Rainbow

My Mom and I saw this rainbow on Saturday. It was actually a double rainbow but the second one is hard to see in the picture. Now if only I could find that pot of gold. Maybe it will come in the form of a lottery ticket on Friday!

What's in a name?

I was looking around babycenter.com today hoping that a baby name would jump out at me. Erik and I have decided on a name for a girl but we still have no idea on a boy name. And since everyone seems to think we are having a boy, we might want to agree on a name. Below are the names I came across today. I am all for original names but I think these might be a little over the top.

Girl Names:
Ciaran
Rhythm
Moxie
Jaelynn
Honesty

Boy Names:
Maverick
Jaxson
Breckan
Kyd
Atticus

Hopefully, we can agree on something once the baby is born or it might remain lentil for a few days!

Baby Shower

My friends from college hosted a baby shower for me on Saturday. It was so much fun and it was great to see all of my friends.

The theme was letters which went along with the invitation

B is for Baby.

 Yum!

There were letters all around the place with beautiful sunflowers.

The favor was stationary with each guests initial stamped on it.

Everyone made a quilt square to add to the quilt from each baby shower.

I can't wait to see the final product!

I received amazing gifts from everyone.

Nicole and Sarah

Brandy and my Mom

The hostesses: Betsy, Brantley, Katy, Brandy and Camille

Thank you so much for a wonderful baby shower!

Tennis Team

We had our end of the season tennis party last night. We all met at Twisted Taco for some dinner and trivia. Our coach even showed up which was a great surprise. When I arrived, they had balloons on the table, a cookie cake saying "Welcome to Motherhood" and some presents. A few of the the girls had already been to one of my baby showers but it was so nice of them to do this for me. Of course, I did not think to take a picture until several of them had already left. We just found out our ALTA team will be A4 this season since we won our division in the spring. I hope I can play one or two matches before the baby arrives!

Back: Kris, Kathy Lee, Jennifer, Cindy

Front: Jill, me, Eleanor

Maternity Photos

Erik and I decided to have some maternity photos taken a few weeks ago. We met my friend Katy's sister, Kim Rahn, at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. It was a beautiful background for the session. Too bad it was around 100 degrees outside! Below is a sneak preview of one of the pictures. They turned out really great and it will be a fun way to remember this experience. I will post more once Kim is done editing.

Fabulous Weekend

We had such a great weekend! Erik and I had our childbirth class all day Saturday. It was very informative and I know it was great for both us to hear everything again. I especially liked the part where the dads practiced massaging the moms. I must say I was shocked by the lack of information the other couples knew about labor and delivery. These people are about to bring a child into the world and they had no idea what the process involved. Granted most of them were fairly young but I still think you would at least read a book or do some research on the Internet. Anyway, it was a good class and I am glad we took it.

I had trouble sleeping Saturday night so I woke up early Sunday morning. My nesting has really kicked in so I started organizing the office. Erik woke up to me going through bill files, arranging everything in piles and shredding like a mad woman. I had made a pile for him to go through which I know did not make him happy. But now the office is so clean and organized!

After breakfast, we packed up Bert and headed to my parents house. Sara was in town so we spent a little time at home. Then off to our close family friends house for a couples baby shower and cookout. It was hosted by my Mom's two best friends - Theris Williams and Sue Pinion. It was great to spend time with family and friends we don't always get to see much.

 The fabulous hostesses!

The adorable diaper cake Erik's Mom brought. Love the soccer rattle!

Sisters

Erik's brother-in-law Mike, dad Gene and Uncle Don

Erik modeling the diaper bag he picked out

Delicious candies made into animal shapes

Erik and his Mom

Sara, me and my Mom

Thank you so much to everyone who came and especially to the fabulous hostesses. It was a fun shower and we are blessed to have such amazing family & friends.

Our Children

Apparently, this is what our children are going to look like. I hope they are not this creepy in real life! The adult teeth on a child really freaks me out.

50 days!!!

Tomorrow, my little countdown ticker will say 50 days to go. I can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday we were telling everyone I was pregnant. I noticed when I woke up this morning that my belly looks a little lower than it did yesterday. I guess that is a good sign that the baby is making his/her way into position. It just looked strange to me and someone at work noticed as well.

Erik and I are taking our childbirth class tomorrow from 9-5. I am excited to learn more about the process and I hope Erik takes it all in. I bought (or Paper Back Swapped) him a book to read about labor, delivery and all the stuff in between. I don't think he has even cracked the cover. To his credit, I know he has been busy with school and soccer. I think it will be a good experience for him to hear someone talk about the process. Sometimes that is easier than sitting down to read a book which we all know is difficult for my husband.

