pictures from the shower

I thought I would post pictures from the incredibly amazing shower our dear friends hosted for us the other weekend. (This way our family can see all the festivities)

If you missed the post telling the story - click here. Sarah graciously took all these pictures (thank you!) Im so glad to have them because this will always be such a favorite memory of ours!

enjoy!

Here are some of the decorations. The girls out did themselves AGAIN!:













Here are all of our amazing friends waiting while we were about to arrive:



"FOR HE'S THE JOLLY GOOD BABY... FOR HE'S THE JOLLY GOOD BABY"

and here we are surprised & looking around to figure out how all this happened





Party hats!

Then the party really started .. meaning it was time to eat!





Then the games started. All the hosts had come up with some hilarious & perfect games. The first one I was blindfolded & had to pick out which leg was Freeland's by just feeling all of them:





Not to brag - but I dominated this game! Kidding, kinda. But seriously, its harder than you would think when there are a bunch of harry legs like that.

Then we played a pictionary type game. Boys vs. Girls. And the words were baby related like: circumcision, breast feeding, etc. It was hilarious.





(girls won. obviously)

Then we played another game where Freeland had to try baby food while he was blindfolded & guess what the flavor was. Each round he competed against another guy. This was so funny to watch (and I was so thankful it was him & not me!)







and seriously.. I was AMAZED. Freeland guessed almost every single one of them without any trouble at all. The man knows his baby food. Im pretty sure he was also the only guy willing to take full spoon fulls too. So funny.

Between every game we opened a few gifts.



this one was from Becka & Kevin. The perfect gift from them.. a steelers onesie! (freeland doesnt like the steelers) so funny!



All the gifts were so overwhelming. And we were so thankful for everyone of them. My mom also sent up a gift for us to open. Lots of osh kosh bgosh clothes (and overalls) for the baby!

Oh I cant forget the cake:





The cutest guest at the shower (henry - not adam.. no offense adam)


Freeland was playing with him and 'somehow' Henry ended up with his food all over his shirt so thats when this picture was taken - with his shirt off!


Freeland opening his gift from Drew


SOOOOOOOOO PERFECT! (it was an inside joke that he said we could pass onto our son)

Then we played one last game where we both had to answer questions and see who was right without knowing what the other was saying. We bombed at this game. Apparently I dont know my husband! (kidding)

This was when we were asked what the highest recorded number of births from 1 woman was.. the answer - 69 kids. And our reaction: (promise its not staged.. we really did this)



a few more gifts


Of course - a Baylor Onesie! Super Cute! Adam & Camille got one for Henry too so both our boys can wear them at the same time! Matchy Matchy!!!!


me with the hosts of the shower.

As you can clearly see Freeland & I had SO much fun and were beyond blessed by all of our friends. I still cant believe the amount of work everyone went to so they could put this together for us. We especially feel blessed that since our family cant be closer to us we have so many great friends that support us & are so excited to celebrate with us!

dont drink the water

(or do.. if you want)

But I feel like I talk about myself & our lives more than enough on here. (I feel that way because its true!) I cant believe people still read our blog. I figured you've all had enough of "me.me.me.me."

So I thought I would share some other blogs with you. Because as it turns out there is something in the water.. and I'm not the only one at this stage in my life.

Prego.

See, this was just at our shower:


From left to right: Jill (from Small Group) Jamie (from Small Group) Christie (Girls Group) and Jessica (Small Group) .. and me. (from small group & girls group)

But wait, there are SO many more!

I hesitated to do this because I just know Im going to accidentally leave someone off this list & I dont want to leave anybody out. If I leave you off just let me know! And just blame it on pregnancy brain.. or me not realizing you have a blog! mmk?

So if you are interested in reading about other people check out these blogs:

Christie
Emily - also with her 3rd!
Abby - just had her baby
Kori
Melanie - also just had her baby
Michelle
Paige
Stephanie
Emily - TWINS!
Kate
Jamie
Rachel
Lindsey
Brittney
Rachel
Jen
Kate - just had her baby
Christine - just had her baby

Umm and those are just the people I know personally that have shared the news & who have blogs that I can share.

I also have a feeling there are a few more to add to the list! (wiiiiink) Not that I know something nobody else does.. I seriously dont. But its just a feeling.

Ive also loved 'meeting' all the other people who I didn't know before but are also at this stage - either prego or trying to get pregnant. Its nice to have so many people going through the same thing & read every one's experience.. and share life.

Now go read about something else other than me! me! me! me!

Oh and just for fun - Drew hopped in our picture at the shower. What a jokester. Okay that was corny. but really - he is always making all of us laugh.


