Spoiled.... AGAIN!

Twice this week I came home to wonderful packages. Early in the week the FedEx man brought me this:
This is my new iRobot Roomba. This came from my WONDERFUL mom as a joint gift to Rusty and I for our birthdays. This is the handiest, neatest, most wonderful invention EVER!

I finally was able to use it on Thursday for the first time. This thing did an amazing job getting my hardwood floors swept. One of the really great features is the schedule. I have it scheduled to vacuum Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10 am. So, Friday, off he went at 10 am sharp. What was really cool about watching him both days was that he learns the layout of the house and tends to bump into things less often. Really great. I love that I don't have to worry about vacuuming my hardwood floors anymore. THANKS MOM!!!!

Then, a couple of days after receiving the Roomba, I had another package sitting on my porch when I came home. This box came from my cousins, Mike, Amber and their son Trevor (his wife is more like a sister), in California. When I opened the box, I found this:
A really pretty box that goes wonderfully with Rowynn's decor. I will be able to use this in his room.

Inside of this box was all of this:

Rowynn's first flashlight, the stuffed animal, you squeeze the handle and it plays music and turns on a light in the mouth. There was a rattle, Pooh thermometer (picked out by the sweet Trevor) and a camo onsie, hat, bib and blanket. Mike is in the armed forces, of course Rowynn needed camo so he could be like Mike!
Look at all these summer clothes! I LOVE the swim outfit. Those little shorts have a built in diaper so I don't have to buy the swimmer diapers. How genius is that?!
Plus, there were these forth of July outfits. I am so excited to get to see Rowynn in all of his summer clothes.

Mike, Amber and Trevor spoiled Rowynn. I love it all and I can't wait to see him use all of his gifts.

I love you guys. Thank you so much for such an amazing package. I am SO looking forward to summer because I want to see you guys.

Happy Birthday to My Amazing Husband

Today is Rusty's birthday. I am so thankful for this day. He is the best husband, most amazing father and truly my best friend. God knew exactly what he was doing when he created him and then put us together.

Who would have thought that I would meet my husband in Oklahoma when I was living in California?! I'm glad I made the trip that summer. I'm glad that we hit it off so quickly. I'm glad that our love has been through the wringer but yet we are stronger and more in love.

Happy Birthday babe. I love you SO much. I promise you I will give you a wonderful present in 9 days. I think any other gift this year would just not be as good as the one I can give you in less than two weeks.

37... well, 38 weeks

It is hard to believe that next week will be my last belly picture! I can't wait for the side-by-side comparison to my picture with Abigayl!

Rusty finished Rowynn's closet this weekend. I know there isn't a floor shot but it looks the same as his room. I think Rowynn may not have anything to wear when he gets here... I think it is high time we go shopping!
I wonder if my son will have a shoe obsession like I do.... well, I'll have enough for the both of us!

28

First, I want to say thank you to my amazing husband for surprising me with the YUMMY cake, with beautiful pink tulips, a huge balloon, breakfast from McDonald's (before I had to head to school) and a lovely dinner at Molly's Landing. I am blessed with an amazing partner.

Friday I "celebrated" my 28TH birthday. For some reason this birthday had more of an affect on me this year. But, a lot of the holidays affected me more this year than they did last year.

Leading up to the 22ND I was dealing with a lot of emotions and issues about my age, what has happened, where I expected to be and where I am at and the hurt. Poor Rusty, I think he came home from work almost every night to a wife that was in tears about something. But thankfully I have an amazing husband who stands by my side, allows me to cry on his shoulder and gives me the reassurance I need. What an amazing man God made for me (it feels like he was made specifically for me sometimes)!

Part of what I have had a hard time dealing with is that I wish I had both of my kids physically present. I wish that I could have had a hug from Abigayl on Friday. I wish she could have wished me a happy birthday in whatever words she was using by then. Sometimes, I wish that I could really talk to her. That I didn't have to talk to thin air knowing God must let her listen to me.

Don't mistake any of my words, I know that where she is right now is a far better place than here on our crazy earth. I know that when God finds it to be my time, that I will join her and get to hug her and kiss her once again. But, being the human being that I am, I have my times that I selfishly wish she was still on this crazy earth with her mommy and daddy.

So, maybe next year, when I turn 29 I will feel a little better. God willing, I will have Rowynn there to give me hug and a kiss. I don't quite think "happy birthday" or anything remotely close will come out of his mouth at that point. But, I will have him to hold and love.

I love this wrapping...

When I got home from my doctors appointment today, I found this beautiful package on my front porch:
I LOVE the box and the ribbon just totally made it pop.

When I opened the package, I found these:

Are these not SO cute?! I love how they go with Rowynn's whole room scheme. Perfect!

Thank you, Amy... absolutely made my day. I love it and I know they won't go unused!

Window+Drapes=Treated

Rowynn's room is now complete with his new drapes! Unfortunately, they were to short, seeing that they were supposed to go all the way to the floor and they only go to the window sill. So, he installed these ones and will put in a re-order for the correct length and they will come back out and put in the ones with the correct length.

