Showers, nesting and classes....

The last few weeks have been busy with all the fun details that surround getting ready for a baby! My wonderful family gave me an adorable baby shower. My mom out did herself again with beautiful hand made centerpieces, party favors, plenty of pink and all the little details to make it unique and special for me and baby. I had a great time and enjoyed getting to visit with people I don't see enough. Oh, and of course, we were spoiled with generous gifts to prepare us for this baby girl! Thank you Mom, (and my sister and sister-in-laws who organized fun games), for all your work to make me feel loved!

Our baby girl's 2 grandmas.

The spoiling continued as one of my friends gave me another baby shower. She had white onesies and socks and had everyone decorate them for the baby. This is one of my favorites:

 

Also, our wonderful lifegroup from church, surprised us with gifts. We are so thankful for all the gifts and love our friends and family have blessed us with as we prepare for this baby! THANK YOU!

I'm pretty sure my nesting instincts have been in high gear as I've taken on a few projects I would never have done before :) I told you about the wall I decorated. Here is the finished product...

The verse is Psalm 139:14 and says "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." (fearfully and wonderfully are in pink but don't show up that well in the picture) I'm really happy with it and love the way it looks behind the crib! Hopefully it will serve as a reminder that our daughter is made BY our God, in the IMAGE of our God,  and FOR our God; and for that we will praise Him! (Below you can see the crib and all of the baby gear we have accumulated...yes, I'm working on getting it put away so she can actually use the crib :) )

My other project I took on was sanding and painting an armiore that my friend gave us to use for the baby. She used it with her son so it was white and blue and had since been outside for awhile. I thought it was super cute and that I could easily paint it and make it girly. EASILY is the key word here.... not so much. I apparently forget from time to time that I didn't get that Martha Stewart gene until I'm about 1/4 of the way in to a project. Then I'm wondering why I ever thought this was a good idea and end up rushing through the majority of it. I am not detail oriented (or very patient). I'm learning crafts and projects usually require paying close attention to detail and patience. Hmmmm...

So, this huge, long disclaimer was to communicate to you that while I am very proud of my armiore, you Martha Stewart-detail paying attention- ultra patient- I love spending 5 hrs painting one piece of trim to make sure no paint gets in the wrong spot- type people, may not be as impressed as I am. But, my little girl will be able to tell for sure that her momma made it for her :)

Here it is:

Clearly you can't see the detail from the picture but just know...if you ever come over and see it in person, don't judge me and my lack of attention to detail. :) Also, I ordered the most perfect knobs for the doors! They are cute soccer balls! Totally over-priced and unnecessary but too adorable to pass up. (and I knew her daddy would love it!)

As you can see, I've kept busy during my "maternity leave" (hehe...really it's just summer time and I'm always off during this time but its fun to act like it's for the baby) with showers and projects. We've also managed to fit some child-birthing classes into the mix. 

One word....Interesting. 

I was not thrilled to begin these classes. I mean, come on, why on earth would I want to go to a class to hear them talk about my cervix dilating to 10 cm, (while they show me a picture of a bagel, just in case I didn't know that 10 cm is ENORMOUS when you're talking about that part of your body....) and how most women tear in an unimaginable place, and to see and touch (I declined) the different instruments they will use if necessary,  and to hear how long and intense the different stages of labor are and to top it off, watch a video of two women giving birth "naturally"? (and we are only on class 2 of 5)

Let's be honest... I already knew about these things and was enjoying my world of "everyone has babies, I'm in one of the wealthiest, safest places ever, its going to hurt but what can I do about it, the baby is coming no matter what, it wont be that bad" bliss. I don't need a visual of 10 cm. I don't need a visual of these poor women who choose to not use drugs to dull the pain (no offense if you chose that way, just not for me!). 

To top it all off, the instructors like to teach us relaxation techniques. I tend to find these HILARIOUS. Last week we listened to a 11 minute CD of a women talking in a soft voice teaching us how to relax each part of our body. She started at our toes and feet, telling us to flex each muscle and hold, working up our entire body. After flexing each muscle, she tells us to "release, finding your center". What does that even mean?!? To be honest, I was laughing from the start but got worse as we reached our chest and she told us to flex our chest muscles almost enough to where it feels like you can't breathe. (Todd acted like he was hyperventilating). The worst part, when I lost it completely, was when she got to our face. First off, she told us to scrunch up all the muscles in our face. She then went on to mention each part, your lips, your nose (I commend you if you are trying it as you read :) ) your eyes, your forehead; the visual in my mind was too much. I mean...seriously...this is relaxing? Todd was trying his best to be mature..and scold me for being disruptive but really he thought it was pretty funny too. All the while, 10 other couples are acting like this "relaxation" exercise is totally normal. Maybe it is... but it was hilarious to me. I literally could not stop laughing! I so wish my friend, Alexsis was there with me! We got kicked out of 10th grade Spanish class when we had a sub because we were laughing hysterically and could not stop. It felt like that day all over again. 

So, apparently I'm not the best child-birthing class student. :) I don't want anyone to hear me saying the class isn't good. I really like our instructor. and I think the information is helpful....yet FEAR INDUCING! (Get this...the first night our instructor talked about how she loves teaching this class because knowledge is power and reduces fear and anxiety.....ummmm pretty sure I was great in my own world. Now, I have WAY more fear and anxiety about this whole birthing process! Who wouldn't after watching the videos?) I am learning some things, and everyone says it will be so helpful... Stay tuned for an update after class 5.

So, you all are totally caught up on this pregnancy journey we are on. In case you're wondering I am 36 weeks (and 4 days). Yep, that means little baby girl Elkins is coming SOON! We are so anxious to meet her and cuddle her! It seems like it can't get here fast enough. And at the same time I LOVE feeling her inside my tummy moving all around. (I'm already anticipating missing that part.) And we are trying to get in as many date nights, eating out, sleeping in, relaxing without a care in the world, and spur of the moment events we can before our lives are forever changed.... for the better. :)