20 Things about YOUR Mom and Dad in Life As a Couple!

Since you will always know us as "mom and dad" I thought it would be fun to tell you about us and our life as just a couple! Now, as much as I hate to admit it, I know we will not always be the cool mom and dad and chances are we one day will know nothing and you will know everything and we will just be the corky mom and dad that tells you what to do and want nothing but to be around you and you probably will want nothing to do with us. BUT, believe it or not, we were "people" before being just a mom and dad..and even sorta cool (at least according to us)!

1. We met at Ohio State University (you will be a Buckeye Baby, not much choice there, sorry!) where your dad played lacrosse and I played soccer (not the entire time). But I consider the story "fate" as I was not suppose to be in Columbus, I was suppose to be home for the summer in Georgia, but due to bad grades (which you NEVER will have) I had to come back for summer school. Your dad was living in Canada with his roommate for the summer but ran out of money so he had to come back as well. Well, within our first few nights of being in Columbus, I was drug to party I did not want to go to but am so happy I did. I had a feeling I was going to meet someone and even told a girl friend that, and sure enough I met your dad! We spent the entire night talking and he called me the next day for our first date! So we both were in the right place at the right time, and we both were in a place we should not have been according to our summer plans that summer!

2. Your dad is 1 year older than me, which I LOVE to tease him about! We started dating when he was 20 and I was 19...wow do I feel old!

3. Your dad proposed to me in a hot air balloon! Funny story there too! To make a long story short, we started to run out of gas and had to land across the street from a prison, which is still property of the prison. Your dad had already proposed at this time and I was just bursting with exciement! Well we had guards come flying up to us with guns drawn when we landed. They had to confiscate my camera and your dad argued with the guard about it, which almost got him arrested! After dodging that bullet, we went to dinner and spend the rest of the night giddy in love..and with a disposable camera! I will show you pictures! It was the perfect night and one I would not trade for the world. I was 23 when we got engaged and your dad was 24. We married a year later in GA, on May 17 2008, and it was a fairy tale dream wedding which I can not wait to show you pictures of one day! We have been married almost 3 years and may even meet you on our anniversary!

4. Your dad is from Dublin, OH. He was born in Minnesota but grew up in Ohio. I was born in Atlanta, Georgia and have been here since college! I can not wait to take you home to the south one day to show you where I grew up and to have you meet some very important people that are dying to meet you!

5. We both fell in love awfully fast and became inseparable VERY fast! It is important for you to know how much we love each other and that we are each other's very best friends. We share everything with each other and truly are best friends. We make a great team! We may not always agree, or even "like" each other all the time, but we ALWAYS love each other and never go to bed mad.

6. Your dad LOVES to hunt deer, duck, and anything that he can hunt for basically. He also loves to fish and really do anything outdoors or with nature. I know he very anxious for the days he can take you hunting and fishing with him. Don't worry, if you are a girl they have cute pink cameo and pink fishing poles. :) He even wants to take you on our boat this summer, but I told him he may have to wait 1 year. These are his true passions and I can not wait to see him share them with you. Just you wait until you see the lower level room, it is all his hunting and fishing trophies, pictures and decor! He wanted to do your room in cameo but I stopped that...you will thank me :) Oh and if you ever need some reading material (doubtful seeing you already have about 40 books and I am a teacher so you never will be short on books) he has plenty of outdoors men magazines for you to read ;)

7. I do not hunt or fish, but I LOVE to go on the boat with your dad. Last summer we went every weekend and I would lay on a raft, read a good book and sun bathe. It was a very memorable summer. I do love the outdoors though. I like to run and can not wait to take you in your jogging stroller with me. I also like coffee with friends, reading, being with friends and as goofy as it sounds..a hobby is teaching, which is also my profession!

8. Our favorite things to do! We both love the outdoors so one of our favorite things to do is camp! We have already talked about taking you camping when you are old enough. We also love cooking out and LOVE the Buckeyes! We go all out for games so you will be the cutest little Buckeye Baby this side of the Ohio River! We also enjoy date nights and lazy nights as a couple. We love getting blankets, pillows, ice cream and candy, and good movies and being lazy together. And as cheesy as it sounds, we just love doing things together and having fun together.

