Happy Halloween!

Is it time to go Trick-or-Treating yet? Our little buddy dressed up as a cow this year! He doesn't eat candy, so we just took some pictures and walked around the neighborhood. Here are some pictures from our night.

Happy Halloween from Jacob/Caroline, too! We are 38 weeks and 6 days pregnant here with big brother.

Even cows need love...and an ear to hold!

Joey said that Andrew was thinking that this was "udder"ly humiliating!

He helped us pass out candy from our front porch for a few minutes.

Happy Halloween! I can't wait to see what our family looks like this time next year with two little ones dressed up.

In honor of LSU week...

Andrew wore a Nick Saban hat!

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Jacob/Caroline will be here soon!

It was a VERY long week in our house. Joey was gone for 7 nights to Germany, Andrew got really sick, and I had a scare with the new baby. However, now that I am able to look back on the week, the Lord blessed our little family over and over again.

We have known for many weeks that Joey was going to have to go to Germany. We were both extremely upset about the timing, but there was really nothing that could be done. Being away from him for seven nights and having all of the responsibility of Andrew is hard enough. Add on top of that the worry that he might miss the birth of Jacob/Caroline, and I was a crying mess when he left! One more thing, both my mom and sister (my go to people) are both "out of commission" right now because of surgery or a new baby.

Fortunately, I have some amazing friends. I did not stay alone one single night. I had 5 friends split up the seven nights and stay with Andrew and me. They were Julie Salter, Randi Hall, Amy Ridgeway, Laura McGough and Christin Brown. They made the week so much better for me and were there in case I needed a ride to the hospital in the middle of the night. Also, Carolyn Weldon was ready at any moment to come and keep Andrew if I had to go.

On Tuesday, I got a call from daycare that Andrew had a 101.3 fever. Of course, I went to get him. We stayed home that day and all day Wednesday. Wednesday afternoon, I realized that I had not felt J/C move all day. I called the doctor and told them that I was coming in to be put on the monitor. The nurse told me to wait until I had heard back from the doctor to come in, but I told her to go on and pull my file because I was on my way! Carolyn came over to watch Andrew, and I was on my way. When I arrived, my Sunday School teacher (Carol Mapp) was there because her daughter had a baby that day. She went with me to my appointment and kept me calm.

When the monitor was strapped to me, we got a heartbeat almost immediately. Praise God! It was in the 120's. The movement took a little longer to pick up. I drank some orange juice and ate some crackers. I was monitored for about an hour, and the doctor on call expressed some concerns about my size. He said that I was only measuring 35 weeks pregnant. Because I knew that my due date was correct, I was now concerned. I began researching what could cause the measurement to be off if the due date was correct (probably a mistake on my part) and became scared that my amniotic fluid was too low and they would be forced to deliver the baby while Joey was still in Germany. An ultrasound was scheduled for the next day.

On Thursday, Andrew went back to school. I thought that he was better, but his teachers told me that he was really fussy. I wanted to pick him up early, but I had the ultrasound scheduled. David and Jan went with me. Everything looked great on the ultrasound. The baby is just very low but is growing fine. On the ultrasound, he/she is measuring perfectly, so the due date was correct. The fluid was also perfect. He/she was 7 pounds and 4 ounces. We were all amazed at how much his/her face favored Andrew. At my appointment, I was 1 cm dilated and 70% effaced. Here are some pictures.

On Thursday night, Andrew would not sleep. It was really rough. It was Laura's night to stay with me, and I felt terrible for her. We tried everything to comfort him. but he was not feeling well. Because he didn't have a fever and I had missed so much work already, I took him to school on Friday. Daycare called by 8:15. I took him to the pediatrician, and he had a terrible ear infection. I was honestly happy that it was something that could easily be treated. We spent the rest of the day snuggling and watching television.

On Saturday, I woke up giddy because Joey was coming home! Not only was he coming home, but Andrew was feeling better and we had not had the baby! Andrew was so excited to see him. Andrew and Ralph both enjoyed helping him unpack.

On Sunday, we woke up early and got ready for church. We were actually all ready with 30 minutes to spare--never happens in our house! We decided to get in bed and watch television together. The next thing that I remember is looking at the clock and realizing that it is past 10:00! We changed out of our church clothes and made a trip to Target to get some last minute things for the baby. Here I am before leaving at 38 weeks and 5 days. I wonder if this will be my last bump picture of this little one. I am still having a lot of contractions, but they are not regular. I think that everyday is THE day. I'm am starting to be like the boy who cried wolf!

