Saturday Showers and Sunday Sprinkles

Last Sunday was the Baby Shower for Aunt Heather and baby Hayden! So excited for this little cousin to come a long and join the family!!!! It was so special because it was held down here and not only was the Allen family well represented but so was the de Rose clan. It was so neat to see lots of Sheridan Hills faces and hug some necks that hadn't been hugged in a long time.

 Grandma, Aunt Carla, and Aunt Andrea did a wonderful job putting such a memorable shower together. The decorations were beautiful, they even reused the ribbon balls that were made for Aunt Heather's bridal shower! The games were a blast, and between Grandma Glenda and I, we swept the room! I didn't win the gorgeous wreath though! Baby Hayden was showered with so many wonderful and lovely things. He's going to be set when he gets here!

 Bestie Bumps!!! We can't help but take these pictures every chance we get! It's not every day you get to share this special time with your bestie!

 The next day, Sunday, was my "Sprinkle" for Baby Caleb. Grandma Glenda decided to put a little something together just to make this time special. I didn't need a full blown shower because I kept everything we got/had from Connor, so a "sprinkle" was perfect.

 It was sweet to get some NEW things though that will be just for Caleb, and the bottles and outfits were a wonderful surprise. The main gifts were diapers of all sizes and wipes. No running to the drug store in the middle of the night for those. I think we are set!! Great Aunt Carol also blessed us generously to get the stroller Connor and Caleb will share. It was so sweet to even get things from loved ones who weren't able to be there physically.

 The four preggos at the sprinkle were certainly a sight! Joy and I are only a week and half apart....the same with Connor and Isla. We're on the same life path!

 Grandma Glenda sewed a sweet little crib quilt for Caleb that is made of minky and flannel elephant fabrics. Aunt Katrina surprised me with a gorgeous full sized quilt she sent from Virginia. I was floored. It is amazing, and all the ladies had to get out of their seats to come up and touch it and look at it closer. What a special keepsake! What a special friend!

 Grandma Glenda came up with fun games for everyone to play from baby trivia, to guessing how big around my belly is with yarn. There was lots of laughter and fun!

 

 Aunt Laura made a gorgeous cake that tasted as good as it looked. She also made her famous cupcake truffles and Grandma made a ton of other "sprinkle" inspired yummies including pretzel sticks, strawberries, and rice crispy treats. Ice cream sundaes were even made!

 

 I could not be more blessed and grateful for the special ladies that spent their afternoon with me for baby Caleb. Since so many dear friends have moved away within the past few years it was a little sad not having them there but those who were able to come made it so special and so full of love. What a great afternoon!

 This was the awesome invitation that Uncle Casey made for the special occasion! I LOVE it!

Pre-School Days

It has been a slightly crazy first 3 weeks of school. From juggling my own doctor's appointments with my fall, and then Grandma Glenda having surgery, we haven't really had a sense of normal. There is no stopping the machine of school, so that has to be the one constant, and we just rush around trying to get life accomplished in between. I'm craving a little bit of normal though before Caleb gets here because that is going to be a whole new experience and life adjustment. Good thing I know Who is in control.

 Grandma Glenda's birthday was a lot of fun. We got to have a yummy family dinner and of course Connor enjoyed helping her blow out her candles. It's practice for his own birthday that he can't stop talking about. We got mom a FitBit, but we haven't quite had the opportunity to show her how it works and get her up and going with it.

 As part of her birthday festivities we took a family trip to Disney, and Uncle Casey was even able to fly home for it. Talk about special! Our first evening there we even played Disney Golf in the rain, much to Connor's delight and joy. Saturday morning was Epcot, and I spent the day in a wheelchair. I'm moving much slower these days. We had tons of fun, but we can no longer mention Soarin...we had a bit of a traumatic cell phone mishap that shall not be spoken of.

 Our evening found us at Hollywood Studios dodging torrential downpours and finding things to do inside. A few of us didn't feel like drawing "Russel" from Up as instructed, and may have deviated from the plan, but Connor did an outstanding job....I was impressed, like really, woah. We had a yummy dinner at the Brown Derby, our first time dining there, and even got to toast Grandma Glenda for her special day. Before leaving Connor was willing to try the "Elevator Ride" and I shed a little tear for my little one becoming a big boy. While they rode, I found a special prize to commemorate this special event, an adorable plush Sven. He was a brave boy on the ride, no tears at all, and came off saying he had fun but had no interest in doing it again. He loved his new Sven, and has slept with it every night since.

 Sunday was Magic Kingdom and Grandma Glenda's day in the wheelchair. We are definitely a sight that's for sure. I only got overheated a few times, ugh! The group rode many rides and Connor even enjoyed the rain showers we got. He was so grateful for our trip, and it always makes me want to do it again. It's not crazy to want to take him again in October right? His thank yous are just the best. I think Uncle Casey got all the Disney food he could muster too, and headed back to Virginia with a satisfied belly and great memories.

 I tried to take a clever 32 week picture and the only one I could compare it to was being pregnant with Connor at 33 weeks. Shorter hair on the left is baby Connor, longer hair on the right is Caleb. I definitely notice that I am sitting much higher with Caleb, and I feel it too! I hit 33 weeks this week, and someone actually told me that it looked like I was dropping. Gosh I hope that's true! At my last OB appointment the doctor told me I am measuring right on track, exactly the week I should be. Though I feel huge, that made me feel better. Also, based on the cardiologist appointments I've been having they feel that another induction is wise, and it will be scheduled for my 39th week. No exact date yet, but I don't feel confident I'll even make it to that. I was already dilated when I went in for Connor at 38 weeks. I just need to make it through Connor's birthday and then I can sit back and wait!

 We got to see baby Caleb yesterday on 3D images and were amazed at how much he looked like daddy. I mean, same nose, same mouth, it was eerie. We could even see that this little one already has about an inch of hair!!! What does one do with a baby that has hair?!?! He didn't really want to cooperate and kept putting both hands and even his feet in front of his face. At one point I got up and started jumping around to try to reposition him. He was having none of it. His grumpy little face was evidence of how he felt about the poking and prodding, but seeing his chubby little cheeks made us all giggle. Big brother Connor definitely thought it was neat to see his little brother, and eventually took control on my phone to take lots of pictures himself. I'm so glad Aunt Kaitlyn and Grandma Glenda got to join us there. I love having everyone involved and just as excited to see Caleb.

Our goal now is to finally prepare at home. We took the house off the market, and it's time to buckle down and make ready for baby since this is where he will be coming home to. Connor is thrilled to have the crib back in his room. He wants to watch Caleb sleep. I just hope he doesn't prevent sleep! It's crazy to think that at this time last year we had just completed Connor's sleep study. He is still a terrible sleeper, and wakes up multiple times a night, but he has been going to bed on his own recently and that is a huge deal! I think no nap, and school has a lot to do with it.

He is loving school, and looks forward to the projects that he will do each day. He did his first packet of homework last week, and enthusiastically did it every night. I know that wont last forever, but he does love to learn. He was doing addition for us in the car the other day, and told us that if he puts his fingers and toes together he has 20. Yup, that's our boy!