The Next Chapter...

As my pregnancy comes to an end this week, I wanted to reflect on how my baby bump has developed over these past three trimesters...

This pregnancy has been THE most fascinating, exciting, and blessed time for us. I can't wait to see what the Lord has planned in the next chapter of our story.

Sunrise Photos...

David has always loved sunrises and sunsets. Every time we go on a trip or take a stroll on the beach, we always come home with a camera filled with pictures of the sunrises or sunsets. Once we found out we were pregnant, he had wanted us to go out to the beach and take some pictures. And being the procrastinators that we are, we waited until the LAST weekend before Addison arrives to do just that. 

Here are a few of the pictures that we took...

 Isn't the sky just beautiful?? We arrived at the beach at around 6:45 a.m.

 There wasn't a soul on the beach either!

Look at that belly!!! Isn't it just amazing? It's still hard to believe that the human body can stretch like this...just WOW!

This last pic is probably my favorite. I just love how the sun is shining under our arms.

(And yes, we used the timer to take these pics...so it was a good thing no one was on the beach that morning!)

Skype Shower...

Yes, you read that title correctly. We had a shower this past weekend by using Skype!!! I'm telling you, technology is an AMAZING thing :)

A few of my friends from Houston got together and offered to give us a shower. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to travel since October. So my friends thought it would be a clever idea to have the shower anyway, but use Skype so we could "be there" and enjoy the conversation and fellowship.

David set us up at our home in Jacksonville...

He put a TV tray in the middle of our living room for the laptop and he connected a speaker (on the step stool) so we could hear better and then used a special cord to project the shower on the TV screen. 

It was the COOLEST experience ever!! It was like we were sitting in the living room with the rest of the guests. David had some of the ladies get together so he could take a picture of them on the TV screen...

SO FUN!!!

Wendi, one of the hostesses, sent us some "real" pictures of all the decor. Look at all the yummy goodness they prepared for the guests...

Do you see the little A that is below the banner and to the right of the fireplace? Wendi's daughter made that A and wanted to display it for the shower...too cute! 

Although I was sad that I couldn't physically attend the shower in Houston, it truly felt as if I was right there all along. 

And once again, our friends spoiled us rotten with several thoughtful gifts that Addison will cherish for a lifetime. I can't wait to tell her how loved she was before she even arrived on this earth.

Baby Knight and Mommy: 38 Weeks

School Shower...

Several of my school friends hosted a baby shower for us this past week. We had SO much fun and enjoyed  celebrating our little miracle baby with all the people I work with.

One of my favorite gifts (and moments) from the shower was this sweet book that several of my co-workers put together. It's called The Legend of Addi Kate...

Here is a video of our school librarian reading the book during the shower...

We also received SO many sweet and thoughtful gifts for Addi...

As you can tell by the pictures, we had a BLAST at the shower and shared lots of laughs. I truly work at a school that is like family to me. I would guess that we had close to 40+ people at the shower and we couldn't feel more blessed!!

Hospital Goodie Bags...

I got this adorable idea from Kelly four years ago when she was pregnant with Harper and knew that I wanted to do something similar when we had our baby...Hospital Goodie Bags!! I thought it was such a sweet thought to give a little something to the nurses and to the visitors that come to see Addi Kate for the first time.

I wanted to make something to put in the goodie bags, like cookies or chocolate covered pretzels, but since I'm not sure when Addison will arrive, I thought hard candy might be a better idea. My mom is addicted to Starburst jellybeans but accidentally ordered the regular Starburst candies instead. So I picked out all the pink and red ones and thought they would be perfect for the goodie bags :)

I found these sweet pink goodie bags at this Etsy store called The Pink Lemonade Party Supply Shop...

I then picked out some matching stickers with Addison's name on them through Design Bohtieque...

Then I started to put them all together and I might have eaten a few Starbursts in the process :)

I got this basket years ago for Easter and had it in our attic. I added a sweet bow from one of our showers and placed all the goodie bags inside...

Now that the Hospital Goodie Bags are complete we've added them to the rest of the things we plan to take to the hospital for Addi Kate's debut!!!!

To Addi from Daddy...

We were in need of some extra storage for all of Addi's things, but we didn't really have a lot of room in the nursery with the crib, changing table, bookshelf, and her rocker/glider. David thought it would be a good idea to put a small dresser with drawers in her closet AND he really wanted to use his childhood dresser.

So we ventured over to D-ma's house and picked up the dresser...

David was convinced he could refinish it and it would look brand new. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical, but David had his heart set on passing down his dresser to Addi.

So he purchased a few materials and got to work...

