baby baby baby!!

Things have kicked into high gear around our house getting ready for baby Annalise. As of this past Friday, I am 30 weeks pregnant. I just can't believe how close her arrival is now. It's almost surreal. I'm so ready though. I'm not nervous at all.. should I be?

A few days before Easter a very special delivery arrived on our doorstep. Friends from Memphis blessed us with a crib

He had it up in no time

 There's something about having a crib in a room that makes it feel so complete and so ready for baby. Does a momma's soul good. =)

After Jason did an amazing job in our church's Easter play (as usual) we spent the afternoon with the Waln family at his parent's house.

Jason got an Easter bowl. (this may be his last) I have a feeling next year Easter activities and traditions will take on a whole new look. ;) It will be so fun!

The next weekend we headed on our last road trip for a while- to Memphis for a shower thrown by sweet friends from First Assembly, the church I grew up in.

Their generosity blew me away. I had several of my girls there~ besties for life~ and many many more ladies who I have grown up knowing and who mean so much to my family.

These are the ladies who worked so hard to go above and beyond for this amazing shower. So special.

Funny story from that day. We didn't realize this at first, but there was another baby girl shower being thrown down the street and some guests who were on their way to that shower accidently showed up at my shower. They saw the pink balloons and came right in. The funny part was that both groups of women had people in them that I knew from high school. It totally threw me off to see them because I hadn't kept up with them and was like "why are you here?" It was pretty funny. A great memory of that day for sure.

Before I went to Memphis, I discovered these cute burlap wreaths who happen to be made by a girl I know. Check out her Etsy Shop. SO CUTE! I'm hoping they will let me hang this on our hospital door and then of course when we get home.. this will go on our front door and then eventually in her nursery somewhere. The "it's a girl' can always be taken off and used for another purpose. I love that!

Jason and I have been trying to take advantage of spending as much "us time" as we can before our family has a third, very time consuming, member. Now that the weather is nicer, we love going to the park for walks. I wish we had time for a walk every day. Doesn't my hair look kinda red here? Humm... hormones maybe? Or maybe just the fact that I hadn't had it highlighted in forever and maybe that was more my natural color... Hard to know what my natural color really is ;)

Here's another date night we had just this past weekend...

We went to a movie theater where they have full restaurant with servers. You sit in a recliner and they bring whatever you want right to you. This includes all the traditional movie snacks. It was so cool. It was definately a prego's dream come true. Jason loved his slightly odd burger and popcorn combo. He's got an interesting palet. We had so much fun.

On Friday afternoon my co-workers threw me a shower at this amazing party space that is owned by our company. So chic. They catered a lovely lunch and gave us a bath duck full of goodies. The bonus: a former co-worker, Jessica, was able to come from boliver for the occasion. She is having a baby girl a week before me.

 Jessica has been a huge blessing of a friend to me during my pregnancy. We e-mail all the time comparing notes. She gives me tons of advice and we've even hit up a huge baby consignment sale together. I'm excited for our friendship to continue to grow and our girls to be friends as well. =)

Here's another peek at the nursery in progress. Jason and I spent Saturday morning hanging pictures and deco. in Annalise's room. I also had some time to do more organizing. I felt super productive. It was wonderful to have a good stretch of time to get all of this accomplished. This is the wall above her crib. I saw the idea for the framed "A" made of buttons on Pinterest and just had to make one. Mom took charge of the project and made it just in time for my Memphis baby shower. I plan on adding more colors in the form of tulle balls and probably some rosette balls as well in soft pinks. I can't wait for the finished product. I already love it!

 This was our Saturday night~ definately a fun memory! =) We watched our friends kids so they could go on a date night. It was so much fun making homemade personal pizzas with Alex, Bitsy and Tate. They had a blast getting all messy and making their own pizzas. Their parents have done everything to help us out from helping us paint our new house to filling in for us during our Sunday night kids class while we were in Memphis. They are true servants and it was wonderful to bless them by giving them a night out.

30 weeks!! This was taken yesterday. Reality is definately setting in. I had a great doctor's appointment today. He gave me a great report and told me to get ready... She's coming! He even said I could have her at 34/35 weeks if she's full term. Crazy huh?! Definately motivates me to get things organized and ready to go. I feel good about what we've done and the progress we've made. It's been so much fun. Who knows.. maybe the next time I get on here to post.. she'll be here. I don't need to wait that long.