In the mean time, these make me SUPER happy. I love the way it looks with everything else.

Spoiled!

Over the past week I feel like we have been SPOILED by everyone around us! I know that it is Rowynn who is being spoiled but since he isn't here to appreciate it yet, I'll take it as we are getting spoiled!

On Friday, my neighbor brought over this:
It was a Mickey themed diaper cake to go with his Mickey themed room! Plus, they brought a warmer that towels and clothes can be put in so when he done with a bath he can have a warm towel to snuggle with.

Then, Saturday morning there was a knock on the door and it was our mail lady with two packages. Inside the first was this:

I ordered this nursing cover on www.uddercovers.com when a friend emailed me with the coupon code "thanks" to get the cover for $8.95 which is just the price of shipping! That was a $40 savings. So, if you know someone who is breastfeeding or will be, this is a great buy.

The second package had the rest of my mom's gifts for Rowynn. She sent us a Pack n' Play, sheet, snuzzler (which keeps a new born from wobbling around in the car seat while they are so tiny), a bundle me (which keeps baby warm in the cold weather without the need for a jacket) and our second car shade for the window.

I hope Rowynn knows how lucky, loved and spoiled he is! I'm sure it is only going to get worse too. Yikes! That's a scary thought.

At the baby shower, my host Katie, made me this:

I had forgotten to put it in my shower post and I wanted to show off her handy work. It will be sad to take apart both of the cakes that we have had made for us. But, when a poopy diaper is needing a change... I guess I will have to suck it up and tear it down.

Then, last night (and all day yesterday) my amazing husband continued his work in Rowynn's room. He finished putting down the floor in his closet and he hung the pictures and letters for me. If I do say so myself, I think it turned out FANTASTIC!

So, it goes without saying, we have been super spoiled by our friends and family over the past week. Thank you everyone for everything. You have really helped us prepare for the arrival of our little blessing and we can't thank you enough.

Also, I have been so spoiled by my husband. He has worked so hard over the past few months preparing our house and working on some big projects. Now, he is doing his best to help out around the house and it is so appreciated. I am one very lucky lady and I love my husband so very much. I have a very blessed life. I am blessed with an amazing husband, wonderful family and incredible friends. I am bursting at the seams with love (no, it isn't Rowynn trying to push his way out!).

Progress, Pictures and a Package

The most popular question I have been asked in the past few weeks is, "How big does your doctor say Rowynn is?", and I asked him today! Dr. Gehring's guesstimation is ~5 lb. He says he doesn't think he will be a monster baby.

The nice part about having a c-section, aside from knowing the date and time, is that there is no "checking" when I go to my appointments. I go in and listen to the heartbeat. That's it!

On another note, last night Rusty moved all of the furniture from Abigayl's room into Rowynn's room. We couldn't help but to start setting it up and I think the results are fantastic. Mind you, we have not put up all of the wall hangings so that will probably be in tomorrows post. But, here is what we have done so far:
Tonight we will probably work on getting the pictures on the wall and then as soon as I call JCPenny back, I will have a date that they will come out and install his drapes! Then it truly will be done.

This morning my doorbell rang and sitting on my porch was a box from Washington. My best friend (since high school!) sent a gift for little Rowynn. Inside were all of these cute things:
I love this pacifier! I thought that was just super cute!
Thank you, Erin. I miss you and I love all of his new stuff. I can't wait to introduce you to him. Thank you for the cake, the invites and all of these gifts. I miss you and I can't wait to see you.

Maple Pecan Scones

When you get a craving, you have to do something about it, right? Well, I have been looking at PW's scone recipe for the past couple of weeks and today was my breaking point. Though I have eaten more cake in the past 3 days than what I would like to admit, I still felt the urge to make this buttery, delicious little chunks of goodness.

If you have ever eaten Starbucks' maple scones, this meet or exceed theirs! They are YUMMY and suggest that you get in your kitchen right now and whip up a batch.

Here is how:

Scones

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

5 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks of unsalted butter, chilled

1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped

1 egg

3/4 heavy cream

Maple Icing

1 lb powdered sugar

1/4 cup whole milk

4 tablespoons butter, melted

splash of strong brewed coffee (I didn't do this one)

dash of salt

2 teaspoons maple flavoring or extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and add to flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour until resembles crumbs.

Add the pecans and stir them into the flour mixture.

Mix the egg and cream together. Add mixture to flour and stir together until just combined.

Turn mixture onto surface. The dough will be crumbly, but that is the way it is supposed to be. Using your hands, push the mixture together into a large ball. Do not knead or press too much.

Using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough into a 10-inch round about 3/4 inch thick.

With a sharp knife, cut the round into 8 wedges. First, cut an X. Second, cut an A into each of the 4 slices to make an even 8.

Transfer the wedges to a baking sheet lined with Silpat or sprayed with cooking spray. Bake the scones for 22-26 minutes, until they are just barely starting to brown.

