Lead Me

It's my pleasure to introduce to y'all the MOST handsome little boy that I have ever set my eyes on ~

Mr. Andrew G. Norton!

Here he is just minutes after being born on August 28th at 8:15am. He is 7lbs 6oz and 19.5 inches. He had a rough entrance into this world. When the doctors realized I had pre-eclampsia during my appointment on Friday, I was sent up to L&D immediately to be induced (I had too much protein in my urine and not enough platelets). Right away, they set me up with an IV for the Pitocin and Magnesium Sulfate, which was used to prevent me from going in to seizures. They warned me from the beginning that the Magnesium would slow him down and he may not cry as soon as he comes out. Well, after a long and hard birth that I will disclose in a little more detail later, we realized that it was a little worse than that.

When he came out, he was severely distressed because all of his systems were depressed and he knew it! They set him on my belly long enough for Trey to cut the cord and pulled him away trying to clean him up. Not to long after that they rushed him out of there and I was told that he was being transferred to another hospitals NICU unit. Trey went with them to make sure he was being taken well care of. It was/is the hardest thing I've ever gone through.

I sat in the hospital recouping until Sunday night and was finally released around 8:30. We came him and to say it was upsetting to come home without a baby in my belly and no little Andrew to put in his cradle is a severe understatement. As hard as it is, we are keeping up the positive thoughts and really leaning on our faith right now.

He's doing better day by day. The machines are doing just about everything for him at this point, but we're trying very slowly to take him off of things one by one. Today they took his fully catheter out and last I heard, he is doing very well. He was soaking through a diaper with the catheter in, so they felt pretty good about that. They started to take him off of Dopamine which is helping to regulate his BP. They took the level down a bit and Andrew was borderline where they wanted him, so they've stopped that for now. Little by little.. step by step. He's not being sedated anymore either so that's great!

Right now, we're not sure when he is going to be able to come home, but we know that he is in very good hands. The pouring out of love and prayers we have received from people everywhere has been overwhelming. It's breath-taking. We got to go in this morning and touch him for the first time.. it was a moment we'll never forget. Here are some pictures:


While we were waiting in the nurses office Friday morning to find out what was going on she had the song Lead Me on the radio. I remember tearing up and telling Trey how much I loved that song and wanted to have him listen to it when we got home. It was the last thing I heard before going up and being induced, so when I remembered that this afternoon, we listened to it together and just cried and cried. We're going to need a lot of leading from God in the next few months... years I'm sure!

Lucky

I'm going to take a little time to brag about my husband!

I know on a daily basis how much I love him, but sometimes life gets in the way of really appreciating him. RE: getting ready for baby. I've been consumed lately with all thoughts of baby. I'm quite sure that's normal. But then something happens that pulls me into reality and I see that I'm staring at the most perfect man that was made for me. Thank you, God!

It's been a rough week for me physically. To try and sum it up... I was slammed with sudden unbearable back pain on Monday (as in I couldn't stand up straight, never mind walk). It scared me seeing as how I'm a first time mom and had no clue what this meant. I had a feeling it was just the way he was positioned, but what if I was having back labor? After a phone call to L&D, I called Trey in full fledged tears. He left worked immediately and took such good care of me. Y'all, if you could have seen him walking me everywhere and through the house every time I needed to do something, you would have laughed. If he wasn't there.. I would have been crawling. I was able to totally lean on him.. literally. He also took it upon himself to do laundry, clean the house, and cook dinner. He went above and beyond and I didn't have to ask him for a single thing. He took such good care of me.
I still was not feeling better the next morning, so back to the hospital we went (they told us to if I wasn't feeling any better). Blood pressure was very high for me, so they are testing for preeclampsia and did another exam on me. They were talking about stretching my cervix if things were progressed enough (they weren't... apparently I'm not dialated at all anymore, but am 50% effaced) and as soon as they warned me how much it would hurt, he had jumped up by my head and was holding my hand. This coming from the guy who jokes about not knowing if he'll be able to handle being in the labor room. Who is he kidding... he's not going to let me out of his sight. He now wants to pack plenty of clothes because he doesn't even want to come home at night to sleep.. I'm still trying to convince him that that will be best.. he needs his rest!

