March Birthday

March Graphics

It's not official, but it might as well be. Emily is going to have a March birthday. There is no way this first time mommy is giving birth in less than 6 hours. That might be unheard of even. If the 6 had a 1 in front of it, then maybe.

Actually, it's been fun not knowing if she would have a February birthday like her daddy or a March birthday and have it to herself. I love even numbers, but now the whole 3 for March and year 2011 have pretty much made that not matter so much. It could be cool if she had 3.1.11 or even better 3.3.11 as her birthday. Whatever numerically it turns out to be, what is most important is it represents one of the best days of hubby's and my life.

Yesterday, I said I was closing the Guess Emily's Birthday game, so I'm headed to do that now. Again, good luck to everyone because I am still the only one out. I take that back, hubby and my good friend Eva are out too. Hopefully hubby and I will be better guessers in life for Emily's sake...LOL!!!

Any Day Now

I'm only posting this because currently I'm feeling an immense amount of movement from Emily and tons of pressure. It's be a pretty productive day at our house. Hubby and I got a walk in, some cleaning, a healthy dinner, my hospital bags are more finalized than they have been, and now contemplating watching the Oscars or something else. Hubby is watching the Knicks vs. the Heat, so he's happy (well...as long as the Knicks win).

On a side note, I have to mention that when I call my parents now, they think it is THE call. I have to just laugh because I image what it must like to be on the receiving end of the phone when a full term pregnant lady is calling me. Still playing the waiting game, but I think it is coming very, very soon with the way I have been feeling this evening. Last chance to place your guess about Emily's birthday. I'm closing the poll tomorrow. Good luck! I'm a little sad I already lost. She deserves her own month though, and only one other special lady in the family has a March birthday. Emily would be sharing it with one of her great-grandmothers who I know wouldn't mind one bit. In fact, she would be delighted.

Beach Baby

Emily is a lucky girl to live so close to the beach. Hubby wanted to do a maternity photo shoot all on his own. Truth be told, I'm getting more and more into professional photo sessions after our engagement, wedding, and now first baby...but money isn't growing on trees. We are going to have Emily's newborn session done by a professional though.

We love the beach and it was a gorgeous February day yesterday. We should have gone earlier when the sun was above us instead of setting and in my eyes. Below are the best of the photos. I'm a little upset with myself that I today thought of what would have made a great photo, but maybe we will have one more chance this weekend. If not, hubby definitely captured Emily in my belly. Great job, babe!!!

Sun in my eyes. I tried my best.

Love this one! Props to hubby for thinking like a photographer. =)

Another photographer's angle.

Calmness. We won't have that for much longer. ;)

This is always a mommy's favorite photo.

Emily, we hope to live out here one day.

12 days and counting.

I love you so.

Daddy wanted in just one picture. ;)

Too bright not to wear my sunglasses.

P.S. It was very windy out there, so our props wouldn't work.

The Waiting Game

The official countdown is 12 days, but I still feel strongly that it is going to be less. Being pregnant for 38 plus weeks is like having a present (literally right in front of you) that you are not allowed to open. Yesterday was the first day I felt like hubby and I were just waiting for contractions and labor to begin.

The weather has been gorgeous this entire long Presidents' Day weekend, and I haven't taken advantage except for a couple walks around the neighborhood yesterday. My right foot still swells after being on it too long or when I try to cram it into a shoe that is (NOW) too small. My cute sneakers didn't fit my foot yesterday. That was sad.

Still more to cross off the B.B.T.D.L., but it is much less and manageable. Something not on the list is going to the beach, which hubby and I are going to try and do today. I'll let you know if we make it.

Baby Shower #2

What woman doesn't love a party in her honor? What woman doesn't love many parties in her honor? For the modest woman, it might be a little overwhelming. I'm talking baby shower parties though...and if you are having a baby shower, chances are you have had a bridal shower to prepare for all the fanfare.

My bridal shower was planned by my mother, and it was the most fabulous and memorable celebration! Naturally, I wanted my mom to plan my baby shower because she is great with all the details and organization. Well, this time the party was going to be on my turf and not hers, so that meant I had to get involved in the planning process. I initially thought this was going to be my ONLY baby shower because I only had one bridal shower.

Guess again!?!? I've been lucky enough to have friends and family that care so much about Emily entering the world that I've had THREE baby showers. But right now, I'm here to report on Baby Shower #2.

My dear friend from church, Kristin, wanted to host a baby shower for me at her home. She also attended my first baby shower, and I told her that she could have co-hosted that one. Nope, she had to out-do herself and plan one ALL on her own with the ladies from church. I was sort of nervous about so many women I didn't know being invited to a baby shower for me who they hardly knew. The turn out delighted me and the generosity of the ladies was beyond imaginable. It is true that ladies go ga-ga over babies (even if they aren't born yet). It was also ironic that not one gift was repeated and the sizes of clothing were varied between the two parties, so Emily's ever growing wardrobe will stretch from birth till 9-12 months.

I'll let the pictures show you all the fun we had...

Kristin and Me

Elegantly decorated

Amazingly delicious party favors handmade by Kristin.

The recipe is Giada DeLaurentis' Lemon Ricotta Cookies.

Prizes for the games the cute boxes filled with Hershey Kisses

meaning "Her she is!" Do you get it?

Kristin's gourmet spread. EVERY THING was made from scratch!

I want to go into a party business with Kristin. =)

Yummy cupcakes and the flowers were a darling touch.

Guess that baby food was hard even though I had just played it recently.

I opened so many gifts. Most of the pictures turned out blurry, so below is only a sample.

Strawberry outfits...just adorable!

The Hooter Hider!! What a laugh.

Emily's first talking stuffed toy. It's a dog named Violet.

A custom onesie for Emily with matching burp cloths and bibs.

All the ladies

The Nursery's Grand Reveal

YAY!!! Emily's nursery is finally complete! It was supposed to be 100% ready on January 15th for the baby shower, but instead it was only 50%. With only two weeks until the projected due date, I've got the nesting vibe again today. So does hubby, but we'll get to that later.

Instead of writing about the nursery design, I've decided to let the pictures say it all. Mommy and Daddy absolutely LOVE it! In fact, I sat in the rocker for about 20 minutes just admiring my daughter's tranquil, serene, and totally adorable room...I also needed to rest my feet. ;)