Afternoon Tea

Today we celebrated our little girl with a beautiful, intimate gathering at The Worthington Inn.  Brian's Stepmom, Kathy, was kind enough to plan, organize, and arrange the quaint set up, and we all had a blast!  We played some games, we chowed down on food, we opened presents, we chatted, we received another amazing diaper cake, and we just had an overall great time!  Hanging with this bunch is always a great time!

The Worthington Inn was a perfect place for a traditional English afternoon tea.  We celebrated in the Cowles Room, which was plenty roomy for the eight of us.  (Yes, Wyatt included!)  And the decor was adorable!  :)  (I am so stuck in 'all things are so cute' mode!)  Fortunately, I did have my camera handy this time and two assistant photographers that were kind enough to document a lot of the very creative, very fun details of the afternoon together, so you can view some of the wonderful afternoon too:

I'm sure you'll see that tu-tu around a little waist soon!

One interesting little tidbit of information that I personally learned was there is yet another line of strong, independent women on Brian's side of the family.  Apparently, Brian's Great Grandma (his Dad's Grandma - who I am told that Brian called "Grandma City Bus" because she took the bus everywhere!), moved from Kenton, OH into the big city, Columbus, OH, all by her lonesome when she was a young woman.  She found her way around town, got a job in a quilting factory (of which she would take home fabric scraps and make quilts!), bought multiple houses in a very desirable area, and housed graduate students while they studied at Ohio State.  AND, she did this in an era where women did not do many things so courageous.  All of this and more make this woman that I have never even met so extremely inspiring!

I am excited to see where our little girl takes us, the paths she chooses, and the strength she'll find in herself.  There is no doubt that she will be another strong, independent woman!  It is definitely in her blood!

Thank you all for making the afternoon so wonderful and celebrating our little girl!  I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the love and support during such an exciting time!

Deep Space Nine

It's official!  We started our ninth month of pregnancy today!  We are 36 weeks along with only +/- 4 weeks to go!  We can hardly believe it!

Here is a quick recap of what's been going down in and outside of the womb:

Physically
1. Nausea - I've noticed that I've started to get a bit more nauseous recently.  It's not terrible, and it's no where near the daily nausea that I experienced in the first tri, but it does rear it's ugly head every now and then.  Like I said, it's not terrible, so I'll shut the pie hole at this point.

2. Tiredness - My goal is to get in bed by 9:00 pm - 9:15 pm.  Otherwise, it makes for a very long next day.

3. Headaches - This is one symptom that has stuck around throughout our entire pregnancy.  I take them with a grain of salt now.

4. Digestion - I have no clue what's going on in this department...

5. Bladder Control - My bladder is now competing for space, so the more frequently I empty it, the more comfortable I feel.  I have not resorted to mid-night bathroom breaks yet though!

6. Bump Status - Our baby and belly have steadily been growing!  We have been told that we are "all baby", but I can assure you that my bum, upper thighs, hips, and chest no longer fit in the clothes that I was wearing before.  It's increasingly harder to tie shoes and/or pick up things from the ground...and scoot past people in the grocery store... We have been told that the end result is so totally worth it, so that's what we are banking on!

Week 36 bump!

Cravings
Still no news to report on this front.  Sorry to be the boring pregnant woman.  I have not really had many moments where I absolutely had to have something in particular, and I suppose that's what I kind of thought a pregnancy craving was like.  Brian, you are welcome for sparing you the late night pickle and ice cream runs.

Weight Gain
Let's see, I believe we are 12.5 pounds on the positive side, but have gained a total of 16.5 including the four that we gained back after we lost them in the first trimester.  We are happy and healthy and growing.  (See bump in photo above.)

Miscellaneous
1. Congestion - I am still more congested than usual.  It's still taking time for me to get used to, but it's nothing that a handy box or travel size bag of tissues can't handle!

2. Tail Bone Trouble - I do still have the occasional ache on my backside.  And I still have no idea if this is related or not, but it's there.

3. There was something else that I wanted to add to this category but in my current mental state I have forgotten what exactly it was.  Perhaps it was memory loss, I don't know, but if it comes back to me I will be sure to write it down...

