just about 8 weeks to go!!

We are just approaching the beginning of the 32nd week of pregnancy, the weeks and days are flying by and I am finding that I am feeling more and more emotional with the passing days, it is a mix of sheer panic because my nursery is not set up AT ALL yet (and likely it won't be set up until after everyone visits because I need my guest room at first and Sarabeth will be in our room anyways for the first few months) and it is also a mix of excitement at the idea of having another newborn in the house. I have had a lot of dreams lately about her and can't wait for her to get here safe and sound. I'm still working full time so that is a bit stressful as well which adds to the whole emotion of things. I'm trying to finish up projects at work, get matters to a conclusion that I can and have final hearings before the court, not fun this pregnant but it is my job after all so I have to do it. They should have these conversations with women in law school when they contemplate going into litigation...you just don't feel like your arguments are are persuasive when you look 8 months pregnant, but women do it everywhere so who am I to complain! This to will pass (in about 8 weeks)!! I spent about an hour last night looking through my blog book from 2008 and 2009 and it made me even more excited for the arrival of Sarabeth. If you have a blog and you have not published it into a book yet, I STRONGLY suggest you do it, it is a wonderful keepsake and better than any scrapbook I could have ever created as it captures so much of our day to day life and is something I will cherish forever. I started looking at the book to compare this pregnancy to my pregnancy with Jackson. I think I am carrying a bit different, and definitely have not gained as much weight this time around. The bad swelling I had last time set in during the last week of April, no swelling this time thus far, but it is a bit early for that based on past experience. One day at a time!! Hope everyone is having a good Wednesday!!

BUSY weekend!!

We had a really busy but fun weekend this past weekend!! I had my shower on Saturday with friends here in Florida, and then we left for an extended weekend with the Sherman family down south a few hours at their condo.

Starting with the shower, it was beautiful, shades of pink were everywhere since my friend Melissa (who I shared the shower with) and I are both having little girls! I feel so thankful to have so many generous family, and friends. Sarabeth received all of her beautiful Penlope pottery barn kids bedding for her nursery, many many clothes, hair accessories, toys, books, two beautiful diaper cakes full of all kinds of goodies, a pink diaper bag, a fancy party dress for a special occasion, bins for her room, every lotion known to man for a baby, an assortment of gift cards and all sorts of fun things for when she arrives!! Jack even got a few big brother to be gifts, no detail was over looked. Our friends did an afternoon dessert shower so there were TONS of sweets at the shower, a full juice bar, chocolate fountain fondu bar, champagne for the non-pregnant guests, and there were pretty pink flower arrangements all over our friend Ashley's house. In the photo that you see with me and three other girls, Melissa is the one with long dark hair, she is due three days before me and Erin is on the other end next to me, due about 10 days after me with a boy, Angela is in the peach-ish blouse, due about two weeks after me with a boy!! In going through everything I received I am still so over-whelmed with the generosity of the friends we have been blessed to have here.

Following the shower we spent the balance of the weekend and today (Monday) with the Sherman family down a few hours south at their Florida condo. Their entire extended family also has a condo there and was down for a week as well. Like last year, the Shermans invited us down for the weekend and got us a hotel room right across from their place, and they also showered Sarabeth with tons of gifts including clothes and momentos and Jackson also got all sorts of new toys and things. They are like Jackson's third set of grandparents and love seeing him! Their place and our room were just a few steps from the beach so it was a really nice time. Saturday night when we got there we ate out with the whole group at a fun Italian restaurant right on the intracoastal waterway. Sunday we had breakfast out as a family and then spent the entire day with everyone on the beach, only interuppted mid-day for a big family style lunch in their condo courtyard. Last year we did this as well only they were all down for Easter (they came the same time this year but Easter is way late). Nick was so funny, he seriously thought it WAS EASTER because we were all there and having a big fancy lunch, just like last year, lol!!! It was not in fact Easter, but it sure felt like it and we were so thankful to get to spend time with their family and enjoy a weekend away (probably one of the last) as our little family of 3:) Jackson was thoroughly spoiled, that is for sure!!! Now we are back home and getting lined up to face the rest of the week.......happy Monday all!!

