Bleerrrrrgggghhhh

Oh my word, this week has been the week that will never end. It's not been a bad week at all. Work's been great, the girls have been great. I just can't walk or bend over or DO anything and yet, I'm home alone with two very active tornadoes who...let's just say, if you want to see a room completely transformed in under 3 seconds, just call my kids over. It's a pretty special event. And they've been so good and know I can't pick them up, which kills me. Because they'll be like, "Hold me, Mommy," and then the other one will say, "Momma can't do it. Baby Sutton in 'dar." ("in there") And I want to hold them and get on the floor and play with them. And pick up toys like a normal person. 

I know I've said this for like, weeks, now, but I'm just ready. I am ready to be able to tie my shoes. And have my face back. And be able to hug people without just mushing my belly into them and trying to wrap my T-rex arms around. I'm ready for my wedding rings to fit. And for everything else to fit. Okay, whine over. 

I DID go back to see Dr. Mac yesterday and we're getting somewhere!! Just 1 cm dilated and 70% effaced, but it's better than nothing, I s'pose. Last time I was 1 cm dilated, I went into labor on my own 3 days later, so...WE SHALL SEE. I would be perfectly happy if he came this weekend. Like...WAY happy. But, I can't make him. Dr. Mac said he doesn't want to do a c-section since everything looks so great for me to have a VBAC, so we're not scheduling anything. He thinks I'll go way before my due date anyway, so I think we're in the clear. 

I know everybody says they have the best friends ever and I think that's cute, but it's wrong. Because, I have the best friends ever. Saturday night, I had a ladies' night with Kelly, Ashley, Audry, and sweet little Megs, and we celebrated baby Sutton with crazy good food and fun and pajamas and dancing (from them, I sat on the couch). Such a good time! I love those girls.

Then on Sunday, my gals (Amanda, Brandi, Tris, Senia, Tiffany, Malinda, and Erin), had an amazing tea party shower for me. Malinda told me a few months ago they wanted to have a shower for me and I felt so weird about doing a shower for a second baby, but she shut me up and I have just been so overwhelmed by the love and encouragement and friendship from these people...my hostesses and guests and friends and family. They are all amazing. And it's just humbling. This little guy has gotten so much love already and he's still just squirming away in mah tummy, completely oblivious. I have some great pictures that Miz Di and Sara and Malinda took, but I haven't had a chance to load them to my computer yet, but here are a few I stole from Malinda's FB page. Y'all, it was the most adorable shower. I know it was my own, but I can still say that. Tea parties are SO much fun and y'all should have seen the food and decor. And we got the CUTEST stuff for Sutts. My friends are insanely talented and so thoughtful. It was perfect. 

Me and the hostesses (Erin was out of town, but there in spirit!). There are actually 11 people in this picture. Hmmmmm... and with Erin there, there would have been 13. WHAAAAAA? It's like a riddle.

It was just a good good good good weekend. I'll try to post pictures tomorrow. I really will try. Y'all have got to see what these girls did. 

SOOOO...the house. Y'all...Y'ALL.

OH.

MY.

GOSH. 

Don't ever build a house. No, I take that back. You can build a house. Just make sure you at least double the expected build time and quadruple the expected stress. David keeps telling me, "It'll be worth it," and I wrote that down on a post-it, crumpled it up, threw it away, got it out of the trash, straightened it up, put it back on my monitor, and did it all over again. But yes, one day, it'll be worth it. Almost four weeks ago, we went out to the lot after they did the initial staking to show placement of the house. The builder walked us through everything...it all looked great. So, we gave them the go-ahead. We go back out the next day because they framed the foundation and put up the EPA trash barrier. The trash barrier was in a weird place. It encompassed part of the yard, but then went waaaaay down this hill in the back and to the side. We knew we were sitting up on a hill, but were told the hill was not part of our lot. So, we called the agent and asked, "Hey, the barrier isn't signifying where our lot is, right?" And she's like, "No no no, they just have to put that up to keep trash from rolling down the hill while they build. But, I'll double-check to make sure." She calls us back 3 minutes later and says, "Okay, so yeah, that is your yard." 

UH...no. 

Basically, our wonderful lot that we had picked out back in 1839 now had 40% of it going down an unusable hillside. Like, crazy steep hill. Sure, we could have gotten a lot of videos of the kids falling down it, but...probably not the best idea. And sure, if we were a couple not planning on having kids or an older couple with older kids or kids out of the house, it would have been just fine. But, we've got kids who desperately (well, I desperately need them to have it ) need a yard. And that was the whole point of picking out a large lot in the neighborhood.  So, obviously, we were quite upset that they failed to tell us about the lot being down the hill. We've walked it a ton of times with the builder. Turns out, that builder had only see the flat piece of paper with the lot dimensions laid out and wasn't aware that it did go down the hill. So, they didn't fail to tell us this information on purpose. Just an oversight and once it was surveyed by the city, they discovered the hill was part of the yard and it was scooted over further than they thought. Fine fine, but thank goodness we went out there because they were about to pour the foundation. 

