John Michael- A Birth Story

If you've known me for any length of time, you'll know that there is always a story.  So, why would John Michael's arrival be any different?  I held onto the hopes that the labor and delivery would be smooth- but I think that in the back of my mind, I knew that wouldn't be the case.  And so it begins...

Wednesday, December 8th, was my due date.  I had been to the doctor on Tuesday, only to find out that there was no progression, and that I would have to wait another week.  But on Wednesday, I thought things were taking a different turn.  I woke up with contractions that were 3-5 minutes apart.  I called Michael and told him that he needed to come home, and that I was going to call the doctor's office.  They wanted me to come into the office first so that they could check me- so I did.  And guess what?  No dilation.  The doctor told me I was in pre-labor and sent me back home.  He said that we could walk around the mall and try to "walk him out."  My parents were already on the way to Birmingham, so I just told them to meet us at Brookwood mall.  We had lunch and proceeded to walk around the mall- all the while I'm having contractions and stopping every so often to deal with the pain.  After about an hour of walking, nothing had changed, so I decided to give up and go home.

Once we got back home, the contractions were getting stronger and more unbearable, so we called the doctor back.  He told us to meet him at labor and delivery, so off we went.  I was admitted, even though there was still no dilation.  They said they would give me something for pain so that I could sleep peacefully through the night and be "fresh and ready" for labor the following day.  So, I got a shot of morphine around 7pm, and tried to settle in for the night.  The nurse told my parents to go on home, as she was sure that labor wouldn't really begin until the following morning... "after dawn" she said.  So, they went home.  Around 11pm, the contractions were getting pretty bad so I asked Michael to go find the nurse.  My original nurse had gone down the hall to help deliver another baby, so I had another nurse come in.  She asked if I wanted a pill, and I told her that I would take whatever she would give me.  Well, it was an ambien.  At the time, I really didn't think about it- I mean, ambien is supposed to help you sleep, so maybe I could then sleep through the pain.  Not so.

Around midnight, I was making so much noise in our room that I told Michael the people next to us were going to think I was having a natural delivery.  My original nurse finally came in and asked if anyone had checked me since her last check on me at 6pm.  I told her no, she checked me, and informed me that I was 5cm dilated.  As she rushed out to get the materials for an epidural, my water broke.  When the anesthesiologist showed up, I finally got my epidural.  That was the least amount of pain the whole night.  At this point in the evening, Michael had now called my parents (who had just gotten into bed) to tell them that I was 5cm, water broken, getting an epidural.  They got dressed and got back in the car for yet another drive.

It seemed like the next thing I knew, my nurse was saying something about me passing 9cm- and that it was time to push.  I have no idea how long that lasted, but I do remember getting an oxygen mask at some point because they were concerned about John Michael's heart rate.  In between pushing, they told me to breathe deeply in the oxygen mask and rest.  Problem was... I kept falling asleep because of the ambien.  Michael kept waking me up, but I couldn't stop.  The morphine and ambien were just too much for me.

Finally, I realized that John Michael was not moving past a certain point, because everyone seemed concerned.  My doctor told me that we had a couple of options... he could use the forceps and if John Michael didn't come with the next push, that we were going to have to get a c-section.  I told him to do whatever he needed to do, so out came the forceps.  Luckily, the next push did the trick, but as John Michael made his debut, the doctor realized that he was wrapped three times in the umbilical cord.  Once around the neck, once around the waist, and once around the leg.  However, because of the Lord's amazing grace, he was fine.  He was born on Thursday, December 9th at 4:20am- and he was 7lbs, 6oz, and 22 inches long.

So here we are a little over a week later, and we have a beautiful baby boy who is an absolute joy!  Michael and I are beyond blessed, and can't believe that the Lord would bless us with such an amazing gift.  So, without further ado, I would like to introduce you to John Michael Sanford.

