Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013

A year ago we were ringing in the New Year in Rome. My mom and sister were visiting and we had just returned from a fabulous little road trip through Tuscany. We knew 2012 was going to bring a lot of changes, we just didn't know quite how many.

In 2012 we said goodbye to Rome. We moved back to the States without jobs or knowing where we would end up. Within a month of being home we both found great jobs in Auburn and decided we would stay a while. And now we're expecting our first little baby, which I still haven't wrapped my brain around.

I'm learning more and more that there is a method to the madness and that He has a plan. If you would have told me a year ago that today I'd be within 2 weeks of my due date and that I'd be living in Auburn blocks away from where I grew up, I would have told you that you were crazy. But, as I'm living it I love it and I wouldn't change it for a thing. Over and over God has shown me that His plan for my life is far greater than anything I could have imagined or put in place myself.

I'm saying goodbye to 2012 with a box of Kleenex and Vicks VapoRub on my couch. Though it's not the most exciting way to end one year and begin the next, I'm thankful for all that 2012 had to offer and very excited for what 2013 will bring.

Buon anno a tutti!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Finally got the tree back up and redecorated for Christmas, and our stockings (including Libby's) are hung by the chimney with care.

Baby Update: 36 weeks

Let Baby Watch 2012/2013 begin.

I'm officially 4 weeks away from my due date. Though I am getting more and more uncomfortable and excited about meeting this baby, I'd really like him or her to hang out for just a little longer.

I'd really like to have time to unpack our house, redecorate for Christmas, redo the nursery, and make a small stockpile of meals to have ready in the freezer. Selfish me. :-)

Today I had another baby appointment and everything is good. I've gained another pound. Putting me at 19lbs. gained so far. And, Baby J's heart rate was 134. The baby has "dropped" which is supposed to make me feel more comfortable, but those little feet are still in my ribs. Things are progressing like they should and this baby could come any time. The average for first time moms with a healthy pregnancy to deliver is 40 weeks and 3 days. So I could waddle around for a few more weeks, or go into labor this afternoon. Yikes...I'll take the first option please.

In other news, we moved on Saturday. And, while the movers were at our old house I conveniently had a baby shower. Is that good planning or what? The movers showed up 8:00am and by the time I was home at noon all the boxes were moved in and the furniture was in place at the new house.

As blissfully easy as it sounds the move happened it in actuality has been quite stressful. Packing, while working full time, while having a huge jewelry order to fulfill, while being 35+ weeks pregnant is not for the faint of heart.  Not to mention that 2 weeks ago we didn't even know we would be moving.

I am so blessed to have such an amazing family and husband. Jim, my mom and Jim's parents all stepped up and helped big time. They helped pack and move and then unpack, they helped clean the old house, and they helped this mamma-to-be stay calm and forced me not to do too much. I really cannot thank them enough.

The house is coming along nicely. And, we are almost done unpacking. I'm so proud of us. Nothing like a baby on the way to give a little extra motivation to get things done! I'll share more photos when we have things a little more set up.

Baby Update: 34 weeks and a move

Nursery complete...check.

Baby gear assembled...check.

Baby clothes washed...check (and folded and put away...if you know me you know I have a slight problem with folding clothes after they're washed and putting them away).

Childbirth classes...check (well, we're done with the first week, 2 more classes to go).

Hospital bags packed...almost (I've made my packing list).

We're officially 6 weeks away from Baby J's due date. That's a month and a half, or about 45 days. And from what I understand the due date is more of a general suggestion, so Baby J will come when he/she wants to come and that could be sooner than 6 weeks. (Can you tell I'm a bit nervous about that?)

Where did the time go?

Are we really ready to be parents?

What if I mess up?

Why didn't I insist on being a babysitter when I was growing up?

How am I going to balance everything...work, my jewelry business, taking care of Libby, keeping up with the chores, feeding my family, oh, and taking care of a BABY?

Overwhelming is beyond an understatement.

Thankfully God still has a sense of humor. To take my mind off all the stresses and fears of having a baby He has thrown a move into the mix. That's right. We're moving! Basically just down the street and around the corner, probably half a mile in total. But moving none the less. We're making the change for a variety of reasons. We mainly just need a house that is going to work better for our family. So by December 15 we will be out of our current house and in to the new one.

The nursery that is complete will have to be redone. The Christmas tree will be undecorated and then redecorated. And all that unpacking I finally finished. Well, it will be repacked and then unpacked again, but this time I promise not to take 8+ months. :-)

Are we crazy? Probably.

Yesterday I had my 34 week appointment. I only gained 1lb. from my last appointment, but I can tell you it feels like a million. Over the weekend I kept telling Jim that I felt like I had feet sticking in my ribs. Well, I was right. Baby J has nestled in to the head down position, which is exactly what we want, which means those little feet are going to be in my ribs until his or her birthday. Baby's heart rate was great, 127 to be exact.

The next few weeks are going to fly by. Besides moving, I'm super busy at work finishing up end of year stuff and working on my handover for while I'm on maternity leave. We get a full 2 weeks off for Christmas (thankfully that will give me time to unpack and get the house set up) and we go back to work 1.5 weeks before my due date. I'm planning on coming back, but that depends on what Baby J decides to do. So for my comfort and the sanity of my bosses I'm having everything completed before the holidays. I'm also trying to keep up with jewelry for the busy Christmas shopping season. And, I'm thrilled to announce that Emma Jane Designs is the newest addition at the Lilly Barrack stores (3 to be exact) in Albuquerque, NM. I'm beyond excited about this opportunity, but it quadrupled my work load. So in addition to keeping up with current demand, I'm working my booty off to build my inventory for the first few months of next year. I hear I'm going to be pretty busy and slightly sleep deprived with a newborn, so I'm planning ahead.