So, after almost four weeks of them getting new permits and a new survey and us fussing about it, we got the lot moved one over. Same size as the other lot, but now we actually have all of the land as a flat space. Sure, it would have been nice to be on the edge, overlooking a hill and the neighborhood, but I'd rather have one extra neighbor and a much larger yard. 

Here you can see...the red was our original lot. The stripes signify where our lot is and where the hill is. It's a little hard to tell from the aerial shot, just trust me. The blue is our new lot and we can use all of the land. So, it worked out. And they staked the yard Monday, we went out there Monday night, approved it, and now they're framing and pouring the foundation this week. So much for being done before Thanksgiving. But, that's okay. I'd rather have a house with a yard.

Also, my parents left for Zion Canyon yesterday, so I'm moody today. And so jealous. They stopped at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon yesterday afternoon  and spent the night. They'll be heading to Zion today. Same route we took last October. GYAH, that was such a great vacation. 

Well, all the laundry's done. All the dishes are done. The apartment is completely clean. All of Sutton's clothes are washed and ready. Diapers and wipes out. Baby swing and bouncer and sleeping chair and Boppy pillow are set up and ready to go. Mine, his, and the girls' bags are packed. Frozen meals in the fridge. Freelance done. I've got to finish up some thank you notes. Y'all...I am done. Let's do this. Come on, Suttsman! 

Pregnancy: The Good, The Bad, The Ewwgly

37 weeks tomorrow. We're getting there. It's...a slow process. The girls were rubbing my tummy last night, talking to Sutton, and Harper said, "Open up. Sutton come out," as she poked at my belly button. I said, "Well, he's gotta cook just a little bit longer." Piper Lee turned her head to the side like a little puppy, puzzled, "Baby Suttie cooking?" I answered, "Yes. Cooking in Mommy's tummy. He's gonna come out all chocolatey chip-y." They seemed to like that. Mmm...a baby-sized chocolate chip cookie. I wonder if that's a thing...surely someone makes those, right?

I've pulled a muscle or something in my lower regions and it's crazy annoying getting up and down out of my desk chair or off the couch or out of bed or really just being alive.

Went to the doctor on Wednesday. Still zero progress. I was kind of discouraged about that. I'm just soooooo ready. Dr. Mac said, "Well, it's very easy to reach the cervix," and I thought, "WELL, OF COURSE IT IS! There's 1,000 pounds of baby directly on it!!" But I didn't say that. He said I have two more weeks to go into labor on my own and then we have to talk "alternatives" and possibly schedule a C-section. Definitely not wanting that, but I told him I'm up for whatever is best for the kiddo.

So, guys, I have a little less than two weeks. What can I do to get this sucker OUT?

In the movies and celebrity magazines, they make pregnancy look so glamorous. And, a lot of aspects of it are. It's a miracle of life. It's such an incredible blessing. You experience so much. But both times, I only felt "glamorous" about 3-4 weeks total out of the whole thing. The first half, you're so sick and puny and don't care about how you look. The second half, you're so huge and waddly and uncomfortable and don't care about how you look. At least that's how it was for me. There ARE some people that don't get sick and don't get huge and I hate them.

Oh, and I realize I did this to myself and shouldn't whine. I know. We wanted kids and God has blessed us richly and I'm so thankful. And there are some amazing things that come along with it. And then some crazy gross things that nobody ever tells you about.

The Good  
- Hey, you get a teeny tiny squishy lovey softy little baby out of it.

- Your fingernails and hair grow like crazy and are super strong.

- Strangers are a lot nicer and more personable to you. Lots of "good lucks" and well wishes.

- You can park in maternity parking spaces (although those are hard to find).

- So far, I can still shave my legs. That is a feat in and of itself. I'm pretty proud I can do that.

- That's about it.


The Bad
- You can't breathe during the last few months. I get winded standing up from my desk and walking to the kitchen for water.

- Getting in and out of bed is just ridiculous. If only I could sleep standing up.

- I have to get the girls to help me put on socks. That makes for some interesting foot fashion.

