Our Little Trooper

Little Miss Em had to go in for surgery last Tuesday to have more tubes put in her ears and her adenoids taken out. After seeing the ENT several times this summer, he decided that it would be best to go ahead with the surgery. Her ears were consistently full of fluid all summer, and that is not the norm for her age. I was a little hesitant to go ahead with the surgery because she is still so young, but he felt it was necessary.
Afterwards, I am so glad that we decided to do it. Her doctor said that she was a mess! Her throat, ears and nose were all infected and full of junk. He put her on strong ear drops for five days and an antibiotic for 3 weeks. We are hoping this will help her feel better. He also wants her on allergy medicine year round. He thinks not only does she have allergies, but her problems are caused by her genetic make-up as well. Poor baby! She is such a trooper! You would never know she felt badly when you are around her.
I also have to brag on how she handled her blood draw before the surgery. We had to take her in the week before so they could take blood from her arm. Our sweet girl sat there, watched them draw the blood, and NEVER cried or even whimpered. She was amazing! She never cried after the surgery either. She amazes us....sweet girl!

Whoa, Momma!!

I have seen other blogs where they have weekly updates of their pregnancy with the information below. I obviously haven't done this throughout this pregnancy, but I thought I would do it for 36 weeks and show you the pictures of me right now. Hold onto your chairs, ladies and gentlemen, because you might not be ready for this!

How Far Along: 36 Weeks
Size of baby: Not sure, but I might be giving birth to a baby the size of a small horse here in a few weeks.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Let's just say there has definitely not been any weight loss around here
Maternity Clothes: I am going to be honest here and say that most women are jealous of my sexy wardrobe.
Gender: Aren't you dying to know?
Movement: My internal organs will never be the same.
Sleep: Sleep.....you mean insomnia? I daydream of dreaming!
What I miss: The list is long, my friends!
Cravings: One word....FOOD!

I did actually go into labor last week, but Dr. Crowe was able to stop it. I was dehydrated, and she thinks I might have had a little virus as I didn't feel well at all. I learned one thing very quickly from the experience....I was not prepared at all for this baby! Needless to say, we have gotten things taken care of. Thankfully, my mom was in town to help! She has been such a huge help with getting things in order for Little Peanut!

Now, for the pictures you have been longing to see....to be honest, they still shock me!

First Day of School

Lainie and Emmie had their first day of school on September 8. Justin and I ended up moving the girls to a new school this year that is about 5 minutes from our house. It has been SO nice! I was driving 25 minutes to their school last year, so this has been such a welcome change. Not only is it convenient, but we LOVE their new school. The teachers, the program, and the activities are awesome! I am so excited to have them there.

We went to meet the teachers on September 1, and Emmie cried because she didn't want to go home. I was shocked as she cried every day last year because she didn't want to stay. I got my hopes up thinking she would be happy, happy to go to school this year. Unfortunately, I was wrong.....her love of school lasted for one day! Now, she cries and says she doesn't want to go every. single. morning that I go to drop her off. Her teachers are so sweet and she seems to always have a great day, but she just doesn't get excited about going yet.

Lainie loves her class. Her friends, Graham and Jonah, are in class with her this year, so she is thrilled! She is learning all kinds of new things and has started "Handwriting without Tears." She can already write her name, but hopefully, her handwriting will improve over this year. Her teachers are so sweet too.

Both girls have lots to look forward to. They have baby cows coming, chicks they will be hatching, caterpillars that they will watch turn into butterflies, etc. I think they will have a great year!

Chattanooga with Uncle Bennie (Ice Cream and Water Fun)

After the park, we headed to the cutest little ice cream shop to grab some ice cream. Yum! It was the perfect treat for a very hot day. We then went back to the Aquarium for a little while. Afterwards, Lainie wanted to play in the ponds outside, so we took the girls shoes off and let them splash away. Justin and I both said we will have to go back again. The girls loved it and there is so much for the kids to do!

Chattanooga with Uncle Bennie (Carousel)

After the Aquarium, our next stop was a cute little park in downtown Chattanooga. There was lots of room to run, a splash pad, and best of all, a precious carousel that the girls loved. Uncle Bennie was so sweet to take the girls twice to ride it. Lainie and Emmie both had such a great time. We were going to let them play in the splash pad, but decided against it in the end because we didn't have bathing suits or a change of clothes for either of them. I think they had fun regardless!

Chattanooga with Uncle Bennie (Aquarium)

Whew...am I behind on blogging or what? Let's go all the way back to Labor Day and talk about our super fun trip to Chattanooga with Uncle Bennie. We have been talking about taking the girls to see the fish at the Aquarium for a while, and Bennie mentioned it also. We decided it would be a fun way to spend Labor Day, so we packed the girls up for the day and met Bennie there. Our first stop was the Aquarium to see the fish, but our day didn't end there. Here are pictures from our first adventure!