Ryan's date with Gramma

Ryan got to go on her special one on one date with Gramma!
She was so excited she wanted to wear a "fancy" dress.

She got fancy nails to match.

Pollyanna's Baby Shower

My wonderful friend Kellie threw Polly a baby shower.
She went above and beyond and Polly got a ton of great stuff!

I am so lucky to have such a wonderful support system and friendships! Pollyanna is already so loved by so many!

36 weeks with Polly

More cousin time!

Lots of visits from cousins this week!  My Aunt Debbie, cousin Drennan and his daughter Aralyn came to Dallas for the weekend and we got to meet them for dinner at The Rainforest Cafe. The three girls had a blast together and I had fun catching up with my family.  Aralyn was born one month after Ryan.  I wish we lived closer because all three girls really enjoyed each other.

Swimming in March

Ryan's first friend sleepover

Ryan got invited to spend the night with her friend Jillian from school.  I was a little hesitant to say yes, but after talking to Chris we agreed we would let her give it a try.  She was so excited and counted down the days.  This is a picture that Jillian's mom sent me with the text below describing the picture.

It's time for a play loosely based on Frozen, in which St. George III (played by Meredith) presides over the coronation of Queen Sally (Mirabel), while Sally's sister, Princess Elizabeth (Jillian) and her royal cat (Ryan) celebrate. 

 Ryan made it all night and had a great time.  They stayed up until midnight (that is the latest that Ryan has even stayed up!).  I got choked up when I dropped her off and didn't sleep so great worrying about her and missing her, but I survived too!  Pea Pie was ticked that she didn't get a sleepover so she slept with us as a consolation prize.

Fashion Sense

Emma is my wild child.  She has been referred to as Punky Brewseter with her funky outift choices.  She definitely marches to the beat of her own drum!

This was a day that Grandpa got Emma ready and took her to school.
Outfit by Emma, Grandpa approved!

Doesn't she look ready for tee-ball practice?

TBT#72

Early 2011- when I was learning how to juggle two babies!

Girls First Sleepover!

My cousin Tiffany and three of her four kids came to visit us from Colorado.  Ryan and Emma had a blast with their cousins, especially Lily!  They actually swam at Mamaw's house (in the freezing pool)!  And, the best part was they got to have Lily spend the night.  It was their first sleepover! And, on a school night!  We make special exceptions when cousins come to visit.  The girls did great.  We went and cheered on Chris at his bubble soccer game and then the girls came home and played for a bit.  I got them in bed at 10 and it only took me about 15 minutes to get them all to sleep.  They slept all night too!  Such fun!

Snuggling Polly and Mommy

Emma loves to feel Polly move and she loves to be tickled and snuggled. I love it all.  She spends a lot of time on my lap these days. I can't get enough.  Emma is my youngest for 16 more days. Sweet baby.

"Tendin' " and "Trickin' "

AKA: pretending and tricking

Emma's two things she says and does a lot.

"I'n just 'tendin'"

"I'n just trickin'"

And don't hurt yourself. Cause it might "blooded".

Yeehaw!

It was Western Wear day for kindergartners at Hill. Ryan looked so cute in her western get up that I wanted to take a picture of her. I told her to stop and pose for me and she immediately threw up her lasso! This girl is too cute!

Feeling ready for PJ!

With just 3 weeks to go I am trying to savor every last moment of this pregnancy.  The good, the bad,  and the uncomfortable! I LOVE all the movement lately. Polly is a busy girl and I enjoy every kick and punch I get, even at 3 am. I even enjoy her hiccups! She is also getting big and taking up all of the room in my abdomen.  This is leading to frequent heartburn, trips to the bathroom, some shortness of breath and discomfort/anxiousness on my train rides home from work.  I worked a ton this week and we also had a lot of evening activities: dance, theater, talent show try outs, Hill open house, bubble soccer game.....  All of this has me pretty worn down and ready for the weekend and less work.  Three weeks from tomorrow I get to meet my newest love.  The next few weeks will fly by, I have 6 more days of work total and a handful of activities I want to be a part of for Ryan and Emma before Miss Pollyanna's scheduled arrival.  I do plan on resting more and slowing down to prepare for the special day and the precious weeks I will get to spend with all THREE of my girls and Chris.

