Hanging with Roo

(I actually wrote this post a few days before JP was born and then forgot to publish it...)

Poor Ruthie generally just gets drug around to whatever the big girls are doing. She's pretty good natured about the whole thing (because sometimes it pays off...like milkshakes when the elementary school has Sonic night) but I wanted to make sure and have some time that was just for her before baby came. Two weeks ago we started back to My Gym and she's been LOVING that. We also had some great weather last week and took advantage of that.

On Monday after drop off (that would be the week before JP was born) we came home and walked Franklin and since we didn't have anything else to do I let her walk instead of riding in the stroller and we took our time and stopped and collected some rocks and flowers as well. She also got to be my kitchen helper and help me make a quiche to take to a friend with a new baby. She LOVES getting to help me in the kitchen but it's so rare for her to have the opportunity to because if the big girls are home then they want to help too and then it's waaaay too crowded in the kitchen.


Wednesday morning I was feeling pretty good so after we dropped Ellie off at school Ruthie and I headed to the zoo. She had the BEST time getting to go at her own pace and do exactly what she wanted to do (ie. no standing in the eternally long pony ride line when she's not even big enough to ride the pony). I loved being able to make some fun memories with my "only child" Ruthie.

Riding the train!

Decisions, decisions, what to see next...

We spent about 15 minutes on the giraffe deck before Ruthie worked up the courage for ME to feed the giraffe.

One of Ruthie's favorite things to do is play outside. Unfortunately, the heat seems to be a MAJOR trigger for her eczema flair ups so I don't let her go outside for long periods of time. Well with the cool weather it was the perfect time to give her free reign outside. On Thursday we spent a good chunk of time outside and she had a great time playing in the sandbox (who knew there was that much space in there!), the playhouse, and pushing the lawn mower around with nobody trying to take her toys or boss her around.


We also went and ate lunch with Emmie at school the week before. Roo loved getting to hang with the big kids!



Ruthie expects a lot of Mommy attention and I feel like this whole new baby thing is just going to rock her world (plus she's practicing being a 2 year old) so I'm so glad that we've had this week to hang out together just the two of us!

1 week old

JP is 1 week old today and we're more in love with him every day! He is just the sweetest little thing.

We made it home from the hospital around 6:15 Tuesday night after waiting for what felt like forever to be discharged. He was up pretty much all night Monday night wanting to nurse so I was so ready to get home to my own bed and get him into his own room (he's a really noisy sleeper).  We went to the doctor Wednesday morning and he was down to 6lb 15oz but the doctor didn't think he looked super jaundiced (his bili at discharge was on the high side of normal) so he didn't have to get his heel stuck to check his bilirubin. We went back on Friday for a weight check and our growing boy was back up to birth weight and the doctor thought it looked like the jaundice he had was going away so he once again avoided a heel stick.

Hearing test...I think this picture is hilarious!

Totally relaxed.

At night he gets up every 3-5 hours. During the day he nurses every 2-3.5 hours. He likes to be snuggly warm. He has great awake time in the morning and late afternoon. He likes tummy time and can lift his head and turn it from side to side while on his tummy.

So serious.

He was not a fan of the sponge bath (but he gets a real bath tonight!)


When he's awake he is a studier and spends most of his time just watching and listening to the world around him. He sleeps in the bouncer during the day and the rock 'n play in his room at night. His sisters love him so much. He likes his pacifier. He sucks on this thumb or fingers sometimes.

He's a very noisy sleeper. He loves to snuggle. He likes to be swaddled at night as long as he can still get to his hands. He has very manly burps. He has a perfect record as a Gamecock fan!

Watching football with daddy.

Franklin has adjusted pretty well to the new baby. He seems to trust us to take care of JP and doesn't feel like he needs to supervise our every move like he did with Emmie. He will sniff at JP every now and then but overall he's pretty relaxed about the whole new baby thing.

Checking out the little brother.

The boys doing tummy time together.

Emmie loves to hold JP and lay beside him while he does tummy time. My type A firstborn who doesn't like change has had some hard moments this past week but she got some sleep (she had a SUPER busy week) and things are getting better. She loves to give JP kisses and hugs! She really likes to do jobs that she thinks are "adult" jobs, like putting his pacifier back in his mouth...she's so pleased that she gets to do this.

Ellie is such a proud big sister. She was so excited to tell all of her teachers and friends about her new little brother. She loves to hold JP and rub his head and loves to be a helper. She often will call him Jonathan Paul Jr instead of JP which I think is pretty cute. (Ellie likes big words so I think that's why she likes saying his whole name.)

Ruthie has done amazingly well so far with the addition of a new baby. She loves him so, so much and is just fascinated by everything about him.

She will often rub his hair and then put on a shocked face and rub her hair like she just can't believe they both have hair. She's also fascinated that he has hands, ears, eyes, nose, and mouth just like her!

