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Thursday, March 31

24 Weeks


*I still didn't get a great pic! Sorry!! But, let's face it.. this is what I look like most of the time anyway!! ha! ;) My poor husband.. he must really love me!*

Pregnancy Highlights:


How Far Along: 24 Weeks-WOW! 6 months!! I didn't think I'd ever get this far! ;)

Size of baby: 13 inches long and weighs a little over a pound. He is the length of an ear of corn!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 14lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I'm pretty much wearing all maternity clothes except for a few t-shirts that I got a size bigger in.

Gender: It's A Boy! Gray Davis Stickles

Movement: Oh Yes! He moves around alot at night.

What I miss: I really can't say I miss a thing.

Sleep: I'm sleeping ok. I still wake up alot b/c I'm just uncomfortable.

Symptoms: I think I'm starting to get a little bit of heartburn! ;)

Cravings: Still alot of fruit. I'm officially OVER grilled chicken! I think I ate enough of that for the first 5 months that I'm pretty good for a few years!

Best Moment this week: Going to my appointment yesterday and getting the official "OK" from the doctor following the car accident! Such a relief!!

What I am looking forward to: SHOPPING for baby!! :)


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Wednesday, March 30

a few websites...

Ok.. ya'll know that lately I've been shopping up a storm for Baby Gray. Not to mention, getting LK and E stocked up on their summer wardrobes. I shared with ya'll some of my favorites go-to sites with smocked goodies, but I also came across a few sites lately that I thought were FABULOUS!!! I dont know why I haven't discovered them before now and shame on ya'll for not letting me know sooner!!! ;) (kidding!)

First up.. Zulily.. pretty much just like Rue La La for kiddos!

They have some GREAT stuff right now!! My fave, the L'Amour shoes. LOVE those sweet little shoes for babies!! They also have some good deals on Crocs (Ethan's fave!) and those sweet little Trumpet socks!


Next up.. Totsy.. again, just like Rue La La for kiddos!

Loving their Crocodile Creek goodies right now!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE CC!! They also have some great Melissa & Doug toys (wooden toys are my fave!) and they have Caden Lane coming up soon!! :)


Last site is non-shopping related (go figure! ha!)..


Have ya'll heard of it? I've actually had an account with them for about a year but have never used it. Really randomly I realized that they have an iPhone app and fell absolutely IN LOVE with it!! Basically it's a family calendar app that both Chris and I can signed in to on our iPhones and can constantly have access to/update our schedules, grocery lists, to-do lists and several other things. I LOVE that we can both have immediate access to it and be able to check and update it. Life with 2 kiddos can be extremely stressful and we're about to add one more to the mix! YIKES!! Especially now that they are both so involved in activities, we definitely have to try to stay as organized as possible. I see this as something that can truly simplify our lives and keep us on track! (at least I REALLY hope so!) Try it out.. you'll LOVE it!


Ok.. that's all! Serisouly.. if ya'll know of any other great shopping sites like this, I fully expect you to share! ha! :)
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Monday, March 28

I like to Move It, Move It!

One thing Chris and I have tried to make sure to do with the kids is to spend special time with each of them away from their brother or sister. This weekend was Ethan's turn! (LK will get hers in June! - details to come..) I knew that Sesame Street Live was in town, but he didn't want to go. He's a little too big for SSL these days. At first, I was a little heartbroken b/c I knew how much LK loved it when she saw it. I wasn't sure what to take him to see/do. Then, I heard from my friend, Lauren, that Madagascar Live was going to be at the Orpheum!! PERFECT! Tickets were a little pricey, but I figured that it had to be worth it.

