Kitchen Warriors

We are in the middle of a kitchen makeover. Ahh! What are we thinking you might ask? Yes, I know we're about to have a baby. Yes, I know I have a nursery to get ready. Yes, I know my dear husband works full time and has no time to do anything once he gets home. But despite all those reasons we have wanted to remodel the kitchen since we moved into this house. Now just happened to be the perfect time to do it. Last summer we bought new kitchen appliances. This summer will be the major part of the remodel. Since I'm home for the summer I can be here to supervise the workers and help with any on the spot decisions that need to be made. Plus, it is going to be 18 weeks before Eli is here. This first phase-getting granite countertops-is only supposed to take one day. The workers are here right now and probably won't leave until around 6 tonight. I can't wait to see the granite in place. It's going to be so nice!

THE BEFORE PICTURES

THE START OF THE MAKEOVER

THE AFTER PICTURES

(check back later on this week)

Eli's Nursery

Here are pictures of Eli's soon-to-be nursery. Doesn't it look great? I know, I know. There's not much to it now, but it is a work in progress. We had the Glenn's over last week to help us move out some of the big furniture. That was a huge help! Now all we have left to get rid of are these small filing cabinets. Mom and Dad are thinking about coming down this weekend. If they do, Dad and Josh are going to work on the kitchen while Mom and I work on the nursery. I'm going to try my best to take down the wallpaper border. I'm not looking forward to that part, but once that's down all I have to do is choose what paint I want and Mom and I can get to work. Well, really Mom will get to work. I won't be able to be in there much because of the fumes. Maybe she and I will just paint the letters that are going to go above his bed. We'll just have to see what happens. I will post the "after" pictures as soon as there are some!

22 Weeks and It's Time to Register!

Only 126 days left to go...it sounds like a lot when you talk about it in days, but when you say that you only have 18 weeks left, it doesn't sound like much (yet, another reason I like going by weeks). Here are my 22 week belly pictures. If you look closely, you will see that my belly button is getting smaller and smaller. In fact, I don't really even have a belly button anymore because it has stretched so much. I love it though! In fact, I can't wait for when it pops out :)

We had a great weekend and got a lot accomplished. Dan, Nicki, and Jonah traveled down south early during the week to take Jonah to the circus. Go to her blog to read all about it. Josh, Sue, and I traveled down there Saturday morning to meet them for a day of golfing, shopping, registering, and having lots of fun. Dan and Josh left immediately to go play golf at The Island golf course. The girls and Jonah left to go hit the stores. I knew that I wanted to go to Babies R Us and Target, so we started with Babies R Us. I was able to find a lot of stuff I need at Babies R Us, but hopefully, this weekend Mom and I will go to Wal-Mart so I can register for some of the little things I need. I also have to get up to my mom's town sometime soon because the Target there is so big. I'm hoping that they will have a wider selection of items so I can add the few things I couldn't find this past weekend. Anyway, back to Babies R Us, I was so glad to have Nicki with me. I would have been overwhelmed without someone who had been through all this once before. She and I carefully made our way down each and every aisle in the store registering for some of the bigger baby items I need for little Eli.

Sue kept Jonah entertained, which was not an easy job in itself. Having her there was great because Nicki and I could focus on baby stuff and not have to worry about what Jonah was getting into. (Please note: Jonah is an exceptional kid, very easy to handle, but in a store the size of Babies R Us, it's hard to keep him focused on staying with Mommy and Manna). We ran into Jonah and Sue every now and then and he even helped me register for a few items. He loved being able to help Manna :) Honestly, I think he didn't care much about Manna. He REALLY wanted the scanner gun and I just happened to be the one holding it.

We finished at Babies R Us and headed to the Baby Depot at Burlington. I've been looking for a changing table and dresser for Eli's nursery to match the crib that Torri gave us. We didn't find much there, but Jonah and I had fun playing with his hat from the circus. What a cute kid!

