How Far Along:    38 Weeks Size of baby:   Ellie is the size of a pumpkin...which I'm totally believing today! Total Weight Gain/Loss:   I'm still losing weight, although I read somewhere that this is normal.  Maternity Clothes:  YOU BET!!  Even these are getting a little short in the mid-section.   Gender:   It's a girl...Elizabeth Victoria Watson!!! Movement: Her movement has slowed drastically over the past few days.  I can usually get her to move a bit if I eat something spicy or sugary.  I guess she's just resting up for her gran entrance into this world!   Sleep:  Eli has been waking up again, but is easy to get back down. Of course I'm up a lot to pee, but I've been taking 30 minute power naps before I pick up Eli.  They seem to be helping!! What I miss:  Diet Coke, of course...and finding a comfortable position! Cravings:  Nothing really. Symptoms :  Well...

It's funny what you forgot about your children.  I barely remember Eli's obsession with Elmo, but at the time it was such a huge part of our lives that I thought I would never forget.  It's weird how that happens.  Anyway, I don't want to forget the whole dinosaur crazy.  In case you couldn't tell, Eli is obcessed with dinosaurs.  We litarly have tons of them.  It's a treat to stop by the Dollar Store to get a new one.  In fact, that may or may not be our bribery to sleep.   I'm actually really impressed with Eli's ability to identify the dinosaur species.  He knows all the major dinosaurs as well as which one are carnivores and which ones are herbivores. He says he wants to be a paleontologist.  We'll see. Either way, I attribute a lot of this to Dinosaur Train and the five billion dino books we check out weekly from the library. 

If you've even skimmed this blog recently, you know that I'v been a little behind the curve when it comes to baby preparations.  However, you'll be glad to know that I have recently checked a few things off the list! For example, I've gone a little overboard planning and preparing for my maternity leave.  The poor fill-in host  is probably ready to hyperventilate at the sight of my "notebook" full of Type A information...basically overkill! I have also packed Ellie's bag for the hospital.  Yay!  The inside looks like pink through up, and there are enough bows to clothe the chorus line of My Fair Lady, but hey, I'm excited! I've been writing up a storm...thank you letters!  We are so blessed to have a so many wonderful people blessing our sweet girl with gifts. I'm in the process of getting stuff together for taxes.  BLAH!!!  It's just one of those things we have to get done before our sweet bundle arrives! Other than t...

This is going to be another post with lots of words and no pictures.  It just takes such a great effort to get stuff loaded off the camera, and I would rather write.  Plus, it's sort of calming for me right now since I'm a basket full of emotions. Today makes one week until we meet our precious daughter.  That means only one week left of constant heartburn, waddling like a duck, lower back pain, pelvic pressure, and uncomfortable contractions. It also means only one week left as a family of three.  Only one week left of devoting all of my attention to one child.  Only one week left of Mommy/Eli dates. Only one week left of afternoons spent with just the two of us. Only one week left of falling asleep next to my precious boy. Only one week of this fleeting season that has been so beautiful, so challenging, and so rewarding all at the same time. There is only one week left until the winds of change begin to blow for our family, and to be honest, that terrifi...

It's finally Friday, and for some reason I swear that I can hear The Halleluah Chorus playing in background.  Can I get an AMEN?  Ha! I haven't had a contraction all day which is just amazing considering my level of discomfort for much of the week.  I'm also nearly done with preparing for my maternity leave.  I'm awaiting about 3 phone calls before I tie up a few lose ends and bail out.  That's right, this time next week I'll be heading home to do one last deep cleaning before Ellie arrives. Can we talk about that for a minute?  Does anyone know if you're supposed to pack towels to the hospital? I know that's a weird question, especially for second time mommas, but I seriously can not remember!! Gosh...so may weird things you forget!

