Little Mommy

While my friends were here, Vivienne somehow ended up with a ball underneath her pajama top.  She's a good little mommy already.

Stephanie and Jessica Visit

We had so much fun this past weekend.  My friends from California, Stephanie and Jessica, were both in town to visit.  Stephanie was here for three nights, and Jessica was here to join us on Sunday night as well.  It was so wonderful to introduce Miles and Vivienne to Stephanie (who still lives in LA) and to see Jessica again (who now lives in North Carolina as well).  And it was great for me to have the opportunity to catch up with good friends, eat way too many breadsticks at Olive Garden and hear about everything new going on in their lives.  It gets harder to stay connected as we all get older, but it's so amazing to have friends that you can pick up with right where you left off, even when it has been over 2 years since you have seen them (as is the case with Stephanie - how can it have been that long?). Thanks, Stephanie and Jessica, for coming to visit us!

Coloring with Steph

Giggles with the girls

It's hard to get 2 toddlers to cooperate for a picture.

Old Friends

Summertime

"Nothing says "summertime" like a trip to the pool, a cute new swimsuit from Grandma, playing in the sprinkler and popsicles in the front yard.

What does a lion say, Vivi?

"I'll take my popsicle to go, please."

Man's Best Friend

Who said that a dog is man's best friend?  I'm pretty sure our cat would give any dog a run for its money.  Noah will let Miles hug, strangle, tackle, play on and abuse him without batting an eyelash.  He has never showed any aggression whatsoever toward the kids, even when they were just learning to crawl and loved to pull on his tail.  I think Noah is just a lap dog lover boy at heart.

"You don't mind if I drive my car on you, do you, buddy?"

Best Buds

Whose Car Seat is This?

Last week, a sweet friend brought me her infant carrier car seat to use with Baby C.  Miles and Vivienne were immediately taken with it.  We'll see how well they handle it when they realize that this is not just a new lounge chair for them to fight over play in.

"This is my new recliner, right? Does it come in pink?"

Spelling Words

We have become "those people."  We spell words in front of our kids.  Words like P-O-O-L and C-O-O-K-I-E, if used at the wrong time, can cause an unnecessary issue.  It's amazing how quickly I have improved both my spelling of words and my audio interpretation of spelled words.  Something tells me that we will just continue to hone these skills over the years.  Soon enough, they will be able to figure out what we're spelling.  Maybe we'll pick up Pig Latin at that point.

35 Weeks

Well, I'm 35 weeks tomorrow.  I can't believe that our Baby Girl will be here soon.

She is very active in the womb, much like her older brother was.  She kicks and punches at all hours of the day.  I'm moving around so much during the day (with Miles and Viv) that I don't stop to experience it, but when I'm sitting in the recliner or lying down trying to fall asleep, I feel her flexing her little muscles.  She often seems to push or press on my sciatic nerve (or some other nerve?), sending a piercing pain down one of my legs.  Sometimes it's so intense that I'll actually cry out in pain for a second.  Luckily, it goes away almost immediately, but certainly gives Mommy a good jolt.  I have also noticed her hiccuping a few times over the past few weeks.

Physically, I'm definitely slowing down.  The 90+ degree heat that we have had this week has not helped.  I have been trying to go for walks (and mow the lawn) at night after the kids go to bed, because the temperature is much more bearable.  I'm starting to notice a little swelling in my hands and feet.  However, this is nothing compared to what I had at this point with the twins.  I just looked back at my blog and realized that I had man hands, cankles and carpal tunnel syndrome by this point in my first pregnancy.  (I had totally forgotten about the carpal tunnel syndrome until just now.)  I weigh just over 180 pounds right now, and I was over 200 by this point with the twins.  So, from a purely physical standpoint, this pregnancy has been much easier.

However, now I have two 2-year-olds to chase around, and I think that they compensate for how much easier this pregnancy is on my body.  At the end of every day, I'm pretty exhausted.  Heck, sometimes at the beginning of a day, I'm exhausted.  Luckily, Jason is a very active and engaged father and really helps to make things easier on me.  Also, my parents have been a huge help with the kids and given me a little downtime to nap and get errands done.

