Eleven months

Blue eyes and dark reddish brown hair

Evangeline loved the apple orchard

She rode in the stroller in her first Race for the Cure

Beautiful. She is so cute in her Fall wardrobe. She even plays with her skirts.

Climbing the stairs with her new favorite food an apple.

Playtime with mommy

We're eleven months into this parenting adventure. We also celebrated Greg's birthday this week, so I'm a little late with the post. Evan is growing so quickly. She loves books, dancing and building "nests" of toys around the house. Below are a few photos from this month.

Playing downstairs, or getting into trouble.

Looking out the front door for Daddy.

Playing with bubbles in the laundry room.

Building a nest.

False Alarm

Yesterday I went to the hospital after having contractions that were three to five minutes apart...but I was not dialated so they sent me home. I hate to call what I experienced a false alarm--because it makes me sound like that woman who is so clueless about her pregnancy--but I seriously thought I would walk in that hospital and walk out with a baby yesterday. Miss P has other plans.

The doctor said what I was experiencing was "early labor" and to not come back until I could not talk through contractions or breathe through them. She then said "it could be any day now"--a phrase I am slightly tired of hearing. The nice thing is that I could see the contractions on the monitor, so I at least knew I was not imagining things. Maybe at this point I've read too much?

39 Weeks and still waiting

I reread the section on labor and delivery in What to Expect When You Are Expecting twice this weekend, hoping to read between the lines and get a better idea of what "being in labor" would feel like for me. I felt like I was asking myself "When will Jesus return?"

Basically the book says labor is different for everyone. In the book it says the baby's brain sends a signal to my body to make labor, contractions and dilation take place. Therefore, I determined she is not ready to leave my body just yet. Mom and I went on two walks yesterday which I thought would help. The problem now is that my feet are so swollen that walking for a long time makes them more uncomfortable. We also went for a three mile walk this morning.

It has been wonderful to have my parents here over the Columbus Day weekend, and I am really going to miss them when they leave in later today. They helped Greg and I get so many projects finished around our house. They fed us, encouraged us and have made us feel loved.

Among those projects....Greg and my dad finally got his 1967 Ford Mustang up and running (although it needs a new radiator). This is the biggest smile I've seen on his face in a long time.

Greg and his Mustang

"I'll know what a kiss is once you hand one to me"

As Mimi and I have been spending our days slaving over the house, preparing it from top to bottom to be beautiful enough for our daughter's discerning eye. We've painted most of the rooms we want to paint and hung pictures and art throughout the house. The boxes have largely disappeared but for holdouts in the guest room and in a yard sale pile.

While we've spent our days on the house, we've spent our evenings with Peter Pan. I'd never read the book myself although like a common millennial I can claim to have watched every Peter Pan movie. We've been reading it aloud to each other. Hearing the story has reminded us of our childhood and how very much like children we still are (and all adults are). While it's been a fun read for us, I think we've both been brushing up on our skills at reading aloud in expectation of doing for a baby very soon.

Last night we read chapter three. As the future father of a daughter, I gathered the morale of the story very quickly. "This is what happens when you let a boy on your bed. Soon you're jumping out the window." I'm glad I'll be able to give our daughter the lede of the story out front. (I also challenge the very gendered statement by Peter than "a girl is worth twenty boys." It seems to assume the men cannot sew, operate with reason, or keeping from jumping out windows. Which is true in my case, but that's not the point.)

I'm looking forward to reading the book to her one day and laughing with her the way Mimi and I laugh reading it. I look forward to explaining the beautiful world we live in and introducing her to all the things I've learned to love.

Until then, here are some pictures from the room. 

Here's the bed in the baby's room (not the final bedspread). Mimi made the curtains herself.
As you can see she already has a sizable number of stuffed animals.

The pack and play. How I remember this from when our friends with a young baby lived with us for a few weeks.
This is a magical device. Mimi had to explain the "Toy Bar" to me though.
I had to ask if that was where the toys went to drink after a long day of being squeaked and chewed on.

Great Anticipation

For those of you who want to know how mommy-to-be and Baby P are doing, let me just say the last few weeks I have been feeling better. I have a little more energy and other than two long car trips that left me feeling more frustrated than ever I've been great.

This month has been a whole new adventure. I turned 28 on April 7. I got to celebrate twice with friends--once with a small party, and the second time with our friends Julie and Jared who moved to North Carolina last year.

Greg and I went to Texas this weekend so he could attend a conference and we could spend my favorite holiday, Easter, with the Wiggins. We had the bonus pleasure of seeing my sister Sarah present her capstone project on the Lamu port in Kenya (well at least the last 20 minutes of it). We also took some family photos of the family before Baby P arrives, I went through the storage unit and picked out furniture--for our potential home in Missouri, and I got to eat at several Boerne, Texas eateries I have missed. I also saw several people from First Baptist Church of Boerne who said they are praying for Greg and I during our time of transition. I am so grateful to have friends and family that support us!

I eagerly am anticipating my next doctor's visits on May 17 and then 31 (when we will find out Baby P's gender, hopefully). I cannot wait!

Today I received some baby books in the mail with artwork by the impressionists. I am so excited to get to share my love of art with my baby someday.

Included are some photos of baby gifts I have received. Tomorrow marks 16 weeks, but I'll post that photo later.