Audrey,
Tomorrow is the big day, little one! I can't wait to see you!
Happy birthday to you!
Love,
Mama

Easton,
Tomorrow you will be 19 months old. And tomorrow we get to meet your sister for the first time. I know you will be a great big brother and will be excited to see this "Nie nie" (your word for baby-we have no idea where that came from). Your Nana is here to help take care of you and I know you two will have a fun time together. Mama will miss you very much while I'm in the hospital but remember what we say around here...I might have to go away but I will always come back. I love you, my sweet, funny boy!
Love,
Mama
P.S. Don't give Nana a hard time, OK? I'm not too worried about that though. You are usually a very easy going boy and not a bit of trouble. Don't start now, OK? :)

Tomorrow is the big day! I have to be at the hospital at 9:45 and my surgery is scheduled for 11:45. I am only a little nervous and a whole lot excited. Nervous about it being surgery and having just filled out all that scary sounding paperwork at the doctor's office today. Do I want a blood transfusion in case of an emergency? Um YES but that sure is a good way to make you nervous about surgery! I know they have to do that but it's still hard on your nerves. I'm really excited to get to meet Audrey tomorrow and especially to see Easton get to meet her for the first time. I'll probably be in the hospital til Sunday and will post as soon as I'm feeling up to it. Wish me luck! :)

We now have a full freezer. Both our inside freezer and the deep freeze are F-U-L-L! Jason and I spent all day yesterday cooking. We made breakfast burritos, bean and beef burritos, 7 mini loaf pans of lasagna, and 2 kinds of calzones. I tried to think of things that would be easy and quick. The burritos and calzones will be great for Jason to pack in his lunch for work and the lasagna is my tricky, sneak-in-the-veggies lasagna that everyone around here loves. It feels good knowing we won't have to worry about cooking for a while.

Today we planted two kinds of tomatoes, green peppers, jalapenos, cucumbers, basil, cilantro and lavender in pots to keep on our deck. I did most of the work sitting down in a lawn chair to hopefully keep Miss Audrey from coming early. I've really kind of overdone it the past three days, even though I promised myself I'd take it easy. It's hard to just sit around when I see all this stuff that needs to be done.

Tomorrow Easton and I are going to a cookout that our neighbors invited us to. Jason has to work so it will just be Easton and me but I'm really looking forward to getting to know our neighbors a little better.

Jason's Camaro is on a trailer and on it's way to our house. I'm really excited about FINALLY having it here in WV with us. I can't wait to see Easton and his Daddy working on the car together when E gets a little bit bigger. :)

And that's about it for us. Tomorrow I'm taking it easy and not doing a darn thing. Really. I promise! I'm totally grossed out by my hugely swollen feet right now so I think I'm going to put them up and watch a movie. Posting here may be sporadic at best in the upcoming weeks but I'll try to update here if anything exciting happens. Look for Jason to do a post here (maybe even with pictures) when we finally get to meet Audrey.

This is what happens when we leave cups unattended in our house:

One of Easton's favorite things to do is stack things. Here he is building a tower of spices while I was busy cooking dinner. Pretty nice way to have him occupied while I'm busy! :)

Still waiting to meet Miss Audrey. In the meantime though, I've been busy. Busy resting and playing with Easton. Sometimes I do get a little crazy and run a bunch of errands or whatever but mostly I'm just hanging out at home. This weekend I'm planning to cook a bunch of meals that can be frozen and reheated so that I won't have to worry about what's for dinner when I'm taking care of 2 little ones and recovering from surgery. I think I'll recruit Jason to help me in the kitchen this weekend. Boy, won't he be thrilled?! Well, actually he might not mind too much since if I don't cook later, he'll be the one left doing it.

I'm really excited about having company soon. I pick my mom up next Tuesday. Then I've got my pre-op appointment on Wednesday and have the baby on Thursday. If all goes well, I should be home Sunday or Monday and should just be able to relax and get adjusted to having a new little one around the house. I'm glad all of our big projects are done so that we can all just focus on taking care of Miss Audrey and Mr. Easton. Then after my mom leaves, Jason's mom is coming for a while. Yippee! Boy, Easton won't know what to do with getting to see his Nana AND his Nanny and Papa Kyle so close together! We can't wait!

We've been having fun around here lately and here are the pictures to prove it:

In his "mimming poo" (swimming pool) - I tried to get him to wear a hat or sunglasses to keep the sun out of his eyes but he wanted no part of either one of those.


Easton in his wagon - Again a squinty-eyed picture because he won't wear a hat.


