Does this look dangerous to you?

We're rearranging and making room for baby, so, of course, at our house, that means painting!! The family came this weekend and got started on the downstairs bedroom (which will be the new guest room), and Dusty started the hallway Tuesday. Freddy came yesterday to help him finish. Freddy is the official 'cutter' when it comes to painting! I know he'll love the blog mention! :)

We borrowed a ladder that was supposed to make painting in stairways easy...doesn't look easy or safe, does it? And trust me, you can't get the full effect from this picture!

However, it is finished and it looks great!

Thanks, Freddy, for your help!!

Meet Avery Claire 4D

26

This week, Avery Claire is about the length of a English hothouse cucumber.

(Don't you have some of those lying around your kitchen?!)

How far along: 26 weeks
Net weight gain/loss: up 15 lbs.
Maternity clothes: Still loving maternity pants. Wearing a lot of sweatpants since we’ve been out of school!
Stretch marks: No (still hoping for none!!)
Belly button: innie – but it’s starting to stretch!
Sleep: Pretty good, except for bathroom trips.
Baby movement: Yes – she’s busy in there!
Food cravings: I’m still loving pepperoni!
Food aversions: No…
What I miss: That’s a hard one this week…
Looking forward to: Getting furniture in so we can get bedding started!
Best moment this week: Deciding on a name…and seeing Avery Claire on the 4D ultrasound - pics to come in a few moments!
Milestones: The network of nerves in baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She can now hear mommy and daddy much better. She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And she's continuing to put on baby fat. Avery Claire weighs (as of 12/22/09) 1 lb, 15 oz.

Merry Christmas

...from our house to yours!

I'm not a fan of having my picture taken, but we wanted Avery Claire to see one day what her mommy looked like the Christmas before she joined us!

Santa Stopped By...

to visit Win!

He left a new blanket, a new football toy that makes a really weird squeaky noise, and not one, but TWO busy bones!!

Thanks, Santa!

Baby Girl D has a name for Christmas!

Ornament Tradition

We wanted to start an ornament tradition for our baby girl, so we decided this ornament was perfect for this year. While we await her arrival, Bama had an undefeated season and won the SEC championship, Mark Ingram became the first Bama player to win the Heisman, and Bama is on the way to the national championship game!

Less than 100...

...days to go until Baby Girl D's arrival!!

25

This week, Baby Girl D is about the size of a rutabaga. Trust me, she's much cuter!!

How far along: 25 weeks
Net weight gain/loss: up 15 lbs.
Maternity clothes: Still loving maternity pants. Wearing most of my own shirts/sweaters.
Stretch marks: No (still hoping for none!!)
Belly button: innie
Sleep: Pretty good, except for bathroom trips.
Baby movement: Yes – she could move all day long and I’d love every second!
Food cravings: I’m loving pepperoni – and I usually do NOT like it!
Food aversions: No…
What I miss: Buying new pants at Gap – they have some really cute hip-slung fit pants right now! But I’m not complaining!
Looking forward to: Painting the new guest room and painting Baby Girl’s room over the holiday break.
Best moment this week: Christmas break has arrived!
Milestones: Baby Girl Davis is beginning to put on some baby fat. She is growing more hair, and if we could see her, we could tell the texture and color of her hair. She is wiggling up a storm and doesn’t like to be crowded. If her mommy or daddy pushes on her a little, she kicks back!

Smokies

Friday after school, D & I left to go to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge to meet my family (mom, dad, Matt, Grandmother Joann, Mike, Kenneth, Melinda, Dan, Lisa, Anna, Daniel, Jacob, Beth, and Josh) for the weekend. It was a very quick trip, but we really enjoyed it. We got in a little (and I mean very little) Christmas shopping and some quality time with the family. And we got to spend about 12 hours in the car together, which is more consecutive time than we've got to spend together lately, it seems.

We didn't think about taking pictures until we back to our room Saturday night and Sunday morning, so they're not very "mountainy." It was very cold, though!! Brrr!

Sorry the quality of these pics is sooo not good. Hotel rooms do not have good lighting!

Look closely - you can see the 24 week bump!

Baby's Closet is Filling Up

I've had these pictures on my camera for awhile, but I've been a blog slacker, so I haven't downloaded them. We're working on filling Baby Girl's closet...Nana bought her a sweet pink tutu, her first baby doll, a ballet outfit, and some cute little Polo outfits for next fall. I ordered a sweater dress for next winter...and of course we have to get our Bama outfit collection started early!