We start seeing our doctor every week now.  Our next appointment is on October 2 and we will have our first internal exam (in addition to the external ones that we've been having) to determine if we are showing any signs of labor.  We, obviously, will provide an update once we have all of our stats!

It's coming up soon, sweet girl!!  Your Daddy and I are so excited to meet you!

Don't Stop Believin'

While the girls were busy gabbing and attending the shower this past weekend, Brian had the opportunity to shoot his very first FANCAM show - a Journey concert right outside of Cleveland, OH!

Just a few short weeks ago, Brian attended a training in Atlanta, GA along with eight other photographers around the nation.  They learned the technique of shooting 360 degrees of a concert, sporting event, live show, etc, with the intent of combining the latest technology with social media.  If you've attended the event, you are actually able to tag yourself precisely where you were sitting/standing/dancing!  (Unless, of course, you happen to be using the loo or grabbing a hot dog when the photo was being taken!) 

Nevertheless, Brian's little girl and I are so proud of him.  We are excited for the directions that these photo shoots take him and we are excited to watch him learn and grow with his passion.

Check out the final product here!

We ♥ you, Bri!

Eleventh Hour Errands

As our ninth month rapidly approaches, we are really getting down to the final hour.  We've been very productive over the last couple of days with our 'to do' list and we simply had to share!  Last Friday we received the call that our chair for our nursery had arrived, and on Sunday, [Gangsta] Tom was kind enough to pick it up with his truck and haul it on over to our house!  No, it probably doesn't seem like a major event, but when I say that the addition of this chair makes our nursery nearly done, I do expect some cheering and woot-wooting.

So, OUR NURSERY IS NEARLY DONE!!!

Can I get a woot-woot?!

We do still need to figure out some wall decor, but I highly doubt our little girl is going to come out of the womb complaining that we haven't put a ton on her walls.  We've got the essentials, so if for some reason she does complain about her wall art, or lack thereof, we will remind her that she at least has: a comfy bed to sleep in, a loungy chair to feed and read books in, a dresser to store clothes and diapers and wipes in, a bookshelf filled with books and toys, tons of stuffed animals to play with, two real animals to play with, and some really adorable tissue paper flowers to admire.  BUT, she won't be complaining, so ... we're working on the wall art!

Another milestone we have accomplished over the last couple of days is the passed inspection of our car seat bases.  We took both of our cars and both of our our car seat bases to the local fire department to learn the installation process and be sure that we pass the safety inspection.  (Nothing but the safest for our little bambino!)  Brian and I are now both sporting car seat bases in the back middle seats of our cars!

When I turn around, I see this:

Car seat and Baby not included.

And when I open my back door, I see this:

Jack is going to hate having to jump over that thing.

It was semi-strange seeing the base in the back seat of my car when I drove to work today, being that there currently is no Baby to add to that seat, but we are getting very, very close to meeting our daughter.  Being able to check off some little things from our "to do before Baby" list makes us feel well prepared and ready!

Bring it on, Baby!  We can't wait!

Our Little Buddha

Our sweet baby girl absolutely loves Indian food!  We ordered some take away, chicken biryani and chicken korma, from our favorite Indian restaurant called Aab India for lunch yesterday, and both times that I have eaten it she has gone absolutely nuts in the womb - flipping and turning and doing somersaults out of pure joy of delicious food!  I mean, I have never, not in all of the months that we have been pregnant, gotten this sort of reaction from her and the food that I have consumed!

I'll tell you what, she is a girl after my own heart if she is going to do flips over chicken biryani! 

Pretty Pink Presents

This past weekend Brian's Aunt Kathy and Aunt Ruth threw a wonderful baby shower for our little girl and me - her Mama-to-be!  We all gathered at his Aunt Kathy's where there were lovely pink table cloths with orange runners, wonderful bouquets of pink and orange spray roses in white urn vases, and little plastic jungle animals scattered about the tables.  The food was delish - chicken salad on croissants, fruit salad, veggies, M&M's, cupcakes and cookies!  And the company, as usual, was divine! 

We played two games - jeopardy and guess the belly size!  I have to admit, the jeopardy game was quite challenging!  Brian's Aunt Kathy definitely made it so not everyone would have every answer!  There were three categories - Baby, Books, and B & E.  I think I knew 1/3 of the correct responses in the Baby category, um, zero in books, and 3/4 of B & E.  Let's plan this game in another year though.  I bet I'll take everyone under the table!