- Strangers are a lot nicer and more personable to you. Yes, this is in both categories. You end up sitting next to a wildly chatty individual who asks all sorts of questions and wants to tell you about their daughter-in-law's pregnancy from beginning to end. You get a lot of un-asked-for pregnancy and parenting advice and all you can really do is just nod and smile. And you get a lot of when are you due's, which is fine, but when you tell people and they make a crazy face like, "Holy baby! Still that far away?" it kind of hurts your feelings. You get a lot of "are you sure it's not twins...heh heh" and you just have to respond with, "No, just one. (sarcastic smile) I'll SHOW you twins, FOOL," and then you break out your fists. Usually those types of comments are from men, though, and they're scared of pregnant women and they think they're being funny. And they get punched.

- Toward the end, you physically can't do anything anymore. I have to lower myself to my knees to switch the laundry from washer to dryer and then get somebody to help me up. If nobody's there, I just stay put for awhile.

- I have almost nothing left to wear. It's sad when even your "big" pajamas are uncomfortable. David's offered me his pajamas, but the last time I wore his pajamas, I went into labor with the twins and ended up wearing a Mario Kart shirt and Batman pants to the hospital, so...thanks, baby, but no.

The Ewwgly

- You (at least I do) get giant man hands. Not only do my hands swell, I swear they just get bigger all around. And your blood volume doubles when you're pregnant, so the veins protrude like a million times normal. If Chuck Norris ever lost his hands in a freak accident, the U.S. government would come to me and ask me to donate my hands...for the greater good. My man hands could be repurposed to suit Chuck Norris' good deeds. 

- My stomach looks like a map. Rand McNally would be impressed. Veins everywhere. I've actually plotted a course for our next trip using the monster vessels on my front. 

- My thighs are touching and they make all kinds of noises when I walk. Thwap thwap. It's stupid.

- I sweat like a man. It's actually pretty impressive. Your body temperature is a little higher anyway and then baby is warmer than you, so it's like a little heater in there all the time. I have to drink 100,000 oz. of water a day to keep from dehydrating. And it's not the season or weather. I sweated like this when I was pregnant with the girls and I had them in December. I just basically turn into a dude.

- This kid moves twice as much as the girls did. Now, I don't know if that's because the girls had less room in there. I could feel them moving all the time, but this little guy literally will make my desk chair roll back. He's so strong. It's like a kangaroo in there. And it's really creepy. I get a little self-conscious in public. I've scared a few kids. It's kind of worked a little to my advantage, though, because it's getting close to Halloween and that's always fun.

- All of your doctor appointments toward the end are "those" kind of appointments. And doctors and nurses are all up in your bidness and it's just awkward and they try to have normal conversations with you and you're like, "It's really okay if we don't talk right now."


So...to sum up...pregnancy is a lot of fun and it's gross and uncomfortable and I love babies and kids and the end.

MIA

Remember the days when I used to write a post like...every day? Now I'm happy if I can throw a picture up every few months. Ah well. Life is good.

On the way back from the beach, David's parents called and offered to keep the girls Wednesday-Saturday for us (yesssssssssss!), so we dropped the boogers off and David and I had Thursday and Friday to ourselves. It was wonderful. Thanks, GranJan and Papa!

Last Sunday, we had a fabulous baby shower for Tiffany, Taylor and Baby Cavett. He's due exactly one week after Sutton. They're gonna be buddies, I just know it. And y'all...me and my friends, we know how to throw a party. Although, the credit should go to Lisa for coming up with such a cute idea.  It was themed "Children's Books", so we could help little Cavs build up his library. But all of the food had its own book. Meatballs was paired with "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," mini Moon Pies was "Goodnight Moon," the veggie tray was "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," the ginger and carrot cupcakes was "Peter Rabbit," and the bacon-wrapped wieners was "Three Little Pigs." We said that the third little pig got away because he was smart enough to build his house out of bricks. There was more food, of course, and a lot of awesome sauce and we had such a good time.

Mi madre came up last Tuesday-Friday to help me out. David's finishing up his CPE hours and had two conferences and I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and it's getting quite difficult to do normal physical activities now. Even getting up and down from my desk chair is pulling and straining and getting quite uncomfortable, so I am definitely grateful for the help. I know I reached the point with the twins where I was like, "Bring on the sleepless nights! These kids have GOT to get out!" I'm getting to that point now. I already can't sleep. I can't breathe. I honestly do not remember it being this physically taxing with the twins. I do think chasing the girls around and picking up toys and just being active with them has added to it. But, you know...I'm very blessed. I know how lucky I am to have had an uncomplicated journey with this little guy. He's been a good belly buddy and I shouldn't whine about the trivial side effects that come with this miracle of life. I'm just looking forward to not going potty 57 times a night. No, seriously...57 times.

