One more day in 2008!

This year has flown by! We have been so busy lately that I feel like I can never catch up. We had a nice Christmas-we went to Concord for the 23rd and 24th for family Christmas happenings, then we came back to Hillsborough to have Santa come to our house. Jada was completely overloaded with everything Christmas morning! We set out all of the presents she got in Concord PLUS everything that Santa brought for her. It took her 2 hours to go through and unwrap everything! She was on such a sensory overload, she didn't even know where to start opening things! We finally started by opening her 2 barbie dolls then moved on to the Ariel toys, etc. We had a great day together~We are still trying to recover from it! Fast forward to Monday...I had another doctor's appointment (I will go once a week until the 19th) and Bella's heartbeat was in the 140s, everything appears normal. We did find out what to do if I go into labor, and that even if I do, I can still have a C-section. (YAY!)

Yesterday was my birthday, and Jada woke us up nice and early to celebrate. Wayne cooked me breakfast (cinnamon rolls) while I opened up my present. He got me a photo printer!! YAY! I am very happy with it because my only grip about us taking pictures is we never develop them. Now, we can pick and choose the ones we want when we take them without having to worry about going to the store, etc. The printer works really well. You can put in the memory card, hook it up to the computer as a printer, copy, and scan with it. It is a very cool present and Wayne also hooked me up with plenty of photo paper to last for awhile.

We went to the Cheesecake factory for dinner where I got the 30th anniversary chocolate cake cheesecake. It was heaven! After dinner, I wanted to take Jada to Build A Bear because we have never done that before, so we went and she made a dog. She named her dog Andalasia (from Enchanted) but we convinced her to call the dog Andi. We had fun stuffing the dog and all that goes with that. All in all, my birthday was very nice. Lots of birthday wishes via facebook and even a few phone calls. :)

Wayne has been working throughout this holiday time, and I have to go back to work on Friday. I should have been working on my maternity leave lesson plans, but it is proving to be more difficult than I thought. 4 lessons a day, with 50 days of leave. I have a schedule worked out, but I am struggling to actually write the lesson plans. I really an becoming preoccupied with trying to get ready for Bella that I am not motivated to do work over my "vacation."

Our baby shower is this weekend in Concord, and Wayne and I are very excited about it. Baby showers are just so much fun, and it makes things more real. Isabella will be here in about 2 weeks after the shower-so unreal! I organized Bella's room a little more this week, and my next project is to tackle Jada's room so she feels like she has her own space for herself and her stuff. I guess you could say I am nesting...

4 Years

From Wayne to Jennie - 12/18/2008



You and I work extremely hard for what we have. When I say this I am not only referring to our physical possessions but also the very substance of our relationship: love. When I wake up in the morning, it is because I love you. When I make accomplishments at work, it is because I love you. When I kiss my daughter and tell her she is my friend, it is because I love you. Our love has built a home and made a family. Brick by brick and stone by stone we have laid the foundation of this relationship and made something beautiful for the entire world to see and envy.



Four years ago I vowed to love you forever. I vowed to cherish you as my lover and my friend. I have lived up to these vows, just as you have. With each day that passes we add more and more layers to our union. Our love has depth, and runs deeper than any sentiment or emotion I have every experienced in life. Our love overflows into the lives of our children. They are better because of us. They are better because of our love.



I vowed to protect you. I strive to place my family inside of a protective atmosphere. Sometimes this may come across as controlling, but it is sincere and honored on behalf of a vow and promise I made to you. When you cry, I cry. When you hurt, I feel your pain as if it were my own. I vowed to protect you. Each day I try.



When I wake up in the morning and have the HONOR of saying “happy anniversary” to my wife, it is because I love you.

Your love and protector,
Wayne

In an effort to keep each other well dressed, here are the 4 year anniversary gifts:

Jennie got me a new ( and VERY nice) pea coat :) My previous coat was not that nice and the buttons were just falling off.

When she told me that she bought me something from Macy's the first thing I said was "pea coat."

Did I mention that I'm always right ;)


I got Jennie this really fancy and nice 100% cashmere sweater from Macy's and a new wallet. I think I outdid my self this time around, she looks FANTASTIC (and feels even better)!

It is confirmed!!!

So, I called the doctor today, and it is official~Isabella will be joining us at 9:30am on January 19, 2009!!!! I am so excited! We have a lot going on right now, but so much is great! Hopefully we will get a completed nursery this weekend with crib, rocker/ottoman, and painted walls. I am so excited to see it!

Wayne is amazing when it comes to being a dad, I can't wait to see how he does it times 2! Four years ago today, I found out Jada was coming (Wayne foudn out 2 days later), and now she is here and we have another miracle coming...it is so surreal.

