Baby #6: 31-34 Weeks

Another month bites the dust, and we are about a month away from meeting baby #6! I've had two ultrasounds the past four weeks, plus lots of fun!

I had an ultrasound at 31 weeks, and while they were waiting for baby to practice its breathing, I got some adorable 3D pictures of our little one! I'm so looking forward to snuggling this little face in a month. Baby was measuring 3 pounds and 11 ounces and had a heartbeat of 158. 

I was curious how this baby's ultrasound looked to our others around this point, so I'm including some comparison pictures. 

This first one is of baby and Madison.

This is of baby and Brayden.

This is of baby and Ashley (and her picture still cracks me up because she was so squished in there that her poor little face just looks so uncomfortable ha!). 

We definitely agree that baby looks the most like Brayden, but we are not sold that that means that baby is a boy. There have been waaaaaaay to many boys born lately for us to feel confident that our baby is also a boy. A girl has to come in there somewhere, right?

Just after turning 31 weeks, Mom and I went to see NCHS's production of Beauty and the Beast. It was so fun to see this take on it and compare it to when we did it when I was a freshman in high school. The next day Nichole and I went to the Fox to watch Hairspray- and we were laughing the whole time. It was a great show! We had Schackmann Easter the next day and the kids got to participate in their only true Easter celebration of the year. 

At 32 weeks, Eric and I were in Florida! It was pretty nice catching some sun and some waves. You can check out that blog post here if you missed it. The kids should have went to a few more Easter celebrations this weekend with our parents, but they ended up sick the entire weekend we were gone. 

33 weeks was another ultrasound for me, and while baby didn't cooperate near as nicely for photos this time around, it is growing right on track! Baby had a heartbeat of 161 and was measuring in at 4 pounds and 4 ounces. Enjoy a little side profile action with its mouth open.

Yesterday we hit 34 weeks and I'm still feeling good! The last few weeks I've started breaking out with some pimples around my nose and chin, and my sciatic nerve has really been bothering me by the end of the day, but other than that I can't complain.

The weeks are winding down and it won't be long now. Baby #6, we can't wait to meet you!

Somewhere Sunny and 75...

 About a month ago I was feeling slightly overwhelmed with life (and honestly who isn't) and texted Eric that I needed a vacation to the beach for some warmth and sunshine. Much to my surprise, he followed up with asking which beach I wanted to go to, if we were going to fly or drive, and when we should do it. Talk about a husband who prioritizes my mental health!

We decided to go over Easter weekend since I wouldn't have to take any time off from school and he would only have to take off two days. I immediately went to work searching for a place on the beach with a killer ocean view. While I wanted to stay more in the Seaside/Rosemary Beach/Aly's Beach area of 30A in Florida, I wasn't finding exactly what I was looking for. We finally settled on this adorable condo on the western end of Panama City Beach with the views and beach access I was looking for. And since we were on the western end of Panama City, we had all the benefits of being close to the city, without all the people that a condo in the middle of the city would entail. 

The plan was to leave Thursday after I got off of school since we released a little early for Easter Break. Little did I know that on the way to daycare that morning, Ashley would throw up in the van. So it was back home for the three of us, and a call to work that I wouldn't be coming in that day at all. I kept the kids with me that morning, but my mom and dad were gracious enough to let me bring them over to their house for their nap (they were going to watch them after daycare that day anyways) so we could leave around 1 instead. Thanks to this, we made it all the way to Birmingham before stopping for the night.

Friday morning we were up bright and early to get a head start on our final leg of the drive. We made it to that Panama City Beach sunshine at about 12:30 Friday afternoon. We stopped for a quick lunch, and then made our way to St. Andrews State Park to catch a ferry to Shell Island, a seven mile long undeveloped island just off the coastline. 

This island lived up to its name, with so many different shells to be discovered. I spent a good hour walking the shore line picking up shells, while Eric stayed up a little higher (and dryer) carrying the ones I decided to keep. Even though it was about 80 degrees, it is still April, so the water wasn't that warm. If I'd been a little braver, I would have walked out a little deeper to search for the bigger shells that others on our ferry boat ride home had found. But I'm happy with the ones I did find, and didn't have to get freezing cold, so I'd call it all a win.