We decided to go on Sunday evening in hopes that it wouldn't be as crowded.. good choice! We had great seats!!! Ethan was able to see everything and there wasn't anyone sitting next to us. The show was adorable. I am so glad we went. I think all in all Ethan really enjoyed it. I have to say though, that we probably wont take him to another event like this again. (other than Disney On Ice... he LOVES that!!) He seemed to enjoy it and he was extremely well behaved, however, this was definitely not his cup of tea. As we were pulling into Downtown, Chris mentioned that there was a Grizzlies game, well, Ethan heard that and from that point on, that's al he wanted to do! About 10 minutes into the show, he asked if he could leave and go to the game! ha! Luckily, a WAY overpriced well-worth-it toy saved the day and managed to keep his attention for the rest of the show.

My Sweet Boys

and, of course, to get a "smiling" picture these days.. I have to promise to take a "silly" picture next!

They loved their animal glasses


This look works MUCH better for Ethan!! ;)




AND.. the TOY! That crazy little spinny light-up thing that costs an arm and a leg.... I swear those vendors get you everytime! They know parents can't turn down their kiddos sweet faces!

It was like this.. the ENTIRE time!

At least he managed to sneak a peek of the show every now and then!



He really enjoyed the "I like to move it, move it" dance sequence. It was pretty cute! They let the kiddos get up and dance!



The show was really cute and they did a great job transforming it into a stage musical. I think from now on though, we'll stick to basketball, baseball and football games for E! We'll have to try another "Live" show when Gray hits about 2. I definitely recommend for all Memphis parents to check out the family programs that the Orpheum has every now and then. They are always REALLY good!!!

Other than that, we didn't do anything all weekend! I was on strict orders from the doctor to get as much rest as possible. I tried to get up and do laundry Saturday morning, but quickly found out that that was a no-go.. I started having some complications again. SO.. off to bed for me!

I did manage to catch Ethan making his own personal Bat Cave in Gray's crib!

I was also surprised with one of these:

A Strawberry Margarita Cupcake from GiGi's! I LOOOOVVVEEEEE Chris Stickles!!! And trust me, it was as a yummy as it looks! By far, the BEST cupcake I have every had!!

My sweet kiddos also make me some adorable art:

So.. that sums up our weekend! Today I have been trying to get everything squared away with our insurance and lawyers. I will be SO glad when it's all taken care of! I am just praying for a MUCH smoother sailing week. I have warned the kids that Mommy might just officially lose her mind if either one of them gets sick, calls me from school, OR injures themselves... AGAIN! ;)

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Friday, March 25

Hello Sunshine!!

This past weekend the weather in Memphis was GORGEOUS!!! We definitely needed it too! We took full advantage! We all woke up bright and early on Sunday. Chris took Huck to the Greenline for a run and the kiddos and I started doing things around the house. After quick naps and a trip for weekly groceries, we all headed to Shelby Farms to enjoy the sunshine and feed the ducks.

Ethan found this in the backyard..

They had SO much fun!!! Who knew a $2 kite would be such a big hit??! Thanks so Aunt Joell and Donny for the kites! ;)


Chris had to dodge the kites a few times!



My handsome little man!

She actually ran a little and didn't complain about the heat and sun! Shocking.. for sure! ;)





Daddy was a little worn out!


After flying kites, we drove over the big lake to feed the geese and ducks. Ethan kept saying.. "It looks like the beach!!" I think we're definitely going to have to get planning on that family beach vacation ASAP! :)




Cutest Family on Earth!! I am one lucky lady!

and then of course... there's Ethan! haha! ;)

I heard that the new awesome playground is opening sometime in the beginning of April! We are SO excited!! We will definitely be frequent visitors!

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The Scariest Moment of My Life....

Yesterday more than carried on our ridiculously crazy, unpredictable week!!! Believe it or not, I was involved in a car accident.. yes, you read that right.. a CAR ACCIDENT.. at 23 weeks pregnant!!

I wont bore you with all the details, but basically a police car and another car collided in an intersection and then the police car came crashing into me. (I was stopped at a red light) Thankfully, I had just dropped both kiddos off at school so I was alone. There was alot of damage and both other drivers were taken to the Med by ambulance. Let's just say that my poor car looks TERRIBLE!!! He hit my drivers side, so I had to climb out the passenger side. Quite a feat in my current condition.

