Not Yet!

I guess when I was praying for the baby not to come before Greg was done with his internship, I prayed a little too hard. Because here I am, an entire week past my due date and still very very pregnant.

I am getting induced tomorrow at 8 am. A situation I thought for sure that I would be avoiding. I've been dilated to a 5 since Monday and effaced at around 70%. But the contractions - nada. Well, I have them, but they are super random and I haven't had anything less than 10 minutes apart and when I do, I'll have maybe 2 or 3 of those 10 minute-ers, then a whole 40 minutes before another one.

After my 40 week appointment on Monday my OB had me so freaked out that I was going to have this baby any minute. She told me to go right in if had contractions 7 minutes apart for close to an hour. Ok, I thought - this is happening tonight! 
My mom came into town last Saturday, a day before my due date. Plenty of time for her to be here and meet the baby, help with the kiddos... now it looks like I won't even be home from the hospital when she has to leave... 
I'm so sad!
If I want to be positive about all this (and I guess I should try) we've made the most of the time my mom's been in town. Well, as much as we can when it's 100 degrees outside. We've done lots of shopping, got our nails done, gone out to eat... she watched the kids so Greg and I could go to the movies... so fun!! BUT, kind of defeats the purpose of the visit.

Well, maybe not completely. I have slept better since she's been here than I have in a long time. Just knowing that if I had to get up and tail it to the hospital at 3 am, I wouldn't have to worry about finding someone to watch Aimee and Jack.

I kind of wonder if the office had my due date wrong. Originally my date was the 26th, but after the ultrasound they changed it to the 22nd. I think in the future I will always go with the later date!

Anyway... so since Monday I've been kind of freaking out about going into labor "any minute". Plus I tested positive for strep B and you are supposed to have the antibiotic for 30 minutes for it to be effective. I didn't have strep B with either of the other kids and with how potentially fast this baby could come, I've been so worried!

Well, Monday came and went (obviously) and on Tuesday we celebrated Greg's birthday with a dinner at Cheesecake Factory. During dinner I had a few contractions that were 10-12 minutes apart and when we were walking around I felt some serious pressure "down there". I kind of psyched myself out. We came home and I was like, "Let's just go!" So we went to the hospital. Of course, when we got there I had like 2 contractions the whole time and I was still at a 5. So, they sent me home.

When we got back to the car I lost it. I was so sad to still be pregnant. Sad that my mom was leaving... I felt dumb too. Like the nurses probably thought I was being super dramatic. I mean, this is my 3rd kid, for crying out loud! I should know better, right? I guess in all fairness I was induced with Jack. With Aimee, I had like no false contractions - it was just go-time, when it was time. And that was 4 years ago!

Maybe it's my age... maybe it's because this is number 3, but the aches and pains and discomforts with this pregnancy are unlike anything I had with the first 2. I am feeling a bit paranoid.

Well, by this time tomorrow - it should be over. I'm ready to see this baby! This last month has felt as long as 7!!
Check back for pictures and a real update in a few days!

Tender Mercies and a Happy 4th!

So I would say that I've been blessed with some tender mercies this summer. I have about 2 weeks to go with this pregnancy and Greg has been out of town for the last 7 weeks. And somehow, we are all surviving!

Greg's been interning for a law firm in Austin and that in of itself has been a huge blessing because it's a paid internship! We would have been seriously scrambling this summer without it. I am soooo very grateful, even if it means I've been parenting solo 90% of the time. With the exception of just 1 weekend, Greg has always been able to come home, even if it's only been for a day. That too - has been a major blessing. The best is seeing the kids react to him coming home. Their little faces just light up!
Greg only has one week left - Hooray! I get to have a husband again! When he is home I forget how much nicer it is to have someone on my "team". Especially getting the bed time routine done... oh, and when I can duck out of the house to run an errand without the kids - sooo priceless. Ever try taking a 4 and 2 year old to World Market or Homegoods? Never ever ever a good idea.

So long as baby girl will wait until this Friday night before she makes her debut - we're golden.

And speaking of that - she is still just referred to as "baby girl" - still at a loss with the name. Maybe it will come to me when I can see her. There a lot of names I like, and I would say for the most part Greg and I like the same names... Maybe the biggest problem is that I just don't spend much time thinking about it.
A few days ago I was on the phone with Greg and while we were chatting Aimee and Jack started to fight (they seem to do this on purspose). I stepped in to referee and said to Greg on the phone, "This is why the baby does not have a name! I hardly get a moment to think about her!"

Seriously, if it weren't for the discomfort, I might even forget that I am about to have another baby. She reminds me that she is there though, with a swift kick to the ribs or an "inside" punch to the crotch. Yep, ok little baby - I haven't forgotten about you.

Today at church we sat in front of a family with a little baby, she couldn't have been more that a month old. 
When I see tiny babies I get so excited! I am really anxious to meet this one. Will she look just like the other two? Will she inherit the red-hair gene? (I kind of hope so - how cute would that be?) She's been soooo wiggly this entire pregnancy. Does that mean she's going to be a hyper baby?? A colicky baby? (Hope not!)

Until she comes we are managing to pass the time staying busy. The kids and I try to get out and do something every day. We swim a lot, go to the library, set up play dates. That's another huge blessing: my friends! So many have volunteered to watch my kids while I went to the doctor - another recently called me up and asked if they could take Aimee for a few hours. Umm... YES! And a few weeks ago my college-roomie bestie came out to visit for a few days. It was SO great!

