Due Date

Today is my due date and yes, I am still here. I hope she comes soon I am getting pretty sore and slow on my feet. I am trying to be patient. While I have been waiting for my sweet baby's arrival I have been working on her nursery. I am almost done. So I thought I would share some pictures.
We still need to put up crown molding. Brandon is going to build me a frame around a large mirror to go above the dresser. And I need to finish painting some details in the room. Anyway, here is what we have so far. Thanks to Hilary and Amy for all their help!!

38 weeks

...well almost 38 weeks. I think this baby is going to come sooner than later. I am feeling SO ready to have her here and not be pregnant anymore. Time has really gone by quickly with this pregnancy though. I guess having three kids to take care of and a busy husband keeps me pretty distracted. Wish me luck on a smooth delivery, and lets pray I don't have to have another C-section this time around!!

We have a new family member...

...his name is Alvin! He seems to be someone who doesn't always want to follow the rules because I constantly hear Coleman in an angry voice yelling "AAAllllvvviinnn" down the stairs. Alvin likes to come and ring the doorbell at dinner time. Coleman always answers the door for him and says, "how nice to see you, Alvin". Coleman then makes sure he always has somewhere to sit at the dinner table.

Alvin follows Coleman around where ever he goes and sometimes Coleman likes to boss him around, saying "no, don't do that", "come on, let's go downstairs", or "you need a TIME OUT!". Apparently he is a big talker in the car. He has many conversations with Coleman and sometimes I can't understand what the conversations are about, but they seem to enjoy each others company.

Sometimes at dinner it's Aunt Hilarys' or cousin Logans' turn to come and sit with us for dinner and I am not sure where Alvin has gone. Coleman doesn't seem to worried about him though. He is SO happy to have Hilary over or Logan to play with.

Just a few seconds ago Coleman yelled to Alvin, "come cut some play dough". In a high squeaky voice Alvin just answered "okay". Wow, sometimes it is really fun when Alvin speaks, he is usually pretty quiet!

I am not quite sure how I feel about our new family member, actually it kind of bothers me. He makes Coleman look and act a little strange at times, and frankly kind of crazy. I definitely don't encourage him to have Alvin around. The boys sure like having Alvin around, they think it is hilarious!! They will try anything to bring him back if he has been gone for a while. We will have to wait and see how long he sticks around. I don't know if I am ready for an even more crowded house!

Another hat

I knit this hat for my boys. I think it turned out pretty cool. I will have to make another one, as soon as I finish making my baby blanket, crocheting a baby hat, painting the baby room, knitting some booties, knitting a baby hat... Why do I do this to myself?

Honduras

Brandon went to Honduras with a dental/medical team a few weeks ago. This is the second time he has gone there with this group and he has really enjoyed helping the people in that area. The team stays at a orphanage in a city near Tegucigalpa (I believe). Here are some of the kids at the orphanage who got attached to Brandon. He always seems to be a magnet for kids-they love him!







Each day the team would take a bus to different villages in the mountains. Brandon said the people were so appreciative for everything. One village even had balloons, and a sign that said "Welcome", and laid down grass for them to walk on when they arrived. Hundreds of people would stand in line all day to get medical or dental care, and several would walk many miles.

The staff sets up outside somewhere. The dentists mostly just pull teeth out. After just two brigades (the second day) they had pulled over 250 teeth. Wow! Here are some pictures of the people lined up for care.






Here is Brandon with Father Mike, the leader of the team.


Here he is with the two other dentists on the team



I will post some pictures that some other people took from the trip of Brandon in action when they become available. He really did have a great time. But, he was SO ready to get back to our country by the end of the trip. He brought the kids home some Honduras soccer uniforms and me a nice decorative bowl, and our baby girl a cute dress and sandals!! Thanks dad for being such a great example of service and always working so hard. We are so glad to have you back home, we MISSED you!!

Baby Name

So, as you all know we like names that are a little different. We are trying to agree on a name for our baby girl and are having a hard time. I tend to like the boy names for girls and Brandon is seeming to like the more traditional names this time around.

I am going to list some that each of us like, and if you want, you can tell me which one or two are your favorites. Or you can tell me don't like any of them, but if you do that you have to give me some other suggestions. That would be so helpful! And, hopefully after all this work this baby really will be a girl. It is still a little hard for me to believe. I have another ultrasound next week to see if my placenta has moved up-so I will have them double check- and then maybe I will stop worrying about it. Here are the names:

1. Hadley
2. Peyton
3. Emerson
4. Ajay
5. Paige
6. Ember
7. Laney
8. Avery
9. Jade
10. Tate
11. McKinnley
12. Corie
13. Summer
14. Reagan

THANK YOU!

Help, please!

I am in need of a new infant car seat and stroller combo. Does anyone have any suggestions? I of coarse want one that is safe, but don't really want to pay top dollar. I am considering Britax because I know that they have the highest safety ratings, but they are a bit pricey for the stroller and car seat combo. Is Chicco good? Are there some cheaper car seats that still have good safety ratings? I have been researching online, but there are too many to pick from.

I am also looking for a baby swing that is nice, not too expensive, quiet and one that isn't ginormous. Has anyone found one they really like?

And in the next 6-8 months I need to get a new high chair as well. I would like a wooden one. Has anyone tried any wooden ones. I like the look of the Eddie Bauer one that Target carries, but it seems a little pricey and the reviews all say that it is hard to clean and that the paint chips easily.

Any suggestions would be great, I haven't looked into this stuff for over seven years, so I am feeling a little overwhelmed!

28.5 weeks

I decided it was time to take a few snap shots of me, because I haven't taken any yet for this pregnancy. Coleman actually was my helper and pushed the button on this shot- not too bad for a 3 year old. I am almost 29 weeks now and time is passing quickly. I am getting so excited to see my baby girl!