Toddler Fun

We have been staying busy during the week and having a lot of fun. On Fridays we are taking a mommy-and-me music class called Tiny Tots and Tunes at Second Baptist. Cambry is pretty reserved during class but is warming up. Last week she wanted to wear her her bracelet, pearls, and sun glasses. Love my little diva.

I started going to Divine Design on Tuesdays at Tallowood. I have really enjoyed it so far! The first half of the class we do some type of homemaking skill or craft, and the second half is a Bible study. This past week we made pumpkin applique shirts. 

Last weekend Greg set up our camping tent in the playroom. Cambry had fun playing with it. She didn't really stay in long - she mostly just liked going in and out.

Since I am not working out anymore we have been going to story time at the library on Wednesdays. Afterwards Cambry likes to play and do all the puzzles.

Although mornings are usually pretty busy, afternoons can be long. Sometimes by the end of the day we have run out of things to do and are just counting down the minutes until daddy gets home. I love the Find My iPhone app because I can see when Greg leaves work and how close he is to home! She played with bubbles while waiting for him to come home. She gets so excited when he comes home. As soon as he walks through the door she yells "Chase!" and takes off running.

She thought it would be fun to put stickers all over the baby. What a sweet big sis :)

This just makes me so happy. She kept wanting me to put in more and more bows. I sure hope Lainey likes headbands and bows as much as Cambry!

And lastly, I wrote a post for Houston Mom's Blog this weekend about one of our favorite toddler friendly restaurants here!

37 Week Appointment Update

Today I went in for my 37 week check and to get an ultrasound. Everything looked great on the ultrasound, which I am so thankful for. She was still in the head down position, good fluid levels, etc. They estimated her weight to be 7 lb. 2 oz. currently (66 percentile). I was only 1 cm. / 50% effaced. That's exactly where I was with Cambry at 37 weeks...and she didn't arrive until 41 weeks and 2 days. I hope Lainey does not wait that long!

Cambry has been a trooper. I think she has come to almost all of my appointments and has done really well. This one was a little longer so I had to bring out the snacks and some Daniel Tiger on my iPhone :)

Baby #2 Bumpdate: 37 Weeks

I thought it would be fun to take a picture in the same shirt I wore at 37 weeks with Cambry to really compare. It is hard to tell exactly but I think I look pretty similar. Though I feel huge at least I know my belly won't be growing for too much longer!

How Far Along:  37 Weeks! Full term!

Baby's Size:  A bunch of Swiss Chard (I don't know what that looks like). Or 6 1/3 lbs. and 19+ in. long.

Maternity Clothes: Very few left that fit!

Movement: Lots of movement and hiccups. Last night we were laying in bed and she was moving like crazy. It was the most she had ever done. We watched my stomach just move and shake like crazy. She must have been pushing her little bottom all around because there was something very big and round that kept moving across my tummy. And then a foot or something kept poking out the side. It was so fun to watch.

Sleep: Good, just hard to flip from one side to the other. Still sleeping with the extra fan.

Symptoms: Braxton hicks, the random shooting pains, leg cramps and restless legs at night. It is pretty much impossible to disguise the waddle at this point. I am so slow everywhere I go. Greg misses my "shopping legs". Now when we go places together he has to inch along at my snail's pace. Also, I don't know if it is just a phase or if Cambry senses that the baby is coming soon but she has been pretty clingy lately. Throughout the morning she will go around with her arms in the air saying "hold youuuuuuuu". I try to hold her when I can. It makes me sad thinking my time with her as an only child is almost up but at the same time it is impossible to get ready (makeup, dressed, brush teeth, etc) while holding an almost 30 lb toddler on top of an almost 30 lb belly. I couldn't hold her while making our breakfast smoothies so she just laid down on the floor. She didn't throw a fit, she just laid there. So pitiful.

Food Aversions/Cravings:  Nope. Although I have been enjoying lots of ice cream lately and honeycrisp apples. Well I guess the ice cream is not just "lately". That is pretty much all the time.

Best Moment this Week: Finishing the nursery! Also spending time with my sister Ashley who is in town for a little while. 

What I miss: Going on walks. Especially as the weather gets nice, I am dying to go on a neighborhood walk. But I just do not have the energy to go far at all. Looking forward to taking the girls in the double stroller!

