Gifts For Calista

Today we go to have an ultrasound done to see how Cali is positioned and then following the ultrasound we see my doctor for a check up. I am anxious to hear what my doctor has to say and I can not wait to see Cali on that black and white screen! I pray that she is well and healthy.

I received some very special packages on Saturday! We picked up the packages on our way to Marc's nephew's birthday party and do you think I could wait to open them?? No! I had to dig in right there in the van!!!! LOL!!

First I opened a package from Rhonda at Scooterblu's Whimsy. Some of you may remember that back on July 25th Rhonda hosted an online virtual baby shower in my honor. Then she sent me a real baby shower gift!!
I could not believe how much she managed to pack into that box!! She even included big brother and big sister gifts for Kyle and Bella! My heart melted.


Bella loves her new Little People School Bus! She let out such a loud squeal when she opened her gift!

And Kyle.......................

got a Camaro! Daddy's favorite car of all time. Kyle said "Cool! A Camaro!" Kyle and Bella have been racing their new vehicles up and down the hall since Saturday!!!

Cali got her own initial to hang on the wall. Look how cute!! It is now hanging above her changing table!

And check out these beauties!! Rhonda made these herself!!! Custom burp cloths!! I feel like a celebrity or something! What child gets CUSTOM burp cloths!?! My husband looked at these and said "You're not really going to let Cali puke on those, are you?" LOL!! I'm actually trying to come up with a cute way to frame them or display them!! They are so precious!

Then there was this cute little package- guarded by the cutest little floppy blankie buddy teddy bear!

And inside was this adorable outfit!!! So soft in green and pink................

And then I unwrapped something that literally made me cry, and cry and cry...............

I was overwhelmed to say the least. I couldn't even talk. For never meeting Rhonda in person she sure does know my taste. She knows I collect and adore milk glass and here she sent Cali her own piece to start a collection of her own....................
Look at the ruffled edge all highlighted and laced in pink and white gingham ribbon!!

Oh! I didn't even know what to say.

I pulled myself together and opened the next package. This one was from Heidi from Foxgloves, Fabric and Folly

Heidi participated in the baby shower hosted by Rhonda and wanted to send me a "real" gift as well. I opened up the standard cardboard postal box to see this beautifully wrapped package!

My husband thought it was too pretty to unwrap so I spent fooooorrrrrrreeeeeeeevvvvrrrrrrrr unwrapping it as carefully as I could in order to preserve the paper while the kids were screaming behind me "Hurry mommy! Hurry!" LOL!!!

There was the prettiest card- handmade by Heidi...............

And these precious items......................

A custom made baby blanket and reversible bib in some of the most beautiful vintage or french-looking fabric I have ever seen. I started crying again! How did Heidi know what fabrics I would love?? Am I that predictable? LOL!!! These pictures do not do these items justice. And the quality of craftsmanship in which they are made is like nothing I have ever seen! Heidi has her own Etsy shop and sells these baby items there. If you haven't been to her shop you must go! Anyone expecting a baby would love these items. I know that these are something that Cali will be able to pass down and use for her children and possibly her grandchildren. Saturday evening I took them out of the box and headed for the laundry room so that I could wash them up. I wanted to pack them in the hospital bag so we can bring Cali home swaddled in this blanket. Marc asked me "What are you doing?" I told him and he said "But I think we should just leave them all folded up nice like they are and put them on a shelf with Heidi's tag for decoration.........aren't they too pretty to really use?" LOL!!! I told him they are made to be used and if Cali is using them wouldn't more people be able to see how pretty they are??? he he he He is so funny.

See how cute the bib is? It is reversible!

Rhonda and Heidi............. you will never know how much this means to Marc and I. Marc kept saying "This is crazy! This is just crazy! I can't believe these women would do something so nice." And it is hard to believe. We are both overwhelmed by your kindness and thoughtfulness. Words can never express our thanks and how blessed we feel by your generosity and your friendship! God Bless you both!!! And Thank You from the bottom of my heart!

