As October was drawing to a close, our family was eagerly awaiting the birth of our third little love. Since the birth was to be my third c-section, the date was set for November 1 (11/1/12... loved the sound of that!) at 7:00 AM. I'd been to the doctor twice the week of October 22 and there were no physical indications that the babe would be arriving any earlier than that, so I felt pretty confident with all the plans and arrangements I'd made for the big day. Ha. Ha. Ha.
I'd thought it would be fun to get in some fall family activities during what I knew would be our last weekend as a family of four. On Saturday, October 27, we went out for breakfast at a favorite local spot. Since Lindsay and I were planning to go to a grown-up's Halloween party that evening, we chatted about possible costume ideas throughout the morning. Despite having felt quite uncomfortable during the previous week, I felt great that day, so after breakfast we took the girls to a pumpkin patch.

Pookie loved being 'as high as the moon!'

 on the hay maze.

Murphy Girl preferred to keep her feet on the ground.

Two happy girls.

(I posted this pic to FaceBook 

noting that it was our last weekend as a family of four. Ha. Ha. Ha.)

That evening, our sitter arrived at around 5:00 and took the girls across the street to the park. I helped my friend, Byers, with a paper and then chatted with Leslie, Byers' mom, about the impending arrival later in the week. I was telling her how different it would be to have a baby in the morning since Carter and Murphy had both come later in the day. Once they left, Lindsay and I headed out to dinner; the girls were still at the park, so I didn't tell them goodbye. Lindsay and I enjoyed a soul-food FEAST (not kidding; stuffed myself) at Mert's Heart and Soul where one of the servers kidded me that the cornbread I was eating would put me into labor. Ha. Ha. Ha.

We'd decided against going to the Halloween party, and instead went to Starbucks for a little more adult time before heading home. Lindsay was happily occupied playing a game with his new Nintendo 3DS, and I played around online. About ten minutes before we left (8:45 PM), I had a contraction. A real humdinger. Though I'd been having contractions all week, I took notice of this one because it hit me as I was sitting down. All the previous ones had been movement induced and had easily ceased when I would sit down. I motioned for Lindsay to take off his headphones, and I told him about it. He sort of nodded and resumed his game play. I had one more as we were leaving Starbucks, one in the car on the way home, and one-which took my breath away-as soon as I got out of the car at home. (For anyone who's counting, that's four in 15 minutes.)

We walked in the kitchen and I jokingly told my sitter, Ashley, that I may be in labor. Ha. Ha. Ha. Her eyes were as big as saucers as she watched Lindsay and I debating the 'what ifs' of the situation. Meanwhile, the contractions kept coming. I called my cousin Amanda to see if she could come sleep at our house with the girls just in case this was the real deal. When I knew she was free, I sent Ashley on her way. At this point, it was becoming hard to tell when one contraction ended and another began, yet I was in major denial mode. The scenario looked a little something like this:

Contraction. No! I am not ready!

Contraction. No! I am not having this baby tonight.

Contraction. No! I didn't even get to tuck the girls in bed or kiss them.

Contraction. No! My mom won't be able to get here in time.

Contraction. No! Your (Lindsay's) parents and sister aren't coming till Wednesday.

Contraction. No! I'm just imagining it.

Contraction. No! I probably just need some water.

Contraction. No! I wanted to get a spray tan!

Contraction. No! I haven't packed a thing.

Contraction. No! Murphy needs sprinkles for her class party Tuesday.

Contraction. No! I wanted to get a new camera.

Contraction. No! I was going to have a blow-out so I'd be camera ready.

Contraction. No! 10/28/12 is a terrible, all even birthday.

This went on and on and on and was combined with both tears and laughs. In midst of all this, I called my mom, Lindsay texted his parents (whose reaction was 'Holy Crap!' Love that.), we threw together our things, and I called the doctor who, of course, told us to come on to the hospital. Once Aunt Mandy and her hubby arrived, things began moving much more quickly than I would have liked. She's a mommy by nature, so I really didn't have to give her any instructions about the girls, but I could feel myself stalling. 

We got to the hospital by 10:45, and I was immediately hooked up to the monitors. The baby looked great, and I was most definitely in labor. The contractions were never any greater than three minutes apart but more often one and a half to two. Once I was monitored for thirty minutes, we got the news that, ready or not, baby was coming! Things then moved very, very quickly, and I felt overwhelmed and a bit scared. This was the only time Lindsay and I had ever been 'alone' during this process, and I was in a new hospital which seemed to have many policies that were quite different from my previous birth experiences in Denver. I tried to remain calm but the rush of forms to complete and IV's to start and the introduction to a not-so-kind nurse (who, incidentally, would become less and less kind as the evening progressed) got the best of me. When I learned from the anesthesiologist that Lindsay would not be able to be present during the placement of my spinal, I pretty much lost it. Throughout all of this, though, my amazing OB was with me providing a calming voice and words of comfort. She actually let me lean on her, literally, during the spinal and provided a peace that I so desperately needed. I know I must sound like a novice at this C-section business despite it being my third, but I think I became overwhelmed at both the surprising timing of the event as well as all of the newness in the procedure. Once the spinal was inserted, I became calm and so, so excited. I realized that we were minutes away from a meeting our little angel. Lindsay was let into the OR once I was all prepped, and he took over the role of chief hand holder. We chatted during the surgery itself, both of us getting more and more excited about the coming moment. I felt the pressure and pulling and tugging and knew that any second we would be hearing those first cries. At 12:51 AM the doctor pulled out the babe, and the anesthesiologist looked over the curtain and said, 'Oh BOY!' to which the OB followed up with 'It's a GIRL!' Tears poured down both of our faces. My first words were, 'Our family is perfect.' When we got our first glimpse of Wright Genevieve Lewellen, Lindsay and I immediately noticed that she looked just like Carter as a newborn. As I knew we would be, boy or girl, we were smitten with our newest little love.

