Lots going on

Getting back caught up after vacation & everything else going on. With the 110+ degree heat lately and just being pregnant....I can't even remember what all has gone on. We'll just get going with the pictures & go from there...

Meritt sure did love sliding until it started getting so hot.

Finally got Meritt out of her high chair & into a big girl booster seat. She loves it & it works great!

Swimming @ Nana & Papa's - I just love her adorable pig tails when they're wet! :)

Fell asleep in Mommy's arms.....and I just held her to cherish the moment! So precious!

After we got back from vacation, we decided to completely re-do our landscaping. It's not that it was terrible, but we really didn't like any of the bushes/plants....especially the big, round, prickly, evergreen type of bush right in front of the big windows on the left.

So the guys started working about 2:00 and were done by 4:30. I couldn't believe it.

And the finished products! We wanted something very simple & low maintenance. The plants are really small, but they will grow alot over the years. We were very pleased!

So....THEN, we attempted to start Meritt at a daycare for the summer to be around kids more & do something different. We took her to The Learning Tree last Thursday & she had a great first day. Here she is after first getting there.....she went straight to the toys baskets & started playing.

Her name on the little table where her seat would be for lunch & snacks. :)

More playing. Chris & I both took her & after a few minutes we decided to leave. We gave her hugs & kisses and waved bye-bye. She waved & said bye-bye with no issues. They have a little window outside the room where we could watch her for a few minutes. She never started crying or anything, so we were super excited.

We felt so good about it and went to work. After a couple hours, I called to check on her & they said she was doing great. They did say that she threw up a little after coming in from outside & having a drink. I said that she still had some drainage from being sick the week before & probably just gagged from coughing or something. So then I was kind of wondering if she would take a nap there. I told them that she's never slept anywhere but a crib & they could try, but if she wouldn't go down, then they will just put her in another room with kids that don't sleep.

I called before leaving work & they said she laid down and went right to sleep. I COULD NOT believe it....but I was super excited! I waited a little while & then Chris and I picked her up. She had kind of just woke up & when she saw us she had a little sad face, but was excited & happy when we left. She waved & told everyone bye-bye and we said we will see you next Tues. Everyone was so shocked that she did so good.

Well.....now we can just say that that was the beginning and the end of the whole daycare thing for now. Yep...I tried taking her back on Tuesday, thinking it was going to be easy & she was going to be excited to play & see the kids. WRONG!! She got up in a cranky mood, didn't really eat breakfast....but it wasn't a big deal because I know she's not used to getting up that much earlier & eating that early, too. On the way I kept telling her that we're going to school & she seemed excited. We walked in the front doors, I signed her in & then when we turned the corner into the room where the kids were.....she had a COMPLETE melt-down!! I've never seen anything like it. She was getting hysterical & I was just trying to calm her down & get her to see the toys, etc. She would not let me put her down & was shaking and crying so hard like she was scared to death. I could not get her to calm down & she eventually threw up all over both of us...from crying so hard. It was disgusting! Thankfully I had a change of clothes for her, but I was trying to clean myself up as well. I put her down & walked 2 feet to get some paper towels & she ran after me screaming! I was in shock & didn't know what was going on. I told her it was ok & I was taking her home. I apologized to the teacher & she felt bad, too. Gramie met us at home to watch Meritt & I was just a little late to work. The craziest thing is that as soon as we got in the car to leave, she was as calm as could be. It really bothered me that she was THAT upset & I knew it had to be pretty bad for her to get like that. Anyway, we decided not to take her back until she's a little older & can communicate with us better, so that we can understand what she's thinking...and also that SHE can understand if we tell her we're leaving & will be back later. People may think we're weak & not giving it a chance.....but I don't really care at this point. We only wanted to do it to get her around kids more & for her to enjoy it....so if it's not something we HAVE to do right now, we're not going to take her & her be miserable like that. It's definitely not worth it & we know it will work out later....maybe when it's more gradual & she's not just thrown into it. We actually feel alot better now, too....we kind of had a weird feeling after leaving & I had a little anxiety, too. To be continued.

Sunday we met the Austins @ the waterpark for the first time this summer. I was excited because I enjoy it & I knew Meritt would too....after her loving it last year.

She was starting to get tired here, so we had to take a snack/juice break.

Her most favorite things are the bigger slides in the kiddie area. We all took her several times because she just wanted to go down them over & over & over. After a little while, I couldn't go anymore....so Daddy, Aunt Julee & Ella would take her.

She had so much fun!!

I haven't taken pics of her during bath time in a while....or very much anytime lately. I think I'm getting to where I don't take as many pictures lately & just want to enjoy our time together. I think being pregnant has taken me over & I've been pretty lazy lately. I'm just saving up my energy for when the baby gets here. LOL! :)

I LOVE this picture! She is smiling so beautifully for me. And she looks like such a big girl.....not like a baby anymore. :(

Look how long her hair is!! She was tired & ready to be done.

Her hair has really grown a lot lately.

Teeth-brushing time.....and she likes to look at herself in the mirror.

I can't believe how big she is!! According to the Baby Center emails we get every month....she's no longer a Toddler.....She's a Pre-schooler! What?!?!?

Lastly....We had our 2nd baby appointment with the nurse practitioner & everything was great! It took a little bit to find the heartbeat because she was using a little, hand-held thing that they use on top of the belly & the baby is still pretty far down in the abdomen that it can be harder to get (which is normal & expected). It kept picking up my heartbeat & I was starting to get disappointed, but we finally found it & she said it was in the 150's, which is good. It was such a good feeling to hear that precious sound again! We talked about some stuff, but no real concerns....so it was pretty quick. We're so anxious to find out what it is, but we still have a month or so. I go back on July 21 & I think we will schedule the sonogram then. I've already started wearing some maternity pants because my normal pants are getting too tight. I haven't gained any weight, but my waist is definitely expanding a little. I probably look like I'm showing a little more than I am because I have some extra weight anyway, but it's also my 2nd baby & it's normal to show earlier.

That's about it.....stay tuned!