Sad Day

I found out yesterday that I am officially on bed rest due to high blood pressure. I guess for the remainder of my pregnancy. I probably should have asked but I was already freaking out at the words "bed" and "rest". In theory, that's 4 weeks. In reality, I'm aiming for more like 2 weeks.

I should look at the positives: no cleaning, no laundry, no making dinner, endless tv, lots of movies, books, naps, and computer time. All I can think about, though, is what a mess my house is, the dirty laundry is piling up, there's generally nothing good on tv, I'm eating waaaay too much and getting no exercise, and I feel like a horrible mother to Audrey right now. I feel like crying. But, deep down, I know that this won't last forever. Audrey won't remember me pawning her off on all my friends and family and forcing her to watch way too much tv. It won't matter if there are clean clothes because I can't go anywhere anyway. And once the baby is here, I'll feel like crying because I certainly won't have much time to myself!

I know the longer I can go, the healthier both the baby and I will be. Luckily, she is looking great and they aren't too concerned about her. Turns out I'm more in danger than she is. I think I finally realize how serious it is, but that still doesn't help the frustration I feel! Thanks to my wonderful mother, though, my pantry is now stocked with more snacks and junk food than I could ever imagine so anytime I start feeling sad (or bored, or hungry, or really any range of emotion), I can treat myself to a variety of chocolate snacks. That makes everything better, right?

Hmmm...

What do you get when you let your 3 year old choose her own nail polish color?

Oh yeah. Purple glitter.

This is why she isn't allowed to pick out her own clothes.

Chattanooga Getaway- Days Two and Three

The second day Brett had to attend his conference so Audrey and I were off to have fun by ourselves. Since the Chattanooga aquarium is the highest rated aquarium in the country, we decided to check it out. It took Audrey and I 2 1/2 hours to get through the entire thing and I felt like we were moving through it pretty fast. If Brett had been with us, we could have easily been there all day! Some highlights from the day...

Some of the tanks had spots at the bottom where you could crawl through and get a closer look. The worst part was that there were usually several kids waiting and it took FOREVER to get Audrey out!

Posing by a fish.Attempting to touch some of the fish. As soon as the fish would get close, Audrey would quickly take her hand out of the tank.

Standing in front of the largest turtle shell in the world.

I couldn't believe how big the fish were!
She thought she might want to touch a sting ray but quickly changed her mind when they got close enough to touch.
Part of the aquarium had a butterfly garden.
And we got to spend a little time with Happy Feet. The background for the penguin tank totally reminded me of that movie.

Audrey checking out the shark tank.

There was a cave that had all these spots to see the fish swimming around.

That afternoon we headed to a really cool playground that overlooked the river and then treated ourselves to some ice cream before meeting Brett for dinner.

Before heading home the next day, we went on the Incline Railway to get another scenic view of Chattanooga from the top of Lookout Mountain. Apparently, the marketing person for the Incline is really good because I thought it was going to be this fantastic place with all these things to do at the top. It turned out to be quite disappointing. And cold. I guess I can't blame the second one on the marketing company but since I don't feel like I got my money's worth at the Incline, I'm going to blame them anyway. Audrey did walk away with a duck to add to her stuffed animal family that she sleeps with every night so I guess it wasn't a total loss.

Normally, our trips home are never eventful. Audrey is usually watching a movie, I'm sleeping, and Brett's driving. This time, however, was a trip home to remember. Brett didn't listen to his wise navigator and went down the wrong interstate (for about 15 minutes before I looked up and saw that the signs said 27N and NOT 24W), we were stuck in traffic for 45 minutes due to a semi truck that caught on fire, and Audrey threw up in the car. Luckily, she gave us enough warning for me to give her a bag, but anyone who has experienced this knows a bag never fully prevents a mess. Luckily for me, there was no mess outside her car seat, which is fully washable, so my car still smells nice and clean. Despite the trip home, it was a really fun getaway and I'm so glad that we got to spend the time with Audrey before her baby sister comes.

Chattanooga Getaway- Day One

Brett had a conference in Chattanooga this past weekend and so Audrey and I thought we would tag along. I had never been to Chattanooga and we figured we might as well enjoy one last vacation as a family of 3. I was so impressed with the city and how kid friendly it was! It was a perfect place for a family vacation.

Audrey was most looking forward to riding the train so we decided that our first stop better be the TN Valley Railroad otherwise Brett and I wouldn't be allowed to enjoy anything else on this trip. Audrey thinks any train is "Thomas" so it was easy to make her day. Below is Audrey's new pose. You will notice it in 99% of the pictures I post of her on this trip. I'm not sure where she learned it and honestly, it got old after awhile (even though I still think she is adorable). Of course, anyone watching me take pictures thought it was hilarious.

