Thank you, Cousin Mary!

My mom's sweet cousin Mary surprised us yesterday by sending a whole box filled with wonderful things for baby Jack! She sent these adorable outfits, a swaddle blanket, book, and a card. We had so much fun opening up the box and seeing all of the things for our little guy. Everything is so soft and sweet - I just can't wait to have him here and put him in these little things! Thank you for making our day, Mary!

Road Trip!

On Monday, Baby Jack and I mixed business with pleasure and headed to Chattanooga to spend a great couple of days with sisters Annaliese and Cassie, Aunt Deb and Uncle Brad, and our favorite Granny while my car was getting the keyless entry reprogrammed at the dealer. Each one of those things was a big treat! 


Annaliese recently moved to Huntsville from St. Louis, so instead of living 7+ hours away, she is now close enough for a day trip! And, though Cass is still 4 hours from me, Chattanooga is a great halfway point, so we took advantage of a free day for all of us, and met up in one of our favorite cities! Annaliese and I got a long walk in and she got to feel the baby move, Cass and I browsed Frazier Street shops together, and we all got to have lunch with Granny. I am so thankful for my sisters, and appreciate them even more as we grow older. I learn so much from them, and am so encouraged and inspired by being with them!

Cass and my self-portrait at Coolidge Park.

Our Granny, now our only living grandparent, lives on Lookout Mountain. We had lunch with her Tuesday, and of course she served us chicken salad, crackers, fruit, and ice cream on the porch - what else could we have when visiting her? Granny told us stories of when she was little, when our daddy was little, and when we were little. She has such a fantastic memory, and a wonderful storytelling ability - not to mention the best stories. With Granny turning 93 in March, and her house on the market, I tried to soak up every detail I could about her and being with her at her home, knowing things will probably start to change soon. But for the time being, lunch with her and my sweet sisters felt like a frozen moment in time where we just got to enjoy each other. When we were leaving, after hugs and kisses, she told us "Remember girls, I love you, and I will always love you, even when I'm old and grouchy and can't remember." 

We also got to have a fun night and fantastic dinner with Aunt Deb and Uncle Brad. Deb is one of the most wonderful cooks I've ever met, in the professional or home kitchen, and I just love watching her effortlessly prepare wonderful, creative meals. Their easygoing manner and good listening skills make for great conversations as well, so we had such a fun time catching up over grilled salmon, haricot verts, a gorgeous fruit salad, fontina acini di pepe, and, of course, Baskin Robbins ice cream cake. (I had to have just a bite!)


I am so thankful that in this transitional time in my life I have the freedom to spend time with people I love - some (especially Annaliese and Granny) with whom I haven't spent enough time with over the past few years. I know that so much is about to change, so I'm soaking up every moment I have to just go and spend time with some of my favorite people.

Cass's photo of the bridge at Coolidge Park.

Dinner Tonight

I just love a good new recipe -- especially when it's tasty AND healthy. Tonight I made these  Turkey Feta Spinach Burgers, and I was surprised at how easy they were! I grilled them in a pan since I'm, well, not so good at the outdoor grill, and Luke's asleep. And, I am out of feta, so I used Monterey Jack instead, and added a little salt, pepper, and seasoning of my own. I cooked them up and served them on wheat buns with lettuce, tomato, ketchup and mustard, and with a side of Cassie's sweet potato fries -- fantastic, healthy, and easy! My kind of meal!

Allrecipes.com Spinach and Feta Turkey Burgers

Foot in my mouth

This morning I called a local store to ask if they could help me with something I was looking for, and a nice lady told me to come in, and she'd try and help me out. When I got there, a man greeted me at the door and asked how he could help. I explained to him that I had spoken with a nice lady that morning who told me to come in to see if they had a few particular items. He checked the computer for the items, and they didn't have them, so he turned to me and said "I'm sorry I told you to come all this way and then I couldn't end up helping you after all." Wow. I was so embarrassed. Apparently the "nice lady" from that morning was instead this nice (albeit effeminate-sounding) man. Oops. How embarrassed should I be?

Big little guy at 22 weeks

Today was my 22 week appointment, and due to a crazy first trimester, (and then our big ultrasound appointment last month) this was my first normal, non-ultrasound appointment. It felt so wonderful not to be nervous going in, and to just have time to talk and ask questions to my doctor, and enjoy hearing baby Jack's heartbeat rather than worrying about anything else. My doctor was very pleased that baby's heartbeat sounds great, my levels, blood pressure, and weight were all exactly what he wanted, and that I could answer an emphatic "yes" to if our little guy was moving around. :) One funny thing: just as I was lying down for him to measure my belly, I asked him about the Braxton-Hicks I'd been having, and as if on cue my belly contracted into an enormous, pointy mountain of a belly! 

