Cousins

Before-baby-gets-here-to-do-list

      Baby Jones is officially 18 weeks old. This pregnancy is flying by!  We are nearing the half way point, and will find out the gender in 16 days.  I'm so ready to know! 

    Realizing we are close to half way,  I feel the pressure.   I still have soooooo much to do before this baby gets here!   So today I'm sharing my before-baby-gets-here-to-do-list.  Several of the things on my list are fun little "I wanna do" things, but totally not necessary. 

    June and July are gonna be super busy months especially at church. We'll have youth revival,  I'll be helping some with VBS (although I'm not teaching so that'll help free up some time), we hope to go camping sometime (but haven't scheduled anything), and I'm directing a little play at church this summer.  After July though things should slow way down and hopefully I'll accomplish my list. 

     So if you are a little bored today and are wanting a little something to read, without further ado, here's the list:

Before-baby-gets-here-to-do-list

  1.       Change spare room into Kendall’s room

--this one is huge!  I should rename our spare room to the dump room!   I started cleaning out closets a few weeks ago and took 6 garbage bags of clothes and stuff to Goodwill.  That was a good start but there's still a lot of random stuff(2 printers, filing cabinet, CD's, etc.) in there that we use that will have to be moved somewhere else.  And some furniture that we'll have to get rid of.  Then it'll have to be painted, and Kendall's stuff moved in.  

 

2.      Update Nursery--We will just have to switch out a few little things.  

3.       To Buy--there shouldn't be too much to buy.  I have saved EVERYTHING from Kendall and all of our big baby stuff was gender neutral!

a.       Crib--Kendall is not ready for a big girl bed yet!

b.      Sound machine

c.       Extra Camera for monitor--I can't imagine not being able to see Kendall at night!

d.      Humidifier

e.      If it’s a boy

                             i.      Clothes

                             ii.      Bibs

                             iii.      Burp Clothes

                             iv.      Blankets

f.         Double Stroller

g.      Monthly Numbers

4.        Wash New Born clothes

5.       Stock up on

a.       Diapers

b.      Wipes

c.        Laundry Detergent--I like to use the over-priced baby detergent while they are still little!  

6.        Pre-Register at Hospital--Didn't happen with Kendall since she was a little early.  Hopefully, it'll get done this time.

7.       Bassinet Banner

8.       Burlap Sign

9.       Pick Baby Name--I want to start calling this baby something other than this baby!

10.   Thank You Cards

11.   Must have hospital pictures--I hope to have a list of pictures I want taken, so I don't forget :).

12.   Read Photography Book--To up my skills with the new camera :)

13.   Hospital Favor--For Kendall I had made Candy Bars with a cute wrapper in lieu of cigars.  Not necessary, but I hope to make something for this baby also.

14.   Baby Announcement--These can't be totally made, but I can have a start on them.

15.   Pack my hospital bag

16.   Pack baby bag for hospital

a.       Coming Home Outfit

17.   Pack Kendall’s Bag

18.   Get Baby Items out of Storage and clean

a.       Swing

b.      Bassinet

c.       Car seat

d.      Bottles

e.      Swaddles

19.    Check Batteries

 

20.    Install Car Seat

21.   Prepare Freezer Meals

22.   Deep Clean House

23.   Register with Pediatrician Office

24.   Buy some maternity clothes--hope to get this done sooner than later :).  For Kendall I needed Winter clothes, this time I need Summer clothes.  

25.   Scripture List for Delievery

26.   Kendall something special for hospital

27.   Order new Nursing Cover

28.   Order Carseat cover

29.   Order Hospital gown--I had a cute little gown I wore after I had Kendall.  I'd like one more.  Not necessary, just cute for pictures.  (Did you all realize I'm this shallow?)

30.  Nurse Gifts--A small thank you for excellent care.  :)

Any suggestions on what I'm forgetting?