We all really had a lot of fun chatting, opening presents filled with pretty pink items and enjoying the lovely fall day.  It really was a wonderful shower and so thoughtful of Brian's family to host and attend.

Surprisingly, my Mom flew into town as well to attend the shower.  I had no knowledge of this whatsoever, so it was a big surprise, and when I returned home from work on Friday Brian asked me what I was doing home.  (I had planned on stopping by the grocery store on the way home, but needed a cat nap.  I was exhausted.)  I understood later that he was so concerned with me being home because he had planned on getting everyone inside the house and surprising me upon my arrival; however, in typical Erin fashion, I changed my mind and plans and decided to go to the grocery store later.

My Mom quietly crept upstairs a few minutes after I had layed down along with Mary and Tom and Brian and Jack and surprised me.  (She came in a dire time of need.  I'm not going to lie, I was slightly upset that Brian was so concerned that we didn't have granola bars and burritos, which I promised to get when I went to the grocery store, when his pregnant wife just needed a 20 minute nap.  For the record, he felt terrible for upsetting me and I can honestly say that there were probably some pregnancy hormones mixed up in those emotions too!  So sorry about that, Bri!)

Either way, when I saw my Mom I said, "What the hell?!"  (My true colors (and profanity) just shine when I am caught off guard...And, no, this isn't the first time I have expressed myself in such a colorful way.)  I jumped out of bed and gave her and her entourage big hugs.  It really was wonderful to have her in town to attend the Baby Shower and be able to spend some quality time together.  As usual, it was just too short, but it was so amazing to see her.

Unfortunately, I have no pictures of my own from the shower.  I know that there are some floating around, and I will be sure to update this post if I can manage to get my hands on some, but you'll have to trust me when I say it was lovely!

Thank you, Everyone, who made this day and weekend possible.  Our baby girl and I appreciate it so very much!

UPDATE:  We have photos!!!  Click on the image below to view the shenanigans of the day!

Our OH Baby Shower!

Bellies Don't Lie

Ok, my belly has officially become a ledge to which all crumbs fall...and land...and call home.  I have never really considered myself that sloppy of an eater.  I usually pride myself on my pristine dining skills; however, and trust me on this one, bellies do not lie.  I have since been proven wrong about my polite eating habits.  Apparently, crumbs of all shapes and sizes no longer (gasp!) fall to the floor, but land perfectly on the little shelf that my body has so perfectly created for our growing bambino.  (Now I'm wondering what other uses I can put this shelf to.  Anyone up for a bowl of ice cream?!)

For the record, I took a picture of my crumb laden tum but it actually looked disgusting, so I am too embarrassed to post it.  I swear I was chewing with my mouth closed.

Speaking of growing bellies and babies, we had another appointment on Tuesday.  Everything is going wonderfully.  We gained another pound, our baby's heartbeat was beating at 140 bpm (our little girl is so consistent!), my tummy measured at 35 cm, and we got the word that we are still "head down" which is exactly where we need to be!  Apparently it's pretty unlikely that our little girl will change positions, but you never know if she's going to get a wild hair up her bum and bust out a stubborn side like her Mama has.  (Yes, I can be quite rebellious sometimes.)

In other news, we have hit 35 weeks today!  In one more week we will be entering our ninth month - the final hour!  And, I just want you all to know that we have officially determined why it seems like you are pregnant for ten months instead of nine.  You see, you don't pop the kid out at the beginning of nine months.  You actually finish out the ninth month which technically puts you at ten months.

Geniuses, we are!  Genius, big bellied, and strong willed.

What's not to like?!

Class of 2012

5 weeks ago we began our childbirth class.  I would like to officially congratulate ourselves for making it all the way through!  We graduated tonight!!

We are just so darn smart!

The class was lengthy and chock full of information.  Come D-day, I know our little girl and our nurses will be impressed with the knowledge that we possess!  The clock is definitely ticking!

Arts & Crafts: Part Deux

Remember how our little girl gave her Daddy a little gift for his birthday?!  And that gift was three little frames that matched her room perfectly?!

See the three frames in the front?!  Yep, that's them.

