Unpacking the Heart

Well, we all survived our first week without help. By "without help" I mean just mommy, the kiddos and the dog.  Daddy went back to work, Nene has been home and back to work for a while now. Shew.  It was a rough one, y'all.  Matthew not only went back to work, but he had meetings every night this past week, plus a rehearsal dinner/wedding this weekend.  So Friday night he stayed overnight 2.5 hours away where the wedding was held, which means Mommy was flying solo.  On the upside, Drew slept long enough for me to give Elliott a bath, put her down and for me to take a shower, but on the other hand, he didn't sleep much the rest of the night.  And as if that wasn't crazy enough, I got the kids up, dressed, and mostly fed and we made the drive to attend the wedding as well.  I left the house 45 minutes later than planned, but we made it. Mama was worn out, y'all.  Matthew let me sleep last night and I got up this morning and managed to get everyone ...

This is such a bittersweet time.  Being a second time mom I think I understand that better than with Elliott.  I want to pause every second and soak up these snuggles and sweet moments with this tiny, squishy baby, but at the same time I am so ready for him to be above birth weight and for him to get a little bigger so that I know that he is growing and thriving.  I am ready for him to be in 0-3 month clothing because seriously, I didn't get much by way of newborn stuff because I knew that he wouldn't be in it long...but then I had a teeny tiny baby.  I am having to o his tiny load of laundry...a lot.  lol.  It is also bittersweet because these are the last few days of having my husband home to help me figure out this two kiddo thing.  I have really enjoyed having him home and getting to spend uninterrupted time with him.  He has informed me that next week it is game over and the schedule is more than crazy. Drew is doing great.  We go back...

There is so much that I want to say and so much that I want to remember about this last week (ish).  I may have to do several posts as this hormonal post partum mommy is still a hot mess.  lol.  BTW - some of this post may be TMI or may make you uncomfortable....just a warning Last Wednesday Matthew, Elliott and I traveled to Shelbyville to stay with my parents.  I was scheduled for a c-section at 6 am on Thursday morning, which means we had to arrive at the hospital at 4am, which means we had to leave my parents house around 3:15am.  I was thrilled about that. I didn't have to wait around all day and get anxious about it and by the time all of our family got up that morning and got ready baby boy would be here and they could all come meet him.  I had started into contractions again early that Wednesday morning and the three hour drive only made them worse.  I was a mess.  Finally, that evening they eased off again and I was able to get a little...

I am unsure where to start with this post.  I have had such a flood of emotion today (not to mention that I am incredibly tired) that I am unsure that I can even put the thoughts together....but I'm going to try.  I will, of course, continue the blog after baby boy is born, but this is the last post while being pregnant with Baby D. Friday evening I began having contractions.  They were pretty far apart (15-20 minutes) but were fairly strong.  I went to bed thinking that I could drive myself crazy worrying about it, so I tried to sleep and figured either I would have to get up cause "it was time" or I would wake up and time them again later.  Turns out that I got little to no sleep that night because the contractions kept coming at about 15 minutes and Elliott couldn't sleep because she had developed a snotty nose.  :(  It was a rough night for sure.  I continued to have contractions all day Saturday and I thought for sure that Baby D was coming...

So, if I make it two more weeks I will be totally shocked.  lol.  We went to the high risk OB on Monday.  My regular one was out for a conference.  (I hope she is back...lol).  The visit actually went pretty well.  They checked my A1c again and it was still perfect!  And the grumpy old man asked me if I had "scheduled a date yet" and I told him no, that we were planning to go ahead with the VBAC as of now.  He didn't really like that response, but he had no medical reason to disagree, so he didn't.  So we are still due the 9th, if he hasn't arrived by then, he will be evicted on the 10th.  I honestly don't think I am going to make it that long. This week the contractions have increased somewhat and I am pretty sure he has "dropped".  I have carried him extremely low the entire pregnancy but I definitely felt things change.  Tonight began the "World Chicken Festival" here in downtown London.  It is crazy here, by the way....

This weeks dr appointments, were...interesting...to say the least.  I traveled to Louisville solo this week as Matthew was double booked with all day meetings.  I arrived at my regular OB's office early (shockingly) and was prepared to discuss my last real "anxiety" about this delivery process with her.  So as I wait on the table for her to enter the room, I am psyching myself up for the conversation.  She comes in and we exchange our usual greetings and pleasantries.  She asks about my last issue without me even prompting (that is how you know your doctor is awesome) and she of course reassures me and explains my options.  Then she sits down and looks at my chart.  She starts kind of reviewing things with me (which is strange) discussing past lab reports and comments on my bp reading from the other OB office last week (which was slightly elevated).  All the while I am sitting there, wondering where we were going with this....then she hits me with...

