Turns Out...

I have one stubborn little girl baking inside me. Not much change this last week which is beyond frustrating for me and a little defeating. I realize that I am not due for another 2 weeks or so and I love being pregnant. However, I don't love the pain and discomfort I have. I don't enjoy having every step I take hurt, having my breath completely taken away when I move or roll over. That is the part that is not so enjoyable. I love feeling my little precious rolling and kicking around. I love every minute of it. And I love being told that I have a very happy and healthy little girl in me. So, I made an appointment for next week. From here on out, no more talking about baby.

...I guess I can't blame her for wanting to stay in with how freaking cold it is. It is miserable cold.

We Made It

Well, Miss Sierra has stayed put thus far and my parents will be getting off their plane here in just about a half an hour.

I am absolutely floored that I am still pregnant with as much pressure and pain as I have been feeling to be quite honest. Last night I was up for 5 hours having contractions that were super painful and for an hour and a half they were 5-7 minutes apart. Then they just kind of tapered off. Today I have has some serious pressure, pain, cramping, nausea...contractions, but nothing crazy or consistent. It's the weirdest thing. I never felt like this with Skylar.

Truthfully, I am happy that my parents didn't miss her birth. It definitely wouldn't have been how I wanted it. And I know that it would have been something that plagued my mom for the rest of her life. So really, I know it is a blessing. However, now that they are here, I am beyond ready to meet my sweet angel, to not have this pressure and pain.

So, Miss Sierra, thank you for being so polite and staying put so that your grandparents could be here for us. But now that they are back, feel free to come and come quick. We are all more than anxious to meet you and I would much rather be carrying you in my arms than in the lower regions you have been residing. Mommy loves you and am so very excited to welcome you into this world.

Wordless Wednesday - All Smiles :)

36 weeks 3 days - Belly Pics

I don't think that my belly can grow any more! I feel completely maxed out. Miss Sierra has definitely dropped. There is quite a bit of space between my ribs and her now. This does however allow her to get some good kicks in. Overall, I am feeling really good. I have hit the tired stage, but keep going. I don't have time to just sit around. I actually wish that I did have more down time. But with kids and a hubby, that's not possible (I'm sure you all get it!).

My contractions are starting to get stronger and there is definitely a lot more pressure and things going on down low. Makes me very curious to find out if I have dilated more when I go back to the doctor on Wednesday. Eli seems to think that she will be here and sometime this week. Me? I think that if I have another night like I did a couple nights ago, it will happen too. It's so weird really. With Skylar, I didn't really have the crazy waking up at night, thinking that it could be happening at any moment. I think that maybe I am feeling like that this time because I was hoping it would happen before my parents left. And well now, now I am just feeling all sorts of pressure and craziness that I never felt with Skylar that I can't help but wonder when??

Swae and Seth are beyond excited to have another baby in the house. Both of them are in love with the belly. Seth spent over five minutes the other day just talking to Sierra. It completely melted my heart. And he is always rubbing it and asking if Sierra like it or will tickle it and ask if Sierra is laughing. Swae, she is just a love and no matter what has to kiss Sierra before she goes to sleep or goes to school or anywhere for the day. Skylar rubs the belly and gives kisses, but I am not sure she knows exactly what is in store. She does love babies though and is so good with them. She loves to hold them, rub them, feed them...anything. Fingers crossed she continues this with her little sister!

Eli is getting very excited. He has been talking more and more about Sierra's arrival and touches the belly every chance he gets. He has been talking about staying extremely close to me because he doesn't want to miss a thing. Makes me feel good. Needless to say, we are both ready to meet our sweet little baby girl. We want to hold her and kiss her and love on her. We are ready to welcome the sweet angel into the world.

Random Friday

The parents left bright and early this morning. As I type this, they are on a plane to Puerto Rico. From what my mom said, they are excited but a little sad at the same time. Mom is pretty sure that they will miss the birth. It will definitely be a different experience if that is the case. I guess we shall see. I don't go to the doctor again until Wednesday.

