Third Baby Shower

Today was my third baby shower. This one was at Jess’ house and was with Michael’s family, including my mom and grandma. When I arrived, I was very impressed how much Jess took our nickname of Emma and incorporated it into the shower. For instance, there were party favors of a pea pod filled with candy, there were melon balls lined up on the peel, and the cake had a pea pod on it. She also had my favorite foods there (chicken salad sandwiches, spinach artichoke dip, and buffalo chicken dip). Everything was great!


Getting some lunch.


Jess and I with the cake.

We played the toilet paper game, where you guess how many squares it would take to wrap around my belly. The total was 12 and I won! I swear I didn’t know ahead of time that that was the number. Michael’s cousin also guessed the same number so she won a gift (Sweet Pea samples from Bath and Body Works). Jess is so creative!

I then opened all the presents; the majority from your grandmas. They are spoiling you rotten and you aren’t even here yet! I got a lot of clothes, safety items, and some bath items. Michael and I appreciate all the gifts we have been given; we honestly didn’t expect to get as much as we had, but we are very thankful for our friends and family for helping us prepare as we get closer by the day to meeting our daughter. I appreciate how thoughtful and creative Jess was in planning the baby shower. I can’t wait to plan future play dates and events with her for us and our children.

Opening some gifts:







My grandma and I


Ashley and I

Birthing Class

Today Michael and I had to go to class ALL day. It was our birthing class so it was something important that we needed to be present at. We arrived just in the knick of time, after a going through a maze in the hospital trying to find the classroom. We had bagels and juice for breakfast then dove right into the presentation. Michael gathered a lot of information for us to review. It was nice that we took a break every hour, otherwise it would have been too much information to take in at one time. The morning part seemed to take forever; but then it was soon lunch time. We had deli sandwiches, fruit, pasta salad, chips, and chocolate cookies. For a snack later on, we saw there were brownies. Also around this time we noticed that it was starting to snow a little heavier. We were expected to get a light dusting today; let’s just say that didn’t happen. As the second part of the class began, the instructor kept an eye on the weather. We started this session with massage and breathing. I think I could have fallen asleep if it went on just a little longer than it did. It was so relaxing; now if I can only get Michael to do that at home. This part seemed to go by so quick, but we think it was because it was more interaction whereas the first part was just the instructor telling us what is going on with our bodies now and during labor/delivery. I was so proud of Michael for changing a diaper and learning to swaddle a baby. Even if it was only a doll, it is experience and he will do fine when Emma is here. And if it’s not perfect, she won’t care. We were let out about an hour early because the snow was coming down pretty good at this time.

Leaving the hospital:





Nothing like being on fumes during a snow storm; at least, the trees were pretty to look at.


My swollen feet after a long day of sitting in class.


Our house

This is my Golden Year!

Today is my birthday and it’s time to celebrate! I couldn’t sleep very well because Michael was playing his video game and I could pretty much hear everything he was saying. I woke up around 1:30 in the morning and noticed that Michael had put up a sign in our bedroom that said happy birthday. When he finally got into bed like a half hour later, I went downstairs to get some water and noticed there were more signs and my gift and card. I was allowed to open them since it was technically my birthday. I had $25 in scratch offs, which I won $10 and another ticket. I also had a gift card to JC Penney’s and a massage place down the road. I can’t wait to use that massage gift card! We finally fell back to sleep, but then it was time to get up again. Your dad made me an egg sandwich on an English muffin with some toast. It was a good way to start my birthday! Until we looked outside and noticed it was snowing! Yes can you believe it, the end of March with flurries!


The sign in our bedroom.


The sign at the bottom of the stairs.


The sign in the kitchen.


The snow starting to come down.

I got off of work early because I made a hair appointment in the afternoon then my mom and I were getting our nails done. While getting my hair done, I asked about how much hair was needed to donate to Locks of Love. My stylist said between 7 to 10 inches. She was going to start with 7 inches to see what it looked like. Well I also had a picture of a hair style I had a few years back that I wanted something similar to. After she cut the hair, she told me “well it’s more like 10 inches” that she originally took off so there was no way I was going shorter than that. It’s not like it is a bad hair cut, it’s just something I have to get used to, which might take some time because it’s a big change.


My hair before the new style.


Yikes! Look at all that hair!


The new hair do.

