Week 37 (In Utero): All our bags are packed...ready to roll when baby is.

Well Miss Chloe's room is finally finished. It has turned out to be so cute!

The Braxton Hicks contractions have gotten more and more severe this weekend and I've lost my mucus plug. I feel like I could go into Labor at any moment but am really trying to hold out until next week if possible. We'll see what the Dr. says after my appointment on Tuesday!

I am also so happy - I had been procrastinanting a little, but I finally got all of our bags packed. Whew - one less major thing to worry about.

I think the next posting on this site will be after the baby is born.

Week 35 and 36 (In Utero): Are we there yet? Nope...

Well at these weekly appointments my blood pressure is still very good (120/80), my weight gain is still sitting at 20 lbs, my Step test came back as negative, and the swelling in my legs has not been as bad as last pregnancy (although Carpal Tunnel Syndrome has set into my arms making them tingly and numb throughout the day).

I thought for sure labor was near since my Braxton Hicks contractions were so bad and the baby has dropped low into the pelvis. For the baby's sake, luckily I was not too much more dilated. Dr. Greebon still is taking excellent care of me. For the health of the baby and making sure I get as close to the 17th as possible, he recommended that I go on bedrest so as to try to slow the progression of Labor.

Chris has also been taking excellent care of me in my Larger-than-a-Barge condition. It has been very painful to walk or even lie down, so he has been so helpful in doing all the things I am too tired/unable to do.

Week 34 (In Utero): Weekly visits

So begins my weekly visits with Dr. Greebon. He is much more personable through this pregnancy than the last. The last time I always felt like I was in and out of the office. I think he feels pretty sorry for me this time around though. The heat has been pretty unbearable and has made this pregnancy much more stressful/painful, so we have started these weekly visits a few weeks earlier than the last pregnancy.

Week 33 (in Utero): Finishing touches

Well Chris, Marshall and I have just been so busy these past few weeks trying to tie up all of the little details in preparing for another new baby.

We have made our little trips to the stores/and visitng websites to pick out the rest of the little things we will need for our new sweet baby. After many trips to the Craft store to try to figure out what to put over her crib, I ended up returning everything and settling on some carved wall letters that I can hang over her crib. I also found a rug and a chair to go with some of the artwork that I had custom made for her. Chris was especially excited that he got to "build" his baby girl her first dollhouse (bookcase).

Hopefully everything ordered on the internet will be coming in the mail over the next week or so and I can add some pictures of the finished nursery to the blog later.

Anyone who reads this should also share a moment of silence in memory of our beloved Jeep (and our YOUTH! - considering this time last year we had no kids and will soon have two!) which we had to trade in for a more family friendly "Mommy-Wagon." That car was always the dream car of Chris and I as we were growing up, but we really needed a vehicle with more passenger/cargo space (not to mention A/C in the back). We are very happy with our purchase though. No matter how much we tried to talk ourselves into it, we just could not take the plunge and get a mini-van, despite how functional we hear they are.

One of Chris' friends and former co-workers at GMAC/Homecomings told us of their recent purchase and despite being the type to "copy" other people, Chris and I had to agree that they made a very smart/awesome purchase and we jumped onto their bandwagon. We found a 2005 Cadillac SRX for a really great deal and very low miles (our Jeep was purchased in the same month as the SRX's previous owner and Chris and I had put four times the amount of miles on the Jeep in the same time period). The Cadillac is red and is just so awesome and comfortable. We just love how it will accommodate our new family.

Week 32 (In Utero): On the Doc's Calendar

Well this week I went in for my check-up with Dr. Greebon and he has officially put me on the calendar to be induced. We are going to go into the hospital on the 17th of September to induce Chloe's labor. The doctor said she is measuring just a little above normal and will probably be in the 7lb range when she is born. (Chris keeps saying that she looks like 10lbs - Thanks SPOUSE!)

I am so excited/grateful. Especailly since this has been one of the hottest summers on record here in Dallas.

Week 31 (In Utero): Chloe's Shower

Johanna, my sorority sister and college roommate (who also happens to be the Mommy of two beautiful twins and the greatest most awesome friend that any person could ask for), and her husband Adam were so gracious enough to throw a baby shower on behalf of Chloe at their restaurant (Lazy Bones Bar and Pub in Grapevine, Texas - my hometown!).

It was so special and meant so much to Chris and I, especially since we just had Marshall just a year ago. And in today's economy, I know that money is tight for everyone, so we are just so grateful and appreciative to everyone who has sent Chloe gifts to celebrate her upcoming arrival.