9. You have a big sister, Layla! Layla turns 7 on May 14th so she will probably be 7 or just about to turn 7 when you are born. Maybe you will even share a birthday! Layla was our baby before you. She is a chocolate lab that thinks she is human, to put it mildly. She is the most loyal, loving, cuddly and fun dog. She has been through a lot with us! Lets just say I am happy your dad had her has his trial "baby" before you. But seriously, she is the sweetest little pup ever. When I was dealing with infertility, and often cried a lot, she always put her face on mine as if she was trying to console me and tell me it would be okay. She sleeps above my head, goes every where with us, loves to run with me and mostly, she LOVES to swim and eat! I have never seen a dog that loves to swim as much as her. You both will love the pond in our back yard. I can not wait for you to meet her. Your dad and I often talk about how she will be with you. I have no doubt she will love you very much and will most likely be super protective of you, but I can see her being very confused at first as she was the princess of this house! But she will be great with you. She is so wonderful with my friends babies and children already and loves our neighbor kids! I can tell she knows something is up though. She usually follows me, but lately is my shadow. I can not go anywhere without her. And with me being on bed rest, she has been the best thing for me. Lots of company and cuddles. She also sits in your nursery at my feet whenever I am in there just dreaming of you. Your dad often gets jealous as she plays harder with him than she does with me, but cuddles a lot more with me than him. Like I said, she is so loving so she will love you very much. She is very spoiled and now about to lose her role as an only child!

10. Your dad and I love to talk about you and dream about you. From color of hair, to boy or girl, to personality, to everything about you! Your dad often kills time on his lunch break by shopping for you!

11. I like to talk about feelings and emotions..sorry if you are a boy! This sometimes can drive your dad crazy...especially with my out of control hormones lately!

12. I sleep with a blanket, yes world wide web it is out there, poke fun if you wish! It is a security thing for me and your dad is trying to get me to stash it away before you arrive...we will see!

13. Your dad often makes us late places, which can drive me crazy as I am a Type A personality and like to be on time!

But the glorious thing is, we both have flaws, both know them and both love each other for them!

14. I LOVE our family nights of me, Layla and your dad just hanging out. I am a total home body. And I can not wait for you join our cozy life.

15. We love to travel. Together we have been on a cruise that went to Jamaica, Cozumel, and Grand Caymen, we went to St. Lucia on our honeymoon, 2 summers ago we went to Cancun, last summer we went to Lake Cumberland, we have been to the beach in South Carolina and many other destinations in the US together. We like our vacation time!

16. Your dad wishes he could be a hunting tour guide or pro fisherman for a career, but in the mean time he works in finances for AEP. I have my dream job, I teach elementary school!

17. We were asked to do the show, One Born Every Minute, a documentary about labor and delivery. We are still undecided. It would be cool for you to see what it was like, but we are also shy people.

18. I LOVE Mexican food. Queso, chips, margaritas, and good girl friends is one of my favorite past times! I am sure you will have many trips with me and girls to our favorite spot! Your dad loves lasagna. It is his favorite!! When we eat out together our fast food picks are Chipotle or Pei Wei. When we go out to dinner, we love many different places. We like BJ's Brewhouse, Melting Pot, Ocean Club, and really any where. We are easy and we like to go out to eat..but do not like going to movies. We would much rather rent!

19. Your dad handles the finances and although we have an agreed upon budget, I am worse about sticking to it. But I am working on it. Your dad is also great at helping me around the house with chores. He is very involved. I am a bit OCD, which I know I have to get over because the days of a perfect household are almost over, but your dad enables it by helping me out so much around the house. He has really stepped up since I have been on bed rest. But that is how I know he is going to be an involved and great dad. He already is very involved with your life and wants to learn more about you all the time. So like I said, we make a good team. I handle a lot of the little decisions, but when it comes to big decisions we always discuss them together. And although we may not always agree, we somehow always find a way to meet in the middle.

20. We have come a long way together. We went from our fun college days, to entering the real world, to learning how to work as a married couple, and now we are starting the next journey of our life together...parenthood!

The Top 10 Things I Have Learned About You!

