Back to blogging

Hello dear blog, long time no see! Instead of trying to capture the last year that's flown by "unblogged," I'm going to pick up right here with the present. Tuesday, September 12th finds us living happily in Apex, NC, loving our church family at Sovereign Grace, homeschooling a second grader and kindergartener with a very active toddler underfoot and looking forward to the arrival of our sweet surprise baby #4-a girl!

Look at these handsome young gentlemen on their first day of school! This year we are excited to travel down a new road in our homeschooling journey and have joined a local chapter of "Classical Conversations." If you're not familiar with the methodology behind Classical, Christian education, I encourage you to click here to learn more. I mention this because it will no doubt color a big part of our at home studies and I hope to blog lots of fun CC resources in the future. Every Monday we attend our CC co-op and the boys have loved it so far! 

 

 

 First day in "Foundations."

Asher is quickly approaching the trying/terrible/tenacious/terrific twos(you pick) and is too stinking cute for his big boy pants. Just this weekend he transitioned out of our 8yr old beloved crib and into his own toddler bed. I'm happy to report that despite a few nap time gliches, so far so good. He adores his brothers, his special fox blanket, and all things musical. Interestingly, while he continues to grow into Evan's twin by appearance(the side by side pictures could be featured in "The Twilight Zone"), his personality is very much like Bennett's. For one thing, he was made for the shade and loves to be outside. While he goes by many nicknames(a record number really) his current is "cookie" because he a little cookie monster and has quite the sweet tooth-I must admit he comes by it honestly! Otherwise his favorite foods include strawberries, Chic-Fil-A, and playdough. :-)

As I mentioned earlier, we moved! And hit the jackpot of family friendly neighborhoods. There are so many kiddos on our cul-de-sac that my big boys spend most of their time outside riding bikes, scooting scooters, jumping on our trampolines and having all sorts of wild adventures with friends. All I need now is an upright dinner bell or megaphone to call them in every afternoon(and a blindfold for when I see them swinging on trees by sheets and bungee cords). You really can't put a high enough value on that!

In other current news, we are almost 30 weeks along with baby girl!!! I've had a great pregnancy so far and though those annoying pregnancy aches and pains have certainly kicked in, I can't complain! After three boys we were over the moon excited to welcome a dash(or more like tsunami sized splash) of pink into our home. No doubt she will be a treasure to her adoring brothers. I'm so thankful for this gift of new life and very much looking to forward to not being the only girl in the house anymore!

Godwilling I will not completely fall off the blogging wagon again and will be back soon with a quick look back on our whirlwind summer. Like when we took this trip to the beach...

and this one...till next time! :-)

New Beginnings

We are so excited to announce that we are expecting!!! Lord willing, we'll be welcoming bundle #3 this November-our first Fall baby! Each new life is nothing short of a miracle and we so so full of love and thanks for this new gift.

 

I'm 14 weeks currently(picture on the right was just this weekend at Auntie Paige's wedding) and feeling great. And even when I'm not feeling great, I count that as a good sign! So while I have no room to complain, I will say I'm looking forward to getting over the first trimester hump, into some more energy and out of the Tylenol bottle. ;-)

Although we are still delivering at Rex in Raleigh, we have chosen to go with a different practice this go around and I have to say it's been a great change of scenery! I feel so comfortable and confident in this new office and it's doctors, and that's a huge praise and relief. 

Our next appointment is June 22, where we will hopefully get a healthy report from our anatomy scan and find out the gender-I'm on pins and needles! Please join us in praying for a non-eventful pregnancy and safe delivery to come(yes-we are cesarean bound!). 

 

Welcome little one, you are fearfully and wonderfully made! Mom, dad and the best big brothers ever can't wait to snuggle you!

Welcome Evan Matthew!

Evan is here! I'm posting from the hospital this morning with a short and sweet update on our little guy. We are all doing wonderful and swimming in thankfulness and pride over our new, chubby chipmunk cheeked babe. :-) I plan to write a more detailed birth story later, but for now, here are some pictures of our journey, and a copy of the accouncement email we sent to proudly welcome our little one to the blogging world.

..............................................

Hello world!

We are proud to announce the birth of our first baby boy! Evan Matthew Scott was born on Sunday morning, April 25th, at 3:08am. He weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds 13 ounces and measured 22 inches long, he is a BIG boy! After an induction that did not progress we ended up having to deliver baby Evan via C-section, but both mom and baby are doing great. We are so thankful for your continued support and encouragement during this exciting time and praise God for a healthy baby boy!

