Family, Fun, and Fireworks--Happy 4th of July

This Fourth of July was very nice for us because we are finally in the same state as our family and not traveling in a rush to visit. On Friday night James and I made Shawn a special project. James was so excited to use his hands to make the flag and then glue his stars on the blue square :). Before we gave it to Shawn James was telling him about it...so any secret you need held dont tell James :). Shawn made a big ooh and ahh over it which made James smile from ear to ear. Shawn even hung it in the garage which is pretty neat.

On Saturday Shawn and James went to Crossville to visit Shawn's mom's side of the family since he hasn't seen his cousins in while. I opted to stay home because traveling or anything lately just is too tiring on me being 34 weeks pregnant. The drive was about 2 hours and everything is outside and I just am not a fan of the heat. So they arrived and did all the fun stuff there like swimming, eating, fishing, and operating his favorite remote control speed boat. Shawn said James would eat much but when he saw Shawn get some of the banana pudding I sent he climbed up in the chair and ate it all!! James LOVES banana pudding lately and it's so cute. On the way home James went to sleep only for about 30 minutes and then woke up thankfully b/c it was like 6:30 and I worried about bedtime. Shawn and James arrived back home around 8:40 and I hopped in the car and we drove to watch the fireworks. We decided to go to Patton Island Bridge which was perfect b/c we could view them from the walking bridge and they were not loud and scary like last year for James. James liked the fireworks but enjoyed walking the bridge more I think. Then we went home and got him ready for bed. He was so tired. Shawn's not much of a photographer so this is the only picture I have of James in Crossville with the cousins.

On Sunday we ate at mom's with James other cousins, my sister, Shawn's dad and my mom. The weather was not sunny but the kids decided to swim anyway. After a bit of swimming it was time to eat. The kids played for a while and then we went outside and did sparklers and snap n' pops. It is so nice to be with family and just relax and enjoy it. James has a jammed packed weekend of fun and it is nice to see him interact with family. We know our time here is short lived and then we'll be hours away again but it's ok b/c we now know that we can make memories as a family of 4 (soon) :)

Big Boy Bike

We have been pricing bikes for James for a while and was shocked at how much a little bike costs. As I was driving to my mom's one day I saw this little bike at a Consignment Shop for $15. It was IDENTICAL to the one at Wal-Mart we saw that was $60so I thought it was a great deal. James was excited too. Just a couple weeks ago he was a little too short to reach the pedals but he slowly has been getting the hang of it and we have been letting him practice at home. He is really getting it and is so proud of himself. I can't believe my baby is riding a bike!! He is so big and such a sweet boy most of the time.

Swimming at Gran and PawPaw's

Yesterday we went to Shawn's mom's house for the day. Luckily she has a pool too so James is getting very spoiled while we are here :). This summer James has not wanted to go under or get his head wet much. That all changed once he got used to the slide and jumping off the diving board without any assistance. He was so proud of himself and we were proud of him too. It's amazing how a little encouragment will spark that little fire of courage. James enjoyed swimming with his cousins and of course riding Paw Paw's tractor. It was SO hot that I started feeling it as the day went on. Pregnancy and heat is a terrible combination!

He wasn't too big on eating but these days it is so hot I don't blame him. I just can't believe how much he has grown and turned into such a big boy. He is my lil' pride and joy for sure!!!!! He was so worn out that when I took him in for just rest time and drink he zonked out. He would have stayed asleep but I had to potty and he was laying on me so when I moved he woke up. I love those little moments of snuggle time. :) On the drive home his eyes were so red from the chlorine and jumping but he had a blast. Of course Shawn is a bit more stern on him than I am when it comes to doing things but in the end it is normally for the best because I do caudle James a lot but he is my world and I don't think I do it to the point that he is a momma's boy....just so he knows I will keep him safe :). Of course I get flack for being the over concerned mom but when you are a SAHM with little help for the first 15 months of your child's life...that is kind of what you mold into. I don't regret any decisions as a parent.

Point Mallard

We decided to do a trip to Point Mallard Water Park in Decatur yesterday. It was 1/2 price night so we couldn't pass it up. I don't think we've been in at least 5 years or longer. Shawn and I both loved going there as kids and thought James was the perfect age to take there since they added the kiddie area. We also took cousin Kya with us and then met Shawn's sister, Susan, and her family there. It was great! James loved the Kiddie Swim area. The slides there go extremely fast and caught him off guard at first. He bumped his head and lost his hat but after a minute of regaining his balance he was off again. His favorite part was the wave pool. He would get knocked down by waves and then struggle to get up just to jump into the next one. Shawn was a smart daddy and brought James life jacket so it was easier than with swimmies to stay afloat. Kinda stinks b/c they won't let kids under 42 go down the water slides which was a bit disappointing but James was such a trooper and let daddy and Kya go down w/o any fits!! I love that kid. The three hours we were there went by so fast...we might try again before Ethan is born but not sure I can hold up so we'll see. It was a fabulous time and very relaxing and enjoyable time for me.

