Rocker/Glider and other growth

So this post is mostly for those of you living outside the metro St. Louis area. As our shower gift my mom and dad helped us buy the rocker/glider for Henri's new nursery. Josh picked it up this past week and put it together the other day. Josh tends to sit in it more than I, but we both love it and know that it will be very important in Henri's care once he arrives. Josh has been hard at work this weekend (as usual) with mudding the nursery and he feels that it is going relatively well. Let's pray for no snags in the rest of the mudding or the sanding work. It will really make or break how the walls in the room turn out. (new nursery pics to come soon!) Lots of folks at home have been asking for a "belly" shot. Although I'm not totally game for this, I will entertain the request since we are closing in on the 30 week marker. That means about 11 or so weeks to go depending on when Henri decides he is ready! And Henri certainly has a lot of growing to do in those 11 short weeks. That will be my focus, plenty of rest and relaxation so that he can grow. Having said that, this included belly shot will certainly show that for Henri's mom, there has been no lack of expansion! Thanks to everyone here and back in Cincy for their support and prayers throughout this pregnancy, it really helps!

Here is the glider for Henri's room. It's currently in the living room, but just as comfy there!

The infamous "belly" shot that is in such high demand.

Behold....the power of mud!

Let it be known to everyone that has ever inquired about the progress on the nursery......the mudding has begun! This is great news and a huge hurdle to have overcome. Josh has worked very hard on the nursery this weekend. He finished drywalling the inside of the closet and has begun the mudding and taping. This also means a bit of sanity for his wife. Most of the tools that had taken up residence in my dining room over the past three months have made it back to their rightful spot.....in the basement! This made room for cleaning, you have to love that. We also put the stroller together to ensure it was in good working order and in no need of return or exchange. One day at a time we are moving closer to Henri's arrival! Not to wish any of this wonderful time and pregnancy away, but 12 weeks to go and so much to get finished. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend.

Rainy Days

Happy 4th of July to everyone. We hope everyone is enjoying some relaxing time off. It has rained like mad here through the night and most of the morning. Josh and I were looking at a day filled with working on the nursery and cleaning the house. Then.......rutrow, not one leak, but two in the roof :( Josh walked into the nursery to find water dripping from the new drywalled ceiling in Henri's nursery. To say the least it put quite the damper on the day. So....the price of the new nursery drywall $450.00, plus two new pieces...price of new shingles on our roof $4000.00....price of a new house without a leaky roof, some would say priceless, we say about $350.000.00. Whew, and we thought Henri's college education was going to be expensive? On the bright side, it isn't raining now and we still may grill out this evening!

4D

Hello All,

For those patient followers, there is going to be a VERY special treat at the end of this blog entry. Josh and I have barely recovered from our most recent trip home, and we will be getting back to the grind tomorrow. We both went home for the family shower for Henri and Emma. It was great to be home and see everyone and I had a wonderful time at the shower. A big shout out to my mom and dad who really put together a beautiful shower. Speaking of beautiful.....my mom and dad celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary on Sunday. That same day Josh and I took our parents and siblings to a place called BecomingMom. It was a chance for everyone to experience an ultrasound with Henri. Henri was exceptionally active and really gave everyone a show. He yawned very big during the exam and did plenty of moving!! I think everyone enjoyed themselves. I also got to see the 4D ultrasound of Emma while I was home and it makes me even more excited to really see her once she gets here. Another shout out is in order. My brother and sister-in-law are two of the most gracious people. They have shared the "pregnancy spotlight" with Josh and I with grace and understanding and we are so thankful for that. Henri will turn 28 weeks this Thursday and seems to be growing beautifully. The next big hurdle will be the glucose tolerance test and it will come in a week and a half! We hope this entry finds everyone well and looking forward to celebrating the July 4th weekend! Hope you really enjoy these 4D photos of Henri!

This was one of the first 4D images we captured of Henri. The view is of the left side of his face as he is nuzzled into his placenta.

Another great view of his face from a greater distance. His eyes are shut and his left arm is out across his belly.

As I said, He was very active during this ultrasound. Here he is contemplating life already. His left hand is up under his chin as if to say "What in the world are you all staring at me like this for?" The black spot on his head is just shadowing from placement of the probe.

Shower for Henri

For those of you who have suffered with so few posts recently, we are making up ground today! This is the third and final post for the weekend. On Saturday several of my gorgeous friends had a baby shower for Josh, Henri, and I. It was at Tara's house and Wendi, Shannon, Laura, and Mary Jane also pitched in to make it perfect. The day was beautiful and the food was amazing. I tried grits for the first time, and they were delicious. We also had other amazing casseroles and dessert was from the cup cakery!!! The girls all made onsies for Henri, and they really put forth a lot of thought and effort. The amount of gifts that everyone gave was completely humbling to both Josh and I. Henri will definitely benefit from all of them! As good as all that loot and grub was, having my mom and sister in law here with the support everyone at the shower has given was the most important thing! It's so nice to have so many people who care about you and what is going on in your life. Girls.........thanks from the heart, I appreciate all of it more than I can show.

Here are Wendi, Laura, Lynn, and Courtney all working hard on making personalized onsies for Henri! They were all wonderful.

Shanny, Tara, Lynn, and Mary Jane are all working in this photo.

And the photo everyone at home has been waiting for!!! Katie suprised me by coming into town and mom thought to get a picture of us together belly to belly. I think these two cousins will have it made.

Nursery Progress

The nursery is coming along. Josh has really been hard at work getting things accomplished in the most difficult of circumstances. Our house is about 100 years old, so levels and plumb walls were completely overrated when our house was built. Having said that, Josh got a huge hurdle out of the way this weekend. The jacked up wall is now plumb, and the door to Henri's room is up and perfect. The next step is to finish the door striker plate and get the last few pieces of drywall up. After that comes the framing of the closet and hopefully within the next couple of weeks he will begin the mudding and sanding of the walls! It sounds like a lot and it is, but Josh is very patient to do things exactly perfect and I can't wait for everyone to see what an amazing job he has done with the final product!

Eventually we will get the knob up and paint the door white, but just having it up and level is a hugh step!

Anna Update!

So Anna is 17 months now and her vocabulary that was mostly non-existent the last time Josh and I were home (early February) includes octopus! She is really growing up to be a big girl. She has been to her first parade and her first water park adventure! We get to go home and see her in 3 weeks and we can't wait! In the interim, here are some photos of her nearly famous baby blues! Enjoy.

She is having a tough time deciding which comfort item she needs most. Her sippy cup or here blankie.

Enough said!