With his new mower - Easton likes to mow with his mower just like Daddy's.


Battle scars - I cannot keep this boy from getting all scraped up! I know he's a toddler and that's gonna happen but ouch! This one came from a run-in with the concrete while we were on a walk. Guess I'll just have to get his 18 month pictures made while he's all scraped up. I keep trying to wait until his wounds have all healed but then he gets another one before the last bruise or scrape is gone!

Easton,
We get to meet your sister soon. Right now I am enjoying spending lots of one on one time with you because soon your sister will be here and I'll need to be feeding her or changing her or giving her my attention. I know this will be hard on all of us but I hope you know that just because Mama is busy with sister, it doesn't mean I am too busy for you. You are Mama's little buddy and I am going to do everything I can to make sure you know just how special you are to me.

You made me something I've wanted to be all of my life...a mom. I learned so much about myself and about what's important in life just from being your Mama. I'm trying to grasp the fact that you're growing up and that you are not a baby anymore. You are so independent these days and I am glad. I love seeing you do things for yourself and at the same time, it's sad that you need me a little less these days.

Your new favorite word is "fiesty". I crack up every time you say it because I called you that one day when you were overtired and cranky and we were on our way home for you to take a nap. Out of frustration, I said "Easton, you're being a little fiesty" and you laughed and said "vasty, vasty, vasty" for the rest of the day. When I'm tired, frustrated or cranky all it takes is one of your sweet smiles or a funny new favorite word from you to make me feel "all better".

I love you, my sweet, funny boy.

Love,
Mama

Audrey,
Two weeks until I get to meet you, little one and I am SO ready! I can't wait to see what you look like, smell your sweet new-baby scent and touch your deliciously soft skin. Will you look more like me or like Daddy? I wonder what your brother will think about you. I am excited to find out.
I love you already.
Love,
Mama

I am thinking about how to scrapbook the photos from my Mother's Day photoshoot with Katy. I need to get some cute little girl things to use in my scrapbook. I have bought a few and my mom gave me some really cute stuff but I really wish we lived closer to Hobby Lobby so I can find more. Hmmm...too bad I can't shop Hobby Lobby online.

You know, when I was talking about my photoshoot experience last time, I mentioned how much I just really don't like having my picture taken. That said, I really had a fun time with Katy as my photographer. When someone you know is taking the pictures, you are much more relaxed and feel comfortable even when you're the center of attention.

If I had to choose a favorite picture, I'd have a really hard time. There were so many good ones! And I still have a whole other roll of black and white yet to get developed!
If you noticed from my last post, I said those pictures I posted were only SOME of my favorites. There were too many good ones to only post one bunch! Here are some more of my favorites:







I'm trying to convince Katy that she should start her own photography business on the side. What a fun way to make money doing something she loves to do and is so good at! I hope it didn't seem like I was unhappy with the pictures she took of me. Not at all! I think they're some of the best pictures I've had taken in a LONG time! And really, out of the whole roll there were only a very small handful where I was blinking or talking (I'm SO bad about that!) or looking silly. That's pretty darn good picture-taking ability there, Ms. Katy!

While I was waiting for my pictures to be developed at Costco, Easton and I did some shopping. We read some books in the book aisle. (Ooh, my FAVORITE!) We stopped at all the free sample tables to sample their goodies. (And learned that Easton is not a fan of pickles.) And most importantly? We stopped and tried out the swing. Right there in the middle of Costco. I bet we were there for ten or fifteen minutes or so until my boy had finally had enough. Too bad that swing wasn't outside somewhere in a gorgeous park or something. But hey, I'll take a few minutes on a swing with my sweet boy anywhere I can get it. :)

J's work is having open enrollment for their insurance right now. I have no idea when kids should have their first eye or dental checkups. Any advice?

My poor kids are gonna most likely have inherited their mama and daddy's need for glasses and serious need for braces way down the line. Let's hope they got their daddy's smart genes and their mama's love of reading too! I think E's definitely shown signs of having both of those last two traits and boy did his bottom teeth come in awful crooked! And those are just his baby teeth!

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry says this:

Q. When should my child first see a dentist?

"First visit by first birthday" sums it up. Your child should visit a pediatric dentist when the first tooth comes in, usually between 6 and 12 months of age. This visit will establish a dental home for your child. Early examination and preventive care will protect your child’s smile now and in the future.

