Progressing?

Yesterday I met with Dr. Boyd. She said the ultrasound looked good and Levi was only slightly larger than he should be at 36 weeks. She doesn't usually check for progress at 36 weeks but since we are still not 100% when my true due date is she wanted to go ahead and check me. My belly measured at 33 weeks this time, and she said that is most likely b/c he is dropping already. We are both so confused as to why my belly measurements keep fluctuating so much each appointment. She said that I am dialated 1cm and 50% effaced. That usually doesn't mean much except that my cervix was exceptionally soft, so she said. When I tried to have "cervix" talk with James last night his response was "Oh, soft cervix, that's so hot...(Rolling his eyes)" She told me not to expect to go 4 more weeks, that 2-3 weeks is more likely. As of now she said discussion of induction is not necessary b/c she doesn't think I'll go far enough for him to get to 8lbs. Of course all of this is just a guess and my body can do weird things and I could have a baby tomorrow, or not until August (God help me to PLEASE have a baby before August!!) I can definitely tell that he is dropping though - my hips feel stressed out and when I walk I feel like an arm or something may fall out. (j/k) I'm sleeping good - extremely hard actually and I do not want to wake up in the mornings. The frequent getting up all night to potty is getting annoying, mostly b/c it is so hard to get out of bed. I'm 6lbs heavier than what I delivered Cori at...that's a bummer but at least its not 20 lbs heavier. I hope only a few more lbs find me before delivery. I can't wait to start getting back into shape. I joke with James that I'll do whatever it takes this time to get some weight off - I'll even resort to a crack habit....who needs teeth if you are skinny?!? HA - I'm kidding!!

In other news - Cori is doing GREAT at her swim lessons, she is dunking herself under water with no problems and doing everything the instructors tell her to do. I am so proud of her, and she is so proud of herself! She can float on her back for about 20 seconds by her self too!!

Cherish every minute of your life - We lost a great friend last week to a horrible work related accident. Jonathon just started a new job and b/c of the negligence of a forklift driver he was ran over and crushed by a 110,000 lb forklift. From what we have been told it crushed the lower 1/2 of his body, rupturing a main artery in his upper leg and he bled to death only minutes after arriving at the hospital. Please keep his family in your prayers, especially his beautiful wife, Ashlee of 1 year 7 months! She is so lost and so broken hearted. She needs all the uplifting that she can get! I know in time she will find the strength to make it through this terrible time in her life, but I have no doubt that she will eventually pull through. My heart hurts for her. They were going to start trying for a baby in July, and they have a house that is in the building process that was supposed to be finished next month as well. The service was held last Saturday and it was very nice. Jonathon was so loved and it showed as many of his friends and family stood up to talk about him. He would have been so proud.

I didn't mean to make this a sappy sad blog, but I wanted to put the info out there in case you were wondering from my FB posts last week, and to let everyone know that life can change in a matter of seconds. It's crazy!!

I am so looking forward to my 3 day weekend! Our only plans are to hang out at the house in the pool and eat, soak up some sun, and spend time with family. It's going to be so nice!

Oh, and guess who has a 4 year anniversary coming up next week?!? ME!! I'm so excited although James and I have decided we aren't going to do anything outrageous b/c we need to save $$ - no maternity insurance sucks and we need all the money we have to get Levi out of Layaway at the hospital in a few weeks =)

I can't wait to see his squishy face!

36 Weeks

We went this morning to get one last ultrasound to measure and weigh Levi to get an estimate of how big he is. My Dr. and I have talked and since I had such a hard time delivering Cori, she wants to keep a better eye on him to make sure that he doesn't get too big. (Cori was 8lbs 14oz) I will meet with my Dr. tomorrow and she will go over the ultrasound with me and give me a better idea of if and when she will induce labor early. The ultrasound tech estimated his weight is around 6lbs 5oz (a bit under 6.5lbs) and he should be gaining a 1/2 a lb every week. She kept kept reminding us that this was her best estimate by the measurements she took, but the the Dr. would look at them more closely and give a more accurate estimate. So he could be bigger or smaller. (I guess she is just trained to take the measurements, but not necessarily trained to read them??) This makes me feel a little better, I seriously thought I had a baby elephant growing in my tummy - I am anxious to see what Dr. Boyd says tomorrow. As of now my due date is still July 25th but with the heat and my huge-ness I am praying for a tiny bit earlier than that! I would like to go into labor on my own this time, but I am definitely not against being induced if that means a week or so early!! Besides, I am such a planner that being induced eases my mind and gives me the opportunity to get everything in line and in order....going into labor on my own scares me!! I don't like feeling like things are out of wack! 