We both have ears!

She can't say Js so she calls him PP which I find hilarious. She has done a great job remembering to be gentle. She has moments where she's not super gentle but for a 21 month old I've been very impressed. She is hilarious about his pacifier and blanket. If I take him in a different room she's right behind me bringing his pacifier and blanket. It's really, really sweet.

Jonathan Paul Edwards Jr

We were thrilled to welcome Jonathan Paul Edwards Jr "JP" into the world on Monday, September 21st at 1:14pm.



He was 7lb 6oz and 19in long and has a lot of dark hair.


We are so in love with him and so are his big sisters and grandparents!

39 Weeks

I'm 39 weeks today!

My goal was to get to 39 weeks before baby came so baby now has permission to come anytime it wants. I'm sooo ready to meet our new little one and snuggle with him/her.

Overall I feel pretty decent for being 39 weeks pregnant. I'm tired and achy but there have been weeks during this pregnancy when I've felt a lot worse so I really can't complain too much. (And knock on wood I made it through this pregnancy without a pinched nerve in my right shoulder...I had one with the last 2.) I will say one of the big reasons I'm ready to have this baby is because I'm tired of waking up multiple times a night with reflux. I'm taking Zantac which works ok and I'm also using Tums which work great but I have to pick and choose when I use them because otherwise I'll max out and will be miserable in the middle of the night. I had about a month where I had a lot of trouble getting to sleep but this past week I've done pretty well...I think by the time I get in bed I'm just exhausted!

Overall this pregnancy I've gained 38lb. I'm pretty happy with that considering at 28 weeks I had already gained 30lb. I'm definitely not as hungry as I was early on, probably because there is less room for my stomach now! My blood pressure has been creeping up over the last few weeks but the doctors aren't too concerned about it.

I'm hoping baby will come sometime over the next week and if it doesn't then we'll schedule induction for sometime the week after.

My bag and baby's bag are packed (baby's bag got packed last night when I was having contractions every 10 minutes...I also painted my toes...priorities). I have arrangements made for who's taking care of the girls if I go into labor. The baby has a car seat and the swing and bouncer are put together and waiting for baby and the baby tub is pulled out. I think we're about ready!

Tomorrow is my last day of work and I think everyone I'm working with is nervous that I'll go into labor at work!

We have a boy name and have narrowed our girl list down to four names. For those who have been following the Great Name Debate I've been having with my mom, Rainey is not on our list.

Do you think baby is a girl or a boy? Vote in the poll on the side of the blog!

20 Months

I am 20 months! (And many, many days...Mommy was a bit behind getting this up!)

• I wear size 18-24 month clothes, a size 4 or 5 shoe, and a size 4 diaper.
• I love books and pictures that have animals in them and I love to tell you what sounds they make!
• I have all my teeth.
• I still love to eat! Cheese, apples, lima beans, and noodles are some of my favorites!

• This month I had my first trip to the dentist. I did such a good job and when we went back a few days later for Emmie's appointment I was all ready to let the dentist look at my teeth again!

• This month we went to Greenville for a week and had lots of fun adventures and got lots of outdoor playtime!
• This month I had my first hair cut!

• I'm all about counting to 3.
• I love music and dancing.
• I love to read books. My favorites are still pretty much the same as they have been for the last few months.
• I still suck on my ring and middle fingers on my left hand. I mostly just do it when I'm tired.
• I'm generally pretty laid back but when I get mad I get really mad! I can throw quite the temper tantrum!
• I love to play dress up and I REALLY love any kind of jewelry.
• I am very opinionated about most things but especially my outfit and my shoes!
• Someone walking out of church made the comment that I look like I'm ready to take on the world...so true!
• I still adore my sisters and I love when I'm included in whatever they're playing!

• This month Emmie started school and my whole schedule went out the window. I am not a big fan of having to get up early and am so ready to go down for my (shortened) nap and then I'm very ready to go down at my new earlier bedtime (645ish). So now I sleep at night for 11-12 hours and then take about a 2 hour nap. Naptime is about to get even shorter though as Ellie starts school this week.
• This month I went through a carwash for the first time...so fascinating!

• One of my favorite animals right now is horses. I love to "neigh!"
• I'm all about my "bank-bank" (blanket). I drag it around the house most of the day and definitely want it for snuggle time! (Bank-bank is my little yellow blanket with my name on it.)
• I love to swim and am definitely going to miss going to the pool once it closes for the summer. I have loved my little yellow float because I can keep up with the big girls! I am sad that I'm too little to go off the diving board. I try to convince Mommy to let me every time we're there!
• I love to go down slides. I love the slide in the nursery at church and the slide in the back yard.
• Mommy's pretty sure I know that baby will be here soon. I've been wanting to be held a lot and have been wanting extra snuggle time.

Emmie at 20  months.

Ellie at 20 months.