I spent the next six hours in the recovery room (this part of the story is not pretty, so I'll just leave it at that.) 

After the pumpkin patch pictures above,

this was the very next picture taken on my phone.

Daddy got in some sweet newborn snuggles

while mommy was 'recovering.'

Our new, precious, perfect gift.

After pulling an all-nighter, I was happy to get settled into my room and get my hands on my sweet baby girl.

When I wanted her to nurse her,

she had other things in mind.

We got as much rest as we could during the day on Sunday as I knew there were some big sisters who couldn't wait to meet their newest little. Late in the afternoon, my parents, who'd arrived sometime in the middle of the night, showed up with some very excited visitors.

Murphy Girl was obsessed with her eyes. 

Carter couldn't believe how tiny her tootsies were.

Getting a closer look.

Baby Wright did not arrive empty handed.

She brought Murphy a Winnie the Pooh set.

And Carter was super excited about her Jake set.

(She'd been verbally making her request known

 to my belly for weeks... as if Santa lived inside.)

Proud Pa and Nanny holding their fifth granddaughter. 

Over the next couple days, Wright and I got to know each other, and I took advantage of texting and emailing to arrange logistics for the care of the big girls. (If baby girl had kept cooking till our planned c-section, Lindsay's parents would have been on big girl duty.) We were excited to have several special friends pay us a visit. 

Sweet Byers. 

It had been less than 48 hours since I'd been helping her write a paper!

Lilly giving me an easy hospital hair style!

Carter popped by for an after-school visit.

My biggest and my littlest.

Leslie and her baby.

Lilly kept our baby name top secret until the big day!

Aunt Mandy couldn't wait to get her hands on our newbie.

Aunt LaLa showed up with sweet treats

and sweet Baby Emerson who is just four weeks older than Wright.

On Wednesday morning, Halloween!, we were getting all packed up to head home when a nurse practitioner came in and informed us that Wright's bilirubin levels had doubled overnight, and she's need to spend the next 24 hours under the lights. Grrrr. I was so very sad that I'd be missing Halloween night with my big girls, but I knew that we needed to do whatever necessary to be sure we were taking a healthy baby home. 

Nestled warmly in her home for 24 hours.

Sweet sunglasses.

Itty bitty feet.

Knowing that I was sad to miss the trick or treat night, Lindsay brought the gang to me...

Scooby Doo and Crew! 

(Can't get enough of Pops as Shaggy!)

'Daphne' took off her wig for some goofing-off 

in Mommy's hospital room.

'Scooby' getting a peek at baby sister.

Aunt Kiki! 

I was still sad to miss celebrating the actual holiday with the big girls but was kept in the loop with pictures and videos throughout the night. 

2:00 AM and bright eyed...

Nanny returned to spend the night with Wright and me 

so that Lindsay could visit with his parents and lead the trick or treating.

We were thrilled to get word early the next morning that the lights had done their job, and we could take our sweet girl home. After five nights in the hospital, I was more than a little anxious to sleep in my own bed. We packed up, dressed our littlest beauty, and hit the road!

Obligatory pic by the elevator of Daddy and baby in seat.

Misha finally able to get her hands on the sleeping angel.

Another girlie to melt Pops' heart.

How much do we love having family close by!

It's been just shy of two weeks since we brought Baby Wright home. Life is being lived in three hour increments, and Mommy's cute pj's have been traded for nursing bras and a belly binder.  We're all loving watching Baby Wright's integration into our family. I couldn't ask for better, more helpful big sisters, and we're all melting in newborn snuggles. 

The Non-Things, Q3

Before I delve into all the Non-Things that have filled our days over the past few months, I have to take a moment to note how surreal it is to be blogging from this location. Here I sit in a cozy orange armchair nestled in the corner of the Starbucks on East Boulevard. This is the same spot where I used to come to fill my brain with descriptions of mental diagnoses and therapy theories for my graduate studies ten (!) years ago. If I could have told that gal where she would be today: living just two miles away (after living in two other states in between), sharing life with a remarkable man who she wasn't sure even existed, and on the cusp of giving birth to a third little love; her mind would have been blown. Life has evolved in amazing ways, and I love taking the time to acknowledge some of them. So for that 24 year old with her head in the books...

Here's a look at the best Non-Thing Things of 2012, Q3...