Yesterday Marc got a surprise of his own. I have mentioned before Marc is a Maintenance Director for a large apartment management company. Yesterday his co-workers and staff threw a surprise, lunch time baby shower in his honor!!! If you knew my husband you would understand what a feat this is- it is impossible to surprise him. And he was definitely surprised! Can you believe that they planned this and not one person had a camera to take pictures!?! Apparently none of them are bloggers!! LOL!!! They presented him with a cute little sleeper, a 3 pack of hats and a onesie...........

The onesie says "I have an attitude and I know how to use it" LOL!!! A child of mine with an attitude??? Never!! LOL!!!

And then the biggest surprise of all................gift wrapped in true maintenance man fashion -in a black garbage bag and duct tape :) was this.........................

A new car seat dressed in sweet girly pinkness. Now I have to tell you a story about the car seat. Marc and I have been stressing about a car seat lately. We were planning on using the one that we used for the first two children. It was quite expensive and still in perfect shape. It has been wrapped in a garbage bag in storage for almost two years now. Marc brought it home the other night only to unwrap a mess! The entire cover , canopy, foam padding, and belts were covered...and I mean covered, in mold and mildew. My heart sunk. It even appeared that the mildew was even into the plastic part of the seat which I don't even know is possible. It was destroyed. I tried to throw all of the fabric stuff in the washing machine to see if I could get it clean but knew it shouldn't be used anyways. Marc's aunt offered her old seat to us but has been searching and searching for weeks and can not find it anywhere. I checked the stores and then went and looked online and couldn't find much of a selection that didn't require ordering and having it shipped. Huh? I could have this baby any day- I want a seat here, better yet- in my van and ready!

Marc was talking to his assistant last Friday about the ordeal (he was obviously stressed as well) and low and behold what does Monday bring but a little car seat. His co-workers said he helped them tremendously because they wanted to do something big but had no idea- and he had given them the idea!! And he didn't even know it!! Now- can I tell you how great God is?? He knows not only our needs........but the desires of our hearts. I cried when I saw that little car seat. What a blessing.

Well, I think we are officially ready for Cali's arrival now! I am still a nervous wreck but I could go on being pregnant for another 4 months and still feel the same way! I definitely feel much more prepared and at ease the last couple of days. Everything is together, ready and waiting. The apartment is clean and organized and ready to for our new arrival and all of the company that shall come to greet her.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!!

~Heather :)

Awards & Banners and Rooms Oh MY!!

First of all I have to apologize for being SO behind lately! I feel like things have been so incredibly busy around here that I have neglected my blog friends. I am hanging on by a virtual rope but so far I am still holding on!!! I will get around to all of you as soon as I can!

I received some very special awards from some very special ladies!!!! Oh I was just so flattered and excited!!!

Rhonda from Scooterblu's Whimsy awarded me with not one- but two awards!!! AHHH!!! How fun! The first is the "Just Plain Fun to Read" award. I still find it hard to believe that anyone would actually read my blog- let alone say it was fun to read!!! So this award is VERY VERY special to me!! It really boosted my blogging confidence!

The next award was the Brillante award. I love this award !! To think I am brilliant and fun to read?? My head is gonna explode from the swelling!! LOL!!!! THANKS RHONDA! You made my week!

This next award is very cool. It is from Picket over at Picket's Place . It is the "You make me feel at home" award. What a wonderful thing to make someone feel at home! Isn't that what we all try and accomplish when we put so much time and love into our houses- to make them feel like home? And now we realize we can accomplish that same feat here in blog land! Thanks Picket!!!!

Now, I am sure when you hopped on over here today that you noticed that I have a new banner!!!! SQUEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SO EXCITED over this banner you have no idea! When I started this blog I had an image in my head for a banner. I worked and worked and spit and threw the printer and........................... nothing. Nothing but a picture of hydrangeas and some generic words over top. It was pretty but it just wasn't what I was going for, you know?? Well, Rhonda from Scooterblu's Whimsy hosted a baby shower for me a couple of weeks ago and Pearl from Pearl's Sentimental Journey participated. On her shower post was MY dream banner! In a little picture form that she had done just for that post. I commented about how much I loved it and today I receive an email from Pearl with a link attached for................ a new banner!!! She designed my new banner just for me! Can you believe it? I was SUPER FLATTERED!!! And this lady is SUPER TALENTED!! THANK YOU SO MUCH PEARL!!!