One day short of a due date

It's Tuesday morning, and I'm on my favorite perch these days... the couch.  I started having contractions last Thursday morning, and have been working from home since Friday.  My sweet mom came up on Saturday to bring some food for the freezer (gotta love stocked meals).  I was feeling good for once and really wanted to get out of the house to do anything at all, so we went up to the outlet mall down the street and did a little Christmas shopping.  I kept hoping that a little walking might urge John Michael to get a move on- but I think it just lulled him back to sleep.  Sunday was quite a bit more painful- not sure if it had anything to do with the walking or not, but the contractions went away... then they came back... then they went away... and so on.
I woke up at 3:30 this morning to some painful contractions, and decided to start timing them.  They were coming anywhere between 4 and 7 minutes... until 4:45 when I went to go wake Michael up.  Then as you can guess, they stopped again.  They're pretty sporadic now- and I have a doctor's appointment today anyway, so I figure I'll just wait until then.
IF I'm dilated at all today, we'll hopefully be scheduled this week- but if not, they'll wait and schedule something next week.  John Michael has definitely made it to his due date (tomorrow).  I wasn't sure if he'd be a late comer or an early arrival... the jury is still out until later today on whether or not he'll be a late comer.  His daddy likes to take his time too, so with any luck, he'll be laid back like Michael.
So... there may or may not be any new blog posts for a little while.  But, you can be sure that there will be TONS of pictures if I have anything to do with it!  Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement!

Time for a Finished Nursery!

It really is about time I finished it.  After all, today marks 39 weeks.  And, we'll find out if I have progressed at all in this afternoon's appointment.  Up until this point, I have tried to keep my hopes down, because when I hear that there is absolutely no progression at all, I get really disappointed.  But, that's not the point for today's blog post!  Onward to the nursery!!!

Let's start off with a huge shout out to Alison Peak for the fantastic job she did on doing John Michael's name for me.  I had seen some really cute stuff she did for Evelyn, and just had to have her do something for John Michael too.  I love how it turned out... not too baby looking.  I don't know why I'm so dead set on his nursery not looking too babyish, but anyway.  Here's the finished product as it sits over the crib.

Directly across from the crib is the changing table with my three paintings I did.  You can see close ups of them in this post.  This is the changing table that my mom, cousin and I found on our scavenger hunt to find a changing table that wasn't really a changing table.  I love how it turned out.  And, we have storage below for diapers and such, as well as a wipe warmer (which conveniently also serves as a nightlight).

And yes, the diaper genie was one of those things that I heard mixed reviews about.  However, the more Michael and I thought about it, the more we realized that we needed something super secure to keep our curious schnauzer out of the dirty diaper hunt.  We're saving ourselves a lot of heartache, I'm sure.  Over by the crib, Michael put up a shelf, which holds some sentimental items, and currently John Michael's going home outfit.  This shelf is awesome because our video monitor sits up there as well, and points directly down into the crib.  Michael and I have already had some fun playing with that monitor.  We just can't get over how it has night vision.  Yeah, it's the little things. :)

On the other side of the crib sits our fun find from IKEA.  We love this chair and matching ottoman.  The blanket over the back is a sweet gift from Haley Justice Gardiner (which just so happened to match the room perfectly- and I'm pretty sure she didn't know that).  

And speaking of IKEA, here's the rug I found there that I'm in love with.  The only thing that bothers me about it is that I can't get it to stop sliding around and puckering up.  We've tried the rug tape, which failed miserably... anyone have any other ideas?

Michael's dresser that he grew up using sits in the other corner of the room.  It has TONS of space in the drawers, and it doesn't hurt that it's also a sentimental piece for John Michael to now get to use it.  

And, we're ready to start reading to him... as Michael and I both LOVE to read.  We can't wait to pass that trait along.  (Notice the IKEA lamp I snagged- that was another item that I really struggled with was finding a lamp that was more modern and less baby).  And I love the cute hamper too.

And now to show a little bit of my embarrassing OCD nature.  But mainly to brag on my sister-in-laws Rebecca and Meg, who are absolutely the most INCREDIBLE sister-in-laws on the planet!  Yes, it's a closet.  And yes, alot of the hanging clothes are clothes that we got at showers (although the majority of his clothes are in the dresser drawers).  

