Weeks 31-34

Weeks 31-34 are a blur because there was so much going on in the short period between Thanksgiving and Christmas as well as afterward with New Years and a BOWL GAME!!  But I'll try to recap as best I can.  I didn't take any true 'belly' shots until this week (34) again - but I have pictures of me each week so hopefully that will suffice.

Week 31
Was seriously a blur! Last minute shopping, wrapping, house cleaning.  BLUR!  We also planned a last minute trip to TN to have Christmas with my family since the actual holiday fell on a Wednesday (sooo inconvenient!)

Eric and I in TN at "Christmas"

Week 32
Fell on Christmas Day this year.  We did take a family photo at a friends house Christmas Eve (and even one side view - so you can kinda see the tummy).

We had a CRAZY Christmas Eve from being in Ninety-Six and visiting with Eric's family to a get together at a friends house here in town to the new 8pm contemporary service at church.  Little e didn't make it through church this time b/c he was concerned about why there was no drummer and it started very slow with no music.  But he had a GREAT Christmas day (really I will do a whole post for that) and we enjoyed being together as a family of 3 at home!


Week 33
Then fell on New Year's Day.  I again have a pic from the night before.  We 'celebrated' with little e before he went to bed and he did MUCH better than last year.  Last year he was terrified of the hats and noisemakers - this year he loved wearing them and making noise and even blowing on them.  Too cute!

I left the Thursday after 33 weeks and headed to MIAMI for our bowl game!  This was the first time ever in my life that Ohio State played Clemson and I wasn't going to miss it.  Soo glad I could convince my Dad to go with me.  We had a GREAT time (again - a whole other post) but here is a fun one of us from the game.

Week 34
Has been about our first 'sane' week back in our routine at home.  We (and by we I mean Eric) is working on the floors in Little Miss's room - finally - (something he started over the weekend while I was gone in Miami) (YAY!!!).  Again - another whole post can be made about the progress here - but just exciting to mention we have started working on it at all!!

34 weeks front

34 weeks side

These last shots are phone shots - BUT I have a new phone (soooo exciting after FOUR years!!) and having them taken this way will likely ensure they get to the computer and this blog much faster than the real camera.

Lets see - overall through these four weeks I have felt TIRED.  I mean like take a nap almost every other day when little e does TIRED.  I don't think I was quite that tired last time - but I also wasn't chasing a two year old (and I'm two years older myself).  I hear having a girl 'takes more out of you' so Little Miss can share bit of the blame too.  But likely it has a lot to do with my iron levels.  The agony that is acid reflux continues.  I take Zantac every 12 hours (like on the nose) and sometimes am watching the clock just WAITING to be able to take it again.  Its awful.

Thursday of week 33 we went to the Doctor and in addition to a sonogram (she is perfect and gorgeous btw - wanna see?!?)

Anyway - in addition to a sonogram I asked about my ice crunching obsession and being so tired.  Lo and behold, my bloodwork did show low iron so I've added back in my prenatal (which I thought was causing some of my acid reflux) and an iron supplement (slowly).  So I feel a bit better - but I have to tell you I still LOVE crunching ice.

Back on topic - the sonogram was to tell us if she is measuring on time (or big) which weighs in to the possibility of a successful VBAC.  Her head was big (35 weeks - ahh big head like her daddy :) ) but everything else measured 33 weeks.  They did estimate her weight at 5 lbs 5 oz (which seems big), although they can be off by a pound or more with those estimates.  She is head down and wrapping around from right to left (butt on top right, feet down my left side).  Which does explain some of the 'rolling' I'm feeling because I can feel her down low and on each side.  Thats hands down low, bottom on right and feet on left.  The doctor made no comments yet about VBAC or not, but I think he is going to keep a close eye on her weight and position and my progress before we make any decisions.

I have had some contractions this week (including one today that hurt!)  Its a pretty new feeling.  I don't remember having a contraction that hurt with little e until after my water broke.  Hoping that means she has plans of trying to come on her own (not yet - but before they make me have another C-section).  

Alright - well I guess that wraps up the last months pregnancy updates in a nutshell.  Hopefully as life returns to 'normal' I can keep up a little better.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving with Eric's family is usually really small but this year his sister and her husband came home from CA and we rented a house at the beach.  The rest of his family followed suit and we had a big, wonderful family Thanksgiving.  It was so good to see everyone!

Uncle Aaron and Auntie La

Auntie La, Blake, Pat-Pat, Daddy, Uncle Aaron - the 'young kids' had to do the dishes

Little e wore his new sweater mommy finally blocked and added buttons to. He looked ADORABLE but hardly stood still long enough to get a picture - let alone a family shot - but we tried.

