A Prayer of Thanksgiving

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of today. Thank you for the ability to meet with You no matter where I am. Thank you that our nation has set aside a day to give thanks to You for our many blessings. I pray that I may have a heart of thankfulness every day, not just the fourth Thursday in November. I have so very much to be thankful for.

Thank you for family. Thank you for choosing them for me. Thank you for the ways they have blessed me over the years. Thank you for using them to teach me so many valuable lessons. Thank you for revealing parts of Your character to me through them. Thank you for times of laughter, times of tears, and for countless hours of fellowship around kitchen tables. Thank you for the unique gifts You've given each one of them. Bless them all, near and far, and be with them in everything. May we continue to pour out Your love on each other. When we don't, please give us the grace we need to forgive and to move forward.

Thank you for my husband. Thank you for choosing him for me and for being the author and sustainer of our love. Thank you that he desires to honor You in every aspect of his life. Thank you for how well he loves me. Thank you for how hard he works to provide for our family! Thank you for who he is. I pray that I may reflect Your unconditional love to him daily in my words, thoughts and actions. Draw us closer to you and closer to each other. Help us discern Your will for our life together and use us to further Your kingdom!

Thank you for my precious child. She is a gift from You that I don't deserve. Thank you for entrusting her to me. Please give me the wisdom, strength and grace to be a godly mother to her. Thank you for the joy she brings to me and to so many. May we relish in that joy, for You are the source of it! I pray that she would come to know You at an early age. Thank you for knitting her together- she is so beautifully and wonderfully made!

Thank you for friends, near and far. They bless me in so many ways! Thank you that we can live in community with one another. Thank you for how they challenge me, listen to me, encourage me and walk beside me on mountaintops and in valleys. Thank you for all the means of communication we have to keep those relationships strong!

Thank you for my church, Your body. Thank you for the freedom I have to worship You with fellow believers. Thank you for the way the pastor speaks Your truth into our lives every Sunday. Thank you for placing me with people who love You, desire to know You more, enjoy studying Your Word and with whom I can enjoy fellowship. Thank you for providing us with a beautiful building where we can worship and serve You. I pray that You use our church in a mighty way in our community. Help us to stay completley centered in You.

Thank you for all of my material blessings- my home, my car, clothing, food on the table and money in the bank, to name a few. Thank you for a comfortable bed where I can rest at the end of every day. Thank you for the house that provides my family with shelter, a place to "do life" and a place to show hospitality to all who enter. Thank you for a refrigerator and pantry full of food. We have in abundance what so many do not have at all. Thank you for providing for us financially. May we be good stewards of everything You have entrusted to us and use these things to bring honor and glory to You!

Most importantly, thank you for who You are. Thank you for the cross. Thank you for loving me so much that You sent Jesus to atone for my sin, that I may be reconciled to You in this life and the next! Your grace is so amazing! Because of Your great love, I can experience the joy of the celebration of Christ's birth! As I enter into this Advent season, may I be reminded of the promise that you fulfilled so long ago with the cross and anticipate the promise of your return! Thank you for hope; and because of hope, joy! Joy to the world, You have come! Let earth receive her king!

I ask all of these things in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

An Exposé

Sometimes I feel like I'm going to burst because I have so many thoughts about so many topics! I've always used writing as a way to express myself, process my emotions, tell stories and share life experiences with others. There is no activity that makes my spirit soar or that brings out my passion for life more than writing.

In this blog, I have chronicled our family adventures so that we might share and preserve memories. Recently, I believe the Lord has been stirring me to use my love for writing to share more of my heart, specifically what He is teaching me so it might be an encouragement to others.

Recently, I've realized that I'm a private person. I'm an introvert by nature, despite my very outgoing personality, and have a few close confidants that have seen me at my best and my worst. I cope with the struggles in life by choosing joy (the joy of the Lord is my strength!) and focusing on the positive which, unfortunately, can be preceived as superficiality.

So here is the truth. I feel emotions very deeply. I have very strong opinions about most everything. I'm very passionate about being a godly wife, mother, sister, daughter and friend. I want to share what the Lord is doing in my life. I want to be open and genuine. I LOVE people and love talking to them about anything, even the silly stuff. I want to meet people where they are. So I ask you, dear reader, to meet me where I am.

