5 1/2 weeks left!

Holy moly. Although at times it seems like I have been pregnant for years ;) ...it has FLOWN by! It's crazy to think that in 40 short days we will be welcoming our baby girl!! We are scheduled for a c-section on September 24th (not sure what time yet) I am getting a little overwhelmed. I was recently promoted to Special Events Manager at the American Diabetes Association and for 2 months I was all on my own doing the work of two people. We finally hired someone on Monday of t his week and she has been such a God send! No I am able to focus on fundraising and putting two walks together. One of which I will miss completely because I'll be on maternity leave. Not only am I stressing with the walks but my BABY, my sweet little brown eyed handsome little guy will turn 5 at the end of this month and will start KINDERGARTEN!!
We finally got a call from one of the magnet schools we applied to. We were on the waiting list for two and pretty far down on one of them and I had written them off thinking we weren't getting in this year, better luck next year. Then I got the call that said they had a spot!! We'll be starting at Washington Math and Science magnet school and I am so excited.  School starts in less than two weeks. I'm looking forward to seeing how we handle a new born and one in kinder! Our mornings will be very interresting.
For Hudson's 5th birthday we decided to take a family trip, just the 3 of us before we become a family of 4 to Great Wolf Lodge. We have never been and I think we could ALL use a little getaway. 

My dad is in town for the weekend!! He had business in San Antonio and decided to extend his Texas trip and come see us :) Watch out Midland!
Let the fun begin

Two weekends ago my mom through me a "Sprinkle" a small version of a baby shower. I knew my MIL and some of her friends and co-workers (who through my shower last time with Hudson) were going to host a shower so we decided to have a smaller one with close friends. OH EM GEE, little girl stuff is so fun! So much pink and froo frooy stuff. I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends. Emerson is already spoiled rotten :)

Hope you are all having a wonderful summer, or what's left of it!
xox

30 weeks!!!!!

Well, 30 weeks tomorrow but who is counting? The dreaded 3rd trimester. I felt so great the 2nd then along came the 3rd and brought back the tiredness, the endless heartburn (which is so crazy! I've never experienced heart burn, not once being pregnant with Hudson, NOT NEVER!) and the sleepless nights. I'm exhausted when my head hits the pillow (right around 9:45 or 10pm) but when the lights are off and I finally get situated, I can't sleep. Ughhhh. I finally doze off a couple hours later only to wake up around 3 or 4 not being able to fall asleep and my HIPS, lets just talk about hips. They hurt so bad! I toss and turn from my left side to the right and move probably a total of 22,394 times a night (doesn't even phase my husband. grr)
Whyyyyy??! Enough about me, let's talk baby!

My last appointment I did the dreaded glucose test and drank the orange drink, which by the way, was terrible! I went back an hour later for them to draw labs and BOOM, passed! She was measuring right at 29 weeks and her heart rate was a strong 143. I'm all registered at the hospital (which I don't remember doing with Hudson. Maybe it's just been too long but I don't remember doing all that.) My first "sprinkle" is in just a few short weeks. Sprinkles are all the rage, especially for 2nd and 3rd babies. This will be just a small group of friends and some family. I took my little guy with me to register at Target the other day and he was super excited to use the scanner "gun" Well we get there and they hand us a rectangle scanner thing and he says, "Mom, that isn't a gun!" Sorry dude. I forgot how much stuff is needed for newborns, especially GIRLS! We had so much fun though and of course he had so many questions, "what's that for?" "Why do you need that?"

                                                                        Big Helper!

                                         Baby girls' bed skirt. Can't wait to see it all together!

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What a whirlwind the past month has been! I'm now in the 3rd trimester and have a short 82 days left!!!!!! Crazy. As much as this pregnancy has seemed to drag on and on it feels like it has FLOWN by. I am so excited to meet our precious baby girl.
My manager at the ADA was offered a job she couldn't turn down and resigned. Her last day way May 28th. So I've been picking up the slack and doing double duties. My executive director in Lubbock opened up the manager position and was accepting resumes. At our board meeting a few weeks ago a few members made the comment "Why don't you take the position Ashley?!" I had thought about it a little before and felt a little overwhelmed and didn't think about it again. Then I ran into one of our volunteers who knew my manager had left and asked "when I was taking over her spot?" That got me thinking that I AM qualified for that position. I mean, I've been with the ADA for 5 1/2 years, 6 this October. There is a lot to be learned but I am up for the challenge. Not to mention I'll be having this baby 5 days before our Odessa Walk and missing the Midland Walk and on maternity leave for 8-12 weeks. This will be interesting. I'll be needing an assistant soon too so if you know anyone looking...send them my way!

