Steve's Crazy Job

Life has been crazy for Steve lately. His department was originally supposed to be moving downtown at the end of February to the company's skyrise. There was a lot of back and forth discussions and compromise on the issue. Steve's immediate supervisor was dead-set against the move, but his department head really wanted it to happen, and she's the boss. Now plans have been changed again, and Steve's group is staying in Alpharetta for now. Steve doesn't seem to care either way - there are pros and cons for him in both scenarios. I think at this point, he just wants it done. We'll keep you posted...

Baby Shower, Car Accident, and More...

Instead of doing multiple posts on different subjects, I'll just give one long run-down of our Florida weekend and include some pictures of the shower.

Wednesday and Thursday were pretty low-key. I got to spend some time with individual family members, which was really nice. Wednesday afternoon, dad and I ate lunch and ran errands together. We met a woman who said she was a twin and both of them weighed 9 pounds at birth! (someone had better be praying that doesn't happen to me!)

Thursday was mom and I's day to run around - lunch at a cute little restaurant on Venice Island called le Petit Jardin ("the little garden").

I spent Thursday night at Mel's apartment, which was a ton of fun! She lives over an hour away, but it was definitely worth it - we went out to dinner and rented a total chick flick. Mel's not usually the girly type, so it's always a treat to watch her be girly over a movie aimed at 13 year olds.

My goal on Friday was to drive down to Englewood (about 30 minutes south of Venice) and surprise dad for lunch at his school. On the way there, I got in a minor car accident. The only positive was that no one was hurt...and it wasn't my fault. A witness showed up at some point to talk to the cops and must have verified my story, because the man was cited and I was allowed to leave.

Saturday morning was the shower! It was a great success! Mel and mom did an awesome job of food and games and all that. We had almost 40 ladies there, which was a little overwhelming, but also made it fun to see people that I hadn't in years. The ladies were unbelievably generous with their gifts - we got a bunch of stuff from out registry. My grandparents and parents got us the stroller/travel system we had picked out, lots of bathtime supplies and cute clothes, and a few ladies made beautiful homemade gifts. The were beautiful!

Here's all the great food that mom made - quiches, baked brie, cupcakes, yum!

Opening a present filled with bathtime supplies - towels, soap, a tub, etc.

A beautiful scrapbook that mom's boss made - it already has the pages filled and ready to go with pictures. She also included a ton of "extras" like stickers and quotes and lettering.

A shot of the ladies of the family. We're exhausted, but happy.

And last, but not least - Rachel's birthday party! Steve actually got to be involved in this one (He's Rachel's favorite anyway). It was Saturday night, which meant by this time, everyone was tired, but we still had a really good time. Here' a picture of the "kids". This is the Stuckey family that Mel and I grew up with, plus some assorted fiances and girlfriends in there for fun!

Whew! And you wonder why Steve and I always come back from Florida exhausted! This is why trips to Ohio are so relaxing - we get to read and eat and sleep. :)

Heaven's Touch Massage

Steve's Valentine's present was a 90 minute pre-natal massage. I've been looking forward to it for two weeks and it felt so good! The woman was very "feel-goody" which made me chuckle - Steve would've gotten such a kick out of it! She is also a doula, which is like an extra support person in the delivery room, so she chatted a lot about what to expect in delivery, etc.

The massage was on my back and sides. She started with a lot of work on my neck and shoulders. I rotated on to both sides and she worked on my back, legs, and did more work on my shoulders. There is no time on my stomach or a bed with the belly cut out - I think I've read that it's not healthy for a pregnant woman to be on her stomach. I'm not sure. Either way, the 90 minutes went quickly!

Steve did a lot of driving back and forth today between his Alpharetta office and Buckhead. He has closings downtown that he has to sit in on and they're all preparing for the permanent transition to Buckhead. His class on Tuesday nights is pretty pointless - they do a lot of talking about technology, but none of it is practical for business. I think the IT guys in the class do most of the talking and everyone else just sits there.

I fly out tomorrow morning for Florida! Yeah!

Valentine's Dinner...delayed

We cooked dinner tonight to celebrate Valentine's Day. It was awesome - I married a great cook. He is the king of marinades and grilling. We had sliced tomatoes with fresh mozarella and basil, veggies (spinach, of course), and filet minon with melted mozarella and sauteed onions, garlic, and mushrooms on top. Oh my WORD! Add in baked potatoes and bruschetta as an appetizer, and we were in heaven! Here's what it looked liked...don't drool on your computer. :)

A fun week is coming...

This is week is my county's Winter Break, so I have an entire week off! Steve has off on Monday for President's Day and we're planning on just crashing. Tuesday is my pre-natal massage that Steve got me for Valentine's Day. It makes me more relaxed just to think about it. :) I fly out on Wednesday for Florida to spend a long weekend with my family. I can't wait to be down there in the warmth and see everyone. Mel is in a new apartment that I haven't seen yet, so I'm going to spend a night or two with her. Steve will be driving down on Friday to spend a very short visit down there. Saturday is our baby shower with my parent's church, but I'm not making him go. There are just some things that men should not have to suffer through. :) I'll post some pictures of the shower when we get back.

Updates on Bella's nursery

We are one step closer to being done with the nursery. We put up some shelves and set up the rocker that Mom and Dad bought us. We also finally decided where we wanted the wall art that I got on eBay. The walls still look a little bare - I need to add some pictures - but it's nice to have the furniture done. Here are the pictures...

This is the changing table (and yes, a fake baby) with one of our shelves over it. It's one of the first things you come to in the room. I'm not sure yet if I want to use the shelf for practical or pretty things.

The best glider in the whole world! I come in here and rock, even without the baby! Mom and Dad got us this when they were down here visiting, and I love it! I'm still getting used to all of the pink - it's the only color of blanket that we have. :) This glider is on the corner, between the changing table and the window.

An example of the wall art we bought online. Hr name came with some decorative polka-dots, but I'm using them sparingly...the pink and green looked different online then it does in person, and the green is very lime!

Yesterday, we bought a dresser to keep in the closet. It's cute and white, but we didn't include any pictures. We'll update again when we have more!

MORE baby clothes...

Okay, so I am definitely covered in the "newborn clothing" department. Bella has gotten new clothes from grandmas and aunts on Steve's side, and news clothes, plus bags of hand-me-downs from my side. We are so, so, SO thankful for everything, but I think it's safe to say that we do not need anymore onesies. :)

She is a lot more active recently; she pretty much sits constantly right under my ribs. It's awkward when I'm sitting down, but not painful. I just try to shove her back down when she moves too high. Today I could finally tell that a rib or heel was sticking out. It's the first time that I've been able to tell an actually body part instead of just bumps.

Steve's foot is healing nicely. He's changing the bandages every day and trying not to take the heavy pain pills. I think he's surviving so far.