Bye Bye June!

June was packed with lots of family events and celebrations. The first weekend was spent in Houston at my cousin Adam's wedding. It was a very interesting ceremony (part Jewish and part Chinese) followed by a beautiful reception at a safari ranch.
The next weekend was spent in Austin with the Danzes for some of Eli's cousins' graduation party. Somehow those pictures I took have gone missing--along with the camera--but we had a really fun time visiting with the extended family.
On the third weekend Eli took me to spend the night in the same hotel on the riverwalk which we stayed in the night of our wedding. We combined celebrations for father's day, my 25th birthday, our 3rd wedding anniversary, and the coming of the new baby. Emily stayed with my parents, so we had a nice relaxing time eating out at restaurants on the riverwalk, taking a long nap during the day, and ordering breakfast in bed. I don't think we'd had that much time to talk uninterrupted in years!
On Father's Day my parents rented a boat on Canyon Lake--all 4 of my sisters were able to come. Emily cracked me up by pretending to sleep in the lake...it was just too bright to open her eyes! Last weekend we invited over some young family friends who we've recently met to swim and BBQ. We had a great time despite the 103 degree weather!
As far as new baby news, on Monday morning I was 80% effaced and 2 cm dialated. The rest of the day I was having lots of contractions, probably caused by the earlier exam. Tuesday and Wednesday brought several contractions as well, these more painful but still very irregular. We took a tour of the hospital and have my bag packed, and i've been working incredibly hard at keeping laundry done, cooking and shopping done, and things clean. It's not easy having everything ready to go to leave your toddler for two days and expect to have clean clothes and food for a few days after a birth that can come whenever!
Since we didn't have the typical newborn experience last time, Eli has decided to stay with me and the baby in the hospital the entire time. It'll be such a change from Emily's birth! I'm so excited to be able to hold the baby right away, rather than a full week later in the NICU.
So say some prayers for us. On Friday we are throwing a bridal luncheon for Lauren's best friend Seana at the house and Saturday is the wedding. The next Thursday my parents are hosting a summer-associate party here for my Dad's company, and Friday is rehearsal dinner and Saturday is my aunt's wedding...so those blackout dates are a little worrysome as far as childcare is concerned. Because of my heath issues, I'll be induced before July 10th if necessary. The best time to have this baby is today, tomorrow, or Sunday-Wednesday. I hope God gets the memo! :) What baby wouldn't want to see fireworks! Keep posted for baby updates and keep us in your prayers for a safe delivery and a healthy baby!!!

Enjoy the new pictures!
Happy groom, mother of groom, and best man
Always great to see my brother Paul!

The Harkins girls plus our adopted sister MaggieEmily sneaking into the sink to make bubbles Teresa heading to camp for a week

Our weekend getaway!
Ready to go to the Lake!
Me, thinking skinny thoughts between my sissies Annie and MaryLoving the wind blowing through the hair!
Daddy of the year:)

What do you mean I can't just eat dip?

Relaxing and pretending to sleep

Love my Nana!

Our newest SA friends Isabel and Mark, and cute baby Jacque

Contagious Sweetness

It's happening. I didn't think it'd come so soon, but it hit me hard this week: it's my energy crisis. As in, when I'm at 9am mass I'm already beyond exhausted. Mommy-guilt is setting in hard...crankiness is spreading quickly. If you don't know Emily, I'll let you in on a little secret. She has just about the sweetest temperament possible. Here are some examples.
1. When she spills her milk, on her own accord she runs to get a towel and cleans up the mess entirely.
2. She puts herself in time-out. She sits in the corner and says "no-no" while wagging her finger, then comes to give me a hug.
3. When Sweetie our dog needs to be taken out, Emily will stand patiently at the driveway, clapping and yelling "wee wee" until she's safely back in the house.
4. Her favorite activities are unloading the dishwasher, doing laundry, and cleaning. And rocking her babydoll while singing "rock a bye baby"
5. She says hi to everyone about a hundred times a day. 9 people live in this house...she's very busy being friendly.

So don't you think she deserves to be taken to the park? I used to take her 3 times a week. Zoo? Every Tuesday. Storytime? Every Wednesday. This week, the only place she's been besides mass is strapped into a shopping cart at Target for 20 minutes. I nearly passed out from heat exhaustion after playing in the backyard for 30 minutes today. Pregnancy is wearing me down! I guess this is God intended training for the sleep deprivation to come in the next few months. Thank you God for sending me the most adorable child in the world.

And a side note...Good news!! Emily has been receiving occupational therapy 5 times a month, and has caught up to speed and will only need it 3 times a month. YAY!!! Also, I had my last dr. appt with the specialist today, so I'll go to only one appt. a week with my OBGYN. Less things for me to do = happier mom.