40 Weeks

Today is Baby M's due date. I find it only fitting that on his due date, I do one of these pregnancy milestone surveys for the first time.

Weight gain: Let's not talk about it. It's a little depressing.


Baby weight: Last Friday the Dr estimated 7lbs to 7.5 lbs if he was to be born that day... Obviously he wasn't listening.

Sleep: What's that? Not happenin'

Best moments this week: Realizing that although it is small progress, I've at least made some progress. Beef Ravioli (don't ask!)

Movement: He loves to move around and kick/punch me. It's fabulous. No really, it is.

Cravings: Turkey Sub from subway on Wheat with provolone, lettuce, pickles, ranch and it needs to be toasted.

Labor signs: Crampy and not much fun to be around. On Friday I was only 30% effaced and 1cm dilated.

Breakdowns: A little bummed after the appointment on Friday as I thought I had may more progress than that. I'm just over being pregnant and way too eager and excited to finally meet Baby M. Luckily I have an amazing husband that steers me back in line during my "fits". Realizing the weight loss battle that is ahead of me. But I know I can do it! And the weight gain is completely 100% worth it.
Belly Button: It's holding on! Still in as of today!!!!! This is huge. Trust me. Outties freak me out.

What I miss: Sleeping, walking normal (hello waddles!, just call me penguin), wearing non-maternity clothes. Having normal (non itchy) skin. Having normal size arms and a non-puffy face.

Looking forward to: Meeting BABY M!!!!! And finally revealing his name!
Milestones: The house is completely ready and we are all packed and ready! Feel free to come any day now, Baby M! Mommy and Daddy can't wait to meet you.
 

Check, Double Check

We are officially ready for Baby M to make his arrival into the world.

I am a lover of lists. I love the feeling of being able to check something off a list when it is completed. A sense of completion, it's what I strive for. Therefore, early on, I had a list of things we needed to finish prior to Baby M arriving. I am happy to report that after a lot of work, we have completed our list!!!

1. We have completed both our Birth and Beginnings Baby Class as well as the Breastfeeding Class at our hospital. I can only hope and pray I remember what they taught us once he arrives. Good thing Brian has an excellent memory!!!

2. We have cleaned the house from top to bottom and cleaned it again. I'm taking steam cleaning the couches and our carpet, mopping our hardwoods, etc.  I am sure this is the last time we will ever see the house this clean!

3. I moved all our cleaning supplies to a higher cabinet instead of below the sink where they used to reside. Cabinet locks and I don't get along so this was a win-win for me.

4. Completed the nursery! Even though Baby M will be sleeping in a bassinet at first in our room, I wanted to have his nursery 100% complete when he made his arrival and I am happy to report it is!

5. Like the nursery, I wanted our guest bedrooms to be tidy and clean and ready for visitors. They are both ready and waiting to be occupied!

6. Brian installed the car seat and our bags are packed!

7. I have packed a bag containing some of Brian's favorite snacks to take the hospital. Gotta keep his energy up. Granola Bars, Oreos, Raisins and hard candy for me!

8. Our phone lists (one for when I am admitted and one for when Baby M has arrived)  is on the fridge along with the doctors phone numbers and the hospital number (blurred out for privacy!)

9. The treat bags for the nurses and doctors are finished!!! Baby M's name is blurred out at the bottom.

10. And last but not least, these two boys have no idea what's coming! But I have a feeling they are going to be the best big brothers ever!

Also completed include the bassinet is in our room and ready, our bags are packed, the stroller is ready, formula is purchased (just in case), all baby gear is washed and ready and I am sure there is more that I am forgetting. Needless to say, I feel like we are ready for our world to be turned upside down by Baby M and I can't tell you how excited we are!!!

Do you love lists as much as I do? Don't you feel a sense of joy when you can check everything off?

Shutterfly Photo Books

Some blurb it, some winkflash it and some snapfish it. Personally, I prefer to Shutterfly it!!! I can't tell you how wonderful Shutterfly is. I have used their site for several holiday picture cards, several party invitations, stationary and even photo books! I have made photo books from our wedding and honeymoon and just recently from our maternity photo session. They are wonderful and allow you to look back on such wonderful events in your life.

