Fall is in the air

Today was the most gorgeous day! So much has happened around the Archie house since my last post so please excuse me if I ramble...

1. Our first shower was this weekend in Mooresville, NC. Justin's grandmother and aunt threw us the sweetest shower with a nautical theme. Food was yummy, company was great, and presents were flowing! We got our pack and play thanks to Sherry and Shannon, bath tub full of bath goodies from Sherry, and our Little Einstein activity chair from Jojo just to mention a few. What a great time we had. So blessed and so undeserving of all the love. This is one lucky little boy!

2. Justin and I had our first lamaze class last night. After a long day of work we went over to Mount Pleasant and joined about 12 other nervous couples to learn the basics of child birth. Not pretty but very informative. There was one girl in the front row who...how shall I put this...made me seem charming and calm on my worst day? I think she had Justin counting his blessings. We're looking forward to going back next week. I learned that I need to up my protein intake this third trimester so we hurried to Harris Teeter at 9pm to load up on the protein (cereal, edamame, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc). I was also reminded that I can't lay on my back anymore or the weight of the baby may compress my vena cava and reduce blood supply to the baby. Not a good thing so side-sleeping it is!

3. Working on finding a place or person good enough to look after my sweet boy after I go back to work. I still have a long way to go but Justin and I interviewed our first candidate Sunday afternoon when we got back into town. Let just say, it isn't going to work. She informed us that her granddaughter (who she also babysits during the day) will be two in December and is still on formula b/c all she will eat is M&Ms and chips. Hmmm...not to sound critical but that's just nuts. We thanked her profusely for inviting us into her home and promptly marked that one off the list. Then we went to eat Basil. Yum!

4. The nursery: Well not much to update here. So far, we've ordered the furniture but that's about it. It arrived last week and I LOVE the color of the crib (which is sitting boxed in the hallway). It's a rich espresso and just to die for. The end table on the other hand was the wrong color so I have to send it back but is very exciting to walk into the house everyday and almost trip over all the baby things in the dining room. I can't wait to see it all come together in a few weeks.

5. Baby names are still up in the air. My vote was for Robert Holden but Justin likes Robert Jackson. Well he really likes Robert Jack but I just don't think that flows. We'd call him Jack either way which Justin says is an "honest, nice-guy" name. Other names that I volunteered but were quickly nixed were Owen, Bennet, Jake, and lots of 'C' names (Carter, Collin, Carson--all no's.)

But look at this sweet profile. No matter what we call him, he'll be just perfect!

That's all for now. Promise I'll do better with the updates!

Nesting

While Justin's parents (aka. the best inlaws on the planet) were in town a few weeks ago, major work was done to the condo. New landscape out front, planters out back, and anything that would hold still was pressure washed. It was a lot of hard work, especially for the guys braving the heat outdoors, but so worth it. Everything came out beautifully!

First, the plants. I would have been lost without Sherry. She knows what grows where, what needs shade or full sun, and basically everything about gardening. We went to Lowe's and (lucky me) all shrubs were 50% off. It was meant to be. So we packed the Mountaineer to the max with Chinese fringe or loropetalum, azalea, nandina, and knockout roses and headed home.

Poor Justin...he tore up EVERY last shrub in the front of the house with his bare hands, no exaggeration. It was at least 100 degrees. Then he tilled the soil, mixed in fertilizer, and planted the new shrubs around our existing sega palms that he transplanted since they are getting so large. They're beautiful.

It was a messy job but he did great. A little mulch and we had a brand new entry way. I think it looks so beautiful now but I know it will look even better when the shrubs mature a little and bloom, hopefully this spring.

Meanwhile, Cliff was in the back pressure washing the fence, the arbor, and the patio. Isn't the difference between the old and new amazing? It looked gorgeous when he finished. Then he moved around to the front and pressure washed the front of the house and the entire driveway. It was quite a job but holy smokes, made the entire place look brand new!

It wasn't all work though. We took a break that evening and grilled out. Justin showed off his master grilling skills and made stuffed burgers. It was a lot of fun. 

We have a little work left to do on the inside but the outside could not have turned out more beautifully. It still catches me off guard when I pull into the driveway. I think Baby Archie is going to be pleased to come home to such a cute and cozy place :o) Thank you so much Cliff and Sherry for all your hard work. We honestly could not have done it without you!!

Girls Weekend

7.12.12

Had a wonderful weekend with my college roomies!! Tara came into town on Thursday evening and we ate at Rita's. That night, she and Justin cracked open a bottle of wine (or two) and made for very good entertainment. :o) The next morning we ate at bagel nation before battling a tsunami to pick up Britt from the airport. Thankfully, the rain cleared up in time for us to go downtown and get a mani/pedi. It was wonderful! Then we walked the market, spent too much money, and ended up at Fleet's Landing. Really enjoyed catching up over lunch.

Then we went for a tour of the Calhoun mansion downtown. It was pretty amazing. The picture below was taken in the garden.

It's been forever since we've been together without any of the kiddos. Of course they were missed but it was great to relax and talk and have a completely selfish weekend. We registered on Saturday at Babies R Us, Pottery Barn, and Amazon. I can't tell you how helpful they were. We'd walk down the aisle and someone would hold something up with a brief, "You HAVE to get this," or "I would have died without that," and all I had to do was pick a color. It was amazing!

Aunt Britt and Tara were able to feel baby kicking :o)

Then it was our last day :o( I am so incredibly thankful to have such wonderful friends. They made the entire weekend just perfect and registering completely stress-free.

Love you girls!

Happy Birthday Papa!

