Maternity Pics and I am an AUNT

I've become a terrible blogger due to returning to work and the last thing I want to do is dig out my camera and upload pics, so this will be a picture less post. Pictures will come soon!

The past few weeks have been crazy busy with great highs and some sad lows.
On a happy note, I wanted to share my maternity pics with you. My oh so creative, incredibly talented, best friend Paige did them and I could not be happier. I was seriously obsessed the first few days and looked at them all the time. That is big for me because it takes a lot for me to be happy with a photograph. I usually hate the way I look, wish I 'd picked a different outfit, dislike my smile, or wish Caroline had a different expression or something. These I genuinely loved. Paige has a gift of being able to capture you at your best. You can check them out at www.paigewalkerphotography.com/blog. OH, and I think we've finally decided on a name...Carter Mason! I've always loved Carter, it was going to be Caroline's name if she was a boy.

Onto other very important news, I am now an AUNT. My SIL Andrea had her baby girl Monday, August 29th. She is precious and perfect in every little way and I am dying to get my hands on her. Caroline and Justin went down for one night this week, but I just can't miss work right now. I am having to save every last day for maternity leave. Caroline apparently loved baby Madelyn and never showed much jealousy, this eases my fears of bringing our new one home in October.

As we all know but often forget, life here on Earth is precious and can be fleeting. Would you please pray for my SIL Andrea, her best friend Megan passed away Tuesday afternoon. Some of you may remember Megan from Arlington High and remember what a beautiful, strong, happy, sweet, faithful girl she was. Words really don't do her justice. She battled cystic fibrosis her entire life on Earth, but now is completely healed in heaven. Please lift Megan's family and dear friends up in prayer. Thank you.

Back to School

Tomorrow I welcome a room full of kiddos....a room full of kids who know me well, some that I will be teaching for the 3rd year. I think this will be the last year that I teach kids I have taught in multiple grade levels. However, who knows, maybe I'll pop up to junior high and catch them all again. Haha, I think that would be their worst nightmare. Teaching kids multiple years definitely comes with advantages and disadvantages.

I think it will be funny to see their faces as they walk in and realize I'm pregnant, not just a little pregnant, but PREGNANT. I managed to scoot out last summer without many aware of my pregnancy. Last week I moved my classroom, got all organized, and excited about teaching solely 6th grade. I must of forgotten what hard work was because by the end of the week I was beat. Maybe that does have to do with the fact that I am nearing the end of my pregnancy. When I was pregnant with Caroline, I had the end to rest up and prepare, this year I will be working up until I pop.
Here I am 32 week pregnant. I would love to go past my due date to maximize my time off and maybe take off until Christmas, but who knows what will happen. I have a feeling since I am wanting to go late, I will go three weeks early or something like that. I do have a great sub though, so I know she can handle whatever happens.
We finally got started on the nursery. Here is where it stood at the beginning of the week. It currently has a few stripes on the wall and is coming together. I can't wait to see the final product.

To all you teachers, students, and parents...Good Luck this week!

Childhood Memories

I can remember enjoying batter countless times as a child, sometimes even fighting with my siblings over who would get the bowl or the beater. Of course today, it seems we have to worry about the raw eggs and all that stuff that never crossed my mind as a child.
We gave Caroline just a few licks a couple of days ago, and I would say it was a hit with her as well. I'm not sure which is better...the batter or the cake. What do you think?


And again as a side note, yes I do brush her hair. You see, her hair is the weirdest texture ever and after a summer filled with sun and chlorine, it is even worse and never stays done for more than an hour at a time. She already dislikes having it fixed and if I did redo it every waking hour we would not have very pleasant days. Hopefully her hair is on the mend though, I just invested in some deep conditioning treatment my hair dresser recommended.

Pregnancy Update

Last Wednesday I went for a sonogram to check on baby boy. The doctor wanted to do a sono at the beginning of my third trimester to check on the cyst they found in his brain. According to all the research I had done and the doctor, they usually disappear by the third trimester. I was never nervous about this and had peace from day one, but having a sono is always a bit scary. Our sono tech was not friendly at all and just got to the point. She is not allowed to tell us anything, so judging from her demeanor alone I was afraid the cyst was still there. However, when Dr. K walked in the room, he immediately said baby looked perfect and there was NO CYST. Hooray!

