I got a little inspired by some Pinterest pics and tried to get some last minute photos of Grace and baby Clark. I think they turned out okay- nailed it!-- Plus, it highlights my bulging bump! Not sure if that's a good thing, but it's a memory nonetheless!
A large portion of my weekend (4-5 hours) was spent grading papers. Ugh. Not the most fun way to spend my weekend, but it feels good to finally be done! With the end of the 6 weeks approaching, I want to make sure I am more than prepared for labor! I met with my long term sub on Friday, and my grades are finalized! (except for the few students that like to wait until the last minute- of course)
On Saturday, after using a gift card to Breadwinners, we decided to renew our membership to Sam's. Figured it would be a good decision for shopping with two kids. (especially two kids in diapers!) Grace thought Sam's was some type of amusement park or something! She had more fun in that place than most playgrounds. She's a cheap date! I felt like we were getting some judgmental looks from people since we were just letting our child run around crazy, but she was just being so funny!
What is it about the cheese balls? She was totally bummed we couldn't get these!
Best place for hide and seek! Do you see a little girl in there?
Saturday night, we had a church group meeting and Matt & Cecily were very generous to come and hang out with Grace. It seemed like they had a really good time. We got some photo updates of their 'bow party'. Also, when we got home and Matt & Cecily had left, we went in to check on Grace and it looked like the bow party followed to the bedroom!
Sunday was full of productivity! After church, we headed to Wal-Mart to pick up Grace's swingset. I spent a good chunk of my morning opening and organizing all the thousands of little pieces it requires to put this thing together. Figured I'd be as useful as possible. I got the first 6 steps organized in Ziploc baggies, so as soon as we can get a little assistance (Landon?) :) , we'll knock this thing out!
We also made a trip to Lewisville to pick up a freezer from Tom & Patsy! They were not only generous enough to give us the freezer, but also drive it back to Plano. We took a little afternoon break to watch the Rangers/Cowboys game, where I apparently fell asleep at some point. I woke up and everyone was gone---oopsy.
I have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday to check how far I've come in a week, and I'm praying I've come a good ways! At this time with Grace, I would've already had her...so it's making me anxious! When I'm not staying busy with schoolwork, I try to keep my mind as occupied as possible! Besides reading about little hints for jump-starting labor, I LOVE spending time appreciating all the lovely things about fall! Whether it's watching sports or pretend shopping on Pinterest, my mind stays nice and busy! Here's some goodies I am lusting over at the moment!
Even though I have short, stubby legs, I still love the booty!
Love the Mungo sweater-- looks super comfy!
Gotta get me some Aztec leggings.
Something tells me I'll be wearing out some leggings this fall/winter!
I WILL be making me a door wreath of some kind this Fall. I always look at them and have tons of ideas--I just need to do it! I can't decide if I want to do a fall theme or just do a 'B' in Red & Black chevron or something? Anyone want to do a Pinterest party and inspire my creativity??
Mike leaves town tomorrow night, so I need everybody either praying that I go into labor early tomorrow OR wait until Thursday! Also, if I make it until Thursday, I have an 1 1/2 hour prenatal massage calling my name. So torn! Until then, here is my motto:
...however, this might be hard when this is one of your daughter's favorite things to do at the moment!
Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long (about the size of a head of romaine lettuce). 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. www.babycenter.com
Total Weight Gain: At the doctor today, I was right at 38 pounds. I'm happy to say that I have gotten in a lot less trouble this pregnancy with the weight gain!
Maternity Clothes: I'm in the stage where even my maternity clothes are fitting a little too snug and short, BUT I'm inching up so close to my due date that I'm not about to spend one more penny on clothing that I will be too small for in a few weeks. Fortunately, after having Grace, I stocked up on a pretty good collection of in between clothes because my maternity was just too big and I wasn't even close to my other clothes. I have some good boyfriend jeans and loose fitting shirts ready and waiting---now if only I can keep myself dressed until then.
Stretch Marks: Still can't find any. Did a pretty good -all over- check last night.
Sleep: This week I have developed -yet another- congestion/cough/head cold. I have been coughing on and off all night long. So, needless to say, Mike has been enjoying his nights on the couch. Honestly, that's much better for both of us at this point. Poor guy. Good thing we have a big couch.
