I'm "primed" not "crazy"!

Ok. I know that I still have just over 5 weeks before my baby is due. And I also know that for the first 3-ish months of his life, he will probably be in our bedroom in the pack n play. And I know that once I put him in his bed, I'll have to remove those super cute bumpers to prevent suffocation.

BUT … what’s the harm in looking at his bed all clean and nice and ready? It makes me happy!

Exploiting My Belly

Seems like lately my belly is good for more than just protecting and growing my child.

1) It's a crumb magnet. Who needs a bib when you have a big belly?

2) It's Tilly's headrest. She lays on Ryan, but puts her head on me and doesn't even mind it when she gets kicked from the inside.

3) It's my dinner tray. "Just sit my plate right here honey, I'll take it from there."

4) It's an armrest. I mean, where else do I put my arms?

5) It's a magnet for women to touch, feel, and rub and honestly, (Stacey) I really don't mind it.

Happy *First* Father's Day Ryan!

Yes, that's right, you are already a father. And seeing you in this "pre-fatherhood" stage reminds me daily of what a wonderful father you will be to our little boy!

Ryan and I spent a nice, low-key weekend together, adjusting to life without guests. Appropriately, we spend all day Sunday running errands related to our child – baptismal meetings, Babies R Us trips and my first load of baby clothes got washed. We did, however, find time to have a great lunch together after church.

It was pretty amazing watching Ryan’s eyes light up on Friday afternoon (and again three more times though out the weekend) when the man at Publix’s seafood counter told him “Happy Father’s Day!”

You’ll be a great father Ryan … then again, you’re good at just about everything you do. (except, maybe golf and grammar!)

That’s the beautiful thing about being human. Things change. - Edward Cullen

Some pictures of my ever-growing bump (err, basketball) that my sister so graciously took of Ryan and me. She totally captured the essence of the two of us.

Thanks Beck. They are beautiful!

And just for fun:

June showers bring ..... cabin fever and lots of goodies!

Warning! Long post ahead.

What a weekend … or should I say week! Friday afternoon our house went from empty to full house with the arrival of my mom, my sister, my nephew Brody, my Aunt Sandy (all the way from Illinois!), Ryan’s mom and Ryan’s sister. And let me just say now, the patience Ryan showed with a house full of 6 women was pretty amazing!

Friday: Starting Friday night, the showers began. Ryan grilled in the garage, and that was only the beginning. By Friday night, trees were blowing sideways and the power was flickering on and off.

Saturday: Saturday morning, our plans to hit the farmer’s market were quickly squashed by yet more rain. I tried to keep my cool as I explained to my out-of-town guests that it never rains on summer mornings and that it hadn’t rained in nearly a month prior to their arrival. (Perhaps they were to blame!)

We did manage to brave the rain and hit Olexa’s for a fabulous lunch and even more fabulous dessert menu. We all enjoyed the outing minus Brody, who apparently does not like public appearances! What a diva !

Somehow it managed to clear up and we even saw the sun as we headed to Stacey and Tyler’s for the shower festivities. I was so excited that a couple of our friends made the long distance trip to attend the shower. Keisha and Jennifer, thank you both for driving in for the day! I am so glad you both could be there. Stacey did an amazing job with food, décor and entertaining. The shower was wonderful and Ryan and I left with so much baby loot!

Sunday: To keep with the recurring “shower” theme, Sunday morning we woke up to more terrible storms. I was flabbergasted! My mom, sister and aunt hit the road pretty quick between storms and avoided the worst. But not before we discovered that another “shower”, the one in our back bathroom was apparently tired of all the females and overuse. It decided to quit working and back up leaving us with only one shower and no laundry access. The only up-side, is that it happened after 3 of the 6 guests went home.

Early afternoon, the clouds cleared out and made way for a sunny and smolderingly hot day. The Babls (Ry, me, Ry’s mom and sister) piled up and headed to Babies r Us to continue our baby-themed weekend. We were able to pick up a few other items we needed with some cash we scored at the shower. Linda was in full first-time-grandma mode and made several additional purchases for the littlest Babl.

Monday: Finally, the storms were over for good, leaving us with 95+ temps and humid weather which was a welcomed change. We spent the day out shopping, eating, shopping and eating. Disclaimer: If Ryan and I both haven’t gained 5+ lbs at tomorrow’s appointment, I will be shocked! Kelly was loving the Birmingham shopping, weather, scenery and boys! That afternoon, we dropped Linda off at the airport for her trip home, but got to keep Kelly around for a few more days. We continued our shopping that afternoon at another mall where Kelly continued to spend her entire paycheck!

