9 months

This was taken last weekend, with one month left to go. Now it's down to only 3 weeks! At 36 1/2 weeks I was told she was  measuring 38 1/2 weeks, two weeks ahead. This could mean a couple of things. Either the measurement was off, it's not an exact science by any means. Or she'll be here early. Or she's HUGE! As much as we'd love to meet our Little Lady a bit earlier than her due date, she can't come until after May 7th. That's when I'm hosting one of my best friend's bridal shower at our place. She's more than welcome anytime after that!

I was at Rite Aid last weekend and this older gentleman, and with this story I use that term very loosely, asked me when I was due. I said the 20th of next month, he looks me up and down and with shock in his eyes asks, "Twins?" I politely replied, "Nope, just one." Instead of just letting it go, he busts out with, "Just one 12 pound baby huh?" Nice. Thanks for that. I'd love to leave out the part about what I was there to buy; mint chip ice cream and nail polish remover, but can't. It's funny how you can get seven sweet compliments about how good you look  during the day, and still go to sleep thinking about the one from the clueless old dude at Rite Aid. Ugh.

On another note, Mark is nesting way more than I am. I already wrote about our steam-cleaned carpets, which look incredible by the way. Then, when I hopped in the shower this morning I was just about blinded by how sparkling clean it was. Gorgeous really. I honestly didn't know it had the potential to look that good. God, I love him. And a clean house.


A friend is doing a maternity shoot for us this weekend, that should be fun. I'll be sure to post the ones where I don't look like a whale... who ate a smaller, but still good sized-whale. Lord, please let there be some.

8 months

Ava's Room

Is it bad that I'm jealous of my daughter's room...? It's just so beautiful and elegant and full of damask and PINK. I keep sneaking in there just to look at it. Even at night when I get up to go to the bathroom, which is more often then you'd think possible or ever necessary, I flip the light on as I walk by and just stare at it. It came out so perfectly and there's so much love that went into it. Between all the planning I put into it, and the hard work Mark put into it, and the gorgeous gifts from precious friends, families and co-workers, she is one loved chick. Even her dad is nesting a bit. He steam cleaned all the carpeting in the entire house. On his day off. He hung the mirror and the shelves in her room at 11:30pm last night. She is sure loved. And by the looks of things, she better be a she...

Ava Shay decal above her crib

"Ava Bird" decals above her changing table

Shelves by daddy

Never too much damask

Shabby chic vintage mirror, an Etsy.com find

Grandpa Waterhouse

My Grandpa Waterhouse died at 4am on Thursday, March 24th. Since then I've been reflecting on how incredibly generous he was and how many life experiences I have to thank him for: my first car, a brand new Toyota 4 Runner that is still in the family 15 years later; 6 months studying abroad in Sydney, Australia; the ability to quit my job and move to Denver only two weeks after the idea got into my head; attending grad school at Denver Seminary full-time without having to work; earning a Master's in Leadership that I use on a daily basis in my dream job. Denver. Where I met Mark... thanks Grandpa. For everything. 

His most recent generous gift was the reason we called to thank him that Monday afternoon in late January. My mom, Mark and I all hovered around the speaker phone as it rang, we could hear in his voice the second he said hello that he wasn't doing well. 

What's wrong?
Oh, I have some pain on my side.
Which side?
My right
Isn't that the side your appendix is on?
Yes
How long has the pain lasted?
Oh, I'd imagine about three days now. Dad, you need to get to the hospital, you probably have appendicitis
No, no, I'm just going to sweat it out a little longer, I think I can kick this thing.
Tell him Mark
Paul, she's right. You need to go to the ER right away
I think it's gotten a little bit better
Paul. You appendix has probably already burst, providing you a bit of relief, but now you have poison cursing through your body, you need to get to the ER NOW.
Well, okay, if you think so Doc.

That's my grandpa, a stubborn son of a gun. His 92 year old friend came to pick him up to take him to the ER. What a sight that must have been. Sure enough his appendix had already burst. The doctors took him to surgery, which he did fine in at 89 years old. It was the complications that were relentless and finally what he died of two months later.

Here we are celebrating his 85th birthday a couple of years ago on his beautiful 26 acre property in Wheeling, West Virginia. He would have turned 90 in May, only days away from Ava's due date. One family member leaves this world as another one enters it. Life is so interesting that way. My grandpa will be missed by his two children; my mom Paula and my Uncle Mark, and his grandchildren; my brother John-Christian, my cousin Jill and I, and unmet by his great grandchildren; Ava for one, who knows how many more. But one thing's for sure, they will know of his generosity and will benefit from it as we all have. That is his legacy.