Nursery

Here are a few picture updates of the nursery. The store called today to let us know our hutch has arrived. Hopefully we can get it installed soon so I can begin organizing the shelves. I am an organizing fool these days. The only large item remaining that we need to purchase is an end table. My Mom is finishing up the bedding and curtains which are absolutely adorable. I can;t wait to have everything set up and ready for the baby!

The cute pillow my Mom made for me to use in the chair.

The incredibly comfortable chair.

 We have the bed skirt for the crib but not much else.

Dresser with the lamp that will go on the end table and the hamper we just bought.

Combo with all of the fabulous gifts we have received so far.

Doctor Update

I had another doctor visit today. I really liked the doctor that I saw in the practice. He is from South Africa and I am a sucker for a man with an accent. The baby's heartbeat is in the 140's and he/she is already head down which is great news! I go back in 2 weeks for another check.

Stinker

I was cleaning up the kitchen last night before bed and came upstairs to this. And I had just washed the sheets. Such a spoiled little stinker.

8 Months!

I am 8 months or 32 weeks today! I can't believe we are less than 2 months away. I had a fabulous weekend with some much needed girl time in Athens with my college friends. Erik and I went shopping today for some household essentials. We bought Bert a new bed and some toys to give him when the baby comes home so he doesn't feel left out. I don't think he will get jealous but just in case.

How far along: 32 Weeks


How big is baby: Around 4 pounds and almost 17 inches long. I am amazed that the baby will almost double in weight over the next 7-8 weeks. There is no room!

Stretch marks: Still none but I know the belly is going to continue to grow.

Sleep: This has been difficult the past few weeks. The baby has been moving around a lot more lately especially during the night. It wakes me up and then I can't fall back asleep.

Best moment this week: I won my second T2 tennis match and had the opponents tell me how amazed they were at my speed and agility. It makes me feel good especially when you know people think they are going to beat you because you are pregnant! I also had a prenatal massage on Saturday which felt great.

Food cravings: Still not really liking food very much. I guess smoothies have been a slight craving although I always love them.

Gender: It seems that most of my family and close friends are convinced it is a boy. I have had several more boy dreams over the past few nights.

Labor Signs: I have had a few small sporadic contractions but they say this is normal.

Belly Button: Still in although the hole that used to be almost closed is getting bigger.

What I miss: Being able to bend down to pick something up without it hurting or having to squat like a frog.

What I am looking forward to: Monday through Wednesday this week are going to be very busy at work so I can't wait for yoga Wednesday night.

Bathroom Update

All of the bathrooms in our house needed updating. Two of them had hideous wallpaper and they all had brass fixtures. We completed the half bath before we moved in and I love it.

Our next project was the guest bathroom. The wallpaper was not too difficult to take down since some of it was already peeling off.  The toilet had to be the original from the house because the tank held around 5 gallons of water. We had a slight issue with the drain in the shower but hopefully that has been fixed.

We decided to use the same color as the half bath. We bought all new chrome fixtures and a new dual flush toilet. Eventually, I would like to change out the vanity since this one is so white but it looks much better for now.

Now onto the master bathroom. We already have the new toilet installed in there but the rest of the project has been delayed. It is on the list to complete before the baby arrives. I hope we can make that happen!

Baby Shower

My best friend since 5th grade, Renee, and my sisters (Tracey from afar) threw me a baby shower on Saturday. It was fabulous! Everything was so creative and fun. Renee made this fabulous diaper cake with washcloths, bottles, travel size baby toiletries and a trilingual octopus toy on top. Adorable! Sara made the food and it was wonderful. I know everyone enjoyed the bellini drinks.

Especially the cupcakes from Cami Cakes. Yum!

Renee had some cute games including cutting up pictures of me and Erik as babies to show whose features the baby would have. The results were quite funny! She also got together with my Mom to create quilt squares with words of advice and encouragement. My mom will take all of the blocks and make a quilt for me which is such a great idea.

Since we are not finding out what we are having, the favors were koozies in pink, blue or green. You chose your gift based on what you think the baby is going to be.

The girl group

The boy group - funny how it is all family and Renee!

I received such wonderful gifts from everyone. I feel much more prepared for the baby.

Thank you to Renee, Sara and Tracey for such a fabulous shower. It was so much fun and I really appreciate everything that was done for me. Love you guys!