Nesting!

Here's mommy at 33 Weeks! Funny story about this picture....I asked Christian to come outside and take some pictures of me for the blog. Blame it on the preggo brain, but I closed the door behind us and locked us out! Daddy had to break a screen to get in...that doesn't make me feel too safe.

Just 7 more weeks to go until the arrival of Lil Baby D and the David house is in official "nesting" mode. The weather in Atlanta was gorgeous this weekend and it feels like summer is upon us, so we did want to have a little fun. We enjoyed our first weekend home in a month with lazy mornings, cozy dinners, ice cream and church. But in between mommy and daddy were in full cleaning mode. With a laundry list of baby to-do items it was time to start getting ready for baby!

Big Daddy spent Saturday with his precious pressure washer, hosing down anything that wasn't moving. He cleaned out the garage, washed windows and got the patio ready for outdoor dining - not that we'll be throwing any raging parties this summer!

Little Mama spent the day in the nursery organizing all the shower gifts and trying to decide what the baby needed. This prompted many calls to new mom Jen. How many onesies can a baby need....apparently a lot! It was a daunting task as the photo below will show. But every once in a while I would pick up a precious little outfit or a teenie pair of socks and it would hit me that in a few weeks we are really bringing a baby to our home. WOW! I love those moments.

I made a dent but you can see there's still so much more to do. Christian has started building all the equipment this tiny thing will need. And when Mimi Kathy comes to visit in June we are going to fine tune the nursery - hang curtains, dress the crib, hang pictures...all the fun stuff that grandma's love. I can't wait to have my mom here.

As for Baby D - he continues to stay very active in mommy's tummy. Space is limited but he manages to find a way to roam around in there, inevitably ending up on my bladder. He loves when daddy and I talk to him at night - he definitely responds to daddy's voice and pretty much goes nuts. It's hilarious to see all the activity in there. This kid is definitely going to wild one, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I am already in love.

All for now...

The nursery before...does a baby really need all this stuff?

The nursery after....still a work in progress.

Daddy starting to build Baby D's stroller.

Success!! One down, ten to go.

Fun with the David's

Mommy and Daddy enjoying a gorgeous night in Philly after dinner at Morimoto's. I'm 31 weeks here and getting quite large. How has Christian remained so trim through all of our eating - he eats everything that I do and is still a rail!

May Madness continued with two trips to visit the David's. It was a crazy two weeks but so much fun! We kicked off the festivities by taking Baby D to historic Philadelphia. Jill had an event there so mommy and daddy went in early to check out the city. Aunt Mandi and her awesome boyfriend Mike drove in from Manhattan to join the fun. We're huge Mike fans and hope a wedding is not too far away!

Believe it or not, Philly is an amazing city. We saw all the sites, including the Constitution Center, the Liberty Bell, Love Park and the Italian Market. But let's be honest, we were really there for the food. What an awesome food town! We ate Japanese at Iron Chef Morimoto's restaurant (the chef was there), homemade Amish pretzels (unbelievable), the original Pat's Cheese steak (always go with the cheese wiz) and Mexican at El Vez (tacos as good as Cali).

We ended the trip by purchasing every candy and baked good known to man at the Reading Market - hands down the best homemade cookies and marshmallow caramels on the east coast! And Christian got 2 jars of the hot and spicy mustard he had been waiting for since last October. It was an incredible weekend. Check out some of the fun...


Mommy and Daddy canoodling at Love Park in downtown Philly.


Standing in front of the Liberty Bell. Very cool.


Me and aunt Mandi chowing down on Pat's Cheesesteak. As much as I don't want to admit it, the cheese wiz was delicious!


This photo is cheesier that the sandwiches at Pat's! We're in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art where the famous Rocky Steps are...we had no choice but to pose!

Aunt Mandi, her BF Mike and me and daddy at the top of the Rocky Steps. I barely made it up, but at least I made it. What a gorgeous view of the Philadelphia skyline. We had such a fun day.

The following Friday we flew to Chi Town for Memorial Weekend and to celebrate all of the fun things happening in the David Family. We had a bridal shower for Aunt Dani, a retirement party for Judy and a baby brunch for me and Baby D. Grandma Lucy and the Dublikar family came in from Ohio which made it all the more special.

Aunt Melanie hosted a beautiful bridal shower for Aunt Dani, who's getting married in September. Of course, Melanie outdid herself and we had a ton of great food. Dani and Lionel made out with some really neat stuff for their house. Later that night we had a BBQ in honor of Judy (aka Gigi) since she's retiring in June after almost 30 years of teaching. We continued the food fest with grilled burgers, brauts and all the fixin's. We all had to roll out of there. Here are just a few of the fun photos...

