Great news!

It's been a really good day. I vacuumed the house. I'm almost caught up on laundry. All bottles are washed, sterilized and remade.

Betsy has discovered another brand of pacifiers she likes... add the Mam brand to the Avents on the "Betsy approval list". Last night Betsy woke up at 1:30 and ate and was back asleep by 2, and again from 5:30-6. We woke up for good at 8 am. I'm not complaining, that's great for me, I still feel like I got a great night of sleep.

Ben is back to coaching as of this morning's practice, and he has his first soccer game of the season this Friday. After his morning practice today he met up with several of the other history coaches to golf, he was really excited about that, and it had been about 6 months since he's had the opportunity to do so.

Betsy and I went to the doctor's today (my doctor) and my blood pressure is looking good!! We're cutting my medications in half... I'm cutting out two pills completely, literally cutting one pill in half, and staying on the other medication twice per day. I have to continue to moderate my BP and in three weeks when I go in for my post baby check up I might get taken off the rest!!

Dr. Greene was so funny, she hadn't seen me since I had been discharged from the hospital (the second time). I'll admit I was looking pretty rough at that time period. Anyways the thinks I look much better ("You have cheek bones! And shin bones!" she exclaimed. I told her Ben and I want to start walking and I've been feeling fantastic. She gave me the go ahead, so I'm off the hook on 'taking it easy'!

Speaking of...tomorrow is January 1. I am re-committing to Weight Watchers, Ben and I will both be counting points. Wish us luck in our venture. It feels weird when you can cut back like I have been after 9 months of eating for two (which I didn't do that much of, I just seemed to swell for two!).

And my last good news is that I am laying in bed with my sweet baby next to me (Lauren, if you're reading this she's wearing the argyle onsie you sent her!), my schnauzer around my feet and typing on my laptop. I bought and hooked up a wireless router today! Why I hadn't done this months ago, I don't know but I'm going to enjoy it now! I can blog and upload and post pictures while I hang out in the living room with Ben and Betsy. Yea!

It's the little things, right? Don't forget to watch for Lauren tonight at the Chick-fil-a bowl!! Go Georgia Tech!

It's halftime...

In case you didn't know I have come to REALLY love football. It's halftime of OSU Oregon game so I thought yall might like a few more Betsy pictures while I had a minute :)

Welcome Isaiah!

Quick post...my cousin Cynthia had a beautiful baby boy yesterday who she named Isaiah Lee. Cynthia lives about a mile down the road and I hope our babies have the opportunity to grow up close and play together often. Cynthia is very excited to be a mother and she was moving around very well today and taking care of Isaiah herself, despite having a C-section delivery. Here are a few pictures from my trip to the hospital to meet baby Isaiah!

What's wrong?! 8 hours...

This morning I woke up thinking something was wrong, because no one woke me up. I went to bed at 10:30, Ben stayed up and watched a movie and gave the baby a bottle around 1:30 and she didn't wake up again until 6:30. So I slept uninterrupted 10:30-6:30. Holy cow! It must be a fluke.

Anyhow, Betsy's taking a nap. Today we went to the vehicle registration office to renew both my and Ben's registrations, then we stopped for Chinese food and ran by Target to buy more formula. It seems like Betsy eats a lot, but I think she just eats larger bottles (4 or 4.5 ounces) every 4 or 5 hours. So I think we're averaging 24 ounces of formula per day. We bought all the formula on the shelves with a couple Target gift cards we received for Christmas (yea!) so I think we have about enough to get through three more weeks. We also returned my library books on the way home.

I wish we would win the lottery because I really like both Ben and I being home with the baby. I'm an 'early to bed' and he's a 'late to rise' so somehow we're both getting enough sleep and pretty much splitting the baby duties. Yesterday we watched three episodes from the John Adams mini series made by HBO. My Mom got it for Ben for Christmas and we both have a love for American history, it was really good!

In a couple hours I'm heading to the local hospital to meet my cousin Cynthia's baby Isiah Lee. My Uncle Bo says he was born weighing 8 pounds 2 ounces this morning. I know Cynthia was so excited to meet her little guy.

All for now, I'm sure all the above info was super exciting, but it's fun to get out of the house and pal around with my hubby and baby! Here's a couple pictures of my sweet girls hanging out in bed with me yesterday. Maddie just had a haircut so she shivers unless she keeps her coat on. Plus she knows how pretty she looks with it on.

More about Betsy

Well...with all the activity around here I haven't posted a lot about Betsy's schedule and her likes and dislikes! I'll have to share those here. Betsy is eating 4 ounces every four hours. She likes being awake at night and sleeping during the day, especially in the afternoons and if we're out and about running errands. She likes liquid formula, not the kind you mix together yourself and feed her. That had been my original plan, because it's cheaper and basically the same product, but when I looked at her schedule and realized how many less times a day we were eating with the 'milk shake' formula as my Mom calls it we switched to completely liquid premade stuff. She loves her Avent bottles and the compatible Avent pacifiers. She LOVES her vibrating bouncer, she loves rocking in the glider. She doesn't like scratchy faces (Ben better shave that beard off soon!). She hates having a wet or dirty diaper but doesn't cry about it. She really doesn't cry much at all, she might let out one wail, then you pick her up and resolve the diaper issue and she's a happy little camper again.

