37 weeks and counting....

Ok, so it has been a while since I have posted anything. I thought I would be posting at least a couple times a week, and I was doing pretty good there for a while! I feel it hanging over my head to post though, even though there really has not been alot going on. The nursery is still not finished, so I don't really want to post any pictures yet until it is done! It will come down to the wire for sure! I have had a pretty rough past 4 weeks, which is why I have not gotten much done. I have been REALLY really sore everyday, pretty much to the point where getting up from the bed, couch, a chair, etc. hurts. It hurts many times just to walk around my house. There is so much pressure that I can't even explain and it feels like every muscle down there has been pulled and bruised. I am not trying to throw myself a pitty party, because I know it's all worth it, but that is why I have been laying around a ton over the past month. I can't stay on my feet long at all :-( BUT on to some news! I will be 37 weeks on Tuesday - I can't believe it! I have to catch you up on something though. A couple days after my shower I went for my 33 week appointment and sonogram. At that point, the sonogram measured the baby weighing 5 lbs 11 oz! Now, I know sonogramgs can be off, but still! So, I got another sonogram last week at 36 weeks and the baby weighed 7 lbs, 11 oz! WOW!! My doctor and nurse thought it was too funny ( I did too)! I will have one more scan next week at 38 weeks and if she is measuring 9+ lbs, they are going to go ahead and induce me right at 39 weeks. And they are pretty sure she will be at least 9 lbs! I have a big baby girl on my hands! My sister and I were both big babies so I am not surprised! Again, I know sonograms can be WAY off. It's happened to a couple of my friends. I guess we will just have to see when she gets here! This is big news! Ella Kate could be here in 2 weeks!!! Here is a sonogram picture from my 33 week appointment, when she was almost 6 lbs:

A picture of her sweet face! She is looking right at us. Look at those huge puffy cheeks and that sweet hand up by her face! She also has hair!!

I do want to share with you my FAVORITE piece in her nursery. This was an old buffet table that Drew's parents gave us. We wanted to make it into a changing table. A sweet girl that does all of my stepdads faux finishing in his houses he builds refinished it for us and it is beautiful!

Before......

After!!! (Disregard the frames on top - we just set them there to get them off the floor. This will be her changing table).

I can't wait for the nursery to be finished! It is going to be so pretty, of course I am biased :-) That's really all there is to catch everyone up on. I am so thankful football season is here because it helps time pass faster! Although, I may not be able to watch any more Ole Miss games until she gets here because it's no good for my blood pressure. I am really nervous about this year for us...our defense is sad. But I love Masoli! Here's a picture of Drew and me from last Saturday before the worst loss in school history:

We were SO sure we would win this game BIG. Hmmm.... And yes, that is a shark necklace around my neck. I thought we would still be The Landshark Defense. It's been put away for the rest of this season.

I will keep you posted on whether I will be induced for sure or not, but it's looking very likely! I am getting really anxious, scared, worried, etc. so any prayers would be greatly appreciated! We are looking forward to this sweet little blessing in our lives. Love y'all!

Baby Shower!!

Ok, so because there are a bunch of pictures in this post, I won't say much!! I can't believe it's been almost 3 weeks since I have blogged anything, but there really hasn't been much to say. I hate writing posts without pictures! I haven't really made anymore progress on the nursery than what you have already seen, but in the next couple of weeks, there should be a lot to show. Yay! Drew and I went to Destin last Sunday and came home on Thursday. Do you think we took any pictures? NO. We are so bad about that! Plus, it is hard to take pictures when it is just the two of us. We did get one picture: a picture of myself on the balcony. Here it is:

This is 32 weeks!

Now on to the fun pictures! I had my first shower Saturday! It was so much fun and there were so many great people there. My sweet hostesses went over and beyond - I have the best friends and the best family in the world! Here are a bunch of pictures. Hope you enjoy!

Almost 33 weeks here! I'm not sure if you can see this painting very well. I will post a better picture of it later. My sweet friend Ashley Lancaster painted this to go above Ella Kate's crib. She has the same nursery fabric, so she was able to match the colors perfectly! It is the verse Jeremiah 29:11. I knew it would be beautiful, but it was even MORE beautiful than I thought possible! I brought it to the shower to show everyone! Thanks, Ash. You're amazing :-)

My sister in law made this diaper cake! I thought it was precious.

