A Belated Shower Post

On October 2nd we had a lunch shower hosted by David's coworkers. They treated us to lunch at Hudson Grille (which was yummy!) and brought cake and presents. :) They all pitched in to give us the Baby Bjorn carrier (you can see that David is so excited!), a blanket, burp cloths and washcloths.

They also made us this hilarious book filled with advise from everyone and pictures - it's definitely going in the baby book, lol! We had a great time and I especially enjoyed celebrating with David's coworkers. Thanks to Viv & Lauren for putting it all together for us!! :)

100th Post - Surprise & A Baby Shower

I wanted to wait until this week to post since I was at my 100th post and I wanted it to be special with lots of pictures.

Saturday was our last baby shower and it was hosted by a few of my closest girlfriends. I knew it was going to be special, but how special I had no idea until the big day arrived. My side of the family hosted a shower for us back in July that was wonderful and my mom and step mom got to come and celebrate their grand baby, so this time I had David's mom's with me.On Friday, my friend Vivek from college flew in from DC to spend the weekend and be with me for the shower. I hadn't seen her in 5+ years! I was so thrilled she was able to come and that we got to visit Friday while things were still quiet. Saturday morning my BFF Lacey came into town with her newest baby Jane Dare (she's 5 weeks and just precious!!) and arrived just as David's parents did and was able to join us for lunch.

We all met up at Taco Mac, one of David's favorite wing places, and I was loving on my Jane Dare while we waited for a table. After a bit David wanted some snuggles and took her from me. A few moments later I looked up and saw a little girl who looked remarkably like my niece Erin. You know how it goes, you process very quickly: "that looks like Erin, but it can't be Erin, because she's in Colorado". But then I see Deborah holding her and Carol (who was supposed to be on a women's retreat!) coming in behind her with my nephew Grady in her arms and I realize that they are really here! I just lost it and started to cry. I was so surprised and I still tear up every time I think about it. My awesome yet sneaky husband had helped orchestrate all of this and it was probably the most surprised I've ever been, second only to his proposal, of course. There are pictures of their arrival and my reaction on David's mom's camera, but I don't have them yet. I'll post when I get them.

Before I knew it we had finished lunch and it was time to head to Karen's for the shower. When I got there, I walk in the kitchen and see my friend Marleah who drove in from Alabama. I almost cried all over again!
I had no idea that so many people would come from so far away to be here with me and celebrate our little one. We had some great food and times of fellowship with my friends and family from near and far. We were spoiled beyond belief with wonderful gifts for this baby, who is already so loved, and there were a few more surprises here. A few friends who couldn't be with us sent gifts and my mom even made the baby 2 more blankets and sent them so I could open them at the shower. The funniest part was my mom used a post-it as the gift tag and we all got a kick out of it!

The post-it gift tag!The beautiful cat quilt handmade by my mom
Aunt Carol made a beautiful blanket for the baby too - it's so soft!Lacey getting in some snuggles with Jane Dare while I opened giftsWe love Sleep Sacks!Spoiled already - look at all these beautiful things!The sweet cupcakes were made by Leigh-Ann and they were yummy!Vivek, Carol, Deborah & I chattingGrady having fun at the showerMy lovely hostesses: Lacey, Karen, Leigh-Ann & Bethany

After we enjoyed some more girl time, we headed back to my house. David's mom and Carol headed back to Carol's house and Deborah, Erin, Grady, Vivek, Lacey & Jane Dare were going to stay with us. Paul & Bethany also joined us for dinner and we just had a great night hanging out together. It was one of the sweetest times I've had in this house and I certainly won't forget it anytime soon.

I absolutely love being surprised and Saturday was full of them. And Deborah and the kids got to stay through Tuesday which was wonderful since they live so far away. I certainly feel blessed to have so many people in this life who love and support us and who will love our baby.

As we were getting ready for bed David asked "so was it a good day" and I said "best day ever!"

Little Things

Today has been all about the baby - what fun! We headed to Lowe's this afternoon to buy all the wood we need for David to make the baby's cradle. He decided on solid oak and it's such beautiful wood I can't wait to see the finished product. We bought the plans years ago, but the time has finally come for him to build it. We are excited to have the baby in a bassinet handmade with love by their Daddy. Now, to find the time to build it...

The nursery is certainly coming together. Over 3 years ago we bought a solid wood, unfinished dresser that has been sitting in a box in the nursery ever since. It was such a good deal and we loved the lines of it that we went ahead and bought it right before we started trying to have a baby. (I even remember running around the store with a diaper changing pad to make sure the height was right - lol!) When we found out we were pregnant, we busted open the box to refresh our memories on what it looked like and to make sure the crib we selected would match.

