photos {baby shower}

Saturday was my baby shower. We had a packed house. It was great to be surrounded by family and friends excited to welcome Coleman into this world. We were blessed to receive so many wonderful gifts.

Gifts from my mom - could they be any cuter???

Who even cares what's inside when the packages are so adorable!

Me with the hostesses - Brigitte & Cassidy

My pregnancy buddy, Tara

365 {week 4}

a few recent 365 shots...

sunday ~ coleman's dresser ~ getting organized after the shower

friday ~ my nephew and sister sharing some music

monday ~ spencer doing division homework while i cook supper

{36 weeks}

4 more weeks ~ 28 more days ~ 90% there...

Baby Coleman: Weight is probably around 6 pounds and length should be around 18-20 inches. Growth should start to slow down a bit at this point. Most systems are mature or nearing maturity. Wanna know what the doctor thinks??? His prediction is that he'll weigh about 7 lbs 10 ounces at birth. We'll see....

Baby's Mama (that's me!): I'm feeling about the same - no major updates there - just uncomfortable and annoyed that I can't wear most of my shoes. My baby shower was on Saturday and that was wonderful!! I'll have a separate post on that later. My doctor's appointment was today (with my favorite doctor). He was able to name my chest pain - costochronditis (the spelling might not be exact, but it's close). Basically it's inflammation of the sternum area. It is common in pregnant women and should go away after delivery. Meanwhile, not much I can do other than taking Tylenol. The doctor said not to worry about my lack of contractions - perfectly normal for some women not to have any until real labor hits. Not much else to report!

digi layout {28}

turns out that digital scrapbooking is a nice, low energy activity for an exhausted pregnant chick.
i can't take much credit for this at all - the layout was already complete...colors and all. i just added my photos and journaling. pictures are from 2006.

digi layout {mom's birthday}

here's another one i just did...more old pictures (mom's birthday in 2005). i'm kind of proud of this one just because i actually figured out how to add a few things to the template :)

digi layout {football}

in my extreme laziness today, i've sat in matt's recliner, watched dvr'd shows and goofed around with some digital templates. here is a layout i just created with very old photos - football game from 2005.

365 {weeks 3 & 4}

Here are some 365 shots from the past week or so...

surprise baby gift from target

pocket calendar we are using to keep spencer's new schedule straight

mini album i just finished (contains pictures from our family photo shoot)

to do list at work

freshly organized pantry with some new shelving.

photos {croppin' with my sista}

This past Saturday, my sister and I were supposed to attend an all-day crop in Charlotte. Unfortunately, we arrived to find out it'd been cancelled (and we hadn't been notified). So, we improvised and spent the day at Sherry's dining room table instead.

photos {snow}

It wasn’t anything to write home about, but we did actually get some snow on Tuesday. I was disappointed to wake up and realize I could still see grass poking out from under the light layer of white flakes. The good news is that it didn’t mess up my day (I was still able to go to my doctor’s office). The bad news is that it wasn’t enough to really play in. I did enjoy watching the snow continue to fall throughout the morning while I worked from home at the kitchen table.

photos {matt's birthday}

Matt's long-lasting birthday was last week. It started Sunday at his parent's house. His actual birthday was Tuesday - he got gifts, dinner out with me and Spencer, mysterious decorations in the front yard. Thursday night we went out to dinner with another couple.

Matt & Spencer @ The White Horse

Matt is excited about his new kitchen knife set (weird, I know)

Opening cards at his parents' house

Us with Scott & Cameron @ Hickory Tavern

{35 weeks}

This was taken Tuesday @ 35 weeks...good gracious.

{365 kit}

This is the kit I got about a week and a half ago. I am very pleased with the value. Look how much you get for $40!!! Can't beat that with a stick.

In one of the boxes, I placed all the small journaling cards and added a pen. In the other box, I organized the other items by adding some tabbed dividers that I had on hand.
The kit included some 12x12 papers, larger journaling cards and a date stamp - none of which *fits* anywhere. I added a 12x12 page protector to the back of the album to hold these items and a black ink pad. I would like to replace this with something a bit sturdier that has a top closure.

{16 things}

I've recently seen others posting 16 things about themselves right now...so I thought I'd play along. I have no idea why *16* is the magic number...

