Putt Putt Golf!

This weekend was our last one as a family of three!  We wanted to do something fun and different together as a threesome before Baby Saunders arrives.  So, today we had a family fun day and went to play putt putt at our local park - also known as the most fun you can have for only $4!  That's right, folks - it was only $4 for our family to play 18 holes of putt put.  Now, the Dellinger Park putt putt is not a fancy place, but it was a great opportunity for us to take it slow, have a good time, and let Katie Anne practice her putting since it was her first time out.   

Even though she did get hot towards the end, Katie Anne had a great time playing putt putt.  She was our personal cheerleader, and she loved standing right beside us while we hit the ball, chanting some loud form of encouragement as we hit the ball.  :)  Of course, we cheered for her, too - but we gave her a little more room because she was a little wild with that backswing.  

For her first time, she did a good job and got better at hitting the ball as we progressed around the course.  Daddy showed her how to hold her club correctly, but she developed her own form that was a combination of golf/hockey/shuffleboard!  She also played a little fast and loose with the rules by moving her ball into great positions a few times while waiting on Mommy and Daddy to "tee off".

She tried really hard and was able to hit the ball into almost every hole.  When she set herself up a nice shot, she was usually able to hit it in about 3 shots ... when she actually had to "play it as it lies", it took her more like 5-7 shots to get it in the hole.  We still thought that was a great job for her first attempt!

It was a beautiful afternoon, and we did go out to play in the heat of the day (that's the only time the course is open).  I was a little worried since I'm, oh... less than 2 days away from giving birth.  However, I did fine in the heat - Katie Anne and Saunders were the sweaty ones!  We had one mishap - Katie Anne slipped and cut her knee on the edge of one of the holes, but she was really tough and barely cried at all.  She manned up and finished the game with very little complaining, and we were very proud of her (since her previous knee injury from school last week had been almost as serious as open heart surgery to her)!  Here are some more pictures and big events from our putt putt family fun!

Two serious golfers:

Golfing for two:

Her form is unusual:

But don't question it if it works!

Daddy on the "front nine":

This time, Katie Anne legitimately hit this one in the hole in only 2 shots:

She threw her putter down and celebrated with her version of the "Carling Birdie Dance" (for those Big Break fans out there):

I actually was snapping a picture when KA tripped and busted her knee next to the skunk:

Daddy checked her knee - which was pretty banged up - and gave her a little pep talk:

She was a very big girl about it and was immediately ready to continue, but Daddy did have to stand beside her while she hit around the "creepy guys" on the totem pole:

When we got to the hole where you have to hit across a narrow bridge and through a barn, I hit first and got a hole in one!  I was so proud of myself!  Then, Katie Anne stepped up, and guess what?  She hit a hole in one on the same hole, too!

The two hole-in-one girls posing in front of the little barn:

Poor Dad choked and could not make it a Jones family three-for-all on the barn hole.  However, on the last hole, if you get a hole-in-one and hit your ball into the mask's mouth, you win a free game...

And Daddy hit his hole-in-one of the day where it counted!  That's right, he hit his ball straight into the mask's mouth and won a free game for next time - woo hoo!!!

When we got home, I doctored up Katie Anne's bad knee.  She did not believe me when I said it wasn't going to be nearly as bad as she thought...

Here's her old daycare injury - barely healed - and her new golf injury...

But, Mommy took it very easy and KA took it like a pro - we got her all bandaged up with no tears!

It was such a fun family day!

All Ready for SJ4!

I had my last OBGYN appt of this pregnancy on Wednesday ... I know it's the last one because I won't be pregnant anymore by the time next Wednesday gets here!  Everything went just peachy perfect there ... almost too perfect.  Why too perfect?  Because I had kind of hoped Dr. Pitcher would send me on over to the hospital and get this torture over with party started! 

Here's the appointment news breakdown: 

• Baby SJ4's kick counts have been really good since I stopped working last week, and his heartbeat was steady and strong.  So, he appears good to go ... and of course, appears to still be growing at a break-neck pace!  
• I had only gained 2 pounds in 2 weeks, and everyone was really pleased with that. (I've only gained 7 pounds since my June 15 appt - woohoo!!!  Now, if I could go back and fix the almost 30 pounds I gained in the first trimester ... but hindsight is 20-20, right?  Hey, when you go from Diet Coke followed with a coffee chaser as your menu to actually eating like a normal person, I guess that's what you get.) 
• My blood pressure has gone way back down since I stopped working as well.  I'm back down to 110/80, which is much improved over the high blood pressure over the past 2 weeks.
• I've dialated to 3 cm and been having some contractions - although I don't really feel them - but that doesn't really matter because...

