Fall Bucket List 2016

As I get older, fall is definitely becoming my favorite season of the year.  I'm not one of these gals that likes pumpkin spice stuff, in fact, besides the look of pumpkins for decorations and for painting/carving, I don't like pumpkins at all.  The smell makes me a little nauseous.  Anyways, I'm really ready for the cooler temperatures and changing colors.  To keep with our tradition, I've made a bucket list for this year.  It's not as long as some have been in the past, but it gives us plenty of fun things to do and memories to make!  We've already got a head start on some of the things on the list, so we're ahead of the game this year!

• Paint/carve pumpkins
• Go trick-or-treating
• Watch the steam engine come through town
• Visit a corn maze/fall festival/pumpkin patch
• Play in the leaves
• Make hot chocolate
• Make s'mores
• Go on a hayride
• Updated pictures of the boys
• Go look at the leaves as they change colors
• Trunk or Treat
• Have a bonfire
• Make homemade soup
• Make fall art with the boys
• Make Halloween cookies
• Watch a Halloween movie
• Go on a date with Andy
• Decorate for Halloween
• Go to Lake Winnie's Lake WinnepeSPOOKah

It's a Boy!

Wednesday after school I headed to the doctor to find out if this baby is a boy or girl.  I didn't think Andy was going to be able to go (and he's been to each gender scan before), so I was a little bummed, but he surprised me and brought the boys along!  I was glad we were all in there together to find out the gender of this sweet baby!  The boys thought the ultrasound was really cool, and Clark said, "Oh, I hear the heart beep!"

During the day on Wednesday, I loaded up on chocolate to make sure the baby was good and active!  As soon as the scan started, the cord was between the legs, but after some prodding the baby finally flipped around.  As soon as we got a good view, the ultrasound tech said, "Oh, I think I see boy parts!"  Sure enough, the more he moved, the better views we got!  I did the same thing I've always done when I've found out the gender - laughed hysterically!  Andy got to laughing too, and the boys were thrilled that they're going to have a baby brother!  We got several good angles, so Gina said she was about 95-99% sure that it's a boy.  If for some reason he turns out to be a girl at my next scan, I'll let everyone know.  From everything we saw though, I feel pretty certain Andy will have the golf foursome he's counting on.  : )  Oh, at one point Gina said she saw a "turtle" which meant she saw the boys parts, so when got out to the car, Cooper asked me as serious as could be, "Momma, is there a turtle in there, too?"  Haha, I almost died when he asked me that!  I assured him there wasn't though, and it was like the weight of the world was lifted off of his shoulders!

I was expecting a boy this time just based off of experience, but I kind of thought it might be a girl just because I've been so sick and felt so bad this go around.  I guess that has nothing to do with it though!  We love our boys, and I love being a mom to boys, so I'm really excited.  We've got a ton of clothes for him, so I shouldn't need too much there, but I do want to change the nursery (that Clark currently resides in) up for him.  Both boys have had their own special nurseries, so I want to do that for him, too.

As far as names go, we had a definite name going into the ultrasound, but as usual, Andy said he wasn't ready to "commit" to it just yet.  I think he does that just to drive me insane, but I feel pretty sure that the name we had picked out will be his official name in the near future.  And no, it doesn't start with a C!  Sorry to disappoint.  : )

Wednesday Update

Happy Wednesday!  It's been awhile since I've done a weekly update, but I'll try to keep it short.  Everything is going well in the Smithson house, and we're finally adjusting to the new school/bedtime schedule.  Anyways, I'll jump right into it!