I will post tomorrow what the Dr. Says. 


XOXO

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my daddy, Rickey Smith! He's the toughest, strictest (is that a word?), loving, caring, will do anything for anyone type of person! I am who I am today because of the morals he inset in me as I was growing up. I didn't always appreciate him back then, in fact I despised him A LOT growing up b/c he was so protective and strict. Now, I look back and hope I am 1/2 the parent he was and still is. My daddy knows I love him!

Happy Father's day to my husband, James! He is such a great daddy to Cori. He exceeded my expectations long ago. He is a very laid back parent and I see me being the one enforcing rules as our kids get older....but he is by far the best dad I could have chosen for my kids. He is fun and outgoing and he and Cori and play for hours just laughing and having a ball. I can't wait for him to hold his son for the first time!

I asked Cori reason's she loves her daddy and here are a few of her responses:

"I like daddy because he feeds the puppies"

"Daddy is my best friend"

"Daddy drives a white truck"

"I like when daddy throws the pink ball and I can hit it"

"Daddy shares his TV with me"

"I love when Daddy gives me kisses"

there were a few more but they were silly responses b/c I was laughing her her so her silly got worse and worse...I think she said something like "I love Daddy b/c he has stinky feet" 

Father's Day 2009

Father's Day 2010

Father's Day 2011

Busy Lady

Cori is doing so well at her swim lessons! She's been to 4 classes and I can already see improvement! She isn't complaining about going under water much and last night she floated on her back, all by herself, for 15 seconds! I didn't get a picture, and I actually didn't see it either (Bad momma, I know, I was texting my out of town boss about things that needed to get done today....) James saw it though and claims he thought I was paying attention so he didn't think to tell me to look...Maybe I can see next time!

This is a video of her "diving" in, turning around and swimming back to the side and getting out....of course she is assisted with all of this now...but the goal is to have her doing it on her own. She did this about 6 times and never got mad about going under the water!  (I just watched this and its very dark and hard to see so I apologize - I'll do better next time. Also, we are on the other side of a glass wall from her so that is why its so quiet.)

My stupid Armada is in the shop AGAIN for brake issues! I'm not really sure whats going on with it, but it is really frustrating and a little scary! The emergency brake light comes on randomly while I'm driving and makes the anti lock (ABS??) breaks kick in and my truck starts shaking and trying to stop....in the middle of the road. If I can make it to a red light, I can turn my truck off then on again and it goes away, but eventually will happen again....I hope they get it right this time b/c I can not have me and my kids in a car that has BRAKE issues...of all things. I told James that even though I have only had the truck since November I am considering getting rid of it and getting into something else. He says I'm crazy...but his mind is thinking financially crazy not safety. So this week I am driving one of my dads trucks - a little single cab Ford. I think its like a 1998 model. I'm not complaining b/c I don't have to pay for a rental (My car has been in the shop since Monday night) but its small. Cori likes it though b/c she thinks its so cool to ride in the front seat, next to me! She asks if we can hold hands while I drive...how can I say no? I love holding hands with her and I cherish it b/c I know it won't last for ever! Oh, she asks for kisses at red lights too! It it weird to be IN LOVE with your kid?

I got my new laptop for work ordered today, along with some portable filing tote, things. I am slowly but surely getting organized around here to be gone for maternity leave, if you want to call it that. I will be taking a lot of my work responsibilities home with me on leave. The temp starts on July 5th and I only plan to train/show her around for about a week then I am calling it quits. I am so exhausted and sitting in one position at work all day kills me. She will be doing minimal tasks like answering phones, filing, and other small things so it shouldn't take her long at all to catch on (I hope) She is the daughter of a man that works here and she just graduated High School earlier this month. This will be her first job. I hope she's a quick learner. My plan is not to come back to work until October 3rd.