Shew.  One month (or less) until we meet our sweet boy.  The uncomfort level has definitely increased this week.  Baby D seems to constantly have the hiccups and one of his favorite pass times is rolling from one side to the other, which is incredibly painful.  He seems to be very laid back.   The hiccups don't seem to bother him and the only thing he really seems to dislike is anything pushing on him. ( I mean, I can't understand why he wouldn't like anything invading the tiny amount of space that he has in there...).  The ultrasound techs call him "stubborn" as he is always curled up in a ball and refuses to move and let them see everything that they need to see.  I prefer to think that he is just very laid back.  Sounds good....right? My trips to the doctors office are definitely taking their toll on me.  The long drive, the forever long ultrasounds laying flat on my back with the trainee techs, and the drive back are wreaking havoc on m...

Well, I feel like I am in the home stretch.  I have several friends who are also expecting/due around the same time as me, and those friends have begun delivering their little bundles.  It is always fun to see the pictures, but it is also like a countdown.  How many friends are left until it is my turn? So close! This week I have officially gotten the newborn clothing washed and put away.  I have found some of those essential items (rock and play, swing, pack and play...etc) and have gotten most of those washed and ready to go as well.  We have also been really neglecting unpacking our bedroom, mostly because we knew that it really only inconvenienced us, so we got more of that unpacked and can actually fit a pack and play in there now.  Elliott is becoming more and more aware of all of the "stuff" for baby boy.  She goes around, points and says "baby boy blanket", or "baby boy swing".  I hope she is still okay with all of it when he actually ge...

This last week has been highly emotional in oh so many ways.  Last Sunday we lost my sweet grandfather, my last living grandparent, and on Tuesday we not only had his visitation, but it was also my sweet girl's 2nd birthday.  Both of these events were completely bittersweet.  My grandfather had been ill for some time and now he is no longer suffering.  My Elliott is growing and is so much fun, but it is also somewhat sad to see each of these time markers pass.  Then also comes the realization that baby D's arrival is the next "big" event in our lives.  All of this has just created a whirlwind of emotions for me this week. We had a checkup for baby D this past Monday.  (Have I mentioned I am already at one a weeks?)  The checkup went fine almost to the point of not being worth the drive.  lol.  We didn't get any new information and they didn't make any changes to my plan of care.  We go again this next week for a growth ultrasound....

I absolutely cannot believe that my  sweet girl is two years old today!  Where has the time gone?  It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital, yet I cannot remember what life was like before her. We went in for her two year check up last Friday.  She weighed in at a whopping 23 pounds and 6 ounces and measured around 33 inches tall.  So petite!  Even though she is small, don't be fooled!  Any one who is around her for very long is incredibly surprised at how well she talks.  She uses 5 and 6 word sentences consistently and is great about communicating what she needs and what she wants.  She loves to sing and dance and can sing most of the words to many of the songs that she knows. Elliott loves anything that has music.  The tv shows that she gravitates towards are all music based - Wiggles, Little Einsteins, and Bubble Guppies.  A month or so ago the Disney Jr. app had songs from Frozen featured on ...

We are down to single digits and less than two months!  Which is still a little hard to believe, but by this point in the pregnancy, it is looking more and more believable! I haven't updated in two weeks, simply because we have had a lot going on....which I feel like I say every post.  Last week Elliott and I went out on Monday to run a few simple errands.  I realized (when we got home) that there was a mosquito in the car.  The mosquito ate my poor girl up!  She had at least 13 bites that we red and swollen.  Poor thing.   She didn't sleep well that night and I ended up giving her benadryl and ibuprofen throughout Tuesday.  She was miserable.  Wednesday she was feeling some better so we drove down to Knoxville (or as the locals call it Ktown...lol) and went to the zoo with my SIL and niece.  It was so fun watching the girls interact and play! Thursday we went to visit with my cousin and her youngest daughter who lives in Corbin. ...

