Guess Again

Thanks to everybody who voted in my little guess-the-birth-date poll! It's nice to know I have so many readers! I had 31 votes for when folks think the baby will arrive: nobody guessed Nov. 19-23; three people guessed Nov. 25-29; four guessed Nov. 30-Dec. 4, 11 people guessed Dec. 5-9; eight people guessed Dec. 10-14; and five guessed Dec. 15-19. Now that we know the last possible date will be Dec. 11, I’ve put up a new poll… so if you want, feel free to guess again.

Boxers and Birthdays

We are very blessed to have so many friends and family members who already love our little boy. And we’ve been lucky to receive some very generous baby gifts. I really appreciate all the essentials – from bottles and diapers to bath tubs and play pens. But I get most giddy about the really CUTE things! And I’m a sucker for anything embroidered. At my hometown shower, I received several embroidered burp cloths and super cute blanket with his name stitched on it… and today, I received an adorable onesie with matching boxers! You see bloomers for little girls all the time, but I’ve never seen baby boy boxers before, and they are the most clever little thing!! My friend Katie ordered the outfit from http://www.laurenlakegifts.com/, and the site has a bunch of super cute items!

The other big news today was my doctor's appointment. I’m happy to report our baby boy is doing great, and the doctor said he looks ready to go! She was actually a little surprised I made it to today's appointment, especially considering I did so much walking on Friday. Her guess was that I'd go into labor by tonight... but I think she was joking because she's on call tonight!

I have another appointment set for next Monday morning, and IF I make it to that appointment, we can schedule an induction to take place next Friday, Dec. 11. Wow!! It's kind of wild to look at a calendar and know our baby boy should be here in 11 days or less! I’m feeling super excited, giddy and only slightly freaked out — all at the same time. It's a pretty cool sentiment though, and it reminds me of how I felt a week or two before my wedding: happy, hopeful and patiently waiting for all the last details to fall into place before the big day arrived!

Overall, I'm really happy about the possibility of an induction because if that happens, it guarantees my doctor will be the one to deliver. And if we make it that far, it means I would have a definite start date for my maternity leave from work. Also, going six days ahead of my due date puts a little more separation between his birthday and Christmas (although poor guy... his birthday will also fall right around college finals for those years he's in school, which is no fun). But of course, our baby could come at any time in the next week-and-a-half, and I guess that’s the freaky part! Haha -- we need to hurry up and get those car seats installed! So Dec. 11 (instead of Dec. 17) is the new date kind of stuck in my head right now as his potential birthday. It's very exciting. And I’m pretty sure I will wake up every morning thinking, “Wow… today could be our baby’s birthday!”

No November Baby

When I left work on Tuesday, my co-workers were teasing me about whether or not I would show up to work on Monday -- they all thought it was a very real possibility I could have the baby over the next five days. So I tried to make sure my desk looked near and clean, especially if there was a chance I wouldn't be back until March! But alas, it looks like our son will be a December baby as assumed all along. It seemed like my belly finally dropped a little on Thursday evening (I can definitely see a difference and tell he's sitting lower), but despite all the walking I did Friday and Saturday, he doesn't seem to be in any hurry to make his debut. I have another doctor's appointment tomorrow at lunch, and I'm super curious to see if my body has made any progress. I have a few things this week I'm really looking forward to (decorating for Christmas, Scott finishing this semester and attending a book signing on Thursday evening), but especially once Friday gets here, I will be READY for our son to arrive! Here I am at 37 weeks, two days. I'm petting Lonestar's head with one hand and holding my belly with the other. Haha! We're only 18 days away from his due date!

Thanksgiving Rundown

I can't believe my Thanksgiving vacation ends today... but I've had a great week! I was off work Wednesday, so I spent about two hours at HEB that morning buying groceries and piddling around the house in the afternoon. On Thursday, my parents and brother came over for lunch and Scott smoked this amazing prime rib (which was ogled at HEB by no less than four people). It was so good!! This was probably the smallest Thanksgiving gathering we've had in a while, but it was nice to be home (and I'm glad we didn't have to fight any traffic this week). We spent the afternoon watching football, and my mom and I also finished up some small things in the baby's room.

BTW, no -- the furniture has still not arrived. Scott talked to the manager of USA Baby yesterday (the store I used to love... but now pretty much loathe), who said the truck should arrive this week and then it will be delivered to our house in another 3-4 days. If we get the furniture set up before the baby's born, it will be a miracle. Anyway, my dad and brother drove home to Shiner after the UT-A&M game (which was a much closer game than we all anticipated... good job Ags!), and we went to bed with an alarm set for 5:15 a.m. for Black Friday!! Although eeks... maybe I should have put some lipstick on before shopping! I know a lot of people think I'm insane for shopping on Black Friday (especially this year, when I'm 37 weeks pregnant), but I'm not kidding when I say it's one of my favorite days of the year! I love shopping with my mom, and we always get some great deals! For example, I got a DVD that retailed for $45.99 for only $10! And some shirts priced at $36 only cost me $12. All of my family members should know by now that I try to do most of my shopping on Black Friday, so those that give me a list ahead of time usually get better presents simply because you can get more for your money on that day. Overall, we had pretty good luck this year. There were only a few terrible lines (the line we originally stood in at Target wrapped around toward the back of the store... but I got smart and found a line in the middle with only three or four people ahead of us, which saved us at least 30 minutes of waiting -- woo hoo!). And overall, it seemed like most people seemed happy (and not rude or grouchy or pushy) as they were out and about shopping. Haha -- my only sad part of the day (other than a bad incident involving Pyrex at Kohl's that ended with a very happy solution at JCPenney) was when I tried on some boots at Macy's. Apparently, my legs are also pregnant -- my calves couldn't fit into some knee-high boots! :-( But all in all, it was a great day. I loved spending time with my mom, and that night, Scott and I watched a great movie called Funny People.

