Aah, I want another beagle

BTW, how did they train that beagle to sit still....and to sleep in the hallway?

My good husband.

We are fairly late in getting our tree up this year. We have been busy, but I also was worried that we wouldn't have time to take it down right at the start of January. There's nothing worse about a live tree than when all of the needles start falling off if you barely breathe on it. But yet I refuse to get a fake tree - I like the adventure and tradition with a real tree, as well as getting something different every year.
Without a tree, the house just seemed so dismal this holiday season. So, I was extra surprised and pleased to find that Brian had gone out tree shopping by himself Sunday while I was at the shower. Not only did he buy the tree, but he somehow got it inside, put it up, and strung the lights alone. He did a beautiful job. Now our house glows with Christmas spirit.

Another shower!

Sunday was the third and final shower of the year for my husband's side of the family. With one son getting married and two sons having first babies, poor Patty has been stretched to the max these past few months. We hosted Julie's bridal shower at an apartment clubhouse in Grand Rapids on Sunday. The theme of the afternoon was a wine and hors d'oeuvres party.

The party started with a bit of hesitation. First we had a difficult time getting into the locked clubhouse and had to get a hold of the property manager for access. 50 minutes in to set-up, Patty and I grew very worried that our main planner, Jacqueline, hadn't arrived yet. She was bringing all of our tableware, tablecloths, centerpieces, wine, and our dessert showcase - a chocolate fountain. Patty made a call and quickly found out that Jacqueline and her family (including their newborn) were in a car accident. You can read her details here. Thankfully, they were all safe and sound, but her food and dishes were destroyed, as well as their vehicle. The bride and groom made a quick stop to Meijer for paper plates and plastic ware, salvaged most of the other party items from the wrecked truck, and arrived in the knick of time. We threw together the party and got the chocolate flowing. It all turned out beautifully.

The happy couple, Dave and Julie.



We had all kinds of hors d'oeuvres, including mini spinach quiche, turkey/swiss El Paso rolls, egg rolls with peanut sauce, veggies with hummus and much more.



We served rice krispie treats, pound cake, pretzel rods, strawberries and banana with the chocolate fountain. Messy but delicious.



The centerpieces and truffle favors survived the accident. The colors of this Valentine's Day wedding are red and silver.



Little Matthew - precious and healthy, with his great grandma Coe.



All in all, I was pleased with how things turned out. Julie received many nice gifts that will get her and David off to a great start.

Let it snow

I can't tell where our lawn ends and the road begins. Our snowblower will make it's seasonal debut today.

I picked up our car seat/stroller combo yesterday. Brian was thrilled to immediately assemble it. Now we really are ready for this baby.

Today I have to cook for Julie's wedding shower and a knitted ornament exchange with my Ravelry group. I hope the roads get cleared so we don't have to cancel.

You asked for it

Kim asked to see the closet since we've had our showers....I would say it's not as bad as it looks because these clothes range up to 24 months, many are hand-me-downs, and the shelves to the right are filled with blankets, towels and bibs, but then I remember there is an adult size dresser full of onesies and sleepers too! Yes, this will be a well-dressed baby. And at least she'll be too young to tell me if she hates pink.



Despite all these clothes, I couldn't help myself when I was shopping tonight for a Junior League shopping event (15% of all sales at select downtown Holland stores come back to the league). I "had" to buy these - but they were on sale AND I had a coupon, so no guilt here.

More gifts!

I had my final shower on Sunday, baby shower that is. My side of the family put together a beautiful shower at an old train depot in Plymouth, Station 885. The theme was Charlotte's Web and was complete down to a giant fuzzy spider hanging over the cake.





Most of the prizes were hand made, including chocolates shaped like Wilbur, Templeton and Charlotte, aprons, and lavender filled eye sachets.

I received so many wonderful gifts, and many handmade items. I definitely inherited my crafting skills from my mom's side of the family. They made me sewn, crocheted, and knitted quilts. Carrie told me my baby is going to have so many blankets that she's going to need to carry around 5 at a time! Good thing she'll be born in the winter. I also got an embroidered bib for every single holiday of the year...if I'm lucky, she'll get the chance to use her New Year's bib this year.

