And we're off......

Tomorrow Brent and I leave for a three day weekend to Beaufort.  We love going there because there is so much to do, and we also have friends on Harker's Island that we like to visit.  This will be our last trip before Miss E arrives in 7 weeks...yes, I only have SEVEN weeks left!  I can't believe it.  Everyone keeps asking me if I am excited, and truth be told, I am petrified.  I have been a nervous wreck all week.  There's something about the countdown of weeks that is making it all so real.  It doesn't help that we were out of town all last weekend, and work for me has been very busy with the semester winding down this week..working late most nights.  I am waking up at 4am every morning - wide awake - and am just exhausted by the time I get home.  So I am ready for a trip away, although part of me wants to stay here and get some things done around the house.  I am nesting like crazy and any kind of clutter sends me into orbit.  I am, however, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel - pretty soon I won't be carrying a basketball full of weight around my middle, and I won't have to wear pants that stretch all the way up to my boobs...because those are soooo flattering, right?  Only seven more weeks...and then my life changes forever.....

So, tomorrow morning we head east and celebrate our last trip alone!  This is Brent's only three day weekend, and he has planned it for awhile..despite Mother Nature's attempt at ruining my plans to transform into a glowing and tanned pregnant woman. 

Sadly, I will miss my dear friend, Corrie's, engagement party.  I feel truly awful that I cannot be there for her special night, and I know it will be awesome.  Cheers to her and Chris and their new life together:)

I love it when they have my boat all ready....

Shower #1

Brent and I are so blessed.....my sweet mother and sisters-in-law threw us a shower back east this weekend and it was so great to see all of our friends and family.  We felt truly blessed by all the gifts and sweet cards for our new family...and we're so grateful to share this moment in our lives with them!

My sweet niece, Audrey, and my beautiful diaper cake!

This is really the only picture I took:(  I was so upset that I wasn't obnoxious in getting good pics...and of course, this one picture is absolutely awful. I'm embarrassed to even post it!

We counted 980 wipes and over 400 diapers....that will last us through the first week, right?!?!

And no blog post is complete without Swerve....again, he thinks all these toys are for him. I only wish I had batteries in the bouncy seat so that I could have freaked him out and turned the vibrations on!

P.S....I apologize for the blurry pics...Brent's camera does not seem to take as good of pictures as mine...he's fired!!

Welcome to the family, BOB

I found it necessary to title this post as so because BOB will undoubtedly be a big part of our lives come June.  I will start out by saying that I NEVER in a million years thought I would have a BOB...and to be honest thought they were a bit ridiculous.  I will now be the first to admit that I truly believe they are worth the money.  We had originally picked out a travel stroller system - that came with a car seat, base, and somewhat rugged stroller.  But we started doing some research and quickly found that the brand and model we had chosen had gotten awful reviews - we checked several different websites, and I even posted on a Facebook page for moms to get their advice.  Overwhelmingly, everyone said they wish they had bought a BOB.  Now, I don't run (please...I hate sweating!), but we do a lot of walking, and often it is not on the pavement.  I also spend a ton of time at ski tournaments (shocker) and the terrain there is not ideal for even cars, let alone a 4 wheel stroller.  We plan on using a snap-n-go for everyday use on errands, so I knew I would not be lugging around a jogging stroller everywhere anyway.  So, I knew we needed a 3 wheel stroller that could adapt to different surfaces...but a BOB?  It seemed so ridiculous to me!

I have to stop here and give credit to my parents....they really wanted to buy us a stroller for our shower coming up this weekend, but were really hesitant about getting us something that would not last long (totally understandable).  All 4 of us spent a good deal of time this weekend comparing and trying out strollers...and finally....BOB came home with us:)  It is black and grey....not purple like my iPhone camera makes it look in the above picture. 

I am truly grateful to my parents for investing in our new family (like they weren't already - haha!), and feel blessed to receive such an extravagant gift.  I am also thankful they were REI members and got an AWESOME deal on this - I won't tell you how good it was because I want to spare myself from the dirty looks and screams when those who paid full price read this:)

Brent with BOB...we decided we would put it in the truck instead of wheeling it "empty" down to Moe's for lunch!

 Apparently....Swerve thinks the BOB was exclusively for him...as soon as we brought it in the door...he immediately claimed it for himself.  Sunflower could have cared less.

"What? This isn't for me?"

"Love the cargo space, guys!"

"You really shouldn't have.....this is super comfy!"

Coming along...