1. I’m 35 weeks and 1 day today… I wonder when Coleman will join us?
2. I can’t keep up with all the reading I’m trying to do – pregnancy books (trying to finish so I can move on to baby books), baby/parenting magazines (the endless flow of free ones is crazy), books related to the Library of Memories class I’m taking, scrapbooking magazines, plus “for fun” books – currently a Stuart Woods novel. I don’t even try to read TV Guide or Southern Living anymore (the only 2 subscriptions we get, other than Creating Keepsakes).
3. I stayed up way too late last night downloading songs. Matt & Scott both have new iPods and have no clue what to do with them. I was building playlists for them and trying to download new songs as quickly as they could think of them. Finally I had to tell them I was done – it was after midnight and I had to get up at 5:00. I did enjoy having some new music this morning for my commute.
4. I shamefully admit that I did not watch the inauguration yesterday, and no more than a few minutes of news clips.
5. I’m tinkled pink that American Idol is back on and I can’t wait until it gets to *the good stuff*.
6. We’ve finished Coleman’s room – finito! I am pleased with it. I love, love, love the decal we just added.
7. I am incredibly excited about my shower this weekend!! The closer it gets, the more anxious I become. I feel so blessed to have friends and family that are excited about our growing family.
8. I’m disappointed in the snow yesterday. I was really hoping for something that I could play in (even if Spencer wasn’t there – I’m not afraid to look like an idiot).
9. Long sleeve maternity tees from Target make me happy. They are one of the few things that are comfortable right now.
10. Apparently my feet are more swollen than I realized. I tried on 2 pairs of black boots this morning, neither of which I could wear. I hope it’s temporary and that my feet haven’t stretched that much. I have a lot of shoes – shoes that I really like – shoes that I can’t afford to replace.
11. I love looking at creative, messy things…but still my style, my house ,my life always ends up being very straight and symmetrical.
12. I like McDonald’s coffee better than most places. I do not like Starbucks coffee at all (please don’t shoot me). I only get “froo froo” drinks there.
13. I’m blind as a bat. I am nearsighted…very much so. My glasses are probably one of the most expensive things I own outside of my home and cars (which technically the bank owns more than I do, so do they even count???). Our LCD TV is worth more…but that’s probably about it.
14. Organization makes me happy. Cute organization leaves me elated. Unfortunately, the lack of such leaves me as equally unhappy.
15. As I sat quietly in Matt’s recliner this morning, eating my cereal and telling the dogs they had to wait to go out…I wondered to myself how long it’d be before I could do something so peaceful and selfish after the baby’s born.
16. Today I learned that my dad’s three sisters are technically only his half-sisters. Not really a big deal – but odd that I haven’t known that for the last 30 years.

{35 weeks}

a little over a month, 5 weeks, 35 days...

baby coleman: probably won't be growing much more in length, but will continue to put on the pounds while he's in there (should be over 5 lbs by now).

baby's mama: had a few rough days with pretty horrendous chest pain. but it's not every day, so that's good. i went to the doctor today and the baby is head now - woohoo! he didn't have much input on the chest pain, but it is a sign of preclympsia (sp?), but since i don't have any other symptoms he's not too worried about it. he said it was good to document. i'm on weekly appointments from now on (fun). had the group b strep test done (guess i'll get the results next week). looked into a daycare center (as opposed to in-home daycare) yesterday and i'm still trying to grasp the cost. it was insane. very excited about the shower this weekend!!!

{34 weeks}

6 more weeks (42 days) to go...

Baby Coleman: Should be weighing in at close to 5 lbs and around 18 inches long! That's a for-real-baby in there!! Statistics show that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks tend to do just fine with little chance of long term complications. That makes me very happy :) Kidneys are fully developed. Liver is beginning to produce waste (gross). I felt him hiccup for the first time this week (I always get asked this question for some reason).

Baby's Mama: My updates tell me that he should be starting to drop some. I think this may be true, but maybe not too much yet. I say this because I think I actually slept much of last night on my side without excruciating pain - something I haven't done in a while. So, it's possible that his new, lower position might be relieving some of that. Doctor's appointment is next Tuesday. I'm actually looking forward to this one in the hopes that they can tell me how he's positioned or something! We bought some closet organizers for Coleman's room and also did some reorganizing (and purging) in the kitchen to make room for all of those baby things.

layout {coleman rhea}

tonight i put together this simple layout for my pregnancy layout. obviously, it has the baby's name on it :) and the journaling tucked into the pocket explains the whole process of how we came to name him.

{daily december album}

Based on Ali Edwards' project, I decided to do the Daily December Album this year (well, technically last year). I began in late November when we started decorating. The base of the album is an 8x8 Bind-It-All, but I added various sized items and pages within. I did not do a base album ahead of time, like Ali does. I wasn't able to keep up with it daily but I took photos, saved things and made notes along the way. I worked on it when I could and finished last week. Overall, not too shabby. It was a fun and liberating project! I don't think I'd do it every year but I love the concept and I'm so very glad I did it.



You can go here to see photos of the entire book and read the details.

layout {month 6}

tonight i did the "month 6" layout for my pregnancy album. i got a little behind because i was focusing on the daily december album. i don't *love* how this page turned out, but at least it's done. i want to have the album caught up by my shower, so i have a few more pages to do.
you should be able to click on the photo to enlarge it if you want to read the journaling.
the whole album can be seen here.

365 {week 2}

I am finding that one of the hardest things about this 365 photo challenge is narrowing it down to only one photo per day (at least on some days it's difficult). I'll try to include as many as possible and weed out as necessary. Here are some of my random shots from this week:

Spencer being goofy while watching the Panthers playoff game.

My LOM class kit arrived!
I was craving a Dairy Queen smoothie ALL day, so I got one on the way home.

Smart Start in a cute bowl - perfect start to a day.

