The wierdest thing

OK - two blogs in one day... is that bad blog etiquet? But I forgot to mention this earlier - and it's worth mentioning. I went to my Target registry yesterday (b/c I am a cheater that way), and there was some different things on the registry. We had registered for like 40 items - when I pulled it up, there were 197 items... pink bassinet sheets, lots of bibs, pacis, CDs, DVDs, etc. Not that those are bad things to register for, we just didn't. At first, I thought that my login had expired and I was viewing someone else's registry, but as I scrolled, the stuff we registered for was mixed in with it all - the dead give-away being the Cowmooflauge carseat! Well, after thinking and being very confused, Daddy pointed out that someone else must have gone to the store to register, and they put the wrong registry # on their scanner... makes perfect sense!!!! Very funny, though, b/c a couple of things have been bought - so I'm curious to see what we're getting!!!!!! This would only happen to us!!!!! I think it's hysterical, though - great for a laugh! I did, however, go through and delete a lot of stuff off of the registry - some of it was good stuff, so I left it... I'll take all the help I can get! BJ called and asked if I had been shopping or something - b/c he noticed a lot of different stuff... and that was after I deleted a lot of stuff!!! See? It's not so bad to be a cheater now!

The Nursery is Coming Along!

Well, Saturday was my second baby shower. Lyndsey did a wonderful job - it was so cute and the food was very yummy - I'll share her recipe for Front Porch Tea... it's SO GOOD!!! Now, there's ALWAYS something that I do (and it seems to become magnified when Mama is involved... we miss exits when driving, we end up at the wrong place - such as last weekend, etc). Well, this one was all me - the weather was yucky, so we had the umbrella out. I helped Mama in (she was carrying my gift, which was the swing =) and then was trying to get the umbrella down. I just couldn't get it, so I wrestled with it for awhile, then Lyndsey came out and came to my rescue - got it in one try!!!! Well, I got inside and realized that I was bleeding - nothing serious, but, yes, yet another "Tammy-ism"!!!!! There's always something, huh? Despite the weather, the shower had a great turn-out, and we had a blast! When Mama and I got home, we (well, BJ) hung the curtains - which Mama had made, and we made up the crib. It is really looking like a little baby room... BJ and I go in there each night and just look around... amazed!!!!

Right now, my parents are at my house. Mama is painting the tree for Pooh and Tigger to swing from, and she and my dad have also made some Pooh character cut-outs that are going to attach to the crown at the top of the walls... I can't wait to see it!!!!! They are so awesome for taking so much time on the nursery. Daddy is helping hang and paint - so I know they are both working hard. I feel so guilty knowing they are working in my house, and I'm just a little "Queen Bee" waiting for it to be done!!!! They need a vacation! They have so much they need and want to be doing at home and at the farm... they are the best parents in the world - because of what they do, but, more than that, because of WHY they do it and HOW they do it! They love us and want nothing more than to be a part of our lives and Sam's life!

Front Porch Tea
-Bring 2 cups of water to boil and stir in 1 cup of sugar (set aside)
-Bring 2 cups of water to boil and steep 2 Lipton Family-Sized tea bags (5 min)
-Stir sugar and tea mixtures together and add 8 cups of water
-Stir in 1 12-oz. can of lemonade concentrate (unfrozen)
-Stir in 1 T. vanilla extract
-Stir in 1 T. almond extract
-Chill and serve with fresh sliced peaches (optional)
Makes 12 servings

How Blessed I Am

OK - first of all, the other night, I was laying on my side, and Sam did something crazy inside my belly. I looked down and, I promise, SOMETHING was protruding at least two inches out of my stomach! Thank goodness BJ was there to see and feel what was going on. Of course, my reaction was "Oh my gosh!!!" and he thinks something is wrong - he looks down and says the same thing!!! He put his hand on Sam, and he went back down, then, when he took his hand off, Sam stuck whatever it was right back out!!! It was a wierd, but very cool experience! That's our baby! He's such an active little thing - I get tired just thinking about trying to keep up with him when he gets here!

My mom and grandmother are already planning on the second one (that way I won't be so clingy, they say ;)! Yeah, that way there's one for each of them to hold and play with!!!

