Interview with Macey: Age 5

My blog posts have been seriously lacking. I should probably just make this a private journal of sorts, but anyway...here's our annual interview with Macey, who turned 5 this month!

(Mom's notes in parentheses.)

What's your favorite color? Pink (No surprise there!)

What's your favorite animal? Ponies

What's your favorite food? Chicken nuggets (Also last year's favorite!)

What's your favorite movie? Frozen

What's your favorite song? Let It Go

What's your favorite TV show? Sofia the First (Also last year's favorite, I believe.)

Where's your favorite place? Disney World (She visited for the first time this year and loved it!)

Who's your best friend? Wilder

Who's your favorite princess? Rapunzel

What's your favorite restaurant? Burger King (This cracks me up because I cannot even remember the last time she's been there. If she had said Chick-fil-A, I wouldn't have batted an eye, but Burger King?! No idea.)

What's your favorite drink? Lemonade

What's your favorite toy? Elsa and Anna dolls (As you can probably tell, Frozen's a big deal at our house.)

What's your favorite game? Puzzles

Leap of Faith: New Experience

After reading through this and seeing my before and after photos, I'd love for you to check out my Nerium site at emilyjoy.nerium.com.  

Just last week, I did something I never thought I'd do. Ever. In a million years. I partnered with Nerium International to share and sell their anti-aging product. Something like this is way out of my comfort zone, but I just couldn't pass it up for a few reasons.

1) The product is simple. Just a day cream and a night cream. Easy enough, right?

2) The product works. My mom received a sample from a friend, and one day during her seven-day trial, she came over. When she walked in my kitchen, I looked at her and said, "Your skin looks brighter. Is it brighter?" She kind of laughed and said, "It's Nerium." I could see an actual difference in her overall skin tone. Then as I started to learn more about Nerium, I saw amazing before and after pictures of people I actually know. I've started using it on my face and hands, and I've been pretty blown away by two things. First, my hands have been an absolute wreck since our time in the hospital with Hayden because of the harsh soaps and constant hand washing. After using Nerium for less than a week, my hands don't have a single crack or dry spot. Secondly, the redness in my cheeks has reduced. I have naturally rosy cheeks, but not in a precious way, more like a bright red way, so I've appreciated the reduction in that extra pop of color. I'd prefer to let a nice shade a blush take care of that, thanks.

3) Of course, the opportunity to earn extra money is a plus. I work in nonprofit, which I absolutely love, but let's face it...I bet almost no one in the nonprofit arena has ever thought, "Wow--what should I do with all my money?" I'm hopeful partnering with this company will be a fun way to earn some extra income for my family.

4) I have a deep-rooted entrepreneurial spirit. And that kind of scares the crap out of me. I come from a family of self-employed people. My mom, dad, brother, aunt and a couple cousins all own their own businesses. I also like to say that my Nana wore pants and had a job long before women were supposed to do either of those things. Hard work is just not something we shy away from, but I've always been an employee. There's some safety and comfort in that. However, deep down I've always wondered about the possibility of doing something all on my own, and here it is.

My (embarrassing) before and after pictures:
In the first picture, you can really see the redness in the cheeks, especially on the left side, but that's noticeably reduced on the day seven photo. (I also obviously did a better job at sticking my chin out to look skinnier in the first photo, but that's really neither here nor there...)

Day 1

Day 7

I really wish you could feel my hands through the computer. That'd be weird. The difference in day one (sand paper) and day seven (baby smooth) is incredible.

Day 1

Day 7

Life after RSV

As I believe I've mentioned before, RSV sucks. Totally and completely sucks. But thankfully, I think I can confidently say that the worst is behind us. For 21 days, we sat in a hospital room watching and waiting. Three weeks of my newborn baby's life were just stolen from me by that awful, awful virus.

For the first two days, we didn't know if he'd survive. Not only did he survive, but he kicked booty the whole way and did things 100% his own way and in his own time. It'll be interesting to see if those weeks were indicative of what he'll be like as an older child, teenager and adult.

While I still sometimes feel guilt (what should I have done differently to prevent him from getting RSV), I mostly feel thankful. Thankful for God's grace and strength; thankful for the prayers of family, friends, acquaintances and strangers; thankful that our sweet boy is home, safe and sound.

In the coming weeks and months, while we're still in flu/RSV season, our main job is to keep Hayden well. While the doctor said he's not likely to actually get RSV again during this season, any other cold--no matter how minor--could be really hard on him because of everything his lungs just went through. We're basically keeping him totally away from groups of people. We can go outside on nice days (I'm all about the power of a little vitamin D!) and visit grandmas' houses as long as there aren't extra people over. We've also been washing our hands nonstop and making the kids change clothes when they get home from preschool. I've gone through at least one can of Lysol and one container of Clorox wipes since we've been home!

