5 weeks left....

So I went to the doctor today and I am getting routine ultrasounds prior to my normal appt. and everything looked good except her size. Ms. Joyce (the technician) kept saying to me well as long as you can make it full term her lungs will be good but she just might be small. She actually said this a couple of times and I was like....I feel fine, I don't doubt I won't make it full term. And then she mentioned well the only reason they would take you early is if she isn't growing anymore or your fluid is low....fluid is in check....yay...but growth isn't so good. The only reassuring thing she mentioned was that sometimes babies just grow better outside the belly.....I guess that is somewhat reassuring but I think Carsen is going to be okay. So then I went on to my regular appt and saw Dr. Franklin (I am apart of the midwife program but none were available so I saw her)....she looked through my records and the ultrasound that was just done and wants me to go back to the MATERNAL FETAL SPECIALIST....what???? Just when I thought I didn't have to go anymore they want me to go back....no fair....! They want the specialist to monitor the growth again and do a full scan to make sure Carsen is growing right.....! Along with that, since Carsen has only a TWO VESSEL cord....I have to start getting an Ultrasound TWICE EVERY WEEK....what again? TWICE a week....geez....who has time for this....lol! I know it is all for the betterment of Carsen but didn't know I was going to have to be seen this much!

So that is the update on baby Carsen and I. I do feel great.....I had a rough few weeks a few weeks ago but I am a lot better now.....a little tired and uncomfortable but I do feel good! I am ready though....didn't think I would say that now but if she came today, I would be okay with it (minus her not being full term and small.) Well let me take that back....maybe just TWO more weeks so I can nail down the potty training with Braylen and she can start Mothers Morning Out Program again (school!) Speaking of potty training...check the blog below and also I promise to have picturess of Braylen's big girl room soon! It is ALMOST done.....I still want to put her curtian up, a couple of shelves and then find a fun bookcase or shelving unit (which I can wait for...this doesn't have to complete the room) before I get to snapping and sharing the photos. I will say though, she loves her room and LOVES her bed....as do I....it is SUPER comfy!

This is a picture of Grant and I last weekend celebrating our 5 year anniversay. So I am 34 weeks pregnant here....!

This is just a fun photo to share of Braylen on our way to Charleston to visit Uncle Howie and Aunt Jojo! She was very excited!

Potty Training..

So this is going to be a brief update on Braylen's potty training. I failed to grab pictures but always wanted to but it was the last thing on my mind when she was making such great progress! So it all started this past Sunday.....I wanted to at least have a little help from Grant so that is why we started that day. We chose to do the 3 day potty training bootcamp. You can google it if you want but ours was more of a 5 day bootcamp...lol! So Sunday was pretty discouraging.....you start them out with a bare booty....so she had a shirt on but nothing on the bottom. I would ask about every 5-10 minutes, do you need to go potty? Or let's go sit on the potty? Every time we did it, she never went but she always had accidents.....thank goodness all the accidents were on the hardwoods. But anyways, we ended Sunday with success she actually went potty in the potty and got her first REWARD (a silly band) and actually I was SO EXCITED...she got a sucker too! :) BELOW IS THE PICTURE OF HER SILLY BANDS....EVERYTIME SHE WENT SHE GOT A BAND...not sure the face but she wanted to take the picture....wierd!