All of us were starting to get really hungry so we decided to stop for lunch at Olive Garden-probably my favorite restaurant of all time! I could eat the soup, salad, and bread sticks until I pop! The boys (Josh and Dan) ended up meeting us there because they had gotten rained out. I was so glad because now Josh could help me register at Target. I knew he wouldn't mind as long as he got the scanner gun :) That's his favorite part of registering.

It turns out that Josh and Dan seemed to enjoy registering together just as much as with their wives :)About an hour later, all of us were ready to go home. Josh, Dan, and Jonah had given up in the baby aisle and had made their way to the toy aisles to play with the balls. Jonah was adamant all during the day about who he wanted to push his buggy. At Babies R Us only Zoo-Zoo (Sue) could push and at Target only Josh could push. It was so much fun to watch Josh playing with Jonah. It makes me smile when I see how well he gets along with Jonah and how he jumps right in and has fun with him. I can't wait to see him with our son. What a great Daddy he's going to be! Josh was pushing the buggy and he would get Jonah to push back. Jonah really thought he was doing something because he was pushing with all of his might! He loved it!

We checked out at Target and said goodbye to the Glenn family. Josh, Sue, and I needed to go to Lowe's to look at tile for our kitchen. We are getting granite countertops today and we are going to do a travertine backsplash to go along with it. Hopefully, we'll get that done this week and we can move on to painting the cabinets and tiling the floor. Then I think our kitchen makeover will be complete! Check back later on this week for pictures from the kitchen makeover. I'll try to post that soon.

An Unexpected Surprise

I have a job this summer working at a local children's store called The Picket Fence. It's a precious store! They have so many cute baby and toddler clothes. If I had lots and lots of money, I would get all of my clothes here. During the summer my teacher friend, Torri, who is also the owner of this store, uses part of her store as a Learning Center. She and I tutor kids in kindergarten and first grade in reading for four weeks during the summer. It's a fabulous job. I love working with the kids in such a relaxed environment; plus, we can do things that we normally wouldn't do during the school year. The other day Torri came in and said, "I've been thinking..." She then proceeded to tell me that she was in the middle of a major mission to clean out all of her daughter's old baby things. Well, one of the items that she is thinking of cleaning out is a baby crib. Do you see where this is going, yet?

She asked if Josh and I would want to use her daughter's old baby crib for Eli. Talk about an unexpected surprise! I was too shocked for words. She showed me a picture of it and it looked precious but I wanted to see it in person. The wood is a dark finish just like I was looking for and it's a standard crib--not a grow-with-me or convertible crib like so many are these days. She said we could use it for as long as we needed it. She wants it back when we're finished just in case she ever has grandkids.

I went over to her house today and took some pictures of it. Josh and I both agree that for the price (FREE!!) we could not do any better. This is going to be a HUGE savings for us. Now all we have to get is a changing table, dresser, and some shelves and Eli's room, as far as furniture, will be complete. We are so thankful for this unexpected gift! Thank you, Torri, so much!

21 Weeks

Here are my 21 week belly shots. It's starting to feel more and more real now as we get closer to our approaching due date. I get weekly updates from babycenter.com and Eli now weighs 3/4 of a pound and is about as long as a carrot. I can feel him move more every day. Each little bump, nudge, and fluttering brings such a joyous smile to my face. I love feeling his little movements inside of me. One of my friends told me that feeling her baby move was the thing she missed the most about being pregnant. I can understand why now. Feeling my baby move, feeling that life inside of me is a feeling I am going to remember for the rest of my life.



Josh and I are trying our best to get Eli's nursery ready for his arrival. I go back to school in August, so I'd like to try and get as much done now as I can. I finally found bedding. It was just by chance actually, but I'm so glad I ran across it. One of the girls I used to teach with had this bedding made for her little boy. She ended up using something else and wanted to sell this set. I happened to see it at The Picket Fence, called about it, and after consulting with Josh and a few other people, decided to buy it. I'm going to look at a crib tomorrow and if I like it, that will be one more item I can cross off my list. It's all starting to happen and I'm looking forward to each and every moment.