Until then, I have lots to keep me busy. Between kiddos and a hubby, we are now dog sitting what used to be my puppy (until my mom wouldn't give him back!!!!), doing Scentsy parties, and delivering everyone's goods. It has been awesome. Once things are delivered, I have been getting people emailing me and asking for more. It's been great. This month has really been a good one. And I just got hooked up with a HUGE multi-vendor party for December that should really be amazing. I am so excited. We can definitely use the extra money with Christmas just around the corner...not that I have much more to get. Just have the babes and Eli to buy for! But I already know what we are getting, so that makes it all very easy!

We have the babes this weekend...so excited. We have a fun birthday party to go to tomorrow and who knows what other craziness. Looking forward to that, but not so much the snow. Yes, that's right. I said snow. So not ready for that. But I think I would rather have snow than the damn wind that has been blowing for the past few days. Staying warm is what's in store!

Well....

No baby so far and my parents leave first thing in the morning! I'm not quite sure what to think of it... I do definitely think that things are progressing and that worries me because they are going to be gone for a bit and have a real good chance of missing it. Aaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!

It's been a crazy long day today. Ran errands all morning, had a play date til afternoon, grabbed a quick and very short nap and now get to prepare for a Scentsy home party. It's just go, go,go for this momma.

Hope you all are having a great day. I got to run and get ready. Can't wait to catch up on my blog reading!

Sweet Girl with Glasses!

Our sweet angel got her glasses today. She was so excited and I can't get over how freaking cute she looks!!! I love the design.

I'm glad that she is excited for them and not embarrassed. I remember when I got my glasses, I hated them. I didn't want to wear them and most of the time wouldn't.

I just can't get over how beautiful she is. :)

Wordless Wednesday

Today's Appointment

I had a doctor appointment today. It was good and bad. Baby is fine, so no stress!!!

Good news is that I am now 2 1/2cm dilated and 80% effaced and again she stressed how incredibly low baby is. This I know because I feel how low her head is in my lower regions and feel how uncomfortable it is. No surprise there. I have been contracting more and today especially they have been getting a little bit uncomfortable. I am thinking that it shouldn't be too much longer.

Here is my hope - I hope to have Sierra before Friday. I know it is a stretch, but I have good reason. See, my parents are leaving on a cruise first thing Friday morning and won't be back until he evening of the 28th. Truthfully, I couldn't at all imagine them not being here for her birth. And I truly don't think that I will hold out until the 28th or later. From the beginning I didn't ever think I would. So much to think about...

On to the bad news. My doctor walked in and had her arm all in a contraption. I then found out that she BROKE her shoulder and will not be delivering babies for another six weeks. You see my problem. Sierra will not be in my stomach for another six weeks. There is no way. That would put me at 42 weeks...no thank you. So, I have to have another doctor upon delivery. This crushed me. Like to the point of having tears in my eyes. I absolutely love and adore my doctor. She is amazing. The thought of having another doctor is just not something I am having an easy time wrapping my head around...but I am trying.

So, things are progressing for sure which is exciting. Just that much closer to getting to hold my precious angel in my arms!!!!!

**Oh and I am real bummed that I didn't blog yesterday because I was doing so good about posting every day! :(

Success

Today has been a crazy successful day!! I had a Scentsy party that was a complete and utter success. And because it was such a success, I actually made a goal that I guess is super hard to make. I am so freaking excited!! My director called me personally to congratulate me on making it and posted a nice little something on my facebook. I feel so good. I love making and meeting goals. I don't even know what I get for meeting this goal, but I don't even care. I am just glad that I have made it to a point in the business that most people don't get to. It's huge.

While today has been super great, I am beyond tired. I need some sleep and am going to go get some right now!

I hope you all have had a wonderful Saturday!!

Winner Winner!!!!

A big CONGRATULATIONS to Stephanie for winning the giveaway!! I will be ordering your Eskimo Kiss Scent Circle tonight. Please email me your address so that I can get it to you.

Thank you to all that participated and checked out the catalog. If any of you would like to order, just let me know!!

