Thanksgiving, 2008

Wednesday night started all of the Thanksgiving Festivities for the Corley Clan this year. We are so close to having little Emily that we got in some good family time before Thanksgiving, just in case we had to run to the hospital. Rusty made a fantastic fire, the kids did some laundry (Where's Rachel?), Beth came over for Mexican food, and we all watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving! It was nice to be together.

So we wake up Thursday morning, and watch the beginnings of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I remember watching the parade when I was a kid. It wasn't Thanksgiving unless the day started with the parade! In the middle of watching the parade, the kids decided to play "dress up". Oh my goodness!! What a hysterical mess!!! It's a great thing that Rachel is getting a sister, that's all I'm gonna say!

We had Thanksgiving dinner at Mom's house this year. It was delicious, as usual. Cody wasn't able to make it this year, but we still had a pretty good time. Rico, Joey's friend, Beth, and the rest of us made like the world was on the brink of a famine.

Sam saw Kermit the Frog on TV, and just had to have his "Kermit" in hand from that point on! We took a walk to help the kids get some energy out. We walked about a mile and a half, yet still...no Emily!

Mom's fireplace got a good run through. Add all of the turkey that got eaten to the calming fire, and you get what we called "The 2008 Turkey Coma".

Rico wasn't really this bad off. He's such a great actor!

Even Susie was in a bit of a turkey coma.

The aftermath of the devastation and destruction!

Sam had a bit of a rough afternoon. After he went head first into Mom's concrete sidewalk, he stabbed himself in the gums with a bamboo stick. Still though, in the end, he made out better than the turkey did..even though he does look like a crazy madman (no nap)!

Spoil Me, Please

I know, I've been called spoiled, but what can a girl do? I'd already had a baby shower back in October that my friend, Heather, threw for me, but Beth wanted to do something here locally for my few friends that could never had made the 200 mile trek to Heather's house.

Who was I to argue? Free Golden Corrall and presents?

You can kind of see everyone that came: Rachel (pink paper on head), Stacey, Betty, Marilyn, Sam, Jamie (Hi-Me), and Sherry are all in this picture. (Left to Right) Beth is taking the picture and Angelyn is sitting at another table.

Beth went a little crazy when it came to baby shopping...Again, I'm not arguing.

When we first found out that we were pregnant, Hi-Me said that she was going to get the baby (girl or boy) some Camouflage. She wasn't kidding!!!

Sherry surprised me with a plethora of goodies. The best of all was the play place. We had one when Sam was a newborn, but have since lost pieces. Rachel LOVED helping me open all of the presents. It turns out that Angelyn is super crafty. I have always thought that I was crafty when I'm at Michael's or Hobby Lobby, but once I get home, I realize that I am not. In Angelyn's case, she handcrafted a "magic blanket" and some really pretty burp cloths for Emily. The "Magic Blanket" has been made, over the years, for only real close family and friends, and apparently puts ANY baby to sleep. It's beautiful!

Wow! Look at that!!! Brandon fell asleep instantaneously!
Angelyn got the kids some gifts too! They both got a really cute book and a puppet that entertained them for a good bit of the lunch. Thank God for Jamie! She helped them create their puppets which made for great entertainment.Rachel got a parrot.

Sam got a gorilla, which he immediately named "Raar".

What a special time. Thank you SO much, Boppy, for the "Spoil Me" shower!

It's amazing to have such a wonderful sister!

Week 39

Rebekah's Update for Week 39:

Need I say any MORE? Look how BIG I am?!?

I walk around in my pajamas as often as I can, and my hair seems to be a big puff. I haven't been this "fat" in quite some time, and I'm SO ready to go back on Weight Watchers, I can't even tell you. At this point, I honestly don't care anymore.

I think that EVERYONE (even Susie) is ready for you to be born, Miss Emily, so c'mon, babe!

Bring it on!

**WARNING TO THE SQUEAMISH**
-This quite possibly is too much information for you-

This is the update from the Website: Week 39

Your Baby's Development
Umbilical cords, which carry nutrients from the placenta to the baby, vary in size but average about 22 inches (55 cm) long and half an inch (1-2 cm) thick. Sometimes the umbilical cord can become wrapped around a baby’s neck. Generally, this doesn’t cause problems, although a cesarean delivery could be required if it causes pressure on the umbilical cord during labor or delivery. A true knot in the umbilical cord is much less common, occurring in only about 1% of pregnancies.
Most of the vernix that covered your baby's skin has disappeared, as has the lanugo. Your body has been supplying the baby with antibodies through the placenta that will help the baby's immune system fight infection for the first 6-12 months of life.

Your Body
Braxton Hicks contractions may become more pronounced. Also called "false labor," these contractions may be as painful and strong as true labor contractions but do not become regular and do not increase in frequency as true contractions do.
Another sign of labor, the rupture of your amniotic sac, could happen any day now. When their water breaks, some women experience a large gush of water and some feel a steady trickle. Many women don’t experience their water breaking until they’re well into labor. Others need to have their water broken by their health care providers to get their labor started or to speed it up. If you think your water has broken or you are experiencing regular contractions, contact your health care provider.

Hiking for Emily

So, we are down to the last days of my pregnancy, and I'm really struggling with my energy. It seems that I have NONE left!

Saturday morning, it occurred to me that if I didn't get up and get moving around, our family day was going to turn in to a day of sitting around watching television, and I knew that the kids needed to get out and about. Not to mention, walking when pregnant is a relatively popular tactic for getting the baby to come on out already, from what I understand. We actually walked at least a mile on Saturday. I'd have to say that I was pretty proud of myself!

(Please, hold your applause).

Lake Jackson Mounds State Park is relatively close to our house. It's really quiet, and it has a few hiking trails, streams, and "mounds". We have been visiting Indian Mounds for several years now for a quiet and relaxing afternoon activity.

Here's a little history lesson for ya from the website:

More than eight centuries ago, Native Americans inhabited the area around Lake Jackson, just north of Tallahassee. The park site was part of what is now known as the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex. Today, it encompasses six earthen temple mounds and one possible burial mound. The largest mound is 278 feet by 312 feet at the base and approximately 36 feet in height. Artifacts of pre-Columbian societies have been found here including copper breastplates, necklaces, bracelets, anklets, and cloaks. Visitors can enjoy a short hike past the remains of an 1800s grist mill or picnic on an open grassy area near the largest mound.

Here are some pretty good pictures of our Saturday morning.

This is Lake Jackson. It's suffered for quite some time from a sink hole, but in the last few months, it seems to be flourishing quite well. What a beautiful picture!

Rusty and the chitlins'

Rachel & Sam "hiking" through the wilderness in search of new adventures.

Throwing sticks into the stream.

The kids had a great time "fishing" with some bamboo that I found.It was 45 degrees on Saturday. Brrrrr...
This is one of the several "Indian Mounds". Rachel counted 65 steps from top to bottom. I stayed at the bottom and cheered them on!

Another one of the smaller "Mounds".

These picnic benches were magically changed into the kids' "Indian Beds".
They were even fake "snoring".