First day back after the relaxing holiday season - coffee required!

photo {a moment captured}

After returning home from a busy Saturday afternoon, we told Spencer he needed to do his school reading. A few minutes later, I walked upstairs to find him in Coleman’s room. He was kicked back in the new glider and reading one of the brother-themed books we’d gotten him for Christmas (from his baby brother). He wouldn’t let me take a photo of him actually reading the book (too childish, maybe?) but I did manage to get this shot. Needless to say, this rare moment warmed my heart and I’m so glad I accidentally “caught” him in the act!

PS - I'd been waiting to reveal the nursery until it was totally done, but I guess this will end up being a "sneak peek".

photos {safety patrol}

In December, information was sent home about safety patrol. Spencer didn’t hesitate to show interest in this – one of the few extracurricular activities offered at his school. I had thought only 5th graders could participate so it was exciting to know he could go ahead and start his second semester of 4th grade. He had to fill out an application, study and pass a test…all of which he did. This week, he had to attend training. He was really excited and seemed to enjoy this!! He received his neon belt and was happy to show it off, along with his car-waving moves, for a few pictures!

photos {first basketball game}

Today Spencer had his first basketball game of the season. Unfortunately, his team didn't do too well (they got slaughtered, to be honest), but he was very excited about playing - and to me, that's what matters. Of course, to him...winning matters :) It's tough to get good shots in a gym, but here are a couple (he's #5 on the darker blue team).

{scrap survey}

I saw this scrap survey on the CK message board so thought I'd do it here...(I tried to do it in Panthers colors, just for kicks).

1. Have you ever bought a premade page? No

2. Do you have a scrap budget? If so, do you stick to it? No, not an official budget. But I try to use some common sense.

3. What color cardstock do you seem to use the most? Tough one...honestly not sure.

4. What was the title of your last LO? I have mainly been working on my Daily December Album, and just finished that up.

5. Name 5 things on your scrapdesk right now. 1 - Completed Daily December Album 2 - Papers purchased to match Coleman's nursery for projects I have in mind 3 -Bind it All machine 4 - all my pens 5 - bowl of adhesives

6. What's your favorite product to hoard? patterned paper

7. What's you favorite product to actually use? i enjoy rubons though i don't buy them as often as i should, i suppose.

8. Do you have a TV in your scraproom? i used to. i never watched it, so we moved it to the nursery (for those late night feedings)

9. Do you stand up or sit down when you scrap? i try to sit, but usually stand. my scrap table is counterheight for that very reason.

10. If you have any, do you allow your pets in your scraproom? yes, our two dogs have free reign of the house (they are well-behaved).

11. If you have kids, do they have their own table or supplies in your room? in our old house, i had a big area for spencer, but he's too old for that now. i'm sure i'll have to re-create something similar when coleman gets older.

{33 weeks}

Baby Coleman should be measuring in around 17+ inches and 4+ pounds!! It's scary to think that he *could* show up anyday and survive in this crazy world! Other than his gaining weight - not much is changing (makes these weekly updates pretty boring)! He continues to be very active, reminding me often that he's in there.

Mama & Daddy: Sunday we took two classes. Infant CPR was good, as its just a good thing for both of us to know. "Taking Care of Baby" was OK. Considering Matt has done this thing before and I've read and researched a lot, there wasn't a ton of new information. But it was still good to see some things demonstrated and stuff like that.

Baby's Mama: Unfortunately, today I had to go for some tests. The reader's digest version is: I've had bad heartburn and chest/rib pains for a while now. They are getting worse. Last night it seemed to come to a head with heartburn so bad that I threw up and then later had a really sharp chest pain. So, I called the doctor this morning which led to me having two tests done - liver bloodwork and a gall bladder ultrasound. Ultimately, I'm hoping it's all just bad heartburn and 2 Zantacs a day (per the doctor) will remedy it. In the meantime, we'll wait to see if anything comes from the tests (unsure of when we might get results at this point). Super thanks to my hubby for leaving work early to drive me around for this stuff, though it wasn't necessary - and to my big sis, Sherry for coming to the hospital with us (even if it was to just try and see the baby on the ultrasound - ha!)

365 {week 1}

I managed to get through and order 2 of the 365 kits (one for me and one for my sister). So, here we go again - trying to do the 365 challenge. Here are a few random shots from the first week.

Today we had a heating scare, but luckily it was nothing. It was nice to see the temperature at a comfortable level again.

putting up the christmas decorations (it's insane how much we have accumulated - 95% of which is NOT represented in this picture).
matt and cooper relaxing in the recliner

scott and matt playing Call of Duty 4 - their latest obsession

spencer in our new chair - took us forever to find something we liked.

photos {carolina bowl game}

Despite a not-so-perfect season, and a particularly rough ending, we got a good bowl spot. We played in the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day against Iowa. Unfortunately, that’s where our good luck ran out. We played horribly and got stomped! But of course, we had some friends and neighbors over to watch the game with us, and the Clemson game that followed (at least they lost as well). I think we ended up with more Clemson fans in our house than Gamecock fans (blasphemy!).

photos {new year's eve}

our new year's eve was a two-part celebration. as has become tradition, we went out to eat at a japanese steakhouse. we met up with my sister & her crew and another family. after eating, we heading to a friend's house for part-two of the celebration. lots of fun at both!
more photos here