Pregnancy Pics

Because Mom does so much for me, and asks so little in return, I paid her back by letting her take tons of pregnant pictures of me. This activity is clearly not my favorite. First, no one likes pictures that show rapid weight gain (even if related to pregnancy), second, most people don't really enjoy posing for pictures alone, and third, it was 8 million degrees outside and I pretty much thought I would die.

But, even though I complain, I know I'll be thankful to have documentation of all this change in years to come.

Here are a few pictures that show how ginormous I am getting these days. Fun, fun.

Love and presents for baby Carver

On Saturday Carver was given his very first party. Brooke and Jenny hosted a great shower for us in Bartow and it was a really fun time of friends, family, good food, and thoughtful gifts. The shower definitely made this whole thing seem more "real," and made it clear how much stuff such small babies require.

I have been richly blessed by amazing friends who have walked through the last 20 years or so with me. I firmly believe that all friends are special, no matter when you meet them or how long your friendship has lasted. But, there is something truly unique about those lifelong friends. It is comforting to have friends that know all of your family members, all of your friends, all of your past relationships, jobs, and life experiences. It is these people that you never have to give "background information" to because they were there...they were a part of all of the moments that make up your life. I have a handful of these friends that mean the world to me, two of which are Brooke and Jenny.

I am thrilled that not only will Carver be blessed and spoiled by his aunt Courtney and aunt Holly, but he will also be well-loved by his "aunt" Jenny and "aunt" Brooke.

The weekend would have been complete if three special people could have made it. Courtney, Mandy, and Amanda couldn't be there and were missed :)

A week with the parents

It has probably been at least 10 years since I spent an entire week in Bartow, just me and the parents. Actually, I'm not sure I've ever spent a week alone with my parents (minus the siblings). Since leaving for college in '98 work, or school, or other obligations have always limited my visits to long weekends at best. That, or Daniel's work schedule, has kept us from getting down there very often.

I have always been close to my parents. I have sort of the mentality that parents can fix anything, save anything, bail you out of any situation, etc. They are sort of the superheroes of the world, not that any parents are perfect of course, but mine were close I think.

The extra special part of this week was getting to watch my parents spread the love they have for me onto baby Carver. With three months till due date he is already being showered with gifts, love, care, and concern. I hope that I can be all for this baby that my parents have always been for me and my siblings.

So, all in all, it was a fabulous week of being taken care of. It was so nice to just spend a stress free week shopping and eating out and overall just being loved on. I was, admittedly, a little sad to leave, but it is great to be back at home with Daniel with all of us safely back in one place and the dogs settled back into their appropriate places. I love my "original" family, but I love this new family that we are creating too. The closer we get to December the more anxious I get to welcome this precious boy into the world. I can 't wait to see how Daniel and I measure up to the examples set by our own parents. I'm sure it will be a rocky road but I think we'll manage. Daniel is going to be a great dad, I'm glad I get to be there to watch it.

Childbirth 101

Daniel and I entered a whole new frontier tonight when we attended our first childbirthing class. To be honest it was...traumatic, at least for me. I'll admit, Daniel handled the whole thing more admirably than I did. That is, with the exception of having to overrule his attempt at being called "Coach D" in the class...seriously.

In response to the whole "labor" issue, I wish there was just a "No, thank you" option. I mean, this baby is already much loved and much anticipated, but I just want him to miraculously appear when he is ready to enter the world. No, it's not the pain I am dreading (though clearly I'm not excited), it's the gross factor coupled with the awkward factor that is my primary concern. The blood and gore I could totally do without, but also the complete loss of any modesty, boundaries, and personal space, is most disturbing. I don't want to have to think about a mucous plug, leaking amniotic fluid, or delivering the placenta.

I know that sacrifices are required to bring babies into the world and I will certainly do whatever necessary to bring Carver into the world in the healthiest way possible. But, is it bad to secretly wish for a c-section? At least with "Coach D" there maybe I'll be kept somewhat sane. I know he'll take his job very seriously and I know I'll enjoy the "homework" the childbirth instructor gave us-- 15 minute massages every night. Sure, that works for me.

Asheville

My official favorite place on earth (well, at least in the United States) is Asheville, NC. I am still super sad that we no longer live there. Luckily, we are only about 2 hours away and occasionally we get to visit. These visits are sort of bittersweet, but I'll take what I can get. We spent Saturday in Asheville to celebrate Dean's wedding and spend some time with Courtney, Michael, and Julia.