Tuesday: Was back to work for me. What a change! I had been off for a looong 4-day weekend and now it was back to the real world. I did manage to take a long lunch with Kelly while Ryan trained a client. I left the two of them for some sibling time while I went back to work and then that evening attending our birth classes alone (I did skip out early though!) Ryan and Kelly went to a movie and spent some seriously needed time catching up.

Wednesday: I was a little sad when I had to get up and go to work again this morning knowing it was Kelly’s last day. I tried to remind myself that Ryan and her don’t ever get time alone. They are headed to my office any minute to say goodbye and then Ryan will be dropping her off at the airport.

Tonight, I imagine, Ryan and I will be appreciating our first few moments alone in nearly a week as we take in two hours of So You Think You Can Dance! We have promised each other, after a month of preparing for this past weekend, that no plans will be made from now until our boy is born. Ryan only has 4 weeks of break left and I want to spend as much time as possible with him before he heads back and our lives change forever.

Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

My belly this morning.

As I start month 8 this week, I am reminding of the fabulous pregnancy I have has so far. Ryan and I were so nervous about what pregnancy held for me and my health and what it has brought me is a picture perfect 8 months. No joke, I feel great!

You hear these dreaded stories of what women (and their husbands) go through and just assume that you will fall into one of those categories. Well, Ryan can vouch; I’ve kept my moodiness to a minimum, have never requested that Ryan go out and buy me any strange food request and certainly don’t let my growing belly get in the way of everyday tasks.

Other terrible, pregnancy-induced symptoms that have not made it to my list:
Swollen ankles
Acid reflux
Nausea
And even Braxton Hicks … I know, I am a lucky girl!

Now, I certainly want to credit my good genes, but I have to give myself some credit. I eat healthy – rarely indulging, I work out daily and I’ve never been one to let any ailment/hardship/whopping belly get in the way of my daily activities!

My intention here was certainly not to upset every mother who suffered throughout their 9 months, but rather to take a moment to be thankful for being given the opportunity to go through this journey with such ease and enjoyment. My body has given me my fair share of challenges, I am just glad this was one opportunity where it decided to back down and let me enjoy these last 32 weeks.

One last note: I am so excited to be surrounded by friends and family this weekend at our shower. Ryan and I have such a good support group around us. Thanks in advance, Stacey and Becky, for what I’m sure will be a wonderful day. To all my family and friends traveling this weekend, have a safe trip into B’ham!

Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday. ~Author Unknown

I know; this post is LONG overdue! It’s been a busy couple of weeks at the Babl house, hence the lack of updates. I’ll make it up by bringing everyone to speed on the happenings.

Memorial Day weekend worked out to be a 4-day weekend for us. I had a couple of vaca days I have to use before July 1, so I took Friday off and Ryan and I headed over to Atlanta for a quick trip to IKEA. Wow! I knew the store would be great, but it was beyond both our wildest expectations. It was an experience. After an hour of walking around with our jaws on the floors wanting everything is site, we got in gear and made the purchases we came for (and a few extras). After an exhausting morning there, we stopped in to visit our friend Nate for lunch. Then it was back on the road to B’ham. Great trip … yes. Super fast trip … yes.

The nursery is done! I mean, all we need is a baby (and a mattress, change table pad, and the plethora of other items on our registry)! We spent the long (and rainy) weekend cooped up in the room painting, hanging chair rail, puttying, sanding, puttying, sanding … you get the gist! But it looks fabulous! Ryan did great work trying his hand at carpentry for the first time.

Fast forward, to this past weekend, my mom was in town to help out with the Crohn’s & Colitis Walk. The weather was beautiful and the turnout to the event was great. I had a lot of fun talking with everyone and getting to know fellow-diseased folks! After a long day in the sun, we picked up a Davenport’s pizza that totally hit the spot! Besides the walk, we did get to relax a bit. On Sunday morning we hit the local coffee shop for a morning coffee (decaf please), bagels and people watching outdoors. It was a great weekend and I am so lucky to see my mom again in just two weeks! We are so looking forward to everyone being in town next weekend!

Ok, I know this post is short, but time keeps getting away from me. Work is busy, baby activities are in full gear and we are off to our birth class for the hospital visit and the birthing video. I’m not sure who is more likely to pass out … Ryan or me!

Changing table from IKEA.

Our crib after Ryan's hard work of putting it together.

The *almost* complete nursery.

For my sister, the 30-week belly!