At my OB appointment this morning, they said everything looks great.  My blood pressure was 108/50, which is actually a little high for me, but they said that it's nothing to worry about.  My weight looks good, and my belly is measuring about 36 weeks.  The baby is head-down (very thankful for that, because I would need a c-section if she were breech), and her little heartbeat sounds like a horse galloping.  The midwife mentioned that I shouldn't be surprised if this baby comes a little early because that is often the case with women who have previously carried twins.  They want me to get past 36 weeks, though (which would be a week from tomorrow) before this little angel makes her entrance into the world.  If I were to go into labor before 36 weeks (which seems really unlikely to me), they would try to stop it.  After that, they will let me deliver her.

We think that we might have a name for this little one, but we're still not 100%.  I'm pretty sure that she is really going to be named at the hospital once we meet her.  We have gotten lots of great suggestions from friends, like Lesleigh and Jayson.  I think Lesleigh is a winner.

Marbles

On Saturday, we all went to Marbles.  I thought it was going to be slammed with people on a Saturday, but it was surprisingly empty.  It made for a great morning for the kids.  Miles stuck close to the train table and admired the fish, as usual.  Vivienne wandered around all over the place.  Elizabeth enjoyed dressing up as a firefighter and serving food at the play kitchen.

Firefighter Sam is ready for action!

My daughter has no personality.

Seriously, she has no personality.

Daddy and Uncle Brian even enjoyed playing with the big "budgeting blocks."

My beautiful little explorer.

"Don't mind me, Mommy.  I'll be here at the train table."

Miles watched the rubber duckies "swim" down the water table.

Elizabeth got smocked up for "painting" (with water).

Precious little artist.

Who says you can't be beautiful and be a mad scientist?

Miles made sure that all the flowers in the garden were well watered.

We had such a great weekend hanging out with Brian, Mary and Elizabeth.  I know it will be a long time until we see them again, because our baby girl is coming next month.  We're so thankful that they made the trek up here to spend time with us.   I can't wait to introduce them to our youngest baby girl!

Museum of Life and Science

Uncle Brian, Aunt Mary and my little niece, Elizabeth, were here visiting over Father's Day weekend.  Elizabeth turned 2 years old on June 6, and we haven't seen her since Thanksgiving, so it was wonderful to see how much she has grown.  She is such a cute, bright little girl, and I loved watching the kids spend time together.

On Friday, we all went to the Museum of Life and Science.  The kids had a blast riding the train, seeing the farm animals and finding the fish and butterflies in the Butterfly House.

Cousins Watching the Train Go By

Sweet Elizabeth

"Come on, Vivi.  I'll show you how to get there."

Brian and Elizabeth looking for butterflies.

The kids loved watching the goldfish.

It looks like somebody had a little too much fun.

Pool Burrito

After a trip to the pool on Thursday, we wrapped Miles in a towel and loosely secured him in his car seat to tote him back to the house.  (I swear it's only a couple blocks from the pool to our house and he doesn't travel like this regularly.)

Cutest pool burrito I've ever seen.

33 Weeks

I can't believe that I'm already at 33 weeks with my third child.  How did that happen?  This pregnancy has gone by so much more quickly, mainly because I spend my days herding Miles and Vivienne around playgrounds and our home.

I'm starting to slow down a lot with the heat, which is a little discouraging.  But last week, I was able to walk 20 miles, which is the most that I have walked in a few weeks (more often it's around 15 miles), so I'm feeling pretty good about that.  I often go for long walks after the kids go to bed.  It's nice to enjoy the cooler evenings and not have to push the double stroller.  It also gives me some much needed time to myself.  During these walks last week, I saw countless bunnies, birds, deer, blue herons, a king fisher (very cool) and other animals.  I love seeing the animals come out as the sun goes down.

