Down to 6 Weeks

It is official (unless he decides he wants to come out and greet us early), Jellybean's birthday has been scheduled. Since Eli was an emergency C-section, Jellybean will be a scheduled one. I know there is lots of debate about it, and yes, I have read the latest report from the ACOG, but if I want to keep my doctor (and I love my doctor), this one had to be scheduled. No attempt at a VBAC for me. I have been fine going along with it, but now that it is scheduled and all, I won't lie, I feel a bit anxious. And I'm sure the anxiety between now and then will only grow.

Everything just kinda happened, and quickly, last time around. This time, anticipating the surgery and all that goes along with it....as well as the recovery (ugh!)...will be tough.

Bottom line though, just like last time, I get what I want in the end: my baby! That is all that matters. All of this being said, I would totally appreciate your prayers as Jellybean's birthday approaches.

So, without further ado....Jellybean's birthday will (most likely) be NOVEMBER 12th!!!

The math nerd in me loves the date: 11/12.

We are excited and realizing that these final weeks will FLY by. Trying to get into the nesting mode, but exhaustion has been getting to me. Laziness is overpowering any desire to nest at this point. I do well under pressure and with a deadline, so I'm sure everything will be ready by the time he is here. Good news: the nursery is done! Ok, ok, it was already done; it was Eli's nursery. Not-so-good news: Eli's new room is no where near ready. Gotta get on that. Gotta pull out and wash the clothes that had been packed away after Eli outgrew them. Gotta work on our list of names. Gotta, gotta, gotta.... Again, I know it will get done. Just not today. :)

The belly continues to grow, and Jellybean is a movin' and a shakin'. Always fun, until he punches a kidney and takes my breath away. Eli was sitting in my lap last night, and as he began to say his prayers, Jellybean decided to karate chop Eli in the back. The look on Eli's face as he spun around was priceless! We all erupted into a fit of the giggles after that.

A pic from a couple of weeks ago...about 31 weeks here. Working out is not really happening anymore. Too tired and too awkward. Teaching keeps me up and on my feet each day. That counts for something, right?

6 weeks and counting!!

Fall = Football

Of the many things to LOVE about fall, football is definitely up there in our household. As you all know, we are mega Gator fans.

It was fun watching our offense finally click this past weekend as a young star emerged and excited us....the future looks bright with Trey Burton as a potential team leader.

Like it or not, we have passed on our passion for football to Eli. He chants players' (and coaches') names, does the chomp, and cheers with us each Saturday. He also looks forward to the treat he gets while watching each game....root beer!

Though college football is my first love, the NFL is not far behind. We have a (nearly) all family Fantasy League that has been going for several years now, and it makes pro football even more fun to watch. And some of you know, we root for two NFL teams around here...the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tampa Bay Bucs. Well, this Sunday, we had to pick sides as our two teams went head-to-head. We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to go...THANKS Pap Pap!

Daddy and Aunt Ann sported Steelers shirts and Eli chose his Bucs gear. (You can't talk a 3 year old out of loving a team with a pirate for a mascot!) I chickened out and just wore black, but....come on, this preggo doesn't have a lot of shirts that fit these days.

The Steelers put a whoopin' on the Bucs, but it was fun, and we all walked away winners being fans of both teams. I honestly cheered whenever a good play happened, regardless of the team. I had hoped for a closer game. Oh well. Again, still a lot of fun.

This Saturday should be an intense game as Florida heads to Tuscaloosa to take on top ranked Alabama. Not expecting to be victorious...Bama is the real deal, loaded with talent. I just hope our young, yet talented, team hangs with 'em, keeps it close, and hey...maybe...just maybe...we can pull off an upset. Fingers crossed!

Chapters

Back with some book reviews. Eli continues to love to listen to books. A while ago, we got a free "book on CD" in a Kid's Meal (don't judge....). Turns out that this is the best thing we have ever gotten in as the prize as Eli really likes listening to the stories as we drive around town or go on road trips. This has led to us checking out more books on CD on our monthly visits to the library. With all of these stories in the car, I realized that Eli is ready to start listening to chapter books. As of now, we still do picture books before bed, but we read a few chapters before nap time. It helps settle him down, and he looks forward to hearing what will happen next. In theory, this should make him more willing to head up to his room for nap....it only works that way some of the time.

I figured I would share some of our favorite chapter books so far as we haven't found too many that are toddler or preschool friendly yet. We started with The Magic Tree House series thanks to the CD from the kid's meal. Good Morning, Gorillas was our first one, and Eli listened to it so much that he memorized a good bit of it. We have "read" several others in the series before nap and on CD in the car. The main characters, Jack and Annie, are a brother and sister who set out on various adventures through a magical tree house that appears in the woods behind their house. The tree house sends them back in time where they solve riddles, perform other important tasks, and learn history. Eli often stops me to ask questions about parts he doesn't understand or words he doesn't know yet. He is truly comprehending and now looks forward to choosing his next Jack and Annie adventure...as there are MANY books to choose from in this series. ...And yes, he wants a tree house of his own too.

Another fun series we discovered is by the fabulous author, Kate DiCamillo. She is a truly gifted, Newberry Award winning author who I've had the pleasure of reading in my classrooms as a teacher quite a bit. I was excited to find the Mercy Watson series she has written for beginning readers. Once again, we stumbled upon the stories while looking for more books to listen to in the car, and since then we have been checking out the actual books to read for nap time. Mercy is a pig who is treated like a child by her doting owners. She is tucked into bed with a song and fed, her favorite, hot buttered toast. Eli loves the silly stories and the books have such fun, color illustrations on each and every page. It reads well as a picture book and as a chapter book. So far, we've read 3 in the series, and we look forward to more of Mercy's antics.

