28 Weeks ~ Feeling A Little Better

Yes, I feel as big as I look!  The back pain is really getting rough.  I also received the letter in the mail last week from my OB stating that my bloodwork did show I was anemic.  I have always been borderline, and I knew that the weakness and dizziness I had been feeling that made it so difficult to even get out of bed could not be "normal."  Apparently, it wasn't too bad since the letter said it should be manageable with an iron supplement and did not require the dreaded IV.  And the good news was that I passed my 1 hour glucose screening test so no 3 hour for me!  My wonderful husband picked up the prescription for my iron supplement right away, and I have been taking it since.  I must be starting to feel better because I actually felt like tackling some housecleaning this weekend!  Plus I even ventured to the mall with Evan by myself...that was quite an accomplishment.  On Saturday, Eddie had to work at the annual home show at the convention center where the Forest Service sets up a booth.  While he was gone, I thought Evan needed to get out of the house so we ventured to "Ol' McDonald's" for lunch and then went to the mall to get some "Star Wars" sheets I had promised him.  He loved playing in the Pottery Barn Kids store where we put together a big outer space puzzle and read a Batman book.  He did complain a little about having to walk, but Mommy explained that we could sit down and rest a minute because she could not carry him.  Overall, he did very well, but Mommy was still exhausted.  Not too sure there will be any more trips like this in the next few months...at least not without Daddy!

A Few Hints on Baby's Room

 So I am by no means a professional decorator, but I love decorating kids' rooms.  You may remember that we recently redid Evan's bedroom to give him a big boy room he can grow and thrive in.  I loved using his new found interest in outer space too!  Now, we have another little one on the way and can't wait to put together a soothing and comforting space for him.  Here are a few pictures that give a hint of things to come:

This crib arrived today, and we can't wait to put it together!

Yes, we selected a Pottery Barn bedding set, but it was on sale and was a very good deal.  We wanted  something more classic this time and will be trying to keep the room very light.  I love that the quilt is something we can have personalized and he can keep forever. 

That's all you get for tonight!  You'll just have to wait a little longer for more details! 

26 Weeks ~ Big Kicks!

 

Wow, this baby is getting very strong!  He is an active one, and we are often amused by his crazy antics.  We think he is practicing for the 2028 Olympics or something!  Mommy has been experiencing some bad backaches and some dizziness and lightheadedness which she thinks is related to her low iron levels.  She is trying to get more iron through her prenatal vitamins and through her diet.  She has her next doctor's appointment on Friday to check her hemoglobin levels to see if she has developed anemia and for her glucose screening.  Let's hope she can get her iron levels up to a reasonable level for her and Brody's sake! 

According to Babycenter.com, "The network of nerves in Brody's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear our voices as we chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches, the size of an English hothouse cucumber, from head to heel." 

UPDATE:  Baby check up this month went great, and Mommy is just waiting to hear that she passed the glucose screening test.  Brody's heart rate was about 158.  We have been super busy planning and getting the house ready for baby.  Mommy sorted and organized all of Evan's old baby clothes and with a few new outfits, Baby Brody's closet is well stocked.  Thank goodness for two boys born in the same season!  Daddy started some projects in the baby's room including installing a new light fixture.  We had to create a swag fixture because there was no overhead light at all in that room, and it was so dark.  I think the painting fun will probably begin next week.  The crib should arrive this week as well.  We are getting so excited! 

Thank you, Lord, for this little miracle preparing to enter the world.  We love him so much already and can't wait to meet him and get to know him better.  He will be such a special part of our family.

Video: I Have A Dream

Video:  This really was an amazing speech.  I wonder what Dr. King would think of modern America.  Would he be amazed at how far we have come on the issues of equality and freedom for all, or would he be disappointed that there is still too much hatred and prejudice in society?  I do think we have come a long way for freedom for all people of all races, social classes, ethnic and cultural groups, religious affiliations, and gender.  Do I think we are a perfect society?  No, I don't think that is even possible because we are all human.  We will fall short of perfect tolerance and understanding.  The speech was recorded at the Charlotte Bobcats game we went to on Saturday night.  Sorry it is a little shaky, but the camera woman did her best!   

Go Bobcats!

Evan has been begging to go see another Bobcats game.  Of course, he loves all sports, and we are lucky to have a couple of professional teams in our city.  Daddy found some tickets for last night on Groupon for half price so he purchased some for us.  They weren't great seats but considering the not so great season, they were good enough for us.  The game was kind of a neat one since we played the NOLA Hornets.  The Hornets were formerly Charlotte's team.  Yes, the Bobcats let the Hornets win!  :-(  It was also neat because during halftime, a special performance of Dr. King's famous and moving speech was performed. 


Daddy and Evan at Time Warner Cable Arena in uptown Charlotte. 



Mommy and Evan at the game. 



The big screen in the arena has a layout of the city on it...minus the new Duke Energy building. 






Rufus the Bobcat comes out to play.



Bobcats score!  They should have been playing like this all night instead of shooting crappy 3 pointers and missing! 



Rufus says, "He can't hear you!"



Go Bobcats!



Ronald McDonald made an appearance too.



Rufus has his Lowe's tools.

Evan Goes Sledding...sort of!

