This Lucky Little Life

Feeling Nostalgic

We're closing in on 5 days until our due date. And maybe it's just hormonal but I'm feeling awfully nostalgic about my time with Lila. I'm documenting every moment, like this could be the last time I give her bath without a baby in the tub with us or in a bouncing seat watching us, or this is the last time I'll lie down with her at nap time without a newborn attached to my boob, or this could be our last trip to the pool just the two of us, etc.

I've cried a lot lately after putting her down at night, staring at her long body, covering her up with covers and totally breaking down at how big my girl is, how grown up she looks with her head on a pillow and a quilt under her chin. How did she get so big? How is it that she ever fit in newborn diapers?

This poor baby boy isn't even born yet and I'm starting to feel guilty about how he's going to change Lila's life. I can remember days after being home from the hospital with Lila and looking at Tucker's sad face after a long feeding and just bawling into his fur - over the guilt I felt for disturbing HIS life. I just knew he hated me, I could tell from those droppy dog eyes. If I felt that bad for the family dog, I mean he is precious and all, but still, I'm worried about how it will all be with Lila.

I'm trying to comfort myself with reminders that she will be too young to remember any of this. Lila and baby boy will be almost the exact age difference of me and Dryw and I don't have any memories that don't include him, don't know what life was like before he came around, and somehow I survived.

In the meantime, I'm so ready for this baby to get here. As much as I'm cherishing a full night's sleep every night, I want to hold this baby close, find out what he looks like and play with his teeny tiny feet.  

 

Fourth of July Weekend

Wow - what an awesome weekend. David was home for three days, it damn near felt like a vacation. Lila was the most fun ever, the things that come out of her mouth. Like she told us the baby is going to come while she's asleep and he's coming out of my belly button!

Our neighborhood pool hosts a July 4th parade and an we participated for the first time - I think this is the first Fourth we've actually spent at home. Lila was thrilled to decorate her wagon, although she ended up walking or being carried for most of the parade.

Some of the participants really go all out. We ended the parade at the pool, joined by uncle Dude, Kelly and Kurt (COURT) who had the best news of the day - they got engaged! So excited for them! We ended the day at the Needhams, with a massive feast and THREE different kinds of homemade ice cream. DELISH!

Today we celebrated our six-year anniversary very low key. Although David had lots of special surprises, including pancakes, all stuffed with something different - banana and one even stuffed with the cream fillings from my favorite candies - those caramel cream things. My amazing man had unwrapped, and dropped the centers into the pancakes for me. It was heavenly! My gift to him - a homemade dinner - nothing fancy at all, but it has been a long time since I made dinner.  Let's be honest, it was the very least I could do for the man I'm blessed to call mine.

Overall, an amazing three-day weekend. And tomorrow Lila's off to a week of "camp" at her school, I have some freelance stuff to catch up on and will be particiaping in some before-the-baby-comes-and -life-as-we-know-it -changes-forever rest.

First "Official" Haircut

I won't go into detail about the first "unofficial" haircut. The one that took place in our bathroom with me attempting to straighten out her mullet and which prompted my mom to ask if one of her classmates got into the scissors and attacked her head.

This version was much more successful and gave us all a shock at how well Lila took to it. She was very serious, sat in the salon chair by herself, didn't fight the drape (is that what that's called?) and was totally still while the stylist gave her a quick trim, or cleaned up what her mom did to her a few months back.

A Week Without Our Girl

It's Friday and Lila's been gone since last Saturday when she and Grammy took off on a jet plane to Florida. Lila barfed on herself 10 minutes into the flight. So thankful mom was with her and not me. I think I would have just hauled us on the next plane back to Raleigh instead of getting on the connecting flight in Orlando. But mom let Lila run around in a diaper and a sweater in the airport waiting for their next flight, mom not one bit mortified as I would have been.

And after a week of sleeping late, taking naps, eating dinner out, getting some shopping done and spending quiet time with D, I'm so ready for tomorrow morning when she and mom arrive home! And I seriously have NO idea what we did with all our time before having a child.

I know Lila's having a blast with her grandparents, what with daily swims in the pool and continued instruction from mom after our week of swim lessons last week, shopping, playing with her "Florida" toys and maybe even catching some cartoons on cable.

She's gone to Florida without us before, but never for such a long time and I cried like a baby on Sunday and tried to convince David that spending $400 on a plane ticket might make more sense than me staying here, tempted to shop for baby boy stuff all week. Clearly, hormones were a raging, as that hysteria hasn't set back in since.

