The Nursery!

Here it is! It is finally (mostly) done! Or at least as done as it is going to be before he gets here! Sorry the pictures aren't very good. I took them with my phone because I didn't feel like searching for a camera. (:

His bumper and quilt were handmade by an amazing seamstress. Her work is impeccable and her prices are amazing. If you need anything handmade, let me know and I will get you her info! His bedding is just sort of thrown in there right now so I could take the picture because his sheet is in the wash!

I don't know why this picture is so bright and neon looking. I'm too lazy to get up and take another one though! My sweet husband made the shelves out of an old door and I refinished his dresser. The changing pad cover was made by the same great seamstress and his sweet Aunt Macy did his initials on the top shelf. The Noah's Ark (I know you can't really see it) was brought back from Africa by his Aunt Tori!

Clayton and I made the piece on the wall out of an old window frame. The "K" painted on there doesn't show up very well in pictures...but it's there! We are going to put 2 of his newborn pictures in the other 2 squares.

The sign in the shelf is from his Great Grammy and all of the little things were Clayton's and mine when we were babies. He has a huge basket full of books, so let's hope he likes reading as much as I do! The precious stool on the floor is from Mimi (another of his great grandmothers)! This child is so blessed to have 4 great grandmothers and 3 great grandfathers in his life! Oh, and the super handsome fedora is from Gigi (my mom)!

All of his furniture were pieces that we refinished, and the same seamstress recovered the glider cushions!

37 Weeks!

Oh my goodness I am so ready to have this baby! I am really starting to get uncomfortable. I have a doctors appointment this afternoon, so pray for more progress! (: Here is a comparison of the last 3 weeks. He still looks lower at 35 weeks than he does today! Come on Knox! Let's get this show on the road!

And here is just 37 weeks, just for fun! Everytime I look at these pictures I check out my butt. I've never had a butt before! And I very much enjoy the fact that my boobs look really small since my stomach is so huge. That has also never happened! Am I making you uncomfortable yet? I know you all just checked out my butt AND my boobs.

Happy Monday! I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

36(ish) weeks!

Not too much to share with you this week, which I guess is why I was a slacker at the beginning of the week and didn't post anything! I'm still feeling great and just waiting around for Knox to make his debut. I go back to the doctor Monday, so I'm hoping to have made at least a little more progress.

I had my last baby shower last weekend and it was SO much fun! My precious friends put a lot of effort into making it so very "me." Everything had mustaches and bowties on it...absolutely adorable! I did actually remember to take my camera, and then someone was taking a picture for me and said "you know this doesn't have a memory card in it, right?" Ugh. Of course it didn't! I am ready to have my brain back! So as soon as someone shares some pictures with me, I will share them with you! We got pretty much everything else we needed for our little man and we made a trip to target Saturday night to get the very last of it! I think we are all set!

I got his bedding over the weekend too and I am so in love! It is perfect! I am waiting on the glider cushions to be recovered and the changing pad cover and then everything will be complete and I will share his nursery with you! I absolutely love it!

We went to the Agape Feast at church last night. I should have taken a picture of my two (yes, TWO) plates full of foood. It was like a pregnant woman's heaven. Amazing. I can't wait for tomorrow and do it all over again! I have always loved Thanksgiving, but it holds a special place in my heart stomach this year!

Then we have Black Friday at the store! It's also our first birthday weekend! I cannot believe we have been open a year. Sure doesn't seem like it's been that long! Jessica and I have learned so much over the past year and look forward to using that knowledge to make the coming year even better! I've been trying to get all of my ducks in a row and make sure I don't leave anything unfinished. My biggest fear is that I'm going to work myself into labor this weekend! That would be totally fine, I just want to make sure I have everything done before that happens! It's going to be a crazy weekend, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

I guess that's about it! I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! Here is a comparison between 35 weeks and 36 weeks 3 days (today). I wanted to see if he had dropped. Oddly, he looks lower last week than this week!

35 Weeks!

Yesterday was a very productive pregnancy day for me! I worked yesterday morning and then went straight to the hospital to turn in my pre-registration paperwork. My doctor has asked me for probably a month and a half if I have been to pre-register and every time my answer is "No, but I promise I'm going to get it done!" Well, yesterday I still hadn't, so I went right before my doctors appointment and got it done. (: 

My doctors appointment was great! She started checking me yesterday and I am 1-2cm dilated and 50% effaced. This excites me, even though I know I could stay this way for weeks...but hey, progress is progress! I am measuring 36 weeks and she told me that at this point if I go into labor she won't stop me. Craziness! So anytime in the next 5 weeks our little man could make his appearance! I'm hoping for about a week before his due date. But whenever he wants to come is really fine! When I left there I went for my LAST round of lab work (except what they will do in the hospital)! Hallelujah! I just counted and I have had SIX sets of blood work done during this pregnancy. I think that's enough to last me the rest of my life. Although I do have to say my fear of needles has dissipated a little, so that's a plus!

The nursery is SO close to being finished, and as soon as it is I will post pictures! I just have a few small things left to do and it will be ready. Clayton worked his butt off Sunday afternoon to help me get all of the big stuff done. Have I ever told you how thankful I am for my husband? The car seat base is also installed in the car and ready to go. It's weird to look in the back seat and see it. It's all starting to seem real!

I have my last baby shower this weekend that my dear friends are hosting. I know it will be so much fun and I can't wait to get all of Knox's things put away! It's getting so close! We have our last childbirth class today. And by last, I mean second because we skipped out on last weeks. Oh well! This is the one where the pediatrician comes and talks and they talk about car seat safety and SIDS and things like that, so I think it will be beneficial. I guess that's about it! It's just a waiting game now. (: Here is my 35 week picture (if you missed it on Facebook)!