Best moment of this week: This has actually been a really good week. Besides my coughing, I have been feeling pretty good and energetic. (considering) It's a pretty laid back week at school with students working on projects and only one scheduled meeting. On Monday, Mike worked from home since we were getting our crown moulding finished (finally!) and the bedrooms are finished! He even fixed the huge hole in our bedroom wall where Daisy about went through. Now...next on our to-do list is to gather the three different paint colors for those walls and do some serious touch ups! ...hopefully before baby boy comes!
Last night, I got to go to probably my last Rangers game of the season--unless some miracle happens, they pull out the wild card position, and I have a friend who would love to take me. ;) It was a great one to go to! Even though the game wasn't the most exciting thing with the Rangers barely sneaking by with a 3-2 win, it was filled with entertainment and a little bit like Christmas! I got my Yu bobble head doll, which will look amazing on my desk. I also got a foul ball! Well, Jennifer got a foul ball, but gave it to me since she has like 10 already...plus, I was sitting right next to her. ;)
A foul ball for baby Clark!
My ballpark 'presents'! Yu bobble head, foul ball, and a security guy gave me a handful of free tacos--he said I looked like I could use them! Score!
My parents got Grace a swingset for her birthday, and it will be arriving in the next week or so. I'm so excited for her because she absolutely loves to swing, and I just don't feel like we do it enough for her. Now, what I am NOT looking forward to is putting the thing together. SOOOO, if anybody out there needs something to do next weekend- feel free to come help Mike and me put together a swingset. If you do, I can promise you beer and my sparkling personality. If you don't, I can't guarantee that Mike won't destroy the swingset and kill us all before it's all over. You do what you think is right! Here's what the finished product SHOULD look like. (except for the handle in the middle, we are going to put a baby swing)
Miss Anything?: I've noticed this week that I miss just maneuvering around my classroom without knocking into everything. Well, I suppose this applies everywhere---not just my classroom. At the beginning of the week, I was moving around and trying to help my students with their projects, but after a few awkward bumps and bangs I threw that out the window. Students now know that I can be reached for service sitting nicely in my chair at the front of the room.
Movement: Even though he's about 6 pounds and 19 inches, nothing is slowing this boy down! I have a sling that I used for Grace when she was a newborn (that I loved), but I just don't know if Clark can handle it---he may just throw himself right out of it!
UPDATES!! Today, at the doctor, we got to have our final sonogram before we get to meet this boy in person! Well, as of today he is measuring about 6 pounds 8 ounces. When Grace was born, she was 6lbs 11oz--so we're right on track. The sonogram was pretty entertaining too. He is in perfect birthing position- head down, face down, but he is running out of room quick! We would be watching him on the screen and he was scrunched up in the tightest ball. I could feel every single move he was making on the screen. Also, we could see his lungs functioning very well. The sonographer told us that it's very hard to tell how healthy their lungs are from a sonogram, but the fact that you could see them consistently making inflating/deflating motions was a great sign! Here's some pics.
Here's a pretty good profile pic.
Crazy how much more space he takes up than at the beginning of pregnancy!
Definitely still a boy. Whoa buddy!
Food Craving: psh! There's no more room for food in me! I eat a little bit here or there, but mostly just drinking a lot of green tea. However, I did take down a hot dog and cheese fries at the ballpark last night. When in Rome...
Anything making you queasy or sick? nope
Labor Signs: Nothing big yet. I'm keeping my eyes wide open from this point on though! Grace came out like a bullet at 37 weeks, and they usually say the second one is faster. With this said, I'm keeping my guard up. I have been getting small cases of cramps more and more often and I can definitely feel him moving lower and lower, but nothing major YET! Still aiming for about 2 more weeks!
As well as my sonogram, the doctor checked me out and said I'm dilated one centimeter (which is basically nothing), but the labor process has slowly started. She also said that I'm slowly starting to thin out (TMI--sorry!)- so everything's right on track in that department. I'm still feeling it will be early, and the doctor agreed. However, she also doesn't think I will be doing much in the next week or two. WE SHALL SEE! Gotta make it to my October 8th guess!