Betsy still doesn't like changing clothes, she hates long sleeves but lord knows with all the cute stuff she has I HAVE To get her dressed up every day! She doesn't mind stuff that buttons down the front so much as she dislikes clothing you pull over her head. She loves taking naps on Mommy's chest, and when she gets hungry and wakes up she thinks it's cute to try to suck on my chin for a snack. (ok, it is cute, but Betsy, that's not where milk comes from.)

I would describe her personality at this point as mellow. When she's awake she likes to look around and watch things but noises and stimulation don't upset her, or wake her or anything. Even Madison's barking doesn't phase her! That's all about Betsy! Let me see what precious pictures I have to add to this post...

An empty house...

WOW! This is the first time in 3 weeks I've had an empty house. Literally since the morning of the day Betsy was born. My mom, dad, and sister left this morning for Atlanta, Lauren has a basketball game she has to cheer at tomorrow. It was so nice having them here. I wish they could move in and stay with us forever. Ben went to his parents house with the baby to drop off their anniversary card. I was given strict instruction to take a nap, but I decided to catch the blog up. Blogging is hard to stay on top of when you have company! I wanted to enjoy every moment with our families and the baby while they were here...so it's been days since I've touched the computer.

Dad helped Ben with a couple little things around the house. They installed an extra light in my hallway (which we already had from when Ben put ceiling fans in the bedrooms). It's a 'little thing' but I love that I can see in my sewing closet so much better, and it's right outside of our room and Betsy's room so I don't trip all over myself moving from one room to the next at night. They also installed two fans on my back porch, they look amazing. The weather has been nice here so we've sat out on the back porch with various company who have come by to celebrate the holidays and meet Betsy. She is one popular girl! Dad also decided Madison needed a haircut so he and Ben went to Petsmart, bought the shears and Ben got a schnauzer shaving lesson. She looks like a schnauzer now, and it's funny how much Maddie's little personality changes when she knows she looks pretty. Speaking of Dad and Maddie, we've all decided he doesn't know who he loves better, my dog or my baby! Dad is just a dog lover at heart, if he wasn't away from home so much I know he would love to have a little one of his own.

The highlights from the last two days... WOW! We've been so busy! We had dinner with my in-laws Christmas Eve, then we all attended our church service together. Betsy wore the sweetest outfit my great-aunt sent her with fur around the collar to church and she couldn't have been more well behaved. Not a peep during church. I was flanked by my Mom and Dad and I know God understands, Mom and Dad couldn't take their eyes off of her. Sleeping babies who have just had a bath and are dressed up will do that to anyone!

Christmas day we woke up and made breakfast, we opened presents and stockings. We had a nice Christmas with wonderful gifts. Ben did a great job for me this year, it was really touching to know he took the time to go out and do things for me when he has had so much on his plate to take care of lately. What a wonderful husband I have. My greatest gift was truly the presence of my family and our sweet baby. She's still new enough that I feel like every moment is a joy, not a chore. Each feeding is still fun. She's praised for each belch. I love to smell her head, and get her dressed every day. I hope I feel like this about my child for as long as possible. I'm getting choked up thinking about what a wonderful gift she is and how lucky we are that she is healthy, and we are too!

After we opened our goodies we all got into party mode and prepared for Christmas dinner that we hosted at our house. My Uncle Bo and his family came, as well as my in-laws and my family. It was the first time we hosted a party in our dining room! My Mom and Sister prepared the most delicious meal of Prime Rib, two kinds of potatoes, two kinds of salad, and lots of yummy desserts. I think everyone had a wonderful time, and once again Betsy was a little angel during the party!

That's about all for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. The past couple of days have been pretty low key, we had friends come over last night and this morning my family left. Ben and I worked on getting the house back in order today, it's been go-go-go nonstop for weeks and it's nice to get some order back around here!

I'll post a couple of pictures from the past few days. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

What day is it?

Seriously, I don't know what day of the week it is. I DO know that my Dad is flying in tonight and my brother-in-law JD is picking him up from the airport and bringing him to Killeen! I keep telling Betsy.. "You get to meet your Grandbuddy tonight!"

Yesterday Betsy had her two week check up. The big news is that she gained 12 oz since her birth! I knew those cheeks and legs were getting chubbier. We came home and Ben's Aunt Tish and Uncle James, and cousins Andy and his wife Lisa came over to meet Betsy. Andy and Lisa just found out they are expecting, and most likely it's twins or triplets!! We had fun talking baby gear and Ben impressed them with his baby knowledge.