I was going to give you a few more pictures of the nursery, which is looking awesome, but I think I'll wait until we are in our new house and let your anticipation build...hah. (Trying to laugh about all of this because if I don't laugh I'll cry.)

Words to Live By...

Thanksgiving Adventures

What do you get when you combine a very pregnant person (32.5 weeks to be exact), a 7lb. car-sick prone dachshund, and a 12 hour car ride (one-way)?

Thanksgiving 2012, of course!

This year a trip to my dad's was well overdue. I haven't seen my dad, my little sister, or grandmother in over 2 years, since our wedding. I'm too far along to fly, and let's be honest, who wants to pay $400+ per ticket for a 2 hour flight any ways, so we decided driving would be our best option. And bringing Libby, well, that's not ideal, but we didn't want to board her for a week.

Now, let's flashback quickly to Christmas 2011. Remember our road trip through Tuscany? It was like a comedy of errors. Poor Libby got sick 4 times in the first hour on the road. And, I'll mention too, that Libby, just like her mother, gets carsick on the way to Lake Martin...and that's just a 30 min. trip.

So at the crack of dawn on Wednesday (actually 3:45am) we set out for our looooong drive.

Snacks...check.

Extra pillows to keep mamma-to-be comfy...check.

Plenty of music for the drive...check.

Directions...check, check.

Our drive was uneventful, which is exactly how you want a long trip to be. I'm happy to report that Libby did GREAT. She didn't get sick once. She did have to sit in my lap the entire way, but I enjoyed the snuggle time. We made great time and got to my dad's exactly 12 hours after we left Auburn, just in time for dinner and to celebrate Jessica's 8th birthday.

In addition to eating tons of yummy food, we took a drive on Skyline Drive. It was pretty cool. Lots of amazing views and we even saw a black bear! Yikes! We also went to the new Air & Space Museum that is out by Dulles Airport. It was my first time going to that one, but I've been to the one in D.C. many, many times. It was one of our favorite things to do when we were visiting our dad when we were little, so every time we were there we had to go to that museum.

The museum was awesome. It's like taking a trip down memory lane for my family. PapPap (Wes is his real name) is my grandfather and he was an amazing person. He was in the air force and flew B-52 bombers in WWII. The average life span of a flight crew was about 12 missions. His crew flew more than 30. He was a brilliant engineer and went in to research and development after the war and was project manager on some pretty amazing projects, including developing the brake system and tires for the space shuttles. It makes me sad that Jim never got to meet him and makes me even more sad that Baby J won't get to know him.

The trip was a quick one, but it was so nice to see everyone. On Sunday we made the looooong drive back to Auburn. That trip took us 13+ hours and was a bit of a nightmare. There was just so much traffic, it was unbelievable. Libby had another good car ride though. She slept on my lap the whole way back and didn't have any problems. So proud of my little girl!

Here are a few pictures from the trip:

Poor Libby was so worried we were going to forget her.

Family photo attempt #1

Family photo attempt #2

Jessica and Libby being silly.

See that black spot in the center? That's a black bear.

Me and the Hubby at the Air & Space Museum.

I LOVE all these planes! So cool.

The space shuttle that PapPap designed the tires and brake system for.

Baby Update: 32 weeks

Slow down baby! Mamma can't keep up with your non-stop growth spurt!

The past few weeks have been interesting to say the least. Baby J has done some serious growing and I'm doing some serious slowing down. No longer are people commenting on how small I am. Along with the joys of knowing that this little baby is growing come some discomforts. It's mainly just the heartburn and sleeping (or lack there of) that's driving me crazy. My mom said she had horrible heartburn when she was pregnant with me. I guess this is payback for that. But, on the up side, we're entering the final countdown. Only 8 more weeks of slight discomfort. I really have to emphasize the slight. We are beyond blessed with this pregnancy. I really, really cannot complain about anything. And, Jim loves to remind me that my back always hurt before I was pregnant.

I had another appointment this morning. It was great because Jordan, Jim's sister, is home from school for Thanksgiving and she was able to come with me to the appointment and hear the baby's heartbeat. She is VERY excited about being an aunt. :-) I'm up 17lbs. and baby's heartbeat was a strong 130. Have I mentioned that I love hearing that heartbeat? Such an amazing reassurance.

Tomorrow morning we're leaving at the crack of dawn to drive to my dad's in Virginia for Thanksgiving. It is going to be a loooong drive, but we're very excited to see that side of the family.

Once we're back from Thanksgiving I'll be in full baby prep mode. Right now I feel like I'm in a kind of holding pattern. I'm waiting for the rest of the furniture to arrive (just the bookshelf), I'm waiting to buy the rest of the baby gear that we need, I'm waiting to pack our hospital bags, I'm waiting to learn more about the birthing process and newborn care (our classes aren't until December). I'm just waiting, waiting, waiting. Don't get me wrong, I'm very thankful to have 2 more months to prep for Baby J. I'm just feeling antsy. I'm guessing this is totally normal though.

The nursery is looking great. Here's a peek at the progress (sorry the lighting isn't very good):

The crib. Jim and his dad (aka Pop Pop) put it together last night.

Close up of the crib bedding. Grey hand-tufted bumpers and percale
cotton sheets in Dune from Restoration Hardware Baby & Child with a basic
white cotton crib skirt from Amazon.com