We stayed here for a few hours, collecting shells as we walked, and eventually sitting down for me to read in my book and Eric to take a nap (which he took a lot of this vacation ha!). After a quick Walmart stop, we went to our condo to check in for our stay.

I wanted a view, and boy did this condo provide that! We had gorgeous ocean views from the living room/kitchen and our bedroom, and spent a lot of time out on the balcony listening to the sounds of the crashing waves and taking in the sea breeze. 

That night we ate at Runaway Island and I had my favorite meal on the entire trip- a blackened grouper topped with crab meat and a lemon butter sauce- absolutely delicious. 

After a yummy coffee shop stop for breakfast, we decided to battle it out in some mini golf. I wish I could say that I beat Eric, but we did tie the last nine holes, so it wasn't a complete loss on my part ha! 

We ate lunch at another restaurant on the beach, then went back to the condo to get our suits on to sit by the water. I again did some reading, and Eric, again, did some napping. I was surprised by how many shells our beach had as well, though they were much smaller than the ones on Shell Island. 

After getting dressed up again for another night on the town we headed to Captain Anderson's and had another favorite from the trip- She Crab soup. This is one that we want to try to make at home some time. 

Sunday morning I watched a dad hiding eggs on the beach for his children to find, and it really made me miss Brayden and Ashley (even though they were part of the reason I needed a nice and quiet vacation ha!). Luckily they were both feeling well enough to have a little egg hunt back home with my parents the day before, and mom was nice enough to send some pictures. 

This day we decided to drive down 30A and check out all the cute little towns along the way. One town was even having an adorable farmer's market, but Eric and I were way too underdressed to stop and check it out. We were heading to Grayton Beach State Park for some more time in nature, and that's just what we got.

When we arrived, the park ranger said that they were expecting to be full today, so once we got a parking spot, we shouldn't leave until we were ready to go. There were minimal parking spots by the beach, but I'm glad that her version of "full" and my version were totally different. Walking just a little ways down the shore, it felt like we almost had the entire beach to ourselves. It was peaceful and quiet, the water seemed bluer and the sand seemed whiter. And there were practically no shells, which was a big change from the beach at our condo. We spent a few hours soaking up the sun, enjoying the sounds of the waves, and a nap and a nice book. 

After some beach time we took a little one mile hike through the coastal sand dunes and trees that edged Grayton Beach. It was quite sunny this afternoon, despite the weather forecast that I'd checked earlier that week that said it would be overcast and probably rainy. So needless to say, after our hike we were sweaty messes. We grabbed a quick lunch then drove back to the condo for a shower and some rest. 

Eric opted to stay up in the condo for a nap, but I wanted all the beach time I could get, so I went ahead and carried my stuff down to the beach. In the time it took us to drive back from Grayton Beach, eat lunch, and get ready to go outside, the sky had turned very cloudy. I opted to leave my cover-up on and almost put a towel over my legs to keep warm as well! Needless to say I didn't stay out on the beach too long, though it never did rain on me during that time. We got ready to go out on the town for our final night and headed to the marina for dinner at The Grand Marlin. This place was top notch, and so many desserts looked good that we ended up getting two instead of just one- which was an excellent choice in my opinion!

Monday morning we actually slept in the latest we had all weekend, which was kind of funny since we wanted to get an early start home, but oh well. We were out of the condo by 7:30 that morning, and by 7:30 that evening we were finally home. I knew that we missed Brady and Ashley while we were gone, but it was nice to see how much they missed us as well. Nothing beats those big smiles and hugs we got when we walked into my parent's house. And now it's back to the old grind, but with a clear and refreshed state of mind. 

Spring State of Mind

This warmer, rainy weather recently sure has me in a spring state of mind. We've been enjoying getting outside again as much as we can in between the days of rain. And we've been learning and growing more than I can even imagine. 

Brayden and Ashley have really enjoyed the "mess" that building a house makes. When it's not muddy, they like to climb up and around the big dirt pile in the front yard. And they've really enjoyed climbing up our rock pile and sliding- or more like scooting- down the pile. Both of these activities usually result in pretty messy children, so baths usually follow their fun on those days.