What I am Looking Forward to: Getting an ultrasound tomorrow! I am so curious to know her weight estimate, double check her position, and see if I am dilated/effaced any.

Goals: The nursery is finished, Cambry's big sister gift is wrapped, Greg installed the car seat bases, and I am in the beginning stages of packing. Goals for this week are to draft the email announcement with email addresses of friends/family, and just to enjoy this time with Greg and Cambry. I really can't think of much else I need to do. I want to get my hair highlighted and get a pedicure before she comes, but I may wait another week...we'll see. I also need to clean our house really well and keep it that way. 

Lainey's Nursery Tour

Lainey's room is complete! I am so happy to have it finished and I love how it turned out. I originally thought I would put the frame and the L above the changing table but I like it over the crib better. The frame looks gold in the picture but it is actually more of a silver color. I found the open frame at Texas Junk and the large wooden L came from Garden Ridge and I painted it gray. I made the mobile which I posted about here.

Michelle made the bedding and she did such a fabulous job. She is so talented! She made Cambry's bedding too. I don't think she is able to take many sewing jobs these days, but her work schedule gave her some extra time this summer so she was able to make Lainey's bedding. I am so thankful she did!

Now in a Pinterest perfect world this dresser would be painted gray with white or crystal hardware and I would have a sleek white upholstered Pottery Barn glider. But I didn't want to spend $1000 on a glider so we just used the one we had for Cambry. And I already paid to have that dresser painted when I did Cambry's nursery so I wasn't about to pay to have it redone again or attempt it myself. The dresser doesn't really match at all, but that's ok. I still like it and can use it in another room some day.

I love the rug, which was super cheap and came from Garden Ridge.

Jocelyn gave me these adorable block letters and they match the room perfectly.

The room is complete and now we just need Lainey to get here!

Baby #2 Bumpdate: 36 Weeks

YAY for 36 weeks! I am so happy only 4 more weeks but at the same time that seems like an eternity! I do not see my doctor this week, so I won't get checked. I doubt I have made any progress but I am still kind of curious.

How Far Along:  36 Weeks

Baby's Size:  Head of romaine lettuce. Or 6 lbs. and 18 1/2 in. long.

Maternity Clothes: Very few left that fit!

Movement: Constant ninja moves. I have also noticed that she has started getting the hiccups a lot.

Sleep: Good, just hard to flip from one side to the other. I have also moved a fan in by my side of the bed. I am usually super cold natured but now I need a little extra cool at night.

Symptoms: Just feeling so big. I am tired all the time and the belly feels extremely heavy. I am starting to get those random shooting pains. They usually only last a second. I remember getting these with Cambry toward the end too. I still get a lot of Braxton hicks, and just generally do not feel great. I don't know why this pregnancy seems so much harder than the first one. I am so eager for this baby to get here!

Food Aversions/Cravings:  Nope.

Best Moment this Week: Having a little "sprinkle" from my Bible study girls. We do this for each other for second babies - it is small and casual and just takes the place of our normal Wednesday Bible study, but it is a sweet and special way to celebrate the baby. They prayed over Lainey and all aspects of the birth/labor/delivery/transition/growth/salvation/etc which was so sweet.

What I miss: Feeling normal.

What I am Looking Forward to: Finishing the nursery!

Goals: Mobile is hung. Cambry and Lainey both have something to wear for Halloween. We have decided on a monitor. Greg painted the trim in Lainey's room white (it was looking pretty yellow-ish). New goals for this week are to finish the nursery (the crib bedding came in and I love it!), pack hospital bags, install car seat, and get Cambry a big sister gift.

DIY Ribbon Chandelier Mobile

Since I made Cambry a special crib mobile and loved how it turned out, I wanted to make one for Lainey too. Here is Cambry's crib mobile which is still hanging above her crib. I hope to keep it in her room for a long time since it doesn't look too babyish.

I wanted Lainey's to be totally different, and I found some inspiration from a Pottery Barn Kids mobile that is no longer for sale.

This mobile was relatively inexpensive to make. It required 2 metal rings, fishing line, and ribbon. I didn't think it would be hard to make but getting those 2 metal rings to hang straight turned out to be a big challenge. It is definitely not perfectly level, but is good enough. Maybe there is an easier way, but I could not figure it out. I kept adjust the fishing line and would just eyeball it. Here is my ridiculous set up for working on it. It is hanging by Greg's pull up bar in the bathroom doorway. 

