Father's Day with the Kershaws

The day after the wedding we packed up and headed to Peoria to spend Father's Day with the Kershaw family. I was not feeling well -- mostly from not drinkng enough water the day before (I think). So, I ended up taking a nap once we got to Peoria while everyone else went down to play in the pool. It seems as though Eva eventually warmed up to the idea of swimming, at least for a bit. We also got to meet the new addition to the family, Bailey, Trevor and Ashley's dog. I was seriously lacking in the picture taking category and did not get a single picture of the the kids with the dog, but they were very excited to see her. Maybe too excited. Eva was a bit out of sorts from the chaos, but all in all it was a successful afternoon.

New Big Girl Bed

We have been slowly changing Evalee's room to accommodate our new baby room. As luck would have it, my mom's boss had some bedroom furniture she wanted to find a good home for and we were more than happy to take it off her hands.

Unfortunately, she seems to be missing her old bed/getting jealous of the new room already. Ever since I unpacked some of the baby stuff and we set up the crib in the new room, Evalee's been playing in there several times every day. I'm hoping she's getting it out of her system now and the jealousy will subside by October!

We didn't have time to put sheets on before the maiden nap.

Putting her baby to bed.

Getting together a little ambience for her baby with the swing music.

Playing in the exersaucer again. Ridiculous.

She was so, so excited to see her new Toy Story bed.

She kept saying, "Woo-Woo!! (Woody)"

Her new desk and hutch (the hardware is a work in progress.

Her new dresser.

Little Miss Flower Girl

The magical weekend of Abby and Ian's wedding descended upon us. I was so excited for my best friend's big day and yet had so much anxiety about my overactive toddler's flower girl duties. Travis had to work the night of the rehearsal, so Evalee and I drove down Friday afternoon and got settled into the hotel room before the rehearsal. The wedding site was gorgeous -- on the front lawn of Monmouth College. We rehearsed, Evalee ran around like a mad woman (thus beginning my stress a bit, as we were surrounded by large rocks and highways), and then we were off to dinner. As luck would have it, Evalee had perhaps one of her most energetic spurts ever as we gathered at the country club for dinner. She darted in between people and out to the greens (even stole someone's golf club and tried to make off with his cart. He assured me that he thought it was cute) as I wistfully counted down the seconds until Travis would arrive to help me keep her corralled. She decided to pass on dinner and instead ate lots and lots of ice out of a cup, entertaining our table companions and making me rub my forehead in disapproval.  The energy spurt didn't stop there, of course, and it was well after 11 p.m. before we finally convinced her to sleep. We didn't get the greatest night's sleep, as Eva slept in the King sized bed with us and took to head butting or kicking her sister in my belly all night long. We were exasperated before the day even began.

I then left Travis and Eva to get my hair done with the rest of the bridesmaids. We had fun talking and being girls. It was so good to be with Abby and Amanda for an entire day again -- it felt like going home.  The bridesmaids then spent the day in a house rented on campus, getting ready and taking pictures. Travis and Eva joined us in hopes of napping upstairs, but that of course did not happen. We got some fun pictures in while the effects of Eva's lack of sleep slowly started to kick in. And then the rain came.

We could all see the nasty black clouds coming at us in the distance, but we all made believe that they wouldn't mean much. Perhaps we'd get a shower and then it'd be nice and cool for the ceremony. Meanwhile, the red flashing "storm warning" on a fellow bridesmaid's phone and an anxious call to the weather center at the station revealed otherwise. We made a break for the building nearby the wedding to wait the rain out. That's when Grandma, Grandpa, and the iPad arrived to help us out with our little ball of impatience, thank goodness. Once we realized the rain was not going to let up in time for the ceremony, the wedding was moved inside. It was chaos for a while, but then in the end the wedding went on. By some stroke of miracle Evalee walked down the aisle all the way to me on the stage and stayed with me for a few minutes before quietly leaving to sit with our family. The wedding was almost as beautiful as the bride.

While the wedding was underway, the college staff was trying desperately to piece the reception tent back together from the wave of storms that came through. The tent had blown side ways, crashing all the decorations off the tables and simply making a mess of things. They did a great job putting Humpty Dumpty back together again, and everyone began to settle in for dinner with the next round of clouds showed up. This time we were directed into two nearby buildings. I, being pregnant and very, very low on blood sugar, opted to take my chances and fill a plate with food before following the distressed crowd inside. We watched in horror as the storm blew through. Luckily, Ian picked some amazing and dedicated guys to be groomsmen who braved the downpour to run gifts inside, save the cake, and bring the waiting crowds some beer :). Dinner ended up being served in the cafeteria, so we made due by pushing tables together and scraping up some decorations from the wedding. People were wet and laughing and having a good time. It was not at all what Abby had planned for their big day, but it was beautiful in a whole new way.

Unfortunately with all the craziness of the day, my picture taking was lacking. Here are a few of the ones we managed to snap:

Making Abby and Ian's card with careful precision.

The rehearsal

Two of my favorite people in the world.

Miss Pouty Pants

This hands-on-the-hips attitude accurately describes her that day.