loving daylight savings time

We are really enjoying the extra hour of sunlight after work these days! We've all gotten out (including the two dogs) for a long mile+ beach walk for the past three nights! I am really tired these days and slow moving but the exercise and fresh air is good for us all. Today there was a south-westerly wind in the air, hot, dry air, and the temperature broke 90 for the first time since the end of September last year!! I know we live in Florida, but that is hotter than normal by about 10 degrees for this time of year and we don't usually get the hot dry southwestern winds until the summer. As a result, it really felt like summer tonight (minus the bugs and humidity) and the ocean was FLAT, like a lake in Michigan with just a little rolling wave at the edge of the sand, I've NEVER seen it like that. There were tons of shells washed up on shore and Jack and Jon collected a handful of little pink shells for Sarabeth. I think half of our neighborhood was out on the beach enjoying the nice night as well. There was a group of adults gathered around a small beach fire and another handful of families with small children tossing balls, playing in the sand or playing lacrosse. Its hard to believe it is a random Thursday night but these are the days and things that we live for in Florida!! The only thing that would have made it better would have been Mr. Freeze, but we don't havce that here!!

30 week photos

We have NOT been as good about taking pregnancy photos this time around but we are trying still to capture this pregnancy!! Here are some 30 week photos and recent photos of my organizational and baby clothes washing efforts.

Weekend

Another weekend is upon us and it is already Sunday, ahhh, how did that happen??!! Yesterday was a busy Saturday as it was the annual Junior League Tour of Homes. I write about this day every year because it always seems to fall on a GORGEOUS March weather day, perfect weather, bright blue cloudless sky, 80 and sunny, no humidity,no bugs, and a breeze. Mix that with ladies in Lily Pulitzer dresses and sun hats and 5 gorgeous homes right on the ocean to tour and there is NOT much not to like. I LOVE helping out with this fundraiser which raises usually over $25k to fund our programs to support women and children in the community throughout the coming year. All of the ladies going on the tour seemed to want to know about baby Sarabeth on her way, and wanted to touch my belly which I did not mind. Seeing how pregnant I am and hearing everyone ask about our little girl on the way makes it all so much more real and exciting. So many ladies said how beautiful her name is, of course we think that but I love hearing others say it too!! After the tour concluded I came home to rest for a bit and then we met one of JOn's co-workers and his family at the fair so Jackson got a second crack at the fair before it leaves town today. It was fun but we were pretty tired last night.

We are just sticking around the house today and are going to enjoy the beach and pool today and also get more baby preparations underway. I have a shower along with my friend Melissa next weekend so after that we will really know what we need to buy to fill in. I washed everything I have so far last weekend and sorted it into bins for the changing table. Today I have more organizing to do!! Pictures later!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

It is hard to believe it is already past the middle of March and hence, St. Patrick's Day! In honor of the day, Jackson wore a green "Kiss Me I'm Irish" shirt to school and we will have a traditional Irish dinner of corned beef, cabbage etc. tonight. Pictures later!!! Somehow this holiday is just NOT as fun when you are not in college (for obvious reasons), or when you are not in a school environment where there is a party with crafts, decorations, treats, etc. Here's hoping all of the little ones in our lives have an element of luck and Irish fun incorporated in their days today. I can hardly wait to hear about Jackson's classroom party and see the crafts he brings home:)

Saturday at Disney

Yesterday we had to drop Megan at the airport early and the weather was really nice so we decided to make a day trip to Disney before making the trek back home. Thankfully our passes were not blacked out (I did not think to check this until we were almost there and I knew there were some dates in March that we cannot use our pass) phew, that is not until next weekend!!

We were only up for the day yesterday so we went to Jackson's favorite park, Magic Kingdom. As we expected with the spring break season upon us and Florida's best weather in high gear, the park was PACKED! However, we've been so many times that we mapped out our strategy while in the car before we got there and we always had a ride fast passed so we really did get to do a lot in just one day without feeling rushed or stressed, or having to wait in lines. We also don't feel the stress of having to cram every last bit of Disney Magic into one day because we can always go back another day to do something else.