So here are some things I think I have figured out about your little personality so far. And these are subjective, but as your mommy and the person that knows you best thus far, I am going to make note of just a few things I have picked up on these past 9 months! Maybe these are just also my favorite things about you..even though I am pretty sure EVERYTHING about you is my favorite! :)

1. You LOVE sweets! I can eat a boring meal and you will not move a twitch, but the instant I drink or eat anything sweet you flip (not anymore, it is too crowded in there), kick, punch and move all about. Must be why I crave sweets so much when I use to not care for them.

2. You love to stick body parts out and push me, and recently it is your butt! Multiple times a day I will see a knee, elbow, bum, or foot poking out and pushing me. Now you are so big often I will feel and see a bottom poking out on one side and then a short distance away I will see your foot! You have done this since very early on. You do this more than kick me and your dad and I both love to feel you pushing me, even though it can be uncomfortable! It is almost as if you are saying "uugh mom, give me more room!". I push your dad in bed all the time when I want more room, so maybe you got this trait from me. :)

3. You do not kick me hard. Thank you! I always hear moms talk about the "jabs" to the ribs or painful kicks they take but I do not have them from you. You push and you do kick, but not that hard. I joke with your dad that this either means you are a girl or you are sensitive boy that does not want to hurt his mommy. Remember that!

4. You get the hiccups ALL. THE. TIME. I am talking multiple times a day, 3, 4, even 5 times a day! I can usually count on them after I eat but lately you get them when I am trying to go to sleep. And each time you get them, it is as if it's your first. I lift up my shirt (yes even at 11 at night) and watch my belly jump in a rhythmic motion all while picturing your little belly hop and jump and bounce from them. It is funny, every kick, movement, hiccup is like the first. I stop, pay attention to you, put my hand on my belly and (if I am not in public) lift my shirt to watch you. It is a special bond and connection only you and I share.

5. You must get a thrill out of putting all your weight on my bladder right after I use the restroom. You are a dead weight and make using the restroom so fun! ;)

6. You must think the hours between 9 and 11 at night are play time. Every single night at this time you go crazy! I swear you must be having a dance party in club Womb or are doing some sort of work out video that I do not know about because it feels like you are kicking, waving your arms and just movin and groovin all around. I swear this means we are in trouble for these hours once you arrive!

7. You are either a stinker or a sleepy baby (yet to be determined). Every time I have an NST you either "disappear" and they have look for your heart beat again or you refuse to move and get your heart rate up. So either you are sleeping or do not want to cooperate. I just feel bad because every time they have to use this little buzzer and buzz you. I get upset each time because I just picture you all cozy and sleeping and WHAM a buzz sensation comes and zaps you and wakes you up. Without fail, each time you jump and move and they get what they want. My fear is for the rest of your life you will hear a buzzing sound and will be startled! The nurses even try saying real loud "I am going to have buzz if he/she does not cooperate soon!" in hopes to startle you..but it does not work. Either way though, a stinker or a sleepy head we love you just as much. Although, if you are a sleeper I will not complain :) By the way, your heart rate is always between 140s and 160s. It usually is in high 140s and mid 150s.

8. You love my right side. You are always nestled on my right side. No matter how I am laying or what I am doing, I can find you on my right side. Not sure if this is normal but that's where you find home. And when I say right side, I mean right side. Sometimes I feel like you are trying to get to my back you are so far over. I did not know babies could get that far over! The only difficulty I find is at bed time. I am a right side sleeper. It is the only way I can go to sleep. Well turns out your dance party and my right side sleeping habit do not mix! I often lay on my right side and I feel you kicking me and pushing me against the bed! It sometimes tickles and sometimes feels really weird, so I shift sides. I am always afraid I am squishing you since you are on that side and I like to lay on that side!

9. You have made this pregnancy easy on me, thank you! You let me sleep..for now (thank you, thank you, thank you), you never really made me sick (just nausea), you do not kick me hard (just push), and you are just an easy, go with the flow type of inutero kiddo..I love taking you every where with me. And the high blood pressure is not you..it's my body. Oh one thing you have given me, heart burn! Never had it before but it sure is there now. I am convinced you will have hair! Color who knows...you could be blond, brown or even red.

10. The connection and bond we have is a special one that only you and I will ever share and I can not wait to continue the mother/child relationship as it is a special one that will only grow. I love you SO much already and know my love will only grow.

