Introducing...

She's here!

Caroline Claire arrived at 6:02PM yesterday. She's 6lbs, 14oz and 19.5 inches. She's beautiful and perfect and we couldn't be happier!



I got to have my VBAC and I'm so, so happy. I can't believe what a difference it makes. I'm already feeling pretty good and moving around very well.



Andrew came up to meet his baby sister this afternoon. He was a little more interested in the buttons on my bed than baby Caroline, but he was really sweet with her.



He gave her lots of kisses and loved on her. I'm sure they're going to be great friends - eventually.

I am so blessed with this little family of mine.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

It's Scavenger Hunt Sunday! I really didn't think I'd be here this week, but apparently this baby has her own schedule, so here I am.

I'll admit this probably wasn't my best week, but I did get all my interpretations together so I wanted to share.

Thanks for looking!

{Against the light}



Hanging in the window. I love that you can see the texture from the screen in the background.

{Frame within a frame}



My side mirror, through the frame of the window - and there are windows from an old building in the bokeh background.

{Best part of your day}



We often spend our mornings trekking around our backyard. I usually get Andrew dressed first, but this day I thought it would be more fun to stay in our pj's. :)

{Buttons}



M&M's look like buttons, right?

{Ink}



I think blackberries are very messy and I'm not a fan, but Andrew loves them. He can eat handfuls and handfuls of the things. But they leave a big, dark mess behind.



With the baby coming I'll be taking a bit of a break from Ashley's Scavenger Hunt, but next week's items are:

Geometry
Brushstrokes
Hanging by a Thread
Collage
On the Dotted Line

See y'all soon with baby news!

Baby Sister?

It's Friday morning, and I'm still pregnant. I'm feeling really hopeful for this weekend. Today would have been my nana's 80th birthday. I think it would be pretty cool if the baby came today and they could share this day.

If you ask Andrew what we should name the baby he gets this funny look on his face and says, "Baby Sister!".





I'm pretty sure we'll have to give her a real name, but Baby Sister might stick for a while.

I also asked him when he thought she was going to be here and he said Saturday. So maybe he knows something we don't?

40 Weeks Due

I wasn't sure if I would have a 40 week post, but here I am, still great with child.



It's really not that bad that I'm still here though. I'm a big believer that babies come when they're good and ready and that a few extra days (or even weeks!) are worth it in the grand scheme of things.

My first goal with trying for a VBAC was just to make it to my due date so I feel like I've already had one success. And if I have to have a repeat c-section next week, well, at least I've made it this far.

We had a busy day yesterday, shopping and lunch with my sister and nephew and then a playdate with a friend from my mom's group. I realized at the end of the day that I'd sat down very little and was having some good, strong braxton hicks contractions.

But they were gone as soon as I got in bed.

Last night was the first night I've really slept poorly. Andrew woke me up at 3AM and then I was wide awake until 5AM. Andrew climbed back in my bed at 6AM.

*sigh*

I'm hoping this was a fluke and not the start of a terrible nighttime sleep regression. That would be bad timing.

Honestly, I'm just ready to wear new clothes. It's too hot to wear much and I'm so tired of all my maternity dresses. Most of them are my sister's, and I don't think she'll want them back after I've practically worn them out. So maybe we can have some kind of maternity dress destruction party. :)

The stores have their fall clothes out now. This drives me crazy because I know it's still months and months until it'll cool down enough for us to wear them here, but they're so tempting.

Well, this post has gone in a funny direction. But I'll leave you with this:

This week Dallas is going to break our 30 year record of 42 consecutive days with temperatures over 100 degrees. I will be able to say that I was nine months pregnant during the hottest summer we've ever seen.

She's so going to be worth it.

39 Weeks

One week away from my due date!

I've become a serious nester these last few days. I've cleaned and organized the pantry, redecorated the guest room, (almost) finished the nursery, thrown out all our old catalogs and magazines, washed every seat, sling and carrier the baby will sit in and discussed our baby name list with Brian about a million times.

