Single Digits!

Ok, so we're now in the single digits of Mollie's estimated arrival date...9 days til June 26!!

We have been seeing the Dr weekly now, I'm dilated 1cm & have been that way for 2 weeks now. She has no inclination that we will deliver early and says that most 1st born children are late. Fine by me, as I know she'll come when she is good and ready. It's also reminding us or teaching us that for the rest of our lives we are on HER time:) I don't blame her for staying in my belly with this heat if it comes to that..I probably would if given the choice- haha!

I've felt super good to be this far along and hope it continues this way. I am very grateful that our health has maintained and has not stopped me from doing my normal stuff, like working! It's been a blessing, really. I'm doing my best to drink lots of water in these last days, building up my energy for labor time and of course eat as much of this delicious watermelon our stores and farmer's market have had! Man, we cannot get enough of it!!! yummm.

Now that it's crunch time, Matt and I are getting all of our notes together, i.e. birth plan, labor assistance techniques and the phone list. The hospital bags are packed and I think we're ready! Well...at least on that end! We are also having our last date-night tonight before Mollie's arrival. It's been fun to do those side things with him. Last weekend was a party downtown then off to Ye Old Fashioned Ice Cream to share a banana split. Simple, but simply amazing:) Although, at the same time, we're counting down the days when we'll get to enjoy time with Mollie & do fun things with her, too. I think our new little family will be our favorite way to spend out time- and I would not have it ANY other way! Matt is too funny about planning all of these outings and activities with her. I can see him now, being the proud papa showing her off:)

We will keep everyone posted of course! I anticipate us having a few more blogs posts in before her arrival, too. We'll see..again, all of this is up to her and when she is ready to arrive and done growing in there! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers and let us stay on the healthy path. xoxo

Matt's Random Thoughts

These are Matt's current/random thoughts-- What a GREAT dad he will make!! Molls is a lucky gal, as am I:)
~LA
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• I have a new respect for ladies, with the way they can go about these days while pregnant and still do their everyday lives
• Its so hot, milk was a bad choice.
• We're already planning several vacations and trips for/with Mollie.  Crazy how we've gone from planning trips revolving around traveling the country seeing Panic shows to taking a little girl to Disney World.
• I can't wait to buy Mollie her 1st pair of soccer cleats "You'll Never Walk Alone"
• I'm a little worried about my bell peppers, although my tomatoes are rocking!
• Mollie's room is 90% finished and looking strong to quite strong.  Thanks to Aunt Julie for her first Panic Poster!
• My Father-To-Be book reading is coming along gradually.  People have been doing this for millions of years without books, so I'm feeling confident...............that no matter how many books you read, its all going to be new no matter what.
• Why is it that the Big 10 has 12 teams, and the Big 12 has 10 teams?
• We're looking forward to some "Sip and See's" with some good friends.
• Both of our parents have been a huge help in getting us prepared both mentally and through home projects.  They are all super excited (that goes without saying).
• Our cats have been making themselves at home by sleeping in Mollie's bassinet and crib. Its pretty funny right now, but soon we'll have to lay down the law.
• When I'm in public places where there are babies present, I find myself looking are how babies are being transported, carried, and taken care of.  I've gotten some very helpful insight.  Who would've thought I would ever be paying attention to how a Baby Bjorn is assembled?!
• We're so excited about this new step in our lives! All of our friends and families have been so great, helpful, and supportive.  Thank all of you and we can't wait to share in this joy with you- very very soon!

