11 Days Left

I had my 38 week check up today and found out that I am still 70% effaced but now 4cm dilated. My OB said that my effacement would not change until I go into labor but that I could possible dilate one more centimeter before my labor starts. I am still feeling as good as I can be at 38 weeks so I
do not think Britt will come until next week.

In the mean time I have most of my Hospital bag packed and have a check list of what I need to add once we are ready to go.

I have chosen Katy Perry's Roar as my theme song for this labor along with this quote "she believed she could, so she did."  I feel much more prepared for my second labor and am looking forward to snuggling with my baby boy very soon!

38 Weeks, Our Weekend, Baby Watch

Yesterday I hit my 38 week mark and today with 13 days to go I really want to make it to full term but part of me is tired and ready to have this baby.  I have 6 more days until February 1st and I think that Britt is going to wait until at least then until he makes his appearance.  I somehow received a boost of energy over the weekend and had one of the most productive weekends since my pregnancy.  I made two meals, lasagne and chicken pot pie, which is huge because I really cannot remember the last time I did cook a meal.  I also went both Saturday and Sunday without taking an afternoon nap.  This is also a big deal for me because I have been squeezing in as much shut eye as possible. 

Friday night Travis picked Ava up from school and told her she was spending the night at Nana and Papa's.  She was so excited and ran out of her classroom and headed to the car. On the way out two teachers were talking by the door about their plans to go shopping and Ava looked at them and said, "I am not going shopping, I am going to Nana and Papa's!"  

I had not made any plans for the weekend since we are on baby watch but on Saturday we planned an afternoon of bowling with some friends and their sweet daughters.  Ava has not seen them since November but when I mentioned that we were going to see Lily and Piper she got so excited and talked about them the entire ride to the bowling alley.  Ava enjoyed the evening and we ended it with dinner where we grabbed some pizza which topped off the day for Ava.  She really loves these girls and being silly with them.

On another Ava note, she really has taken an interest into cooking with us.  As I mentioned Travis has been cooking our meals for us.  The last couple of weeks Ava has been helping him cook by adding the seasoning and stirring.  Yesterday when I was making the lasagne she went into the dining room to bring in a chair and helped me for 30 minutes by adding the cut vegetables into the pan, stirring the onions and adding all of the seasoning.  She does very well at listening and knowing what pans are hot and not to touch.  This evening after dinner she mentioned she wanted to cook with Mommy and while I did not have anything to prepare, I went ahead and had her make her lunch for school tomorrow.  We made the classic PB&J and she spread the peanut butter and jelly and then put the sandwich together and after I cut the pieces up she put them in a bowl and placed it in her lunch box.  I cannot believe that she is only 2 years old and wanting to help out so much.  I love my little girl and now sous chef.

15 Days

Today marked 15 days until Britt's due date or 8 days until he is allowed to come...I really want a February baby so that is why I want him to stay put for at least another 8 days.  

As I have mentioned I have been having a little pity party for myself during most of my pregnancy but there are the great moments that I have been experiencing as well.  What I am most thankful for during this pregnancy besides a healthy baby boy is my husband.  Travis really has been my rock and while I go on my hormonal rants, he has really stayed calm and tried to do anything that he can to make me happy.  He has taken on more Ava duty so that I can rest more and has also been supportive and given me a lot of "me" time which I have appreciated.  In the last week I have spent an amazing day at the spa and tonight I went and did some post-pregnancy shopping followed by a relaxing evening in a pedicure chair where I splurged and paid a premium to have the deluxe treatment done that lasted over an hour.  In addition to this he has done countless Cheesecake Factory runs and tells me every day how great I look.  

This man is amazing and I am so blessed to have him as my partner in life.

Ava's Thursday

Ava's day started out great.  It was another cold morning in Middle Tennessee so we bundled up to go outside and Ava wanted to wear her sunglasses.  She then walked around like the Miss Priss that she is.

