Finished Nursery!

Hi, everyone! Here are pictures of our finished nursery! I feel a little lost now that it's finished; it's been a lot of fun decorating and doing little projects the last few months. Now all we need is a baby! Let us know what you think! (The first picture is the "before" picture, posted a while back.)

Before

After

Closer View

Also, not shown in the pictures posted, are wooden letters that I painted and hung (they're on the wall just to the left of the crib and to the right of the changing table). I've seen wooden letters everywhere lately, and thought about purchasing them already painted, but decided to paint my own. It was definitely my favorite project! Here's a sneak peak of two of the letters, not necessarily consecutive or in this order! ;-)

34 and 35 Weeks

Here's another belly update! I'll be 36 weeks on Wednesday, and am starting to feel more uncomfortable (usually in the evenings). I can't believe we only have a month to go before our little girl gets here!

33 Weeks (for comparison)

34 Weeks (all ready for bed by 8:30 p.m.)

35 Weeks

Jacksonville Baby Shower

This entry is a little late, but I wanted to share the pictures from the great baby shower that Mom Wyckoff and Jenni (Chet's sister) hosted for me on December 5th. It was funny to have both Christmas and baby shower decorations up at the same time, but the weather ended up being nice and cool, giving the day a Christmas-y feel, and made Mom Wyckoff's tasty apple cider that much more enjoyable! Everything, from the decorations to the food to the company, was perfect, and I received great gifts that helped us complete our we-need-this-for-baby list.

Mom Wyckoff, Ashley, and Jenni

Decorations and Guess-the-Baby-Food Game

Food Table

Decorations and Food

Adorable and Extremely Tasty Cakes (thanks, Carolyn!)

Diaper Cake (Jenni made this...it was so amazing!)

Mingling

Guess-the-Baby-Food Game

Measure-the-Belly Game

Baby Gifts Under the Christmas Tree

Adorable Tutu Skirt (This was way too cute to hang in the closet, so it's displayed in the nursery...thanks, Sam!)

Ride 2 Recovery

Thursday, December 17th, Chet participated in the fourth annual Ride 2 Recovery, a bicycle ride designed to raise money for wounded veterans. There were about 325 riders total, but Chet and many others, including the CNO (Chief of Naval Operations) only participated in the last leg of the ride, which was 50-miles long ("only" I say!). In case you were wondering, Chet WAS sore the next day. Here is a link to an online article covering the event: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-12-17/story/cyclists_complete_ride_mayport_finale_for_injured_vets.

In addition to participating in the ride, Chet was also responsible for part of the planning, specifically coordinating the ride's on-base finish (imagine 325 bicyclists flying through the base's front gates past armed gate guards...not a normal day). To top it all off, Chet has also been working on a several-month-long project: planning, managing, and overseeing the construction of the base's first handicapped beach access ramp. The ride concluded with the CNO cutting the beautifully handcrafted red, white, and blue ribbon at a traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony, deeming the ramp "open". (By the way, Chet and I were the makers of the "beautifully handcrafted red, white, and blue ribbon".) Here is a picture of Chet in his Ride 2 Recovery outfit!

33 Weeks

Not much news to report! My 32-week doctor appointment went well, and I'll post a picture in my maternity uniform soon (that's for you, Case!). Chet and I have been busy getting ready for Christmas, and although we won't be traveling to Texas this year, we'll spend the big day in West Palm Beach with Chet's family. Here is my 33-week picture compared to 32 weeks, as well as the car seat and Pack 'n' Play we recently received in the mail! Merry Christmas to all!

32 Weeks

33 Weeks

Car Seat

Pack 'n' Play

31 and 32 Weeks

Sorry for not posting last week, but here are my 31- and 32-week pictures (compared to 30 weeks)! Please excuse the 32-week picture (I have a cold and am feeling/looking pretty rough), and I took two pictures the 31st week because I think I look more pregnant in the red dress picture (this was taken right before Chet and I went to his work Christmas party) than in the bare belly picture. In other news, I switched to the maternity uniform at work this week, and I have my 32-week doctor appointment tomorrow.

30 Weeks

31 Weeks

31 Weeks

32 Weeks

3D/4D Ultrasound

Hi, everyone! Last Wednesday Chet and I went to a 3D/4D Ultrasound clinic and got to see our little princess again. I was especially interested in having the technician check...just to make sure...that we're definitely having a little girl. We are (thank goodness; I wasn't looking forward to re-painting the room or returning all of those adorable bows and pink clothes), and it was so much fun to see her moving around and looking like a little human! We got to take home a CD with all of the pictures from the session, but they weren't the best because we were only able to see her right side, and her little feet and some umbilical cord were covering her face part of the time. In case you can't make out what you're looking at, her face is on the left side of the pictures, looking right. And she's smiling in the second one!