Melanie's awesome spread for Dani's Bridal Shower. Nine year old Sami is going to be Dani and Lionel's Jr. Bridesmaid.

Aunt Dani with 4 year old flower girl Sophia.

The David girls - Judy, me, Mandi, Dani and Mel.

The Dublikar girls - Judy's sister Nancy, her daughter Ellen, daughter-in-law Danielle, Grandma Lucy and Danielle's adorable daughters Vivienne and Ava.

Uncle Chris and Carson enjoying some guy time. Carson is ready to be the ring-bearer.

The next morning Gigi hosted a baby shower brunch at her house. We ate more delicious food including real New York bagels sent by Aunt Mandi and yummy sugar cookies that Aunt Dani brought from downtown Chicago. I am so blessed to have such wonderful in-laws! And Baby D made out with so many great gifts - everyone has just been so extremely generous to this little one.

Gigi, me and Grandma Lucy at my Chicago baby shower. We were so fortunate to have grandma in from Ohio.

All the David girls celebrating again at my shower. I am so lucky to have amazing in-laws!

Me and cousin Ellen, who was 12 weeks pregnant at the time. She has so much fun ahead of her.

Christian's best friend's wife, Robyn came to the shower with her daughter Ashley. These four became fast friends and played together all day. It was precious.

Having the Ohio relatives there to celebrate with us was the icing on the cake. Justin and Danielle's little girls Ava and Viv are absolutely adorable and made fast friends with Sami and Sophie. It was precious to see them all together. And Carson had plenty of bonding time with the boys - he played sports all day Saturday with his uncle Chris and then got to golf with Papa, Chris and Mike on Sunday. He even got to drive the golf cart - what a treat!

It was such a memorable weekend - the kids are still talking about it!

8 Weeks and Counting....

Mommy and Daddy celebrating Christian's birthday with family in La Jolla. I'm 30 weeks in this picture. What a dreamy background.

Well folks, I am 32 weeks along, so just 8 weeks to go! Baby D saw Dr. Houston yesterday and everything was right on track. Like many pregnant women in the home stretch, I keep hoping they will tell me I am farther along than originally thought and that the baby will probably come early....not so much! That's ok, I don't want Baby D to come any earlier than he needs to.

I've grown so much in the past few weeks and so has the baby. The karate kicks have turned to roller coaster rolls now that there's not as much room in there. He still manages to give me a swift one now and then and it feels like he's trying to get out! There's also a lot of hiccuping going on. I hope he's still having fun in there but it seems like cramped quarters.

Regardless of the sleepless nights, heartburn and sore feet, I am actually enjoying this new phase of pregnancy. The baby feels so big now - it's like this little person rolling around in my tummy. I feel like we have this bond that only he and I understand. We talk all the time and I share my day with him. Daddy also talks to the baby every morning and night. When we all sit together on the couch at night and talk I already feel like we are a little family. It's a pretty amazing feeling. We can't wait to meet this baby.

We just finished our childbirth prep class and I am proud to say that Christian did very well through all the birth photos and videos. It was an interesting class and we learned a lot. We still have baby CPR and our hospital tour coming up. Still so much more to do - finish the nursery, find a pediatrician, pick a day care and put away all our great shower presents. Will it ever slow down?

I'm sure the next 8 weeks will fly by and soon enough we'll meet our new addition. We'll keep you posted on all the fun as it happens. Love to you all...

California Dreamin

Big Mama at 30 weeks! Me and Baby D were at Mimi Kathy's house for our baby shower.

As expected, May is off to a very busy start for the David clan. What was I thinking planning 3 back-to-back getaways at almost 8 months pregnant? Oh well, it's been a lot if fun and so worth the travel headaches.

We kicked off May Madness with trip number one to San Diego over Mother's Day Weekend. I got to hold my precious niece again and I am so in love with her. Every time I held her Baby D kicked like crazy as if he was saying "what up" to his new cousin. Her Tio Christian met her for the first time and it was love at first sight. She's such a good baby...as long as her tummy is full! And she's just as sweet as can be and loves to cuddle in the nape of your neck - is there anything better? What a little blessing Jenny and Obed have brought to our family.

On Saturday, we drove to Mimi Kathy's in LA for my West Coast baby shower. I couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous SoCal day. My mom, sister, family friend Carol and dear friend Lisa hosted the orange and lime green themed bash. And all of my aunties brought food in honor of my southern life - pulled pork, mac n' cheese, cole slaw and the works! Lisa topped it off with the most adorable cake ever....see photos below.