I will not always express my opinion right away, if at all. I pick and chose my battles very carefully. I care more about people and relationships than I care about my preferences or getting my way all the time. This does not mean I'm a pushover.

I will not talk about controversial topics in a group, if at all. Its my way of being considerate of the opinions of others and preventing myself from saying something I may regret later.

I avoid drama because its damaging and a waste of my time. It sucks the joy out of life and fosters things that aren't pleasing to the Lord: selfishness, pride, gossipping and discontentment, to name a few.

I am totally in love with my husband. He demonstrates the Lord's love to me in amazing ways. We have an incredible love story and it keeps getting better! We are NOT perfect, but we understand that we are in a covenant relationship and we work to have a great marriage daily!

I'm a new mom! I have a precious little daughter and she is beautiful in every way. I love being her mother and taking care of her! Does this mean I don't get impatient and exhausted? No! But when she is content and looks up a me with her big blue eyes and a gummy smile, its all worth it! She is a priceless gift!

The Lord has given me an amazing community of friends and family, near and far. I love that doing life together doesn't have to be limited to a specific place!

I've worked several jobs in my life: camp counselor, post office student worker, Marketing Director and Office Coordinator. The Lord has used each of these jobs to teach me so much! I've learned my strengths, my weaknesses and how to work alongside people who are different than me. My favorite job is what I get to do now: being a stay at home wife and mom. Serving my favorite people through everyday tasks is so fun!

I'm a huge nerd. I get super excited about anything to do with history and can map out, in detail, troop movements during most major Civil War battles. I love libraries, the smell of old books and reading. I fall asleep reading every night. I am a polical junkie and get a little too excited about Saturday Night Live political parodies! I am also a huge movie fan (like any self proclaimed nerd, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings are up there!) and can quote most of the dialogue from my favorites. However, I can't stand when people quote movies out loud while the movie is playing!!!

I desire to be a lady. Etiquette is important. Its not meant to be a set of constricting rules, but to outline behavior that puts others at ease because they know what to expect. It is all about being considerate of others. Elegance is a combination of knowing these rules and being confident in who you are as a woman. I believe that there is an appropriate time and place for everything.  I'm thankful that this training has been passed down through the generations of women in my family.

I love good food! Cooking and eating delicious food is something I enjoy immensely, especially when its with someone I love. No matter what culture you're from, food and fellowship always go together!

Sports are not a part of my every day life. I don't have an allegiance to a particular team of anything. However, I really enjoy going to sporting events and get really into them! I embarrass whoever I'm with by yelling at the top of my lungs at the players (like they can really hear me!).

The outdoors are so fun! I enjoy camping, hiking, biking and anything on the water. Allergies limit my ability to do these activities sometimes, but I love outdoor adventures! I also feel closest to the Lord when I'm surrounded by His creation.

Most importantly, I desire to follow Christ with all that I am and to continually be transformed into his likeness. I am so far from perfect and want my life to be a testimony of His grace and kindness. He has blessed me so abundantly and is everything to me. I'm constantly learning!

Join me in this new adventure!

Claudia Grace Ward

On October 10, 2014 at 7:57 p.m., our lives were forever changed as we heard the first adorable cries of our little girl and welcomed her into the world. It is hard to believe that it has been 5 weeks since then! I've been wanting to write this post for a while!

Let's rewind to the week before Claudia was born. I was HUGE (which is hilarious, considering that Claudia was a small baby!) and felt like I could go into labor at any second. Any time I was out in public, I prayed that my water wouldn't break. There was a lot of lounging on the couch, take out, Netflix, ice cream and impatience. There wasn't a lot of sleep, comfort or rest. It was so hard not knowing when I would go into labor- it can really mess with the mind! I sincerely hoped that Claudia would arrive on time, instead of a week late (like I was!). Austin and I were living minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day.

In the very early hours of Wednesday, October 8th, I felt a strange sensation in my lower back that moved to my front. Then about 20 minutes later I felt it again. My contractions had begun! We went to the doctor's office when it opened that morning to get things checked out. It was determined that I was in the very early stages of labor, but was sent home until things progressed further and my contractions were more regular.

