A look at the week

A look at our week

Our Monday started off crazy! My mom was walking the kids to her car to head to preschool and lost her keys in the process of putting Emma Cate in the car. Luckily I was running late for school so I was able to help her look. We searched and searched and couldn't find them anywhere (and still can't). She ended up driving my car to work and dropping me off in carpool line. She had a doctor appointment after school so she picked me up and we dropped her at the doctor and the babies and I killed some time at target while we waited.

This girl is loving accessories lately. She kept these ears on the whole time we were at target.

We got home and the babies discovered Shep's room. They both ran to the crib and begged for me to put them in. They were having a ball in there. They bounced like crazy. We went for a different mattress this time around and it is soo much bouncier. I was afraid the kids would fly out of the crib. We will definitely be lowering this one earlier than last time. 

I told them to take a nap and this is what they did.

The week has been crazy with Jay being at baseball every night until 7. This leaves me with getting dinner cooked and feeding and bathing the kids all with a healing arm and shoulder. Holden found our scrub brush under the sink and went to town. This is their new favorite activity. It kept them busy for 45 minutes. I need to buy another scrub brush. Jay laughed at me for turning out children into housekeepers. 

On Tuesday we headed to the doctor for our ultrasound. I know it's silly but I asked Jay to take a selfie before we went. We don't have a lot of pictures of us during this pregnancy. This is also the day we learned that Shep has an issue with his kidney. We are off the specialist today to learn more. 

Back at home we played outside while dinner cooked away in the crockpot. It was a little chilly but I'm so glad we are able to start getting outside to play.

The lawnmower is a twin favorite and might be one of those items that I purchase two of!

This guy was such an explorer. He loves everything around him. He was into leaves, sticks, grass, you name it. He is a great listener and always stayed close to me (unlike his sister). We practiced throwing and kicking the ball. Both babies got a huge kick out of mommy passing them the ball. Maybe we've got some future soccer players :) 

I look crazy in the pictures below but I'm trying to get in more pictures with the babies. We have an old wooden bench swing and the babies love to climb in my lap and swing. I took advantage of the closeness to take a few pictures.

Wednesday was another crazy day! I didn't get home from work until 5:15 and Jay had baseball until 7. We scrapped dinner plans and went to Flying Biscuit with my mom instead. Wednesday nights are 1.99 kids meals and the restaurant was not busy at all. The servers were soooo accommodating and brought my hungry kids biscuits to munch on while they waited for their food. 

Jay met us at Flying Biscuit and took the kids home to do naps and bedtime. My mom and I met my sister for dessert at Nan and Byron's (the most yummiest brownie ever) and then went back to her house to sew for a bit! I got home just in time to watch the State vs. UNC game. It was a nail bitter! I was sooo sad we lost. Watching State games can take years off your lives. Jay is so adorable and found these sweet babies in their state pjs when I went in to check on them. 

Thursday was another LONG day. I got home just in time to make dinner for the twins and had to run to pick up some clothing from the alteration placed before they closed. I got a call from my husband who had just went to his class and found that class was cancelled. We decided to go on an impromtu date to Good Food on Montford. Seriously, their mushrooms were amazing and my soup was pretty yummy. I love going for small plates because it spreads out the meal and lets you have a pretty good conversation. It was so nice to connect for just a bit after the hectic week we've had!

We came home to find this one all cuddled up to her bumper pads!

This guy was given this doggie lovey from one of my mom's friends. He has 3 other loveys so this one has just sat in his closet. He found it the other day and has been obsessed with it. It was so sweet to find him sleeping all curled up with his puppy lovey.

Scenes from the Weekend

I can't believe it is Thursday afternoon and I'm just getting around to updating pictures from our weekend. Better late than never. 

This girl woke up on Friday with some curls going on! We're having a bit of a hair dilemma. Her hair can be totally crazy because it is getting longer in the back but the front is still really short and she is just now starting to grow a little hair where her hairline was receding. The humidity is bringing out her curls and I'm thinking that keeping it longer will be better for this summer and her little ringlets.

We went out to eat at Brixx on Friday night with my mom, my friend Sara, and my sister Bo. This one was hamming it up at the table like usual.

