38 Weeks!

Today I had my 38 week appointment-same as usual, except they did an internal too. Warning-TMI coming:

I was 1 cm. dilated and 70% effaced, which basically means nothing! It could mean I could go into labor tonight, or in 2 weeks! ;) So, we have an induction scheduled for October 11th if nothing happens before then.

My next appointment and LAST appointment is next Friday!

Girl's Night!

Ella and I had a great day today! After gymnastics we headed to the playground for a good (HOT!) play and some lunch! My friend Anita and her girls-Savannah Grace and Riley came too, and they had lots of fun playing! After nap and some playtime at home, Ella and I headed out for a girls night, since Daddy works on Wednesday nights! We went to Target and to McDonald's :) Of course, we got milkshakes too!! Ella LOVES when we get to have a girls night-and I have to say, I do too! :) Here are a couple of pictures.

p.s. For those who are interested-I finally put up the September section on our website! Check it out! The link is to the left.

Tough Love vs. Spanking

Tough Love vs. Spanking ~
(a psychological conundrum )

Most of America 's populace thinks it improper to spank children, so I have tried other methods to control my kids when they have one of "those moments."

One that I found effective is for me to just take the child
for a car ride and talk.

They usually calm down and stop misbehaving
after our car ride together.

I've included a photo below of one of my sessions
with my son, in case you would like to use the technique.

Sincerely,
A Friend

Baby Shower!

On Saturday, my sisters and my Mom had a baby shower for me! It was SO much fun! Thanks to everyone that came! :) Here are some pictures from my sister's camera from the day.

Ok, so I gave up on trying to post a slide show. The pictures are on the September section of our website if you want to check them out! The link is to the left. For now, here is a picture of "The Fam" before the guests arrived!

37 Week Appointment, Labor and Delivery, and Poopy Pants

Well, all I can say is WHAT A DAY!!!

It started off with my 37 week appointment today-which was scheduled for 10:15. I took Ella with me because Reid had to be at church for a rehearsal. The 10:15 Appointment turns into more like an 11:15 appointment because they were running behind, so I end up getting out of there at 11:30 after arriving for the appointment at 10:00. Although Ella was VERY good considering the circumstances, trying to entertain a 3 year old in that environment for that long is enough the frazzle anyone!

Anyway-it was a standard appointment-weight, blood pressure, baby's heart rate check and measurment. Just before she was going to use the doplar to check his heart rate he had this giant movement that you could see from the outside, which made the doctor laugh. Then as soon as she put the doplar on my stomach, the heart rate was really slow, but immediately went back up to a normal, healthy rate. She said that this happens when they move sometimes because they squish the cord. So, all was good and we left.

About an hour and a half later I get a call from one of the nurses at the office. She says that the doctor wants me to go to Labor and Delivery immediately to have the baby monitored for a while because of the earlier heart rate incident. So, by now I am freaking out.-I mean, she did use the word IMMEDIATELY!! So, after I get Ella taken care of, I head to Labor and Delivery, of course thinking of all worst possible scenarios. After I check in they hook me up to a fetal heart rate monitor and I end up laying there for about an hour. Turns out everything is perfect, and the doctor was just using the "better safe than sorry" approach. So, I was very relieved to say the least! It's hard to believe I will be back there in about 3 weeks!!!

Moving on to Poopy Pants....

The plan for tonight was to meet up with my in-laws who came into town this afternoon for dinner and then the "Night of Worship" at North Point. After I came back from the hospital, I got changed into some nicer clothes to get ready to go, and was getting Ella ready to head out for dinner. Literally about 5 minutes before we were going to leave, Ella had to go to the bathroom-and of course, needed some "Pribacy". So, I leave her to go to the bathroom, waiting for her to call me to wipe her. soon I hear "Mommy! There's poopy on my pants!" I go in to find that she had gotten down off the toilet to wipe, and somehow got poopy on her pants that had ben laying on the floor. GREAT! We are about to walk out the door and I didn't have a change of clothes for her-nor were the pants she had on salvagable!!

That was the last straw for the day! I said, "That's it! We are going home!!"

Sometimes, there comes a point where you just have to throw in the towel for the day and say UNCLE!!

Yikes! I'm going to bed early tonight.....

Cooper's Room!

It's finally done! The only thing I still need to get out is the changing table pad, and the "Diaper Champ". So here's the pictures. Let me know what you think!! Thanks to my Mom for slip covering the glider! Doesn't it look awesome??? :)

I admit, I have a problem...

and that's the first step! Yes, for the past several months I have been craving milkshakes. You know you have a problem when it's 9:15 p.m. and you already have your jammies on, and you have no problem jumping in the car and feeding the need. No, I didn't do that tonight...oh wait, yes I did....but dang it, I think growing another person merits treats! :) So, here is a picture of the devil, just to tempt you. Behold the Chick-Fil-A chocolate milkshake....mmmmmmmm......

Getting Excited!

My friend JJ had her baby early this morning! Marissa Kate. I went to the hospital today for a visit and got to hold her. It definitely got me excited for our turn in just a few weeks!! :) 3 weeks and 4 days....

Well, according to Ella....

..an apron is also known as a "Cookie Scarf"

haha! This is what she called it tonight when asking for it to help me make dinner. :)

36 Weeks...and Back from the beach!

Today I had my 36 week check up and group B strep test. Everything is looking good, and measuring right on track! From now on I have a doctor appointment every week-I can't believe we're at that point already! Here is a picture of a 36 week baby that I thought was really cool!