Once the rings were in place I just hot glued the ribbon on. These pictures are not very good and the wall color always looks bad in photos. Oh well, you get the idea. One step closer to finishing the nursery!

Cambry 21 Months

It is crazy to think this may be the last monthly update that Cambry is an only child! This sweet sweet girl is about to be a big sis. 

Skills: It seems like you talk non-stop all day long. Your newest thing is to say "What's that?" over and over again in the car. I have no idea what you are referring to so I just point out things as we drive. You repeat so much of what we say. I realized the other day that you knew the Jesus Loves Me song (well some of the key words) when I started singing it. I am guessing you learned that at church nursery. You can identify colors pretty well. I think your favorite is purple because you usually go for that crayon first. I am pretty sure you will be right handed since that is the one you use most (at least for eating). You have started having more facial expressions lately - especially this really cute one where you raise your eyebrows. You occasionally ask to go on the potty but rarely do anything. Although every now and then you will. I am not trying to potty train you yet, just letting you go when you are interested.

Likes: There are the usual things - Wheels on the Bus (song and show), your baby and blanket, and carrying around chapstick. You are just starting to branch out on tv shows though. It has been that the Wheels on the Bus was the only show you would watch, but just recently you have tolerated Chuck (a car show) and Daniel Tiger. You ask several times a day to wash your hands in the sink. You really enjoy reading and looking at books so we almost always have a stash of books checked out from the library. You even like books that are somewhat wordy. You remember the books that we read over and over again because you will say key words that are on the page when you are just flipping through by yourself. Your favorite foods are peanut butter, cereal, and cheese. You ask for specific foods even when they are no where in sight. Like pickles - the other day you were begging for pickles at lunch! You also suddenly LOVE your Uncle Scott. You acted so silly around him at our last Waco visit and got so excited when we face timed with him recently.

Struggles:  Vegetables are a struggle but you do like green beans. You have also been decent about at least trying our vegetables lately. Although usually you will just try a bite and then not want anymore. Sharing is also a struggle (as I'm sure it is for all kids your age). We have to work on that at all our play dates.

Schedule: You usually wake up around 7:00 am. Nap time is around noon and it lasts 1-2 hours. Only occasionally is it more than 2 hours. You have not been wanting lunch before you go down for a nap which I think is so strange. So you have been having lunch late in the afternoon. Bedtime is 7:30pm as usual.

I am constantly amazed at all the things you say and understand. Your memory seems to get better and better and you seem to remember and understand things we teach you just once. I think you are the cutest sweetest girl in the world and you make us laugh constantly. We love you oh so very much.

Braids, Costumes, Aggies, and More

Have I mentioned before that I love having a little girl? I french braided Cambry's hair for the first time this weekend and it looked so cute! It gets messy really fast but it sure is adorable. 

I think the best part of Cambry's day is when Daddy gets home from work. Especially on Fridays because that means he is home all weekend.

On Saturday morning I went to one of my favorite children's consignment shops, Kid to Kid, because they put out all their Halloween costumes. I got there a couple minutes before they opened and there was already a line of people waiting to get in. They had a ton of costumes though! I got a bee costume for Cambry that I can't wait for her to wear. I found a Halloween onesie for Lainey for 99 cents and a Halloween shirt for Cambry for a couple bucks. I also got some chambray Toms for Cambry for super cheap. They are kind of boyish looking but still cute.

Saturday afternoon we watched the Aggie game with friends. I tried on my A&M shirt but it did not quite cover the belly. Especially if I moved around much or raised my arms. For everyone's sake, I changed :)

Cambry looked so cute this morning before church so we had to take some pictures. This one is blurry but the best we could get of the two of us.

She wanted to hold her purse in the pictures :)

This is what happens every Sunday on the way home from church. Little girl is wiped out. We went through the drive through at El Rey and then came home and put her in her crib.

This afternoon we ran some errands and then Greg grilled some steaks for dinner. Fun weekend!

Baby #2 Bumpdate: 35 Weeks

For comparison, here is my 35 week picture with Cambry. I am definitely still bigger this time around. Great.

Hallelujah I made it another week! Only 5 more to go (hopefully not more!!)