Emerson's room is almost complete! I am having a lady sew her bed skirt, blanket and curtains and I'm just waiting for the curtain fabric to get in to drop it off to her. Her room is so magical and I am so in love. I catch myself just walking in and staring. I can't believe we'll be a family of 4 soon.
We just booked our stay at Great Wolf Lodge in August for Hudson's 5th birthday!! 5, I can't believe my little boy will be 5 and starting kindergarten this year. We decided to do a little destination party with just us 3 so I didn't have to stress about putting a party together being 8 months pregnant. He was all for that idea! So we are heading out for Grapevine in August! We've never been to Great Wolf and we can't wait!! He's so ready to meet his sister. He says that now but wait until those poopy diapers and high pitch cries, he'll be ready to send her back ;)

My mom recently resigned from her job at Region 18. She wanted something different and a little more challenging. She took two weeks off and started sending out her resume. Of course she enjoyed her time off, she had time to organize and clean and have dinner ready when her husband came home from work ;) I had approached her just jokingly and said why don't you just NOT work and keep E! That night she talked with her husband and they both agreed that would be a great idea! She said she'd love to keep her and even grab Hudson after school (they get out around 3 and I have to work until 4) How perfect is that?! So so blessed for these opportunities that keep popping up. Thank you Lord. I can only imagine that you have a little help up there from a certain Angel ;)) Sure do miss my Gram.
We had our Family Reunion (Gram's side) over the 4th. It was so great to see some familiar faces I hadn't seen in a few years! I know she would have LOVED to have been there to visit and see everyone but I know she had a front row seat and smiled the whole time.

                                                The whole fam damily!! Cantrell Reunion '14

Double digits, 93 days!

Here's our little princess: 4D

                                                                          6/27/14
 She was very comfortable the whole time we were in the sonogram room and didn't move much. (Her head was nestled up against the placenta the whole time, so this is as much of her face as we got.) We brought Hudson, my mom and Cody's mom came with us. (Grandmas go crazy over sonograms!) We spent a good 45 min in the room. Hud thought it was pretty cool to see his sister on the big screen but then was over it about 10 min later. Baby Glance has these adorable stuffed animals with a little heart recorder that records the baby's heartbeat. They had a hippo, so of course we chose that one and my mom got the giraffe (for Gram) since she was obsessed with giraffes. They are too cute!
Emerson looks so much like her brother. She definitely has my nose (the Cruickshank nose) and lips. I'm sure she will look just like her daddy and her brother. My poor genes don't have a chance.We pick up her furniture this week and I have a lady making curtains and her bedding. Can't wait until it's finished and the room is complete!

I walked into Hudson's room yesterday and found him stuffing a blanket up his shirt saying he was "pregnant!" hahahahha, the stuff that comes out of his mouth.

26 weeks

We have a 4D ultrasound tomorrow at Baby Glance, the same place we found out the gender. They suggest you schedule the 4D anywhere from 25-30 weeks so that the baby looks a little plumper and no so alien like. So we'll have a room full of family for that one tomorrow and it will be the first time Hud gets to "see" his sister :) I tried explaining the sonogram to him and he keeps asking if they have to cut me open. Poor kid, I told him about having a C-Section (didn't really use those words) but said the doctor would take a little knife and make a cut and pull sister out when she's done "cooking". He'll understand one day.....
He has been the sweetest! He'll come up out of the blue and kiss my belly and ask how sister is today. He got to feel her really KICK the other day and it was the most precious thing.

I FINALLY got him registered for kindergarten! Right now he'll be going to Henderson. We are still waiting to hear about our transfer letter to Fannin but that won't come until the first of August and school starts shortly after that. That makes no sense to me MISD. This kindergarten process has been a whirlwind. We are still on two waiting lists for magnet schools but I don't have high hopes for those :-/
Luckily I know one of the kinder teachers at Henderson and have requested Hud have her as his teacher. He was so excited when we walked in to the school and saw a big tiger mural on the wall and asked why it was there and I explained that the tiger was their mascot and he'd be a Henderson Tiger like his daddy was.

This was a picture on Pinterest that first caught my eye when we found out we were having a GIRL! I love the pink and gray together and the silver stripes stuck with me. (Of course this picture was one of the ones that had no URL to follow to see the paint colors or anything else) I found the perfect matte gray and had Cody paint it. Finding that silver color was a nightmare! The lady that helped me at Lowes knew nothing about paint colors and I was in a hurry and took the first grayish color she mixed and thought it wasn't near what I wanted but maybe it would work. I had Cody measure and everything, bless his heart he has been a work horse lately. The color was NOT working. He painted two stripes and I almost burst into tears. Then my journey for silver already mixed together paint started. NOTHING in Midland and when I asked the paint experts, they all made me sound crazy for wanting metallic silver. I went online and saw the EXACT silver I wanted. Ralph Lauren, could I find it locally, NO. So I ordered it online and finally received it yesterday. BTW: Home Depot will be carrying RL and the metallic line in a few short months.....thanks a lot Home Depot, you couldn't have carried it any sooner? So painting the striped will commence this weekend. Keep your fingers crossed. Just a few short 97 days until little Emerson gets here. EEEEEEEKKKKK

                                                          I look good holding a little girl :)
This was at a friends shower. Erin holding Temple and I'm holding Nora. I love both these little ones so much!!