Yesterday I received this via email and I am hoping this code will work for you too!!! Because, who doesn't love something free? A free 8x8 hardcover photo book! All you pay for is shipping + tax.  And if you happen to see more on the site that you just can't live without and spend more than $30, you can use the SHIP30 code and receive free shipping!

So hopefully the free photo book code will work for you! Just enter 8PBA91 in the promo code area when you are checking out! Hurry though... this is only good through September 1!

Picture It

Yes. I am that girl. You know the one I'm talking about. The one that waits until she is 38.5 weeks pregnant and then decides to take maternity pictures. So long pregnancy "glow", hello pregnancy "puff". I mentioned before that as soon as I found out I was pregnant, my arms and face decided to take on a whole new meaning for puffy. Lovely, right. Oh well. Nothing I can do about it and I just keep telling myself the outcome is more than worth it!

This past weekend our dear friend, Dawn, generously offered to walk around Old Salem (where I also had my bridal portraits taken and it's where the church we got married in is located) and take pictures for us. She put our new camera to good use and even though it was hotter than you know what... we still had a good time!

Enough talking, here's a sample of some she took.

And my personal favorite...

Isn't she amazing?! I have always told her she had a career in photography if she ever got tired of her day job!

Are you one of those girls that also waited to have maternity pictures taken? Or am I so far behind in the time that no one does maternity shots anymore?

Jewelry Boxes

Along with furniture, cradles and toy trucks, Brian also makes jewelry boxes. The first one he made was a wedding gift to me from him and it is one of my prized possessions.

My best friend loved it so much that she asked him to make her one. We surprised her and gave her one the morning of her rehearsal! (she is going to kill me for posting this picture of her.. love you Sulls!)

Then he decided it would be nice to make his mom one for Christmas. Sadly, I don't have a picture of the front of it but it was truly beautiful!

He has now completed his 4th one and we gave it to Traci for her birthday. Hers is unique because it is made out of walnut and cedar instead of just using one type of wood. He never makes two boxes the same.

Aren't they beautiful? It certainly is a wonderful thing to have such a handy man as a husband.

Ready for Fall

I couldn't be more ready for fall. This summer has been awful in terms of the heat and humidity. Granted, being in the third trimester of pregnancy certainly hasn't helped with the heat but I am officially over summer and ready for fall. I am ready for sweaters and jeans, pumpkin spice anything, cooler temperatures and evenings of open windows, leaves changing colors and most importantly... FOOTBALL!!!

Whether it is watching the Vols on TV or attending a Wake or APP game, I'm ready for it! And certainly ready to introduce Baby M to this wonderful time of the year.

Hopefully we will be able to make a trip to this beloved stadium...

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And of course, I have put together the perfect outfit for an APP game, which would happen to work for a Wake game as well...

The wonderful thing about this outfit is that besides the jeans (7seven, which I already own), everything else is from Old Navy and the shoes are from Payless. So your wallet will thank you later!

And if we ever had the chance to make it to this stadium...

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I would have an outfit ready for such occasion...

Again, all from Old Navy and Payless with the exception of the jeans.

And of course, I couldn't forgot about Baby M... I found too adorable outfits for him as well.

Left: Rags Land  (which would be customized for Baby M)          Right:amybailey4's Shop on Etsy

And for Brian...

And there you have it. Our little family would be ready to cheer on our Volunteers, Mountaineers or Deacons to VICTORY!!!

Is anyone else ready for fall? Ready for football? College or Pro? ACC, SoCon, SEC... which conference do you pull for?

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

Jennifer gave me this recipe at one of my bridal showers and I just now got around to making it. I wish I had made it sooner as it was delicious!

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

1 can (14 ½ oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg. (6 oz) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
½ cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Place tomatoes in medium bowl. Add stuffing mix, water and garlic; stir just until stuffing mix is moistened. Set aside.

2. Place chicken in 9x13 inch baking dish, sprinkle with the basil and cheese. Top with stuffing mixture.

3. Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Happy Birthday Jim!

Happy Birthday to a man that can make anything out of wood! Happy birthday to a great dad and a great father-in-law. Thank you for all you do for us and everything you have built us. We love you and hope you have a wonderful birthday! Here's to many more....

