First Day of Preschool

Today was Cassidy and Bennett's first day of preschool. They are both going 3 days a week - Cassidy in the 4's class and Bennett in the 3's class. Cassidy was super-excited and joined her new class like an old pro. The 4's class is modeled after the kindergarten experience, so there are 15 kids in her class with a teacher and full-time assistant. They have assigned seats and cubbies and their day is more learning-focused with centers and even bible time every morning. Cassidy was very excited when I picked her up today and her teacher, Mrs. Colburn said she had an awesome day. HOORAY!!!

Poor Bennett's day did not start our on such a positive note. We dropped Cassidy at her class first, and he started crying when he realized what was going on (ie. we were leaving her there). At his own class, his teacher (and Cassidy's former teacher), Ms. Laura, had to pry him off my body. He was hanging on so hard he almost pulled my pants off...what a way that would have been to start Ms. Laura's class...naked pregnant lady! Fortunately, by the time I picked him up he was content and working with another child to put together a puzzle. Ms. Laura said he cried for only about 3 minutes, which was a relief. Hopefully Wednesday won't be quite so traumatic.

A card I made for Cassidy and hid in her lunchbox. It's hard to read thanks to my flash! :)

Cassidy, Lily, and Bennett all ready for school. Notice Lily, too, had to wear a bookbag and carry a "lunchbox."

My Sweet Girls

Cassidy showing off her bookbag and lunchbox.

Sooooo excited to be going back to school!

Bennett all smiles on his first day of preschool

Showing off his matching lunchbox and bookbag...they all seemed to know exactly how to model for me! :)

The girls posing together...Lily HAD to be with big sis!

How We Spend Our Days...

So, what does a pregnant stay-at-home mother of 2, babysitter of 1, do for entertainment when the kids are overtired, cranky, and already finished with breakfast at 7:00 a.m.? She lubes everyone with sunscreen, throws on bathing suits and heads outside for 3 1/2 hours of fun in the sun! We were literally outside today from 7:30-11:00 a.m. ... and this is how we spent our time!

Putting wet handprints on every single brick lining our flowerbeds

Cassidy directing the work crew, as usual.

Mission accomplished!

We found some slugs. Cassidy was the only one brave enough to touch them.

Then we went for a dip...or apparently Lily went for a drink!

Next, maybe it's time for a spin on the trike...

...or a slide into the pool!

Cassidy discovered that she could make water squirt out of the watergun by blowing into the hole on the side. They all thought this was fabulous!

Sharing takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to tricycle rides at our house!

SO SWEET!

(And although it looks questionable, he IS holding the tricycle seat, not grabbing her hinney!)

Practicing our balancing skills...look out 2020 Olympics!

Slow and Steady

Now for a little artwork

Cassidy turned our chalk drawings into watercolors!

Perhaps it's time for a little light sweeping...

...or maybe a horsey ride!

Ride 'em, Cowboy!

There's nothing like a lounge in the pool after a hard day's play!

Not exactly what I wanted to hear...

I went to the OB today for a glucose test and a follow-up ultrasound to check the location of my placenta. I was diagnosed with partial placenta previa at my first ultrasound and although Lucy, one of my midwives, assured me that 90% of the time it corrects itself by the time of delivery, we needed to recheck it's location today. My understanding is that as long as the placenta is 2 cm away from the cervix then I can still have a vaginal delivery. Closer than that and a C-section is on the table for discussion...if not an imminent reality. Of course, Joey and I have been praying for the placenta to move...we want a natural delivery if at all possible, and especially as someone who has already pushed two people out of my body, I'd rather not also add to my list of baby trophies severed abdominal muscles and a C-section scar.

So, with 3 children (Bennett, Cassidy, and Lily) in tow, I arrived for my ultrasound. The children were exceptionally well-behaved (I had offered a reward of a popscicle to whoever could sit still and obey) and they enjoyed seeing the baby on the computer screen. However, the news was less than ideal. Although my placenta has moved some - it is no longer covering my cervix - it is still close to my cervix. To measure the exact distance from my cervix the technician had to do an internal ultrasound, which meant I had to strip down in front of poor Bennett - I have probably scarred him for life...sorry, Jaymee! - and then had to hear Cassidy squeal when she saw WHERE they were putting the wand! The technician measured, but was unable to tell me any additional information...I'll have to wait until my September visit to see just how far my placenta has moved, the odds that it will move much further at this point, and their feelings on my delivery status. Not exactly what I wanted to hear...

But, the icing on the cake was when the technician asked if I knew the sex of the baby. I told her that I did, but that the children didn't. I said, "Is it a ...?" and then spelled male or female (because I have a feeling that if I had spelled boy or girl, Cassidy would have understood!). She looked, but could NOT confirm her original diagnosis! Good thing I have one gender-neutral newborn sleeper...I guess I'll be packing it to take to the hospital! Not exactly what Tracey the Planner wanted to hear...

Anyway, I allowed myself a few minutes of frustration and now am renewing my mind to what God's Word says. He can do "exceeding abundantly above all that I ask or think according to the power that worketh in us." He loves me and wants me to be blessed. It is with this mindset that I move forward.

Lily's First Haircut

Lily had her first haircut on Friday...just a trim to get rid of all the scragglies.

Cassidy went first to show her that it was no big deal. Look how long her hair had gotten!

She does NOT like having her hair brushed because it gets so knotty, so there were some tears, but she tried her best to put on a brave face. Ms. Brenda took off 2-3 inches and put some long layers in her hair to help combat the knots.

And, in the end, she was pleased with the finished product...especially because everyone made a point to comment on how lovely her hair looked! :)

Next it was Lily's turn. She bravely took her seat and sat patiently for her trim.

She got a little pouty toward the end, but never cried. The hairdressers were all commenting on her full, pouty lips...they said she looked like Shiloh (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's daughter). Joey joked that perhaps we could sell some pictures of Lily to the tabloids for some cash! :)

All finished and looking precious!

In other news, we are still battling sickness at our house. I think Cassidy is finally well and rid of the nasty virus that looked like strep, flu, and pink eye all rolled into one, but Lily and I are still working to recover. I am still having a hard time eating, which, in turn, makes me tired and weak, and I am starting to suspect that Lily has developed an ear infection. I thought she just had a sore throat because she wasn't eating...and sore throat is associated with this virus...but she is drinking juice (which would burn a sore throat) but has not been sleeping well at night. I put some numbing drops in her ears to see if that would help perk her up and have been giving her motrin. We will head to Urgent Care today or to the pediatrician tomorrow depending on how things go.

I have an ultrasound on Thursday to check the position of my placenta. Hopefully, it has moved up enough so that we don't have to continue checking this issue and can just proceed with the pregnancy normally. The baby is well...awake ALL the time...so I guess all the germs around our house haven't affected him/her. :)

Garner Trojans Tennis

Garner Trojan Athletics has a weekly podcast posted on their blog. This week's podcast, dated August 1, included some really nice comments about Joey and the tennis program as the teams look toward the 2009-2010 season. Visit Garner Trojan Athletics to listen to the podcast...they talk about the tennis team in the first few minutes of the hour-long show, so you won't have to listen long! :) GO TROJANS!!!

San Antonio

We enjoyed 4 fun-filled days in San Antonio visiting Aunt Shirley, Uncle Dick and the rest of the extended family. The girls had many firsts: first plane ride, first trip to Sea World, first visit to the Riverwalk and the Alamo, first boat ride, first swim in a lake. Too tired to post all the pics here, so visit Facebook to see our favorite photos from the trip! :)