September 2015

Oh what a fun month!  Every morning you wake up and yell, "Dada...BOW?"  You and DaDa have breakfast together and he shares his eggs with you.  You LOVE breakfast and could eat 1-2 eggs, a waffle, fruit, and a few spoonfuls of peanut butter on most mornings.  You are super helpful too and many afternoons you rearrange the liquor cabinet and choose which bottle you think Dada would like to sample.  

 We celebrated Mr. Harrison Hood's 30th birthday with a "surprise" party at the Sweetenburgs.  Kingsley made y'all some mac and cheese and the three of you sat together like big kids to eat supper.  We stayed for awhile and when the babies got tired, the Mommas offered pacis and stuffed animals and tucked the babies in all together.  Of course, Suzanna Grace gave special attention to her favorite, Harry Hood.

 Dada either comes home or, on special occasions, meets us out for lunch a few days a week.  On this day, Dada had to rush back to the office but SG and I stayed to enjoy a cookie.  What a silly goose and sweet lover like her momma!

This month SG turned forward in her carseat.  We had her in the back while the Butala's were here and just left her back there since she may actually still be a smudge too small to be forward....

Hooray for ponytails...except that she now looks like she's five.

SuSu bought Carolina James her FIRST monogrammed gown and we LOVE it.  Nothing is official until you have a monogram.

SG got a UGA cheerleading outfit for the tailgates that she'll be attending and she tried it out for gymnastics one day. Go dawgs!  (I do not actually know what the UGA cheer is...yet.)

Who LOVES a selfie...Suzanna Grace!!!  At the first of the month her MMO class learned about farm animals so of course she had to wear all of her "farm" themed smocked outfits.  Here she is showing off her teeth and tongue before school.  Bless her sweet bones.  She also loves to give Baby Sissy sweet kisses.

Who can resist a fall cape?  Not Mama and SG that's for sure.

Suzanna Grace is continuing to LOVE music class with Ms. Cathy.  She knows the motions and what to do for most of the songs.

The weather has been nice so we spend a lot of time outside coloring with chalk and playing with all of our rolling toys.

 I finally found gymnastics/dance clothes to fit SG and I am obsessed!  Leg warmers and a leotard?  Yes, please.  SG is so strong and loves going to gym each week (may times we go twice.)  She is learning to do all of the tasks at each station and especially loves anything where she gets to hang and swing.

 SG liked picking off all of the mum buds and smelling them.  She was a little confused when they didn't stick back on to the stem.

 We had a few playdates with her friend Seinna too.  Her mother and I take turns having "free time" while the other watches the girls.

 DadaB and Susu came to visit us this month and helped work on Carolina James' nursery.  We didn't JUST work and enjoyed some playtime too.  SuSu and SG continued their campaign for Mayor of Athens as we greeted everyone we met.

Suzanna Grace got some practice being a big sister with her new babydoll that Susu brought her.  She LOVES her cabbage patch doll and takes good care of her.  When baby doesn't want her paci, SG gladly takes it.  She changed her clothes several times and put her to sleep in the kitchen sick. 

 Only your Susu will let you cover your blocks in Chik-fil-A sauce...

 Suzanna Grace helped Mama fit some times in baby Sissy's room and even let her have two of her crib bows.

 We have two college guys who do our yard work and SG loves to watch them.  They are so sweet to her and show her their tools when they come to work.

 Suzanna Grace has really taken an interest in art these days and LOVES to draw.  She made quite the masterpieces to hang in baby Sissy's room and even made some cards to send to family.  We are working on coloring ON THE PAPER and not all over the floors, walls, furniture, and ourselves...working on it.

 

 Suzanna Grace's MMO program hosted a Memories with Mom party and I got to see SG in her element.  She stuffed 3-4 donuts in her mouth and showed me around her room.  We made a beautiful little craft and she played with her friends.  One of the little boy's mothers told me that he comes home each day talking about Suzanna Grace's bows.  HAHA!

 Delta Gamme sponsored "Do Good" week and I helped organize a collaboration between the UGA DGs and Downtown Academy (where I have been volunteering once a week.)  Suzanna Grace got to go too and she enjoyed coloring little things that students could use to cover one eye during their eye exam.  Jeannie Hood and I toured the DG house and joined the Alum group too.

 We continue to enjoy Fantastic Fridays with our friends.  SG gets to practice all of her skills from gymnastics class and has races with Harry on the trampoline. 

We had a lot of fun tailgating and cheering on our favorite sports teams this month too.  Everyone things that SG and Harry Hood are Ole Miss twins.

NU Hall of Fame Weekend

Our sweet friend, Dave Roth, was inducted into the Northwestern Sports Hall of Fame and we were more than excited to be able to attend the festivities. Dave is the very first soccer player to have been inducted so it was quite the achievement for the whole soccer program and all of his teammates. We made t-shirts for the three girl babies that attended as well. We love our Davey. 

                              

We had an early Friday morning flight out of ATL and by the time we made it to Toes' house SG was exhausted. She was an amazing traveler on both trips though. This time she watched Veggie Tales and also played on some learning apps. We realized that having the room under our feet cleared for her to stand and play is essential and allowed her a little freedom to explore the contents of Mama's purse and all of the flight info in the back of the seat. We went through a bag of dumb dumb suckers too...