1. Sweet Summertime... staying up late, sleeping in, catching fireflies lightning bugs (have to adjust my vernacular now that I'm back in the South), enjoying frozen treats... Summer has been especially sweet this year. I'd been a little nervous about moving back to North Carolina in the middle of the summer and at the beginning of the last trimester of pregnancy. Truth is, though the humidity did really get to me for a month or six weeks, the temperatures rarely rose above the mid-eighties. Since the girls' body clocks were still on Denver-time, we took advantage of cooler evenings outside and then slept-in till mid-morning. The sounds of summer have lifted my spirits as well. Our house is directly across the street from a little league baseball field, and the roar of the crowd and the crack of the bat have provided the perfect backdrop for summer evenings. 
2. The Beach within Reach... having grown up within driving distance from a beach (well, actually, several beaches), I struggled a bit with being landlocked in Colorado. Within weeks of getting settled in Charlotte, we planned a weekend trip to Wrightsville Beach. On a Friday afternoon in early August, we got on the road right after Lindsay got home from his work week in Oklahoma and were on the sand by dinnertime! Carter has memories of past beach trips and was immediately running through the ocean and rolling around in the sand. She savored every moment and never tired; she begged to stay for another few days and has asked repeatedly since that weekend when we will be returning. Murphy had little interest in the ocean (she clung to Lindsay or me for dear life if we neared it) and was not a big fan of sand covered skin. She did, though, love her time in the 'simming poo' and continued to be the water baby she'd been all summer. 
3. Gestational Speculation... we have kept the gender of this third little Lewellen a surprise. This has lead to both moments of frustration (mostly on the Daddy's behalf) and anxious anticipation. We've found ourself having many 'what if' conversations... how will a third girl fit into the mix with our other two? What on earth would we do with a boy? What girl's name would fit best with our other two? How would each of us parent a boy differently? What's it going to look like? Will a child of mine finally have blue eyes (Mommy's question)? All these speculations have been fun to have, and, of course, every stranger on the street has his or her own prediction based on the look of my belly. Carter dreamed that the baby was a 'boy who looked like her but with different hair' but is still insistent that she'd like another sister. I've only dreamed about the birth once, and in my dream, the babe was a girl. As we're just two weeks from finding out what it is, I've come to fall in love with both possibilities. I'm living each day in eager anticipation of laying my eyes on the little prince or princess that will be the perfect completion to our family. 
4. Matchy-Match... prior to having children of my own, anytime I'd see siblings dressed alike, I'd always assumed it was the parent's doing, likely out of convenience. Prior to the past few months, I'd probably bought three or four coordinating outfits for my girls. Murphy mostly wore hand-me-downs, and Carter has always had very particular opinions about her style. In recent times, those opinions have stretched beyond sparkly shoes and fancy skirts to include Matchy-Match. This phrase in our house describes coordinating outfits for Carter and Murphy. I'm a self-admitted sucker when it comes to buying clothes for my girls; I have a very hard time saying 'no' to an enthusiastic little fashionista browsing the racks at CrewCuts. I'm even more of a sucker when Carter gets excited over finding something in both her size and Murphy's. I just love that, especially as the cool big sister, she wants them to be alike. I know this could be a fleeting phase, so for now I'm happy to oblige! 
5. Sarah, Who's Seven... our Murphy Girl is quite the character. She's really come into her own over these last few months and her self-expression is often simply hilarious. For example, if you ask her what her name is, she'll nonchalantly reply, 'Sarah.' How old she is? 'Seven.' If she passes a mirror, she'll often wave and cheerfully say, 'Hi, Sarah!' An interesting addition to this is that she always said she was six until she had her birthday the first week of October; I was impressed that she began adding a year to her fake age! Rather than saying 'this one' or 'that one' when referring to something, she says 'this guy' or 'that guy' which makes most all communication with her quite humorous. After listening to the book I Love Monkey over and over and over, she's developed a love affair with all things monkey. Anything she doesn't care for is 'yucky', whether it be a song on the radio or a picture of a baby (Monkeys, she loves. Babies, not so much.) She refers to herself as Mur-Mur, and this nickname has stuck around our house. I can't believe my baby will only be the baby for two more weeks. She gives the best hugs of anyone I've ever known and is still the snuggliest little girl in town... even if she is seven. 

Narrowing this list was especially difficult this quarter. I'm so in love with my life. Our life. 

Favorite Things, Q3

After taking a brief hiatus from my Favorite Things posts, I'm especially excited to share this list. Most of these things became favorites in relation to our move; a new city, a new house, and a quasi-new life have inspired a love for several new things.
Here we go... My Favorite Things, 2012, Q3,

