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!

Florida Baby Shower...

We had our first baby shower this past weekend and it was OH SO MUCH FUN! I was an emotional wreck the entire day, but I wouldn't change one single minute of it. I cried getting dressed that morning...I cried on the drive to the shower...I cried when I walked in and saw all the decorations...and I cried when I opened some of the gifts. All the tears were thankful tears, so thankful for this gift from God :)

Here is one of the tables...

Our little cousin made the cupcake toppers and our older cousin made the cupcakes...cherry limeade cupcakes!!

Here is a picture of us with the hosts...

Eleni, Litsa, me, David, Brenna and Jimmy

Litsa made this adorable banner that was hung above all the gifts for Addi Kate...

Here is a (fuzzy) pic of David and I with our parents...

We were so blessed and couldn't believe how many friends and family came to help us celebrate our little bundle of joy, we literally had close to 50 people at the shower. Addison is one loved little girl!!

David and I were so wired from the shower that we couldn't wait to get home, unpack all our goodies, and organize them all in the nursery...

We got home from the shower around 8:00 p.m. and I don't think we went to bed until close to 2:00 a.m.

One of my favorite gifts came from D-ma...it is the lamp for the nursery. Look at how perfect it looks in her room...

Our chair should arrive in a couple of weeks and I can't wait to see it sitting in this corner.

Our hosts gave us this Vera Bradley diaper bag and I LOVE the fabric...

I love seeing those sweet initials too!

It was a day that I had prayed about for years and one that I will never forget...we have been abundantly blessed this year.

Nesting...

I have heard about pregnant women getting in the "nesting" mode before their babies come, but I had NO IDEA it was actually true!!! I am already a person that can't sit still when I'm at home and I always feel like I need to be cleaning, rearranging, or organizing something. But this "nesting" stuff is NO JOKE!

I've spent a few days getting my hospital bag organized (thanks to a few friends and their hospital bag lists), cleaning out cabinets, Addison's closet, and yes, the baseboards too. It has been insane! Here are a few pics of my "nesting" skills...

I cleared out the bottom two shelves in our kitchen for her bottles, formula, and anything else that needs to be stored in the kitchen. I hate clutter on the kitchen counters, so hopefully I'll be able to keep all her goodies on these two shelves.

I also cleaned out Addi's closet this week. I had to move a lot of her things into the closet in one of our guest bedrooms. I have a feeling after our shower this weekend, I'll need the extra room in her closet :)

David and I have been talking about where we can store some of Addison's items like swaddle blankets, onesies, socks, etc. because our changing table only has three drawers. He had this great idea of putting a small dresser (with drawers) in her closet. David got even more excited when he remembered that his childhood dresser was still at his mom's house. So we took a trip to pick it up, bought a sander, and some supplies and he plans to get to work on transforming  his old dresser into the perfect storage space for our daughter. Here is the dresser BEFORE the transformation...

He is going to paint it white and add some drawer pulls that match our changing table...I can't wait to see the finished product.

We are finally getting around to getting some of those necessity items that I know we are going to need and want once Addison arrives. Jilly and Pops blessed us with two items that we hope Addi will LOVE...

The Mamaroo...this is similar to what we had growing up that we called an infant swing. But, believe me, the technology on this thing is unbelievable. It sways, rocks, bounces, plays sounds, and even has a place to plug in your iPod...it's CRAZY COOL! I'm telling you, if they had one of these things in an adult-size, you would find David sitting in it watching football :)

We also got Addison's carseat...

It is gray and black (although with the carseat cover, it looks like it has a tint of purple). David plans to go next week and have it installed in his truck...so we will be ready to go if Little Miss decides to come early.

Addison's nursery is also starting to come together. I have been procrastinating like crazy to get her room together. I'm not sure why...maybe because I want it to be absolutely perfect?!?! I'm normally really good at making decisions and know what I like as far as room decor goes. But every single time I try to make a decision about Addi Kate's nursery, I get stuck. So far, we have her crib and changing table in her room. I have ordered the bedding, which should arrive next Wednesday...YAY!!! I also received this BEAUTIFUL piece of artwork from Small Words to display above her crib...

I'll show the entire canvas above the crib when her bedding arrives, but could you just look at that detail?!?!? Those hand-sewn beads are just the icing on the cake. I absolutely LOVE the way it looks above her crib and it is definitely the focal point of the nursery.

We also made a decision on the rocker/glider for the nursery. We purchased this beauty with the ottoman...

...and it should arrive within about two weeks. We could ONLY purchase it online, so I hope it matches the green accents in the nursery. We were able to sit in a few other similar rockers made by the same company, so we know it is definitely a comfy chair to rock our little angel.

And I couldn't end this post without a quick look at our little miracle baby...

This picture was from our 34 week ultrasound. It looks pretty similar to the picture we had last week too.  She has been head down, spine to my right, and facing toward my left for the past FOUR weeks. I think it's safe to say that she is snug as a bug in my tummy :) And I STILL can't get over the juiciness of those cheeks!

We have our first shower tomorrow and I'm sure the "nesting" will continue...stay tuned!

Never Forget...

As the Christmas holiday approaches, I can't help but be extremely thankful for the gift of life and the dream that has finally come true for us this year. Nevertheless, my heart still hurts for those waiting, longing, and praying for their own child.

I literally woke up THREE times last night with friends on my heart because I know exactly how they are feeling this Christmas Eve...alone, sad, heartbroken, and questioning why they were chosen to walk the path of infertility.

The holidays are a time we should experience joy, foster friendships, and make memories with family. But for some, it is the worst of times. I can vividly remember my own wishes for a Christmas miracle to only experience a huge NO the day after Christmas in 2008 after our first IVF and a miscarriage two days before Christmas last year with our fourth IVF. Those two Christmases were ROUGH for me, very ROUGH.

But because of prayer, faith, and encouragement from my family, I made it through those hard times. And thanks to God, this year will be the Christmas I've always waited for.

I pray for those still waiting (especially this holiday season), calling each of them by name, and asking the Lord to bless them with the gift of life.

I will never forget...