Loving summer

After the first couple of weeks where we were getting into the swing of things, this summer has really been a lot of fun. Evalee and I are trying to make the most of every day, playing outside in the backyard, going to the park, trying (and failing) to enjoy the splash park, taking trips to the zoo, and still keeping up with our favorites: watching movies, putting together puzzles, and eating popsicles. There are still days where naptime is a big fight, but it's getting easier and easier to get her to lay down. Her vocabulary is growing every day, and she is getting easier to understand on a nearly daily basis. We've been getting the baby's room ready lately, and she has enjoyed the room makeover. I think she thinks it's another room for her because she loves to play in there now. It's getting closer and closer to being ready for our little girl to arrive. My goal is to have most everything in order before school starts. It will be hectic enough as it is...we have a pretty jam-packed fall already! We also have to make new daycare arrangements, which has me stressing on unearthly levels if I sit and think about it for more than a couple of minutes at a time. So, the room is readying now :).

Speaking of the baby, she has definitely been making herself known in last couple of weeks. She loves to wiggle around late at night and serve as a pillow for her big sister. I'm hoping both of these facts change themselves once she's here :).

Making rainy day cookies with Mom.

The only way she'll brush her teeth well is if Travis does it with her.

Adding her own touches to her sister's room.

She sure loves Daddy's tools.

Feeding her baby during her morning cartoons.

Her favorite at the dry part of the splash park. It spins and spins and spins.

Too cool.

This is about as close as we've gotten to the water at the splash park.

A particularly beautiful nap hair day

Saying "Yee haw!" like Jessy at the zoo

Enjoying her toast (untoasted bread) as Toy Story, no doubt.

I grabbed this Connect 4 at a yard sale because it's a family favorite and we don't have it. Evalee loooves to put checkers in and dump them out.

I took this picture because I felt like she looked old this day.

21 week check up

This morning I went in for our 21 week check up. I was looking forward to going in so I could talk to Rita about the placenta previa and the cramps I've been having. I weighed in at the same weight I've been since week 10, which is good. The nurse found that little heart beat in an instant this time, which was good. It was rocking steady in the 150 bpm range, as usual. Once I got to see Rita, we talked for a while about how I've been feeling and the cramps I've been having in the afternoon. She was a little more concerned about them than I anticipated her being. She reminded me that the baby will be viable in less than 3 weeks and asked me to call her if the cramps started getting more intense. She gave me a list of vitamins she wants me to take in addition to my prenatal vitamin to hopefully lessen/end the cramping and boost the baby's neuro development. She also ordered another ultrasound for Wednesday to check to see if the placenta has irritated my cervix  or if I have a short cervix. I'm not sure at the moment what a positive result of either of these findings would entail, but bed rest is a possibility, which seems impossible for my life at the moment. I'll definitely be anxious to go in on Wednesday and get some more information!

placenta previa

When we got home, I had a message on my phone to call my midwife. I found out the the ultra sound had detected that I have a partial placenta previa, which basically means the placenta is currently partially blocking my cervix instead of being where it is supposed to be, much higher in the uterus. At this point, it's nothing to be concerned with and the placenta often moves up to where it is supposed to be on its own with no problem. However, if it does not move it may mean I will have to get a C-section and it could bring a risk of pre-term labor. It also brings a risk of bleeding during pregnancy, which could lead to more serious problems in the third trimester if things don't work themselves out. Basically I'm supposed to be very watchful for any bleeding and take it as easy as possible for a while. Lynn, the nurse, assures me it's nothing to concern myself about at this point.  Little does she know who I am... :) Anyway, I go back in to see Rita on Monday and we will talk about it more then. I will probably have another sonogram in a few weeks to see if things are changing. Until then, all we can do is wait!

Big Monday

The day had finally arrived this morning -- the day we'd get to see our little baby again and hopefully find out the gender. My big girl packed a purse full of fun things to do while we were there and carried it on her own tiny little shoulder to the car. It was so, so cute. Our friend Julie the ultrasound tech had advised us to request that our ultrasound be at 20 weeks instead of 18 because everything is a little more developed and the gender is much easier to see. Unfortunately Julie was not our tech this morning, but it all worked out because the lady we had was very nice as well. I felt like the room could feel my sigh of relief when I saw that little black spot blinking -- the happy, healthy little heart saying, "Look at me!" Because the baby was in such a good position at the start, we decided to check for the gender first. Those legs were spread wide, and before the tech could even say anything Travis said, "It's a girl!" We stared at Evalee's "proof" ultrasound shot so often, Travis knew exactly what to look for. She said, "Yes it is! Impressive!" Evalee sat like such a big girl with her Daddy while the tech went through with the rest of the sonogram. She was a little concerned when she thought the tech was hurting her Mama. She marched right over with her finger pointed and said, "NO!" I thought she was being a brat for her father at first, but once we saw what she was doing we had to laugh. I assured her that she was just tickling Mama's tummy, but she kept her eagle eyes on for the rest of the appointment.

