Projects

Ever since I found out that our new baby is most definitely a girl, my mind has been reeling with all the possibilities of PROJECTS. I have wanted a baby girl for so long, and I just want to make her all kinds of things! I may not finish it all before she arrives, but I'm having so much fun I don't care.

I have purchased small amounts of some funky fabric to make some unique burp clothes. They will also eventually be embellished with some appliqués (my specialty).

I've also purchased a new Christmas stocking kit. I had bought one that looked like a train when I thought we were having a baby boy. I'll just save it for our next boy. I certainly couldn't use it for baby Molly! She has to have the cute sugar plum fairy one. 

I am also planning on making all of Molly's baby bedding. I am getting some practice right now because I am helping my friend Tara make some baby bedding for her baby girl Madelyn who is coming in September. I haven't purchased fabric yet....but I'm thinking about this:

What do you think? When it comes to fabric, there are just so many choices that it makes it hard to choose! By the way, baby Madelyn and Molly will be only a few weeks apart, just like their big brothers Jaxon and Graham. Fun!

Finally, I plan on making a colorful nursing cover. I have a nursing cover that I used with Graham, but it didn't have boning at the top and that made it difficult to use (but I used it a lot anyways). Since then I've learned how to make the kind with the boning (easy!) so I'm planning on buying some super cute fabric and making that too. Here is the tutorial I like to use. It will maybe look something like this:

Chicago

This past weekend the 3 of us took a whirlwind trip to Chicago to visit Chad's sister and brother in-law. They live right in the city so it was really fun to see their apartment and check out their neighborhood. Chad's parents were in town that weekend too. It was a quick trip but we had a blast. We mostly just hung out, drove or walked around, and went out to eat. I haven't been to Chicago since 2002, so it was fun to be back and especially to see it all through Matt and Heidi's eyes. Thank you both for such an amazing weekend - we had a blast!

Even though there was a whole group of us there, somehow I only got pictures of the 3 of us. 

Graham spent a lot of time on Daddy's shoulders - one of his favorite places to be!

This is at Heidi's apartment. Graham loved this little sunroom. They live on such a beautiful street!

Enjoying a Chicago dog as a snack. Who needs a bun?

Graham loved running along this twisty bridge. Daddy had a hard time keeping up!

At Giordano's waiting for our delicious deep dish pizza!

Dallas World Aquarium

Last Thursday Graham and I met my mom in downtown Dallas to check out the aquarium. We had so much fun! Graham was so excited, he couldn't help hopping and bouncing everywhere we went. He really enjoyed looking at all the birds, turtles, waterfalls, fish, crabs, etc. He preferred the smaller exhibits. The large tanks that housed big animals like manatees and sharks were a little frightening. 

I took these on my phone so they're not the greatest. Afterward we met Chad for lunch. He works in downtown Dallas and we've never been able to make it over to eat lunch with him before. He took us to one of his favorite places and boy were we hungry. Thanks Mimi and Daddy for such a great day!

21 Weeks

How far along? 21 weeks and 4 days

How big is the baby? 10 and 1/2 inches, 3/4 of a pound

Are you in maternity clothes? Yes, mostly. A lot of my regular shirts are now too short in the front but there are several I can still wear. 

How do you feel physically? I feel really great! I've been more hungry than I was. 

Sleep? Sleeping well. I'm still napping a few days a week. I seem to tire out pretty easily lately. 

Miss anything? Not really, but I'd enjoy more caffeine.

Feeling movement of the baby? Yes! I love to feel her kicks throughout the day. It's wonderful to be constantly reminded that she's there, and that she's doing all right. 

Food cravings? Cold fruit especially watermelon, sweets, refried beans. 

Gender of the baby? It's a GIRL! We had thought for about 3 weeks that it was a boy, but we now know for sure that its a girl. You can read about it here. 

Mood? Now that things are finally slowing down a bit for us, I feel like I'm a lot less stressed. I'm started to really get excited about this baby, now that I have time to think about it! Planning for a baby girl has got to be one of the funnest things I've ever done. 

Here Molly and me at 21 weeks:

While we were on vacation this past week I bought her this adorable outfit from a local boutique. My first purchase for baby girl! Shopping for her is so much fun!

Vacay!

Yesterday we returned from a wonderful trip to St. Simons Island! Chad's parents have a beach condo there and it is a very special place to us. This summer was my 8th year to get to go! Its hard to believe that 8 years ago Chad proposed to me on that island. It's just full of wonderful memories. 

