Almost Five ...

I'm 39 weeks today, and by the below picture, apparently I'm about to pop. Wow, I look huge. My belly doesn't look that big from my angle, but then again I'm always looking down and not getting this enormous side view. Again, I say it, WOW!

Here's one more shot of Lou and myself (Bailey didn't want to pose). If Parker waits until Thursday to show up then she and Lou will be 2 years and 5 days apart.

I can't believe that this third pregnancy is almost over. What a journey it has been with having to check my blood pressure everyday since week 20, to being diagnosed with gestational diabetes (for the second time) and all the daily maintenance that goes along with that, to weekly biophysical profile ultrasounds since week 34, to getting an inflamed kidney and spending the night in the hospital at week 35, to carrying Tums in my purse for the last two months, and not to mention the "normal" everyday joys of pregnancy.

All that being said, I would do it again for the end result that we will see in less than 48 hours. Unless we get a surprise today or tomorrow, we will be inducing at 6:00am on Thursday morning. Our sweet little family of four will become an overflowing family of five! We can't wait!

It's the Final Countdown!

Coming Soon! - February 2, 2012 (or sooner)

Greg and I were both singing "It's the Final Countdown" as we walked out of the doctors office yesterday. I had my first exam and I was dialted to a 1 and 60% effaced. For those that don't know what that means, the 1 is on a scale of 1-10 and the 60% is on a scale of 0-100%. I truly expected to be 0 and 0%, so I was pleasantly surprised.

My exam went well and Parker is in a great position (like she has been since mid December) so we asked about picking an induction date. I've always liked the number 2 and Greg likes 5 so over the years we've used those numbers, or the combined 25, as our number in sports, etc. That being said, we asked about next Thursday, Feb 2nd - 2/2/12. You can't have many more 2's than that so it seemed like a good date. The only drawback is that the 2nd is Groundhog's Day, but we can live with that. My doctor left to check the schedule and then came back with a yes and a time of 6:00am. You can tell when someone is having kid #3 when their first thought is "Great, we got the date we wanted, but do you have anything later than 6:00am!"

So, now our only goal is to keep her in until the 2nd. Ok, I'm not at all opposed to her coming early, but I at least need to get past this weekend for two reasons. Lou's 2nd birthday is Saturday and we would like for her to have her own special day, and my doctor is off this weekend. Is that to much to ask?!

Preparing to Give Birth

I'm due in 13 days and I'm fairly certain that my body is preparing to give birth ... to a Semi ... not a small child. The last month, and especially the last two weeks, of carrying a baby can be tough. Don't get me wrong, I love being pregnant and I'm truly blessed to be able to assist God in creating this sweet little miracle, but there comes a time when you're just ready to be done.

About a week ago, I started to waddle. I must admit, my waddle is not pretty, and as much as I try to hide it, it's very obvious and unavoidable. What causes this amazing waddle, you ask? The fact that my pelvic bones are separating so that this Semi can pass through. This is not the most pleasant experience and it seems to be worse this pregnancy than with my first two. This may be too much info, but I honestly feel like I may have fractured something. I know that is not possible, but it sure feels like it! Just the simple task of sitting down and getting back up can stop me in my tracks. In addition to that bit of info, I also wake up around every hour each night to switch sides because my hips are so sore. Do you realize how hard it is to rotate this body/belly over that many times a night ... with achy hips?!

So, if you see me out and about, please excuse the slow waddle that gets me around these days and simple move to the side so that I may peacefully pass through. Thanks!

Ode to Old Spice

Who can forget this entertaining commercial?

I graduated from OSU in 2002 with a degree in Marketing. I currently spend most of my time at work doing Online Sales and Accounting, but I still love having a marketing background. I've noticed over the years that numerous companies are switching to more modern marketing/advertising campaigns. The most recent company to catch my eye is Old Spice. Thanks to my couponing, I've been stocking Greg up on Old Spice products and we've been laughing at the wording on their products ever since.