With love and thankfulness,
Chris, Rebecca, and baby Evan :-)

On the way in for the induction-our last picture as a family of two.

This is just after we were admited-at the very beginning of our LONG delivery and in excited, happy moods!

One of Evan's very first pictures, just after being delivered via C-section. So cute!!

Again-we can't say enough thanks for all of the encouragement and prayers during this exciting, exhausting, amazing, challenging, new, and precious time. :-)

40 Weeks + 5 Days

and still waiting...

To update everyone who has so kindly called/emailed/fb'd on wondering how were doing and if the baby is here yet...I am still very much pregnant, and all the more anxious and hopeful for a baby soon! We appreciate the prayers and encouragement, and are really hoping for some activity today or over the weekend-right now the race is on between a natural labor and an induced one. Our appointment on Monday and test results will ref that call, so were really hoping to be snugly in the hospital bed with our new little one before Monday rolls around. Until then I'll be walking the pup, inventing more things to do around the house, eating rasberries and possibly working on a cheer to encourage baby Evan out.

40 Weeks + 1 Day

Where to start? We had a wonderful, fun, active, busy weekend-oh, and I'm still pregnant!

On Saturday my parents came up and we took Piper and the belly to downtown Raleigh's annual SPCA doggie day. It was a ton of fun with plenty of things going on-live music, Vic's pizza, wonderfull Spring weather and of course a plethora of puppies everywhere! We had also hoped that all the walking would encourage baby Evan to come, but no such luck-0nly sore tootsies! Piper had a blast though and is really enjoying all of this extra walking and attention-he is one happy puppy!

On Sunday we went to Open Door Baptist to stay close to home "just in case" -it was a completely differant Sunday morning experience "sleeping in" and driving to a church just 2 minutes down the road, not to mention not setting up/tearing down. And while it was a bit less stressful getting out the door and a refreshing rest for Chris being able to enjoy worship on the other side of the mic-more than anything we both realized how much we love Wilson and missed it so much-it just was'nt the same and we are so grateful for and blessed by our church. We LOVE Christ Baptist! Afterwards we decided to-guess what-do some more WALKING! We packed up Pipey again and drove down to Cameron Village for a nice lunch out and some more Spring strolling.

In everything we did this weekend we were dripping with anticipation as our anxiously awaited due date approached-and now that's it's come and gone, I feel like our sweet ice cream cone of come baby goodness is quickly melting into a sherbet of anxiety, mixed with a bit of frustration and a lot of discomfort. Over that past few days, we've walked, walked, and walked some more. We indulged the wive's tales with spicy food and speedbumps-more than anything waiting and praying for a baby SOON! Chris even started to have "sympathy contractions" on Sunday afternoon, lol. :-)

Aside from feeling like a whale, I was disappointed that baby Evan did not make his appearance yesterday for many reasons. For one, my FAVORITE doctor happened to be on call yesterday so I was really crossing my fingers-but now it's a gamble. Tomorrow we've got another OB apt-one I'd hoped not to make, and the one where we'll be having the o-so-dreaded "induction" talk. However, I'm keeping positive and still hoping for a natural delivery, and sooner then later! After all, we've waited 10 whole months-what's a few more days?! He could even come today...only God knows. Praise praise praise to the one who holds everything perfectly in His hands-even baby days!

Come on Evan, we can't wait to meet you!!!

The Last Mile

39 weeks behind us, 1 week to go. I've said it again and again, but where did the time go?! Even though these past 39 weeks have flown by, this last one is starting to rollll. Boy are we are anxious to meet our new little guy!

My 39 week doctors appointment this morning was as uneventful as ever-which I can't complain about. I was sort of ready to go at 37 weeks when we got that original full term "green light," but I guess he'll come when he's good and ready-like a ripe apple falling from the tree.

39 week stats:
BP-101/65
Weight gain-2.5 pounds over the last two weeks-right on track!
Baby's heartrate-120's
Milestones-Just making it this far is a HUGE milestone! Dare i say that everything is ready and waiting for Evan's arrival. I know it will come and go in a second, so I'm trying extra hard to savor our precious few last moments of "twoness."