1. Detergent Pods...  I'd already seen these in the store several times before my Pops-in-Law raved about them to me back in the spring. I was a little turned off by what seemed like a high price tag for laundry detergent. When he texted me suggesting that he was sure if I tried them they'd make an appearance on my next things list, I caved to the peer pressure and gave them a try (on sale and with a coupon, of course.) Well, as you can see, he was right! Initially, I just bought the Tide variety for the grown-up laundry, but I loved them so much that I also began buying the All Free and Clear pods for the girls' clothes. They really do make doing laundry just a tad easier, and, I actually think I'm paying about the same amount per load as I was paying for liquid detergent because I tended to pour too much into each load. I'm now wishing that Clorox would make little bleach pods for my white towels. (Thanks, Pops!) Tide Pods and All Free and Clear Mighty Pacs
2. Soda Maker... in general, and especially when I'm pregnant, I really struggle to drink enough (or sometimes, any) water, and I tend to crave flavored or carbonated beverages. Lindsay tries to encourage my water consumption, and, literally, as I'm typing this, he just brought me an unrequested bottle of water along with my ginger ale. We had gotten him this soda maker (which he loves) for Father's Day, but I'd never had an interest in even trying it out. Then one weekend, Lindsay made me one of his sparkling water-lime juice-crushed ice combos, and I was sold! Who knew that plain water could be turned into something so refreshing just by adding a touch of carbonation?!?! I'm still a little scared to try the machine on my own (remember that Cosby Show episode with Rudy and the juicer where Peter is found by his mom in the hamper?) but I am definitely gulping lots more water when Lindsay is around to play bartender. Fizz Soda Stream
3. My New Ride...  I feel a little silly (or maybe braggy?) listing a car as being on of my favorite things, but it is! Just before Carter was born in 2008, I'd gotten a Highlander as my first mommy car, and I can't think of one negative thing to say about it over the four years that I drove it. But, when we found out that our family would be growing, I knew that the Highlander would have to go. The middle row wouldn't hold three car seats, and when the back-row was up, storage space was quite scarce (not even leaving enough room for groceries.) I began doing some online research and narrowed my list to either a Sequoia or the big Infiniti. On a random Saturday in the spring, the whole fam went car browsing. While at the Infiniti dealership, I spotted a car on the showroom floor that I'd never seen before and learned that it was a new mid-size SUV for 2013. I was instantly in love with its sleek design and super-fun features. Though it was not much bigger than my Highlander, the space was much better utilized for carting around more kiddos and all their gear. Given that at this stage in life my car options have to focus more on functionality than looks, I don't think I could have found a cooler Mommy-mobile! Infiniti JX
4. Hanging Jewelry Organizer... after feeling like most of our unpacking was pretty complete, I realized that I'd neglected my own closet. One Saturday morning, I got clothes, shoes, and purses organized but kept my jewelry packed away in the bubble wrap and baggies that I had stored it in for the move. I've never had a great storage system for my jewelry; earrings were in a hard plastic divided box, bracelets in a larger, non-divided box, the necklaces hanging from a tie rack. I decided to find a better way of organizing and storing it all before I unpacked it. I came across this organizer at one of my favorite Charlotte shops and knew that it would be perfect! The pouches are great for storing earrings, bracelets, and small thin necklaces, and the velcro hook and loop tabs keep my long, multiple chain necklaces displayed nicely and tangle-free. Umbra Little Black Dress
5. Lionel Richie Tuskegee Album... during the weeks of unpacking, I found myself looking for some background music to make process a bit more exciting. Upon recommendation from my Pops-in-Law (thanks, again!) I downloaded this album of Lionel Richie remaking his own songs as duets with country singers. I'd long considered Lady, his duet with Kenny Rogers, to be one of my favorite songs, so I was excited to hear him collaborate with other country performers. From Willie Nelson to Darius Rucker and Tim McGraw to Jimmy Buffett, the duets are fantastic and proved to be the perfect soundtrack for long hours of unpacking monotony. Tuskegee by Lionel Richie
6. Reid's Grocery... since getting settled back in Charlotte, I've loved returning to old favorite places as well as discovering new ones that have come on the scene since I moved six years ago. This spot is kind of a combination of new and old, in that, a Reid's location has been downtown for many years, but this neighborhood location just opened a year or so ago. This locally owned specialty grocery is located just a mile from our house and has quickly become a favorite. They make great freshly prepared salads and sandwiches for lunch, have a large selection of pre-made meals and side dishes, are noted as being the best meat shop in town, and have a wide range of available wines. The two items, however, that have been leading me to take a tiny detour for a not-so-healthy breakfast after dropping the girls off at school are ice-cold cokes in aluminum bottles and the most amazing twelve (yes I said twelve)-layer carmel cake imaginable. Reid's Fine Foods
7. Home Decor Flash Sale Websites... I've been familiar with Flash Sale sites like Zulily and Gilt for awhile, but I didn't realize that comparable sites existed for home furnishings and decor. Making this discovery at the same time that we were getting settled in our new home, felt like one those moments when some divine force caused the (home furnishing) planets to perfectly align. Though I take a look at the new sales most every day, I've actually only purchased a few items: a lamp for Muphy's room, an orange accent chair for the living room, and a lamp for the kids' tv room. But I am by far the most proud of the cow hide rug I snagged for our living room. Though we'd never had a need for it, I'd had my eye on this Serena and Lily rug for over a year. I immediately thought of it when we moved to our new home, but the price tag was a bit high, especially since the room would require quite a large rug. I would say the cowhide rug I got from Joss and Main is my favorite new thing we've gotten for the new house. The fact that I got a freakish high at scrambling to put the last available rug in my cart and paying barely a third of the cost of the Serena and Lily version makes me love it even more!  Joss and Main and One King's Lane

So from chore helpers to tasty indulgences to musical entertainment, I've loved how all my new discoveries have made life even more enjoyable during the winding down of summer and the beginnings of fall.

Woo Hoo for Honey Boo Boo!

Back on this entry I announced my plan for writing a new blog every ten days till the baby arrives; well, clearly that was quite a success (insert sarcastic tone and expression.) And after this feeble attempt at making up for missing my regular entry, I did sit down today intending to get back on track with my quarterly Favorite Things/Non-Thing Things blogs. However, as I began to make my list of things, I realized that there is one particular thing that has brought me so much joy, so many laughs, so much marital bonding, such mindless entertainment that it simply could not merely be another item on the list. So, my friends, allow me to opine on the pure delight that is Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

I'm going to assume that all readers are familiar with this little TLC (yes, that does indeed stand for The LEARNING Channel) show that premiered in early August since it handily beat the Republican National Convention and tied with President Bill Clinton's speech at the Democratic National Convention in number of viewers. Having already been introduced to Alana (AKA, Honey Boo Boo) on one of my other favorite guilty pleasures, Toddlers and Tiaras, I was quite excited about seeing her off the pageant stage and in her own element. I never missed an episode, recording all of them on my DVR and watching some more than twice. Since Lindsay travels during the week, he never got to see an episode live, but I was happy to provide a little synopsis each week. Eventually (who am I kidding? after like one week), curiosity got the best of him, and he watched one with me on a weekend. Just like me: hubby was hooked.
As I watched each episode, I got a warm feeling for the entire Honey Boo Boo family: Sugar Bear, Mama, Chickadee, Chubbs, Pumpkin, and, of course, the title character. Self-admitted rednecks, their life-style is a bit foreign to my own (though not entirely different from some homes I observed growing up in the South), but their love for each other and their value of family is a universal quality.

As I got to know them week after week, I did have a few lingering thoughts...
Their manners, or rather lack of... I get it. This family prides itself on a 'we are who we are' philosophy, and I'm not suggesting they should change who they are as people. But, holy moly, a simple 'excuse me' after a pork-rind induced belch or exiting the table prior to passing gas or even keeping the passing of gas to oneself would not seem to be asking a lot. And, while I'm on the topic bodily functions... could someone please give Mama June some Claritin? That poor woman sneezes like nobody's business (without ever an 'excuse me' or even a head turn, for that matter) and could really benefit from a daily dose of allergy medicine! (Now that mack daddy of all sneezes released by Honey Boo Boo on her birthday party episode, that was pure comic genius.)
Their eating habits... this family is open about their love for food, whether it be hand ground road kill or expired items picked up at the auction. Sugar Bear took June out to a cafeteria style restaurant to celebrate their anniversary, and she opted to enjoy multiple desserts and bragged that she'd used her fork as she was trying to be extra polite on their date. When the entire family enjoyed a meal at a local BBQ joint, I got such a kick out of HBB sincerely asking the logical question, 'Why can't my sides be meat?' The one home cooked meal we saw June prepare (though she did say that she cooks for her family most every day), was sketti which was an 'old family recipe' consisting of spaghetti noodles topped with a mixture ketchup and margarine that had been nuked.