He makes sure I'm getting plenty of rest and shuts me right up when I start feeling guilty for not getting enough done.
He's been loving on my belly so much lately and talking up a storm to his son. He's probably told me 10 times in the past 12 hours how excited he's getting.. even though I know he's a ball of nerves. He can't wait until Andrew is old enough to play with him and has the best time looking for toys for them to play with.
He wants to make sure everything is perfect for when my parents get here and is so excited to have them here. The fact that he big time hearts my parents makes me heart him even more.
He makes me laugh more than anyone on this planet... even when all I feel like doing is crying.
He's getting over the fact that his son won't be born in Alabama (he thinks all the best things come out of Alabama) and was ecstatic to realize this week that when we leave the hospital, we'll be going out the Alabama exit and the first road our son will ride on will be Alabama Street. Hey... I never said he was normal... just that he makes me laugh.
I could stare at him for hours while he's sleeping... he's adorable.

In my opinion.. he's just plain adorable in general :)

And clearly needs a dog to play with and even more clearly, is going to be the best dad in the world (just as amazing as my dad is with me)  :)  I can't wait to see the look on his face when he first sees Andrew!

I'm a lucky, lucky girl and need to remember to count my blessings more often!

~39 Weeks~

How far along: 39 weeks and 1 day (waah wah wah)

Total weight gain: "you know that I'm a beast" was the first line that came into my head.. points to whoever can tell me where that came from. But uuummmm... I've gained 35 lbs. Yeahhhh hot mama.

Maternity clothes: Sick of em! I'd rather just wear a sports bra and sofie shorts, but when I have to be decent I throw on whatever fits at this point. Yuck. I have been wanting to buy all these cute SC or Bama colored dresses and pretty tops (cuz that's how we dress for football in the SEC) but I can't for two reasons: 1. Broke broke broke. 2. Who knows what size I'll be wearing!

Stretch marks: Oh yeah. They're multiplying. It's not pretty. Sometimes it makes me cry, but most of the time I don't care. I'll throw some Maderma on there and hope for the best, but it just comes with the territory.

Sleep: A total of two hours MAYBE last night. I'm just plain uncomfortable. Who can sleep comfortably at 39 weeks pregnant? There's no hope. Suck it up and drive on. Can't wait to sleep on my belly again! Mark my words.. he'll be up at 5 every morning. Because I sure have been for the past three weeks.

Best moment this week: It was a week ago today actually, but when the doc told me I was 2.5cm dialated. I'm pretty sure nothing else has happened or we may have even gone backwards since I've been so comfortable.. umm.. down there, but I was thrilled to hear that at the time!
How about worst moment of the week? Can we add that in this time? We'll go with hearing any form of the following question: "Have the baby yet?" "You're still here?" "Any contractions yet?" 500 times a day.  OMMMG. I cannot handle it any longer. I know people mean well, but seriously? I can't be the only one that has ever been completely aggravated by this.. don't they remember how it felt to them? Moving on..

Movement: We're living in cramped quarters. I was whining to Trey this morning (big ups to him for putting up with me for the past month) about how much it hurt for him to be piled up in one spot stretching my skin beyond what should be normal, when he said, "how do you think he feels in there?" Poor monkey needs to come on out and stretch those legs out! But yes, feeling the movements.. rolling around and kicking. You can see my whole stomach moving.

Food cravings: Let's just say that the 35 lbs surprises me none. And now I'm to the point where I don't care a bit and I'm enjoying it every moment that I have left. There will be NO ice cream or cookies in my house once he comes out!

38 and 1/2ish Weeks

Showing: My mother is lucky that I love her. I was really going to skip the picture part, but she's right.. I'll love to have this to look back on some day!

39 Weeks 1 Day

Temperament: Any range of emotion depending on the time of day I guess. Tired. Excited. Cranky. Calm. Overwhelmed. Scared. Terrified. Anxious. Sad. Thankful. You name it.

Words of Wisdom:

A good friend wrote this on my FB page yesterday and it made all the difference in my outlook:

"relax and enjoy every minute of your pregnancy, it is the ONLY time in life you get to assist God in a miracle." erma bombeck

It took a moment to really resonate in me, but once it did I felt an incredible peace throughout me. It's so true. No matter when I want Mr. Drew out (now), I have to remember the best timing is God's timing. And I'll do all I can do to be a safe haven for my baby until he's ready. So, NO, I won't be drinking castor oil!

Simply Bags

Yes, yes, I'm still sitting around here and feel like there is NOTHING going on down there. In fact, I feel great. Besides my heavy body and not being able to sleep much - I feel better than I have in a while. No, that's not a good thing. I want to be writhing and screaming in the pain of labor. I want to see my little monkey!

