So much to write about!

So much has happened since my last post, I don't know where to start. I'm sure you've all read my parents' blog about last weekend. What a weekend it was! Two surprise parties in one day and another shower on Sunday! All I can say is how grateful I am that everything went off without a hitch--we were especially lucky with the weather. And I'm even more grateful to everyone who helped with and hosted the parties; the Trestle Dr. neighbors and my Aunt Pam. An extra BIG thank-you to Gregg and Cindy Enger, who helped in a major way with both surprise parties, the day before they hosted a birthday party for their son! What can I say but THANK YOU!

It was so great to spend time with everyone who came to the parties. And what fun to open all the gifts from everyone and ooh and ahh over how cute all the baby stuff is! My Wilmington friends are hosting a shower for me tomorrow, so more fun and cute baby stuff is on the way!

I noticed when I started to write this that there are 50 days until my due date. Time sure is flying by! Fortunately, we have moved back into our house and the contractors are out. The carpet looks great! We still have a lot of things to move back into place, but it's getting done slowly but surely. I spent 7 hours cleaning up after our sloppy contractors today--boy, was I tired! We are finally ready for a crib and other nursery furniture.

I had a great 32nd birthday yesterday. I went to see a movie with some girl friends and then went out for dessert/drinks with friends after the movie. Today I got a Wii Fit game from my parents as a birthday gift. It's starts you off with a fit test, and weighs you and gives your BMI. For the first time in my life, I was called overweight. And my Wii Fit Age was 67! Obviously there's no option to enter that you are pregnant.

I feel like I'm mostly over the cold that I got last weekend. Now I'm suffering from leg cramps almost every night. Which I think is less fun for Chris than it is for me!

I think that's all for now. Thanks again for everyone who helped make last weekend so special for me and my mom. We will never forget it!

Two Months to Go!

Well, on Tuesday I hit my seven-month mark. I'm still feeling pretty good, except for some emotional ups and downs. Also, swollen feet!

The past couple of weeks have been weird. We've had contractors in our house almost every day, fixing stuff, painting, and replacing carpet. This photo was taken the night before the carpet was replaced. The house has pretty much looked like that for 2 weeks. And because of the fumes and dust, we've been sleeping mostly at my parents' condo. So between going to Cincinnati, sleeping at the condo, trying to find stuff in our huge pile, and living partially out of suitcases, it's been pretty crazy. We both look forward to getting our house back to normal now that the carpet is in--once we get back from Cincinnati next week!

Mother's Day, Part 2

While Chris was in Ocean Isle with his family last weekend, I was in Cincinnati with mine. Some people acknowledged that this was my first Mother's Day as a mother, and others said it was my last Mother's Day of not being a mother. The only thing that mattered to me was getting to spend a very quality week with my own mom. Her feeling better than expected was the best Mother's Day gift I could have received. And while I hated to miss seeing Chris' family and being away from him on his birthday, I was grateful that we could each be with our families and that we have the joy of parenthood to anticipate.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day (in no particular order): Gamma, Granny, Linda, Ann, and soon to be mom Andrea!

On this mother's day (and my birthday), I had the pleasure of also seeing my cousin Derek and his wife Bree, and their newborn. I held a baby yall:



I can definitely say holding the little baby Holt was a special feeling that brought out the to-be-father in me. I'm glad our son will have such special mom, grandmoms, and great-grandmoms surrounding him.

Love you all!

As an added bonus, here's a Doogan picture:



Chris

A New House!

We spent the weekend in Cincinnati at my cousin Eleanor's wedding. The wedding was beautiful and fun and touching. I think my 3rd-trimester hormones are kicking in because I cried throughout most of the ceremony. But it really was a beautiful wedding. The best part was seeing my mom dance at the reception!

When we got back to our house in Wilmington, we were surprised to see that it was a different color! Not shocked, because we had contracted a crew to do it, we just didn't expect so much of it to be finished when we got back. It's not completely finished, but it's on the way. For those of you who haven't seen the house before, it used to be light brown with the same dark brown trim. One of the things that is not yet finished is that the door is going to be red!

Hopefully this week the new carpet will be installed in our house, and then next week the inside of our house will be painted. Right now our house is in disorder while light fixtures and fans are being replaced and plumbing is being repaired. Which we are going to have to get used to for the next few weeks, months, and probably years.

The Wedge Is Complete

Chris here. So after over a month of work, the Wedge is finally complete. Behold the grandeur. Here's the downstairs:



As you can see on the left, we have nifty Kayak racks, and in the center some fancy stairs. Now if I only had someone to play ping-pong with (I spose in five years I definitely will have someone).

Here's the upstairs:



This is where I spend my work day. Very comfy. My desk is mess as this pic was taken in the middle of a work day.

Once we get the new carpet in the house, all of this will become the domain of the cats.



Until then, ta ta!

Fatty McGee

I have a friend (who shall remain nameless) who has a fat alter-ego named Fatty McGee. He's the devil on your shoulder who encourages bad habits and makes you fat. I'm starting to feel like Fatty McGee has picked up and is nestled firmly within my body. I don't really like any pictures of myself anymore, but I post them anyway--grudgingly.

I have two funny stories that are proof of my Fatty McGee manifestation. The first being that last weekend, when I flew home to Cincinnati, I took my seat and realized to my horror and the embarrassment of the woman next to me that...ahem...my seatbelt wouldn't buckle! I must qualify this by saying that the seatbelt was extremely short and the seatbelts on my other flights did fit. However, rather than facing the embarrassment of having to change seats, I held a book over my lap the entire flight so that the stewardess wouldn't notice my unbuckled seatbelt.

Then yesterday I attempted to wear a skirt that was not a maternity skirt, but has an elastic band and I thought I might be able to wear it below my belly. No such luck. To my pure shock, I couldn't get it past my thighs! Until that point I hadn't realized how much the rest of me was growing. Now I know.

People keep telling me how I'm "all baby" and I don't look big at all for being almost 6 months pregnant. But the facts don't lie. And the fact is that I've gained 25 pounds so far, and women are generally expected to gain a pound per week in the last trimester. I keep trying to figure out how I'm not going to end up with a 40 pound weight gain! Maybe I could lay off the cake and ice cream...nah!

I'm not complaining, I love my pregnant body and look forward to the last trimester, despite the miserable things I keep hearing. I generally feel good and am thrilled about what we're doing.