Walks are still a big part of our outdoor play. Ashley is loving expressing her independence, and always wants to either pull the wagon by herself or help me pull the wagon. Brady has no issue riding inside while Ashley pulls, but they do both like to get out and walk around, especially if we are looking at the cows or see a puddle to splash in. 

On March 20th I had the honor of taking pictures of my newest nephew, Jack Niebrugge. After his session, Erin and Chad brought Jack inside the house so Brady and Ashley (and Eric) could meet him. We were all so in love with him. Brady kept leaning in and waving and saying "hi" to him, and Ashley wanted to be a big girl and hold him and feed him his bottle. 

Eric and I headed to southern Illinois on March 26th to explore the wine trails with some friends. Though it was a little windier than we would have liked, it was really a beautiful day and thanks to some covered patios we were able to be outside a lot of the day. It was a much needed break away from everyday life to just enjoy each other and some friends. I'm told the wine was pretty good too, but I'll have to wait a few more months to enjoy that. 

When the weather hasn't been so nice, we've enjoyed cuddling inside and watching our "b's" (or movies). Ashley has been obsessed with cats lately, so we've been watching "Turning Red" on repeat. And yes, I know it's a red panda, but Ashley insists it's a kitty and there's no changing this girl's mind on that one. 

Brayden is in LOVE with our play kitchen. He will lay all his pots and pans out on the coffee table and mix random food (and sometimes not food) together to make something. He will come up to you with his spoon, open his mouth and say "ahhhh" and want you to take a bite of what he made. He also really enjoys using their toy blender, mixer, and coffee maker while he cooks. 

We've also had lots of updates to the new house in the past month! Our insulation was blown into the walls in the garage and house. 

The front porch, back porch, and side entry porch were all poured.

Drywall was hung and has been mudded.

We are really enjoying watching it come together little by little. We are hoping that siding will be happening soon so the outside looks even more complete, and then watching all of the fun interior things- like flooring, cabinets, and trim- come together in the upcoming weeks as well. 

This past month Ashley's vocabulary has exploded and she is starting to use some pretty long sentences. She wants to do everything herself, even if that means putting on her shoes in the slowest manner possible when you are running late in the mornings. Brayden likes to sometimes bring things to Ashley, like her milk cup or a toy that she is wanting, and sometimes Ashley will get upset and put whatever it was back so she can grab it herself. 

Ashley can be mean, especially to Brayden. She enjoys taking whatever toys he is playing with and throwing them on the floor. With some prompting she will come up with her bent over head "hug" to say sorry to him. She's also hit a nice tantrum phase where she cries over what seems like anything. Like I mentioned earlier, she is in love with kitties and loves petting our neighbor's cat when we see it on our walks. She eats about anything and will try new foods. She still says that daddy is her favorite, but she sometimes says it's me or pawpaw, so there's hope for the rest of us haha. She really enjoys her hugs and kisses before bed, but has to give them to me first before Eric. And she needs a million things in her crib to go to sleep. I don't even know how she fits in there with all of her things, bear being her favorite and one she definitely needs every night in her crib.

Brayden is starting to blossom more in his language skills as well. He has a lot of articulation errors, the biggest being that he leaves the ending sounds off of almost all of his words, which makes him very hard to understand. He talks so much, and if you know the context he does have a pretty big vocabulary. And he is starting to combine 2 and 3 words together as well. Where Ashley likes to repeat everything that you say, Brayden is not so keen on repeating what you model to him, so it's harder to see that progress with him. His monkey and pillow are must haves for him, and he is almost always sleeping on it in his crib. He even likes to lay on it for diaper changes now. 

He is a lot pickier in his eating, and doesn't like to try something if he's never seen it before. Sometimes we can trick him into trying something, and he might eat three or four helpings of it that day. But then if we give it to him again the next day, he acts like he has never seen it before and won't touch it. Brayden is a big momma's boy, and had been giving Eric a tough time of not letting him do anything for him. Luckily he has gotten a lot better and has gone to Eric for things that he normally would only come to me for, so that's been great for all of us. 

Brayden and Ashley have sure been a treat, and we've loved watching their little personalities develop and watching them grow and learn new things every day. We are soaking up the last few months of just the four of us, and are looking forward to watching them adjust to being big siblings.