Disney On Ice, 2014

Our school took its second-annual, school-wide, Disney on Ice field trip last Friday.  It is such a fun trip and I love that we load all 600 students and faculty up to go.  (How about that big belly crammed into that little tshirt in the above photo? Ha!)

The girls would enjoy just riding the bus.  I think that is one of their favorite parts of any field trip they get to go on.

This year's show had a few repeats from last year, but for the most part they brought in different characters.  I was super excited to see Alice, the White Rabbit, and the Mad Hatter.  They are one of my favorites!

For some reason, my girls always choose to hang out with these boys.  You'd think they were best friends or something :)

Such a great show and great memories for my girls and all our students!

Hello, Third Trimester

This week I hit the third trimester mark.  I can't even believe it.  With both girls, I can remember the pregnancy just d-r-a-g-g-i-n-g on.  While I am very anxious to meet out baby boy, I feel like I'm going to blink and he'll be here.  So right now, I'm just going to soak up and enjoy every last second of this pregnancy.

Baby size:  a large eggplant.  It so cracks me up that all these baby sites compare using fruit and veggies.  Picturing a "large eggplant" planted inside my belly makes me laugh.

Sickness:  No nausea at all.  I have been having issues with my sugar dropping and me passing out.  Hopefully they will figure all this out at my appointment next week.

Energy:  I think I am nesting a little early.  Compared to earlier in the pregnancy, I have lots of energy. I'm slowly getting things ready in the house and I've even taken a few walks around the neighborhood.

Cravings:  Still none.  I have been getting more decaf white mocha's from Starbucks, but that's something I want all the time.  Not just during pregnancy.

Phrases heard recently:  

From a Hispanic parent at school:  "You are just pregnant in your belly....well, and these." (Said while pointing to my chest!)

From my yearbook lady:  "I'm working with another lady who is due in February, too, but you are SOOOO much bigger than she is!"
From a coworker:  "You are SO big this time... I bet he's going to be a porker!"

Feeling:  Ecstatic.  Baby boy moves all the time, I mean ALL THE TIME, ya'll.  And even though those kicks are getting stronger and harder, it just reminds me that he is getting stronger and healthier.

We are getting the nursery ready piece-by-piece.  I still have TONS to get to be considered 'ready', but I'm not going to worry about it.  If Jase decides to make his appearance before we have everything, I'll just take advantage of my Amazon Prime =) (<--I think I only feel that way because this isn't my first (or second) rodeo.  The first two times around, I totally stressed about having ALL THE THINGS!)

I know this is my last pregnancy, so I'm trying hard to remember each and every little thing.  Exactly how I feel.  Exactly how he kicks and rolls and moves.  Exactly how both girls kiss my belly and tell him good night.  I am truly cherishing each minute.

New Baby Essentials (from a "veteran" mom)

When I was pregnant with Kyndall, I thought I needed all the “stuff” to be a good mom.  I registered for, requested, and/or bought all the things:  the diaper pail, the four different diaper bags, several types of bottles (even though I’m a breast-feeding mama).  Libby came so soon after Kyndall that I still had all that stuff…even the useless junk I thought I needed.

This time around, while I’m no Michelle Duggar, I do feel more experienced.  The list of “stuff” that I need is much, much shorter.  I've compiled my list and have come up with 5 new baby must-haves, not including the obvious diapers, wipes, bedding and food (whether breastmilk or formula).

Here we go.

1. Carrier carseat.  Some moms don’t recommend these, but it made my life MUCH easier with the first two.  Drop it in the base as a carseat, use it in the cart at the grocery store, plop it in a chair at a restaurant.

2. An infant carrier.  I had a Jeep brand carrier with the girls, but I’m looking at using a Maya wrap this time.  (I saw a lady using one at the zoo to carry her daughter and it looked super convenient!) 

3. A boppy.  This half-circle-shape pillow made breastfeeding so much easier.  It’s also great when smaller children want to hold the baby.

4.   A medium-sized diaper bag.  I breast-fed both the girls, so I didn't have need to carry lots of bottles.  But even if I had needed to, I don't know what you would carry in those great big bags.  I ordered this bag from Amazon and it is the perfect size for me.  

5.  A swing.  My girls both LOVED this papasan-swing.  It gives the option of swinging side to side or head to toe.  I still have it and I'm hoping Jase loves it as much as they did!

6.  A breast pump.  This one is new to me, but obviously an essential.  I didn't need to pump with either of the girls because I wasn't working, but I will have to this time around.  After lots of research, this is the apparently best on the market.

And in case you are curious about the obvious things you need, we are going with Pampers diapers this time around (because that is, apparently, the 'boy' diaper), this crib/changer combo bed, and hopefully, I'll be nursing again.  I will have to go back to work at some point though, so I'm pretty sure I'll go with these bottles when that happens.  

Lately

How about that photo bomber in the back?  Hey Pops :)

• I've been walking around with my hand under my belly a lot lately.  It helps with the pull from pregnancy, but mostly it's just habit.  Libby will randomly walk up and put her hands under my belly, saying "I'll hold him for a minute, Mama."  Just precious. (PS:  This photo was very "in-the-moment", thus Libby's silly face!)
  
