Thanks, Oma!

Thanks to Oma....Asher's diaper bag is on it's way to Birmingham. Like everything else baby related, I have been trying to find the perfect diaper bag for months. This one was very much my style and I imagine Asher will like it too. I have to give a shout out to Reagan T. She already had this bag and was kind enough to let me copy her. Thanks, Reagan!

Thanks to Sarah H. for sharing a discount code with us as well. I owe you!

Baby on Board

Some photos from our cruise last month. It was our last pre-baby vacation!

A Mover and a Shaker

I have been feeling some major movement for a few weeks now. But last night Ben was able to feel the kicks himself. As I laid in bed, it was even visible. It is so exciting. All the cliches about loving this little thing beyond anything you can imagine, in spite of the fact that you have never seen or touched him, are so true. Sometimes I just want to cry. I feel so blessed and so thankful that God has entrusted us with this little life. I pray I am every bit of the kind of Momma He is calling me to be. Ben and I are both well aware of the task at hand. And while we know there will be hard days ahead, I pray that we are able to focus on the blessings and never take this job for granted. I always want Asher to know that we prayed for him and wanted him in our lives.

Bible Verse Friday

Have a blessed weekend!

Thanks, Amanda!

Amanda and Mason came over for dinner Tuesday night and brought wonderful presents for Baby Asher. They gave us this diaper bag in black. I love it because we can use it beyond just a diaper bag. It is cool enough to be a tote for many years to come!

They also gave us a sweet little lovey that I need to take a photo of. Asher already thinks Mason is the coolest and can't wait to come out and play with him.

Thanks Amanda and Mason!

Our Bedding Arrived

The bedding arrived yesterday. I was so excited! I love it even better in person.

I don't think Marley had the same reaction. He is beginning to sense Asher's arrival and is worried his place as Mommy's favorite is drawing to a close. He got in the box and asked to be sent to a family that won't replace him. Poor Marley!

Shopping Spree for Asher

We hit the jackpot at Gymboree Friday night. The sweet manager was talking to us about when we are due and I told her we were looking for winter clothes and not having much luck. She was a dear and went to the back to pull out stuff she was saving for the Big Red Balloon sale. She set up a chair in the back of the store and we went through 2 totes of clothes. Everything was already marked down for the sale. We bought everything we even considered liking. The most expensive thing we bought was $6 and everything was an additional 30% off that day. We ended up buying $275 worth of clothes for $55!

This was actually in the summer stuff. And while I tend to avoid clothes with phrases on them, I couldn't pass this one up. It has an elephant on it and says "Momma's Little Peanut", our nickname for Asher.

The hoodie and pants are from Gymboree but the onesie is from Baby Gap. We got it for $.99.

This outfit ended up being $4. It is reversible.

Reversible side of jacket and pants. Baby elephants!

We bought a couple of more things on sale at Belk.

I Swore I Wouldn' Do It...

Yet here I am. Posting photos of my baby bump. I guess we all cave eventually.

20 weeks

16 weeks

Baby Loot

NOTE: No one but me will care about this - but I wanted to document the first presents that were given to our little boy.

This is just SOME of the stuff we received before we knew what we were having. From the looks of it, we were destined to have a boy.

I have to give a big thanks to my brother-and-sister-in-laws. They really hooked us up. Most of the stuff in this photo is from them. As well as the photo below. The bag holds crib sheets, crib skirt, a Baby Bjorn and 2 covers for the changing pad beside it.

My parents were hoping I was pregnant before we even had a chance to tell them. Right after we shared the good news my mom gifted us with this.

It was important to her to buy the baby its first blanket because my grandfather (my mom's dad) bought me mine. I slept with it until I had to retire it in high school. It is now in a safe place and has been replaced with a blanket that my grandmother (mom's mom) made for me.

Aunt Betty gave this to us the day we found out Asher was a boy.

 More presents from Aunt Betty.

I didn't buy anything the first 5 months of pregnancy. I was waiting to find out the gender. Lucky for my wallet there is not much boy stuff to choose from. But inspite of the lack of supply, I have still managed to pick up some pretty good stuff.

I bought this gown and burp cloth immediately after the ultrasound. His first boy duds!


And a couple more shopping trips later...

Every Grizzle Boy needs an argyle sweater vest.

Washcloths for his bathroom.

  I love the detailing on this little sleeper.

  And the perfect faucet cover. An elephant!

The water comes out his mouth and he blows bubble through his nose.

Ok, so I lied. We did buy this before we knew Asher was a boy. It was the first thing we ever bought him. A blue elephant. The perfect baby item.

Choosing a Name

He will actually go by Asher. We have been warned about the dangers of calling a child by his middle name but decided to learn our lesson the hard way.

Chosen by:
Mommy and Daddy (maybe a little more Mommy than Daddy)

We actually chose the name years ago. We found it, loved it and decided to keep it under our hats until we had the chance to use it. I have loved it this whole time. Ben wavered when we got pregnant but came back around just in time!

It is special because:
Benjamin (Biblical name meaning son of my right hand) is after Daddy. Asher is also a Biblical name and means “Happy and Joyful”. Asher and Ben will also have the same Monogram.

Other names we considered:
James, Henry, Grayson, Whitt, Sam and Quinn

Baby Bedding

I can't tell you how much I have obssessed fretted over shopped for this. So, while it may seem like we found out it was a boy and rushed out and ordered bedding the very next day - the truth is that I have been thinking about this for months now. We have looked at every baby store, boutique, custom bedding shop in the Greater Birmingham Area and online. We finally settled on a classic set and I was glad to finally be able to mark it off the list and move forward with nursery plans.

I hit the "Order" button about 15 minutes ago and I am more nervous than I was on my wedding day!

It is really simple and I love that about it. The blue is just what I wanted for a boy and will probably end up on the walls (in a slightly softer/lighter form).

Here are a few more additions that we have or will be getting for the room.

The Results are in....Baby Griz is a....

Although the votes on the blog show a 53% girl vote, Baby Griz is actually a BOY! I am so excited. I have said this many times, but I really felt like it was a boy. Before getting pregnant, I wanted a girl all the way. But pretty soon after finding out we were actually "with child" all of that changed. I guess this little man was sending me pretty strong signals. I have been drawn to all things boy since February. We are both super excited. Mainly because we can finally put a name to this little fella. It all seems so much more real now.

At the doctor today the US Tech said, "We can't see everything on an ultrasound. But from what I can see, your little boy is absolutely perfect." I knew he would be. At least to me anyway, there is nothing that could make me think otherwise. I am so happy and can't wait to have a Momma's boy of my very own!

Side view:

Baby Feet.

Face and arm.

This one is my favorite. He is curled up with his little arm on the side of his face.