But, if you look above the hanging clothes, you'll notice the bins labeled with different sizes.  Yep, that would be the hand-me-downs from Rebecca and Meg.  I cannot tell you what a blessing it is to have these two women in our lives.  We don't have a shortage of boys in our family, but I have just been beyond amazed at the generosity.  And, not only that, but Stephen and Rebecca have just poured out the generosity with things like a swing, vibrating seat, and anything else that they thought we could use- they have sent our way.  So, here's my little teary-eyed thanks to family for being so incredible!!!

And, since Santa himself is coming soon, John Michael is definitely ready to show his Christmas spirit just weeks after his own arrival... (thanks to Rebecca Tidwell and Cindy Hopkins)

I realize that this has been a long post, but it's been awhile in the making.  So, I'll leave you with one wide shot of the nursery view from the door.  Thanks to everyone who has helped us, been generous to us, prayed for us, put things together with and for us (shout out to Paw Paw), prepared food for us (shout out to our moms)... we can't for you all to meet John Michael in person!  WE can't wait to meet John Michael in person!  Have a great week- maybe the next post will be his introduction.  Pray, people, pray!

38 Weeks and Swollen

It's not like I haven't been dealing with swelling before now... but for some reason today, I was possessed to take a picture of my feet and legs at work... because when I try to point my feet, I can feel the skin stretching.  And it's not just my feet and legs.  Oh no, my hands are feeling it too!  Luckily I removed my wedding band long ago, as I knew that I would not be passed over by the swelling fairy. 

Other good feelings this week include no sleep (although Benadryl helps), complete absentmindedness (which is especially fun at work when you're trying to maintain a level of professionalism), and a hunger that simply won't quit (which is great for my hopes of ever looking normal again).  And I said I was going to be one of those women who DIDN'T complain about pregnancy in the end days.  Well, that has gone down the drain.  I'm crabby, and I don't care who knows it!  Come on, John Michael!  It's got to be getting crowded in there!  There's so much space out here!

Well, at least others can laugh at me at this point.  Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

A Time to Make Peggy Raybon Proud

I'm now within the last month of my pregnancy, and my doctor has told me that I am to "take it easy and keep my feet propped up."  He realizes that I work, so basically I'm supposed to work and go home and that's pretty much it.  I don't know if it's because of my swelling or what- but if you know me, you know that it's not easy for me to just sit around all day and do nothing.  Well, maybe it's not that hard. :)

So, since I have all of this time on my hands, I decided to do something creative and useful while sitting on the couch.  Enter the christening gown that my brother and I wore when we were baptized.

Our names are embroidered on the front bottom left panels, along with the dates we were baptized.  Look at how beautiful this is...

So, naturally when my nephew Bradford was born a little over a year ago, he wore this same gown for his baptism.  Wanting his name to be added to the embroidering, my sister-in-law took the gown to a woman in her hometown.  However, nobody wanted to touch the gown because they said that the fabric was too thin.  One woman said that she could do the embroidery by hand, but that it would take over a year.  Well, by that time, I was going to need the gown for John Michael's baptism.  So, after consulting the brilliant Brenda Keith, I gained the confidence I needed to tackle this whole embroidery thing myself.  I knew that I couldn't do as fabulous a job as my own Godmother had done on our names, but I decided that I would try anyway.  

I bought some embroidery thread, and after two nights of sewing, I finished Bradford's full name and baptism date.  

No, it's not perfect.  But, I never said I was a professional seamstress either.  However, I really enjoyed doing this.  Now all I have to do is John Michael's name, and I'll leave the baptism date for later to add on.  In the meantime, I'm really proud of myself.  I think I would have made my 8th grade home-ec teacher, Peggy Raybon, proud as well.  The only thing she ever saw me sew was a button- and I didn't do that great a job with the button!

I'll end with one more shot of my handiwork. This is Kay, signing out at 37 weeks pregnant, and obviously bored.

Somewhere between 34 and 37 weeks

Well, it finally happened.  I officially got to the point where I voiced that I was tired of being pregnant.  It was last Tuesday to be exact.  Don't get me wrong- I'm super excited about what's happening with John Michael... I still love to feel him moving around and all.  But there are some things that are just starting to get to me.  Take for instance the head banging he's doing "down there."  I apologize if this is too much information for some people, but it seriously brings tears to my eyes and makes me double over in pain.  Or how about the lower back pain that comes from... well, anything.  Or the fact that I can wear one pair of flip flops, and sometimes my tennis shoes- and that's about it.

