30 Week Appointment, Bottle Deal, and Registering

Today I went for my 30 week OB appointment. As my doctor was measuring my belly, I asked him if Drew is going to be a big baby. I just feel so much bigger than I did with Clayton. He assured me that I am right on target as far as my measurements go. He explained that I am carrying really high and that might be why I feel bigger. He then did a mini-sonogram (which he does at every appointment). Apparently, Drew is breach (which is fine because I am already planning on having a repeat C-section). His little noggin is directly under my right rib cage (which explains some discomfort). He then pointed out all the other body parts. When he got to Drew's feet he said, "Holy Moley, that's a big foot! This may be a big baby after all." Hmmm...

After my appointment, I went to Babies 'R Us. My sweet friend, Abbey, had told me that they were doing an "unadvertised" exchange program for previously purchased bottles containing BPA. Being the frugal Mommy that I am, that peaked my interest. So... I took all those bottles that I had saved from when Clayton was a baby right up to the customer service counter to ask about the exchange. It turns out that they are giving store credit for old bottles that can be used to purchase the new BPA free ones. I got $70 to use towards the BPA free bottles of my choice!!! Thanks, Abbey, for the heads up! What a deal!

We had debated about whether to register or not. I just feel weird about all of that. I feel like we were so blessed by the outpouring of generosity when we were pregnant with Clayton. People were so sweet and we ended up getting EVERYTHING that we needed and much, much, more. I just don't feel like people should get us gifts this time around. But, one of my dear friends encouraged me to go ahead and register. She said that no one was going to love Drew any less than they loved Clayton, so I should let people give gifts to Drew as well. I guess that she has a point.

So, Wade met me at Babies 'R Us for his lunch hour to register. I must admit that we found A LOT of wonderful things that a.)they didn't have when we were expecting Clayton or b.)that Clayton used so much that we would need to replace. It was so fun to pick things out for Baby Drew! Clayton was totally stoked about the scanning gun. He was convinced that it was a laser just like Buzz Lightyear has. :) He joyfully scanned away as we handed him bar codes. I think that he had even more fun than we did!

I am just having a ball preparing for this new little guy! I feel like time is flying by, but at the same time I ache with anticipation. The end of October seems like it is just around the corner, but feels forever away as well.

Clayton scanning a mobile for his little bro

My little Super Scanner

Daddy managed to sneak away with the gun for a minute.

Even I got to scan one thing :)

Costume Change, Please

Oh my goodness, what am I going to do with this boy?!?! Clayton has acquired quite a collection of costumes lately. He LOVES to dress up as different characters throughout the day. When in full costume, he totally gets into his role. He prefers for you to address him as the character that he is dressed as and finds other characters within the storyline for Wade & I to be. For example, when he is Peter Pan, Wade is Captain Hook and I am Wendy. He gets all the pirate stuff for Wade to put on. They then proceed to have a sword fight while I sit on the couch being the damsel in distress. Clayton will say, "Wendy is my girl, Hook!" and "Don't worry Wendy, I'll save you!" It is so funny! What an imagination...

Here are some of the characters that grace our house on a daily basis. (They have also appeared at other venues such as Walmart, Target, and our friends' houses. Yep, I'm "that" Mom with the kid in a crazy costume that you see in the store.) :)

Superman

Woody (his Halloween costume from last year)

Flash Gordon

Batman

A fireman (this is actually a costume from the Dallas Children's Museum) We'd love to acquire our own, however. Perhaps during the after Halloween sales...

Astronaut hat (also at the Dallas Children's Museum)

Peter Pan - He must wear his green polo when dressed as Peter Pan.

Peter Pan and Captain Hook - Yep, Daddy gets into the action, too.

"Arrr, Matey."


Which character will he pick to be for Halloween? Your guess is as good as mine...

Welcome to Drew's Jungle!

I will never forget our first discussions of how we should decorate Clayton's nursery. Wade said that he wanted to paint a mural - grass on the bottom, sky blue at the top, a road as the border, and the cars and trucks from Clayton's bedding in the middle. I am embarrassed to say that I laughed in his face. I have known Wade since we were 9 years-old, but I had never seen his artistic side. I figured that he would start the mural and we would end up paying an arm and leg for a "professional" to fix it. (Isn't that terrible that I had such a lack of faith in my hubby?!?!?!) I couldn't have been more wrong. Here was the result...

The mural took forever! Wade swore that our next kid was going to have four white walls. :)

However.... as soon as we picked out Drew's bedding, Wade started planning his mural. He has worked on it during EVERY free moment that he has had over the last few weeks. But, finally, it is done. I helped him a lot more this time, and really enjoyed having a project that we could work on together. We spent many hours up there with paintbrushes in hand. I'm not going to lie - Wade logged many more hours than I did! I tried to be helpful, though. It was his vision, and I am so proud of the hard work that he did for our baby boy.

"Batman" guarding his brother's room (from our dog) while Daddy started painting.

Wade painting stripes on the tiger. He used this teeny tiny brush to make sure that every line was perfect.

It is finished!!! This is the view from the door when you are walking into the room.

The bedding didn't have a monkey on it, but we decided that we definitely needed one. (I'd like to kick a shout out to 2521!)

The elephant is my favorite.... poor Wade spent FOREVER on all those stripes.

Drew's room just makes me happy! I go in there just to look at all the cute stuff. Thanks, Honey, for all your hard work! I know that our little boy will love his room. (Hopefully he will enjoy the safari theme until he leaves for college - HA!)

It's A Circus Around Here!

Today my mother-in-law, Marsha, and I took all three kiddos to the Greatest Show on Earth. The kids all had a blast - and so did I! I don't know what it is about the circus, but it just makes you feel like a kid again. It was so fun...


