Babymoon and Baby Shower

After meeting our newborn niece in Savannah and spending a couple of days with her and my brother and sister-in-law, we went to Hilton Head Island for a short “Babymoon.” The weather was absolutely gorgeous. It was in the low 80s with a cool breeze the whole time we were there, which made for great beach chillin’. I’m sure I was quite the site in my gorgeous maternity bathing suit, slathered in sunscreen, camped out under the umbrella. I know it’s awful, but I honestly don’t remember the last time I wore sunscreen. Pre-pregnancy I was a tan-aholic. Maybe that habit is broken now?!

Anyway, we did a bunch of nothing for a few days: laid on the beach, drove around sightseeing, read a few books, ate good food, tried to walk off some of that good food, saw “Duplicity” (I give it a B-, by the way), did some shopping, and really enjoyed just being together. I know it’ll be the last time we get away alone for awhile, so we tried to soak it up. Of course, I’m really looking forward to taking Baby Girl on family vacations!

It's really hard to see, but this is the Belly-hole David dug for me in the sand so I could lie on my stomach:

Heading out to dinner one night:

We got back on Friday night just in time for my baby shower on Saturday. Two of David’s Aunts were the hostesses of this one and they did a great job. Everything was so nice and they thought of all the little details. The food was yummy and the company and conversation were wonderful. I really enjoyed hanging out with all these ladies that have become so much more than just my “in-laws.” Having known them for nine years now, they’re truly my family, too (whether they like it or not)!

We got some awesome gifts – including most of our “big ticket” items! We really appreciate everyone’s generosity. It is such a blessing to have a great extended family who already loves this baby. We will have no shortage of babysitters, that’s for sure!

Here's the beautiful pink GT Quilt that David's Aunt Barbara (in the background) made for Baby Girl! It is adorable:

Our goodies unloaded in our living room:

Our Nephew and Niece

This past weekend was family time. On Saturday, we celebrated my nephew’s first birthday. He has grown into such a handsome big boy and it’s hard to believe it’s been a year already. My sister-in-law made an adorable basketball cake complete with orange icing. It took him a minute to get into it, but once he did, it was awesome. Orange icing covered his face, was up his nose, and down his bib and onesie. The best part was when he tried to “dribble” the ball and cake flew everywhere! Once he finished, it was straight to the bathtub to hose him down. After he got cleaned up, we played with coasters (he loves spinning them around) and opened presents before all the excitement called for naptime.

On Sunday, we drove down to Savannah to meet our new niece. She’s a little over three weeks old and is such a beautiful baby. She’s got the cutest little features and gorgeous dark hair. David and I both got a lot of holding time in. She loved to nap on my belly bump, even when her cousin inside was kicking her! It was good to see my brother and sister-in-law doing so well in their new role as parents. It made David and me think we just may be able to pull it off, too!

It’s both weird and wonderful to see the brothers I grew up with in a parenting role, but it fits them both so well. Of course, their wives are great mommies and make it look so easy! I am really grateful that even though there are six and seven years difference between my brothers and me, we’ll end up having kids that are all within 17 months of each other. Our parents are going from zero grandkids to three in no time at all! Can you imagine how wonderfully chaotic get-togethers with my family are going to be from here on out?!

I am so glad we got to spend time with these precious babies. It’s hard to describe how cool it is to know these little beings have a tiny bit of my DNA. We have such a fierce love for these kids and are excited to see what God does with their lives. After spending a couple of days with them, we cannot wait to have our Baby Girl and introduce her to her cousins!

What NOT to Say to a Pregnant Woman

In the past 30 weeks, I’ve experienced a lot of amazing things. One of the weirdest, though, has been the comments that people have made to me and the sudden right they feel they have to some pretty personal information. In an attempt to stick up for pregnant women everywhere and get this off my chest, I’ve compiled a list of the top twelve offenses (ten was too few!) to try to educate the ignorant. Now, perhaps you’ve gone through pregnancy and were never bothered by such statements. If so, please add that to the list of comments I can live without hearing.

I know I should get used to it because I know the advice and comments will just keep coming once the baby arrives. (But please see #1 before reiterating that to me.) I suppose that’ll just give me a topic for a later post. Until then, read on and feel free to add your own favorites in the comments section…


12. “You don’t look so good.” - I haven’t gotten this since the first trimester, thank
goodness, but I felt it was worth mentioning. Perhaps I look like I feel: exhausted beyond belief, nauseas, overly emotional, and slightly freaked out. Please tell me I’m gorgeous. We both know you’re lying, but I think God will totally forgive that one.

11. “Was it planned?/Did you want a girl?/Is David excited?” – I lumped all of these
into one because they are in the category of “stupid question where the only acceptable answer is yes.” Although I have been tempted to give a sarcastic response like, “Why would David be excited? He’s not the father.”

10. “WOW, you’ve really popped out in the past few weeks!” – I’m pregnant. It happens. I see myself daily, so I’m aware.

9. “My back hurts/I’m tired/I have a stomachache” – Just keep the physical ailment complaints to a minimum around me, please. Unless you’re also pregnant, I don’t have much sympathy.

