Busy couple of days...

Mikayla at the pumpkin patch with her little pumpkin
Our family on the hayride (didn't induce any contractions - darn!!)
Mikayla on the pony at Ella's birthday party

Well, I thought I would try to get one more post in before I have this baby next Monday. We have had alot of fun doing some things this past weekend.

First of all, on Friday, we went to a pumpkin patch with our friends, Thomas and NIcole and their little boy Ryan. Mikayla loved seeing all of the pumpkins and going on the hayride around the farm. We had fun picking out a pumpkin and Mikayla even got to pick out her own little pumpkin.

Saturday, Mikayla was invited to a birthday party for one of her new little classmates in her preschool class. They had a pony ride there which was obviously a pretty big hit. There were a couple of other kids from her class there, and I enjoyed getting to meet some of the other parents.

I worked my last two shifts before going out on maternity leave on Monday and Tuesday. It has been very busy in the Pediatric Emergency rooms of Atlanta so I was pretty anxious to be done and have a nice long break. My husband keeps reminding me however, that my job is probably much easier than the adventure that I am going to embark upon in the next couple of weeks. He is probably right, but I enjoy the motherhood thing so much more, even when it is really hard.

I had my last doctor's appointment before my c-section on Monday. Everything is looking good and we are set for the early hours of next Monday morning. I have been talking alot more with Mikayla about what to expect next week so that, hopefully, the transition will be a little bit easier for her. These conversations have sparked some cute little comments from her. First of all, we have been telling her about how she gets to stay at Grandma's house while Mommy is in the hospital having the baby. I have told her that her and Grandma will come visit us alot while we are there. Mikayla is a big "Diego" fan...on the show, Diego runs around rescuing animals. Mikayla informed me the other day that her and Grandma were going to rescue me from the hospital, because she needed to see us more. I have also explained to Mikayla that the doctor will be getting the baby out of Mommy's tummy and that she will be able to see him. This has sparked alot of funny comments. First she said, "Dr. Graham is going to pull Gavin out by his feet and I am going to help him." I'll have to make sure I let Dr. Graham know he has a little assistant eager to help - he has three kids under the age of 4 so I am sure he will appreciate her point-of-view. She also keeps talking about how he is "stuck" right now and that he is going to come out soon. I've been pretty impressed about how much of this she is seeming to grasp. I hope and pray that next week goes smoothly for everyone, especially Mikayla.

Oh, I also wanted to inform everyone that Mikayla's furniture finally got here last Thursday. I have been a little stressed about the long delay that we had experienced in getting this - I couldn't really complain since we were getting such a good deal on it, though. It feels good to have Mikayla and Gavin's rooms set. It's also nice to have Gavin's clothes put away instead of all over the changing table. Mikayla loves her new bed and comments frequently about how Daddy made it for her. She has done really well, transitioning to a big girl bed. She doesn't usually go right to sleep when we put he in there, but we haven't had a problem with her getting out too much. I do hear her getting up to get books off of her bookshelf, but she has NEVER left her room. She doesn't even leave the room when she wakes up...she calls for us to come get her out. This is a little annoying in the morning, but I am also not in the mood to teach her that she can escape if she really wanted to.

I will do my best to post pictures of little Gavin as soon as I get home. Wish us luck!!

Petting Zoo!

Petting a miniature pony
Having a conversation a tortoise
Petting a pig
Being sweet with the bunnies
Petting a sheep and her dove buddies
Today, Mikayla's preschool hosted a little petting zoo. They invited the parents to come and I am so glad that I did! It was the first time that I have been able to see Mikayla interact with her class and teachers. It was a real fun experience. Mikayla had so much fun moving around with the animals, feeding them, and chasing a couple of them. The pictures show how much fun she had. I am really glad that my ever changing size didn't get in the way of me being there. It's hard to believe that I have only 11 days to go until my c-section!