24

This week, Baby Girl D is about the length of an ear of corn.

How far along: 24 weeks
Net weight gain/loss: up 16 lbs.
Maternity clothes: Still loving maternity pants. Just ironed a maternity shirt for tomorrow.
Stretch marks: No (and let’s pray for none!!)
Belly button: innie
Sleep: Pretty good. Being wiped out from shopping yesterday helped last night!
Baby movement: Yes – she could move all day long and I’d love every second!
Food cravings: Not really anything this week.
Food aversions: No…
What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach.
Looking forward to: Deciding on Baby Girl’s name!!!!
Best moment this week: Seeing Baby Girl on the ultrasound…she was holding her foot in her mouth with her hands – looks like she’s flexible!
Milestones: Baby Girl Davis weighs 1 pound, 10 ounces (as of 23 weeks, 6 days). She should gain about 6 ounces every week from now on (if you don’t want to do the math that means she should weigh around 7 lbs, 10 oz at full term). She is starting to plump up, which I could tell in her cheeks on the ultrasound. Her brain is growing rapidly and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing “branches” of the respiratory “tree,” as well as cells that produce surfactant (that’s a substance that helps her air sacs inflate and not stick together once she is outside the womb).

Furniture

We've looked for nursery furniture for awhile, but I just hadn't found any I loved. I wanted black, and the only place I found a black collection that I even liked was JC Penney (but I just wasn't that happy with it - and I couldn't see it in person before I ordered it). So, last Friday, we went to LilyPads in downtown Northport, and when we walked in, I saw two beautiful nurseries set up, and they both came in black! So, after getting the go ahead from Baby Girl's daddy (that sounds a lot like "my baby daddy", doesn't it? She needs a name, I know!!), we ordered nursery furniture yesterday!!
I ordered the Sheffield Collection from Bonavita. We love it and can't wait to start painting!!
I found bedding that I love here....but I've found someone to make it for me as soon as we get the bed in and get it measured (thanks, Tia's Aunt Jane). So, we're on the way to getting Baby Girl's room ready. (If only we could decide on a name!! Hopefully, we will soon!)

23

This week, Baby Girl D is about the size of a mango.

How far along: 23 weeks
Net weight gain/loss: up ? lbs. (I haven’t weighed since my last dr. visit, but I know I’ve grown since then!) I go to the dr. Wednesday, so we’ll see then.
Maternity clothes: Still loving maternity pants. I’ve decided it’s good to be pregnant in winter – most of my sweaters work just fine!
Stretch marks: No (and let’s pray for none!!)
Belly button: innie (but, Wow, is it stretching!)
Sleep: Pretty good…I’ve had a lot of good sleep in the recliner this afternoon!
Baby movement: Yes! She loves music and moves all around when she hears it.
Food cravings: Not really anything this week.
Food aversions: No…
What I miss: Not a thing!
Looking forward to: Ordering furniture – I’ll post a picture soon.
Best moment this week: We’ve discovered this weekend that we can “see” Baby Girl move if we watch my belly…who ever thought watching a belly could be so entertaining?!
Milestones: Blood vessels in Baby’s lungs are developing to prepare for breathing. The sounds that her increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as Win barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb. Her first words may be “No bark, Win!”

Four months until Baby Girl Davis's due date!!

Elf on the Shelf

Have you seen this cute little idea? The Elf on a Shelf is a cute little tradition I learned about last year. You read this book with your kiddos and then this cute little guy (or girl if you wanna chick version, see here) appears in your home in a new position. Here's what it says about the tradition on the creator's website:
"The first time the elf arrived at our home, my children officially adopted him by giving him a name. Each year he would arrive around the holidays, usually at Thanksgiving. His sole responsibility was to watch the children's behavior and report it to Santa each night. The next morning after the children awoke, they discovered the elf had returned from the North Pole and was now resting in a new and different place. My children would race each other out of bed to try and be the first to spy him in his new position.
Over the years the tradition was perfected and rules were introduced. For example, to better preserve his mystique the children were not allowed to touch him but talking to him was a different matter all together. My children shared many secrets with the elf, and while he was under strict orders not to talk to them, the elf was under no such orders where grown-ups were concerned."
I just think this is the most precious idea and thought I'd share! I can't wait to share this tradition with our little girl!!