 

 

Dollywood

A few weeks ago we made another Dolly Wood trip with our good friends the Garretts. The Kendall girl had a crazy fun time and we were all pooped out by the end of the day! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Yeah, we're going to Dollywood!  3 Carseats make for a tight squeeze!

Dirt won't hurt

 

     Michael got most of our garden planted a few weekends ago.  It was a beautiful day so Kendall and I decided to spend the time outside with him.  I hauled a bucket of water out with all kinds of toys for her to play with.  That lasted all of 5 seconds then the girl was off crawling and exploring. 

 And just for the record, I was vetoing the whole crawling through the clumpy dirt garden but her dad said to let her, "Dirt won't hurt".  So there you go, and it didn't hurt her.  (I'm not real convinced that it helped though).  :)
 

Fall Creek Falls

Woohoo!  2 posts in 1 week.  I'm aiming for 3 so stay tuned.  :)

    I wanted to share these pictures before they got forever lost on the hard drive.  They are actually from several weeks ago.  One weekend we decided to take a mini trip out to Fall Creek Falls state park.   We only stayed for a couple of hours but had just drove out to check out the campground.  We hope to go back sometime soon for a camping trip. 

 Michael felt the need to document the trunk diaper change so I thought I might as well share it.  

    We hiked to 1 waterfall.  I use the term hike loosely because it was only like .25 of a mile.  It did involve climbing down some good size rocks though.  I was slightly disappointed that we could get closer to the waterfall than this.  However, when we go back we'll hike to the other waterfalls.   

 

 We also "hiked" to the suspension bridge.  That thing was huge.  And it terrified me.  I didn't make it all the away across. 

 And finally some pictures of the girl and me...because I realize she is the star of this show!

Mother's Day, K Update, and Baby Update

I've got big plans to catch up on blogging this week.  :)  We'll see how that goes.

We had a great Mother's Day weekend.  Saturday we went out with my mom and family and ate dinner at Chuys.  How can you beat yummy food and a good time?

Sunday Morning, we had service at our church, which was very busy but refreshing.  I made crafts with my sweet Sunday School kids.  I loved how they turned out.  Of course the ideas were all off of pinterest.    We also had to take care of the Mother's Day giveaways at church.

That afternoon we grabbed a quick lunch and headed down to spend the afternoon with Michael's parents, and attended the evening service at their church.

I am so thankful for the privilege of being a mom.  I love spending my days with my little girl.  I'm also thankful for my mom and mother-in-law.  The Lord knows just what we need.


I know my last post was all about Kendall but it seems like she has matured so much in the last week or so.  And stopped the world....she is starting to walk.  She won't be entering any relays in the near future but she is walking short distances.  She's still super unsteady and shaky.  She walked all over my in-laws living room Sunday afternoon.  Today she hasn't been quite as brave.  She's added two words to her vocabulary: doggie and Barney, maybe my least 2 favorite things in the world  :).  She doesn't talk a ton but will throw a  word out when we are least expecting it.  She has carried a purse around the house nonstop for the last week.  She might end up girly yet.  She's been giving me a ton of kisses today, which I love!

I took her for her 15 month appointment this morning.  The nurse always asks 900 questions about where she is developmentally.   Is it sad, I was disappointed that I had to answer no to one of her questions:  Does she identify 2 or more body parts?  I felt like the loser mom.  (And for the record, we talk about her body parts all the time!)  Comparison is a nerve racking thing! I know she is fine developmentally, just that one little thing got to me.  Silly I know, (Also for the record, I'm already over it).  :)

Her current stats: 
    Weight 23 lbs 1 oz (70%)
     Length 31 Inches (55%)
    Head Circumference 19.1 (98%)


Things with the new baby are still going great and uneventful.  I'll be 16 weeks tomorrow.  Our anatomy ultrasound is scheduled for June 12.  Over the last week, I've been able to feel the baby moving, which I love! Without any morning sickness, feeling the baby is helping me to remember that I am pregnant.  :)