a little update.

This last month before baby arrives has been all about getting ready and soaking up two little babies before that number turns to three.  Disconnecting from devices is so important for real connecting - hence my camera has not left its case in a long while, blog updates have waited and my phone has been on quiet.  But I figured a quick little update was needed as we are getting very close to meeting this new little one!

Me & Baby -  So, it's been twice a week appointments for a while now and zero issues for either of us!  We are both doing great, no blood pressure issues, nothing.  (Go figure my easiest and healthiest pregnancy would be at age 34/35 instead of when I was in my 20's.)  Baby is doing fantastic too!  Growing right at the same steady pace the entire time (between 70-75%).  As of right now, we will definitely meet this little baby next week!!!  How nice it's been to finally say "next week!".
So, eviction date of Friday, October 7th, unless anything changes or labor begins - then it's straight to the hospital for our repeat C-section.  We've never made it this far in a pregnancy before.
All is well, looking forward to announcing his arrival soon.

Todd - Volleyball season and school are well underway at this point!  His volleyball team is enjoying a successful season and a winning record.  Todd is also completing some classwork that he is working very hard on - on top of picking up many things around the house and forcing me to put my feet up! :)  The girls get so excited when Daddy gets home at the end of the day.

Quinn - Officially over a month of Kindergarten in her and she is doing great!  We knew she would love school and adapt so well.  She is excited to go each morning as she bounces down the sidewalk to the bus, and is excited to come home each day too! :)  We love watching this little sponge just soaking up so much learning already and she already seems so much more grown-up.  Quinn also continues to dance ballet.

Andie - This little cookie has been so much fun for me to enjoy and snuggle with all the more with extra one-on-one time with her during the day.  I'm struggling a little with the thought of her not being "the baby" anymore, but really I know it won't change a thing.  Andie is such a little love and continues to be the easygoing girl she has always been.  She is a little smartie and really showing us so many new things lately.  Also, her speech therapy is going beautifully.  We are so blessed with the most amazing instructors/therapists that come to our house to work with us.  Andie loves it!!  Andie is obsessed with being like her big sister lately too.

That's a little of lately in a nutshell.
We have also been so lucky to have my mom here for the last few weeks.  She has been helping out with many things to get ready for baby and with the girls.  And just peace of mind that if we have to go to the hospital, we aren't scrambling to figure out arrangements for the girls.  So grateful for that.

After a couple weeks of checking things off the list and getting ready- now I'm in full on relax and be a hermit mode - just wanting my only focus to be on taking it easy and spending as much time with our girls as I possibly can before being away at the hospital.

Our next update will probably be a baby one!
And I'll make up for my lack of pictures lately. :)

goodbye first tooth.

Apparently it wasn't enough of a big week to start all day Kindergarten - she had to go ahead and lose her very first tooth.  Ugh - I can't take it!  It's too fast! 

She handled it like a pro despite lots of worries about what it would be like to lose teeth one day.  The Tooth Fairy came and went leaving behind a trail of magical fairy dust.  And all within 24 hours she seems like she grew up by another 3 years.  I'm glad she snuck in her Kindergarten school picture already before she looked like such a big girl.

Didn't that little bottom tooth just come in?

Don't get any ideas - you must stay little forever. ;)

quinn's first day of kindergarten.

I could get very sappy writing this one out for sure.  So, I think I'll try to keep it simple and let the pictures and video do most of the talking.

Our sweet Quinn Avery started Kindergarten last week.  How in the world she is already old enough to be going to school everyday all day - I just have no idea.  As much as I would have loved to postpone this longer, I just couldn't stop it from coming.  And I would be holding this girl back from big and amazing things.  Aside from my mommy sadness, I really am so grateful for the fact that she is so ready and that we have no worries for her as she starts her school journey.  We each had our little emotional moments as she headed to school - Andie, when she couldn't board the bus with Quinn, - Myself, watching her get off the bus and walk in to school like such a big girl, - Todd, the night before reading a letter I had written for the teacher, -Even our cat Lucy was all out of sorts the morning of Quinn's first day.
Ugh, sweet girl, we love you so much but you are getting so big.  We are so proud of you and so very excited for you and all that is to come.  You have an amazing teacher who seems to be just perfect for you.  We know you will love her and have the best school year.

Alright, I think I put all my emotions into this little video.