All this hibernation means Hayden will miss out on some of the fun things we take Macey and Easton to, but the good thing is he won't remember missing out and the grandmas LOVE having one-on-one time with that sweet baby.

Two Weeks

Today marks two weeks in the pediatric ICU with Hayden. I had some frustrations over the weekend just because as the weekend team of docs changed, I felt like we lost some communication in the shuffle, which led to less weaning off the ventilator. I suppose that happens sometimes though.

But that being said...today has been a good day! I feel like we're all on the same page, and moving toward getting my sweet boy off the vent this week. He's made such a huge improvement from this time two weeks ago, and I feel like we're soooooo close to getting the tube out.

Right now, we're mainly waiting on the CO2 to come down to an acceptable level. It's been coming down slowly but surely, and this week's lead doctor had a plan to help get that number down. He's tolerating the lowered rate settings on the vent, and they'll continue to lower the rate as long as his little body is OK with it. They've begun some of the little things they do when preparing for extubation--changing certain meds, different methods of feeding, etc.--so that's all pointing in the right direction.

I'm very, very confident that he'll do fabulously when he's off the vent. Of course, I have no medical credentials, but I am very happy with everything I can wrap my head around.

One thing is absolutely certain...hospitalization has NOT slowed down this kid's growth. He's gained a little more than a pound and at least an inch, but probably more. We just dressed him in a little 3-month outfit tonight...and it's almost too short!

Day 8...

Have I mentioned the roller coaster of emotions that come with battling RSV (and probably any other illness that brings children to the hospital)? Yeah, it happens.

This morning, I woke up a bit discouraged. After two or three days of Hayden staying quite comfortable, he was suddenly VERY unhappy. Last night around 10, his numbers started getting all out of whack. So much so that it took until about 12:30 for doctors and nurses to tweak vent settings and do a number of other things to get him comfortable again. Then when I woke up at approximately 4:11 a.m., a couple nurses were around him trying to come up with a plan because his IV had blown. This was so disappointing to hear. He endured multiple unsuccessful IV attempts in the ER and then an unsuccessful PICC line procedure. Before this morning, he  already had three IVs that had blown, so it broke my heart to think about him needing to go through all that again to get another IV.

Then I realized no IV meant he wasn't receiving any of his IV sedatives. I watched him nonstop because I just knew once the sedatives wore off, he'd wake up swinging...literally. I was afraid he'd knock the tube around or out. But no one was more surprised than me when the sedatives started wearing off and his sweet little eyes just started innocently looking around. Content as could be. And he stayed that way all day.

Even when they successfully got a new IV access point, they saw no need to continue IV meds. Yay! Now he's just getting low doses of different sedatives via his feeding tube. This is a great step because along with weaning from the vent, they also have to wean from the meds, but he did wonderfully all day without all of those anyway!

Also, this evening his vent settings were a bit lower and "beautiful" according to the doctors, and his CO2 gasses were much more acceptable. We're still not "aggressively weaning" from the vent, mostly just slowly tweaking, but I'm still happy about this progress.

What's Going On Today

Today has been a good day. This is not to say that we'll be out of here soon, but today has been a good day. As I've said before, I will gladly celebrate even the smallest of victories throughout this process!

I was a little nervous as we moved into the weekend because I knew we'd most likely get a new crew of docs and nurses. I was so happy with everyone during the week that I couldn't help but worry about whether or not I'd feel as at ease with the weekend nurses and the new group of doctors for the week. I'm thrilled to report that my worries were for nothing--everyone has been just as wonderful! I know I sound like a broken record, but I really can't say enough about the compassion and kindness we've felt from everyone. The nurses go above and beyond to not only make sure Hayden is comfortable and taken care of, but also to check on Greg and me. One of our sweet nurses does her best to fix his bed up as cute as possible every time she's with us. I can't wait to show her the new batch of blankets we brought last night so she can keep up the creative work! We've had nurses who have called up here, texted other nurses and sent Facebook messages just to touch base with us. That's a pretty amazing feeling!

Every day during the doctors' rounds we're invited to participate, and I pretty much have at least one question every time. I've never once felt intimidated or nervous about chatting it up with the group. They've always ready, willing and able to not only answer my questions, but answer them in a way that I fully understand what they're telling me.

About Hayden's progress...soon (as in tonight or tomorrow) we're going to start weaning him from the vent. Now that his CO2 levels are within normal limits (HUGE blessing!) we can start the this slow and steady process. We want to go as slowly as his body needs, and there's no way to pinpoint how long that could take. The last thing we'd want is to move too quickly and risk the chance of him needed to be put back on the ventilator!