Not to be outdone by his little sis, Holden was running around and giving us goofy grins. He notices the attention that EC gets when she falls or makes a funny face or coughs (or anything really) and he imitates her to get the same reaction from mom. His fake cough (followed by a devilish grin) is pretty much my favorite.

not the most flattering picture but a few of my best college girlfriends got together on Friday night. I was so tired but made it until 12:30 chatting with these girls over drinks at Nan and Byrons. I had the BEST time.  I have missed my friends sooooo much lately. I'm working on being more intentional with my friendships. It's so easy to let friendships slide, especially because none of my very best friends are in the same stage of life as me (i.e. have children). I have some good "mom" friends but nothing like this group of my college besties. Because of work, I spend most of my free time at home with my family but I have got to start making an effort to get together with friends old and new!

We headed to gymnastics bright and early on Saturday morning. I was sooo exhausted after being out late on Saturday night. I was so pumped that we got this parking spot. Anyone that works out at Harris Y knows the spots around the circle are coveted. I've tried for 5 weeks to land an expectant mother spot and we finally did. Parking here makes it SOOO much easier to wrangle the kids into class rather than walking a mile from the back lot while carrying a toddler. There is no room for the stroller in the gymnastics space so carrying them is the only way to go.

these babies were obsessed with the beam this week.

Holden was flirting MAJOR with these two sweet gymnasts. He would run on the trampoline by where they were sitting and bat his eyelashes at them and give them little smirks. They asked if they could help the twins during class and of course I agreed. I had to take pictures of them walking the beam with their "big girl" helpers.

we ran some errands and had our weekly chick-fil-a lunch before heading home for naps. We bought EC some sunnies at target because she ALWAYS wants to wear mine. She will leave them on until they fall off or we take them off of her. We tried to get Holden a pair but he wanted nothing to do with them. She will put them on whenever she can! 

My mom and Bo came over for Chinese on Saturday night and we bathed the babies and put them to bed before dinner. Emma Cate was petting Holden in this pic.

And by the way- the kids are pretty much taking all of their baths in the bath tub (finally). We still stick them in the sink when we need to do it super quick!

She loved putting her feet in when he was bathing!

i know i know... this will totally embarrass him later but this pic was too cute of his little tush and his outgrown robe.

She isn't potty trained yet but loves to sit on the potty. 

We barely made it to church on Sunday morning. Jay dropped me off with the kids and I checked them into Sunday school while he went to park the car. I headed back to the lobby to wait on him. There was another family that did the same thing and after I saw her husband walk in I assumed Jay would be there shortly after. I waited another 5 minutes and by this time we were so late that I figured we'd just go try a Sunday school class because there was going to be no way we'd get a seat in the sanctuary. I continued to wait. I finally went to the twins' Sunday school classroom and checked to see if Jay had been by there. Of course, he had (about 5 minutes ago). I had no clue where he would be so I headed to the sanctuary and found him sitting in the last pew. UGH! I was so frustrated and didn't know how we had missed each other. I settled down during the service and enjoyed worshiping. 

We met Gigi for breakfast at Eddie's Place after church.

We got home from brunch and Jay and I dove into Operation Nursery. I really wanted a grey Jenny Lind style crib and couldn't find any for sale so we decided to buy a white one and paint it. I went with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Paris Grey and Graphite. I mixed 1 cup of Paris Grey with 4 tablespoons of Graphite for the perfect mid-grey color. 

mixology

we bought a paint sprayer and OMG I LOVED it! We tried hanging the pieces at first but decided it was better if I held them and Jay sprayed. We mixed the paint with 10% water to thin it before spraying.

I sprayed one little bit and it came out chunky so I gave up.

excuse my adorable painting outfit.

It took us around 2.5 hours to paint the crib. We did one coat and then touched up the spots that we missed. The paint covered soooo well! I want to give a HUGE shout out to my mom who came over to help me get started (Jay was working on refinishing the dresser behind him above) and then once we had it under control she left. Around 4:45 the kids started to wake up from nap and she came rushing over to babysit so we could finish up. SOOO thankful for her. We would have never gotten it done without her help!

