Hospital Tour

My first baby - Maggie at 7 weeks... Isn't she precious? And she was so much easier than the human children.

Will - my precious (second) human child! And, hopefully the last one... Sorry Mom!

One word - fear! All it took was for me to be in a labor and delivery (aka birthing) room again in the hospital for all the memories to come flooding back. What about that pregnancy amnesia? Don't listen to the people who say that really happens because it's a hoax and is probably made up by a man who wants to forget the experience himself. So, we took a tour of Baylor hospital yesterday as a family and checked out where we'll be spending a few days in November. They had just delivered a baby and had it in the nursery for a check when we were passing. Jackson couldn't get enough of that sight and he, along with his daddy, had their noses pressed against the glass watching the action. Jackson was very, very concerned about the crying baby. David says he was upset because we walked away and he wanted to watch the baby more, but he kept saying "baby crying..." so I think that worried him. He then proceeded to fall asleep in his daddy's arms so having him "experience" the hospital visit didn't go as planned. Oh well - at least we know he can nap at the hospital despite all the "action." The rooms are spacious and nice but we will be requesting a room with a couch and a chair (I also give this advice to other new mommies out there - ask the nurses for a room with a couch after you deliver so the hubby can have a place to lay and won't be in a chair for three days). Everyone seemed very nice though I did have a little push back when I asked if the nursery would take the baby for a few hours while we rested. Apparently, they don't encourage this and I will probably be thought of as a terrible mother if I do so. Luckily I learned a few things the first time around and one of them is to get as much rest as possible and the second is to not worry what other people think of my "mothering" tactics. I will be asking the nurse to take him a few times, sorry!

I also wanted to let everyone know that the hospital posts the babies' pictures online with their birth information. I checked it out yesterday and it is very cool. You will need to go to the Baylor website - http://www.baylorhealth.com/ - and scroll to the bottom of the page for the link - Find a Baylor Baby. Click on this link, look for Baylor Grapevine, put in the date of birth and the information will pop up under a link with the baby's first name and last initial. So, for all the brainiacs that will be William L.

I have less than forty days until my inducement date, my back aches and my stomach feels hard as a rock. My feet are swelling and I don't sleep well. Everything gives me indigestion and I'm always tired. I want to nest and get the nursery ready but who has the energy. I fall asleep on the couch when Jack asks me to sit with him, he had to tell me to get up yesterday... Whose body has taken over mine?? Ahh, pregnancy - what a beautiful thing!

33 Weeks (well, almost...)

The latest pictures of my belly are posted above. We took these today before making our last trip of the season to the splash park. Jackson is so precious; he wants to take the pictures with me and then immediately see them on the camera. I have 50 days until my due date (33 weeks on Tuesday), but only 43 days until my inducement date so the clock is ticking a little faster each day. I've started getting swelling in my feet - I knew I wasn't going to be lucky enough to get out of this one without some swelling but I haven't reached the "bloated" stage yet like my last pregnancy. I'm trying to elevate my feet when I can, but it isn't as often as I like. All I can say is, thank goodness for Jack's afternoon naps - they keep me going by allowing me to get some rest midday. Will moves like crazy. I know I write that all the time, but it is such a strange phenomenon to have him move so differently than Jack did. He just shakes and stretches unlike Jackson who gave me lots of swift kicks, especially to the ribs. It's already evidence of their difference in personalities.

I've also posted a picture of Jackson's apple hat he made in school last week. We are excited to see what he comes home with for "B" week. He also takes his first school pictures on Wednesday so those should be fun to see! I'll be sure to post those ASAP.

Our Visit from the M's and a School Update

Jackson loves riding his bike with daddy's help...

Mom, "I'm ready to go riding"!

Watching cartoons on the couch...

Jackson and Maddie playing in the sandbox in the backyard.

This week, our friends from big B.R. (Baton Rouge), Melissa and Maddie, visited us here for the first time since we moved. It was wonderful to see them and Jackson became fast friends with Maddie even though there is almost a year's difference in their age. The kids had a blast, especially when we let them loose in the backyard and we enjoyed our time visiting while they were distracted. We even took them for a day of shopping at my favorite place - Northpark Mall. The kids had no desire to shop but, luckily, we entertained them with the different stops around the mall, including the duck pond where they slid down the wall slide (pic above). It was a short visit - way too short! - but we know they'll be back soon. Besides, Jackson might marry Maddie one day so we want to make sure they get to know each other!

Mother's Day Out is going great and Jackson now looks forward to it. There are no tears when we drop him off but he is still very happy when we pick him up. He knows school is at church and gets excited to go; he loves to tell us about all he does there. I believe his favorite activity is going outside to play on the playground, but that doesn't really surprise me. He's all boy... This week he made an apple hat and painted a picture that included all his "preschool friends" names. It's fun to put these things away and save them all the while knowing we will drag these out many times when he gets older. I still have some of my preschool/kindergarten keepsakes that my mother boxed up for me.