Right now, he looks super precious in his bed all decked out with a Tigers blanket. I mean, it is game day, so we had to fix him up right! I got to hold him yesterday and today, which was so, so nice. I hadn't held my sweet boy since Monday. If you're a momma, I know you understand how hard that would be. I offered to just hold him until it was time to leave the hospital, but they didn't think that was the best idea. Weird.

Let's see...what else? Continue to pray for patience, encouragement and most of all--Hayden's healing. His chest X-rays are improving each day, so we want that to continue. There are some other minor issues that they expect to resolve themselves once the vent is removed, so please keep that in your prayers, as well. Overall, I'm very pleased with the direction we're headed. No matter how small, each improvement moves up one step closer to home.

My PSA about RSV

Let me start off by clearly stating that I am in no way, shape or form a medical professional. I mean, I've learned a lot in the past week, but I don't think the doctors would be willing to let me make rounds with them or anything. But as a momma, I want WAY more people to understand the severity of RSV.

I went through Hayden's story that brought us here to the pediatric ICU in an earlier post, and as you can see from that--our symptoms started out very harmless. We went from a normal, runny nose/watery eyes situation to seeing our one-month old rushed around a hospital gasping for breaths in less than 48 hours. Not cool.

During our time here, we've talked a lot about the lack of education on RSV. As a mom, I've heard of it and knew the basics but never in a million years did I realize that a perfectly normal, otherwise healthy, full-term baby could end up this sick. And I don't think I'm alone because we've had more than one person come visit and immediately get choked up and say something along the lines of, "I had no idea he was this sick." I purposely haven't posted any pictures of Hayden anywhere because his current state just breaks my heart. I only want positive photos, so I might bombard all my social media outlets once he's a happy baby ready to go home! But like those visitors, I had no idea he could get this sick.

Even so, every single nurse, doctor, respiratory therapist, etc. has told us how common RSV is. And time and time again, we've heard how incredibly serious it is. They do not take this lightly, and we're immensely thankful to have LeBonheur and their amazing medical teams taking care of our sweet boy.

So back to RSV and it's royal suckiness...it's SCARY! And at this point, contrary to some rumors out there, there is no vaccine against it. We've asked during our time here and have learned that there are so many evil strains of this virus (some worse than others) that there's simply not one vaccine that could adequately protect babies. Apparently there are some vaccines that are administered for high-risk babies in hopes that it will lessen the chances of contracting RSV, but nothing for the general population of otherwise healthy babies on a regular schedule of vaccinations.

What can you do to protect your baby? To me (again--not a medical professional) this is kind of the scary part. You can certainly help keep your baby safe by washing hands, making sure people wash their hands before holding your baby, keeping them away from smokers and keeping them away from people with colds, BUT to the average older child or adult, RSV is just a common cold. A simple cold may seem totally harmless, but you could have RSV. In fact, I most likely have RSV right now. But I'm just coughing and sneezing, not laying in a precious tiny hospital bed with a ventilator supporting my every breath.

Also, you can be contagious with RSV for up to 48 hours without even showing the first symptom! Once we get home, Hayden will still be a little sick. RSV is often a two-month virus, so he'll basically be in a bubble until RSV season is over! Maybe until he's like 16, I'm not sure yet.

I wish that parents having baby during RSV season were given more information about the virus in the hospital after the baby's born. Like I've mentioned before, I've always been a hand washer, and our kids wash their hands, but I've never been overly worrisome about germs. Yeah, that's over. Now I'm officially a germaphobe!

Oh and also--just a little side note--the hand sanitizer you probably use regularly (like I do) only kills bacteria germs, not viral germs. So it's really doing nothing to protect against viruses like RSV. Only hand washing with soap and water or the super awesome hospital-grade sanitizer will kill both types of germs. I never knew that!

I don't know if this will be helpful or not, but I'm hoping it's good info for someone. One nurse told me that during RSV/flu season, about half of the babies in ICU are RSV cases, and she can only hope that each parent tells at least one person about how serious and common it is.

Day Five

Day five. Wow. At least I think it's Friday, right? Yeah, it is. Today is our fifth day, which seems so strange. In some ways, I feel like we just walked through the doors, but in other ways I feel like we've been here for weeks. Let's just say, overall, I feel a little too "at home." It's only taken less than a week for me to fall into a morning routine, but that's probably no surprise to the people who know me. If I had a reason to make a to-do list, I probably would have already done that, too. It's weird though, never once have I felt "bored." Even if I literally just sit in this chair and watch his numbers for an hour, I never feel bored. I guess there is just constantly something on my mind, whether it's big stuff (like Hayden issues) or minor stuff (like I'm running out of my tinted moisturizer). There's just always something. Oh, and I can feel myself rambling a lot...kind of like this paragraph of random information. Let's move on to a Hayden update...