We arrived in Asheville just in time to eat lunch at Tupelo Honey in downtown Asheville. I LOVE this place. It was one of the first restaurants that Ellen and I found when we moved to Asheville and I take advantage of every opportunity to eat there when I go back to visit. It is also always my first suggestion when people ask for good places to eat in Asheville. I think the others enjoyed it as well.

Dean's wedding was beautiful and it also gave us a great opportunity to catch up with a few old friends from Crestridge. It was nice to be included in their big day.

Unfortunately, the trip was super short. But, I remain hopeful that one day we will again call Asheville home. Until then, I'll just visit as much as possible and pray that God sends us back there one day :)

Revisiting a childhood favorite

Everyone has their favorite childhood memories, and I have many myself. But, one of my all-time favorites is camping trips to Fort Wilderness in Orlando. It's camping, but it's Disney so what more could you want? Growing up it was one of our most common vacation spots, but I hadn't been back as an adult. I really wanted to experience the place again, and introduce Daniel to "Disney-style" camping, and Julia's birthday celebration was the perfect opportunity.

Daniel and I met my parents, Courtney, Michael and Julia in mid-August for a weekend at Ft. Wilderness and the Magic Kingdom to celebrate Julia's birthday. The only thing missing was Lyle and his family :) Ft. Wilderness was almost exactly as I remembered, which is important, I think, when revisting favorite places. The number one difference was that there is no longer a "petting zoo." Which is actually really sad to me, I admit. There were a couple of miniature ponies which are entertaining in their own way, but you couldn't even touch them...what fun is that?

But, it was so fun to get to spend a few days with my family in a place that we all love. We went to the pool, and the Trading Posts, ate dinner at the Trail's End Restaurant, and used golf carts as our primary mode of transportation.

So, while going to a theme park in August while pregnant might not have been the greatest idea, the weekend was really special, especially getting to spend Julia's 12th birthday with her. I hope that she will always remember this particular birthday weekend.

Already a Full House

Daniel and I are beginning to prepare our home for the arrival of baby Carver. This process is much more complicated than I ever anticipated. The biggest problem is finding a place for everything in what is already a very full house. For one thing, we are not going from a family of two to a family of three, but rather from a family of five to a family of six. That's right, we already have three "little ones" running around. True, they aren't human babies, but that does not lessen the role they play in our family and in our lives.

Delia was a Christmas gift from my parents in 2005. She was already 3 when she came to live with us and I will always be sad that I missed her first years. Delia is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and I am thoroughly convinced that she is my pet soulmate. Yes, I admit it, I am obsessed with my girl. (I rarely call them dogs, that sounds so degrading). Delia is my perfect match and has added so much to my life. We are rarely separated because I choose to take her everywhere I go. Until recently she slept in bed with us every night (until my pregnant belly took up too much additonal room). We understand each other, and I'm her favorite person on Earth (though Daniel is a close second). Who could resist that?

After we lost Hunter in 2006 (13 year old Golden Retriever that was originally Lyle's dog), Daniel decided he needed another Golden and Baby Winston entered our life. He is now 18 months old and about 95 lbs, but will always be "baby" Winston to me! He is a gentle giant who loves indiscriminately. Our biggest issue with Winston is trying to find playmates for him that love him just as much. He spends all of his time out at camp with Daniel and is amazing with kids.

Finally, we have Lea, another Cavalier. Lea has only lived with us for 14 months but is such a perfect addition to our family that I can't imagine her not being around. She is extremely affectionate (sometimes annoyingly so), and she loves her crate. She is a sneaky thief who will steal anything she can physically carry and take it to her crate which she carefully protects. Delia will take stuff from her crate at times and this makes Lea extremely upset. Delia doesn't really want the toys...she just likes to take things from Lea. Lea is 6 years old and one of the most precious dogs I have ever met.

So, my family has been very full for the last few years. We love these dogs (even though Daniel won't admit it, he adores them all). We are excited to see how these babies handle the new baby. My thought is that Delia will be overall indifferent about Carver, but will continue to choose to be wherever I am, which means she will likely spend time sleeping on the floor of the nursery. Lea will be interested, especially with the noises the baby makes and will have no concept of boundaries; she'll try to be in the baby's face if possible. Winston, will be just as thrilled about the baby as he is about all living things.