• Cooper is doing great at school!  He really has surpassed all of our expectations, and he's learning so much!  He even got "star student" last week, so he got a special treat from us for that.  Every week they have a theme they teach, and this week's is nutrition.  Last night as we were eating, he went through everything that was "good" for you and "bad" for you.  Everything that Andy and I seem to eat a lot of was bad, and everything he eats on the daily was good.  It was hilarious!  He's making a lot of friends, and he's really getting into everything they're doing.  Friday is pajama day and they have a field trip in October, so he can't wait.  He's still struggling some at home because he's so tired, but he seems to be adjusting better.
• Clark has turned into our resident rooster.  Yesterday he was up for the day at 5am.  Most mornings it's between 6:15 and 6:30, but once he's up, he screams until we come and get him, then he doesn't take "no" for an answer when it comes to getting out of his crib.  Most of the time I'm up before him (expect for yesterday), so I throw him in bed with Andy, but then he just wants to play.  We keep thinking we'll change his bed over to a big boy bed, and we definitely will before the baby comes, but he may never let us sleep once he has free reign of getting in and out.  Other than this madness, he's great and as crazy as ever.  He ended up back at the doctor right before Labor Day weekend for a terrible allergic reaction to a bug bite, but thankfully it wasn't a tick or spider bite, and the doctor knocked it out with some steroids.
• This past weekend we had a drop in temperature, and that made me realize that I had nothing prepared for the boys to wear when it gets cooler.  I spent the morning in our attic going through the ridiculous amounts of bins and bags of clothes, and found a good bit of stuff for Clark.  It's so odd though- I know I had a ton of stuff for Cooper at Clark's age that I didn't throw away, and it's like some of it just disappeared into an abyss.  I knew I had nothing for Cooper, but I've got him a good collection going thanks to some great friends who rounded up some nice clothes for him!  We just don't have the spare money to buy him a brand-new wardrobe every season, so he gets a mix of hand-me-downs and new stuff.  I also hate going to the huge consignment sale (even though I usually find a ton of stuff there), so the more I can gather from friends and family, the better!  I told Andy if this baby is a girl, I'm getting rid of everything they've outgrown in that attic; his unit-hording ways are rubbing off on me.
• I also put out all of our fall decorations this weekend too.  I was tired of my summer stuff, so even though it'll probably be warm for another month or so, I put it all away.  I haven't gotten hay bales or pumpkins yet, I usually save that for October and my Halloween decorations.  I'm definitely ready for fall though.  I'm tired of wearing sandals, so I've busted out the ankle boots and moccasins this week.  I know I probably look ridiculous, but I don't care.  
• Speaking of shoes, I've stocked up on some good fall/winter accessories thanks to my birthday money.  I just bought a field/utility jacket that I'm super excited about.  I'm bad about getting three or four things in my mind every season that I just need (especially for winter for some reason), and a field jacket was one of those things this year.  I got my purses out of the way for my birthday, plus some more shoes, so I should be set!  I always tend to buy more fall/winter things than summer, so I'm glad we're almost to my favorite season!
• I've started watching Scandal on Netflix, and it's already got me hook, line, and sinker.  All of my friends at school watch it, so they reeled me in.  There's 4 seasons on Netflix, and season 5 starts next week on realtime TV, and I know I'll never catch up by then.  I may just record them all on the DVR and have them ready and waiting.  I was planning on waiting until I had the baby to start it for my late night feedings, but there's pretty much an endless amount of shows to start on Netflix or Amazon, so I don't think I'll be struggling to pick something then.
• As far as the pregnancy goes, I'm finally over my nausea, but am still exhausted and getting headaches.  I'm in my 2nd trimester now, which is supposed to better for fatigue, I figure I may just stay exhausted this whole pregnancy with the boys and working.  I'm hoping the headaches will subside soon though.  I got one today at work, took my prescription on an empty stomach, and got sick as a dog.  I was shaky, dizzy and lightheaded, and almost feel a few times from all that.  Once I ate it got better, but I learned my lesson!

Alright, sorry for rambling!  I hope everyone has a good Wednesday!

Pregnancy Update

Yesterday afternoon I went and had my every three week pregnancy checkup.  I was really ready for this one because I knew I had a good chance of finding out the gender of the baby.  They did all of the normal stuff when I got there, then I had a nurse practitioner in training come and talk to me.  He looked maybe 22 years old, and was a nervous wreck.  I think I baptized him into the fire a bit when he asked me every question in the OB book, but he handled it pretty well.  My doctor came in after him, informed me that I had lost a pound (so my total weight gain at 14 weeks is 2 pounds), and said she expects it to go up from now on, not down.  I had lost a pound at another visit too, but I'm sure now that I'm feeling better I'll start packing them on, even though I am trying to be careful about not turning into a pig and am still exercising regularly.  Anyways, blood pressure and urine were good, so I was happy.

