After quiet time today, Mommy surprised us with a yummy snack. We dressed up in our Sunday's best, turned on "Tangled", and had chocolate covered strawberries. It was quite fabulous. :)
These bad boys were sliced in half... I got 4... Emma Grace got 3... Princess Baby Boo ate the rest. Already the favorite! ;)
Rachel here. Pregnancy... oy. I'm going to be perfectly honest here... I'm done... and I feel really bad about it. I really enjoyed being pregnant while incubating both Reese and Emma Grace, but this time it's different. Keep in mind my three pregnancies (I feel bad even complaining about that... THREE... some don't even get ONE, and I'm complaining about THREE... what a bitch) have been virtually identical. I've had no complications... well, there was the Fifth's disease scare with Reese... and then the busted vein from my IV which caused my arm to swell to Popeye proportions, oh and then there was the awful bladder issue with Emma Grace (IN IOWA) where my bladder was as hard as a rock and holding WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more urine than it was supposed to be... but I've been INCREDIBLY blessed. In fact I was so happy during those pregnancies (puking EVERY SINGLE DAY OF THE ENTIRE PROCESS), that I vividly remember saying "I would be pregnant every day for the rest of my life if I could." This time... I'm tired, I'm puking, I'm emotional, I'm a full time mom of TWO OTHER LITTLE PEOPLE, two little people who have places to be and people to see... they have schedules! And the house... OH THE HOUSE. We are bound and determined, but we are pooped. Bryan is beyond busy at work, which makes me want to help pick up more of the slack here at the house, but holy bejesus... I'm done. Then there is Bryan... cracking jokes about having ANOTHER baby. I literally want to stab him in the eye every time he says something about it, but what if he really does? Maybe he could become a big brother or something because seriously? SERIOUSLY? :) The absolute highlight... feeling PBB punch, kick, roll around like crazy!
I may have grown tired of pregnancy, but that doesn't mean I don't adore the ground my children walk on. Even in their ugliest of moments... they were worth it, and I know I'll feel the same about Princess Baby Boo (I've learned to say that with a straight face... took a while... oh these girls!). There are quite a few little Mommy Blogger posts that have been circulating... mainly the ones of serious interest to me are by Glennon Melton over at Momastery. She's brilliant. Not in that she's a genius super mom, but in that she's open and brave and honest. One of her most recent posts had to do with SAHMs vs. Working mothers. If you haven't read it... YOU MUST! Too often working mothers are viewed as having mommy guilt because they aren't always with their children... life is filled with having to learn to balance family and work... and attempting to do them both well. Glennon touches on the mommy guilt that SAHMs ALSO have... not contributing monetarily to the family amongst other things. Working mothers tend to think SAHMs are lazy, bon bon eating, non-showering, uneducated women looking for the easy way out. SAHMs mothers tend to think working mothers are selfish, overly done up women who would rather spend money on highlights and manicures than on their children, and think it's more than fine to let others raise their children. It's a really interesting read... and one where the comments are just as amazing as the article. The moral of the story is quit beating each other up... children need to see both types of hard working women in their everyday lives... let them see all of the options that are out there for them, and let them choose.
So in conclusion... I know... are you still awake... still reading... basically... I'm just a tired, sometimes lazy, never done up, extremely educated, always hungry... not for bon bons, over not having control of my body, ecstatic to be adding another little lady to the mix, confused as to attempting to add a little man to the mix, in dire need of a beer but am settling for a crappy cup of coffee in my awesome New Orleans mug, a person who LOVES and APPRECIATES being given the chance to witness all of my children's milestones with my own two eyes... because that's what's good for me, a person who sometimes wishes there was more time in the day for myself, a person who sometimes wishes I had something of my own. And to be honest... I wouldn't change ANY OF IT. Not a single thing. Well... maybe the beer part. :)
New post over at "Movin' On Up" if your interested in our never-ending home improvement/someone please buy my house adventure! :)
Rachel here. This is about as good as I could do without having to dig through random bins. This was at my school baby shower for Reese in June of '07, so I would have been about 5ish months... not sure on weeks.
24 weeks Emma Grace
24 wks Princess Baby Boo
That's one consistent pregnant woman. :)
Rachel here. Tomorrow we are officially 24 weeks. It's funny... from day to day... I feel like this pregnancy is dragging... dragging... dragging... but as a whole... 24 weeks already?!
9 wks
14 wks
18 wks
24 wks
My appointment this morning went well. All appeared normal. I'm up 14 lbs... right on track with my past pregnancies. I'm a 25-30 lb gainer and with less than halfway to go, things are looking good. I've had some swelling in my fingers, but so far only if I'm in the car for too long. I've been side sleeping for some time now but sleeping well... if I could just get to bed earlier!
I have my dreaded glucose test Feb 6 (which I've always passed, so hopefully this go 'round will be the same, and there won't be any surprises.), my next regular appointment is Feb 16, and we'll also be scheduling my 4D soon!
I found my belly shot with Emma Grace at 24 wks, but apparently Reese's is buried in a bin somewhere... as soon as I find it, I'll post a comparison. I know you can't wait! ;)
Mommy found these drawings of mine while cleaning out some cabinets in the kitchen.
"Santa Claus."
"A snowman."
"My entire preschool class!"
"Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer." (Note the nose is profile, but the rest of the face isn't... hehe.)
"A clam."
"My jelly-fish."
I got a Soda Pop Experiments kit from Grandma and Grandaddy for Christmas... it's pretty cool. So far we've only done one experiment because turns out for most of the experiments you need a separate 2 liter bottle... not the one that came with the kit. I had to wait until Daddy finished a bottle to really get down. Luckily there were a few experiments that you could use the kit bottle. This one was with water, baking soda, vinegar, and raisins. I can't remember how much of any of it you need (if you're really that in to it... I'll have Mommy look up the recipe!).
