Catching Up

Thursday was my first MOPS (Mothers of PreSchoolers) meeting, and Ryder's first MOPPETS meeting with his new friends. I kept telling him that we were going to both meet new friends, and he was happy that I was going with him. I was a little nervous about meeting new people, but was so relieved as soon as I got there because I actually met a lot of nice moms that I had a lot in common with and I loved that we got to share fellowship and exchanged mommy advice while our children played. I also loved that it was in a christian setting and Ryder made a bookbag with a bible verse and seemed to have enjoyed his time with the other MOPPETS. They meet every other week and I'm already excited for the next meeting, although I probably won't be attending another until October once Brynley gets here.

Friday morning Ryder and I hung out and watched cartoons and he discovered a love for my Naked Green Machine drinks that I have been drinking each morning while I've been pregnant. He even turned the bottle over to see the picture of the green vegetables and fruits on the front, and I told him it was kiwi fruit, which he then replied "and Broccoli!!" and then took a big swig! I couldn't believe he realized it had broccoli in it and he still wanted to drink it, but hey, whatever I can do to get him to get his fruits and veggies in! Later that morning Ryder and Scot accompanied me on my last OB appointment with my midwife. I was shocked to learn that I was 3 cm, although my contractions and cramps haven't been consistent enough to actually make me think I'm in labor. I am so tired of the guessing game, and after the night of contractions and cramps on and off all night on Thursday, I decided to keep pur original induction date of the 13th. I know ya'll are probably reading this and thinking "wow, Laura is all over the place with deciding whether to be induced or not". Between the upcoming full moons, and being dilated to 3 cm, who knows, maybe Brynley will still make her debut before then :)

 On our way back from the appointment, Scot had to switch cars with me in the driveway. This is just one of the great things about living in a townhome (sense the sarcasm??). We don't normally let Ryder in the front seat, Britney Spears papparazzi style, but figured it would be okay just to switch cars in the driveway. We have been thinking for awhile now of selling Scot's car and just being a one car family to help get bills paid off so we can hopefully move from our townhome and into a bigger home with more land sooner. Again, we have been praying about this decision and I know when the time is right, we will make the decision then.

 Ryder and I had a playdate while Scot left for his conference downtown Charlotte. I was so excited because our playdate was with one of the mommies I met at MOPS. She has a 2 year old son and a 3 month old boy so she offered a lot of great advice about going from one to two kids, and I feel that we will become good friends. We had so much in common and I really felt as if God made this all happen. I just don't have many friends my age with small kids, and I think that would be one of the only challenges of being a SAHM is not having any adult conversation. I have learned that I can't depend on Scot while he is home, because even though he's upstairs in his office, he is still busy working and I still have to act as if he's not here so that I don't get dependent on his help once Brynley is born. This has been my main worry about having a newborn and a toddler, but I know that we will adjust eventually, and I shouldn't be so worried about it!

 After our playdate, Ryder went down for a late nap and I was able to get some housework done. I think we are really getting the hang of this staying at home business, and I am learning that it doesn't have to be so scheduled, and that is the great thing about it, that there is so much flexibility so we can do as much or as little as we want. Friday also happened to be Teddy Bear day, and we had the option to join some of the other moms for a teddy bear picnic at another mommies group I found, but I thought the day was already pretty full, so instead we stayed home and after Ryder woke up from his nap, we got to do some fun teddy themed activities. I promise I won't bore ya'll with our "special days" each time, but since this was our first week, I did want to remember some of the cute things I came up with to do with Ryder.

 We read books about teddy bears, painted pictures with teddy bears, and assembled a cute teddy bear too!

 Ryder happily showed off his cute teddy bears and as you can see, chose his favorite color, BLUE!

 Saturday I met up with my mom for a morning out with her while Ryder played with Pawpaw. Scot worked most of the morning but I was happy to have him home by the early afternoon because I started having more frequent contractions and cramping and was actually starting to think it was time. I took a bath and tried to relax and by the time we went to bed and laid Ryder down to sleep, most of the stronger contractions had subsided. Just goes to show you that God is in total control! It was a long night of tossing and turning last night and by midnight Scot and I both couldn't sleep so we watched Friends and talked for awhile. I think our insomnia was partly due to being anxious about Brynley and probably the fact that we went to bed by 8 pm, right when we put Ryder to bed! I am thankful that today is Scot's last day of the conference and i am selfish that I do not like him working the weekend. Luckily it is only every few months, and I know it's just part of his job because it's such a large account for him. It's just bad timing with Brynley's due date only a day away!

Today is September 11th and we watched some of the memorial services this morning. I can't believe it has been 10 years since the events happened, but I can tell you I remember that day well. I can also say that I did not want to have a September 11th baby, so I am hoping that Brynley will wait to make her debut after today. My sister in law said that if she does decide to come today to look at it as a blessing still, and Scot even said he wouldn't mind if she came today, if that was when her birthday was meant to be. I'm just going to try to stay calm, and keep busy with Ryder until Scot gets home this afternoon. It's just like a roller coaster between thinking I am in labor one minute, and then the next no symptoms at all. Again, this has been a completely different experience than when I was approaching my 40 week due date with Ryder. I had literally NO symptoms! My mom, Scot, and sister in law are texting about every few hours to see if I have any updates to share, and as of now there isn't a thing ha! Well, I hope that I will have some exciting news to share soon, but if not I will definitely have some by the 13th.