After the family left two couple friends of ours came over, one couple Ben coaches with, and Raymond and Tiffany who brought Ryder over to meet his future girlfriend Betsy! Betsy is two weeks old and Ryder was 6 days old. Laureen, Mom, Ben and I threw together a pretty nice little soiree in an hour...I've decided Mom should have a show on TLC like "Home Made Simple".

Well, Ryder and Betsy are both cute babies, but if you put them in Mr and Mrs Clause outfits it magnifies the cuteness factor by a million. Here are a few pictures from last night's get together, and the Baby Clauses.

Granny and Aunt Lauren are here!!

My Mom and sister have arrived, it's so nice to have them here. It's also SO nice to feel 100% again! My Mom wants to help stay up with the baby, but it's not completely draining for me anymore to be awake with her at night. Betsy is a good little girl, a great sleeper, noise doesn't bother her and she LOVES to eat! We're going to the pediatrician for a two week follow up today so we'll see what the doctor says about our sweet girl!

Some of Ben's mother's family came in town yesterday, Betsy met her Great Grandmother Butler, Great Aunt Gail and Great Uncle Byron, and second cousin Erin who also shares her birthday! Everyone came to our house to see her, then Ben, Betsy, Mom, Laur and I all went to the Bralley's and we had a nice lunch. Later today Ben's Dad's side of the family will be in town and meet her! She's a popular commodity :)

This has to be a quick post, but I'll leave a few pictures for your enjoyment. Lauren is just wonderful with the baby. She was so funny, she had never held a baby before she got here but she's fighting tooth and nail with Mom for Betsy's attention.

Also, we recieved the nicest box from my Aunt Dolly in the mail Saturday with lots of goodies! Featured in the picture with Madison and Betsy is the most beautiful baby blanket, hand made by the Churchill hand weavers in Kentucky. Betsy is so lucky to have lots of people across the country who love her.

Long story short...

Hello readers!

I'm going to skip a few days and let yall know why I've been out of touch. Monday I was readmitted to the hospital for severe preeclampsia. As usual I did things backwards, people typically are very ill before the baby comes, then within two days of delivering preeclampsia goes away. I'm the rare case where the condition worsened a week after delivery. So we spent a few days in the hospital, my blood pressures were ridiculously high. There was fluid around my heart and in my lungs. My heart was enlarged due to the excess blood flow from all the swelling being reabsorbed in my system.

But I'm better!! I had an echo done on my heart which showed it's perfectly healthy, was just enlarged due to the swelling and is not permanently damaged (man THIS was a relief to hear). They gave me a diuretic to get rid of the fluid in my cavities (think lungs and chest) and I lost about 5 pounds a day while in the hospital of fluid. My feet and hands have also returned to their normal shape.

Wednesday late night I was discharged and I came home to Betsy. I was supposed to take it easy but I woke up at 2 am and took her off Ben's hands for a while. All of a sudden at 4 am I started feeling sick. I thought it was all these medications they gave me in the hospital (think shots and pills hourly) but all of a sudden I was violently ill... apparently I picked up a virus at the hospital. Poor poor Ben. He had a screaming baby and a sick wife to handle all day Thursday, but he took care of everyone like a champ. At one point the dog even got a little too excited and threw up. Seriously? Today of all days?! He did call in reinforcements and my Father in law came and took care of the baby for a few hours while he went to get my oil changed and to buy some low sodium foods for me.

I'm feeling 99% better today, not risking it with solid foods at this point, but I took a shower on my own and even took care of the baby from 1 am to 8 am. It's amazing how much easier it is when you're not severely ill.

So Betsy, Shannon and Ben are doing well now, and I hope to have more regular posts now. Quite frankly I'm done with the hospital. My Drs and nurses were phenomenal, but I'm ready to be home with my sweet girl. Now to post pictures!! :)

December 8th

On Monday, December 8th I awoke about 5 am with an upset stomach. I attributed this to the labor chili I ate the night before. I got up to use the restroom and when I stood up I felt a gush of fluid...

Now, a week before I went to labor and delivery thinking my water had broken and it hadn't...so I didn't freak out, because I wanted to make sure this was the real deal. I took a shower and laid back in bed and noticed I was having pretty intense contractions not regularly spaced, but close together nonetheless. Ben woke up for work at 7 and I told him I thought my water had broken and I was having contractions but to go ahead and go to work to get his lesson plans together for his substitute teacher. I didn't want my contractions to stop and him to waste a day of personal time. He left at 7:00 and by 7:30 I called him and said, THIS IS IT! Come home so we can go to the hospital! We still had the hospital bag in the trunk from a week before but I didn't *really* think we were going to be admitted that day.

We get to labor and delivery and I'm having strong contractions about 5 minutes apart. Ben was great "breathing through it" with me. He was SO excited bouncing around saying... "Are we having a baby today?!". I didn't call anybody and asked him not to as well because if it was another false alarm I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up.