Symptoms: My feet are getting pretty puffy and my lower back has been having some shooting pains, but those aren't surprising considering the size I am! That and my constant coughing (which I failed to point out that obviously this maximizes my 'need to pee' symptom by about 100!)
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! School is finally starting to settle down a little bit, we have adjusted well to our evening schedule, Mike isn't scheduled to go out of town again at this point, & there is baby coming soon! What's not to be happy about at this point?
Looking forward to: Having all my History essays graded and all my school stuff organized and prepared for the substitute. I'll be laying in bed and constantly think of something else I need to do to get ready for maternity leave. I've emailed our HR lady about 100 times it feels like to get my maternity paperwork and she is NEVER in a hurry to respond. None of the above things were worked out with Grace since she came so early--so I spent the first week of maternity leave running around doing paperwork instead of relaxing. Really trying to avoid that this go around.
Also looking forward to watching some good sports AGAIN this weekend! Ranger's final season games---praying for an Angels sweep---- and Cowboys on Sunday! Unfortunately, Tech is off this weekend, BUT I did find this little gem on T.V. Two of my favorite things: ENews & Tech/Kingsbury!
My Beth Moore study is going great too! It's intense, but very inspiring. Here's a verse that stood out to me with the upcoming occasion!
Grace's 2nd birthday celebrations were a fabulous mix of excitement and exhaustion. We had a pretty busy week last week between Mike being in Chicago, gymnastics, and doctor appointments. Grace's official birthday was Thursday (9/19), and Mom came into town that morning to help wake her up. She had a good morning full of presents to make her a princess for the day! Mom insisted on keeping her for the day, but had to take her to Emma's (babysitter) for her planned birthday party. We are so blessed to have such a fun and caring babysitter to keep our Lou!
The kiddos and Emma---soon to be one more! :)
Thursday night, after school, I met Mom and Grace at gymnastics and then we met Mike for dinner after he got home from Chicago! Tom and Patsy came over with a new gift and fajitas...win win!
Our new 'rock rock'!
After work on Friday, we headed to Grace's 2 year appointment. I don't know if it's because she has been so healthy and never goes to the doctor-or what, but it was a DRAMA filled doctor experience---to say the least! Grace was very overwhelmed and scared of everything that was going on. When they were measuring her head, you would've thought they were chopping her ears off. Getting her height/weight was just the same. When the doctor came in, he informed us that on the growth chart Grace was border line obesity. Hmmmm. Not really an easy way to react to a statement like that, but I guess we'll be skipping to low fat everything? Nah. I'm not worried about it. Everything else looked really good, but I told him that Grace has been complaining about her ear being sore (on and off). It's been about a week or two that she has been complaining about it, and we just figured she might have had a mild case of swimmer's ear or something from her swim lessons. WELL...come to find out, she had an ear infection so bad that it had burst and was draining fluid with blood and puss. Nasty, but so sad! :'( I felt like the worst mom ever, but the doctor made me feel better and said that as kids get older it's just harder to tell. In the past, when Grace has had an ear infection, she has a fever and congestion. Plus, she has acted much more in pain. She has been running around crazy with plenty of energy and appetite, so I haven't thought too much about it. In conclusion, a huge fit at the doctor and $70 later, Grace is recovering from her worst ear infection yet.
That night, she didn't sleep too well and was up around 4:30 complaining about her ear. After giving her some pain meds and laying with her until she fell back asleep, I was awake for the day! There was definitely no going back to sleep for me. So, in preparation for the party later, I decided it was as good a time as any to make a trip to Wal Mart. There is something to be said about grocery shopping at 5 am. I was literally the only shopper in there, and it was actually an enjoyable experience. After getting all the food I needed for the party, I headed to the only self checkout available. Well, I don't think I started the Wal-Mart lady's day off to a very good start. I scanned and bagged my entire cart---saving the beer for last. As soon as I scanned the beer, my entire checkout station froze. Considering I have never try to buy beer at 5:30 in the morning, I didn't even think about the times that alcohol is aloud to be sold. FYI...it's 7 am. Anyway, they had to restart my checkout station, while moving me to another one and rescanning/bagging all my groceries. Luckily, they were really nice and were more amused by my giant belly than the fact that I was causing so much inconvenience. ---not to mention I was an 8 month pregnant lady trying to buy beer at 6 in the morning. I bet they don't see that everyday!
