You Know It's Friday...

Things I said to Bella today (nope, not even kidding):

1. Please stop hitting him with your bucket.

2. DO NOT stick popcorn in your ear!

3. We don't suck on our toes...

4. I'm sorry, baby, cupcakes are not for breakfast.

5. Your giraffe doesn't need to kiss your bottom.

6. I don't know what that man's name is. No, he's not your Daddy.

You just can't make this stuff up!

Baby Shower And Girls Night Out!

Thursday night was my baby shower, hosted by Mel and Whitney. We decided to make it easier on everyone and have it at a restaurant so that we could just relax and enjoy each other - no streamers, no baby shower games, just a group of friends who never get to see each other, having a great time! It was exactly what I was looking forward to! I know that's easy for me to say since I got to open all of the presents, but it really was such a fun night; we laughed so hard, shared stories, and got to enjoy some delicious food!

We met at a French restaurant called La Madeleine that specializes in quiches, salads, sandwiches and pasta. It was so good! For dessert, Whitney brought cupcakes that her friend had made. They were beautiful and all sorts of yummy flavors. Mel and Whitney did such an amazing job of organizing and pulling everything together! An added bonus: we have about a dozen cupcakes left over!

Jen Knight, Emily, Jen Lindsey (Rex's mama), and Melissa! I am so blessed to have these wonderful, hilarious, giving women in my life!

Whitney and Heather

A little blurry, but my friend, Jen Knight, is explaining how she is convinced that Evie will be completely bald, so she made some hats for me to put on her! Ha! It was a funny story, and the hats are very beautiful!

Ashleigh and I comparing our baby bellies. Ashleigh is expecting little Jack soon!

Okay, this is incredibly blurry, but I had to include it anyway...Cathy loves TOMS shoes and she knows I love them, too. She got Evie a little pair in size 2! This is me as I was opening the package, and I was so excited! Steve and I love them so much!

Whitney and I...I love this woman! She is such a precious friend!

Ashley, me, and Mel (Ashley is Mel's friend from Northstar and we have adopted her as our own!)

Mel and Whitney insisted that I take a picture next to the cupcakes. I didn't think it was very fair to someone who was already so big that she can barely keep her knees together.

Me and Melissa

Cathy, Carolyn, and Ashleigh. Cathy will be my "mom" at our homebirth, and I am so thankful that she will be there! She's been my Bible study teacher for the last 3 years or so, and I always tell people that I have a not-so-secret plan to join her family. Steve and I love her and her husband, Carter!

My "adult" gifts from Ashleigh - gourmet chocolate, a bottle of wine, and flowers - and a close-up of Evie's new TOMS...so adorable!

Motherhood Is A New Kind Of Gross

I am an organized person. I love baskets, boxes, labels, and jars - anything that allows loose items to all go in a specific place. I have learned, however, that there is a difference between organized and clean. I am not a clean person. Steve can vouch for my weird hatred of showers; I can't explain it, but I hate taking them.

I also have what Whitney affectionately calls my "Monica toilet." In the show Friends, Monica is a psycho clean-freak, but she has one closet that is stuffed with junk. In my house, it's my Master bathroom. That toilet bowl is more often than not ringed in some sort of mildewy awesomensss, and yet, I have my toilet paper arranged in a pyramid on the back of the seat. I have the magazine rack organized by date, but I don't ever let people actually in the bathroom. I know; it's weird.

People like to tell expectant mothers how icky newborns can be, but in my limited experience, newborns have nothing on toddlers. Toddlers are mobile. Oh, and they can throw things, so the likelihood that they can cause some sort of mess grows exponentially with their ability to spread that mess.

Between having two toddlers in the house and not being particularly clean myself, my house has suffered some damage this last past week. It finally got some cleaning love on Friday, but I had to take some pictures first. I don't know if it will look bad from pictures, but you'll just have to trust me...it was gross.

Being almost 9 months pregnant means I can't bend over very easily; or maybe it's just that I don't want to bend over. Either excuse seems perfectly legitimate to me. This is what my kitchen floor looked like all week long...an apple core that Bella left there, a Snickers wrapper, a piece of junk mail, and the wax wrapper from Babybel cheese. I didn't have the guts to take a picture of what it looks like under Bella's little table.