Isn't it awesome!??!! Oh I am so happy. Isn't that crazy?? This is exactly and I mean exactly what I had pictured in my mind when I started my blog................ it is funny how things always work out isn't it?!?

Next. I wanted to share with you our finished living room and dining room! Like a room is ever finished?? Well, this is as good as it gets for awhile I think!! Our living room, dining room and kitchen are all open to each other. I have always wanted that floor plan but I found it challenging to tie all of the spaces together. Here is what the results were.

My living room area. I love my sofa because it is pretty much childproof. I would love to have a formal living room and fancy furniture someday but since we only have one living room now it is important to have things that the kids can't "destroy". I want my kids to be kids and for our home to be their home and be comfortable in it. The Ikea sofa is perfect with it's removable/washable slipcovers! The coffee table used to belong to my Grandpa Fell. Grandpa Fell lived in Florida and every summer we would visit him for two weeks. I remember every night after dinner Grandpa would go out to his backyard, pick lemons and make fresh squeezed lemonade and we would all sit in the living room, around this coffee table, and drink our lemonade and visit. This table escaped the last hurricane with only scratches. Many people have asked if I was going to refinish it..................I am going to leave it just as it is- covered in years of memories..................

I made the pillows, the black stands were a second hand store bargain and the lamps and shades came from Target.

The galvanized tub is full of quilts from family and friends (and one from Pottery Barn). The sconces were a gift from my cousins................

This is the wall opposite the sofa. My husband worked for a hotel as a chief engineer for awhile. They decided to throw out these wicker chairs one day and my husband saved them from the trash and brought them home. He knew I had always wanted wicker chairs! The wreath above was purchased at Target. I loved it because it is covered in succulents and it reminded me of my Grandma. She always has "Hens and Chicks" on her porch. A Grandma signature! The dolls were made by my sister. Primitive Rag dolls! Ignore the cords hanging down....Marc has to hide them somehow!

We had to put the tv and electronics up on the fireplace to keep them away from the kids. Marc built the shelf (which I still have to paint) and now has to hide the cords to make it look better.

The little chairs were made by an Amish man in New York that Marc's step father knows. He usually makes adult size but Marc's step-father asked him to make some for his grand kids. They are so cute!
This is the dining room area. We pulled our old dining room table out of storage because the dark stain worked better than the oak one did. I put my antique table behind the sofa and made it into a little desk area.

Just another view................

My apartment doesn't have a lot of light which makes me crazy. I miss sunlight!! But it works for now with all of the white and light furniture and accessories. Hope you like it!

Hope you all have a fantastic day!!

~Heather :)

Pretty Toes and Edible Fish Tanks

This is how fun we are. Friday night and what are we doing? Well, my friend Krissie stopped by after she got off of work and we hung out. She painted my toes so that my feet would be pretty when I go to the hospital to have Cali! Now I don't know about you all, but to have a friend who is willing to touch your feet and paint your toe nails, when you can no longer reach them yourself............. that is a pretty great friend! No, I am not going to show you a picture of my feet. I have issues and am very self conscious of my feet. Plus, I am also posting about food here so I don't want to gross ya'll out!!! LOL!!!
The second part of our evening we spent in the kitchen. Marc's Aunt is throwing a birthday party for her son tomorrow. He is turning four on August 4th!!! His aunt was pregnant at the same time I was for Kyle and it was a lot of fun. Our boys were born just 11 days apart! Well, I am in charge of bringing a treat for the party tomorrow. It is a water themed party so I thought I would get real creative and make little fish tanks. Edible fish tanks. Now I have made similar things in the past but it was waaaaaay in the past so part of the method has slipped my mind. he he But it all turned out okay in the end!

First we boiled 24 cups of water........................


Then we had to empty 24 packages of blue jello into another pan............

Yepper! You read right- 24 packages! Lucky Krissie got this daunting task. Are your wrists hurting yet Sweetie???

That's a lot of jello powder!

Then we had to bring in some muscle. Those pans are heavy!

Stir Baby! Stir!!

We lined up all 70 cups......................

And made Marc keep stirring. He kept saying "Am I done yet?" No baby! Keep stirring! he he
Look at all of that pretty blue liquid.................