I went in for my ultrasound that was initially set up to check the spot they'd been watching so closely.   My doctor had informed me at every visit that this was nothing to worry about, but I read everything I could find about it, so I was a nervous wreck that it wouldn't go away.  Thankfully, just like she said it most likely would, it reabsorbed/went away, so that's one less thing I can worry about now and a big answer to prayers.  After checking the heartbeat and all the important stuff, the ultrasound tech got busy trying her best to find out what the gender of the baby was.  Right away I saw something between the legs, so I thought it was a boy from the get-go.  She informed me though that we were looking at the cord, and unfortunately the cord stayed right in between the legs the entire scan.  She worked for probably 20 minutes, pushed and prodded my stomach like crazy, rolled me in different directions, and the poked the baby some more.  We had a couple of views that could've gone either way, so I honestly have no idea one way or another.  We couldn't not get the stubborn little thing to move, so I'm going back next Wednesday for another scan.  If that doesn't work, I'll be scanned again at my 17 week checkup.  Hopefully we'll find out soon... I'm dying!  The heart rate was 154, which didn't really give any clues either (if that's even an accurate way to guess).  Everything else looked great, and the baby was very active.  Here's a little picture of him/her.  Hopefully next week I'll be able to have a definitive pronoun to use!

A Birthday Recap

I turned 29 on the 6th of September, and had a good week of celebrating!  I told Andy that I feel like birthdays revolve around food the older I get.  Maybe that's because I'm pregnant this go around, but I had some good meals while celebrating.  I went to Champy's in Chattanooga with my family, Tremont Tavern on the North Shore and City Cafe with Andy, and Calhoun's in the Knoxville area with Andy's family.  On my actual birthday, we were camping in Sweetwater, TN at a KOA with Andy's family for Labor Day weekend.  To be quite honest, I felt absolutely terrible on my birthday from allergies/sinus issues and from being pregnant, so it wasn't the greatest.  Andy was sweet and let me sleep while he kept the boys entertained at the campground, so that helped some.

All I wanted for my birthday was money and a pair of shoes, and everyone came through big time on the gift front.  Andy bought the shoes for me, and everyone else gave me money.  I finally went shopping this past weekend, by myself, and spent all my money in one trip.  Since I'm pregnant, I didn't want to spend my money on clothes, so I had my sights set on a new purse or watch.  Purses and watches are a couple of things I don't mind dropping a good amount of money on because the nicer ones I've invested in over the years, the longer I've been able to use them.  I've had some of my Coach bags for almost 9 years now, and they still look brand-new.  I bought a Michael Kors watch 2 years ago, and I've yet to have to change the battery.  Once I got to the mall I couldn't seem to find anything I wanted to spend a ton of money on though.  Don't get me wrong, I found some beautiful bags, but nothing that I just couldn't live without though.  After wondering around the mall aimlessly for awhile, I headed to TJ Maxx to look at their bags.  I always seem to have luck there with purses.  They carry beautiful designer bags for about 1/3 of the price of department stores.  I ended up buying two bags there and then headed to Target.  I ended up getting another purse at Target, some leopard print ankle booties, a sweater, and some earrings.  All in all I got a lot for my money, and I'm really pleased with all my purchases!

Anyways, this is the last year of my twenties, and I must say, they've been pretty good to me.  Here's a look back of some of the big highlights I've had in my life during my twenties.  As you can see below, it's been a great decade for me!

20- Met Andy
21- Got engaged
22- Got married
23- Pregnant with Cooper
24- Had Cooper
25- Pregnant with/had Clark
26- First full-time teaching job
27- Teaching job at LMS
28- Pregnant with baby #3
29- Expected arrival of baby #3

A New Ride

We sold the Civic about two and a half weeks ago (on a Monday) and started the long hunt for a car that Thursday.  At first we were strictly looking at Ford Flex SUVs, then we expanded to Honda Pilots as well.  I've always loved my Hondas, so I felt pretty sure that's what I wanted.  Ford Flexes were really hard to find in the Chattanooga area, so we went where they were listed, then there was almost always a Pilot on the lot with them.  The first place we went to, we test drove both of them because we had never been in/driven either.  They couldn't have been more different, so that really didn't help me narrow down my decisions at all.  We went to several different dealerships that weekend, and came away empty handed, and annoyed, from each one.  The cars we looked at were either in terrible shape, had a ton of miles, or just didn't please enough to spend what they were asking.  We also had a lot of crappy salesmen, so that sent us away too.

Finally, Saturday afternoon I told Andy we should just start looking at minivans, and he about flipped his lid.  I was the one who was avoiding a minivan like the plague.  I'd had a crappy one before, so once bitten, twice shy.  Andy fought it harder than me this time around.  I quickly found though that we could get almost a brand-new, fully loaded minivan with low miles for the price that we could get a Flex or Pilot with no options and almost 100K miles.  It kind of seemed like a no brainer then because we really wanted a built-in DVD player for the boys, plus leather, and all that other fun stuff.  So, Saturday afternoon we set out in search of a minivan.  We went to Carmax first because we had worked with a really good salesman there before.  We found a van we really liked, but when we sat down to go over everything, their interest rate was through the roof, so we left empty handed.  We tried Honda of Chattanooga next, and it was an absolute nightmare due to horrible customer service (both times we went there that week), so even though I loved my Hondas (neither were purchased there), I would never recommend that dealership to anyone.  We had found several vans at a dealership in Chattanooga that we really liked on Autotrader, so Andy headed up there while I was working that Monday.

