Pregnancy update

Believe it or not, this Friday will mark 32 weeks of pregnancy for this lady.  I believe it.  My toes have disappeared.  I realize I haven't mentioned it quite so much on the blog this time around, so I thought it might be time for a good old fashioned update.

For starters, I'm doing pretty well.  My doctor's appointments have gone well, I'm measuring right on track, and the baby seems to be growing just like she's supposed to!  There's nothing better than hearing that fast, strong little heart beat as soon as my Doc slathers my belly with jelly and sticks the Doppler on.  I could listen to that all day long.  And the scale has yet to hit that 900 lbs mark like it did in a recent dream of mine, so that's good news :)

One not-so-fun side effect I've been dealing with this time around is varicose veins.  Fortunately they aren't really a cause for any concern, but unfortunately they're rather unsightly, not to mention these suckers hurt!  So my Doc recommended compression stockings.  Awesome.  They're terribly hot and uncomfortable (and darn near impossible to get on!), but they do seem to be helping, so it's worth it.  Mostly :-)

I had the typical second round of blood work a few weeks ago, where they do a glucose screen.  Fortunately my glucose levels were great, but my iron count...not so much.  My iron levels were low at the beginning of my pregnancy when they did the first round of blood work, so I've been taking iron supplements since then.  Unfortunately my counts had still decreased by a few points, so they upped my iron intake to twice a day.  Not a huge concern, but I definitely don't want it to continue dropping.  Plus, the iron supplements have some...ahem...side effects that aren't so fun.  Side effects which are helped along by lots of extra fiber if you catch my drift (sorry if that's an over-share...I just like to stick to the facts, folks).

A fun and delicious way to get a little extra fiber is through smoothies, so Dan has been helping  me in this endeavor by prepping lots of fruit and veggies for me in the mornings.

All I have to do is add a little juice & yogurt and fire up the blender!  Isn't he wonderful? 

Caroline doesn't seem to mind the new-and-improved diet:

Mmmm.....here's Mama's.  I think the baby enjoys it, too!

This glass was much prettier than me in all my morning glory...you're just going to have to take my word on this one.

 So there you have it.  Only (roughly) 8 more weeks to go before we meet this sweet baby girl.  My arms are getting rather anxious to hold her!

A Work of Art

 On Saturday while Dan and I were working in the kitchen, Caroline was working on some art in the living room.  After a little while, she proudly came running into the kitchen to show us her beautiful artwork:

It's really something, isn't it? 

She decided to share some with Mama, too.  Aren't we beautiful?

**The reason she was, umm, less than fully clothed, was because we were doing a little potty training experiment.  I've read several approaches that suggest you let your child run around in the buff so they really know when they go.  Suffice it to say that I think I either need to read a little more about it or find a new approach :)

Geesh

So when I said I'd be back soon...it's all relative.  I'm not sure what my blogging slump is really all about.  Thanks for sticking with me.  I'm sure I'll pick up the pace again at some point, although I'm going to just quit making promises about when that's going to be.  Sorry folks...life just happens sometimes.

Anyway, back to that fabulous weekend that was now over a week and a half ago!  Here are a few more pictures as promised, and a little more about what we did together.

Saturday we got up and going fairly early (for Carrolls anyway), and Kelsey & I decided to do a little shopping so the boys took Caroline to the park.  It's always interesting to see pictures from her time with Daddy...which usually involve doing things that would make Mommy slightly nervous if I had been there.  But I suppose that's why God made two parents, right?  And she generally comes back unscathed, so I trust them...mostly :-)

If you can't tell...this girl is pretty crazy about her Uncle Brent!

Then Saturday evening we packed a picnic and headed out to a local vineyard where you can hang out for free and enjoy the beauty of the Tennessee countryside.  The boys spent lots of time throwing around a football, playing botchi (sp?) ball, and other such active things after a full afternoon of golfing together in the hot sun.  Kelsey & I, on the other hand, enjoyed lounging around eating the snacks we brought and encouraging Caroline's modeling techniques.  I'm pretty sure it was a good time had by all!

Sunday morning we were up and at 'em for church, and when we got home Caroline & Aunt Kelsey had another brief modeling session:

After which we promptly put the young talent down for a nap, and us big kids headed outside for some sun.  We were generously given this pool by a dear family friend of Dan's - Roz - and we put it to good use during the HOT extended weekend.  The 4 of us lounged around in and out of the water, soaking up the rays and just enjoying the sweet company.  I can't say it enough how blessed we feel to have family that we enjoy so very much.  Dan and Brent simply refer to one another as "brother," and Kelsey & I could not be happier to have husbands who enjoy one anothers' company so very much.  And husbands who "play" so well together...allowing us to lounge around like bums rather than entertaining them :)

Anyway, back to the recap.  Caroline eventually woke up and joined us, and she's much cuter in a bathing suit so here's another picture:

At some point on Monday, Kelsey & I ventured out again and again left Caroline to fend for herself with the boys.  And I'm not sure what transpired while we were gone, but this is what we came home to:

 That afternoon/evening, the boys did some grilling in the smokin' hot weather, and we enjoyed a little more adult time in the kiddie pool...complete with kiddie floats and everything.

Kelsey & I were feeling a bit redneck after all of this, so we tried to compensate by creating some hors d'oeuvres:  bruschetta!  Yum.  And I can't really take much credit - it was really Kelsey's creation:

Tuesday morning they had to hit the road.  The time went much too quickly, and we try not to think about how long it might be before we're all together again.  Most likely there will be another little bundle of joy in the mix by then :)

Brent & Kelsey, we love you guys and are so glad you made the trip down here to hang out for a few days!  Please come again...anytime.  We'll just keep your room ready for you.