Last year we drove but this year we decided to fly. Graham did awesome on the airplane! Here he is enjoying a beverage:

When Paula, Chad's mom, picked us up, we went straight to one of our favorite places in Atlanta, The Varsity. We both loved our lunch there complete with frosty oranges, of course.

We stayed one night in Atlanta then made the 5 hour drive to SSI. Graham was pretty excited that we drove Tom's truck.

Paula stayed on the island with us for 3 days. My family, including both of my brothers, were there the entire week with us. WE HAD SO MUCH FUN! Nearly every day we packed up our wagon with chairs, a big umbrella, sand toys, drinks, and snacks and headed for the beach. Graham was quite scared of the beach this year, at least at first. Once we'd had our fill of playing in the sand and ocean, reading and relaxing under the umbrella, walking along the shore, etc. we would go to the pool for a dip. Now Graham loved that!

We also had fun doing a little shopping, cooking, going out to eat, watching movies, playing games, and just basically doing whatever we wanted to do!

While we were there we celebrated my 29th birthday. I think my 29th year is going to be the best yet! Here's a great shot of my entire family after we had a birthday dinner at Bonefish, one of our favorite restaurants. 

Graham with his "Nonnie."

Our family of 3, soon to be 4!

Graham's playing peek-a-boo.

I have lots more pictures which I am hoping to upload soon. We had an amazing trip but it is sure good to be home too!

It's a....(part 2)

My dad did an ultrasound for us when I was 14 weeks along, and we all agreed it was a boy (my mom, dad, Chad, and I were all there). However, he strictly warned me that it was really too early to tell for sure, and that I should wait a few more weeks to tell for sure. I felt free to not listen to him, as you can tell by this blog post.

At 17 weeks he did another ultrasound. That time my brother Jon and my grandmother were the only people who came. We looked and looked but never saw any boy parts! My dad felt certain that it was girl. I was shocked. I had been thinking and planning about a baby boy for 3 weeks! Luckily I hadn't really bought anything yet. I had a really hard time adjusting my mindset to girl. Chad and I decided to wait until my 20 week ultrasound to tell everyone about the 17-week discovery. That way we would know for sure whether or not it was really a girl. We both kind of had a hard time believing it!

This morning I had my 20 week (I CANNOT BELIEVE I am halfway through this pregnancy!) ultrasound at my doctor's office. Chad couldn't make it and I had to bring Graham with me, but he was a really good boy! The ultrasound tech confirmed the fact that the baby is, most definitely, a GIRL!!! I am so incredibly thrilled, and so is Chad! God has really blessed us with one of each, and we are so happy! 

When I first got pregnant, Chad and I picked out a girl name almost right away and had trouble thinking of boy names. SO....Baby Girl's name is......

Molly Inez Allen

Baby Molly is looking perfectly healthy and is growing right on track. We just cannot wait to meet her and see what she looks like! I will post some ultrasound pictures soon. 

Moved

Well, its been a while since I've written anything but with good reason! On Saturday we moved into a new rental house in East Fort Worth. Last week was a crazy marathon of packing, organizing, and getting rid of things. I owe a big thank you to some wonderful friends who helped us and to my family who watched Graham on moving day and helped move a few car-loads as well. We closed on our house Friday morning and the movers arrived Saturday early afternoon. We used Firefighter's Finest Movers and I was extremely pleased with the results. They worked fast, and were very polite and careful with our furniture. But no matter how you slice it, moving is a lot of hard work and very stressful. I'M SO GLAD ITS OVER!!!

We've been in our new house now for three days and it is starting to feel like home! I was pretty worried about how Graham would handle the adjustment. He really relies on predicability, like most kids. However, he has done so well. He really liked unpacking his room, as if all his books and toys were new all over again! I have been so proud of him and how he's handled all this change.

Our new house is smaller than the house we owned. Downsizing is hard! I keep unpacking things and thinking, "what am I going to do with this??" It's good to get started on downsizing now though, because we will be downsizing even more when we move to Uganda.

Now that we are finally settled into our new house, I feel like I can start getting excited about some other things. Like the fact that we are going on vacation next week! And that I am almost half way through this pregnancy! I have really not even started thinking about and preparing for a new baby, I've been busy with other things. I'm ready now to enjoy the process of preparation! I cannot wait to have New Baby home with us!