Last Chance to Enter for GIVEAWAY

Maybe you missed THIS post. Check it out!

I will be picking the winner around noon tomorrow.

Scentsy is amazing. We all love our homes smelling nice and this is the best, most cost effect way to make that happen!

Check out my site HERE! Let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy!!!

Swoon!

Last night I was away from home because there was a Scentsy Bingo party. As a consultant, I gathered customers to come and play bingo for free and enjoy a good time. Can't beat playing for free and winning free stuff!! This however left my husband home with the kids for the evening. Something that the love and enjoy just as much as him.

When I got home last night and finished putting in my order, I checked facebook and found this:
"i just wanted the news feed to know my wife stephanie marie walker is the absolute most loving and best thing thats ever happened to me in my life and there isnt a chance in hell i couldnt have been any luckier in life as i was to have her be part of my life, I LOVE YOU STEPHANIE FOREVER AND ALWAYS!!!!!!!!!"

I was gushing. My husband isn't the type to write anything sappy. Sure he has no problem telling people on a one-on-one basis how he feels, but to share it with the whole world...not likely. It brought a tear to my eye. It is so nice to know that I have a man that loves me and cherishes me as much as I love and cherish him. I am one lucky lady to have found someone so great!

Christmas Cards Anyone???

Before I had a family and kids, I never really put much thought into Christmas cards, sharing all my pictures, and keeping everyone in touch with what was going on in my life. This has drastically changed since having a kids especially. Now, I want to share their cuteness with everyone any chance I get. I have found this most easy by using Shutterfly. I have been using Shutterfly now for a few years and am in love!!!! Not only do I think they have the best prices for ordering prints, I love that they are delivered to my door AND they are in order!! This saves me not only money but time. And since I am crazy obsessed with taking kids of my pictures, I started a "share site" in which I can add family members to and they are not just able to view all my pictures, they are able to have them printed as well. Super easy and fun way to keep everyone in touch and in the loop as children seem to grow and change in the blink of an eye!

Since I have so many cute pictures of the babes and I definitely don't have enough wall space to sport all my pictures, I have started making photobooks. I made my first one last year for Eli for Father's Day and he absolutely loved it. Plus it is something that I am able to leave out and share with friends and family when they come over. This year for Christmas, I got almost all our family photobooks of the latest and greatest pictures so I didn't have to just pick a few pictures to give them.


Something new I tried this year for Christmas gifts is a calendar. Oh my goodness, these things are easy to make and they turn out adorable. I didn't initially order us one, but will be getting one with my next order for sure for our household.
I also have ordered Christmas cards, plaques, coffee mugs, luggage tags, notepads, and Miss Skylar's birth announcements. The quality of work is excellent and I have never had any complaint or issue. It would be safe to say that I am just a bit obsessed and love to find any excuse possible to use the site not only for myself, but for others.

Shutterfly has an amazing offer going on right now. Click HERE the link to find out how you can get 50 FREE photo cards.

This year I am completely torn on which Christmas card I should do for our family. There is just so much to choose from!! I think I might have narrowed it down to the following three, but every time I look around, there seems to be another one that I like just as much! Which one of these three do you guys all like???

I plan on taking pictures of the family...well mostly babes...the next weekend we have them so I can get them ordered. I am so excited to send them out. I loved going to our families houses (and friends) last year and seeing them out. And I love even more the ones that cute out the pictures to save and still have them up!

This is an amazing deal friends! Take advantage. You definitely will not be let down by the quality!!!

Wordless Wednesday

***1000th Post*** & Giveaway!

That is a heck of a lot of writing. Had I not been such a slacker this past year, I would be well past that number. Oh well, I am there now and I am so happy to have this online little journal to share and look back on. There has been a lot that has changed in my life since I started this blog.

I have grown as a person, I have changed for the better, I fell in love with the greatest man ever, and have a wonderful little family. And soon, we will be welcoming the newest addition. I have made some remarkable friends. It is crazy to think that you can feel close to someone who you haven't even met, but I do. I can only hope that I am lucky enough to get the chance to meet these wonderful ladies in person some day.