The nursery is coming along - walls painted, crib assembled, part of bedding here...curtains almost hung...It will be here before you know it, and everyone knows I am a big planner:)

Brent is making awesome progress on the changing table...drawer boxes completed, frame completed...now top, back, and drawer fronts are left. (future post with pics coming soon!)  I am starting to stress some only because we will lose a few weekends coming up where he can work on it..but I know it is worth it in the long run..and if Emma has to be changed on the floor...so be it.  I am thankful everyday that my husband has the talent and love to build his daughter's changing table. I can't wait to see it when he's done!

Not a great picture..but the walls are now scratch-free!

Brent insisted on putting his celebratory beer on top of the crib after he assembled it.  I did go with some slightly different bedding than mentioned in an earlier post..but same colors (and MUCH less expensive).  This red gingham and red chambray bedding is from Pottery Barn kids, and looks great with the matching red chambray valances.  I love that I can use so many different sheet patterns to go with it as well.

I don't have a crib mattress yet...but here's an idea of the colors - the pillows match a chair and ottoman we are moving into the nursery from downstairs once our couch and loveseat arrive. The yellow quilt was handmade by my grandfather's special friend and matches perfectly. 

Happy Easter...and pass the tissues please!!

30 weeks...Easter Sunday - could not have asked for a better day!

30 weeks and counting....I cannot believe I only have 10 more weeks to go.  As each week passes, I get more and more paranoid and anxious.  I have several friends lately who have had their babies 5-6 weeks early, and I am starting to feel the panic.  Hormones are in full effect again.....sorry Brent and everyone else around me.  The good thing (or bad thing...depending on how you look at it) is that these hormones are not fits of rage, but rather uncontrollable crying.  I seem to be EXTRA sensitive lately...some for good reason, others not so warranted...let's breakdown the most recent tear-fests...I think I have had a pretty rough emotional week..

1. saw a girl come into the waiting room at the OB clinic and start sobbing to her mother after her appt....it was all I could do to hold it together.  I pray she feels some sort of comfort over her pain now.

2. saw a post on facebook (friend of a friend) who had her baby at 24 weeks who did not survive...I. Cant. even. imagine.  My heart breaks in a million pieces and I am praying so hard for this family that I don't even know.

3. talked to a friend who recently had to put his dog down over the weekend.  I was on the phone on the way to work sobbing uncontrollably on I-40.

4. my precious kitty, Sunflower, has been acting out of the norm, so I took her to the vet.  I was already a nervous wreck worried about her, because she is my baby...and we still have not gotten over the loss of Daisy boo.  To my dismay, the only room that was open was the same room we put Daisy to sleep in 10 months ago.  Really?  There went my sanity....crying fest continued. Please pray for Sunny - I know she is only a cat..and some of you may think that's silly.  But she is MY cat, and I love her.  She seriously is one of the coolest cats EVER - almost like a dog.  She follows me everywhere, comes when called, and loves to snuggle with me.  I can't imagine losing her.

5. my dear friends and neighbors found out a few weeks ago that their dog, Kayak, has a terminal cancer. They also had to say goodbye to their rottweiler last year, and my heart goes out to them right now.

6. My friend, Meredith, celebrated her father's birthday last week...he's been gone since November, but I know the pain will always be there for them.  I can't even begin to comprehend what the last few months have been like for her and her family. 

7. I can't watch the news anymore.  The amount of human suffering leaves me 1) overtly angry, and 2) deeply saddened. Like the shootings in Durham at JT's tire store, the high schooler on spring break who was pushed from the balcony at Myrtle Beach, the convenient store robbery that left 3 dead in Farmville last week, and I could go on and on.  I often wonder, "what is wrong with people?" I am appalled at our level of violence in this country.

8. a co-worker is undergoing tests for brain cancer right now.....I am praying hard for her during this uncertain time.  There aren't words to express how scary this is for her.

So, there you have it.  It's been a rough week for these eyes! I guess you might think I am "debbie downer" offering all this sad news.  I promise I don't go around crying everywhere!  I am just so painfully aware of life and death. That is only fitting for this past weekend, and all that Christ's death means for us.  I know the Cross represents victory over death, but that is sooo hard to grasp while you are still on earth.  Having a child makes you incredibly vulnerable..and I am feeling it big time these days.  So, if you see me a bit glossy eyed...its ok...I will be fine!  In the meantime, I'm just hanging on tightly to the blessings around me....poor Brent...I'm sure he is over me calling him at work every 5 minutes with the latest sob.

Another pic...no, I am not keeping myself from having an "accident," just trying to successfully document the bump!