  This was at the other state park just down the road.  The camping would not have been as good there, but the playground was really nice...though still hot on this day!

 

Lesley was getting tired since she decided not to nap on the trip down to the state parks unlike Leah who got a 45 minute nap and was good to go.  We eventually decided it was nearing meltdown stage so we loaded up and headed out.  Lesley was asleep before we hit the main road leaving the parks.

 

One reason camping has come up is that the last summer unit at school involved nature so naturally camping was discussed in Ms. Karen's room.  Lesley kept saying how she wanted to go camping so we could make s'mores.  Nice!  We decided to end our adventure with some delicious marshmallow treats made from the comfort of our house, i.e. the gas stove top.  Lesley however was NOT a fan of this process and kept saying "but that's not how Ms. Julie made them."  Well, sorry sweetheart but Ms. Julie, the cook, at school didn't really have the option to start a fire in the school to roast marshmallows.  So, Mommy had hers with marshmallows roasted on the stove and Lesley put hers together and melted them in the oven.

She was quite pleased and we were at least amused by what her idea of creating s'mores entailed.

And, in true Leah form, she just wanted the chocolate - no marshmallows or graham crackers for this kiddo!

Lesley actually took hers apart to eat it, but nonetheless, she thought our adventure was amazing and has been asking to go again.  It was definitely a bath kind of night, and an early bedtime.

 

We're glad that we were able to check out a new Tulsa area location on this warm Sunday afternoon adventure!

Grandma Cheryl visits

We had a quick visit from Grandma Cheryl last weekend.  We've been trying to line up a weekend get together with her and Uncle Tony, Aunt Mo, and Cousin Kali, but it just never worked out.  Kali doesn't like the heat so a lot of options we threw out didn't seem to best for her, then they decided they didn't want to travel to Tulsa since Kali doesn't like riding in the car.  So, it was just Grandma Cheryl and we had a fun, low key Saturday with her!

 

We headed to the Farmer's Market Saturday morning which has become a weekend tradition.  It's fun to see what local produce is available and get stocked up for the week.  They even had Jupiter grapes that were heavenly!  The girls thought they were the best and Lesley especially enjoyed saying "I'm eating Jupiter...hee, hee."  Silly girl!  They also had the usual kale, potatoes, cucumbers, onions, squash, zucchini, yummy sausages and burritos for breakfast, and now lots of melons.  Grandma Cheryl even purchased some yarn that a vendor was spinning.  It was cool since she had dyed it with kool-aid so not only did you get neat, vibrant colors, but you could even smell the flavors.

 

After the Farmer's Market, the group dropped Mommy off at Target for some quiet shopping while everyone else grabbed a few more groceries at the store.  Then, we headed home to drop everything off before making our way to the Riverwalk for lunch.  We love the Mexican place there, even if the menu options are a little slim for Jason with his new vegan-ish diet.

The river has been extremely HIGH and it was probably the highest I've seen it on this Saturday morning.  Usually you can see sand bars and probably could even walk across it with water only going as high as your shins/knees.  We decided to snap a few photos.  Leah wasn't interested in a pic with Grandma Cheryl here, but we got a great one with Lesley.

Then, one with Daddy (who kind of has a funny face here), who was able to convince Leah to jump in the photo too.

 

After lunch, we headed home for naps (though I think Mommy and Grandma were the only ones who actually slept) then a fairly quick dinner before making our way to the movie theater.  It was the girls' first trip to the movies!  They love the movie "Cars" so we thought going to see "Planes" would be a good option.  About 2 minutes into the movie, I thought it was a big mistake.  They would not settle down, kept crawling back and forth over us, would get stuck in the chairs, etc.  Then, Grandma and Daddy went to get popcorn and some candy.  Oh man!  At least the theater was pretty empty and the movie was loud enough I don't think we disturbed anyone. 

 

Eventually they settled down a little, well, at least Lesley did to watch the movie.  I don't know if they loved it, but Lesley will say she had fun - probably because of the popcorn and candy more so than the movie itself.  There were some "scary parts" and it was pretty loud at times.  I had brought Leah's blanket since I kind of wanted her to just curl up and fall asleep.  She did not fall asleep but she held on tight to her blanket.  Oh well, the kids were free and it was still considered matinée so I'm sure the treats were more expensive than the tickets.