On the brighter side... I was contacted by Bob Shirilla last week to see if I would be interested in doing a review of one of his beach bags that he sells.  I am never one to turn down anything offered to me, especially a good bag. I am, however, picky with who I want to advertise on my blog (clearly as I've never done anything like this before. I've had offers, but I don't want to go in that direction with my blog) I just couldn't turn down getting one of these though after looking at their website! I gave him my information and had the bag in no time. I'll let him explain his company to you a little more though through the little tidbit on his blog:

Simply Bags an eCommerce retailer featuring fashion tote bags and accessories for all lifestyles. Our specialty is superior personalized embroidery.

Nearly all tote bags are embroidered and shipped the same business day.
At Simply Bags, we’re dedicated to providing each customer with superior service. From personal assistance to convenient and real-time UPS order tracking, Simply Bags in-house customer service representatives are focused on customer satisfaction


I was/am very pleasantly surprised. As far as appearances go.. it's adorable! I love anything with my name embroidered in and I love these colors together. (They do have more to choose from, of course). Quality wise.. I don't think you can ask for anything more. It's huge! Do you know how many things I could use this for? It's also very sturdy so I would feel confident in packing many things in there. I have a feeling it will come in very handy when toting everything I need around for Andrew.. especially for trips we go on! So, go on over and check them out here. I'm pretty sure you'll find something you HAVE to have. They have just about every single type of bag that you could ever dream of!

Also, while you're at it, click here. Come on guys! JG just needs two more people to sign up for her Scentsy giveaway. Who doesn't want one of these things?? They're amazing. And I promise, will smell up your entire house. Not that I have one, but I've had friends that do. Buutt.. I'm going to need you to go on over and sign up so I can get one! Even if you've never been to her blog before or have never commented.. go. now. please :)

Hellooo.. I meant to put a pic up of said bag.. that would help, huh??

He Wants Out!

I'm so glad that I finally pushed my way into the hospital and got my exam. I know that this could mean nothing in terms of when we actually go in to labor, but...







I am 2 and 1/2 cm dialated!!!


His head is very far down and he is ready to come on out! Just waiting on me to do my thing now. She said I could still be anywhere from days away from going in to labor to all the way up to my due date, but this little bit of information made me just plain giddy! One.. I know we're making progress. Two... It makes me feel better about the whole pain process. I know there is much more to come, but in my head, I imagined that this far along would be quite painful!

Lots of walking around in my hear future. And cleaning. And just plain preparing. Where is this energy going to come from???

Weekend?

You're all invited to my pity party! Don't worry, if you don't want to attend, I really won't hold it against you ;)

My weekend is going nothing like planned. I was looking forward to lots of QT with hubs and I'm getting none of it.
The party we went to last night was great.. I really enjoyed it. I didn't realize though that it was a Pampered Chef party. I thought it was just a plain ol' going away party for a sweet couple that I would have liked to get to know better while they were here. So, with it be Pampered Chef, the guys gathered around outside the whole night, understandably wanting nothing to do with us. Hubs had a little bit to drink over there and came home and got another beer. We sat down to get some cuddle action in and watch some Dexter. He fell asleep with a half full beer in his hand. Good night.

We did get up and have a delish breakfast together and get some work done on his truck. Made dinner plans. And right in the middle of relaxing a bit The Army decided to rear it's ugly head. His "leash" as he likes to call it (aka his work phone) started chiming away and off he went into work. He didn't think it was supposed to take long, but that was... hmm... 3 hours ago.

Normally, this stuff doesn't get to me very much. I may give one little pouty face and then I'm over it. Tonight's different and I'm having a severe pity party for one. I think it's because I'm counting our "just the two of us" weekends down and we don't have many left. I know Andrew will be the biggest blessing we can add, but you know...

I don't think I'm going to be the best dinner date for our poor friends ~ but then again ~ maybe he'll make it in time!

Friday Randomness

Still not much going on around here, but I figure I better post somewhat regularly so you don't think I'm in labor or anything!

Remember earlier in the week where I talked about still not being seen on a weekly basis or even having an internal exam? I almost gave up after leaving numerous messages for my nurse and calling straight to L&D to see if my nurse was just confused. L&D told me it was normal - I'm not seeing someone regularly or having the internal because I'm part of the Centering group (which I will never do again) and more and more they don't like to do internals since it could cause early labor and there's no real benefit to know if I've started to dialate. I get that.. I really do. But... 1: I'm kind of okay with going into labor at any point now. 2: They clearly don't know me very well. I like to be prepared. So when my nurse FINALLY called me back yesterday (4 day turnaround? Not very acceptable) and said I could come in Monday morning for sick call and ask for a certain nurse and will be given an exam.. I've decided to jump on that I think. I just need to know what's going on.