But, on the bright side, I was 34 weeks last Wednesday... and when I went to the doctor, I was measuring 37 weeks.  Wait, is that a bright side?  I was wondering when the nurse told me that didn't necessarily mean that he was coming early- just that he's big.  Well, the bright side of it was that up until that doctor's appointment, I was starting to wonder if I had a toddler sized baby, because NONE of the doctors would tell me what I was measuring.  Only three weeks ahead of schedule- whew.  Can you hear the sarcasm as I'm typing? :)

I will say this- I was totally blessed two weekends ago with a baby shower at my cousin's house.  One of my best friends (whom I usually only get to see once a year) helped host the shower- my partner in crime, Amy.  And my little sis was there, along with family and friends to make it truly special.  I got a car seat/ carrier- so at least now I know I can bring John Michael home from the hospital!  And we got some very needed things like bath time goodies, onesies, sleepers, the whole nine yards.  Here are some pics from the day:

My sister, Jessica, and me

All of my sweet hostesses

I'll go ahead and say this too while I'm at it (I don't seem to be holding anything else back today)... there was a time in my early stages of pregnancy where I actually said to myself, "Maybe you will be one of those lucky girls who doesn't blow up like the marshmallow man in your last trimester."  Not so, dear friends, not so.  I've come to terms with it though, so it's cool.

Now, I will roll myself off of this couch and go find something else to eat in the kitchen. :)  Have a great week!

First baby shower

I'm so behind on this post- but it has been a busy week here in the Sanford household. My sweet friends Catherine Gilmer and Harriette Jones gave me a baby shower last Sunday, and it was so sweet and wonderful.  I enjoyed catching up, hugging necks, and getting some wonderful gifts for John Michael!
The weekend was pretty busy though- Michael's brother Owen flew in from Austin to surprise Lois for her birthday (which was Saturday).  I was singing in a wedding Saturday evening, so I stuck around Birmingham while the boys went ahead to Selma.  I got to Selma Saturday night, about halfway through the Auburn game.  The whole Sanford clan gathered around the tv to cheer them on, and I was in and out of falling asleep on the couch after the long day.
But, on Sunday, my sweet friends hosted a wonderful baby shower for me, and I wanted to share just some of the pictures.  Here's my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew- my nephew Bradford is always the life of the party, so Stephen brought him for a cameo appearance, as many people had asked to see him. :)

Lauren was a lifesaver!  She wrote down all of my gifts for me- and as always, I LOVED catching up with her!!!!

My mom and my "other mom"- Mrs. Kay.  She came all the way from Auburn for my shower!  I was so surprised!!!!

We had ice cream in these little mason jars, with wonderful toppings and cookies.  It was great!

So, after a long and exciting weekend, we came back to Birmingham, Owen went back to Austin, and then we got hardwood floors in our house.  Yep, that's right.  More on that in the next post...

Let the 3rd Trimester Begin

As of Wednesday, I'm now in the third trimester... and I have alot to catch everyone up on.  First and foremost, we have decided on a name!  We will be naming our little boy John Michael Sanford, and we'll call him John Michael.  We're very excited to not have to revisit that discussion again, as we were both getting tired of trying to decide.  It's such a big decision though!

I had a work conference last week in Grapevine, Texas, which was wonderful but very exhausting.  Michael flew in and we drove down to Austin to visit Owen and Michelle (Michael's brother and his wife).  It was great getting to catch up with them and just hang out- plus I got to catch up on some sleep in their super comfy guest bed.  AND... they're always wonderful hosts... they fed us well!

While at conference, my coworkers surprised me with a baby shower- which was really funny actually, because I had been planning a wedding shower for my coworker Shannon, and didn't know that all the while it was a shower for us both!

We had a cake that was half wedding and half baby- and they said they had to convince the cake bakers that it was not a shotgun wedding. haha!  It was great though.