My mother-in-law carved this little baby buggy out of this watermelon! Too much!

Sweet hostesses :-) There were three that couldn't be there Saturday, and they were missed very much! Thanks y'all for everything. It was a perfect shower!

Instead of giving the girls traditional hostess gifts, I made a donation in honor of each of them to a sweet ministry here in Ridgeland, Sunnybrook Children's Home. It's such a precious place that houses children ages 4 - 18 that are there for many different reasons, and come with more baggage than I can ever image. It breaks my heart. If you want to know more about this ministry, check them out at http://www.sunnych.net/.

My sweet little helper/niece, Callie Grace. How precious is she? She was so proud of this outfit they gave me because Caty and she both have a dress like it!


Love her. Don't think of her as my sis-in-law, just my sister :-)

Blue was the color of the day! My mom and I always have a way of matching, I don't know why!

My sister! She is the best, and I love her so much!

Sweet Sharon....she made these hats for Ella Kate. One of my favorite gifts for sure!

My sweet friend Amanda. She is 5 weeks behind me, and she puts me to shame! She is the cutest pregnant girl ever!!

2 Posts in 1 Day!

I forgot to include something in my previous post, and I really am so excited about it that I just couldn't wait until tomorrow to share it! My sister is pretty awesome and super creative (somehow, I just didn't get that gene). Anyway, she has started making pottery and it's SO good...and I am not just being biased! This is what she gave me last night for Ella Kate's nursery:

How sweet is this angel? She used my silk fabric to make a bow so I can hang it on the wall! I am so excited about this!! Thanks sis - you are the best!

You can check out her stuff at http://www.farriswheelpottery.blogspot.com/

All her pieces are beautfiul and extremely affordable! Personally, I think she is TOO cheap :-)

New Orleans!

We had a blast in New Orleans last weekend! It was SO good to see Brittney...just what I needed! Being around her reminds me most of what a true best friend is in your life. I wish we lived closer! But, the trip was super easy to make so there will be more ahead! Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

Right after we got to their house. I am known for having fake smiles in pictures, but this one is genuine people!! I was so excited!


Shopping on Magazine St. was fun! I bought some goodies for Ella Kate!

Brittney made me a "Mommy Strawberry-colada" aka non-alcoholic :-) Yum!

After church on Sunday. I love his shirt - Ella Kate gave it to hime for Father's Day.

It was nice just to get away from the weekend, but now it's back to reality. I feel like I have so much to, especially with the nursery. I'm waiting on all the furniture to get here, and until then I really can't do a whole lot. It's hard to decorate when you don't have your bedding and furniture yet. I have time though, so I am not going to stress about it too much. My sweet friend Ashley is painting a canvas to go above Ella Kate's crib and I cannot wait for that to get here either! She is so talented and I am excited that she is doing this for me. I don't really have any other news for now! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Finally done painting!

YAY! The walls in the nursery are finally finished! My sweet husband has worked so hard this past week getting everything painted. For sure he is the most awesome person I know! Also, a HUGE thanks to another awesome guy, Nick Miller. Lauren and Nick are great friends of ours who have huge hearts, and Nick helped Drew paint the stripes on the wall. That was very time consuming. The walls in the nursery are a really pretty neutral, and then we did the one big wall that the crib is up against with stripes. It turned out even better than I thought it would! Here are a couple of pictures!

I know they aren't the greatest pictures, but it was the best angle I could get from the door. I'm just glad that it is finished!

Tomorrow Drew and I are headed to New Orleans for the weekend to stay with my best friend from college and her husband, Brittney and Jarrod. I haven't seen this girl since my wedding! So hard to believe. This trip was so easy to plan, and I am sitting here thinking why this hasn't happened sooner? Anyway, I am so excited! Brittney and I have been through a ton together. She was and will always be a best friend and sister to me. It's going to be such a fun weekend filled with eating and shopping. I can't wait to eat authentic New Orleans food, but you can bet that Tums will be my best friend all weekend. I will be sure to take lots of pictures! Hope everyone has a great weekend too!

How did that happen?!?