Mom and Larry decided to go ahead and drive to Jackson from Atlanta, since they were the family members that had to travel the furthest distance. There was very little action the rest of the day until about 1:30 a.m. The contractions came back, this time more intense and more regular. We timed them, called the doctor on call and were told to go ahead and come to the hospital. So, in an excited rush, off we went. Several hours later we were back home again. I had not progressed at all and the contractions weren't intense enough. In the words of the physician, I wasn't to come back to the hospital until they were so bad that I couldn't talk or walk through them. That was scary to hear! And it really is the pits when you are rejected from the hospital!

So we waited. Sure enough, that night, about 2 a.m. we went back to the hospital and stayed! As soon as I was admitted, I got some pain medication to "help take the edge off" and some anti-nausea medication. Although the medicine helped some, I still felt everything and was sooo glad when I got to the point where I could receive an epidural. At that point, I'd been in labor for three days and hadn't really slept at all! Once the pain went away, I was able to rest! It was so wonderful!

Besides periodical checking from our nurse, once I received the epidural, things were very relaxed and calm in our room. We watched a couple of movies and just hung out. My regular ObGyn was the one on call (that was definitely a God thing!) and he elected to let me progress on my own instead of giving me medicine to speed up the labor. So, I progressed until about 6 p.m. when I was told it was time to start pushing.

Just under two hours later, our daughter was born! Hearing her cute little cry was a moment I'll cherish forever. I couldn't see her at first, but when I did, I stared at her, so overwhelmed with the knowledge that I was finally meeting my precious daughter. Of course, I cried tears of joy! As the nurses cleaned her and weighed her, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I couldn't believe how tiny and how perfect she was. I felt, and still feel, like the most blessed woman in the world.

Introducing Claudia Grace Ward! 6 lbs, 12 oz and 20 inches long! 

The next few days brought a flurry of family and friends, all sharing in our joy at Claudia's arrival! Their presence and excitement meant so much to us. We are so thankful that Claudia was born healthy and safely. Our nurse, Katelyn, was absolutely precious and was the perfect person to minister to us that day. Dr. Ball, my wonderfully knowledgeable and gifted doctor, was the one on call and delivered her. Before he left, he prayed with us, asking the Lord to grant us wisdom as parents and that Claudia may come to know Jesus at an early age. The nurses and other staff that attended to me while we were there were so kind and patient! We really had a great experience, and we thank the Lord for that! 

We brought Claudia home on Sunday, October 12. Mom, Larry, Dad and Mary were here to greet us and had decorated the mailbox, door, and inside the house! There was also an ice cream cake to celebrate. 

I'm so very thankful that my mom was able to take off work and stay with us for the first two weeks at home! We really couldn't have made it without her! My recovery was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. The first week was especially hard. After that, though, things began to improve day by day. They have been doing that ever since. 

5 weeks down the road, I can't imagine life without our little precious love. Sure, adjusting to parenthood hasn't been easy (I've never been more exhausted in my life- including when I was a camp counselor!), but in the moments that she's snuggled up next to me, or when I see her experience the world around her, or when she makes cute little faces, all I can think about is how much I love her and the joy that she brings to our family! 

Here are some of my favorite pictures of her so far: 

She has stolen my heart! She was about a week and a half old in this picture! 

I love her scandalized expression!! Following a bath at 2.5 weeks old! 

Such a happy baby!!! 4 weeks old! 

The struggle of putting on receiving gowns is real! This was taken last week (at almost 5 weeks!)

By looking at these pictures, it would be easy to get a very romanticized impression of Claudia and of our lives the past 5 weeks. I have been in more physical pain, cried, experienced every emotion under the sun, been dependent on others, felt like I have no idea what I'm doing, and been more tired than I ever have in my life up until this point. It hasn't been pretty. It's been messy (complete with blowout diapers and lots of baby laundry!). We're finding a new normal. But, there is such beauty even in the hard stuff. The Lord is constantly teaching me about dependence on Him. I'm coming to understand the Lord as a parent in a whole new way. 

Austin has been such an example of the Lord's patience and love throughout everything. Nothing makes my heart happier than to see him love our little girl. The sweet moments will be the ones I will remember from this season- and there are so many sweet moments! I am still so humbled that the Lord has granted me a desire of my heart- to be a mother. I pray that I can be faithful in that role! 

Welcome to the world and to our family, Claudia Grace Ward! You were totally worth the wait!