Next we filled all 70 cups with the pretty blue liquid. Oh my did it smell good! Once they were all full we placed them in the refrigerator to set...............

When the jello was about half set we put red gummy fish in each one to make it look like the fish were swimming around in water. It was hard to get a good shot but here is a close up........

Donning rubber gloves we had to place 6 fish in each cup......pushing them into place. I don't remember these things being so involved or time consuming the last time I did them but then again I don't think I have ever done 70 at one time!! After the fish were swimming happily in their new little tank we put them back in the refrigerator to finish setting up..........

Aren't they fun!?! Again- not a great picture but you get the idea. Tomorrow we will top them off with some Redi-Whip before serving and Voila! Cute little edible fish tanks. What four year old wouldn't enjoy eating one of these? I am hoping that after this much work that EVERY child AND adult will eat these!!! LOL!!!

Now I just have to figure out how to transport 70 little fish tanks 20 miles in this heat without ruining the carpet in my van!! Hopefully these little guys won't be belly up upon arrival!!!

Now doesn't that sound like a fun way to spend a Friday night? LOL!!!

Hope you all have a great weekend!!

~Heather :)

Post Problems??

Is anyone else having problems trying to do your posts? I have been trying to post for the last two days........it keeps coming up "error" and then low and behold my last post showed up mysteriously today but with no breaks and no pictures!
Is anyone having these issues??
~Heather

This Is Real

My walls are beige. Well, they aren't really beige- they are actually cream. Hazelnut Cream to be exact. The color of coffee creamer whipped to wall covering perfection. There is a dust bunny at the corner of the fireplace and a dark spot on the carpet by the sofa. How did that get there? Will it come clean or is it a stain? Hmm, wonder what I could use on that. I will have to google "removing stains from carpet" and see what they suggest. I should have made my curtains about an inch longer. Maybe I will just have Marc move the rod down an inch. Does it matter though or could I live with it? I have a lot of stuff piled on my counter top in the kitchen. Looks cluttered.............I can't stand clutter. My bedroom is shrinking. I have too much furniture in there but it is all necessary for the time being. That room didn't turn out at all as I had envisioned it. The bedding is nice though. Yeah, I really like my bedding. I still need some euro pillow forms for my shams though. I'll have to add that to my list of things to get. I should have finished that room because it is going to bug me now. Don't really have time though, let alone energy.........................In my attempts to "rest" and "behave myself" lately I have had a lot of time on my hands. A lot of time to look around at my "four walls" and find all of the imperfections and see results of not being able to keep up with my usually anal-retentive cleaning acts. I've had a lot of time to think. Although it is encouraged for people to think and expand their minds and knowledge....... right now the act of thought is not working in my favor. I have busied myself for the last several months decorating my apartment, working on painting projects, sewing projects, organizing everything I can slap a label on and even things I can't. All of those projects have been done, and some had to be put on the back burner for fear of pushing myself into early labor. Now- I think. This is why I need projects. Marc and the kids put baby stuff together the other night. They assembled the bassinet, the bouncy chair, the baby gym, the car seat, etc. As I sat on the couch with my feet up, looking around at all of the newly assembled items making my living room now feel claustrophobic, I realized.................THIS is real. This is really happening- and soon. I suddenly felt extremely overwhelmed. A large lump grew in my throat, my entire body felt numb and I was on the verge of tears for the rest of the evening. I am going to have three children. We are soon going to be a family of five! Three..............five................those numbers suddenly sounded very big. Not even just big but enormous! Unrealistically huge! What am I going to do? How am I going to raise three children? I only have two arms and two hands! Up until now I have had an arm for each of my children and a hand to hold a hand a piece. I can't grow a third arm! Maybe I can have one surgically attached. Maybe I should call around to plastic surgeons and see if any specialize in third arms. Yes, I know.........I am crazy. I worry too much (or so I have been told) but these fears are justified! Right? Three kids is a lot of responsibility. I know in my heart that I will have enough love for three kids............. my love expanded from one to two after my second child was born so I know it will expand again with three. But it's the other stuff I worry about. Will I have enough patience with three? Will I have enough time to give them each individual attention? Will I have enough strength and energy to devote myself to three kids all day everyday? Is our apartment going to be big enough? Because it already feels ten times smaller and Cali isn't even here yet! Is the noise going to get so loud that we upset our neighbors? Would they tell us if it did or would they keep it to themselves and secretly hate us? How is Kyle going to react when we have to move him to the back seat of the van to make room for Cali's car seat? How am I going to reach him when he is clear back in that seat? Should we move him now or wait until we bring Cali home? And Bella..........she has jealousy issues now when Daddy holds her little cousin...........how is she going to do with the new baby? Are her feelings going to be hurt? Will she comprehend when we tell her we still love her as much as before? Will Kyle and Bella take to Cali and be as close to her as the two of them are now or will she be excluded from their little club?Is Cali going to be healthy, will she have 10 fingers and 10 toes? Will she be a demanding baby and make the kids resent her? Am I going to get enough sleep to keep up with my children?Again, this is why I need projects. Pre-Baby jitters, perhaps? Raging hormones more than likely? Or is it the fact that I have done this twice before? I know what is coming. I know that when you add a child to your family the work and responsibility doesn't increase by one...........it increases much more than that. But the joys and the laughter also increase. The blessings mount, the memories created are bigger, the pride grows stronger. The other night the kids had a ball getting ready for Cali. Kyle wanted to be involved in every minuet detail. Bella is still unaware of exactly what is about to take place though. But she was happy to pitch in and help. [Photo]And "test" all of the new products out to make sure they are safe for her new baby sister...[Photo]She actually thought everything was for her I think![Photo]And after referring to the directions more times than I have ever seen my husband refer to directions (he usually doesn't use them at all!)............[Photo] They were all very proud of the finished products. And I was very proud of the three of them! It melted my heart to see them all work together on projects for Cali. That baby girl is very loved already and we haven't even officially met her yet. I just pray that they continue to be excited once she gets here. I know that each of us are going to have our days and moments but we will all get through it- together. I'm not trying to sound ungrateful or like I do not want another child because I do. I am very grateful and thankful to be welcoming another child into the world. My children ARE my life, they are the center of my universe. I just worry about what kind of mother I will be with three kids. I wonder if there is going to be enough of "me" to go around. I want to give my children the best and let them know how much they are loved and appreciated.Maybe I do worry too much. There is a line in a Tom Petty song that I have been thinking of lately "Most things I worry about never happen anyway" and I think that is so true most of the time. I worry and worry about things that never come to be. And then I realize how silly it was for me to waste my time worrying............. especially when I need to spend time trying to google carpet stain removal and decluttering my counter!!~Heather :)