My day went well and an hour before leaving from work, I received a voice message from Ava's school that she had fallen in the gym and that they had given her a boo boo bunny and she was getting loved on by Miss Kate to make her feel better.  I did not think much of it as they always call when she falls or gets a scratch which I greatly appreciate but it is never a big boo boo.  

As I walked into the school's gym, Miss Kate stopped me to ask if I had been notified of Ava's accident and at that time Ava came running up to me and I almost broke down after looking at her sweet face.  She has a quarter size bump right under her eye which is red, blue, and purple and it is swollen enough that it is making her eye shut.  Ava showed me her boo boo and said it hurt but otherwise she was in really good spirits about it.  I did want any good mother would do and took her to Cheesecake Factory to pick out a treat and then I let her eat some of it when we got home before dinner.

Luckily there is some good news from today and that is Ava used the potty at school for the first time!  Not only did she use it, she went three times which I am so proud of.  This week she has taken a lot of interest at home with the potty and went twice on Monday night and then once every night since.  Since we have not been pushing the issue, Ava has really started to potty train herself.  I am going to purchase her pull ups and panties this weekend as I now know she is ready for full on potty training.  I am so proud of my little girl.

One last picture I had to include.  Britt's bassinet arrived tonight and Ava was so excited and had to play in it.  I am now 16 days away from my due date and while I have not reached my extremely uncomfortable this baby better come out now moment, I am getting to it!

17 Days

Yesterday I had my 37 week check up with my OB and found out I am 70% effaced and 2 cm dilated.  I cannot remember if I was effaced at all with Ava before going into labor, but I do remember that I never dilated with Ava until I went into labor so this news came as a surprise to Travis and I.  I know that I only have two and a half weeks to go but still I cannot believe that I am already dilated and now every move I make, if I feel something I think it is my water about to break.  I am really wanting a February baby so I am just praying that Britt stays put for another 10 days.

In Ava news, she was so cute tonight reading her bedtime stories.  She always likes to point to every picture on the page and ask what it is.  She knows what all of the pictures are but she likes to test me to make sure I know.  When we were reading Llama Llama she pointed to something and I did not see what she was pointing to and I said it was Llama.  It turns out she was pointing to the words on the page and Ava said, "No, Momma...it is the ABC's!"  I love our little girl so much!

Baby Watch- 19 Days to Go!

On Saturday I reached my 37th week of pregnancy and today I am at the 19 day count down.  While I am not one to say that I enjoy being pregnant, I really have had a great pregnancy this time around and do not feel like I am about to have a second child.  With Ava I remember the last couple of weeks that I was completely miserable with cankles, swollen feet, and back pain.  I do not have any of that now but I will say that tonight I believe Britt was trying to induce labor as much as he is moving around.

We have been trying to enjoy our last couple of weekends as a family of three and have been trying to focus all of our attention on Ava.  Two weekends ago we had our Family Fun Saturday which started with Daddy cooking a big breakfast  followed by the morning at Monkey's Treehouse, lunch at Chick-Fil-A and then after naps we spent the rest of the day at the park.

The next day we took Nanny to a Birthday lunch and then went to Nana and Papa's house afterwards so Ava could spend the afternoon.  Travis and I spent our afternoon at our storage unit taking out all of our baby essentials for Britt.  We have two full storage units and between my hormones and seeing all of our belongings that are packed away, I broke down crying because of how much I miss living in our home and cannot wait until we are out of our tiny rental.  I did manage to finish up the afternoon with lots of loads of laundry and everything has been washed, the car seat is in the car, and we are as prepared for Britt's arrival as we can be.

Last weekend we spent Saturday morning at My Gym and Ava attend her first class in the 2-3 year old group.  They require parents to be with the child and during the hour class they alternated between open play and planned activities and Ava had a blast and tried everything except for the "high bars".  While I am not going to sign us up for the membership due to the high cost and every weekend commitment, I can see us going once or twice a month as a fun Saturday outing.  

