okay

so here it is ... the belly at 34 weeks, i got brave and went public. I swear i feel like you can watch it grow these days but you can certainly watch it move. Kids at swim practice yesterday were like wow coach nicki look at your belly it looks like an alien is in there. Nope just a very active baby boy these days. I will catch you up on swim team soon. Its crazy crazy crazy around here until Wednesday and then it is all over. we are doing great tho.

getting ava ready for a brother

well so this picture happened on her own... Keegan and I were talking about the baby and ava proceeded to go and get "Meow" and then want to give it food and take care of it.... we were both touched. But on the subject of getting her ready.... ava spent the first 24 hours away from me. I think I was way more of a mess then she was. I had to go to work so I left at 8, Keegan took her to his moms where she stayed all day cause I had so much swim team stuff that was due and had to be done in the afternoon Ava's cousins izzy, mak and sophie came over to hazels and they all spent the night at gigi and poppops. Ava had a ball.... skipping nap for the second day in a row and playing with her gigis and then her cousins and popops and aunt caitlin all afternoon and night. Dancing, toys, swimming watching movies, etc. I guess she asked one time about keegan and me right before bed and that was the end of it. Thank you gigi and popops it is so amazing to know we can do it and she will be totally fine and it was so nice to have a little time with my husband. The next morning Ava came home lacking her voice from laughing, singing and screaming so much and took a four hour nap. I think she had the time of her life and to think i was crying in the morning cause I was so worried about her... well and pregnant hormonal

First hair cut

well at two plus a bit it was time.... her hair was getting so long in the back but it still was a mess.... and well, still is cause I did not want to do bangs, however it is at least even in the back. Keegan was off on Friday so we took a family trip to the kids hair cut place nearby. Ava was into the barbee jeep they had but when it came time to actually cut sitting in my lap was the only option... of course distracted by her ring pop. After it was finished the jeep was cool again. The hair cut was followed by a trip to the park to build sand castles in the sand box and miss the beach and then swinging with daddy very crazily and watching the fish in the creek and a picnic. And then prolly a long drive to get her to fall asleep since switching to the big bed makes going to sleep at nap and bed quite a challenge. ugh....

baby boy ripp

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4th of july pics

swim team had a fabulous float in the 4th of July parade and Ava and I walked all the way cheering and singing our Dolphin cheers. All the kids were there for the most part and had a blast not to mention winning best float for the second year in a row. And then it was a day with daddy and cousins and I worked on Championship entries which are due today at 6pm and are still not finished. I have been up since 5 trying to get them ready but still confused by the new computer program. I will be a happy girl when they are turned in and set. No more regular season meets tho... Divisional Champs next Tuesday and then the all stars qualifier Monday the 19th. The banquet on the 20th and DONE. then it kind of means baby time in my head... a little scary and will have some time but that once swim team was over that was a milestone of closeness in my head.

here are a few more Topsail Island pics

these were when my parents switched and dad/ doodad came:



so it was such a wonderful 6 days..... thank you to my mom and my dad. we had a lovely time. It was scary getting there as our flight left at 5:30 and the doctor was going to call at 5 and tell us if we could go or needed to go to hospital because I was in labor but the swim meet that morning made braxton hicks contractions really painful and every 4 mins apart but they were not the real thing so off off we went. bummed to be home but not getting ready for baby boy to come. Been working on rooms and will put pictures soon.

family vacation

sadly this was our first one all together as a family but it was amazing aMAZINNG AMAZING. we flew to NC on Monday afternoon after my swim meet arriving at RDU at 12:30 am so actually Tuesday and then my fabulous husband drove his sleeping girls till 3 am to Topsail Island where my mom and Keith were. We spent two wonderful days with them and then the parents switched and my dad came down for two nights. Then we headed back to Durham for the night before catching a flight Sunday morning. We really had the best time ever and ava fell in love with her grandparents even more, sand castles and the beach. her are a few pics: at the point watching keith aka grandbug (my moms husband) fish and the sunset
ava taking it all in... or not at all
chaulk on the screened in porch
every ones belly's