*side thought-Ben asked if we could drive through Chickfila on the way to the hospital and I said no because I was in too much pain. I later came to regret this having gone through 17.5 hours of labor on a small muffin alone. NOT FUN.*

The same doctor was on call as a week before and I thought "Oh great, he's going to think I'm some crazy chick trying to wish myself into labor". He checked my cervix and swabbed for fluid and went to look under a microscope and came back VERY quickly to say, this is it! You're having a baby today! They will only let you go 18 hours after your water breaks to delivery the baby so we were on a time clock.

We moved to a labor and delivery room (very nice, I love the hospital where we had the baby). At this point it's 9:30 in the morning. They told me to relax, breathe through the contractions, I was only 2.5 cm dilated and had a while to go before I could have an epidural. So I labored naturally until 3:00 in the afternoon then they came in and asked if I wanted to go ahead and have it done (YES! I do!).

*Sigh* about the epidural...to make a long story short I had three epidurals, the first going to a wrong cavity and the second was a 1 in 1000 chance there was a kink in the epidural line. The third epidural worked fine thought and the pain wasn't bad. I just didn't look at what they were doing.

*side note~ Ben later told me he wanted to punch just about every doctor or nurse while they were doing all the procedures invovled in this process. I think him seeing me in pain was worse for him than me being in pain...except that last hour. I'd say it was worse for me than for him.*

After the epidural kicked in they gave me pitocin to speed my contractions. I dilated pretty quickly at this point from 4 centimeters to 7 centimeters. THEN the "reaction" to the epidural hit, and I think I threw up about 30 times between all the medications they gave me in the process. It helped speed things along though. Can you believe the throwing up action pushed the baby down?!

*side note, Ben was a champ, taking care of me during all this. It takes a strong man to see what he saw and stay positive and in good spirits. He helped me stay cleaned up and feeling as good as possible throughout this long day*

My doctor was on vacation but made it to the hospital to deliver the baby! I pushed about 20 minutes and then I looked up and she was there! Ben said it was hilarious that I was a little loopy with fatigue at this point and I said "Dr. Green! I am so glad you could make it!" another cool thing, one of Ben's students' Dad's is the head of the OB.GYN department in the hospital and came in to watch the delivery and encourage me. I was SO exhausted at this point when they told me "it's getting close!" I quite frankly didn't believe them. Finally after an hour of pushing she arrived!

Elizabeth Jane was born at 10:07 pm on Monday, December 8th. She weighted 7 lb 1 oz.

December 1st-December 7th

I'm sorry for my prolonged absence...I have an excuse, I was put on bed rest, then surprisingly I had my beautiful baby girl three weeks early! Here's the quick synopsis so I can get around to the fun part...posting pictures of my sweet girl!!

On December 1st the Doctor called me to say I was being put on bed rest, due to highish blood pressure, swelling and protein in my urine. Tuesday, December 2nd I thought I was in labor and went to the hospital, it was a false alarm. I know they thought I was a crazy first time mom...wen's your due date again? December 29th?

I went to the doctor that afternoon and although I had several early labor symptoms I only was dilated to 1.5 centimeters. Wednesday and Thursday I bed rested, then Friday I came back to the hospital for a non stress test to check on the baby and to talk about my plan to control my Preclampsia. Dr. Green stressed that it did NOT look like this baby was coming anytime soon and that lots of people get crazy about trying to induce before Christmas but to let it go, this baby would most likely be born the week of Christmas. Saturday I bed rested and Sunday I took it easy, but our friends Raymond and Tiffany came over to watch the Cowboys game and eat chili (which we aptly renamed 'Labor Chili' 48 hours later. I didn't sleep well Sunday night....

that's the end of this post! I'm going to have to break this up so it's easier to keep track of!

How about those Yellow Jackets?

Just had to give a shout out to the GT yellow jackets! How about that third quarter?! Ben was trying to take a nap but I kept waking him up yelling in glee. Lauren was on TV several times, poor thing in the rain! GT won 45 to 42 if you missed the score. I dreamt last night that she was on TV cheering at the game and they had her hair in a bunch of different braids (like people get sometime when they go to the islands or on a cruise) because it was wet and gross outside. Weird huh?

I got to talk to Lauren for a long time this morning and she is SO excited about her niece making her arrival. She kept telling me her cheer and school finals schedule to try to "schedule in" my giving birth. HA! That is so LAUREN LEWIS!

Gotta run, Ben just finished making dinner. We're having chicken and fresh green beans, yea! low sodium. I hope everyone has a nice week, I'm planning to get caught up at work so if labor happens sooner rather than later I don't feel guilty about what's left on my desk!! We'll see how "catch up" goes. For some reason I feel like I'm moving slower these days.