I'm Still Here!

I'm still here! Cali has not made her arrival yet! We had a very busy weekend getting lots of stuff done and having a good time.
Thursday evening we had a little birthday party for Kyle. When Marc and I asked Kyle a couple of weeks ago what kind of party he wanted for his birthday he told us "I want my family, a birthday cake and a green and blue balloon." Our hearts just about melted! SO we gave him the party he wanted! On Thursday, July 24th my baby boy turned 4 years old! I can not believe it and sat there watching him the whole night wondering where the time had gone. It really does seem like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital- excited to be new parents but scared to death at how we were going to do it on our own! He was so small and intimidating!! We quickly found our groove though and have enjoyed every day with him over the last four years. Our children are such blessings to us!
Here is Kyle blowing out the candles on his cake............

Very happy and excited to see that he not only got his green and blue balloon...but a Diego balloon as well! He was squealing when he saw Diego!!

Bella enjoying her piece of cake....................

Kyle really enjoyed his little party..............

And thought his cake was "Muy delicioso!" As Diego would say!

And he was very excited with his present as well..............

I think Daddy likes it just as much! You just can't go wrong with Thomas the Tank Engine.......

Friday evening my Aunt came up to spend the weekend with us and help us get all the final preparations in order for Cali's arrival. Marc had to work all weekend so it was so wonderful to have her around for company and help! She is a great shopping buddy! We went to Wal-Mart Friday evening and bought everything left on the list................ and man it was some list! We filled three carts! Ouch!! But it was a lot of fun and when we were done I was feeling the best sense of calm for getting everything done.....................

