Eva's Baby Shower

Sunday, April 10th was Eva's Baby Shower!! We were so blessed and honored to have received such a generous baby shower. My mom, Mike's mom and one of my sister-in-laws were all able to come for the shower! It was so much fun and the food was delicious. My hostesses kept with the nursery color scheme for the decorations, and it was so cute! It was so fun to open all those gifts and imagine my little girl getting to use them. I can't wait to meet her!

I had SO many pictures from the shower - so I just chose a few to post here on the blog:

The Food Table! Those cupcakes were delicious!

Some of Eva's Shower Gifts. People just kept coming in and bringing more wonderful presents!

My Amazing Hostesses: Susie, Keri, Leann and Lauren. These gals are some of my best buddies here!
Me and Mom

Time to open gifts!!

A full wardrobe from Gramby! And her first purse :)

Baby Girl Scrapbook album and paper! I hope I can find some time to scrapbook!

This bag was so cute! It was full of personalized items for Miss Eva

A Creative Memories Magnet Board! We lost our first one in the fire so I was thrilled to get one for Eva's room!

Memaw's Baby Quilt for Eva

It says, "To my sweet little Eva, From Memaw" Love it!

All the Loot!

A Not so Happy Easter and an Eva Update

This Easter was an eventful one to say the least. I ended up in the hospital with a mean stomach bug - and had to get some IV fluids and IV medication to stop the nausea. I will spare everyone the gory details - but because of this we didn't end up taking a SINGLE Easter picture!! Mason didn't end up getting to hunt Easter eggs here at home on Easter Sunday, but he did get to hunt them earlier in the week at school. He played with the eggs for a solid week until I packed them up with the Easter decorations. I wish I could have seen his little class looking for eggs! It must have been so cute.
Thankfully, Memaw came to the rescue and spent a week with us taking care of me, Mason and the house while I recovered. After living so far from family for the last few years, I had forgotten how nice it is to have help close by! Thanks for all your hard work, Mom!
As for Eva Watch 2011 - this little girl is loving the womb. I told Mike last night I don't think she will ever come out. I had a doctor appointment last Wednesday, and we still have not made any progress. I have almost constant contractions all day - they just never get stronger and never result in any significant change. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?! I have been hungrier than ever, and am seriously thinking of trying to coax her out with a pork chop or piece of pizza. I think she is going to be a big eater!
I have another doctor appointment on Friday, and Doc says if I still haven't made any progress then we will schedule an induction for the week of the 15th. Let's hope she can hurry up and get here! I was really hoping not to have to go the induction route again. I am also really uncomfortable, with tons of swelling in my feet and pressure just about everywhere. We covet prayers for a speedy, safe delivery - and that she will make her debut soon!
Well, I think I have whined enough about pregnancy for one post! We really are so excited to see our daughter and see who will win the great "hair debate." Mike thinks she will have black hair like his and I think it will be blonde! Only time will tell. We will be sure to let everyone know the minute we have any news!!

Two Years Old!

Dear Mason,

I can't believe you are already two years old! It seems like just yesterday I was holding you in my arms looking at your brand new face. This time last year our house was packed up and we were saying good-bye to friends in California! Your first birthday was right in the middle of a cross-country move!

Words cannot describe what a change you have brought to our lives. The joy, laughter and sleepless nights could never have been imagined before you arrived! You are such a sweet and caring boy. Some of my favorite times are at night when I lay down with you to pray and tuck you in. You always want to pray, and to hold my hand while we do so! You love to say "Jesus!" the whole time we are praying, and I love the way you say "sac-a-fice" when we thank Jesus for his sacrifice on the cross. Sometimes you rub my back while we lay there and talk - which almost puts me to sleep! And other times we just lay nose to nose and look at each other. Those memories are my most prized possessions and I will remember them always.

Of course, you are quite the challenging little boy too! You are SO independent and want to do everything yourself. You get very angry when something doesn't work the way you want it to - and we have to walk away and count to three before trying again. Even though you are not talking in full sentences yet - you do jabber in full sentences - and we have had a couple of arguments where I say something in frustration and you jabber right back at me in equal frustration. It would probably be hilarious to watch as an outsider!