Claudia's Nursery

To say that I can't wait for Claudia to get here would be an understatement! With her due date approaching in 5 days, she could come at any time. Wow. Between being scared that I'll be somewhere random when/if my water breaks and not knowing what real labor contractions feel like, I'm trying to wield my enormous self around with as much grace as possible. And keep myself distracted so that time will go by as quickly. Gilmore Girls on Netflix is helping with this immensely :-)

Each time I feel little girl move, look at her bassinet in the corner of our room or see Austin's excitement I know all of this discomfort, irritation, and sleeplessness will be totally worth it. Now its just getting there....

In the meantime, Claudia's nursery is finished! I've been looking forward to sharing all the details for a long time.

The room that is now Claudia's nursery has always been my favorite in our little house. It was our guest room for the past few years and I always enjoyed it. As soon as we found out we were having a little girl, I knew we just had to paint the room pink. We headed to Lowe's and picked out a delicate, light pink paint called "Pink Whisper".

Mary and Austin painted the room, and as it was going on over the light brown, it looked like Pepto Bismol! It took most of an afternoon and evening, but it ended up looking great!

This is the before picture of the bookcase, which Mom sponge painted pink and white when I was a little girl. It originally belonged to my dad and was in his room when he was a little boy. 

The after picture of the bookcase, all nice and white :-) I'm pretty sure this is the 4th or 5th time this bookcase has been painted during its lifetime. 

My contribution to painting the room- painting the closet! So exciting, right? Once we moved everything out of it, the walls were really scuffed and it looked like a small child drew on the walls with crayons. Its amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do! 

A few weeks after we initially painted the room, Mom and Larry came to visit to put everything together (the big elements anyway!). Mom has such an eye for detail and made sure the trim was perfect. She also repainted the ceiling so it would look even more fresh! This is the awkward transition photo, with the old bed and blue bedding and pink walls :-) 

Late that evening, we moved all the old furniture out and all of Claudia's furniture in! Larry and Austin put together her crib and changing table. Mom made these adorable curtains and brought them with her from Atlanta. Its hard to see, but the fabric is yellow dotted swiss. Perfect for a baby's nursery! The combination of yellow and pink was Austin's idea. 

Larry installing the hardware to hang up the canopy over the crib! 

Mom also made this little canopy with side panels to go over Claudia's crib. She did something similar over my twin beds in my room in Georgia. I love the drama and elegance of it. Installing it was trickier than it looks! 

Now, drum roll..... the finished product! 

This is the view of her nursery from the hallway looking in. I love it! The only thing that isn't finished is there will be pale pink ribbons pulling back each of the panels. I'm going to let Mom do that when she comes for Claudia's birth. It will just look way better than if I do it :-) 

Claudia's crib is the Jenny Lind Davinci in cherry. I had the older (and not up to safety regulations) version of this crib in my nursery. I just love the timeless feel of it and I love the color of the wood. 

The bedding is the Pink Ruffle Collection from Pottery Barn Kids. I love how girly and simple it is! Don't worry, we will be taking the bumpers off once Claudia actually starts using the crib. But for now, its just so pretty to look at!

The view from the foot of the crib. Its hard to see (I apologize for the picture quality!), but Claudia's name is actually embroidered on the little pillow. Mom gave her a little Gund lamb that is also a rattle that is just waiting for her to get here! 

The beautiful art above her crib was made by Austin's mom! We love the movie "Up" and wanted a nod to it in Claudia's nursery. I saw a piece similar to this using the buttons as the balloons on Pinterest and fell in love. Carol actually sewed these buttons on and embroidered the little house and I adore it! We knew we wanted it to hang above her crib! Austin says having it there will be like Claudia is floating off into dreamland. Here is a close up of it:

I love this part of the nursery! We had a lot of books from my childhood already (one of the benefits of having a little girl!) and Claudia has received many of her own books too! Austin and I hope to instill a love of reading in her. I've already been reading to her and look forward to making story time a part of our daily routine. 

The beautiful mirror on top of the bookshelf belonged to my Grandmommy Noss when she was a girl. I've always loved the pink roses on it and the edging. 