XOXO,
Shan

Baby News

We have some early labor symptoms happening. Nothing I think the general world-wide-web would care to read about but I'll just say this, I think the baby is coming early. Therefore, I am packing my hospital bag to be ready just in case!

*breathe in 1-2-3*

*breathe out 1-2-3*

Thanksgiving Thursday!

I posted about the Dr before Thanksgiving but oh well, I'll still tell you about both! We spent Thanksgiving with Ben's parents, siblings, Uncle Jimmy, Grandma, cousins Kristen and Jason and JD's fiancee Tiffany and our college friend Beau. I made pumpkin roll and cheesy mashed potatoes and they were both enjoyed (yum!) There was lots of great food, it was all so tasty. I love Thanksgiving food.

I thought I might have this baby on Thanksgiving, I was having contractions all day! It scared me a little bit, but once I sat down and put my feet up and drank water they stopped. They weren't Braxton-Hicks either, they felt different, more like how they describe real contractions.

Thursday night Beau, JD, Kristen and Jason stayed at our house. Also, Tiffany and Raymond came over to hang out and wii had a fun time. (haha, get it, we played Wii). We had fun, but I was a stick in the mud because I put myself to bed since I wasn't feeling well.

That's about it, I hope everyone else had a wonderful day too!

Wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends, we are so lucky to have in our lives :)

Friday Dr appointment

Friday my doctor appointment was eventful! Ben drove me to the hospital, but I just had him drop me off so he could go to Academy and do some Black Friday shopping. I guess I should have brought him in, because we got lots of news.

1. Two weeks ago I measured 34 weeks along. This appointment I measured 39 weeks. WOW!

2. I had called the doctor about my swelling a week ago but they thought I was OK since my blood pressure hasn't gone up. My urine sample indicated there was protein in my system and after seeing my swelling they made me test for Toxemia (Pre-Eclampsia). It's a 24 hour test so I stayed home mid Friday-mid Saturday so I could collect the "sample" they needed.

3. If the toxemia test comes back bad on Monday I'll be put on bed rest (NOOOOOOOOOOOOO). Please pray this doesn't happen, I would really like to work the next three weeks if possible, or at least until she arrives (maybe early?!).

4. I'm eating only whole foods now, raw fruits and veggies and grilled meat in an effort to easy my swelling. It's helped a little, but not completely. Kudos to my fantastic husband for baking chicken and slicing my apples for dessert at night.

Babies galore!

Here is a picture of a diaper wreath I made for my co-worker who is having a shower next week. I'm attending three baby showers in the next week~

Saturday for our friends Raymond and Tiffany. Tiffany is starting to get close to her delivery! She's starting to dilate. I can't wait to meet Baby Ryder :) and I'm just a little jealous, Tiffany do you think if we rub our bellies together I'll start dilating too and have this baby sooner rather than later?

Sunday for my cousin Cynthia at my Aunt and Uncle's house. Cynthia is having her C-section on Dec 29th. Another one getting close to delivery!

Friday for my coworker Mandy, who I've had so much fun talking pregnancy with here at work. We share laughs over the discomforts of pregnancy on a daily basis.

I feel thankful I've had these three local ladies to talk pregnancy and babies with during the last several months. They're all three having boys, so I guess Baby B will either be a tomboy, or have lots of little boyfriends to watch out for her :)

I hope everyone has a nice day, I'm going to try to be super productive today since we're out the rest of the week. I cannot believe after today I only have three weeks of work left before the school holidays and Baby's arrival. That seems so soon!!

Tuesday!

Things to report: Ben is being manly and going hunting in the wilderness tonight. Madison and I expect to sleep well in the middle of the bed while he's gone.

Also, it's my work "Thanksgiving luncheon" so I get yummy food at lunch today! The baby is the most excited about salad and cranberry sauce. I know she's related to me, but I would usually be looking forward to dessert, and this kiddo likes healthy food (and dislikes chocolate?!).

I've had morning sickness two out of two mornings this week. Grrr. I do not like this ratio. However, my swelling was much better yesterday than last week. Maybe taking it easy over the weekend means I'll feel better the rest of the week!

AND, I'm posting pictures of little Lauren from her football game last week. I know several family members get on to read the blog and haven't seen all the great pictures of Lauren at GT games, so I should share on here.

Lots to tell you...

I haven't blogged in almost a week! Yikes!

Thursday I headed to Austin for a big meeting dealing with state reports I work on for my job. I've learned my lesson, no more traveling and lots and lots of water for Shannon. I had TERRIBLE swelling in my feet, bad enough my boss wanted to leave early and take me home :( I hung in there (I found a couch to lay on for the last 30 minutes) and called the Dr. I was told to stay off my feet this weekend. I DID!

