37.5 Weeks

Well, I really don't have much more to report this week, but I hadn't done an updated profile shot in a couple weeks, so I figured I could at least do that! I have another Dr. appt. tomorrow morning, so we will get to check on baby girl then and see how she is doing! Our doctor's office is adjacent to the hospital, so we are going to go prepared to stay just in case, but since I'm not feeling any strong contractions yet, I think we'll be waiting a little while longer (aren't you happy, Mom?!). We have our bags all packed and ready to go though! It's been a little trickier preparing for this one since we have a toddler to think about too. But we have a few friends who have graciously offered to take Anna Kate if baby Caroline comes before my parents get back, so she's got her bag packed too and is ready to go! And don't worry, it's packed with two "Big Sister" shirts! In fact, one of them is the girls' first matching outfit! I almost want to just post a picture of the outfits, but I know that they will be that much cuter ON the girls, so I will wait!

Well, I guess that's about all to update for now. We'll keep you all posted if anything changes after our appointment tomorrow!

Catechism...Anna Kate style!

Sometime around Anna Kate's first birthday, we thought it was time to start introducing her to what we know and believe about God, so we started with the first question of the Westminster shorter catechism for young children (which you can find here, if you are interested). The first question is quite simple: "Who made you?" The answer is simply, "God". She was able to pretty quickly get that one down, but only in the last week or so have we made much progress on the next two questions...and now she is a pro! Here's a little video of what she has learned so far.



What a huge blessing, and such a great responsibility, it is to teach and train our children in the way that they should go. Even though she is still very young and doesn't fully understand the implications of those three questions, it is our prayer that what she learns by repetition will one day resonate in her heart and she will desire to become a child of God!

Isn't he sweet?

I'm not sure how he's going to feel about me posting this, but I just have to brag on my wonderful husband and risk embarrassing him this one time =)

So, I really wanted my toenails painted before baby Caroline comes, but any of you mommies out there know how hard that is to do yourself when you are 37 weeks pregnant. So last night Luke said he would do them for me! Now, to be honest, I thought he would just give it one quick coat and call it good, but no...he took this project very seriously. He was very meticulous with two pink coats AND a top clear coat and I have to say it looks pretty darn good! Not that anyone is going to see my toes in my hospital pictures, or that little Caroline is going to care what her mommy's toes look like, but I will feel prettier and sometimes that can go a long way! So thank you, Luke!

Play Date!

Friday afternoon Anna Kate's friend Nora came over to play while her mommy worked and her daddy had to take an exam. Nora is 4 months younger than Anna Kate, but they are now to the age where they can really play together. And play they did! They had a great time playing with Anna Kate's kitchen set and puzzles, and had hardly any toy squabbles (which may be due to the fact that Nora's really nice...just kidding, so is Anna Kate most of the time)! But the highlight of our afternoon was when Luke pulled out our never used (by us!) double jogging stroller! We actually got this for free (such a blessing!) from a friend of a friend whose kids have outgrown it, and we were excited to try it out. Here are a couple of pics of the girls on their ride:

All strapped in and ready to go!


I'm pretty sure Anna Kate thinks she's driving the stroller here, and is pulling Nora along for the wild ride. Nora, on the other hand, is looking up through the skylight at Luke wondering, "What have you gotten me into?!"

We had a great afternoon and it made us all the more excited to become a family of four...come on baby Caroline! We hope you and your big sister will be best friends, too!

Go Tigers!

This is how we have spent the last 4 Saturdays...cheering for the Clemson Tigers! Anna Kate loves to wear her cheerleading outfit and hairbow and she says "YAY!" every time they get a touchdown!


Now, to be honest, she doesn't just sit still to watch the whole game...most of the time she is running around the house being crazy, or sitting and doing another activity. Today it was coloring. I think we have quite the artist on our hands, what do you think?


Well, halftime is almost over, so we better get back to watching the game. Hopefully the Tigers will keep their undefeated record this season! Although I do have a certain sister and brother-in-law who would rather they lose today...

37 Weeks!

We are getting closer! In fact, I had my weekly appointment on Thursday, and we think this baby girl is going to be here much sooner than expected! The ultrasound estimation was 7 lbs right now, so she is gaining about a pound a week. I definitely felt her "drop" this week, and my Dr. said that it could be any day, or as many as 10 days, but probably not past that. So...maybe a September baby? We're still kind of hoping that she'll hold out another week so that my mom can be back from a conference, but sometimes you just can't plan these things, so we are making sure we are ready!

I am still feeling really well, although I think I have definitely started walking like a pregnant lady...still no swelling in my legs and feet (or very minimal compared to last time), but I am afraid I do waddle a bit to get around! Other than that, we are just getting very excited for baby Caroline to make her appearance! In fact, here's a little video interview we did with Anna Kate yesterday talking about the baby. Enjoy!



And now I'm off to do a whole day of super housecleaning and watching football. I went to bed last night making crazy lists of everything I want to do around the house today...nesting? We'll see!

Grandma and Grandpa are here!

We are so glad to have my parents here in Camden with us for 4 months while they are in transition between their 8 years in Bolivia and their new missions assignment in Costa Rica. A church in our area has offered them their missionary house to live in while they are here which is PERFECT because it is less than 1.5 miles from our house! We have been having so much fun being able to spend this special time with them and are so thankful that they will be here for little Caroline's first few months. The other day Anna Kate and I met Grandma up at the park which is right between our houses for a little playtime!



And just to show what a big girl she's getting to be, here are a couple of pictures of how Anna Kate can now climb to the top of the playground...makes me nervous, but she sure has fun!

36 weeks and we have a name!!!

I will be at 36 weeks on Sunday and it's hard to believe our sweet girl is going to be here so soon! We are starting to get so excited to meet her! I had a doctor appointment yesterday and everything looks great. No signs of labor yet, so that's good but means we will have to be patient another few weeks! The ultrasound estimated that she weighs about 6 pounds right now, and our doctor said she will probably gain 3/4 of a pound a week from here on out. So...another 10 pound baby? We'll see!

One special note: my mom got to come with me to this appointment to see the ultrasound! With them living overseas, this isn't something that she would normally get to do, so it was fun to have her there! We are also really enjoying having them here in SC for 4 months (more on that in another post!).

As far as this pregnancy goes, I am feeling really well and honestly enjoying these last few weeks. I don't feel nearly as puffy and swollen as I did with Anna Kate, so I am a lot more comfortable. Still the occasional heartburn, but other than that, no real complaints! I am feeling the baby move and kick around ALL the time and Luke even said today that it looked like she was trying to break out! Here are a couple of pictures we took today.



And finally, for some bigger news...we have decided on a name! I don't know why it was so much harder this time than last time, but it definitely took us longer. Maybe it's because we were overthinking the whole sibling thing...wanting the names to sound good together, but not be too matchy matchy, etc. So, without further ado, we have settled on....Caroline Hope Tolbert. Obviously, a carol is a song, and actually means "joyous song," so this little one will be our joyous song of hope! We are so excited to meet our little Caroline (whom Anna Kate has already nicknamed "Line Line")! We'll keep you all updated as we get closer to her arrival!