At two, some of your favorite things to do are: identify shapes, colors and numbers; sing "If You're Happy and You Know it" - but you always want to skip to the verse where we stomp our feet; SWING - you love it!; play with bubbles; watch Barney; and unload the silverware from the dishwasher. You also love to push any kind of buttons (like those on the washer/dryer and the garage door opener).

Your favorite foods are: strawberries, grapes, graham crackers, chex mix, peas, and french fries. Occasionally I can get you to eat a fish stick or a chicken nugget - but you still hate meat. The only things you will drink are water and milk!

Mason, words cannot describe how proud of you Dad and I are! God has already used you to bless our lives and the lives of those around you. I pray that as you grow each year, so will your faith in Christ. I know you will be a wonderful big brother and a loving son all your life. We love you! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Eva Watch 2011 Update!

Wow, I think this is my first post in a long time without pictures! It feels strange! Yesterday I went in for my doctor's appointment. Not too much has changed - dialated to a 2, thinned out a bit, and he could still feel her head! Although, this morning I had one HUGE contraction. It instantly reminded me of what is to come. Ouch. I have only been having small ones so far - but that one took my breath away!
Mason has also been acting a little ornery lately, which makes me think it may be getting close. He seems to have great timing with things like that! Ha ha. I still think she will wait and come on April 29 - because I really want to watch Prince William marry Kate Middleton! Ah, at least we have TiVo! I guess that's all the updates for now. We will keep everyone posted!

36 Weeks!

Well, it's finally here! The long awaited 36 weeks belly pics! I can't believe we are this close. I do have to say, I have been much more organized and better prepared this time around - probably for several reasons. That may be why it feels like time is creeping by! Every day seems to last an eternity. I am so excited to meet my sweet daughter. I am excited to see what her personality will be like, what color her hair will be, if she will look just like Mason or look totally different! But I am also nervous about delivery and those dreaded first few weeks. That was such a challenging time with Mason, and I am still not yet ready to tread those waters again! Our bags are packed, the car seat is in the car and we are ready to go! I still have to buy a few things I didn't get off my registry, but that is just about it! I keep thinking about how Mason came at 37 weeks and 3 days and wondering if Eva will do the same. But, part of me thinks she is pretty happy where she is and may wait the full 40. Just within the last week I have gotten really uncomfortable. She has dropped far down and so there is not much sleeping going on! It is amazing how so little a person can put so much pressure on your body! But I will still be happy if she waits - to give her a little more time to mature and grow. I have another doctor appointment Wednesday - so I keep your eyes peeled for Eva Watch 2011 updates! Until then, BELLY PICS! 36 Weeks: Whoa Momma! Bare Belly! Will these be my last Belly Pics of Eva? Only the Lord knows!

A Nursery!

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a nursery! We finally finished up Miss Eva's Nursery this week with the help of Memaw. She stayed in town for a week to help get everything from the Baby Shower sorted, washed, put away, etc. All the thank-you notes have been written - so all that is left is packing our bags! Here are the pictures of the nursery: A work in progress: Mike begins the transformation by painting the room from tan to aqua.

The Crib Bedding Arrives!!

Hanging the quilt rack and some curtains - the room is a mess!

Mike hard at work on some beautiful artwork for his baby girl

Artwork all done! Isn't this just amazing!? It matches her bedding perfectly.

A Beautiful letter E for sweet Eva. Drawn by her daddy!

And drum roll please......The Finished Product! A Lovebirds Nursery:

The Amazing Baby Quilt Memaw made for Eva

There you have it! It is ready and waiting! And I'm introducing a new segment I will call Eva Watch 2011 - I had a doctor appointment yesterday and everything is progressing well. He thinks she may come early like her big brother, but also wouldn't be surprised if she stays in a little longer. He said she has dropped and her head is way down! She is ready to go - we just have to wait a little longer. We are down to weekly appointments, and it's only 2 days until I hit 9 months! Yikes! I will keep you posted!

Beautiful Bluebonnets

Last weekend we took advantage of the beautiful bluebonnets and took some cute pictures! Mike came in from work Saturday evening and said, "there is a field just down the street covered in bluebonnets! Get Mason and get the camera." So I did! Here are the pictures we captured. Enjoy!