 

On the way home, I had promised Lesley either ice cream or cupcakes (we go all out with the treats sometimes!) because she went the entire week without an accident at school.  She picked cupcakes!  Something has just clicked with her and she will now wake up to use the potty versus having accidents at naptime.  We think it's because she was mentally getting ready for Pre-k and now is so excited to get home without having to change her clothes during the day.  Even at night she has woken up dry for probably 6 of the last 7 nights.  I'm so proud of her, and oh so happy too!  She has been out of diapers for over 2 years and hopefully this means we can eliminate the nighttime diaper too.

 

She has been begging to wear panties to bed and I told her she could at the end of this week if she keeps dry.  The one night she had an accident she was so upset and just cried and cried the next morning.  She said that she woke up and had to go potty, but held it in and went back to sleep.  Eventually that night she must have gone in her sleep anyway.  When we told her she could just get out of bed and go to the potty, jump back in bed then go back to sleep, it was like a huge revelation.  She claimed the next night that is what she did though I'm not sure...she was dry though!  Friday night - panties!  Let's hope this goes well.  More growing up at our house!

 

Anyway, we celebrated with cupcakes before the girls feel asleep on the way home.  So, it was an early night for the whole family!  I don't think Grandma Cheryl minded as she needed to leave early Sunday morning to head back to KC and visit with Granny.

Dentist Visit {Looking back}

I was clearing out some pictures on my phone the other day because we have a certain almost 3 year old who LOVES snapping pics these days and ran into some from July that I don't think got posted.  By the way, the girl with the upcoming birthday will be getting her own camera as a gift to hopefully avoid the hundreds of pics ending up on my phone.

 

So, back to mid July - you know between my busy week working in Kansas and our vacation in Colorado when it seemed like a good time to schedule a dentist visit :) - we headed off to see Dr. Fox again.  Thankfully it was a first thing in the morning appointment so didn't take too much time out of our day, and Daddy's office is across the street so he popped over to help out.  It's a busy office and last time I took them by myself I thought I was going to go crazy, trying to keep them together and focused, not to mention coaxing Leah even into sitting in the chair.

 

No big surprise to us, Lesley did great and let the hygentist (I can't remember her name now) clean all her teeth, make them sparkly, and give Dr. Fox a chance to apply some special cavity fighting flouride (?).  No cavities, but she had deep creviches in her back teeth which is cause to think some may appear in the future.  Thankfully we don't really allow fruit snacks or gummy vitamins, and have cut out chewy granola bars, etc.  But, we still allow raisons and craisons so need to be sure and brush those back teeth first when the most toothpaste is on her brush.

Leah took a little more convincing and if it had just been me, there's no chance her teeth would have gotten clean.  But good old Daddy put the smack down and insisted she sit and let her teeth get polished.  It was in a nice way of course, and lately Daddy and Leah have been developing a closer relationship so I think she trusts him more and finds comfort in him.  She, too, did pretty darn good and Dr. Fox was pleased with her teeth, bite, and gums.

 

Dr. Fox and her husband, who is also a pediatric dentist - they share this practice, go to our church.  They have five boys and one of the younger ones happened to be in my church school class last year.  He was SUPER shy and often would just sit in the teacher's chair, not participating.  I got creative to force him to join the group, but it was still tricky since he would only come once every several weeks.  It took me the longest time to figure out that Dr. Fox was his mommy since his Daddy always dropped him off and I had never seen him, plus Gray's last name was not Fox.  Anyway, she was shocked to see that I was expecting a baby and also probably excited that our family is keeping them in business.  The pediatrician was also pleased the other day when we showed up and it was obvious he'd have a new patient shortly.  :)  I tell Jason we are doing what we can to keep this economy going!  Anyway, it's like a circus going to Dr. Fox's office - balloons, prizes, stickers, everything!

 

The whole family just needs to focus on flossing EVERY day!  Family goal!

First Day of Pre-k

Before Lesley could start Pre-k, we had to say a few good-byes.  Ms. Karen and Ms. Madison have been the best preschool teachers.  They not only taught Lesley about counting and art projects, but also about being a good friend, using her manners, and choosing appropriate independence.  I think every 4 year old probably struggles with these from time to time, but I greatly appreciated the short conversations in the hallway (with tears in my eyes) when I just knew Lesley was struggling with one or more of these.  Looking back, I think the words they shared were for mommy just as much as they were for Lesley.  And, I also loved hearing how wonderful she is as a student and how well she fits into their class.