On Thursday I went to the doctor for my last 4 week check-up (yay)!! I will go every 2 weeks now for a while. I had my glucose test where they tested for Gestational Diabetes. I am so happy to say that I do not have it!! To be honest I was so nervous!! I am one of those people that should not be allowed to surf the internet, because I will research every kind of disease and then swear that I have it! I was looking up GD and some of the symptoms were: increase in thirst, gaining too much weight, and having to go to the bathroom more than normal (which I didn't see how that was possible considering I already go every 30 minutes!). Well, I convinced myself that I HAVE been way more thirsty these last few weeks and I convinced myself that I HAVE already gained too much weight... Along with that, I had anxiety about drinking "the orange drink" also known as Gulcola. I had to drink a white substance a few years ago called "Berry Smoothie" before I had a CT Scan. It did NOT taste like Berry Smoothie, and it required several girls on my floor in the dorm to coach me into drinking it while I was dry heaving. This orange drink did not look as bad as the Berry Smoothie, but it should not be called gluCOLA, because "cola" makes me think of something carbonated, so I was thinking it might taste like an orange Sunkist. I took 2 sips and immediately threw it up. I was worried I wasn't going to be able to keep it down and then I wouldn't be able to have my test done that day. Well, enought about that. The point is, it was nasty nasty - but I survived, and I do not have diabetes.

During casual conversation with my doctor, he told me I was 27 weeks and 2 days along. I said, "Can you repeat that? How far along am I?" I have no idea how this happened, but somewhere along the way, I got either confused or just really excited and had jumped ahead of my week count. I thought I was almost 29 weeks! Ha! So needless to say, I was a little disappointed. And I already thought I was in my 3rd trimester. I know it's not a big deal, and most of you are probably thinking "oh well," but to me it is! I'm so ready for her to be here! SO every TUESDAY, my weeks turn over. This coming Tuesday I will officially be 28 weeks, 7 months pregnant, and in my third trimester. Woohoo!

We are going to finish painting the nursery today so I will have pictures to post tomorrow! Have a great Sunday!

"Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love."
1 Corinithians 16:13-14

Is that sun I see outside?

I see the sun trying to peep through the clouds this morning, and it makes me very happy! The past 4 days have been dreary and yucky, which have not made me very productive...not that I really have much to be doing right now anyway! I feel like I am at a standstill with the nursery for a while. We are going to paint on Monday because Drew is on call ALL weekend. So once again, I will be alone for the 4th. Sigh. At least he is off Monday. Also, the buffet table that his parents are giving us for her changing table won't arrive until July 23, so obviously I can't do anything to that yet! I don't have any big updates to report but I wanted to share a few pictures!

I recently bought a really cool piece of wood art for our living room. I found it at a place on Hwy 51. It's an old house, and different vendors rent out spaces and sell their stuff. Here's a picture of it.

I just thought it was so cool! It's a pretty nice size, and, in my opinion, very reasonably priced. It was only $65! The girl had SO much other cute stuff too. Her name is Rhonda Spina and she is a Christian - based artist. Her blog address is http://www.crossmyheartcreations.blogspot.com/. Please check her out...she has awesome stuff!!

I think I am about to try my hand at painting. I have been getting urges for the past two years now to try my hand at it but never had the time. I may be horrible, but I will never know unless I try! I just want to buy so much art from people but I can't afford everything I want! So we'll see how it goes!

Here are some more bump pictures. I really do feel so strange taking pictures by myself, but I am trying to take pictures every week. I think it will be cool to look back on. I am just sad that I waited so late to get started. I am 28 weeks in these pictures (well, I will actually be 28 weeks on Sunday, but I'm rounding up)!

I didn't realize how much I was on the go when I was working until the past couple of weeks. Right after school was out we went to the beach for a week and then we were busy getting stuff cleaned out and ready for the nursery. This past week especially has been uneventful. I am starting to get really emotional during the day for no reason at all because being by myself so much is really starting to take its toll on me. I know that I should appreciate these last few months because after that I will never be alone, but honestly, I am so ready for her to be here! I am getting really anxious and restless. Also this week has been hard because Drew has been working at VBS every night. Our church did a sports camp at night this year instead of the traditional VBS. I am so proud of Drew for volunteering. I love his servant's heart, but it was just tough because I was alone all day and then alone all night. And honestly, I didn't feel up to volunteering this year! I did get to visit with a couple of sweet friends this week, which totally made me happy. But being by yourself for the most part gets old fast. And all these harmones are making me more and more emotional....it's crazy! So I am just going to have to find a hobby and keep myself busy! And I REALLY REALLY REALLY miss my sweet friends who don't live here and I don't get to see ever.