Yes, those are TOES on the kitchen counter...

Is it embarrassing for me to admit that, on the whole, the idea of buttered noodles topped with ketchup didn't totally disgust me? I was more bothered by the combination of margarine (and all those trans-fats!) instead of butter or a butter alternative and the unhealthy ketchup that was filled with high fructose corn syrup and the use of a plastic container in the microwave. I may have actually toyed with the idea of whipping up this little delicacy with Smart Balance and Simply Heinz (and my husband may not have objected to the idea...)
Their attire in the Georgia heat... so, the show was filmed in the middle of a Georgia summer that was no doubt 'hot as shit' as June told us week after week. Given that it was so blistering hot outside, why did the family wear jeans all the time? I can think of nothing more miserable than wearing a thick pair of denim jeans while participating in outdoor activities. My favorite June quote of the season came as a result of the heat, 'Being voluptuous, this heat don't mix with my digestive system well. That's why I don't eat.' Riiiiiiiiightttttttt...
Their language... admittedly, I'm a bit of a prude in the language department. My own children aren't allowed to say butt (just fanny), pee (tinkle is preferred), fart (toot, please), shut-up, stupid, etc... and I will most often spell a four letter word even if just in the company of other adults. This family, though, took offensive language to a whole other level, and I observed no differentiation between words that were ok said by or in the presence of six year old Honey Boo Boo. Neither were some words deemed inappropriate for dinner supper table conversation. HBB excitedly exclaimed that she was so happy she was going to 'piss her pants' and that she wished the 'damn gnats' would leave her alone. Not only were my prudish ears shuddering at some of the verbiage, my vocabulary was also expanded as I learned that both 'biscuit' and 'moon-pie' are apparently appropriate synonyms for the female genitalia. On the season finale, I discovered that Chickadee's baby had arrived via the Biscuit Express. Wow.
I'm excited to report that the show was such a success that not only has another season been ordered but some Honey Boo Boo specials are coming up just in time for the holidays. Since this family leaves up their Christmas lights year round, they should have no problem getting into the holiday spirit! I'm hoping we see a whole lot more Uncle Poodle and perhaps a tad less passing of gas. Perhaps a more in depth look at the man who is Sugar Bear and a vision check for Mama?

When I saw her Bingo Face make an appearance

in the pageant audience, I began hoping TLC would gift her with Lasik... 