So, yesterday I talked about getting caught up on this blog which means you're probably wondering how the heck, I got so far behind...OKAY, maybe not, but let's talk. 1. Life lately has been both ordinarily boring and insanely busy at the same time. 2. Let's talk about ordinarily boring.  We've kept our same little routine of work, chores, trips to the library, and family nights at home - not so exciting, but blessed nonetheless! 3. We've also had the added responsibility of getting ready for Ellie.  You know the drill - weekly doctor's visits, getting baby stuff out of the attic, installing the car seat, preparing for maternity leave, finishing a few projects for Eli's room, and trying to stay caught up on everything "just in case."  Throw in two baby showers, two sinus infections, Fat Tuesday, and Valentine's Day, and a few visits from family...now you have blissful chaos. 4. Please, don't think all this activity around the Watson...

Ya'll, has it really been TWO WHOLE weeks since I last blogged?  Really, is that even possible?  I don't think I've ever taken a break this long, and to be honest it was completely unintended.  I guess life just sort of happened, and I got so caught up in it that I forgot to document the journey. I suppose on the one hand it's a good thing.  On the other hand, I blog to document our life (the good, the bad and the ugly) So I really need to do some major backtracking.  My goal is to do two posts a day until Ellie makes her debut.  One will keep you updated on our last few days as a family of three, and the other will be a catch up post from earlier this month.  Sorry in advance! So what are some of the topics, you ask? 1. Nursery Sneak Peek 2. Nesting 3.  Spring Fever 4. Work Shower 5. Mini Reunion 6. Fat Tuesday 7. 36 Weeks And A Few Goodies 8. Valentines Day 9. Taking It In That should bring us to today's item of busin...

We're in the homestretch now.  Ellie could literally arrive any day.  For the past few weeks I have been hoping it would go by really fast so that I could stop being so miserable, but now that it's upon us, the only think I want to do is soak up every possible moment with Eli.  That's why we went to the park this afternoon.  I'm so very grateful for the warmer temperature.  Snow would have been nice, but time with Eli is even better.  I know I say this often, but there is something about the park the makes me so sentimental.  It's always been "our thing" - mine and Eli's.  It's also something that comes and goes with the seasons which makes me keenly aware of how the seasons of our life will change.   We will likely not make it back to the park until fall since we'll have a bitty baby this spring.  By the time that season rolls around, out lives will have changed profoundly.  I know this only make sense to ...

Mom and Dad came down this weekend to help with the nursery.  There are no words.  They helped me clean out the closet and carry toys to the attic or crawlspace.  They also brought along these curtains Dad made which are part of their gift to Ellie. Mom helped me wash and put away the rest of Ellie's clothes while Dad started working on the paint.  He and Eric have a system when it comes to painting our house.  Dad cuts in while Eric rolls. It works out well. Mom ended up taking Eli to lunch, the bouncy houses and the toy store while we worked at home. After a quick lunch and a trip to Wal Mart we were ready for the last coat of paint.  Then we started to move everything back in. Now it's becoming so real. 

Eric and I aren't real big on Valentine's day.  I mean, we always acknowlege it by going to lunch.  Then he buys me a card and some candy, and we focus the rest of our attention on Eli.   I know that seems boring, but I'm not into flowers or gifts.  In fact, we only buy each other small gifts for Valentine's Day, birthdays and our anniversary.  We actually save all of our money and take a trip together once a year.  It's been one of the best decisions we've ever made.  All of that to say, we focused a lot on Eli yesterday.  After our little lunch date we stopped by Wal-Mart to buy him a Monster Truck truck.  He's really been wanting one, so he was thrilled when he opened it.  He was also thrilled to show off all of his candy from daycare.  The cards didn't impress him much.  I guess is love language is chocolate. Haha! Every year we have a special candlelight dinner in our dinning room.  ...

This little heartthrob has something to say: Happy Valentine's Day

Every year Eli's daycare has a little Valentine's Day Party.  This is really the first year that he's fully comprehended how it all works, so he was excited to pick out Dinosaur cards for friends. You have to fill them out to say - To: Friend / From: Eli.  I wrote all of this out, but he contributed by "coloring" on a few of them..  I have no idea what this is supposed to be, but he sure was excited.  I know it's such a small thing, but it's something I've always looked forward to doing as a mom.  I love that my time has finally arrived!

