Meet Norah Grace

Arrival: May 14, 2010 at 7:49am
Stats: 7lbs, 12oz and 18.5" long

Fingers: A perfect ten!
Toes: Another perfect ten!
Hair: Long, black, crimped and unruly.
Eyes: Large and dark blue.

Appetite: Hearty. We're up to 4oz. a feeding.
Personality: Laid back. Rarely a fussy moment.

Likes: A good arms-free swaddle, a full bottle, and a bink.
Dislikes: Parents who take entirely too long to change a diaper.

Our hearts: Stolen forever.

Check out Norah's first week of life, outside the womb...

Best. Mother's. Day. Ever.

My first Mother's Day was a whirlwind. Preston was still such a little guy, I was still getting used to him, and we were about to move from Ohio to Washington. So, Mother's Day wasn't really an 'event' yet. Although, I do remember my awesome brother-in-law getting me flowers!

Last year Jeremy surprised me with a huge, beautiful hanging basket. But I can't remember much else- please don't kill me husband! Ugh. I suck. Where has my memory gone?

Yesterday Jeremy got up at the crack of dawn and headed out to Starbucks...the dark cherry mocha was calling my name! And, as luck would have it, Preston decided to sleep in, so Jeremy and I got to sit on the front porch, ALONE, and drink our coffees. Peace and adult conversation...not the norm these days, but very welcomed!

Once Preston was up, the three of us went to a tasty brunch – in which I encountered the most amazing bread pudding with a thick, marionberry sauce. I had two helpings, and would have had more if there wasn't a human inside me taking up most of my belly room!

Then, we were off to the driving range! (YES, this was MY idea.) Preston has his own set of plastic clubs that he plays with daily in the backyard, so I thought it would be fun to take him to hit a bucket of balls at what he calls "the golf place". Preston loved it. Jeremy loved it – although he only got to hit about five balls out of forty! And I loved just hanging out as a family.

Last evening before settling into bed, Preston brought me the cutest card, a bud vase that said "I love you mom" and a bag of Ghiradelli chocolates. He's a little man after my own heart – although he doesn't know he stole it when I laid eyes on him – and same goes for his daddy!

So yesterday was pretty much perfect. Our last weekend as a family of three (the baby will be here no later than Friday) will be one memory that I won't ever forget! I love Mother's Day!

The Nest

Here are pics of the alphabet-themed nursery. (You'll notice it's a little less fluorescent than what we did for Preston!)

After the little one is born, I'm ordering wooden letter cut-outs of the baby's name to hang above the crib. Simple and sweet!

Featuring: Milestones & Musings

For a little over three years now (conception to present), I've been attempting to keep everyone in the loop on Preston's weekly milestones and likes/dislikes by updating the side-bar with reader-worthy happenings. My intentions were to print out the blog's posts weekly, so that the side-bar info married up with the body of the blog. Well, I've pretty much sucked whole-heartedly at doing this. So now, after many, many weeks and years of amazing milestones have gone uncharted, I'm creating a new feature, "Milestones & Musings", that will be saved in the main body of the blog and will be at my printing disposal at any time!

Finally, I'm getting my shit together. :)

60% Girl, 40% Boy

Of the 141 friends, family, and faithful blog readers that voted in the Gender Poll, a whopping 86 of you voted GIRL! Could this be true?!

All the online gender quizzes I've taken resulted in 'GIRL' outcomes as well. The baby's heart rate is generally between 145 - 150 bpm. I've carried high and out front. And, I'm craving sweets. So according to all the baby bullshit (admittedly I think it's a bunch of poo) out there, I can expect to be holding a baby girl in less than two weeks. We'll see!

I'm actually indifferent on the sex of the baby. Yes, it would be fun to pick out little pink outfits and play dress up, but wouldn't it also be great for Preston to have a little dude to pal around with? When I see two little boys buddying up, I think it's adorable. And then again, so are the pink dresses. Either way, I'm ready to meet the little one, and can't help but think he/she is not going to wait until the scheduled c-section on the 14th. I'm guessing the 11th.

I've been busy nesting. All of Preston's toys have been disinfected, and so have the baby's. All the newborn clothes, washcloths, bibs, and blankets have been washed; as well as the bassinet and car seat. All the bottles are in the cupboard, and were properly sterilized. And, my bag is packed. I am ready!

In the midst of all the getting-ready-for-baby chaos, we finally had time to take a couple belly shots. (NO, not 'those' kind of belly shots- don't I wish!) But, baby belly shots. I'm proud to say that I've only gained 23 pounds, at 38 weeks. Clearly, you can see the weight gain in my belly, and also in my face and hands- but I'll take this ANY day over the 45 pound weight gain I had with P'Dub!

I'd like to give my husband kudos for these pics. I was in the WORST mood, and just wanted to get them over with. The natural light from outside was quickly fading. Preston was more interested in taking pictures than having them taken. And Jeremy insisted, due to the high stress of creating high-standard photos and my less-than-lovely mood, on listening to Dave Matthews- yuck, ear torture. So, this didn't help. But, the pics aren't too shabby. Thanks babe!