Overall, he had a pretty good night last night. Nothing has changed for the worse and there have been no major setbacks, so that's good. But sometimes it's a bummer when I realize there are no major improvements. However, the logical side of me knows and totally understands this is a slow but steady process that will simply have to take as much time as Hayden's body needs. But the momma side of me gets sad or disappointed about some things--depending on how strong I'm feeling at the moment.

He's still intubated and most likely will be for at least another two days. Could be longer. They tried to lower the vent settings a tiny bit yesterday, but they brought them back up because he was once again just trying too hard to compete with the vent. That's one of those things that I knew to expect, but was still a bummer.

Lately he's been getting pretty irritated with the poor nurses whenever they suction out stuff from his lungs...so mad that his heart rate is dropping very low and taking a while to bring back up. I do not like that. At all. Even though I know he'll bring it back up, it is really scary to hear the alarm go off and watch his numbers flash in red because they're way too low. I hold my breath the whole time until I see happy, normal numbers again. But despite that scary drop, he must have the gunk suctioned! It's part of this process, and we so don't want all that staff just hanging out in his lungs. I've said from pretty early on in his little life that he's an opinionated baby, so I think he just wants to let them know that he's not cool with what they're doing.

Really I feel like this might be a pretty uninteresting post because I'm not so sure that it includes any big changes, but this is just kind of where we are right now...waiting, watching, praying.

While I was sleeping last night, one of the amazing nurses who has been with us a few times now did a little more work on his bed to give it another new look. I love how much they all care about the smallest details to put a smile on our faces. They build a little "nest" of rolled up blankets to keep them really cozy, and she used one of my comfy, soft t-shirts and one of his blankets to make his current nest. Hopefully he can tell it's my shirt, so it will feel like we're cuddling!

Another thing about being in the ICU...I don't know if this is true for all parents, but I constantly feel guilty about something, and I need to just let that go. When I'm here, I feel guilty about not being with Macey and Easton. Then I left for a couple hours on Wednesday evening to see them, and I felt guilty for not being with Hayden. When I sleep, I'm thrilled to get some rest, but then I wake up and feel guilty for having missed out on any details that happened through the night. I seriously need to get over it because really, ain't nobody got time for guilt trippin'. We have plenty of other things to focus on!

Updates for Today and Some Things I've Learned about ICU

I certainly understand what people mean when they say hospital stays are a roller coaster of emotions. Thankfully, today has been a good day, but last night was a bad night.

Once Hayden was intubated yesterday evening, he was resting very comfortably because they'd given him a paralytic medicine to keep him completely still during the procedure. Once that wore off, little man was MAD. Even though he was heavily sedated, he was fighting. (Momma was kind of proud of the tough little guy!)

Basically, the vent was giving him breaths, but he kept trying to "breathe over" the machine. For every one breath the vent gave, he was giving two. He was taking in too much oxygen and couldn't expel the necessary amounts of CO2. So, even while intubated, he was breathing very fast and retracting quite a bit. All of that caused his numbers to get out way out of whack (blood pressure, blood gasses, respiratory rate, heart rate, etc.) Not good.

They ended up giving him another dose of the paralytic, so he was once again medically paralyzed for a short time (less than an hour) while his body really rested and chilled out. Since then, they've found Hayden's happy place in regards to the right sedatives and the right amounts, so he's been a chill little guy all day. This is very good! Right now, he needs to let that vent work hard so his body can completely focus on the healing of his lungs. Currently, all of his numbers are good. He's still heavily sedated, and he'll stay that way while intubated, but we're so pleased with his progress today.

On the flip side, his lungs are worse. This sounds scary, but it was completely expected. We've been told all along that with RSV, they typically get sicker before getting better, so we're hopeful today was his peak, then he'll start moving toward recovery soon. His lungs are just full of junk, but they're able to suction that out much easier with the tube. That, along with rest and some other things, will help his lungs begin to clear up.

If his next round of blood gasses test shows continued improvement (numbers are very good right now) they'll begin the process of weaning the vent tomorrow. That certainly doesn't necessarily mean he'll be off the vent soon because they'll be slow and deliberate about how much his body can handle, but that will definitely be a step in the right direction.