Went to my 34 week appointment yesterday. My Dr. Said now I am measuring a week ahead. So at 30 weeks I was 2 weeks ahead, at 32 weeks I was right on track, and now, at 34 weeks I'm a week ahead again. I lost a lb in the last 2 weeks too. She scheduled me for an ultrasound at 36 weeks to weigh and measure Levi so we get a better idea of how big he will be. She and I both hope to keep him closer to 8lbs. Cori was 8.14 and I had a hard time delivering her so I am hoping for a bit smaller this time. Dr. Boyd agrees that smaller will be better! As of now she is not changing my due date and it remains July 25th.

That's all I've got for now, I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday!!!!!!

9 on 10

This is my first 10 on 10:

take one photo an hour for ten hours on the tenth day of the month and then post the photos on your blog - capture a snapshot of the ordinary beauty of a simple day in your life!


Here goes nothing - Sorry my 10 on 10 is super boring as I sit at a desk from 8-5. Oh well. I tried!!

I started late so you didn't get a morning picture of my adorable daughter, instead you get my view sitting at my desk. I look at her picture and smile all day long! The flowers in the "flower pot" are actually pens so no one walks off with them!! 8:20am

 I am in the process of chunking my old address book. I am little by little entering all names and addresses into my iPad - its a chore!! 9:20am

 Jeans and flip flops at work - that's my kinda job!! 10:20am

Hello, Levi. You sure are a big boy! I love your kicks & rolls. You make my day! (33W3D) 11:20am

I actually got out of the office today for lunch! I met my mom & Bridget at Little Mexico for some yummy enchilada's. My only regret was not getting some sopapillas for desert. I have such a sweet tooth right now! 12:20pm

So you can't see in the picture (unless you enlarge it) but the street sign says Will Clayton Pkwy. I have been up and down Will Clayton now since 1993 - My parents house (where I grew up) is off Will Clayton, My house now is off Will Clayton, I work off Will Clayton, Cori's daycare is on Will Clayton - If you fly in to IAH, you will drive on Will Clayton. I make my town sound small with only one main road but in fact that is not the case, its just the road most traveled by me!  1:20pm

These are the best cookies! Nice afternoon snack to fill my need for sweets! 2:20pm

Have I mentioned how much I love my iPad? It's a slow day at work (like all Friday's) so I'm able to read some from my book I purchased through iTunes. If you are looking for a hilarious, easy read (and racy at points) read the Chelsea Handler books.  I've read 2 of her older books and just purchased her 3rd book. They keep me laughing, that's for sure!! 3:20pm

I'm running out of ideas here! This is just a picture of my office. I'm waiting patiently on 5 O'clock! TGIF! 4:20pm

Okay, So I have 9 on 10. I will go ahead and post this b/c chances are I wont get back on blogger again until Monday. If I think about it, I'll log in real quick tonight and edit this to add the 10th picture that I will take at 5:20pm. 

I hope everyone enjoy's their weekend! 

Scatter Brain

Next Blog:
So I feel a little pathetic, and a bit stalker-ish but I had fun. I learned from Holly a while back that you can hit "Next Blog" at the top of your dashboard page and see random blogs. Well I cam across someones with a cute little baby and family and started reading....then I took it to a whole different level. I started reading from her very first blog in 2007!! It took me a few days to get through it all (reading here and there while I had some down time at work) but I finally finished it all. I feel like I know her, her family, and pretty much everything about her! It was fun and it gave me something to do to kill time - so whatever. Kristen, you'd probably really enjoy her blog b/c most of the time she was living in VA and posted a lot on her different outings in D.C. and around that area. I had no idea there was SO much to do there, and the pictures she takes are incredible! I am adding D.C. to my list of places to visit! It looks beautiful!!! Check her out! Her name is Andrea - she's a good writer, and a frequent blogger!