                                  

We met up with the Nappers, baby Reece, and the Alveraz's for lunch and then took our time walking back. It was so funny to be back in the city with a 1.5 year old and to see their little minds turning as they explore all of the new things. SG picked up lots of rocks and wanted to climb on everything. As we walked past bars and restaurants she stopped to do a little dancing too.

                                      

                                      

Our precious Chicago nanny, Susana, came over to play with and keep SG while we attended a dinner honoring Dave in Evanston. It was a fun night with great speeches and lots of visiting with friends. What a fun way to get to see all (most) of our Chicago peeps. By the way, we also celebrated hitting the 30 week mark with Carolina James. 

                         

Geoff and Ashlee Fallon (Geoff graduates from Booth in Decemeber), brad and Lesley Napper (have sweet baby Reece), Kevin and Liz Valenta (moving to Philly), and the Moores. We love this crew. Good ole Toes and the rest of the NU crew were at another table.

We continued the party at a bar down the street but this Preggo momma couldn't stay out as late as everyone else. I love all of the girls in this picture and especially Kyle and Jim-Bo in yhthe background. 

                                              

The Moore's are early risers so we ventured out to get coffee and walk around our old stomping grounds Saturday morning.  SG enjoyed stopping along the way to pick up rocks and stick them in her pockets.

Toes made us a feast of pancakes when we returned to get everyone ready for a day of celebrating and roof top games.  Reese Napper and Lucy Alverez, along with SG, sported their Dave Roth fan club outfits.

 Dada is pretty good at multitasking and even won a few games. 

 SG was reunited with her best friends and loved every second of dancing with Liz and cheering with Ashlee. A girl after my own heart, laying around smiling and laughing with your girlfriends.

 Later in the day, SG and I went to see our friend Abbey Miller at one of the local parks.  SG had a fun time running around and exploring the new toys.

 Sunday morning we met Toes for brunch at Southport Grocery (our favorite Chicago brunch spot) but made sure SG got some energy out before we left.

We returned to Athens to a surprise visit from Uncle Bryson!  SG was SO happy to be out of the car and hanging out with one of her favorites.  She giggled and showed off all night long.

31 Weeks with Carolina James

How Far Along? 31 Weeks

And this picture shows real life around the Moore house: laundry on the bed, SG running around...probably playing in the potty, and Mommy snapping a picture as fast as she can.  I am so so thankful for this life. 

Size? Carolina James is about the size of a coconut (18 in., 3.2 lbs) according to my app. 

Maternity Clothes? Just got a few new poncho tops and a pair of "worn" jeans.  I also discovered, on accident, that when I wear my Lulu yoga pants BACKWARDS, the cover my belly pretty well. HA!  
Weight Gain?  At my 30 week appointment I weighed 139ish.  

Stretch Marks? Nope,  Burt's Bees Momma Tummy Lotion.  Buttered up just like a greased turkey.  

Gender? A sweet, precious, already so loved little sissy, Carolina James

Sleep?  Getting a little better.  Just over the weekend I started being able to sleep on my side again.  HOORAY!  Let's hope this lasts!

Movement?  ALL the time.  I can feel sides of my tummy get hard depending on where she is.  I feel kicks and turns all day long.  Right now, she's tap dancing and I LOVE it.

Food Cravings? Did I mention that SG and I eat ice cream everyday?  

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope

Labor signs? No! 

Belly button in or out?  Herb has been out and proud for awhile now.  He's getting pretty flat actually.  

Wedding rings, on or off? On and fitting well.

What I Miss? Nothing.  

Symptoms? Just tired and a little sore.  I have been wearing the belly support belt and it has helped SO much.  

Happy or Moody?   Happy.  Charlotte Carlstedt (6M) came to visit with her parents this weekend and just seeing her made me even more excited about Carolina James' arrival.  Suzanna Grace loved sharing and playing with her too.  Towards the end of the day, as she was getting tired, I could see her wanting me to stop paying attention to the baby and love on her only.  I am sure that it will be a balancing act that we both/all have to learn. 

Dr. Visit Update: I met with Meredith last week and LOVE her.  She has delivered many of the Landmark babies and wondered if Wes might put her on the payroll.  HAHA.  She spent so much time just chatting with me and sharing stories, which I really appreciated.  She also told me that St. Mary's is a "baby friendly" hospital which was great to hear.  We will be taking a tour later this month. 
I was measuring 2 weeks behind (very similar to SG) but Meredith said that everything looked healthy and that at the 34 check-up she'd probably order a sonogram just to check fluid levels and such.  Having been through the same thing with SG, I am not worried and just know that my babies like to snuggle up.

Best Moment of the Week/Month: Realizing that Carolina James had the hiccups.  What a sweet, sweet feeling. 

Carolina James,
I daydream about you all the time.  I still can't put my finger on your looks and personality but I know that you will be your own wonderfully unique little Moore girl who loves and is loved by everyone you meet.  I pray for you all day and sometimes just sit in your room and enjoy the quiet of the house (this is usually very brief and only when Sissy is sleeping.)  You are so loved my precious littlest girlie.