The Nursery is DONE!

And good timing, because I feel like I am too!  It seems like we started the nusery really early in the pregnancy, but of course we wait until the last minute to finish it up.  But we are very happy with it, and we hope she loves being in there as much as we do! 



37 weeks



Baby bedding & book shelves



From the moment we found out we were pregnant, we wanted to do an ocean theme for the nursery.  When we found out she was a girl, it got to be much more difficult...they don't make cute girly ocean bedding.  But that wasn't stopping us!  We found a cute kids quilt at target in turquoise and pink with some bright accents and went from there.  We decided to paint a wave on the wall in a really bright turquoise and a very light shade of the same color (the pics don't do it justice...it was hard to get the lighting just right).  And then from there, lots of splashes of pink and fish decor and the room came together! 





Lots of thanks goes out to several people who were key in pulling it all together: the bedding was made by our friend Laura, who did an incredibly amazing job making a bumper and bed skirt out of a twin quilt! 

Word wall & MIA letters above changing table

The shelves were made by my dad, (Papa), to match the furniture perfectly!  The word wall inspiration came from Deb, my mom's friend and my second mom growing up who had the quote framed at my Garden City shower.  The "MIA" letters were meant to be a joke from my college friends, but Christy went over and above and made them too cute to throw in the closet!  And then some of the decorations include gifts from Brady & Jenna (Uncle BB & Aunt Ninna) with the scuba piggy bank and maternity pics, the picture frames and lots of books from my mom (Nana) and others, and the adorable monogrammed blanket on the back of the chair from my friend Amy.  It all came together so perfectly, and we love the way it turned out!  Now we just hope she comes soon so she can enjoy it too! :)  



Comfy glider from Nana & Papa with personalized blanket from Amy



Wanting her to be here to enjoy it with me!



Quick update...

I had my 37 week doctor's appointment today, and I'm already dilated 2 cm.  The doctor says I could go a few days early!  YIKES!  Very exciting, but also makes me realize just how much stuff I wanted to have done before she got here that is still, of course, not done!  But we can't wait to meet her...so baby Mia, we'll be ready when you are!

Also, for those of you asking for more maternity pics, here is the link to the re-touched ones.  Jenna did an awesome job both in taking and in photo-shopping!  http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/12907444/1/Harlow?h=b0831b

Here is one of my favorites...I think it turned out so cool!

Sorry it's so short...gotta get back to my to-do list!  Promise we'll post nursery pics soon...

It's Raining, It's Pouring

Cute decoration at GC shower

Over the last 4 weekends, we have had 3 baby showers...and we are absolutely overwhelmed with everyone's generosity!  We had a really nice brunch shower in Garden City where the community came together in force to give us an amazing community gift plus I got to see and catch up with a lot of friends and family that I hadn't seen in a while; we had a super fun cocktail couples shower in Dallas where the hostesses out-did themselves with creativity on the under the sea theme (have you ever seen a diaper octopus??); and we had a very classy ladies shower in Longview complete with petit fours and silver goblets for punch and lots of little helpers to assist me with gift opening!  We want to extend a HUGE thank you to everyone who hosted, attended and celebrated with us over the last few weeks.  We are so very blessed and Baby Mia is SET to make her grand entrance (read as: we're ready to meet her!) 
 



This totally beats any diaper cake!!



...AND with all of her new goodies, we have been able to almost completely finish the nursery.  I'll get Brock to take pics, but we absolutely love it and can't wait for her to get to enjoy it!







My little helpers



In other news, I had my last (and most likely final) sonogram today...she is weighing in about 6 lbs already, and things look like they're moving right along!  She is running out of room to move, so I am feeling more kicks in the ribs and shortness of breath, and I can't imagine my belly being able to stretch any more!  But if she waits until her due date, we still have 4 more weeks...we'll see if she holds off! 









Garden City hostesses

 




Dallas hostesses

 




Longview hostesses

 

Say cheesy!

I do not feel like I am very photogenic, but I think Jenna did a great job with what she had to work with!  I know maternity pics can get a little cheesy after the 43rd one, so I've picked my 3 favorites and put them here...If you really want to see more, ask me and I'll send you the link.  And just so you know, these are non-photoshopped, so there will be cool effects and less double chins after Jenna is done with them :)

Saw this in a magazine and wanted to copy it

This is my favorite...baby luv!