John Michael got the cutest little outfit, which will be perfect for days with dad out on the golf course.  He even got a little newsboy cap, which was the cutest thing I've ever seen!  They also gave us a gift card to Babies R Us, and Michael and I couldn't be more excited!!!

Sleeping is getting to be a challenge these days.  My left side is hating me for spending so much time on it. And my back is starting to turn on me as well.  Swelling has been persistent, but it usually goes down in a couple of days or so.  John Michael does a lot of moving around, and Michael has finally been able to feel it too!  My constant craving has been Dr Pepper (did you know that there's no period in Dr Pepper? I didn't).  Other than that- anything put in front of me is appetizing, so I can't tell if there's one thing that I like more than another.

Three more months to go, and we'll be meeting our baby boy face to face!

Baby Art!

After a long and arduous search for art to put up in the nursery, I was at a complete loss.  Nothing really stood out to me as my style- as I'm not a big fan of the alphabet or of cartoon characters.  And no, I'm not judging if you are- I just couldn't find anything that I liked.  Until one day, I ran across these really cool modern paintings that weren't too babyish, but they were just baby enough.  Does that even make sense?  But the only problem was, I could order them at $75 a piece- and I really liked three of them!  Being the DIY cheapskate that I am, I decided that I was going to paint my own version of these gems.  But then I got nervous- and wasn't really all that comfortable with my freehand skills on these particular paintings.

So... I bought myself some canvases, along with the paint colors I liked, and then went and found some graphite paper so that I could trace the pictures onto my canvases.  It reminded me of paint by numbers, and that made me really excited.  Except I could decide what colors I wanted to go with!  So... without further ado, here are the lovely lovelies that will soon be hanging on the wall above the changing table in Baby Sanford's room.

I think the elephant is my favorite- but the other two are really cute!!!  I can't wait to do some more tidying, hanging, sorting, etc in there- but in the meantime... just knowing that these will soon adorn the walls makes me happy!

Time for Shrimp!

Michael and I received this really cute lobster serving bowl as a wedding gift four years ago.  

I've used it a couple of times, but I've always wished that I had a really good reason for pulling it out to use it.  Well, that very occasion was tonight!  After our beach trip a couple of weeks ago, we have had two pounds of shrimp just waiting for a shrimp boil.  So, we threw some corn, potatoes, shrimp, and some awesome seasoning together in a big pot, and went to boiling.  Just look at that yummy goodness cooking:

So, as I'm sure you've put two and two together, I served it all from the lobster bowl, which I thought was rather appropriate. :)

And you can't forget the best part... making your own homemade cocktail sauce!

Needless to say, Baby Sanford is extremely excited about tonight's dinner choice.  He's been dancing all night!

Life's a Beach

It's funny, but that's always the phrase I see on every t-shirt, hugger, etc when I go to the beach.  We just got back from a trip to the beach with my parents, and it was wonderful!  We went for my birthday, and as always, it just didn't seem long enough.  I'm now recovering from the onset of depression that always sets in after a wonderfully relaxing trip.

But, I thought I'd share some of the pictures from the morning that we took the dogs out onto the beach.  It was really early because we didn't want them to chase people and bark the whole time.  So, here are the highlights...

Pedro, enjoying the sand and surf.

Bailey, who was content just watching the waves.

And then there was Max.

It was wonderful.  I'll post soon about some of the amazing pregnancy symptoms I'm now facing. :)

23 weeks

It just so happens that I have an updated picture of me at 23 weeks.  I know, I know... I'm so slim.  It's the pre-natal water aerobics. :)  haha- I just snorted.

And here are my sweet guys doing what they do best.  One of them is beyond excited about having a new baby boy in the family.

And the other one... well, let's just say that his expression was a little different than what I expected when I asked him, "How do you feel about having a baby brother?"

Maybe he'll get used to the idea before December.  Right now he's more interested in chasing lasers, chewing on bones, and barking at anything that moves.  Well... we have about four months to break him into the idea. :)

Bedding is HERE!

