SHE'S HERE!

Introducing Adalyn Lawren

July 28th at 6:21pm (40wks6d)

8 lbs 15.4 oz

19.5 inches long

Her birth story, name explanation (middle is pronounce lah-wren with the emphasis on 'wren') and tons of pictures to come soon! For now we're adjusting to being home and enjoying staring at her sweet face.

Happy Birthday sweet girl.

Bye Bye Pregnancy

Since this is most likely our last, it's been a bittersweet last couple weeks of pregnancy for me. I truly enjoy having a baby curled up inside me every minute and although it comes with some not-so-fun side effects, the overall experience was magical both times and I feel so blessed to have carried these little lives.

For today, I thought it would be fun to compare the two pregnancies since there were definitely similarities and differences!

One thing that never wavered with either pregnancy was my amazing husband. We had a few scares and I had a few days where I could barely move from pain, but he remained my rock. When I needed it most, he would tell me I looked beautiful and when I needed him to do anything extra around the house, he did it no questions asked. He's the one person I'm so thankful to have had by my side for these 19ish total months. Period.

So without further adieu, I say goodbye once again, and probably for the last time, to pregnancy. We had a wonderful time together again and you'll always hold a special place in my heart. As much as I'm ready to get my body back, I'll miss you, so thanks for the memories!

Last family of 3 picture. 7.25.2014 (40wks3days)

Thankful Thursday

Thankful today for: 
     - Grandparents taking over Drew duties and precious moments like the above
     - A husband who never stops being my rock
     - My mother and her yummy meals and desserts she has already been cooking
     - OB's who let me postpone my induction in hopes of letting baby girl move on her own
     - Friends who have been checking in on me and their encouraging words
     - Two legs who have allowed me to walk a lot this week
     - A healthy baby girl who I will get to meet soon enough

Well Hello There 40 Weeks

Baby girl is staying put for now and I'm just not sure it's in our stars to not have to induce. I'm even thinking having to induce is hereditary and it will be something even my daughter faces at some point. Oh well, as long as she's healthy, that's all that matters... we'll get to meet her soon enough!

At my appointment yesterday not much had changed. I'm still around 3-4cm and only 60% effaced. She really hasn't dropped and I really haven't had more than a couple contractions since our hospital visit on the 14th. I've been pretty sick the last few days so I'm thankful my parents are in town to help with Drew while I try to get better before having to birth a kid!

In general, not much has changed since my 35 week update so I don't have much to post about. No weight has really been gained, I'm trying to walk a lot to get her to move down and it's just a waiting game in my mind! That being said, if she doesn't come out, I'm leaning towards the 24th or the 28th for an induction. We shall see!

Now I just need this stupid head cold to go away so I have the energy to push her out!

Ever Heard of Cellulitis?

If not, don't google it, let alone look at images on google of it. Instead, let me show you a rated 'G' version from a toddler foot:

Looks like a sprain right? It's not. It's from a bug bite. And only a couple days old! You see, we had noticed him scratching a lot on that ankle Thursday night, but he had several bug bites and we put a dab of cortizone on each of them before hitting the hay. By Friday morning this particular bite was a bit puffy, but I sent him to school with more itch cream and told him to leave it alone. When we picked him up, his teacher told us that we might want to keep an eye on his ankle where the bite was and that it was quite hot to the touch and puffy. When we were able to get his shoe and sock off, the above is what we saw. Not good.

Our pediatrician's office was closed as it was after 5, and after googling information about it, we didn't want to risk it getting worse overnight. Derek's insurance is amazing and we made the decision to just pay the minimal fee and head straight the ER. It was a fairly quick hour there and the doc knew instantly that it was cellulitis. Drew was a champ getting his blood pressure and temperature read and the doc gave him the ultimate prize; a frozen popsicle.

He was put on the same antibiotics I'm currently on from Monday's escapade and doing just fine. He can walk on it and it seems to just still be itchy instead of painful so that's a plus.

Keep an eye on your kiddos this summer! The mosquitoes are pretty bad and we never knew a bite could lead to something that could turn life-threatening if left untreated. Trust those mommy/daddy instincts... they work!

{Now let's just hope that next time we're at a hospital it's to meet our baby girl!}

Waiting & Questioning

2005 - Waiting to marry my best friend.

2011 - Waiting to meet my little man.

2014 - Waiting to meet my little girl.

Baby Girl Update
Tuesday:
Only a couple of contractions in the morning and in quite a bit of pain/discomfort all day.
Wednesday:
Terrible sleep the night before and in a TON of pain all day. Like had-a-few-cries pain and could barely move. No contractions. Called the OB midday and they said to call back Friday if I was still in pain. I chugged cranberry juice and worked on my laptop so I could be more comfortable.
Today: 
After two full days on medication, I slept a bit better last night. No tears from the pain yet today, but still uncomfortable to move and going to the bathroom every 15-20 min.