Hopefully the next post I do will be to announce the new baby! Stayed tuned...

Videos

Aimee and Jack doing their "Dancey-Dance" (Kind of long, like 3 min - but pretty funny. Especially Jack)

Jack-man counting and singing

Happy Friday Everyone!

Florida

I fully intended to get these pictures up before Aimee's party pics - but it just didn't happen. There are a LOT of pictures. And in no particular order, here we go:

This trip to Florida was especially great because my sister Steph was going, with her new baby - that I hadn't met yet. I was SO excited to finally meet this cute little lady:

My newest niece, little Addison Mae (and first on my side of the fam! About dang time!). Only, I like to call her Mae-B ("maybe") you know... like on Arrested Development. And because I have a niece named Addison on Greg's side, I thought calling her Mae-B would help Aimee and Jack be less confused. I don't think it helped. Jack just kept calling her "baby" because that sounds just like Mae-B. And Aimee would say, "I'm going to call her Addison." Haha.I tried.

Aimee meeting little Mae-B for the first time... she was very excited!

 

Mae-B LOVED her cousins! She was just fascinated with the them the entire trip. 

Our attempts at a cousin picture... I thought it was hard with the 9 on Greg's side... still hard with only 3. Jack was NOT cooperating.

My sister took this one. That is my hand "gently guiding" Jack out of the way. It looks like I'm about to yank him over. I promise I didn't.

Mae-B looooved her Pop-pop.

The new mama.

Mae-B's first beach day.

Jack being a spaz in the pool.

Aimee, being dramatic in the pool. We are never boring around here.

Whitney and little Mae-B. (This poor baby eats, I swear she does - but she has the scrawniest little arms and legs!!)

Jack and Aimee were loving being thrown up in the air and "caught" in the water. They would completely submerge - but didn't seem to mind. Jack would scrunch his face up and put his hands over his eyes. So funny. We did this FOREVER.

Mae-B, being cute. She was a really good baby, but man - when she gets mad she will let you and the entire world know it. I don't think I've ever been around a baby that cries louder than she does. Must get it from her mom. (Hah!)

We were at this little shopping center in Viera. They have these bronze statues everywhere  - I'm pretty sure the same artist has a bunch of pieces in Utah. I think I saw a CTR ring on one of the statues - but didn't remember to look for it or take a picture this time around.

With the Madre.

These are blurry, but pretty funny.

Aimee's face is hilarious!

A tiny chocolate covered pretzel couldn't be that messy right?

Right?!

Jack swiped Mae-B's pacifier. Lookin' good son!

Zoo day!

Cute ladies

Jack would walk near the giant tortoise, but would NOT touch it.

Stripes! (I realize that I wear this shirt A LOT - I have million pictures in it)

We went to the beach! Aimee had a total blast. Jack wasn't the biggest fan. It took him over an hour to be ok with the sand... and he didn't want anything to do with the water. Poor land-locked baby. Don't let the over-castness fool you. It was plenty hot, and we only stayed as long as we did because we weren't being blasted by the sun. It made for a really good beach day!

How Jack spent the first hour we were there... chillin' on the blanket and eating snacks. 

Sweet baby and Ana.

And this is why I long for a home with a yard (see pics below)... I want to be able to kill some time without leaving the house and get my kids totally worn out before bed time... (one more year, one more year, one more year)

 

This one deserves a bigger size - so sweet?? Aimee kind of looks a little devious. 

And now for some fishing. Redneck style!

You actually can catch fish out here, it's kind of fun. Until you accidentally catch a turtle. Don't worry - he's ok.

Pop-pop and Whitney with the babies.

Last day :(

I feel like the time always goes too fast when we get to visit. And as always, we can't wait until we get to go back! Love you guys!

Aimee, the Birthday Girl

Aimee turned 4 on the 11th - and to celebrate I went all out. 

Ok, not really - not at all. I had a bit of Mommy Guilt when sometime around June 2nd I realized that Aimee's birthday was coming up and I had no idea what I was going to do for it. I was so last minute putting it together and being the very preggo/husband-less lady that I am - I wanted to keep it as easy as possible. 

A party at the park was perfect! The entertainment was already provided, my house didn't get destroyed, no pinterest-inspired food table to set up and take down. It was GREAT.  

We had pizza, snacks, cake, juice for the kids - I would say the only thing that would have made it better would have been if it were 15 degrees cooler. It was SO dang hot and muggy - even at 10:30, when we started. The kids didn't seem to mind, but I was dying. 

Now for the pics!

 

Party guests, chowing down. 

The birthday girl herself. 

I love how intense the expression is on their faces!

 Don't mind the food tray - it was blocking the wind

Before we destroyed the cake - thank you Kroger!

Present time!

Love love love how excited she is...

 

 If I couldn't wrap my head around Aimee turning 4 - this picture helps. She looks so grown up!

 

 Cash money!

And sometimes it's hard not being the birthday kid. 

I died when I saw this picture of Jack! He was in such a foul mood! He swiped a present of Aimee's and just started opening it. She didn't notice, otherwise I'm sure she would have had a meltdown. The best part is, when Jack saw what was inside (a My Little Pony) he cried and threw it on the ground. Hah.

We discreetly put the My Little Pony in an already opened gift bag. Aimee was none the wiser. 

All in all - success! My only regret, not taking a picture of ALL the kids together. They were so cute and fun. Thanks to everyone that could come (especially so last minute) and for helping out!