I'm having a c-section because Baby SJ4 is such a monster!  He's already a man, a myth, and a legend.  Seriously, he may not weigh that much - he might, but he might not - but his weight is not the biggest concern.  The biggest problem is his shoulders.  He'll be a big linebacker like his daddy with the shoulders he's got!  Katie Anne had shoulder dystocia when I was induced with her at 38 weeks, and his shoulders were bigger at 37 weeks than hers were at delivery.  Luckily, Katie Anne's shoulder dystocia was easily resolved, but we don't want to take another risk.  Baby SJ4 got too big too early for me to be induced ... his lungs wouldn't be ready before his shoulders grew too wide, so we were kind of in a bad situation with that.  Additionally, my last ultrasound revealed that his head, shoulders, and femurs were all off the charts - 108% for a 40 week baby at only 37 weeks!  The only thing that wasn't off the charts was his abdomen - he's only 66% there.  So, I guess he'll be tall and thin with a big old head, which is good for him because that seems to be really hot right now in terms of movie star guys.

So, a c-section it is!  I was kind of nervous to begin with, but after watching lots of c-sections on You Tube (yes, I'm a wierdo and like to actually know what will be happening to me), I feel better.  I've never had major surgery, but I think I'll do well with it - I'm kind of a tough person when it comes to handling pain.  I take a lot of pride in my high pain tolerance.  However, I also took a lot of pride in my ability to chug milk, and that was misplaced confidence after my dad and Jillian kicked my butt in a milk chugging contest on vacation a few years ago.  I mean I was completely and utterly destroyed by both of them.  I did redeem myself in the broccolini eating challenge - I packed that broccolini down like Kobayashi - so I've regained some of my pride.  Let's hope this is a broccolini experience - not a milk chugging experience.

I'm officially scheduled for my c-section on Tuesday, August 17 at the bright-and-early time of 7:30 am.  (That means we've got to get to the hospital at 5:30 ... which means leaving our house around 4:30 ... this will probably be the worst part of the whole experience.)  That means I only have 4 more days of being pregnant, and
I . am . ready.
In fact, we're all ready for Baby SJ4!

Our bags are packed...

Katie Anne's stuff is ready, complete with a total anal-retentive inventory of what is and (more importantly) what is not in the bag (because I am just slightly crazy) ...

Baby SJ4's car seat is installed next to his super-cute big sister...

All the bottles are washed and ready for formula... yes, formula.  

*Do not even start with me ... it is formula and only formula this time.  If you have a comment about that, go leave it on the La Leche League website because I'm hot, sweaty, swollen, and tired.  I can go ape on somebody up at any moment, and I'm trying to help you not be the one to feel the brunt of my wrath.  There ... that's it.  Thanks.  ;-)

My obsessively-compulsively packed car changing/emergency kit is packed... Oh, I love that this is packed and in the car already.  I feel like MacGyver.  I've got all kinds of useful stuff in there.  And, when Abby pooped in the Element on the way to the groomer's last weekend, we ... were ... prepared.  So, it works for kid poop or dog poop!

The artwork in the nursery is all framed and hung on the walls, and the cute little UGA mobile is installed...

The new swing and bouncy seat are put together and ready to entertain the baby boy ... 

Katie Anne and I have picked out lots of cute, monogrammed stuff for Baby SJ4 like hats, onesies, and more.  Katie Anne loves all this stuff as much as I do.  She thought his diaper cover was just too cute...

Now, it's just time to wait until Tuesday (or if my water breaks before that date, we'll do the c-section then).  We are doing our best to wait patiently...

 even though waiting patiently is hard.

We are all very excited - but no one's more excited than big sister Katie Anne!  

The countdown is on until Baby SJ4 will arrive!