Baby measured in at 3.4 lbs and 15 inches. That is heavier but shorter than average. I can't imagine him being a short guy. His little profile looked exactly like Caroline's at birth so I won't be surprised if they look alike.

The only issue now is that he is breech. I am more worried about this than anything. I DO NOT want C section. I have plenty of water and he can still move around, but I am still reading everything and doing all sorts of exercises to get him to flip. I am terrified of being cut open!

As far as me, I am feeling great other than a bit of heartburn/indigestion, still trying to exercise, and have gained 20 lbs according to me last appointment. I would love to only gain around 10 more...we'll see how that goes. I gained a ton in my last trimester with Caroline.

We are finally getting around to his room. The trim carpenter is coming out next week and that will be the start of this project. I have picked out several fabrics and found a cute owl as inspiration for his room. His room will be all different blues, a limish green, brown, and white. Justin's mom, who is so talented, has kindly offered to make his bumper and I know it will be perfect.

Today I am extremely frustrated and am beginning to think 3rd trimester hormones are getting to me. My computer has some sort of nasty virus so I can't do anything on it, my pictures won't transfer from my camera to computer, I have tons of laundry, a messy house, home projects to finish before returning to work, and three year old who is busy as can be. Now that I wrote it all out it seems kind of silly to be so uptight about all this but I am finding myself on the verge of tears. I think the end of summer is getting to me too, it's always hard to return and leave Caroline and the freedom summer brings.

Growing up

One week old

1 year

2 years

2.5 years

3 years

My little girl has officially entered the threes, and so far they are living up to the comments I have received from others... that the threes are sometimes harder than the twos. Well a good three weeks in, and I would have to agree. Caroline no longer throws fits, she just screams.....literally screams at the top of her lungs. Luckily, with 7 years of teaching under my belt, I have learned to stay calm in hair raising situations so I just walk away, quickly move her to time out, or stare at her until she is done. Unfortunately, when in public others don't appreciate the ear piercing so I must act a bit swifter and I get more upset, which does not help anything. She also loves to tell Justin and I what she is going to do, how, and when she will do it.

I don't know if it has anything to do with the new baby, but she is also very attached to me. She will not let me out of her sight and panics when she thinks I am going somewhere. This is very different from her usual independent personality.

Although she has gotten very head strong, she still has her soft caring heart. She really feels for other children when they are crying and gets very concerned about their well being. When she sees another child hurt or being disciplined she will ask tons of questions and stare until she makes sure everything is OK. Then it becomes a topic she brings up often. Another thing is she will cry at sad events. For example, Justin was reading Madeline to Caroline and when Madeline had to go to the hospital Caroline began to cry. Not just a little cry, but a lip quivering, very concerned cry. If I seem upset about something, she'll tell me, "You're fine, I promise." Where do you think she's heard that?

Our days are also filled with constant questioning, "What's that? What's that sound? What's that smell? What's happening?" This would be no big deal if she would accept a simple answer, but she wants an elaborate explanation.

Although the threes are bringing some unpleasant behavior, I love how she can express her emotions and understand what is going on. She is precious, still so innocent, and beginning to comprehend the world around her. It is fun to see all the wonder, amazement, and awe in her face!

July 18th I took her in for her annual well check. She checked out well and the doctor was pleased with her progress.

Stats

33 lbs= 75 %

39.25 inches = 95%

She is a tall girl, which is not surprising given that Justin and I are both tall. I hated being tall growing up, but I like it now, hopefully she will always embrace it.

Welcome to Miami

Bienvenido a Miami!!

Last week we boarded a jet for south Florida!! My cousin Chris, and his adorable wife Macy have called the area home for about a year and they are moving back this weekend so we timed our trip perfectly.

Of course our plane was delayed so we got there late, but ended up staying an extra day to make up for it. Caroline did great on the plane, she enjoyed the take off and then snoozed pretty much the remainder of the ride.
The first night we stayed with Chris and Macy and they took us out for some Cuban cuisine. After that we just spent time chatting and catching up at their home. Chris and Macy both are so good with Caroline. She loved every second with them, the new toys they spoiled her with, and their two dogs.

Wednesday morning we headed into the South Beach area of Miami. From pictures and the perception seen on TV, I thought it would be completely high end and have beautiful people everywhere. Although the beach was beautiful and the A1A was lined with upscale hotels, I was surprised to see lots of bums, dirty streets, tons of Europeans dressed or shall I say hardly dressed in small little suits, and tons of cheap souvenir and clothing shops. I think I had imagined the Kardashians walking by, or Ocho Cinco running the beach, maybe a even Lebron sighting.The beach and the water was gorgeous.

