Easter 2011

Hard to believe that Easter of this year has already come and gone! We surely had a wonderful day and enjoyed our time with Jonathan's family out in the beautiful Spring weather. We started our day off with a great church service including communion and an awesome message! I also got to sing in the choir this weekend which is something I love doing and just enjoy worshipping together with everyone!

After church, we headed to the Bradshaws' where Ms. Joyce had prepared a huge feast: chicken and dressing, ham, mashed potatoes, broccoli, rice & cheese casserole, butter beans, baked pineapple and rolls. (I am probably forgetting something too!) We let the kids play outside for a little bit before naptime, but it wasn't long before all four of us--Jonathan, me, Nora, and Liam--were down for a good afternoon nap. The kids were eager to get up and play, and we promised Nora that she could break in her new Ariel swimsuit and get into the pool for the first time this year.

The Newlyweds

Jonathan's dad bought a jet ski recently, so Easter Day was our first time to try it out.  Liam and Geegaw were the first to take it for a ride, and Liam was instantly hooked.  He wasn't afraid at all, and he kept asking to "do agin, do agin."  Nora was very cautious, but Jonathan and I got on and insisted she try it just once and then told her if she didn't like it that she didn't have to ride again.  Well, it took her being on it about 10 seconds and she was sold!  "Faster, Daddy, faster!"  I predict that our kids will be spending MUCH time on there this summer. 

We also continued our tradition of doing an Easter Egg hunt in Granna and Geegaw's yard.  Ms. Joyce had several eggs filled with chocolate, and I had about 50 eggs with Starbursts hidden in some of them.  We scattered them all throughout the yard, and we even invited some of the neighbors over to join in.  Liam was determined to open each egg as he found them, so it took him a long time to get the hang of it.  Nora was an egg-grabbing machine, but it was Rowan (the little girl that lives next door) that had the best plan!  She found the eggs, left the ones behind that didn't contain any candy in them, and if she did find an egg with candy, she opened it, ate the candy, and dropped the shells right where she found them.  Clever little thing!

The egg hiders!

More chocolate, please, Granna.

Andrew and Amy brought Bird over with them, so the kids enjoyed playing with him as well.  It's wonderful that they have a dog....we get the benefits of playing with him, the kids enjoy being around a dog, but we don't have to take care of him, feed him, or clean up after him, and he goes home with Amy and Andrew instead of us.  Great situation for me!

The guys clearing out an aluminum can from the jet ski.

As the afternoon winded down, we all got on the boat and went for a ride.  Then we headed back home and warmed up some leftovers for our dinner.  We bathed the kids, then loaded up the car and headed home!  It was a wonderful day!

Funny note:  Nora loved eating all of her "starbucks" that she got out of her Easter eggs.  I didn't have the heart to correct her that they were actually Starbursts because it was just so darn cute hearing her refer to them as Starbucks.  Hey, we do love Starbucks in our house...and Starbursts, too!

Quote of the Day

Date: Easter Day 2011

Setting:  It's a warm, beautiful Spring Sunday afternoon, and Nora has gotten it in her head that she wants to go swimming for the first time in her Geegaw and Granna's pool.  No one else is brave enough to get in with her because the water temp is too cool.  However, she keeps insisting that I (her 8 month pregnant momma) should get in with her.  I, conveniently, didn't have a bathing suit with me.

Nora:  Well, Momma, you can just borrow one of Mames' swimsuits.

Momma:  Oh baby, I can't fit in any of Mames' swimsuits.  

Nora:  Because you're more pregnant-er than her?

Momma:  Yes, that's it.  I am more pregnant-er than her. 

(Sidenote:  Mames (aka Aunt Amy) just got married last weekend, so I do hope I am more pregnant-er than her) ;)

Pregnancy Update: 31 weeks, 6 days

Tomorrow I will be 32 weeks!  Crazy to believe that Stella will be here in about 8 weeks (or less).  I had an appointment today where I was able to re-do the 4D Bonding Scan since we weren't able to get very many good images of her at our last appointment, and I also saw the doctor for my visit. 

Here are some pics of our precious baby girl.

It's pretty much the same pose with just a few different angles!  Poor baby was plumb worn-out from the weekend festivities, I guess, because she was SOUND asleep.  I tried poking her and prodding her, changing positions, sitting up, rolling on my side.  She refused.  The ultrasound tech was so sweet and kept saying, "It just takes patience.  She'll move."  But, she didn't.

