34-Week Mark

So, I have hit the 34-week mark! I had my doctor's appointment on Monday and, as before, all is well. We are so happy our baby girl is healthy! Still measuring right on track and kicking non-stop. According to www.babycenter.com, she is right around 4 3/4 lbs (comparable to a canteloupe!) and about 18 inches long. That is big! (Insert: fat joke).

My doctor mentioned that I could be induced at 39 weeks (b/c that is when I delivered Nate) if I was already starting to dilate. Um, no thanks. That is December 2nd! Too soon! Well, at least that was my initial reaction. Ask me again in a few weeks though :)

And from here on out, I see the doctor EVERY WEEK. Crazy. So you know where I will be, every Mon or Wed after I drop Nate off at Mother's Day Out. In the stirrups...lucky me!

Hoedown

Some of our neighbors, Susan & Todd, invited us to a "Hoedown" at their church this past weekend. It was a MASSIVE event...we're talking thousands of people here....and it was all free! Like a Fall Carnival type thing...with food vendors, animals, inflatables, face painting, games, cake walks, live music, etc. It was quite the event, and we are sure to go again next year. Our only mistake was going too late...it was from 2-6 pm, and we didn't arrive until 4:30, after Nate's nap. (Of course, this was the one day that Nate decided to take a near 3 hr nap - typical.) Anyways, we followed Susan, Todd, and their 11-month-old Ellysia there. And then our next door neighbors the Pattons (Amy, Philip, Josh & Mallory) met us there. I am not sure who had more fun...the kids or the adults! Here are some highlights:

Nate playing in the "Preschool" tent...he actually knocked the cans down with this throw! And at every game - whether the kid "won" or not - he got candy. YUM.

Josh & Mallory, grubbing on cotton candy. We love these kiddos!!

Getting a better view from Dad's shoulders

Josh wanted Nate to try some of his cotton candy...Nate was not so sure about it. I think he prefers smarties & dum-dums

A little tentative in the bouncy castle until Dad stepped in to help

Amy giving Ellysia some cookies

The dads & kids took off to find some slides while the moms went to do a cake walk. (Hello, two of us are preggo and needed some sweeets! Amy actually ended up winning some brownies.) But wow, did Nate have fun on these inflatables. Greg said he went up/down all of them by himself! (Well, with minimal help from Josh & Mallory.) What a big boy!


Another great family day. Did I mention I love the Fall!?

My handsome little man

And then we capped off the night with a yummy Mexican dinner at Camino Real. Nate & Ellysia stuffed their faces with rice (literally), while Mallory entertained them both. It was great! And oh does our boy love his chips & salsa...just like his Dad! We had a good ole time and are grateful to have such wonderful neighbors!

Showering Abby!

I have the best neighbors!!! They threw me a shower last Sunday for little Miss Abby, and completely spoiled her! The food (hello sausage balls!) and DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CAKE were delicious, there was hot apple cider and almond tea, and cute little coffee mugs & tea bags to take home as a favor. My neighbor across the street, Stacey, did a wonderful job planning the shower and I am so grateful to have her a friend.




In addition to the food & fun, Abby got a ton of stuff! Lots of cute clothes, bibs, socks, shoes, pacifiers, and even a few "practical items" too :) And as I was opening each gift, Stacey asked the gift-giver to say a few nice words about me...as a person, as a mother, etc. I thought it was going to be awkward, but wow was it nice to hear all those compliments!! I definitely left the shower feeling great about myself (and again, grateful to have such wonderful neighbors). Here a few pics of my favorite gifts:
It's weird to see her name & initials monogrammed like that...makes it so REAL! :)
Please check out the tutu outfit....too cute!
Greg is not a fan of the aqua halter dress on the left...says his daughter will NOT be wearing something "backless!" Haha.
Lots of pink! But I'm okay with it!

I Love Fall!!

There are soooooo many things I love about Fall. To be honest, most of them involve food: pumpkin muffins, candy corn, hot chocolate, chili & cornbread, Greg's homemade nuts & bolts, and hot apple cider to name a few. But then there's the weather....I love breaking out the jeans & sweatshirts, and waking up to crisp Fall mornings. I love our little family's tradition of pumpkin carving, and how "into it" Greg gets. (It kills me to admit it, but he has won the carving contest 10 years straight now.) But the #1 thing I love about the Fall is....the pumpkin patch!!!!!

We took Nate last year for the first time, and decided to keep the tradition alive this year. There is a place called Walden Farm about 25 minutes from here, in Smyrna. There is so much to do, for kids of all ages, and Nate had even more fun this year than last. (Maybe that's b/c he could actually walk this year!) There is a corn maze, petting zoo, activity/play area for little kids, hay rides, homemade goodies, and of course, a pumpkin patch!

This year, Nate was into all things "corn." (Weird, I know.) We had to pull him away from the "Corn Crib" and he was running like a wild man thru the Corn Maze. He enjoyed looking at the animals more than petting/feeding them, but he did a little bit of everything. And of course, we picked out 4 pumpkins from the pumpkin patch - yes, even little Abby got a mini-pumpkin. To top off our afternoon, we got 3 cookies - one for each of us. Both the boys had chocolate chip and I had pumpkin walnut with white chocolate chips. Best cookies ever!! It was the perfect ending to a perfect family day.

Coming together

I am happy to say that things are coming together quite quickly for Abby's room! Joyce (Mum-Mum) painted two different shades of purples a few weeks ago, and I like them more & more each day! We had our favorite Handyman Bob over this week for Abby's chair rail & fan installation, among a few other small projects around the house. I love the white chair rail - it really makes the purples "pop" more. And today, lucky Greg is putting Abby's crib together and moving all the furniture in her room.