I pressed on what with my list of all that I was going to get done this week. Ha. Week is over and that list has few checks by it. But I'm okay with that. I'm rested (sort of, and despite 24 hours of Braxton Hicks yesterday and a trip to the doc to confirm I was NOT in labor), my nails have been professionally painted, I've had lunch with good friends every day, the house isn't any more clean than it was when they left and there's a pile of new baby boy clothes still to wash.

Mom was so nice to send daily pictures and videos. Here's Lila one day in the pool - looking all grown up! 19 more hours until she's home!

34 Weeks

Wow,  how this pregnancy has flown by.  And now that we're getting close to the end, and all the things that were cute little symptoms a few weeks ago - heartburn, sciatic pain, forgetfulness and indecisions, constant hotness (talking temperature here, I'm not THAT vain) have all worn out their welcome.  

And as much as I enjoy being pregnant (or after a long night of back aches and bathroom breaks, maybe I should say as much as I don't hate being pregnant) this time around has been SO different. I think it's mainly due to chasing an almost-two-year-old around and with her out of school now and me home with her most days - it's exhausting!

Notable differences - this little boy has for sure bruised my ribs with his wild antics in the womb. Nothing like Lila's sweet rolls and few and far between gentle kicks in the ribs. I'm not sure what kind of indication this may be for his personality, but if his strength is any indication of his size, I'm fearful we've got a 10-pounder in the making. And considering David was 10 something, (help me here, Peggy!) it could happen. Please pray that he's not that big!

I'm craving fruit this time around like crazy - especially watermelon as of late. And sorbets and popsicles and Icees. Not ice cream and shakes like I did with Lila - although I have indulged in a few Chick-Fil-A shakes and now that they have a peach one out I'm going to have to stop by.  I think it's because I'm busy with Lila and don't have as much time to sit on my ass and eat and because I barfed daily for the first 14 weeks and barely ate a thing, I am no where near as huge with this pregnancy as I was before. Which means I was GENORMOUS before, because I'm feeling pretty large and in charge right now.  I do have six weeks left to pack it on, but am hoping to keep this weight gain well below the 40lbs gained with LT!

Although I may not be gaining the weight I did with Lila, my boobs are absolutely out of control this time around. And I document this because I feel like a science experiment, am totally uncomfortable with them and wonder if we should contact NASA or someone about their explosivenss. I have to wear tank tops under most dresses and tops that I wore with Lila to keep the ladies in check and it's annoying now that it's hot out to wear two layers. (I bet my father really appreciated this paragraph. Hi Dad!)

Coffee has played a much more important role this time. Just as with Lila, the smell made me barf in the beginning and I took a hiatus, but as soon as I could keep food down again, daily coffee was a must have. David does dilute my cup with a little more milk than before, but there's no way I could get through a day without the caffeine. With Lila it was more of a every other day cup or so, not the necessity it is now!

I'm sure there's a million things I'm forgetting about how this pregnancy is different, but I think that's just part of being the second pregnancy and I'm over feeling guilty about it! I'll just remind this baby that Lila got shipped off to childcare at 9 weeks when I went back to work and I'm going to have him all to myself. And I can't wait!

Hot Dogs on a Hot Day

I wish I took a picture of the after. Tucker's was clear to the rind. Hank's looked the same as here.

Family Traditions

At the beginning of every summer my mom's side of the family and all my cousins - I think there are 12 of us, our spouses and all my cousins' kids - there's a lot of them - get together for the Carter family cookout and camp out at the ponds where my mom grew up, where some of my aunts and uncles live, and where I spent a large part of most of my of summers growing up.

It is such a fun day, and even more so now because of Lila and I'm so thrilled for her to have this little tradition, to be around such huge extended family, to laugh and play with all my cousins' children! And one day when she's older and begs to camp out with the rest of the kids (and their parents) we will David and the kids will pitch a tent and actually spend the night! For now we'll enjoy a day of swimming in the pond, hayrides, chickens, cows, hot dogs and fireworks and go home to beds and air conditioning.