Pictures from Critsey Rowe

Guilty Pleasure #2

Awhile back, I posted about a guilty pleasure of mine in all things Tori and Dean. Since that time, we switched TV providers (goodbye Time Warner, hello Directv) and lost the Oxygen network. I will admit that when it came time for another season of Tori and Dean and I couldn't tune in to watch, I was sad. I still miss it. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up someday on it.

But since then and thanks to my best friend, Colleen, I have been hooked on another show. Why she didn't tell me about this sooner, I have no idea. But alas, I was able to play catch up on my newest guilty pleasure: Bethenny Getting Married.

I didn't watch Real Housewife of New York City when she was on so I didn't realize how funny she really is. I think I like her because she is brutally honest. She calls it like it is. She is hilarious and doesn't hold back. Cookie (her dog) cracks me up because she pretty much hates everyone except her mom and dad. Jason and Bethenny have an adorable daughter, Bryn, who they named after Jason's deceased brother. Talk about touching.

Season 1 is over and I can't wait until Season 2 comes on. Thank you Bravo TV for aiding in my newest guilty pleasure!

Do you watch this show? Any guilty pleasure shows for you?

Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

One of the easiest meals ever to make and very fulfilling! It made enough for us to have it for lunch the next day as well.

Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

3 cups uncooked pasta (any kind you have - I used Egg Noddles that we already had)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed
1 can (10 ¾ oz) Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup (can also use 98% fat free)
½ cup pesto sauce
½ cup milk

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat butter in skillet. Add chicken and cook until browned, stirring often.
3. Add soup, pesto sauce and milk. Bring to a boil. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until done. Stir in drained pasta and heat through.

Wordless Wednesday: Our Lazy Boys

Happy Birthday Palmer!

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY PALMER!!!

Isn't she adorable? Her older sis, Harper, was one of the flower girls in our wedding and Palmer is just as precious as Harper. I like to refer to them as my nieces since their mother, Sarah, is one of my best friends.  They are two of the cutest and best behaved little girls we know. Sarah and I are also convinced that Brian and Bradley (her husband) are long lost brothers. They are so much alike, it is unreal.

Palmer is having a luau themed birthday party and we hate we can't make it. Sadly, they live about 3 hours away and since I am due at the end of the month, I am restricted in my travels. I am trying to convince them they need to move to WS!!!!

Palmer is a girl after my own heart because she LOVES to snack!!! We can't wait for Baby M to meet them and have 2 new friends!

Told you they are adorable... Harper and Palmer!

Happy Birthday Palmer! Aunt "Ynesey" and Uncle Brian love you!!!! And we love you too, Harper!

Happy Birthday Traci!

HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY TRACI!!!!

Happy birthday to a wonderful sister and sister-in-law. We hope you have a wonderful birthday and we can't wait to see you! Love you lots. Hope Robert spoils you on your day, you deserve it!

Nursery Reveal

Baby M's nursery is 99.5% complete, because is any room ever really done? It has been a long journey but it has come to an end and we are both more than pleased with the end result. We have posted small updates here but thought we would finally reveal the complete project. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

The Monogram....

Canvas prints by the amazing Nat Kat Designs

Changing table with art work by Mod Dog. We had to incorporate the pups in somehow!

View from the door

Bookcase/Storage area

Closeup of one of the bins

The truck Brian made for Baby M

Books and more books.. most are from our childhood days!

Diaper bag

His closet...which is forever growing and a work in progress

And as you can see, Deacon is already playing the protective brother

I'm sure we will be back with a few more nursery pictures but this is a good start.

We were very blessed in that most of the furniture was either handmade or gifted to us by our parents. Brian made the changing table, his dad made our crib, together they built the bookcase a few years back, the rocking chair was given to us by my parents. It's the same rocking chair that my mom rocked my brother and I when we were little. The side table we already had and Brian re-painted it for us. We still have a few things left to unpack (pack-n-play, high chair, walker, etc) but we don't plan to unpack those until he needs them. I plan to do another post with more pictures after everything is completely in place and everything is set (which will take place this weekend). As for now, we hope you have enjoyed his nursery as much as we have enjoyed putting it together.