I finally got around to getting a breast pump. It came with an instructional DVD and we watched it the other night. Ha.. freaky! That'll take some getting used to! The most beneficial thing I got out of the DVD was the "words of encouragement" section. I'm more determined that this IS GOING TO WORK now more than ever. I really want to be able to breastfeed and if it comes down to calling a lactation consultant to help, than I will.. but one way or another.. it's going to happen. Take that Andrew ;)


I'm so glad it's the weekend. Friday nights are my favorite. Trey comes home fairly early (most of the time) and we have the whole weekend ahead of us. No work. No meetings. Just hanging out together. We have a goodbye party to go to tonight for some friends that are leaving to go to Colorado. Tomorrow we'll get some work done on our cars -no fun- and buy just two more things I need for the babe. Other than that, we have no real plans!

Jaci over at Me and My SoldierMan is having an awesomely exciting (you like that Jaci?) Scentsy giveaway, so go on over and check that out! I didn't want to mention it, because I want to win it very badly, but she needs at least 30 bloggers to sign up, so what are you waiting for? Annnd.. she found out yesterday that as soon as her hubby is done with BOLC and Ranger school that they are heading here to Fort Bliss! So excited to be reunited with her :) We met when Trey and I were stationed at Ft. Sill and they were still living in Oklahoma!

Can you imagine how distraught I was when I tried to tune in to the FINALE of SYTYCD last night and the Dallas Cowboys were playing instead??? Really? How do you just cancel a show like that? I know everyone else in the country got to watch it. Why play with my emotions like that? And just so they could play the freaking Raiders of all teams?? I know Lauren won and that made my heart happy, but so much that I missed! All the best performances of the season... reactions to winning and losing... guests on the show that Cat Dealy promised me I wouldn't want to miss. Grrrrr! It made me feel a lot better to see that Dallas lost.. to the RAIDERS. Sorry if I've upset any fans. Love ya.. mean it.

I'm sorry for the most boring post ever. Carry on.

Baby Brain

Nothing too interesting going on over my way, but thought I'd do a little post before my mum gets anxious ;) Love you.

My thoughts are consumed by this child and when he will be here. I have moments where I am terrified of going into labor (funny - I can't really get past that thought yet. I can't wrap my brain around bringing him home. One step at a time, I guess), begging God for relief... I can't wait to have a "normal" body again, to sheer excitement. Whether he comes early or late, I'm going to be holding my son in no more than 3-4 weeks! Incredible.

Mum has decided (I think) to wait until she hears news from us to book her ticket. She still has a free ticket to use from a flight she took last year that was overbooked, so really she doesn't need to rush to book anything since she won't need to worry about last minute costs. That way we know she won't be here wasting any time if he hasn't come yet. Sadly, I don't think my dad is going to make it down. The thought that he won't see his first grandchild tears me up inside, but I understand their thinking. My youngest brother will just be starting high school. They were planning on coming down for Labor Day, but what if Andrew isn't here yet? Plus, they were planning on using points that have built up for their tickets and if they don't come down, they want to give them to us to ensure we get home for Christmas. I hate that he will sacrifice to give us something we said we were going to do, but ended up not being able to afford it, but it would be really nice to be with all of our family for the holidays. Plus, my brother doesn't want to even miss a day of school... the kid is nothing like myself or my other brother.. just sayin..

I have a feeling that my little monkey will be here either on time or maybe even a little early, but they really just may be my optimistic, wishful thinking. I've had a few signs here and there - some I won't mention - like feeling some pressure down there and just different .... sensations if you will... but what do I know? I know I could feel like this for weeks. Most normal people would know if they've started dialating because they've for sure had an internal exam by 37 weeks, right? Oh no... not I.
Last time I went in, they said they'd start seeing me weekly after 36 weeks (which meant, I assumed, they would give me an exam during my 37th week since it would be a one on one appointment). So I go in for my 36 week and was told they'd see me in another two weeks for the next group (centering) appointment. No ma'am says I... I'll be 38 and 1/2 weeks by that point. Nurse acts like that's completely normal and now tells me they don't do weekly appointments until 38 weeks. So... in case that was a little hard to follow... that means I won't have weekly appointments until I'm 39 and 1/2 weeks along. Ummm.. helllo... he's almost well done at that point! I freaked out internally, almost cried, and waited around until she folded and said she'd try to get me an appointment for next (now this) week. I still haven't heard back and she's not answering her phone or returning my calls.
I did google this subject though, and saw a lot of people say that this is becoming the norm. That if you are fairly young and have a healthy pregnancy, that they won't do an exam on you until your in labor. The less poking and prodding they do, the better says people on google. So I feel a little better about it, but still am a little uneasy. I also found out they won't admit me until I'm 4 cm along. Lovely.

