Update: Maternity Photos, Garth, 2 Showers, Cirque, Extreme Makeovers, and Life in General ~ Vida Bonita

A lot can happen in a couple of weeks, especially leading up to having a baby. So let's knock out a few things first:

How do I feel?
Pretty good overall. About 2 days a week I am too tired to do much of anything. Laying in bed all day is also uncomfortable and makes me feel so lazy because there's so much to get done but I really can't complain.
Am I ready to have the baby?
Yes. If I could have her today and she would be fully developed and perfectly healthy, I would happily admit myself. But she still has some cooking to do so I'm just gonna let the good Lord do his magic and be grateful (yet sleepy and big) for the experience.
Is the nursery finished?
The nursery is about 90% finished. We have some canvasses that some friends and family are working on that will finish the decorations and I think I should probably buy a lamp but other than that we are done with that project. When it's done I'll do a blog post.
Cravings?
Not really. Protein and milk shakes always sound good. I try to be reasonable because I don't want to spend the rest of my life trying to lose this weight. Nursing is only going to take me so far.

Everything with the baby is going well. We had our last ultrasound last week. She is weighing 5lbs 5 oz which is supposed to be right on track. They didn't have any concerns and wished us a happy delivery (where we get our ultrasounds is different than my normal OB). She moves all the time and we can see her from the outside which is fun. I started back in pre-natal yoga. I wish I knew as much about any topic as that woman knows about babies and pregnant ladies. I'm still not necessarily "nesting"... I don't think. I am determined to get everything out of our pantry so everything is fresh when she comes. That has made for some interesting dinners... I also plan to have a huge cooking party (of one) to make a bunch of frozen crock-pot meals and then I can just send Matt out to get the fresh items with a list I will have already prepared. That sounds right up my alley... I also feel really compelled to stock up on shampoo and toothpaste and such so if you have any coupons send em my way! So I don't think that's nesting... just preparedness. I think when I am nesting Matt will know it. Look out.

The weekend of Jan 17 was a busy one for sure.
On Jan 16 we took our maternity pictures. I wasn't really convinced I wanted to do them just because this isn't my favorite version of myself and I am vain. But I was afraid I would regret it. Tiger Photography did our pictures. The prices were very fair and she did a great job. She is also really nice and easy to work with.

^^^ This picture reminds me of the picture below. How things have changed!

And I think this picture basically sums up our pregnancy.

We made a pact with two other couples to all try and get Garth Brooks tickets in Tulsa. We were all on a group text ready to click the moment they went on sale. I am so glad we made the pact because I was immediately put into a long line but our other friend got the tickets! I mean, it's Garth. GARTH. So we went to Inola after the maternity pictures and stayed the night with my parents.

We met up with Bryan and Jessica and went to dinner with Love and Sarah. Then we took the obligatory couple selfie at the concert.

This is Sarah. She is married to the lucky securer of tickets. She knew far too few Garth songs. I hope this experience has changed her forever. And by changed her, I mean inspired her to buy the boxed set. That sounds like an archaic statement but that man's music is too hard to get electronically.

Twas a GREAT concert. I was getting a little uncomfortable because well... I just get restless at events these days but it was totally worth it. He played all the great songs. He put on an awesome show. Way to go Love!

And then we had our first shower in Inola. This was a shower for the NE Oklahoma/NW Arkansas family and friends. My mom and Danielle threw this shower. It was really cute with a Patsy Cline/Music theme.

Of course my mom made an incredible cake.

We got a lot of really nice and thoughtful gifts from handmade items to practical items to adorable clothes to put her in. All things that will come in very handy. We quickly realized we are so blessed to have people love on us and our daughter.

And here's mom and dad after the shower

The next weekend Matt and I needed to get away. I had a lot on my mind and some stress that a pregnant person probably shouldn't take on and I wanted to spend some time with my husband before our life gets nuts. The weekend before was a lot of fun but it's also hard to go go go. We had also promised Matt's parents that we would watch their dogs when they went to an event in Dallas which is only fair since they watch our dog pretty often. So Friday night after Matt got off of work we headed to the lake house.

We rented a Redbox and got some snacks and I brought some "Fre" wine which is basically white grape juice in a glass bottle. We had chocolate fondue in what is essentially a scentsy for fondue. This was one of our infamous impulse buys. We tend to do that. Keep us away from home and garden shows. And fairs.

The weather was so nice that we took the boat out.

And on Sunday before we left Matt and I ate at a barbecue restaurant in Durant and went to some antique stores. There was this place I believe called the "Junk Junction". We wanted a little end table for next to the glider in Cline's room and sure enough they had 2 about the size we were looking for. One was pink and one was blue. Of course the one I wanted more based on structure and design was the blue one. After some negotiation it was mine for $22. We got in the car and Matt looks at me and says "You're the most generous person I know until you're negotiating with someone." What can I say?
So we brought it home and Matt primed it and then painted it with left over paint from the nursery. I went to Home Depot and picked out a new door handle and bada bing we had a $26 end table. I love it. Now all I need to do is get a little lamp and I am totally done with the nursery. Unless I find a pink rug... and THEN I'll be done. But rugs seem to be expensive so I am willing to wait on that.

Here's the table positioned in the room

As one of my Christmas presents Matt got us tickets to the Cirque du Soleil show Varekai. We went to dinner before at Sushi Neko (yes, it was cooked) and enjoyed the show. It was a little too family friendly for me... and by that I mean there was a lot of silly humor that children 4-12 would be really into but I really like to just watch people do life-threatening acts like hanging from their foot from a trapeze bar. I wonder if it ever stops being an adrenaline rush? That's probably when you get hurt...

Anyway, overall a night out with my husband is always okay by me so it was a win.

And then we had another shower this past weekend.

This is Andrew and Sarah. Not only are they able to score awesome Garth tickets, they have also been extremely gracious ever since the moment they found out we were having a baby. They have a little boy so they know what all of this is like and have been an awesome support to us. In addition to all of the nice things they have already done, they threw us a "B is for Baby, Beer and Barbecue" diaper shower which happened to also stand for Bedlam Basketball.

Matt is still close to several of his Delt fraternity brothers so they and their wives came over and brought packs of diapers. It's a very "boy friendly" shower because there's no opening of gifts or anything, just hanging out and having a good time--with the supremely helpful benefit of a stock of diapers to get you started. Matt and I brought them all in and counted 'em up. 1,005 diapers were given to us at this party. 1,005. I wish I had any idea how long that will last, but surely a few months. Right? Right?

Sarah had asked me if I had anything I was particularly liking. I said root beer and macaroni and cheese. Abita beer is really good (go ahead, try it, if you're able). She found Abita root beer. I kid you not, I had the best root beer float of my life. They also made brisket, beans, and macaroni and cheese. The Mac and Cheese was to die for, and I consider myself quite the mac-n-cheese critic.