'Lunch' was planned at 2 and ended up being closer to 3:30.  Little e ate potato chips and snack mix for his Thanksgiving dinner and wasn't interested in turkey or yummy trimmings (we snuck some in along with a pumpkin cookie later for his dinner).  Instead he sat and read (I love this kid!)

Little e became a BIG fan of his aunt and uncle while they were here.  We FaceTime with them almost every week so he warmed up to them really fast.  He asked where they were all the time and LOVED spending time with them (so did we).

Watching a movie with Uncle Aaron and Auntie La

Auntie La was sharing her chocolate cake and ice cream with e - he even asked 'Lovie have a bite?' to try to con more bites out of her.  LOL  It was a GREAT day and a start of a fun week!

Our Little Reader...

Little e has started wanting to read books all by himself recently.  Don't get me wrong - he still wants you to read plenty to him - but he has really started to enjoy 'reading' to himself as well.   The other day I told him, "Mommy is going to go potty real quick, read a book and I'll be right back."  I came back to him having pulled a whole stack of books off the bottom of the coffee table and he sure seemed to be enjoying himself.

This is so my favorite picture!!

The best part is listening to him read them because he probably knows 3/4 of every book by heart and is 'reading' what is on each page.  Mommy has realized that this means the 'big boy' reading nook in his room needs to appear sooner rather than later. So I've added that to my (very very long) To-Do list and already found a cabinet to store his books and bought some fabric for floor pillows.  Now about that craft room... ha ha!

All boy!

My little guy is pretty much all boy.  Our front yard is littered with balls.  According to little e they are "dolf" balls (golf), basey balls (baseballs), sootball games (footballs), and soccer balls.  We hit, kick, throw and hike the day away just about everyday.

He'll play with mom, but I'm not nearly as fun as Daddy to play with apparently.  (Maybe because I'm always here, or getting fat and slow, or just bc Daddies are more fun!)

Whether its warm or cold enough for hats and jackets he loves to be outside playing with his balls!

Bedtime w Pops!

Pops stopped by on his way to FL for work and spent a fun day with us.  Best part is 'story time' at bed.   When Pops left little e said all day "Pops hold me" - we sure miss him.

Come back on your way home Pops!!

Movie Night

Our church has started having kids movie nights more regularly.  This month it was Monsters University and we were pretty excited because we hadn't seen it either.  Little e was a little scared at first but he calmed down and settled into watching it.

(Mama was on the floor for a good bit of the movie with my boys, but one comforter on a tile floor is not soft enough for a pregnant mama's hips and back after awhile).

This movie night was more fun because e's best buddy H was there with his family too and we had side by side 'seats' for the film.  Its really a fantastic set-up because all the kids are in jammies (or this time their favorite college team garb) and laid out on blankets.  You don't have to be super quiet or sit totally still for two hours.  And you bring a picnic for dinner then they have SNACKS!  Popcorn and this time monster cookies (that were really yummy!)

End of a Fun Week

Well our time with Grammie (very sadly) had to come to an end.  The night before she went back to Ohio we went to dinner at Mellow Mushroom.  I had planned to take her out just the two of us to a fun place downtown, but when MM came up she got so excited (and I don't think she wanted to leave e out of her sight for even a second once her time in SC was coming to a close).  So we met Eric near his work and had pizza - and a good time.

I don't think e sat down for one second the whole night.  He ate his meatballs pacing in the booth and 'jumping' off his booster seat.  He played with straws and flicked rolled up balls of paper.  We contained him (barely) but he is really quite the fireball to be taking to a restaurant at all anymore.  We need to find babysitters - STAT!  :)

The Zoo

While Mom was in town we used our zoo pass and met friends in Cola on Monday.  It was perfect weather and we thoroughly wore little e out!  (he was quite literally asleep BEFORE we left the parking lot)  We have used our pass enough times now that as soon as he saw the Tiger he went over, posed with it and said 'CHEESE!' :)

This particular trip to the zoo was really great.  The animals were very fun and active (I think because it has cooled off a bit) and we met friends with a zoo pass that gives you wrist bands for feeding the birds, giraffes, riding the choo-choo and other fun things.  The tiger was even roaring for us - right on cue!  I asked e "what does the tiger say?"and almost immediately you start to hear a roar for real.  (not a scary one, more of a yawny one... but still!)  We heard him a few times while we were in the area and it was super awesome!
While e (and Grammie) weren't real sure about feeding the birds (they screech and land on you to eat - which is why Mommy sent Grammie in with him in the first place) but we all loved feeding the giraffes and of course the train rides (we had to do that a few times!)

It was a really wonderful day to add to our great week with Grammie in town.  We sure miss her bunches already!