Music - Slow Down (Nichole Nordeman)

our little fairies.

The girls and I had a couple pictures taken recently before this little guy arrives.
Thanks to Jessie at lil snaps photography. :)

a baby update.

I guess when you get to baby #3 the pregnancy updates are few and far between.  But we are getting closer now so I figured it was due time for a little update.  About 10 weeks to go!
I've done this a couple times now and I have to say I am grateful for a little bit to be known, and that little bit is the fact that baby gets an eviction date, meaning I know for sure baby's stay in my belly will not exceed 10 weeks more. :)  Of course between now and that time is all unknown though.  Hopefully baby will just stay cozy until we reach the 37 week full term mark, then anytime I am game!

Baby #3 is a boy - we have seen that on several ultrasounds now. :)

Growing right on track with his due date and doing very well.

My belly is measuring right on track too.  

When I asked the doctor she said "You are definitely NOT measuring ahead!" - SO take that all the random people out there that like to share their two cents with you on how BIG your preggo belly may look.

We think he has a name.  I say think because we just aren't quite as confident in it as we were the first two times.  But the truth is, there is nothing else that is even remotely close to my mind at least.  So I would say he has a name.  Todd said "let's just go with it" and Quinn selected a name for baby that actually reflects the meaning of this given name so I guess we took that as a sign. :)

This pregnancy is very similar to mine with Andie.  I wasn't as violently sick or for as long at the beginning, but I was more tired and had more feelings of Blah.  I discovered I would rather take sick then those Blah completely unmotivated feelings, that is just not a fun thing to experience at all.

Second trimester was fantastic!  Third trimester is starting to hit hard with back pains, more Braxton Hicks contractions than I had with either of the girls, and being more physically tired.  Hot and humid July is not a fun time to be at the end of your pregnancy.  I very much appreciate that I delivered Andie in June and Quinn in February.

Overall though, no swelling and no other issues.  Blood pressure still remains just fine.  (With Andie I got my first higher reading by this point, so I guess that makes this pregnancy the most stable of all of them.)  Hard to believe that we are at the end and doctors visits are regularly every 2 weeks.

Despite all of my complications during my pregnancy with Quinn, she was by far the most comfortable to carry and I never experienced any back pain or other pregnancy related pains.  Andie and this little peanut are very similar.  The biggest difference this time is that my placenta is in the front so all of baby's movements feel very different from the other times.  They aren't as big or pronounced, more like little aftershocks or rumblings.  It makes it a lot harder to tell what position he is in, whereas with the girls I could always tell where hands, head, feet and butt were. :)

Stay cozy peanut - for some reason I feel you are more eager to make your exit early. (maybe its all the earlier braxton hicks I'm feeling this time)  Time will fly by and you will be in our arms before you know it. XOXO.

andie's birthday party.

On June 18th our sweet little happy girl turned two.
I'm going to do two posts on Andie's birthday, first a little one on her party and then a big one on all about Andie. :)

So, her party.
Simple parties are always the best aren't they?
This year we decided to go the super simple route. We combined it with the 4th of July and did a BBQ on July 2nd where we could celebrate our little Andie, but also have a chance to spend time with our closest family and friends.  We kept it small and simple.  We didn't even have any decorations!  Crazy for me, I know.  But an outdoor summer party certainly didn't call for any.

The weather was gorgeous and mild and it was so enjoyable outside - thank goodness!  It was just beautiful.  Outside we had pools, slip n slides, splash table, sprinklers - and a carwash sprinkler Todd put together quickly that the kids loved.  Tables and chairs set up for just hanging out and enjoying all the traditional delicious barbeque picnic foods.  It was simple and perfect.  Even better that we had such an amazing group of family and close friends there with us.  Made us realize even more how fortunate we are for those in our lives who love us and our girls so much - we are so grateful you could come!

Andie scored some pretty amazing toys and gifts that she has been playing with regularly ever since.  Lots of building, reading, puzzle mastering and fun around here. :)

And of course looking super cute!
(I couldn't even wait to put this adorable little number on her! Thanks Auntie K. :))

Andie loved just running around and playing with all the water toys - her favorites.  Our fearless girl.  Between that and the big smiles on her face with all her new toys and snuggling with everyone, we know this girl had a great time.  It made our hearts so happy.

Thank you to everyone who loves our girl. :)