I have a shower coming up tomorrow... I'm very excited again - really, I LOVE seeing my friends and getting to spend time with them - the presents are just a bonus! Speaking of... I'm such a cheater. I tried not to, but I couldn't help but go and look at my registries today! I think it's BJ's fault, b/c he called me to specifically tell me NOT to so that I would be surprised! There's been a lot of stuff bought already - big and small! BJ and I (and Sam) are so blessed... I can't even put into words how humbled I am at the generosity of our friends and family! People always think family "should" do this or do that, but they really don't have to - but they always DO go above and beyond!!! BJ and I are so overwhelmed!!! And friends - what do you say? They shouldn't, and they do anyway!

Each morning, when I say my prayers I thank God for how much he has blessed me - not with stuff (which He certainly has), but with friends and family that are so great and loving and caring! It sounds cheesy, I know, but God knows my heart, and knows that I could (and often do, as I am now) go on and on about how thankful I am - but He KNOWS I am sincere! How awesome is that? It's friends and family like I have that make it easier to extend love and grace to those who may not "deserve" it - because, who am I to judge who deserves it or not??? Jesus gave it to everyone! And I sure don't deserve it, but my friends and family love me anyway!!!

Happy Weekend, Everyone!!!

My Crazy Weekend

So here goes...
Friday night, BJ and I went to a CPR class for infants and children. If I can just remember 5:1 (5 compressions to 1 rescue breath) I will be just fine! It was a great class, and BJ and I feel a little more prepared for little Sam's arrival! I just really hope that we NEVER have to use any of this because I think I would just freak out and go blank!
Saturday was my first shower with the girls (ladies - I still think of us as kids, I guess) from my small group. Kimberly did an awesome job setting up and making it special - as she always does - it had a brown and blue polka dot theme - SO CUTE! Funny story, though, my mom came by the house to pick me up, so I was directing her around the backroads to Kimberly's house. She finally looked at me and said, "we've never gone to your church this way before." I said, "Oh, well, it's at Kimberly's house, so we're not going towards church." She said that she thought the invitation said it was at Cross Pointe. We called Daddy - had him go inside the house and look at the invitation... low and behold, it was at Cross Pointe. Well, crap, I was late to my own shower!!!!!! I know I am late to pretty much everything, but I was actually going to be EARLY to the shower!!! We hightailed it over to the church - we were only 5 minutes late, but, of course, I have to live with yet another dumb blond moment on my record!!! I never knew an Escalade could rev up that hard - but Mama can make a car do anything - she always has been capable of driving the wheels off of anything!!!! Right, Daddy??? It was great for a laugh nonetheless - even if it was at my expense!!!! What's new?
Sunday was Stacey's shower - one of my friends from high school. She is due 4 days before me! It was great to see my friends from back-in-the-day, and Stacey really racked up on lots of good stuff!!! It's so awesome that we all still talk and hang out and keep in touch - I love those girls!
Monday, BJ had to work, but I have those wonderful banker's holidays, so if 'Your Momma' has a birthday, then I get the day off!!! It's great! I went out to Mama and Daddy's and spent the day with them. We went through mine and Bo's baby stuff - the coolest was our baby books. Letters from Mama, and seeing how much we grew and all that was really neat - Bo grew much faster than I did, but he had further to go, I guess! We pulled our old cradle down. Mama wouldn't let me help clean it up, but they did that after I left, and said it looks as good as new. That's what Sam will sleep in when he sleeps in our room! BJ now has the furniture back in the nursery, and it really looks like it's close to ready for a baby to come home to! Mama and Daddy are going to put the final touches on the nursery next week, then we can organize and we'll be ready (the room anyway)!!! (Maybe I will have figured out how to post pictures by then!)
I can't believe Sam will be here in less than 10 weeks! Some moments I'm so excited to see him and hold him - other moments I am scared to death, and just want him to stay where he is for awhile longer!!!
I always find myself thinking of Mattie and Beth, who are adopting a boy from Guatemaula. He was born on Nov 15, and all they have so far are a few pictures! My heart hurts so bad, because they have this beautiful baby boy that they have yet to be able to hold! Hopefully, we will see him by the end of March or early April! KEEP PRAYING!!! Although, we are both incredibly blessed to have baby boys, I know it must be so hard to know your baby is here in this world, and not be able to be there with him! Keep your heads up, Mattie and Beth - yall are SO INCREDIBLE, and once he gets here, you will forget all this pain you are going through right now!!!
See? The weekend was busy and crazy, but well-worth every bit of it! One day, we'll slow down, but I think we have at least 18 more years of craziness ahead of us... probably more!!!