Daddy assembling the crib!

Crib and mattress! Can't wait for all the bedding and the baby to put in it! I'm also planning on sealing it with Annie Sloan clear wax! I'll update when I get some new pictures.

We totally crashed Sunday night after an exhausting but fun weekend!

Baby Shep Update

We had an ultrasound for baby Shep yesterday afternoon. I ended up taking the day off work to get some things done around the house prior to the ultrasound. I met Jay at the doctor and we were sooo excited to see our little guy! With the twins, we had ultrasounds at least once a month (add in kidney stones and preterm labor and we had them almost every two weeks). With Shep, we've only seen him a few times as a tiny tiny thing at REACH and then once when we had our first appointment with the OB and once for the anatomy scan at 19 weeks. The scan yesterday was for growth and to check on Shep's kidney. Unfortunately, baby Shep was looking in towards me and the only picture we got was an "I'm STILL a BOY" shot. I was a little sad we didn't get to see this sweet baby's face. The ultrasound was long and complicated and a little scary. We quickly realized we were there for medical issues and not to see our cute baby suck his thumb or wave to us.

I'll start with growth. Shep is measuring at least a week ahead. His belly is measuring two weeks ahead and the ultrasound tech asked me if I had gestational diabetes! The doctor didn't seem as concerned but he is also super chill (we'll get into that later). Shep is also totally breech with VERY little chance of turning. My plan for VBAC is 99% out the window. The plan is to schedule a c-section but we'll talk about that once I get to 36 weeks. Shep is currently weighing in at 5lbs which is crazy to me that he could possibly weigh more than Emma Cate when she was born (the weight can be off by 15% either way).

As far as Shep's kidneys go, the left kidney is looking good. The right is unfortunately still swollen with fluid and doesn't appear to be functioning. The ultrasound tech took lots of photos of the renal artery and it doesn't appear that blood is flowing to the kidney. Both the Dr. and ultrasound tech said it could just be a positioning thing because he was laying on that side. I'm saying a prayer that that is true but not holding my breath.

I consider myself to be a very strong person. I can't change the hand I've been given, I can only accept fate and move forward. I like to know everything I can about any issues that arise (infertility, my mom's cancer, preeclampsia, etc.). I don't like surprises. I want to be told flat out what is going on and not hold onto false hope. I was really disappointed in my doctor yesterday. When he talked about Shep being breech, I asked if there was a chance he could still turn. He was like yes, it could very well happen but you may want to start preparing for a c-section. I'd rather him tell me "seriously, there is a tiny chance but pretty much you're going to have a c-section". He is very sugar-coaty (like my new word?). He was also the doctor that my mom saw when she first found a lump in her breast. He told her it was probably nothing but was going to send her for an ultrasound to be sure... probably nothing turned out to be stage 2 cancer. We spoke with him about the kidneys and after hearing a pretty blunt (but appreciated) take on it from the ultrasound tech, we were amazed at how he conveyed his opinion to us. After he left the room, Jay said "seems like Shep will be totally fine and there is really nothing wrong with his kidney". It made me so mad that the message the doctor conveyed made Jay feel like that. In actuality, he is sending us to the maternal fetal specialist asap to have them take a look and having a pediatric urologist in the delivery room. I could be wrong but you don't normally do those things when you think a problem is no big deal... Ugh I am just so frustrated with the lack of info. I know doctors don't want their patients to worry but as a mom I worry way more with less information than I do with more. Tell me worst case scenario. I appreciate that. At least then I can prepare for the worst and pray for the best.

Enough gripe, now onto how we are doing. In all honesty, I'm not that concerned about Shep's kidney/quality of life. Like I stated before what will happen will happen and we will handle it like we would handle anything. I love this baby sooo much and have 100% faith in God that he will do what is best for our family. I trust that God wouldn't give us anything we weren't capable of handling. I also trust that Shep will be a happy and healthy little big boy but if he isn't, we will love him just as much :) Please keep this sweet baby boy in your prayers and also please pray that at the next appointment, we will get some much needed answers.

Baby #3 Week 32

I know that I've said this in the past few posts but OMG this pregnancy is sooo much easier! At 32 weeks last time I was told to stop working and so incredibly swollen.

