THE Bag

I joke that I wanted to get pregnant so I could get one of these bags...but some part of that seems legitimate. A co-worker at school has been making diaper bags for those she loves these past few years, and so it was my mission...get her to love me and get pregnant. The good thing is that her husband teaches history on my team, so it would have been kind of awkward if she didn't love me and feel the need to make me a bag once I got pregnant. I will say though that the first thing I said after I announced to my team that I was having a baby was..."This means I get a diaper bag!" I had lots of comments on this beautiful bag, but sadly you can't get one of your own just like it at a store. She uses Amy Butler fabrics, and it was so fun when I found out she was using one of the patterns from my crib bedding! I can't wait to put this to use in the fall. But....here's my response to all of those comments. I told her about the compliments, and we are all trying to convince her she needs to start selling them!! I'll let you know if it happens.

Stuck Outside

Except for these few minutes here, I plan on being outside pretty much all weekend. It started with the sunshine yesterday morning, so my two moms and I headed out to do some shopping and to lunch at The Crumpet. I did take a short nap inside yesterday afternoon, but then the crew all packed up and headed to Faith and Family Night at Arvest Ballpark...a little blast from the past watching the Travelers play. Too bad the home team, the Naturals, beat them. I just can't get enough of this beautiful weather. We hit Fayetteville's Farmer's Market this morning, and I think grilling out is the plan for tonight.

23 Weeks...she popped this week.

The dudes.

The gals.

Great night for baseball.

What a stud, that Owen.

Samuel and "Cake" in matching outfits.
Kari and sweet Sarah.

Wes and Samuel just being boys.

Drew and Ellie loving on Cat.

Sam just being cute.

Blessed Indeed

My school shower was yesterday, and it was FABULOUS. I was a bit overwhelmed, and it felt a little surreal. I mean, am I really having a baby? With wedding showers, you get things that you are comfortable using...dishes, towels, home decor, etc. However, yesterday I got an infant bath tub, teething toys, bottles, a diaper bag, and many more items that I'm just not too familiar with at this point. It was fun, and I was again reminded of the incredible generosity of so many people.

Belly Update

22 weeks. She's out there, and so is my belly button.

Calligraphy

I know most of you are married and many even with children, but I need to make sure the word is out that I address invitations, and the more jobs I have, the more I love to do it. I'm about to start the fourth set of wedding invitations in about two months, and not only does it give me some nice extra cash, it is oddly enough relaxing. I don't normally do the fancy, formal calligraphy. It's more modern, fun, and swirly...I can customize to your liking though. So...get the word out, and tell all of your engaged friends (or even friends needing party invitations addressed). Yes, this was a personal ad for myself. So sorry to turn the blog commercial. It will be back to the baby bump as soon as I can get another picture taken. Speaking of, all bridesmaid's dresses are in...and they are BIG (right now). I just pray that my amazing alterations lady can work her magic all summer. Here's to the summer of weddings and a growing baby bump!

The Nursery: Phase One

Okay, so I'm really excited about getting Baby Girl's nursery together!! So far, we have ordered the chair and ottoman, crib, bedding, and are working on getting a changing chest and pie safe painted. I guess you could say it's all kind of vintage eclectic. Or at least that's what mom and I are saying. Orange walls, old furniture getting painted an antique gray, white crib, celery green chair, amazingly cute bedding, and I've got some good ideas for the walls/decor. I'm going to paint a three letter monogram in white above the crib, and we are currently looking for an aqua colored lamp base (which can really be made out of anything) for a really neat bedside lamp. It's hard to get the vision without being inside my head, so just use your imagination. :)

Here's what we have ordered...

Quinn glider and ottoman...in celery green soft cotton twill.

The Hudson crib in classic white.

And check out this CUTE bedding from Etsy. It's Amy Butler fabric, and I got to piece it all together the way I wanted. Below is a picture of very similar bedding made by the Etsy lady...except our blanket will just be one solid pattern on each side.

Halfway Point

If the second half is as smooth as the first, I'm good to go. 20 weeks down, 20 weeks to go. We are both healthy, strong, and enjoying moving around a lot. The only problem is Wes mentioned last night that he doesn't really like the color pink. Hmmm.