Another Little Piece of My Heart

Before becoming a Mommy for the first time over four years ago, I prepped as well as I knew how. I read pregnancy and breastfeeding and parenting books. I sought the opinions of other moms on the best bottles and strollers and highchairs and diapers. Though I was fortunate to have had lots of experience with other people's kids over the years, I still knew that having one of my own would be a whole other world. So, while I did go into this whole Mommying thing pretty high on the readiness scale, I have been thrown by one aspect of being a parent for which I am certain I could have never been prepared. No book, no well-intended word of advice, no pediatrician, no website could have conveyed the deep emotional connection I would feel to my children. A connection that so far supercedes love that their sweet emotions and feelings can instantly become my own causing a blurry line between where their tender little hearts end and my grown-up, affected one begins.
In the early days of Mommyhood, Mommy-Guilt became an all to frequent emotion; I've often said that when that baby comes out the guilt goes right on in! Especially with my first, I felt guilty about everything... not reading to her enough, having the news (and by the news I mean E! News) on while I was cooking dinner, talking on the phone during her playtime. This list of things that induced the Mommy-Guilt could go on for days. One issue came up though, that I quickly realized elicited strong feelings that went beyond this light, annoying guilt: breastfeeding.
When Carter was three days old and we were still in the hospital, I was chatting with a lactation consultant, and Daddy was tending to baby Pookie. When she made a funny sound, he scooped her up out of her little hospital bed and patted her back. The lactation gal, Carol, and I looked over and both of us saw a purple hue on the face on my precious newborn (Lindsay couldn't see it because she was up on his shoulder.) Carol dropped her papers, grabbed my sweet angel, and quickly ran out of the room. I stayed in the room, and Lindsay followed behind, only to find Carter in a nursery with some sort of tube down her throat. A few minutes later, Carol and Lindsay returned (they kept Carter for a few minutes for observation), and Carol assured us that this sort of thing happens with newborns, especially ones born via c-section. She did go on to suggest that the small amount of formula we had given Carter that morning (because of her weight loss) could have refluxed and caused the choking response since it's so much thicker than breast-milk. She then went on to deliberately, throw all the formula we'd been given in the trash and suggest that I stick to a 100% breast-milk diet for Baby Carter.
Here't the thing: for reasons that are a whole other blog post, I was not successful in nursing Carter, though I did pump and bottle-feed her breast-milk for the first three months. Additionally, Carter did develop chronic reflux (just a coincidence, I was assured by my pediatrician) that often lead to little spells that looked like choking and caused her great discomfort. When this would happen after the breast-milk was all gone, I felt a tremendous sense of guilt and my eyes filled with tears as I was sure that I was a complete failure as a mom. I internalized Carter's every symptom of reflux and mentally berated myself for making my child sick. (Of course, this wasn't the case, and Carter ended up needing reflux medicine long after her formula drinking days ended.) This whole experience, though, revealed this strong emotional attachment to my new baby daughter that I wasn't prepared for and that was hard for me to understand or even begin to explain.
Skip ahead a couple of years to Carter being at the park with her long time BFF, when another friend of his (an OLDER woman!) moves in on the playdate. The little fella was easily wooed and followed his new buddy all around the playground, leaving Carter behind. She would try to join in, but the other gal was quick to let Carter know that was not interested in a group date. As we were driving home that day, Carter sadly said from the back seat, 'Mommy, next time, I think I want to play with just Holdie,' and instantly, MY eyes filled with tears. This was the first time that I saw my little girl's heart be ever-so-slightly broken. I wanted to hold her in my arms and protect her from every boy who would ever dare to treat her as anything but his Number One Gal for the rest of her life.
Then, just this summer, as we began preparing for our move, my heart hurt for every farewell she had to say. Carter has such a tender heart and expressed sadness at saying goodbye to everyone from her best buddies to her gymnastics teacher to her pediatrician to the dog who lived next door. Once we got settled in Charlotte, she'd occasionally mention missing random people and things in Denver, but she also expressed excitement at making new friends once her school started up.
On Monday night as I was tucking her in bed, we began excitedly talking about her first day of school the next day. She was listing all the things she was looking forward to... recess, centers, table-top... and that's when she got me: the phrase 'table-top.' (This is what her amazing teacher at her fantastic school in Denver called the time first thing in the mornings when the kids could choose to play with whatever things she had set up on the little tables around the room.) For some reason, it hit me that she would be walking into an unfamiliar environment with new kids and new teachers and new activities and new routines. I gave her one last kiss and snuggle, turned out her lamp, and walked out of her room. The second I pulled her door closed, tears began pouring down my cheeks. Today, four days after this conversation, it seems completely silly, but at that moment my heart hurt for my little girl. I cried for a good thirty minutes (perhaps slightly due to pregnancy hormones) as I pictured sweet Pookie conjuring up images of what she knew to be school and realizing that the reality would be very different.
The next morning, my usually chipper and friendly girlie was exceptionally timid and unsure as we walked into the classroom. It turns out that she is the only new kid, and all the others were already happily playing with familiar friends. I know. I know, she will be fine (in reality, she already is) and make new friends and thrive in her new space, but as a Mommy, I just want to make things as smooth and as easy as they can possibly be. (At the risk of sounding completely crazy, I'll leave out the details of how I cried a teeny bit a couple days later when Carter wasn't allowed to keep her sunglasses on top of her head for school but had to put them away in her backpack.)
I've only described incidents with Carter because, thus far, my Murphy Girl is so emotionally attached to me, that I have not had the chance to empathize with her emotions beyond her oh-so-desperate longing to be in my arms at all times. I'm sure that I will be faced with similar situations with her as she grows and interacts more with others.
This phenomenon does seem to be more of a Mommy thing. I was so embarrassed at my weeping during the 'table-top' incident, that I couldn't even tell Lindsay why I was crying! Sure, it would have been nice to have been given some sort of forewarning to the fact that I would one day find my 34 year old self crying over a leaf that Carter was not allowed to bring in from the playground (another incident that's best omitted,) but I think this is one of those Mommy things that requires on the job training.

I continue to be amazed by the capabilities of the Mommy's heart...

to expand, to connect, to crumble, to meld... to melt.

The Different, the Favorites, and the Insomnia

In an attempt to predict the gender of the wee one I've got cooking, folks often ask me how this pregnancy has been similar or different to my previous two presumably to use some old wive's tale to create an assertion. And, yes, there have been a few symptoms that have been new this time around.
1) I've had a couple things growing at an alarmingly rapid rate this time. (The girls remained their normal, reasonable size with my girls.)
2) I've had quite a hard time keeping regular (in the Jamie Lee Curtis kind of way.)
3) I've been freakishly hormonal. (If you're reading this, and you're my husband, you are not allowed to comment or to suggest that this is not a new symptom.)
4) I've had far fewer migraines than I did with pregnancies #1 and #2. (I'd like to ask every reader to immediately knock on the nearest wooden object.)
In general, though, I'm carrying the same (all belly and pretty low), have gained a similar amount of weight (though it seems to be a bit less with each pregnancy), and have had a pretty easy time overall.
One symptom. One obnoxious, irritating, nagging symptom, however, has remained consistent with all three pregnancies: INSOMNIA! Sure, it comes and goes, but my goodness, when it's bad, it's really bad.  Tonight I've decided to put the middle of the night yet wide-awake time to good use by keeping up with my resolution of more frequent blogging until this babe reveals his or herself.
Since I didn't write my regular quarterly Favorite Things/Non-Things list in June, I thought I might just share a few tidbits of some of what's been making life grand.
As for the things, I'm totally overdosing on Cheerwine and Sweet Tea (though, I can no longer stand it as sweet as it's made here; have to 'cut' mine with half unsweet) since being back in the South. I've also been enjoying this Butter Pecan Coffee Creamer in an occassional afternoon cup of coffee (if you're noticing a pattern of these things all containing caffeine and then wondering if this could be contributing to my insomnia, your observation is not lost on me.)
Since I'm pretty much living in sundresses (I do not own one piece of legitimate maternity attire), I've been loving this little number that I picked up at Nordstrom just before we moved. It's comfortable enough to wear all day and does the trick of keeping the aforementioned growing girls in their place.
We've bought several new things for the house, but my favorite so far has been this darling, pink velvet chair that we picked up at HomeGoods for Carter's room.

So girly and fun!

It coordinated perfectly with the things she already had

and added a nice feminine touch to the not so feminine wall color.