Thanks for sharing my life. I don't want to miss a minute of this amazing season.

spring snow

I've never lived in a place where we get snow at the end of March. Last Thursday, March 21~ the first day of spring~ we got LOTS of it. It started snowing an hour or so before I left work. It was beautiful! It was just wet enough and the ground was just warm enough nothing really stuck. The ground was just wet. I was very thankful for this as I drove home in rush hour traffic. I was still cautious~ you can never be too cautious in snow~ that's my motto.

I heard of people taking an hour to get home that night. I am extremely thankful we live close to my work. It's been a hug blessing.

Here's our neighborhood from my front porch.

 

I just love snow~ even if it is unseasonably late. We got snow off and on the whole weekend and early the next week. Today is the first day it hasn't snowed at least a little.

 

 

I went inside and cuddled in my favorite blanket to enjoy this view~ So pretty! It was so relaxing and peaceful just to sit and enjoy.

It won't be long and it will be too hot out. I am enjoying our extended winter weather. We'll have plenty of warm weather to soak in~ flip flops and tank tops aren't far away now. =)

In other news.. I found a way to enjoy sewing the baby's quilt~ sewing to worship music. There is nothing quite like it. I had the house to myself while Jason was at Easter play practice so I turned up my tunes and made some progress on the baby's quilt. (one more row to go!!) It didn't take long that I was crying and worshipping. It was such a swet time in God's prescence. I love it~ he meets us right where we are..

Here are some other sights around our house these days... Jason's family had a baby shower for us a couple of weeks ago. We were so blessed by everyone's generosity. I definately breathe a sigh of relief when we recieve just one more thing that baby Annalise will need. It was such a fun time with the ladies of the Waln and Marshall family. It's rare for just the ladies to get together and the time was sweet. =)

I don't have any more pictures because I've misplaced the connecter cord that allows me to load them to the computer. Pray I find it!It's a big deal that it's missing.

Here I am at 26 weeks. Baby girl is growing! I am feeling (and seeing on occasion) her moving all the time these days. Jason even been able to feel her moving and kicking. ~LOVE~

I can't wait to take tons of pictures of her and share them here with you. =) For now, the bump will do. ;)

words of wisdom

My lovely friend Jennifer who is amazing in every way shared this encouraging blog post yesterday. I had made a comment on Facebook about how frustrating pregnancy brain can be and how my day was effected negatively by it. I'm not a fan of feeling this way, but I have ejoyed this pregnancy so very much. Jennifer has encouraged me several times along the way to enjoy every moment of pregnancy.. it's fleeting... it's a gift from God... a miracle. I know that Jason and I have been chosen to be parents to this precious baby girl that he has given us and I want to be the best mom I can be.. full of love and support and and to reflect Jesus and  his love to Annalise Grace. I want to post the words from the blog post entitled "99 Tips for New Moms" so I can see them every single day. I want the words to resonate in my mind and stick with me. I don't want to be stressed all the time or to overthink every little thing that goes on with my child. I don't want to be consumed with what other people tell me to do or beat myself up because i'm not doing things the way others day I should.   I want to enjoy her in every stage of life. After all, she's a gift from God, a blessing, and a miracle.. life is fleeting..I know that I can do all these things through Christ who strengthens me. I know that the more I look to him for wisdom and guidance, the more I will remember these things and be the kind of mom God created me to be.  I strongly encourage you to check out "99 Tips for New Moms"  (even if you aren't a new mome) and then have a wonderful Thursday! xoxoxox!!

life lately..

 I've been a little slow in posting these days.. I don't want to miss a moment of this wonderful transition that we're in. Here are some highlights from February until now.

My valentine and I had so many things we wanted to do for Valentine's day, we split them up into two nights. Funny story.. Jason ordered those beautiful tulips (pictured above) to arrive at my work on Valentines day.. Well.. abbout 5 min. after I got home that day, Jason was like.. "so you didn't get your flowers today.." Nope! Another 5 min. passes.. he got a call from the florist saying they were behind and wanted to know what time my workplace closed.. oops!! Too late buddy. Needless to say.. I eneded up getting my flowers the day after Valentine's day. He felt so bad! There was absolutely nothinghe could do about it. That  night we had dinner at Jason's favorite steakhouse- Re Rico Brazilian Steakhouse. It's one of those places they keep bringing meat~ total man joint!

