Daddy Shower

For a change of pace, there won’t be any mention of pink in this blog! It will be hard for me though! We have been blessed with several baby showers and so many wonderful gifts and Tyler has been very grateful (also grateful that he doesn’t have to go!) But this weekend he got a mini-version of his own baby shower! His best friend Chad emailed us on Friday before we left work to let us know that he had several gifts for Paige and he would be bringing them to the evening festivities. You never know with Chad what it might be...it no doubt would be good whatever it is because he is an amazing gift giver but there is just no telling...it really wouldn’t have surprised us if he showed up at our house with a live pony! The only clue he gave was the gifts were not from any registry but that Paige really needed and would love the things he got. When we met up with everyone, sure enough, Chad was waiting with a table full of beautifully wrapped gifts! I told Tyler it was his turn to open gifts and I would take pictures. Disclaimer: hopefully my dad and uncles miss this entry because they aren’t going to like it!
Tyler and Chad are HUGE University of Texas fans which is very hard to swallow for their friends and family that are die hard OU fans! Well, As you can imagine, Chad provided 2 years worth of UT gear for Paige!! From 6 months to 24 months she has t-shirts, onesies, and the cutest cheerleader outfit including bloomers AND a very comfy blanket to lay on while she watches football with her daddy! I don’t think anything could have got him more excited than having sports gear for his little girl! We will also have to track down some Astros gear for her since we are big fans and try to go watch a few games a year in Houston.
So Uncle Chad and Daddy are very excited to have some of their manly past times to share with the newest member of the family and are excited to get her into watching sports and teaching her how to play poker. As long as I can keep her coming home without swearing and passing gas, I will be happy for her to have her bonding time with the guys! Enjoy the pics of the mini-man shower!!

Pink House Celebration!

Well, it has been a very busy week and I am pretty sure the next few weeks are going to be equally as busy as we make our final preparations or our special delivery! Last Saturday was a very special day for Paige and me! Kristen (my best friend from high school) threw Paige and me a shower at The Pink House in Claremore for all of my friends and family in that part of the state. It was just wonderful! It’s so nice to be around your friends you have had since you were young and realize even though we don’t see each other as often as we used to or should, it always feels like not a moment has passed since the last time we were all together! I have so many funny, embarrassing, wonderful memories with all of these girls and although a lot of them would make for a very exciting blog, I am not going to incriminate myself or anyone else since I intend to make my blogs into a little book for Paige so she can see how I documented the pregnancy and her first year. My mother in law came with me to Claremore and it was so fun telling her about each girl and how we became friends and why I love each of them. It’s funny all of the funny things you start remembering...Michelle moved to Claremore from Saudi Arabia and certainly wasn’t the priss she is now but equally as fun and exciting. Our moms thought we would be the last girls on the face of the earth to get married, but look at us nowJ. I had to force Sherri to be friends with me as she preferred the hermit crab lifestyle back in middle school and did not like the obnoxious blonde that never had all of her school supplies and gave her makeovers the first time I got her to spend the night at my house! I am certain she is the reason I learned better study habits and made good grades in college! Sarah—I am really sorry I could never let you borrow a pen out of my collection of 300 I carried around everywhere! Sarah’s house was so fun...we would stay up jumping on the trampoline until her mom fell asleep and then called boys all night! Sorry Brenda! Jenny is the only person I have ever met that never went through an ugly stage! The girl was born beautiful and just got prettier every year! We had so much fun together and spent every weekend for years at each other’s houses. She has her first little girl, Grace and I am certain she will be equally as beautiful! And then there’s Kristen...She wore neon green and black striped tights and I wore mini-skirts in the winter just because we felt like it! We passed notes, got in trouble from her dad for talking on the phone too long and then went to college together! I pray every day that Paige finds lifelong friends to enrich her life and be surrounded by amazing women that will encourage her, support her and be there for her like only a best friend can! I am so thankful to have such incredible women in my life!

“It’s a Blessing Being Me!”

So I didn’t come up with this title all on my own today. As I was in the kitchen at work heating up my weight smart oatmeal...yes gross but healthy...I was thinking how tired I felt. A minute later one of the attorneys I work with came bouncing in and I said good morning and someone asked how he was and he said “Super Awesome”! I started giggling and said “It’s really too early to be this happy isn’t it? You haven’t even had your coffee yet!” He then told me that it is just a blessing being him! I started laughing uncontrollably! It was so funny! But as I walked back to my office with my weight smart oatmeal on my two year wedding anniversary date with my big, beautiful baby bump I realized...you know what...It is a blessing to be me too!! So here are a few reasons it’s great to be me...