After my mom and I got our nails done, we went back to their house until my dad and Michael got there so I could open my presents. I was surprised by a gift; the two sets of china. I also got some girl stuff to take with me to the hospital and to use once we get home and letters for Emma’s name.

We also had reservation for dinner at Chevy’s with Michael’s parents, his brother and family, Ashley and Jarrod, Jake, Zach, and Laura (who met us later for dessert at Dairy Queen). We didn’t do too much after dessert because everyone was pretty tired. This was to be a busy weekend for Michael and I so I was okay with just getting some rest.

Spring is here!

Spring officially started on Sunday evening, but we noticed today with all the nice weather we have had the past couple days that spring really is here! Today Michael and I went outside to grill some hamburgers for dinner and had a good surprise. Our plum tree has buds all over it!



Also the flowers under the deck overhang are blooming. They are so pretty, I just hope they last for awhile.



Michael and I began the dreaded never-ending project, yard work! We started on the side of the house by clearing out the dead grass. That's a hard job and unfortunately, we have the whole back yard to do next. We plan on doing a little each night so hopefully by the time Emma arrives we will have the majority of yard work completed. We would like to be able to enjoy spending time in the yard over the summer, whether it's with friends or family.

Look at those feet!

At work today I had more people say that they didn’t know I was pregnant or that it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that they realized I was pregnant. It’s nice to know that I haven’t gained that much weight. I heard from my cousins that the last month I will gain the most weight, not something I'm looking forward to.

Also today I was on my feet a lot more, both at work and after work. I had some errands to do before meeting Michael for dinner. He has a night class on Mondays so we grabbed a quick bite to eat at Subway. Then when I went home, I did some cleaning for a few hours. After I finally sat down, my feet looked like ham hocks with little wieners. Mainly it’s the left foot and actually I started to get a tingle in my 4th and 5th toes.

I tried to get some relief by taking a bath and propping my feet on the side of the bath tub. When I got out of the bath, I propped my feet with pillows while I was laying in our bed. Nothing seeemed to help. Later in the night, I even got a foot rub from Michael. While it felt nice, it didn’t seem to help the swelling. I hope it doesn’t mean I need to get on bed rest.

Just look at these feet!

Baby Emma's Bedding

After my dad's side of the family's shower, Michael and I went home to get our coupons to get the rest of your bedding. While we were at Babies R Us, we spent quite some time trying to decide if we were making the right decision. There were two other bedding sets that we were interested in, but we came to the conclusion that the one we originally registered for is the one we wanted. One of the other ones had bright colors and didn’t really match well with dark wood furniture. The other one I hadn’t seen before in the store, but we came to the conclusion that the white would be covered in dog hair and could get dirty easily.

Now that we have the bedding for sure, we can decide on what color to paint the walls. At first, I was thinking of a light purple or pink, but then we talked to Michael’s dad and he suggested doing a chair rail with two colors. One suggestion was a light yellow or a rust orange color. I really don’t know; I just want something that will look nice and will go well with whatever the next bedding set Emma will get.


Emma's bedding set.


Dad putting the finishing touches on the bedding.


And the finished product. Now we just need to paint the walls!

Second Baby Shower

Today was the second baby shower; this time it was with my dad’s side of the family. My cousins Niki and Lori, along with Grandma Betty, had put together the shower. I honestly didn’t know how well it was going to be, but to my surprise everything turned out great. My Aunt June and cousin Michelle came in from Panama City just for the shower. I really appreciate the fact that they came into town for the shower; I really didn't expect it.

We had a light lunch of sandwiches, fruit, and veggies.



We played a game of Jeopardy (with nursery rhymes) that Lori created. It actually turned into a combination of Jeopardy and Family Feud. We had to pick teams so it was me, my mom, Aunt Joan, and Grandma Betty on one team and the other team was Aunt Mary, Niki, Aunt June, and Michelle. At one point, there was a heated argument between the teams. Everyone else kept saying it’s only a game and let’s keep going till we finish it. Nevertheless, I need to brush up on my nursery rhymes because I didn’t do so well.




After that game, we opened gifts. I got a lot of cute clothes, burp cloths and blanket for baby Emma. Again your Nana went all out and got way too many gifts. I already know that she is going to spoil you rotten, more so than she already has (and you're not even here yet!). Here are some of the gifts I received:








The gift that made us all laugh!


The cutest burp cloths!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

While at work today I had a lot of other staff in the building tell me how good I look for being so far along in the pregnancy. I had one guy ask if I was about four months along and when he found out how far along I really was, he was shocked.