Everytime I log onto this blog, I see the baby ticker which is a very bold reminder of just how many days I have until Will makes his arrival. And, if we induce, that number is reduced by 7 days. That means I have less than 50 days... wow, it's just so hard to imagine. I know it will be here before we know it. Luckily, Will's crib is set up and ready to go so that makes me feel much better.

Jackson is with MawMaw today at Bob Jones Nature Center learning all about Creepy Crawlies so I need to go pick up the house, do laundry, etc. I must maximize this alone time, so until the next blog... take care and we send our love!

"School Days, The Golden Rule Days..."

Jackson's naproll and Thomas backpack.

Finishing up for the day and posing with his friend Lillian and MawMaw.

Starting the day (see Katherine in the background, she's not happy yet either)

Ready for the first day of school (Daddy is at least, Jack isn't so sure).

Jackson had a great day at school. Yes, you read that correctly! Now, the pictures you see above may show much concern in his little face and you might think I am misguided. But, once he got past the "first day" jitters (and we left the room!) he calmed down and really had a great time. As we arrived, he wouldn't leave his daddy's side and actually clung to his pants leg as we tried to leave. Two of the teachers had to grab him and carry him back to the room crying. We waited around few minutes, peeked back in and he was already playing and had calmed down. The teacher said he did great, though he didn't eat any lunch (and I packed his favorites). He napped great, which shocked me - I wanted to know the teacher's secret when she said they all fell asleep as some point. He even sang a new song for us - "Good Morning" which he must have learned today in circle time. When we picked him up at the end of the school day, he was all smiles and very excited. We took him to Chick fil A for a special snack and he ate an entire kids' meal and an ice cream. He was hungry! All that activity wore him out (and the fact that he didn't eat lunch). I expected that to be difficult for him as we have such trouble getting him to eat at home without distractions.

He waved goodbye to his classmates and Mrs. Taba (short for Mrs. Tabatha) and has been in a great mood since. We can only assume he had a great day! Prayers were answered...

*As an aside, I would like to mention that mommy had a very hard time this morning leaving him behind. A big thank you to daddy for reminding me that this is a good thing for all of us and for treating me to a nice breakfast to take my mind off of the anxiety of the morning.

I also want to mention that this morning when we were rushing out of the door to get to school in the awful, horrible monsoon we were having, I told my son and husband, "Let's go or we will be late for school." I saw a flashback of my own childhood and then wondered aloud, "How many times am I going to say that in my lifetime?" David answered for me - hundreds!

Golf carts, Will's beautiful face and more

David, being such a proud papa, took this photo of Jackson driving his golf cart down the sidewalk in front of our house. In his words, "Jack playing the "front 9"... He loves the golf cart now that he understands how to drive it better. His dad taught him some golf cart etiquette..."

Jackson is doing great in his new big boy bed and seems to be sleeping more comfortably at night. Our only "speed bump" is that he now wants his daddy to sleep with him every night. David has fallen asleep with him on a number of occasions and Jackson's is spoiled to it (go figure!).

We had a family "date night" to see Nickelodeon Live this past Sunday evening then a romantic pizza dinner at Coal Vines and finally, frozen yogurt. It was the best evening spent with my three favorite boys (Will was in attendance as well and let us know it with his swift kicks). I've posted a picture from Jackson at the show. His favorite segment of the show was definitely "Dora the Explorer" but he was mesmerized by all the activity on stage. A few times I had to watch closely to make sure he blinked!

On this past Wednesday we had the Open House at Jackson's preschool. He stayed in the classroom for about 20 minutes without me and cried the entire time. He seemed to be the most upset of all the kids. It was hard on him (and us!) but we know that with time, he will grow to love school and look forward to us dropping him off - or at least that's what we're hoping. Stay tuned for an update this coming week on his first day of school, Wednesday Sept. 8th. He'll be on his own, well without mommy or daddy, for an entire 6 hours. Can he make it? Will he crack? Will Mommy crack? (Using a television announcer's voice) Tune in this Wednesday to see if Jackson gets voted off the "preschool island".

And, drum roll please..... For your viewing pleasure - I have posted the pictures of my belly at exactly 30 weeks and Will's latest portrait session. We had our second ultrasound on Wednesday of this week and got a great report. Will is healthy, strong, and very beautiful. Everything measures right on track, except his legs and arms, of course, which are measuring long. He weighs about 3lbs 40z (3lbs is the average at this time) and is in the head down position. The sonographer was so sweet and gave us "complimentary" 3D/4D pictures of the little man. She couldn't resist - he was in the perfect position and had given us some great profile shots. We all agreed he is already a beautiful little boy - just look at those lips! We see a lot of similarities to Jackson but his face appears more rounded than Jackson's long face. I imagine him with dark hair, dark skin and beautiful blue or green eyes. I know it's a long shot but it's fun to imagine nonetheless.

At this point, we are considering a November 1st or 2nd induction date but will know by the middle of October if we will go forward with the early induction. If Will's weight is normal and he is healthy, Dr. Neal (and we) feels it is best to take him a little early to avoid any unnecessary complications of a big baby. Though, only time will tell - God may have other plans. We do know that he is healthy and my pregnancy couldn't be going any better and we are thankful for that!