We literally shopped til we dropped. The kids were pooped!

On Saturday Marc and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary! July 26th, 2003..........the day my life changed forever...........for the better. I became Mrs. Marc and have never had a day of sadness since. Marc is my best friend, my soul mate, my everything! As I sat across the table from him Saturday night at this beautiful 4 star restaurant I was overwhelmed with love for him................. I think it is stronger today than the day we exchanged our vows. I can not imagine life without him and I am so glad God blessed me with such a perfect man to call my own.

Marc did laugh at me when I started to take pictures of the food............but seriously it was beautiful!

And my gorgeous husband...............can you tell he just loves to have his picture taken?? He didn't put up much of a fight though- he had his New York Strip Steak in front of him so he could care less what else was going on in the world at that moment!!! The restaurant even brought me a "Mamatini" It looks like a martini but it is a mixture of fruit juices and healthy stuff for mommy's to be! I thought that was so cute!

And our server even offered to take our picture for us! I was so excited. Big belly and all.

It was a wonderful evening. We had a lovely, delicious dinner and then we drove around for a while just talking. It was good quality time with my husband on such a special occasion. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BABY! I LOVE YOU MORE!!

Sunday was back to reality................. lol!!! My aunt and I did more shopping, bought some shirts for me for nursing, some more diapers, etc. Then we had an early dinner and came back home. We did laundry and put clothes away and straightened up the apartment. We laid the kids down and then worked on putting the bassinet together. Seriously- these companies need to be more specific with directions! Or have better pictures!! LOL!!! But we got it together after a couple of hours and decided we would leave the other put-together-items for the expert- Marc!!!

So, everything is now done. The washing machine is quiet, the clothes have been put away, hospital bag has been packed, and it is quiet. I will be taking it easy this week, playing with the kids and spending some quality time with my little family before it becomes a little bigger!

Hope you all had a great weekend and I hope to be around to see all of you soon!!

~Heather :)

