Florida Baby Shower

On Saturday, July 21 my sister, Kailey, and I set out to run some errands.  We were enjoying spending so much girl time that I even allowed Nick to go to the Keys for a weekend of fishing.  He didn't get off easy by any means.  He had already been out of town for work that week and had barely spent any time with my sister and niece since they arrived, but we allowed him to go.  We headed off to Target and then Macy's in search of nursing tops and bras.  Sounds exciting, right?  Well, around 4:30 Amber (one of my closest friends) called to ask if I could run to her house and fax her some paperwork since she was in the Keys with Nick and her family.  Since the shopping wasn't that exciting we decided to head over there around 5pm.  When I got to her house I looked for her key and then tried calling her...no one answered.  I opened the door and saw Amber poke her head around the corner holding her cell phone.  Then I saw Nick coming out of the garage, still having no clue what was happening.  I even remember asking Amber why are you here and why aren't you answering your phone?!  It was then that I saw all of Nick and I's friends in Amber's living room for a surprise baby shower!!!!  I couldn't have been more shocked or surprised!    Nick and I are so thankful for our wonderful friends and family we have in South Florida and I am so grateful that my sister and niece were able to be a part of such a special surprise!  That being said when you see the pictures please know that I was out running errands and not expecting to go to a party!

32 Weeks

I am officially 8 months pregnant!  This past Wednesday, Nick and I met with Dr. Cohen for our growth scan of baby Ava.  The ultrasound technician was amazing and asked us if we wanted to see her in 4D so of course we said YES!!!!!!!!!!!!  Ava didn't want to cooperate so a lot of her pictures she has her foot and her hand in front of her face.  We still were able to see some of her features such as her beautiful big eyes, lips, and nose!  The technician said in the 11 years that she has been doing ultrasounds she has never seen a baby with this much hair!  Thank goodness since we have a lot of bows to wear!  Dr. Cohen measured her arms, legs, and stomach to see if she was where she needed to be.  He said she weighs 4 lbs and is in the 53 percentile...PERFECT! 

We also started Lamaze class on Wednesday nights.  So, for the next 3 weeks Nick and I will be working on relaxation techniques.  Wish us luck! 

We go back to the doctor next Friday, July 20th to meet with Dr. Brown-Graham.  Until then we will be very busy with Ava's Aunt Emily and Cousin Kailey Kate coming into town.  Stay tuned!

30 Weeks!

Good news to share...I passed my glucose screening for gestational diabetes!  Dr. Patel shared the good news on the phone and I must admit I was a little shocked.  To celebrate a bag of skittles was needed!

This past weekend I met my mom and sister in Jacksonville for my Uncle Robert's retirement party.  It was nice to have some girl time and spend time with family.  Can you guess what we did all weekend...shop and eat!

On Monday, I had a doctors appointment with Dr. Patel.  Since I am getting closer to the end she wants me to rotate between her, Dr. Brown-Graham, and Dr. Cohen.  I am excited to see Dr. Cohen because that means I will be getting an ultrasound!  Dr. Patel wants to see how the baby is positioned and her weight so next Wednesday we will get to see our little one!  I can't believe that pretty soon we will have her in our arms!

Since time is of the essence Nick and I are officially in "nesting" mode.  We spent all day Saturday putting together a closet organizer for Ava's closet and a file cabinet for Nicks office.  I'm hoping with all of this organization it will help once Ava arrives.  We will have to wait and see...

More importantly though, the crib bedding has arrived!  Since we don't have a mattress yet try and picture what it will look like when it's all put together.  The next few weeks are very exciting for us.  My sister and niece are coming to visit and then we have our couples baby shower at our good friends Amber and Matt's house! 

Stay tuned...

While in Atlanta, my sister Emily and my best friend Michelle, decided to throw a baby shower for our family in Atlanta.  Some of my favorite foods were there from The Patio and strawberry cupcakes with pink lemonade were served while we talked, laughed, and enjoyed each others company.  Sitting there was surreal, knowing this was a baby shower for a baby Nick and I were having!  There are no words to describe how loved Ava already is!  I am so glad I was able to see everyone while I was in town.


The beautiful diaper cake my sister made for Ava's baby shower!



Pink strawberry cupcakes were served!



Mom-to-be enjoying the fabulous food!



Enjoying all the company!



Ava's Grandma!!!!

Ava's Gigi!!!!

Ava's Aunt Iris!!!!

Ava's Aunt Sharon!!!!

Ava's very own Ms. MaryShell:)

The beautiful hosts to a beautiful shower!

What a perfect weekend! Ava and I feel very loved!


Once the shower was over and the gifts were brought back to Gigi's house I quickly unloaded them just to look at everything all over again!  My niece and nephew were fabulous helpers as we laid out all of the presents!



Last Monday I had my 28 week doctors appointment, which included the 1 hour glucose test to screen for gestational diabetes and blood work to test my thyroid hormone and iron deficiency levels. In preparation for this appointment I stopped eating all sweets the Friday before.  If your wondering, yes I was worried I would not pass the glucose test. If you know me at all then you know to say I have a sweet tooth is putting it lightly.  The doctor measured my belly and listened to Ava's very healthy heart beat.  Dr. Patel was pleased that we had booked our classes at the hospital that we start in the next few weeks and told us again to find a pediatrician. Now, we wait for the results from my tests.

This past Tuesday evening Nick dropped me off at the Ft. Lauderdale airport to fly to Atlanta.  Watching Nick go down the escalator was very difficult.  If your wondering, yes I was the pregnant woman crying and looking pathetic in the airport, but by the time I made it through security I had pulled myself together.  Flying pregnant is not easy although I will say this little one seemed to enjoy it as she kicked the entire flight!  Once arriving in Atlanta I was greeted by Gigi and Kailey in baggage claim and Aunt Emily was in the car ready to drive us girls to dinner.  First stop...Lenox Grill!

28 weeks

Hello summer! This past Sunday morning Nick and I met Melanie Parks, a photographer, at Blessed Rock Beach in Jupiter to get our maternity pictures taken. It was a beautiful day and the beach was gorgeous. We brought an ultrasound picture of our little Ava, some booties that we had made for her, and blocks that spell her name, which were also made just for her. Over the course of an hour Nick and I got several different poses in several different settings. We could not have asked for a better way to always remember these special times.