Some (random) things I've learned in my short time as a momma with a baby in pediatric ICU:

• You kind of become a germaphobe. I'm all about washing hands and whatnot, but I've never been overly worrisome about germs. I feel like that is soooo about to change in my world! Just last night, I was changing clothes here in the hospital, and I had paper towels all down on the floor so my bare feet wouldn't touch the floor. True story.
• You have an immediate sense of solidarity for other families here. Of course, that's mostly because we're all here for young ones in our lives we're very worried about, but I think it's also because we all look like absolute crap most of the time. Nothing more humbling than chatting it up with a stranger when you haven't showered in at least a day and can't quite remember whether or not your teeth have been brushed.
• You learn enough medical jargon to get yourself in trouble. I feel like I know way more than I do, so I'm always asking questions about this or that, and I bet the sweet nurses are thinking, "I wish she'd just quit trying to do my job for me." Thankfully, they're all way too kind to ever actually say that, but I wouldn't blame them for thinking about it. 

Please continue to pray for our sweet boy and the other families here with their own babies. I'm fortunate to know my little man has a very, very, very good chance of a full recovery, but other families aren't looking at the same future. Pray for God's grace, peace and the understanding only He can provide.

Here's a sweet snowflake Macey sent for her little brother today:

RSV...You Suck

I really hate that my first post after the wonderful news of Hayden's arrival has to be such a crappy one, but this will help me process things and also document details for my own memory.

Hayden, our sweet, precious one-month old, has RSV. Currently, we're sitting in an ICU room at LeBonheur Children's Medical Center, as he breathes rapidly with the support of something that's a step above a regular oxygen tank. It's no fun. In fact, it's pretty terrible.

It's hard to watch him struggle to breathe. It's hard to listen to his rapid breaths. It's hard to not fully understand what's going on, but I know we're making progress. Also, I know the Lord is watching over us every second, and He is ultimately in control.

I suppose all of this really began on Saturday, when he had a runny nose and watery eyes. But he was still his alert, normal self--eating with no problems, being content when awake and sleeping normally. On Sunday morning, he sounded more congested, but nothing alarming. As the day went on, he began to eat less and less, and when we did coax him to eat a bit, it was almost immediately spit up. He didn't sleep at all on Sunday night; he was so congested and uncomfortable. Monday morning, he began breathing rapidly, running fever, and he also threw up a bunch of phlegm and gunk. I was waiting at the doctor's office when they opened. Our pediatrician listened to him for a minute and sent us immediately to LeBonheur.

When we got here to the ER, things moved VERY quickly, which was simultaneously comforting and terrifying. We never waited for a second in the ER, which as you know isn't the norm, so we knew they were taking his condition very seriously.

After the initial workup in the ER, which included a lot of tests that were hard on my sweet boy, we were moved to the pediatric ICU where we have been ever since. The current debate is whether or not he'll need to be intubated. Basically, he's at the point that he's just getting worn out, which makes it difficult for him to maintain such rapid breaths for such a long time. Poor boy is just exhausted, which keeps his heart rate high. It's kind of like a vicious cycle of vitals that all need to work together. He's not out of the woods yet, but he is expected to make a full recovery...it'll just take time.

Today, we're prayerful for more answers, and, of course, improvement and healing for Hayden's body.

Specific prayer requests:

• Comfort for Hayden. His temp has been up and down, which affects his heart rate, which affects his breathing (see the cycle?) and ultimately can make him very uncomfortable.
• For Hayden to be well enough to eat. My little hoss is HUNGRY. He hasn't eaten a full bottle since sometime Sunday, and he's a big ol' boy who's not used to skipping a single meal. However, it's currently just not safe for him to eat because his chances of intubation are high.
• For a good result on his renal ultrasound. This is kind of secondary to everything else going on, but he's had blood in his urine, which is apparently pretty uncommon for a boy, so they want to get a look at his kidneys. Could be nothing.
• For Macey and Easton to not get too homesick/mommy sick. I haven't left the hospital--not sure when/if I will--and I know it'll be hard for all of us to be apart. Greg went home for a bit last night and saw them, and they're in very good hands with grandparents, but it's still tough to be so out of routine.
• For patience for all of the adults in his life...we know he's making progress, but it's tough to have a sick baby. He's got a lot of folks who love him and are praying for him! We just get a little antsy.

Our Newest Baby

Hayden Gregory Joyner

December 19, 2013 at 12:44 p.m.

8 pounds, 3 ounces

20 inches long

We are so very proud of our precious boy! Today was such a wonderful day! Our Hayden arrived, and the excitement of learning the gender upon delivery did not disappointment. It was so fun! I think the docs and nurses thought it was fun, too, because it seemed like everyone was pretty excited for the big reveal in the operating room. Macey and Easton love him, and Macey already wants to hold him absolutely as much as possible. Thankfully, she's really great at it, so I know she'll be a huge helper! Easton is a proud big brother and especially loves Hayden's dark hair. I am so thankful for the prayers and positive thoughts from family and friends today. It couldn't have gone more perfect, and I totally felt the support from everyone!

