Tybee Island 2014

You guys.

We had the BEST time.

Our last vacation as a little family of three... We packed too many bags and stuffed ourselves into a tiny, one bedroom, oceanfront condo with a breathtaking view... a view that included dolphins swimming and jumping, all day long.

I hit the beach first thing Thursday morning, just me, Rocky, and my running shoes...

As soon as we'd let her, CK was in the ocean.  She couldn't get on the beach fast enough, and even had an emotional breakdown on Wednesday night when we pulled into the condo at 9:30pm and told her the beach was closed and she'd have to wait until the next day.

We were on such a cool part of Tybee, where there were little if any waves.  The calm water was perfect for CK, who would've been in the ocean from the time we got there until the time we left if T and I could stand it...

We were SO hoping we could convince Cameron Kate to take beach naps, so we could enjoy some peaceful time just the two of us.  And beach naps she took - with Melvin and Ellie, of course...

We ate some of the best food ever, and while CK was a little turned off by all things that looked like they could walk across the table, we gave some of the crawfish some names and she finally started to warm up to them...

And then, all of a sudden, she did this (yes, that's a crawfish claw)...

At The Crab Shack, she even got to feed the baby alligators!

But her most favorite part of the whole trip was the ocean...

See her in the background?

"Ok-mama-the-moose-is-tired-of-walking-let's-sit-down-and-swing."

Y'all... words just don't describe how happy our girl was, all week long...

Hi Rocky!

Lighthouse visiting...

All 3.5 of us...

Another awesome dinner spot with an incredible view - AJ's...

Last day!  But first let's take a selfie...

So proud of her sandcastles...

Get ready for my two favorite people in the whole wide world...

She even loved being buried!

Freddie the fish, we found him on the beach.  (Shhhh... she didn't realize he was someone's dead fishing bait.)

My people...

My heart is so full.  I am one lucky wife and mama to get to watch the world by his side, through her eyes... <3

Can't Wait to See This Year's View!

2012

2013

Can't WAIT to see the view this year!

Beach-bound with my little family of 3.5... Have a great rest-of-the-week!!

Cue "Eye of the Tiger"...

There are so many of you who have been praying for and thinking of and fighting this fight with us, I feel I owe it to you to be honest about all updates regarding our Rocky.

I had my 24-week checkup this morning (yay Vday!)... I woke up so excited about Vday, aka Viability Day.  

I went to my checkup still on Cloud 9, where I've been since that March morning when a plastic stick told me I was pregnant.

All was well in terms of heartbeat, baby movement, my weight gain (yeesh!), and my stomach measurement.  But then they checked my hemoglobin.

I've always been borderline anemic, on and off, my whole life.  Because of this, my fertility specialist put me on an iron supplement twice a day back in January.

So today, my OB told me my hemoglobin was pretty low, and that I'd need to start on iron.  When I told her I was already taking it two times a day, she was surprised - and not in a good way.

Long story short, anemia can be pretty common in pregnancy, especially in people like me who have iron issues even when they're not growing a human.  However, my number today was alarmingly low for someone who is already taking such a high dose of iron.

And anemia in pregnancy that isn't resolved can cause all kinds of scary things for Rocky - things that have made me feel sick to my stomach all day long.

My doctor was honest about these risks, and I also Googled.  I knew better than to Google, but I couldn't help it.

Anyway, what do we do from here?  Well, I had a full blood workup done and the results will give us more information.  From there, we will determine what steps to take next.  So basically, we hurry up and wait.

For now, I am taking Vitamin C in addition to the iron to help with absorption, and am also supposed to try to incorporate more iron-rich foods into my diet.  So I need all the help I can get - any advice and suggestions for iron-rich foods and recipes and easy ways to eat more would be greatly appreciated.

Mostly?  We need prayers.  Continued prayers for our little fighter, for my body to provide what Rocky needs.

Y'all - I'm so scared.  I feel like I had finally gotten to an okay state-of-mind about everything and now, I'm finding myself back in such a dark place.

Please, Lord, please let our baby be okay... let him/her keep fighting, growing strong and healthy over the next 16 weeks... let my body provide everything our little miracle needs, so that he/she is alive and safe and at home in my arms this November.  

Amen.

Five on Friday

I'm back with Five on Friday!  Even though the girls I link up with are on a summer break, I decided to go ahead with my own randoms on this TGIF-afternoon...

O N E
Y'all, I had such an awesome time with my NC girls last week.  My heart felt so at home surrounded by three ladies (and a baby!) who are such an important part of my life.  Ladies who have seen me at my best and at my worst, and who still love me!

Guess I didn't let them cool down enough before applying icing.

I also had the perfect time celebrating 6 years with my hub.  He surprised me with a full day of plans last Saturday - we headed to ATL to spend the day as a family of 3.5 at the GA aquarium.  

After that, we dropped CK off at my sister-in-law's so we could have a kidless date night.  We went to CineBistro, which is a movie theatre where they serve dinner!  They have a full menu, and we took full advantage.  It was such an awesome experience!  Now, on to year 7...

T W O

I'm finally getting a haircut tomorrow!!!!!  I cannot tell you how excited I am to sit in a chair and feel pampered for a minute, even if it is only for a trim.

T H R E E

I recently started playing BUNCO!  I got invited to play with a group of girls in town... a group of girls who are all best friends from high school!  I was so nervous and intimidated to show up as the only outsider, but they were welcoming and immediately made me feel at home.  I'm so excited to get to know them even better.  And, we had a BLAST!  We'll be playing once a month, and I am already looking forward to our next date.  I am especially looking forward to when I can partake in the adult beverages during the Bunco-playing, as I'm sure it'll be even more fun!

F O U R

Can we please talk about the furniture my husband painted for CK's big girl room?  Here are the before-and-afters of a piece we scooped up from an antique store (and will use as a dresser) and a nightstand my sister-in-law was getting rid of...

Hard to tell in the pic, but the drawers are painted with an ombre effect.

I think they turned out SO cute.  Her room is gray and will be accented with different shades of pink.  When we get home from the beach, we plan on transitioning her to her big girl bed so we can start making progress in the nursery!

F I V E

Speaking of the beach, our trip is right around the corner!  In less than a week we'll have our toes in the sand - or at least I'll have my swollen pregnant toes in the sand while T chases around this nonstop two-and-a-half-year-old, who seems to have grown up overnight...

Have a great weekend!!