He took the hardware off and sanded down everything.

I wasn't sure he was going to be able to sand off all the trim work, but everything cleaned up nicely.

Then after a few coats of bright white paint and some new hardware, here is Addi's new dresser...

And it fits and looks great in her closet.

The before and after pictures are quite amazing!!!

David also wrote a very sweet little message inside the cabinet and I can't wait until she sees it and reads it one day. 

2nd Shower...

My principal hosted a small/intimate baby shower for us this past weekend and it was SO nice. We invited a lot of our school's patrons as well as some retired teachers.

The shower was held at one of our patron's homes and it was GORGEOUS! Check out this view form her back patio...

I think I would spend ALL my time on this patio if I lived here.

Here are pics of mom and I before all the festivities began...

Of course Jilly had to have her picture taken next to the dog :)

The two hostesses setting the table before all the guests arrive...

We were blessed beyond measure with all the thoughtful and precious gifts. 

Some of my favorite items were a book written by the woman that trained me when I first became an assistant principal at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. She has written three books now and has signed all three copies for me. BUT in this book, she was able to write "To Addison" instead of just "To Baby Knight."

We also received a gorgeous gown that I'm considering hanging up in the nursery after Addi Kate wears it...

It is SO delicate and beautiful. I can just imagine it displayed in her room, hanging from an antique baby coat hanger. PRETTY!

It's amazing how blessed and thankful we feel right now. I think everyday that this couldn't get any better...yet our MOST precious gift hasn't even arrived yet. 

Newest Additions to the Nursery...

We received our bookshelf for Addison's nursery this past week and couldn't wait to put it together. Well, David put it together...I just supervised :)

The directions were LONG and tedious, but David was patient and followed them step by step.

Check out the finished product...

Then it was my turn to fill up the shelves :)

The bookshelf doesn't look bright white in this pic, but it matches the nursery beautifully! We used those frames on the top of the shelf for our Gender Reveal Party...one said girl and the other said boy. So thankful for our little GIRL! I can't wait to put some of Addi Kate's photos in them now. 

We only have a few books for her at the moment, but we plan on getting all the fun children's classics to read to her when she arrives.

We also finally hung up the two shelves on either side of the window. Here is one of them...

I LOVE the initials...so perfect! The shadow box has our Gender Reveal Invitation inside it right now, but I plan to display her footprints from the hospital when she decides it's time to arrive. Again, check out that paneling and trim...David and Pops did a great job, I'm so amazed at how pretty it looks every time I walk in the room :)

The nursery is almost complete!! We are waiting on her glider/rocker (which should arrive THIS week) and another piece of artwork. The only thing left after those two items will be her curtains. 

I'll share the entire room and all the details once everything is in place.

Changing Diapers...

I thought it would be SO fun to post this YouTube video of David and I at our Florida Baby Shower. Our hosts had us play a game where we raced to see who could change a poopy diaper the fastest.

They filled the diaper with chocolate pudding, so you can only imagine how nasty and messy it was :)

Let the good times (and diaper changing) begin!!

Crib Bedding...

Addison's nursery is REALLY starting to look like a nursery! 

I ordered her crib bedding quite a few weeks ago and I was bummed to find out that it wouldn't be delivered until January 11. Well, I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email from Polka Tot Designs that they shipped Addison's bedding sooner :)

We received the bedding last Wednesday and it is even prettier than I had expected. 

I picked out three different patterns and tied them all together with the solid pink minky dot fabric. The sweet  little bows just scream GIRL to me :)

The little fringe balls at the bottom were Jilly's idea and I love that extra little detail.

The pink minky dot sheet is SO soft and I just KNOW Addison is going to love sleeping in her bed (eventually) :)

And when I saw how gorgeous the bedding looked with Addison's personalized canvas...WOW!!!

Her nursery is becoming the dream nursery I had always planned and wanted!

Daddy and I are waiting on just a few more details to finalize Addi Kate's nursery, but we are so happy at how it has turned out so far.

Personalized Canvas...

I received the prettiest decoration for Addison's room about two weeks ago. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the difference it made in her nursery.

Daddy and I couldn't wait to hang it up above her crib...

The canvas was created by Kim at Small Words and it is by far one of my favorite accessories in Addison's nursery!

I find myself just going into the nursery to look at the canvas and swooning over its cuteness :)

Check out all the detail to the canvas. Kim has hand sewn these tiny little beads around the rectangular design to accent Addi's name..

And she couldn't have done a better job at matching the swatches for our crib bedding...

Every little detail makes me even more excited for our little baby girl to finally get here!

And more importantly, I can't wait to see her sweet little face in her nursery!