Wordless Wednesday

32 Weeks

I had my 32 week appointment today to check on Carson.  I had an ultrasound along with some other tests just to be safe since I haven't been feeling good lately.  Carson looked perfect.  He's 25% in growth and all the measurements and fluid levels were on track. This is the first ultrasound where he looked crowded. It was hard to see his face from his stomach from his foot.

All the other tests they did on me came back fine too.  Turns out I'm just 32 weeks pregnant and it's blazing hot outside.  What's a girl to do?  In so many words, my doctor politely said that it's just that time and it probably won't be fun from here on out. I really can't complain b/c this pregnancy has gone so smoothly.

I go back in two weeks for another quick check up. We will schedule the c-section at that appointment, which will be at 39 weeks unless he decides to come sooner.  More than anything else, Darrin & I cannot wait to see what he looks like, whether he will look like Miles or completely different.  Obviously Miles' gender was the big surprise when he was born.  What Carson looks like is going to be the surprise when he is born.  We can't wait!

Weekend Wrap Up

Our weekend started with a little mother-son date to the donut shop before work & daycare on Friday.  I usually don't take him to daycare but I had to on Thursday & Friday b/c Darrin had volleyball camp both days. I told him we would go on Thursday, but he didn't get ready in time, so we couldn't go.  He's used to Darrin's very loose schedule and could not seem to understand that I was not kidding when I said that if he wasn't ready by a certain time that would not be able to go.  It was not a fun parenting moment having to stick to my word, which resulted in a very unhappy little boy with lots of tears and a huge tantrum almost all the way to daycare.  Thankfully, he learned from it and got ready on time the next day so we were able to go to the donut shop on Friday morning.  As we got in the car to leave the house that day he said, "Today was a much better morning."  I agree.

Friday night, Miles got to play glow in the dark dodge ball at Darrin's volleyball camp.  He got to do this last year too and he could not wait to play again.

Hard to see from the pic, but the girls are holding Miles horizontally.  They are so good to him.

I didn't sleep well on Friday night, so I laid down in the sun room to take a short nap on Saturday.  When I woke up Miles was right beside me.  He is often a daddy's boy, but times like this remind me how much he loves to be near me.  He pulled two chairs right beside the couch and the footstool is in between them. This boy melts my heart.

I walked back by later and he had moved himself to my spot on the couch.  Apparently, a late night of dodge ball got the best of him. 

Darrin had a full day of camp on Saturday so he asked Miles to water some grass that we've been trying to grow. He amazes me at how competent he can be. He went outside all by himself and did exactly what he's watched Darrin do. 

I spent Saturday cleaning the house, doing laundry, and cooking for a family in our small group that just had a baby. I don't know if it was the lack of sleep from the night before, our lunch from Sonic, or the fact that I overdid it, but by late afternoon, I felt terrible.  I absolutely could not do anything else.  Darrin's parents were coming down to spend the night and go to church with us and I was stuck in bed all night.  Darrin & Miles enjoyed their visit while I stayed in bed basically from 5pm until this morning. It wasn't fun, but they are very gracious and I don't ever have to worry about them not understanding.

We all went to church this morning and then out to lunch.  It was the first time for them to attend our church & we were happy to have them there. 

Darrin & I took naps this afternoon while Miles enjoyed some down time watching the pre-events to Shark Week.  It dawned on me today that our days of being to take a nap at the same time while our self sufficient child does his own thing are about to come to an end.  I don't mind getting up in the night, but waking up at the crack of dawn on the weekends and not getting a nap are a different story!  The rest of my house is sleeping and I'm going to try to join them. My long nap today may complicate being able to fall asleep but it's time to give it a try.  Good night all!

Less Words Wednesday

Totally random 'Less Words Wednesday'...

Miles spent a few days with my mom. We left him there on Sunday and I picked him up on Tuesday after an appointment with my Lyme doctor. They went to see Finding Dory...

And went to the zoo with my sister-in-law and niece.

Darrin & Miles got up early this morning to go mole hunting in the front yard. No, I'm serious.  The moles are getting the best of Darrin. I did not wake up early to partake in the fun. When I left for work I saw a trace of their wild adventure. Looks like they really got after them.

Near impossible to get a picture without a peace sign these days. 

This kid was off the charts hyper tonight. I don't know what was going on with him. When it was time for bed he finally crashed and started crying b/c he 'wanted me'.  Very odd night.

Baby Shower & Father's Day

We spent the weekend at my mom's house.  I had a baby shower for baby boy Carson.  I was in love with this decoration.  There's just something about seeing your baby's name.

My niece, Sarah, organized the shower.

I received the best gifts.  There was such a good combination of practical and fun. 

I instructed my niece to only take flattering pictures :) As if there is such a thing when you are getting on up in your pregnancy.  But, I do like the pics with gifts in front of me...

I have a ton of clothes for Carson already, but a shower would not be complete without a some adorable onesies and sleepers.  My mother-in-law has bought him a ton of precious clothes.

These say "Little Brothers Drool" and "Big Brothers Rule".  Miles smiled big when we showed him.

My mom made this.  The picture doesn't do it justice.  The fabric is so soft and each square of fabric is the cutest.  There are foxes, bow ties, astronauts, and the colors are perfect.  I just love it.

We had a great crowd of family & friends.