I feel like we're ready now. If this baby comes this week we'll be okay. I would like to see Harry Potter first though. :)

I went in for my checkup this week, and while she's still measuring small, she's grown enough in the last 10 days that he wasn't in a hurry for me to deliver.

I don't think I've blogged about it, but I'm trying for a VBAC. I was induced with Andrew over a week after my due date and after almost 24 hours of labor he still hadn't dropped enough for me to deliver.

So I was wheeled in for a c-section. I was exhausted from laboring for so long and had a tough few days of recovery. I'm hoping to avoid that long recovery this time, but I have to go in to labor on my own. If I don't, it's another c-section for me.

My doctor will let me go about 10 days after my due date though so I have some time. We'll see how things work out, but I'm hopeful. And I'm not miserable. That helps so much.

I don't know if this will be our last baby or not, but I'm trying to enjoy these last few days of pregnancy. There's nothing else in the world like feeling the baby roll around and push and prod from the inside. I want to enjoy these moments where I have her all to myself.

38 Weeks

Whoa...belly!

I'm getting bigger and bigger. And more and more tired. And really excited to meet this baby girl!

Good friends of ours, Brian's college roommate and his wife, had their first baby this week and it made me realize we are so close to actually having this baby girl in our arms. :)

I had my first ever non-stress test at my doctor's appointment today. Everything looked great with the baby. She's super busy, and my doctor thought she seemed a little bit bigger than she did last week, but he still wants me to come in early next week for another growth ultrasound.

I'm pretty sure she's getting bigger though because I suddenly have feet way up high in my ribs that were not there just a few days ago. Ouch. I've been stretching and contorting my body trying to find a way to push them down, but so far, no luck.

I was lying there trying to read my book during the test today and got all worried that maybe I was having contractions and what if they decided they needed to keep me and ohmygoshI'MNOTREADY.

Of course that didn't happen, but I'm going to pack my hospital bag tomorrow just in case.

And the best news of the week: my glider for the nursery is in and ready to be picked up and my drapes should be here by the end of the week! We will have a finished nursery in just a matter of days. I'm so excited about it! I can't wait to share it with y'all. It's so pretty and feminine and ruffly.

37 Week Baby Update

I'm 37 weeks and full term!



I had my weekly appointment yesterday and my doctor was a little worried that she seemed small, especially compared to Andrew at this point so he sent me in for an ultrasound today.

Brian came with me and it was nice to get to see her again, but she was so squished in there it was hard to see anything that we could really distinguish as the baby. :)

Sure enough she's measuring about 35 weeks and 5.5 lbs. We're not very concerned though because her relative growth and fluid level is fine - she just seems to be small. Andrew was so huge the whole time that this is all new to me, but I really feel like everything will work out fine.

And it makes me realize I should not be in a hurry to deliver this baby. Yes, it's insanely hot and it's hard to be pregnant, especially when you have a toddler at home, but the longer this baby stays inside to grow and get strong the better.

And here's a 17, 27 and 37 week comparison:



I mean - you'd think she'd be right on track as big as I am at this point. And can we talk about how back on March 1st I was able to wear that nice lightweight sweater? Oh, how I miss my layers.

(You didn't think I could post without mentioning the weather did you? :) )

36 Weeks and My To-Do List

Okay, so I said last week I was hoping maybe I would have just a few uncomfortable days and then I'd get another burst of energy, but I'm going to have to concede that the aches and pains seem to be here to stay.

Oh well, I made it 35 weeks feeling pretty darn good. I think that's a fine accomplishment and now I just have to try not to complain too much. :)



But really, I'm kind of feeling enormously pregnant at this point.

I'm putting my before-baby to-do list together and there's a lot on it:

-order big brother t-shirt for Andrew (do you have a favorite Etsy shop recommendation?)

-order cute photo props for baby girl - hats, tutus, a new blanket?