The bedding finally came in, and after spending some time washing everything yesterday, the crib is now finally set up!  So... I will now post pictures of the crib AND the bedding together.  Believe me, it was worth the wait.  Well, it was to me anyway.

My mom gave us that sweet blanket, and it matches perfectly!  As you can tell, I'm really excited about the bedding. :)

On another note, Michael I went to Babies-R-Us this afternoon to register.  Um... we were a bunch of bumbling idiots.  Our wedding registry was hard, but it was so much easier because it was all stuff that we would be using for ourselves.  This was totally different, because it's stuff that we'll be using for someone else- and why does there have to be eight different brands for every single thing!  Our conversation consisted of, "What do you think we should get for this?  I don't know." "What brand of these should we get?  I don't know."  "How many of these do you think we'll need?  I don't know."  So, if any of you happen across our registry in the future and think to yourselves, "Oh my gosh, Kay and Michael are so weird- why do they have so much stuff on their registry?"  The answer is, "We don't know."  We're totally clueless, and as soon as I post this, I'm about to go back to the online registry and see what all we actually registered for- because we would scan one thing- and then ten minutes later we'd see something that we liked better- so we'd scan it too!  Sigh- I'm not a fan of registering to begin with... but I tell you what... by the time we finished, I was starving, my back hurt, and my sentences were starting to sound funny.  So, we went to Wings and stuffed ourselves with cheese fries and wings to take the edge off.  It was wonderful.

Now... I'm going to put my pj's on, lie in my comfortable bed, and start reading a book on breastfeeding. This outta be humorous. :)

The Transition... Part One

Two weekends ago was exciting and tiring, all rolled up into one!  My mom came to Birmingham on Saturday, and she, my cousin, and I went on a search for baby furniture.  We were on the lookout for a non-traditional changing table, as well as a crib that would match the dresser we already have in the room.  While my mom was on the way to Birmingham, I figured I would waste no time and hit up some yard sales around the area.  I was really looking for a table that I could transform into a changing table, but what I ended up getting was even better.  While there was nothing that matched my "changing table wish list," I did score a pack-and-play, as well as a stroller for a little bit of nothing.  And they are both in really great shape, so I'm beyond excited about my new (to me) purchases. 

Once my mom arrived, she and I hit up a couple of other yard sales, as well as a local furniture store before picking up my cousin to do the most important thing of the day: eat lunch.  After loading up on some really great Mexican food, we set out in search for this "in my mind changing table that doesn't really exist."  After one store, we thought we'd found the perfect piece.  It was antique, painted mint green, and was really cute.  However, I felt that we should go to another store just to shop around first.  I'm so glad we did!  We found this table, and I love it!  I'm going to repaint, hopefully in the same hue, only because of the chipped paint places.

You should have seen us riding through Birmingham with this table hanging half out of my trunk, strapped in with some twine that I had leftover from our Christmas tree purchase- and padded with a hoodie that always lives in my trunk.  If we didn't look like the Clampett's, I don't know who did.

After dropping off the table at my house, and switching vehicles with Michael, we headed on the search for the crib.  I had done some online searching for cribs, and knew the style that I wanted, so it was an easy decision for me once we saw one similar to the one I had painted in my mind.  But, I'm going to leave you in suspense for the crib pic, because I want to get the mattress and bedding put on before the great reveal.  But that's where we'll end this post- Saturday afternoon, with a changing table and a crib in tow, a great time with my mom and cousin under my belt, and excitement for the day that lay ahead.

Stay tuned...

Oh Boy!

We found out last Thursday that we're having a boy!  Michael and I were both really shocked- not because we didn't want a boy, but because we both (along with most of our family members) thought we were having a girl.  There was no scientific reasoning behind this... just a feeling.  And apparently, it was an incorrect feeling.

So, we were all set with a girl name, but since we've been discussing boy names for five months with no conclusion, we're going to have to really ramp up the efforts.  We have agreed on one name, but I'll wait to post it because if you know us at all, there's a strong chance we'll change our minds.  Hopefully not though- because I really like this one.

Anyway, I've been looking at bedding for several months now, and had already decided that I wanted to do a green/white/brown color scheme- if it was a boy or a girl.  I finally settled on one that I just kept coming back to.  I think it's really clean and fresh, and not too baby-ish.  Check it out!