Our nuclear family unit has blossomed immensely during this season producing so many Non-Thing Things that we are truly blessed beyond measure. Murphy's lil personality is really beginning to come through. She can make me want to pull my hair out in frustration at her unbelievably stubborn nature. With moves such as refusing to say the word please for over three hours knowing full well that saying the simple word would refill her sippy and sitting stoically on the stairs and crying for (what seems like) hours rather than walking the few steps to be held as she desires, the kid is proving to have some serious resolve. 

If tantrum positions were an Olympic sport, 

she surely would win the Gold.

She can just as easily melt my heart to complete mush with her silly, loving side. She's begun to refer to herself as Mur-Mur and, when asked for her age, her answer varies from four to six. Anything that she wants she calls 'the purple one' whether or not it is purple or even has a color, and she wakes up every morning singing either the Scooby Doo theme song or Bringing Home a Baby Bumble Bee. She's also begun saying the word 'No' a LOT. It's funny, though, because she says it in the most sweet little voice, that it's pretty hard to take her seriously, let alone get upset with her.

Kissing herself goodnight, as she does each night.

Carter (and, therefore, I) has had some summer struggles with whining and arguing, but she, too, fills up so many little holes that I never even knew were in my heart. First and foremost, her love for Murphy and for the little dragon (her prediction) yet to be born, is amazing. She loves to lay her head on my tummy and sings sweet lullabies to the babe. She is thoughtful, considerate, and helpful with Murphy, and rarely retaliates despite Murphy's often unkind behaviors towards her. 

She was so happy that Murphy was 'giving her love'

after having been less than sweet during our Costco trip.

She's becoming a bit of a Daddy's girl and watching their relationship flourish is such a treat. They both enjoy a good tickle (the slow, gentle kind not the pee your pants kind) and bond through singing movie songs like Somewhere Out There and You've Gotta Friend in Me together. 

Pookie requested a house made from moving boxes:

and that request yielded Daddy Daughter project of epic proportions.

What I love about this picture is that it demonstrates how Carter 'gets' her Daddy's sense of humor. She used her Lambie as a tail and then asked me to take a picture and send it to Daddy stating that she knew he would love her 'Lambie Tail.'

Kids aside, Lindsay and I are loving being back in the city where it all began for us. We've enjoyed a date night or two and are having fun both rediscovering some of our favorite places, discovering some new, and introducing our girls to a city that we both hold dear. We are having a ball making our new house a home and are looking forward to adding the finishing touch (in the human form) to our little family in just ten short weeks.

The clock now reads 3:51 AM, and I'm finally feeling signs of sleep. Ahhh, how I've missed heavy eyelids! I'll now be gently lulled to sleep by the jolting movements of the babe who's frequently reminding me that s/he would much rather catch a few zzzzz's during the daylight hours. 

Roadtrip Recap

I wouldn't put the four day road trip that took our little family across seven states as being quite on par with the Griswold level of comedic adventures. However, since we're nearly four weeks removed from the journey, I can now laugh more than shudder at the memories.
As I said in my last post, moving day got interrupted when a migraine knocked me down for most of the afternoon. Since I was still pretty groggy from the medication when it was time to depart, Lindsay drove for the first few hours.

We were so anxious to get going, that it wasn't until we came to this sign 

that we realized we were really leaving. Little tear. 

Murphy Girl had not napped all day, so I was sure she would fall asleep as soon as we got going. This, did not happen. She was fairly happy, but clearly tired, for the first few hours. Finally little one dozed off just as we crossed the Kansas state line. 

Prior to our trip I'd had this vision of us stopping at every 'Welcome to...' sign and getting a pic to commemorate our trip, but as we slowly pulled off the highway to get this first shot, Murphy jolted awake.  No picture is worth waking a sleeping dog child, so this would be the only such photo we got. (Not just because of the sleeping, but also because a couple of the 'Welcome to...' signs were in odd spots, like overpasses of busy highways.) 

The hubby rounded out his share of the driving (for the entire trip, I mean) three hours into day number one when I took over for the final two hours that lead us to the luxurious accommodations of the Days Inn in Hayes, Kansas. It's been quite some time since I've stayed at a motel with outside doors, but the digs weren't half bad. Since a TripAdvisor reviewer had spoken of urine smells and bedbugs, I felt pretty darn lucky that our room for the night was clean and relatively comfy. 

After a decent night's sleep and a stop at a local convenient store for Wizard of Oz souvenirs, we were on the road by late morning Friday. The drive across Kansas was, how to say it... long? boring? flat? boring? Two things did jump out at me as I saw them over and over and over as we made our way across the state:

1. The large amount of adult stores/arcades/shops/movie viewing locations.
2. The large amount of signs for/about Jesus. A favorite: the face of Jesus drawn as stalks of wheat into a wheat field on a billboard.

I was especially intrigued by the sign about Jesus IN the parking lot of an adult shop. It read along of the lines of 'Pornography destroys; Jesus restores.'

As I mentioned, after the first few hours on day one, I drove the entire trip. Lindsay did offer to drive a few times, but he and I both know that even if we're just making a quick trip to Target, it's usually best for us if I'm behind the wheel. Once we came to this realization about a year or so ago, time spent in the car has been far more pleasant. The only snafu with being the sole driver on such a long trip, is that it is sometimes helpful to have someone to talk to along the way. For most of the trip, we were both busy talking to the kids, figuring out what they needed, and keeping them entertained. During the few (FEW) times that both girls were occupied for any longer than a few minutes, I'd find myself getting antsy and uncomfortable and want to chit-chat with my love. The problem with this, is that once the girls would settle, my hubby would, too. This man can fall asleep anytime, anywhere at a moment's notice.

This picture was taken less than ten seconds after he'd asked me a question.

(No exaggeration.)

We rolled into St. Louis at around 8:30 on Friday night. Lindsay took Carter to the pool, so that I could get Murphy settled in for the night (day number two of no nap.) While I had ideas of her laying down and quickly drifting off to dreamland, she had other ideas.