-make big Buy Buy Baby run for diapers, wipes, tiny pink towels and socks

-work on birth announcement template

-FINISH the nursery

-Narrow down our name list to 4 or 5

-wash all her clothes

-find my pump and all its pieces and get it clean and sterilized

-pack for the hospital

-get our swing and bouncy seat and carseat out of the attic, washed and ready

-have some fun one-on-one time with Andrew. I'm thinking of taking him to Build-a-Bear. (Do you have any good ideas for a 2-yr-old date with his parents?).

-keep up with all that other stuff I do all the time

So, you know, not too much going on!

Lake Sunsets

We were able to spend some time at my parents' place again this past weekend. Visiting them is kind of like going on a mini vacation, and it is only 30 minutes from our house so we're there a lot. Especially in the summer.

Andrew is always asking to go swimming at Mimi and Papa Jack's. And they have a big golf cart/mule thing that Andrew thinks is a tractor and he gets to drive! Can you imagine the excitement?

And they have sunsets like this:







It is so beautiful out there.



I'm so glad they're so welcoming and like having us there because I told Mom we might just move in for six weeks after this baby gets here.

Speaking of the baby....

I'm 35 weeks today.



At about 30 weeks I mentioned that I remember thinking pregnancy was all downhill from that point. Well, this time 35 weeks seems to be my magic number.

I'm just glad I got those five extra weeks of being comfortable because Andrew doesn't seem to think I should be able to just lay around on the couch and complain about my back hurting all day. Hmph.

Honestly, I've felt great up until the last two or three days. I'm hoping this is just a quick phase, and I'll get a second wind to make it through these next five weeks.

Baby Girl Bedding & 34 Weeks

Our crib bedding finally arrived last Friday afternoon. I was so excited to get to put a bit of the nursery together.





We ended up going with the Pottery Barn Lily bedding. It is a good thing I ordered it back in April, because they've now taken it off their website, and I guess they aren't selling it anymore.

Our set was backordered for two months and then they extended it for another 3 weeks. I was getting worried about it.



I've ordered drapes and a new glider based on the colors in the bedding so I'm very relieved to have it.



It is so girly and ruffly, but since we went with the light french gray walls I feel like it's not too over-the-top pink.





Our drapes are panels made with a soft plaid with the light pink, blues and greens. I'm really happy with them and can't wait for them to get here.

I'm working on the closet a bit this week and will start washing onesies and dresses and swaddles soon.

34 Weeks today:



Ahhh....so, so close.

And, I can't resist sharing this shot of Andrew because he just looked too darn cute in his little overalls yesterday.



{Also, if you haven't voted yet, could you spare a vote for me in The Paper Mama's Best Shot challenge? I'm #15.}



Thank you!

Picture Color Week 2 & 33 Weeks

I've done a pretty good job of staying on top of my Picture Color assignments and I'm so proud of myself. When I did Picture Holidays I fell behind and had a really hard time catching up.

But so far, so good this time.

Here are my Week 2 shots - June 6-10:


{White on White}

{Yum}

{Exclamation Mark}

{Texture}

{Creativity}

And...I'm 33 weeks along today.



Seven short weeks left. I had a great doctors appointment on Monday and I'm still feeling okay, but I'm definitely on the downward side. My back is starting to ache which is a big bummer. And I'm having some serious round ligament pain at night when I lay down. I couldn't figure out what was going on at first, but my doctor assured me it was just the muscles stretching.

They're these sharp pains that feel like leg cramps on both sides of my belly. So painful.

I never had anything like it with Andrew, and I'm not a fan. But at least the pains only come at night and I can usually walk it out after just a few minutes.

But it'll all be worth it. I'm getting so excited to meet her. I hope she looks like Andrew.

32 Weeks and The Bird Story

Look! I posted a photo!

My computer is back and I didn't lose a thing. I'm so, so relieved. After I picked it up today the first thing I did was back up my entire hard drive to a 2TB external drive. I feel much smarter already.

So, I'm 32 weeks pregnant which is insane. How is it already the middle of June? I have so much left to do before this baby arrives. I feel like I say that every week and don't ever make much progress.