Okay, I know dirty dishes in the sink are no big deal, but my favorite thing about this picture is the trashcan filled with ashes from the fireplace. I was pretty proud of myself for actually cleaning out the fireplace since it's warmer weather now, but I just never followed through and ended up leaving the trashcan on the sink. Oh, and the flower vase with dirty water and dead leaves. Super-pretty! I definitely need to do some hardcore cleaning before we have this baby at home!

Ready for Spring!

We've had such mild temperatures the past few months - I'm not if it can count as "winter" - but this past week has been truly warm weather! Even with the occasional rainy afternoon, it's been in the 70's, which is just wonderful! Bella and Rex love playing outside and tumbling in the grass! Every afternoon, we go outside after naptime and play in the front yard until Steve gets home. The kids love searching for flowers, and Steve gets to hear a loud, "It's Daaaaaaaddy!" as he pulls into the driveway! You can't beat that for a welcome!

Life Is All About Bella (In A Good Way!)

Everytime I talk to my friend, Whitney, on the phone, I realize again that my life is all about Bella. It's not a bad thing, it's just interesting; when Whitney shares stories about her little Sapplings, she usually keeps it to either which kid is doing the same dumb thing that Bella is doing (that would be David) or which one is currently sick (that would be Charli). She's got 4 children, so she rarely sits on the phone and tells me 5 different things about each one.

I, on the other hand, can talk to her on the phone for 30 minutes and tell her 4 (okay, like 6) different cute/weird/annoying things that Bella did that day. Bella is my only "story." She is the sole source of my bang-my-head-against-the-wall, my eyes-want-to-bug-out-of-my-head moments, but she is also my only snuggle bug, my buddy on shopping trips, my singing partner, and the only one who has to vie for my attention.

I'm not worried about my heart having room for two (or more!); I just have nothing to compare it to. And I know that at first, a newborn and a three-year old will have very different needs (I'm hoping!), but I'm curious about what life will be like when they're 2 and 5. For now, I'm really enjoying my last few months of life being all about just one little kumquat.

Checking out the trees in her raincoat.

We Have Our Waterbirth Supplies!

After our incredibly romantic dinner on Friday night, Steve graciously agreed to go to WalMart with me, so that I could get his opinion on birth supplies.

I found a few different websites online with wonderful suggestions; I was also very thankful that the websites recommended very similar items, so we didn't have to worry about which ones were better.

Looking at all of the supplies, it's hard not to feel like we're preparing to give birth in the Wild West. Buying a few garden hoses is definitely not something I ever anticipated when thinking about getting ready for a baby!

We have a plastic pool that is large enough for both Steve and I to fit in, deep enough to cover my belly when I'm on my knees, and it's light-colored so that our midwife has a good view and can make sure there's no excessive bleeding. It also has soft sides, so I can lean against it in those moments when I'm sure I'll be thinking that this baby is trying to kill me.

There's also a tarp to go under the pool and two hoses - one to pump hot water from the sink to the pool, and the other to pump "pool water" from the pool to the extra sink. We still have to buy a pump that will suction water out, but that will be our last item.

We inflated the pool yesterday to make sure it fits in the space we have in our bedroom; luckily, it does! I'm sure we'll move some things around to make room for the ladies that will be there and the supplies we'll have close by. Hopefully, Margaret approves all of our purchases!

Celebrating The Last Year Of My 20's!

My birthday weekend was so much fun! We got to enjoy a little bit of everything - family time, friend time, and just me and Steve.

On Friday night, Steve and I went to this great, little restaurant called The Blue Grotto. They serve sushi and tapas, which are fun, because you can sample more dishes. It refreshed both of us to be able to sit and talk, and just focus on each other. I don't always realize how badly I need to reconnect with Steve until I actually get to do it!

We sat back in this little corner on a long couch. It was fun to be "lounging" during dinner! We had sushi, bruschetta, some pork, and more sushi!

We ordered fondue for dessert and the presentation was beautiful! It definitely exceeded our expectations!

On Saturday morning, Mel took me out to breakfast and then surprised me with a sister massage! She reserved the "couples room" for us, which made us really giggle, but it was also great because we got to stay together. Mel was surprised to have a male massage therapist assigned to her! He was extremely professional, but you should have seen our faces when he first walked in!