I found the rose prints on Etsy. I really wanted the nursery to have a vintage/shabby chic feel, with pieces that weren't too cutesy or specifically for babies. I want Claudia to be able to use some of this decor later if she wants to. I've always loved roses, and these prints remind me of the room I grew up in at my grandparents house in Paducah. The yellow rose has special meaning to Mary, who is glad that something the Lord uses to signify blessings in her life is present in her niece's nursery. 

The toy in the corner was made (yes, made!) by my sister in law, Leslie! They are cloth rings made from cloth she has used to make dresses for our niece, Ailidh. I know Claudia will enjoy playing with it! 

A view of the "reading corner" of the room. As you can see, the crib is to the left. 

I actually had this pink chair and ottoman from when I was in high school. I love this style chair- Mom and I found it at an antique store in Georgia and had it re upholstered in this small rose colored gingham. Since Austin and I have been married, it has been hiding under a forest green slipcover. Not anymore! The only downside is that it doesn't rock, but we have a wooden rocker (that my Dad and me were rocked in as babies) by her bassinet and a comfy rocker/recliner in the family room. Our needs will be more than met with those items! 

The sweet ottoman belonged to my great-grandmother, Chee Chee, who I remember well and lived to be in her nineties. I love having family pieces in Claudia's room! 

The lighting isn't the best in this picture, but I love this part of her nursery too! The gorgeous chest of drawers belonged to Austin's maternal great-grandmother (Carol's mother's mother). The wood matches the crib and changing table perfectly! Its so special having it in her nursery. It's already full of her little clothes, socks, shoes, blankets and crib sheets. 

My mom is making a yellow runner to go over the top (there are some scratches from a lot of love over the years), but in the meantime, I've put Claudia's baby book and my baby book/photo album on top of it. Austin gave me the willow tree figurine shortly after we found out we were expecting and that seemed like the perfect spot for it. 

The shelf has no special significance- haha. I bought it from the unfinished wood section of Hobby Lobby for $8 and painted it the same white as the bookcase. I think it turned out nicely! 

The two little dresses (one white, one pink) belonged to my mom as a baby. She used the white dress as decor in my nursery and my sister's nursery. I love how delicate and pretty the dresses are. 

The glass baby bottle on top of the shelf also belonged to my mom when she was a baby and the beautiful yellow glass vase was my maternal great-grandmother's. The porcelain figurine of "Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton Tail" (Beatrix Potter) was mine when I was little. Mom found a little Peter Rabbit tea set that is up there too. 

Claudia's changing table! The changing table is also the Jenny Lind Davinci collection in cherry. I really like the openness of it. As you can see, Claudia's bag is packed and ready to go to the hospital. We also have her Boppy and diaper bag on there for now. 

The baskets are the same white as the bookcase and shelf and have liners that are trimmed with lace (sort of hard to see in this pic). I found them at Hobby Lobby and waited for them to be marked 50% off. The only problem was that these were the only ones left. I'm still on the lookout for two more. It was so fun organizing all of her practical items on here! 

The piece above the changing table is my creative contribution to her nursery. I had seen something similar on pinterest, and wanted a place to put photos that we could change out as she grows (without having a bulletin board). So, I came up with this. I got an unfinished frame from Hobby Lobby and stained it myself (there's a first time for everything!). I got a yard of antique rose fabric and cut it into strips. Then I tied the strips onto pink ribbon. Once that was done, I hung both strands across the back of the frame and stapled them into place. Claudia's precious ultrasound photo is secured with a mini wooden clothespin. The fabric really ties in with the rose colored chair and I think contributes to the shabby chic/vintage feel of the nursery. Here is a closer picture of it:

This is Austin's creative contribution to her nursery! He found these little mini frames and canvases on clearance at Hobby Lobby forever ago and said he wanted to make something for her nursery with them. He decided on painting her initials and placed them above her door. He worked really hard on them and I think its really special! 

Claudia's closet (with the door open, of course!). I love seeing all of her adorable clothes hanging there. I've divided them by size/month using wooden letter "O"s I found at Hobby Lobby, put scrapbook paper and mod podge on and then labeled with stickers (yet another Pinterest project!). They aren't the prettiest, so I'll just let you use your imagination. 

My favorite part of her closet (besides her sweet clothes) is the wooden piece with all the colored drawers! It was made by her paternal great-great grandfather, Claude Ward (one of the men she's named after!). Austin and his siblings used it to store their toys when they were children, and now it holds Claudia's toys! I love that we have so many pieces with family history in her room. 