 The first tip to consider when creating a Marketing Plan is to Know Your Customer. "This is the most important piece of data that every business needs to know. Too often companies will lose focus on who their customer is and will generalize a customer persona." In my personal opinion, I believe that Old Spice nailed it with their customer research and targeting. Here are a few of their more recent products. These pics were taken on my iPhone so I apologize in advance for their rough quality.



"Triple Action Formula. Cleans body, Shampoos hair, and Conditions hair. Thank goodness that the inside of your body cleans itself, or we would have had to make a hair and body and bones and guts and muscles wash."

"Smells like Palm Trees, Sunshine, and Freedom."

"Odor Blocker. You will win. Odor will lose. Guaranteed. In the shower, it banishes odor causing germs to the drain. It spends the rest of the day maiming pesky, yet unavoidable odor causing elements in sweat. After the carnage, all that remains is the FRESH smell of victory."

"Smells like Wilderness, Open Air, and Freedom"

My personal favorite -- "Contains odor-fighting atomic robots that shoot lasers at your stench monsters and replaces them with fresh, clean, masculine scent elves."

I love the modern marketing direction that Old Spice has taken and I felt the need to share it with you. I know this blog did not make you any smarter, but I appreciate that you read it anyway. Enjoy your day!

Dirty Dancing?!

We have always bathed the girls together, and the older they get, the funnier they get. Recently, Lou (about to turn two) has discovered herself in the mirror-like reflection on the hot/cold water knob in the bathtub. She likes to wave at herself, laugh, smile really big, find us in the reflection, sing, and dance. After a few nights of this song and dance routine, we knew we had to get it on video to share. Towards the end, Bailey joins in the song and that really gets Lou moving. For the record, we have no idea where these dance moves came from so it must just be natural Morrison talent!

Click on the below link and turn up your volume:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx43w24UhUk


Ok, so she's no Jennifer Gray, but we hope you enjoyed those moves as much as we do!

A special thanks to Jared Hood for censoring this video for us. :)

"Practically Perfect In Every Way"

Where is Mary Poppins when you need her? If we could just borrow her for one week then maybe we could get everything checked off of our To Do list before Parker gets here. I'm 37 weeks today = technically full term = due in 3 weeks = due in 21 days = Bailey was 2 weeks early and Lou was 1 week early = could arrive any day now!

Prepared:

• We have moved the two older girls into one room.
• We have located the breast pump and cleaned all the parts.
• We have cleaned the bottles.
• We have purchased and cleaned new paci's.
• We have bought a good amount of diapers and wipes, but not nearly as many as we had with the first two girls.
• We have cleaned and put away all of the Newborn, 0-3, and 3 month clothes.
• We have the cradle sheets cleaned and ready to go.
• We have cleaned and put away the newborn towels and wash rags.

Not So Prepared:

• We have semi packed hospital bags.
• We have not started working on the nursery, but we have located the room that she will occupy.
• We have purchased the paint (it's sitting in the closet), and we have two amazing art pieces (sitting on the dresser) to be hung on the wall.
• We have a third art project to be completed for her room.
• We still have to put the side of the crib back on, raise the crib, and put on clean sheets.
• We have not gotten the car seat bases out of the attic, but we have located the actual car seat.

No matter what these two lists say, we can't wait to meet Parker. Will she look like Daddy (probably so)? Will she look like Mommy? Will she look like Bailey? Will she look like Lou? What color will her hair be? Will she sleep well at night (wishful thinking)?

So many questions, so little time. The one thing that we do know for sure is that we are blessed. We are blessed with two beautiful girls and another one on the way. We are blessed with an amazing family and amazing friends. And for that, we are ready for whatever life has to offer.

Psalm 37:26 - "... their children will be a blessing."

Our Sweet Little Lou is Turning Two!

On Saturday, we celebrated Lou's 2nd birthday. She won't turn two until January 28th, but when baby #3 could potentially come at any moment you don't take any chances. Therefore, we celebrated two weeks early!

We kicked off the day by surprising the girls and taking them to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D! Not only had they never seen a 3D movie, but they had never been to the theater. For the most part, the movie was a success. Bailey LOVED it and sat still most of the movie with her 3D glasses on. Lou LOVED it and walked around near our seats most of the time and wore her glasses about 5 seconds. She also had a few crying spells (because it was lunch time and nearing nap time), but we kept those pretty much under control. Thankfully the rest of the audience was young kids and parents of young kids so they could relate. Still, we didn't want to be "those people" so we had to excuse ourselves from the theater one time.

