Ethan's First Day of PreSchool

Ethan set off for his first day of preschool today! We have been talking about it for the past few weeks so he could slowly prepare for the transition, and we even bought a cute little cars lunch box that he thinks is pretty cool! When we got there, we played on the playground for a bit before I dropped him off in his classroom, and of course we had to play basketball. I think this made him excited and he felt a little more at home. (Again, my child LOVES basketball).

When we did head in, I walked him around the classroom like we did at orientation and then handed him over to his teacher. He clung to me for a minute and cried a bit, but was fine after I left. Of course I hung around a bit and kept peeking in the window to check on him all the while careful that he didn't see me. He was just walking around with his blankie(his comfort) exploring all the new toys!

I was surprised I didn't cry. Even though this is something Craig and I decided would be good for me and Ethan to give me some time just with baby, it was still hard to drop my little man off for a full day outside of my care. I'm realizing that even though I want to him to gain some independence from mom and dad slowly, it is hard to relinquish control and trust in the Lord's protection over him when we aren't there. I prayed the whole time we walked to his school and the whole way home.

My prayer for you little E-Bear is that you would enjoy your time with friends and that the messages written on your heart would be ones that are loving and glorifying to God. I pray for protection over your mind, body, and spirit and that your room would be full of the fragrance of Christ and that at your young age you would be quickly drawn into the loving presence of Christ. I pray against any attempt of the enemy to rob you or destroy your time their today and I renounce any lies that could potentially be written on your heart. Thank you Lord for sweet teachers that want to be a godly influence on our children. May you give them the strength, patience, and love to care for our little ones! Amen

Off to do some housework, workout, and read! It will be kind of nice to have a day or two of him at school before baby comes and get some "me" time!

False Alarm

Ethan and the little boy who tried to steal his girl
The "girl"
Ethan "backing" it up....no idea where he learned some of his moves!
My little dancing machine

This past weekend we were at one of Craig's childhood friends weddings in Fayetteville, and on the drive home I kept having consistent contractions! We had a good time dancing with Ethan because he was cutting it up on the dance floor, but I think I might have been getting my groove on a little too much with him because the second we got in the car, I started to have contractions. I didn't say anything to Craig until Alma because I didn't want to freak him out or accept that we might have to book it back to Conway or have the baby on the side of that road. agh! :) So many thoughts were running through my head. The contractions stayed consistent and actually got stronger, but they were still only 30-45 seconds long and everything I have ever read or discussed with my doctor made me remember that 60 second contractions are the ones that are really doing the "work." This gave me some comfort but not enough. I kept wondering if they would continue to increase in length.

I was a bit overwhelmed. Ethan was in the back seat asleep, all grandparents were out of town, hospital bag wasn't packed, exercises had not been practiced like hoped, and I was exhausted. I started crying of course because well I am just a cryer. I slowly started to accept that I might just not have it all together when baby came. We started calling parents and family just to give them a heads up that it might be go time, Beka and Clint were good to watch Ethan, and we did have our bags from the weekend, so I was slowly coming around to the fact that "I could do this," if labor was on its way. We decided to go home and put Ethan in his bed and explain we might be going to the hospital and get a few things together and also test out to see if my contractions continued....

Praise Jesus they stopped within minutes of us getting out of the car! Phew! I was so relieved. We decided to go to bed and get some rest in case the contractions returned and it was the real deal. They didn't return and I got a good nights sleep and PACKED my hospital bag the next day!

Lesson learned.....no crazy dancing or trips hours away when you are two weeks from being due!

Getting Ready for Two!

How is it that time just flies by?! Only two weeks until Corey's due date, and I'm actually breathing somewhat a sigh of relief because for the first time in the past month I feel like I would be " ready" if he came. How quickly I forgot how much goes into getting ready for a new baby! My overly detailed tendencies can't help the situation, but nonetheless I am glad to feel at ease and "ready." All the clothes are washed, nursery put together, double stroller bought(still in box:), and odds & ends in place. Phew....

No dilation as of yet. He's just in there enjoying himself, and I trust that he will come in the perfect timing. We shall see if he will fall in suit with his brother and come a week late. I'm definitely more mentally prepared for that this time around and I guess somewhat expect him to be late rather than early, even though they say the second typically comes early.

While we are waiting on him to come, I am savoring the last few days of just Ethan and I at home together. The age old addage, "They grow up so quickly," is so true. I remember when we first brought Ethan home and he was so fragile and tiny and now he is full force boy ready for any adventure all the while expressing his independence with "no's" and pouts and hands on hips moments. He definitely has a way of testing me but I just love him to pieces beyond what I could have ever imagined. We have so much fun playing together. The key to his heart right now is BASKETBALL! He is absolutely in love with it, so walking to a neighborhood basketball goal, playing at home, or going to the fitness center to play has become a consistent part of our routine. I know once Corey gets here I won't be able to be as "on the go" with two, so Im really trying to be as intentional with Ethan as possible right now and show him how much he means to me.

He actually starts "school" two days a week at First United Methodist Church in Conway next week, and while I know it will be great for him and me once Corey gets here, I am still a little sad. We had orientation this past week, and I started tearing up thinking about him going to school for the first day. If I'm this emotional over 2 days, I can't imagine what kindergarten will be like. :) I am really excited for him to spread his wings a bit, and I think he will really enjoy it. His class is comprised of just 9 kids with two teachers, so I think he will get close to his classmates by the end of the year. He will have art time, play time, outside time, eat lunch, and nap time there! I like that he will have something that is "his," especially with Corey coming along. I think we all need things that refresh us and we can call our own. He starts this Tuesday, so please be praying for me not to start crying and make him cry. :) I just know its going to happen despite my hardest efforts, but I guess he's just going to have to get used to it because I make most things into a big deal. hahaha

I've decided to post a few pics of our summer together!