Michael and I got to my doctor’s appointment early today, which I thought would have been a good thing because we had so much to do this afternoon. It didn’t go according to plan, which it never does. My OBG-YN listened to your heart beat, which started at 142 bpm but then rose to 155 bpm. She took my belly measurements and said that it was perfect, along with my blood pressure. Again everything is looking good and we will go back to the doctor in about three weeks (a little longer since dad will be in Washington DC in two weeks).

After the doctor’s appointment, Michael and I had an appointment to take a tour of the labor and delivery area at the hospital. The receptionist was very polite and was asking all kinds of questions regarding our pregnancy. I’m glad to know that when it’s our turn to have the baby, all the necessary paperwork has been filled out and all we will have to do is get to the room to get you here. We then went on the tour of the maternity floor with Dianne. We started out in the labor, delivery, and recovery (for two hours) rooms. We also walked around the floor to look at the other rooms, the nursery, and the NICU. It was also comforting to know that a pediatrician, OB-GYN, NICU staff, and anesthesiologist are on site in case of an emergency. It just seemed so real taking the tour, like I can’t believe we will be there in about 50 days!

And So The Fun Begins

After Michael and I got home from the baby shower with a car full of presents, we decided to put together a few things. We started with bouncer. It looks so simple, but it was so confusing (even when reading the directions, that didn’t seem to help). While at times Michael was ready to throw the bouncer off the deck, but we were somehow able to complete the project. We also put together the pack n play. Again, Michael thought it was going to be simple, but boy was he wrong! At first, we were doing good following the directions, but then we got lost and the pictures were no help either. Sometimes, it’s just better to guess until you get it right. At least, that’s what we did and we think it’s safe enough for Emma.

After the projects were complete, we added batteries in them to get the dogs familiar with the sounds that they will be making. They were a little confused at first and wanted to sniff everything. That’s fine, just as long as they don’t think these are toys for them. It was so funny watching the girls go up to the dolls in the rocking chair, because they haven’t seen anything like it before. Cali went right up to the dolls and began sniffing them, but Lexi was a little more hesitant and sniffed from further back. I wish I would have recorded it because it was so funny.

Michael and I also took one of the dolls to pretend it was Emma; that was interesting. I think the girls were just curious because there was a new scent on the doll, but they did good when we told them to be gentle with baby Emma. Cali became quickly disinterested in the doll and just laid next to me. I think when Emma arrives, these girls (well at least Lexi) will be protective of her and us. Now I hope they actually act this way when she arrives; only time will tell.


Michael about at his breaking point.


Taking a break to catch up on some tv.


The finished product, the bouncer.


Michael trying to figure out what to do next.


Somehow we got the pack n play put together.

Look at these tired pups: it was hard work watching us struggle to put Emma's bouncer and pack n play together.

The First Baby Shower

Today is my brother's birthday. Greg and his girlfriend Jill came into town on Friday so they could be here for his birthday, as well as for the first baby shower. Aunt Kathy, along with my mom and grandma, had been planning this shower for the past couple weeks. Aunt Kathy made a diaper cake that was filled with all kinds of goodies (rattles, spoons, toys).

There was a little family medical emergency this week to where Michael’s mom and grandma were not going to make it to the shower. Thankfully, everyone is doing okay now, but I know they really wanted to be part of the shower. There will be more showers and they will have plenty of opportunities to visit with Emma once she arrives. Here is everyone that attended the shower: Grandma, mom, Jill, Aunt Kathy, Aunt Patty, Aunt Betsy, Jackie, Laura, Jessica, Isabella, Mrs. Hoog, Meredith. Mrs. Ragan, and Mrs. DeWert.

Emma, you received a ton of cute clothes, books, and necessities for your nursery and everyday living. Things are starting to come together and you will be here before we know it.


The cake creator and I


The diaper cake


My grandparents and I


My mom and I


The yummy desserts


The family table


Opening some presents


Still opening presents


Look at all those presents! Baby Emma as well as her parents are very appreciative of all that has been given to us.

Photo Shoot

So tonight Michael and I decided to have our own pregnancy photo shoot. I wanted to get some pictures taken, but we just don’t seem to have the time or the money to get it done. At least this way we are in the comfort of our own home and could take as many pictures and poses as we wanted. We took a few pictures and these are the ones we liked the most: