Big Baby Gifts

Over the past few weeks we have received a lot of packages for our little one. He is not spoiled at all. ;-) Friday, August 29th was a huge day for the UPS delivery guy. We received our bedding, a cradle swing and the travel system.

We have since put it all together and are figuring out how everything works. It only took us a couple of hours to put the swing and travel system together. Thank goodness for directions!



Yes, Jeremy put the stuffed dog in there to test it out. He had to make sure that everything snapped and strapped together just like the directions said.

Lastly, Aunt Diane bought him his first pair of tennis shoes. They are so adorable. I can't wait to put them on him.

Murder Mystery Night

Last Friday, Jeremy and I went to a murder mystery dinner at a friend's house. It had a James Bond type theme. I was Diane Otherday (get it...Dying Another Day). Jeremy was Felt Odd (the odd job man). I thought that maybe I had killed Mr. James Bland, because my clues were so vague. I was told that I had been under the power of a criminal mastermind to kill Mr. Bland and eat his heart. Gross, I know, but I was the Voodoo lady! Anyway, Kevin the gardener was the killer and no one guessed him.


Diane Otherday (Wendy)
Felt Odd (Jeremy)




























Mrs. Bunny Funnymunny (Amanda)
Diane Otherday (Wendy)
Mrs. James Bland (Jenny)
TV Reporter, whose name I forgot (Beth)
Russian Madame, whose name I forgot (Sara)














Nev R. Senevregn (Kris)
Movie Producer, whose name I forgot(Ben)
The Gardener, whose name I forgot (Kevin)
Felt Odd (Jeremy)
Dr. Yes (Jared)

Rest of Chicago Trip

As you can already tell, Jeremy and I spent several days in Chicago and the burbs with part of his family.

On that Friday we arrived, we got to see the Broadway show, Wicked. It was Jeremy's first Broadway play. We both absolutely loved it. I would highly recommend anyone to go see it.

On Saturday we spent most of the day at Cantigny Park, where we learned more about different wars the US participated in and we learned about the McCormick family who basically was a founding family to Chicago.

Sunday was spent hanging out with the family at the Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder and at Sammy & Gigi's city apartment. Please note that Gigi decorated the entire apartment, including painting and doing the artwork. She is amazingly talented and comes highly recommmended by us both.

Monday turned out to be a rainy day, but we made our way through the city doing some sightseeing and having lunch at the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building. Amazing views of the entire city!!!

Tuesday we did a little shopping at the Woodfield Mall and in downtown Naperville. And then returned to reality on Wednesday. All in all it was a fun-filled trip and we are looking forward to next year when we can take our little one with us.

Chicago Sites

Cantigny Veteran Park

Cantigny Gardens

Nursery

This past weekend, Jeremy and I set out for Atlanta again, but this time to pick up our baby's furniture. We ordered it from Georgia Baby Furniture Outlet, which was extremely helpful. However with all the trips back and forth to ATL, we are exhausted.

Saturday night, Kris came over and helped us to put together the furniture. It was good practice for him, since Sara is due in January. There is no way Jeremy could have done it by himself. Below are some pictures of them putting it together.

Sunday was my turn to get in the nursery. I put up all the stuff from my first baby shower and all the stuff that everyone else has so generously given us. Here are some pictures of the finished product so far and some of me that Jeremy took.

Peru Slide Show!

Slide Show of Family Baby Shower

Song from Girl's Weekend

As promised, here's the song:

Girl's Weekend

(sung to the tune of Rock Around the Clock)

We're here for Girl's Weekend - yes, we are.

We're here for Girl's Weekend from near and far.

We're gonna laugh and sing and have some fun.

We're gonna love one another and play in the sun.

We're gonna be all together here for Girl's Weekend!

Ozark brings Katie and Diane,

And Wendy and Touchdown from Birmingham.

There's Jo who comes from the Sunshine State,

And Allison form where those Tigers are Great!

It's Girl's Weekend - June 2008.

There's Melissa form Nashville, Nina from Thomasville,

And Becki from the home of the Boll Weevil.

Dothan brings Farrie and Anna Marie,

And, last but not least, from Chattanooga there's me.

It's Girl's Weekend - oh what fun it's going to be!

We're here for Girl's Weekend - yes, we are.
We're here for Girl's Weekend from near and far.
We're gonna laugh and sing and have some fun.
We're gonna love one another and play in the sun.
We're gonna be all together here for Girl's Weekend!

Written & Sung by Susan Laseter

Jeremy is Going To Peru

Jeremy leaves for Chosica, Peru, which is a suburb of Lima, on Saturday, July 5th. He will be there for 7 days, returning on Sat. July 12th. Please be in prayer for him and their whole group as they travel and minister to so many groups.

They will be doing minor construction work, bible school of sorts to the orphanage, and marriage seminars. All to be done during the day several days. Jeremy is in charge of the recreation portion of the bible school, so he will be exhausted by the end of every day and will need restful sleep.

He is taking our camera and should have lots of great pictures when he returns. Until then, I will be "vacationing" with my mom over the next week and away from the computer for several days! Every one enjoy your Fourth of July and we look forward to telling you all about Jeremy's trip.

Girls' Weekend

Last weekend was a girls' weekend in Chattanooga. There were two generations of us "girls". We stayed at my cousin Susan's house and had a blast. I don't have it with me right now, but I will have to post the song Susan wrote later. It is quite good.

Friday night after dinner I was surprised with a baby shower. I received a ton of baby items and adorable clothes. Jeremy and I are so appreciative of what they have done and how they went over and beyond my expectations. Below are just a couple of pictures of what I received. I am waiting on the rest of the photos since my camera was MIA at the time of the shower.

Saturday, we did some of the touristy things by site seeing, shopping and going to eat dinner at the Station House. The Station House is a restaurant at the Chattanooga Choo Choo that every waiter and waitress sings. They do a kind of karaoke while you eat dinner. Very cool! Below are pictures of us waiting before dinner for our table to get ready.

Baby Furniture & Birthday

This weekend marked a milestone in our lives...Jeremy turned to the ripe old age of 29 and we made our first huge baby purchase.

Friday night we enjoyed game night with our old Sunday School group. We hosted it at our house this month. Sara was gracious enough to do dessert cupcakes that spelled out "Happy Birthday". That was fun and finally the girls pulled out a victory over the boys! Also we found out that Sara and Kris are expecting their first child as well. She is 10 weeks along. As a recap, Beth & Jared and Amanda & Ben are both expecting their 2nd child. Now we just need Jenny and Kevin to join us and we will be the baby making group.

Saturday, we went to visit our friends in ATL: Brooks, Juli, Noah, and Lily Grace. They graciously opened up their home to us again and we loved spending time with them. Our favorite part is playing with Noah (2 yrs old) and Lily Grace (8 months old). While in ATL, we went by the Georgia Baby Furniture Outlet and found our bed, dresser and hutch for TDP. It is the Cocoon collection. The bed is part of the 4000 Series. The dresser and hutch are part of the 3000 Series. All of it is in the Espresso color.

Saturday night we went to one of our newest favorite restaurants, The Clubhouse. We became members last time we were there, paying $20 to join and on the spot you get a $25 gift card for the next time you come. Also on your membership anniversary and your birthday, you get a $50 gift certificate to use on food items. It has already reaped the benefits of joining. Any way we got this huge piece of cake that was almost the size of a personal cake...about 8" tall x 4" wide. Talk about BIG!

Sunday we continued on to buy Jeremy some items needed for Peru, then headed back to Birmingham. That night on his actual birthday, we celebrated it with his mom, Jay, Ryan and courtney at PF Changs. As always it was good.

That wraps us up for a little bit. I promise to post more next week about me, the baby, and Jeremy's upcoming Peru trip, when work slows down some. (The client is on vacation next week!)

It's A BOY!!!!

It is officially a boy! Our baby boy weighs 7 oz and heart beat is 140 bpm. He is doing great and is weighing more than others at 18 weeks. Big babies tend to run in the family, so I expect him to be big too. We are so excited!

And as many of you have asked, what is the name? Well, Jeremy and I have picked out a name, but are not telling until he is born. However, to appease those of you who need to know something to monogram, the initials are T D P. His new nickname for now is "Touchdown Peacock." You all can guess all you want but our lips are sealed. Some guesses are just plain outright funny.

17 Weeks & Growing

I am growing by leaps and bounds right now, which has caused us to finally upgrade to a bigger bed. Over Memorial Day weekend, we finally broke down and bought a king size bed from Haverty's. It has been nice to not feel so confined especially as my tummy grows.

As for the baby, it is apparently doing well. He/she doesn't like to be still during quiet moments. So I feel kicks during church, in meetings, and at night. This little one likes to move around. June 11th is the date we find out what we are having, so check back on the 12th. I will have our first ultrasound pictures at that time too. We can't wait to find out what it is, or if there is only one as so many of you are asking. I don't think so, but who knows.