On another note-Reid and I got back from the beach last night, and I am definitely feeling rested and refreshed! It was nice to have some time to sleep in and just do my own thing for a few days! It's finally time to put the maternity bathing suit AWAY! Ella had a BLAST hanging out with Papa and Yaya all week! Between school, dance, gymnastics, Chuck E. Cheese, and the aquarium, she has had a fun and busy week! :) THANKS Papa and Yaya for taking such good care of Ella!!

Yep, I'm at the beach AGAIN!

Yesterday Reid and I headed back to the beach for the music department annual retreat-and spouses are invited! So, basically they have meetings and I get to sit at the beach..woohoo! :) We are at Blue Mountain Beach this time, close to Destin, Watercolor, etc...

The weather is awesome this time of year, and the beach was gorgeous today! The water was the bluest and clearest I have seen it this summer, it was really nice. After lunch I headed to the pool and floated around on a raft for like 2 hours....ahhhhhhhh

We went to the Red Barf, oh, I mean Red Bar for dinner ;) and then to Seaside for gelato!

It was a nice day! I miss my Ella :( but it has been nice doing my own thing!

Ahhh...3 year olds and their thought process...

Overheard the other day while Ella was using the potty before her nap:

(By the way, her Bible verse at Sunday School this month is "God's way is perfect.")

"God's way is perfect....that why I need toilet paper!"

hahahaha!!! Truely inspirational....


p.s. For those of you wondering, day two of school today was equally as great as day one for Ella! :)

Lemon Pepper Chicken Fettucine

We tried this recipe last night and it was really good and light! Thought I would share!

Here is the recipe cut down to feed 3 (Well, 2 adults and peanut) instead of 6:

2 chicken breasts
6-8 oz. fettucine
lemon pepper seasoning
1 c. green beans, sliced diagonally
2 T. oil (I used safflower)
1 T. butter
2 cloves of garlic (I doubled this)
3/4 c. white grape juice
Juice from 1/2 of a lemon (I used a whole one)
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan Cheese


1. Sprinkle lemon pepper seasoning on chicken. Throw on the grill.
2. Heat oil and butter in a sauce pan. Add in garlic and green beans. Cook until garlic just starts to brown. Reduce heat, add in juices and simmer for 4 minutes.
3. Cook fettucine according to package directions. Drain.
4. Pour juice mixture with green beans over the noodles. Stir to coat. Add salt and pepper.
5. Top with sliced grilled chicken.
6. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese

First Day of School!

Today was Ella's very first day of PRESCHOOL! She was very excited to go and she had a GREAT time!

Reid dropped her off, an he said she got out of the car and didn't look back! haha :) This was one thing we were concerned about, because you don't walk your child in, you drive up and a teacher comes and gets them out of the car and takes them into school. Apparently we had nothing to worry about though because she jumped out of the car and went in to school like an old pro! :)

When I drove up to pick her up (they do the same thing for pick-up and bring the kids out to your car)-she looked sooooo tired but she had a big smile on her face! On the way home she told me all about school-toys, crafts, snack, playground, music, and that "Hola!" means Hello! :) She was already asking when she gets to go back. :)

I think that preschool is going to be an awesome experience for Ella!



p.s. Off topic-but I addded a video clip to the "Kickin' it Labor Day Style" post, so check it out!

Bye, Bye Chlorine Hair!

Well, after getting back from a week at the beach, I thought it was time to undo some of the summer damage from mine and Ella's hair. I found an AWESOME way to get rid of the nasty chlorine residue that collects throughout the summer-you know, your hair starts to look all shiney and nasty like a Barbie dolls hair-and if your hair is blonde it looks green? Anyway, here it is!

In the palm of your hand, mix together 1 teaspoon of Baking SODA and some of your shampoo. Rub around in your hands until it makes a paste you can scrub in your hair. Scrub it around in your hair, making sure to work it around a lot. Leave in your hair for several minutes. Wash out. Then shampoo and condition like normal. Voila! Clean! :) This is a great way to remove hair product residue too!

I did it on Ella last night, and me this morning and it made a world of difference!

Kickin' it Labor Day Style

We're home from an awesome week at the beach with my family! :) We had a great time in the waves and sand, chillin' at the pool and going out for some fun on the town in the evenings. I will post pictures in the next few days!

Ella's highlights from the trip:

1. Collecting "She shells"
2.Tinkling in the ocean (hehe)
3. Swimming nakie in the pool at the house.
4. Ice cream every night!
5. The "castle" bed in her room...aka Bunk beds :) She slept on the bottom bunk at night, and the top bunk for naps.
6. Movies and Dancing outside at Seaside.

We topped off the Labor Day weekend when we got home with a trip to the Oshkosh outlet to get Ella going on some clothes for Fall. I just have to brag and say that I got 70% everything I bought! I rule, if I should say so myself. haha :)

For your viewing pleasure, here is a little sampling of the dancing at Seaside! (Thanks Kelly for the video clip!)

Ahhhhh....Vacation!

Hey Everyone!

Sorry to be MIA-we are at the BEACH! :) It has been very relaxing and we have been having a ton of FUN!! The weather has been awesome, and the house we are staying in is a very short walk from the beach AND it has it's own pool-so needless to say, we have been taking full advantage. :)