Random Thoughts

Random thoughts and current happenings...Enjoy:)

• I am feeling the pain of moms due in August or September- how do you survive in the South??!! It's not even 90 degrees yet and I was dripping sweat INSIDE my office today. Yuck.
•  I am laying down with my feet up for the first time today and it feels amazing.
• This is because my toes are feeling like lil' smokies...lovely. At least my ankles still have their shape.
• I love that Matt is reading up on his 'Cooking for Baby' book each night, although we wont use that info and recipes for maybe another 6 months:)
• Who knew finding a video monitor would provide so many options/confusion?. We got one that can scan/pan the room, too- looks very high tech and know it will be our lifeline for a years to come!
• Mollie is trying to squirm around in my belly, but realizing she really doesn't have much room to do so..and it's starting to become a bit painful. I see elbows and knees trying to push their way out, haha!
• My parents are officially our across the street neighbors and I am loving it. I know it will only get better. They are soooo excited to meet Mollie and be a part of her life!
• I am wishing we could go to the Farmer's Market this/next Saturday, but don't feel like dealing with the Spoleto folks (or as Sadie calls them, the 'Spoletians')- Guess well just have a yard sale instead!
• Moll's room quite possibly could be the cutest thing ever..I will post pics once it's totally done. It's so personal and just precious, really.
• Thankful to have amazing people in my life who encourage me to sometimes get out of my routine or comfort zone. I know Mollie will soon become the definition of this!
• Matt is obsessed with our veggie garden. When he waters each of the plants he is convinced each has visually grown some that day. Love it! We've already gotten some tomatoes, bell peppers and jalapenos in addition to the usual herbs. Now waiting on production from our squash, zucchini and our fruit trees!
• Our Dr appt next week is when we begin getting measured for dilation- so exciting! Apparently Mollie's been head down for quite some time now, so that's great news and Dr did say last time she's dropped a bit, which is also on track and good! Still cannot believe how close we are..
• Matt is now reading his 'The Everything Father-to-Be Book.' So sweet...told him he better hustle as he got a late start on it:) haha!
• This little girl has the hiccups A LOT! It's so funny.
• I am becoming fearful of my water breaking in a public place..how horrible will it be if I am in Target?! Um, cleanup on aisle 3..Not to mention me standing in line somewhere with a cart full of stuff and trying to check out with all my coupons. Won't that just be lovely?! Sheesh.
• Pretty certain I will survive these last few weeks on my current stash of O'Douls Amber N/A Beer. If you have/want to drink N/A & have not tried this you are missing out. VERY close to Yuengling.
• I have such a nice handful of current preg and new mom friends that I cannot wait to share this journey with. Maybe we can have some nice early am/late pm summertime walks together!
• My bras are beginning not to fit. Think it's a combo of a few things, but can safely say that is NOT delightful. Pretty soon I'll be in the oh so pretty nursing bras and all will be right with the world again.
• Matt has a menu made for the 4th of July family festivities. Mind you, that is 8 DAYS after Mollie's due date. Hmm wonder what kind of shape we'll all be in and what will actually take place?? I hope we are all fine, as the food choices look delish, as do the homemade margs!!! Maybe that will be a good reason for me to get out of pj's:)
• Packed the hospital bag..my dilemma is what do I wear during labor? I really don't want to sport that hospital gown, but what else would I wear/ruin? I know I am bringing too many clothing options and at that time probably will give a hoot less!!
• Hard to believe the countdown is on..How did 36 weeks fly by in the blink of an eye-we cannot WAIT to meet this sweetie!!!
• Post from Matt should be coming soon-think he is still gathering his thoughts:) More to come...

Time is ticking...

Very soon after Matt and I found out we were pregnant, I immediately went into planning mode...room ideas, list of baby items we needed, maternity clothes shopping, scouring Craigslist for great deals, etc. You know, all the fun/new baby stuff! A bit of that was done between weeks 12 and 20, then once we knew Lil G would be a girl, then I was able to hone in on some more specific things such as room ideas, name choices and showers. After the nausea wore off, friends/family knew our good news and we got a good report from all early Dr's appts, we were set to go!

That second trimester was everything I had read about and MORE! It really was fabulous. *Preg ladies and ladies to become preg, seriously take advantage of this time. Travel, do house projects, anything that you feel up for, because it doesn't get any better than that! There would be moments in many days where I would feel 'normal' and forget that I even had a living being inside of me! My energy level was sky high and being pregnant really didn't hold me back from anything really.