10. I have an amazing job that I love what I do and I can see all of Oklahoma City from my office window!
9. I am healthy, happy and loved
8. I live in a beautiful home that is full of love (and character—don’t forget about the pink bathroom)
7. I have a long list of life experiences and education that has shaped me into the person I want to be
6. I get unconditional love from my sweetest puppy Oscar—he is the happiest dog I have ever seen and doesn’t seem to be phased at all by being blind. I learn from him every day!
5. I am truly blessed with the greatest friends and most wonderful family a girl could ever dream of!
4. My parents are home safe from their 3 year assignment in Germany and my dad has retired and will be living the good life in Las Vegas!
3. I got to marry my best friend! He looks past my flaws, truly believes I am the prettiest girl alive and thinks I am funny...Ok, he doesn’t think I am funny but the other things are trueJ
2. Today I have been married two wonderful years to a man that is the greatest husband, will be the most amazing father and the most loyal friend you could ever have. Every day I wake up next to him, he makes me want to be a better wife, friend and mom.
1. In a few short weeks we will be welcoming our first child into this world! We can hardly wait to see her sweet face and chubby cheeks and just kiss her all over! My life is a dream...

As you go through your day, think of all of the reasons it’s a blessing to be you! It truly is a great way to start the day and remember to tell those around you that make your life special how wonderful they are!
“To do something, however small, to make others happier and better, is the highest ambition, the most elevating hope, which can inspire a human being.”
—John Lubbock (1834-1913); biologist, politician,

So they call it "Nesting"...

There are so many different things that run through your head the last few weeks of pregnancy. Am I going to be a good mommy? Will I know what to do when my sweet girl is sick or upset? Can I get this house any cleaner or more organized? How do I keep her from growing up too fast? Am I growing Shrek in my belly? And will I ever have a waist again?!?! This weekend we focused on the clean and organized topic!
I am kind of the pack rat in the family and some things I just can’t bear to go through life without. Even though I don’t want to see them, I know they are tucked away in a box somewhere just in case I want to take a peek at them. We cleaned out most of my “treasures” when we got married 2 years ago tomorrow and Tyler moved into my house. There were tears shed the day we had to clean out my “junk”. The worst of which was a large Ziploc bag of what appeared to Tyler as just broken pottery. He started dying laughing and threw the bag into the trash pile. When he finally looked over at me I was sobbing. The bag of pottery was a tea kettle my Grandma Kay bought for me. She passed away when I was 9 and I just adored her! When I was a sophomore in college I was making tea in my one and only tea kettle of course. Well, my college mind drifted and an hour later I realized I was going to have some green tea...the water had evaporated and the kettle was sooo hot! I immediately took it off the stove and rushed it to the sink so I could put cold water all over it. Isn’t that what you do?? NO! It immediately shattered into lots of pieces and I sobbed! I carried that bag of tea kettle remnants with me everywhere I moved until 2 years ago. Tyler felt horrible when he realized how upset I was and why. But I decided that day to let go of the broken kettle and I haven’t missed it. I guess us pack rats are afraid of forgetting memories or something. I remember my Grandma Kay perfectly and have realized the broken tea kettle wasn’t keeping her memory alive. So as I struggle to part with some things, I try to remind myself of how ridiculous it was to tote around a Ziploc of pottery for 5+ years.
Well, Tyler and I have lived in our current home for close to 9 months now. Somehow we haven’t managed to have a cleaned out garage during that timeframe. (See above story for explanation). I told him that it must be done or I would just die! I don’t want our sweet little girl moving into a house with a junky garage!! He agreed and we got up early on Saturday and got to work. Low and behold, mostly my junk that I haven’t parted with but haven’t moved into the house. A few hours later we had identified all of the trash, all of the items I no longer want but would do great in a garage sale and things we want to keep but need to go in the attic for the time being. The garage is clean as a whistle and I am sure Paige will not give a darn but I sure sleep easier knowing it’s clean and organized!!
Although I am sure I will come up with lots more little projects for Tyler and I these last few weeks, I know Paige will love us whether the garage is clean, the hall is painted or if we still have some weeds in the flower beds but I guess it is all part of it! Less than 6 weeks (possibly 4) in the oven!!

Baby Room!!

33 Weeks!

Tyler and I went in for our 33 Week appointment yesterday and got to take a peek at Miss Paige at what we thought would be the last ultrasound! Apparently I was measuring a little small last appointment so the doc wanted an ultrasound to confirm we have the right due date and everything is progressing on schedule. Ironically...the ultrasound tech starts laughing when I told her the reason for the ultrasound because our baby is weighing in at 5 ½ pounds already!!! For those non-baby experts, the charts say about 4 1/2 by the end of this week! So she is healthy and happy and it looks like she has her mommy’s big cheeksJ She is in the 87th percentile for weight right now so none of you should be getting your hopes up for a sweet little petite baby girl! The doctor said we will do another ultrasound at 37 weeks to ensure she doesn’t move into the 92-93% weight because I am not big enough to deliver her if she does! Apparently I better be safe and pack a toddler outfit for the hospital!! She is already “head down” and still kicking like crazy! I think it is pretty safe to say that there is a good chance she will come around 38 weeks! I have been telling Tyler for a couple weeks that I just know she is trying to find a way out!!

Other than that everything looks just perfect! She is healthy as a tick and is still a GIRL! Which is a good thing since her room is done and as pink as it can get! We are getting very excited and anxious to meet our little (or big) girl!!! We will keep you posted if we officially change the date from August 23rd! I will have some pics of her room in the next post!!