One week left...

One week from today we will welcome a new little girl to our family.  SEVEN days.  With Gracie, I had no time to be nervous because everything happened so early...then so fast (even over a three day induction!) I know everyone has apprehensions as it gets closer, and I am no different. Will she be healthy? Will everything go smoothly?  How will it go adding a whole new person with her own personality to our family dynamic?  At the same time there is so much excitement...having another daughter, giving Gracie a sister, just having a cuddly, snuggly baby again...AND not being pregnant anymore.  Don't get me wrong...I have always said I do not take this for granted, I try NOT to complain (except to Tim of course..), and I am thankful to God that my body is able to grow healthy babies.  At the same time, I never made it this far with a pregnancy and it is extremely uncomfortable. 

I don't sleep anymore...a couple hours at a time...I am thankful for my DVR and all the "I Love Lucy" re-runs I have on there for my 3:00 a.m. waking hours...heartburn is rampant, AND I have a new obsession.  Ice.  Chewing it.  I can't wait for the beverage to be gone (I prefer ice from somewhere other than home because the cubes are smaller and not as bad on my teeth!) and then I will crunch, crunch, crunch until all the ice is gone.  I am also in love with the smell of clean laundry and will notice if someone walks by me with that "fresh out of the dryer, Downy, dryer sheet, fresh laundry" smell.  I thought I was REALLY freakish until I read all the other pregnant women out there online who experience the same exact thing (down to the ice chewing and laundry smell) and it is known to be PICA (craving things that aren't food).  Thankfully it will be gone soon...AND I am sure the hospital has really yummy ice!

One week!

We were also blessed with a wonderful gift from one of my aunts.  My Auntie Carole, one of my mom's sisters, is so incredibly talented and knew I would love a hand made mobile for in Charlotte's room.  Well, it arrived yesterday along with some adorable hand made moccasins!  She found someone who makes stained glass and had her make some butterflies and drangonflies.  Then, my Aunt put it all together in a mobile to hang from the ceiling (not above the crib...it IS leaded glass)...so we hung it above the changing table and it looks so beautiful and goes with the room perfectly. 

June 23, 2007

It has been five years since I married my best friend.  God couldn't have chosen a more perfect man for me to spend my life with.  He is loving, smart, incredibly patient, and an AWESOME daddy.  I can still remember our wedding day like it was yesterday.  I can remember the excitement, little bit of nervousness, and every detail.  We were surrounded by nearly 200 people who loved and cared about us and were happy to spend our special day with us.  But an anniversary is not just about looking back on the wedding itself because marriage is not just about the wedding.  I have loved the time Tim and I have spent together...starting off marriage with an amazing trip to Aruba, living in a house, then a travel trailer (we never laughed more than we did those ten months!) and back in a house...deaths and new lives...job changes, arguments about inside brooms vs. outside brooms...starting our family...and LOTS of laughter and fun.  I look forward to many, many more anniversaries!  I love you today more than ever, Tim!

Then...

and now...

37 Weeks- FULL TERM!

According to the email I received from Babycenter this morning, I am officially full term.  I consider this a great accomplishment for my body.  I know there was no reason to think that having one premie means you would have another, but there are also lots of women (I have Googled too much!) who go on to have more premies after having one.  Exactly two weeks from today, Charlotte will be here.  My doctor goes on vacation next week...I am going to take it really easy JUST IN CASE.  He (my Dr.) says as long as I can make it until July 1st he will be there to do the C-Section day or night if my body decides to go into labor on it's own.  My strong desire is to have a "normal" delivery and healthy baby.  We took our hospital "Stork Tour" the other night after my Dr. appt and I feel better knowing where we are going!  The nurse who did the tour was so informative.  During my Dr. appt, he did another ultrasound (she finally decided to go head down) and he was curious if we were SURE we are having a girl...but everything is so squished that of course he couldn't see.  On the way to dinner, Tim and I talked about the chance that this baby could be a boy (even with two ultrasounds clearly showing the tech girl...you just never know!).  I have gone so far pink for this baby that we would be making a lot of changes!  Like I said...all I want is a healthy baby...girl...or boy :) 