 

One of my high school friends, Jeanine, was able to come to the shower.  We haven't seen each other in 10+ years.  She just moved back to our hometown. It was great to catch up.  Another high school friend stopped by before the shower and visited for a little while.  I love my high school friends.  We randomly text or catch up on FB after months of not talking and we never miss a beat.  The bond I have with them is definitely special. 

While the shower was going on, Darrin, Miles, and Darrin's dad went to Dave & Busters to celebrate Father's Day. This picture is so classic.

Pa & Darrin both got Father's Day questionnaires instead of cards. 

They are always crowd pleasers.  

I wish I had a picture of Pa's.  I do remember it talked a lot about fishing.  This is Darrin's.  My two favorite lines are "His favorite thing to say is I want ice cream" and "I love my dad because he's a good person".  It doesn't get any better than that.

Happy Father's Day to these two.  We love you both very, very much!

 

Wordless Wednesday

Disclaimer: I posted this an hour after taking an Ambien.  Please excuse the misspellings and terrible picture quality. Just focus on the cute cousins :)

Front Porch Before & After and a New Cast

One project we didn't get around to last year was the front exterior of the house.  It was top on my list this summer.  My goals were to paint the shutters, clean up the landscaping, add a flag holder, and spruce up a few other areas.  I knew it wouldn't cost a lot and wouldn't take that much time either.  But then my pregnancy got kind of rough and I couldn't really do what I wanted.  Darrin does a great job around here, but some projects just aren't his thing.  This happened to be one of them.  I really, really wanted to get this project finished this year, so I called for some reinforcements...my mom and my sister-in-law, Crystal.  Seriously the two best people for the job.  They were both so kind to donate a weekend of their time and help, even though I couldn't do much to contribute.

This is before.  It's kind of hard to see much, but it's the best before picture I have.  The main thing to notice is the dingy, forest green shutters.

Here is another before picture that shows the shutters a little closer, the old light fixtures, and the half dead evergreen trees by the front steps.

After...

Darrin installed new light fixtures that I absolutely love. 

The old fixtures were purely functional.  I think these add so much to the entrance.  They are slightly larger, so they make more of a statement.

My mom & Crystal spray painted the shutters black. They look brand new.  I think they really help to update the look of the front of the house.

We added a flag holder.  First, we installed a chrome holder that we bought at Lowe's.  It was cheap though and bent during the first storm.  I ordered a black cast iron holder from Amazon and it is what I had in mind all along.  I love to have the American flag out most the time, but we will also feature a Titans' flag during football season and a Union flag during volleyball season.

I wanted to leave the area by the steps for flowers.  My plan is to plant begonias in the summer and pansies in the winter.  The begonias are so bright that you can actually see them from the street.  I'm anxious for them to grow a little bigger.

When my mom and Crystal spray painted the shutters, they also painted two old flower pots.  We planted Kimberly Queen ferns in them.  I really wanted planters that were taller, but settled on these b/c I already had them.  I like the way these look so much that I doubt I'll change them for several years.

I added a few other touches to spruce things up, like an outdoor pillow on the swing that says "Home"...

Hanging baskets with Million Bells.  I already had these baskets so I just had to buy the inserts and the flowers.  Million Bells are supposed to be low maintenance b/c you don't have to dead head them.  I'm liking them so far.

I also added a couple hanging pots with different color Million Bells to a shepherd's hook.  I already had the hook and baskets, so I only had to buy the flowers. 

I'm so much happier with the finished look.  Big thanks to my mom and Crystal!  They worked so hard to get this done for me.  My mom cleaned the entire front porch and Crystal climb up and down the ladder to take down shutters.  Not to mention all the painting, cleaning, and planting.  I know it wasn't a necessary project, but it was seriously hanging over my head.  I'm happy every time I pull into my driveway :)   I feel like the outside of the house matches the inside now.

In other news, Miles went swimming yesterday with his cast cover.  He had so much fun.  

The cast cover/oven mitt doesn't seem to both him at all. I went back and forth on what size to order him and settled on an adult small, which turned out to be too big.  I then ordered a XS, but it didn't come in until after he went swimming.  The adult small cast cover worked in the bath tub, but not for swimming in a pool. When Darrin took it off, his cast was all wet.  Sadly, this is the 3rd time he's gotten it wet. The other two times were in the bath tub and weren't as bad.  It is VERY hard to keep the thing dry.  

I wasn't sure if he needed a new cast so I called the doctor today. They said that getting it wet can make it lose and therefore not effective.  The last thing I wanted was for him to wear it for six weeks and it not be doing its job.  No.Thank.You.  Darrin took him back to have it checked today and they decided to put a new waterproof cast on.  We asked for it last time and they wouldn't do it.  I guess they figured the likelihood of us allowing it to get wet was pretty high, so they offered up the waterproof this time.  I was worried about Miles being terrified of getting it cut off, but the man showed him that it wouldn't hurt and Miles actually said it tickled a few times.  

Today marks two weeks down and four weeks to go with the cast.  He is not bothered by it at all, but I'm already over it.  Here's hoping the next month goes by quickly.  Hard to believe that in another month we will be very close to school starting back and meeting Carson.  I'm so excited to meet Carson, but I'm still savoring the last days as our family of three.  Our world as we know it is about to change forever.