I just keep picturing that sweet boy I'll have at the end of all of this. It'll all be worth it in the end! Right?!

A Post About Food

Remember my post from the other day confessing my incredibly strong craving for Laffy Taffy? Neither did I, but here it is. I now have more taffy than I will probably be able to eat before Drew gets here. It's been hilarious.
My dear husband came home with a bag of little taffies. Soooo not what I was talking about babe, but it was the thought that counts. I went to an FRG meeting last night and one of the wives showed up with a piece of the CORRECT kind of taffy (I don't think she read my post, I was just blabbing on and on to her about how much I was craving it and couldn't find it) and then found THREE pieces of taffy at our door when we got home last night! Jennifer had read my post and "just had to get them for me" when she saw them at the store! I just about died when I saw that.. so did Trey! You guys are the sweetest!

On another subject.. somewhat related... I tried a new recipe the other night and we thoroughly enjoyed it. So much so that I thought I'd share it. I've been trying some new casserole type dishes that will be easy to make and have leftovers for when the babe gets here.. this one will be made again. And I got it off of the back of a package of shredded cheese :)

You'll need:
It says 12 tortillas but I needed about half of that.
1lb of Chicken breast (I just used the canned chicken - gasp) If you use a real piece of chicken, you'll need to shred it up. I promise the canned stuff is just as good and much easier.
As much shredded Mexican flavored cheese as you see fit (I won't admit here just how much we used, but I think you need at least one bag..)
2 cups of salsa
8oz of sour cream (again, I used more than that.. but to each his own)
10oz bag of frozen corn
bell pepper and onion

You'll do:
Heat up the chicken, onions and peppers until the chicken is heated through. (I even sprinkled some Cayenne pepper on the chicken for some extra pizazz)
Preheat oven to 400.
Add all of the salsa and frozen corn to your chicken and just let it sizzle on med. low for a bit.
Spread enough tortillas to cover the bottom of a sprayed 13x9 pan.
Add half of the chicken mix.
Sour cream on top of that.
Cheese on top of that.
Repeat all that once more.
Bake, covered in foil for 30 minutes.
Take the foil off and bake for 10 more minutes.

It's delish! Let me know if you try it and how you like it!

I'm very excited for tonight... hubs agreed to brinner and I cannot wait :)

He's Getting Ready

I had my doctor's appointment first thing this morning! All is well... very well in fact.

Baby Drew has finally decided to flip around. He's about as head down and centered as it gets! His back is on my right side, hiney in my ribs (she said I should absolutely feel like my ribs are bruised.. and I DO), and his feet on my left side.

I could have cried when she first told us. Not happy tears. I know that sounds silly to most of you, but if you know me, you wouldn't be surprised. I do not handle pain well. But you know what? I'm feeling really good about this now. It took a couple of hours to get used to the idea. He was so far up in my ribs and definitely head up, I believe, until this Monday.. so I got used to the idea of having a Csec. I liked the fact that we would just know a date. That my mom could book her plane ticket feeling sure she would be here when we wanted her to be. I especially liked the idea of walking into the hospital and having my baby in my arms not too long afterwards. And really really got comfortable with the fact that my girl bits wouldn't be splitting apart.

But after having a really good conversation with my SIL and my Aunt, I'm kind of thankful and dare I say.. excited. Is there a part of me that is still scared of the whole experience? Duh. But I am glad I'm going to get this time in my life. I'm going to push my child out into this world. How amazing is that?! I've been praying and praying about this and I know God is in control of this. He wouldn't be putting us in this position if it wasn't something I could handle.