We ended our weekend on Sunday with a family photo session so we could get some pictures of my pregnancy and our last pictures as a family of three.  We went to Percy Warner Park which is where I had our maternity photo's with Ava and I am so excited to see how they turned out.  After our photo's we dropped Ava off for the night at Nana and Papa's and Travis and I headed to Flemings for dinner to celebrate the upcoming birth of our son.

Overall I feel much more prepared for my labor having gone through it before and while I cannot wait to meet Britt,  I hope he stays put for another 18 days.  I am a planner and if he comes on or close to his due date, then it will work out perfectly with my maternity leave from work and when he will start at Calvary.  I have my doctor's appointment tomorrow and last week I was not dilated so I am hoping for the same news this week.

Sunday Morning

This morning on our way to church Ava and I were waiting for the elevator at our condo.  Ava pushed the button to go down and then she waived her hand in front of the elevator door and said, "Open Sesame!"  I have never said this nor heard her say this before and I laughed so hard.

Once we go back from church, she went back in her playroom and when I walked in a couple of minutes later I found Sofia and Baby on top of the house.  I asked Ava what they were doing there and she told me that they were both in time out.  Ava said that Baby pushed Rapanzule and Sofia hit Belle and that is why there were in time out.  These both sounded like good reasons to me to be in time out.

Oh, Ava Marie, how you continue to bring so much joy and laughter to our lives.

Ava's take on Baby Brother

With 23 days left until my due date, Travis and I went to our storage unit on Sunday and brought back a ton of baby items that we needed for Britt.  As soon as Ava got home and saw everything she started pointing to all of the new items and asking, "What's That?"  When I told her it was for her baby brother she would say, "No, MINE!"...and so it begins.

Over the last 32 weeks we have been talking to Ava everyday about the baby.  Overall she is not interested in this conversation at all and will ignore this topic when we bring it up.  When I ask her where the baby is she will point to my belly but that is as much as she is willing to acknowledge.

The other night I asked her if her brother was a boy or girl and she replied that he was a girl.  Whenever I would correct her and say he is a boy, she got really upset and would then insist that he is a girl.

Tonight again she insisted that he is a girl but that his name is boy but also his name is Ava.  The nicest thing that she has said is that he can sleep in her bed with her. 

Again it is hard for a 27 month old little girl to comprehend what is happening but all I know is that she is about to have her world rocked.  I just pray that when she meets her brother for the first time, she does not get upset and start crying.  We will soon see how this goes.

Ava Marie

With only twenty seven days until Britt James is scheduled to arrive, I find myself cherishing every moment that we are having with Ava before she becomes a Big Sister.

As much as I try, I know that I am not the best parent in the world and I find myself looking at Ava and wondering how she is turning out as amazing as she is.  She is always happy and without being biased she is the most beautiful little girl.  I always talk about her singing but she really loves to sing and dance and is always make up songs and dances.  This morning we were in the living room and Michael Buble's, Crazy Love, came on and I started crying watching Ava prance around the room.  I know that this song is not about a child, but parts of the lyrics got to me and expressed how I feel for Ava.

I wanted to do a post to write down all of the things that I love about Ava and all of the things that she is into now.  

If she is already home and I open the door, she comes running to me screaming my name and is always excited to see me.

My favorite part of my day is my nigh time routine with Ava.  After she is in her pajamas she crawls into our bed to do story time.  Several times during story time we hide under the covers and then call for Daddy to come into the room to find us.  After we are done with stories we sing our prayers and then we ask God to bless our family members.  Recently she has added her toys to the list for God to bless and she also mentions each family member several times so that they are not forgotten.  After our prayers we do strawberries, which is what we call brushing our teeth, and then we turn off the lights and cuddle in bed for a couple of minutes before she goes to her bed.

It is starting to warm up some so we have been going back to the park and Ava would swing for hours if we let her.  She says that she wants to go high and then she smiles and giggles with delight when she sees that she is swinging above our heads.