She had her hand up by her face the whole time, which is how she was sleeping during our last attempt at the 4D, so she must be comfy sleeping that way.  Also, she has the same nose as both Liam and Nora.  Must be a Bradshaw trait!

I found out a few other surprising things during the ultrasound, too.  First, even though I was convinced that she was bald, we found out that Miss Stella does indeed have some hair.

See the white lines sticking out on the side of the skull next to the word "hair" ?  Well, that's her hair, and according to the ultrasound tech it seems "long."  So, maybe she'll have more than Liam did which was WAY more than Nora who had hardly anything but peach fuzz.

The other thing we discovered is that Stella is breech!

This is just a picture of her skull with the word breech on it, but it's proof!  Two weeks ago, Stella was head down with her head near my right hip bone, but today, her head was right up in the center of my belly, just below my breast bone.  The tech said she was butt first!  Not good!

My doctor assured me that there is still plenty of time for her to turn, and while I was fixing dinner this evening, I am certain she found herself another position because she was moving around in there like a crazy person and causing me lots of discomfort.  So, I am praying that she finds herself head down and decides that she likes it that way.  I have been blessed with two great deliveries thus far, and even though a C-section would totally not be the end of the world, I would definitely PREFER a vaginal delivery if possible.  So, please pray with me that she turns and stays put!

Weight was good, blood pressure was good, and other than scheduling a growth scan for two weeks from now, there is nothing new to report.  I loved seeing my baby girl on the screen, and we can't wait to meet her.  Nora is so thrilled with her and Stella is not even here yet!  Liam....well, he just knows that we refer to my belly as Stella and that Momma does not like him to jump on top of Stella, so naturally he tries to do that whenever possible.

So, my next project is to try to get the girls' room ready for Stella's arrival.  We'll see when I get to that, but hopefully it's soon.  Our girl will be here before we know it!

Pillow Talk

Last night, I was the one putting Nora to bed and happened to have one adorable and priceless conversation with her.  I told Jonathan what we talked about and he encouraged me to write it down so we don't forget.  What childlike faith she has these days, and it is so neat to see her beginning to understand things about God.

We were talking small talk for a while, recalling what we did yesterday: woke up early because we had a house showing at 9 am, put the kids in the van and got some donut holes as a special treat, drove around looking at houses while we waited for the showing to be over, came home and played together as a family, jumped and played on the couch cushions, grilled some sausages for lunch, walked down to the playground, took some naps, and went to dinner with our next door neighbors.  We both agreed it was a great day!  We then both agreed we were very tired from such a busy weekend (Aunt Mames got married on Saturday), so I suggested we pray and go to sleep.

C:  Nora, do you want to pray?

N:  Sure.  Dear God, thank you for this day and for the beautiful weather and that we got to play together.  In Jesus' name, amen.

C:  Amen.  That was a wonderful prayer, Nora. 

N:  Thanks.  It was a little prayer.

C:  Well, that's okay.  Little prayers are just fine, and the more you pray, the better you will get at it and the longer they will get.  God doesn't care how long your prayers are, He is just glad that you are talking to Him.  He loves when you talk to Him and want to spend time with him.

N:  I can't hear Him.

C:  You can't hear God?

N:  No.  I can't hear him and I can't see him either.

C:  You're right, we can't see him with our eyes but we know that he's here with us.

N:  Yeah, he's everywhere.

C:  That's right.  He's everywhere all the time.  Can you be everywhere?

N:  Nooooo..... (with a giggle, as if that was absurd).

C:  You're right here!  But where is God?

N:  He's in heaven.

C:  That's right.  God is in heaven.

N:  And God doesn't ever get tired.  He doesn't ever go to sleep.  But, Jesus sleeps.  He fell asleep in the boat.

C:  That's right, when Jesus was a man, we did sleep and he did fall asleep in the boat.   But now he is in heaven with God.  So, he doesn't need to sleep anymore.  When we get to heaven, we can see them both.

N:  That is a LONG way away.  It's going to be a long car ride to get there.

C:  To heaven?

N:  Yeah.  It's going to take a really long time to get there.  When we go to New Orleans, it is a long time (meaning: it takes a long time to get there) but when we drive to heaven, it's going to take even longer.  We'll have to watch lots of movies and take naps in the car.

C:  Maybe so, Nora, maybe so.