Saturday was pretty laid-back. Scott and I spent some time outside enjoying the nice weather and the sound of our wind chime on the back patio. And I twisted his arm and convinced him to go shopping with me up in "South Dallas" (aka North Austin... Scott doesn't like going north of downtown!). I love outdoor malls, and we had a fun time shopping, drinking hot chocolate and then eating dinner at a restaurant we'd never tried before called North. We were seated outside, so we even got to enjoy a bunch of Christmas carolers. Scott teases me about "date nights," but I sure do enjoy them! And I'm so lucky to have a man that likes (or at least tolerates) shopping! So now it's Sunday -- and we have no plans yet for today. But I have certainly enjoyed the holiday... and I hope you did too!

Reflecting and Thankful

This holiday season, I’m giving thanks for…

My fabulous husband. I really feel like we are a perfect pair, very best friends and each other’s biggest supporter. He makes me laugh and loves me for me. Best of all, we make each other happy, and I think our marriage feels like an easy, flirty, solid friendship instead of something we have to constantly work at improving. I can’t imagine my life without him.

My soon-to-be-born son. It’s amazing how much you can much you can love someone you’ve never met face-to-face. My heart swells (and sometimes my eyes water) just thinking about him. I know I freaked out a little on Sunday, but I feel much more “at peace” now and am ready to meet him, whenever he decides to arrive. He’s a true miracle, and I’m lucky to be his mama.

My wonderful family. It’s nice having big, extended families on both my side and Scott’s side. And I wouldn’t be the girl I am without my immediate family’s love, support and influence.

My friends. Words cannot describe how much I love some of my girlfriends. And even more casual friends (or blogger friends I’ve never met) are super important to me in their own ways.

My faith. Even when I’m not deserving, I’m given so much. Every day, I feel very blessed.

My career. It’s a great thing to be paid to do something you love. This year has been exceptionally well-rounded, and I’m grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had and the luxuries it’s afforded me.

My health. Especially since nine months of this year have been with me pregnant, I’m become spoiled by how easy things are… and I hope good health continues for me and those I love.

My house. Yeah – it’s a superficial thing to be thankful for – but I really am thankful for our beautiful house, and I look forward to many years of great things happening here.

My optimism. This has been a very fulfilling year for me, and I really think things are just going to keep getting better and better. I hope I always manage to see a silver lining and think positively on all aspects of life.

Addicted to Etsy

I have a new obsession: the Web site, Etsy. It's such a cool online place to shop! I have now placed four orders for custom baby artwork (two for me and two for friends who were new moms) and also recently ordered jewelry from one of the vendors. I love that everything is handmade and how you can have virtual conversations with the vendors to really work together on an idea to create something that's one of a kind!

I have to show off my two latest purchases: the first is a silver cuff bracelet. I wanted it to be something simple about the baby, but since he hasn't been born yet, I obviously couldn't put his birthday on it (I may save that for a future necklace). So I decided to use a Bible verse (thanks to Google, I found inspiration in James 1:17) and got a bracelet that says, "Every perfect gift... (baby's name)... is from above." I've worn the bracelet every day since it arrived in the mail. And I ended up buying my mom a similar bracelet (which is the one shown above) with the exact same inscription, except that the bracelet is a little thicker and has a tiny little charm on it with baby footprints. SO cute!!

My other new favorite purchase hasn't arrived yet, but I got a photo proof e-mailed today, and I cannot wait for it to arrive. It's a set of hand-painted canvas art: one 11x14 horizontal print with the baby's name (in the blank yellow space), and then two side vertical pieces measuring 8x10 that feature little cowboys. And it's totally custom done just for our son to match his bedding. BTW, I've digitally taken off our son's name off in the picture above. I know most of you already know his name, but I've never actually typed it on my blog, and I'm thinking about making my blog "private" after he's born (which means if I don't already have it, send me your e-mail address so I can invite you to view my blog if/when that happens). Anywhere, I think the artwork is just perfect!!

Also, in the post below, you might have noticed a framed picture of a little cowboy with a monogram on his hat on the shelf that looks very similar to this: Yep... it's from Etsy too! Thanks so much to Karen, Kelley and Lori (the three amazing women on Etsy I've worked with so far on custom projects) for your creativity! I wonder what I will buy next? Hmm... maybe some Christmas presents for the three new soon-to-be aunts to our baby boy??!

A Place to Sleep

Late this afternoon, I had contractions that lasted about two hours... just long enough to make me freak out a little about how we are NOT ready for our son to arrive! After one particularly bad contraction (scary enough for me to grab my pregnancy book and look up "false labor"), I had a couple tears fall -- not because of the pain, but because our baby had nowhere to sleep! Haha! Luckily, I have an awesome husband, who immediately proceeded to set up our Pack N Play. My friend Krista had warned us that putting it together could be a tedious processes (and she was right!), but it's all set up now and in our bedroom. Yay! Now if I can get a hospital bag packed and at least one of the car seats installed, I'll feel a lot more prepared for his arrival. Oh and speaking of getting ready, here are (finally) some pictures of the progress we've made on the baby's room. This picture shows you were the crib and dresser should be. Our son's super packed (and yet highly organized) closet -- it will look better when we have more drawers for all his clothes and blankets. The cute little bouncer I put together this morning. We still need to put up the double curtain rod in order to hang up the valance (over the rocking chair right now so it doesn't get wrinkled). And finally, his cute little shelf, already filled with books, toys and pictures.