We’ve thoroughly enjoyed the first week of life with little Parker. We have enjoyed the many visits from family and friends to welcome him into this world.
With Mommy
With Daddy
With Tara
With Lisa and Esther
With Aunt Marie and Rachel
With Jen
With Nanny and Aunt Amanda
With Nana
With Lizzie Lou
With Grandpa
With Grandma Ren
With uncle Chris
On Monday I didn’t think Thursday would ever get here. Now that we’ve been to the doctor, we are so excited to see that there is an end in sight! At the appointment today I had a non-stress test, which is a standard test for patients that go past their due date. This tests the fetal heart rate and contractions for 20 minutes to make sure that there aren’t any abnormalities in the pattern or anything that would indicate umbilical cord compressions or fetal distress. Since I wasn’t having any contractions, it was just monitoring the fetal heartbeat. Then we went to get another ultrasound to test the amniotic fluid to ensure that there is a proper amount. It was incredible to see him in the womb at this stage in my pregnancy. We were able to see a full head of hair!! It was simply amazing to see.
Everything checked out as normal and the doctor scheduled me for my induction. Unless I go into labor beforehand, on the evening of Sunday, 9/20 I will go into labor and delivery to begin my induction. I will stay the night at the hospital and begin IV induction Monday morning and hopefully deliver sometime Monday night 9/21. I can’t wait to meet this little guy! The words “PUSH” will sound so heavenly by then.
Yesterday I enjoyed spending time with my grandmother. We went to see the movie “Julie and Julia” and had a nice lunch. She’s such a wise woman and I admire her a lot. She is a strong woman of God, mother of 7, grandmother of 15 and great grandmother of soon to be 4! She shared with me her first pregnancy and delivery experience when she was only 19 years of age. Let’s just say I’m SO thankful to be living in this modern age! Any time I get to spend with her is such a blessing. I learn so much about family, faith and the small things in life. I hope when I’m her age that I can be just a bit of the amazement that she is.
The next few weeks we’ll be very busy visiting with family. I’m so excited to see my uncle Ben and aunt Debbie flying in from Alaska, my uncle Norris and aunt Liane and their two daughters traveling from Tampa, and also my Dad, Step-mom Rennie and brother Christopher will also be in town. Dan’s Mom will be visiting the same weekend, traveling from Charleston and I believe my Mom will be staying with us for a few days to help out with the baby too. This will be like Christmas and Thanksgiving all wrapped into one! The more I think about it, the more overwhelming it sounds. Good thing the maids are coming tomorrow. Housework is the farthest thing from my mind right now. If I get through the next few weeks without a nervous breakdown then we’ll be doing good! I’m certain with God’s strength, everything else will fall into place and go according to his plan. Of course the most important member of the family I get to meet will be my son and absolutely nothing beats that!
I am truly blessed to have such wonderful family and friends in my life. This weekend I had my first shower of love at my aunt Marie’s house for little Parker. It was such a good time laughing at everyone’s goofy personalities, enjoying delicious food, and opening some very nice gifts. It’s starting to feel real now that I have little onsies to hold up, diapers, “Parker’s Boo Boo Box” (complements of Angie), not to mention bottles, carseat and many other great gifts. Jess has been a big help with helping me organize the clothes and gifts in the nursery. This will defiantly be a weekend I won’t soon forget.
Dan and I had a great Easter weekend. Friday we saw a great comedy show at the Funny Farm. There were some british comedians that were really good. We had a great time. One of the coolest things happened on Friday too…I felt the baby move! I had a big dinner which consisted of a salmon sandwich (sounds gross, but it’s really good) and tater tots (reminding us all of good ol’ Napolian Dynamite) and a brownie topped with icecream (which I could barely finish). I think the brownie is what set little sqiggles in motion! It was such a great feeling.
Saturday Dan and I went back to Ga Baby and Kids to finalize our baby furniture purchase. We stopped off at “Baby’s Room” another baby furniture place first, but we weren’t too impressed with their furniture. The staff didn’t seem as nice and helpful either. So, we finally decided on a discounted floor model that was one of the higher-end of their lines at GA Baby and Kids. It had been discounted a few thousand dollars and with the amount of furniture, quality of hard wood, and european design, I think we got a great deal. Here’s the furniture we decided on:
Capretti Collection
The floor model that was discounted included a crib, armoire, 5 drawer chest, dresser with detachable changing station, and nightstand. The picture looks like the furniture is black, but it is really a dark wood color instead of painted black. Since it is a floor model, we’re getting the room finished this week, and the furniture delivered on Saturday. I can’t wait! right now the room is bare, but once we get the carpet stretched and cleaned this week we’ll be in good shape! We picked out our glider as well. The ones at Ga Baby and Kids were about a thousand dollars for the exposed wood gliders, and that just seemed a bit too pricey. So, we looked at Babies R Us and they had lots to choose from. This is what we decided on:
Chenille Glider
It doesn’t look like much, but as soon as I sat in it I just sank down in the chair. It is SO comfortable! We got the ottoman that goes with it, and it was WAY less than the thousand that the other place wanted. We’ll get that in about 12 weeks. So, that’s it for the big items! We just need to plan on painting the room after we find out what we’re having on Monday!
We ended the evening with my Mom and sister Amanda coming over for dinner. We enjoyed dinner and a movie. The movie (Disaster movie) was a little silly…but still entertaining. We had a good time coloring and decorating eggs and spending time with each other for the holiday.