Here I am with my sisters - as my mom so lovingly puts it, I'm the "tubby" one.



My college friends - and look, Kim is preggers too!



There is a slideshow of all Meagan's pics - yes, there are many token "opening gift" photos.



Thanks for the wonderful shower Mom!

Look at this cutie patootie ornament available at Crate & Barrel for only $2.50.



I want to take him home! OH, and don't forget about these.

Getting ready

I feel so comforted to know that our nursery is now ready for Charlotte.



This is our 4n1 crib/changing table that later converts into a toddler bed/headboard and bedside table. It also includes a trundle drawer and a hamper! The plaque over top reads "I am a Child of God." The 3D flowers are a purchase from our local baby store "Tip Toes," made by a local artisan. The quilt was given to us by a friend, handmade by her sister-in-law. Since we took the picture, we've also hung a cute flower/butterfly mobile.

Here is my cozy corner where I will rock/feed/read stories to the baby. The lampshade was our inspiration for the theme of the nursery. We found the valence at Babies R' Us, which had the perfect matching embroidery. There's still plenty of room on the walls to hang her first baby photos and maybe a few pregnancy shots if my photo session goes well.



I enter my 35th week on Tuesday. Let the countdown begin!

Before the sun rose

our Christmas shopping was done. Gotta love Black Friday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm relaxing on the couch right now, prepping to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade while Brian makes some french toast. Today we'll celebrate at my in-laws where food and family are usually in abundance. I'm looking forward to second helpings on the sweet potato casserole.
I hope all of you have a wonderful day and find much to give thanks for. I know I feel very thankful this year - I have a nice home, Brian and I have secure jobs, we're healthy and we are blessed to have a baby on the way. I really can't ask for more!

Knitting in the bible

This was the first reading at mass on November 16th. Who would've known knitting was so prayerful?

Prv 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31

When one finds a worthy wife,
her value is far beyond pearls.
Her husband, entrusting his heart to her,
has an unfailing prize.
She brings him good, and not evil,
all the days of her life.
She obtains wool and flax
and works with loving hands.
She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her fingers ply the spindle.
She reaches out her hands to the poor,
and extends her arms to the needy.
Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting;
the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Give her a reward for her labors,
and let her works praise her at the city gates.

Showered with love

I was given a baby shower by my in-laws this last Sunday. The hostess was the wonderful Jessie Hessler, one of Brian's high school friends. Her house is perfectly fit for a party. Jessie, my MIL Patty, SIL Jacqueline, and soon to be SIL Julie took great care in every small detail and it really showed.

Stationary favors for everyone.



Beautiful flowers at each table.



We had a delicious lunch of chicken salad on croissants with fruit and muffins. Everything was plated ahead of time, so all we had to do was sit and eat! It was so good, I eyed the extra plates across from me and thought about wolfing them down too.



The dessert spread was pretty darn delicious too!



We played a baby game where everyone had to guess between me and my two sisters as well as Brian and his two brothers. It was hard enough to tell girls from boys, much less who was who. I didn't even know who I was. (I'm none of these, but guess which one is Brian.)



I received so many nice gifts, including hand knit items, hand stitched burp cloths, a quilt, our pack 'n play, and our crib/changing table combo with mattress. The girlie outfits were all so cute that I found myself wishing they came in my size. The best part was that guests gave me books instead of cards, with a personal message written inside the cover. I read a few of them when I got home that night (while Brian built the crib). Some were so touching I was brought to tears, others had me laughing just at the thought of them (I'll post more on that later).

So, thank you to all who came and all who planned! I can't imagine a nicer way to celebrate the upcoming birth! Charlotte is going to be well- loved.

And last but not least, a belly photo..

