iPhone Friday

August Phone Dump- It’s been a busy month with lots of belly pictures, play time with friends, and quality family time! Hard to believe this month is over but looking back I also can’t believe that SO much happened. It was a great few weeks but I’m looking forward to the fall and some cooler temps!

Family Hike

Last Saturday we finally got a break in the brutal temps that have been hanging around the South so I suggested we get outside and enjoy it while we could! Thank goodness we did because Sunday was once again hot and gross. We headed a few miles north the Sawnee Mountain nature preserve and set out on a family hike. C started off walking for about five minutes and then happily climbed aboard Linc’s back for the rest of the trek up! Although I was huffing and puffing for most of the walk, I was proud that baby and I made it all the way up without stopping! The weather was perfect and we could see for miles once we reached the observation deck. We stopped to have some water and a little snack before turning around and hitting the playground back at the bottom. It was the perfect day with our little family and I am so grateful for moments like these in the middle of a super busy work month!

Mommy, h20, Carter, and Daddy at the top!

Our happy little hiker!

INK Museum

Nicholas, Carter, Elliott, Bennet (and wild man Trenton not pictured)

The other week the Baby Brigade packed our diaper bags and headed up north to the INK Museum in Gainsville. C and I met Krissy and Nicholas so we could all carpool together and it made the trip go by much faster! We arrived a little late but met the rest of our group in the parking lot and headed inside. None of us had ever been before so we weren’t sure what to expect but we were all happily surprised at what a neat place it was! I am so glad we waited until school was back in session because we practically had the entire museum to ourselves! Our wild toddler boys loved running around the different exhibits and checking out everything INK had to offer. The inside is set up like a small town and the kids got to explore a food store, café, post office, hair salon, doctor’s office, airplane, and train station among  others! I can’t wait to go back with the rest of our buddies because in the few hours we were there we still didn’t get to see everything!

Nicholas, Carter, Hayden, Sawyer, and Bennett check out the music studio!

We were so excited to welcome Dina and Elliott back after their summer away!

The hospital room and train table was a big hit with these boys!

Love these sweet littles eating lunch together!

Sunday Silence

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before.

– 1 Thessalonians 4:3-6 (NIV)

Playgroup Buds

Just a few pictures from playgroup the other week. We were thankful to have Lila, Alli, and KariBeth join us! It was also the twins first playgroup out of the house! Despite the rain, we all had lots of fun!

Carter’s First Day of Preschool

 

……………was a horrible disaster of a day!

It started off so promising! C woke up in a great mood so excited to go see his teacher and meet his new friends. We got all dressed up, ate a nice family breakfast, posed for a few photos, and headed out together to the driveway. That’s where the first problem began. C wanted to bring his blankie to school but since Linc was dropping him off I wouldn’t have any way to get it back. This made C very upset and kind of set him off in a bad mood. I was headed to my twenty eight appointment so I had to say good bye to my sad boy and be on the way. Linc brought C to school and walked him into his classroom.

They put all of C’s things away, snapped some quick pictures, and Linc said goodbye. He said C’s eyes turned red right away and his lip began quivering. Our brave boy only cried for about a minute though before his teacher was able to distract him with puzzles. Linc listened from the hallway and when he heard C settle down went ahead and left for work, calling me on the way to update on how drop off went. I was at my appointment and sobbed quietly in the waiting room that I missed my little’s first day. I was already heartbroken so imagine how much worse it was when I got a call from the director of C’s school two hours later to come pick up my baby! She said he was having a rough time and even though the morning started off ok, after snack he was inconsolable and wouldn’t settle down. They tried what they could, but it was time to come get him and end his first day early. I sped down the road and ran to his classroom. His poor, pitiful little voice repeated “Mama, mama, mama.” over and over as I hugged him and he cried into my shoulder. He tried to calm himself down while I talked with his teacher and we agreed that he should come back again in two days for an hour to see how he does. I called Linc and he ended up leaving work to come give C some loving too so that he knew we didn’t abandon him!