Since we had not a clue what we were doing, we decided to take a Duck tour. You know, the big duck looking truck filled with dorky tourists and a funny guide that goes in the water and on land? Actually it was perfect and a great way to see the area.

Here are my pics from Biscayne Bay. From the bay we saw Star Island and other islands the rich and famous call home.

The Miami skyline.

Miami Vice house. I took tons of pictures of other homes but I can't remember which celebrity they belong to.

My lovely family on the boat, Caroline looks so thrilled! And I promise that I do fix her hair, multiple times a day, but this is what it always ends up looking like.

Thursday we spent the morning at the beach in Hollywood, Florida. Caroline loved the sand, shells, and the water so we had a great time.

This was about as good as it gets of Caroline and me on the beach. Not too flattering of either one of us (I am about 4 days into my third trimester here), but so be it... we were having a fun time! I should have snapped some pictures of the retired crowd sporting speedos and bikinis. It was interesting, and made me feel like hot stuff in my tankini.

The rest of Thursday we spent resting, swimming at the hotel, and walking the beach. Thursday was our only day of true relaxing vacation.

Friday we packed up and headed a few miles north to Ft. Lauderdale. Our hotel sat right on the waterway so we took the water taxi and checked it all out.

Ft. Lauderdale was really nice and much cleaner, I thought, than South Beach. The waterway was filled with homes belonging to rich CEOs and familiar names.

This is actually the home of the founder/owner of Kohls. He looks to be doing pretty well, don't you think?

We got off on Las Olas Boulevard, which is an upscale shopping area of Ft. Lauderdale. It was very nice and Ft. Lauderdale was much more my pace than bustling South Beach. I wish we would have had more time in Ft. Lauderdale because I think that was my favorite place.

Friday night we fulfilled Justin's wish and headed out to Sun Life stadium to catch a Marlin's game. I enjoyed seeing the stadium because it also is home to the Miami Dolphins and the University of Miami Hurricanes.

It was a bit concerning to see this vehicle as we were walking up to the game, but if you've seen an episode of Swamp Wars you will know why these specially trained paramedics are needed.

We about died of heat exhaustion at the beginning of the game, but a rain shower moved in and cooled us down.

Sadly hardly anyone goes to the baseball games in Florida, so we got cheap seats for us, Chris, Macy, and two of their friends.

I got nachos at the game, and I could hardly believe they do not offer jalapenos....

maybe that is a Texas thing. Macy, Chris, and Caroline

Macy, Caroline, Erica, and Jeremy

We had a wonderful time in Florida, but we were ready to come home Saturday. Although I love vacation, there is no place like home.

The big THREE

How can it be? I can't believe my baby is already three! Where has the time gone? I guess the old saying is true, time really flies when you are having fun. We are definitely having fun, the past three years have brought me more joy than I could ever have imagined.

We began her special day with a morning at IHOP. Justin had to go to work, so afterward Caroline and I came home and prepared for her party. I did give her a cupcake with a candle after lunch. Below is her right after blowing out the candles, I stripped her down because the icing was bright! Later that evening we took her to Six Flags with the Walkers! It was a fun day for the birthday girl.To celebrate with friends and family we hosted a backyard splash party. I set up a pool, Caroline's new bounce house, sprinkler, water table, and all of her outdoor toys for the kids. The kids played really well and seemed to enjoy the toys and the party. I know Caroline did, which made me happy because she'd been looking forward to all her friends coming over for a while! She'd been talking about it for days!There sure were lots of cute kids, although I didn't get a picture of everyone. I also didn't take one picture of an adult or any family. I slacked on my picture taking this year.

I made the cake, as you probably can tell. It was supposed to look like beach balls. It might not look the best, but you can't go wrong with funfetti cake. Big birthday wishes!

Before everyone went home we had to hit the pinata (Justin's idea)!

Caroline got tons of cute clothes and some really fun toys that she has not stopped playing with! I love the expression on her face in this picture!

Although it's been three years, my prayer for her remains the same as the day she was born. I pray she grows to be a beautiful woman with a heart of gold and love for the good Lord. Caroline, happy birthday, we love you more than you will ever know!