I hope everyone has a blessed day! I am so thankful it might actually be beautfiul outside!

Yay for Progress!!!

This past weekend, Drew and I went to Tupelo. On the way, we stopped in Woodland, MS at Woodland Furniture to look for a crib. I had heard from several people I knew that it was worth the trip to look at nursery stuff because it could be alot cheaper. I went with the mindset of really wanting to find a crib that day, and I did! I had found a crib that I liked here in Jackson for and I was hoping that they might have the same crib there for alot cheaper. They had the crib but it was not that much of a price difference and they would have had to order the color I wanted, which could take about 8 weeks. In my mind, I didn't think that would have made the trip worth it. SO.... I kept looking. And finally I found one that is very similar but it was like $150 cheaper! Yeah! Now THAT is what I call a deal. It's really perfect and beautiful. This furniture place is in an old school, and there was no air in any of the buildings....miserable for a pregnant girl! Here are some pictures of the crib, and please disregard the green walls in the background. We are painting the nursery next week.

Daddy putting the crib together!

Still working.....

Of course I had to put my 2 seconds of time in :-)

The finished product! It's so sweet:-) I know you can't tell from the picture, but the color is called "French White," which is basically off-white.

After I purchased the crib, I thought I would check out some of the gliders they had while we were there. I had already picked out one at Playpen in Jackson. They were going to have to order the chair in the fabric that I wanted because they don't keep many choices in stock. Well, Friday must have been a lucky day for me because right when I walked in the building, the exact chair in the exact fabric that I wanted was sitting right there in front! It was the same price as the one here in Jackson, but it was ready to go! I thought it was too good to be true, but it wasn't :-) So I purchased that too! We looked like the Beverly Hillbillies when we left that place! Here is a picture of the glider. It is covered in the minky dot fabric and the color is "Latte," basically a really pretty neutral.

I know you can't really tell the color from the picture, but you get the idea :-) We have decided to paint the nursery a really pretty neutral taupe color, and do one accent wall with stripes. The accent wall will be the wall her crib is up against. We are going to do a darker stripe of a tannish-taupe color. I want to keep the colors neutral and let the fabric and the wall art be the pops of color.

We finally got the chandelier hung! It's the exact one from the picture in my previous post, so I won't post it on here. It took FOREVER. The instructions were not the greatest.....But it's done! I am getting so excited. I feel like the next 3 months will be the longest months ever. I'm trying to enjoy myself though and relax as much as possible. I just really can't wait to get going full speed on the nursery! Drew's parents are giving us a beautiful antique buffet table that I am going to refinish and use as Ella Kate's changing table. The Lord just continues to keep blessing us in different ways. I wasn't sure if the budget we had for the nursery was going to be enough, but it clearly is plenty now! I will post pics of the table when it arrives in a few weeks!

My mom came over the other day and brought me a couple of things that were mine when I was a baby, and I can't wait for Ella Kate to be able to use them. She brought me a sweet pair of shoes, that are still for sale at Ole Tyme Commisary....same brand, same style - after all these years! She also brought me my old bonnet. I will have to have her picture made in it!

I would say I have had a very productive weekend! I can't wait to get started on the painting. Well, I should say that I am ready for DREW to get started on the painting :-) That is probably all that will get done in the next month for the nursery, but it is a great start! I hope you enjoyed the pictures! This blogging thing has been good for me, in the area of taking pictures. I never ever take pictures of anything - I don't know why, I just don't. But I have been taking more pictures than I probably ever have for this blog. Yay for documentation! Have a great rest of the day!

It's TOO Hot Outside!!!

Mondays are what I have designated as "Chore Mondays." This morning I woke up (with no morning sickness for once..YAY!!) and I went to the gym, the grociery store, the farmer's market, and then to Newks to pick up some chicken salad for lunch. Yum! I intend on cleaning the house later today, but Drew may get off early and we might try to go to the pool. I don't know how long I will make it. I thought I was going to die at 9:00 am just walking from my car to the gym. It's way too hot outside for anyone to spend the day in the sun, especially a pregnant woman!!! Other than that, today will be uneventful. EXCEPT for The Bachelorette tonight! So excited to get together with the Monday night crowd and watch it! I love all the drama!