Despite all the crying, C managed to eat a yummy snack, color a few pictures, and create a really cute “Kissing Hand” collage that we’ll get to bring home once it dries. We also took him out for a super special lunch where he gobbled up every single bite! I knew this transition was going to be hard but I certainly didn’t expect it to be like this! I feel so bad for my little man and just hate to put him through all of this stress. I know eventually he will settle in and really love school, but I really hope it’s sooner rather than later!!!!!! Our plan for now is go back for an hour or so every other day until he becomes more comfortable staying in his classroom for longer periods of time. Please send up a prayer for my little that things calm down. Hoping my next update about school will be about how much he loves it ;)

Sunday Silence

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,

who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,

encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

– 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (NIV)

Bumpdate- 28 Weeks

Goodbye Second Trimester! Twelve weeks to go…give or take. We are nowhere closer to picking a name or finishing the room but somehow we will be ready for this baby boy whenever he decides to come. Linc tried using the Olympics as inspiration for choosing a name but his suggestions of Jamarion, Mulan, and Axel caused me to roll my eyes and go to sleep early hahaha I had mentioned to one of my girlfriends that is amazing what we block from our memories about being pregnant. I am getting increasingly more uncomfortable but I swear I didn’t feel like this until the end with Carter. It might have to do with not being able to exercise and trying to keep up with a crazy wild toddler all day long, but I am feeling much older and achier with this baby. He tends to settle in a weird spot which causes sciatic nerve pain. Definitely an annoying sensation to be completely numb from the hip down on my right side! Usually sleeping it off helps or we recently discovered that jostling my stomach until he moves makes me feel better too!!! The great news is that I had a wonderful twenty eight week appointment and the placenta issues have been resolved! I am cleared to resume normal activity and couldn’t be more thrilled!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How far along? 28 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss? Up six pounds since my twenty four week check up (24 total).

Maternity clothes? Still squeezing into a few regular shirts but they are definitely getting short!

Stretch marks? I am not sure it will matter how much I grease up, this is one big baby and I have a feeling I will end up much bigger than I was with C.

Sleep? Oh my goodness! I am SO exhausted all the time. I think if I could get a solid sixteen hours or something I would be caught up but since I don’t foresee that happening for the next oh…eighteen years, I am dealing with it the best I can. Sleeping during Carter’s nap has been the only way I make it through the day because I am up quite a bit during the night. It has gotten increasingly difficult to roll over which wakes me up and I also have to get up a few times to go potty.

Best moment this month? We had our maternity pictures taken with Lauren Boyd Photography this month and I could not have been more pleased with how they turned out! We also got the “all clear” during my twenty eight week ultrasound and I can resume normal life. The placenta has moved enough that my midwives are confident it won’t cause any issues so I am thrilled! I loved getting an extra peek at our sweet boy but am definitely thankful we won’t be needing any more ultrasounds from here on out because it means I am healthy and the pregnancy is back on track. The tech was able to spend quite a lot of time looking at my precious boy and he stayed fast asleep the entire time. h2o weighed in at 2 lbs 13 oz (63%ile), had a sleeping heart rate of 132bpm, and measured a little ahead at 29 weeks 2 days. I had no doubt we were having another BIG boy. Just look at my belly below if you don’t believe me!!

Movement? This boy is a dancer! I also feel like he is going to fall out at any moment and have intense pelvic pressure. His head is below my right rib and sometimes I have to push him out of the way in order to lay down!

Food cravings? No cravings and still having a hard time with veggies and greens. This little man is pickier than his brother! Other than that, I am SO thirsty all the time, especially in the evening. This has a lot to do with why I am up all night going potty!!

Gender? Baby h2o is all BOY!!!

Labor signs? The contractions are getting a bit more frequent but still nothing to worry about.

Belly button in/out? I am pretty sure I’m only a few weeks away from knowing what it’s like to have an outie. I cannot believe how shallow it is already!

What I miss: I would love some cold white wine and a Philly roll

What I am looking forward to: Since I got the all clear to resume normal life I am excited about getting to go on our family trip to Hilton Head in a few weeks. We were pretty worried I wouldn’t be allowed to travel but that is no longer a problem :)

Milestones: Beginning our third trimester, seeing our sweet little on the ultrasound, C starting preschool (look for another post on that one…………), this has been a big month!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Other highlights this month- stocking up for C and baby h2o at the local consignment sales. My mom and I found an awesome Graco double stroller that is compatible with our infant car seat. I debated about it for a bit, but after seeing the price we just couldn’t pass it by (thanks Hattie!!!!!). Even if we don’t use it very often, I figured it would be better to have a double and not need it than be stuck in a situation where I wished I had bought one! Even though the clothes at the sales weren’t as great as they have been in the past, I am really happy with the special items I found for the boys. A few more holiday specific pieces and these little ones will be totally decked out for the fall! I also found quite a few “new to us” toys that we will clean up and give to C for Christmas presents. I can’t wait to see his face! I love consignment sale season but am thankful the stress is over! I always get so anxious on the days leading up to the big sale but I have to credit these events for helping keep C (and now baby brother) so well dressed ;)