He then measured my belly...and then he measured it three more times. Though I was at a reasonable 10 pound total weight gain today, our little guy measured at not 22 or 23 weeks...but 26! I can tell by his movements that he is a big guy, and it seems like I can practically feel him growing, he's getting so big recently, but I was surprised to hear just how big he is! I know a belly measurement at 22 weeks isn't a great indicator of how much he'll weigh closer to birth, so I'll be curious to see over the next appointments what happens -- if this was a growth spurt and baby Jack tapers off some now, or if he keeps on growing like this! Either way, we were so happy today for a great appointment with our big, healthy baby boy! Next month's appointment: Rhogam shot, flu shot, and glucose test! 

Pay it Forward

Looking at all of the things a baby "needs" can be a little overwhelming to a first-time mom. Standing in Babies R Us, I honestly just don't know yet how to distinguish between needs, wants, nice luxuries, and unnecessary expenditures. (Moms out there, I'd LOVE to hear your opinions...) Because of space and also our personalities, Luke and I prefer to keep things simple as possible, which, incidentally, seems challenging when preparing for a baby. When registering, we are trying to select things of  good value that seem like they'd last, or grow with our child - it's just so hard to know!

One thing I thought was really sweet, but just didn't register for is a baby papasan chair, since it seems like they'd help for such a short amount of time. Later, several people told me that this is one of the only places their child would nap for the first few months, etc. Not wanting to spend $50-100 on a short-lived item, I went on Craigslist and found this one:

I thought it was really sweet and it was only $12. So, I met the lady at Target yesterday to buy it from her. It turns out she's a dispatcher for a local department, and she was running late, and didn't have time to change the batteries to make sure the vibration and classical music component worked, so she just gave it to me, and told me to pay it forward to someone who looked like they could use some encouragement! I got home, threw the fabric portion of the seat in the washer, wiped down the metal part, and put in new batteries, and we have a sweet, cuddly infant seat for our little guy. 

One of my favorite things about pregnancy so far is the overwhelming support we have received from our community. Something as huge as parenting can seem ridiculously daunting, but things as small as a stranger with a free baby seat encourage me that God is already providing for us as parents, and that though Luke and I have no chance of being perfect parents, He will give us the grace and support to do the best we can. 

Luke and I have started keeping a list of unexpected blessings of the day on the dry erase board in our kitchen to keep track of all of these encouragements, lest we forget to take the time to recognize and appreciate the little gifts given to us along the way. In moments when I start to think "How are we going to do this?" or "How are we going to afford this?" that list helps me keep perspective that He is caring for us always and has blessed us with all we need.

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

With more fall-like temperatures, football on t.v., and the dusk of summer signaled by this Labor Day weekend, today just seemed like a day to open the windows and make Mrs. Reynolds' Pumpkin Bread and our favorite All-American Chili. 

I love fall and everything it brings - football, the change in leaves, cooler temperatures,  warm kitchens, and eventually the holidays. I know we have at least a few more hot days ahead, and that fall doesn't officially begin for three more weeks, but nevertheless, I am thankful for a long Labor Day weekend and all that comes with it. 

I am also very thankful for those who labor this weekend in service professions, allowing the rest of us to relax safely at home. Thank you Matt, Luke, Luke #2, James, Chad...and all those we love whose work does not stop for the holidays. We appreciate all that you do. 

Here's my sleepy husband polishing his boots for his second double in a row while I stay at home making his favorite food and watching football. Doesn't seem fair, does it? :) Thank you, Luke, for all you do for our family and community with your hard work, and thanks to everyone else working hard this weekend, and for their families who support them!

Boot polishing before work.

Foster coming to help.

Bumps in the Night

Last night, I woke up at 3:30 (and stayed awake until 7:30) because SOMEONE was kicking me. For the first time, that someone wasn't one of my sisters or Luke. This little guy is very active, especially at night, which happens to be when Luke is working, so he misses all the action. So, since I was definitely not getting back to sleep anytime soon, I recorded the bumps on my phone for proof. Note: if you object to seeing my big ol' bare pregnant belly moving around (you can't see it as well with my tank top covering it), definitely do not watch this video. And, yes, Cassie, my belly and belly button are huge - let's go ahead and get that out of the way.

In other news, what in the world is cuter than footie pajamas, or police car and circus 
pajamas that you get to wear cute little socks with?!

Ok, they're closely rivaled by teeny church clothes.

Thank you, Aunt Deb, Allison, and Molly!