Halloween 2008

It was a lot easier to get the three pups to pose in their costumes than I had ever imagined. They all cooperated! It was a miracle. On another note, I went back to the doctor this morning and there's nothing new to report. Emmaline has decided that knocking her head into my pelvis is a fun pastime and that she is very happy where she is for now.....

Happy Halloween!

This picture is from last year. I'll add this year's photo on Monday if I can get Daisy to cooperate.

We won!

Work Halloween Costume Contest

In the spirit of team building, I was encouraged to dress up today for the office Halloween contest. Imagine my surprise when I show up and am the ONLY one in costume at 9 am. The vote wasn't until 3 pm and the other 4 ladies who participated changed into their costumes right before, had their picture taken and then changed out of their costumes. I call that cheating. While my getup is funny on it's own, it might be helpful for me to explain that I was actually dressed up as a particular person. We have a dock builder (who I have dealt with on numerous occasions in enforcement) who always wears a cowboy hat, a LARGE belt buckle, a plaid flannel shirt and alligator cowboy boots. I was unable to wear my ostrich boots as part of the outfit due to my feet swelling (not for lack of trying this morning I assure you) so I had to settle for John's boots instead. The outfit would have been pretty comfy if the horns on my "steer" belt buckle didn't keep poking me in the stomach. I'll let you know if Emmaline and I win!

So I'm bored and someone sent me a quiz.....

1. Where is your cell phone? in my purse
2. Where is your significant other? at work being a brilliant engineer
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? excited to be a grandmother again in about 2 weeks
5. Your father? a man of few words
6. Your favorite thing? a good bath and great food (being pregnant kind-of limits most other things)
7. Your dream last night? something CRAZY I am sure, it will take a few days to remember it.
8. Your dream/goal? a happy, healthy, funny and respectful child
9. The room you're in? my office at work
10. Your hobby? crafting, cooking, entertaining, reading
11. Your fear? Obama and childbirth
12. Where do you want to be in six years? as happy as I am now
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you’re not? comfortable. I'm almost OVER being pregnant
15. One of your wish list items? bling to celebrate our first child
16. Where you grew up? Laurens, SC
17. The last thing you did? close out a file
18. What are you wearing? maternity jeans (the only pants I can wear at this point) flip-flops (the only shoes I can wear at this point) and a tank top and cardigan
19. Your TV? now addicted to directTV. love the pause feature
20. Your pet? that would be PETS. Riley, Roxy and Daisy
21. Your computer? slow and outdated
22. Your mood? content
23. Missing someone? all my buddies who have been thru having a child that live far away
24. Your car? dirty, my father would ask when was the last time I washed it
25. Something you’re not wearing? REGULAR CLOTHES!
26. Favorite store? all of them, I am really starting to miss not being able to walk into a clothing store and pick up something normal
27. Your summer? hot
28. Love someone? definitely
29. Your favorite color? red
30. When is the last time you laughed? just now at a coworker
31. Last time you cried? two weeks ago when they asked if big babies run in my family

Progress!

I had my weekly doctor's visit this morning and before the exam I joked with the doctor that she could just fib and tell me I was 20% effaced so I felt like something was happening. Imagine my surprise when she said she didn't need to fib - I was 50% effaced and 1 cm dilated! I know that it doesn't mean much because women can walk around for weeks like that but it's progress and we will gladly take anything in that direction at this point!

False Alarm

We went back to the doctor yesterday for the ultrasound and apparently, Emmaline is not a moose. They are estimating she weighs 6 1/2 lbs and may gain 1 more in the next 3 weeks. THAT, I can handle, a 10 lb baby I could not handle. She is healthy and everything is fine so that's a relief.

The 7 words no pregnant woman wants to hear

"Do big babies run in your family?" nope, not in mine, but my husband was 10 lbs. It's all his fault. Just got back from the doctor's visit for this week and apparently I am carrying a moose. She will do an ultrasound next Tuesday to see just how big this baby is and we will look at the options then.

Yearbook Yourself

Since there's nothing better to do today, I logged onto Yearbookyourself.com and had a few laughs.

Did not realize that I would soon be staring at my mother in high school!

For Sale

It's official. We signed a contract with a listing agent last night and there is a For Sale sign in the yard. I have mixed emotions about the situation so we'll just wait and see what happens.

Happy Anniversary!

Wow, time does fly when you are having fun. Today is our 3 year anniversary. In that time we have built a house, are expecting our first child, and are making plans to build the next house. As John pointed out last night, not many people do that in their lifetime. I call those people lucky :) only regarding the house building part of course.

I'm starting to get a little uncomfortable and sleeping is not so restful. In my tossing and turning last night, I must have had my belly right up against John because Emmaline woke him up while she was tossing and turning as well. I can see now how we ladies can get very impatient toward the end of pregnancy. We have our last shower in Norway this weekend and Kirsten, Annabelle, and Augustus will be in town from Baltimore. We're excited to see them and are looking forward to having them close by in Greenville next summer.

I had a cleaning crew come in on Monday and give the house a good scrubbing from top to bottom. The real estate agent is coming by this evening to take a look at the house and give us an estimate for a listing price. So, since Monday, Daisy and Roxy have been banished to the outside pen, much to Roxy's displeasure. Daisy doesn't really care, but Roxy is used to spending her days on the couch. I'm pretty sure that Riley has spent the past two days sticking his tongue out at them through the window.