I will post all the other pictures from the shower asap!

the final touches on the baby room

the room has pretty much been done since Christmas. All with the exception of getting some things on the wall. Freeland & I looked online back in December and then pretty much haven't looked since. But here are a few of the ideas we came up with & are thinking about doing. Most of these were found from other blogs or from searching through Etsy. (for those who are curious)






this is Freeland's favorite. We arent sure how it would work because it would take up an entire wall in the room.


there is an entire series of these little guys all as different characters that we thought about getting


there is also a scientist, drummer, and a few others we looked at.


I want this to go on the wall next to the rocker/glider chair

and lastly we thought about putting this over the crib


ha. it probably wont happen so those of you having a heart attack right now can breath easier.

there are probably a few other ones but thats all I have saved on this computer.

Maybe we will end up hanging some photos in the room instead? Who knows?

We are still looking. Im not really that picky about whats in there especially since the baby wont be able to read! And most our time will be spent in other rooms. But I'd like something on the wall.

It is also really nice not having a "theme" in the room because our options are endless.. but we all know (or those of you who know me know) that I am not the best at finalizing any decisions (see post below about baby names) so I have a feeling this may just come down to whatever Freeland picks for the room.

I also LOOOOOOVE all of these but think they may be a little too girly for the room .. thought I would share them though in case anyone else wanted to see them.

*all of those are from Etsy if you are interested.

the baby with no name

Sooooo

lets talk. shall we?

this weekend Freeland and I realized a few things:

1. umm there are like almost 30 days left for us to come up with a name.
2. everyone thinks that we have a name picked out & are just being tricky and not sharing it.
3. everyone thinks that we are going to have this craaaazy unique name since its taking us so long to come up with one.

we've dug ourselves a pretty hole huh? (setting expectations I mean) So let me just clarify (for our sake):

I promise you we have no name selected yet. I also promise that its not some secret we aren't sharing. Annnnnnd I really promise that it isn't because we are trying to come up with a crazy unique name.

Phew - that feels nice to have the bar lowered a bit.

We still have at least 5 girl names we LOVE. But boy names - zero.

We have tossed around a few ideas. But none of them stick or feel right. There are a few that Freeland likes but I used my veto and told him there was no way I was naming our son those names. The same, there are 2 that I liked but he wasn't a fan. And its not like I was that crazy about them anyway.

To be honest we aren't that worried about it. AND to be even more honest - the reason its taking us so long is because we haven't just sat down and looked that hard. So there you have it world .. its not because we are looking for this perfect name. Its more because we really haven't looked.

We've discussed - a lot. But only names we could come up with on our own or after looking very quickly online. So one of these days we will sit down & actually go through all the lists until we come up with a name.

And I promise - when we have one. You will be the first to know!

Either that or we will have the nurses in the labor & delivery room pick it for us.

Meet the Parents .. with swagger

this makes me really laugh. its worth watching.

and Im not saying that we will take this approach to parenting... but Im just sayin. (maybe we will)



wow - hey Conner, have a little dignity buddy.

I'm not saying its a competition - but if it were we would clearly be the winners. We are winning at parenthood.

Our kids are so lucky to have us as parents. We read to them, we take them on play dates, we hug them & we kiss them all the time.. we feed them every {other} day. I have a phrase for it - its called giving. We are givers. Its what we do.

I would use the same words to describe it .. modern, stylish, and SUPER good looking.

I like to call it the swagger wagon. You know sometimes when we roooolll up in our swagger wagon & people see our style .. I don't want to say that they get jealous.. yeah you do. yes, I do.

and for those interested - these are my other favorites. Seriously hilarious! Probably even better.

Mommy Like I Spy:


Daddy Like Help:


There are a ton more. You can see them all here

35 weeks

Today I am starting my 35th week.

Again (as always) that's crazy.

We had our doctors appointment last Friday & I'm measuring right on track still (32cm as of last week for those interested - Im probably much larger by now) and thankfully my weight is starting to even out. Still gaining but at a normal pace now.

We also finished our birthing classes on Monday. I enjoyed them but I'm also glad they are done. Being around a bunch of really anxious couples is funny. We learned a lot & definitely feel more prepared from the class. I would do it again if I had the option. But we also realized we are very different from other parents-to-be & everyone has their own idea of how they would like things to go! And that's okay.

(that was me nicely saying some people are really up tight - by the way)

Anywho - at the end of the class we got to tour the hospital and the Labor & Delivery floor. It definitely made everything so much more real. We have both been up to the hospital to visit friends who have had babies but of course we never saw anything but the recovery rooms. So it was nice to see the actual Labor Rooms (which are really nice and feel nothing like a hospital - I actually thought the beds were a little too nice for what would be happening on them) and we saw where everything else was & a few different options for recovery rooms.