Boy Mom, until now

I found this hilarious and SPOT ON blog post by a woman on facebook and had to share.

http://www.fightingfrumpy.com/2014/05/ten-boy-mom-musts.html?m=1

These are all musts for sure. Except the food part for Hudson. He has always been a great eater until toddler years. He became super picky and would literally eat a gallon of ketchup with every meal. Sometimes he hardly touches his food and others he'll clear his plate. We keep a stocked pantry and fridge with mac n cheese, chicken nuggets, turkey dogs, and fish sticks and of course grilled cheese sandwiches (his go to food)
But the rest of these are genius.
We've made 2 ER trips because he thought he was a super hero.
I can't even tell you the amount of times I have bought new jeans and the next day they have rips and holes in them.
And the wiener........seriously.
And he likes to dance naked. :)

He is my big hearted brown eyed adventurous child. Lord help me if this little girl is as rowdy as he is. I'll be totally ok with her being a tom boy.

We had our 20 week check up yesterday and finally got to see her. Her organs, heart and brain all look fantastic. Heart beat was 138. She was being a stinker AGAIN at this appointment and was completely turned where we couldn't see her face. Her legs were spread eagle this time but no face shot. Cody was on shift yesterday and showed up about 5 min late and as soon as he walked in and started talking, little miss rolled right over! It was precious. Daddy's girl already.

Diva child

Let me just tell you, little girls are DIVAS from the very beginning! This little girl wants her presence known and that's usually about 7:30 at night. I had the easiest pregnancy with Hudson. Very little nausea, no heart burn or indigestion. By the 2nd trimester I had energy back and was ready to rock and roll. Little Emerson is a different story. I was still very lucky not to have morning sickness and very little nausea with her. I was so tired the 1st trimester but I forced myself to workout and would really feel so much better after I did. I didn't do a whole lot of exercise with Hudson. I walked A LOT but never did anything else.The past 2 weeks right around 7:30 I get so uncomfortable. I can't have any pressure on my back which means I can't sit in a recliner, on the couch or anywhere. I have to lay down sideways on or chase lounge, which in turn makes me suuuuuuper sleepy and the sun is still out. I'll move from the chase to the recliner and just wiggle to the point where Cody just looks at me.My bedtime is 9:00-9:30 on weekdays, party animal right? I usually wake up around 7:15.......You're thinking 10 hours, really?? No, I toss and turn like a rambunctious toddler during the night. My hips and joints get so uncomfortable and stiff. I never had that with Hudson. I did pee every hour on the hour with him though and haven't had that with Emerson. SCORE! She feels super low and with him he was alllll up in my rib cage. I can't really complain though, it's been a great pregnancy so far and we are very very blessed our little girl is healthy and the I am too. I really thought I would have terrible thyroid issues being off my medication but it's been such a Godsend. We have our next appointment May 19th and that's when we get to check all major organs and all that fun stuff. I hope and pray every night that she is as healthy as can be.I never had cravings with Hudson but if I saw or heard of something that sounded good, I'd have to have it. Same with E but I have been craving Starbucks decaf iced white mocha. Like seriously, I have to have at least two a week and I think about them everyday. I had Starbucks maybe once or twice a month or every other month, now I should invest in some stock or ask for gift cards! Also, nacho cheese doritos. Really? Thanks a lot for all the healthy choices Emerson ;)

Today is Hudson's pre-k graduation from Wee Care! I can't believe he will be in kindergarten next year. I am so proud of the little gentlemen he has become. He's had some of the most wonderful, loving and caring teachers while he's been there. He started when he was 2. Gram kept him from birth to 2 and it was so hard telling her that we wanted him to start daycare and socialize. She knew it was best for him but it was hard on both of them!! And me. The first 3 weeks were EMOTIONAL!! He had never stayed with anyone else before and here I was dropping him off with complete strangers and his big brown eyes would just look at me like "you are leaving me?" then well up with tears. He would cry and I would cry. Finally one day he just let go of my hand and walked up to one of his friends and started playing. It's been a breeze since then. I know Gram is so very proud of our little guy. I can't even begin to describe the love she gave him and the knowledge she taught him!! So thankful for her every single day. And I know she is over the moon about our little Emerson :)))

               First day at Wee Care, 2 years old. Pre-K graduation at Wee Care, 4 years old