They had elephants, tigers, horses, and even zebras. They also had these huge "sway poles" that almost touched the ceiling. Two of the acrobats climbed up the poles. They did a bunch of tricks while at the top and then slid down. That was Clayton's very favorite part of the day. They also shot two people out of a cannon. That was Makinley's favorite part. Morgan wasn't willing to pick a favorite - she said it was all her favorite. I couldn't agree more!

It was fun to watch their little faces light up and remember what it was like to be a child. It made the crowds, cost, and traffic all worth it. :)

An extreme close-up shot of me and my big boy courtesy of the mad photography skills of my 3-year-old niece, Morgan.


Grammie and all her kiddos.



The acrobats on the sway pole.



Clayton totally in awe of the sway pole act.

Window in the Womb

“For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb… Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13, 16

Today Wade & I went to Window in the Womb for our 4D sonogram. It was AMAZING! I am not usually a crier, but I cried through the entire thing. It is so neat to see your baby look like a real baby instead of the usual black and white 2D alien-like pictures that we have seen at the doctor's office. I realize, of course, that to most people these pictures still look grainy and a little odd. But, to me they are absolutely beautiful! It makes me even more excited (if that is possible!) about meeting this little person.

The technician said that Drew's heartbeat was about 130 beats per minute (normal). She also said that she could already see hair (hence the heartburn - I totally believe that old wives' tale!). At first he was in a bad position, but she was able to get him to move into a position where she could get some pretty good images. She said that he was already photogenic - HA! We got to see him yawn, stretch, smile, and blink. It was truly magical! I tear up just thinking about it - these pregnancy hormones are no joke!

We can't wait to meet you Baby Drew!

For comparison's sake, here is the 4D sonogram picture of Clayton. (Yes, that is his foot next to his face!) The ones of Drew came out so much better - it's amazing how much technology improves in 3 1/2 years! It's hard to tell if they look alike... maybe the chubby cheeks! :)

San Antonio with My Hubby

This week Wade & I went to San Antonio as a last "just the two of us" trip. Actually, Wade was there on business and I just tagged along. :) We were there Sunday through Wednesday. It was sooo relaxing - just what this Mama needed. I adore Clayton with every ounce of my being, but it sure is fun to get away with just my hubby. I feel like we have spent so much time nurturing Clayton and preparing for Drew that we have neglected spending time on just us. We realized that we hadn't had a "date night" since April! We were way overdue!

We went to the riverwalk and walked around. I don't remember the walkways being so narrow or it being so crowded! Wade reached over to hold my hand. At first, I thought that he was being romantic. Looking back, I wonder if he was just trying to keep me from waddling into the river. HA!

While Wade was working during the day, I made good use of my time. I read leisurely by the pool and then spent 4 hours in the hotel's salon. I got a microdermabrasion pedicure (FABULOUS!) and got my hair done. It was so relaxing! Now I am recharged and ready to be a better Mommy to my sweet boy. :)

Spreading The Word

Clayton has been giving us some trouble at bedtime lately. He has started pulling the "I need a sip of water" and "I need to go tee-tee" cards multiple times after we lay him down. While we understand that this is just a phase that all kids go through, we have been getting frustrated with him.

Last night, he went to bed easily. He didn't come out of his room or ask for anything after we left his room. About 15 minutes after he went to bed, however, we heard him rustling around. Wade went upstairs to figure out what was going on. When he opened the door he saw Clayton laying in the middle of his room on his tummy with his Brownie (a little puppy that he sleeps with). He had his Bible open and in front of him. This was the conversation that I heard:

Wade: "What are you doing?!?!"
Clayton: "I'm reading my Bible to Brownie."
**Wade immediately closed the door and tried to regain his composure (I could see him laughing from downstairs).
Wade (after reopening the door): "Clayton put your Bible up and go to bed."
Clayton: "But Daddy, Brownie hasn't heard all the stories yet."

What's a parent to do?!?!? I've read A LOT of parenting books (it's something that I am semi-obsessed with). Not one has addressed the issue of your child witnessing to his stuffed animals when he is supposed to be asleep!

Top Ten List

I have compiled a list of the top ten ways to know that you are in your third trimester of pregnancy...

#10. You realize that you are far enough along to schedule your 4D sonogram. (We're having ours done on the 14th. I can't wait! Never fear - pictures will be posted that day!)

#9. You realize that you are suddenly waddling when you walk - despite your best efforts to walk with one foot in front of the other. In my head I'm doing my best supermodel strut. In reality, I look like a duck!

#8. Your husband begins feverishly painting the nursery during every spare moment that you have together. (It's going to look great, Honey! I'm just teasing.)

#7. When people attempt to compliment your "pregnancy glow" you immediately think that they are referring to sweat. (105 degrees and pregnancy don't mix so well!)

#6. You feel your baby's hiccups for the first time. (Another one of my favorite parts of pregnancy! So cute...)

#5. You can no longer see your toes - much less paint your toenails. Pedicures are now a necessity - oh darn!

#4. While at the water park with your son, perfect strangers stop to ask you when you are due. (Okay, so I was in a swimsuit - no hiding this baby bump!)

#3. Even a bowl of cereal gives you horrible heartburn. (I'm averaging 10-12 Tums a day! No need to worry about my calcium intake.)

#2. You seriously contemplate ditching the demi panel maternity clothes

for the hideous (but oh, so comfortable) full panel variety

And the #1 way that you know you are in your third trimester of pregnancy...

#1. Your precious little baby has figured out how to use your bladder as his own personal trampoline!

*I think that Letterman would be proud....