 

Due to the logistical challenges of two working parents, we decided not to send Lesley to the public school for Pre-K but rather have her move classrooms where she is now and do what we are viewing as a "private school education".  The public school only offered half day options with no transportation so we would have had to improvise and find other arrangements.  So, whether we spend the money now or when she is college, it's all for her education, right?  Many of her friends, especially the girls, were moving on to the public school(s) and that was a bit of a change for all of us.  No longer will we see Gentry, Lilliann, Victoria, and her other good buddies.  Bummer.  But, true to little kids, she is already making new friends and now as one of the veterens, is fast becoming the "helper" according to her new teachers.

 

I like to read random blogs and I ran across this idea to purchase these books and have the teachers over the course of each child's life write a little message.  This was another instance of me standing in the bookstore and crying as I flipped through these pages.  Hormones!  Seriously!

My intention was to have Lesley's book be the "I believe in you" and Leah's book be "If i could keep you little" but I goofed and accidentally gave Lesley's teachers the wrong book to sign.  Oh well....

And, Lesley saw the books at one point when I thought I might try to keep them a surprise...but she doesn't realize Ms. Madison and Ms. Karen wrote her a note.  And, I'm not opposed to reading the books with the girls now, I just don't want them to be in the big stack so that pages could get ripped, or markers find their way inside them.  Hopefully I remember to have each of their teachers write a message as they transition through school.

 

During the transition week, the Pre-k teachers were invited into Lesley's preschool room during circle time and at other points throughout the day.  It gave the kids an opportunity to see the teachers in the comfort of their old classroom, and it gave the old teachers a chance to relay important information to the new teachers.  Then, by the end of the week, the students were going to the Pre-k room to investigate the centers and learn about the new classroom set up.

I know this isn't that big of a change, just new teachers and a new classroom, but we still tried to build it up as a BIG deal for Lesley.  We picked out her clothes for the entire week the night before, got her shoes and hair bow ready, and talked about how she would have a new cubby in Ms. Emily's room.  She was so excited on Monday morning!  I was certain she would have a great day.

I decided to try and document just a little with a few photos (some on the camera and some on my phone) and thought adding her little whiteboard was appropriate and the "thing to do".

 

I posted a couple photos to Facebook and got quite a few comments on her desired career choices.  Originally I only wrote astronaut since that's what we hear most, but she then insisted I also include trash man.  One of her favorite movies is in the Scholastic series called Trashy Town.  She does think she would make a good trash man and we aren't in the business of ruining her dreams at this point.  Some folks suggested she deal with the trash problem in space...interesting concept!

I just love this sweet girl!

 

And, she did have a great day.  Ms. Emily and Ms. Tinka say she has adjusted very well.  She took a long nap Monday which I also think is indicative of success.  Tuesday she did not nap, and we could certainly tell that night.  Maybe another good reason she is staying in private, all-day school versus public school.  No naps for the kids in Pre-k at the public school.  This girl is at her best with some sort of nap, even if it's short.

 

And, as much as we value education and encourage her desire to learn, we also know there is so much more than letters, numbers, multiplying and dividing.  I ran across the below article on a different blog and thought I'd share.  She is in a Montessori type setting so her learning is encouraged with "an emphasis on independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological, physical, and social development."  This involves a lot of play and it has gone very well for her.  One thing different than a standard Montessori classroom is that she is surrounded by kids her age versus a mixed group of students.  I personally think she has the best of both worlds since she has plenty of interaction with a certain almost 3 year old at home.

 

http://magicalchildhood.wordpress.com/2010/08/31/what-should-a-4-year-old-know/

 

I think it's going to be a good year for Lesley!

Feeling Anxious {Dear Itty Bitty}

35 Weeks!!!  The countdown is now on just one hand!

Dear Itty Bitty,

Yay!!!  You flipped around and are looking pretty good for delivery.  Now, to only keep you there for the next 5ish weeks….lots and lots of squats for this mama in the coming weeks.  Dr. Gray was pretty impressed, especially because I was so skeptical.  Apparently the hard, round spot under my left ribcage was not in fact your head but rather your tushie.  Your oldest sister thought it was hilarious when I told her that she had been kissing your tushie this whole time.  Now, she can appropriately kiss "your face", down under my belly.  I am thankful that the rib pain on my right side has pretty much gone too, it was not pleasant.  Now I have another set of "issues" to deal with - you know, the needing to potty every 30 minutes, the feeling that if I sneeze you might pop out, needing to sit on the edge of the chair to give you more room, etc.  But I keep reminding myself these are GOOD signs.  My body is preparing and I'm so thankful for that!