We had such a great time yesterday for Easter. We started the day off taking care of the little boogers in the church nursery. We had about 12 little 1 year olds to watch and it actually went pretty well. We enjoyed the service and message that Steven preached. There’s always something that I can take away from his teachings.
Lunch was at Aunt Angie’s house like the years before. We always have a great time with the family catching up. We hadn’t seen everyone since Christmas, and some it’s been longer. I love visiting family and seeing the many ways that God has blessed us all and for that I am thankful.
Sunday night we had a wonderful time over at our friends Scott and Kristin’s house. We had a lovely dinner and had a great time laughing and goofing off with friends. We had our first-time ever grown-up Easter egg hunt! It was a lot of fun…most of all because I won! Yep, that’s right I found the most eggs. It must’ve been mother hen’s intution! The guys started up a bon fire and we had a good time hanging out and watching the guys see how high they could get the flames to rage. Good times.
We had a wonderful time with my Mom and little sister Amanda going to see the lights at Lake Lanier Friday night. We enjoyed roasting marshmallows by the fire and picking out this year’s ornament which has become a family tradition. These pictures are from my iphone, so they’re not the best of quality.
The nice fire to warm ourselves and roast marshmallows!
Christmas house at Lake Lanier
Roasted Marshmallows
Mom and Amanda (with a colorful holiday charactor)
It was so nice to relax this weekend after such a busy week at work. We enjoyed some hot chocolate as we watched the live nativity scene. It was a great reminder of why we celebrate each and every year. Their arms were raised and they were praising God for our savior. What a beautiful symbol of love.
The Nativity Scene at Lake Lanier
Dan and I moseyed around a lot on Saturday. We had my grandparents over for lunch and I made my famous Shepherd’s pie. My grandparents are so wise and we always enjoy the conversations we have with them. It’s always such a joy to spend time with them. Here’s some cute photos from our lazy Saturday afternoon with the pups and some of our holiday decorations.
Santa Summer
Lizzie trying to show her approval with a kiss, but it was so quick that it went with a blur...
Summer warming herself by the fire
Holiday Decorating
It's a lazy afternoon for Lizzie and her friend
Dan and Summer hanging out
I’m off to a new week at work. Hopefully this one won’t be as stressful as last week. December is a stressful month in general, so I have come up with a plan to control my stress and anxiety.
Everyone: Help hold me accountable to this!
Well, the cat is out of the bag…so to speak. We haven’t told everyone, but we met with our small group from church tonight and we told them that we’re expecting a baby! Dan and I are beyond thrilled. We found out about three weeks ago, but have been nervous about telling everyone, but I have faith that whatever happens from here on out that God will see us through it, and we will have the support of friends through this as well. I will feel a little better after 10 weeks when miscarriages are less likely to happen. Today I am seven weeks. According to babycenter.com, little squiggles is about the size of a blueberry. Say hi to squiggles!
We’ve told our immediate family and I’ll be telling my boss this week. We will be hanging out with my grandparents and aunts and uncles next Saturday for my grandpa’s birthday and we’ll announce the big news there for everyone that has not already heard. I also have pregnancy announcement cards that I will be sending out in the next week or so for my family and friends that live out of town. They’re super cute announcements and it’s a fairly new concept to send pregnancy announcements, but I’m not shy to start the trend. Everyone that knows me knows that I LOVE to send cards and write in stationary. I guess I’m kind-of old fashion in that regard.
Dan and I had a great weekend. We went to Dahlonega with my mother-in-law for the Gold Rush festival. Actually, we didn’t even know there was a festival going on. We just wanted to go up there to see the leaves changing, eat great food at The Smithouse, which is one of our favorite things to do, and walk around and see the cute shops. The Festival was great. We were able to see some nice arts and crafts with a little bit of junk mixed in. Dan’s Mom loves the Jim Shore art. Normally it would be too country for my taste, but each time I see it I’m in awe at the artistic detail that is put into each peace, and I notice how it is beautifully made. Dan and I got the nativity scene last Christmas, and that has been the extent of our Jim Shore collection. Most of all, this was great time to spend with Dan and his mom and enjoy the beautiful weather.
Last but not least, I’d like for you to check out the poll below. Let me know what you think!
I’ve been wanting to set up a blog for some time now, but not getting around to it due to studying, busy life etc. So, without further a due, my first blog post! Horray!!
Nothing too exciting on the Christiansen homefront. My husband Dan just found out that his sister is preggers again with her 6th child! How exciting, and …well, 6th? That’ll be 6 more than we have and we’re scratching our heads as to how she does it. God has blessed her with patience and the gift of fertility..that is for sure. We are excited for her and look forward to meeting the new member of the family.
On Friday and Saturday I’ll be talking THE biggest exam of my entire career. I’ve been preparing for this since Spring, so hopefully I’ll pass with flying colors. Preparing for the NCIDQ (National Counsel for Interior Design Qualification) exam has consumed my life the past few months. It is comprised of three sections stretched over two days. The first two sections are multiple choice, and the second section is a floorplan drafted solution. I will be so excited after I’ve completed this, and I can get back into the groove of things. My office is a mess from all of my study material, and I’ve yet to complete my travel scrapbook from our trip to Europe this past spring. Not to mention my social life and spending time with the hubby has had to take a back seat these past few months. I’m looking forward catching up with that the most. Dan has been very supportive of me through this study time which has helped out a lot. I am praying that my anxiety about the test doesn’t get the best of me, and that I can stay calm and that God will give me the strength and knowledge I need to pass!
XOXO
♥Sharon the Love♥ 