35 Week Update

Well, I made it another week. YEA. I went in today for my 35 week check-up. I have lost weight and am down to 17 lbs total weight gained. I am dilated 1 cm. The doctor did an ultrasound to check the babies weight. She said that the average size for a baby right now is 5 lb 4 oz. Today, with the measurements she took, Skylyn weighs 4 lbs 2 oz. Therefore, I need to go in to have a more intense ultrasound done this week to double check her measurements. They just need to make sure that Skylyn's development is not being compromised inside my womb. If it is, Skylyn will need to come out early in order to grow better. If not, we'll just let her come when she wants. I think everything is going to be fine because I had to go in at about this same time with both Aaris and Titus because they both measured too small. But, you can believe that I will keep up my continued prayers that Skylyn is safe and healthy and that she doesn't need to come much earlier than 37 weeks.

Halloween Party

On Saturday evening we attending our church class Halloween Party. We were supposed to bring a Halloween food to share. I brought "monster potatoes". I just scooped out balls of mashed potatoes, put string greenbeans on top for hair, two sliced cooked carrots as eyes, and kernel corn for teeth. Aaris got to wear her Halloween costume. She was Belle from "Beauty and the Beast". I couldn't find a Belle wig anywhere, so we turned her SnowWhite princess wig into a Belle wig. I simply put a yellow ribbon over the red one. She was nervous that she looked like a 'SnowWhite Belle', but I think she looked adorable. Titus tried to wear the over-sized Bob the Builder costume his daddy picked out for him, but it just didn't happen. As soon as Aaron got the over-sized tool belt and over-sized hat on Titus, Titus pulled them off. I didn't even have time to take a picture. I guess we will be going with a different costume for Titus for trick-or-treating. Titus enjoyed the food at the party. Aaris participated in a cherry eating contest. Everyone who participated had to get to the one cherry in their bowl that was covered in whipped cream, chew and swallow it before everyone else, and all of this without using their hands. Aaris did great. She wasn't the first to finish, but she still tells me she won. I guess she thinks that anyone who followed the rules and finished won. She was very proud. It was a great evening of visiting with friends and watching our kids play together.

Jack-O-Lantern

One of my favorite things about Halloween growing up was carving our pumpkin. There was something about all three of us kids sticking our hands into the gooey, stringing insides in a race to pull them all out, then deciding on what the face would look like, and finally seeing our creation all a-glow. Aaron and I have always carved a pumpkin. We've always carved one with Aaris as well. But, this year was definitely different. She was completely into it. She has been excited all week to do it. The biggest shocker was that she wanted to help me clean the pumpkins out. She never lost interest and wanted to help me get every last piece of stringy insides out. Then, she even drew the faces she wanted to put on the jack-o-lanterns out on paper. The main theme she told me she was going for was "excited". I think we pulled it off with success.

Oh, and here is an added picture. Aaron wanted to take a picture of me while I still had the ability to carry all three of my kids. :)

Well Worth the Wait

Us after game with the UT Tower lit orange over our shoulders

Saturday evening I was able to attend my first UT football game since I graduated in 2001. I was suppose to attend a game 2 years ago but I was pregnant and having early contractions with Titus and thought it best not to go. This year my mom and dad were very generous and let us have their tickets for the game. I remember when we were students and we only had to pay $65 each for the year to receive student 'all-pass' tickets to all of the sporting events. This of course did not include the UT vs. OU football game or any play-off games, but we could attend all other games for free. My mom and dad helped us pre-park our car early in the afternoon so that we would not have to park more than a couple of miles away from the stadium. (Pretty sure they just didn't want me to go into early labor from all of the walking.) :) Then, my dad dropped us off on 15th street an hour before the game. We almost didn't get into the game though. As we were entering I had to open my bag for them to check. Well, on my way out of the house I just grabbed our camera bag and throw my phone and money into it. The staff lady saw my video camera in it and told me she could not let me into the game. I was more than upset. I had no idea that was a rule, am 8 months pregnant, 15 minutes away from the start of my first UT game in 7 years, and told that I would have to lose my video camera or walk 25 minutes back to my car and 25 minutes return to the stadium if I wanted to get in. I broke down. Another UT staff gentleman came over and asked what was going on. I told him. He looked at me and said, "I didn't see anything" and signaled me to go on in. He was so generous and caring and a life saver for me at the moment. We found our way to our seats which were on the very top row in the new section. We looked right through the field goal post on the north end of the field. We could look back over our shoulders and see the UT band coming up to enter the stadium and also see directly to the UT tower. The weather was perfect that night. I indulged myself and actually ate at the stadium. I never do that because it costs too much, but I might not be back for another 7 years, so I thought it would be a nice treat. We watched UT play and absolutely amazing game and I jumped and yelled more than I have in years. The hardest part of the whole night was getting onto the interstate to get home. It wouldn't have been hard at all if anyone would have just obeyed the signal lights downtown and therefore not have blocked us out from crossing over intersections. But, despite that one flaw, the long wait to attend a UT football game was definitely well worth it!