Pictures of me at 17 weeks

14 Weeks

I had my doctor's appointment yesterday and finally got to hear a heartbeat. It took a while to get the actual heartbeat because this one did not like being touched. Every time the doppler got near he/she kicked or hit it away and then moved. This baby is fiesty already. The heartbeat was at 139 bpm, which is great. Also it looks like everything else is progressing at the normal rate, even my weight, which is hard to believe.

As promised, here are some belly shots of me at 14 weeks. I didn't want to show off my belly but Jeremy talked me into it.

More Energy

So I promised myself I would update on the blog over the weekend. And here it is on Monday and I am updating during my lunch hour. Well, not much news to report from me. I have been doing good most days and now all the sudden I am starting to feel like my old self. I actually stayed up til 9:30 last night. What an accomplishment! I had gained 2 pounds since my last doctor's visit, but today the scale said otherwise. Those 2 lbs went away? I am just wondering if someone has tampered with the scales here at work. Yes, I am keeping a close watch on my weight. I do not like to workout and don't want to have a ton of toning to do after the baby. But trust me that I am not starving myself. (Eating 4-7 mini meals a day)

Jeremy on the other hand has been a busy little bee. During the last weekend in April he went on a fishing trip in Louisiana. It was a company paid for 4 day/3 night deep sea fishing trip. He does have pictures, which I need to get off of the camera. Also yesterday, he went with some friends of ours to Six Flags. I didn't want to go and watch him ride when I couldn't. Plus paying for someone who can't ride the rides just didn't make much sense either, so he went without me. I know he had a lot of fun and I can't wait to go with him next summer.

I will post some more pictures this week, including a new belly shot.

10 Weeks & Rehab

So I should have updated sooner, but this has been an exceptionally busy and exhausting week for me. On last Friday, Jeremy took me to what I thought would be my last visit to the Orthopeadic Surgeon. Wrong answer! I did get an xray to much chargrin of the xray technician. She basically threatened me and Jeremy and told me I was an evil person for endangering my baby's life. I was definitely afraid of her. But Jeremy and I had talked with several knowledgeable people and went ahead with the xray. Luckily my foot looks fine and is improving. However I had to start rehab this week for my TOE! Who knew this toe would take up my life for so long.

On Monday, Jeremy went with me to my ob appointment. Everything looks fine with the baby. Although we were a little disappointed to not hear the heartbeat yet. There equipment doesn't usually pick up the heart until 12 weeks at the earliest. Below is a picture of me at 10 weeks. I just now started visibily showing. Notice the small bump.

On Tuesday, I finally got my car. Keep in mind that I have only driven Jeremy's truck in the last few days occassionally. And really haven't driven since February 12th. Eight long weeks of being shuffled around by my wonderfully patient husband. I did have a company car but that was taken away since I am not traveling as much as I once did. (Such a blessing to stay home more.) So I got a 2008 Honda CRV that is navy blue. I will post pictures later of it.

Wednesday was a day of freedom and rest. I went to the grocery store by myself and I cooked dinner for first time (other than spaghetti) in over 2 months. I was thrilled, even though Jeremy didn't like the mess I left behind from cooking. I am afterall a messy cook.

Which brings me to Thursday...I started my physical therapy (i.e. rehab). That was not fun. The first day took 2 hours to answer all the questions and do the tasks. However I did go back this morning and do it again. This time I knew what to expect and do, and it only took 1 hour (7 - 8 am). I will keep doing this for 3 times a week for the next month. Fun Stuff!

Another Week Passes

Another week passes and more changes. Jeremy is officially signed & paid up to go to Peru. However, we found out last night that where he was going in Peru has changed. Their group will not be going to Andahuaylas, but instead will stay in Lima. They will be working with youth or young adults, but those details are still being worked out. We will find more at the next meeting in a month or so.

Wendy is doing good and thought she had some morning sickness earlier this week. It took us all day to figure out that her Vertigo (triggered by allergies and inner ear problems) is what was making her nauseous. She is getting a small pudge which is making it more real. She might post a belly shot later on as she gains weight. Continue to pray that all goes well with the baby.

We're PREGNANT

Hello! Sorry I haven't put a post in a while, but I have been on crutches for the past 5 weeks. And then last week we found out that we are pregnant. Yes, Jeremy and I are expecting our first child in November. Right now I am 6 1/2 weeks pregnant. We are so excited and can't wait!

Some of you we told that we were going to Peru on a mission trip in July. Well, I will not be going, but Jeremy will still. We do not need any financial support, but would appreciate any prayers over him, while he is gone.

That is all for now and we will keep you posted on the progression!