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. 

28 Weeks with Carolina James

How Far Along? 28 weeks

Sweet Carolina James, it is hard to get a moment to myself these days so big sissy is in our 28 week shot.  Suzanna Grace is so excited about "baby sissy" and you will no doubt be her absolute favorite.  She loves to give you kisses and a "pat,pat" while saying, "baby....sissy" and smiling.  

Size? 

Maternity Clothes? Oh yes.  In fact I foolishly tried to slip into a pair of pants on this very morning and got stuck.  There was no using the belly band to keep them up, no the zipper wouldn't budge and the legs were painted on.  Needless to say, Momma is now enjoying the comforts of elastic waist pants exclusively.  Last pregnancy I lived in piko tops and this year I have discovered their dresses.  Can I get an AMEN for this brand?!

Weight Gain?  At my 28 week appointment I weighed 136.  

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?  What's that?  Some nights I sleep soundly but most nights I just have a hard time getting comfortable.  I can really only get comfortable on my back but then I wake up in pain because of all the weight that is sitting on me.  Kate has offered her pregnancy pillow which I plan to get tomorrow and I have also ordered a belly support band that I will try to wear during the day and maybe at night too.  Of course it doesn't help that when I do wake up, I then lay there daydreaming about my girls and our future together as a family. 

Movement?  It's so funny how Carolina James (and probably all babies for that matter) are connected to their mother's emotions and feelings.  At the beginning of last week, after our beach trip, I was worn out and couldn't get my energy back.  She was less active too.  Once I started feeling better she began bouncing around all over again.  The nurse laughed during the heartbeat reading this week because she said that she could feel CJ jumping around.  I can watch my tummy move with her movements too.  Oh how I love the feeling of my sweet SG going nite,nite on my chest and my precious CJ kicking inside.  Thank you, again, Lord for the miracle of babies. 

Food Cravings? Anything and everything SWEET.  Someone stuck another 1 lb bag of peanut M&Ms in my buggie at the grocery store...so I guess I'll have to eat them.  I heard on a TED talks podcast this week that it has been proven that babies who's mothers ate chocolate while pregnant were happier and more outgoing than those who's mothers did not.  Just like SG, CJ is going to be a very happy girlie! Also loving that honey crisp apples are back at Kroger. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope

Labor signs? No! 

Belly button in or out?  Herb has been out and proud for awhile now.  

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

What I Miss? Nothing.  

Symptoms? Just tired and a little sore.  Hoping the belly support band will help.

Happy or Moody?   How could the answer to this be anything but HAPPY.  Crazy enough I have met several girls in my neighborhood who are expecting girls right around the same time as me.  Lindsey and Caroline both have little boys a few months older than SG and I know we will have fun getting everyone together when our girls come too!

Dr. Visit Update: I am using the midwifes and met with Shania this week.  I just love how laid back and encouraging they are.  I was measuring at 27 weeks and the nurse shrugged it off and said, no big deal.  You and the baby are healthy...we will just continue to watch it.  They also take plenty of time to chat and answer questions.  I was so sad to leave Dr. Heraty and while I wish that I could still use her, I think that these midwives are going to be awesome and help us to have the same great labor and delivery experience.  

Best Moment of the Week/Month: Working on the nursery AND receiving your very first monogrammed outfit from SuSu.

My precious littlest angel girl,

You are a mover and a shaker but I can tell already that you have a sweet little spirit.  Your big sissy loves you so much and your parents cannot wait to meet you.  It's hard to believe that we will have another baby in just a few months and the reality of it all hits me in different ways each day.  I have a hard time picturing you right now but I am willing to bet that will have something to do with your spontaneous and relaxed personality.  I pray that you have all of the good qualities of all of our family members and I think you'll probably remind me daily to not sweat the small stuff.  I know that your smile will melt our hearts.  We love, love, love, love you. Grow, grow, grow baby girl.  

                                                                         Love, Momma