It was such a sweet conversation to have with my girl.  I pray that the Lord continues to draw her heart to His and that He equips Jonathan and I to teach and train her in a way that pleases and glorifies him.  It's so humbling to have children that we are called to raise!  We love our sweet girl so much and are so thankful for her.   I pray we have many more conversations like these.

Be Still My Heart....

So, after posting the previous video of Liam, I got to sitting in front on my computer screen watching old You Tube videos I had uploaded.  I came across this one of Liam almost exactly one year ago from right now.  I about cried....my sweet baby boy!  How much he's changed and grown!  How sweet is he!

Just In Case You Missed This Somehow.....

In Recent Days...

I have seen...

sunshine.  red bud trees in full bloom.  beautiful tulips and dogwood tree blossoms. a girl who is looking less like a toddler and more like a girl every day.  her hair is longer and so are her little lanky legs.  messy bedrooms with dolls and puzzle pieces and books everywhere.  toy trucks and dozers.  kids running up and down the hill in the backyard.  short sleeves and shorts and sundresses and sandals.  carpenter bees and wasps.  people stopping to get flyers from our for sale sign in the front yard.  baby bunnies and baby ducklings.  a moving womb as Stella stretches and kicks.  less of my feet.  runny noses as springtime allergies affect the kiddos.  little girl dressed up as Belle and Ariel and Cinderella.  "markeling" at the kitchen table with Daddy.  swinging on the swingset.  boy who is weeks away from two years old grow in his love for the outdoors, mud, and choo choo trains.  a bridesmaids dress (for me) that was WAY to small for the pregnant body.  as a result, I have seen the seamstress way more than I would have liked to.  in the end, I have seen a bridesmaids dress that actually fits.

I have heard...

lots of singing.  "my soul finds rest in God alone."  whining and crying as a sick boy just can't find happiness unless he's being held by momma.  nora reading her library books to her brother.  lots of silliness in the backseat of the van as the two "bigger ones" adjust to sitting next to each other in the car now that Stella is only weeks away.  lots of arguing in the backseat as the two "bigger ones" adjust to sitting next to each other in the car now that Stella is only weeks away.  "Holy God in love became perfect man to bear my blame, on the cross He took my sin.  By his death I live again."  the kids playing "crazy daddy" in the den with their father.  Stella's heartbeat.  Nora asking me how I'm feeling and how Stella is doing.  requests for jellybeans.  an exploding vocabulary out of a little boy who changes and grows daily. 

I have smelled...

fresh flowers.  the first mowed lawns of the spring.  kids that smell like puppy dogs after having played outside in the sunshine and warmth.  fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.  not much, some days, as a result of allergies.  dirty diapers.  clean clothes right out of the dryer.  cantaloupe and sweet strawberries as we are enjoying the fruit of the warmer weather.  new mulch.  jonathan firing up the grill for dinner.  granna's wonderful cooking.  freshly mopped floors.

I have tasted...

popsicles.  starburst jellybeans.  lots of coffee and sweet tea.  the joys of being a wife and mother and most importantly, daughter of the Lord.  a meal prepared by good friends.  dinner while out on a date with my precious husband.  not enough ice cream.  the pain of seeing sin in the hearts of my children and realizing over and over again their desperate need for a Savior and my desperate need for his grace and help in raising them.  pw's lasagna. 

I have touched...

the blonde heads of my babies.  my growing belly.  skinned knees and elbows.  very dirty children.  lots of Clorox wipes.  many faces with kleenex to wipe away runny noses.  my husband's hands.  inch worms that Nora found at Geegaw's house.  the flyswatter as I try to shew away the wasps and bees.  glitter (it's everywhere in our house these days thanks to the princess of the house).  Stella's bedding.  fevered foreheads.  sweaty feet as I pull their shoes off after playing outside.  puppies from around the neighborhood.  every corner of my house in attempts to get it cleaned for house showings.  new babies of dear friends.  my Bible in early mornings thanks to the encouragement of my hubby and the grace of the Lord. 

I have experienced...

lots of laughter and joy and peace even on days when I was exhausted or struggling.  the love of a husband who comes home right after work when we've had a rough day of sick kids at home.  forgiveness of sin.  grace, unmeasured and free and abundant.  true friendships.  unconditional love from my children and hubby.  homesickness for my mom, dad and sisters.  a desire for a snowball and boiled crawfish.  contractions.  lots of kicks to the ribs and bladder.  lots of hugs and kisses from my growing babies.  the joy of loving our care group and everyone in it.  God's faithfulness. 