Maternity Pics Sneak Peek

The other evening we were so lucky to meet up with Lauren Boyd for a maternity photo session! I met her through my MOPs group at Carter’s preschool and we quickly hit it off. Our boys are only a few days apart and we have very similar tastes in lots of things, including books! She was running a contest through her photography page on Facebook and I just happened to guess the correct answer!! We checked our calendars, nailed down a date, and met her at a local park on a Sunday evening. C was in a particularly cooperative mood (perhaps due to the copious amounts of bribes we offered), the lighting was ideal, and Lauren worked her magic to capture some amazing memories of our little family. I could not be more thrilled with how they turned out and can’t wait to see them up on the wall. Here is just a little sneak of the amazing shots she took for us! Thanks again Lauren!! We LOVE them :)

C was working it! Thank goodness he was feeling photogenic today!

If you are looking for a photographer to capture your special moments, I highly recommend going with Lauren Boyd! She is so friendly and easy to work with. I will be forever grateful that she was able to capture such precious memories for us before baby h2o joins the family!

Just Because

I just love sitting back and watching my sweet boys!

So glad I had my camera handy to capture these precious father/son moments.

Sunday Silence

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young,

but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct,

in love, in faith and in purity. – 1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)

Thanks Pinterest!

Weeks ago I “pinned” a birth day box idea on Pinterest and I kept seeing it again and again on the internet. I finally remembered to buy a shadow box and started collecting all the special mementos from the day Carter was born. It’s still a work in progress and nothing is glued down, but I am thankful to have all these precious pieces in one spot! My plan is to paint the “C” the color of his room and now that I have seen it hanging up, I want to switch the birth picture with the onesie and foot print. I bought a second shadow box for Baby h2o and it is hanging right below this one ready to be filled :)

The box includes C’s first footprint and hospital bracelet, his first onesie (handmade by Auntie Kris), his twelve week ultrasound, one of his newborn hats, a birth announcement, the “It’s a Boy!” pin from his first day, and a big wooden C. We never actually sent out birth announcements so I just made that one the other day on Shutterfly. We also did not do any professional looking newborn pictures which is my only regret from when he was little. These are things I plan to remedy when h2o comes around!

Baby Boom

The second generation Baby Brigade baby boom is well under way! We have welcomed six new siblings to our group since November with four more on the way! Three of those babies due to arrive are boys and we’ll know soon enough about number four! We only had a few of the second gen babies at playgroup the other week but figured it was way past time to get them started on the infamous couch pictures!! We haven’t been able to photograph the bigger kids like that in a long time (since they learned how to catapult themselves off furniture) but it was so fun to capture the tinies like we used to do to their brothers and sisters! Hopefully we will get a chance to get all of the little babies together for a group shot and keep up with their photos like we did for the older kids. It is such a fun way to see how they are growing and changing!

Kinley (11/17), Adam (01/14), and Aubrey (02/08)

It was so great seeing the friends we hadn’t caught up with in a while!

Love these littles!

Build a Bear

My friend Anita is the queen of coming up with fun ways to beat these brutal Atlanta summers. The other week we joined her and Evan at Build a Bear for a morning adventure! The boys picked out their own little bear, stuffed them, gave them baths, and wrote out a birth certificate! We had never been to Build a Bear and it was a fun experience for all of us. C really wanted to pick out an Angry Birds doll instead of a bear, but after some careful negotiating he created an adorable pirate bear that turned out super cute!! He chose the name Captain Hook Bear and loves that he came with a sword! Thanks to A&E for including us in this fun outing (and the coupons!!!!!) and for a yummy lunch after too!

Evan knew right away which bear he wanted! C took a little more time to decide.

Sunday Silence

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore,

to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

– Hebrews 2:1 (NIV)

Ice Cream Party

The other day Krissy and Nicholas had our group over for an ice cream party! It was a rainy, muggy day so we had to stay inside but I’d say the babies didn’t care one way or the other! Miss Krissy made the ice cream herself and it was SO yummy! C asked for chocolate with sprinkles and I had chocolate chip. Yum yum! We also got lots of play time in with our buddies and it was a great morning all around.

What a fun way to beat the summer heat! Thanks Krissy and Nicholas!