39 Weeks

How Far Along: 39 weeks! TOMORROW is baby day!!!!!!

Baby is the size of: A watermelon. Yesterday, the lovely ladies in my office started a pool to guess gender, weight and length. The guesses for weight are ranging anywhere between 6 pounds 15 ounces to 10 pounds 2 ounces. I'm hoping for somewhere right in the middle.


Total weight gain: Right at 40 pounds. Could have done better, but it could have been much worse. I'm just thankful the holiday season arrived at the end of my pregnancy. I've eaten more goodies lately than any person should!

Sleep: Not great this week, but oh well. Last night, I felt like I was starting to get sick (both kids are sick at our house right now) so I took some Tylenol for the headache and sore throat...it never even crossed my mind that the medicine would help with my achy hips/back while I was sleeping, but it sure did! I actually slept very good last night.

Symptoms: Hmmm...still waddling around like a duck as this baby drops lower and lower. I was just telling Greg this morning that even if we didn't have a c-section scheduled tomorrow, I bet the baby would be here soon because my Braxton Hicks contractions have become more intense and I've started feeling pretty crampy off and on.

Movement: Still rolling with the homies in there--not as many hard kicks/jabs.

Maternity Clothes: All of them...except I did buy some super comfy fleece pants at Target last weekend that I've been wearing a lot!

Go-to eats: Just sugar of any kind. It's ridiculous. I'm like freakin' Buddy the Elf.

Best moment of the week: Watching Macey pull off the next to last number from our Baby Countdown calendar. She was so excited to see that we'll meet this baby TOMORROW.

Gender: I just don't know. For the record, the consensus at the office is boy, and I'm usually thinking boy, but sometimes...sometimes I think about a sweet baby Sadie.

What I’m looking forward to: TOMORROW, duh! Oh, I can't wait!

Just for fun...

A friend at work asked my guess for the baby's weight and height, and I thought that was a fun thing to think about!

My official guess is 8 pounds, 10 ounces and 21 inches long.

Here's the rundown for Macey and Easton:
M ( born at 39 weeks): 7 pounds even and 20 inches

E (born at 40 weeks): 8 pounds 6 ounces and 21.5 inches

38 Weeks

How Far Along: 38 weeks! We are eight days away from meeting this sweet baby! Unbelievable...

Baby is the size of: A pumpkin. That just sounds ridiculous...have you ever seen a baby come out as round as a pumpkin? As per usual, I think at this point all the various baby websites should say, "Your guess is as good as mine!" when it comes to the weight because my favorite site says, "anywhere from 6.2 to 9.2 pounds." Quite a range. Probably around 20-ish inches.

Sleep: Pretty good! Except for Saturday night. I went to bed and was fast asleep by 8:30 p.m. (hallelujah!), BUT I was wide awake for the day at about 3:30 a.m. Ridiculous. I just got up, cleaned the kitchen and watched about 74 episodes of Say Yes to the Dress until Greg woke up, too.

Symptoms: My belly gets in the way often these days. At my check-up this week, all was well. No dilation yet, but things are thinning and the head is lower, so even if a c-section wasn't scheduled for next week, we'd probably be meeting our sweet baby soon.

Movement: Definitely different now. Baby is getting big and running out of room. I still feel him/her every day, but it's obvious when baby's probably sleeping because there's no movement, then during wake-up time I can feel rolls and stretches, not so much kicks.

Maternity Clothes: As much as I love maternity clothes (I could wear stretchy jeans for the rest of my life), I'm kind of tired of my options. I'm sure all pregnant women feel like this toward the end, but nothing ever fits just right, and I've worn it all a million times. Oh well, I'd sacrifice fashion for a precious baby any day!

Go-to eats: I haven't been as hungry lately; I guess the baby's taking up so much room that my stomach can't get too full. However, I still just want sweets 24/7. I'm crossing my fingers that will subside soon!

Best moment of the week: Not baby-related, but over the weekend we were able to go to Breakfast with Santa at Cedar Hill Farms, and it was AMAZING. The kids loved it, and the entire breakfast was so well done. It was a really awesome morning.

Gender: I'm still on the boy train, but we shall see soon! Although this week, both kids have been saying it's a "Sadie Marie," so they're thinking girl now!