Another physical thing to note is that you for sure are hanging out on my left side.  It's pretty obvious when you look at my belly and there is a bulge on my left...lop sided!

I am still feeling anxious and starting to get a bit nervous.  Shouldn't this be the 'easy' one, #3?  Well, so much feels new to me.  Maybe because it's been three years and probably a lot because there are actually a lot of new things.  We visited the hospital and got pre-registered.  I actually started crying in the waiting room as I filled out paperwork.  So many emotions going on right now!  (I'm kind of a cry baby these days.  It's really difficult to convince your big sisters it's a 'happy' cry and not a 'sad' cry.)  Then, the admissions nurse just didn't understand why I wouldn't want an epidural and they kept referring to everything as "pre-op".  Ugh, I'm not necessarily there for a surgery, just need to have a baby!  It was good to walk around the labor and delivery area and see where the action will take place.  It was a quiet, quiet day with no rooms in use and no little ones in the nursery.  I was actually beginning to wonder if babies were even born there.  But, one of the last post-partum rooms had a big blue sign with two elephants and the word "Twins".  A guy who I assume was the daddy was snapping photos with the biggest grin.  That will be us, with just one elephant soon!  And, who knows our elephant might be pink and not blue.

I think I mentioned we have names picked out but we are still open for new ideas and I never really stop looking.  I'll see something and say "Lesley, Leah, XXXX.  Nope, not exactly", or "Yeah, I guess that could work".  Hang in there, we'll find the perfect name for you!

I am worried about your big sisters too.  We have been talking about how they will go to Uncle Andy's wedding, but they get really confused about who will take them and who will stay with them.  They insisted that Daddy would take them the other morning on the way to school.  When, I told them he needed to stay with Mommy in case the baby comes, Lesley got really upset and kept asking "but who will stay with us when we sleep at the wedding?"  I assured her that Grandma Nancy would take good care of her, and that Cousin Katie, Aunt Denise, Aunt Aimee, and many more will be there to stay with her.  I'm also nervous about what will happen if you arrive when they are still in town, or after they are back from the wedding adventure.  We sort of have a plan in place, but it doesn't seem perfect yet.  The unknown kind of wants me to sign up for the induction Dr. Gray offered.  But, at this point, we are going to stick it out and hope God takes the lead on the actual timing of your arrival and taking care of the what will inevitably be little things.

Another strange fear I've been having is "What if you are a boy?"  I have been thinking all along how great it would be to have a little boy in our family, but it honestly scares me too.  We have no clothes, no dump trucks, and no experience!  Surely I'd adjust quickly to being a mama to a boy, but it just makes me nervous.  And, I've already told Daddy that if we have a boy the first stop when we leave the hospital will likely be Target to fill a shopping cart with blue and green attire.  My co-workers were very, very generous with a nice gift card and I told them what better way to spend it than on boy clothes.  :)  We'll see….perhaps I'll just be digging for the boxes of pink in the closet!  And, that would be GREAT too!

As if those concerns weren't enough (don’t be scared, I'm sure I'll be just fine and my current status of craziness will settle down), I'm probably most nervous about my health and my body.  Taking care of you, your sisters, AND myself....I'll be going back on my medicine right away and that's always an interesting adjustment, plus the hormones in your body from just having a baby….and then hopefully breastfeeding.  Lack of sleep, two big sisters, being so far from family, the list goes on and on….At least daddy gets some time off and we are just going to play it by ear to decide how much he wants to use to start with.  I have been considering making meals in advance and freezing some, but honestly I barely have enough energy to think and prepare meals for right now.  Maybe I should focus on a take out list and phone numbers for delivery....