My wedding rings had to go on vacation

I've held out as long as possible, but yesterday decided it was probably not a good idea to continue to force my wedding rings on and off of my finger. I don't have swelling in my feet and hands that most people would notice yet (hopefully won't ever) but I can tell that things are a little tight. So, because I am vain and don't want the old lady at the grocery store looking at the unwed mother with pity, I am now sporting a very convincing CZ that I found at an antique store :)

But I'm smarter

I finally figured out how to post the pictures from Shutterfly. We had a wonderful time at our shower and here are a few of our favorite photos. Enjoy!

Snapfish got smart

So apparently Snapfish got smart and you can no longer save pictures from their website. My "photographers" from the shower did send me the pictures, but I haven't figured out how to get them on the blog....working on that now....

We're feeling just fine. I go back to the doctor this afternoon and on Wednesday we will be 31 weeks. No more double digit weeks remaining. That's sort-of scary. We're also trying to get the house ready to go on the market which is slightly stressful but I've been trying not to think about it too much.

Daisy got her cast off last Friday and her leg seems to be healing well.

Charleston Baby Shower

Six of my dear friends hosted a baby shower for us this past Saturday and we had a crowd! Everyone was extremely generous and Emmaline got a lot of fantastic things. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family and John and I are so appreciative. I will post pictures from the big event as soon as I get them from the "photographers" of the evening.

Happy Birthday, Alivee!

Wishing my friend Heather's little girl, Alivee a great Birthday! The picture is a little old but that just means that Heather needs to send pictures more often, hint, hint.

Daisy is one spoiled pup.

John was going to do some yard work last night after we both got home from a long day. Since I had already cleaned up several puddles I requested that Daisy and Roxy go outside with him. I laughed out loud when I looked outside and saw John hauling a load of pinestraw across the yard on the lawnmover with Daisy hanging out in his lap and Roxy sulking behind like she was being abused.

Augustus's 1st Birthday

We were in Norway over the weekend and had a late birthday celebration for my nephew Augustus. Birthday hats had to be worn by all of course.

A Very Rare Moment

Roxy and Riley are adjusting to having Daisy around and now that she moves a little slower she's not so annoying to them!

A baby is going to be a piece of cake!

Since Daisy's arrival we've been learning how to ensure our own sanity as well as the dogs. These new skills/requirements include, but are not limited to, picking up shoes off the floor, shutting doors we don't want puppies to have access to, barricading the stairs, removing the BIG water bowls, picking up pennies off the floor so they don't end up in puppy stomachs and making sure there is a constant and LARGE supply of dog-friendly chew toys and bones. But sometimes, even with the best intentions, accidents happen. This morning I was woken up at 6:30 by John asking for help because Daisy broke her leg. She was running across the yard and her leg got caught in a wooden crate........her body kept going. John had a meeting so off to the vet's office Daisy and I went. She was a great sport under the circumstances. One X-ray, a splint (which is more like a full leg cast) and $200 later, she will be as good as new in 4-6 weeks. In the meantime, we are supposed to keep this energetic, ticked off puppy still and quiet.

One more thing to add to the list

I've been having some pain in my right wrist for the past week. This morning when I woke up to more pain and swelling, I decided that it was time to head to the doctor's office. Long story short, I have tendonitis and because I'm pregnant, I can't take the pain killers or the anti-imflammatory drugs. I was sent home with a wrint splint and the hope that it will get better on it's own. Great.

We have a name!

Emmaline Marinelle Dangerfield will make her grand entrance in November. Hopefully by then, the circus will be manageable (see previous post!).

Daisy has arrived!

We picked up Daisy from the airport yesterday. She was a little nervous about getting out of the crate, but once she got out, she was a ball of energy and so excited to see us. I can only imagine what she had to endure on her long trip from Idaho. We're all adjusting to this new addition and so far Roxy has not eaten her :) The pictures do not do her justice, she really is precious and very sweet!

Dinner with the Laurens crew

Heather and Richard were in town last night so we all met for dinner. It was great to see evryone and catch up. It was also fun to speculate what Reid (the only one of us who couldn't make it) might be doing in Paris :)

It's a girl! and another girl!

No, we're not having twins. We had the big ultrasound on Tuesday and we have a healthy baby girl! We are very excited to know for sure and I must say I am looking forward to pink things and bows! John has been saying all along that the baby was a girl so he has earned the right to say "I told you so". Now if we could only agree on a name...

In about two weeks, we will have another special delivery arriving from Idaho. About two and a half years ago, John put his name on a waiting list for a Cheasapeake puppy. Well, guess who called with some news? The breeder, just in time for me to be 5 months pregnant! So, after many discussions we have decided that our lives are only going to get crazier from this point on so why not add another 4 legged addition? By the time the baby arrives, hopefully, John and Roxy will have her well-trained. Below is a picture of Daisy and her litter mates. At this point we have no idea which one she is.....

Happy Birthday to my Sweet Mama!

Dock Building is HARD work!

Dock Building pictures as promised. Wonder if pluff mud is good for the skin?

Brady's Baptism

Here are a few pictures of my nephew Brady's Baptism. As I had said before, we had a great weekend and Brady was very handsome in his outfit and was very good during the service.


Brady meets his new puppy, Trixie
At the church
Brady's Baptism outfit
Brady with his Grandmama
Brady walks!