We also learned all the other details like where to go when we get to the hospital, how to register early, where the free food, coffee, etc. is for family (Freeland) while he is graciously supporting me through Labor, where to park & all those other details. Which I hadn't thought about & if I go into labor in the middle of the night Im not even sure I would have known where the entrance to ER was before this class.

We go to the doctor again next week & thats when I start my weekly appointments!! Im excited for them to start.

Now we are both just trying to enjoy the next few weeks. So far I still feel pretty good. As long as I don't push myself too hard (and by that I mean actually doing very little) I feel great. My belly button is still an innie at this point. And for the most part once I fall asleep Im able to sleep okay. I still don't have any crazy cravings. (annoying! its the one time I wish I did) And as far as I know I havent had any braxton hicks contractions. I feel my tummy get tight but it more feels like the baby stretching out to me so I really have no idea. Whatever it is - it isnt painful though so thats good!

oh and for those curious - No, we still don't have a name. :)

I'll post some pictures soon. My camera is dead at the moment.

best surprise ever

So as it turns out we have the best group of friends up here ever. (this actually was already known) And after this weekend Freeland & I both feel even more loved by all of them. (if thats possible!)

Here is what happened: Camille, Sarah, & Christie were all planning a shower for me. For what I THOUGHT was on February 21st. Little did I know they were really planning on doing a surprise shower for me.

So they got Freeland involved and told him how they wanted to surprise me and actually do the shower on February 14th. (not a big deal to do it on valentines because all our hubbies are studying anyway) So for the last few weeks they have been working hard to get everything together. And Freeland also worked hard to keep it all a secret too. Sneaky! Sneaky!

I had no idea.

(are you all still with me?)

Then last week we got an email from Sarah saying she wanted to have people over on Friday night for a valentines dinner & to play games. Completely normal because she is the hostess with the mostess. Then Adam & Camille invited us over early to just hang out and all go together. Again, completely normal.

So we went to our doctors appointment Friday afternoon & then headed straight over to Adam & Camille's and we just hung out. Then we left to go to Sarah & Drew's for our valentines party. Just a little night out with probably 6-10 friends.

EXCEPT - when we walked up to her house the door was wide open and standing inside were 30 of our closest friends all there waiting for us ... and singing "For He's A Jolly Good Baby.. For He's A Jolly Good Baby..!!!!"

TURNS OUT THE JOKE WAS ON BOTH OF US!!

Not only did they surprise me with a shower - they definitely surprised Freeland with a shower too!!!!!! Well, actually it was technically a Baby Party I guess. :)



(sorry I scanned the invitation and the quality didnt turn out great)

Christie designed the invitations! They also made a fake one to mail me so I wouldnt know what was going on.




It was seriously the best surprise ever! They had tricked us both and somehow managed to get everyone we are friends with (even the guys from Freeland's class) to come celebrate with us!!

We seriously stood there in shock not knowing what to do or how to respond. Finally we walked in - completely overwhelmed - and started putting it all together.

(and of course I was saying things like "Im glad I showered.. ahh I would have put on a better outfit and actually done my make up if I had known!" lame)

It was seriously the best night ever. We ate, everyone enjoyed beer & wine, we opened gifts, played lots of funny games, and got to enjoy seeing everyone all together! I had SO much fun getting to celebrate with everyone and the fact that Freeland also got to be a part of it, the surprise & all his friends were there too made it SO much more special!

Thank you so much all of you who worked SO hard to put together our party & keep everything a surprise!! We definitely feel soo loved and had so much fun!

Sarah took pictures for us so I will post those once I get some. Everything of course looked amazing!!!!!! Also Camille posted about it on her blog and it isnt as wordy if you would rather read her post! :)

like father like son?

our first summer in Erie

of course I wonder what our baby will look like. (all the time) and who he will take after and how he will grow & change so much so quickly. I personally think all the guys in Freeland's family look similar. When you are around them you can definitely tell they are all related. The times we have been around his extended family they always say to him that he is obviously a "James" relative.. and definitely Cotton's grandson. Which I love.

But this morning as I was going through some pictures I couldn't help but think that if our son looks anything like his father - I happen to think he will be the stinkin cutest thing I have ever seen.



and you should see him when he was a baby. oh.my.gosh. it makes me laugh out loud thinking about it. (we were both chubby babies) I have some of those pictures. But they are on the other computer & I'm too lazy.

So while you wait here is this one:



Look at that face!

Dear son, I hope you get your fathers looks, skin, hair, height, vision, talent & shoot lets throw in work ethic, smarts, and passion while we are at it.... not that I don't have anything to offer. But I think you would be one stinkin cool kid if you took after him.

