I am 36 weeks and 3 days pregnant! I am so looking forward to meeting our new sweet baby but am definitely hoping that baby will wait until closer to its due date. Overall I've been feeling pretty decent. I have the normal end of pregnancy aches and pains and I have HORRIBLE reflux...this baby better be born with a head full of hair! I take Zantac and Tums and still don't have the reflux all the way under control! I have lots of trouble leaning over and putting on socks (great thing about a summer baby is I only have to deal with socks on days that I work) and getting up and down from the couch/floor/chair...the struggle is real. My biggest complaint overall is probably the restless leg at night. I always have this when I'm pregnant but its been super annoying especially recently because I know I have to get up early in the morning to get Emmie to school so I can't even lay around all morning if I don't sleep good at night!
Baby is still pretty active and the poor thing has the hiccups multiple times a day.
I had a fair amount of Braxton-Hicks contractions throughout my pregnancy but around 30ish weeks they almost completely stopped. The last few days they have definitely picked back up.
We're slowly getting ready for baby. By slowly I mean I haven't really done anything and now I realize I only have 4 weeks (or less!) to get everything ready. Guess I'd better get on that soon!
This is me at 36 weeks with Ruthie...I feel like I'm carrying so differently this time!
At the end of July, Emmie went to Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious camp at Town Theater. It was 3 hrs each day Monday-Friday and on Friday the kids put on a show :) Emmie had a lot of fun and it was good because it was something new and a little challenging for her. She came home the first day and said "this is hard!" But as the week went on she seemed to find it easier. I think the task of having to learn her lines seemed a bit daunting at first (especially since she couldn't read them like the older kids) but they were quite simple so once she got them learned she relaxed a lot.
I didn't get very good video of the show (I got there and the battery on video camera was dead so we were having to use Paul's phone.) and I couldn't figure out how to rotate the singing videos (sorry about the crick in your neck from watching them!). Emmie is in the maroon dress.
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Aaannd my phone wasn't cooperating either (and then the stage lights didn't do me any favors) and I got really blurry pictures...kind of a fail all around BUT we enjoyed the show so it's ok!
I love the pic of Emmie and Emma peeking out from behind the curtains before the show started!
This has been a week of firsts for the girls. Emmie's first day of kindergarten, the first fracture for one of our children and today was Ruthie's first trip to the dentist! (By the way, poor Ellie definitely drew the short straw with the "firsts".) I figured Ruthie would do pretty well at the dentist because Ellie was getting her teeth cleaned too and Ruthie always wants to do what the big girls do. Well Ruthie did a great job and, while she was a little hesitant at first, she was all smiles by the end of the appointment! (Today the dentist just looked at her teeth but next time she goes they'll clean her teeth as well.)
A little unsure about all of this..
She loved Dr. Ellis so she was very cooperative. (She's a bit of a flirt so she turned on the charm as soon as she saw him!)
She knows she's a big girl! Showing off those pretty teeth!
Today Emmie started kindergarten. It was a BIG day! She was very excited to be going to school and it helped that she had been at preschool with two of the girls in her class. I must say that Emmie did a lot better than her Mama! I may have shed a tear or two walking her in...but once she was dropped off I was fine. I might not survive two more days of walking her in though...I think carpool line will be much better for this hormonal mama!
After we dropped Emmie in her classroom the little girls and I stopped at the PTO's "boohoo" breakfast for kindergarten parents and had some muffins.
I will say that this Mama is not so excited about all these early mornings! I'm hoping that once school traffic settles down a bit and the girls get used to waking up earlier (it took me about 15 minutes to get the big girls out of bed this morning!) that I will be able to get a few more minutes of sleep!
When we picked Emmie up she was SO happy and SO excited to tell us all about her day. (I must say the carpool line ran super smoothly and quickly...I've heard horror stories about the first few weeks of school from other parents so I was expecting the worst.) She loved that they get to play outside twice and she was thrilled to get to eat in the cafeteria. She was so enamored with the whole cafeteria experience that she's going to get her lunch at school tomorrow...she'll probably get over that real quick! (Also I'm a little confused at how schools can serve chocolate milk and corndogs but they frown on bringing in cupcakes for your child's birthday...really?!) She was also very excited to show me the sweet craft they made for the parents based on the book The Kissing Hand.