TBT#71

2010- the Munch

Ryan's Kindergarten Open House

We got to go to our first elementary open house at Hill.  It was so neat to see all of the hard work that Ryan has been doing this year.  I didn't bring the camera, and was totally absorbed in the moment so I failed to photograph any of it, but there were many impressive things we saw.  She had a book report, a writing journal, a math notebook and some history writing on Abe Lincoln and George Washington.  We also got to take home a silhouette of her profile, super cool!  One of the things that made me so proud was what Ryan is  "known for" in her class.  Mrs. Hoelscher had made little signs with a picture and a blurb about each kid.  For instance one little boy in Ryan's class loves sharks so he was known for being "the shark lover".  Ryan is known for "being a good friend to everyone".  One of the things that I am most proud of her for. Not only is she smart and cute, but she is inclusive and kind. Keep up the good work, Ry Pie!  We are so proud of you!

Parent observation at dance

We got a sneak peek at the girls dance class and upcoming dance they will perform at their spring recital. Mamaw, Pa and Aunt Krishia also came to watch!

Pollyanna with 23 days to grow....

Pollyanna Jane got another scan this week and she looked great. She scored her 8/8 in the first 3 minutes, then we got to have some fun with the 3D/4D function.  She kept her hands up by her face a lot of the time but we got a few good glimpses of her precious features. She apparently did a full flip and is now positioned still in head down but with feet on the opposite side.  I am pretty sure she did this big flip Saturday night.  It was intense and even Emma saw the huge movement! I also woke up in the middle of the night Saturday freezing and shivering. It lasted about 30 minutes and Chris was at work so I just buried down in the covers until it stopped.  I freaked myself out because the last time I had the chills like that was when I got that horrible infection after having Emma and ended up in the ER and then the hospital for 2 weeks.  I didn't feel like I had a fever this time, I was just very, very cold.  I also got alarmed because I couldn't get Polly to move at all.  I started freaking myself out imagining that the huge flip/movement she had done before I went to bed was her in distress.  Needless to say, I didn't sleep well the rest of the night after I got warm again.  I got up at 6 am and ate a bite and drank some water and finally she moved.  I was so relieved! I let the doctor know about all of this at my appointment and she seemed slightly concerned about the chills but thought it could have been a surge of hormones.  Since Polly looked and sounded good she was not too concerned.  She just asked that I call her if it happens again and to make sure that I take my temperature. Hoping that was a one time occurrence! At my appointment this week I also signed consents for my tubal ligation.  This aroused more emotions than I anticipated! I love being pregnant.  Imagining this experience being over in 23 days and NEVER having it again makes me emotional!  Dr. J said she will ask me again before the C-section and then one more time after she gets Polly out.. I can only imagine how hard it will be for me not to change my mind after seeing this beautiful girl in person!

Spring break daddy/daughter camping trip!

Chris took the girls on a Spring Break camping trip and a great time was had by all.  At 8.5 months pregnant I sat this one out and stayed home to work and rest.  From the looks of these pictures the girls had a great time and made some awesome memories with their daddy.

TBT#70

March 2011- my little leprechaun

Sweetest thing ever

I came home from work today and Chris showed me the art work that Ryan made today. What a lucky baby girl Pollyanna is to already be so loved by her big sisters.

Emma suddenly LOVES broccoli!

My girl who won't eat anything but carbs and sugar finally gave a vegetable a try! AND she liked it.  I asked Dr. Nussbaum at Emma's four year visit if I should be worried because Emma eats such a limited diet that is lacking in vegetables and fruits.  She told me not to force her to eat, but make her try one bite of a vegetable each night.  So, we started doing that and now she has decided she loves broccoli.  She even asks for it! Needless to say I have been buying and preparing a lot of broccoli!

Heartburn

I made it 8 months into this pregnancy before it hit. I thought I was in the clear, but I was wrong. I am grateful that I only have a little over a month to go, unlike the heartburn that I got with Emma very early on.  Until delivery I will chomping these like Pez candies at bedtime.

Saturday Morning Wake Up Crew

In full effect!

TBT#69

2009- Gran and Ryan