After lunch and a short nap, we had our friends and family over to the house for Lou's party. She got a LOT of great gifts and clothes! I have to admit, it's hard having a kids birthday right after Christmas because she just got loaded up on a lot of Christmas presents and then we have to turn around and do it all over again. Never mind the fact that in a few weeks, we will have two kids with birthday's right after Christmas. Let me just apologize now to our friends and family!

Here are some party pics:

Thank you to all of our friends and family that came to the party! It means a lot that you would take time out of your day to celebrate with us. We are VERY blessed!

Side Note: We have quite a few friends (that attended Lou's party) having babies in the next couple of weeks, so just in case you've never seen one ... Here is a Preggo Train!

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY, LOU! WE LOVE YOU!

A LONG Overdue Master Bath Remodel!

We bought our "work in progress" house 8.5 years ago ... and we've been working on it ever since. Thanks to God's direction, we were led to this house and blessed enough to buy it well below market value ... but that's because it needed a LOT of work. I could go on and on about how much work we've put into this house over the years and how much the value has increased, but that's a whole other blog. I will, however, take this moment to thank every one of our friends and family that have helped us improve this house in some way over the years. Without your help, we never would have seen the light at the end of the tunnel. Also, thank you to our parents for "letting" two young, newlywed kids, buy a "diamond in the rough."

Ok, so on to the Master Bathroom. When we bought this house, there was only ONE room that had been remodeled from its original 1980 construction ... the Master Bath. Yes, the only room that had been updated was one of the worst looking rooms. Along with our friends and family, we have all gotten a good laugh out of this room over the years. Because it had been "redone" we left it to be one of the last updates to tackle. Please note in the below pictures that the wallpaper was a striped pink and white satin paper with a garden themed border. The fixtures were mirrored and gold, and the shower was small for my standards ... so I don't know how Greg managed all these years since he's almost 6'7" tall! Try not to be jealous that we were blessed to live with this bathroom for so long.

BEFORE:



 

AFTER:

Roughly 90% of our home improvements have been done by us, so it was nice to have the Master Bathroom remodeled by professionals while we sat back and relaxed. Well, there's never really anything relaxing about having people in and out of your house every day OR the fact that this preggo had to walk down the hall every night, sometimes multiple times, to use the restroom OR the fact that the timeline was quoted at 2 weeks, but took 3 weeks PLUS another 2 weeks to have the shower door measured, made, and installed (still waiting on that to arrive) - of course, this was all to be expected and we are more than grateful to have the project completed.

Notable Updates:

• The bathroom was made larger by bumping it out into our Master Bedroom. Thankfully the age of our house means that our rooms are larger than most rooms are today so we really don't miss the space. Especially since our lost bedroom space is now the bathrooms gained space.
• We went from one sink to two, so no more fighting to brush our teeth.
• The soffit was removed above the shower and the shower was extended along the entire back wall.
• For Greg's sake, the shower head was raised about 8" so he doesn't have to duck to take a shower. Granted this means that the water is a mere trickle by the time it reaches my head, but we are both happy with the change.
• We LOVE the quirky mirrors and storage cabinet that we found. They make great touches that help reflect our personalities.
• A sigh of relief as we mark one more project off of our remodel list!

Last but not least, we want to thank my parents for their contribution to this bathroom remodel. They are the reason this project took place and we are grateful that they kicked us in the rear to get this done before Parker's arrival.

THANK YOU!

We love you MORE!

Milestones: Nine Months Pregnant and Already off to Preschool!

Part 1 of this blog - 9 months:
I can't believe that I'm 9 months pregnant today! I still remember being so confused during my first pregnancy about being pregnant for 10 months (40 weeks) instead of 9 months (36 weeks). I just couldn't comprehend why everything you ever hear in the world is 9 months this and 9 months that ... wrong. It's 10 LONG months of pregnancy, not 9. In the event that you were also not aware of that, then please consider yourself smarter for having read this blog. You're welcome!