Well, now you've seen her nursery! It was a process, but such a fun one! It's just missing a little girl now! 

You can come anytime now, Claudia Grace! We're ready for you! 

We're Getting Close!

Despite the fact that I've probably done more lounging around the house these past two weeks than I have during my entire pregnancy (that may be a slight exaggeration...), I'm overdue for an update!

First of all, I'm absolutely loving this weather! Fall is officially here! Because of my self imposed caffeine/coffee restraint, I haven't flocked to Starbucks to get a Pumpkin Spice Latte like the rest of America (I drink it black anyway!), but I have managed to consume (pretty much on my own) three lovely loaves of homemade pumpkin bread. If I'm feeling particularly domestic at some point soon, I'll bake another batch and perhaps even share the delicious recipe with you lovely people!

Even though I've admitted to being lazy the past couple of weeks, there have been some definite highlights and fun things happening!

Two weekends ago (September 13), I hosted, along with my friend Candra, a baby shower at our house for my dear friend, Jessie! Jessie and Dustin are about 3 weeks behind us and their little one is supposed to arrive around November 1st! We're so excited for them and can't wait to see if they are having a little boy or a little girl, as they have decided not to find out.

The "theme" was yellow and gray- the colors in Baby Mayfield's nursery! 

Jessie looked beautiful, as always! 

The past three Tuesday evenings, we've been taking (along with Dustin and Jessie) childbirth classes through West Tennessee Healthcare. I'm really thankful that there are classes available, but sometimes too much information freaks me out! I've never had any major medical procedures/issues, so I'm still getting used to the fact that I'll be the one in the hospital bed overnight when that time comes, nevermind the fact that I'll also be pushing a human out of my body! Walking into the classroom and seeing an array of medical instruments (including forceps!) laid out on the table was a little disconcerting. I also couldn't watch the parts of the video where the baby was actually coming out of the mother. I can't be around Austin when he gets a nosebleed, so forget watching that! Thankfully, I'll be on the other end of that action with Claudia!

The class made the reality of what's going to happen soon really sink in, which is ultimately a good thing, but scared me after the first class. I feel so much more informed about the stages of labor, what to expect during each stage, when I should actually go to the hospital, what to expect when I'm there, breathing techniques and pain management. The instructor was extremely knowledgeable and answered our questions well. I would definitely recommend it! Highlights from the class were: 

• Watching Austin put on the pregnancy belly and having him get on and off the floor! I do wish he could wear it around for an entire day and see how he feels after that :-) 

• Getting to meet other expectant couples and hearing their stories. 
• Taking a tour of the Labor and Delivery wing of the hospital! I feel so much more comfortable being able to visualize where I'm going to be when Claudia makes her grand entrance! Everything is so cute and smells so nice and clean (I hate how hospitals smell! Can you tell the Lord didn't make me for the medical profession?)
• Being there with Jessie and Dustin!
• Getting Chick-fil-A milkshakes after class

The last night, we were presented with a certificate of completion which is going directly into Claudia's baby book! 

This past Saturday, we went to Austin's grandparent's home in Greenfield to take some maternity photos! Mary was our enthusiastic and capable photographer. It was very special take photos there, as it is so near and dear to both of our hearts. I'm so thankful that Claudia gets to become a member of the Ward family! The entire album is on facebook, but here are my favorites: 

Hmm...I think I'm a fan of the back to back pose! Anyway, we had fun and enjoyed a restful weekend after that. 

Now that I'm in the final weeks, I've been going to the doctor every week. As long as you don't have a high-risk pregnancy and everything is normal, you start out going every month until you reach Week 28, then its every two weeks until Week 35 and from that point it is every week. The Week 36 appointment was pretty normal- my blood pressure was good, Claudia's heart rate was great (she's an acrobat like her daddy!) and my weight gain was on point. The only thing that was out of the ordinary was that I didn't have any belly measurement increase, which was apparently a good enough reason for the doctor to order an ultrasound for the following week. 