And we definitely love the Frog and Toad books too. We got a collection of them on super duper sale at a book store and flew through it. The adventures of these two make for simple and enjoyable chapter books. Toad and Frog are, indeed, friends, and their respect for each other comes through on every page. The characters share real feelings and show their care for one another and the world around them.

We are always on the hunt for more fun books, so if you have found a series or a chapter book that your little one really digs, please pass it on. This last trip to the library, I picked up some of the simpler Roald Dahl books to try, so they are next on the list.

Happy reading!

We Got Down

We finally made it to our first Downtown Getdown. Eli was thrilled and as we walked up the hill and across the street, you could feel his excitement growing. As soon as we strolled on in to the crowded streets, he was immediately taking it all in. And when he finally found his words, "This is the best festival EVER!"

He's honestly been to some pretty kick-butt festivals, but he was just that excited to be there. We found our way to a giant sand pile and found some friends. It just kept getting better.

Eventually, we began to run out of daylight. We were treated to a beautiful sunset over the campus, and had to quickly squeeze in some more fun before it got too dark and bedtime loomed.

Our Peter Pan obsessed child just had to get a sword. He was sure to tell the friendly balloon artist that it had to be pink. Just a wee bit excited....

And then after a quick bite to eat and an ice cream treat, we took our worn out pirate on home for bed. We hope to make it to another "festival" before football season is over....

GO GATORS!
(sorry, couldn't resist throwing that in...)

Shopping is a Pleasure

Eli likes to help me shop. As some blog-faithfuls may remember, he does NOT always like to ride in the cart and remember his good behavior, but he enjoys frequenting Publix and Target with me...often requesting a stop at the latter.

The fascination with helping me pay, especially with the debit card, at checkout began a while back. We started by practicing colors: "Push the green button for me, Eli." He also seemed satisfied by being able to hold the card and put it in and out of my wallet. Gradually, he moved on to practicing shapes: "Tap the big rectangle," and finally numbers. I would tell him my PIN one digit at a time, and he would happily mash each one.

Little did I know that my memorizing monster was busy storing away each step of the process. One shopping trip to Publix a month or so back, he asked to swipe the card. I was busy chatting with the cashier and handing over coupons as I hear Eli say, "All finished." I check the screen and it says, "Processing transaction."

"Buddy, did you push the numbers already?"

"Yes. (duh!!)"

"What numbers did you push."

To my surprise, shock, and a bit of horror mixed with pride, Eli rattled off my PIN with ease. Again, with a *duh* in his voice. The little booger had memorized it.

So, now when we are shopping, we tend to stun most cashiers as he completes the payment process from beginning to end without any help from me. Of course, I stand over him and watch to be sure no mistakes are made or in case gets adventurous and starts asking for cash back or something like that. The looks on the faces are priceless.

I am sure I will one day regret his knowledge of my PIN and how to spend Mommy's money at such a young age, but for now, it is fun for him. Worst case, I have to change my number, right?

I know it isn't the first time I've said it, his mind is a steel trap! Crazy how much he remembers....

***about this pencil: he adores this "little pencil." it is actually his second one as he lost his first one on the playground at school. his favorite place to keep it is behind his ear, and he displays it with pride.***

Wedding Weekend Wrap-Up

I promise that I intended to get back around to blogging about Lindsey and Matt's wedding before now. Too bad this third trimester thingy has hit me like a ton of bricks. I tried to blame my exhaustion on the final wedding prep, the wedding weekend, and then the recovery, but I think I can finally admit that I'm completely and utterly exhausted everyday because I'm undoubtedly in my final trimester. 30+ weeks and counting!

So, for those of you waiting (and checking back regularly) for the wedding weekend photos....you no longer have to wait. If I can control myself, I'm going to use little words and let the pictures speak for themselves.

Got in Thursday afternoon in time to get all ready for a fabulously tasty dinner out for the ladies at

....restaurant of a favorite Top Chef contestant, Kevin Gillespie. Our food was truly delicious,

and the company even better.

We were even lucky enough to score a brief meeting with Kevin. Talk about a bunch of giddy, star-struck gals. I'm laughing at us just thinking how silly we sounded.

Then it was back to Z and B's place to finish up goodie bags and other last minute projects.

Friday was another busy day with lots to do, but we made sure to make time for a nail appointment. Pampering before the big day is a MUST!

That evening, it was a fight through horrendous ATL traffic, but we all finally made it to the rehearsal.

These two were as cool as cucumbers and definitely ready to tie the knot. It was all about details falling into place and seeing the plan come alive.

Eli took practice very seriously, and made fast friends with the other ring bearers/flower boys, Matt B's nephews.

Then it was off to a fun seafood boil for dinner.

Saturday was the BIG DAY and it started bright and early at the hair salon for us to get all dolled up.

As usual, we were behind schedule, so we were in hurry-up mode to get to the venue to get Lindsey dressed and ready to meet up with her groom.

The venue provided a beautiful garden setting for the wonderful day, and the weather was picture perfect. Cooler temps and super low humidity!!

Butterflies were flying around all afternoon. The constant reminder that our sister, Kelly, was there with us in spirit.

....that and the breeze that blew through while her tribute song was being played. Totally awesome!

Keeping these guys clean before the ceremony began was no easy feat...Thanks to the dads for taking care of these ragamuffins. Aren't they super cute in their bow-ties?

The ceremony was beautiful and complete with: a groomsman nearly passing out, tears of joy and memories, cool breezes, and the first kiss. Then the rockin' reception could begin.

A truly magical evening.

Wishing Mr. and Mrs. Birkett a lifetime of happiness! We love you Aunt Lindsey and *Uncle* Matt B. So happy we could be a part of your day and celebrate your love with you.