15 Days People!! 15 Days!!!

We have A LOT of catching up to do. SO much has happened in the last month. First up, we MOVED! to a 2 bedroom around the corner from our old place. With the move, we gained a dishwasher, a garage, washer/dryer hook-ups, an additional parking space, a shared yard, our very own mailbox, a fireplace, and granite counter tops, in addition to an extra bedroom for the baby. It's been hectic trying to get everything in place and sorted before our little one's arrival, but we've had TONS of help for which we are very, very grateful.

These are just three of the dozen+ people we had helping us when we moved, May 21st. I was not able to do any heavy lifting, and there was a lot to be done, so this could not have happened without our wonderful friends. Jacob's Aunt MerryAnn and Uncle Steve even showed up with cleaning supplies to clean our old place! They were all angels, there's no other way to say it.

Then last Saturday, my darling girlfriends from the ward threw a beach-themed baby shower for me! If it isn't obvious, let me reiterate that I have been feeling the blessings these last few weeks. The generosity of other people can be overwhelming and humbling, which is just how this little mama and her baby are feeling about the whole thing now.

Check out these gorgeous decorations! 5 of my dear ward friends: Erin McKay, Sarah Champion, Sarah Heder, Alli Spencer, and Diana Hoppe all pitched in to throw the shower. Diana hosted and all those lovely decorations were homemade! We had so many people come, young and old. The additional guests brought gifts AND made much of what you see on the table. I was so touched to see how many people participated to make this event possible. And it was all for me and this little baby. I still can't get over how sweet showers are. When you're the recipient, it's pretty astounding.







Those are live goldfish on the table there, people. Live, orange goldfish!

From left: Bekah Barnson, Sarah Champion, Rachel Champion (with daughter Jane, whom Sarah's holding) and Diana Hoppe.
L to R: Tiffany Anderson, Claire Benjamin, Kirsten Heder, me, Bekah, Sarah (holding Jane), and Rachel.
L to R: Rachel and Jane, and my dear friend Anna holding her daughter, Naomi. Anna has been a wonderful mother mentor to me, having just had her first as well. She sends me emails on specials and the latest mommmy-must-haves, AND she gave me a spreadsheet of everything to get ready for a baby. No wonder she just got a major promotion at her marketing job. The girl is on top of it!


This I just could not believe: How on earth did they get these pictures?! It was so fun to see some of Jacob's baby pictures and mine right next to each other. Makes me even more curious to see how our baby mix turns out. They say every mother thinks her child is beautiful, and I hope with all my heart that's true. I say that, but then I also can't imagine he would be anything less than wonderful and beautiful. He is Jacob's son, after all, who I'm (duh!) already smitten with. And all this little baby's "belly dancing" is so fun and adorable, he just must have an exterior to match. I am SO excited to meet him.


There were so many gifts. I already had a shower! I feel so spoiled! And yet with each we got so many things we needed for this baby. When I look in his room now I am so touched when I think of all the things that were given to him. So much love has gone into welcoming this baby.



Thank you ladies for a wonderful, wonderful day!!

And speaking of his room, here it is!

All of those clothes have since been washed and put away. It's not complete, but it's pretty darn close. I'd like to get orange drapes and possibly a second rug and then we have some darling wall art to hang, courtesy of friends and family. This is pretty much everything I'd hoped for in terms of a baby room, though.

And his afghan is nearly finished! Just got to crochet all the squares together now and possibly make a border. I'm glad I went 9 x 9, even with as long as it took. It will be a very good size when it's all finished. Can't wait to wrap him in it!

And the rest of the place, though also unfinished, is coming along nicely.

We split up our entertainment center and mounted the television, much to Jacob's delight. He was right--it really was the best move.

We have the piano in the living room now by another window. I love that.



I think I'll end up going yellow in the kitchen, so I can use those drapes and artwork I love so much.

The bedroom and closet. A walk-in! With no sliding doors!!



The bathroom. One of the challenges of this place is that the floor is a very dark slate all throughout, so dark furniture or decor (which is most of what we have) looks REALLY heavy here. We had maroon in our previous bathroom and it was so dark in this smaller bathroom, even during the day, we had to make a switch. And I must say, it's worlds better. I'll hang onto all the other bathroom stuff in the garage for when we get a second bathroom one day.

And these are my two not-as-favorite spots, but luckily you can't see either from the living room. The black chest of drawers has seen us through several moves and with this one, has had it's day. Most of the drawers are broken and the wood is busted at the bottom, but it does fit so nicely in the space.
And this uncovered storage, as easily accessible as it is, drives me nuts. We may have to get creative here. But for now, it's out of the way and working fine. I'll be sure to post the updates on improvements as we're able to make them. Yea!

This last weekend we got to spend with Meg and Chris who were so sweet to make the trip down bearing gifts for us--a bassinet, diaper cake, and a few of Meg's "favorite things." It was so nice to have them here. We had so much fun. Jake and Chris went to see Super 8 (Jacob gives thumbs up!) while Meg and I went shopping. We went to lunch at Chipotle, had pizza for dinner, and Meg gave Jake and me a photo shoot yesterday. It was a lovely weekend, one that felt like a vacation for us as well. It was so nice to have time to just have fun and be with Jake--we've been doing so many chores lately with the move and getting ready for baby. That "fun" time is something I've really been craving.


Boston in an outfit to match his soon-to-be cousin. I had 2 of these, and Boston needed pants. Voila!

Well, that takes us up to date! Whew! I am happy to report my energy and emotions are high again like they were during the 2nd trimester. We had a rough patch of both for a few weeks there, and we are counting down the days. I am due 2 weeks from tomorrow, and I have literally counted every single day from the earliest moment I could have known I was pregnant. I can't believe how the time has flown. Still can't believe I'm having a baby. Still can't believe it's a boy. Even though he's on the brain constantly and I talk about him constantly, I can't believe we're here. (This is me a week ago. I know! SO hard to keep up on it!)
Now just to prep you, I'm due in 2 weeks, but that doesn't mean he'll be here in 2 weeks. First babies tend to come late and no one in my family has ever delivered early, so we could be waiting for a while in July. I'll find out this week at the doctor if I'm dilated or effacing at all, but that still may not tell us anything. The bottom line is I'll be SURE to let you know when he's here.

Love you guys!