The "Before" Pictures

This room will soon be filled with a crib and other fun baby stuff for Addison. This is a dormer window area in Addison's nursery. Wayne plans to build a toy box to go in this area.
A close-up of the lovely greenish-blue sponge painting that is currently on the walls in Addison's nursery.

So here are some lovely "before" pictures of the room that will soon transform into Addison's nursery. It has been a guest room since we have moved in and currently houses the furniture that was Wayne's furniture growing up plus a few extra pieces. The chair if from his grandmother's (Addison's namesake) house. It will remain in the nursery along with the bookcase, but everything else must go. As you can see, the room has a cute dormer window area and another window, so lots of natural light. Wayne plans to build a toy box into the dormer area and decorate it with her name. I can't wait to get the walls painted and get rid of the terrible sponge painting. I've cleaned out the closet and all the drawers in the room and plan to finish relocating all the stuff today. It's fun to see the transformation begin.

Several people have told me about the "nesting" feeling I'd probably experience. I think it is hitting Addison's dad more that it is me right now. In the last week, he has decided we need to add an attic fan to help ventilate the upstairs to make sure she doesn't get too warm. And we need to replace the carpet and hardwoods in the main living areas. It's something that has needed to be done since we moved in almost 4 years ago, but now it has become a priority. I've already had one carpet guy here this morning and have 2 more coming this afternoon. It will be nice to have everything in top shape before Addison arrives.

Well it finally happened this week. I've had 2 stranges ask when the baby was due. I have been waiting for this to happen and it finally did now that I am at 25 weeks. I guess I'm finally looking more pregnant than fat. :-) And I am loving being pregnant. I'm feeling good and enjoying this new adventure in life! Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Rebecca

She has a name!

Wayne and I have finally decided on a name for our little girl. We actually have been talking about this name since shortly after I found out I was expecting. We have talked about many boy and girl names, but nothing stayed with us except for this one. We both like family names, so if it was a boy it would have had the name Wayne as a middle name. My dad's mother has a great middle name--Elizabeth--but my cousin already beat me to that one.

So, our little girl will be named Addison Jane. This name is actually from 2 of our grandmothers. Wayne's grandmother was Addie Mae and my mom's mom was Rita Jane. These were two of the most gentle, loving women I have ever know. They had very sweet spirits and were truly Godly women. I pray that our little one is very much like these wonderful women. I plan on calling her Addison, but know that it will probably shortened to Addie at times. Actually my brother and his two boys have already come up with a few nicknames--Addie, Addie J, and AJ.

It's hard to believe Addison is schedule to arrive in less than 16 weeks. My plan for this week is to get the room that will be her nursery cleaned out so her daddy can get it painted. Right now it is horrid--blobs of paint in a random pattern in an ugly bluish-green color. It was the previous owner's idea of a cute nursery for her little boy. It is the only room in the house we have not painted because I didn't want to have to paint it twice. I picked out this room for the nursery before we moved in. I'm just so happy we are finally getting to decorate it as a nursery. I will post "before" pictures soon.
Rebecca

What a Week!!!

Our ship, the Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Sea, docked in Labadee, Haiti.
Standing on the east coast of Cozumel at El Mirador.
Wayne climbing Dunn's River Falls in Ocho Rios, Jamaica while his jealous wife took pictures. I have always wanted to do this, but it was too dangerous to try while I was pregnant. Wayne has promised we will go back and do it again.
Lazy in Labadee--Wish I was still there!!!

We have been back from our cruise since Sunday evening and I'm still trying to get used to the "real life". We lived in the lap of luxury for 7 days and nights and enjoyed every minute of it. It was so nice not having to cook, clean, or even make the bed. We had lots of time to relax and enjoy as well as time to talk about our little girl and all we need to do this summer to get ready for her arrival. We visited 4 ports of call--Labadee, Haiti-- a private peninsula for Royal Caribbean guests; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Georgetown, Grand Cayman; and Cozumel, Mexico. All the ports were new to us except Cozumel. We also had 2 full days at sea to enjoy the ship. It was a huge ship with a 3 level dining room, 2 story theater, a rock climbing wall which Wayne climbed, 3 pools, a 9 hole putt-putt course, an ice skating rink, an inline skate park, and a full size basketball court. Needless to say, we didn't get bored. We are already looking forward to the next cruise--number 5. :-)



I had an OB appointment on Monday. The baby and I are doing well. I'm starting to have a little swelling in my feet, especially on long, hot days. I gained more weight this month than any previous month, but am still doing okay in that area. I don't think going to the doctor the day after we got back from the cruise was the best thing as far as weighing in goes. We ate and ate and ate for a week!!! Mom and I have spent a couple days this week looking for a crib for the baby and I've been searching the web for bedding because I can't find what I want around here. I think I am leaning towards a cream and sage (green) toile fabric right now. Yesterday mom and I found a little shop in Trussville that had a crib that I really like. I want Wayne to see it before we make a final decision. I'm feeling a little rushed to get it ordered since it takes 4-6 weeks to arrive. I'd like to have most of the nursery finished before I go back to school which is only 7 weeks away!!!



Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the summer!

Rebecca

Celebrating Summer

I'm so thankful summer has finally arrived. I've stayed busy this week getting ready for our cruise as well as spending some time thinking/looking at baby stuff. Last weekend at the lake was wonderful and I'm looking forward to many more weekends there this summer. I wore my maternity swimsuits for the first time last weekend and they were actually kind of cute--at least my "baby bump" is cute! Of course I don't have any pictures of me in the swimsuits, but here are some highlights of the weekend.


Josh and Apoo (my dad) take a spin on the waverunner. Watch out--Josh is driving!