Brian was out of town last week, and I was on my own with Andrew. I was also watching my parents' sweet dog and then Saturday morning my sister needed me to watch Reid for a few hours. My house was full and I felt extremely grown up. Who thought I could handle all that responsibility?

Andrew and the dogs and I were trying to get a little play time in out in the backyard before it got too hot and Reid was upstairs napping, when I noticed my dog was barking like mad toward the back fence.

He'd cornered a small bird and it couldn't fly away. I don't know if he'd injured it (he's a Westie, so he's not that big and he's really a big wuss, so I kind of doubt it) or if it was already injured when it landed in our yard, but either way I had to get rid of it.

I herded everyone in the house and locked the door thinking I would like to dispose of the bird without an audience, but I forgot Andrew can unlock the backdoor. So Andrew and both dogs watched as I attempted to pick up this injured bird and toss it through the gate and out of our yard.

I put on big gloves and the first time I tried to pick it up it squealed so loudly. It totally freaked me out, and I dropped it back to the ground. Andrew starts saying "baby chicken!" so I know I really have to get rid of it soon or he's going to want to come play with it.

I psyched myself up, grabbed it and threw it out the gate, all in one big motion. The bird was just as scared as I was and it squealed and I screamed.

I was so afraid Andrew would be scarred for life, but he thought it was hysterical.

I really hope Brian is home the next time there's a live but injured bird flapping around in our back yard.

31 Weeks

Today I'm 31 Weeks pregnant. Which means I only have nine weeks left - that' single digit weeks y'all.



This is our second week of summer, and I don't feel like we've done nearly enough fun stuff yet. It's just been so dadgum hot that we've had to stay in the water or inside and I haven't done a very good job of coming up with air conditioned activities. We did discover Bubble Guppies on Nick Jr. That was pretty exciting. :)

We went to Brian's office today to have lunch with him. It was the first time Andrew's been to Brian's office and he loved it. They're working on a new building behind his so Andrew got to see the cranes and 'dozers and "big trucks" which he's just a little obsessed with.

And I can't let this month go by without talking about my Dallas Mavericks. They are back in the finals for the first time since 2006 and we've been a little basketball obsessed in this house. We're going to the game tonight and I'm so nervous you'd think I was going to be playing the game.

We need this one, boys.

30 Weeks

I'm 30 weeks pregnant - already. How did that happen?



And it was 95 degrees. Summer is officially here and I'm officially hot, but that's what the air conditioner is for, right?

I spent this past weekend in a bathing suit, which is a little hard on a pregnant girl's ego. So it was really nice to get back in to a loose fitting dress today. My belly felt positively tiny after the curve-hugging spandex of my suit.

I also got a manicure on Friday afternoon. I tried this new shellac polish and so far, so good. It's supposed to last up to 14 days. At four days I'm already past my usual manicure's lifetime. Having pretty nails makes me happy.

And so does this baby belly.

29 Weeks and Nursery Progress

Wow...it's flying by!



I'm still feeling good, but my feet and legs are really tired at the end of the day. I think though, that if that's my biggest complaint, I'm doing pretty well so far.

I'm planning to update y'all on the nursery soon, but we've made very little progress. The chair rail is up and the room is painted. My bedding from Pottery Barn, The Lily nursery set, is on back order until early June.

I still have to pick out fabric for drapes and a glider chair.

I have three prints in this set from Etsy:

But the white frames I ordered for them shipped incorrectly and now I have to send them back and wait for the right ones.

Brian did hang our little chandelier this weekend and it's so pretty. But he needs to install a dimmer because five little 40 watt bulbs put out a lot more light than I thought they would.

So, I will hopefully have an update for you soon after some of these little things get taken care of. I'm so anxious to get it finished!

28 Weeks

I'm 28 weeks today!

I had a great doctors appointment on Monday except that I had to drink the orange glucose drink. Ugh...I really don't like that stuff. I had a stomachache the rest of the day.