Sure enough, while I was working Andy found a van he loved.  We had looked at enough for him to know what I wanted, plus he'd seen me go over every vehicle with a fine-toothed comb, so he also knew the things that would make or break a purchase for me.  He called me, sent me pictures, called me some more, then finally bought it.  I'll admit, I was a bit nervous having not seen it, but at that point I was so over it that I didn't really care.  I had to go to the doctor after school that day, so I didn't see it until dinner time.

We ended up with a 2014 Chrysler Town and Country.  It's fully loaded, and super nice.  It has the DVD player, bluetooth, leather, and all that fun stuff.  I think my favorite thing about it though is the automatic doors.  I push a button on my keys, and the boys hop right in... same for the trunk.  I know that'll be really nice when the baby comes along.  It also has all the stow and go seating, so that'll be really nice when we take trips.  I'm still getting used to how much more gas it takes than the Civic, but I'm sure I'll adjust soon.  Anyways, coming from the girl who swore she'd never have another van, I absolutely love it!

Frequently Asked Baby Questions

Aren't you hoping this baby is a girl??  We'd be happy either way, and know the ins and outs of boys and love them dearly, so we're not really keeping our fingers crossed for either.  Don't get me wrong - we'd be happy with a girl, but we definitely didn't get pregnant this go around with the intent of trying to have a girl... we REALLY love our boys and feel like a 3rd one would be an absolute blessing to this family.  Some people are really taken back and surprised by this answer, but our boys make us extremely happy, and I don't feel like we'd be missing out on something if we have another.  We've even had someone tell us that they're praying this one is a girl.  We're just praying for a healthy baby, whatever the gender may be.

Are you going to try for a 4th if this isn't a girl??  No, we're definitely not going to try for a fourth just in hopes to have a girl.  Like I said above, we love our boys and don't feel like we need to keep trying until we have a girl if this baby isn't one.

Are you sticking with the "C" naming tradition/Do you have names picked out?  Probably not sticking with a C, and yes we've got  a few names picked out.  We have a few tentative names picked out for both genders, none of which start with "C."  Andy likes to change things up on me last minute with names, so I wouldn't be surprised if we go through a lot more names before we decide on one.  We didn't try to stick with "C" when we had Clark, we just really liked that name.  I'm not saying that the baby couldn't end up with a C name, but we aren't just going through names that start with C.  If I had to guess now, I'd say that the baby probably won't have a C name based off of what we've got in mind.

Do you feel different this pregnancy than you did with the boys?  Yes, I definitely feel different this go around, and not in a good way.  I've been MUCH sicker with this pregnancy than I was with the first two.  I'm thinking that probably has to do more with my age, having two wild boys to chase at home, and working full time.  I definitely had a whole lot more morning sickness this time around, plus the exhaustion has almost killed me.  I'm about over the nausea, but I'm getting terrible headaches now.  I did that with both boys, so I wasn't surprised by that, but I was hoping to avoid them this time around.  I'm still exhausted though, and feel like I could pretty much sleep all day.

Are you going to find out the gender?  Yes, we're definitely going to find out the gender.  Way back before I got pregnant, we had talked about being surprised, but neither of us have the patience (mostly me - Andy would still like to be surprised) to wait until March to find out.  I like finding out the minute you can, so we'll hopefully know what this little peanut is in the next few weeks.  If it's a girl, I've got to get busy, so risking not knowing is just too much stress for all the planning/decorating/buying I like to do for either gender!

Are the boys excited?  Yes, they seem very excited.  They both act like they can't wait for the arrival of the new baby, but neither of them understand how much longer it's going to be.  They ask me every day if it's almost time for the baby to come, then get upset when I tell them no.  I really think Cooper will be excited once I have the baby, but I'm not sure about Clark.  He tends to get jealous easily, and still wants to be the "baby" of the family, so I don't know how he'll take it.  They also don't understand why they can't feel the baby in my belly yet, and why they can't hear it crying.  Haha, they also don't understand why they can't play rough with mommy now, and I have to remind them about 50 times a day that they can't jump on me.