This was the ticket they handed me on my way out. I love the section titled, "Today we accomplished..."

Our family activity was to take Bella to her first movie! We've talked about doing this a couple of times, but it worked out great today! The took her to see Dr. Seuss' The Lorax and promised popcorn and coke! I'm not sure if she was more excited about the "pecial mooovee" or the "topcorn"!

Chillin' next to Mel with her kids' snack pack. She's such a little girl now and not a baby anymore! She did great and stayed pretty focused the entire time. She liked seeing other kids in the theater and kept pointing out the "baby", even though she was probably the youngest one in there. As I'm typing this, she is pretending to run a concession stand over on Daddy's side of the bed!

We invited Trey and Whitney over for dinner; Whitney brought dinner over and Mel made cheesecake...it was so nice to catch up and talk. Mel filled them in on her India trip, and Bella invited them to sit and eat dinner with her. We originally thought that the little Sapplings would be coming, too, so we had a table set up in the playroom. Instead, Trey and Whitney got to enjoy "appetizers" of American cheese and carrot sticks!

Nesting...And Lots Of Pacing

Nesting mode is in full swing. The problem is, I have most of my projects done, so I'm just pacing. I should be napping right now, but I keep walking up and down the hallway in front of the nursery, hoping a project will suddenly become apparent. Sometimes I walk into the nursery and sit in the rocking chair before getting up and pacing again. Oh, and it's raining outside, so it's not like I can go pull weeds or plant flowers.

I hate being restless; it makes me cranky (ask Steve). I could spend the next ten minutes putting some items in the attic, but I loathe "attic runs" with a deep and burning passion. Steve literally has to either do it himself or stand at the bottom of the attic stairs so that I'll stay motivated.

I feel like the mom in The Emperor's New Groove who gets annoyed at something the king does and has to go clean something to calm down...as she snorts. Did I mention she's also hugely pregnant? I'm pretty much at that point - cranky, snorting, and pregnant; it's a beautiful thing.

Alright! I'm off to set the table for our birthday dinner that people shouldn't be showing up to for another 30 hours or so. You really envy Steve right now, don't you?

Yep, this is me right now. Except I don't look that cute in a headband.

KONY 2012: Stop At Nothing

I'm writing this post because I want my girls to know that Steve and I believe in making a difference and making a change. I can't say that it will be a successful effort, but when it takes such little effort on our part, how could we not try?

I won't even try to explain the entire video; I will just say that Joseph Kony is the leader of the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army), a rebel army that began in Uganda. He kidnaps children, forcing them to do unspeakable acts.

Here's the action you can take: wear the bracelet, post the video online, put up a poster. The creators are very specific that the goal is focused on 2012...Kony must be stopped in 2012 in order to keep the lawmakers in Washington, D.C. involved. I don't like jumping on bandwagons or fads, but for the sake of the children, this is worth it.

Go to: www.invisiblechildren.com to watch the video, or to http://invisiblechildrenstore.myshopify.com/?limit=all to buy a bracelet.

Little Touches

I added some touches to the nursery today; a few little things that make it seem more finished. Steve painted the mirror today, so we'll hang that tomorrow, and our friend, Ben, is going to paint a mural on the wall across from the closet. We'll be done soon!

My mom sent me a box today with some fun stuff for Evie! She found two antique books: A Little Princess and The Secret Garden. These are beautiful books that I loved when I was a little girl!

The little table next to our rocking chair. I'm sure that it will be covered with burp clothes soon enough, but right now, it's got my new books on it!

Mom also sent a beautiful, old plate that she got from a friend of hers. The plate has a woman carrying a baby and walking next to a little girl. It's a fun plate for us! Steve had the great idea to hang it above the bird picture that is over the changing table. It came out beautifully!

We got Evie's dresser from a garage sale, and it was hard to think that it was really clean. I found some pretty, green drawer liners at Wal-Mart that were really easy to install. This is the pattern...

And with clothes in it! Come on, Evie, we're ready for you!

We have plenty of clothes for her, but it is still fun to find the occasional outfit. I was looking for some "church outfits" at Target today, and found these two: a bright blue romper with flowers and a light-colored dress with polka dots. They are "newborn", so she won't last long in them, but it will be fun to have some pretty dresses for those first few Sundays in church!

I think that's it! I'm excited to see the mirror hung up!