She had intended on her Daddy being able to fill those frames with three images that he thought would look wonderful in her room.  And then her Mommy had a brilliant, BRILLIANT idea that she ran past him.

Since we've kind of run with the wild animal theme, why not create some wild animals to stick in those frames?!

Fortunately, Brian is a good sport, so he let me get to work!  (I saved him from participating...this time.)  I picked up some matching paper, got to drawing and designing, and then cutting and glueing, and the final product was formed:

Matching paper...with stencils that I precut from my designs.

Glue, q-tips, and tweezers - yes, I am working on a project.

Our wild animals - pre-glue.

A close-up of the elephant.

A close-up of the giraffe.

And a close-up of the friendly alligator.

Last, but not least, the final products framed!

The animals and the frames turned out better than I had envisioned, and Brian likes them too!  We've yet to hang them in her room, but I've got some great suggestions on where they should go! :)

To my Baby's Daddy: thank you for letting my creative side run wild with the animals!

xx Baby's Mama

Little Smocked Dresses

I was the first grandchild born on my Mom's side and my Dad's side.  I was also the first girl born on my Dad's side.  You see, my Dad's Mom, my Grandma, had two sons.  (My Dad has since told me that she always wanted a little girl, and when he and my Mom had me, she was simply over the moon with excitement!)  If I wasn't spoiled, she was going to spoil me!

My Grandma Lauchman was an amazing woman.  She could cook anything that you could think of and it would always turn out better than you could imagine.  Her garden always had the most beautiful flowers and vegetables and butterflies.  Her piano playing was stellar and her sewing was absolutely stunning. 

She hand-smocked dress after beautiful dress for her granddaughter (me!).  Some took weeks and I would imagine that some even took months to sew completely.  While it was hard for me to appreciate such a treasure at such a young age, I certainly appreciate it now.  Especially expecting a little girl of our own.

Over the last several weeks, I've washed, spot treated, and washed again these 30+ year old dresses.  The very same dresses that I wore as a wee one with the sole intention that our little girl will be able to enjoy such masterpieces as well.  I know that she won't understand how meaningful these dresses are when she is wearing them, but knowing that I can one day show her photos of her beautiful self in these beautiful dresses that her beautiful Great Grandmother hand smocked for her Mother when she was just a babe is so amazing!  I will tell her everything she wants to know about her Great Grandma, and I will do so with the same amount of love and joy that this post brings me.

I wish it were easier for our little girl to meet her Great Grandmother.  She is currently living in a nursing home in Salisbury, NC suffering from dymentia.  Brian and I had the fortunate opportunity to stop by on the way home from the beach and see her.  I told her that we were having a little girl and that I hoped that she would be able to meet her one day.  I know in my heart that that may not come to pass, but being able to keep a little piece of my Grandma with me through these dresses and pass them down to our little girl means so much to me.

She would love you, sweet girl, just like she loved me.

Click this photo for a serious blast from the past!

The NBA Called

They said they want their basketball back:

Week 34 Bump!

...I told them I'd get it to them before Thanksgiving...

Ya Got a Heart

My brother has a hilarious story about a Labor Day festival game where one of his friends won a little stuffed heart.  The expression the game worker had when my brother's friend won was flat and disinterested, "Ya got a heart."  My brother makes me laugh...a lot...and I always crack up when I think of that story because he still says that expression sometimes and hearing it is just so funny!

Either way, this post is neither about Labor Day festivals or bored festival workers, but it is about hearts! 

A few weeks ago, I convinced Brian that it would be so much fun to make something framed for our darling girl.  What better than a heart of buttons with colors similar to those we've planned to have in her room?!  Brian loved really liked was convinced about the idea, and so we started a little art project!

We bought some buttons, nail polish colors, and a frame.  We painted all of the buttons, let them dry overnight, and assembled a beautiful heart the very next day.  Afterwards, we piled a bunch of cook books on top of it so that it would dry flat and we could affix it to another piece of paper to go into the frame.

Everything appeared to be working out smoothly, but it didn't really work out as planned...

...The paper wrinkled from the Elmer's glue.  When I tried to cut the heart out, it was nearly impossible to get a nice, solid cut with buttons hanging over the edge.  (This perfectionist could simply not live with that.)  We were at our wits end as to what we were going to do, especially after we had just spent a lot of time hand painting buttons... (I was also wondering how I would ever convince Brian to do arts and crafts with me again if this little project didn't work out.)