Well, our freshly finished & painted dresser was delivered today and it looks so good! I knew yesterday that it would be ready so I went ahead and washed burp cloths, gowns, blankets, onesies, sleepers...all of cute little things we got at our family shower that have been in gift bags for a month - I didn't want to wash them until I had a cat hair free place for them to go. :) We are so thrilled with how the dresser turned out and after we put on the new knobs, I immediately started loading it. It was so much fun!! I still have so much space in it too which is good because there are still lots of clothes from Aunt Carol & Aunt Lacey to put away once we find out of this little one is a he or she. We even went through and picked the blankets and outfits that we want to take to the hospital with us so I could leave those out to be packed away into the suitcase.

As I was loading all the sweet things our little one will soon be using into the dresser, I looked at David and said "can you believe we've had this dresser for 3 years and soon our little one will be here?" It was such a sweet moment for us. We are really treasuring everything that's involved in getting ready for this child and we are so blessed!

Oh, and pictures to come soon, Promise. :)

Our 1st Baby Shower & Family Reunion

On July 28th I drove up to West Virginia for a week with my side of the family. We got a great deal on a ticket to fly David up on Thursday night after work, so I drove solo. I got into Elkins just before dinner and enjoyed a relaxing evening with my dad & step mom. Wednesday my Uncle Tim (Dad's best friend) came into town and we went to see The Ugly Truth and out to dinner at the Mexican restaurant. After dinner I headed to Fairmont to spend the rest of the week with my mom's side of the family.

Thursday I had my semi-annual haircut with my friend Debbie and then I shopped and Mom & I started baking for the family reunion while my step dad took off for Pittsburgh to pick up David from the airport.

Friday my brother Mark and sister in law Kayla came into town and we met Dad, Linda & Tim for lunch at THE hot dog place...yum. After lunch we headed over to my Aunts to help get ready for the shower. She, my cousin Jenn & my mom were putting the shower together and we were on hand to help set up the venue, decorate and help with the food. At least as much as they would let us help. :)

**Note: For all you southerners reading this blog - don't be alarmed! In the north, the family puts on the shower and it's expected that some member of your family, aunt, mother, cousin, etc. is involved in the planning. I know it's the polar opposite of how ya'll do things down here, but I think it's special. :)

Around 5pm, we changed and headed back over to the church to put out all the food. Everyone started arriving around 6 and we had a delicious dinner before David & I got to dive into the gifts. To say our little one is spoiled already is an understatement. We especially loved all the handmade goodies that the grandmothers made. My mom made the baby beautiful bassinet bedding as well as a quilt (pictures to come later), my step mom crocheted blankets for the baby and my grandmother made a beautiful quilt as well - how special! It was so nice to have our families gather and celebrate this baby. It was such a wonderful evening and we had a great time. We are so grateful for all the work that Jenn, Aunt Reta & Mom put into the shower. :) Here are a few pictures from the festivities.

Dad's side of the family including my great grandmother Haddix (far side of the table, 2nd from left)My mom, grandmother and several of their girlfriendsMy cousin Liz, suckered into tracking the gifts by her near perfect penmanshipDavid modeling a handmade hooded towel from Aunt KaylaHaving fun opening gifts

On Saturday we got up bright and early to finish getting the food ready for our annual family reunion at Rock Lake. We've been getting together at my Aunt & Uncle's cabin on the lake since I was in high school. It's always nice to get to catch up with my extended family and it's even more fun now that the next generation is making an appearance. My cousin Jenn had Maggie a year ago and my 2nd cousin Dan had his baby Ashlyn 2 years ago. Jenn & I are both expecting, so next year there will be 4 little ones running around and it's just so much fun. There's so much to do at the lake, volleyball, boccie ball, swimming, boating, fishing, etc. so it's hard to capture everything (especially when you're one of the cooks) but here's a few pictures from the day.

JP being his usual silly self on the volleyball courtMaggie thrilled with her birthday bear from Aunt LindaAunt Reta made this cake for the baby - I loved it!David & I at the end of the day - why don't I think to get a picture before we get all hot and sweaty?

At the end of the day, David & I were exhausted but we stayed up and got everything packed and ready to go home. We headed out bright and early Sunday morning and after 11 hours finally made it safely home. It was a wonderful weekend with family. It's crazy to think the next time we are all together our baby will be here...