Tasty Tuesday...36 Weeks! And Nursery Photos!

My last week until I am considered full term..wow! This pregnancy has flown by! I will not get on my soap box of how fast it really has gone, but lets just say it has been a blink! However, I am thinking these next few weeks might just be the longest. We have an ultrasound Friday and hopefully will talk more specifics on dates, but we will see. This week the baby is starting to lose that cream cheese like substance on its skin and is also shedding that "fuzz" on its body. Baby B, you are plumping up and should be close to 6 lb!
In relation to you, you get the hiccups ALL. THE. TIME. You get them at least 3 times a day. And do not get me wrong, I love feeling them and knowing that is you..but if you could maybe lay off the hiccuping at 11 at night I would appreciate it ;). You also love my right side. You nestle all the way over on my side all the time and poke your little butt, knees and feet out. I often see my stomach deform and see a butt sticking out on my right side but see a heel poking out above my belly button. You already have a funny personality! After I eat (especially if it is sweet) you really move. Sometimes it is kicks but is a lot of turning and moving your shoulders it feels like. I have been composing a post to you that is all about you and what I have learned about you and also my dreams for you, I can not wait to post it.
Hard to believe only a few more weeks until we meet face to face, I can't wait!! Here are some pictures of the complete nursery!

The monkey that says "da da" in Chris' voice. Your dad had it made for you in hopes of you saying da da first. We will have to see about that! Game on Chris!

We had a friend come paint this mural. She did it free hand. It is beautiful! It matches the bedding exactly and is better than we ever imagined. It truly completes the nursery!

You are SO spoiled already. You will want for nothing, you are so loved!

Isn't this wonderful! She is so talented...thank you Maria!

A Complete Nursery...sneak peek!

The clothes are all washed, folded, put away in drawers or hung. The blankets and burp clothes and bibs are washed and organized. The bottles are sterilized and gently put away. The car seat bases are in and "the bag" is almost packed. And now our nursery is complete with this adorable mural. So now... we just wait! Here is a sneak peek of our completed nursery! More photos to come later!!

A Daughter's Love

I thought a posting about a daughter's love would only be suiting after posting about a mother's love..which I have only started to explore! I hope to have a daughter one day. I would be blessed with healthy boys and I see how much Chris loves his mom so I know the son/mother bond is just as special but it would be nice to have a daughter so I could experience the type of relationship my mom and I have some day. Now, that does not mean I hope Baby B is a girl by any means. I just hope Baby B is a healthy little baby and that is all, either is great! I am just saying a little girl at some point would be just as wonderful!

My mom was in town for what was the fastest week in history! And with her just leaving, and my hormones being on over drive, I have had some time to reflect on our visit and the love I have for her. Her visit was just perfect...although too fast! She was able to come and keep me company for 3 of my NST's! I appreciated it because they can get boring and I think she liked it as well as she could feel involved with the pregnancy since she has been so far away for most of it. It has been really hard on the both of us with her being so far for one of the most exciting times in my life. I already mentioned how much I hate the fact she lives so far away. I despise the distance between us, so it was so special to have her here considering she has seen me twice since I found out I was pregnant. But while she was here she helped slay my nesting craze by tiding up cabinets, clearing out and organizing ALL of our closets, and getting the rest of my "baby do list" done! The biggest task was our bedroom closet. I wish I had before and after pictures. I will post an after picture. We got rid of 4 big trash bags of clothes that I NEVER wear and she traded out my winter clothes for summer clothes. And to top that she organized my closet by type of clothes and color! Now my challenge is to keep it this way! Oh how much I appreciate this! Our closet was a nightmare. It looked like the clothes monster threw up in our closet and shoes were scattered, clothes were always on the floor, sweats hung from shelves and I never could find anything to wear! My closet excites me now rather than gives me night mares! Not to mention seeing all my old clothes felt like a new relationship seeing how I have not worn them in forever since I live in maternity clothes! It will feel like a new wardrobe when I can wear them...Chris will be happy! So while I sat on the bed since I am on bed rest, mom brought clothes in on the bed and I say yay or nay and she then took them back to the closet to organize or put them in the good will pile! She did this with everything. I sat with my feet up and directed and she followed directions. We also tackled the nursery with Chris. More to come later! THANK YOU MOM!!

So between Patty coming over to make us dinners, helping us clean and get organized and always being there to help us get ready and just being so helpful and supportive and my mom coming up to help out...we are ready to go. And more importantly I am realizing just how loved we are and how loved this baby already is. Our moms both do SO MUCH for us and I am so thankful. I hope to have a similar relationship with our children some day and I hope to follow in their footsteps. Both will be the BEST grandma's and so wonderful!

Other than making my mom work a ton we also had fun! Patty came over for a sleep over and we had a blast making dinner and spending time together. It was so fun to see the two grandma's together and so happy about the upcoming arrival of their first grandchild. I have the sweetest picture of them I will have to post later! We are so lucky our families get along so well! We also watched movies, sat and talked for hours and just enjoyed spending time together.

I realized this will be the last time with quality me and mom time and next time there will be someone else there to get to know and enjoy time with her. So this was a special time I will forever cherish and forever remember. Our time together may not be often, but we sure do make the most of it. I love my mom more than words can say and it was so hard saying good-bye. It makes me realize how much I miss her each day and it really makes me realize how hard it will be living far away with the baby. I look forward to her having quality time to get to know the baby the first few weeks he/she is here, but know how it is going to kill both her and I when she has to leave and not knowing when she will get to see her grandchild again. It will be hard with the distance, but we will make the most of the times we are together. :)

Thank you mom for everything and mostly thank you for being my mom and for such a wonderful visit! Can't wait to see you in a few weeks!!

Tasty Tuesday....35 weeks!!

Your Pregnancy: Week 35

Baby's now the size of a honeydew!
From now on, baby's growth is mostly in the plumping up department -- though he won't get much longer, he'll put on a pound or more of baby fat before birth. (He's about 15 percent right now and will be about 30 percent by full-term.) His hearing is totally developed (tip: baby responds best to higher pitches), and if he really is a "he," his testes have probably completed their descent.

Hard to believe only 3 weeks until I am induced. In some ways, it feels like it is so close, but in other ways it still feels forever away. I guess I have not started to process exactly what is going to happen. And I think the fact that I have dreamt about this for so long, it is hard to believe it is almost here! A few people think I have dropped some, but I have no idea. I think my breathing and snoring has gotten better (according to Chris) so maybe Baby has moved down. One can hope! I see the Dr. on Thursday so we will find out if I have started making any progress. I am starting to feel the time crunch of "last minute" things I wanted to get done. But luckily mom is here and helping with most of those things! It has been wonderful having her here and helping me prep for the little sweet pea! It will be a time I will always remember.

I have some posts I also want to get in before baby...a letter to Baby B I have been drafting, a post about the baby daddy, and just some random pregnant thoughts...so stay tuned!!

A Mother's Love

Thinking about how much I love this child already has had me thinking lately of how much my mom must love me and how much Chris' mom must love him. And how much our moms must love both of us. We are so blessed to have the mothers we have. They both are so supportive and so loving. For instance, Chris' mom has come over to make us dinner just so I do not have to get up, and she has come over to help out around the house to get things done for us and also just to keep me company. We both know that Chris's mom is always and will always be there with loving arms open. Both our mothers are always calling after doctor appointments to see how they went and they both are always so supportive, loving and concerned. We both know that without a doubt, either will ALWAYS be there for us. We truly are blessed!

It has been hard on me with my mom living so far away. Although I have gotten better about my "homesick break downs" I still get home sick all the time. Chris is a champ at dealing with them. There is not a day that goes by that my heart does not miss my mom or my family. I often get very envious of girls that have their mothers close by, that is one jealous spot I have as I would give anything in the world to have my mom closer. We talk all the time. Multiple times a day. But it still is not as good as it would be having her here. I have thought about what it would be like having this baby live far away and not being able to see him/her all the time and it already hurts my heart...I can not imagine how she feels. My mom and I never had one of those stereotypical mother daughter relationships where we did not get along in high school or argued a lot. We were very opposite. We were and are still best friends. I confided in her for everything and still do. We had fun together and I loved being home even on high school Friday nights. And when I do go home to visit, I am home body, I do not like to leave! And yes, all visits usually end with tears from both of us because we know that the phone will have to do for a few months until our schedules and stars align again. I know it is hard on her, especially during this exciting time, to be so far away. But has been very hard on me too. After all, moms somehow make everything okay. BUT, I am SOO happy to say my mom is coming into town TODAY!! She is currently on her way up! It was like Christmas this morning. I did not sleep well as I was so giddy about her arrival. Well that and the fact tossing and turning these days is very difficult and wakes me..that and the dozen bathroom trips. I can not wait to show her the nursery and all of the goodies. I can not wait to finally get some belly rubs from the woman who carried me and to dream together, in person. She is going to help me wash all the baby clothes and organize the closet plus get some other things on our "to do list" crossed off since I am currently on bed rest and unable to them..and I feel bad constantly asking Chris to do everything. It is going to be a fun week of just being together..something that only happens a few times a year. But my plan is to make to sure go no longer than 3 months without seeing each other. Luckily she will be here in May and I plan on going home in July and hopefully she is coming up again in August. Then we will have to wait til December for our next visit..but yes I already have it all planned out!

So yes, we are so blessed to have 2 wonderful moms. Both of them do so much and support us so very much and I appreciate you Patty and I appreciate you mom. You both have taught me about a mother's love. I hope that I can provide our children with half the support and love you both provide for us. I am so lucky to have grown up with a mom like mine and I appreciate her more and more. I am so fortunate to have a relationship like we have. And Patty, I thank the Lord each night for having a mother in law like you as we are family and friends and I love you dearly and appreciate all you do for me. I am quickly learning, and I know I still have no idea, what a mother's love really is. And I am forming a whole new appreciation for you and the way you wear your heart on your sleeve for your children.

April Showers, Bring May Babies!!

This past weekend one of my best friend threw Baby Brown and I a shower! Mama Perks is a person who when she enters a room, the room lights up. She is a person that people naturally gravitate to, and she is a person I have become blessed to have gotten to know. Linds and I met about 5 years ago in grad school and we instantly hit it off. I am not sure if it was her infectious laugh, her instant caring personality I picked up on, or her ability to make you feel so comfortable and like you have known her forever. But whatever it was, we became friends and quick! She helped guide me through wedding planning (and maybe even played a role in getting engaged..er, Chris was sick of hearing about wedding plans of others!) and she helped guide me through one of the toughest times..the infertility journey. Her spiritual guidance, positive attitude and loving shoulder has always been there for me, and I am so fortunate to have her in my life. For goodness sake, after leaving the hospital to visit her after she had Marshall I got on the phone to tell Chris how cute little Marshall is and when he asked how Lindsey was, I said she not only looked amazing but she wanted to talk about me more than her! That is how she always is. Never asks for an ounce of attention or gratitude. Linds is what I consider a true friend. No matter how hectic our lives get and no matter how many days, sometimes weeks, we go without seeing each other or even talking, I know that we will always be close. A low maintenance friendship..hard to come by but cherished more than words can say. I mean just to begin to describe her generous and selfless attitude, she has a 19 month old and an 8 week old at home and she was able to not only put together a shower but she put it together like a professional! Every. Single. Detail. was full of SO much love and beyond perfect! From the invitations (adorable poem she made up), to the cake diaper, punch, decor, and food it all was perfect! Oh the food...she knew I have just craved sweets so it was sweet based! She hand made cake balls and had cut up a ton of food for a chocolate fountain! She also made pink and blue punches, how creative! Everything was so wonderful and I can not thank her enough for all the money, time, energy and love she put into every detail. Words can not thank her enough. She is so special to me and will be such a special part of Baby B's life. Baby B, I can not wait for you to meet Aunt Lindsey! She will keep you laughing your entire life and will be such a wonderful influence! She already had been...hence the millions of questions I have either texted, called or emailed her about! She is a idol mommy. Her boys are so laid back, easy going and just cuties! And I believe it goes to her and Colin for being so laid back! She has already helped me a ton and I know will continue. So without further waiting, here are some pictures of the wonderful shower! Deer Run ladies..I am so blessed and lucky to work with my closest friends and such wonderful women! Thank you to all 30 women who came to celebrate Baby Brown, I so appreciate you all! There were 30 women, 5 of which who were pregnant and 8 who had babies there!

One of the newest babies. Peyton!! He was born a mere 5 weeks ago. There was 1 younger little sweet pea there, Craig, that was only 2 weeks!

So cute! The decor was so bright and pretty! And look at that creative yet yummy blue punch! There was also a pink lady punch for boy and girl!

Oh my poor swollen body..I swear you will be normal again..or I hope!

Hostess with the mostest!!

Look at this adorable little man! He was sooo good, did not make a peep! Just all smiles for little Marshy!

The oh so cute invite!

Check out the awesome diaper cake Lindsey made! It is so beautiful and fun!

Cake balls..Chris had the left overs gone the next day!

Tasty Tuesday (a day early!)...34 Weeks!!

See the bigger picture.

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

This comes a day early because I am currently editing and uploading pictures from my wonderful shower yesterday and I want to write about that tomorrow..so here is Baby B's updates a mere day early!

It is so wonderful to think that if the baby were delivered this week everything would be ok in the long run. Afterall I was born this week and I weighed less than our little peanut does and look at me! Now, I want you to bake longer little one so do not get any ideas! It is also hard to believe you are almost 5 lb and next week you will be plenty over 5 lb. Wait...I take that "hard to believe" part back..because if you were to see me or even be in my shoes you would believe it. I have to say I feel as if Baby B is running out of room and I hate to break it to you sweet pea, but your residency in my belly has a eviction date that is approaching. You will be getting an eviction notice sooner rather than later as my body I do not think can stretch any more and you are taking up a whole lotta room! But..you are worth it! I am finding it harder to roll over at night..hence sleepless nights, get up out of chairs..hence Chris having to provide a helping hand, my body is swelling like you would not believe..can I bring swolleness back into style?!, and bending over is impossible....hence my missed spots of hair on my legs after I shave! Oh and how can I forget, just getting around is becoming more and more difficult, uncomfortable and just exhausting..hence my constant huffing and puffing! BUT..with all that said I would not trade a second of it and to know that just means you are growing big and healthy is worth every huff and puff! Although I have to say I never understood why most pregnant women towards the end said they were just "done". Well now I do! I no longer get the eyes of strangers looking at me in aww and the "ohh, when are you due" questions. I now get looks and head tilts that say "oh honey, how much longer, I feel for you". And if I get one more person tell me I am about to pop, I may pop them one!

But in all honesty, I can not believe how close we are getting. On one hand 4-5 weeks sounds like nothing, but on another I feel as if it is SO far away! People keep telling me how close we are but in some sense I feel the farthest I ever have. I do have to say I want to make the most of these next few weeks with Chris and friends and family. There are also things I still want to get done. I think the other day it "hit" me. I was looking at a calendar and when I saw we could potentially only have 4 or 5 weekends left together before everything changes I freaked out a little. I all of a sudden started thinking of all I wanted to get done and started thinking of how I wanted to squeeze in many dates with Chris and alone time before we are not alone. Is that normal? Please do not misunderstand me. All I have ever wanted was a child and I prayed and cried for one for months so I am SO excited and counting down but I think I hit panic mode and started to think about how things are about to change. For the better i know, but I think I just started thinking, "oh my, I am going to be in charge of another person forever and I just hope I can live up to the task at hand and be the mother I have dreamed of being". Does that make sense? If not, blame it on the hormones!

On a separate note, Friday was my last day of work due to my bp. Meds do not seem to be controlling it enough and with my headaches, swelling and bp being unsteady, rest at home seems best. It is not full bed rest, but I need to stay off my feet as much as possible and rest. So I will have much more time to post on here! I will discuss my feelings of "bed rest" another day. Luckily my mom is coming up this week to spend time with me and help get things done and I have many friends at home for maternity leave so I plan on having company, resting, getting caught up on trashy tv, reading, writing and enjoying quiet time before I no longer have quiet time. Or so I have been advised to do that! Lets see how I do! All I know is I can not wait for the next 4 weeks to be over and it will be weird not having to work til the end of August.

Baby shower post tomorrow and lots of posts I have been wanting to do coming in the next 4 weeks!

Tasty Tuesday...33 Weeks!!