BabyMoon

Before time gets away from me and I eternally forget to blog about it, I wanted to write about Jonathan and I's getaway last weekend.  His parents were so gracious to watch the kids for us for two nights so that we could go to Atlanta for a last hoo-rah before Stella arrives.  Jonathan had planned to attend the Hinman Dental Conference that is every year in Atlanta, and we decided to make a trip together without the kids for a break and special time away.

I dropped the kids off on Thursday afternoon, and when Jonathan got home from work we loaded up the car and made the three hour drive to Atlanta.  Can you believe that I have NEVER been there before?  I can't believe that I haven't!  I mean, I have probably been there in the airport, but I've never BEEN been there.  We stayed at the Ritz-Carlton (never done that before either), just down the street from the large convention center where Jonathan would be.  We got in late the first night, so we basically just crashed once we got in and settled.

The next morning, I slept until 9:00 am.  I cannot tell you the last time I did that!  It felt amazing!  Then, I ordered breakfast room service---which is officially my new favorite thing---and felt like a princess.  After taking my time enjoying a quiet breakfast and cup of coffee, I got dressed and started out on my adventure alone in Atlanta.  Let me just say, I am seriously thankful for our navigation system thingy.  If not for that, Casey would STILL be lost in downtown Atlanta!  I must include what Jonathan was doing during this time: we was at the Hinman conference taking a CE course all day.  Proud of him!  Working hard for our family business and learning ways to grow and make it better!  He was in dental heaven!

Ok, back to my adventure.

My first stop was IKEA.  I have been a fan of IKEA for years now, but I have never been to one.   When I heard we were going to Atlanta, I quickly worked that into my plans.  I spent about 2.5 hours roaming around the showroom and marketplace, getting a few surprises for the kiddos and even scoring on a few essentials that we had been needing around the house: new wash cloths and 12 new drinking glasses that I got for $.59 each.  I walked out of there having only spent $20!  It was awesome!

After that, I found the Lenox Square Mall in Buckhead, ATL, where I spent a few hours browsing through the mall.  Without a stroller.  Without a diaper bag.  Without two sidekicks.  It was bittersweet, but I did enjoy the alone time and being able to browse through stores.  I visited Crate & Barrel (another big fave), and got both kids some great deals on a few Spring/Summer clothes.  I also grabbed a few maternity tees for me from GAP maternity that were on clearance!  It was my kinda shopping day!

After I got lost and took over an hour to get back to the hotel, I was able to meet up with Jonathan just in time for our dinner reservation.  I seriously valeted the car, ran upstairs to change my clothes and spray some perfume, came down, and off we went to make our reservation by the hair of our chinny chin chins.  We went to a restaurant called Two Urban Licks.  (And yes, that is the actual name).  It was very urban, very trendy, and very delicious.  The best thing on the menu and that we ate that night was our appetitzer called Salmon Chips.  If you ever go there, try that!  It's smoked salmon, chipotle cream cheese, and some other things on top of homemade chips.  UGH!  I could eat it every day.  Definitely a fun, funky place to go!

When we finished eating, Stella said she wanted dessert so we headed back to the hotel and decided to walk around and find a dessert place since the evening was so nice and it wasn't dark yet.  We ended up at a diner where I got a piece of Strawberry Cheesecake!  Jonathan got something decadent and chocolate with like three different layers of rich, chocolately goodness.  We are so opposites!  I just can't do really rich chocolate desserts, but he just loves them!  Then, we went back to our room and watched The King's Speech (the movie that one lots of Academy Awards).  It was amazing! SUCH a great movie which really made me want to read Prince Albert's biography (in all of my spare time).

Saturday morning, we got up bright and early, showered and packed, and then headed to the convention center.  There is a HUGE set-up for vendors and business and supply reps and companies that Jonathan wanted to walk through, and a few things he needed to look up and price for the business.  It was seriously more fun than I thought!  I really enjoyed watching him in his arena, running into different doctors and reps that he works with or has worked with.  He liked showing me all the different things and pieces of equipment.  It was a lot of fun, especially because all of the people thought I was a hygienist or something, until they noticed my bulging belly and then realized I was probably his wife.  We walked out of of there with tons of free samples and new toothbrushes for everyone in our family, including Stella.

We made our way back to the hotel, got the van, and headed HOME to see our two kiddos!  We missed them so much, but we were so glad to have a few days away together to relax and spend some time just us.  One of my favorite moments of the entire weekend was on our drive down to Atlanta.  It has really been a long time since I've been on a long car ride without the kids, and one of our favorite things to do in the car is just sit quietly, listening to good music.  While driving down, we put on an Andrew Peterson CD that we both enjoy, and I just loved being to sit in the dark, music turned loud, just meditating on the words of his songs.  Ugh.  Good times.