Then, came the weeks into third trimester. Just a tad bit of a different story. Well, that's not the full truth. Up until about 2 weeks ago, at 33 weeks, I was feeling 'awesome.' That was the word I would use when someone asked me how I was doing. It was the honest truth. I began to get a bit more tired and could feel Mollie really growing. Now that I am in Week 35, I feel a bit in slow motion. I am not walking as fast, it's taking a bit more attention getting in and out of the car and/or the bed, not to mention how uncomfortable riding in the passenger seat has become or really, sitting in general. By the way, Matt is loving me as his driver as you can imagine. I am still not 'large' so I am almost feeling bad for Mols that she doesn't have more room in there..I'm hoping she is content and not getting pissed in there, haha. Those kicks and weight shifts do feel like she is punishing me though..man, this girl has some strength behind her already!!

My very dear and close cousin Jennifer, who is preg with her 3rd boy and due 1 week before us, just had her baby this morning!!! (3 weeks early, but everyone is doing great. He was 6 lbs, 5 oz) I even talked to her last night. Yeahhhh, I'll admit how much it startled me that it's not so far fetched for me to have Mollie before June 26. Not sure I am ready for her next week! Hoping if she does come early, I'll have a bit of forewarning, though. There is still soooo much to do and I am not mentally prepared- or so I tell myself now. I have started to pack our hospital bag, but all that's in there seems to be clothes for her and I. Why does that not surprise me?! We need to install the car seats and hang things on her nursery wall. I have also been working on our Birth Plan. Thanks to my cousin for being such a pro at this and sending me her Birth Plan to edit and draft as our own, I feel we'll be in great hands and all will be known about our wishes and hospital time. I know and trust the fact that Mollie will meet us on her own terms & when she is good and ready. Don't all of us women do that?!

So, we are 4 weeks, 4 days and counting...hoping this lil G grows as much as she needs to and is then ready to meet us with open arms. I  know we are beyond elated to meet this peanut, that's for sure:)

**On a side note, I REALLY REALLY want Matt to be a guest blogger on here. With just 4 weeks left, don't y'all want to hear his side of this story and experience??!! Please comment, give him some encouragement and maybe it will happen:)

Mimi and Pops soon to arrive!

Once my parents were told Matt and I were expecting a baby, I think it immediately changed their lives. We told both families the wonderful news on Thanksgiving Day:) It was such fun..They were living in Alabama and had just put their house on the market not long ago then. Their plan was to lose the big house and downsize now that all the kids were away and (hopefully!) not moving back in. I am not sure at that time if they knew where they wanted to go or not, but just knew they wanted something a little different.

Fast-forward to March and Mom, being the ultimate go-getter that she is, basically sold her house herself. She wanted an open house and the real estate agent wasn't pushing it so much. So what did she do? Made an 'Open House' sign one weekend, put it in their front yard and waited...but not for long. One lady and her son/daughter-in-law came and the lady pretty much had her mind made up when she walked in the house that it was to be hers. Not only did she want the house, she wanted it fully furnished! That had been mom's dream from the beginning; give her girls some antiques, china, etc that we wanted and get rid of the rest.

Well, according to mom and all of us, it was truly an act only God could perform to bring this lady to mom and have her buy the house and most everything in it. That's what she did..In cash at that!!

With closing about 2 weeks after the offer, they began to scramble and it hit them that they needed to figure out a place to live. For real now, no more dreaming or wishful thinking, this was real! They rented a delightful little cottage in Point Clear over Easter week and then made the rounds. To my sister Julie's in Mobile, to our other little place in Myrtle Beach and of course, to Charleston.

Since it has been a couple months now, they have a tentative game plan. They are moving to Charleston THIS WEEK and renting here for 3 months!!! Oh, did I mention it's across the street from us, at my neighbor's adorable fully-furnished house?! Timing could not be more perfect and I am excited to live in the same town/state as them for the first time in 11 years and them be a part of their new (and 1st) grandchild's life.