I truly enjoy reading other people's stories, experiences, sharing their journeys. It is so nice to know that there are other people out there that have been through it, that can relate to all that you may be feeling or experiencing. There is always someone who can give you advice, shed some light, give you reassurance, and just be there.

I want to do a little GIVEAWAY.. but would need help on how to do the random drawing thing to make it fair. Just about a month ago, I became a Scentsy consultant. I have learned that most people have never heard of Scentsy. Heck, I only learned of it about a year ago. Now, I am hooked and addicted. I love everything about this product. Scentsy is a wickless candle. You buy a warmer and wax, plug the warmer into the wall and walla, you have a house that smells amazing...better than any candle can make your house smell! The best thing about Scentsy??!! There is no fire hazard since there is no flame. You don't stress about leaving your bathroom light on all day...well, I don't hesitate to leave my warmer on all day and sometimes all night. The warmers are adorable as well. Look at the warmer of the month!
I swear that you can smell my house from outside my front door. Even my husband is happy with how it smells. And the kids? They are obsessed!! Skylar L-O-V-E-S to "smell" her warmer every time we walk in her room. Swae and Seth both specifically asked for warmers for Christmas. Of course I ordered them right away and can't wait for them to open them!! Now I just need them to narrow down what scents they want. If they had it their way, they would have one of everything!


So for the GIVEAWAY, I would like to send a lucky someone a scent circle. All you have to do is browse the online catalog and tell me what warmer is your favorite and what scent you think that you would like. Mostly, I just want to share with everyone what an incredible product Scentsy is. Feel free to ask me any questions. This is one thing that I don't ever get tired of talking about. And definitely check out my site: http://stephwalker.scentsy.us. I will be picking a winner on Friday Nov 12.

Doctor Visit

Had a doctor appointment today. My doctor had told me the last time I saw her that she had no intention of checking me today and it would just be a routine check-up. She said that she would either check me next week or maybe wait to see me in two weeks and check me then. She held to that while she measured my uterus and listened to the angel's heart beat. It wasn't until we were talking after and I was explaining to her how I was feeling and how I have all the kids' bags packed, mine and Sierra's bags packed. It was then that she gave me a worried look and said that I needed to get undressed. That I was worrying her and she wanted to know for herself. I started to feel bad and told her that I trusted her and we could wait til next week, but she was set that we should check. So we did.

Turns out, I was right - that there are changes happening and I am not losing my mind! I am dilated 1cm and doctor's exact words were, "She is extremely low!" Alright then. So now, we go back next Monday. The only other thing that she said other than she would see me next week was that she sure that Sierra won't be making it to 40 weeks. This is something I have been feeling for quite some time. Nice to know I have her in my corner now too!!

I could totally walk around 1cm for quite some time, but I think Sierra will be making her appearance by the end of November. It is just a feeling I am having. We shall see. 35 weeks tomorrow! So excited to know I will be holding my precious in the near future!

Hitting, Kicking, Pushing...Punching????

Things have been interesting lately with our little Mr. Man Seth. Like I said in his post, he is doing amazing in school and really is a big help. What we are having problems with at home is how he is with his little sister.

Lately, he has been pushing, hitting, and kicking Skylar. He will antagonize her to the point of getting her upset by hoarding toys, pushing her around, not allowing her to go where she wants to go just because and then uses her getting upset as an excuse to unleash on her. In fact, the other day, he straight turned around and punched her in the stomach. I saw the whole thing and he didn't think I was there. He tried saying that she hit him, but she hadn't touched him. It broke my heart. I don't understand where the violence is coming from.

In our home, we typically don't spank. With Swae, all it took was her having to look at the wall or a sticker and that was all the tuning she needed. With Seth, looking at the wall doesn't work. He has gotten a spanking a handful of times and that doesn't phase him either. We've tried talking, we've tried raising our voices...nothing seems to be working. He continues to be abusive and it is starting to break my heart. I hate seeing our sweet little boy act like this. I hate seeing Skylar's face when she is the brunt of his aggression. And I hate that now Skylar is learning that hitting is an acceptable behavior since that is what she sees and gets from her brother. He doesn't just act out on Skylar. He will with Swae too, but doesn't do it as much because Swae has a voice and can tell us what happened. Skylar can't.

