Sunday, October 26, 2008
She's almost here
We're down to the wire. Baby should be here soon... or by November 14 at least. That's the date Victoria is tentatively scheduled for an induction. As we prepare for the little one, Victoria's been able to keep her spirits and energy remarkably high. The bags are packed, the car seat is installed, and the garage is even clean. Now we just wait to see when the baby will decide to come.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Update!
Wow, it’s been a long time since we’ve posted. Each night, Matt takes our laptop to class, and I am left without a computer. With what little time I do get with this fabulous machine, I find myself catching up on email. Enough excuses! I’ll give a quick re-cap of what we’ve been up to:
Labor Day Weekend: Since the day we moved into our first apartment, Matt has complained about our dining room table. It was a hand-me-down from my sister’s college days and first years of marriage. It had definitely been used and well-loved. I thought it was charming. Matt thought it was tacky. He finally convinced me that we needed a new table. We found one that we liked, and loaded it into our CUV. That poor little RAV4 did one heck of a job transporting the 54”x54” table and 8 chairs back to our house!
We were very excited to have a table that we could feed our entire family at during visits, and we didn’t have to wait long to try it out. On Sunday night, my mom called my cell phone and asked me if we had any room for her and my dad to stay the night. They were sitting in our driveway! I knew they were on their way back to Indiana from moving my brother to Orlando, but I never dreamed they’d take a detour through North Carolina. They were excited to get to surprise us, but they ended up being surprised since we weren’t home when they got to our house. We were out shopping a half hour’s drive away!
The following weekend, my “nesting” phase set in. I decided it was time to wash the baby’s bedding and hang pictures and curtains. Please forgive the quality of the picture- I took it with my cell phone. Minus a few final touches, baby’s room is ready for her arrival!
This past weekend, the “nesting” continued. I cleaned up our landscaping, planted flowers, made a wreath for the front door, and made hair bows and a tutu for the baby. We also decided it was time for an updated “belly progression” picture.
Pregnancy-wise, things are going well. Every stranger on the street loves to tell me “You’re so tiny!” right after they ask “When are you due?” Undoubtedly, this conversation always makes me feel like there’s something wrong with me, but my midwives assure me I’m measuring exactly where I should be. My level of comfort has significantly decreased over the past few weeks as my daughter has firmly planted herself between my hip bones and my ribs. With approximately 6 weeks of pregnancy left, I look forward to holding my baby in my arms soon instead of her using my bladder as a pillow and my lungs as a kicking target.
Well, that's all I have for now. I hope to post a little more frequently in the future!
Labor Day Weekend: Since the day we moved into our first apartment, Matt has complained about our dining room table. It was a hand-me-down from my sister’s college days and first years of marriage. It had definitely been used and well-loved. I thought it was charming. Matt thought it was tacky. He finally convinced me that we needed a new table. We found one that we liked, and loaded it into our CUV. That poor little RAV4 did one heck of a job transporting the 54”x54” table and 8 chairs back to our house!
We were very excited to have a table that we could feed our entire family at during visits, and we didn’t have to wait long to try it out. On Sunday night, my mom called my cell phone and asked me if we had any room for her and my dad to stay the night. They were sitting in our driveway! I knew they were on their way back to Indiana from moving my brother to Orlando, but I never dreamed they’d take a detour through North Carolina. They were excited to get to surprise us, but they ended up being surprised since we weren’t home when they got to our house. We were out shopping a half hour’s drive away!
The following weekend, my “nesting” phase set in. I decided it was time to wash the baby’s bedding and hang pictures and curtains. Please forgive the quality of the picture- I took it with my cell phone. Minus a few final touches, baby’s room is ready for her arrival!
This past weekend, the “nesting” continued. I cleaned up our landscaping, planted flowers, made a wreath for the front door, and made hair bows and a tutu for the baby. We also decided it was time for an updated “belly progression” picture.
Pregnancy-wise, things are going well. Every stranger on the street loves to tell me “You’re so tiny!” right after they ask “When are you due?” Undoubtedly, this conversation always makes me feel like there’s something wrong with me, but my midwives assure me I’m measuring exactly where I should be. My level of comfort has significantly decreased over the past few weeks as my daughter has firmly planted herself between my hip bones and my ribs. With approximately 6 weeks of pregnancy left, I look forward to holding my baby in my arms soon instead of her using my bladder as a pillow and my lungs as a kicking target.
Well, that's all I have for now. I hope to post a little more frequently in the future!
Friday, August 22, 2008
Baby Showers!