Pregnancy Dreams.

I have always heard that pregnancy gives you crazy dreams. I've definitely had a few weird ones now and then, but nothing too terribly crazy. Until last night! Let me just tell you about this dream I had...

I was living in this really swanky apartment in some big city. I walked out the front door and there were these two girls standing outside. We figured out that we were all going the same place, so I offered to drive them. So we all get in the car and head out to wherever it was we were going. A little while into the car ride, we were all of a sudden walking down a busy street. We walked for awhile and then one of the girls said "Oh, we need to get our bikes. We are getting to all the bridge construction." So then we were magically riding bikes. We got to the "bridge construction" and started riding across through all of these cones and areas covered in black plastic. Well then magically I was no longer on my bike and I was climbing this bridge (that was somehow upright now) and it was covered in spaghetti. Yep, spaghetti. A guy behind me yelled "Hey! You lost your bike!" so I stopped and he climbed up and brought my bike to me. So then I had to continue climbing through the wall of spaghetti with my bike in tow. When I finally got to the top, I was wearing a really nice cocktail dress and heels and definitely didn't look like I had been climbing through spaghetti. We were at a party for the president of Russia. Now, I have no idea if there is even a president of Russia, and if there is what he looks like. But he was certainly there. And he had a crown and a superhero cape and a giant boil on his neck (nasty). Aaaaand then I woke up because I had to pee. I so wish I had stayed asleep to see what else was going to happen.

So there's a fun story for you for the day. Happy Thursday! It's beautiful outside!

34 Weeks, A Wedding and A Baby Shower!

34 weeks...seriously?! Oh my goodness, oh my GOODNESS! Just typing that out seems crazy. In 6 weeks or less (as big as this child is, I'm so not going past my due date...even if I have to beg and scream) Knox will BE HERE!! I am so exited/nervous/scared/ready/ecstatic...I feel like I go through every emotion there is every single day when I think about him being here so soon.

We started childbirth classes last week. It was interesting to say the least. Everyone had forewarned us that they show really graphic videos. Yeah, that was no joke. Clayton informed everyone that he saw a woman poop (he used a different word) out a baby. That was seriously what one of them looked like. I had to explain to him later that every video we watched was of a women going through natural, drug free childbirth. I have no intentions of even trying for that...I am totally pro-epidural. So it won't be like that for me. I think that made him feel better. I am terrified of needles, but I am so much more terrified of horrible pain. At the end of the class the lady told us to bring 2 pillows and a blanket next time so we could practice comforting techniques. Clayton asked if we had to go to that one. I told him we didn't...I have a Junior League meeting anyway. I think he was quite relieved that we didn't have to go practice things we won't even use in front of a room full of strangers!

We went to a wedding this weekend and had so much fun! The bride was a friend from high school and she was absolutely beautiful! We had so much fun dancing at the reception. I got tired really quickly, but it was fun to be able to act like my normal self! I am so thankful to be feeling so good. I even wore heels! And danced in them too! Okay, they were really wedges...but close enough for a pregnant woman! I, of course, took like 2 pictures...none of which show anything about the wedding. I have got to be better about taking pictures. Here are a few for you!

I also had a baby shower this weekend! It was SO much fun and now our house is full of baby things! It is so weird and so exciting to see all of Knox's stuff everywhere. I have loved putting all of his things away in his room. We got so much great stuff and it makes me that much more excited for him to be here!! One thing that has made me laugh so much...we got this video monitor that I registered for. A friend of mine told me it was the very best so I just went with it without even really reading about it. Yesterday when I was unpacking everything, I figured I should open it and make sure it worked properly. Well, it took me about half an hour to figure out if it even worked at all! It is so fancy and I had no idea how to work it! I even read the directions! I finally figured out and I know it is going to give me so much peace of mind when he is sleeping in his own room. It's almost like I'm in there with him! Technology amazes me.

Last but not least, here are today's 34 week 2 day pictures for you! I know you can pretty much tell in the pictures from this weekend, but figured I should have my regular picture too! Not the best pictures...my clothes today aren't great picture taking clothes but it will have to do!

Thankful.

November always reminds me of everything I am so very thankful for. Most people do something they're thankful for every day on Facebook or something. I'm too ADD for that. So I'm going to share the things I am thankful for with you all at once!

I am so very thankful for a loving, merciful God. He teaches me new things every day and loves me unconditionally even when I don't get it or mess up. I have truly come to view him as my Heavenly Daddy.

I am thankful for my amazing husband. There are so many things that I would never make it through without him. I didn't post about our anniversary, but I can't believe we have been married for a year! The past year has been crazy and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Everyone told us that the first year would be the hardest. If this is the worst we will ever have to go through, we should have a pretty stellar marriage!

I am beyond thankful for our precious Knox. I am thankful that God chose ME to be his mom. Some days I still can't believe it. I ask God all the time if he's sure I can do this. Of course, He knows I can. He wouldn't have given Knox to us if he didn't! WE get to raise one of God's children...how awesome is that?! I love this little boy so very much already and I know my heart is just going to be so full of joy when he gets here!

I am thankful for my family. My immediate family and my in-laws. They do so much for Clayton and I, and they are all going to be the very best grandparents and aunts/uncles!

I am thankful for wonderful friends. I am truly blessed with the best friends a girl could ask for. I can call any of them for advice about anything or even just to vent. They are always there no matter what!

These are the things in my life that I am most thankful for. Here are a few more: my job. Claytons job. our home. our country. our animals. our church. beautiful days. rainy days. our small town. my life experiences, good and bad. our health.

Okay, I'll stop there. I'll do a pregnancy update tonight night after my baby shower (YAY!)!