Luckily my mom and Chris were at the scene very quickly and put me at ease. As soon as they got the police reports, Chris took me up to the Women's Hospital to be checked out. It's a really good thing that I went b/c I started having contractions!!! Talk about being scared out of your wits! I had decided not to take an ambulance b/c I was feeling ok at the scene and really didn't want to seem like I was overreacting.... now, I wish I would have!! They kept me for several hours, monitored the baby, did an ultrasound and gave me an IV to try to stop the contractions. After a few hours, the ultrasound looked ok and baby was moving around alot, so once the contractions stopped we got to home.

I dont think anything has ever scared me so much! And poor Chris, I think he was white as a ghost the entire time. I can't imagine was it was like for him to get a phone call that his pregnant wife was in an accident. He definitely held it together though, which was exactly what I needed. I am so blessed to have him. He took car of everything the entire day! (the insurance, my rental car.. everything!)

I am so thankful to God that they were able to get my contractions stopped. LK was born 5 weeks early and up until yesterday, THAT was the scariest moment of my life.. yesterday surpased it! At least at 35 weeks, you know that your baby can survive outside of the womb... 23 weeks is a whole different story!

SO.. I have literally been sleeping all day and have been ordered to take it easy until my regular appointment on Wednesday. And considering that I feel like it was a Mack truck instead of a police car that hit me... I think nothing but rest and relaxation is on the agenda for the next few days!!

Hopefully, we'll hear soon about the fate of my poor car and my insurance company doesn't have a hard time dealing with the City of Memphis!

After yesterday, I definitely believe in guardian angels watching out for you!! Thankful for wonderful nurses and doctors... amazing friends and family - the support and prayers were beyond incredible and appreciated!.. and, of course, our God for watching out for Baby Gray and me! Now, Baby Gray just needs to stay put until July!!!

After this crazy week... (Ethan's toe on Tuesday.. LK threw up at school on Wednesday.. and then my accident on Thursday) we are SO ready for the weekend!!


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Tuesday, March 22

a major boo boo!

Well, this morning definitely gave us a run for our money!! It quickly went from ordinary to completely unexpected!!

E and I dropped LK off a school and then came home to get ourselves ready for the day. I heard Ethan coming down the hallway (I was in my bathroom getting makeup on) and then he fell. It didn't sound like a hard fall but he was crying a little. I called out for him to come to me so I could look at his "boo boo". Well, he wouldn't come! I called again and he still wouldn't come. So I walked out into the hallway to see him sitting in the middle of it with blood ALL OVER the hardwood. I immediately went into a panic! I didn't see any broken or exposed bones, so I was at a loss at to what was going on!! There was NOTHING around him! Then I noticed that the blood was pouring out of a cut on the bottom of his big toe!

So, I tried to call my mom, but she was in a seminar for work... GREAT! I tried to call Chris but he was busy at work too.. double GREAT!! I finally got a hold of Chris and we decided to try to bandage it a home b/c it seemed like the bleeding was stopping.

Well, I was wrong! After a few minutes it was soaking right through the bandaids! So, I picked it him and got him in the car to head to LeBonheur Minor Med. On a slight chance, I called the pediatricians office to see if they could help. (they are literally around the corner!) They could!! She told to bring him right in.

So, we ended up not getting stitches, but he did have to have dermabond (the superglue like stuff) to seal it closed and several bandaids to keep anything out of it. WOW! Talk about a heart-stopper!! Not to mention that he refused to walk on it, so here I am.. almost 6mo pregnant carrying my almost 4yr old around!

Once we finally left the doctor's office, we went by Target to get a new Batman toy.. yes, I completely gave in! ;) Then headed home for a nap. He slept for almost THREE hours!!! Poor guy! I felt so bad for him! He has spent this afternoon lying on the couch and playing with his superheroes in his room.


Noni came by with superhero books and "get well" goodies!






Hopefully he will be back to feeling better ASAP!

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