So close...

...and yet so far!

We are in the final days, and are definitely sitting on pins and needles. Every day I wake up thinking, "could today be the day?" And though my body seems to not be preparing the way I had hoped, it is getting ready. The non-stop cramping in my lower abdomen for the past 2 days tells me that SOMETHING is getting ready!

The nursery is ready and waiting. I had the cushions made for the rocking chair by the same lady who my mom found to make the cradle bedding. I think they turned out great! Going to make those feedings much more comfortable in a padded chair. :) We also went and got the matching bouncer for her, and I can't wait to sit her in it next to my desk as I work during the day.
The changing pad and diaper genie are in place for plenty of stinky diaper changes...
We even have her radio and CD player ready, with nursery songs and bedtime lullabies waiting close at hand.
I can already tell we will be spending a good bit of time in this room...even more so than I spend in there now. :) (Yes, I'm the dork who will go sit in the rocking chair and just imagine.)
Hurry up little one! We are anxiously awaiting your arrival, and cannot wait to meet you!

Pretty girl at Prom

Julie had her senior Prom last weekend, and it was much harder for me than I thought it would be. It is still so strange to realize that she is 18-years-old, grown up, graduating, and moving away for school. I still picture her as a small child who used to follow me around a lot...not anymore. She is a beautiful young adult, with a full life ahead of her, and I cannot wait to watch and see how her life plays out.

But enough of my gushing; back to Prom. Julie wore a beautiful light pink strapless dress, with soft makeup and curls. I thought she was absolutely gorgeous.
Her boyfriend, Cody, looked very handsome as well, and even wore a pink vest and tie to match Juls. They are a pretty sweet couple together.
Mom and Dad's baby has grown up....(and grown some serious assets in this picture, I might add!) I imagine it was rough on them knowing this is the last dance for any of their girls.
Another picture of the handsome couple at Raveneux.
I'm sure we will all miss these occassions to get together and be girly. Good times, good times.

Jesse's 26th birthday

Yesterday was Jesse's 26th birthday. He is officially in his "late 20's." Last year, his birthday was spread out over a week of celebrating, and this year neither of us had it in us to celebrate for a week! So instead, we invited both his family and my family over to our house last night for dinner and small birthday. I made crockpot spaghetti sauce (thanks, Aunt Kathy!), salad, and garlic bread...easy meal that easily fed a lot of people. Here is a picture of part of the group hanging out on the patio after dinner.
Jesse and I... I was squatting down, hoping you would not be able to see the stomach taking over the piture! Not sure it was very effective.
Jesse cutting his cake after we sang him happy birthday and he blew out the candles.
Jesse with his nephews being silly.
(from left to right: Caleb, Jesse, Jansen, and Major)

Since my stomach has started growing larger, Caleb seems to be the most interested, concerned, and confused one of the kids. He is very much aware that something funky is going on, and he wants to get to the bottom of it! Every single time I see him, the very 1st thing he does is look at my stomach, note how large it is, then ask me when the baby is going to come out!! (He has been asking now for about 4 months...so he's getting slightly frustrated with me about it!)

Well, last night in front of everyone, he put this toy up his shirt and walked over to me, saying he was also going to have a baby! It was absolutely hysterical, and we got a picture back-to-back of our matching "pregnant tummies." Sadly enough, mine is still bigger. :)

Jesse received gift cards from everyone this year. He recently sold his road bike because it did not fit him properly, and has been looking into purchasing a new one that fits him better. Unfortunately, they are extremely expensive, and there is no way we can just go out and buy him one right now. So, everyone pitched in and now he has a nice amount to put towards it! For his birthday, I got him a membership to the YMCA. He has been wanting to get back and shape, and we had been planning how we would do that together once the baby gets here. Luckily, the YMCA has free infant childcare on site, and there is a gym right by our house! We are going to get back in shape...him probably sooner than me, but both of us in good time.

All in all, it was a fun night, and we enjoyed celebrating with both families in one sitting. I think Jesse had a super birthday! :)

More BlogThings

I did a few of these "BlogThings" awhile back, but ran across some new ones that were fun. Thought I would share. :)

What kind of flower are you?

***You Are A Lily***
You are a nurturer and all around natural therapist. People see you as their rock. And they are able to depend on you. You are a soothing influence. You can make people feel better with a few words. Your caring has more of an impact than even you realize.

What Flower Are You?http://www.blogthings.com/whatflowerareyouquiz/

Are you like your Mom?

***You Are Somewhat Like Your Mom***
Believe it or not, you and your mom are pretty darn similar. It may not seem like it at times, but you and your mom have a lot of common ground. Over time, you'll probably get closer ... especially if you emphasize the things you like about each other.

Are You Like Your Mom?http://www.blogthings.com/areyoulikeyourmomquiz/

How does your Interpersonal Intelligence rate?

***Your Interpersonal Intelligence Score: 63%***
Your Interpersonal Intelligence is High. You are definitely a "people person." You enjoy spending time with others. You instinctively understand people, and you are both a good counsellor and mediator. However, there are definitely times when you've had enough. And that's when you cherish being alone.

How Does Your Interpersonal Intelligence Rate?http://www.blogthings.com/howdoesyourinterpersonalintelligenceratequiz/

How Intuitive are you?

***You Are 40% Intuitive***
You're definitely an intuitive person, but you never go on your gut alone.You tend to be more analytical than intuitive - possibly because your intuition has failed you in the past.When you don't have enough facts to make a decision, you don't mind listening to your gut to figure out what to do.