At the doctor's appointment, Dr. Mac checked me out. One of "those" types of checks. "They're my favorite," she said, her comment radiating sarcasm. I was 50% effaced and ZERO cm dilated. I was slightly disappointed. I was hoping to be like 8.5 cm dilated (an impossibility at this point, I know). But, I've been having lots of strong contractions, so he said that was encouraging. Still on for a VBAC. Sutts is still head down. I go again on Wednesday and once a week from here on. I've got my hospital bag packed and ready to go. We have a team of awesome people on standby to wrangle the twins whilst we're in the hospital. My well thought out birthing plan is printed and in my purse. It says, "Get this kid out by any means necessary." I'm ready for him to get here. But, not this week. I've got a few things to wrap up. Anytime next week is fine. Watch him not come until, like, next year.

The girls got sick last weekend. Then, Mom and I got sick from them. Just one of those crappy sinus/cold situations. That was a lot of fun.

So, the past week and a half has been busy, crazy, good. Sorry for the lame-o post. I'm working on a post that David is going to love me extra for called Domestic Cutie Pie Disputes. Hopefully, I can have that up this week.

You kids take care. I'm gonna go see why the twins are laughing uncontrollably. Wish me luck!

30 at the Beach

Well...I turned 30. And I lived through it. And you know what...y'all were right! It wasn't all that bad. I mean, I'm still not THRILLED with the idea of it, but whatcha gonna do, ya know? And being at the beach definitely made it a lot easier. My sweet family helped me celebrate with tons of junk food, seafood, an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen (yessssss), and lots of rest and relaxation. 

Y'all, we had SUCH a good time. It has now been officially confirmed that the twins are definitely related to me. They L-O-V-E the beach. I'm so happy. What would I have done if they were little emo kids who wore jeans and tight sweaters and sat inside all day instead of enjoying the sand and water? 

Isaac pretty much did nothing to the beach, except maybe bring some extra shells up on shore. There was a smidge of seaweed, but not enough to deter us from getting in the water. And actually, the beach is never 100% pristine this time of year anyway. The best months are April, May, and October. 

This was taken right when I turned the camera on and the lens was foggy, but I thought it looked kind of Holga-ish. 

Sand crabs...saaaaaand craaaaaabs...come to me.

Look what I have created!!!

 Huh...now where did I bury Dad?

 Look...look at me...hey, look. I'm a statue. I'm so still, can you tell? You can't even tell I'm a human, can you? I'm totally a real person, but I look like a statue. Look, Mom. It's me! It's Harper! I'm not a statue!

My view.

The girls dove right in. We had to stop them from going too deep. No fear at all.

 Poppadoc and one of them.

 Dripcastlin' like a pair of pros.

 Should I be moving more? I feel like I should be moving more.

 Boogie board break.

 Tuckered out.

Surveying her domain.

On Sunday, we headed to Gulf World. It's like a small version of Sea World. The girls had a great time. Toward the end of the morning (near lunch time) we started having some break downs because it was just soooooo hot and humid. But, they were enamored with the sea turtles and sharks.

Here we are gazing at their favorite animal...penguins. Or pengoos. Depends on who you're talking to.

 Harper said, "I touch it. I touch it!" So, David leaned her over to touch it and FREAK OUT!

Harper the Turtle

 Piper Lee the Pengoo

 Aaaah, air conditioning.

The dolphin show. They also had a sea lion and rough-toothed dolphin show, which was cool and the girls laughed and clapped. The dolphin show was the last thing of the day and we were worn out.

 This is about how we all felt.

 And back to the beach.

My tongue helps me find North when I'm lost at sea.

Waves, you will come to me...(Jedi music)...

 
I wanted a picture similar to the one we had taken when I was pregnant with the girls, so Mom obliged and got us this one. 34 weeks with the Sutts.

31 weeks with the Twins. Yes, I realize I'm close to the same size SHUT UP.

Okay, seriously, is there a marine animal on my back?
Heh heh.
Piper, for real. What's back there?
Teehehehe.
PIPERRRRR!

Pat my head and skip to m'lou!

Looking for mussels with Poppadoc.

Found some!

Their first jumping pictures! 

 They are best buds. Until one takes a toy from the other.

Helping sister get up.

I told her to dance in the water.

Cha cha cha! 

 Dad, Peter's, and David's masterpiece...that Harper promptly and efficiently destroyed.

 34 weeks.

I told David let's do some cliché Sports Illustrated pictures.

 Harper came to check it out.

And then we all were models.