On Saturday August 9, Matt and I left our driveway in North Carolina at 5:15am and began the 10 hour drive to southern Indiana. We arrived at my sister Krista’s house around 2:30pm, and our week-long vacation to visit friends and family was off and running! On Sunday, Krista and my mom held a beautiful baby shower at Krista’s house. I thoroughly enjoyed the food. :) It was great to spend time with aunts, grandmas, cousins, and friends that I haven’t seen since December.
We spent the next few days staying with my parents and enjoying a little rest and relaxation. On Wednesday, we drove to Matt’s parents’ house to stay with them for the remainder of the week. On Saturday, Matt’s sister Andrea and his mom held another baby shower for us at Matt’s parents. The weather was so cool and nice that we were able to hold the shower in their backyard. This type of weather is definitely a rarity in southern Indiana in August. It was wonderful to visit with Matt’s aunts, grandma, cousins, and friends from church.
At both showers, we received so many wonderful gifts. We are very blessed to have such kind and thoughtful people in our lives! Our vacation week went very quickly, and we were sad to leave on Sunday. We look forward to visiting again after our daughter is born and introducing her to everyone!
We spent the next few days staying with my parents and enjoying a little rest and relaxation. On Wednesday, we drove to Matt’s parents’ house to stay with them for the remainder of the week. On Saturday, Matt’s sister Andrea and his mom held another baby shower for us at Matt’s parents. The weather was so cool and nice that we were able to hold the shower in their backyard. This type of weather is definitely a rarity in southern Indiana in August. It was wonderful to visit with Matt’s aunts, grandma, cousins, and friends from church.
At both showers, we received so many wonderful gifts. We are very blessed to have such kind and thoughtful people in our lives! Our vacation week went very quickly, and we were sad to leave on Sunday. We look forward to visiting again after our daughter is born and introducing her to everyone!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Carolina Wedding
Matt and I experienced our first Carolina wedding last night, complete with a UNC topper for the wedding cake! I met the bride and groom in the fall of 2005 when we all entered the chemistry graduate program at UNC. Matt wasn't planning on seeing anyone that he recognized outside of my Chemistry Department connections, but to his surprise, one of his law professors was in attendance! The wedding was small and intimate (less than a 100 people), and we had a great time. Congratulations, Tina and Devin!
Monday, July 21, 2008
A Working Weekend with the Rusts
My parents and sister came to visit this past weekend. To show our appreciation of the time and gas they spent on driving down here, we put them to work. (In our defense, they volunteered to come help with baby-related preparations).
We worked all day Friday and Saturday on projects centered around the new housemate Victoria and I are getting in November. We painted the nursery, installed crown moulding in the nursery, assembled the baby's crib and dresser, and cleaned and re-sealed the deck (nothing says "Welcome Home, Newborn" like a water-tight deck).
It wasn't all work and no play, though. We enjoyed some dining out, a trip to the Smithfield outlet stores, and we took in the new release, Mama Mia. I plan on drawing on some of the ABBA songs still stuck in my head from that movie when I have to sing my little one to sleep some day. "You are the Sleeping Queen, young and sweet, only seventeen (months)..."
Many thanks to Mom, Dad, and Anno for the visit and all the help!
We Love Bald Head!
Bald Head Island is a magical little place off of the coast of North Carolina. A ferry ride is the only way to access the island, and cars are strictly prohibited. Transportation options on the island include golf carts, bicycles, or walking! There are no hotels on the island, and it has remained a very natural environment. Matt and I absolutely love the seclusion that all of these factors provide, and we are spoiled rotten by some good friends of ours whose parents have a beach house on the island. They have invited us to stay with them each summer that we have lived in NC, and we took our annual trip last weekend. This year's trip did not disappoint-- We enjoyed long days on the beach, grilling, and Mario Kart on the Nintendo Wii! We are trying to enjoy these trips as much as possible this summer. Life (and trips) will be much different with a little one around next summer!
Thanks for a great weekend, Peter and Bradleigh!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Our baby lost her name!
Matt and I are quite traumatized that our baby girl recently lost her name. The name had 2 fatal flaws:
1. First initial C with last name Rust spells "crust"
2. Meaning of name is "lame, hobbled, disabled"
We just couldn't place those burdens on our little one! Now, we are very sad that we don't know what to call her. We are starting from square one and are open to suggestions!
1. First initial C with last name Rust spells "crust"
2. Meaning of name is "lame, hobbled, disabled"
We just couldn't place those burdens on our little one! Now, we are very sad that we don't know what to call her. We are starting from square one and are open to suggestions!