Emmie was so proud of the green lighthouse (the school is the "beacons") that came home in her folder today. If you have a great day you get green, a red is bad, and yellow means you need to work harder tomorrow. (She explained it to me in great detail and gave me a report on the behavior of everyone in her class.)
A very sweet church friend had brought us dinner yesterday and we saved it to eat today. I loved having the extra time after school to spend with Emmie instead of fixing dinner. (Thanks Ann Forrest!)
I totally expected Emmie to be in meltdown mode after a long day at school but she was such a trooper and did really well all afternoon. It helped that the little girls had been with me all day so they weren't demanding my attention and I got to have some one on one time with Emmie.
Ellie got to have some one on one craft time with Mama while Ruthie was napping.
Emmie finally broke down at bedtime and kept crying and saying that she wanted to stay with me tomorrow. She was SOOOO tired. Normally I would be working on Saturday but when I filled out the schedule there weren't any openings so I'm off which I think is going to be VERY good for me and Emmie!
Overall this was an EXCELLENT first day of kindergarten for all of us. Everyone at the school was so welcoming and we can't wait to see what fun the school year holds!
PS. It really seems like yesterday that she was a newborn. Five and a half years go by fast!
Today was quite the day for us. We spent from 9:15-2:45 in various doctor's offices. It was juuuuust delightful.
Last night Ellie fell out of the top bunk (Emmie's bed). She was upset of course and immediately said her left wrist hurt. I got her calmed down and was able to move her wrist around without her saying it hurt and there wasn't any swelling so I figured it was just sore and put her back to bed. Really she was much calmer about the whole thing than Emmie was. Emmie was/is a bit traumatized and it took quite awhile to get her calmed down.
So we went to bed thinking Ellie was just fine...and then she woke up crying about her arm 3 times last night so I knew she needed to be checked out. (She was super pitiful when I woke her up. She got up, I got her dressed, and she laid back down with some ice on her arm and didn't move until we were ready to go.)
And then my friend Ashley saved my sanity.
I was supposed to have an OB appointment this morning and then Ashley and her girls were coming over to play. Ashley texted me about 7:15 and said she could come over and keep all the kids while I went to my appointment if I wanted her to. Y'all, that is a good friend to volunteer to watch 5 kids all 5 and under! Since I now had Ellie's arm to deal with too I ended up getting Ellie an appointment right after mine so I dropped Emmie off at Ashley's house to play and took Ruthie and Ellie to the appointments. (I was pretty sure Ruthie would freak out if I left her for who knows how long.)
After waiting 45 minutes to see the OB (they were short a doctor today) I ended up having to reschedule because we had to get to Ellie's appointment.
The pediatrician checked Ellie out and he was with me thinking that it was probably just a sprain or bruised but since she fell from so high it would be a good idea to get xrays. He was pretty confident that based on how little pain she seemed to be in that it wasn't fractured.
So we headed to get xrays. Ellie was fascinated by the whole idea of the xray although she was a bit nervous since I had to stand behind the wall and couldn't stay beside her. Apparently Curious George had to have an xray in a recent episode they watched so she was pretty much an xray expert. She kept talking about the really big camera.
Panda held her hand since Mommy couldn't.
After the xrays the radiologist came in and looked at her arm and he also couldn't believe that she was so stoic. He felt like based on what he was seeing she should be acting like she was hurting a lot more. He diagnosed her with a small buckle fracture which is a pretty common type of fracture in children and fortunately heals quickly. She is little but she is tough!
After the xray we headed to pick Emmie up since we were waiting for the pediatrician to call with an ortho appointment. While we were picking her up they called with Ellie's appointment so we ran home, ate in about 20 minutes, and headed back out the door.
We saw the orthopedist and he talked about a cast and then said or we could do a splint. We quickly opted for the splint and then were on our way home...FINALLY! Ellie definitely felt much better after the splint was on which of course made Mommy happy! We follow back up in 3 weeks and after that she should be all healed up. After this appointment I was even more grateful for Ashley watching Emmie all morning. Emmie was a wild mess (and had gotten Ruthie wound up as well) by the time she sat in a little room for an hour and I was so glad that she hadn't had to sit in offices all day!