After dinner we  took a stroll through the mall~ it was way too cold for a walk outside. Jason pulled out a beautiful ring with a sapphire stone.. It looks a lot like Kate Middleton's engagement ring~ LOVE IT~ love her! Once we were home, Jason got his gift. I couldn't resist getting him something special related to the baby. He's all about having his daddy's girl, so the red "I love Daddy" onesie seemed to be the perfect fit. He loved it! I also framed a prego pic of me with "We love You" written across the bottom. I figured he could change out the pic as Annalise grows and always have a pic of his girls in there. ;)

 That Saturday night we extended our Valentine's celebration and ate at our favorite restaurant in Branson~ "The Worman House" The first time we ate there was on our Honeymoon. It will definately always be a favorite.. not only for the food, but for the sentiment as well.

 We both got a snow day so we used the bonus day off to work on getting Annalise's room ready for her arrival. Jason did a second coat of paint and I worked on giving the antique dresser we bought  a facelift.

Ta Daa!! Doesn't it look much better? So girly! I'm in love with the glass knobs. They look like roses~ makes me happy.

Week 22. She's grown so much! I am finally feeling her move around and her kicks are getting stronger and stronger. It's such an amazing feeling. I have heard that I will miss feeling her in there once she's born~ I totally believe it.

I've been working on a baby quilt for Annalise's room. I'm loving how it's turning out, but it's been one of the most frustrating/ trying craft projects i've ever done. Jason stepped in with his mad measuring skills to get me over a large hurdle~ I love him so.

I've been having a blast buying little girl clothes and I'm very proud of myself.. it's mostly been consignment. I will definately have to hold myself accountible.. I have a weakness..

I found these today.. got a great deal~ non consignment. Too sweet!

I saw this quote today and it made me think of just how special/important/ valuable it is to be a parent and to do it God's way. I want to be a parent with purpose and be a godly example to my daughter. Jason and I have a book of prayers and blessings that we read every morning. It's geared toward praying God's word over your child. We are loving it. There is so much power in prayer. I have absolute faith that God is working in Annalise.. even now.

baby girl!!

Well, we're having a girl!! I absolutely LOVE this picture of her. I have the need to look at it often. I think she's going to favor Jason... So clear~ Doesn't she just look so happy and at peace. I love her already. We're planning on naming her Annalise Grace.

 

Mom and dad came in town for the occasion. After the anatomy scan and gender reveal with the sonographer, we invited mom and dad into the ultrasound room. It was great to be able to share it with them. Jason had been dealing with a nasty cold and earache, but he toughed it out and was so excited to hear he would have his daddy's girl. That's the feeling he had all along~ a girl. I really didn't know what to expect. I was trying not to have any expectations. It definately felt  surreal for a while..I really did want to have a girl first. I couldn't help it..

 

Mom, dad and I went to lunch at Cheddars (a rare treat)  after my doctor's appointment. Jason went home to rest so he could enjoy the rest of the weekend with family. Mom and I were itching to buy cute baby girl clothes so after lunch we went to TJ Maxx and bought two adorable outfits for Annalise. It's such a freeing feeling to know what you've got baking in there. IT's like the floodgates are opened and you can starting planning and preparing on a whole new level. We spent most of the day shopping for clothes, bows, and things to decorate her nursery. It was so much fun. =)

On Saturday my BFF from Jr. High, Kerri, was in town visiting family and set aside the afternoon to spend time with and spoil me. After showing her our new place, we headed for 5 Guys (I was majorly craving) for some greasy burger and fry goodness. After satifying a very unhealthy craving we headed to Target and Babies R Us. Kerri gave me tons of great advice on what to register for. I wanted to wait for Jason so I took lots of pics. She also blessed baby Annalise with some cute clothes and an adorable jungle  floor mat for tummy time. Kerri and I met up with Brad and Jason at HuHot for dinner and had a wonderful conversation about God and parenthood. It was so so sweet to share this special time with dear friends. It was definately God's perfect timing having them here the weekend we found out what we're having. God knows just want I need doesn't he?

Saturday night we had a little gender reveal party for the rest of the family. It was a really wonderful time. I admit I was a little agitated at first because I had given out inviatations for 7:00 but most showed up at 6:30 which was the original time. Jason and I got back from our dinner with Kerri and Brad at about 6:50 so everyone beat us. Thankfully mom and dad were already there.