How Intuitive Are You?http://www.blogthings.com/howintuitiveareyouquiz/

What does your favorite color say about you?

***Your Favorite Color Green Says About You:***
Balanced, Relaxed, Flexible, Compassionate, Philosophical, Humble, Loyal, Inventive, Unique

What Does Your Favorite Color Say About You?http://www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourfavoritecolorsayaboutyouquiz/

Funny emails

I have received a few good emails lately that had me chuckling. I'm sure you have seen these, but I wanted to pass them on for a laugh just in case.

ONE WISH...
A biker was riding along a California beach when suddenly the sky clouded above his head and, in a booming voice, the Lord said, "Because you have tried to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you one wish."

The biker pulled over and said, "Build a bridge to Hawaii so I can ride over anytime I want."

The Lord said, "Your request is materialistic. Think of the enormous challenges for that kind of undertaking, the supports required to reach the bottom of the Pacific, the concrete and steel it would take, and it would nearly exhaust several natural resources. I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Take a little more time and think of something that would honor and glorify me."

The biker thought for a long time. Finally he said, "Lord, I wish that I could understand my wife. I want to know how she feels inside, what she's thinking when she gives me the silent treatment, why she cries, what she means when she says nothing's wrong, and how I can make her truly happy."

The Lord replied, "YOU WANT TWO LANES OR FOUR ON THAT BRIDGE?"

LONG MARRIAGE
A couple was celebrating their golden wedding anniversary on the beaches in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Their domestic tranquility had long been the talk of the town. People would say, "What a peaceful & loving couple". The local newspaper reporter was inquiring as to the secret of their long and happy marriage.

The Husband replied: "Well, it dates back to our honeymoon in America," explained the man. "We visited the Grand Canyon, in Arizona, and took a trip, down to the bottom of the canyon, by horse. We hadn't gone too far when my wife's horse stumbled and she almost fell off. My wife looked down at the horse and quietly said, "That's once." We proceeded a little further and horse stumbled again. Once more my wife quietly said, "That's twice." We hadn't gone a half-mile when the horse stumbled for the third time. My wife quietly removed a revolver from her purse and shot the horse dead. I shouted at her, "What's wrong with you, woman! Why did you shoot the poor animal like that? Are you crazy??"

She looked at me, and quietly said, "That's once."

"And from that moment.....we have lived happily every after."

Baby Shulse's 1st bed

My parents gave us the cradle that I slept in as a baby for Baby Shulse! They had it all cleaned up, and my mom even had special bedding made to match our room and style. It sure turned out pretty, and will be the perfect bed to bring Baby Shulse home to.

Isn't the bedding just beautiful? Not to mention neutral, should we ever dare to try this again in the future...!
I cannot wait to see her sleeping soundly in her new bed. Hopefully, I will be sleeping soundly (for the 1st time in months) in my bed right beside her...here's to wishful thinking, anyway! :)

Shulse family and friends baby shower

This weekend Jesse's parents hosted a couple's baby shower for us at their house, inviting several of Jesse's family, family friends, and other friends. It was very nice to see people get to love on Jesse a bit, and watch him get excited about the baby's quickly approaching arrival.

It was pretty cute to see my in-laws also get excited about the baby. I liked that everything was focused on "Baby Girl," rather than just "baby." I guess it is the first time they have gotten to celebrate the birth of a little girl in their family, and you can tell that everyone is very excited.

Yum! I bet you can't guess which one I tried first...
Jesse's cousin Bryan and his Grandma Gertie

From left to right:

JD (Jesse's dad), Mr. and Mrs. Joachim (Jesse's boss and wife), Mr. Farrington (lifetime friend), Gina (Our sister-in-law)

Jesse opened all the presents...you can tell which things he liked and the things he could care less about. Most of the clothes were handed directly to me, lol. Guess those were not high on his list of priorities.
Practicing his reading skills...Goodnight Moon is such a great, classic book!
Yea! The "man bag" diaper bag. I figured the only way I would get Jesse to carry the diaper bag in public was to make sure it was manly enough.
We received a lot of great gifts, including the Windsor pack-n-play, the Windsor high chair, bath stuff, many cute clothes, the Baby B'Jorn carrier, gift cards, toys, medical kits, diapers, and more. It was a fun night, and we really enjoyed hanging out and celebrating with some of the special people in Jesse's life.

Thank you all for everything! I keep saying this, but it is true. We are SO blessed.

May Day!

Hooray! May is finally here!

It feels like I have been pregnant forever. I can remember when I found out I was pregnant and calculating my due date which seemed so far away...and it was! I wish I could say that time has flown by. Sure, there have been months that seemed to move faster than others, but time has certainly not flown by.

Jesse and I are starting to get anxious now; not nervous, just anxious for her to arrive. 10 months of waiting and preparing...waiting and preparing...I think we're ready to move out of this phase and into the next phase (even if it is the long, hard days and sleepless nights). We are ready.

Please pray that these last few weeks either fly by or I suddenly feel a strong wind of patience, which can only come from God. I'm getting edgy, irritable, tired, and cranky...I'm "over" this pregnancy. And though I know that I should enjoy these last few weeks with my husband, and I know life is about to drastically change, I find I'm impatient nonetheless.

Thank you all for your continued love, support, and prayers throughout this pregnancy. I know I could not have gotten this far without my friends and family. Let's hope Baby Shulse makes her appearance soon so that she too can thank you!! :)