I realized recently that the only thing I have bought for this baby is dresses. Which is awesome because they are so pretty, but she might need some pajamas.

Or a pink car seat cover, or even a new, pink Boppy cover.

I know I have most of the big stuff left from Andrew's babyhood like the swing, the car seat, a bathtub and a stroller, but I don't have any pacifiers or socks or tiny newborn diapers.

I need to make a serious list.

I see a big trip to Buy Buy Baby in my near future.

I know I blogged some about how I was still nursing Andrew as a toddler but I never did an official we are done and fully weaned now post. He finally weaned at 22 months. We were down to just one or two sessions a day and at the end he was perfectly happy to be finished. I was already about 2 months pregnant with the new baby and felt like it was just time. It was certainly bittersweet though.

I loved my breastfeeding relationship with Andrew so much, and I'm already hoping and praying that this new baby girl and I are just as successful.

But I remember those first few weeks and how hard it was and how much time it takes and I get worried. What in the world will I do with Andrew during all that nursing time? Will she have a good latch? Will my milk take five or six days to fully come in again? Will Andrew and I know every single song on Nick Jr. by heart?

As she gets closer and closer to a reality so do all these questions.

27 Weeks

I'm 27 weeks pregnant today which means I'm starting my third trimester. Crazy because I still have so much to do before she gets here.

Here's a comparison from 10 weeks ago.



I'm a little scared of what this belly is going to look like 10 weeks from now. :)

I am enjoying being pregnant a lot more the second time around. I'm not nearly as worried about every little thing like I was with Andrew. And I think I just feel better overall than I did before.

I've gained a little less weight than I had at this point with Andrew so maybe that's helping me to not be as uncomfortable. And I've stayed really busy and active chasing after and playing with Andrew so I'm sure that makes a difference.

I was worried it would be harder this time, but I've been pleasantly surprised. Now, let's see if I'm still saying that in a few weeks. :)

26 Weeks & Maternity Clothes

I'm 26 weeks pregnant today!



Baby girl is growing quickly now! I can't believe how big my belly has gotten in the last few weeks, and now I'm only a week away from my 3rd trimester.

*sigh*

It's going by so fast.

I wanted to tell y'all about a few of my favorite maternity items. When I was pregnant with Andrew I bought a knock-off Bella Band and hated it. It rolled up on my hips, and I never wore it.

But this time I bought the real thing and I've loved it!

I haven't bought any maternity jeans yet because my regular jeans still work with the Bella Band. It's been great because I hate maternity jeans so much. They fall down and sag and are just generally unflattering.

On days that it's so hot I can't stand to wear jeans, which will be coming more and more often very soon, I've been wearing loose fitting dresses.

Which are great, but then I have some bumps and lumps on my backside that are very obvious in these lightweight dresses.

Enter Power Mama Spanx.

This is the greatest underwear ever!

They're snug and do their thing on my thighs and and hips but they're nice and loose on my belly. They don't feel constricting at all, and I can easily wear them all day.

So those are my maternity clothes tips. They've worked really well for me so far.

What about you? Do you have any great maternity clothes tips to share?

25 Weeks

I can't believe I'm already 25 weeks pregnant. I'm a little unsure about this because it means this baby girl will be here very, very soon.



I mean, I'm excited to meet her and see what she looks like and if she's going to be a climber like Andrew, but I also know that it's going to be crazy to have a toddler to entertain while taking care of a newborn.

I'm feeling pretty pregnant now. Just last week strangers started commenting on my belly. We went to the Mavericks game last night, and as I walked out of the bathroom in to the hall a young girl (early 20s?) walked by and exclaimed "pregnant!".

Well, yes I am. But I don't think I look like I'm about to pop or anything. And then today at Home Depot the checker told me surely I was going have a huge baby. Hrmph. I just don't think people should say things like that to pregnant women.

One of my dear friends from college had her first baby last month. When she was pregnant I remember telling her that after you hit 30 weeks it's pretty much all downhill from there.

Well then, I've got five good weeks left! I better finish up that nursery.