8. “Yada yada, ‘our’ baby, yada yada…” - Other than me, only David and God should be referring to this baby as “theirs.” It is not your baby. You will not spend hours in labor getting her here and then spend a lifetime raising her.

7. “I only gained x lbs when I was pregnant.” - If “x” is less than say, 75, I really don’t care to hear this! If it’s over 75 (AND you’ve subsequently lost it!), I want to know all the yummy caloric details.

6. “My labor was horrific! I had to walk to the hospital uphill in the snow and the anesthesiologist was drunk so I couldn’t get an epidural and then I had a nursing staff from hell and then I had to push for 3 days and…” – I know it’s like swapping war stories, but let’s save that for when I’m in post-delivery. I’m so freaked by the entire process that I’m still not convinced I’m going to let her come out. I may just stay pregnant forever. In the meantime, I only want to hear from those that sneezed and were suddenly holding a perfect baby in their arms.

5. “You shouldn’t eat/drink/lift/do that.” – Now, this doesn’t mean you can’t offer to help. But please just spare me the lectures. I PROMISE you that no one has this baby’s best interest in their heart more so than I do. It WILL be okay if I eat a fresh deli sandwich/drink a coke once a week/carry a few groceries.

4. “Are you going to breastfeed?” - Unless we are close friends or family, I’m pretty sure my breasts and feeding choices aren’t your concern. This question especially bugs me coming from men.

3. “How much weight have you gained?” – Seriously?! And just to clarify, it is NEVER okay to ask a woman this…pregnant or not.

2. “You’re going to have an epidural?!” (with a tone of clear disapproval.) – I am in awe of women that do it naturally. However, I don’t think it makes me less of a mother or a woman to get relief from one of the worst pains a human being can ever experience. I certainly don’t think I should have to justify it to anyone. Every labor is different and, I imagine, comes with different levels of pain. Let me cope with mine my way. And males especially should NOT weigh in on this one.

1. “Just wait…” or “If you think it’s bad now” or “That’s because you don’t have kids yet” or “You’ll see…” – These types of comments are by far the worst in my opinion. Pregnant women are already extremely anxious about the fact that their world is about to be turned upside down. Remarks like this do not help ease those fears. If you don’t have an encouraging word to share, just nod and smile.

E-Mealz

In an effort to cut costs in our now single-income household, we’ve been trying to eat out less. Obviously, since one can only tolerate so many sandwiches and frozen dinners, this means more cooking for me. Those of you who know me well know that I’m not the most experienced in the kitchen. It’s not that I mind it all that much - I just don’t have enough practice and patience. I need simple, easy recipes that don’t take forever to make…but I also don’t want to eat chicken every night!

Well, I’m very happy to tell you that I found a solution! While listening to the Dave Ramsey show one day, I heard him advertise for a website called “E-Mealz.” I checked it out, signed up, and have become a huge fan in the past four weeks of using it.

Here’s how it works:

1. You choose a meal plan. You can pick a plan that provides 7 meals that feed 4-6 people or one that provides 5 meals for 2 people. (They even include side dishes!) Within those categories, you choose a specific store or a diet plan. They have 16 to choose from, so there is definitely something for every family. David and I are on the 7 meals for 4-6 people Kroger plan. This allows us to have more choices in case we don’t like a specific recipe and it also means we have more leftovers so I cook fewer nights per week. They also offer Publix, Aldi, Weight Watchers Points, Vegetarian, and Low-Carb Plans. (All plans are the same price.) You can change your plan at any time by sending them an email, though they ask that you not do this frequently.

The best parts: They hunt through the sales ads and develop recipes based on that store’s weekly specials! And their recipes are so simple!

2. Sign up and pay. You pay $15 per plan for 3 months of service. After the first 3 months, it automatically renews on your credit or debit card, but you can cancel at anytime. That’s only $1.25 per week, which I more than make up for since most of what I’m buying is on sale.

3. Log on and print. On the specified day your plan comes out, you just log on and print your shopping list and your meal/recipe list. Each week’s list stays up for two weeks. Check your pantry for the staple items they list, add any other groceries you need, and go shop!

I really encourage you to check out their website to find out more. You can view sample plans and look at their FAQ section for anything I missed.

If you do sign up, please list me as the person who referred you. They have a 25% commission referral program for members. But trust me, that’s not why I’m raving about them. That’s only $3.75 per person, so David won’t be able to quit his job over it. I’m much more excited about your family utilizing this awesome tool and saving money and your sanity with it the way we have.

Click here to go to their website:

E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families

Hello!

Welcome to our blog! Yes, we know we're about five years behind everyone else and that it's quite cliche to be starting one now that we're expecting a baby. Nonetheless, we decided it was a great way to stay in touch with friends and family both near and far on a more regular basis. You can also see our latest family pictures by clicking on the link titled "Our Photos" on the right side of the page under the "Links" section.

I'm sure the frequency of updates will be sporadic once Baby Girl arrives, but be patient and visit often to check for the latest news. We hope you enjoy...