As life changes and all new things are about to come our way, we will have Mimi and Pops (aka Peggy & John Szteiter) as neighbors and helpers with Mollie. I am so blessed to have the parents I do and that they care enough about Matt and I to make us their priority their entire lives and importantly those early months with a newborn and we'll have no idea what we're doing!

I am so very happy for the two of them to be leading this 'free-spirited' life and could not think of anyone else who deserves it more than them. Love you Mom and Dad and cannot wait to share in this next chapter of our lives with y'all:)

A treat for mom & dad!

After these past multiple months of getting everything ready and (hopefully) perfect for Mollie's arrival, Matt and I decided we wanted to treat ourselves a little bit...to a new King bed!!

We've been working so hard on getting the house baby ready and her room especially, with refinishing and re-purposing furniture, buying all these crazy new baby items, painting the walls, reupholstering cushions, etc. It was time to take a step away from that and focus on another room in the house..even just for one day!

Our good friend and neighbor, Brandon, who just had their new baby girl last week, said the funniest thing the other day, 'I swear I've come to realize that the smallest beings, require the most gear and take up the most room!' SOOO very true! Ha, even when we had kittens, they sure did require a lot of goods..now this little baby is a totally different story. My whole life has already changed in the sense of buying. I really only want to buy for her and the house. My days of personal shopping have already started to dwindle and I am fine by that..I will treat myself in other ways. In fact, treating her, Matt and our house, is pretty much the same as treating myself- feels just as good!

When we got to thinking about some bigger purchases we want to make in the near future we knew a King bed was one of them. Something we probably should have done a while ago, but hey, it's never too late! We will get to share this with us, Mols and the 2 cats. Plenty of room to go around and more to fill:) I can totally see Matt now propped up with her in his arms watching the Saturday early AM soccer games on tv. That bed already makes the cats look tiny, cannot imagine what it will be like with a newborn in it!

Last night felt like sleeping in an upscale hotel. Of course with a new size bed comes ALL new bedding. Whew. Our sheets are especially heavenly (so important) and we just love the look of it all. Needless to say, the house is always a work in progress, which I thrive on!! I get it from my mom..and am thankful for that:) Looking forward to sharing our creativity and love of decor/design with Mollie, too. Cannot believe we are close to 6 weeks away!!!!

Mollie's Hometown

Being raised in a fairly small, close-nit community and very locally oriented has for sure helped define who I am...even as an adult now it still, & will always, define me to a large extent. There is NO place like home for me. Fairhope, AL is one the best and most beautiful places I have ever been and know that I am blessed to have grown up there.

When I moved to Charleston, SC in 1999 for college, never in a million years did I imagine where this place would take me. That I would fall madly in love with a magical city that has something to offer everyone. That I would meet my future husband, have an amazing wedding, that I would buy my first home and the craziest yet seems to be that we will raise our daughter here. Charleston will be her hometown.

 As I looked at one of my childhood friend's pictures on Facebook earlier, I saw that her two daughter's recently had their dance recital that the two of us had every year for many years- Mollie (as of this point) will never take dance lessons in the same place that I, her mom, did. Not that that is a bad thing, just different and a bit surreal that she will not have the same childhood memories that I did. I was raised on the water (literally) and me, mom and dad would go fishing off our pier all the time..as a little girl I supposedly could out throw anyone with a casting net:) I was barefoot more often than I had on shoes.

This makes me wonder what Mollie's memories will be..Will she grow up looking back on Saturday's at the downtown Charleston Farmer's Market? Will she appreciate all of the history and architecture this Holy City has to offer? Whatever her memories will be, we'll be sure to make plenty of them!

For the rest of her life, she will be asked 'Where were you born?' or 'What is your hometown?' I look forward to talking to her about mine and Matt's adventures here in this wonderful city, how we came to meet each other and learn more about ourselves in a new location. I love Charleston dearly and will be proud to call this Mollie's hometown, as I know she will be.