After her bath we allow her to do nakey time where she will run around her room naked and again dance around.  She also has a special nakey dance where she gets down really low and shakes her tushy.  While this will not be appropriate to do later on, it is so cute now and I cannot help by smile when I watch her do this.

Travis has taught Ava to be a Vols fan and anytime she walks by and sees any game on, no matter who is playing she yells "Go Vols Go!".  She also does "V-O-L-S!" using her hands and spelling out the letters.

She is so affectionate and will not only give us hugs and kisses but she do this with her family members and friends.

She loves playing with her dolls and I love watching her make them come to life and interact with each other when she plays with them.  

Her new favorite phrase is "I have an idea!"  She really never has anything to say after this but it is so funny when she says it.  She also likes saying that someone is a "Silly Goose" and she will laugh so hard after she says this.

Her favorite outfit is what she calls her princess.  It is a hot pink tutu, a wand, and headband and while it may not match what she has on, we let her leave the house with it on when she wants to and she always is so cute showing it off in public.

While we sing our prayers at bedtime and we also sing our blessing and hold hands at the dinner table, her favorite song is Old McDonald and the cow is her favorite animal to mention on his farm.

When she is comfortable in a room full of people, she will put on a show by dancing and getting everyone to participate by clapping their hands, stomach, or legs.

She has been great with counting and while we never really go past 10, she counted to 11 the other day on her own.

Out of the blue the other day she informed me that she was a girl, that I am also a girl and that daddy is a boy.  This is something that we did not teach her but I love how she told us this and that she understands the difference between boys and girls.

Her favorite people in school are Hudson and Sam.  Hudson is not in her class anymore but she was invited to his Birthday party in December.  Almost everyday after this she has mentioned that it is Hudson's Birthday and that she wants to sing Happy Birthday to Hudson.  Sam is in her class and her teacher told me that she is always checking on Sam to make sure he is okay and that she will not eat her lunch until Sam has his lunch.  I saw Sam's mom the other day and she mentioned that he will say Ava's name often in his sleep.  Ava might have her first boyfriend sooner than her Daddy will like...

Ava has brought more joy to my life than I could ask for as a parent. I pray that she is always this happy in her life and I try each day to do what I can as a Mother to make her happy.  Here are some of the lyrics to "Crazy Love" that sums up how Ava makes me feel.

I can hear her heart beat for a thousand miles
And the heavens open every time she smiles
And when I come to her, that's where I belong
I'm running to her like a river's song

She gives me love, love, love, love, crazy love
She gives me love, love, love, love, crazy love

She's got a fine sense of humor when I'm feeling low down
And when I come to her when the sun goes down
Takes away my trouble, takes away my grief
Takes away my heartache in the night like a thief

Give me love, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme crazy love
Give me love, love, love, yes sir, crazy love

Christmas in Brentwood

We finished out our Holiday Season with spending the weekend after Christmas in Brentwood with the Swearingen's.  It is nice to get away and stay overnight at Nana and Papa's house and Ava loved this sleepover even more because her cousins were also staying over.

The weekend started off with Travis and Christopher taking the children to go bowling.  This was Ava's first time bowling and she loved it!

On Saturday morning we had our Christmas and started off with Nanny bringing the kids bagels and poptarts up to the rec room for breakfast followed by a big homemade breakfast of sausage pinwheels and Nana eggs.  After this we opened presents for the next several hours.  We decided it was a good idea to let the children up all of their gifts first and then they went up to the rec room to play while we finished up. 

Ava got to do one of her favorite things and take a bath with her cousin Jacob.  I do not think that she will be able to do this much longer but for now it is priceless watching the two of them in the bathtub being silly.

Saturday we had a lazy day and stayed in our pajama's so we thought it would be nice on Sunday to get the kids dressed up and take some family pictures.  Emilie and I had bought Ava and Denbigh matching dresses and Nana was so excited to see her little girls all dressed up and matching.

We had another blessed Holiday Season and have so much to be thankful for.  Next year we will be celebrating as a family of four and I cannot wait!