The week of fun for Avery!

With baby Harper's impending arrival (any day now!) Alex has been SO helpful and wanting to be around us that we have taken advantage of the family time and filled our days with fun!

It all started last Wednesday with a trip to the Sea Life Aquarium with Avery's best buds, Aubrie and Connor.

That evening we had Heather, Dave and little Lily McDonald over for dinner and to stay the night. The next morning we went to the Wild Animal Park out in Escondido (which was closer to our hospital than our house, so we weren't worried). The girls had a great time and we got a lot of walking in, and enjoyed spending time with our friends.

Avery and Lily on the tram at the WAP

Silly girl

We have had some great weather,

so we went to the beach to fly our kite and play in the sand!

Hold on tight!

In continuing the week of fun, we took Avery to Legoland! I bought a season pass to Legoland/Water Park/Sea Life Aquarium 2 weeks ago, and we went with my mom and Avery had a blast! Alex hadn't been since Halloween and half the park was closed, so Avery and I were excited to bring him with us this time.

The water park at Legoland is SO FUN and perfect for Avery's age!

Avery and I were free with my pass and Alex was only $15.

The tower to the left of them does this below every few minutes!

Woah that's a lot of water!

Time to go home and Avery was NOT ready to leave!

We have had so much fun hanging out with our best girl and giving her all the love and attention we can before we rock her world and bring her little sister into our family. As excited and ready as I am to have another baby, and as thrilled as I am for Avery to grow  up with a sibling, it is a little sad to know that our lives will never be the same VERY soon!

I am due Friday (in 3 days!!) and while things seem to be progressing, I am still pregnant and my next appointment isn't until Thursday (May 10th) morning. I will update the blog again then (if I don't get sent straight to the hospital, which is what I am hoping will happen!)

Final belly pic, 39 weeks:

Baby Harper update

I had my 38 week check up yesterday (Tues May 1) and I was really hoping I was dilated to at least 1 cm so my midwife could "strip my membranes" which is basically loosening the water bag from the uterine wall and is thought to kick start labor. In order to ensure I was in fact dilated, on Monday I began drinking LOTS of red raspberry leaf tea (which supposedly causes contractions) and taking 2000mg of evening primrose oil gel pills (which is supposed to soften the cervix) and eating pineapple (another way to soften the cervix).

Turns out my efforts were successful! I am 2cm dilated and 60% effaced. She did strip my membranes, which is VERY painful, and sent me on my way. When I had this procedure done with Avery, I had her the next day! However I was a week further along than I am now, and I also bled a LOT which I think helped things along. My next appointment isn't until May 10th, the day before my due date so I am hoping I don't make it!

I am continuing my efforts and plan to add a lot of walking to that even though I have lots of leg pain, by going to the Sea Life aquarium today, the Wild Animal Park Thursday, and possibly Legoland Friday or Saturday! We also want to spend as much quality time with our little girl before we turn her world upside down and make her a big sister!

Avery loves poking my now outie belly button back in

and watching me giggle and squirm like I am the Pillsbury Doughboy. Fun times.

Maternity Pictures

My talented friend Sarah Hames of Rhone Studios came down to take pictures of my bump and our little family. I was not expecting much as I feel unattractive 90% of the time but Sarah did a fantastic job as always! We took most of the shots at home in our bedroom and headed to the beach to get a few family ones in our favorite place.
Enjoy!

Harper's Nursery Part 4 DONE!!

And I couldn't be happier with it! I love to just go in there and sit. It is so peaceful and comfortable, I think it is my favorite place in the house right now. I can't wait for her to see it!
There are a few little things I still would like to get/make for the room: a rug, a pouf for my feet, a crib skirt...but they are not that important and I LOVE it as it is!
Enjoy the pictures!

Glider from JC Penny, hand-made crib bedding by my mom

Shelves from Urban Outfitters (spray painted ivory); decorative knick knacks and basket from Michaels; letters from Craft Cuts; frame made by Daddy

Adorable growth chart from friends/Etsy, Harper hanger from Etsy

Found this bookcase on Craigslist for $40, gave it a new coat of

ecru paint and painted the bead board backing the same pink as the walls.

I changed the popular quote a bit and mod podged it onto a painted canvas and found a picture stand at Michaels and spray painted that ivory as well.

Super easy and cheap paper lace doily banner

One of the first things I made when we decided on the name

My mom and I made this mobile out of wooden bird ornaments,

an embroidery hoop, lace ribbon and scrapbook paper

Happy Easter, 2012

Easter is one of those fun holidays for kids that, now as a mom, I really look forward to. My brother and I always got an Easter basket the morning of easter with little goodies in it (I still do, thanks momma!!), and I was excited to put one together for Avery this year. I stayed away from candy and just gathered little toys and books and bubbles for her basket, and we filled eggs with Goldfish and raisins for her to find in the backyard. She got to participate in 3 separate egg hunts this year, starting with one at the park near our house. Avery had a great time putting eggs in her basket, dumping them out and then putting them back in again. She also cared more about opening each egg as she found it to see what was inside, rather than gathering them all first. On Easter morning, Dada hid a bunch of the eggs we stuffed in the backyard and she opened and ate the contents of each one before going on to the next...kinda boring for mom and dad, lol! Finally, we went to Yaya and Papa's house for Easter dinner and they had a little hunt for her as well. Again, she wanted each egg opened as she found them so it took awhile!
It was a wonderful weekend with lots of fun things for Avery to do and the weather was beautiful.
Can't wait for Harper to join in the fun next Easter!
Enjoy the pictures.

We visited the Easter Bunny at the mall, and Avery was scared at first but Itsy Bitsy Spider will always put a smile on this kid's face no matter what is going on!

Ready for the hunt at Poinsettia Park

Posing with daddy

"Hunting" for eggs (they put them in little piles on the grass, haha)

Hello, I am SO CUTE!

Monkeying around

Me and my girl

Family Easter shot

Loves the bouncy house!

Backyard egg hung (she insisted on wearing the hat with her mismatched PJ's)

Third hunt at Yaya's house

And the highlight of her weekend: swimming in the hot tub!

With this floatie vest thing, she could actually swim all by herself!

She did NOT want to get out, after almost 2 hours!

Harper's Nursery PART 3 (of 4, almost done!)

We have made some great progress on the nursery since I last wrote about it. I know pictures are worth 1,000 words, so here you go!

We hung Harper's wall letters and framed them with painted crown moulding (thanks honey!!) and it turned out great! We also switched out the knobs on her changing table/dresser with some cute glass pink ones. My mom made the changing pad cover out of the same fabric used for the bumpers.

I made a few crafty things for the room as well: a doily banner and hung it above her closet, some tissue paper poms I hung from the ceiling where the glider will be and an H for her door, like the A I made for Avery's door almost 2 years ago. My mom and I also made the bird mobile that hangs above the crib. Alex and I found the bookcase on Craigslist and gave it some fresh paint and a rustic sanding treatment.

I got these corner shelves from Urban Outfitters, and gave them a coat of ecru paint as well. They are perfect for holding the video monitor camera and a few decorative elements.

My mom HAND MADE the bumpers for the crib out of the fabric I ordered from Annette Tatum and a complimentary fabric that we searched high and low for, from Joann's. They turned out AMAZING, thanks Momma!!

So that is the latest! We still have a few things left to add: glider with pillow and possibly a pouf ottoman, a rug and curtains. The next post will be of the nursery completely FINISHED!
Thanks for reading :)