What I’m looking forward to: Hmmm...we have a few family festivities coming up this week/weekend, which are always fun. Plus, the kids' Christmas program at school is Friday, and I cannot wait for that! It was so precious last year when Macey was in it, and it'll be even more fun this year with both of the kids up there singing their little hearts out. In the baby realm, I'm excited for the weekend because it'll be our very last weekend as a family of just four. :-)

37 Weeks

How Far Along: 37 weeks! As of tomorrow, we're exactly two weeks away (or less) from meeting Baby J. At this week's check-up, the c-section was officially scheduled for December 19 at noon. Macey's c-section was at noon, too, so these two could end up being born at the same time. Wouldn't that be crazy? Her official entrance into the world was 12:39 p.m.

No matter what, this baby just can't decide to show up before Friday night because my dad and brother are out of town until then!

Baby is the size of: A winter melon. Basically, at this point, I think babies sizes must range a ton because every website says something different. Let's just say, Baby J's probably at least 19-20 inches and at least 6 1/2 pounds! From here on out, baby will just keep packing on the weight at a rate of about 1/2 an ounce each day. Oh, how I love a chubby baby!

Sleep: The past couple nights have been great, especially last night. I had a prenatal massage yesterday afternoon, and last night was the first night in a couple months that my hips haven't ached as I was trying to fall asleep. I'm counting down the days until I can sleep on my stomach again. How heavenly that day will be...

Symptoms: Definitely rocking the pregnant lady waddle, which isn't surprising given the baby's low position. As of Monday's check-up, I still hadn't started dilating, but the baby's position is even lower. I guess right now everything is just pretty typical...daily Braxton Hicks contractions, achy hips, pretty sleepy in the evenings...

Movement: Still pretty active little thing! But these days I feel more wiggles and rolls than actual jabs and kicks.

Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity clothes. My favorites lately are leggings with baggy t-shirts!

Go-to eats: I haven't been as hungry lately; I guess the baby's taking up so much room that my stomach can't get too full.

Best moment of the week: Making a little baby countdown calendar for the kids. They take turns each day removing a number, and as of today we're 15 days away! It's a fun way for them to be involved, and I think it's especially helping Macey comprehend how much time is left a little more. I also packed my hospital bag over the weekend, which is always exciting. It's funny how much changes--I packed so much less for me and baby than when I was having my first!

Gender: I'm back on the boy train, but we shall see soon!

What I’m looking forward to: This isn't baby-related, but I'm really excited about this weekend because we have breakfast with Santa plans. The kids are so looking forward to it, and I am, too! I just hope this ridiculous ice storm they're predicting doesn't come to pass. I mean really, who has time for ice all over the roads?

Things That Make Me a Terrible Southerner

I am Southern through and through. Born and raised in Memphis, TN--and I love it here. I spent a summer living in NYC while in college, and while it was amazing, even then I knew I probably could never make it my home. Although it has some serious flaws, I love the South.

That being said, there are some major things that make me a terrible Southerner...

• I won't drink tea. Sweet or unsweet, ice or no ice...it's disgusting. Of course (like a good Southern lady), I can pretend to like it and politely sip if it's the only option at a bridal shower or something, but ugh...just yuck.
• I despise bacon. I know, I know...but seriously, even the smell grosses me out.
• Apple pie? Disgusting. Really, in my opinion, all pie is gross except the chocolate fudge pie I make. And really the main reason I like that is because it's a lot like fudge (delicious) in a graham cracker crust, not a traditional pie crust.
• You won't ever catch me hanging out in the woods. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the beautiful Earth God gave us, and I can take a day at the farm to visit some animals, but you'll most likely never catch me living too far away from a Target or going hunting. Basically, if something happens and we have to suddenly survive on our own out in the woods, I'll probably just immediately stop living. 

However, I don't think the Council of Southern Living* will take away my Southern status card or anything because I can say y'all and bless your heart with the best of them. Plus, as you can see, most of the things I associate with being purely Southern are food-related, and this ol' girl has no problem with a good home-cooked meal.

*I just made up the Council of Southern Living. I don't think it's a real thing, but now I'm thinking it should be.

36 Weeks

How Far Along: 36 weeks! Ahhhh...tomorrow we're exactly three weeks (or less) from meeting this sweet baby. At my check-up on Monday, my doctor turned in the paperwork for the c-section to be scheduled on December 19, so I'm in total countdown mode!

Baby is the size of: A honeydew melon, which is what the websites said last week. Anywho. Somewhere in the 5 pound range and probably close to 19 inches long. Who knows...it seems like every week the websites all contradict each other, but I'm still thinking this is a long baby!

Sleep: Better this past week! I guess we've all been tired because we've all been snoozing pretty hard around our house, but--of course--I have at least three bathroom breaks throughout the night! It's getting harder and harder to roll out of bed with allllll this belly in the way.