And then, FINALLY, I get to put the finishing decorating touches on the room!!!! I think I have been psycho about this room lately (just ask Greg), but I am just in "nesting overdrive" and really need to have it done. Once it is, I will feel much more at ease & prepared in case this little girl makes an early arrival.

I hit the 32 week mark this week, and my doctor's appt went fine. No problems, and Abby is active as ever. I posted a new belly pic - see slideshow to the right. I am still feeling good....well as good as one can with a 20 lb watermelon under her shirt! :)

Visitors from the Big Apple

Greg's college roommate, Ted, and his girlfriend Erica flew from NYC to visit us this past weekend. It has been over a year since we've seen them, and they've never met Nate, so it was time to catch up!

They flew in late Friday night, and Greg showed them the sights (aka the honky tonks) on Broadway. They had BBQ for dinner and bar-hopped, while I was at home with Nate, getting my beauty sleep :) Ted insisted on buying a cowboy hat - yes as a joke - and proceeded to find one for $5 that Greg said looked like Crocodile Dundee. I loved it.Saturday, I wanted our favorite New Yorkers to experience something really "country," so we drove 30 minutes to Bell Buckle. The one strip of stores plus the Bell Buckle Cafe for lunch was about all there was to see! Everyone except Greg (party pooper) had some good country cookin' for lunch, as well as dessert. The only thing that threw us for a loop was the "pancakes" they served with our meals. Turns out it was cornbread, fixed in the shape of pancakes. Who knew!? Everything was delicious and we all went home with full bellies.


Everyone took naps that rainy afternoon (except me of course), and then we enjoyed being entertained by Nate. He had fun playing with the gifts Erica & Ted brought...a Mickey Mouse soccer ball, a Mickey Mouse doll, and the cutest rugby ever from their trip to Ireland! Nate bonded with Ted right away, and loved playing "catch" with him, with his new Mickey ball. He officially had his first catch with Uncle Ted! And then his second with "Acka." I was so proud! :) Greg fixed his famous chili & cornbread that night, and we all enjoyed a lazy evening of football and hanging out.

Sunday, the sun decided to finally come out, so we took Nate to a nearby Greenway Trailhead & playground to run around. He had a ball running around and "racing" down the slides with everyone, especially Ted. Everyone watched football & took naps again (except me, you know I'm not a napper), and then we got to play outside with neighbors that afternoon. Greg & Ted were their usual selves (BIG KIDS) and were "heading" a ball back & forth, trying to go for a record. Nate has never been so enthralled. He just wants to be one of the boys! He was in charge of the background music, courtesy of our neighbor Mallory's pink discman, and kept the princess tunes a-blasting. It was hilarious.

Ted & Erica's flight was that night around dinnertime, and we were all sad to see them leave. Nate has been saying "Ted & Acka" for 2 days now (and driving me crazy)! We all hope they come back soon!

Support the Browns

Friends of mine are having a yard sale this Saturday, starting at 7 am. The address is 4441 Scottish Dr. in Murfreesboro (their neighborhood is behind the Publix on Hwy 96). Check it out, b/c all the proceeds are going to a GREAT cause.....their baby! They are adopting a baby from South Korea.

For more information on their journey, please see Mary Leigh's blog at:
http://www.bringinghomebabybrown.blogspot.com/

OMG!!!

My little sister Becky is engaged!!!!!!!

She & her boyfriend, Mike, left for Europe on Friday for 10 days. And he popped the question yesterday! My whole family is super excited... Mike is a wonderful guy and treats Bec so well. And like me, he went to the best college ever (UNC!) so he has no choice but to be awesome :) It will be nice to have another UNC fan in the family. He was super traditional (and cute) and asked for Bec's hand in marriage from my Dad about a month ago. I can't believe Dad kept a secret that long! Oh and btw - check out Bec's rock!

Check out the below email from Bec:
"As many of you have probably already guessed, Mike popped the question and I said YES! I was completely surprised and was convinced he would not propose in Europe. I don't like to admit it, but I'm glad I was wrong. He proposed yesterday in Germany and I'm SO THANKFUL that his brother, Tim, was there to get about 65 photos of the proposal. After I stopped shaking and realized what happened, we were ready to spend the day celebrating at Oktoberfest! Mike did such a great job on the proposal and put so much thought into it. He said he did it in Europe so we could have a week to just enjoy being engaged before I went into "crazy planning mode". We will share all the details of the proposal when we get back next week."

I am so excited for Bec, b/c I know that Mike is everything that she's ever wanted in a mate. She deserves nothing but the best, and I am so grateful she has found that in Mike. I wish them continued happiness & blessings in the years to come. For now though, bring on the wedding planning!

Purple Princess

(Please note: this is the one & only time I will refer to our little Abby as a "princess." That word just gives me the creeps for some reason. And it implies a "girly girl" - which you all know I am not & would have no clue how to raise one!! :)

So Joyce (aka Mum Mum) was visiting this weekend and painted Miss Abby's room!! It is lots of purple, so I hope Abby likes purple! (Lord knows Nate sure does....I think he walks in there 10x/day now and just keeps repeating "purple purple purple...")

It looks great and I am excited for the final touch - our trusty Handyman Bob installing a chair rail (hopefully sometime next week). The color scheme is as follows:

PURPLING DAWN on top
WHITE chair rail
COOL VIOLET on the bottom

Both are really light purples and then the bedding is lavendar, apple green, and a little bit of pink. Can't wait to see it all come together these next few weeks!! (I promise to post pics when that happens.)

For now, just let me say a big THANK YOU to Joyce for a job well done!!