Black Friday

I hope you are all getting your lists ready for my favorite (shopping) day of the year! If you're thinking, "We don't have the sales ads yet." No worries! Check out this website. Brian and I have already scoped out all the deals on flat screen t.v.'s. Target is also selling the video camera we want at a rock bottom price, if anyone feels like waiting in line at 6 am to buy us a Christmas gift :)

My supportive husband

Tonight I was at my first baby shower, given by my co-workers. I had a lot of fun and received so many nice things, thanks girls! So, one of the questions they asked me is if Brian has been really nice to me. Is he massaging my feet at night? I scoffed and said 'no.' But I forgot to tell them the half of it. The other night I asked him if he would please draw me a bath. Oh he did, a nice bath with bubbles and everything. He "drew" it on the scribble pad on his iPhone. He never even had to get off the couch.

Backwards

Mother Nature seemed to get things backwards this year. Maggie and I enjoyed a nice long walk this morning as we watched the crisp leaves drop on to new fallen snow. It was fun to watch her run through leaf piles and snow piles, simultaneously. I don't know about you east-siders, but we got 5" in lake-effect snow yesterday. Although I'm already listening to Christmas music, I wasn't quite ready for the snow.

The ultimate baby bump photo

I have been thinking about (and putting off) scheduling a photo session for our pregnancy. Brian and I kept talking about calling our wedding photographer to see if she would schedule something. I guess in the interest of time and money, we procrastinated. However, while working one of my weekend shifts in Grand Haven, a patient offered me a free portrait session for my pregnancy. He currently does senior portraits and now wants to branch into maternity photos. I checked out his website as soon as I got home. The photos are very artistic, but also a bit revealing, so I'll have to do my best to put my modesty aside for the photo session. I guess getting pregnant in the first place is a very natural thing, so I should try to be comfortable and go with it. Our photo session is scheduled for mid-December, so hopefully Charlotte stays in place until after that.

Fit for a princess

Brian put the finishing touches on Charlotte's closet yesterday. I think it is an excellent use of space and she'll grow into it nicely. This venture started last year when he glued up new paneling to cover the cracking plaster. Over the months, he's painted and installed the trim. Just yesterday we purchased the rods and shelving units at Meijer.
I went to church and came back to find that Brian had done a beautiful job installing everything to my (fairly anal) specifics. Now we have more than enough room to stock her outfits (with hand-me-downs ranging up to 24 months), blankets, towels, diapers, sheets, and receiving blankets. There are even hooks to hold her little purses and bags!

This week's spinning

I've been spinning some pencil roving for a Christmas project. I love the muted pastel tones in this colorway. I have close to 200 yards done. I can't wait to see how the final project turns out.

Christmas groove

I'm excited to say that the holidays feel as though they're officially starting. This past weekend we went to Beneath the Wreath, the fundraiser for Grand Rapids Junior League. We've made it a tradition to pick up our year's supply of green tea and Cherry Republic salsa. Today, I get to shop for ornaments to decorate a Christmas tree that will be auctioned off for my local chapter of the Holland Junior Welfare League. I also get to go dollar store shopping to buy gifts for a Christmas party that the league puts on for the Ottawa Area Center, a school for the learning disabled. All that on top of my Christmas knitting- I would say I'm officially in the groove. Today I saw the Radio City Rockettes on the local news and begged Brian to get us tickets. The only thing I'm lacking now is the Christmas music - that can be easily fixed. Bring out the Sinatra!

Another weekend gone by in a flash. The childbirth education class made for a long Saturday. We would get an hour lecture on each topic, then learn all the same information over again in a 15 minute video. Luckily, I brought along my knitting. It was a bit overwhelming watching the video of ladies doing the natural childbirth...not the pushing part, but just the laboring part. It's hard to know how it will go for me and whether I'll end up with just IV meds or choose the epidural. Being medically curious, I think I'd like to try and labor for a while so that I can experience as much as possible, but I'm not afraid to use the epidural if I really start to get worn out. I don't have any expectations, I think it's better not to.
I am excited for Brian to be my coach. He was a great support yesterday and it was a lot of fun to practice the breathing exercises together. We practiced a "slow dancing" relaxation where you just take slow deep breaths and move your hips from side to side while leaning on your husband. It's supposed to allow the baby to slowly shift down in the pelvis. I plan to bring some Michael Buble along to play in the hospital room. I don't think I'll break in to any West Coast Swing, but the swaying was nice. This week is 32 weeks - only 5 more weeks until Charlotte is considered full term. I am very impatient!