Halfway Mark--20 weeks

20 weeks
front view

20 weeks
left side

20 weeks
right side

Woo Hoo! We have made it to the halfway mark. I'm exactly 20 weeks today. I feel so blessed because this pregnancy has been WONDERFUL since the very beginning. There hasn't been a day yet that I have felt bad; in fact, the only thing that happened was I got very tired during my 1st trimester. Ever since then though, my energy level has been the same as it was before I found out I was pregnant.
I'm so thankful that I'm doing a lot of my growing during the summer. I love my job, but it's nice to be off for 2 months and get to relax. Of course, I haven't exactly relaxed just yet! I've been busier since I got out of school than when school was still in session. Things will slow down now that VBS is over...I hope!

Since we found out what we were having Josh and I have started looking at bedding, paint colors, and furniture for the nursery. I hope to have all the major things completed in the nursery before school starts back in August. I know once school resumes, I'm not going to be able to devote as much time as I would like to decorating a nursery.

Josh and I have also been debating names since we found out we were having a boy. Josh loves the name Jake; however, I'm not too fond of it. Actually, that's not the whole truth. When we weren't pregnant and we were talking about names for our future children, Jake was one name that we mentioned. Josh likes it because it sounds like a good ol' boy's name (his words). Now that we actually are pregnant and this little boy is going to be here soon, I want a name that he will be able to live with forever. Jake just didn't seem to be that name (no offense to anyone with the name Jake...different strokes for different folks). I am quite certain that our little boy's name is going to be Eli, not short for Elijah or Elisha, just Eli, like the priest that's mentioned in the Old Testament with Samuel. I love the meaning of the name and it's short and sweet. Our little boy won't have any trouble learning to spell his name in Kindergarten, which is a big plus for a little kid. As a teacher I've seen some very long and very interesting names and all I can think about is how bad those kids must feel when their teachers shows them just how many letters are in their name. So, for the first name we've selected Eli; however, we're stuck on a middle name. I've set up a poll just to see which name most people like. Not that I'm going to go with the winner or anything, I just want to see what the majority of my readers think. Go vote and if you have any middle name suggestions to go with Eli post a comment and let me know. I am looking for a one or two syllable name if you are interested in helping. Thanks a lot!

Father's Day

He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.

~Clarence Budington Kelland

My Proud Soon-to-Be Daddy

Today was Father's Day; Josh's first as a soon-to-be Daddy. Words cannot describe how ready I am for him to be a Daddy. I know he is going to be a wonderful Daddy to our little boy. He is such an amazing husband and friend. I thank God every day for blessing me with a husband like him. If our little boy could grow up to be like his Daddy, I would be so proud. Josh is the best husband a girl could ever ask for and I know our little boy is going to think he's the best Daddy in the entire world. I can't wait to see Josh teaching our little boy to ride a bike, hit a baseball, catch a football and fish. I know he is a little apprehensive because he's never really been around babies (well, with the exception of Jonah), but I have a feeling that once the doctor places our son in his arms, everything is going to fall into place. He will step right into Daddy mode and never look back.

At church today, we celebrated all the fathers in the audience by having them stand. I teared up a little because I realized that next year, Josh is going to be standing with them. What a wonderful gift from God this baby is! I know I say this in about every blog I write, but I am amazed every day at God's love, mercy, and grace. He has poured out his blessings on our lives and I am so thankful for each and every one of them. I am so thankful that our son is going to grow up with a Daddy that loves God with all of his heart and seeks His will in his own life. Dan mentioned today that as a father you can't lead your children to God unless you know Him yourself. I'm so thankful that my son is going to have a Daddy that loves Jesus and includes Him in every part of his life. Not only is our son going to have his Daddy to look up to, but he's also going to be surrounded by so many wonderful men of God that are already in his little life. I am thankful that my baby is going to have a Granddad (Pop) that has been praying for him even before he was conceived. My dad is my hero. I feel so blessed to have grown up with him as my Dad. He not only taught me about Jesus and how to live for him, but he showed me every day with his life. My dad is such a wonderful man of God. He's going to be a great Pop to his grandson. Now all we have to do is wait for our precious little boy to get here! Happy Father's Day to all dads and dads-to-be! May God bless your lives immensely!