I'm so forgetful!

I get so frustrated... I can't remember what I was thinking about just ONE MINUTE ago!!! I now know how people just beginning to show signs of alzheimers must feel like! I can be talking to BJ, telling an ellaborate story, look to the side, and completely forget what I was talking about because of the "pretty bird" flying by!? My dad and BJ say it's just because I'm blond - and now we add pregnant to the list!!! I go through spurts of where my multi-tasking brain comes back to me - and then it hits with no warning - I am the most... yeah - I just got distracted at work and don't know how I was going to finish that sentence!!! Sorry to those who have to deal with that!
Anyway... I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend - I get a long one - banker's holidays... some president's birthday or something - whatever!!!! I'm going to Mama and Daddy's and we're going to get the cradle down from the attic and mine and Bo's baby stuff to see what Sam might want!!! =)

Doctor's Visit, etc.

So, Sam and I had a doctor's appointment yesterday... we are both healthy - measuring 29" and I gained a whole pound since my last visit 3 weeks ago - bringing my grand total of weight gain to 21 pounds. He started kicking the heart monitor, so that elevated his heart rate, and the Dr. had a hard time getting a resting heart rate on him - but I told him that this IS him resting! Mimi (my mom) was there with us, so she got to hear his heartbeat - I couldn't see her face, but I know she was grinning ear-to-ear and/or tearing up! Sam got the hic-ups right before the Dr. came in, so she got to feel those too... she is so excited about her first grandbaby! We go back every two weeks now, so I'm going again March 1st!
Today, I am exactly 30 weeks - I can't believe that we only have 10 weeks left!!! So much to do still - I remember when I first found out... I kept saying, "We have PLENTY of time..." Well, plenty has turned into not really!!! Tomorrow night, BJ and I are going to an Infant Safety/CPR class (from 6-10 pm - what a Friday night date!!!) - hope the videos are better than the breastfeeding video! Still having nightmares from those! At least everyone should be fully clothed!!!
BJ's dad and Inny have sold their house... good news, but they have ONE WEEK to be out of the house!!! So, BJ is helping them on Saturday - while I go to my FIRST Baby shower - I'm so excited about it; and Stacey's shower is this Sunday - she's due a few days before I am, so I'm excited to see her again too!!! Dad2 and Inny will officially be moved into their 15th floor condo in Midtown Atl by next weekend! And everyone thought we were crazy moving out in a month!!!!
Well, another busy weekend ahead - pray that we make it through without getting too worn out!

Things I Love

Things I Love:

* My wonderful, loving and supportive husband - he is the sweetest thing in the world
* My wonderful, loving and supportive parents - they provide the perfect example of what I want to be to/for Sam
*My wonderful, loving and supportive family and friends - you'll never know how much the little things mean - the random phone calls, the encouraging emails, the time we spend together, and the kind words that you probably think nothing of... they mean the world to me!

I don't know why, but the closer the time comes for Sam to get here, the more reflective I have become... I'm with Beth - it's not EMOTIONAL or hormonal - it's called NESTING!!!! God has certainly blessed my life. I, obviously, did nothing to deserve such blessings, so I find myself so humbled at what God has done and is doing in my life! The only way I know to show my appreciation to Him is to share what He gives, and to show as much love to everyone as He shows me (that's A LOT of love). Some days I am better at this than others... It's easy to love the lovely - such as friends and family - it's the UNlovely that are the challenge and I find myself trying to just ignore or avoid them. I need to make an effort daily to reach out to anyone who could use some love or grace! Most of all, I find myself constantly trying to find ways to show my friends and loved ones just how much they mean - whether it's a gift, an email, or a phone call... I just feel like I fall short everytime, b/c there's just no way to express to each of you how very special you are!!!