How Far Along:  35 Weeks

Baby's Size:  Honeydew melon (seems like the same size as a Cantaloupe to me). Or 5 1/4 lbs. and 18 in. long.

Maternity Clothes: I keep putting away maternity shirts that have become too short - like the one in the picture. It does not actually cover the bottom part of my belly but at least gives the illusion that it does :)

Movement: Constant ninja moves.

Sleep: Good, just hard to flip from one side to the other. And sometimes interrupted in the early morning hours by the crazy charlie horses in my legs. 

Symptoms: Mainly just feeling uncomfortable. Also lots of Braxton hicks, sometimes restless legs, and leg cramps. I don't have much energy. Also I have had a couple times where I think my blood sugar got really low and made me super lightheaded and weak. I am trying to watch what I eat more - making sure I eat enough protein and drinking water.

Food Aversions/Cravings:  Nope.

Best Moment this Week: I have a few - seeing old friends, Lindsay's sip-n-see this weekend, and the Divine Design bible study I just started at Tallowood.

What I miss: Being able to move about easily, breathe easily, feel normal.

What I am Looking Forward to: Starting a mommy and me music class on Fridays.

Goals: The baby stuff is all washed. We have not hung the mobile yet. I was waiting on the bedding to come in before doing that. Unfortunately MD Anderson cord blood collection is not taking any new donors at this time. I was also unable to donate Cambry's cord blood because after trying to get everything set up with MDA and calling lots of times I finally gave up because it was just not happening. If anyone has been able to donate I would be interested in hearing how you did it. Goals for this week are to find Cambry a Halloween costume (won't have time probably after baby comes) and hang the mobile.

Labor Fears

I don't know if labor is more or less scary the second time around. Then first time you have a baby there is the fear of the unknown. The second time around you know what to expect, but also, YOU KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT.

I had a fairly easy labor the first time around. But still, I know the crazy scary pain of contractions. I know God has every detail of Lainey's birth all planned out, but I still have a few fears.

1. What if my water breaks in public?

I know this is rare, but it is a possibility. With Cambry I was at home in bed. But it was a ton of water. I mean I walked into the hospital with a full sized bath down shoved down in my yoga pants because it just kept coming in gushes. Maybe I need to start carrying a towel in my car just in case.

2. Will I know when it is time to go to the hospital?

Again, with Cambry my water broke first so I knew I should go to the hospital. I didn't consult anyone or call the doctor. I just started getting ready and during that time contractions started and got pretty bad pretty quickly. I didn't time them but they seemed to be a few minutes apart. By the time I got to the hospital I was 4 cm and definitely in labor. If my water doesn't break first this time I will have to time contractions and decide when to go in. I don't even know how many minutes apart they are supposed to be before you go in. I guess my doctor will tell me that soon.

3. What will we do with Cambry?

Plan A is that my parents would come get her. Plan B is to call our neighbor who has graciously offered to watch her if needed. But even though we have these options, you just never know when or where things could happen and who would be available. I wonder what the Duggars do...

I can't wait for Lainey to get here and I know her birth story will be unique just like all babies. Only God knows how everything will happen!

Childhood Friends and Recent Pictures

I haven't been writing too much on here lately other than my weekly pregnancy posts. We have been busy with different things and then I am just trying to survive this last month of pregnancy. I definitely don't feel as good as I did with my first pregnancy but I am very thankful for this little life growing inside me.

This weekend I got to see 2 of my best childhood friends. We grew up on the same street and spent hours and hours playing house, dress up, exploring outside, practicing our Star Search audition routines, and having slumber parties. It was fun to catch up with them!

I also helped out with my best friend Lindsay's sip-n-see. Little Cameron was an angel the whole time. We had it at Ooh La La Cupcake Boutique in Town and Country. I had never been there before but it was adorable. Too bad I did not remember to take pictures!

Here are just a few random pictures of Cambry lately. First off she loves her sunglasses. She will even wear them inside for hours. So adorable.

The other night Cambry was running around before bed being so silly. She was dancing and bouncing and then started doing these tripod things with her hands sticking straight out. 

She is not bothered at all by the summer heat. She always wants to go outside. Being in your third trimester does not work well when it is 100 degrees outside. But sometimes I will go outside with her for a few minutes so she can play on the slide. Looking forward to some cooler temps!