From Mommy, Piper and the Boppy

Dear Evan,

Please get here soon, we can't wait to meet you.

Love,

Your very pregnant mommy, big brother Piper & soon to be favorite pillow.

Easter, Spring Cleaning and more!

This past Easter weekend was a full one-on Saturday our church held its annual Spring Festival and on Sunday we celebrated Easter with a great Sunday service and some good ole' chocolate bunnies! We hold the cross of Christ central and celebrate the greatness of the risen Savior all year round and every Sunday, but Easter always offers a nice pause for extra reflection and thankfulness. We have so much to be grateful for!


At 38 weeks we are so close to meeting our first son(nope, it hasn't quite sunken in yet, and probably won't until we've got him in the carseat on the way home!). A garden of lovely stretchmarks has sprouted over my belly, and my ankles have officially taken a vacation-where they've gone no one knows, lol. At this point I feel like there's a kitchen timer or sorts ticking away somewhere, getting closer and closer to the buzzer-if only I could see it and know how close we are!

Now we are in nesting mode-I want to bring this babe home to a clean house! Chris has been a great help recently as my bending over/moving heavy awkward things skills have all but gone away-who knew dust busting, vacuuming and taking clothes out of the dryer could be something to be taken for granted, lol. In any case I'm glad for the help! Otherwise I think I can confidently say we've got all our T's crossed and I's dotted as best as we can, though I'm sure I'll find room for more "proof reading" in the coming days and weeks until baby's big debut. :-)

37 Weeks and Counting Down!

Carseat? Check!

Crib? Check!

Pediatrician? Check!

Hospital pre-registration? Check!

At 37 weeks we have been given the official green light and are ready to go...well, as ready as you can be anyways. After my doctor's appointment yesterday it looks like everything is going-or should I say growing-according to schedule. I was infinitely relived to hear that I tested negative for the Group B strep, and am thus spared the few rounds of IV antibiotics prior to delivery. Praise God!

On the downside, I feel like a whale this week and the scale agrees! In just one week I jumped 4 pounds from 132 to 136....believe me I had to double take as well. Apparently though it's all swelling, and alot of it! Though I'm showing signs of some early edema(plus 1-2) around my feet and ankles, my blood pressure and proteins look great so it's not concerning at this point. Other than that, and adding some extra iron to my diet & daily vitamin regimen, we are golden.

Aside from the normal diagnostics, this appointment took on another tone as we talked about labor signs, on call doctor rotations, and other housekeeping issues like what we have packed for the hospital and carseat safety. Just as Spring has come there is another sweet change in the air these days-baby is definitely on the way!

37 Week Stats:

BP-99/65
Baby's heartrate-140's to 150's and very healthy
Weight gain-4 pounds, 1 week...that's a record for sure!
Milestones-Hitting the "full term" 37 week mark...just a few weeks now and we'll be a family of three-plus our Piper of course. :-) Stretch marks have made their un-glorious debut and I'm feeling beyond uncomfortable by the day's end. Sleep...let's not even go there. However, the end is in sight and we can't believe April has come so soon!

The Scotts in Spring

As Spring has sprung upon us, I am:
36(almost 37) weeks and counting, 1.5 pounds heavier and waddling along. Baby Evan is head down, sitting lower and continues to grow big and with a steady heart rate. Notice the bulging belly button below; it reminds me of a cake rising in the oven or some kind of "ding!" done cooking type signal, haha. Popping buttons aside, I do love this picture of my boys :-)
In other Spring joys, I am loving the special Spring Oreo's and explosion of pastels now lining the grocery store aisles. Piper is also happy to greet Spring and the gorgeous dog park weather it brings. We've been twice in the past week and have had a dog gone good time(we told him to soak it up for now while he's still our furry firstborn!)
Last but not least, Spring has brought a nice close to our congested calenders.Praise God we are finally getting over this "busy" bump we've been whirling through this past month. It seems like every weekend since Febrary has been packed full-with work, school, church events, weddings and doctor's appointments squished in between. Chris has been especially busy lately learning and adjusting to his new job, planing and playing music for a disciple now youth weekend w/a local church, and finishing up his last online class at Southeastern.

On my front, I've been increasingly exhausted baking baby Evan while continuing to work full time and organize all of the details of his arrival-financial, work-wise, nesting and all. Thankfully after our own church's "God Revealed" conference this week and the Spring Festival next weekend, we have blank calendars for a long time-hallelujah(you know, aside from having a baby and all)! Being busy is good, but right now we are ready for a good breather :-) Especially in this beautiful Spring season!