Friday I only worked a 4 hour day, ran by Hobby Lobby to pick up a couple items for a project I'm working on, then went home and got in bed by one in the afternoon. My swelling is now under control. Friday night we met friends for Mexican food, Tiffany and Raymond. Tiffany's due date is 2ish weeks away and I guess it doesn't occur to me how funny we must look when we are out places together. But people comment on it every time we go somewhere. Friday night it was our super skinny waitress who had a baby 10 weeks ago. (I was laughing in my head knowing I would *probably* not look like that so soon after giving birth). I was also surprised to find a box on my front doorstep from my Mom, she sent me a bunch of Santa ornaments to add to my Santa themed tree!! What a nice surprise, I had fun adding them in.

Saturday Ben and Raymond took a hunting safety course on post. It was supposed to be a half day course but took a couple extra hours because so many people were there! I was supposed to go to Target with my cousin to help her pick what she needed to add to her baby registry but she was recovering from surgery, and I was super swollen so we decided to postpone. SO, I did what the Dr. told me and stayed in bed all day. I did work on the diaper wreath I'm making for a friend's baby shower while laying in bed. I think it came out pretty cute!

Sunday Ben and I went to the movies and to a late lunch, then we headed home. We cleaned the house for a couple hours (I forget how fast it goes when TWO people are working on it!) and he even organized the garage...without me asking?! I think many wives would agree with me this is some kind of Thanksgiving miracle. Ben's parents brought his grandmother over so she could see our Christmas decorations and the baby's room. We taught Grandma how to play Nintendo Wii. She thinks it's pretty cool. Her exact words were "I think you have a lovely home and it seems like you have a lot of fun here." Wasn't that nice? We do have fun in our home.

I'm 35 weeks pregnant today. 5 weeks to go, but after another two weeks I'd be happy to have this baby at any point!

All about Ben.

Quick post about Ben:

Mohawk no more! Ben's fellow coach Matt came over Saturday evening so they could shave off each other's Mohawks. Ben was glad to be rid of his. We called it a fluffhawk because his curly hair looked so silly in that haircut.

Also, he decided you all needed to see a picture of his homemade chicken fried steak, he made me take a picture for blogging purposes.

Tiff-Ray's Baby shower

I had so much fun at my friend Tiffany's baby shower Sunday! There were about ten ladies hosting and these women could be professionals, they knew what to do the host a fun time! The refreshments were fruit and desserts, we played a couple of baby games. I think it's hilarious I won the game where you cut a piece of yarn to indicate how round you think the mother-to-be is, I just used my own circumference, and guess what? I was spot on. It makes sense, I'm due a couple weeks after Tiffany that we're about the same size. We got a kick out of that. Also, the pumpkin roll was a success. Several ladies asked for the recipe which is just about the highest praise you can receive for your baking!

When I got home Ben had gone grocery shopping and was making dinner: Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and fresh green beans! It was so good, and I couldn't stop eating the green beans, yum! What a sweet husband. I kept washing dishes and he kept making me lay down so my feet wouldn't swell.

Everyone have a nice Monday! Our last childbirth class is tonight, we learn about post delivery recovery!

34 weeks pregnant

If you haven't seen me lately, I *think* you can tell I'm pregnant. 6 weeks to go, 3 weeks until she's 'full term'. I'd love for baby B to make an early arrival and spend Christmas morning with us! One other not-so-cute picture is my swollen feet. I got my pedicure which was SO nice, but my toes still look like little sausages.

Super Saturday!

*UPDATE!*
Ben's Cross Country team placed 7th at the state competition, and they run in the '5A' division. This means his team runs against the other super big schools in the state. One of his runners placed third overall! It was a good season and he's very proud of his team.

While Ben was gone today...I made pumpkin rolls, it's the holiday season!! For years around Thanksgiving and Christmas I remember waking up to the cinnamon pumpkin smell on Saturday mornings with my Mom in the midst of making pumpkin rolls. Some families made sugar cookies (we made those sometimes too) but pumpkin roll and monkey bread are the two dishes I associate with the holidays.

I also talked to my Nana, Mom and Sister, Dad and my Aunt and Uncle who live in Florida. What a great day!! I'm posting pictures of the pumpkin assembly line, and I'm taking one to a baby shower tomorrow, so I'll report back on how they taste (they LOOK and SMELL like they taste great!).

Gotta run and feed my baby. I guess licking the cream cheese frosting off the beaters doesn't suffice as adequate nutrition.

XOXO.

Coach B gets a haircut

Guess what happens when Ben's cross country team makes it to the state meet? MOHAWK happens! At least he and his fellow coach Matt went to a professional to get the haircut, so it's not uneven. The meet is tomorrow afternoon, then say adios to the Mohawk. He then has approximately 6 weeks to regrow that hair. Hey, we're taking lots of pictures on baby's birthday and a bad haircut will haunt him for years.

Weekend plans: today I work til 11:30, then we're having my work baby shower! Aww, I'm so excited :) I have a doctor appointment this afternoon then Tiff-Ray and I are getting pedicures *finally*. My Mom gave me a hard time when I saw her for the terrible condition of my toes.