The Unexpected

So, as of tomorrow our house is off of the market. We will list it again in the Spring, but until then we will just enjoy the holidays and our new little baby where we are. So, I got in the attic yesterday and pulled down Halloween decorations, baby stuff and some toys we had packed away for staging our house. I also pulled down the kiddy training potty thinking that it would be good to have it out for Titus to some day become interested in. We stayed busy most of the day moving all of Titus's clothes over to Aaris's room so that I can load in the baby room with all the stuff we will need for having a new baby girl in the house. In the business of everything I found Aaris and Titus in the bathroom. Aaris was taking off Titus's diaper. She told me that he said he needed to go poo-poo. I just though, "yeah, right" because I had tried all of this with Titus at the beginning of the summer and he just thought it was fun to sit on the potty and make pushing sounds and laugh. So, I went on my way. Then, Titus can running into Aaris's room with no bottoms on and said, "Did it...candy". I have always told Titus that if he went tee-tee or poo-poo on the potty that he could get some candy. Again, I just thought, "yeah, right", but went and looked any way. He had not poo-pooed, but he had tee-teed a little. I was shocked. I gave him high-fives and hugged him and gave him lots of praise, then went downstairs to get an M&M. When I got back upstairs, Aaris had him in the baby room, laying flat on his back, and had a clean diaper almost all the way on him. She then wanted to help him go put his pants back on and sing the potty dance song to him. She also wanted to watch our 'Potty Power' movie with him. She was such a great helper and teacher to him and was full of enthusiasm about it. That was very encouraging to me knowing I'm going to be busy with a new baby soon and will need help. SO, that's not the end of the story. Last night we were at Care Group and about to leave. I saw Aaron taking Titus into the bathroom and he said that Titus told him he needed to go poo-poo. I again, thought "yeah, right", he just wants candy but there is no way he will go. I loaded Aaris up in the car and then saw Aaron coming out. He yelled to me to come out and give Titus praises because he had just done a big tee-tee in the potty. WHAT! I thought that this was crazy. I truly had NO intention of even trying to potty train Titus until months after Skylyn arrived, but he just decided to start training himself I guess. I really hope that he stays persistent at it and really carries it all the way through without dragging it out for months and months. He went tee-tee successfully one time today. We'll just see how the next couple of days go and see if he is really ready for this....I know I wasn't.

****Update: Titus poo-pood in the potty for the first time at Poppy and Mamaw's house on Sunday, Oct. 19.****

33 week update

I'm 8 months along now and had my 33 week doctor's appointment Tuesday. I gained another 2 lbs which puts me around 18 lbs gained. I'm measuring right on schedule. And, now for the REALLY GREAT NEWS - Skylyn flipped!!!!!!!!!! She is already gaining brownie points with me. How loving and sweet of her to keep me from having to definitely have a c-section. I know that possibility is always out there, but at least she is in the position to have a normal vaginal birth. (In all seriousness, thanks and glory to God.) I've had two pretty frustrating episodes of contractions again. She feels very very low already. I go back in another two weeks and my doctor said she is going to go ahead and start my pelvic exams. I'm at the point right now where my body is as big as it's ever gotten during one of my pregnancies. It feels like it's getting pushed to the limit. My upper back is hurting all the time and I'm cramping and getting intense lower abdominal pain already. I could very well go all the way to Dec. 1, but my feeling are that I won't. Sometimes my body feels like it's fighting this pregnancy so badly that I just hope to make it to Nov. 1. And, please, please, don't get me wrong. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE being pregnant!!!!!!!! I miss not having a baby in my belly for months and months after delivery. There is nothing more enriching and awe inspiring to me than to know that there is another living soul, a whole independent being living right inside my body. I am completely joyful to be able to experience this miracle. I just feel like my physical body is telling me it won't be too much longer until it's ready for this miracle to come out. I just want to make it at least 3 more weeks so that there wouldn't be as many complications and she can come home with me.

Skylyn's Baby Shower

On Saturday, Oct. 11, some really great friends from my church through me and baby Skylyn a baby shower. Yes, you heard me right. It's final. Her name is Skylyn. I have no idea about her middle name. That is still being hashed out. Anyway, the shower was WONDERFUL!!!!!! The food was delicious, the gifts were amazing, and the friends were so loving and sweet. Oh, and the cake was so cute because it matched the invitations perfectly. We don't need many necessities, but of the few we do need, we received a good number of them. We also got some absolutely adorable, totally girly gifts. I also have some extremely talented friends. Skylyn received quite a number of homemade, personalized gifts. My mom, grandma, mother-in-law, and daughter were all able to join me for the fun celebration. Aaris was so excited to go because she knew they had "lots of yummy desserts" at showers. That morning she also made me and Skylyn gifts because she knows you take presents to baby showers. She wrote notes and sealed them in envelopes and then gave them to me at the shower. She also helped bring me all the gifts to open. Thanks again for everyone who was able to make it. You truly made me feel honored.