We let the art project sit to the side for awhile while we gathered our thoughts.  We ultimately decided to remove the glued buttons from the original paper, rearrange and glue them directly onto foam board, and put that in our frame.

And that was just the ticket!

Our framed button heart turned out fantastically!!!  And it is the perfect addition to our reading corner!  Almost every corner of our little girl's room has our personal touch added to it, and that makes it even more special!

So, sweet girl, ya got a heart...!  A very, very special heart:


Click the photo to see our progress from start to finish!

Kangaroo Care

(Don’t say that I didn’t warn you that our blog would quickly become "all things baby" when we found out we were expecting. I realize that we’ve been talking about baby a lot recently, but I suppose I can say I told you so. Also, here is your warning that our blog will quickly become "all about our little girl" when she arrives too. Don’t say I didn’t warn you about that either!)

Today we had another doctor’s appointment. Everything appears to be progressing as it should be. Mama and Baby are healthy! My blood pressure was good, I’ve gained another 2 pounds, my tummy measured at 33 cm, and our little girl’s heartbeat was right in between 135 and 140 bpm. We got the thumbs up from our doctor that all is well and she (and we) are very happy with the progress!

In addition, last night we took a tour after our child birthing class of the delivery room and post-partum room. (I know the name of that second room now. No more sounding like an ignorant fool.) We also got to get a good idea of the procedures and practices of the delivery process. We learned that after we have our little one, we will participate in what is known as Kangaroo Care, barring any medical issues that may take priority, of course. Throughout Kangaroo Care our little girl rest on my chest and cuddle skin to skin for the first couple hours after she is born, much like a marsupial!  Hence the name "Kangaroo" care!  It is so exciting to be nearing our little girl's birthday and our very first face to face meeting.  We absolutely cannot wait to cuddle with our little one.

Speaking of, our sweet girl has become much more active in the womb.  Check out a couple more viddies here for some strange and bizarre belly aerobics!

Last, but certainly not least, we made a lot of headway this past weekend with the nursery.  Check out our progress in photos by clicking on the photo below!  There are still a few minor things that we need to do, and our chair still needs to come in, but we are so pleased with the way everything has turned out! 


Who wouldn't want to sleep soundly in that?!

We are well on our way to a complete nursery!  We are also well on our way to hold our little bundle of joy in our arms!

And that will be a moment neither one of us will ever, ever forget.

Birthday Forecasts

Folks, we are just over 7 weeks away from our due date!  Therefore, we figured it was about that time to start collecting all of your birthday predictions for our darling girl and compiling them on a little calendar.  That's right.  We are putting together a calendar based on your prediction on when our sweet girl will be making her debut!  There may even be a small prize for the person or people that select the correct date!  If you would like to participate, you can do so in one of three ways:

1. Leave a comment on this post with your name and selected date.

2. Email, call or text Brian.

OR

3. Email, call or text Erin.

I would just like to state for the record that if you do pick the correct birthday for our little girl, be prepared to be the first person/people we come to if we are lucky enough to add Baby #2 into the mix.  (Don't worry - there are no plans for Baby #2 in the near future...)  :)

Good luck!

[Not] Labor Day

We had a lengthy convo with my belly today explaining to our wee one that Labor Day doesn't necessarily mean "labor" day and that she would be much better off cooking for a little while longer.  Though we did learn that should we go into pre-term labor anytime soon there is a very high survival rate which makes us all very happy!  We're getting very close!!

Fortunately, we are nearly four hours away from the close of Labor day and we have had no signs of true labor.

Our little girl is obedient and listens already.  Like we've said all along - perfect!

You make us so proud, sweet girl!  And we are ready whenever you are!  Hugs and kisses from the outside!

Bring the Juice

That's right, bring it!  Coach Urban Meyer wants an angry football team.  He wants an aggressive football team.  And he wants his team and his team's fans to Bring the Juice!  And the Buckeyes have already brought the juice as they start the season off with a 56-10 victory over Miami.

(NOTE: In a few more months "bring the juice" will have a whole new meaning...)

The juice has been brought!

Go Bucks!