I have been doing a lot of nesting lately even being as tired as I am.  I don't know what I would do if I was still teaching!  Hats off to those women who can work up until the week or even day they deliver.  I am not one of them.  I am up every couple hours in the night and am thankful that Gracie has been sleeping in past 8:00 and so I get to relax in bed a little longer than I used to.  If I had to get up before 6 to get ready for work I wouldn't make it!  I would have been a horrible teacher for my students to be around for sure.  When I have the energy I have been organizing closets, scraping up caulking in the tub (it was starting to look dirty and BUGGED me) cleaning baseboards, windows, and floors.  Laundry is a challenge to lean down into the washer these days... :) so Tim has been awesome about the laundry...and dishes...and rubbing my feet every night...getting ice water, pillows, and anything else I need!  I have been a bit grumpy this pregnancy so I am sure he will be happy when it is over too :)

Father's Day 2012

We are so excited to celebrate Father's Day today.  We all slept in this morning before Tim had to get ready for work.  Gracie and I got him a docking station for his IPhone, and I was super excited for him to see it.  It is something he has wanted for a very long time but would never go buy for himself.  Gracie gave him extra snuggles this morning, and he will join us at a BBQ at his parents' house tonight after work.  I am so blessed to have him as my kids' Daddy, and I know Charlotte will have him wrapped around her finger as quickly as Gracie did! 

We love you, Tim! 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My Dad lives in Washington, so I am not usually able to see him on Father's Day...but I am thankful for him today! 

Happy Father's Day, Dad!



A Shower of Love

When I was newly pregnant my friend Sarah, from church, asked me if anyone had asked to do a Baby Shower for me.  I told her I didn't really need a shower though I appreciated the offer.  With the second baby, and then finding out it was another little girl, I just didn't think it was completely necessary.  When she responded with, "Every baby is a blessing, and every baby deserves a shower..." it made more sense to me.  Plus, we HAD given away almost all of Gracie's 0-6 month clothes...(at the time just having had a premie, and experiencing the NICU, I did not want to think about another baby and I was happy to give things away to friends!). 

The day started with my mom taking me for a pedicure.  This was not any pedicure...it was at Bellagio where I went to get pampered before my wedding, and have not been there since.  It is a place that, in my eyes, is more for a special occasion.  So we got our pedicures in spa chairs with salt scrubs and iced tea with relaxing music playing in the background.  It was heaven, and I have to admit my feet are beginning to swell just a little bit...with less than three weeks to go...but at least my toes will stay pretty!

Sarah had been planning for a long time.  She planned a onesie-decorating activity in lieu of games (I loved that idea) and even had people address envelopes and gave me thank-you notes to make sending them even easier!  She had planned the onesie-decorating for outside, but when the weather decided to be well over 100 degrees the tables were moved inside and it got a little cozy! 

I was so happy to see friends and family, and my step-mom Debbie even flew in from Washington to surprise me!  This baby was extremely blessed, and Gracie even received a few "big sister gifts" as well.  Next on the agenda is the hospital tour, installing the infant seat back in the car, and just a couple more Dr. appointments!

The hostess, Sarah

My mom and I

The decorating begins...

Me and my sassy girl!

Having fun...

Opening gifts...

Some of the art!

Time to put everything away!

Lauren and Brett- June 15, 2012

On Friday night we had the priviledge of attending a wedding for a girl who Tim grew up with (her mom is also my mother-in-law's best friend).  They were married at the Newcastle Wedding Gardens, and everything could not have been more beautiful.  My favorite part was watching Gracie's eyes when we were able to see Lauren for a minute before the ceremony and I told her, "Look at Princess Lauren!" and she said with awe, "the Princess, Mommy!"  Lauren even let Gracie hold her bouquet--confirms the fact that I want to take her to Disneyland sooner than later!

We had a great time.  I just love going to weddings and seeing a couple exchange vows, and it always makes me reminisce on my special day. 

Congratulations Lauren and Brett!

Pictures

I mentioned before that we had some pictures done a few weeks ago.  I wanted to capture this time as not only being pregnant for probably the last time but also being a family of three for the last time.  We happened to hear about a photographer, Lindsay from LC Photography, from a family friend and decided to give it a try.  Let me tell you...the price is amazing and she is amazing.  I love how the pictures turned out, and we can't wait for her to do newborns the week after Charlotte is born (she comes to your house for 2-3 hours and does pictures of not ot only baby but also the family, sibling, etc).  The best part is she gives you the pictures on CD and you order them wherever you want! (If you haven't tried MPix.com, that is who she recommends and the quality and prices are wonderful).  The session was a lot of fun, and Gracie wanted to be in every picture...but hey, better than not wanting to be in ANY picture!

Here are just a few...I have empty frames hanging on my wall and MPix will be filling them soon!