PS - for those who have asked - I did turn off our comments for the time being. Its not your computer :)

birthing classes officially paid off

last night we had our 2nd birthing class.

and last night I volunteered to sit on one of the bouncy balance ball things the instructor was telling us about.

and it was then that I decided even if I didn't learn anything else from this class - just the opportunity to sit on that ball made the class worth our time.

(I have learned other things from the class though too)

My bones ache so bad all over.

Getting up hurts. moving hurts. Walking up the stairs is not my favorite. And getting into bed is the worst. It makes me feel very old.

And it wasn't until I sat on that crazy ball that I felt any relief.

So I'm off to go buy one for myself right now.

PS - this is the first "class" Freeland and I have ever had together since clearly he was a biochem major & I was a telecomm major. He informed me the other day that he has learned so much about me just from taking this class. Like the fact that I am a nodder (if the teacher looks directly at me I nod my head to agree with whatever they are saying.. mostly because its awkward) Its like he didn't even know me! :)

And last night I laughed so hard during class I cried and even had a headache when we came home. But I do feel very informed about epidurals, pain relief options, being induced, and c-sections. I also realize we have to be open to all the options. (Even though our preference seemed 100% opposite from everyone else in the class! picture the scene from the Baby Mama Movie) We'll do whatever it takes to have a healthy baby at this point.

how to appreciate maternity leave

Want to know how to appreciate your maternity leave?

Think for 7.5 - 8 months of your pregnancy that you aren't getting one.

Then when you find out that you do get one - you will cry lots of tears of joy.

trust me - those tears of joy wouldn't have been there if I thought from the beginning I was getting a maternity leave. I would have been happy. really happy - but brought to tears? No, I dont think so.

Its true, until last week I didn't think I was getting maternity leave & I thought I would be using up all my PTO instead. (it wasn't exactly like that but I dont want to get into all the details of HR on here so Im just simplifying it. k?) Therefore I was determined to be working again after 3 short weeks (because I didn't want to use ALL my PTO for the year)

Yes, I know that's insane to think I would be working again that quickly but I figured if I didn't have a choice I would make the best of it & make it work.

Until I learned that whoever I spoke to from HR originally told me wrong and I do actually have paid maternity leave and it is for 6 weeks!!!

Dear Lord, Thank you. Love, Brooke

Then I quickly threw the whole 3 week idea out the window. Because I think we can all agree that was a horrible idea anyway. And I will still have my PTO if I feel like I need more time than that with the little one before I go back to working full time.

I couldn't believe it when I realized that I would get an actual maternity leave. I seriously made the HR person I talked to repeat it to me like 6 times and send it to me in writing because I didn't believe it.

And we checked today - as of April 1st Freeland will be pretty much done with classes and just at home studying for boards. So the timing couldn't be more perfect. Now lets hurry up and get here already March!!!

the other side of the lake

As you know we live on Lake Erie. And as you also know Lake Erie freezes over in the winter. Last year I showed you pictures of us walking on the ice and across the lake here and here.

Those were both from the peninsula side of the lake.

While my dad was here it warmed up a TON. Like it was 35-40 degrees outside! Even warmer a few days! So we took advantage of the warm weather and showed him around our neighborhood and let him see the lake frozen over.

Since we moved in June we live on the lake now. (I guess? I mean our backyard isnt the lake but if you walk a block down the road that person's backyard is the lake.. following me?)

So I thought I would show you some of those pictures so you can see the frozen lake from the other side this time.

But first, lets start with the dogs! Im pretty sure they were so excited to be able to run around for over an hour in the snow again. (even though Freeland still walks them when its colder.. its just shorter walks when its 20 degrees outside.)



my dad had the privilege of walking powers. (he doesnt pull like our dogs do)

oh and I dont "walk" any of them. I walk along side of them now... or behind them since I walk waddle so much slower these days!

Their favorite I think was walking up the hills of snow that my dad kept taking them to




Oliver got confused and crawled under Freeland. oops

Okay, here are some pictures of the lake frozen:



we're standing on a cliff looking over the bay side of the lake and the peninsula is across from us .. if that helps you get an idea of where we are.



all those little blue boxes are people ice fishing.



lots of ice



even more ice



and here are a few more of the dogs just for kicks!


powers spotted some deer running through all the trees below. Maddie did too but she tried to run along side them. which was funny to watch.


playing


sniffing


chasing

Then the day my dad left it got cold again. I really feel like January was such a "warm" month. Maybe its because last winter is all I have to compare it to and last winter was crazy.

The snow all came back this week. Or should I say its coming back?? I'm not sure. Either way. I love it.