A Letter to Calista

My Dearest Calista Kay,

As we anxiously await your arrival as a new member of our family I thought I would share with you a little story.
A week before Christmas Daddy and Mommy got the surprising news that we were going to have another baby. Although we wanted more children we didn't expect it to be so soon. At first we were very scared. But we realized that God has His own plans for our lives and in His own timing, He saw fit to bless us with another child. We felt overwhelmed and honored that God trusted us with another one of His children to raise as our own.
Fear and joy was replaced by worry when, in January, Mommy got so sick that nurses had to come to our house and hook me up to IVs and give me special medicine so that I could eat and drink to keep you healthy and safe. It was a very hard time but we got through it and by March Mommy started to feel better. We were relieved when we got to have an ultrasound and found out that you were healthy and growing as you should be! Mommy and Daddy both cried when we got to see you floating around inside my belly, kicking your legs and closing your fists!
I have watched as my belly has gotten bigger and bigger and when I first felt your little kicks from inside I was immediately overwhelmed with joy and tears of happiness. Your kicks have gotten stronger and stronger and I have become more and more excited about meeting you, welcoming you into the world and holding you in my arms for the first time.
I am sure that you know Daddy's voice very well by now. You get so excited and move all around when he talks to Mommy's belly or reads you a story. Your big brother Kyle is so excited to meet you too! I am sure you have heard him sing to you and felt his kisses and hugs. He has to kiss Mommy's belly at least a hundred times a day! Kyle has already told Mommy and Daddy that he wants to hold you, read his favorite books to you and teach you how to play with his trains. Your big sister Bella may not quite understand that she will be welcoming a new baby sister but I know that she will be very excited when you arrive. I think you and Bella will be very good friends. You will be playing dress-up and having tea parties and someday will paint each others fingernails and do each others hair. You may fight with your brother and sister from time to time but always remember that they love you and will also be the first ones to come to your aid and be there to support you.
Your clothes have been washed and lovingly placed in your dresser drawers. Your bed has been made and awaits your tiny little self to lay there and dream. Mommy is finishing up a quilt that we will wrap you in and bring you home from the hospital. There are so many family members and friends that have so much love for you already and can not wait to meet you.
You are coming in to a family that loves you already and has since the moment they heard about you. Our entire family believes in the importance of family, support, and unconditional love. Our ties to the Lord are strong and He is the center of our home and our lives! He will be with us to guide us as we raise you so that we can give you the best possible life that you deserve. Now I will tell you that your Mommy and Daddy are not perfect. Far from it actually......but we work hard everyday to be better. Just as you will grow, learn, and make mistakes- so will we. Mommy and Daddy will be learning everyday, right along side you. It is so very important to trust in each other, forgive each other for our short comings, and continue loving each other- unconditionally- no matter what. That is all part of being a family.
Your Daddy and Mommy have so many plans for you and your future. We hope to give you the guidance, the love, the support, the encouragement, and the tools for you to make your own decisions and be successful in whatever makes you happy. We pray that you will be healthy and that your heart be filled with joy. We pray that you will have good friends, be a positive influence to those around you, and have the courage to follow your dreams. We pray that you will know your worth- in our eyes, in God's, and in your own, and that you never let anyone make you feel less than amazing.
Jeremiah 1:5 says "I knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb; before you were born I sanctified you and appointed you as my spokesman to the world."
You have been beautifully and wonderfully made Calista!!!!! You have been formed by the gracious and loving hands of God- and that alone makes you incredible! Do not let anyone ever try and tell you any different.
Almost nine months ago I was worried about how I would care for you. If I would have enough love in my heart to share with you. But just as God has expanded my belly to allow you to grow inside of me..........He has also expanded my heart to allow me to love you as you deserve to be loved. It is amazing how I can rest my hand on my belly and feel you move and be so overwhelmed with love for you already. A big part of me wants to keep you inside so that I can continue to protect you and keep you safe. But a bigger part of me can not wait to bring you into this world, hold you in my arms to nurse you, kiss your sweet soft skin and look into your eyes as you discover so many things for the first time. I am anxious to see you play with your big brother and sister, watch you be carried on Daddy's shoulders, playing in the swimming pool, taking your first steps, sucking your thumb, throwing your peas across the table........... and someday to be there for you when you have a fight with your best friend, learn how to drive, help you ace that English test, and give you a shoulder to cry on when you get your first broken heart.
No matter what joys and sorrows life may bring you I want you to always remember that Daddy and Mommy love you very much and we will be there for you no matter what. You can fall down and make mistakes and we will be there to pick you up, dust you off and help you learn and try again. We are here to love you, guide you, support and encourage you. We will love you regardless of your successes or your failures because you are our child and we all must succeed and fail in order to become who God wants us to be.
We can not wait to meet you Calista Kay! We can not wait to welcome you into our family and be your guides through this wonderful and sometimes crazy life! We are praying that God brings you to us safely, healthy and whole. We will see you soon my little angel.

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

I wanted to give a very special thanks to Rhonda at Scooterblu's Whimsy for hosting a virtual baby shower for Cali and I and for all of you who are participating and to those who stop by and leave comments. I am still overwhelmed that Rhonda would do something like this. My eyes fill up every time I think of how sweet it is! I have been blessed with wonderful friends in the "real world" and NOW in the Blogging World. Words could never express how grateful I am for this beautiful sentiment and the wonderful opportunity to get to know fellow bloggers more- and meet new friends as well. Thank You so much! I am truly touched.

Love to All of You!

~Heather :)

The Pressure Is ON!