Last night, we rolled truffles to give to coworkers, and we boxed them up to take to work today. It is so much fun doing things like that to tell people how much you appreciate them. We rolled almost 300 truffles total, and somehow, I managed to not eat a single one. I didn't want one then, but now I am craving something deliciously sweet! This pregnancy is very different, I don't really crave anything specific. There have been times when I really wanted something, but not really craving something in particular all the time.

Tomorrow is our 4 year anniversary, and I am so excited!! I got Wayne a really good present this year, and I really hope he likes it. He always rocks at giving special presents, and I really try to, but can never compare to all the things he does. We are going out on Friday night to celebrate our anniversary because it would just be too much to try and go out on a school night and worry about making it home in time so Jada can get to bed and we can get up in the morning. Wayne told me this morning that he has something special planned, and I am psyched! I love surprises, even though sometimes I don't show it.

I think that is why I like presents instead of gift cards...there is always that anticipation of opening the present that you just don't get with an envelope.

We have a tentative date!

Jennie had a check-up appoint yesterday and we finally set our delivery date: January 19, 2009. Everything is still tentative at this point, but it is looking pretty good that our Bella will be born 5 weeks from yesterday! It is getting so close!

Take a look at this website, which details important events that have occured on Jan 19th: http://www.brainyhistory.com/days/january_19.html

(none more important than the birth of my little girl, of course!)

As our anniversary approaches (Thursday), and Christmas (next Thursday), and Jennies Birthday (the next Tuesday), and the baby (next next next next next Monday) Jennie and I are losing our minds. Seriously. Let me detail our day yesterday.

Jennie wakes up and goes downstairs to get the Pepsid, which has been a necessity during this pregnancy. She gets the bottle out, then turns to the refrigerator to get the milk out. She proceeds to pour the milk into the pill bottle!!!!!

Then, we get into our cars to go to the hospital for our appointment and start down the road. Suddenly, I look up and realize that I have driven 7 miles past my exit!

We get to work (by some twist of luck) and Jennie sends me an email saying that she forgot to put the parking brake up on the car when she parked at school, causing her to roll into the bushes and spilled a drink all over herself and her Coach bag.

I emailed her back and told her that she must really be loosing it, because if she would have just pressed the power button in the Prius it would have automatically engaged the brake. She sends a message back informing me that she did not drive the Prius today... I did ;)

A Busy Weekend

On your mark. Get set. GOOOOOO!

(and they're off...)


Jennie and I have a killer weekend lined up, starting today at 2pm. My company is having a Christmas party at Chatham Hills Winery today from 2-5. Should be a ton of fun, with lots of wine, heavy appetizers, and most important... NO WORK :)

Jennie will be picking me up at 5ish and we will be off to a night of dinner and shopping, probably in the Southpoint area. We will be able to do this without our child because our daycare rocks! Twice a year they have extended hours and basically babysit while the parents go out on a date. So, Jada will be at school until 9pm. We sent her off this morning with dinner and PJs and said "HAVE FUN" (we sure will!) Tonight should also mark the end of our Christmas shopping, which is a great feeling. We only have a few things left to pick up.

Tomorrow, we have a slow morning but then Susan is coming over at 2pm to have a small little xmas celebration before she heads back to SC. After she leaves we will be going to an awesome Christmas party. This party is being held by one of the families from daycare, and the invitation says they will have real snow, a babysitter for all the kids, wine, and food! Yay!



On Sunday we are going to Miles' 3rd birthday party, which I think is Wall-e themed. Jada should have a lot of fun with that as she LOVES Wall-e.


Well, I better get some work done before all of the FUN begins!

Getting things ready... well kinda

When Jada was cooking Jennie and I worked diligently day-in and day-out to prepare the house and nursery. We were comletely done with the nursery by month 5 of the pregnancy. Wasn't it pretty!

This time around we ABSOLUTELY suck. Isabella will be moving into Jada's old room, which currently consists of: Jada's broken crib, Bella's new crib (still in a box), a new changing table (actually put together), a green wall that needs to be re-painted to match, purple curtains which need to be replaced, and a glider/ottoman (still in a box). When you walk into the room you feel sad inside. I really need to get my butt in gear! I am strongly hoping that some of my friends will come over and assist me in the assembly of these items, as it can be a very long and tedious project. Ugh. But the finished product will be wonderful!

This is the crib:

It is a coffee color that is nice and dark but still has some brown in it. There is a drawer underneath, but apparently it just sits on the floor and isn't attached to the actual crib. Still, I really like it :)

We are not using the sheet set shown in the picture, for these you need to scroll down :)

Here is our changing table

We don't have any of the accessories yet and will probably get those at pottery barn kids (they have the softest stuff).

The table is the same coffe color as the crib and we will have the same set-up with the baskets and such.

Jennie and I were really lucky to find the perfect bedding for the nursery. In this first picture you can see the inside of the bumper which has yellow flowers and scribbled sheep. The comforter says "Isabella Rose" and is my favorite piece in the set. It is very good quality, soft, and heavy.