Right now Jackson is really into pirate themed things, the new Disney Junior has a new show he loves to watch as we get ready for work and school in the mornings, Jake and the Neverland Pirates so our first ride was the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride in Adventureland, after we rode the train to get there and Daddy fast passed the Buzz Lightyear ride for later in the day. We've learned that the park is much less crowded in the mornings before the lunch hour so we try to do whatever it is we really want to do or see in the mornings. We walked on to the ride (which had over an hour wait later in the day) and after that we saw Pirate Goofy right outside the ride for a photo op! In true Disney style of course we exited the ride into the pirate themed Disney store so of course we did not get out of there unscathed with the purchase of a pirate sword and eye patch. For a nearly 3 year old boy, I think this is the equivalent of a little girl getting a tiara and princess wand!! After the pirate fun it was time to ride the Buzz Lightyear ride in Future land and with the magic of the fast pass, we walked right on to that and then hit the People Mover ride as well in Futureland. After that we had walked all over the park and worked up an appetite for an early lunch. We fast passed Peter Pan's Flight in Fantasyland and had lunch at Pinocchio's restaurant over looking Dumbo and the Carousel. In the midst of all of that we took in a morning stage show with the characters in front of the castle...the magic of Disney is that there is ALWAYS something to see and hear!! After lunch we saw another favorite in Fantasy land, Mickey' Philharmagic 3d show with Donald Duck and friends. This is a quick cool show in the AC, something we discovered for the first time this summer and it is just the right break for parents and just the right length to hold a small child's attention!! After the 3d show it was time to ride the Peter Pan ride with the fast pass. We tried to get a quick nap in after that but too much was going on so we fast passed Winnie The Pooh and then took in the afternoon character parade. After the parade we rode the new Pooh ride and then it was time to head home. Poor Jackson had such a great day, he wailed the entire way out of the park in his stroller saying in between sobs "I don't wanna go home". Poor little guy, he was experiencing so many emotions, but all good things do have to come to an end and I think we walked 5 miles or more yesterday so it was time to get on the road!! We were home by dinner time which was nice as we were all pretty tired, especially me after that walking at 29 weeks pregnant but really it felt good to be outside and I was sure to drink a lot of water and take lots of bathroom breaks.

Today with the spring ahead we feel like we are moving a bit slow and are just relaxing at the house gearing up for yet another week. It is hard to believe it is already nearly the middle of March! I have Junior League Tour of Homes this coming Saturday and then the following weekend I have my shower with friends down here and we are heading down to Hollywood Florida after that for a long weekend with our friends the Sherman family. Their whole family including some younger cousins Jacksons age will be down to celebrate spring break and we are really looking forward to seeing them. They always invite us down for a visit when they are in Florida and all three of us have a great time with them. There place is right on the beach and there are lots of restaurants and shops within walking distance so it is a really fun place to visit. More on that after our trip down south in a few weeks!!

Friday night at the Fair

The annual Fireman's Fair came to town this weekend and as we have done in the past when Megan is visiting, we decided to pack up and go to the fair to celebrate her last night with us! The Fair is something to see for sure, just the people watching alone is entertainment but this year it was more fun than ever for Jack as he is finally over 36 inches tall and could ride many of the rides for young children without an adult (Jon was happy about that), he did not have to cram himself into a tiny train that went around a track, or into any other sort of mad, blinking, spinning ride that only a child under 10 would enjoy!! We had a very unhealthy dinner of fair food (and it was so good) Jack rode a bunch of rides, and then we topped the night off watching demolition derby cars.......definitely something Megan and I have NEVER seen before (Jon says he used to go watch this at the BG fair). Jack LOVED it. Real live junker cars spray painted to look like race cars, in a mud pit, crashing into each other on purpose to see who is the last one standing. It was actually a bit scary, I was afraid we were going to witness some serious injuries but they all seemed fine...I'm sure some of the drivers might need a good chiropractor tomorrow, but no one appeared hurt tonight. Most of the cars could not even drive when it was all over. Of course Jack came home and got his own little matchbox "race cars" out and re-created his own demolition derby. He really loved it!! Happy weekend all!!