He (or She) Likes to Move It, Move It...

Well, it is official...the little peanut is on the move. For the past couple of weeks I had been feeling little flutters here and there and some pushing sensations like he (or she) was stretching. Last night and today however I have been feeling more movement and at first it feels like something I have never felt before then I remember, oh yeah, I've had 3 other babies! I guess it has just been awhile. So now we are moving into my favorite part of pregnancy...kicks, jabs, hiccups, sticking the rear end out as far as it can go (the baby NOT ME!). I think the funniest part is the rolling around and pushing. John gets the heebee jeebees (is that how you spell that?) whenever he puts his hand on my belly and the baby starts rolling :) He'd pass out if he had to feel it from the inside!

I do promise to get some pictures posted soon. I have some on my camera that I need to load onto the computer then I'll have a picture post. Abby's party is coming up next Saturday the 25th so I have been trying to get myself together for that.

By the way, I have a signature now on my blog. At the end of each post you'll see my name written out all nice and neat (obviously NOT my handwriting). I have found a great website that gives directions and tutorials on how to tweek your blog. I have a few more things I want to work on with my blog then I'm going to post about Sneaky Momma and her awesome website!

Big Girl...Big Girl Pants...

Today is a big day for Miss Lucy. She is out of diapers and wearing pull-ups now!!! Lately she has been putting up a fuss when I lay her down to change her diaper so I figured it was time to bite the bullet and get some "big girl pants". She was so excited when I told her she was going to get to wear one today. I think she wet her last diaper as quickly as she could so she could put a pull-up on :)

After I put the pull-up on her all she could keep saying was "pull-ups, pull-ups, pull-ups". She did walk a little funny when she first got it on and keeps pulling her shorts away from her so she can see it. This is our slow progression towards potty training. She will sit on her potty right before she gets in the bath but hasn 't "done" anything in it yet. She also hasn't shown a whole lot if interest in "going" on the potty yet either. It would be nice to have her on the road to potty training before the baby is born but we'll have to see. Neither Max nor Abby were potty trained before the next one came so at least I'll be used to it :) I'm thinking I might try next month once Max starts school to see if she is ready...

I'd also like to say Happy Anniversary to my in-laws. Jack and Charlotte are celebrating 49 years of marriage today! WooHoo! Hope it's a wonderful day!

Sorry, Been Busy...

Wow! Has it really been a week since I posted? John took Max and Abby to Charlotte this past weekend to visit with his parents so I took advantage of the opportunity of only having one child in the house...the ONLY one who still naps...to get some "stuff" done.

My parents gave me a couple of old wooden rocking chairs that I wanted to paint for John for his Father's Day present...cheap I know but he LOVES rocking chairs and has wanted some for the front porch. Anyway, I got the first two coats of paint on them this weekend. We had a birthday party this afternoon and it rained so the third (and hopefully last) coat will go on tomorrow.

I also cleaned out a TON of papers that had been cluttering the desk and filing cabinet in the office. I got a neat stack of things that need to be filed but I have to clean the old stuff out of the files first before I put anything else in there.

I did massive loads of laundry and even stripped the beds, washed the sheets, and remade the beds so everyone could have "clean sheet night" on Sunday night...don't you just love Clean Sheet Night :) I also tweaked and printed and cut out the invitations for Abby's 4th birthday party. The envelopes are addressed and we stopped at the Post Office today to mail them out!

I had plans to sort through maternity clothes and the kids clothes but I ran out of time. I did get the grocery shopping done...with Lucy's help...and cleaned out the "science projects" from the back of the fridge. Oh yeah, my biggest accomplishment for the weekend??? I balanced the checkbook TO THE PENNY!!!!! WOO HOO!!!

It did dawn on me about 6pm Saturday night that I had not had to fuss or raise my voice to be heard in 24 hours. Can I tell you how excited I was about that? Not that I didn't miss Max and Abby because I did, but it felt refreshing to NOT have all the LOUD going on :)

Today...back to normal :) Oh yeah, I hit the 17 week mark yesterday! I have some pics that I will post soon.

Our 4th...

We had a great 4th of July holiday. John was off on Friday so he took Max and Abby to the beach during Lucy's nap so I could clean. Saturday, Lucy and I went to do the grocery shopping... last minute I know but I hadn't decided until then what we were going to eat! When we got home it was time for her to take a nap and I got to work on the cooking. Once I got started I couldn't seem to stop myself! I made potato salad, deviled eggs, broccoli cole slaw, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, and shucked corn for grilling. John had marinated the chicken already so we were good to go.

John's parents arrived at about 1:30 and my parents came later. We cooked out and since it was a nice evening we decided to eat outside...well, some of us did. Abby heard the popping of firecrackers and decided she was coming inside to eat :) She came out after awhile and I gave the kids their poppers and sparklers to enjoy. We also had some confetti "poppers" which were a hit!

Once it got dark and the real fireworks began around the neighborhood John took Max and Abby to the neighbors to watch them. We weren't sure how they would do because they have always been afraid of them in the past. They LOVED them! It was tough to tear them away which is why they didn't go to bed until after 10pm! You'd think this would mean they would sleep in late the next morning...HA! You obviously don't know MY kids very well :) They were up at about 6am...sigh.

I would say a good time was had by all and Max and Abby have learned to appreciate the beauty...if not the noise...of fireworks. Hope you had a great 4th!

