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...

Chubby Cheeks, Reindeer, and Spit Up...

I wrote in a previous post that the bigger Addi Kate gets, the harder it is to see her profile at our ultrasounds. But I have to admit that our last ultrasound picture is probably one of my favorites so far...

She has the chubbiest cheeks and I can't wait to kiss all over them!!! I have probably looked at this picture at least a million times and am in awe that this sweet little face is something that David and I created. We can't wait to meet her.

Addison's closet is continuing to grow...well, her closet isn't growing, but the amount of clothes inside sure are :) I bought the cutest little reindeer onesie years ago...it was actually a newborn size. But after we discovered we were  pregnant, I realized that the onesie would never fit her. So I ended up giving the onesie to a friend for her baby to wear and enjoy this Christmas. So I have been on the search for another reindeer onesie to replace the one I bought and finally found one this past week...

I ended up getting it as a shirt with a lettuce edge and just love it! I can't wait till NEXT Christmas so she can wear it :)

And I don't think I ever shared the adorable burp cloth that Jilly bought for us...

Daddy DEFINITELY agrees and I'm sure he can't wait to clean up our little angel's spit up with this burp cloth :)

Baby Knight and Mommy: 33 Weeks

Baby Shower Invites...

We are blessed to be having FOUR baby showers for Addison Kate. We would have just been happy with one shower, but we are so thankful to be able to share the day with all our friends and family FOUR times in the upcoming months.

Our first shower will be here in Florida with friends and family. Our little cousin made the invitations and I honestly think they couldn't be any cuter...

She did an amazing job AND you should have seen how she addressed the envelopes...so creative! I wish I would have taken a picture before I ripped open the envelope to get to the invite...but trust me, the calligraphy and penmanship were over-the-top cute!

This shower will be the week after Christmas...we are truly blessed with a thoughtful family.

The Weeks are FLYING By...

This pregnancy is going by way too quickly...the weeks are literally FLYING by and we are at 32 weeks now!!! I haven't had time to take any good pictures of my growing belly, but now that I've started my Christmas vacation, I'll make sure I take time to post a new Baby Knight and Mommy.

We've had LOTS of stuff happen over the past few weeks. Here are just a few of the highlights...

We ordered Addison's crib bedding and I CAN'T WAIT until it arrives!! I have had these fabrics picked out for what seems like forever and couldn't wait to place the order...

The damask fabric and the pink balls are my two favorite selections!!

When I ordered the bedding, the company gave me the shipping date of January 11 (at the latest)...my heart literally skipped a beat when I realized how far away that date was :( I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they are able to finish it sooner and ship it out earlier than they estimated.

It is seriously getting harder and harder to get good ultrasound pictures as Addi Kate grows, but we were able to get this one at our 31 week appointment...

You can see her profile, nose, lips, and chin...her hand(s) are balled up under her chin. Sweet baby girl :)

I took this quick snapshot of my belly bump (really it's more like a belly mountain) at 31 weeks...we are still growing strong!

Aunt Lisha sent us a box FILLED with little goodies for our Sweet Blessing. This was just ONE of the outfits and ONE of the beanies she crocheted for us. I can't wait to play dress up with Addison :)

I purchased this little bow holder from Etsy and once it arrived, I realized that I probably need about 20 more of these holders :) This one only holds 8 bows...and my baby girl still has a drawer full of bows!!!

AunTee bought this dress for Addison to wear next Christmas and I literally cried on the way to work when I saw her text. Isn't it just the sweetest dress EVER???

We've started going every other week to our OB and every week to our High Risk Doctor. At our High Risk appointment this week our nurse reviewed our fetal heart monitoring results and shared with us that I was having contractions. My eyes literally filled with tears when I heard this because Addi needs more time to grow!! David calmed my nerves and told me to just wait until we had a chance to meet with the doctor and get all the details. The doctor checked my cervix and said that everything was fine and that I was just having Braxton Hicks contractions. She was surprised that I was unable to feel the contractions, but the doctor pointed out when I was having one and I realized that I HAD been feeling them all along, I just thought they were Addi moving around in my belly. So the doctor gave me orders to drink a LOT more water and to stay off of my feet as much as possible. I'm so thankful that I am on vacation so I can do just that!

Addison...do you have any idea how many lives you have changed? You are one LOVED little girl!