I guess this was the weekend for baby showers, because after all the fun at work on Friday, I was able to go to Nashville on Saturday for another shower and a mini reunion with some of my best friends from college.  I actually left a little early so that I could meet Sharese for lunch. As always we enjoyed Chili's.  It's one of my favorite restaurants, and since we don't have one in Bowling Green, it's the perfect spot. After catching up with Sharese, I headed to Brooke's house.  She organized a little mini reunion/ baby shower.  I'm not lying when I say that someone has to get married or get pregnant for us all to get together.  No matter the excuse, it's always fun.  In fact, Kristen drove in all the way from Augusta, Georgia.  We had dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, then we went back to Brooke's house for cakes, presents, and talking.  I know we're getting older because we were all in bed before 11:00 pm. Ha!  I als...

Despite my meltdown last week, work graciously hosted me a baby shower today.  One of my best friends, Carrie, arranged to have food catered from Griff's Deli.  She also make me this diaper cake. I'm not lying when I say that there were probably 100 diapers in there.  Plus, bathing goodies, shoes, toys, bibs, TONS of stuff. As always, my coworkers were so very generous, and I am so grateful!

The weather has been mild again this week, so we're taking full advantage by having some fun at the park.  Honestly, these above average temperatures have me a little concerned that we could be in for another insanely hot summer.   I guess a mild winter could also indicate a mild summer...let's hope. Either way, I'm not about to complain.  The weather is beautiful, it's perfect for fresh air, and it gives me an excuse to soak up the last few weeks of Eli as an only child. The only downside it lugging my pregnant belly around as I try to keep up with an active three year old. 

How Far Along:    35 Weeks Size of baby:   Ellie is the size of a coconut, although I bet she weighs more! Total Weight Gain/Loss:   I've gained exactly 10 lbs.  Can't say I'm too upset over that number. Maternity Clothes:   Same ole, Same ole.  I was cleaning out my closet the other night and daydreaming about the selection I'll have once I give birth!   Gender:   It's a girl...Elizabeth Victoria Watson!!! Movement:   She still let's me know she's in there, but she is certainly running out of room.  Sleep:  I'm happy to report that Eli is FINALLY sleeping through the night.  Can I get a  HALLELUJAH ?!?! What I miss:  HMM, let's see...Diet Coke!!  Also, I would love to walk without a waddle. Cravings:  Nothing really.  I guess I don't have much of an appetite these days! Symptoms :   I started having contractions on Saturday, and they've been getting more int...

Does life ever hand you a big does of humility?  Of course it does!  We've all fallen in front of someone we're trying to impress, sent the wrong text to the wrong person, or generally made a fool of ourselves, and while it's painful, it's those experiences that keep us grounded and help us grow.  I need to spill the beans about one those lessons in my own life, so grab a seat and enjoy the show.  I'm sure you recall my post last week about maternity leave.  Actually, if we're being honest...it was my last post.  In any case, I shared my thoughts on "losing" my maternity leave benefits.  I should have sorted through my emotions before making the decision to write.  Maybe next time I'll heed this advice.      As it stands, I made that last post in the midst of raw emotions.  (Ironically, I'm doing a Bible study by that same title)   What I didn't realize was that I wasn't "losing" my maternity leave.  I had ...

We don't really do the Lentil Season as a family.  However, we're always up for a good celebration which is why we look forward to Fat Tuesday.  I mean besides Thanksgiving, can you tell me of any other day it's completely acceptable to gorge yourself? Today after work I stopped by the Dollar Tree to pick up some Marti Gras beads.  Eli really didn't know what was going on, but he did have posing for me.  Eric made Jambalaya for dinner which was as amazing as it looks.  All was well in the Watson home tonight...even if we celebrated Fat Tuesday for all the wrong reasons. 

Over the holidays I pretty much put all baby prep on the back burner so that I could focus on making memories with Eli.  Then January came with all the sickness and travel, and I've been so busy that I haven't gotten much ready. I don't know if it's nesting or panic mode, but I got a sudden burst of energy this week and I've been a bust bee cleaning out closets, organizing drawers, washing little PINK blankets, and trying to find a place for all of Eli's toys.  I know it's sorta weird to take closet pictures, but I don't know that I'll ever see it this clean again.  Might as well document it...right?