So now the questions remains is to induce before 40 weeks or not. (FYI that we induced at 40wks6d with Drew). I really wanted to feel non-induction labor this time, but my parents arrive tomorrow, I'm in a lot of discomfort all day and will be at 39.5wks Friday. My OB is completely fine inducing even at 39 weeks with the second kid, but I didn't want that option. I know she's fully cooked, but I have mixed emotions on evicting her before she's ready. Ugh. The decisions we make as parents!

A Bladder Infection and Contractions

So today I hit 39 weeks (full term, yeah!) but last night was a different story. For a couple hours we actually weren't sure she was going to make it to 39 weeks.

Let's back up a bit.

I took yesterday off work as a 'me' day to tie up a few loose ends, do some laundry and get a pedi. I had my OB appt in the morning and Derek and I had planned to take Drew to school together and then head to the appt after a quick Starbucks breakfast date. Unfortunately I overslept a bit and jumped out of bed quickly when Derek woke me up around 7:45. I felt a tiny side pain near where her head sits but thought nothing of it.

The appt went great, I was around a 3cm but really no other changes with her and my blood pressure was perfect. Derek went on to work and I went on to 3 stores to pick up a few items. I noticed throughout the morning that I was needing to pee a ton more than normal (so like every 15-20 min) and my lower side pain was hurting even more. I let Derek know that I think I pulled something when jumping out of bed too quickly and tried to really relax the rest of the day.

By about 4pm, however, the pain was worse. If baby girl rolled onto that side it was excruciating to the point of tears a couple times. Derek didn't want to risk anything happening to baby girl so we decided to drop off Drew at our friends and head to the hospital to get it checked out. I'm NOT one to jump the gun with issues and really had a feeling I would be discharged an hour later, but better safe than sorry.

Upon arrival I was really hurting, but it still was just a sharp side pain and didn't feel at all like a contraction. Not timeable, no real start and stop and it was very sharp, not like a squeezing or a cramp. I was brought to a room, hooked up to the machines and we waited to be checked. A couple hours in, Derek was watching the machines and I noticed my pains were somewhat starting to come and go feeling more like a contraction. Eventually I would be checked with no changes but the OB said there was a trace of bladder infection in my urine and she was going to give me a prescription.

While waiting for that urine test results over the last two hours, I was definitely having  pretty strong contractions. At that point we really thought we were going to be there overnight progressing in labor and eventually meeting our little girl. I was overcome with emotions and tried to mentally prepare for the moment to be there!

But the OB on call discharged us. 

We were somewhat confused as my contractions were horrible, but she explained that the infection could be causing them and since they weren't regular enough, I was to go home, try to get some sleep and keep my doc updated. Around 11:15pm, we scooped up a sleeping Drew from our wonderful friends house a block over and quickly got him back to sleep. Although contractions continued for a couple hours, I was able to ultimately get some sleep myself as they slowly subsided. When I woke this morning, they were gone. My sharp pain was still there and has persisted all day, but I've only had a few small contractions so for that I'm thankful. 

Lesson of the day: labor and Type A planning personalities just do NOT mesh and I'm learning to cope with that as much as I can. I can't STAND not knowing if these contractions will strike again, if they are even 'real', when labor will start or even when I'll meet my baby girl! But for now, I'm working on the laptop with my feet up and trying to rest and hydrate as much as I can! 

Oh, and I never ended up getting that pedi. Fail.

A Toddler's Heaven

I had been waiting for a good weekend to get to Memphis Kiddie Park again this year and last weekend it was perfect. We woke up on Sunday to an overcast sky and temps in the upper 70's. 

The last time we went, a year ago, Drew was with his friend Charlotte and he had a rough start to the fun. There were some nervous tears but after seeing Charlotte and other children have fun, he warmed up quickly. Although daddy and I spotted some nervousness this time around again, he eventually wanted to ride every ride and had a blast. 

See this face below though? Drew refused to look at the camera and death gripped the bar. I knew he was a bit scared but he ended up loving the roller coaster and did great!

Obviously the train was his favorite thing and it was a nice slow ride for mommy to enjoy with him.

More pictures from the fun. The yellow basket ride circled up into the air about 10 feet and he even enjoyed that! Apparently my little guy is growing up.

We ended the day with his first cherry slushie drink (which obviously he loved) and followed with a good nap. I just love little parks like this that cater to 2-5 year olds!

Neighborhood Sprinkle

Have I mentioned how awesome our new neighborhood is? So many social events, such awesome people and tons of kids. It's the perfect place for us. We've only been here for 10 months and already a couple of the ladies wanted to throw me a sprinkle for baby girl!

It was a gorgeous evening with a delicious salad bar and appetizers followed by yummy cupcakes! My friend Sonda (dark blue shirt below) made all of the adorable pink and green decorations and the banner above.

And check out this baby in a buggy Sonda made. SO adorable!

Me with the two hosts and a couple shots opening gifts.

There were a total of 11 ladies there (a few had to jet before the group picture above) and I felt SO spoiled with all of the gifts! Man little girls clothes are just SO much more fun to open than boys. She is going to be one adorably dressed little girl thanks to all of our friends!