32 1/2 weeks

Today was another checkup for me and Baby Ethan. I really like the doctors here because they take my concerns seriously and I don't have to wait for a call back like I did when we lived in NC. Shawn decided to go with me since work was slow and we were meeting the actual dr. today, Dr. Allen. He was really nice and listened to my concerns regarding low amniotic fluids. This is exactly the same time that James levels began to decline and by 36 weeks I was induced. Dr. Allen wasn't going to do an ultrasound but said to ease me he would do one today. So we went back and we got to see our lil' man. He is growing well and is on target for weeks gestation. However as I feared my fluid levels dropped from 13.1 to 9.2 in just 2 weeks span. He said not to worry because it is all subjective but the same ultrasound tech has done it every time so I feel confident it is accurate. Normal levels range from 5-20 so as long as I can stay above 5 for the next 4 weeks I will feel much better. Ethan needs at least 36 weeks gestation!! Of course I am a little panicky because birth defects can occur with low fluid levels. Just trying to hydrate and stay as calm as possible. Nothing can be done to increase fluids really...just something that happens. I read only 8% of women are diagnosed with this ogliohydrosis (SP)...oh lucky me :). So they are doing another ultrasound Tuesday at 11:00 to see how they are doing.

Ethan is still breech too but dr. says he has plenty of time to flip and get into position. Dr. Allen also mentioned he could go in and turn him but tha tis something we will have to weigh b/c it can put baby in distress or can even cause kink in ambilical cord causing worse things which ultimately would still result in Csection which is what we would be avoiding initially.

Just hoping for positive thoughts and prayers for a HEALTHY baby boy.

Piggy Bank Fund

James has been watching a lot of Barney Songs lately (I know poor me :)) but is in love with the guitars on it. So he said he wanted a real guitar like "Q" aka Hugh had when he visited like 2 months ago (Amazing the memory of kids huh?) So I told him we could empty his piggy bank and use that money to buy one. Thanks to PawPaw Berryhill's visit to GA before we moved James had a lot of quarters and even two $1 coins in there. At the end he had $23 to put towards his $30 guitar. I was a bit sticker shocked at how much they were but Shawn said go ahead and let him get it. James little face lit up with excitement when we finally found it. Any mom knows it's hard to turn down that lil' face! James was so excited and couldn't wait to open the guitar in the store. He waited patiently as we made our way thru Wal-Mart. As soon as we got home he was ready to jam!! He is so funny (and quite spoiled I think :)) and loves it. It was his first purchase with his Piggy Bank Fund. Now he will have to earn more $$ for his next big purchase...mmm wonder what it will be?! he is so big now! He is 2 1/2 and all boy. He runs on energy like I've never seen! he is my big boy and so sweet!!

30 1/2 weeks

Today was my routine checkup at the doctor. They did another ultrasound to check fluid levels and make sure all was up and up. Everything looked GREAT! Fluid levels, growth, size, etc was excellent she said. I am relieved in one way but in another was hoping for an early induction...of course after 36 weeks but the sooner the better after that is what I wanted. It is just getting a bit miserable with this weight. I was surprised I do not weigh more than I did b/c I feel about 10 lbs heavier!! :). The only downfall is they said that Ethan is breech right now which scares me a bit. But the dr. also said he has plenty of time to flip and position himself correctly. I have to admit that C-section scares me for so many reasons...the recouperation time, the pain, and the fear of never losing the weight or the pooch. yes I know that sounds vain but that is how I feel. Of course I want him to be healthy and to have a safe delivery either way. I just really pray he turns around before too long. I told the dr. that I felt his head was already sometimes hitting and she said...well it's not his head..so his foot is causing the sudden urge to potty and the hardness in my abdomen :)

James seems to be taking it all still very well. He will often kiss my belly or press his mouth up to it and talk to him. It cracks me up!! He says he will share with him and love him very much!! So innocent and sweet.

i honestly worry about life with 2..I always said James was my only. I love that lil guy so much that I wonder how he do when not all of my attention is on him all the time. I know that God will help me juggle 2 lil angels. I know that later on they will be best buds and it will be worth it. I still want my lil' girl but we are done. We are going to make sure of it this time :)...Shawn is going to get snippity snipped :). If we choose to we will adopt later on...I have always wanted to be a foster parent or adoptive parent. Of course it will not happen anytime soon or might not at all...just something we talked about at one time. Plenty of sweet kids with no homes due to no fault of their own.

I go back to dr. in 2 weeks so we'll see what Ethan has decided to do. :) Please just pray that he flips and that labor is as easy as possible when the time comes.