Now all I have to do is figure out how I want to decorate.  But that's the fun part.  Nursery pictures are coming soon.  I may wait until I have something more substantial before I post pictures though.

Have a great week!

The Hushamok

I like to find new items that I've never heard of before- especially when it comes to baby items (right now, at least).  So, imagine my interest in this cool baby hammock.

It's called the Hushamok.  I get blog updates from Project Nursery, and the Hushamok is this week's giveaway prize.  It's designed to snuggle baby in a smooth rocking motion that helps baby feel like he/she did when in the womb.  There are also numerous health benefits to the Hushamok.  I really like the name... and I'm having even more fun typing it.  

Anyway, if you would like to win a Hushamok, visit their website and then share your thoughts about it with Project Nursery by commenting here.

I think it's kinda cool- and just thought I'd share with you interested preggies!

Wednesday Update... oh wait, it's Thursday

I have been so off this week on my time, because Monday was a holiday... all day long I was thinking that it was Wednesday.  Well, anyway.  I have a couple of updates.  First, a sad update to those of you who didn't see my Facebook... sweet Bayler went to be in Heaven.  I didn't have words to say then, and I still don't now.  So, the best thing I thought I could do would be to link you to Teal's blog.  She put it all so well.

Second update is that yesterday marked 18 weeks pregnant for me!  Yay!  I'm still doing really well.  Just started to notice that I am out of breath ALOT easier and faster these days.  I realize that's only going to get worse, but seriously- a phone call made me short of breath today.  I can't seem to find a way to sit in my chair at work comfortably either- I always feel like I'm cutting off some blood supply somewhere.

Michael and I will find out whether we're having a boy or a girl next Thursday!  So, that's really exciting!  I'm going to spend a little time this weekend working on cleaning out the office and guest bedroom so that we can get cracking on a nursery.  I think I'm going to stick to neutral colors no matter what though.  I've never really been into the whole entire room being pink or blue- don't take offense if you disagree- I'm not saying that's bad... it's just not my style.

And the third and final update is that I'm finally going to share a baby bump picture with you.  Some people are getting just downright upset that I haven't done this yet.  And, since I'm staying late at work today (because we're meeting friends for dinner close to the office, and it's pointless to go all the way home just to come all the way back- you get the picture), I took a picture with my phone in the office bathroom. 

That's right folks, SaniFresh handsoap and all!  Don't you love our gorgeous ladies room wallpaper too? And for those sticklers out there, no- I'm not wasting company time just to update you on my baby bump.  I'm just chilling here after hours so that I don't have to waste gas by driving around Hoover for an hour.  And yes, thank you for noticing, I DID get my hair cut. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!!

"All the Pregnant Ladies..."

Last weekend, I traveled to Auburn/Opelika to spend some time with one of my favorite people in the whole wide world- my friend Shea.  Shea has always been like a big sister to me, helping me torment my brother, taking me out when I was (according to my brother) too young to go out, and she even did my flowers for my wedding back in 2006.  She's a gem- and while she is in a hilarious feud with my husband currently over something that happened in 10th grade- she's always been a part of my family.

Shea's sister Haley tied the knot last Saturday, so I got to spend some really good quality time with the Fords, the Justices, the Gardiners (who I didn't know before last weekend, but adore!), and some Selma folks whom I'd not seen in a really long time.  I was already signed up to sing in the wedding, so I decided to go over a little early and help Shea with the flowers, the kids, and anything else that needed doing.

Shea's two sister-in-laws, Heather and Amy, are also pregnant- and they're AWESOME!  I had so much fun hanging out with them, and Shea kept singing Beyonce's "All the Single Ladies" with the word "pregnant" instead of "single."  I know we're all still singing it in our heads... thanks Shea.

But all in all, it was a GORGEOUS wedding, and I had a blast hanging out with this crew!  The only thing that was missing was a reprise of "Respect" on stage with Figure 8.  I'm still bummed that I didn't get Shea up there to sing it.  Oh well, maybe the next wedding!