Drew // 3.5 Years Old

Oh baby boy. What a year it's been. Your verbal skills and smarts are out of control and you blow our minds weekly with language. Even just tonight you looked at the soccer ball and said "pentagons!". We had no idea you even knew what a pentagon was. You are still our nervous little man who takes a while to warm up to new people or activities, but your sweetness has never wavered. We knew it was coming, but you've had quite a few whiny spells and have had "trying days" for the past 4 months or so. The tantrums are fairly minimal, though, and the majority of the time you're still an angel. We've been working on reading and you've gotten very good with short words.

You still love to eat and fruits/sweets are your favorite. We've been having you help us with chores here and there and you do a great job with them. You still absolutely love to mow with daddy and clean anything. I swear the broom and duster are your favorite 'toys'! You've gotten so much better at speed running and seem to trip less lately. (I still blame your grandpa for giving his clumsiness to me and then continuing that on to you!) Although team TBall was touch and go, you love playing it out back and hopefully when we try it again you will warm up to the coach and other players quickly.

Happy half birthday little man. I know your world is about to be rocked, but I can't wait for you to meet your baby sister!

Love you Drewdlebug!

Baby Girl's Colorful Nursery

To me, this is the perfect nursery for our little girl. Touches of Derek and my past, full of color and not too pink or matchy-matchy. My parents gifted us their comfy rocker and I had a good time finding pieces that would tie in that blue color to the rest of the nursery. Only a few items were bought new with many others made by myself or re-purposed from our childhood homes.

We still have to get her name decal over the changing table and order her PBK anywhere chair, but other than that it's done.

Enjoy!

Details on the below:
     - Upper left // shelf includes my brown bear and precious moments ballerina as well as my baby photo album.
     - Upper right // my mother's picture from when she was pregnant with me
     - Lower left // the framed cut out was in my parents bathroom our entire childhood and features a girl and boy. The hair accessory holder was Derek's shelf that was in his room growing up.
     - Lower right // another framed picture from my childhood of a little girl

Details on the below:
     - Two framed prints made by myself
     - Mobile // details here
     - 4 flower prints // DIY project of printing onto cardstock and modge podging them onto canvases

Details on the below:
     - I saw something similar on another blog months ago and asked my father if he had any Kansas maps. Even with a new Garmin, my parents still travel with good 'ole paper maps, but my dad was able to find a vintage 1985 map he didn't need anymore. I used modge podge to stick them on wood letters and voila! There is a city featured on the "B" which is where I was born and raised and Derek moved to when he was 3 and raised. It's a city that will always hold a special place in our heart and I love bringing that touch of our heritage to her room.

Details on the below:
     - Left // the colorful quilt on the chair is mine from childhood
     - Middle // I found a cheap lamp at Goodwill and spray painted it pink
     - Right // baby girl already has a gynorm wardrobe thanks to city-wide consignment sales, friends and family!

Now we just need baby girl to make her way into this world!

More nursery Deets:

Room Color - Sherwin Williams 6315 White Dogwood
Crib & dresser - Drew's nursery

Crib sheet, skirt & 'dream' pillow - Land of Nod

Mobile - DIY (I followed this tutorial)

Tissue poms - Della Carter Decor

Flower prints - DIY on canvas

ABC map letters - DIY

Butterfly decals - Etsy

Changing pad cover - Amazon

Drapes - Overstock

Book racks - Ikea (spray painted white)

Quick Visit from Uncle Bean

Have I mentioned how much I love having someone from our family now within a 2.5 hour drive? It's a whole new world! Bean (my brother Michael whom I've always called Bean) drove over on the 4th with his girlfriend and stayed with us a couple of nights. We had a nice, low-key weekend eating most meals outside, enjoying a few trips to the pool and, of course, playing card games.

(Don't worry, Bailey only gets a few last drops but she LOVES beer)

Now I just wish I could beg summer to stick around longer than normal this year!

Blueberry Picking

I was super sad about missing the strawberry picking window, but wouldn't miss blueberries for the world! This was our 4th year of doing this up here and I can't wait to have two littles tagging along next year. We found a quaint little farm without a facebook page or website and I just love having the field to ourselves. It's not a mad dash to quickly pick the best ones and the tall trees shade us from the hot sun.

Drew and I had to show our near empty buckets. My excuse was playing photographer while his was taste-testing them all. Thankfully daddy picked up our slack!

On the menu this week will be my yummy blueberry turnovers!

Happy 4th!

Hope you have a safe and fun 4th! 

From Stinky to Clean

Another plus of summer? Not spending $32 to wash two dogs at a self serve place and being able to do it out back whenever we want! Our girls have always loved baths and I'm less annoyed by them when they smell fresh, but I've always worried about giving Bailey dead tail again. (If you've never heard of that, read up, it's a real thing!)

With the temps in the high 80's , we knew it was safe to give them a bath despite the cold hose water. Drew was such a good help this time and did a great job scrubbing and drying them off.

The best part of dog baths outside? They can shake to their heart's content and we don't get soaked!