Blueberry waffles and kiwi for breakfast

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Andrew's New Goal

Andrew works very hard each afternoon to put as many toys as possible into the tub.

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Ready for School

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First Sleepover

Andrew had his first sleepover on Saturday night. His buddy, Jack (and Jack's mom, Christin) came to our house late Saturday afternoon. The boys started their afternoon of fun with strawberries for a snack. They loved playing together. Andrew cracked me up because he kept reading his Bible while they were playing.

They loved pulling the wipes out of the containers.

Trying to climb in Jacob/Caroline's bouncy chair was also a popular activity.

After dinner, the boys took a bath. This was the highlight of the night! They both laughed so hard and splashed water all over the bathroom. I'm sorry for posting these pictures, boys. They are just too cute not to share!

Warning-This may scare you!

Andrew has been making some very spooky art at school this week! Here is his ghost. They also made bats in class. This one looks pretty good, doesn't it? Well, it is not Andrew's. Andrew cannot stand for his hands to be dirty. As soon as I saw the bats, I thought that there was absolutely no way that he had made one.

He did, but this was the final product. Ha! His teachers said that he was not a fan of the paint on his hands at all. I love it because it is so Andrew. All of the others look like the one above, but I love this one the best!

Here is his pumpkin.

Speaking of pumpkins, we tried to carve one again this year. As you can imagine, the whole "I don't want my hands dirty" thing makes this impossible for Andrew. He did enjoy tapping the spoons.

He tapped the pumpkin goo but absolutely refused to touch/play with it. We will try again next year!

My 30th Birthday

This week Amelia turned one month old, Jacob/Caroline became full term, and I turned 30! Joey planned a surprise birthday party for me at Olive Garden. My boys also gave me a diamond charm to add to my slide bracelet! Friends at Olive Garden:

Andrew stuffed his face! He loved the black olives. Here he is slurping some of Joey's pasta.

John and Amy: Sweet friends from church:

College friends:

I love this picture of the Moore family. Ellie made me a precious card on a purple (my favorite) sheet of paper.

My two favorite people in the whole world:

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Homecoming Weekend and Baby News

Something happened this weekend that NEVER happens-Joey was off the entire weekend! It was wonderful! We got to spend so much time together. On Saturday, we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. This is by far Andrew's favorite restaurant. He had pancakes, bacon, cheese eggs, and hashbrown casserole. Joey and I were both amazed at how much he was able to eat.

Reading a book while we wait on our food:
Getting some love from Dada in the store:

After breakfast, we went to campus to look at all of the homecoming decorations. Because my sorority is building a new house, I wanted to take Andrew by the house that I lived in during my college days.

Of course, I thought that ADPi had the best lawn decoration!

Our family in front of the ADPi house:

Joey's favorite decoration was in front of the Kappa house. The faces of the coaches were impressive.

Next, we went to look at the Walk of Champions. Joey and I have been here several times, but we have never shown it to our little buddy before.

Sippy cup break on the Walk of Champions:

Then, we showed Andrew the statues of famous Alabama coaches. I like this picture of my boys looking at Saban.

Here is our family in front of Saban. I am 35 weeks and 4 days pregnant here.Stallings statue:

Bryant statue:

Saturday night, Joey and I went to the game while Andrew stayed home with a babysitter. We both hate leaving our little guy, but it is good for us to have some alone time. In the year 2011, we got a babysitter to go out for New Year's and one other time for a Sunday School party. Other than that, we always do things as a family of three. It is so strange to be out without Andrew. Maybe when he is older we will have an easier time leaving him. For now, we would just all rather be together.

On Sunday, we went to church and out to lunch with some friends. We all took Sunday afternoon naps. Joey worked in the yard, and then we played outside in Andrew's car. This car was a gift from the O'Harra family, and he uses it all of the time.

He has finally started to realize that he is supposed to put his hands on the steering wheel.

This car is so much fun!

On a totally different note, I am now going for weekly visits for Jacob/Caroline. I am having A LOT of Braxton Hicks contractions. I did not have any with Andrew, so this is very new for me. However, I am not dilated. The Braxton Hicks are strong and high, so I think that I am in labor each day. Then, they go away. This baby will be full term on October 18th (my 30th birthday) so I do not want to meet him/her before that! After several appointments of not gaining/losing weight, I did finally gain a pound at my last appointment. I was not concerned about the weight since I have plenty of extra pounds right now, but it sure did make my mama feel better!