Is this just a "boys will be boys" thing? I don't know. What I do know is that I worry that Skylar is going to end up hurt. And I hate that she thinks that it is ok to hit or kick or push when things aren't going her way. I am also at a loss at how to correct Seth's behavior. I told him from now on he will get back whatever he dishes out. And the fact that Daddy is on board is great. Seth listens to his Daddy because he idolizes him. I am hoping that we can get this nipped in the ass and with a quickness. I just wish we knew that these same values were being reinforced when they aren't with us. That would really be a big help.

Random Saturday-ness

I think that Miss Sierra might be starting to drop. I have been feeling a lot more pressure down low, some pain even, and a little uncomfortableness. I am starting to be able to breath a little better. I am very curious to see what doctor has to say when we go in on Monday afternoon.

In other news, yesterday I think I heard "mama" no less than a million times. At one point, I really thought I was going to loose my mind if I heard it again. Got to love the little lady that follows me around and mocks every move I make. If she isn't getting into everything, she is helping me. Her favorite thing to help with is: laundry. She will put the clothes in the washer, move the clothes from the washer to the dryer, the dryer to the basket. She loves it and gets excited. I think it is so cute.

Today, I am finishing up my laundry and going to pack the hospital bag. While I am at it, I pack a bag for Swae, Seth and Skylar as well. I just want to be prepared. With Skylar, Swae and Seth were at their mom's when she came. This time, I can't get it out of my head what it would be like if they are with us when I go into labor. What would their little faces look like when we say, "It's time to go meet your little sister." So many things to look forward to!! I just can't wait.

Baby #2 - 27-34 weeks!

34 weeks 1 day
33 weeks 1 day

32 weeks 1 day

31 weeks 1 day

30 weeks 1 day

29 weeks 1 day

28 weeks 1 day

27 weeks 1 day

Boy, time has really gotten away from me! I can't believe that the last time I posted was when I was 26 weeks!! It's been 8 weeks! WOWZA!!!!! You know what this means??? Little Miss Sierra is less than 6 weeks away from joining our family...less than 6 weeks until I am able to hold my sweet little precious in my arms! I cannot wait.

We have the room ready. Skylar and Sierra will be sharing a room and it is so cute!! I have to take pictures and post them. All Sierra's little clothes are washed and put away. The car seat is ready to be put in the car, her coming home outfit picked out and packed. Now I just need to get my bag packed and be sure I have clothes packed for Swae, Seth, and Skylar...just in case.

I have been feeling really good. I can't get over how much the belly has popped out though. Goodness...it's just out there! And man it gets a lot of attention - from everyone. It's funny that I forgot how quick people were to point out how big you are getting from when I was pregnant with Skylar. I don't care how big the belly is as long as my little one is healthy!

About a month ago, I had to go to the hospital for being dizzy. It was confirmed that Sierra is wonderful and healthy. What they couldn't figure out was why I was so dizzy. They thought I might have been dehydrated, but I wasn't. They did a blood test and I wasn't anemic. I just had low blood pressure and there was no excuse for it. I was placed on light bed rest and told to take it as easy as I could. I did that for the weekend and the dizziness went away. Since then I have resumed business as usual and just have listened to my body to tell me when it is time to relax and that has been working pretty well.

Just Monday, I went into the doctor because sweet Sierra decided she didn't want to wake up and move for anything. This had me a little bit concerned. She wouldn't wake up after I ate or if I pushed on her. They hooked me up to the monitor and while she didn't look bad, they weren't super stoked with what they saw even after trying to stimulate her...not comfortable enough to send me home. So rather than admit me to the hospital, they did an ultrasound and got her to do what they needed. She continued being quiet for the rest of the night, but was in full swing come Tuesday and has been since. I am just glad that all is well and she looks amazing. :)

I truly can't believe how quick this pregnancy has gone. I can't believe that my now family of 5 will soon be a family of 6! To think that my angel will be here for Christmas blows my mind. I am so looking forward to hearing her first cry, seeing her beautiful face for the first time, holding her in my arms. I am ready. It is incredible the love I already feel for her, the protectiveness I already have. I would give anything and do anything for this little girl!!