I really feel like I need to be getting stuff together for the nursery, but I can't really do anything until I decide on a paint color or colors and get the crib. I already have the fabric and Drew's mom is making everything for me - she is SO awesome!!!!! We are going to Tupelo this weekend and I am going to go to Woodland, MS on the way to look for a crib, so hopefully I will have one by the end of this weekend! I already have a distinctive picture in my head of what I want her nursery to be like. I want to fill her room with antique furniture. It is going to be SO girly! First, before I show pictures of ideas and fabric for the nursery, here is a preggo picture I promised my friends. We took about 50 of these and I don't like how any of them turned out. My hair is too flat and I was finding it hard to smile considering I was drugged up on phenergan. Ha.

Me at 26 weeks (yesterday). This is the first "belly" picture I have taken. I know I will regret it later for not doing it sooner...Oh well. Next time! :-)

Now on to nursery stuff!

I know its hard to make out, but it was the best I could do. Sorry! The toile print fabric has cherubs on it and it is so sweet! This will be for her curtains and the outside of her bumper pad. The inside of her bumper pad will be the cream colored minky dot fabric. I will also use the minky dot to make her a sweet baby blanket. The taupe dupioni silk fabric will be for her dust ruffle and also a valance covering for the top of her window. I am going to have her initials monogramed on it too! I am in the process of picking out another patterned fabric for some accent pillows as well but haven't decided on one yet!

This is her chandelier that we ordered! It is on its way and I cannot wait for it to get here! How sweet and precious is this?

I love the stripes on the wall in this nursery. I am either going to do stripes like these, but with richer neutrals, or just paint the room one solid color. If I do stripes, I am thinking it might be easier to just do one accent wall of stripes. I haven't decided yet. The fabric in this picture is similar to mine but a different print! I got most of my inspiration for the nursery from a website call PoshTots.com. Super cute!

I am totally doing this in her nursery! I found a dress form similar to this one on ebay, but instead of iron at the bottom, it is wood. I am going to have a tutu made to go with the colors in her nursery. Love this!!

Just wanted to share my favorite outfit of Ella Kate's (so far)! I can't wait for her to wear this!! Notice the tulle fabric on the hat....hehe!

Whew! That was alot of pictures to load. Hopefully, I will get alot faster at this! I hope you enjoyed looking at some of my nursery stuff...I can't wait to post more pictures when I actually really get going with it! Hope everyone has a great day!

Happy Father's Day!!

What an awesome day it was today! I know Drew is technically not a father yet, but I honored him today anyway! He has already been such an amazing father and provider for Ella Kate and she is not even here yet. He has been working so hard the last couple of months and working extra shifts at the hospital to make sure she has everything she needs for her nursery. I love that man SO much!! We went to church with my parents this morning and then we went to eat lunch at a place downtown called Two Sisters Kitchen...and can I just say yummy? Best home cooking ever (I of course was the only one at our table that went back twce and filled up my plate)! Tonight I am taking Drew to eat at Amerigo's. It's his favorite place in Jackson! It was such a great day to honor all the dad's in my life. I have the greatest stepfather who has been nothing short of a dad to me my whole life, a great dad, and an amazing husband and father-to-be! I am so blessed.

Happy Father's Day T-daddy!

Happy Father's Day Dad!!

Ella Kate is waving and says, "Happy Father's Day Daddy!!"

This morning at church I got sick again, which has happened the past few weeks. I am so glad we sat on the edge of the row in the back because I had to make a quick exit as soon as Chip started preaching. I hate when that happens! Sometimes I don't know why I bother going. It's so embarassing to have to get up in the middle of the sermon when you know your face is drained of color and you are only praying you can make it to the bathroom! My parents were joking with me and telling me I must not be able to handle the "Sex Talk" series at church! If only that were the issue because I could get over that quickly! HA! I took half a phenergan at church (I would have been passed out in 5 minutes if I had taken a full one) and by the time we dropped my parents off after lunch, I was slurring my speech and could barely hold my eyes open. I can't believe how that medicine affects me! Needless to say, I was out on the couch today from 1 - 5:30. Oops....

I hope everyone had a great day too!