Shannon: "But Mom, I can't reach my toes!"

Mom: "But Shannon, they have these places...called nail salons!"

Tonight Ben and I are going to try to see the new James Bond movie. I hope it's not too crowded. Tomorrow he heads to Austin for his meet and I'm planning on going to watch. Tomorrow night he's going to his friend's farm and they will be doing some hunting/male bonding.

Have a nice weekend, I'll be back on soon!

Little Lauren

This post is in honor of my sister Lauren. Laur is turning 19 tomorrow! It's hard to believe she's so grown up. She's halfway through her sophomore year at Georgia Tech and planning on graduating in three years so she can get a jump on medical school.

I remember the day Lauren was born. I came home from school and my Mom met me at the door to tell me the baby was coming that day. I was SO excited. I was at the hospital but not in the room when Lauren made her arrival and I got to hold her when she was just a few hours old. The next day I had an "I'm the big sister" button I wore to school and I was SO PROUD that I finally had a sibling.

Time flies! Happy Birthday Lauren! I hope it's a fun day and Mom has your birthday present from me at her house :)

My Veterans Day!

I had Tuesday off due to Veterans Day. It was a nice day. I still woke up about 7:30 to let Madison out, then she wanted me to lay in bed and rest a little longer (seriously, she laid across my chest and hugged me while I was in bed). I went to Ross to pick up a couple things, went to Hobby Lobby and bought Ben and my stockings and stocking holders. I had lunch with my Mother, Sister, and Father-In-Law at McAllisters deli (yum!), and I went by Walmart to pick up our baby monitors which had been free-shipped to the store!

When I came home I messed with the stockings trying to figure out if I could embroider them, I really wanted to do that. I was shocked to realize I could tear the tops apart, embroider the velvet part, turn them inside out and resew them together. It was easier than it sounds but it was still a hassle. I think it was worth it! Hobby Lobby had the stockings 50% off this week, so for $5 each I think they are great. I bought 4 extra stockings for the baby and future children (not planning on having that many kids, but I also had to leave room to mess up stockings I was trying to embroider).

Last night I was looking at our mantel with the four stockings hanging across and only two had names on them. We still haven't decided on Baby B's name, so I grabbed her most recent ultrasound and pinned it to the name portion. So if she comes early, she'll know which stocking is hers.

Ben came home from school, football is over and he was home by 4:30 (isn't that great?!) and he made his favorite dish- Macaroni and cheese with hamburger. My stomach couldn't handle that so I made myself pancakes then we cleaned the kitchen together afterwards. Yea! Ben for being such a great helper :) OH! he also refilled my humidifier for me, and let me tell you, it has a big water tank and it's kind of awkward for me to fill so that was so sweet he noticed it was empty and took care of it. In our marriage it's the little things that mean the most to each other.

Hospital Tour

Monday night our Childbirth class took a tour of the hospital where I'll be delivering. We saw where to enter if I go into labor in the middle of the night, the Labor and Delivery rooms, the recovery rooms, and where we spend the rest of our time at the hospital (in the private rooms). It seemed very quiet and tranquil, I'm sure that won't be my perception in the midst of labor however!

Another neat thing, as the mother and baby are moved from labor and delivery we stop at a button, which the mother pushes and a lullabye is played over the speakers in the entire hospital (and it's a pretty big hospital!). They told us triplets were born last Thursday and it rang three times in a row. Also, a mother from our class had twin girls at 29 weeks so she didn't make it through the second half of the classes. The nurses reported the mother and the babies were doing fine (which is a concern at 29 weeks).

We also talked about pain management. We have a flexible birth plan: get baby out, keep baby and mommy safe, and keep Shannon as comfortable as possible. I have nothing against pain medicine if the baby looks awake and well on the monitor.

I think Ben really enjoyed the tour, he noticed things about safety for the baby that I didn't and told me all about it when we left. The tour was great, but after a full day of work and an hour walking around the hospital I had some SERIOUSLY swollen ankles. Yikes.

Snoogle Schnauzer

I own this pregnancy pillow called the snoogle. Lately I've taken to rolling it up in a circle to prop my feet up high to help with the swelling at night, but setting it on the floor while I'm sleeping. This morning when I got out of bed to take a shower Madison jumped down from the bed and resettled herself in the snoogle. Here you go, my snooglesnauzer.

Busy weekend

This will be a long update post.

Great news: Ben's Varsity girls made it to the state cross country meet! It's Saturday about 45 minutes from our house, so unless it's pouring I'm going to go watch the meet. He is VERY excited, and spent lots of time looking up the running times for their competition last night. He says the girls have a shot at doing really well at the state meet. Also, he's heading to a friend's hunting lodge Saturday night. Ben doesn't 'get away' a whole lot and I know he's feeling worn out working the extra sport this year so I think a day and night away in the wilderness will be good for him :)

Things I accomplished this weekend: Sewed and embroidered 9 burp cloths, embroidered an apron, three hats and seven blankets. Made a couple returns at Old Navy and Target, stopped at the sewing store for threads I needed, got my hair trimmed and even cleaned out my car! I also stocked our diaper bag, hopefully we won't need it for at least 3 more weeks. This might be the first weekend...EVER I got everything done on my to-do list.