This was the first year for swimming in the pond. My uncle Jimmy has put in an amazing beach, added  a bunch of sand so it's perfect depth for kiddos and has it outfitted with floats and a slide. We were not prepared for swimming and hopefully that'll help explain a familiar face looking like the white trash relative brought to the party in just her diaper. A regular diaper that oozed crystal insides every time she sat  down on the slide. Someone had pity on her and let her borrow a blue shirt (so she looks like a white trash boy) and someone else shared a swim diaper once hers got so heavy it started falling down. Not that it mattered one bit to Lila! 

 

Holiday Happiness

I don't know how it could have gotten any better.

The neighborhood pool opened, my parents were in town, we had two nights child-free, I slept until 10 two mornings in a row, went out for an amazing breakfast with my husband, spent two evenings with good friends, and finished it off at the pool potluck grilling steaks, uncle Dude throwing LT in the air ("again, again") and we completed the party at our house when the rain came, watching Jack and Lila chase each other around.

Four more days until the weekend!

Last Day of School

I can't believe it's the last day. I can't believe that next year she'll be in the TWO YEAR OLD class.

I've been out of work almost two months and have been able to get so much done during the four mornings a week she's been at school - between a little freelance work, housecleaning, shopping, lunch with friends, a nap or two, errands, doctors' appointments, etc, my mornings fly by.

And as much as I'm excited about more time with Lila, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little freaked about what do do with her all day every day.I know, I should quit my bitching and suck it up - be a PARENT already.

But I'm already exhausted enough after my afternoons with her, I can't imagine what day in and day out is going to be like on this tired, pregnant and fat body. I'm so grateful for the neighborhood pool opening this weekend. I imagine we'll be there A LOT! We have a week of morning swim lessons (this includes parent participation - apparently I can't just throw Lila in the pool and expect the instructor we're paying to take over. Me in a bathing suit is going to be kind of ridiculous, and not in a good way) and she has a week of mornings at her school - timed perfectly for the week before my due date. Mom is taking her to Florida for an entire week. We've got church playgroup, and a slew of museums we haven't hit up in a while. Oh and mom and dad are arriving this Friday - a whole week ahead of schedule - so ready to see them!

I wish I could say wow, now that it's all written down, I can manage this, but let's be honest people, coolness isn't my strong suit. And add a newborn to the mix - it's going to be a perfect summer! I can't wait.

Family Road Trip

It's only taken me a week to recover from our trip - there's a lot going on around here!

10 days away from home. The first five were crazy - four different nights in different places - in the car with a 21-month-old. While being in the car with Lila had its moments, she did AMAZINGLY well and after our trip to Manteo in February where every five minutes she'd squeal, "UP PLEASE" I was a little nervous how she'd do on this trip.

Our first night was in St. Mary's (one of my favorite places) and lots of family time playing at Cumberland Harbor, at the waterfront and eating ice cream at Market on the Square. We were back in the car for our drive to Tallahassee for David's brother's graduation. (Don't get me started about having a brother-in-law who went to FSU) I do adore him and try to look past this!

 

Then we were off to see some good friends in Flagler Beach who have a little boy three weeks older than Lila. Lots of discussions about their marriage! Lila and Vuk briefly shared a bassinet on our trip to Florida when Lila was 7 weeks old. But now they were into way more fun things this visit and it was so fun seeing them together!

The next day night we headed here for a little family time. The pool was over the top and so fun - complete with a lazy river and a ridiculous slide that I look forward to trying when we are back Labor Day weekend with TWO kids. 

Needless to say those four nights were kind of insane - living out of one huge suitcase in the trunk, being 30 weeks pregnant with fat feet and irritability on the rise, I lost it a few times, but I think recovered okay after some sleep!

Monday afternoon David drove home and Lila and I headed south with mom and dad to Naples for the remainder of the week. Let's just say that after a few days at my parents' there really was no excuse for moodiness or irritability, pregnant or not. Mom went all out to make my trip like a mini vacay. She did all the heavy Lila work - feeding, pottying, diapering, packing the beach bag for the pool/beach, packing the diaper bag for shopping trips, putting LT to bed, even washing and IRONING all the new clothes for baby boy. Insane yes, and I probably haven't thanked her enough since being back!

Feeling Like a House

I'll eventually get through the 700 pictures from our trip to Florida and post some pics to prove how huge I am getting, but let's just say the irritability from this baby boy squeezing my insides together is on the rise.

David's been fully warned, not that he needed any warning after I crawled into bed last night, had my feet rubbed and still managed to bitch that the sheets were too soft, the mattress not hard enough and complain that he didn't put enough lotion on my legs.

It's going to be a fun nine weeks for him.