 We just had dessert, coffee, and drinks. The reveal came in the cake pops that mom had gotten from this amazing bakery in Memphis. Jason ended up getting the pink pop.. oops! Oh well. He never ceases to show his excitement. He is thrilled to be having a girl who will most definately be daddy's girl with Jason wrapped around her little finger.

I love the look on Jason's face while he's showing the ultrasound pics to his mom.

Jason's parents brought over the cradle that has been passed through the family since Pops made it for Brian, Jason's oldest brother, over 40 years ago. I love the sentiment of it. Every child in the family has used it.


This baby girl is already spoiled and so loved. One of my favorite things that has been going on lately:

Bedtime stories with the bump~ melts my heart. This is the first one he did- "Bambi"

~SIGH~ We are so blessed.
 



life is good

This week~ it's an exciting one and I just want the week days to go by quickly! Mom and dad are coming in town this weekend. They will be seeing our new home for the first time and i'm really excited to welcome them. We also have our BIG doctor's appointment on Friday morning!! That's right~ we're gonna find out if baby Waln is a boy or girl. Oh my goodness the anticipation is killing me! Mom and dad are coming in town just for the occasion. On Saturday~ BONUS~ my best friend Mrs. Kerri Sagraves will be in town visiting family and we get to hang out that afternoon. Ahh!! I'm soo excited!!! God is just so good to me. I get to have my parents and my best friend since Jr. High to be here on such an important and exciting weekend for us. I already plan on doing some shopping since we will know the gender. It will be a weekend to remember for sure.

In other news... we found an adorable antique dresser which we will use as a changing table for baby.

Isn't is cute? A little shabby, yes, but I plan on painting it a cute accent color and changing the hardware. It's the perfect little changing table. Consider this the before picture. =)

This weeks marks week 19 for me. I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is flying by. I really have enjoyed it so much. Once I got past the sickness of the first trimester.. it's been such a wonderful experience and I'm soaking in every moment. Even the aches and pains here and there~ nothing to complain about.

Here's the bump from last week.

My sweet husband has been extra sweet and helpful. He's been helping clean up around the house so much..and cleanliness seems to have become more important to him than ever. wow! Thank you Lord for blessing me with this wonderful man.

 He makes me laugh~ and oh so happy!

He wrote me this note one Sunday morning a couple of weeks ago when I stayed home sick. In case you can't read it is says: "Good morning Love. I came in and poked you and said hi but you didn't budge! You need your rest. Relax and I will be back soon. Love you both!" Yeah, that "love you both" part~ made me melt~ there were definately tears. He's a wonderful husband and will be just as wonderful of a dad.

One more thing.. I have several friends who are also pregnant. One is due just a few days before me and the others come closely behind. What a blessing to have sweet fun friends to share this experience with. God is so good. I am so very blessed.

~Sigh~ Life is good.

baby lately

This was taken last week at 15 weeks.

We got to hear our baby's heartbeat for the first time yesterday. It was incredible. We recorded it on a special device that mom got from her sister Judy. We're going to give it back to mom of course, but I can't help but keep pressing play over and over again to  hear that beautiful sound.

Jason counted the beats per minute and it's like 160 some. We've read that under 140 is a boy, so Jason is extremely excited that this could mean we're having a girl. I'm trying not to convince myself either way. I want to be excited no matter what~ no expectations.

I am feeling little flutters of movement from baby Waln but I have to be very still most of the time and can't quite tell sometimes if it's baby or other body movements. I want to see and or hear that baby all the time.. to know it's ok. Dr. Kidder said everything was on track and healthy. He did, however, tell me I haven't gained as much weight as other women do. I've gained 3 pounds and most women have gained 10 by now. He told me to make sure i'm eating more Andy's. Ok! ;)

We made our next appointment with the Dr. for early February. I will have another ultrasound. This time.. we get to find out what we're having!! I can hardly wait! Not much longer now. Mom and dad are coming from Memphis so they can be there to find out what their first grandchild will be. I'm so happy they are able to come. It will be so special to have them here.

My mind is filled with all things baby.. I have been getting all kinds of ideas online for decorating the baby's room. What did women do before Pinterest?!

My flea market find from Saturday~ so cute

 I want to go like yesterday to register. I think i'll probably get Jason to do some stroller and carseat shopping with me this weekend. Ahh!! So fun! =) I want to make sure it's nothing but the best for this prescious baby.