Okay, so it is really like 8.5 since it takes me so long to get the post done.  lol.  But who (other than me) is counting?  I am really starting to feel this third trimester.  Baby D is sitting pretty low (he has been the entire pregnancy) and when he rolls and kicks he pushes on what feels like my hip bones and other very important organs, which is highly uncomfortable.  He is gaining all kinds of strength and is getting big enough to really leverage himself.  Shew.  I am also having a hard time finishing meals.  I'm not sure if the nausea comes from baby boy taking up space and pushing on my stomach or from all the hormones, but it isn't pleasant.  Zofran has been a great friend.  I feel like I have done a lot of sleeping this weekend, but it is about all I have the energy to do.  In general, I haven't felt well, although it is kind of hard to put into words exactly how I feel. I went to the dr this week and baby D is measuring ...

Woah.  Tomorrow I am officially at 30 weeks.  That means in 10 weeks, or less, baby D will be here!  A part of me wants to have a panic attack and the other part wants to get up and scrub the house from top to bottom because I know there is so much to do and productivity will severely decrease after he arrives.  lol.  Another panic moment came on Sunday when I realized in exactly a month my sweet girl turns TWO!  Can you believe that?  It doesn't seem possible. These past two weeks seem sort of like a whirlwind.  We have had so much going on I have had to go back to color coding my day planner.  lol.  I know, you would think that a SAHM of an almost two year old has little to fill into a day planner, but it is seriously running over.  Elliott has had a runny nose again this week, thankfully it doesn't seem as bad as a couple of weeks ago but it has added to the challenge of the days.  One of the events we have added to our we...

I am going to pause the regular blog posts to share something that has been on my heart and recurring in conversations lately.  I generally leave the sermon business to my husband as he is much better at it.  (And I panic at the thought of talking to big people - adults- they are so scary!) lol.  Just to note, all quotes and photos are being shared with permission.  Names have been changed to protect the innocent.  ;)  One of the great things I found while living in Elizabethtown was Facebook yard sale sites.  I know, don't judge.  But since having kids, I have found it a great resource for acquiring needed baby items that are gently used, sometimes new, and for a much more affordable price than purchasing them retail.  One day during the last couple of weeks before we moved I saw a post that made me laugh, think, and applaud.  From time to time on the sites people will offer services or advertise their own business, and this particula...

This week has been pretty crazy around here as we have had VBS as well has a full regular schedule. Elliott is still too young to actually participate in VBS, but we went and hung out some with the preschoolers some anyway.  She LOVED singing, dancing and playing games with the big kids.  Those sweet big kids took Elliott and included her and loved on her...it was amazing.  She loved participating with them and did so well! We are getting settled in here in London and the house is starting to come together.  I am in severe nesting mode so I can't wait to paint and hang pictures and all that jazz.  The odd thing is that I don't feel like I can make up my mind.  I had a master plan for Elliott and baby boy's furniture, but I keep changing the plan and talking myself out of things.  It is really odd.  Is this a pregnancy symptom?  I have never had this problem before... Speaking of making up minds....Matthew and I (we think) have really sett...

I say that as a question because I totally thought I was still at 26!  Woah.  I totally lost a week somewhere...in other words...HELLO THIRD TRIMESTER!  Oh my.  I just panicked a little bit (read...I just burst into tears at the realization that we have made it to this point and we are not ready for this baby yet!). This has been a tough week in the Kimmons' household.  Monday I had my first 3 hour drive to Louisville for check ups.  I have been slightly anxious about these appointments because my blood glucose numbers have been less controlled over the last few weeks.  I'm sure part of it is the stress of moving, the increased activity levels, and the varied diet, but I get anxious about it anyway.  First, I saw my regular OB and she and I had a nice chat about some of my anxieties regarding the delivery of this baby.  I am so thankful that my dr will talk to my about my concerns and be open and honest with me and explain things to me in a...

I can't believe it has been two weeks since my last post...in many ways it feels like yesterday and in many others, I have no idea what I wrote about.  lol.  Since my last update we have moved from Elizabethtown to London, KY.  I have so much that I want to share here, I will try hard not to bore you.   The week before the move was incredibly difficult.  The hormones/emotions really started hitting me as I realized that it was going to be harder to leave the house where we had our first child than I thought.  It was also very hard leaving the friends that we had made.  I have never been one to deal well with goodbyes, and even as I am sitting here I am crying.  Aside from all of the emotions, came packing.  Admittedly, Matthew and I are MASTER procrastinators, that being said, we held true when it came to boxing up the house.  Having a toddler sure didn't help the process.  I know I have said it before, but seriously, where does ...