The sheets are solid yellow with the same sheep pattern.

Here you can see the entire set from the outside. We also got the baby pillow sham, which says "Bella" on it.

In the background you can see a small part of the polka dotted curtains. We have these also, along with the crib skirt.

Also, in addition to these items, we have this. First, you see the picture on the wall of our little sheep friend. He is actually a peg board slip cover, so you can poke things in him :) In this picture you can see our sheep mobile. It's going to be so adorable. It hangs from the ceiling, so we don't have to worry about fitting it to the crib.

We decided to do everything in yellow/black/white this time around since Jada was a total pink/purple kind of girl.

Hopefully, Bella will like it as much as we do!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of The Year

Christmas is my FAVORITE time of the year! I love the trees, the cold, the family gatherings, the food, presents, even the shopping. It is also a huge time for tradition in our family, which I thoroughly value.



Typically the day before Christmas we pack up and head to Concord where we celebrate various traditions with our families. All of the festivities culminate at a Christmas Eve party at my grandmother's house. After the party Jennie and I make the long trip back home with Jada so that Santa Clause can visit our own house, and our own tree :)



We usually wake up extra early (which ensures a nice long nap in the afternoon) to open presents. This is the first year that Jada has been fully aware of Santa Clause and his jolly-ness. She is SOOOO excited! Please note the following conversation:



Santa: What do you want for Christmas this year.

Jada: A prreeesssenttt.

S: What kind of present?

J: A pretty one.

S: Do you want a doll?

J: YES

S: What kind of doll?

J: I'm Ariel.



Oh, the musings of a three year old!



Do you ever get that feeling that your children are being too quite? Last night, Jennie and I were cooking dinner and suddenly had that feeling. I walk into the living room to discover the following scene. Please note several key items:
1. Jada's stocking hanging in the upper right hand corner.
2. Brand new crayons spewed upon the floor, and
3. The absence of a certain elf that must have performed this deed, as I am sure my daughter would never do such a thing!



(you may be asking why her stocking is hanging so low. Well, the shelf they were on fell off of the wall and we sat it on this table until the shelf could be fixed)



Darn those elves ;)

Pending Deliveries

I can't believe we will be a family of 4 in about 1.5 months. It's insane to think that our little family unit is about to change! The picture to my left is Jada prior to Jennie's most recent ultrasound. She was all smiles until we were in the room and everyone's attention was focused on the tv screen.

"I don't want to look at that anymore," she said. "I think it's time to go..."

It will be such an interesting journey to not only see how Jennie and I adapt to the new child, but to see how Jada adapts and reacts to the baby. According to Jada, Bella will come out wearing 'big girl panties' and be about 6 feet tall. Oh, and Jada will be her teacher, just like she has teachers at daycare.

It is interesting to think that we will be able to have some form of schedule for the birth of Bella. Having Jada was such an ordeal! This time around Jennie will be having a planned C-section (that is, as long as Bells doesn't decide to make an early appearance). We get to pick a date/doctor during our next appointment at UNC. Hopefully, we will be able to get our regular OB/GYN, she is awesome! The health care system here is wonderful, and it helps that I have fantastic insurance ($25.00 from start to finish!)

Even though the nursery isn't close to being done (what crib?) and we have a lot of mental prep left to do... I'm ready. Yes, I'm ready :)

Update- Okay, this ultrasound picture is from 20 weeks, but you can see her little face =-D

Is it just me, or is she smiling!!!!

Getting Started

Babies grow up to fast. In fact, our darling baby Jada is about to become a big sister. It wasn't long ago that our 'big girl' was just a baby herself:

This doesn't even look like Jada to me, yet I still remember her laying in her bassinet smiling for the first time. Mommy and Daddy are hovering over her with a camera and in a flash we capture this picture. In the same flash, 3 years speed by and our little baby is no longer a baby; but instead, she is a head-strong smart 3 1/2 year old singing the Chicago soundtrack in the backseat!

Jennie and I will be maintaining this blog in an effort to slow the hands of time, or at least capture a moment of it's rapid pace. From here, we will be able to update our families and friends on the 'small' things in life. The things that make us laugh as well as the things that make us think.

Story of the day:

Part 1 - Several months ago I took Jada to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was a cute movie, but the one thing Jada took away from the movie was the fact the chipmunks say "bow-chica-wow-wow."

Part 2 - Jennie and I took Jada to see Madagascar 2 at the theater and the one thing she took away from the movie was the song "I like to move it, move it. We like to... MOVE IT"

Part 3 - Holly and Susan took Jada to see Bolt.

Culmination - On the way home one day Jada looks at Jennie and I with a serious face and say "When I go to the movies again with Holly, I'm going to say BOW-CHICA-WOOOOWW WOW I LIKE TO MOVE IT, MOVE IT. WE LIKE TO ............................................................................. MOVE IT!"

It was very cute and unexpected.