Allow the scones to cool completely before icing (I didn't do that... I was too eager to eat a scone).

In a bowl, stir together the icing ingredients until smooth. Poor generously over the scones. Sprinkle with pecans before icing sets. Allow icing to set before serving.

Enjoy!! I know I did.

Before/After

All that needs to be done is a few little things with the baseboards and moving the furniture! Poor Rusty has to disassemble the crib to move it and then reassemble it in Rowynn's room. Hopefully the dresser won't need the same treatment.

Floor-ed

Well, the end is near in Rowynn's room. Rusty is finishing up the last part of the floor as I type this entry. After he gets done with all the sawing, we will work on getting the trim painted so it will have time to dry before we get it back on the walls.

After the trim is installed, all we have left is his closet floor, moving the furniture in and decorating! I have a feeling his room will be DONE by next weekend!!

The finished part of the floor.

I put up his first decoration and now I'm itching to get the rest of his stuff on the walls.

Since this picture (30 minutes ago), the rest of the floor is done except a little sliver that runs along the length of the wall.

I don't know how I got so lucky but I am so glad that Rusty is willing to put in so much hard work. He is such a great husband and father.

Shower Time

Be prepared for A LOT of pictures and a pretty long post! Today was my baby shower and it was hosted by my friend Katie at the Hampton Inn in Bixby. Katie did such an amazing job decorating and hosting. Thank you Katie for all of your hard work and for making it such a special day for me. I am also SO grateful to all the girls in my Sunday School class, they provided some VERY good food and helped out so much. It is amazing to me that I have become so close to this group of girls in the past year and half. I honestly do not know what I would do without their support and friendship.

When God took Abigayl to Heaven that day, he placed many God loving women in my life. Through them, I have gained strength, comfort and a lot of great laughs. I know that God placed each of them in my life for a reason and I am so grateful for all of the wonderful friends God gave me through the passing of my sweet girl.

I know it is hard to see, but in the picture there is snow falling! Yes, it snowed on the day of the baby shower. Thankfully it wasn't much, just enough to be beautiful.

Here are some of the AMAZING women I have grown so close to over the past year and half. These beautiful women work at the 6th Grade Center (which is my favorite school to sub at) and I have gained some amazing friends out of my days in their school.

These are a few of the girls from my Sunday School class. I love them all dearly and am lucky to call them all friends.

These are my two sister-in-laws. It is so great to have such wonderful family here when my whole family is so far away.

More fantastic women from Sunday School and two of my wonderful friends from college. I am so happy that I have been able to remain close to my college friends. I know that we are all doing different things but it is great to come together after all these years and still have a good time.

I have met these fantastic women through Rusty and I am so glad that I did. They have been there through quite a bit and I am so glad that I was able to celebrate with them today.

Katie is measuring my belly for one of the games we played. It is amazing to see how big the strings would go!

Not only did we play the string game, Katie also melted different chocolate bars into diapers and we guessed what bar was in each diaper (talk about making me crave candy!), she also covered up the labels on baby food and we had to guess the kinds just by smelling them. I can say that there are a few kinds I am not looking forward to having to feed Rowynn. Yikes, some of them REALLY stink.

Checking my mother-in-law's string... just a tad too big. Very close though!

I loved seeing how big some people thought I was! After looking at some of these pictures, I am A LOT bigger than what I had thought.

Kayla was our winner! Kayla turned 6 yesterday... Happy Birthday Kayla! Kayla's string was spot on with mine. She did it all on her own too.

Katie with the cake. My friends Erin, who couldn't be here, provided us with a delicious and beautiful cake (cheesecake!) from Ludger's. Ludger's cheesecake is my absolute favorite. Thank you Erin. I really wish you could have been here today. You were missed. I love you and I thank you.

Not only is it cute and sweet, it is YUMMY!

After cake, it was time to open all of the presents.

I didn't want to put every picture on from the opening because there was A LOT but I had to share this sweet outfit. Rowynn will be so preppy in his sweater, khakis and matching little hat.

My in-laws watching the festivities!

Yay! The monitor I registered for. It is a camera that can be used in daylight or at night. Do you see how low he sits? My belly rests on my legs when I am sitting! Chunky monkey.

Rowynn's bouncer. It will be interesting to see if he enjoys his bouncer as much as Abigayl enjoyed hers.

Perfect fit, don't you think? I love how it looks like my head is on the outfit!

Sweet Leah. Just a precious little girl and such an amazing big sister to her little brother, Gavin.

My sweet friend Katie. She did such a FANTASTIC job today. I know that she put a lot of hard work into making this day what it was, PERFECT.

Here is a run down of all the great stuff we got for this little guy. I must say, he is spoiled already and we haven't even met him yet.

Yes, these pants have a little tail on them! As do the shirt and socks. LOVE IT!

Again, I want to thank everyone for making this day so incredible for me. I felt so loved and supported today and I can't wait to share my little bundle of joy with all of you.

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day and I couldn't have been blessed with better friends and family. I am so grateful for all the love God has placed in my life.

Thank you.