So, thank God for love and grace, and thank God for my friends and family! I wouldn't be the person I am today without each person that has touched my life, and I certainly couldn't make it through this period in my life without my firm support group!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Nursery Update

So the crown is now up, and the rope light is in - it is going to be so perfect to be able to barely turn on the light to check on little Sam! BJ is working so hard on it - and he needs to be studying! He just has to paint the crown (I told him to do that before he put it up, but that's ok, he can do it the hard way if he likes!!!!) and move the furniture back into the room... Once I figure out how to post pictures, I will post some of the nursery - no promises of how soon that will be!!!
We went to our first class on Saturday! It was for breastfeeding... so, you can imagine me and BJ in this class watching this woman playing with a fake booby and a fake baby - demonstrating for us how to hold it (didn't know you had to position yourself) and how to hold the baby! THEN, there was the video... which was a little dated, but, in BJ's words, "could they not have found fatter and uglier women to show us their stuff???" This one woman had the blackest nipples that were the size of dinner plates - they were HUGE!!!! On a serious note, though, we did learn a lot (which wasn't hard, b/c we knew about ZERO when we went in there), and I feel much more prepared - and at least we know a little more of what to expect!
My first shower is coming up on Saturday, so I am looking forward to that... I have such great friends!!! I can't wait to be able to spend some time with them over the next few weeks!!!

My First Go at This...

OK - so Melissa (one of my dearest friends) tells me that this would be a great thing for me to start so that friends and family can keep up with me... and my little baby, Sam - who, by the way is kicking the fire out of my belly right now. Wonder if he's trying to tell me something? No - he's not allowed to come out yet... Mommy's not ready - nor is his nursery!!!
Just some background for all of us: my due date is April 27, 2006, and BJ, Mama, Daddy, Nanny, Bo, and everyone else (and I) have been planning and preparing for baby Sam's arrival since August. Samuel Walker Laterveer will be his official name... unless we change it once we see him, but I doubt that will happen! "Sam" was my grandfather's nickname (on my mom's side), and he passed away just before BJ and I were married (in June 2001), but we still think of him often, and he still impacts all of us on a daily basis. So, it seemed fitting to name our firstborn after him - he deserves it! Walker, we just liked!
The nursery is painted (green walls - kinda more lime than I intended, and blue ceiling) - but not without near-catastrophe... BJ (my sweet, wonderful husband) - in his true "architecty" fashion, has grand plans of dropped crown molding with rope lights that are attached to a dimmer on the wall. OH, it's going to be awesome, but the wiring - through no fault of BJ's - took one and a half days (should have been 1 1/2 hrs)... but, Daddy came on the third day and brought a switch from the 1980's - and low and behold it worked... so it was a faulty switch - two, actually, that BJ was using!!! Poor BJ - running from the 2nd floor to the basement countless times to turn on/off the breakers - rewiring, etc!!! Then Daddy jumped in there and helped him paint everything - it looks great! Now, he has to put up the crown and the lights!!! Nothing is ever as easy as you think it is going to be or should be!
We have beautiful furniture - thanks to Nanny, and the bed clothes for the crib are adorable - thanks again to Nanny! Mimi (my mom) has bought and done so much for Sam that I don't know where to begin!!!! Clothes, toys, blankets - she has crocheted two blankets so far and is starting on #3! She has embroidered numerous onsies that are SO CUTE!!! Nah... I don't think Sam will be spoiled AT ALL!!!!! (We'll save the "Davy Dukes" story for another time!)
As for me, yes, I am spoiled... =) but really - I am feeling good. Do I love being pregnant? HECK NO!!! The end result will be completely worth it, though!!! I'm just ready to have my body back, for my back to stop hurting and my ankles to stop looking like kankles by the end of the day - amongst other things... all-day sickness for 4 1/2 months, frequent trips to the bathroom... you know!!!! Seriously, though, I can't complain about my pregnancy - God has truly blessed me and BJ - I'm healthy, Sam's healthy, and we can't ask for anything more!!! But, I'm sure we will - don't we always????!!!!!
Well, there's my first attempt at this blog thing - we'll see how good I am at keeping up with it - now that we're kinda current, I'll try to keep them a little shorter!!!
Happy Friday!!!