• Kyndall has been working on a seed project for school.  Nothing fancy, just a painted egg carton with seeds in each crate.  While I was content just to slap something together and call it finished, she was not.  I heard "But this is a TEST grade!" and "It has to be PRETTY!" a million times.  She definitely gets this part of her personality from her daddy. :)
  
• "Project:  Get House Ready For Baby" is in full swing.  The girls room has been painted turquoise, the nursery has been painted gray, the kids bathroom is gray.  The hallway is gray.  My bathroom is gray.  The living room/kitchen/dining room area is a combination of new gray and old gold, where they have started painting but not finished.  My house is a construction zone right now and I am completely (and oddly) ok with that.
  
• I am in the process of hair therapy.  After years of highlights, my hair is FRIED.  This summer, my hair stylist and I started an "intense session of hair therapy."  I am definitely a blonde-haired girl at heart, but for the past several months, I've had dark hair.  Last week, I was finally able to get some highlights back in and I'm beginning to feel like my true self again!
• Libby is learning her homecoming dance at cheer practice.  She practices at home constantly. Con-Stant-Ly!  It is set to 8-counts, so all I hear is "1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8."  Even while brushing her teeth.
• Kyndall is running for Vice President of our school's student council.  She has to give a speech, and design four posters.  Her "Frozen" poster was my favorite....
  

And that, along with a ton of time at the ball field. is what we have been up to lately.

It's A........ Gender Reveal!

Originally, I thought I didn't want to find our what we were having.  I imagined the doctor holding up our third child on the day of his/her arrival, saying "It's a _____!!!"  Very movie-ish.  But alas, I was outvoted.   My sweet friend Ashley wanted to give us a gender reveal party, so we had the ultrasound technician place the gender ultrasound photo in an envelope, where we couldn't see.  (I was fine with this entire plan, right up until the moment that she said "Oh, I know what it is!".  At that very second, I was DYING to know!  And no matter what I said, she wouldn't tell me.  I mean, who's side was she on, anyways?)

Everyone dressed according to their prediction.  Kyndall wore blue and Libby wore pink.

Justin wore blue (wishful thinking) and I wore pink.  Part of me thought it was a boy, but I knew that if one day we had a boy, he wouldn't care that I wore pink for our gender reveal.  But if it was a girl, I would definitely hear about it if I wore blue. :)

My mom and dad both wore pink.  My dad said, considering our family history, there was no possible way it was going to be a boy.  So he went to Martin's to purchase a pink shirt.

The hopeful "Team Blue".....half of which said, "It's going to be another girl."

And the tiny "Team Pink".  Camp's shirt was the cutest--it said "I'm voting for a girlfriend.  #MrsTerry."

And the results:

It's A BOY!

The first boy in a long line of girls....poor thing.  

Libby was very concerned leading up to the reveal that her silly string can wouldn't work, and wouldn't you guess, it didn't.  And then, while I was trying to fix that, Kyndall got silly string in Lib's hair.  And it was all over from there.  The tears started and she was so upset.  She said, "I don't even want a boy!  You can't put makeup on a boy!"

However, after several party-attenders assured her that she could, indeed, put makeup on a boy (when he was really little), she was ok.  And now she is just as excited as the rest of us!

Jase Allen West will be here with us in February (or possibly late January).  We can't wait!

Pregnancy Update: 13 Weeks

It's Official!! Today, I am 13 weeks pregnant.  Officially past that first trimester mark.  (Photo above courtesy of Kyndall.....it only took 20 tries to get a non-blurry photo!)

Due Date:  February 3, 2015

Baby Size:  3 inches long, about the size of a peach

Sickness:  I am really lucky in that I generally have easy pregnancies.  I have been a little nauseous in the afternoons--somewhere between 3-6 p.m.  Not enough to complain about.  I did have a little bump in the road around 9 weeks where I passed out a few times (like, 3).  When I went to the doctor, my blood pressure was low.  The doctor also said I needed to eat more frequently to keep my blood sugar up, so nothing major.  And since then, I've been eating like a HORSE and I haven't had any more issues.

Energy:  Exhaustion has been my biggest issue this go 'round.  I'm normally pretty high-strung and go on little sleep.  Not now!  Thank goodness it's summertime--I've been going to sleep around 9 or 10 p.m. and sleeping until 9 or 10 a.m.  (My girls are late sleepers too, so it's worked in my favor.)  All that will change in about two weeks when school starts back.  I am happy to say that I can already tell I'm beginning to get some energy back.  Cheers to second trimester!

Cravings:  None really, but if I HAD to say something, I would say salt.  Straight up.  Any salty snacks are right up my alley, but I would love to be able to just pour salt into my hand and eat it that way.  Weird, right?

Phrases heard recently:
From Libby:  "Mama, this baby is making you feisty!"
From Justin, to the Kyndall:  "No honey, we aren't arguing.  Your mother is just pregnant."

Gender:  I know pregnant women say this ALL the time, and most of the time they don't mean it, but I TRULY do not care about the sex of the baby.  I don't even want to find out until he or she gets here.  However, I think I am going to be outvoted.  Even though they will definitely love a little girl--everyone else in my house is pulling for a baby boy.  (Don't tell them this, but based on my symptoms, I really think it's another girl!)  Either way, we should find out in about 3 more weeks!


Thank you of all your prayers and encouraging words about my pregnancy.  I was extremely nervous during the first trimester, and while I'm still a little nervous now, I do feel as if a huge weight was lifted after that 12 week doctors appointment!  Maybe now I can stop worrying Justin about each and every little twinge I feel (which are very numerous the third time around!).