It was overwhelming and wonderful at the same time to be showered with so much love and gifts from all of my crazy aunts, cousins, dear family friends and amazing girlfriends who I have known for years. Baby D got so much great gear! We are truly blessed.

Mimi's house was decorated with orange and lime green flowers and baby pictures of me and my hubby! He was such a cute, chubby baby.

The cutest shower cake ever! I hated to cut it but I have to admit...it was as delicious as it was adorable!

Me, mom, my soon-to-be-sister-in-law Donna and new mom Jen. We all get the feeling that Jess and Donna will be adding to the family shortly after their January wedding in Cancun!

My aunties and friends on the patio during games. Somehow I get the hunch there was some major cheating going on here.

The proud grandma. I still say she's way too hot to be a grandma...AKA Mimi.

Baby D's two grandma's and four aunties - I love having a large and fabulous family!

Me and my former partner in crime, Lisa. Boy how we've changed since college. I can't wait for Baby D to meet her gorgeous daughter Kendall.

My beautiful friend Patricia. She's like another member of the family.

The following day was Mother's Day and we gathered at Jen's house in La Jolla to celebrate. It was the first time our entire family had been together so it was very special. The three kids gave our mom a digital photo album of all our baby pictures and favorite photos through the years. It was really gorgeous. My goal was to make her cry...and it worked! Later that evening we went for drinks to celebrate Christian's birthday. We sat on the rooftop at George's overlooking La Jolla Bay and it was paradise. It was the perfect ending to an amazing weekend. Have I mentioned how much I miss California?!

Sisters and Baby M. I'm addicted to that little cuddle bug! Poor thing still has the shaved head from her time in the NICU.

Jen & Obed with his mom Ofelia who was visiting from Texas. That baby used to look like Jen, but she's all daddy now.

Uncle Jess hogged the baby for about 2 hours...but she was so peaceful sleeping on his chest.

Three generations on Mother's Day. What a beautiful picture.

Mom and the Three J's on a beautiful California day.

Mom and her album. She loved it!

The boys making Mother's Day Brunch for all the girls. Christian made Paula Dean's baked french toast which was a little slice of heaven.

Soon-to-be-parents in La Jolla at Sunset. It looks like we are in Hawaii. So beautiful!

The May tour continued last weekend in Philly and this Memorial Weekend is Chi Town for the David Family shower extravaganza. I'm sure I will have plenty of fun stories to post.

Until next time...

Boot Camp Baby!

I was 28 weeks here at our Boot Camp Baby Shower. It was 85 degrees that day and I got my first real taste of swollen feet and ankles. Should be an interesting summer here in humid Hotlanta!

The countdown to Baby D has hit 11 weeks! Yes, I've decided it's time to start counting down to the big day instead of up. Think I can do that with my weight?! The past 29 weeks has really flown by but I hear the last few will seem like forever. But we have a very busy schedule coming up so hopefully it will go by fast. Both Christian and I are ready for this little one to join our family!

First I must say that we are so blessed to have amazing family and friends who have offered to host baby showers for us. Baby D is already so loved. Our first official shower was here in Atlanta last Saturday, April 25. Our fellow Boot Camp instructors and friends threw us a co-ed shower. Another couple, BJ and Katie, are having a baby in May so we celebrated with a Double Baby BBQ.

It was a gorgeous day and we all sat outside Shannon's condo and grilled yummy food. Baby Roscoe, as the girls affectionately refer to him, received so many awesome gifts. We are so appreciative of our everyone's generosity! I just hope the name doesn't stick!

Next weekend we are headed to SoCal for my West Coast shower hosted by my family and dear friend Lisa. I can't wait to see everyone, especially my new niece Marseille - I'm dying to get my hands on her again! Then on Sunday we'll celebrate Mother's Day in La Jolla. It should be a wonderful weekend.

Besides that we are just keeping busy - shopping for the nursery, baby stuff and more maternity clothes for me...apparently you just keep on growing when you are pregnant :) Christian and I also started volunteering at the Sunday School at our church - Christian is leading a small group with elementary school kids and I am leading song worship with the toddlers! This should be great practice for us....or more than we can handle. We'll let you know how it goes. Until then...

The parents-to-be in photo 9 of 10. Thank goodness for digital cameras during pregnancy...I erased a lot of the "unflattering" ones. But I think this one is a keeper.


The two boot camp instructor mama's! We both used to look so lean and mean....but I think Katie looks pretty fabulous for being 2 weeks from her due date.


All my girls -Shannon, Betsy, Katie, Lauren and Lynn. What a great group of friends we have! Love them all!

Betsy started calling the baby Roscoe and it just stuck. Sorry Bets, I don't think the birth certificate will match the adorable bib.