After getting home, unloading the groceries, and sneaking in a little power nap, we were up with the sun---running! We had some breakfast and waited for Pops, Landon, and Whitney to show up to join us at KidMania. Even though I had never been there and it was a bit of a gamble, Grace really loved the place! The 3 year and under section was a little lame, but she played pretty well in the big kid section. The other big kids that were there were soo sweet and played really well with her. She also had a great time going through it with Clay and Nate! Give it another 6 months or so, and she'll be unstoppable! It also doesn't hurt that 3 years and under are only $3 and adults are only $1. Pretty cheap fun! See if you can guess what her party theme was...
Any time I tried to take a picture, she would smash her face like this. Funny girl!
So high!
We stayed at KidMania for a good two hours or so. Gigi and Gikum showed up for a little bit and then we all headed to the house. The party was a success. Grace had a blast seeing everybody and hanging with her cousins. They played for hours. I think the adults had a pretty nice time too--especially since it was such a BEAUTIFUL day and night. Mike grilled hamburgers, I tried out a pinterest recipe, and Grace tore into her cupcake! She also got some pretty awesome presents from everyone too!
PRESENT TIME
Thanks Uncle Robert and Aunt Jess for the Minnie ball pit!
Thanks Keprta family for the Minnie dress up! Wish I had video of this one...she was pumped!
I'm a lucky girl!
Needless to say, we are very thankful to have such great family/friends to be there to celebrate with Grace. She had an amazing and exhausting day, and I can prove it! After everybody left for the evening, we put Grace to bed. As we were cleaning up, I remembered that we needed to change her diaper before she went to sleep- and I forgot! So, Mike said he would go in there and wake her up and do it. Well, he walked in, took her out of bed, took off her pajamas, changed her diaper, and put back on her pajamas...and she NEVER even woke up. Now, that is exhaustion. Special thank you to everyone who helped my baby girl have another memorable birthday.
In other news...
Well, on top of all the birthday celebration for one child, I am officially 36 weeks and one day pregnant. I am feeling larger and heavier than ever, but I'll save you the updates for another day! On Wednesday, I have my big doctor appointment with my last sonogram and all my blood work--to double check that my blood platelets are still stable enough for upcoming delivery! Wish me luck! Mike and I were talking the other day, and if this pregnancy is anything like Grace's, I only have another week or so until I go into labor. This weekend, two years ago, we actually attended Oktoberfest--and little did I know that I was already in labor!
I figure we could go 'Friends' style and make this pregnancy interesting. Make your guess about when you think this baby is going to show up! Post the day you think it's going to happen. I'm going to go somewhere in between Grace's timing and full term. I don't want him to come too early since his little lungs need to fully develop and I want to be able to take off until the end of the semester. I'm going to go with Grace's due date, October 8th---keep it significant. That gives me a few more weeks! Now, what do you think?
The Sunday before I went into labor, we took some 37 week photos in our front yard---so we re-enacted them to try and compare!
When I go back and look at Grace's pregnancy, I definitely think I am way larger this go around! Sad day. Ginormo!
Grace's pregnancy...much smaller, I think!
Boldings!....for now ;)
This upcoming week looks like it should be a good one! Tomorrow, we are getting our crown moulding in the bedrooms completely finished- so that's exciting. Also, I have a student observer coming to watch my classes this entire week for her certification hours. Guess that means I will have to teach somewhere other than my desk chair...don't want to be a bad example. Because of her ear infection, we won't be attending swimming, so that clears up our evening for tomorrow. I should be excited about that, except that I have 140 History essays to grade---Lord, help me! Tuesday, I get to go to the Rangers game and get me a Yu bobble head. Please help the Rangers win! Please! Please! Other than that, a pretty standard week ahead with a pre-natal massage on Saturday! Yay! My swelling feet and aching back are ready!
Hope you all have a great week! Don't forget to make your labor guess!! :)