Pediatric Dentistry

And Bausch and Lomb says this about eye exams:

Children should have a comprehensive eye exam by a licensed eye doctor at six months, 3 years of age, before first grade and every two years thereafter or as recommended. The doctor will determine if your child needs vision correction and check for common eye disorders.

Eye exams

What do you parents think? Are these suggested times too early for these exams? When Jason first asked me about it, I guessed eye exam right before school started and dental exam around three or so but from the looks of it I was WAY off. What do you think?

Nothing really exciting to blog about these days. Just the same old everyday stuff around here lately. And you know what? That is perfectly fine with me. Today I plan to do a load of dishes, wash some laundry, fold some teeny tiny, cute little baby girl clothes and go for a walk with Easton. And that's it. Oh and I might read a book or two to my "boop" lovin' little man. When I said we're just hanging out these days and waiting til Audrey gets here, I meant it. We're just counting down the days until she comes and looking forward to meeting this newest member of our little family.

Well, one exciting thing to share...let me show you the pictures my friend Katy took. You wanted some belly pictures? You sure got them now! Know what I learned from this photo shoot? Several things. First, taking pictures in a yellow room does nothing good for my complexion. And second, I REALLY dislike having my picture taken. I just feel so silly and stiff and self-conscious. I usually look drunk, really uncomfortable or am blinking in most pictures so I am just not a huge fan of being the subject.
Anyway, here are some of my favorites from the Mother's Day photo shoot.

What a beautiful day we had around here yesterday! I got to sleep in a little and then woke up to a yummy breakfast. We cleaned the house a little, then I sat down to rest and read my book while Jason vacuumed the entire house. Boy, that was nice! And later in the day, my friend Katy came over and took pictures of my big preggo belly for us. We got a lot of me by myself and some of the whole family too. I'm going to drop the film off tomorrow. I can't wait to see how they turned out! Overall, it was a great day. Hope all of you mothers who are reading had a relaxing, Happy Mother's Day!

Today is our five year wedding anniversary. I can't believe that five years ago today we were in Vegas saying "I do". What an amazing trip that was! We loved seeing the sights, catching a couple shows, playing the slots and of course getting married. I love you, honey! Thanks for an amazing five years! I love you more and more every day and am so lucky to be your wife!

Hmm...guess I shouldn't post an "I almost had the baby" post and then leave it up for a while with no more posts following. Sorry! Nope, Miss Audrey is still where she should be...in mama's humongous belly. I've been taking it easy and just hanging out with Easton the past few days. We did go out to dinner for Cinco de Mayo with some friends. That was fun.

I also went to Walmart and bought a bunch of groceries to stock up our pantry before the big event. That was not so fun but at least I got another thing crossed off our "to do" list. And at least all that walking around didn't earn me another trip to the emergency room. :) I had a checkup Tuesday and my doctor didn't seem the least bit concerned about my ER visit. She said "Well, you're here today so I guess things went ok." Yep. Looks that way, huh?

It finally quit raining! Hooray! I am SO tired of rainy days! Easton loved it though. He liked telling everyone at the store yesterday "rain, rain". It was pretty cute. I love taking him shopping (most of the time). He says "HI!" to every person we pass and it really surprises people and makes them smile. I love that.

Easton's teething again. Working on two top teeth and possibly some on the bottom. That makes for a cranky baby and mama too. He doesn't sleep well but at least he usually doesn't run much of a fever. I don't sleep well at this late stage of my pregnancy so when you combine the two, that makes me REALLY cranky! I do take lots of naps though, which is nice. I am really taking advantage of that while I can!

And that's about it for us. Just waiting til the big day and taking it as easy as possible.

Spring cleaning again at the Crafty house. Jason and I spent all day yesterday cleaning out our filing cabinet. We shredded a HUGE pile of old bills and papers. It felt good to get that done but it wasn't on our "to-do" list for the weekend. Thankfully, most of my to-dos are done and the few that aren't are easy. Well, with the exception of one of them. I STILL haven't got the closet cleaned out in the nursery yet. Who knows if I'll get around to that before Miss Audrey gets here or not.

Yesterday and today I've been taking it easy. I start having contractions if I do so much as get up off the couch so mostly I've just been sitting around all the time. It' s boring and I'm already tired of it but if it will help keep Audrey from being born before my mom gets here, I'm sure gonna do it! :)

Easton is having a hard time understanding why we can't go "mimming" or why we can't go for a walk. Besides the fact that I'm pretty much confined to the couch (or bed), it's been raining off and on for days. I think a large part of the country is with me when I say I wish the rain would go away and we could finally see some SUN!!!