After our "big" snowstorm last Monday, it started sleeting and freezing rain that left a cold, slick mess all over everything all week.  On Tuesday, the snow was covered with a hard crusty layer of ice.  Daddy and Evan decided they would attempt some sledding on the slick stuff.  Evan was light enough to be able to skim over the ice, but it didn't really work out too well for Daddy.  We have a little hill between our house and the neighbor's that was just the right size for Evan. 


Daddy pulling Evan on his "sled."  Yes, it was a beach boogie board...we improvise in the South!



Just a little push from Daddy.



So proud he could do it all by himself.



Not even upset when he fell off the sled.



I just can't get over how beautiful he is sometimes!



Holding onto the rope and steering. 



"Weeeee!"



Hey, where's the sled?



Just chilling out on his sled.

First Snow of 2011

 Although this is not the first snow of this winter season, this is the first snow of a fabulous new year.  Our family loves the snow, and since the south is just not prepared to deal with the lovely white stuff, I actually have been out of work and school for the last two days, and Evan has been out of school.  The city and state do a decent job of clearing the interstates and main roads, but they just don't have the resources to clear all of the secondary roads.  I guess it wouldn't make a lot of monetary sense to invest heavily in expensive snow equipment for the one or two snows we might get a year.  We are so thankful for the precious time we have gotten to spend together as a family, for the yummy snow cream we have gotten to enjoy, and just for the happy memories we have made.  The snowfall yesterday was beautiful with big soft flakes until late in the afternoon when it turned to a nice cold icy mess.  By this morning, all of the beautiful snow was covered by a very slick coating of ice. 


Evan's first look at the new snow.



Our backyard under a blanket of white.



Our house looks pretty in the snow.



Time to go out and play!



A family picture in the snow.



Going sliding in the snow.



Wheeeeeeeee



A family that swings together!



Uh oh, someone's going to get a snowball!



"Another snowball please!"  We had to keep him supplied!



"Thank you!"



Cousin Reade eating his rice cake in the snow.



Cousin Lanny tried to make his own snowballs.



Cute cousin Reade really loved the snow this year.



That's quite an arm he's got there!



Emma's snow angel.



The kids decided to decorate the wall with snowballs.



The big boys were up to no good!



The Crazy Kids...can't believe we are adding two more to this mix! ;-)



They were about to hit the photographer with those snowballs!



Snow makes them CRAZY!



Getting some energy out in the trampoline cage!



They had a ball jumping in the snow and throwing snowballs inside the cage.



Reade kept saying, "I want no ball.  I hit Evan."  It was so cute, and Evan was a good sport to let Reade practice throwing at him!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

As you can probably tell, Evan adores his Daddy!  He really is one of the best!  He takes such good care of both Mommy and Evan and is just so loving and fun.  Now that Evan is getting bigger and they have so much in common, it is just fun to sit back and watch them play.  Evan loves Transformers now, which is one of Daddy's old favorite toys from when he was a little boy so Daddy loves buying Transformers for Evan and teaching him what they can do.  Daddy loves sports, and Evan has definitely "inherited" that interest with maybe even more enthusiasm!  They have both enjoyed that Evan is starting to play sports now.  Daddy is training him to be a little Wolfpack fan too.  Now, you might think Mommy is feeling just a little bit left out from all this fun, but that is definitely not the case.  Evan and Daddy both love to bring Mommy into the fun.  Evan sometimes has too much energy for just Daddy so he often turns to Mommy for an additional player.  Mostly, Mommy just loves to cuddle and love her two boys, and they don't seem to mind obliging her!  They really have to be the two most cuddly "men" in the whole world! 

For Daddy's special day this year, we continued the tradition of making him a birthday cake.  Since Evan is such a good "secret keeper," I told him we would surprise Daddy with a NC State Wolfpack cake.  Evan would have chosen a chocolate cake, but I know that Daddy's favorite is red velvet so I explained to Evan that we would make him a red cake.  Evan did a good job keeping the secret, but when it sounded like he would reveal the secret and Mommy caught him, he would say, "I was just going to ask Daddy if the Wolfpack were playing tonight."  Ha!  Nice cover up, Evan!


Daddy's "Wolfpack" cake. Evan asked where wolfie was, and Mommy explained that she was not THAT TALENTED! 



The kids enjoyed helping us celebrate after dinner with cake and ice cream! 

24 Weeks!

These photographs were Daddy's idea while we were in Charleston, SC for New Year's. 


This weekend, Daddy actually felt the baby kick...and saw it too!  He is kicking very hard now.  Evan stayed at home with his Grandma while we were in Charleston for a wedding so when we got home, Evan got to see and feel the baby kick too.  He thought it was pretty funny!  Mommy is very glad this little one is getting stronger and bigger, but sometimes those little kicks are not so funny.  He is quite a mover though. 

Mommy has also been making a few purchases for the baby too.  She has his bedding already and plans to do his room in more of the classic baby boy blue.  She has also bought him a few outfits but is really looking forward to seeing him in some of Evan's old outfits too!  Now that Christmas is over, Daddy plans to begin some work in the nursery.  We do plan to purchase a crib in white, but we already have a dresser that we will use as a changing table.  It is currently a rich cream color with brass/gold accents and hardware and matches the double bed in the room.  Daddy plans to repaint all those pieces white and update the hardware with something more modern and boyish.  Baby Brody's room will still have the double bed in it so family can still visit us.  We can't wait to begin to put Baby Brody's room together.  Mommy is so excited about how it will turn out!