Baby's now the size of a honeydew!
Things are heating up inside as well: Baby may grow up to a full inch this week alone, and his brain is developing like crazy. Pretty soon, he'll be able to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing. Also, his bones are hardening, and he's started to keep his eyes open when he's awake.

Hello month 8!! You are a difficult month, I can tell already, but I welcome you with open arms because that just means I am closer. And umm..how did I all of a sudden get to be 8 months pregnant? I feel like I should be 4 still! And I must say I feel like I have a honeydew in my belly. All of a sudden I can not bend down, I am out of breath even more. moving around is difficult and I am swelling like a puffy marshmellow man. When I say swelling, I mean my fingers look like sausages by the end of the day and you can not distinguish my knees from my calves and you can no longer see my ankles or tops of my feet. Yes, I do plan on discussing this with my Dr. tomorrow because it has gotten bad this week. But on to the more important issue at hand..Baby B! I am noticing lots of nudges and elbows or heels moving across my belly. I am thinking he/she is moving out of room and is giving me a little nudge saying "mom, come on!". But Baby B, your dad and I have had a lot of fun watching you shift and move..it makes us giggle and get even more excited to meet you and your little personality! You do have the hiccups a lot and you still love juice..or either hate it...either way it makes you MOVE!

This week is an exciting week. Tomorrow we have an ultrasound (my favorite!!) and another NST. Then Yaya (aka Grandma Sawchak) gets here Thursday!!! She is coming up for some spoiling and some much needed mother/daughter time! I think it has killed her being so far away (and I know it has been super hard on me) so I am looking forward to her visit. And on Sunday I have another baby shower hosted by one of my bestest...Mama Perks!! I am SOO excited for Sunday and just can not wait to spend some girly time with them celebrating the upcoming arrival of Baby B! It will be a good week my friends..and I hope yours is as blissful!

One Smart Cookie

This past Friday my class threw me a baby shower! It was the sweetest thing ever. They were so excited, as many of them indicated to me they had never been to a baby shower...shocking, haha. My room moms who are just too sweet for words planned it and were so excited about it. They had pink and blue cupcakes, baby chicks, and decor (and some healthy treats too). They played fun games for the kiddos and it was just so much fun to celebrate this exciting time with such special people. The games were great. One of them the kids had to put a paper plate on their head and draw a picture of a baby..very fun! Another game was a memory game..perfect for school! They were shown an alphabet list of baby items or things that have to do with a baby and they had to remember as many as possible then write them down. Then there was the laundry game! There were 2 teams and each team was given a basket of baby socks all mixed up and they had to match them into pairs as fast as they could without taking the socks out..and I got to keep all the socks! Safe to say we have enough socks for a very very long time, and they students had a blast! And finally, the moms provided 8 baby food jars with missing labels and the students could taste and smell them and they had to guess what the flavor was. This was hysterical! Some guessed mustard, chocolate and other bizarre foods..although chocolate does not sound so bad, for mom that is! I have to say my class moms were very creative with this and were just so cute with their joyous and excited attitudes! Then as if that was not enough, each student gave me their favorite 2 books their moms read to them when they were little. We have so many books now! And yes, I love to read so I will be reading to the baby starting the first day the baby is home. They gave us so many wonderful books! All the classics plus many more. What a wonderful idea!! A library for the baby's room is something that is extremely important to me, but those books all cost a lot of money so it was so thoughtful and just perfect to get so many great books! I will always think of them as I share them with Baby B. And if that was not the icing on the cake, many gave us blankets, bibs, pacifiers and stuffed animals! I think Baby B is set to have a different blanket and bib for each day of the year! And yes there is more! The class gift was by far the best gift of all. It was a keepsake calendar that I fill in each month so it starts the month he/she is born. And each month I put a picture of the baby and it comes with stickers for first tooth, first step, first wave, first word, finds feet, ect. I think it has a sticker for everything! And in the back of the calendar, each student gave me their advice for the baby and each mom did the same and the room mom typed them all up and put them in the back of the calendar. I will be sure to share some of them with you as they made me laugh so hard it brought tears to my eyes! And speaking of tears, I of course cried at their sincerity and generosity. I am truly so lucky to be in the profession I am as I love what I do each day and I am even luckier to have such wonderful, supportive and loving students and families. I am blessed!

I will post pictures later!