Bathroom Makeover: A Whale's Tale

This past weekend our bathroom got a fun facelift and was swept out from formal Bed Bath & Beyond chic to a kid friendly under the sea theme. We love the new, bright colors and the whales are just too cute :-) As some extra icing, we think it's pretty gender neutral and will be a great kid bathroom for a long time to come. In our future "house house," I can't wait to carry over the theme with a touch of chocolate paint; no doubt blue and brown are a favorite pairing to my creative heart.

Before...

A Whaletastic after, voile!

34 Week Brief

Knocking on wood, everything continues to look great. At 34 weeks, I'm feeling alright, definitely more tired at the end of the day and officially sporting the "waddle" walk at work(in case you were wondering, it's not as cute as a baby duck's waddle). Evan is moving around a ton, and thankfully has finally maneuvered himself into the correct head down position-hopefully he stays this way! The 34 week appointment was blissfully uneventful-and though we were dealt some pretty shocking news regarding the hospital bill to come-we continue to be grateful for a healthy pregnancy and growing baby. Here are the latest stats:

BP-101/65
Baby's heart rate-150
Weight gain-We've officially breached the 130's people! That's about 2.5 pounds since the last appointment 3 weeks ago. Chris says it's nothing but baby weight, somehow I think it's the brownies...
Milestones this week-Feeling baby hiccups, having massive caffeine cravings, and sleeping much less. Also, we are officially on the 2 week schedule for our ob appointments and after next time will be going every week-reality is sinking in!

Speaking of caffeine-and no, I haven't completely abstained-I am in love with Mickey D's new Caramel Frappe's! Yummo-they are out of this world amazing! In fact, things may get a bit out of hand once Evan arrives and I'm not so weary of my daily caffeine count-I'm already plotting our side-trip on the way home from Rex...

Here, there, everywhere!

The takeover has begun. Slowly but surely all things baby have invaded the Scott household. A welcome change, but a change nonetheless. Things like...

More laundry to fold-I'm basking in the cuteness for now!More clutter-Even Evan's room is getting a little cluttered-fortunately Piper is keeping close watch over the misc. toys and things.More home makeovers-Our formal guest bath upstairs is beginning to look less and less "adult" and will soon get a kid friendly makeover. For now, the whale tub and it's many hooded towels and bath toys will have to sit tight.

More stuff-Chris and I LOVE this bouncer. It's super soft and colorful, plays our ipods, vibrates, and also complements our living area very nicely! It's currently sitting by the couch; not pictured is the stroller parked on the opposite side of the living room. On the horizon, we'll have to find some space for a high chair eventually, and how could I forget...the take-a-long swing!
Obviously a change is a comin'! While I just love our new shared space, I can't wait to break free of this townhome living! For now, I'm thoroughly enjoying the new and exciting baby things -here, there and everywhere :-)

Ready to Ride!

Earlier this week Chris and I received an exciting package-our stroller and carseat travel system! We LOVE it and can't wait to bring home little Evan in his new ride. Chris was such a good daddy to be and assembled everything very smoothly. Yesterday he got the base into the car without a hitch, and I am so happy with how it looks and feels; we know baby E is going to be super safe, secure and snuggly riding in his new gear.

Here it is sitting on our porch while Chris got the base in the car....don't you just love that zebra?!
Base installed and proud of a job well done!

Doublechecking his handiwork...can't wait to see a baby in that seat!

Evan's Baby Shower!

Pardon the lack of updates-we have been up to our ears in work and baby business, and time continues to run away from me! This past weekend was an exciting and much anticipated one with baby Evan’s showers, both from work and church! Chris and I have been so blessed by the generosity, kindness and support we've received during this special time. We are so thankful for our church family and can’t wait to welcome our little prince; he is so loved already!

I didn’t have my camera with me for the shower at work, but was so humbled by the gifts and outpouring of generosity there. The cake was adorable and delicious, and I continue to thank God for placing me in such a supportive, flexible and family friendly work environment. Below are some pics from the church shower-thank you Lori! Jeanna did a wonderful job on the cake, it was sooo yummy and cute. And speaking of cute, take a look at that diaper cake-thanks Carol!A special thanks to everyone who came, cared, coordinated and contributed to baby Evan’s showers; they were a wonderful encouragement to Chris and I and I can’t wait to show this little guy all of his fun gifts! Speaking of, Chris and I had a fun time ourselves going through and assembling things, laundering onesies, and trying out all of the exciting, new gadgets; needless to say our laundry room is a pile of cardboard, plastic, and tissue paper-the recycling guys are in for a big surprise this week, haha.