I do have to brag on my sweet Ellie Belly. She was soooo tough and such a trooper all day. The only time she cried at all today was when she tried to get in her car seat, forgetting that her wrist was hurt (I felt so bad for her). She waited through many appointments and had lots of people pressing on her wrist and never complained. Ellie is always tough...she's the kid who ends up really sick before we know she has more than a sniffle because she doesn't complain about feeling bad...she just keeps trucking along. This morning when I got her out of bed, I got her dressed and went to get her motrin and ice and when I came back she was back in bed and didn't move until we were ready to walk out the door. I knew she was really hurting but she was tough!
We spent the first week of August in Greenville visiting my parents (aka Gran and Boo/Grandaddy). Paul had a conference up there the week before and the girls and I went up Friday afternoon after my doctor's appointment. I was able to go meet up with Paul and his coworkers for dinner in downtown Greenville. It was great to get to sit down at a nice restaurant and eat a whole meal without interruptions and have adult conversations!
My mom sent me this picture while we were at dinner. They were having popsicles because according to Emmie "we have dessert EVERY night at home".
Saturday afternoon Paul and I headed to Asheville to see a girl Paul grew up with get married. We were so excited for Neely and Michael! The wedding and reception were at and the venue was GORGEOUS. There was lots of exposed brick, hardwoods, white lights, and beautiful arrangements and centerpieces! The band they had was amazing and while preggers here didn't do much dancing it was still fun to watch everyone else! Sunday morning we got up and went to City Church. City Church is an ARP church plant and Duff, who married us, is the pastor. He and his wife Kristi have 3 girls the same age as our 3 (their birthdays are super close...we were actually due with the second ones on the same day!). It was great to see Kristi and Duff and their family and to see the wonderful ministry they have in Asheville. They have such a great group of people at the church. They were all very friendly and welcoming and we felt right at home. We also ran into my friend Kennerly (who takes all the beautiful pictures of our girls!) and her family. Her brother and sister-in-law go to the church and Kennerly and her family were up visiting. After church we met up with Blake and Emily and had brunch at West Asheville Lounge and Kitchen (recommended by Kristi). It was really good and didn't have a wait which was a plus! After lunch we headed back to Greenville and then Paul headed back to Columbia.
Sunday night the girls helped Grandaddy make ice cream. By help I mean they did a bit of supervising and taste tested the oreos.
We went to the pool almost everyday. Right before we left Columbia I finally found a float that would fit teeny tiny Ruthie and that she liked. It arrived at my mom's house Sunday morning and Ruthie had a great time getting to swim "by herself" all week.
We went to the neighborhood pool most of the week and it was so fun because there were LOTS of little girls around Emmie's age down there. Emmie and Ellie had a great time playing with all the other girls! Ellie liked the pool because she could touch really well in the 3 feet which gave her a lot of more independence. She did a lot of practicing her swimming! At the end of the week we made it over to the other pool which the girls had been begging to do because it has 2 diving boards. The diving boards are significantly higher than the ones at our pool at home and I really didn't think Emmie would actually jump off of them. After a few minutes though (and Grandaddy getting in to "catch" her) she mustered up the courage and did it. She and Ellie had a great time jumping off of the boards and Ruthie did lots of clapping for them!
Monday morning we went over to Will, Griffin, and Izzy's house to play. They are friends from Columbia who moved to Greenville a few years ago and we love getting together with them when we're in town. Carissa has always been such a good friend and I loved catching up with her. I really wish we had gotten some pictures of the kids but with 6 kids running around it was too crazy to think about pictures!
Tuesday my mom and I took the girls to Jelly Beans to get their back to school haircuts and Ruthie's FIRST haircut (just a little trim/shaping). The girls loved it because their were toys while they waited and they got a balloon and jelly beans when they finished! They are used to going to an adult salon so this was a special treat. They also got their hair styled when their cut was done. Ruthie and Ellie had little braids and Emmie got the much yearned for Elsa braid. She has been growing her hair out for months so that she could have an Elsa braid and she was beyond thrilled with the results!
After haircuts we ran to Walmart to get Emmie's school supplies and then did the MOST.FUN.THING.EVER. We went through the car wash. My kids had never been through the carwash and they were amazed. I loved getting to see all their expressions (Ruthie's face is my favorite)!
After the carwash we went to chick-fil-a for lunch...always a favorite for the girls.
Tuesday evening Uncle Blake and Aunt Emily came over for dinner. The girls loved getting to spend time with them and Uncle Blake was a trooper and went out in the heat to watch them ride bikes and let Ruthie crawl all over him.