Symptoms: Getting tired earlier in the evening, and I'm definitely feeling the need to stay organized. I wouldn't necessarily say I'm "nesting," but I feel a strong urge to leave work each day completely caught up, and I've been wanting to stay on top of laundry and a clean kitchen way more than usual.

Movement: The movement has definitely changed, so I can tell baby is running out of room. At my check-up, my doctor said the head is quite low (I believe it) and he/she's in position, so I think there is just no more room for the karate kicks and jabs. I still feel movement, it's just different these days.

Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity clothes. My favorites lately are leggings with baggy t-shirts!

Go-to eats: I did great on cutting back on sweets last week...but we're talking about this week, and it's all downhill from here.

Best moment of the week: My check-up! Even though they're pretty quick and boring these days, I love hearing the heartbeat and getting that reassurance that all is well. Plus, each appointment is just one step closer to delivery!

Gender: I'm back on the boy train, but we shall see soon!

What I’m looking forward to: The holidays! Greg and I are both about to have four full days off work at home with the kiddos, and I'm so excited to decorate for Christmas after our Thanksgiving festivities. It's going to be fun/weird to have a fifth stocking on the mantle. I bought a "Baby's First Christmas" stocking last week, and I can't wait to see it hanging up with the rest of them! I'm also considering packing my hospital bag this weekend. Baby's is all packed up and ready, and I have a list started for mine...

35 Weeks

How Far Along: 35 weeks (tomorrow)

Baby is the size of: A honeydew melon. About 20 inches long and around 5 to 5.5 pounds. I'm putting my money on longer than 20 inches, but that's just me!

Sleep: Lacking. But right now, my thoughts on this topic are a little skewed because Baby J and I went to the Justin Timberlake concert last night. We didn't get home until 1:30 a.m., so I'm exhausted in every way possible.

Symptoms: Sleepy. And I get hot way too easily! I'm definitely enjoying these cooler temperatures.

Movement: We still have an active baby, but I feel like he/she must be getting pretty settled in its head-down position because the movements are less all over the place.

Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity clothes, but my favorite clothes are my comfy lounging and/or work out clothes.

Go-to eats: As per usual, I'm cutting back on sweets, BUT this week (which means yesterday and today), I've had none. That's no small feat for me and this sweet tooth!

Best moment of the week: The baby shower, hosted by three very good friends, was absolutely perfect. It's pretty amazing to have so many people who love this precious baby already!

Gender: Your guess is as good as mine...I just have no inkling of an idea these days.

What I’m looking forward to: First and foremost, going to bed tonight. Baby-related excitement would have to be next week's check-up. I love getting updates from the doctor!

Baby's First Concert

Last night, Baby J and I went to a concert with some great friends...and thousands of other folks. Yep, we did it up right for baby's first concert. None other than Justin Timberlake! Such an awesome show, but oh how sleepy I am today.

34 Weeks

How Far Along: 34 weeks...So if you're keeping count, we're now just five weeks and one day away from Baby J's arrival!

Baby is the size of: A butternut squash. Anywhere between 4.5 and 5.5 pounds and around 19 inches long. I had a check-up on Monday (all is well) and was really hoping for an ultrasound to get a size estimate, but no such luck.

Sleep: Well, this isn't baby-related, but poor Easton has been sick since Saturday, so sleep has been lacking for both Greg and me. Poor kid just hasn't been resting well, but I'm hopeful that he's on the road to recovery so sleep will be better in the coming days. Crossing my fingers that he didn't pass anything on to me...momma really doesn't have time for strep throat right now.

Symptoms: Hungry a lot...what else is new?

Movement: LOTS. It's funny, at this point he/she definitely seems to have regular wake and sleep times because I feel so much movement in the morning and in the late evening, but then just mild movement during the time in between. When Baby J gets to going, my stomach looks alien-like because it's all over the place! At my check-up on Monday, my doctor said baby has turned head down and dropped lower.

Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity clothes, but my favorite clothes are my comfy lounging and/or work out clothes.

Go-to eats: Right now, nothing in particular. I'm attempting to cut back on sweets--ha.

Best moment of the week: Hearing that the baby has dropped lower. Not that it really matters because it'll most likely be a scheduled c-section, but it was still exciting to hear that baby's doing what it's supposed to!

Gender: At this point, I really, really don't know. I've been team blue all along, but sometimes I imagine a baby girl.

What I’m looking forward to: Definitely excited about the baby shower this weekend! And I'm really looking forward to me and this (rather large) baby bump jamming at the Justin Timberlake concert next Monday!