Basically you add all the ingredients together and the raisins begin to "dance" around uncontrollably. 
I thoroughly enjoyed watching them dance to the top only to flick that back down again. 
Keep your eyes peeled for more preschool fun... Mommy will be back with a vengeance starting in February... now that she has her wits about her. :)
Rachel here. Sorry it's taken so long to post! Apparently I ran out of photo space on my blog, so I had to purchase more. Am I naive to think that could happen?
I think I've had a change of heart on going private. I know I know... make a decision. I'd noticed scary things happening while we've been out of town. I'm VERY careful about sharing where I am when. I don't post about vacations/trips out of town until AFTER they've already happened. On Facebook, people were tagging me in specific locations (5 hours away from home) and sharing my photos with people I didn't know. Frankly I don't need people who I don't know knowing how far away I am from my home. With a husband that travels... my privacy when it comes to safety is really important to me. I'd recently deleted over 200 friends from my Facebook account in hopes of cutting down on sharing with folks who weren't necessarily friends... and frankly more acquaintances. I also don't feel comfortable with people I don't know seeing photos of my children UNLESS I CHOOSE TO SHARE THEM. When it comes down to it I don't know who reads this blog, but that makes me aware of what I'm sharing. Here, I control what I share. I've since shared my concerns with those who honestly meant no harm by sharing my information, and it seems to be all worked out... for now. If things change, and I begin to feel weary again... I won't think twice about going private. I've actually become "friends" with people through my blog that I otherwise would never have had the opportunity to connect with. This is a serious outlet for me... and allows me to share ideas, stories, strategies... with others who have done the same for me when I needed them.
So there you have it. If anything, I've learned of some of you who read this blog, whom I don't know... obviously it does something for you... even if it's just a read for a good laugh to make you feel better about your own situation. ;) What kind of person would I be if i took that away from you? HA! Thanks for reading!
Rachel here. Shortly after Christmas, Bryan and I dropped our little ladies off at his parents' house and headed on down to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. VT was playing Michigan in what turned out to be a heartbreaking loss for us. Now to be PERFECTLY honest... HOKIES are relatively good at admitting when we choke hardcore. It happens so often on the big stage, it's hard to argue with outsiders. HOWEVER... my main squeeze Danny Coale caught that ball... no ifs, ands, or buts. Fake punt or no fake punt... it was a catch... a catch that would have won the game for us. I won't dare take the win away from Michigan... we had mistakes... they had mistakes as well... but frankly they did not earn that win. There was absolutely no taunting that we witnessed on the way back to our hotel that night... unlike any other bowl game we've been to. That game was ours to have won. With all the shenanigans that went down with the Sugar Bowl choosing Tech to go and people not thinking we deserved it... blah blah blah... I think we more than proved we should have been there... especially if the argument was Michigan deserved it. Stepping off soap box. :)
Now... when Bryan and I were discussing getting pregnant again... VT's bowl bid definitely came into play. Sad I know. I said to Bryan, "what are the odds that this year we'd go to Bourbon Street?" B said "like 1% chance... there is virtually no way unless we went to the ACC Championship, lost, and got an at-large bid." So... we decided if we won, we definitely weren't going to travel back down to Miami for the Orange Bowl... so why not... baby #3 here we come. Damn if we didn't get the bid. Such is my luck. Bryan was a SUPER good sport about the trip though and definitely had his share of Pat O's hurricanes, and we ACTUALLY remember the trip this time! Go figure. :)
Something we didn't do last time... because we were busy drinking our faces off and eating nasty Bourbon Street pizza JUST so we could use their bathroom... we visited Cafe Du Monde for their famous beignets. They were scrumptious.
Beware fat, exhausted, pregnant face...
We were able to catch the bowl parade. There were TONS of Michigan fans... flat out. Their alumni base is like 4 times what ours is, and from what we found out, there were people there wearing Michigan garb who never even went to Michigan... they were just fans... something you really won't see with us HOKIES. If we're wearing a shirt it's because we went there. There were also TONS of Saints/LSU fans, obviously, so there really was a intriguing mix of people. The blood between us and Michigan was pretty respectful for the most part... it wasn't until an Ohio State guy showed up during the parade that any taunting started. :)
For Reese and Emma Grace. :)
While waiting for the pep rally to begin, we ventured over to the Fan Fest to see what they had to offer. Bryan just about peed his pants when he realized he could have the opportunity to kick a field goal. We hopped in line and watched dozens of people totally flop and look ridiculous trying to kick these things, which leads me to believe it's a lot harder than it looks. Wouldn't you know Bryan made one! He was so super excited... and I was super excited to have gotten it on camera!
VT's pep rally.
Down by the Riverwalk.
Bryan's happy juice. 
New Orleans at night.
Even the police officers enjoy the local entertainment. :)
Our final day... GAME DAY! Bryan and I spent the day eating beignets, wandering the streets of New Orleans for some photos, and partaking in yet another hurricane (Bryan, not me).
These water meter covers are very popular down there. Apparently they are quite the hot commodity. There aren't very many around the city any more because of tourists actually stealing them. A few artists around town have taken the image and placed them on t-shirts, ceramic bowls, and glass. They really are beautiful... well, as beautiful as a water meter cover can be. I won't lie... I tried to pull one up... it would have made it into my bag home... :)
Then we ran into Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce! Bruce Smith that is. :) Please disregard my pregnant face. I swear I get fuglier and fuglier while I'm pregnant with these girls!
It was definitely nice to get away from the girls for a while, but I missed them like crazy and am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed for the next 6ish months. :)