A few other things to note – I've slowed down on my weight gain, hopefully that means any excess I picked up during the 2^nd trimester is just converting over to your baby fat.  I am not sure if I'd call it a craving, but I am loving decaf Starbucks coffee and also a caffeine free diet pepsi from time to time.  I know, why even drink them…but they are so yummy.  And, my go to snack right now is dark chocolate covered almonds.  The other day the girls and I stopped by the donut shop on our way to school (I needed bribes that morning and chocolate covered sprinkled donuts were in the plan!!!) and the lady behind the counter who has watched me grow over the last several months asked, "What are you having?" once she had the donuts in their individual bags.  I responded, "A sticky bun please."  She burst out laughing along with everyone else standing in close proximity.  I couldn't figure out what was so funny and was probably bright red.  Thankfully, another gal said, "you totally misunderstood her question" as she glanced down at my belly.  Oh, I guess I kind of tune that question out since I've probably said "It's a surprise" a million times.  My response of a sticky bun gave everyone a chuckle.  So, I think I will now refer to you as a "sticky bun".

I feel like I'm constantly wearing the same clothes over and over again, and I for sure head straight to the bedroom to put my comfy yoga pants on as soon as I get home from dropping your sisters off at school in the morning.  Who knows, maybe soon I'll just wear them to school for drop off.  No one will be judging, right?

Just a few quotes I've run across in the last few weeks, good reminders that you are meant for our family and we are very excited to have you join us in 6ish weeks (though feel free to appear in 3 weeks..that would work for me too!).

Sometimes we forget what a miracle it really is to have a baby.

God knows how many babies we need, and he knows exactly when we need those babies too.

And, your biggest sister asked me in the car the other day, "Mommy, do you think you can handle three kids?"  Not sure if she wanted me to cry, or laugh...I think I my response of "I sure hope so" with a weak smile was sufficient.  Then, we went on to talk about how the big sisters could help, have good attitudes and do as mommy says to make things run smoothly.  Perhaps a few more of those discussions should be added in the coming weeks.

See you soon and love you lots already,
Mommy

And, just a few photos to prove that we are in fact preparing for your arrival!  Be excited for all these goodies...mostly hand picked by your mommy just for YOU!

I took inventory on what we have picked up and what we might add to the list.  It looks like a lot, but we are very thankful this is really it....lots of carry over from your big sisters and lots of gear from a dear friend.

This mommy couldn't resist just a few boy outfits...just in case.  I think we have the pink covered, but you certainly can't wear those home from the hospital, right?  Sshhh....don't tell daddy!

We gave all the bottles to Lyssa and just decided to buy some new ones since we'd have been purchasing new nipples anyway.  I picked up a few boxes as they've been on sale the last several months.  And, we are going to try cloth diapers!  Mommy is so excited!  Again, I've purchased these with $5 coupons and when the local KC cloth diaper store had a buy 4 get one free deal, with free shipping and no sales tax for out of state customers!  We don't quite have enough for when you start daycare, but I will insist on some non-gender neutral ones once we know whether I should go with pink/purple, or true blues/greens.  And, we'll need to purchase a few wet/dry diaper bags for home and school.  Again, there are a lot of pretty cool prints but I didn't want to buy a firetruck one AND a pink flower one, so once you are hear, I'll order those too!

These outfits were the FIRST things I bought you, back in February when they were each $1 or $2.  Perfect for your first Christmas, right?

And, your Aunt Denise put together about a dozen soft burp clothes from left over fabric, and sent a left over package of small diapers that your cousin Luke outgrew.  The diapers will be perfect the first few days/week since I've been told those early poops are nearly impossible to get out of cloth diapers.  And, this mama isn't thrilled to be washing diapers from the get go.  It will be nice to have a week or more using disposables before we figure out the whole cloth diapering routine.

You can also see a few leg warmers up to the left in the pictures, some for boys and some for girls.  The leftovers will likely make perfect gifts for a different family.  And, we also got a package of new bibs since we've thrown out many of the ones your sisters use.  I think 2 kids is about the max on some of those things.

And, last but not least, Mama bought you the first book I hope to read you.  My intention was to pick up a few books for your sisters when I went to the store, but I couldn't pass this up and knew it would be perfect for you.  I stood in Barnes & Noble with tears running down my face (see, I told you I was a mess!) and thought was better gift to welcome you to our family.  And, the new bag....well, I couldn't pass that up!  I think it will work great for daycare or just a smaller size diaper bag.  Again, ssshhhh...don't tell Daddy!