Being the "are you sure everything is okay?" first time mom that I am, I admit that I worried about this way more than I should have. When we did get to see Claudia on the screen and see that everything looked perfect, I was so relieved! The last time we had an ultrasound was at 19 weeks when we found out she was a little girl! It was so amazing to see her and to see how much she has grown! I think she was trying to sleep when we were trying to get a good picture of her, because she had her right arm across her face! The ultrasound tech was able to somehow delete that part of the photo and we got to see her precious face for the first time: 

She is so beautiful- I can't believe it!!! Both Austin and I are totally in love with her. I can't wait to kiss her little face in person! It turned out that the reason I was measuring smaller is because she's a smaller baby. Her development is exactly on point, she's just smaller. She weighed 5 lbs. 13 oz. according to the ultrasound. I was only 6 lbs. 8 oz. when I was born at 41 weeks! Maybe that means she'll be petite like her mama! She's in the head down position and we were able to see some hair! Sadly, what appears to be beautiful eyelashes in this picture are actually just shadows. Hopefully those will come later, though! 

Claudia continues to be active, especially in the early morning and in the evening. She's so big that her movements are very obvious- they look like ripples across my belly! Austin and I enjoy talking to her and I'm trying to be intentional about reading to her. She already has quite a collection of books! 

This is the point in pregnancy when everyone has started asking me how I'm doing. I must look huge and miserable or something ;-) The pregnancy waddle probably gives me away too. The fact that I am just 2 and half weeks away from my due date is a bit unreal to be honest, but I've definitely experienced the shift from wanting Claudia to stay in me to develop more to wanting her to come out! 

I've really been trying to take it easy and will continue to do so. I try to get at least one household chore done a day and have been really trying to cook dinner each night. To be honest, cooking dinner isn't some selfless act on my part- I'm simply sick of take out. We've eaten out so much during the past several months, I just want to cook my own food. Ha! I have been able to find some new recipes that we enjoy, though! 

Any time I leave the house during the day, I try to combine errands so I only have to get out once. If I come home and get on the couch between activities, its over! "Say Yes to the Dress" and "Cake Boss" are my current Netflix binges. Other shows just get on my nerves right now for various reasons. I've been trying to convince Austin that I need to order some lobster shell pastries from Carlo's, but the $54 price tag (they overnight it!!) is a bit much for him. Ha ha! 

I'm pretty restless. I think this is mainly due to three things: 1) I don't sleep for long periods of time at night, so my sleep schedule is messed up, 2) My body is generally uncomfortable (sore tummy, swollen feet, aching hips and difficulty moving around) and 3) I'm really really ready for Claudia to be here! Poor Austin has experienced more grouchiness from me at this stage and has had to calm me down when I'm being irrational (thanks, hormones!). I know I've not been the easiest person to be around recently. I'm thankful for a husband who loves me unconditionally and laughs at me when I make sarcastic comments and say that he's the only person I feel like talking to. Seriously.

Claudia is considered a term baby now (37 weeks gestation) so she could come at any time! This is so wonderful and yet so terrifying! For so long my fear was that she would come too early. Now, she can come whenever the Lord wants her to, but that means I have to be ready! Being the planner that I am, not knowing when those labor pains will start is a bit challenging for me. As always, the Lord is teaching me to take everything a day at a time and to simply enjoy this time I have with Claudia before she's no longer in my womb. Knowing that He's been actively involved in forming our precious one and has carried both of us this far brings me such peace and joy. I continue to pray for our daughter and for the delivery to go as smoothly as possible. No matter what, He is good! 

There are a few finishing touches I have to do in Claudia's nursery, but I'm really hoping to do a post about that in the next few days! Stay tuned! 

Week 35: Floors, Family and a Party!

This past week was super busy and so great! Super long post alert! :-) The first half of the week was pretty low-key, but bright and early on Thursday morning, things got crazy!

A home project we've wanted do for a VERY long time is replace our flooring in our living areas and bathrooms. The floor that we've been living with for nearly 4 years was there when Austin bought the house and it was pretty awful. The dark brown carpet showed everything and the gray/brown marble-ish looking vinyl in the kitchen and bathrooms just looked dirty all the time.

Since we will have a little girl crawling around before too long, now seemed like the perfect time to do something about it! After much deliberation and learning tons of information about flooring in general, we decided on a wooden laminate for the living room/kitchen and a special order tile looking vinyl for the bathrooms. We are so pleased and it makes SUCH a difference! I will post before and after pictures sometime soon.