Will, my oldest nephew, finally got up on skis. He has tried the past 2 summers on trainer skis and hasn't been successful. He was using the skis that Wayne and I ski on when he got up and he just didn't stop. He got so confident that he was crossing the wake and even tried to drop a ski to slolom one time. Unfortunately I don't have any good pictures of him getting up on the skis because I have banned myself from our ski boat for the summer. The ride can be pretty bumpy. Better safe than sorry!

About 25 family members came to the lake on Sunday to celebrate my grandmother's 80th birthday. She is the one on the right sitting with 2 of her sisters. You would never guess she is 80!

On the baby front, I'm 22 weeks pregnant now. Hard to believe!!! My little girl is very active these days. When she moves, it has gone from a fluttering sensation in my belly to a more definite movement. I can tell she is getting bigger and stronger. I'm excited about planning her nursery when we return from vacation. I've decided to use the furniture I had growing up which is precious. It looks like doll house furniture and will be so cute for a nursery. It was actually the furniture I had until I got married! I'll have to post pictures of it soon. The pieces vary in color from a neutral color to a deep green and yellow. So, decorating will be a little bit of a challenge. I'm thinking maybe a green and cream toile for the bedding. Green's my favorite color. I going to look for a cream colored crib, so I think the green will be a good contrast. We will have to order the crib soon after our return from vacation, because they usually take 6-8 weeks to arrive. I've bought a few cute outfits for her and I find myself in the baby section of every store I go in. It's so much fun shopping for a girl after shopping for 4 boys (my nephews) for the past 9 years. What a fun summer it's going to be!

Rebecca

Lazy at the Lake

To celebrate the end of school and the long holiday weekend, we came down to the lake last night. I spent the day by the water with 12 other family members. No place I'd rather be!!! We will have at least 7 more join us tomorrow to celebrate my grandmother's 80th birthday. To some people spending a long weekend with 20 family members may not sound great, but I love family time. We will have my parents, grandparents, brother, sister-in-law, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, and close family friends all here to celebrate. Needless to say, it won't be a quiet weekend at the lake but it will be memorable. I'll try to post some pictures soon.

On the baby front--Our little girl continues to be active day and night. I'm feeling great and excited to finally have the time to plan a nursery. I bought our first girl outfit while having a girl's night out with my best friend Heather last Friday. I wanted to be the first one to buy something for her and I knew I had to hurry! Since this little girl is the first on both sides of our family, I know she will be spoiled. My Aunt Linda was sharing all the cute outfits she had already purchased and I know she isn't the only one who has been shopping. :-) We received our first baby gifts this week. To thank me for a good year, the Director of Instructional Support for Hoover gave me a precious, tiny pink sweater and 2 sets of pink and white booties that look so tiny along with several burping pads. My OT at work, Julie, also gave me a beautiful white daygown with an embroidered cross and the verse Joshua 1:9 below the cross. It will be perfect for the baby dedication. It's exciting to think our little one will be wearing all these cute things in less than 5 months! I'm officially 21 weeks pregnant--past half way!

Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Memorial Day weekend!
Rebecca

Happy News!!!

A profile shot of our little girl. The head is at the top left and you can see her chest and two little hands.
This is our little one's heart beat. Too bad you can't hear it. It's the sweetest sound to this mom to be!

Today was the day I have been waiting on since my last ultrasound 10 weeks ago. I'm thrilled to announce that the ultrasound today went very well and baby looks great--strong heart beat and all organs/structures in place. And the baby cooperated very nicely (let's hope that continues) so we were able to see it is a little GIRL!!! So, no more "it" and "baby". She's our little girl. It's amazing how much more real she seems now that we know she's a girl.

This was the first time Wayne was able to see or hear our little girl. He stood beside me and held my hand throughout the ultrasound. I think he was a little surprised when the lady told us she was a girl, but he was the first one on the phone when we left the doctor's office calling his sister to share the news. Baby Girl Crow will be the first girl on either side of our family, so I have a feeling she will be very spoiled.

The next task on the list is picking out a name. It's funny because we had almost settled on a name for a boy and had already decided the nursery would be a nautical/sailboat theme. We haven't really made any decisions about names or nurseries for a girl. That's on my "to do" list once school is finished.
Thank you all for your continued support, encouragement, and prayers. They are very much appreciated!
Love, Rebecca--Baby Girl Crow's mommy

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all you ladies out there! It has been a great one for me. When I woke up this morning, I found a card and present from my baby. The card said how much he/she already loves me and the present was a picture frame with "Little Blessing" etched on it to hold baby's first picture. We spent the day with family celebrating the wonderful women in our family. It was a great time. Thanks Aunt Jo for having us! Lunch was wonderful. Then we met Wayne's mom and dad for dinner. It has been a wonderful day!
The countdowns are on--Just 2 days until we know if this little one is a girl or boy. Just 10 days of school left. And just 3 weeks until vacation!!! And only 144 days until my due date. Yeah!!! I'm so excited for Wayne to see our little one on the ultrasound on Tuesday. He loves to poke me in the stomach to make the baby start moving around. Just wait until he can actually see it. I'm excited to see if we should be preparing for a boy or girl, but even more excited to see that everything is going well with our little one. Thanks to all of you for your prayers for a safe pregnancy and healthy baby. I'll try to post our news on Tuesday!
I have a prayer request to share--A friend at work delivered her 4th baby on Tuesday and the birth was pretty traumatic. A few hours after birth Daniel stopped breathing for about 2 minutes and has been at UAB in the NICU in cold therapy since Wednesday. The therapy should help to minimize/eliminate any neurological damage that was done as a result of the lack of oxygen. Please pray for baby Daniel and his family!
Love to all,
Rebecca