Grandma and Grandpa...aka Charlotte and Jack...enjoying a sparkler :)

Lighting up...

Papa (my dad) helping Abby pop the confetti from her popper.

Lucy and Nana (my mom). I think the sparkler had a very hypnotic effect on Lucy :)

She really was enjoying the sparklers even though she looks like she's cringing in fear :)

No, he wasn't trying to land a 747 in our back yard!

Loving the sparklers :)

Appointment scheduled...

I got the call this morning to schedule my 20 week ultrasound. It is on August 4th at 1:30. My next checkup is on July 31st. I just turned 16 weeks yesterday and have started with the Braxton Hicks contractions already. I started at about 4 months with Abby and Lucy as well so here we go :)

Checkup

I was originally supposed to have my checkup at 3:20 this afternoon but I called this morning and had it changed to this morning since Max has a t-ball game at 5:30. I didn't want to be rushing around with all 3 kids by myself.

Anyway, things look good. In my doctor's words I am"cruising right along". I had to take all 3 kids with me and thankfully they behaved VERY well. Max was excited that he got to hear the baby's heartbeat this time :) My blood pressure was great (especially considering the rough morning we had at home) at 100/60. I forgot to ask the baby's heart rate. I had more blood drawn today to test for neural tube defects and of course, a check on my thyroid. I have to wait for the prenatal wellness center to call me back to set up our BIG 20 week ultrasound appointment! Yep, due to my "advanced maternal age" I have to go downtown again instead of going to my doctor's office. UGH.

I'll let you know when the big date is going to be...

Wait, Hold On, You're Going too Fast!

Umm, where did June go? I swear yesterday was the beginning of June and Max was just getting out of school and we were doing the last minute packing and rushing around (I'm sorry, did I say "we"? I meant "I" was :P ) for our trip to Colorado. Kindergarten has come and gone, our trip has come and gone, JUNE has come and gone. This train is going too fast...SLOW IT DOWN!

Sunday I hit the 15 week mark in my pregnancy. Hard to believe that we found out about it 10 weeks ago. My belly is growing and showing (to be expected sooner with #4 I guess). I'm slowly getting to the point now where it looks like I'm pregnant instead of just getting fat! Of course, THAT would be something to go slow! I still have a strong feeling that this baby is a boy and Max is just as sure as I am. John hasn't really said either way if he has a feeling or not. Abby will call the baby a boy but then say she wants it to be a girl. This pregnancy is going well so far. My morning sickness was mild compared to the girls' (which is another reason I think it's a boy, with Max it was the same as this time). I don't know if it is because of my "advanced maternal age" (don't you love that term...NOT!) but my body has been feeling this pregnancy a lot more. I have a lot of pain in the right side of my back at night (when I'm trying to sleep) and it hurts a lot in the morning but by the time I get moving around it seems to get better. I have other various skin issues going on and varicose veins are threatening to rear their ugly heads. My thyroid has been doing much better during this pregnancy however and I pray that it continues that way. I wish I could afford a complete body overhaul (on me) after this baby is born! Regardless of what is going on with me, it is completely and totally worth it and we are blessed.

Speaking of time flying. Abby will be 4 years old this month! I can't believe it! She will be starting her last year of preschool in September. WOW! We are planning a Tinkerbell themed birthday party, speaking of which, I need to get those invitations done! She is still into everything princesses and enjoys playing mommy with her baby dolls and her little sister. She tends to be quite bossy at times but, speaking from experience, it is what big sisters do :) Right Shea and Mallory?????

Lucy is a little over 2 months away from her 2nd birthday...HOLY COW! She is growing so fast and is really developing a strong personality...(code for stubborn and independent :) No really, she is not afraid to tell us what she wants and will protest loudly if made to wait. Teaching patience in this house has been a challenge for the past 6 years :) What is ironic though is that as a baby, Lucy was the most patient of all 3 of them. Maybe she decided it was for the birds and figured she'd follow in her brother and sister's footsteps! She will have a conversation with you and you can understand what she is saying. I mean, she is actually speaking in full sentences to carry on this conversation. She will count from 1-9, she will finish the last phrases in the "1,2 Buckle My Shoe" rhyme, her favorite saying right now is "Shake your booty now" and "Honey, cool it". She is also a goofball, just like her brother and sister! She will say "Mommy, watch this" over and over and when I tell her I'm watching she'll just drop to the floor and roll around like a maniac. She also learned recently that she could make Max and Abby crack up by performing her newest trick, spitting her pacifier out of her mouth as hard as she can. Beats me why it's so funny but they laugh and she keeps doing it...

Max is currently playing t-ball and shows much improvement from last summer. He can really hit the ball when he focuses on it and he has a good arm but needs to work on aim. Also, he throws hard regardless of how far away he is from the person he is throwing it to so he needs to work on learning how to lessen the intensity of his throw at short distances. He will throw it the same from outfield to infield and second base to first base! The boy just doesn't know his own strength. He really enjoys having his daddy out on the field as one of the coaches too. I can't believe Max will be starting first grade next month! I still remember the day he was born as clear as a bell and it doesn't seem like it was 6 years ago.

Well, since there is nothing I can do to slow down time (or the aging process...dang it) I will just have to go along for the ride and savor and enjoy every moment. I guess I should also take more pictures! Have a great day!