We took an hour long trip on the train and got to see the train yard and watch them turn the engine around so we could go back to the train station. It was very nicely done and everyone left happy. Brett got to hear some informative and historical information about the area, I got to relax in a very plush and comfortable train car, and Audrey finally got to ride "Thomas." Can you tell she's excited?

The turning of the engine.

I'm pretty sure the train ride was the highlight of her trip!
After the train ride, we headed to Ruby Falls. In order to get to the falls, you drive to the top of Lookout Mountain, take an elevator down 265' inside the mountain and walk through these tunnels to get the waterfall. Audrey thought she might need this miner's hat to help her find her way.

It was very neat to walk through the cave except for the moments of claustrophia that I experienced. Most of the guided walk was through areas wide enough to fit 2 people (although the ceiling was veeery low) but at times you had to stop where you were at to let another group pass through. Being 8 1/2 months pregnant, I already felt like I had no room to spare, let alone making room for a group of 25+ people to pass by! Naturally, the people in my group enjoyed watching me position myself against the rocks so the other groups could get through.

I remember when I was in middle school and I took a test where I had to explain the difference between stalagmites and stalagtites. At the time I thought, "Am I seriously going to EVER need to know this?!" Well, for the first time in almost 20 years, I can say that it was helpful to know the difference. Realistically, though, I really didn't NEED to know it because they had signs in the cave explaining the difference. But at least I could confirm that my memory was still in tact. Throughout the cave, there were these formations that resembled different things. It was kind of fun to see each one.

After what seemed like forever, we finally made it to the waterfall.

You could also walk under the waterfall.

Don't laugh, people. Just remember: 8 1/2 months pregnant, ok?

After Ruby Falls, we headed to Rock City. I have to admit that I was not thrilled with idea of going here. None of the research I did could tell me more than it's a park at the top of Lookout Mountain that has a spot where you could see 7 of the surrounding states. Fascinating. They obviously need someone else to do their marketing for them because it turned out to be a beautiful garden with trails surrounded by rock walls.

Audrey decided she would be our guide for the afternoon. I was so thrilled to see more rock walls I had to squeeze through (insert: sarcasm).

The view from the top.

Brett and Audrey were brave enough to walk to edge of this point that hung over the mountain.

And of course, the day wouldn't be complete without some more pictures of my top model (a show that I don't watch).
Whew! What a fun day! But after typing all this out and seeing all the pictures, I see why I was so exhasted at the end of the day. Ok, let's be honest. I was exhausted the minute our day started. But I am so glad that we went to all these sites on the day we had Brett with us. I would never have made it without him!

Beautiful Music

I was invited to a beautiful concert this afternoon and the singer graciously allowed me to record it. I personally love the dramatic ending. Broadway, here she comes!

Calling All Princesses

Audrey has gone to several princess parties this past year, so when she realized her birthday was approaching, she made it very clear that she also wanted a princess party. This little girl has opinions and she isn't shy about sharing them! So, she invited several girls from church as well as her cousins (whom she calls her "best friends") to join in the festivities.

We created a royal entrance...

set the table...

baked cupcakes and a cake...

made princess crowns...

played princess games and opened presents. Audrey's friends spoiled her with some fun presents that she has really enjoyed playing with. She also got a digital camera from her great grandparents,
which she has LOVED (noticed the possessive hugging going on in the picture).

She also got an MP3 player with headphones from my parents so she'll quit taking my iPod. I pretty much think my mom is a genius for coming up with this idea. I can now shop and drive in peace in quiet as she listens to her music and the headphones actually stay on her head!

Brett and I were planning on getting her a bicycle but she kept requesting a scooter. A pink scooter to be exact. I didn't even know that she knew what a scooter was but I guess she plays with one at school and loves it. I'm so glad that we bought one instead of a bike because she can do it all by herself and I don't have to walk to the end of the driveway to push her back up!
I can't believe that it's been 3 years since Audrey came into our lives. This past year has flown by and it's amazing to me to see and hear all the things she is learning. She is no longer a baby, not even really a toddler. She talks non-stop, loves to share her opinions, and thinks everything is a negotiation. The best is all the hugs and kisses I get, hearing her say, "I love you" and telling me that I'm her "bestest mommy" (which makes up for the day when she told me "You are a HORRIBLE mommy"). She brightens our life and we are so blessed that she came to our family.

Happy Birthday, Audrey!

Not the greatest picture, but she doesn't sit still long enough for me to get a good picture anymore! But I did want to post a picture of my now 3 YEAR OLD. She has been talking about her birthday and turning 3 for months that I almost felt like the day would never get here! She requested a princess party (without being asked) so what I thought would just be a family get together turned into Audrey's very first birthday party with friends. I will post pictures soon along with many others from the past month. I'm not sure where the month went, but I hope to catch up on all the happenings soon.