Chris, Marshall and I are just so excited about Chloe's arrival. I know that Marshall is going to love having a sister to play (and conspire against Mommy and Daddy I'm sure) with! We can't wait for our second blessing's arrival.

Thank you for everyone who came to the shower. Here are some photos to commemorate the event.
The beautiful cake with cute little Booties icing

Playing with Aunt Nancy!

Enjoying the delicious food!

Helping Mommy open gifts for Chloe.

Talking amongst friends.

Week 30 (In Utero): Crazy Cravings

When I was pregnant with Marshall, all that I craved was:

1.) Milk
2.) Fruit (Mostly Peaches)
3.) Taco Cabana Breakfest Taco with Bacon and Egg
4.) La Madeline (specifically the Croque Monsieur)
5.) Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches

For Chloe:

1.) Dr. Pepper
2.) Anything McDonalds (more specifically Sausage McMuffin or Whopper) - Which if you know me, I HATE McDonalds and generally think it is so gross!
3.) Watermelon
4.) Cereal

It is no small wonder that I am a little heavier during this pregnancy if all I want is Sausage and McDonalds...Luckily, not too far off of what I was last pregnancy.

This little gal doesn't nestle up to my pelvis like Mr. Marshall did, which I am eternally grateful for. It was the weirdest sensation. Marshall also had the hiccups like crazy. It drove me wild - another weird sensation. Chloe seems to really enjoy waking up whenever she hears Marshall or her Daddy talking. She just really perks up for her boys.

The heat has been pretty unbearable this summer, even if you are not pregnant. I find myself being pretty worthless by mid-afternoon just from sheer exhaustion. I think Chris will be glad to not hear any complaints from me once Chloe's born. The weeks seem to be going by so fast. its hard to think that in about 2 months we'll have another little baby. We are really excited though and are eagerly anticipating her arrival!

Week 28 (In Utero): Sonogram

I was just so curious how our sweet baby was getting along, and I asked my Dr.'s office if we could arrange another sonogram. They were able to fit us in today and Chris and I got to see a very active little girl. She was just so precious - I just can't wait to meet her. That's all I could think of during the sonogram. I know that Chris is also anxiously anticipating her arrival, because Marshall has been such a Mommy's boy lately and Chris has really been wanting a baby to snuggle with too!
She looks so much like Marshall. I hope that you enjoy the photos as much as we do!

Week 27 (In Utero): Mommy's Little Craft Project

It is weird to think that we are in our Third Trimester now. It has gone by so fast as compared with Marshall's pregnancy. Chloe is getting really big now. She is so much bigger than her brother was. She is much stronger too. She kicks really hard. So much so that the other night Marshall was laying on my stomach and she kicked him really hard in the stomach. He looked up at me with the sweetest SURPRISED expression. It was like his eyes said "Mommy your tummy poked me!"

Chloe is having a busy week though. We are really excited that on Wednesday we will get to see her on a sonogram and her furniture is delivered on Thursday.

Last Friday, I finally figured out how I wanted decorate the baby's room and I was eager to begin this little craft project for Baby Chloe's room. I essentially used the valance as my model; drew up some sketches and dragged my boys to Michael's early the next morning to buy paint, canvas and ribbon.

By the way, as I write this blog, it is as if she knows that I am thinking of her - she is kicking so hard that my stomach is moving around. Chris is actually getting to experience this since Marshall would always stop kicking as soon he would watch/feel.

Week 26 (In Utero): Can you say...Indecisive???

Well, now that the room is painted (since the room is empty it has become Marshall's "play room" this week), we started taking out the furniture from the boxes...and decided that we didn't think that the furniture went well in a little girls room. It's just too trendy of a color to have for a girl for the next 20 years. So we put everything back in its boxes and are returning the furniture tomorrow.

So we turn to the Internet to decide what would fit and spent most of today checking out all the baby furniture stores we could think of. We saw a few things we liked but found that they fell into two categories - "It's nice but if we go with this we need to repaint the room/get a different bedding set" and my favorite "Delivery will be 8-12 weeks."

As we turned the car toward home in disappointment and despair, we realized that Frisco had a baby store off of Preston. It was all reminiscent of a similar little drive up Preston we had last year when we were looking for accessories for Marshall's room last year. Lucky for us the baby store was having a liquidation clearance sale! We found the EXACT bedroom set that we loved at Stacy's Furniture's "Oh Baby!" but for half the cost. The best part is that it will be delivered and fully assembled in less than 2 weeks!

It was one of those moments where the clouds parted and the sun poked through. Baby room back on track! This is what we ended up getting all in White! (So imagine the crib in white and a dresser with three drawers in the middle with the cabinet doors on either side. Oh and please don't mind my photoshopping the hutch onto the dresser).