19 Week Sonogram Pictures

Last time we went to the doctor our baby BOY (so fun to finally say that!) was very shy and would not let us see what he was. We didn't have a problem this time! He was more than happy to let the world know!

The Baby Is a...

Okay, folks the poll has been closed. Why? Because we found out today that we are having a...well, you didn't think I'd tell you that soon, did you? I've got to set up the whole story. Today Josh and I went for our 19 week check up at the doctor. I was excited and nervous, but strangely calm--talk about a paradox! We had tried at our 15 week visit to see what we were having, but our baby was being extremely modest and wouldn't show the goods :) Today the baby didn't have that problem! All along I had thought that I was going to have a boy, but I secretly kind of wanted a girl. Josh has wanted a boy from the beginning, which is typical of most men, I think. They want someone that can carry on the family name, someone that they can relate to, someone that they can discipline a little easier, and in my Josh's case, someone that won't wrap him around their little finger. He didn't want to get soft! J.J., our ultrasound tech, came in and asked us if we wanted to find out what we were having and we both said, "Oh, yes!" I'm such a planner. I have not bought anything for this child except one children's book because I didn't want to start buying until I found out what we were having. Well, look out EBAY, Carter's, and Target because here I come. Josh and I found out that...


That's right people! We're having a little baby BOY!! Josh was so excited when the ultrasound tech told us. He could not get the smile off his face! I'm so happy for him and for us!! Now I can concentrate on a nursery, clothes, names, furniture, etc. since I know what it is now. When I got home from my appointment I called Nicki to come over and help paint my belly message and take pictures for me. Jonahbug came too and he contributed to my message by adding a tiny handprint to my tummy :) Just think...in no time at all my life is going to be full of cleaning up tiny handprints all over my house.

Catching Up...

It's been a long time since I've posted. Here's my apology to those of you who check this site regularly and have noticed there haven't been any changes. Life has been very busy lately. School ended May 23. YAY! I'll vouch that teachers need the break just as much, if not more, than students do. I'm moving into a new classroom at school, so the last couple of weeks of school were spent moving 3 years of stuff I have accumulated in my old room to my new, BIGGER classroom. I'm also the adviser of our school's yearbook and my first deadline was this past Monday. I've been spending about 4 hours a day creating layout pages and uploading pictures. To add to my growing list of things, I'm also co-director of our church's VBS, which is going GREAT, by the way; so I've been busy painting, decorating, meeting, planning, and coordinating that event. Not that I am complaining by any means about my schedule. I like to stay busy. I just wanted to let you know why the updates have not been coming regularly. VBS will be over this Friday and I don't have anything else major going on until SMACK (Summer Music Activity Camp for Kids) begins later this July, so I should be able to post more frequently. Keep your fingers crossed!

This is my catch up blog. I've got belly pictures from several weeks back that I want to post before I post any new ones. I also have a sonogram picture from when I was 15 weeks pregnant. The baby is growing so fast. November is going to get here before we know it!

14 weeks

14 weeks

15 weeks

17 weeks
(top view)

17 weeks
(my alien bulge)

Sonogram 15 weeks

Sonogram 15 weeks
Profile Shot
Sonogram 15 weeks
4D
15 weeks
4D

We tried at the 15 week visit to see what we were having, but the baby was being modest. Today we went back for our 19 week check up and well....you'll just have to check the next post to find out!!