So the following weekend, it was Sherry and Cliff's turn to be surprised. They were definitely on to us. Knowing how hard we'd been working on the condo, they thought it was suspicious we took a weekend off to go to Aiken. Haha!

I wanted to do something special for Cliff since this little Archie is carrying on the family name. It took over three hours and four trips to the grocery store to finish this birthday cake. Mainly because I'm a dodo and didn't bring a list to the store with me and kept forgetting things. But it was totally worth it!

I made the cake layers several different shades of blue. An idea that is popular on Pintrest. Below is the finished product.

Then, we sang happy birthday. Below is the video, just click on the picture. It is really dark in the room but the reaction is still there and so sweet. 

This was also a special weekend b/c it was the first time Justin felt baby kick. Saturday night (7/7/12) we were laying in bed and he was kicking up a storm. I'd felt him kicking a few times before but every time Justin would run over to feel, baby would stop. This time Justin only waited a minute and bump! There it was. He jerked his hand away immediately which made me laugh but he promised it didn't weird him out. Justin has felt baby moving and kicking several times since and it is always so amazing to feel. Definitely a fun part of this whole experience.

It's a Boy!

Boy oh Boy! We're tickled blue. Found out on Papa Archie's birthday, 6/23/12, that little Archie is little fella. We couldn't be happier. Justin is very excited and I can't wait to have a mama's little man. 

We went to Small Wonders Imaging in Summerville to have our sonogram. The tech was really nice and seeing our little guy was so special. It was really overwhelming and neither Justin or I said anything. We were speechless. Such a precious memory.

I promise Justin is more excited than he appears to be in this picture. Below is video of us surprising my parents with blue-balloons-in-box-reveal. It was my mom's birthday so we went home to Aiken and planned a low key cookout. My cousin, Kristina, helped get everyone there so it was a nice surprise and we really enjoyed seeing everyone. My little cousin Sadie, 6 years old, was a little disappointed. She said she was tired of being the only girl. Poor thing! Click on mom's picture below (isn't she so pretty?!?) for the video. I apologize to anyone in advance that would rather not have been video taped in sweltering 104 degree weather.

Then we went to visit my dad's mom, Granny, and brought her a bouquet of blue balloons. When I walked it she asked, "What are you holding?" I told her balloons and asked if she could see what color and she shouts, "You're having a boy!!" So sweet! She said boys were more fun and always enjoyed them. She was very happy for us. Overall, GREAT weekend! Happy birthday mom!

Happy Birthday Momma!

Our furniture came in today! "Baby furniture?" you might ask. No. Mama furniture. Long awaited mama furniture. We have been using a collection of furniture since forever, including my nursery chest, an end table from Target, and donations from old roommates. No longer. Get a load of these beauties!

Hopefully the walls will be painted by the end of next weekend as you can see it is a mural of paint swatches at the moment. We haven't decided what we'll hang over or put on the chest and dresser. In the meantime, Madame Curie elegantly looks out the window.  She was recently moved from the dining room. I wonder if I'll wake in the middle of the night and get weirded out that she's watching me. She may get banished back to the dining room :o)

Just after Justin took this pic, I was scrolling through my camera and thought, 'Self, you are looking rather round these days...and not just pregnant round.' Then I flipped to the next picture, last night's dinner and I quickly realized why...

Grilled cheese and guacamole sandwiches...holy smokes they were amazing! I got the recipe off pintrest (my true love). That's all for now, more to come after a busy birthday weekend in Aiken! Happy Birthday Momma!!

Around here lately

Haven't posted in a while so thought I'd catch up on what's been happening at the Archie house lately.

We have been super busy getting this little condo ready for our big delivery. We have until November but there is a lot of work to be done around here. We are painting every square inch, changing hardware, changing light fixtures, purchasing furniture, etc. It's exciting.

For starters, I ordered Justin a new grill for his birthday. Lowe's, however, had other ideas and decided they would change my order, take forever, not update me on the status and not return my phone calls...No, I don't think so. In the end, after much polite "discussion," we were upgraded to the Weber Genesis 330 and it was delivered just in time for father's day. Justin was a happy fella. We went to the grocery store and spent a small fortune on meat (poor things). Justin now has his own meat drawer and I'm pretty sure the only edible species not in it is turtle. 

Master of the grill hard at work. It is such a fantastic grill. It has a searing station and gets super hot but the heat is all contained in the grill so you can stand right beside it without pouring sweat. Totally worth the money Lowe's spent on the upgrade ;o)

And what's a post without a few baby bump pictures?

 First was around 13 weeks, nausea is almost gone and I feel much better. At the 12 week visit, I had gained 4 pounds. It was a little depressing but likely could be contributed to the Chinese food I had eaten the night before (i.e. water retention)...at least that's what I'll tell myself!

Next is around 15 weeks, we're not great at remembering to take every week but I don't suppose there would be much of a difference. No cravings but the energy is back and nausea is gone!

Finally, at 17 weeks, Kramer and Sadie wanted in on the baby love. Still no cravings but you can certainly see a bump now. At my 16 week visit (this past Tuesday), I had only gained a pound. I'm trying to do better with the eating. Before, I would eat anything that didn't make me feel like I was going to barf. And that was pretty much just greasy food (weird, right?)...my favorite of all time being cheesefries with lots of ranch! Yum!!

I am pretty certain I felt baby Archie squirming around in there last night after I laid down. I had been really active before bedtime and there was an unmistakable flutter or rumbling in the exact spot the OB found the heartbeat. It was so cool but definitely makes me panic that there is a human almost halfway done growing in there that I will be responsible for. Yikes!

Hopefully I can post more pictures of the outdoor furniture and paint after this weekend.