Donnie and I went to my parent’s house for Christmas Eve.  Chad, Catherine, and Brenna came over too.  We saw Brenna was wearing a cute outfit on her First Christmas.  Donnie and I held Brenna and she was smiling and was very cute.  I had trouble with my hands being swollen & hurting, so I had Donnie hold Brenna for me.

My mama made a Lasgana and salad for dinner.  And then we all opened the Christmas presents.  We bought presents for Brenna.  Chad, Catherine, and Brenna bought presents for Connor.  We all had a great time!!

We love you guys!!

Merry Christmas…..

As of tomorrow, we are officially within one month of Connor’s arrival. I can remember several months ago, I was trying to rush this along (http://babyblog.vlwphotography.com/?p=33).

Well, the time is almost here and I think we are about as prepared as we are going to be.

baby’s room – check.

baby supplies – check.

finish household chores – check.

get in shape and lose weight (me) – nope, put on hold.

read books on childbirth, the 1st year, breastfeeding, etc… – check.

attend childbirthing classes – check.

register at the hospital – check.

put the bowling ball, softball glove, and golf clubs in long term storage – check, maybe, nope.

prepare for sleepless nights – now wait a minute, I don’t remember that being in the “contract”.

get advice/suggestions from friends and family – check.

line up free babysitting – CHECK! (grandparents, are you reading this?)

be prepared for labor/delivery – not sure we are “ready”, but I am certain we are NERVOUS.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Victoria, Connor, and I opened presents here this morning and then went my Mom’s house to have breakfast with her, Danny, and Kristen (which has become a “tradition” for us the past few years).

Victoria’s parents and my family came over for turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and plenty of dessert.  I think we all ate too much, but that is part of the holiday tradition, right???

Christmas was wonderful and I think Connor and Mommy got what they were looking for.  Victoria plans to try to make Connor’s baby food, so I bought her a food processor and some ice cube trays.  She is ordering a book online that will help give her some direction.  She said her friend Trish does it, so it sounds like it is worth a try.  (Yes, I realize he won’t be eating baby food for a while.)

Well, I wanted to take this time and thank all those mothers and fathers who have provided us with insight and advice over the past 35 weeks or so.

Each of you have provided us with unique information which we greatly appreciate.  I didn’t expect to discuss such private things with a lot of you, but deeply appreciate your candidness.  It has helped ease some of our worries/concerns.

I’ve tried to thank most of you personally, but some of you I don’t talk to or see as much as Victoria, so I figured this might be a better way of saying thanks.   So…

THANK YOU!!!!!!

As most of you know, I have taken quite an active role in Victoria’s pregnancy.  From reading books to going to every doctor’s appointment, I have been there to help Victoria understand and decipher what is being said as well as help educate me on what to expect.

Well, tonight we went  to Motherhood to look for a “pregnancy support belt” (at least that is what I am calling it).  Victoria is carrying quite low and Jaime recommended giving one of those a try.  We went into Motherhood and the woman working in there was very helpful.  She opened up the package and started to help Victoria put the belt/brace on.  She started to pull it tight, but said she was a little nervous and didn’t want to pull it too tight so she asked me to help.  Which I did.

Then she was showing us another location to loosen/tighten the belt.  At this point I was just watching.  The store clerk started to pull on the strap (it is velcro) to loosen it.  At that moment, I was kind of caught off guard and remembered how she was a little nervous/unsure of herself earlier.  So I must of thought the belly was going to drop to the floor after she unhooked the velcro.  So, I quickly grabbed for the Victoria’s belly.  I think I kind of frightened her.  It was hillarious…she even chuckled.

Soon after this, Victoria was looking at robes so she could have one at the hospital.  At this time, the store clerk and I started to have a discussion about the Medela breast pump.  Explaining to me how a double is better than a single (I’ll leave it at that — most women will know what I am talking about).  Only if I had a tape recorder — you all could have a laugh.

Victoria turned 38 today and she said it is one of the best birthdays she has had in a while.  It started with me making her breakfast and giving her two birthday cards (one from me and one from Connor).  I made her french toast and then we attended church this morning (with her Mom and Dad).

She relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and then we went out to dinner at The Bonefish Grill.  It was nice because we were able to sit and talk for quite some time (something we haven’t had much time to do lately because we have been getting ready for Connor and Christmas).

Afterwards, we went to Motherhood in the mall (I have a funny story to tell about that).

Happy Birthday Victoria/Mommy!

Jaime sent me a link to this…

Now I know what to buy him after he gets a set of clubs.

Thanks Jaime!

It has been a while since I have posted something. Well, I’ve been busy finishing up things around the house before Connor arrives. With Christmas and all the little projects around the house, it has made it difficult to update the blog.

Victoria is feeling fine and is getting much bigger (or should I say Connor is getting much bigger). Victoria has been taking little naps during the day and keeps her feet elevated to help minimize the swelling. Other than that, we are anxiously awaiting Connor’s arrival.

Hard to imagine that Connor will finally be here in about 5 or 6 weeks. We are feeling more of Connor now and he keeps Victoria busy by pushing and kicking her.

I’ve been singing (poor kid) into Victoria’s belly more frequently. That seems to do the trick — if all is quiet, it just takes a few verses from Daddy’s “homemade lullaby” to get Connor stirring. Maybe he is trying to tell me I should be on American Idol.