I had an OB appointment last week, and they said everything looks great.  My hemoglobin level was good (meaning I'm not anemic), and my blood pressure is still very low.  They said that my wait gain is "looking good."  I'm up 25 lbs at this point (right around 180), so it looks like I should not break 200 lbs this time (unless I eat a LOT of ice cream between now and the end, which isn't out of the question).

I have been reading a lot of books on natural childbirth, trying to prepare myself for the arrival of this little one.  It's reassuring to me that this time will be very familiar with my surroundings at the hospital and the overall process of giving birth.  Most of the "unknowns" from the first time around are gone, and I think that will be very helpful.  It will be nice to deliver the baby in a labor room instead of the operating room, assuming that everything works out the way that I hope it will.  (With the twins, I delivered in an OR even though they were born vaginally.  They want to be able to quickly convert to a c-section if needed.)

We still don't have a name or a crib or a car seat for this little one, but we're getting a bit closer.  I'm borrowing a crib and a car seat from some very generous friends of ours.  Now, if only I could borrow a name...

Dress Myself

Vivienne has recently taken a stronger interest in dressing herself.  She will occasionally try to put on her own shorts (coming nowhere close to doing it herself yet).  She often makes much more progress when she tries to put on her shirt.  At least she gets it over her head.

She has recently taken a liking to one of the rash guards that Miles wears to the pool.  For whatever reason, she tries to put this shirt on over and over.  You can see that she doesn't often get very far.  It's a little snug at the neck hole.

Morrisville Fire Station Tour

This morning, a group of moms and toddlers went on a tour of the Morrisville Fire Station.  The firefighters were very welcoming and enjoyed playing with the kids.  Our tour was led by a female firefighter, which was particularly awesome.  We got to see all of their accommodations, and the highlight of the day was definitely the truck (not surprisingly).

On the back of the fire truck

Inside the fire truck (Miles showing off his belly button and abs like his dad)

"This thing is a LOT bigger than me."

"This guy isn't so scary."

Future Firefighter?

Big Boy Haircut

Today was Miles' first big boy haircut.  I have always cut his hair, using only scissors.  I like to leave his hair longer, mainly because he just has some awesome, shiny, straight hair.  A friend of mine used to call his hair "surfer hair."  I have cut Jason's hair for years (though I use the buzzers for the sides and back and just cut the top with scissors), but cutting Miles' hair with only scissors has been very different.  Until today, he was sporting the longer, bowl-like cut.  I was never really going for a "bowl" cut, but I always ended up with that.  I decided that I finally need to take the plunge and try to give him a proper haircut.  With a little help from Elmo on our TV and Daddy sacrificing his lap (or at least being willing to get Miles' hair all over him), I was able to give him a pretty decent cut.  I think he looks so much older now.  My baby isn't a baby anymore.

Sunday Cuties

Just a couple shots of our Sunday cuties after church.

Cereal Moochers

Around our house, it's extremely difficult to eat anything with the kids around without having to share it.  Jason and I (particularly Jason) are big fans of cereal, and it's not surprising that the kids have also learned to love it.  They like to sit in our laps with their spoons and enjoy it with us.  They spill a lot of the milk from their spoons, but they manage to get most of the actual cereal in their mouths.  And they really enjoy being able to eat like big people.

Tickling the Ivories

Sometimes the desire to bang out a tune just overwhelms them.

Welcome to the World, Will!

On Mother's Day, my dear friend, Pam, gave birth to her beautiful baby boy, William.  He was 6 lb 4 oz and absolutely perfect.  I really enjoyed visiting Pam and Jason in the hospital and meeting this sweet little guy.  Pam has often joined us on Fabulous Fridays, excursions to the Farmer's Market or Pullen Park or Marbles.  She treats my kids like her own and we all love her to pieces.

I look forward to toting Will along in the van along with the rest of us on future Fabulous Fridays - me, Pam, Miles, Vivienne, William and Baby C.  It's going to be a full car!