Baby Update

Well, I had an ultrasound today. Unfortunately, because he is so big in my tummy I didn't get any fun pics, however, it was still neat to see him moving around in there. They are currently estimating his weight at 5 lbs. 9 oz., which is in the 4oth percentile. I am excited that it doesn't look like I will have to carry a 10 lbs. baby. They gain about a 1/2 pound a week at this point, so with about 3 1/2-4 weeks to go, I am guessing he will be in the 8 -8 1/2 lbs. range.
The whole reason that I had the ultrasound was done is because my previous scans had shown a low-lying placenta, which can pose some risk to me and him if my water breaks spontaneously. I got good news that it is no longer low-lying and has moved towards the top of my uterus.
The ultrasound tech said that everything was looking great which is always reassuring.
Mikayla had fun watching Gavin on the TV screen - she seems to be getting very excited about being a big sister. I hope that excitement carries over once he arrives!!

Ah...the little things

It's amazing the things that excite you when you have children. I have been searching for a double stroller to use after Gavin is born, so I'm not having to chase after two children. I wanted a sit n' stand stroller and a double umbrella stroller. I have been coveting this particular umbrella stroller made by Combi. It is small, easy to fold and has lots of little extras. It also costs $200 (more than the full-size sit n' stand that I want). I had decided that I would just get a little bit cheaper one that was around $80 and be done with it. However, today I went to a consignment sale and found the Combi stroller in near mint condition with the instructions for only $100. I was so excited - I marvel at the things that excite me since I have had a child. I mean, it's a stroller for pete's sake!! Oh well...

First night went well!

Jeremy and I set up Mikayla's temporary big girl room yesterday and decided to go ahead a let her sleep there last night. Mikayla was so excited about it that we were worried that she would never go to sleep. To our pleasant suprise, however, she went to sleep very easily and didn't get out of bed once! I don't know if we will be this lucky every night, but I think this is a very good start.

Mikayla's big girl bedroom

Well, we have finally ordered Mikayla's furniture for her new big girl room. We had planned to make a trip down to Ikea today, until Jeremy found out that he could get this furniture through work at wholesale cost. We are going to end up spending about $50 more for higher quality furniture. I am so excited!! The only downside is that we won't have the furniture for about 2 weeks. Oh, did I mention that I am having a baby in 7 weeks!! We are trying to figure out a temporary solution to get Mikayla in her new room by next week, so that we can paint the nursery. I am hoping Jeremy can just borrow a simple metal frame from work... we'll see. We tried moving the crib in there last night, but it won't fit through the door without disassembling it - I was not interested in this option. Also, we learned that Mikayla has a bit of an attachment to her "yellow" room and doesn't want to sleep in her "pink" room. The next couple of weeks should be fun. I'll keep everyone posted on how things go.

Starting out on a big day

Mikayla eating her breakfast before school
All ready to go to school
She looks like such a big girl!!

Well, I have decided to jump on the "blogging bandwagon" and start a family blog. There are going to be many changes to our family in the coming months, and I thought it would be fun to include all of our family and friends that are spread out across the country.

First of all, we are expecting our second child at the end of October. I just scheduled my c-section for October 22nd at 7:15 am. First of all, when I asked for the earliest time possible, (since I didn't want to spend the day hungry since you can't eat beforehand) I had no idea they did them THAT early. Oh well, it will be nice to have a full day with our new little boy. Secondly, it was very wierd scheduling our child's birthday. My c-section with Mikayla was unplanned, so this has been a very new experience for me. I have kind of been procrastinating (what's new...) getting everything ready for our little arrival. We just finished painting Mikayla's new room, but we still need to get the furniture before we can move her in and paint the nursery. Hopefully, this little man will sit tight and wait for his scheduled arrival. Otherwise, I don't think I will be ready.


Another thing of note, today was Mikayla's first day of preschool. She was absolutely giddy this morning as we got ready. You could tell she was very excited. Jeremy and I drove her to school and dropped her off in the carpool line. This was very hard for me! I must say she faired much better than her mommy. She was a little apprehensive at first, but there were no tears or screaming. I on the other hand, held it together until the door was closed. Then I started crying. Between being pregnant and little emotional anyway it was bound to happen. I have to say, however, it was nice to get some work done around the house this morning without a "little helper".



Well, I will do my best to keep this thing updated for everyone. Talk to you soon!