Now.. let's just hope he's on time! One because I'm soooo ready to not be pregnant anymore. Two (and most importantly) he has to be on time for FOOTBALL SEASON. Wooohooooo!! Carolina starts September 2nd and Alabama on the 4th. He NEEDS to be here for the start of the season :)

It's a Good Day

I'm not sure what exactly it is - probably hormones.. hey, they've cause every single bit of everything for the past 9 months, why not this too? - but I'm had an extremely good day today. Against all odds (waking up 3 times during the night and then up for good at 0530) I'm in quite the chipper mood and for the first time in longer than I care to admit, am feeling great about the future.

I hate that I've been such the Debby Downer. I have so many blessings in my life right now, what's there to be down about?!? I went back and read some old posts from this time last year and I used to be so witty and high on life.. I miss that girl!
I've felt kinda hopeless lately, I guess is the right word.
I've had a mental to-do list a mile long and no motivation or energy to start working on it. So at 530 this morning, I wrote that list out.. every single thing that I want to get done in the next three weeks. It helps a great amount to write out whatever it is in your head that is bothering you. I've always been such the diligent list maker... now I remember why!
On top of that, I've crossed 4 things off that list so far today... in the middle of working on another... and plan on dashing through one more on top of that! At this rate, that list will be my bitch before the end of the 3 weeks!

I've been miserable about our money situation. I mean.. we do fine. We just don't have much extra to do more than fine. Or comfortably fine. A lot of that has to do with our home back in SC (still hasn't been sold and Lex. county realized we were renting it so our taxes are going up through the roooooof starting in January. We're basically Screwed ... yes.. with a capital S.. if that house doesn't sell!). But ya know what? It's on the market and our renters are working so well with us... what else can we do but pray? That's the attitude I've decided to take... it's in God's hands and there's not much more we can do about it.

I've also been really looking forward to this so called trip home for Christmas. I started looking at tickets to fly home since Trey has a good idea about block leave... let's just say that unless there is some kind of Christmas miracle preformed - it's not happening! (Seriously.. about $1000 for two tickets??!?)  I've been incredibly depressed about that, but again, another enlightening mind set change today. Of course, I would love to be home with both of our families for Christmas. I would love for Drew to be able to spend that time with them. More so for our benefits then his I guess... he sure won't remember that! But we can't break our bank to do it. Uummm.. more realistically... we can make money magically appear to do it. Looking like it'll be our first Christmas as just the... THREE... of us. Trey and I have never spent a Christmas alone and I'm sure it'll be nice. It can be an opportunity to start some of our own traditions. Of course, it'll kill me to not be around everyone, but I CAN look at the bright side! Plus, I can fly home a month or two later with the babe.. it just would have been nice for Trey to be able to get home. He gets his own strong bouts of homesickness too!

Basically.. the point of this post... I have too too much going for me to let these hormones get the best of me.
A sweet, sweet boy that will join our family in a matter of weeks.
So close that starting tomorrow.. I'm starting with weekly doctor's appointments.
A husband who is extremely excited to become a daddy and has even learned how to swaddle and wants to practice diapers more so he can be a pro. Who, even though he can be a tad bit forgetful, will travel on to every single store/gas station to find me a damn piece of taffy (you know those long, sticky, chewy Willy Wonka things we all used to eat.. I'm DYING for one).
A few girls here that I feel like I'm growing closer to and am extremely thankful for. We went to THE BEST salad place for lunch yesterday and I can't wait to take Trey back there next week!
And lots of family that will all be here to visit within the next month or two. I'm under no illusion that they'll be here to see me, but that's irrelevant.

Please tell me to refer back to this post if you see another one full of whining and moaning!

Picture Post

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Ours was nice... had a good bit of relaxing mixed in with getting out and getting things done.

Here's a baby post, done mostly in pictures :)

Nursery pictures! We're not painting since we'll hopefully be switching to on-post housing next spring. But everything is coming together and he has almost everything he needs! I tried to put one up of the nursery area as well, but it just wasn't working..

Remember how I started cross stitching not too long ago? Remember how hesitent I was? Well, I finished my first project last month and forgot to post a  picture. Here it is and I'm quite proud of it. A little burp cloth for the babe :) Now I'm working on a bib and am almost done!

We had our pictures taken over the weekend. There happens to be a very talented wife in Trey's unit who got together with us and worked her magic. I'm in love! I'm going to print one of these out into an 8x10 to hang in the nursery (and put and smaller baby pic of Trey and I on each side). I've just about decided on the 2nd one... any opinions?

That's all for now. Off to possibly take a short nap (I need one, but whether or not it actually happens is another story), finish a load of baby clothes laundry, and take my bag out to pack... maybe if I see it out then I'll actually pack it!