This one gives the best view of my growing belly

Also, we had our first shower in my hometown last weekend (or was it the weekend before...I think I haven't posted in a while!)...and it was great!  Everyone was so sweet and I had a ton of fun getting to catch up with people I hadn't seen in a while.  And baby girl got lots of great stuff (THANKS GC!)  We have another shower this weekend that our friends are hosting, and I am super excited!!  Should be another fun weekend...

On a more serious note, Brock's dad is have bypass surgery this Friday.  If you can, please say a little prayer for him...we'll keep you posted on it all...until next time...

Making Progress

Our attempt to be crafty - painted canvases over the crib

Just 2 months away from our due date...and things are moving right along!  We had a sonogram yesterday where we got confirmation that everything is still looking really good/healthy.  She is up to 3 1/2 lbs and it looks like she has Brock's lips.  Which is good...it will save us on collogen injections when she gets older :) The ultrasound pics aren't very good quality so they're not posted here... But I convinced Brock to let me show some shots of the nursery (even though it's not completed).  The "grand reveal" will come after we get the bedding in, put up the shelves and hang the last of the decorations on the walls. 

Seaside buddies from Nana and Papaw (in front of the wave)

This weekend is the first of our showers.  I am so excited to go home and get to see everyone!  Also my awesome sister-in-law Jenna has offered to take maternity pics for me.  She's got some great ideas, so I can't wait to see how they turn out...I promise to post some when she's finished working her magic to make my face look less puffy :)

3/4 Cooked

30 WEEKS

(by Tiff)

This week marks my 30th week of pregnancy and being three-fourths of the way done.  I don't think I've ever stuck with something that long!  :)  It's funny how this mini milestone starts a whole new list of worries and what ifs.  What if she comes early?  Will we be ready?  What if my water breaks at work?  Will I ever live down the embarrassment?  What if I'm one of those weird people who don't realize they're having a contraction and then a baby just appears out of their body?  I've got to stop watching that show "I didn't know I was pregnant..."

But all in all I'm still feeling good, and the weather has FINALLY cooled a little (down to 94 instead of 106).  I'm starting to feel huge (check out the GIANT belly!), but I know I still have 2 months to go, so it's just going to get bigger better from here! 

Really though, we have a lot to look forward to.  My first shower is next weekend in my hometown, then we start baby classes, then more showers, then before we know it, it's October and a stork will be landing on our front steps with our baby girl (that's how it works, right?  And people keep saying we need to take classes...please!)

On another note, Brock has his fantasy football draft this weekend in Waco.  Wish him luck that he doesn't end up with Michael Vick again.

Lots Going On

(by Tiff)
Sorry for not posting lately...we have just had quite a bit going on!  We got to spend some much needed vacation time in Colorado hanging out with my brother in Crested Butte.  Katie and Stan joined us on the rediculously long road trip, and my parents met us up there too.  The girls spent the days walking around town and doing some shopping while the boys got to mountain bike (Brock survived even though he rolled down the hill...what I wouldn't give to have that on camera!!), we all fished - though not very successfully - and we got to enjoy the amazingly cool temperatures and beautiful scenery of the mountains.  All in all a great trip with great friends and we're looking forward to bringing the babies back next summer for a fun family vacation!  Thanks for hosting Dustin!!

This past weekend was a fun weekend of re-connecting with Brock's half-sisters.  I had never met them, and Brock hadn't seen them in probably 15+ years, but his sisters Kristin and Kim, and Kristin's little boy Joshua joined us for dinner and catching up Saturday evening.  We had a really great time and realized that 15 years is too long for them to go without seeing each other...we're already in the process of trying to figure out a family reunion of sorts in the next year or so.  Baby girl is lucky to have even more family to love on her! 

As far as the pregnancy is going, I'm still feeling really good and trying not to focus on the fact that I can't see my toes.  My doctor's appointment yesterday went great...she's still growing strong and moving tons.  My whole belly does this alien moving thing when she gets active...it's pretty funny!  We are getting closer to getting her room finished...the walls are painted, the curtains are up, and we're working on getting some of the wall decorations finished and put up.  We'll post pictures when it's more complete, but so far it is looking very cute...I hope she loves it as much as we do! 

One last note: Brock's dad is in the hospital with an episode he had this weekend (not quite a full heart attack, but something similar) so we'd appreciate any prayers for him to make a full recovery. 


I promise to be better about posting...with it getting closer, things are changing rapidly!  Lots and lots to do before she comes!!  Still, I can't wait! :)