Baby Shep at 32 weeks

twins at 31.5 weeks. whoa mama

This week was difficult only because the tiredness has set in. I'm still waiting for the nesting to set in! This weekend was go go go with a trip up north to visit my Dad. I really need to bank some sleep this weekend. We also really need to work on the nursery. Our glider arrived yesterday and we are hopefully going to pick it up this week or next (it's in Asheboro). I'm excited to see it. We are looking forward to lots of work on the pallet wall this weekend and hopefully painting the crib and dresser if the weather holds out. I don't think Jay will let me do any of the painting (too many fumes) but I'm pretty excited to see this paint sprayer in action. My goal for Saturday night is to work on the embroidery machine and get a few things done for Shep and the twins. Shep's fabric just came in and I'm planning to pick it up tomorrow afternoon so that my mom can get started on his bedding!

Shep has been a moving machine. He feels sooo much more substantial and he definitely doesn't like when I lay on the couch with my feet curled up. I can feel him punch my hipbones and kick my ribs at the same time. The craziest is the pressure I feel when he presses against me. I feel like he is going to pop out of my stomach!

Shep's hospital bag arrived this week and I loved seeing his first monogram! I told Jay that I was going to order his Easter basket liner tomorrow and Jay asked why he had to have one this year. The plan is to deliver on the 17th or 18th of April and Easter is on the 20th. Jay finally understood that we're probably going to be celebrating Easter in the hospital this year and therefore each child needed a basket!

I am still in shock that we have 8 weeks left. The babies have been so sweet and fun this week. They give baby Shep lots of kisses and just this morning have started to say love you! The weather this week has been so nice and I think we are all so ready for spring and Shepherds arrival!

I am still sporting my sling but met with the ortho doctor on Tuesday and got the good news that I only have to wear the sling for a few more days. The bone I broke is the quickest to heal in the whole body. I definitely have a partial tear in my AC joint in my shoulder and that should heal with time and rest. It is still really difficult to get the babies in and out of the carseats and I'm super thankful for my mom helping me extra this week.

We have an ultrasound on Tuesday and I am soooo excited to get a peak at our little guy! I'll hopefully have some pictures to post next week!

Pregnancy Highlights:

Today's Date: Friday, February 20th 2014

How Far Along: 32 weeks

Pregnancy Countdown: 57 or less days

Size of babies: A squash. The baby is 15.2-16.7 inches long and weighs between 2.5- 3.8 pounds 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I haven't been great at weighing myself because I don't really care anymore. I don't think my face/arms/legs are gaining like last time. I think I'm holding still at 20lbs.  

Maternity Clothes: Yes, I'm fighting the urge to buy some spring tops.

Gender: Boy- Arthur Shepherd Carroll

Movement: This boy LOVES when mama eats! Green smoothies make him wiggle like crazy (as does ice cream). 

Sleep: We've had late nights due to getting back in the swing of things after being out of town. We had terrible storms the other night that kept me up from 2am-4am on Tuesday night. I was OUT at 10pm last night and slept hard until 6 but still don't feel rested. I still don't have to get up to tinkle! Thank you bladder! I am sleeping on my side now and couldn't imagine being on my tummy anymore.

What I miss: sleeping on my tummy, walking, my old feet, my not so jiggly tummy

Cravings: I didn't do any meal planning this week so dinners have been ugh. I've been craving Rusty's baked potatoes and Annie's mac and cheese. 

Symptoms: braxton hicks and round ligament pain are back! I was playing with the kids last night and had some majorly painful contractions. The skin across my belly button is getting kind of tight. Kind of weird to explain. 

Best Moment this week: Having a little downtime yesterday while my kids napped to just sit and watch my belly move (that sounds really creepy doesn't it). It is fun to be able to focus on Shepherd for just a little bit during the day.

Just for fun... this is a pic of my foot at the same point in my pregnancy time. OMG piggy piggy!

how sad do these piggies look? its bad when even your toes have rolls

Your baby's the size of a squash!

Still growing, your baby weighs in at about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds and measures about 15.2 to 16.7 inches.