I feel like I have been away from the blogging world forever! It has only been a few days but I am soooooo far behind and am afraid I am going to fall even further behind now. I had my doctor's appointment with my OBGYN Dr. "R" today. The problem I have been having with my leg is not a major issue. Praise God! They did not find a blood clot which is what they were fearing. Basically the way baby Cali is laying- and the size of my belly!- is putting pressure on some veins that run through that area. The blood is flowing downward but moving slower coming back up because of the weight compressing on the veins. The blood has no where else to go so it kind of disperses in the low areas of the body which causes the swelling. I hope I understood and explained that correctly. When I sleep I have to do so on my left side and pay attention to my position when I sit as well- other than that everything is fine!
Dr. R also "checked" me today........ and I was shocked to hear that I have already started to dilate! My initial due date was set for August 19th. My last ultrasound (which was months ago) showed around August 9th . Right now I am only dilated around a one. Technically I could stay at a one for weeks, however, being that this is my third pregnancy and how I have done in the last two................ it could be any day. To make things worse my doctor will be out of the office next week so I have to see one of his associates. That makes me nervous. My doctor told me today to take it eeeeeeeeeasy for the next week. I asked him what he meant by that (expecting him to give me stipulations or restrictions) and his response was "Don't go into labor." Hmmm... that's reassuring. He said at this point in my pregnancy if I were to go into labor that they would not stop it. My husband and I are very nervous. We were nervous thinking we still had twenty some days left and now............. it could be any day??????? AHHHHHHHHH!!!! I started realizing that we needed a plan. We had a plan A already set in place. I was going to be induced on a certain day, my sister would come up for a week- she has already scheduled her vacation around it, and everything was going to go smoothly. We didn't have a plan B. We didn't think we needed a plan B. The problem that we face is that we don't have many people close to us. Marc has an aunt that is a half hour away but she has two small children of her own and works full time. Other than that the rest of our family- Marc's side and my side- are all over two hours away. So I talked to my sister and Marc's aunt this evening and we came up with a plan B. I feel better but still nervous. This has scared me enough though that I will be taking it very easy for at least the next week until my doctor is back in town and the longer Cali stays put the more thrilled I will be. I have so much to do and wrap up around the house before her arrival but I am too afraid to try and get it all done. I am going to concentrate on the most important things and let the rest go. Marc and I will be going shopping tomorrow for the all important items: diapers, onesies, sleepers, receiving blankets, etc. We'll set up the crib and put her clothes in the dresser. I am going to pack my bag for the hospital and pack a bag for the kids as well so it's ready if we have to drop them off at their Aunt's in a hurry. I will have Marc finish organizing the master closet (with supervision of course!) and I will put the finishing touches on Cali's quilt. The master bedroom redecorating project is just going to have to wait for now. :(

I thought I would share a funny story with you. If you find illegal acts funny that is. After my ultrasound appointment last Friday Marc and I drove by a house that is on the market. We pulled in the driveway and looked around. It is an old house and we love old houses. We dream of buying an old house some day. The house was vacant so we felt it was okay to be nosey! As I was peeking in one of the windows Kyle ran up and said "Hi Mommy!" Here my son was INSIDE the house! Marc walked up behind him and was just laughing away! Yes, my husband not only broke in to this house (it was unlocked) but he was using our son as an accomplice!! So we toured the old house and fantasized about how it looked in it's glory days and what it could someday look like again. It was so sad to see the years of neglect and "mistreatment" this house has suffered. All of the original charm and details were there but it was a total mess. And someone had removed all of the plumbing- we are assuming to sell it for scrap. Awful. Here is a picture of the outside..........

Isn't it precious? We said goodbye to the cute little house and prayed that someone would find her, love her, and take the time to bring her back to her original beauty. And that someone better have a whole lot of money!! It was a fun little side trip...... especially since we weren't hauled off to jail!

And since I don't foresee any big reveal of the completed master bedroom in the near future I decided to go ahead and show you the bedding that I ordered. This is the picture from the Pottery Barn website..................

It is the most beautiful toile in a light powder blue. The blue is so neutral though- almost a weird blue. Sometimes it looks blue, sometimes it looks gray, and sometimes it looks sage green. I really like it. I have never spent so much money on bedding before and actually felt guilty after ordering it, but when it arrived I was more than pleased. The quality is excellent and it is exactly what I wanted and had envisioned for the room. Plus, with this color..........I could paint my walls any color I want and it would match them all!! LOL!!! I was going to wait to dress the bed when the room was finished but...........maybe I'll actually put it on my bed now so that I at least have pretty bed!

That's it for now. I hope to get around to visit everyone within the next couple of days! See ya'll soon!

~Heather :)

SO SORRY!

I am so sorry I have not been around to visit you all! We are having an extremely busy few days- actually the last few and the next few are busy busy busy! I will be back to regular blogging hopefully by Monday and will be catching up with all of you wonderful friends!! I am having withdrawal from your blogs!!
See ya'll soon!
~Heather :)