Fall Carnival

Our church held a Fall Carnival this weekend while Mom was in town.  We got home Sunday just in time for me to FRANTICALLY make e's hat for his costume.  Good news is that I got it done, bad news is he didn't want to wear it (or the overalls or the bandana - AT ALL!)  Eric had to put his overalls on at the house and convince e it was an okay thing to be wearing.  (even his Mickey Mouse shoes didn't help me!!) I wish I had a picture of Eric in his overalls, the hat and bandana walking around going 'chop-choo!' - what a great dad!!
After we got to the festival he was so busy watching all the kids and their costumes he didn't notice the bandana or the hat and he looked pretty darn cute if I do say so myself. :)

He played lots of fun games and we ran into this adorable fisherman too!

Surprise - Golf was his favorite - though we hadn't done much 'putting' before

He caught a fish!!

I love that our church has these events.  They are great for the little kids, the HS/MS youth run all the games and the $ goes to their fundraiser.  It just is all around good stuff and fun to do with friends.

Buddies!

Of course, it was really nice that Mom got to see e dressed for Halloween (even though its not Halloween yet) and that I don't have to worry about getting his costume finished in a panic next week.  :)

23 Weeks

Mom was here this week and took my 23 week photo for me.  We also created a pretty great fall mantle (check that one off the bucket list) and decided to take my picture in front of it.

I am feeling pretty good still.  Some lower back pain and increasing heartburn (oh no!) but otherwise good.  I swear e weighs 15 lbs more than he used to.  I can't hardly pick him up or carry him 10 feet to the car.  Up the stairs for bedtime is a workout in itself and I'm trying to get him to 'walk holding mommy's hand like a big boy' but sometimes that just not what he wants to do.  

Oh - I also cut my hair!! (which you might have noticed already).  I love it!!  I think it is a bit lighter in person than it photographs and angles up to the back.  I am still hoping the face doesn't balloon up during the rest of the pregnancy and make it a bad choice - but for now I'm really happy with it.  Love the change.

Really hoping this isn't the last picture of mom and me before Little Miss arrives.  Not sure we will be able to travel home for Christmas and otherwise we don't have plans to see each other again until the birth.  Makes me sad :(  Hoping maybe we find a really inexpensive flight over a long weekend and get her (and maybe dad next time too!) here one more time before February.  

Anniversary Weekend

We headed back to the mountains this weekend to celebrate our anniversary properly (sans kiddo and other family). Only problem being a trip with just the two of us didn't allow for much more than another  'self-portrait' when we finally remembered on Sunday.

Saturday we spent just shopping (after an amazing breakfast at Tupelo Honey).  We talked about the Biltmore or hiking but decided we have been joking about a 'shopping spree' for awhile (Eric was in desperate need of new clothes) and I wasn't in much shape to go hiking all weekend. I also wasn't in much shape to spend my $ on new clothes so I shopped for baby girl's nursery (so fun!!  can't wait to get it all done and show you) and YARN!!  We found the cutest town and greatest yarn shop I've been to in years in Black Mnt, NC.
I hate to admit that we rented a cabin for the weekend and in our rush didn't check the 'amenities'.  - BAD IDEA!!  Its the Saturday of the Clemson (#3) v. FSU (#5) game and we don't have a TV in our cabin.  Luckily we worked out staying at my uncles cabin not too far away - unluckily it wasn't a good game and really ugly for us Clemson fans.
We comforted ourselves with AMAZING apple cider donuts the next morning and all was right with the world again :)

It was freezing!!  41 degrees so we decided just to head home and get back to our little man!  We had a great time celebrating our anniversary and mommy enjoyed her first weekend away in two years.

Apples - Year 5!!

Well, the first time we went to the mountains to celebrate our anniversary and picked apples I didn't realize how much of a tradition it would become.  We have gone from a self portrait of the two of us, to a family two (with a dog), to a family of three, and now a family of three with one on the way! Its so fun to watch our family grow and change and enjoy a tradition like this year after year.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3 (expecting little e)

Year 4 - first year w. a baby and no new hand knits - ha!

Year 5 - still no new hand knits :) - and expecting #2

We expanded the tradition after year one to include my cousin and his family.  They live as far from the NC orchard as we do - in the other direction so its a great reason and place to meet.  This year they have a puppy (and two growing kids) and we enjoyed our time with them.

Little e really enjoyed picking apples

My boys

You can get better ones when daddy helps!

The kiddos!!  Love it!

My cousin and his fam

Even though we don't technically go over our anniversary weekend anymore - we still like the idea that its an 'anniversary' tradition and how appropriate to see our family growth captured at the same time every year celebrating our marriage!