Wordless Wednesday

38 Weeks!

Here are the pictures of my baby belly at 38 weeks ... these are probably my last "official" pregnancy pictures.  I'm sure I'll take one final shot before going to the hospital, but that will just be in my regular clothes - I doubt the belly is going to change too much in the next few days.

I can't believe it - this tank top truly must be one size fits all, because it still stretches over this giant belly!  

 And here's one of the "actual" belly from the front - huge!

I'm going for my last doctor's visit this afternoon, so I'll update with Baby SJ4 information after that appointment!

Saunders is Hospital Ready!

Yesterday, when Doc and VJ came to watch Katie Anne's gymnastics class at the gym, they had a special surprise for Saunders - a shirt to wear to the hospital when SJ4 is born!

Yes, they had that specially made for their boy - partially as a tongue-in-cheek joke at his weak constitution when it comes to all things medical, and partly as an actual warning to the doctors and nurses!  For anyone who knows Katie Anne's birth story, you know that Saunders just isn't into seeing or hearing about all the medical work it takes to get a baby safely and soundly into the world.  It will be so funny when Saunders shows up to the hospital wearing that shirt - I know that's going to crack my OB up! 

Gigi's 52nd Birthday!

On Sunday night, we got together at my parents' house to celebrate Gigi's birthday!  Our whole little family was there as well as some additional party guests - Mamaw, Pappy, and Granny Nelle came, and my mom's friends Sandra and Todd Croft came to the party, too. 

We started the party with dinner.  Everyone brought a few appetizers, and we had lots of great food - tiny sandwiches, chicken wings, chocolate-covered strawberries, lots of different dips with crackers or chips, and two pots of dueling meatballs courtesy of Jillian and me!  Hey, we coordinated on the gift, but we forgot to coordinate on what we were bringing - great minds think alike!  

After dinner, we all ate dessert and watched my mom open her presents.  For dessert, we had apple pie and Mamaw's pound cake with vanilla ice cream. My mom got money from both Mamaw and Papaw/Granny Nelle, and Mamaw also gave her back the crystal candlesticks that they've been "re-gifting" to each other for years and years as a joke.  My dad got my mom a new cell phone, and we went in with Greg and Jillian to get my mom a Wii Fit Plus since I've dropped out as her walking partner for a while!  

It was a fun birthday celebration for Gigi!  Here are some pictures of the good times:

A whole family shot ... Katie Anne looks a little goofy in this one, but it's the only one I got with my camera.  (I think my mom got a better one with her camera.)

My mom with her dad...

My mom with her mom...

My mom and her best friend since childhood - Sandra...

Sandra's husband Todd...

Papaw and Granny Nelle...

My mom with her birthday cake...

Opening her presents...

Can you tell who is excited about Gigi opening her presents?

Showing off the card KA made...

And we gave Jillian a little present, too ... a new lanyard to wear when she starts student teaching in a few days!

Happy Birthday to Gigi - Happy Birthday to you!

Doc's Birthday!

Last weekend, we celebrated Doc's 57th Birthday with two get-togethers!  We were taking advantage of Carlton and Trisha being in town to spend lots of time with the family.  First, the guys started the celebrating by taking Doc shooting on Saturday afternoon.  On Saturday night, we had dinner and swimming at Doc and VJ's house.  Then, on Sunday morning, we met for brunch at the Country Club.  It was a weekend full of birthday parties for Doc!

I didn't take any pictures on Saturday night - I actually had to work for part of the party and call all my first grade parents to let them know about Open House and the first day of school.  (Yes, I had to call them on Saturday - we were explicitly told to - and that stunk.  So, I asked Doc and VJ if they'd mind if I used their phone since their number is blocked from caller ID's.  No offense, but I don't want a lot of work-related phone calls during my maternity leave, know what I mean?)  I did get finished in time to at least take a quick dip in the pool before the crowd was ready to eat.  Everyone had a fun time swimming and eating dinner together!

I did take pictures of everyone at brunch at the club on Sunday!  Here are pictures from that celebration.

Doc opening his presents - he got a CD from us and a book from Carlton and Trisha.

The silly little poser!

*And I know the backlighting makes for rough pictures ... but I don't like to push the photo-phobic Jones fam too far in the picture taking arena by asking them to switch locations, so we work with what we've got.  Don't worry - I'll have them posing like pros in various locations around the club at every family function in a few years.  Baby steps.  :)