Then Monday rolled around....went potty in potty twice that morning and then from there till lunch, nothing but accidents. I called Grant at lunch time and told him...I give up....she just isn't grasping it and isn't ready...! I was really calling to get the okay from him to give up but he really didn't say much except for can you at least just finish out the 3 days? So feeling down and out...we go upstairs to get ready for her nap....and I put her in her pull up and she runs into a corner and just looks at me...I said..."Do you need to go potty" and she said "YES" so we go and she POOPED....it was like a MIRACLE....ha! So when she went down for her nap, I was excited and ready to finish out the day with nothing but good potty stories. So she woke up and pottied and it all just started clicking. We had an accident that evening but I was SO OKAY with that.....accidents are going to happen.......! Then Tuesday rolled around and she was doing FANTASTIC! We decided to get out for a bit to test her in public and we went to Walmart and visited that bathroom 3 times and never went but when we were checking out....she is standing by the candy bars and there she goes to peeing. This is where the challenge is....she doesn't know how to tell me she has to go! So on the way home....we pulled over 3 times with the hatch up and her trying to go potty...it was actually funny because someone even pulled over to see if we were okay....lol! Wednesday....still going strong...except for at gymnastics she had an accident, fortunately I caught her grab herself and so I swooped her up and she couldn't hold it any longer. However, that accident was my fault....I didn't have her go potty right when we got there, I guess I didn't see a need since she just went right before we left. My mistake but mark my word we potty right before we leave, when we arrive, several times while we are there, before we leave, and when we get home. That is the new routine until she fully tells me she has to go or she can hold it. So then today is Thursday and I had a doc's appt (that will be in the next blog) and she went right before we left, right when we got there, I was about to get an ultrasound and I asked her and she said yes...so we leave everything so she can go, the when we are leaving she goes POOP and then I make my appts for next time and then I take her to pee one last time.......the best part about this morning is we didn't have ONE PUBLIC accident....she did such an amazing job and is becoming such a BIG GIRL! She loves being called a "BIG GIRL" or a "BIG KID" like her friends Caleb, Reese, Pierce, and Mason! PICTURE BELOW IS BRAYLEN DOING THE POTTY DANCE.....she loves the dance and leads GRANT AND I BEHIND HER doing a TRAIN AND doing the dance together....too fun!

So we aren't perfect yet but we have made some HUGE progress and we AREN'T going back to diapers. So as much as it takes out of me to get her to the potty every 10 or 20 mins...I will do it until she has this thing nailed down. I am SUPER PROUD of her and she has made transitioning seem easy breezy....well not so much easy breezy but a lot less stressful than I once thought it was going to be. So TWO THUMBS up for BRAY!

A Lazy Day!

Wow, TWO post in one day....this is unusual...it is usually TWO post in ONE month....!

Anywho, I wanted to share a lazy morning that we had with Braylen recently. She loves to color, paint or really just do anything that is messy! So we decided to finger paint. She cracks me up because she loves to put it all over her hands and rub it around like it is lotion or soap......!



Grant helping her get paint on her hands to create her master piece

I was trying to teach her to make hand prints but she just wanted to smear it instead.

Her beautiful work of art.....don't you think it is frameable....?!? lol

Beach Trip 2010

Our Annual beach trip was WONDERFUL and VERY relaxing! This post will mainly just be pictures and small comments to explain, however, the pics are in reverse order so if you choose you can start from the bottom and work your way up....sorry but ENJOY! :)

(Braylen wiped out after a LONG day at the pool and beach. Side note, she sleeps in a BIG Girl bed now but that will be another POST along with pics of her NEW Big Girl Room!)


(Braylen and Mommy playing in the sand......I am not always a fan of sand but I wanted her to be able to enjoy the beach as much as possible....mommy would rather be at the pool!)


(Mom and Sis watching everyone play on the beach and in the water)


(Bodie trying to figure out if he should EAT the sand or not.....love this kid....he is a TRUE BOY!)

(Braylen wanting to throw the ball with the kids)

(Trying to teach her how to dip a hole in the sand)

(Everyone went to Lamberts for dinner.....they are known for throwing rolls all throughout the restaurant.....but here are the little cousins after dinner)

(Bray's new game is RUN from Mommy when we are trying to put our clothes or jammies on....I am not fond of her new game but I love her little naked booty.)

(Another day on the beach....she doesn't care for the OCEAN but she is okay in the sand)

(Bray and Bodie watching Elmo one morning before we left to go down to the pool.)

(Braylen LOVES the pool and LOVES practicing her swimming)

(Bodie just LOVES everything.....constantly on gaurd on what he is going to do next.)

(Braylen trying to put Bodie's shoes on. She also likes to tell him what to do! Boy are we in for a treat on how she treats Carsen Faith Schmeelk---practicing saying and writing it...lol)

(Great Grandkids minus TWO and the ones in the Bellies.....Granddad and Grandmom are the only ones on the Bray side that are GREAT Grandparents. Man do all the Great Aunts and Great Uncles have some catching up to do)

(All the Bray cousins, some of us are first cousins and some are second.....this is a combined picture and there are some missing as well)

(Most of mom's first cousins)

And then of course I don't have the picture of Granddad's brothers and sisters (where we all began outside of his mother and daddy, however, I never met them.)

Hope you enjoyed some of the pics from the beach. This is all of them but I am sure you got the hint of what our vacation was like...workout, pool, lunch, games/naps, beach (or shopping or games), dinner, nightly strolls on the beach.....you know the good life in Gulf Shores.