On your mark....get set....

(taken last Sunday at 37 1/2 weeks)

I think it's baby time!  I've been having strong contractions all morning, along with some other, um, "side effects" that I'll leave out to spare the innocent.  Dan came on home from work & we're just getting some last minute things togehter, but I feel like we're pretty well ready to go.  We're packing up the computer, so we'll do our best to update you when we have some better info.

Caroline is happily oblivious with "Meemaw" by her side.  She has no idea what's going on, other than that she gets to see Meemaw & Peepaw today, and that Nana is coming soon.  I hope she likes the surprise we're about to bring home!

We'll be in touch soon.  Hopefully this isn't a false alarm...but I'm fairly certain we're on our way to meeting our baby girl in the next day/hours!  Please pray with us that all goes smoothly and quickly.

Updates

My thoughts are all sorts of random right now, but I thought I'd give you a little smattering of updates/recaps today.  Here we go:

• The big girl bed is going really well (for the most part)!  Bless her heart, I think we've scared her into staying in bed...quite often when we get her up in the mornings or from nap time, she wags her little finger and tells us "No no no!  No get down!"  So for the most part, she's staying in bed when she's supposed to :-) 

• What's not going so well is that she's been spending extended periods of time awake at night, fussing, crying, talking...whatever she's doing, she's not sleeping.  And therefore, neither are we.  Some of this started before the transition, so I can't blame it all on the new bed but I do think it's contributing.  And we started running up there every time we heard her because we were afraid she'd be out of bed, and now she's expecting Mommy & Daddy to be at her beck & call at all hours of the night.  We've tried letting her cry, we've tried discipline (which is awful in the middle of the night), we've rocked, we've sang...Daddy even crawls in that little bed with her from time to time.  She has always been such a good sleeper, and we are about at our wits end, especially with the anticipation of being up all night with a newborn again very soon.  Any suggestions?  Anyone else experience a digression like this?  Momma needs all the help she can get at this point!

• I hit the 37 week mark today, which means I am officially FULL TERM!!!  I realize I'm not actually due for another 3 weeks, but I am embracing the "any day" stage at this point :-)  Official word from the doctor today -- I'm about 50% effaced and dialated to a 1, which is something but not really enough to expect an early delivery a this point.  I'm feeling pretty good, just very tired.  I've had a lot more back pain this go round, but what I haven't had is the swelling or carpal tunnel I experienced with Caroline, and for that I am VERY thankful.

• I have a fabulous husband.  Not exactly an update, but I just needed to throw that in the mix.  He's always been wonderful, but now that I'm at this very pregnant point, the man is truly going above and beyond.  Dishes, floors, diapers, baths (Caroline...not me!), foot rubs, back rubs, sleeping on the couch just so I can have a little more room at times...you name it, the guy does it.  Just for me.  And I'm not sharing him.

• My Dad (aka Papa) was able to come visit us for a few days earlier this week!  We had a GREAT time, and it is so cool to watch my Dad with my child.  They are quite the pair!  They swam and drew pictures and played with play dough and went for walks and ate ice cream - they packed a lot in to a short time.  Also, I'm pretty sure they had about the same napping/sleeping schedule :-)




• We've gotten to spend a lot of good time with Dan's family this summer, having them just an hour away.  Because I'm such an awesome daughter-in-law, I never seem to remember to take pictures when we're together, and therefore things get missed on the blog (because who wants a blog without pictures?).  But Caroline is totally in love with "Memaw" and "Pepaw" (as she has taken to calling them of her own accord), and really got to know her Aunts this summer when they were in town at various times (JewJew, Manee & Tatee as she refers to them).  She talks about them all the time, and I just love that she has gotten to know so much family inspite of our distance.  Just today Grandma came over to hang out with Caroline while I went to my Doctor's appointment.  As soon as she got here this morning, Caroline turned to me and told me "Bye Momma!"  I love how much they enjoy each other :-)  And aside from just babysitting, she also did my laundry and dishes, cleaned my bathroom, and brought me a lasagna.  Am I spoiled or what?  I am SO thankful for my mother-in-law and love having them close!

I think that's about enough for today.  I'm off to do some laundry...oh wait, it's done!  Spoiled rotten, I tell ya.

Thoughts from a Growing Mother

I just laid Caroline down for her nap in her crib, just like I have a thousand times before.  Except this time is a little different, because you see this time was the last time I'll lay her sweet head down in that crib.  Her "big girl" toddler bed is ready and waiting for her tonight.  I think she's ready...I'm just not sure that I am.

I'm quite the mix of emotions these days, which I'm sure is to be expected with this whole pregnancy thing, but still.  Life is changing all around me - even within me - and sometimes I'm not sure I'm going to be able to keep up.  Many of the changes are good, even wonderful, but they are still changes nonetheless...and I've never been the best as dealing with those.

Caroline is growing up before our very eyes it seems.  She's talking like crazy these days, repeating anything she hears and trying her darndest to communicate what's going on in her little head.  I LOVE this new phase and suddenly feel like I have a true companion with me throughout my days...though I must admit there are times that life with a toddler feels more like having a leech than a companion :)  A very very sweet one that I love dearly, but still.  There's nothing the girl cannot get into now, given her new-found ability to climb and also use objects/chairs/ etc as step-stools as needed.  She's becoming more and more independent, which brings me both joy and a bit of fear.

 I guess that's where the new bed comes in.  The practical side of me has no problem -- we need the crib for the baby, and we think Caroline will do just fine in the toddler bed.  I'm itching to get the baby's room put together, and this move will allow me to get some of the major shuffling taken care of.  I'm good with all of this.  But there's another part of me that causes the welling up of tears at the thought of my baby being in a "big girl" bed.  Because this is the part of me that realizes how quickly she's growing up, and how our life is about to change dramatically with the addition of a new baby.  A new baby that will make my first baby seem not so much like a baby anymore.  I mean, didn't we just bring her home, and lay that little swaddled bundle in a crib that was MUCH too large for her tiny body?

I think we're all growing up a bit around here.  My sweet baby Caroline has truly become a spunky little toddler that fills my days with excitement and laughter, and yes, sometimes tears. 

And I guess I'm growing with her as a Mama.  My pregnant body reminds me frequently of the literal growing our family is about to experience.  Dan & I have been pondering frequently the myriad of thoughts stirring within us concerning becoming parents of TWO.  How exactly does God allow our love to multiply in ways that allow for the love of another child?  What will my heart feel when I hold this new child, another sweet girl that is fully my daughther and yet is not Caroline?  How will I divide my time between two?  To be honest, I think the last question is the hardest for me right now -- I have treasured these 22 months with Caroline as my 1-and-only, and I know that a) I will never have that with this child and b) I will never have that again with Caroline.  And both of those facts make my heart a bit sad.

Just 5 short weeks until my due date!  Just 5 more weeks until our lives our changed forever and we hold a new bundle of pink in our arms.  Just 5 more weeks of being Mama to only one daughter.  Just 5 more weeks of a normal routine for awhile.  Just 5 more weeks until Caroline is a BIG sister.  Just 5 more weeks until I can bend over without sound effects.  Just 5 more weeks with no night-time/round-the-clock feedings.  Just 5 more weeks until we meet our new daughter. 

It's amazing how 5 weeks can seem like both an eternity and the blink of an eye.

Happy 4th of July!!

From the cutest little firecracker on the block :)

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.