Unfortunately our day did not end on that high note. We decided to make an appointment for Evalee to get her ears checked due to her behavior lately. (Another post, another day). I was so, so proud of the big girl she was up until that point of the day. She even let me run a couple errands between appointments with no tantrums or whining. When we pulled up to the doctor's office, she walked in, she played in the waiting room, she was polite to the other kids there. When they called her name, my big girl took my hand and walked back to her room all by herself (usually I have to drag her screaming at this point). She did not cry when the nurse came in and only whined quietly when she took her temperature in her ear. She played while waiting for the doctor with her Buzz Lightyear she packed, being brave but flinching every time she heard the click of a doorknob. She did cry when the doctor looked in her ears and in her throat, but she didn't hit him or kick him so I was still considering the visit a success. And then he said the words I had been dreading: I think I want some blood work and a strep screen. Noooooo was all I could think. She broke down into hysteria during his finger prick - not because of the prick but because the nurse was trying to hold the cotton ball on her finger to stop the bleeding afterwards. She cried until snot ran while she swabbed her throat. She screamed during the waiting period to get the results back, attempting to figure out how to get the doors open to escape. A sucker from the desk did help a bit. But eventually she wore herself out enough to just lay her head on my shoulder. The results showed that she has some sort of virus that has raised her white blood cell count and a minor ear infection. She passed out in the car before we drove the few blocks to Walgreens to get her prescription. Here's hoping she feels back to her self by the end of the week!

My two-year-old being a two-year-old

Sooo things have not been as smooth as I hoped they would be since we got out of school. Evalee has not wanted to nap, to put it nicely. Nap time at Judy's is usually between 12:30 and 1, so that's what I've tried to stick with. We start settling down around 12:30, and on average it has taken until about 3 p.m. to get her to sleep. She fights, she cries, she kicks the wall. If I sit with her, she stares at me and talks. If I leave her be, she gets out of bed and plays or starts breaking down the gate keeping her in.  On a few occasions, I gave up and let her go without a nap. This resulted in her hitting a wall around 6 p.m. where everything made her throw herself on the ground in frustration. Then, as if nap time isn't hard enough, bedtime is also tricky. She's been crying through her usual 9 p.m. bedtime and falling asleep finally around 10 p.m. and then getting up before 6 a.m., a good hour or more before usual. And she never needs to catch up on the sleep. It never evens itself out. It's been very hard and frustrating, to say the least. I am really hoping we get some normalcy back soon, because Mama and Daddy are tired!!

there you are...

I've been very impatiently waiting for this baby to give me a little "here I am" wiggle. The nurse made the comment that I should be feeling movement "any day now" over a month ago, and all the books and such you read say that you feel movement so much sooner the second time. So I waited. And waited. And worried a little. And then a little more. And then waited. And then finally, there it was.
I thought I felt a little bit of moving around when we were visiting Adam and Molly. And then every day this week, usually around 9 or 10 p.m., there it is. A little wiggle. :) Travis even got to feel it a bit the other night. Travis assures me the little movements are just a sign that we are having the most relaxed baby in the world this time. Here's hoping, world. :)

First days of summer and birthday celebrations

We officially kicked off the last summer we'll have with only one child last Wednesday. With all of the chaos that May is at school with senior nights and grad parties and all that hoopla, Eva was starting to feel a little bit left behind by her mama. This resulted in a daily heart breaking round of peeling her off me to go to work in the last few days, so boy was I relieved to finally be able to tell her, "It's you and me all day today, kiddo." The first few days she didn't seem to believe me and was still very clingy and cried a lot, but by the weekend it seems I had convinced her it was true.
We headed down South for Alexander and Amelia's birthday party a day early. As soon as we started to walk inside the house, Eva started to excitedly say, "Alex? Alex?" It was fun to see her so excited to see her cousin. Though I'm sorry to say, she may have been even more excited to see Briggs. I just have to laugh remembering how Briggs was the first thing I had ever seen her be legitimately afraid of. You'd have never known it based on how much she wanted to go visit him in the garage or the backyard. Unfortunately it was pretty stinkin' hot out, so we had to convince her to stay inside until the heat of the day was just a tad bit behind us. Eventually the kids played, Aunt Ashley and Uncle Trevor arrived, Grandma and Papa came over for pizza, and everyone had a good time. Aunt Molly and I had lots of fun getting the cakes ready for the party the next day!
There was a little worry about the party being really hot, but luckily we had such a nice breeze it was a great afternoon to be outside. Alex was so excited to open his presents. It made me think about how I can't wait until Evalee understands the excitement surrounding her birthday as well! He was pretty excited about this fireman dress up gift he got until his daddy brought out the gator he got as a gift from his parents. Oh the excitement amongst all the little people! Everyone wanted to ride (drive)! Eva did her best to keep up with all the other kids, and she did a pretty good job, I think. Travis and I were both impressed with how well she played with others. After a bath (which probably should have just been a hose down with how gross our daughter was by the end of the day) we headed home so Travis could work on Monday. It was a great weekend, and it was great to see my favorite nephew and niece on their special day!