Saturday night we had dinner with my Uncle Bo's family who lives about a mile down the road. My cousin Cynthia is expecting a baby boy the same time I am (her C-section is 12/28) and it's so fun to get together and talk babies and pregnant lady stuff. I took a picture of Cynthia and I which a friend aptly named "the battle of the baby bumps".

Sunday while I was finishing my sewing Ben did the grocery shopping and surprised me by getting our Christmas tree!! It has to be artificial because I am SOOO allergic to real trees. Every tree. And grass. And bushes. And flowers. Hey, I was mother EARTH for Halloween, not mother nature.

He asked "should we put it up?" well OF COURSE!!! This was our first year to have a tree, last year we were in Atlanta, and saving up to buy our house so we ruled out the Christmas tree. I did buy some Christmas decor at Hobby Lobby for 70-90% off so we have some tree decorations. I've decided to have a Santa themed tree. We have about 15 or 20 Santa ornaments right now and I look forward to adding ornaments every year! I just love Christmas. I do love the tree, decor and presents, but even more I love that it makes me stop and think about my blessings. Especially this year!

That's all for today, I'll try not to go so long between posts, I just have all this nesting energy that I can't sit still while I'm at home :)

It's Friday!!

Yeah! And I get off in 38 minutes.

After work I'm getting my hair trimmed, I'm going to buy thread for a sewing project, I'm making an exchange at Old Navy, running to Target for a few things, to Walmart for a couple things (including a Christmas CD, I need one!), and heading home. I also need to clean out my car when I get home (and vacuum, I love the Dyson), and do my practice test for my Excet tomorrow. Last night I finished 4 Christmas presents, wrapped them and stuck them in my "Christmas closet". I watched House and assembled our pack n play which arrived yesterday!! Here's a picture. Also, Maddie wanted her picture taken and posted on our blog.

That's about all happening here. I'm hoping for a low key weekend.

It's Thursday!!

This week is almost over. Stuff worth mentioning:

- Today is my Dad's birthday! His last birthday in his 40s. My parents are young, and especially young at heart. I love that my Dad enjoys his Floridian lifestyle now. He likes to kayak up and down the canals and he rides his bike around his neighborhood. So happy birthday Bud!

- I finished ordering the bigger baby items we needed off Amazon.com! I found great deals, and yea for no tax and free shipping! Our play yard already shipped from Kentucky!

- Ben's working a football game tonight, then he's traveling for the regional cross country meet tomorrow and Saturday. His girl's Varsity team won District, and his boys Varsity placed in third. So BOTH get to advance to regional. Let's hope they do well and make it to the state CC meet next weekend in Austin!

- Tomorrow is my half work day, (yea!). I need to run errands after work (Old Navy, Hobby Lobby) and do a couple sewing projects. I'm also getting a pedicure (I hate paying someone else to do my toes, but I CAN'T REACH THEM ANYMORE!) And I need to study because...

-Saturday morning I take the Excet test for English, Language Arts and Reading grades 8-12. I am SO glad they decided to offer the test about 15 minutes from our house so I don't even have to drive to Austin to test.

Happy Election Day!

Election day is finally here. I'm so glad the election advertising should die down now. I'm tired of the commercials. I voted Friday. Ben voted two weekends ago. I'm so thankful we have early voting, I got in and out in 10 minutes before my Dr appointment last week.

I ordered a couple baby things today, our monitors and humidifier. I have a very short list now of things I think we need to grab before the baby arrives. It just occurred to me today that babies arrive early sometimes! Hopefully not THIS early, but in a few more weeks it's fair game, she can make her arrival :) I'm convinced she's going to be overdue and I'll need to be induced, so we'll just have to see.

I slept great last night. Almost 10 HOURS! I think the time change threw me off because I got ready for bed and passed out at 8:45. I feel like a million bucks today, I'm thankful I got the extra rest.

Ben and I made the decision this weekend to turn our enormous empty dining room into the baby's playroom, rather than buying dining room furniture. The room is carpeted, whereas the rest of the living spaces are tiled so I feel like it's safer for her to crawl around and learn to walk. Maybe this will help limit the baby chaos to the nursery and the playroom (yeah right!)

That's about all for now. I'll post a couple pictures of some things I embroidered this weekend. A little chef hat and apron for a sweet little girl we know for Christmas and a few burp cloths for a friend of mine from Sam Houston. Also, here's a picture of my Halloween costume. I was 'Mother Earth'.

XOXO,
Shan