Mommy loves you Sierra Rose Walker!!!

Pumpkin Patch 10-10-10

Wordless Wednesday

My Seth

My sweet boy is the Star of the week this week at school. With this, he is supposed to carry around the class teddy bear, take pictures with him, write about what they do for the week, and he got to take in pictures to share with the class. He is doing so incredibly well in school. He is enjoying it, working hard, learning more and more words, keeps getting green cards every day for good behavior. I couldn't be more proud. I just hope and pray that his love for school continues and him having good behavior does as well! He is still quite the little snuggle bug and I can't get enough of it. He is the sweetest little thing and I couldn't be more lucky to have such a wonderful boy for my son!

My Swae

Boy, oh boy, how sweet she is. She is getting so big I can't even stand it. She continues to prove to me how big she is getting and I just want to say, "can't you stay little just a little longer??"

About three weeks ago when putting her to bed she asked me to turn off her night light after she fell asleep. I have no problem with a night light because I know what it is like to be scared of the dark, but since she brought it up, I wanted to see if she was ready to get rid of the night light for good. So I responded, "Why don't I just turn it off right now and you can just use the light from the hall?" She hesitated just a little, so I said, "Want to try it? If you do, I will get you a slurpee after school tomorrow." Her response, "OK!" I was shocked. So I turned the night light off and it hasn't been turned on since. Not only has it not been on, last weekend when we cleaned out her room, she took it out of her wall and said that we should give it to someone who didn't have the money to buy one. Well, ok then!

No more night lights, starting to not look like a little girl, acting more and more grown up...I can't handle it. What I do love is that she isn't so "big" that she can't snuggle or give loves. She hasn't lost any of her heart. She is the most loving, kind little girl I know and I am so blessed to have such a great little girl in my life!

Reno Weather....??

This morning I woke up and it is a beautiful November day. The sun is shining, it isn't cold, the fall colors are absolutely gorgeous.

So...I looked at the weather report for the next week. Today and most of this week is supposed to be 70 degrees. Come next Monday and next week???? 50's!!! Are you serious?! That is when people get sick. Oh well, I am going to enjoy the beautiful weather this week and take next week when it gets here!

Nesting???

In full effect!!!!!!!!!!!

Three weekends ago I went through all of Skylar's old clothes and got them all separated and ready for Miss Sierra. I got all the newborn to 3 month clothes washed. I went through and cleaned out everything in her room and then moved on to mine. I found things that I had just stashed from over a year ago that needed to be thrown away or just put in its proper place. Last weekend and I completely mucked out Swae and Seth's room. It was mind blowing how many bags of garbage (just small pieces with no home or little pieces of paper or just trash!) and bags of goods to be given to Goodwill. Seriously, there were over 10 bags total! And that didn't include the random big toys that didn't fit in bags that were taken out. It was a miracle to be able to see their floors and shelves and bottom of their closets. This weekend, I have gone through cupboards, got all the new baby clothes from my shower washed and put away, got Sierra's crib all set up, her letters hung on the wall, gone through all Skylar's toys. I think I have pretty much hit every room in the house. I may have a few more cupboards to hit and I need to go through my closet.

It feels so good to have gotten so much done. It is nice to be able to look around and see a difference. It is nice to feel so accomplished and to be getting things done that I know I won't be able to get to as easy, let alone want to, with a new bundle of joy at home.

I was laying in bed this morning and was floored to think that I have just over 6 weeks left in this pregnancy if I do go full term. That isn't long at all!! And personally, I think that I will be having this sweet little girl early...by at least 2 weeks. So when I think of it like that, really not much longer at all! So, I am going to continue "nesting" and I am going to enjoy every single moment with Skylar, Swae, and Seth before a new baby joins this family.