5 Weeks and counting…

So now we are counting up the weeks of Baeron’s life, rather than counting down the number of weeks remaining in my pregnancy.  What a whirlwind this past month has been!  I have rarely had time to check my email, much less post my thoughts about motherhood and parenthood and our new family dynamic.  David has been wonderful with our little boy, and with me when I have need some assistance and understanding.  My life REVOLVES around Baeron, and there was just no way that anyone could have prepared me for such a dramatic shift in my lifestyle and worldview.  It is a wonderful, miraculous experience, all encompassing, and deeply personal on so many levels.

Milestone #1: Baeron has been smiling for us today!

I have not even begun to organize all the photos that we have taken of our precious child….I will get to it, eventually.  In the meantime, here are some samples from the vault:

Mmm…full belly!

My boys at rest

What’s that growing in the pumpkin patch?

First bath in the big tub!

Micanopy Fall Fest

First dinner out–Las Margaritas–OLE!

Wheeeeeee!

There’s that smile! :)

The Reed Family

 

We Did It!

Baeron Elias Reed

Born October 7, 2008

8 lbs. 2 oz.  2:22 pm

Baby's 1st Pic, taken with my iPhone

 

Any Day Now

As I write this, I am 2 hours from baby Reed’s due date, or, our HypnoBabies course has trained us to say, “guess date.”  I have been so busy this last month and a half–from starting back at Cornerstone and mentoring the Latin teachers, training for my new job with the Florida Virtual Global School, having a baby shower or two, writing thank-you notes, arranging baby’s room, clearing off our registries (10% discount coupon-YAY!), ordering and opening packages from UPS, attending weekly prenatal appointments and Birth Center classes, listening to my “Joyful Pregnancy Affirmations,” deciding on our birth preferences, sharing our plans with family, keeping mum about the names, reading, reading, reading, knitting a little….

And here I am, ready to pop (as I’ve been told by many a stranger), and I’ve fallen behind on our blog updates.  But I guess David is as guilty as I am…this is, after all, our blog, just as this new arrival will be our baby.  He’s been nesting in his own way: installing baseboards and a bookcase in baby’s room, weatherproofing the windows, completing some unfinished house projects, and tending to me. 

Here are some pics, to catch you up-to-date:

Diana, Libby, Mary Jane, Michelle, (me), Melissa, and Laura

Diaper caddy and window monkey

Isn’t he CUTE!

Our free crib! Bedding courtesy of Gramma Miller

Great-gramma Miller helped us get this glider!

Vintage toys, children’s books, and photos of the parents-2-be

Armoire from Gramma Reed

Test-Drive Set of Cloth Diapers…not like the ones yo’ mamma used to use!

Roma knows her boundary…(see next image)…

because early on, we discovered THIS!! Had to break that before it became a habit. (But she’s so cute in there, isn’t she?)

My bags are packed…ready to go…

For those of you who came to my GSR shower (a month ago tomorrow!), look closely: you might see your gift in the pics!  I’ve enjoyed arranging your tokens of love and support all over baby’s room.  Thanks again to my lovely hostesses:

Diana, Libby, Mary Jane, Michelle, (me), Melissa, and Laura

And I also glad that the Grammas-2-be were able to be in attendance for the festivities:

So, until next time, stay tuned to “A Blogger Babybook” for further updates and news alerts!

 

Vintage Appeal

I’m a sucker for “found” items. Lately, I’ve been inspired to search out a few vintage toys to use in decorating Baby Reed’s room. Antique malls and Ebay have such an amazing assortment of these types of items, so I have been treasure hunting and enjoying every minute of it.

I have been successful in finding a few items…aren’t they cute?

Tiny toy rocking horse

Tin windup bird

Duck pull toy

"Jumbo" cast iron bank

Zoo Animals picture book

Crazy to think that we only have around 5 weeks left…our lives will be changed before we know it!

 

The Party Plans

Invites were passed out at GSRCOC and mailed to family a couple weeks ago…and I think they look great! Unfortunately, my scanner didn’t reproduce the color exactly, so the image looks a bit dull compared to the original. So just imagine a more brilliant green..

Designed by Melissa Wessel

 

It’s Alive….

I couldn’t help but recall an all too often used movie scene when the hand in our most recent pictures popped up on the doctor’s sonogram screen. Do you remember those times in movies when the villain is thought to be dead, buried under a pile of rubble. Its dark and raining, the hero and girl embrace and walk away relieved, thinking all is well and that trouble is over. Yet, as the camera pans back to the pile, the broken blocks of brick and steel begin to quiver. Suddenly, a strained, glistening fist emerges from the wreckage telling the world……………..The fun has just begun!!! Well, I thought that I’d share my impression of our child’s Kodak moment and was wondering what our faithful visitors thought about……….the HAND! If you have an imagination, and an observation, I’d love to read your take on the photo.

 

It’s About to Rain…

KnowMyJesus (GSRCOC) Email Announcement:

Dear Sisters,

We have been blessed with a bumper crop of expectant moms in 2008!

Please save Thursday, August 28th to honor Angela and Baby Reed.

Details to follow.

 

Camera Shy

No luck getting a cameo today. The good news is that Baby is already practicing the best position for birth–head down, facing the spine (anterior). I know Baby doesn’t stay in that position all the time, but today, he/she stubbornly insisted on remaining there for our entire visit with Dr. Buchanan. Oh well!

Baby Reed-29 weeks

Talk to the hand, 'cause the face ain't watchin'

 

Summer Update

June was a very busy month for us–between finishing up the school year and diving into summer activities, we’ve only now just started to breathe… A lot has been accomplished on the baby front, so I will go over the highlights:

1) We had a sonogram back in May. As promised, I have posted a picture below. It’s not much to brag about, however; Baby was reluctant to show his/her face, so I have selected the best view that we have. Enjoy.

Baby Reed-23 weeks

2) The crib came in and shortly thereafter, the matching armoire. We are so thankful to have been gifted with such beautiful furniture for our little nursery! I am confidant that these gifts will last for many years to come!

3) We are not finding out the gender of our baby until birth. So quit asking if we’ve changed our minds! And no, we do not secretly know and are thus conspiring to keep it a secret from everyone. You’ll just have to wait and be surprised like everyone else!

4) We are not sharing names, but we welcome suggestions!

5) Baby was incredibly well-behaved in Europe. It will be fun one day to share the pictures and say, “and look, there you are with Mommy in Rome!”

6) We have another sonogram scheduled for Monday. The purpose: to get some better pics of the baby–and it’s free of charge! I hope we’ll have some good ones to post next time.

7) The nursery theme: safari. Primary colors are green, brown, and orange. Fun stuff!

8 ) The registries are up and running…see the links to the side. I don’t know how well the Amazon registry will work out…I imagine most people prefer to hit up Target at the last minute (that has been my track record, at least!). Some specialty items are so hard to find in stores–glass bottles, a durable Moses basket, organic items, etc–so we’ll see how it goes!

9) We are very excited to be using the Birth Center of Gainesville. Check out their website here:

http://www.birthcenterofgainesville.org/

10) After much reading and research, we have decided to use hypnosis in lieu of pain meds during the birth. Our home study kit will arrive any day now and we are eager to learn the techniques. Check out the hypnobabies website:

http://www.hypnobabies.com/

I think that’s about it for now. Today marks 29 weeks; 11 weeks (give or take a couple weeks) to go!

 

Who’s the baby daddy?

Fortunately, we know who the baby daddy is……ME! Who’d a thunk it that I would be a daddy one day. What was the good Lord thinking when he put us two together?