That's about it for us here. Nothing too exciting. Just waiting on the 28th to get here so we can finally have this baby. This has been the longest nine months of my life!

Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo. We usually have a party here and invite a bunch of our friends. I make chicken for quesadillas and provide all the toppings so people can make their own quesadilla. We also make a few pitchers of our Blue Moon Margaritas and get a case of the "Beers of Mexico" from Costco. It's a pretty fun party and I'm sad this year that we'll have to pass but it's just too much work this year! We're meeting up with some friends at a Mexican restaurant instead. Let someone else do all the hard work. Happy Cinco de Mayo! Have a margarita for me, will you?

Apparently deciding to pack my bag for the hospital gave Miss Audrey the impression we were ready to meet her. While I am SO ready to be done being pregnant AND we really are looking forward to meeting our little girl, I didn't mean I wanted to meet her this morning!

Last night, my back was hurting a lot. Nothing unusual, it's been hurting a lot for months. Then we went to Kohl's and came home. Apparently I walked around a little too much (but didn't know it at the time). I started having some contractions this morning about 1 a.m. I timed them and they were about 5 minutes apart and lasted about 30-45 seconds each. My doctor told me if I had 5 or more contractions in an hour then it was time to head to the hospital for a check up. Just as I had about decided to go in, the contractions stopped. Hooray!

I went back to sleep only to wake up again around 4:45 with more contractions. I decided just to head on into the hospital for a check just to be on the safe side. Easton was sleeping and I didn't want Jason to wake him up for what I thought was probably going to be a false alarm so they both stayed home and I drove myself to the E.R. Sure enough, they hooked me up to the monitor and I didn't have a SINGLE contraction while I was there!

I'm glad I didn't but at the same time it sure made me look silly for going in for a checkup for nothing. Of course, I don't feel too bad about it. The nurses and doctor were super nice and didn't make me feel silly about it at all. They said what I had been thinking all along, which was it was better to be safe than sorry and it was a good thing I went in. I'm sure they've seen that tons before and at least I wasn't panicked or freaking out thinking the baby was on the way right then. I just sat there listening to the baby's heartbeat on the monitor, read my book a little and waited til the doctor told me I could go home.

YAY! I was a little panicked about what we were going to do if it was the real deal and we had the baby early. Jason would have to take off work, we'd have to find someone to watch Easton, my mom would miss being here with the baby is born, etc, etc. What a mess that would have been! I gave Audrey a stern talking to on my way to the hospital and told her we weren't quite ready for her to make her big debut just yet. Must have worked. Good girl...already listening to her mama. :)

I got home after about an hour and a half or two hours. I think it was around 7:30 this morning when I came in. Jason was great. He got a lot more sleep than I did so he let me go back to bed and he got up with Easton when he woke up. It was nice to be able to sleep in a little after that craziness!

Today I bought some cute new pajamas to wear in the hospital. Gotta get out of that hospital gown as soon as they'll let me! :) We also bought some Mother's Day gifts and found Jason a shirt on clearance. Gotta love Kohl's 15% off coupons! Those of you who don't live by a Kohl's, it's worth the trip to the nearest one just for all the good deals. And YES you want to sign up for their credit card (I pay with mine and then pay off the balance before I even leave the register). They'll send you great coupons that make their clothes C-H-E-A-P! I also got a good deal on some pillows for the spare bedroom ($3.39 ea)and some Elmo utensils for the kiddos ($2.85 ea). They also have great clearance sales. I've found cute kids clothes there for $1.00 a piece. So get yourself to a Kohl's and see what great deals you can find!

I laid down to sleep tonight and couldn't quit thinking of things I need to do. So I got up and packed my bag for the hospital. Yes, I realize it's a little early for that but I just want to make sure I have everything I need. I am SO ready to not be pregnant anymore! My back hurts, I hate that I have to waddle everywhere and I can't bend over to pick things up. Heck, I can't even see my toes! And I really want to meet this little sweetie who keeps kicking me and keeping me awake. :)

I'm nervous about what will happen when all our visitors go home and I'm at home still recovering from surgery, not able to drive, with a newborn and a very active 18 (by then will be 19) month old. Hear that, all you visitors? You can come visit but you can't leave! Not til 6 weeks after Audrey is born, OK? Then I can at least be cleared to drive and we can get out of the house for a while! :) Hmmm...somehow I don't think that's gonna work. Good thing Jason still has some time off he can use. We'll see how it goes. Keep your fingers crossed that this recovery is even speedier than the first one was.