Swim Lessons:
Cori started swimming lessons on Monday. I was super excited to get her involved with something and now with us having a pool at home, swim lessons seemed like the perfect "activity" for her! She is not afraid of the water, although she isn't a fan of going under the water. She has 12 scheduled lessons, 2x a week for 6 weeks. (hopefully Levi holds out until her last class so she doesn't miss any). She says she is having fun and she really seems to like her instructor. I was scared at first b/c as soon as Miss Shelby (a new high school graduate) got Cori in the water she immediately dunked her under....Cori came up and very loudly (with a Miss Priss attitude) said "HEY!!! DON'T DO THAT!!!!" James and I had a good laugh - Shelby continued dunking her. I asked her later if she as upset that she had to go underwater and she said that she was b/c she doesn't like the water in her eyes. I need to get her some goggles, perhaps. I don't want to tell them NOT to dunk her b/c all the other kids are being dunked too - I know its a part of learning. Even with the dunking, Cori says she can't wait to go back!

Yesterday after work I was so hot and sweaty and just super blah! After leaving work and getting into a car that is prob 115 degrees then getting out not even a mile down the road to get Cori from day care, then unloading everything at home - I feel like all of this happens before the car even cools off. Cori asked if we could go swimming and I couldn't think of any reason to say no - so into the pool we went. James was working late so I sent him this picture:

with a text saying "Na Na Na Na Boo Boo - You are working, we are swimming!!" 

Childish right? HaHa. 

10 on 10:

I'm going to try it for the first time today! I wish I would have started earlier to get a picture of Cori getting ready or dropping her off at daycare! My pictures will probably be very boring today b/c I sit in the same place all day at my desk....I'll have to get creative! I don't know how to "link" up though. Can y'all help me with that? 

Baby Shower

I had such a great weekend. Thanks to Bridget (my SIL) Laura & Alexis for throwing me the best baby shower ever! I was hesitant at first to even have one for the 2nd baby but I am so glad that I went along with it. I feel much more prepared then I did this time last week! All the blue stuff is a big change from ALL the pink stuff I've been looking at for about 3 years now! I can't wait to dress him in these adorable outfits he got. I didn't have my camera with me and of course I was busy running all over tying to make my "rounds" so I only have a few pictures from my iPhone to share. I stole a few off of FB from my friend Valerie's camera too.

Most delicious cupcakes ever!!!

Some of the food. Bridget Cut up all that fruit and veggies and made her own trays.
Laura came through again with the delicious sausage balls & wraps!!!

More Yummy Food!

Decorations were super cute!!

Thank you everyone for the awesome gifts!! I am so thankful!

Valerie's Very first diaper cake - I think she did an EXCELLENT job!!!

Meredith home made me a blanket and burp rag - funny b/c its the same fabric I used to make my friend Raquel's baby shower gift....remember this post?

 I am LARGE and IN CHARGE!!!

My 3 Hostess' - They did such a great job! Thanks Ladies!!!!

32 Weeks

Had an appt. with Dr. Boyd yesterday afternoon (I’m scheduled to go every 2 weeks through June, and every week in July until he’s born). She said 2 weeks ago I was measuring 2 weeks ahead, but this week I’m measuring right on – I guess I didn't grow the last 2 weeks. She said she still wants to measure and weigh him at 36 weeks (4 weeks from now) to get a better idea of how things are going. She isn’t concerned about my weight gain, but I’m bitter about it. I delivered Cori at 209 and I’m already 213 with possibly 8 weeks to go, and every book I read said at this point I should expect to gain a lb a week. BLAH – I’m going to have a lot of work to do after this kid! He better be worth it, or I’m taking him to the fire station! (kidding) That’s all I've got – apparently while I was there a girl’s water broke so Dr. Boyd was rushing around trying to get her patience seen so she could go deliver the baby! She was rushing with me – I think she spent literally 45 seconds in my room. Measured my belly, checked heartbeat, and adios….

(I covered my face b/c I was a HOT MESS!) 

32 Weeks pregnant with Levi James

I didn't realize until looking at this picture that my curtains are all a mess too? How does that even happen? My mirror could use a wipe down too.....oops.