Wednesday evening went to church. The big girls were very excited that their friend Jacob was there. He moved to Maryland the next day and I know they'll be sad when he's not there the next time they're at church. We ate dinner at church and then the big girls went to the Musical CAT kids summer program. The group was rehearsing for singing in church in a few weeks and the girls knew the song so they had a great time. They're still singing some of the other songs they learned. There were lots of Emmie tears when she got in the car after church and found out that we wouldn't be in town for her to sing in church. Such disappointment!
Thursday afternoon I went to Switcheroos, the big consignment sale in Greenville. It worked out really well because the one in Columbia isn't until mid-September which is way to close to my due date to be standing on the concrete floor for a few hours! I also had a friend from college give me her guest pass so I got to shop early! I found quite a few things for Emmie (she was the main one I was shopping for) and also a few things for Ellie. I also picked up some games. My favorite find was probably this Discovery Toy game...I loved it when I was growing up!
Friday morning we took the girls to Grandaddy's office. They loved getting to see where he worked although apparently Ellie was worried they'd give her a job to do because as soon as we walked in she told the ladies at the front desk that she was "just visiting". The girls quickly decided that work might not be so bad. Grandaddy had candy in his office and one of the secretaries had toys that they could play with!
After visiting with Grandaddy, my mom and I took the girls to TCBY for frozen yogurt. Of course they loved that!
Friday afternoon I went and got my haircut which was a fabulous treat because I really only get it done about twice a year. It's impossible to go with children in tow and Paul and I are almost never at home on the same day! I went to the April at Famous Hair and she was wonderful. Without me saying it, she recognized that I needed a low maintenance hair style and she wasn't intimidated by my laid back attitude toward my haircut. (You'd be amazed how many stylists panic when you tell them to do whatever they want and only give them a few parameters!)
After my haircut I went to a friend's house and shopped through the clothes her daughter, who's about a year older than Ruthie, had outgrown. Ruthie definitely doesn't need any clothes but this friend has the CUTEST clothes for her daughter. My favorite find was a blue minky jacket (the last thing any of my kids need is a jacket...we have a ton!) and I just couldn't resist getting it...Ruthie is going to be obsessed with the softness!
Saturday Paul came back to Greenville and that afternoon we had a special treat for Emmie and Ellie. Gran and Grandaddy had gotten us tickets to go to see Broadway's Cinderella at the Peace Center! The girls were really excited all week and kept saying that this was the "real" Cinderella. The show was so good and both girls seemed to really like it. Emmie was pretty transfixed the whole time. Ellie got restless after intermission but still said afterwards that she loved the show!
After pizza at Gran and Grandaddy's we packed up the car and headed back home. We had a great trip to Greenville and it was really nice to have the extra help chasing children all week. I hadn't been feeling great the few weeks before we went and I definitely have felt much better after getting to rest for a week!
In between all these fun activities the girls did LOTS of playing at the house. Ellie pretty much colored the entire time we were there which is so funny because she doesn't really color much at home. When she wasn't coloring she was trying to find someone to read another Bernstein Bear book to her. Emmie spent the first few days riding her bike all day. Ruthie enjoyed playing outside (we had great weather and it was soooo much cooler than in Columbia) although after a day or two I had to monitor how much time she was outside because she had a big eczema flair up from the heat. Ruthie a lot of her outside time trying to figure out how to pedal the tricycle. Franklin enjoyed lots of outdoor playing, chasing bugs and such, and got lots of walks (and petting) thanks to Gran!
1 word: rotten
The girls LOVE looking at the pictures and videos on Gran's phone and ipad.
Snuggle time with Gran for miss. curly q
There's a great story behind this pic. Grandaddy had just "booed" Ruthie and about scared her to death so he picked up a book and started reading to try to get back on Ruthie's good side. She REALLY wanted to listen to the book but wasn't willing to sit too close!
However, Boo is just too much fun to stay away from for long!
We ate lots of fresh peaches while we were in Greenville. Ruthie LOVED them and she wanted to eat hers whole instead of having it sliced.
Pretty sure Ellie colored through an entire coloring book while we were in Greenville.
I think Emmie got to eat breakfast with Grandaddy almost every morning we were there. There were a few days where all the girls managed to get up before Grandaddy left for work. An added bonus was when Gran made waffles!