Blowing kisses and squealing with joy.

Over and over and over and over.

Like Murphy, it took all of us a bit longer to fall asleep that night. On Saturday morning, Lindsay took Murphy to enjoy the free continental breakfast while Carter and I got a little more shut-eye. Carter requested I take a picture of her with Addie before we headed downstairs.

The little figurine is Glinda the Good Witch.

Her head would be broken off within the hour.

Saturday's drive included parts of Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee. My favorite billboard of the day was one that read:

Help At Risk and Orphaned Youth: Donate a Car or Boat

Really?!? because what every orphaned child wants is a '02 Camry? Really?!? a kid living in a gang infested neighborhood will completely have his life turned around by the acquisition of a speed boat?

Lindsay was reading a book when I saw billboard, so I didn't point it out to get his take on it, but I'm certain he would have been as entertained/confused as I was. 

For the first, and only time on our trip, we stopped for a real meal at a Cracker Barrel. (I should add, I saw a child eating a McDonald's Happy Meal at the table with his family who were all eating Cracker Barrel. Really?! The chicken fingers and burgers and fries served at Cracker Barrel were just no match for the contents of that little box?) Lindsay, Carter, and I enjoyed our tasty, hot meal, but Murphy was completely out of her mind during lunch. Throwing things, attacking us, screaming, refusing a bite of food... a real joy she was. We made sure to let Carter choose a special toy from the Cracker Barrel gift shop so that she would feel rewarded for acting like a normal child rather than an untamed animal. We hadn't been on the road for five minutes before I looked in the rearview mirror and saw this...

Her only real nap of the entire trip.

This gave us some insight into her insanity during lunch, and we all took advantage of the two hour nap she took that day. Carter logged in some QT on the IPad, Lindsay made his way through a Stephen King novel, and I sang along to Monster Ballads and Bon Jovi. 

Late in the afternoon we made a stop at a travel lodge in Kentucky. G-ross. That's all.

With about an hour and a half to go before Knoxville, our stop for the night, Murphy began to have two very specific requests: 1) that I sing the ABC's to her (she'd make this little request by shrieking 'ABC! ABC!') and 2) that I keep my hand on her toes. (she'd make this delightful little request by saying 'tickle! tootsies!' over and over and over.) The singing, I could handle, and she didn't mind if occasionally Daddy or Big Sis took over for a round or two of the alphabet song. The toe request was Mommy-specific and allowed for no substitutions. So, with one hand on the wheel, I kept my other hand stretched to the backseat for gentle toe-rubbing on and off (mostly on) for over an hour. It was kind of funny when Lindsay would try to take over the job. Murphy would immediately began wailing, 'All done! All done!' 

We rolled into the LaQuinta in Knoxville at around 10:00 PM. We'd learned via a phone call about thirty minutes prior to our arrival that the hotel had no cribs available. We feared the worst as Murphy had never slept in a bed and certainly not in a bed in the same room as three other people. I'd say our fears did, indeed, come to fruition.

Murphy and Daddy each on their own IPads at around 11:30 PM.

Sleep would not come, to anyone, until after 1:00 AM.

The night involved several switch offs between what grown up was sleeping in bed with what child. Murphy was ready to start the day by 8:30 AM, (Eastern time, mind you. Remember, we started this trip on Mountain time.) so she and I headed out for a little breakfast in the lobby. 

I was disgusted by a conversation I overheard in which a mother was telling her two teenage children that 'If your Daddy'd been in that theater, none of them people'd be dead. He'd a stopped that crazy man.' (The horrible shooting rampage in Aurora, Colorado, occurred on the night we left the state.) While I understood her desire to want her children to see their father as a superhero, I was sickened that she could insinuate that that theater wasn't full of heroes.  

Though we covered the fewest number of miles on Sunday, it felt like the longest day. Carter said, 'How much longer?!' more than a few times, and I was closely watching the odometer slowly turn. I think we were all just antsy to get where we were going, and despite the gorgeous Tennessee and Asheville views, we were dying to see that Charlotte skyline! It was around 3:00 PM when we finally reached our destination. 

When we walked onto our front porch for the first time, 

we looked down to see this

An adorable Welcome Home banner from 

Lindsay's cousins who live just a couple miles away.

We immediately felt so loved!

We took a second to pose for a quick family pic

before walking in our front door for the first time

Our realtor had seen the house, and we'd seen pictures online, but this was the first time we'd actually seen it in person. The girls went crazy running around in the huge, empty house. Carter was excited beyond belief when she discovered that the room that would be their playroom was already painted her favorite color, orange. We took a tour of the house, chose bedrooms, and marveled and how much space we were going to have. When we walked into the master bedroom, I realized for the first time, the toll the four day road trip had taken on my 6 months pregnant body.

I collapsed to the floor with my girls.

Our relaxation and excitement was cut short when we took a look and the time and realized Lindsay had a flight to catch! That's right: just three hours after we completed a cross-country road trip, he boarded a flight to head to Oklahoma for work. The girls and I (and Addie!) hopped back in the car for the nearly two hour drive to Nanny and Pa's where we'd stay until the call came letting us know that the movers had arrived.

I consider this trip to be a pivotal event in the life of our little family... 

4 days. 1500 miles. 2.6 kids. 1 doggie. 2 sometimes grumpy grown-ups.

And we survived!

(For my part, I consider my greatest accomplishment of the four days the fact that, besides a McDonald's ice cream cone on day four, my children did not consume any fast food* on the entire trip. *I did not say no candy or cookies or other treats. I said no fast food.* Proud, nonetheless.) 

(My least proud moment may or may not involve the personal use of an itty bitty pop up potty on the side of of an interstate exit in some non-descript town in Kansas.)