I'm weird, I know.

Anyway, I am so thankful for a husband who plans weekends like that so that we can have some moments alone together for good conversation, fun, and relaxation.  Who knows when that will happen again, but it just makes the times we do have together that much more special.

Seeing Stella

Well, we went for our 4D ultrasound appointment today, hoping to capture some up-close and personal images of our precious baby girl.  However, she was just not wanting to cooperate with us.  When we first began the ultrasound, her head and face were smooshed up directly against my uterus, not allowing much fluid to rest between her and the uterine wall.  Apparently in order for the 4D to work well there needs to be some amniotic fluid in there.  We kept poking and prodding her, hoping to get her moving, but she was fast asleep and even when we did get her to move a bit so a pocket of fluid could make it's way near her face, her hand was always in the way.

Isn't she just the sweetest!?  I could look at her all day long.  She has the exact same nose that Nora and Liam have, and she has some very full lips!  No hair was showing up on the ultrasound, so she'll probably be more along the bald-side like Nora was.  Nora and Liam were so excited to see her.  Even Liam kept looking at the picture and sweetly saying, "Schtella" in his sweet little way.  (The boy doesn't know what's coming!)

So, even though we do have a few good images, here's how it breaks down:

The bad news:  we didn't get many good shots of her.

The good news: when I go back in two weeks for my next visit, I get to do the scan AGAIN!  At no extra charge!  YEAH!

I was telling Jonathan on our way home from this appointment that I have had an INSANE number of ultrasounds with this pregnancy.  With Nora, I didn't have one at all under we found out her gender at 18 weeks.  Then, I had 2-3 toward the end of the pregnancy, but only because I moved to TN, got set up with a new doctor, and she was measuring quite small so they monitored her size toward the end.  With Liam, I had what I would consider is a normal amount of ultrasounds: one at the beginning to determine the due date, a gender ultrasound and big anatomy scan at 20 weeks, and the maybe 1 or 2 more at the end to get a growth scan.  Miss Stella, on the other hand, has been seen via ultrasound at nearly 85% of my appointments.  Seriously, I can only think of two where I haven't had an ultrasound appointment in addition to my check-up.  I am not complaining at all, but just love being able to see my girl as much as possible!  I go back in two weeks (YES, we go every 2 weeks now!), and they will re-do my 4D scan.  Then, two weeks later they will do a growth scan to see how big she is.  Who knows if we'll have anymore after that, but by that point I'll be 34 weeks, just a blink away from seeing her.

After our 4D ultrasound this mornning, I had an appointment with the nurse practitioner.  It was pretty quick with just your typical weigh-in, blood pressure, "how are you doing" questions, and the rest.  I have just about reached the weight that I was at the end of both of my other two pregnancies, and I still have 10 weeks left, so this time around is different than the other two in that regard.  At my last appointment, my fundal height measured at 28 cm, which my doctor pointed out showed that I was measuring 3 weeks further along than I was pregnant.  Today, I also measured 28 cm.  So, my growth has slowed down a good bit in the past month, which I was thinking.  I feel like I (or Stella) had a major growth spurt and I was feeling HUGE.  Then over the past few weeks, I feel like things have slowed down and haven't really changed all that much, so I was expecting to be a little more back on track size-wise.  My blood pressure was great at 107/80, and we did get to hear Stella's heartbeat during the ultrasound, but I didn't ask what it was (forgot).


Other than Braxton-Hicks contractions every once in a while and a really sore breast pain one day this week, things are going really well.  I am definitely feeling the need to pee more, but I haven't started waking up all through the night yet with that problem.

I will blog more about this in another post in the future, but we have decided that Nora and Stella are going to share a room instead of Nora and Liam.  Now that we have finalized that decision, I am really starting to get excited about getting the room ready.  My nesting instincts are kicking in, but I probably won't do anything about it until after Amy and Andrew's wedding in two weeks.  We have a lot going on between now and then that we are so thrilled about including dress fittings, a Bachelorette party, my parents coming in town, getting to see so many friends and family, and the list just goes on!  What a fun (and busy and crazy and exhausting) season we are in!  Let's just hope I remember to bring my camera to some of these events so we can actually REMEMBER them!!!