I can’t say enough how much I enjoyed Evan’s baby shower, and how much I appreciate all of our wonderful friends and family.

Where did the weekend go?

We packed alot into the past weekend and boy did it fly by. On Friday night Chris and I headed to Goldsboro for the Crossway Church launch and then spent the night with my family. It was an excited and long anticipated night for Crossway, Christ Baptist's first Goldsboro church plant, and we are so excited to be a part of it. On Saturday we packed up Piper and added a new passenger for our trip back to Raleigh-mom! We took a few detours to Smithfield and Babies R Us before heading home to rest, walk the mall, and eat a delicious dinner out at Applebee's. It was a full day, and we were tired by the end of it! Lots of walking and good exercise though :-) Springtime gave us a beautiful preview this weekend with some much enjoyed warm weather-I can't wait till it's here to stay!

Me and Sami posing w/ baby Evan

Chris, Piper, & Dino at the Outlets-Looks like the Flinstones were before his time..

On Sunday after church Chris and I attended our last childbirthing class at Rex. On one hand I was sad to be completing them since they were a lot of fun and very informative-but on the other hand I'm happy to have made it through and I know it means were getting closer and closer to the big day. We learned some really good and practical tips on newborn care, and were also given the low down on Cesarean sections-a fate I'm praying fervently to avoid!

At 32 weeks, this whole labor and delivery thing is becoming more of a reality, and as things slowly but surely fall into place getting things ready for our new addition-it's a reality I'm actually really looking forward to!

31 Weeks

Time continues to wiz by. Chris and I took the tour of the birth center at Rex this weekend, and are looking forward to our last class next Sunday on newborn care. At 31 weeks, baby E continues to grow and look healthy. Again, our little boy measured completely on track for 31 weeks this morning, so maybe I just feel really big, lol. Here are our the stats. from our appointment:

BP-94/58
Weight Gain-1.6 pounds, pretty good for 2 weeks! Should be gaining a pound/week at this point.
Baby’s heartrate-140’s
Milestones-We are almost done with our classes at the hospital…feeling more anxious about the realities of childbirth as d-day gets closer and closer…no signs of stretch marks yet but I feel like they could be just around the corner with this growing belly! Sleeping is not so bad except for dealing with this annoyingly persistent cold and congestion-can't wait to have my immune system back to myself!

As per baby’s latest activities-he should be weighing around 3.3 pounds and measure 17 inches give or take-plus he’ll be hitting a super growth spurt soon. He is super active these days and tumbles and turns most during the night. Can’t wait to see him in person-getting the tour of the labor and postpartum rooms, and seeing the baby warmers and nursery at the hospital was sort of surreal, but also exciting. Just 9 weeks or so to go!

Special Delivery!

With the special delivery of baby E's crib and dresser set, his room is well on it's way to being complete. Yesterday we had a somewhat cluttered yet blank canvass ghost of a guest room-and today it's a nursery!

UPS man pulls up with the goods(left)..Chris diligently working on the crib & dresser(right).

Chris was a champ with the assembly, and did a great job of putting everything solidly together. Notice my craftsmenship on the dresser knobs below, haha; I did my part baking cookies and passing the occasional screwdriver. I am more than pleased with how everything looks and am happy to say that both pieces really surpassed my expectations.

Presenting the adorable "after..."

Note the wood colors are a tad lighter than my camera's flash would have you believe-gotta love that point and shoot, lol. Just a few of the finer details to go-curtains, area rug, wall decor, changing pad, toy/book shelf, ect-and my vision will be complete. As a young but ambitious Martha Stewart lover, it's fun to have these home projects on the mind and daydream about colors, organization and other such creative decor outlets-what on earth will I online shop for after this room makeover, lol?

I'm overjoyed to have the cornerpeices of the room ready to go at 30 weeks, and can't wait to see the final product. :-)

*Not pictured-A sea of Styrofoam, a giant pile of cardboard boxes, and a confused, crib loving puppy.