We bought the floors through Lowe's and paid to have them installed. DIY home improvement projects are not our forte! The stressful part was having to vacate the house for a day and a half before tons of family came in for our last baby shower in Jackson. My sister graciously opened up her home to me and I used some of my nesting urges to help her clean up her apartment :-) I'm so thankful so have our new floors, but I don't recommend undertaking such a large home project when 8 months pregnant!

Thursday night, I went to a breastfeeding class and it was so helpful! I won't go into detail, but I feel so much more informed about everything. Its also so comforting to know that the nurses and lactation consultants will be there to help while we're at the hospital.

Friday afternoon, our floors were finished and we had just enough time to clean up (Austin really did the majority of the work) and then we went out to dinner with Dad and Aunt Meg! Aunt Meg flew all the way from Chicago to attend my baby shower! It was so great to spend some quality time together and it meant so much that she came!

After a fun Friday night out, we slept in Saturday morning and got ready for other family to arrive for the shower! It was such a blessing to have so many family members and friends celebrate Claudia Grace with us. 

Mary, Jessie, Amy and Kayla hosted a lovely shower for Claudia Grace at H.R.H. Dumplins in Jackson! Nearly 40 other friends and family joined us to celebrate and it was so fun! Of course, I must share photos!

The food table! There was Fruit Salad, Baked Brie with Crackers, Spinach Dip, Chocolate Cake and Strawberry Cake

The present display! This is the basinet that Mary and I used as babies and what Claudia will sleep in too :-) 

The sign in for the guests! I'm looking forward to putting this in Claudia's baby book! 

The drink station. Dumplin's has the most delicious iced fruit tea! 

The pretty little centerpieces for each table! I adore pink roses! 

The food table centerpiece. Austin gave me the Willow Tree piece shortly after we knew Claudia was on the way :-) 

The lovely Garden Room filled with wonderful friends and family! This makes my heart so happy! 

The cute candy on each table :-) 

Opening gifts! I was truly overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. Claudia has sooo many beautiful things! 

This lady. I'm so blessed that she is my sister. She did such an amazing job putting everything together! 

With some of the hostesses! Jessie, Mary and Amy! Love them! 

Mom and me!

Grandmommy and me! Words can't express how wonderful it is that she is here to walk through this season of life with me and meet her Great-Granddaughter! She has influenced my life in so many ways and I love her so much! 

This is classic :-) 

4 generations of women! Yes, the color coordination was intentional :-) 

I adore this photo! Claudia with her Grandmothers! I'm SO glad they were both there.

My aunts! These women are so incredible and have been huge role models for me! I'm so blessed and so happy they came for the shower! Aunt Joan drove from Lexington, KY, Aunt Sherry came from Paducah and Aunt Meg came from Chicago 

The adorable party favors containing Hershey's Kisses and Hugs. I probably ate 5 bags of these ! :-) 

Most of the relatives who were at the shower! Aunt Meg, Aunt Joan, Aunt Sherry, Grandmommy, Mom, Carol and Mary! We were just missing Granny and Kayla in the photo- I was so happy they came! 

While the ladies were having fun at the shower, the men hung out at our house. They kind of had their own party! Austin, Dad, Larry, Uncle Richard and my cousin Michael were there. Here is the photographic evidence :-) 

Following the shower, all of the family went back to our house (braving the pouring down rain) and hung out. I loved having a full house of people I love so dearly! 

Then we all headed to a yummy dinner at Red Robin! Despite the fact that it was freezing (it didn't help that we were all a little damp from the rain), we had a great time! 

Following dinner, everyone parted ways. Aunt Joan and Michael stayed in Jackson at Mary's apartment and we were able to spend some good time with them on Sunday! We went to church together, had lunch at Wall Street Grille and took Michael on a tour of Union. Just because of the distance, we really only get to see them in Paducah, mainly at Christmas. It was such a treat to have them in Jackson- we just missed having Uncle Wesley and Matthew there too! 

Austin and I ended the week feeling so special and loved by our family and friends. Sunday afternoon, we enjoyed sorting all of Claudia's new things and assembling the larger items! This coming week, we're anticipating our first childbirth class and getting packed for the hospital! Hopefully I can get nursery pictures done so the anticipated "nursery post" can happen soon!