These are what our "growth" pictures have turned into. The girls know the routine, but we are just not good at being serious when it's time to take the picture, so, here you go. In the second picture, I'm laughing because Bailey has left the scene and no one (except Parker) wants to cooperate. Can you blame them?!

Part 2 of this blog - Preschool:

So, not only did you get a lesson in the 10 months of pregnancy, but now you get two, two, two blogs in one! What can I say, it's like taking a final in college. I'm cramming as much into one blog as possible in the event that Parker shows up early.

Today, Lou started Preschool. This was a bittersweet day because it means that our baby (at least for a few more weeks) is growing up. She will attend Preschool at our church along with Bailey one day a week. I'm missing my girls, but the extra 2-3 Tuesday's that I will get to prepare for Parker's arrival will be well used.

Here is their "we're about to go to school" picture. Lou is sporting her upside down crown and the note that Greg left her telling her to have an awesome day. Bailey is convinced that it's super cold outside so she's sporting some gloves and a hat. I love these goofy girls!

Spending the First day of 2012 in the Hospital

I'm not blaming my recent hospital stay on Parker, but it is pretty much her fault. Just like her sisters, she's calling the shots before she even arrives, and apparently she thought mommy and daddy needed a private room to kick off the new year!

On Sunday (Jan 1st) were at church when I started feeling a pain in my left mid back. The pain continued throughout the service and I started to feel a little nauseated. We ran a lot of errands the day before so I was trying to determine if I just overdid it or pulled a muscle getting Lou in and out of the car. Because the pain was not subsiding, I talked to a friend after the service who is a nurse. She advised me to take Tylenol and go home and rest. I felt somewhat better after taking Tylenol, but the pain came back stronger about an hour later. That afternoon, I napped when the girls napped, but woke up in even more pain. The doctor on call thought I might have a kidney stone so I tried to hang out at home and drink lots of water. I finally gave in around 6pm and Greg and I headed to the hospital as soon as my dad could come over to watch the girls (thanks dad).

Because I'm a planner and this was not in my plan for the day, I wasn't thrilled about going to the hospital 5 weeks earlier than my expected due date. I'm also an overachiever (even in the worst of times), so I was happy to meet one of my goals, which was to make it to the hospital before throwing up. Not long after settling into our room, "it" began. Luckily I made it into the bathroom for the first two rounds, but round three happened in the room ... with Greg close by. I guess this is the for better or for worse part. Greg was a trooper.

After some lab work and an ultrasound on my kidneys, the doctor diagnosed me with some big words that Greg and I don't remember. Essentially, my left kidney was inflamed. We were told that this is something normal that can happen in the third trimester because of limited room for my organs and the growing baby putting pressure on my kidneys. Just call me lucky.

Throughout the night, I was given 3-4 bags of IV fluid, 2 bags and one shot of antibiotics, nausea meds, 2 shots of pain meds, and Tylenol. To top it all off I started having contractions every 3-4 minutes. Until the nurse mentioned it, I was unaware of the contractions because of my intense back pain. Greg saw them on the monitor and (thankfully) decided not to tell me since I had enough going on. I was then given a shot to stop/slow contractions, and a pill every 6 hours. I was not dilated or effaced so we felt better knowing that Parker was staying put for the time being.

For the record, Stadol (my pain med) can make you me act a little loopy. It made me laugh, it made me sleepy, it made me paranoid, and it made me very aware of the words that were coming out of my mouth ... or at least I thought. I just tried not to talk soon after taking the meds for fear that I would say something stupid. Only Greg knows the truth!

The next morning, and lots of prayers from family and friends later, I was feeling better, able to eat, and released. I will continue to take the "stop contractions" pill for a week unless my doctor discontinues that at this mornings appointment. I'm certainly glad that this is over and that we decided to go to the hospital when we did because I never would have known that I was having contractions had I stayed at home.

This pic was taken right after the doctor said I could go home. It's not my best look, but this is as good as it gets after the night I had.

Now, lets get on with starting the new year on a happier note!